Chocolate-Mint Cookie Blossoms

I've told you many times that as soon as possible, I begin to celebrate the holiday season. Okay, CHRISTMAS. I celebrate the most wonderful holiday there is, and like I've said before, I'd start in September if possible. So you can imagine, come December, I feel as if the fun is almost over.

And I panic. It's the week before Christmas and I don't think I've soaked enough of the holiday into my blood to last me for another year. I've seen the Nutcracker (twice), watched movies, baked up a storm with Julia, thrown a Yankee Swap party, and yet, I haven't had enough. So to hold on for just a little longer, when all else fails, make Christmas cookies. Julia found all the recipes we made this year, so thank you Jusie!

Chocolate-Mint Cookie Blossoms

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 egg

2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon peppermint extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

42 peppermint-swirl candy kisses

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine butter and shortening. Beat with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, cocoa powder, and baking powder. Beat until just combined, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat in egg, milk, and peppermint extract until combined. Slowly add flour by 1/2 cup increments. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour. Cover and chill about 1 hour or until dough is easy to handle.

2. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are firm.

3. Give the cookies about 3 minutes to cool transfer to a wire rack. Press a peppermint Kiss on every one. Allow to cool completely before moving.

Chocolate Lovers' Cake

This weekend, while laying on the couch being lazy, my roommate and I discovered my (and now our) problem. We are addicts. Not to drugs, not to alcohol, not to anything illegal. We are addicted....to addictions. You may laugh, or think I'm crazy, but it's true. I could literally watch hours of intervention. I could read page after page of books like Go Ask Alice of A Million Little Pieces. My name is Jessie, and I am addicted to other people's addictions.

But that aside, if I could pick one other thing, it might be this cake. I cannot say it is my own recipe, but I can tell you that I took it from a valid baking source, my friend named Janna. really wish I could say I was not a chocoholic, because we are a weak breed, but if you are, boy you're in for a treat. This cake isn't hard to make, but it does take time. It is worth every little second though, of that I promise.

Chocolate Lovers’ Layer Cake

1 (18.25 oz) package Devil’s Food Cake Mix

1 (3.9 oz) package instant chocolate pudding mix

2 cups sour cream

1 cup melted butter

5 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Ganache

12 oz chocolate chips

1 cup heavy whipping cream

Icing

1 cup butter, room temperature

1.5 tsp vanilla

5 cups confectioners’ sugar, to taste/consistency

½ cup Ganache, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2-circular layer cake pans

2. In a large mixing bowl, stir together cake and pudding mix. Make a well in the center and pour in the sour cream, melted butter, and vanilla. Mix until combined.

3. Add eggs one at a time, mixing slightly after each. Scrape bowl and beat for 4 minutes on medium speed. Stir in chocolate chips with a spoon and pour batter evenly into pan.

4. Bake in preheated oven 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes and then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.

5. While cooling, make ganahce and icing. For ganache, place chocolate chips in a large bowl. Pour cream into a saucepan and heat on medium to boiling. Once it begins to boil, pour over chocolate chips. Stir until completely incorporated.

6. For icing, mix butter, vanilla and ½ cup (or more to taste) of ganache. Gradually add confectioners’ sugar until icing meets your desired consistency.

7. Once cakes are completely cooled, frost entire cake with one coat of icing. Refrigerate, if desired, and frost again to make sure no crumbs are showing. Pour ganache on the top of cake and let it overflow the sides.

S'more Brownies

It's finally beginning to feel like December in Boston. The days of short sleeves and open toed shoes are long gone. The winds are fierce and there is frost spreading on the cars in the dark of the morning. Right now it's easy to look forward to winter because, um, Christmas, but come February, I'm pretty sure I, along with the rest of the city, is going to be craving a little bit of summer. Fear not, folks. When the weather outside is frightful... make S'more Brownies.

S'more Brownies

1 box brownie mix -OR- your favorite recipe

5 full Graham Crackers

4 Full size Hershey’s Bars

16 large marshmallows

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line an 8x8 baking pan with tin foil and cooking spray. Prepare brownies as directed.

2. Pour half the brownie batter into lined pan. Layer graham crackers over brownies. Layer Hershey Bars and then top with 16 marshmallows. Top with remaining brownie batter as evenly as you can distribute it. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until toothpick comes mostly clean from center (keep in mind the chocolate bars will be melted). Remove from oven and let cool completely. Carefully remove foil and brownies from pan. Peel any foil from away from edges and cut into 16 squares.

Layered Pumpkin Cheesecake

I am one of those obnoxious people who begins to celebrate Christmas at the first cool day after summer. I've been listening to the Holiday Stations on Pandora since September. I have a little Santa Bear ornament handing on my dresser knob all year long. So I get it, December is for Christmas.

But, but, before you go all uber-festive on me, remember one thing. Technically, fall isn't over. In fact, we have a full two weeks until it's over, and I say we take advantage. So I have just a few more recipes coming your way, and this one was the co-star to our Thanksgiving dinner this year. You see, I like Pumpkin Pie, but I will only eat my own Family Recipe. So if you're finicky like I am about the seasonal favorite, try a similar rendition, Layered Pumpkin Cheesecake.

