If you are looking for an easy and healthy meal, I have a the perfect recipe for you! Honey Mustard Salmon with Citrus Salsa. I know it sounds a little gourmet, but this recipe is SO easy! It only takes about 20 minutes to make. You can’t beat th…
If you are looking for an easy and healthy meal, I have a the perfect recipe for you! Honey Mustard Salmon with Citrus Salsa. I know it sounds a little gourmet, but this recipe is SO easy! It only takes about 20 minutes to make. You can’t beat that! The honey mustard sauce is easy…
Dive into the rich creamy bliss of this Chocolate Martini recipe! This decadent cocktail blends rich chocolate liqueur, vodka, and Baileys for a flavor explosion.
Looking for a cocktail to please a chocoholic? Try this chocolate martini recipe! This drink is rich and creamy, basically a dessert in a glass. It stars Irish cream and creme de cacao for maximum flavor, like the liquid version of your favorite chocolate bar. Mix this up as an after dinner drink to impress guests, or anytime you need a sweet treat in cocktail form. You’ll be smitten, we promise!
Chocolate martini ingredients
The chocolate martini is a vodka martini made with Irish cream and a chocolate liqueur or syrup. Legend has it that the classic Chocolate Martini was invented by Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor in 1955 while filming the Hollywood classic movie Giant together, adding chocolate syrup and chocolate liqueur to the vodka martini.
It’s become a concept that all bartenders riff on, so there’s no “official” definition like the Espresso Martini. You’ll find chocolate martinis with just vodka and chocolate liqueur, but many add chocolate syrup, Baileys Irish cream, or other ingredients. Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this chocolate martini recipe:
2 oz Irish cream (like Baileys)
1 oz creme de cacao or other chocolate liqueur
1 oz vodka
Preparing the glass
The chocolate martini is all about presentation! For decorating the glass, there are three different elements you can add to maximize the visual and flavor impact:
Chocolate syrup: Drizzle chocolate syrup into the inside of a martini glass in a swirl pattern.
Cocoa powder and brown sugar: Wet the rim of a martini glass, then dip and rotate it in a plate of 1 tablespoon each cocoa powder and brown sugar. This adds a chocolaty crunch to each sip. Another option is drawing a circle of chocolate syrup on a plate and dipping in the rim.
Grated chocolate: If desired, top the drink with grated chocolate (optional).
What’s creme de cacao?
Creme de cacao might not be something you’re used to stocking in your liquor cabinet. It’s most famous for its use in the Brandy Alexander and the Grasshopper, but it’s also popular in a chocolate martini!
Creme de cacao is a cocoa bean flavored liqueur, available in both white (clear) and dark varieties. It’s one of the older alcoholic beverages, made in the 1600’s by monks after cocoa beans were brought back to Europe from America.
What does creme de cacao taste like? White creme de cacao, the clear variety, tastes like milk chocolate with notes of vanilla.
Irish cream is a liqueur made with Irish whiskey and cream. The most popular Irish cream is Baileys, but there are other brands of Irish cream (we used a different brand for this recipe). The most popular Irish cream cocktail is the Mudslide, which is a variant of the classic creamy White Russian.
How to make a chocolate martini
Got those specialty liquors? Then you’re good to go! There are lots of ways to make a chocolate martini recipe, like with melted chocolate or chocolate syrups. This one works well with just straight up cocoa powder. Here’s what to do:
Shake in a cocktail shaker: Add 2 oz Baileys, 1 oz vodka and 1 oz creme de cacao into a cocktail shaker and add 2 handfuls of ice. Shake 15 seconds until cold.
Strain and garnish. That’s it! Strain it into the prepared martini glass and garnish with a little grated chocolate.
More martinis
There are so many more flavored types of martinis to try! Here are some of our favorites:
Dive into the rich creamy bliss of this Chocolate Martini recipe! This decadent cocktail blends rich chocolate liqueur, vodka, and Baileys for a flavor explosion.
