dark chocolate ganache truffles

i heart chocolate. i’m guessing you do, too. ;)

here’s another bakesale winner… so simple, yet so good. i picked up some lovely (organic & gluten-free!) dark chocolate chunks at market 17, one of my fave local markets, and felt inspired to make homemade chocolate ganache truffles. and it’s surprisingly easy to do.

adapted from sweethome

the ganache:
heat up a small saucepan and melt together the following ingredients:
– 1/4 cup unsalted butter (at room temperature, cubed)
– 2/3 cup light cream (a lower-fat alternative for whipping cream)
– 1 tbsp honey
– remove from heat and set aside

– place dark chocolate (chunks or finely chopped) in a large, heatproof bowl
– pour creamy mixture over the chocolate chunks in bowl and whisk together until the ingredients are combined and smooth
– add 1 tbsp pure vanilla to ganache for a flavour boost

– tightly cover bowl of ganache and refrigerate for approx 1 hour

(tip: if you want to plan ahead and save time on the day-of, prep the ganache the night before. i did that for the bakesale, and left the bowl in the fridge overnight.)

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sugar heart cookies

bake sales are pretty rad. it’s amazing what a difference you can make with the generous help of volunteers, some homemade baked goods made with love, and a vibrant, caring community.

a fellow local foodie blogger, vincci at ceci n’est pas un food blog, had a fantastic idea to host the 2nd annual calgary food blogger bake sale (#yycFBBS) — organizing a volunteer initiative with more than 20 local foodie bloggers and casel marché. with the generous support of the fantastic local community, all proceeds from this charity bake sale raised $1,900 for brown bagging for calgary’s kids society earlier this month. pretty sweet. :)

i’m definitely not a seasoned baker, but i felt honoured to be invited to bake and volunteer with this community culinary initiative. i thought it would be the perfect occasion to try out a homemade sugar cookie recipe that my friend sarah from texas introduced me to a few years ago. yummers.

pre-heat oven to 350F

the cookie dough:
mix the following ingredients together until well combined:
– 3/4 cup unsalted butter (at room temperature, cubed)
– 3/4 cup organic cane sugar

cherry chocolate biscotti

so i’m still on my homemade biscotti kick… perhaps it has a little something to do with the newest addition to my kitchen — my very first coffeemaker. or perhaps it has something to do with my sweet tooth and my love of chocolate. whatever the reason, homemade biscotti and a fresh cup of joe are mfeo. that’s geekspeak for meant for each other. don’t judge me. ;)

on a recent trip to my fave cheese shop in town, i picked up some dried cherries and felt inspired to try out a new flavour combo with my biscotti. cherry chocolate goodness. oh yes.

adapted from savoring every bite

– pre-heat oven to 350F

the dry ingredients:
whisk together the following ingredients in a medium prep bowl
– 2 cups all-purpose flour
– 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
– 1.5 tsp baking powder
– 1/2 tsp salt

the batter:
mix together the following ingredients with a stand mixer until well combined
– 1/4 cup sugar
– 1/4 cocoa powder
– 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter (at room temperature)

– add 2 large eggs (beaten) to batter
– add 1 tsp pure vanilla

– once eggs and vanilla are mixed into the batter, gradually add the dry ingredients mixture to the bowl.
– using a spatula, fold 1/2 cup dried cherries (chopped)
– fold ingredients together until well combined
– add 1 large egg (beaten) and 1/2 cup water (optional, if your batter is drying out too much)