These faux pies were born out of love. For every person who loves pie, but does not always love the result of baking a pie. I’ve had some serious flops over the years: soggy crusts, uncooked centers, runny fillings. I believe these stone fruit mini galettes are the answer to your prayers. There are lots…
desserts
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…
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…
salted caramel peanut butter and chocolate rice krispy treats
Happy Fri-yay! Let’s celebrate by making some salted caramel, peanut butter, and chocolate rice krispy treats. I guess I can’t really call them “rice krispy” treats since I used the rice cereal from Trader Joe’s. But you get the idea. They’re GOOD. Like, make-them-right-now-even-if-you-don’t-have-all-the-ingredients good. As soon as my kids ate these, they both said…
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…
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…
honey lavender mini cakes with creme fraiche icing
I’ve been all about lavender lately. I stash it in the Marionberry jam I make. I’ve added it to dark chocolate cupcakes on a whim. It’s also appeared in my linzer cookies. Lavender is such an unexpected addition that I’m wanting to find more ways to incorporate it, without it being overpowering. These honey lavender…
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…
brioche braided bread with chocolate filling
I’m posting so many recipes using the brioche dough from BreadIn5’s holiday book. The dough really is *that* versatile. Being able to keep dough in the fridge for 5 days really is a game changer. When I don’t have to prepare dough every time I want to make cinnamon rolls, or this brioche wreath bread,…
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…
pumpkin nutella cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting
Pumpkin spice and everything nice. I’m loving all the fall colors I see everywhere. And I love the smell of fall baking. This past weekend I made over 200 pumpkin Nutella cupcakes for a friend that was giving them to her clients. Yes – it’s as crazy as it sounds. And if you saw my…
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…
s’mores cupcakes with ganache filling
Did you know it’s chocolate cupcake day? I didn’t either! Until I googled it, of course. I’ve been wanting to share these cupcakes with you all, but needed a special occasion. Here it is. The made-up holiday of “Chocolate Cupcake Day”. There are some interesting holidays out there. November 15th is “Clean Out Your Refrigerator”…
butter pecan turtle bars
It seems there is never a time I am not in the kitchen cooking something up. I’ve been out most of the weekend with sports activities, so I wasn’t planning on working on anything these past two days. I should have known that would never happen. You know you enjoy something when you’re dead tired,…
gluten free apple pear and cranberry crisp
There is no question that fall has arrived in the Pacific Northwest. I absolutely love this time of year. You never quite know what to expect here in Oregon. There’s a joke that if you’re unhappy with the weather, wait five minutes. That’s pretty much how it is. We can have these beautiful days of…
lemon pop tarts with dried blueberries
I’m making way too many pop tarts. Is that possible? No! Because who doesn’t like flaky pastry and a homemade filling baked to perfection? These lovelies are filled with my favorite lemon curd from Trader Joe’s. (The kids called it “lemon crud”). I used to slather this on Dutch Babies I made when the kids…
apples, apples, apples
Hello Ruby Mac – you’re my new favorite apple! Ok, that’s not true. I also love Elstar, Crimson, and Wolf River. How amazing is it to drive to a farm with over 100 varieties of apples? Kiyokawa Orchards in Parkdale, Oregon has the best selection of apples. But that isn’t even their number one crop….
marionberry pop tarts
I keep seeing all these recipes floating around for homemade pop tarts. We never had them growing up. But I remember having them when I’d spend the night at a friend’s house. It was a foreign thing to me. I’ve had them as an adult and am surprised when people say how much they like…
chocolate cheesecake with ganache
Aren’t you just dying over this? I made another recipe out of The Vanilla Bean cookbook and can I just say – she’s brilliant. Anyone who has multiple recipes for cheesecake in her cookbook is my new best friend. Remember that first cheesecake I made? That had my Marionberry Lavender jam on it? This…