Category Archives: Desserts

Apricot Tart Squares | Baracslekvaros Racsos | EmmaEats

Apricot Tart Squares (Baracklekváros Rácsos)

May 2, 2013 by EmmaEats

I feel like a bad hostess these days. I’ve invited you in but haven’t been all here. To be honest, it’s felt like an insurmountable effort to write these days. A giant mountain to scale in order to get into the kitchen and be creative. And as each day gets filled with errands, pickups and drop-offs, chores, playdates and classes, it is all too easy to say “it’s been so busy”. But that’s hardly an excuse for having been so […]

Categories: Desserts, Really Yum Yum, Recipes • Tags: Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, Homemade, Kid-friendly, Mother's Day, nut-free, Recipes

Vegan Strawberry Scones

April 18, 2013 by EmmaEats

I’ve experienced a major shift in cooking and baking this year. It’s revolutionary from my family’s perspective — a family of accomplished bakers and cooks who have relied entirely on using butter and animal fats to concoct so many marvelous creations. Slowly, I’ve been expanding into unknown territory – using new techniques and new ingredients. Alternate flours, vegan margarine, cocoa nibs, chia seeds (apparently they are the seeds used in Chia Pets!) and coconut oil: they’ve all come into our kitchen […]

Categories: Brunch, Desserts, Really Yum Yum, Recipes, Super School Snacks, Vegan • Tags: baking, Baking and Confections, Biscuit, Brunch, coconut oil, Cooking, dairy-free, Dough, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, Homemade, Kid-friendly, nut-free, quick and easy, Recipes, scone, spring, strawberry, summer, Vanilla, Vegan, Whole wheat flour

Braided Easter Bread [Paszka] | EmmaEats

Braided Easter Bread, 2×2 ways

March 14, 2013 by EmmaEats

Food is more than just sustenance. It’s appreciation. It’s an exercise for your senses. It’s family. It’s tradition. Every Easter (and most Christmases), my Mother and prior to her, my Grandmother, made a golden sweet braided bread, similar to challah, baked in a large bowl to be shared during our celebratory feast. As a child, I didn’t really understand the meaning of the bread, only that I loved it and that it was a tradition of our family to share […]

Categories: Appetizers, Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Really Yum Yum, Recipes • Tags: baking, Baking and Confections, Bread, Breakfast, Brunch, Christmas, Cinnamon, coconut oil, dairy-free, Dessert, desserts, Easter, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, Homemade, Kid-friendly, nut-free, Recipes

Dairy-free Dark Chocolate, Apricot and Granola Muffins

[Dairy-Free] Dark Chocolate Granola Muffins with Honey and Apricots

February 28, 2013 by EmmaEats

It’s been a muffin-eating frenzy here lately. We don’t normally eat muffins very often. Many years ago, I had a failed attempt at making them (imagine mini boulders) and was scarred by the outcome. Now suddenly these little babies saunter into our kitchen and have been utterly irresistible to all members of our household. Emma even requested them for her snack day at school. Unbeknownst to her, these muffins are little fibre powerhouses. Between the whole wheat and spelt flours, […]

Categories: Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Really Yum Yum, Recipes, Super School Snacks • Tags: Apricot, baking, Baking and Confections, Breakfast, Brunch, coconut oil, Cooking, dairy-free, Dried fruit, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, Granola, Homemade, Honey, Kid-friendly, Muffin, Nigella Lawson, nut-free, quick and easy, Recipes, Whole wheat flour

Candy Cane Fudge

January 17, 2013 by EmmaEats

New Year’s resolutions are so overrated. This is the time of year where everyone feels the pressure to get fit, eat well and forego all extravagances after a month of indulgence. Many choose to go cold turkey – me, I prefer a more moderate approach. We eat more healthy foods, we work to get more active, we try to get more sleep and we still enjoy some treats. We’ve enjoyed a version of this fudge before – as Fudgey S’mores. […]

Categories: Desserts, Really Yum Yum, Recipes • Tags: Baking and Confections, Candy cane, Chocolate, Cooking, Dessert, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, Gift-giving, Homemade, Kid-friendly, nut-free, quick and easy, Recipes

Macaroons, Ginger Spice Cake and Crispy Mint Chocolate Bark

Homemade for the Holidays – Coconut Macaroons and Crispy Mint Chocolate Bark

December 27, 2012 by EmmaEats

Here’s a little gift to you – from our house to yours. Hope you and your families are having a wonderful holiday filled with much love, health, happiness and joy! Coconut Snowballs adapted from Diamonds for Dessert: Frosty the Snowman (makes 24 1 1/2″ snowballs) 3 1/4 cups unsweetened shredded coconut 3/4 cup vanilla sugar pinch of ground kosher salt 3 egg whites (from large eggs) 1 tsp pure vanilla extract a few squares of dark chocolate Line a baking sheet […]

