{twd} chocolate oatmeal almost candy bars

You don't really need to know any more than that, do you? I mean, the title pretty much says it all. Chocolate. Oatmeal. Candy bars. Part cinnamon flecked oatmeal cookie, part chewy chocolaty candy and one hundred percent delicious, this week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe was a huge hit. As in, these are going straight to the office tomorrow before I eat them all huge.

On the advice of some other members who found these a little too sweet, I reduced the sugar a bit and omitted the raisins. If I make them again, I will use less cinnamon, and try a variation using butterscotch chips, coconut or maybe even peanut butter. This week's selection comes from Lillian of Confectiona's Realm and you can find the recipe on her blog.

{twd} cocoa buttermilk birthday cake

I'm late to the party. But look--I brought cake!

That sort of makes up for it, right? Last week was the second anniversary of Tuesdays with Dorie, and to celebrate, its members made this Cocoa Buttermilk Birthday Cake. I made it too, I just waited a few extra days so that in addition to celebrating with Dorie, I could also celebrate with a friend who had a birthday of her own a few days later.

But here's the bottom line: birthday or no birthday, make this cake soon. It's dense, chocolatey, and the malt powder laced icing is a cause for celebration in and of itself. I may or may not be eating the leftovers by the spoonful (spoiler alert: I definitely am).

This week's choice comes from Laurie of Slush, and you can find the recipe here.