Twelve Cookies of Christmas #5: Gooey Turtle Bars

These turtle bars weren't actually on my original shortlist for this year's holiday baking; however, I had received so many compliments on them last year that I decided to bring them back by popular demand.

What make these bars so awesome is the incredibly gooey caramel. There are strings of caramel all over the place as you bite into a square. And the caramel itself is deliciously creamy with the addition of condensed milk—an almost cheater’s version of dulce de leche.

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Twelve Days of Christmas, #11: Gooey Turtle Bars

I have a soft spot for Turtles chocolate. There's something incredibly satisfying about biting into soft caramel and toasted pecans, all covered in milk chocolate.

Day Eleven of my Twelve Days of Christmas Treats: Gooey Turtle Bars.

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Twelve Days of Christmas, #1: Chewy Triple Ginger Cookies

It's finally December and the holiday spirit is well under way. Christmas is always my favourite time of the year. There's something so special about the sights, sounds and smells of Christmas that brings out the little kid in me.

With the countdown to Christmas already underway, I have my mini Christmas up, presents are being bought and wrapped, and my baking is very much well under way. Every year, I like to bake a variety of cookies for family and friends that include the regular staples that everyone requests, along with new cookies or confections to keep things interesting in the kitchen for myself. And so, in the following days, I will invite you into the madness that is my kitchen around the holidays for my Twelve Days of Christmas Treats. Day 1 is the classic and much loved Ginger Cookies.

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Lacy Coconut-Topped Brownies

I went back home for a quick visit a few weeks ago and wanting to make some treats for my friends, I turned to my trusted Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies by Alice Medrich. This cookbook never ceases to amaze me at how incredible the recipes turn out. Every recipe I've made from the book has turned out perfect and absolutely delicious. Alice is a baking genius.

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Chocolate Hazelnut Meringues

Back in December, I raved about this book. Well, I'm back to rave about it some more.

Lately, it seems that whenever I talk about cookies, I make mention of Alice Medrich. And it’s really no wonder. I consider her latest book, Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies, my cookie bible. Alice has tested each recipe in the book meticulously, and you can tell. I’ve not once had a failure from any of her recipes.

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Winner of the Chewy Gooey Giveaway!

I've been late in announcing the winner of my Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-Your-Mouth cookbook giveaway as I've been busy these last few days (last three weeks actually!) baking almost every night. Stuck with an apartment-sized oven in my teeny-tiny kitchen, it's amazing that I've churned out almost 1,250 cookies, and still counting! Every article of clothing I've worn in the past three weeks has some trace of cookie dough on it, and I'm constantly wearing Eau de Sugar and Spice.

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Holiday Baking: Cornmeal and Olive Oil Biscotti with Figs and Almonds + Giveaway!!

I rarely buy cookie cookbooks. Mainly because I: a) Have already amassed a good number of great recipes I've adapted and adopted into my repetoire; b) Understand the basics of cookie baking to take enough liberties with existing recipes, so that one recipe can turn into ten; and c) Thanks to the world wide web, I have access to thousands of cookie recipes with the click of a finger.

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