Tag Archives: recipes

Simple Chocolate Mousse

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I just can’t get enough of chocolate, even after Christmas and New Year !  Most mousse recipes contain raw eggs which I don’t feel too comfortable with, especially with kids in the house. This recipe only uses 5 ingredients, it is much easier and doesn’t involve raw eggs.  Hope you enjoy it !

Makes about 4 servings

  • 3 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, plus about 1/2 ounce for toppings, finely chopped 
  • 1 cup heavy or whipping cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar to adjust sweetness if desired
  1. Heat cream in a non-stick pot over medium heat
  2. Add chopped chocolate, sugar and salt, stir until smooth and chocolate all melted
  3. Turn heat off, mix in vanilla extract 
  4. Pour mixture through a fine strainer
  5. Let cool, cover and refrigerate overnight
  6. Before serving, whisk mousse using an electric mixer until soft peak is formed 
  7. Spoon or pipe into glasses then top with chopped chocolate

Sparkling Jello

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New Year is just 3 days away !  My daughter said I have to make something festive to celebrate. Last week, I came across a champagne and vodka jello recipe on Pinterest. Well…. I don’t drink and I can’t make something alcoholic for my kids, so I used Sprite instead and added some frozen berries to make it more colourful.  You can use any kind of clear carbonated drink you like.  Have a Happy New Year !

Makes about 12-16 mini jello cups, about 50 mL each

  • 2 envelopes or tablespoons unflavoured gelatin powder
  • 2 cups carbonated drink of choice (cold)
  • 200 mL water
  • 1-2 tablespoons granulated sugar if needed to adjust sweetness
  • Frozen berries, mangoes, or other fruits for decoration
  1. Sprinkle 2 envelopes of gelatin over 100 mL of water, let sit for a few minutes
  2. Add sugar to remaining water and heat until just boiled
  3. Pour hot water into gelatin mixture, stir until all dissolved
  4. Add carbonated drink, stir to mix, then pour into jello cups or bowls
  5. Add a few small pieces of frozen fruits to decorate
  6. Wrap and refrigerate until set, about 3 hours or overnight

 

 

 

Orange Cranberry Cookie Bites

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These cookies can be a delicious Christmas treat or you can have them anytime of the year! They have a rich butter flavour with a delightful orange taste.

Makes about 18-20 cookies

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup icing sugar + more for dusting
  • 1+1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 self rising flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons orange juice
  • 1 teaspoon orange zest
  • 1 teaspoon pure orange extract
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF
  2. Sift together flour, self-rising flour and salt, set aside
  3. Using an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy
  4. Add orange juice,orange and vanilla extract
  5. Add flour mixture in 2-3 portions, mix until blended, scraping sides and bottom of mixing bowl
  6. Stir in orange zest and cranberries
  7. Spoon about 1 tablespoon each of dough and roughly shape into balls
  8. Place on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper, about 2 inches apart
  9. Bake for about 12 minutes, then decrease temperature to 325ºF and bake for about 10 minutes
  10. Cool on cookie sheets for about 5 minutes, then completely on rack
  11. Dust with icing sugar when completely cooled

I shape the cookies into bite sized balls.  You can also shape them in bigger balls and flatten gently with a fork.

Gingerbread Cookies

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Every Christmas gingerbread cookie is at the top of my baking list.  The kids love to make and eat them.  My daughter and I spent a whole Sunday morning decorating them.  We had so much fun!

Makes about 24, depending on size of cookies
Total time = 90 minutes

For the cookies

  • 2+1/4 cake and pastry flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • pinch of nutmeg
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup fancy molasses
  • 1 egg
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F
  2. Sift together flour, baking soda, salt and the 4 spices, set aside
  3. Using and electric mixer with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar until fluffy
  4. Add egg and molasses, mix until blended
  5. Add flour mixture in 2-3 portions, mix until dough starting to form
  6. Transfer dough to a floured surface, press together to form a ball
  7. Wrap with plastic wrap and put in fridge for about 1 hour for easy handling
  8. On a floured surface, roll dough into about 1/8″ thickness, cut with cookie cutters. 
  9. Gather dough scraps together, roll out and cut into shapes again
  10. Place cookies on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper
  11. Bake for about 8 minutes
  12. Cool on cookie sheets for about 10 minutes them completely on rack
  13. Decorate with icing and candies when completely cooled

