Le Patisserie: A Traveler's Baking Portfolio

If there's one thing in the world that will never fail to put a smile :))))  in my face(aside from traveling to places where fairies and flowers and sugar cookies exist)  and feed my sweet desires, it'll definitely be PASTRIES. Give me anything with sprinkles, choco chips, marshmallows,  graham crackers, 

Like these graham smores cookies! Marshmallow+hershey's chocolate+graham crackers + choco chips = COOKIE HEAVEN <3

or anything sugary and buttery(yes i am serious! this may not be a friendly dietary buddy but definitely something you don't want to lack in your cookies!)  - and I'll be happy like a 5 year old kid after a long night of  Halloween trick or treating! <3

Well, not only do I love devouring a scrumptious chocolate FUDGY cake, a huge soft and chewy chocolate chip cookie,  irresistible vanilla & chocolate macaroons, and even my ALL TIME FAVORITE: RED VELVET CAKE *gasps  

and more gasps

- I am also fond of baking them to LIFE! <3 Cause if there's one thing I can pour all my effort into, that would be IT! I can seriously bake all night! YEESSSS!!!  And I've tried that a looot of times already! Have I mentioned about this certain project of ours whose original goal was to raise funds to go to France? Btw, if you have time please do visit my blog on our recent travel there: http://worldtravelerandbaker.blogspot.com/2012/02/project-france-budget-traveling-101.html - Thank you <3

Well it's called PROJECT FRANCE :) How did it all start? Well let's cut the LOOOOOOOONG story short. We wanted to go to France so bad so we decided to raise money through selling baked goods! :) In our case, we specialized on one product: SMOOOORES! <3 After so many baking sessions, we perfected the ULTIMATE SMORES RECIPE! <3 Take a peek! :)

PHOTO c/o one of PJ's co-owners: Clariz Tanganco

 Btw, you can still order them, just visit our facebook page: 
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pastries-by-Project-France/313157938699428

So that's first on my baking portfolio:


Well originally, I had always been fond of baking cookies! Graham smores cookies are my favoriiite! :) But I've tried making those big, fat and chewy ones but the first time I made them in a loong tiime, they came out too sugary for me. Here it is,

BIG, FAT, CHEWY CHOCO COOKIES

Eventually, I figured out the too sugaryy  part. :) How would they not be? I generously poured 2 cups of milk chocolate chips into the cookie batter + consider the cups of brown & granulated sugar on it - now tell me that's not TOO SUGARRYYY!  *winks So, the next time I made them, they came out just perfect and had just the right amount of sweetness in it! That's second on my list:

Third on my baking portfolio: GRAHAM SMORES COOKIES <3

From bars to cookies, now we go to CAAAAAAAKES!  Yes! Don't you just love the the moistness of a chocolate caake combined with vanilla buttercream icing?  Well I had my first attempt to put icing in my chocolate cake, and it went like this:(well there's always a first time for everyone, right?  :D)

Well, it doesn't hurt to try, right? :)

To whoever is reading this blog right now and looking at the picture above - I knooooow, it's okaaay laugh all you want!  :) I myself did. :D
Anyway, I call this cake Choco Caramel Lava cake! :)))))))  True enough, it looks like an after volcano eruption with the caramel sauce dripping all over like lavaaaaa!
*can't stop laughing! 
well, I remember trying to cover all those bulges in the chocolate cake with the icing(thanks to my brother's superb beating skills!)

So that's fourth on my baking portfolio -

HEART SHAPED COOKIES baked FROM THE HEART <3

I knooow! I might need to practice my photography skilss!!

I know! aside from photography skills, my decorating skills need a lot of practice as well! :D

YUUUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMMMM!!! 7th on my liiist!