The Cake Merchant

Vegan Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies

I’m ashamed to say that I only recently began making shortbread cookies, but I’ve more than made up for it lately. You may remember these shortbread cookies that I made a few weeks ago. Since then, I’ve made (and eaten) more of these than I count, given them as Christmas gifts, and brought them to holiday parties.

While I was in Indiana last week, my friend Kelly decided to brave the cold and drive down from Michigan to visit me. Kelly happens to be vegan, so I decided to veganize the original recipe. After all, vegans deserve shortbread, too. Especially after driving for 3 hours in the snow to hang out with me.

Read The Post

Double Chocolate Espresso Cookies

Christmas is just around the corner, and if you’re anything like me, you’ve procrastinated about Christmas shopping until the last minute. This year, all of my friends are getting baked goods. Not only do homemade gifts have a personal touch, but they’re perfect for a budget conscious starving artist like myself. So, from now until Christmas, all of my posts will be dedicated to homemade sugary treats that make great gifts.

Read The Post

Lemon Pie Dessert Shooters

I have a thing for mini desserts. If you follow my blog, you may remember these Peppermint Bark Cheesecake Shooters that I posted a few weeks ago. They were so easy to put together that I decided to do a lemon pie version. I especially love miniature desserts around the holidays. After being bombarded with sweets all season long, a couple of bites of dessert is all it takes to satisfy my sweet tooth. Plus, there’s the whole cuteness factor.

These pie shooters are made of 3 things- graham crackers, lemon curd, and whipped cream. If you want to make it really easy on yourself, you can use pre-made lemon curd and cool whip, but I’ve included the recipes that I used. For me, there’s really no substitute for freshly whipped cream.

Read The Post