Category: Desserts

Little Coconut Bundt Cakes

Posted on by Mari Vasseur

These little personal-sized coconut cakes are soft, moist and so plush! They’re perfect for Mother’s Day or any springtime or summer celebration. I love topping them with cherries for a super cute, vintage look. They’re also lovely topped with fresh flowers.

 

Little Coconut Bundt Cakes

by Mari Vasseur
Soft, moist personal-sized coconut bundt cakes with coconut buttercream & shredded coconut
Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 6 mini bundt cakes

Ingredients
  

Coconut Bundt Cakes

  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (124g) cake flour, sifted
  • ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons (175g) granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 3 large egg whites, room temperature
  • ½ cup (118 ml) canned coconut milk*
  • 1 tablespoon avocado oil or any neutral oil of your choice
  • 1 teaspoon pure coconut extract or natural flavoring
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups (150g) sweetened coconut flakes
  • Maraschino cherries with stems or fresh, pesticide free edible flowers optional

Coconut Frosting

  • ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 3 ¾ cups (454g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 5 tablespoons (74ml) coconut milk or whole milk
  • ½ teaspoon pure coconut extract or flavoring
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • â…› teaspoon fine sea salt

Instructions
 

Coconut Bundt Cakes

  • Preheat the oven to 325ºF (165ºC). Grease and flour a bundtlette pan with six 1-cup servings.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt until well blended. Add the butter and mix, with an electric mixer, on low speed, until the mixture looks sandy.
  • In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the egg whites, coconut milk, oil and extracts together until smooth and creamy.
  • On low speed, gradually add the egg mixture to the flour mixture. Turn mixer up to medium speed and beat for 1 or 2 more minutes, just until the batter is smooth.
  • Transfer batter to the prepared baking pan, dividing the batter equally among the cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 18-22 minutes. Do not over bake.
  • Let cakes the cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove them from the pan and transfer them to a cooling. Frost the cooled cakes and cover with coconut. Top with maraschino cherries or fresh flowers if desired.

Coconut Frosting

  • In a large bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium speed, until pale and smooth.
  • On low speed, gradually add the powdered sugar and beat until well combined. Add the coconut milk a little at a time, until the desired consistency is reached. Add the extracts and salt and beat on low speed until smooth.

Notes

*If your coconut milk is separated, re-emulsify it with a blender or whisk it vigorously with a whisk before using.
 
**Do not use imitation coconut flavoring. It tastes very artificial.
 
***To find the mini bundt pan I used, click here.
Keyword bundts, cake, coconut

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bread

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Chocolate Chip Cookie Bread

This is the ultimate chocolate chip bread! There are no cookies in this recipe, but it tastes so much like freshly baked chocolate chip cookies that Chocolate Chip Cookie Bread is the perfect name for it. Brown sugar, vanilla and semisweet chocolate chips really help to mimic that beloved chocolate chip cookie flavor. I love the big pockets of chocolate that come from using jumbo chocolate chips, but of course you can use regular or mini chocolate chips if you prefer.

I typically wait until a loaf is cooled off before slicing it, but in this case, I wanted to capture the melted pools of chocolate for the video. The fresh baked chocolate chip aroma was so heavenly, that it took all of my willpower not to immediately devour the entire loaf! It’s easier to slice a fresh baked loaf when it’s cooled off. But if you want to experience the melty chocolate chips, warm your slice in the microwave for 8-10 seconds.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bread

A moist, tender loaf cake with brown sugar and chocolate chips that tastes just like chocolate chip cookies
Print Recipe
Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert
Servings 1 loaf

Ingredients
  

  • 1 ¾ cups (223g) all purpose flour, sifted
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup (200g) packed brown sugar
  • 1 large egg, room, temperature
  • 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • ½ cup (118ml) whole milk, room temperature
  • ½ cup (113g) sour cream, room temperature
  • 1 ½ cups (9 oz or 255g) semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1 teaspoon all purpose flour

