Dark Chocolate Peppermint Mousse Tart

I made this Dark Chocolate Peppermint Mousse Tart last night and have already had so many requests for the recipe, so I’m fast-tracking this post! This tart has a chocolate graham crust, a layer of feather-light and minty white chocolate-peppermint mouse, and a velvet-y dark chocolate glaze on top. My husband, who is a notoriously tough customer, said it was “incredible”.

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Cabin Fever Brownies

Less Is More.

I’ve heard through the grapevine that when you’re looking for a recipe, it’s aggravating to have to read through an entire epic description and wade through umpteen photos. Because there’s a pandemic and I don’t want to further irritate you, I am presenting this Cabin Fever Brownies recipe without much commentary. Also, I am homeschooling, working, wife-ing and generally losing my mind so I don’t have time to inspire you with the fancy words.

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Violet Elderflower Gummies

These elegant violet and elderflower gummies are sweet, floral and just a little tart.  You only need a half cup of violet flowers, making this a perfect project for those first precious violets that pop up in the spring.  This recipe can be made with a lot of variations but I’ve detailed how I did mine in the recipe below.  The gummies, like the violets, don’t last long so it’s best to make them on the day you plan to eat them. Continue reading “Violet Elderflower Gummies”

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

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”

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 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”

Decadent Chocolate Banana Cupcakes

These chocolate banana cupcakes are insanely delicious.  Moist banana cake dipped in dark chocolate then topped with chocolate almond buttercream and a banana chip.  After getting rave reviews for these Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes, I put my thinking cap on to see if I could come up with a new take on the chocolate-covered cupcake.  This was a no-brainer.  My family says that these are the best cupcakes I have ever made.  They look so appealing and the two kinds of chocolate take it to the next level.  It’s like a decadent version of the classic chocolate chip banana bread. Continue reading “Decadent Chocolate Banana Cupcakes”

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”