You will adore the richness of this olive oil cake—the delicate savory undertones pair so elegantly with the herbaceous rosemary and zesty citrus. Olive oil cakes are so moist which renders them appropriate for rainbow layer cakes, sturdy for decorating, and excellent for freezing. Or simply, just a dusting of powdered sugar and you’re good to go!
Top it with a sprinkling of confectioners’ sugar using a pattern or paper doily to make it more festive—I used two star-shaped cookie cutters. It’s best to shake on your design just before serving as the cake is very moist and the confectioners’ sugar will melt into it. If desired, serve with a dollop of good French vanilla ice cream to take it over the top.
Preheat the oven to 325 ˚F. Line a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper.
Add the sugar, orange zest, and rosemary to a bowl and, using your fingertips, rub everything together until the sugar is fragrant and damp. Add the eggs and whisk until pale and thick. Beat in the yogurt and orange juice, then gradually whisk in the olive oil.
Sift the flour, baking soda and salt into a large bowl until aerated. Slowly pour in the wet ingredients and, using a large spoon or spatula, gently fold everything together until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin.
Bake for 45-50 minutes (ours took a total of 60), until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes, then invert the cake onto the rack to cool completely.
When cool and ready to eat, dust with confectioners’ sugar.
A dessert to die for. Bête Noire is a flourless chocolate cake that gets its silky, ultrasmooth, almost custard-like texture from the sugar syrup in the base, as well as from gentle baking. This version brings a uniquely complex flavor by caramelizing sugar with black peppercorns before dissolving the caramel with orange juice and bourbon.
A combination of bittersweet and semi-sweet chocolate yields a rounder, richer finish than just one type of chocolate, while Angostura bitters lends a spiciness and depth that balances the sweetness of the dessert.
Milk Street did away with the classic ganache coating and opted to use quickly candied orange zest for a garnish that adds contrasting color and texture. Though the cake requires at least 4 hours of chilling to fully set, it’s best served at room temperature, so don’t forget to remove the cake from the refrigerator at least two hours before serving. For neat slices, dip the knife in hot water, then wipe it dry before each cut.
Don’t use a whisk to combine the ingredients for the batter; a large silicone spatula is better. A whisk incorporates air, which leads to bubbles rising to the surface during baking and marring the smooth, shiny surface. Also, don’t forget to run a knife around the edges of the cake the moment it comes out of the oven; loosening the edges from the sides of the pan prevents the cake from cracking as it cools. Finally, don’t cover the cake before refrigerating, as a cover may trap condensation that can drip onto the cake.
8 Tbsp. (1 stick) salted butter, cut into 16 pieces, plus more for the pan
12 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 large navel orange
¾ cup + ⅓ cup white sugar
½ cup bourbon
3 Tbsp. black peppercorns
2 Tbsp. Angostura bitters
6 large eggs, beaten
Whole-milk Greek yogurt, to serve
Directions
Heat the oven to 275°F with a rack in the middle position. Coat the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan with butter. Line the bottom of the pan with kitchen parchment, then butter the parchment. Set a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet. In a large bowl, combine the bittersweet and semi-sweet chocolates and the butter; set a fine mesh strainer across the bowl, then set aside.
Using a vegetable peeler, remove just the outer zest of the orange, not the white pith just beneath, in long strips; set the strips aside. Halve the orange and juice into a liquid measuring cup. Measure 3 tablespoons of the juice into a medium saucepan. Add the bourbon to the remaining juice in the measuring cup, then add enough water to equal 1 cup total liquid; set aside.
Add the ¾ cup sugar to the juice in the saucepan, then add the zest strips and peppercorns. Set over medium-high and cook, without stirring but occasionally swirling the pan, until the sugar dissolves, 1 to 2 minutes. Continue cooking, swirling the pan often, until the sugar caramelizes to deep mahogany brown and the peppercorns begin to pop, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and carefully pour in the orange juice–bourbon mixture; the caramel will bubble up and harden. Set the pan over medium, bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, until the caramel has dissolved and the peppercorns no longer stick together, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the bitters.
Immediately pour the hot sugar syrup through the strainer into the chocolate-butter mixture; reserve the strained solids. Jostle the bowl to ensure the chocolate and butter are fully covered with syrup, then let stand for 2 to 3 minutes. Using a silicone spatula, gently stir until the mixture is well combined and completely smooth; it should be barely warm.
