It is finally here!!

My one true love appeared on my doorstep this afternoon.  If such things could occur between humans and objects, I’m sure it would be my soul-mate. Behold, the one and only, the riveting, Joy the Baker Cookbook!

What a Goddess

This book is magical. It contains so much sugar, butter, and love! I feel like I have peeked into Joy’s soul and discovered her incredible love and devotion to food, something I’m sure that many other foodies like yourself can understand. Joy expresses how she can feel certain emotions from specific dishes, and gushes how a wonderful meal can set the perfect atmosphere. Basically, the girl gets it. She lives for food like many of us, making her book that much more special and closer to the heart.

I am very excited to start baking from this book, as I am sitting here, drooling over the recipes. You’re in luck because I will be sharing the results with you!

Happy baking!

xx.

Maple Caramel Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache

Dear Cold,

I don’t know what your deal is. I try and try to kick you out, but you don’t leave! Don’t you understand that I’m done with “us”? I want to move on!

Sincerely,

Hannah

…had to get that off my chest. I haven’t been able to work out in 2 weeks because of this cold. 2 weeks! I think it’s time to visit the Doc.

In other news, I made this cheesecake and it was lovely! Like suuuuuper decadent. I’m happy with the results considering how badly I winged it. The flavour combo is quite odd, I know, but it works.

Rich and fluffy

I ran out of graham cracker crumbs, and didn’t know how to replace them. That’s when my roomie Jess walked by and tossed out “how about an oatmeal crust…” GENIUS. I then debated about how to flavour it….key lime? Caramel? Maple? Chocolate? I decided on the maple-caramel combo and it was great! I did a caramel swirl, which you cant see because of the chocolate ganache, but it was quite pretty.

super moist

To tell you the truth, I preferred the cake without the chocolate. I know, I know, how can chocolate make something less delicious. But I found it to be a tad overwhelming to the other flavours. Other tasters said the chocolate was great, so just do what you think would taste best for you!

Maple Caramel Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache

*Note: The maple flavour is quite subtle in this cake. If you want to increase the flavour, add another 1/2 cup of maple syrup and leave out the sugar.*

Crust

• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 cup butter
• 1/2 cup coconut oil

Filling

• 3 1/2 x 8 oz packages cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup caramel sauce

Ganche

• 250 g semisweet chocolate
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions:

in a bowl, mix graham crumbs, oats, sugar, butter, and coconut oil. Push evenly into the bottom of a 10 inch springfoam fan. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until fluffy. Incorporate eggs, and beat until a smooth, custardy texture forms. Add vanilla, maple syrup,  and cinnamon until combined. Pour mixture into crust and swirl in caramel sauce. Bake for 75-85 minutes until top is brown and cake is still jiggly. Let cake sit in oven, with oven door open, for fifteen minutes (so as to not shock cheesecake and let it sink/crack, etc.). Then remove cake and let cool for half an hour on counter top, and at least 3 hours (best if overnight) in fridge.Before serving, make ganache. Heat cream until just boiling, then remove and pour over chocolate, in a small-medium bowl. Let chocolate melt, then whisk until mixture becomes smooth and glossy. Cool in fridge or freezer until desired thickness. Pour gently over cheesecake.Happy baking!

xox.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

I decided to post a pretty basic recipe for simple, chocolate cupcakes considering that most of my recipes are more complex in flavour and sometimes time consuming. Not these beauties! The cake is moist and almost fudgey, and the frosting is buttery and just what you need when a chocolate craving strikes.

Chocolate on chocolate...on chocolate

I kinda just winged this recipe, so if proportions seem off, just trust that it works out. The taste is proof, amiright??

Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Cupcake

• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 2 tbsp coconut oil (or 2 tbsp canola oil)
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tsp vanilla

Frosting

• 3/4 cup butter, room temperature
• 2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp milk or heavy cream
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a standard 12-cake cupcake tin.

deep, dark cupcakes

together dry ingredients and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together wet ingredients. Add to dry ingredients and beat thoroughly until smooth and well-combined. Pour batter into cupcake compartments, until almost full.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for ten minutes on a cooling rack, then fifteen more in the fridge.

