Raise your hand if you have never had a cookie from Levain Bakery. Well, if you raised your hand and you’re ever in New York City, you’ve got to pay them a visit. There is some kind of cookie magic going on there, and the cookies are seriously incredible. First, they are huge. And when […]
Posts Tagged: Baking
08
Dec
Dec
My holiday baking is underway, and raspberry thumbprint cookies are an all-time favorite…and they’re pretty too! For these cookies, I combined two of my favorite recipes: Pillsbury’s Hazelnut Melting Moments and Land o’ Lakes’ Raspberry Almond Shortbread Thumbprints. With toasted and chopped hazelnuts, the Pillsbury recipe* makes a tender and delicious base, and I used […]
11
Nov
Nov
After the Halloween weather fiasco, I thought I’d look ahead to some Thanksgiving baking. As I check the calendar, I realize that I don’t have to look too far. First up, a little pumpkin bread. I found this recipe on Allrecipes and it’s a keeper. I know I sound like my mother when I say, […]
20
Oct
Oct
Forget about any diet you may (or may not) be on. Just boil water for tea or perk up a steaming pot of hot coffee because you are in for a real treat…that is if you decide to give this labor-of-love a try. These homemade cinnamon buns (Cinnabon-style) are time-consuming to make, but they are […]
20
Sep
Sep
I am so sick of staring at ripe bananas. Sometimes I peel and freeze them, and sometimes I just (yes, I admit it) throw them away. I totally feel guilty when I toss ’em, so today I opted to make banana bread and try out my new Wilton Petite Loaf Pan. My favorite recipe is […]
We spent last weekend at the Ashworth By the Sea in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire, during their annual Hampton Beach Seafood Festival. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay there, and the staff were incredibly friendly and helpful. Here’s a view from our room: Pretty, huh? We were so fortunate to have picture-perfect weather. The school bus […]
07
Sep
Sep
Ahhhhhhhh, cream puffs. So cool, creamy and delicious. My mom made them for years, without the chocolate glaze, but I think the glaze turns them into a Boston Cream Pie/donut-sort-of delight. It’s a 3-step process, but they are not terribly difficult to make. Here’s the basic puff pastry recipe: 1 cup water 1/2 cup (one […]
27
Aug
Aug
Irene has made a crazy person of me. Three straight days of hurricane-doom-and-gloom has turned me into a potential contestant for “Survivor”. My list? Buy gallons of drinking water. Check. Canned foods, peanut butter and loads of non-perishables. Check Oil lamps, candles and matches. Check. Gas up my car. Check. Haunt my kids in an […]
23
Aug
Aug
Includes recipes for Bethy’s Pink Cookies, Pignoli Cookies, Chocolate Macaroons, Rainbow Cookies, Spritz Cookies, Chocolate Espresso Balls, Double Coconut Biscotti, Mexican Tea Cakes, Raspberry White Chocolate Bars, No-Fail Sugar Cookie Hearts, Neapolitan Sugar Cookies, Almond Diamonds
21
Aug
Aug
I can’t help myself. Whenever there is a celebration and some baking to be done, I’m raising my hand, shouting “I’ll do it! I’ll do it!!”. And Jill’s bridal shower gave me the perfect opportunity to use my Wilton’s Giant Cupcake pan to create a pretty centerpiece for the dessert table. The table had a […]
21
Jul
Jul
Rainbow cookies are deliciously moist and rich tri-color cookies that are usually found at Italian bakeries. They have an intense almond flavor and are held together with thin layers of either raspberry or apricot jam (or orange marmalade) and a layer of melted chocolate tops them off. They are a fussy and time-consuming cookie to […]
16
Jul
Jul
I LOVE these cookies. REALLY love ’em. They are a soft version of the ever-popular Italian iced cookies and, once you start, you can’t stop eating them. They are exclusive to my friend Bethy and, quite honestly, nobody makes them like she does. We spent a day together baking cookies for an upcoming wedding shower, […]
10
Jul
Jul
I’m going to a picnic today, and I’ve heard there will be LOTS of kids there. Since I volunteered to bring a dessert, I thought “brownie pops” would be a great choice…easy to transport, not too messy, and easy to eat! I really do have a treasured brownie recipe that I make from scratch, but […]
04
Jul
Jul
I’m going to keep working on these. Eventually, (HOPEfully), I’ll master the consistency of the royal icing, and all will be “right” in my cookie-making world 😉 Wishing you all a sparkler-filled, happy July 4th!! “A”
02
May
May
My mom celebrated a great big birthday on Friday…her 85th!…and we gathered on Saturday for some party fun! I brought along the cake and, (can I tell you?), it was sooooooo delicious!! I regret not taking a photo after it was sliced, but let me tell you about it. Truthfully, it tasted like one big […]