Mom's Orange Chocolate Cookies

These cookies activate a very nostalgic part of my brain. My mom had two signature cookies growing up - her oatmeal chocolate chip cookies (which I will publish on here one day but I have not figured out her magic touch!) which were a regular occurrence, and then these orange chocolate cookies, which were a bit more of a rare find. She isn’t sure the origin of these cookies, it’s likely a recipe passed on to her from a friend. The aroma of the orange with the slight touch of clove brings back so many great memories for me. I love these for fall and winter with their slight touch of clove. Perfect with a cup of tea on a cool day!

A few tips for these cookies:

Cream together the butter and sugar until super fluffy

You want the mixture to look almost white before adding in the egg! 

Be patient once you add in the egg

You are forcing quite a bit of liquid into fat (the butter) so it takes time for it to whip together; patience at this stage will lead to wonderfully fluffy cookies. If you have a stand mixer this is pretty straightforward as it’s hands-off but you want to whip until all the liquid is incorporated into the butter and you have a homogenous, light, extremely fluffy mixture.

Don’t over mix once you add in the flour

To ensure you don’t end up with a “tough cookie”, mix until just combined for steps 5 and 6. You could always mix by hand at this stage if you feel like your mixer might lead to over mixing (I just use the lowest setting on my stand mixer).

Drop the cookies vs shaping them

These were originally called chocolate orange drops, because instead of shaping the dough you literally just scoop with a spoon and drop onto the sheet. This gives them an imperfect shape that leads to great texture - little scraggly bits get crispy while the inside of the cookie remains soft and fluffy.

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Orange Chocolate Cookies

15 minute prep time, 12 minute bake time

Yield ~2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

½ cup butter, room temperature

¾ cup brown sugar, well packed

1 egg

2 cups all-purpose flour (or you can do half whole wheat!)

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

⅛ tsp ground cloves

Zest of 1 orange

¼ cup orange juice (juice of 1 orange)

1 cup chocolate chips

Method:

1. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper (if you have 2 sheets you can prep two and bake at the same time!)

2. Cream together butter and brown sugar with either a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or hand mixer on medium-high for 2-3 minutes until it lightens in colour.

3. Beat in 1 egg for 3-4 minutes (or longer!) - you are looking for the egg to be fully incorporated and the mixture to be light in colour. Should look extra fluffy!

4. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt and clove - whisk together until well combined.

5. Add flour mixture to butter/egg/sugar mixture, beating on low until just combined.

6. Add in orange zest, orange juice and chocolate chips, mix until just combined.

7. Drop spoonfuls onto cookie sheet 1 inch apart - should be about 1.5 tbsp in size (they are smaller cookies). You will likely need two cookie sheets, so you can either do this in rounds or bake two at the same time, swapping their position in the oven halfway through.

8. Bake at 375F for 10-12 minutes until starting to turn golden brown. Let cool on the cookie sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a rack.

Zuchinni Chicken Burgers

These burgers were an early pandemic creation for me before I discovered grocery delivery and was limiting my grocery shops to once a month. I often ran out of ingredients and had to get super creative with what I had on hand. There was a solid two weeks last April that I didn’t have eggs, but I had some ground chicken in my freezer. Knowing that zucchinis add a great amount of moisture to baked goods, I thought to experiment with them as the binder. They turned out so well, and now are in regular rotation! I honestly like them better than chicken burgers made with the traditional egg and breadcrumb binder. I find they stay super moist and remind me of a smash burger texture. The Worcestershire sauce adds so much savouriness to the patties that they almost taste like a beef burger.

The mixture is pretty loose, which is typical of a chicken burger because there’s less fat to keep its shape when they are cold. Update: I’ve tried these on the BBQ and they hold together well! You just need to cook them on a high heat, similar to the pan method, so that a crust forms before flipping. Tips below.

A few tips:

Mix your binder/flavourings before adding in the ground chicken

Similar to my glazed chicken meatballs, I recommend mixing all your flavourings first then adding in your ground chicken so everything gets evenly distributed without over mixing the meat.

Put oil or water on your hands to shape

Since ground chicken can be a bit ‘sticky’, coating your palms with a little oil or wetting them with water will help prevent your hands from getting too sticky.

