Sweet
-
Iced Sweet Tea made with Wild Maine Blueberry Black Tea
Spring is here! In Maine, we have what Mainers call “False Spring”, where it is no longer cold and the sun is shining, but after about a week it snows again. But here we are! False Spring is behind us. The days are full of sunshine, lovely sea breezes, and iced sweet tea. I know that sweet tea did not originate in New England; it is a southern staple. Luckily, a wonderful local tea business called Bar Harbor Tea Company makes a Wild Maine Blueberry Black Tea that takes this beverage to the next level. Bar Harbor is on Mt. Desert Island, which is also the home of Acadia National…
-
Beauregard’s Peanut Butter and Pumpkin Dog Cookies
Happy adoptaversary to my Beauregard! One year ago today this adorable pooch stole my heart. In celebration I decided to make him some special peanut butter and pumpkin dog cookies. I saw his photo on Rescue Charlies Friends website and instantly fell in love. His name then was Blue Eyes. He looked sweet, spunky and intelligent. I knew I was going to be his dog mahm. We filled out the application, but someone had filled one out before us, so they got to adopt him. A few weeks later, Blue Eyes went to his new home and got renamed Blueberry. I was sad, but hoped that he would have a…
-
B’s Coffee and Molasses Baked Vegan Doughnuts
This recipe came about around five years ago, on my dear friend Bryanna’s birthday. Now usually, I would bake a cake using a recipe I had already developed, but B (that’s what I call her) is vegan, so none of my recipes at the time would work. So I adapted a recipe from Rose Levy Beranbaum, who is basically the queen of cake. I wanted to make B something unique, like her. We lived together in Boston for three years in college, where we bonded pretty fast. One of the first things we bonded over was coffee and sweets. Our dorm was in an old brownstone that had a Whole…
You May Also Like
Blueberry Scones using frozen Maine blueberries
-
Gluten-Free Soft Vanilla Sugar Cookies
I used to make this recipe (using all-purpose flour instead of gluten-free) multiple times a week when I was a pastry chef at a wonderful restaurant called Grace. Every week I would make different ice creams and sorbets that were accompanied by a different flavor of cookie. I would find myself using this recipe a lot. This recipe delivers great flavor without being time-consuming. I have used this base recipe for so many different flavor combinations, such as rosemary/pine nut and Chinese five spice. It’s able to take on different flavors without changing the texture or the integrity of the cookie. So when one of my followers, Monica, requested some…
-
Brown Butter Sugar Cookie Squirrels (And How To Properly Brown Butter)
To make brown butter you only need one ingredient. Can you guess what it is? I’ll wait. Okay. Okay. ……..It’s butter. I KNOW. Plot twist. Brown butter is so easy to make, but it really packs a punch of flavor, especially in these cookies (but I also use it for other baked goods). I haven’t tried it in banana bread yet, but that’s a baking adventure for another day. So what does it mean to brown butter? Essentially, you cook any excess water out of the butter, and then the milk solids caramelize. Once this happens, you end up with a nutty and caramel-y flavor. While brown butter is a…
-
Blueberry Scones using frozen Maine blueberries
Maine blueberries are the freaking best. They are small and sweet and just overall, the champion of berries. Don’t tell cranberries I said that. This past year my grandparents, my mother and I went to a field on the island where I grew up. Turns out, it’s pretty easy to socially distance in a blueberry field. We got to spend time together, which is always nice, but more importantly, we were on a mission. We went armed with baskets that my grandmother made, colanders, a blueberry rake and other assorted bowls. By the time we were done, the containers were full, and so were our bellies. The reason we pick…
You May Also Like
B’s Coffee and Molasses Baked Vegan Doughnuts
-
Gingerbread Cupcakes
Tis’ the season, am I right? It’s the season for decorating, eating, baking, eating, wrapping, eating, sharing, oh and of course, eating, but most importantly, it’s about giving. This year has been a tough one for all of us, and I think we all are ready for a brand new start. One of the best things that happened to me this year was adopting my rescue dog, Beauregard. He has a lot of health problems, which just means he gets his pills (we call them his handsome pills) everyday, and we make sure that he has the best life imaginable. He lives like a tiny prince, and I honestly wouldn’t…
-
Gingerbread People
We all know the nursery rhyme: “Run, Run, Run as fast as you can, You can’t catch me, I’m the gingerbread man!” Which on a side note, is terrifying. Imagine baking a gingerbread cookie, and when you open the oven it suddenly bursts out and runs away while yelling at you. I don’t know which is more alarming- the bursting, the running, or the yelling. It’s probably just the being alive part. That story is a weird one, because I don’t actually remember learning a life lesson from that story. I just remember being confused as to why everyone in the story (the people, the farmyard animals and eventually the…
-
Cream Cheese Frosting
When bakers think of frosting a cake, immediately two options come to mind- chocolate or vanilla buttercream? Which is a dang shame! There are so many other flavors and varieties that should be in a bakers repertoire and are honestly better choices sometimes! Cream cheese frosting is one delicious option that packs a more flavorful and unique punch then the more standard flavors. It is just as important as a buttercream and can be transformed into whatever flavor you want! A pumpkin cake that needs a frosting? Try adding some nutmeg. A banana cake that needs a finishing touch? Try adding caramel. A blueberry cake that needs some pizzaz? Add…
-
Homemade Baking Spice Blends
Baking spice blends are one of those thing that you only think about a couple times a year, and it’s a pain. You get it with the best intensions. You want to bake a pumpkin pie. You want to tackle that intricate crust for the apple pie you saw on Pinterest. You attempt a gingerbread house with the kids. You buy it once, it sits between the bay leaves and the whole cloves until you go to use it in a few years and see that it is expired. Such is the life and times of a spice blend. While store bought spice blends get the job done, I am…
