Cute Pumpkin "Cake" Balls

So Cake Balls......*sigh*....I'm going to be straight with you

I hate 'em.

Don't get me wrong...I like the concept OK, and I think they're cute and all....But if I want to eat cake, I would rather eat a slice of cake...instead of whatever on a stick.  That and....I can't really make 'em.  That might be my true reasoning behind my loathing of cake pops....and cake balls.  It's messy and time consuming and just not for me.

So why am I doing a post with cake balls and cake pops???

Because they're NOT CAKE POPS!  It's faux cake balls.  It's CHEATING in the cake on a stick territory. 

Allow me to explain....and show you how to do them 3 ways for Halloween :)

Candy House!

Aaaaaaand that's it!! :)

So here it is...the last day to enter the giveaway.

So ENTER!

Ya know how I've been a little vague on what exactly I would be buying at Candy House to give away??

Well that's because I didn't quite know.  Ya see, I never know what I'm going to get until I step in the shop (and it's the cutest little shop too....I'll Instagram a pic next time I'm there.)

Well I went this morning.  They open at 9:30....I was there at 9:33......would have been there sooner if I hadn't been jonesin' for a Chai Tea Latte.....

Anyway.....here's what I bought for the winner of the giveaway!!

That's one gift basket my friends....and one of each flavor of candy apple they make!

Let's see.....what's in that gift bag??

MORE Giveaway Stuff!!

Ok so you know how like 9 days ago I said I would have some stuff of my own to contribute to the giveaway??

Well, besides what I buy at Candy house.....which is still a surprise) here is my humble contribution:

• A Beater Blade (which I love....and this one is un-breakable!!)
• 5 cookbooks: Macarons, Hello Cupcake, Milk and Cookies, Chocolate Passion, and Sugarlicious.
• a liquid measuring cup
• dry measuring cups
• and a little Christmas package with liners and cute little toppers.

So not only do you get goodies from Bake It Pretty, Copper Gifts, Ecrandal Cutters, Karen's Cookies, The Cookie Countess, BRP Boxes and Candy House, but some other goodies as well..  I'll be mailing a big ol box!!

All the books are great.  I personally own a copy of each of these.  Macarons has some really great macaron recipes and iseas, Hello Cupcake is always fun, Milk and Cookies comes from the same named bakery in New York, Cocolate Passion has SO much delicious chocolate lovliness!!, and Sugarlicious is a COOKIE BOOK from our beloved Meaghan Mountford over at The Decorated Cookie.  

There's only 2 more days to enter the giveaway!!  So go on over to the GIVEAWAY page and enter NOW!!  And let your friends know too!  Let's make it a party!!  Woooo 10,000 Facebook Fans!!

Down Knockturn Alley

So I was thinking of doing some kinda Harry Potter set for Halloween....

But then I realized that I have kids and a house to clean and all that so I had to downsize that project...

So I started to think about the creepiness of Harry Potter....you know, the dark magic... and that scene where he says "diagonally" in the flue instead of Diagon Alley.....and he ends up in Knockturn Alley...and that creepy shop.....

Sorry, my nerd is showing.  I'll cover that up.....

Anyways I was imagining what the shop signs down Knockturn Alley would look like....and I ended up with this:

Pink and White Chip Cookies: Breast Cancer Awareness

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month!

So it's time to take a break from Black and Orange and all spookiness...

And think about something that really is spooky....breast cancer.

Now I'm not going to get all gloom on you guys...it's about awareness.  So for this month I'm only going to tell you once...

Get your screenings, do your self checks, and donate, run, walk, whatever for the cause.

Lecture over.....well done.

Now reward yourself for keeping care of your self and your fellow gal by making some of these cute and delicious drop cookies :)

The Perfect Chocolate Cupcake

So a while back...wow almost a year ago I made some of the most perfect cupcakes ever.  Perfect chocolate cupcakes.  I have always been fond of Joy the Baker's chocolate cupcake recipe...but sometimes it is a little unreliable.  I've had them cave in more times than they've com out....

So I did some tinkering from another recipe I use quite a bit and came out with perfect, fool proof, soft, delicious chocolate cupcakes.

They're awesome.  Served them at my daughter's 4th birthday party and they were a smashing success....

Here's her cupcakes from last year...

10,000 Facebook Fan GIVEAWAY!

**CLOSED**

Let me tell you a tale....

Once upon a time...in a land off Route 66....there was a small but fair kingdom.  In this kingdom lived a queen...you might call her the Queen Bee because she loved bees....and baking.  She would make her humble cookies, cakes, pies and sweets, and post them to a magical ethereal place called...the internet.  And while there were many places her work could be found....There was one ethereal realm....called Facebook...that allowed thousands (let's just say 10,000) people from all over the world to come by and say "what up?".

Once fair day, the Queen thought to herself.... I should thank all those that say such nice things to me...they keep me making cookies.....they make me feel special and loved...

So she cast a proclamation across the lands.....

She would reward one such good person with a bounty of spendiferous treasures.....

Is splendiferous a real word???  Nevermind...it makes no difference in a make believe kingdom....I can make up any word I want...I'm the queen.

It's Give away time!!!

Ahem.... Many shops in the kingdom came forward with lovely things for which the fair queen could bestow.
And this is the part of the story where I tell you what your going to get if you win.  :) **joy**