The Breakfast Series: Double Chocolate Chip Muffins and Where to get muffins in Vancouver

New: The Breakfast Series: Double Chocolate Chip Muffins recipe and where to get muffins in Vancouver

Whats up: Homemade Bacon and Egg McMuffin, Lemon Bars and Fluffy Pancakes

Breakfast, lunch, dessert, snack, muffins are great any time! So far, I’ve tasted two main types of muffins, the traditional moist, fluffy muffin, and the cakier muffin that could also pass for a cupcake if it had frosting on top. Both are delicious but today’s recipe for Double Chocolate Chip Muffins produces some fanastically chocolately and moist traditional muffins. 

Decadent double chocolate chip muffins

This recipe uses a lot of baking powder, but it’s done in such a way so you don’t taste it at all and produces the biggest, muffins with an excellent muffin top to bottom ratio. The muffins are moist, not cakey, and deliciously chocolatey. Next time I may want to try throwing in some fresh brewed coffee to enhance that chocolate flavour, just a thought! 

Moist and soft Double Chocolate Chip Muffins

Read on to find out where to get vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free, and dairy-free muffins in Vancouver. 

The Breakfast Series: The secret to perfect pancakes

New: The Breakfast Series: The secret to perfect pancakes 

What's up: Homemade Bacon and Egg McMuffin, The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie

Pancake problem 1: Your pancakes brown too fast on the outside leaving you with a mushy, battery inside.

Pancake problem 2: Your pancakes don't brown evenly, leaving you with black and brown patches.

Pancake problem 3: Your pancakes are dense, chewy, and worst of all, they're not fluffy.

Do you struggle with any of the above issues when trying to whip up a stack of pancakes? Or perhaps you’ve given up on pancakes entirely?

Well hang on, before you completely dismiss the idea of ever trying to make your pancakes again, check out these tips and I can promise you, with a little practice and the perfect recipe, you’ll end up with perfect, fluffy, moist, pancakes that have a slight golden crisp on the outside. 

Fluffy, delicious stack of Buttermilk Pancakes

Sounds fantastic, no?

Pancake solution 1: If your pancakes are cooking too fast on the outside, leaving you with a disgusting mess to bite into on the inside, turn down your stove! The heat is probably too high to start with. You want to begin with a medium-low flame to allow the pancake a chance to cook thoroughly inside and out without burning the outside.

Pancake solution 2: Are you greasing your pan? Stop! When making pancakes on a skillet or a griddle, it’s completely unnecessary to add oil. I do however highly recommend that you make them on a non-stick surface.

Pancake solution 3: Buttermilk. Either use buttermilk in your recipe, or make your own buttermilk by adding a tablespoon of vinegar per cup of milk in your recipe. Another problem could be overbeating/overmixing. Try hand mixing with a whisk. It’s a little bit more work, but then there’s less of a chance your pancakes will get overmixed. 

A fluffy, buttermilk pancake on its way to golden, crisp perfection

For Rainyday Kitchen-approved pancakes, try this great recipe for fantastic, fluffy pancakes from the Comfort of Cooking.

The Breakfast Series: English Muffin recipe & a Homemade Bacon and Egg McMuffin

New: The Breakfast Series: English Muffin recipe & a Homemade Bacon and Egg McMuffin 

Whats up: The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie, Kale Chips and where to get the best sandwiches in Vancouver

Get ready for some breakfast bonanza! It has been a dreary January so far filled with mountains of white stuff and layers upon layers of clothing. What better than a delicious breakfast to look forward to on these gloomy mornings? 

Delicious homemade Bacon and Egg McMuffin

Today, let me introduce you to the art of making your own English Muffins. Fresh, tasty, chewy, warm, and best of all, preservative-free English Muffins. With just a handful of ingredients you probably already have in your cupboard, you can be on your way to fresh English muffins in just 60 minutes (or less!).  

