Doing s'more good this holiday season

This time, with more flour-covered hands on deck! My assistant works for a big company, so it's no surprise that there are a number of avid bakers who share her passion for crafting all things sweet and fresh-out-of-the-even. She and her coworker, Christine, recently started a baking interest group for employees to share recipes and participate in fun events, from cupcake crawls to bakeoffs. They kickstarted this club with a bake sale fundraiser themed "Holiday Sweets and Winter Treats," with all proceeds benefiting the Community Services Agency of Mountain View -- a food bank just down the street from the office.

Take twenty brilliant bakers, mix in pounds and pounds of butter and sugar, whip up a good cause, and you've got yourself a recipe for a sweet success. Here are some of the S'more cupcakes that my assistant sold at the event: chocolate cupcakes with a gooey marshmallow center, topped with vanilla cream cheese frosting and a cute little Teddy Graham. The only thing missing was a campfire to keep our bakers warm on this chilly Tuesday afternoon.

In only an hour and a half, the bakers collectively raised $850 in sweets. There were macarons, cheesecakes, cupcakes, cookies, cake pops, and plenty more to boost blood sugar levels and good spirits. With the company match, the group donated $1700 to CSA.

Thank you, everyone who participated! Whether you drew your spatula and contributed your baked goods or dropped some Washingtons to indulge your sweet tooth, this event couldn't have happened without you.