I cannot believe we are enjoying the last couple days of August and the last few days of summer – where does the time go? And it’s been a busy week for me with life, but I always make room to cook, bake and eat well.

Aside from enjoying time with friends and family this summer, I am a forever student and I am always committed to learning new skills and this summer I took a cookie course taught at George Brown College, and it was amazing. It was a 10-week intensive where you learn cookie history, professional techniques and methods while exploring a variety of ingredients and textures.

We made so many different cookies (from drop cookies, piped cookies, icebox cookies, bar cookies, and more) and explored some fun and unique flavours (like sumac and strawberry sandwich cookies!). I loved every minute of it and even though I’ve been cooking and baking my entire life, I came out with more knowledge and respect for the craft.

Something I learned

While there were so many tips & tricks I learned in the cookie course, one of the most valuable lessons I learned was how to achieve any desired cookie texture. For example, moisture is necessary for a chewy cookie, along with the following components: high sugar (brown & invert not white), high liquid, less fat, more eggs, strong flour or having enough gluten development during mixing.

I’m not saying you need to stuff all the components into one cookie for it to be chewy but we learned that having at least one or combining a few will often yield the results you’re looking for. Of course baker’s percent plays a significant role as well but the deeper you get into baking the more you realize it’s not just art & delicious creations but it’s also a science, it’s math, and it’s technical.

What I’ve been Cooking & Eating

I’m always recipe testing (especially baked goods) and aside from that my meals lately have been fairly basic and focused on being nutrient packed, healthy and tasty. I also made room this week for some tacos because I love Mexican food.

This Week’s Recipes

Here are the recipes I shared this week:

These cookies are for the matcha lovers. They are thin and chewy and packed with a sweet, earthy and umami goodness.

Tap for the Full Matcha Cookie Recipe

When getting my Culinary Arts certificate a few years ago, I took a Thai Cuisine elective course that was life changing. It was taught by a talented Thai Chef who was so passionate & well versed in the food of her culture and she shared so many great tips, tricks & techniques. These two salads were amongst my fave and I make them time and time again.

Tap for the Full Naam Tok Recipe

Tap for the Full Yum Nua Recipe

What I’ve been loving lately - Bakery Crawls

Seasonal Pastries: I love pastries (obviously), especially seasonal danishes. Over the past few months, I’ve stopped by Black Bird Bakery and tried their rhubarb danish, blood orange danish, strawberry danish and just this week their peach danish - all gorgeous, fragrant and delicious!

Thought for the week

I love having a quote or thought or idea that anchors me for the week, months and years and this quote has been really powerful for me lately:

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage" - Anaïs Nin

I love this quote because it reminds me to be more courageous and fearless everyday and to not let comfort or limiting ideas keep me stagnant.

I hope this quote can motivate you throughout the week, the way it motivates me.

What’s coming next week …

I’m working on a a few fall recipes (is it too soon for fall food talk?) so if all goes well they’ll be up this week.

I’m also considering signing up for a 2027 half-marathon (I say this every year TBH) which for me would require months and months of slow training and preparation- so I might share bits & pieces of that journey here.

That’s all for me this week. Thanks so much for subscribing and letting me share glimpses and of moments of my foodie life.

Until next week,

Aneisa 🫶

Hey Everyone! It’s been a while since I last posted! I am officially back on Substack (yay!) and I am so excited to be sharing on this platform again.

To kick things off, I am sharing a recipe I developed over the past few weeks: Brown Butter White Chocolate & Cardamom Macadamia Cookies. I love White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies so much, they remind me of my childhood because I ate so many as a kid.

I wanted to tweak the classics we all love by adding two elements: brown butter and cardamom and literally it takes these to another level. The texture is lightly crisp at the edges and chewy inside (the perfect texture IMO) – plus the cardamom adds an unexpected floral hint that just works. These are like your fave childhood cookie tweaked for adults. I hope you love these as much as I do!

Ingredient Overview

White Chocolate: Use the best quality you can find. I prefer Callebaut, Valrhona, Ghirardelli, Guittard, Lindt or even the Baker’s Bar found in most grocery stores. Avoid white chips that have no cocoa butter as the taste and melting ability will be off.

Macadamia Nuts: I prefer to buy them raw and then roast them myself, but you can also buy unsalted roasted macadamia nuts.

Brown Butter: Brown butter seems to be controversial these days in the baking community, but I love it in the right recipes. Make sure you measure it before and after for the best results. For this recipe, you start out with 200g of butter and once browned, your butter should weigh 163-165g. Then we add back in some of the water that cooks off as noted in the recipe.

Cardamom: I love cardamom very much for its unique floral qualities. If you don’t like it, you can omit it and the recipe will still be delicious.

Softened Butter: Softened butter is added to compensate for some of the water cooked off during the browning of the butter but also to add additional structure to the cookie.

Corn Syrup/Honey (Invert Sugar): I learned all about invert sugars in my baking arts program and I love adding them to cookies for chew and prolonged softness days after the cookies are baked.

Water: As noted previously, the water added to the dough in steps four along with the water in the soften butter compensates for what was cooked off during the brown butter step. Without this, the cookies will lose their chew and can run dry.

