I feel like I need to apologize every time I post something now for not posting for months at a time. But I just need to accept that I don't take photos of every little thing I make with the intent of making a blog post about it.
So to make up for lack of posts, this post will summarize a few of the sweets I've made over the past year. I don't have the patience (or time) to write out detailed recipes/how-to's for each one so I'll just write a brief summary and/or link to recipes if you want to try it yourself! (Please excuse the fact that my paragraphs are unedited ramblings, I just tried to power through writing this before I got too distracted/tired/bored)
So to make up for lack of posts, this post will summarize a few of the sweets I've made over the past year. I don't have the patience (or time) to write out detailed recipes/how-to's for each one so I'll just write a brief summary and/or link to recipes if you want to try it yourself! (Please excuse the fact that my paragraphs are unedited ramblings, I just tried to power through writing this before I got too distracted/tired/bored)
Two pound chocolate bar
I used a silicone loaf pan as a mold for this giant chocolate bar (it was around 9x4x4"), used a hammer to smach up some of the nuts, melted chocolate with a make-shift double broiler (saucepan full of hot water with a ceramic dish on top to melt the chocolate in), and then just mixed it together layer by layer. Stuck it in the freezer and once it was solid I popped it out of the mold, melted some blue chocolate and used a freezer bag with the end snipped off to do the writing on top. Then I wrapped it in tinfoil and designed and printed out a sleeve to go around it as well for Kris' 26th birthday.
Crack Pie
For Valentine's day, since it's one of his favourite desserts, I decided to attempt to make Momofuku's infamous "Crack Pie". They offer the recipe on their website but it's no wonder people pay so much to buy it ready made because it is a bit of a time consuming recipe. I've made this pie several times this year and it's gotten easier each time I've made it. Be warned, this pie is super sweet and definitely not healthy at all. Though delicious, I wouldn't advise eating more than a sliver of a slice at a time.
Caramel Apple Dip
I made this twice for some parties and it was a hit, once you start eating its so hard to stop. Basically, it's a dip starting with a base of cream cheese, covered in a layer of homemade caramel sauce, then covered in Skor bits and mini chocolate chips, then you just slice up some apples to scrape some dip onto and voila; absolute heaven. I followed this recipe but added the chocolate chips because why not?
Homemade Edible Arranement
This one isn't really a recipe but I wanted to include it anyways. Princess mentioned multiple times that she wanted an edible arrangement so for her birthday, I decided to make her one. Like the Crack Pie, I soon realized why people just pay an arm and a leg for these things because cutting and skewering all that fruit took an eternity. I like attempting these kinds of things because it does give me a greater appreciation for the high cost of them in stores (plus its just fun to make things myself). But all it really took was some knives, skewers, fruit, and a lot of patience.
Gender Reveal Sugar Cookies
I had the honour of making gender reveal cookies for my Pastor and his wife's second pregnancy to announce the gender of the baby (it was a girl)! This sugar cookie recipe reminded me of the cookies I used to eat after Sunday School at my old church when I was a kid, I think it was the almond extract that made it taste so legit. Next time I think I will attempt to actually make real royal icing though, I tried an easier version and though it worked and tasted good, it didn't harden the way I had hoped so I didn't end up decorating the cookies as fancy as I had intended for fear of the icing messing up.
Ferrero Rocher Cake
I made this for Kris' 27th birthday this past summer because he loves Ferrero Rocher and nuts. I think this cake looked pretty epic but admittedly, there's a lot of things I would change about it. I was a little over ambitious and made it triple layer, which was just a little too... huge. Not to mention the fact that i couldn't find crushed hazelnuts anywhere so all the hazelnuts around the side were smashed by me with a hammer for about an hour. But I was able to find large circular wafers used for cakes and pies at a local foreign foods shop so I was able to use that for between the layers which made it feel more legit. But next time I make this (because I do intend to try it again) I will actually follow the recipe like I should have... and not cheat and use box mix. I'll just have to borrow a food processor from someone to grind hazelnuts for the batter.
And I don't have pictures of these two desserts but here's two bonus recipes:
My favourite chocolate chip cookie recipe I've stumbled upon. It is approved by my brother so that is a pretty high recommendation seeing as in all my years of baking he has never whole heartedly approved of my chocolate chips cookies until I started using this recipe. My advise is to cook it on parchment paper, use about half the chocolate chips it calls for (unless you like them really chocolatey) and pay SUPER close attention to how long it takes to bake these. In my over it is exactly 7 minutes, and I find they don't brown on the top so I check to see if the bottom is golden, if it is then I take them out and let them cool on the tray for 5 minutes before using a spatula to transfer them onto a cooling rack. Letting them cool on the tray is integral to them not falling apart during the transfer! These cookies are delicious when they are fresh out of the oven with a glass of milk!
And my last recipe to share is the super easy but fun twist on angel food cake, Pineapple Angel food cake with coconut whipped cream topped with sliced, sugared strawberries. My advice for this one is don't be stingy with the coconut milk, make sure it's full fat and not a cheaper one just for cooking otherwise the fat won't solidify and you will not be able to make the whipped cream. This recipe was so quick and easy to make and was filled with flavour and sweetness; definitely something you'll want to try.
My favourite chocolate chip cookie recipe I've stumbled upon. It is approved by my brother so that is a pretty high recommendation seeing as in all my years of baking he has never whole heartedly approved of my chocolate chips cookies until I started using this recipe. My advise is to cook it on parchment paper, use about half the chocolate chips it calls for (unless you like them really chocolatey) and pay SUPER close attention to how long it takes to bake these. In my over it is exactly 7 minutes, and I find they don't brown on the top so I check to see if the bottom is golden, if it is then I take them out and let them cool on the tray for 5 minutes before using a spatula to transfer them onto a cooling rack. Letting them cool on the tray is integral to them not falling apart during the transfer! These cookies are delicious when they are fresh out of the oven with a glass of milk!
And my last recipe to share is the super easy but fun twist on angel food cake, Pineapple Angel food cake with coconut whipped cream topped with sliced, sugared strawberries. My advice for this one is don't be stingy with the coconut milk, make sure it's full fat and not a cheaper one just for cooking otherwise the fat won't solidify and you will not be able to make the whipped cream. This recipe was so quick and easy to make and was filled with flavour and sweetness; definitely something you'll want to try.
So that finishes off my round up of some sweets I made this past year, hope you give some of them a try and maybe find a new favourite sweet treat to make :)