Scouting Sweetness: Homemade Samoas Girl Scout Cookies for Serious Eats

Fact: Samosas and Samoas, while both delicious, are not the same. In a nutshell, the former is a savory snack, often eaten before an Indian meal; the latter is a sweet cookie, sold by Girl Scouts, enjoyed basically any time.

Of course, there's no need to power through this homonym haze in some areas of the country, where these chocolate-coconut-shortbread-caramel confections are known as "Caramel deLites."

But regardless of geography and nomenclature, one thing is for sure: these cookies are tasty little morsels. And when you've reached the end of the box you purchased from your local Scouts, there's a surefire solution for sweet gratification: make your own batch (my recipe is adapted from recipes onBaking Bites and Batter Licker), and call them whatever you want.

Check out the full entry and recipe on Serious Eats!

Gee Whiz: Cinnamon Toast With Cheez Whiz Recipe

If you've ever been plagued by the question "what are they eating for breakfast in North Dakota right now?" I have an answer for you: if it's a special day, probably cinnamon toast with Cheez Whiz. No, I am not kidding. I have it on good authority from locals that this is something that they actually do, without a trace of irony. Curious, I gave it a try, and have to assign it this verdict: it's terrible. It's awful. I couldn't stop eating it.

This recipe is easily doubled, tripled, or quadrupled.

Cinnamon Toast With Cheez Whiz

1 serving

• 2 slices cinnamon swirl bread (with or without raisins)
• 2 tablespoons Cheez Whiz

Procedure

Toast the cinnamon swirl bread. Smear each slice with a tablespoon of Cheez Whiz. Enjoy.

Vegans Are Totally Sweet: A Vegan Bake Sale Roundup and Vegan Pie Recipe from Cake Gumshoe Shavon

You know what was awesome? The Vegan Bake Sale that we had at CakeSpy Shop last weekend. In fact, it was such a success that monthly bake sales are in the works! Future events with Bake It In A Cake and The Piecycle coming up in March and April, respectively!

But back to this first lovely one with the talented Shavon Hutchinson, who was raising money with her delicious baked goods to go to Bikram Yoga teacher school. I know, I know. Sounds healthy. But trust me, the baked goods, while vegan, were totally decadent and delicious. Here's just a preview of a few items on offer:

...and they were baked by this adorable girl:

And happily, Shavon has offered up a favorite recipe for your viewing (and baking) pleasure, for some pocket pies!

Shavon's Pocket Pies

PIE DOUGH:
2 1/2c all purp flour 
1 tea sug
1 tea salt

1/2 c organic vegan palm oil shortening
1/2 c vegan "butter" ie earth balance

mix all dry ingredients and put in freezer along with your shortening and butter. it is mui importante to keep all ingredients as cold as possible when making pie dough.

put dry ingredients in food processor and slowly add your butter/short mix til resembles fine bread crumbs. then slowly add 1/4 c ice water. add more ice water 1 T at a time until dough comes together. turn out onto a lightly floured surface and need until all smooth texture. divide into 2 discs, cover in plastic and chill in fridge for at least an hour. 

now you can mix your pie guts. 

BASIC PIE GUT MIX:
2 C prepared fruit (peeled cored sliced) or berries, you can even use frozen fruit here, its ok dont be ashamed...
2 T sugar (i like a mixture or brown and regular)
2 T flour (a little less if using apples or other dryer fruit)
pinch salt
cinn, nutmeg, cloves (if your taste buds so fancy)

mix all together until well combined and let it sit out and get nice and juicey. if using berries i like to mash up a few of em to really get the juices out. and walla...pie guts...

ASSEMBLY:
take your 2 discs of die dough and let em thaw a little so they are more manageable after chilling time. over-worked pie dough is not very fun. use whatever shape cookie cutter or glass top you want to cut out bottom layers and tops. now make an assembly line and fill em up. i use about 1 T filling per pocket. you want to make sure and have enough room to make a seal. once youre ready to top em off then brush the rims with soymilk or water or butter, i like the butter option the best. pich together and make pretty with a fork edge or whatever. place on a parchment lined cookie sheet, sometimes they leak yum!, brush with melted butter, sprinkle with sugar and bake at 375 for about 20min or until golden brown. enjoy!

