Thumbprint Cookies

These were perfect little cookies. I loved them! They were soft yet crumbly butter cookies topped with strawberry jam. Thumbprint cookies are named so because as soon as they are taken out of the oven, they are pressed in the middle (can use your thumb or the end of a wooden spoon) and filled with the jam. The jam then thickens as the cookies cool. The small size allows you to pop them in your mouth! These are pretty little cookies that are great for a party or a delivery gift!

Bran Muffins with "Bird Seed"

These were yummy and healthy muffins! I am impressed when those two factors can go together, and the Flour cookbook does it so well. There is creme fraiche in them, which is one of the best ingredients to yield moist baked goods. The "bird seed" topping has sunflower seeds, flaxseeds, and sesame seeds. It adds great texture. I love healthy baked goods, and these are very filling!

Sugarbomb Sundae

I wish I had better photography/presentation skills, because this photo does not do this sundae justice. The bottom layer is a chocolate sheet cake (from The Pioneer Woman Cooks-great cookbook!) . It is what converted me to chocolate desserts, and is the perfect base for ice cream. Then comes three different types of homemade ice cream: salted caramel, vanilla bean, and rocky road. All came from the cookbook Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home. Every recipe from that book is so yummy! On top of the ice cream there is a praline sauce, which is similar to caramel sauce. They use similar ingredients but follow a different cooking process. Finally comes the homemade vanilla bean marshmallows. Ever since I first made marshmallows at home, I could never enjoy store-bought marshmallows. Homemade are so much softer, more flavorful, and melt easily. They are a sticky mess to make, but they are fast and simple. Well, that is the sugarbomb sundae and it should equal your weekly intake of sugar, but it will leave you satisfied and happy! 

Homemade Oreos

From my experience, the majority of homemade versions of store-bought treats are much more preferable. These sandwich cookies had a great chocolate flavor filled with a yummy vanilla cream. This recipe came from the Flour cookbook, one of my favorites. The author remakes several popular treats. These cookies did not last long!

Purple Plum Torte

This was delectable! It did not even last a day. At a nearby farmers market, there are great plums that taste like candy. They were the highlight of this dessert. The recipe came from Smitten Kitchen, which is full of tasty recipes and beautiful photography. A torte is a rich cake that is filled with fruit, cream, or mousse. This recipe only has a few basic ingredients, but it has a great texture with the crispy top and gooey plums. I need to make this torte again!

Chocolate Cupcakes

More chocolate Halloween cupcakes! I really did not mean to repeat, but they just go well together. This is a new recipe from my favorite Flour cookbook. The cake was very moist and flavorful. The Swiss meringue buttercream was a perfect topping because it is light, fluffy, and delicious. One ingredient I have not before put into frosting was kosher salt, but a small amount was perfect because it emphasized the sweetness. Cupcakes are fun, fast, and always cute!

Pumpkin Pie with Maple and Buttered Pecan Ice Cream

This is a plate full of autumn goodness! I have been testing recipes for my favorite pumpkin pie, and I loved this one. It is from one of my top cookbooks, Flour, from a bakery in Boston, which also has amazing recipes that are challenging and delicious. This pumpkin pie requires you to cook the pumpkin puree for almost an hour, which turns it into a thick, dark, and flavorful paste. Adding several spices complements it well. As for the ice cream, it comes from my favorite ice cream cookbook- Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream, which is full of unique and artisanal ice cream recipes. They are so creamy and make me never want to buy ice cream from the store again! This recipe for maple ice cream is now one that I often crave, because it has a nice maple flavor (syrup is cooked down so it is thick, and flavor is concentrated) and the salty and buttery pecans are perfect add-ins. These two recipes belong together!

Peach Cobbler Muffins

I have been taking advantage of Utah's peach season and have made almost a dozen different recipes with peaches. This recipe came from the Joy the Baker Cookbook, which is full of yummy baked goods. I liked these muffins because they had freshly ground nutmeg-one of my favorite ingredients. It has so much more flavor than pre-ground nutmeg, and it really shines through with the juicy peaches. Now, it's on to more peach recipes!