Ingredients
2 ounces* Irish cream (like Baileys)
1 ounce creme de cacao
1 ounce vodka
1 tablespoon each cocoa powder and brown sugar, for the rim (optional)
Chocolate syrup, for the glass
Grated chocolate, for the garnish (optional)
Instructions
Wet the rim of a martini glass. Spread 1 tablespoon each cocoa powder and brown sugar on a plate, stir them together and spread into a single layer. Dip the outside of the rim of the glass into the plate. If desired, pour a swirl of chocolate syrup into the martini glass.
Add the Irish cream, creme de cacao and vodka to a cocktail shaker. Fill it with 2 handfuls of ice and shake it until cold.
Strain the drink into the prepared glass. If desired, garnish with grated chocolate.
Notes
*To convert to tablespoons, 1 ounce = 2 tablespoons
Category:Drink
Method:Shaken
Cuisine:Cocktails
Diet:Vegetarian
Keywords: Chocolate martini, chocolate martini recipe
This lovely white wine sautéed mushrooms recipe is quick and easy to make, full of rich savory flavors, and can pair well as a side dish with many different entrées. Looking for a super-simple yet elegant side dish to serve for dinner? These white wine sautéed mushrooms are always a great idea. This recipe has […]
This lovely white wine sautéed mushrooms recipe is quick and easy to make, full of rich savory flavors, and can pair well as a side dish with many different entrées.
Looking for a super-simple yet elegant side dish to serve for dinner? These white wine sautéed mushrooms are always a great idea.
This recipe has been one of my back-pocket favorites for years to pair with various meat or seafood entrées, pastas, risottos, salads, grain bowls, quiches and more. Simply sauté a big batch of mushrooms in butter and olive oil until they are perfectly browned and caramelized, toss with garlic and your favorite seasonings, deglaze and simmer in white wine, then finish with a generous sprinkling of Parmesan. I mean, there’s really no way to go wrong here, right?
That said, this recipe is clearly very flexible and open to customization. So if you’d like to experiment with different seasonings, add in a drizzle of pesto or balsamic glaze, sauté with shallots or pancetta, sprinkle on some nuts, or toss with cream…please feel free. It’s one of those dishes that can be easily dressed up for a formal dinner, but simple enough to also whip up on a busy weeknight. And after years of making various versions of it, I can vouch that mushroom-lovers around the table always make the entire pan disappear. ♡
Creamy butter pairs with sweet maraschino cherries in this whipped cherry butter – the best thing to happen to dinner rolls and biscuits! There’s a local restaurant here in Ohio that serves whipped cherry butter with their bread and my brother absolutely loves it! This Thanksgiving, I had extra maraschino cherries from making my ambrosia salad …
Creamy butter pairs with sweet maraschino cherries in this whipped cherry butter – the best thing to happen to dinner rolls and biscuits!
There’s a local restaurant here in Ohio that serves whipped cherry butter with their bread and my brother absolutely loves it!
This Thanksgiving, I had extra maraschino cherries from making my ambrosia salad and decided to whip up some cherry butter as a surprise for him.
It turned out perfect and he said it was his favorite thing about Thanksgiving dinner, which only pissed me off a little because it took a whopping 5 minutes to make and I had prepped and cooked everything else for daaaaaays. But I guess that’s a brother for ya!
If you’re looking for a quick and easy addition to your holiday dinner rolls or breakfast spread, this whipped cherry butter is definitely it.
For the richest, creamiest, most decadent hot chocolate, turn to your slow cooker! This crockpot hot chocolate is easy to make, perfect for parties, and satisfies even the biggest chocolate cravings. Cold weather means warm drinks for me. Sure, I still love an iced shaken espresso even in the winter, but nothing makes me feel …
For the richest, creamiest, most decadent hot chocolate, turn to your slow cooker! This crockpot hot chocolate is easy to make, perfect for parties, and satisfies even the biggest chocolate cravings.
Cold weather means warm drinks for me. Sure, I still love an iced shaken espresso even in the winter, but nothing makes me feel warm and cozy quite like a warm beverage.
