Category Archives: Recipes (Sweet)

Whipped Cream Cake That’s As Good As It Sounds

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Whipped cream cake that tastes as rich and buttery as you imagine.
Whipped cream cake that tastes as rich and buttery as you imagine.

Would you believe that this cake contains no butter and no oil?

Just heavy cream — a lavish amount of it.

“Whipped Cream Cake” is from the newly revised and updated, 35th anniversary edition of “The Cake Bible” (William Morrow, 2024), of which I received a review copy.

It’s a beautiful golden-hued Bundt cake with a tender, moist crumb and a taste so rich that it needs no embellishments.

First published in 1988, it’s by baking expert, Rose Levy Beranbaum, who has been nicknamed the “diva of desserts.”

The revised book is a whopping 684 pages, with 150 pages and 30 percent more recipes than the original.

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The Ultimate Cookie: Brown Butter, Passion Fruit Chocolate, Walnut & Sea Salt

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Instead of dark chocolate in this Dominique Ansel cookie recipe, I used Valrhona Passion Fruit chocolate feves.
Instead of dark chocolate in this Dominique Ansel cookie recipe, I used Valrhona Passion Fruit chocolate feves.

Does the world need another chocolate chip cookie recipe?

Absolutely, if it’s one by legendary pastry chef Dominique Ansel.

After all, the man who originated the croissant-donut mashup, the Cronut, definitely knows his stuff when it comes to baked goods.

This cookie recipe, which I took one liberty with, comes from his newest cookbook, “Life’s Sweetest Moments” (Harvest, 2024), of which I received a review copy.

He may be a James Beard Award-winning pastry chef whom Food & Wine magazine dubbed a “Culinary Van Gough,” but rest assured that this collection is designed for the home-cook with 40 recipes ranging from the easy to those that will require a little more time and effort.

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Treat Yourself to A Batch of Tamarind Cream Danishes

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Puff-pastry danishes with a cream cheese-tamarind caramel filling.
Puff-pastry danishes with a cream cheese-tamarind caramel filling.

Attention: Raise your hand if you have a partially used jar of tamarind concentrate languishing in your fridge.

Yes, I’m talking to you. And to myself, of course, because I am equally guilty of that.

“Tamarind Cream Danishes” is the perfect excuse to dig out that jar and put it to good use in this flaky, buttery treats that sport a center of cream cheese and tamarind caramel.

The recipe is from “Sugarcane” (Hardie Grant, 2024) of which I received a review copy.

It was written by food writer and recipe developer Arlyn Osborne, a graduate of the French Culinary Institute in New York, who worked at Food & Wine magazine and the Food Network.

It’s a collection of 80 recipes for sweets that are inspired by her Filipino heritage from her mother’s side. Think “Ube Coconut Cake,” “Mochi-Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies,” “Star Fruit Tarts,” and “Lemongrass Vanilla Scones.”

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Sponsored Post: Overnight-Oats Pazazz Apple Muffins with Peanut Butter and Honey-Roasted Peanuts

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Pazazz apples star in these hearty muffins made with overnight oats and spelt flour.
Pazazz apples star in these hearty muffins made with overnight oats and spelt flour.

Peanut butter smeared on crunchy apple slices have got to be one of the easiest, most nutritious, and most deliciously satisfying snacks around.

Now, I’ve taken that dynamic duo one step further by transforming those irresistible flavors into a moist and hearty muffin. What’s more, they’re full of good-for-you whole grains and juicy pieces of Pazazz apples, and get fancifully finished with a drizzle of creamy peanut butter and a shower of chopped honey-roasted peanuts.

If that isn’t the perfect way to greet the day or perk up an afternoon, I don’t know what is.

Bake a batch of “Overnight-Oats Pazazz Apple Muffins with Peanut Butter and Honey-Roasted Peanuts” to celebrate National Peanut Month in March and to mark National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day that was March 1.

Pick up juicy, snappy, late-season Pazazz apples at your local grocery store.
Pick up juicy, snappy, late-season Pazazz apples at your local grocery store.

March also is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, a good reminder that a healthy diet full of fiber can go a long way to prevent what is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States.

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A Sweet Pairing For Valentine’s Day

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These cookies are two treats in one.
These cookies are two treats in one.

Newman and Woodward.

Travis and Taylor.

Kermit and Miss Piggy.

What’s your ideal sweet pair?

For me, it’s got to be peanut butter and dark chocolate.

If you know someone with a similar predilection, then bake them a batch of “Peanut Butter Cup Cookies” this Valentine’s Day. You’re sure to win their heart with these treats that are like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups — but in cookie form.

Best yet, this recipe makes a reasonable six treats — just enough to satisfy, but not too many to feel as if you’re going overboard.

This nostalgic yet timeless treat is from “Small Batch Cookies” (Kyle Books, 2024), of which I received a review copy.

It’s by Edd Kimber, the London baker and food writer who was the inaugural winner of “The Great British Bake Off.”

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