You guys, I’m home!
While I loved Australia, New Zealand, California, and Maryland, there’s nothing like the feeling of your own bed. And, in my case flannel sheets. (Seriously, if you’ve never tried them, I highly recommend them for winter.)

BUT, even better than my own bed (because to be honest I miss having hostel mates from around the world) is my mom’s cooking. And, since I returned home on my birthday, I was spoiled with quite a tasty dinner.

Don’t worry, you can have mango salsa too. The salsa itself is gluten free and vegan. It goes well atop many proteins, rice, or as a side. AND, the recipe is in one of my older posts- The Happy Mango Salsa!
Now, the best part of a birthday is the dessert! (The presents are always nice too.) And, boy, did my family pick a good one. Not only is it tasty, even the gluten eaters in my house enjoy it, it’s also easy to prepare. You can make it days in advance!
Yep! Those are chocolate coated cookie dough balls. You’ve seen this recipe before, but now the recipe is annotated to include tips and tricks because we’ve made these so many times! It’s sure to be a crowd pleaser, and meets so many dietary needs.

So without further ado, here is that annotated recipe!
Allergies: Free of the Big 8, except soy. If you have a severe allergy to annatto seed, note that Earth Balance uses a small amount of it for coloring. Ingredients: Directions:Allergy Friendly Cookie Dough Balls!

Yum! That’s all from here. Many thanks to my family for an amazing birthday this week. I hope all my friends over at Fiesta Friday enjoy this treat. (And, an extra thanks to this week’s co-hosts, Ahila @ A Taste of Sri Lankan Cuisine and Diann @ Of Goats and Greens.)
Happy Cooking!
P.S: For Angie, and my fellow followers, I did run the Pixie Dust Challenge in Disneyland this past weekend- 10 K on Saturday and a half marathon on the Sunday. It was so much fun!
I love to travel but always love coming home too. My bed….ahhhhh. Those cookie dough balls look delicious and are so cute with their little candles.
Thanks, Jhuls! It’s always nice to return home to family and friends too! 🙂
Welcome home Kaila! Belated birthday wishes to you ! There is no place like home in this entire world! The chocolate chip cookie dough looks delicious! Thanks got sharing ! Happy FF!
Sorry for the typo, meant to say ” thanks for for sharing!”
Awh, thanks, Succhitra! They were absolutely delicious. I ate them all in less than a day… oops! (Good thing I had some help.) Happy FF!
There’s no place like home! And your own bed! 😃 I love those candles!! And the cookie dough balls, too, of course! 😄
Angie, aren’t they the cutest! It was a nice homecoming, and now I can’t wait to settle down in the upcoming weeks. 😀
The cookie dough balls look cute and tasty. Thanks for sharing it at the fiesta, Kaila! 🙂 Nice to hear that you had a fun birthday celebration with a great home-cooked meal with your family, as well as running a marathon during the weekend.
Thanks, Ahila! 😀
Yay! Feeling like a kid again, eh? The balloons are so adorable and the cupcake candles, too. But I am more concerned about the mango salsa now. 😀 Happy birthday, Kaila. x
Thanks! Mango salsa is one of my favorites! (I actually requested it, but my mom made it for my birthday meal.) 😀
aww I love these cookie dough balls. Looks too cute with those candles! Thanks for sharing this at fiesta friday dear. 🙂
Thanks, Sadia! Happy FF! 😀