You know what I love about summer? Baking in your bikini. Try it. It’s great. It is waaay too hot out to be standing in a kitchen with a 350 degree oven on fully clothed. So today, as I was tanning on the back deck and decided to bake – I didn’t bother getting changed. And you know what else? Doing the dishes in your bikini is great too! No worrying about the water splashing up – especially when your washing chocolate covered baking dishes. Today was bikini baking day – and it was just what I needed.

This past weekend I had a meltdown – and it wasn’t because it is so hot out. No. I had a meltdown because there are people in this world who think its perfectly fine to steal from other people. Yup – I was a victim of theft. After work Saturday I wanted to go shopping to pick out a dress for an upcoming friends wedding this weekend. I had been out the night before and had my bag with me which had all my clothing, personal items like makeup and hair stuff and a bag of brand new baking supplies which I had just bought the day before. at a specialty store. Needless to say I was quite upset when I saw it was all gone. I had spent quite a bit of money on clothing on my weekend away to Whistler, and my birthday trip to Vegas so it was a little hard to believe it had all been taken. C’est la vie! The “want” list of items to buy keeps getting put on hold due to unexpected expenses! Such as my car – and the replacement of all my things. I had needed wanted a new camera desperately! Sure mine is fine and it takes pictures – but it’s got some hiccups and a new one would have been awesome! As well as a new pair of runners… the list could go on and on.

Also, I had bought some baking supplies for upcoming things I had wanted to make, like hand held pocket pies, and cupcakes which I was going to make for a wedding shower the next day and another upcoming shower. Now I have to go re-buy all the food colouring, cookie cutters, molds, piping bag and tips etc etc. So today I felt like I needed to make something to take my mind off of it. I had been thinking of making this recipe for quite a while now. I had seen a Cupcake contest by Duncan Hines, which I would have liked to have made something for but found out it was only available to the States – like most online food contests. While I had been brainstorming for it I had looked online for some new and interesting ideas I could turn into a cupcake and found a recipe for a Marquise cake. It is typically a sponge cake – made on a cookie sheet pan – which you then cut out and place into a loaf pan to make a shell type outer cake layer and then fill with a dense mousse like marquise filling. I had been thinking about turning into something slightly different, something like an Ice Cream Marquise Cake. Though I’m sure a traditional Marquise with the dense rich mousse filling is just as delicious.

It’s a perfect summertime dessert – it’s simple and doesn’t require a lot of time. You can make it a day or two ahead, as it keeps well in the freezer wrapped properly. You can change this dessert into any filling type you like – maybe with frozen yogurt? or ice cream speckled with fresh fruit between the layers, or with a vanilla cake or even mint ice cream. There are lots of different options – and its so simple! Simply take it out of the freezer a few minutes before cutting, and use a large cake knife slightly warmed under hot water.

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer =)

Follow the link for step-by-step picture directions ..

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This is a different type of baking post! You see, I made a batch of Mocha Brownies for a friend of mine’s BBQ yesterday, and posted some pictures from my Iphone on my Facebook page. I had received comments on them, and had 2 messages in my inbox asking if I was going to post the recipe on my website! I do bake often while I’m here on the island but I haven’t posted everything that I’ve made. But I thought why not post the pictures anyways, as semi-blurred as they are, and include the delicious recipe. I ate about 1000 of these yesterday, and taste-tested the frosting a few times over. They were definitely a hit! It has the perfect combination of fudge-yness and the coffee icing is so so so good. If you’re going to a BBQ, or have any other excuse to make them I suggest it!

These are densely fudge type brownies, not cakey, and super moist! You can choose to add the frosting, or even have them plain.

Mocha Brownies

You Will Need:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups cocoa
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
• about 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9″ x 13″ pan
   2) In a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl, or in a saucepan set over low heat (I always use the saucepan method), melt the butter, then add the sugar and stir to combine. Keep the element on low, and let the sugar dissolve. it’ll become shiny looking as you stir it. Add in the Chocolate Chips stirring until they melt.
2. Meanwhile, crack the 4 eggs into a bowl, and beat them with the cocoa, baking powder, and vanilla till smooth.
3. Add the hot butter, chocolate and sugar mixture, stirring until smooth.
4. Add the flour and stir until incorporated.
5. Spoon the batter into a greased 9″ x 13″ pan.
6. Bake the brownies for about 20 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, or with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it. I checked mine and took them out at about 17 minutes, you don’t want it to overbake or else you will have a more cakey-brownie on your hands!
7. Remove them from the oven and cool on a rack. I allowed it to cool for a bit, but then moved it into the fridge to speed the cooling process. This also sets the fudge-y texture of it, and makes it densely chocolatey.

