david lebovitz--revisited

Winter is almost here--


It's been perfect hot chocolate drinking weather...I was out taking pictures this afternoon and needed to warm up. Enter David Lebovitz and his fantastic chocolate recipes. I enjoyed a nice hot cup of hot chocolate (made with soymilk and Ghiradelli's) with marshmallows, and later in the afternoon, fresh baked chocolate chip cookies.


I recently read some new information (new to me anyway) about the proper care of butter in making cookies, from using it at the right temperature to creaming it properly. I was curious and anxious to bake cookies with my new found knowledge.

The cookies ended up pretty flat which I'm not used to, but the flavor is great. I especially love the chocolate chip to dough ratio. The outside is slightly crisp, but the inside is nice and chewy. I will probably make them again just to see if the flatness is due to the recipe or execution. Looking at the ones Heidi made, though, I'm thinking it's on my end...perhaps that butter article wasn't so good after all.

Don't they look tasty?

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a long overdue intro to david lebovitz

I discovered David Lebovitz' blog last week...and oh how dangerous it is! I know I've heard about him countless places around the internet, but never actually took the time to visit his site. I instantly bookmarked a ton of recipes upon visiting his recipes page and honestly wish I had done so long ago. So far, I've had the Parisian hot chocolate, marshmallows, and cheesecake brownies, all of which are fantastic.


I really want to talk about the brownies today. I thought I had an amazing recipe with Jamie Oliver's fifteen brownies...I might have been mistaken. These brownies have that wonderfully fudgy texture paired with the sweet and tangy cream cheese. Honestly, I couldn't decide which was better even if I had them side by side. Nor would I want to!


As for the marshmallows and hot chocolate, I couldn't recommend them more! The hot chocolate tastes like a delicious, creamy, melted chocolate bar (which is basically what it is). If you go all out and make it with fancy chocolate, you wouldn't dare plop a marshmallow on top; save the marshmallows for other hot chocolate mixes or "lesser" chocolate...I personally used a half a king size Hershey bar (purchased super cheap at Grocery Outlet). A half batch of these marshallows do make quite a bit so I wouldn't recommend making more than that unless you plan on using them for something else (I've got my eye on some rocky road!).

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chai tea mix

A good cup of chai tea is always fabulous. I am partial to Oregon Chai brand; I really like its mild yet creamy flavor. I've had homemade chai before, the kind you actually boil with black tea and spices, but honestly the flavors are a bit strong for me. My palate has been trained, for better or worse.


I used this recipe for chai tea mix which I found on allrecipes. I found a couple recipes posted elsewhere which were exactly the same. I finally got a chance to use my vanilla sugar in making this which was great. This mix does have a bit of spiciness to it, but it is mild enough for all those chai tea concentrate drinkers out there (it was for me), so I definitely recommend at least trying a half batch.

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101 Cookbooks Experimentation

It's been a few weeks since my last post. I guess I've just let time slip by a bit too quickly. I actually made these recipes a while back, I found them from 101 Cookbooks. I really like that blog, there's always something interesting to try.

Nikki's Healthy Cookies

These sounded interesting...a "healthy" cookie?? Sounded so interesting, in fact, I made them. They were better warm, very banana-y. I suppose if you are an extreme banana fan, give these a go. Just be sure not to keep them in an airtight container, as they are moist. Personally, I did not like these cookies...

Amazing Black Bean Brownies

LOVED this recipe...who would have thought to put beans in brownies? I used leftover bean paste from this recipe. They have an incredible, moist texture which I love. Of course, the moist texture is not from chocolate and "fudgy", but fudgy none the less. I really can't describe it. I will be making these again for sure!

Anzac Cookies

Another lovely recipe for sweets (are you sensing a theme?). I really liked the butteriness of this cookie. These make for an excellent morning or afternoon snack paired with tea. Or, you know, to snack on all day.

Hummus en Fuego

My last 101 Cookbooks recipe I've made recently is for hummus. I really love Trader Joe's 4-pack hummus sampler, including roasted red pepper and garlic. I love this hummus recipe because it's got pretty basic stuff in it and easy to mix up and make how you prefer. I prepared the recipe as is, then added some roasted red peppers for extra flavor. Another excellent snack! I really love it paired with garlic pita chips (purchased at Whole Foods). This hummus would be perfect in wraps or on pizza.

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