Brown Butter White Chocolate & Cardamom Macadamia Cookies

Prep: 45 mins Chill: 20-25 mins, then 4 to 24 hours Bake: 12 mins Yield: 13-14 cookies, 85 g each

Ingredients

Dry

• 2⅓ cups (295 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled

• ½ tsp (3 g) baking soda

• 1 tsp (5 g) fine sea salt

• 1 tsp (2 g) ground cardamom

Wet

• ¾ cup (163 to 165 g) browned butter, weighed after browning. Start with 200 g unsalted butter.

• ¼ cup (56 g) unsalted butter, softened

• 1 tbsp + 2 tsp (25 g) water, to replace what cooks off while browning

• ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar

• ¾ cup (160 g) light brown sugar, packed

• 1 tbsp (20 g) corn syrup or honey

• 1 large egg (50 g), room temperature

• 1 large egg yolk (18 g), room temperature

• ½ tbsp (7 g) vanilla bean paste

Inclusions

• 200 g white chocolate, 170 g for the dough and 30 g for topping. I use Callebaut W2 callets. Chips, callets, or a roughly chopped bar all work, so use the best you can find.

• 120 g roasted macadamias, coarsely chopped, 100 g for the dough and 20 g for topping. Start with 130 g raw.

• Flaky sea salt, to finish

Instructions

1. Roast the macadamias at 325°F (165°C). Spread 130g raw macadamias on a sheet pan. Roast for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring once. Check at 8 minutes, they burn fast. Look for: pale gold with a few darker spots, strong toasted smell. Cool completely, then chop coarse. Leave a few larger chunks so they stay visible.

2. Brown the butter by melting 200 g unsalted butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium, swirling occasionally. Once the foam subsides, watch the bottom of the pan. Look for: golden brown specks and a nutty aroma. Pull it the second you get there; it goes from good to burnt in seconds. Pour into a heatproof bowl, scraping in every browned milk solid. That is where the flavour is. Weigh it, you want 163 to 165 g.

3. Cool the butter for about 20 minutes, until warm rather than hot but still fully liquid. 100 to 110°F (38 to 43°C). Too hot cooks the egg. Too cool will not dissolve the sugar.

4. Build the cookie dough by adding the softened butter, both sugars, and corn syrup to the browned butter. Beat with a handheld mixer on medium about 45 seconds. Look for: glossy and smooth. It will not look like creamed butter and sugar. That is correct. Add the egg, yolk, water, and vanilla bean paste. Mix until creamy with no streaks of egg, then stop. You want emulsification, not aeration.

5. In a separate bowl, whisk in the dry ingredients, the flour, baking soda, salt, and cardamom, a full 20 seconds so the cardamom is evenly distributed.

6. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix on low or fold with a spatula until just combined. Look for: thick, soft, slightly glossy dough with no dry pockets of flour. Stop the moment you get there.

7. Fold in the 170g white chocolate and the 100g macadamias until evenly distributed. The inclusions should be heavily studded in the dough but still cohesive. Chill the dough in the bowl for 20 to 25 minutes to firm up slightly.

8. Then, remove from the fridge and scoop into 85g portions and roll each into a smooth ball. Note: Make sure you weigh them. Consistent size is what gives you a consistent bake. Press the reserved white chocolate and macadamias onto the tops now, while the dough is soft. Cover the dough balls and refrigerate.

9. Chill for 4 hours minimum, 24 hours ideal. If you have no time, 2 hours is the floor if you are short on time, but they won’t be as flavourful and will be slightly dry as the flour won’t have fully hydrated – you will taste the difference. The rest hydrates the flour, firms the fat so the cookies hold their shape, and lets the browned butter and vanilla develop. Look for: dough firm and cold all the way through.

10. Bake at 375°F (190°C), on parchment-lined pans. Put 4 to 5 balls per half sheet, 3 inches apart, one pan at a time on the center rack. These spread slightly and crowding them means they run together. Bake 12 minutes straight from the refrigerator. Look for: golden-brown edges, a golden surface, puffed centers that still look soft.

11. Shape and finish if needed, straight out of the oven, use a butter knife or a round cutter slightly larger than the cookie to push the edges inward into a clean circle. Work fast, while they are hot and flexible. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt while warm. It balances the sweetness. Note: I find that if the dough balls are rolled into a smooth perfect ball before chilling, they bake into near perfect circles and rarely need reshaping.

12. Cool the cookies on the pan 15 to 30 minutes. These are large cookies and they need it. Look for: edges completely set, centers still soft and chewy when pressed gently. Transfer to a wire rack. Enjoy with a glass of milk, warm coffee or tea!

Notes, Tips & Storage

1. Chill the cookie dough before baking them: Once shaped into dough balls, chill these for 4 hours minimum and up to 24 hours in your fridge. This allows for full flour hydration, better cookie marination (flavour development) and controls spread (the longer you marinate the thicker the cookie will be).

2. Bake these cookies cold from the fridge: Do not allow these to come to room temperature before baking or the final result and texture will be wrong. Baking these cookies cold controls spread.

