Browsing Tag

sweets

Cookies, Sweet Snacks

DoubleTree Hotel Signature Chocolate Chip Cookies

Who here has stayed at the Hilton Hotel’s DoubleTree chain? You know how they hand out warm chocolate chip cookies at check-in (or anytime you ask for them, if you didn’t know that… have a cookie craving, go to the front desk!) Anyway, purportedly, these chocolate chip cookies are that recipe. I saw it on FB and even if it was a lark, the recipe looked solid, so I gave it a go. I like to play around with chocolate chip recipes anyway. These have a touch of lemon juice and a touch of cinnamon and you bake them for longer at a lower temperature. Whether they are the actual DoubleTree recipe, I have no idea, but that’s ok too.
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Desserts, Sweet Snacks

Apfelstrudel mit Vanillesoße
(Apple Strudel with Vanilla Custard)

Today is May first and I’ve got Germany on the brain and in the heart. As you all know, I typically go to Munich 3 or 4 times per year and usually once in the Spring. Being there over May Day is always a treat. And as you guys also mostly know, a friend of mind always every trip that I am over go on what we affectionately call the “Strudel Run” where we day trip from Munich to Innsbruck, Austria for Strudel at Cafe Kroll … and then often end up some other random place (Italy, Lichtenstein…). So, in light of the fact that I am stuck in rainy greater Boston today, I decided to make Apfelstrudel. I cheated though by using frozen pre-made phyllo sheets, which turned out phenomenally. I was going to make Vanillesoße (Vanilla Custard/Sauce) and included it in the recipe, but checked the egg and milk status before starting and decided that I didn’t want to go to the shops tomorrow (I try to conserve as much as possible) so skipped making it.
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Breakfast/Brunch

No Frills Blueberry Pancakes

Sometimes you just want to get something quick on the table for breakfast. But sometimes you want it to a little more impressive than a piece of toast. Enter these really easy pancakes. Straight forward, simple ingredients (you can even skip the blueberries if you want, but why would you want to do that?). Makes between 12-15 pancakes so can satisfy the whole gang for breakfast. I’m going to freeze my extras so that I can reheat just a couple each day for the next week. Don’t forget the maple syrup!
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Desserts

Joann Chang’s Olive Oil Cake, with Fresh Grapes
(from Pastry Love)

It’s actually quite rare that I post recipes verbatim from another cookbook or website without making a few modifications, but this recipe was perfect just as is. It’s from Joann Chang’s newest cookbook, Pastry Love, and besides the fact that I made it square not round, it is exactly as written in the cookbook and boy is it delicious. I also love the way the photos turned out. It’s the little things that keep you happy, right?
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Breads, Breakfast/Brunch

Cranberry Swirly Bread

I guess this is a bit of a variation on a cinnamon roll bread only instead of a brown sugar and cinnamon paste, it’s filled with a cranberry sauce. I’m not overly pleased at how it slacked out and got some big holes (I suspect the cranberry mixture was too heavy), but it did taste good – sort of like pre-jammed breakfast bread.
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