It’s been quite a while, hasn’t it? And like any other repentant blogger, all I can offer in the way of explanation is ‘life.’ But having a life is overrated, am I right?

‘Tis much better to have something ridiculously addictive and easy to make instead.

Can I interest you in my version of Rice Krispies treats?

Nothing overly fancy or fussy here, I promise. Honestly, I think this version adds 5 minutes to the original recipe, tops. And you’ll be amazed at what a huge difference these small changes make. Browning the butter creates a nutty, mellow flavor that gives complexity to the normally-bland sweetness of marshmallows. Cinnamon and nutmeg enhance the nuttiness of the brown butter while lightly spicing the flavor of toasted rice. And the sea salt sharpens each flavor, leaving you craving more with each bite.

I’ve had the chance to make these several times for family and friends alike, and the general consensus tends to be “oh, they’re all gone already?” whenever a few hours have passed. So I’m confident that you’ll not only enjoy them, but crave them like I do after you make them for the first time.

The treats in the pictures were made in a deep 8×8 pan, but this recipe will fit the standard 13×9 pan as well–they’ll just be thinner. And I’ll mention this below in the recipe, but definitely wait to eat them–ideally overnight, but an hour in the fridge will do the trick if you’re in a hurry. (Don’t leave it in the fridge or it’ll get soft, though.) Use a sharp knife; blunter knives will crush the toasted cereal and you’ll lose the crunchiness!

I’ll be moving on to healthier treats in the spirit of the new year… just consider this one last gift from 2014 since I was absent for the latter part of it online.

I didn’t choose the baking life… the baking life chose me.

Seriously–for someone who doesn’t really enjoy baked goods that much, I sure make a hell of a lot of them. And now that I bake as an almost-full time job, I am a bona fide slave to the oven. You’d think that I’d keep a large radius of distance between me and my new master on my days off, right? Alas, my friend: that is incorrect!

But I don’t mind jumping into my own kitchen after leaving the kitchen at work to prepare more food, which I suppose speaks to my passion for food and cooking. It’s still just as fun to me as it was before I started working at this bakery; perhaps even more so since I have complete control over what I make in my own house. When I’m at work, I’m following someone else’s recipes and directions–which, while educational, certainly doesn’t offer the same kind of creative stimulus that making recipes at home creates.

So how is baking for a living going for me? Friends ask me whether I still enjoy baking, and the answer is yes. Whether I’m at work or I’m at home, in the end, I’m still making food for others’ enjoyment–and that’s why I find it so gratifying.

Speaking of others’ enjoyment, that is definitely the purpose of these cookies. I can eat maybe one or two of these before I’m chocolate-ed out; based on the reception these had at a recent game night with friends, I am in the minority. I’m normally not a fan of white chocolate, but I really enjoy it in small bursts with this very chocolate cookie. And the best part about this recipe? It makes cookies with crispy edges and a chewy center. Definitely best on the day they’re baked, but you’ll still find them delicious for up to a week.

Recipe adapted from Remodelaholic.

My Facebook news feed has become a scrapbook of engagement, wedding and baby pictures. (Whether the individual accounts fall into that chronological order is a topic for another medium.) The pictures of babies have been especially numerous–here’s Baby B making a funny face! And Baby G is laughing at a sound mama made! While others may tire and eventually grow irate of these particular updates, I enjoy them immensely. I get to see stunning pave engagement rings. I’ve never been shy about my preference for children: I’ve volunteered with adopted children at summer camps in the past, I’ve been a babysitter for as long as I can remember, I always make a beeline for the babies at potlucks and gatherings… and so on. I’m completely sure that my energy for kids will wane somewhat when I have my own child to watch around the clock, but for now, I’m happy to help!

James’ fellow resident and his wife (also known as our neighbors and game night partners-in-crime) recently had their first baby, and getting to meet her only a few days after her birth was amazing. I’ve never seen a friend’s baby so soon after delivery–she is so tiny and delicate! And her eyes are the same clear color as her mom’s; I know that babies have pretty poor eyesight at birth, but when she lifted her eyes to mine I really felt like she was looking right at me! I was so grateful for the chance to see her and meet her.

