Boxing, Baking and Relaxing – Another Weekend in CLE

November 16, 2015November 15, 2015 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 2 Comments

Well, we finally had a weekend back in CLE. And it was great. Don’t get me wrong – I love traveling and loved spending time in Dallas and New Orleans, but but it was great to have some time to hang out and enjoy the gorgeous fall Cleveland weather, be somewhat productive and also chill with friends.

Friday night, B and I attended the Cleveland Boxing Invitational. B’s on the Associate Board of the Cleveland Sports Commission and this is one of their big fundraisers of the year. I’m not a huge boxing fan, but it’s a cool event and really fun to see Tower City all decked out with a boxing ring, tables, etc.

B and I at the event

Check it out – it’s usually a mall but they decked it out with a boxing ring

Saturday, Nicole and I had a lady date planned. We didn’t get nearly as much done as we had wanted to, but we did end up meeting for a run. I got in 6 slow miles – it was chilly out!

Running selfie

And then we spent the afternoon baking some pumpkin cookies and bars. Yup, still not over pumpkin baking!

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Then it was time for Ladies Craft Beer Society. This month was pumpkin beers and we made mugs and tea. Pretty much the perfect fall craft!

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Sunday morning I had plans to relax, but with the weather being 63 degrees, I knew I had to get out and at least go for a run / walk. It was too nice not to go out!

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I also got to wear my new running skirt, which I hadn’t gotten to do since it got cool.

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I didn’t do much during the day. I managed to do some meal prep, make some fudge and watch some girly stuff on TV.

a few days of lunches

fudge!

I watched some episodes of a pretty awesome show – Catastrophe. Have you seen it? I blew threw 5 episodes (they’re only 20ish min) in 2 days.

And that was about it! A pretty good weekend if you ask me.

Some questions for you:

I need some good chick flicks/TV shows to watch on Netflix/Amazon. Any recommendations? my bff Jane recommended Catastrophe and it was great. What else?
Are you still eating pumpkin flavored things? Or are you over pumpkin yet?
Do you like boxing?

Linking up with Her Heartland Soul for this weekend update post.

The BEST Soft Sugar Cookies With Buttercream Frosting

October 27, 2015October 20, 2015 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 6 Comments

I have a sweet tooth. That should come as no surprise to you. I prefer sweet to salty typically (though I do love sweet AND salty a la peanut M&Ms and chocolate covered pretzels) and believe that there is ALWAYS room for dessert. So I typically like almost all dessert recipes. But – let me tell you – this cookie recipe is AMAZING. If you like soft sugar cookies with frosting, this recipe is for you.

icrashedtheweb-sugar cookies with buttercream frosting

Seriously. I typically have a hard time eating my baked goods after I bake them. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll have a cookie a little bit later, but these … these, I ate 3 of these in one day – that’s how good they were. Even B, a non-sugar cookie lover, who was hesitant to try them out, really liked these cookies.

I made mine with Halloween-theme and cut them out with pumpkin and other cookie cutters – you can just roll them with your hand into a ball and flatten them out so that they’re even easier to make. Make these cookies now. They are soft and the frosting is so good. You won’t regret it.

sugar cookies with buttercream frosting

The BEST Soft Sugar Cookies With Buttercream Frosting

Here’s what you need:

For the cookie dough

1 cup butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons water
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
5 1/4 c flour

For the amazing buttercream frosting (from this recipe)

1/3 cup butter, at room temperature
2 ½ cups powdered sugar
½ tsp vanilla
¼ tsp almond extract
2 ½ to 3 Tablespoons half-and-half

Here’s what you do:

For the cookies

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and set aside.
In a large bowl of a standing mixer, cream together butter, oil, sugars, water, eggs and vanilla.
Add in flour mixture about 1 cup at a time, mixing as you add it to the wet mixture. Mix until everything is combined.
If you’re making regular (not cookie-cutter) cookies, use your hands to roll about healthy size (a.k.a not exact) round Tablespoon of dough and place it on a cookie sheet. Flatten dough to about ¼ inch tall. If you’re using cookie cutters, you can roll out the dough at this step. Dough should be about ¼ inch tall when you use the cookie cutter. Then place dough on cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes. The cookies should be just browning when you take them out. Let cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before moving to a cooling rack. Once they are cooled, store them in the fridge and cool completely before frosting

For the vanilla buttercream frosting

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and whip until frosting is smooth and fluffy.
Frost and decorate cooled cookies. If decorating with sprinkles, add immediately after frosting each cookie so that they stick. I added orange food coloring to make the pumpkins. After frosting was dry I also decorated with black gel icing to make jack-0-lanterns.

sugar cookies with buttercream frosting

Cherry Almond Scones

August 27, 2015August 27, 2015 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 4 Comments

B loves scones. You may know that – I’ve made them before (blueberry buttermilk and pumpkin are my faves), but I’m always looking for new recipes to try out.

A few months ago, B and I were in Cincinnati and we stayed with our friends Teddy and Suzanne. In the morning after we woke up, we were greeted with french press coffee AND freshly baked cherry almond scones. The scones were SO good, that B had to have the recipe. Teddy had baked them himself, so of course he had to share the recipe. And now – I’m sharing them with you!

cherry almond scones-icrashedtheweb

Cherry Almond Scones (a.k.a. Teddy’s scones :))

Here’s what you need:

1/2 cup dried cherries
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar, plus 1 Tablespoon for the topping
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup sliced almonds
2 eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 teaspoon almond extract
1-2 tsp lemon rind (optional)

Here’s what you do:

Preheat the oven to 425ºF.
In a bowl, combine dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
Cut butter into small chunks. Add pieces to dry mixture. Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, incorporate butter pieces until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add in the cherries and almonds.
In a separate bowl, combine eggs, coconut milk and almond extract.
Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients to the well. Carefully combine, just until moistened.
Place dough onto a work surface, and pat and shape dough into a 1/2 to 1-inch-thick round. Cut into 8 wedges. Transfer to baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Brush with a Tablespoon of sugar and lemon rind (optional) on top.
Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes.

cherry almond scones-icrashedtheweb

Some questions for you:

Do you like sweet or savory scones?
What’s the best scone you’ve ever had? I need new ideas 🙂

PS- I just realized I went ALL july without posting a recipe!? How the heck did that happen?

Triple The Ginger Ginger Cookies

June 12, 2015June 7, 2015 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 4 Comments

I know, I just shared with you a ginger cookie recipe – and it also had triple in it. Triple the chips. This one is a little different – it’s triple the ginger! Yum. As you know, I’m a gingerholic so this recipe is definitely for me – and if you’re a gingerholic as well, you will love it!

Triple Ginger Cookies-i crashed the web

Triple Ginger Cookies

Here’s what you need:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup crystallized ginger, finely chopped (I put mine in the food processor)
2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup, packed, brown sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1/4 cup molasses
1 1/2 teaspoons grated fresh peeled ginger
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 cup granulated sugar, set aside in a small bowl

Here’s what you do:

Preheat to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Combine flour, finely chopped crystallized ginger and baking soda in a medium bowl and set aside.
Using electric mixer (I love my Kitchenaid!), beat butter until creamy. Gradually add in brown sugar, egg, molasses, fresh ginger, ground ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. Beat until fully combined.
Slowly add in flour mixture, beating on low as you combine.
Roll the dough into about Tablespoon sized balls and roll in granulated sugar to coat. Place coated dough balls on baking sheet and cook for about 15 minutes.
Cool and then enjoy.

I LOVE these cookies. B loved these cookies. My mom loved these cookies. I am definitely going to be making these again. They’re much more gingery than the last ginger cookie recipe I made and I think I may add in some chocolate next time too. YUM!

Questions for you:

Do you like ginger and/or spice cookies?
What’s your favorite cookie?

Triple Chocolate Chip Ginger Cookies

June 4, 2015May 31, 2015 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 1 Comment

I think I’m a gingeraholic. Here are a few signs I’ve noticed:

Nearly every night I drink a cup of ginger tea with honey.
I love ginger candy. Especially this kind 🙂 (HINT I love surprise gifts …)
When we get sushi, I tend to ask for extra ginger. (unless B is there, then I just eat his)
Dried ginger? Candied ginger? Crystallized ginger? I have to have it.

