Baking Extravaganza: Tarts, Truffles, Doughnuts & Cupcakes

So lately I've been slipping into a bit of a baking slump... sad, but true. The past few months have been busier than normal, and I haven't been in much of a baking mood. The few times that I have felt like baking, haven't really gone quite like I expected. How discouraging, right? So how do I snap out of it? How do I find a way back into my groove? I guess there is the option to take a break for a while, and just give it a rest for a couple of months... but that option doesn't settle too well with me. Another thought would be to continue on the track I'm headed down... baking infrequently, and accepting the failures that emerge from my oven. But that doesn't sound like much fun. Or... I could dive right in, head first... shove myself into my kitchen for hours and not let myself out until I have some yummy goodness to show for it. That's what I'm talking about! And that's exactly what I did. :)

My friend/co-worker, Megan, and I have talk for a while about baking together. We both love to bake, and we love to trade baking tips and secrets with each other. So we finally marked a day on our calendars, and set out to make some fantastic recipes. And let me tell you, it was just what I needed to get my bearings back. We baked for hours, and I loved every minute of it! It was a baking extravaganza!! And it was amazing!!

Now, let's check out what we made... We gathered several recipes from other food blogs, narrowed them down to just four (which we deemed the "chosen ones"), and went to town!

First, lets start with the chocolate caramel tarts. Oh the tarts! Ooey-gooey, yummy caramel embedded in a delightful crust, then sealed into captivity by an exquisite chocolate ganache. Man, oh man, these little beauties are sinful! These are a definite keeper... I can't wait to serve these at our next dinner party!

Recipe from Spache The Spatula

Next up... doughnuts! Megan and I wanted to tackle a yeast recipe, so what could be better than trying our hands at homemade doughnuts. Um, yum! I found this recipe over at Brown Eyed Baker. It was a guest post from Sugarcrafter for cinnamon-sugar doughnuts. We couldn't settle on just one type of doughnut, so we went with 1) traditional glaze doughnuts, 2) chocolate frosted doughnuts, with sprinkles (of course!), and 3) cinnamon-sugar doughnut holes. Dee-lightful!

Still with me? :) Good! I wouldn't want you to miss out on these truffles!! I have seen lots of recipes incorporating cookie dough, and I love reading about all the new creations. They always look so tasty. I mean, hello, who could resist a bite full of chocolate chip cookie dough?! These truffles are heavenly! They're a little time consuming to make, but they're really not that difficult. The dipping process can be a bit challenging if you've never done it before, which I had not. But after dipping the first few, you'll start to get the hang of it. The hardest part for me was dropping the truffles onto the wax paper without excess chocolate pooling at the bottom, but hey, that just means more chocolate with each bite. :)

Recipe from The Recipe Girl

We also made mocha truffles, but I'll share that recipe another time... so make sure you check back! :)

Have you overdosed on sugar yet??? Nah, I think you can handle one more. ;)

This baking extravaganza just wouldn't be complete without a cupcake. Lucky for us, Megan has had her eye on these vanilla almond cupcakes. Talk about scrumptious! The vanilla and almond are paired beautifully in both the cake and the frosting, so you really taste the best of both worlds. Delicious!

Recipe from The Curvy Carrot

Well, there you have it... if you ever find yourself sinking into a baking slump, find a friend who enjoys baking as much as you do and go to town! :) Now, make sure to check out each of these recipes. I highly recommend ALL of them!

Hope you have a wonderful day!!