Tiramisu's Greatest Hits

I've started compiling some of the most creative and unique sweet creations I keep coming across the internet. I know there are lots of compilations everywhere, but I'd love to make my own; to share with you guys, and to keep on my blog for future reference. 

After noticing a lot of unconventional Tiramisu desserts around, I decided to compile a list of some of my favorites. "Tiramisu" literally means "pick me up" in Italian; it's generally a coffee-flavored layered dessert consisting of creamy cheese, ladyfingers (and often a little alcohol), sprinkled with cocoa powder. However, a lot of people have used the base of cream and ladyfingers and made tons of riffs off the original! Here are some of the most clever and delicious looking ones I've found.

Click ahead to see the source behind the photo and check out their blogs for the recipes...

Banana Cream Tiramisu - Heather's Dish

Thai Iced Tea Ice-Cream

When I posted a photo of this ice cream on Facebook, a lot of guesses included cantaloupe, sweet potato, and even carrot! Those actually all sound pretty delicious (and my next projects) but for now, this is Thai iced tea ice-cream... ya know, like those delicious drinks you see at Thai restaurants? Orange on the bottom, milk on top, and you have the honor of swirling the two together and slurping it all up.

Pomegranate-Lemon-Mascarpone Tart w/Coconut-Macadamia Nut Crust

*I wrote this post for Sauce Magazine's online blog a short while back.*
Sauce Magazine is a free Saint Louis-based magazine that focuses on the culinary scene in the area!
It's a great way to discover the city... there's always something new to read and the online blog posts many new recipes so check it out!

I know the title is a mouthful, but which part would you have me leave out?

While I rarely toot my horn about my own dessert creations, I have to admit: This one is pretty fantastic.

I’ve enjoyed eating pomegranates my entire life. Shamefully, however, I still don’t know how to skillfully extract the seeds from the fruit; the little ruby jewels were always handed to me in a bowl as a child, ready to eat. So I did sort of cheat and skipped using an actual pomegranate, but if you find one and want to try, go for it!

Luckily, much to my delight, I recently discovered pomegranate jam: It’s wonderful and tartly sweet. I made macaron filling with the jam a while back and remembered that I still had half the bottle left over. So into the tart it went.

Girl Scouts Cookies' Greatest Hits

I've started compiling some of the most creative and unique sweet creations I keep coming across the internet. I know there are lots of compilations everywhere, but I'd love to make my own; to share with you guys, and to keep on my blog for future reference. 

People come up with some of the most amazing ideas. I decided to do some Girl Scouts cookies variations, since I'm assuming you've all splurged on many, many boxes of the original baked goods... Just in case you've gotten a bit tired of eating them plain (if that's possible), here are some way to incorporate them into desserts that are more than just crumbling them in some ice-cream.

(My favorite Girl Scout cookies are the Thin Mints! I love eating them frozen. What are yours?!)

Click ahead to see the source behind the photo and check out their blogs for the recipes...

Samoa Macarons - Barbara Bakes

Salted Caramel Ice Cream

If you can't already tell, I've been making a lot of ice cream lately! I'd been wanting an ice-cream maker for a long time but I had absolutely no counter space in my kitchen for one. I already have a 10-cup food processor and my KitchenAid stand mixer there. But then I discovered (thanks to Lucy) that there's an ice cream attachment for the KitchenAid stand mixer! It cost a bit more than a regular ice cream maker but honestly, right now my space is far more valuable.

Rainbow's Greatest Hits

I've started compiling some of the most creative and unique sweet creations I keep coming across the internet. I know there are lots of compilations everywhere, but I'd love to make my own; to share with you guys, and to keep on my blog for future reference. 

People come up with some of the most amazing ideas! I've done Nutella and red velvet creations, and now I thought I'd post some rainbow desserts for St. Patrick's Day and also for Holi (Indian festival of colors)!

Some people are vehemently anti-artificial food coloring, while others just don't care. I've always fallen in the middle of this spectrum. I love red velvet cake and coloring doesn't bother me too much, unless it actually starts to stain your fingers and teeth from eating it... 

There are still plenty of ways to find natural coloring though, and sometimes it's fun to be able to splash your desserts in bright colors of the rainbow, through fruits or hues!

Click ahead to see the source behind the photo and check out their blogs for the recipes...

French Toast from i am mommy

Neapolitan Ice Cream Cake

I'd been longing to make a cake for ages now! Mainly because I'm so terrible at it. My layers are often crooked; the cake leans to the side like a rapper, and my frosting is that of a 5 year old's. I'm terrible at doing a simple crumb coat, or perhaps I simply don't have the patience. I'm sure it's amusing to many that I have the patience to make enormous amounts of macarons but none to frost a cake...

I'd been wanting to practice cake decorating for a while but Joe and I hadn't had any dinner parties lately, and every time he requested a dessert for his hospital team, it had to be something they could eat "on the go"; them being surgeons and all busy and important and all.

Pandan Coconut Bread

I was trying to make a yogurt cake the other day that I had seen on Epicurious. It needed to bake for ~50 minutes and although I set a timer, about 30 minutes later I completely forgot.
I decided to take Mila for a walk and thought I'd walk over to the Bank of American ATM and deposit some checks; about a 3 mile walk there and back.
Well, it wasn't until I was halfway back when I realized I had something in the oven! I ran all the way home and frantically ripped open the oven door, only to find the cake wasn't that bad at all.
I'm actually still very surprised... the crust was pretty dark and the sides were too burnt for my liking, but the top and inside was still completely edible!
I can't believe I actually left the apartment while something was in the oven, though. Has that ever happened to anyone else?!
It did turn out a bit dry though, probably due to over baking, and when I went for round two, I decided to try something completely different...