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Double Chocolate Mocha Crunch Cake
My birthday was last week, and what better way to celebrate than by baking a fabulous cake? This year’s birthday cake inspiration came in the form of my friend Andrew’s Double Chocolate Cake from his cookbook, You Get It Honest (a great book chock full of delicious Southern cooking). But of course I had to make a few additions because, well, that’s just what I do. The result is this Double Chocolate Mocha Crunch Cake. Let’s dig in. A Case for Baking Your Own Birthday Cake Some may think it’s weird or even sad to bake your own birthday cake, but I disagree. I mean, if you hate baking, then…
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Top 10 Northern Ginger Recipes of 2022
It’s that time again…time to take a look back at the top moments of the year! Here on the blog, that means rounding up the most-viewed recipes from the last 12 months. Now, I know that statistics aren’t exciting or sexy, but I love getting to the end of the year and looking at my blog stats to see what recipes were your favorites over the past year. It’s SO fun (and interesting) to see which recipes you all liked, and compare the list with which recipes I thought would be the most popular. (Spoiler: most of the time, I’m wrong.) Anyway, without further ado, here are the Northern Ginger…
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Chocolate Gingerbread Biscotti
🎶It’s the most wonderful time of the year… 🎶 Holiday baking time, that is! And this year I’m adding a new treat to my must-have list of cookies—these Chocolate Gingerbread Biscotti! Light and crisp, biscotti are the ideal after-a-big-holiday-dinner treat to have with your coffee. And with dutch cocoa powder and tons of festive spices, these biscotti, in particular, are chock full of flavor. History of Biscotti Biscotti are a traditional Italian treat (though this flavor is decidedly non-traditional). In Italy, biscotti are often dunked in Vin Santo (a dessert wine), though outside of Italy it’s common to dip them in espresso or coffee. The word “biscotti” originates from the…
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Holiday Gift Guide: Fun & Fancy Baking Ingredients for Your Foodie
It’s go-time for holiday shopping, which means another holiday gift guide is in order! If you’ve been around here for a while, you know that for the past couple years, I’ve shared a list of some of my favorite things to help you find a gift or two for the baker in your life. Last year it was pie-baking tools, and in 2020 it was cookbooks. This year, I’m sharing some of my favorite fun and fancy baking ingredients that will make great gifts for your baking foodie. I’ve included links for everything (I think—if I’ve missed one, let me know in the comments and I’ll find it for you:)).…
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Cranberry Apple Crumble Pie
Winter is here in Northern Minnesota! We finally got our first measurable snow this week. It’s so beautiful. When it’s about to snow, you can smell it in the air. If you don’t know that scent, it’s sort of like the smell of ice—cold and clean. It smells just like you’d imagine diving into a cold freshwater lake feels. “Refreshing” is a good word for it, I suppose. And I love it. The arrival of snow means the holidays are about to pounce on us like a cat on a tasty, tasty mouse. So it’s time to get ready. If you haven’t decided what pies you’re making for your holiday…
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Brown Butter Oatmeal Scotchies
As soon as the crisp fall air starts to rustle the changing leaves, I start to crave all the fall flavors. Along with the usual suspects—pumpkin, apple, maple, and spices—I crave anything caramelly. Caramel (salted and not) of course, but also its highly underrated cousin, butterscotch. And while homemade butterscotch sauce is probably far superior (case in point: these Butterbeer Cupcakes), there’s something nostalgic about the artificial taste and shortening-like texture of a bag of butterscotch baking chips. I think it’s because it reminds me of butterscotch Dilly bars from Dairy Queen (which have always been my favorite). These Brown Butter Oatmeal Scotchies are an ode to that nostalgic butterscotch…
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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Helloooo fall baking season! From now through the end of the year is my FAVORITE time to bake. There are so many great flavors to play with! Right now we have apples, maple, caramel, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and pumpkin. Then once the holiday season hits, we add in peppermint and a whole slew of other nostalgic flavors I look forward to all year. This pumpkin chocolate chip muffin recipe is one that I’ve had for years. It came to me in bread form from a previous roommate, but it’s been so long that I can’t remember who that was (if it was you, let me know!). I tweaked the recipe…
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Maple Pecan Blondies
It’s finally here…the best time of the year! I know it’s basic to love fall, but I just can’t help myself…that crisp air, bright sunshine, changing leaves, and, of course, all the fall flavors. Chai spice, pumpkin, cinnamon, apple…I love them all. This particular recipe makes use of another fall favorite—maple—in a chewy brown butter blondie. Introducing Maple Pecan Blondies! Your New Fall Favorite (Trust Me) These are the kind of bars that, if they’re on a dessert tray with brownies or other more exciting-looking things, you might not go for them. But that would be a mistake. These blondies are much more exciting (and delicious) than they look. They’re…
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Chocolate Lover’s Granola
If you’re a chocolate lover, boy have I got a treat for you! This Chocolate Lover’s Granola is the excuse you’ve always wanted to eat chocolate for breakfast. You’re welcome. The Kid in You Will Love It When I was a kid, I only ever wanted to eat sugary cereal for breakfast (as, I suspect, most kids do). I especially loved chocolatey cereal—Coco Puffs, Count Chocula, Cookie Crisp. But my mom, of course, wanted me to eat healthy cereal (shocking, I know). So instead of Cookie Crisp I ate Shredded Wheat (and no, not the frosted kind). These days, I’m much more likely to opt for that healthy cereal than…
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Whiteout Cake: White Cake With Whipped Vanilla Almond Buttercream
I’ve been craving white cake lately. Plain white cake with white frosting—the kind you have at weddings, office parties, kids’ birthdays…you get the idea. Normally I’m a chocolate cake fan (if I have to choose), but occasionally I just need something lighter, preferably topped with fruit. Thus, this white cake with whipped vanilla almond buttercream was born! The Classic White Cake I know that a plain white cake seems a little…boring. But if it’s done right, it’s anything but. First of all, you could keep your white cake just plain-old-vanilla (no judgement—vanilla can be delicious), but I like to add a smidge of almond to mine. It gives the cake…
Recipes and Musings from the Zenith City
