Notes about Recipes in this book

• My go-to chocolate chip cookie

  • nadiam1000 on January 16, 2017

    First recipe in the book and first one I made. I played around with the inclusions a bit - I had some dark chocolate coated cocoa nibs on hand so I added those along with some milk chocolate chips, toasted pecans and dried cherries. My oven is on the fritz so I baked them in my Breville - 350F 10 minutes - nice toasty edges and chewy center with good caramel notes. A very good cookie.

  • averythingcooks on December 05, 2020

    These are great - I used one cup semi-sweet chips and a combo cup of chopped semi-sweet and dark chocolate. I did not "flatten slightly" (because I kept forgetting!) and baked for 8 minutes - perfect. A definite repeat!

• One damn good cookie

  • Zosia on December 17, 2016

    The name says it all. Packed with chocolate chips and toffee bits, they have a great crispy and chewy texture; the espresso powder prevents them from being too sweet and gives them a mocha flavour.

  • sdeathe on January 18, 2022

    A really good chocolate chip cookie. The espresso flavour is not as noticeable the second day, and the cookie is softer and a bit chewy. Delicious. I used Skor bits, as I didn't find Skor bars.

• Chocolate chip crispies

  • Zosia on January 26, 2017

    Wheat germ and pecans add extra flavour, and oats and puffed rice cereal extra texture to what is otherwise a classic chocolate chip cookie. Another hit from this book. I used only 1 tbsp per cookie; yield was 4 dozen but baking time was as per the recipe.

  • averythingcooks on January 08, 2022

    I made a 1/2 recipe, formed 20 g balls and got 31 cookies. I did not have wheat germ here but a quick search for substitutes suggested ground almonds which I do have and it seemed to work fine. These cookies are full of good stuff (chocolate chips, toasted pecans, oats & the crispy rice cereal) and we both really like them.

  • hbakke on February 06, 2022

    We both liked these cookies, although I don't think I added enough salt. I used chocolate puffed rice cereal and I think that paired well with the chocolate chips. I think the recipe listed a yield of 2 dozen cookies, but I got over double that using the size the author specified. I would make these again.

• Double trouble chocolatey chip cookies

  • Zosia on February 01, 2018

    These were soft, moist, chocolatey and really good cookies that will definitely be made again. I replaced the white chocolate chips with peanut butter chips.

  • hbakke on October 12, 2019

    Very good cookies. Excellent chocolatey flavor with a soft texture. I had them in the oven for 11 minutes and they were still underbaked, but that's how I like them.

  • averythingcooks on November 29, 2020

    Made exactly as written (with 10 minute bake time) ...and only one word is needed: DELICIOUS.

• Peanut butter cookies

  • averythingcooks on January 19, 2025

    These are good/not too sweet cookies. I used honey roasted peanuts in place just salted ones and we like that result. I did the optional double fork pressing & I think the little bit of sugar that that puts on the tops is essential. Even a 1/2 recipe (making 20 g dough balls) made a lot of cookies.

• Oversized peanut butter and oat cookies (aka Monster cookies)

  • Zosia on December 17, 2016

    This is the family's new favourite oatmeal cookie. It has great peanut butter flavour and the candies are a fun addition that add a bit of crunch. I used only large flake oats and they turned out well.

  • averythingcooks on January 12, 2023

    I ran my large flake oats through the food processor to better mimic quick cooking oats and used my cookie scoop to make much smaller (25 g) cookies...they still took around 12 minutes to bake. These have lots of textures & flavours but I almost think there were too many M&M's & chocolate chips. We both really like them and I will likely repeat (and cut back some quantities).

• Ginger cookies

  • averythingcooks on June 12, 2022

    These are very nice cookies. Because she comments in the head note that she often increases the ground ginger by a couple of teaspoons for ginger lovers, I took that as "permission' to add chopped crystalized ginger (which is my preference). I made 20 g cookies and got 40 (as opposed to the predicted 36). They were baked in around 9 minutes and I would make these again for sure.

• Snickerdoodles

  • averythingcooks on January 09, 2021

    Neither T or myself grew up in “snickerdoodle houses” so I went into this pretty open minded. They were easy to make, the 12 minute bake time seemed spot on and the result is what we both called “a crispy, spiced sugar cookie”. Whether or not this is the expected result - we both like them :)

• Ginger shortbread

  • averythingcooks on May 27, 2024

    These are very nice cookies. It's very warm today so I gave the dough 15 minutes in the fridge before rolling. I used rice flour & superfine sugar and had a heavy hand with the crystalized ginger (we love it). I also sprinkled the cut outs with a spiced vanilla sugar before baking. I struggle re: rolling to a predictable thickness & think I would have liked them a bit thicker but these are worth repeating.

