Ingredients

• 3 lb Pork Belly (long strips)

• 1/4 cup Doenjang (Korean fermented soy bean paste) or miso paste

• 1 onion (peeled and halved)

• 2 green onions (trimmed and halved)

• 10-12 garlic cloves (1 entire head, halved)

• 3 inch ginger (sliced thinly)

• 1 Tbsp instant coffee or 1 cup regular coffee

• 1 tsp peppercorns

• 2 tsp salt

• 1 Tbsp sugar

• 6 cups water

Instant Pot Instructions

• Place all ingredients in the Instant Pot: pork belly, doenjang, instant coffee, ginger, garlic, onion, salt, sugar, peppercorns

• Add water

• Turn on simmer mode to get it cooking for a few minutes

• Lock the lid and set for manual mode.

• Adjust cooking time according to thickness of pork belly:

  • 14 minutes: for skinny, short pork belly that's 1-2 inches thick

  • 16 minutes: for medium sized, meaty pork belly that's 2-3 inches thick

  • 18 minutes: for extra thick + meaty pork belly that's 3-4 inches thick

• When the timer beeps, manually release the steam. When all the steam has released, open the lid. 

• Use tongs to remove the pork belly from the Instant Pot container. This prevents the pork belly from overcooking.

• When it’s cooled to room temperature, slice into thin strips and serve with rice, sesame oil, and salt

To serve and store

• If you’re feeling fancy, arrange on a platter or in restaurant-style stainless steel bowls with long spoons and metal chopsticks. Serve alongside kimchi, butter lettuce or romaine lettuce, or your favorite banchan

• Keep the pork belly submerged in the liquid until ready to serve

• Store in the fridge (submerged in the liquid), skim off any fat that congeals, and reheat on the stove (with the liquid).

Note: Frozen pork belly cooks beautifully in the instant pot. Make sure that the pork belly strips are separated from each other (not in one big clump) and add 1 additional minute to the cook time.

This is the recipe that gave me the confidence to make sourdough and continues to deliver impressive, beautiful bakes and deep flavor. It’s a pure levain dough but I’ll admit that I sometimes add 1-2 tsp. of instant yeast to give it extra volume and large, gaseous bubbles. The long overnight bulk fermentation allows the dough to comfortably stretch and triple in volume by morning.

This recipe makes a single 1.5 lb. loaf within 2 days (day one for the levain, bulk fermentation overnight, day two for final proof and bake). I’ve added timestamps to make this sourdough as user-friendly as possible!

Recipe adapted from Flour Water Salt Yeast

Levain Ingredients

• 50g mature, active levain (this is your starter)

• 200g bread flour

• 50g whole wheat flour

• 200g water (85ºF-90ºF or 29ºC-32ºC)

• I use this container

9AM: Make the levain

• Mix by hand until just incorporated. Do not knead.

• Cover and rest at room temperature for 7-9 hours. It should double in size and look gassy, sticky, and wet.

5PM: Mix the dough ingredients

• 402g bread flour

• 38g whole wheat flour

• 342g water (90ºF-95ºF or 32ºC-35ºC)

• 11g fine sea salt

• 1-2 tsp instant yeast (optional if you want extra volume insurance)

• 108g levain (what you made earlier)

• I use this container

To begin making the dough:

• Mix the bread flour and whole wheat flour by hand to incorporate. Add the water and salt. Mix until just incorporated. Cover and rest for 30 mins.

5:30PM: Mix the final dough

• Add the instant yeast (optional) and levain evenly over the top of the dough. Massage and pinch the dough together to combine the ingredients. It’s sticky now but will get smoother over time. Cover and rest for 30 mins.

6:30PM–bedtime: Fold the dough 3-4 more times

• Because overnight levain dough expands very slowly, the rest of the folds can happen anytime that’s convenient for you. Each time you fold, massage and pinch the dough to break apart the dry flour bits. This is when you knead, but it doesn’t have to be aggressive.

• Cover with a damp kitchen towel and kiss your dough goodnight.

8AM: Shape the dough

• When the dough is nearly triple its original volume (usually 12-15 hours after mixing), it’s ready to be divided.

• Ease the dough out of the tub onto a lightly floured work surface. Peel any remaining dough out of the container too – that’s good stuff.

• Fold the sides inward and roll the dough up into a little ball. Continue rolling it neatly into a tight ball.

• Place the dough ball into a proofing basket, seam side up. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and rest for up to 4 hours.

12PM: Bake

• Preheat the oven to 475ºF (245ºC).

• Put a dutch oven on the middle rack. I like to put a baking tray on the bottom rack to protect the crust from getting too crisp.

• Cut a sheet of parchment paper into a round.

• Gentle ease the dough out of the proofing basket and onto the parchment paper.

• Score the top with a bread lame or sharp knife.

• Remove the hot dutch oven, carefully place the dough inside.

• Bake for 25 mins. covered.

• Remove the lid and continue baking for 25 mins uncovered.

• Remove from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack.

My go-to recipe for super thicc, chonky cookies. Best when made ahead, chilled in the fridge for 24 hours, and baked in the toaster oven for 13 mins. Cakey on the outside, gooey inside, and able to hold their weight and shape when eaten a la mode.

Recipe adapted from Serious Eats

Ingredients

• 4 ounces unsalted American butter (about 1/2 cup; 113 g), softened to about 65°F (18°C)

• 4 ounces light brown sugar (about 1/2 cup, firmly packed; 113 g)

• 3 1/2 ounces white sugar (about 1/2 cup; 100 g)

• 1/2 ounce vanilla extract (about 1 tablespoon; 15 g)

• 2 teaspoons (8 g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use about half as much by volume or the same weight (plus more for sprinkling, if desired)

• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 2 large eggs (about 3 1/2 ounces; 100 g), straight from the fridge

• 10 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2 1/4 cups, spooned; 283 g)

• 8 ounces assorted chocolate chips (about 1 cup)

Directions

To Prepare the Dough:

• Combine butter, light brown sugar, white sugar, vanilla extract, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.

• Mix on low to moisten, then increase speed to medium and beat until soft, fluffy, and pale, about 8 minutes; halfway through, pause to scrape bowl and beater with a flexible spatula.

• With mixer running, add eggs one at a time, letting each incorporate fully before adding the next. Reduce speed to low, then add the flour all at once.

• When flour is incorporated, add chocolate chips and keep mixing until dough is homogeneous.

• Divide dough into 8 equal portions (about 6 ounces/170g each) and round each into a smooth ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 12 hours before baking; if well protected from air, the dough can be kept in the fridge up to 1 week.

To Bake:

• Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat to 350°F (180°C). Line an aluminum half-sheet pan with parchment paper. When the oven comes to temperature, arrange up to 4 portions of cold dough on prepared pan, leaving ample space between them to account for spread. If you like, sprinkle with additional salt to taste.

• Bake until cookies are puffed and lightly brown – 13 minutes for underbaked, gooey cookies and up to 22 minutes for well-done cookies.

• Cool cookies directly on baking sheet until no warmer than 100°F (38°C) before serving. Enjoy warm, or within 12 hours. These cookies taste best when freshly baked.

• Make ahead and storage: The portioned cookie dough can be wrapped tightly in plastic and refrigerated for up to 1 week. Alternatively, the portions can be individually wrapped, then placed in a freezer-safe zip-top bag and frozen for up to 6 months. Thaw frozen dough to 40°F (4°C), unwrap, and bake as directed.

Looking for a sweet, simple, and kid-approved holiday treat? These Mini Hot Chocolate Mug Cookies are the perfect Christmas activity. They’re fun for kids to decorate, require no baking skills, and look adorable on any holiday cookie tray. Best of all, they taste just as good as they look!

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Jet-Puffed Marshmallows – the large size (these will be your “mugs”).

• Small Round Chocolate Chip Cookies, Gingersnaps, or even Oreos – anything small and sturdy to make a great mug base.

• Mini Pretzels or Candy Canes – their hooks are the perfect handles!

• Confetti Sprinkles – red and green add a festive touch.

• Tree Sprinkles – or any holiday-themed sprinkles for the mug fronts.

• White & Chocolate Cookie Icing – to glue everything together and decorate.

• Nutella – to resemble hot cocoa

• White Sugar – for a festive dash of “fresh snow”

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Prepare the Mug Base
   Place one large marshmallow on top of a cookie using a small dab of icing to secure it. This becomes your little “mug.”

2. Attach the Handle
   Carefully break a pretzel or mini candy cane so just the hook remains. Use white icing to “glue” it to the side of the marshmallow. Hold it in place for a few seconds until it sticks.

3. Decorate the Front
   Add a tree-shaped sprinkle (or any fun holiday sprinkle) to the front of the marshmallow mug with a dab of icing.

4. Top It Off
   Pipe white icing on top of the marshmallow to mimic whipped cream, or add Nutella to resemble hot cocoa.

5. Sprinkle with Festivity
   While the icing is still wet, add red and green confetti sprinkles or sugar on top for a dash of holiday spirit and “fresh snow.” The kids also liked using Twizzlers as skis.

Tips for Success

• Break candy canes gently so the hook stays intact.

• Let the handles dry for a few minutes before moving the cookies.

• Set out bowls of sprinkles so kids can decorate their own mugs however they like.

A Fun Family Tradition

These Mini Hot Chocolate Mug Cookies aren’t just a treat – they’re a holiday memory in the making. Kids love assembling them, and they’re the perfect addition to a Christmas party, cookie decorating contest, classroom celebration, or cozy night at home with cocoa.