Holiday Cake Batter Truffles

These Cake Batter Truffles are the perfect little treat to impress your friends with at your next holiday party! They were a bit on the sweeter side when I first made them so I cut back on the sugar in the recipe. If super sweet isn't your thing, try dipping the truffles in dark chocolate to even out the flavor. If sweets are your thing then white chocolate all the way!

You'll Need:
1 cup of white cake mix
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon holiday colored sprinkles and more for decoration
Milk, Dark, or White chocolate chips for melting
Wax paper

How to:
In a bowl mix together the cake mix, flour, and sugar. Stir in the melted butter, vanilla extract, milk, and sprinkles. Mixture should be moist enough to hold its shape. Roll the dough into balls and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes

While the cake batter balls are in the fridge, melt down your chocolate in a double boiler or on 15 second increments in the microwave. When the cake balls are chilled, dip them into the melted chocolate and lay them on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Top your dipped truffle while the chocolate is still wet with more sprinkles. When finished, return the truffles back to the fridge for the chocolate to firm and serve!

Pumpkin Spiced White Chocolate Chip Scones

I'll be honest, I have never tried a scone until attempting this recipe. I have always viewed them as an overly fancy tea-time snack that would be complicated to make. On the contrary, the recipe is extremely simple and not as surprisingly, they go fabulously with a hot cup of tea!

It was a rainy day and I just wanted a way to warm up my apartment with the smell of fall.

You'll need:
2 3/4 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 tbsn baking powder
1 tbsn ground cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp all spice
1/2 cup  (8 tablespoons) cold butter
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

Recipe makes 12 scones

How to:
Combine all the dry ingredients and mix together. Add the butter and mix until the mixture is crumbly. I put my butter in the microwave for 30 seconds to make mixing easier. Add the wet ingredients and stir throuroughly. Add your white chocolate chips and mix them throughout the batter. Line a baking sheet with parchment or if you don't have parchment, just use an ungreased baking sheet. Sprinkle a bit of flower on the parchment or pan. Divide the dough in half to make two 5''-5 1/2'' circles that should be about 3/4'' thick.

Use a knife to slice each circle into 6 wedges and carefully separate the wedges so there is about 1/2'' space in between. For a better texture and rise to your scones, place them (uncovered) in the freezer for 30 minutes. While the scones are chilling, preheat the over to 425 F.

Bake the scones for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown. The white chocolate drizzle on top adds a nice touch and is simple to do. Melt some white chocolate chips in the microwave for about 45 seconds (make sure to stir halfway through to prevent burning), or until the chips are fully melted. Drizzle the scones with the white chocolate with the help of a spoon. Let them cool and enjoy with a cup of tea!

Valentine's Day Delights

Now I know a lot of people hate on Valentine's Day and claim that its a "Hallmark Holiday" and only exists to spur consumerism. I on the other hand, fervently believe that flowers, gifts, or chocolates will brighten anyone's day! I've come up with a few recipes to put you in the Valentine's Day spirit and to surprise your special Valentine.


Hidden Heart Cupcakes

You'll need:
2 batches of your favorite cupcake batter (or 1 batch split in half, depending on how many cupcakes you want to make)
Red food coloring
A small heart cookie cutter
Frosting of your choice

How to:
The trick to these cupcakes is using two separate batters. In one batch of the cupcake batter add a few drops of the red food dye until the batter is a nice pink color. When thoroughly mixed, pour the batter onto a pyrex pan. If your using the full batch of cupcake batter I recommend using a 9 x 13 pyrex. Cook the batter for the appropriate time via the recipe's instructions. When the pink cake is ready, let it cool fully. Once cool, cut out mini hearts from the pink cake using your cookie cutter. Make sure your hearts are small enough to fit into the muffin tin!

Next, pour your plain cupcake batter into your muffin tins so that each tin is about half full. Place your mini cut out hearts in each tin, so that it is point down in the batter.

Cover the hearts with about another teaspoon of batter and bake. Wait until the cupcakes are fully cooled until you ice them and then share them with your Valentine!

Valentine's Day Rice Krispies  

You'll need:
1 package of rice krispies
3 tablespoons of butter
1 package or regular marshmellows
Heart shaped cookie cutter
About 2 cups of white chocolate chips
Red food dye
Sprinkles

How to:
In a large saucepan melt butter over a low flame. Add the marshmellows and stir until they are completely melted. Remove them from the heat and add the rice krispies. Stir until the cereal is well coated.

