Work-aversary Treats: Double Duty

So if you are a longtime reader to my blog, you know that I am very big on celebrating work-aversaries at my office. And if you are new to my blog, let me explain. A work-aversary is the annual celebration of your start date at the office. I make a huge deal out of them, especially the first one. Why? Because for that first year of work, especially if it is your first "real" job, no one is immune to feeling one hundred percent completely overwhelmed. And sometimes, the feeling of "what am I doing here" dominates your mind.

I realize that this can be true for anyone at any point in their career as well. Hey, I love my job, and I still calculate whether I could live off of my "If you retired today..." benefits whenever I get that statement in the mail. Answer: a big ole NO. But I think that completing that first year deserves a celebration. But I remember when I marked my first work-aversary, I really wanted balloons to fall out of the ceiling or something. Though, in our old building, it probably would have been more likely that asbestos would have fallen out.

So I make a huge deal of work-aversaries. And today we had two!!! When I asked Ben and Grant what they would like for treats, I was told "chocolate chip cookies" and "cupcakes." Done and done.

I have a rule with baking "classics" like chocolate chip cookies or fudge brownies. You are never going to bake them to the other person's lofty expectations. Just like no one will ever make a grilled cheese as good as my mom. So I put a little twist on the classics. And made chocolate chip cookie sandwiches, using this cookie recipe and a simple buttercream filling. I rolled the cookies in mini chocolate chips for a little flair. Delicious!!! I am told that this treat is also called "Double Duty." (Note: To get my cookies perfectly round and all the same size, I use a biscuit cutter to cut the cookies after they have baked and cooled slightly.)

For the cupcakes, I went with what was in season and made Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes from the swanky Food and Wine. My icing was not as fluffy as I would have liked it to be but it is back to being uber humid here and I find that that affects my frosting consistency big time (Frosting and my hair...two things that do not react well to high humidity).

Congratulations on completing your first year, Ben and Grant!!!!