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Line the bottom of a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Grease and flour the insides.
  • In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the 1 3/4 cups (223g) flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
  • In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, egg yolk and vanilla in 3 separate additions, making sure each one is fully incorporated before adding the next.
  • In a small bowl, whisk the milk and sour cream together.
  • Add the flour mixture to the batter in two additions, alternating with half of the milk mixture after each addition. Beat just until combined. Do not over mix.
  • Set aside a handful of chocolate chips for the top of the loaf. In a small bowl, toss the remaining chips with 1 teaspoon flour, making sure to coat them all, then fold them into the batter. This will help to prevent them from sinking. Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan. Top with the reserved chocolate chips.
  • Bake for 10 minutes. Turn the oven temperature down to 325ºF (165ºC) and continue baking until the loaf is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 45-50 more minutes. Cool the loaf in pan for 10 minutes then turn the loaf out onto a cooling rack.

Notes

*If you want to use mini chocolate chips, use one cup (6 oz or 170g)
Keyword cake, chocolate chip

Pink m&m’s Chocolate Cookies

Posted on by Mari Vasseur

Pink m&m's Chocolate Cookies

Chocolate cookies with pink m&m's candies
Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 13 cookies

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (5 oz or 142g) all purpose flour, sifted
  • ¼ cup (3/4 oz or 21g) unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon fines sea salt
  • ½ cup (4 oz or 113g) unsalted butter, softened
  • ¼ cup (1 3/4 oz or 50g) sugar
  • ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons (2 5/8 oz or 75g) packed brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (7 oz or 200g) pink m&m's candies plus extra for tops

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
  • In a large bowl, cream butter with sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
  • Add egg and vanilla in separate additions and beat until well incorporated.
  • Add flour mixture and beat just until combined.
  • Gently fold in m&m's.
  • Place 2-tablespoon size portions, about 2 inches apart, onto prepared cookie sheets. I used a #30 portion scoop.**
  • Add a few more m&m's to the top of each cookie.
  • Bake until edges are set and tops puff slightly, about 8-10 minutes. Let cookies cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute, then transfer to cooling rack.

Notes

*To find pink m&m's, click here.
**To find the portion scoop I used, click here.
Keyword chocolate, cookies

Creamy Lemon Tarts

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Creamy Lemon Tarts

One of the reasons I love baking is because of the joy it brings. In this case it’s joy and sunshine. These vibrant, lemon tarts are pure sunshine. With only four ingredients, they’re so easy to make that you’ll be surprised at how silky and delicious they are.

Creamy Lemon Tarts

Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 6 tarts

Ingredients
  

  • 22 vanilla sandwich cookies, finely crushed (including the filling) I used Golden Oreos.
  • 3 tablespoons melted butter
  • 1 ½ cups (12 oz or 340g) mascarpone cheese, softened
  • 1 cup (10 oz or 283g) lemon curd, homemade or store bought
  • whipped cream optional

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350ºF. Place six 4-inch tart pans with removable bottoms* on a baking sheet.
  • In a medium bowl, mix crushed cookies with melted butter until well combined.
  • Press crumb mixture firmly into tart pans with the back of a spoon or the bottom of a small cup. It's important to press firmly, especially on the sides.
  • Bake tart shells for 8 minutes. Let cool completely.
  • In a medium bowl, stir mascarpone cheese with a spatula until smooth. Fold in lemon curd until well combined.
  • Fill cooled tart shells with mascarpone mixture. Refrigerate tarts until set, about 2 hours.
  • Carefully remove tarts from tart pans. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream if desired.

Notes

To find 4-inch tart pans, click here.
Keyword lemon, tarts

Pink Velvet Cookies

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Pink Velvet Cookies

Whenever I walk into a bakery, my eyes are always drawn to anything pink. Pink cupcakes, cookies, donuts or anything with pink icing will inevitably come home with me. This probably started in childhood. Most bakeries back then, including the bakery my aunt always took me to, had pink boxes, so I associate it with delicious, freshly baked treats. Maybe pink desserts do taste better or maybe our minds just tell us that. Either way, if you love pink treats, you’ll love these cookies.