Add the beaten eggs to the chocolate mixture and stir with the spatula until homogenous and glossy, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour into the prepared springform pan. Gently tap the sides of the pan to remove any air bubbles, then use the back of a spoon to smooth the surface. Set the pan on the prepared baking sheet and bake until the cake barely jiggles when the pan is gently shaken, about 45 minutes.
Remove from the oven and immediately run a thin, sharp knife around the edges to loosen the sides of the cake from the pan. Cool to room temperature in the pan, then refrigerate uncovered for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.
While the cake cools transfer the zest strips from the strainer to a small, shallow bowl, removing and discarding any peppercorns stuck to them. Sprinkle the strips with ⅓ cup sugar, then toss until the strips are completely coated. Cover loosely and store at room temperature until ready to serve.
About 2 hours before serving, remove the cake from the refrigerator. Remove the zest strips from the sugar and shake off excess sugar; reserve the sugar for another use. Cut the strips lengthwise into thin strips. Remove the sides of the springform pan. Arrange the zest slivers on the cake around the edges. Slice the cake and serve with small spoonfuls of yogurt.
Thick and chewy M&M Christmas cookies with crispy edges, a soft center and bursting with chocolate flavor. Who can resist? The pops of red and green color from the M&M’s make them the perfect dessert to add to your holiday cookie platter. And the double shot of chocolate with both M&Ms and semi-sweet chocolate chips, well, just see for yourself…
For the dough, start by creaming the butter and sugars together with an electric mixer until creamy and fluffy. Then mix in the eggs and vanilla just until combined. Mix in the dry ingredients, then fold in the chocolate. Chill the dough for 30 minutes if you have the time.
Bake at 375°F for about 10 to 12 minutes. The edges should be barely golden brown when you remove them. Let set on the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. When cooled completely, indulge!
Another much-beloved cookie recipe: Many folks were asking me about the recipe for the Olive Oil Sugar Cookies with Pistachios and Lemon Glaze. You can find the post at this kink.
¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (more if desired)
1 cup Christmas M&M’s (more for tops if desired)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper and set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars with beaters. Mix for 1-2 minutes, or until creamy and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix just until combined.
Add the flour, baking soda and salt and mix just until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips and M&M’s. Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes if time allows.
Using a large cookie scoop (about 3 tablespoons), scoop the cookie dough onto the baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Place any extra chocolate chips or M&M’s on the top of the cookies if desired.
Bake for 10-12 minutes (longer if necessary), or until the edges are barely golden brown. Allow cookies to set on pan for 2-3 minutes, and then remove to a cooling rack.
A favorite combination for many with a sweet tooth: chocolate and peanut butter. Here, the famous duo meld together seamlessly with a chocolate cookie base that replaces one quarter of the butter with a 1/2 cup of smooth-style peanut butter mixed into the dough.
Another twist in the recipe, was the inclusion of some semi-sweet chocolate chips in addition to the peanut butter chips. Then, as if that isn’t enough, even more peanut butter chips were added atop the dropped raw cookie dough before going into the oven.
The double batch recipe shown below yielded 4 dozen cookies.
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease 2 cookie sheets.
Beat sugar and butter with an electric mixer in a large bowl until smooth and fluffy. Beat first egg into butter mixture. Beat in second egg along with vanilla extract.
Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl; stir into creamed mixture until just combined. Fold in peanut butter and semisweet chips. Drop cookies by heaping teaspoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets. Add 2 or 3 chips to the tops of each cookie mound.
Bake in the preheated oven until edges are set, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on the baking sheets briefly before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Spiced cookies are a favorite of The Hubs. So when he spotted this recipe on The NYTimes Cooking site, he immediately sent me a link… of course we had to try them. In fact, I made a double batch, one for an Art Opening we were attending, and one for the house.
“Biting into one of these cookies is like taking the first sip of a festive beverage, and their spiced coffee fragrance gives your kitchen cozy holiday vibes. A combination of fresh and ground ginger adds an extra note of warmth that accentuates the coffee flavor and other spices, while the espresso-sugar coating creates crisp edges that yield to pillowy-soft interiors. Pair it with your milk of choice and you have a gingerbread latte in a single bite.”
My double batch, rolled into 1 1⁄2 inch balls (smaller than the 2″ suggested size) yielded 58 cookies, nearly 5 dozen. After 2 hours refrigeration time, the dough was easily workable. Even though my finished cookies were smaller—2 1⁄2 to 3 inches in diameter—they still took the full 10 minutes to bake, turning the baking sheet halfway through.
NOTE: If you are using a scale to measure amounts, the original recipe called for ¼ cup/158 grams unsulphured molasses. The quarter cup measurement is correct, but the 158 grams is too much and should be 85 grams.
Tip: Portioned dough can be frozen in balls, then coated and baked for about 13 minutes.
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium. When it begins to bubble and get foamy, remove from the heat and whisk in the espresso powder, fresh ginger, ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and clove. Scrape the butter mixture into a medium mixing bowl and set aside to cool for about 5 minutes.
Add the sugars, molasses and salt to the bowl and whisk vigorously to combine. Add the egg, vanilla and baking soda and continue whisking until the mixture appears smooth and it’s the consistency of thin pancake batter, about 2 minutes. Add the flour and mix until evenly incorporated. Cover and chill the dough for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days before baking.
Heat oven to 375 degrees, with racks on the lower and upper thirds. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Prepare the coating by combining the granulated sugar, espresso powder and ground ginger in a small bowl.
Using a 2-tablespoon (1 ounce) scoop, scoop the dough and, using your hands, roll into walnut-size balls. (Alternatively, for each cookie, use a tablespoon measure to scoop 2 tablespoons dough and roll them into a ball.) Toss in the sugar mixture to coat.
Place the portioned dough 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets and bake, rotating the sheets on the racks halfway through, until the cookies have spread slightly and appear craggy on the surface, about 10 minutes. Allow to cool on the baking sheets for 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. (The cookies will flatten once cooled.) These cookies keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 4 to 5 days.
Some times you feel like a nut, some times you don’t. In this case, we are talking pecans—not loosing your marbles. With the dark chocolate morsels, they elevate flavor another notch above your typical chocolate chip cookie.
I like to add a whole pecan on top of each cookie after you drop them onto the cookie sheet and before they go into the oven. This takes the guess work out of wondering if they contain nuts for those who deal with nut allergies; or for those who have an aversion to particular nuts, such as walnuts (ahem, my other half).
Make sure your butter is softened, otherwise you won’t obtain a creamy base with which to start.
Healthy-ish. A closer look at the ingredients of whole wheat flour, ripe bananas, fresh blueberries, dark chocolate and 2% Greek yogurt, you can’t help but feel a bit smug when eating something so decadent. No butter, honey instead of refined sugar, and you are patting yourself on the back.
This combines parts of two previous banana bread recipes I’ve made in the past. And it is a treat anytime of day—for breakfast with more fresh fruit, a snack in the afternoon, or dessert in the evening with perhaps a dollop of good French vanilla ice cream. OK, so maybe the ice cream isn’t in keeping with the healthy factor, but sometimes you just need some self-love, right?
No mix master needed. Simply get a large mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas, add the other ingredients and then pour batter into your prepared loaf pan. Top with a smattering of additional blueberries and chocolate pieces, pop in the preheated oven for an hour. Voila, masterpiece accomplished!
A popular item to share at a Sunday brunch. If it is not all eaten right away, wrap in plastic wrap followed by a layer of tinfoil and keep in the refrigerator, or freeze.
Healthy Blueberry Banana Bread with Dark Chocolate
3 very ripe bananas, peeled and broken into large chunks
2 eggs
½ cup 2% plain Greek yogurt
⅓ cup honey
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. baking soda
1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
½ cup fresh blueberries, plus about 20 more for topping
½ cup dark chocolate pieces, plus about 20 more for topping
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
In a medium bowl, mash bananas. Mix eggs, yogurt, honey, vanilla extract, and baking soda into mixture.
Add flour and mix.
Gently fold in blueberries and chocolate chips into mixture. Save about 20 blueberries and chocolate pieces for the top.
Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. Press in parchment that slings over the sides for easier removal. Pour the batter into the pan. Top with the saved berries and chocolate.
Bake for about 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean from the middle of the bread.
Allow to cool at least 20 minutes in the pan. Lift out of pan using the parchment sling and cool another 15 minutes or so before serving.
In my mind, blueberries are synonymous with late summer. Growing up in Michigan, August was the best time to harvest the sweet blue globes, gobbling them up as we picked the fruit from the bushes. Then of course, whatever was left by the time we got home, Mom would add them to muffins, bread, fruit salad, and an array of desserts. If by chance there were still leftovers, they were frozen for another time.
This classic Blueberry Galette is the perfect easy treat to whip up using all those fresh blueberries. This rustic version is basically a lazy girl’s blueberry pie, way easier to make than a homemade pie and every bit as tasty. All you have to do is place the blueberries on top of the dough, and fold the dough however you want. Serve à la mode with a dollop of good French vanilla ice cream for the ultimate summer dessert!
Top the crust with sugar — This is a nonnegotiable step. Topping the crust with sugar will give your pie crust a beautiful golden brown, sweet, crunchy finish that is both beautiful and delicious!
Place the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Add the cold butter to the food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles wet sand and no large chunks of butter remain.
Add in the vodka (or water), one tablespoon at a time. If your dough has come together, don’t add any more vodka. You want just enough to bind the dough into a ball.
Turn the dough out of the food processor and form into a flat oval disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Place in fridge for at least 30 minutes, but up to 3 days.
Once your dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 375°F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
Sprinkle a work surface with flour. Roll your dough out into a 12-inch circle. Place dough onto prepared baking tray. Place a 9-inch cake pan in the center of the circle and press down ever so slightly. This will create an indentation to show exactly how far out to place your filling!
In a large bowl combine the blueberries, sugar, lemon juice, salt and cornstarch. Stir to coat the berries evenly.
Place the blueberry mixture in the center of the pie crust into an even layer. Lift the edges of the pie dough in towards the center, folding every 3-4 inches as you go around.
Mix egg with 1 tablespoon water and brush over crust. Top with coarse sugar if desired. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the blueberry filling is bubbling and the crust is golden brown. Serve with vanilla ice cream!
According to Milk Street, good olive oil is the secret to this rich, moist chocolate cake. Chocolate and olive oil might seem an unlikely pair, but in the Mediterranean, they are soul mates. And while the combination shows up in numerous desserts—from cookies to gelato—nowhere is this affinity more apparent than in the deliciously moist olive oil-based chocolate cakes made across Spain, Italy and Greece.
Your mouth watering yet? “Of all the ingredients that go into a cake, fat is one of the most important. Fat coats flour, which limits gluten formation to help cakes bake up fluffy, not chewy. Oil is particularly good at this, creating a plusher mouthfeel and softer crumb than butter because it is liquid at room temperature. Butter solidifies as it cools, resulting in a tougher texture.” So there you have it!
Double down by using both bittersweet chocolate and cocoa powder. Then enhance those flavors even further with two of chocolate’s other surprising bedfellows: espresso and lemon. Use espresso powder to amplify chocolate, as its roasty depth underscores the chocolate’s pleasant astringency. And lemon juice balances both with a shot of citrusy brightness.
Please don’t overbake the cake. Be sure to test it by inserting a toothpick into the center; it should come out with a few moist crumbs attached, as if baking brownies. Don’t be alarmed when the center of the cake deflates as it cools; this is normal. We brought it to a party and the guests gushed, giving it rave reviews. So friggin’ fudge-alicious that we made it a few weeks later for another party!
1/4 cup cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-processed, plus more to serve (optional)
1 tsp. instant espresso powder
1 cup white sugar, divided
4 large eggs, separated
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
Directions
Heat the oven to 325°F with a rack in the lower-middle position. Mist a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.
In a medium saucepan over medium, bring about 1 inch of water to a simmer. Put the chocolate in a heatproof large bowl and set the bowl on top of the saucepan; be sure the bottom does not touch the water. Stir occasionally until the chocolate is completely melted. Remove the bowl from the pan. Add the oil, cocoa, espresso powder and 107 grams (½ cup) sugar; whisk until well combined. Add the egg yolks and lemon juice; whisk until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and gently whisk until fully incorporated.
In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, whip the egg whites on medium-high until frothy, 1 to 2 minutes. With the mixer running, gradually add the remaining 107 grams (½ cup) of the sugar, then beat until the whites hold soft peaks, 1 to 2 minutes. Add about one-third of the whipped whites to the yolk-chocolate mixture and fold with a silicone spatula to lighten and loosen the base. Scrape in the remaining whites and gently fold in until well combined and no white streaks remain; the batter will be light and airy.
Gently pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Bake until well risen, the surface is crusty and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with a few crumbs attached, 45 to 50 minutes; do not overbake.
Set the pan on a wire rack and immediately run a narrow-bladed knife around the edge of the cake to loosen the sides. Cool in the pan for at least 1 hour before serving; the cake will deflate as it cools. When ready to serve, remove the pan sides and, if desired, dust with cocoa.
Here’s another cookie without eggs as an ingredient. And you might be a bit confused because they get baked in muffin tins. Chef/author Dorie Greenspan claims, the purpose of which helps to caramelize the bottoms—thus the name. However, I think that’s stretching the truth a bit. The butter in the tin cups does make them easy to remove but doesn’t necessarily give them a noticeable caramelized bottom—but by no means takes away from the wonderful flavor of the cookie.
Once the dough has been refrigerated, it’s just a matter of cutting the logs into 1/2-inch slices, popping them into the muffin cups, and baking. Dorie says “You might be tempted to use a baking sheet, but I hope you won’t—the texture is really best in the muffin tins.” Seeing as how they disappeared quickly after baking them, I’d say they were a hit!
2 sticks unsalted butter, (8 oz.) cut into chunks, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 heaping cup of chunks of dark chocolate, or large chips
Directions
In a large bowl, beat the butter, both sugars, and the salt together on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the vanilla. Add the flour all at once. Pulse a few times, just until the risk of flying flour has passed, and then beat on low speed until the flour is almost completely incorporated. Don’t beat too much—you want the mixture to be more clumpy than smooth.
Add the chocolate and fold in with a flexible spatula.
Knead the dough if necessary so it comes together. Divide it in half, and shape each hunk into a 6-inch-long log; they will be a scant 2 inches in diameter. Wrap each log in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours. (The logs can be refrigerated for 3 days or frozen for 2 months.)
Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter a muffin tin—two if you have them. Mark one log at ½-inch intervals, then cut into rounds with a chef’s knife, cutting hard through the chips. Place each puck in a muffin cup. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, until the cookies are browned around the edges and slightly soft in the center.
Let the cookies rest for 3 minutes, then gently pry each one out with the tip of a table knife and let cool on a rack. Let the pan cool, then repeat with the remaining log. Serve the cookies warm or at room temperature.
Shortbread is a celebration of simplicity—a combination of butter, sugar, and flour that adds up to so much more. Add M&Ms and a chocolate drizzle and you’ll knock it out of the park! And no eggs necessary.
Never made shortbread before? The “short” part refers to the lack of gluten development in this cookie. Liquid activates gluten, but because there’s no liquid in the recipe, the gluten doesn’t have a chance to develop protein that give other baked goods their chewy texture. Since the gluten is kept “short,” you get a tender, crumbly cookie that melts in the mouth.
Of course, you don’t need to know the science behind the dough to end up with tasty cookies!
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, optional for drizzle
2 tsp. shortening, optional for drizzle
Directions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Mix butter, sugar and vanilla thoroughly using an electric mixer. Gradually blend in flour and corn starch.
Form into 1-inch balls and place on parchment-lined baking sheets. Gently flatten each cookie using a flat-bottomed drinking glass rubbed with softened butter and dipped in sugar to prevent sticking. Press M&M’s into top of cookies.
Bake for 30 minutes or until bottoms begin to brown.
Cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet, then remove to wire rack to cool completely.
Drizzle melted chocolate* over the cooled cookies, if desired.
*Optional Chocolate Drizzle:
Place 1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips plus 2 teaspoons shortening in a small bowl. Microwave on high for 60 seconds, then stir thoroughly. (If necessary, microwave another 15-30 seconds.) Transfer melted chocolate to a small pastry bag or squeeze bottle and drizzle over cooled cookies. Let dry completely before storing.
Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake. Okay, if I’m honest, no dessert is worth perishing over, especially given the fact that I rarely eat it. But when I first saw this posting on FB, it screamed “try me,” and it seemed many of you agreed. This cheesecake from MyIncredibleEdibles.com is just as incredible as it sounds—a thick creamy cheesecake with cinnamon throughout and drizzled with cream cheese icing.
Now the bad news… It took an additional 45 minutes—that’s 50% longer—to come to 150° in the 200° oven, a total of 2 hours and 15 minutes! So take the timing with a grain of salt. (We think our oven is on the fritz, and we may be replacing it soon.) It is tricky trying to determine exactly when a cheesecake is done. It will still appear jiggly in the middle, but not overly so. Take a look at this quick video:
The secret to testing a cheesecake for doneness: Jiggle it. Gently shake the cheesecake. If the cheesecake looks nearly set and only a small circle in the center wobbles slightly, it’s done. Also, you can tell if a cheesecake is done by checking the internal temperature with a quick-read thermometer. Stick the probe halfway into the cake—a baked cheesecake should read 150ºF.
An underbaked cheesecake will ripple and wobble noticeably. The key to a perfect cheesecake is a subtle wiggle—not a sloshy jiggle. You might worry a runny middle means raw cheesecake, but it’s totally safe and normal. The center will firm up as it cools on a cooling rack, then sets in the fridge overnight.
The filling will reach to the top of the springform pan and might even puff over the sides a bit while in the oven. But after it rests and cools in the fridge, it will settle somewhat. Use a sharp knife to run around the inside edge before removing the pan. Then pipe on your icing creating a design or an abstract effect.
A couple of tips to remember: You are going to want to wrap the cheesecake in plastic wrap and let it chill overnight or a minimum of 8 hours. When you go to serve the slices, always have a hot washcloth nearby to be able to wipe the knife clean after each cut, it makes for a much more beautiful piece!
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a 9” springform pan with non-stick spray and set aside.
Start with the crust by adding about 1 package + 3 sheets of graham crackers into a food processor. Pulse until you get a fine crumb. Add in all remaining crust ingredients and pulse until well combined.
Pour the crust mixture into the bottom of the prepared springform pan and using a clean hand or a spatula, press down to form the crust. Be sure to take some up the sides of the pan as well.
Bake on 350 for about 10 minutes.
Cinnamon Crumble:
Combine all ingredients into a medium size bowl and use a fork to combine them until you have a nice crumble. Set aside.
Cheesecake Filling:
Start by adding your room temperature cream cheese into the bowl of a stand mixer equipped with a paddle attachment. Cream until light and fluffy and you do not see any bumps. Add sugar and flour and mix for about 1 minute.
While the mixture is on low speed, add vanilla extract and each egg one at a time. Allow each egg to combine fully before adding the next.
Once all the eggs are combined, set your mixture to a medium-high speed and mix for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, add in the heavy whipping cream and mix for an additional 1-2 minutes.
Pour about 1/3 of the cheesecake filling into the prepared crust. Top with about 1/3 of the crumble mixture using your fingers to crumble into small pieces. Add another layer of cheesecake filling and continue for two more layers. Add the remaining crumble to the top of the cheesecake.
Place the cheesecake in the center of your oven and bake at 350 for 15 minutes then reduce the heat to 200 degrees F. and bake for an additional 1 hour and 30 minutes
Once the hour and a half are up, turn off the heat and let the cheesecake sit in the oven for 30 minutes, do not open the oven door.
After 30 minutes, crack the oven door and allow the cheesecake to sit for 5 minutes. Then take out and chill. (Letting it chill overnight is best.)
Cream Cheese Topping:
Once the cheesecake is set, add all ingredients for the cream cheese topping into a medium bowl and use a hand mixer to mix well until light and smooth.
Add into a piping bag or sandwich bag with a small corner hole and pipe a design on the top of the cheesecake.
Use a hot wash cloth to wipe the knife clean after each wedge.
Christmas cookies are practically synonymous with kids. Cookies and milk for Santa? Decorating cut-out sugar cookies with mom? Sneaking extra cookies at Grandma’s house—well, because she lets you.
But what about a cookie just for the adults during the holidays? These pretty, festive Campari Shortbread Cookies With Crunchy Orange Sugar, from the new cookbook Cookies by Jesse Szewczyk, prove that Campari isn’t just for Negronis—and cookies aren’t just for kids.
I first saw the recipe in the Sunday newspaper supplement Parade Magazine and thought, these would make a nice addition to the array of cookies I bake every holiday season. Although, I knew instinctively that the dough should be rolled out to a 1/4″ thick and not 1/2″ as indicated (change noted below). They took the entire 19 minutes to perfectly bake at 1/4″ thickness.
Also, having decades worth of experience icing cookies, I decided to scale back on the amount of frosting, it just seemed too much for slightly more than a dozen shortbread wafers. My altered amounts worked out perfectly and are indicated under ingredients.
If gifting, please make a note to the recipient that these cookies contain alcohol.
Campari Shortbread Cookies With Crunchy Orange Sugar
2 Tbsp. coarse white sugar, such as turbinado or sanding sugar
1 tsp. grated orange zest
1 1⁄2 cups powdered sugar
3+ Tbsp. Campari (or Aperol)
1⁄2 tsp. vanilla extract
Pinch of kosher salt
Directions
In a small bowl, combine coarse sugar and zest. Use your fingertips to massage zest into sugar until very fragrant. Scatter sugar in a single layer on a plate. Let sit at room temperature (up to overnight), uncovered, to dry while making cookies.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats.
In a large bowl, combine butter, 1 cup confectioners’ sugar and 1 tsp salt. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes or until smooth and fluffy. Turn mixer off; add flour. Beat on low speed 2–3 minutes or until a dry dough forms.
Transfer dough to a piece of parchment paper lightly dusted with flour; press into a ball. Dust dough with flour and top with a second sheet of parchment paper; roll dough to 1⁄4-inch thickness. Remove top piece of parchment paper. Use a 2½-inch round cutter to cut out rounds; place 1½ inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Press dough scraps together into a ball; repeat rolling and cutting process. Freeze cut cookies 20 minutes.
Arrange 2 racks in upper-middle and lower-middle of oven. Preheat oven to 350°F.
Bake both sheets 15–19 minutes, swapping positions halfway through, until tops of cookies are light golden brown. Cool completely on baking sheets.
In a large bowl, whisk remaining 2¼ cups powdered sugar, Campari, vanilla and a pinch of salt until smooth. (If glaze is too thick, add more Campari; if too thin, add more confectioners’ sugar.) Dip tops of cookies in glaze, allowing excess to drip back into bowl. Sprinkle cookies with orange sugar; let set 1 hour. (When glaze is completely dry, cookies can be stored in a single layer up to 1 week in an airtight container.)
Technically, who knows? The FDA can, and has, given the OK for any orange-colored squash to also be labeled pumpkin. So that can of pumpkin you’ve been buying all these years? BINGO, it doesn’t have any actual Halloween pumpkin in it at all! So now let me rock your world…
Scoop that autumnal glop out of a can, even one labeled “100 percent pure pumpkin,” and you just may be cooking up a delicious little lie. Libby’s Pure Pumpkin—the quintessential American canned pumpkin brand—is responsible for 85% of canned pumpkin sold in the world.
Libby’s grows a proprietary strain of tan-skinned Dickinson squash, which looks like a pale, slightly misshapen butternut squash. And although Libby’s does refer to its fruit as “pumpkin,” in appearance, taste, and texture, it more closely resembles squash. In fact, its closest high-profile relative is butternut squash. Who knew?
If it’s a real deal breaker for you, go ahead and make your own pie filling from scratch. Or, you could just pop open a can and accept the fact that if it was good enough for mom, it’s good enough for you…. and that’s exactly what The Hubs did…
He made the pie from scratch, including the crust, and used butternut squash instead of canned pumpkin. According to chef/auther Melissa Clark, “Making your own fresh purée from sweet winter varieties will give you the best possible pumpkin pie, one that’s both ultracreamy and richly flavored. Just don’t be tempted to halve the whole squash and bake it still in the skin. Cutting it into cubes allows for the most evaporation and condensation for the best texture and taste.”
If using a glass or ceramic pie pan, you might want to parbake the crust. Since glass doesn’t conduct heat as well as metal, the crust may not cook through if you don’t parbake.
Let it just be said, I am not a pie person, nor do I ever eat dessert, but I did taste a sliver just to know what I was going to write about. The Hubs claims it was very light and up there with some of the best he’s ever eaten; and while I did like the flavors and creamy texture, I am no pie convert yet…
To make it even more special and really rock your world, why not top it with an extravagant Bourbon Whipped Cream from Cook’s Country? Recipe follows.
2 lbs. butternut squash (1 small squash), peeled, seeded and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks (about 3 cups)
1 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
All-purpose flour, for rolling out the dough
Dough for a single 9-inch pie crust
3 large eggs
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. grated nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground allspice or pinch of ground cloves
1 Tbsp. bourbon or dark rum, or use 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
Directions
Place two racks in the oven: one in the lower third and one in the upper third. Place a rimmed baking sheet on the lower oven rack and heat oven to 400 degrees.