Cook on a high heat

To give them a good crust and help them keep their shape, I start them at a high heat and then turn it down to finish cooking through. If you have a cast iron, I would recommend using that with a good glug of oil but I have also made these in a non-stick!

For the BBQ, heat grill to high and brush grill with a high smoke point oil like vegetable or canola oil. Grill on high until a crust forms before flipping! This will ensure they don’t stick.

Do not disturb for the first few mins

In order for a good crust to form, you need to sear them hard in the oil and not move them around too much to start. Otherwise, you’ll have some mixture sticking to the pan / left behind!

Freeze for future you!

My friend tested out freezing these raw (wrapped in plastic wrap) and they held up well! Just let them thaw, and then cook as below.

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Zuchinni Chicken Burgers

Time: 30 mins

Yields: 4 burgers

Ingredients:

1 cup grated zucchini, drain out excess liquid (either press down in a strainer or squeeze with a clean cloth or cheesecloth)

¼ white onion, grated

1 tsp Sriracha

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

½ tsp kosher salt

Cracked black pepper

1 package ground chicken (450g)

1 tbsp neutral oil for pan - avocado or sunflower oil preferred for high heat, use lower heat with olive oil (you won’t get the same crust!)

Optional burger sauce:

1/2 cup mayo

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp Sriracha

Method:

1. Mix together your grated zucchini, onion, Sriracha, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Once well combined, mix in your ground chicken.

2. Form into 4 equal patties.

3. Heat pan with oil over medium-high heat. (Alternatively, heat BBQ grill on high and brush grill with canola or vegetable oil).

4. Place patties in the pan (or on grill), ensuring space between them so they don’t steam.

5. Leave them undisturbed for 5-7 mins until a dark crust forms. Flip with confidence! One swift movement under and then flip!

6. Continue to cook on the other side for another 2 mins then turn down the heat to medium and continue to cook until the internal temperature reaches 165F (about 4 mins). Top with cheese slice if desired!

7. Serve on a bun with tomato, lettuce, burger sauce, and whatever else tickles your fancy!

Guide to Oven Pulled Pork

This is less of a recipe, and more of a guide, and it’s been a long, long, long time coming. I’ve been making oven pulled pork for about 10 years, and each time I make it, it’s a little bit different. I also don’t really have many good photos of pulled pork sandwiches because I usually make them for a crowd, aka a party, aka I have a few beverages during the prep. But the result is what you imagine - saucy, drippy, and oh-so-delicious. I’ve added notes below of all the considerations I keep in mind, the variations I make, and how to adjust depending on your flavour preferences. I hope you find this guide helpful and choose your own adventure to a delicious sandwich. 

One disclaimer is this guide is for oven-roasted pulled pork. I do not claim to be an expert in smoking or BBQ - those are truly an art I have no expertise in. This is purely based on my own experience experimenting with my favourite sweet and saucy pulled pork sandwich, using the tools available to me (my oven). 

A few recipes/resources I’ve consulted over the years that have influenced this guide are: Tyler Florence Pulled Pork Sandwiches and Barbeque Bible “In Praise of Pork Shoulder”.

Overall approach to this recipe:

This recipe can be made in 1 day. I’ve done it many times that way. BUT if you have the luxury of time, I recommend starting this 3 days out:

• Day 1: make the dry rub and coat your pork shoulder in it. Let it sit in the fridge covered overnight.

• Day 2: roast the pork, let it cool, shred it, put the meat in a covered dish in the fridge. Put the pan drippings in a mason jar overnight. Optional: make your bbq sauce and refrigerate, or save that for Day 3.

• Day 3: reheat pork with pan drippings (fat skimmed off) in an oven-safe dish or on low in a slow cooker. Make your bbq sauce if you haven’t yet (or get that store-bought stuff ready!). 

To serve:

• You want squishy white buns. No fancy buns needed. Just those little hockey puck-sized white buns that if squished would become a pancake. Delish.

• I like to add in ½ my BBQ sauce to the pork to make it saucy, with the rest of the bbq sauce in a dish with a spoon or a squeeze bottle for those who like extra sauce. You could also keep the BBQ sauce separate so guests can truly choose their own adventure.

