where design + flavor intersect
 This cake is so tender and luscious (and secretly healthier!) thanks to olive oil and nonfat yogurt. My taste-testers went wild over it: “Incredible!” “Phenomenal!”
The gorgeous pink icing is achieved naturally from blood orange juice! Things to Note:
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 An anytime cake. You can even skip the icing and serve plain, or with a dusting of powdered sugar. Feel free to sub any citrus fruit you have on hand. Orange would be excellent.
Note that yogurt should be regular, not greek. I use nonfat, but low-fat would work fine, too. Yield: one 9" round or 8" square cake Ingredients: Cake: granulated sugar: 1 1/4 cup lemon zest (one lemon) lime zest (one lime) sea salt: ½ tsp. baking powder: 1 tsp baking soda: ½ tsp lemon extract: 1/4 tsp. lime extract: 1/4 tsp. extra virgin olive oil: 3/4 cup plain nonfat yogurt, room temp.: 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice: 2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice: 2 Tbsp eggs, room temperature: 2 flour: 1 3/4 cups  No need to buy cookie stamps...use kitchen tools to create texture!
See my Spicy Stamped Cookie recipe for details on the tools–scroll to bottom for pix. If you don't feel like stamping, skip step 7 in the recipe. These cookies are just as yummy without texture. :-) some tips:
 I perfected this recipe so it'd have all my fave granola characteristics: the granola clusters we all crave, equal parts sweet and savory, crunchy but not tooth-cracking hard...and customizable! I've found that making this granola base, and then customizing with mix-ins later (when you serve) is the perfect solution because:
 There are a ton of variations on baked french toast out there, but I was inspired by Sam's version because of its decorative design, and the addition of fruit. I love fruit with my french toast, and normally just throw some on the plate before serving. So, I was excited to see how the fruit and french toast would bake up together.
I love how this dish can be made the night before. I felt so accomplished when I woke up the next morning. It was like I checked something off my to-do list before i even got out of bed. I made some adjustments...my challah was BIG, so I doubled the eggs to six, and used heavy cream. whenever I make panfried french toast, I normally use half & half or heavy cream, so I figured it should be ok. decadent, but ok. :-) I used a 10" round baking dish with 1.5" sides. You can use whatever shape dish or pan you have on hand, but the key is that the sides are at least 1.5" high to contain the liquid. 2" would be even better. But to be safe, you could place the baking dish on a baking sheet to catch any overflow. i didn't have any overflow, but it's better to be safe than sorry... no fun cleaning the oven... so use the pan. :-) If you use another shape dish/pan, simply adjust the arrangement accordingly. Any extra slices can be baked in a separate dish, or panfried. Maybe you'll come up with an even cooler design! I had so much fun creating and constructing this. I felt like a sculptor, because the challah is very malleable once it’s coated in the egg mixture. People, I couldn't wait to snap the final pic so I could dig in. The fresh-baked aroma was driving me absolutely wild. a drizzle of maple syrup, a dusting of powdered sugar and wowwww. This is like a pillowy heaven of lusciousness.  Feedfeed and Ghirardelli are having their annual s’mores contest and I absolutely love seeing all the creative ideas people come up with. I also have a blast dreaming up some of my own s’mores inspired treats. This year, I leveled up my s’mores game and bought a kitchen torch specifically for this contest!
I made these mini icebox cakes, which are perfect for summer because very little actual cooking is required. They have luscious layers of whipped marshmallow cream, chocolate magic shell and graham crackers. They’re topped with toasted marshmallows and a ghirardelli milk chocolate caramel square. I've given instructions both with and without a kitchen torch. To get the square shape, I used a “brownie bite” pan. I ordered this fancy one to get it here quickly, but here's a cheaper option. you could also use a standard muffin pan, because round cakes would be just as delish. The key is that the cavities are at least 1.5" deep so you have room to build layers.  It's been exactly one year, to the day, since my last post, and it's been quite a year. The absence was due to my sudden full-time role as caretaker for my mom, who ultimately lost her yearlong struggle with brain cancer. So, here i am, trying to put the pieces back together during this strangest of quarantine times. And a big part of that effort is getting back to creating and baking. Which brings me to this recipe—a riff on the classic chocolate toffee matzah seen at many a Passover seder. But you don't need to be Jewish, or have matzah, to enjoy this treat...most any cracker will do...like saltines, stoned wheat, or water crackers. Any chocolate will work (Milk, Dark, White), but darker chocolate balances nicely with the super sweet toffee. If you've made some other version of this recipe, most likely it called for half the amount of butter and brown sugar. I upped the quantities because i realized i prefer the toffee to seep under the matzah, coating the bottom as well as the top. That way, when you go to take a bite, toffee is the first thing your tongue hits. If you want regular chocolate toffee matzah, you can bake for 12-14 minutes in step 5, and skip steps 6 & 7. Lastly, make sure to line the pan as described below, which will ensure easy removal post-bake. 
The Easter linzer bunnies pictured here were made with Rodelle Pure Almond Extract. I've used their almond extract for years and absolutely love it.
To make these delicious treats, i used my Linzer Cookie Recipe. For a twist on the traditional linzer decor, I topped some of them with a mixture of Rodelle’s Organic Dutch Process Baking Cocoa & Organic Hot Cocoa. I hadn't tried Rodelle's cocoa powders before. So, when they kindly offered to send me some to experiment with, i was super excited since i knew they are among Rodelle's bestsellers. and wow! they are so rich and flavorful! To make the cocoa topping, mix 2 parts hot cocoa + 1 part baking cocoa, and then follow the powder sugar application instructions in the assembly section. The cocoa bunnies are filled with melted white chocolate tinted in various shades. To make the filling, simply melt white chocolate chips in a microwave for 20-30 seconds, or until soft enough to mix. add food color a drop at a time till you achieve desired shade. If you don’t have white chocolate on hand, tinted royal icing in a thicker consistency would do just fine.
 I usually stick to cookies so please bear with me on this one. if you make this recipe, any feedback would be appreciated!
things to note:
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