I have my go-to brownie recipe and I generally don't mess around with it. If I'm going to make brownies, it's what I reach for. But then there are days (like today) when there are dried cherries in the pantry and I begin to wonder what would happen if I jammed a few different kinds of chocolate, some quinoa flakes, and said dried cherries into one pan of brownies? The answer: something quite wonderful. More

Truffles and chocolates are one of the traditional gifts folks buy for one another, but I love the idea of a DIY gift for Valentine's Day. Enter these great (and simple!) recipes for quick truffles that are bound to impress your sweetheart - or yourself, or your best friend! More

I don't spend a lot of time pointing out so-called "food holidays" that celebrate specific foods, like National Hot Chocolate Day, because they always seem a little fake and to be honest, they make me a little grumpy. But I can make an exception for one of my favorite treats: the creamy combination of chocolate and hazelnut, more popularly known as Nutella. 

Yes, it's World Nutella Day. How are you going to celebrate?

I have a romantic history with chocolate pies. It doesn't matter if it's my grandmother's microwave chocolate pie, chocolate chess pie, chocolate pudding pie, or brownie pie. I never discriminate. However, this satiny, creamy, light-as-a-feather French silk pie may have just nudged itself to my winner's circle. More

Q: My roommate is allergic to corn, which while sometimes inconvenient, has been a great motivator to get us to learn to cook our own food. However, I have some recipes I'd like to try that contain cornstarch, like puddings and stir fry recipes. Are there other starches I can substitute?

Sent by nerdy

Q: I have a recipe that asks for four sheets of phyllo dough. However the brand I buy is frozen, and in order to get four sheets, I have to let it all thaw. Can I put it back in the freezer, or do I now have to use it up? Is there a way to just get a few sheets out of the package? Thanks!

Sent by Suzanne

I'm one of those people who always has a snack tucked away in my bag, a worst-case survival tactic for when the hours between meals stretch just a little too long. I love me some yogurt-covered snacks: raisins, cranberries, pretzels, all of them. It's taken me a while to work out how I might make these favorite snacks at home, but my golly, I think I've finally got it.

Even though I work largely from home, I'm still plagued by the 3 pm energy plummet like many of my friends and old coworkers. There's just something about that hour, especially in the winter when the days are colder and darker. Instead of reaching for a soda or another cup of coffee, a small snack with a bit of protein is a great picker-upper, and lately I've been mixing up a batch of quick no-bake snacks to keep on hand when the energy lows strike. More

I was born into a family that loves sweets. In the summer, I crave ice cream or sorbet, and in the winter I often reach for a cup of cocoa in the evening. But those packets of store-bought hot chocolate are filled with sugar and hydrogenated oils and making your own is so very simple. Making your own healthier version? Just as easy. More

I don't use white sugar much at home these days. Now I reach for a more unrefined cane sugar like turbinado, or experiment with maple syrup or honey as sweeteners. But the problem with this, for bakers in particular, is that you have to be careful about adding extra liquid to a recipe because it changes the entire composition and structure. So what's a good solution if you want to add a deep, dark sweetener like maple syrup? Pick up a bag of maple sugar! More