mini matcha swirl cheesecakes

 

happy gilmore girl release day!!!! errr.. black friday. i hope you all had an amazing thanksgiving & ate your weight in turkey! instead of being surrounded by crowds & going black friday shopping this year, i am going to do the complete opposite. i plan to stay in, bake some holiday cookies & binge watch the whole season of the new girlmore girl's revival. i woke up early & already watched the first episode, but i don't want to spoil it!

if you plan to do the same as me today, here is the perfect little bite size treats to whip up: mini matcha swirl cheesecakes. i usually only make cheesecake during the holiday's & this year i wanted to make something mini. if you couldn't tell by now, i love making mini versions of things! the filling is half vanilla cheesecake & half matcha cheesecake baked onto a gingersnap crust. as always, i used aiya matcha's cooking grade matcha powder to ensure the matcha flavour doesn't get lost with all the other ingredients. a little cheesecake making tip for you, ALWAYS make sure the cheesecake & the eggs are at room temperature or you will end up with chunks of cream cheese. i always use philadelphia's full fat cream cheese because i never have any luck with other brands. lastly please, PLEASE do not buy the lower fat cream cheese available, they never turn out! i have tried one too many times. anyways, have a great long weekend:)

ingredients

for the gingersnap crust

  • 1.5 cups gingersnap crumbs
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

for the swirled filling

directions

for the gingersnap crust

  • in a mixing bowl add the gingersnap crumbs, sugar, vanilla & butter. stir until a wet sandy mixture is formed.
  • press the crust into twelve lined cupcake tins & bake for five minutes while you prepare the filling.

for the swirled filling

  • in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream the cream cheese & sugar until smooth.
  • add in the eggs one at a time, scrapping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. finished off with vanilla extract.
  • divide batter into two equal portions. leave one as is & add the matcha powder to the other one.
  • add one scoop of each mixture per cupcake tin & swirl together with a knife.
  • bake for 20 minutes & let cool completely before serving.
  • top with whipped cream if desired.

this post was created in partnership with aiya matcha! you can find the cooking grade matcha powder that i used here. thank you for supporting the brands that keep me doing what i love! xo

white chocolate + bourbon cocktail

 
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who else is ready to start mixing up some holiday cocktails for those thanksgiving & christmas parties!?! this might be one of my favourite cocktails to date. it is like dessert in a cup finished off with sweet white chocolate in the drink, in the whipped cream & shaved on top! if you don't know by now i LOVE (am obsessed with) white chocolate. i was so excited when green & black's organic asked me to partner with them & create a cocktail incorporating their chocolate (of course i picked white chocolate). green & black's make some of the best chocolate i have ever had. the organic white chocolate is made with madagascan vanilla, madagascan vanilla beans & raw cane sugar. all the good stuff that i love to use in my baked goods.

have you ever incorporated chocolate into a cocktail before? i found what works best is to shake the half & half with the melted white chocolate before adding the ice. this helps dispurse the white chocolate evenly throughout the milk! then add all the other ingredients & shake, shake, shake. if you want to keep it simple, feel free to skip the addition of the white chocolate whipped cream. i just figured when it is the holiday's, calories don't count:)

ingredients

for the white chocolate whipped cream

  • 1 cup whipping cream
  • 2 ounces green & black's white chocolate with madagascar vanilla bean, melted & cooled
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

for the white chocolate + bourbon cocktail

  • 2 ounces bourbon
  • 4 ounces half & half
  • 2 teaspoons fine sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
  • 1 ounce green & black's white chocolate with madagascar vanilla bean, melted
  • white chocolate whipped cream, for topping
  • shaved white chocolate, for topping

directions

for the white chocolate whipped cream

  • in a mixing bowl whisk whipped cream until soft peaks are formed. add white chocolate, sugar & vanilla. continue to whisk until stiff peaks form.
  • refrigerate until ready to use.

for the white chocolate + bourbon cocktail

  • fill cocktail shaker with half & half + white chocolate. shake until smooth.
  • add ice & pour in bourbon, fine sugar, vanilla & nutmeg. shake vigorously for 30 seconds.
  • strain cocktail into a glass over ice.
  • top with white chocolate whipped cream & sprinkle with nutmeg + shaved chocolate.

this post was created in partnership with green & black's organic. they make some of the best organic chocolate EVER. i can't stop snacking on this white chocolate & the sea salt milk chocolate. thank you for supporting the brands that keep me doing what i love! xo

coconut + dark chocolate cake

 

this. cake. oh my god, this cake was good. i wanted to say my mom said it was the best cake i have ever made, but i am starting to think she says that every single time i have her taste test my newest recipes so maybe it is time to pick a new taste tester. what can i say though, mom's are always going to be our number one fans! she had a point though... this cake is FULL of coconut & turned out so moist. seriously, if you are a coconut lover you need to make this right now. it contains grace's coconut chips, shredded coconut, coconut oil, coconut milk in the cake itself & is topped with a creamy coconut glaze. not to mention some dark chocolate chunks to tie it all together. baking with coconut sugar is a healthier alternative to using regular white sugar. i often rotate between this & raw sugar in all my baking.

i think it makes for quite the presentation if you are bringing or serving a dessert at a holiday party! much less stressful then trying to frost a perfect layer cake & i love putting a fancy glaze over top. i used all of grace foods organic coconut products in this recipe, which you can easily find in the international section of your local grocer! they are my go to brand for when i buy coconut milk, it is high quality & affordable. my only real suggestion is to buy extra coconut chips for the topping because good luck not eating them while you bake. they are addicting & i couldn't stop. now get to it!

ingredients

for the cake

for the glaze

directions

for the cake

  • preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • in a large mixing bowl sift flour, baking powder & sea salt.
  • in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream the sugar, butter & coconut oil until smooth.
  • add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract.
  • alternate between adding the coconut milk & flour mixture. beat until smooth.
  • fold in the flaked coconut & half of the chocolate chunks.
  • pour into a greased 8-inch round cake pan & top with remaining chocolate chunks & coconut chips.
  • bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the top centre bounces back to touch.
  • let cool completely before removing from pan & glazing.

for the glaze

  • mix ingredients in a bowl until the desired consistency is formed.
  • if the glaze is to thin, add more powdered sugar. if the glaze is to thick, add more coconut milk.

this post was created in partnership with grace. they make just about every coconut product you can think of... sugar, oil, chips, milk & so on. i couldn't help but make the ultimate coconut cake using ALL of these delicious coconut ingredients! thank you for supporting the brands that keep me doing what i love.