How to Make
The Ultimate Salted Chocolate Chunk Cookie

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
2. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
3. Beat butter and sugars with an electric mixer at medium speed, occasionally scraping down sides of the bowl, until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla; beat until pale, 4-5 minutes. Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually add flour mixture until just blended. Fold in chocolate chunks using a rubber spatula.
4. Scoop dough into even portions (2 tablespoons each) and arrange 2 inches apart on 2 parchment paper-lined baking sheets (maximum of 6 cookies per sheet). Sprinkle cookies with flaky salt and refrigerate sheets until dough is firm to touch, 10 minutes.
5. Bake at 450°, rotating baking sheets halfway through cooking, until just golden brown around the edges, 6-7 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Repeat process with remaining dough.

How to Make
Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Cupcakes:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F (175 C) and line a 12-count muffin pans with paper liners.
2. In the large bowl with stand mixer, mix flour, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon & nutmeg.
3. Stir in canola oil. Add eggs, one at a time. Beat until well-combined.
4. Stir in vanilla extract and milk.
5. Add carrots and nuts (if using). and stir until combined.
6. Evenly divide batter into cupcake liners, filling each 2/3 - 3/4 full. Transfer to the oven and bake at 350 F for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Allow to cool completely before decorating with cream cheese frosting.

Frosting:

1. Combine butter and cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer (or you may use an electric mixer) and beat until creamy, well-combined, and lump-free.
2. Add vanilla extract and salt and stir well to combine.
3. With mixer on low, gradually add powdered sugar until completely combined then turn mixer on high for 2 minutes.  Use to frost completely cooled cupcakes.

How to Make
Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries

1.  Wash the strawberries and lay out on paper towels to dry.
2. In a large bowl or stand mixture, beat the softened cream cheese until it is smooth. Make sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and get out all the lumps.
3. Beat in 1/4 cup powdered sugar and 1/4 cup sour cream. Add the vanilla and a tiny pinch of salt if you want. 
4. Remove stems ... cut all the strawberries so that they lay flat on your work surface, pointy sides up.
5. With a sharp paring knife, carefully slice the strawberry in half vertically through the center to within 1/4 inch of the base. Cut each half into 3 wedges, forming 6 "petals." See photo. Place your finger in the center and pull the petals apart slightly, so that you have room to fit your piping bag inside.
6. Prepare a piping bag with a large star tip. I use a Wilton tip 2D, which is actually a "drop flower" tip. Any similar tip will work fine.
7. Place the cheesecake filling into the piping bag. 
8. Place the tip of the piping bag all the way down into the center of the strawberry and start filling. Use your fingers to arrange the "petals" of the strawberry as you move upward, so that the filling is distributed evenly.
9. Melt 2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips with 2 teaspoons shortening (see notes). Stir until smooth. Use a fork to dip the filled strawberry in the chocolate. Set on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or wax paper to firm up.
10. Dip the bottom (flat) side of cheesecake filled strawberries in melted chocolate. 
11. Serve immediately. You can prepare these about 2 hours ahead of time. Eventually the strawberries will start to wilt and the cream cheese filling will be stained red. Store covered in the fridge until ready to serve.

Note

Melting Chocolate - For dipping chocolate I like to use semi-sweet chocolate chips and I do not add any shortening or oil.  I put it in a glass (microwave safe) bowl or measuring cup and put it on high for 30 seconds, STIR, put it in for 15 blasts after that and STIR in between EACH and EVERY 15 second blast.  When it is almost melted but some chips still remain; keep stirring it until it is completely melted and smooth.  It is best to use a clean dry rubber spatula and ensure no water comes near your chocolate.

How to Make
Chocolate Peppermint Cake Roll

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 15 x 10” jelly roll pan; line with parchment paper. Grease and flour paper.
2. Beat egg whites in a large bowl until soft peaks form; gradually add 1⁄2 cup granulated sugar, beating until stiff peaks form.
3. Beat egg yolks and vanilla in a medium bowl on medium speed of mixer 3 minutes.
4. Gradually add remaining 1⁄3 cup granulated sugar; continue beating 2 additional minutes.
5. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to egg yolk mixture alternately with water, beating on low speed just until batter is smooth.
6. Gradually fold chocolate mixture into beaten egg whites until well blended. Spread batter evenly in the prepared pan.
7. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes or until the top springs back when touched lightly in the centre and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
8. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for ONE minute.
9. Lift the parchment paper and hot cake out of the pan and onto a flat (heat-safe) surface.
10. Immediately, while the cake is hot, starting at one of the short ends, use your hands to gently and slowly roll the cake (and parchment paper) all the way up.
11. Allow the rolled up cake to cool completely, on top of a wire cooling rack. (Setting it on a wire rack allows it to cool underneath the roll, and keeps the cake from sweating).
12. Transfer to the fridge to cool for an additional 30 minutes.
13. While the cake roll is cooling in the fridge, mix the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and peppermint extract together with an electric mixer until fluffy and smooth.
14. Gently stir in desired amount of crushed peppermint candies, to taste. Save a handful for sprinkling on the ganache, at the end, if desired.
15. Once the cake roll is cooled completely, unroll it very carefully. Gently smooth the filling in an even layer over the cake.
16. Roll up the cake, without the parchment paper. (If you see it start to stick at all to the paper you can use a butter knife gently scrape along the bottom edge of the cake as you roll it up, to help release it.)
17. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

