Chocolate Salted Caramel Turtle Cookies and the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap
Allow me to share a few things about these cookies. First…they scream for milk! Second…they are deeply and irresistibly chocolatey. And third…they are named after the ‘Turtle’ candy made famous by the Johnson’s Candy Company way back in 1918. We’ve all eaten them, right? Caramel and pecans drenched in milk chocolate. Well, I took liberties with that famous little candy and turned it into a stellar version of a cookie. The ‘piece de resistance’ is the chopped up Lindt Excellence Dark Caramel with a Touch of Sea Salt chocolate that plays the roll of chocolate chips in this cookie. Add pecans and loads of decadent Valrhona cocoa, and well…this cookie may just make the Turtle famous all over again. Continue reading
It was the ‘snow’ covered look of these festive cookies that stole my heart. I felt certain that whatever surprise was hidden inside, it would be just as enticing as the powdery flakey exterior. 
Oh, the magical powers of flour, sugar, yeast and butter. With my wooden spoon as a wand, and a touch of alchemy, could I conjure up a cake just like Gee Gee’s?
More than any other year I can remember since moving West have I longed for the Fall weather I knew growing up in Kentucky. I want to shiver in the mornings as I slip from underneath my down comforter and head for the shower. I want to stow my flip flops, and pull on my boots, and wrap knitted scarves around me to keep the chill from my neck. My coats hang dusty and limp in the closet. Firewood stacked outside the door continues to season in the warm California sun. I drink my lattes with ice. These November days, the Mercury rising toward ninety, have me on watch for any sign that Thanksgiving is around the corner. Can my senses be fooled? Can I will the weather to turn a hand toward Autumn, bringing crisp nights and chilly mornings with it? Where are you Mr. Autumn? Have you skittered on by in your haste to reach winter? I summon you with pumpkin scented candles. I hang a wreath adorned with burnished leaves of gold. And I bake. The aroma of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves delude the mind and satisfy my longing for the season. It is the best I can do. 
Once upon a time I was intimidated by the prospect of making caramel from scratch. A pot of boiling hot sugar can induce fear in even the most accomplished of cooks and bakers. I can’t recall my first successful caramel making endeavor, but it’s pretty likely there were some nerves involved, and possibly a few choice words. Caramel and I became friends many years ago, and the greatest benefit in slaying that dragon is having the ability to make my own luscious, deep golden confectionery at any time.