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where design + flavor intersect

Blood Orange Cranberry Cake

1/27/2022

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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:
  • If you can’t find blood oranges where you are, feel free to sub navel oranges, or your fave citrus fruit.
  • I realize not many people are wacky enough to freeze cranberries in November for future use, so i've given an option in the recipe for dried cranberries, but be aware that they won't have the burst of juiciness you get from fresh cranberries.
  • I haven't tried it in this recipe, but fresh raspberries would probably be a great idea to achieve that extra juicy factor. and you could use them to color the icing!
  • ​Note that yogurt should be regular, not greek. I use nonfat, but low-fat would work fine, too. ​


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Lemon Lime Olive Oil Cake

1/20/2022

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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


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Stamped Chocolate Shortbread

1/16/2022

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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:
  • butter — feel free to substitute vegan butter. i've done it and they turn out awesome. Most vegan butter has salt, but if you can find it, Earth Balance now has unsalted vegan butter sticks. If your butter has salt, omit the salt in the recipe.
  • black cocoa — if you don't have access to this oreo-like wonder, you can substitute natural cocoa. However, i HIGHLY recommend you make the effort to get it.​​


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Custom Granola Clusters

12/23/2020

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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:
  • You can tailor it to each person’s individual taste
  • It retains its crunchy texture longer—the moisture in dried fruits can make jarred granola soggy over time, so the solution is to add when serving.
Things To Note:
  • You can make this vegan by omitting the egg whites, but be aware that the egg whites are the main secret to cluster formation, so you'll have smaller pieces.
  • The custom mix-ins are up to you. feel free to adjust quantities to taste, adding potent things like spices a little at a time so you don’t overdo.
  • to add spices later, use a strainer or sifter to get a fine, evenly distributed dusting. add little by little to taste.
  • You can certainly add the dry mix-ins to the entire batch (everything but the fruit) if the people in your crowd all have the same taste.
  • I prefer to roast the nuts separately (or even better, buy roasted nuts!) and mix in post-bake, instead of adding to the mixture before baking. that way, there's no danger of burning them.
  • Baking at a low temp (low and slow!) helps to ensure the granola will be crunchy in the middle, without burning the edges
  • The middle of the 'pancake' may take longer to bake. edges and thinner/smaller pieces will brown more quickly, so check oven often towards the end of baking and remove pieces as they brown to avoid burning.​
  • this granola makes a great gift! you can package it in a small jar or gift bag, with mix-ins tailored to each individual, and tie with ribbon and gift tag!
  • this’d be a delicious addition to your Christmas Day breakfast. Incredible with Greek yogurt, and of course, jarfaits!


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Baked French Toast

9/16/2020

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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. 


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Mini S'mores Icebox Cakes

8/23/2020

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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.


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Salted S'mores Matzah

4/8/2020

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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.


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Easter Bunny Linzer Cookies

4/8/2019

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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.




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Spicy Stamped Cookies

1/22/2019

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Cookie stamps are all the rage right now, but you don't need to spend any money! look through your kitchen drawers and you'll find creative ways to add texture to these cookies. and maybe in the process you can get a head start on spring cleaning...? um, ok maybe not. bake these cookies instead—WAAAY more fun.

​
Everyday kitchen tools make awesome cookie stamps. (see photo at bottom) BTW if you want any of the cookies stamps pictured at the bottom of this post, they're in my amazon shop. 

​I updated the recipe with a vegan option. you'll see it mentioned in the ingredients below. check the label of your plant based butter--if it has salt (almost all do), then adjust the salt amount accordingly, or skip entirely.

​​Spices courtesy of Burlap & Barrel.

​
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Double Chocolate Marble Pound Cake

1/7/2019

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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:
  • cocoa powder: dutch-process is needed for cake to bake properly, so don't substitute with natural cocoa. and the black cocoa is needed to get the darkest shade in the pattern. you can get these in my amazon shop!
  • cake flour: it's super expensive and most people don't have it in their pantry (including me!), so i gave you a substitution option below.
  • butter: make sure melted butter is completely cool so it doesn't cook the eggs.
  • swirling: resist the urge to over-swirl the batter, or else you'll lose the color contrast and the pattern. you'll have a boring-looking (but tasty) solid milk chocolate cake. :-)​ see pix at bottom.
  • pan: i used an 8.5" x 4.5" loaf pan here. 9" x 5" will work, too, but just know that the loaf will be shallower and less domed.
  • baking time: ​a metal pan will bake faster than glass, and each oven is different. so baking times will vary wildly. because of this, the skewer test (described in recipe) will be your best friend. if using the same skewer you swirled with, make sure it's clean and dry.


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