Ashley, This Is Your Birthday Present! (GIVEAWAY)
I couldn’t keep a secret if my life depended on it.
I know I should be stockpiling recipes and rationing them out in case I have the good fortune of getting to write a second book, but as soon as I make something delicious, I immediately want to share it. Except for a few. See, I couldn’t even keep that a secret!
Same goes for stories. I just can’t keep my mouth shut, even if it ruins the element of surprise. Which is why my Twitter followers learned this morning that while leaving church, Lulu came to a surprised conclusion, shouting, “BIRD rhymes with TURD!!!”
Pea Daddy said, “That’s not a nice word, Lulu,” to which Gigi asked, rather puzzled, “Then why did they put “TURD” in “TURD-TLE?”
My children are special.
Two of my favorite people in the world have birthdays coming up in the next week or so, and I’ve got the perfect gifts for them both. And of course, I’ve told them all about it.
Pea Daddy has known he’s getting a Kindle since Christmas. This is because he’s argued that he doesn’t want a Kindle, he enjoys reading physical books that are filling up our bookshelves and taking over our house, and I tell him he’s getting a Kindle and he’s going to like it.
Surprise!
And as of yesterday afternoon, Ashley’s getting these.
Ashley likes my dough balls, but Ashley’s tummy doesn’t like gluten. Her birthday is Saturday, so this weekend, I got to tinkering.
Surprises are totally overrated, don’t you think?
Gluten Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls
Makes 2 dozen cookies
- 1/2 c. non-dairy margarine (i.e. Earth Balance)
- 3/4 c. natural peanut butter
- 1/2 c. organic brown sugar
- 3/4 c. organic powdered sugar
- 1/2 t. vanilla extract
- 1 t. baking powder
- 1/2 t. baking soda
- 3/4 t. salt
- 1 c. gluten free all-purpose flour (i.e. Bob’s Red Mill)
- 1/2 c. rice flour
- 1/2 t. xanthan gum
- 1/2 c. natural peanut butter chips
- 1/2 c. non-dairy chocolate chips
First, a few ingredients you might not be familiar with:
This is gluten-free all purpose flour. I’ve read, via Babycakes, that Bob’s Red Mill is the absolute best, but I also know that you can make your own.
Bob’s blend is simply:
Works for me!
This is rice flour. It also is gluten free and is a little lighter in texture than the bean flours found in Bob’s. I thought it would round out the texture of the dough ball nicely.
Okay, that’s not true. I was totally making this up as I went. Sometimes even a blind squirrel gets a nut.
This is xanthan gum. Xanthan gum is made from a bacteria. Essentially, it’s the slimy substance that forms on broccoli and other vegetables as they age. Yum! It acts as a natural stabilizer in baked goods or a thickener in sauces or smoothies.
I know it sounds gross. But some people eat dead animals. I eat dead plants. It all evens out.
This is a Jai Normus jar of chocolate chips. Every kitchen should have one.
And now that you are up to speed, back to the dough balls.
Using a stand mixer, cream together margarine, peanut butter, sugars and vanilla until fully incorporated.
In a separate bowl, combine baking powder, baking soda, salt, flours and xanthan gum.
Gradually add dry ingredients to the mixture a little at a time and beat until a dough forms.
Gently beat in peanut butter and chocolate chips.
Chill dough for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Scoop dough, roll into balls and place on a cookie sheet, about an inch apart.
Bake for 12-15 minutes.
The cookies will still be a bit soft, but the bottoms will be golden. The cookies will firm up upon cooling. Let the cookies cool on the pan for at least 10 minutes and then transfer carefully to a cooling rack.
Or you can just eat them right off the pan. Your call.
I ate mine with almond milk.
You know what’s coming, right?
OH.
MY.
PEAS!!!!
Dare I say these are better than the original version?
Yes, I dare.
The original dough balls have an almost fudgey, silky texture, where these…straight up cookie dough. And there was no strange flavor from the non-gluten flours–just peanutty, chocolately, doughy deliciousness.
I cried actual tears as I packed them up for Ashley.
And as I packed them up for YOU.
Because you see, these cookies are too good to keep a secret. So I’m giving a batch away to a commenter on this post.
All you have to do is tell me the juiciest secret you ever kept or are currently keeping. Spill it. And if you don’t have a secret, make one up. I won’t know the difference.
I’ll pick a winner at random and announce him or her in tomorrow’s post. You can enter even if you are gluten-tolerant, though that might tick some of the gluten-free people off. But I won’t tell.
It’ll be our little secret.
My favorite secret was when I threw a surprise party for my sister, she was so mad that everyone forgot her birthday, she was refusing to go out to dinner (where everyone was waiting). Her reaction was awesome.
I wish I could say that hasn’t happened to me (i.e. being a big jerk face only to then be surprised), but it has.
It’s not really a secret I guess, but I do want to try a vegetarian diet, but I don’t believe my family would support it. So I just try and eat as many meatless meals as I can…and hope that one day I can finally reveal the truth!! Oh and I REALLLY want these doughballs! YUM!
This is a fun contest, so I don’ t want to get all preachy on you, but Hanna, the best decisions in my life have always come when I’ve stopped worrying about what other people would think and just listened to my heart! I’ll keep the meatless meal recipes coming either way
Thank you Mama Pea. You are so wise and inspiring. I hope you do keep the recipes coming, because they are wonderful. I cannot wait to purchase your book!! I believe it is going to be a HUGE success!
Thanks, Hanna. I hope you are right! And yes, the recipes will keep coming!
Also, I just watched your video in the previous post and you are incredible on TV. You need to have your own show. Perhaps on The Food Network? You could just skip the Next Food Network Star…you need to be signed immediately. Plus, you have some serious guns on you!!
Yeah, I’d like to skip that whole reality TV interview process! Thanks for the compliments. I’m flexing right now.
OH.MY.GOODNESS.
Mama Pea, I love you more than words right now. So excited you made a gluten free version!!!
You win the Blogger of the Century award!
Juiciest secret I ever kept was a trip my dad planned for my mom! I’m usually not good with keeping secrets, but I was able to hold out on that one!
Gina, they are SO good. I’m not just talking them up. I promise.
I think your dad is very cool.
I once ate a whole blueberry pie, by myself, during my 25-mile drive from Tempe, AZ to Phoenix, AZ
Ha ha ha ha ha!!!! I knew this was going to be a fun giveaway. You are my hero.
AHHHH I LOVE YOU!!!! GLUTEN FREE COOKIE DOUGH BALLLLLS. You are a miracle worker. Juiciest secret — I am totally into my best guy friend who used to like me but I turned him down years ago. Now I wish I had said yes.
Oh, yum! I heard word from my former boss that I might be rehired to teach in the fall – but my close friend, who also wants to be hired there, isn’t getting the same good news. I think sharing dough balls with her might help soften the blow of breaking my possibly good news…
Eeek. That’s a tough secret!
I am surprising my girlfriend with a trip to her number 1 choice concert for her birthday!!
TThese look so good! I love Bob’s red mill allpourpose flour, it tastes so good and like normal allpurpose, but healthy
also are the peanut butter chips dairyfree?
my secret…I’m actually sad to say good bye to a place that I spent so much time at, good memories an bad ones (high school)
That’s understandable, Chels. Congrats on graduating!
Ooohhh, when I was pregnant with our twins. It took forever to get pregnant so we wanted to tell both sets of parents in person. Since we lived out of state from both of them, we didn’t tell them til I was 3 months along. Glad we video taped their responses…it was priceless shock:)
Wow! That would be so hard!
one of my best friends is proposing to his girlfriend this summer, and I am seriously struggling to keep my mouth shut!!
Dang! It’d be eating me up.
I just pooped my pants out of excitement for this contest… yeah, maybe some things should be kept secret.
Ha ha ha ha! I love this giveaway question.
” I know it sounds gross. But some people eat dead animals. I eat dead plants. It all evens out.”
That line was fabulous. I’m going to need to remember that the next time someone makes a comment about my eating choices.
Well, technically, aren’t all dead things rotting?
Haha true. And I forgot to write my secret…when I was little I used to believe that the laugh track in the background on tv shows was just other people across the world who were watching it at the same time and thought the show was funny too. I used to try to out laugh them by being louder hoping they could hear me. My parents never knew what the hell was so funny.
Was scrolling thru the amusing responses and figured id just say that I totally used to think the radio was little people singing in the speakers of your car… I think I ougrew that fairly early. I hope.
Oh my goodness! THANK YOU!
I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease last March, and have basically given up on any sort of cookie since then. These look soooooo gooooood!
My secret?
I got into a prestigious culinary school and I told nobody. I was afraid to go and fail or end up hating my passion. I ended up going to a smaller school for something different and I’m happy as can be. What can I say, my life isn’t too scandalous!
I’m so glad to at least be able to give you a cookie recipe! Congrats on culinary school, but more so on finding something that is making you happy!
I’m afraid the juiciest secret I’ve ever kept is a little to “adult” to share in a forum such as this.
I’ve made the original balls and need to make this version ASAP!
Oooh, Laura. You are a bad girl!
Oh Mama Pea — these look AMAZING!! *drooling a little*
Best secret, an awesome surprise-birthday-party for my husband (boyfriend at the time) a few years back!!
Biggest current secret… I’m currently stepping up my training to run my first 50-miler. It won’t be a secret for too much longer as my long-run distances jump up! Sadly, there are close friends (but moreover family members) who will not ‘get it’ and… will try to talk me out of it. They don’t understand that it’s a personal goal… and something that I’d like to do FOR MYSELF more than anything!!
In light of all of that… I can use the extra carbs!! *hint, hint*
I LOVE the blog… and am excitedly awaiting my copy of “the book” which I preordered on Amazon a few months ago!!
Brandi, you are a machine! I won’t talk you out of it…everyone has their “thing.” I admire you for working towards your goal!
Hm… Well ever since I was 5 and spilled the beans to my dad that my sister was getting him Redskins socks for Christmas… my family really thinks I stink at keeping secrets! What they don’t know is that I know something… or knew something. My husband being the sweetie that he is planned a big surprise proposal for me- one that after a few private moments would include my family and close friends because he knew I always dreamed of having everyone there… a few weeks before he proposed he came down to visit me at college- I was moving his bag of clothes in from the car as he carried groceries and happened (honestly by accident) to see a white “Jareds” box inside… I knew what it was. (That’s secret #1) Then the weekend of the big event we were down at my parents lake house and I opened my mom’s computer to look up a recipe… she had her email up and the one that was open was one to my sister talking about my husband’s plans and talking about how excited she was. I immediately shut the computer and went to shower and change my clothes (after all I knew what was coming next!) I have never had the heart to tell any of them that I found out early… truly by accident… but found out none the less! I think it is a secret I will forever keep- just between you and me
Oh no! Things like that always happen to me. I always seem to find my Christmas or birthday presents (after I tear the closet apart looking for them….).
Everyone else has such heartwarming, sweet stories….this isn’t one of them. The best surprise I ever kept (successfully – because me and secrets we don’t get along), was the Golden Girls birthday party I threw for my best friend. We had tiny sandwiches, tea, and of course cheesecake. We raided the second hand shop for the best old lady clothes we could get our hands on, shopped for weeks on e-bay for “authentic” Golden Girls paraphernalia, even had address labels made for her with a pictures of Bea Arthur on them. It was such a great secret.
We all got dresssed, spray painted our hair gray, and just as the birthday girl arrived I had a gall bladder attack. And the party went downhill from there. No one likes a party host who’s writhing in pain on the bathroom floor. Needless to say we divided up the sandwiches, sent everyone home with cheesecake, and I headed to the hospital.
Long winded, but necessary.
That. Is. Awesome. Well, not the gall bladder attack.
I so want a Golden Girls party. I want Sophia’s wood bead purse!
But I hope your gall bladder is better (or removed?)!
It was, potentially, the party of the century. Dare I say it rivaled the royal wedding? I did.
Gall bladders gone, thanks!
I should also add that it was that much MORE awesome in the hospital in floral blouse with shoulder pants, peach “slacks” and spray painted hair…..3 of us. It was a sight.
Ha ha ha ha! I’d totally be Dorothy.
Oh man, I have tears of joy in my eyes! What an amazing party! Ha! And my sister-in-law made my sister a purse that totally looks like a Sophia purse. And since my sister has all the Golden Girls DVDs, she loves it. She’s never used it, but she loves it.
We have to throw the world’s biggest Golden Girls party. I’ll start planning it.
I’m there! I’d also want to be Dorothy, though. I think you’d get to be her, though, because you’re taller.
And kinda manly too…
If it was just based on manliness, I’m totally Dorothy. Height: You are. Quick wit? Maybe tied. But I’m totally meaner than you. But maybe that makes me Sophia…
I’m in. I have a signed Golden Girls picture in the basement I’ll bring out for the occassion. Let me know the time and place, and I’ll be there
I want that. Name your price.
I want to say dough balls, but I’d hate the general public to think this thing was rigged. haha.
We’ve got a winner!!!!
… being a vegetarian, I really don’t eat vegetables… but everyone thinks I do!!!
Oh gosh, what do you eat?!
Yay! A no gluten chocolate chip cookie. My all time favorite I’ve been missing since I went gluten free.
The juiciest secret I’ve ever kept was from my sister. I was totally in on the events leading up to her proposal. It was a huge surprise!
The juiciest secret I’m keeping right now is that the doctor I work for had an affair with a woman I work with at my second job. I hate being in the middle of that kind of information! I could really use a batch of these and I think the doctor’s wife could too!!
Oh my gosh, no! That is insane!
Secret: I’m that person in Target who puts things in her cart on impulse, half way through the store decides she doesn’t need them and randomly throws the discarded items on the nearest shelf.
I know, pure evil, right? I’m so ashamed.
I do that too sometimes, and I feel horrible about it! But when I’m dragging two kids around with me, it sometimes has to be done!
I don’t know if this is a secret so much as something I should be deeply ashamed of… but I forgot my deodorant at my parents house when I came home from visiting them on Wednesday… & I have yet to replace it!
Oh my gosh…you are hilarious. And stinky.
I want to win dough balls. How awesome would that be!!!
Secret?
Well, I was keeping my 4th pregnancy secret from my best friend who was having a hard time getting pregnant because I didn’t want to upset her. Turns out when I finally did tell her I was pregnant, she was also pregnant! We had our babies 11 days apart! Our fourth child for both of us.
I deserve dough balls.
That’s so sweet! But four kids?! Sister, you need some dough balls.
Thanks VERY much for coming up with a gluten free version of the dough balls; this totally made my night! Hopefully the fact that I may fall asleep at the office tomorrow since I’m staying up way too late catching up on blogs counts as juicy gossip, because that’s all I’ve got right now!
“I know it sounds gross. But some people eat dead animals. I eat dead plants. It all evens out.”
Ha! You are funny!
Thanks
When I told my boyfriend about the TURD-LE comment he said, “Ha! that sounds like something I would say! How old is she?” When I said, “6.” He thought that sounded about right. The secret I’m currently keeping is that for his birthday, I’m planning a trip for us to NYC. It’s still a few months away, so its very hard for me to keep, but I’m trying!
That will be so fun!!!!
So, no secret to share (and I doubt that the dough balls would survive a trip to Aus anyway!), just here to thank you for introducing me to Xanthan Gum. I’m trying to move away from packaged goods with numbers for ingredients and have been wondering what to use to replace the gravy powder that I use as a sauce thickener. Will give this a go and see what happens.
I’m guessing there’s xanthan gum in that gravy powder, so you would just be cutting out the middle man
I am so excited that you made your famous dough balls gluten free. My autistic son went gf about 2 months ago and I have been having a hard time finding treats for him. I refuse to pay $8 for 5 cookies but gf baking scares the pants off of me. And I don’t really have any good secrets these days. I guess my only secret is that we are trying to get pregnant again. Thanks again for the recipe!
Congratulations! I hope you do make these for your son. He’ll love them!
I ate the last of the orange juice
OH MY PEASSSSSSSSSSSS is right~!!!!!!!!!! As a fellow gluten free eater I think I just died and went to vegan heaven. And peanut butter is a sick sick obsession of mine (see my blog post from a day ago). SO basically I am in love with you. Wow, I am making these this weekend for 4th of july with out a doubt. OMGGGGGGGG!! So.Ex.Ci.Ted.
My biggest secret I keep is that when I was 20 years old I got a rare blood disease that paralyzed my from the waist down called guillain barre syndrome. After weeks in the hospital I regained my motor abilities to a very slight degree. I had to drop out of college and re-learn to walk for a semester plus. My immune system took years to reach a healthy place again and I am seriously lucky to have full function in my legs (I ran 6 miles today!). I don’t tell many people (read: any) that because I don’t want anyone feeling sorry for me. But here I am spilling the peas to you.
Heart you Mama!
Oh wow, Arielle, you are a brave amazing woman! Your family must be so proud of you. You make me feel like a complete slacker as I eek out 2 or 3 mile runs because of my back surgery. And here you are running 6 miles?! You are my hero.
I hope you do make these cookies. You will ADORE them.
My friend pooped on her skirt at walmart!haha It was sad, she wasn’t feeling well but we both can’t help but laugh about it now!hahaha … yeah I think monica was right, should keep some things to ourselves!
Shorty
Oh no!
I’m 24 and I’ve never had a boyfriend or been kissed! I’m scared it will never happen!!
It will happen. And he will be a lucky man!
OMG! When I was 6 or 7, my mom told me to take some weird pill, I don’t even remember what it was for. It was way too big and chalky, so I shoved it down the sink and told her I took it. Years after I confessed to doing it, she had no idea what I was talking about. LOL!
Hmmm.. you’re cookies look so delicious, so this is the best secret I can think of!
Often, if i find an object in a store that i want, but there’s only a few left, I’ll hide it in a small quiet space in the store, so that if I can’t get it that day, it will be there the next day when I come back to find it! Not too mischievious, but I love that little thrill I get when i go back in a store and find the little item I’ve hidden
That’s just plain smart shopping!
