Chocolate Biscotti

  I always thought making biscotti would be complicated just because they were so classy. In my mind, biscotti were in the same category as croissants – a coffee shop delicacy that I could never recreate at home. You can imagine my delight when I found that this wasn’t the case at all! I think…

Sweet ‘n Crunchy Toast

  If you haven’t had some version of sugary toast for breakfast lately, you’re missing out.  Because you know, nothing beats warm toast for breakfast. It gives your taste buds that early-morning buzz. It gives your ego that early-morning boost (because toast + powdered sugar + strawberries is what a real adult professional would do)….

Vanilla Crème Brioche

Perhaps the most fascinating thing about French cooking is the artistry. It’s all about the quality of ingredients, the slow simmers, the nuances of flavor. In a rushed world that often treats cooking as a chore, French cooking reminds us to pause and savor. And this is the perfect thing to savor – it’s buttery and…

Molten Chocolate Cobbler

Oh my goodness. The bliss you experience with this cobbler is greater than any bliss you have ever experienced. That is no exaggeration.  I’m not lying. I’m still not lying. It’s not opposite day. It’s still not opposite day. But seriously. This piping-hot mess, with its gooey ooey center that slowly oozes a streak of…

Crunchy Chewy Kitchen Sink Cookies

Oh wow.  These turned out way better than I had anticipated, and I couldn’t wait to share this recipe with you!  These cookies ate the perfect balance between crunch and munch: they’re crispy and golden brown on the edges, and melty-gooey in the center. Absolutely stunning, and absolutely killer with a glass of cold milk….

Two-Ingredient Microwave Fudge

Seriously, if this isn’t the simplest fudge you have ever encountered, I don’t know how I can help you.  This one recipe inspired me to think about starting up a new section of this blog, called Kitchen Easy.  Get it? It rhymes and it sounds like Kitchen Cici! Oh come on, don’t be stingy with…

Easy One-Step Pumpkin Cake

It’s perfect timing, really. Now that Thanksgiving and the holidays are over, it’s high time to load up on some of those delicious grocery store sales. You know: the $1 festive cake mix, the 50¢ box of candy canes. This time, though, it was the $1.24 canned pumpkin that caught my eye. And then I wondered…

All-Natural Snow Cones

For some reason, snow cones (or “sno cones,” if you’re young & wild & free) are perceived as healthy. I have no idea why, as it’s just frozen water drizzled liberally with artificially-flavored corn syrup. It kind of reminds me of soda. But you see, it’s mostly made of water, and water is healthy. Let’s…

Easy Mooncakes with Mung Bean Filling

These things are so expensive in Asian supermarkets, you’d think they require hours of intense labor. Not so. Usually, mooncakes are made with somewhat exotic ingredients (golden syrup and lye water) and with even more exotic kitchen tools (namely, a special mooncake press). But look, my kitchen is currently located forty minutes away from the…

Dark Chocolate Tofu Ganache-Mousse

I must be candid with you. Take a seat. Please don’t run away. This is made with tofu. Whew. Glad that’s over with. Here’s the thing: tofu gives this dessert a creamy texture, a texture traditionally achieved through cream and eggs. I didn’t want to go through the laborious process of making real French mousse, so I figured…

Two-Ingredient Chocolate Syrup

Oh. My. Goodness. Throw out your corn syrup. Throw out your heavy whipping cream. Throw out your condensed milk. Forget it all. Today is the day that we found out chocolate syrup is just “chocolate + liquid.” And today, that liquid was good old, regular 2% milk. Here’s the story of how I came across…

Profiteroles

I rolled out of bed at 7:00am this morning and I felt like making French food. So I did. Welcome to my life. Be jealous, friends. The good news: this may be French food, but it ain’t fancy. Hardly any waiting time, no buttering/rising/folding/kneading involved. And it’s still yummy as heck. Drizzle it with easy…

Coconut Cake

It’s Mother’s Day soon, and my mother likes two things: 1. Coconuts 2. Cake What else am I supposed to do? I have no choice but to broil lobster tails for dinner. And then I had a thought: what if I did coconut cake for dessert? No clue where that idea came from, but I’m…