Nothing says I love you like chocolate. Not diamonds. Not gadgets. Not new cars. It’s chocolate. And only choclate.

That’s not to say I would turn down a new diamond, the latest gadget or a brand new car. Don’t get me wrong. But I won’t really know that your heart is in it unless there’s chocolate.

{Note to Hubs: always include chocolate with gifts. As if you didn’t know that anyway.}

You know what else goes well with Valentine’s Day? Champagne. A little bubbly, if you will. It also goes perfectly with chocolate. Which brings me to my latest creation. I’ve been teasing you with this since early January, and you have all waited patiently. Are you ready?

Now, these dark chocolate cupcakes are good. And that’s coming from someone who doesn’t normally like chocolate cake or chocolate cupcakes. Yes, I’m weird, I love chocolate but I’m not a fan of chocolate cake.

They aren’t like your traditional chocolate cake. The champagne doesn’t lend much flavor to the cake itself, but it does create a light and airy cupcake. Thank you tiny, little bubbles.

Where these cupcakes really and truly shine is in the frosting, as all good cupcakes do. The champagne lends this delicate, sweet flavor that kind of explodes in your mouth. It’s not your typical frosting, as it has a slight texture to it from the champagne. But, it’s definitely the perfect compliment to the rich flavor of these moist chocolate cupcakes.

So go ahead, show someone how much you love them with a little chocolate and a little champagne. Who knows, you just may get a little somethin’ something’ in return. Happy {almost} Valentine’s Day.

Recipe source inspiration. 

Sweet Tooth Friday

A few suggestions when joining in:

1. Link directly to your recipe {sweet-recipes only please}, not to the main page of your blog.
2. Please only link up recipes, not posts about recipes. 
3. Link back or include the Sweet Tooth Friday button {code is in the side bar}.
4. Visit 2 other blogs and leave comments. You just may make someone’s day.
5. Subscribe to my blog, follow me on Twitter and like me on Facebook.
6. Stop by again on Tuesday. Each week I pick my five favorite recipes. If you are featured I have a nifty button you can add to your blog.

Code for the button is in the side bar.

This post is proudly linked up to Mondays: Mouthwatering Mondays, Made By You Monday, Mingle Monday, The Girl Creative Tuesdays: Tuesdays and the Table, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, It's a Blog Party, Tip Junkie, Get Your Craft On Wednesdays: Show and Tell, Works for Me Wednesday, This Chick Cooks Thursdays: It's a Keeper Thursdays, Strut Your Stuff, Full Plate Thursdays, Chic & Crafty Party, Transformation Thursday Fridays: I'm Loving It, Foodie Friday, Simply Designing, Show and Tell Friday Saturdays: Sweets for a Saturday, Positively Splendid, Saturday Nite Special Sundays: Nifty Thrifty Sunday, Sundae Scoop Party

Dark Chocolate Champagne Mini Cupcakes with Pink Champagne Frosting is a post from: Alli 'n Son

I’m loving all of these Valentine’s Day sweet showing up on Sweet Tooth Friday. So much love. So much chocolate. So much to send my sweet tooth into overdrive.

Instead of making and sharing all of these lovely treats, I’m just going to share the links to the wonderful bloggers who created them. Enjoy. Drool. And share.

White Chocolate Chip Red Velvet Cookies by Simply Sweet Home

Black and Pink Heart Cookies by Something Swanky

Chocolate Heart Cookies by Cooking for my Kids

Homemade Marshmallow Conversation Hearts by a farmgirl’s dabbles

Conversation Heart Cupcake Toppers by Bird on a Cake

Valentine’s Day Trash by Cooking with K

P.S. All of these recipes and more have been Stumbled. I hope it brings some extra love to these great blogs.

P.P.S All images are property of the respective blog. I just swiped them to showcase their awesomeness.

Were you featured in this week’s post or a past post? Go ahead, grab the button {code is in the side bar).

Sweet Tooth Friday Valentine’s Day Edition Two is a post from: Alli 'n Son

I love rice krispie bars. They are the things childhood memories are made of.

I love melting the marshmallows. Watching them puff up in the microwave, hoping that they won’t explode and leave behind an icky, sticky mess.(They never do.)

