A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

Sheep come in a variety of shape's and sizes. They can present themselves as calm, warm, and comforting. Sometimes fluffy. Baked goods also fit this description.

Wolves (the stereotype, NOT the intriguing Canis lupus so often regarded as something it's not) are complex, tricky, and conniving.

A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing = Sweets!

They just look so good and make me feel like once I eat them, the present moment will immediately be better. What is WRONG with me? Am I addicted?! Multiple baked goods per day, boxes of candy, bowls of ice cream (I don't really even LIKE ice cream) and terrible guilt are PLAGuing me. So good for the heartbreak diet and blossoming yoga practice. My appetite is insatiable. I'm still too lazy to bake and have moved on from apathy to crazy person anger but all of that aside and lucky for you, this leads to more reviews.

The regionally famous WaterCourse Bakery Scout Cookie = sheep in wolf's clothing.

It looks like one big bad cookie but guess what? It's not - it's vegan AND gluten free! For those of you who say it tastes like a Girl Scout Samoa, you're wrong. Those cookies are gross and this one is WONderful. I feel like I'm eating something healthy (even though I'm not) and I get to lick chocolate off my fingers :) You can find them at my favorite coffee shop and other fun places around Denver.

No need to tell you about the Crushery's ridiculously amazing chocolate chip cookie again because the last time I went and had one, the 5 doctors I was eating with came to the same conclusion SO, case closed. Go get one. Next stop? The Pajama Baking Company just down the street. It smelled like cinnamon rolls as we walked up so after having lunch I shared and smapled 3 of their try-it sized treats with some VOC peeps.

Our taste tests revealed that the Chocolate Chip Macaroon was the best, followed by a yummy Peanut Butter Brownie and then a disappointingly mediocre Chocolate Brownie. They each cost a dollar or less and my group of 6 was able to have a taste of each one. SUPER deal. Check 'em out.

Later that same day I finally had the pleasure of experiencing the Denver Cupcake Truck.

Jamie had the Red Velvet but said the frosting was better than the cake. Isn't that always the problem with red velvet? I had the Denver Snowball and loved it. Almond cake, chocolate buttercream, and coconut. Mmmm, delicious.

And I almost forgot Flour. How could I? I returned to my beloved bakery while on an escape to Boston last month and tried 2 new items. The Maple Walnut Scone won out over the Granola Bar packed with cranberry-apricot-apple jam only because it had more sugar. What can I say. I am addicted.

Maybe this should have been several posts. Maybe I should stick to baking instead of publishing a blog full of feelings. Maybe tomorrow the reality of wolves in sheep clothing won't bother me so much. Maybe wolves should just leave the disguises behind and admit to themselves and everyone else that they have been deceptive. Deception = dishonesty. Being dishonest is the same thing as lying. Lying is wrong.

So Much Baking, So Little Blogging Time

I have a growing backlog of baking experiences to blog about. I go out of my way to make room for baking but not (gulp) blogging. In case you didn't know, it's really time consuming. Sometimes I stay up 'till midnight to take things out of the oven. Sometimes I wake up before 6, get ready for work, run out of buttermilk, run to the store, finishing baking, and arrive late to meetings. This week I tried 4 new recipes in 6 days. This is how it went:

Saturday - Didn't go to bed until 1am due to Annah's arrival and Fab Four holiday visit. Woke up 7 hours later. Talked for the next 4 hours straight. Realized we hadn't eaten anything and were starving. Ate Chocolate Chip Scones at noon. New recipe. Moderate success. They looked pretty much perfect before going in the oven.

Sunday - Woke up at 9 am after going to bed at 2am. Talked for a few hours and then made biscuits with brunch. New recipe. No picture because they were flat and unattractive.

Monday - Didn't start making cookies before Caitlin arrived for dinner with brownies in hand. If you're ever in a pinch and need some brownies stat, I recommend those at your local Safeway bakery. They are pretty incredible. I think the secret ingredient might be marshmallow. Or a whole lot of corn syrup. Delicious still today when I ate the last one. No picture.

Tuesday - Was going to make muffins for a Wednesday morning meeting but got home late and decided that making fresh scones in the morning was a better idea.

Wednesday - See reference to waking up before sunrise above. Blueberry scones. New recipe. Success.

Wednesday part 2 - Naomi came over with wine. I promised dessert. I decided to make an apple pie from scratch. It took 4 hours. Naomi didn't get her pie until today. I will blog about this more later because it's 11:29pm. The pie was awesome :)

How do you like the new blog look? Festive and season appropriate, no? I think a bit of sparkle may be a requirement from now on. Goodnight!