When Life Gives You Lemons: Very Lemon Drop Cookies Recipe

Some sweet recipes dumb down lemon flavor, overcompensating with sugar to make up for the tartness of the lemon. Not these cookies. Sure, they're plenty sweet, but by using lemon juice, rind, liqueur, candies, and even lemon curd to top them, they've got so much lemon that non-lemon lovers need not apply. But if you do love lemon, then pucker up and get ready to chow down on these sweet-tart treats. Get bonus sweet-sour points by garnishing with pixie stix powder, but it's not necessary; pearl sugar is pretty too.

Lemon Drop Cookies

20 to 24 cookies, depending on size

• 2 cups flour, sifted
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons lemon liqueur
• 2 tablespoons water
• 3/4 cup tart lemon candies
• Optional: lemon curd, pixie stix, or pearl sugar for topping

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 375. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the lemon rind, butter, and sugar, beating until light and fluffy.
4. Add the egg and mix until incorporated.
5. Add the lemon juice, lemon liqueur, and water; beat well.
6. Add the dry ingredients, and beat until incorporated, using a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Gently fold in the lemon candies.
7. Using a tablespoon or ice cream scoop, drop mounds of dough onto parchment-lined cookie sheets. Be sure to leave 2 inches around each cookie, for spreading.
8. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until just golden on the edges. Let cool, and if desired, top each cookie with about 1 teaspoon of lemon curd. 

Cake Byte: CakeSpy Entry in Sock It To Me's Design-A-Sock Contest

So, I just entered what is probably the best sock design ever in the Sock It To Me "Design-a-sock" contest. The image is above. You're probably not even reading this because you're so enchanted by the design.

Don't you think I should win? If so, starting March 7 on the Sock It To Me facebook page, you can help by weighing in on the finalists. I know I'm giving you advance warning, so don't worry, I'll remind you again. Because I know you'd totally wear these socks.

In the meantime, check out all of the other awesome sock designs at Sock It To Me!

Cake Byte: CupcakeCamp Seattle 2011 Coming on April 17

Hey, sweeties. Remember what an awesome time CupcakeCamp 2010 was? Well, forget about that, because CupcakeCamp 2011 is coming, and it promises to be bigger, badder, and buttercreamier.

Here are the details. I know I'm announcing it early, but I'm excited because I did the artwork for the poster again (pictured above) and I really, really want you to see it; and, you know, it's always nice to have something to look forward to, isn't it?

Date:  Sunday April 17, 2011. 
Time: 12PM- 4pm
Location: The Canal, a Jewel Hospitality property in Ballard
5300 34th Avenue NW Seattle, WA 98107
Why: Because who doesn’t love cupcakes? Plus we will have some fun competitions and all proceeds go to a good cause!

HOW:Purchase tickets HERE for $8 or $10 at the door.

Ticket valid for 6 mini cupcake tastings or 3 standard size on the day of the event only. No refunds available.

For a preview of the awesomeness that awaits you, check out this epic post on last year's event.

Where to Go: A Sweet Giveaway For a $50 Amex Gift Card

Photo: Bakery NouveauSo. Recently Where.com offered to donate a $50 Amex Gift Card to one lucky reader on my site for giving their site a plug. (See how I just gave them a plug right there?).

Thanks for the giveaway, WHERE!And this offer got me to thinking about how many delicious baked goods could be purchased with $50, so I agreed--because surely there's got to be someone out there who would be thrilled to have money with which to go buy baked goods, right? Plus, I already have a giveaway going on for the kids--this one is for the grownups!

But here's the thing. To enter to win, you've got to do two things.

First, you've got to promise me that you will use the $50 gift card to buy baked goods or some sort of baking related equipment. You've got to PROMISE ME, and not be lying.

Second, you've got to leave a comment below telling me where you'd spend this gift card, and on what. I'll tell you right now, if I were the winner, I would, right this instant, get my butt over to Bakery Nouveau and buy an entire King Cake, and with any leftover money I'd buy a bunch of smaller pastries and be sure to leave the counter staff a nice tip. Wouldn't that be a sweet way to spend $50? 

How about you--what sweet treat would you buy with $50, care of Where?

This giveaway will close one week from today, on March 4 at 3pm PST.

Sweet Giveaway: Win a Copy of What Kind of Fairy Is Merry Berry, a Cupcake-Themed Kid's Book

Finally, they've written my life story as an illustrated children's book.

Just kidding. It's not my life story. I'm not *actually* a cupcake fairy.