Fresh, Homemade English Muffins

Christmas Goodie Countdown Day 7 – Classic Tiramisu & homemade ladyfingers

New: Christmas Goodie Countdown Day 7 -- Classic Tiramisu & homemade ladyfingers
What's up: Cream puffs, Caramel popcorn,  Chocolate fruit and nut thins & Mixed nut brittle

Tiramisu is hands down, one of my favourite desserts. With that rich, creamy taste, a hint of cocoa and an aromatic hit of Kahlua, all in one bite. The perfect tiramisu has a good balance of liquid to cake. Soggy tiramisus are just hard to choke down no matter how good it may smell, and dry tiramisus just don’t have enough of that coffee liquor taste a good tiramisu is known for. I used an easy, egg-free recipe to whip up this classic tiramisu. This delicious coffee-flavoured, creamy Italian dessert is easy to make and requires no baking (unless you decide to make your own ladyfingers).

Classic, simple, eggless Tiramisu

Christmas Goodie Countdown Menu 

1. Christmas Cookies 

2. English Toffee 

3. Homemade Marshmallows 

4. Caramel Popcorn 

5. Cream Puffs 

6. Nut Brittle & Fruit and Nut Thins 

7. Classic Tiramisu & Homemade Ladyfingers

Piped homemade ladyfingers

Christmas Goodie Countdown Day 6 -- Chocolate fruit and nut thins & Mixed nut brittle

New: Christmas Goodie Countdown Day 6 -- Chocolate fruit and nut thins & Mixed nut brittle

What's up: Cream puffs, Caramel popcorn, Homemade marshmallows

Homemade gifts are the best! Not only are they meaningful, but when you make it yourself, you know it’ll be good. A DIY gift also means you can customize it the way you want, personalize it to each person you’re gifting it to, making the present that much better.

White and Dark chocolate fruit and nut thins

Christmas Goodie Countdown Menu 

1. Christmas Cookies 

2. English Toffee 

3. Homemade Marshmallows 

4. Caramel Popcorn 

5. Cream Puffs 

6. Nut Brittle & Fruit and Nut Thins 

7. Surprise! 

Today, we have chocolate fruit and nut thins and mixed nut brittle (or brickle). These are very easy to whip up and require only a few ingredients you probably already have in your pantry. Depending on who you’re making these for, you can choose your own combination of chocolate (semi-sweet, milk, white, dark), nuts (hazelnuts, almonds, walnuts, pecans, pistachios), and fruit (dried cranberries, apricots, crystallized pineapple, ginger, coconut flakes). Go wild with the combinations and make them as festive as you’d like!

I got this recipe from Appetite for Discovery.

Christmas Goodie Countdown Day 5 -- Cream Puffs, Gougeres, Profiteroles

New: Christmas Goodie Countdown Day 5 -- Cream Puffs, Gougeres, Profiteroles 
What's up: Caramel Popcorn, Homemade Almond Marshmallows, English Toffee

Cream puffs, gougeres, profiteroles, choux pastry—what’s the difference? They’re all essentially the same things, but gougeres are savoury so they’re baked with things like cheese or black pepper whereas cream puffs or profiteroles are usually sweet, and usually have fillings like pastry cream, chocolate, or ice cream. Choux pastry is the name for the dough that is used to make the puff pastry.

Christmas Goodie Countdown Menu 

1. Christmas Cookies 

2. English Toffee 

3. Homemade Marshmallows 

4. Caramel Popcorn 

5. Cream Puffs 

6. Nut Brittle & Fruit and Nut Thins 

7. Surprise! 

Golden, airy cream puffs

No matter what you put in them, they taste great. Sweet or savoury, the flavours always work perfectly with that light, airy puff created through this strange cooking technique. To make the dough, you basically cook and steam the flour, butter and water mixture. It’s surprisingly easy and the best part is watching the sticky, flat dough rise into beautiful, puffy balls. 

