Sticky Toffee Pudding

Everyone in my family is a huge fan of this Sticky Toffee Pudding dessert at Charlotte's Lane Cafe, so I thought I would attempt it as a dessert for Christmas dinner. It turned out and boy was it good. Super rich.

Here's what you'll need for the cake:

One 250gram package of pitted dates, chopped (about 2 cups)
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup boiling water
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
6 Tbsp salted butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/3 cup AP flour
1 tsp baking powder

Here's what you'll need for the caramel sauce:
1 1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 heavy cream
1/4 cup salted butter
1/2 tsp vanilla


In a large bowl, combine the chopped dates, baking soda, and boiling water. Let sit for approximately 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, then grease and lightly flour an 8-inch baking pan.

Add the brown sugar, eggs, butter, and vanilla to the date mixture and beat for 2 minutes until combined. Add the flour and baking powder, and beat on low for another minute. Scrap down the sides of the bowl and beat for another minute until all the ingredients are well combined.

Spread the batter evenly in the prepared baking pan and bake for 40 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs on it.

While the cake is baking, you can make the caramel sauce. In a small saucepan, bring sugar, cream, and butter to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Continue to boil, stirring constantly for 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Let cool to room temperature.

Set the pan on a wire rack and poke holes all over the top of the cake with a small knife and/or toothpick (I used both). Pour 1/2 cup of the caramel sauce over the cake. Let cool for 10 minutes.

To serve, cut the cake and serve with the remained caramel sauce and ice cream or whipped cream.

The remaining cake can be stored in an air tight container or covered with saran-wrap in the fridge or at room temperature for a few days.

Enjoy! :)

Salted Turtle Chocolates

These are the perfect holiday treat to have around the house and they're really fun to make. Also, dead easy!

Here's what you'll need:
Pecan halves
unwrapped soft caramels (store bought or homemade —I used store bought!)
Semi-sweet chocolate, melted
Sea salt for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place two pecan halves next to each other on a baking sheet and place a caramel on top. Repeat this step as many times as you want depending on how many turtles you want to make.

Place baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake for ~5 minutes or until the caramel has melted (be sure to keep an eye on them while baking —you don't want the caramel to burn!).

Allow to cool.

Melt the semi-sweet chocolate in the microwave, then either a) dip the bottom of the turtles into the melted chocolate or b) spoon a small amount of melted chocolate onto the parchment paper and place the turtles on top (I did b)).

Drizzle some of the remaining melted chocolate on top of the turtles and sprinkle with sea salt. Ta-da —all done!! How easy was that?!

Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies

After finishing my last written exam today, I was feeling in a festive mood, so I decided to make some Christmas-y cookies. These cookies are really simple to make and super cute to have on hand at Christmas time. I should mention that this recipe only makes approximately 15 cookies, so if you want more than that, I would suggest doubling the recipe below. 

Here's what you'll need:

1/2 cup salted butter

1/3 cup white granulated sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg yolk

1 cup AP flour

~1/4 cup raspberry jam (or any other jam will work)

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until well blended, then add in the vanilla and egg yolk and beat the mixture until it is fluffy. 

Add in the flour and mix until it forms a crumble dough. It may not stick together perfectly, but it's okay; simply use your hands to shape the dough into a log that is roughly 10" in diameter. Roll up the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm (approximately 20 minutes). 

Remove the dough from the fridge and preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Let the dough sit for 10 minutes, then unwrap the dough and slice into 1/2"-3/4" thick pieces (I only made small cookies, so if you want larger cookies, then make the slices wider). 

Roll the slices into balls and place them on a very lightly greased baking sheet. 

Using a 1/4 tsp spoon, press down each ball, making an indentation in the centre. Fill each indentation with 1/4 tsp raspberry jam. 

Pop in baking sheet in the oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned/golden. 

Let cool for five minutes, then transfer to a wire rack for further cooling. 

Enjoy! :)

Green Onion and Scallion Cheddar Scones

These were a nice savoury treat for brunch, which is a change from the sweetness of my typically baked goods. 

Here's what you'll need:

2 cups of AP Flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 Tbsp sugar

6 Tbsp cold salted butter, cut into pieces 

2 large eggs

1/3 cup sour cream

1 tsp mustard

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese

4 scallions, finely chopped

3 Tbsp green onion, finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or liberally grease the baking sheet).

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder, then cut the butter into the dry ingredients and rub together with your fingers. 

Next, in a small bowl, mix together the eggs, sour cream, and mustard. 

Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients, and add in the wet ingredients. Stir together. Now, add in the grated cheese, scallions, and green onion and stir together until just combined. This should be the consistency of cookie dough. 

Sprinkle flour over the counter. Pat the dough into a 6 x 9" rectangle, about 1" thick. Cut the rectangle into 6 smaller rectangles, and then cut each small rectangle into two triangles. Altogether, this should form 12 triangular scones. 

Place the scones on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until lightly browned and an inserted toothpick comes out dry. 

Spread with butter and enjoy!

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