I couldn’t help myself!  While waiting at the Whole Foods Bakery counter for my Seeduction Bread to be sliced I spyed this adorable puppy cupcake sitting on the shelf all alone among a sea of flower cupcakes.  I just coudn’t stand to see him there by himself so I brought him home with me.  I’ve decided that his name is George (named for George Michael of course).  I plan to give him to CK when he gets home from work.  It’s Corona and cupcakes for dinner tonight!

PS:  If you want to make your own edible puppy pack you should check out Francie’s step-by-step decorating tips.

Dear ErinCooks: I have a chocolate chip cookie conundrum: try as I might I can’t get my cookies to the consistency I like. I am a fan of chewy chocolate chip cookies, not cakey or crunchy, just chewy. I think it must be a butter issue. Should I try margarine or shortening? Maybe it’s too much mixing? Or maybe timing? — Julia

Dear Julia: This is your lucky day! While I can’t honestly speak coherently to the science behind chewy, over cakey, over crispy chocolate chip cookies I do have a fabulous recipe to share with you. According to the recipe’s author, this particular cookie dough contains less butter than the standard recipe, which prevents the cookies from spreading too much in the oven. So you’re right on track about butter having something to do with a cookie’s texture.

Please give this recipe a try and let me know what you think. It’s one of my favorites and right up there with the artichoke dip in the category of "super top secret." I honestly can’t believe I’m telling you guys how to make all of my best recipes! On a side note The Got Milk? Cookie Book has excellent cookie recipes. The Peanut Butter cookies from that cookbook are some of my favorites too, and if you’re into crisp and crunchy, or thin and chewy, rather than thick and chewy, there’s a recipe inside for you.

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies (Originally published in the Got Milk? Cookie Book by Peggy Cullen)
Makes 15 large cookies

2 ounces (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
6 tablespoons white sugar
6 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (6 ounces) chocolate chunks or chips
1 cup nuts (Note: optional. I never add nuts, but it’s totally personal preference).

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter, sugars, salt, and vanilla until well combined. Beat in the egg. Scrape down the bowl using a rubber spatula and beat for a few more seconds.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix on low speed just until absorbed. Combine the chocolate chunks and nuts into a small bowl and stir into the dough.

Shape the dough into 1 1/2 inch balls and drop them about 3 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets (Note: I use a silpat. I don’t have a lot of faith in leaving my baked goods ability to be removed from a pan up to chance). For perfectly uniform cookies, scoop the dough using a 1 1/2 inch diameter ice-cream scoop, leveling the dough off across the top before dropping onto the baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until edges are golden. Let sit for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely (Note: I never bake my batches for more than 12 minutes. If you over bake the cookies they obviously wont be chewy).

Doubling: I should warn you all that I’ve never had very good luck when I double this recipe. Sometimes they come out really flat, sometimes they come out thin and chewy, and sometimes they’re just a big mess. Once in a while they come out like they’re supposed to, but not often. You’re better off making two complete batches of the smaller original recipe.

Need some advice? You can always Ask Erin Cooks.

When these rolls came out of the oven and I tasted the first one sandwiched with a little butter I almost did a cartwheel. Finally, I’d made a recipe with yeast that actually tasted good!

Time for a quiz.
Which of the following accurately illustrates how Erin feels about baking bread:
A. I famously can’t make bread.
B. I’m impatient and dislike it when recipes take several hours to make.
C. I hate to cook anything with a high mess threshold.
D. All of the above

Give up? Well if you chose “D” you’re right on top of things. However, I plan to make an exception to this raging anti-bread sentiment in the future because I really liked these rolls.

In addition, these pumpkin dinner accompaniments are “Part 2″ of the recipes I made with one can of leftover Libby’s Pumpkin. Those little cans obviously have a lot more possibilities in them than just boring old Thanksgiving pies.

Can of Pumpkin Part 2	Dissolve Yeast & Sugar
Make Dough	Knead & Form Into a Ball
Let it Rise	Shape, Bake & Cool

Pumpkin Yeast Rolls (Originally published in the December 1998 edition of Cooking Light magazine. I halved the recipe as outlined below.)
Makes 12 Rolls

1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 package dry yeast (about 1 1/8 teaspoons)
1 tablespoons brown sugar
3/8 cup warm fat-free milk (105° to 115°)
2 1/2 cups bread flour, divided
1/8 cup stick margarine or butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 large egg (Note: Just scramble one egg in a dish and pour half into your recipe)
Cooking spray

Combine the pumpkin and vanilla extract, and set aside. Dissolve yeast and sugar in milk in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add 1 cup flour, pumpkin mixture, margarine, salt, vinegar, nutmeg, and egg to yeast mixture; beat at medium speed of a mixer until smooth. Stir in 1 cups flour to form a sticky dough. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead dough until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes); add enough of remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands.

Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover dough, and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.

Coat muffin cups with cooking spray. Punch dough down. Divide into 12 equal pieces; shape each piece into a ball. Place 1 ball in each muffin cup. Cover and let rise 30 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Uncover dough; bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Remove from pans; cool on wire racks.

