Category Archives: Recipes (Sweet)

Understated, Utterly Delicious Caramel Slices

A simple cookie that delivers on all levels.
A simple cookie that delivers on all levels.

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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Jammy Crumble Crostata

One dough is used for the top and the bottom of this tart that gets filled with your favorite jam.
One dough is used for the top and the bottom of this tart that gets filled with your favorite jam.

You know those times where you devour something indulgent, then promise yourself that you’ll work out twice as hard in the gym the next day to make up for it?

Well, you needn’t worry about that with “Jammy Crumble Crostata.”

That’s because your biceps and shoulders will feel the burn when you make this buttery, crunchy, tart-like creation that has a hidden filling of your favorite jam.

Yet have no fear. This dessert isn’t complicated or overly time-consuming to make. But it does require that you freeze your dough rock hard, then grate the whole shebang by hand, an endeavor that will make your arms feel the burn. It’s all for a good cause, though — to fashion a unique tart with a crisp cookie-like texture.

This winsome crostata is from “Beatrix Bakes Another Slice” (Hardie Grant), of which I received a review copy.

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In Praise of Cardamom Butter Cake

This cardamom butter cake is made with an unusual method, and results in a tender, fluffy, and irresistible texture.
This cardamom butter cake is made with an unusual method, and results in a tender, fluffy, and irresistible texture.

When Pittsburgh-based Liana Krissoff set out to write her newest cookbook, she had herself and her daughter in mind — as well as anyone wanting to nurture an everlasting love for cooking in their children.

“In Praise of Home Cooking” (Abrams, 2023), of which I received a review copy, showcases more than 85 recipes that have not only proved formative to Krissoff’s own culinary prowess, but helped her instruct her daughter in such a way that she gained both skills and confidence along the way.

Krissoff, a recipe tester, editor, and veteran cookbook author, readily admits that some of the recipes in the book may seem basic at first glance. However, they provide not only a solid foundation, but a jumping off point to hone techniques and creativity.

That’s why you’ll find recipes for “Grilled Cheese Sandwich” (with tips on how to jazz it up with spices and kimchi or sauerkraut), “Baked Potatoes” (rubbed all over with bacon fat before going into the oven), “Basic Meatloaf with a Few Vegetables,” and “Yogurt Marinated Spiced Chicken.”

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A Slice of Cool

If this doesn't help beat the heat, nothing will.
If this doesn’t help beat the heat, nothing will.

The heat is on.

Is it ever.

I may not have the ability to turn the master switch to “off” to quash this heatwave. But I can definitely cool things down deliciously with “Frozen Yoghurt-Honey Parfait with Flash-Roasted Blueberries.”

Creamy, tangy, and — yes — frosty, it’s like ice cream without the need for an ice cream maker.

The recipe is from the new cookbook, “Fruitful” (Kyle Books), of which I received a review copy.

It’s by Sarah Johnson, an American-born pastry chef who trained at Berkeley’s Chez Panisse, and now splits her time at two United Kingdom restaurants, Spring and Heckfield Place. Hence, the UK spelling of “yoghurt” in this recipe before you think that a typo.

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Jamming on Jamaretti Cookies

A play on the classic thumbprint cookie.
A play on the classic thumbprint cookie.

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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