Categories: Desserts, Really Yum Yum, Recipes • Tags: Baking and Confections, Candy cane, Chocolate, Christmas, Cooking, dairy-free, Dessert, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, Homemade, Kid-friendly, nut-free, quick and easy, Recipes, Rice Krispies

Family-friendly Christmas Fruitcake

December 20, 2012 by EmmaEats

Fruitcake snob = me. For the first 30+ years of my life, I did not like fruitcake. The thought of aged cake with glaceed fruits and almond paste that could be a year old or more was unfathomable. I was blissfully living a fruitcake-free existence when I realized that G loves it. I had no choice but to find a way to make this traditional cake palatable. Fruitcake has now become a family favourite. This was even our wedding cake. […]

Categories: Desserts, Really Yum Yum, Recipes • Tags: Autumn Recipes, baking, Baking and Confections, Christmas, Christmas cake, Dessert, Dried fruit, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, Fruitcake, Gift-giving, Homemade, Kid-friendly, nut-free, Recipes

Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cherry Bites

December 6, 2012 by EmmaEats

It can’t be so. Cookies with no nuts, no butter and no eggs and entirely irresistible. Well, it is indeed so. These incredibly flavourful cookies are definite crowd-pleasers and even diehard non-vegans won’t even notice that these tasty morsels are in fact without the butter, egg and nut triumvirate. Emma picked these for her school snack day awhile back and the platter came back clean. Empty. As were the bowls of them at her birthday party. As was the tray […]

Categories: Desserts, Really Yum Yum, Recipes, Super School Snacks, Vegan • Tags: Autumn Recipes, baking, Baking and Confections, Cherry, Chocolate, Chocolate chip, coconut oil, Cooking, dairy-free, Dessert, desserts, Dried fruit, Fall recipes, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, Homemade, Kid-friendly, nut-free, quick and easy, Recipes, spelt, Vegan

Ginger and Spice Cake

November 29, 2012 by EmmaEats

Not all cakes have to be frilly, frosted and fantastical in nature to knock your socks off. We’re heading into the holiday season and this cake is the perfect way to kick it off. It doesn’t sparkle. It’s not iced. It isn’t fancy in any sense of the word. But what it lacks in wow factor at first sight, it makes up for with the first bite. We’ve been eating it ever since the coolness of autumn started to roll […]

Categories: Desserts, Really Yum Yum, Recipes • Tags: Autumn Recipes, baking, Baking and Confections, Brunch, Christmas, Cinnamon, coconut oil, Cooking, Dessert, desserts, Fall recipes, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, Ginger, Gingerbread, Homemade, Kid-friendly, Maple syrup, nut-free, quick and easy, Recipes, spelt, Spice Cake, Whole wheat flour, Winter recipes

Dairy-free Vanilla Birthday Cake with Rose Ombre Frosting

November 15, 2012 by EmmaEats

Another year has flown by in the blink of an eye. Actually, the last five years have flown by in the blink of an eye. Yesterday, we celebrated Emma’s 5th birthday. How could it be five years already? What a wonderful young girl you’ve become, Emma! She wows us often with her inquisitiveness, her kind heart and cheerful nature. There are so many things we love about our Emma. She brings her artistic creations home from school everyday […]

Categories: Desserts, Really Yum Yum, Recipes • Tags: baking, Baking and Confections, coconut oil, dairy-free, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, Homemade, Kid-friendly, nut-free, Recipes, Stuart McLean, Vanilla

What have you got — Cheerios Cranberry and Granola Magic Wands (dairy-free)

October 4, 2012 by EmmaEats

Now here’s a snack fit for a princess. Or your superstar. In our household, we are currently going through very large quantities of Cheerios. Boxes of them. Are Cheerios something that your little ones enjoy a lot? Katie loves handfuls them. Emma loves bowlfuls them. Dry or in milk — it’s all very well-received and quickly consumed. This is why it is no surprise that a) Emma was flipping through a Cheerios cookbook; b) she came across a Cheerios snack […]

Categories: Desserts, Recipes, Super School Snacks • Tags: Baking and Confections, Cheerios, coconut oil, dairy-free, Dessert, desserts, Dried cranberry, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, Gift-giving, Granola, Homemade, Kid-friendly, Marshmallow, nut-free, quick and easy, Recipes

Winter is Coming — Apple Spice Layer Cake with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Frosting [Dairy-Free]

September 27, 2012 by EmmaEats

Thanksgiving is nearly upon us. I am thankful that although winter is coming, it is not quite here. Thankfully, it’s still months away! We’re just being greeted by Autumn — with her cool evenings, sunny days and breathtaking colours. It also means apple season is here and it’s time to take advantage of something else Autumn has brought us. Crisp, fresh and flavourful apples. This apple cake was inspired by many attempts to make the right apple cake over past […]

