Baking
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Jam Swirl Brownies
Valentine’s Day has always been my favorite holiday for the meaningful and sweet ways we can celebrate. Below you’ll find a list of my favorites from volunteer efforts to sending beautiful language into the world. Maybe you’ll share a little love with the pollinators who keep our gardens plentiful by planning a spring garden full of their favorite perennials. Perhaps you’ll gift a packet of flower seeds to a friend. There are so many ways to enjoy the day, including chocolate indulgences such as these jam swirl brownies that can be made with berry jam or even cherry preserves. If you’ve participated in my Sweet and Savory Sides of Chocolate…
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Pine Nut Cookie Bars
Festive ingredients and a simple baking method make for the perfect holiday cookie. With pine nuts in caramel topping a shortbread base, these cookie bars satisfy the need for something golden and toasty on the dessert table. Still tender when baked, the nuts lend a delicate texture and their nuanced, buttery flavor. Whether you’re making Christmas cookie boxes, looking ahead to New Year’s Eve, or sharing dessert at a holiday gathering, think about the shape of your cookie bars before serving. They can be cut in a variety of ways with a knife or cookie cutter and always come out looking like lacy gold ornaments. Just be sure to save…
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Chocolate Granola
Add a little chocolate to your breakfast or simply snack on this homemade granola. With Halloween approaching, this is also a healthier treat to enjoy throughout the day. Sweetened with pure maple syrup, the combination of oats and mix-ins in this chocolate granola recipe become even more delicious when tossed with cocoa powder and baked until toasty. As a final touch, I add some chopped chocolate toward the end of baking. Sprinkle on more or less depending on just how chocolatey you like things. On the weekend I may flip some ricotta pancakes or make a more extensive breakfast, but granola is my preference midweek, and I make lots of…
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Peach Upside-Down Cake
There is always a bit of magic in an upside-down cake, complete with a final reveal – the turned cake coming effortlessly out of the pan and showing its glossy, caramelized topping. For this cake, peaches or a combination of peaches and plums create a delicious top layer. Actually, that’s the bottom layer when you’re building this in your cake pan. All part of the magic. With the steps below, you’ll learn how to make that final flip reliable, so your fruit doesn’t stick, and make the cake even more delicious with some of my favorite batter additions. While stone fruit season is still here, try this recipe to hold…
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Berry Tiramisu
If you’ve taken one of my Summer Italian Kitchen cooking classes over the past few years, you may recall watching me make this berry tiramisu, or perhaps even prepared it along with me. Summery and just sweet enough, it’s not only a no-bake dessert, but truly no heat, as the syrup from macerated berries replaces the espresso into which the ladyfingers are traditionally dipped. Layers of soaked ladyfingers, berries, and the mascarpone whipped cream I enjoy on so many desserts make for a light, airy, and incredibly flavorful treat. Through my summer Italian recipes, I love celebrating the beautiful simplicity of Italian cooking with its emphasis on fresh, quality ingredients.…