Line a 9x13 pan with wax paper and evenly press the mixture into the pan. Allow the rice krispies to cool. Once cooled, cut out the rice krispies with your heart shaped cookie cutter.

Next in a double boiler, melt down the white chocolate chips. Once fully melted add about 2 drops of food coloring until the chocolate turns pink. Dip the heart shaped krispies into the pink chocolate mixture and lay them on wax paper. After dipping, sprinkle the chocolate covered parts with sprinkles and then allow them to cool.


My favorite Valentine's Day treat is chocolate covered strawberries, but for a lighter version try:

Chocolate Drizzled Strawberry Shish-Kabobs

You'll need:
Strawberries
Chocolate of your choosing
Shish Kabob sticks

How to:
Cut off the stems of the strawberryies and then slide them on the shish kabob sticks. Line the kebab sticks on wax paper.

Melt your chocolate in a double-boiler and with a spoon, drizzle the chocolate over your strawberry shish kabobs. Chill and serve!

Share these treats with someone you care about tomorrow and show them how much they mean to you!

Delicacies from Playa Del Carmen

Caprese Salad at Mosquito Blue

Creme Brulee 

Pistacio and White Chocolate Glazed Almond Sundae
at the Fairmont Mayakoba

Sorbet tria at the Rosewood Hotel

Dessert at the Rosewood Hotel 

Peppermint Hot Chocolate

If you want to try something really indulgent on one of these cold nights, give this homemade peppermint hot chocolate a try. It makes your kitchen smell like the holidays, and it will get you right in the mood for a good holiday movie! I have an affinity for anything peppermint flavored, but if peppermint is not for you, simply take the peppermint oil out of the recipe,

You'll need:
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups milk
dash of salt
1/4 cup sugar
6 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3 drops of peppermint oil
whipped cream and/or marshmallows

*Healthy hint: for a lighter version try using soy milk instead of the heavy cream to still get that creamy flavor and substitute sweetener for sugar





*Also if you don't have peppermint oil on hand, simply crush or grind up some candy canes and allow them to melt into your hot chocolate!

How to:
In a saucepan, mix together the cream, milk, sugar, and salt and heat the mixture on a medium-low flame. When the mixture begins to steam, add the chopped chocolate, stirring until melted. Add the peppermint oil, stir, and serve!

Easy as Pie..Pumpkin Pie

Will fall season quickly becoming winter I wanted to try my hand at one pivotal fall dessert: pumpkin pie. I've seen all different takes on the classic dessert but I wanted to try and simplify it. I've heard that you can make pumpkin pie with merely two ingredients: canned pumpkin and cake mix. I decided to elevate the recipe a bit to add more depth of flavors.

You'll need:
vanilla cake mix
canned pumpkin
cinnamon
nutmug
vanilla extract
chocolate chips
cream cheese frosting

How to:
Mix together the dry cake mix and canned pumpkin until it is fully mixed. Next add about a teaspoon of cinnamon and nutmeg each. Add about a capful of vanilla extract and as much chocolate chips as you desire! Mix until all the ingredients are fully mixed in.

Bake following the cake mix directions. When the cake is finished baking, let cool before icing.

Trick or TREAT?

With Halloween approaching closer and closer I thought it would only be appropriate to do a post in its honor. Growing up I would have halloween parties every year with my friends who would come over and we'd decorate cupcakes in various halloween themes. I decided to come up with a few types of halloween treats to enjoy during the holiday.

White Chocolate Eyeballs:
You'll need:
chocolate malt balls
white chocolate chips
m&m's
red piping gel
wax paper

How to: 
Melt the white chocolate in a double boiler until fully melted. Make sure to stir it so it does not burn. Once melted dip the malt balls in the white chocolate until they are fully coated. Place the newly coated malt ball on wax paper. After dipping all your malt balls in white chocolate, place a m&m on the top of the malt ball. Let the malt balls refrigerate until firm and then pipe squiggly lines of red piping gel on the "eyeballs" for a veiny effect.

Mummy Cupcakes

You'll need:
cupcakes of your choosing
m&m's
white icing
piping bag with a flat tip

How to:
With your cupcakes pipe a dot of icing to secure your m&m's for eyes. The icing will act as glue and help keep the m&m's in place. Next fill your piping bag with your white icing and start piping strips of icing across your cupcake to mimic mummy rags. Make sure to pipe the lines in all different directions to give your mummy a nice "wrapping".