Okay, I do that too, but I have to admit something I did. One time during Christmas shopping I was at Target checking out these cute storage chests. I opened one and found the kodak camera that was on mega sale, but out of stock. I knew someone had put it there to come back. I hadn’t even planned to buy a camera, but the deal was good and I found it so….
Basically, I ruined someone’s purchase they did so good at hiding just becuase I found it and I could. I still feel a bit guilty about it.
They should have found a better hiding spot! Finders keepers.
The biggest secret I’ve ever kept was from my mom, and honestly any secret kept from my mom is an enormous feat because she has that magical motherly way of knowing what I’m thinking and such. I came up with the idea of coming home for the weekend of her birthday last year and had to tell her I was going homwe with a college friend for the weekend so she wouldn’t suspect anything… She kept wanting to buy me a ticket home for the weekend! It was totally worth it to see the look of surprise on her face when she got in the car and I was there though
These look amazing by the way… Well, obviously
<3
N
So sweet. Ashley just did something similar for her mom!
Those look amazing. I wish I had your talent!
My big secret is that I am really terrified I’m not going to be able to have babies since I talked about wanted them since I was a little girl. I LOVE kids and can’t wait to have my own. I’m scared it won’t happen.
WOW! I want to reach through the screen and eat these! I was wondering if the cookbook was going to include new recipes or was just a compilation of recipes from your blog. Thanks for answering my question. Very excited for next month.
My secret… I always wanted to be a stay at home mom. And, now that I am one… I miss working. I don’t really tell anybody because I’m embarrassed that I’ll sound ungrateful (we had a very hard time bringing a baby home) or like a bad mother.
The book is a mixture of both!
You aren’t a bad mom. Being a SAHM is hard!
i’m studying pre law in college, and absolutely hate it. i secretly have no intention to go to law school, and am planning on studying nutrition or cooking after i graduate!
the dough balls look outstanding! my best friend cannot eat gluten or dairy, so i am definitely going to pass this along to her!
Sounds like you are on the same path that I was. Follow your heart!
OMG those look so good, I can tell from the picture, that ahh(!!) they look like Mrs.Field’s! My secret…hmm, I complained a LOT about a nanny job I had a few weeks ago but secretly I kinda loved it because I was on the set of freaking ‘Cougartown’ and I absolutely LOVE that show and television production in general! But ya know, being a native to LA I’m supposed to act cool about that kinda stuff. Soo..shh!
What?!? That is AWESOME. So you were Courtney Cox’s nanny, right?
I have a super duper juicy one that includes a celebrity but been sworn to secrecy
so here is my secret: I can’t swim I can’t I was learning then my sister almost let me drown and now I’m scared to death of water, I can still remember the water all above my head and can hear everyones muffled talking. stupid cute boy walking by to distract her from watching me. but my reward was he thought that was awful and never talked to her the rest of summer
when people ask hey you want to bring the girls and go swimming I’m like no I’m good.
Secret… Secret… I love shopping. But I never take the tag off until I literally wear it. And I often return things before I even get to wear them. I often have shoppers remorse. Or they go months, years, being unworn. I also recently wore a pair of running shorts with tags on, just to make sure they’d pass the cut. Those did, but the second pair. Not so much. Can’t have stuff riding up!
My juiciest secret is that I really just want those dough balls! Ahh crazy secret right?! Haha those look so good!!!!!!!!
I’ve kept a bunch of secrets in my day. Hmmm. Which one can I share here? My mom told me a secret recently: She was told that one of her friend’s birth mothers wants to contact her. Someone else told her, but the friend doesn’t even know. I have a few other good secrets…but they have to remain secret.
my favorite secrets (although not juicy at all) was when my hubby and I knew we were pregnant and hadn’t told anyone else yet. it’s the best feeling to know you are growing a baby and anticipating all the joys and you have it all to yourself… however, I can only last a few weeks of that
I agree. I don’t know how some of these ladies wait the whole first trimester!
I am way too excited about these! One of my children (Paul, 2 1/2) is gluten and dairy free due to some digestive and neurological problems. It’s only been a few months so it’s still new to us but we’re doing pretty good!
My secret would have to be that even though I slather my kids (and most of the time myself) in sunscreen, I’m a former tan-a-holic who still longs for that warm, sunny, makes me look 10 lbs. thinner fix!
I hope you make these for little Paul!
my secret… i’m worried i’m on the wrong career path. i start grad school in september, but lately i have been seriously considering culinary school instead. i don’t know how to make this hard of a decision, especially after i already paid all my fees for grad school. i’ve been keeping this inside, it’s nice to get it off my chest.
Well, if you need anyone to look to for an example as the fact that it’s never to late to change career paths, it’s me. I’m still paying off law school. But I don’t regret not using that degree a bit!
I think you can do both! I’m in grad school currently, for the second time, and don’t think that will stop me from pursuing any other forms of education that strike my fancy. Follow you heart-even if it takes you to scary, new, MULTIPLE places!!
Good advice!
thanks to both of you! it really feels good to get some sound advice from those with more experience. i think it will be good to have options, that means i’m blessed with opportunities
and really, what i want most in this world is to be a mother, so that’s the ultimate goal someday.
No, I’m not in the running to receive those balls.
As much as it breaks my heart, I live in a different continent and don’t
envision a package of dough balls in my mailbox
My juiciest secret is that I had a relationship with a colleague-friend
They still don’t know!
for a year (and then a year of trying to patch up after we broke apart, so 2 years in all)
and none of my friends at work (not even my friend who shared my apartment with me)
had a clue about it
That is scandalous!!! I bet it felt good to tell us all right now
Yum!
I kept my pregnancy secret for 15 weeks! It was so hard. Especially from my mom.
My biggest secrets usually revolve around my mom’s birthday/Christmas gifts. This year my dad and I decided that we should fix her wedding ring since she lost the diamond and the setting was a bit dirty. I managed to sneak the ring out of the house and back in without her noticing (quite the feat!). Needless to say there were a lot of smiles and tears.
I have a not so secret crush on Stefan Lessard the bassist for Dave Matthews.
I have a secret crush on a guy who works for me and is a great friend.
If I won these dough balls, my husband would know I didn’t make them even when I secretly tried to pass them off as my own.
No secret crush or not so secret crush would ever trump my not so secret love for my hubby:)
mmmmmmm… Yay! We were just informed we all are needing to go to the GF dark side. Now, it won’t be so dark
Secret: MANY moons ago when I was in college, I met my husband on the internet ( THAT is another story).. I had to join a club to email him so I called my Mom, told her I had a school project and I needed her credit card. I used her CC to sign up for the club, emailed him and promptly cancelled the membership. We got married 3 years later and my Mom never knew until my Maid of Honor spilled it in her toast to us. Good thing she likes him, eh?
That would freak my mom out
Yes, she was freaked out a bit. She used to call him the Internet Serial Killer before she met him. Once she met him, she fell in love too and then instead of calling for me she would say.. ” oh, hi honey… how’s Brad?”.. Really Mom? Now, 13 years later, it’s “oh, hi honey.. are the kids there?”… thankfully, it all turned out well
Have a great week Mama Pea.. oh, and btw… is your TJ’s open yet? My kids spent 25 minutes looking for Iggy yesterday.. I was shopping in peace .. ahhhh.
Ha ha…our “Iggy” is “Mojo.” And we couldn’t find that danged monkey on Friday if our life depended on it. (so yes, it’s open)
biggest secret? one person I know ( don’t wanna mention names
)wants to divorce her husband. they’ve been married for about 22 years..
My biggest secret was a tattoo on my foot. In august. Covered by socks. Mom finally found it. Years ago, but these would make up a little.
I kept my sister’s ring a secret! My (now) bro in law asked for my approval
It was perfect but gosh it is so hard to keep secrets!! Thanks for the giveaway- they look delicious!!
surprising my mom by coming home from college!!
Mmmm…those look delicious!
My secret? Not so shocking, but I managed to keep my tattoo a secret from my mom for almost 10 years. To this day I don’t know if she ever told my dad. Her only comment was “Did it hurt?” “Yes” “Good!”
I have a secret stash of money that my husband doesn’t know about! I usually end up buying him mega-huge presents with it though, and it always leaves him wondering “Where did you get the money for this!?!?!” ;D
That’s actually awesome! And practically speaking, a good idea! Stashes of money are always good!
I agree, brilliant!
As of late, I’m uninteresting and secret-free…except that I pretended not to recognize an old boyfriend’s sister at the store-I just could NOT go down that road, not that day!!!!! I felt badly, but honestly, it’s not the WORST thing I could do…right!?
These look UNREAL! You are a magician in the kitchen! Secret: it wasn’t for very long but I found out I was pregnant (phone call from doctor with blood test results) around 8:30 am but didn’t want to tell hubby on the phone. So, I kept it a secret from him all day even though we spoke on the phone multiple times and emailed throughout the day until we were both home at 8:30 that night. I was busting at the seams!!!
Love the original doughballs…can’t wait to try the gluten free ones!
Right now I am having the hardest time keeping a secret…My husband thinks we’re just going out to dinner next weekend for our anniversary, but I’ve booked a babysitter and a room at a resort nearby. Hope he doesn’t wonder why I’m packing his bag to go out to dinner!!
Oh my gosh, have fun!!!
A few years ago, when I was living far away from the family, I applied to grad school back in my home state. I kept it a secret from my family until I was pretty certain I’d got in. It was SO HARD not to tell them, but the look on their faces when I told them I was moving home was worth all the secret-keeping.
I’m flying home to see my mom on the 1st of next month! I can’t wait.
I’m pregnant! (seriously)
This is by no means my biggest secret (some things are better kept private, right?), but I keep having so many doubts about what I’ve been studying at college. I’d love to work at an urban farm for a year and then go to culinary school or grad school for nutrition/food studies and hopefully do something relating to food later on down the road, but it’s terribly frustrating to think of the money I’m spending to study subjects I’m not terribly passionate about.
This is a popular secret! I guess a lot of closet foodies read my blog
I love to bake but seriously lack basic cooking skills.. I don’t tell anyone that I don’t know how to hard boil an egg or make a baked potato. Blessed me married a man that loves to cook though!
I think that I wish I was a pterodactyl … Or that I’m falling for one of my guy friends.
I like to go to the gym around 5am in the morning when the public transpo isn’t running yet so I usually take my sister’s car without her knowing. She never has a clue but this is totally embarrassing because a. I’m driving to exercise and b. because it’s so easy to walk or bike, I’m just a total baby about it sometimes
I secretly get soo irritated and am pretty fed up with my boyfriend’s (of 6 years) sisters…but every day, I smile and pretend that I like them…oh my. Sometimes it’s so hard. Don’t tell. Anyone!
My juicy secret…I love my dog more than my husband. Gasp! What can I say? My dog actually listens to me. These looks absolutely delicious, Mama Pea!
That’s terrible!!! But very funny. Your poor husband. How do you feel about cats?
Not nearly as well as I feel about dogs.
Even though I used to work for a huuuuge library system (Multnomah County, no less!), I am HORRID about library books. I just can’t seem to get them in on time.
i dont always put my grocery cart in the cart corral thingy in the parking lot.. dont hate me.
I’m guilty too. But only if the corral is a mile away and I don’t want to leave the girls in the car by themselves. But other days I need that 100 yards to myself.
I have been trying to come up with a GF version ever since you came out with the original doughballs! I’m definitely making these if i don’t win. But it got up to 110 degrees here today so getting the prize without turning on the oven would be amazing! In college, I was in on my roommate’s proposal and had to stay quiet, but as a reward, I got to witness one of the sweetest things I’ve ever seen!
I’m the world’s WORST secret keeper! I give hints to people hoping they’ll guess secrets! So I’m no help there! LOL!
I would LOVE doughballs though.
dirtiest secret?! tough one. right now, as an ex smoker, i have a cig stashed for when i’ve indulged in one too many glasses of wine. i know, it’s pretty bad right? :/ pleeeeeeeeeeeeease don’t tell my boyfriend, or my doc! eeeeeeeeeeeek.
I secretly love (and perhaps am addicted to) sugar. This may not seem juicy, but if my friends knew… Oh… It would change their worlds.
I’m a very good secret keeper. When I was in high school, my best friend (who is now my sister-in-law) told me a secret – her boyfriend (not my brother who she ended up marrying, thus becoming my sister-in-law) gave her a pearl ring and they were therefore “going steady”. (Now I understand if you just plan to meet a boy at your locker you are “going steady” – times have changed, what can I say.) Anyway, she swore me to secrecy and I felt so special that she trusted me to keep her secret. Weeks later, I was still keeping her secret when my best friend and I went to our local minor league baseball game with several other girlfriends. (Why is it okay for girls to have girlfriend, but not for boys to have boyfriends?) EVERYONE was talking about my best friend and her “steady boyfriend”. I wasn’t the only one who knew the secret, but I was the only one still keeping the secret.
Secret: I am completely fascinated by gluten-free foods and grain-free baking! I am not sure if I am gluten-tolerant, but I’m having tasty fun finding out.
Those are excellent birthday gifts, Mama Pea! You have wonderful taste. And I think keeping chocolate chips in a canister is absolutely brilliant! Why have I never thought of that?! Love it! Little bags… well,, they pile up until I have 15 bags with 20 chips in each of them. heh
Here’s another secret…that’s not all I’m giving her
hmmm….my biggest secret at the moment is probably that i just cut off 10 inches of my hair. i didn’t tell anybody that i was going to do it. the reason i did it was to donate it for children with cancer. they take the hair and create a wig. i love my new hairstyle and couldn’t be happier about the decision to cut it off!
That is so admirable. Way to go!!!
Wow these look delish!
Biggest secret is that I know 2 of my coworkers that are going to be quitting in the next week!
deepest DARKEST?!
Uhh well I don’t know about THAT.. But a big secret of mine was that I huge obsession with Justin Bieber..
DON’T ASK. OR JUDGE
I do want those amazing balls!!!!!
Well this isn’t considered a complete secret anymore but I suffered from 3 eating disorders for years and attempted suicide several times. I felt like the biggest lier in the world because everyday I would go to school and act like everything was fine and perfect.
Oh, sweetie. I hope you are better now. I would urge you to get help if you haven’t already. Praying for your health and happiness!
ooooh, when I was in high school, I was supposed to be spending the night at my friend’s house, but we drove to Mexico. Yep, that’s right, went to another country, we did. And par-tayed!! Luckily, we made it home alive! My GOSH, we were STOOOPID. I would love to have your balls!
My current secret is that I am going on a date with a younger guy from work this week. Eek! Big deal for me!
Pick me! Please pick me! Those cookies need to be in my belly!
I have a strange crush on Michael Cerra. When he accidentally punched the girl he liked in the boob in Super Bad, he stole my heart with his awkwardness.
Secret:
I’ve eaten a gallon of ice cream in one sitting.
……..
Then proceeded to throw it up (Not on purpose!)
…….
Yeah….
My biggest secret right now is that I’m pursuing an acting career after being a Business major. The only people who know are my family and my closest friends! Shhhh!
Go for it!
When I was in Kindergarden one day I did not wear any underwear to school. I was allowed to dress myself that day and my sister had told me that people dont always have to wear underwear (she meant like at night) and so I apparently thought I didn’t need to wear any to school the following day. It was Catholic school. I was wearing a skirt. I sat in the pews at mass that day and my Kindergarden teacher apparently noticed. She called my mom and I still haven’t lived down the only time I got in trouble at school… go figure I was the most scandalous and a trouble maker at age 5.
When I first met my uncle’s wife, I said “I have a vagina and boys have penises”. So don’t feel bad.
But technically, you were right. And just being informative.
Ha ha ha. And they let you into U of P with that black mark on your record?
Hehe, maybe the admission staff just missed the Kindergarden portion of my file, or they let me into the school to keep Portland weird
Here’s a good one…
When my sister and I were little we pretended to be witches. This progressed tolighting matches and having fires in our backyard underneath a HUGE cedar tree. We also used to light fires to cook our Mr Noodles in a park near our house which just so happened to back onto … A firehall! We never got caught and my parents never found out until we told them. Lesson: keep the matches under lock and key.
You were a little arson! Geesh! I was always so scared to burn myself, I wouldn’t even go near a lit candle!
Well my sister was the ringleader. Even though she’s 2 years younger than me, she always had the bad ideas and I would agree. Watch out for that with Gigi and Lulu- the bossy older sister doesn’t always get her way!
When I was 10, I went to a neighbor’s 16th birthday party, and we watched an R-rated horror movie. I didn’t tell my mom about it until I turned 18! I’m pretty sure I’ve never kept any other secret for that long!
Those dough balls look incredible!
I’m typically a rule-follower, but it high school I snuck out of my house with a friend and went skinny dipping in my neighbors pool late at night. So risky, but the memories are SO worth it!
My favorite secret?? I found out I was pregnant with our second on a Thursday and didn’t tell my husband until Monday. I **LOVED** having our daughter to myself for those few days!!!!
I use puréed white beans in my chocolate chip cookies instead of butter. Don’t tell my husband!
i have road rage. no honking or chasing, but lots of yelling. ok, maybe a little tailgating too. but seriously–why are portland drivers so gosh-darn slow?!?! it’s like wherever they’re going, they’re joyriding! i have places to be, people!
…yeah, no excuses. i’m a jerk (behind the wheel). *cowers in the corner with guilt.*
I’m keeping my secret right now! My best friend eloped with her now husband after being together for only two months. Her own parents don’t even know yet! I’ve been sworn to secrecy until they come back from their honeymoon.
Okay. you made it easy for me…don’t ever tell, but I am gluten-tolerant (shh…)
Thanks for the giveaway. Those look delicious!
I’m not good with secrets…my facial expressions always give me away! but these dough balls look too amazing not to try! hmm…well how about: my sister has written two books and I haven’t read either one (yet!). Im terrible…but they are ‘academic’ and well…
FYI I’m new(ish) to your site and now look forward to every post. you have such a great writing style, and fabulously wry sense of humor!
Thanks, Carrie! Glad you started reading and stuck around
mmm these look SO good!! i LOVE that you tell the.best.stories about your family on your blog! always makes me laugh.
my secret is that i have to hide my bananas (while i’m waiting for them to ripen so i can bake with them) otherwise my dad will take them and feed them to our BUNNY! haha
the secret I am keeping now is probably my best secret, which is my best friend is going to ask his girlfriend to marry him on JULY 4TH!! they met at a july 4th BBQ and we have an entire set up planned. let’s just say there will be a watermelon and a strategically placed ring.
Fun!!!
My secret is that I am absoutey terrified of taking the bar exam this summer….Right now I’m just putting on my confident face and trucking along.
Oh man, been there. Good luck!
Okay Mama Pea, you asked for it. My only secret and here I am telling the (blogger) world about it to get a chance to win these scrumptious spheres.
My secret..ssshhh..please don’t tell….
One of my besties got married 3 months before I did. We went wedding dress shopping together and found a dress we both loved. She is a bit taller than me so she wore it first to her wedding and then I had it hemmed and wore the same dress to mine. My Husband was at her wedding, he did not even notice it was the same dress. Must have looked better on me! HA!
To this day, this is the only secret I have from my Husband. He does not read food blogs and if I win I’m gonna tell him I did the oreoslide or something.
That is so great! No shame in a bargain! (and Pea Daddy would absolutely not have noticed either)
Lulu is pretty hilarious! She has a point, though… turtle isn’t a bad work, right Pea Daddy??
A recent secret I’ve kept….A really good friend of my boyfriend and I made a secret visit from AZ to New Mexico to surprise another friend of ours at his birthday party. We were the only ones at the part that knew. The suspense was killing me! He showed up and everyone was so happy…especially the b-day boy!
Hmm for dough balls, I guess I can share a secret… My secret is that while I’m super-organized at work, and around other people, since I started living on my own again, I’m a total slob. I’ll only really clean the house if someone’s coming over.
I made chocolate chip-cookies cookies for my non-veg coworkers and waited until they were all eaten and raved about before I told them they were (surprise!) vegan. It was glorious.
Those are the best kinds of secrets!
For the past few months I took a few secret side jobs, that my husband didn’t know about, and saved some extra $$ to buy him an anniversary gift. My husband is a Google FANATIC! Thus, I knew I needed to buy him Google TV, which he has been begging to get ever since it has come out! It was hard to keep it a secret because I was so excited to give it to him!
I don’t even know what a Google TV is!
lol I only know what it is because he is so obsessed with technology, Google and the like
It’s kind of like having internet on your tv…with different apps. And Netflix…facebook, twitter, etc. You can watch tv and movies online, listen to pandora. Lately I’ve been logging on to Google Reader and reading all my blogs on the tv! It’s fun!
Very cool!
i cant keep a secret to save my LIFE. frick. and the ones already left in your comments section are all so goood!!! i guess people stopped telling me secrets because they realized i tell them.
Aren’t they hilarious? I’m having a blast reading all of these!
My secret? I stole the cookie from the cookie jar!! Which is why I need dough balls to replace it
That was YOU?
My secret is that my husband and I are trying to get pregnant. Everyone has been bugging us for years to know when we are having kids (we’ve been married 5 years) and I am finally ready and trying:) I can’t wait until we have good news to share!
Good luck and have fun trying
I don’t know if I would call it juicy or not , but the one secret I am keeping from my husband is…. my weight! Yikes…he knows EVERYTHING but I just can’t let him know my number. Silly I know, . We had to give our weight for a small plane ride on a Caribbean island flight…I lied. I guess I woud rather risk my life then let him know my weight! Now if I could win those cookies…he will not know if I gain a few pounds once I eat them all !!!
Ignorance is bliss. I have no idea how much I weigh
Here’s the thing. My secrets are too secret to tell anyone. But I do want to say that I adore you, that I’m so happy for you and your success, looooved you on the video, and that I’m so happy I get to share everyday with you! Also, I super secretly am in love with a man I’ve known for 12 years, and I just found out tonight he feels the same. (Heart explodes!!!!!!!) But, you know, stay cool. And keep it under wraps.
I’ll never tell. (and thanks for the love!)
Do you know what’s even better than surprises? Golden bottoms. I’ve always liked a good golden bottom.
These look so good! I hope I win!
My biggest secret right now is that at 22 I’m going back to school to study political science, and after I graduate I want to go to law school, but the secret is that I want to get into Stanford law school, it’s a top 3 school and such a long shot, so I don’t want to tell anyone, but I’m sure even if it doesn’t happen, I’ll still get into a great school:)
Aw, good luck! I also went back to college at age 22! I was in a much better place than at 18 and I wish you all the best!
Mama Pea,
Thank you so very much for these g-free doughballs, I can’t tell you how excited I was to see these(as I am celiac)! My secret is that after every post my best friend, her mom, and myself brainstorm about what Lulu’s real name is. This has been going on for months. We love you, and refer to you everyday!
Thank you Momma Pea!
You are sweet! I hope you make the cookies, they really are awesome. And while I took out your “guess” for silly, not always enforced, privacy reasons, you are right on your guess!
My secret? I am dating a guy I met on twitter and I can’t wait to blog about out, I have already pre-written a post for when we get married!
Really?! That is WILD!
Hahah, blogging has honestly changed my life
oh and so will your balls. 
Oh.my. Gluten Free!!?? Be still my heart. Those look devine.
Secret? When my hubby and I had only been dating 6 months, I told him I was going to take him on a surprise adventure. He thought it was an adventure by car to somewhere here in California. He had never left the state. I let him pick out CDs and everything.
Then instead of loading th car, my aunt arrived to take is to the airport. I told him we were going to Minnesota (that was where our layover was). Eventually he found out we were headed to New Jersey, my home state to meet my ENTIRE family for one week with a daily surprise for him each day.
I documented each day’s surprise on video. He was shocked (and petrified). I am just lucky he did not dump me!
To this day, we watch that video and laugh (and sigh at how young we looked). That first trip sparked a tradition of surprising each other on our birthdays with get-aways. I kept so many secrets/surprises from him on that trip that now I am known as the best secret keeper!
I was going to say, that’s pretty intense for first meeting your future in-laws. You’ve got chutzpah, girl!
Man I hate seeing my iPhone typos . . .
Looking back, yes it was probably quite intense for him but I made up for it with surprise tickets to see David Letterman (his all time favorite) and tickets to the X Games that were being held in Philadelphia. Scores big bonus points there.
Possibly a silly question but, can you make these even if you do not have a kitchen-aid stand mixer? I desperately want one just never made the plunge yet.
I would just use an electric mixer, if you have that!
My most recent best-kept secret isn’t actually mine but rather my sister’s. My dad doesn’t know she and her boyfriend just got engaged and when I called my dad yesterday I was this (!) close to telling him. Can’t wait to see his reaction when she finally spills it!
) – My answer: “Oh, it’s a secret recipe …” Ah, I can be so mean …
Oh, and then the usual: “Where did you get the recipe for these amazing brownies?” (referring to your Double Chocolate Brownies which are the.bomb.com, by the way
Oh My Goodness! The juciest secret?! UHM. I was friends with this girl whose boyfriend cheated on her with this absolute despicable girl. She wasn’t very nice, she now has tons of tattoos, and she was a total partier My former friend, decided to get back at the girl, when she was going out with the boyfriend, by having sex with him every single day for a week….This past January, she had a baby girl with that guy…and I know that’s when she got pregnant, during the revenge sex…it’s so juicy! AND horrible at the same time! I don’t ever tell anyone this! Some secrets are better kept!
Wowsers, Mama Pea! I so love that your recipes are not just substitutes for the “real deal,” but are delicious in their own right.
Now don’t tell anyone, but I am going to buck tradition and ask my Canadian boyfriend to marry me when he visits in three weeks. He’s my match and by golly, I’m gonna marry that fellow!
YES! Love this! That a girl. If he’s smart, he’ll say yest to such a strong, forward-thinking woman!
Jai Normus? Is that the cousin of Hugh Jass? Bahaha!
I’m not good at keeping secrets, especially in front of my BF. Sometimes I think he can really read my mind. It’s insane!
Btw, no need to count my comment as an entry, unless you’re willing to ship some balls to Germany.
Yup, they are first cousins on their mother’s side. I’m glad you caught that!
My secret: I sometimes hide food in the back of the fridge, freezer, cabinet, etc. so boyfriend won’t eat it! He opens the door and if something does not immediately meet his eye it doesn’t even exist to him. Not me! If he hid it I would find it.
I am all about the looks of these dough balls! I’m sure Ashley will love you for it too.
My secret at the moment? Heh, I keep offering to make my boyfriend berry smoothies and then sneak handfuls of spinach into each one. What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him. In fact, I think this secret is helping him. Gotta get his veggies!
I do that too!
Let’s see… My secret is that I am incredibly in love with a multitude of people who have absolutely no idea. But then, love doesn’t have to be romantic :p
Secrets? I’m a good secret keeper, but I guess I’ll spill one…I ran into you [again] and being my shy self, didn’t say hi [again.] Oops!
im basically the worst secret keeper!!! i tend to tell my friends everything anyone else tells me…..oops ;]
My friend’s 5 year old recently started t-ball and he was overheard asking the first base coach…”Do you know what a turd is? A turd is a tiny piece of poop.” Where the heck do they come up with this stuff? I think my friend needs to practice pretending not to know whose child that is.
I love cookie giveaways!! I love cookies. Hmmm… Let’s see… My juiciest secret? I have a monster-sized crush on Beavis (from Beavis and Butthead)! Don’t tell anybody.
My BF is going to pharm school in Hawaii next month and he asked me to go sometime in the next 4-5yrs that he’s there. !!! Lots to think about….
I found out that I had celiac 5 months ago and haven’t had a chocolate chip cookie since then. Your dough balls were among the last I baked before I found out so seeing is absolutely amazing, thank you so so much! My biggest secret is that I LOVE corny paperback mystery novels and only read them in private because I’m so embarrassed!
Oh, I hope you try these then!
My juicy dough ball worthy secret? The real reason I’m flying to California tomorrow is not to visit my friends, it’s to raid the Trader Joe’s stores there!
Ha ha ha, love it!
Juiciest Secret? I feel like I have one because I can vaguely remember someone telling me not to tell someone else something. Maybe it’s not so juicy if I can’t even remember it! Also, hopefully I don’t accidentally give whatever it is away to whomever I’m not supposed to tell because I can’t remember that whatever it is is supposed to be a secret. Annnnd I hurt my head.
Thanks for the gluten-free recipeas!
“Sometimes even a blind squirrel gets a nut.”– LOL and isn’t that true! Sometimes the kitchen gods or other gods just smile down. Makes up for the other times.
Better than the original? no way!
And this: “And there was no strange flavor from the non-gluten flours–just peanutty, chocolately, doughy deliciousness.”
I am sold. I hate cooking/working with X Gum b/c I always ruin my food! I make it gel-ey and gooey and slimy but I trust you and will break out my XG again.
Juiciest secret. Omg…I have so many. Like my middle name is juicy. My entire life is one big jaw dropper. I can’t write it in a comment field
I will say that hmmm, I just spent an *absurd* amount of money on a camera body and it arrived Friday and I am in serious love. I would marry my camera if I could after just 1 day. Well worth every penny.
I would love to sit down with you and a bottle of champagne and hear your life story
Of course these look amazing.
My secret? And it is dirty.
I’m on vacation from work next week. I haven’t told a soul except my husband. Especially not my mother.
Biggest secret I’m keeping? I usually just stalk your stories/recipes without letting you know but today I want to win those balls! I’m in the prOcess of moving so I’ve packed up everything I bake with and have been craving some homemade baked goods!!
Thanks, Alyssa. I’ve never been happier to be stalked
“Some people eat dead animals, I eat dead plants.” I freakin’ love you. I have a friend who’s pregnant. Oops, spilled the beans!
I know the secret to living a completely happy life for the rest of your life:
Eat these cookies every. single. day.
Word.
Info regarding pregnancies are the juciest secrets I’ve kept. When friends tell me early and don’t want others to know, it’s very difficult.
Y-U-M!!!!
)
My juiciest secret is that I put a can of chickpeas into the chocolate chip cookies I made this weekend and didn’t tell my healthy-food-disliking husband…and he ate them up
)
I was informed that the company I used to work for had been sold before the deal went down from a source who had to sign a confidentiality agreement. Yeah not very exciting but definitely some legality issues involved and very hard not to react or respond until everyone was properly informed about that mess. What a mess lol.
I scope out all the young guys on the train to work and then check to see if they have a wedding band on. Pretty much stops there haha .
i sneak into the kitchen at night for a spoon full of PB.. i’m sure no one would ever say anything, but the fact that its a secret makes it sooo much better!
My juiciest secret?… I make healthy vegan desserts for my family.. and they like them
!! Thanks for the great recipes!
I’m having Jon Hamm’s child.
Congrats! He will be a gorgeous child.
“Some people eat dead animals. I eat dead plants.” hahahahha I love it.
My secret? I blocked my ex’s emails, changed my phone number, burned the page of the address book with her address… but I still read her twitter, blog, and articles online.
Oops.
Aw. I hope your heart heals quickly!
the best secret i ever kept was the surprise 30th anniversary party for my parents…my brothers an i had sent them to a cute little town for the weekend and had planned a surprise party for when they returned home…little did we know that they had just gotten hopelessly lost on a hike in the woods for hours and wanted to just get home and go to bed…oops!
My secret is I’m quitting my job tomorrow!! I have a new opportunity and i can’t wait!
Also, I preordered your book! But that’s no secret.
Oooh, congrats and thank you!
My secret? I made your petite vanilla bean scones yesterday and didn’t tell anyone they were vegan! Muahahah! They were a GIGANTIC hit!
That a girl!
Although, they asked for the recipe, so my secret’s about to be revealed!
oh wow! I think the biggest secret I ever kept was that I repeated a grade when we moved back in high school because I was so young!
Secret… well, I have saved money to travel for at least three months post grad school. I was thinking australia and southeast asia… and I’m terrified. Like, seriously shitting my pants scared. And now I have a couple really awesome job offers on the table, so my choices are a heck of a lot harder.
Well, it’s a 3 way tie. I guess the first is when for 3 months I didn’t tell anyone, besides my husband, that I was pregnant. 2nd would be keeping my husband’s surprise 30th birthday party a secret (which one of his friends ended up ruining, and I’m stll pissed about it 5 years later!) and 3rd would be keeping my sister’s new pregnancy a secret. I found out early on and she didn’t want to tell anyone else until her first trimester was over. It was so hard not telling my husband!
My secret is the wedding dress I will wear in two months!!! Its hanging in my closet so I guard that door with my life when my fiance comes over! We are traditional so I don’t want him to see it until the moment I walk down the aisle.
Also, iif I didn’t currently live in a hole in the wall apt with three roommates, no counter space, and no dishwasher I would make those in a second – this will be one of my first recipes I will make when my future husband and I move into our own place together (with or without the dishwasher)
Congratulations! I hope your wedding goes beautifully!
Not the juiciest secret but the most recent…I sent each of my two daughters a cuisineart as a surprise, to help enable their serious hummus addictions. They both were bemoaning how much it cost to eat lunch out and how they didn’t have time to prepare food. One received it on Friday. and immediately made hummus and pesto. The other one should receive it today. They tried to deliver it, but wouldn’t leave it without a signature. Her only clue was the notice which told her that it weighs 16 pounds. I’m making her wait…I can keep a secret
I wish I was your daughter! (I need a food processor)
GLUTEN FREE!!!!!!! YAY!!! I am SO excited to try this recipe. Having been diagnosed with Celiac Disease 3 years ago, I’ve definitely gotten used to being gluten free, but the chance to try your cooking…since these are GF….would be amazing!!
My current secret: What I’m planning for my hubby’s 30th birthday. I dare not even type it!
Hmm..I don’t think I have any secrets right now that I can share on the Interwebs, but I’ll go with the fact that my blog was a huge secret to people in “real” life until a few months ago. This is a big deal, considering I’m an attention whore and was able to keep it to myself. However, since switching the focus and revealing my “secret,” I couldn’t be happier (or more relieved.)
Oh, and I’m secretly dating Daniel Tosh. We’re trying to keep it out of the press though, so shhh….
I finally got Pea Daddy to stop watching Tosh. It was getting out of hand. The straw that broke him was when some old naked man got on top of him. You know what i’m talking about.
Oh, I don’t really watch his show and his stand-up sucks, but he’s nice eye candy and reminds me of my “one that got away.” Maybe that’s my secret…
My secret: I could not tell anyone that my friend was pregnant until she told her parents.
man, juicy secrets haven’t really been making an appearance lately, although I do know every single person in my company who is leaving in the coming months! does that count?
I LOVE the “action” shot of the dry into wet ingredients!! That Never works for me. Hmmm…biggest secret…I Love not working and don’t feel the least bit guilty about being taken care of for once in my life. (Although I do a lot of taking care of…Ralph!) So there! You’re next book should be The Adventures of Gigi and Lulu!!
My secret: I’m gluten intolerant as well.. AND soy intolerant. Yet I make all of your delicious desserts for my husband… So I always hide 1 of whatever I make, and eat it early in the day when my husbands at work. That way he’s not around when I have tummy troubles & I can still try the deliciousness.
You can make these with soy free Earth Balance! And I hope you do!
That’s the kind I use
That and this other vegan coconut butter (it’s actually buttery like butter) I’ve just discovered. This is about to be my new favorite recipe. 
I only wonder if PB chips have soy in them.. But I’m sure I could find away to substitute around that part.
Oh you are right. They do have soy lecithin. Boo.
my secret? the vodka martini i had last night with the salted caramel tart.
