Dessert Recipes & Other Sweet Treats

It’s no secret that I love sweets. But not just any sweets…really good homemade ones, none of that store-bought nonsense for me. So I have a huge arsenal of the best dessert recipes across a wide spectrum—from more traditional cakes, pies, puddings, and cookies, to slightly more exotic babkas, biscotti, pavlovas, and choux.

I’ve got some great family secret recipes (like my mom’s amazing molasses cookies), a bunch of great gluten-free desserts if you need them, and desserts that are perfect for summer parties or holiday gatherings.

Not sure where to start?? Here are a few of my faves:

You can browse my full recipe index or a more visual index here, or explore the archives below…

15+ Amazing Holiday Dessert Recipes

November 24, 2019

It’s that time of year…when you’re needing to figure out what to make for Thanksgiving or some other holiday gathering. This is kind of my jam. I’m that person who always gets asked to bring desserts to things, so I’ve developed a list of fool-proof recipes for every type of group, taste, and size of event. So below are some of my all-time favorite holiday dessert recipes, dishes that I think will become traditions for you as well.

If you’re needing to bake for gluten-free guests, I have a separate post on some of my favorite gluten-free breads & desserts. I’m not GF, but I still totally love every single one of these recipes and sometimes make them just because.

Traditional Holiday Dessert Recipes (Pies, Cakes, & Tortes)

These are perfect for the main event…the big meal, an office party, Friendsgiving. They feel fancy and are super season-appropriate, but (don’t tell anyone) take minimal effort and most can be made ahead of time.

Maple Bourbon Pecan Pie

This is a true Thanksgiving staple…taken up a notch. I’m notorious for finding boozy versions of everything (even before I worked for a spirits company), and this is one of my favorites. The maple flavor really shines through, and the bourbon just elevates things a little bit more. Recipe here.

Bourbon Pear Crumble Pie

The first time I made this, my dad said, “This is the best dessert I’ve ever eaten.” It’s become a Thanksgiving staple ever since. Somehow the addition of bourbon provides an incredible depth, and (I know this sounds weird) that tiny bit of black pepper is revelatory. This is also an insanely easy pie to make. I recommend making it the day before, because it’s better when it has time to totally cool and set up vs. fresh out of the oven. Honestly, this filling mixture would make the world’s best fruit crisp as well. Recipe here.

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Pear Hazelnut Cake With Rosemary Honey Glaze

November 16, 2019

Sometimes the best recipes are the ones where you take something you already love, and make it EVEN BETTER. I’ve been in love with my delicious apple cake with honey glaze for years. Dense, moist, chock full o’spiced apples and finely-chopped walnuts, it’s a work of art. And then I took it up a level by swapping out the apples for pears (one of my favorite fruits), resulting in this pear cake.

But then after a while, something got stuck in my mind and I started to think…how would this taste with hazelnuts? They have such a sweet, toasty flavor that seemed it would pair nicely with the pears. And I’d just made some rosemary simple syrup for a cocktail recipe and decided to throw some of that into the glaze.

I was totally in love with the flavor combo and the texture that the changes produced! If you’re in the mood for something deliciously hearty and fall-like, this is your guy!
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Almond Cherry Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

October 27, 2019

I couldn’t tell you the last time I whipped up a recipe in five minutes, barely glancing at the recipe, and it actually WORKED.

This was a very last-minute thing, because my sister needed a dessert to take to a church potluck, and I couldn’t believe how much I ended up loving them. I am somewhat ambivalent on many oatmeal cookies, but with the addition of a hint of almond extract (one of my secret ingredients), these cherry chocolate oatmeal cookies are a little like a Bakewell tart in cookie form, and I ain’t mad at them.

What’s great about this recipe is that it isn’t finicky. It takes ingredients you almost certainly have on-hand, the dough comes together in literally five minutes, and then it’s just a matter of waiting for it to chill for a bit, then voila…15 minutes of baking later you have soft, crispy, chewy gloriousness.

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A Slightly Odd & Belated Birthday…And Coffee Cardamom Cake With Bulletproof Frosting

October 6, 2019

For years I’ve had a tradition of making my own birthday cake, and trying out something a little special or complicated that I wouldn’t normally tackle. This year, though, was a somewhat strange birthday for me, in both good and bad ways.

It was my 35th birthday, and I’d planned an epic solo trip to Turkey, so I spent my actual birthday watching the sun rise over the Mediterranean on a boat, sipping sweet hot black tea. But then a few days before I left on my trip, my beautiful sweet kitty had some major health issues and very suddenly passed away, leaving me and her brother in shock and not sure what to do with ourselves.

So when I got back into the country a couple days after my birthday, I questioned whether it was worth going to the hassle of making something. While the trip was absolutely amazing, I was tired and sad, and having to deal with trying to get caught up on work things and get used to this new Dobby-less life we were now living. But ultimately I decided that tradition is tradition, and DOGONNIT we were going to make a birthday cake.

But I hadn’t gone grocery shopping or anything, or planned ahead, so the big question was what could I make that was special and unique, but used ingredients I already had in the house. After poring through Pinterest, this coffee cardamom cake with bulletproof frosting kept pulling at me, so I decided to tackle it. I love anything coffee, and the addition of a warm cardamom spice was intriguing.

One thing that caught me by surprise is how delicious the actual cake batter was…it is maybe the best-tasting cake batter I’ve ever tried! I ended up licking the bowl, beaters, rubber spatula, and my fingers clean to get every drop. I came close to just eating the batter with a spoon rather than baking it. I also kept up the tradition of making super ugly but delicious cakes—I try so hard to get better at decorating, but I just don’t know that I have it in me.

One great thing is you don’t need to use a stand mixer for the cake batter. Just stirring or whisking together is totally fine. You will want an electric or stand mixer for the frosting. This got rave reviews at work…and also lots of confused “what’s bulletproof frosting??” comments 🙂 If you’re not familiar with bulletproof coffee, just think of this as coffee frosting.

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Dark Chocolate Olive Oil Skillet Banana Bread

August 24, 2019

This is a continuation of my long love affair with cake breads. Cakes masquerading as bread. I’m all about things being more awesome than they say they are, so I bring you this delicious skillet dark chocolate olive oil banana bread. It’s a mouthful in more ways than one…

But don’t be fooled into thinking this is truly dessert. It’s moist, dark, fudgy, but is a bittersweet flavor and not too sweet. I like to use white whole wheat flour to add a bit more health (and a nuttiness), and the quality of dark chocolate chips you use (and the cocoa powder) does make a difference.

I like to use my old school cast iron skillet, and it slides easily out of the pan. But I’ve used a simple non-stick cake pan and it cooked just as evenly. I’ve tried this recipe a few different times to get the amounts right, and I always take it to work…where it gets devoured almost immediately.

