The Only Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe You'll Ever Need

 Question: What makes your ultimate chocolate chip cookie? Mine is crispy on the edges, soft and fudgy in the centre, bursting with chocolate chips and with a salty kick to it. That sweet and salty thing that's so trendy right now definitely blows my skirt up! I actually developed this recipe based on the Momofuku Milk Bar method of making cookies. I love, love, LOVED the Milk Bar Corn Cookies but I wanted to make my own version of a classic Chocolate Chip Cookie. Read on for my recipe!

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Am I the only one that thinks these cookies look Christmassy? There's something about the snowy white icing sugar that makes me think of Yuletide. Every November, I tell myself I'm going to be super organised and do the whole homemade, personalised Christmas gift thing and then spend December in a state of relaxation and poise. Instead, I always find myself getting sucked into the shopping spirit and spend December running around malls like a madwoman, snapping up Christmas presents left, right and centre! However, these cookies are amazingly easy and so pretty that I may be able to inject a little homemade love into my Christmas gift giving this year. These cookies are known as both Chocolate Crinkles or  Chocolate Crackles. Personally, when I think of Chocolate Crackles, I think of the treats made out of Rice Bubbles, Copha and cocoa so to me, these are Crinkles! Read on for the recipe!

Secret Cake Club Perth @ The Ingredient Tree, Wembley

 Last Sunday, I attended my first Secret Cake Club event. I'd found out about it through Twitter and spent the month beforehand, counting down the days. This month's theme was History, which could be interpreted as a baked good from a historical recipe or a delicacy from your own personal history. I was beyond excited! I loved the idea of a clandestine baking club getting together to eat afternoon tea every few weeks. I don't have many friends that are into baking so I was looking for people who would understand when I geek out over the merits of Italian Meringue Buttercream. If you're in the same boat then look no further, because these are your people!

Instant Gratification Brownies

Once, during my younger, less dignified days, I had a chocolate craving so intense I actually sucked the chocolate coating off a jar of chocolate covered peanuts. Sad to say, I left the nuts in the jar to be consumed by an unfortunate bystander. I'm not proud of it. Luckily, I now have this awesome recipe up my sleeve for when the chocolate haze descends! I've discussed my love of one bowl recipes before and this definitely qualifies. All you need is a microwave, a brownie pan and a spatula. Amazingly, this  recipe doesn't use melted chocolate as many brownie recipes do. Instead, they get their deep chocolate flavour from dutch cocoa! This recipe is actually from Smitten Kitchen as the Best Cocoa Brownies and let me tell you... they are. I consider them my Instant Gratification Brownies as it takes barely 30 minutes from when a craving hits to being able to stuff a fresh, warm brownie in my mouth. What more could you ask for? Read on for the recipe!

Momofuku Milk Bar Corn Cookies

Continuing my Momofuku Milk Bar obsession; I recently tried my hand at making these Corn Cookies!  They're salty, sweet and totally addictive. They get their flavour from freeze dried corn kernels, which are blitzed into a fine powder. Freeze dried food is a little hard to come across in Australia and I spent far more time than I care to admit trying to track this stuff down. It's readily available in the U.S. (Amazon.com has your back there) but Aussies will pay through the nose looking for dried corn. I finally found it on iHerb.com, which has awesomely cheap shipping rates as well. These cookies also use corn flour, not to be confused with cornstarch; which can be found in health food shops as maize flour (the type used for making tortillas etc.). Read on for the recipe!

Salted Caramel, Chocolate and Popcorn Cupcakes

These nutty little beauties are cupcakes I made for a competition in the newly launched Taste Magazine. The idea is to 'cook the cover' and share the results on their social page. Let me just say... I love this new magazine! It's beautifully designed and the food photography is gorgeously styled. It reads like your favourite food blog and the contributors are all well known Australian food personalities. In fact, Adriano Zumbo gives up his recipe for his famous Zonuts, his riff on the notorious Cronut. Awesome!

Coconut & Mango Victoria Sponge

This week, I've been re-watching old episodes of The Great British Bake Off in search of inspiration. Safe to say, 'soggy bottoms' and 'good bakes' have become part of my day to day vernacular. Another side effect of my 'Bake Off' binge is my brand new girl crush on Mary Berry. Girlfriend knows her stuff! I've tried a few of her recipes and let me tell you now... they DO NOT disappoint! This recipe is inspired by her Perfect Victoria Sandwich; an absolute classic. I, of course, had to put a tropical spin on it. Result: Coconut and Mango Victoria Sponge!

Cathedral Window Jelly

I love this recipe! Straight out of the 1970's...it's so hilariously retro. This is a Filipino dessert, usually served at Christmastime (hence the festive colours). The adorable cubes of fruit jelly, suspended in sweet, pineapple flavoured cream jelly make for a very refreshing dessert. You can see where we get it's namesake from too. Don't let jelly's unfashionable reputation put you off; embrace the delicious irony and make this ridiculously easy dessert NOW!

Dark Chocolate & Coconut Macaroons

This week I tried my hand at making good old fashioned coconut macaroons. Sure, they're not as pretty or colourful as their French counterparts; le macaron, but gosh darn they're tasty! They're also naturally gluten-free which is awesome news for my gluten intolerant brethren. If you make them with a meringue base then they're also dairy free...Bonus! I make mine with condensed milk and a whisked egg white to lighten them up a little.

Mini Monogrammed Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies

This week I made some cute little vanilla bean sugar cookies for my godson's first birthday. I was inspired by these Vanilla Letter Cupcakes by my domestic goddess of choice; Martha Stewart. I adapted Sweetapolita's fantastic recipe for Perfect Sugar Cookies, adding a couple of tweaks of my own. Above is the naked version of my cookie based self obsession! See below for the iced cookies!

Donna Hay's Brioche Loaf and My Bread & Butter Pudding

Over the weekend I was going through Donna Hay's book 'A Cook's Guide' in the hopes that some of that magical food styling mojo would rub off. Unfortunately, food styling prowess can't be transferred by osmosis so I consoled myself with making (and eating) Ms Hay's truly excellent Brioche.

Triple Vanilla Faux Cronuts

I'm not sure if you've come across all the hullabaloo about Cronuts; Dominique Ansel's Frankenpastry that has New York and the internet all a flutter, but apparently they're the next big thing in patisserie! Cupcakes eat your heart out!

Now Dominique Ansel has quite cleverly trademarked the name Cronut so these are officially NOT Cronuts but rather a shadow of an imitation... the Faux-nut, maybe?