-
Top 10 Northern Ginger Recipes of 2023
There’s nothing I love more than looking back at the recipes you all have made the most throughout the year. It’s fascinating to me to see which recipes you liked the most vs the ones I thought would be the most popular (I’m often wrong, though I’m getting better at guessing!) This list has decidedly more chocolate than last year’s, and I couldn’t be happier about that. Anyway, without further ado, here are the 10 most popular Northern Ginger recipes from the past year. #10: Mud Pie Cake Coming in at #10 is Mud Pie Cake. This chocolate-lover’s dessert has layers of deeply chocolatey cake (adapted from Ina Garten’s famous Beatty’s Chocolate…
-
Homemade Dark Chocolate Marshmallows
Happy almost-Christmas everyone! It’s been a weird holiday season, with no snow in sight here in Northern Minnesnowta. But there’s nothing like a pile of delicious seasonal treats to get you in the holiday spirit, right? I know marshmallows might not be on your list of typical holiday treats, but, honestly, they should be. Especially these homemade Dark Chocolate Marshmallows. Marshmallows Are the New Cookies If you’ve been following along on this blog for a while, you may have noticed I’ve become a little obsessed with homemade marshmallows. Case in point, the three other marshmallow recipes I’ve already created: Some would call this a “problem;” I prefer to call it…
-
Spiced Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Halloween is over, so naturally I’ve started planning out what holiday cookies I’ll bake this year. Not that I’m ready for Christmas decorations, music, and movies yet…I’m a firm Christmas-starts-the-weekend-after-Thanksgiving person. In the meantime, I’ll be snacking on these Spiced Chocolate Crinkle Cookies while I do my holiday cookie planning. The Ideal Cookie for the In-Between Season These chocolatey cookies straddle this in-between season perfectly. With warm fall spices (cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, and allspice), they’re perfect for both your Thanksgiving dessert table AND your holiday cookie tray! Or for, you know, snacking while holiday gift shopping. And while I’m a fan of all the traditional flavors of this season —…
-
Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Chocolate Chip Cookies
Consider this the chocolate chip cookie of the summer. All the things you love about a chocolate chip cookie, just…brighter. Fruitier. Dare I say…sparklier? A party of a cookie that’s just begging to be made into ice cream sandwiches and brought to the beach. Let me introduce you to Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Chocolate Chip Cookies! Dark Chocolate + Freeze-Dried Strawberries = an Ideal Flavor Match I’ve recently become obsessed with freeze-dried fruit — especially berries. Freeze-dried raspberries and strawberries have made their way into my granola (especially this Chocolate-Lover’s Granola — YUM), oatmeal, trail mix, and, of course, baked goods. When it’s freeze-dried, the flavor of the fruit is more concentrated…
-
Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting
Originally published in April 2021; Updated April 2023 One of the big reasons I bake is to share some joy in treat form with my loved ones. So I’m always thrilled when I get the chance to bake something special for a friend. I originally created this recipe two years ago to celebrate the birthday of one of my closest friends…and it ended up being one of the best things I’ve ever made! So naturally, I had to share it with you all. I recently updated the peanut butter frosting recipe just a little—to make it fluffier and even better than it was. Get excited—these Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut…
-
7-Layer Magic Bars
It may technically be spring, but there’s a blizzard raging outside my window. Yes, it’s a typical Minnesota April—blustery, snowy, and cold. And honestly? I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love living in the frozen north. Call me crazy if you will, but I truly love it. And I suspect, despite what most Minnesotans would tell you, that they secretly love it too. Because the truth is, there’s almost nothing we love more up here than complaining about the weather. Nothing, that is, except bars. No, not the kind you belly up to and drink (though, admittedly, we love those too), but the kind you eat. Dessert bars.…
-
Dark Chocolate Cherry Scones
Valentine’s Day is upon us. That means it’s time for allll the chocolate…even for breakfast. Yep, a holiday like this one calls for a decadent, chocolatey start to the day. (I mean, let’s be real, I’ll take an excuse to eat chocolate for breakfast any day, but this holiday is just begging us to indulge.) These Dark Chocolate Cherry Scones are the perfect thing to serve your loved one (or yourself) for a Valentine’s Day breakfast in bed! How to make flaky AF scones Every scone, chocolate or not, should be flaky and tender. And the way you get that flakiness is the same way you get it in pie…
-
German Chocolate Brownies
February is always chocolate month to me. Besides Valentine’s Day, it’s also ridiculously cold and dark up here in the north. We need plenty of chocolate to guide us through the second half of winter — because yes, we still have half the winter to go (sorry winter-hating friends, but it’s true). Well, more than half, because winter lasts until April here…or sometimes May…but I digress. The point is, we need a little extra chocolate this time of year. And what better way to up our chocolate intake than with rich, gooey brownies? Bonus points if they’re covered in a sweet, custardy, coconutty topping. Introducing your new winter BFF, German…
-
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…
-
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…
Recipes and Musings from the Zenith City
