Chocolate

Berger Cookies

January 19, 2014 by Charles 2 Comments

After making, among other things, our Rosemary Pepita Granola and our Cajun Spiced Almonds for our out-of-town guests, Caitlin and I sat down to brainstorm our end-of-the-evening favor. With the wedding and reception in the heart of Baltimore, Caitlin suggested a quintessential Baltimore dessert.

I asked her what that might be.

Caitlin noted that it was the Berger cookie, a shortbread cookie topped with a thick layer of chocolate frosting, and long considered one of the best cookies in Baltimore. A quick search of the Internet revealed a recipe from King Arthur flour.

Satisfied with the recipe, …

Blondie Layer Cake with White Chocolate Icing

December 9, 2011 by Charles 16 Comments

Caitlin celebrated her birthday last week. And in preparation of the big day, I scanned my collection of recipes and cookbooks, searching for the perfect layer cake. Last year I made her the pumpkin crepe cake. The year before that, the butternut squash layer cake.

This year, I decided, it was time to stray from the harvest theme. I was looking through my cookbooks, feeling uninspired, when I resolved to make my own cake. No recipe. No guide. I would just with it….

Birds’ Nests

May 18, 2011 by Charles 10 Comments

Two years ago, Caitlin and I designed the Grim Peeper, our submission for the Washington Post’s annual Peep Contest. Unfortunately, we haven’t had the time to collaborate on any recent peep project.

And yet, I still had a bag or two of those yellow marshmallows sitting around the kitchen, chirping to be used. Around Easter, I noticed a few food blogs featuring bird’s nests, combining chow mein noodles with some of the ubiquitous bagged candy.

Though I liked the concept, the idea of chow mein noodles and chocolate did not sound appealing….

Mint Chocolate Brownies

April 11, 2011 by Charles 5 Comments

As I’ve noted before, it’s important to have a food gameplan when picking Caitlin up from the airport. That means having a restaurant and itinerary picked out in advance of pick-up.

In addition, I also like to have a snack waiting for Caitlin when she arrives – a little something to tide her over during the drive back into the city. Often, the snack is home-made, something sweet that I’ve made either that day, or the day before. Occasionally, though, time gets ahead of me, and I have to settle on something from the store.

But whether it was store-bought or home-made, I had, apparently, developed a steady habit of having a snack in the car on those airport trips. To the point where I had created a nearly Pavlovian connection between the airport and baked goods.

Sure enough, …

White-Chocolate Chai Truffles

March 6, 2011 by Charles 8 Comments

A few months ago, in one of my nightly phone dates with Charles, the topic of Valentine’s Day came up. Since we live in Memphis and Cincinnati this year, we were planning to spend the holiday apart, a reality that left me somewhat bummed.

Now, I’m not wedded (pun intended) to the February 14 greeting card extravaganza, but the prospect of spending the night alone was still unappealing. So, after agreeing to acknowledge the occasion on our next visit, Mr. Romance reminded me …