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Mini Blueberry Almond Crisps
Yesterday I made a delightful recipe from one of my favorite chefs, Carla Hall, recently featured on The Chew. This is an easy and trimmed-down recipe for a scrumptious blueberry crisp made in six ramekins for fun individual portions. The filling, made with blueberries (fresh or frozen), lemon, sugar, cornstarch and salt, is topped with a crispy and buttery crumble that bakes up to perfection.
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Leonidas Chocolates
This past weekend I checked out famed Belgian chocolatier Leonidas in Midtown, NYC. This tiny boutique, nestled between the posh hotels and fashion houses that line Madison Avenue, features an exclusive assortment of Belgian chocolate and Belgian pralines, truffles, orange peel, and marzipan, all imported straight from Brussels. When you walk into the shop, there is something so very European
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Twice Baked Shortbread
Shortbread is the ultimate indulgence. With an ingredient list traditionally comprised of one part white sugar, two parts butter, and three parts flour, these Scottish “biscuits,” popular since the 16th century, have surely stood the test of time. On my last trip to the U.K., I took home a box of shortbread from Harrod’s famous upscale “food court” and savored every last bite while back home in New York. I made a double batch to bring home for Christmas since both my Dad and my fiancé love shortbread as well ~ a win-win situation for all! This recipe calls for you to double bake the shortbread and from my experience is the best method to cook this delightful buttery treat. Because there is only a short list of ingredients, the quality of each is very important. In light of that, I decided to use European-style butter to elevate the richness of the shortbread and provide the most flavor possible. If you can’t find European-style butter at your grocery store or market, you can certainly still use regular butter for this recipe. After baking the shortbread twice (first in a pan and then cut into fingers on a baking sheet), it came out rich, crumbly and the most beautiful golden butter color. I hope you enjoy this little taste of Scotland in your kitchen for the holidays this year!
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Saltine Toffee
I just finished making a batch of one of my favorite holiday treats ~ Saltine Toffee. This crunchy candy is irresistible and so easy to make. Check out my recipe here. Enjoy!
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Christmas Cookies with Royal Icing
There is nothing like a batch of freshly baked, buttery Christmas cookies frosted in rich royal icing and dusted with colorful sugar. I can guarantee that you will not find a better, more delicious recipe for cutout sugar cookies anywhere. These festive cookies are favorites of kids and adults alike and are truly a work of art! This year, I decided to do trees, stars, snowflakes, candy canes and reindeer, and I’m thrilled to share with you my recipe for these scrumptious frosted cookies along with a few helpful tips and techniques for frosting the cookies. So, throw on some Christmas carols and get baking!
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Knob Creek Balls
Known as “Southern Truffles,” I couldn’t wait to make a batch of fun, boozy bourbon balls. Most of all, I wanted to impress my fiancé, quite the bourbon aficiando, with a dessert made of his favorite Kentucky bourbon, Knob Creek. These no-bake balls are easy to make and pack quite the punch. Inside the balls is a mix of crushed Nilla wafers and pecans for just enough crunch. I rolled them in chocolate sprinkles to make them beautiful enough to serve at any of your holiday parties this year. Enjoy!
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Pecan Pie Biscotti
This week my grandmother and I stumbled upon a scrumptious looking biscotti in the newspaper. The warm color of the cookies and the addition of pecans, which you do not usually see in biscotti, was especially intriguing this time of year. We noticed there was not any butter or oil in the cookies – quite the rarity in the baking world! I did a quick Google search and found out that there are 2 varieties of biscotti: simply put, ones that are made with butter and ones that are not. Armed with this information, we set out to bake what turned out to be a delightful, light and crispy biscotti full of crunchy pecans and sweet brown sugar. They are wonderful to make around Christmastime and I highly recommend adding them to your assortment of cookies this year. Try one with coffee or a cup of tea for breakfast or an afternoon snack. Enjoy!
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Pfeffernüsse
I have many fond memories of enjoying Pfeffernüsse cookies during the holiday season while living in Switzerland. Pronounced [fef-fur-noose], these delightful German cookies translate to “pepper nuts” and are truly one of my favorite holiday treats. These spicy cookies, full of cloves, nutmeg, ground black pepper, ginger and cardamom, are not for the faint of heart and best reserved for those who love these distinct spices (although I challenge the non-spicy folks to give them a try as well – they are delicious and so worth it!). In Germany (and its neighboring Switzerland), Pfeffernüsse is a very old, if not ancient, recipe that has been passed down for generations and enjoyed throughout many European countries. I recall picking up a box of Pfeffernüsse from my local bakery
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Best Coconut Cream Pie
Tuesday was my fiancé’s birthday, so I prepared a romantic meal for the two of us with one of his favorite desserts. He mentioned recently that he loves coconut cream pie, so I figured this was the perfect opportunity to make this much-loved treat for the first time. I have the most delicious recipe for Coconut Cream Pie… it starts with a flaky homemade crust and is filled with a creamy, custardy filling bursting with fragrant, toasted coconut. Finally, a heaping golden brown mountain of meringue is piled on top. The pie is comforting and refreshing and perfect for any time of year.
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Margarita Cheesecake
Last week the fiancé and I were tasked with cooking dinner for one night at our family shore house in beautiful Ocean City, New Jersey. Before I even thought about what I’d make for the main dish (post coming soon…), I thought long and hard about what to bake for dessert – my favorite course of any meal. With the abundant sunshine and beachside location, I thought a Margarita Cheesecake would be perfect for this occasion and hoped our family would enjoy it. You start out with a recipe for a traditional, creamy cheesecake with a graham cracker crust as a base and then add tequila, triple sec and lime in true margarita style. The cheesecake is finished with a thin layer of tangy sour cream topping. It’s light, refreshing and a fantastic variation on a timeless favorite. By the end of the night, the whole cheesecake was devoured… except for the piece I hid for myself 😉
