This post is sponsored by Pacific Foods - a brand I've loved and used for many years! Thank you for supporting the brands who keep The Kitchen Paper up and running.

As much as I love summer, I love it when fall arrives, weekends slow down, and cool mornings necessitate warm, comforting breakfasts. This chocolate French toast checks all the boxes: carbs, chocolate, and warmth.

I made this recipe using challah, but you could use sourdough or any other loaf you like. I also used Pacific Foods Organic Oat Non-Dairy Beverage, which is my favorite of their non-dairy beverages, but I almost used cashew - so, choose whatever you like best! Assembling this recipe is relatively easy - mix together the wet ingredients, slice (and toast) the bread, then let it soak for an hour or two (or longer, if you want!). Then assemble all of the soaked slices in a dish, bake it, and serve it hot with maple syrup. EASY! Also studded with chocolate chips and hazelnuts, so you really can't go wrong.

In addition to sprinkling this recipe with chocolate chunks, I also added cocoa powder to the liquid for soaking the bread - DOUBLE CHOCOLATE WHAMMY!

I'm definitely excited to make this, along with other baked breakfasts (like this almond berry oatmeal or pumpkin oatmeal!) all winter! What are your go-to winter breakfasts??

Chocolate Hazelnut French Toast

• Author: Mary
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 3 hours
• Total Time: 3 hours 20 minutes
• Yield: 4-6 servings
• Category: breakfast

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Description

This easy-to-assemble breakfast is sweet and chocolatey, full of hazelnuts for crunch, and challah baked to perfection as baked French toast.

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Ingredients

Units USM

• 1 large loaf challah, sliced to 1″ thick slices
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• 5 eggs
• 2 cups Pacific Foods Organic Oat Non-Dairy Beverage
• 1 Tbsp vanilla
• ½ cup chopped dark chocolate
• ½ cup fresh hazelnuts
• maple syrup, for serving

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Instructions

1. Slice the challah 12+ hours before you begin this recipe, OR run each piece through the toaster briefly so it's slightly dried but not browned. Arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet, and set aside.
2. Whisk together the brown sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon, and salt until no chunks remain.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, Pacific Foods Organic Oat Non-Dairy Beverage, and vanilla until smooth.
4. Combine the wet and dry ingredients, again whisking until smooth and combined. Pour this mixture over your prepared slices of bread. Let the bread soak for 1-2 hours (or longer), ideally periodically flipping the pieces so they can soak in the liquid from both sides.
5. When the bread is thoroughly soaked, layer it upright in a baking dish (I used a 9" pie pan). Sprinkle the chocolate and hazelnuts between pieces as you arrange them. Pour any remaining liquid over the top.
6. Loosely tent with foil, and bake at 350F for 45 minutes, or until you can see the remaining liquid has set up and is not jiggling.
7. Serve hot, dusted with sugar (optional) and maple syrup.

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Keywords: baked french toast, chocolate baked french toast, chocolate hazelnut french toast

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I know summer just started last week, but it feels like it's FLYING BY already! How is that possible? How is this weekend the 4th of July? Wowowow. I guess this is what being an adult is like: work and do stuff after work and then it's New Years again and on and on and on. Wooooof.

Today I have a vegan chocolate ice cream recipe for you guys. This recipe is deceptively creamy: you would not know it was vegan if I didn't tell you. It's also incredibly simple: coconut cream! The kind from the can. The good stuff.

The key ingredient here, besides the obvious coconut cream and chocolate, is alcohol. It's necessary to prevent iciness, and keep the whole thing soft enough to actually scoop/enjoy. So, pick your poison - we usually go for whiskey, but you could also use creme de cacao for another chocolate boost. Keep in mind alcohol content for whatever you use - creme de cacao has about half of what whiskey has, so you'll need 2x as much to have the same effect.

Have a wonderful 4th of July weekend, everyone!

Vegan Chocolate Ice Cream

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews

• Author: Mary
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 8 hours
• Total Time: 8 hours 15 minutes
• Yield: 1 quart

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Description

This vegan chocolate ice cream has a rich, dark chocolate flavor and maintains a soft texture thanks to crème de cacao. Even if you aren’t vegan, you’ll love this ice cream! Feel free to substitute a different alcohol for the whiskey — but don’t skip it: the alcohol is necessary to avoid an icy final texture.

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Ingredients

Units USM

• 30oz full-fat coconut milk
• ½ cup sugar
• ⅔ cup cocoa powder, sifted
• 4 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 Tbsp whiskey

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Instructions

1. Confirm that your ice cream maker is ready to go (this usually means freezing the bowl overnight).
2. Combine the coconut milk, sugar, cocoa powder, dark chocolate, salt, cornstarch, and vanilla extract together in a blender. Blend until smooth.
3. Pour the blended ingredients into a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Let simmer for two minutes before removing from the heat.
4. After cooling for a few minutes, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the chocolate, and refrigerate until completely chilled (2-4 hours).
5. When the mix is completely chilled, follow the directions for your ice cream maker to make the ice cream. About 10 minutes into the churning, add the whiskey. When the ice cream is done churning, transfer to a freezer-safe container and let freeze until totally solid (8+ hours).

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Double Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

★★★★★ 4.8 from 13 reviews

• Author: Mary
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 11 minutes
• Total Time: 31 minutes
• Yield: 18

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Description

This double dark chocolate chip cookies are soft, full of cocoa and dark chocolate chips, and sure to be a hit with any chocolate-lover.

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Ingredients

Units USM

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• ⅔ cup cocoa powder
• ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• ⅓ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp milk
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips

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Instructions

1. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder in a bowl. Whisk together, and set aside.
2. With a mixer, cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy — at least 3-5 minutes. Add the egg, scraping down sides of the mixing bowl as needed. Add the vanilla extract, mix, then add the milk and mix to combine.
3. Add the dry ingredients and mix gently until just coming together.
4. The dough will be very firm, so gently fold in the dark chocolate chips.
5. Chill the dough for 30 minutes.
6. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Using a small cookie scoop, or a spoon, form ⅛ cup balls of dough. Flatten slightly.
7. The cookies will not spread very much during baking, so set them 1 to 2 inches apart on a lined cookie sheet. Cook for 9-11 minutes. They will not look done, but the edges will be set.
8. Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet before moving to a cooling rack.

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How do people blog these days?? I'm having such a struggle to find anything to say here, and am sitting on multiple recipes I'd really like to share with you all! Mostly my brain is distracted by politics and the state of our country: something I've broached here before and likely will again. The trolls and attacks and "Stick to what you know (food)" comments haven't scared me away from the topic, but mostly I'm just exhausted and already talking about it all day long. I'm not the most qualified, informed, or eloquent person to discuss politics on the internet, so I'd mostly rather leave that to people who are.

Life has become pretty routine lately. I'm all for routine, but it doesn't make for great stories and blog drama to keep you all hooked! We moved into our new place almost two months ago now, paid the first mortgage (aaah!), and have almost all the furniture we need. Still missing two living room chairs, which we're being very slow about.

I desperately miss living on the Eastside or Portland, and haven't been on my bike since the move. At the same time, I'm way less stressed out about life in general because 1) I don't look like crap everywhere I go (b/c no bike), 2) Walking everywhere is very calming, and not nearly as stressful as battling car traffic on bike, 3) we're so close to everything. I walk to work. I walk to the climbing gym (which happens more often, now that we live close to it). I walk to yoga. I sleep in past 7am most days because I CAN and still make it to work on time! So, there are definite benefits. Plus: having a space that is actually MINE is pretty awesome. I swear pictures will come eventually, but it still might be a while.

We also took a weekend last month to totally disconnect at Breitenbush, which was SO much fun. It was basically snuggle > soak > sauna on repeat. Plus, cute cabin in the snow!! If I could go up there every weekend: I would.

