Scientifically Sweet

Chocolate's Greatest Hits!

2012-02-14T12:56:00.000-05:00

Let's face it. I look forward to Valentine's day because it means more chocolate. Period. There's love all around too...but that should continue throughout the year. 365 days of love. If you don't usually have dessert, then maybe tonight you can make an exception. Chocolate wants to be part of your life today. Don't fight it. Embrace it. Here are some totally drool-worthy ideas..

Dark Chocolate & Tangerine Date Scones

2012-02-13T09:54:00.001-05:00

Can we talk about butter for a minute? I'm a huge fan. As much as I love the flavour of butter, and as many pounds of it I go through a week, I pretty much never use it at the table. I rarely have the urge to spread it on toast or on a ham sandwich. I don't really care to put a knob on my baked potato or over steamed broccoli. It's just not my thing. Is that strange? Oh man, you

Strawberry-Stuffed Cinnamon Cupcakes

2012-02-10T09:57:00.012-05:00

If I were to pour my heart out, this is what it would look like. I'm certain my heart is made of strawberries and sugar, and it tastes like springtime. PS. I almost called these 'lovecakes' and then realized that it sounded way too cheesy. I'm not that cheesy. Am I? Maybe I am. I dunno. If I were to pour my heart out, this is what it would sound like: I love the sun. I wish I were lying

Deep Dish Slab Apple Pie

2012-02-08T12:28:00.007-05:00

Dear Men of the world, You know those TV commercials for valentine's day? You know...the ones the jewellery stores put on? Let me refresh your memory. It's February 14th. A women comes home from work. A man greets her at the door with a bouquet of red roses and a dinner table set for two...with fancy flute glasses and the works. He made her dinner - how sweet. There is a single lit

Easy Blueberry Tartlets with Peachy Sour Cream

2012-02-06T09:02:00.001-05:00

Over here in Ontario, Mr. Groundhog announced that Spring will come early this year. I don't know much about this groundhog. He could be a total fraud or a drunk. Maybe he's a compulsive fist-pumper who watches far too many re-runs of Jersey Shore. Perhaps he smuggles Iberico ham in from Spain and pawns it off for acorns and pine cones. Who knows! He could be a complete nut job! But, when

Scientifically Sweet Cookbook!

2012-01-30T15:28:00.001-05:00

Is it ok for me to totally lose my mind right now? I mean, really freak out and kind of want to throw up? No, that would be gross. Ok I won't throw up but I'm going to freak out. I'm really freaking out right now!!! It's finally ready. It's my cookbook. It's Scientifically Sweet !! Big things are happening over here on this fun little food blog. I've been talking about this book for a

Mocha Chocolate Truffles

2012-01-27T10:34:00.002-05:00

Sometimes I can't focus on one thing at a time for the life of me. I'm eating breakfast as I write this post. I'll think about making dinner while editing recipes for my cookbook. I type an e-mail while listening to Jon telling me funny stories about animals and potato chips. (I barely take in most of it. SHAME). So I am going to take all the time in the world right now to tell you all

Fig & Pistachio Cornmeal Biscotti

2012-01-24T10:22:00.001-05:00

I was at my husband's grandma's house this weekend. First thing Jonathan notices when he walks in the door is that the kitchen table looked totally different. Funny....because it was the same table that had been there for decades. It's just that...well...he could ACTUALLY see it! Grandma, or "Mami" as we all call her, finally parted with the three layers of plastic and table mats

Cream Cheese-Filled Carrot Muffins

2012-01-17T10:35:00.003-05:00

Do you bake? Can you bake? Do you like to bake? A lot of people say "I can't bake". I don't buy it. That's nonsense. Everyone can bake. Sure there are more rules and there's not much room for "winging it" or "eyeballing", but that shouldn't be enough to scare you away. But rules suck! I know. There's a child in all of us - one that wants to rebel and hates following instructions. Like...

Chewy Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

2012-01-09T10:14:00.003-05:00

You really learn to appreciate the little things in life the minute they're taken away from you. I'm not talking about a new iPod, tablet, LCD tv, diamond ring, or touch screen cell phone. I'm talking about sleeping in on a rainy morning, hearing your favourite song at the perfect moment, a drink of ice cold water on a hot day, the sound of someone you love calling your name, a familiar

Creamy Citrus Strawberry Tart

2011-12-22T10:20:00.000-05:00

Hello Christmas.....you are just about here. There are only 3 closed doors left on my chocolate calender. That means there are only 3 chocolates left to eat until you are right here. In my face. Big green trees, sparkling lights, shiny bulbs, jingle bells, big red suits and ho, ho, ho's.... It's all coming so soon and all I can think about is how I wish there were more chocolates on my calender

Spiced Apple Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

2011-12-13T09:34:00.004-05:00

Sometimes I have a billion thoughts running through my mind at the same time. I think about how much I love coffee but I don't drink it for fear of becoming an addict (you know who you are) and having yellow teeth. How cold it is outside? I don't want to bust out my chunky, bigfoot, waterproof, fur boots yet... People who moan in the gym scare me. Maybe that dumbbell is too heavy for you...

A Baker's Pantry

2011-12-07T10:55:00.009-05:00

A lot of people ask me what a beginner baker should have on hand to make tasty desserts. If you have eggs, flour, butter, sugar and chocolate, then you can easily make the best brownies in the world. That's all it takes. But if you want to make more than just brownies, there are a few items you can keep handy to spice up your repertoire. Here's a great list of mix-ins and ingredients that I

Mexican Hot Chocolate Brownies & a Book in the making!

2011-11-28T11:36:00.004-05:00

Have you ever given your heart and soul into something? I mean seriously poured your blood, sweat and tears into a piece of art, a poem, a warm apple pie or Sunday dinner? It takes a lot out of you, but it's satisfying. And if it gets appreciated then it's even that much more rewarding. If it goes unappreciated....then it can really take a toll on you. That person sucks. I've given my heart

Crème Caramel to slow down November

2011-11-15T09:33:00.001-05:00

Are you ready for Christmas music yet? I'm not. Not even close. I went shopping this weekend, not really to shop, but mostly to watch all the crazy people going shopping. It's a fun way to spend a Sunday. You see plenty of old men sitting on benches with their heads bent way back and their mouths wide open, jerking forward to try to hold their head up as they fall asleep. I'd bet 26

Raspberry Devil's Food Cake

2011-10-26T13:46:00.006-04:00

I'm definitely THAT person. I'm the one who scopes out the pizza before everyone arrives to the dinner table so I can snag the best piece. You know, the slice that has the perfect sauce-to-cheese ratio, the crispiest crust, the perfect amount of pepperoni and the most mushrooms. Ya, that's me. I do the same thing with cake, pies....even chips. It's kind of weird. Let's take this Devil's Food

Pumpkin Spice Soft Caramel Candies

2011-10-18T11:45:00.000-04:00

I sort of, kind of have to tell you something....and I hope you don't hate me for this. I don't really care for Halloween much. Yeah...there was a time when I did. That time was 15 years ago when it was still about being scary and demanding free candy from the neighbours. I used to come home, dump my entire pillow case out onto the floor and count how many Aero bars I got. Then I'd check to

Cinnamon Crème Brûlée at home!

2011-10-12T10:01:00.008-04:00

There are a lot of things you probably don't know about me. Let's be real for a minute while I just let it all out. -I tell people I'm 5'3, but really I'm 5'2.5. Only children lie about their height. I'm still a child. -I can eat 6 cupcakes before lunch and not feel bad about it. -The book on my coffee table right now is called "The food of Indonesia". -I love receiving grocery store flyers

Classic Butter Tarts and my Obsession Tales

2011-10-03T10:57:00.000-04:00

Yesterday someone asked me if I thought I was the only one on the planet who obsesses this much over cookies and brownies. It was a reasonable question considering I spent exactly 87.4% of my weekend baking chocolate chip cookies, and then trying to figure out how I can justify having three different chocolate chip cookie recipes in my cookbook. Yes, three. They all kind of look the same

Quick Raspberry Custard Tart

2011-09-26T10:56:00.004-04:00

You will want to make this. I'm almost certain. Most of all because it is fast and simple. Second to most of all it tastes great. No, it tastes fantastic. Third to most of all, you probably have all of the ingredients already. Butter. Who doesn't have butter? If you don't have butter in your fridge right now, call me. We need to chat. Eggs are totally necessary. They're for breakfast and

"Forgive Me" Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-09-16T12:00:00.006-04:00

Let me start by saying "I'm sorry". It's been two weeks since my last post. Ok...maybe two and a half. Jeez I sound like I'm in a confessional. I think this is the longest I've ever gone without posting a recipe, or telling you about my obsessive compulsive baking habits, or expressing my hatred of slowly growing love handles. Apparently it's been long enough for my mom to send me this

Spiced Fig Bars (homemade Fig Newtons)

2011-08-31T19:06:00.008-04:00

Today I'm being stupid. No really. I'm in a funk and I need to get myself out. It's ridiculous but I'll get over it. I just need to let you know that this is happening. It's one of those funks where I don't like anything I bake, I think I'm growing love handles, I miss the Summer before it's over, I forget to put sugar in my cupcake batter, I have to throw out a whole batch of cupcake batter,

Almost Angelic Chocolate Souffle Cake

2011-08-24T11:02:00.002-04:00

So far this week I haven't been that productive.... I feel like I'm overbaked. Do you ever feel that way? As much as I love it....I think I need a break! The only new discovery I made has been a tragic one. One that I'm almost ashamed to share with you. But I trust you, so here goes nothing... There is such a thing as too much chocolate. Holy smokes! I said it. I've been working on new

Milk Jam Chocolate Tarts with Toasted Hazelnuts

2011-08-19T10:11:00.004-04:00

How come people don't snack on hazelnuts? Peanuts, almonds, cashews, even Brazil nuts are definitely snackable. But hazelnuts kind of get left by the wayside. I mean....they're definitely delicious. No doubt about that. Maybe if they were salted they'd be more snack-worthy? Or, maybe it's because everyone wants to save them to make these tarts. Bingo. Hazelnuts pair with chocolate as well

Dark Chocolate Fudge Brownies

2011-08-15T11:11:00.004-04:00

It was my birthday over the weekend. I made a transition. It was a minor transition, but still a noteworthy one. I sort of moved from mid-twenty to mid to late twenty. Blaaaaa. Honestly, in my head, I'm still eighteen and I don't think I'll ever grow out of it. Sometimes I think I'm eight, but I can't carry that on forever..... It's hard to believe an eight-year-old can make the best brownies