Every time somebody asks me about this blog, I get a bit antsy and say something along the lines of, “I’m not blogging much these days, but I’d like to start it up again.” This is my first attempt in awhile to revive this space and get back into the routine of sharing the going-ons of my kitchen. I’d like to get more creative with my food photography and also redesign the site, but I have to start taking more photos and posting more often for that to happen. I have also toyed with the idea of making this a personal blog versus just a baking blog, but for now everything is staying as is.

I’ve been in the kitchen a lot lately and have been trying a bunch of new recipes. I’m getting more into baking with alternative flours and experimenting with vegan baking, but I will always love me a cookie made with good, old-fashioned butter. These homemade thin mint cookies are butter based and are also surprisingly from Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Cooking. It is a pretty standard cookie recipe, but I suppose what makes them “natural” enough for Heidi’s cookbook is that they are made with real ingredients versus the crap (for lack of a better term) used in the beloved Girl Scout version. For the record, I love the boxed cookies–I order a few boxes every year, but this homemade version takes thin mints to a whole other level.

There are two basic components to thin mint cookies: the chocolate cookie base and the mint-chocolate coating. The chocolate cookies are made with butter, confectioners sugar, whole wheat pastry flour (all-purpose would work fine too), cocoa powder, vanilla, an egg white and salt. The dough is super chocolaty, easy to work with, and doesn’t really spread when baking.

The mint-chocolate coating is just melted chocolate with some peppermint oil or peppermint extract stirred in. [If you are a food nerd like me, you may want to read this article detailing the difference between the oil and the extract. I've got more notes on this in the recipe.]

Once the cookies are coated in the mint-chocolate, you can throw them in the freezer to set. Et voilà! A beautiful, homemade version of everyone’s favorite Girl Scout cookie.

If you’re interested in other homemade versions of store bought treats, here are a few more recipes for homemade peanut butter eggs, wheat crackers, and graham crackers.

Homemade Thin Mints
Adapted from Super Natural Cooking

You may have to play around with the amount of peppermint oil or extract that you use depending on what you can get your hands on. Heidi suggests 1 1/2 teaspoons of peppermint oil in her book, but I don’t think you would need that much if it is pure peppermint oil. Simply Organic makes a peppermint flavor that is a mix of sunflower oil and peppermint oil and I suspect this may be the oil that Heidi is talking about since 1 1/2 teaspoons was the perfect amount when I tried it in these cookies. I have made a couple batches with peppermint extract as well that have turned out great–just be sure to taste it as you add it in. King Arthur Flour sells a pure peppermint oil that I am interested to try, so I’ll add a note on that if I do get a bottle in the future.

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup cocoa powder (Heidi calls for non-alkalized cocoa, but I’ve used both Dutch-processed and non-alkalized with good results)
1 egg white
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 pound semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 to 1 1/2 teaspoons peppermint oil or peppermint extract (see note above)

Heat the oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and mix until combined, scraping the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla extract, cocoa powder, egg white, and salt and mix until everything is smooth, creamy, and well incorporated. Add the flour and mix just until the batter no longer looks dusty.

On a lightly floured surface, turn out the dough and bring it together with your hands. Place the dough in a plastic bag and flatten it into a 1/2-inch thick disc. Place in the freezer to firm up for about 20 minutes.

Once chilled, remove the dough from the freezer and on a lightly floured surface (or in between two pieces of parchment or plastic wrap), roll the dough out until it is about 1/6-inch thick. Use a 1 1/2-inch round or fluted cookie cutter to cut out the cookies. Place them on the lined baking sheets and bake for 10 minutes, or until they smell toasty and chocolaty. Place the baking sheets on wire racks to cool completely.

In the meantime, make the mint-chocolate coating. Place a glass bowl over simmering water to create a double boiler (making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water), and melt the semisweet chocolate, stirring frequently, until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and whisk in the peppermint oil or peppermint extract, starting out with only 1/2 teaspoon. Taste and slowly add additional peppermint oil or extract until the mint-chocolate tastes minty enough for you.

Line the baking sheets with new parchment paper. One at a time, drop the cookies into the chocolate and use a fork to turn them to coat them completely. Use the fork to scoop up the coated cookies, holding them for a few seconds to drain off any excess chocolate, and place them onto the lined baking sheets. Once all the cookies are coated, place the baking sheets in the freezer to set. Once set, transfer the cookies to a freezer safe container and store in the freezer.

