I should call this “pandemic banana bundt cake”. Doesn’t it feel like that? Is everything you’re baking only using ingredients you have on hand? I know like so many, you are so over this crazy quarantine stuff. I miss being able to run to the grocery store to buy an ingredient for something I want…
Baking
copycat twix bars
AKA Millionaire’s Shortbread. The first time I made these copycat twix bars, my kids thought I had reinvented the Twix. These don’t have chocolate covering the entire bar. I’m not that insane. Or competing on The Great American Baking Show. What these little gems do, is disappear in less than 24 hours with three taste-testers…
pumpkin cupcakes with maple buttercream
This is so cliche’, but I’m gonna say it anyway – this year has flown by. And now that Thanksgiving is over, and 2020 will be here in a matter of weeks, I can hardly believe it’s been a whole year. Luckily I made these pumpkin cupcakes before Thanksgiving and my family has been enjoying…
lemon and blueberry brioche bread
I had big plans…. Summer is all about having fun, relaxing with your family, enjoying the weather, not having a to-do list. I, however, had big plans for the summer. It was gonna be my time to get back into blogging and baking, two of my favorite things. But summer had different plans for me,…
chocolate cream hand pies
There comes a time when you must make hand pies. Why not make that day today? I’ve made all sorts of different hand pies. Marionberry and lemon ones in the form of a pop tart. And apple blueberry turnovers. So there’s no time like the present to enjoy these chocolate cream hand pies. The crust…
the best chocolate chip cookies
There’s so much going on! Do you ever feel like you’ve got too many hands in the cookie jar? I realize some things can be helped. But there are things that must get done. Like baking the best chocolate chip cookies. And taking care of our sweet canine buddy, Jasper. Last week we had to…
marionberry lavender layer cake with german buttercream frosting
You know it’s going to be a good day when you get to make a spectacular birthday cake for your mom. I texted her the other day to find out what she wanted for her special day. She sent me pictures of cakes with berries, so I decided to make her this marionberry lavender layer…
blood orange dark chocolate and cardamom scones
I’m using up the very last of my blood oranges. It’s April and blood oranges have disappeared from the market. Such a bummer! I could bake with these all the time. Scones have been on my brain for the past few weeks. These blood orange dark chocolate and cardamom scones seemed to fit the bill!…
lemon creme fraiche pound cake with lemon lavender glaze
Spring is in the air! Can you feel it?! Just last week we were dealing with snow and ice and today it was close to 60 degrees here! Granted it started out at 28 degrees when I drove my son to school. But by the end of the day, I flung several windows open to…
blood orange and poppyseed bundt cake with creme fraiche glaze
It’s snowing! Here in northern Oregon, snow is not a guarantee in winter. We get lots of rain, but snow is elusive. It actually snowed about a week ago, but it was pockets of hit and miss. Some areas got dumped, and others got little to nothing. We were little to nothing. So I’m left…
meyer lemon bars
It’s meyer lemon season! It’s meyer lemon season! Ok. I’m back down to earth now. But seriously. Just when I think the grocery store can’t get more exciting, meyer lemons show up! And now I must make meyer lemon bars. Because meyer lemons are my jam. Oooh. Jam. *Makes mental note to make meyer lemon…
chocolate peppermint layer cake with ganache
It’s almost Valentine’s Day, and whether you celebrate that with your spouse or hang out with your besties for Galentine’s, this chocolate peppermint layer cake is the perfect dessert for the occasion. I made this chocolate peppermint layer cake over the weekend. All of the forecasts for the Pacific Northwest showed seven full days of…
blood orange chocolate cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting
There are some flavors that I go crazy for. It’s usually a citrus or a berry. Marionberries are my favorite berry, and the citrus I cannot live without is a toss up between Meyer Lemons and blood oranges. If you’ve followed my blog for any length of time, you can tell I love Marionberries and…
valentine sugar cookies with royal icing
Here ya go! The perfect treat for your sweetie next week! These adorbs valentine heart sugar cookies are decorated with royal icing, sprinkles, and love. Bake up a batch for someone you love – or horde them for yourself. No judging here. Some holidays are just meant for sugar cookies with royal icing. Christmas and…
the famous neiman marcus chocolate chip cookies
I’m sure you’ve heard of the story of the customer that requested the recipe for chocolate chip cookies she had while dining at a Neiman Marcus cafe. The legend goes that she loved the recipe so much, she requested the recipe and was told it would be “two fifty”. She assumed it was $2.50 and…
corn muffins
I had originally planned to include this recipe with my turkey and white bean chili post. But apparently Google gets “confused” (I’m calling it “freaked out”) when more than one recipe is included in a blog post. So to prevent any injury to Google, here’s the recipe for the corn muffins I like to serve…
brioche cinnamon rolls with orange cream cheese frosting
I can’t stop making cinnamon rolls. There’s just no way to mess these up. The flavor combinations are endless, so until I’ve exhausted all possible pairings, I bake on. I love this dough from BreadIn5’s new holiday book. Check it out here if you haven’t seen it yet. They really are the best with bread…
christmas cookies for gifting
Don’t you love how every season there’s something new to discover in the kitchen? Tarts and crisps in the summer; pies in the fall; cookies for Christmas. There are so many baking blogs with great ideas for gifting treats. I love Half Baked Harvest’s cookie box ideas. She has the best recipes and I love…
cranberry orange layer cake with orange buttercream frosting
So many cranberries, so little time. Baking with seasonal ingredients is such a great way to experiment and find new ways of using what’s available. Take cranberries. I have some frozen ones that I use for smoothies whenever the mood strikes. But having fresh cranberries is so much better. Frozen berries mean too much moisture…
chocolate espresso crinkle cookies
Every year the granddaughters on my in-law’s side get together to bake Christmas cookies. These chocolate espresso crinkle cookies are my take on a favorite the girls make every year. They’ve been doing it since the oldest (who is about 30!), was old enough to bake with grandma. The cookies are divided up and given…
mini pumpkin bundt cakes with maple icing
The weather has shifted, which means it’s socially acceptable to bake with fall ingredients. Pumpkin, being at the top of that ingredient list, gets used in cakes, breads, smoothies, and breakfast treats. When it’s summer time and I’m able to use all the fruit and berries that grow in my garden, I get sad when…
ginger cookies
There are certain flavors that scream fall. Pumpkin. Cranberry. Molasses. Apple. Gingerbread. I like some more than others. I’m sure that’s true for just about everybody. And I don’t mind trying new things to see if there are combinations that will appeal to me. When I was a kid, I recall eating these rock hard…
dulce de leche sandwich cookies
Everyone is making pie and here I am making cookies. Because there’s no wrong time for cookies. Let me hear an “amen!” I don’t dislike pie, but when I want something fairly predictable and easy to make, my answer is always a cookie. These Dulce de Leche cookies come courtesy of America’s Test Kitchen. I…
italian apple cake
This is one of those recipes you look at and go “hmm. I doubt anything just as simple as apples in a cake is going to be anything great.” And then you make it and go “good lawd – how did I go this long without making this cake?!?” Sometimes it’s the simplest things that…