Double Chocolate Muffins

At work this week we had another double birthday. To prevent total treat overload we split the celebration out into two days of muffins – Lemon Poppy-Seed one day, and Double Chocolate Chunk the next! I’m not going to beat around the bush – these are amazing. Dense like a muffin. Chocolatey like a cupcake….

Bird’s Nest Easter Cupcakes

OK, I’ll share what I’m cooking up for Easter this year shortly, but I know some of you are still planning for Sunday, so I thought I’d share one of my creations from Easter 2011 to help get those creative juices flowing! I love these because they’re super easy…. and because they give me a…

Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

Every year one of my colleagues asks for a lemon poppy-seed dessert for his birthday. I’ve made everything from a classic pound cake to lemon poppy-seed cookies, and nothing has been quite right. Sometimes it’s the texture, other times they’re too dry, other times they’re simply not lemon-tastic enough. This year I think I’ve finally…

Mini Toffee-Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies

The other night I wanted something nice to set out for some last-minute visitors, but I was short on time, so I went with my tried and true method for making anything more awesome: make it tiny! I actually put my husband in charge of selecting a recipe from Foodgawkeer while I picked up around…

Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake

My mum invited the whole family over for brunch last weekend, and even though she said I shouldn’t bring anything, and even though we’ve been super busy with home renovations, I still couldn’t take no for an answer. Everyone really likes the coffee cakes I perfected during the Quest for Brunch Excellence, but when I…

Homemade Salad Toppings – Croutons and Vegan Bacon Bits

Spring has sprung! (Well, here in Minneapolis we woke up to more snow, but the calendar says it’s spring! Work with me here.) Birds are chirping! Farmer’s market season is soon upon us! This time of year I find myself looking forward to the beautiful local produce,  wonderful salads, and vegetable-centered meals that come with…

Foolproof Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Ok, I promise this is my last roasted vegetable post for awhile, but I just had to get this recipe out there for you guys! For awhile I was on a huge Roasted Broccoli kick, and was eating that a couple times a week, but lately Brussels sprouts (or “alien heads” as we called them…

Perfect Roasted Broccoli

I can say without hesitation that my favorite food is broccoli – I’ll sit down with a bowl of raw or steamed broccoli for any meal of the week. While I understand that this veggie love certainly isn’t common, I do think that in roasted form, broccoli has the potential to be universally loved. Picky…

Spicy Roasted Chickpeas

A few weeks ago we picked up a pressure cooker, and since then, life has changed! OK,  that’s probably a little dramatic, but our life, as it relates to beans, has definitely changed. We’ve always used a lot of beans in our cooking, but prior to last week we were buying a lot of canned…

Roasted Buffalo Cauliflower

You guys know me and roasted veggies, it’s an obsession at this point. One dish that has been coming up a lot on social media recently has been Roasted Buffalo Cauliflower, but my husband doesn’t care for buffalo sauce. Last week he was out for the evening and I had some cauliflower handy, so I…

Birthday Cake Chocolate Chip Cookies

Over the weekend I was short on time, but needed to put together some treats for a neighborhood welcome basket. As these were new neighbors and I wasn’t yet sure of their preferences, I racked my brain for something that is quick and universally appealing, but also special. After thinking on it for an afternoon,…

Low Carb Vanilla Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Last week I was invited to a surprise party for a very close friend. His girlfriend wasn’t able to bake for the occasion without blowing her cover, so I volunteered to make my first foray into keto-friendly (low carb, LCHF) baking. Prior to making these cupcakes I did some extensive research on flour replacements and…

Mini Double Chocolate Muffins

February is a busy birthday month in my office, so while most of the time we celebrate with cake or cupcakes, February gets a little more variety. Last week I made an assortment of scones, and this week it’s double chocolate mini muffins! Chocolate muffins are a great birthday treat for an office – they…

Quick Cranberry-Orange Scones

During The Quest for Brunch Excellence, I deemed developing a great scone recipe something of utmost importance. I went through 3 or 4 techniques, and after trying to serve fresh scones for my guests, it became clear that a key feature of any scone recipe is simply how quickly they come together. This research paid…

Vegan Conversation Hearts

I’ve been a vegetarian since I was in middle school, and people always ask me if I ever crave meat. I can honestly say that I never have, but you know what I DO crave on a regular basis? Sweet glorious gelatin in all its forms. Gummy candies (peach rings especially, though Sour Patch Peaches…