I just LOVE the sweet, buttery crunch of toffee and, since I hadn’t made any in forever, I thought this might be the right time to make a batch to add to my holiday cookie tray. BUTTER CRUNCH TOFFEE 1 cup sugar 2 sticks butter 1 tbsp. water 1 tbsp. white Karo syrup 2 cups […]
baking
05
Dec
Dec
The cookie baking blitz is on, so I decided to roll some dough and start with the cut-outs! Since there’s a bit of winter in the air, and I’ve been wearing my new hand-knitted mittens (thank you, Teresa :), I thought merry mittens would be the perfect choice. I used this No Fail Sugar Cookie […]
Fresh cranberries are such a seasonal treat, and there is almost no better way to celebrate their arrival than to bake up a deliciously moist batch of cranberry squares! CRANBERRY SQUARES 2 cups whole cranberries 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup chopped pecans Mix together and spread on the bottom of a 13″ x 9″ greased […]
You know something is “meant to be in your life” when you go from completely-ignorant-of-it’s-existence to hearing-about-it-everywhere-you-go in a matter of days. Or it’s just damned good promotion. Either way, that’s the way it’s been lately for me and BAKED, a bakery in Brooklyn with the most enticing desserts I’ve come across outside of Big […]
These have got to be one of the easiest Halloween treats to impress those little trick-or-treaters! All you need: pretzel rods, Wilton candy melts (available in JoAnn’s, Michaels, etc.), and some pretty little colorful sprinkles. Just follow the package directions for melting the chocolate, dip the pretzel rods and sprinkle immediately. Ta-dah! (Works well with […]
19
Oct
Oct
Includes recipes and recipe links for Chocolate Almond Macaroons, Sugar Crusted Snowballs, Jam Sticks, Chocolate-Espresso Shortbread Wedges, Double Coconut Biscotti, Italian Iced Cookies, Chocolate Biscotti, Turtle Bars, Peanut Butter Munchies, Chocolate Espresso Balls, Jan Hagels, Butter Cookies, Pignoli Cookies, Florentine Cookie Bars
14
Oct
Oct
Pignoli cookies are delicious and impressive, so a “party perfect” cookie tray just wouldn’t be complete without them! I have used the Epicurious recipe for years, and I always get great results. The posted recipe calls for canned almond paste, but I buy almond paste by the pound at a local Italian deli. This is […]
06
Oct
Oct
No doubt about it. Of all the treats I love to bake, cookies are my #1 favorite! So, when I volunteer to bring along a tray of cookies, I think about whether I’ll bake the tried-and-true standards (chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, giant ginger cookies, white chip macadamia, etc.), or the pretty little butter cookies that […]
I know to non-city-dwellers the idea of eating food out of the side of someone’s truck sounds less than appealing. You’re thinking greasy falafel and dirty water hot dogs. Think again. In recent years, the Food Trucks of NYC have turned into big business for small-time gourmet food purveyors. You can get some awesome food […]
You may now call me “little auntie a”. I am so thrilled — my best friend Khalil and his husband Scott have adopted a little baby girl! This weekend, we had a Baby Naming ceremony for her (they wrapped her up in the chuppah I made for their wedding!), and, because it’s the best way […]
The nip of fall in the air today brought to mind these delectable cookies! A quick scan of the pantry to check for some canned pumpkin (yep!) and, before long…… These cookies are soft, fluffy and cake-like, with a mild “pumpkin pie” flavor. FROSTED PUMPKIN COOKIES 1 cup sugar 1 egg (room temp.) 2 cups […]
A very special sister-in-law had a milestone birthday, and her dear and thoughtful children threw her a surprise celebration. I offered to help with dessert, and here was their request: Betty Crocker white and chocolate fudge cake mixes yielded 36 cupcakes. I followed the back-of-the-box instructions and watched them very carefully while baking to ensure […]
With the assurance of my “bodyguard” Lisa, little a and I joined her and Carol for a morning of blueberry picking. When we did this last year, it was Lisa who protected us from the boa constrictor (known to some as a garter snake) that darted across our path as we were leaving the field, […]
04
Aug
Aug
I’m fully aware that it was a little too hot outside today to crank up the oven, but I couldn’t resist the temptation to make some delicious mandelbrot. The literal translation of mandelbrot is “almond bread”. It is similar to biscotti in that it is twice-baked, but it is made using oil instead of butter. […]
When my niece celebrated a milestone birthday, I happily volunteered to bake the cake! I wanted it to be as truly special as she is, so I decided to give rolled fondant a try. Fondant-coated cakes are always so impressive! I was seriously nervous about attempting this for the first time, but I found a […]