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Strawberry White Chocolate Scones
It’s been a while since I posted something breakfasty, and I don’t have a good scone recipe on the site yet, so I thought it was high time I created one. Plus, with strawberry season around the corner, it’s a good time to start stockpiling recipes to use them in. So, give a hearty welcome to the new kid on the block and my new favorite breakfast treat — Strawberry White Chocolate Scones! British vs American Scones There are two main types of scones in the world—British scones and American scones. There are also some pretty strong—and varied—opinions about which of these versions is the correct one. I’ll tell you…
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Carrot Cake with Honey Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
I’ve always wondered how carrot cake became an Easter tradition—in my mind, spice cake is really more of a fall treat. I suppose the Easter bunny has something to do with it, I’m not sure. But as it’s one of the tastiest cakes there is, I’m sure not going to complain. This is my version, with all of my favorite things: walnuts, no raisins(way overrated, IMO), and a sweet, fluffy, cinnamon-y cream cheese frosting. Let’s give a hearty springtime welcome to Carrot Cake with Honey Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting! Carrot Cake History So it turns out that carrot cake has been around for a while. Or, at least, some version…
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Milk Chocolate Toffee Cookies
Growing up, I loved a good Dairy Queen Blizzard. (TBH I still do, but now I opt for the “mini” size because I just can’t finish the large like I did when I was a kid). Anyhow, my favorite mix-in has always been Heath bar. For a while there, they had a Cappuccino Heath Blizzard that was TO DIE FOR. I loved it so much. Does anyone else remember that? And does anyone know if they’ll still make me one if I ask nicely? Well, the idea for these cookies sprang from my love for Heath bars. Milk chocolate and buttery toffee in a salted brown butter cookie…what could be…
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Fig Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
This March marks the 10th anniversary of the company I work for, Wild Fig Marketing! Since we can’t get together to celebrate with cake (boo, COVID!), I decided to create a recipe for a Fig Cake that we can all make on our own. Because there HAS to be cake, right? A celebration just isn’t a celebration without it. This single-layer almond-scented cake is dotted with chopped dried figs and topped with a thin layer of fig jam and a lush cream cheese frosting. Perfect for a (small) celebration. Fig Fun Facts As I was tooling around looking for inspiration for this cake, I stumbled on a few fig facts…
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Mud Pie Cake
Last month, I took a Creative Baking class online with monthly.com, taught by Christina Tosi of Milk Bar. It was such a fun class (and also a lot of work!), and I ended up with three new original recipes: Popcorn & Hot Chocolate Cookies, Brûléed Maple Latte Cheesecake Pie, and this Mud Pie Cake. This is a rich, chocolatey cake that’s doused with a Kahlúa-coffee soak, layered with chocolate pudding and bits of chocolate crunch (think Oreo-like cookie crumbles), then topped with a thick layer of whipped cream. This cake is, in a word, dreamy. A New (to Me) Way to Layer a Cake In the class, we learned Christina’s…
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Brûléed Maple Latte Cheesecake Pie
As I mentioned in my last post, I’m currently taking an online Creative Baking class through monthly.com. It’s taught by Christina Tosi of Milk Bar, and it’s been so much fun! In the class, we’re baking a few Milk Bar classics, then creating our own bakes with the skills we learn. Our first week was cookies (check out my Popcorn & Hot Chocolate Cookies here!), and the second was pie. Thus, my new favorite pie was born — Brûléed Maple Latte Cheesecake Pie! During cookie week, we had to come up with a cookie that reflected a certain time (a time in our lives, a time of year, a time…
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Popcorn & Hot Chocolate Cookies
A couple of weeks ago, on my birthday, I started taking an online creative baking class. The class is taught by Christina Tosi of Milk Bar—which, if you’re not familiar, is a chain of bakeries with amazing, unique treats that are ridiculously addictive. Over the course of a month we’re baking a few classic Milk Bar treats, then learning Christina’s prototyping method to develop our own unique creations. These Popcorn & Hot Chocolate Cookies were my first project. Sunday Night at Grandma’s House We were tasked with making a cookie based on a specific time—it could be a time in our lives, a time of year, a time of day…whatever…
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Peppermint Swirl Marshmallows
Happy Christmas week! (And Happy Saturday to those who don’t celebrate!) This weekend I’m finishing up my holiday baking, picking up a few last-minute gifts, and wrapping presents. Even though everything else is different this year, the one thing that hasn’t changed is that I’ve still managed to give myself way too much to do! There are just so many delicious holiday treats I want to make that I can’t bring myself to pare down my list. These peppermint swirl marshmallows, for instance, are so delicious that I’ve already made them twice. They are the perfect thing to add to your Christmas morning cup of cocoa or coffee, roast in…
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Old-Fashioned Gingerbread Cookies
Happy December and happy holiday baking season! As a baker, this is undoubtedly my favorite month of the year for making treats. Since I give cookies as Christmas gifts, I get to bake a TON of treats over the course of a few weeks. It’s SO much fun! Since Thanksgiving, I’ve already made 6 kinds of cookies, and as I’m writing this there’s another batch of dough chilling in the fridge and candied grapefruit peel drying on my counter. I’m basically in holiday cookie heaven. While I like to try lots of new recipes each year, there are a couple of family favorites that just have to happen every December.…
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Soft Gingerbread Amaretti Cookies
Normally I wait until the weekend after Thanksgiving to start baking holiday cookies. There are so many delicious fall treats to enjoy, why rush into the holiday season? But last weekend I was having SUCH a craving for gingerbread that I couldn’t wait. Last Christmas I made Love and Olive Oil’s Soft Amaretti Cookies, and they were DIVINE. So this year I tweaked those deliciously chewy cookies to make a gingerbread version, and oh boy are they tasty. Say hello to Soft Gingerbread Amaretti Cookies! History of Amaretti Cookies Amaretti cookies are a traditional Italian dessert that can be traced as far back as the 17th century. They are known…
Recipes and Musings from the Zenith City