Vampire's Favorite Cupcakes

These cupcakes have a "bloody" center that will be sure to spook out your guests!

You'll need:
cupcakes of your choosing (preferably vanilla so as to see the "bloody" center better)
cupcake corer
strawberry jam
vanilla icing
red food coloring

How to:
Before icing your cupcakes make sure to core the center of your cupcake by using a cupcake corer. This will create a hollow center in your cupcake which you will scoop some strawberry jam into. Next ice your cupcakes with vanilla icing and finally drip some red food coloring on the icing to emulate blood. You're guests are in for a "bloody" surprise once they bite in!

Ooey Gooey Peanut Butter Cookies

Anything peanut butter related is often a hit in my family and its been hard trying to find the perfect peanut butter dessert. Often I find them too heavy that I'm craving a gallon of milk afterwards. This recipe gives you the perfect peanut butter cookie that wont leave your mouth glued shut afterwards! And they are so easy to make, it only requires 4 ingredients and they also happen to be gluten free!

You'll need:
1 cup of peanut butter (crunchy or smooth, you're preference!)
1 cup of sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon of baking soda

How to:

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix together. Form balls of dough and place them on a greased cookie sheet. These cookies do not flatten out well in the oven so make sure to press them down on the sheet before cooking. Then just pop them in the oven at 350 for 6-8 minutes. I warn you, these cookies expand like crazy so make sure you place them far apart on the baking sheet because I almost ended up with a peanut butter cookie cake instead!

French Macaroons

I've always had a sweet tooth for desserts, and have never been afraid to tackle a new recipe, but I've always been hesitant towards the french macaroon. They have to be made to perfection in order to avoid any cracks, flattening, or a hollow shell. Even in the recipe it warns agains making them in humid temperatures since these treats are so finicky! Macaroons are a special treat in my family being that they are my sister's favorite dessert and are naturally gluten free. They came out so good that I had to make 2 batches in 2 days to keep up with the demand! The best compliment was when I shared some with my friend who just returned from Paris and compared them from the famous macaroon shop Ladurée! These desserts are so gourmet and adorably petite that you will impress anyone you share these treats with.

You'll need:
2 large egg whites at room temperature
1 cup confectioners sugar
1/4 cup of superfine sugar
3/4 cup almond flour
pinch of cream of tartar
piping bag
parchment paper

How to:
Sift together the almond flour and confectioners sugar twice to make sure its superfine. Preheat your oven to 375. Whisk the egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and whisk until soft peaks form. Reduce the mixing speed to low and add the superfine sugar. Increase the speed to high and whisk until stiff peaks form (approximately 8 minutes). Add the flour mixture to the whites and fold in until the mixture is shiny and smooth. *tip* if you like the flavor of almonds add a splash of almond extract to your batter to really bring out the almond flavor in the batter!

Transfer the batter to a pastry bag and pipe out 3/4 inch circles about an inch apart on a baking sheet (make sure you line your baking sheet with parchment paper otherwise your macaroons will stick!) When finished tap the bottom of the baking sheet to release trapped air. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees and bake the macaroons for 10 minutes, rotating the tray halfway through.

Sandwich 2 same-size macaroons with 1 teaspoon of filling. I used raspberry jam which added a nice contrast to the almond crusts.

Watermelon Jello Shots

Since summer is wrapping up and to me summer and watermelon go hand in hand, I wanted to come up with a fun twist to the college frat party staple: jello shots. I've seen some gourmet versions where the jello is poured into orange rinds rather than dixie cups, but I decided to "summer-ize" it by making the jello shots look like mini slices of watermelon.

Watermelon Jello Shots:

(makes 40)

You'll need: 

1 box of watermlon jello (or any other red flavor)

10 limes

1 cup boiling water

1 cup vodka
chocolate sprinkles as "seeds" (optional)

How to:

First cut all the limes in half and hollow out the peel. You can use a melon scooper or take a knice and cut the insides carefully to loosen the lime from the peel. Spoon out the lime.

Next add the boiled water to the jello mix and stir until the mixture dissolves. Slowly mix in the one cup of vodka. Pour the mixture into the lime shells and refrigerate overnight (add a few chocolate sprinkles on top if you want!)

Carefully cut each lime shell in half and cheers!

