Since we’re only about a week away from Valentine’s Day, I thought that it would be appropriate for me to share this relatively easy but elegant chocolate dessert that I recently tried to make at home. It is a traditional French-style dessert and the name does sound fancy, doesn’t it? But trust me, it simply a baked custard served in single serving dish. It is simpler than I had anticipated to prepare, can be dressed up or down, and can be modified to suit your taste (think of flavors infusion here… the ideas are endless)! I honestly wasn’t sure what this dessert was all about, and I can’t even recall if I have had them before. But after I tried it, I can’t believe that I have never made this at home before. It is rich, velvety and very chocolatey (if there is such word!). It is important that you use the best quality chocolate you can find (I used Calabaut). Finally, this recipe only makes two, and while it may not seem like a lot… trust me, you don’t need a lot to be satisfied with this dessert. If you haven’t decided on a dessert to make for Valentine’s Day, I’d suggest that you give this a try!
Ingredients
3 /4 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp instant espresso powder
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1-1/2 ounces (1/4 cup) best-quality bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon sugar
A pinch of coarse salt
Boiling water, for roasting pan
Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bring 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp of heavy cream, espresso, and vanilla to a simmer in a small saucepan; pour over chocolate in a medium bowl. Let sit for 3 minutes, whisk until smooth.
In a second medium bowl, Whisk together egg yolk, sugar, and a pinch of coarse salt; whisk in warm chocolate mixture in a slow stream whisking constantly. Strain custard through a fine sieve into a 2-cup glass measuring cup. Let cool completely stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.
Place 2 tea cups/ovenproof cups or ramekins on to a roasting pan. Pour chocolate mixture into cups, dividing evenly. Pour enough boiling water into pan so it comes halfway up sides of cups. Cover pan with foil. Cook until custards are barely set, about 25 minutes.
Transfer cups to a wire rack, and let cool slightly. Cover with plastic, and refrigerate 1 hour (up to overnight).
Beat the remaining cup cream until stiff peaks form. Spoon a dollop over each pot de creme before serving.
Yield: 2
Adapted from Martha Steward Living February 2012
I needed to bring cupcakes to work recently for a co-worker who was transferring to another location. He had mentioned that he loves anything lemony, so I decided to make these lemon cupcakes for his last day of work. I thought, what a perfect season to use the abundance of citrus fruits this winter. I really love the basic white cake that I use from Dorie, and decided to use that recipe for the base of this lemon cupcakes. I basically added tons of lemon zest to boost up the lemon flavor for the cupcakes, and I love that I can see the flecks of lemon zest in the finished products. Another co-worker suggested that I top them with vanilla frosting, so that’s what I did. But if you want extra lemon, you can definitely make lemon or cream cheese frosting as a variation. My co-workers told me that by far, this was their fave cupcake! Mine too! 
Ingredients
For the cake:
2 ¼ cups cake flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 ¼ cups whole milk or buttermilk
4 large egg whites
1 ½ cups sugar
3 tbsp. grated lemon zest
1 stick (8 tbsp.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ tsp. lemon extract
For finishing:
1 recipe of fluffy vanilla frosting
Directions (for layered cakes)
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottom of each pan with a round of buttered parchment paper. Dust both pans with flour, shaking out the excess. Set aside.
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk and egg whites. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the sugar and lemon zest. Mix them with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant. Add the butter to the sugar mixture and beat on medium speed for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Beat in the lemon extract.
Add one third of the flour mixture, continuing to beat on medium speed. Beat in half of the egg mixture, then half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated. Add the rest of the milk and eggs, beating until the batter is homogeneous, then add the last of the dry ingredients. Finally give the batter a good 2-minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and well aerated. Divide the batter between the two prepared cake pans and smooth tops with a rubber spatula. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cakes are well-risen and springy to the touch – a thin knife inserted in the centers should come out clean.
Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes. Run a knife around the sides of the cakes, invert the cake pans to remove the cake, peel off the parchment paper, and invert once more so cakes are right side up on the cooling rack. Cool to room temperature.
