Manly Desserts: Guinness Chocolate Cake with Bittersweet Chocolate Ganache and Bailey's Cream Cheese Frosting

Manly Guinness Chocolate Cake for Manly Men

Happy Father's Day! Today, we celebrated dear, old Dad. Many of you spent the day with Dad, as I did, participating in his favourite activities, or Dadtitivies. Golfing, fishing, boating, hunting, NASCAR — all the manly-man things Dad does anyway, but on Father's Day we get to go with him.

My Dad chose his favourite activity — lunch. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree as that's my favourite activity, too. We took him to his favourite lunch spot (Tim Horton's), and then back home for a home-baked treat.

Mini Pop Tarts

Mini Pop Tarts with raspberry filling.

I remember consuming box after box of Pop Tarts when I was young. Frosted strawberry flavour was my go-to snack after school or for a late-night study session. Later, Pop Tarts were a must-have for camping and fishing trips.

Sorry, this one's mine.

Lately, we've all been concerned about what we eat; peruse the ingredients on a box of commercial toaster pastries and you will need a degree in chemistry to understand half of the ingredients. This homemade version is tasty and you know exactly what's in it. The small size is just enough for a snack.

Oatmeal Rolo Cookies

Soft 'n' chewy Oatmeal Rolo Cookies

One day at work, I was discussing the awesomeness of oatmeal cookies with my friend and co-worker, and the age-old debate of Raisins vs. Chocolate Chips came up. I am a raisin fan, while my friend is in on Team Chocolate Chip. I was defending the raisin version when she said, "But have you ever tried oatmeal cookies with mini Rolos in them?"

Doesn't everyone have baking debates at work?

My eyes glazed over and my jaw hung open stupidly while I pictured just that: soft, chewy oatmeal cookies studded with droplets of caramel-filled chocolate cups. "Challenge accepted," I vowed. I went to the store that very day and picked up a package of Mini Rolos.

Mini Rolo candies! Mmmmmm....