Jolene's Recipe Journal

We took a trip to New York back in August and we got to try so many iconic foods.   The black and white cookies were one of our favorites.  While this isn't exactly the same as the original, it's a fun spin on it, perfect for Halloween! I made no changes to the recipe.  Be sure to spray the sheets with nonstick spray or grease them or they will stick.  If you aren't feeling artistic enough to pipe the webs and spiders, festively colored sprinkles are great too.  Thank you so much to the Taste of Home Styling Team for this fun recipe! Do you have an amazing recipe you'd like to submit to Taste of Home? Follow this link and learn how! Want to apply to be a Volunteer Field Editor?  Check out the requirements and apply here ! Black & White Spider Cookies Print With Image Without Image ingredients: 1 package yellow cake mix (regular size) 2 large eggs 1/2 cup water ICING: 2/3 cup water 1/3 cup light corn syrup 8 cups confectioner

It's always an awesome day when my Taste of Home Special Delivery box arrives! The Fall box has been one of my favorites so far, celebrating the 25th anniversary of Taste of Home.  I've been a fan since the 90s, and I was honored to be chosen as a Community Cook in 2015. I won't spoil all the contents of the box, but it includes Spicy Chocolate Cinnamon Cane Sugar. This is a collaboration between Gustus Vitae and Taste of Home, and it is amazing! I got a chance to try it before it's release, and have used in some fun ways, the first being these Sweet & Spicy Churros. I made the traditional choux pastry, and then piped it through a bag with a star tip into the hot oil.  You definitely want to use a thermometer to keep the temperature steady, if the oil isn't hot enough they'll be greasy, and if it's too hot the outsides will burn the insides will stay raw. The key to it going smoothly is to have it set up assembly line style.  A paper towel lined

I received product from Forte Chocolates to help in creation of my #Choctoberfest recipe, but all opinions are my own. When my selection of chocolate arrived from Forte Chocolates, I immediately knew I wanted to pair the dark chocolate bar with strawberry somehow. I have a serious cake mix addiction, I always have several boxes on hand, and they're great for making baked donuts. I mixed the cake according to the package directions, and then poured it into a pastry bag.  I filled 2 mini donut pans and 2 full size donut pans.  The minis baked in 8 to 10 minutes, the full size around 13 to 15.  My pans are nonstick, but I spray them anyway. There's really nothing better than the smell of melting chocolate!  Dark chocolate is my absolute favorite.  I use a tiny bit of oil and melt it in the microwave. I hope you've enjoyed #Choctoberfest as much as I have! Dark Chocolate Covered Strawberry Donuts Print With Image Without Image ingredients: 1

I hope you are enjoying #Choctoberfest so far, I know I am! Forte Chocolates sent me a selection of bars to use in creating my recipes for this event, and one of the varieties included was Balsamic Vinegar in White Chocolate.    I started thinking about all the things that I would pair with balsamic, and figs seemed like the perfect way to go. Unfortunately, I couldn't find fresh figs, but I did find some beautiful fig jam at the farmer's market. I went with a chocolate base for the cookie, but you could also use a classic thumbprint dough.   I simply substituted 1/4c cocoa powder for the flour in my family favorite recipe.   If you don't care for fig, these would be amazing with strawberry preserves too.    I melted the white chocolate with a little bit of vegetable oil in a glass bowl in the microwave.  Make sure to do it in short increments, and stir.  I may have gone a little overboard with my drizzling, but it's so good!  Thank you so much to Forte

My guys are pretty die-hard boxed brownie mix fans, but every once in a while, I see a recipe that I know they will love.  I found these fun Mummy Brownies in a Taste of Home Halloween round up, and I knew they'd be a big hit here. They're both allergic to tree nuts, so I left those out.  I used a 13x9 pan and they baked in just over 35 minutes.  I don't have a particular knack for piping, but that's the great thing about mummies, they're not meant to be neat and tidy. I used some great candy eyeballs I found in the cake decorating section, but you can use mini M&Ms too. The trick was almost on me, these treats were disappearing so fast I had to hide them so I could get a few pictures!  Be sure to go and check out what Halloween ideas the other #FestiveFoodies are sharing today using the links down below.  Thank you so much to Ellen from Family Around the Table for hosting! Other Halloween Treats you may like: Taco Pumpkins Creamy Caramels  Ultimate O