I love stirring the hot marshmallows, seeing how quickly they deflate.

I love mixing in the rice krispies, which is a labor of love really, because it takes some arm strength to get everything incorporated just right. You have to do it quickly, before the marshmallows become too sticky, but if you don’t do it well enough, you are left with spots of gooey marshmallows. Blah.

I love pressing them into the pan, snacking at the pieces that stick to the spoon, just to be sure that it tastes okay. You should always taste-test as you cook, you know?

I love doing all of this with the kiddo, it’s one of his favorite treats to make.

But, you know what I love almost more than any of that? Taking a classic recipe and taking it up a notch. Which is exactly what this recipe does.

Classic rice krispie treats with a touch of strawberry cake batter.

To. Die. For. I kid you not.

This classic childhood favorite just got reinvented. In the best possible way.

P.S. These make a fantastic Valentine’s Day treat to make and share with your kids. Can’t you just see the memories you would create? Can’t you just taste these cake batter rice krispie bars? Don’t you need to have one right now?

This post is proudly linked up to Mondays: Mouthwatering Mondays, Made By You Monday, Mingle Monday, The Girl Creative Tuesdays: Tuesdays and the Table, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, It's a Blog Party, Tip Junkie, Get Your Craft On Wednesdays: Show and Tell, Works for Me Wednesday, This Chick Cooks Thursdays: It's a Keeper Thursdays, Strut Your Stuff, Full Plate Thursdays, Chic & Crafty Party, Transformation Thursday Fridays: I'm Loving It, Foodie Friday, Simply Designing, Show and Tell Friday Saturdays: Sweets for a Saturday, Positively Splendid, Saturday Nite Special Sundays: Nifty Thrifty Sunday, Sundae Scoop Party

Strawberry Cake Batter Rice Krispie Treats is a post from: Alli 'n Son

Hi, I’m Becca from Crumbs and Chaos, a blog I write with my 3 sisters.  We have 11 children between us, hence the name Crumbs and Chaos…we deal with our fair share on a daily basis.  We love sharing our favorite recipes, tips on controlling the chaos and seeing awesome things from our readers every Saturday at our Seasonal Inspiration link party.  I am thrilled to be here today at Sweet Tooth Friday sharing this sweet treat with you.

When Allison said today was National Chocolate Cake Day {it’s me, butting in, because I was totally wrong, I just realized that National Chocolate Cake Day is in February, not January…oops}…I’ll admit that I was really excited.  For two reasons: I really enjoy chocolate cake and I don’t make it that often (my crazy husband prefers pie!) He will, on occasion, request that I make German Chocolate Cake, so I guess that kind of makes up for it.  I was ready to make chocolate cake and the timing was perfect, I actually had two occasions to make this cake in the past couple of weeks.  Let me assure you, it was extremely well received.

After making this cake twice, I’m pretty convinced that this will be my go-to chocolate cake recipe.  It has a great flavor and is super moist.  I love the addition of coffee in the batter, it doesn’t stand out after it’s baked but does add a really nice depth to the overall flavor of the cake.

I decided that I wanted raspberry to be the special addition to this cake.  Using a seedless jam or fruit spread is the way to go, it took very little effort on my part and yet tasted amazing.  The whipped frosting is not overly sweet and the perfect complement to chocolate and raspberry.  If you love the whipped frosting on a cake from a grocery store bakery, you have to try this recipe.  It’s light and fluffy just like that, only it tastes 100 times better!

Thanks for having me today, Allison! I’m up for making chocolate cake anytime!

Sweet Tooth Friday

A few suggestions when joining in:

1. Link directly to your recipe {sweet-recipes only please}, not to the main page of your blog.
2. Please only link up recipes, not posts about recipes. 
3. Link back or include the Sweet Tooth Friday button {code is in the side bar}.
4. Visit 2 other blogs and leave comments. You just may make someone’s day.
5. Subscribe to my blog, follow me on Twitter and like me on Facebook.
6. Stop by again on Tuesday. Each week I pick my five favorite recipes. If you are featured I have a nifty button you can add to your blog.

Code for the button is in the side bar.

