Growing up, I was never a fan of carrot cake. It always had a strange texture, especially since the grated carrots seemed to be dry and a little hard. There was always a plastic-tasting "cream cheese" frosting on top as well. Why would you put cream cheese with carrots? It was the problem with having only store-bought, mass-produced carrot cake though. Quality control isn't 100% there, and I knew no different. Therefore, I ascertained that carrot cake was not for me. However, as I got older, I decided that maybe younger Minerva had no idea what she was thinking and I ought to give it a try. Not bad, I felt. Then I kept trying until I wanted to make some myself. Here's a version in loaf form (for easy breakfast grabbing!) using pecans and golden raisins as sidekicks. Hope you enjoy making it!

Chocolate and peanut butter - who was the genius who came up with that combination? You, sir/madam, are a fine person and one whom we all must thank. Duc has an utter love for peanut butter but he also gladly takes it with some chocolate so since I recently replenished my cocoa powder coffers, I wanted to honor that. Chocolate peanut butter muffins sounded like a lovely way to start off a morning. These bad boys have a chocolate muffin base and peanut butter chips inside. They are definitely more of the breakfast variety of muffins which make them excellent companions to coffee. You need these in your life for sure so check out the recipe by reading on!

The love for cookie butter that has grown with everyone over the last few years is astonishing. Who knew that the speculoos cookie when mashed up into a fatty spread would incur so much fandom? A friend of mine decided to gift me with a jar of the stuff (along with other dessert-oriented items), and I knew that my sweet-tooth-lacking self would have a hard time finishing off an entire container. So, after much looking around online, the idea of baking it into a banana bread loaf seemed mighty appealing. This would impart the scents of fall and winter onto a normally robust-smelling loaf while contributing to the batter inside. In fact, my whole recipe is a nice balance of chocolate, cookie butter, and banana while helping you get rid of leftover items in your pantry and refrigerator. What a perfect recipe! Give it a try and become your friends' favorite person in the whole world.

When cookie butter was first released from Trader Joe's, it seemed to throw everyone into a frenzy. This delicious seasonal favorite is based on the speculoos cookie, a holiday treat that has all the makings of a gingerbread cookie but with even more oomph to it (how does one explain it?). Pureed with little crushed bits of cookie, the cookie butter was an instant hit that could be used on top of multiple things...but what if you cooked with it?

My friend gave me a whole slew of seasonal treats from Trader Joe's one day, and I decided I ought to make something with everything combined. I know this limits those of you who want to make the recipe but it's worth it when the time comes. Using shortbread and a chocolate ginger cookie to make the crust, I topped it with cookie butter cheesecake which took on a firmer consistency than regular cheesecake (blame the dough already present in the cookie butter) but was still tasty as ever. Don't worry - the recipe is not difficult at all. Maybe you should treat yourself and your loved ones in the future by making these adorable bites full of is-this-even-real?!

The hoopla every fall season is on the pumpkin "flavor" which usually just translates to the trinity of cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove. These manage to come together to evoke the idea of the big orange squash, and I admit that these cookies follow along. There is no pumpkin in this recipe but the cookies do imply some pumpkin-ness. Either way, they are delicious and if you doubt me, ask my coworkers who managed to dispense of my stash within minutes of it being offered. The style is similar to my snickerdoodles but these are slightly taller (though just as soft). They also nearly look identical but the smell is a dead giveaway; the aroma of autumn is hard to miss with these bad boys. You'll have to give them a try.

Who knew that tarts could be so simple to make? I've never worked with puff pastry before but after making these apple tarts, methinks I ought to use the magic sheets more often. This dessert/pastry came from the brainstorming all of you did over our Test Kitchen ingredient of pumpkin butter. Shari B. suggested on Facebook to use the delicious stuff in an apple tart; we thought it was a fine idea and thank her for the inspiration! These lovelies use the pumpkin butter a base and seasoning for the apples atop the flaky crust, and topping everything off with honeyed pecans just added a little more pizzazz to the whole thing. Since I'm not suggesting you make the crust from scratch, this recipe will take just 30 minutes of your time which is not really that long! Make a few and force people to love you once you had them a tasty tart.

For the longest time, I never even knew that gingerbread was something more than those decorated brown man-shaped cookies or a flavor used during the holiday season to spice up hot drinks and cocktails. It seems as if the denomination was reserved just for those desserts or dessert flavors. However, you can make it in cake form because ultimately, gingerbread just refers to a flavor of food. In England, calling something gingerbread would bring up the image of a cake form of the taste but here in the US, I have to make sure to say it's gingerbread cake so you don't think about the "Gingerbread Man" and his gingerbread holiday houses (typically hardened versions). So here's my recipe for that cake that uses less sugar than I've seen other recipes use. It will make a gingerbread that will tempt you way too easily if you leave it on your desk because of its strong aroma...trust me, I know.

I've enjoyed tofu desserts over the years but have always wondered how easy or hard they were to make. I got my hands on some tasty, workable soft tofu the other day and decided I would give it a shot. Now, this recipe involves using crust that is already made but you can easily form and bake your own too for a better flavor. I took advantage of how well tofu absorbs other flavors when pureed and mixed it with coffee for a coffee pudding pie. This is a no-bake pie and is extremely easy to make.

The Test Kitchen is a test of both ingredient creativity and skillset a lot of the times. When lavender cropped up as a Test Kitchen ingredient for me, I didn't necessarily want to stick to a dessert but it kept coming around to that. I realized also that I had a lot of white chocolate remaining in the pantry so putting the two together yielded the idea of panna cotta. I admit though that I got a lot of guidance from this website here with much of the recipe from there too. I have never made panna cotta before but this one just seemed right. Lavender infused with orange zest components, this white chocolate panna cotta is a treat and may take some patience but is well worth it. Once you share it with someone, I'm going to guess that they'll start calling you their best friend once their sweet tooth starts hankering for more!

I love hazelnuts. Their flavor is unmatched by other nut flavors, and when combined with something like chocolate, it is sublime. I brought back quite a hefty bag of the nuts from our Portland trip and couldn't quite figure out what to make with it; thus, it became a Test Kitchen ingredient. I was tempted to eat the whole bag but I needed them to grow on their own. I loved the suggestions that came through of which one frequently suggested one was Nutella. While that was a great idea in its own right, my dear talented chocolatier friend (Amy Jo of Valenza Chocolatier) suggested gianduia which is pretty much the mother to Nutella. Challenge accepted! With some research through this nifty 35-part series and other parts of the internet, I came up with something that beats out the sugary, oily jar that is Nutella. It's purer, more nutty, more chocolatey, and made of ingredients we know and trust. Make yourself this recipe using only six ingredients and live happy with jars of decadent happiness.

What I first remember about pound cake was that it was always a special treat that my mom gave us kids when she had the right coupon or the right sale was on at the grocery store. We always had the Sara Lee one that came in the freezer section of Ralph's or Albertsons (though manly Ralph's). Aside from how dense the cake was and cold, the favorite part by all of us was the brown, peelable "crust" surrounding the loaf. There was something about it that made the section so desirable - perhaps it was its different-ness.

When amaretto became the latest of our Test Kitchen ingredients, I saw plenty of your suggestions to use it in a dessert. The pairing of it with fresh fruits came up often, leading me to think of what else fruit goes well with. Pound cake jumped to mind, and the almond flavor of amaretto just made sense. So, we went with eating this without accoutrements but you can certainly toss on some fresh berries! Otherwise, enjoy a dense, moist almond-tasting pound cake made adult via liqueur!

When I make the mistake of choosing a Test Kitchen ingredient that is already a full product on its own, it becomes difficult to come up with ideas on what to do with it. Several of you lent your suggestions over on Facebook but I have to say, nice try but sorry, I'm not sending everyone the delicious Dark Matcha chocolate bars, haha. If I had an unlimited supply, I would but alas, my coffers were reserved for making something. So I thought and thought and though I wanted to avoid going the dessert route, it ended up being the way to go. However, a challenge must be a challenge so I opted for a type of baking I haven't done before - I wanted to make those light and fluffy cakes I see in Asian bakeries. After some snooping around the internet, I came across what was called an opera cake and was basically what I was looking for. The inspiration came from this recipe here which is a coffee and chocolate version but I green tea-ed it completely for a delicious and different approach. It requires multiple steps but oh, trust me, it's worth it.

[Original post published December 2010] It has been a long while since I have baked cookies. However, I didn't realize how long it has been until Duc mentioned I hadn't made chocolate chip cookies for him before. I believe on more than one occasion during our relationship, I had boasted that I make damn good cookies and here I was, withholding them from him. I suppose it's because they get swiped up immediately after I make them that I haven't dedicated time to make more. They are eaten too quickly! Case in point: after my first batch of these to photograph, I made a second by request of my brother. I'm going to put my money on the fact that these will always be soft even after a few days (if they last that long) and are not too sugary. There's a trick to that which I'll share below. Oh also, I need a new hand mixer. My years-old one finally threw in the towel toward the end of my mixing this dough. Luckily, I'm handy enough with chopsticks to finish the job!

[Original recipe was posted December 25, 2010] I've been going back through old recipes to see what my younger self used to make, and I came across this gem born out of necessity. When I was in college, I used to buy a lot of bananas since our student dining points could be used for groceries at the on-campus stores. However, I kept forgetting to eat them so I would often run into situations when I would have way too many bananas turning spotty at the same time. I really didn't want to make banana bread or muffins (or any of that sort) so I looked around for something else I could make with my limited knowledge of food and equipment. I came across making this pudding and after looking back at this, I am surprised I did it right the first time. Pudding isn't exactly the easiest thing to make since you have to be careful lest your egg cook but it worked out! Here's a tasty dessert to make that even the banana non-liker (though probably not hater) will enjoy.

[Original post was published December 25, 2010 - I am revamping some articles with better pictures] Snickerdoodle - what a whimsical name. It is a simple cookie that many seem to enjoy because it is built upon the basic dessert tastes that you want. It's mainly sugar, butter, and flour. Who wouldn't want a piece of that? While you can certainly make larger cookies to sate your sweet tooth, I opted for a smaller version that can be popped into the mouth at leisure and as a quick snack. I first started making this recipe in college when I wanted to bake from scratch. Making them small allowed me to make many which allowed me to spread the joy. These were popular with my friends when I would bring them over for study sessions (finals are rough!) so it became a recipe I did often. It's been a while since I've had a need to make them but now that Duc just changed jobs, I have to have him make a good first impression at work right? Cookies for coworkers! Anyhow, give this a try - they're easy enough to put together without much complication.

I never quite understood the fascination with carrot cake when I was growing up, and it really was not a dessert I preferred. Sure it was moist but the ones I had always seemed to be saturated in spices and smothered in too much cream cheese frosting. Why did it always have to be cream cheese anyway? Well, after stocking Duc's fridge with carrots, I noticed that he was being slow to eating them and with a baking itch straining at me to do something, I decided to make a carrot cake. However, no frosting for me!

"But what about the flavor then? It needs something." True - so I opted to add cocoa in the mix and hey, it was actually a pretty tasty cake. Since there was some Elli Quark in the fridge as well, I chose one that seemed befitting of a cocoa cake - the red velvet flavor. Of course you don't need to use that specific one when you bake yourself this cake too but I liked that it highlighted the cocoa. Give this one a whirl why dontcha? The ingredients make it seem a little "healthier" than other cakes may be but who doesn't need a little healthy in their life?

Baking has really started to grow on me, and I think my friends and family find that to be all the better for them. After all, my short-attention-span sweet tooth (if I even really have one) usually calls it quits after one or two bites. Since you don't really make desserts in single batches, the extras have to go somewhere and that somewhere is usually to others around me. When it comes to the holidays, the amount of baking and dessert-making seems to triple in volume by everyone around. People will dust off their stand mixers to whip up something cute and homemade they can package to give out. Passed down homemade recipes will come out of their secret hiding places. While you could go the regular ol' cupcakes, cookies, and brownies (and oh no, fruitcakes!) route, it would not necessarily give the same pizzazz as desserts off the beaten path will. I've pulled together in a recipe round-up some treats you can make for the holidays to gift/enjoy and the kind of personalities you might consider them for!


Chambord Swirl Cheesecake Bars - sophisticated
These are a bit of a decadent treat that satisfy those looking for a bit more "class" and adulthood reminders. With a syrup made from Chambord raspberry liqueur and a savory filling, these cheesecake bars are sultry on top (make sure to create a swirl design!), smooth in the middle, and superb on the bottom. If you're thinking of packaging these up for others, consider a designed glass food container with cellophane wrapped around...or just have it out in bite-size bars at your parties.


Thai Basil Lime Shortbread Cookies - funky
When I say funky, I mean funky. These cookies may not jive with everyone because their tartness from lime zest and juice can be a bit overwhelming to those not expecting it. The Thai basil adds a fun vegetal flavor to it all as well. Because the base of these cookies is shortbread, they really do melt easily in your mouth and can sometimes crumbly when being picked up. Think of a funky person in your life who may enjoy the surprise of citrus in a shortbread or maybe just someone who loves a little bite with tea. They stack fairly well so you can easily make towers to give away but don't try to unevenly stack any of them - the shortbread will crumble with enough pressure.


Peanut Butter Bars - playful
I'd reserve this treat for those that in your life that 1) aren't allergic to peanut butter and 2) have a good, playful attitude. Since these are such nostalgic treats (remember these in the elementary school cafeteria?), it seems right to bring these to those who are still jumping around and jabbing at you, facing the world with childlike wonder. My version has a bit of a crunch to them inside but a lovely smoothed-out chocolate topping to create a fun texture with each bite. Make sure the chocolate has harden before you share these with anyone!


Salted Chocolate Chip Caramel Cookies - classic
It's a spin on a classic actually but well worth the extra effort and ingredients. Take a regular chocolate chip cookie and add in a buddy - caramel. Then highlight all of those flavors with a sprinkling of black lava sea salt (or sea salt of choice) for a whole new level. Cookies seem easy to give out as gifts because of their unique size and easy-to-manage shape. I think you should give these grown-up versions to those who love chocolate chip cookies just to see what they think!


Peppermint Bars - cheery
Well, in a holiday recipe round-up, I can't forget about my holiday-oriented desserts! The peppermint bar post is several years old but the recipe still stands well (I'll get new pictures soon!). These have both crushed peppermint candy on top and ground bits inside the filling. Refreshing and still dense, these bars carry forth the holiday spirit in color and taste. I'd suggest that these are mainly for occasions when you can lay out their jagged crushed candy cane tops in a fun holiday display for all those to partake as desired (versus wrapping them up to give out).

Hope these help you as you start to brainstorm ideas on what to give out during all these upcoming holiday parties and gift-giving occasions!

Photography by Minerva Thai and Duc Duong.

I decided that I wasn't going to do a typical recipe post this Saturday because 1) I honestly have been out and about all week and 2) it seems like my archive of recipes to which I can refer has been growing (as time tends to do)! That means I can actually sit down and take a look at what has been created in the past and what would go well together. The fall season is finally starting to feel a little more like the stereotypical fall with cooler mornings and nights but it still has a bit of southern California to it. However, I'm already looking forward to spending my time making autumnal foods that are pretty much the comfort foods you crave at times. Personally, that looks like a lot of oven time for me (roasting, baking, etc). Here are six of my favorites throughout 2013 so far that definitely work as fall dishes - I made sure to snag two soups, two sides, an entree, and a dessert for you to gander at!


Roasted Acorn Squash Soup
It is totally squash season and the beautiful thing about squash is that you don't need to do much to it to make it delicious. Roast those suckers and you can move on to making it into side dishes, soups, entrees, and whatever. This recipe calls for it to be pureed into a creamy warming soup that will have you wanting to curl up on the couch.


Cream of Mushroom Soup
I've got to say that I'm pretty proud of this soup myself. I suppose winning a 2013 OC Fair award for Best Recipe is also a good indication of how tasty this spin on a classic Americana dish is. I mean, I made it twice within a month due to high demand. There's a great deal of comfort that derives from a cream of mushroom soup. I'll thank Campbell's for that nostalgia that people get but I do have to say that this recipe is the made from scratch version. It is also fairly simple so do not fear it. Embrace it and make something amazing to share with your family. They'll seriously thank you.


Thyme Roasted Potatoes
If there is something that Duc absolutely believes I make very well, it's roasted potatoes. I'm not sure how that came to be but somewhere along the lines of all my cooking, I learned how to make possibly the perfect roasted skin-on potatoes. This particularly recipe calls for a lemon-thyme dressing with it too that makes it all the better. It will give you that autumnal comfort food feeling without the heavy after-dinner fullness.


Roasted Savoy Cabbage
Here's a side dish many can enjoy but might not have seen before. It's a quick and easy roasting of the savoy cabbage with a bit of lemon, Parmesan, salt, pepper, and oil. If you're a fan of brussel sprouts, you'll find comfort in these.


Chicken Pot Pie
Okay, this recipe from scratch does take a bit more time but it is absolutely well worth it. What says comfort food better than a whole chicken pot pie with its steaming filling underneath flaky pie crust? I am telling you - this got devoured within minutes by my friends who got to have some. It is ridiculously delicious, and I am so eager to try making it again sometime. Bake it for your loved ones and watch your points go up in those relationships.


Rum Raisin Bread Pudding
Warm desserts seem just right for the warm weather, and a bread pudding fits that criteria. Add in some warming alcohol, and you've got yourself a match made. This recipe calls for some rum so it's sure to strike a delicious chord with some. You'll also realize that actually, bread pudding is not that difficult to make!

How funny it is that when a Test Kitchen ingredient goes up for something alcoholic, the suggestions come rolling in on Facebook! Well, I mean, I'm not here to judge because I like your thoughts. After parsing through all of the ideas, it looked like desserts were on everyone's minds and cheesecake seemed the perfect way to go in using the Chambord. The miniature bottles of this raspberry liqueur were snagged from the Golden Foodie Awards and looked quite the elegant items. In terms of why I made bars instead of an actual cheesecake, it just seemed easier to manage and share with others. So here's the recipe for Chambord cheesecake bars!

Step 1: Ingredients (yields 12-16 servings)

Crust
• 4 oz walnuts, to be ground
• 6 sheets of graham crackers, ground
• dash of ground cinnamon
• dash of salt
• 1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
• 5 tbsp (1/3 cup) unsalted butter, melted

Sauce
• 3 oz fresh raspberries
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 187 mL Chambord (raspberry liqueur)

Filling
• 16 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 tbsp vanilla extract

Step 2: Preparing the crust
Preheat oven to 375°F. Line an 8x8 pan with foil, making sure to straighten out all wrinkles on the bottom and up the sides. In a food processor, pulverize walnuts and graham crackers together; do in portions if needed. Add in cinnamon, sugar, and salt. Melt butter in a container and pour half into the pan. Add in crust mixture and pour other half of butter on top. Mix together well, and press down into an even crust. Bake for 8-10 minutes to prepare it for the filling. Take out and let cool.


Step 3: Preparing the sauce and filling
Change oven to 325°F. While you are letting the crust cool, fill a saucepan with fresh raspberries, sugar, and Chambord. Cook on low and bring to a boil. At first boil, crush raspberries and stir. Lower heat a tad more and let simmer. In a large mixing bowl, cream together cream cheese and sugar. Slowly add in eggs, sour cream, and vanilla extract until thoroughly mixed. Pour over top of crust. Drizzle raspberry sauce over top of cheesecake in horizontal lines. Then drag a toothpick perpendicular to the lines to create swirl pattern later. Place into oven.


Step 4: Finishing
Bake cheesecake for 30-40 minutes until the cake is set but soft in the center. This is best served cold so let cool for 30 minutes-1 hour. Then refrigerate for at least 2 hours or even overnight. Enjoy with fresh raspberries on top!


This week's Test Kitchen ingredient: Fresh Greek columnar basil
"Greek Columnar Basil is named for its unique growth habit. While reaching 3′ tall, it only grows 10″ across resulting in a stately columnar appearance. It is one of the stronger-flavored basils, good for stews and hearty dishes in modest amounts. Greek Columnar Basil is not the best basil variety for pesto. There are overtones of cinnamon in its aroma. Greek Columnar Basil has smaller leaves and an upright habit, and is late to bloom." [Pantry Garden Herbs]

We actually got this basil from Michael Jordan, Master Sommelier, at the Ranch's Estate Sunday Supper quite a while ago as a cutting. He had talked about how much he loved this basil for its growing pattern of staying in a restricted space all on its own. Duc has worked his magic in his indoor herb garden and grown the cutting into a healthy tall plant. Now it's time to harvest. Let us know your thoughts on this basil on Facebook when its picture goes up!


Photography by Duc Duong.

When Thai basil cropped up as the Test Kitchen ingredient last week, we thought that it would be too simple to use it in a savory entree. Something sweet perhaps? Desserts ran through my mind, and eventually I wondered if a cookie would work. I've found that Thai basil is usually paired with lime in dishes so searched for some baking ideas. I came across a shortbread recipe and adapted it slightly to fit our needs to create melt-in-your-mouth morsels of shortbread goodness. They have the signature lime tartness with an aftertaste of herbal Thai basil packed into a small crumbly package. I'm looking forward to sharing this with others.

Step 1: Ingredients (yields five dozen cookies)

• 1/2 lb unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp table salt
• 3 tbsps fresh Thai basil, finely chopped
• 2 limes, zest only (use juice from 1 1/2 limes)
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Step 2: Mixing ingredients
To help bring that much butter to room temperature, cut butter into chunks for greater exposed surface area. In a mixing bowl, combine butter, sugar, basil, zest, juice, and salt. In a separate bowl, combine cornstarch and flour. Add dry mixture to wet in increments - I divided my additions into four parts. Mix well until dough forms.


Step 3: Shaping dough
The shortbread dough needs to get back into usable shape so refrigerate for at least two hours' time after shaping. To shape, divide dough into two portions. On a floured flat surface, roll each half into rounded logs approximately one to two inches in diameter depending on preference. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate.


Step 4: Baking
Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove shortbread logs from the refrigerator and slice into 1/4" to 1/2" cookies placed about an inch away from each other. No worries - don't expand much.


Step 5: Finishing
Bake for 9-11 minutes depending on when the cookies begin to brown a little. Let cool before serving because their base is very crumbly. Enjoy by themselves - they'll easily just melt on your tongue once you put them in your mouth. The original recipe called for a glaze but I don't see a point!


This week's Test Kitchen ingredient: tomatillo
"The tomatillo fruit is surrounded by an inedible, paper-like husk formed from the calyx. As the fruit matures, it fills the husk and can split it open by harvest. The husk turns brown, and the fruit can be several colors when ripe, including yellow, red, green, or even purple. Tomatillos are the key ingredient in fresh and cooked Mexican and Central-American green sauces. The freshness and greenness of the husk are quality criteria. Fruit should be firm and bright green, as the green color and tart flavor are the main culinary contributions of the fruit. Purple and red-ripening cultivars often have a slight sweetness, unlike the green- and yellow-ripening cultivars, and are therefore somewhat more suitable for fruit-like uses like jams and preserves. Like their close relatives cape gooseberries, tomatillos have a high pectin content. Another characteristic is they tend to have a varying degree of a sappy sticky coating, mostly when used on the green side out of the husk." [Wikipedia]

We've seen these all the time but we've yet to actually use them in cooking. Any thoughts come to mind? Comment on the picture when it comes up on Facebook.


Photography by Duc Duong.