Candy Kabobs

Candy kabobs are a treat that will forever take me back to my elementary school birthday party days. My mom and I would go to Bulk Barn, pick out all our favourite candy, skewer them together and wrap them in cellophane for all my guests. Not only do they look cute, but they are delicious (it's candy, what's not to love?!)! I hosted a little BBQ a few weekends ago and decided it would be the perfect occasion to re-create this childhood summer staple. They were a huge hit and they even matched perfectly with the other bright party decor. The best thing about them is that they require literally two elements: candy and skewers. Go wild! 

Cake Batter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Deciding to make these cookies was one of the best and worst decisions I have made in the kitchen. I am being completely honest when I say they have become my new favourite thing to bake and eat…ever! The combination of cake batter and cookie dough is a brilliant invention, and I must give all credit to Sally's Baking Addiction. I got sucked into the beautiful vortex that is Sally's blog, and let me tell you, it is dangerous! I want to make everything! But, what to know what is even more dangerous? Deciding to bring these cookies to a bon fire and coming up with the amazing idea to use them in place of graham crackers for s'mores. YEAH. Think about that one for a second. Jeeze, they are so chewy and cakey and are really the perfect cookie. Just go bake them already!! But first a few tips:

• Do not over look the dough chilling aspect of this recipe. I know it's tempting but it is necessary! I chilled my dough for 2 hours. 
• I tested out Sally's "tall cookie" trick and I was so surprised how thick they came out. When putting the cookie dough balls on a baking tray simply make the balls more tall instead of round (see picture below). 
• Also, 10 minutes and 30 seconds in the oven gave me the perfect, thick, lightly under baked, chewy, buttery, delicious cookie. 

Find the recipe here. 

Red Velvet Cookies

Looking for an easy and festive treat to make for Valentine's Day? Look no further! These red velvet cookies are gooey, chewy and delicious! And the white chocolate chunks are the perfect addition! Follow this recipe if you're wanting to bake from scratch, or use this recipe if you're looking for a quick fix! Either way you won't be disappointed! 

S'more Tarts

When I was in NOTL a few weekends ago, we stopped for gelato after dinner, but naturally I decided to get some macarons and s'more tarts to take home. When we got back to the house and started to indulge, I found myself completely disappointed with the so called "s'more tarts". They looked beautifully made, but they were missing the graham cracker crust!? I was shocked that they even labeled them as "S'more Tarts" when they were missing a crucial ingredient! Needless to say, I've been craving a true tart every since. When I found this recipe, I knew I needed to try it right away.  Although mine didn't look as fancy, they tasted delicious! They were so good I needed to bring them to work to stop myself from eating the whole batch! Also they definitely lived up to the true S'more name! I recommend baking this summer staple for your next get-together, or just for a fun snack! 

{Next time I would save a step and use graham cracker crumbs, instead of chopping them} 

Lemon Cupcakes With Cool Whip Icing

When I'm in the mood for cupcakes (when am I not?) I almost always go for some variation of chocolate or caramel, but I made these lemon cupcakes for a birthday celebration and I'm hooked. I used this recipe for the cupcake (it may look familiar as I used the icing for my latest macarons), and decided to swap the strawberry buttercream for a tried and true favourite: my mom's cool whip icing. This icing is honestly one of the bests, it is very light and not as sweet as traditional icing. I have vidid memories of my mom baking cakes and cupcakes for birthday parties from my elementary school days, and this icing was almost always present. 

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces of Cool Whip  
• 1/4 cup of icing sugar
• 1 cup of Milk
• 1 package of Instant Pudding mix in flavour of choice (I used vanilla) 

Directions:

1. Beat together pudding mix, milk and icing sugar
2. Fold in Cool Whip 
3. Optional: I added 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice and lemon peel shavings to compliment the lemon flavour of the cake

{These darling cupcake cups were found at Winners}

Mastering le Macaron - Part Two

Hope everyone had a fabulous long weekend! If you saw my first attempt at making macarons, you knew I was on the hunt for a yummy buttercream recipe. I used the same recipe for the base of the macaron, but found an amazing raspberry buttercream icing to sandwich in the middle- and what a difference it made! I was hoping for a stronger yellow colour, but I was worried adding too much food colouring to the base would make them too watery, and not turn out. Still, I find the natural-ish colour looks great with the pink icing.

I used this icing recipe, but instead I changed the strawberry jam to seedless raspberry jam, and added a tad bit more for a stronger flavour. Although I still cannot compare them to the ones I had in Paris, this batch was far better than my first attempt. They were also a perfect addition to our Easter sweet table! Still wondering if any of you have mastered the macaron? 

