Weekend Reading: Valentine's Day Edition

Red velvet crinkle cookies

Another snow day, another batch of treats — this time red velvet crinkle cookies via Classy Cooking. I made a few small tweaks, like swapping out half the white chocolate chips for semi-sweet pieces, which gave the cookies a stronger cocoa flavor. I pulled them from the oven at the suggested 13-minute bake time and they came out perfect — soft on the inside with a slightly crusty top and bits of chocolate throughout.

Since it is Valentine's Day, let's end the week with the latest sweet reads.

Serious Eats takes us behind-the-scenes of Roni-Sue's Chocolates' truffle-making operation.

Ligaya Mishan — the writer behind the New York Times' Hungry City column — samples the city's plethora of dessert tastings. Anyone up for a trip to Patisserie Tomoko?

According to Time Out New York, the cookie plate is making a comeback.

Oh Joy whips up a batch of edible valentines.

Finally, Thrillist has your NYC hot chocolate checklist.

Have a great weekend!

Dumplings for Days

Pork and leek dumplings

Pork and leek dumplings

To celebrate the Olympics, the Cooking Channel kitchens whipped up a world's worth of stuffed, pleated deliciousness, from Russian pelmeni to Japanese gyoza. The timing is perfect, as I've been trying to replicate one of my favorite childhood dishes — mom's homemade pork and leek jiaozi After a few attempts, I'm starting to get the folding down, but the flavor isn't quite there yet. When I finally get the seasoning right, I'll post a recipe and how-to — in the meantime, dig into these sweet and savory morsels.

Valentine's Day Gift Guide

Guys and gals, it's not too late to pick up the perfect Valentine's Day gift — and by perfect, I obviously mean one that's chocolate-y and loaded with sugar. Luckily, there's no shortage of unique chocolate-makers in New York City, which means it's time to think outside of the (Godiva) box.

P.S. Dominique Ansel — yes, he of cronut fame — is bringing back his once-a-year collection of all pink pastries, including this adorable cupid religieuse. Get in line early.

Weekend Reading

It's been a long slushy week — kick off those snow boots and unwind with a cup of hot cocoa, plus some food reads.

Over at Eater, Robert Sietsema looks at Sunset Park's dim sum renaissance.

Old-school is new-school — see which retro desserts are making a comeback.

Real Cheap Eats rolled out their winter guide, chock full of noodles, burgers and babka.

My Cooking Channel colleague Amanda pulled together this gorgeous round-up of cozy, chai-laced treats.

Finally, food photographer extraordinaire Daniel Krieger shares his favorite Brooklyn haunts — and some gorgeous snaps, of course — with Food & Wine.

Have a great weekend!

Snow Day Snickerdoodles

Speculoos snickerdoodles

When we were pummeled with nearly a foot of the white stuff two weeks ago, it seemed like a good time to whip up a few batches of my favorite cookies: chewy, cinnamon-laced snickerdoodles. I followed this recipe from Smitten Kitchen and loaded the batter up with two heaping spoonfuls of Trader Joe's addictive speculoos spread because, well, you really can't go wrong by adding some cookie butter.

With another snowstorm set to hit the East Coast, don't be surprised to find my stand mixer whirring away this weekend. I have my eye on a few of the sweet treats featured in the Cooking Channel galleries I recently threw together, including Kelsey Nixon's s'mores pudding pie and Bobby Deen's coconut tiramisu. What are you craving?