baking. baking. baking.

Lately I have been spending a lot of time in the kitchen....making a mess and making some super tasty treats. I don't really consider myself much of a baker, but after the last few days I might have to add that to my list of things I *do*.

This weekend I went away with some ladies from church for a women's retreat in the Shenandoah Mountains. And what does every women's retreat need? LOTS of chocolate, and other yummy treats. So, I set out to bake a few things to bring along...but when I was looking for recipes I got a little carried away. Soon my whole Friday was swept away in the oven.

Of course I made Chocolate Chip Cookies- which I have found my favorite-tried-and-true-recipe in The Congressional Club Cookbook.

And Blondies with a little extra something....Reese's Peanut Butter cups on top! This is a fantastic idea, why didn't I think of it?


And an all time favorite from back in the day (like when I was 5) no bake bars.
Besides chocolate, I was craving something 'fall' to enjoy with the apple cider. I found this easy recipe for pumpkin muffins that called for canned pumpkin- which I couldn't find at the store (out of season?) and I had my heart set on a fall treat, so I bought a pumpkin and roasted it- an additional step, but well worth it! Also, since I was making 'minis' the cooking time went down to about 18 minutes. (this was extra helpful because I was starting to run out of time before I had to shower, pack and get in the car to actually go on the retreat)


I basically ran out of time to clean the kitchen, my amazing husband came home from work to spend the weekend with his daughter and also cleaned the kitchen. He got some tasty treats out of the deal but in the end I probably should have dropped one of the treats from the menu to make sure that I had space and time to clean and get ready to leave. We had more than enough snacks at the retreat.I would make each of these again, all of the recipes turned out well and were quite simple. I might even make the pumpkin muffins again this week since I have the rest of the pumpkin sitting in the fridge waiting to be turned into something tasty.