All posts filed under: Dessert

Strawberry-Rhubarb Coffee Cake

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Strawberries have just come back into season and that can only mean one thing: summer is on the way! I am so excited to start making (and experimenting with) some new summer recipes for you all! As the days have been warming up, I have been preparing for the shift in seasons by checking out local markets and doing some online research to see what is or will be coming into season in the next month or so as we roll into summer. Fresh peas, spinach, turnips, and garlic are all early signs of summer, however, I always know that when you start to see local strawberries at market that times are changing. Now, there are about a million and a half ways to eat strawberries, but this Strawberry-Rhubarb Coffee Cake has to be one of the best. The combination of strawberry and rhubarb is a total classic as the sweet strawberries merry extraordinarily well with the tart and tangy rhubarb. When they are cooked together, they become juicy and jam like- and who wouldn’t want …

Lemon Roll Cake with Lemon Curd Filling

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While Easter may still be a few days away, it’s never too early to plan your Easter meal- especially the dessert! This year I have cooked up a show-stopping Easter dessert for you: a Lemon Roll Cake with Lemon Curd filling. Lemon is a quintessential spring flavour. It’s light, tart and very refreshing, which is nice change after the rich and hearty meals (and desserts) that we have been eating since autumn began. I use all the components of the lemon in this recipe: the juice, the zest and even the oil found in the lemon rind. I don’t press the oil myself (that would be insane), I use a fabulous, convenient food-grade oil from my friend Liisa at DoTERRA Essential Oils. When we met at a networking event, Liisa was kind to give me a sample of the Lemon Essential Oil after hearing that I had a food blog. I had never cooked with essential oils before (since I couldn’t find any food-grade oils…only extracts) and she thought it would be a great addition to …

Chocolate-Hazelnut Mousse

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This year, I am celebrating Valentine’s Day with my favourite sweet treat: Nutella. Growing up in an Italian family, Nutella was definitely one of my most favourite treats as a kid. I would have it on about anything: on ice cream, straight out of the jar with a spoon (the best way), with cookies, but mainly spread across warm toast with some fresh sliced strawberries. Yum! I thought that this Valentine’s day would be a perfect way to bring my childhood favourite treat back into my life, but with an adult twist in my recipe for Chocolate-Hazelnut Mousse. While making homemade mousse may seem daunting and complex, there are just a few ingredients involved in this recipe and it is relatively easy if you plan ahead (and maybe if you have an electric mixer). Plus, it turns out wonderfully if you use the freshest and best available ingredients that you can find—which is particularly important in this recipe. But once everything is combined and is light and fluffy, you will have a lush, decadent, chocolatey …

Citrus & Mint Salad

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So long are those days of summer where just about everything is in season. I have really been missing garden fresh zucchini, freshly picked berries (especially strawberries) and tomatoes straight from the vine lately. But up here in Canada, we can’t really do much about it but import our foods from the south during the winter. Of course with imports, the quality of the food can vary greatly and I find that most vegetables and fruits just don’t taste quite right. That is, except for citrus fruits! Citrus is my go to fruit during the winter months since it is in peak season and tastes so light andrefreshing; it is a great change of pace from eating those hearty winter comfort foods. Plus, all the vitamins keep you from getting a cold as well! The citrus can also really stand the long trip up into Canada too as the thick peels keep the fruit fresh in its own natural packaging. Now I have tried many variations on citrus salads before, but I’ve mainly stuck to using …

Chocolate Rudolph Cookies

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There are a few things in life that I know to be true: 1. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west, and 2. Everyone seen “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” (circa 1964) and has been totally creeped out by it. Whether it’s the animation, the blood-thirsty Abominable Snowman, the depressed/suicidal doll from Island of Misfit Toys, the fact that Santa and the other reindeer are complete dicks, or a combination of all the above…that movie still scares me- a grown woman- to this day. That and the Nightmare Before Christmas… eff that. Whether you have seen this movie or not, I’m certain you know all of Santa’s reindeer: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen. And without a doubt, you know that these reindeer don’t matter. The true star of this holiday tale is Rudolph. Despite being bullied (like actually bullied) by the other reindeer, Rudolph with his very shiny, glowing nose, steps up to the plate and guides Santa’s sleigh at night to save Christmas. Yay! For this, he has these …

Gluten-Free Jam Thumbprint Cookies

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We can’t get through the holiday season without some sort of jam cookie. Jam cookies are so classic and so retro, and I think that everyone’s parents or grandparents have made them some similar style cookie before. This year, I have taken a different approach to making these jam cookies by making them gluten-free! While I am not gluten-free, I definitely appreciate these Gluten-Free Jam Thumbprint Cookies around the holidays since these cookies are a bit lighter and won’t make you too bloated after a meal…unless you eat the whole tray 😛 In this recipe I simply substitute all purpose flour for almond flour, which is simply made of finely ground almonds. The almond flour gives the cookies a slight almond flavour itself, but I amp up the flavour with a bit of almond extract. The almond flavour in combination with the raspberry and apricot jam are such great flavour combinations that everyone is sure to love! Of course, you can add whatever flavour jam you prefer…it’s all up to you and your taste! When …

Gluten-Free Chocolate-Peppermint Crinkle Cookies

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With Christmas just around the corner, I thought I would share some tasty Christmas cookie recipes with you all. For me, Christmas just isn’t Christmas without making tons of cookies. I love to make a variety of cookies, some traditional shortbread cookies, jam cookies, chocolate cookies and some fun cookies that I used to make as a kid with my mom. It really brings back such nice memories 🙂 For this Christmas, I thought I would do a spin on a traditional Chocolate Crinkle Cookie by adding one of my favourite winter flavours: peppermint! I can’t seem to get enough peppermint these days. I’ve run through three boxes of peppermint tea so far and I love adding a splash of peppermint extract to my hot chocolate. It’s so refreshing and really wakes up your senses! You can find peppermint extract at any grocery store these days, but try to find an organic one. I find the organic peppermint extracts are much more flavourful and have that less processed taste compared to regular peppermint extract. This …