3. Frozen dough balls: If you want to freeze the shaped dough balls, let them chill in the fridge first for 4-24 hours, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to three months. When ready to bake, bake them from frozen and add an additional 2-3 minutes to the bake time.

4. Storage: Once baked, store these cookies in an airtight container at room temp for up to 3 days and in the fridge for a week.

5. Weigh your ingredients: I provide cups and grams in all my recipes for convenience, but I can’t stress enough that for the best baked goods and accuracy is key and weighing is far more precise than measuring will ever be.

Let me know if you try these!

I’d love to hear what you think and how they turned out! Also, did you add or omit the cardamom?

These Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies are exactly that.

Perfect Brown Butter Chocolate Chips Cookies

Ingredients

DRY INGREDIENTS

• 2 1/3 cups (295g) all-purpose flour spoon & levelled

• 1/2 tsp (3g) baking soda

• 1 tsp (5g) fine sea salt

WET INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 cup (160-165g) browned butter, weight after browning 200g unsalted butter weight before browning

• 1/4 cup (56g) unsalted butter softened

• 1 tbs + 2 tsp (25g) water to adjust for what cooked off from browning the butter

• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar white sugar

• 3/4 cup (160g) brown sugar packed

• 1 tbsp (20g) corn syrup or other invert sugar

• 1 large egg 50g, room temp

• 1 large egg yolk 18g, room temp

• 1/2 tbsp (7g) vanilla bean paste

CHOCOLATE

• 1/2 cup (100g) semi-sweet chunks callets or discs

• 1/2 cup (100g) milk chocolate chunks callets or discs

• A little extra chocolate for topping each cookie optional

• Flakey Sea Salt for finishing

Instructions

• Brown butter by melting it over medium heat and swirling it occasionally, it will foam, then the foam will subside, and right around that moment you’ll see golden brown specks forming on the bottom of the pan and smell something nutty and almost toasty, that’s your signal to pull it off the heat immediately because it goes from perfect to burnt very fast. Pour it into a heat proof bowl and set aside to cool but still remain a liquid state, about 20 minutes. Tip: Make sure you measure the butter before browning and after. Target 163–165g of browned butter. The 25g of water added later is calibrated for this. If you come in below 160g, add 5g extra water in step 4.

• With a handheld mixer, mix together the browned and soften butter, sugars, and corn syrup until glossy. Then, add egg, egg yolk, water and vanilla.

• In a separate bowl, whisk in the flour, salt, and baking soda. Mix in the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until just combined.

• Fold in the chocolate, scoop 85–90g dough balls then top with extra chocolate.

• Chill the dough in a covered dish or baking pan for 18–24 hours (ideally 24 hours).

• Bake at 375°F for 12-14 minutes on a parchment line baking dish. You know they’re done when the edges are browned and center is golden brown. Note: bake the dough balls cold directly from the fridge.

• Remove from the oven and shape if needed using a butter knife to even out the circle shape. Sprinkle flaky salt and allow the cookies to cool and set on the baking sheet for 15-30 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to fully cool.

• Enjoy with a cold glass of milk or cup of coffee.

Aneisa 💕

These creamy lemon bars have been through a lot of testing, and the Biscoff crust is what took them from “good” to “addicting”. That warm, spiced cookie crumb against the bright, silky tart lemon filling is such a fun & tasty pairing — it just works.

Here’s what they look like sliced, straight out of the fridge and dusted with powdered sugar:

The filling sets up smooth and creamy, not too jiggly, not too firm — with that sharp, fresh lemon tang balanced by just enough sweetness. The crust holds its structure but still gives you that soft, buttery bite underneath. It’s tart, it’s rich, it’s a little nostalgic thanks to the Biscoff, and it’s exactly the kind of dessert I want all summer long.

✨ Scroll for the Full Detailed Recipe

Creamy Lemon Bars with a Biscoff Crust

Ingredients

FOR THE CRUST

• 100 g (7 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted

• 2 tbsp (25g) granulated sugar

• ¼ tsp fine sea salt

• 205 g about (33 Lotus Biscoff cookies)

FOR THE FILLING

• ¾ cup (180ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 3 lemons)

• 1.5 cans (450ml or 495g) sweetened condensed milk

• 4 egg yolks large

• Zest of 1 lemon

• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract

• ½ tsp fine sea salt

Instructions

• Line a 8×8 pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides for easy lifting. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).

• Pulse the Biscoff cookies in a food processor into fine crumbs.

• In a bowl, combine the crumbs with the melted butter, sugar, and ¼ tsp fine sea salt. Mix until evenly damp.

• Press the mixture firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan in an even layer.

• Bake for 10 minutes, then remove and let cool completely.

• While the crust cools, whisk together the condensed milk, egg yolks, and vanilla in a medium bowl until smooth.

• Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, and ½ tsp fine sea salt. Whisk until smooth and slightly thickened.

• Pour the filling over the cooled crust and level with an offset knife.

• Bake for 25–30 minutes, until the edges are set and the center jiggles as one piece rather than rippling. If needed, bake in 3–5 minute increments until set.