I had toyed with the idea of baking something for them right around her due date, but since the baby’s gender was unknown, I decided to hold off on planning anything. After my impromptu visit, I figured I would jump right in and bake something pink to celebrate! (Which is not to say that pink is for girls only, of course.) But the idea of pink cookies wasn’t terribly appetizing to me. So I thought: why not turn to natural colors? And that’s how I ended up with a dark-pink blackberry glaze.

As for the cookie itself… have you ever wondered why limes don’t get the same kind of love that lemons do? Admittedly, it’s not one of those pressing questions in today’s world. But other than key lime pie, we don’t see a lot of lime-centric desserts out there in the wide world of recipes–which is a shame, seeing that the lime has a sweeter, less mouth-puckering flavor than its citrusy cousin. I know that my recipe is like a tiny drop in a bucket, but hopefully it will encourage you to see limes in more ways than one.

And to my two friends–congratulations on your precious little one! I can’t wait to see the pictures of her in the knitted caterpillar suit.

The cookie drought is over! Hallelujah!

I think my soul just missed baking. Now how dramatic is that?

Truth is, as much as I love cooking and throwing together meals for friends, baking has always been my first love. Which is a bit strange, I’ll admit–since I don’t really eat most of the things I bake. My sometime sweet tooth allows for me to taste whatever baked good I’ve made for quality-checking purposes, but I usually try to pawn all of my baking off on others (as my friends will attest). But certain cookies wiggle their way into my heart despite my best intentions… this is definitely one of them.

The original recipe actually uses olive oil and fresh rosemary for a savory-sweet twist; I chose to use Kona coffee because we recently returned from Hawaii with bags of the stuff! The basic recipe without my additions (powdered sugar, butter, salt and flour) make for an excellent basic shortbread recipe with which you can try other combinations with. In fact, I’m pretty sure you’ll see variations of this recipe on this site in the months to follow…

The consistency of these shortbread cookies is fantastic: light and crisp, with just a touch of vanilla sweetness. The small, coarse grounds of Kona coffee add texture and a very mild coffee bite; the glaze is strong but sweet, almost like coffee ice cream. I enjoyed these with coffee (obviously) but they go well with a nice hot cup of tea or by themselves!

If you don’t have vanilla beans, you can substitute 1 tsp. of vanilla extract; I know vanilla beans are expensive and not everybody has them lying around. Likewise, you can use any coarsely-ground coffee instead of Kona–just make sure the bean is a milder and less bitter variety. The roast should still be medium to dark, though. Lastly, the glaze–James and I are huge coffee fans, so I threw in the espresso powder to kick up the coffee flavor. If you don’t have it on-hand, you can make the glaze without and it will be fine–it’ll just be lighter in color.

And if this all looks like too much work for you, you’re in luck: Trader Joe’s has a version of this cookie (in fact, their cookie is what inspired me to make this in the first place). I like to think that mine is better, but you can be the judge on that if you’d like.

Recipe adapted from The Blue Bottle Craft of Coffee: Growing, Roasting, and Drinking, with Recipes.

It was mid-July of 2012, and our wedding was a mere 2 months away. Wedding had taken over my brain some time ago, but in the last desperate dash toward “The Day” I found myself consumed by it. James decided that I needed a break–probably as much for his sanity as well as my own–and I voted for Disneyland. It’s the happiest place on Earth, and it’s only 40 minutes away! It was the obvious choice (well, for me at least). And then, the fated day arrived. I was giddy. I was ecstatic. I was ready.

And then I realized all too quickly that going to Disneyland on a weekend date in July is a terrible idea.

Kids are out of school for the summer, so out-of-state families crowded the park and made the lines quite long. Trying to walk to any location was harrowing–if you didn’t watch your step, a stroller would attack your shins or the crowd would carry you away in the opposite direction. And to make matters worse, the heat was unrelenting. ‘This seemed much more magical to me when I was three years old,’ I thought dolefully as we meandered through the park.

Despite the heat and the crowds (and the overpriced everything), we still had a wonderful time–thanks in part to the delicious Mickey beignets in the French Quarter portion of the park. We sat underneath the shade of the courtyard trees to escape the heat and indulged in the crispy, puffy dough piled high with powdered sugar. I still remember how much I enjoyed not just the beignets, but that moment in time–a break from the hectic itinerary and the hour-long lines.

