When I saw this fun Bean Contest, I inquired my vegan friend to help me out. She suggested this very tasty and healthy Bean Brownie. We often don't think of a sweet treat when we think of beans. I was excited to bring a desert flair to this bean challenge. This recipe was found on ForksOverKnives.com. The best part is, my friend promised to make a batch to share some time. Yummy!

Beans Around the World Contest submission. These brownies are gluten-free, fudgy and easy to make! So chocolatey, you'd never guess they have beans in them.

This is one of the reason I start buying pesticide-free lemons!

Beans Around the World

30 years ago a little girl with wild red curls flung sprinkles and red hots all over a cookie tray and was filled with pride at her creations. Every year since, her friends and family have looked for these cookies in the mail on holidays. This melt-in-your-mouth sugar cookie recipe has been in my family since the 80's, and I'm thrilled to finally have the illustrative skills to share it with the world.

This recipe is a basic gingerbread cookie recipe with a decorated holiday beach theme.

Christmas time it perfect for baking and share sweet treats with the loved ones!

Biscuits we used to make as children to decorate and hang from the tree. Best eaten before the mice get to them!

A new(ish) family fave, these chewy cookies feature just a touch of cinnamon to enhance the chocolatey goodness!

Making cookies around the holidays is a tradition in my family. The variety of colors, shapes and textures makes cookies the perfect subject for an illustration. I have tried a few of the recipes below but would like to try more in the future!

GLOBAL CUISINE - Here are a few festive cookies that would add much joy and deliciousness to any holiday celebration! So many to choose from across the world - but these from Sweden, Italy and Austria caught my eye (and tummy).

I created this Scandinavian Rosettes recipe for the Global Cuisine challenge.

If you’ve never had rosettes before, they’re basically tiny funnel cakes.

And they’re delicious.

Rosettes hold a super special place in my heart because they are my one and only memory of my great-grandmother. It’s almost a hazy dream-like memory, but I can still vividly remember being at her house when I was visiting as a little girl. She stood in her small town Wisconsin kitchen making these cookies for us when we came to visit. The way the branding iron looking contraption fries the dough was so fascinating to watch.

I can also remember a weird zip line contraption that can fly you around the backyard at super fast speeds, and falling down a hill for what seemed like an hour.

That part I know was a dream.

But the rosettes. They were real.

My aunt would store these crispy light cookies in a coffee tin to keep them as fresh as the day she made them. And we got to enjoy them around the table with coffee, fruit, and nuts. yum.....

For the Global cuisine Challenge
A small collection of delicious italian sweet foods, which have almond as a primary ingredient. All perfect for Christmas!