And they’re a must for any winter or holiday party! Whether it’s a pot of spiced apple cider or hot chocolate, I think a warm beverage station is one of the best ways to make your guests feel welcome.
This crockpot hot chocolate is one you have to try for your next party. It’s rich and creamy, perfectly chocolatey, and easy to make and keep warm for any gathering.
This traditional Swedish meatballs recipe is bursting with rich, savory flavors and topped with a creamy gravy. Always so comforting served over mashed potatoes or noodles! Who’s ready for a big bowl of Swedish meatballs served over buttery mashed potatoes with a generous ladle of creamy gravy on top? ♡ I don’t know about you, […]
This traditional Swedish meatballs recipe is bursting with rich, savory flavors and topped with a creamy gravy. Always so comforting served over mashed potatoes or noodles!
Who’s ready for a big bowl of Swedish meatballs served over buttery mashed potatoes with a generous ladle of creamy gravy on top? ♡
I don’t know about you, but this classic is always one of my favorite comfort foods this time of year. I actually had the good fortune of being able to visit Stockholm a few times while we were living in Europe, and always loved sampling the various takes on traditional meatballs and gravy around town (in between eating a million kanelbular). My favorite meatballs were always those that were more generously-seasoned with spices such as nutmeg and ginger and allspice, those that were browned until caramelized and slightly crispy on the outsides, and of course, those served up with creamy potatoes and gravy and a spoonful of lingonberry sauce on the side. The Swedes definitely have this classic combo dialed in — those savory, creamy, sweet flavors are just impossible to beat!
Now that we’re back in the States, I’ve been working on fine-tuning my own favorite Swedish meatball recipe to make here at home. I’ve aimed for it to be as traditional as possible (although from what I’ve read, there are a number of different ways that this classic is actually prepared in Sweden, so please take my interpretation with a grain of salt). The meatball recipe is a riff on my tried-and-true classic meatball recipe, but browned on the stovetop with some different seasonings mixed in and then topped with a classic creamy gravy. I highly recommend whipping up a batch of my favorite mashed potatoes to serve here, or you can opt for wide egg noodles instead. And if lingonberry sauce isn’t available where you are (we admittedly pick up ours from IKEA or Amazon), a dollop of cranberry sauce on each plate is always a delicious substitute too.
Linzer cookies are traditional Austrian jam-filled sandwich cookies! This classic recipe is simple to whip up at home.
When it comes to Christmas cookies, here’s one type we can’t resist: Linzer cookies! This classic Austrian sandwich cookie stars buttery almond shortbread with fun cutout window to show a layer of fruity preserves, making a treat that’s nuanced and just sweet enough. This recipe spells childhood nostalgia for us, and here we’re sharing a traditional recipe for this classic cookie!
Ingredients in linzer cookies
Linzer cookies are a shortbread jam-filled sandwich cookie based on the Austrian dessert Linzer torte, a tart made with ground nuts and fruit preserves. Linzer cookies bring in those signature flavors by making a shortbread with both all-purpose flour and almond flour, which gives it a complex, nutty flavor. The traditional shape features cut-out windows where the jam shows through.
This recipe comes from my dear Austrian friend Milena’s mother: Milena currently lives in Vienna, but we grew up together in Minnesota eating Linzer cookies at the holidays. This recipe has the nostalgia of childhood all over it for us, and it’s perfect for the holidays, Valentine’s Day, or any time you need a sweet treat. Here’s what you’ll need for classic Linzer cookies:
Flour
Almond flour
Cinnamon
Fine sea salt
Unsalted butter
Granulated sugar
Egg
Vanilla extract
Raspberry jam or other fruit preserves
Powdered sugar
Tip: use almond flour, not almond meal!
Avoid using almond meal for Linzer cookies: look for almond flour when you are shopping. You should be able to find it at your local grocery, depending on your location.
Almond flour is made from blanched almonds, or almonds with their skins removed. It’s ground very finely, resulting in a fluffy texture in baked goods.
Almond meal contains the skins, making it darker brown in color instead of off-white like almond flour. It has a coarser grind than almond flour and results in denser, chewy texture in baked goods.