• Cool in the pan at room temperature for at least 1 hour, then refrigerate for 2–4 hours, or overnight for the cleanest slices.

• Lift out using the parchment overhang, dust with powdered sugar, and slice into 9 squares/bars.

Notes

• Storage: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days; freeze (without powdered sugar) for up to 2 months.

• Make Ahead: Best made the day before serving — the overnight chill gives the cleanest slices.

• Key Tip: A fully cooled crust and a properly set center (one-piece jiggle, not a ripple) are the two things that make or break this recipe.

I hope you enjoy this one and don’t forget to subscribe to know when new recipes & new newsletter drops.

Aneisa 💕

I don’t say this lightly… but these might be one of the best matcha brownies you’ve ever had.

These white chocolate matcha brownies have been a long time in the making, and after testing them over and over, I finally got them exactly where I wanted them.

Here’s what they look like fresh out of the fridge after a 30 minute chill:

They’re ultra fudgy with that crinkly, bakery-style top, soft in the center, and perfectly chewy around the edges. The white chocolate melts into the batter for this creamy sweetness, while the matcha adds just enough depth to keep you going back for another bite.

They feel a little elevated, but still cozy and indulgent and I’m genuinely obsessed.

White Chocolate Matcha Brownies

Ingredients

WET INGREDIENTS

• 4 oz (113g) high quality premium white chocolate, chopped

• 6 Tbs. (85g) butter unsalted cold butter, cubed

• ¾ cup + 2 tsp (185g) white granulated sugar

• 1/3 cup + 1 tsp (85g) brown sugar

• 3 eggs, room temperature large

• 1½ tsp (11g) vanilla bean paste or 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 tsp (7g) corn syrup or honey

DRY INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/4 cup (150g) All Purpose Flour, spooned and levelled

• 1 Tbs (10g) cornstarch

• 1 tsp (5g) fine sea salt

• 2.5 Tbs (15g) ceremonial matcha, scooped and levelled

• ¼ tsp (1g) baking powder

EXTRA WHITE CHOCOLATE TO MIX IN AND TOP WITH

• 1/4 cup (40g) white chocolate chunks (baker’s bar or store-bought white chocolate) folded in

• 1/3 cup (60g) white chocolate chunk (baker’s bar or store-bought white chocolate bar) on top

Instructions

• Line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment and set aside.

• In a small pot add butter and white chocolate and stir until a until it’s melted down and a smooth uniform emulsion. If the mixture separates, add 1–2 teaspoons of hot water (max) and stir until it comes back together. Remove from heat, sift in the matcha, and stir until smooth and vibrant green. Set aside to cool slightly.

• Preheat oven to 335°F (168 °C). In a stand mixer (or with a hand mixer) whisk sugars, eggs, corn syrup or honey and vanilla bean paste for 3-4 minutes on medium-high until pale, thick and glossy. Turn off the mixer.

• Before adding the matcha mixture, check the texture and temperature. If it has thickened too much, gently rewarm it over low heat for about a minute, stirring until smooth and lukewarm. It should be fluid but not hot – otherwise it may cook the eggs.

• With the stand mixer on low, slowly whisk in the warm butter/white chocolate matcha mixture until the entire batter is just combined. The batter should be thick, glossy, and slow-flowing – not runny.

• Sift in the dry ingredients and gently fold it into the mixture until just incorporated (about 10-20 folds or until you see no streaks and no dry spots). Don’t overmix to avoid activating too much gluten formation which can create a tough gummy blondie. Fold in the white chocolate chunks. Let batter rest for 5 minutes to hydrate flour and thicken.

• Pour batter into a parchment lined 8×8 metal pan, it should be glossy and vibrant green. Lightly bang the pan 2-3 times on the counter before putting it in the oven to remove large air bubbles and prevent sinking. Then, scatter the top with white chocolate chunks or chips

• Bake for 45 minutes (up to 50 minutes max!) edges should be set, top no longer wet, the center just a little jiggly but does not look liquid and toothpick comes out with moist crumbs and the surface a glossy green. Remove from the oven.

  Note: Once it hits the 25-minute mark, tent it with aluminum foil so the matcha doesn’t get brown.

  Optional (but recommended): At the 35-minute mark, remove the pan and gently bang it on the counter 1–3 times. This helps create a fudgier texture and collapses excess air bubbles

• Cool in the pan undisturbed and uncovered for 60 minutes at room temperature. Then, refrigerate uncovered for 30-60 minutes (this will give it super clean slices when you cut in). Don’t cut them straight out the oven, they won’t be set yet. The brownies have to firm up, and this only happens once they’re cooled (it’s worth it for the best texture!).

• Once ready to eat, run hot water over a knife, wipe it and then cut the blondies into 9 equal squares and enjoy!

Notes

Baking Dish: Bake this in a metal pan rather than a glass dish. Metal conducts heat evenly and will ensure a more uniformed bake.

Storage: Store covered in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days. The interior gets firmer over time in the fridge.

Hope you enjoy and don’t forget to subscribe to know when new recipes drop.

