Chocolate. Orange. Ginger. Wow, I am smitten already. Landing on this recipe was a stroke of good fortune.

Gingersnaps are not new to me, but I was still not prepared for the intense blast of punchy flavour and texture that these deliver. I cannot fathom a more congenial combination in a cookie than this one, a bittersweet chocolate base speckled with rich nuggets of dark chocolate, the zing of peppery fresh ginger, bursts of tangy orange flavour and the added bonus of little bits of candied ginger for extra oomph. Then, there is the perfection of the texture, chewy and crisp at the same time, a hint of toothy resistance in the bite yielding to moist tackiness in the centre.

How does this happen? Secret ingredient: Marmalade. Who knew you could toss it into a gingersnap and get this sparkling result? I further bolstered the orange flavour with some pure orange oil. Married with the chocolate, this is a cookie to swoon over. Also, ground ginger can only do so much in the flavour department. The fresh ginger in these cookies takes the ginger concept and really lets it rip, as well as enhancing the moistness and tenderness ratio. Molasses is another essential element in a gingersnap, lending its sensuous, sweet depth and irresistible caramel-like qualities.

All told, you are in for a major jolt of delight, happiness in your hot little hands. Here is the game plan:

Chocolate Orange Gingersnaps

2 cups all-purpose flour; 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder; 2 tsp. baking soda; 2 tsp. ground ginger; 1 tsp. ground cinnamon; 1 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg; 1/2 tsp. kosher salt; 3/4 cup unsalted butter, in pieces; 3/4 cup granulated sugar; 1/2 cup brown sugar; 1/4 cup molasses; 1/4 cup orange marmalade; 1 heaping tbsp. peeled and freshly grated fresh ginger; 1 large egg; 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract; 2 - 3 drops of pure orange oil; 5 tbsp. finely chopped candied ginger; 2 tbsp. cocoa nibs (optional); 5 tbsp. bittersweet chocolate, chopped small; 1/2 cup extra granulated sugar for rolling the cookie dough in.

Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper. Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In a mixer, beat together the butter and sugars on low speed until well blended. Stop the mixer and scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl and blend again. Add molasses, marmalade and grated ginger and mix to blend. Add egg, vanilla and orange oil and mix. Batter may look curdled, but that's OK. Stop and scrape sides and bottom of bowl as needed. Add the dry ingredients all at once and mix on low speed just until incorporated. Batter will be thick.

Add candied ginger, chopped chocolate and (optional) cocoa nibs. Mix only until evenly distributed. Refrigerate the batter overnight, covered with plastic wrap, for the best results.

When ready to bake, pour the extra cup of sugar into a shallow bowl or plate. Preheat your oven to 350 F. Using two teaspoons, plop balls of dough into the sugar and roll into a neater ball, coated with sugar completely. Place balls of sugared dough at least 3-inches apart on your baking sheets and bake for about 10 - 12 minutes, depending on the size of your cookies. Remove cookies from the oven just when they puff up the most, about 11-12 minutes, and let them cool completely in the pan. Makes about 50 small cookies.

Let me say a few words about cocoa nibs. They are available in gourmet shops and are on the pricey side, so make sure you understand what they are before you spend the big bucks. Cocoa nibs are the edible part of the cocoa plant, a hard, almost nut-like shell that is very bittersweet and brittle, with a crackly texture and deep, unsweetened cocoa taste. They are quite bitter on their own but when encased in a sweet cookie, your mouth will marvel at the intoxicating pure essence of chocolate. If you are unsure or unwilling to use them, simply leave them out. I did. I would love to use them for special occassions but not having them at all times will not stop me from making these cookies (at all times!).

At first I thought, I would would have liked this cookie to be a bit thicker, a more handsome handful, but this thin version certainly has its charm. With an almost lacey design, it is large and festive and beautifully toned. I am giving up on my idea of a perfect orb and loving the quirky form and personality at play here.

Succumb to sweetness with our support:

Here they are, the innards of my cheesecake laid out for you to scrutinize. The layers are clearly visible, my new go-to crust of shortbread cookie dough over which sits a smooth and luscious lemony cheesecake. Then there are the raspberries, thickened into a sweet sludge singing of fresh fruit. It all works very well, every element playing its part in the symphony of joy happening in your mouth.