Vanilla, Date, and Pistachio Granola

My favorite breakfast recently has been homemade parfaits with numerous toppings. This granola is so delicious-it can be eaten with yogurt, ice cream, or just by itself. It is full of many yummy ingredients. I have never seen a granola recipe with dates in it, but they make a tasty addition. This recipe came from the cookbook Relish by Daphne Oz. I absolutely love this book because it has healthy and delicious recipes with great advice on travel, exercise, decorating, style, and beauty in between. This is a great recipe for many wholesome breakfasts!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are among my top 5 favorite recipes for chocolate chip cookies. They are from the beloved Miette cookbook, where every recipe, even a simple recipe like this, is unique and utterly delicious. They contain ground roasted pecans and oats which make them very flavorful. I like their petite size. Texture-wise, they are chewy and crisp. They would be perfect for ice cream sandwiches! 

Roasted Peaches with Maple Mascarpone

Sometimes I need to stray away from the baked goods, especially when it is peach season in Utah. I loved this dessert. It is simple, unique, and delicious. Roasting the peaches caramelizes them and makes them even juicier. The maple mascarpone is sweet and has flavorful spices. This recipe came from the Relish cookbook by Daphne Oz, which I love. I want to make every recipe in that cookbook! I would make this dessert for guests. It is a light and healthier option for dessert but does not skimp on the flavor!

Spicy Gingersnap Cookies

Over the past year I have experimented with many different gingersnap recipes. In the end, I didn't find one favorite recipe, but many favorites due to different textures, spices, and appearances. I have had this result when testing chocolate chip cookies, sugar cookies, brownies, and more. Most homemade gingersnaps are soft and chewy, but this recipe yielded crisp cookies that actually snapped. They came from the cookbook Miette, which is from the sophisticated and cute French-inspired bakery in San Francisco. It is my favorite bakery that I have visited. I made these cookies to use as a crust for my previously posted Peach and Mascarpone Tart. These cookies had a lot of heat to them due to the many spices, such as fresh, ground, and candied ginger, cinnamon, cloves, white pepper, nutmeg, and cardamom. The ginger flavor was great and the sugar sprinkled on top balanced the spiciness. Overall, these cookies are unique and will be a nice surprise for gingersnap lovers!

Peach and Mascarpone Tart

I love tarts. Pies are great, too, but there is something about tarts that I love. Whether it's the fluted edges, generous crust to filling ratio, or the endless toppings, I could eat tarts daily. This tart has a gingersnap crust made with homemade gingersnaps. I knocked out two recipes I wanted to try in one dish. This recipe came from the cooking blog Smitten Kitchen, which is one of my new favorites. Deb Perelman makes beautiful and delicious food. I could read her blog for hours. I loved this tart, especially, because of the juicy Utah peaches on top and the cheesecake-like filling. Every part of it was delicious and fruit always gives tarts a visual appeal. I want a slice of this right now!

Chocolate Graham Cracker Cupcakes

These s'mores cupcakes are held among my favorite homemade cupcakes. They convert even non-cupcake lovers. The recipe came from the cupcake shop Trophy Cupcakes in Seattle. The owner featured these cupcakes on The Martha Stewart Show. They are unique from other s'mores cupcake recipes because they have a graham cracker crust layered with extra chocolate. They are so fun to make! The marshmallow frosting is torched, which also helps it not be so sticky. Chocolate Graham Cracker cupcakes will change the way you think about cupcakes!

Bumpy Highway Brownies

These brownies were another treat sold at my S'mores-themed Economics Fair table. The recipe comes from my favorite cookbook for brownies and bars, Fat Witch Brownies. I have made the majority of the recipes in this book and each has turned out so yummy that I will never consider a brownie box mix again. Bumpy Highway Brownies are a hit for kids and adults alike because of the fudgy brownie bottom with the topping of marshmallows and peanut butter chips. I turn to this recipe whenever I need a yummy chocolate fix!