September 2013 Recipes

Another fast and furious month passed in the blink of an eye. Time seems to be moving at a supersonic rate.

Here are the noteworthy recipes and events:

Recipes

Fudgy Brownie Cookie Dough Ice Cream Sandwiches

Softbatch Cookie Butter Brown Sugar Cookies

Apple Pie Pancakes with Vanilla Maple Syrup

Skinny Pina Colada Smoothie (vegan, GF) – Under 100 calories

Lofthouse-Style Soft Peanut Butter Chip Sugar Cookies with Peanut Butter Frosting – Some of the best cookies I’ve ever made

Vegan Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

Loaded M&M Oreo Cookie Bars

5-Minute Microwave Apple Cinnamon Crumble For One (vegan, GF)

Salted Caramel-Swirled Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars – First photos I took in my new apartment

Vegan Chunky Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Soft and Puffy Pumpkin Spice Honey Cookies

Chocolate Peanut Butter Mocha Powerballs (no-bake, vegan, GF)

Loaded Fudgy Candy Bar Brownies

Soft and Chewy Toffee and Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies (GF, no white sugar used)

Soft Vegan Pumpkin Bread with Brown Sugar Streusel Crust

Homemade White Chocolate and Butterscotch Sunflower Seed Butter

Honey Butter Pumpkin Dinner Rolls

Black & White Cookies: Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip & Dark Chocolate Dark Brown Sugar

Recipe Reflections

I broke out plenty of pumpkin (5) and apple (3) recipes. Seems that readers (and other bloggers) want these ‘fall’ recipes earlier and earlier each year, and by mid August I was already seeing pumpkin recipes. I waited until September before opening the pumpkin floodgates and already felt late to the pumpkin party. I am sure we’ll be seeing mint and Christmas cookies on blogs here within the next week or two.

I am pleased to have created 3 vegan quickbreads (2 muffins, 1 bread/cake) that sure don’t taste vegan or ‘healthy’ in the least. Full of flavor, softness, moisture, and are lacking nothing other than any animal products.

I made Lofthouse-Style Peanut Butter Cookies after wanting to make cookies along those lines for years. I finally got them the way I wanted them, and they are some of the best cookies I’ve ever made. I wish I could have included them in my Peanut Butter Comfort cookbook.

I also baked cookies with Cookie Butter, and made Homemade Sunflower Seed Butter. Peanut butter is always well-represented on my site , but was happy to show some love for CB and SFSB. People are always asking for recipes and ways to use Cookie Butter/Biscoff and for those with nut allergies, Sunflower Seed Butter is a nice option.

The Loaded M&M Oreo Cookie Bars have been a big hit on Pinterst, being pinned over 100,000 times in 3 weeks that I can track. Yet a very similar recipe, the Loaded Candy Bar Brownies, have not had nearly the success. I loved both of them and it’s one of the Pinterest mysteries that I like pondering as a blogger – what makes something take off and what makes others not do as well.

Combined with the Fudgy Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches, the Chocolate Peanut Butter Mocha Powerballs, and the Black and White Cookies, lots of chocolaty, fudgy, brownie-ish recipes this month.

Mid-month I went back to adding the recipe title to the lead-off image in each post. I used to do it, but it takes time and I fell out of the habit for over a year. But I’ve realized it’s helpful to include. People seem to prefer it on Pinterest, and if for nothing else, I like being able to easily glance at my own photos and see the title. Sometimes my own cookies and bars even look similar to me when I’m glancing quickly.

Noteworty Events

Weekend Things – Shared about moving into a new apartment. It’s less than 1 mile from the other one, but moving is a massive chore and undertaking no matter the distance.

I am feeling settled and loving the new place. So much light, so bright and cheery, I actually have more light than I know what to do with for my photography. A good problem to have.

3-Day Juice Cleanse: Purify Cleanse – I did another cleanse and discussed my thoughts, and it inspired me to buy a new juicer.

I got the Hurom HU-100 Slow Juicer, Snow White. I had sold all my the others because they were not effective in extracting the juice (food was coming out way too wet and that’s wasteful) and cleanup was horribly time-consuming. I am much happier with the Hurom than I was with my Breville 800JEXL Juice Fountain Elite

I posted a few of the juices I’ve been making on Instagram

Weekend Things – Mid-month I spent the weekend in New Jersey at the Duncan Hines Test Kitchens with other bloggers.

Via Instagram – L to R: @sweettreatsmore @nikki_chefintraining @shugarysweets @somethingswanky @brucrewlife @crazyforcrust @averiesunshine having fun at Duncan Hines! #sweetstars

I finally got to meet so many ladies in person whom I’ve wanted to meet for years. Me and Shelly

Me and Nikki

It was an excellent event and Duncan Hines really rolled out the red carpet for all of us. I cannot speak highly enough of them and how well they treated us.

And how much sugar they fed us. And that’s why I juice. Yeah.

Chocolate mousse with chocolate ‘spaghetti’. Thanks @realduncanhines for a great #sweetstars weekend!

Gratitude

Last but not least, Averie Cooks had the most views ever in September (and prior to September, August 2013 was the highest viewed month). I truly appreciate every single person who stops by to read my site and is perhaps inspired to try a recipe. Some of you have also purchased my cookbook, and I am grateful for that, too.

I hope my readers know how valued you are. I sometimes read blogs where the author seems almost disingenuous, trite, or somehow something less than purely grateful for their readers and fans. I value my readers above all else becuase as they say, the buck stops here. Without readers, and people visiting my site, I couldn’t do what I do developing and sharing recipes at this pace and level. Thank you for your support!

Previous 2013 Recaps

January 2013 Recipes

February 2013 Recipes

March 2013 Recipes

April 2013 Recipes

May 2013 Recipes

June 2013 Recipes

July 2013 Recipes

August 2013 Recipes

Thanks for the entries in the Oster VERSA Performance Blender Giveaway ($300 Value) + 20 Favorite Blender Recipes

What did you do or make in this month that was memorable?