Cheesecake Confusion

If you are often unable to decide whether your dessert of choice will be a piece of cheesecake or a gooey brownie, I now give to you the perfect solution: The Cheesecake Brownie (aka Black & White Brownie Cupcakes). Does it get any better than this? This delectable dessert combines the goodness of both sweets and leaves you feeling the upmost satisfied (not to mention how easy they are: the preparation time probably took all of 10 minutes)! I made these for a friend's birthday celebration this weekend in Blue Mountain and I am almost certain there will be none left over! Enjoy! 

Ingredients:

• 1, 20 oz packaged brownie mix
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup (8oz) cream cheese, softened
•  1/3 cup sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. In medium bowl stir together brownie mix, 1 egg, milk, and oil until moistened
3. Spoon batter into paper lined muffin tin, filling 2/3 full
4. Using an electic mixture, mix cream cheese and sugar on medium speed until smooth
5. Add 1 egg and continue to mix
6. For each cupcake place a rounded tablespoon of cream cheese mixture on top of batter
7. Bake 28-32 minutes

{How cute are these flower cupcakes liners? Spring anyone?}

{You could also add icing; I like the two-tone look and chose to leave them plain}

Chocolate Chip Cookie Perfection

If you prefer a crispy crunchy Chips Ahoy type cookie this recipe is not for you. But, if you're like me and have been in search for the perfect chocolate chip cookie that's light, fluffy and chewy on the inside make these now! The only issue I had with this recipe is that I couldn't stop myself from eating half of dozen in one sitting. But seriously, when made right chocolate chip cookies are one of my all-time favourites and I have been looking for the perfect recipe for quite some time. These cookies are so far at the top of my perfect cookie list and I urge you to test them out! 

When I came across this recipe I was skeptical to add the cornstarch, but I'm happy I didn't omit it, as the end results were a chewy inside. My adaption of the recipe is as follows:

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup softened salted butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. Mix butter and both sugars together until creamy, add egg and vanilla 
3. Mix flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl, then add to the sugar/butter mixture 
4. Stir in chocolate chips
5. Spoon onto non-stick baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes, until edges are golden brown

Mastering le Macaron

Going into this project I knew noooothing could compare to the macaron goodness that I experienced on my last trip to Paris. But who doesn't love a good experiment! I followed this recipe and made some minor adjustments and let me just say- I was pleasantly surprised! Look at those pieds! They were definitely crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside. I found the buttercream icing recipe a tad bit sweet so next time I will be substituting it with another. And yes, there will be a next time! I am already envisioning an array of lavender and yellow babies for Easter! In the meantime here are some of my tips: 

• Make sure you don't add in other ingredients until the egg white mixture is glossy and forms white peaks when you lift batters. I didn't think my eggs would do this, but after testing multiple times it was obvious when the peaks actually formed! Took me 8-10 minutes to form this texture.
• Make sure you tap the tray a few times to get out excess air and let them dry for at least 15 minutes. I was so anxious to just pop them in the oven that I almost forgot this crucial step!
• Try and find two trays that are the same thickness. One of my trays was thicker than the other so the macarons on the heavier tray did not fully cook. It was a sad moment when I pulled them off the tray to find the bottoms were stuck! 

Even though people say they are very finicky and stubborn, I thoroughly enjoyed making them, and at the end of the day they were delicious! Isn't that all that matters?

I Heart Cake Pops

Valentine's Day is only one day away, which still gives you time to make something yummy and chocolatey to share with someone special. Cake pops are my go to dessert. Every time I have my girlfriends over they can pretty much expect me to make some variation of the cake pop, they are just so cute and fun to make!

I don't even remember what recipe I first used, but my instructions are very simple: bake cake of choice, mash up into tiny crumbs (when cooled), add a few tablespoons of icing (store-bought will do), roll into balls, and then dip in melting chocolate. It's that simple! This is the first time I made them into hearts (using a cookie cutter) and I am so happy they turned out.

Be sure to:

• Put the rolled (or cookie cut in my case) cake pops in the freezer for at least ten minutes so they can be dipped into the coloured baking melts without falling apart
• Let stand for a few minutes after freezer time; they will start to crack when dipped if they are too cold/completely frozen
• Find an old piece of styrofoam to stick dipped cake pops into for drying and cover it with saran wrap or a plastic bag so you can reuse the styrofoam 
• Have fun with it- add sprinkles, colours, swirls, etc.