Linzer cookie cutter and an alternative
Linzer cookies are a cutout cookie with a twist! Instead of cutting out just one cookie, you’ll need two: a cookie with a window and a solid cookie. There are special cookie cutters just for this purpose, but you can also use a alternative based on what you have at home.
Option 1: Use a Linzer cookie cutter. We like this Linzer cookie cutter. It comes with various cutout window shapes: hearts, stars, flowers, etc. It is worth buying if you plan to make Linzer cookies multiple times!
Option 2: Use a 2-inch circular cutter and a smaller shape for the window. If you happen to have both of these shapes on hand, it’s easy to make your own version of cutout cookies!
Tips for making the cookies
Linzer cookies are a fun baking project that results in visually-stunning, sugar dusted cookies with bright shapes of jam. There are a few notes for how to put together this recipe:
Chill the dough 1 to 3 hours. This is important with a cutout cookie dough: you’ll want it nice and cold to get uniform shapes.
Gently roll the dough slightly less than 1/4-inch thick. This makes just the right thickness for the finished cookie.
Simple cutout window shapes (like circles and hearts) are easier to cut out. The stars were a little trickier to cut, and they became more distorted when baked. But, they still turned out great.
Linzer cookie storage info
Once you’ve made your linzer cookies, you probably won’t be eating all 30 at once. How to store them? Here are some tips and notes about storage:
The cookies taste crisp the first day, then soft after storage. They’re delicious both ways, but we like the soft version best!
Store in a container with a few layers of parchment paper or foil between each. The powdered sugar on the bottom layer of cookies after a few days, so it’s good to protect between each layer.
Store at room temperature for 2 days or refrigerated up to 2 weeks. With room temperature storage, the powdered sugar can start to melt on the cookies that are stacked in layers beneath other cookies. We recommend storing them refrigerated for longer term storage.
Or, freeze for up to 3 months. The powdered sugar topping is a little fragile, so keep in mind the cookies look best when they are fresh.
More cookie recipes
Love a good batch of cookies? Here are a few more fun cookie recipes to enjoy:
Linzer cookies are traditional Austrian jam-filled sandwich cookies! This classic recipe is simple to whip up at home.
Ingredients
2 cups (240 g) flour, sifted
1 cup (120 g) almond flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ⅓ cups raspberry jam
Powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, almond flour, cinnamon and salt.
In the bowl of a stand mixer add the butter and sugar. Beat with the paddle attachment on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla, and mix on low speed until combined. Gradually add the flour mixture and continue mixing on low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds. Divide the dough into two disks. Wrap the disks in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 to 3 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Take one disc of dough out of the fridge and place it on a floured surface. Using a light touch, roll the dough out until it is slightly less than 1/4-inch thick. Use plenty of flour on the counter and the rolling pin to prevent sticking. Moving quickly so the dough remains chilled, use a linzer cookie cutter (or a 2-inch round cutter and smaller heart-shaped cutter) to cut an equal number of cookies with and without a hole in the center. Place excess dough back in the refrigerator and re-roll it after it’s chilled again (after baking the first sheet). Place the cookies on a baking sheet and refrigerate the sheet for 5 minutes.
Transfer the baking sheet directly to the oven and bake for 11 to 14 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool the cookies for 1 minute on the cookie sheet. Then transfer to a cooling rack.
Repeat with remaining disc of dough and re-rolled scraps of dough.
Cool the cookies completely, at least 15 minutes. Then sift powdered sugar the cookies with the cutout centers. On the bottom cookies, spread a layer of jam about 1/8” thick (about 2 teaspoons per cookie), not quite to the edges of a cookie. Then very gently press on the top cookie to sandwich the jam.
Repeat for all cookies to make 30 to 32 sandwiches. Store room temperature with several sheets of parchment paper between the cookies for up to 2 days*, or refrigerated for 2 weeks. You can also freeze for up to 3 months. The cookies taste crispy the first day, and become softer after storage (both delicious, but we prefer the softer version!).