I made these beignets as well as a seafood gumbo for my friends in honor of Mardi Gras last night, and they more or less disappeared with each fresh batch I placed on the table. This recipe is one I’ve seen on several sites, claiming to be both from the Disney resorts and from the famous Café du Monde in New Orleans. Either way, it’s a very easy recipe that requires no real delicacy from the cook–which makes it a perfect way to end the meal when you’ve got something more labor-intensive preceding it. (I’m looking at you, gumbo.)

A few notes regarding the recipe: First, these must be made and served fresh. They don’t taste anywhere near as good when cold and they lose their crisp quickly. And secondly–this recipe makes a LOT of beignets. Be warned! I would halve this recipe if I were to make it again, even for a crowd of 10+.

I’ve already eaten way more of these beignets on my own than I care to admit, so I can attest to how good they are. But are they Mickey beignets? I guess I’ll have to try those again sometime to come up with a definitive answer!

Recipe adapted from AllEars.net.

Last Thursday was Thanksgiving at our apartment–or, to be more accurate, Orphan Thanksgiving. Not everyone can afford to fly back for two holidays within a month’s span… so for the second year in a row, James and I hosted other transplants like ourselves for an eating extravaganza. And like last year, I made way too much food. I think it’s becoming part of the tradition. (Isn’t it a tradition in general for the holidays?)

I finished with most of my prep work right before Thanksgiving so the day itself presented a lot more free time than I had planned on. Should I recline on the couch whilst watching people lip sync on floats down New York’s streets? Take a nap? Or make an extra dessert? Well, if you know me well enough I’m sure you know the answer to that particular question!

This holiday version of everyone’s favorite treat is a snap to make. The only difference between this recipe and the regular recipe is the addition of pumpkin pie spice (and for some recipes, the omission of the vanilla extract). I also add mini-marshmallows at the end right before putting the mix into a pan to set as an extra-gooey finishing touch. Feel free to leave that out if that’s not your preference–I personally like the addition because it breaks up the monotony of the texture.

These crispy squares disappeared sometime between me carving the turkey and dessert, and were quite well-received. My only regret is that I’m posting this recipe after Thanksgiving week, which is when it seems to fit best with other fall-themed foods. However, if you’re a big pumpkin spice latte or pumpkin pie fan, this will be a great addition to your easy desserts recipe catalog!

I’ve mentioned before that I’m not the biggest fan of sweets–which, if you follow the pattern of the recipes I post on here, seems pretty hypocritical. I think the biggest word in my tag cloud for this site is “BAKING” as of today (which is very closely followed by “DESSERT” of course.) So why all of the sweets love on this site? James has always joked about how “Baking Holiday” is a more apropos name for what I write about on here–and there is a whole body of evidence on my Recipes page to back up his claim.

I myself may not eat a lot of sweets or candy, but I do love how other people react to desserts and baked goods. Someone may love cheeseburgers–yet another may prefer quinoa salad. Tastes vary across a wide spectrum when savory foods are involved. Yet desserts seem to transcend these preferences; who doesn’t love a sweet note at the end of a meal? Baking to me is really baking for others to enjoy.

Baking is also simple in theory but complicated in practice. To really achieve optimal results, it’s important to know your tools, your techniques and your ingredients. Does your oven heat up evenly? When you mix your sugar into the butter, are you watching for total homogeneity? Have you tested your baking soda recently for its continued ability to cause a rising reaction? (Yep, my science geek is showing!) When you cook something and you mess up–you can usually supplement it with something else in order to salvage it from the trash. Once you place your baked good in the oven… well, if you made a mistake in the preparation, it is mostly a lost cause. The intricacy of the steps present a challenge to me, and I love rising to the occasion.

Lastly… and this is probably the most shallow reason I love baking desserts so much… desserts are pretty. So very pretty, and fun to photograph. Honestly, the only reason this isn’t a dessert blog (and the only reason my husband and I aren’t roly-poly) is because I don’t like eating sweets. And hopefully there is some self-preservation ingrained into that preference as well…

These s’mores cookies are a crowd-pleaser. They’re chewy on the inside and out. They’re liberally mixed with gooey, slightly bitter chocolate and salty-sweet graham cracker crumbles. They’re dotted with soft, pillowy marshmallows that are placed on top after baking to imitate the texture of a s’more–instead of meting into the cookie and being ignored. The knowledge of your kitchen and tools is what keeps the cookies chewy, and damn if they aren’t picturesque to look at. Baking is amazing, indeed.

In order to keep the dough easy to work with, make sure you place the bowl in the fridge while the baking sheet is in use–the colder the dough, the easier it is to roll it into pretty dough balls that turn into perfect round cookies when baked. Make sure you check on them 2 minutes before the suggested bake time if you’re unfamiliar with how quickly your oven cooks–10 minutes works for my oven, but it may not for yours. And if you’re really looking for an authentic campfire s’mores experience, you can eat the cookies after only a few minutes of cooling. I hope you enjoy these cookies as much as my friends do–I doubled this recipe and I still don’t think the cookies survived a full day.

High Altitude Adjustment (for my lovely Colorado friends): Add 2 Tbsp. of AP flour & 2 Tbsp. of water, subtract 1 tsp. of white sugar from the recipe. Set the oven to 365ºF (+15ºF from recipe) and reduce the bake time by 2-3 minutes.

A few weekends ago, I was given a bounty of persimmons from my aunt. Her sister has a large persimmon tree in her yard that apparently inundates their family with persimmons come fall–her family, in turn, tries to give away persimmons before they spoil. When she asked me on the phone about my persimmon preferences, I figured I was getting maybe 2 or 3 at most. Imagine my surprise when I met her & her family for lunch and saw ~10-12 persimmons in a bag for me!

I was determined to not let this gift go to waste and soon set about looking for recipes involving persimmon. To be honest, however–there isn’t a large amount of literature dedicated to baking or cooking with persimmons. Its subtle sweetness is best carried through the fresh fruit itself–the meatiness of the flesh gives the impression of an almost savory sweetness. I finally settled on a recipe that I found by Martha Stewart–the household goddess herself. How can you go wrong with her? (Well, let’s forget that little stock trading fiasco of yesteryear of course…)

Because my Fuyu persimmons were hard as rocks I puréed them with my food processor before carrying on with the recipe. If I had the choice, I would wait until they were much softer and more ripe then mash the fruit instead; this would have left more chunks of persimmon in the consistency of the bread itself. But after waiting 2 weeks to make this recipe–no kidding, I really waited  in hopes the fruit would ripen!–I figured that I would rather carry through than wait any longer. NOTE: you can only use hard persimmons if they are Fuyu persimmons, or the persimmons with a flat bottom. If you have Hachiya persimmons, which taper to a point at the bottom, you must wait until they are fully ripe and soft before baking with them–otherwise they are quite sour.

The brioche used was from a recipe by Dorie Greenspan, from the fantastic cookbook Around My French Table. (I received it as a gift from my younger brother a few Christmases ago and have been in love with it ever since.) Yes, that’s right–I made my own brioche! It was just as finicky as I had anticipated, and I definitely found that my experience with baking my own bread in the past was a huge resource and help for baking brioche. Honestly, I think the most important part about making brioche is having a stand mixer. Trying to make brioche without one is downright masochistic. I didn’t document my brioche adventure because it was my first attempt, but I’m sure you’ll see something pop up on this site in the future about it..

I’ve not been a huge fan of bread pudding in the past–I found it dense and overpowering–but I think I’ve been eating the wrong types or at the wrong places, because this recipe is delicious. I loved the subtlety of the white chocolate and persimmon; if anything, I would probably reduce the amount of cinnamon and nutmeg by a little more so that they don’t overpower the main flavors. I’ve made a few changes to the recipe and the methods involved in order to get a more consistent bread pudding than my first attempt–I hope you find the recipe helpful and easy to follow! I also cut the recipe in half since James & I can barely finish one serving each on our own.

This dessert would make a great statement at the end of any autumn night with a cup of coffee or glass of milk; a lot of the other folks who have made this pudding have served it as an elegant dessert after Thanksgiving dinner. Whichever way you choose to serve it, I hope you enjoy it!

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart.