Category Archives: Recipes (Sweet)

Get Your Cookie Fix With Ras El Hanout Snickerdoodles

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Not your usual snickerdoodles.
Not your usual snickerdoodles.

When it comes to cookies, my husband is decidedly “Basic Boy.”

Meaning, he likes his chocolate chip, peanut butter, and snickerdoodle. And doesn’t like to veer to far from them.

So, “Ras El Hanout Snickerdoodles” satisfied both of our appetites. His for the classic. And mine for something a little more adventurous.

This wonderfully chewy and warmly spiced cookie recipe is from “Love Is A Pink Cake” (W.W. Norton & Co.), of which I received a review copy.

It’s by Claire Ptak, a Californian who moved to London to open her Violet Bakery. Of course, you may also know her as a former pastry chef at Chez Panisse in Berkeley. Or you may recognize her as the baker commissioned in 2018 to make the wedding cake for none other than Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

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A Pleasing Plum Pistachio Galette

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Summer plums and homemade pistachio frangipane are front and center in this delightful galette.
Summer plums and homemade pistachio frangipane are front and center in this delightful galette.

There’s no question that this dessert is absolutely, positively plum good.

After all, it’s loaded with summer’s juicy, sweet plums.

And they rest on a layer of homemade, creamy, rich pistachio frangipane.

“Plum Pistachio Galette” is from “Sheet Pan Sweets” (Union Square & Co., 2022), of which I received a review copy.

It’s by Seattle’s Molly Gilbert, a cooking instructor and former recipe tester for Saveur magazine, who has become an authority on sheet-pan recipes, with this her third book on the topic.

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Everything’s Coming Up Strawberries

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Chunks of strawberry chocolate dot these chewy-licious cookies.
Chunks of strawberry chocolate dot these chewy-licious cookies.

Other gals may covet a Prada purse or a pair of Louboutin heels.

This Food Gal? For the longest time, I had my eye on strawberry chocolate.

That would be the Valrhona Strawberry Inspiration Baking Chocolate that I spied online.

It’s white chocolate thoroughly combined with freeze-dried strawberries to create the prettiest-in-pink baking chocolate discs.

At $20 to $29 for an 8-ounce bag online, they were a splurge to be sure.

The color of these Valrhona chocolate discs is just dazzling.
The color of these Valrhona chocolate discs is just dazzling.

But I’m worth it, right?

At least that’s what I told myself when I finally went for it.

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A Rice Krispies Treat of A Different Sort

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Rice Krispies and rice flour make these cookies crisp as can be and light as a feather.
Rice Krispies and rice flour make these cookies crisp as can be and light as a feather.

Meet the more elegant and sophisticated Rice Krispies treat.

Sure, there are days for the winsome nostalgia of the marshmallowy, sticky-sweet squares we all grew up with.

But there’s also a time and place for wonderful “Toasted Rice Sables” that take the puffed rice cereal and turns it into airy, crumbly, and crispy-throughout cookies that are oh-so buttery and toasty tasting. They’re also gluten-free.

This clever cookie is from “What’s For Dessert” (Clarkson Potter, 2022), of which I received a review copy.

It was written by one of my favorite baking book authors, New York City-based Claire Saffitz, a best-selling cookbook author who hosts the cookbook YouTube series, “Dessert Person.”

Her desserts are winningly approachable, designed to entice but not to cause any undue stress in their making. Instead, they are doable and delightful.

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A Panna Cotta For Adults Only

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If you love a Negroni, you'll be smitten by this Negroni panna cotta.
If you love a Negroni, you’ll be smitten by this Negroni panna cotta.

Have you ever wanted to drink your cocktail — and eat it, too?

You most certainly can with this playful “Negroni Panna Cotta.”

Made with gin, Campari, and vermouth just like the classic Italian cocktail, this is one panna cotta you’ll want to reserve only for grown-ups.

The recipe is from “Bar Menu” (Running Press, 2022), of which I received a review copy.

The book is by Andre Darlington, a food and beverage writer based in Philadelphia and North Carolina.

While a few specialty cocktail recipes are included, this is really a collection of recipes for food that pairs with various mixed drinks — from light bites to more substantial noshes to even desserts.

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