Dark Chocolate Salted Espresso Cookies

Hey, Universe? I'm so ready for spring. Can we make this happen, please? It's coming in slow drips and drabs, at a snail's pace, really. So I got bored of waiting, and made some cookies instead. Because one should always have cookies when waiting for a new season to finally arrive.

These is my perfect chocolate cookie, the hard looking exterior hides a velvety soft interior, bursting (oozing, if you eat straight from the oven, as I naturally do) with deep, dark chocolate and espresso flavor. You really can't eat more than 2 of these at one sitting - not without going into sugar shock. Which of course, I again naturally do.

There are many versions of this recipe floating around the internet. I used the recipe from Alice Medrich's book, but with coconut oil instead of butter, suggested by the lovely Stephanie at Desserts for Breakfast. The coconut oil gives the cookies a lovely, subtle tropical sweetness. Alice also uses nuts, which I didn't.

You really don't need any other chocolate cookie recipe once you've tasted these. And maybe, just maybe, it will urge spring to arrive a little faster.

Major, right? (I'm watching a bit too much Rachel Zoe.)

Here's the recipe.

Start the week off right

My weekend was quiet, I hope yours was too. Or at least I hope yours was the speed that you wanted it to be. On Friday, I paid a visit to the West Village for lunch and was reminded, as I always am, of how different each neighborhood is in this city. I love that you can walk a few blocks in one direction and find a new world. For the rest of the weekend I didn't leave my own neighborhood, and there's a beauty in that, too.

Leading you into the week with some lovely posts.

Food

For the most part, I bake Jim Lahey's no-knead bread for my family, but if I were to branch out, I'd be making this black pepper fennel seed rye bread from The Little Loaf

I'm curious to try out Jessica Alba's new book, The Honest Life, where she espouses on everything in her natural and organic life. I liked this this interview with Alba on The New Potato, plus there's a recipe for her ice pops.

I love everything about mulligatawny soup, I love the curry flavor and the texture and I love the way the name runs off my tongue. I haven't duplicated my local cafe's version at home, probably because mulligatawny requires a long list of ingredients, but this Spoon Fork Bacon version looks simple enough to try.

Lemons and Anchovies posted this lovely breakfast recipe for a fried egg tartine with pesto mayonnaise but I'm thinking of doing it for dinner some night this week. I'll probably double the recipe.

Interior design

Kelly of Design Crush is hosting an "urban decor" themed curated sale at Joss & Main on March 28th, make sure you check it out.

Here's a lovely interview with one of my favorite bloggers of all time, Victoria of SF Girl by Bay, on The Everygirl. It's so interesting to read how she got started and how deeply linked the success of Pinterest is with her.

Fashion/style

Erin Gates put together a list of spring wants and I'm loving the "bonjour" sweater she picked out.

Iceland. I have to make it there. This is Glamorous is making me want to go NOW.

Eeek! How does Oh Joy! always manage to put together the cutest roundups for children? 

Here's to starting the week off right. With a flower shaped like Marge Simpson, of course.

RIP Google Reader

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Ummm, did you guys all hear that Google Reader is being dissolved? Excuse me while I have a quiet freakout in the corner here.

I follow over 500 blogs on GR (yep, that's right, 500+). It's a little crazy, but I have them all beautifully organized in folders and it all seems so manageable there. So, now I'm searching for a new home for all of my lovely blogs and bloggy friends.

Have you guys tried Bloglovin yet? I already read some blogs via that reader, but I'm thinking of moving my whole hefty list over there. If you choose to follow me there you can find me via the link at the top of this post.

Have a lovely Thursday, I'll be tackling this giant manuscript today:

One year anniversary!

This blog has officially been alive for one whole year. Thank you so much for visiting me in this space, sharing your reactions to my posts and cheering me on when I was feeling down. I cannot tell you how happy it makes me. What began with a few readers (my husband, sisters, and one or two friends) has now turned into a thriving little community that keeps me constantly energized and humming about what I want to talk about next. 

If you were here in real life, I'd make you a chocolate cupcake, or some lemon pound cake with chocolate sprinkles, or a cup of earl grey. 

Or perhaps just a big hug. 

Either way, I'm loving you guys today. And I'm excited to see what this year holds for all of us. Thank you again for reading, listening, and commenting.

dervla

P.S. Happy first day of spring! The sky this morning was all fluffy clouds and blue. 

All things feel possible at the beginning of a new season.

Much improved, or something like that

This is shaping up to be a better week, you guys. It really is. Perhaps it's that the evenings are brighter and my walks home are becoming more leisurely or perhaps it's because I've developed a slight obsession with Homeland and can't stop watching it. But whatever it is, things feel smoother, easier, lighter.

Interior design

This totally white Swedish home on 79 Ideas is a soothing sight for my sore eyes. And my sore eyes want to see more.

The Visual Vamp always makes me think. And this post on 27 interior designers personal homes put together by Architectural Digest was really interesting. Nate Berkus's home was the one for me.

Oh my god, these Easter egg terrariums from Brittany at The House that Lars Built are seriously amazing. I'm gazing at them in awe.

Have you guys seen Bri Emery of DesignLoveFest fame's fabulous new living room designed by Emily Henderson? It's so colorful and chic, and the cutest thing of all is that Emily designed it in return for Bri's help with her site. It was published in the LA Times last weekend. And while you're hanging out with Emily, hop on to this post about her beautiful bedroom.


Oh, and tomorrow is the first day of spring AND it's my 1 year blog anniversary! Can you believe it?

Time flies.

Hard week

It's been a super hard week in my world. I don't know about you, but I started off on a tired foot with the time change and then the week went downhill from there. A combination of stress at work and home, and I'm left feeling like a hollowed out shell. I'm ready to let the weekend fill me up again.

Oh, and happy St. Patrick's day on Sunday! I'll be celebrating in the company of good friends and reveling in the blooming hyacinths on my windowsill. That will hopefully put me on the right track again for next week.

Food

Ez at Creature Comforts is in the middle of a giant cross-country move (and possible lost furniture!) but still found the time to share a recipe for strawberry cheesecake with ginger snap pecan crust.

How about some sweet potato fries with rosemary and garlic from Alli at Hooray?

Here's another delicious looking pound cake, this time with grapefruit and thyme, from Adrianna at A Cozy Kitchen.

Interior design

Anna at Door Sixteen has redone her kitchen and I'm loving her new shelving.

Kirsten at 6th Street Design School shares the home of one of her favorite blogger friends (Kristen F. Davis) and I'm totally inspired by her colorful chevron shelving and creative use of space.

I haven't been to Paris since my early 20s and I'm itching for a return visit. Alice at Lingered Upon isn't making it any easier with her gorgeous post on her February visit to Paris. The light!

Fashion/style

Need flats for spring? I'm trying not to buy any, but I'm feeling tempted by this guide to colorful spring flats from The Glitter Guide.


And finally, just the video you need to start the weekend: check out this amazing footage of a giant flock of birds swirling found via Black Eiffel.

Here's to finding some beauty and peace this weekend. It's the only thing keeping me going.

A country weekend

Did you have a great weekend? I think I said on Friday that I was hoping this would be the last truly cold weekend, but it felt like the first warm one! We were in Pennsylvania visiting my family so I got lots of outdoor time.

Oh, and there was a visit to an alpaca farm! Just look at those faces. I might have to do a whole 'nother post dedicated to them.

Food

I'm all about meals with very few ingredients these days. Things you can just slap together but still pack a taste punch. So, I'm coveting this avocado, pea, and wasabi sandwich from The Little Things.

And this spicy citrus glazed shrimp from Passports and Pancakes has only five ingredients!!

Fashion/style

Nicole Warne of Gary Pepper spent an afternoon at the water's edge in Brooklyn and if I could half as stylish as her, I'd be happy. Those yellow pants!

