Brownie with Chocolate Goat Cheese Frosting and Candied Walnuts

Chocolate Brownie with Chocolate Goat Cheese Frosting and Candied Walnuts

I wasted about a week making a string of disastrous sheet cakes.  A vanilla rhubarb cake that was tough and spongey with weeping, semi-curdled frosting.  An earl grey-lemon one that was simultaneously bitter and bland.  The last bright idea I had was a lemon-thyme cake with a goat cheese frosting.  But I just couldn’t face another failure so I skipped it.  But I had already bought the goat cheese.  So I gave it a hard think and in the spirit of Reckless Experimentation decided to make a Chocolate Brownie with a Chocolate Goat Cheese Frosting and Candied Walnuts. Continue reading “Chocolate Brownie with Chocolate Goat Cheese Frosting and Candied Walnuts” →

Strawberry Rhubarb Tart

Strawberry Rhubarb Tart

I love the vibrant flavor and tartness of strawberry and rhubarb.  A strawberry rhubarb pie is one of the best things about spring.  That and the end of another soul-crushing Chicago winter of course.  I wanted to see if I could pack all that spring flavor into a tart resembling a lemon meringue pie, using rhubarb as the filling and adding strawberries to the classic Italian meringue topping.  This Strawberry Rhubarb Tart does it all.  It’s bursting with juicy flavor, rich and tart, and topped with pillowy swirls of strawberry meringue. Continue reading “Strawberry Rhubarb Tart” →

Blueberry Buttercream

White Chocolate Blueberry Buttercream

This white chocolate blueberry buttercream is as versatile as it is beautiful.  Loaded with real blueberry flavor and no artificial color, it’s an excellent accompaniment to lemon curd and lemon cake.  I’ve used it two ways here, but there are so many possibilities. Continue reading “White Chocolate Blueberry Buttercream” →

Thin Mint Cookie Recipe

Chewy Thin Mint Cookie Recipe

These cookies are chewy, satisfying version of the much beloved Thin Mint girl scout cookies.  This thin mint cookie recipe is extra chocolatey with a just-right amount of mint, half-dipped in rich dark chocolate.  If you are prone to eating a whole sleeve of the originals, this is the cookie for you.  One or two of these and you’re all set.  Best of all, this recipe couldn’t be easier.  No mixer needed, just a couple of bowls and a fork.  I like adding little green sprinkles to give it a St. Paddy’s Day/Girl Scout vibe, but that’s totally optional. Continue reading “Chewy Thin Mint Cookie Recipe” →

Raspberry Almond Cake

Raspberry Almond Cake with Candied Blood Oranges

I love frosting.  I love cupcakes with lots of frosting and cakes covered in big frosting rosettes.  But sometimes a cake is just so delicious, you want the frosting to simply complement, not dominate.  This raspberry almond cake gets that balance just right.  The cake is rich and perfectly textured and the raspberry buttercream frosting adds a bright flavor and color.  It’s loaded with real raspberries and topped with tender candied blood oranges, giving just a bit of bitterness to balance the sweet.  All of the three components are delicious on their own.  But together, they’re magic. Continue reading “Raspberry Almond Cake with Candied Blood Oranges” →

Cookie Scoop Sizes

Cookie Scoop Size Chart-Everything You Need To Know About Choosing A Cookie Scoop!

Published on by Jane Deitrich158 Comments

Cookie scoop sizes can be perplexing.  Small, medium, large?  What does that mean when you come across it in a recipe?  If a recipe calls for a tablespoon of dough and you want to use a cookie scoop, which should you use?  If you arrived at this post looking for a Cookie Scoop Size Chart, you are in the right place because I have got everything cookie scoop ON LOCK.   Continue reading “Cookie Scoop Size Chart-Everything You Need To Know About Choosing A Cookie Scoop!” →

Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Cupcakes

Mind-Blowing Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes

These chocolate covered strawberry cupcakes are a valentine favorite at our house.  The strawberry buttercream is insanely delicious and loaded with real strawberry flavor.  Because the cupcakes are made from a mix and the tops are dipped in dark chocolate candy melts they look fancy but are pretty simple to make. Continue reading “Mind-Blowing Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes” →

Rice Pudding with Chocolate-Tahini Sauce and Black Sesame Praline

Rice Pudding with Chocolate-Tahini Sauce and Black Sesame Praline

My younger sister Eva, who I adore, has been living with us for four months and just returned to Olympia last week.  It was so lovely to spend all that time together and have an extra set of hands around to help with the kids. But one of THE BEST things about having Eva around was having a new chef in the house.  I’m pretty handcuffed when it comes to family dinners.  The kids seem to eat only things from two food groups:  beige and tube-shaped.   Continue reading “Rice Pudding with Chocolate-Tahini Sauce and Black Sesame Praline” →

Mezcal-Chili Dark Chocolate Truffles

Mezcal-Chili Dark Chocolate Truffles

I’m still making my way through a bottle of mezcal (a smoked tequila) that a dear friend sent me when I was having a rough day.   Now that the New Year is upon us, I’m ready to celebrate past and future and it always puts me in the mood to go all out and be decadent. These Dark Chocolate Truffles infused with mezcal and dusted with cayenne powder are so rich and wonderful.  They have a nice snappy chocolate shell and a soft, melting, smoky center.  The heat of the cayenne comes through right at the end.  And of course they’re topped with a bit of edible gold leaf.  Because DECADENT. Continue reading “Mezcal-Chili Dark Chocolate Truffles” →

Negroni Cake

Negroni Cake with a Campari and Blood Orange Filling

There’s something really unique about the week between Christmas and New Year’s.  I’m all the sudden sick of christmas, red and green, and all things nostalgic and traditional.  All of the sudden I’m ready to be fresh and modern and try new things.  I was pondering what I might make for New Year’s Eve and every single idea I had involved alcohol.  Go figure. Negroni Cake   Continue reading “Negroni Cake with a Campari and Blood Orange Filling” →