dirty thirty chocolate cake

Last week, it was the husbands thirtieth birthday.

I had all these grandeur plans of giving him a homemade card and making him a lavish dinner, with all his favourite things, finished off with a homemade chocolate cake.

Then reality came to the party. The husband ended up working a 16 hour day, not even walking into the house until 11:30 PM. So, my grand plan, was thrown out the window.

All except for cake. Which we enjoyed at midnight. Officially, the day AFTER his thirtieth birthday.

This cake is not actually called a dirty thirty chocolate cake, I just nicknamed it that because I think I'm witty and fun. And I wrote it on the top of the cake. Because I'm awesome.

I think all ages should rhyme.

I'm twenty-seven, slice of heaven. About to be twenty-eight, frigging great!

I. AM. A. LOSER.

Chocolate layer cake
[ slightly adapted from Real Simple ]

1 cup unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup strong brewed  coffee
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. Grease two 8-inch, round cake pans and line with parchment paper circles. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine the butter and coffee and bring to a boil. Once boiled and the butter is completely melted, turn off the heat and set aside. Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Pour in the coffee/butter mixture and mix with an electric mixer until well combined. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, followed by the buttermilk and vanilla.

Divide the batter equally between the two pans, tap each pan firmly on the counter to remove any air bubbles and bake for 30 - 40 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans for at least 20 minutes before inverting them onto a wire rack. Let cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

Chocolate frosting
[ from Martha Stewart ]

3 1/2 cups icing sugar
1 cup natural process cocoa powder, I used Hershey's
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup milk, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, combine all the ingredients and beat on medium-high speed until well combined and smooth. About 3 - 5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl when needed.

double chocolate butterscotch muffins

On a beautiful, sweaty, sunny day in May, we're celebrating moms every where.

This year was different for me, I got to partake in the mom pampering (yay!). I got a batch of cookies made by Avery (with help from grandma), a lovely card, a sleep in, and a homemade breakfast.

Now that I've been a mom for a short bit, I can appreciate my mom in a different light.

Thank you mom for waking up at all hours of the night to care for me.

Thanks for still loving me after I would poop up to my ears.

And throwing up on you.

And treating you like garbage in my teenage years.

Thanks for being there to give me advice in raising this small child.

Thanks for reminding me that there is no handbook when you leave the hospital. They just let you walk right out the door with this thing.

Thanks for helping me be the person I am today.

Thanks for teaching me that you need chocolate to survive motherhood.

For real. All moms know this.

These "muffins" will help.

The recipe was first labelled as a breakfast muffin, which these are not. They are more cupcake-y. Still amazing. You should still make them. And eat them for breakfast.

I'm not going to lie. I did.

A girl's gotta survive 5 am wake up calls somehow.



Double chocolate butterscotch muffins
[ from the Kitchn ]

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons red cider vinegar
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup butterscotch chips

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a standard muffin tin with liners, set aside.

Melt the butter in the microwave and set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine. Combine the butter, milk, vanilla, and vinegar in a small bowl, making sure to add the vinegar last . Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredient and stir with a wooden spoon until no dry clumps remain. Fold in the chocolate and butterscotch chips. Divide batter equally in the muffin tin.

Bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until the tops are no longer shiny and a tester inserted into the centre comes out clean.  Remove from pan and let cool completely on a wire rack.

kitchen sink cookies

Heartbroken.

Yet not surprised at all.

Our Canucks were spectacularly knocked out in the first round of the Stanley cup playoffs.

It's surreal that we can play so well sometimes, yet play like poop other days.

It's going to be a very long summer without them, but thankfully I have a tiny, doll faced little girl to dress up all summer. It evens out.

To all you hockey fans whose teams have been knocked out, consider these cookies to drown your sorrows, instead of the usual ice cream.

Filled with the regular goodies like chocolate chips and oatmeal, there are also a few tasty surprises tucked away in these cookies. Rice krispies anyone?

Kitchen sink cookies
[ from Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey ]

This is adapted from the original to be a half batch of cookies. If you want a million of these cookies go ahead and make a full batch, but I warn you, you will need an obnoxiously huge bowl to mix them in. The half batch will fill (to the brim) my 5L kitchenaid mixer bowl.


1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tablespoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups Rice Krispies
1 cup sweetened, shredded coconut
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups walnut pieces

Position baking racks to the middle of the oven, and preheat to 350 degrees.

In the bowl of your stand mixer, or another large bowl, cream together the butter and the sugars over medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition, followed by the vanilla. In another large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the butter mixture and mix until completely combined. Add the rice krispies, coconut, rolled oats, chocolate chips, and walnuts, mix on low speed until combined.

Drop 1/4 cup-sized balls onto baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Flatten slightly with fingers. Bake for 12 - 15 minutes, or until outside edges are golden brown and the middles are still slightly soft. Let cool on baking sheet for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire baking rack to cool completely.

chocolate chip cinnamon rolls

It's another beautiful day of liquid sunshine here in Vancouver, like I should be surprised at this point. It's April, of course it's going to rain in Vancouver.

We're all more concerned about hockey playoffs. The husband swears the Canucks won't make it out of the first round, there's PSA's being shown telling us not to riot, but on the other hand they are still planning for large, group viewings.

I think the city if under a cloud of anxiety and apprehension after what happened last year. We were so good, we won the Presidents trophy, we dominated every team we played, yet we still lost. 

Maybe we just don't want to get emotionally invested because we don't want the heartbreak of last year ?

Maybe we're just happy to see the Leafs miss the playoffs once again.

Whether we're out in the first round, or playing Boston for the cup again, I think we need some chocolate to calm our nerves. Maybe some wine as well. But not too much wine, remember last year ?

For Sunday morning breakfast, cinnamon rolls are always amazing. Add chocolate and they are taken over the top. The dough has a couple teaspoons of cinnamon tucked in it to really kick up the cinnamon flavour. I liked these roll, they had all the great properties of a cinnamon roll. Warm, gooey, sticky, sweet, plus with the addition of chocolate, it made them extra messy to eat. But I have to say, the dough was not my favourite. It didn't rise as much as I thought and it was tough. Next time I think I'll use the dough recipe from my cream cheese cinnamon rolls , but change the filling to follow this recipe.  They were still delicious and a perfect Sunday morning treat, just not my favourite.

Chocolate chip cinnamon rolls with vanilla glaze

[ from the Naptime chef ]

1 cup milk

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 egg

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 teaspoon salt

filling:

3/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

4 tablespoon unsalted butter

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

glaze:

2 cups icing sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoons milk, or more if needed

To make the dough, combine the milk and butter in a microwave safe dish and heat until butter has melted, pour into bowl of stand mixer and let cool slightly. Add the rest of the dough ingredient to the milk mixture, mix over medium speed with the paddle attachment for 3 minutes. Change to the dough hook attachment, knead over medium until dough is smooth and slaps the sides of the bowl, about 3 minutes. Alternatively, you could knead the dough by hand on a lightly floured surface. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, let rise in a warm, draft free area for about 2 hours, or until the dough has doubled in size.

While the dough rises, make the filling. Melt the butter in a small bowl. Mix in the cinnamon and brown sugar. Set aside.

Once dough has risen, roll out on a floured surface to a 14x12-inch rectangle. Spread the filling over the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border all the way around. Sprinkle evenly with the chocolate chips. Beginning with the longer edge of the rectangle, tightly start rolling the dough. Make sure to roll quite tightly or the rolls will fall apart, pinch seams when done. Slice dough log into 8 equal sized pieces. Place rolls in a well buttered dish, cover with a kitchen towel and let rise for at least another hour. Cover dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

The next morning, take the dish out of the fridge and bring to room temperature. Meanwhile, preheat oven  to 375 degrees. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes, or until tops are golden brown.

While rolls are baking, add all the ingredients for the glaze in a medium bowl, whisk until smooth.

Serve rolls with a heavy-handed swirl of glaze with a fresh cup of coffee. 

blackberry white chocolate scones

After a crazy month, this week has finally started to feel like normal.

Well, if by normal means you have a tiny, pink human attached to you at all times, that requires feeding and changing every hour or so.

I've *kinda* figured out a routine, which *kinda* gives me more time to bake. Still neglecting all the cleaning and laundry I should be doing though...... Also still not sleeping a whole bunch, but who needs sleep anyways?

Totally overrated.

I'll just keep myself going on chocolate and caffeine.

Totally healthy.

Okay, not really.

Kinda figuring out a routine still really hasn't given me much time to eat, so I baked something that's handheld (read: can be eaten while holding her pinkness), somewhat healthy, and involves chocolate.

Stroll on into scone town. Blackberry white chocolate to be exact. Made with whole wheat flour. Three for three on the criteria.

Quickly thrown together in the food processor and dropped onto a baking sheet with a large ice cream scoop, in 25 minutes or so, you'll have freshly baked scones.

Blackberry white chocolate scones
[ from Grazing ]

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 cup blackberries, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup roughly chopped white chocolate

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, set aside.

In a food processor, combine the flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse 3 to 4 times, or until mixture looks crumbly and the butter chunks are not bigger than small peas. In a small bowl, stir together the milk and the egg. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and pulse until just combined. Gently fold in the berries and chocolate.

Using a large ice cream scoop (or 2 spoons), drop spoonfuls of dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until the edges are golden and the top are just starting to brown.

Transfer to a wire baking sheet to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

digestive biscuits

There are certain things I never expect the husband to say. 

"Of course I'll cook dinner, and do the dishes, and clean up, and feed the baby, and pour you unlimited glasses of wine."

" I think we aren't busy enough, so let's get another kitten."

" No, I don't mind if you spend hundreds of dollars on tiny pink clothes."

" These cookies would be better without the chocolate."

All of these seem far too ridiculous to be true.... Except for the last statement. That sentence was actually spoken after the husband took a bite out of one of the homemade digestive cookies I made. 

I turned and looked at him, with complete shock spread all across my face. You, the man who tells me I should put chocolate in everything I bake, is telling me these cookies would be better WITHOUT the addition of chocolate?!?!?!?!?!

If I wasn't holding the baby, I may have fallen over. 

While we all recover from the events that just happened, let's go over the cookies shall we?

They taste exactly like the store bought version, but mine were slightly thicker. They are sweet, crunchy, nutty, and coated with the perfect amount of chocolate. 

Homemade digestive biscuits

[ adapted from the little loaf ]

1 1/4 cup rolled oats

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 - 2 teaspoons milk

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

In a food processor, pulse the oats until they have reached a fine powder, about 2 minutes. Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, and butter, blend until a crumbly dough forms. Slowly add milk until the dough comes together in a smooth mass. Form dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes. 

Once chilled, roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out desired shapes, I used a quarter-pint mason jar to achieve a round shape. Place shapes onto cookies sheets and bake for 15 minutes, or until cookies begin to brown around the edges. Remove cookies from pan and let cool completely on a wire rack.

While the cookies are cooling, melt the chocolate in a shallow bowl. ( I used the microwave, set for a minute at a time until desired consistency is achieved. Any longer in the microwave will burn the chocolate.) Dip one side of the cooled cookie into the melted chocolate,  making sure to evenly spread it around. Place cookie back on baking rack, dipped side up, to set.

Store leftovers at room temperature, in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

chocolate pudding

Love is a strange thing. 

It can be as small as buying a new place mat for the meows food dishes.

Or keeping your hot pink prom dress for ten years before donating it.

It can be overpaying for a dozen roses on a Tuesday.

Pvr-ing Ellen so you can watch Sophia Grace and Rosie talk about the Grammy's.

But mostly in our house, it's about chocolate pudding.

With an impending arrival, we decided to keep it low key in our house for the big love day. We usually don't go out for Valentine's day anyways, but we didn't want to plan anything crazy just in case we were going to be making our way to the hospital. 

The husband bought me roses, I made him chocolate pudding. It was a fair trade.

The husband has a small "obsession" with pudding. He loves the pre-made cups of pudding and has been known to eat several each night. But the past few weeks, he's told himself he doesn't need the pudding sand has been on a pudding-free diet. So as my show of affection, I made chocolate pudding for our love day dessert. 

If you've never made homemade pudding, or just attempted the powdered mix from a box, don't be scared. It's not different than heating milk on the stove and whisking constantly. The result is better than any box mix or pre-made cup that you are going to find. It's creamy, dreamy, chocolaty, perfectly set, and topped with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream and dusted with cocoa powder, it's more fancy than any overpriced cake you'll buy on Valentine's day.