How much pork to buy:

• You want pork shoulder or Boston Butt

• ¼ lb of pork per person assuming you are eating on buns

• You can buy bone-in or boneless - bone-in will take longer to cook but often has more flavour

  • Bone-in will lose ~40% of its weight once it cooks

For example: if feeding 8 people, 4 lbs bone-in pork shoulder will be perfect and leave a bit leftover.

Dry rub ratios:

Essentially 3:1 paprika to others (below if perfect for 4lb, double if you have a bigger piece of pork):

• 3 tbsp paprika (I like to do 1 tbsp smoked paprika, 2 tbsp regular)

• 1 tbsp dry mustard (optional)

• 1 tbsp onion powder (optional)

• 1 tbsp garlic powder

• 1 tbsp brown sugar

• 1 tbsp ground black pepper

I like to add in for heat and flavour (optional):

• ½ tsp ground cumin

• 1 tsp ground chile powder

• ½ tsp ground cayenne

Salt depends on how big of a piece of meat you have:

• Roughly ½ tbsp of kosher salt per lb of meat. 

• Example: 2 tbsp salt (kosher or sea salt) for a 4lb pork shoulder.

For cooking:

½  tall can of cider or beer (lager, nothing too hoppy)

Or you can use apple juice or water!

Steps:

• Mix together your dry rub and rub all over the pork shoulder. You can do this up to 24 hours ahead of time (just put it in the fridge wrapped). If you have any extra dry rub I would just add it to the bottom of the pan. It will cook out in the liquid making a great pan sauce.

• When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 325F. Place the pork shoulder in a roasting pan or other oven-safe dish with high sides, pour in ½ a tall can of cider or beer for moisture and cover with tin foil. Cook time depends on the size of pork shoulder (once it’s in the oven, I would start the BBQ sauce on the stove - below).

• Check the pork every 30 - 45 mins to ensure it’s not drying out - there should be lots of drippings and moisture in the pan. If your oven runs hot, consider turning it down to 300F and adding some water to the pan if it’s drying out.

Rough guide of cooking time:

• 3-4 lbs -> 4-5 hours

• 5-7 lbs -> 6 hours

• 7-10 lbs -> 8-9 hours

You want to cook it until it is falling apart with a fork. Once it’s done, let it cool until you are able to touch it. Remove pork to a cookie sheet or cutting board and shred the pork (I use my hands but you can also use two forks), removing any large piece of fat. Place in a slow cooker if you are serving later for a crowd or into an oven-safe dish to reheat later. 

Meanwhile, pour the pan drippings into a mason jar and place in the fridge to cool so the fat separates. Once cooled, scrape off the fat, and then add the pan drippings to your pork 

If you want saucy pulled pork (this is how I make it!):

BBQ Sauce

I like to start this on the stove pretty soon after I put in the pork. Letting it simmer for a few hours at a low heat cooks out the ketchup-y flavour, caramelizes the sugars slowly, and allows for a deep tangy, sweet sauce!

Base sauce*:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 white onion, finely diced

2-3 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed

1 cup ketchup

½ cup apple cider vinegar

¼ cup molasses

2 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp yellow mustard

The other ½ tall can of cider or beer

In a saucepan over medium heat, heat your olive oil and add in your diced onion. Sautee until soft, about 5-7 minutes. Add in garlic cloves and remaining ingredients. Stir or whisk together and bring to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn down to low heat and simmer covered for a few hours. Check it every 15-30 mins to ensure the bottom isn’t burning (there’s a lot of sugar in there!), giving it a good stir. Once the colour has deepened to nice brown colour and it’s thickened, it’s in a good place. Now taste! Follow my asterisk below for adjustments:

*The reason I say “base sauce” is you should taste and trust your taste buds. Some people like their BBQ sauce more acidic, some like it sweeter, or more savoury. Start with this, let it simmer for 1-2 hours, then taste. 

• If it needs more sweetness, add more molasses or brown sugar (or honey! Or maple syrup!). 

• If it needs more acid, add more apple cider vinegar. 

