Here’s a plum cobbler that really could be made with any fruit you want. I think it’s valuable to memorize a few recipes — and while baking can be intimidating, memorizing a formula for a simple baked thing like a cobbler or crisp ensures that you always have dessert on hand. This healthy fruit cobbler recipe is endlessly customizable and a good recipe to just have in your internal memory bank.
…sweets
Morning buns with jam and labneh frosting
Inspired by one of my favorite cookbooks ever, “Small Victories” by Julia Turshen, these are morning buns made with jam. Instead of her creme fraiche frosting, I’m making frosting with labneh! Labneh is a middle eastern cheese that is basically super-strained yogurt. These jam morning buns with labneh frosting are not too sweet and perfect for a brunch potluck (which is what I made them for!)
…olive oil cake with labneh and figs with Grand Marnier
This olive oil cake is topped with labneh and fresh figs and is scented with Grand Marnier. It’s a really sophisticated take on an olive oil cake. It’s not grainy at all. And if I do say so myself, has a rather luxurious, smooth texture. It also has a really creamy, tight crumb. You can obviously tell I have a love of making cakes with olive oil from the sheer number of recipes here. But this one is a little different but equally as delicious.
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Levain whole wheat chocolate chip cookies
Inspired by the Levain on the Upper West Side and the NYT cookie recipe but with whole wheat pastry flour, these are a copycat Levain chocolate chip cookie recipe but with whole wheat flour. These Levain chocolate chip cookies are the best a tad undercooked — that’s how you get the gooey, molten middle.
…cherry chia chai jam
this cherry chia chai jam recipe is just 4 ingredients and looks (and tastes!) way more elegant than how much work it takes to make it. It is perfect with yogurt, or on top of toast, or on top of ice cream. This cherry chia chai jam will take advantage of your yummy summer cherries and tantalize your taste buds!
…no-bake chocolate tart – just mix and set
here’s a recipe for a really decadent, easy to make, no-bake chocolate tart that requires NO BAKING. just mix and set! the base is made with Oreos, and the chocolate ganache is a simple mixture of cream and chocolate. top it with chocolate shavings + cherries on top to make it really special! this no-bake chocolate tart is great for the summertime with turning on the oven seems impossible, but would also be wonderful for valentine’s day. muah!
…small batch tiramisu – tiramisu for two
ever have a hankering for tiramisu but don’t want to make a giant casserole dish worth of it? this recipe is scaled down and is perfect for a dinner party of 3-4 people or two — tiramisu for two. this small-batch tiramisu will still give you that pick-me-up you’re looking for, without having too many wasteful leftovers!
…PB2 peanut butter cookies
mango popsicle – perfect on a hot summer day
Here is a dead-simple recipe for mango popsicles, with just three ingredients: mango, water, and lime juice! If you’re feeling sassy and like the contrast of salty and sweet and mango with more lime. I thought these were really yummy with a dash of Tajin on top. In peak summer, it is just delicious on a hot day. They infuse Mexican flavors in a frozen treat!
…Upgrade a Boxed Cake Mix Into a Fancy Naked Cake
Have you ever wondered how bakers on Instagram make a naked cake with flowers – those fancy layer cakes with flowers and just the right amount of frosting? You can make your own cake completely from scratch…. or you could just… not. I’m not above using a boxed cake mix for making layer cakes and neither should you! Here’s how to upgrade boxed cake mix into a fancy layer cake – a naked cake with fresh flowers. Since a naked cake is just a cake frosted with only a crumb coat, it’s honestly the easiest kind of cake to do.
…no churn vietnamese iced coffee ice cream
I am really hyped on this recipe — this is a no-churn coffee ice cream that is like Vietnamese iced coffee — and it’s pretty much unreal. I don’t have an ice cream maker (i want this one and my birthday is in December in case anyone is feeling generous!) so I’ve been trying to figure out how to make ice cream at home without an ice cream maker. This recipe totally works – you won’t even know that it wasn’t churned the old fashioned way. No churn coffee ice cream — your summer is now complete.
…blueberry muffin bars
Here is a recipe that combine the best flavors of classic blueberry muffins with the structure of a berry buckle — I’m calling these blueberry muffin bars! I realized not too long ago that while I love most baked goods, sometimes blueberry muffins and of themselves are a little *much* for me. I also am of the school of thought that you should just eat what you want when you’re having a craving for something, so when a muffin craving strikes, I tend to run with it and make the most delicious version of that muffin craving I can do. Whereas blueberry muffins can be dry and the ratio of blueberries to dough is off, these are perfectly jammy with the high blueberry content, have great lemon-zesty notes, and won’t put you into a sugar coma. I hope you enjoy these blueberry muffin bars as much as we do!
