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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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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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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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Chocolate Mini Egg Cookies
It’s hard to believe it’s already the second week of April(!!) , and Easter is this weekend. My sense of time is a little messed up right now though, as I’ve been sick the past couple of weeks. Thankfully, I think I’m nearing the end of it — this weekend I finally had enough energy to do some baking. And these Chocolate Mini Egg Cookies were at the top of my list. A Chocolatey Treat for Easter When it comes to baking for Easter, chocolate isn’t usually the first thing that comes to mind. I think of carrot cake, pavlova, or maybe something lemony (like these Mini Lemon Cupcakes). But…
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Mint Chocolate Cupcakes
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the subtle power of comfort food. Maybe it’s the war in Ukraine, maybe it’s the fact that we’re coming up on two years of the pandemic, or maybe it’s any number of other difficult and scary things happening in the world. But whatever the reason, there’s something innately comforting about sharing food with those we love when we can’t control what’s happening around us. When I think about comforting desserts, I think of cake. Especially chocolate cake with a rich, creamy frosting. In that vein, I created these über-comforting Mint Chocolate Cupcakes. They’re perfect for St. Patty’s Day, but can offer a dose…
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Tiramisu Brownies
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Whether you like this particular holiday or not, you have to admit it’s a great excuse to eat chocolate. And although we don’t actually need an excuse to eat chocolate, it’s still a great reason to make — and eat — an over-the-top chocolate dessert. Our assignment for Valentine’s Day 2022: Tiramisu Brownies. Brownies…But Sexier Yep, these beauties are a mashup of brownies and tiramisu. Think deeply fudgy brownies with pieces of ladyfingers mixed in, then covered in a thick, creamy mascarpone-whipped-cream-Kahlua topping and a hearty dusting of cocoa powder. A decidedly sexier version of brownies…perfect for Valentine’s Day. The Fudgiest Brownies This…
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Top 10 Northern Ginger Recipes of 2021
At the risk of sounding cliché, I can’t believe another year is coming to a close. Weren’t we just here? It feels like the past year has gone by in a blur…and yet it was as full as a year can be, with friends, family, work, small adventures, and, of course, baking. As a way of looking back at 2021, I’ve gathered all of your favorite recipes from this year into one blog post. The following are the 10 northern ginger recipes you all made the most this year. #10 – Fig Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting This unassuming little cake made its debut last spring in celebration of my…
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Chocolate Peppermint Cream Pie
My living room is lit with twinkling lights, there are Christmas carols playing through the speakers of my record player, and my freezer is full to the brim with Christmas cookies. All sure signs that Christmas is coming soon. Now all that’s left is to plan my holiday meal, and maybe an extra-special treat for dessert. This Chocolate Peppermint Cream Pie will fit the bill nicely. Chocolate and Peppermint: A Match Made in Winter Somewhere around the beginning of November, or the first snowfall, or whichever arrives first, my tastebuds undergo a drastic change. They shift from craving pumpkin and cinnamon to a flavor combination that I’ve come to associate…
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Fudgy Dark Chocolate Double Ginger Brownies
Fall has arrived, though officially summer still has more than a week left to dazzle us with its sunshine. This is my favorite time of year — the summer sun still holds enough warmth to add some bronze to your skin, while the chill in the air invites you to grab that sweater on your way out the door, just in case. The leaves are beginning to change, the days are getting shorter, and the cooler nights offer a taste of winter to come. This time of year my taste buds turn from the fresh, light flavors of summer and begin to crave the warmly spiced flavors of fall: cinnamon,…
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Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cake with Chocolate Glaze
It’s the time of year when zucchini overflows from every garden in Northern Minnesota. In some neighborhoods, you can find boxes full of them set on street corners and labeled “FREE”. The zucchini harvest is so overwhelming that people are desperate to get rid of them. Luckily, we know what to do with such an abundance of zucchini — grate them, add chocolate, and bake this Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cake. Chocolate Zucchini Cake > Zucchini Bread I know, I know, most people would go for zucchini bread first, but honestly? It’s overrated. Zucchini bread is fine and all (and MUCH better than banana bread, in my opinion), but this cake?…
Recipes and Musings from the Zenith City