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Heavenly Dark Chocolate Orange Babka

July 21, 2019

Even though I made this at least a month ago, I’ve been dreaming about it ever since. And forcibly restraining myself from making it again. Because this chocolate orange babka is what dreams are made of.

As a flavor combo, chocolate and orange will always be a winner—particularly this kind of dark chocolate. One thing I really love about this recipe is that it uses a challah dough as the base, which makes the final result lighter and softer. I often find babkas a bit denser and drier than I like, so I was drawn to this particular recipe.

This is my happy place…

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Almond Pavlova With Balsamic Berries & Whipped Cream

June 22, 2019

I feel a little like a superhero on this one. Like I’ve tackled something a proper baker would do with ease.

Or maybe I’ve just been watching too many Great British Bake-Off episodes…which is probably true anyway, but my point is that they are ALWAYS using meringue of some sort and getting all fancy, but it’s always felt like something a bit too complicated and fiddly for regular ol’ folks. However, I’m here to tell you that it’s amazing and delicious, and we all need to go out and make pavlovas RIGHT THIS SECOND!

See, I’ve never been a huge fan of meringues…like those hard little cookies that are like styrofoam? So this was a baking technique that I wasn’t quite rarin’ to try. But what I discovered was that there is a key difference between a meringue and a pavlova.

What makes a pavlova magical is that, after you’ve whipped the egg whites and added all the sugar, you add a tiny bit of vinegar and cornstarch. This is chemistry sorcery, and results in an amazing marshmallow-y center with the meringue’s crispy outside. As a bonus, this is naturally gluten-free, so can be a fancy but still easy dessert to make when you need something GF.

These are so versatile and can be topped with all sorts of things. You definitely want something sharp or tart to offset the intense sweetness, and I’m looking forward to experimenting with some more “out there” flavor combinations. But for this one, I went with one of my favorite combos of all time—almond and berry. Because I thought, “What can make this even better?? Easy: almond pavlova!” This is kind of like a posh strawberry shortcake, and you’ll be wow-ed by the lush, pillowy textures, the chewiness of the meringue, and the way all the flavors explode in your mouth.

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Woodford Reserve Double Oaked Chocolate Chip Cookies

May 18, 2019

Today we’re living the high life.

These Woodford Reserve Double Oaked chocolate chip cookies are soft and chewy and totally indulgent…and contain a (somewhat) expensive whiskey that is totally worth it. I was first introduced to them at a holiday team get-together (full disclosure: I work for the company that owns Woodford Reserve), and fell in love with the sweet, mellow flavor with a hint of booziness and little surprises of sea salt.

Full credit for the recipe goes to Elizabeth McCall, the Assistant Master Distiller at Woodford. Not only is she a fun, cool lady who’s blazing a trail in a generally male-dominated business, but she makes a mean chocolate chip cookie. I adapted it slightly, subbing in some white whole wheat flour to up the nutty flavor and texture, and using dark chocolate instead of semi-sweet, which I’m partial to and really works with the flavor combination here.

I’ve noted it below in the recipe as well, but I don’t think this is a case of being able to just sub in any other whiskey or bourbon if you don’t have Double Oaked. That’s not just my bias, because I work with several other whiskey brands that I love deeply, but I wouldn’t sub them in here.

It’s Double Oaked’s particular flavor profile and rich sweetness that you need, because it’s replacing the vanilla in the recipe. I brought them in for a birthday celebration on my team recently, and you should have seen the look on their faces when they learned that a $40-60 bourbon was used in the cookies—priceless!

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Lemon Almond Apricot Mascarpone Tart

May 12, 2019

For the Night to Be Observed this year, I was in charge of desserts for a rather large crowd…somewhere around 12 adults and gobs of kids as well. The twist was, I had to make my desserts in someone else’s kitchen (as I was visiting friends in Atlanta), and also then have the travel to someone *else’s* house over an hour away for the actual meal.

And of course, they had to be unleavened. So I poked around all sorts of recipes for quite a long time, and finally settled on an amazing flourless chocolate cake that’s not too rich, and then this delicious lemon mascarpone tart. And being me, I had to find a way to add almond extract and apricot jam, two of my true loves.

What’s great about this recipe is that it’s actually quite easy, doesn’t require tons of hands-on time, and can be made ahead. There are a few steps (so you have to plan ahead), but you can do each one and then set it aside for a while to do other things. And it won’t be taking up valuable oven space as you get ready for company.

As always…disclaimer: I keep the Days of Unleavened Bread (the week following Passover) as laid out in the bible, so I avoid leavening (sometimes called a rising agent). This can be things like yeast, baking powder, etc. (definition here). My understanding is that some Jewish people (particularly Orthodox Jews) may keep these days differently and also avoid flour and certain grains. I can’t speak to that in any way, and only you know how you keep the Days of Unleavened Bread. So please don’t send me angry comments, you have been warned

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A Flourless Chocolate Cake…That’s NOT Too Sweet Or Rich

May 5, 2019

This is a story of me falling in love with something I’ve spent my whole adult life telling people I don’t like. That most cliche of fancy restaurant dessert menu features—the flourless chocolate cake.

I’ve always found flourless chocolate cakes FAR too rich and sweet…like eating fudge. No complexity, no real textural interest, just nauseating sweetness. But as I tried to figure out a dessert to make for our Night to Be Much Observed (Passover) meal this year that was also gluten-free, I decided it was my best option for a crowd, even if I didn’t love it myself.

But *this* recipe totally won me over. I used dark chocolate (around 72% cacao), went a little scant on the sugar, and added a dash of orange extract to deepen the flavors a bit. The result is a more bittersweet chocolate flavor that’s interesting not cloying, and a nice kind of crackly exterior rather than just pure fudge.

And I haven’t even told you the best part—it only takes 10-15 minutes to whip up, and then less than a half hour to bake. It’s such a low-maintenance dessert that feels so fancy, now I get why restaurants the world over insist on featuring it!

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Norwegian Skillingsboller (Cinnamon Bun Pastries)

March 31, 2019

I’ve been lucky enough to visit Norway a couple of times over the past year, and have quickly fallen in love with the country’s mind-blowing landscapes and delicious baked goods. Yes, scenery and pastries—that’s basically what I’m here for.

Most recently, I spent a few days in charming Bergen over the holidays, and made it a point to visit as many coffeeshops and try as many different pastries as possible (all in the name of research, of course). And as soon as I got home, I knew I had to try out some of the recipes myself. So behold, Norwegian skillingsboller!

Skillingsboller (skillingsbolle is singular) are basically Norway’s take on cinnamon buns, and technically these are really specific to Bergen. It translates to “penny bun” (kanelbolle would be “cinnamon bun”, and you’ll see that all over Norway as well), and they are truly everywhere in Bergen.

Want to see all about my Norwegian adventures? Here you go!

