Cake, Bread, & Cookies!

Hey guys!
It has been a minute.  I was enveloped into full Mom-mode from last Saturday when my Little ran a high temp.  So we were not baking or even thinking about baked goodies.  Well, kind of.  😏

My Mom's birthday was Wednesday so my brothers and I surprised her with a lunch a few days before and my aunt and uncle were coincidently in town to join in on the festivities.  My mother is a difficult one to surprise.  I wanted to bake a cheesecake to take to this surprise event but she was busy being her 😒 so it didn't happen.  But, I made it for her this weekend when my Little felt better. The recipe I used came from one of my favorite baker bloggers' and it was OMG good! The title did not lie: https://sugarspunrun.com/best-cheesecake-recipe/.  My mother was very pleased and gave it higher kudos than Cheesecake Factory! Yup, it was that creamy and delicious.  (Thank you Mommy 😘)
                                                                     Maybe I missed baking because my ambitious behind decided to bake challah and shortbread cookies as well.  Why challah bread? Well, my friend purchases challah dough weekly and was curious to find out if making her own is something she could consider.  I offered to try it out and it was surprisingly easy to make. Unlike other types of bread, it didn't require butter or shortening. https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/challah/
I only used half the recipe so I had a small bread.  There is a lot of waiting so you must have patience baking challah.  I rushed the rising process because I was running around the kitchen doing 3 different things. 🤦🏾‍♀️
Now I love shortbread cookies.  They are so buttery good! I have made them a few times but I never made chocolate ganache. The term alone sounds intimidating.  Like it is isolated for the use of pastry chefs only.  Once again, I was pleasantly surprised that it was easy.  Semisweet chocolate and cream. That's it! Cream must be warm so as to not stiffen the chocolate or burn it.  This recipe does not call for a ganache but I like to get creative when necessary.  I only had a few chocolate chips and wanted its application on the cookie to be easy.  So I basically thinned it out and viola: shortbread cookies with chocolate ganache.  https://www.livewellbakeoften.com/how-to-make-chocolate-ganache/
{See comments below for answers to frequent questions.}
 Shortbread cookies require a bit of rest before baking. In the picture, (not my best capture) you will see the dough sort of balled up.  That was before I flattened it and put it in the fridge.
I love cookie cutters but I tend to have extra dough.  My Little decided we should make a girl with two puffs. 😁 (Waiting for that emoji with Afro puffs. 😉)

So there are our sweet treats to make up for the last couple weeks.
Try baking something new.  Try tasting something new. ♥