Your Custom Text Here
How to make tuiles, a fancy French cookie.
Greek yogurt frosting for cake. SERIOUSLY. (pictured top)
What is gouache paint...and how do you use it?
Cinema and sugar: creative movie-themed cakes.
How to make milk fudge. A traditional Indian sweet, and delicious!
Ever heard of stippling? Here's how to do it. Cupcake art included.
How to fill a doughnut. Important life skill.
DIY Bagels. From a while back but worth re-visiting.
Have you ever made tuiles? These fun and fancy-feeling French cookies (pronounced so they rhyme with "wheels") are actually easy to make, in spite of their delicate, wafer-thin appearance.
If you're drawing with pen and ink, you know that the potential for calamity is high. You could spill ink, mess up a line, or smear fresh ink...and unlike pencil, there's no easy way to erase.
In this post for Craftsy, I address common mistakes in pen and ink and easy solutions. If you're an artist, it's a helpful post!
Please, can someone buy me this plush unicorn bouquet? (Right here
Curious about the life of a professional fake food maker? (NPR)
How to make tuiles, a fancy French cookie. (Craftsy)
I'm so all about this pistachio cream cake. (My name is yeh)
Cronuts and pretzel croissants: part of a trend that is pervasive and possibly perverse. (The New Yorker)
We owe the restaurant experience as we know it to the French. (Ireland Independent)
Chocolate chip French toast layer cake. OMG. (Sun Diego Eats)
Homemade French burnt peanuts: I'm intrigued. (Baked Chicago)
Since it was recently President's Day: desserts named after US Presidents. (CakeSpy)
Ever heard of Watergate cake? (Craftsy)
Red velvet gooey butter cake. ALSO OMG. (I am baker)
Love this: The first time my daughter told me she hated me, I baked her a cake. (xojane)
Book of the week: Mug Meals: Delicious Microwave Recipes
In spite of the cartoon treatment above, these cookies are actually quite sophisticated.
They're shortbread, yes, but with an important departure from tradition: they're made with olive oil. Sound weird? Get over it. Because these cookies are so tender, so flavorful, so delicious, that you'll be craving them long after the batch is gone.
The olive oil gives them an intriguing taste that more than makes up for the fact that they are delicate--so delicate, in fact, that I like to eat them with ice cream and a spoon.
A drizzle of chocolate, which is my preferred garnish, helps hold the cookies together, so that they can melt in your mouth--not your hand.
Here's how to make these crave-worthy and conversation-starting cookies.
Makes about 12
Optional: 2 ounces melted chocolate, for drizzling on top of the finished cookies
Procedure
These are much softer than regular shortbread so handle with care!
If you'd like, drizzle the cookies with melted chocolate (my fave!).
This is an empty peanut butter jar. But it isn't a bigtime bummer: it's a delicious opportunity.
No more do you have to lament the loss of the last hard-to-remove bits of peanut butter from the jar. Instead, make it a delicious snack: peanut butter hot chocolate.
All you have to do is this.
Gather up:
And do this:
You may not get every last shred, but you'll get a good amount mixed in.
Don't do this with low fat peanut butter. In fact, don't buy low fat peanut butter, EVER.
I suggest "up to 8 ounces" as the liquid amount because this leaves you room to shake the liquid.
Don't like chocolate? I don't know what's wrong with you, but I guess we can share space on the same planet. You could also use warm milk or any soy/rice/nut alternative.
You're welcome.
Listen, I know I mostly talk about sweets here, but I'm willing to take a detour into the land of figuratively sweet every now and again.
And I believe that this is an important subject that calls for some of your time and attention:
If you think yoga is safe, you are wrong. Here is just a sampling of the things that can go terribly wrong with your hair in the average class.
Think ponytails are safe? Think again. It's only a matter of time before they snag in your earring or float into your eyes at a pivotal point in a pose.
So why not harness your hair into a bun? Totally great, until you get to poses when you're on your back, and you feel like you have a stale cinnamon roll wedged between your neck and the floor.
Whether it's flying free or in a long ponytail, chances are high that your hair will get stuck in your hands when you fly up into wheel pose. Ouch!
Think it's a good idea to wear your hair down? Enjoy the view from your downward facing dog.
Hey! What about a top-knot? Great idea, until fish pose or headstand comes along. See how either of those works out for you.
Braids are fraught with calamity. While they give the back of your head a flat profile, if you're in a vigorous class, it's only a matter of time before you slap yourself in the face with that braid, whether it's a single braid or two.
So what hairstyle is right? The world may never know. Perhaps we all need to shave our heads!
I'm totally not lying. DIY cream cheese is a thing, and it is delicious. It takes some time and patience, but it's really quite easy to make--the hardest part is the waiting, as it has various resting periods.
This cream cheese is great eaten on bagels, or used to make a very impressive cream cheese frosting. Seriously--how cool will you seem when you tell people you made your own cream cheese for the awesome red velvet cake you're serving?