• Hazelnut shortbread batons

  • averythingcooks on December 21, 2020

    These were easy to make and are really good but full disclosure means admitting to using toasted pecans in place of hazelnuts. I measured & then weighed a tbsp of dough and used that mass to portion the rest of the cookies; however, I somehow got only 15 cookies instead of 24...not sure why. I chopped the 2nd round of nuts much more coarsely & I’m glad I did because the last few that are coated in tiny pecan crumbs (maybe pecan dust?) are not nearly as pretty as those who got the bigger pieces.

• Lime shortbread

  • averythingcooks on June 19, 2022

    This is a nice little cookie with a tender crumb (she calls these "meltaways" ) and big lime flavour that I made to serve with some key lime ice cream. They were good :)

• Chai shortbread

  • sdeathe on September 07, 2025

    These are very easy to make, and quite delicious. They improve after 2-3 days, and can be eaten very quickly while thinking, 'well, they're small'. Fair warning.

• My favourite rugelach (peanut butter, chocolate and caramel filling)

  • Zosia on December 17, 2016

    Some favourite flavours are combined in this version of the traditional pastry and the cookies were an instant hit. The dough is a standard recipe that bakes up flaky and tender but I omitted the lemon zest as I didn't know how well it would pair with this filling and since I made these without prior planning, I had only salted, roasted peanuts on hand. The peanut flavour might have been a bit more subtle had I used raw nuts. Note that 1/2 cup peanut butter is listed in the ingredients but 3/4 cup is required if using 3tbsp per dough disk. I used only 2 tbsp and it was sufficient.

• Five-spice butter cookies

  • Zosia on January 30, 2017

    The flavour was a subtle but nice vanilla spice that was complemented by the chocolate. The dough was far too stiff to pipe through a regular pastry bag with a star tip. I added an egg white in an effort to loosen the dough to no avail. I ended up shaping it into balls and flattening them so no pretty rosettes. I'm not certain why this recipe didn't work as written. Too much flour? Only volume measurements are provided (with a few exceptions) but I've been weighing mine and 125g flour per cup has worked really well in the other recipes I've made. Also, my ingredients and dough were at room temperature 22C.

• Espresso brownies

  • Zosia on February 19, 2022

    Good, fudgy brownie that's rich but not too sweet.

• Coconut and toffee blondies

  • Zosia on July 03, 2017

    Chock full of chocolate, toffee and nuts with appealing crisp edges and chewy centre, they were a hit with many but too rich and sweet for some (including me). I used pecans in place of coconut and reduced the sugar by 50g (probably should have been at least 100g!) Canada Day 2017.

• Caramelita bars

  • Zosia on February 23, 2018

    Layers of homemade caramel, walnuts and bittersweet chocolate on a chewy oatmeal cookie base make up this fantastic bar cookie. Mine weren't as gooey as described (but still soft enough to eat comfortably) so I may have over-baked them by a minute or 2 or perhaps it was a result of storage in a cold kitchen.

  • sdeathe on May 23, 2020

    These were not as tasty as I had hoped. I may try them again with salt added somewhere, perhaps in the caramel, or in both the caramel and the crust/topping. Easy to do.

• Chocolate chip cookie bars

  • averythingcooks on February 06, 2021

    I really wanted to love these but I might be biased - I am that person who is NOT a fan of brownies (or blondies), especially if they are "fudgy" ( ie not "cakey"). I baked these for the full 30 minutes but no farther because I'm pretty sure they would become rock hard quickly if overdone. Having said that - they are a bit fudgy for me. However, T likes them and I'm sure my father in law will too :)

• Caffe latte chocolate chip squares

  • Zosia on September 09, 2017

    These weren't as crisp as promised and had I baked them further, the edges would have been burnt. So with crisp top and bottom and chewy centre, though the flavour was coffee-forward, they weren't very different from a typical chocolate chip cookie. Good but not special.