I tweaked the original recipe a bit and added the cardamom, letting it steep in the milk and butter mixture to give extra flavor. That cardamom is a flavor I fully associate with Scandinavian pastries, so I felt it was necessary (but too much will overpower the buns).

These are actually WAY easier than they look, and the end result is less sweet than regular American cinnamon rolls. It’s just lightly sweet and much more subtle (and also lower calorie, as a result), perfect for having as an afternoon snack with your coffee.

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Chai Spice Banana Bread

March 3, 2019

In a true signal of adulthood, I buy bananas about every other week solely to let them get overripe and bake with them. But here’s the thing—I don’t actually like banana bread. It doesn’t appeal to me at all. So what I’ve ended up doing as a non-banana bread lover is accidentally starting a tradition of finding souped-up banana bread recipes to bring you.

Chai spices have been a favorite flavor combination of mine since I was in college and discovered Starbucks’ chai lattes (grande nonfat no-water chai, please!). So when I saw this recipe I knew I had to give it a try…the fragrant combination of the traditional cinnamon and ginger, with the warmth of cardamom and kick of black pepper and cloves is just divine.

So here’s another amazing OTT (over the top) banana bread recipe for you, and it’s definitely going in my regular rotation. I’ve linked to a few of my favorite other banana bread recipes at the bottom of this post if you’d like to give them a try as well!

One thing I’ll tell you up front—don’t be intimidated by the number of ingredients in the recipe. The lazy person in me kept me from trying this recipe for quite a while after I’d bookmarked it, but everything comes together very quickly and simply.

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Addictive Dark Chocolate, Peanut Butter, & Tahini Bark

February 20, 2019

I haven’t been quite this obsessed with something in quite some time.

And of all things it’s a *bark* recipe, which I am historically just “meh” on. But this delicious blend of rich, bittersweet chocolate and punchy peanut butter chips, lifted up slightly by nutty tahini and a crunch of sea salt, is like amazing not-actually-that-bad-for-you crack.

The most critical thing in making this amazing is to use a high-quality dark chocolate. Since the chocolate is the base and the entire carrier of this recipe, using a cheaper and lower quality kind will definitely result in a mediocre product. That doesn’t mean you need something insanely expensive, just more along the lines of Ghiradelli vs. Hershey’s. Trust me, it’s worth it!

I love this so much that I’d love to find a way to make it just as yummy, but using a healthier alternative to peanut butter chips. The actual chemistry of how bark sets isn’t really my area of expertise, so I’m going to do some fiddling and researching to see if this is feasible…as much as I love peanut butter chips, they’re not super great for me and this would be quite a really nice healthy indulgence.

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Whole Wheat Cranberry Pistachio Orange Shortbread Cookies

December 9, 2018

A couple years ago, my sister sent me an email out of nowhere with this recipe and a note that said “This has to be on your blog!” And I’ll be honest…it kind of took me a while to get to it.

But I played around with the recipe, making for a co-worker on maternity leave, for my own personal consumption, and then to take to work. And somehow never got around to posting the final version that I love dearly.

And guys, these cookies are weird. They have no leavening agent and no eggs…which shouldn’t work, but it totally does. In fact, they could be vegan if you substituted coconut oil for butter (though I haven’t tried that from a texture standpoint).

Side note, this cookie dough is AMAZING. Like, try not to eat it all raw before baking it, I DARE YOU. And because there are no eggs, you don’t have to worry about raw egg in it (which…I don’t, but I know some people do).

One of the great things about this kind of recipe, where you make the dough into a log and then slice pieces off, is that you can make parts of it at a time super easily. So the last time I made this, I baked up about half the dough right after dinner, and then two days later sliced up the rest and baked it when I had my whole family over for dinner again. Bonus points because they’re really quite healthy.

Crushing. It.

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Peanut Butter Banana Bread

December 1, 2018

Elvis was onto something.

Not that it was news to me, but peanut butter and banana will always be a magic combo. This bread just emphasizes the point. That’s right, friends, we’re talking about peanut butter banana bread today!

I’ve gotten to the point where I now just buy bananas every couple weeks, knowing full well I have no intention of actually eating them while they’re good. So expect some more tasty banana treats coming your way!

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Lemon Elderflower Cake With Strawberry Jam (Happy Birthday To Me!)

November 10, 2018

When I saw that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were having a lemon and elderflower cake at their wedding, I may or may not have fist-pumped.

The second I heard that flavor combo, I was SOLD.

As I’ve mentioned before, I started a tradition several years ago of finding a recipe that seemed a little fancier and more complicated than I typically tackle, and making that for my birthday. It’s given me absolute gems such as:

I MEAN YUMMMM. I don’t mean to toot my own horn, but I’ve got pretty great taste.

So this year I was kind of waffling, looked through tons of recipes but nothing was really jumping out to me until I saw two different recipes for an elderflower lemon cake. I took both and kind of combined and adapted, and loved the result! But con’t let the amount of ingredients and steps put you off, I actually threw this together pretty easily in between making dinner and pausing my TV show for a bit. Since my birthday is in September, the actual posting of this is *even* more belated that the making of it (which was about a week behind, since I was out of the country on my actual birthday).

I mean, if it’s good enough for Harry and Meghan, it’s good enough for me 🙂

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Cherry Almond Scones

October 14, 2018

This recipe is…there are no words for how good these scones are.

No. Words.

I’m a noted lover of scones (as seen here, here, and here), and there are very few flavor combinations I love more than cherry and almond. So as I was poring over various cherry recipes to use my plethora of fresh cherries (and awesome new cherry pitter), I came across this one and it immediately jumped to the top of the “must make” list.

I made a few small tweaks to the original recipe, most notably cutting way back on the glaze. I don’t think they need a ton, just enough to get a bit of extra sweet and a punch of almond flavor. I’m well known for adding almond extract to EVERYTHING.

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Orange Cinnamon-Sugar Twist Bread

September 20, 2018

Every time I go to Chicago for work lately, I’ve stayed at The Godfrey for convenience, and had a lovely run along the River Walk in the early morning. Then, as a reward, I’ve stopped at Beatrix and gotten the biggest latte they have a morning bun.

Their morning buns are an inspiration, like a cinnamon roll’s way cooler cousin…dough that’s slightly sweet with some lamination and a hint of orange zest, a cinnamon-sugar filling that’s positively gooey inside, and some sugar on the outside. No frosting, nothing overly sickly. Perfection.

So I’ve been lingering on this particular recipe on Pinterest lately, since it ticks the same flavor boxes as my beloved morning buns. I finally decided to tackle it a couple weeks ago and was SO happy I did!

One of the biggest changes I made was adding orange zest into the dough itself, versus just in the glaze. That slight hint of orange in the dough with a subtle cinnamon-sugar filling is just sublime. Additionally, I adapted the glaze by eliminating the butter and decreasing the amount quite a bit. I think the changes work SUPER well and make it a little less sweet, which is more my style.

I’d also recommend not being daunted by the number of steps in the recipe. It’s not a difficult recipe, and other than braiding the split layered dough ropes (it’s a bit messy!), it’s totally doable as long as you have the time. Don’t rush it and it’ll be a breeze!

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Bourbon Cherry Crisp with Brown Butter Streusel

September 12, 2018

This is one of the better ideas I’ve had in a while…

I’ve been totally obsessed with cherries lately, partly because they’re absolutely delicious and have been everywhere at the grocery store, and partly because I recently got a cherry pitter and can now have this fruit candy easily anytime I want (without hand-pitting and looking like I’ve murdered someone…).

Bourbon has also been everywhere in my life lately, since starting my new job at Brown-Forman in Louisville. Pretty much any bourbon will work for this, I used the bottle that happened to be open, which was a lovely Old Forester 100 proof. Combined with the brown butter, cinnamon, and cherries, this was BOMB.

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Orange, Apricot, & Pistachio Biscotti

July 23, 2018

Now isn’t *that* a match made in heaven?!

I feel bad because it’s been challenging getting new posts up as regularly as I normally would. I could blame it on travel schedules, the new job, and the continual process of settling into the new house. And all of that is 100% true. But you know the real reason?? I’ve just had trouble finding recipes that taste as good as they should when I make them. It’s not that I haven’t been baking and cooking, but rather that the recipes I’ve tried in the last month have all been fairly underwhelming—and not something I want to share with you.

Until this, that is.

I don’t know why I’ve been slightly obsessed with the idea of biscotti lately. It’s off-season, to be honest…more of a fall and winter food in my mind. But for some strange reason every time I see a new biscotti flavor combo, I’m smitten. So I finally decided to try a new one out. There was an orange, apricot, and almond recipe I’d been wanting to try, but I swapped in pistachios (and toasted them for more flavor) since that’s what I had on hand.

I was pretty skeptical about the recipe not having any fats, or any liquid except the egg and orange juice. But the more I thought about it, it made sense…a fat would make it more moist and soft, and that’s the opposite of a good biscotti. The orange zest and juice bring a brightness here, while the apricots bring the sweet. I’m glad it’s only lightly sweet, since that lets the fruit flavors really linger on your tongue. This one’s a winner for sure.

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Cinnamon-Walnut Challah…And Some New Digs

June 16, 2018

Oh hello there!

Yes, I know it’s been a hot minute since last we met here. But things have been a little insane around here, due to relocating (in my tiny Corolla), living in a temporary furnished apartment for a couple months (with the WORST kitchen supplies! Also, the cats were not fans…), house hunting, finalizing my move from Atlanta, and closing on a house here in Louisville. Oh yeah, and starting a major new job. So yeah, a lot’s been happening.

But I have a mountain of deliciousness to make it up to you today.

The great news is that I’m back in a fully-functioning kitchen and raring to go. I had to have them pipe in a propane line and install a new gas range because I was not dealing with that electric stove nonsense. Isn’t she pretty????

So that’s where I’ve been hiding for the last couple months. And without further ado, I bring you the yummiest stuffed challah bread you’ve ever had. Butter and walnuts and cinnamon and brown sugar meld into a magical mess inside a soft enriched dough (yes, I’ve been watching GBBO). But it’s surprisingly easy to pull together and got rave reviews from my co-workers. Totally worth the little bit of extra effort.

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Spiced Chocolate Tahini Swirl Bread

March 5, 2018

This is one of those cases where I randomly saw something on Pinterest on a Sunday and was like, UM YES. It just got stuck in my head, and I *had* to make it that very day. Sometimes I can get intimidated by braided breads, but for whatever reason that weekend I decided that I would kick this bread’s butt.

And overall, I was very happy with how it turned out. The dough itself was lovely and soft, and the combination of the warm spices and the gooey chocolate (I used part semi-sweet, part dark) was just heavenly on a cold winter morning. I took it work and it was devoured.

And honestly, the braiding was too scary either. I still struggle to get the ends really pinched together and the insides totally baked and not doughy, while not overcooking things. I’ve applied every Paul Hollywood technique I know. I’m guessing it’s a “practice makes perfect” thing, but overall I was quite proud of how this turned out!

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Brown Butter Cinnamon Chip Oatmeal Cookies

January 28, 2018

This recipe did something I didn’t think possible—I think I might have a new favorite cookie.

For years, my family’s molasses cookies have occupied the main cookie-shaped place in my heart, with their combination of warm spices and biting dark molasses. And these brown butter cinnamon chip oatmeal cookies definitely share some of the same DNA. Subtly sweet but not overpowering, spiced, textured, and soft, these will make your house smell amazing and bring all the co-workers to the yard.

In fact, the first time I made this recipe, my only note was something I never thought I’d say, which was, “Waaayyyy too much cinnamon chip. Pull that crap back.”

So I cut the cinnamon chips by more than half, and am completely in love with the result—the more subtle cinnamon chip presence allows the brown butter flavor to really shine through in all its rich, nutty glory. Add the oatmeal texture and you have a cookie made in heaven.

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Bourbon Pear Crumble Pie

December 28, 2017

“This is the best dessert I’ve ever had”. Actual quote from my dad.

I don’t know that I can disagree. As I was trying to figure out what to make for Thanksgiving this year, I knew I wanted to make something fruit-based (because no one else was, and that’s my jam), and since my mom had about 17 pounds of fresh pears sitting around—and I loooove pears—figured it would be pear-based.

This wasn’t my first pear rodeo—I made a super delish caramel pear pie with oat crumble one year (a bit sweet for me but still soooo good) and one of my go-to recipes is a healthy pear-apple pie with streusel topping.

But I wanted to try a new recipe out, so with that in mind, I pored over my Pinterest dessert board and hit upon this recipe. I knew I had a winner…bourbon pear pie was already going to be amazing, but add that crumble topping and there’s no way it won’t be amazing.

I ended up accidentally making quite a bit more filling and topping than could fit in my pie crust (I should have used the deep-dish pan), so I just poured the extra filling into a small pyrex dish, threw the extra topping on, and baked it as its own little bourbon pear crisp. It was amazing, so if you have extra I highly recommend going that route.

And when you tell people that you’re bringing a bourbon pear pie, they end to get pretty excited…READ THE POST

Dark Chocolate Stout Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting + Happy Birthday to Me!

October 29, 2017

My tradition of ugly but delicious birthday cakes continues…

A cake decorator I will never be.

This cake, however, is suuuuuper delish. I really wasn’t feelin’ it this year. I was so tired and stressed that I didn’t even know if I wanted to bother making something. My birthday was on a Tuesday (blah) in a super crazy week (among other things we were moving offices, had big deadlines, and I was getting ready to leave the country), and I knew it would be a super long day.