How to choose typefaces to complement your artwork. It's an art!
Awesome baking hacks. Bookmark this one!
A primer on the best types of paper for illustration.
How to do a drawing a day. It's an awesome and inspiring project!
A scintillating guide to the different types of bread yeast.
Creative cross hatching to deepen your drawing practice.
2B or not 2B? A guide to working with pencil for creating art.
Related: An easy guide to getting started with pencil drawing.
How to draw illustrated instruments, ideal even if you're tone deaf!
How to correct common pen and ink mistakes.
DIY cream cheese. Could it get any better than this?
A primer on focaccia bread sandwiches. Worthwile.
Yes! NYC-style Italian flag cookies!
Pretty in ink: a guide to pen and ink illustration.
These links are brought to you by the letter CHOCOLATE.
Chocolate ganache petits fours. A winning recipe if I do say so myself. (CakeSpy for Craftsy)
Olive oil chocolate chip cookie dough truffles. Can I get a witness to this awesome? (Colavita)
Chocolate dipped Pop-Tarts. Happy time! (CakeSpy)
Why do we eat chocolate on Valentine's Day? (History.com)
Chocolate olive oil cupcakes. Yumz. (In Jennie's Kitchen)
Like Inception, but in chocolate: chocolate covered chocolate truffles. (Serious Eats)
Baking with chocolate, 101. (Colavita)
Ever heard of "Five Pound Fudge"? (Find out more)
DIY chocolate fountain. You're welcome. (Project Wedding)
Good question: how can I tell which filling is in which chocolate? (Russell Stover)
If you're feeling "alternative" this heart day, try some chocolate covered cheetos! (Serious Eats)
Book of the week: The True History of Chocolate
Olive oil chocolate chip cookie dough truffles. That's a mouthful to say, but an even more delicious mouthful to eat.
Olive oil can be employed in this absolutely gorgeous egg-free (it won't kill you!) cookie dough for an intriguing flavor which becomes all the more seductive when coated in rich dark chocolate.
Go ahead--you deserve it. So does your Valentine.
Forget going to work today. Call in sick, and make these instead: chocolate ganache petits fours.
All of the awesomeness of ganache, delivered in adorable petit-four form--doesn't it just make your heart melt? If that doesn't, the taste will: rich, full-bodied, unforgivingly chocolate.
Do you get confused about baking chocolate versus bittersweet? Are you confused by the different types of chocolate and how to work with them?
In this post for Colavita, I strive to give a basic primer on the different types of chocolate and working with them in baking. I hope you enjoy it!
Never again do you have to decide between Pop-Tarts and candy bars for a snack. Chocolate-dipped Pop-Tarts are both. At once. And they will win the heart of any Valentine, guaranteed.
So go ahead--throw out your chocolate torte recipe. Throw the box of chocolates right out the window. In fact, throw out everything you own, except for the following.
Because it's time to make the best thing ever: Chocolate Dipped Pop-Tarts. They have all the fun of a Pop-Tart but with the added awesomeness of chocolate. Take that, chocolate covered strawberries!
These chocolate-dipped Pop-tarts are what love tastes like, and it is sweet.
Procedure
Pour sprinkles in the cutter, then gently lift the cutter off, careful to not upset the sprinkles. 
You can shake off excess sprinkles later, but for now leave them there.
Photo via Post Foods
Did you know that February 7th is National Ice Cream for Breakfast Day? I know, I know: best holiday ever. Finally, a reason for ice cream stores to open early! Because one of my true laments in life is that ice cream stores open too late. Surely I'm not the only one who craves ice cream at 9:00 in the morning, right?
But I digress. To celebrate this wondrous day, I'd like to present an easy way to "breakfast" up your ice cream--by adding Grape Nuts.
Believe it or not, Grape Nuts ice cream not only exists, but can be quite common in parts of New England. Weird as it might sound, it works: the ice cream basically does to grape nuts what takes milk at least 40 minutes to do: it softens it, so that you can eat and enjoy the nutty, somewhat wholesome flavor without breaking your teeth. It works very nicely as an ice cream flavor.
If you're not in New England, however, you can do it the easy DIY way, by mixing Grape-Nuts into existing vanilla ice cream. Here's how.