Christmas Goodie Countdown Day 3 -- Homemade almond marshmallows

New: Christmas Goodie Countdown Day 3 -- Homemade almond marshmallows recipe

What's up: English Toffee & Wrapping up your treats, Easy Christmas Cookies

Perfect homemade marshmallow on the perfect bed of snow

Day three of my Christmas Goodie Countdown, which also means only five more days until Christmas. Homemade marshmallows are on the menu today. Super easy to make, and so charming. You can make them in a variety of different tasty flavours: chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, almond, or if you’re feeling adventurous, throw in some lychee liquor for a sophisticated kick. They’re great as their own treat or you can toss a few into your hot chocolate. 

Christmas Goodie Countdown Menu 

1. Christmas Cookies 

2. English Toffee 

3. Homemade Marshmallows 

4. Caramel Popcorn 

5. Cream Puffs 

6. Nut Brittle & Fruit and Nut Thins 

7. Surprise! 

Christmas Goodie Countdown Day 2 -- English Toffee

New: Christmas Goodie Countdown Day 2 -- English Toffee & Wrapping your Goodies

What's up: Easy Christmas Cookies Day 1 of my Christmas goodies countdown

1. Christmas Cookies 

2. English Toffee

3.  Homemade Marshmallows

4. Caramel Popcorn

5. Cream Puffs

6. Nut Brittle & Fruit and Nut thins

7. Surprise!

Day two of my Christmas goodies countdown. Today, we have one of my all-time favourite treats for any time of the year: English Toffee. This delicious treat is not only super easy to make (and almost impossible to mess up!), but it is SO much less expensive than buying a bar or two from Purdys. Before I found this recipe, I’d spend $4-$5 on a single bar of English Toffee. It was delicious and worth every penny for that delicious toffee goodness, but seeing how easy it is to make, I just can’t justify spending $5 when all the ingredients combined to make a whole tray cost that much. 

This is an extremely easy recipe for the Best Toffee Ever. I got this recipe from Allrecipe.com. 

Decadent English Toffee recipe

Delicious and ridiculously easy to make--English Toffee

Easy Christmas Cookies and My Seven Day Christmas Goodies Countdown

New: Easy Christmas Cookies and My Seven Day Christmas Goodies Countdown

What's up: Toffee Pecan Banana Bread Recipe

Only seven days until Christmas. Unbelievable how fast this month has flown by. If you haven’t hopped on the baking train yet, follow me for the next seven days as I bake up a storm of simple, but decadent and delicious Christmas treats. You can share them with your family and friends by wrapping them up in some cellophane, tossing them in a tin, or just keep them for yourself and eat them straight off the tray. Here’s what’s on the menu:

Seven Days of Christmas Countdown

Chocolate Sable Cookies

1. Christmas Cookies 

2. English Toffee 

3. Homemade Marshmallows 

4. Caramel Popcorn 

5. Cream puffs 

6.  Nut Brittle & Fruit and Nut Thins 

7. Surprise! 

First up: Christmas cookies. What’s Christmas without Christmas cookies? If you’re not up for all that rolling, cutting out and icing and dough freezing and decorating, here are a few recipes for some fabulous, fancy, delicious but easy Christmas cookies you can serve at your next party, wrap up for gifts or bring to work. Cookies today include: Chocolate Sable and Traditional Shortbread Cookies.

Piping Chocolate Sable Cookies

I got this recipe for Chocolate Sable Cookies from UTryit. Not only are these delicious little melt-in-your-mouth cookies amazing to eat, but they’re beautiful to look at! They are chocolatey without being too sweet and the coffee really helps to bring out that cocoa flavour. 

Toffee Pecan Banana Bread Recipe & things I have to do this winter

New: Toffee Pecan Banana Bread Recipe

What's up: French Crullers, Taiwan night markets

Toffee Pecan Banana Bread

I can’t even begin to count the seemingly infinite number of banana bread recipes I’ve tried out over the years. Banana breads with yogurt, with banana breads with apple sauce, banana breads with mayonnaise, vegan banana breads, carrot raisin banana bread, and although they were alright for the most part, my quest for the perfect banana bread continued.

