My Favorite Carrot Cake Recipe

I remember the first time I made a carrot cake for my family. I think it was my 16th birthday, and I wanted to make something from scratch, something other than a simple vanilla cake. I had found a carrot cake recipe, which I thought was very exotic, and served it up to my willing cake testers. I got some suspicious looks when I told them this was a cake containing carrot, but to my relief, it was a great success! I am now asked to make this carrot cake quite often, for birthdays for example, and it has become a "Christmas classic"!

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Soft Snickerdoodles

Today is the first day of spring! It was really fantastic weather here today, but looks like it will be the last warm day for a while - I did enjoy soaking up the sun tremendously. And you have to say, don't these snickerdoodles look like little suns? Okay, maybe I'm stretching it a bit, but they are pretty delicious I have to say. I had never had snickerdoodles so I didn't know what to expect. I'm sure every American has fond memories of this cookie, but I was a blank slate! I found that snickerdoodles are somewhat cake-like, with a huge dose of vanilla and cinnamon for extra warmth. I guess that's where my sun analogy came from! 

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Decadent Chocolate, Caramel and Hazelnut Cheesecake

While I've been getting my fatpants out of the closet again, it seems my sweet tooth isn't satisfied for the year just yet. There's more elastic to be used in that waistband and I won't let it go to waste. It's the season to be jolly after all, and apparently to be jolly, you have to be at least a little chubby - just look at Santa. Now that's all just kidding of course. But nothing wrong with some good old amazingly creamy cheesecake. I will be serving this cake for some guests who are coming around tomorrow (31st) - not in the evening though because I have a whole other (deep-fried) spectacle coming up for that..The details of which I will post here tomorrow!

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Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies (Hummingbird Bakery)

The Hummingbird Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe has been a staple recipe for me ever since I first tried it. The cookies that result from this recipe are so deliciously chewy and chocolatey, they are irresistable! One of my housemates told me that they are a bit salty, and she's absolutely right. But just as a pinch of salt works in a glass of chocolate milk (as Gloria taught us in Modern Family), it works for these cookies. 

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