SMiLes by Meg

Grasshopper Tart

For New Year’s Eve last week, I wanted a lighter dessert that would go somewhat well with a heavier main course of mushroom risotto. I also wanted that dessert to include liquor, since I was baking for friends. So, obviously, I turned to Boozy Baker. I’ve made a version of this in the past as Grasshopper Pie, and I think my baking skills have come a long way since then. That pie looked kinda weird, was not a good green, and I thought I could effectively make a tart in a pie pan. This time around, I decided to actually

Mint Chocolate Pistachio Fridge Cake

The best-tasting treats are not necessarily the prettiest things I make, even if that rainbow cake was pretty delicious. No, they’re the dump-everything-into-a-bowl-and-hold-it-together-with-chocolate recipes. They’re quick to make, clean out your pantry, and give you just the right amount a sweet and crunchy. Take this Mint Chocolate Pistachio Fridge Cake. Maybe you have chili chocolate, or salted chocolate in your kitchen. That’s fine – use that instead! Or maybe pistachios aren’t your thing, but you’ve got pecans and walnuts. Perfect! And maybe you’re someone that just doesn’t like rum-soaked raisins (I can’t imagine why). Try whiskey-soaked dried cherries. This recipe

Candy Cane Oreos

In my third installment of Christmas cookies, I bring you a twist on a classic: candy cane Oreos. I’ve made a similar dessert as a gluten free whoopie pie, but I think these are much better. Crispy cookie, fluffy buttercream, and some chopped candy canes for good measure. These cookies were inspired by Erik, who called me a couple of weeks ago to tell me about the amazing cookies his neighbor had made – fudgy chocolate with chocolate frosting and candy canes on top. For my cookie boxes this year, I wanted at least one sandwich cookie, so I thought

Peppermint Meringues

Christmas is a week away and I still haven’t made my cookie tins! Looks like I know what I’ll be doing in my five days post-finals (other than all of the shopping I’ve been neglecting). You can count on the fact that I’ll be making these again for my tins. They were surprisingly easy, and seem to hold up really well when rattling around in a tupperware all day, which means they are perfect cookie tin cookies. Bonus: they look super impressive.

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

I’m always surprised by how much of ice cream making is done over a stovetop. It’s a frozen dessert – I feel like at most I should be mixing the batter at room temperature, and then freezing it. But no, it’s like 20 minutes of stirring over low or medium heat and then using an ice bath after the fact to cool it down. Seems counterintuitive.

Dirty Girl Scout Cookies

Thursday was just one of those days when I really needed to bake something. Class got out early, I had done the reading for Friday, and I suddenly had a full afternoon on my hands. Since I was going to the grocery store anyways, I decided to pick a new recipe to try. And, as I usually do when I have friends coming over, I browsed through Boozy Baker to decide.

Grasshopper Pie

Yesterday, as I am sure you are aware, was the Pi Day of the century. 3.14.15. Naturally, as a teacher, I had plenty of people to invite over who were equally excited about such an event. And, obviously, this week I had to make pie. Now, my dilemma came when I realized that this would also be my last time to post before St. Patrick’s Day, which really is the highlight of the month of March. So my goal became to find a recipe that could double as celebrating both.