One day, I stumbled upon this strange recipe that called for banana bread batter mixed into a crumbly topping—something I’d never heard of. Could this be what was missing from all these other banana breads?

This moist, but reasonably dense banana breads is one of the best banana breads I’ve made yet. I took this great recipe for the Best Banana Bread (ever) and made a few alterations to make it my version of the Best Toffee Pecan Banana Bread (ever)! My favourite part is the toffee sprinkled on top. It adds a deliciously rich, caramel crunch to the bread.

I made two of these in mini loaf forms and one in a cake form. This fancy banana bread makes a fantastic gift and it’s easily transportable. You can wrap it up with parchment paper and tie it up with some ribbon or craft straw, or use some cellophane.

Delicious doughnuts round two -- Baked or fried?

New: Delicious doughnuts round two

What's up: Must trys at the Taiwanese night markets 

After much success with my mini baked doughnuts recipe, I thought I’d give honey French crullers a try. The recipe is surprisingly easy, much like when you’re making cream puffs and the simple honey glaze is delicious. I’ll definitely be using the honey glaze on other things.

Deep-fried honey-dipped French cruller

I got this recipe from UseRealButter. These doughnuts are deep-fried, but they can be baked as well which I think I will try next time because I’m not crazy about the whole house (and my hair) stinking of oil for hours.

However, I think when you buy them, hands down, the deep-fried ones are tastier. Take a look at Krispy Kremes versus Tim Hortons. When you bite into a Krispy Kreme, those things just melt in your mouth. Tim Hortons doughnuts, while delicious, have more texture and take a few more chews. So when deciding which cooking method to use, consider that.

Also consider that doughnuts are about 200 calories each, which is still less than eating a whole bagel!

French Crullers with a Honey Glaze recipe

Makes: Just over a dozen

Rating: 3.5/5 

Ingredients

1 cup water
6 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tsp granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
3 large eggs
1-2 egg whites, slightly beaten
Vegetable oil for frying

Make your own cheese nibs

New: Recipe - Make your own cheese nibs
What's up: Halloween cupcakes and a great new cupcake recipe 

I love cheese crackers! Cheese nibs. Ritz Bits Cheese bits, Cheese-Its, you name it, I love it. What I don’t love so much however, is the sodium and all the preservatives. If you've got a bit of time and want some incredible, flavourful cheese crackers, give this recipe a try. You’ll feel better (not great because they’re still relatively high in fat) eating them and serving them to your kids.

I got this recipe from Full Fork Ahead although I've seen it on a few other websites so not sure where the original source is. She uses a fluted pastry cutter to cut out her squares. If you've got one, by all means use it, I did not, so they don’t look quite as fancy, but the taste is all the same.

Cheese Crackers

Makes: 100

Oven: 375

Rating: 4/5

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup of butter
• 8 ounces aged cheddar cheese, shredded
• 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese (something strong for a little extra kick)
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tablespoons ice water (I used about 2.5)

Directions

1. Combine shredded cheeses, butter, and salt until combined well. Mix in flour until a crumbly dough forms. Add ice water carefully until dough forms.
2. Flatten dough into disc, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.
3. Once dough is chilled, unwrap and roll out into a thin sheet (about 1/8^th of an inch) on a floured surface. Cut dough into desired shape, I cut them into little squares to mimic Cheese Nibs.
4. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes at 375 degrees until the crackers are puffed up and golden brown. Cool before eating so the crackers get a chance to crisp up.