So looked for something simple but that really tugged at me. And, man, peanut butter and a dark chocolate stout cake can get me every time.READ THE POST

Lemon Raspberry Cake with Raspberry Frosting

August 27, 2017

I want to eat this cake all day, every day. Lemon + raspberry is a match made in heaven. Add those to a light, buttery cake and you’ve reached something truly sublime.

When I first made this recipe, it was actually as lemon cupcakes with a raspberry frosting, for my friend Casey’s birthday. But even as I was making it, I was mentally adapting it into a cake. Because let’s face it, cupcakes are a pain in the rear.

And then as I was making the cake, I had the idea of adding some jam swirled throughout. 1) Because I’m a huge fan of jam, and 2) because it does add a lovely moistness and complement to the lemon.

Jam is my jam.

This dessert is perfect for the winter months, because it tastes of springtime and warm days and lemons are usually plentiful. But it would be just as appropriate in summer for a light group dessert. Basically this is a year-round winner. YOU’RE WELCOME.READ THE POST

Almond Magic Cake

February 5, 2017

It’s been a long time since I’ve been so obsessed with a recipe. I pinned it years ago, and somehow forgot about it, though the idea was fascinating. Then over winter break this year I stumbled back across it and knew I had to give it a try. So behold, almond magic cake.

Because I did make one major change to the recipe. The original is for a vanilla cake, but my M.O. in life is, why make something vanilla when it can be almond-flavored instead??

This cake is really easy to throw together, and yields the most amazing, creamy, custardy, flan-y cake. I ended up making it again a few days later, in a gluten-free version (to be posted here later once I’ve perfected it). Give this a try, you won’t be disappointed!READ THE POST

Snickerdoodle Zucchini Bread

January 22, 2017

This bread is the BOMB!

Cinnamon-sugar is my kryptonite in general, so it’s no surprise that I was drawn to this recipe. It’s all the best things about my snickerdoodle bread (which is amazing, but also will make a major dent in your calories for the day), combined with a bit of whole wheat flour and fiber from zucchini.

Make no mistake, this is definitely a breakfast dessert, but it’s now only a bit of splurge rather than a complete diet derail.

The hardest thing is finding the cinnamon chips—if you see them, buy like 6 bags! (Though this may be part of the scarcity problem…). I think Hershey’s discontinued theirs, so I’ve been buying them on the Amazon black market, and will need to look elsewhere soon.

Cinnamon chips are seriously the best, and appropriate in all manner of delicious breakfast and dessert recipes.

This was a hit at work. And I had trouble keeping my hands off it. I had a piece with my morning espresso, but went back several times throughout the day for another bite. I probably had three pieces total, one bite at a time!READ THE POST

Birthday Vanilla Spice Coke Cake with Salted Peanut Butter Frosting

October 10, 2016

Every year (minus last year), I make myself a special birthday cake. I try to pick something that’s really captured my imagination, that seems a bit fancy and more complex than I’d usually convince myself to tackle. Something special.

This year, for reasons I can’t even quite explain to myself, I made a vanilla spice Coke cake with salted peanut frosting.

Yes, you read that right.

It’s kind of conceptual…while I’m not a fan myself, boiled peanuts in Coke is considered a Southern delicacy. Consider this the deconstructed cake version. But without the weird texture issues.

It was really a gameday decision. I’d pored over my whole Pinterest dessert board and nothing was really jumping out at me. But then I finally got it into my head that this vanilla spice Coke cake was going to be my base. I’ve never had a traditional Coca-Cola cake, but my understanding is that it’s almost always chocolate. When I ran across this recipe from Local Milk, I was intrigued…the way the flavor profile was described so beautifully, and as an interesting transition into fall,I decided it had to happen.

But the frosting that went along with it was just way too finicky for my exhausted and busy self to deal with. I looked at tons of different recipes but nothing really felt right, until I saw this salted peanut frosting. Since I love all things peanut butter, I was on board right away, and I thought that it would be a fun complement to the cake. While this was a bit overly sweet for my tastes (or maybe that was because I also ate a gallon of queso, so I felt a bit ill), the flavor was bomb and the cake was insanely moist.

I’ll definitely be revisiting this recipe down the road, and not just for a special occasion—the cake base itself (minus frosting the layers) was super easy and fast. As you can tell, frosting cakes is not my particular skill set.

So happy birthday to me, and cut yourself a huge slice of cake and pour a Coke!READ THE POST

Apricot Linzer Torte

August 14, 2016

I don’t mind admitting when I’m wrong. And BOY, was I wrong about this apricot linzer torte.

See, for the past two or three years, basically every time I’ve gotten with my friend Shalya for dinner, the conversation has eventually turned to food (okay, fine, it’s on food 92.5% of the time), and every single time she’s begged me to make an apricot linzer torte.

Every single time. And I always told her she was a weirdo, because who is obsessed with linzer torte, but fine, yes, I’ll make a linzer torte if she comes to my house. But that day finally came.

AND IT WAS GLORIOUS.

See, in my (limited) experience, linzer torte is basically just a simple buttery pastry crust with some jam in it, and a lattice topping. Something that’s fine adorning a bakery case somewhere, but not something that anyone ever really chooses.

Fine, and sturdy, but not setting the world on fire. Which just goes to show, I have been eating the WRONG LINZER TORTE all my life.

This linzer torte recipe is anything but “fine”. The dough basically punches you in the face with a combination of spices so aromatic my house smelled like heaven.

Pair that moist, tender spiced pastry with slightly chunky, tart apricot jam, and you have a simple and perfect match made in heaven.

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Pioneer Woman’s Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Frosting

February 7, 2015

“Life is too short for self-hatred and celery sticks.” ~ Marilyn Wann

That quote basically encapsulates my struggle right now. I love food. I don’t believe in diets, because I think that permanently denying yourself foods will just make you want them more. Plus, why take all the fun out of life?? But I am trying to be good most of the time right now.

And looking at these pictures is pure torture, because I remember how GOOOOOOD these Pioneer Woman cinnamon rolls were.

But I have a secret. I’m not really into cinnamon rolls. Except *these* cinnamon rolls. These cinnamon rolls are like if you just took the gooey center of the roll (the only good part) and made it ALL of the roll.

THESE CINNAMON ROLLS ARE EVERYTHING.

People had raved about The Pioneer Woman’s cinnamon roll recipe, so when I decided to try my hand at cinnamon rolls I knew I had to try these ones. I was scared, honestly. Cinnamon rolls look like so much work, and I’ve never thought they were worth the effort. Boy, was I wrong.

These are 5-star levels of gooey, they’re sweet, they’re maple-y, the bread is moist and soft. Perfect. They’re perfect.

