Ginger "Softs" from Picky Palate

One of my favorite go-to recipe is Soft Perfect Gingersnaps from Picky Palate. My husband calls them Giner-softs because of how soft and delicious they are.

I baked them the other night to drop off to some friends for Christmas. Super easy to make and I didn't have to run to the store for any ingredients I didn't have.

Yum! I wish I had saved more for myself. You must try these out! You can find the recipe HERE.

Easy Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes from Picky Palate

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I can't pass up a good pumpkin recipe. I'm a sucker for anything pumpkin and it's definitely that time of year!

Picky Palate recently published a recipe for 2-ingredient Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes. Two ingredients?! That's my kind of recipe! All you need is a can of pumpkin and a chocolate cake mix. That's it.

Well, you'll need a few other ingredients if you want to make homemade frosting. And trust me, you'll want to use the one from Picky Palate because it uses brown butter! Yes, I'm seriously making these this weekend.

Browning Butter...I Did It!

Yes I love eating desserts, but I have to admit that I'm not the best at baking them.

I can usually follow a recipe relatively well, but there are many occasions where I completely mess up.

But I keep trying. That's the important part. And when I got a hankering for something sweet last week, I gave my spatula-wielding another try.

This recipe from Picky Palate required browning butter. I don't know why I thought this would be hard, but this was my first time browning butter. But what do you know?....it was super easy and totally worth it in the end.

The recipe I chose to make was Brown Butter Salted Chocolate Chip Cookie For One. I've made millions of chocolate chip cookies, but this one was different. Why? It's all about the brown butter.

The recipe makes only one cookie, but it's a big one. And I ate it all myself! I couldn't even wait to take a photo before taking a bite (see the crack down the middle?).

Gingersnap Cupcakes from Picky Palate

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Sweet are the ket to happiness, or at least they are for me. This year for Christmas I'm baking a plate of goodies for my friends and family.

I've been collecting the best, most festive desserts ideas. I frequently go to Picky Palate when searching for yummy recipes. I came across these Gingerbread Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Cinnamon Buttercream frosting. I'm pretty sure they will be on my list of holiday goodies.

Chocolate and Pumpkin Pie Shortbread Bars

I wish I had stocked up on canned pumpkin last year, but how was I to know that there would be a pumpkin shortage again this year! I haven't checked my local grocery store lately to see if they have canned pumpkin in stock. But when and if I find some, I will definitely be stocking up because pumpkin desserts are my favorite and it's pumpkin time!

Photo: Picky Palate

Picky Palate posted a recipe for Chocolate and Pumpkin Pie Shortbread Bars. I really want to make these this year! You can find the full recipe and more photos on Picky Palate's website. By the way, she's a genius.

Fluffer-Oreo Cupcakes from Picky Palate

Oreo cupcakes are one of the most popular cupcake recipes I come across. Picky Palate recently posted her version of Oreo cupcakes called Fluffer-Oreo Birthday Boy Cupcakes. I like her recipe because all it involves is a yellow cake mix, cream cheese, vanilla pudding, marshmallow cream, and of course Oreos. The trick is to layer the batter, Oreos, and marshmallow cream. You can find the full recipe on Picky Palate's website here.

Photos: Picky Palate

Chocolate Crumb Topped Cupcakes

Photo: Picky Palate

I'm a sucker for desserts with crumb topping. Yum...I love crumb cake! Picky Palate has taken a typical dessert (crumb cake) and added a little twist to give us -- Chocolate Crumb Topped Cupcakes!

Instead of the usual yellow cake, these cupcakes are made with chocolate cake. And the crumb topping is Beth's Strabucks Coffee Cake. I think I can deal with no frosting on this cupcake if it has some delicious coffee cake crumbles on top.

You can find the recipe, along with step-by-step instructions on Picky Palate's website.

Ultimate Chocolate Layered Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Birthday Cake

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This may come as a shock, but I indulge in other desserts besides cupcakes. Gasp! I know that sounds crazy, but it's true. I feel justified enjoying cake because it's really just a giant cupcake.

As you might remember, last month I attended the "You've Been Just Spotted" OC Blog Awards (I was nominated). Although, I didn't win my category, I was introduced to a blog that won the Editor's Choice award.

Check out Picky Palate and you will agree that it is not just another recipe blog. Of course, I have been drooling over the dessert recipes, such as this Ultimate Chocolate Layered Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Birthday Cake, along with the Black Bottomed Mini Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites. Yummy! Good thing the holiday season is creeping up because I am armed with recipes to wow my family.