Notes
*With room temperature storage, the powdered sugar can start to melt on the cookies that are stacked in layers beneath other cookies. We recommend storing them refrigerated for longer term storage.
Impress everyone with this creamy Tuscan Salmon! It might just be the best salmon recipe ever, made in just 30 minutes.
There are salmon recipes and then there’s this creamy Tuscan salmon. It might result in a few marriage proposals, which is why we also like to call it “Marry Me Salmon!” The tender fish is bathed in a luscious cream sauce with garlic, sun dried tomatoes, spinach, and capers, making each bite bright, salty, and luxurious. It tastes restaurant-style, but it’s easy to whip up at home in just 30 minutes. Honestly, it might be the best salmon recipe we’ve made!
Ingredients in this Tuscan salmon recipe
We’re not exaggerating when we say this is one of the best salmon recipes we’ve made. Multiple friends and family have tried it and can’t stop raving, then immediately ask for the recipe! This is the one we pull out to impress at dinner parties and for entertaining. Each ingredient here packs a flavor punch, so no substitutions. Here’s what you’ll need:
Protein: Salmon fillets, skin on and 1 to 1 ½ inches thick
Pantry: Olive oil, garlic powder, salt, pepper
Dairy: Salted butter, milk, heavy cream, Parmesan cheese
The most important thing for a great salmon recipeis a buying high quality fillets of salmon. Lower quality salmon can taste very fishy and have a mushy texture. It can also have a lot of white stuff (called albumin) when it’s cooked. While it’s not harmful, it doesn’t look appetizing! Here’s what to know when shopping for salmon:
1 to 1 1/2-inch thick fillets are good for this recipe; you might find it labeled center cut at the store. Thicker fillets can take longer to cook and are slightly harder to pan fry since they can become blackened before they’re cooked on the inside.
Look for wild caught salmon. Fish that is wild caught in your country is usually a sustainable choice. (There are also quality options in well-regulated farms; see Seafood Watch Consumer Guide.)
Buy fresh salmon. Salmon that’s fresh from the fish counter usually has the best flavor. Frozen can work, but try to find highest-quality frozen salmon. Avoid big economy-sized bags, which have thinner fillets that can taste fishy.
Avoiding the white stuff
Ever noticed the white stuff that oozes to the top of some salmon recipes when cooking it? It is coagulated protein that seeps to the surface called albumin. The amount of albumin varies depending on the fish. We’ve bought certain varieties of salmon that have little to no albumin when cooked, but others that consistently have it ooze out.
There’s one thing we’ve found that helps: brining the salmon. In a side by side test, we found it helped to reduce the albumin in two similar fillets. (Keep in mind it did not reduce all of the albumin, so to fully reduce it you have to find a grocery store or other source for salmon that reliably has no white stuff.) Here’s what to do:
In a large shallow dish, whisk together 4 cups room temperature water and 3 tablespoons kosher salt until dissolved.
Place the salmon in the water and wait for 15 minutes.
Making Tuscan salmon for a crowd
This Tuscan salmon recipe is perfect for impressing guests, whether it’s for a dinner party or a holiday like Christmas or Valentine’s Day. It’s pan seared, so you can cook as many fillets as fit in a large skillet. If you want to increase the serving size for this recipe for serving a crowd, you can do it two ways:
Pan sear the salmon in batches. Sear a double version of the salmon in batches.
Bake the salmon. Use the method in this Baked Salmon recipe, but season with the quantities of garlic powder, salt and pepper in the recipe below. For a crispy top similar to pan searing, broil for 2 minutes at the end of the bake time.
Make a large amount of the sauce in a skillet, then pour it into each fillet. Re-warm the salmon if necessary, then top with the creamy sauce right before serving.
Leftover storage
This Tuscan salmon recipe stores well, if you do end up having leftovers! (We rarely do.) Store in a sealed container for up to 3 days, refrigerated. Re-warm in a skillet over medium heat until warmed through. If the sauce becomes dried out, add a splash of milk or cream or a pat of butter.
More salmon recipes
Salmon is always a hit around here! Here are a few more salmon recipes to enjoy:
Allow the salmon to come to room temperature for 15 minutes (or brine it*). Pat the salmon dry with a clean towel. Rub it generously with olive oil and sprinkle it with 1 teaspoon of the kosher salt, the garlic powder, and a few grinds of black pepper.
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add the olive oil. Add the salmon skin side up and cook for 3 to 5 minutes until cooked about halfway to the center of the thickest part of the salmon.
Reduce to medium heat and flip the salmon (a fish spatula makes easy work of it). Tilt the pan down slightly and quickly spoon the pan juices over the top of the fish a few times. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, continuously spooning the butter over the salmon. Cook until just tender and pink at the center (the internal temperature should be between 125 to 130°F in the center when removed).
Remove the salmon to a plate and set aside. Drain the pan of any liquid and quickly wipe it out with a paper towel.
Place the pan over low heat and melt the butter. Then add the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute until the garlic is lightly browned and fragrant. Add the capers, cream, milk, and remaining ¼ teaspoon kosher salt. Simmer for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally and scraping the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the spinach and cook until wilted, about 1 minute, then return the salmon to the pan and warm it for 2 minutes, spooning the sauce over the salmon.
Serve topped with the sauce and grated Parmesan cheese.
Notes
*To help reduce the white stuff (albumin) that can ooze from salmon when it’s cooked, we recommend brining the salmon to bring it to room temperature. In a large shallow dish, whisk together 4 cups room temperature water and 3 tablespoons kosher salt until dissolved. Place the salmon in the water and wait for 15 minutes.
These sour cream sugar cookies are an old-fashioned favorite! Pillowy soft and topped with a simple frosting, add your favorite festive sprinkles make these delicious cookies fit for any occasion. During Elle’s first Christmas season, I felt a real sense of urgency when it came to our new family’s Christmas traditions. I’ve had family recipes …
These sour cream sugar cookies are an old-fashioned favorite! Pillowy soft and topped with a simple frosting, add your favorite festive sprinkles make these delicious cookies fit for any occasion.
During Elle’s first Christmas season, I felt a real sense of urgency when it came to our new family’s Christmas traditions.
I’ve had family recipes that have been a part of our traditions for decades (hello, pumpkin roll and Nana’s easy cheesecake!), and I wanted to include Eric’s family traditions and recipes, too.
Eric and I found this recipe for his grandmother’s sour cream sugar cookies while thumbing through a lovely recipe book his aunt put together of all their family recipes.
His grandma wrote on the recipe card, “This is the one! Soft, beautiful dough – tastes good, too!!” She even added a cute little smiley face.
That review obviously sold me – these had to be part of our family’s Christmas traditions.
Now, years later, our family has grown and many things have changed, but some things stay the same: these soft sour cream sugar cookies are still a beloved part of Eric’s grandmother’s legacy and are a recipe I hope to pass on to our girls someday.
Whenever we need an EASY treat, we often make Rice Krispie Treats. They only take 10 minutes to make and are always a crowd pleaser. We love classic Rice Krisipie Treats, peanut butter, Oreo, s’mores, Biscoff, and more! We also LOVE these Chocola…
Whenever we need an EASY treat, we often make Rice Krispie Treats. They only take 10 minutes to make and are always a crowd pleaser. We love classic Rice Krisipie Treats, peanut butter, Oreo, s’mores, Biscoff, and more! We also LOVE these Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats. They are filled with chocolate flavor thanks to the…
If you are looking for an easy and healthy meal, I have a the perfect recipe for you! Honey Mustard Salmon with Citrus Salsa. I know it sounds a little gourmet, but this recipe is SO easy! It only takes about 20 minutes to make. You can’t beat that! The honey mustard sauce is easy… 
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Whenever we need an EASY treat, we often make Rice Krispie Treats. They only take 10 minutes to make and are always a crowd pleaser. We love classic Rice Krisipie Treats, peanut butter, Oreo, s’mores, Biscoff, and more! We also LOVE these Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats. They are filled with chocolate flavor thanks to the…