• Pucker up bars

  • Zosia on February 06, 2017

    These are everything you want from a lemon/citrus bar: cool and creamy topping bursting with zingy lemon-lime flavour atop a tender shortbread crust. And they were so easy to make since the topping ingredients were poured directly on to the partially-baked base. I made the cookie dough in the food processor and it was too dry to knead so I pressed it into the pan and baked it right away - no shrinkage, it held together well and was melt-in-your-mouth tender after baking. I'll be repeating this shortcut.

• Crumble bumble bar

  • Zosia on March 17, 2022

    Excellent bars with lots of fruit filling and great texture that are easy to put together without heavy machinery. It's best to keep them refrigerated as recommended as the filling is quite loose.

• Extra thick date squares

  • Zosia on June 13, 2019

    My husband mentioned that I hadn't made date squares in a while - probably closer to a decade! - and I couldn't remember the last recipe I'd used. EYB revealed a few options in my library. This recipe includes orange juice and zest in the filling which is a nice update to this classic. The "extra thick" in the title is in reference to the filling, which is substantial relative to the oatmeal crumb. My husband loves them and it turns out daughter #1 is a fan as well. She mentioned that they were a little greasy so perhaps less butter is required in the crumb mixture.

• Sour cream chocolate bundt cake

  • Zosia on October 05, 2023

    This is an enormous cake that's perfect for feeding a crowd especially if dressed up with a glaze. It has good but not deep chocolate flavour and tender crumb. I think it's a little too sweet and would cut back on the sugar by up to 1/2 cup (100g) if I were to make it again. No one agrees with me on this.

• Peek-a-boo chocolate cupcakes

  • Zosia on November 16, 2017

    I know these as black-bottom cupcakes and they are a favourite here. These ones were good and enjoyed by everyone but I found that they were sweeter and less chocolate-y than others I've made. And thanks to EYB, I located my favourite of the recipes I've tried (Smitten Kitchen's version)!

• Fudge truffle tart

  • Zosia on June 22, 2021

    Excellent tart! Each layer offered a different chocolate experience through taste and texture and the whipped cream topping was the perfect complement.

• My head's in the clouds chocolate cream pie

  • Zosia on March 08, 2022

    Fabulous pie! It was light as a cloud but rich in chocolate flavour. It took more time and effort than other chocolate cream pies I've made as it comprised several components, including a Swiss meringue, but it was worth it. It served 12 easily.

• Oh so chocolatey chip muffins

  • Zosia on March 09, 2017

    The base recipe makes a really moist and tender muffin (that stays that way even next day) that can handle a variety of add-ins; the chocolate is, of course, a delicious one but the amount makes this more of a dessert for me. At 12, the muffins are huge; next time I would make 15-16.

• Morning glory hallelujah muffins

  • Lepa on March 01, 2020

    There is nothing wrong with these muffins but they weren't awesome, either. My husband thought they weren't sweet enough. I thought they could use a spice boost. All the seeds and oil gave them a taste that was a bit off-putting, even though I appreciated the texture. My kids scarfed them without complaint.

• Banana wheat muffins

  • Zosia on June 09, 2019

    Very serviceable banana muffin with a slightly nutty flavour. They were overdone in my oven after only 17 minutes of baking.

• Pear cranberry muffins with crunchy almond topping

  • Zosia on November 06, 2017

    Very nice fruity, moist muffins with a delicious crunchy topping. The spices complemented the fruit perfectly without overwhelming them. I reduced the brown sugar in the batter to 1 cup (200g) with no ill effects that I could see and they were still pleasantly sweet.

• Sour cream bluebaby muffins

  • Zosia on June 09, 2019

    These were moist and very fruity and more cake-like than muffin-like in texture. Family really enjoyed them.

• Nutella swirl muffins

  • Zosia on March 23, 2017

    More like a cupcake really with all of that butter and sugar and sour cream. They tasted like a good marble cake too and were tender and moist. I thought the cinnamon in the topping competed with the flavour of the "muffin" and would omit it next time. Interestingly the nutella was swirled into the bowl of batter before it was poured into the muffin tin - much easier than trying to marble it in the small moulds. Note that you don't need to grease the pan if you're using paper liners.

• Cherry white chocolate scones

  • Zosia on June 19, 2019

    The recipe for classic cream scones from this book serves as the base for these tender, rich scones. The cherries and chocolate add just the right amount of tart and sweet. These kept well and were still moist on day 2.

• Strawberry almond scones

  • Zosia on February 25, 2017

    Unfortunately, these sounded better than they tasted. They were very rich and moist but neither the strawberry nor almond flavours were present to any great degree.

