Bake Chocolate Cake

I created this recipe because I was looking for something that was easy to serve and I wanted it to taste like cake. Cookies seemed like an obvious choice. These chocolate banana cookies are thick, moist and full of flavor! They are especially delicious with the extra thick chocolate drizzled on top! Chocolate Banana Cookies 1 1/2 cups flour 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup butter 3/4 cup dark brown sugar 1 egg 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 2 bananas, mashed 1/4 cup ricotta cheese 1 1/4 cups chocolate chips  In a small bowl combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.  In a separate bowl beat butter, sugar, egg and vanilla.  Add the mashed bananas and ricotta cheese.   Stir in the flour mixture. Add 1 cup chocolate chips. Drop spoonfuls of the dough onto a prepared cookie sheet. Bake 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.  The cookies will be like cake. Melt 1/4 cup (or more!) chocolate chips.  Drizzle the me

This cookie is incredibly delicious when it is baked just right. The edges are crispy with a melt-in-your-mouth coconut flavor. When I created this recipe I hesitated to post it on the blog because so many things can go wrong! Be warned fellow bakers. This is not a cookie that will be successful just by following the recipe. Follow your baking instincts like chilling the dough for a few minutes if your kitchen is too hot. Are you baking on a humid day? Add extra flour to compensate. Also, watch your oven temperature and check the baking time for that perfect moment when the edges of the cookies just start to caramelize. A few seconds too long will result in a burnt cookie! When the cookies are baked, allow them to sit on the cookie sheet for a few minutes before moving them to a rack to cool. If everything goes right, the reward of this extremely rich, delicate, coconut cookie is worth the effort. Coconut Oatmeal Cookies 3/4 cups flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon bak

I recently watched Jamie & Jimmy's Food Fight Club on Netflix.  In addition to the great recipes, the concept of food waste was something that left me thinking more about what we do with our food. The problem of food waste was emphasized again this week when I ordered a salad in a fast food restaurant. They put the wrong type of chicken on top. Instead of removing the topping and putting on the right one, they THREW AWAY THE ENTIRE SALAD! This is not right! What can we do to help stop food waste? One obvious way is to not throw away perfectly good food. To create this recipe I started thinking about bananas (You know, the almost black ones that most people throw in the bin). With the bananas I also wanted to incorporate chocolate because well, it's CHOCOLATE. The result is a moist, sweet, delicious muffin. Sprinkle a little bit of shredded coconut on top and this is now one of my favorite muffins! Chocolate Banana Muffins 1 cup flour 1/2 cup unsweetened coc

When I was a child I made cheesecake from a No-Bake Cheesecake mix. I remember pouring the packet of powder into a bowl with milk and then beating it until it formed a pudding-like substance. I spread the pudding on top of a graham cracker pie crust and then put it into the fridge to chill. I was so excited about my first dessert! It became a family favorite. Fast forward a few years and I learned that the cheesecake recipe on the back of a package of real cream cheese is far superior to the boxed mix. Luckily I had parents who supported my baking hobby and they provided a pantry stocked with supplies. (Sorry mom and dad for dramatically increasing the cost of this dessert!) Obviously, this recipe became the family's new favorite. I doubled the recipe to make an extra thick New York style cheesecake.  It is delicious and moist even without a topping. My dad is no longer here to enjoy this dessert so I dedicate this piece to him on Father's Day. Thanks dad for always b