By Wendy Zhang

These simple recipes are inspired by a recent trip to Argentina, where I was first introduced to the lifestyle of drinking yerba mate. Yerba mate is astringent, grassy, bitter, and caffeinated, and I was surprised to find that Argentinians don’t have any traditional yerba mate desserts. There are also almost no recipes online for yerba mate desserts. 

By Wendy Zhang

By Wendy Zhang

Traditionally, Chocotorta is made with layers of cream cheese and dulce de leche in a 1:1 ratio and Chocolinas cookies, which are dipped in chocolate milk or coffee or something-spiked. In my version, I infuse yerba mate in each layer and reduce the amount of dulce de leche, which makes the dessert less sweet, giving space for the yerba mate to shine. 

By Wendy Zhang

By Phaedra Letrou

This easy banana bread recipe is the perfect way to use up ripe bananas. It’s moist and loaded with chocolate chips.

This french almond tart has a delicious buttery crust with a rich almond cream, and fresh apricots.

By Phaedra Letrou

By Phaedra Letrou

This delicious apple pie filled with caramelized apples and warm spices is perfect for Thanksgiving.

By Phaedra Letrou

This is a french twist on a pumpkin pie — I use traditional pastry dough instead of pie crust. It’s a sweeter change, but works really well with the pumpkin.

By Phaedra Letrou

This is the most delicious and refreshing shaved ice that brings such relief and sweetness on a summer’s day.

By Phaedra Letrou

This cake is a delicious coffee cake. It’s light, airy, and the crunch of the almonds are a great contrast against the pillowy cake.

By Phaedra Letrou

This tart is perfect for vegans and non-vegans alike. I make this all the time because it’s easy, simple, and I always have the ingredients on hand.

By Phaedra Letrou

My base recipe for granola.

By Phaedra Letrou

This cake has an intense citrus flavor that pairs perfectly with almonds.