Thin Mints (Gluten Free, Vegan & Refined Sugar Free)

These cookies come with a bit of a story - my Mom has long loved Girl Guide cookies. She has never been a fan of cookies that aren't homemade (and she passed down her cookie snobbery to me! I'm a sucker for homemade cookies) but she has always loved Thin Mint Girl Guide cookies. When setting out to get her a Christmas gift this year, I wanted to find a way to make her gluten free thin mint cookies, so I began my research!

I read through many blogs and reviews until I found what seemed to be the best of the best. Cara Reed's copycat thin mint cookies (made gluten free, vegan & refined sugar free!) get ridiculously good reviews. People were writing crazy things like "These copycat thin mints are better than the original." What!? I needed to get my hands on this recipe. After doing a bit more research, I decided to go ahead and buy her whole cookbook. And, I'm so glad I did! These Thin Mint Cookies are spectacular but so is everything else we have baked from her cookbook!

I am so happy to report that we all voted these copycat thin mint cookies better than the originals too! We were expecting the cookies to turn out good and they still managed to exceed our expectations - they're that good! They have the most perfect crunch and they pack a ton of flavour and crunch! You can find the original recipe HERE.

Lemon Poppy Seed Scones

I made these scones right when my family got home from vacation - so as much as we were bummed to be home, this sweet treat brightened our spirits! We all had one when they were still warm and they were perfect, but they were just as good after chilling in the fridge over night! I found this recipe on Annie's Noms, you can find it HERE!

The Struggle is Real

While I do love most everything about being in the kitchen, there are a few things that just drive me nuts! Today, I'm running through the list of things that I really struggle with while I'm cooking and baking!

Pie Crust (day 2): Lattice Top

I've experimented with Lattice Pie Crusts in the past, but I've only recently had success. It is surprisingly easier than it looks and once you get the hang of it - it somes together so quickly! Yesterday, I talked about making pie crust (you can read that HERE) and today, I'm expanding a little bit!

Once you've lined the bottom of your pie plate with a layer of crust, and filled the pie - roll out the remaining crust. The shape is less important at this point, you could roll the dough into more of a rectangular shape.

Pie Crust: Video Tutorial!

Today and tomorrow, I'm talking all about pie crust. I've shared a few pie recipes in the past and I've always included the recipe that I use for pie crust. I often get asked to share tips and/or more detailed instruction about how I do pie crust - so that's what I'm doing today!

When I shared my apple pie recipe, I shared a little about pie crust. I'll copy paste those pictures and instructions here instead of sending you clinking around! Here is the pie crust recipe that I use (it's from America's Test Kitchen - I love it!).

Nanaimo Bars

On Canada Day, I was wanting to make a festive treat for my family to have. But I didn't want to go crazy with white and red - I wanted it to be festive and a little patriotic without screaming Canada :). Nanaimo Bars are named after a city on Vancouver Island in British Columbia called Nanaimo! They are one of my favorite treats and they are so fun to bake!

Nanaimo bars are composed of 3 layers - the bottom is a mixture of chocolate, coconut and graham crackers, the middle layer is a custard then the top layer is made from melted chocolate -so good!!

Lemon Squares

This recipe is a long time coming - one of my best friends, Alex has been making these lemon squares forever and I have been begging to have the recipe! Alex claims that this recipe is a big family secret. She finally agreed to let me in on the secret recipe on the condition that my readers keep it on the down low ;)

A couple of weeks ago, Alex and I got together for a little bake day and we made these lemon squares. After baking, I uploaded all of the pictures onto my Google drive but I deleted the pictures before they had a chance to upload - so I lost all of the pictures. I texted her in a panic and she said she had to make more soon, so I could join her again! I am so excited to finally be sharing this recipe - it is one of my favorite desserts of all time!

Summer Berry Tart

I made this tart over the weekend for a dinner with family thinking it would be a great summer dessert. Well, not only was it a great summer dessert, it was delicious! The crust was just like a shortbread cookie, the filling is light with a little bit of orange flavor and the berries on top just put it over the edge! I found the recipe on Simply Recipes, you can find it HERE.

Start by making the crust in the food processor - Pulse 1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour, 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and 1/8 teaspoon of salt together.

Chocolate Chip Cookies [updated]

About a year ago, I shared a chocolate chip cookie recipe that at the time was my favorite. I had spent months (maybe years!) trying out different chocolate chip cookie recipes and that one was my favorite. So I used it over and over again and eventually it just stopped being great - the cookies would burn badly around the edges or spread out to be really thin. The recipe was just so inconsistent for me! It might still work for you & I had several great successes with those cookies but I decided to switch!

I decided to try the recipe that comes with the bag of Toll House chocolate chips. Mainly because in the movie ELF, Buddy says "Then, we'll eat a whole roll of Toll House cookie dough!" Well, I totally get why Buddy wants to eat a whole roll of Toll House cookie dough because these cookies were perfection! I will be sticking with this recipe from here on out!

Gluten Free Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble

Today, I'm sharing another exciting gluten free recipe. I've shared several strawberry rhubarb recipes in the past, so the only thing that is really different about this is the gluten free crumble. You can easily sub regular flour and oats into the crumble for a not gluten free treat! Last year, I tried a strawberry rhubarb pie for the first time and I fell in love! For the longest time, I thought rhubarb was just glorified celery :) But it is so much better than I expected! I am now the biggest strawberry rhubarb fan!! I found this recipe on a blog called Texan Erin Baking, you can find it HERE.