I have a good one! Right now Hubby and I are in the midst of planning a Disney trip for the kids. We are going in September and they don’t know a thing about it! We totally plan on not telling them till the morning we leave a videoing their reaction! Yesterday we planned 2 princess meals for the girls and a trip to pizza planet for our son so that we can see Woody and Buzz! It’s been a hard secret to keep because my oldest keeps walking around saying “all my friends have been to Disney and I haven’t” to which I reply “well, I guess you are going to have to grow up and get a job and take yourself!” hahahaha!
So fun! You have way more patience than I do. I’d spill that sucker!
The look on their faces when they find out is what is keeping my mouth shut! Plus, they would drive us crazy asking how much longer if they knew!
Secretly, I’d love to be a stay-at-home mom, but I feel like I have too much student loan debt that I feel guilty making that request. I never thought I’d have the chance to stay home, so I kept pursuing my graduate degree, and we’ll have about $70k in student loan debt altogether when I’m finished. Sigh.
I feel you girl. Follow your heart. Becoming a SAHM was the best choice I’ve ever made.
I’m going scandalous. I met a guy at a bar while traveling for work this past week and brought him back to my hotel room. First time I’ve ever brought a complete stranger “home” with me. He was really nice and normal and we had fun and I don’t regret it at all. But I also don’t think I’ll be making it a habit.
Aggggggh!!!!!
That my mom was pregnant!
We’re throwing a big surprise party for my dad’s 60th birthday in two weeks! He says he doesn’t want any celebration, I hope he’s kidding…
Keeping both of my sister’s pregnancies a secret when they were to be kept a secret were the hardest for me!!I just wanted to shout it from the rooftop because i was so thrilled to have new nieces or nephews (and they were one niece and on nephew)….and now i have another on the way!!! (this time it was much easier since I’ve done it before). Maybe it also helps that since I was living in another city the people I worked with couldn’t possible take my secret i spilled back to my sister’s town and friends!!
I bought a groupon for Botox…not something I want the neighbors to know… Or notice.
Ha ha ha ha. Is this Pea Daddy?
You are the BEST kind of friend! My whole family leeeerves your dough balls…They’r TURD-ally amazing! :O Now I know what I am going to make for everybody’s birthday, graduation, and Christmas presents.
My present secret — I hide bananas behind the toaster for my morning oatmeal. Shh…Bananas are my security blanket
Cute!
By a twist of fate, I learned that 90% of the conversations between two of my co-workers are about me and how much they hate me and how my voice is like nails on a chalkboard, etc. I know pretty much everything they’ve ever said about me, but every day I go into work and pretend like I have no idea and that I think we’re friends. I’m smiling because I know that what goes around comes around…lol.
Oh no, that’s so sad. I don’t think your voice is annoying at all.
Stay strong, girl. You are loved, even if it’s not by these terrible people!
Hmmm a secret…
A friend told me she broke up with her boyfriend (of 5 years!) but wasn’t ready to tell the rest of our girlfriends. It was so tough because it was huge news! They had been our “first friend wedding” bet. But she finally told them. (And is WAY happier now). Phew.
YUM dough balls! Sans gluten!
I am keeping a juicy secret RIGHT NOW! My sister is pregnant! She is sensitive to gluten so these would be a nice present to tide her over until she can share her secret!
You’ll have to make her some either way!
I suppose this isn’t technically a secret, but I work for child protective services and I absolutely love it. I love being able to make a real, true difference in children’s lives. I try to keep that info on the DL though, just in case anyone I’ve pissed off decides to go a little Google happy.
My mid-day break involves reading all my favorite food blogs!
That is a great secret! I used to clerk at the Department of Justice in law school and helped to terminate parental rights of abusive or neglectful parents so that their kids would be freed for adoption, and aside from what I’m doing now, that was my favorite job I ever had! It really was so fulfilling!!!
My sister called me right when she found out she was pregnant with my nephew. Her husband didn’t know even that I knew the news for the next ten weeks! I had to act all surprised when they went public with the news.
I am so excited that you made this recipe gluten free…I can’t wait to try making them!
Wow – after reading some of these secrets, my secret is that my life is Bo-ring. And I love it that way!
Aren’t these secrets great though? Forget watching The Bachelorette tonight, this is awesome! Okay, I’ll still watch The Bachelorette.
After trying for two years to get pregnant, keeping my pregnancy quiet for 12 exruciatingly long weeks was definitely the toughest secret to keep!
LOL at the Jai Normous chocolate chip jar…. along the lines of the TURD-le comment, I am envisioning Gigi or Lulu going into Whole Foods or TJs one day, asking where the Jai Normous chocolate chips are, as opposed to the Chipits or some other brand. (It’s probably something I would have done as a kid too.)
Regarding the xanthan gum, I’m so glad to see that you use it! I also add it to my smoothies for thickness but I know a lot of people have said bad things about it because it’s made from bacteria, which is kinda gross. If it’s good enough for Mama Pea, it’s good enough for me!
Trust me, a lot of people put far worse things in their mouth. I’ll leave it at that.
Hmm… senior year of high school a friend and I took a “on a whim” trip to Chicago (we were in KY) for New Years. We stayed at a friend of a friend’s house, and drove back early that morning. We decided to tell our parents on our Senior graduation video, let’s just say summer wasn’t too much fun…
Oh my gosh, I just remembered a huge secret that I never told anyone! It’s very similar
But since I can’t win, I’m not spilling it.
omg-i want those balls of goodness!! i don’t really have a secret-im like you-I have to tell! umm, i guess my secret is that i cannot wait to get engaged and plan my wedding, even after i swore to my mom that i would not have the big shindig and become bridezilla like ahem, my older sister…
My little secret……I fed my meat-loving family (hubby and two teenagers) a vegetarian meal three nights in a row and no one noticed! Muahahahahaha
Secretly, I usually the one that stinks up behind the counter at work. Darn vegetables.
I feel you.
And smell you.
these look sooo good! my latest secret was the speech i wrote for my best friend who just got married on saturday, she loved it
My secret…we’re trying for baby number 2 and I am overwhelmed at that thought. Last night I was just thinking of whipping up a batch of dough balls this week, yummy. As I’m typing this my son is yelling, “Lu-Pea, Lu-Pea,” which is his way of saying Lulu Pea. He’s obsessed with seeing pictures of Lulu when I’m reading your blog in the morning.
Oh no! I’m getting a restraining order against your son
(congrats on “trying!”)
Secretly
I’m withholding child. And no one knows.
Sooo…..yaaaaaaaa…….haha.
Do you mean you are “with child?” If so, congrats!
Haha yes I realized I was half asleep when I wrote this just very excited for a giveaway!
Let’s see…dating my college friend’s best friend without him noticing or driving 5 hours 1 way to visit him was pretty sneaky.
That my best friend’s gf is cheating on him…eeek!!!
That me and my husband are trying to have a baby!
Congrats and good luck!!!
My secret is a sad one, sorry if I am debbie downer on this one. We are putting our dog Pete to sleep on Thursday. We’ve had him for 10 years (my husband and I got him when we were only dating). Pete is having a lot of trouble with his hind legs and the anti-inflamatory and pain medication he is on just doesn’t seem to be helping as much as it used to, so walking is a real chore and he has to be carried up the steps each night for bed.
My kids don’t know this secret and I am not sure exactly when I will tell them.
Oh, I’m so sorry, Rachel. I’ll pray that you find the right words to tell your kiddos and that you guys are able to heal from your loss. Hugs!
Thank you MP we need all that we can get.
I’m throwing a surprise birthday party for my boyfriend!
(I’m pretty sure he doesn’t read vegan food blogs, so I think we’re safe on this one.)
I’ve been secretly making your dough balls gluten-free since you first posted the recipe! W/Bob’s GF Flour Mix, no less!!!
Aren’t they awesome?!
Gluten free girl speaking. What is my secret? That I will be ticked off it some gluten eaters enter! Just kidding. Probably for my dad’s 50th surprise party. He had no idea, but I have no idea how. I swear we are a family full of bad liars!
I’ve vegan and my family doesn’t know! Probably not secret worthy, buuut their anticipated reaction calls for keeping it a secret a little longer!
I totally understand. I still don’t really own that “label.” But I’m okay with that.
My secret? I love you so much for making these GF.
Okay – that’s not the real secret, but it’s the real truth.
The real big secret I kept recently (as in a few months ago) was that my sister was pregnant. She made me keep it from my MOM!!! (for like 3 days.) It was hard.
I love you evil genius baking mind! The biggest secret I have kept lately was my husband’s 30th surprise birthday party. A great sucess, he had no idea. It was on Saturday and I think we are just about recovered! Some dough balls would be a great addition to his actual birthday this week! (or maybe winning them would become my new secret. He can’t miss what he doesn’t know about right?)
It’s funny your post is about secrets, because last week my best friend told me he is gay and dating one of our former teachers- a lot to absorb, especially bc he and I used to date. He has only told his family and his 3 closest friends. He told me I could tell our friends if I want, but I truly feel it is his place.
Wow, that’s a lot to swallow!
No big secrets here except that I’ve been secretly dying to try your dough balls but worried that they wont live up to my expectations if I make them. I’m sure if YOU make them, they’ll be great
I promise, you can’t screw these up!
That my sister had a stripper over to our house for her friend’s 18th birthday. My parents eventually found out and were livid (understandably so!)
Ha ha ha!!!
Wow, this has been a tough task to think about a secret…OK, this is totally embarassing but when I was in 7th or 8th grade my friends and I used to go rollerskating all.the.time. 7-11 baby! I used to wear Love’s baby soft spray and my roll on lip smackers since I wasn’t allowed to wear make up, and technically perfume and lipgloss were ok. Can you tell this was the 80′s?!?! Here’s the secret…I was so convinced that I would meet the coolest and cutest boys from other schools that I kept little papers in my pocket with me name and number on them to give out to the lucky fellows I was sure to meet.
And yes, the i’s in my name were dotted with bubble hearts. ;o)
You little hussy, Tricia!
The secret I’m keeping right now (not from everyone, but mostly) is that I’m 14 weeks pregnant! I wonder if they all think I’m just getting fat…
Congratulations, Ann!
I’m trying to start my own business but can’t tell anyone I work with…. they don’t even know about my blog!
My g-f sister would be a happy girl with these dough balls!
i’m quitting my job soon to move back north for an even better job!
I’m almost done my PhD in Public Health, but I think I’d rather end up becoming a yoga instructor…sigh. Don’t tell my supervisor!
My secret is that I sneak spinach into my kids beloved smoothies…and use fake meat (crumbles) instead of cow in their tacos…and no one notices! I know this isn’t a good juicy secret…it was the best I could think of quickly.
I want those dough balls!!!
I have a lot of secrets, that people tell me. Stop telling me secrets darnit! My head is full of them! Anyway, those aren’t MY secrets, those are other peoples.
I don’t really have any secrets of my own? But I sure know some juicy ones.
Anyway, I love your blog and Ashley’s too but that’s no secret!
Thanks, Mary!
Juiciest secret? While I love my children, sometimes I’d rather just curl up in bed with a good book and let me husband take care of them.
Well, duh!
I didn’t tell my mom that my wife was expecting until she was almost 4 months
When I was little my older brother would never lift up the seat to use the potty and I told him if he didn’t stop doing that I was going to clean off the seat with his pillow. He didn’t believe me that I would….
But I totally did.
And I have never told him for fear my life as I know it would be in jeopardy.
You actually wiped his pillow on the toilet? And I thought I was a mean sister!
Oh trust me, compared to the torture I was put through, that was NOTHING!
And also, I mean, is there anything grosser than sitting on a wet toilet seat? It was well-deserved… (muahahaha)
I have a super juicy secret of my best friend’s but I cannot tell a soul. But it’s very juicy, I promise you that.
I keep a secret stash of cookies away from the kids
Who doesn’t?
Those look out of this world. The juiciest secret I’ve ever kept is actually not even my own.
As the person who once invited her parents to an erotic poetry show I was part of in college, I don’t have all that many secrets except for the fact that I tend to make my boyfriend’s favorite foods at very strategic times, like when I’m having a busy week and it would be really, really awesome if he’d maybe take care of the grocery shopping/laundry/cleaning the bathroom?
Now that’s just plain smart. Erotic poetry readings with the parents, not so much.
I don’t know what’s worse—that I invited them, or that they actually came to the show!
my big secret is that I’m pregnant (and so are a few others, by the looks of these comments!). however, if my boobs get any bigger, the guys I work with are going to start making comments! and I have celiac so I would LOVE to win!
Congratulations, Kat!!!
Back in high school a week after I got my brand new car I reversed into a dumpster and got a big ol’ dent in my back bumper. I drove it back to school and was freaking out b/c my parents would flip! So I played my vb game that night and afterwards acted like someone must have hit and run my car in the parking lot to avoid getting trouble by my parents lol…..that was 7 years ago and I’ve grown up a little since then hahaha.
My first semester in college, I was paired with a roommate that was crazy…I mean seriously, that girl needed to be committed! She once told me, while my boyfriend was over, mind you, that she believed she was a man trapped in a girl’s body who wanted to be with men! I would also catch her staring at me sometimes at night while I was trying to sleep. When I packed up to leave at the end of the semester, she was nowhere to be found so I took her toothbrush, wiped the inside of the toilet with it and then put in back with her things!
I don’t even know what to say about that one! Aghh!
My friends always tell me news and then say “but don’t say anything yet.” Right now I know one of my friends is pregnant, but she won’t tell anyone until she hits the 3 month mark (she called me the day she took the pregnancy test) and another friend and her husband are separating. Glad I could tell someone! LOL
my best kept secret was when my sister’s fiance was proposing. it was quite the ordeal in which the whole family was involved… and i kept it a secret for almost 4 months!! ay yay yay!
My cousin told me she was pregnant after she told her parents, but she never told the rest of the family (it wasn’t exactly planned…). My mom and dad found out when she gave birth…and I knew all along! A year later, a different cousin did the exact.same.thing.
I knew that my best friend was pregnant with her first child.. but she made me keep it a secret until she was ready to announce it to the family. TORTURE! I am horrible with secrets!
Secret kept – I knew my roommate was getting engaged a couple of months before she did. Her boyfriend (well, now ex) wanted to show me the ring to see if she would like it and help out on springing the surprise. She tried everything to get it out of me because she hates surprises. But she knew nothing until the big day.
Secret leaked – When my sister was pregnant with her first. I could not keep that bad boy in for ANYTHING. Granted I did not tell me folks but she was really mad. Thankfully she forgave me.
I would love to have some of those GF dough balls.
No real secrets here except that I’ve been on the job hunt and have even been on an interview or 2 and no one that I work with has the slightest idea. Boring huh!
My secret – I ate the last cookie. And your last bagel. And your sandwich. Sorry boyfriend.
Well, how about one someone told that they weren’t supposed to? A friend in high school let it slip that I liked a certain guy. So embarrassing. And now I look back on it and think “Really? Was it the end of the world?” It was then (or seemed like it) but isn’t now. I just remember being so embarrassed. And now that someone is my friend on Facebook and is still as arrogant as he was then. Why did I like him? ew.
I’ve had that happen to me too. I was completely mortified.
My juiciest secret was probably when I got my first tattoo and kept it from my family! I made such a big deal of telling them that my dad thought I was telling him that I was knocked up!
i alwaayyss pick off the mushrooms and bell peppers whenever we order pizza for dinner..secretly. and when my parent’s start asking questions about why the pizza has no veggies, i tell them domino’s is just skimp on veggies.
Ha ha, that is funny!
I secretly have a crush on Adam McQuaid of the Boston Bruins, heehee.
Well I’m sure have I kept several secrets but the one that comes to mind now is when my sister and I threw a huge party while my parents were out of town – we were 16 and 12 at the time and we had lots of cleaning up to do before they came home and trash to hide! Lets just say the MANY cars parked all along our road gave it away to the neighbors on what was going on and the neighbors let our parents know. We lived in a small town and you could not get away with anything in that town! : )
I would LOvE to have some of those dough balls.
The biggest secret I kept was when the hubby and I bought our first house. We kept it secret from his parents for a week until we could get them over to show it to them. We told them we were thinking about putting an offer in on a house but wanted them to see it first. When we got there they asked us to call our realtor to see if someone could let us in, that’s when my hubby pulled the key from his pocket and told them we had bought it. They were shocked!
My sister-in-law confided in me that she has a tattoo on her backside that she got many, many years ago. It’s a fun secret to hold over her head.
I current “secret:” I am in the middle of planning a surprise engagement party for my best friend, but I am terrible at keeping secrets too so I keep dropping hints! I don’t know if she’s picked up on it yet.
You know how sometimes your signals get mixed when you do two things at once, like typing a word someone says in the middle of your sentence? Well I did that, except I reached for my toast and expected it to be a doughball. Talk about disappointment!
Best secret ever was kept FROM me. My husband, Samuel (then boyfriend), and my mom and dad, mom’s side of the family, and several of our friends all managed to keep from me for a solid month that when I was to fly home to NC for Christmas, he would be flying out on Christmas day to propose! He drove through blocked roads because of a blizzard to get to the airport, broke his watch, two delayed flights, and ended up getting there at about 9:30 instead of about one o’clock; but he made it and shocked the living daylights out of me!! In hindsight, there were several very odd occurances that could’ve made me suspicious: Mom, who are you texting on Christmas day… in your closet? Grandma, who is that extra plate of dinner for? Hats off to the many people who were in on it!
I’m not a big keeper of secrets, but I’ve kept many pregnancies (my own and friends’) a secret.
I’m keeping the secret of what our baby girl’s name will be after she’s born! It’s driving my family crazy. (it’s not juicy, but… I’m kinda lame.)
Secret kept: When I was newly married I made cookies and left some of the cookie dough in tupperware in the fridge. One night when my husband was at class I finished off all the cookie dough in the fridge (it was oatmeal chocolate chip!) and didn’t want him to know so I quickly made another batch. True story!
I told my husband we are DONE having kids (we have 3), but I may just have another one in me (not literally)!
