• Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line an 8 by 8-inch metal pan** with parchment paper, leaving an overhang. Spray with nonstick cooking spray.

Prepare the cookie layer:

• In a large microwave-safe bowl, heat the butter in 30-second increments until melted.
• Add the sugars to the hot butter and whisk to combine. Let cool until just warm.
• Add the egg and vanilla and whisk vigorously until smooth. Stir in the flour, salt, and baking powder with a rubber spatula. Gently fold in chocolate chips.
• Chill the dough in the fridge while you prepare the brownie layer.

Prepare the brownie layer:

• In a large microwave-safe bowl, heat the butter in 30-second increments until melted.
• Add the sugar to the hot butter and whisk to combine. Let cool until just warm.
• Whisk in the egg and egg yolk vigorously for 1 minute. Whisk in the cocoa powder, oil, and vanilla. With a rubber spatula, stir in the flour, cornstarch, and salt until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

Assemble:

• Scoop out nine 1-tablespoon portions of cookie dough and set them aside in a small bowl. Spread the remaining dough into the prepared pan in a thin, even layer. Don’t worry about making it perfect.
• Spread the brownie batter evenly over the cookie layer.
• Flatten the reserved cookie dough balls slightly with your palms, and place them on top of the brownie batter, letting the batter peek through.
• Bake at 325°F for 33-38 minutes, until the edges are set and the cookies have very lightly begun to brown. Bake 33 minutes for a gooey, fudgy center, or closer to 38 minutes for a chewier, more set texture.
• Top with flaky sea salt, then let cool in pan completely before removing and slicing.

Make the dough:

• In a small saucepan, heat the milk and butter on medium-low until the butter is melted. Let cool until warm (about 120°F).
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk the milk mixture with the yeast, sugar, salt, eggs, and vanilla until well combined. Add in half of the flour and stir roughly with the dough hook to combine.
• Attach the dough hook and turn to medium speed. Gradually add the remaining flour until a dough begins to form. Knead until the dough is very soft, smooth, elastic, and doesn’t stick to the sides of the bowl, about 8 to 10 minutes. If the dough is unbearably sticky, add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time. Err on the side of sticky to avoid adding too much extra flour.
• Lightly grease a large bowl. Shape the dough into a ball and place in the greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Prepare for dipping:

• In a glass measuring cup, microwave the butter in 20-second bursts until melted. In a pie pan or other similarly shaped, wide but shallow dish, use a fork to mix the sugar, cinnamon, and salt, breaking up any clumps.

Assemble the bites:

• Lightly grease a 9 by 13-inch baking pan.
• Punch down the dough and roll into 1-inch balls. Prioritize speed, don’t worry about being perfect. You should have about 85-90 balls.
• Working with 5-6 balls at a time, dunk them in the melted butter, then remove, letting the excess butter drip back in, then roll in the cinnamon sugar. Place in the prepared pan.***
• Cover with plastic and let rise until puffy and almost doubled, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Bake the rolls until lightly golden on top, about 30 minutes.

Make the icing:

• While the bites are baking, whisk together all icing ingredients in a medium mixing bowl until very well combined.
• Allow the bites to cool for about 10 minutes before drizzling with the icing. Serve warm. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days, and gently rewarm before serving.

Make the muffins:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two standard muffin tins with 9 paper liners, spacing them in every other cavity to allow for air flow and larger muffin tops.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, poppy seeds, baking powder, and salt.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, cooled melted butter, oil, eggs, lemon zest, juice, vanilla extract, and almond extract (if using). Pour into the dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until just combined.
• If time permits, rest the batter at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes to encourage taller muffin tops. You can also chill this batter, covered, overnight in the fridge. Bake from the fridge.
• Fill each muffin liner completely full with batter. The batter should mound slightly above the rim.
• Bake until the edges are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 18 to 19 minutes. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Make the glaze:

• In a small bowl, stir together the powdered sugar and lemon juice until a smooth, thick glaze forms. Drizzle or dip the cooled muffins. Top with lemon zest. If transporting or storing, let the glaze set beforehand.
• Serve immediately, or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Muffins can also be frozen for up to 3 months.

