Sugar and Spice: Chocolate-drizzled gingerbread cream puffs

by Caitlin Saniga

Cream puffs have become my go-to potluck party dessert. They’re pretty and kind of impressive, and they’re all the more festive with a swirl of gingerbread cream in the middle. Getting the puffs to rise correctly is, for me, a lot about getting the right feel when mixing together the ingredients. I’ve had tons of practice and been through lots of trial and error. The first pate a choux recipe I posted on the blog has helpful photos and hints for first-timers. I suggest giving it a browse before starting.

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Sugar and Spice: Vegan gingerbread cheesecake bites

by Sarah Steimer

I’m a huge fan of cheesecake (the actual, regular kind), but I’d always been curious about vegan cheesecake. I made these little bites for a party, so not only was it a nice, guilt-free item among the less healthy options, but it was something that my friend with a gluten allergy could enjoy as well. As you can see, I also made a pan without the gingerbread spices, but topped with pomegranate arils.

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Chai spice palmiers

by Caitlin Saniga

Chai spice palmiers: part pastry, part cookie, part candy, part addiction problem.

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Pumpkin muffins with chocolate chips

by Sarah Steimer

Can’t find whole wheat pastry flour? No problem, you can usually just substitute all-purpose or regular whole-wheat flour. But if you can find it, use it. Pastry flour really adds a little extra somethin’-somethin.’

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Plum coffee cake

by Sarah Steimer

This coffee cake was one of my favorite recent baking projects. It was fairly simple to make and the plums were fantastic. I actually enjoyed it with a few extra fresh plum slices on the side.

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Four berry and basil pie with crumble topping

by Sarah Steimer

We’ve been scrambling to get the last berries at the farmer’s markets, and I needed to use what we had fast. So, I threw them all in a pie and called it a day. Or rather, a summer.

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Fondant au chocolate

by Sarah Steimer

This little cake was so simple and made for the perfect bite. A nice, hearty slice with roasted berries was wonderful, but even a small sliver of this fudge-y cake without any topping was totally satisfying.

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Icebox Pops: Avocado-lime ice pops

by Sarah Steimer

These creamy (and rather healthy) ice pops were surprisingly refreshing — thanks to the lime, most likely. I can imagine what a splash of tequila would add to these pops…

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Icebox Pops: Strawberry-lemon and ginger-peach striped popsicles

by Caitlin Saniga

Ginger-peach and strawberry-lemon popsicles would be delicious served separately, but striping them together makes them even more delicious — like chocolate-vanilla twist ice cream, only better.

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Icebox Pops: Roasted berry goat cheese ice pops

by Sarah Steimer

Getting to the roasted berry mixture was like a little treasure hunt with these ice pops. I probably ate them faster than necessary just so I could find a blueberry or raspberry in the mix.

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