All About "desserts" and "baking"

Apple Cupcakes

These apple cupcakes look just like apples, and are easy to whip up, plus a great addition to any Fall-themed party. Get the recipe from Short Order Mom here.

Pumpkin Patch Cake

The real pumpkin patch is fun for all ages, and so is this look-alike cake. Serve it up at your next harvest party and everyone will 'dig in'. If you can't find mini candy pumpkins, orange gumdrops work just fine.

Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Bread pudding is such a wonderful comfort food, and when pumpkin is added to the mix, it's pure decadence. This recipe is rich and delicious, but simple enough to put together that the kids can help, too.

Butter Frosting

This creamy, buttery frosting is perfect for topping cakes and cupcakes. Add a little citrus zest or extract of your choice for a special touch.

Fairy Cakes

I don't know anyone who doesn't adore cupcakes and for kids, calling them Fairy Cakes just makes them all the more desirable. For me, a Fairy Cake would be light in color and bright in flavor, and if it were topped with what looked like little fairies that had alighted there for a rest, that would be perfect. Use butter frosting to top the treats.

Pumpkin White Chip Brownies

brownies & bars, desserts, baking

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

One of the best parts about carving pumpkins is the seeds. Pumpkin seeds are not only delicious, but also an awesome source of potassium. I've seen so many recipes for pumpkin seeds and they all look great, but I really like my own method best.

Moravian Sugar Cake

Two hundred sixty-six years ago this Christmas Eve, the city where I reside was named by Count Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf, a Moravian leader, in the first house erected in this area. I can almost imagine the Count, said to have been watching the stable animals and listening to hymns being sung, suddenly standing tall and proclaiming the community, "Bethlehem," named after the birthplace of Jesus Christ.

It may have been less dramatic than that, but with our city having officially been dubbed "Christmas City, USA" in 1937, it's hard not to think of a more exciting beginning.This is a Christmas cake recipe well-loved by Moravians everywhere and devoured in record time by my own kids.

Shamrock Drops

These fun cookies are a version of my grandmother's. They originally call for shortening, but in the face of all that is known about trans fats these days, I opted for butter this time. We usually make these cookies pink. These are the best go-with for ice cream and I think chocolate chip mint or pistachio would be great for St. Pat's.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp