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Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies
I don’t have any exciting stories of squirrels breaking into my house to share with you today, just a great no-bake cookie recipe. These chocolate peanut butter no-bake cookies are quick and simple to toss together, and are the perfect thing for when you want cookies but don’t want to turn the oven on. My mom made these cookies all the time when I was a kid. Neither of us remember exactly where they came from, so if you’re reading this and you know where they originated, let me know – I’d love to give credit where credit is due. They are chocolatey, peanut buttery, chewy, and oh-so-delicious. They’re also…
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For the Love Of Cake — One Squirrel’s Quest
Yesterday was by far the most eventful day I’ve had over the past few months. Since I’ve mostly stayed home since mid-March (due to the COVID-19 pandemic – just including that for the future when I go back to read this and think, “why did stay home so much?”)…anyway, since I’ve been at home so much lately, life has been pretty uneventful. Yesterday was an exception. It started out so peaceful. I slept in, ate a bit of breakfast, and started baking this glorious Flourless Chocolate-Chili Cake from Benjamina Ebuehi’s cookbook The New Way To Cake. I popped it in the oven, cleaned up as it baked, then while it…
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Ginger Rhubarb Cupcakes
Summer arrived in full force this weekend here in Duluth. It was sunny and 70°F with a lovely lake breeze. Heaven. My Mom came up to visit (for the first time since Christmas!) and we spent as much time as possible outside – including hiking in one of my favorite spots and enjoying some glorious lake views. I tell you what, these kinds of days make up for those dark, 20-below winter days and then some. With summer finally here, my thoughts immediately go to BBQs and potlucks – friends and family gathering to enjoy each other’s company and all the delicious summer foods. Even though this summer will look…
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Mini Rhubarb Galettes
Oh rhubarb, my rhubarb. I can’t express to you how much I love rhubarb. It fills me with childhood memories of eating the tart crunchy stalks straight from the ground dipped in sugar, and of course of scores of delicious baked goods filled with it. My hands-down favorite way to enjoy rhubarb is in pie form. I love the sweet-tartness of rhubarb filling inside a flaky, buttery crust. There’s just nothing better. These Mini Rhubarb Galettes are as simple as can be – you don’t even need a pie pan. Just roll out buttery dough, pile filling in the center, fold the edges in, bake, and voila! You have personal-sized…
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Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Oatmeal Cookies
Well guys, I’ve been staying home as much as possible for about 6 weeks now. Minnesota’s stay-at-home order began March 26th, but I started almost 2 weeks early (I have elderly folks in my building that I want to protect, plus I already work from home so it was pretty easy for me to do). Anyway, to combat cabin fever, I’ve been using my extra time at home the best I can – doing a ton of reading, going for lots of walks, FaceTiming with friends and fam, and, of course, baking. Since I have plenty of time, I decided to test half a dozen kinds of oatmeal cookies to…
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Malted Coffee Blondies
This post contains affiliate links. This means that I may earn a commission if you make a purchase through one of these links. Despite the fact that I already have four chocolate chip cookie recipes on the blog (five if you count my Dark Chocolate S’mores Cookies), I can’t seem to stop making up new ones. This time I went for something in bar form – say hello to Malted Coffee Blondies! These chewy chocolate- and pecan-studded beauties have three sources of inspiration. First, the blondies I used to make when I worked at Amazing Grace Bakery here in Duluth (so good I dream about them). Second and third, recipes…
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Grapefruit Pound Cake
It’s Easter weekend already – I can hardly believe how quickly time is passing this Spring! It will be a quiet weekend this year. Life in general looks a lot different for all of us right now, with businesses closed and a stay-at-home order in place here in Minnesota. I’m finding myself both anxious about it all and incredibly grateful for everything I have. I worry about my friends and family getting sick (especially those in higher-risk categories), and at the same time am more grateful than ever to have each of them in my life – even if right now it’s only over FaceTime. BTW, who else is super…
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Dorie Greenspan’s World Peace Cookies
Well friends, the past couple of weeks have been pretty terrible across the world, there’s no two ways around that. With more than half a million people having contracted COVID-19, and nearly 25,000 dead from it worldwide (www.worldometers.info/coronavirus, as of today), we are all in the grip of fear and grief, and it’s difficult to be hopeful. There is hope though, if you look for it – medical staff and other essential workers putting their lives at risk for us all, neighbors helping each other out, whole communities coming together (in a properly socially distant way of course) to support small businesses and artists, and so much more. With everything…
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Roasted Carrot, Farro, & Arugula Salad
Happy March, friends! It’s been a minute since I posted a savory recipe, so I thought I’d share this Roasted Carrot, Farro, and Arugula Salad with you. This time of year I start to crave allll the veggies. We’re enjoying a bit of fake Spring here in Northern Minnesota, where the sun is shining, temps are slightly warmer, the snow is beginning to melt, and even those of us who have been here for years start to think, “maybe Spring will come early this year”. Spoiler alert: it won’t. I don’t mean to be a Debbie Downer here, but let’s face it, winter is bound to reappear at least once…
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Mocha Swirl Meringues
Well my friends, we’re nearing the end of February, so I thought we could all use one more chocolate recipe. Chocolate month continues this week with one of my favorite flavor combinations in one of my favorite treats. These Mocha Swirl Meringues combine my love of chocolate with my love of coffee, all in a crisp and airy meringue. Plus, they’re shaped like snowballs which is appropriate because it’s still very much winter around here. This is the time of year when I start to get antsy for Spring. Unfortunately for me, Spring is still a long way off here in Northern Minnesota. We’ll likely still get a couple of…
Recipes and Musings from the Zenith City
