Browsing Category

Desserts

Desserts, Sweet Snacks

Peek inside … There’s a Peep Inside! Cake

For those of you who follow my baking and cooking, you will know that I really really hate food coloring. I rarely use it and generally find that if it isn’t a color that naturally occurs in something that one would generally eat, you shouldn’t dye it that color. The only thing that I would put in my mouth that is the color of this cake is Pepto Bismol, which didn’t exactly help in the baking. But every now and again, I bow to pop culture and decide to make something silly. Back to the regularly scheduled programming tomorrow.

Also, the last time I made one of these “Cake-Inside” Cakes, I took photos of all the steps. Those can be found here.
Continue Reading

29. March 2015
Breakfast/Brunch, Cookies, Desserts, Sweet Snacks

Browned Butter Maple Pecan Oatmeal Cookies

Switching gears from some of my Easter baking to another Springtime ritual here in New England: Maple Syrup. Seriously one of the best things on the planet. And no, not the fake stuff that is made from corn syrup but the real maple syrup that comes from trees and all. Last weekend was Maine Maple Sunday (always the 4th Sunday in March, right around when the trees should be tapped) and many of the producers had open houses. No, I don’t live in Maine, but close enough (not to mention family lives there, and many friends) so I got to thinking that I should commemorate this year’s “harvest” somehow. These lovely, crispy, nutty, maple-y cookies did the trick. Enjoy!
Continue Reading

24. March 2015
Desserts, Sweet Snacks

Rosemary Lemon Egg-Cupcakes, for Easter

The first things that I will say about this project is that it is time consuming, somewhat frustrating and at some point, you will be asking yourself why the heck you are doing it. But then the presentation wins out because they are very pretty. And tasty. Here is the deal … and I am mentioning this right away so you can plan for it … first you need to painstakingly poke holes and drain a dozen eggs of their content. This took me an hour (even though I have done this before and thus have “had practice”). Then you have to “wash” the insides of the eggs by soaking them in water and wiping them and shaking them somewhat dry. Once you’ve done all that, the actual making of the cake batter and filling them with a piping bag, and then baking seems minor. At any rate, it seemed like it was an all day affair. Was it worth it? Yeah, the “cupcakes” (which you can also just make regular cupcakes out of, of course) were yummy, the presentation is fun and I like them. So there.
Continue Reading

22. March 2015
Desserts, Sweet Snacks

Cherry Berry “Eat More Pie”

This pie could also be called “I have a lot of frozen berries in the freezer that I really should use up” Pie. I always pick a lot of PYO berries in the summer — strawberries, high-bush blueberries, raspberries and this year, red currants (my favorite). Summer time is then full of pie, but some do end up in the freezer. So when I got this new pie plate (Eat More Pie! Words to live by), I thought I would use up some of the berries. Ended up using some jarred cherries as well. Summertime on the last official day of winter!
Continue Reading

19. March 2015
Desserts, Sweet Snacks

Apple Blossom Tart, with Honey Almond Custard

Today is Pie Day. Or rather, Pi Day (3.14.15), at least in the US date format. Some years, I have made a whole slew of pies, but this year, this is my solo one. It’s lovely. It’s harder to put together than one would think, as a lot of the “flowers” want to unroll again. But it’s well worth it.
Continue Reading

13. March 2015