• Gruyère, prosciutto and chive scones

  • averythingcooks on December 22, 2025

    We ate these really good scones beside our dinner soup and what began as an idea to use up a package of prosciutto has turned into a "must repeat" recipe. Because I made a 1/2 recipe (limited by the prosciutto), I was able to use the other 1/2 of the egg as an egg wash which worked well.

• Bubbie's banana bread

  • Zosia on August 07, 2019

    Sweet and tender, it's more like a cake than a quick bread. While the cake portion is good, the crunchy coconut topping is fantastic and is something I will use on other cakes.

• My very favourite banana bread

  • Zosia on September 16, 2018

    The most basic ingredients came together quickly - the batter was in the pan ready for baking before my oven was fully pre-heated - to make this moist quickbread with good banana flavour. I included the optional chocolate chips and reduced the sugar by half. I will make this one again.

  • hbakke on August 03, 2020

    Not too cake like, but moist without being super dense like some banana breads. I threw in an extra banana and used a too-small loaf pan so it had to bake for an additional 10-15 minutes. I quite liked the texture and the quick prep. I would make this again.

• Blueberry raspberry loaf

  • averythingcooks on December 21, 2020

    The result here is a lovely, lemony loaf studded with fresh berries. After the initial mix of the topping, I ran 2 knives through it to get smaller crumbles for easier sprinkling. The only issue was that I had to use 5% cream in place of the 10% - we certainly don’t feel like it is missing anything. A repeat for sure.

• Spiced pumpkin loaf with maple drizzle

  • Zosia on September 26, 2017

    Very moist cake with a lovely gingery flavour and a bit of extra maple syrup sweetness from the glaze.

• Special occasion chocolate coffee babka

  • Zosia on April 17, 2017

    This was one incredibly tall and beautiful babka, and it was delicious too. The bread was very light and airy (and still moist on day 2) and the filling was complex - mocha with a bit of fruity tang and spice. The streusel topping looked great and added another texture but not much flavour. The dough was very loose and sticky so I kneaded it in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment for about 12 minutes. I don't know the purpose of twisting the "jelly roll" of filled dough...to increase surface tension? to change the swirl pattern? (It didn't but maybe I just did it wrong...)

• Spiced layer cake with maple cream cheese icing

  • Zosia on July 03, 2017

    The tangy frosting complemented the spicy cake perfectly and the textures were very nice: moist, tender cake and smooth, creamy frosting. I particularly liked the hit from the black pepper. The recipe made 20 cupcakes with a baking time of 18 minutes. Canada Day 2017.

• Passover chocolate cake

  • Zosia on April 22, 2019

    Rich and delicious flourless chocolate cake that used only eggs (yolks and whites whipped separately) for leavening. The recipe called for 450g bittersweet chocolate; I used a mix of bitter and semisweet (approx 62% cacao) which seemed just right. It tasted like the chocolate that went into it and had a melt-in-your-mouth texture. I served it with whipped cream and berries.

• French toast cake

  • Zosia on December 17, 2016

    This is a very nice take on a cinnamon coffee cake: the cake is moist with a soft crumb and the cinnamon french toast filling swirled throughout forms a crackly topping. It's not a very tall cake so I may use an 8" pan next time.

• Banana bundt cake

  • Zosia on July 31, 2018

    This cake had a lovely texture - quite light and soft - and good banana flavour that intensified by day 2. Everyone loved it as is but I would reduce the sugar next time.

• Crackle-topped peach cake

  • Zosia on December 17, 2016

    This was a perfect pairing of moist ginger cake and fresh peaches. I was skeptical that the caramel would form a crust on top of the moist peaches but it worked. My cake took an extra 10 minutes in my oven before it tested done in the centre...perhaps my fruit was a little on the juicy side.

• Pear honey cardamom cake

  • Zosia on October 26, 2020

    The cake had lovely flavour and great texture (soft crumb, tender pears and crunchy toasted almond streusel) and was a pretty golden colour thanks to the honey. My cake needed an extra 10 minutes baking time so the sides were a little overbrowned as a result.