I am a very good secret keeper and people seem to like to tell me things so right now I know way too many things about way too many people. Right now though a very not fun one is that I happen to know an acquaintance is sleeping with other girls despite having a fiancee (also an acquantaince). Yea not cool.
Mama pea…you are my hero! I am gluten intolerant and I always drool over your dough balls BUT now I can make some of my own
I am super excited. So here is my big secret that my husband and I still have not shared with anyone…We eloped prior to our family wedding but never told anyone.We wanted it to be spcial only between us without all the focus on flowers, gifts, etc. Only we know what our real wedding anniversary date is 
I want to move to the Northwest and live on a sailboat. That is my secret wish. Hope I win!!
These come at the right time since I recently found out my son is gluten intolerant! The biggest secret was what we were going to name our son. I know it doesn’t sound like much, but to our families it was torture!
Mmm, I would so love to win these! Can I win them even though I am in Canada? I hope so!!
Definitely that I eat cookie dough raw (and yell at the kids for it!)
My best friend’s boyfriend just told me he is going to propose to her soon and showed me the engagement ring. This secret is going to be hard to keep!
You have the biggest heart, I love how much you care for your friends and readers alike!
My juicy secret? Well, it’s not so juicy! I made Angela’s dough balls (oh she glows), boyfriend LOVES them, but he doesn’t know they’re vegan. I’m planning to tell him when he finishes off the batch
Opps I forgot to tell a secret.. Okay.. my secret is… I have a pet monkey! That could be a real secret….
I just found out my cousin got engaged!!! But they haven’t officially announced it yet so I have to keep my mouth shut. So hard!
Oh, and promise not to tell anyone else
These balls look out of this world!
OMG! These look amazing and IT’S MY BIRTHDAY TOO!!!
I found out my sis-in-law is preggers, but I can’t spill the beans for another few weeks! Can’t wait to tell everyone I’ll be an Aunt again!!
YUM!
One of the best secrets I had to keep was when my parents surprised my in laws (yes, they are the best of friends! I am very lucky!) by showing up in Aukland, NZ to meet them on the cruise ship for a 3 week trip around NZ and Australia.
The picture of my Mom in Law’s face upon opening her cabin door to find my parents standing there is priceless!!
The juiciest secret I have kept was that my Brother and Sister in Law were doing fertility treatments. Low and behold they worked and as of this very morning I have a beautiful niece!
ITS ALMOST MY BIRTHDAY!!!!!
I think my boyfriend is buying me a diamond but i dont know for sure.
My secret is…I didn’t wash my hair this morning! Ahh don’t tell anyone
I did shower though. Oh and it’s no secret that I’d love to win those dough balls!!
Oh man, I go days on end without washing mine. You’re safe.
My kids love my gf brownies but they have no idea the flour has been replaced with a can of organic black beans! Shhh, don’t tell!
When i was little, my sister and i weren’t crazy about veggies, so we slipped some of our baby carrots into our mom’s hot water kettle. She used it every morning for making coffee and soon enough, she started complaining that her coffee tasted strange… maybe even like carrots… We kept our secret for a couple of weeks (pretty miraculous for two little mischiefmaking kids) and are still pretty proud of that feat. Mom can laugh about it now, too, especially since hot-water-dispensers have since been invented.
Oh my gosh, that’s disgusting!
I don’t even need the baked dough balls. Just give me the dough!!!
I’m pretty bad with keeping secrets myself. I’m such a blabbermouth, especially when it comes to throwing surprise parties
Yum!
Right now, my only real secret is the baby names DH and I like- there are just some people whose opinions we don’t want to hear!
I suck at keeping secrets… I do keep the money I find in the laundry as a ‘donation’ for my services. And I ‘forget’ to mention in to my husband, does that count?
Thanks for the info about xanthum gum.
The last time I made your balls, we decided not to bake them!! They tastes JUST like cookie dough!
I love balls.
I’m pretty good at keeping secrets, but the biggest one I had to keep was when I found out my friend’s boyfriend was going to propose to her…and then I had to wait for them to announce it, even though I wanted to call her the day after I knew it had happened.
We surprised my husband for his 40th birthday – friends from far and wide came to surprise him. It was difficult to keep that secret, but I did….by some miracle
Loved the info about xanthum gum – every time I’ve seen it as an ingredient in your smoothies I was chalking it up to being an additional protein of some kind!
I’m not a terrible secret keeper, but I’m not the worst, either. The oldest, most scandalous secret I’ve ever kept (and am still keeping) is that the week before a good friend’s wedding, I found out that the groom was harboring secret feelings for another good friend, and that they’d made out a few times during the week leading to the wedding. Wedding went off without a hitch and groom was never tattled on. Seven years later, they’re still married and seemingly happy…. !!!
Then it’s a good thing you didn’t tell!
I just planned an awesome surprise bachelorette party for my sister who I talk to every day. It was so hard to keep a secret but it happened this weekend and went perfectly!
We went to the humane society and got my brother a puppy…i only had to keep the puppy a secret for about an hour, but it was tough.
Now, if I tell you (and everyone else on the internets) my secret, it won’t be a secret anymore! But it’s a good one
These look awesome!
My secret is when I made the original doughballs, I didn’t tell my boyfriend they were vegan. In fact, I never tell him when any of my baked goods are vegan. But he still loves them!
I really need to stop reading your blog when I’m hungry! I know a certain boy {turning 5 next week} that will greatly appreciate these dough balls
Juicest secret that I have had to keep is about a friend having an affair on her husband. Her husband found out — so it wasn’t keeping it from him — but she didn’t want some of our friends to know. It’s a hard secret to keep believe me, but my lips are stealed!
I always hide the ripe bananas from my family so I can save them for banana oatmeal….and I hide broccoli at the back of the fridge. No idea why I do that, since I don’t think they’ll be fighting me for broccoli anytime soon!
When I was little (about 4 years old) I loved playing in mom’s jewelry box. One day while playing dressup, I broke a strand of my mom’s pearls and they went rolling everywhere! In sheer panic I shoved what I could find in my pockets, socks and places that shouldn’t be mentioned. To my suprise, I was not as stealth as I thought I was. My mom shortly figured out what I did by finding a white pearl shoved up my left nostril. If that sucker would have been a tad smaller, I would have been money…I could have blamed it on the dog. I wish this was made up, this IS a true story.
Ha ha ha ha! Oh man. That is so funny!
These are the best post answers EVER!
My secret (that I’m keeping from one half of my family) is that my 73 year-old mother was “over-served” Pinot Gris at an Applebee’s and had a little incident with the law on her drive home. It’s SUCH a funny story that it’s hard for me to not tell it, but I know she’d rather I not. I’ve told EVERYONE else except my dad’s side of the family (even though they’ve been divorced for over 30 years).
I know, aren’t they fun? Your poor mom. I bet she was mortified! And at Applebee’s no less!
I planned and executed a trip to surprise my best friend in WA (I live in FL) the day after her husband deployed and I knew she’d be sad. I couldn’t tell ANYone that I was flying cross-country in case they blabbed via Facebook, Twitter, etc… except for my dad since he had to pick me up from the airport and he barely knows how to turn a computer on.
Rosebud is a sled…. SH!!
Ooo a secret? That’s a hard one because I normally don’t want to know when someone tells me they have a secret! I guess I can’t handle the pressure. I do have some embarrassing stories about my friends that they would never want me to repeat from when they were in college…
I am a horrible secret keeper. My boyfriend’s 30th birthday is in February and I want to do a surprise party, but I’m a little nervous about actually keeping it a secret!
Biggest secret i have ever kept is that i knew my husband was going to propose the morning he did it. I had known for days but i didnt want to ruin it for him because i knew how badly he wanted me to be suprised.
Im crazy for a cowboy. There I said it.
My shameful secret is that when I made the regular cookie dough balls, they turned out terribly
I don’t know what went wrong but they wern’t very good! I was so disapointed, I havn’t had the guts to try again!
Oh no! Really? This is the first complaint I’ve heard! What was wrong with them? Did you make any substitutions?
I had trouble with the cookie dough balls the second time I made them. They turned out very dry. I think it comes down to the oiliness of the peanut butter. This happens to me a lot when I use more natural PBs.
Good to know! That’s why I suggested maybe adding milk to make the dough not quite so dry. Hope you try again!
Don’t get me wrong – that was not a complaint! I’m sure it’s just because I lack mama pea-esqe skills in the kitchen. I did sub all purpose whole wheat flour for the pastry….I do that normally with no problems but that could have been it. The texture was funny and they didn’t have a great flavour. I’ll have to suck it up and try again!
These look so FREAKING good….gonna have to make these TODAY! My best secret…I’m having pin-up photos taken of me for my hubby’s birthday present. He loves pin-up anything and I can’t wait for the big reveal…he’s gonna be so surprised!!!!
That’s very cool! I’m not sure I would have the nerve.
I’m currently keeping a secret from my work that I’m leaving my job to move from DC to NC to join my husband (we’re apart because he’s in the military) in August! I know I have to spill the beans soon… but right now it’s still hush hush
I hope I win! My biggest secret is how much money I spend on decorating our house. I never buy something we can’t pay cash for, so my husband knows he doesn’t have to worry, and most everything I buy is reasonable, but that $1600 vintage-unique-amazing-one of a kind-beautiful lamp I fell in love with – well, he’ll never know how much that cost!
I could never keep that a secret…we share all of our bank accounts/credit cards!
I’d rather reveal a secret about myself! I have dancing on a bar on my bucket list. So tacky but I so want to do it at least once!
Despite what my friends and family think, my hubbie and I are starting to have the “baby talk” and it is completely freaking me out!!!!!
Secret? Whenever I–or any member of my family–take my dog on a long walk, we try to get him to do his number 2 business deep in bushes of ivy so that we literally can’t manage to pick it up. I figure it helps with some sort of composting and no one is ever going to step on it. Still, it’s funny nonetheless! We probably look pretty hilarious standing around begging him to poop in a bush.
My biggest secret was having a boyfriend when I was 12 (we stayed together until I was 14) he was my first kiss and the most wonderful kisser ever! Seems so funny and silly to say this now, but it was a big deal back them, we had the best time as it was all truly innocent. He is the sweetest memory I have of my teenage years.
And omg, those doughballs look amaaaaazing! Another secret: I never ate a doughball.
Ana
I’m thee worst secret keeper! My best friend once told me that she was at Walmart buying adult diapers for her mom who had just gotten liposuction and not to tell ANYONE. I promptly called my mom and told her so we could laugh about it. I’m a bad friend…
Oh no….I’m sorry, but that is so hilarious!
Hey Mama Pea…there is NO WAY a “Jai Normus jar of chocolate chips” could last in our kitchen. I have to hide them from my husband (okay I may a eat a few…). I have to make anything involving “found” chocolate chips within 24 hours. Speaking of which I made some kick butt vegan cchip cookies with oat flour yesterday (it was a mini batch and they are all gone). I’ll have to try out the dough balls sometime soon!
We used to have to hide ours too, but with a Jai Normus jar, they seem to have lost their appeal. You only want what you can’t have!
My parents used to surprise me and my brother all the time with trips, I’ve never pulled off a surprise as good as theirs, but my friends do confide in my pretty often and I keep all their secrets
Keep the awesome recipes coming, I love reading your blog!!!
The biggest secret I have had to keep it that I was pregnant. It was soooo hard! But, we wanted to tell the family in person, so we had to wait since we live out of town. Seeing their reactions made it all worth it
My Secret: I have a huge crush on Gerard Butler…
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Keeping my third pregnancy a secret from my mom until I could tell her in person. She almost spit out her food at PF changs. So excited about the gluten free dough balls!
I’m horrible as keeping secrets too!
I got a tattoo on my foot on a Friday night and told my Dad through tears on Monday morning.
I was 18, completely sober, and the symbol I got stands for the strength in the trinity.
I’m BA… using abbreviations doesn’t break the “swear jar” rules, right? Haha
What is the symbol? I’ve heard foot tattoos HURT! And yes, you are BA.
My secret is that I am becoming a bit obsessed with finding vegan food that my husband will eat. I’m not a vegan (but here’s secret #2: I want to be!) but I definitely think a vegan diet is best and I love making/buying vegan food. However, every time my husband finds out something is vegan he immediately dislikes it. Men!
It’s not really a secret, but my dad was laid off in May and we had to sign up for food stamps. We are so grateful that we are eligible for food stamps, it is such a blessing! My dad found a job with his friend from church, and we are so grateful for that. The company isn’t going to be making money for a while, since it’s just starting up, so we’ll need food stamps for a while.
These dough balls look delicious, I am so surprised to hear that they don’t taste funny from the GF flours! That’s amazing, YOU’RE AMAZING!
No shame, Kayla! I’ll pray that your family gets back on their feet soon!
My best kept secret… My grandma’s surprise retirement party. I was younger at the time and was terrible about keeping secrets- I found out by accident and my mom was worried I would ruin it.
I also kept my pregnancy a secret for the first trimester from every one except my husband. I was so sick and so scared something bad would happen that I was afraid to tell. Next time, I think I will tell close family earlier- it was so hard not to tell!
I suppose the secret I have now is that after saying forever that I don’t want to be a doctor or go to medical school-I get that question a lot because my parents are doctors-now I’m thinking that I maybe really do! The dough balls look delicious and nice job on your TV segment the other day!
Oh how I miss cookies! I haven’t found a good gf recipe I love, this will be tried next!
Hmm, secret? The siding on the house that our bbq melted may have been my fault, and not my man’s like I told him. Apparently I’m never too old to shift blame!
Secret: I crave steamed dumplings pretty much everyday. Did I mention I’m vegan?
Any upcoming plans for vegan dumpling recipes???
That’s a great idea! I actually found vegan wonton wrappers the other day!
i work as a paralegal in a law firm. i’ve been keeping a secret from my boss that this isn’t the field i want to pursue, and i’m going back to school to pursue a degree in nutrition to become a RD
Hooray!
One of my middle school BFFs is proposing to to other BFF (his girlfriend) in 3 weeks! I’ve known for 2 months… I helped him pick out the ring… I see her every Monday, Friday, Saturday…. I am going to explode!
Those look yummy! And I don’t say that about a lot of things lately because my secret is that I’m pregnant with out third baby!
Congratulations!!!
Ohhh my these look amazing!!!!
I am really good at keeping secrets.. but here’s one of them: A group of friends were at a restaurant for a fundraiser, My mom and I decided to stop by after a Zumba class and I was happy we did because one of my close girlfriends told me she was pregnant and that none of our other girlfriends knew (we have a really close group of 10 girlfriends), so I couldn’t tell anyone. Right after leaving the restaurants I had plans to go and meet up with one of my other best friends… it was so hard to not tell her the good news!!! That’s all I could think about!! I appreciate trustworthy friends and I know they appreciate me.. so I didn’t tell
UMMMMMMM…..I may or may not have a countdown to the last Harry Potter movie in my planner. Woops!
Ha ha ha ha. I would keep that one under wraps.
I’m better at keeping secrets than I am about not revealing what people are getting as presents. I can’t buy presents too far out from someone’s birthday because I want to immediately give it to them. For Christmas I had already gotten my husband’s presents and I was begging him to just let me give them to him like a month early. Yeah…he wasn’t having it!
I’m going to have to get some more courage to get back in GF baking. I have been avoiding it because in addition to my intolerance of gluten, I am also intolerant of xanthan gum. And that doesn’t always yield good results!
I have a delicious secret! One of my best friend’s boyfriend is about to propose to her! After 7 years together! And he’s going to do it in the midst of their vacation to Spain and Greece! I am SO excited for her, and she is going to freak out…I can hardly stand it!
I want to go on vacation with them. Don’t they need a personal vegan chef?
These look amazing! My secret is…I buy toys on sale for my son and hide them in my closet. My husband has no idea, but my son does;)
biggest secret I ever kept was that I was having twins…. sadly I couldn’t keep it for long though because I turned into a HOUSE.
I want to win! I need to be convinced that these kinds of food can taste as real as the originals!
My juiciest secret that we haven’t announced to the public is that we’re hopefully at the end of a short sale and will get our own amazing house after living in a shoebox apartment for nearly 5 years.
This must be fun for you… I may read some of the comments to find out who’s pregnant, seeing the pool boy, and secretly hiding a Manolo addiction from their husband.
I would love to win some dough balls!! My secret is…sometimes (often) I secretly don’t wash my hair after going to the gym…shh, don’t tell
my mom and sister are gluten intolerant, so thanks for this great recipe!!
My secret is a silly one, but nearly every morning I make banana nut pancakes for breakfast and I always make a smiley face with the bananas and walnuts in the batter. No one can ever tell once the pancakes are cooked but I enjoy them a little more knowing there’s a smiley face in there!
The juiciest, most exciting secret I know is that someone in my family is starting the process to adopt a child! I can’t wait, because they’re going to make amazing parents someday.
That’s a wonderful secret!
SO EXCITING!
My secret is that I really, really miss the Oprah show. Sigh.
Ha ha, she’s not even really gone yet!
I loved the original recipe and can’t even imagine anything being better. Will definitely have to try these!
I guess the best secret I ever kept was waiting 12 weeks to tell anyone when we were expecting. Hard to do, but I did it!
My secret?
I just started a vegan blog 2 days ago, and I’m nervous about if I will keep it, or if it will succeed! I’m thinking about adding gluten free products to my list of must bakes…
I’m going to go read it!!!!
I’m terrible at keeping secrets, but I secretly wish I could quit my job and become a yoga teacher!
I’m secretly shopping for a new house.
I have to keep my choc. chips in the freezer, and even then I’m dipping into them constantly if they’re around! I have the perfect, empty, transparent canister sitting out, too, but I don’t dare. I need to fill it with something like Walmart colored gumballs, something pretty I won’t be grabbing at each sight. Though those might be ok in a pinch, too…
My boss is planning to quit one week after I leave to take a new job. Hope no one from work is reading!
I’m too boring. I can’t even think of a secret to make up, how sad is that? I’m the HR Manager and I faked sick last Friday. That’s the “best” I’ve got.
