This is the first of three holiday recipes I'll be bringing you with my friends at Adams Extract®. Growing up, the vanilla in our pantry was always from Adams Extract®. The simple red and white label brings back all the nostalgic feelings for me, so I'm thrilled to partner with this Texas company! 

Last week, I shared a recipe for my new favorite cranberry dish - Fresh Cranberry Relish. 

And yes, it will be part of our Thanksgiving meal, but y'all...I'd make it for these open-faced turkey sandwiches alone! 

Fresh cranberry relish is my new favorite thing. As in, I CANNOT stop eating it! 

*this recipe was created with my friends at Imperial Sugar

Cranberry relish is tart and crisp with fresh orange and apple and a kick of ginger...and, of course, fresh cranberries! There is no cooking involved, and you make it ahead of time! 

Basically, it's a Thanksgiving superhero. But I plan on eating it now through Christmas! 

It is time to start talking turkey...cookies. 

Will they look adorable at every place setting at your Thanksgiving table? Yes. 

Are they the perfect pop of cute between the pies on the dessert table? Yes. 

Are you the class parent and feel obligated to make for the class Thanksgiving feast? If you are like I was as a room parent, yes. 

Alright. Now we've established that you're making turkey cookies. Let's decide which one. 

Four Decorated Turkey Cookies - tutorials and recipes

Since 2014, the most popular fall recipe on the blog has been Spooky S'mores Bars - s'mores cookie bars made with ghost Peeps. And for good reason, they are freaking delicious. 

This year, I decided to take that recipe and tweak it just a bit for Dia de los Muertos. 

Dia de los S'MORES-tos Bars are festive layered cookie bars with a thick cookie base, melty chocolate center, and roasted Peeps Marshmallows on top. 

Made with dark brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, and pumpkin, these chocolate chip cookies lean into fall without shouting "PUMPKIN SPICE!" The magic is in the cinnamon-sugar coating. More on the recipe in a minute. 

Soft, bendable chocolate chip cookies with a mini candy bar inside? Yes, please! These surprise-inside cookies are perfect to make with "leftover" holiday candy! 

*this recipe was created for my friends at Imperial Sugar

The first thing you need to know about these cookies is that the chocolate chip cookie itself is incredible. Add a mini candy bar in the center, and you add a little bit of magic! 

October is the beginning of #CookieSeason in my book. I love a Halloween-decorated cookie, a decorated pumpkin cookie, cookie place cards for Thanksgiving...right on into decorated Christmas cookies. 

If you want to shake up your cookie game this fall, try a new variation on a cut-out sugar cookie recipe! These are tried and true recipes that I know you'll love. I've been making and decorating cut-out cookies for over two decades; you can trust these recipes. 

Click links to go to the recipes...

7 Cut-Out Cookie Recipes for October and Fall Cookie Decorating

After chocolate chip cookies, tiramisu is my very favorite dessert. I bake chocolate chip cookies frequently. This begs the question...why am I not making tiramisu on the regular?

*this recipe was created for my friends at Imperial Sugar

Nutella Tiramisu is a Nutella-lover's spin on a classic Italian dessert! Taking a cue from Nutella's hazelnut flavor, hazelnut liqueur takes the place of the traditional marsala. This creamy, make-ahead treat is the perfect combination of coffee, cocoa, hazelnut, and Nutella.

Oh, hello, dream muffins. CHOCOLATE. STREUSEL. MUFFINS. 

So much chocolate is packed into these chocolate streusel muffins. You may think you can't handle this much chocolate - trust me, you CAN handle the chocolate. 

Loaded with chocolate, from chips to cocoa to chocolate milk, these muffins are a chocolate lover's dream! Serve warm for the most decadent breakfast...but they're also exquisite at room temperature

What does September mean to you? For me, even though it's still HOT, everything starts to feel cozier. Including baking. 

Gimme the cinnamon, the apples, the chocolate, the nuts...and let me dream about all things pumpkin. 

If you live someplace hot like me, crank the air down to 68, pull on a (thin) sweater, and break out the cinnamon. You deserve some September vibes. 

What to Bake this September

Someone around here would rather have fruit pie than cake for his birthday. *coughMARKcough* 

And while I'll always choose cake, he's onto something. Pie is freaking delish! Oh, and pie is easy to make. There's a reason the saying goes, "Easy as PIE." 

Cherry Berry Pie combines sweet cherries, raspberries, and blackberries in a flaky, buttery double pie crust. The raspberries and blackberries become saucy while the cherries stay intact. Serve it with vanilla bean ice cream for bonus points. Andddddd, maybe a birthday candle. 

Making cookies for a wedding? Bridal shower? Engagement party? Anniversary celebration? Add some mini wedding cookies to the mix! 

When I made these Navy and Gold Floral Monogram Wedding cookies, I also made lots of mini cookies! 

Why you need mini decorated cookies on your wedding dessert table:

No, I don't take cookie orders, but sometimes the stars align, and I'm able to make cookies for a special occasion. 

I will show you how you can make wedding cookies at home for a wedding reception, bridal shower, or engagement party. 

COMPOTE! Here's a recipe you need in your life. YOU DO! Cherry Limeade Compote! 

*this recipe was created for my friends at Imperial Sugar

Cherry Limeade Compote is like your favorite slush flavor - Cherry Limeade - but made with fresh fruit! Compote is perfect for topping ice cream, yogurt, and as an accoutrement on a cheese platter. (It is SO GOOD paired with goat cheese!) I keep thinking how delicious it would be mixed with cherry or vanilla ice cream in a milkshake! 

A funny thing happens when you're an empty-nester. You know back-to-school is coming, but you don't exactly know when. Then one day, the neighborhood kids are riding bikes at 7:30am when you're out for a jog, and your social media feed is flooded with cute back-to-school pics.

Happy Back-to-School! 

Here are breakfast ideas to start the school day off on the right foot! From muffins to bowls to quick pastries, and more...

22 Back-to-School Breakfast Ideas

Our Latest Sweet on Trader Joe's Reviews

What is "Sweet on Trader Joe's?"

Maybe you're a chocolate-dipped cone person. Or...a Blizzard fan. (Turtle pecan cluster for the win!) FUN FACT: my dad's first job was at Dairy Queen®, so it always has a soft (serve!) spot in my heart. 

If you've been to Dairy Queen®, perhaps you've partaken in a Peanut Buster® Parfait, officially known as a Peanut Buster® Parfait Royal Treat®. 

*this recipe was created in partnership with Imperial Sugar

Let me introduce you to Peanut Buster Parfait Ice Cream Pie! Oh, baby! A chocolate-peanut crust, a layer of fudge sauce, vanilla bean ice cream, MORE fudge, and topped with salted peanuts. 

Remember when I made those salted tahini chocolate chip cookies, and I told you to be on the lookout for tahini brownies? HERE THEY ARE! 

I started this blog back in 2007 (!) with a focus on making decorated cookies. I could easily transition to an all-brownie blog; I just love making - and eating - brownies so much! 

Tahini Swirl Brownies are fudgy and rich. Intensely chocolate with a smattering of bittersweet chocolate chips and a lightly nutty and creamy tahini swirl. 

Summer calls for (not-so-skinny) dipping! Strawberry Fluff Cream Cheese Fruit Dip-ping!

Honestly, don't you get excited when you see a platter of fresh fruit WITH a cream cheese dip at a party? I'd pick fruit + a cool, sweet, cream cheese dip over potato chips and onion dip any day. Plus...no onion breath. (OK, Bridget. Stop talking about onions.)