While it is cooling, you can  make the Mocha Frosting.

Mocha Frosting

You will need:

• about 4 cups Icing Sugar, Sifted ( depending on the consistency )
• 1 cup strongly brewed coffee, or espresso, cooled
• a splash of milk
• Vanilla
• 3/4 cup butter, softened to room temperature

Directions:

1. Beat the butter till it is light and fluffy.  Add about 1/2 a cup at a time the icing sugar. After about 2 cups add in a splash of milk, and vanilla. You want the icing to be quite stiff before you add in the coffee/espresso. So you don’t want to add too much milk to water it down. Continue adding the icing sugar until you reach a stiff consistency, and add a little at a time the coffee. You can add it to your tasting preference, I added quite a lot for  a rich coffee taste. The icing will thin quite a bit, you can add more icing sugar if you think it is too thin.
2. Once you reach the desired taste/texture pour it on top of the brownies while still in the pan, and smooth it on top so it completely covers it.
3. Return the brownie pan to the fridge to set. You can decorate the top with little coffee beans if you like. Allow the icing to set up again in the fridge before cutting into it. Trust me, it’s worth the wait.

Enjoy!

So I’m finally back on the mainland, and ready for an extremely exciting weekend. Not only is it Valentine’s Day, which means lots of sweets and baking (or in this case, not) but it is also the opening weekend of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics!

I’m actually more excited than I thought I would be, seeing as how it’s all happening right in our backyard! Hopefully I’ll be able to get downtown and see everything that’s going on!

This valentine’s day there wasn’t much time to bake after I got back home for our reading break, so I thought I would whip up a few things that didn’t take any baking at all!

I hope you all have a sweet valentine’s day =)

Chocolate Covered Strawberries:

• 1-2 pkg Strawberries
• 1 cup Melting Chocolate (dark or milk)
• 1/2 cup White Melting Chocolate
• 1/2 cup medium shredded coconut (optional)

Directions:

1. Place dark chocolate into a double broiler, and simmer on low. Allow the chocolate to melt completely and transfer to a glass bowl. Allow to cool slightly. ( I always place a glass mixing bowl over the pot, and then transfer the bowl to a hot plate)
2. Do the same with the white chocolate. Then pour the white chocolate into a piping bag, and snip off a tiny bit. You can also reserve some white chocolate to dip the strawberries into as well.
3. Was the strawberries and dry them completely. You’ll want them slightly cool, to help cool the chocolate faster. Dip them one by one into the melted chocolate and place onto a tray, lined in parchment paper or saran wrap. Once you’ve finished all of them place the tray into the fridge to harden the chocolate. I placed them into the fridge one by one onto the tray so they would cool faster and harden while I made the others.
4. You can if you like also dip them/roll them/or sprinkle them with coconut after you have dipped them into the chocolate.
5. Once they have set, using the white chocolate piping bag, drizzle the white chocolate over the dark and place back into the fridge.
6. Once they have set completely, you can package them up and give them to someone special! Not without trying a couple yourself of course.

You can keep the little container that the strawberries come in as well, they make a cute little box to deliver your sweets in!

Have a very sweet valentines!

xo Alicia

These bars have quite the history. Not only how they have become to be Nanaimo bars, but also what they’ve meant to me. The name ‘Nanaimo Bars’ is said to have come from a woman who lived on Vancouver Island, in Nanaimo who entered them into a baking contest, instead of naming the bars after herself she named them after the city of Nanaimo. There have been other claims to the bar name, a more familiar one known as ‘The new york slice,’ but true Nanaimo bar lovers have come to love them by this name.

My mom’s mom, my grandma was the nanaimo bar queen. She made them for my  mom and her 4 other sisters and 1 brother when they were growing up, and then it became a favorite of all her grandchildren as well. Ie. me. My mom said that my grandpa would say they were ‘just glorified chocolate bars,’ but that definitely didn’t stop him from eating them. Everytime we got together for a family reunion, picnic or barbeque,  nanaimo bars were always there.

I got this recipe from my aunt, who got it from my other aunt who got it from their mom. Since my grandma’s no longer with us, my aunt has carried on the traditional family favorite, which my mom says tastes just like grandmas. So, I thought I would try for the first time to make them!

