Fat Free Lemon Cookies

It's hard to get back on track after a break - no matter how small.

The man and I were in Kelowna over the long weekend to visit his family (May 20th was Victoria Day in Canada) and we did absolutely nothing. Like, really nothing. We slept in, pitter pattered around the mall, mini golfed - an activity that spurred us to do even less since it aggravated my hip injury - and went to a movie. I didn't even have to cook! This for a family that usually fills weekends with overflowing work (I'm one of those people that pokes away at work all weekend), baseball, soccer, playdates, and all the normal stuff that comes with a hectic family life was absolute paradise.

Oh, and we got completely addicted to Pocket Planes. (Have you played?! You must.)

Back home on Tuesday I stood in my kitchen, buried under a massive to-do list, and made these cookies to get back in the groove. I have to admit, it was awesome to eat something homemade again, despite the unwelcome effort after a weekend off.

These lemon cookies are practically fat free, and are light and fluffy lemon delights that kind of remind me of meringues. To be honest, we actually prefer them without the icing - they're too sweet with it for our tastes. The man and boy (and I) were eating them as they were being lifted off the pan, and they were gone so quickly I had to make a double batch the next day. Definitely a keeper.

Summer Lemon Tart

Let's just close our eyes and pretend it's already summer, yes?

If you're in Vancouver, it hasn't been that hard to do the last few weeks. High temperatures had me skipping around in sun dresses, eating way too many hot dogs, and thinking of all the delicious summer treats that lay ahead.

Aside from the awesome weather (which now seems to have disappeared), know how else I can tell we're nearing the sunny season? Spiders. So many damn spiders up in my house. There are benefits to a ground floor apartment (less elevator BS, a little yard, easy escape from fires), but then there are the spiders and bugs. Definitely one of the downsides.

Thankfully, none of that can deter me from making a sunny dessert - this easy lemon tart that's the perfect combination of sweet and sour. The crust is buttery and slightly sweet, and the lemon curd filling is refreshing and light. It's a bit messy, but that's kind of what summer is all about.

Frogs in a Bog Cupcakes

This will be the only time it's okay to have a fly in your food.

These frog cupcakes were part of a wedding order I filled this week, and possibly one of my favourite cupcake designs for quite some time. The frogs are just so cute and kind of dumb looking - they melt my heart.

I based them off of a few designs I saw floating around, but opted for white icing (food colouring squicks me out) with some bright blue sparkles for the water. 

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The Side Dish: For the Love of Baking

There's certain stillness to baking.

To combining ingredients with the perfect combination of precision and patience, creating something whole from so many fragmented parts. To having something that - no matter what - it will always yield the same results.


My boyfriend will gladly attest to my somewhat, um, exacting nature. I can be uptight and neurotic as hell, and I correct things all the time. But I swear I have a good reason: in my day job as a writer, there's little room for error. Words are placed with precision. And when used correctly, their order and meaning demands things from us. Whether it's our attention, our humanity, or something else entirely, it certainly isn't haphazard. And from a pile of words - and we have dictionaries full of thousands of them - we create something meaningful and connecting; we create something we can share in.

Baking, really, isn't so different to me. There’s an incredible and powerful science and art behind baking, from the amazing marriage between basic chemical reactions that create our treats and the beautiful creations we turn it into.

Flour, butter, sugar, leaveners: these make cake. But we make more than just cake when we combine them. When we bake we resurface memories, whether it’s licking sweet frosting from beaters snuck from the bowl when Mom wasn’t watching, waking up with sleep-filled eyes to the smell of cinnamon from fresh baked rolls, or that amazing dessert from the best first date, perfectly recreated. We connect with others - our neighbours, families, and friends. And we create, unleashing imagination on one very tasty canvas.

Of course, I bake for other reasons, too, like having difficult food allergies. I bake because I’m concerned about ingredients, additives, and dyes. I bake to save money. And I bake because I love to brighten people's days with cookies and other treats.

But it all comes back to that stillness. That calm. That serenity that washes over me as I knead dough and shape it into something that, very soon, will become something so much more.

Dairy-free Chocolate Chip Cookies

I never thought I'd meet a cookie made with oil that I'd like.

But I like this. I like this a lot.

Made with canola oil, these dairy-free chocolate chip cookies have a glossy exterior with a slight crispy crunch that's hiding a warm gooey centre. I added a bit of nutmeg to give them a more complex flavour and mask the absence of delicious, delicious butter, and I also threw in some cocoa nibs for a healthier alternative to only chocolate chips. Definitely good decisions, as I wouldn't alter this recipe any further for my family's preferences. They're sweet, chocolately, and I don't miss the dairy one little bit.

Easy Whole Wheat Bread

Bread is one of those things that I always think is a huge pain in the ass to make, but it never really is. And, when it comes down to it, it's worth what effort it takes. Because this?

This is delicious for nearly everything.

This easy whole wheat bread, based on a recipe from King Arthur Flour, is even easier than I anticipated. Just put the ingredients in a bowl and mix, toss it in a pan, let it rise, then bake. It's a lazy baker's dream come true! I adapted it to our personal family preferences (a lil' bit of white flour for my man), and based on what ingredients we had on hand. 

The verdict? It was gone within the day, so I guess it was pretty damn good. I'll definitely be adding it into our favourite recipe pile, and making it again when we need a quick bread fix.

9 Of My Best No-Bake Desserts

With the weather finally starting to warm up, I figure it's a perfect time to do a round up of my best no-bake desserts. From cookies, to squares, to pudding, there's something for everyone here. 

You ready? 

Peanut Butter Balls

Football Rice Krispie Treats

Easy Chocolate Fudge

Nanaimo Bars

Easy Egg-Free Chocolate Pudding

Mexican Chocolate Tofu Pudding

Chocolate Peanut Butter Drops

S'mores Bars

Peanut Butter Chocolate Oat Bars

I guess I really like chocolate and peanut butter?

What's your go-to best no bake dessert?