Pink velvet is similar to red velvet, but without the cocoa powder and red food color. The texture should be somewhat velvety, like red velvet cake. I have yet to taste a velvety red velvet cookie, but I think the texture of these cookies is pretty velvety as long as they’re not over baked. Pink velvet desserts are typically vanilla flavored. I upgraded the flavor by adding a touch of cherry flavoring. It’s not enough to give you cherry flavored cookies, but it will add depth to vanilla flavored treats. It’s an old bakery trick that I learned years ago that adds a fruity note in the background.

For best baking results, I recommend using a scale to weigh your ingredients, especially your dry ingredients. If you love baking, you should invest in a food scale if you don’t already have one.

To watch the Pink Velvet Cookies TikTok video, click here. To watch the Pink Velvet Cookies Instagram video, click here.

Pink Velvet Cookies

Pink vanilla flavored crinkle cookies with chewy exteriors and soft, velvety centers
Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 14 cookies

Ingredients
  

  • 1 ¾ cups (7 7/8 ounces) all purpose flour, sifted
  • 3 tablespoons (1/2 ounce) cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • scant ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ½ cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup (7 ounces) sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or neutral oil of your choice
  • 2 large egg whites
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon natural cherry flavoring See notes below*
  • 1 small pea size drop pink gel food color I used Americolor deep pink**

Optional

  • ½ cup white chocolate chips

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt.
  • In a large bowl, cream butter, sugar and oil until light and fluffy.
  • Beat egg whites into butter mixture in two addition, until well combined.
  • Beat in extracts until well combined.
  • Add gel food color, a little at a time with a toothpick, until desired shade of pink is reached. (Adding remaining ingredients will lighten the color slightly.) Beat until evenly distributed.
  • Add flour mixture to batter and beat just until combined. Mix in white chocolate chips if using.
  • Roll dough into balls, about 2 tablespoons each. I used a #30 portion scoop.*** Roll dough very generously in powdered sugar. Place two inches apart onto prepared cookie sheets.
  • Bake until cookies are puffed and tops are set, about 11-13 minutes. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack.

Notes

*The cherry flavoring in this recipe is not intended to make a cherry flavored cookie. The addition of cherry flavoring adds a subtle fruity note. You can also use pure cherry extract. Use a bit less (scant 1/2 teaspoon)  because extracts tend to be stronger than flavorings. DO NOT use imitation cherry extract. It has a medicinal flavor that will disappoint you. If you want your cookies to be cherry or strawberry flavor, reduce vanilla extract to 1/2 teaspoon and  use 1- 1 1/2 teaspoons of natural cherry or strawberry flavoring.
**To find the pink gel food color I used, click here.
***To find the portion scoop I used, click here.
This recipe was updated on 2/14/23.
Keyword cookies, pink velvet

Little Strawberry Heart Cake

Posted on by Mari Vasseur

A cute little, stress-free, perfectly pink heart cake is my gift to you for Valentine’s Day. The vanilla cake is soft and fluffy. The frosting is super easy and delicious, with only two ingredients. It all comes together with fresh strawberries and it’s so good, you won’t want to share.

Little Strawberry Heart Cake

A six inch heart shaped vanilla cake with fresh strawberries and two-ingredient frosting
Print Recipe
Course Dessert

Ingredients
  

  • ½ cup chopped strawberries
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 1 cup (4 ounces) cake flour, sifted
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ cup (3 1/2 ounces) sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or neutral oil of your choice
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • â…“ cup whole milk, room temperature
  • 3 tablespoons sour cream, room temperature
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1 7.5 ounce jar Marshmallow Fluff
  • tiny drop pink gel food color I used Americolor deep pink*

Optional Decor

  • strawberries
  • meringue powder** or pasteurized egg whites
  • sugar

Instructions
 

  • In a small bowl, combine strawberries and 2 teaspoons sugar. Set aside to macerate for about 30 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line the bottom of a 6-inch heart shaped cake pan*** with parchment paper. Grease and flour the sides.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
  • In a large bowl, cream butter, sugar and oil with an electric mixer, until light and fluffy.
  • Beat in egg and vanilla in two separate additions until well combined.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together milk and sour cream.
  • Beat flour mixture into batter in two additions, alternating with milk mixture.
  • Transfer batter to prepared cake pan. Bake until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes. Let cake cool in pan 10 minutes then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool.
  • In a large bowl, stir cream cheese with a spatula to smooth out lumps.
  • Add marshmallow fluff and beat until well combined. Add food gel color with a toothpick and beat until evenly distributed.
  • Split cake into two layers. Top the bottom layer with frosting. Drain strawberries and spoon onto cake. Top with second layer, then more frosting.