1. Heat heavy cream in a saucepan until hot. Pour over chocolate and stir continuously until the chocolate is melted and smooth.
2. Allow the ganache to cool for several minutes to give it time to thicken up a little. Gently spoon/pour the chocolate ganache over the top of the peppermint roll. Sprinkle additional chopped peppermint candy on top, if desired.
3. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes before serving. Store in the fridge, covered, for up to three days.

Note

Make ahead instructions: The cake roll can be prepared completely and refrigerated for 1-2 days before serving. OR, you can bake the cake, roll it in the parchment paper to cool. Once cool, refrigerate it (rolled in the parchment paper) for up to 1 day, before filling and adding the ganache. To freeze: Prepare the cake roll completely, with the filling but do not add the ganache. Freeze for up to 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before adding the ganache and then slicing and serving. Only add the final sprinkle of crushed mints if you are planning to eat the entire cake in one sitting, otherwise, it makes a wet, melty, gross mess. Also, sprinkle them on just before serving.

How to Make
Jill's Strawberry Filled Angel Food Cake

Cake:

1. Place egg whites in a large bowl; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Sift 1/2 cup sugar and flour together twice; set aside.
2. Place the oven rack in the lowest position. Preheat the oven to 350°. Add cream of tartar, extracts and salt to egg whites; beat on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining sugar, about 2 tablespoons at a time, beating on high until stiff peaks form.
3. Gradually fold in flour mixture, about 1/2 cup at a time.
4. Gently spoon into an ungreased 10-in. tube pan. Cut through batter with a knife to remove air pockets. Bake until lightly browned and the entire top appears dry, 35-40 minutes.
5. Immediately invert pan; cool completely, about 1 hour.
6. Run a knife around the side and center tube of the pan. Remove cake to a serving plate.

Filling:

1. Cut the top off of the cake. Use a long, serrated knife and keep it as level as possible while cutting. Cut about 3/4 to 1 inch down from the top of the cake. Remove the top of the cake.
2. After the top has been removed, cut along the inside of the cake near the center hole. Use a shorter serrated knife and cut around the entire circle.  Then cut around the outside edge of the cake. I usually cut about 1/2 - 3/4 inches away from the edge.  Slightly remove the inside of the angel food making sure you leave some cake at the bottom.  Reserve what you remove to add to the filling.
3. With a beater, whip your whipped cream and add the desired amount of powdered sugar to taste.
4. Cut your strawberries into quarters (2 cups).  Combine whipped cream to the strawberries and mix.
5. Cut the angel food cake that you removed from the cake into cubes and add to the strawberries and whipped cream.  Spoon the strawberry mixture into the inside of the angel food cake. Fill to the top and even  mound the filling.  Replace the top of the cake.

Frosting:

1. Blend all ingredients until well incorporated and there are no lumps.
2. With an offset spatula, frost the angel food cake.
3. If the frosting is too stiff, you can add a little bit of whipped cream if you have any left over from the strawberry mixture.
4. Garnish with cut strawberries at the base if desired.
5. Garnish with a topping if desired. Sprinkles or chocolate curls.
6. Keep refrigerated.
7. When serving, use a long serrated knife to slice the cake.

How to Make
Vegan Chocolate Cake

Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and grease two 9-inch cake pans. I also line them with parchment rounds and lightly flour for easy removal of the cakes later.
2. Measure 1 cup unsweetened almond milk and add the tablespoon of vinegar to it. Stir slightly and set aside to curdle.
3. In a large bowl, add the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
4. Whisk well to combine.
5. Now add the oil, applesauce, vanilla and almond milk/vinegar mixture. Mix on medium speed with a hand mixer (or stand mixer with the paddle attachment) until well combined.
6. Lower the speed and carefully pour in the boiling water, continuing to mix into the cake batter until combined. The batter will seem very runny at this point; that is how it should be, trust me!
7. Divide the batter evenly between your cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. After 10 minutes of cooling in the pan, carefully remove the cakes from the pans and let cool completely before frosting.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:

1. Add the cocoa powder to a large bowl (I just wipe out the cake bowl and use it for the frosting). Whisk well to remove any clumps.
2. Add the softened vegan butter and mix with a hand mixer until creamed and well combined.
3. Add half of the powdered sugar and half of the almond milk, and mix until combined. Add the rest of the powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Mix starting on low, and turn to high. Mix until fluffy and combined.
4. If the frosting seems too dry, add more milk, a tablespoon or two at a time. If the frosting seems too wet and doesn't hold it's shape, add more powdered sugar until it thickens up.
5. Frost the cake using an icing spatula or just a butter knife.

