food . design . travel . lifestyle
Thursday thoughts from the kitchen: When you fail to chill your dough before baking thumbprint cookies, don't be surprised if it spreads in the oven, and your cookies end up looking like this. But don't lose heart! Much like these pecan thumbprints I'm testing today, a cookie is tasty no matter its shape, and icing… Continue reading I Smashed My Thumbprints
I probably should've labeled this post Copycat Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars, because that's precisely what they are. However, at their heart, these are orange blondies, festively dressed with cranberries and white chocolate chips, smothered in cream cheese frosting. Be advised: this recipe makes 24 blondies, and I had a crazy sugar rush after just one.… Continue reading Cranberry Orange White Chocolate Blondies
Sometimes, you're just trying to live your life when a wicked craving for one of those huge Costco chocolate muffins hits you out of nowhere. In those times, I believe in preheating the oven, grabbing a bowl, and addressing that craving head on. This batter isn't excessively sweet; it's a good balance to all the… Continue reading Double Chocolate Chip Muffins
When a dear friend chose Boston Cream cupcakes for a birthday surprise, it gave me an excellent opportunity to try my hand at several basic baking techniques I've been wanting to learn. Blame a stress-coping binge of Great British Bake Off. So with wild abandon - and GBBO reruns on my laptop - I threw… Continue reading Baking basics
This afternoon, I realized the quart of eggnog in my fridge was close to going off (my local dairy sells it for the Easter season). But when you combine my adoration of eggnog with the rarity of finding it on store shelves, I physically cannot pour it down the drain. I needed a way to… Continue reading Low Sugar Eggnog Rice Pudding
Every fall, I challenge myself to try at least one new cookie recipe. This year, however, Pinterest's overabundance of delicious-looking options inspired me to try two! The first is an Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal cookie. They celebrate that apple-y goodness you want in the fall. And with less than one cup of brown sugar, you can… Continue reading Cookies with fall flavors
Last week, I went blueberry picking with a friend. We did what friends do, got to chatting, and before I realized it, I had seven pounds of blueberries! Considering there are only two people in my household, it's going to take awhile to get through seven pounds of blueberries. So summer baking, it is! After… Continue reading Easy Blueberry Pie
Upon learning about the legendary New York Times/Jacques Torres chocolate chip cookies, I knew I had to taste them! However, I live on the opposite coast from Manhattan. So it was up to me to create them. The original recipe is a bit more complicated than your average cookie. It uses equal weight of bread… Continue reading Chocolate Chip Cookies
This is one of those simple recipes you teach your kids to get them excited about cooking, which is precisely where I learned it. Staying at a friend's house during summer vacation in middle school, we felt accomplished making these easy treats for ourselves. I still crave these bars from time to time as an… Continue reading Peanut Butter Butterscotch Rice Krispies® Treats
