The Infamous JAM DOTS from the Natural Gourmet Institute!

Two of my favorite things about my cooking classes are guest speakers and goody bags. Every month, we have a new speaker come to our class to either give a talk or demonstrate some recipes. We've had some really awesome guests thus far, who have covered all sorts of vegan food-related topics from macrobiotics to the effects of vegetarianism on the environment to raw foods to the relations between the food we eat and its bio-chemical effects on our bodies. Equally exciting are the goody bags that we get every month. We usually get a book, some food and some cooking tool. I love presents, so I absolutely adore the goody bags.

Besides giving you readers more of a glimpse into my life in my cooking school, the purpose of me telling you about my two faves is to give you the background as to how these jam dot cookies came about. So here's the connection --- our speaker in March was Fran Costigan, who is an awesome professional "alternative" pastry chef. She uses the word "alternative" to describe the method in which she makes dessert, which is void of dairy, eggs, and refined sugar. This was an especially exciting visit for me as I am a huge baking fanatic, and I have also been following Fran's work on her website. What sold me was when I saw that she actually made a vegan wedding cake for her daughter, and it looks SO GORGEOUS! (check it out on her website) C'mon, a chocolate cake with mocha ganache and white vegan buttercream?? Gosh, I'm jealous of her daughter, not gonna lie.

Anyway, to complement our special guest visit, we all got Fran's new book, "More Great Good Dairy-Free Desserts," in our goody bags. Of course, I read the whole thing in 2 days, and dog-eared the recipes that I like to make, as I always do with my cookbooks.

On a calm Sunday afternoon two weeks ago, I decided to make one of the recipes in Fran's book called Jam Dots. She writes that apparently these little cookies, originally from the Natural Gourmet Institute, are so delicious that it is rumored that many people enroll in a cooking class at the institute after having just a bite. Skeptical, I decided to see whether these finger cookies where really as spectacular as they sound.

Fran's adaptation of these cookies uses pecans, which I didn't have any on hand, so I used cashews instead. The only jam I had was apricot, so that's what I filled these dots with in the center. These cookies were so easy to make and so quick to bake that they were all done before I even had time to clean up. The dots came out wonderfully soft and chewy, even after lying for hours. The dangerous part is that they're so easy to just pop in your mouth that you won't even notice how much you've eaten until it's all gone. They are perfect as a stand-alone snack or accompanied by a cup of tea. I only made a small batch, but I will definitely make this again, especially using actually pecan the next time.

Fresh out of the oven --- cute and delicious!

After a few minutes...

Better Late Than Never --- Pumpkin Muffins

Alright, I admit it. I am a horrible documenter. I have tried numerous ways to get around it, trust me. I have used the strategy of putting the camera on the dinner table, carrying my camera everywhere I go, asking Max to remind me to take pictures, sitting at well-lit tables, etc. etc. You name it, I've tried it, but no matter what I do, I always manage to forget to take pictures of my food, whether it's at a restaurant or at home. I have to boast, however, that I have improved from my absentmindedness. I have went from completely forgetting to taking my camera with me when I go out, to realizing that I've forgotten to take pictures after couple of days of actually having the meal, to remembering my failure to take pictures immediately after my late bite. My other biggest obstacle besides my poor memory is my impatience. I love fresh warm food, and I hate cold leftover food, so whenever my food is ready to be eaten, I eat it with no second thought. Even when I remember to take pictures, I often don't because I simply can't bare the idea of letting the pipping hot food go cold, or even luke warm. So I admit it, I'm a terrible documenter and a total leftover snob.

At the other end of the spectrum is that I also have the tendency to take pictures and not post them on my blog. "Why?," you ask. Well, there's really not a good excuse. I just get backed up with other things and neglect to keep my blog updated with the most recent pictures. I'm also working on that, so please be patient.

With that said, here is one of my many past pictures that I never posted. Some may argue, "Why even tell us that it's old? No one will know if you just post it!" Well, to be honest, I do do that, but please don't hate on me, it's just pure practicality and timing. Besides, I don't do it often. My main reason for confessing this time is that they are clearly a fall or winter dish. They're Pumpkin Muffins, for goodness' sake! I can't fool anyone into believing that I just made these! Believe me when I say that I did feel a bit guilty posting these pictures, but I figured that I shouldn't sacrifice my readers' eye candy because of my bad timing. So here it is, better late than never!

Fluffy all around and crunchy on top (because of pecans), these Pumpkin Muffins are great for breakfast, or pretty much anytime you're craving sweets

Paired with a hot cup of tea, these muffins make Autumn that much more enjoyable