My holiday greatest hits

I’ve already got my elasticized waist pants ready.

Surely you’ll find yourself incredibly busy this time of year, no matter what holidays are around the bend. Luckily, I have a few recipes in my arsenal to give you some inspiration.

Triple chocolate chip cookies

Triple chocolate chip cookies — I actually made six dozen of these rich, chewy cookies last night. Yep. SIX. Always a showstopper, and a foolproof recipe to convert even the most finicky dessert-eaters. Let me put it this way: people who claim to not like chocolate, or cookies, now request these on a yearly basis.

Chewy molasses spice cookies

Chewy molasses spice cookies — Grownup and kid approved. Plus, like the triple chocolate chip cookies, one batch makes a ton—perfect for parties and gift-giving. Need I say more?

Bourbon pumpkin cheesecake

Bourbon pumpkin cheesecake — Seriously, I just can’t. This cake is too much amazing! Just make it.

Honey cake

Honey cake — Celebrating Hanukkah, or just prefer a soft, spiced loaf cake for dessert? Look no further than this incredibly easy gem. It’s my go-to for quick dinner party desserts. I usually serve it with some vanilla whipped cream, because why not?

Apple pie muffins

Apple pie muffins — Perfect for chilly winter mornings. I am making these for Christmas Day, to go along with Eggs Benedict and a terrifying amount of coffee with eggnog! If there is one day for me to indulge above all other days, it’s Christmas Day.

 

Happy holidays!

Best cocoa brownies

Oops. Fell off the grid a bit. Truth be told, I have been contemplating a revamp of this blog into something greater. This will take some time, though, as my 8-year-old PowerBook can scarcely handle how infrequently I update here. No matter, as 2013 will bring me a shiny new computer and a shiny new blog. Stay tuned.

I now bring you something I never thought I would admit to liking: brownies. Normally I find them either boring or saccharine, but these are an exception. Courtesy of Bon Appetit‘s December issue—which is bursting with goodies—I decided to give a go-ahead to what they deem, “The best—and easiest—brownies you’ll ever make. This recipe belongs in your repertoire.” Turns out that statement is bang-on! These brownies are rich, not too sweet, and delightfully soft with a crispy crust on top. Add a hint of cinnamon or instant espresso, and they are over the top incredible.

Chocolate Cappuccino Cheesecake

Gorgeous.

**Update! Crumb crust has been doubled. See below the cut.

Not much to say here, except this is probably the best cheesecake I have ever made, tied only with one (Caramel Macchiato cheesecake) I will be featuring very soon.

Actually, I’m starting to think I should just go into making cheesecakes full-time. In 3 months I have made, or been asked to make, seven cakes. Seven, glorious, silky, rich, amazing cakes. This chocolate cappuccino wonder is no exception! I don’t even like chocolate in my cheesecakes (in fact, I typically loathe it), but this has turned that sort of thinking on its head.

Quick Cinnamon Buns with Buttermilk Icing

Gloriously gooey—barely had time to snap a photo before inhaling these!

I have got to say, there’s been a real mishmash of exciting and bizarre things going on in my life lately. Feel free to apply that to any and every subject you can. What you really want to know is how it applies to food, right?

Meat. It means tons and tons of meat: pulled pork, roasted and barbecued chicken, beef roasts, and everything in between. I have started having daymares from it all. Something sweet had to come in … something comforting and decadent. Did someone say “cinnamon buns?”

Thick and chewy triple-chocolate cookies

The best things come in small (pretty) packages.

Behold! Probably the best cookie in the world.

At least, I think so. One could even make the argument that this tastes more like cake than it does a cookie–but why quibble over delicious little details?

Chocolate Zucchini bread

Have you seen a more perfect loaf?

Yep. Zucchini again. But this time with chocolate—and you can’t argue with that! After my August fritter mayhem, I ended up with a couple extra zucchini lying around. The answer? Riffing on boring, old zucchini bread by making it attractive, moist, and deceptively healthier than other recipes I have come across. Best of all, it’s as easy and budget-friendly as anyone could ask for.

Long Weekend Brunch

Smooth, fresh & packed with flavour.

Warm, cheesy & comforting.

For those of you living in Canada, this post might seem a little late; for those of you living in the U.S., this post is right on time. Whether the long weekend has just passed or is quickly approaching, there is no question food is going to be on the brain.

Hopefully during your long weekend the weather was or will be beautiful, as it was here in Vancouver. I find nothing more than some sunshine beaming into my kitchen will put me in the mood to whip up something new and special. Sounds like a cliché from some 1950s happy homemaker advertorial, doesn’t it?

Posting once a week for 2011

…and cutting down on carbs. Let’s see if I can do it.

Now, I’m not one for New Year’s resolutions. In fact, when asked if I have one, I usually scoff and say, “Yeah right. Like the first day of the year is better than any other day of the year to make a promise to yourself. They get broken within a week.” Well, I never even make those promises to myself during the year, so I figured I should just zip it and try.

Honey Cake

I rule.

I know, I know—it’s been way too long in updating this blog. But truth be told it’s been a far crazier month than I anticipated. This basically means virtually all of my baking and cooking took place over the course of one week. You guessed it: 18 Dec – 25 Dec. I asked for it.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Lovely little discs of bliss.

Sometimes all you want out of a day is to curl up into a ball, watch some inane television, and eat a plate of warm, chewy chocolate chip cookies.