GINGER SNAPS

LIL GINGY'S! which are actually just a cross between ginger snaps & speculoos cookies. what exactly is the difference between the two cookies?! i mean, they are both crispy and contain a whole lot of different spices. these may look slightly christmassy, but its only because the gingerbread man was the smallest cookie cutter i had on hand! i have seen ginger snaps in all different shapes.. hearts, circles, and even cats [from trader joes of course]. what inspired me to make these was my love for cookie butter, also known as speculoos. trader joe's introduced me to this little jar of heaven, but i was never really sure what to spread it on. i usually just ended up eating it by the spoonful, then i thought i will make cookies to dip it in or sandwich it between! it's the best of both worlds, a double cookie butter flavour in one perfect little bite. i will leave the cookie butter sandwich as an optional finishing touch as these cookies are perfect on their own, dipped in tea. also because we aren't all lucky enough to have a trader joe's near!

ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/3 cup raw sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 jar cookie butter/ speculoos (optional)

directions

• in a mixing bowl cream butter, raw sugar and brown sugar.
• mix in egg and vanilla until light and fluffy.
• sift in baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, black pepper, and flour. mix until combined.
• wrap in cling wrap and refrigerate for a couple hours, up to over night.
• once dough has firmed up in the fridge, roll out and sprinkle generously with flour (i found it to be a sticky dough).
• cut in desired shapes and bake at 350 degrees for 4-6 minutes, until the edges begin to brown.
• optional: let cookies cool completely and spread cookie butter in the middle and roll into rainbow sprinkles.

PROSCIUTTO + ARUGULA PIZZA

this is by far my favourite pizza. if you haven't already noticed from my previous posts, i am a big fan of prosciutto. this particular pizza is inspired by a pizza i had at one of my favourite toronto restaurants the good son in west queen west where freshly sliced prosciutto is LOADED on top. everything you see here is made from scratch; dough & sauce. this is a dough i have perfected over the years, and make some form of it every single week. it works well as a simple focaccia bread, calzone, and stromboli. it has an italian bakery like pizza taste & texture. i recenty purchased an emile henry pizza stone which gives the pizza a crusty exterior and fluffy interior, but the pizza will still be just as tasty without a stone.

ingredients

for the dough

• 2 1/2 cups warm water
• 2 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast (1 package)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• 5 1/2 cups all purpose flour

for the sauce

• 1 jar pureed tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• salt & pepper

for the pizza (makes two pizzas)

• 1 batch of pizza dough (above)
• 1 batch of fresh pizza sauce (above)
• 3 cups freshly grated mozzarella cheese
• 100 grams thinly sliced prosciutto
• 1 container of arugula
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt & pepper

directions

• starting with the dough: in the bowl of a stand mixer using the dough hook add the water, yeast, oil, honey, and salt. let sit 5 minutes until the yeast begins to grow (if the yeast does not change, check the expiry date on the yeast).
• add flour one cup at a time until a dough begins to form.
• knead dough for 5-8 minutes, until the dough becomes elastic and smooth.
• in a greased bowl, let dough rise covered for 1-2 hours, or until it doubles in size.
• for best results, let dough rest in the fridge over night in a sealed zip lock bag.
• for the sauce: mix all ingredients in a sauce pan and cook on low heat for 5-10 minutes, just to let the flavoured mend. remove from heat and let cool.
• to assemble pizza: start by rolling out the dough. add sauce, cheese, and bake at 400 degrees for approximately 20-25 minutes.
• once the pizza is fully cooked, remove from oven and scatter prosciutto slices on top.
• finish off by tossing the arugula with vinegar, oil, salt and pepper. sprinkle on top of the pizza.

OMBRE CAKE

my ombre obsession began years ago. it first started when i decided to ombre my hair. but since bleaching the ends of my hair was probably not the healthiest thing to do, it was short lived. i then decided it was time to bring ombre into my baking. ombre cakes, ombre frosting, ombre cupcakes, OMBRE EVERYTHING. it may be time consuming as you need to bake each coloured cake separately, but aside from that it is really easy. everytime i have made an ombre cake for a party people have been beyond impressed [nothing modest about this cake]. the colours are so vibrant and fun. this particular cake is the first time i ombred the inside AND outside of the cake. it turned out exactly as i had hoped for and it was a huge hit. for this particular cake i chose a basic vanilla cake and buttercream frosting. however, i have ombred fancier cakes in the past including a coconut cream cake for my boyfriends birthday.

ingredients

for the cake

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups raw sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 1/2 cups cake flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• food colouring (i used wilton rose coloured food gel)

for the frosting

• 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
• 4 cups icing sugar, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• food colouring (again, wilton rose coloured food gel)

directions

• preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• in the bowl of a stand mixer cream butter and sugar.
• add the eggs and mix until light and fluffy.
• mix in vanilla and oil until combined.
• in a separate bowl sift the flour, baking powder, and salt. gradually add to stand mixer at low speed.
• once flour is JUST combined into the wet ingredients, add the milk.
• separate batter into 4 bowls and add food colouring starting from lightest to darkest (white, light pink, pink, dark pink).
• using 9 inch cake pans bake each layer for about 10-15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
• let cakes cool completely before flipping onto a cooling rack.
• for the frosting add all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and whip until light and fluffy, about 8-10 minutes.
• separate frosting into 3 bowls: white, light pink, dark pink.
• to decorate: begin with a white frosted crumb layer and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. next, begin with the darkest pink at the bottom, followed by light pink, followed by white.