Throwback Thursday: Sweet Potato Marshmallow Bars

As you all know I love to cook. Not just because it gives me the opportunity to create delicious food and eat it, but because I get to share those creations with friends and family. That’s what cooking has always meant to me – a way to connect with friends and family through one of my favorite things. There really is nothing better than pulling something out of the oven, smelling those sweet or savory smells and then diving into it with both hands. (C’mon, you know nothing beats eating with your hands. Forks and knives may be proper, but licking batter off your fingers is awesome!)

Look at all the cookies!

So you can imagine how much joy I get when I join other foodies to create edible delights. And that’s why I love Food Bloggers Los Angeles. It not only gives me the opportunity to cook up something delicious for this wonderful group of foodies, it also allows me to savor all the yummy treats they create. So, you can imagine how excited I was to attend the third annual FBLA cookie swap. Don’t get me wrong, savory recipes can be delicious, but a table or two full of cookie platters is pure heaven.

I chose not to create something new for this event. Instead I went back to one of my old standards for this festive time of year. I made my Sweet Potato Marshmallow Bars with White Chocolate Chips. I mean, if you can have sweet potato pie, why can’t you have a sweet potato bar? So, if you’re looking for something a little different for your next holiday cookie swap, mix up a batch of these babies. They’re rich and gooey and perfect for this merry and bright time of year. Best of all, you can get the recipe right over here.

If you’d like to see (or sample) some of the other cookies that were on display at the swap, below is the entire list and the bloggers who brought them. I dare you to try each and every one because they were all delicious!

FBLA 2013 Cookie Exchange Recipes

• Chai Tea Cookies — Cathy Arkle of She Paused 4 Thought (She also got tired of rolling the dough and refashioned the rest into Baby Hedgehog cookies.)
• Butter Pecan Fudge — Dorothy Reinhold (me!) from Shockingly Delicious.
• Antioxidant Chocolate Bark — Erika Kerekes (our hostess) of In Erika’s Kitchen.
• Chocolate Chip and Apricot Walnut Rugelach and Vegan Chocolate Mini Cupcakes (“Naughty & Nice Cookies”) — Dana of Foodie Goes Healthy
• Vintage Sponge Drops with Double Fudge Filling — Leslie Macchiarella of Bake This Cake.
• Sicilian Christmas cookies — Judy Lyness of Two Broads Abroad.
• Cranberry Orange Walnut Sugar Cookies — Patricia Rose of Fresh Food in a Flash.
• Brown Butter Praline Chocolate Chip Cookies — Valentina Wein of Cooking On The Weekends.
• Mini Chocolate Nut Sandwich Cookies — Kelly Page of Tasting Page.
• Rosemary Raisin Cocktail Shortbread — Sharon Graves of Cheesy Pennies.
• Saketini Christmas Balls, Chocolate Macarons with Japanese Wine Cream Centers, and Matcha Green Tea Cookies with Chocolate Centers & Espresso Cookies with Caramel Fillings — Kim Watkinson of Ninja Baking.
• Blueberry Coconut Mini Cupcakes, Rainbow Chocolate Bark, and Vegan Gingersnaps — Judy Weintraub of Bumbleberry Breeze.
• Chocolate-Dipped Apricots with Pistachios — Adair Seldon of Lentil Breakdown.
• Spumoni Shortbread — Nancy Rose Eisman of Adventures with Nancy Rose.
• Crispy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies and Cardamom Gingersnap Cookies — Alison Ashton of Nourish Network .
• Gluten-Free Pumpkin Oat Bars — Alanna Waldron of Eats Real Food.
• Red Velvet Gooey Butter Cookies — Tanaya Ghosh of Tanaya’s Table. (Tanaya’s Table, the blog, will launch in 2014.)
• Black and White Cookies — Tina Kil. (Her blog isn’t up yet, but watch for her contributions in the future!)

Non-Cookie Items

• Chiang Mai Chicken in Endive Spears — Cathy Arkle of She Paused 4 Thought.
• Seasonal salad — Nancy Rose Eisman of Adventures with Nancy Rose.