• Blueberry coffee cream cheese cake

  • Zosia on July 09, 2017

    With a layer of creamy cheesecake and blueberries hiding just beneath the crunchy streusel topping, this was not your typical blueberry coffeecake. The top section of the cake was fabulous but the cake portion was a bit of a let down. It had a pleasant lemon flavour but was quite sturdy - probably necessary to support the top layers - and a little dry. My cake needed an extra 15 minutes for the cheesecake layer to set so I'm sure the bottom was over-baked by that time. The moistness of the cake portion was better next day.

• Blueberry lime bundt cake

  • Zosia on April 29, 2017

    A beautiful cake worthy of a special occasion. It was tender and moist with a bright lime flavour that was perfectly complemented by the blueberries. It was great for serving a crowd as it sliced beautifully and was quite rich so little went a long way.

• Roasted pineapple cake

  • Zosia on February 08, 2017

    Wow was this good! The cake was moist and the crumble topping was crunchy but the highlight was the roasted pineapple tidbits - sweet, tangy and a little juicy (almost better than fresh). I used only half the butter and sugar to roast the pineapple as there was quite a lot of liquid when it came time to turn the spears and I lined the cake pan with parchment to avoid having to either cut the pieces in the pan or invert the cake.

• Orange cardamom coffee cake with almond swirl

  • Zosia on February 24, 2018

    Moist and fragrant and delicious. I did as the author suggested and ground my own cardamom seeds; the flavours of the spice and orange were very complementary with neither overwhelming the other. The almonds, however, were a little lost in all of this and the streusel was much too sweet. I would omit it altogether next time. I reduced the sugar in the cake by 100g.

• Almond crusted cherry pound cake

  • mamacrumbcake on January 25, 2020

    The good: this recipe makes a beautiful, tall, pound cake with a velvety crumb—really, a perfect texture. The dried cherries (I used tart cherries) are very pretty and give a nice sweet-tart counterpoint. The not so good: the cake actually seemed a little bland. The almond flavor was not noticeable at all, and the vanilla could be amped up as well. I might also increase the salt. In my oven, it took a full 90 minutes to finish baking.

  • mamacrumbcake on February 05, 2020

    The texture of this cake was so perfect, that I couldn’t give up on it. Here in the US I used King Arthur Unbleached AP flour. In nut crust, added 1/8 tsp kosher salt and increased sugar to 3 tablespoons. For cake batter, doubled vanilla, almond extract, and salt. Baked at 325 per recipe. In my oven, it took 92 minutes. Rose a full 2 inches higher than the pan. Much happier with this cake today.

• Lemon pound cake with ginger speckles

  • Lepa on June 05, 2022

    This is fine, and has a nice texture, but I would have liked a stronger lemon flavor. Maybe some lemon icing instead of lemon syrup would have created that tart flavor I love? The candied ginger was a nice addition.

• Orange cream cheese pound cake

  • Zosia on February 25, 2019

    This was a dense but moist cake with lovely orange flavour. Having recently made a much lighter oil and yogurt based loaf cake, I could appreciate the richness cream cheese brought to this one.

  • Lepa on July 10, 2020

    This cake was simple and delicious. I might add some spice next time -maybe cardamon?

• Caffe latte chocolate bar explosion ice cream cake

  • Zosia on June 19, 2019

    I used store bought ice cream in the recommended coffee and vanilla flavours so this was just an assembly project after the fudgy brownie base was baked. The ingredients seemed a little over the top but the cake was enormous and easily served 20. Everyone loved it. Father's Day 2019.

• Hand-held tarts with rhubarb strawberry filling

  • Zosia on July 03, 2017

    Fabulous! The rhubarb jam-fresh strawberry filling was pleasantly tart and tasted of the fruit (and veg) that was in it. The pastry was quite a surprise - easy to work with and it baked into the most beautiful flaky layers. Next time I'll just cut slits in the top rather than a hole to keep more of the filling in. Canada Day 2017.

• As Canadian-as-they-come butter tarts

  • Zosia on July 03, 2017

    Perfectly gooey filling and buttery, flaky pastry. The filling bubbled over the tops of the pastry shells so perhaps a smidge less in each next time. I omitted the currants. Canada Day 2017.

• Nectarine cobbler with spiced biscuits

  • Zosia on August 09, 2017

    Oh, this was good! The biscuit topping was moist and the spices used, particularly the five spice powder, really set it apart from other cobblers/crumbles/crisps I've had and complemented the fruit perfectly. I made this as 8 single serve cobblers and reduced the pre-roasting of the fruit to 15 minutes before topping with batter. I also reduced the sugar in the fruit by 50g.