Aneisa 💕

Thick and Fudgy Triple Chocolate Brownies Recipe

Equipment

• 1 8×8 Brownie Pan

• Handmixer or Standmixer

Ingredients

INGREDIENTS FOR BASE LAYER

• 14 tbs (200g) unsalted butter

• 1 1/2 cup cup (225g) dark chocolate (60-70%)

• ½ cup (45g) Dutch cocoa powder

• 1 tsp (2g) instant espresso powder

• ¾ tsp (4.5g) fine sea salt

INGREDIENTS FOR RIBBON PHASE

• 1 1/3 cups + 1 tbs (275g) white granulated sugar

• 1/3 cup (75g) light brown sugar

• 3 large eggs (150g) room temperature

• 1 egg yolk (25g) room temperature

• 1 tsp corn syrup

• Optional: 1 tbs 15g vanilla bean paste

INGREDIENTS FOR STRUCTURE

• 1 cup + 1 tbs (125g) All-purpose flour, spoon and levelled

INGREDIENTS FOR CHOCOLATE LAYERS

• ¾ cup (130g) quality dark chocolate (55% to 60%), chopped

• 1/2 cup + 2 tsp (90g) milk chocolate chips

Instructions

• Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper and set aside. In a small pot on low heat, melt butter and dark chocolate– make sure to stir constantly to avoid burning the chocolate. Remove from the heat and immediately whisk in the cocoa powder, espresso and salt. The residual heat will bloom the cocoa powder and espresso powder which deepens the cocoa flavor. Let it cool for 5-10minutes.

• Preheat the oven to 325F. In a stand mixer or with a handheld mixer on speed 4-5, beat the eggs, egg yolk, sugars and corn syrup to ribbon stage (about 5 minutes). You know you’re beaten the batter enough when the mixture is thick and pale yellow. The sugar should also be fully dissolved and when the whisk is lifted from the mixture, the batter should fall into a ribbony pattern. This step ensures a crinkly top and the additional air incorporated in also allows additional lift for a thick brownie.

• With the mixer on low, stream in the vanilla bean paste and the bloomed & cooled chocolate mixture. Fold in the dry ingredients until no dry spots remain, but don’t over mix. Lastly, fold in the dark chocolate chucks. The batter will be thick and glossy.

• Add to a parchment lined 8×8 pan, sprinkle the milk chocolate chips and press them in gently with a spatula. Bake for 40-45 minutes – do not overbake as brownies will continue to set as they cool. You know it’s ready when the edges are set, the center barely jiggles and a toothpick has a few moist crumbs. Internal temperature should be 188F (ideal) to 192F (max). Remove from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 30 minutes, lift from the pan and let cool another 15-30 minutes on a wire rack. Then cut with a hot knife into clean slices. Enjoy with a glass of cold milk or beverage of choice.

INGREDIENTS FOR THE SPICY TUNA

· 1 large or 2 small ahi tuna steaks (250g-300g tuna, preferably sushi grade or frozen, finely diced)

· ¼ cup kewpie mayo – I sometimes use 1/8 cup if I want a less creamy texture

· 1 Tbs. sriracha

· ½ Tbs. soy sauce

· 2 tsp. sambal sauce

· 1 tsp. sesame oil

· 2 tsp. fresh lemon or bottled yuzu juice

INGREDIENTS FOR THE CRISPY RICE

· 1.5 cups sushi rice

· Dried Kombu (optional but worth it for that umami flavour)

· 2 ¼ cups water

· 1/8 cup rice vinegar, unseasoned

· 1.5 Tbs. white granulated sugar

· 1 tsp. kosher Salt

· Vegetable oil for frying

· 1 tsp. oil, to be folded into rice after vinegar is added

· Furikake (Japanese rice seasoning)

FOR GARNISHING

· Minced Green Onion or Chives

· Furikake or Toasted Nori Flakes or Powder

Instruction

1. Rinse the rice and cook as per package. Optional: you can cook the rice with a piece of dried kombu for extra umami flavour. Once cooked, immediately remove the kombu. Heat the vinegar, salt and sugar in the microwave for 30 seconds and pour mixture over the cooked rice. Fold in with a spatula or rice spoon to coat the rice – the rice will clump up.

2. Press rice into a cling wrapped 8x8 baking tray. Wrap the top of the rice and press down hard with another tray and weigh it down with a couple cans of beans. Put in the refrigerate for 2 hours.

3. Meanwhile prepare the tuna: In a medium bowl, add the finely minced tuna, the mayo, sriracha, sambal, lemon juice or yuzu, sesame oil and soy sauce. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

4. Once the two hours are up, remove the rice from the fridge. Lift the rice out onto a cutting board and using a wet knife to prevent the rice from sticking, cut the rice slab into even squares or rectangles. Keep a bowl of water nearby as well to dip hands in in case rice sticks to them.

5. Heat oil over medium heat and fry the rice blocks (in small batches, don’t overcrowd the pan) until deeply golden brown on both sides (turning 2-4 times to ensure an even fry). Move rice blocks onto a wire rack, immediately sprinkle with furikake or toasted nori flakes/powder. Continue until all pieces are fried.

6. Top rice with tuna mixture, sprinkle with green onions or chives and enjoy one of the best bites ever!

Notes, Tips, Suggestions

· Once cooked, I like to cover the rice with paper towel and put the lid back on for 5 minutes before I stir in the vinegar seasoning mixture. This helps absorb excess steam and prevents gummy rice.

· It’s classic to top this with a slice of jalapeño – so feel free to. I omit it most of the time.

Serves: 4

BLOOD ORANGE BUTTER SYRUP INGREDIENTS

· 1 cup (200g) White Sugar

· ¼ cup (60ml) of water

· 2 slices of orange peel

· ½ cup (120ml) Orange Juice, freshly squeezed and strained (I juiced 3 blood oranges and 1 Cara Cara or navel orange)

· 2 Tbs (28g) butter Unsalted Butter

· ¼ tsp Salt

· 1 whole dried Star Anise, optional

· Juice of half a small orange freshly squeezed (off heat), OR a tiny splash of orange blossom water, to whisk in at the very end (off heat). I squeezed in half a small a navel orange

DUTCH BABY INGREDIENTS

· ¾ cups (90g) AP flour

· 2 tbs (25g) white sugar

· 3 large eggs, room temp

· 1 cup (240ml) whole milk

· ½ tsp Vanilla bean paste

· 3 tbs (42g) unsalted butter

FOR SERVING

· 2 Oranges (I used 1 blood orange and 1 Cara Cara orange). Peel and membrane removed and horizontally sliced or and a scoop of ice cream.

· Powdered sugar for dusting, optional

DIRECTIONS FOR THE BLOOD ORANGE SAUCE

1. Add the water, sugar and orange peel to a medium sized pot over medium heat and bring to boil (do not touch it, do not stir). Cover the pot for 1-2 minutes max (this created steam this helps prevent sugar crystals). Then remove and cook for another 1-2 minutes to thicken slightly – it should be slightly viscous. Reduce the heat to low and whisk in the orange juice – the mixture will bubble vigorously, just keep whisking until it subsides and is smooth. Add in a star anise if using it and before simmering for two minutes until the mixtures slightly thickens.

2. Remove from the heat, remove the star anise and orange peel and whisk in the butter until smooth. Then whisk in a little salt to taste. The desired texture is a loose syrup almost like maple syrup with a gorgeous coral hue. Finally squeeze in the strained juice of half a small orange to brighten the syrup

3. Set aside and make the Dutch baby

DIRECTIONS FOR THE DUTCH BABY

4. Preheat oven to 425F with a cast iron skillet inside. While the oven preheats, blitz all the ingredients except for the butter in a blender until smooth and let it rest for 5-10 minutes to allow the flour to hydrate. Once preheated, remove the pan from the oven, add butter and put it back into the oven until it’s melted (15-20 seconds). Remove the pan, swirl the pan to coat with the melted butter and immediately add the batter to the pan.

5. Place it in the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes. Remove the skillet from the oven, the Dutch baby will be puffy, golden with a slightly custardy center (do not open the oven at all while baking of it will deflate). Drizzle some of the orange butter syrup over the pancake, arrange the orange sections onto the pancake and top with the more sauce and a scoop (or two) of ice cream, and dust with powdered sugar. Serve immediately.

NOTES & TIPS

· Oranges: Blood orange has a deep ruby red hue and is a bit tangier. Cara Cara is pink fleshed, low acidic and sweeter than navel oranges. Navel orange is the most common and typically sweet, acidic and sometimes tart variety that’s available everywhere.

· Substitutions: You can use any orange that you have on hand, I just love to utilize a variety of citruses during their season, especially blood orange because it’s so stunning.

· Method Options: You can also coat the blood orange in the sauce right before serving if you prefer.

· Storage: Store the orange butter syrup (without the orange segments) in an airtight container in the refrigerator and gently reheat uncovered for 10-20 seconds in the microwave. The pancake is meant to be eaten right away. Don’t let it sit for long once you top with the syrup, fruit and ice cream.

Serves 4

BANANAS FOSTERS INGREDIENTS

• ¼ cups (56g) or ½ a stick of unsalted butter

• 2/3 cups (145g) dark brown sugar

• 3 Ripe but firm Bananas, cut on the diagonal (some freckles is ok)

• 4 tbs (60ml) Dark Rum or Bourbon

• 1 tsp Vanilla bean paste

• ½ tsp Cinnamon

• ¼ tsp fine sea salt or kosher salt

DUTCH BABY INGREDIENTS

• ¾ cups (90g) AP flour

• 2 tbs (25g) white sugar

• 3 large eggs, room temp

• 1 cup (240ml) whole milk

• ½ tsp Vanilla bean paste

• 3 tbs (42g) unsalted butter

DIRECTIONS FOR THE BANANAS FOSTER

1. Melt butter over medium heat, add brown sugar and mix until sugar is dissolved. At this point the mixture will be thick and start to bubble, about 2 minutes. Add the bananas and gently swirl pan to coat, the bananas will release water which will loosen the sauce. Then add the cinnamon and cook for 1-2 minutes until the sauce begins to look like a loose caramel sauce.