…how to make s’mores completely at home
You guys. have you ever made smores at home, like truly DIY? As in, make the graham crackers and marshmallows yourself level of DIY? THIS IS A REVELATION. Up until this morning, I thought graham crackers were dusty-ass crackers that tasted like cardboard. NOT SO when you do it yourself. Also – marshmallows. Formerly cloyingly sweet, instant toothache status — when you DIY them (yes, it’s a total project), they’re light and fluffy! who knew??! NOT ME. i’m using a lot of caps because that is how shook i am from all of this. DIY smores are the TRUTH. Making smores at home is the WAY. This is a perfect recipe for s’mores at a fire pit and hanging out in the summertime.
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tahini chocolate chip skillet cookie
Tahini chocolate chip cookies are good, but skillet tahini chocolate chip cookies are GREAT. If you’ve ever been curious how to make a skillet chocolate chip cookie for two, using tahini, this is it!
small batch coconut donuts (vegan)
have you ever tried to make donuts at home? no? if you’re kind of a donut addict like me (holler donut plant on bergen and Flatbush!) it may behoove you to get a donut baking pan and make these baked coconut donuts at home for both time, money and caloric savings. (maybe not caloric if you eat the whole batch, but a small one, sure.) i made a small batch of these last weekend and it was such a delight on Sunday morning to have fresh donuts all to myself, and not too many because the recipe only yields 6. these are vegan donuts you can make at home!
easy mini strawberry pavlova for two
Pavlova is such a lovely play on texture and flavor, and when done well, is not cloyingly sweet. Here’s a recipe for how to make pavlova at home, and it’s the right amount to make pavlova for two people. Yum!
…strawberry tart with queso fresco
if you’re looking for a spring dessert idea, make this easy strawberry tart. but, i gotta warn you, this strawberry tart has a secret. its pastry creme has queso fresco in it!
…dirty chai horchata popsicles
So, the next few recipes are all going to be vaguely Mexican inspired. Sorry that’s just how it is after my trip last week. And because it’s hot as hell here in Brooklyn, popsicles are bae right now. Paletas are popsicles — sold by street vendors as well as heladerias all over any Latin American city. Or LA. or Miami. Here’s a recipe for horchata popsicles that take a dirty chai twist. I hope you love these dirty chai horchata popsicles and they keep you cool!
…blackberry rhubarb pie
here’s another rhubarb recipe from me, a certified rhubarb addict. blackberry and rhubarb plus almond paste is super delicious together. I definitely did not eat this for dinner all in one sitting. (i did!)
saltine millionaire bars
These saltine millionaire bars are a decadent treat that plays off of Twix Bar flavors. Crunchy, salty, and chocolate-y, this is the ultimate munchie food. These saltine millionaire bars are decadent and great to bring to a potluck, book club, bake sale or office cookie bake-off!
rhubarb panna cotta tart
This is a rhubarb panna cotta tart that capitalizes on the joys of rhubarb and is the next one in my series of rhubarb recipes this spring. in my sprint to get as much out of rhubarb season, i devised this rhubarb panna cotta tart to balance the sweet-tart flavors of rhubarb with a creamy-rich panna cotta interior. enjoy!
upside down rhubarb cake for two
every year around this time, i begin to google “rhubarb recipes” in an effort to maximize rhubarb’s short season. rhubarb is one of my favorite seasonal vegetables (fruits? truly… what is it?)… and it’s surprisingly versatile. this is a quick recipe for an upside-down rhubarb cake that’s rustic and not the most beautiful looking, but really incredible tasting if you like the sweet-and-sour vibes of rhubarb. additionally, it’s not so big, so it’s a great dessert for two people. spring desserts!! enjoy!!
salty white chocolate tahini tart
This is a white chocolate tahini tart, made with swirls of dark chocolate and Maldon salt on top. Unlike most white chocolate desserts, it’s not overly sweet. This white chocolate tahini tart is a play on unexpected flavors – tahini, chocolate, and salt are unexpected best friends!
semolina cardamom rose cake
this semolina rosewater cake is a savory, sophisticated tea cake that is great for tea, breakfast, or dessert alongside some whipped cream. Semolina flour makes the cake’s crumb hearty and earthy, almost like a polenta cake. it would be perfect with a dollop of creme fraiche or whipped cream, and almost certainly perfect for afternoon tea or morning coffee.
