Two (and Too) Cutes

While I'm trying to carve out the time to make the next batch of vegan cookies, I just thought I'd share these 2 dashes of adorable that I've come across recently.

Awesome Santa cupcake from Bakerella (I should've known!) via imgfave
(is anyone else addicted to this site?)

Adorable strawberry baby hat from Artology on Etsy I'm thinking of buying my sister.

Dreamy Apricot Ginger Scones

Were it not for Smitten Kitchen, I might be before you today recounting the epic journey it took to find the perfect recipe for light, tender scones. Luckily for us all, Deb already completed this "scone quest" and returned with a jewel of a recipe, generously shared on her blog. So let me simply tell you how I switched up the add-ins to suit my fancy and (hopefully) send you off to do the same.

This soon after Thanksgiving, I was predictably cranberried out (fruits are verbs too, didn't ya know?). What I was in the mood for was ginger. But this spicy sister wanted some company for these long cold nights... The sunny hues of dried apricots caught my eye at the store not long after. It had to be a sign...

And what a lovely pair these two made. Each bite of these scones contained wonderful little bursts of flavor, from the modest sweetness of the apricots to the bolder heat of the crystallized ginger. I actually craved even more fruit, so I've upped the amount in the recipe below. Despite using a little less butter than the original recipe, the texture remained so tender (must be all that cream...). These scones aren't very sweet, so they'd be lovely with a dollop of your favorite jam. Now I'd really love for you to share your favorite scone flavors with me. Won't you please?

Apple Cherry Pie

Homemade apple pie. There aren't many desserts more All-American than this one, don't you think? This means of course that, me being me, I had to find a twist to this classic. Luckily, I think I hit the jackpot right off with this recipe for apple pie with dried cherries.

Ever since I made those black forest cupcakes last month, I've harbored a growing fascination for cherries. As luck would have it, Sam at Oh! Nuts (a great online seller of bulk nuts, dried fruits, and more) offered me some free product samples. Before I knew it, a pound of dried sour cherries (plus some nuts I'll tell you about later) rested in my hot little hands. Man, were these good! Juicy and flavorful straight from the resealable package, they plumped up beautifully when baked with juicy apples in pie.

Wordless Wednesday: Squashed (Happy Early Thanksgiving!)