Win $150 to spend at cute children's clothing shop, Olive Juice Kids from Design Mom.

Ok, I promise I'm not featuring this book because it was published by my workplace, but because it's totally awesome! Amy Azzarito has come out with Past & Present, based on her Design Sponge column that celebrates the history of the arts. You can stream her interview with Grace Bonney.

Thanks to Miss Moss I discovered the new National Geographic tumblr Found. Kind of excited to comb through the archives of photographs, some that have never been published before. You can even buy the photographs as prints to frame for your own home.


We're back in New York now, and what could be better than that? This sight takes my breath away every time we drive back in.

See you on Wednesday!

PS: this post should have been done an hour ago, but I keep getting distracted by JT on SNL. Gahhhh, hilarious.

PPS: I haven't watched The Bachelor yet. Don't give it away! Pretty please.

Is spring coming?

Snow was supposed to be falling thickly by now, but we seem to have been granted a reprieve. All we had by this evening was a sludgy rain. Is spring coming? 

Interior design

Centsational Girl has inspired me to think about starting a collection of similarly colored items with her gorgeous living room. Her post also contains a creative use for a table runner!

Feeling gloomy in these last few winter days? Ashley at Decorology has gathered some lovely, colorful spring-y images to inspire you.

Emily Henderson is doing a One Kings Lane sale and she gave us a sneak peek today. I'm coveting the cute brass animals for my bookshelves.

Swedish dream home via Maia at Conundrum. Ooooh, the midcentury details.

Food 

Heidi of 101 Cookbooks has a delectable looking recipe for chocolate pudding with whipped cream that I'm really feeling tonight.

Tequila + steak? I think I need this in my life. Recipe from The Boys Club.

I love sriracha sauce, don't you? Check out this sriracha fried rice with edamame and pineapple recipe from Passports and Pancakes. I'd top it with shrimp as they suggest.

Ahhh! Rainbow bright cupcakes from Bakerella! That's all I need to say, really.

I come back over and over to Bea at La Tartine Gourmande. Her dreamy, light-filled photographs just get me, every time.


Happy weekend, hope this is one of the last truly cold ones.

Soon

That's the East River above, a place we frequent on the weekends. In the coming weeks and months, it will completely change from this blustery, frigid landscape to a tree lined boulevard fragrant with the heavy river scent and the blossoms of the nearby park. Soon. SOON.

It seems impossible, improbable sometimes, this strange and cool life we live.

Interior design

Did you know that Jonathan Adler is doing a line with JCPenney? It's true. Jessica at How About Orange told me so!

I'm still trying to decide what art to put on my wall and perhaps making a print of my favorite instagram shots on wood with the awesome art service InstaThis would be the way to go?

JCrew + interior design? Could there be a better combo? Erin Gates at Elements of Style did a really fun mashup of beautiful rooms and picks from the new JCrew spring lineup.

Food

Fish sauce. I have to get my hands on some. And now Diane and Todd of White on Rice tell me that it works on brussels sprouts too? I'm sold.

Another wonderful use for cauliflower in this yellow lentil cauliflower curry from A Pinch of Yum. Wonder how it would look with the glorious green cauliflower I've got hanging out in my fridge?

Check out these pretty lemon rosemary scones from The Pioneer Woman. At first, I was getting all stressed because I don't have a triangle scone cutter but then I saw that Ree suggests using a pizza cutter to just cut out the triangles...how cool is that?

Fish tacos are amazing little beasts - and these Mumbai fish fry tacos from Cook Republic sound like a different take on one of my favorite meals.

Happy weekend and the High Line

I hope you have a great weekend planned. My goal each weekend is to do something I've never done before. Two weeks ago I got to visit Chelsea Market (NYC's version of a gourmet food court) and walk the High Line (a disused railway line elevated over the west side of Manhattan). It was blustery, cold, and utterly wonderful. I hope you get to go there someday.

Have a great weekend!