Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've had a real hankerin' for some classic chocolate chip cookies lately. I've often been a bit overwhelmed when looking for "the perfect" recipe for this classic cookie, and have just as often been disappointed with the results. This cookie is soft, not tooth-achingly-sweet and has just the right amount of chocolate in it. Just what I've been searching for!
Pair it with a cold glass of milk and you've got my favourite after dinner snack.

Not only do I love how these taste but they feel so fast to throw together. The recipe is simple enough that I'm sure I'll commit to memory after a few more times making them, and something about the melted butter step just seems to speed it all up which I'm grateful for these days.

Zucchini Chocolate Muffins

Zucchini season has hit my backyard and I couldn't be happier. I think in the last two weeks I've harvested 7 big beautiful zucchinis. Not a bad start eh? Most of them I have been diced and frozen but I've also made a batch of one of our guilty summer pleasures: Zucchini Fritters with Whipped Feta and how could I resist the allure of chocolate zucchini muffins? I was really looking for a recipe that was slightly healthier...but still quite chocolatey. It was truthfully hard to find but I think this was pretty much what I was looking for.

Chocolate Pear Cake

My husband laughs at me a little when he peers over my shoulder and sees me browsing cake recipes online. I suppose what he's laughing at is the fact that this is during an average Saturday afternoon, no occasion that warrants a cake, yet cake is on my brain and I just can't shake it. I don't want anything fancy, or too sweet. Just a luscious cake filled with some kind of seasonal fruit that I can eat without too much guilt.
This everyday cake seemed to fit the bill perfectly. Browned butter, chocolate, and juicy pears. Lovely on a Saturday afternoon, and even better for a Sunday morning.

Simple Chocolate Cupcakes

I've been craving chocolate cupcakes for a week or so now. Light and moist cupcakes with frosting that accentuates the cake rather than overpowers it with sugar. Yup, that's what I wanted and Valentines day proved to be the perfect excuse for me to bake them.

I searched high and low on the internet and in cook books but so many recipes just seemed over the top. Finally I found a recipe from none other than my usual standby (Ol' Martha) and they were exactly what I was looking for when paired with a super simple buttercream.

Cocoa Brownies

You are going to thank me for this one. Boy, oh boy.

The last time I made brownies was while my husband and I were staying at my mum's house for a few nights last summer. I think the combination of being in my childhood home plus it being a chilly rainy day somehow evoked a craving for the brownies my mum and I used to make. We both loved gooey undercooked brownies and would devour a pan together easily.
But other than that I really don't make brownies very often. Maybe it's because there are so many other interesting sweets I'd rather try, or maybe because I know I'll most likely eat the whole pan in a day and then regret making them at all.
But yesterday I just had this serious chocolate craving that needed to be cured. I had my mind on this chocolate and pear tart that I thought I had remembered reading about on Smitten Kitchen. To my dismay my dream dessert did not exist so I quickly set about browsing all things chocolate and (you guessed it) stumbled upon these delectable brownies which are better than any I've ever tried before.

Dark Chocolate and Hazelnut Scones with Orange Zest

Not since I discovered "Super Natural Everyday" have I been so excited about a cookbook. I've been patiently waiting for my turn to borrow "Ancient Grains for Modern Meals" by Maria Speck from the library, and today I finally got to pick it up.
Now I know a recipe like this might not be the best representation of a book of this nature but it was the first one I tried and they turned out to be some of the tastiest scones I've ever had so I felt I owed it to you all to share. I literally can't stop thinking about these scones (weird, no?) and even crave them for dessert.
And don't worry I'm sure I'll be sharing lots of delicious things made with farro, barley, quinoa, polenta and wheat berries with you soon enough.

Pseudo Healthy Cookies

I've been making these cookies for a few years now but I feel like they've just recently earned their new title of "Pseudo Healthy".
As I mentioned the other day my husband and I are trying to eat a little healthier, drink a little less and exercise a lot more. This goal seems even more important as I just counted that we only have 10 weeks until we'll be lying on a beach in Cuba celebrating the union of some great friends. 10 weeks might sound like a long time, but I think its a realistic time frame to shape up the right way (no fasting or fad diets for us!).

However that being said I am not the kind of woman who can cut out sweets completely. I need balance!  I believe that gently giving in to cravings is better than trying to hold back from something too fiercely and then bingeing later. And by adding healthier ingredients I feel a little bit less guilty when I do give in to those sweet cravings.

Greenvale Chocolates

So it's been about a month or so now that I've been making and selling my chocolates at the Dartmouth Farmers Market. So far my little tasty treasures have been quite well received. (Thanks Dartmouth!)
But last weekend I packed up all my gear and headed to Halifax to sell my chocolates at the Night Flea Market at the Khyber which was co-hosted by my friend Natalie.
The flea market was awesome, so much great used and handmade goodies to choose from. And my chocolates were a hit! (Thanks Halifax!)

Here's a shot of my set up at the night flea market. I shared my space with my amazingly talented friend Lindsay. She was selling the most co-ordinated packs of paper and craft oddities (which you can also find in her Etsy shop) as well zines, notebooks and necklaces.

So if you're in the Dartmouth area on a Saturday between 8am - 1pm stop by the Alderney Landing Farmers Market for some handmade chocolates! Also you can follow me on Twitter for up to date info on all my chocolate offerings. 

Curry Coconut Truffle

Oh boy. I have officially entered the world of spiced savoury chocolates, doomed for all eternity.
My newest member of the Greenvale Chocolate family is one that is filled with a layer of white chocolate ganache littered with coconut, next to a dark chocolate ganache flavoured with my own curry spice blend.
It is heavenly. Trust me.

Tequila Lime Truffles

This may be one of my favourite chocolate creations so far.
White chocolate ganache flavoured with tequila and lime zest incased in dark chocolate, then topped with lime zest and fleur de sel. Yum!

P.S. You can now find my chocolates and I at the Alderney Landing Farmers Market here in Dartmouth on Saturdays between 8am and 1pm. 

P.P.S. and you can now follow all of my chocolate adventures on twitter.

Box of Chocolates

I'm currently experimenting with packing up my little treats I made yesterday. Here's a sample of what I've come up with so far. I can't seem to find the shape of box I'm really looking for. I would love to find some that are wider and shorter than this one. Anyone have an box shopping advice for me?

Caramel Filled Chocolate

I know I've already mentioned my current chocolate infatuation, but I should explain that it's actually all in fact my husbands fault. For Christmas this year his gift to me was a beautiful marble slab, some good quality chocolate and of course lessons from our cafe's newest baker/resident chocolate expert, on how to create my own chocolates at home.

Double Chocolate Cookies

I've been feeling like a bit of a chocoholic lately. 

I can say with certainty that it is completely the fault of a friend of mine who recently introduced me to the world of fine handmade chocolates. I won't go into much detail today, but I will tell you that there's a stack of polycarbonate moulds sitting on my kitchen counter, and there is some fancy schmancy single origin chocolate currently on a truck somewhere headed my way.

So why am I settling for cookies when I could have my own homemade caramel ganache filled chocolates? Well simply put those chocolates have all been eaten, and it'll be days before I have time to take another crack at pretending to be a chocolatier. 

But trust me these cookies have enough chocolate in them to keep me going until then.

Oreos

I bet you never thought you could make your own Oreos, and I bet you never thought they could taste so much better than the ones Mr. Christie makes.
But I'm here to tell you, you can and you will.

Chocolate Crack

Yes that's right.
Crack.
It's not a typo.
It's crack.