Brown Sugar-Hazelnut Cupcakes with Blackberry Buttercream Frosting

Update: these cupcakes were selected as one of the 20 best potluck recipes by the New York Times Magazine!  Make sure to check out all 20 recipes and read the related article by Amanda Hesser.


I don’t want to play favorites, but I’m going to have to: this here is my favorite cupcake to date. It’s actually my favorite cake (I’ve made it a few times before), but because I wasn’t in the mood to make a full-out layer cake (nor did I think it would be a good idea to have my favorite cake sitting in my apartment), I decided to just turn the cake into cupcakes.

Vegan Palak “Paneer”

Palak paneer is commonly called saag paneer despite the fact that there actually is a difference between the two. Technically, palak paneer is made with spinach and saag paneer is made with mustard greens and spinach, but most restaurants (and home cooks) make their versions with just spinach and call it saag paneer anyway.

My mom, however, has always correctly called her version of it palak paneer (yet another testament to her excellence in the kitchen). I’ve always liked my mom’s version of it better than anything I’ve had at a restaurant, and I’m not just saying that because she’s my mom – she really is an amazing cook.

Chewy Chocolate Cherry Cookies

In case you couldn’t tell from the lack of a single cookie recipe on here to date, I’m not really a cookie person. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth (but you might not know it from all the cupcakes I make - and then give away), but, if given a choice between a cookie and a cupcake, I’m going for the cupcake, and pie beats out both of those. Sure, I’ll eat a cookie every now and then, but only if it’s a really good cookie – meaning that it is moist, chewy, and contains lots of stuff – chocolate chips, dried fruit, maybe some nuts, whatever, but there needs to be a lot of them in the cookie.

660 Curries Book Giveaway

I’ve decided that I’m going to give away all three copies today as opposed to giving one away each week. Why?

I’ve tried out 4 recipes from the book and, quite frankly, I’m not thrilled by them. Granted, I’m a bit of a snob when it comes to Indian food (I was raised on it, can you blame me). The recipes aren’t by any means bad, but I don’t think that they’re great, either. That being said, I do think that this book is useful for people who are looking to learn more about regional Indian cuisine.

So, instead of posting more recipes from the book, I’m giving away all three copies today (I sent emails to the three winners) and I'm going to return to business as usual around here.

Stay tuned for some yummy cookies.