Tips

• Coarsely grate the cheese otherwise it’ll just melt into the dough
• Use a straight edge to help you get straight lines when cutting out your squares
• If you like your crackers a bit saltier, feel free to sprinkle some salt on top once you’re done cutting out the squares
• The crackers will look puffy in the oven but they flatten out and are crunchy once you take it out

Halloween cupcakes and a great new cupcake recipe

New: Halloween cupcakes and a great new cupcake recipe

What's up: Dark Table Restaurant: Dining in the Dark, The Perfect Thanksgiving gravy and Thanksgiving Desserts

 It’s almost time for Halloween and of course another opportunity to search for the perfect cupcake recipe. In comparison to the previous recipe I tested out, this recipe uses only egg whites. 

This perfect cupcake recipe checks off on every factor on my perfect cupcake checklist. It has a fluffy, springy texture, a wonderful, non-eggy, non-floury taste and yes, it uses one more egg than I really want it to use, but it’s just the egg whites so it’s not so bad. It’s a bit sweeter than I would like it to be, but that can be remedied by decreasing the sugar a bit.

This recipe is also great for baking cakes, which is what the original recipe intended it to be for. However, you can’t argue with these fantastic cupcake results. I got this recipe from Bakerita and included a few of my own little changes.

The perfect Thanksgiving gravy and Thanksgiving dessert ideas

New: The perfect Thanksgiving gravy and Thanksgiving dessert ideas

What’s up:   What to bring to a potluck party and Chocolate Covered Pound Cake, Cheap baking substitutes

I look forward to Thanksgiving dinner every single year, counting down the days to that moist, delicious turkey. For me, the two most important components of Thanksgiving are the savoury, flavourful gravy that can only be perfected with real turkey juice and a decadent dessert to top it all off.

The Perfect Gravy

The secret to the perfect gravy is browning the flour. Skip the package, because all you really need is flour, turkey juice, a bit of broth or water, and some salt.

Depending on how much gravy you’re making, throw about a cup or two of flour into a pan and let it brown, stirring every once in a while. Once it has reached a nice, light brown colour, add in the turkey juice and broth/water until it reaches a nice, thick, gravy consistency. Use a whisk to mix the liquids in and break up the lumps. Add salt/pepper.

If it’s still lumpy after, run it through your blender or use a hand blender to smooth it all out.

Thanksgiving Dessert

Make sure to go out with a bang and finish off your perfect Thanksgiving dinner with the perfect Thanksgiving dessert. Here are a few tasty, simple desserts I’ve tried.

Traditional Cheesecake

This is a super easy recipe, I topped mine off with candied pecans and whipped cream.

What to bring to a potluck party and Chocolate Covered Pound Cake

New: Recipes - What to bring to a potluck party and Chocolate Covered Pound Cake

What’s up:  Restaurant Review - Romer's Burger Bar and where to get the best burgers in Vancouver, Cheap baking substitutes

Potlucks, parties and picnics, they’re tons of fun, and a great way to try out new bites, but, the question is, what to bring? What will make everyone happy? What won’t break the bank? What is the perfect potluck recipe? The perfect potluck party dish should be:

1. Tasty. It should still taste good even if left out on a table for hours
2. Inexpensive. Especially if making large quantities
3. Impressive. Something to show off your skills
4. Shareable. Everyone should be able to grab a piece
5. Presentable. Sure casseroles are tasty, but after a few digs, it doesn't look quite as appetizing

This recipe for chocolate covered pound cake is from Make it Naked.  These tasty bites are unique, easy to make and will taste great even when left out on the dessert table for hours. With the chocolate covering, the pound cake doesn't need to be as sweet so I decreased the sugar.