Optional Decor

  • To make sugared strawberries, mix 1 part meringue powder with 3 parts water. Dip strawberries in meringue mixture, cover with sugar, then let dry. Alternately you can dip the strawberries in pasteurized egg whites, cover with sugar, then let dry.

Notes

*To find the gel food color I used, click here.
**To find meringue powder, click here.
***To find the heart cake pan I used, click here.
 
Keyword cake, strawberry

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Strawberry Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies

These cute kitties were created two years ago as a special request by someone who grew up playing with Webkinz. Do you remember the Strawberry Cloud Leopard? It was a cute pink Webkinz plushie. The cookies are made of tender, buttery shortbread dough. They get their natural color and flavor from freeze dried strawberries. Mini chocolate chips are added to make the adorable leopard spots. To watch the Strawberry Cloud Leopard Shortbread Cookies Instagram video, click here.

Heart shaped Strawberry Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies

I recently brought back the heart-shaped version of these cookies on social media, just in time for Valentine’s Day. Currently, the price of eggs is very high. These cookies don’t contain eggs, which is so helpful right now. They make a perfect shareable Valentine treat.

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies

Tender strawberry shortbread cookies dotted with mini chocolate chips
Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 15 4-inch cat cookies or 20 3-inch heart cookies

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups (255g) all purpose flour, sifted
  • ½ cup (64g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ¾ cup (18g) freeze dried strawberries not dried
  • 1 cup (227g) good quality unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/3-1/2 cup (57g-85g) mini semi sweet chocolate chips
  • Decor for leopards vanilla buttercream, finely shredded unsweetened coconut, heart candy sprinkles, melted chocolate optional

Instructions
 

  • Process the freeze dried strawberries to a powder with a small food processor or a clean spice grinder. Pass the powder through a sieve to strain out the seeds.
  • In a medium-size bowl, whisk the flour, powdered sugar and salt together.
  • In a large bowl, beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add the freeze dried strawberry powder and vanilla extract. Beat until well combined.
  • Add the flour mixture and beat just until dough comes together. Fold in 1/3 cup (57g) of mini chocolate chips for the leopards or 1/2 cup (85g) of mini chocolate chips for the hearts.
  • Divide the dough into two portions and form into disks. (Alternately, you can roll the dough between two sheets of parchment paper.) Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
  • Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut the cookies into your desired shapes. I used a 4-inch tall cat cookie cutter** for the leopards and a 3-inch tall heart cookie cutter for the hearts.
  • Place the cookies about 2-inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets. To prevent excessive spreading, refrigerate the cut cookies for 30 minutes prior to baking, especially if your dough becomes warm as you work with it.
  • Preheat the oven to 325ºF (165ºC). Bake until the cookies are slightly puffed and the edges barely start to turn light golden brown, about 11-13 minutes. (Smaller cookies will need a shorter baking time.) Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheets for 3-4 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Decorate as desired.

Notes

To find a cat cookie cutter, click here.
 
Keyword cookies, strawberry chocolate chip

Strawberry Sweetheart Brownies

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Strawberry Sweetheart Brownies

At the Brownie Mischief website, all types of brownies are welcome. We all know and love chocolate brownies. But there are other less common brownies in the universe, that deserve to shine too. Let me introduce you to Strawberry Sweetheart Brownies. These lovely pink creations aren’t strawberry cake or strawberry blondies. They contain white chocolate and they’re made with the same baking method as brownies. When you bake chocolate brownies, you want to be careful not to over bake them, to achieve the rich, fudgy texture. The same is true for these strawberry brownies. When you test for doneness, the toothpick should have a few moist crumbs attached to it. If the toothpick is clean, the brownies have baked too long and will likely be a little dry and cakey, although still edible. So make sure to test for doneness well before the end of the baking time!

