I have adored these dainty treats for years but never gotten around to baking them myself. When my kids needed sweets for Spanish class fiestas, it was time to give them a try. I had recently tasted a friend’s batch of Mexican Wedding Cookies. When she said she’d made them from a Mark Bittman recipe, I knew IContinue reading “Mexican Wedding Cookies”
Category Archives: Desserts and Cookies
Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies
We all love oatmeal cookies at our house — the combination of chewy and crunchy, sweet and hearty. But raisins? Well, not so much. Some of us like raisins. Others prefer chocolate chips and after years of splitting my batch and making separate stacks of two different versions every time I made oatmeal cookies, IContinue reading “Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies”
Chocolate Zucchini Cake
In a good summer, we grow zucchini, lots of zucchini. I love it baked into breaded rounds, diced and added to pasta or other veggie dishes, fried by the panful. But what I end up doing with most of what our garden grows is shredding the zucchini, tucking it into ziplocks stored in the deepContinue reading “Chocolate Zucchini Cake”
Jam Bars
These have to be one of my most requested cookies — and one of my healthiest dessert recipes. Made from our homemade jam, oats and whole wheat pastry flour, they boast protein and fruit and not so much sugar. But my kids don’t care about that. They like them for their buttery, naturally sweet taste.Continue reading “Jam Bars”
Snow Cream
I didn’t grow up in a particularly snowy place and I had never tasted snow cream until I had kids of my own. But now I won’t let a winter storm go by without making a batch. It’s decadent, yet so simple. And let me tell you, there is nothing easier than harvesting snow! BeContinue reading “Snow Cream”
Hot Chocolate
Yes, it’s super easy to heat up some water, open a packet and there you have it: hot chocolate. But, typically, it’s not very good hot chocolate and who knows what’s in those foil-lined envelopes. When the temperature drops and you’re jones-ing for a sweet pick-me-up, try these two recipes: one for a singleContinue reading “Hot Chocolate”
Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
This recipe pairs moist chocolate cake with ever-so-tasty cream cheese frosting. Barely a birthday goes by that I don’t make these for someone. Whether it’s birthday or holiday or any excuse I can dream up (after school snack?), these are not to be missed. Recipe inspired by www.bettycrocker.com Makes 24 Cupcake Ingredients 2 cups all-purpose flour 1Continue reading “Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting”
No Frills Vanilla Cupcakes
As you might have sensed, I typically opt for simple rather than over-the-top, basic instead of bells-and-whistles. My cooking mantra is to use the very best ingredients, letting their very best flavors shine. So here, find a standard vanilla cupcake that can be frosted with ganache, buttercream, cream cheese icing — or, if you’re my non-sweets-loving son,Continue reading “No Frills Vanilla Cupcakes”
Pizzelle
I had never seen nor heard of these light-as-air cookies before meeting my Italian-American mother-in-law. Now my family makes them at least once a year, typically around Christmastime or sometimes to celebrate the first snowfall. Their thin circle shapes and dusting of powdered sugar make them resemble delicate snowflakes. But as beautiful as they are, it’s their sweetContinue reading “Pizzelle”