My First Black & White Cookie

I guess since I'm not from New York, I wasn't exposed to Black & White cookies growing up. The first place I actually heard about them was on the TV show "Seinfeld." 

I was recently at Claro's Italian Market in Tustin, CA and I picked one up to see what all of the fuss was about.

Yup, there was chocolate frosting on one side and vanilla frosting on the other. But I was completely surprised by the consistency of the "cookie." It wasn't actually a cookie per se, it was more of a small cake.

The cookie was moist, spongy, and not crispy at all! Since I was expecting a cookie, I was a little let down at first, but once I realized what this treat was I began to enjoy it. The chocolate frosting was extremely fudgey, so I had to make sure I was taking an even bite of white and black for the perfect balance.

Butterfly Cupcakes

What a unique idea for these butterfly cupcakes! Seems like such a simple idea, but the effect is beautiful. I gotta figure out what they used for wings, looks too thin to be cookies.

Cannolis for the Super Bowl

We always get invited to the BEST Super Bowl party. The reason I love it so much is because they always provide food from the host city cuisine. This year was New York, so the theme was New York/New Jersey. 

I was asked to bring a dessert. New York cheesecake just seemed too easy, so I decided to try something else. Someone suggested cannolis to me (you know....Jersey...Italian...it works, right?), but I figured that would be too hard. BUT all I really needed was to be pointed in the right direction.

Claro's Italian Market in Tustin, CA had everything I needed to make this happen. Pre-made cannoli shells and ready-to-go cannoli filling. Perfect! They were a hit and everyone thought I "made" them. Sure...

Cupcake Date

My younger brother is currently a student at BYU in Provo, UT.  Last week he sent me this photo of his date to The Cocoa Bean Cupcake Cafe. What a great idea for a fun date! My brother is a smart kid. I wish more of my dates ended up in cupcake cafes, but really there aren't very many places to do that in Orange County.

Baking Betty's Cookies at Downtown Disney

It took me several weeks of walking by Baking Betty's cookies at Downtown Disney before I finally stopped to see what they were all about. Baking Betty's bakes their cookies locally and has two kiosks in Orange County (the one is at Fashion Island). 

My mom and I split a cookie (since they were $4 each....yikes!). We picked the Cookies & Cream cookie: chocolate chip base cookie with Oreos, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and white chocolate chips. The cookie was pretty good, but not something I'd pay $4 again for. 

You can buy their cookies online. A baker's dozen sells for $36. 

Have you tried Baking Betty's cookies yet?