Archive for August, 2012

  • Banana Peanut Butter Bread

    Peanut Butter Banana Bread

    August 29th, 2012

      I have a thing for banana bread.  I grew up with many a slice of the margarine-smeared, Mom-made Fannie Farmer banana bread packed into my lunch at school.  (Although I loved banana bread, let’s tell it like it is: I’d have taken the strawberry Fruit Rollup at recess any day.  Or the mass-produced but still crave-worthy Vachon Flaky […]

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  • Cinnamon Raisin PB Banana Toast

    THE TOAST POST: Cinnamon Raisin, PB & Banana… Blueberry Cream Cheese Pound Cake Toast

    August 25th, 2012

    I think that toast can still be considered “baking”- especially when it’s all gourmet-ed up and fancified.  And I also think that toast is versatile enough to be considered dessert, especially when it’s void of nasty things like whole grains and it’s chock full of sugary goodness instead of fiber. Take for example the Cinnamon Raisin Toast with […]

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  • Strawberry Bread

    Strawberry Bread

    August 22nd, 2012

    The name sounds rather lackluster, but don’t be fooled… it’s a seriously killer bread that verges on cake territory (especially when you slather frosting overtop as I did in this particular round).  I made this for the first time last year and have been dying to get back at it, but wanted to wait for […]

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  • Candied Pistachio Creme Brulee

    Candied Pistachio Creme Brulee

    August 18th, 2012

    Crème brûlée is breathtaking, and one of those desserts that you’re a bit afraid to mess with.  Why screw up a perfectly good thing, right?  Because sometimes pistachio comes along and says “I want to mess around”, and pistachio is hard to turn down.  (I fell hard for pistachio on a trip to Italy back in the […]

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  • Mistake Candied Pistachios

    Crispy, Candied PistachiOOPS.

    August 18th, 2012

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  • Spiced Shortbread Cookies

    Spiced Shortbread Cookies

    August 15th, 2012

    Don’t let the plain-Jane-ness look of these cookies fool you into thinking that they are plain Jane. (Not that there’s anything wrong with plain Jane; I have been a long-term proponent of Jane, like the Classic Shortbread Cookie that this particular recipe was born from. Those of you who have experienced the aforementioned cookie know how utterly exquisite ‘plain’ can be.)

    So you take a classic cookie, and add a myriad of homey spices (spices that hint at the autumn that’s just around the corner- how sad, but sweet in the dessert world… apple and pumpkin pies on the horizon!), and you’re off to the races.

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  • Classic Key Lime Pie

    August 11th, 2012

    I have yet to meet someone who doesn’t like key lime pie. Think about it. Have you ever heard someone say “yeah, I just don’t like key lime pie”? (If so, these are likely the same people who prefer their brownies cakey and fluffy. It’s best to not associate with these unsavory types.) (Normal) people go all crazy for key lime pie, especially after a gluttonous steak dinner when the server tells you it’s their signature dessert or whatever.

    So let’s get cracking. Once you get past the task of juicing 1,200 little limes, it’s really an easy dessert to make. I tend to make them in little tart pans (like pictured), but I don’t know why because it’s just more work. Throw your crumbs in a big tart pan, press ’em in and bake them for a bit, and then add your limey-sugary-eggy mixture and bake until set. Other than adding a huge plop of whipped cream (real whipped cream, I implore you!) on top, the pie is good to go.

    Oh- and one thing- you can’t make or serve key lime pie unless you say it with a southern accent… key lime pah… say it now. There.

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  • Coconut Macaroon Fudge Brownies

    August 8th, 2012

    Yes, you are correct- you are seeing a coconut macaroon baked right into the warm, loving arms of The World’s Greatest Fudge Brownie. It’s not a mirage. It’s a dream, a heavenly dream, and you can bake it so your dream can come true.

    (If you’re looking for the dessert that’s the next big hit at your bake sale or dinner party or work function or night alone when you want to binge and feel ill but strangely fulfilled, I insist that you make this dessert. Think about it- macaroons go first at every sweets table [always shocks me, but it’s so true], and brownies are a close second. Why not meld the two together?)

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  • Honey Bee Cookies

    Honey Bee Cookies

    August 4th, 2012

    I have to confess that I am incredibly attracted to recipes that are easy to make.  I have a (constantly) strong desire to bake, and an equally strong desire to bake things that taste devastatingly good… but I am also like everyone else on the planet: “so busy”.  If I can find a recipe that […]

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  • Maraschino Coconut Bars

    Maraschino Coconut Bars

    August 1st, 2012

    Okay, so I didn’t just make these bars because I made homemade maraschino cherries (and therefore have a crapload of them hanging around- let’s face it- how many cocktails with maraschino cherries can a girl take in a two week window?)- I made these bars because any kind of dessert with a shortbread crust and […]

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