As soon as I saw these cookies on Joy the Baker, I knew I would make them for the gluten-free ladies in my life.  I’m not a huge fan of lemon in desserts (I’m a chocolate / butterscotch /peanut butter girl through and through), but something about citrus just makes it perfect for Spring. It would […]

December 29, 2015 Cookies Someone asked me last week how many cookies I make in December. I replied that I usually make about 10 different types of cookies, but she came back at me wanting to know the total volume. I guessed about two dozen of each type, so somewhere in the neighbourhood of 250 cookies. The look […]

April 1, 2015 Pies & Tarts I’m super excited to share this quick and easy recipe today! *insert sound of record scratching here* APRIL FOOL’S! I can’t even keep up this charade as a joke. Let me take a minute to explain. On my 5th blog-iversary, a mean internet troll my brother left me a comment […]

This is my re-creation of the pie of my dreams that I had in Halifax. It’s a pastry crust, filled with butterscotch pudding and topped with whipped cream, and it was a sweet second course at my blog-iversary party. I’m calling this version 1.0, because there are a few things I’m going to do differently next time. […]

December 4, 2011 Candy Erin and I went to the Gourmet Food & Wine Expo a few weeks ago, mostly to see Chuck (we’re on a first name basis, he follows me on Twitter). The Expo itself was something I had a feeling I would either absolutely love or truly hate; do you want to guess which one? […]

I grew up watching my Mom make countless jars of strawberry jam and mustard pickles, but never really had any interest in canning myself.  Over the last few years, I’ve been making skillet jams that I can keep in the fridge, but recently I’ve been a bit jealous of my friends who are total canning […]

It’s currently 76 degrees in my condo (without the heat on) and the sun is shining in here, lighting the whole place up (and showing me all the places I need to dust, but whatever). Can this really be January? The month when we’re supposed to want to hibernate and eat comfort food? I first […]

I feel like shortbread has a bad reputation as a “boring” Christmas cookie. I made a traditional whipped shortbread for my first Champagne & Cookies party back in 2010, and I think it was kind of overlooked. Partly my own fault, because when there are nine other treats to choose from, a plain shortbread cookie […]

Christmas is coming early to Planet Byn, and we’re celebrating the release of Rosie Daykin’s new book, Butter Celebrates! You’ll remember the Butter Baked Goods Bakery from previous gushing here (when I visited the store in Vancouver last year) and here (when we hosted a giveaway for Rosie’s first book a year ago). I was […]

As someone who’s been taking pictures of their food for almost six years, I always want the things I bake to look cute. When they don’t, I’m usually disappointed, but take comfort in the fact that if it tastes good, no one really cares what it looks like. I’ve dubbed this category “fugly but delicious” […]

August 16, 2011 Frozen   In the Spring when I made Butterscotch Cream Pie again for Easter, I was reminiscing about a dessert Mom made when we were little that we called Skor Bar Dessert. Mom found the recipe for me (actual name: Toffee Bar Crunch Pie), and it’s made with vanilla instant pudding and a […]

I grew up watching my Mom make countless jars of strawberry jam and mustard pickles, but never really had any interest in canning myself.  Over the last few years, I’ve been making skillet jams that I can keep in the fridge, but recently I’ve been a bit jealous of my friends who are total canning […]

February 24, 2016 Dinner It was a cold, wet, miserable snowing/hailing/raining mess today, so it’s time to talk about comfort carbs. Bolognese has always been something I thought best left to the pros. My friend Jenn taught me to order it at old school Italian restaurants, and that you know it’s legit if there’s a […]

Okay, this is going to be a long one, so you just have to stick with me here. I promise the end result is the quickest, easiest, one-bowl treat yet to appear on Planet Byn, so you have to just power through. Last week, my former co-worker and friend Erin was e-mailing me about some […]