By Jaclyn is ONE

Happy First Birthday By Jaclyn! 

It is hard to believe that I have been blogging for a year already! I have learned a lot over the past year and I have had a lot of fun sharing my delicious creations with all of you. There are still so many different recipes I want to share and so much I have left to learn about the world of blogging but I thought it would be fun to do a bit of a recap of some of my favourite blog posts this past year. It was fun going back and looking at all that I accomplished this past year with all of the delicious recipes and tutorials that I shared. It was difficult to narrow it down to my favourites but I chose my top 5 to share with you. You can check out more of my past posts in the Recipe Index. 

My Favourite Five By Jaclyn Posts from my first year of blogging

Nutella Brownie Cheese Cake Bites

Who knew these little cheese cake bites would be so popular. I got so many messages from people who said that they tried them and loved them. Friends and family who were lucky enough to be my taste testers loved them. Some even commented that they were their new favourite dessert. Personally, I love Nutella so these were a huge win for me. Plus the simplicity of a bite rather than a whole cheese cake makes them super easy to serve.  These are also some of my favourite photos that I took this year. I was just starting to learn how to use my DSLR (still learning!) and I was very proud of these photos. 

Gilmore Girls Sugar Cookies 

I was so excited for the Gilmore Girl's reunion on Netflix this past year and I knew that I had to celebrate with sugar cookies. What I didn't know, was that these sugar cookies would quickly become my most pinned pin ever! They basically went viral (by my standards).  I enjoyed re-watching the Gilmore Girl's Seasons (for the 100000 time) and creating custom designs based around my favourite characters and episodes. I love that you guys love them too! 

Marble Sugar Cookies (Video) Tutorial

My first video tutorial! I still have a long way to go when it comes to video and I need to be better about pushing myself to make more because once they are done I love that I can share with you a step by step tutorial that is way easier to understand and visualize what I am doing. The marbling effect has such a great impact visually and it is so easy to create. 

Mini Carrot Cakes with Goats Cheese Frosting

No going to lie - this recipe pushed me out of my comfort zone just a little bit. The olive oil in the carrot cakes and the goats cheese in the frosting are much more savoury flavours than I am used to working with. That being said, I love how these turned out! There is something special about mini cakes - they are fun and playful. A great twist on the classic cupcake! I hope to continue to challenge myself and work with different ingredients and flavours when imagining up desserts to share here on the blog.  

Photo by: Andrew Downs Photography

The Making of a Wedding Cake

I made a wedding cake! Making my cousin's wedding cake was such a fun way to be included in her special day.  There were so many different challenges to overcome but I had a blast designing and creating such a beautiful cake. I learnt so much along the way and I cannot wait to hopefully make even more wedding cakes in the future.  This post allowed me to look back and reflect on the process while sharing with all of you the ins and outs that go into making such a special cake. 

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What was your favourite recipe or tutorial that I shared this year? Let me know in the comments below! 

Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze

This pumpkin bundt cake with cream cheese glaze is full of rustic charm and warm fall spices making it the perfect addition to any holiday table. . 

And just when you thought I was going to make it through September without a single mention of pumpkin spice I go and prove you wrong! Ha. I will admit,  it does feel a little strange to be talking about pumpkin spice this and pumpkin spice that while its over 30 degree Celsius outside. Such crazy fall weather we are having!  But I wanted to share this deliciously moist pumpkin bundt cake with you. I think it will make the perfect addition to your Thanksgiving (dessert) menu!

Fall is my favourite season. I love the beauty in the changing colour of the leaves, all of the new shows on TV (anyone else super excited that This is Us is back?) and the general coziness of the season. Curling up with a cozy blanket and a good book is my idea of the perfect fall afternoon. Crisp fall mornings, apple picking and all things pumpkin - what's not to love?  This bundt cake with its warm fall spices just tastes like autumn to me. I love the combination of the pumpkin pie spices with the tanginess of the cream cheese glaze.  The pumpkin puree makes this bundt cake incredibly moist. The beautiful bundt cake pan creates a cake with a simple rustic elegance that is only enhanced by the cream cheese glaze. It makes the perfect dessert to serve at holiday gatherings but the bundt cake is simple enough to make that you will want to eat it during the week too. Omit the glaze and the pumpkin spice bundt cake makes the perfect breakfast paired with a hot cup of coffee. 

Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze 

Makes: One Bundt Cake 

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For the Cake

2 1/2 c flour 

2 tsp baking soda 

1 tsp baking powder 

1/2 tsp salt 

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice 

1/2 c butter, softened 

1/2 c sugar 

1/2 c brown sugar 

2 c pumpkin puree 

3 eggs 

1 tsp vanilla 

1/4 c milk 

For the Glaze

4 oz cream cheese 

3/4 c powdered sugar 

1 tsp vanilla 

1/4c heavy cream

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350F. Grease and flour a bundt cake pan, set aside. 

In a medium bowl sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and pumpkin pie spice. 

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, on medium-high speed beat together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time scraping down the side of the bowl after each addition. Add in vanilla. Mix in pumpkin puree until just incorporated.  

On low speed, add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture. Mix until no streaks of flour remain. Add in milk until just incorporated.  Transfer batter to prepared bundt pan. Even out top with a spatula. Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Note: If the centre of the cake isn't fully baked through, but sides are browning cover with foil and bake until set.  Transfer cake to a wire rack to cool completely. 

While the cake is baking, make the cream cheese glaze.  In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, on medium-high speed beat together cream cheese and powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Slowly beat in heavy cream until desired consistency is reached.  Once cake is cooled, use an offset spatula to spread glaze over top. 

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

These soft & chewy double chocolate chip cookies are packed full of delicious chocolatey goodness! They are sure to please any chocolate lover.

Where do I even begin. These cookies *insert heart eye emoji here*. Seriously. They are so soft, chewy and packed full of chocolate. I love chocolate chip cookie, they are my kryptonite. I have been known to eat an entire batch on my own, in one sitting. It took some serious will power not to eat the entire batch these cookies but it didn't stop me from making multiple batches! Lol! I kept the cookies fairly small because at least if I eat multiple cookies (which I always do) they are small cookies, or that's what I tell myself anyway. 

To really up the chocolate experience, I used two different types of chocolate chips in this recipe. I used a semi sweet chocolate chunk and a milk chocolate chip.  The milk chocolate chips melt more and have a smoother texture when melted than the semi sweet chocolate chunks. The semi sweet chocolate chunks add even more chocolate flavour to the cookie. As always, the more chocolate chips the better. 

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies 

Makes: 18-24, Depending on size

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Ingredients 

1/2 c butter, at room temperature 

1/2 c sugar 

1/2 c brown sugar 

2 eggs 

1 tsp vanilla 

1/4 c cocoa powder 

1 1/4 c AP flour 

2 tsp corn starch 

1/2 tsp baking soda 

1/2 c milk chocolate chips 

1/2 c semi sweet chocolate chips or chunks

Directions 

Pre-heat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside. 

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a with a paddle attachment, on medium speed, beat together butter and sugars, until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs one at a time, scrapping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Beat in vanilla until just combined. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients: cocoa powder, AP flour, corn starch, & baking soda. On low speed, add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Mix until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips. 

Using a medium sized cookie scoop (1-1 1/2 tbsp), scoop cookies onto baking sheet. Evenly space cookies on baking sheet, baking 12 cookies per sheet. Bake for 9 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack for them to cool completely.

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