This post is proudly linked up to Mondays: Mouthwatering Mondays, Made By You Monday, Mingle Monday, The Girl Creative Tuesdays: Tuesdays and the Table, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, It's a Blog Party, Tip Junkie, Get Your Craft On Wednesdays: Show and Tell, Works for Me Wednesday, This Chick Cooks Thursdays: It's a Keeper Thursdays, Strut Your Stuff, Full Plate Thursdays, Chic & Crafty Party, Transformation Thursday Fridays: I'm Loving It, Foodie Friday, Simply Designing, Show and Tell Friday Saturdays: Sweets for a Saturday, Positively Splendid, Saturday Nite Special Sundays: Nifty Thrifty Sunday, Sundae Scoop Party

Amazing Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Filling and Whipped Buttercream Frosting is a post from: Alli 'n Son

A hundred million years ago my cookbook collection consisted of this tiny binder that my mom and I started when I was in high school. It held about 25 recipes total. A few main dishes. Some soups. A LOT of desserts and cookies. It was a mishmash of recipes, most of which I never even made.

I lived on grilled cheese. Pasta with store-bought sauce. Veggie burgers. Frozen pizza. Giant pancakes. That was about it.

I had no desire to cook. Bake, yes. I almost always have a fresh batch of cookies at my finger tip. But cook? No. There wasn’t a need.

At first it was just me, fresh out of college. I spent my evenings after work at the gym, then came home, stuffed myself full of pasta and went to bed.

Then it was me and Hubs. Still, very little need to cook. He more or less conformed to my eating habits, and added in the occasional lasagna. We weren’t fancy. We didn’t put much value on food. We didn’t have money to buy fancy ingredients.

Over the last few years, since becoming a stay-at-home mom, my need for a creative outlet has morphed from graphic design to cooking and baking. I’m constantly flipping through cook books, dreaming of new recipes. Wondering if I added this or changed that, if it would improve the recipe, or totally ruin it {which has totally happened a time or two}. Cooking, especially baking, takes over many of my waking thoughts. Almost to the point of obsession. And when I’m not obsessing about cooking, I’m obsessing about chocolate.

My cookbook collection has gone from one only, virtually empty binder to an overflowing shelf. I have so many cookbooks that I have to stack them on top of each other, each on competing for the place of utmost importance: on top, within easy reach.

My favorites are splattered and stained. Torn. Written in. The covers are missing. They have been used. Abused. And loved. I have yet to completely destroy a cookbook, but many of them are worse for the wear.

By now you may be wondering what my favorites are, and yes, I’m going to tell you. Because Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and you may be looking for a gift idea. Or you may need to suggest a gift idea to someone. Or maybe you just want to add one more book to your collection.

A | Pretty Delicious: Lean and Lovely Recipes for a Healthy, Happy New You. Filled with healthy, unique and totally flavorful meals, I make something out of this just about every week.

B | The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl. Of course. Because she’s amazing. Have I mentioned her cinnamon rolls yet?

C | Joy of Cooking: 75th Anniversary Edition – 2006. A classic, yet it’s new to me. This book has endless recipes. Endless. That’s not an exaggeration at all.

D | Betty Crocker Cookbook (Bridal Edition) (Betty Crocker Books). A wedding gift from my Grandma. I think she may have been trying to tell me something.

E | Hershey’s Recipe Collection in 5-Ring Binder (5 Ring Binder Cookbook). Do I really need to explain this one?

F | 5-Ingredient Slow Cooker Recipes (Better Homes & Gardens Cooking). This is my go-to book for easy slow cooker meals.

G | The Bread Lover’s Bread Machine Cookbook: A Master Baker’s 300 Favorite Recipes for Perfect-Every-Time Bread-From Every Kind of Machine. I lived in this book when I had a bread machine. Now? I make the recipes using my KitchenAid Mixer. A little more work, but just as delicious.

H | 4 in 1 Recipe Book for Kids: Breakfast, Lunch, Snacks, and Dinner. Because my boys will learn how to cook, and enjoy it!

Of course there are millions of blogs and web sites that I browse through every day in search of the best recipe. Thank goodness I have Ziplist and Pinterest to keep me organized.

There is one more cookbook which often finds its way to my  hands. One that you can’t find on any other bookshelf {except for my sisters’, as we each have a copy}. One that isn’t available in stores, online. It’s a binder that my mom put together for me a few years ago. It’s filled with childhood favorites and memories. And that cookbook, is as priceless as they come.

What is your favorite cookbook?

On My Cookbook Shelf is a post from: Alli 'n Son

Pretty much every Sweet Tooth Friday recipe I make right now is centered around one theme: Valentine’s Day. It’s just another excuse to make something chocolatey, you know? And I’ll take any excuse that I can get. Like…

It’s Friday.

It’s -7 degrees outside, I must turn on the oven to help heat the house.

It’s Tuesday.

I need something to go with my cup of coffee.

The little man is 6 months old, let’s celebrate.

It’s Monday.

See, any excuse.

This week I’m showcasing Valentine’s Day recipes. The big day is only a few weeks away, you better start baking now.

Fudgy Brownie Hearts with Fresh Raspberry Buttercream by a farmgirl’s dabbles

Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cupcakes by Design, Dining + Diapers

Valentine Cookies by clairejustineoxox

Red Velvet Cake Batter Dip and Funfetti Cookies by Something Swanky

Chocolate Stuffed Cookies by Cooking for my Kids

P.S. All of these recipes and more have been Stumbled. I hope it brings some extra love to these great blogs.

P.P.S All images are property of the respective blog. I just swiped them to showcase their awesomeness.

Were you featured in this week’s post or a past post? Go ahead, grab the button {code is in the side bar).

Sweet Tooth Favorites Valentine’s Day Edition is a post from: Alli 'n Son

Peanut butter and jelly. That’s what the kiddo requests every day for lunch. I kid you not. Every. Day.

On a good day I can get him to change it up a little with a Banana Boat, one of my childhood favorites. Perhaps an Apple and Peanut Butter Sandwich. If we are feeling really adventurous, a Pumpkin Peanut Butter Sandwich.

Most days though, he just wants a plan old PBJ. I get so tired of making them. I have no idea why the kiddo doesn’t get tired of eating them. Sure, peanut butter is awesome, but come on. Too much of a good thing, right?

So I’m always looking for ways to mix it up a little. For some reason, if it isn’t an ordinary PBJ, I feel a little better about giving it to the kiddo day after day. After day.

After day.

I like to think that by changing it a little, and convincing the kiddo that he should try my slightly different PBJ, that I’m also encouraging him to try new foods. So when it comes time to try, say, a taco or cauliflower, he won’t resist.

Wishful thinking. I know. I still try though.

Since National Peanut Butter Day is just around the corner, January 24th, I thought I’d try something a little new.

Crescent rolls. Peanut butter. Your favorite jelly. A slice of banana. Roll it all up. Bake it. And then watch them disappear.

Seriously, they will disappear. I had to remind Hubs that I still have to photograph these crescent beauties, and that he just better save a few for me. And he did. Grudgingly.

Come to think of it, I think that Hubs ate more of these than the kiddo did. Somethings big kids just don’t out grow, and PBJs are one of them.

Need some other ideas to celebrate National Peanut Butter Day? How about:

• Banana Boat
• Apple and Peanut Butter Sandwich
• Pumpkin Peanut Butter Sandwich
• Peanut Butter and Nutella Waffles
• Super Energy Granola Bars
• Baked Turkey Meatballs with Sweet Peanut Butter Sauce
• Spicy Peanut Noodle Salad
• Banana-Oat Cookies
• Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies
• Peanut Butter Pretzel Cookies
• Frozen Peanut Butter Swirl Pie
• Peanut Butter Caramel Sauce
• Peanut Butter Cups
• Peanut Butter Cup Caramel Bars

This post is proudly linked up to Mondays: Mouthwatering Mondays, Made By You Monday, Mingle Monday, The Girl Creative Tuesdays: Tuesdays and the Table, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, It's a Blog Party, Tip Junkie, Get Your Craft On Wednesdays: Show and Tell, Works for Me Wednesday, This Chick Cooks Thursdays: It's a Keeper Thursdays, Strut Your Stuff, Full Plate Thursdays, Chic & Crafty Party, Transformation Thursday Fridays: I'm Loving It, Foodie Friday, Simply Designing, Show and Tell Friday Saturdays: Sweets for a Saturday, Positively Splendid, Saturday Nite Special Sundays: Nifty Thrifty Sunday, Sundae Scoop Party

Peanut Butter and Jelly Crescent Rolls is a post from: Alli 'n Son

Love is in the air. As is snow. And cold wind. And icy rain.

But mostly, it’s love, because Valentine’s Day is just around the corner.

I can see the boxes of terrible chocolate flying off the shelves, purchase by husbands, boyfriends, significant others who don’t understand that all chocolate is NOT created equal. It’s not.

It’s not.

It’s. Not.

Trust me, I’ve had years of experience taste-testing chocolate. I’m basically an expert.

Anyway, Valentine’s Day is all about chocolate and sweets. And love, yes, of course. But mostly it’s about chocolate. And sweets.

Which is why it’s my favorite holiday. After my birthday. And Christmas. And my boys’ birthdays.

Actually, any day with chocolate and sweets is my favorite holiday. But Valentine’s Day is an actual holiday, so it’s staying on my list of favorites.

Anyway. Again.

I’ve been dying to make these cookies for the longest time. Pudding cookies. Typically chocolate chip cookies, but, well, I don’t do typical. If I see a recipe, I have to change it at least a little. Put my mark on it. Because I’m like that. I can’t leave good enough alone.

And so, these were created.

They sound all fancy, don’t they? Well, I have a secret. They aren’t fancy. They are super easy. Kid-friendly easy. And yet the taste, well, that’s fancy. Really, anything that tastes like cheesecake is fancy though.

What makes these cookies so great? Cheesecake-flavored instant pudding and Raspberry Hugs. Two of my favorite flavors in the entire world. And chocolate. Of course.

I’d like to tell you that I made these cookies for those I love. But it would be a lie. I made them for myself. Because I love raspberry, chocolate and cheesecake. Also, I love Valentine’s Day. Which I think should make these the official Valentine’s Day cookies.

Don’t you think?

Sweet Tooth Friday

A few suggestions when joining in:

1. Link directly to your recipe {sweet-recipes only please}, not to the main page of your blog.
2. Please only link up recipes, not posts about recipes. 
3. Link back or include the Sweet Tooth Friday button {code is in the side bar}.
4. Visit 2 other blogs and leave comments. You just may make someone’s day.
5. Subscribe to my blog, follow me on Twitter and like me on Facebook.
6. Stop by again on Tuesday. Each week I pick my five favorite recipes. If you are featured I have a nifty button you can add to your blog.

Code for the button is in the side bar.

This post is proudly linked up to Mondays: Mouthwatering Mondays, Made By You Monday, Mingle Monday, The Girl Creative Tuesdays: Tuesdays and the Table, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, It's a Blog Party, Tip Junkie, Get Your Craft On Wednesdays: Show and Tell, Works for Me Wednesday, This Chick Cooks Thursdays: It's a Keeper Thursdays, Strut Your Stuff, Full Plate Thursdays, Chic & Crafty Party, Transformation Thursday Fridays: I'm Loving It, Foodie Friday, Simply Designing, Show and Tell Friday Saturdays: Sweets for a Saturday, Positively Splendid, Saturday Nite Special Sundays: Nifty Thrifty Sunday, Sundae Scoop Party

Raspberry Cheesecake Cookie Cups is a post from: Alli 'n Son

You all know that I have an out of control sweet tooth, right? It’s not news to anyone. But, here’s something that you may not know about me. Promise you won’t tell anyone?

I like healthy foods too. I’m not exactly a health nut, but I make healthy substitutions in just about everything that I make. Except for indulgent recipes of course. Those are meant to be sinful.

I’m a huge fan of white whole wheat flour and use it in just about every muffin or bread recipe that I make. I always choose low fat or fat-free dressings, cream cheese, sour cream. I love, LOVE fruit {’cause it’s sweet} and I’m a fan of veggies. We have many meals that don’t include meat, much to Hub’s dispare.