Makes 2 to 3 dozen cookies.

We celebrated Andrew’s 31st birthday over the weekend! It is crazy to think that Andrew was 21 (a spring chicken!) when we first started dating. Over the years I have baked him various treats to celebrate his birthday—many cakes (in recent years it’s been this cake mentioned in my last post) and several chocolate cream pies. This year I decided it was time for another pie year.

Chocolate cream pie may seem like an odd choice for a birthday, but it was Andrew’s favorite childhood dessert that his mom made. I took up making them for him after we got married. BEST. WIFE. EVER. But really, that’s what he thinks when I make chocolate cream pie.

Sometimes I make a chocolate crust for this pie, but I decided to go with a standard all-butter pie crust this time around. The recipe I used for this crust is slightly different than my go-to pâte brisée recipe (used here and here). I found this pie crust to be flakier and more tender, which I am a fan of, but I also found that the crimped edges on this crust did not hold their shape at all (a common problem with all-butter pie crusts as explained here). I suppose it’s a small price to pay for all that glorious flakiness.

For the chocolate filling, I used a 61% cacao content bittersweet chocolate, but I have used up to 70% cacao content chocolate in the past with delicious, albeit richer results.

The chocolate filling of the pie is what I like to call a pudding-custard hybrid. It is thickened with cornstarch like a pudding, but also uses egg yolks like a custard. There is even a bit of gelatin added to make the pie more sliceable. The result is a velvety smooth, creamy, and wonderfully chocolatey filling.

Once the filling has had time to set in the pre-baked pie crust, all that’s left to do is make some whipped cream and shave some chocolate overtop.

There’s nothing I don’t love about this pie. It’s Andrew’s favorite for a reason, partly because it is nostalgic, but mainly because it is just SO GOOD.

Happy birthday babe!

Chocolate Cream Pie
Adapted from Martha Stewart’s New Pies & Tarts and The Four & Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book

Pie crust, pre-baked and cooled (recipe follows)

Filling:
2 1/2 cups milk
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate (60-61% cacao), chopped
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon unflavored powdered gelatin
2 tablespoons cold water
4 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping:
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Block of chocolate to grate over top

Make the filling: In a medium saucepan, combine the milk and chocolate. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking occasionally, until the chocolate is melted. In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add 1 cup of the milk mixture to the cornstarch mixture and whisk until smooth. Add mixture back into the saucepan and whisk to combine. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 4 to 5 minutes or until bubbling and thick (about 2 minutes after the mixture comes to a boil).

In a tiny bowl, sprinkle gelatin over 2 tablespoons cold water. Let stand until softened, about 5 minutes. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Slowly whisk the hot chocolate mixture into the egg yolks. Add mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium hear, stirring constantly, until custard is thick and bubbles appear in the center, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add the softened gelatin to the saucepan and whisk until dissolved. Stir in the vanilla. Cool for 10 minutes, whisking a few times during cooling.

Fill the crust: Pour the custard into the cooled pre-baked crust. Press a piece of plastic wrap on the surface of the custard and chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours or up to 1 day.

Make the topping: Whisk the cream until soft peaks for. Add the confectioners sugar and vanilla, and whisk until stiff peaks form. Top the pie with topping and use a vegetable peeler to grate chocolate overtop to garnish.

Makes one 9-inch pie.

All-Butter Single Pie Crust
Adapted from The Four & Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup cold water
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 cup ice
1 egg white
1 tablespoon water

Make the dough: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and sugar. Add the butter and use a pastry blender to coat the butter cubes with the flour mixture. Then use the pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour mixture until most of the butter is pea-sized. Work quickly so the butter stays cold and do not over-blend.

In a small bowl or glass measuring cup, combine the cold water, cider vinegar, and ice. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the ice water over the dry ingredients and mix with a bench scraper or spatula until fully incorporated. Add an additional 1 to 2 tablespoons of ice water at a time and use the bench scraper or your hands to mix the dough until it comes together in a ball with some dry bits remaining. Bring the ball together with your hands and sprinkle any dry bits with additional ice water if needed. Shape the dough into a flat disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 1 hour (preferably overnight) or up to 3 days.