So when I got home last week from a shopping trip and found myself with two small ginger-roots PLUS a tube of minced ginger, I wasn’t surprised. But – what to do with all that ginger? I made some stir fry dishes, curries, etc. but I wanted to bake something. Surprised? I’m not. But when I searched for ginger recipes (including the ginger chocolate biscotti recipe B loves) I was surprised and disappointed that I couldn’t find ONE that called for fresh ginger. They either called for powdered ginger, or candied ginger (which I know I could make … but I wanted to bake right away!). SO I decided to sorta create my own recipe, using fresh ginger. I was able to combine a few other recipes and ideas (a lot of the ginger cupcakes/cookies/etc. recipes called for molasses with their candied ginger) to come up with these. And I think these came out FABULOUS. Even B, not a ginger fan, enjoyed them! trip chip ginger cookies - i crashed the web Triple Chocolate Chip Ginger Cookies Here’s what you need:

3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter (likely one stick), room temperature
1/4 cup dark molasses
2 eggs
2 1/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, finely diced
1/2 cup semi-sweetened chocolate chips
1/2 cup semi-sweetened chocolate chunks
1 cup white chocolate chips (feel free to use more regular chocolate or even dark chocolate if you’re not a white chocolate fan. I LOVE white chocolate and loved the chips with the ginger!)

Here what you do:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Cream together the sugar, butter and molasses. Add in eggs, one at a time, and beat until well mixed.
In separate bowl, combine dry ingredients: flour, ground ginger, baking soda and salt.
Combine creamed mixture with the dry ingredients.
Stir in the diced fresh ginger, chocolate chips, chocolate chunks and white chocolate chips.
Let batter sit for 30 minutes to 1 hour in your fridge. Can’t wait? Sometimes I just let it sit in the freezer so it hardens – I believe this helps prevent the batter from spreading out when cooking
Drop the batter by the teaspoonful onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake for 10 – 12 minutes or until edges start to brown.
Enjoy!

COOKIE DOUGH

Yum – enjoy the Triple Chocolate Chip Ginger Cookies!

Some questions for you:

Do you like ginger?
White chocolate or dark chocolate? white chocolate all the way!
Have you ever had ginger candy? What’s your favorite kind?

Friday Five: May Randomness

May 22, 2015May 21, 2015 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 2 Comments

As we get to the unofficial start of summer, I realize I haven’t been so great about my weekend recap posts this month. Jinkies! (yes, cue the Mystery Machine) So here is a random Friday Five to catch you up to speed. Don’t worry – I hope have more weekend update posts AND some new baked goods recipes coming soon (butterscotch chocolate chip cookies and ginger cookies!).

Friday 5: 5 Random Things

1. I signed up for the new Rock Hall Half Marathon! Blame it on the runner’s high – last weekend was the Cleveland Marathon (recap here). I was lucky enough to be an Ambassador and hang out with these lovely people AND run with B. (Yes, I did write about this but I just had to share it again because I’m still feeling the high from the event!)

Some of my fellow ambassadors the night before the race – we clean up good!

Me and Nicole. We’re running buddies.

2. Earlier this month was the St. Martin De Porres Birthday Bash. I went with B and his family and we got all dressed up and celebrated/raised money for St. Martin De Porres High School at the Cleveland Art Museum. Such a great venue – and a great cause!

B and me at the bash

Some of us ladies at the event

3. I’ve been baking up a storm this month. Some things have included ginger chocolate biscotti, butterscotch cookies, butterscotch chocolate chip cookies, triple ginger cookies. Yum! Recipes coming soon (hopefully).

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4. B and I finally got around to making one of the recipes we learned in Vietnam this year – spring rolls! Our contribution to Mother’s Day (theme: small plates) were these shrimp and pork spring rolls with peanut sauce. So delicious!

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5. A client of mine, Donate Life Ohio, recently kicked off a #DonateKindness campaign. They are encouraging people to take 2 minutes of their day to commit to an act of kindness toward someone else. (And of course, it only takes 2 minutes to do the ultimate act of kindness – register as an organ, eye or tissue donor) I participated already and can’t wait to do it again – I shipped some baked goods (see aforementioned treats) to some friends and family as a surprise!

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Some questions for you:

Have you done any random acts of kindness lately? What have you done?
What is a good Memorial Day appetizer or dessert to bring to a party? I need ideas!

Weekends Are Made For Livin

April 27, 2015April 27, 2015 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 2 Comments

I love weekends. I know- you do too. Weekends are great – no (or at least only a little) working, no waking up early (okay, maybe sometimes), just time with friends, family, and you can do whatever you want!

What do I like to do on weekends? Eat … drink/go out … eat good food …. work out … cook … see family and friends … repeat!

And this weekend was pretty much ALL OF THAT. So there. I won this weekend. And now onto a busy week and the beginning of May!

Friday night was super low key. We ordered some Flaming Ice Cube (RIP kalebouli :() and relaxed. We had to get up early on Saturday for our 10 mile race, so I was hoping to get to bed somewhat early.

Saturday morning started early – at least for a Saturday for me. We had the alarm set at 6 a.m. to get ready for and be at the race on time (side note – last year we got there late … which didn’t matter because it’s chip timed, but still not something we wanted to do every year). Started the day with my usual 1/4 bagel and PB2 and honey and off we went to the race!

It was a cold morning for this time of year – it was 40, cloudy and breezy and I had on a thick long sleeved shirt and vest and pants and gloves and was fine the whole time!

Feeling good post-race

The race wasn’t easy. B pushed me – I’m still sore today! – and made me run harder than I likely would’ve liked, but it worked out! I ended up with a PR from last year too – 1:28:39.16 was my final time!

It was nice to be done with our run and ready for the day by 10:30 a.m. We decided to do our usual Saturday morning activities – hit up the West Side Market and get some tea and coffee in Hingetown.

Tea for me and coffee for B!

In the afternoon, we hit up the driving range for the first time of the year. I don’t golf and I clearly wasn’t dressed properly, but it was fun to get in a few swings in the beautiful weather.

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Then – Gallucci’s! My favorite Italian grocer has limited hours and B and I made sure to get there early enough to pick up supplies for dinner. We had decided on homemade pizza – best decision ever.

This is Gallucci’s. Yes, we also bought wine.

It was so nice out that we decided to go out and grab a few drinks before making dinner. Our typical go-to spot – Parnell’s.

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And then dinner! B made the best pepperoni pizza ever and we even experimented with limoncello drinks. I made limoncello a few months ago and wanted to try it with prosecco and a little cranberry juice – so good!

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Sunday my legs were sore so I decided to listen to my body and NOT work out. I did make B go for a walk with me – because, why not? It was a gorgeous day.

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We decided to walk to brunch. And surprise – I ended up getting lunch food. I enjoyed a black bean chorizo chili. I love chorizo and beans – it was perfect! B’s biscuits looked pretty good too – but for some reason I really don’t like biscuits and gravy. But his hash brown was amazing!

B’s food … that hash brown was great!

My chili

After a leisurely walk back we ran a few errands and then it was time for the Cavs game. Spoiler – they beat the Celtics and are on to the next round of playoffs! Woohoo!

Sunday afternoon ended with some baking – butterscotch brown sugar cookies from one of my favorite bloggers, Two Peas and their Pod. They came out so good – soft, chewy and sweet.

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And then Sunday dinner at B’s parents house. Another perfect ending to my weekend!

Only one question for you:

What was the best thing you ate this weekend? Besides those cookies and the pizza, probably the strawberry rhubarb crumble B’s mom made. Such a great Sunday dessert!

Layered peanut butter chocolate brownie bars

April 23, 2015April 15, 2015 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 4 Comments

I know, I know – I’ve been on a peanut butter chocolate kick lately. It started with the Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars, then with the cookies, and now these. But THESE I assure you are worth it. If you’re a fan of fudgey brownies and creamy peanut butter – all combined – then you MUST MUST MUST make these. I made them a few times, experimenting with a few different things, but I think this is the perfect combination. They are addicting, rich and sinful – so make sure you have some friends to share these with!

Layered peanut butter chocolate brownie bars

Layered peanut butter chocolate brownie bars

Inspired by this recipe.

Here’s what you need:

for the peanut butter layer

1 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
10ish mini Reese’s peanut butter cups

for the brownie layer

3 ounces semi-sweet baking chocolate
3/4 cup butter
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1 cup chopped Reese’s peanut butter cup (or other peanut butter candy – feel free to use festive peanut butter M&Ms – I used spring ones in one version of this)

Here’s what you do:

Preheat your oven to 350F. Prepare a 9×13 baking dish – I lined with foil and sprayed with my Pam non-stick cooking spray.
First, make the peanut butter layer: Mix together the peanut butter, sugars and egg until smooth. Press into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Make sure to press well – do not leave it loose or it could crumble after baking. Lightly press Reese’s cups (not chopped) on top of layer, evenly throughout.
Then, make the brownie layer: Melt the baking chocolate and butter together in a saucepan (or microwave-safe bowl – if you microwave, nuke for about 45 seconds, checking and stirring often until completely melted and smooth). Once melted, gradually add in sugar, then vanilla, then eggs. Then, carefully mix in the flour. Once combined, pour the batter into the pan over the peanut butter and Reese’s layer spread layer evenly to the edge of the pan. Sprinkle chopped Reese’s on top.
Bake about 35-38 minutes until the top is slightly cracked around. Cool completely before cutting.

Layered peanut butter chocolate brownie bars

WIAW: Cookies and Zoodles – it’s all about balance!

April 22, 2015April 22, 2015 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 21 Comments

Happy What I Ate Wednesday! Here is a typical day … why is it typical? Because I had zoodles for lunch and cookies for a midnight snack. It’s all about a balance right?

The morning I started my day with my usual. I’m so predictable. Egg whites and veggies all the way! If you like something, why mess with it, right? OH and we had a new bag of pistachios at the office so I had a few of those with my eggs.

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Lunch was leftovers! I had made some zoodles in an avocado pesto sauce for dinner the night before, so I enjoyed that with plenty of snap peas. AND kombucha! My first time trying this flavor. It was okay, made the kombucha even earthier than usual.

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Snacks during the day included:

Carrots and unsalted mixed nuts

carrots

Some homemade granola (I get on granola-making binges sometimes and can’t stop. Which is good because I love eating it and sharing it!

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I had to work somewhat late so B made dinner! And what a dinner it was. Steak (cooked just the way I like it – medium rare), avocado, asparagus and broccoli. I am back to eating meat and this was the first steak I’d had in at least 3 months.

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After dinner, I got down to baking business. Which is what I like to do — except for some reason these cookies took me 2 hours to make. Whoops! It meant a late night – and late night of cookie tasting as well. I finished off my evening with a few of these peanut butter oatmeal cookie bars:

I didn’t eat the whole plate …

So so good!

Today’s linkup is with another Cleveland-dweller, Clean Eats, Fast Feets!

Some questions for you:

Do you eat the same thing for breakfast every day? What is it?
Do you like kombucha? Any flavor or brand recommendations?
How do you like your steak? Medium? Rare? Overcooked? Not at all?

Peanut butter chocolate chip Reese’s cookies

April 9, 2015April 2, 2015 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 4 Comments

One of my favorite dessert cookbooks is my Magnolia cookbook. There are so many good cookies, cakes, cupcakes, bars, and more – I need to seriously go through and start making more of the recipes! (hmm, a 2015 goal?)

Anyway, I was looking for a peanut butter chocolate recipe and came upon the recipe for peanut butter cookies with chocolate chips. I slightly modified it based on the ingredients I had (basically adding Reese’s and peanuts) and boom – this recipe was born. Seeking something chocolate and peanut buttery? Try it for yourself!

Peanut butter chocolate chip Reese's cookies

Peanut butter chocolate chip Reese’s cookies

Here’s what you need:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup peanut butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg, at room temperature
1 Tablespoon milk
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanuts
1/2 cup Reese’s peanut butter cups, chopped and chilled

Here’s what you do:

Preheat oven to 350. In a bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a separate bowl or Kitchenaid mixer, beat butter and the peanut butter together until mixed well and smooth.
Add sugars and beat until creamy.
Add the egg and beat until light and fluffy.
Add milk and vanilla extract.
Add the flour mixture, about 1/2 cup at a time, and mix well.
Stir in the peanut butter chips, chocolate chips and about half of Reese’s cups.
Roll dough and drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Using a fork or spatula, lightly push down on the cookies. Lightly press chopped Reese’s on top of cookies before baking.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until done! Cool the cookies on the sheets for 1-2 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool.

Enjoy! Serve with milk 🙂

Some questions for you:

Do you have a favorite cookbook? What is it?
What is a good peanut butter recipe you enjoy? These Magnolia peanut butter cookies.
Have you ever been to Magnolia in NY? What’s your go-to order? Banana pudding! A rec. from my brother and so so good.

Peanut butter chocolate chip Reese's cookies-icrashedtheweb