Whether you’re baking for a warm weather gathering, for friends or neighbors or simply baking just because, this Easy Lemon Icing is a simple, go-to recipe to make balanced sweet and tart icing for any cookies! Mix powdered sugar together with milk, lemon and vanilla extracts and lemon juice to make this icing. Make it vegan, too, with one simple switch! Perfect for cookies or to drizzle on cakes. Makes enough to ice 60 cookies.

Surprise someone you know with a Strawberry Chocolate Cake this season! This easy-to-make, light and fluffy chocolate cake mixes together easily before baking. Once cooled, slather the cake with a layer of strawberry cream cheese frosting. Finish it with a fudge-y chocolate frosting on top of the strawberry, covering up the pink to make the strawberry layer a surprise. Perfect for anyone who adores chocolate and strawberries paired together. #ad

Bake Bourbon Maple Bacon Cupcakes to celebrate any occasion! These dairy free cupcakes, made with bourbon, pure maple syrup, a little maple extract and a lot of bacon, are perfectly balanced. Making just six cupcakes, this recipe can serve a small group for a family-centric birthday gathering, but can also be doubled or tripled for a crowd. Bourbon Maple Bacon Cupcakes, which combine elements of sweet, salty and savory, are a delectable dessert!

Funfetti Ice Cream Sandwiches are the ultimate celebratory treat. Colorful Homemade Funfetti Cookies serve as the base of this classic ice cream sandwich, providing a crunchy exterior that pairs beautifully with the creamy vanilla ice cream used as the sandwich filling. Whether you make them for a birthday, a shower, a tailgate, a weekend indulgence or more, this sprinkle-filled dessert will be well-loved by all kids and adults!

Funfetti Cookies are a colorful dessert to make year-round! These made-from-scratch sprinkle cookies mix up easily and bake beautifully from a sugar cookie base. Inspired by the favorite childhood boxed birthday cake, these Funfetti Cookies are slightly chewy, soft and chock full of rainbow sprinkles. Perfect for birthday parties, graduations, baby showers, tailgates and more, Funfetti Cookies are a delicious treat to serve for any occasion!

As per yearly tradition, I share my list of 10 Things I Know at the Age of 33 at 6:00 a.m. on the 23rd of September (in no particular order) to celebrate my birthday at The Speckled Palate.