Crisp at the edges and chewy orange-gingerbread cookies with orange extract and white pepper. These store and ship well, so they’re perfect for gifting!
Sometimes I really want gingerbread but I don’t feel like roll-out cookies or cake. I was pondering this (super serious) problem and decided to try adapting my classic chewy molasses cookies. After all, they both have ginger, molasses, cinnamon and cloves. In fact the only big difference is the nutmeg. I also use orange extract and white pepper in my gingerbread, so I threw that in there too. The result are these chewy orange gingerbread cookies and they are THE BOMB.
What is better than a melt-in-your-mouth square of shortbread? So simple and indulgent. Answer: These Chocolate Rye Shortbread. All the amazing texture and buttery flavor of traditional shortbread, plus nutty whole-grain and deep chocolate. These are the complex and interesting cousin of regular shortbread who moved away from home right after high school and came back all cool and worldly.
I’ve heard through the grapevine that when you’re looking for a recipe, it’s aggravating to have to read through an entire epic description and wade through umpteen photos. Because there’s a pandemic and I don’t want to further irritate you, I am presenting this Cabin Fever Brownies recipe without much commentary. Also, I am homeschooling, working, wife-ing and generally losing my mind so I don’t have time to inspire you with the fancy words.
I wasted about a week making a string of disastrous sheet cakes. A vanilla rhubarb cake that was tough and spongey with weeping, semi-curdled frosting. An earl grey-lemon one that was simultaneously bitter and bland. The last bright idea I had was a lemon-thyme cake with a goat cheese frosting. But I just couldn’t face another failure so I skipped it. But I had already bought the goat cheese. So I gave it a hard think and in the spirit of Reckless Experimentation decided to make a Chocolate Brownie with a Chocolate Goat Cheese Frosting and Candied Walnuts. Continue reading “Chocolate Brownie with Chocolate Goat Cheese Frosting and Candied Walnuts”→
I love the vibrant flavor and tartness of strawberry and rhubarb. A strawberry rhubarb pie is one of the best things about spring. That and the end of another soul-crushing Chicago winter of course. I wanted to see if I could pack all that spring flavor into a tart resembling a lemon meringue pie, using rhubarb as the filling and adding strawberries to the classic Italian meringue topping. This Strawberry Rhubarb Tart does it all. It’s bursting with juicy flavor, rich and tart, and topped with pillowy swirls of strawberry meringue. Continue reading “Strawberry Rhubarb Tart”→
These cookies are chewy, satisfying version of the much beloved Thin Mint girl scout cookies. This thin mint cookie recipe is extra chocolatey with a just-right amount of mint, half-dipped in rich dark chocolate. If you are prone to eating a whole sleeve of the originals, this is the cookie for you. One or two of these and you’re all set. Best of all, this recipe couldn’t be easier. No mixer needed, just a couple of bowls and a fork. I like adding little green sprinkles to give it a St. Paddy’s Day/Girl Scout vibe, but that’s totally optional. Continue reading “Chewy Thin Mint Cookie Recipe”→
I love frosting. I love cupcakes with lots of frosting and cakes covered in big frosting rosettes. But sometimes a cake is just so delicious, you want the frosting to simply complement, not dominate. This raspberry almond cake gets that balance just right. The cake is rich and perfectly textured and the raspberry buttercream frosting adds a bright flavor and color. It’s loaded with real raspberries and topped with tender candied blood oranges, giving just a bit of bitterness to balance the sweet. All of the three components are delicious on their own. But together, they’re magic. Continue reading “Raspberry Almond Cake with Candied Blood Oranges”→
My younger sister Eva, who I adore, has been living with us for four months and just returned to Olympia last week. It was so lovely to spend all that time together and have an extra set of hands around to help with the kids. But one of THE BEST things about having Eva around was having a new chef in the house. I’m pretty handcuffed when it comes to family dinners. The kids seem to eat only things from two food groups: beige and tube-shaped. Continue reading “Rice Pudding with Chocolate-Tahini Sauce and Black Sesame Praline”→
I got lucky at a garage sale a few years ago and scored a wonderful table top fryer from the sixties. It’s built like a tank, still has the original cloth cord and had never been used. I had never really done any deep-frying so I was a little nervous. But it turns out that with a bit of practice it’s very easy and super fun. The kids love it when I make frites or chocolate donut holes but I haven’t experimented with it too much. Then I saw a delicious looking, teensy little braided donut from South Africa called a koeksister. Finally, a treat worthy of a Deep-Fried Experimentation Project. New band name, I called it! Read on to learn how to make koeksisters. Continue reading “How to Make Koeksisters-Fried South African Mini Doughnuts”→
