Strawberry cupcakes are a really great idea. I mean who wouldn’t want a strawberry cupcake? My strawberry cake has been such a hit for years, I thought it was about time to adapt it into cupcakes! Not only are these intensely pink in colour once you bite into them (thanks to the addition of powdered Jello) they also have bits of real strawberries throughout the batter and icing as well. The icing comes out more of a pretty, soft pink with flecks of strawberry through it, of course for a stronger pink – food colouring could also be added. They make for a really tender and fun bright pink cup ..read more

Bye bye Braces!!! When we could finally bid farewell to our teen’s braces a cake was in order. I mean when isn’t a cake in order?! A tasty moment to celebrate and decorate with some of the previously ‘off limit’ candies for brace wearers. I went with a simple buttermilk vanilla sheet cake as vanilla is her preference in a pretty blue pan, because pretty is my preference. Then I topped it with vanilla buttercream tinted blue for added good measure. And next I thought what better to decorate with than gum and licorice – two “No No’ foods for braces. So I went about peeling the licorice stands ..read more

These individual skillet brownies are one of my new go-to must have chocolate recipes. They come together so quickly with pantry staples and only take 22 minutes to bake. They are also unbelievably good when eaten warm right out of the oven, straight from the skillet. Jump to Recipe I have only had these skillets a few weeks, but I had to write out and get this recipe up on my site as soon as possible (so I could access it) and not forget a single detail. And because I make them in our adorable mini heart shaped skillets, no one has to share and everyone gets crispy outside bits as well as go ..read more

These chocolate peanut butter oat bars are incredibly crave-able! Something about the texture of the combined sweet and salty chocolate and peanut butter combo with the chewy, granola bar like crust. Hard to walk by the fridge and not want a piece. I have even been known to whip up back to back batches when the first one runs out, because I am not ready to no longer have them waiting when I open the fridge. Jump to Recipe They are best chilled (4+ hours and even better overnight), but easier to cut before they cool completely, when the chocolate is set, but not fully chilled yet. The generous ..read more

Homemade mini gingerbread house kits. After amassing so many cute gingerbread cookies cutters and inspiration, it was about time to create some sweet little kits to give ones to assemble themselves. But filled with delicious cookies and tasty royal icing. And of course wrapped up in very cute packaging! I collect small tins, bags and boxes through out the year for treats. So I had many perfect things for just such occasion. Mini Gingerbread House Kits Obviously the the homemade gingerbread house kits and houses do not need to be mini – full size would of course work too. Really depends on wh ..read more

With roasted pineapple and apple pie I accidentally created another delicious pie recipe from using what I had on hand. It was a bit of an experiment on pairing apple and pineapple together. I figured that apple often accompanies most fruit and berries well and accents not overpowers. Also they both have the word ‘apple’ in them. So there’s that. When I found myself with some ripe pineapple to use up and several apples leftover I thought why not. Originally, I learned the idea of roasting fruit from the amazing The Book On Pie, and it was a little life changing for me! Jump to Recipe So I tr ..read more

These lemon curd filled sweet buns are a creamy, dreamy, pillowy and lemony treat. So much so that they are just wonderfully delicious! Lemon Curd So, when I found myself with some additional lemon curd and thought why not try it as a cinnamon bun (more sweet bun really ) filling. And wow am I glad I did. There were doubts when I was cutting and transferring the rather messy buns and their oozing filling to the baking dish, but these are so deliciously good!! Because I began with my usual cinnamon bun dough for the base and had the chilled curd in the fridge already, these came about rather ..read more

In my opinion these make for a rather perfect chocolate sugar cookie. Also if you hate waiting for your cookies – like me -they do not have to be chilled. Jump to Recipe To Chill or Not To Chill These chocolate sugar cookies can of course definitely be chilled for crisper edges. I find this recipe works quite well for embellished, detailed or stamped cookies that will not be iced. Add more flour to roll out of need be, but be careful not make the actual dough too dry to begin with. These cookies are nice and chocolaty without being too sweet or too bitter. Chocolate Sugar Cookies 1 Cup ..read more

Magnolia syrup is made from the beautiful, but quickly discarded petals of the magnolia flower and tastes like a ginger infused simple syrup. With only three ingredients it is super easy and quick to make. And requires surprisingly few petals to make a small batch. So if you are like me and have access to a magnolia tree and its blossoms, you can make this sweet and spicy syrup in less than an hour. Once I tried the smaller batch and found we liked it. I followed up with a larger batch to gift the syrup as a unique flavour only available a few weeks a year. Magnolia flowers taste surprising ..read more

There is nothing quite like the feeling of getting something from nothing or at least having less waste to compost. I always feel like the peels and cores can amount to a fair amount. So I was pretty pleased when I was able to successfully make a delicious apple jelly from nothing but the peels, cores and seeds (often leftover from making apple butter). It took a few attempts over a couple years to find just the right way to make a delicious apple jelly. But this one is so good – I that it has quickly become one of my favourites. I love the hint of spices and the resulting colour. The clove ..read more