Category Archives: Recipes (Sweet)

About Time for Lemon Mint Cake

Fresh mint and Meyer lemons (finally!) from my backyard star in this simple, satisfying cake.
Fresh mint and Meyer lemons (finally!) from my backyard star in this simple, satisfying cake.

I have known my share of late bloomers.

But my Meyer lemons? Well, they sure take the cake — literally.

Usually at year’s end, I watch the oval green citrus on my dwarf backyard tree grow ever larger, then slowly start turning bright yellow before taking on a warm orangey-yellow hue by February.

Not so in 2020. For some odd reason, they stayed dark green beyond that winter. Moreover, they remained like that throughout the entirety of 2021, and into the first half of 2022.

Could it be that like the rest of us, they simply needed to chill during the worst of the pandemic? If so, who can blame them?

After their extended hibernation finally ended, I was more than ready to finally use them to full effect in — what else — this “Lemon Mint Cake (Gateâu au Citron et a la Menthe).”

The recipe is from “Gateâu: The Surprising Simplicity of French Cakes” (Scribner, 2022), of which I received a review copy.

It was written by James Beard Award-winning writer Aleksandra Crapanzano, who grew up in Paris and New York, and has been a food columnist for the Wall Street Journal for a dozen years.

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Double Chocolate Oriolos

Chocolate plus more chocolate. Who can resist?
Chocolate plus more chocolate. Who can resist?

At this time of year, you can never have too many chocolate cookies.

I stand by that thought unequivocally.

While versions of this chocolate-frosted, chocolate cookie abound, these particular “Double Chocolate Oriolos” are more modest in size, making them a perfect treat to indulge in without overindulging.

The recipe is from “The Cookie Bible” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), of which I received a review copy, by legendary New York baker Rose Levy Beranbaum.

The collection includes recipes for cookies of every sort: drop, cut-out, bars, sandwiches, chocolate-dipped, and more.

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Triscuit Sandies

When a cracker turns into a cookie.
When a cracker turns into a cookie.

A tisket, a tasket.

A Triscuit, a…cookie?

Yes, leave it to the zany minds behind Milk Bar to come up with crazy crunchy, brazenly buttery cookies made out of pulverized Triscuits.

“Triscuit Sandies” are just one of dozens and dozens of fabulously fun recipes in the new cookbook, “All About Cookies: A Milk Bar Baking Book” (Clarkson Potter), of which I received a review copy.

In the intro, Milk Bar owner Christina Tosi writes, “For those of you who think a cookie is just a cookie, and all cookie cookbooks are the same, welcome, my friend, to our crazy, amazing love affair with the most unsung hero of pastry. Bake a few batches with me, and I promise, you’ll never look at cookies the same way again.”

Indeed, these recipes are full of novel ingredients and approaches, such as “Cheeze-Grits” (tiny, crunchy, cheesy cookies made with corn grits, sharp cheddar and Pecorino), “Peach Shortcake Cookies” (loaded with dried peaches and real shortcake crumbles), “Lemon Poppy Ribbons” (glazed cookies filled with microwave-made lemon curd), and “Cookie Cake” (using cookie dough with favorite mix-ins to create an 8-inch cake).

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Give It Up For Pumpkin Spice Latte Cake

The true pumpkin spice latte -- in cake form.
The true pumpkin spice latte — in cake form.

Admittedly, I’ve never understood the hoopla surrounding pumpkin spice latte season, which seems to begin earlier and earlier every year.

Then again, I am a black-coffee drinker all the way.

But put fragrant, autumnal pumpkin spices together with the full-bodied flavor of espresso plus actual bona fide pumpkin in a baked good, and I am so there.

That’s why I jumped all over this recipe for “Pumpkin Spice Latte Cake.”

This clever recipe is from “Half Baked Harvest Every Day” (Clarkson Potter) by Colorado’s Tieghan Gerard, creator of the hit blog, Half Baked Harvest.

It’s a one-pan cake imbued with cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. It gets plenty of richness from coconut oil.

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Sponsored Post: Asiago Apple Galette with Pazazz Apples

Pazazz apples, Asiago cheese, thyme, and the most incredible crust make this the apple dessert of your dreams.
Pazazz apples, Asiago cheese, thyme, and the most incredible crust make this the apple dessert of your dreams.

Few things bring a smile in fall and winter like a bountiful slice of fresh-baked apple pie.

With cheddar cheese, though? Not so much.

At least, in my humble opinion.

But add Asiago and a pinch of thyme in its place, and apple pie soars to newfound heights.

New Englanders and Midwesterners may have an affinity for that sharp orange cheese married with apple pie. Yet, I’ve never been keen on the combination because I think it overwhelms the apples.

Instead, reach for Asiago, the Italian cow’s milk cheese full of buttery nuttiness for a true complementary addition in this superlative “Asiago Apple Galette (or Pie).”

That’s exactly what I did when I got my hands on some Pazazz apples.

Beautiful, delicious Pazazz apples are available now through June.
Beautiful, delicious Pazazz apples are available now through June.

This late-season variety sports gorgeous red skin with yellow-green striations. These apples are snappy and full of sweet, tangy juice. Best yet, when baked, they keep their shape, making them ideal to spotlight in pies, crisps, and crumbles, and in savory dishes such as roasted alongside duck, chicken, or pork sausages.

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