Je T'aime

A short stack of macarons.

You know it's almost Valentine's Day is when the cold, dark Winter gets painted shades of pink and red, and the resolutions of the New Year get tossed out the window in favour of cinnamon hearts. This post is a departure from my "real food" theme, but it is in the spirit of treats. This year, I'm treating my valentine to something he affectionately refers to as those things.

Ah - the french macaron. The delicate dessert that has fans swooning all over Paris. If you can't make it to Ladurée, you can whip up a batch yourself, but you'll need practice, patience, and a scale.

I think part of the appeal of the french macaron is its look - two meringue clouds sandwiched together with ganache, buttercream or jam - how adorable!  

You can go the traditional route with the standard size and fun pastels or you can switch it up with flavours or minis. I've seen some beautiful heart-shaped cookies, but I lack the skill-set to execute anything but the classic recipe. These little treats are so finicky, but they're worth the effort. 

Macarons waiting patiently for the oven.

There are so many macaron recipes available online; I usually like to browse through foodgawker for inspiration, it's a photo gallery that links blogs throughout the world (and it really gets the stomach going.) After hours of hard work, both me and my Valentine were so delighted to snack on a stack of macarons that we ignored the stomach aches after eating so many, and I may or may not have had one for breakfast.

Get the recipe here.

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Warm Cinnamon Rolls

Drizzling cream cheese icing
over warm cinnamon rolls.

Cinnamon Rolls; does anything compare? Warm, buttery dough with a spiral of sweet spice through the centre. Top them with cream cheese frosting and you have the Saturday morning breakfast of goddesses (/gods.)

I'd been fantasizing about cinnamon rolls for a long time, but I didn't want to ruin my craving with your run-of-the-mill, mass manufactured cinnamon roll. I wanted an at-home roll, the kind that fills your kitchen with that sweet aroma to the point that you feel you are living inside of the cinnamon roll.

A ball of dough ready to rise.

The only thing between me and the cinnamon rolls of my dreams was the yeast. I tried to use yeast in a recipe about 3 years ago and after wasting all three packs on an unsuccessful attempt, I came to terms with the fact that it wasn't going to happen for me. I picked myself back up and recently bought another 3-pack of yeast with my cinnamon roll craving in mind. A lazy Saturday morning was upon me, so I scoured Google and Foodgawker for "easy cinnamon roll" recipes, and I came across a gem. Minimalist Baker enticed me with "The World's Easiest Cinnamon Rolls" and I haven't looked back since.

This recipe turned out perfectly. I made some minor adjustments, substituting real butter, whole wheat flour and organic cane sugar for the originals. The buns were rich and dense, which is the perfect way to balance out a cup of black coffee.

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Get the recipe here.