Cookies and Tastycakes

How I love to bake, let me count the ways:

Fun to measure stuff.

Use my favorite kitchen appliance . . . my Kitchen Aide stand mixer.

Warms up the kitchen in the winter and fills the house w/ yummy smells.

Spread the love--I send baked goods home to my parents, bring to family get-togethers, bring to my office to share, send to work with my husband to share with his team.

Baked goods taste so damn good.

So this weekend, I tried my hand at some complicated decorations on cupcakes and baked Walnut and Chocolate & Peanut Butter Chip cookies.

Cupcake recipe:

1 box Dunkin Hine's Red Velvet cake mix (yeah, I cheated!)

1 can each of strawberry and milk chocolate frostings

various icings and sprinkles

Cookie recipe:

1/2 cup of shortening (I use butter-flavored Crisco)

1/2 cup butter (softened)

beat for 30 seconds, then add

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tsp baking soda

mix until combine, then add

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

then add slowly

2 1/2 cups flour

This time I added about 1 1/2 cup chopped walnuts and a bag of peanut butter and chocolate chips (ooh, they sell them combined now!).