"Boscoe Bakes"...Black Bottom Cupcakes

I nibble on chocolate every day of the week, and tend to favor it as an ingredient any time I get the urge to fire up the Kitchen Aid. So needless to say, a majority of the baked goodies I create always have chocolate included in one of many forms.  Today, I felt like making chocolate cake, but not just any chocolate cake......I wanted something with character and color. Suddenly I remembered a recipe for Black Bottom Cupcakes by David Lebovitz, and realized I had settled on the perfect choice.  I also remembered that my friend Deb from Smitten Kitchen had made these delectable treats last year, and in addition to her hilarious commentary, I'm also pleased to present you with the recipe .Thanks Deb!  These colorful little creations are absolutely light as a feather, include a delicious cream cheese filling infused with chocolate and they simply melt in your mouth. There is one big problem though.............these beauties are so light and irresistible that you find yourself popping them into your mouth one right after the other. In order to have some left for family or friends, I would strongly suggest making at least 2 dozen.  

"Boscoe's Bakes"... White Chocolate Orange Cranberry Oatmeal Crisps

Yesterday my friend Deb from Smitten Kitchen provided me with the inspiration I needed to decide which cookie to bake for a friend. She posted her fabulous experience making crispy oatmeal cookies from a recipe provided by Cook's Magagzine. http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/05/crispy-salted-oatmeal-white-chocolate-cookies/#more-497  and was completely in awe with the results. Having made these wonderful cookies previously, but not with white chocolate,  I decided to add the white chocolate and include minced cranberries and orange zest as well.  The results were absolutely wonderful.  With each crunchy bite, you encounter smooth white chocolate married to cranberries with a lovely citrus touch. These highly addictive cookies are great plain, or make a wonderful dunking companion with coffee or milk. I doubled the recipe, only used 4 cups of oatmeal and added 1 cup of "real" white chocolate chips, 1/2 cup of minced orange flavored cranberries and 2 teaspoons of orange zest. The combination of white chocolate, cranberries and orange zest.......Priceless!