Have a splash of red wine leftover?
Sure, you could just drink it.
Or you could stir it into the batter of these dreamy, fudgy, rich brownies.
OK, now we are talking.
“Red Wine Brownies” is a recipe from the new “Sweet Tooth” (Clarkson Potter), of which I received a review copy.
It was written by Sarah Fennel, a New York City self-taught baker, photographer, and creator of the website, Broma Bakery.
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Like biscotti, these cookies are baked in flattened logs of dough, then sliced after emerging from the oven.
But unlike those Italian classics, these Scandinavian beauties are baked only once and end up crispy all over and chewy at the center.
They also taste profoundly of caramel, despite being made with only white sugar and corn syrup.
And best yet, they require only a few basic ingredients.
When I started seeing people rave online about “Caramel Slices,” I knew I had to try baking them, too.
The recipe for these cookies, also known as “Kolasnittar,” is from “Scandinavian from Scratch” (Ten Speed Press, 2023) of which I received a review copy.
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As a kid, life sure seemed to move at a languid pace. Summer vacation seemed never-ending. Our favorite holidays seemed to take forever to come around.
Not so as an adult.
Life now seems to whoosh by at Millennium Falcon hyper speed, making us ever grateful for all the shortcuts and time-saving tips we can get.
Enter “Jamaretti” cookies from Martha Stewart.
You know those classic jam-filled thumbprint cookies you made as a kid, rolling balls of dough one by one, then pressing your thumb into each one before spooning jam into every single crevice? Yeah, those ones.
Well, this recipe streamlines that process by making these cookies more like biscotti.
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I’ll be the first to say that my foraging experiences have been few and far between.
There was the time on an elementary school field trip hike, when our teacher had us nibbling sour grass growing in a canyon.
There was the white-water rafting trip on the American River in my 30s, when our guide steered our raft to an outcrop of wild blackberry shrubs and we reached out to hungrily pick our fill.
And there was the recent visit to the sprawling Inn at Newport Ranch in Fort Bragg, where my guide picked peppery wild ginger leaves for me to try.
So, admittedly, I am no expert.
But my friend and colleague Maria Finn definitely is. And she’s written a new cookbook, “Forage. Gather. Feast.” (Sasquatch Book) that will open your eyes to the bounty that can be foraged all around you.
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One-pan shortbread are by nature one of the fastest and simplest of cookies to bake.
This one is even quicker since there’s no need to wait for butter to soften beforehand. Nor the need for an electric mixer to cream the butter into submission. That’s because there’s no butter in this dough whatsoever, only olive oil that makes it extra lush tasting.
There’s also a flavor curve ball to it. Sure, you’ve had shortbread sprinkled with a touch of sea salt. But how about crowned with freshly ground black pepper, too?
“Salt and Pepper Olive Oil Shortbread” is a little sweet and a little savory. Plus, a whole lot delicious.
It’s from “Snacking Bakes” (Clarkson Potter, 2023), of which I received a review copy.
It’s the newest cookbook by Brooklyn-based Yossy Arefi, creator of the acclaimed blog, Apt. 2B Baking Co.
It’s sure to appeal to those who love to bake, but don’t enjoy overly complicated recipes. Instead, most of the recipes in this book can be made in less than one hour, and using one bowl.
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