I have two close friends, who used to be close friends with each other themselves but over the years grew apart and recently, one of the friends, a guy, really doesn’t like the other friend, a girl. He wrote a Facebook message to her about how he thinks she’s so snotty and how she thinks she’s uber superior to all the others – and then he sent me what he wrote. She read the message and immediately called me, saying how degrading the message was. I was about to say, “I know what it says” but then thought better and ended up saying, “Really? Exactly how degrading was it?”
Those. look. amazingly. delicious. Right now I keep little secrets around the house – when I see the things that I know my husband will love, I’ll buy it for his birthday or Christmas. But since those are both in the winter, I’ll often buy gifts in the Spring and Summer and have to hide them for several months around the house in places he won’t look. There’s a gift under my bathroom sink, in the bottom shelf of my bookcase, in the trunk of my car….sometimes I even forget about them and discover a present when I’m cleaning out my car – after Christmas is over!
Ooh fun! I’m a terrible secret-keeper. So terrible that I almost ALWAYS tell my husband what he’s getting for his birthday/Christmas/anniversary way before the actual date.
My secret is that I Tivo and watch The Vampire Diaries regularly. Ugh, I’m so embarrassed. I try not to tell people that I watch a teenage vampire TV show.
My junior year of college, I told my parents I couldn’t come home for spring break because I had been asked to work a big event all week at my internship. In reality, I went to Vegas with my roommates and had the best week of my life! Sometimes you really just have to play hard to work hard.
The biggest secrets I’ve had to keep have been associated with pregnancy, my own or friends who are pregnant or trying, etc. It’s really hard not telling anyone, especially when you’re so excited!
I cannot keep a secret to save my life. The last time I tried to keep a secret was about a month ago when we decided to buy my daughter a car when she gets her license. We didn’t want her to know until then because we knew she would be on us nonstop until she gets both. Well… I blurted it out one night when she wanted me to drive her some where. And now..I pay for it every day when I hear “when I get my car…” and then “when am I getting my license and car?”
I watch Real Housewives episodes online more than I let on, ie- they take up a gross amount of my time!!
I am having a horrible time coming up with a secret. My boyfriend and I are traveling cross country in August and my parents don’t know yet because they don’t approve of us staying together in hotels (granted I am almost 22).
One of my dogs may or may not have chewed up my boyfriend’s favorite hat……I hid the evidence and let him think that he lost it. I should probably buy him a new hat…..
Those look amazing!! I hope I win; mine always turn out to be greaseballs!
Im terrible at keeping secrets so I really dont have any. As soon as I hear something or do something everyone knows! Can I still win?!?! PLEASE!
If I tell you it won’t be a secret anymore!
Thanks for making something gluten free. Our tummies like that better too!
Oooh…..I just bought these trashy looking sequin glitter shoes for my 5 year old niece who has been BEGGING for them. I keep telling her…”There is no way I am spending my hard earned money on trashy glitter shoes”…but I ordered them for her! Shhhhhh
My biggest secret is that I never learned to ride a bike–now I’m afraid to learn!
I can’t stop shopping online. It’s just too easy!
My biggest secret was that my ex-roommate had a year and a half long affair with an older guy we used to work with. It was SO awkward, he was always over at weird hours and the apartment wasn’t THAT big, so I used to hear… things. Oh gosh it was awful!
I’m addicted to hummus (that is no secret) but this is….every time I go to the grocery store (literally across the street from our neighborhood – less than a mile) I buy hummus and veggies/crackers to dip. I have yet to make it across the road without opening up the hummus and demolishing half the tub before getting home. When I do make it home, I smear the hummus around and Forrest never knows that half the tub is already in my belly
YUM. I really want a pet but my bf wants to wait since we still live in an apartment and pets can get expensive. But he’s gone for work a lot during fire season and I want a little companion! I am seriously & secretly thinking about adopting a kitten and not even telling him, hoping he’ll just love it once its home!
Perfect! I’m going to make these for my sister-in-law who can’t have gluten.
My secret is that I gave my little sister’s Barbie a haircut (when we were younger), and then told her my friend did it when she got mad.
My secret is that I really miss my boyfriend more than ever! We were long distance all in college and it wasn’t too bad, but for some reason now that he is traveling for work and Im waiting to start grad school it is much worse! I get to see him in 2.5 weeks though!!
You are just too sweet. This was a surprise worth breaking. I can’t wait to try them!! Thank you so so much!!!
It’s hard to believe they’re better than the original!
MMMMMMMMM! My biggest secret? Probably that I miss my ex boyfriend a lot. But he’s coming to visit:)
I suck at keeping secrets too! lol. I can’t even think of one that I have right now. I think the only secret I had ever kept quiet was my eating disorder until about a week ago.
I secretly wish I could wake up one morning and think of NOTHING BUT healthy recipes to make for myself and my 2 yr old son. This is my first child and only hope to instill healthy eating and that he would love my healthy cooking! I’ve only just begun our new healthy life style… ;o)
My secret?
I made your doughballs once… and I don’t know what I did, but they were noooooot tasty at all?! And it’s pretty rare that I screw up a recipe (or recipea)! So seeing all the raving about doughballs leaves me thinking that either I did it wrong, or you’re all far too overexcited haha. (although it’s probably the former).
Thus, I would love to win to find out what a real Mama Pea doughball tastes like!!
Oh no! Please tell me what was wrong with them!
Umm… It was a while ago, but I think the biggest “issue” was that they were just so incredibly dry – I tried the recipe straight-up, and couldn’t even get them to form balls.. then added a bunch of extra pb/some soymilk as you suggested and they did form balls but were still so dry that they’d fall apart as you were trying to eat them. That being said, crumbly food is annoying but can often be worth it – however these tasted like a mildly-peanuty-flavoured ball of flour. So disappointing!!!
…I probably should just try again, but haven’t yet found the motivation for giving them a second try aha. Oh well!
…but just to be sure, you promise these taste good when you make them? As in, you think it would be worth another shot?
ps. am I just blind/dumb, or is your recipea page missing?!
You are right, it is! What the heck?!?
Phew! It’s back. I’ve been messing around with my site a lot today, so it must have gotten misplaced temporarily.
Oh man, haha phew is right!
…My first thought (and I am sorry for thinking this) was that since now you’re a famous book author, you wanted to save everything for the printed world. I was so sad as there is an ever-growing list of things I want to try! SO happy it’s back
Also, I thought things were looking slightly different! Lookin’ good!
Oh, I would NEVER do that. I’m a blogger first! You all are the whole reason I could even write a book. I would never take anything away from you!
Last night I was feeling a little “menstrual” and ate an entire family size bag of Peanut M&M’s… they were my husbands.
@Maria… Secret: I’m that person in Target who puts things in her cart on impulse, half way through the store decides she doesn’t need them and randomly throws the discarded items on the nearest shelf.
I am guilty of this too! So no worries, look at it this way it is job security for those who work at Target!
Mmmm… sounds awesome! Shameful secret? I have on a stressful and especially shameful day bought an individual piece of cake from Whole Foods and eat it on my lunch break or in my car in the parking lot before going home after grocery shopping. Dang, talking about that makes me want cake. Darn that sweet tooth, maybe it’ll be helped by your tasty dough balls???
Oh secrets! I cannot keep a secret either…. except when confidentiality is really important. Well, here’s a secret about me that very few people know………. I’m a compulsive underwear shopper! Seriously, I hoard it. I must have every style: bikini, boy short, tanga(!?), and every color. Must have pretty undies, comfy undies, silly cartoon undies…. It’s ridiculous, but fun! I mostly spring for cheap stuff so I don’t go bankrupt
and I know I never have to worry about having clean underwear!
I stole my friend Jamie’s Barbie sunglasses in pre-school. I still feel bad.
I have been known to eat an entire cake in one sitting then blaming it on my children when my hubby comes home…defiintely the worst mom of the year candidate!
My biggest secret is that I spent $300 on clothes this month… Way outside my entry-level salary. And they weren’t even clothes I could wear to work. Oops! But I just love a good t-shirt.
Although I’m known for loving “dude movies” – Terminator 2 and Fight Club are some of my favorites – I sobbed uncontrollably while watching The Notebook (by myself, of course.) It just got to me!
I might be pregnant … shhhhh don’t tell anyone!
Gahhh!!! Congrats?
Yes! Thank you! We did IVF and it’s my little secret to keep for a while.. well mine and a few hundred who just read this! lol
At my cousin’s first birthday party, her grandmother had her current husband, who she’s separated from, building a child’s swimming pool with her co-worker/current boyfriend/old family friend. It wasn’t really a secret but I thought it was pretty funny, especially since no one seemed phased by it at all.
My boyfriend is pregnant!!
Sshhh…
LOL!
I’m five feet, seven and a quarter inches but I tell everyone I’m 5’8″. Really, I’ve never told anyone that! It’s not very juicy.
This recipe comes at the perfect time because I started experimenting with a lower-gluten diet just last week and I’ve been having a hard time finding desserts. Thanks!
Darn, I bet I’m too late, but it would be great to compare these to the original version I made of yours the other night. Best secret? Surprise 30th birthday part for my husband in ANOTHER state. Try planning that one!
I still watch the Disney shows when my daughter isnt around
I think I need a juicier life because the biggest secret I can think of right is reading this blog during work. SHHH, dont tell my boss!!
Those dough balls loook ah-mazing! Happy birthday Ashley!!
my juiciest secret is that we planned a trip to europe and my mom still has no clue about it, we leave in 3 weeks! I CANT wait to see the look on her face!
These look awesome!! This is such perfect timing for me with this recipe! My acupuncturist of all people just told me I should try to eat gf to try and get rid of migraines and stomach issues. Now I have an excuse to make these (if I don’t win
)
My secret…..just found out one of my good friends is cheating on her bf who I also know. I know it isn’t my place to say anything but I hope she comes clean soon so I can stop feeling guilty by association.
I am a pretty honest person, which means I don’t really have any of my own secrets. The only real secret I have right now is pretty lame. I’m a member of Phi Theta Kappa, which is an honors society and I currently have a 4.0 GPA. Even saying this on here feels like I’m bragging. That’s the very reason I haven’t told most people (besides my husband). My parents don’t even know. I know they would be very proud of me…but I just don’t feel right sharing the news. In a way, it also kind of feels good that is my own little secret.
Congratulations! I also kind of keep achievements under wraps…my family brags enough for me already!
Oh these look tasty! We’re a pretty “share-y” family. The only secret I can really think of isn’t even one that I’m keeping. My step-brother and his significant other have yet to tell us if they’re married or not. They’ve been seen with rings, without rings.. and they’ve been together for years!
My secret is that I have a friend who will be proposing to his girlfriend next month, and I’m the only one who knows! Aughh, it feels so good to get that off my chest, LOL! I would love some GF dough balls!!
My dirty secret is that I started a food blog about a month ago and haven’t told anyone that I know… except my blog friends!
i get so excited about secrets! the hardest one was when my now brother-in-law told me he was going to propose to my sister. i couldn’t call the parents the entire time, i knew i’d play my “i’ve got a secret” game. my boyfriend had to keep me under his watch for a good 24 hours.
breaking one of my family’s glass figurines and not correcting my dad when he assumed that someone at a party we held did it. i am shamefaced – but i eventually confessed
Don’t tell my doctor but…I am supposed to be on a gluten free diet and have become really relaxed about it for the past week. This morning I ate a slice of cinnamon sugar bread a co-worker brought in…and I broke out into an awful rash all over my body. I guess I’d better get back to my g-free diet. I could really use some g-free dough balls right now!!!
I am horrible at keeping secrets. I have had to keep one about a work situation for a little while and it still drives me nuts that I can’t talk about it.
On a side note, your hubby will love the Kindle. My husband and I have our own and they are great!
That’s what I’m saying!
Not super original but a good friend of mine is pregnant! Almost showing and I’m almost off the hook–phew! Was getting tough. Love your site, can’t wait for the book!
Thanks, Anna!
Ooooooooh, I have a juicy secret that only another mom would get… I have 2 friends who are also moms and they both took their babies both to the same lady to watch them during the day while we work (we all work at the same school). Wellllllll, one of the girls paid less than the other – but their kids are the same exact age! She went behind the other girl’s back and begged the nanny to let her pay less and lied that her husband was unemployed – but he’s NOT! The other girl who paid full price has no idea and these 2 girls are like best friends!! If she ever found out, their friendship would be ruined, beyond repair! I know all of this b/c the nanny is good friends with one of my other friends and I know that the husband does have a job, but the nanny does not!!! Hahaha, did you follow all of that?? Haha!!
Scandalous!!!
The juiciest (mmmmk, not really) secret I can remember is when I started losing weight after baby #1, I followed the Weight Watchers plan for 3 weeks and didn’t tell anyone b/c I was afraid of failure. I had never had to “try” to lose weight before having a baby, so it was all foreign to me! Then, once people started noticing my success and asking me about it, I fessed up. I felt like such a deceiver!!!
Biggest secret i kept was blogging for 3 months before i finally told anyone outside of my immediate family – i finally came out on FB and was sooo excited at all the love and support i’ve received about my writing and photos – plus while comments are nice, having people come up and say thanks for the healthy recipes in person is just plain awesome
Thanks for such an amazing blog – you inspire me everyday!!!
You’re welcome Donna! Good luck with your blog!
I’m the worst at keeping secrets. My brother’s wife is pregnant (first baby!) and I wasn’t suppose to tell anyone. It just keeps slipping out though!
I’ve gotten SO MUCH BETTER at keeping secrets over the years. Here’s one, though –
I started a food blog http://www.meatlesswithaman.blogspot.com to document my journey into vegetarianism… but I don’t have time to blog. So, I read yours instead.
Just a weekend ago I arrived at my best friends baby shower with a pinata stuffed with all things festive, yummy and pink to announce to her and her husband in front of their family and closest friends (by way of fun pinata festivities) that they are having a little girl.
It was a very difficult secret to keep from them while I planned and prepared for the shower/party but it was a most fantastic secret revealed!
That is my most recent kept secret… the sex of my best friends baby from her and her husband.
DOUGH BALLS PEAs!!!!!!!!!!
The biggest secret I ever was able to keep was when I organized a Christmas card writing campaign for my (then deployed overseas) husband amongst my family, friends, and blog friends. I didn’t say a word and then waited for him to notice that he was getting mad amounts of cards from people he’d never met. I waited and waited for him to say something but eventually, on Christmas Eve, I had to ask if he’d gotten any mail lately and he finally said, “That was you? I thought I’d gotten on one of those “send a Christmas card to a servicemember” mailing lists or something.” Good going, Denise, you forgot to tell people who it was that asked them to send the cards! LOL
Ha ha ha. That’s great! And good for you for organizing that for your husband. Please give him my thanks for all he does!
Recently married but am secretly so ready to have a baby!
My boyfriend is working overseas for a year, and next week I’m flying out to visit him as a surprise! I CANNOT wait!
Is it too late? If not then I have a secret too. My boss told me that she isn’t hiring my coworker back for the next school year. She doesn’t want me to tell though! She just wanted me to not encourage her to think she’s staying around. Isn’t that sad? I wish I could have covered my ears and sang “la, la, la.”
I’m getting a divorce.
Not really a secret, but it is surprising how few people I’ve had the guts to tell.
I’m sorry, Sandi. I know how hard that can be. Praying that you are able to stay strong throughout it all!
AHHH! You are awesome Mama Pea! One secret I’m keeping right now is what I got my brother for his birthday. Let’s just say they have a lot to do with baseball gear…and the new catcher’s glove he’s been dying to have. Not too juicy buuuut that’s all I’ve got.
My secret is… I’m freaking out on the inside about leaving for college this fall! I don’t do well with change, and this is a big one!
Mmm.. I wanna win some dough balls : ) I’ve had a tattoo on my hip for 5 years and family still doesn’t know about it!
Dirtiest secret: I’m a closet dork. I love going to anime conferences, but my friends don’t know. They know me as the intelligent classical music aficionada, not the girl who still loves to play Pokemon eleven years after it first came out. (What can I say, my inner child is alive and well.)
My coolness rating would drop to the negative numbers if anyone ever found it. Shhh!
Ha ha ha, I’m cracking up
I often keep a special chocolate drawer for just hubby and I!
No one besides my husband knows that I’m pregnant! Waiting for that magical 12-week date to share the joyous news, but for gluten-free dough balls, I’ll spill here
Congrats, Laura!
Well Last week I bought my daughter her favorite cookie from the bakery and then proceeded to eat it and hide the evidence in the garbage can outside the house……No guilt either! LOL
I guess I should also mention that she was not with me when I bought the cookie! My comment sounds like I bought the cookie and ate it in front of her….ha ha. I’m really not that mean, I swear.
I knew what you meant!
i had to keep my pregnancy (not currently prego) a secret until i saw my husband, on my birthday. i worked a twelve hour shift that day and couldn’t tell anyone. and it was my birthday!!! i wanted to shout it from a mountain top! longest double shift of my life. totally worth it to see his face when i said i would like to say the toast on my birthday (had to let him know WHY i wouldn’t be drinking my birthday vino) and told him we were expecting. best!
“Sometimes even a blind squirrel gets a nut.” Lucky for the blind squirrels – what’s life without the nuts, or GF dough balls?!
I used one of Ashley’s GF bundt cake recipes and didn’t notice a difference in taste at all – and they were WAY better than mix-cupcakes I’ve made in the past…no surprise there
I hide my husband’s clothes that he loves but are completely worn with holes. I keep them stored away for two weeks and if he doesn’t mention that they are missing then out to the trash they go.
(me too)
I am SO late to this, I’m have a crazy Monday but I had to reply. My husband and I are both big tennis fans, and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Roger Federer. So during every major tournament, we DVR the matches and then watch the the ones we want to see in the evening – usually involving Federer or Nadal, or both. Well, before we watch any match my husband asks if I know what happened. I always lie and say no. I watch online at work. I am such a huge Federer fan that I canNOT not know what happened. As we speak right now Wimbledon is in it’s second week and Federer is down a set but up 3-0 in the second. But come tonight, I won’t know the results of the match. The only downside is it’s so hard for me to sit through a match when Federer loses…….