Categories: Desserts, Recipes • Tags: apple season, Autumn Recipes, baking, Baking and Confections, Cinnamon, Cooking, dairy-free, Dessert, desserts, Fall recipes, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, Homemade, Kid-friendly, Maple syrup, nut-free, quick and easy, Recipes, royal gala apples, spelt, spelt flour

Whole Wheat Banana Flax Baked Pancakes on fresh fruit skewers

I can make it on time — Whole Wheat Banana Flax Baked Pancakes

September 27, 2012 by EmmaEats

There is no longer any reason to start your morning without pancakes. Even when you’re running late. Like you, I try to do my best to provide a well-rounded healthy breakfast for my kids. Even though it only takes a few minutes to scramble an egg in the microwave/make toast/have a half a banana, somehow, that is too much to coordinate some mornings. Overhearing Emma’s teacher asking the children what they had for breakfast one morning got me thinking. Nearly […]

Categories: Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Lunch, Really Yum Yum, Recipes, Super School Snacks • Tags: baking, Baking and Confections, banana bread, Breakfast, Brunch, Chocolate chip, coconut oil, Cooking, dairy-free, Dessert, Family-friendly, Flax, Food, food-photography, Homemade, Kid-friendly, Maple syrup, nut-free, Pancake, quick and easy, Recipes, School Snacks, Whole wheat flour

Here comes the sun – Granola and Berry Breakfast Parfaits

September 11, 2012 by EmmaEats

Some mornings, we’re in a rush. Maybe I should say many mornings we’re in a rush. Ok, perhaps most mornings. Are your mornings the same? Happy back-to-school – hopefully it’s been a good start to the year for you all. We’ve had a fantastic start which means although it is a 3-minute walk door-to-door to Emma’s school, we’ve only had to run out the door to get there on time once. For us, that’s stellar! I attribute our new found […]

Categories: Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Really Yum Yum, Recipes, Super School Snacks • Tags: Breakfast, Brunch, Cooking, Cranberry, Dessert, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, Granola, Homemade, Kid-friendly, nut-free, quick and easy, Recipes

Let them eat cake — Spelt Crumb Cake with Fruit Swirl

August 23, 2012 by EmmaEats

Finally, the heat of the summer broke — at least long enough for us to bake this cake. And eat it. Four times. In one week. At first, I thought the lack of baked desserts around here the past few weeks spurred my family’s great desire for cake. But now I’ve realized, this is just a really good cake. It’s light and fluffy and it falls into tasty little crumbly bits on to your plate that are too good to […]

Categories: Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Really Yum Yum, Recipes • Tags: Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, Homemade, Kid-friendly, nut-free, Recipes

Get the Balance Right — Homemade Caramel Corn, 4 ways

August 9, 2012 by EmmaEats

We’re fresh off a visit to Disney World. One of Emma’s favourite Disney treats, among the many, is caramel corn. In general, it’s off-limits since most varieties are plastered with peanut warnings or contain added nuts. So we’re not talking just any caramel corn here. This is a nut-free, explicitly-stated-on-the-package kind which we only find at one shop over on Main Street. On past trips, we’ve even returned home with a few bags. This time, however, we didn’t have to! […]

Categories: Desserts, Really Yum Yum, Recipes, Vegetarian • Tags: Baking and Confections, Caramel corn, Cherry, Chocolate, Cooking, Cranberry, dairy-free, Dried fruit, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, Gift-giving, Homemade, Kid-friendly, Maple syrup, nut-free, Recipes, Vegetarian

Don’t Think Twice – Individual Black Forest Icebox Cakes

July 20, 2012 by EmmaEats

A rich, flavourful and gorgeous individual serving-sized cake that requires no baking? Inconceivable! When you don’t have central air conditioning, keeping the house cool during hot weather becomes high priority. We’ve had a lot of hot weather this year. As a result, most of our cooking has been happening outside to avoid turning on the oven or stove. That’s where this cake comes in. It requires no baking and only requires cooking if you decide to make the cherry preserves […]

Categories: Desserts, Really Yum Yum, Recipes, Vegan • Tags: Black Forest, Cherry, Chocolate, coconut, Dessert, desserts, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, Homemade, Icebox cake, Kid-friendly, nut-free, quick and easy, Recipes, Vegan

Wonderful One – Lemon Olive Oil Layer Cake with Coconut Whipped Cream Frosting

July 5, 2012 by EmmaEats

Let me start by saying I cannot stop eating this cake. I have made two of these cakes in the past 2 weeks. And no, I didn’t eat both of them all myself – one was actually for Katie’s first birthday party. What a glorious day! Our dear little Katie soaked up all the love from our family and friends that summer sunshine-filled afternoon. She made her entrance after nearly all of the guests arrived and socialized while eating tonnes […]

Categories: Desserts, Really Yum Yum, Recipes, Vegetarian • Tags: baking, Baking and Confections, coconut, dairy-free, Dessert, desserts, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, Homemade, Kid-friendly, Lemon, nut-free, Olive oil, Recipes, summer recipes, Vegetarian