Should we talk about scones?? YES! Let's. These are cream scones with dark chocolate and dried cranberries and a drizzle on top (which I considered making chocolate!). I usually don't make cream scones, so was pretty nervous during the baking: they seemed too wet. They were kind of hard to handle! But, they baked up perfectly and had a texture that I much prefer - a little lighter, less dense, and with perfect moisture. The ½ cup of chocolate didn't hurt, either.

Thanks for putting up with me as I navigate how to blog and be a foodie in a time when it feels, honestly, a little bit trivial. I still love cooking and inspiring others to do so, so TKP will definitely keep rockin'... but I'd love any tips from the rest of you on how you're doing it these days! xoxo

Dark Chocolate Cranberry Scones

• Author: by Mary
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 10

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Ingredients

Units USM

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup sugar
• 2.5 tsp baking powder
• ¾ tsp salt
• 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
• ⅔ cup dried cranberries
• ½ cup chopped dark chocolate
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup cream, cold
• 1 Tbsp milk
• 1 cup powdered sugar

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425F and line a baking sheet with parchment.
2. Whisk together the butter, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the cold butter, using a pastry cutter or your fingers.
3. Mix the cranberries and dark chocolate into the dry mixture.
4. Combine the vanilla with the cream, then add it to the dry mixture and stir gently until barely cohesive. Turn out onto a floured surface and pat into a 1" thick circle. Use a knife or biscuit cutters to divide the dough into 8-10 pieces. Arrange on the baking sheet at least 1" apart from each other.
5. Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until the tops are golden and no part of the scones looks wet.
6. Remove from the oven and allow to mostly cool before combining the milk and powdered sugar, and drizzling over the scones.
7. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Best within 2 days.

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There are quite a few distressing things popping up on Facebook and Twitter these days - which I, for the most part, ignore. I read the New York Times every day, so I get my news from sources other than social media, but there are some things I definitely am glad to learn from social media. For instance, 1) this recipe, 2) fun Portland events. Next week there's Presidential Debate Bingo, for which I definitely have tickets (and recommend you get some, too!). As for this recipe, I keep seeing it pop up in my social media streams, or on my doorstep in Bon Appetit, or IN MY DREAMS. Jk, kind of, on my dreams... but seriously, I knew I had to make this recipe ASAP when I saw it. Warm cocoa pudding? With candied pecans? Uuuh count me in!

I'm not gonna lie, this is a POWERFUL recipe. My normal chocolate pudding recipe, which I love and adore forever and ever, can easily be consumed by one hungry Mary. At least half of it, no problemo. I figured this would be the same - it is most definitely not. I got a few bites in and actually could not continue eating... it's SUPER rich. I LOVE it, but I definitely recommend putting this into tiny little bowls and splitting it with everyone you possibly can!

The actual pudding here is the exact same recipe as listed in Bon Appetit, but I added some smoked paprika to the nuts for a little kick! Highly recommended!

Have a wonderful weekend!! xoxo

Warm Cocoa Chocolate Pudding with Smoked Paprika Candied Pecans

• Author: barely adapted from Bon Appetit
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 4-6

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Ingredients

Units USM

Candied Pecans

• 1 large egg white
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 cup pecans

Pudding

• 1 ½ cups heavy cream
• 1 ½ cups whole milk
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 ½ tsp kosher salt
• 4 ounces chopped chocolate (at least 70% cacao)

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Instructions

Candied Pecans

1. Preheat the oven to 325 F, and line a baking sheet with parchment.
2. Whisk the egg white until frothy, then whisk in the sugar and paprika. Toss with the pecans, until they are fully coated, and spread in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet.
3. Bake for 30 minutes, tossing every 10 minutes or so, until the are golden and dry. Remove from the oven and set aside. (you can do this up to a week in advance!)

Pudding

1. Combine the cream, milk, butter, and vanilla in a saucepan over medium heat.
2. While you're bringing the cream mixture up to a simmer, whisk together the eggs, sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder, salt, and chocolate.
3. When the cream mixture just reaches a simmer, remove from the heat and, whisking constantly, add ½ cup at a time to the chocolate and egg mixture. Once you've added about half of the milk mixture to the chocolate, pour the chocolate into the saucepan with the remaining milk and whisk to combine.
4. Return to the heat and cook for another two minutes, or until thickened. Remove and serve immediately with the candied pecans.

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Uuuh I did it again. Weirdo crazy-lady WTF (well that's fantastic) rice krispie treats. These are spicy! Kinda. And dipped in chocolate! Halfway. And just as marshmallowy and delish as usual. You might be asking: are they good? Uhhhh DUH: yeah, they're good. The sweetness of the marshmallow and chocolate offsets the spicy sriracha that comes through at the end - totally new flavor experience for me, and semi-addicting! (kinda like those nori rice krispie treats I made last fall...)

On instagram the other day, I eluded to the fact that I'm migrating my site to a new host. I'm still in the process (which is now approaching 3 weeks, which is about 3 weeks longer than it SHOULD take ... haaaalp), which is why I've been holding out on posting - I have to post in TWO places right now if I add new content. But, I couldn't hold out any more! I had to share these! TWO POSTS BE DAMNED! You guys are worth it. Also, if you can repay me by sending good hosting vibes my way, it'd be much appreciated. How is that someone who is currently IN CODING SCHOOL (and made a functioning weather app yesterday! #nerd) can't make a smooth host transition?! Not my forte. Not at all.

There isn't a whole ton to catch up on - I'm still in school. It's going well! I'm halfway through classes, which means 10 more weeks of straight up class (javascript and drupal) followed by 7 weeks of internship. INTERNSHIP! That makes me feel like I'm 19 and getting some summer (it will be june/july... so ...) internship during college. The transition from PHP to JavaScript has been a little bit of a challenge, but nothing too unruly. PHP just seemed so straightforward and logical! JavaScript is definitely a little more rough.

I'm still riding my bike through the rain to get downtown everyday - which has been crazy lately, given all the rain. Let me tell you: riding 15-20 minutes in the pouring rain will wake you up! Everything else is pretty much same same over here - climbing, trying to keep up yoga-ing, coding, and sleeping. Sleep has been the one thing I absolutely refuse to compromise on during school, which means I'm pretty antisocial, and usually pretty well-rested! Totally worth it. Highly recommended.

Hopefully I'll get this host transfer thing sorted this week and can post REGULARLY for you guys (with a much faster site!) soon! I'll keep you updated! Enjoy these spicy (they're not THAT spicy, but you can definitely taste it!) rice krispie treats!

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Chocolate-Dipped Sriracha Rice Krispie Treats

• Author: Mary
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 8x8 pan

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Ingredients

Units USM

• 3 Tbsp butter
• 1 (10 oz.) package of marshmallows (about 4 cups)
• 1 ½ Tbsp Sriracha (or other spicy spicy hot sauce)
• 6 cups puffed rice cereal (like rice krispies)
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

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Instructions

1. Prepare an 8x8" pan with butter and wax paper.
2. In a large soup pot over medium heat, melt the butter. When the butter is melted, add the marshmallows. Stir until the marshmallows are completely melted, then stir in the sriracha and turn off the heat.
3. Add the cereal and mix everything together.
4. When everything is mixed together, firmly press it into your prepared pan using a buttered spatula.
5. Let the bars cool for at least an hour (or 30 minutes in the fridge/freezer).
6. When the bars are cool and firm, remove from the pan and cut into small pieces. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave (30 seconds at first, then 15 seconds at a time stirring between rounds until melted), and dip the rice krispie treats so that they're halfway covered with chocolate.
7. Lay the dipped bars on a cooling rack, and let dry. Enjoy ASAP, and store in an airtight container.
8. Enjoy!

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Throwback Thursday! Here's a recipe I posted about a month after I started blogging, way back in the dark ages. It was time to get rid of the cringe-worthy yellow pictures, and replace them with slightly better, white-balanced images! Ha! Nevermind that these remind me of Christmas - they're great anytime you want a chocolate fix! Enjoy!

{The rest of this post is from waaaay back when! xo}

How did it get to be December already!? The last year has gone SO fast. Between three months in Latin America, traveling around the U.S. this summer, and moving to Montana, it has been a whirlwind of a year. Wow. Life. It just keeps going! Reminiscing aside, December is awesome: it starts snowing in ernest (hopefully here, we want to ski!), twinkly lights appear everywhere, and it's cookie season! It doesn't matter what the occasion, if it's December it is appropriate to make, give, bring, or consume cookies at any time.

These cookies are a staple from my childhood - not just around Christmas, but all year! My mom has a binder full of recipes clipped from newspapers or printed on old paper - this is one of those. I think her note on this says it was "delicious" in 1993. It was - and still is! I plan to post many more holiday recipes this month - including a lot of cookies.

Chocolate Crackles are great because they not only taste amazing - a soft chocolatey cookie somewhere between cakey and fudgey - but they also look fun with the crackled top of powdered sugar. I've tried several recipes for this cookie, and this one keeps its shape rather than falling flat after baking. Add a bit of peppermint extract and these would be a great chocolate peppermint treat! Or just serve it with some peppermint ice cream and chocolate sauce... WIN!

Chocolate Crackle Cookies

• Author: Mary
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: 36

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Ingredients

Units USM

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ cup butter, room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 4 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup powdered sugar

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Instructions

1. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.
2. Cream together the butter and sugar until smooth and fluffy. Add melted chocolate and mix until incorporated.
3. Add the vanilla, then eggs one at a time, mixing fully between additions. Stir in flour mixture.
4. Let the dough chill until firm, about two hours.
5. When dough is cold, roll into small balls before coating in powdered sugar and baking on a greased cookie sheet at 350 F for 10 minutes.

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Oat flour cookies! YEAH! Get on board, errbody! These are gluten-free, without all sorts of weird gums and xums and powders and shtuff. You know what I mean? Yeah. Good old OATS blended up and put into cooooookies. I said that like "cooooookie crisp!" Again, you know what I mean? Roll with it.

I'm coming atcha from Stirling, Scotland today. Actually, I was there yesterday, and am now en route to Aberdeen and Inverness! THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE HIGHLANDER! Um, I'm on my way to the Highlands. BUT YESTERDAY: I took the train from Edinburgh to Stirling, which was easy and fast and had wifi and allowed me to get work done (which I've definitely been slacking on). Then I arrived at a very friendly hostel (yaaay friends!), and proceeded to walk 8+ miles around town. Like I didn't hike enough? Ha!

This town definitely is cute - same old stone buildings like in Edinburgh, but on a much smaller scale. But this is where William Wallace (said in my awful Scottish accent) made so much history! If you've seen Braveheart, you know what I'm talking about! I walked up to his monument - overlooking the town and up a very steep slope - then across the bridge where he made mayhem, then up to the castle. Whew. I tell you what: I may have walked a lot last week, but it was mostly flat … yesterday was no. UP down UP down UP UP down. Yeah, you get the idea. I'm gonna return to the states a fit woman! Woop!

I didn't plan entirely well yesterday, and could tell I was getting HANGRY as I was walking between the monument and the castle… I needed food, STAT! Having some of these cooking in tow would have been so nice! Instead I booked it for the grocery store where they stock my new favorite yogurt - it's mixed with whipping cream and delicious flavors for the creamiest, richest, probably fattiest most amazing yogurt I've ever tasted. I AM SOLD! I proceeded to devour two of them, plus beets and carrots and hummus. Look at me being semi-healthy! Ha!

Let's talk about these cookies: they're oaty. They're chocolatey. They're salty. They're gluten-free. They're not like your normal glutenous chocolate chip cookies - so don't expect that: they're a little more crumbly, but not necessarily dry! To be honest, I'd ideally do ½ normal flour and ½ oat flour - for the texture. BUT I wanted to do a totally oat flour cookie (like these brownies!), and really was pleased with the results. Get lots of chocolate in there, too! And salt! You really can't go wrong.

I'm off! Keep up on instagram (and snapchat, if you're brave… I'm overloading people with greenery and castles! username: thekitchenpaper)!

Salted Chocolate Chunk Oat Flour Cookies {Gluten-Free}

• Author: by Mary
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 12

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Ingredients

Units USM

• ½ cup butter
• ¼ cup light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups oat flour (regular oats blended, measured after blending)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ cup dark chocolate chunks
• coarse sea salt for topping

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Cream together the butter and brown sugar. Add the egg, mix until smooth, then add the vanilla and again mix until smooth.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the oat flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add to the butter mixture and mix to combine. Fold in the chocolate, then scoop into ⅛ cup balls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
4. Top with course sea salt, and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are just golden.

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The post Salted Chocolate Chunk Oat Flour Cookies {Gluten-Free} is from The Kitchen Paper. Click over to see it on The Kitchen Paper!

I can't wait ANY LONGER to share this recipe with you guys! I made it a few weeks ago and it's on my schedule to share later in July but it is SO FREAKING AMAZING I just have to get it out there! Stat. NOW! So here we are.

Also, here we are IN ENGLAND! I landed in Scotland early this morning after spending a very fun weekend in Denver, and have (presumably) met up with my family, driven into England, and we're getting ready to start hiking! We'll spend the next week hiking Hadrian's Wall, all the way across the UK! It should be fun. I hope I packed enough sweaters. Packing for Scotland/England/Iceland was so so different than packing for SE Asia: one sweater (necessary, it's cold!) takes up the same space as 3 complete tropical outfits! Definitely feeling like less of a pro packer… but oh well. That happens.

While in Denver this weekend I pretty much lived on Mexican food: Tacos, breakfast burrito, chips and salsa, more tacos, more chips and guac… Literally every single thing I ate in Denver was Mexican. I am not complaining!! So good. This ice cream takes on some of my favorite South-of-the-border flavors: chipotle in adobo sauce. You guys know this is one of my secret weapons - if I don't want to worry about spices/flavoring, I just throw a bunch of this in and it's all taken care of. AND SO TASTY!

I'm not sure why I thought of this combo, but I did and I made it and it legitimately was one of the best ice cream flavors I've E.V.E.R. had. I'm not being dramatic: I loved it. I ate this for breakfast. And lunch. And dinner. Whoever claimed I was healthy? Oy. Somebody bring me a green smoothie!

If you're not super into spice, you could make this without using the chipotle pepper - just use the adobo sauce… you'll get less spicy spicy but still have the smokey flavor. I threw one finely chopped pepper in - seeds and all - and didn't find it to be that spicy at all… the creamy nature of the ice cream (did I seriously just write "creamy nature" ?? I'm so sorry) tones down the spicy. It's SO SO perfect.

AND THEN THE PECANS! Toast your pecans (oven, 350F till they're fragrant), let them cool, and then throw them in once the ice cream has frozen in the ice cream maker. They add a perfect texture and nutty balance which is uuuuuh-mazing. Now I'm seriously craving this ice cream! It was nearly 100F in Denver this weekend, which almost made me want to die, but hopeful will make the 45F in Scotland a nice alternative. Hopefully. Maybe I'll buy ten thousand Scottish sweaters! I hear they're nice! And Icelandic! Oooh Icelandic wool… LOVE!

Happy Monday! Enjoy your week! I'll hopefully have posts up for you as normal, but no guarantees as I hike through the English tundra! Not literally. I mean, kind of. But not a tundra. Aaand we're done. LOVE YA! xo

Chipotle Adobo Chocolate Pecan Ice Cream

• Author: by Mary
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 1 quart

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Ingredients

Units USM

• 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• 1 cup milk
• 1 chipotle in adobo sauce, finely minced
• 2 tsp adobo sauce
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream or 1 cup whipping cream
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 cup pecans, toasted

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Instructions

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the chocolate into the milk. Once the chocolate is completely melted, add the chipotle, very finely minced, and the adobo sauce. Remove from heat and let cool.
2. Add the eggs to a mixing bowl, and mix on high with the whisk attachment until light and frothy — about 2 minutes. Gradually add the sugar, while still mixing.
3. Add the cream, vanilla, and salt, and whisk to combine. Add the cooled chocolate mixture, mix well, cover, and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.
4. When totally chilled, follow your ice cream maker instructions to make into ice cream, adding the pecans at the end. Pour into your ice cream container and freeze for 3 hours before serving.

