This cake has finally cured me of my fear of whipped egg whites. I've avoided whipped egg white recipes ever since I first subscribed to Martha Stewart Living (in about fourth grade), and tried to make a wedding cake for my aunt. It was a genoise without any chemical leavening, and was a total bust. The cake layers came out totally flat, and we ended up buying a grocery store cake. Since then, either my baking skills have greatly improved, or this cake is much more forgiving. I've now made it twice, and it came out light and fluffy and delicious with no difficulty both times. And didn't seem that scary at all.

The recipe comes from Deb of Smitten Kitchen; I've adapted it to fit an 8-inch cake pan because that's what I have, and also because it makes a really nice small dinner party (4-6 people) size, but if you'd like a 10-inch cake, you can use her quantities and directions in the link below. We couldn't decide whether to use the chocolate ganache or not, so I covered half the cake, black-and-white cookie style. It's delicious both ways - without the chocolate ganache, you get a nice, crunchy, sugar top, and I served it with caramel sauce and ice cream. And with the chocolate, well, it's chocolate.

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

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HAZELNUT BROWN BUTTER CAKE, WITH OR WITHOUT CHOCOLATE GANACHE

• 95 grams (about 2/3 cup) hazelnuts
• 140 grams (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter
• 1/2 vanilla bean
• 100 grams (1 cup minus 2 tablespoons) powdered sugar
• 30 grams (1/4 cup) all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 large egg whites
• 25 grams (2 tablespoons) granulated sugar
• coarse sugar for sprinkling and/or chocolate ganache (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet, and toast 12 to 15 minutes, until they’re golden brown and smell nutty. Wrap them in a clean dish towel, let them steam for 5 minutes or so, and then rub to remove as many of the dark skins as possible. Let them cool.

Cut out a circle of parchment paper to fit in the bottom of an 8-inch round cake pan (I used a springform pan). Brush the pan with a little melted butter or spray with cooking spray and line the bottom with the paper, then butter the paper as well.

Place the 140 grams of butter in a medium saucepan. Slice the vanilla bean lengthwise, and use a paring knife to scrape the seeds onto the butter. Add the vanilla pod to the pan, and cook until the butter browns and smells nutty (about 6 to 8 minutes). Set aside to cool to room temperature. Remove the vanilla pod and discard.

Grind the hazelnuts with the confectioners’ sugar in a food processor until they’re finely ground. Add the flour and salt and pulse to combine.

Place the egg whites and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix on high speed 4 to 5 minutes, until the whites form very stiff peaks. When you turn the whisk upside down, the peaks should hold. Alternate carefully folding the dry ingredients and the room temperature brown butter into the egg whites, about a third at a time.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan, and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the cake pulls back from the sides and a toothpick comes out clean. Sprinkle the top with coarse sugar. Cool on a rack 30 minutes. Run a knife around the inside edge of the pan, and invert the cake onto a plate. Peel off the paper, and turn the cake back over onto a serving platter. If desired, cover with ganache (below). Or do what I did, and go half and half.

Makes one 8-inch cake (about 6 servings).

For the chocolate ganache:

*Makes enough to cover half the cake; to cover the whole cake, double the amounts.

• 60 grams (2 ounces) bittersweet chocolate
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream

Finely chop the chocolate and place in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream, either in the microwave or on the stove, until just barely starting to bubble. Pour the cream over the chocolate, let it sit for a minute, and then stir to melt.

This is my all-time favorite granola - it's super crunchy, and the flavor of the olive oil and the salt make it just a little sweet-savory. You can adapt this in lots of ways: use whatever nuts and dried fruit you like, or leave out the dried fruit. Unsweetened coconut flakes (the large kind) are delicious, too; my husband is coconut-averse though, so we usually leave that out. This recipe doubles easily for a larger batch.

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OLIVE OIL GRANOLA

• 1 3/4 cups rolled oats
• 3/4 cups cashews (or other kind of nut)
• 2/3 cups pumpkin seeds
• 1/3 cup sunflower seeds
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup dried cherries (or other dried fruit; optional)

Preheat the oven to 300°F. In a large bowl, stir together the rolled oats, cashews, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, brown sugar, and salt. Add the maple syrup and olive oil, and stir. Spread on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 15 minutes, then give it a good stir. Do this twice more (so the granola bakes for a total of 45 minutes), or until it's golden brown and toasted. Let cool, and then stir in dried fruit, if using.

Makes 3 1/2 cups

These brownies are definitely special. They're a bit of a project, but you can make the caramel ahead if you like and refrigerate it until you're ready to make brownies. The caramel in them is pretty subtle - it's just a thin layer in the middle of the brownie, and that's what makes these so delicious. You almost can't tell it's there, it just makes for a delicious brownie. I would also be sure to use the sugar and salt on top - it makes them deliciously crunchy and the salt is perfect. The recipe is adapted from the Baked Explorations cookbook. Go make brownies. Yum.

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SALTY CARAMEL BROWNIES

For the caramel:

• 1/2 cup (100 grams) white sugar
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon flaky salt
• 2 tablespoons sour cream

For the brownies:

• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (75 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon (6 grams) dark unsweetened cocoa powder
• 5 1/2 ounces (156 grams) bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I use 70% dark chocolate)
• 1/2 cup (1 stick/113 grams) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 3/4 cup (150 grams) white sugar
• 1/4 cup (53 grams) brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons or so coarse sugar (or regular white sugar) for sprinkling
• 1 teaspoon or so flaky sea salt for sprinkling

First, make the caramel: Combine the sugar, corn syrup, and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally and trying not to splash the sides of the pan too much. After 10 or 15 minutes, the sugar will start to brown - watch carefully, and take the caramel off the heat as soon as it's a deep amber color. (If you want to use a candy thermometer, this is about 350℉, but I usually just go by appearance.) Stir in the cream, and be careful - it will bubble up a little. Mix in the salt and sour cream, stirring until all the sour cream is melted in.

Next, make brownies: Preheat the oven to 350℉; butter an 8" x 8" pan and line with a strip of parchment for easy removal. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and cocoa powder. In a mixing bowl set over boiling water, melt the butter and chocolate together until smooth. Remove the bowl from the boiling water, and stir in both sugars. Stir in vanilla. The mixture shouldn't be too hot anymore; a little warm is ok, but if it still feels hot, let it cool for a few minutes. Add in the eggs and egg yolk. Last, mix in the flour/cocoa mixture, and be sure not to over mix at this point. 

Pour half of the brownie batter into the bottom of the pan. Next, pour the caramel over - you want just a very thin layer over the batter, leaving about a 1/2" border around the edge. I find that a little more than 1/4 cup or so is just about right. You want to avoid going out to the very edges, because it tends to squish out and can burn. Dollop the remaining brownie batter over the top, and spread with a spatula to even it out and cover the caramel. Bake for 30 minutes, rotating halfway through, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. As soon as the brownies come out of the oven, sprinkle with a healthy layer of sugar, and the coarse sea salt. Let them cool fully before cutting.

I know the last thing the internet needs is yet another chocolate chip cookie recipe, but these were so good that I have to share. I've tried many, many recipes, and these are my favorite ones yet. The brown butter adds a really deep flavor, and the extra egg yolks and melted butter make for a really fudgy, rich texture. These are adapted from the Violet Bakery Cookbook, which I highly recommend. Happy baking!

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BROWN BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

• 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon (250 grams) unsalted butter
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (200 grams) muscovado or dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (100 grams) white sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or paste
• 4 egg yolks
• 2 3/4 cups (325 grams) unbleached white flour
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 cups (250 grams) dark chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate

Melt and brown the butter: it will first bubble up, and then the solids at the bottom will start to turn brown and smell nutty. When they're a deep golden brown, remove the butter from the heat and add 2 tablespoons of cold water. Allow the butter to cool to room temperature (or give it 15 minutes in the fridge). Combine the melted butter and sugars in a bowl and mix. Add the vanilla and egg yolks and mix well.

In another bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Fold this into the butter and egg mixture, along with the chocolate.  Stir just until combined, then refrigerate the dough overnight (well-covered).

Scoop individual portions of the cookie dough onto a baking sheet. Alternatively, you can do what I did, and pat the whole thing into a rectangle and then cut it into squares. At this point you can freeze the individual cookies if you want - they bake really well from frozen, without defrosting.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the cookies 12-18 minutes, depending on how big you've made them. They are done when the center is just set (ie, doesn't look wet anymore), but still soft and slightly under-baked looking. They'll continue to brown a bit after you take them out.  Sprinkle with flaky salt, if you'd like.

Makes about 2 dozen large cookies.