Meet my neighbor, Emily.

She loves animals.

She’s a vegetarian, but loves vegan foods, as well.

She’s crazy, but in a fun, full-of-life and laughter kinda way.

You know me.

I bake cookies…

…and I love butter.

Butter is the foundation of almost everything I create. If someone told me I couldn’t eat it anymore? Well, let’s just say the words ‘death and destruction’ come to mind, but that’s just me. Obviously, not everyone feels this way.

I give you the Vegan Peanut Butter au Natural. It has no animal products whatsoever! That’s right, it’s butter-free, egg-free and it just so happens to be gluten-free, which means it contains no flour.

All kidding aside, this cookie is sensational!

Created for you, Emily, and all people out there who love their four-legged friends and choose animal-free goodies.

But…I still love butter, y’all.

Wanna hear the truth?

I’m a sensitive person.  Please, no negative comments about my singing, baking or weight.  Outside of that, I’m pretty easy-going.  Or, at least I think so…in my head.

Recently, I’ve been working on some new cookies.  The first one came out really well.  It’s called the Hawaiian.  It’s an amazing combination of pineapple, coconut, macadamia nuts and white chocolate.  I love it!  Everyone who has tasted it, loves it.  Proud, that’s what I am…proud to have created it.

The second one didn’t fare so well; I won’t bother with its name.  All of the people who tried it, including myself, had mediocre reactions, at best.  I knew it wasn’t finished, yet I sent it to a friend anyway.  Why did I do that?  Am I some sort of masochist or something?  But that’s not what’s truly bothering me.

It’s the third cookie that’s bringing me down.  You see,  specialty cookies have been my latest obsession.  The newest  one is called the Pick Me Up.  It’s a dark chocolate cookie with dark chocolate chunks and chocolate covered espresso beans.  That’s right…whole espresso beans!  Now, I know not everyone is going to love this cookie.  That’s why it’s in the ’specialty’ category.  Duh…it’s special!  But it still hurts when people say they don’t care for it.

Now, it’s a well known fact that I seek approval through my cookies, but more importantly, I crave honesty.  My friends are the first to test my cookies because I depend on their truthfulness.   Snuda gave me her honest opinion about the Pick Me Up and I respect her for that.  She doesn’t enjoy the crunch of an espresso bean.  She isn’t a big fan of the brownie texture.  She’s my friend.  She pulls no punches.  That’s the way friends ought to be.

Still, I’m wondering again…why did I send her that cookie?

Was I excited?  Definitely.

Am I masochist?  Maybe…but let’s stick with my exuberance. The Pick Me Up is my 15th cookie.  It’s dark, sweet, and intense…kinda like me.

You want some?

Last weekend I found myself surrounded by pinks, purples and sparkly tissue paper.  No, I don’t have a daughter obsessed with the latest Disney movie, but I do have a friend who’s the Maid of Honor.

Yep, that’s right folks, here we go again with the Super Cute debacle.  Except this time it’s not a baby shower, it’s a bridal shower.   Lord, give me strength.

Ramona, the MOH, needed party favors for eleven people.  “Look no further,” I exclaimed with a false sense of security.  I wasn’t as intimidated as the last time, but I wasn’t looking forward to the arts-and-crafts portion of the assignment.  As luck would have it, I was provided with the bags, stickers and tissue paper.  Whew, what a load off my mind!

Since the Super Cute was covered I was left to concentrate on what I do best…cookies.  I made three different kinds, Peanut Butter Au Natural, Double Chocolate and The Holy Grail.

The cookies were placed in a cellophane bag for freshness and to keep the bags from getting greasy.  All in all, I was simply delighted with the end result.  I hope the bride was too, but how could she not be?  Super Cute plus Mondo’s Morsels equals a happy tummy and a big ole’ smile.