Cookies and Bars
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Garam Masala Peanut Butter Cookies
Peanut butter cookies are an all around classic. The flavor is reminiscent of childhood, and that fork-pressed, criss-cross design is iconic. And while I love a good classic, this time I opted for a slight adaptation. These Garam Masala Peanut Butter Cookies still have that old-fashioned feel, but with a flavor update. What is Garam Masala? Garam masala is a blend of spices used mainly in Indian cooking. It’s similar in scent to a curry blend, but has a slightly sweeter flavor. The blend of spices can vary, but it usually contains black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, nutmeg or mace, and turmeric (the one I have at home also…
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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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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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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…
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Biscotti – A Cookie Made for Dunking
I’m a dunker. I love dunking a crispy cookie into a steaming cup of coffee (or better yet, espresso!). When I bake cookies and inevitably leave a batch in the oven too long, I don’t consider them ruined – they’re perfect for dunking. Are you a dunker? If so, you probably already love biscotti. But if you haven’t made your own at home yet, you’ll want to keep reading. Biscotti is one of my favorite treats to dunk. These crispy Italian cookies are sort of like the crouton of the dessert world. They’re supposed to be REALLY crunchy – to the point where it’s hard to bite into them without…
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Dark Chocolate S’mores Cookies with Smoked Sea Salt
Spring has sprung in Duluth, though we’re not quite out of the woods for snowstorms yet (we often get blizzards in April!). Still, I’m already dreaming of summer – sunshine, green grass, sandy beaches, long wooded walks, and s’mores around the campfire. I love a perfectly toasted marshmallow (or even a burnt one, I’m not that picky). On its own it’s delicious enough, but add some melty chocolate and graham crackers and I’m in heaven! Since it’s not quite campfire season, I decided to create these dark chocolate s’mores cookies to tide me over until summer. And oh boy, are they good! These cookies are rich and fudgy with chocolate…
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Meringues
Meringues are one of my favorite desserts. Meringue is an amazing thing: It can take many different forms, from the soft, slightly toasted fluff on a pie to crisp-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside pavlova to light, airy, melt-in-your-mouth morsels that crumble to bits as you eat them. Today we’re taking a look at the last one. These light-as-air treats are a delight to eat on their own and also make great decorations for other desserts like cakes, cupcakes, and tarts. They’re incredibly versatile, as you can make them pretty much any size and shape you like, with endless flavor options. Meringue can be tricky to make – I’ve personally been working on perfecting…
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Kahlua Chocolate Chip Cookies
For the past two years, my sweet landlords have given me a large bottle of Kahlua for Christmas. While I do like Kahlua, I just don’t use it often (a person can only drink so many White Russians), so I’ve been trying to think of ways to use it up. I’ve put it in my coffee, in cocoa, and made truffles with it. All delicious, but I still have SO MUCH Kahlua! The other day I had an epiphany – why haven’t I been adding it to my chocolate chip cookies? I mean, two of my favorite things are coffee and chocolate – you’d think I’d have thought of this…
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Salted Caramel Brownies
It is insanely cold in Duluth right now. As I write this, it’s -20°F outside (yep, you read that right, 20 degrees BELOW zero). And that’s the actual air temperature, not including wind chill. It’s the kind of cold where you get an instant ice cream headache just from walking outside. It is awfully pretty though. There’s something in me that loves this kind of cold. Partly because of how beautiful it is, partly because just going to the grocery store feels like an adventure, and partly because it’s a great excuse to stay home and enjoy some of my favorite indoor activities. It’s supposed to stay this cold for…
