Desserts
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Crazy Good Chocolate Cake
Mom's famous chocolate cake recipe. With a light, tender, crumb and rich chocolate flavor, it is the BEST chocolate cake out there. It's great with a variety of frostings and toppings, whether as a simple sheet cake, fan-favorite cupcakes, or elegant layer cake.
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Soft, Thick Gingerbread Men
These gingerbread cookies are plush and perfectly spiced. You can make any shapes, but I'm in love with these cute little men. I don't bother with decorating most of the time (other than a dusting of sugar) because these guys are delectable as-is.Â
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Dad’s Toffee
It's not Christmas without Dad's crunchy, nutty, adventurous toffee.
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Frozen Fresh Peach (or Apple) Pies
Does dessert get any better than tender peach pie with ice cream? I have a peach obsession, and my only complaint about the fruit is that it’s in season for such a short time during the year. September is my time for all things peach–fresh on cereal, ice cream, or yogurt; baked into crisps and cobblers; and jammed and jarred for the rest of the year. While I enjoy canned peaches, they don’t hold a candle to fresh peach desserts, which is why this pie recipe is so incredible. By freezing the fresh peach pie filling, you can preserve that just-picked flavor to enjoy months later. (Or next week, if…
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Cherry Cobbler
Ah, Summer! Filled with long sunny days, loads of fresh fruit and veggies, and fun family traditions. The variety of juicy summer fruit is one of the best perks of the season, and for me, no summer is complete without enjoying a fruit cobbler at least once or twice. I love the elegant simplicity of cobbler; it’s easy to adapt to your preferences and available ingredients. In this case, sweet juicy cherries are baked with a buttery shortbread topping; a timeless combination. It’s a marriage of flavors that can outshine just about any other dessert–especially when served warm, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream melting alongside. Like pie–only easier,…
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Peanut Butter Yuckies
Don’t let the name fool you. My Dad came up with the “Yuckies” part when my siblings and I were small to try and trick us into letting him eat the whole batch by himself. It never worked, we devoured them, right down to the last crumb. As the Bard wrote: “A peanut butter cornflake treat by any other name would taste as sweet!” Peanut Butter “Yuckies” are a classic no-bake treat that every peanut butter lover will go crazy over. They’re quick and easy to throw together (no oven needed!), and perfect for potlucks, picnics, road trips, game-time snacks, or whenever the craving strikes! Which might happen often, just…
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Apple Date Dream Cake
(The name is an understatement.) This cake is perfectly moist and tender, lightly spiced, and studded with dates and nuts. Then there’s the sauce. Buttery, rich, and addicting, it’s pure indulgence and really makes the cake. My Grandma has made this cake every Christmas for decades, with rave reviews. She makes mini versions as gifts for friends and neighbors, and it’s become a staple at our family holiday gatherings. (Behind her back, Grandpa would sneak to the fridge and steal spoonfuls of the sauce if he ever got the chance.) This year we aren’t having our usual big family get-together, however, so I decided to give Grandma’s recipe a try…
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Honey Taffy
Honey taffy is one of those old-fashioned recipes that never goes out of style. These rich caramel-like candies start out hard and then slowly soften into chewy melt-in-your-mouth goodness. They have a warm honey flavor that’s hard to resist. Plus the taffy-pulling process is a fun activity to to with kids, and I remember helping with several taffy pulls at family gatherings growing up. I shared these with family at a recent movie night, and they were a big hit, perfect for slowly savoring as we enjoyed the movie together. This recipe is in honor of my ancestor (through my Mom’s side) Emma Brooks Landon (1846-1919). She was born in…
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Soft Sugar Cookies
Valentine’s Day and sugar cookies are pretty much synonymous for me. I’m not usually a big sugar cookie fan, as the sweet on sweet combo is often toothachingly overpowering, but this is one of the few times each year I make them. They’re so fun to decorate, especially with kids, and bring back many fun memories from my own childhood. This year, I tried out my grandma, Linda Beck Bullough’s recipe for soft sugar cookies. These cookies are soft and tall, with rounded edges, so the heart shape works well, but a more intricate shape may not. They’re slightly cake-like and not too sweet (they’re meant to be paired with…
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Chocolate Chip Cookies, Two Ways
Aunt Sheryl’s cookies are mandatory at family get-togethers. If she shows up without them, panic ensues. I literally can’t remember a time in my life when these cookies weren’t a family stand-by. And for good reason. Sheryl has been tweaking and perfecting her chocolate chip cookie recipe since she was eleven years old, long before I came along to enjoy them. I remember walking into my grandma’s kitchen as a kid, and Sheryl would often be in there whipping up a batch of these babies, or better yet, just pulling them out of the oven. Nothing beats warm, melty chocolate chip cookies, and if you add a glass of milk…
