creamy lemon squares

whooo hooo! so here's my first post of 2015. it only took me 25 days into the new year, so that's not too bad considering i haven't posted any recipes lately, or more like months with the exception of those mini pecan tarts last month.

okay, so i was inspired by miss martha stewart after watching one of her episodes of martha bakes, featuring citrus baked goodies. you see we are in the winter season and winter is known for its abundance of citrus fruits. we have a small lemon tree growing out back in our garden and it's bursting with lots and lots of lemons! i've never seen this many lemons on our tree before, it's incredible. i mean... i'm so excited because the endless possibility of anything lemon is amazing. of course, i just need to muster enough energy to bake or create delicious yummy looking and tasting things. we'll see where that takes me. but for now, yes... i've made these perfect little lemony and creamy squares. they are perfectly sweet and creamy with the condense milk, but yet at the same time the tartness in the lemons come through. it is just amazing. it's like a nice burst of goodness in your mouth.

below's the recipe should you want to make some yourself. i did a mini hybrid of two recipes in one. i couldn't be bothered to make the shortbread crust and opted for a graham cracker crust instead. i've made the shortbread a bunch of times, so the graham cracker crust with the lemon squares is a new thing. i'd say it's not too bad, just a tad crumbly when you eat it, but still delicious. i ate every little bit of it, to the last crumb even! ;)



creamy lemon squares
recipe adapted from martha stewart's lime squares recipes

ingredients:

for the crust

• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus more for pan
• 1-1/2 cup (about 24 squares) graham-cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup sugar

for the filling

• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (i used 3 lemons)

directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush an 8-inch square baking dish with melted butter. Line bottom with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides.
• In a food processor, finely grind the graham-cracker squares. Then add in sugar and butter and blend to mix. Press mixture into bottom and 1 inch up sides of prepared pan. Bake until lightly browned, 8 to 12 minutes. Cool crust, 30 minutes.
• To make the filling: In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks and condensed milk. Add lemon juice; whisk until smooth. Pour filling into cooled crust; carefully spread to edges.
• Bake until set, about 15 minutes. Cool in pan on rack; then chill at least 1 hour before serving. Using parchment paper overhang, lift out of pan, and transfer to a cutting board. With a serrated knife, cut into 16 squares, wiping knife with a damp kitchen towel between each cut.

makes 16 squares. enjoy! :)

martha stewart's outrageous chocolate cookies

i'm always a fan of a good cookie (recipe). this one here is for sure a keeper. plus, it comes from good old martha, which is a major plus. and on top of that, it's chocolate! what i love most about this recipe though is the fact that i don't need any fancy ingredients. everything you see here are items you pretty should have in stock already (assuming you are the occasional baker). or even if you don't, you can get these items easily with a quick trip to the grocery store.

these chocolate cookies are great. i love how soft and chewy they are. it's almost like eating a brownie, but in a cookie form. they make for great gifts as well. i actually made these for a girls night in event and we all loved it. well, i know i did. ;)

so if you're craving for some chocolates, or (chocolate) cookies.. why not give this a try? you won't be disappointed. :)





martha stewart's outrageous chocolate cookies
recipe from here

ingredients:

• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 package (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chunks

directions:

1. preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. heat chopped chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl in 20-second increments, stirring between each, until almost melted; do not overheat.
3. in another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. in a mixing bowl, beat eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla on high speed until light and fluffy. reduce speed to low; beat in melted chocolate. mix in flour mixture until just combined. stir in chocolate chunks.
5. drop heaping tablespoons of dough 2 to 3 inches apart onto baking sheets.
6. bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies are shiny and crackly yet soft in centers, 12 to 15 minutes. cool on baking sheets 10 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. or if you prefer (which is what i do) you can eat them after they've cooled a little bit. typically that's a few minutes out of the oven. they taste best warm, i think.

note: don't worry if the batter seems thin. it should look more like a brownie batter than a cookie dough. oh, and do not bake the cookies to a crisp; they are meant to be soft and chewy.

kids art cookies

several weeks ago c really wanted to make some cookies. instead of our usual chocolate chip cookies, we decided to do something different. he said he'd love to decorate some cookies. and me being me (i can't handle or have too much patience for sugar cookie cutouts and decorating), i opted for a much simpler approach to a decorated cookie with martha stewart's art cookie recipe.

these cookies turned out fabulous. they were quite the little edible art masterpieces. i say c did a very good job painting on the food coloring. the recipe said to use a straw and blow the paint around the cookie canvas, but that wasn't very successful with us. we did half blowing and half painting before baking our little cookie pieces. the overall results were great; abstract art pieces.