Using a sharp, serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion, slice each layer horizontally in half. Place one layer on a cardboard cake round or a cake plate, cut side up. Spread one third of the preserves on top. Cover the jam evenly with about 1/3 of the white chocolate whipped cream. Top evenly with fresh berries. Top with another cake layer, and again layer with jam, whipped cream and berries. Repeat once more with a third cake layer. Place the last layer of the cake cut side down on top of the cake. Use the whipped cream frosting to frost the top and sides of the cake. Top with fresh berries.
Because of the whipped cream, this cake should be stored in the refrigerator. Remove from refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature at least 30 minutes before serving.
Yield: 18
Adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan
Pumpkin is an all-year long staple at our house. Not only that it is delicious and nutritious, it is also versatile. We love them in pancakes, waffles, cupcakes, and even mac ‘n cheese! I really can’t help that I have cans of them lining up inside my pantry. I opened a large can of pumpkin the other night so I could make these pancakes for my daughter’s breakfast, since she was on pancake mood, and I wanted a quick recipe that I could put together easily without an extra trip to the grocery store. Red suggested this pumpkin bar. Since it is an oil-based bar, it is almost like a cake, or a very moist quick bread. Definitely not denser like what you’d expect on a typical “bar” by any mean (as you can see from the picture).
I was a little cautious at first when I shared some of these with my co-workers and friends. I figured that I was the only person who loves pumpkin all year. I was wrong! Everyone enjoyed and raved about them. These bars were delicious on its own without the icing, but if you want extra “ooomph”, definitely add the icing. The icing recipe below makes it to a nice spreading consistency. But you can also thin it out even more and drizzle them on top of the bar. Looks like I’d be making this again soon.
Ingredients
Bars
4 eggs
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
15-ounce can pumpkin
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
Icing
8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Using an electric mixer at medium speed, combine the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until light and fluffy. Stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix at low speed until thoroughly combined and the batter is smooth. Spread the batter into a greased 13 by 10-inch baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting. Cut into bars.
To make the icing: Combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sugar and mix at low speed until combined. Stir in the vanilla and mix again. Spread on cooled pumpkin bars.
Adapted from Paula Deen via Food Network
Yield: 24 bars
I’m not the type of baker/cook who always gets the newest kitchen gadget. I buy the most practical utensils for my kitchen. I also wouldn’t normally just go out and buy something like this Madeleine pan that can only be used for making Madeleine, although had I known how easy (but delicious and impressive) this dessert would be – I would have gone out and gotten the pan myself. But that is why you have a best friend. A best girlfriend who just thinks that you should own one since she knows that you’d love getting a surprise gift like this one. So, she went out and got you one!
I was about eight months pregnant at that time, and at that time, Mollie came to visit me and got me this beautiful little pan. I kept on wanting to finally take advantage of this – and I seem to always forget the one ingredient that you shouldn’t miss: a lemon! When I finally had a basket full of lemons, this was the first thing that I knew that I had to finally make. Light and fluffy like little sponge cakes, with a tiny bit of crust on the outside… they were divine. I added an extra teaspoonful of grated lemon zest, and I loved the extra lemony punch.
These little cakes weren’t extremely sweet, so perfect for breakfast but sweet enough to make breakfast feel extra special. Also, sophisticated enough for dinner. Since this recipe allows the batter to be prepared overnight, placed in the pan, and refrigerated, I decided to serve these for breakfast. What a perfect companion for a tall glass of hot tea. We all loved these madeleines (including my daughter who was holding on to hers pretty tightly) and I really wished that I would have tried this sooner. And I wish that Mollie was living closer to me so she could share this with me.
Ingredients
2/3 c all purpose flour
3/4 tsp. double-acting baking powder
A pinch of salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 c. sugar
Grated zest of 2 lemon
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3/4 stick (6 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Directions
Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a mixer with a whisk attachment, beat the eggs and sugar together at medium-high speed until they thicken and lighten in color, about 2-3 minutes.
Beat in vanilla. With a large rubber spatula, gently fold in the dry ingredients, followed by the melted butter. Cover the batter with plastic wrap, pressing it against the surface to create an airtight seal. Chill for at least 3 hours.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. If your madeleine pan is not nonstick, generously butter it and dust with flour. Set the pan on a baking sheet for easy transportability. Spoon the batter into the molds, filling them almost to the top. Don’t worry about smoothing the batter. It will even out as it bakes.