Like many of you, my Crème Brûlée obsession stems from the movie Amelie. Who can forget that gorgeous scene where Audrey Tautou’s character cracks the caramelized top of her dessert while declaring it one of life’s simple pleasures? To that end, if there is Crème Brûlée to be found on a menu I always order it.

Last weekend I decided to try my hand at this decadent dessert, but instead of making the traditional custard I opted to use the lonely can of pumpkin filling that has been sitting in my kitchen cupboard since Thanksgiving. After all, canned pumpkin needs a home (in my belly) too. That one can of pie filling yielded another tasty treat as well, but more on that later this week.

Since I can’t be trusted in the presence of 8 dishes of fabulous dessert I cut the recipe in half and also substituted light cream for heavy cream. This brought the calorie count down to 210 per pretty pastel ramekin. Sadly I didn’t actually get to use my kitchen torch as it was out of fuel. I had to use the boring old broiler method instead. Boy was that an anxiety producing activity! Chris and I stood in front of the roaring hot stove like expectant parents watching the tops bubble, while I kept saying over and over again, “They’re going to burn! They’re going to burn!” Good times…

Pumpkin Crème Brûlée (Based on the recipe originally published by Emeril Lagasse)
Makes 4 half cup desserts

1 cup light cream
1/8 cup light brown sugar
1/8 cup sugar, plus 4 teaspoons
4 large egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/2 cup mashed cooked pumpkin

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Arrange 4 (1/2-cup) ramekins or custard cups in a large metal baking pan.

In a medium saucepan, combine the cream, brown sugar, and 1/8 cup granulated sugar. Bring to a bare simmer over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat.

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks until frothy and lemon-colored. Slowly add half of the hot cream mixture, whisking constantly. Add the egg mixture to the remaining hot cream, and whisk. Add the vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and pumpkin, and whisk until smooth. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl. Divide among the prepared custard cups.

Add enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the cups. Bake until the custards are just set in the center but not stiff, 45 minutes to 55 minutes. Remove from the oven and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 3 hours or overnight.

Sprinkle each custard with 1/2 teaspoon of the remaining sugar. Using a kitchen torch, caramelize the sugar. (Alternately, preheat the broiler, and broil until the sugar melts and caramelizes, watching closely to avoid burning and rotating the cups, about 1 to 2 minutes.) Place on small dessert plates and serve.

My love of potatoes knows no bounds. I’m especially fond of breakfast potatoes. This morning when I woke up and started rummaging around in the refrigerator for something to eat on this bright Sunday morning I was instantly drawn to last nights leftover casserole of scalloped potatoes, zucchini, red peppers and ham. “Eat me Erin! Eat me Erin,” it seemed to call from under its snug Press’n-Seal cover. I somehow managed to resist the cheesy temptation momentarily before I moved on to another, slightly more morning appropriate option. I decided to make sweetly spiced sweet potato latkes and bake them. Baking was the ultimate concession as yesterday morning I shamelessly coaxed CK into picking up a box of munchkins for us to snack on all day.

These latkes are thicker than the baked russet potato version that I made previously, and much more hash-brown like in consistency. Don’t forget to top them with your favorite condiments. I prefer sour cream, light of course — sticking with the whole donut guilt theme, but apple sauce or a fruity yogurt would also be a great addition.

Peel & Prep	Grate (the Easy Way)
Combine Potatoes & Spices	Drop by 1/3-Cupfuls
Flatten	Sweet Potato Latkes on Parade

Baked Sweet Potato Latkes (based on the recipe originally published in Women’s Health Magazine)
Makes 12 Latkes

2 pounds grated sweet potatoes
1 medium onion, grated
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick spray or use a silpat.

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Drop by 1/3-cupfuls onto cookie sheet. Flatten with spatula.

Bake for 25 minutes; flip and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Serve with light sour cream and a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg.

During the holidays my uncle’s girlfriend makes these amazing brown sugar shortbread cookies that she rolls out and ices. Unfortunately, she wont give me the recipe. I have searched all over the place for a recipe that tastes like her cookies and I’ve never been able to find one. Perhaps this public plea will make her more sympathetic to my cause?

In the interim though I’ve found a substitute that almost tastes right, but not quite. I used an itty bitty shamrock cookie cutter to make cute shapes and drizzled the tops with green icing and sparkly sprinkles. In literally minutes you’ll have dozens of cookies to share with the little leprechauns in your life.

Shamrock Shortbread (Inspired by the Brown Sugar Shortbread recipe originally published in the April 2007 issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray)

1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup flour
1/3 cup brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 350°. Using an electric mixer, combine the flour, butter and sugar. Press the dough into a ball and roll out on a lightly floured counter. Use cookie cutters to cut the dough into shapes. Place the cookies onto a well greased baking sheet or silpat.

Bake until just slightly golden around the edges, 8-10 minutes. Note: Do not overcook or you’ll have mini shortbread hockey pucks. Let the shortbread cool and decorate as desired with your favorite icing and sugar sprinkles.