below's the recipe should you want to make some (with your little ones or grownups even). it's still summer so make some before school starts. hey, it could even be a neat little back-to-school treat for the teachers. :)


these cookies are quite the cookie art masterpieces and they taste delicious. so good and buttery.

kids art cookies
recipe from martha stewart

ingredients:

• 4 cups sifted all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• assorted liquid food coloring, for decorating

directions:

1. line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. in large bowl, sift together flour, salt, and baking powder; set aside.
2. in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. beat in eggs.
3. add reserved flour mixture; mix on low speed until well combined. stir in vanilla. wrap in plastic; refrigerate for 45 minutes.
4. preheat oven to 325°f. on a floured work surface, roll dough 1/4 inch thick. transfer rolled dough to a prepared baking sheet; chill until firm, about 15 minutes. cut dough into large rectangles. place the cut cookies 2 inches apart on both of the prepared baking sheets. to decorate, place a few drops of food coloring on a cookie. using a straw, gently blow food coloring over cookie. place baking sheet of decorated cookies in refrigerator; chill until dough is firm, about 15 minutes.

makes 12 to 16 cookies.

cook's note: since this cookie is so buttery, keep the dough well chilled so it's easier to work with.

celebrating one year with tres leches cake

has it really been a year? well, happy one year to design. bake. run. then! to celebrate the one year anniversary of my little blog here (you can see the first entry here), i made this delicious tres leches cake (recipe courtesy of miss martha stewart). i have to say, tres leches cakes are so ridiculously good. you cannot go wrong with the three milk combo. and c'mon… sweetened condensed milk – O.M.G. seriously, so, so good!

i remembered a couple months back while attending a kiddie birthday party at my brother-in-law's house and they had a tres leches birthday cake. on the drive home i told m i wanted a tres leches cake as my birthday cake (my birthday is this month) instead of his famous cheesecake; m was a little offended. hahahaha… i guess he was probably thinking because his famous cheesecake wasn't all that great or tasty anymore in my eyes. i told him it's just that the tres leches cake was just so darn good. i could never have enough of it. actually, i think it's so good because i don't eat enough of it and only on special occasions such as birthdays like the one we went to. okay, the point i'm trying to make here is, m doesn't eat a whole lot of baked goods these days but after i made this cake, i made him try it. he said he would only eat a couple mouthfuls and before i knew it, he ate the whole slice! he said it was for sure one of the best cakes he's ever eaten; and definitely better than store-bakery-made. he wants it as his next birthday cake. i told him right then and there, "see, i told you. that's why i wanted it for mine too!" hahahaha

alright, if you'd like to see how good this cake is, feel free to make the recipe and let us know. don't you agreed? tres leches cakes are really something delicious. i will for sure be making them again and again. just not all the time so it's still one of the best things ever! ;)


this tres leches cake is seriously one of the best thing ever, if not the best thing ever. nice and moist with all that soaked milk – delish!

tres leches cake
recipe from martha stewart

ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted and cooled, plus more for baking dish
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 5 large eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
• 1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 5 cups fresh fruit (optional), such as oranges or berries, for serving

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat eggs and 3/4 cup sugar on high until pale and thick, about 4 minutes. Add vanilla and beat to combine. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture and beat to combine. With a rubber spatula, fold in melted butter until incorporated. Transfer batter to dish and bake until top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes, rotating dish halfway through.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together milks. Poke warm cake all over with a wooden skewer or toothpick, then pour milk mixture over top and let cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.
3. Whip cream and 1/4 cup sugar to medium peaks. To serve, spread whipped cream evenly over cooled cake. Top with fruit if desired. I didn't bother with the fruit toppings except for the few blueberries that I put on top of the cut slices. The cake tastes delicious with or without the fruit topping, I think.

umm... so, the last year in review? well, let's say i haven't done as much design as i'd like (or at least post them up on here anyway). i hope that in this second year i can put up more design-related entries. i'd love to experiment with some thing such as watercolor art. nothing spectacular or anything, just some artwork; if not mine, maybe even c's. he love watercolor painting and have the best kiddie art for a 5-year-old. i really should post his lady bug watercolor painting he did for me a while back. he thought of it all by himself and it looks amazing. hah! probably better than what i would have done. but yes, all in all, i'd love to post more design works here.

now with running, i'm still chugging along. i run all the time, i just can't be bothered to blog about it. maybe i will pick that up again too, i don't know. it may help me with my pace/speed/etc. i still need to improve on my pace and get a better finish time. i hope that by the time the 2014 sf marathon comes around, i can run an easy 9:15 to 9:30-min/mile pace for the half marathon. that race is still a whole year ahead, so i hope to do great things from now til then.