• Need more savouriness? Try a tsp or two of soy sauce. Or maybe more Worcestershire sauce. Or maybe salt?? Taste and adjust! 

• Do you want some spice? Add in some drops of your fav vinegar-based hot sauce, like tabasco or cholula. 

Remember: the pork will be salty, smokey, savoury and fatty. The sauce should be a bit sweet and tangy to counter that.

Chorizo Stuffed Dates with Bacon and Spicy Marinara

One of the things I miss most about pre-pandemic life is getting to see my work friends in Chicago. My team is based in Toronto, Chicago and Montreal, and normally we would see each other every few weeks in person. The past few years I would go to Chicago 3-4 times a year, and I absolutely adore the city and its food scene. Some of the best meals I’ve ever had were in Chicago. The Girl & the Goat (+ every Stephanie Izard restaurant), avec, Monteverde, Publican, Topolobampo, Au Cheval, the list goes on!

On one of my last trips there in 2019 I went to avec with my work friend for dinner. It now feels like a totally different world - narrow, crowded restaurant, bench style tables that you share with other parties basically nudging each other's elbows. When we arrived my friend said we had to get the stuffed dates to start. Reading the menu I was so intrigued. I’d had bacon wrapped dates before, I’d had bacon wrapped water chestnuts too, but the idea of dates with chorizo and bacon AND spicy marinara seemed so out of the box to me. These were not things I would think to combine. When I took my first bite my mind was blown and that food memory is forever etched in my mind. The chorizo and marinara bring a spicy heat, the dates become sticky sweet, and the bacon ties it all together with saltiness and smoke. 

This recipe is my rustic interpretation of that dish. If you look at avec’s Instagram you’ll see perfectly wrapped dates, glistening in sauce. These are a bit more home-y, but the flavour is all there. These would work as an appetizer or can hold up as a main. The recipe is flexible based on how many dates you have. 

A few tips:

• Chorizo sausage: you want to buy fresh sausages for this recipe, not dry-cured. Most grocery stores will have “Spanish-style chorizo” in the sausage section, but if you are able to go to your local butcher or sausage spot, I recommend getting them there!

• Medjool dates: although they are more expensive than regular dates, Medjool dates are key to get the sweet caramel flavour this recipe needs. They are a bit of a splurge but totally worth it for this recipe. You can get them at the grocery store, online, or at your local bulk store.

• Bacon: If there was ever a time to splurge on bacon, this is one of them (although I personally think you should always splurge on bacon!). If you can get your bacon from a local butcher, that’s best. You want the thicker cut, double smoked if possible. 

• Serving tips: I love this with crusty bread to dip into the sauce. As a main, serve it with a bright, acidic salad (even just arugula with lemon juice and olive oil works!).

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Chorizo Stuffed Dates with Bacon and Spicy Marinara

Serves 4-6 people as a main, 10-12 as an appetizer if you make them small!

15 min prep time, 60 mins cook time

Ingredients:

4 chorizo sausages (fresh - not cured)

12-20 Medjool dates

1 package good bacon (need 12-20 slices, or 6-10 cut in half)

Marinara sauce (notes below of how I make it from scratch if not using bottled)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375

2. Prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

3. Open your dates and remove the pit, flatten them by pressing with your thumbs and middle fingers, and set them aside

4. Remove sausage from casing and form into meatballs (same amount of meatballs as dates)

5. Place a meatball on each flattened date, wrapping the date around the meatball (depending on the size it might just cover half).

6. Wrap each “meatball date” in bacon, and place onto cookie sheet. If you have extra bacon leftover you can always put it onto the sheet to crisp up for a “chef snack” :)

7. Bake until meatballs are cooked through (165F internal temperature) - 45-60 mins depending on the size of the meatball.

8. Serve in marinara! I like to pour the pan drippings into the marinara sauce for extra flavour. Best served with crusty bread.