Bite-sized chocolate covered pound cake

Strawberry coffee cake and must-have summer desserts

New: Strawberry coffee cake and must-have summer desserts
What’s up: Restaurant Review - Le Faux Bourgeois , Cheap baking substitutes

Summer in Vancouver never lasts as long as I hope it will and it definitely doesn’t last long enough for me to enjoy all my favourite summer treats. You’ve got a week, maybe two weeks left to indulge in the warmth of our shortest season, so before it ends, make sure you give one of these delicious summer desserts a try:

Taiwanese Shaved Ice

Delicious and simple. This dessert is simply a pile of what only could be described as fluffy snow topped with fruit jellies, sweet beans, fresh fruit and a drizzle of condensed milk. Try it at The One restaurant in Burnaby, or Frappe Bliss in Richmond. There's also a great place (so great I can't remember the name currently...) inside Crystal Mall near Metrotown where you can pick seven different toppings for about $5. 

Taiwanese shaved ice with fresh fruit and ice cream

Taiwanese shaved ice for the slightly more daring with red beans, grass jelly, ice cream and taro

Strawberry Sponge Cake Recipe and how to pick the best strawberries

New: Strawberry Sponge Cake Recipe, Berry Picking and How to Pick the Best Strawberries

What's up:  Cheap Baking Substitutes, Best places to get doughnuts in Vancouver and Baked Mini Doughnuts recipe, Birthday Goodies, Measurements

Delicious Strawberry Sponge cake recipe

Summer is cheap strawberry season! Time to indulge in some strawberry pies, strawberry cakes, strawberry muffins, strawberry mousse strawberry lemonade, and just plain, fresh, vibrant strawberries. Here are a few tips on how to pick the best strawberries:

Colour: Generally, the deeper the red, the sweeter the and riper the berry . 

Size: Smaller and medium strawberries are always, always better. Not only are they more natural (have you seen the fist-sized beasts they call berries?), but they will almost always be sweeter.

Smell: If possible, give the strawberries a sniff. Sweeter strawberries have a stronger strawberry smell. 

Firmness: Firmer strawberries can sometimes be more sour, the softer ones are not only more natural, but they tend to be sweeter as well. The large, crunchy strawberries are never as sweet and tend to lack a real strawberry taste.

Fresh, hand-picked local strawberries taste the best.

Mini Doughnuts Recipe & Vancouver's Best Doughnuts

New: Cheap Baking Substitutes, Best places to get doughnuts in Vancouver and Baked Mini Doughnuts recipe 

What's up: Oakwood Canadian Bistro Review, Birthday Goodies, Measurements

Baked mini doughnuts recipe

Has anyone else noticed the new doughnut fad? They’ve always been around, but recently, they’ve been gaining more popularity as something that doesn’t necessarily need to be eaten with coffee or tea. Doughnuts are getting much fancier nowadays with flavours such as salted caramel, earl grey or even bourbon bacon. They’re even getting popular as a wedding cake alternative.

 

Beautiful doughnut wedding cakes

Regardless, I’ve always loved doughnuts. Whether it’s the ordinary Tim Horton’s, rich Krispy Kremes or the decadent ones from Cartem’s Donuterie, I love them—unfortunately they do not reciprocate my love, much like most of the sweets I adore. The sugar, the fat, the additives. So what better way to combat these than baking my own doughnuts! I also finally got around to buying one of these adorable little mini doughnut pans. 

Wilton mini doughnut pan

Feeling that doughnut craving coming on? Here are some of the best places to get doughnuts in Vancouver:

Cartem’s Donuterie: One of the newest additions to Vancouver’s dessert scene. Has a great selection of unique doughnuts.

Romer’s: Yes, it’s a burger place, but their Drunken Doughnuts are to die for. Little sugary deep-fried mini doughnuts with Kahlua Nutella , Limoncello and Maple Whisky dipping sauces on the side.

Tim Hortons: Cheap doughnuts that (almost) never disappoint. I’ve only had one stale apple fritter there in my life. Great variety of traditional flavours, baked doughnuts, affordable prices.

Edible Flours (vegan doughnuts): Even you vegans can enjoy a tasty doughnut in Vancouver. This vegan bakery has chocolate, raspberry, maple and vanilla doughnuts for vegans and those with a gluten-free allergy.