Make the cake:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Thoroughly grease two 8-inch round cake pans and line the bottom with parchment paper.
• In a medium skillet set over medium heat, melt the butter. Swirling the pan occasionally, continue to cook the butter. It should become foamy with audible cracking and popping noises. Once the crackling stops, continue to swirl the pan until the butter develops a nutty aroma and brown bits start to form at the bottom. Once the bits are amber in color, about 2 to 3 minutes after the popping stops, remove from heat and pour into a mixing bowl. Let cool completely.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Set aside.
• To the browned butter, whisk in the brown sugar, then the eggs. Stir in the applesauce, vanilla, and carrots. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in the nuts.
• Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cake pans. Bake until a cake tester inserted comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let cool completely before transferring to wire racks.
• Slice each cake layer in half for four layers using a cake leveler or serrated knife. Place layers in the fridge while you make the frosting.

Make the frosting:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt on medium-high speed until very light, creamy, and smooth. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. On low speed, gradually add in the sugar and beat until creamy.

Assemble the cake:

• Place one cake layer cut side up on a cake stand or platter. Spread about 1/4 of the frosting all over the cake layer, pushing it out over the edge just slightly. Repeat with the remaining layers. With an offset spatula, spread the remaining frosting evenly all over the cake, smoothing the edges.
• Serve or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Make the crust:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously spray a 9-inch pie dish with cooking spray and set aside.
• In the bowl of a food processor, place the Oreo cookies and pulse until finely ground. Add the melted butter and pulse until moistened. Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the prepared pie dish. Bake for 11 to 12 minutes, or until fragrant and set. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

Make the filling:

• In a medium saucepan, mix the granulated sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt.
• Gradually add about ½ cup (120 grams) of the milk, whisking the mixture until combined. Don’t worry if there are clumps. Whisk in the rest of the milk. Place over medium-high heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil, about 7 to 9 minutes. Once boiling, continue to cook and whisk for about 45 seconds more. The mixture should be thick like pudding in order to set properly when chilled.
• Immediately remove from the heat and stir in both chopped chocolates, butter, and vanilla extract until smooth. Carefully pour the hot filling into the center of the cooled crust. Avoid smoothing with a spatula which creates lines on the pie.
• Cool on a wire rack until just warm, about 90 minutes.
• Refrigerate, uncovered, until very cold and solid, at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.***
• The untopped pie can be made up to 2 days in advance. If storing longer than overnight, cover with plastic wrap to protect from fridge odors.

Make the topping:

• In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment to beat the cream on medium speed until it starts to thicken, about 1 minute. Add in the sugar and vanilla and continue whipping until stiff peaks form, about 1 more minute.
• Spread the whipped cream over the chilled pie. Garnish with cocoa or chocolate curls. Use a sharp knife to slice and a pie server to serve.
• The finished pie can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 day. After that, the whipped topping will begin weeping and the Oreo crust will become more soggy, but will still be safe to eat.

• In a small saucepan, melt butter. Add the milk and heat until warm, about 115-120°F (any hotter and you risk killing the yeast).
• Combine the milk, butter, eggs, honey, yeast, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add about half of the flour and stir with the dough hook until a rough, shaggy dough forms. Attach the dough hook to the mixer, turn to medium-low speed, and gradually add the remaining flour.
• Knead until a mass of dough begins to form. Continue kneading on medium speed for about 10 minutes, or until a soft, smooth, and elastic dough ball is formed. The dough should be tacky and will stick slightly to the bottom of the bowl. If it’s unbearably sticky, add up to 3 tablespoons additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. Avoid adding too much additional flour, otherwise your rolls will become dense.
• Lightly spray a large, clean bowl with nonstick cooking spray and place the dough inside. If the dough is sticking to your hands, use a plastic scraper to help remove it to the oiled bowl.
• Cover the bowl lightly with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 90 minutes to 2 hours.
• Spray a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
• Gently deflate the dough. Divide the dough into 15 equal pieces. For extra precision, weigh the mass of dough and divide by 15. Weigh out each portion as you go.
• Shape each piece into a tight ball by gathering pieces of dough into one central point and pinching that point firmly together to create surface tension. Roll each dough ball on a clean (unfloured) counter and place seam side down in the prepared pan.
• Lightly cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour to 90 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Brush the rolls gently with the beaten egg. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until golden brown.
• While the rolls bake, melt the butter in a small heatproof bowl in the microwave. Stir in the honey until combined.
• Brush the rolls with the honey butter immediately after baking, then sprinkle with flaky salt. Serve warm. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Tempering Chocolate by Seeding:

