Apple Hazelnut Cake Recipe (Eggless Dessert)

Whether served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, crème anglaise or simply a dollop of Greek-Style vanilla yogurt, this apple hazelnut cake will satisfy your sweet tooth. What I love most is the contrast in texture of the crisp, buttery top and the moist interior.

I flavored the cake with Red Delicious apples. I chose this particular variety because of their firmness and beautiful bright red color. I usually use them in salads or eat them as is but they also work well in these baked goods.

The girls have been working out hard this week and asked if they could break their healthy routine with some sweets. I'm so happy they decided to join me in my workout routine and thought they deserved a little reward. They're teenagers after all. As you can probably tell by our meals, we don't really diet, though I try to find healthier alternatives as long as they don’t sacrifice flavor. After enjoying these treats, the girls and I hit the gym and enjoyed 30 minutes of pure Stairmaster fun!

Double Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies

If you love chocolate and hazelnuts, you're going to love these cookies I just created. Sunny, my husband's oldest sister (she's 16 now), promised her girlfriends she would bring some sweet treats to share with them at school, so I helped her out by making these decadent French-inspired cookies. 

Nutella serves as the base of the cookies, to which I added a layer of homemade hazelnut cream (frangipane-style) and a smattering of mini-chocolate chips. 

The cookies come out of the oven chewy, soft and sweet. And of course, irresistible! 

Our friends over at Nuts About Granola are featuring my Hawaiian-inspired granola bars on the new packaging of their Granola Basics and at the same time are giving away 3 copies of my upcoming book, Haute Potato, to their readers. Leave a comment at the bottom of Nuts About Granola Blog post and you might be one of the lucky winners!