Black Sesame Peanut Butter Cookies

These cookies are simply delicious tasting, plus they're super easy and fast to make. The black sesame seeds add a little more depth to what would be just your usual peanut butter cookie. The seeds also make the cookies much more handsome and sophisticated looking. As an added bonus, the cookies are gluten free.



Black Sesame Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients
1 cup creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
5 tablespoons black sesame seeds

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F. In stand mixer, beat together peanut butter and sugar until well combined. Beat in egg, vanilla, baking soda, and salt until homogenous. Roll level tablespoons of dough into balls, then roll in small bowl of seeds to coat. Arrange dough balls about 1 inch apart on 2 parchment lined baking sheets. Bake until puffed and cracked, about 10 minutes. Cool on baking sheets atop cooling racks.

Adapted from: Gourmet

Chocolate Almond Loaf

Light, fluffy, and moist chocolate cake with a hint of almond flavoring, topped with a sugared almond soak. This loaf is intensely chocolatey, yet just light enough to allow the almond taste to come through. The topping only further accentuates the almondy goodness and adds a lovely crunch. The next time I make this I'm going to try it with all almond flour to see if this can be an amazing gluten free option. Will update with results!



Chocolate Almond Loaf
Makes two 9" loaves

Ingredients
Cake:
1 1/3 cups sugar
7oz almond paste
1/4 cup almond flour
1 cup unsalted butter, room temp and cubed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
6 eggs
3/4 cup AP flour
1/2 cup dutch process cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Topping:
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup chopped almonds

Directions
Cake:
Preheat oven to 325F. Grease two 9" loaf pans (or its equivalent). In food processor, pulse together sugar, almond paste, and almond flour until homogenous. Add butter and extracts and pulse until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, pulsing for a bit and scraping down sides every so often. Once the mixture is smooth, pour into a large bowl. In separate medium bowl, whisk together AP flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Fold in half of the dry mixture into the wet. Once almost incorporated, add the rest of the dry and fold until mixture is homogenous. Pour into prepared pan(s) and bake for approx. 45 minutes, or until skewer test comes out clean. Allow loaf to cool in pan on cooling rack for 10 minutes before running offset spatula around loaf to release and then turning out onto cooling rack.

Topping:
After slicing loaf, heat sugar and water in pan on stove until sugar dissolves. Add nuts and cook until liquid becomes a little syrupy. Stir in almond extract and remove from heat. Push loaf slices together and pour nuts and syrup over the top of loaf. Separate loaf slices until topping sets so they don't become glued together.

Sesame Orange Blossom Bundt

I love this bundt! The flavor combination and texture are just so unique. The floral orange blossom water brightens up the toasted sesame, while the crunchy topping offsets the soft, moist, and almost chewy quality of the crumb. Let's also not forget to mention how handsome this bundt is!



Sesame Orange Blossom Bundt

Ingredients
For the topping:
1 cup toasted and cooled sesame seeds
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
1/8 teaspoon salt

For the cake:
8 ounces unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup yogurt
3 tablespoons orange blossom water

Directions
For the topping:
Place all ingredients into food processor and pulse until mixture comes together. Using half the mixture, sprinkle into well greased bundt pan. Set aside remaining half for layer in cake.

For the cake:
Preheat oven to 350F. In stand mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating until homogenous. Beat in vanilla. In separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In measuring cup, mix together yogurt and orange blossom water. Beginning and ending with dry ingredients (3 additions), alternate adding with yogurt (2 additions) to stand mixer, until just incorporated. Take half the cake batter and pour into bundt pan. Sprinkle remaining half of sesame mixture on top and press lightly into batter. Finish with pouring the rest of the batter on top. Bake for about an hour or until skewer test comes out clean and cake is not wet to the touch. Cool in pan for 15 minutes before turning out onto cooling rack. *Note, the cake will look kind of crazy and bubbly while baking- just go with it, it turns out fine.*

Adapted from: Serious Eats

Heart Cookie Pies

For Valentine's Day this year I made these adorable little treats filled with sour cherry preserves (not quite seasonal, but festive and most importantly, Doug's favorite!). The dough is like a cross between that of a cookie and a pie. It offers the simplicity of a cookie mix, but due to the butter and cream cheese, it has the flakiness of a pie crust. A little dash of almond extract in the dough compliments the sour cherry filling wonderfully.



Heart Cookie Pies
For approx. 28 cookie pies

Ingredients
8oz cream cheese, softened
16 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sour cherry preserves
1 egg, beaten
Raw sugar

Directions
In stand mixer, beat butter until light and fluffy. Add cream cheese and almond extract and beat until homogenous. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt. Add the dries to the mixer and mix until dough comes together. Remove dough, separate into two even discs, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least an hour.
Roll dough to 1/4"-1/8" thickness and using a 2 1/2"-3"cutter (can use larger, your yield will just be less and you'll use more filling), cut hearts- only re-roll scraps once. Half of the hearts will be the bottom of the cookie and half will be the tops. Dollop 1/2 teaspoon sour cherry filling on the bottom hearts. Take a fork and prick the center of each top heart (ouch) to create a vent for steam when baking. Brush the edges around the preserves of bottom cutouts with egg wash, place lids on top, and press to seal. Take fork and crimp all the way around cookie sandwich. Freeze for at least an hour. Preheat oven to 350F, brush the tops of the cookie pies with the rest of the egg wash and sprinkle generously with raw sugar. Bake until tops are golden and bottoms have some color, about 30 mins. in my oven. Cool on cooling rack.

Lemon Poppy Cupcakes

I made these lemon poppy cupcakes filled with lemon curd and topped with a lemon cream cheese frosting for my lovely friend Andrea's birthday gathering. You may recall the cake and matching cupcakes I made her last year: Autumn Birthday Cake. Although I was not quite as adventurous this year (fondant, oy), these handsome lil' guys were very well received!

Lemon Poppy Cupcakes
For approx. 30 cupcakes

Ingredients
16 tablespoons butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
Zest of 2 lemons
4 large eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups flour
4 tablespoons poppy seeds
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups yogurt (plain or vanilla)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F. Zest lemon into sugar and rub in with fingers until fragrant. In stand mixer, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs one by one and beat until fully incorporated. Beat in vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, poppy seeds, baking soda, and salt. Beginning and ending with dry ingredients (3 additions), alternate adding with yogurt (2 additions) to stand mixer, until just incorporated. Pour mixture into lined cupcake tin, filling each cup just above halfway. Bake for about 18-20 minutes, rotating tins halfway through, or until skewer comes out clean. Cool fully on cooling rack.

Lemon Curd

Ingredients
8 large egg yolks
Finely grated zest of 2 lemons
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
1 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces

Directions
Combine yolks, lemon zest, lemon juice, and sugar in a bowl set over a double boiler; whisk to combine. Cook, stirring constantly (be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl regularly), until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. Remove bowl from heat and add salt and butter, stirring until smooth. Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface of the curd to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled and set, at least 1 hour or up to 1 day.
Adapted from: Martha Stewart

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients
16-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
Zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Directions
In stand mixer, whisk cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add vanilla, zest, and juice and whisk until fully incorporated. Add powdered sugar in small additions making sure frosting is lump free along the way. Whisk until completely smooth. Chill in
refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Apple Spice Sandwich Cookies

Fall, my favorite season, is finally here and I couldn't be happier!
Soft, chewy, and packed with fall goodness, what better way to get this time of the year started than with some delicious spicy little apple sandwich cookies?

Apple Spice Sandwich Cookies

Ingredients
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup oats
3/4 cup toasted pecans or raisins (optional)
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large apples, peeled, cored, and shredded

Directions
Preheat oven to 325F. In large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, oats, and nuts/raisins if using. In a smaller bowl, whisk together melted butter, sugars, egg, vanilla, and apple. Mix wet into dry until just incorporated. Chill until firm enough to scoop desired size cookies onto lined baking sheet. Bake until golden around the edges and set. Cool fully before assembing sandwiches.

Adapted from: Guilty Kitchen

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients
16-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt

Directions
In stand mixer, whisk cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add vanilla and whisk until fully incorporated. Add powdered sugar and salt in small additions making sure frosting is lump free along the way. Whisk until completely smooth. Chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Plum Torte

A simple and delicious dessert to showcase the sweet plums of the season. This is a tried and true, classic NY Times recipe, and a great staple to have in your repertoire when you need to quickly whip up something lovely.

Plum Torte

Ingredients
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 cup flour, sifted
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
2 eggs
Approx. 11 halved and pitted purple plums
Lemon juice for sprinkling
Cinnamon sugar for sprinkling

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease 8, 9, or 10" pan. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and eggs all at once and beat until fully incorporated. Spread batter in pan and arrange plum halves flesh side up. Sprinkle fruit with lemon juice and cinnamon sugar. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until golden and a skewer comes out clean.

Adapted from: The New York Times

Honey Peach Cakes

Honey yogurt cakes topped with sliced peaches and a honey cinnamon glaze. These are deliciously tender cakes lightly spiced with cinnamon, softly sweetened with honey, and topped with juicy peach slices. This is a great cake base to do whatever you want with, whether it be folding fruit into the batter or arranging it decoratively on top. Also a nice cake to mix citrus zest into and then compliment with matching flavor glaze.

Honey Peach Cake

Ingredients
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 cup plain yogurt
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 2/3 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 peaches sliced thinly

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease 9 or 10" springform or cake pan and line with parchment round. Or grease square muffin tin (fill only half way). Whisk wet ingredients together in a medium bowl. Whisk dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Make a well in dry ingredients and fold wet ingredients in with a spatula making sure not to over-mix. Fill pans and arrange peach slices on top. Bake until skewer comes out clean (about 35-40 minutes for large pan, and 20 minutes for muffin tin).

Adapted from: Creative Loaf

Honey Cinnamon Glaze

Ingredients
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 tablespoon water
Pinch of cinnamon

Directions
Combine all ingredients in sauce pot and simmer for two minutes. Remove from heat and brush onto each cake.

Cherry Blueberry Share Pies

I was excited to test out my new 5" pie plates, and was even more excited with the results. This size pie is perfect for two to share, and not to mention adorable, as well. Doug and I finished off all four together, either leaving half for the other to finish at a later time, or sometimes bite for bite, carefully, snuggled on the couch.

Lemon Lavender Polenta Cookies

These cookies are crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, comprised of soft and sweet floral and citrus notes, and bulked up with the hearty crunch of polenta. Sophisticated, delicious, and very lovely with a cup of tea.

Lemon Lavender Polenta Cookies

Ingredients
12 tablespoons (6oz) butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
Zest from 1 lemon
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup uncooked polenta
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon lavender
1/2 teaspoon salt
Sugar in the raw for sprinkling

Directions
Preheat oven to 325F. In stand mixer, beat butter, sugar, and zest until light and fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and lemon juice and beat until fully incorporated. In separate bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, lavender, and salt together. Add to mixer and mix until just combined, scraping down to make sure everything is incorporated. Chill dough until firmer. Scoop 1" balls of dough and place 1-2" apart on lined baking sheet. Sprinkle each ball with sugar in the raw. Bake for 18 minutes, or until edges are golden. Cool on sheet tray for 5 minutes before moving each cookie to a cooling rack.

Adapted from: Serious Eats