Chocolate pudding

[ from Martha Stewart ]

1/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons unsweetened dutch process cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups milk, I used non-fat but you can use any kind of milk

2 large egg yolks

4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped or 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

whipped cream for topping (optional)

In a medium sauce pan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder, and salt. Add the milk and egg yolks and whisk until combined. Over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, cook mixture for 8 - 10 minutes or until it thickens. Remove pan from heat and whisk in chopped chocolate and butter, until completely melted. 

Pour pudding mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Cover the top of the pudding with a piece of plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming, unless you like pudding skin, then leave uncovered. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until cool and set. Divide pudding into 4 servings and top with sweetened whipped cream and dust with cocoa powder.

brown butter chocolate coconut cookies

I'm only a few days away from something I've never been.

Unemployed.

3 weeks after I graduated high school I got my first full time job and 10 years later, I haven't been without one.

It's strange because I'm going on a leave, I'm going to be busy, but I'm not going to be working.

I'm having a hard time grasping it.

Part of me is ready. So ready I could burst, literally. I'm exhausted, I'm the size of a harbour seal, I feel like I'm walking with a towel between my knees, I just want to stay at home all day in my pajamas.

Part of me isn't. What the heck am I going to do with myself for the 2 or so weeks before the baby arrives? Sure, I'm going to sleep and bake, but what else to do with the other 8 hours of the day?!?!? Play with the cats? Fold tiny clothes? Eat ?

Cookies make big life situations better.

Browned butter smells like how heaven should. It soothes my worries. And this girl will never say no to chocolate and coconut.

I have a feeling this is not the only time I will be using cookies as an excuse.

Browned butter coconut chocolate chip cookies
[ from Joy the Baker ]

1 cup unsalted butter, melted and browned to about 3/4 cup of butter
1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter until it start to foam and bubble. Start paying real close attention, the butter will start to smell extra delicious and turn golden brown. Once brown, remove from heat and pour into a bowl to stop the butter from cooking. Let rest for a few moments.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. In the bowl of your stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat together the sugar, brown sugar, and browned butter for 2 minutes. The sugar will still be grainy, it's okay.

Add the egg and the egg yolk, beat for 2 more minutes. Mixture will look silky smooth. Add the vanilla and beat well. Add the flour mixture and stir at low speed until just incorporated. Stir in the coconut and chocolate by hand.

Refrigerate dough for at least 30 minutes.

Spoon tablespoons of chilled dough on to baking sheets and bake for 10 - 12 minutes or until cookies just start to turn golden. Let rest on pan for 5 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.

chocolate chip cookie cups

Current loves;

- Trail mix. For reals, it's a problem.

- clothes that don't  (and currently won't) fit me.

- Putting baby hats on Jackson.

- Chai lattes.

- Dark grey walls.

- Adele's new album.

- Christmas themed maternity photos.

- Baby boy cardigan sweaters.

- Pajamas all day.

- Mixing breakfast cereals.

- Cucumber slices and green grapes.

- Documentaries on Netflix.

- This song.

- Making tiny cups out of cookie dough and filling it with melted chocolate.

- Then feeding them all to the husband.


Chocolate chip cookie cups


1 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups chocolate chips, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a mini-muffin tin with non-stick spray.

In a large bowl, beat together the butter, brown and white sugar on medium speed, until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add vanilla, salt, and baking soda, mix to combine. On low speed, slowly add the flour until no dry parts are left. Fold in 1 cup chocolate chips.

Scoop 1 teaspoon of dough into each muffin cup, pressing down and up the sides. Almost to form a little cup. Bake for 8 - 10 minutes or until the cups are just turning deep, golden brown. Press the middles of the cookie cups down again with the back of a spoon or the knob of a wooden spoon.

In a small bowl, melt the remaining chocolate chips in the microwave. Spoon a small amount of the melted chocolate into the centre of the cups. Let cool for 10 - 15 minutes, or until chocolate has set a little bit before attempting to remove the cups from the muffin tin.

Feed to chocolate monster husbands who ask, "When are you putting this on the blog? You should tell everyone I loved it so much."