It took time for me to let go of the graham crust so often seen in cheesecakes and now that I have moved on, there is no going back. I love the sturdiness a cookie dough provides, allowing easy cutting and lifting, no crumbly detritus scattered on every plate. This cake cuts like a dream, with clean, crisp edges and nice delineations between the layers, each segment standing on its own merit and merging into a delectable whole. Also, the shortbread base can carry so many flavour possibilites, from toasted coconut to lemon, vanilla, chocolate or hazelnut, a lovely cookie foundation from which your cake rises up and gets noticed. Every ounce of your being is urging you to do it!

Raspberry Lemon Cheesecake from Wanda's Pie in the Sky

Makes one 10-inch cake, serving 12-14 people

Crust: 3/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces; 1+3/4 cup all-purpose flour; 1/4 cup granulated sugar; 1/4 tsp. salt; 1 tsp. grated lemon zest; 1 egg, slightly beaten.

Filling: 1+1/2 pound cream cheese at room temperature; 1+1/4 cup granulated sugar, divided; 1 cup sour cream; 5 large eggs, at room temperature, separated; 1 tbsp. all-purpose flour; 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract; 2 tsp. grated orange zest; 1 tsp. grated lemon zest; 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice.

Topping: 1/2 - 1 cup granulated sugar, depending on the sweetness of the raspberries; 2 tbsp. cornstarch; 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice; 2 tsp. grated lemon zest; 1 pound raspberries.

Using a food processor or pastry cutter, process or cut the butter with the flour, sugar, salt and zest until mealy. Add egg and mix just until mixture begins to come together. Divide dough in half, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Roll out one piece of dough into a 10-inch circle. Place it onto the bottom of a buttered 10-inch springform pan and chill for 20 minutes. Roll out the remaining pastry into a strip 3-inches wide and line the sides of the pan with it, overlapping the bottom crust slightly. Trim the pastry just to the top of the pan. Chill while preparing the filling and topping. Reduce oven temperature to 350 F.

Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, sour cream and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add egg yolks, flour, vanilla, zests and lemon juice and beat until very smooth. Beat the egg whites with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar until soft peaks form. Fold into cheese mixture and turn into the prepared crust. Bake for 15 minutes then reduce oven setting to 225 F and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the cake is no longer shiny. Chill for at least 8 hours or overnight before slicing and serving.

For the topping, combine sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan. Stir in the lemon juice and zest. Mix until smooth and gently stir in the fruit. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the fruit releases some juice. Increase the temperature to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens and begins to boil. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly but being careful not to crush the fruit. Taste for sweetness and add more sugar if needed. Cool slightly before pouring over the chilled cheesecake. Chill thoroughly before removing the cake from the pan or slicing. Store refrigerated in a closed container for up to 4 days.

Tips from me to you:

• It really is important to have the cream cheese and eggs at room temperature to avoid lumps and achieve maximum creaminess in your final product.
• I modified the crust technique by just pressing the shortbread dough onto the bottom and up the sides of the pan. I also pre-baked it for 7 minutes at 350 F to make sure it crisped up nicely. You can see from my golden edged bottom crust that this was a good idea. Haven't tested this the other way, Wanda's way.
• True confession: I did not separate my eggs and everything worked out just fine, though Wanda's technique probably yields a fluffier result. I don't mind my cheesecake a bit dense, but if it is fluffiness you seek, separate your eggs.
• I find that light cream cheese bakes up beautifully and has better texture than regular cream cheese. The regular stuff feels somewhat sticky and heavy to me.
• Blueberries could also work well as a topping, using the same technique and measurements. If your topping feels too loose, mix another tablespoon of cornstarch with a tablespoon of cold water and add to the cooking fruit to thicken it up a bit more. My topping held together almost like a solid layer of pure fruit, which was nice, but it is perfectly OK to have a topping that is somewhat looser, oozing down gently over your slices of cake.
• And, finally, you can freeze this cake!

This may, truly, be the cheesecake of your dreams. It will satisfy a hunkering for a thick, gooey, sinfully rich, soul-satisfying dessert like nothing else I can think of. More inspiration for decadence can be found here:

Photo courtesy of www.lottieanddoof.com

If you can boil water, you can create colourful, cool frozen treats to satisfy your hot weather cravings. With fun molds available in a variety of shapes and sizes, a whole array of popsicle forms and flavours awaits you.

