We are having cool weather, so baking is happening here, especially as mid- and upper-80s are predicted for midweek.

On Sunday, I baked an 8 x 8-inch pumpkin snacking cake, a recipe that I found five or six years ago and bake frequently in the autumn. It calls for toffee pieces, but I had none. I decided to replace the toffee pieces with 2 Tbs. mini-chocolate chips and 2 Tbs. chopped hazelnuts. I sprinkled the tops with a mixture of orange, yellow, and a few chocolate sprinkles. We will have it for dessert the next few evenings.

I also baked Lime Pecan Biscotti, using the first two limes that my husband harvested off the tree he gave me nearly twenty years ago. That tree has been a baking inspiration. The limes had great zest, but their skin was thicker than usual, and I only got a scant quarter cup of juice, to which I added a bit of water, as I did not want to do another lime. We are fond of this recipe that I created, so there are limes on the tree for baking it again. I used avocado rather than canola oil this time, and the dough seemed easier to handle. I hope to send some of a future batch to one of my sisters, and she prefers not to use canola oil, as she dislikes how it is processed. However, after reading in The Washington Post that a university research project found that most avocado oil sold in Walmart, Aldi's, Target, etc. is actually NOT pure avocado oil, and that, unless it is marked "Extra Virgin," it is subjected to more extensive processing, I am not sure I am getting all the health benefits avocado oil should give.

It was cool here on Sunday so I did miniscones again. Very reliable and tasty. This was half dried cranberries and half dried cherries as I didn't have quite enough cranberries for the recipe.

Today I made a Red Velvet cake for the poker game tomorrow night. I've not made it in a long time so we will see tomorrow night.And I put parchment paper on my cooling rack and the cake didn't stick, yay!

Yes, Len, I recall reading a blurb from King Arthur that they were changing the name because too many people thought that white whole wheat flour meant white flour. While it is true that the nutritional value is a bit lower for white whole wheat flour, it is still a wholegrain flour. Unfortunately, baking literacy is not strong amongst King Arthur's clientele. Bob's Red Mill used to carry a white whole wheat flour, which they called "ivory" flour, but they stopped offering it six or seven years ago. I suspect that BRM stopped carrying it--along with barley flour and a number of other products--because they wanted to cut the variety of products they carry.

BTW, your oatmeal cookie substitutions sound great! And I agree, Martha has probably never eaten one.

I baked pepperoni pizza with only a tiny bit of tomato sauce -- the last of the container, and extra pepperoni, and mozzerella cheese with the last of the cheddar for extra flavor last night. It was baked rather late so I ate a cold piece for breakfast.

Joan, lovely cake!