This would really have made a lovely Christmas pie, letting pumpkin or apple shine on Thanksgiving, but I was talked into it…and no regrets, it was a nice pie, worth making again for sure. I think that next time I make it, I will double or triple the crystalized ginger. I used multiple recipes to get to this, and though I waffled on double crust or streusel, I’m very glad I went with the latter…made the pie. 🙂
Cranberry sauce is shockingly easy to make from scratch, and this is my general go-to for it. You will have to adjust orange/sugar/etc. to your taste and as you cook – for example, I find the sugar just right on this as someone who doesn’t have a sweet tooth, but you might like more! This is an easy one to make ahead…one less thing on your plate for the day of.
I’m not much of a chocolate fan, but Shawn is, and this was one he mentioned he’d like for Thanksgiving. I’m glad he did…it was good enough that I enjoyed it as well! Very rich, but not difficult and we all liked it a lot. This is a Pioneer Woman recipe I made with no adjustments. I did use store bought pie crust…the chocolate stole the show so it didn’t much matter. 🙂 It was perfect with some homemade whipped cream.
Possibly the most decorative dessert I’ve ever done, but also probably the one I’ve liked the best! I made these for a 4th of July picnic with Shawn’s family in Florida, and they seemed to be pretty popular! While time consuming, these are not difficult. I don’t own a pastry set – instead I use a small paint brush and toothpick for these designs. You can Google for “Royal Icing Marbling” and get some great tutorials. I used the same recipe as I did for our Christmas cookies, both for the cookie and the icing.
These are a pretty summer dessert that go a long way – one batch makes a lot. Recipe from Smitten Kitchen, called pink lemonade bars. Shawn taste-tested (I’m allergic to raspberries – these are for a friend), and he thought they were very good but could be a little more tart. So if you’re a fan of tart lemon flavor (I am!), adjust that and maybe tone down the berries. I did taste the crust and thought it was quite good. I’d make again, though I think next time I’ll substitute blueberries so I can enjoy!
I’m really not a huge fan of chocolate, but this cake is good. In small slices (no, seriously, no huge slices – it’s rich). I made this for Valentine’s Day/Anniversary for Shawn. It’s from my favorite baking site, Joy of Baking. See her recipe here (she also has a yellow butter cake that is just as good…yellow cake is my favorite!) – I made no changes of course, and am always happy with the results.
I’ve coveted a Kitchen Aid mixer for many years, and my amazing boyfriend Shawn got one for me for Christmas this year! Excited is an understatement! I had already done all my Christmas cookie baking, so I had to think of something else to do (oh jeez, poor me 😉 ) and we decided on coffee cake…it made a nice after dinner snack later in the evening. I’m still stunned over the ease of baking with the Kitchen Aid! This recipe came from one of my favorite baking sites, Joy of Baking, and I combined her coffee cake with a streusel recipe I had on hand. It was my first time making coffee cake and we like it a lot!
I stumbled upon this cake a few years ago at Joy of Baking, and it turned into a favorite. I’ve made it with fruit other than cherries, but cherries are the winner for sure. I’ve also done it with and without ground almonds, and though I prefer it with the almonds, it is delicious without as well. A very versatile cake, and when we got cherries in our CSA this week, it was clearly the thing to do. 🙂
Lemon bars are such a great summer dessert – very portable and light after a big grilled meal. They are a little time consuming, but well worth the trouble. These are made with a traditional shortbread crust. I made these for our friend’s summer kick-off roof deck party and they were a hit.
Who doesn’t love s’mores? Admittedly, I don’t really like chocolate. But I’ll eat it in this form…especially because I’ll hoover any marshmallows in sight. These was a cute and easy recipe that was handy for something like a party or cookout, because it was very mobile. Also bite size, so you can eat more and not feel guilty, right? Right. 😉
Om nom nom! 