Lemon Torte

After weeks of using chocolate as the primary ingredient, I decided to spice things up and use lemons instead. In my mini library, I search for a lemon based dessert that would inspire me. I was weighing the pros and cons between lemon bars or lemon tarts, which now that I think of it are kind of like the same thing just in different forms. Ultimately I made my favorite Lemon Torte, I got this recipe from Heny Sison a celebrated chef here in Manila. I attended one of her class years ago. The first time I made this it turned out perfect and never look for any other alternative for lemon torte because for me this is it. It’s tangy and sweet at the same time with a lot of crunch from the walnuts. It’s one of those, I thought I don’t like lemons, it’s that good! I don’t make this often though because it’s hard to fit 5 pans in my home oven because it’s too small for this and every time I managed to squeeze the lot it, it’s mighty time consuming as well and the dishes! Don’t get me started in the dishes that piles up whenever I make this. Is so exuberant! And I very much hate washing the dishes! But then my heart is not keen on making either the bar or the tart, so torte it is.

Softest Chocolate Chip Cookie?

The cookie monster is back! I already found the BEST chocolate chip cookies, it’s my go to recipe when I’m craving some.  This week is different though, I saw this recipe from the tasty kitchen and it said the Softest Chocolate Chip Cookie ever! So you know me, I got to give it a try. What intrigued me the most is that it uses vanilla pudding mix to keep it soft?!? Huh? Interesting… Luck for me I have a box of vanilla pudding mix waiting to be consumed. It turned out promising as I was mixing the dough, it actually smells nice and the dough itself is softer than my usual dough. Moreover, portioning them out was such a breeze that I had such high hopes but I was very much disappointed. I made my portions in a cylindrical shape hoping when they flatten out it would be a nice round cookie shape, but noooo…. When I was baking them, they didn’t flatten out! What the….? It look so weird! I have a batch of cookies that looks like something you wouldn’t eat on a regular day, so disappointing. It tasted good though, not the best chocolate chip there is, however they are indeed quite soft. It’s a good thing actually that I didn’t double the recipe because I find it a bit tedious having the need to flatten them out before baking them. 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars

In search for something easy yet different this weekend, I always go to my second love which is cheesecake. This version is actually perfect to use up my blocks of cream cheese and my packets of  graham cracker crumbs. Though I love making almost everything from scratch, I still get my graham cracker crumbs from a packet. I just find it so convenient to have on hand and I can whip up a cheesecake any time the craving hits. For this particular craving I made Elinor Klivans' Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bar, phew! that is definitely a mouthful and sounds very delicious. I got this recipe off her book nicely named The Essential Chocolate Chip Cookbook, with a title like that who could blame me for having a copy of it and ogling on the awesome pictures for quite sometime now. The ogling has finally stopped after months and months of just flipping through it and now have decided to bake something off of it. You're definitely in for a treat!

I ♥ S & R

One thing I find frustrating living in the Philippines is how difficult it is to find some of the baking ingredients like baking chips. Whenever I stumble upon Hershey's, Ghirardelli or Nestle's site, I suffer from baking chip envy. I even thought of ordering online but then with the expensive shipping fee and I'm afraid that it would all melt together due to the long voyage from the Americas. Luckily, S & R answered by problem. Not everything however its a start. I haven't been to S & R for quite some time now around 6 months or so, that's why I'm so happy when my parents and I dropped by earlier today. I spotted on some baking chips! I'm like a kid lost in the candy store. Since we don't often go there, I hoarded! I can't wait to give them a try. I even found cinnamon sticks that looks like cinnamon sticks and one of my favorite chocolate Raisinets!