and lastly, it's been a wonderful year for anything baked goods related. i do love how i stumbled upon a recipe for those cute mini creme brulee cupcakes. the pictures for those turned out fantastic as well and is one of my popular posts on here. the coffee nutella french macarons were one of my first few baking posts and to date it is my most popular post. i hope that this next year i will land upon or create some amazing goodies. i know i'm still baking like mad; although i have slowed down a little bit the last several weeks. i still have a lot of baking on my to-bake bucket list and i have some recipes i'd like to try or experiment. i can't wait to share them here and look forward to another year of journaling anything and everything design, bake and run related. :)

mixed fruit popsicles

yes, it's already june and that means the kiddies are out of school. c just finished his first year of school (kindergarten) and is moving on to first grade in the fall. he looked so sweet and proud on that last day of school last week. ahhhh… i can't believe my little baby is growing up!

okay, with school out and the weather heating up, a sweet and cool treat is definitely the perfect thing to have on a hot day. no kid can say no to a nice cold popsicle. c loves popsicles and had been asking me to make some with him for the past month or two. so one day sometime a couple of weeks ago we finally got around to making it. it was delayed so long because we didn't have any popsicle molds in the house; and yes, i didn't even have itty bitty dixie cups as a substitute for the molds. but yes, we finally got around to making it.

below are our incredible thirst-quenching cool treats. these fruity popsicles are the best thing ever for the upcoming and already hot (summer) days. c loved it and was so proud of himself (for helping me make them -- he put the fruit pieces and poured the juices in the molds) when the popsicles were finally ready to eat. i know we'll be making this again. but of course, i'd love to try a few other recipes. i'm thinking a creamy coconut would be awesome. nothing beats creamy coconut anything. i personally love coconut, so of course… it should be delicious. well, if i do make those, i'll try and see if i can snap a few photos to share on here!

below's the recipe. it's super easy to make and you can use whatever fruits you have available. the fruits we used we happened to have on hand. this makes for such a fun mini food project with the little kiddies, especially now that school's out. enjoy and stay cool. :)


these mixed fruit popsicles are the perfect things to make (with the little ones or without) for this hot summer weather.


we can't wait to make more fruity popsicles. these were so easy to make. :)

mixed fruit popsicles
recipe adapted from martha stewart

ingredients:

• 1 peach (or nectarine work too), cut into tiny chunks (or you can cut into 1/2-inch slices too if you like)
• 1 apple, cut into tiny chunks
• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 1/2 cup cherries, pitted
• 2 pouches of caprisun fruit punch (i'm sure you can use 1-1/2 to 2 cups of any fruit juice you like)

directions:

1. arrange some of each fruit in eight 3-ounce ice-pop molds, making sure pieces fit very snugly.
2. pour enough juice into each mold to just cover fruit.
3. insert ice-pop sticks and freeze until solid, 6 hours (or up to 2 weeks).

that's it! pretty simple eh? makes 8 delicious, cool and yummy popsicle treats perfect for any hot weather. enjoy! :)

peach with cream cheese crumb bars

i haven't been baking the last few days or week… actually, i can't remember the last time i baked before making these peach cream cheese crumb bars here. i just know it has been a while in my book. that's because i can't seem to find any time to bake! or want to bake. i'm always exhausted at night (that's when i usually do my baking). anyway, somehow i managed to get myself to make these crumb bars. i wanted to try out a recipe i saw on interest but didn't have any strawberries on hand. plus, i needed to use up the rest of whatever fruit we had in the fridge before it all spoiled.

so, the results? ahhh, yeah, these peach cream cheese crumb bars. the recipe below is really just martha stewart's blackberry crumb bars recipe that i've made many times in the past, but i just added a new layer to it, the cream cheese. it turned out pretty good. i do love my cream cheese. i think the cream cheese definitely added another layer of yumminess to this crumb bar recipe.

below's the recipe should you want to try and make it yourself. trust me, if you make it, you won't be disappointed. all that crumb toppings with the peach and cream cheese filling in the middle, then the bottom cake layer all together… mmmm…. so good. enjoy and happy baking and eating! :)


the crumb topping in this recipe is just delicious. i love how it adds a nice sweet crunch to the bars when you bite into it.


an overhead shot of the peach cream cheese crumb bars

peach with cream cheese crumb bars
recipe adapted from martha stewart

ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted, and 1/2 cup (1 stick), room temperature, plus more for pan
• 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan
• 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs
• 1 bar (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
• 4 medium size peaches, cut up into tiny pieces (or you can slice them if you like – if you do that, maybe you might not need as many?!)

directions:

1. preheat oven to 350°f. butter an 8-inch square baking pan. line bottom with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides; butter and flour paper, tapping out excess.
2. make topping: in a medium bowl, whisk together melted butter, brown sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; add 1 cup flour, and mix with a fork until large moist crumbs form. refrigerate topping until ready to use.
3. make cream cheese layer/filling: in a separate medium bowl, mix together the 1/4 cup granulated sugar and cream cheese together until blended. then add in one egg and mix until everything is incorporated. set aside.
4. in another separate medium bowl, whisk together remaining 3/4 cup flour, baking powder, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt; set aside. in a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat room-temperature butter, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy; add the two eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. reduce speed to low; mix in flour mixture. spread batter evenly in pan; then pour in the cream cheese filling and spread evenly. once that's done, sprinkle with peach pieces, then chilled topping.
5. bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 40 to 45 minutes. cool completely in pan. using paper overhang, lift cake onto a work surface; cut into 16 squares.

note: while you prepare the cake, refrigerate the crumb topping. this will help give it a nubbly texture once baked. to store, keep in an airtight container at room temperature, up to 3 days.

dessert table for a first birthday party

i just wanted to share a photo i took with instagram. i really think my first attempt at a dessert table this past weekend turned out beautifully. you can't really go wrong with mini cupcakes and macarons; oh, and of course, the full birthday cake. everything was lovely and cute as can be for a little girl having her first ever birthday (party).

so how was the party and goodies? a big successful! ;)

for the (similar) recipes shown in the pictures above, you can access them here:

- eggless vanilla (and chocolate) mini cupcakes
- coconut and raspberry macarons (coconut macaron recipe to come – no recipe posted yet. but you can get other macarons recipes here)
- martha stewart one-bowl chocolate cupcakes

enjoy!

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UPDATE: a few more photos from the party ;)


not only are these mini vanilla and chocolate cupcakes so cute and adorable, they're egg-free and perfect for any no-egg diet!


i had been meaning to make these coconut macarons and i think they turned out great! so yummy, and the raspberry ones are just as good.


so here's a (similar to my instagram) photo of the dessert table (this one was taken with my canon). i love how cute this dessert table turned out!

wild blackberry crumb bars

this was the blackberry crumb bars i made during labor day weekend earlier this month. on labor day c really wanted to go hiking so he insisted that we take him. we live pretty close to a state park with gorgeous view of the sf bay and beyond so going there for a hike was no biggie. plus we hadn't gone hiking in months (that was probably why c wanted to go).

halfway through our hike along this very overgrown trail we came across some bushes of wild blackberries. i'm not sure if c has ever had a freshly picked blackberry off the bush before so we picked a couple up and washed them for him. they were just ripe and perfectly sweet. we told ourselves we would get on with the hike and forget about the blackberries, but a few moments later we found ourselves picking a few blackberries here, a few there and before you know it, we had quite the handful of blackberries. let's just say all of our hands were full walking all the way back to the parking lot.

when we got home c said, "mommy, you could make a pie with that." i told him i could and i thought about it, but after a while, i couldn't be bothered to go through the process of making a pie crust. i'm not saying pie crusts are hard to make, i just didn't feel like making it that day. so long story short, i ended up making these delicious blackberry crumb bars. you see i've made these before but had never really made them with fresh blackberries. every time i thought about making them, i didn't have any fresh ones on hand and would always have to resort to the frozen kind. they would turn out alright, but not quite the same (now that i've had them with fresh ones).

these crumb bars turned out fantastic! c was so proud of himself for having been part of the berry picking and seeing an end result to it all.

below's the recipe should you be interested. i love these and cannot wait to make them again. you can substitute the blackberry for other berries. i'm sure another kind of fruit altogether will work just fine too. :)


mixing up the crumbly butter goodness topping


the unexpected find from our hike, fresh blackberries!


a closeup shot of the wild blackberries


a close-up of the finished delicious crumb bars out of the oven and cooling on the rack


a shot of it out of the pan, before cutting


i couldn't help it, i had to eat the first cut square before taking this picture. so good! hehehe


blackberry crumb bars
recipe taken from martha stewart

Ingredients

6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted, and 1/2 cup (1 stick), room temperature, plus more for pan
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 containers (5 ounces each) blackberries

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan. Line bottom with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides; butter and flour paper, tapping out excess.

Make topping: In a medium bowl, whisk together melted butter, brown sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; add 1 cup flour, and mix with a fork until large moist crumbs form. Refrigerate topping until ready to use.

In a medium bowl, whisk together remaining 3/4 cup flour, baking powder, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt; set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat room-temperature butter, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy; add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce speed to low; mix in flour mixture. Spread batter evenly in pan; sprinkle with blackberries, then chilled topping.

Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool completely in pan. Using paper overhang, lift cake onto a work surface; cut into 16 squares.

Cook's Note: While you prepare the cake, refrigerate the crumb topping. This will help give it a nubbly texture once baked. To store, keep in an airtight container at room temperature, up to 3 days.