While cups are baking and cooling, make frosting. Beat frosting until fluffy. Then add rest of ingredients and beat until a thick yet fluffy frosting is formed. If milk is needed, add in small amounts.

Frost cupcakes in any fashion you wish, and garnish with chocolate bar pieces!

Happy munching!

Xox.

Now off for some drunk bowling

Vegan Rocky Road Cookies

Before I start anything, I must say that the marshmallows and chocolate chunks in this recipe ARE NOT vegan. They were what I had in the house so I used them. The cookie batter base IS vegan, which I think is the most important part anyways. If you are on a vegan diet, for whatever reason, you will need to find vegan certified chocolate, or other fillings that you wish to include. And really, whatever diet you follow, these are to die for!

Super chewy, chocolatey, and delicious

I made these with coconut oil, and I was happy with the result. No, it doesn’t have the same “OMG” effect that butter gives, but it gives a nice, subtle hint of coconut. I use coconut oil in almost all my cooking, and I love it. It keeps me full longer than your average olive oil and it is perfect as a conditioner and moisturizer, too! Super food?

I modified the recipe from Cookie Madness.

Vegan Rocky Road Cookies

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tbsp apple sauce
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
• 2/3 cup semisweet chocolate (vegan approved)
• 2/3 cup marshmallows (leave out if following vegan diet)

Directions:

so rich and gooey

Preheat oven to 350 degreees F and grease a large cookie sheet.

Mix together dry ingredients, and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together wet ingredients. Mix in dry ingredients until thoroughly combined. Stir in chocolate and other mix-ins.Scoop 1/4 cup dough balls onto bake sheet, leaving 1-2 inches between cookies. Bake for 15 minutes, until set and golden brown.Happy Baking!xox.

Caramel Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

I’m home and I ain’t happy about it! I was up in Whistler for the last three days, skiing and partying and having a blast, but my cold actually got the better of me and I had to come home. Seriously, I tried to battle this thing but it would not back off! I think I chugged a whole bottle of cough syrup by the end of the trip, probably not the healthiest thing to do. Anywho, I am happy with the days I got it, I’m super sore from the shredding! It was great to see everyones drunk and skied-out faces every night and hope to get back up to Whistler ASAP.

Waiting in the lift line

Had a sick time skiing Spankies with the Rohn bros. They kill it! I’m always humbled to death whenever I ski with them.

Dan having his way with the mountain

Now that I’m home, and eating real food (ski food= peanut butter on everything), I decided to whip up some cookie bars. I found these on BrownEyedBaker’s site and died looking at the pictures. Holeeeee yummo. I adapted it slighty and they still tasted amazing.

Chewy, gooey caramel

I cant wait for my babies to come back so that they can continue eating all my baked goods. This stuff is dangerous to have hanging around the house!

caramel soaked, tbh

Caramel Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies 

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup salted butter, melted
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup apple sauce
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup caramel spread

Direction:

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9×9 baking dish.

Mix together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

yuuum

In a medium bowl, beat butter and sugars until combined. Add in eggs and beat until smooth. Add vanilla and apple sauce and beat thoroughly. Add wet ingredients to dry, and mix. When combined, stir in chocolate chips.

Spread half of the cookie dough into the baking dish in an even layer. On top, spread a thin layer of caramel. Finally, spread the rest of the cookie dough on top, making sure to cover the caramel.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until golden and still soft inside. Cool for 15-20 minutes, then cut into bars. For a less gooey bar, cool in fridge for a further 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

xox.

Sushi Night!

