This Chocolate Hazelnut Nutcracker Cake recipe comes from the book, Sky High: Irresistible Three-Layer Cakes by Alisa Huntsman. Every cake I’ve made from that book has been incredible! The basic cake structure is a foam (or chiffon) cake with goodies added in – graham cracker crumbs, tons of finely chopped hazelnuts, grated chocolate, and pumpkin […]
Peppermint Bark Brownies (The Updated Version)
Peppermint Bark Brownies are a wonderful holiday treat. A dark fudgy brownie is topped with a thick layer of homemade peppermint bark. I still remember the first time I had Peppermint Bark as a child. It was long before it became as popular as it is today. But I was smitten at first bite. What’s […]
Kitchen Q and A: Peppermint Bark Brownies
(Click HERE for the updated recipe.) Peppermint Bark Brownies have one of my most asked for and popular recipes. People love these! The idea for Peppermint Bark Brownies came from my friend, Tania, who brought me brownies topped with a layer of melted (and cooled) Andes Mints when I had my second baby. The following […]
Orange Spiced Nuts
These crunchy, buttery, sweet, spiced nuts have a hint of orange. They are completely irresistible and are sure to be a hit at any party! Let’s see…it’s only taken me over a year to finally post this recipe! I wanted to wait and take how-to photos. The weeks turned into months and suddenly it was […]
TWD: Buttery Jam Cookies
(Please visit Heather’s blog, Randomosity and the Girl for this week’s recipe.) This week’s recipe for Buttery Jam Cookies seemed so promising. I love jam and I love cookies. Even more than that, I love butter and jam…and cookies together. I used organic apricot jam and ground ginger. I could barely taste the jam, and […]
Lemon Bars
Lemon Bars aren’t exactly Holiday fare, are they? But maybe they should be. Last weekend we had a family party at our house and I made a trio of cookies for dessert: Peppermint Bark Brownies (watch for the how-to sometime this week), Cranberry Bars (quite possibly the best bar cookie EVER), and Lemon Bars. (There […]
TWD: Grandma’s All-Purpose Sugar Cookies
(For the recipe, please visit Ulrike’s fabulous blog, Küchenlatein.) I run hot and cold when it comes to sugar cookies. I don’t like thick and doughy cookies. I do like soft cookies–not too soft, but not crispy either. I like them thin, buttery, and of course, sweet. This week I was happy to try out […]
How-To: Chilaquiles with Simmered Guajillo Sauce
As promised months and months ago, I give you a how-to for making the most delicious guajillo chile (enchilada) sauce…(Click here for a how-to about working with dried chiles.) These pictures almost make me miss my old kitchen where they were taken. Almost. I have mentioned before how much I love Rick Bayless’s cookbook Mexican […]
Review: Pie Dough with Vodka
(Note: I didn’t take how-to photos because I made the dough late at night and baked it early in the morning–not enough light. And because there’s already a great how-to over at Smitten Kitchen.) I remember first hearing about the “Foolproof Pie Dough” with the secret ingredient–Vodka. It sounded crazy until I really thought about […]
TWD: Linzer Sable Cookies
Dennis, a.k.a. Noskos made a great choice this week. Please visit his blog, Living The Life, for the recipe. ‘Tis the season for baking cookies. I was so excited to try these cookies. I have fond memories of my friend making some Linzer cookies during the Holidays and generously sharing a few with me. They […]