Line another rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and spread butternut squash on it. Drizzle squash with 2 tablespoons of the heavy cream, sprinkle with granulated sugar and dot the top with butter. Roast on the upper rack, stirring once or twice, until squash is very tender, 40 to 50 minutes.
Meanwhile, on a lightly floured surface, roll pie dough into a 12-inch circle. Transfer to a 9-inch metal pie pan. Fold over any excess dough, crimping the edges. Transfer to the freezer for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. (This helps the crust hold its shape so the edges don’t slump.)
When the squash is soft, transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool for at least 10 minutes (and up to a few hours). Raise the oven temperature to 425 degrees.
In a food processor or blender, purée the squash with the remaining cream until smooth. Add eggs, brown sugar, spices, bourbon and salt, and pulse to combine. The mixture should be very smooth.
Pour mixture into the chilled pie shell. Carefully transfer pie to the hot baking sheet on the bottom rack. Bake for 10 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 300 and continue to bake until the crust is golden and the center jiggles just slightly when shaken, 35 to 45 minutes longer. Transfer pie to a wire cooling rack and allow to cool completely before serving. Pie can be baked up to 24 hours ahead of serving; do not refrigerate before serving.
The Hubs decided to treat himself with dessert for Father’s Day and when he eyeballed this Flourless Chocolate Torta in the latest Milk Street magazine, he knew it was the ticket! Rich, light and flourless, this Italian cake is a fudgy, brownie-like dessert created by Eugenio Gollini of the medieval town of Vignola back in 1886.
In reinventing this cake, Milk Street found that peanut flour, one of the most distinctive ingredients of the original Gollini torta, could be omitted without sacrificing flavor or texture. Instead they use almond flour which provides an equally flavorful and moist cake—and is much easier to source.
Instant espresso powder accentuates the deep, roasty, bitter notes and a dose of dark rum lifts the flavors with its fieriness. Serve with lightly sweetened mascarpone, whipped cream, or with vanilla gelato or ice cream—in our case, it was with a non-dairy oat vanilla brand that our lactose intolerant guests loved.
Don’t use natural cocoa. The recipe will still work, but the cake will be lighter in color and not quite as deep in flavor as when made with Dutch-processed cocoa. Take care not to overbake thecake. Remove it from the oven when a toothpick inserted at the center comes out with a few sticky crumbs clinging to it. After 30 to 45 minutes of cooling, the cake is inverted out of the pan; don’t worry about re-inverting it. True torta Barozzi is left upside-down for cutting and serving.
Don’t forget that the eggs need to be room temperature.
10 Tbsp. salted butter, cut into 10 pieces, plus more for the pan
6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
¼ cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder, plus more for dusting
1 Tbsp. instant espresso powder
4 large eggs, separated, room temperature
¾ cup white sugar, divided
1 cup almond flour
1/2 tsp. table salt
3 Tbsp. dark rum
Directions
Heat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the middle position. Butter an 8-inch square pan, line the bottom with a parchment square and butter the parchment.
In a medium saucepan over medium, melt the butter. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate, cocoa and espresso powder. Let stand for a few minutes to allow the chocolate to soften, then whisk until the mixture is smooth; cool until barely warm to the touch.
In a large bowl, vigorously whisk the egg yolks and ½ cup of the sugar until lightened and creamy, about 30 seconds. Add the chocolate mixture and whisk until homogeneous. Add the almond flour and salt, then whisk until fully incorporated. Whisk in the rum; set aside.
In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, whip the egg whites on medium-high until frothy, 1 to 2 minutes. With the mixer running, gradually add the remaining ¼ cup sugar, then beat until the whites hold soft peaks, about 2 minutes.
Add about a third of the whipped whites to the yolk-chocolate mixture and fold with a silicone spatula to lighten and loosen the base. Scrape on the remaining whites and gently fold in until no streaks remain. Transfer to the prepared pan and gently shake or tilt the pan to level the batter.
Bake until the cake is slightly domed and a toothpick inserted at the center comes out with a few crumbs attached, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 to 45 minutes; the cake will deflate slightly as it cools.
Run a paring knife around the inside edge of the pan to loosen the cake, then invert onto a platter; if needed, peel off and discard the parchment. Cool completely. Dust with cocoa before serving.
Accounting for Taste 