Lemon Cupcakes

Tomorrow is the start of June so let's kick start the summer with some lemon cupcakes! These cupcakes are perfect for any weekend barbeque you are hosting or attending (be a nice guest and bring something delicious). 

For the full post and quick recipe, hop on over to Double Blessing Boutique where I am guest posting today!

Have a great weekend friends!

Reese's Peanut Butter Marshmallow Cookies {May Bakin' Friends}

I found a new way to share my baked goods (like these peanut butter marshmallow cookies) and make new friends. I joined a fun group called Bakin' Friends, created and hosted by Steph of Steph's Bite of Bite. This group brings together bakers, bloggers, foodies or just anyone who loves sweets. Each month, you get matched with a Bakin friend at the beginning of the month and you bake goodies with a secret ingredient and send out to one another by the 16th of the month. Then, on the last day of the month, you post about what you received. What a great idea right?

My Bakin Friend was Maya of Chumpkin Butter. We had a great time emailing back and forth getting to know each other and bonded over our love for spicy Thai food. This is definitely my favorite part of the group. Unfortunately, Maya has had the most incredibly busy month with finals and some silly post office mix ups which lead to delayed shipment and Maya was unable to send her goods to me before today. Poor girl has baked three times already (I am so sorry). I can't wait to receive them this weekend, and I'm sure they will be delicious :)

UPDATE!!

I received my package from Maya today after work! It made my day and put a smile on my face after this not-so good week. She made the most moist cookies I have EVER had in my life. They are almond butter marshmallow cookie-wiches (Grain-free). Yeah, that's right they are super healthy, crunchy and have coconut, cranberries and raisins in them. I am in love.  Thank you very much Maya. I am going to remake these so I can share with my husband...they might not have survived by the time he got home :0

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As an alternative, I'm sharing with you instead what I mailed out. I was matched with Christine of Christine's Kitchen. All I will say is, that girl is my twin from another mother living in California (move closer!!). I baked her these Reese's peanut butter marshmallow cookies since the secret ingredient of the month was marshmallow.

These cookies are moist and chewy with chunks of peanut butter bites. If you are a peanut butter fan, then you need to make these cookies because you will love them. They are delicious to say the least!! And I was very happy to hear that Christine enjoyed them as well.

Chocolate Espresso Macarons

I hope you guys had a wonderful memorial day weekend. Summer is officially here and it is time to fire up the grill, bake pies and eat frozen desserts. However, I'm starting my summer with some macarons! Chocolate espresso macarons.

I am in love with these tiny cookies and I can tell our relationship is just the beginning to a very long one (I am planning our wedding already :P). This is my second time making macarons since this first try here.  I think I love making them because you can see a progression since the last time. If you haven't tried these cookies yet, you really should because they are full of delicious crunchiness.

I was at Barnes & Nobles a few weeks ago picking up some summer reads when I found a book called "Macarons & More" on cleareance for $2.99 and you know I had to pick it up!! I adapted this recipe from their double dark chocolate macarons by adding a teaspoon of espresso powder to the cookie recipe for a little kick and filled the sandwiches with chocolate buttercream.  

There is a good dose of chocolate in these and after 24 hours refrigerated they are chewy, crunchy and soft on the inside. Very decadent!

The possibilities of flavors and colors are endless with macarons so expect to see some summer flavors soon!

Frozen Lime Margarita Pie {Pass the Cook Book Club}

Last month I joined a club called Pass the Cook Book Club, created and hosted by Kita of Pass the Sushi. Each month, she selects three recipes from a cook book that club members test out and we all reveal our recipes on the same day either by posting on our blogs or on the Facebook group page.

The cookbook for May was Slushed!: More Than 150 Frozen, Boozy Treats For the Coolest Happy Hour Ever by Jessie Cross of The Hungry Mouse. A perfect selection for the warming weather and I was immediately drawn to the Frozen Key Lime Margarita Pie and knew I had to try it. However, I couldn't find key limes at my grocery store....tiny suckers are hard to find on short notice so I had to use regular limes.

This pie is very easy to whip up and the hardest part was waiting for it to chill overnight. All you have to do is beat together the filling ingredients and add to the prepared graham cracker crust. Smooth the top and freeze overnight. The next evening, I set it out at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving it to some girlfriends who were over to watch the season finale of Grey's Anatomy (Yes, I am one of those people who have viewing parties, don't judge!).

The pie is very creamy, just like a cheesecake yet refreshing as a margarita. You could barely taste the hint of tequila so I'm sure you wouldn't miss it if you wanted to leave it out. It wasn't until the pie was almost gone that I realized I left out the whipped cream :o

On another note guys, I took these pictures with a big girl camera, the Canon Rebel T3, that my friend Amanda brought over for me to play with. Currently I use a two year old Sony Cyber Shot to take all the photos you see on the blog and I am hoping I can upgrade to a DSLR someday (hint hint Santa!). I've been thinking the Canon Rebel T3i would be a good first camera so it was great to play around a little bit with it. All I can say is WOW!! I want it! Of course the photos above don't represent what the camera can do since we were rushed/ had shaky hands/ poor lighting / yummy pie & Grey's anatomy finale awaited. Thanks Amanda for the test drive :)