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Posts from the ‘Desserts’ Category

Dec 7

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Just a cookie, that’s all.

Butter_dough

Sometimes, simple is the best. Forget that brown-butter, astro-cinnamon,* 72-hour, balsamic-glazed cookie you’ve been eyeing … just give me some butter, sugar, flour, and a couple minutes in the oven. I want a cookie even a baby would enjoy (and could make, if you let your baby use knives and the oven). Nothing spicy, nothing tangy, no two-page directions on how to achieve a chewiness that is so perfect it wins you friends and makes you more attractive. I want something a cookie, gosh darnit, not a project. Read more

Nov 7

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Football season is the best

I’ve been traveling like a nomad lately and haven’t really had time to do much of anything, much less cook … but this is just a quick note to say that Smitten Kitchen’s Red Velvet Cake recipe is by far the best I’ve had. And I mean the best either homemade or store-bought. I sometimes find red velvet cake a little heavy, a little chalky, a little flavorless … but this is moist, light, and flavorful. The buttermilk and the baking soda/vinegar combo are key to this recipe (I almost forgot the latter, but the batter took on a very different and complex taste after adding it at the end), and these ingredients go a long way to make a really interesting and absolutely delicious cake. Read more

Oct 25

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Happy birthday, Mr. Close.

At noon on a Monday, a couch, flannel pants, wool socks, a ginormous mug of tea, and a massive pile of discarded tissues can only mean one thing – home sick from work today. I spent all weekend playing my “don’t get sick” cards, which of course meant that it hit me today even worse.

But it was all worth it, seeing as Brett’s birthday was yesterday and we had a jam-packed weekend of activities and cooking.  Much of what we cooked and ate I neglected to photograph and/or I’m not prepared to blog about quite yet, but I did want to share a couple of things. First of all, this:

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Oct 6

A perfect substitute for those frappa-whatevers

Do you like ridiculous sugary blended coffee drinks? I do. Despite how they make me feel – physically and emotionally – I find them irresistible. Especially in airports. When I worked at a Peet’s I could justify drinking them every once in a while because it really was just milk, ice, espresso, and flavor syrup whirled up in a blender. And because I could alter those ingredients at will without sounding like a fool (“half-caf, soy, 1 pump vanilla, please”). But at most places (and I’m pretty sure even at Peet’s now), blended coffee drinks are a near-lethal combination of milk powder, coffee-flavored ooze, whole milk and/or heavy cream, and flavored syrups so sugary that your innocent little Starbucks purchase is suddenly on-par with a gallon of ice cream.

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Oct 5

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My bucket list cookies

I haven’t yet gotten on the life list/bucket list train, but if I ever do, I know one of the first things on the list would be “perfect Gram’s chocolate chip cookies.” I was not raised on those meager little Tollhouse discs, no sir – only my Gram’s plate-sized chewy, caramel-y, earthy masterpiece cookies. They’re one of the most popular things she sells, and a standby for any family occasion.

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