The best part of this chocolate cake was not the perfectly swirled frosting success (thank you Erin McDowell for all the lessons), or the very, very, very intense flavor that comes only from regular old Hershey's cocoa, or how good it tasted three days later at 1 AM when we ate some, tipsy, on the couch.
Read morePOSIE'S CAKE
Cake decorating can be a tricky skill to master -- too many piping bags required, and fondant scraps all over your kitchen, and food coloring stuck to your hands for days. It's easier than you might think to make a very impressive cake, without needing to have lots of decorating practice, and here are my favorite ways:
Read moreAPPLE CUSTARD SQUARES
These apple squares taste like a cross between a clafoutis and an apple pie. They possess a soft, custardy layer where the fruit is baked against batter -- like a Dutch baby pancake in a handheld form, just begging to be wrapped up and slipped in your bag for later.
Apple Custard Squares
Adapted from Dorie Greenspan and Food52
HIPPIE CRISPY TREATS
At summer camp in Vermont, we used to make a cheater's version of Rice Krispie treats: melted marshmallows, butter, and puffed rice cereal in a scratched old pot over a campfire. Instead of smoothing them into a pan and waiting for them to cool, we'd reach into the pot and grab handfuls, letting it harden as we ate it. It was exceptionally messy, but far more fun to eat. The smokiness of the fire gave the dessert a wilder taste and took the intense sugar high down a notch. Despite the proliferation of high-end, dressed-up Rice Krispie treats, I hadn't tasted any that came close to the campfire ones, until I tried these hippie crispy treats. Bound with almond butter, maple syrup, and bittersweet chocolate, they have an adult, addictive quality to them.
Read moreChocolate & Coconut Raspberry Tarts
There's something incredibly appealing about miniature desserts. They're adorable and you're allowed to eat an entire one by yourself (say it with me: YES PLEASE). You can easily scale this recipe up to make a full-sized tart, but I like making individual ones for a party or to make a otherwise ordinary weeknight dinner feel a little more special.
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