This treat doesn’t require any baking, and is delicious! Give it a try for the holidays. (more…)

Of course it’s that time of year again to bake cookies galore!! I baked a ton last year, like Chocolate Thumbprints, my favorite mini-toblerone shortbread, mini chocolate pecan tarts, festive two bite brownies (definitely making these again this year) , and these toasted coconut clusters, which I could eat the entire bowl full.

My aunt also just happened to buy me a new rolling pin! And it was perfect timing, as my old one was falling apart. You see, it had the handle and the metal bar through the middle wooden roller. The one she bought me is a different style than your regular rolling pin with two handles, it’s called a French Rolling Pin. And it’s one large wooden rolling pin with no handles, but slightly larger in the center and slimmer on the sides. It is perfect for rolling out cookie dough, you don’t get those lines or creases in your dough from the handles! I love it!

This one’s similar to mine! If your needing a new rolling pin, get a French pin!

This year we’re having a smaller christmas at home so I’m not going to go overboard with cookies, as i’m sure my mom and I will just end up eating them all!

But I couldn’t resist making these gingerbread men once I bought my cute little mini gingerbread cookie cutter the other day. Along with, a super cute cupcake tree ornament!! I couldn’t help myself.

I don’t overly love gingerbread cookies usually their kinda bland, and seem to always need more icing. But I added a little less spice to these and a dash of cocoa powder to make them a bit sweeter. I made a buttercream type of frosting since i’m not the greatest when it comes to cookie decorating. They make a ton of cookeis, I made them twice and depending on how thick you make them ( for softer men ) or thin ( for a crunchier man ) you can make quite a few, and as well however big your cutter of choice is. You can definitely double the recipe.

I used little sprinkles to decorate with them, and if you don’t want the fuss of icing their already ready when you take them out of the oven!

And, is it just me or was I the only one who didn’t know that gingerbread cookies were made without eggs??  haha, you learn something new everyday!

Give these little guys a try if you starting your holiday baking early. And while you’re here, leave a link to one of your favorite cookies you’ve made for the holidays this year! (more…)

When I made these brownies I was actually looking for a different brownie recipe I had made the week earlier, that was really really really good. I saw this one a few times on different blogs and thought it was probably just as good.

And it was.

I needed something to bring to a Wine Night my friends and I were having. Everyone brings their own bottle of wine, and we open them one by one, and when it’s your turn you present your wine, try and pronounce it’s name and then describe where it came from. This gets more and more entertaining as you get to the 8th or 9th bottle of wine. My friend and I decided chocolate and wine pairs well together.

And it did.

These were really good, not as fudgy as the ones I made the weekend before, but I think it was also because I had less cocoa left over to use. I would have melted some chocolate and stirred it in but I didn’t have time, as the wine night was on the island and I made them the night before.

Also! As you’ve probably seen I am on the island (Vancouver Island) quite a lot. Usually every weekend. Well, I’m going to be moving there more permanently! I’m going to go to UVIC – The University of Victoria in January. So I’ll be an island girl for a while. It’s a good thing I live near the ferries! So I can come home and visit lots. And, I will definitely be bringing all my Kitchen Aid appliances so I can bake! It will be a little harder in my new basement suite, and It’ll be some starving-student recipes haha. But I definitely will continue to blog! And I’ll need all those sweets when I’m studying and stressed out!

If you haven’t tried this recipe already for King Arthur Brownies give it a try!

King Arthur Brownies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups Dutch-process cocoa
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups king arthur flour (any flour im sure is fine)
• 2 cups chocolate chips <– I like mine plain, usually with walnuts if I do have them.

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch pan.
2. In a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl, or in a saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter, then add the sugar and stir to combine. Return the mixture to the heat (or microwave) briefly, just till it’s hot, but not bubbling; it’ll become shiny looking as you stir it. Heating the butter and sugar a second time will dissolve more of the sugar, which will yield a shiny top crust on your brownies. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl.
3. Stir in the cocoa, salt, baking powder and vanilla. Add the eggs, beating till smooth; then add the flour and chips, beating till well combined. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.
4. Bake the brownies for 28 to 30 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out dry (though it may have a few crumbs clinging to it). The brownies should feel set both on the edges, and in the center. Remove them from the oven, and after 5 minutes loosen the edges with a table knife; this helps prevent the brownies from sinking in the center as they cool. Cool completely before cutting and serving.

You can also melt some chocolate and decorate them once they’ve cooled. They also pair lovely with a glass of wine.

Enjoy!