The baking temperature for this recipe is 325ºF. I noticed that when baking in a heart shaped cake pan, things tend to bake unevenly because of the shape. So I used a lower temperature to help with even baking. If you don’t have an 8-inch heart shaped cake pan, you can also use an 8-inch round cake pan. To find the cake pan I used, click here.

Strawberry Sweetheart Brownies

To watch the Strawberry Sweetheart Brownies Instagram video, click here.

Strawberry Sweetheart Brownies

A heart shaped strawberry brownie made with fresh strawberries topped with strawberry icing.
Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 8

Ingredients
  

Strawberry Brownies

  • 7 tablespoons (3 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter, cubed
  • 6 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped
  • ¾ cup (5 1/4 ounces) sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • ½ cup (4 ounces) strawberry purée, divided
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon pure strawberry extract
  • 1 petite pea size drop pink gel food color (optional) I used Americolor Deep Pink**
  • 1 ½ cups (6 3/4 ounces) all purpose flour, sifted

Strawberry Icing

  • ¾ cup (3 ounces) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 tablespoons reserved strawberry purée
  • ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon pure strawberry extract
  • dash fine sea salt

Instructions
 

Strawberry Brownies

  • Preheat oven to 325ºF. Line the bottom of an 8-inch heart shaped cake pan*** with parchment paper. Spray the insides with nonstick spray.
  • In a large heat safe bowl, melt butter and white chocolate together on the stovetop over a pan of barely simmering water or in the microwave for 20 seconds at time, stirring at each interval. White chocolate overheats easily, so be vigilant.
  • Add the sugar and salt to the butter mixture and mix until well combined.
  • Add egg and egg yolks. Whisk until smooth.
  • Pass strawberry purée through a sieve to remove seeds. Set aside 2 tablespoons of strawberry purée for icing. Add remaining purée to batter. Mix until well combined.
  • Add extracts and food color. Mix until combined.
  • Stir in flour until combined, scraping bowl as needed.
  • Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake until toothpick inserted in center has a few moist crumbs on it, (not batter), about 25-30 minutes. Do not over bake. Let cool in pan. Remove from pan and top with strawberry icing.

Strawberry Icing

  • Whisk all icing ingredients together until smooth and well combined.

Notes

*To make strawberry purée:   Purée clean, hulled and quartered strawberries in a blender or food processor. **To find the food color I used, click here. **To find the heart cake pan I used, click here.
This recipe was updated on January 24th, 2023
Keyword brownies, strawberry

Raspberry Truffle Brownies

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Raspberry Truffle Brownies

Who else loves those heart shaped boxes of chocolates we see at Valentine’s Day? That adventurous first bite of chocolate, when you don’t know which flavor you’re getting, is so much fun! I adore the fruit ganache filled chocolate bon bons. If you love bon bons too, you’ll love these brownies. They’re rich, fudgy and topped with a silky raspberry ganache that makes you feel like you’re biting into a raspberry truffle. The ganache adds an elegant touch to these brownies, so dried rose buds, rose petals and crispy chocolate pearls were my toppings of choice.

This isn’t the first time I’ve created elegant brownies. I displayed beautifully decorated brownies at two previous cookie conventions and they were well received. Elevated brownies are unexpected, but they’re definitely appreciated!

