Sour Cream Coffee Cake

I think of Coffee Cake as comfort food of the dessert world.  Warm out of the oven with a tall glass of milk, it’s reminiscent of grandmom’s house.  Don’t let the name fool you, coffee cake does not have coffee in it.  Coffee cake is traditionally served with coffee, like tea-cakes are served at tea-time, when getting together with friends for coffee.  … Read more

Chocolate Sables

Sables are a French cookie with a delicate, sandy texture.  Their American counterpart would be something similar to Sandies.  This cookie uses both unsweetened cocoa powder and bittersweet chocolate which yields a very intense, complex chocolate taste.  The sandy texture comes from a dry mixture that you bring together to form into desired shapes; the … Read more

Palets aux Raisins

Called Palet for their round shape, these are buttery, delicate French cookies that have been topped with raisins plumped in rum.  You can replace with rum with water if you prefer a non-alcoholic cookie.  The finished cookie is delicate, crumbly, only slightly sweet with a crisp edge. Begin by placing 1/3 cup raisins in a … Read more

Almond-Vanilla Financiers

A small French cake, similar to a Madeleine that is baked in a small rectangular mold.  Financiers are sweet, tender and moist, and have a distinctive almond flavor.  The basis of the cake is beurre noisette (brown butter), egg whites, sugar, flour, and flavoring.  The browned butter imparts a lovely nutty flavor and crispy edge. … Read more

Rolled Cookies – Ready, Set, Roll!

Whether you are making drop cookies, shaped cookies, or rolled cookies, exact measuring and uniformity in cookie size is critical to successful baking. Many people don’t like to roll cookie dough because they struggle with getting the cookies the same thickness.  If your cookies are all uniform in size and thickness, they will have a … Read more

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I have favorite cookies to make and favorite cookies to eat.   This cookie definitely falls into the favorite cookies to eat category! This recipe differs from others in that it allows the taste of the two star ingredients – oatmeal and raisins – to shine. Everything else is just a subtle accompaniment. One thing that … Read more