For the icing

  • 2 cups icing sugar
  • 4 tablespoons milk
  • 4 teaspoons corn syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons water
  • food coloring for icing
  1. Sift icing sugar
  2. Add milk, corn syrup and vanilla
  3. Add water, a few drops at a time to get the desired consistency
  4. Add food coloring
  5. Mix until smooth

Use a thicker icing to outline the borders, let dry, then use a thinner icing for the middle.  The icing is almost transparent, so you will need to add white food coloring to make it white.

Peppermint Chocolate Cups

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These cute chocolate cups are perfect for a party dessert or as Christmas gifts and they are so easy to make.  You can put them in any moulds you want and decorate them.

Makes about 12 mini cups

  • 12 ounces semisweet or dark chocolate
  • 5 drops peppermint oil
  • 6 mini candy canes
  1. Melt chocolate in a bowl over a pot of simmering water at medium heat
  2. When chocolate is melted, remove from hot water, add peppermint oil, stir until smooth
  3. Spoon or pour into silicone moulds
  4. Let cool for about 30 minutes
  5. Crush candy canes and sprinkle on top of chocolate
  6. Cool until completely set, remove from moulds

Chocolate Macarons

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Macacron is one of the trickiest recipe I have ever made. My first time was a disaster ! The shells were flat and stuck to the cookie sheets ! The color was dull and uneven. After reading many many recipes and trying a number of times, I finally succeed ! It helps if you plan and organize what you need before you start. Here are some tips:

  1. Some recipes recommend aging the egg whites, I tried both aging and using them straight from the shells and didn’t really notice a big difference. One important thing though, they must be at room temperature before whisking.
  2. Colouring can be tricky. I just used cocoa powder here. If you want other colours, do not add the cocoa powder and add colouring powder or paste.
  3. Prepare the piping bag, line a medium bowl with the bag. This helps to pour the batter into the bag.
  4. Print or draw some circles on a piece of paper, about 1+1/2 inch in diameter, place it underneath the parchment paper on the cookie sheet to help piping the batter. Just make sure you remove it before baking.
  5. For easy fillings, you can use Nutella or any kind of jam.

Makes about 12 macarons

  • 3/4 cup icing sugar
  • 100 g finely ground almond
  • 1+1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 75 g egg whites (from 2 large or 3 small eggs)
  • 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • Powder or paste food coloring if desired
  • Fruit jam (I used raspberry jam) or Nutella for fillings
  1. Preheat oven to 325ºF
  2. Sift ground almond, icing sugar and cocoa powder
  3. Using an electric mixer with whisk attachment, whisk egg whites and cream of tartar at medium speed until frothy
  4. Add sugar slowly
  5. Increase speed to high, whisk until a stiff peak is formed (the meringue at the tip of the whisk should be glossy and won’t drip back)
  6. Gently and quickly, fold in almond mixture in 2-3 portions until just blended, don’t over mix (batter should flow like lava)
  7. Pour mixture in a piping bag with 3/8″ round tip
  8. Pipe batter into circles on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper, about 1+1/2 inch in diameter and 2 inches apart
  9. Tap cookie sheets on counter a couple of times to remove air bubbles
  10. Let sit at room temperature for at least about 30 minutes (remember to remove paper with pre-printed circles)
  11. Bake for about 8 minutes
  12. Let cool for 5-10 minutes on cookie sheets then completely on rack
  13. Sandwich with your favourite fillings

Easy Caramel Sauce

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This is a very easy (or you can say lazy) way of making caramel sauce. I actually tried, many times, the more classic way, using brown sugar, butter and cream. Somehow, I just couldn’t get the right color or the sauce just curdled. So this recipe is more practical and it tastes as good, if not better than the other one ! You can use as a dip for fruits or drizzle over cupcakes, coffee, ice cream, etc. Add some sea salt on top and you have salted caramel sauce!