The building block of paletas, a Spanish term for frozen treats on a stick, is a sugar syrup. It is this easy to prepare: place 1/2 cup of sugar and 3/4 cup of cold water in a small saucepan over low heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil for 1 minute. Set aside and cool completely. Makes 1 cup.

The second essential ingredient in popsicle making is fruit. I have honeydew melon versions for you, blackberry lemonade, strawberry/cranberry and sour cream cherry paletas to share with you. Each one showcases jewel-like colours and deeply satisfying natural flavours, unlike the icky-sticky fake pops you buy at the supermarket. Thanks to Bon Appetit magazine for these great ideas.

Layered Melon, Lime and Lemongrass Paletas

1 cup sugar syrup; 3 stalks lemongrass, roughly chopped; 1/3 cup lime juice; 300g chopped ripe honeydew melon.

Place half of sugar syrup and lemongrass in a small saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil for 1 minute. Strain and allow to cool. Add lime juice and stir. Set aside. Place remaining sugar syrup and melon in a blender and process until smooth. Divide melon mixture between 8 x 1/3 cup ice block molds, insert stick and freeze for 2 hours. Pour the lemongrass mixture over the frozen melon mixture and freeze for a further 3 hours. Makes 8.

Blackberry Lemon Paletas

1 cup sugar syrup; 1+1/2 cups lemonade; 2 tbsp. lemon juice; 140g blackberries.

Pour the sugar syrup, lemonade and lemon juice into a large jug and stir. Divide berries between 8 x 1/3 cup capacity ice block molds. Pour the lemonade mixture over the blackberries, insert stick and freeze for 4 hours. Makes 8.

Strawberry and Cranberry Paletas

1 cup sugar syrup; 1+1/3 cups cranberry juice; 8 strawberries, sliced.

Pour sugar syrup and cranberry juice into a large jug and stir. Pour half the cranberry mixture into 8 x 1/3 cup capacity ice block molds. Place 2 strawberry slices into each mold, insert sticks and freeze for 4 hours. Pour remaining cranberry syrup into molds. Divide remaining strawberry slices between molds and freeze for a further 4 hours. Makes 8.

And, now, for the adults. . . .

Sour Cream, Cherry, and Tequila Paletas (recipe by Fany Gerson)

8 ounces stemmed and pitted cherries, fresh or frozen; 1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar; 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice; 2 tablespoons silver or blanco tequila; 1+1/2 cups whole milk; 1/2 cup granulated sugar; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; 1+1/2 cups sour cream.

Put the cherries in a nonreactive saucepan with the confectioners’ sugar and cook over medium heat, stirring, until the mixture comes to a boil and the sugar has dissolved. Lower the heat, stir in the lemon juice, and simmer, stirring often, until the syrup has thickened and has a consistency like maple syrup. Remove from the heat, stir in the tequila, and refrigerate until completely chilled.

Drain the cherries, reserving the liquid for another use (soda!). Combine the milk, granulated sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. If using vanilla bean, scrape the seeds into the mixture, then add the pod. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture just comes to a boil.

Remove from the heat, add the sour cream, and stir with a whisk until completely smooth. If using vanilla extract, stir it in at this point. Let cool slightly, then discard the vanilla bean and refrigerate the mixture until completely chilled.

Put a bit of the sour cream mixture into each of your molds, to a height of about 1 inch. Freeze until the mixture begins to set, about 30 minutes. Divide the drained cherries among the molds, then pour in the remaining sour cream mixture, dividing it evenly among the molds.

Freeze until solid.

Buzz some fruit into a sweet slurry, freeze and lick, with our support:

No recipe! No measuring! No cooked custard! No eggs! I whipped up a beautiful batch of dazzling pink rhubarb ice cream and here is how it played out. First, it was time to harvest the hearty rhubarb stalks taking over my vegetable patch, so I cut some down and hopefully more will grow. Gave them a wash, a chop and then placed them into a pot to simmer with some sugar and a splash of water. The rhubarb quickly boiled down to a thick, pastey mush which I then pureed and enhanced with natural vanilla extract and some freshly ground cinnamon. Added in some light cream and milk and a pinch of salt to round out the flavours. Tossed in some raspberries. Into the fridge for an overnight chill before churning. A spin in my Cuisinart ice cream maker quickly transformed a cold slurry into a thick, luscious, creamy gelato. Some freezer time firmed things up just right. Served it up in a vintage glass pedestal cup. Success!!