Raspberry Truffle Brownies

by Mari Vasseur
Rich, fudgy brownies topped with silky raspberry ganache
Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 9

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup (128g) all purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch process
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter, cubed
  • 8 ounces (227g) bittersweet chocolate (70-72%), chopped
  • 1 ½ cups (300g) sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
  • ½ cup (118ml) strained raspberry purée
  • ¼ cup (59ml) heavy cream
  • 4 ounces (113g) white chocolate, finely chopped

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 325ºF (165ºC). Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a couple of inches of overhang.
  • In a medium-sized bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder and salt.
  • In a medium-sized heat safe bowl set over a pot of barely simmering water, melt the chocolate, making sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl. Stir occasionally, until smooth. Remove from heat.
  • In a large heat safe bowl, melt the butter in the microwave or set the bowl over a pot of barely simmering water. Whisk the sugar, eggs, egg yolk and vanilla into butter until smooth and the sugar is mostly dissolved. Stir in the melted chocolate until well blended. Stir in the flour mixture just until combined.
  • Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs on it, about 25-30 minutes. Do not over bake. Let cool completely.
  • Place the white chocolate in a medium-sized bowl.
  • In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, simmer the raspberry purée until reduced by half. Combine the heavy cream with the reduced purée in the saucepan. Heat until bubbles start to form around the edges. Do not boil.
  • Pour the hot cream mixture over the white chocolate, making sure its completely submerged, and let stand 5 minutes. Stir until smooth and well combined. Spread over the cooled brownies.

Notes

To find dried rosebuds, click here.
To find dried rose petals, click here.
 
Keyword brownies, raspberry truffle

Chocolate Gingerbread

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Chocolate Gingerbread

Chocolate gingerbread is gingerbread’s elegant sister. It has the warm spices we love in gingerbread combined with the earthy depth of chocolate. Topping this rich, tender loaf with silky cream cheese frosting is the best possible choice to take it over the top. It’s a lovely loaf to enjoy during the holiday season and beyond. Enjoy it with a hot drink for a cozy, comforting winter treat.

Make sure to check out my method for making sugared cranberries below. No raw eggs required!

Chocolate Gingerbread

Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 1 loaf

Ingredients
  

Chocolate Gingerbread

  • 1 ¼ cups (156g) all purpose flour, sifted plus extra for dusting the pan
  • â…“ cup (28g) Dutch process unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted plus extra for dusting the pan
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, preferably freshly ground
  • â…› teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 cup (200g) packed dark brown sugar
  • ½ cup (115ml) vegetable oil or neutral oil of your choice
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ½ cup (113g) sour cream, room temperature
  • ½ cup (118ml) whole milk, room temperature

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • ¼ cup (57g) cream cheese, softened
  • 2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 cups (234g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 2-3 tablespoons (30-45ml) whole milk, room temperature
  • ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 pinch fine sea salt

Instructions
 

Chocolate Gingerbread

  • Preheat oven go 350ºF (180ºC). Line the bottom of a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Grease the insides and dust with a mixture of equal parts flour and cocoa powder.
  • In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cloves until well blended
  • In a large bowl, beat the brown sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla together until smooth.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream and milk.
  • Add flour the mixture to the batter in two additions, alternating with the milk mixture, beating just until combined.
  • Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 38-45 minutes.
  • Cool the loaf in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn the loaf out onto a cooling rack to cool completely. Frost with cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • In a medium bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth.
  • Add the powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of milk, the vanilla and salt. Beat until smooth. Add additional milk, if needed, until your desired consistency is reached.

Notes

To make sugared cranberries and rosemary for garnish:  Mix 1 teaspoon of meringue powder* with 1 tablespoon of water. Place 1 cup of fresh cranberries in a bowl and coat them in the meringue powder mixture. Drain any excess liquid then coat the cranberries with granulated sugar.  Place them on a parchment lined baking sheet to dry at room temperature for at least 1 hour. Use the same method for sprigs of rosemary.
*To find meringue powder, click here.
Keyword cake, chocolate gingerbread

Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies

Posted on by Mari Vasseur

Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies

Fudgy chocolate peppermint crinkle cookies
Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 15 cookies

Ingredients
  

  • 1 â…“ cups (170g) all purpose flour, sifted
  • 2 tablespoons (12g) unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • â…“ cup (75g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 ½ cups (340g) powdered sugar, sifted and divided
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon pure peppermint extract
  • 2 ounces (57g) unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled to room temperature

