Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Prior to Easter, the food blog world was flooded with cute, pastel-candy-inspired-embellished baked goods. There were so many ideas for Easter themed baked goods, it was a tad overwhelming. Personally, I'd rather eat something that tastes good, then looks pretty when decorated. Hence, I made carrot cake.

This carrot cake is absolutely delicious. It is light, moist, and includes only the essential ingredients. This recipe is from one of my mom's friends, who I will call "D." Over spring break my mom brought bake a couple of D's carrot cake slices home. I ended up eating all of them over the course of a couple evenings.

Almond Poppyseed Muffins

I love muffins. They are soft, yet firm. They are light, yet cakey. They are technically a "breakfast food," but you can certainly eat them at anytime of the day. They are versatile, and easily adaptable, all things that I love about baked goods, are packed into that simple liner.

Poppyseed muffins are hands down my favorite. Throw in some almond flavor and slivers on top, and the combination becomes my best seller, and ultimate weakness when it comes to pastries. Poppyseed muffins remind me of some of the few good memories from high school mornings. My mom always bought me the giant four-pack of towering poppyseed muffins from our local market. She always froze them, to "preserve them," as she says. I got used to heating up a muffin from the freezer on a daily basis. Enjoying a giant warm muffin, with a large cup of chai tea is how I mustered up energy for my daily 5 a.m. (yes 5 a.m. extracurricular activities that I like to say helped get me into college...) days.

Coconut Macaroons

Coconut Macaroons

Spring has truly sprung, the sun is shinning on a daily basis, and I am welcoming the start to a brand new quarter this week!

I made these coconut macaroons over my spring break last week (hence, the beautiful lighting from my Mom's kitchen, something that is seriously lacking here at school!). I absolutely love coconut, and it's not an ingredient I have gone out of my way to buy down here at school. However, when I was home, and had a fully stocked fridge and pantry open or me, I had to satisfy my craving.

Pretzel Crusted-Peanut Butter- Brownie Filled Thumbprint Cookies

What a long name to describe a cookie! This cookie describes the end of Winter Quarter: a bunch of different components all tied into one delicious thing. It was simultaneously, the last baked good I made over the course of the past three months!

This is the twelfth baked good that has made it on my blog. I can agree with all of my friends that I have definitely amped up my baking this quarter. Baking is continually becoming more of an outlet for me during stressful school days. This all being said, I took a break over finals week away from baking and searching for recipes online. It was a huge relief not feeling anxious about the giant mess, and time, that baking would take out of my schedule (as much as I love it, it can be a time consuming task!). 

Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake

Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake

During my first year of college, my roommate and I shared an addiction for two things: coffee and coffee cake. We had this obsession for finding the circular streusel covered pastries in all of the dining facilities that would accept our Dining Dollars (a great and not-so-healthy-way of using up our dining plan!). We were successful in our search to say the least; and I was also successful in contributing to my "freshman ten." Nevertheless, I haven't been scavenging for these delicious pastries nearly as much as I did my first year, but that didn't stop me for searching for recipes to make a homemade version instead. 

I made a 9x13 pan of this cake a week ago on Monday, and it was all gone by Wednesday. Simply, this recipe was a huge hit amongst my friends. 

Blueberry Crumb Bars

Blueberry Crumb Bar

I needed a break from chocolate. Yes, I just said that. I have been baking pretty consistently lately, and many of my baked goods have featured this delicious ingredient (see here, here, and here). Even as a lover of chocolate, it was time to take step in another direction, and let some other ingredients shine.

I have never been a big fan of fruit. Especially, in baked goods. However, last summer I discovered how much I absolutely love blueberries. I ate them everyday with breakfast. My blueberry addiction lead me to exploring the internet for some possible recipes. Lo' and behold, my favorite food blogger Smitten Kitchen came through, yet again, this time in the form of these blueberry crumb bars.

Classic Brownies.

Classic Brownie

I had my last meeting with my fellow "tour guides in training" this past week. As they all know, one of my fun facts on my tours is that I'm an "avid baker."A few have been asking me to bake for them, and frankly I never pass up an excuse to bake on a Tuesday night...or any night that is.

It's been a brownie-filled week! I always strive to make something different each time I bake, but frankly I had no clue what particular sweet that my fellow friends would enjoy.