The winter here in Boston is starting to get to me. I mean, really starting to get to me. Just too much snow (most records for snowfall totals have been smashed) and there is more snow on the way. This led to me thinking “Wouldn’t summer be nice right about now!” and thus summer treats such as Rice Krispies Treats (though I guess that is a quintessentially American year-round treat) and S’Mores. So I made both. Together.
Sometimes you just need a quick and easy dessert. These little (4 inch) tartlets might just be the thing. Here they are dressed up for valentines day, but no reason that you couldn’t put stars in the middle for the 4th of July or a flower in the spring. They’re quick to put together — start to finish, including baking time is just about an hour (depending on how long you let your dough rest — at minimum 20 minutes which is just enough time to make the filling). The recipe easily makes 4 tartlets; if you really stretch it, you can get 6 out of this (depends on how deep the tartlets pans are). Now, where is the a la mode?
I’m not very good at making truffles. They are a lot of work and I don’t have the patience for them. That said, every once in a while, a recipe comes a long that I just must have a go at. Thus, Coconut Crème Truffles, which might be my new favorite homemade truffle type. They might not be Russell Stover for this Valentine’s Day, but maybe your sweetheart will appreciate homemade?
Ah yes, still in the lead up to Valentine’s Day (I promise to change topics before next Sunday!) and the final of the cookies that I will be making this year for VDay. I found these cute “Conversation Heart” cookie cutters and decided to put them to the test. The cookies themselves weren’t all that interesting, so I decided to “glitter-ify” them with very nice results.
Here we are, continuing the lead up to Valentine’s Day. Every year I seem to make some of these heart-shaped Linzer cookies; each year a new flavor. Everyone seems to love them (har har — love… Valentine’s Day…) and they are easy to make. This year, in addition to my usual Vanilla and Raspberry “standard” Linzer Cookie, I decided to do something a little more unique: Cardamom and Passion Fruit Linzers. While not overwhelming in the cardamom department (which is good, because it can be very overwhelming), it has a nice hint of the spice. The passion fruit jam that I found is excellent. Pleased with the results!