Double Chocolate-Orange Cupcakes

Remember those chocolate oranges that were also flavored orange? I vaguely remember seeing them a lot when I was a kid (apparently this was because Anthony was a big fan so Mom would always get him one for his Christmas stocking).

Like most fruit, orange just goes great with chocolate. So I've wanted to make something chocolate-orange for a while. I decided that the Labor Day BBQ at my parents' house (side note: it's been 4 years and I'm still not used to not calling it my house) would be the perfect time to make something chocolate-orange. Since I hadn't made cupcakes in a while, I decided on those. I chose a recipe from one of the Simply Sweet magazine, a dessert magazine from the same publishers as Southern Living and Cooking Light (among others).

Oh, and if you're wondering where I got that chocolate orange pictured above, I found it partially hidden in a display at a sweet shop I adore called Lolli & Pops. There are several locations in the Seattle-area (two of which I can get to via transit - not exactly a good thing).

Marshmallow Stuffed Cookies

Over the past few years my parents have had friends and family over for a Labor Day BBQ. This year my mom asked me to bake a dessert, something easy to grab like cookies. Since I had mini marshmallows leftover from some s'mores bars I made last month, I decided to look for recipes with them so I could try and use up the bag (didn't succeed; I still have about half the bag). I eventually found a recipe for Marshmallow Stuffed Cookies on Smart School House. Who doesn't like finding a surprise in their cookie?

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cake

I love my cousin Carly. She's one of my favorite people. She's sweet, creative, and loves to hug. That being said, there's one thing I don't like about her: the fact that she's allergic to peanuts. As much as I don't like baking with nuts as an ingredient, I LOVE peanut butter and baking with it. Except I can't choose a recipe with peanut butter when picking a recipe for family gatherings (which isn't a problem: there are plenty of peanut butter-less recipes). So when my parents decided to have friends over yesterday - no family - I jumped at the chance to bake something with peanut butter. I started in the Reese's recipe folder of my bookmarks and came across this simple chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting from Dulce Dough.

Pepperoni Pinwheels

About a week ago my parents randomly decided to have a post-4th of July party with friends. My mom asked me to make Pepperoni Pinwheels for an appetizer. I got the recipe 4 years ago at my cousin's high school grad party (her mom and sister had made them and I asked for the recipe). A week later, I made them for Kevin's high school grad party. I've also made them every Christmas Eve since as well as for other events. They're very addicting so it's probably best to multiply the recipe to make more than the 2 dozen you get in one batch. I always use pizza sauce for dipping.