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Cranberry Apple Crumble Pie
Winter is here in Northern Minnesota! We finally got our first measurable snow this week. It’s so beautiful. When it’s about to snow, you can smell it in the air. If you don’t know that scent, it’s sort of like the smell of ice—cold and clean. It smells just like you’d imagine diving into a cold freshwater lake feels. “Refreshing” is a good word for it, I suppose. And I love it. The arrival of snow means the holidays are about to pounce on us like a cat on a tasty, tasty mouse. So it’s time to get ready. If you haven’t decided what pies you’re making for your holiday…
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Whiteout Cake: White Cake With Whipped Vanilla Almond Buttercream
I’ve been craving white cake lately. Plain white cake with white frosting—the kind you have at weddings, office parties, kids’ birthdays…you get the idea. Normally I’m a chocolate cake fan (if I have to choose), but occasionally I just need something lighter, preferably topped with fruit. Thus, this white cake with whipped vanilla almond buttercream was born! The Classic White Cake I know that a plain white cake seems a little…boring. But if it’s done right, it’s anything but. First of all, you could keep your white cake just plain-old-vanilla (no judgement—vanilla can be delicious), but I like to add a smidge of almond to mine. It gives the cake…
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Chocolate Peppermint Cream Pie
My living room is lit with twinkling lights, there are Christmas carols playing through the speakers of my record player, and my freezer is full to the brim with Christmas cookies. All sure signs that Christmas is coming soon. Now all that’s left is to plan my holiday meal, and maybe an extra-special treat for dessert. This Chocolate Peppermint Cream Pie will fit the bill nicely. Chocolate and Peppermint: A Match Made in Winter Somewhere around the beginning of November, or the first snowfall, or whichever arrives first, my tastebuds undergo a drastic change. They shift from craving pumpkin and cinnamon to a flavor combination that I’ve come to associate…
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Homemade Cinnamon Marshmallows
It’s spooky season, my friends. Halloween is just days away, which means costumes, trick-or-treating, and, most importantly, CANDY. I have so many memories from childhood running through the streets of my hometown with my friends, gathering treats from the neighbors like an adorable little bandit (back then we trick-or-treated without adults…in the dark…gotta love the ’80s!). But since I’m now too old to go door-to-door collecting peanut butter cups and kit kats (who makes these rules anyway?), these days I make my own candy. (Yes, I know I can just go to the store and buy myself all the kit kats I can eat, but this is more fun.) This…
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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…
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My Top 12 Cookbooks: A Holiday Gift Guide
The holiday season is upon us, my friends! If you haven’t started gift shopping yet, now’s the time. Below I share with you my top 12 cookbooks of all time (plus a bonus one at the end) — the ones that I use the most or are the most inspiring to me. Every one of them would make a fantastic gift for your friends and family who love to cook or bake. Or if you’re in need of a new cookbook or two yourself, take a look and see if you can’t find a few to add to your own list! Baking Cookbooks Dorie’s Cookies by Dorie Greenspan I adore…
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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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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…
Recipes and Musings from the Zenith City
