Cooking through the seasons for family & friends in my Colorado kitchen
Gorgeous raspberry jam-filled sandwich cookies made with toasted hazelnuts, citrus zest, cinnamon and almond extract. Raspberry linzer cookies are in the shortbread cookie family, buttery, delicate and spiced perfectly to compliment your favorite jam. Which Cookie Cutters Make the Best Linzer Cookies? You’ll need one …
Whole wheat popovers are the whole-grain version of a traditional popover, made with eggs, milk, whole wheat pastry flour and salt. They “pop” up just as delicious as the original with hollow, airy pockets, just waiting to be buttered and devoured! what are popovers? Popovers …
Rhubarb lovers and haters! These brown butter rhubarb bars are delicious enough to convert even those certain they do not like rhubarb. In these bars, blood orange juice is reduced and then caramelized with rhubarb into a shiny, beautiful, dark pink jam. Next, that jam …
Deeply chocolate and ultra smooth, the chocolate mousse filling is crowned with homemade whipped cream and sits on a buttery chocolate cookie crust. Decadent chocolate silk pie combines two layers of chocolate and is a perfect dessert for any occasion. This chocolate lover’s dream pie …
Dipped in chocolate, these heart-shaped chocolate linzer cookies have all the traditional “spice” flavors of a linzer cookie: hazelnuts, citrus zest and and a little cinnamon, minus the jam usually sandwiched in-between. They’re pretty and oh so good! Looking for a chocolate version of the …
Raspberry crisp with chocolate streusel, for two! This recipe combines juicy sweetened raspberries with a punch of crisp chocolate streusel, baked to perfection and topped with vanilla ice cream or homemade whipped cream. Chocolate raspberry crisp is the easiest dessert to throw together. In less than 10 minutes you’ll be popping these beauties into the oven for a lovely finish to a fancy dinner at home or a quiet, cozy evening in.
The inspiration for this recipe came from my abiding daydream of a chocolate streusel topping for any number of my favorite fruit crisps. I discovered a chocolate “crunch” in Dorie Greenspan’s Everyday Dorie cookbook and knew as soon as I read her description that Dorie must surely be signing off on my vision for a chocolate crisp makeover. After a few tweaks, I found Dorie’s chocolate crunch, aka chocolate streusel or chocolate crumble, is the perfect crown for my favorite fruit in a baked raspberry chocolate crisp.
Looking to serve more than two? See this recipe for the original version of chocolate raspberry crisp.
This is a quick two-part assembly: first the fruit filling and then the streusel. Layer in ramekins…and bake! Here’s how it goes:
There are countless variations and ways to change up fruit crisps! A few other ideas to try:
Yes. I tested this recipe with both frozen and fresh raspberries. I love making this dessert for Valentine’s day in February, when fresh raspberries are out of season and expensive, so I opt for frozen berries. But, when summer hits, I turn to fresh raspberries.
Lemon pizzelle cookies are thin and crisp waffle cookies, made with butter, lemon zest and vanilla extract. Often made at Christmas and Easter in Italy, pizzelle cookies are easy and fun to make! If you’ve ever had a pizzelle cookie before, you know how beautiful and delicious …
Rolled in sparkly sugar, with barely golden edges, orange chocolate French butter cookies (sables) are flecked with dark chocolate and orange zest. French butter cookies are generally a perfect addition to a holiday baking line-up, as they’re sturdy and pack beautifully; these orange & chocolate sables …
Chock-full of goodies like chocolate, dried cherries, oats, almonds and pumpkin seeds, look no further for an amazing chocolate cherry cookie you’ll feel good about eating any time of day. These chocolate cherry trail mix cookies can pass for an after-school snack since they’re filled with good-for-you ingredients, but they’re delicious enough to serve to a house full of hungry holiday guests as well.
Have you ever baked with whole wheat flour? This recipe uses regular whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose white flour and is generally easy to find at your grocery store. See this double chocolate zucchini bread recipe for more information about the difference between whole wheat pastry flour and whole wheat flour. This recipe originated from the back of Bob’s Red Mill’s whole wheat flour package. Feel free to play with the mix-ins, adding your favorite trail mix combo. Mine happens to be dark chocolate and dried cherry-based, but you could also try dried cranberries and pecans. Use whatever you love, or have in your pantry!
Don’t be tempted to over-bake these cookies. They’ll have the best texture if they’re still slightly underdone when you remove them from the oven as they’ll firm up when they cool.
These cookies can be stored in an air-tight container for up to one week or frozen for up to three months. To defrost, simply thaw on the counter overnight.
Deep-dish Dutch apple pie. Filled with layer upon layer of soft, cinnamon-scented apples, this pie is, without a doubt, my favorite Thanksgiving pie and the one I make every year. It’s my girls’ favorite, too. The tart-like crust is slightly sweet and the whole thing …
Creating delicious and good looking pies is possible! Follow along to roll out pie dough like a pro with these step-by-step instructions. Rolling out pie dough is so much easier than you might think, and with a little practice you’ll be creating beautiful, or darn …
This over-the-top chocolate bourbon pecan pie started as a Thanksgiving tradition for many years, until my mom started requesting it for her birthday dessert. Her birthday is just a few days after Thanksgiving, so, often we make it twice in the span of two weeks! A spin on a classic holiday pie gets an upgrade with the addition of chocolate and bourbon. I ditched the corn syrup in exchange for pure maple syrup, so if you’re looking for a pecan pie recipe without corn syrup, this is the one! The hint of maple blends so well with the Bourbon. Thanksgiving pie or birthday treat…you decide! I hope this chocolate bourbon pecan pie finds a place at your table this holiday season.
Absolutely! Corn syrup is traditionally used in pecan pie because it helps the pie hold together. This recipe uses a tablespoon of flour and that flour, combined with the eggs, allows the pie to set. Plus, I can’t begin to describe just how well the Bourbon pairs with the flavor of the maple syrup…so, give that corn syrup the boot!
Form pie dough in 9-inch pie pan. See this tutorial for how to roll out pie crust. Fill pastry with beans or other pie weights and blind bake at 375 degrees for 20-22 minutes in lower 1/3 of oven. Remove pie shell to cool on cooling rack.
While crust cools, whisk eggs, maple syrup, melted butter, brown sugar, salt, bourbon, flour, and vanilla. Stir in chopped pecans and chocolate chips. Pour into cooled pie pastry.
Bake filling for 45 minutes to 1 hour, taking care to ensure crust does not brown too much with foil or pie shields around outer crust. Remove from oven and allow it to cool before slicing to serve. Serve with ice cream or homemade whipped cream!
No chill time required for these cinnamon-sugar cut-out cookies! Just mix, cut & bake these delicious roll out cookies, made extra special with cinnamon and almond extract. No cookie plate is complete without a decorated cut-out cookie, like the ones we remember from our childhood. These …
Diana’s Christmas Cookie Plate I noticed the arrival of Christmas trees shining through neighbor’s windows earlier than ever this year, as well as an unprecedented extravagance to outside Christmas light displays around town. There’s a definite longing for the joy and hope of the Christmas …
Gorgeous raspberry jam-filled sandwich cookies made with toasted hazelnuts, citrus zest, cinnamon and almond extract. Raspberry linzer cookies are in the shortbread cookie family, buttery, delicate and spiced perfectly to compliment your favorite jam.
You’ll need one large cookie cutter, approximately 2 1/2 inches across, and one small cookie cutter, about 1 1/2 inches across. Play around with coordinating cookie cutters depending on the time of the year! The heart ones I used were perfect for Valentine’s Day, but you could also do a large/small star shape or large/small flower shape. You can use mini letter cookie cutters inside of a large heart shape as well to personalize for a wedding shower. These cookies are showstoppers and really grace the table for so many occasions…the possibilities are endless!
Chocolate Sugar Cut-Out Cookies
No-Chill Cinnamon-Sugar Cut-Out Cookies
Orange and Chocolate French Butter Cookies
Whole wheat popovers are the whole-grain version of a traditional popover, made with eggs, milk, whole wheat pastry flour and salt. They “pop” up just as delicious as the original with hollow, airy pockets, just waiting to be buttered and devoured! what are popovers? Popovers …
Everyone’s favorite baked pasta! Three-cheese ziti is made with an easy tomato sauce and, you guessed it…three cheeses! This quick baked ziti recipe is easy enough to throw together for a weeknight dinner, but memorable enough to make for a night of entertaining friends and …
Nothing beats the real, homemade version! Heavy cream, vanilla extract and a little powdered sugar. This recipe for homemade whipped cream is the three ingredient staple every home cook needs in their repertoire. It’s so easy and there’s no special equipment needed other than a sturdy whisk and a large mixing bowl.
Looking for the perfect compliment to a homemade crisp or a slice of pie? Give this homemade whipped cream a spin and you’ll never go back to the store-bought stuff again! Homemade whipped cream is delicious on top of chocolate raspberry crisp, chocolate bourbon pecan pie, or blueberry streusel pie, or just a simple cup of hot cocoa. Have fun amazing your friends and family while you whisk away, transforming a simple bowl of heavy cream into a beautiful whipped cream. It really is magic!
This is my preferred method. Pour chilled heavy whipping cream into a large bowl, and, with a sturdy whisk (the bigger the better here), start whisking. You’ll get a great arm workout and it’s so satisfying to see it thicken before your eyes. I like to stop whipping when it’s still a little soft in consistency but you may like yours on the thicker/stiffer side. At this point, gently stir in your powdered sugar and vanilla extract. If you’re planning to pipe or make designs with the whipped cream, you’ll want to whip it until it’s stiff.
Pour chilled heavy whipping cream into bowl of stand mixer or large bowl, and, with a whisk attachment or beaters turn your mixer to medium speed. Once the heavy whipping cream begins to thicken, you can turn up to high speed. If the cream splatters out of your bowl, you’ll know you’ve turned it up too high, too soon. Turn mixer off when the whipped cream is still a little soft and add vanilla extract and powdered sugar. Continue mixing until it’s between soft peaks and firm peaks, depending on your preference. If you’re planning to pipe or make designs with, you’ll want to whip it until it has formed firm peaks. A word of caution: it’s easy to over whip the cream in an electric mixer and before you know it you’ve ended up with the beginnings of homemade butter, and at this point, there’s no going back.
Once you see how easy it is to make this homemade whipped cream, you’ll be dreaming up all kinds of flavor profiles. Here are some of my favorites. You’ll want to add them once the cream is almost fully-thickened.
Another fruit and chocolate development here, this time a spin on a classic fruit crisp made with raspberries and chocolate streusel. This recipe combines juicy sweetened raspberries with a punch of crisp chocolate streusel, baked to perfection and topped with vanilla ice cream or homemade …
For years, my crust always seemed to slump on me in the oven, especially my once-a-year pumpkin pies! For a long time, I just assumed it was the all-butter dough’s fault. However, this was not the case. I’ve now borrowed a technique from Cook’s Illustrated for …