Makes about 1 cup

  • 8 ounces caramel candies
  • 1/2 cup whipping cream
  1. Unwrap and melt candies in a non-stick pot over a pan of simmering water
  2. When candies are completely melted, add whipping cream
  3. Remove pan of water and heat non-stick pot directly on stove on low heat (remember to wipe the bottom of the pot)
  4. Stir constantly until smooth, be careful not to scorch
  5. Serve warm or at room temperature, store remaining sauce in refrigerator for up to one week

Ginger Cookies 

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These are one of my favourite cookies! I thought my kids would not like them, so I added a bit more ginger to please the adults’ palates. To my surprise, my daughter loves them. She said these cookies are really soft and tasty, and not spicy at all!

Makes about 24-30 cookies
Total time = 60 minutes

  • 2 cups cake and pastry flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup Crosby’s fancy molasses
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons granulated sugar for rolling
  1. Preheat oven to 325°F
  2. Sift together flour, baking soda, salt and the three spices, set aside
  3. Using an electric mixer, beat together butter and sugars at medium speed until fluffy
  4. Add molasses, egg and vanilla, mix until blended
  5. Add flour mixture in 2 parts, mix until dough is formed, scraping sides and bottom of bowl
  6. Refrigerate dough for 30-60 minutes for easy handling
  7. Roll dough into 1 inch balls
  8. Lightly roll top half of cookie balls in sugar
  9. Place on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper, sugar side up, spacing about 2 inches apart
  10. Flatten top gently with bottom of a glass
  11. Bake for about 10-12 minutes

Pear Cobbler

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You may have noticed, I like to make my desserts or cakes into individual servings. Instead of making a big cake, I would make 12 minis. The main advantage, especially for baking, is that you can control your baking time and temperature much better. You would need less time, and your goodies would be baked more evenly. There is also more room to play around with your toppings and decorations! This cobbler is another mini version. Top it up with ice cream or a vanilla sauce like Creme Anglaise…..A great dessert on a cold day ! 

Makes about 8 servings

For the pear fillings

  • 400 g Bartlett or Anjou pear chunks (washed, peeled cored and cut)
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 4 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  1. Coat pear chunks with lemon juice and zest
  2. Mix with brown sugar, cinnamon and melted butter

For the topping

  • 1/2 cup quick oats
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
  1. Mix oats, flour, sugar and cinnamon
  2. Add melted butter, mix until blended

To make the cobbler

  1. Preheat oven to 375ºF
  2. Spoon pear fillings into ramekins, add topping
  3. Bake on a tray for about 25 minutes, serve warm
  4. Top with ice cream or a vanilla sauce like Creme Anglaise

Light Creme Anglaise

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This is a modified version of the recipe I learned from my pastry course a few months ago. I didn’t have whipping or half and half cream at home, so I thought I would use milk and do a light version. It came out better than I thought! It may not be as creamy but it tastes almost as good as the original recipe! You can use it over any dessert, e.g. cakes, pies, puddings, pastries, cobblers, etc. 

  • 300 mL 2% milk
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 50 gram granulated sugar
  • 1/2 to 1 vanilla bean
  1. Gently whisk 1/3 of the milk with sugar and egg yolks, set aside
  2. Cut and scrape vanilla bean
  3. Put vanilla bean, including the pod, into the remaining of the milk and heat in a non-stick pot over medium heat until boil.
  4. Turn heat down to low
  5. Pour some boiled milk into egg mixture to temper, then pour back into the pot
  6. Heat mixture until thick enough to coat back of wooden spoon,  stirring constantly
    (Coat back of wooden spoon with sauce, draw a streak in the middle with your finger, if streak stays clear, the sauce is ready. Watch closely when cooking, the sauce thickens quite quickly. Do not over cook or you will have scrambled eggs instead!)
  7. Remove from heat, strain twice through a fine mesh
  8. Serve immediately or cool then refrigerate
  9. Use within one week

Original recipe by Chef Marco Ropke at the Pastry Training Centre of Vancouver