Homemade Cronuts (Penn Appetit #3!)

A donut and a croissant walked into a bar……And soon after, their lovechild the cronut was born!

I challenge myself to bake almost all desserts, but I stop myself when it comes to frying. That means no donuts or churros for me, but obviously I strayed from my rule when it came to making cronuts. I had first tried one while out shopping because as sale promotion, the department store passed around a shiny platter of assorted cronuts. ( And I certainly didn’t pass up free dessert!)

Chocolate Hazelnut French Macarons (Penn Appetit #2!)

During the summer, my  Brownie Skillet Cake was featured on University of Pennsylvania’s student-run food magazine Penn Appetit. Today, I’m very excited to announce my second submission: Chocolate Hazelnut French Macarons. This dessert contains a huge “wow”-factor, so check out the delicious post below!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Fudge

My friend and I were browsing the web when we came across this outrageous fudge recipe. Being a cookie fanatic, she begged me to make this cookie-tasting candy for her; perfect to add to my newly established candy recipe collection! This super sweet cookie dough fudge tastes exactly like my favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies right before baking! (They even have the same vanilla-butterscotch flavor that I love!)  They are a cookie lover’s fantasy come true; you can eat all of the “cookie dough” you like without the worry of unsafe ingredients! This candy treat will certainly fill your sweet tooth with its rich cookie taste and chocolate chip crunch. Enjoy!!!

Recipe: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Fudge 

**NOTE: Feel like mixing it up? Try making this fudge using butterscotch chips, white chocolate chips, nuts, or marshmallows!

Candy Store Chocolate Fudge

My first attempt at candy-making: Candy Store Chocolate Fudge! Fudge reminds me of my favorite candy store when I was little, the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.  Apparently I wasn’t very adventurous with my choice of sweets (I would always buy my favorite caramel apple!), but my mom’s pick was their famous chocolate fudge! But now that I’m older, I’m ready to experiment, so let’s talk fudge! I was so surprised how incredibly fast and easy this recipe was to make! (And I was also happy to use the leftover condensed milk from my Chocolate Flan Cake!) The fudge was wonderfully rich, decadent and delicious…it would be great paired with some caramel and sea salt! Enjoy!!

Recipe: Simple Fudge Recipe

**NOTE: Try adding nuts/marshmallows/etc to your fudge before chilling!

Chocolate Flan Cake (Chocoflan)

I’m taking requests! Next up: a twist on my dad’s childhood favorite. When he grew up in Argentina, he would eat papas fritas (french fries) and flan every day (Let’s just say he wasn’t the thinnest boy in his class). I decided to “American-ize” the traditional flan recipe by adding a layer of unbelievably moist and tasty chocolate cake. I was happy just eating the bottom cake layer!! I think this recipe is pretty cool because the chocolate cake and the flan layers flip during the baking process… some chemistry for you (the different densities of the layers cause the switch)! Anyways, this recipe is a delicious  interpretation of a classic, old-fashioned dessert! It’s even better with caramel sauce or San Ignacio Dulce de Leche from Argentina, my favorite! Enjoy!!!

Recipe: Chocoflan

Twinkie Tea Cakes

This is not your average twinkie from 7-11. For an old favorite with a modern twist, these dainty little cakes are just begging to be eaten at an afternoon tea. With a light yellow cake and creamy vanilla filling, you will enjoy these homemade childhood  favorites down to the very last bite! Enjoy!

Recipe: 1) Cake and Coating: Homemade Twinkie  2) Filling: Frosting Recipe

**NOTE: For an unbelievably simple and fast version, use a yellow cake mix for the twinkie and whipped cream for the filling. They will stillbe delicious!

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Chocolate covered strawberries are my go-to dessert for a super simple, delicious, and somewhat healthy treat! I love making these sweet snacks because there’s so much flexibility; you can be creative by using different chocolates, designs, and toppings! Have fun decorating!

Recipe: Melt chocolate of choice (I use chocolate chips, but anything would work) in a heatproof bowl. Thickly spread chocolate onto strawberries. Place chocolate covered strawberries in fridge to harden slightly (about 5 min). Melt second chocolate of choice and scoop into pastry bag. Take out chilled strawberries and decorate them as desired.

***NOTE: Try chocolate-dipping all of your favorite fruits! Also try making chocolate covered graham crackers, cookies, marshmallows, or any other fun treats!

Chocolate Cream Puffs (Profiteroles)

These sweet pastries remind me of my childhood when I absolutely adored all things creamy/custardy–cream puffs, eclairs, custard-filled doughnuts, you name it! For some reason I’ve always been intimidated by cream puffs; they just seemed so complex, so perfect and so French! But recently, I stumbled upon this surprisingly easy recipe and decided it was time to put my fear to rest; so here it is: homemade Chocolate Covered Cream Puffs!

Recipe: Simple and Easy Cream Puffs

**NOTE: Feel free to serve the cream puffs either chilled or frozen. I prefer frozen; they taste like sweet bundles of ice cream heaven! ALSO: For a low cal version, try using cool whip to fill the cream puffs instead of the creamy vanilla custard.

Strawberry Shortcakes (Guilt-Free!)

While waiting for the cookies in the Celebration Whoopie Pies to cool, I concocted my very own inventive experiment: mini strawberry shortcakes! I’ve never actually tried a real strawberry shortcake before, but here’s me being a scientist; simply take two cookies, scoop on a heaping spoon of cool whip, add some sliced fresh strawberries and oila! A super easy and delicious guilt-free snack!

Recipe: Whoopie Pies

 

Celebration Whoopie Pies!

HAPPY SUMMER!!! It’s official; I have a life again! Time to enjoy s’mores, sandals, sunny afternoons, and more baking!!! Cheers to all the happy students–we finally made it! I brought these celebratory whoopie pies to school yesterday to welcome summer! This whoopie pie recipe is considerably easy (compared to others), and they take less than 10 minutes to bake! You can leave the whoopie pies plain or decorate them, but the rainbow sprinkles really make these special treats colorful and festive. Enjoy and happy baking!

***NOTE: Be careful when baking the cookies; the outside may not appear cooked because the top does not brown, but they will be soft and cakey.

Recipe (I combined two):   1) Cookie: Whoopie Pies  2) Filling: Chocolate Filling