My Sweet Endings

And the winner is ...!

Desserts are my favorite thing to create in the kitchen.  Making desserts is like making a craft.  They require a certain aptitude for baking terms and techniques, along with some measure of creativity and the results are so satisfying.  One of the biggest reasons I prefer creating desserts is the fact that I have a huge sweet tooth, so therefore, love eating them.  Secondly, instant gratification - they look great.  And since we eat with our eyes first, this is important.

I have a plethora of favorite recipes, and even more that have yet to be taste-tested.  I've been collecting them since I was 12 years old when I received my very first Betty Crocker Cookbook.  Apple Crisp is one of my earliest memories of a dessert I made, and remains a favorite of mine to this day.  I'm very particular about Apple Crisp, and whenever I'm eating out and they offer it on their dessert list, I'm tempted to order it as it's not one you would commonly find in restaurant.  More times than not I'm disappointed, but I continue to give in to temptation hoping the next one will be like mine!

I often tested desserts out on my co-workers, a trait that made me popular at the work place.  Each year the company had a picnic and invited employees to not only bring desserts, but to enter them into the annual Dessert Bake-Off contest.  I am proud to say that I won First Place 4 out of 4 times.  Prize: $100 American Express Card.  Not too shabby!

My dream was to one day own and operate a business where I could make and sell my baked goodies.  Not that I'm not working I saw this as an opportunity to do just that.  Unfortunately, capital is a big problem, and after meeting with a cupcake shop owner/operator, the amount I was willing to put forward just wouldn't be enough.  I am not interested in putting my house up for collateral.  Because I have a small home with pets and no garage, a "cottage industry" business is also out of the question.  I'm hopeful that one day a venture will present itself in one form or another and I can pursue my dream.

I will be using this Blog as a venue to post my recipes.  I'm including links to them here to make it easier to locate them.  You can also enter key words in the Search tool to get there as well.

Check out my dessert-related Blog posts:

Banana Split Delight
Watermelon Granita
Honey & Pear Upside Down Cake
Chocolate Hazelnut Flourless Cake
Carla's Lemon Cardamon Wedding Cookies
Caramel Apple Blondie Pie with Apple Cider Sauce
Chocolate Nutter Butter Peanut Butter Brownies
Apple Cake with Orange Cream Swirl & Caramel Glaze
Pecan Pie Cheesecake
Autumn Campfire Cupcake with Vanilla Bean Butter Cream Frosting (recipe not available)
Mini Pumpkin Upside Down Cakes
Pear, Dark Sweet Cherry & Almond Galette
Orange, Cranberry & Pistachio Biscotti
Gourmet Pumpkin Bread
Espresso Bean and Chocolate Chip Biscotti
Peanut Butter & Chocolate Cheesecake
Mascarpone & Buttermilk Ice Cream With Caramelized Peaches
Nutella Cheesecake & Oreo Brownies
Fresh Apple Cake
Granola Pumpkin Crumb Bars
Tangerine Poppy Seed Bread
Mini Cheesecakes With Chocolate Strawberry Jam
Chai Sugar Springerle Cookies
Banana Bread Cobbler
Pepita, Sunflower Seed, Almond Brittle w Sea Salt
Spiced Cakelets with Maple Butter Cream
Banana Zucchini Cupcakes w Caramel Centers & Brown Butter Frosting
Sticky Toffee Pudding
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes
Chocolate Syrup Cupcakes with Marshmallow Butter Cream
Slow Cooker Peanut Butter Fudge Dessert
Caramelized Apple & Brown Sugar Spice Cake w Caramel Frosting
Pumpkin Pie Crunch
Stuffed Ranger Round-Ups Cookies
Dried Tart Cherry, Almond & Poppy Seed Muffins
Amaretto Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
Sweet Raviolis
Creme of Coconut Poke Cake
Dulce de Leche Cupcakes
Chocolate, Whiskey, Marshmallow, Caramel & Bacon Bark
White Chocolate Holiday Bark
The Sugar Faerie's Hazelnut Banana Cake
Heavenly Almond Bars
The Ultimate Frozen Mud Pie
Vanilla Bean Snow Cream
Chocolate Pomegrante Torte
Raspberry Mocha Mini Bundt Cakes
Salty & Sweet Caramel & Peanut Butter Crunch Bars
Hazelnut Cocoa Tuile Cups Filled w Dark Chocolate Mousse
Heavenly Fruitful Delight
Cereal Encrusted French Toast w Sauteed Bananas
Mardi Gras King Cake
Lemon Curd Tart w Cornmeal Crust
Lemon and Ricotta Cheese Cheesecake
Chocolate Banana Nana Bars
Chocolate Hamantaschen
Irish Soda Bread Muffins
Irish Pub Cupcakes
Chocolate Chip, Brownie & Oreo Bars
French Macarons, Take I
Frozen Chocolate Mousse Bon-Bons w Peanut Butter Shortbread