Instructions
 

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
  • In a large bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer at medium speed, until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in 2 cups (227g) powdered sugar until well combined. Set aside the remaining 1/2 cup (113g) of powdered sugar in a shallow dish.
  • Beat in eggs in two separate additions, making sure each one is incorporated before adding the next. Add the extracts and the melted chocolate and beat until well combined. Beat in the flour mixture just until combined.
  • Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  • Roll the dough into 15 2-tablespoon size balls, 1 1/4 ounce (35g) each. Roll the dough balls generously in the reserved 1/2 cup of powdered sugar.
  • Place the dough balls 3 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets. Bak until the cookies puff and the tops are set, about 10-12 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a cooking rack to cool.
Keyword cookies

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Sauce

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Flourless Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Sauce

This cake story has a happy ending. Once, many years ago, someone gave my grandparents’ neighbor a flourless chocolate cake. The neighbor had a slice and couldn’t finish it because it was too rich. She brought the cake over to my grandparents and they each had a slice and couldn’t finish them, because they were too rich. I had a slice and I couldn’t finish mine either and, well…you can guess why. So my grandparents, not wanting to be wasteful, put the cake in the freezer and forgot about it for a very long time. Whenever I opened the freezer and saw it, I wondered why none of us could eat more than a few bites of that rich cake. Although I don’t know for sure, it was probably because the ratio of chocolate to butter was off. But I do know that serving it with something acidic, like berries or raspberry sauce, would have helped immensely.

The happy ending to this story is that this flourless chocolate cake was created to be enjoyed to the last bite. It’s decadent, but not overly rich. It has a good balance, not too sweet or too bitter. The raspberry sauce and fresh raspberries compliment it perfectly. This luscious cake is also delicious with strawberries or any combination of berries you like. It’s also delicious served with salted caramel sauce. I wish my grandparents were still around to give my version of a flourless chocolate cake a try. I think they would have loved this cake and finished every last bite!

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Sauce

Print Recipe
Servings 8

Ingredients
  

Flourless Chocolate Cake

  • 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
  • 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
  • 6 ounces unsalted butter, cubed
  • 6 large eggs, chalazae* removed
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • boiling water
  • powdered sugar for sprinkling
  • fresh raspberries for top
  • raspberry sauce (Recipe below)

Raspberry Sauce

  • 3 cups (12 ounces) fresh raspberries
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1/4-1/3 cup (1 3/4-2 3/8 ounces) sugar
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch

Instructions
 

Flourless Chocolate Cake

  • Preheat oven to 325ºF. Line a 6-inch springform pan** with parchment paper. Spray the parchment paper with nonstick spray. Wrap the bottom two inches of the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Set pan in a baking pan.
  • Combine chocolate and butter in a large stainless steel bowl set over a pot of barely simmering water. Stir until melted and smooth. Remove bowl from heat.
  • In a large bowl, beat eggs with an electric mixer until doubled in size, about 5 minutes. Beat in vanilla extract and salt.
  • With a large spatula, gently fold beaten eggs into chocolate mixture in three additions until no streaks of egg remain. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Smooth top of batter with a small offset spatula.
  • Pour 1 1/2 inches of boiling water into baking pan. Bake until top is set and internal temperature*** reaches 140ºF, about 28-37 minutes.
  • Remove cake pan from water bath. Cool to room temperature then cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (or up to overnight, but cake is best served the day it's made).
  • Remove cake from pan when chilled and set. Top with powdered sugar and fresh raspberries.
  • To serve, remove cake from refrigerator at least 30 minutes before serving and serve at room temperature for best texture. Serve with raspberry sauce.

Raspberry Sauce

  • Purée raspberries in blender or food processor. Pass purée through a fine mesh sieve**** to remove seeds.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together water and cornstarch.*****
  • In a small saucepan, heat raspberry purée with sugar and cornstarch slurry to a boil over medium heat. Turn heat down to low and simmer until slightly thickened, about 2-3 minutes.

Notes

*Chalazae are the opaque chords of egg white. Removing them is optional, but they do show up as white spots in the cake after baking.
**To find the 6-inch springform pan I used, click here.
***To find an instant read thermometer, click here.
****To find a fine mesh sieve, click here.
*****To find a mini whisk for whisking small amounts, click here.
Keyword cake, chocolate