Layered Pumpkin Cheesecake

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 pinch ground cloves

1 pinch ground nutmeg

1/2 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Blend in eggs one at a time. Remove 1.5 cup of batter and spread into bottom of crust; set aside.

2. Add pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg to the remaining batter and stir gently until well blended. Carefully spread over the batter in the crust.

3. Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until center is almost set. Allow to cool, then refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Cover with whipped topping before serving.

**A nice tip to save time -- use pumpkin pie filling instead of plain canned pumpkin with all the flavor and none of the work!

Giving Thanks & Davis Family Pumpkin Pie

There are days where I can just hear the sound of my voice like it is nails on a chalkboard. I'm tired. I don't want to go to work. I ate too much. My body is sore. My apartment is a mess. The list goes on. You get the idea, right?

I imagine you may be like this too. You are often considering the possibility that if you just had one more thing or one less responsibility, that you may be happy. If you got into your reach school or finally moved to your dream city all of your wants would be met.

You're wrong. You really are. When I came to Boston, I just knew it would be a fresh start. A time to redefine myself. To do new things. To meet different people. To grow.

A few weeks into my move I began to realize: Life was still challenging, I still get really sad from time to time, I still get into fights with people, I still didn't have my dream job, I still haven't made up with old friends, I still eat too much ice cream after dinner, I still don't have my perfect wardrobe, I still haven't found a way to do things I want to do...and then, it hit me.

We are never satisfied. We always want more and better and bigger. We want perfection and our own ideology. We want the comfort of a best friend and the excitement of a crowd. We want the newest version. Want. Want. Want. And seldom, do we give thanks. I mean really give thanks. So I challenge you to change your thoughts.

You are lucky you have a job to complain about, a body that is healthy enough to be sore from exercise, a schedule that is busy from leisure activities, friends and family you care enough to fight with, a roof over your head, the clothes on your back and so much more.

And if all else fails, well, at least you can have your pie and eat it too.

Davis Family Pumpkin Pie

Refrigerated Pastry Pie Crust

2 eggs

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 tbsp of white sugar (just for variety, we say)

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (and a dash for love)

1/2 tsp of salt (but a little less because we're watching our sodium, says Dad)

1/2 tsp cinnamon (plus a dash for tradition)

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup maple syrup (and an extra tablespoon for good measure)

1.5 cups pumpkin (that's almost all of your 15 oz can)

1 cup evaporated milk

Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp powdered sugar

1. Heat oven to 425. Prepare your pastry pie crust.

2. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs slightly; Mix in remaining ingredients in order and pour into pastry lined pan.

3. Cover the edge of your crust with a 2-to-3 inch strip of aluminum foil to prevent excess browning. Bake 45-50 minutes or until knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool.

1. Whip cream in a COLD mixing bowl until just before stiff peaks form. Add vanilla and sugar and whip until stiff peaks form. Serve alongside pie.

Rolo Pretzel Bites

I like fancy dinners. I'm not intimidated by elaborate ingredient lists, long cooking hours or foods I've never heard of. I like a challenge. I like the satisfaction of enjoying something I've worked for. I like doing something that not just anyone can do. Well... that's most of the time.

Sometimes, however, I just want to be lazy. I want three steps, three ingredients and three minutes until I can dig in. When that happens, I'm going to continue to turn to this recipe. Sweet and salty and creamy and crunchy, this bite size treat is a cinch to make and is perfect for an easy entertaining treat. If you have five minutes, you can make it. So hop to it Hey-Zues (Jim Gaffigan, anyone?).

Rolo Pretzel Bites

24 square shaped pretzels

24 rolo candies, unwrapped

1 (1.7 oz) m&m candies

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Place pretzels on a baking sheet. Put one rolo onto each pretzel and place into preheated oven for 3 minutes.

3. Remove from oven and top each rolo with one m&m

(Yep, that's really it.)

Frosted Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

I'm ashamed. It's been over a month? Have I really taken that long of a hiatus? It appears so. And I'm sorry, I am! I miss my baking and my writing and finally, finally I am ready to get back into it. I don't have time for a complete catch up and witty monologue to go with this dessert, but I made it for Alex's birthday, and it was a hit. That boy loves his cheesecake and he said it was one of the best he has had. But don't take it from me or my potentially biased man-friend. Whip this one bowl wonder up yourself.

Frosted Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

2 cups finely crushed Oreo cookies

6 tbsp melted butter

3 (8-oz) packages softened cream cheese

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla

3 eggs

1 (12 oz) package semisweet chocolate chips, divided

2 cups whipped topping

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a bowl, combine Oreo crumbs and melted butter into a bowl and mix well. Press onto the bottom of a greased 9-inch springform pan. Chill for 15 minutes in refrigerator or until set.

2. In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Add eggs in one at a time and beat on low speed just until combined. Fold in 1 cup chocolate chips and pour into crust.

3. Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 325 degrees 55-60 minutes or until center is almost set. Don't worry if it cracks a little. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight. (My experience with cheesecake is it gets better the after sitting for an entire day).

4. For frosting, melt the remaining chocolate chips and stir until smooth. Cool to room temperature. When cooled, gradually stir in whipped topping. Don't overmix. Remove sides of springform pan and frost top of cheesecake;