Roll out the dough: Let the chilled dough rest at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes before rolling out. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out with a rolling pin until it’s about 1/8-inch thick, adding more flour as needed to prevent sticking.

Lay the dough over a 9-inch glass Pyrex pie plate and gently fit the dough into the plate without pulling or stretching the dough. Trim the edges of the dough so that there is a 1-inch overhang and then tuck the overhang under itself so that the edge of the piecrust meets the edge of the pie plate. Crimp the edges however you like. Then prick the bottom of the piecrust all over with a fork. Cover and chill the prepared piecrust in the fridge or freezer until firm.

Bake the crust: Arrange the oven racks to the lowest and center position, placing a rimmed baking sheet on the lowest rack. Preheat the oven to 425. Whisk together the egg white and 1 tablespoon of water, and set aside. Line the frozen pie crust tightly with foil, making sure all the edges are covered. Fill the foil lined crust with beans or pie weights, spreading them so that the edges have more weights than the center. Place the prepared pie plate on the preheated baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and gently lift out the foil with pie weights. Let the crust cool for a minute and then use a pastry brush to coat the bottom and sides of the crust with the egg white wash.

Place the baking sheet with the pie crust on the oven’s center rack and bake for an additional 8 to 10 minutes until the crust is golden brown. Cool completely.

Makes one pre-baked 9-inch pie crust.

I wasn’t planning on writing a blog post on this cake so I wish I had more pictures, but I think you can get the idea with the few pictures I did take. I made this pretty pink cake for a sweet little 2-year old named Paige. I don’t think Paige had any opinions on what she wanted for her birthday cake, but her 4-year old brother, Morgan, had one request. He asked me very politely if I could make the cake chocolate and to quote his aunt, “he doesn’t think it’s cake unless it’s chocolate.” You’ve got to love a 4-year old who already has some life philosophies.

Lucky for Morgan, I have a tried and true chocolate cake recipe. It’s That Chocolate Cake that I first made for Andrew’s 28th birthday a couple years back. For Paige’s cake, I swapped out the chocolate frosting for a whipped vanilla buttercream that I tinted a few shades of pink.

Normally I just smear frosting onto cakes any which way, but I took the extra step to crumb coat the cake before frosting it with pink buttercream. Crumb coating ensures that your final layer of frosting doesn’t have any pesky cake crumbs in it and gives you a nice smooth base to work with.

For the ombre effect, I tinted my whipped vanilla buttercream three shades of pink and watched this video for guidance. I also made a cute little cake topper with a couple of bamboo skewers, baker’s twine, pink paper, and a hot glue gun. The cake was a hit at the party! I think Paige approved of its pinkness and Morgan was happy to see chocolate on the inside.

Pink Ombre Cake {Chocolate Cake with Whipped Vanilla Buttercream}
Cake Adapted from this post, Frosting Adapted from Sweetapolita

I’m usually not too fussy when it comes to measuring ingredients, but I really prefer to use a kitchen scale to weigh out ingredients when I bake cakes. If you have a scale, I suggest using the weight measurements listed in the recipe. Also, the amount of frosting in this recipe is enough to cover the cake, but I made a double batch. If you are okay with leftovers, doubling the recipe isn’t a bad idea so you have extra buttercream to work with.

Cake:
3 cups (600 grams) sugar
Scant 3 cups (425 grams) all-purpose flour
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (135 grams) Dutch-processed cocoa powder, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
3 large eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup vegetable oil (I used canola oil)
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups freshly brewed hot coffee

Frosting (*see note above):
3 sticks plus 2 tablespoons (375 grams) unsalted butter, cut into cubes and room temperature
3 1/2 cups (400 grams) confectioners sugar, sifted
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Big pinch of fine grain sea salt
Pink food coloring (I used Americolor Gel Paste Food Color in Electric Pink)

Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter three 8-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper cut to fit. Then butter the tops of the parchment paper and flour the pans, tapping out any excess flour. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the sugar, flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder, and baking soda on low to combine.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, and milk. With the mixer on low, slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, until just combined. Then slowly pour in the coffee and mix on medium low speed until the batter is smooth (it will be very liquidy). Scrape down the beater and the bowl with a rubber spatula and make sure everything is well combined.

Divide the batter evenly between the three prepared cake pans. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until a cake tested inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean. Place the cake pans on a wire rack to cool completely. Once the cakes are cool, turn them out of the pans and use a serrated knife to level the tops of the cakes.

Make the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip the butter on medium speed for 8 minutes, until the butter is pale and creamy. Add the confectioners sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and big pinch of salt. Mix on low speed for 1 minute and then increase the speed to medium and mix for an additional 6 minutes. Divide the frosting into 4 bowls and tint 3 of the bowls differing shades of pink, leaving 1 bowl of frosting untinted.

Assemble the cake: Stack the cakes together with a layer of untinted frosting between each layer of cake. Then crumb coat the cake with a thin layer of untinted frosting and place the cake in the fridge for about 30 minutes, until the crumb coat is firm to the touch (crumb coat tutorial here). Frost the cake with the pink tinted frosting, starting with the dark pink on the bottom of the cake and working your way up the cake with the lighter pink frostings (ombre frosting tutorial here).

Makes one 3-layer 8-inch round cake.

The last time my mom came to visit she gave me two 8-ounce bottles of almond extract, three large tins of tea, and two bottles of my favorite chili sauce (which is not Sriracha, by the way). Her annual visits from Cleveland always involve food gifts, which I happily look forward to. She once even hauled a Costco-sized bag of pine nuts to me, just because she knew I liked to make pesto. She is so generous and thoughtful in that way.

While I know that I will go through her gifts of tea and chili sauce quickly, I’m pretty sure that I now have a lifetime supply of almond extract. She loves baking with almond extract and knows that I do too, so in her mind she was probably thinking, “Why not stock Connie up?”

I admittedly haven’t even opened her bottles of extract yet because I’m still finishing up a bottle of my own, but I know I will get to them eventually. This recipe for Chinese almond cookies alone takes 1 tablespoon of almond extract, which (not surprisingly) is my mother’s recipe. I’m pretty sure she quadrupled whatever the original amount was because she is the type of person who would want an “almond cookie” to taste like almonds and not just hint of them. I would know because I’m that type of person too.

Between the almond extract, almond meal, and almond slices in this recipe, there is plenty of flavor in these cookies. They are also delicate in texture and not too sweet. My mom is the queen of “not too sweet” and this is just another one of her recipes that goes to show that you don’t need a ton of sugar to make something delicious. You just need a ton of almond extract.

Chinese Almond Cookies
Adapted from my mom Helena

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/3 cups almond meal, lightly packed
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
Pinch of fine grain sea salt
2 large eggs, divided
1 tablespoon almond extract
Sliced almonds for decoration

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, and baking soda. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the almond meal, butter, and salt. Mix on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add one egg and the almond extract and mix on low speed until combined. With the mixer on low, slowly add the reserved flour-sugar mixture and mix until just combined. Form the dough into a disc and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours.

Heat the oven to 325 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Beat the remaining egg in a bowl and set aside. Divide the chilled disc of dough into quarters and then divide each quarter into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball about an inch wide and place on the prepared baking sheets. Plan on fitting a dozen cookies on each backing sheet and baking two sheets at a time. Press each dough ball down slightly with the palm of your hand, until the cookie is coin shaped and about 1/8 to 1/4 inch in thickness. Brush the cookies with the reserved egg wash and arrange two almond slices in the center of each cookie, pressing them lightly into place. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until the cookies are lightly golden on top. Cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 4 dozen cookies.

You should know from my post on Jackie’s challah bread that my love for challah runs deep. I’ve made a couple of loaves this year already and then the other day I did something kind of crazy and kind of genius. I turned my lovely challah dough into a batch of sweet and sticky cinnamon rolls. Totally crazy/genius, right? I can’t take credit for the idea, as I got it from someone else, but I’m happy to report that they taste as amazing as they sound.

To make the cinnamon rolls, I made my challah dough as usual, but instead of braiding the dough, I rolled it out to a big flat rectangle. Then I sprinkled generous amounts of cinnamon and brown sugar on top. I didn’t measure, but my philosophy here was “more is more.” One thing I thought of while typing this, is that it wouldn’t be a bad idea to smother the dough with softened butter before sprinkling on the cinnamon and brown sugar…not a bad idea at all. I’m going to have to try it with my next batch.

After the dough was sufficiently covered with cinnamon and brown sugar, I rolled up the dough, sliced the dough, and arranged the slices cut-side up in a baking pan. Then, I let the dough rest to proof for a bit before baking.

