lady-friendly cakes

I found a lovely recipe last week for Chocolate Souffle Cupcakes with Mint Cream.

Usually, I steer clear of gluten-free recipes. I would rather bake a batch of cookies the way they're "supposed to be" and share them with others and perhaps have some fruit (okay, chocolate or ice cream) myself.
But this recipe was exciting. Flourless chocolate cakes! Why hadn't I thought of this sooner? Because they were prepared like a souffle, seperating and beating the eggs before baking, they were not as dense as other flourless treats, and a touch of peppermint extract balanced out the cream topping perfectly. And the best part, of course, was that I was able to partake.

Find the recipe (and a much, much prettier version of the cupcakes) here.

no baking required.

Or any prep whatsoever, besides keeping a keen eye for the freshest fruit and tossing them into your basket.

But what more could you want?


Super sweet mandarins
Crunchy, bitter chocolate
Smooth vanilla bean ice cream
And a waxy green leaf if proof of un-canned citrus is necessary.

I could eat this for breakfast, lunch, dinner...
And all of the meals between.

christmas bake-off part one:

Dark chocolate-dipped peppermint meringues.

A quick dip in super dark chocolate surprised with a nice contrast to the super-sweet melty peppermint meringues. I was inspired by this Martha Stewart recipe, but totally baffled about how to present a sandwich cookie that is pointy on both ends (other than on... is that chicken wire in her picture?).
Highly recommended as a simple, light cookie alternative. And it is-wait for it- gluten free!
Leftovers can be crumbled to top ice cream sundaes or hot chocolate, too.