But thanks to the lovely folks at Chronicle Books, I have a copy of a book about one--entitled What Kind of Fairy Is Merry Berry? by Lindsey Renee and illustrated by Susan Reagan--to give away to one lucky reader (US or Canada only, please!). It's perfect for a sweet kid in your life--or, you know, your sweet inner kid.

How do you enter? It's so easy. Simply leave a comment below saying what your favorite children's book is (or was). It doesn't even have to be cake-related, because all children's books are so sweet!

But don't delay. This giveaway will close one week from today, on March 4, at 12pm PST! Good luck!

Baker's Dozen: A Batch of Sweet Links

It's Oscar Weekend! Carb-o-load for the big event thusly:

Cubes of Hot Chocolate on a Stick! OMG!

Get shorty: red velvet shortbread, via RecipeGirl!

Big Apple? More like the Big Cookie! Enjoy a virtual visit here.

Liquid Diet: A "destination-worthy milkshake", Braum's Black Walnut.

Have you heard the good news? Bake it in a Cake and CakeSpy to host a bake sale!

EatPastry (best name ever?) makes "the best vegan cookie dough known to man".

I would like to go here, please: La Chocolaterie de Jacques Genin, Paris.

Speaking of Paris, say Bonjour (again) to the Praluline, a treasure from Pralus.

Murder, She Baked: my favorite guilty-pleasure author, Joanne Fluke, has a new book out: Devil's Food Cake Murder !

Too much good stuff? Not a chance. Pie, Beer, and Scoops Gelato in Los Angeles! (thanks, Tara!)

Just doughnut! Great article in the New York Times (Thanks, Phil!)

Banana Split Brownies? Yes please.

Sweet memories: remember this Battenberg Cake?

PieStalking: Pie Slam Coming Up on March 14 at CakeSpy Shop!

Did you miss National Pie Day on January 23rd? Aww, poor thing. But don't despair, because in the effort to keep you fat and happy all winter long, CakeSpy and Four and 20 Blackbirds are teaming up to host Seattle's first Pie Slam on March 14 (the "other" pie day...Pi Day!), at CakeSpy Shop, 415 E. Pine Street in Capitol Hill. Here are the details:

Cake and Pie Peace Talks Result in Seattle’s First Pie Slam

Seattle, WA – While the media has been heralding the demise of the cupcake and the ascension of pie – two Seattle bakers have come together in peace to hold Seattle’s first writing and baking contest – the Seattle Pie Slam.

Jessie Oleson, artist and blogger of CakeSpy fame, and Wendy Sykes, owner of the baking business Four and 20 Blackbirds decided there was no room for malice in the world of dessert and came up with the concept of a Pie Slam.

“It’s a writing contest and a pie contest, all baked into one,” said Sykes. “The concept is loosely based on a poetry slam, but in this contest the plot must contain pie. And the writer/baker is judged not only on the content and quality of the story -– but also on the quality of the pie.”

The Details

While entry is free, space is LIMITED! So whether you'd like to perform or just attend, be sure to RSVP via email to jessieoleson@gmail.com.

When: Monday, March 14th, 6:30pm
Where: CakeSpy, 415 E Pine St., Seattle WA 98122 (space is limited)

What: Be prepared to eat their words! 
It’s Seattle’s first Pie Slam, where judges decide who has the best story, and the best recipe – all baked into one contest.

Pie Slam Rules, based on rules from Poetryslam.com
Each story must be of the writer's own construction;
Each writer gets three minutes (plus a ten-second grace period) to read one
story. If the writer goes over time, points will be deducted from the total score. 
Of the scores the writer received from the five judges, the high and low scores
are dropped and the middle three are added together, giving the writer a total
score of 0-30.

Recipes: 
Recipe does not have to original, but must be made from scratch.

Contest Rules
Pie must be mentioned in a way that is intrinsic to the story, not peripheral (as in, “…and then he had a piece of pie.”
Writing submissions must be acceptable for a mixed-age, family event. Keep it clean folks!
Submissions must be entered in digital form, including recipe, by 5pm Monday, March 7th, or will not be considered.
Pies/desserts must be dropped off at CakeSpy on Monday, March 14th between 4pm to 6pm
Plates/desserts must be clearly marked with entrants name and phone number. 
Please bring knife/serving tools if needed.

For more details on entry rules, prizes and judges, email jessieoleson@gmail.com!