Sweet & Salty Cookie Bars

I have begun a fantastic ritual of taking some time every Sunday evening to peruse my favorite blogs and organize the recipes I find that I would like to make and also stock pile design ideas that one day I may be able to afford to bring to fruition. Organizing is right up there with baking as a favorite activity of mine, so you can imagine the perma-smile on my face for a couple of hours every Sunday. I was able to make these chocolate chip cookie pretzel bars fairly quickly after reading the post. About once a month some girls and I get together for a girls dinner at each other's places. Maria hosted last month and I offered to bring a dessert. I needed something quick, since work has been extremely busy lately. I had all the ingredients for these laying around and I figured the sweet & salty combo would be a hit. Like everything else I have tried to date from Two Peas and Their Pod, these were delicious. I personally was hoping the pretzels would retain a little more crunch (they weren't soggy, but had absorbed some moisture), but overall they were a wonderful treat. I think the next time I make these I may even add in some caramel for another punch of flavor, YUM!

Martha's Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

I have been putting this entry off long enough and it's time to face the facts that I screwed these cupcakes up. I was so excited about them, so even though they tasted okay I have not wanted to think about them since. I will definitely try to make these again, because I have confidence in Martha that these can be fantastic. I think there were a few problems with my approach:

1. I need bigger bowls (see photo)

2. I made them too far in advance (lesson learned: pick a quicker recipe when having a busy week prior to leaving for a long weekend)

3. Don't double a batch that calls for gently folding in egg whites.....I'm pretty sure this is the reason they turned out way too dense.

Most people still seemed to enjoy these, but considering I brought these to a flip cup tournament and 'Super Simons' Sunday' (a yearly party with my family in Door County), where there may be just a bit of alcohol involved, I'm not convinced these were that good.

I did get to make use of my new handy dandy cupcake carriers, which worked liked a charm, super glad I made the investment. Something tells me my co-workers and out of town friends will enjoy the investment as well.

Check out the following links for the recipes:

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

Dark Chocolate Frosting

I also had some issues with the frosting and needed to add quite a bit more confectioner's sugar. I think I may have let the butter get a little too soft and perhaps I should have selected a thicker frosting since I was concerned about it staying in tact for my travels.