My intention was good. Make a batch of wholesome, homemade granola bars to last us the week. I grabbed oats, wheat germ and slivered almonds. Up next, dried fruit. Shredded coconut caught my eye. That’s dried fruit. Hmm. What else? Raisins. Nah. Cranberries. Perhaps. Dried apricots. Definitely maybe. Let’s see, what goes well with almonds and coconut?
As I ran through my options—my healthy options—chocolate chips caught my eye. Almonds. Coconut. Choc… No. Focus! Dried fruit. But… No, buts! Well, except, dried fruit is full of sugar. (Right?) Despite my efforts to stay on the fruit-n-nut express, I was derailed. I couldn’t stop thinking about the scrumptious combo of chocolate, almonds and coconut. (Hello, Almond Joys!). It had to be made.
These may not be the everyday snack that I set out to make, but they are a way healthier treat than any candy bar! And I totally nailed wholesome.

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The last, but not least, recipe in my Make Ahead Brunch series: a Lemon Blueberry Crumb Bundt Cake. This buttery and bright cake, spiked with fresh berries, is perfect for brunch, especially with warmer weather upon us. It can be baked in a regular baking pan, but using a bundt playfully hides a cinnamony crunch at the bottom and allows for a lemon glaze over the top. Because who doesn’t need an extra punch of lemon flavor on a sleepy weekend morning?
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I wanted to make something different for Valentine’s Day. Something chocolate, of course, but with more. With a twist. My burning desire for something new led me down a long road paved with failed experiments before coming up with these gems. I wandered (way) far afield before remembering that it’s little adjustments made to the familiar things we know and love that make for the most pleasant surprises.
These chewy chocolate chunk cookies, first discovered on Orangette, are a staple at our house. I hate to admit it, but the first thing that drew me to Molly’s recipe was its use of yogurt (she suggests full fat, but I use non- or low-fat Greek style which always works). There’s still some butter and a cup of sugar, so I’m not claiming that these are completely guilt free (c’mon people—if you’re going to make cookies, enjoy them!), but they aren’t gut bombs either. Which might be why it didn’t occur to me right away to adapt this recipe for our Valentine’s Day treats. Valentine’s Day is supposed to be sinful, right?
All weekend I churned out decadent treats that just weren’t right. Then, it occurred to me: Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be over the top. Instead, it can be mellow and warm. Familiar yet surprising. Quietly romantic. And that’s just what my new version of these cookies are.
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Photo: The Kitchn

Check out this week’s Food News, Things I Crave, Green Your Eats, Tips, Tools & Techniques, and Weekly Roundtable (a roundup of the most recent ChowMama posts). Plus, for a little while, I’ll follow the Weekly Roundtable with a quick update on my non-resolutions. Not that you should care (but maybe you do? I love me support from fellow ChowMamas and ChowPapas!), but it’s a way of keeping me honest.
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Photo: Martha Stewart

You can’t have a party without cake, right?! I love serving cupcakes, at children’s parties especially, because they allow you to offer a range of flavor combinations without too much extra work. And they are just the right serving size—cute little packages of baked goodness!
Lately, my ChowBaby has been very excited by all things chocolate chip. Even just 5 chocolate chips—all on their own or thrown into our “trail mix” with walnuts and dried cranberries—totally make his day, so chocolate chip cupcakes were a gimme.
Because, as I said, variety is part of the joy of cupcakes, I wanted to make a second flavor cake that would go with the chocolate chip icing (so I wouldn’t also have to make two kinds of frosting). Devil’s food cake, a moist chocolatey delight made with sour cream, sounded perfect. So, with Martha’s help (I wasn’t about to experiment with recipes for my son’s party—this was all about reliable sources), I got to it. There’s not much more to say, except… utterly delicious
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Photo: Gourmet

I warned you. More decadent sweets. Today: Chocolate Espresso Pecan Pie (aka the best dessert at our big, dessert-filled family Christmas). Like I said yesterday, you’ll thank me when you find this in your bookmarks. Trust me!
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