erika

Brownie Bake Off, Part II

by erika Published: Jun 12, 2018 Modified: Nov 28, 2022 25 Comments

After our successful brownie bake off a few weeks ago, I felt pretty good about our results--but one gap remained. How would my beloved Ghirardelli boxed mix brownies stand up to the winners? So, ...

Best Brownie Bake Off

by erika Published: May 14, 2018 Modified: Oct 30, 2023 73 Comments

Looking for the perfect glossy-topped, perfectly fudgy or chewy brownie? We tested 13 popular recipes in the same day and tasted them side by side to find the best! Before ...

Best Sugar Cookie Bake Off

by erika Published: Dec 20, 2017 Modified: Dec 6, 2023 18 Comments

Looking for the best sugar cookie recipe around? Me too. My memories of cookie baking include tons of time: getting out the heavy KitchenAid mixer, waiting for the dough to chill, rolling out mounds ...

Best Pumpkin Pie Recipe Bake Off

by erika Published: Nov 16, 2017 Modified: Nov 20, 2023 22 Comments

Looking for a the absolute best pumpkin pie recipe to impress your friends and family? We tested 12 popular pies in search of the best homemade pumpkin pie recipes! Every year without fail, I ...

Best Pumpkin Bread Bake Off

by erika Published: Oct 23, 2017 Modified: Sep 7, 2024 40 Comments

Pumpkin bread is one of my favorite fall staples! In this bake off, I tested 12 popular recipes in search of the best spices, texture and flavor for the ultimate pumpkin bread! If you've ever ...

Banana Buckwheat Pancakes, revisited

by erika Published: Sep 8, 2017 Modified: Sep 3, 2024 2 Comments

It's been quite awhile since I've made pancakes, but when the craving hit, I decided to revisit an old single-serving recipe of mine. Oh how times have changed--back when I used to consume yogurt by ...

Avocado Toast Cake

by erika Published: Jun 14, 2017 Modified: Sep 3, 2024 9 Comments

This avocado toast cake is inspired by...avocado toast! With a simple foil design, you can make the cutest cake design! Originally, this was meant to be a play on that popular mermaid toast ...

Strawberry Milk Bar Cake

by erika Published: May 3, 2017 Modified: Sep 3, 2024 3 Comments

On Monday, I caught a death cold (wheezing coughing, extreme fatigue and so much mucus I thought I would never breathe right again) which was probably compounded by staying up until 1 a.m. to finish ...

Matcha Shortbread S’mores

by erika Published: Apr 4, 2017 Modified: Sep 3, 2024 10 Comments

Upgrade your s'mores with flaky matcha shortbread! Am I the only one who hates the Hershey bars that everyone buys for s'mores? The chocolate never melts even when you plunge it into the center ...

Baked’s Caramel Apple Cake

by erika Published: Feb 10, 2017 Modified: Sep 3, 2024 8 Comments

Once again, another roommate's birthday has come and gone and while no one is going to award me prizes for making perfectly leveled cakes, at least everyone said this one tasted good. Halfway ...

Mini Avocado Toasts

by erika Published: Dec 19, 2016 Modified: Sep 3, 2024 2 Comments

These mini avocado toast bites are the perfect party appetizer! With pops of fruit from the pomegranate seeds and your favorite aged cheese, these are the perfect salty sweet bite. These ...

Wine Cake (from scratch!)

by erika Published: Dec 12, 2016 Modified: Sep 3, 2024 30 Comments

This wine cake recipe is a recreation of one of my mom's signature bakes from my childhood! Made with port or sherry for just the tiniest hint of booze, this version nixes the boxed cake mix for a ...

Levain Cookie Experimentations

by erika Published: Sep 8, 2016 Modified: Dec 25, 2025 37 Comments

Inside the white paper bag was a battlescape of chocolate. Rich ganache snuggled between two slender planks of firm yet yielding brioche had melted out of its neat sandwhich during my sweaty trek ...