Time for an installment of Weekend Things:
1. Redbook Magazine featured my Homemade White Chocolate and Butterscotch Sunflower Seed Butter (GF).
Thanks for the wonderful feature, Redbook, and I wish I could give you a jar or five. I have more nut and seed butters on hand than I’d like to admit.
2. Bethenny Frankel pinned my Lofthouse Soft Sugar Sprinkles Cookies. This had me more than a little giddy.
She also pinned my Vegan Cookie Dough, one of my most popular recipes every year since 2009.
3. What’s Your Superhero Name?
I’m Captain Marshmallow and my daughter is Mega Marshmallow. Pretty fitting for us, actually.
4. Mashable included me (#61) on their list of 75 Tasty Instagram Accounts Every Foodie Should Follow. I’m delighted to be among such wonderful company, including many fellow foodie friends. Thanks, Mashable!
My instagram account is averiesunshine and if I had more time, I’d be on IG all the time. I love it, it’s such a great way to connect and share real life and real-time stuff, despite being a total timesuck. All of a sudden 20 minutes go by and I’ve been sucked down the rabbit hole of scrolling and clicking, and I love it.
7. A great post comparing butter, oil, shortening, and margarine in cakes.
For me, butter does not equal a better cake. In baked goods I want to stay soft, springy, and moist, I almost always opt for oil, and tend to use oil rather than butter in cakes, muffins, quickbreads, and breads. I loathe dry cake and will gladly give up buttery flavor (which will likely be masked anyway) for the softness and moistness I get with oil (canola or coconut are my oils of choice).
5. Photodoto included me (#13) in their list of 100 Incredibly Tasty Instragram Accounts for Foodies to Follow. Thanks for the nod, Photodoto!
6. This cake stand is only $16.99 What a deal. Another reason I should go into World Market more. Then again, maybe not. It’s cheap and dangerous.
Have you seen my props? I don’t need more. But I want more.
8. These 5 Premium Bourbon Madagascar Vanilla Beans
are ridiculously cheap. They’re Beanilla brand beans on Amazon and you get 5 beans for $5.96
If you were to buy beans in the grocery store, they’re usually $5 bucks or more, each. And they’re dried out and hard, wheres Beanilla beans are always soft, squishy, and fresh. Tip – vanilla beans should be supple, a bit oily and juicy, not dried up like a piece of beef jerky.
9. They’re the beans I use to make Homemade Vanilla Extract
If you start this right away, homemade vanilla will be ready to give as holiday gifts.
10. I recently gave an interview to my friend Heidi at Foodie Crush. I talked about my blog, my book, what inspires me, and other factoids.
She also made Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies that make me want to reach through the screen.
What are your Weekend Things?
If you’ve made anything, done, seen, or bought anything fabulous recently, feel free to link it up in the comments.
Are you an Instragrammer? Super hero name? Fan of vanilla? Baking with butter vs. oil – what to use, when, why?
Have a great weekend!
You are so totally fab, my friend!! I’m not surprised one bit with all of your accomplishments!! :) Yay for you!!
Thanks so much, Jocelyn!
I would be giddy if Bethenny pinned my recipe, too!!! Congrats on all of your accomplishments!!! :)
Thank you! I was pretty giddy :)
Congrats on the features and the pins! So cool!
Congrats on the feature and celebrity pin, Averie!
When I look at all these cookies I feel that I can lose consciousness because they look magnetic. I keep to a diet and all the sweet things are forbidden but I will definitely try one of the recipes in future.
Enjoy the recipe!
LOVE all this stuff!!!! I’m The Powerful Strawberry (and Michael’s The Invisible Raspberry :P) and looove instagram!
Congrats on all the goodness hun, you obv. deserve it!
I love The Powerful Strawberry :)
Lol, I’m Invisible Pineapple. I’m allergic to pineapple!
Love the superhero name. I’m Secret Agent Pomegranate.
I went straight to the cake comparison post, thanks!! So useful to know. Congrats on your post features etc. You deserve every bit of recognition you get… so lovely to be part of the blogging community with you Averie (Marshmallow!) xx
Congrats on the features! Your superhero name is adorable. Mine is Night Coconut – it’s weird!
Very interesting about the use of butter/oil/margerine/shortening in cakes. My birthday is next week and I’m already debating what cake or cupcake recipe to use. I’m big into moist. I’m thinking yellow cake with white chocolate creme filling and peanut butter frosting…go big or go home, I say! But I’ll probably be undecided right up to the moment I start mixing. :)
And the vanilla bean info is super helpful as well. I had bought a ginormous quantity from Amazon, but they were NOT supple. Beef jerky is a very apt description! Next time I’ll know what to look for!!
And I’m totally with you on World Market being dangerous. I can drop so much money in that place…
happy bday and LMK what cake you end up making if you love it. I am highly picky about my yellow cakes. Took me years to finally get these
https://www.averiecooks.com/2013/10/classic-yellow-cupcakes-with-chocolate-buttercream-frosting.html
And no to vanilla beans that are beef jerky-like. Now you know :)