I bought one of my friends, Dana, an ebelskiver kit for her birthday this past December. Go figure though, her mom already had the pan and tools–of all things!

I decided to keep the pan and cookbook (bought her something else, of course), and have wanted to make these little pancakes, which originated in Denmark, ever since. I made peanut butter and jelly ebelskivers this past weekend with my friend, Danielle.

Unfortunately, I was not entirely satisfied with the outcome. The batter was bland and lacked sweetness; however, the strawberry jelly helped immensely. Next time, I plan to make a recipe with more components. Three recipes in particular look exceptionally delicious in the cookbook: strawberry shortcake, sticky toffee and banana rum ebelskivers.

Although not as delicious as I’d hoped, I enjoyed making the ebelskivers, as it was a new and different cooking experience.

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Some friends and I celebrated our friend, Chase’s, birthday in LA this past weekend. Although my schedule is much busier now with a full-time job, not leaving a lot time for gift shopping, I always try to at least squeeze in time to bake or cook. Baking goods is a great way to give a gift from the heart.

Once I received approval from Chase that he does in fact like chocolate and peanut butter, I began baking. I found this five-star recipe for peanut butter cookie dough brownies on the Food Network website. I was instantly sold on the recipe after reading the rave reviews. People commented on how these brownies were swept off the table within minutes after serving and how everyone couldn’t get enough of them.

I experienced the exact same situation when I brought a tupperware full of these rich and delectable brownies to the birthday party. Although I carried the treats around the bar all night, as I did not want to make the birthday boy hold them, I did not mind one bit. Throughout the night, I actually had friends, and strangers, coming up to me asking if they could try a brownie because they’d heard everyone else gushing about them.

There is no doubt that I will bake these desserts again soon. I’d say this was the perfect recipe.

I made similar dessert bars (here and here).

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Considering it’s football season, specifically Ohio State Buckeye season, I decided to make buckeye candies (peanut butter balls). My family and I are OSU fanatics, to say the least—both of my parents attended THE Ohio State University, and we are from Columbus, OH. My dad even has a small OSU shrine in his office here in California. Believe it or not, he has an Ohio State room in our home in South Carolina (see photo below). My parents undoubtedly still feel a connection to their alma mater.

We also made the buckeye candies for a lesson my mom planned for her high school students. She decided to make these treats after picking real buckeye nuts in Ohio while visiting my grandma. Sadly, the actual nuts are poisonous and inedible, so she decided to make its much taster cousin.

Since we had tried my brother’s friend, Claire’s, recipe before, we knew it was a winner. The ingredients in this recipe are perfectly proportioned. The smooth and crunchy milk chocolate exterior hugs the ball of creamy peanut butter. Thanks Claire!

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