I got a small set of battery-operated lights at Bartell's for about $5.

Visqueen!

(Edited to spell their name correctly--I got so excited I forgot the s.)

The Stranger has written about Monte Cristo's, too! Here: http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=oid%3A32302

Mini pumpkin pies!

So easy, and everyone loves pumpkin pie.

Get pre-made Pillsbury (or whatever) pie crust (if they're drunk they won't care it's pre-made). Get good canned pumpkin, mix it with eggs and evaporated milk and spices (there will probably be a recipe on the can). Cut out a bunch of circles from the pie crust, put them in a mini cupcake pan, fill each one with the pumpkin pie mixture, bake, and then top with some whipped cream! You can make them a day ahead of time, even, and keep them in the fridge.

You could even find a good recipe for a rum or whisky sauce, if you wanted to booze them up a little.

And I don't drink, but I'm kind of obsessed with this cake/jello shots: http://irreference.com/jelly-cake-shots-from-booze-cakes/

Jessie's right, it's really hard to declare a "perfect" cookie because so many factors play into it.

I prefer chewy, while others prefer crunchy. Some people like nuts, others do not. Etc.

As far as chocolate chip cookies go, well, my mom makes the best ones, but she just follows the directions on the Toll House chocolate chips package. Somehow, though, when she makes them, they're better than any other.

That said, I've baked a lot of cookies in my life. One winter, in fact, I baked about 80 different kinds. Of those 80, there are two that I still make on a regular basis, years later, because they're so goddamn good. They're both Martha Stewart recipes.

1. Striped ice box cookies (a thin and crisp cornmeal cookie layered with chewy cherry filling).

2. Peanut butter-chocolate chip oatmeal cookies (another crispy cookie, with a slightly chewey texture when done right--don't overbake--and TONS of flavor.)

If I were you, I would definitely put those on your list for this winter's baking. And you could even make the PB/chocolate chip ones that much more decadent by using a mixture of dark muscovado/light brown sugar in place of the brown sugar.

Maybe a pretty fruit tart? This one looks really good--fancier than a pie or cobbler, and sounds delicious. I haven't made it myself, but I love fruit tarts--they're always impressive:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/peach-tart-recipe/index.html

I made these once and they were tasty: http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/pecan-bars?backto=true&backtourl=/photogallery/christmas-bar-cookies#slide_1

Or, if you have a pecan pie recipe you like, you could also just make your own mini tartlets. Just press balls of dough into mini cupcake tins, fill with a small scoop of filling, and bake! (They'll bake faster than a whole pie, obvs.) Might have a better crust to filling ratio for ya.

There could be one of two factors playing into this.

1) Are you sure the frosting is reaching the right temperature when you cook it over the stove? I shoot for at least 150 degrees (F) for the meringue type frostings. In my experience, they should be hot enough to start thickening a bit over the stove before you whip them and all added sugar should be completely dissolved.

2) It's possible you aren't whipping them fast enough when you remove them from the heat. I put my stand mixer on high and let it go for a good minute or two. You want to get lots of air in there to build a strong structure. But you don't want to over-whip either, so keep an eye on it.

I've baked custard into the center of a cake and that worked out really well. Just put a heaping tablespoon of batter into a paper-lined cupcake tin, then some custard (it helps to use a little scoop, so it's a round shape and doesn't touch the edges of the pan), then top it with another bit of batter!

I recently baked custard-filled cream puffs into a vanilla cupcake and topped it with chocolate ganache. Very Boston Cream Pie tasting. I posted the recipe here: http://bakeitinacake.com/bostoncreampuff. Maybe that'll help?

You could also pipe the custard into the center of the cake, after baking, but it helps to have a lighter, more airy cupcake in that case, so there's room for it. Some people even cut out a hole, then fill it, then top with frosting so no one knows the hole is even there. Nothing wrong with that, either!