Adapted from Post Foods
Procedure
For the love...of champagne flutes! Check out this sweet post by my friend. (Jameson Fink)
Can you refrigerate buttercream? Plus more buttercream FAQs. (CakeSpy for Craftsy)
Awesome cookie dough truffles made with olive oil. Really! (Colavita)
I can deal with "healthified" cinnamon rolls because it means you're still eating cinnamon rolls. (Crazy for Crust)
Eat on up: banana bread nutella bars. (Heather's French Press)
Because I already miss North Carolina: a roundup of all of the delicious things I ate in Asheville. (CakeSpy)
One of the most interesting obits: David Dalquist, who invented a baking pan we all know and love. (NY Times)
Good question: what is cocoa butter? (Baking Bites)
Impossibly cute: chocolate cherry blossom cookies. (Sally's Baking Addiction)
Think pavlova is great? Give double chocolate pavlova a try, yo. (Epicuricloud)
Don't have separation anxiety: check out creative cake separator ideas. (CakeSpy for Craftsy)
East 62nd Street Cake. It looks like it's stuffed with sunshine. (Shauna Sever)
How to draw instruments. A sweet (but not to eat, or even play) tutorial! (CakeSpy for Craftsy)
I love eating avocado creatively. This avocado breakfast bowl has me intrigued. (Sun Diego Eats)
Agar extender. (TIC Gums)
Book of the week: Cut Out and Keep: Around the USA in 50 Craft Projects
I will have you know, fine people, that I made mini peanut butter baked Alaskas for one of my favorite companies ever, Peanut Butter and Company. It was an honor!
Baked Alaska, to the uninitiated, is not only dessert, but SCIENCE. Cold ice cream sits atop a cake (or in my recipe, a cookie) base, and is coated all over with a meringue mixture. The meringue totally seals the ice cream in, and allows the whole thing to be popped in a very hot oven long enough to crisp the meringue, making for an improbable and impressive dessert that is hot and cold all at once.
And this version is even better because it features delicious peanut butter. And because it's served in mini portions (no sharing!).
Can you refrigerate buttercream? Can you use salted instead of unsalted butter to make buttercream? If you're out of confectioners' sugar, can you use granulated?
These are just some of the questions you may have regarding buttercream--find out the answers to these and more buttercream questions, here.
It looks like chocolate. It smells like chocolate. But if you've ever tried to take a big bite of so-called "baking chocolate", you know that it is not suitable for out of hand eating, and is not to be treated as a snack. So what is the point of baking chocolate, anyway?
Let's discuss.
Photo via Flickr member eggplant
This type of chocolate comes in bars, but not the kind that you’d like to eat as a snack. The reason is that baking chocolate, which also goes by “unsweetened chocolate” or “bitter chocolate”, does not contain sugar. It’s solidified 100 percent chocolate liquor (the center of cocoa beans ground to a liquid), but without the frills--sweeteners, emulsifiers, flavorings--that make chocolate a sweet eating delight.
Once that chocolate liquor has been fancied up a little bit with cocoa butter, sugar, emulsifiers, and maybe some flavoring, it becomes dark chocolate. It retains a high percentage of cacao. What most people think of “dark chocolate” is 65% to as high as 99%. The higher the number, the less sweet the chocolate.
Dark chocolate varieties also include semisweet and bittersweet chocolate. They contain less chocolate liquor--a minimum of 35 percent--bittersweet often carrying more cacao than semisweet. And they contain sugar. It’s a variation sugar-to-cocao ratio that differentiates the two. Because of its sweeter flavor, semi-sweet is more commonly used in baking, and it’s the go-to chocolate type for chocolate chip cookies.
These crinkle cookies are made with unsweetened chocolate in the batter.
If baking chocolate has no sugar, what's the point?
Baking chocolate is not the best choice for out of hand eating, but it's a great component to mix with other ingredients to make a recipe.
Typically, baking chocolate will be mixed into batter when baking, and the sweetness comes from elsewhere in the recipe, bringing out the flavor of the chocolate. It’s not suggested that you use baking chocolate as a substitute for chocolate morsels in cookies or as a candy coating.
Photo via Flickr member zanastardust
One of the most famous brands offering baking chocolate is Baker's Chocolate, America's oldest continually run chocolate company. Often, people will refer to baking chocolate as "baker's chocolate", possibly because of the association of this company with producing the unsweetened stuff.
However, the Baker's chocolate brand also offers a variety of sweetened chocolate products, including German's sweet chocolate (an innovation by a gentleman named Samuel German, and where German chocolate cake gets its name), white chocolate, and semisweet chocolate. So while Baker's offers baking chocolate, not all chocolate by Baker's is baking chocolate. Got it? Good.
Well, I'm not going to flat out reject you here, but I am going to give you some considerations to think about if you want to substitute, say, dark chocolate for baking chocolate.
If your chocolate has sugar added, it may slightly alter the chemistry of the recipe. For instance, if your recipe calls for 4 ounces of unsweetened chocolate and you use 4 ounces of sweetened chocolate, you're adding extra sugar to the recipe, and you can't be quite sure how much. The recipe might come out just fine, or the added sugar might affect the texture or bake time. Or it might just make the recipe too sweet. Is it worth the risk? Up to you.
I hope I've given you a helpful little primer here--feel free to chime in with any questions about baking chocolate and I can add to this article to make it even more helpful. Oh, and if you liked this post, check out the more comprehensive posts on the types of chocolate for baking.
Cutting cheesecake with dental floss. A magic trick with water to remove errant bits of eggshell. How to get the most juice out of your citrus with the...microwave? And who knew that bubble wrap could create chocolate garnishes?
These and more amazing baking hacks which will save you time and money. Read more!