Spicy Marinara:

1/4 cup olive oil

1 white onion, finely diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 can tomatoes (794g) or bottle of crushed tomatoes (passata)

1. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium

2. Add onion and garlic, cook, until softened (5-7 mins)

3. Add crushed red pepper flakes and tomato paste, cook out for 2-3 mins

4. Add in tomatoes (if whole tomatoes, crush with your hands as you add-in)

5. Simmer on low, covered for 30 mins - 2 hours! Stir every once in a while to ensure it’s not burning on the bottom. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Nanny's Lemon Loaf

This past week I returned to Toronto after four months of staying in Nova Scotia with my parents, waiting out winter. I am really grateful to have been able to spend that much time with my family, in a year when many people have been separated from their loved ones for so long. Although I didn’t ever envision myself living with my parents for almost 6 months of my first year “living on my own” (I moved to my first solo apartment in February 2020), I had a lot of fun sharing many meals with them, many walks, and many evening chats. In my time home I also spent a lot of time reflecting and reminiscing on the meals and foods that formed the basis of my love for cooking. My grandmother was a huge part of those early food memories. She was an amazing baker; I used to call her the “pie queen”. She passed away in 2016 but we still have her recipe cards which my mom and I spent one recent Saturday afternoon exploring.

Most of my go-to baked goods are her recipes, and I hope to share more of them here to continue on her legacy. This lemon loaf was written on a few recipe cards throughout our findings, including Mom’s notebooks, so it is definitely an Avery family favourite. The original calls for shortening, which I’ve subbed below for butter. Like many of her recipes, there were limited instructions. I feel like my Nanny had such great instincts in the kitchen, as does my Mom, so those notes weren’t needed. I’ve tried to interpret the method below. I hope you try out this recipe and feel the love and warmth I do every time I bake it. 

Lemon loaf is a classic Nova Scotia treat, perfect with afternoon tea, morning coffee, or… sneaking as many slices as you can when no one is looking. It is fragrant, sweet, and the lemon glaze adds an extra tartness to the exterior that makes you want to come back for more. 

Here are a few tips for the recipe:

Do not overmix the batter

Like all cakes, you want to ensure that once you combine wet and dry ingredients that you don’t overmix, otherwise you will have a dense, chewy cake. The batter should just come together.

Pour the lemon glaze on right when it comes out of the oven

To get a crispy, sugary crust on the loaf, ensure you pour your glaze on right when it comes out of the oven. The glaze will run down the sides of the pan and soak into the loaf while it’s hot, almost hardening the sugar. If you pour it on when it’s cold it won’t soak in and it will be sticky.

Be patient and let it cool completely

Ok one of the recipe cards from my Nanny said to wait 24 HOURS BEFORE EATING. That is actually wild, I do not recommend. But I DO recommend maybe leaving the house for a few hours while it cools so you aren’t tempted to cut into it while it’s still warm! This is best served completely cooled and it will take a few hours to lose its temperature.

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Nanny's Lemon Loaf

15 min prep time, 60 min bake time, let cool for 4-6 hours

Ingredients

½ cup room temperature butter

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

Zest of 1 lemon 

1 ½ cup all purpose flour

½ tsp kosher salt

1 tsp baking powder

½ cup milk

Glaze

Juice of 1 lemon 

¼ cup white sugar

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Prepare a loaf pan by greasing or lining with parchment paper.

2. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. 2-3 minutes on high.

3. Add in the eggs and continue to beat until well mixed and fluffy. It will take some time for the liquid of the eggs to mix in fully to the butter mixture so be patient! It should look smooth and fluffy.

4. Add in lemon zest and combine well.

5. In a separate bowl whisk together flour, salt, baking powder.

6. Gently fold dry ingredients into egg mixture until craggly, it’s ok if there are some dry ingredient patches.

7. Pour in the milk and fold gently until well mixed but not overmixed. The batter should just come together, with no dry patches or milk patches.

8. Pour batter into loaf pan and place into 350F oven. Bake for 60 minutes until golden brown and cracked on top -  a cake tester should come out clean!

9. While the loaf is baking, whisk together your lemon juice and sugar until sugar is dissolved.

10. Immediately after the loaf is removed from the oven, pour the glaze over top. It’s critical that you pour when it’s piping hot to get the beautiful crust outside that isn’t sticky.

11. Allow the loaf to cool completely, ideally 4-6 hours before slicing and serving.