I also love to snack. I graze nonstop throughout the day, to keep my energy level up while I’m attempting to keep two small boys clothed, fed, tear-free and generally happy. Since I’m a grazer, I try to keep the house stocked with healthy snacks. Fruits, veggies, yogurt. But there’s one snack that I love above all others: pretzels.

I think I’ve mentioned a time or one hundred, that I love pretzels. Love, LOVE, LOVE them. I’ve been addicted to them since high school, if not before. You can aways find a bag or two stashed in our cupboard. That’s a guarantee.

Why pretzels you ask? Well, because they are delicious. Obviously. But also because I’d rather eat a handful {or 10} of baked pretzels than fried chips. Or M&Ms. Or cookies. I want something that’s healthy, super easy, crunchy and salty in the middle of the afternoon. And pretzels, well, they are a perfect fit.

Pretzels are pretty much an every day occurrence at our house. I’ll often toss them in with kiddo’s lunch. Add a sliced apple, some peanut butter and yogurt and you have lunch. A super fast, tasty and healthy meal for those days when you just don’t have time to put together anything else.Or I’ll grab some pretzels and string cheese, one of my all time favorite snacks. Mmmmmmmm. Sometimes I even through in a piece of chocolate. Kind of weird, I know, but good. I swear it.

Although I’ll never turn down a bag of Snyders Sourdough Nibblers or Buttermilk Ranch Pieces, you can do more with pretzels than just eat them. You can wake up to pretzel coffee cake in the morning. Show off at a football party with Buffalo Pretzel Bites. Satisfy your sweet tooth with peanut butter pretzel cookies, peppermint chocolate covered cookies, pretzel turtles or Pretzel Crust Key Lime Pie. You can even spend an afternoon crafting with pretzels, snacking on them as you go of course.

One of my favorite snacks to make with pretzels is something a little sweet and a little salty. I love a good chex mix, but I always find myself picking out the pretzels first. So, why not just make a pretzel snack mix? And so, that’s what I did.

Two parts sweet. Two parts salty. One part spicy. Oh yes, I just improved pretzels. If such a thing is even possible.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post that I wrote while participating in the SocialMoms and Snyder’s of Hanover blogging program. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

This post is proudly linked up to Mondays: Mouthwatering Mondays, Made By You Monday, Mingle Monday, The Girl Creative Tuesdays: Tuesdays and the Table, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, It's a Blog Party, Tip Junkie, Get Your Craft On Wednesdays: Show and Tell, Works for Me Wednesday, This Chick Cooks Thursdays: It's a Keeper Thursdays, Strut Your Stuff, Full Plate Thursdays, Chic & Crafty Party, Transformation Thursday Fridays: I'm Loving It, Foodie Friday, Simply Designing, Show and Tell Friday Saturdays: Sweets for a Saturday, Positively Splendid, Saturday Nite Special Sundays: Nifty Thrifty Sunday, Sundae Scoop Party

Sweet and Spicy Pretzels and Healthy Snacking Tips is a post from: Alli 'n Son

Each week it gets harder and harder for me to pick my favorite Sweet Tooth Friday recipes. Partly because there are so many flipping delicious-sounding recipes. Partly because I keep running to the kitchen to see if I have the ingredients to make each and every recipe.

But mostly, because I want to give each blogger a fist bump, in person, because of all the awesomeness.

So, instead, I dig through all of the recipes, try to pick theme, change my mind a hundred million times and then, finally, settle on something.

This week I’m showcasing cake, or cake-inspired recipes that are just too yummy to pass up. It’s not even close to my birthday, and yet I want each and every one of these cakes. There’s never a bad time to have cake, right?

Apple Pie Cake by The Terrace Housewife

Red Velvet Pancakes by Something Swanky

Peanut Butter-Chocolate Twist Cupcakes by Lady Behind the Curtain

Funfetti Cupcakes by Crazy for Crust

Strawberry Champaign Cake by Bacon Time with the Hungry Hungry Hypo

P.S. All of these recipes and more have been Stumbled. I hope it brings some extra love to these great blogs.

P.P.S All images are property of the respective blog. I just swiped them to showcase their awesomeness.

Were you featured in this week’s post or a past post? Go ahead, grab the button {code is in the side bar).

Sweet Tooth Favorites is a post from: Alli 'n Son