Start by mixing 2 cup of hulled strawberries (I slice mine into smaller pieces) and 2 cups of chopped rhubarb together in a medium mixing bowl.

Bacon & Spinach Quiche with Sweet Potato Crust

I've been trying so many gluten free recipes lately because my mom has gone gluten free and this was my very first success!! I've had a few successes since this yummy quiche and I am looking forward to sharing all of my gluten free adventures! I have to say, I like this quiche even better than quiche with regular crust! The sweet potato compliments the filling of the quiche nicely! I would really encourage you to try this even if you aren't gluten free!

I found this recipe on Rachel Cooks - you can find it HERE.

Baking with the Bean: Breakfast Omelet Muffins

The Bean is in exams right now and was looking for a little break from studying and suggested a little Baking with the Bean segment! I was happy to oblige especially because I've had these fun muffins on my 'to make' list forever! So, with my sidekick in toe I made some muffins that I am so excited to share with you today!

Figure Skate Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing

I'm talking about Royal Icing again today! I made figure skates and I was so happy with the end result! Before I get into how I made these, I should mention my current thoughts towards royal icing... It's a lot of work! I spent about 3 hours on the skates and a similar amount of time on the pineapples that I shared last week! I'm guessing this time will go down when I become more familiar with the whole royal icing process (at least, I hope it does!).

So, it was so much fun to experiment with and the end result is really beautiful. I just cannot imagine myself doing this on a regular basis. I will definitely use royal icing when I am decorating cookies for themed parties or theme specific events. But otherwise I will likely just be sticking cookies that are easier to put together and just as delicious!

I used the same royal icing recipe that I used last time (for the Pineapples) and it worked just as well!! The recipe is from Follow the Ruels and I love how simple it is!

Pineapple Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing

I have been wanting to try decorating cookies with royal icing for a while, but I was so intimidated by the whole process! After doing a fair bit of research, I finally built up the courage to use royal icing! I will share more as I discover more, but I definitely recommend reading as much as you can find before using royal icing!! I used the recipe that Lindsey from Follow the Ruels shares HERE.

Spritz Cookies

A couple of weeks ago, I picked up a cookie press from a local kitchen supply store only to come home and find one hidden away in my cupboard - Boo! I was initially super disappointed about this, but it ended up being a big win! The Bean worked by my side and was thrilled to have her own cookie press! It is so quick to whip these up and the end result is beautiful!! The cookie press I use is from Wilton, and I use the recipe right off the box!

Start by creaming 1 1/2 cups of softened butter and 1 cup of granulated sugar together in a medium sized mixing bowl.

A Key Lime Pie Walked into a Bar :)

I think my title of this post explains it all - I took my favorite key lime pie recipe and turned it into bars! When I carried these out to the table on mother's day, I said 'A key lime walked into a bar and now we have dessert.' I thought I was just being goofy and punny, but everyone at the table got a good kick out of my not so funny joke! And so, a post was born!

You can find my original key lime recipe HERE - everything stays the same, except the ingredients go into a 8x12'' dish instead of a pie plate.

Start by mixing 1 1/4 cups of graham crackers crumbs, 1/4 cup of granulated sugar and 1/4 cup of melted butter in a small mixing bowl. Once the crust is combined press it into the bottom of a 8x12 inch baking dish. Set the crust aside while you mix up the filling...

Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats

The Bean was really into looking up overnight oat recipes on Pinterest recently so I helped her put some Apple Cinnamon overnight oats together!

Add 1/2 cup of oats, 1/2 of milk (or non-dairy alternative), 1 tablespoon of maple syrup or honey, 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon and 1 diced apple to a mason jar.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

I made these muffins a couple of weeks ago and just haven't had free space in my blogging schedule to share the recipe with you! I go through weeks where I feel like I'm scrambling for content and others where I feel like I'm overloaded on content. And lately, I've just had so much to blog about! This recipe was delicious and so perfect to pack as a snack in my lunch! I got the recipe from A Kitchen Addiction, you find it HERE.

In a small mixing bowl, combine 3 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 cup of sugar, 2 tablespoons of poppy seeds, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda and a half teaspoon of salt.

Easter Bunny Cake

My Gammie turned 81 on Easter Sunday! My family celebrated her birthday on Friday evening with a delicious butternut squash & Fontina cheese lasagna, some Italian sausages, my favorite apple & walnut salad (recipe HERE!) and a fun cake!

Technically, there is nothing new about what I'm sharing today - I've shared the cake before (recipe HERE) and the chocolate icing before (recipe HERE), and I used store bought fondant. So, I won't be sharing a new recipe today but more so a concept, and I'll talk about how I made my cake making process.

Most of my cakes start out with a drawing. I had so many ideas about this cake - pastel colored icing for Easter, flowers, bunnies on top of the cake, bunnies on the side of the cake, a banner on top of the cake... I have never made a cake for Easter before so I was full of new ideas and Pinterest was filling my brain with so much more! I ended up deciding on icing the cake to look like a tree trunk, having a little bunny bum made of fondant sticking out the bottom of the cake, some little pieces of green fondant to look like grass along the side of the cake, and a little flag banner on top supported with 2 paper straws.

Orange & Dark Chocolate Cookies

I made these last week to give to some of my favorite teachers at the end of the semester and I got rave reviews! I usually prefer to use recipes that I know and trust when I'm feeding others, but these looked so delicious, I just couldn't resist! I got the recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction - you can find it HERE.

In a medium mixing bowl, beat 3/4 cup of softened butter with a handheld electric mixer until it is smooth.

Then, beat in 2/3 cup of brown sugar until the mixture is fluffy.