2. Pour in the dark rum, whisky or bourbon to the pan and carefully ignite. Swirl the pan for a couple minutes until the flame dies. Add vanilla bean paste, swirl the pan lightly to distribute and until the mixture is bubbly and a warm honey consistency and just until bananas are softened. Remove from the heat and set aside and make the Dutch baby.

DIRECTIONS FOR THE DUTCH BABY

3. Preheat oven to 425F with a 10” (26cm) cast iron skillet inside. While the oven preheats, blitz all the ingredients except for the butter in a blender until smooth and let it rest for 5-10 minutes to allow the flour to hydrate. Once preheated, remove the pan from the oven, add butter and put it back into the oven until it’s melted (15-20 seconds). Remove the pan, swirl the pan to coat with the melted butter and immediately pour the batter into the pan.

4. Place it in the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes. Remove the skillet from the oven, the Dutch baby will be puffy, golden with a slightly custardy center (do not open the oven at all while baking of it will deflate). In the last 3 minutes of baking reheat the bananas foster on low heat if it is too cold and/or thick but only to warm it, do not re-boil the mixture. Spoon half the bananas foster onto the pancake. Then top with ice cream, the remaining bananas foster and dust with powdered sugar. Serve immediately.

NOTES & TIPS

Flambéing: is optional, if you prefer you can add the alcohol and swirl until the alcohol cook’s off. Safety – The most important thing is to be safe and only do this if you’re comfortable. Have the pot cover nearby to cover the pan to extinguish your flame if it doesn’t burn off or get out of hand.

Gas vs Electric Stove: Flambéing with a gas stove involves tilting the pan slightly to incorporate the flame from the element. I have an electric stove, so I used a long stick candle lighter, ignited it away from the pan and brought it to the pan right after pouring in the alcohol.

Alcohol: You can use rum extract if you don’t want to use alcohol.

To avoiding splitting the sauce follow these techniques: Use medium heat not high. Sugar should be fully dissolved before adding the bananas. Once alcohol is added, do not boil the mixture. If it ends up splitting and looking greasy or separates, add 1-2 tsp of warm water or cream and whisk until smooth

Cinnamon: You can also add the cinnamon to the melted brown sugar in step one which blooms the cinnamon and will give it a deeper cinnamon flavour. This is a taste and preference decision, I wanted cinnamon to be a subtle background note, so I added it later in the recipe.

Alcohol: I used a triple barrel aged whisky which has caramel tasting profile. Rum is the classic choice and works beautifully. Bourbon would also be amazing.

Vanilla Bourbon Toffee Sauce Ingredients

¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter

2 cups (440g) dark brown sugar or muscovado sugar, packed

1/3 cup (113g) Fancy Molasses

¼ cup (60ml) Bourbon (sub with Whisky only if you don’t have bourbon)

2 tsp (10g) Vanilla Bean Paste

½ tsp (3g) Fine Sea Salt

1 cup (250ml) Heavy Cream

Optional: 1 Tbs (20g) Glucose Syrup/Light Corn Syrup for shine and glossiness

Spiced Sponge Cake Ingredients

1 Cup (125g) AP Flour

¾ tsp (3g) Baking Powder

1 tsp (5g) Baking Soda – divided (1/4 Tsp for the dry ingredients & ¾ tsp for the date soak)

½ tsp (3g) Fine Sea Salt

Spices: ½ tsp Cinnamon, ¼ tsp Nutmeg, and 1/8 tsp Allspice

2 Tea Bags of Rooibos or Black Tea

1 ¼ Cup (190g) Medjool Dates, Pitted and Chopped

3/4 Cup (180ml) Water

2 Eggs, room temp

3 Tbs (43g) Unsalted Butter, melted

3 Tbs (45ml) Neutral Oil (ex. Vegetable)

1/3 Cup (73g) Dark Brown Sugar

1/8 Cup (25g) White Sugar

2 tsp (10g) Vanilla Bean Paste

Directions

1. Bring the water to a boil. Add the tea bags, remove from heat, and let steep for 3–5 minutes. Discard the tea bags, then stir in the baking soda and dates. Return the mixture to the heat and warm gently—do not boil. Remove from heat, cover, and let soak for 10 minutes. Using a handheld blender, pulse until it’s a chunky mash (do not fully purée the dates, as this can make the cake gummy). Set aside to cool.

2. To a bowl add in the melted butter, oil, eggs, vanilla bean paste, and sugar and whisk until emulsified.

3. Sift and fold in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt. Then gently fold in the dates until combined.

4. Fill batter into a well-greased and/or parchment lined 8x8 square pan and bake at 350F for 35-40 minutes (I bake to 40 minutes).

5. When there is 10-15 minutes left for the cake is baking, make the vanilla bourbon toffee sauce: Heat a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter, add the sugar, molasses, corn syrup (if using) and salt. Whisk until smooth and cook over low heat until the mixture lightly bubbles then add in the heavy cream – bring the mixture to just simmering then remove from the heat and then add the bourbon in and whisk until combine

6. Once baked, remove the cake from the oven (skewer should come out with moist crumbs). Using a fork or skewer, poke holes all over the cake ensuring you hit the bottom of the pan. Pour half the sauce all over the cake, loosely cover with foil and let it rest for 20-30 minutes to allow the sauce to fully soak through and absorb.

7. Cut and plate a slice then pour over some of the remaining sauce, add a scoop of ice cream, pour a bit more sauce and a sprinkle of flakey salt. Enjoy!

Notes, Tips & Storage

The sauce: The sauce thickens as it cools. If you want it runnier, reheat gently to desired consistency but don’t pour it on the ice cream hot. The best temperature for the toffee is warm not boiling hot.

Ingredients: The glucose/corn syrup is optional, but it does add a nice glossy finish to the toffee – it also helps prevent the sauce from splitting. The rooibos tea used to soak the dates can be replaced with English breakfast tea for a more traditional flavour profile. The rooibos helps bring out the vanilla and caramel notes in the sauce.

Storage tips & Reheating instructions: Store the cake covered at room temp for 2-3 days then refrigerate for up to 5 days. To reheat the cake, do only a serving size at a time at 30-60 seconds. Store the toffee in the fridge and reheat a serving for 10-20 seconds in the microwave or on the stove.

Alcohol: Bourbon is ideal for this dessert, but whiskey can be a good replacement. Make sure to add the alcohol at the end once the toffee is removed from the stove to preserve its flavour which really shines through and compliments the spiced cake sponge.

Makes 16 Cookies

WET INGREDIENTS

½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, straight from the fridge (this will be browned)

½ cup softened unsalted butter, this will be creamed with the sugar

1 cup (200g) dark brown sugar

½ cup + 2 tbs (120g) granulated sugar

2 eggs, (100g) room temperature

2 tsp (10g) vanilla bean paste

DRY INGREDIENTS

2 tbs (15g) milk powder

1 tsp (5g) kosher salt or ½ tsp fine salt

½ tsp (3g) baking soda

2 cups + 2tbs. (260g) AP flour, spooned and levelled

5 sheets (75grams) Graham Crackers, crushed

¾ cup (150g) chopped semi-sweet chocolate, reserve ¼ cup (40g) for topping

1 cup (170g) milk chocolate chips

16 Large Marshmallows

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a pan, brown the butter until golden tan and it smells nutty but not too dark. Immediately add in milk powder and stir for 30 seconds max until it browns a bit more and smells even nuttier and remove from heat and immediately pour into a heat safe bowl. The toasted milk powder will foam a bit. I love using it here because it deepens the brown butter providing a caramelized creamy milk taste.

2. Using either a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, hand mixer or a handheld whisk, cream the softened butter and sugar for 3 minutes. Then stream in the cooled brown butter. Then add in the vanilla bean paste and eggs and mix until emulsified.

3. Sift in the flour, salt, baking soda and fold until combine. Fold in the crushed graham crackers, chocolate chips and chocolate chunks until incorporated.

4. Using a large cookie scope, scoop out cookies 16 equal rounds of dough and place on a baking tray and refrigerate for 10 minutes. Remove the dough from the fridge and working one at a time, flatten the dough, place a marshmallow in the middle and encapsulate each marshmallow with the dough leaving the top of the marshmallow exposed. Once you have 16 individual marshmallow wrapped dough balls, place pieces of the leftover semi chocolate chip chunks onto of each dough ball (I typically place 3-4 pieces on top). Place back in the fridge for 30 minutes (don’t chill longer then 1 hour).

5. Preheat the oven to 350F. Place about 6 cookies on a pan (or ensure they are 2” apart) and bake for 12-15 minutes max. Remove from the oven and cool on the pan for 10 minutes. Optional but worth it: Using a kitchen torch, char the marshmallows for the ultimate indoor campfire experience.

NOTES, TIPS & STORAGE

· Storage: In an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days. Alternatively, they can be stored in the fridge for 7 days – though the fridge changed the texture and it will be firmer.

· Reheating: You can also rewarm these in the microwave for 10 seconds before eating to get the marshmallow and chocolate all melty and oozy.

· Butter Note: This recipe uses both brown butter and soften butter. The brown butter gives incredible deep flavour, while the soften butter creamed with the sugar provides lift and added structure – perfect for cookies stuffed with a large marshmallow and allowing them to bake up tender and not greasy.

· Optional Ingredients: The milk powder is optional, but it adds a lovely, toasted caramelized milky taste to the batter.

· Flavour Tip: For a stronger graham cracker taste you can swap out 2 tablespoons of the granulated sugar with 2 tablespoons of powdered honey (not liquid) – this will give a lovely nostalgic honey graham cracker taste.

· Charred marshmallow: Provide the campfire vibes but if you don’t have a kitchen torch, they still taste great without this step.

Cinnamon Rolls are one of my fave desserts. I’ve been working on this recipe for a while, tinkering and changing it as I go and I finally feel like I landed on the perfect entry-level recipe. I say entry-level because there are so many different ways to make cinnamon rolls with various easy to advanced techniques and I wanted a simple fuss-free recipe option that’s perfect for weekends, brunches or Christmas/Holiday mornings. This is that recipe - hope you love it!