Brownie. Photo by Katelyn Avery.

The baked chocolate smell is hard to resist. As your brownies cook you can barely find the patience to wait for your treat. Hurry fast when their done because once a plate is out everyone in site will want one. You may even eat one that’s fresh out of the oven, while it’s still on the baking sheet.

The look can change everything though. A brownie can’t just be scooped up and served to a house guest. That’s not to say I haven’t destroyed a perfect brownie rectangle when it’s just my family and I. One of my many skills is mutilating brownies, but when a guest is over there has to be an art to how you serve the treat.

Fancy pans that cut the brownies for you work great and I am a fan, but sometimes I’m not into the whole cleanup part. That’s when a regular, one large brownie piece, pan is necessary. The knife and spatula become my chisel as I prepare to create a masterpiece. The piece has to be large enough to scoop up, but not so large that the recipient feels overwhelmed. That first piece will look beautiful but the sizing issue causes problems. I will end up eating a chopped up brownie because the spatula was 2 inches too wide.

                                                            Confetti cake. Vanilla frosting and sprinkles. Photo by Katelyn Avery.

For those that are seeking more than brownies one treat never fails. If there’s no birthday in site people will look for any other excuse to have cake.

The frosting looks best in a windswept position, at least to me. I also get particular about how the sprinkles should come down like snow. and not be mixed in the frosting before it is applied. I also like chocolate cakes to have chocolate frosting. Vanilla cakes work best with vanilla or pink frosting. That may be from a childhood of nothing else though.

Whatever your vice ends up being sweet treats can’t be beat. Even if you’re the kind of person who has cake without frosting your still on the right path. No rules should apply to sugar. Enjoy those tasty snacks and be thankful if someone else made them.

-Katelyn Avery

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