 They came out of the oven looking perfect and begging to be glazed. So while the rolls cooled for a few minutes, I whipped up a batch of cream cheese glaze and poured a good amount over the cinnamon rolls.

These challah cinnamon rolls are total perfection, especially when eaten warm with extra glaze on the side. With this success, I’m thinking of all the other things I can make with challah bread. Sticky buns and garlic knots are at the top of my list. Any other ideas are welcomed!

Challah Cinnamon Rolls

Sponge:
1 cup bread flour
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
1 1/4 cups lukewarm water

Dough:
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil, plus more for coating
2 large eggs
3 to 4 cups bread flour

Assembly:
Ground cinnamon for sprinkling
Light brown sugar for sprinkling
Butter for greasing the pan

Cream Cheese Glaze:
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup confetioners sugar
4 to 6 teaspoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Make the sponge: In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together the flour, yeast, and water and let sit for 10 minutes.

Make the dough: Add the sugar, light brown sugar, honey, salt, and oil to the sponge and mix with the mixer’s paddle attachment until combined. Mix in the eggs and then beat in 1 cup of flour until fully incorporated. With the mixer on low, continue to add flour, about 2 to 3 cups, until a very soft dough forms. Then remove the mixer’s paddle attachment and replace it with the dough hook attachment. Knead on low speed for about 5 minutes, adding additional flour if needed. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead the dough by hand for a few minutes, until the dough feels smooth and springs back when pressed. Lightly oil a large bowl and place the ball of dough in the bowl and turn it to coat it with oil. Cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap and let rise for 1 to 2 hours, until doubled in size.

Assemble the cinnamon rolls: Butter a 9-inch round cake pan and set aside. Turn out the risen dough on a lightly floured surface. With a rolling pin, roll out the dough to a thin long rectangle. Sprinkle the surface of the dough with a generous amount of cinnamon and use your hands to rub the cinnamon all over the surface of the rectangle. Sprinkle the top of the cinnamon with a generous amount of light brown sugar. Roll the dough tightly, starting from the long edge of the rectangle, until you have one long log. Slice the log into 2-3 inch pieces (doesn’t have to be perfect) and place the pieces cut-side up into the prepared pan. Cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap and set aside for about 30 minutes to proof, until the rolls have puffed up a bit. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 350 degrees.

After the rolls have proofed, bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until baked through and browned on top. Set aside to cool for about 10 minutes.

Glaze the cinnamon rolls: While the rolls are cooling, make the glaze by whisking the cream cheese, confectioners sugar, 4 teaspoons of milk, and vanilla extract. If needed, add the additional 2 teaspoons of milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the glaze is both thick and pourable. After the rolls have cooled for about 10 minutes, cover the rolls with about half to three-quarters of the glaze. Serve the rolls warm with the leftover glaze on the side.

Makes one 9-inch round pan or about 10 cinnamon rolls.

I am loving these sweet little heart cookies. They are light, not too sweet, and have the perfect flavor combination of almond and coconut (a combo that I have also used here and here). The dough is made with almond flour, oat flour, and shredded unsweetened coconut, giving them a delicate texture while also making them gluten-free.

I especially love how thoughtful (i.e. imperfect) these free-formed hearts look. They have a charm about them, as if they were drawn by a little girl–making these cookies all the more special.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Almond Coconut Heart Cookies

3/4 cup almond flour
3/4 cup oat flour
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners sugar, plus more for dusting
1 large egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, oat flour, coconut, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and confectioners sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolk and almond extract, and beat to combine. On low speed, slowly add the reserved almond flour mixture and mix until just combined.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, or until the dough is firm enough to work with. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Take one tablespoon of dough at a time and roll into ropes about 7-inches long. Shape each rope into a heart and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, leaving an inch or so of space between each cookie.

Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies start to turn golden brown. Place the baking sheet on a cooling rack and let the cookies cool completely before dusting with confectioners sugar.

Makes about 20 cookies.

When I lived in New York, my friends Jackie and Milena hosted a potluck dinner almost every Friday night. It was our time to feast and gossip, and it was my favorite way to start the weekend. Every potluck had a theme (like “breakfast for dinner” or “English tea party”). No matter what the theme though, Jackie’s challah bread was always on the table.

To me, Jackie’s challah is pure comfort. Nothing could melt away the stresses of working and living in New York quite like that bread, and I looked forward to eating it every week. When I moved to Houston, I had to say goodbye to a city that I loved, dear friends, potluck Fridays, and Jackie’s challah.

Luckily, Jackie gave me her recipe. Unfortunately, I have to make it myself now.

I’m convinced that no one can make challah quite like Jackie, but that doesn’t stop me from trying. I adapted her recipe slightly so that I could use instant yeast (versus active dry yeast–although I know she uses fresh yeast sometimes too) and I changed it so that the recipe yields one loaf instead of two.

One thing that sets Jackie’s recipe apart from other challah breads is the amount of sugar in the dough. It’s sweeter than most with a mixture of sugar, brown sugar, and honey.

So far I have only made this challah a handful of times on my own. Each loaf takes me back to those nostalgic Friday nights at Jackie’s place. Each loaf has also taught me that I’m not the best braider (oh well). I must have had beginner’s luck because the first challah I braided has been my prettiest to date. My last few attempts have proved more challenging.

Perfectly braided or not, this is hands down my favorite bread recipe. Thank you Jackie, for all the great memories and for making the best challah on earth!

Jackie’s Challah Bread
Adapted from my good friend Jackie Goodman

I know it is traditional to have two loaves when you make challah and this recipe only yields one. Should you want to make two loaves, try doubling the recipe. I think it should double just fine as it reads closer to Jackie’s original recipe, although I can’t vouch for the same results.

Sponge:
1 cup bread flour
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
1 1/4 cups lukewarm water

Dough:
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil, plus more for coating
2 large eggs
3 to 4 cups bread flour

Egg Wash:
1 large egg

Make the sponge: In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together the flour, yeast, and water and let sit for 10 minutes.

Make the dough: Add the sugar, light brown sugar, honey, salt, and oil to the sponge and mix with the mixer’s paddle attachment until combined. Mix in the eggs and then beat in 1 cup of flour until fully incorporated. Continue to add flour, about 2 to 3 cups, until a very soft dough forms. Then remove the mixer’s paddle attachment and replace it with the dough hook attachment. Knead on low speed for about 10 minutes, adding additional flour or water as needed, until the dough is smooth and springy. Lightly oil a large bowl and place the ball of dough in the bowl, turning it so that it is also coated with oil. Cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap and let rise for 1 to 2 hours, until doubled in size.

On a clean surface, divide the dough into 6 even pieces and roll each piece into a rope, squeezing out any excess air pockets. Squeeze ropes together at the top and begin braiding the challah. Starting with the furthest right rope, weave the rope over 2, under 1, and then over 2 and repeat until the whole loaf is braided (watch this video for a demonstration). Once braided, squeeze the ends together and fold both ends under the loaf. Reshape as necessary and transfer the loaf to a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Cover the loaf with plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Beat the remaining egg and brush the loaf with egg wash with a pastry brush. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the loaf is baked through and golden brown.

Makes 1 loaf.

You know you are getting old when you find yourself at a party that revolves around a 4,000-piece world map puzzle. It may sound a little lame, but let me tell you it was a lot of fun. What better way to spend a Wednesday night than with friends, good food, wine, and a giant puzzle?

To help out with the event, I promised the host that I would bring dessert. I had planned on making a triple chocolate cake concoction that I have had marked in one of my cookbooks for years, but when I saw the fresh figs at Whole Foods, I immediately changed my game plan.

With a basket of beautifully ripe figs and Martha Stewart’s Pies and Tarts book (signed by Martha by the way) at my disposal, this Fresh Fig Tart was born. I made a few minor tweaks to the book’s Strawberry and Fresh Fig Tart to accommodate my lack of strawberries and my slightly smaller tart pan, with great results.

The figs are really the highlight and treat of the tart, but the filling is spectacular as well. The batter holding the figs in place is made with a mixture of hazelnuts, brown sugar, butter, and Cognac (among other things). It’s similar to a French frangipane batter, which is traditionally made with almonds instead of hazelnuts, and compliments the figs beautifully. Adding a healthy does of vanilla scented whipped cream to each slice of tart doesn’t hurt anything either.

Most of the tart was devoured by the end of the evening. I wish I could say that most of the puzzle was competed as well, but we hardly made a dent in it.

Fresh Fig Tart
Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Pies and Tarts

The original recipe included strawberries and was made as a 10-inch tart. I omitted the strawberries and had no problem fitting the filling in a 9-inch tart shell. If you are worried about the tart overflowing and are using a 9-inch tart shell, reserve a little bit of the hazelnut mixture.

1/2 recipe Pâte Brisée (recipe follows)
3/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted and skinned
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup natural cane sugar
1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature
2 tablespoons good Cognac
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
8-12 ounces fresh Black Mission figs, stemmed and halved lengthwise
Whipped cream, for serving (recipe follows)

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the Pâte Brisée dough until it is about 1/8-inch thick. Lay it over a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom and gently fit the dough into the pan without pulling or stretching the dough. Trim any excess dough by rolling a rolling pin over the edges of the pan. Pierce the bottom of the tart shell all over with a fork and then place in the fridge of freezer until firm. Heat the oven to 350 degrees while the tart shell chills.

Once firm, line the tart shell with parchment paper and fill it with pie weights (I use dried beans). Bake for 30 minutes, until the shell has set. Then remove the pie weights and parchment paper and bake for another 5 minutes. Set aside on a wire rack and cool completely.

In a food processor, pulse the hazelnuts until finely chopped. Add the brown sugar, sugar, salt, and lemon zest, and pulse to combine. Then add the butter, Cognac, eggs, and vanilla, and process until the mixture is almost smooth.

Place the tart pan on a rimmed baking sheet. Spread the hazelnut mixture on the bottom of the tart shell, using a palette knife to even out the top. Arrange the fresh figs halves on top and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 325 degrees and bake until the filling is set and dark brown in color, about another 60 minutes or so. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve at room temperature with whipped cream on top.

Makes one 9-inch tart.

Pâte Brisée
Note: You only need half of this recipe for the tart, so save the other half of dough in your freezer for another day.

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

In a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar, and salt to combine. Add the cold butter, and pulse until the mixture resembles cornmeal with some larger pea-sized pieces of butter throughout.

Drizzle 1/4 cup of ice water over the mixture and pulse until the dough just starts to come together. You should be able to pinch off a piece and have it stay together. If it’s too dry or crumbly, add an additional tablespoon of ice water at a time (up to a 1/4 cup or 4 tablespoons).

Divide the dough in half. Place each half on a piece of plastic wrap and use the plastic wrap to form each half of dough into a ball and then flatten them to form about 1/2-inch thick disks, using a rolling pin in needed.

Refrigerate the plastic wrapped disks of dough for at least 1 hour or up to a day. Alternately you can freeze the dough for up to 3 months.

Makes enough dough for 2 9-inch single crusted pies or tarts, 1 9-inch double crusted pie, or 10 4-inch mini tarts

Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy whipping cream, cold
2 tablespoons confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large bowl, beat the cream until soft peaks form. Add the confectioners sugar and vanilla extract, and beat to combine.

Makes about 2 cups.

If you had asked me how I liked living in Houston 2 years ago, I would have probably given you a list of reasons why I missed New York. From the culture to the food to my friends, and even the subway (I’m a disaster behind the wheel)—there wasn’t a thing about the city that I didn’t miss. I truly believed that it was the city to live in; and to be honest, I still think it is in many ways. However, I have been embracing Houston more and more as time passes.

Today, if you were to ask me how I like living in Houston, I would tell you about the house we bought, the great neighborhood we live in (even CNN Money thinks so), and our new Southern pace of life. I’d go on about the great cost of living and how the move has allowed us to have the time and money to travel. In the last 2 years, we’ve been to France, Australia, Peru, Japan, Taiwan, Belize, Guatemala, and Mexico. And that doesn’t even cover the countless trips we have taken within the US (including our West Texas road trip, mentioned here). This is something that living in New York could not have afforded us.

So when we spent this past Labor Day weekend back in New York City (I’m getting to the Mango Frozen Yogurt part, I promise), I was singing a new tune and telling people how great Houston is. The trip did however reinforce my belief that Houston, while great, is still missing some things. And when I say “some things,” I mean a good ice cream place.

For a place that gets as hot as it does in the summer, you would think good ice cream would be easy to find. It isn’t. I haven’t found anything in Houston that comes close to the amazing ice cream and gelato places in New York (il laboratorio del gelato, anyone?) So alas, this is the summer that I broke down and bought an ice cream maker—because another hot summer without good ice cream just wasn’t an option.

