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Apple Cider Donut Muffins
I love baking with apples. And there’s nothing more quintessentially fall than an apple cider donut. That doesn’t mean, however, that they can’t be enjoyed year-round. Frying donuts at home can be a daunting task for an inexperienced baker. These baked muffins take the hassle of frying out of the equation completely by baking in muffin tins. These muffins give us a delicious donut texture and taste without having to…
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Gingersnaps
Ginger is my favorite spice, and not just because I’m a redhead! I suppose it seems natural that I would enjoy baking with this spice as it’s such a big staple in Asian cuisine. Beware: these gingersnaps are addictive! They’re nice and crisp and full of flavor. If you don’t like crisp gingersnaps, you can substitute butter for the vegetable shortening for a soft cookie. These are an easy to…
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The Best Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin pie is easy to make and a wonderful holiday favorite. Because pumpkin pie is a custard, the biggest worry that bakers have when making it is that the top of the pie will split and crack as it cools down. Well, thanks to this recipe your pumpkin pie will come out smooth, delicious, and crack-free every time! The recipe is adapted from one sent to me several years ago…
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Apple Cake with Honey Caramel
I originally came up with this recipe for apple cake with honey caramel for Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Apples and honey are a common theme for this particular holiday. That’s because they’re used to symbolize a sweet new year. Caramel can be difficult to make, but this particular caramel is practically fool proof. That’s because of the addition of butter and condensed milk. These two ingredients make the…
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Blueberry Cheesecake
I love cheesecake. It’s a wonderfully decedent dessert. Cheesecake isn’t an every day thing, which is part of what makes it so special. Blueberry cheesecake in particular is a favorite dessert of mine. When I first made this blueberry cheesecake recipe for some friends, one of them declared this one of the best cheesecakes she’s ever eaten. Considering I’m not a professional baker, I take that as a compliment! While…
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Lemon Meringue Pie
Lemon meringue pie is a delicious summer dessert. The lemon curd is tart and tangy, with just a hint of sweetness, and the meringue is light and fluffy. Making the curd for lemon meringue pie takes some patience. It must be cooked slowly on the stove over a low heat, stirred constantly. This is because the primary ingredient in a fruit curd isn’t actually the fruit – it’s egg yolks.…
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Pie Crust
Pie crust is another recipe that can feel intimidating for newer bakers but is really quite easy to make! It’s a versatile part of baking as well. You can make sweet pies like apple or pumpkin, or you can use a classic crust like this as the top for a savory pot pie (just don’t add the sugar when making it). The key to baking a flaky pie crust is…
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Amazing Banana Bread
Banana bread is a very popular recipe to make for beginner bakers and those who buy too much fruit that they can’t quite finish before it goes bad. There are probably a hundred or more variations of banana bread on the internet. They all have one thing in common: ripe bananas. The riper, the better. My banana bread recipe also includes brown sugar and a combination of spices to help…
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Berry Ricotta Cake
My friend Cyrus and I have been friends since high school. He’s a Pampered Chef independent consultant and does live cooking shows (via Facebook Live during the time of the pandemic). I was pleased that he asked me to come on to one of his live cooking shows to share this recipe for berry ricotta cake. This is one of my favorite recipes, especially in the summer. This cake is…
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Japanese Souffle Cheesecake
Japanese Souffle Cheesecake (sometimes known as cotton cheesecake) is a delicious and different way to enjoy cheesecake. The texture is light and fluffy, not dense like American cheesecake. It’s not too sweet and is just the right amount of rich and decadent. You only need a few ingredients to make it. The main differences between Japanese souffle cheesecake and a standard New York-style baked cheesecake is that the Japanese version has no crust,…
