YumSugar Recipe

If you missed celebrating national Nutella Day a couple weeks ago, don't fret, just fill your cookie jar with these delectable Nutella sandwich cookies! This sweet treat has great texture with a crunchy cookie and easy creamy Nutella filling. Traditionally, linzer cookies are made around the holidays and filled with jam, but a chocolate hazelnut spread makes the cookie perfect for Valentine's Day. If you and your sweetheart are crazy for hazelnuts, toast them before adding to the dough to further enhance their flavor. Pull out those cookie cutters and get to baking these heart-shaped delights after you read more.

With all of the talk of cookie exchange parties, I couldn't resist making one of my favorites, oatmeal with chocolate chips, hazelnuts and cocoa nibs. I love the texture of oatmeal cookies but can't stand them with raisins so I began experimenting with different additions. It started with only chocolate chips and slowly grew to other ingredients.

After many trials, the conclusion was clear: creamy chocolate chips, roasted hazelnuts, and crunchy cocoa nibs all nestled in a chewy oatmeal cookie. The nibs are not completely necessary, but do provide a more intense chocolate flavor without amplifying the sweetness. They are essential for any chocoholic. If you want to add a little more to your oatmeal cookie keep reading.

Summer is coming to an end! I don't want it to, but there's no way to fight it, so instead, I celebrated by creating a frozen treat inspired by the great camping tradition of s'mores. Only a few days ago, PartySugar made homemade smores, and I decided to try my hand at s'mores popsicles. These easy popsicles only require five ingredients: vanilla ice cream, marshmallows, chocolate chips, graham crackers, and vegetable oil.To mimic the shape of a marshmallow, I made the pops in small juice glasses, although any pop mold or dixie cup would work. While these popsicles are not gooey and warm like the original s'more, they have the same great flavor. The first bite of roasted marshmallow ice cream, crisp chocolate, and crunchy graham crackers will cool down anyone who is basking in the last fiery days of Summer. These popsicles are irresistible to kids and adults, so if you want chilly s'mores, keep reading.

After enjoying my fair share of seafood in Oahu and at Sam's Chowder House, I had a craving for one of my favorites dishes, tuna poke, and I decided to experiment with it at home. The key is to buy high quality tuna — either sushi or sashimi grade. Luckily, I found sushi grade tuna (imported from the Honolulu Auction) at Berkeley Bowl, a local market where many Hawaiian restaurants purchase their daily catches.

It only takes a few minutes of chopping and a couple quick stirs to prepare this dish. For extra heat, I added two types of chiles to the tuna poke. However, the spiciness is balanced by the creamy and cooling guacamole. I served mine with store-bought tortilla chips, but it would also be wonderful with freshly fried wontons or plantain chips. If you have taken the bait and want to celebrate Summer with this simply scrumptious appetizer, keep reading!