This mango frozen yogurt is one of the few concoctions that I have tried making with my new ice cream maker. All you need is a mango colored knife (see above/just kidding), mangoes, sugar, half a lime, salt, and Greek yogurt.

All the ingredients get blended in the food processor for the ultimate no fuss dessert. No oven, no stove, and no excess heat in your kitchen. It is the perfect “I live in hot Houston” treat.

Mango Frozen Yogurt

2 ripe mangoes, peeled, pitted, and diced
1/2 cup natural cane sugar
Juice of 1/2 a lime
Pinch of fine grain sea salt
3 cups 2% Greek yogurt (I use Fage)

In a food processor, puree the diced mangoes until smooth. Add the sugar, lime juice, salt, and yogurt, and process until combined. Pour the mixture into a bowl or glass measuring cup, cover tightly, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Then follow the instructions on your ice cream maker to freeze the mango frozen yogurt. Eat immediately or transfer the frozen yogurt to an airtight container and place in the freezer to firm up more.

Makes about one quart.

Cheap candy has long been a weakness of mine. Generally speaking, I’m pretty good about not eating processed foods, but packaged candy is one of those foods that I can’t seem to shake. It tempts me at checkout aisles, calls to me at movie theaters, and I can rarely resist it. Peanut butter egg season in particular is something that I look forward to every year.

Most years, I buy a few packages of those yellow wrapped eggs at the grocery store and Andrew and I demolish them well before Easter. This year, in an effort to be good, I didn’t buy a single package. I thought maybe I could go the year without them—that is until I saw a photo of these homemade peanut butter eggs by the Minimalist Baker on Pinterest.

Once the idea was planted, I had to try making my beloved peanut butter eggs at home. I took a less healthful approach than the Minimalist Baker, who uses dates to sweeten the eggs instead of cane sugar, simply because I didn’t have any dates on hand. I made a few tweaks to another recipe I found online and while they are not guilt-free (everything in moderation, right?), they are far superior in quality than the store-bought version.

The peanut butter centers are made with natural/organic peanut butter, butter, and sugars, and the chocolate coating consists of quality milk chocolate melted with a bit of virgin coconut oil.

Forming the eggs and dipping them in chocolate is half the fun of making these peanut butter eggs. (Obviously, the other half is eating them). The peanut buttery dough is like a stickier version of Play-Doh and the melted chocolate is so smooth and velvety, you may be tempted to sip up the leftovers.

Once completed, these indulgent little eggs have the perfect balance of sweet and salty just like the original version–except that the homemade ones taste a heck of a lot better!

Homemade Peanut Butter Eggs
Inspired by Minimalist Baker, Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

A few tips for making these eggs: If you find the peanut butter dough too sticky to work with, place it in the fridge for a few minutes to firm up a bit. Working quickly also prevents the dough from sticking to your hands. If you have trouble shaping the dough into eggs, try molding them directly on the baking sheet. Also, dipping the eggs in chocolate is much easier if they are very cold and completely firm (place them in the freezer if you need to).

Peanut Butter Centers:
1 cup natural no-stir peanut butter
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
Fine grain sea salt to taste

Chocolate Coating:
12 ounces good quality milk chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon virgin coconut oil

Place the peanut butter, butter, and light brown sugar in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture is completely melted and just starts to bubble.

Take the saucepan off the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Then stir in the confectioners sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. Taste the mixture and stir in as much salt as needed to balance out the sweetness of the mixture. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Once the peanut butter mixture has cooled, take about 2 tablespoons of dough at a time, shape them into eggs, and place them on the lined baking sheet. Once all the eggs are formed, place the baking sheet into the fridge until the peanut butter eggs are firm, about 30 minutes.

Once the eggs are firm, make the chocolate coating. Place a glass bowl over simmering water to create a double boiler (making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water), and melt the chocolate and coconut oil together, stirring constantly. Once completely melted, remove the bowl from the heat.

One at a time, drop the eggs into the chocolate and use a fork to turn the eggs to coat them completely. Use the fork to scoop up the eggs, holding them for a few seconds to drain off any excess chocolate, and place them back onto the lined baking sheet. Once all the eggs are coated, return the baking sheet to the refrigerator until the chocolate has hardened, about 30 minutes.

Makes about 15-20 eggs depending on size.