In the center rack of the oven, bake large madeleines for 11-13 minutes, and small ones for 8-10 minutes, or until they are puffed and golden and spring back when touched.
Remove the cookies by either rapping the pan against the counter or gently running a butter knife around the edges of the cookies. Cool on a cooling rack.
*Note-do not overfill the pans, a little batter goes a long way. The cookies will rise while baking. The recipe yielded 24 cookies for me. Also, my madeleines were done baking at 8 minutes, so make sure you check them.*
First week back at work after any times off guarantees to be a drag no matter what. I started the week kind of slow, and I think I’m coming down with something, probably a cold. I have been relying on my freezer (full of goodies!) to get through this past week. I also found a log of this cookie dough in the freezer (to my excitement), that I just realized that I haven’t posted! I made this back in December when I was looking for a new cookie recipe and stumbled upon this one. This cookie was crispy and not too sweet, makes a ton, and can be made ahead and frozen (ideal for holidays!). The dough needs to thaw for a little bit before before slicing and rolling onto the chopped nuts. Some other ideas that I thought would be good, if you have extra time and wants to add extra oomph to these cookies would be to dip them in melted chocolate. These cookies actually remind me of these shortbread cookies, but crispier and nuttier. This cookie is great with a cup of steaming hot tea (which I have been drinking all week), and maybe black coffee. I hope everyone is having an awesome weekend!
Ingredients
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
6 ounces cream cheese (not whipped), room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 tablespoons plus 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups walnut halves (1 1/2 cups toasted and coarsely chopped and 1 cup finely chopped)
Directions
Whisk together flour and salt in a large bowl; set aside. Put butter and cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in sugar and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture, and mix until just combined (do not overmix). Mix in toasted walnuts.
Transfer dough to a work surface. Divide in half; shape each half into an 8 1/2-inch long log about 2 inches in diameter. Wrap each log in parchment paper; freeze until firm, about 30 minutes or up to 2 weeks.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees with racks in upper and lower thirds. Unwrap 1 log, and roll in 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, coating completely. Cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Space 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
Bake cookies, rotating halfway through, until golden around edges, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks. Repeat with remaining log and remaining 1/2 cup chopped walnuts.
Adapted from Martha Stewart Cookies
I hope everyone had an awesome Christmas! I unexpectedly took a little time off from blogging because our family got a little sick just before Christmas break from a stomach bug, but we recovered just enough strength for a family visit for Christmas. I really just prefer more intimate and low key Christmas celebrations. You’re probably thinking why the heck is she posting a WHOLE WHEAT (read: healthy) muffin recipe in the middle of the holiday season. Rest assured that these muffins didn’t actually taste “healthy” (you know, the tough texture, and bland flavors)! Tasty healthier treats like this are my favorite to make during holiday times to balance with all of the sweets and goodies that only show up in special occasions.
The combination of apple sauce, buttermilk, and canola oil really made these muffins moist, delicious, and had pretty delicate texture considering that it uses whole wheat pastry flour. I have to admit that whole wheat flour doesn’t work in all recipes, it’s not as easily substituted into recipes that call for all purpose flour. But I wanted to take a chance on this anyways since I needed a new whole wheat muffin recipe using apples (my daughter’s all-time favorite fruit, which thankfully can now be found all year long). I’m really glad that I tried these, because I really liked how they turned out (or I wouldn’t have posted it ) They weren’t very sweet, but definitely delicious, hearty and satisfying.
Ingredients
Cooking spray
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
1 cup natural applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup lowfat buttermilk
1 Golden Delicious apple, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a 12-capacity muffin pan with cooking spray.
In a small bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar, the pecans and cinnamon.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose and whole-wheat flour, baking soda and salt.
In a large bowl, whisk the remaining 3/4 cup sugar and oil until combined. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, whisking well after each addition. Whisk in the applesauce and vanilla.
Whisk in the flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with the buttermilk. Whisk just until combined. Gently stir in the apple chunks.
Pour the batter into the prepared muffin pan and sprinkle with the pecan mixture. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles. Bake for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center of 1 of the muffins comes out clean.
Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the muffins to loosen them and unmold. Cool completely on the rack.
Yield: 16-18 muffins
Adapted from Ellie Krieger as seen on Food Network
I thought that it’s only appropriate that I post a gingerbread recipe this month, since Christmas is only several days away. I made these Gingerbread cupcakes a couple of years ago and remember how delicious the flavors were, although I thought that the texture was a bit too dense as cupcakes. I was in the middle of the first trimester of my pregnancy with my daughter at that time, and I remember not loving food in general as much I normally do (even ice cream!). I decided to try this recipe again this year to make sure that my taste buds weren’t comprised. I came to the same result and opinion: wonderful flavor and dense texture, so we ended up enjoying them as muffins (worked for us!). I had about six cupcake leftovers and decided to turn them into these yummy truffles. They’re basically just cake balls, dipped in chocolate. 
This truffle “recipe” is very versatile, you can use this as a base of any cake truffles combination. If your cupcakes have denser texture, you may need more cream cheese. The flavor combo here is really endless, so you can’t go wrong. One of my favorites is this Red Velvet Cake Truffles. I have also used leftover frosting as the binder instead of cream cheese when I didn’t have any cream cheese at the house, and it’s like eating a bite-sized cake without having to worry about a plate, fork or napkin On a final note, if you are patient, they are also awesome treat to have in the freezer. So you can stash a few extra for those long days that you need a little treat for yourself.
Truffles Ingredients
6 cupcakes, recipe below
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
12-oz melting chocolate (I used white chocolate)
Truffles Directions
Mix all of the crumbled cake and cream cheese frosting together. Form them into a 1/2-inch diameter balls. Refrigerate for approximately 10 minutes.
In the meanwhile, melt chocolate either in microwave (at 50% power), or over double broiler.
Dip cake balls into melted chocolate. Let set for a few minutes and store them in airtight container in the refrigerator.
Yield: approximately 2 dozens
Cake Ingredients
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup packed dark-brown sugar
1 cup unsulphered molasses
2 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
Cake Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 10 jumbo muffin tins with paper baking cups, and set aside. In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup water to a boil. In a bowl, combine boiling water and baking soda; set aside. In a large bowl, sift together flour, ground spices, salt, and baking powder; set aside.
In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter until light. Beat in the brown sugar until fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Beat in the molasses, baking-soda mixture, and flour mixture. Beat in the eggs.
Fill the cupcake papers three-quarters full, making sure that the batter is divided evenly. Bake cupcakes until a toothpick inserted in the center of them comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let cupcakes cool a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
Yield: 18 cupcakes
Adapted from Martha Stewart Cupcake
I think everyone can use a quick dessert (that can still impress) on their repertoire! If you don’t have one, I present you these freaking amazing 4-ingredients Nutella brownies. First of all, who doesn’t love Nutella? (Of course, NONE of my co-workers have heard of Nutella before, so maybe I should rephrase this. What’s funnier, they all said, “Well, we’re guys, so we don’t know what that is.” Yea right, like they think they can get away with that excuse. But moving on…). So let’s try this again, who doesn’t love chocolate hazelnut spread turned into little bite-sized brownies? I was a little bit skeptical when I saw these, are these too good to be true? I have heard of those cake recipes that can be made in the microwave, and I have never tried those. But I just had to try these. I started the holiday season vowing that I’d bake at least five different dessert recipes, and NOT all cookies. But I have to shamefacedly admit that time escaped a little bit too quick. So I really wanted to try this easy recipe that would impress, and I think I found them. They were chocolaty, and slightly goes in the center from the Nutella, and bite-sized! They are great for get-together or parties since they’re portable. I didn’t have any hazelnut or peanuts, so I skipped those. And they were still fantastic.
Our bake-along group has brownies on the theme. I didn’t even know that December is the month of brownies Check out what other delicious brownies are baked by my fellow bloggers. Thanks Nicole for hosting this month’s event!
Ingredients
1/2 cup Nutella spread
1 large egg
5 tablespoons all=purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts
Directions
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup mini muffin pan with paper or foil liners.
Put the Nutella and egg in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth and well blended. Add the flour and whisk until blended.
Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins (about 3/4 full) and sprinkle with the chopped hazelnuts.
Bake until a pick comes out with wet, gooey crumbs, 11 to 12 minutes. Set on a rack to cool completely. Serve immediately or cover and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Yield: 12 mini brownies
Notes
Switch-Ins: In place of the hazelnuts, switch in one of the following:
* ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon (add with the flour)
* peanuts, chopped, 1/4 cup
Adapted from Desserts 4 Today: Flavorful Desserts with Just Four Ingredient, as seen on Savory Sweet Life
Every Christmas, I have tried to include some sort of food gifts to my family and friends. While I do love spending time in the kitchen and sharing my baked goods, I don’t get to share them enough with family and friends especially if they live far away from me. And I truly think that food gifts, made in a homemade kitchen, is the most special gift of all. Recently, I got the opportunity to send some Christmas goodies to a friend and co-worker, and I wanted something that traveled well, delicious, and somewhat kid-friendly. While I had wanted these to be a surprise, I had to ask her whether her beautiful daughters were free from peanut allergic, and thankfully they were! I thought that they would love these peanut butter fudge. They’re rich, silky, buttery, and for my husband, actually nostalgic. They tasted like special treats, something that are so rich and decadent that should only show up in holiday tins, and be enjoyed during the holiday season. She and her family loved them, and were so happy to receive these (and this Best Ever Hot Cocoa Mix and I was a happy camper to have shared these with them.
Ingredients
1¼ cups (10 ounces) unsalted butter
1¼ cups smooth peanut butter
Pinch of salt
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
4½ cups powdered sugar, sifted
Directions
Butter an 8-inch non-stick baking dish (or alternatively, line with buttered parchment paper) and set aside.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat the butter and peanut butter until the mixtures comes to a boil. Remove from the heat.
Add salt and extract, then stir in the powdered sugar until smooth and no lumps remain.
Pour the fudge mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly on the fudge and refrigerate until set, at least 1 hour. Cut into squares and serve. Fudge can be stored at cool room temperature in an airtight container, or you can store them in the refrigerator (but thaw before serving).
Yield: 64 pieces (~1-1/2 lbs)
Adapted from Joy of Cooking as seen on Brown Eyed Baker
I don’t have dessert on a regular basis. Sometimes, I’d have a craving for something sweet, then I’d go grab myself a big bowl of homemade ice-cream. Strangely enough, I recently had a craving for a big fat slice of red velvet cake. I don’t know if it was the red coloring that made me think of Christmas, or the creamy cream cheese frosting, or these cold winter days that made me yearn for some extra treat! Obviously, one whole cake isn’t a very practical treat for a household of four (2 adults, one teeny person, and a St. Bernard), I thought that cupcakes would be easier to enjoy and share with friends as well (and yes, I did share with a couple of friends who were absolutely delighted by these little beauties). I went back to my favorite Red Velvet Cake recipe, only this time, I reduced the oil from 1-1/2 to 1-1/4 cup. I felt like it had a better balance, much less oily, while still moist. The cream cheese frosting was luscious, sweet, and sinful, just how your holiday dessert should be!
Ingredients
For the cake:
2½ cups cake flour
1½ cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 to 1-1/4 cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons (1 oz.) red food coloring
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
For the frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter room temperature
3 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions
For the cake:
Preheat oven to 350°. Sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa, and salt into a medium bowl.
Beat eggs, oil, buttermilk, food coloring, vanilla, and vinegar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until well combined. Add dry ingredients and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes.
Divide batter evenly in greased muffin pans.
Bake cupcakes, rotating halfway through, until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean, 18-22 minutes (mine was perfect at 20 minutes). Let cupcakes cool 5 minutes, remove onto a cooling rack. Let cupcakes cool completely before frosting with cream cheese frosting or your other favorite frosting.
For the frosting: (Adapted from Smitten Kitchen, yield ~ 6 cups of frosting)
Place cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl. With a handheld electric mixer, beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add sugar and vanilla. Beat, on low speed to combine. If too soft, chill until slightly stiff, about 10 minutes, before using.
Yield: 18 cupcakes
As seen on The Way the Cookie Crumbles From Apple a Day, who adapted it fromwww.saveur.com