Note

For cupcakes, fill liners half full and bake for 20-25 minutes. The whole recipe will yield approximately 24 cupcakes. Double the recipe to make a 4 layer cake, or cut in half to make a 1 layer round cake. You can also make a bundt cake, simply bake for 45 minutes. Or a 9 x 13 inch cake, baking for about 35-40 minutes. Don't like a lot of frosting? Cut the frosting ingredients in half. The recipe as written makes enough for thick layers of frosting. Nut allergy? You may substitute soy milk or another milk for the almond milk, any non-dairy milk will work here. No applesauce? Substitute 2 flax eggs (2 tbs ground flax + 5 tbs water), whipped aquafaba or another egg replacer such as Bob's Red Mill (2 eggs worth).

How to Make
Salted Caramel Bars

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch dish with non-stick spray.
2. For the crust, cream together the butter and sugars in a large bowl for 3-5 minutes, or until light & fluffy.  Mix in vanilla extract, then gradually add in flour until just incorporated and the dough comes together.
3. Take 1/3 of the dough and gently press it into a greased baking dish, then bake for 20 minutes. Wrap the remaining dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until further use.
4. Remove the crust from the oven when it is golden brown and let it cool.
5. For the filling, place caramels and heavy cream in a large, microwave-safe bowl and cook for 1 minute. (Or heat on the stovetop on med-low). Stir vigorously. If not melted after 1 min, microwave in 30-sec increments, stirring in between, until smooth.
6. Stir in vanilla extract, then pour caramel over the cooled crust, sprinkling sea salt over the top. Crumble all of the chilled dough evenly over the caramel. Bake for 26-28 minutes, or until the top crumble is a light golden brown. 
   
7. Cool completely, then cut into squares and enjoy.

How to Make
Individual No-Bake Cheesecake

Crust:

1. In a medium bowl, mix together crumbs and melted butter until combined and crumbs are moistened. 
2.  Divide evenly between individual serving dishes (about 2 tablespoons per serving dish).  
3. Press on the mixture with your fingers or the back of a spoon to form a crust layer.  
4. Refrigerate.

Cheesecake Filling:

1. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese and sugar, and whisk with an electric mixer until combined and completely smooth.  Mix in vanilla and lemon zest.  Set aside to let the sugar dissolve into the cream cheese.  
2. Whisk the heavy cream with an electric mixer until soft peaks form.  Avoid over-beating.
3. Using a spatula, gently fold half of the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture, then fold in the other half.  Evenly spoon about 1/2 cup of filling into each serving dish.  Cover and refrigerate until you are ready to serve.
4. When ready to serve, top with fresh fruit.

Note

Feel free to get creative with different toppings. You may want to leave out the lemon zest in your filling if you are using candy bar toppings.

I love to make these individually in the containers in the photo (Amazon) for the Amherstburg Mission. To have the correct quantities; the crust quantity stays the same, but I double the cheesecake. It is best to put the cheesecake in a piping bag for best results. Do a layer of cheesecake, then sprinkle a rounded teaspoons of crumbs mixture, layer of fruit, repeat. Finish with cheesecake.

How to Make
Mom’s Shortbread

1. In a stand mixer cream the butter and sugar. Scrape down the sides and gradually add in the flour just until the flour is combined. It should be a crumbled consistency with the crumbs no bigger than pea size.  I finish it off by kneading the dough by hand on the counter until it holds together and can be easily rolled out without cracking. The more you work it, the more gluten you will create and the harder your cookies will be so don't over work it. Roll the dough out to 1/4 - 1/2” thickness and cut out with your favourite cookie cutters.
2. Transfer cookies to cookie sheet, sprinkle with coloured sugar sprinkles and bake at 325°F for 20 minutes. 
3. Do not brown; do not grease the cookie sheet.

Note

You can make this recipe completely by hand kneading if you have the strength and patience.  Just like the instructions above, start by kneading the sugar and butter until well creamed together before you start to gradually add in the flour.  Good luck!

How to Make
Dad's Oatmeal Crisps

1. Combine dry ingredients then add egg, melted margarine and vanilla and mix until combined.
2. Put dough in the fridge to chill (20 minutes or so).  Form into balls, place on baking sheet and press down. Approximately 12 cookies per sheet ... leave space in between cookies because these will spread.  Bake at 350℉ for 10 minutes.