And they were actually not that hard to make. Yes, there were a few steps, but they weren’t hard or even super time consuming. I just had to plan ahead in terms of starting them the night before, but otherwise they came together pretty easily.

Here are a few kitchen tools I find really helpful for this recipe:

My multi-purpose scraper tool (keep dough from sticking, divide, cut the rolls…does a little of everything)
Silicone pastry brush
Handle-less rolling pin
Silicone pastry mat for rolling (depending on what your counters are made of)

How decadent are these cinnamon rolls with maple frosting??

Well, I polished off the last four (DON’T JUDGE.) the morning that I gave blood (so I could start eating healthy the next day, naturally), and when my cholesterol results came back they were like 50 points higher than normal. It was insane. Granted, I’d also had like seven of them the day before. Still. Crazy.

You might like: The Kitchen Tools Every Cook or Baker Needs

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Pear Cake with Honey Glaze

January 2, 2015

Isn’t it great that breakfast means you can have all kinds of dessert-y things but it’s totally fine because it’s breakfast? Like, people would find you weird if you ate chocolate cake for breakfast, but coffee cake? Totally cool.

This is one of those super-good-desserts-but-also-totally-appropriate-for-breakfast recipes. It’s adapted from an apple cake I made a while ago—I remember thinking at the time that I just HAD to try it with pears (one of my favorite fruits), but never got around to it.

This winter break I found myself with several insanely juicy and fragrant Harry & David pears and knew right away what I must do with them. I’ve even made a version of this with pears, hazelnuts, and a delicious rosemary honey glaze.

This cake really is the best of both worlds. It’s my kind of dessert—lightly sweet, hearty, a mix of warm and comforting flavors. But it’s also really quite healthy.

I use white whole wheat flour entirely, which not only gives it lots of fiber but also a wonderful nutty flavor and great texture. It’s made with oil, I cut back on the sugar the original recipe calls for, and it’s full of fruit and nuts as well.

As breakfast goes—from time to time—you could do worse.

Look at these guys…aren’t they gorgeous?!READ THE POST

Chocolate Stout Cake with Ganache…Birthday Celebration Part 2!

September 28, 2014

Let me start by saying that this cake is way easier than it sounds. There’s something about “ganache” that sounds so fancy and unattainable.

This was the birthday cake I picked out this year, something kind of fancy but also quite simple—just good chocolate and good beer. (Although I’m sensing a theme of chocolate + alcohol birthday cakes…).

This is a Smitten Kitchen recipe and it’s basically perfect. The cake itself has a dense richness, a little bittersweet from the combination of the stout and the darker Dutch-process cocoa.

I also went a little scant on the sugar so the sweetness wasn’t overwhelming. I went ahead and frosted mine right away, which made the inside moist and fudgy, which is how I prefer my cake.

I’d never made a ganache before and thought it was going to be complicated and temperamental, but it was really quite simple and very fast. You want to use good quality chocolate to get the smoothest, creamiest texture and rich flavor. (I now have a more detailed post on how to make ganache, including two different easy methods.)

Overall, I would make this cake again in a heartbeat!

And then there was this gloriousness. That’s right, my co-worker wrapped my birthday wine bottles with the one and only James Alexander Malcolm Mackenzie Fraser. They get me. They really get me.

*sigh*

Okay, back to this chocolate stout cake…READ THE POST

Smitten Kitchen’s Whole Lemon Tart…Birthday Celebration Part 1

September 21, 2014

A few years ago I decided that, for my birthday, I’d make myself a dessert that’s just a little fancier than normal. Something I’ve been lusting after but required more time or effort than I’m typically willing to put into things. Since I don’t tend to like store-bought desserts that much, it was a way of making sure I got something I’d really like. And, boy, has it produced good results so far?! Two years ago I made these amazing vanilla almond cupcakes with peach jam filling, and last year I tried out Smitten Kitchen’s red wine chocolate cake.

This year, since it’s a “technicolor” birthday (as my co-worker says), I decided that I didn’t have to pick between the two desserts I was eyeing. So this is part one of 30th birthdaypalooza, and Smitten Kitchen has once again done me a solid.

This lemon tart is absolutely jam-packed with flavor. While I love lemon things, I am often turned off by lemon flavor that’s cloying or fake tasting, which is always a danger. But this tart is so bright and fresh and in-your-face with its real lemonness. Lemon-ity?

What’s also fascinating is that you throw the entire lemon into the filling (not whole, that would be weird…). Hence “whole lemon tart”. I don’t know why that makes a huge difference, but it does.

And while it *looks* like there are a million steps in the recipe below, it’s really not that difficult or time consuming. As long as you have time during a couple parts of the day (so you can make the tart crust and let it chill, then freeze a little, then bake), you’re golden. And the butter—oh, the butter! This tart is lemon-y, creamy, tangy, rich, custardy goodness.

READ THE POST

Moist Strawberry Shortcake (for a Large Group)

July 22, 2014

Does this picture not just epitomize summer?

I was back home in Kansas a couple weekends ago with my family for a memorial service, which involved a LOT of people and a LOT of cooking. Friday night we had a smaller get-together (maybe 15 people?), and we needed to figure out a dessert to feed the masses.

Strawberry shortcake is my go-to summer dessert when I have people over.

It’s basically perfect—juicy strawberries, just a hint of sugar, fluffy cake, pillowy whipped cream. Healthy(ish). And the easiest thing to throw together for an impromptu get-together.

While angel food cake will do in a pinch, usually I try to go the extra mile and make traditional homemade shortcakes, kind of scone- or biscuit-like (or like this oat & brown sugar version).

They’re not hard to make, but they’re not good for big groups and are not as great when you make them ahead of time—like biscuits, they’re great fresh but get tougher and stale once cool.

When I started thinking about dessert for a bunch of people (plus getting dinner on the table), I knew that individual shortcakes would be too much trouble. I knew I wanted something that made a lot, and something that would stay moist so we could make it several hours ahead.

After quite a bit of digging, I discovered this recipe, and was quite pleased with the results.

It literally took less than five minutes to mix the ingredients together and throw it in the oven, and it was super moist, not too sweet, and basically perfect for soaking up strawberry juices.

My brother-in-law gave it his stamp of approval, and finished off the leftovers the next day. While it’s not quite as pretty as the traditional shortcakes, it’s got great texture and is delicious!READ THE POST

Super Healthy Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream

June 29, 2014

Guys, this is so good. I didn’t believe that somehow simple frozen bananas could be broken down and then coalesce into a creamy, magical ice cream.

If I served this to you and told you it was ice cream, you’d never guess otherwise. Unless you hate bananas, and then you’d just wonder why I was trying to poison you with banana ice cream.READ THE POST

Coffee, Chocolate & Hazelnut Pound Cake

June 15, 2014

This chocolate hazelnut pound cake is a WINTER kind of recipe. In fact, I made it this past winter, but I haven’t posted it yet because I was ashamed about how terrible the pictures are. I mean, seriously terrible.

But this hazelnut pound cake is good. It transcends the awfulness of the pictures, and you deserve to know it.

With the sifting, making the chocolate hazelnut paste, and then making the batter, it’s slightly more work than a regular pound cake, but not too much. And the rich combination of flavors is totally worth it.

Not only is it cake (duh), but it’s got coffee, chocolate, AND hazelnuts. That’s like the Three Amigos of deliciousness. The Three Musketeers (and d’Artagnan) of deliciousness. The Buffy, Willow, and Xander of deliciousness.

This could go on…

READ THE POST

Honey-Roasted Peaches with Cream

May 26, 2014

Some things are perfect in their simplicity, and these honey-roasted peaches definitely qualify.

I didn’t plan to buy peaches last weekend, but when I walked into the produce section I was almost knocked over by the amazing smell of ripe peaches. They were so soft you had to hold them super gently so they didn’t bruise. Fuzzy. Juicy. Amazing.

Since I was trying to eat really well this week, and already had like five things I was planning to make, I wanted something simple and super healthy.

This dessert feels fancy in a completely undeserved way. You seriously just cut fruit in half, drizzle a little honey and butter over it, and bake for a while.

And the result is a dessert that embodies summer, adds a little class to any dinner, and takes five minutes, tops, to prepare. Sign me up!

Also, peaches. They’re the best!

READ THE POST

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Bars

May 25, 2014

Y’all, I have never once cooked with rhubarb before this recipe. In fact, I could probably count the number of times I’ve had rhubarb on, like, half a hand. Which is creepy when you think about it (half a hand, that is, not rhubarb).

ANYWAY. What I was getting at was that these strawberry rhubarb crumb bars are a delightful and easy breakfast option, or even a (not as sweet) dessert.

There’s something about rhubarb that screams spring…maybe it has a really short seasonality or something? I’m definitely not a rhubarb expert.

What I *do* know is that rhubarb is quiiiiiite tart, which is why it’s usually paired with very sweet fruits like strawberries, and takes a little extra sugar to make it edible.

These bars look like a dessert (and they could be, with a few tweaks), but they’re really a healthy, fiber-ful, antioxidant-filled whole grain breakfast treat.

The star of these is obviously the strawberries and rhubarb (which is like a girly-looking, super tart celery), but the crust and crumble topping has a lovely light sweetness to it, made hearty by the oats and whole wheat flour.

On a side note, I’ll bet the first person to bite into a rhubarb stalk expecting something either sweet or celery-like later seriously reconsidered their willingness to try new things. It is NOT good raw. I’m guessing it was entertaining to watch, though…

READ THE POST

Plum Pound Cake with Almond Crumble

April 27, 2014

I’ve been on a weird plum kick, and this plum pound cake is a symptom. It’s not a fruit I grew up eating, and if you asked me to name my top five or ten fruits, not sure plums would make the list.

But recently they’ve been calling to me, with their weird thick, bitter skin and their totally unpredictable insides. Sometimes it’s mealy and bland, but sometimes you get rewarded with sweet, juicy, awesomeness.

This plum pound cake bears a resemblance to both the plum torte and the pear torte adaptation I’ve made over the past few months, but this is more of a pound cake—denser, not quite as sweet, and with a crumbly almond topping instead of the light cinnamon sugar of the others.

The original recipe is in metric amounts and in Polish. Since I don’t speak Polish (and Google Translator apparently doesn’t very well either), I took some liberties with amounts and ingredients.

And pretty much everything else. So, there’s that. Despite my completely winging it, the end result was pretty doggone good.

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Grandma’s Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

March 27, 2014

I don’t like banana bread. There—I said it. Cue the shock and hand-wringing and exclamations of my lack of humanity. I’ve heard it all. But I still don’t like banana bread.

THIS chocolate chip banana bread, however, is pretty freaking awesome.

I got the chance to fly out to eastern Washington in late January with my dad to visit my Grandma and some other family on his side. I see most of them maaayyybe every decade, often longer, so it was a great chance to catch up and reconnect.

My grandma had baked some banana bread that I ended up snacking on all weekend. It was dense and moist, like a flat little cake, and studded with chocolate chips. I loved it.

She gave me her recipe and I played with it a little, including using all whole wheat flour, leaving out the coconut (partly because I forgot), and using dark chocolate chips.

I also baked it in two shallow dishes instead of making a regular-size loaf, which I think actually was the best thing I could have done for even cooking and keeping everything moist.

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Black Bean Brownies with Honey – The Runner-Up

March 22, 2014

I’ve got another gluten-free gem comin’ at ya…this time it’s black bean brownies with honey.

Now I know I shared a black bean brownie recipe last week, and to me it’s absolute perfection. They’ve got amazing texture, taste great, have more protein and fiber than regular brownies, and aren’t packed with sugar (like most black bean brownie recipes are). You’d never even know they have beans in them and are gluten-free.

However, I know that some people want to avoid refined sugars, and so having an option made with honey is ideal. I’ve got your back.

These were my runner-up recipe in my great search for awesome black bean brownies. The reason these couldn’t win the top spot is that the honey does change the texture a little. Specifically, it’s white sugar that gives the tops of the brownies that crisp, slightly crackly look, and you just can’t replicate that with honey.

These are great in their own right…they’re very moist and light, very fudge-y.

If you’re trying not to use white sugar, this recipe is a great alternative, and crazy easy.

READ THE POST

The Best Black Bean Brownies (Naturally Gluten-Free)

March 15, 2014

Soooooo, I have been on the hunt for the best black bean brownie recipe. Why, you ask?

Honestly, I’m not sure. I got it into my head a couple months ago after I tried out my healthy deep-dish chocolate chip cookie pie, which is also chock-full of fiber and gluten-free. Having friends who are gluten-sensitive, I’m always on the lookout for GF dessert recipes for dinner parties.

I’d seen people pin different black bean brownie recipes, but every time I checked out the ingredients I was shocked at how much sugar they called for—I guess to compensate for the lack of other unhealthy things.

So I started browsing through all sorts of recipes and trying several of them find one that was still fairly healthy without compromising on taste or texture. AND I HAVE FOUND IT.

These black bean brownies are perfect. They’re fudge-y and rich but light and not too sweet, and just as good days later as they were fresh out of the oven.

My co-workers were shocked when I told them that they were gluten-free and made of beans. You also blend all the ingredients in a food processor, so there are no bowls to clean, no stirring—just blend, pour, and bake.

FAQs (because I can hear you asking): Do these brownies taste like beans? No. Do they have a weird texture? No. Will anyone be able to tell they have beans in them? No. Will they make me toot? Possibly…that’s really between you and your intestines.

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Soft, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

February 16, 2014

I’m on a hunt for the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe. This is probably not it (for my personal preferences), but it IS good, so I wanted to share. Specifically, this is a really good recipe for soft, chewy chocolate chip cookies, but for me I like a little more crisp.

This particular recipe’s claim to fame is cornstarch, which gives the cookies a fluffiness and softness that many chocolate chip cookies are missing.

These are a little sweet for my tastes (mine run more toward these whole wheat dark chocolate chip cookies) but they had a great, traditional chocolate chip cookie flavor and were quite easy to whip up.

If you have an amazing chocolate chip cookie recipe I should try, send it to me…I am determined to find the perfect recipe!READ THE POST

Amazing Pear Torte, adaptation from Smitten Kitchen

February 12, 2014

I am so obsessed with this pear torte. SO OBSESSED.

You’ll recall that I made Smitten Kitchen’s take on a famous plum torte recipe, which was amazing—lightly sweet, with a slightly crunchy cinnamon-sugar topping, and the plums turning into these pockets of soft, sweet, gooey goodness.

And I remember wondering at the time whether pears would do the same, because I love them dearly. I finally got around to giving this a try, and yes, it’s just as good—pear torte FTW!

You can either eat this straight out of the oven, or let it sit overnight and the juices from the fruit and the skin become even more entrenched in the cake. It’s hard to wait that long, but totally worth it.

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Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Mug Cake

January 29, 2014

Oh boy, I’ve been wanting to try this chocolate peanut butter mug cake for quite a while, but the universe kept conspiring against me.

Mostly by making me too full after my traditional Saturday night Thai food to even think about dessert. I know, life’s rough.

But after our eventful snow day in Atlanta yesterday, I decided it was time for a treat. Yet again, I didn’t prepare for the snowpocalypse. And by “snowpocalypse”, I mean 1-2 inches of snow that literally ruined Atlanta. People stranded in their cars for 20+ hours, having to abandon them on the highway and walk to safety and warmth.

Parts of it enforced my lack of faith in humanity (yes, I’m looking at you, asshat who knowingly ran the red light and blocked a major intersection for 20 minutes), while others were pretty amazing (thousands of people offering up spare rooms, couches, bringing food to stranded drivers).

My 90-minute drive home (vs. 20 usually) looked like a walk in the park by comparison, and while I don’t have much food at home, I do have wine and I can make this amazing mug cake.

Mug cake recipes are hit-and-miss, but this one was a winner for me. First, you can never miss with (double) chocolate and peanut butter, and the texture was fudgy and creamy and awesome. The fact that it doesn’t use eggs is handy as well.

It helps to start with a super cute mug. This is one of my favorites, it actually was the first mug in my somewhat-eclectic collection. Got it in Seattle at Pike’s Place Market back in college.READ THE POST

Caramel-Glazed Apple Bread

January 5, 2014

It’s weird. As a self-proclaimed caramel hater (okay, maybe “hate” is strong, but “non-lover”), I somehow made two different awesome recipes within a couple weeks back in November where caramel was the star. The first was the caramel pear crumble pie I made for Thanksgiving, and the second was this fall-worthy gem—caramel apple bread.

Obviously, apple and cinnamon are a can’t-miss combination. But the caramel glaze really elevates this bread beyond what a regular powdered sugar glaze would. It gives not just a sweetness but a warmth, and the burnt sugar caramel flavor deepens everything.

This is one of those beautiful quick bread recipes that’s super easy to throw together—I mean, the bread takes as long as it takes to chop the apples, basically. And you get not one, but two, loaves of sweet bread that can feed hungry overnight guests for breakfast, delight your co-workers, or punt as an easy dessert.

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November Cakes a.k.a. Gooey Delicious Orange Buns

December 29, 2013

Have you ever read a piece of fiction that describes some kind of food in such rich, real detail that the food becomes real to you?

It’s a talent, writing about completely made-up food in a way that’s so real to the reader that they have a visceral need to create (re-create?) the food in their world. As an avid reader, I’ve certainly run across these kinds of fictional foods from time to time, but rarely has a recipe captured my imagination like the November Cakes from Maggie Stiefvater’s “The Scorpio Races”.

In the middle of a chill, windy, haunting Irish November, Stiefvater describes these rolls as “oozing honey and butter, rivulets of the creamy frosting joining the honey in the pit of my hand.” Pretty amazing, right?

I actually tried a recipe for this a year or two ago, but was disappointed with the dry, somewhat bland results. When I saw this particular recipe and heard people rave about it, I knew I had to give it another try.

And these were everything promised. The dough itself isn’t that sweet, just an orange-tinged yeast roll. It’s the combination of the honey-caramel glaze (which I also spiked with orange extract) soaking into the rolls and the sweet white orange-flavored icing on top that elevates this to complete indulgence.READ THE POST

Caramel Pear Pie with Oat Crumble

December 14, 2013

Apparently, making some kind of pear pie is becoming my new Thanksgiving tradition. My family always has so much food that I just try to fill in gaps or find something a little interesting to contribute.

Last year I wanted a fruit dessert, since we had so much rich stuff. I made my healthy apple-pear pie with streusel topping, which was exactly what we needed in the midst of all the sweets.

This year I didn’t really have anything specific in mind. Then, I ran across this caramel pear pie recipe from A Cozy Kitchen and knew that I had to make it right away. While I don’t really get that excited about caramel, I absolutely LOVE pears and any kind of crumble topping.

Oh, and then I made this amazing pear crumble bourbon pie the next year!

What’s really magical about this pie happens while it bakes. What starts as a simple streusel topping—oats, sugar, spices, butter—turns into a golden melt-in-your-mouth crust when the caramel bubbles up and marries up with the streusel.

Seriously, it’s amazing. On the whole, the pie was just a TAD sweet for me. I prefer something mildly sweet but not too rich, but for a Thanksgiving treat it was great!READ THE POST

Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake

November 29, 2013

I actually made this about a month ago, but haven’t had a chance to bring its greatness to you yet. I love ricotta, and I love lemon, so this is a recipe tailor-made for me.

First of all, it’s super easy—just blend everything together, throw it in a pan, and call it a day. But secondly, it can do double duty as both a breakfast and a dessert.

This lemon ricotta pound cake is the perfect antidote to holiday food excesses.

It’s light and sweet and tart, so a great alternative to all of the heavy, rich desserts we’re usually consuming this time of year. It would be great to have on hand for company to just snack on whenever they want.

If I had any complaints about this recipe, they would probably be about the texture, which can be a little dry, but since it’s pound cake that’s really more the nature of the beast. It’s good on its own, but even better with some tea or coffee.

I had some overflow batter, so I greased up a ramekin and baked little individual pound cakes. Next time I think I’d use a few more ramekins and do shallower mini cakes, or else it can get a little bread-y.READ THE POST

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