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Um, good morning! K maybe afternoon for some of you (heeeey East coast!). Happy FRIDAY! Friyay! WEEKEND! Who else is excited?? I most certainly am. I also just ordered this bangin' t-shirt which perfectly encapsulates all of my life feelings/goals/realities. THE BEST!

You know what also encapsulates all of my life feelings/goals/realities? THESE COOKIES. Almonds (duh, love them), coffee (ummmm helllooooo!), and CHOCOLATE. Do I really need to explain that? Oh and butter. Obvi. Butter is to cookies and coffee is to Mary. Err, what? I'm not sure that's gonna make it on the SAT this year.

Seriously though: these cookies are my new bffs. I really just took my normal shortbread recipe (like I used for these jalapeño shortbread cookies!) and added some espresso, ground almonds, and chocolate. Not rocket science here, folks. Nutty! Chocolatey! COFFEE-EE! Let's make these cookies every morning and call them breakfast, K!? OKAY!

Aside from being way too excited about these cookies (sorry/not sorry) I'm feeling like OMG I AM LEAVING THE COUNTRY IN A WEEK AND HAVE SO MUCH TO DO. I'm out of town this weekend spending time with family at the beach, then have basically 3.5 days to cook lots of stuff (and somehow eat it?), pack, plan Scotland/Iceland (yeah, I still haven't. Good thing I have 10 planned days in England first!), teach a bunch of yoga classes, and generally figure out my life. NBD. The good news: I finally got an Oregon drivers license! YAAY! It only took me two months. Again, NBD. I'm making good adult choices (but am I? Oh man.).

I'll talk more about this Europe trip next week, I'm sure, but for now all you need to know is: England, Scotland, Iceland. About a month. I'll keep posting recipes. I'll probably be freezing since I haven't had to pack for cold weather in over a year. Send help? Also, this is my FIRST TIME EVER going to Europe!! How is that possible!? I'm like "yeaaah central/south america!" and "yeaah all around Asia!" but "whaaat the heck is Europe!?" Fo reals. (Again, I apologize. I've actually had too much coffee and too little sleep, and am therefore acting like a crazy person. You should see my fingers typing this like WHOA).

I'm gonna go ahead and leave you all on that note... I'm trying not to let 100% of my crazy escape from the inside. I gotta keep some of it, right!? Right. GO MAKE THESE COOKIES! Have a wonderful weekend! LOVE YA! xo

Chocolate Almond Espresso Shortbread Cookies

• Author: by Mary
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: 24

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Ingredients

Units USM

• 2 Tbsp instant espresso powder
• 2 Tbsp boiling water
• 2 ¼ cup flour
• ½ cup sugar
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• ½ cup finely chopped almonds
• ½ cup semi sweet chocolate chips

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Instructions

1. Stir together the espresso powder and boiling water until dissolved. Set aside.
2. Add the flour, sugar, and salt to the food processor pulse until fully combined.
3. Add the butter, cubed, the roughly chopped almonds, and the espresso mixture to the food processor and pulse until the sound deepens and the dough comes together. Turn the dough out onto the countertop and use your hands to bring it together.
4. On 2 sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap, form the dough into two (separate) logs of dough about 2" in diameter. Roll, twist the ends to seal, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 350, slice the dough ¼" thick, and cook for 16-18 minutes. The bottoms of the cookies should just be turning golden, but the tops shouldn't.
6. Remove and transfer to a cooling rack. When the cookies are fully cooled, melt the chocolate chips and drizzle over the cookies.

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