That's all there is to it, really. How much sugar? Up to you. Rhubarb is nasty without it, so don't be shocked when you taste your pre-churned mixture and find you need lots. Use equal amounts of milk and cream. If you feel comfortable with some more guidance, try these proportions:

Rhubarb Raspberry Ice Cream

4 stalks of rhubarb, about 1.25 pounds, cut into 1- inch pieces; 1 cup water; 3/4 cup sugar; 3 whole green cardamom pods, cracked; 1 cup milk; 1 cup table cream, 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon; 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract; pinch of salt; 3/4 cup raspberries, frozen or fresh.

Place your rhubarb pieces, water, sugar and cardamom pods in a saucepan and cook until rhubarb breaks down and turns soft and mushy. Take off the heat and remove the cardamom pods and any seeds that may have escaped. Let cool and puree. In a mixing bowl combine the pureed rhubarb, milk, cream, cinnamon, vanilla and pinch of salt. Mix well and taste for sweetness. Add more sugar if the mixture seems too tart. Chill in the fridge overnight. Churn in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Add the raspberries about half way through the churning process, when the ice cream is still soft. Makes about 2 litres.

Rhubarb may not be your go-to flavour for ice cream at the moment but once you get your hot little hands on this cool, rose-toned treat you will effortlessly succumb to its charms.

Keep cool with more chilled treats:

I baked up a batch of these beauties recently for a folk dance workshop and their success was measured in moans and swoons. Just the right quota of deep bittersweet morsels and the crunch of toasted walnuts encased in a fragrant, buttery, chewy cookie dough. All of these elements enhanced each other in an intoxicating interplay of flavour and texture, a virtual marriage of disparate parts that synthesized into a unified whole.

I realized, after a thoughtful chew, that the recipe for success in this cookie is essentially balance. You will find a dough sweet enough to titilate but that does not overwhelm the chocolate. There is a certain, special chewiness that feels just right, a small snap with every bite that melds into tenderness. The chocolate must stand up on its own two feet, delicious enough to win praise as it nestles into the crevices of your mouth. You expect a sweet sensation of nuttiness, little nuggets that play off of the silky smoothness of the chocolate. Here, the size of the nuts, their freshness and amount, come into play. Too many is the wrong emphasis. Too few is just wrong.

I subscribe to the school of thought that ordains that a chunk of chocolate is better than a chip. And chunking your own bar of chocolate yields all kinds of extra bonuses - lovely little pieces of course, but also slivers, shavings, dust, all useful in the cookie you are about to build. It all goes in, the dust speckling the dough, the slivers adding small dashes of flavour, and, the part you live for, the chunks, the explosion of chocolate indulgence that elevates this cookie to a realm unattainable by its cousin, the chocolate chip cookie.

From where does this cookie come to me? The one and only David Lebovitz, chocolate guru, ice cream maven, food blogger, essentially the perfect man:

David Lebovitz's Perfectly Balanced Chocolate Chunk Cookies

2+1/2 cups all-purpose flour; 3/4 tsp. baking soda; 1/8 tsp. salt; 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature; 1 cup light brown sugar; 3/4 cup granulated sugar; 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract; 2 large eggs at room temperature; 2 cups walnuts, coarsely chopped; 14 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped - use the best quality you can get your hands on.

In a small bowl whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. In a stand mixer beat together butter, the two sugars and vanilla and beat on medium speed until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time until thoroughly blended. Stir in the flour mixture, nuts and chocolate chunks and mix just until the flour disappears. Chill the dough overnight in the fridge. Preheat oven to 350 F. Form teaspoon sized balls of dough and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet, 2 inches apart. Press down gently on each ball with the palm of your hand to flatten slightly. Bake about 10 minutes or until the cookies are set, very lightly browned in the centres and are still soft.

Learn more about great cookies: