Lemon-White Chocolate Chips Cookies

Bring a taste of sunshine to your cookie jar with these white chocolate chip cookies exploding with lemon flavor

Let's start the weekend with something sweet that is a sure way to brighten up your day.
These white chocolate chip cookies are chewy and thick, and bursting with lemon zest and lemon juice. If you ask me, this is what summer tastes like. In a cookie form. Simple and yet, so delicious.

Cranberry-Orange Scones with Citrus Glaze

Start off your day with these super thick and amazingly flavorful cranberry-orange scones

 drizzled with a  sweet lemon/orange glaze

Let's wake up to these bright and absolutely flavorful scones, bursting with fresh cranberries and juicy oranges. 
I simply love the flavor combination of oranges and cranberries. The sweet and the tangy, complementing and enhancing each other. Just like peanut butter and jelly, or chocolate and pretzels. So good by themselves and yet, so much better together. A match made in heaven :)

These scones are buttery, crumbly and perfectly dense. Not as heavy (or dry) as your average scone. 
Super thick with just the right amount of crispy on the outside, and soft and a bit cakey on the inside. Each bite explodes with the sweet and tangy cranberry and orange flavor. The sugary lemon/orange glaze on top is an added bonus that makes these scone sweeter, slightly moist and kinda sticky. Who doesn't love a bit of stickiness anyways?!?! Licking the sugary glaze off my fingers is always my favorite part!

How to Make Cruffins from Scratch

When a croissant meets a muffin amazing things happen!

Tell me, can you think of something better than starting your day with one of these soft and flaky, buttery and perfectly sweet CRUFFINS, next to a steamy-hot cup of coffee?!?!
If you haven't heard of cruffins before (seriously?!?) they are a mix between croissants and muffins. They have the same laminated, airy and light dough of croissants, served up in a beautiful muffin shape. What more can I say, they are simply magical ... like any hybrid after all. Cause when you pair up the best of two things that are clearly meant for each other, BOOM! You can only end up with something amazing. 
Take a look, isn't this simply lick-your-sugary-fingers delicious?!?

Grilled Salmon Tacos

Kicking off the New Year with these super-easy, crazy-delicious, wholesome salmon tacos 

This post is written in collaboration with Gorton's Seafood. All opinions are mine. Thank you for your support! #TrustGortons #GortonsPartner

Have you reflected on the highs and lows of 2019 and made any good resolutions for the New Year?!? 2019 has been an exhilarating, challenging and super-busy year for me. It taught me to always embrace what comes along with a positive attitude, be grateful for all I have, and never forget to take care of myself (and my family of course!) no matter how busy life gets. 
So one of the things I promised myself for 2020 is to try my best and set aside time for my favorite workout (and not feeling guilty about it), and as always, make healthy and scrumptious homemade meals to enjoy with my family. 

Most Popular Recipes of 2019

Wishing you a magical New Year full of health, love and laughter
May this year gives you the opportunity to follow your dreams, smile unconditionally and love like there is no tomorrow  

Let's start the year with the best of the best. Here are 2019's six most viewed and liked recipes on the blog ... and for very good reasons. Can you guess which is the most popular?!?

Vanilla Christmas Tree Cakes with Custard Cream

Happy Holidays!
Let's celebrate the holidays with these cute Christmas tree vanilla cakes stuffed with rich custard cream, and decorated with colorful sprinkles

These little tree cakes are super cute, very festive and they will surely impress all your holiday guests. Made with moist vanilla cake layers, covered with velvety and rich custard cream, and decorated with red, green and white sugar sprinkles and a dash of powdered sugar.
And that's not all. This dessert is quite easy to prepare and approachable for everyone.  You don't need to be a master pastry chef to pull these off. Check out my step-by-step recipe down here, and this quick video.

Salted Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Ready to make your holiday sweeter with these decadent and indulgent salted caramel-pumpkin cheesecake bars?!

This post is written in collaboration with Tuxton Home. All opinions are mine alone.

Surprise, surprise! 🎉It's GIVEAWAY Time🎉
I'm so excited to share this post with you today. To celebrate the holiday season I've teamed up with Tuxton Home to give ONE lucky WINNER a $200 GIFT CARD to shop on their amazing selection of kitchen products. Make sure to head over to my Instagram account to ENTER! Announcing the winner on December 24, so HURRY UP! 
So sorry for all the YELLING ...  sometimes I just get really excited.
Here is where you can enter. 

View this post on Instagram

🎉It's GIVEAWAY Time🎉 I'm so excited to share this post with you today. To celebrate the holiday season I've teamed up with @tuxtonhome to give ONE lucky WINNER a $200 GIFT CARD 💝to shop on their amazing selection of kitchen products 🎉🥳 To enter:⠀ 1️⃣ ❤️ this photo⠀ 2️⃣ Follow @tuxtonhome and @cookwithmanuela 😘⠀ 3️⃣ Tag a friend (1 tag per comment, no duplicates, unlimited entries)🙌🏻 Winner will be randomly selected on December 24th. US residents only . Now tell me, don't you wish that was your hand holding this adorable plate, grabbing the little fork and digging right into this slice of heaven?!? Even in the silence of my own kitchen I can hear your gentle sounds of approval 🤣 This pumpkin cheesecake is quite hard to resist. Look at the rich and luscious, thick and comforting filling, topped with an indulgent layer of homemade salted caramel, over a gingersnap buttery and crumbly crust. With its cinnamon and nutmeg aroma, this dessert will make your kitchen smell like the holidays and get you singing Christmas carols in no time 🎄💃🏻💝 . NEW #recipe on the blog #linkinbio #cheesecake #holiday #gift #giveaway #tuxtonhome #greatful #thankyou #giftcard

A post shared by Manuela (@cookwithmanuela) on Dec 19, 2019 at 12:15pm PST

Italian Classic Pork Roast - Arrosto di Maiale

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Knorr^®. The opinions and text are all mine.

This Italian Classic Pork Roast is a sure way to make your holiday dinner special.

Are you looking for a scrumptious entrée to bring to the table this holiday season? Something that is cozy and fun, and especially NOT the same-old-boring turkey?!? Something that will wow your guests, but that's easy, quick, and stress-free to make, all at the same time?!? I've got just the perfect idea for you.

This flavorful and juicy pork roast, rubbed with garlic and Italian herbs, baked to perfection and served sliced with a dense and scrumptious veggie sauce is just what you are looking for. The smell wafting out of the oven is a sure way to get your mouth watering and your guests gathering around the table in no time. I promise!

Raisin-Pecan Oatmeal Cookies with Alove Aloe Vera Yogurt

Thick and chewy, butter-free oatmeal cookies loaded with raisins and pecan pieces

This post is sponsored by Alove in collaboration with Dent Agency. All opinions are mine alone.

I've got news for you.

The bad news: I made these thick and chewy, oatmeal cookies loaded with raisins and pecans a couple of days ago, and I'm sad to say there is not even a crumb left. 

The good news: these cookies are so easy to make and quite wholesome that nothing is going to stop me from baking (and eating!) another batch of this butter-free dessert soon.

Holidays Sandwich Cookies

Make it a Christmas to remember with these buttery and flaky, jam packed sandwich cookies

Have you start your Christmas cookie baking yet? 
If not, here is a simple and delicious recipe for some buttery and flaky, irresistible sandwich cookies. These are perfect not just to enjoy with some hot chocolate or eggnog under the mistletoe, but wrapped up in some festive paper to make edible stocking stuffers.
And if were wondering, while tradition has it that people kiss under the mistletoe ... I eat cookies :)

Inspiration for your Holiday Baking

There's no better time than the holidays to show off your baking skills, and impress your guest with your delicacies.

Have a fantastic and delicious Thanksgiving!

It's pie time! What is your favorite dessert to bring to your holiday's table?

With so many alternatives to choose from, and all so delicious, it can be hard to pick just one.

Here are some ideas to inspire you. All easy, made-from-scratch, step-by-step recipes. And don't forget to look at my short instructive videos too, especially if it's your first time experimenting with the recipe.

Easy Apple Cake - Torta di Mele

Soft, moist, and easy to make

You are going to love this simply delicious apple cake!

Let's start the weekend with something sweet! And what's better than a deliciously soft and moist, made-from-scratch apple cake?!?
Now that apples are in season, you will not be able to resist and bake this right away. Especially when you see the list of ingredients. Nothing weird there. Just plain flour, eggs, sugar, and apples of course. Well ... a couple of other things too! But I'm sure you have everything in the list in your kitchen right now. So you can whip this up in no time.

