Follow along as I document my adventures in baking. I hope it inspires you to try something new.
Thanks for visiting,
Sarah
Scali Bread is a popular Italian-American bread studded with sesame seeds. Chewy on the outside, soft on the inside, and big flavor - it's clearly popular for a reason.
Crisp pastry filled with raspberry jam, bittersweet chocolate, toasted pecans, and diced dried cranberries. I made this raspberry rugelach recipe from New York Times Cooking last year and fell in love with the sweet, bite size treats.
Gorgeously spiced gingerbread cookies sweetened with brown sugar and molasses so they have a little bit of a chew to them. Delicious. You’ll definitely have trouble stopping at one!
Fresh from the oven, I kind of wanted to call these Ginger Chocolate Cookies, but once cooled, the chocolatey flavor started to shine and the wonderful warmth and chewiness from the molasses came out, so I guess we’ll go with the author’s original name for them: Chocolate Molasses Cookies! Whatever you call them, they’re scrumptious, bold in flavor and perfect for holiday cookie gifting - if you can bear to give them away!
A friend introduced me to these orange Citrus Shortbread Cookies during our cookie baking party last Christmas. And even though I was sent home with quite a few, I loved them so much that I made more to include in my holiday gift baskets. The bright citrus flavor of these buttery, crumbly cookies is to die for.
These Pecan Shortbread Bars have that sweet and salty thing going that I can’t get enough of. The maple and brown sugar coated pecans are layered right on top of a thin, buttery, pat-in-pan shortbread crust for all the flavors of a pecan pie in an easier to execute form.
Rich, crisp, and chocolatey, around 19 spare seems about right to me. With espresso powder, chopped chocolate and hazelnuts mixed into the batter they hold their own when paired with a strong cup of coffee or latte.
Showstoppers don’t always need to be desserts. I can see this bread as a stunning, savory centerpiece for a holiday meal. Just tweak the flavors to compliment your meal.
With their soft and pillowy texture and warm yet vibrant flavors, these Gingerbread Cinnamon Buns are made for cozy fall mornings.
Not quite a blondie, not quite a cake, but tender, chocolatey, with a little crunch from the pecans and full of warm fall flavors. These pumpkin bars are an easy, stir-together recipe, no mixer or beaters required.
I’m so glad that I hopped onto the Apple Cider Doughnut bandwagon this fall! This baked doughnut version have that sweet/tart thing going on - tart from boiled apple cider balanced by a classic crunchy sweet cinnamon sugar coating. Tender and satisfying, they’re best when warm straight from the oven. Yum.
Happy Halloween! To celebrate, I made this Pumpkin Roll Cake filled with a decadent cream cheese filling accompanied by little homemade Peanut Butter Candy Pumpkins. Pumpkin and cream cheese is a classic combination with the sweet, tanginess of the filling complimenting the spiced cake. I put this cake in a Halloween setting, but it would be great alternative to pumpkin pie at your Thanksgiving table. Maybe just leave out the jack-o-lantern :)
A little chew, a little crunch, and a whole lotta pumpkin spice make these the ultimate fall chocolate chip cookie. They’re packed with rolled oats, toasted pumpkin seeds, chocolate chips and pumpkin (of course), and sweetened with brown sugar and maple syrup. All the autumn goodness.
No decorating skills? No problem. With the help of some cookie cutters and rich black cocoa you can create a spooky Halloween cookie-scape too. Candy googly eyes optional. These cute cats and bats taste like Oreos, so pour yourself a glass of milk for dunking and let’s start baking.
This was my first time making an apple pie! And the first time I’ve ever made a lattice crust. While I’m sure it shows in the visuals, I was pretty happy with the results for a first attempt, and more importantly, it was everything I was hoping for in terms of taste. All the traditional fall flavors of tart apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, and cloves encased in a buttery, flaky crust.
Sweet, buttery shortcrust pastry filled with luscious almond frangipane filling and topped with even more sliced almonds. Simple ingredients but really big on flavor.
t. Want to make something special, but also really just want to eat pizza? This braided beauty's got you covered. It’s filled with a blend of mozzarella, provolone, and asiago cheese all melted together with caramelized shallots, kalamata olives, and sun-dried tomatoes. The top is then sprinkled with grated parmesan, dried oregano and red pepper flakes and baked until golden brown.
I love the toasty crunch of pecans and the slight, sweet heat from the mix of warm, fall spices and crystalized ginger in this pumpkin bread. I put together this recipe in an attempt to recreate the one my mom used to make. Somehow we’d never see her making her amazing pumpkin bread, but it would magically appear on fall weekend mornings, beautifully spiced, lightly sweet, and just on the right side of moist. I still like mine for breakfast, spread with a little cream cheese with a strong cup of coffee.
Sometimes you just need a good sandwich bread. For staples like this, I’ll turn to one of my trusted recipe sources: King Arthur Baking Company. I tried out their 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread recently and wasn’t disappointed. It had just the right balance of nutty wheat and sweetness that made it versatile for a variety of sandwiches and breakfast toasts.
Well, here I am, living up to my previous confession that I can’t resist a recipe with cheese baked into it. This gorgeous pie by Erin Jeanne McDowel has a healthy quantity of cheddar cheese baked into the all-butter pie crust. I mean, how could I let that go unmade? The filling is a simple combination of tangy, smoky roasted tomatoes and corn, studded with spicy scallions and fresh basil. A mouthwatering balance of flavors, and the ultimate transitional meal as we go from summer to fall.