My friend Emily is half Japanese and happens to have mad skills in sushi making. I’ve only made it a couple times and not very authentically, so it was great to learn the tricks of the trade. We did all vegetarian sushi because she is vegetarian, and it all tasted great. We had spinach gomae, some kind of cooked acorn squash, various rolls with tofu, mushrooms, avocado, cucumber, yam tempura, and heaps of green tea. So much fun!

rollin'

I love having “family” dinner with the roommates. We usually make our own meals, just because everyone eats such different things and we all have different schedules.

Fillings

Now we are off to see Zed’s Dead. I’d normally be super stoked, but I feel like crap and just want to sleep. Skiing tomorrow is gonna be brutal….

xox.

Red Velvet S’mores

My cold is taking over my life. Ugh, I feel like sh*t and don’t know what to do about it. I want to be outside and doing things, not sitting around the house. Plus, I want to drink and I know it is a no-no. I have a concert to go to tonight and I am absolutely terrified of how I’m going to feel tomorrow.

What have I been doing to deal with my boredom? Baking up a storm. These little guys were a total hit. I adapted the recipe from How Sweet It Is.

Graham crust and marshmallow topping <3

Next time, I will use marshmallow fluff because I think it would be easier to eat! This stuff gets everywhere. Messy.

Rev Velvet S’mores 

Crust:

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/2 cup room temperature butter

Red Velvet:

• 1/2 cup butter at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp red dye
• 2 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Topping:

• 2 cups mini marshmallows

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x9x2 baking pan.

Mix graham cracker crumbs and butter together, and press into bottom of pan.

In a small bowl, mix together cocoa powder, vanilla, and red dye into a paste. Set aside. In a medium bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add in eggs, one at a time, until combined. Slowly add cocoa mixture and beat until colour is even throughout the batter.

Toasted marshmallows

Add in flour and salt and mix until batter is smooth and a mild red colour. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour batter on top of graham crust and bake for 35-40 minutes. Remove, add marshmallows in an even layer on top of red velvet, and broil for 5 minutes more. Keep your eye on it and check for the perfect golden colour of marshmallow.

Remove and let cool for ten minutes, then dig in. If you want a square-like dessert, and not a goey mess, let cool in fridge for 20 minutes more.

Slice and enjoy!

xox

Black Bean Brownies

Moooore brownies. Slightly healthier, too, because I only added a 1/4 cup of flour and used beans for the rest. They taste great, too! I chucked in some roasted, salted peanuts and they add a nice lil’ crunch.

I adapted the recipe from Joy the Baker, who got it from Martha Stewart originally. These brownies are moist and absolutely addicting! I can’t believe there is a full cup of beans in them.

Black Bean Brownies

• 1/4 cup butter
• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup kidney beans
• 1 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs plus 1 egg white
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup peanuts

Ingredients:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a medium baking pan. Line with waxing paper and butter again.

In a blender, blend beans, vanilla, and eggs until smooth. In a small bowl, melt butter and chocolate chips in microwave. Let cool for 5 minutes and then mix in sugar. When thoroughly combined, add in egg mixture.

SO rich!

In a medium bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking powder, and cocoa powder. Stir in wet mixture until combined. Pour into baking dish and swirl in peanuts.

Bake for 20 minutes (or longer if it’s too gooey).

Happy Baking!

xox

Pre-drink food with the girls

Banana Foster Cupcakes

Oh man, finally done midterms for the Reading Week. I’m so glad because I have just developed a lovely little cold and am effing exhausted!
Let us start off the break with some sassy little rum-filled cupcakes!

Banana Bonanza

 
Actually, to be honest, this recipe is just a ton of butter, cream, rum, and sugar. So, like, the best recipe ever.  I adapted it from TheButterDish and it is incredibly rich! I could only eat half of one.

Banana Buttons

We start off with a delicious banana cupcake batter, and bake it till golden. We then fill each lil’ cake with a sinfully delicious spoonful of banana’s foster. We slather the baby in a rich vanilla frosting and top it off with gorgeous caramel sauce. Yee!!

fillin'

Banana’s Foster Cupcakes 

Cake:

• 1 1/4 all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 extremely ripe bananas
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 2 eggs

Banana Foster Filling:

• 2-3 tbsp butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 large bananas
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup spiced rum

Frosting:

• 1 cup butter, room temperature
• 3 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp vanilla

Caramel Sauce:

• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup rum

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a muffin tin.

For cake, mix together salt, baking soda and powder, and flour. Set aside. In another small bowl, mix together mashed banana, vanilla, and cream. Set aside. Using a hand mixer, beat butter and sugar together until fluffy. Slowly add in eggs. When combined, alternate between adding flour ingredients and banana mixture until everything is combined. Pour batter

Suga on suga

in to muffin tin and bake for 20 minutes. When finished, cool for ten minutes and then ten more in the fridge.

For Banana foster, melt butter in a larger sauce pan on medium heat. When melted, add sugar and stir until mixture is bubbly and a deep golden colour. Add bananas, in small, diced pieces, to butter mixture. Stir bananas in sauce for 4 minutes, until bananas have a golden colour. Add rum, and continue cooking for 4 minutes. When finished, banana mixture should be a thick, caramel-like sauce.

Cut out the middles of the cupcakes, and pour in the banana foster sauce. Cool.

For frosting, beat butter and sugar together. Add in vanilla and salt, and beat until combined. Cool. When cooled enough, pipe frosting, or just spread it on cupcakes.

For caramel, heat sugar and water over medium heat in a sauce pan. Cook for ten minutes until amber in colour and reduced in volume. Remove form heat, add cream, and continue to heat until boiling. Remove form heat and stir in vanilla and rum.  Transfer caramel to a bowl, and refrigerate for 45 minutes until cool yet pourable. When read, drizzle caramel atop cupcakes.

Garnish with banana slices, or even coconut shreds, and enjoy!

Rum all around!

 

Chocolate Stuffed Raspberry Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing

Happy Valentine’s Day!

These are the first red-velvet-anything I’ve ever made and they turned out well! I ran out of red food dye and resorted to using raspberry and strawberry jam in the batter. I was happy with the colour it made, but even more happy with the flavour it provided. I usually HATE fruit in my chocolate…especially cherries *shiver*.

Jam and chocolate filled

I also decided last minute to stuff the cupcakes with chocolate chips the moment they came out of the oven. I’m so happy I did because they melted immediately and created a nice filling. I altered the recipe form BrownEyedBaker.

Dey so Cuuuute!

Chocolate Stuffed Raspberry Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing

Cake:

• 4 tbsp butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 1/2 tbsp coca powder
• 1 1/2 tbsp red food colouring (or beet juice!)
• 2 1/2 tbsp Strawberry/Raspberry jam
• 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup butter milk (use normal milk with lemon juice—>cheaper)
• 1 cup plus 2 tbsp flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice (or distilled vinegar)
• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Frosting:

• 4 oz butter, room temperature
• 4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
• 2 tbsp vanilla extract

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a muffin tin.

Beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add in egg and beat well.

In a separate bowl, mix together cocoa powder, jam, food colouring, and vanilla. Incorporate mixture into batter, and beat well until food colouring is dispersed evenly.

Pink is so hot right now...

Slowly add in half the buttermilk, followed by half the flour. Add the remaining buttermilk and then the remaining flour and mix thoroughly.

Add salt, baking soda, and lemon juice and mix until batter is smooth. Pour batter into greased cupcake tin and bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on rack for 10 minutes, while you cut out little holes in each cup cake. Pull out enough cake so that you can stuff in 8 chocolate chips (or as many as you want!). When finished, cool in fridge.

While cupcakes cool, make frosting.

Beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy, then slowly add in vanilla and sugar. Keep frosting in fridge until ready to use.

Cut the corner of a ziploc bag and pour frosting inside. Pipe cupcakes, and decorate with sprinkles.

Xox.

For my roommates....y'all my Valentine's

Have a lovely day with your favourite people! Eat lotsa chocolate and spread the love!

Happy Baking!

xox