Salted Caramel-Chocolate Tart

Get your daily dose of sweetness with this sinfully delicious double-chocolate and salted caramel tart

I wish I felt sorry for posting this recipe today. But oh no, not this time.
Look at this beauty. With its dark chocolate top sprinkled with sea salt. A buttery and chocolatey cookie crust. And a sticky golden layer of homemade caramel in the middle. Slowly oozing out. 
It would be just plain wrong not to share this recipe with you.

Baked Eggs in Tomato Sauce (Uova alla Contadina)

Make it a brunch to remember with these scrumptious baked eggs in tomato sauce. 

Don't forget a thick slice of grilled bread to soak it all up

Do you have a favorite brunch recipe you always use to make your Sunday special?!? Here is one that I love and I would like to share with you today. Honestly I make this for a fun lunch next to a big green salad or any weeknight I want to change things up. This irresistible why-did-I-bake-just-one-for-myself uova alla contadina (how we would call it in Italy) are simply perfect for any occasion.

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Spider Cookies

These cute and spooky, thick and soft,
 chocolate and peanut butter spider cookies are the perfect Halloween treat

Halloween is definitely one of my favorite food holidays. And not just because of the abundance of candies in all shape and sizes that you can easily find this time of the year at any store. What I love the most is to get creative and come up with fun and spooky edible Halloween projects.
And this is what I crafted for you!

Tagliatelle Pasta with Mascaprone and Prosciutto

Learn how to make this Italian pasta with a creamy mascarpone and prosciutto sauce

 Super easy and ready in no more than 20 minutes

Buon appetito!

Here is one of my favorite, super easy, last minute go-to dinner recipes. 
A pasta that's flavorful and delicate. Light, creamy and cheesy all in the same mouthwatering bite.
Just picture this: fresh egg tagliatelle (even better if homemade!) coated with a scrumptious layer of mascarpone sauce, exploding with bits of heavenly prosciutto, all mingled with crunchy walnuts pieces and freshly grounded pepper. 
Are your tastebuds as excited as mine now?!?
Well, if you've never enjoyed the flavor combination of mascarpone cheese with prosciutto (a common pizza topping in Italy) you really should! It's a true match made in heaven. Italian food heaven in this case ...  if there is such a thing :) 

Fresh Pasta Salad with Veggies and Oven Roasted Turkey Breast

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Smithfield^Ⓡ. The opinions and text are all mine.

Flavorful pasta salad with fresh veggies and oven roasted turkey breast

Now that school is back in session, so is the daily struggle for all the moms (or dads!) out there. Can you feel it too?!? I'm talking about the daily effort to create and pack a lunch for our kids to take to school. It's really quite complicated when I think about it.

This lunch needs to be SCRUMPTIOUS and FUN, so it won't make its way back home after school in an untouched container next to a starving and unhappy little child. 

It needs to be WHOLESOME and NUTRITIOUS, of course! It's our kids that we are talking about.

At the same time, it needs to be QUICK and EASY to make. Let's face it, none of us wants to get up a whole hour earlier just to make a meal.

As I said, the struggle is real!

Chocolate-Hazelnut Stuffed Chocolate Cookies

Chocolate cookies stuffed with soft chocolate-hazelnut spread

Calling all the chocolate-lovers out there! These cookies are just what you've been waiting for:)
A crumbly and buttery chocolate shell stuffed with warm and soft chocolate-hazelnut spread.... Double the chocolate for an unforgettable cookie experience.

Banana Cream Tartlettes

Let's start the weekend with on of these sinfully delicious small tarts, filled with creamy Nutella, banana slices, rich custard cream and a whipped cream top

It's no secret that Nutella and banana are a match made in heaven. And when you add a smooth custard cream AND sinfully delicious whipped cream on top of this goodness, you know you are in for a treat. I guess, everything (...or most things) taste amazing covered in whipped cream.

Lemon-Poppy Seed Bundt Cake

Brighten up your morning with this soft and moist lemon and poppy seed bundt cake drizzled with sweet lemon glaze 

Good morning sunshine! I hope your day is as sunny and as sweet as my cake. 
This soft and perfectly dense bundt cake, bursting with lemon flavor and exploding with crunchy poppy seeds, is a sure way to brighten up your morning. Add a little (or a lot!) of citrus glaze and you're in for a sticky and lick-you-fingers delicious treat. Let's take a look!