Mina
Alex is pretty forgetful, and my secret is that I use it to my advantage at times. “Yeah honey, you TOTALLY said we could _________________________. How do you not remember that?” Oops.
I do that to Pea Daddy too. Shhhh….
When I was younger and visited my aunt for the summer we’d make cookie dough, stick it in the freezer and eat it every night for dessert. My mom would never let me eat cookie dough, so that was our little secret
A few months ago, I tricked my son by secretly feeding him a green smoothie every morning before school. He had no idea that hidden under a scoop of cocoa powder and a tbsp of natural peanut butter was about two cups of spinach, a banana, and apple juice. He would say “Man those chocolate smoothies give me a lot of energy!” I let him in on the secret after I got him hooked.
Those look deeelish!
Gosh, I am a really bad secret keeper! I did however keep a secret from my dad recently and surprised him for Fathers day
I am a terrible secret keeper I can never wait until holidays to give out my presents I always get too excited!
I am pretty good at keeping secrets. Including the news about your giveaway. I wanna win (although so do the 500+ commenters before me! =/).
Right now I am keeping a huge secret…
My brother, two sisters, and I have spent the last 3 weeks planning a huge, surprise 50th birthday party for our mom. As far as I can remember, she’s never bee thrown a party and I don’t know that she’s ever been surprised, so if we pull this off, it will have been one of the best kept secrets or family has EVER had.
Hope you’re having a beautiful day!
Oh, these do look fantastic!
I’m considered the bad secret keeper in my family; when I was little, nobody would tell me ANYTHING because they knew I’d open my mouth and spill the beans almost immediately.
Luckily, twenty years later, I’ve proven that I can kind of keep a secret now. For over a month, I knew that my best friend’s boyfriend was planning on proposing (he called to ask my permission. Adorable, right?) Every time we spoke, I was literally bursting at the seams, but I did manage to keep it to myself!
I hide food so people will not find them because I’m greedy. Which I’ll probably do with these if I win them. Mwahaha.
Haha even if I don’t win this, I am SO making these (well, the gluten-full version cos I have no GF flour) tomorrow!
Um…this morning I topped my oatmeal with caramel pudding and followed that up with two chocolate vegan cupcakes. And it was good
I’m not the best secret keeper…except when it comes to really important stuff
But when I’m excited to give someone a gift or share an interesting piece of information I just heart, it’s hard for me to keep it in. Ashley is a very lucky birthday girl to be getting these in the mail!
I think the only secret I can say that I am keeping right now is that I keep telling my parents that I am not struggling in summer school, but in reality I hate it and would much rather be enjoying my summer in the sun and not in a class room!
I am super freaking terrified about the bar exam next month…which is probably not really a secret, but I keep denying it to everyone so it feels like a secret.
Well that and the pint of Ben & Jerry’s I ate yesterday…but again, I do that enough that it’s probably not a real secret either.
Guess I’m not so secretive…
I cried a little. Because I have been coveting those dough balls but have not been able to enter a giveaway for them. Not that my odds are very good anyhow. But finally, something GF. Not sure if these are 100% vegan though, I haven’t met a vegan peanut butter chip. Did you already make them up or could you redo a batch that is all vegan and gluten-free? Sorry to ask so many questions. I guess I could just make my own batch.
DOWN WITH GLUTEN!
I forgot a secret. Well I already told the Kardashian one. I can’t get much better than that. Secret is that I am secretly glad people are finding out that they can’t eat gluten because that means more products and better ones for me. Heh. But I am also secretly glad people realize how hard it is so bake without gluten and also without eggs. And secretly hoping they keep trying. Thanks for listening.
Anytime. But you are right, I don’t think anything could top that Kardashian one.
Nope, still no luck on the 100% vegan pb chips. Sunspire needs to get on that. If you win, I’ll make you a batch with all chocolate chips.
Not a big fan of Sunspire. They put barley in everything! I should write them a letter or two.
I like the word “jai normes” — totally going to use it soon.
My biggest secret: I’m not very good at making friends. I can normally hide it pretty well, but when someone probes a little bit deeper, they ALWAYS notice that I’m just not very good at being social. I TRY but it does not come to naturally to me, which is frustrating, because I tend to learn things very quickly. But I can’t “learn” people. They’re just so complicated….
So there you go. That’s a big secret!
There’s no shame in not being a big people person! Personally, I’m not a big cat person. Well, I guess that’s just one cat.
i was keeping a secret about a 30th bday present, friend made a video montage!
Ahahaha – that is the cutest story ever. It sounds like something my nieces would ask. You just gotta love kids.
Those cookies look fabulous. I have a lot of gluten-free friends so I’m absolutely going to have to share this with her (or just make it for her!)
Biggest secret I’ve kept… I picked up my sister’s engagement ring from the jewelers for her boyfriend at the time. So I knew she was getting it, but no one else did! It wasn’t the easiest thing to keep quiet about.
p.s. can’t wait to make the gf dough balls myself!
Those cookies look so delicious my mouth is watering!
The biggest secret I’m keeping right now is that one of my friends is pregnant! She is pretty young and not in a very stable relationship so it’s being kept hushed for now.
Is it okay to say the cookies look orgasmic on a family blog?
My biggest secret is that this is my first comment on your blog ever. My 27 y/o Peace Corps daughter turned me on to your blog when she was home last week! Love it
I’m glad she did, Leslie! Welcome!
The biggest secret I ever kept was probably any time I planned a surprise for my boyfriend. It was sooo hard for me to keep secrets like that…but I knew it would be worth it.
Biggest secret? Hmm… considering I’m unemployed and living with my parents, my life is relatively boring.
How about I’m (strongly) thinking of going vegetarian again? I did for about two years but found it hard to sustain my distance running. Now….maybe.
i am currently holding a BIG secret from all of my friends and family! i am 8 months pregnant with my 2nd daughter (yay for 2 girls!) and am keeping her name a secret! my husband and i decided on the name months ago and have been keeping it in since! it has been reeeeeeeallllly hard and i have almost slipped multiple times but haven’t. only another month to go! we’ve come this far! man, my pregnant self would LOVE some dough balls right now!
Congrats! I thought you meant you were keeping the pregnancy a secret for a second
My secret? I eat baby food. The snacks and purees and everything. I just love it and it’s a good portion size!
That I went to the dentist, but really I slept in and watched Real Housewives on my dvr before work.
Whoops!
Funny you should ask…..I’m planning a surprise bachlorette party for my best friend in vegas first week of july!
Yum – they look DELICIOUS!! I surprised my total snoop of a sister with her bridal shower – surprise out-of-town guests included!
I kept it a secret I had a raise from my mom for quite a while
This is great. I will have to pass this on to my sister who can’t eat gluten either! Even though I can I am attempted to give it a try once I can eat again (my nursing baby doesn’t let me eat much) because it looks so yummy.
My biggest secret is that I’m almost 29, and I still don’t know “what I want to be” when I grow up! I pretend I love my current job more than I do, just so people won’t ask me about my career/future. Oof. But those dough balls look most delicious!
My birthday is July5!! I absolutely need these! My secret: 4 of my best friends are pregnant and I’m not supposed to tell anyone yet :-X
oh my. my little brother and his girlfriend planned a surprise wedding this spring that took place over easter weekend – and only i was privy to the plans! (he had to ensure we’d make the 4 hour drive for the family ‘brunch’). that was a tough secret to keep – AND i had to be sure i looked surprised when it all went down! no problem here though, i managed to keep my lips shut and still managed to be the biggest blubbering mess of everyone at the surprise nuptials!
My secret is that I have a crush on a guy at work… too bad he’s not single!! Those dough balls look absolutely scrumptious!
Yum those dough balls look delicious!
My secret is that I accidentally found out that my boyfriend planned a surprise trip for us this August… I’m having such a hard time not mentioning it to him!
My biggest secret: failed a class this past spring (eek!) and I’m still trying to break the news to my parents… maybe these dough balls will soften the blow?!
I hide my chocolate stash from my hubby so he won’t eat it all.
A secret for me right now is that my grandpa just bought us all cupcakes which should be good, right? But I don’t want a cupcake and don’t have the heart to tell him! Stupid secret but nothing else is coming to mind
My secret: One of my friends is PREGNANT, and she’s not telling people for another month. It’s killing me!!!!!!
These look delicious!
When I was little, I thought a ghost lived under my bed. Sometimes I still jump from the doorway, just in case.
My secret is that i tell my dad there’s no more peanut butter in the fridge, when i’ve secretly hid an entire jar so he doesn’t finish it off. We have family nut butter fights.
My secret is that i tell my dad there’s no more peanut butter in the fridge, when i’ve secretly hid an entire jar so he doesn’t finish it off. We have family nut butter fights.
Oh Mama Pea, my lack of secret keeping abilities would make you look like a secret agent! I always fail at them and currently have a huge secret challenge on my shoulders for 4 1/2 more months!
My husband and I are pregnant with our first born. Three weeks ago we randomly picked our son’s name…well the name actually picked him, but it is a unique one. We both love it and it feels right, but we know how opinionated friends and family can be, so we have decided to keep it a secret (cough cough, may relate to a spring training trip you took this year…..).
Everyone keeps asking and not telling is so hard. Plus, my husband and I both refer to the baby and talk to him by name, making it even harder to not slip his name in when talking to people (see second paragraph of comment as proof). I am determined this time though to keep a secret!
I think you should tell me
But I think I guessed already, and that is an awesome name!
Really, though, congrats!!! You will love being a mom!
Tonight I’m going to make my husband a root beer float using TJ’s soy ice cream which is to die for! ANd he won’t even know!
We just bought the vanilla on Friday. You are right, it’s great!
My juiciest secret right now…..I have decided to get a tattoo on my foot during a trip I have planned in August! This is BIG deal for me!!
BTW, I am so excited about your gluten free dough balls! Like Ashley, my tummy can’t tolerate gluten either. When i see gluten free recipes that make my mouth water, I get excited!!!
Is there anything you CAN’T do woman!? haha These look amazing as every dough ball you’ve posted does.
My juiciest secret: I haven’t told my parents how my brother got arrested for a revoked license and held in NYC jail for 2 days. How I had to bail him out and pick up his impounded car all while they were on vacation in North Carolina. It’s such a funny, great story I wish I could tell them!
I have a crush on an ex-boyfriend whos heart I broke in highschool
The biggest secret I kept was from my hubby when I was pregnant with our third. He was perfectly happy with two kiddos and I knew it would be a big shock. I had only told my best friend and waited a week or so for our date night to break the big news to him. So hard when you are feeling sick and getting excited too!
I just printed the original doughball recipe last week to make… I was out of margarine though. I made your Anytime Cookies instead – so delish! Kids loved them- made with raisins, craisins, and choco. chips. MMMM! Can’t wait to try these little gems.
We LOVE the Anytime Cookies!
Currently, my biggest secret is that I’ve become a vegetarian and haven’t told my meat-lovin’ boyfriend or his family (who thinks that a meal isn’t a meal unless there are at least two different kinds of meat on the table). I live in a different state, but will be visiting him/them this weekend…it will be awkward to say the least.
Those cookies look yummy! If I don’t win, I’ll just have to whip up a batch and take them while I’m visiting over the 4th.
I’ve been eating GF since January so this is very exciting!! The biggest secret I ever kept?? Probably when my friend’s fiance was about to propose. He needed my help, and it was so incredibly difficult not to tell her! But of course I couldn’t…and I didn’t. And they are getting married this fall.
My mouth is watering! looks amazing. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
I spent $43.19 ordering peanut butter online yesterday…….and another $31.89 to ship it. I think it is a fair trade, because my husband spends that much on a tee time, no?
Dang! Do they make truffle oil peanut butter?
My secret is that sometimes I am a lazy mother! My kids need a tub tonight but I have way too much to do and just don’t have the energy. Am going to wash face, hands & feet and put them to bed as is…. and then just go ahead and pretend that I am a good mother anyway!!!
Oh pishaw. I do that all the time! We call them “washcloth tubbies.”
My favorite (and hardest) secret to keep was when I went shopping with my best friend’s now husband for her engagement ring. It was so hard to keep the secret but so worth it when he proposed to her!
My secret is that I have hair extensions.
My best friend since pre-school was pregnant with triplets and I have been sworn to secrecy, it was very difficult not telling my family & friends through her first trimester.
I absolutely love your dough balls!! Can’t wait to try the new GF version!
I’ve been a secret keeper for friends and family on just about every subject, including but not limited to: pregnancies, affairs, medical conditions, mental health conditions, DUIs, fertility struggles, new jobs, promotions, new relationships (of the non-adulterous kind), engagements, stellar camping accommodations, key ingredients to family recipes, passwords, hide-a-key locations, and stashed cash locations. Clearly, I’m pretty good at keeping my mouth shut. So, the only juicy secret I’d be able to share would have to be one of my own, of which there are few, but here goes: I hate the smell of peaches. When people give me peach lotion or peach pie, I am polite and then get it the hell away from me as quickly as possible.
My biggest secret? I want to marry my current boyfriend. We’ve only been together for a year and a half, and I always tell my (wedding obsessed) girlfriends that I’m not ready for marriage, but in reality I’d elope with him in a heartbeat!
i am a secret keeper for a few too many people and know some i wish i didn’t! one of my favorites is that two of my friends have quietly started dating each other and no one else knows yet
chandler & monica!
that’s one of my favorite friends episodes.
ahh i didn’t think of chandler & monica, but “they dont know we know they know” is one of my all time fave eps too!
Totally off topic, but my favorite episode is when Ross makes up the game show to trade apartments. Do you remember that one?
yes, another favorite!! maybe my secret should have been that i clearly spend about 75% of my time watching old episodes of friends. and the office haha.
OMG, these look so good. I was just looking at your dough balls the other day wishing I knew how I could make them GF. YAY!!!
As for secrets everyone tells me everything, so I have lots. Mostly just family drama. Like what someone thinks of someone else. Nothing major.
Can’t wait to try these!
I recently tried to fix this guy up with my sister and I was going to email him without telling her so she wouldn’t feel awkward if he didn’t respond. I ended up spilling the beans. He didn’t respond. She feels awkward. No match-making points for me. I obviously need to give my sister doughballs to remedy this situation
.
I don’t have very many juicy secrets. Umm……in fifth grade, my cousin/best friends peed his pants during class and I had to walk closely behind him for the rest of the day so that no one would notice.
i’m salivating. thanks a lot!
the biggest secret i kept was my pregnancy! my husband and i didn’t tell anyone until we found out the gender. then we hit them twice as hard with the news that we were finally pregnant (we had been trying for about 4 years) and it was a boy. overall everyone was happy (duh!) but we had some ticked off people… everyone was like; why the heck did you keep it secret for so long?!
because.
Jared and I just had too much fun reading people’s secrets
They are pretty entertaining! I would say my biggest secret was just revealed, I’ve been secretly going to school the last 3 months taking a jam-packed high school completion course (basically all 4 years of high school smashed into 3 months of intense, no rest studying!) and no one except mu hubby knew. I took the exams last week and surprised my parents on Father’s day with my GED! My dad cried! It was sooo sweet, he was so proud and so am I 
My health took me out of school early and I am so glad to have gone back and been well enough to finish this!
Please don’t enter me in the contest, but just wanted to say hi! and these look great! Being GF for almost 5 years now, it is fun to see more recipes out there, especially vegan! <3 it.
Thanks, Em. Are the secrets hilarious! Congrats on getting your GED!
Yayy gluten-free!! Glad to see your version stayed as balls — mine did not but I think it was the peanut butters fault.. not the flour
Those look absolutely delicious! I can’t wait to try them!!!
not so much “juicy” as it is “incredibly embarrassing” … but… i (on occasion) (and by “on occasion” i mean i’ve seen every episode and even rented past seasons) … have watched jersey shore.
i’ve liked it, feared for the future of my peers/the american population in general, and been ashamed for letting my family see it on the dvr – all at the same time, i’m pretty sure.
wow, feels good to get that off my chest.
what’s the next step after admitting you have a problem? something about replacing the behavior with consumption of gluten-free dough balls, right?
I didn’t tell anyone(except my husband) that I was pregnant with twins until my 2nd trimester. It was the hardest secret to keep!
I guess the biggest secret I’ve kept was to hide the fact that my uncle (who lives very far away) was visiting my mom for her 60th birthday. We knew about it right after Christmas, and her birthday was in June. Although it was not entirely coordinated fantastically– we still were able to surprise her (and a bunch of her her friends) at the party!
Dough balls look delicious!
Juiciest secret I had to keep: That my cousin was pregnant and she didn’t tell anyone until it had been 8 months!
I want these in my mouth right now! I loved the idea of the original dough balls (cookie dough without the fear of eating raw egg?!) and would gladly try the gluten free. Yum!
Biggest secret I ever kept was my Mom’s 40th birthday surprise party. It was a HUGE project, people flying in, organizing who would be where and when, food, decorations, goodie bags, etc. And Mom, bless her heart is the nosiest mom on the planet so subterfuge was a challenge. We pulled it off, she was grandly surprised (or deserves an honorary Oscar!) and everyone had a hoot of a time! All worth it!
Juicy secret?? wow…this is all I have……
I had two friends that were pg at the same time, and both only told me.
I sooo wanted to tell about the other bc having been there done that, during the first part of pgcy, it is really nice to have a friend who is actually experiencing the same thing at the same time.
Eventually, when one was sharing her pgcy with more than just me, I asked the other to share with someone, and eventually they both knew! LOL
My biggest secret….well, it’s not really my secret but I’m still keeping it, until now. My non-religious relative doesn’t know that their daughter has been baptized by their very religious grandmother. Ha!
My secret was when my sister and I were little and we broke my Mom’s chair and taped it back together. We were actually able to keep this from my Mom for way longer than we should have been… And seeing as this is the best secret I can come up with, I really must lead a boring life.
These dough balls look amazing, especially since I seem to be having problems with gluten these days!
You taped a chair?!
Yes. With scotch tape – because that’s clear and you can’t see it on a wooden chair leg, right?
I’m just surprised it held together!
Those look delicious, a secret I am currently keeping is a good friend of mine is pregnant but I can’t tell anyone yet!
Hmmm those look devine..lets see…I have a secret! I’m trying to get pregnant. Feels so good to say it outloud (not really but you get the point….) Praying that it happens in good time, and in Gods time.
Good luck!
Two weekends ago I had to keep my roommate’s engagement a secret until she could tell everyone herself!
OH HURRAY!! Since being pregnant made me gluten intolerant, me want-y want want!
Okay, thinking.
Secret.
Hmm. . .
The only one I can think of is bad. An acquaintance/almost friend – I found out her husband was cheating on her but I didn’t know if I should tell her so I didn’t. I did subtle-ly hint though and she eventually got it.
oh my peas is right. hmm… I don’t really have any secrets. oh wait. my gma and I split a bottle of wine last night…and then she had to go sleep on the couch for 2 1/2 hours hahaha she would KILL me if she knew I spilled the beans!! haha
I once ate an entire bag of tortilla chips in one sitting. Why are they so addicting?? haha! Let’s just say I don’t purchase tortilla chips anymore
YUM!!
This is a tough one!
The biggest secret I ever kept was probably for one of my friends surprise birthday parties. I hate keeping exciting things a secret!
My big secret is that I ate two brownies, 4 cookies, and a cupcake today… someone has some workouts in their future!
My secret? I’d rather go vegan than join a diet program (ex: ww, jenny craig, etc). I just need to find a little time to build the vegan habits!
I got a tattoo and still haven’t told anyone!
I dance to britney songs when no one’s home…
I can’t believe I just admitted that, oh well your doughballs made me!
My secret is that I found your blog because my husband knew you in high school* and said “hey this friend of mine on Facebook wrote a vegan cookbook you should buy it” and thus I ended up here and fell madly in love and have started sneaking non-vegan ingredients out of my cooking (bwahaha!).
*OK, that’s not really a secret so much as something I hadn’t bothered to mention. I couldn’t think of much else.
My gluten-free daughter will absolutely love these, whether I win random cookies, or whether I make them myself. Thank you!
What?! Now I NEED to know who your husband is
Tell me that secret!
Brett Altschul
Well, it’s nice to meet you! Tell Brett I said hi. And I’ve actually known Brett since grade school! We were on Math Team together on middle school. Now Brett’s presence on the team is totally understandable (he’s brilliant!), but me…? Somebody totally missed the boat there.
Hi there, Sarah! I really like your recipes as well (and I’d forgotten all about the math team).
Ha! Thanks, Brett. Hopefully you’ll pick up a copy of the book…there are a few stories about a few Sumpter classmates in there
It’s on pre-order from Powell’s!
Fantastic! Thank you both!
I usually don’t tell my family when I sneak vegetables into meals or make my baking vegan. They can’t tell the difference!
My secret? I fall “in love–er crush?” with characters in books and movies.
Really! Prince Eric from the Little Mermaid? Hubba hubba!
Lol! I can’t believe I admitted that out loud!
My neighbors annoy me. They don’t it. It’s my husband and I’s little secret.
These sure do look scrumptious! A huge secret I was recently told was that a dear friend may no longer be happy in her marriage. It’s definitely not a fun and exciting secret to keep
Hahaha your natural humor seriously cracks me up every time I read your glorious blog:) I love the way you describe xantham gum…just sooo appetizing eh’? And these doughballs sound absolutely PERFECT! My tummy doesn’t always love gluten either so these should be perfect for me, thanks for yet another delicious recipe! You know I love them!
Cat’s out of the bag….I’m 40 years old and just as cool as I was in high school! dig it!!!
i’m still in love with my best friend that i’ve known since elementary school. maybe i’ll finally get the courage to tell him!
MY lamo secret is that I just found out I am intolerant to gluten
What perfect timing for me to get a nice present in the mail!
Now can you also work on a gluten free funfetti cake?? PEAS PEAS PRETTY PEAS
My secret is: I want to duct tape the small dog in the apartment below me’s mouth shut so he will stop barking incessantly this evening. I know, I’m horrible.
Hmm… the most serious secret I ever kept was about a friend’s sexuality. Pretty intense stuff. Other than that, just keeping hush-hush about surprise parties and such. Thanks for the great giveaway. I just pre-ordered your book on Amazon.
By the way, Sunspire DOES need to get on making dairy-free peanut butter chips. Perhaps they fail to realize the demand? This thread on the topic makes me sad: http://forum.theppk.com/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=2014
Happy Birthday Ashley! Received a message that was suppose to be for my hubby and not giving it to him because I didn’t want him to go golfing….Now Errign….I am horrible….lol! Or maybe just selfish….ha! Still love him and one day I will tell him…..Maybe!!!!
These look completely amazing – no secrets to share here. I wouldn’t dare even share the one I have. No, really – I promised…
Anyway, I just had a few questions:
1) I use the whipped earth balance because I feel it tastes better. Do you ever use that one? or, should I stick with the original for baking?
2) I buy my earth balance from TJ’s – is there anywhere that I can buy it in bulk? it seems like you go through quite a bit (as do I…)
3) How many calories per dough ball? It seems like a lot of sugar – can I substitute?
Thanks!
1) I’ve never used the whipped EB, so I wouldn’t know! Sorry!
2) We only go through a tub every 2 or 3 weeks, at the most. I buy it from TJ’s too.
3) I haven’t figured out the nutritional values for these, but the ones in the book (all the recipes have nutrition facts) aren’t nearly as caloric as I thought.
Thanks for the response! I also go through a tub in about 2 to 2 1/2 weeks.
I will definitely try them…. not sure which version to make first though. Do you suggest the gluten free?
Also, I have whole wheat flour, not whole wheat pastry flour – can I use it? or, should I go get the pastry flour?
Hmmm…such good questions. I’d definitely use pastry flour, so I guess it just depends on if you want to buy a cup of pastry flour or each of the gluten free flours. Both versions are excellent, so really it’s up to you!
I love this post’s title – though maybe a tease! My name is Ashley too and my birthday is in 3 days!
Ha ha, sorry, Ashley
But happy birthday anyway!
It’s a Celtic 3 intertwined triangle symbol. Similar to this link:
http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQpwW2Z9AVgh079SFSXHZk8QxveyfStTUcHPiF9q53ZeCwOZ8A_
And my dad was really understanding. I’ll never forget what he said to me “the bible says that your body is a temple. It doesn’t say its a sin to decorate it a little. But this better be the last and only one!”
Haha he’s an awesome guy.
And the foot really didn’t hurt at all!
but i don’t have a secret and i don’t do well making things up
though i bet a couple of minutes after i hit “send” i will remember a secret – not sure what – that i do keep. guess you could say i was keeping it secret from myself also ….
When I’m alone I like to pick the chocolate chips out of my husband’s cookies while standing in the kitchen and watching Sex and the City.
I really envy your skills mama pea. Gluten free baking is usually just dry saw dust. Those dough balls look amazing. And I think when you tell people what you are getting them, it gives them more time to get excited! Best. My biggest and juiciest secret? I may, just may, love yoga more than I love my boyfriend. SHHHHHH!
Now Pea Daddy is just telling me he wants an iPad. Pbbbbt.
Haha, by loves parents gave him and ipad for Christmas this year. He played angry birds on it for about a month, and then sold it. Tell pea daddy that if My love didn’t like it, he to would grow bored of it. Save yo money!
Oh yeah>! Did you ever have a chance to look at my little blog?
I did! You and your sister are adorable. Keep blogging, girl, you are doing great!
Thank you lady!! I am telling you, we are a glimpse into your future…
My biggest secret is that the scar on my lip is from stitches, after being hit with a frozen piece of meat. That’s right Mama Pea, you heard me, a frozen piece of meat. I’ve been a vegetarian for 13 years, and a few years ago my brother (who isn’t a vegetarian) was getting some meat out of the freezer to prepare. I jumped out behind a door to scare him. He was startled, and jolted, and as he did, the meat flew in the air and back down. The frozen meat hit me right in the mouth. It was a freak-accident to say the least. I had to go to the emergency room and get 3 stitches on my lip. I tell people who ask about my scar that I was elbowed in a basketball game and needed stitches. Even though now that I’m thinking about it, this might be a way to get more vegetarians on board! Meat is dangerous!
Oh my gosh! I’m glad you are okay. Stupid meat!
(Please tell me you saw the clip of Paula Deen getting hit in the face with a ham.)
Haha, I hadn’t seen that, until now! Thanks for that! It’s good to know I’m not alone
this layout & header > your old one. seriously. this one is soooo much better!!!
ummm juiciest secret: i sent you an email about it. i’m still not over being dumped by that guy.
Frowny face
I’m in a program for love addiction.
Nice new layout! I love the syncing up with the book.
Now this isn’t so much a juicy secret perhaps, but certainly the best one I’ve ever kept. For my parents 25th wedding anniversary, I decided I wanted to start putting a dent in all the love and gratitude I owe them for being so awesome that I wanted to throw them the best surprise anniversary party ever. It took weeks of being sneaky – stealing their address book to photocopy at work then slipping it back in the drawer unnoticed. Writing out invitations, addressing and stamping envelopes, organizing a caterer and DJ, securing the VFW that wasn’t super into the idea of renting the hall to a 24 year old, making phone calls to make sure those invited received their invitations, etc. Well somehow everything came together perfectly down to the lovely little lie I told me parents to get them to show up to their own party: that my boyfriend’s parents were having an anniversary party! I will never forget the look of surprise on my dad’s face and the tears that welled up in my mom’s eyes.
Thanks…we’re getting there. I’m not very tech savvy, so it’s a work in progress
That is such a sweet story about the anniversary present.
My secret is: I stalk your blog and wait for you to post every night before I go to bed and secretly cry when you don’t post at all
Oh no! That makes me sad for nights when I don’t post. I’m working on tonight’s post right now!
LOVED the tv spot and congratualtions on your book!!
These look really good! I’ve had some gluten-free cookies that have had no flavor and they’re just blah!
Wish Ashley a Happy Birthday!!
My secret is that the homemade brownies I brought to my best friend’s party came from a box.
Oh and Shauna’s secret too. That one is definitely true for me.
My secret is my sister and her husband secretly got married before their wedding, I’m the only one in the family that knows. The cookies look so yummy!!
These look incredible gluten or no gluten. Biggest secret…hmmm…it will be when I deliver these dough balls to my sister-in-law who has celiacs with a note “from katie’s kitchen.” oh wait, she reads your blog. Drats that will never work. Secret already out.
My deep, dark secret?
I’m terrified of the idea of going to space, but if I had $200,000 lying around…I might book a space on Richard Branson’s flight to the great unknown!
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/calgary-teen-getting-ready-become-youngest-ever-space-090112966.html
My deepest, darkest secret….well it’s not mine actually. We have, scratch that had, some friends (husbands friends). I was told that the husband was having an affair on his wife, but broke up with the girlfriend because the baby she had turned out not to be his! What??? How can people do that! Anyways they are now seperated and have been for a couple months. Which is very sad to me..the entire situation is very sad to me.
Ashley is one lucky lady to have a wonderful friend like you
I farted at work the other day…and it smelt soooo bad. My co-worker came over and made a face. I told her it was a customer that was proceeding to walk away from us. Oooooops! :-X
I threw a huge surprise party for my husband’s birthday last year and it was SO hard to keep it a secret from him!!!! I’m surprised he wasn’t more suspicious when I would hide my email from him and always acted shady, but he claims he had no idea!
My secret? I still eat kids fruit snacks. And I like them.
I have a secret that makes me mad! One of my engaged guy friends from college slept with my good girl friend (NOT his fiance) from our big group of college friends during our college reunion weekend. His fiance didn’t go to our college and conveniently wasn’t able to attend our college reunion. My girl friend is mortified, but the guy acts like nothing happened. So now I’ve lost all respect for my guy friend, and I feel like I can’t be friends with him and his buddies anymore. And it’s sad because they were fun guys. fun and immoral, I guess. ughh
I have no idea if this give away is still going on but I would actually die if I won! My secret is that I feel like being gluten intolerant is a joke compared to my celiac friends and I feel bad and a little guilty for being gluten free.
i’m married to a 2L. i love my husband, but i do not love law school.
Thanks for answering all my questions –
Heading out to Whole Foods tomorrow to pick up a few things…
My siblings and I organised an amazing surprise birthday party for my mom! Best kind of secret:)
i’m studying abroad and bought my mom a dress that i got for 400 euros off the original price!
I have been getting botox in my forehead and haven’t told anyone! My boyfriend would be so mad if he knew I was getting it, but those little lines REALLY bother me
And I like my forehead much more when they aren’t there!
Yummm! Dough Balls!
My biggest secret is a friend of mine has been dating one of her employees for 6 months and no one at her work knows. I wish I could be there to see how they interact every day!
My biggest secret is that I don’t always love my job even though I pretend I do all the time and that I love the people I work with but sometimes they drive me crazy.
Hello again – Sorry, I’m a pest, I know…
So, I tried the gluten free version – mine came out to be more of a “sable” cookie rather than a “dough-y” cookie. The “dough” was super crumbly even before refrigerating. Is that right?
Also, how about a snicker doodle gluten free version? yum!
What’s a “sable” cookie? Did you use an electric mixer to mix the dough? It really is absolutely necessary to beat the dough until the wet ingredients are fully incorporated.
It’s more of a flaky/ crumbly/ very “buttery” cookie. It gets a bit “chalky” in your mouth though.
I don’t have a stand mixer – just a hand mixer with the different attachment (not the whisk attachment).
The wet ingredients seemed to incorporate well – hmm, I’ll try it again. Since I had to buy the big bag of xanthum gum!
FYI – for anyone who doesn’t want to use peanut butter chips b/c of dairy ingredients – rest assured, I made them with chocolate chips only and they were A-MAZE-ING. I hope they last until I’m supposed to serve them to my book club ladies tomorrow night.
Thanks, Tamar. I have done the same on many occasions.
I’m so excited about this recipe! I have Celiac and was planning to convert your dough ball recipe since you are always talking about them but you already did it for me!
My secret is, sometimes I just want to give up working and studying for my master’s degree and just cook and have my own successful blog and cookbook! I envy you!
Thanks Amber
one of my husband’s friends from london decided to surprise him by coming to our wedding in chicago. he made up an excuse why he needed my email address, told me his plan over email & then i helped him make all the arrangements – i had to keep it a secret for months! i even put him as a ‘no’ on our guest list. when they saw eachother, my husband’s face was priceless – and our photographer happened to be standing right there so she got pictures of it.
anyways, i’m terrible with secrets & i’m still surprised that i didn’t ruin it. it was great to see how surprised & happy he was, but i hope i don’t have to keep anything like that from him again because it was too hard!
Where do you find natural PB chips?! I’m obsessed with eating them a la bag, and I’d love to find a brand without so many chemicals and nasty stuff!
These are Sunspire and I get them from Whole Foods. But they aren’t 100% vegan
I love this post–the thing about eating dead plants, the “Jai Normus”, the pretty towel, and of course…the doughballs. I’m so impressed that you can just have stuff turn out on your first try like that. Although I suppose that’s the difference between being a cookbook author and not…
Oh, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Ashley!
Tonight I had something not turn out and I’m completely depressed about it… But tomorrow’s another day!
Another delicious, fast and easy recipe! Made these last night for a get together today…Ive had two already this morning, before 6 am…I’ll have to distract myself until the picnic so I have a few left to take…need I say more??
That is awesome to hear. I loved them so much, but you never know!
Okay, in case anyone asks, this recipe has 4 points a cookie, but I can’t find pb chips so that’s only with the choc chips
My biggest secret that i kept was that i was switching majors!
I think I would cry if I won this.
I just really want to say that I am so inspired by you – for writing a book and taking care of a family fulltime…I wish I had it in me to know what to write – and to believe I can actually do it…
A secret? I don’t tell secrets – for good reason! Um…I secretly hate the show “So You Think You Can Dance”…I love it – but I hate it because I wish I could dance and be as beautiful as that…
I suck. I know.
Aww, I’m so sorry the giveaway is over! But I promise they’ll be another one very, very soon. I’m touched by your kind words!
Ahhhh! You’re a genius! Literally I spent an hour yesterday sorting thru the original dough ball comments to see if anyone had perfected the g-free version! My secret is last week I made a delicious chocolate cake and told everyone it was my own recipe, but it was really from a box. Feels good to get that off my chest! Let’s do this every week- it’s like confession
don’t judge please, I’m no mama pea!
Okay I feel really awkward that I posted this like 3 months late
I read your blog daily, without fail! How did I miss this?! If you still want to send my some cookies, feel free 
Mama Pea, thank you so much for making these! I just made them for a Celiac friend who has been having a crappy week and I was so grateful that I didn’t have to look far for the perfect recipe. these are just as good as the original!
I agree…they might even be better than the original!
They are honest words Mama Pea…seriously. I lack belief and faith that I could do anything amounting to what you and other bloggers do. And I know you had ‘privacy’ issues in the past – but to stay TRUE to YOU and your family and do what YOU love…wow. I wish I had that courage….
As for the cookies…I will let you know if I bake some up my self!
Do NOT lack belief or faith in yourself. One of my favorite quotes is, “Life if isn’t about finding yourself, it’s about creating yourself!” You can do anything, ANYTHING you want…do you hear me? I promise you to stay true to who I am. Promise me you’ll start to believe you can achieve whatever you want in life! You have a purpose you weren’t meant to fulfill. Now go bake some cookies
…I am crying right now…that is the kinest thing someone has told me in a long time. “You have a purpose meant to fulfill”, “You can do ANYTHING”…
Hmm..can I make cookies as well as you and get a couple of books published?
Take care Mrs. Pea.