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Maple Pecan Pie
Updated November 2023 Pie month continues with one of my favorites — Maple Pecan Pie! I’ve always loved Pecan Pie. It’s such a rich, toasty, nutty flavor that goes great with a scoop of ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream. This version swaps pure maple syrup and a touch of molasses for the usual corn syrup, resulting in a distinctly fall-ish flavor — perfect for your Thanksgiving feast! A Dessert Table Alternative to Pumpkin I LOVE pumpkin pie, but I know that not everyone else does. This pie is a great alternative for your guests who’d rather not partake of the pumpkin. This recipe is slightly adapted from…
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Apple Slab Pie with Chai Spices and Lemon Drizzle
I’m officially declaring November “Pie Month”. I have so many pies I want to share with you that I decided to pump them out this month in preparation for Thanksgiving. Get ready for the sweet flakiness my friends — it’s going to be so good! Let’s get a head start with this Apple Slab Pie with Chai Spices. A few weeks ago, a friend and I took a day trip over to Bayfield, WI for their annual Apple Fest. It’s one of my favorite fall traditions — gorgeous leaves, mulled wine, Lake Superior beauty, and apple EVERYTHING. It’s the fall-iest thing. I love it so much, even in the rain…
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Butterbeer Cupcakes
Happy Halloween week, friends! It’s that spooky time of year where black cats, witches, ghosts, and ghouls have their heyday and kids of all ages dress in costume to fill their cauldrons with sweet treats. If you need something magical to bring to a Halloween party, or if you’re hosting your own crowd of wizards and muggles, these Butterbeer Cupcakes are sure to please everyone. If you’re not a Harry Potter fan (is that even a thing?), you may not be familiar with butterbeer. In the books, butterbeer is a sweet ale-like beverage served in pubs, and beloved of all wizard kind. While there are a few companies who make…
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Amaretto Dream Cookies
With the leaves turning, the blustery weather, and Halloween around the corner, my reading preferences are quickly turning to murder mysteries. Now, I have to tell you – I can be a bit of a book snob, and have been known to turn down my nose at anything that isn’t a classic. However, more recently I’ve embraced the joy of a good murder mystery. A few years ago I discovered a series of books that are equal part murder mystery and BAKING(!) by Ellie Alexander. This recipe for Amaretto Dream Cookies comes from book two in that series, “A Batter of Life and Death: A Bakeshop Mystery”. (Side note: if…
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Roasted Kabocha Squash Soup with Maple Spiced Pepitas
Are you ready for soup season? I admit I really wasn’t, but now that it’s here I’m embracing it fully. Yesterday I went for a glorious hike in the crisp fall air, then came home to make a big pot of this Roasted Kabocha Squash Soup (and a batch of cookies, but more on that in a future post). And it’s a good thing I did – the forecast is looking grey, chilly, and drizzly this week. In other words, perfect soup weather. Simple, Versatile, and Delicious I found this recipe last fall as I was hunting for squash soup recipes online. It’s from Fare Isle, found on the Coyuchi…
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Chai Spice Snickerdoodles
There are so many pies I want to make right now, but I just can’t seem to stop making cookies. These cookies in particular have been on my mind for weeks, and I finally got the chance to bake them. Sometimes a recipe does that – flits around in my head and pesters me until I try it. Call it inspiration, obsession, or what have you, but I don’t feel settled until I pull the final product out of the oven (unless it doesn’t turn out – then I have to keep trying until it does!). Thankfully, these Chai Spice Snickerdoodles turned out great on the first try. Last winter…
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Grandma Rena’s Molasses Cookies
My Great-Aunt Evy passed away this week. Like many of the older women in my family, she was a kind, loving, smart, and spunky lady. I didn’t see her often, but whenever I did she was quick to give me a smile and a hug, and always made me feel so loved. She will definitely be missed. Learning of her death made me think of all of the other great ladies I’ve been lucky enough to have in my life, including my Great-Grandma Rena. I don’t remember much of Grandma Rena, since I was young when she died, but I do remember one thing vividly – sitting at her kitchen…
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Peach Ginger Pie
One last summer recipe before fall begins in earnest, before we give in to all of the pumpkin spice and apple cinnamon flavors of this next season. This Peach Ginger Pie is the best way to use up that last batch of peaches and have one more taste of summer. This is a simple recipe, as all the best fruit pie recipes are – just fruit, sugar, corn starch (to thicken the filling), and ginger. Plus your favorite flaky pie crust. Simple, but heavenly all the same. Pie Crust and Pie Birds For the pie crust, see my Rhubarb Custard Pie recipe for ingredients and instructions (including photos). It makes…
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Apricot Ginger Granola
The air is starting to get crisp here in Northern Minnesota. The days are getting shorter too, and I’ve even seen a few leaves beginning to change. Fall is just around the corner. I love fall – it’s by far my favorite season – but I’m not quite ready to let go of summer yet. I’m not ready to give up hot sunny days, cold drinks on the deck, ice cream cones, BBQs, and fresh summer flavors. To help bridge the gap from summer to fall, I created this Apricot Ginger Granola. It has the bright sweetness of apricots and a bit of tropical flavor from coconut mixed with the…
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Brown Butter Bourbon & Rye Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ok, so I didn’t plan it this way. I started working on this recipe about a month ago, with no concrete idea of when I’d have it ready. And it just so happens that the day I finally post it is National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day. Talk about serendipity! Let’s all give a hearty welcome to Brown Butter Bourbon & Rye Chocolate Chip Cookies. I know I already have a boozy chocolate chip cookie recipe on my site (Kahlua Chocolate Chip Cookies), but can you really have too many recipes for chocolate chip cookies, much less boozy ones?? I don’t think so. This recipe is adapted from Joy the Baker’s…
Recipes and Musings from the Zenith City