• In a double boiler, melt 2/3 of the chocolate, stirring often, until the thermometer registers around 115°F, but absolutely no higher than 120°F. If tempering milk or white chocolate, heat to 110°F. Remove from the double boiler. Make sure all equipment that comes in contact with the chocolate remains completely dry. Any water will cause the chocolate to seize.
• Gradually seed in the remaining chocolate to bring the temperature down, stirring vigorously and constantly. Stir until the temperature drops to 84°F. This can take some time, usually about 15 minutes, so just be patient – it will come down to temperature! A glass bowl will take longer to cool. Speed this process up by carefully placing the bowl of chocolate into an ice bath, making sure not to get ANY water in the chocolate.
• Reheat the chocolate briefly by placing the bowl back over the double boiler for 5 to 10 seconds at a time, stirring, until it reaches 89°F. This is the “working temperature.” Do not leave the chocolate over the water or let it exceed 91°F.
• You’re done! Test your temper by dipping a small piece of parchment into your chocolate. Let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes. The chocolate should be smooth and firm. If it’s streaky or runny, try stirring in more chocolate to the mixture to bring the temperature down further.
• Tempered chocolate can be tempered over and over again. You want to keep the working temperature of about 89°F when working with it. If it goes far below that temperature, set it back over the double boiler until it is 89°F again. If it goes much above that temperature, add more seed chocolate to drop the temperature.

Tempering Chocolate by Microwave:

• Put 2/3 of the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Melt at 50% power in 1-minute intervals, stirring between each interval, until melted and smooth. The chocolate should only be between 100 – 110°F.
• Add remaining chocolate in small amounts while stirring. Be sure that the pieces are completely melted before adding more.
• The chocolate will thicken and become cool, shiny, and smooth as you continue stirring and “seeding” it by adding additional small amounts. When it has reached the range 84-91°F, the chocolate will be tempered and ready to work with.

Make the cake:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two 8 by 2-inch cake pans** with parchment rounds and spray evenly with nonstick cooking spray.
• In a small heatproof bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder and espresso powder. Pour the boiling water over mixture and whisk gently until smooth. Set aside to cool completely.
• In a large bowl, either sift*** or whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Add brown sugar and use your hands to break up any clumps until the mixture resembles sand.
• In a separate small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, oil, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Starting in the center, use a whisk to slowly pull the dry ingredients into the wet until mostly combined. The batter may be slightly lumpy.
• Add the cooled cocoa mixture and whisk until the batter is smooth and evenly combined.
• Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans (about 740 grams per pan). Tap each pan firmly on the counter a few times to pop any air bubbles. Bake for about 32 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester comes out with moist crumbs attached.
• Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then (if needed) run a thin knife around the edges and remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Assemble the cake:

• If your cake has domed at all, level with a serrated knife or cake leveler until it is flat.
• Place one cake layer on a cake turntable or cake stand. Place strips of parchment paper under the cake to prevent a frosting mess.
• Spread a generous, even layer of frosting over the top, pushing it out over the edges slightly. Place the second layer upside down onto the frosting so the top of the cake is nice and flat.
• Using an offset spatula, spread the remaining frosting evenly all over the cake, smoothing the edges. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Let sit at room temperature for an hour before serving.