Low-cal Ready to Eat Cookie Dough

The only thing better than chocolate chip cookies is chocolate chip cookie dough! But knowing that the cookie dough will end up surrounding my tummy instead of in it, has deterred me from scarfing a whole bowl of the gooey stuff everytime I whip up a batch. I've come across a single serve recipe for ready to eat cookie dough that will save you from any food poisoning (bye-bye salmonella) and tweaked it into a low-cal version that is the perfect guilt free dessert!

You'll need:
1.5 tablespoons of butter (I used Smart Balance)
3 tablespoons of flour (I used Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Flour)
1 tablespoon milk (skim)
2 tablespoons of sugar (I used Splenda because it has a fine texture that blends well into the dough)
splash of vanilla extract
chocolate chips or carob chips (or andy topping of your choice!)

How to:

Mash the butter. Then add all other ingredients excpet for the milk and additional toppings to end up with a dry, crummy mixture. Then add the milk and toppings and enjoy!

The dough makes about 4 balls and totals to 100 calories before adding toppings

(with 2 tablespoons of carob chips or 1 tablespoon of regular semisweet chocolate chips the total is 170 calories)

Party Popsicles

As a kid I was a big fan of ice creams and popsicles in the summer. The icy treat was always so refreshing after a long day in the sun. I decided to try to give my old favorite an updated twist by making alcoholic popsicles for a more grown up version of the pool party treat. These popsicles are so easy to make and are a fun unexpected treat for your guests!




For me watermelon is the quintessential summer time treat so what better than to combine 2 summertime favorites into a watermelon margarita ice pop?

Watermelon Margarita Ice Pops

You'll need:
5 cups of chopped cubed seedless watermelon
2 tablespoons of fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons of sugar (I like to use Nustavia for a low-cal version)
1/4 cup of tequila
Ice pop molds

How to:
Purée all the ingredients in a blender until  liquified, the strain the mixture into a large measuring cup. Pour the mixture into the molds and freeze it for 30 minutes. If your ice pop molds do not come with a stick, add a wooden popsicle stick to the center of each mold. Continue freezing until firm (about 24 hours).




Over spring break last year in Punta Cana, a tequila sunrise was me and my friends drink of choice. Its a sweet tropical tasting drink that always brings me back to my times on the beach. This popsicle version is just as good as the real thing!

Tequila Sunrise Ice Pops
serves 8

You'll need:
1/2 cup of cranberry juice cocktail
2 tablespoons of lime juice
2 teapoons of honey
1.5 cups of orange juice
1/4 cup of tequila
popsicle molds

How to:

In a measuring cup combine cranberry juice cocktail, lime juice, and honey. Pour 4 tsp of the cranberry mixture into the bottom of each mold. Freeze for an hour or until firm. In a separate measuring cup combine the orange juice and tequila. After the cranberry mixture has firmed pour the orange juice mix into the rest of the mold.  Cover molds with foil and insert popsicle sticks into the mold. Freeze overnight and remove foil before serving.

Mojitos have to be one of my favorite drinks of all time. I find them so refreshing and I love the extra sweetness that the simple syrup adds. These popsicles pack a delicious punch.

Havana Mojito Popsicles

You'll need:
1/4 cup of Bacardi Light Rum      
1/4 tablespoons of fresh Lime Juice                  
1/4 tablespoons of Simple Syrup*
2½ cups Lemon lime soda (sprite or sierra mist-I used diet for the lighter version)              
12  Fresh mint leaves                         
3 cups Ice Cubes                         

Combine all ingredients into blender with ice.  Puree all ingredients until mixture is smooth and slushy.  Pour slushy mixture into Popsicle molds.  Add Popsicle sticks and freeze for 8 hours

**Simple SyrupYields: ½ cup
Prep: 10 minutes
½ cup        Sugar of choice                  
½ cup        Water                          
Bring water to a boil and remove from heat.  Add sugar and whisk mixture until all sugar has dissolved.  Mixture should be clear in color.  Bring to room temperature.
**use an all natural zero calorie sweetner for a healthier option

Summertime Treats

During the summer I always find myself craving a refreshing dessert. A few weekends ago my friends and I stumbled accross this place in New York City called Forbidden Fruit. They had a huge assortment of different fruits that could be dipped in different types of chocolate with various toppings. Since they were so good, I attempted to recreate my own version at home the next night! I used bananas, dark chocolate (its good for your heart!), and some rainbow sprinkles for a fun pop of color!