Twice baked Almond Biscotti

Almond biscotti are a kind of twice-baked cookie, and this versatile recipe is one of my favorites. I’ve made them with sliced almonds, and with pistachios, oranges, and cranberries for the holidays. I’ve dipped the cooled biscotti in melted chocolate for my chocolate-loving family and friends.

In this recipe I used hazelnuts, but you can use what you like. Whether you use almonds or hazelnuts, they need to be chopped small, for easier slicing, I love my Henckel knife set. Every home kitchen should be equipped with a good set of kitchen knives. Start with a basic chef knife and build your collection, when it’s feasible.

Biscotti for all occasions

These Italian cookies are cake-like, until they are baked the second time, then they are deliciously crispy and crunchy and perfect for dipping in coffee. They’re great for sharing with friends and these almond biscotti are pretty enough to add to your any celebration’s dessert table.

If you make these classic Italian cookies please leave me a comment, and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram. That’s my favorite part: your experience with my recipes! Cookies are my weakness, if you feel the same try some of  my other favorites

lemon ricotta cookies or my personal favorite Italian lemon knot cookies.

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 1 stick room temperature butter
• 1 1/2 c. sugar
• 1 Tbsp. each vanilla and almond extract
• 2 1/2  c. flour (if using gluten-free flour, increase by 1/3 cup )
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 c. sliced almonds

Instructions

1. Combine eggs, butter, sugar, and extracts together and blend until light and fluffy
2. Add the baking powder and baking soda into the flour
3. Sift the dry ingredients into the egg mixture and mix until just smooth.
4. If you want to add almonds, hazelnuts, or other add-ins, fold them in now.
5. Dust your hands and your work surface with flour, and then form the dough into two logs about two inches across and one inch thick
6. Bake in a 350º F oven until firm, about 20 minutes
7. Remove logs from then oven, then lower oven temperature to 200º F
8. Cut logs on a diagonal
9. Return cut logs to the oven for an additional 15 minutes of baking or until they are golden brown and crispy. ENJOY!

Christmas Cream Puffs

This Christmas cream Puff recipe is so easy with such elegant results, sure to impress family and friends. Cream puffs are an iconic and well loved pastry that can be found in French and Italian bakeries, but they are surprisingly easy to make at home.

They require simple, inexpensive ingredients, about 1 hour of your time and basic kitchen tools, a medium pot, a wooden spoon, or a hand mixture  and a pastry bag if you want to pipe the filling into the Cream puff shells, that’s all you need to make a decant restaurant quality dessert.

Three Tips When Making Christmas Cream Puffs

This Christmas Cream Puff recipe is easy. But to ensure success there are a few things to remember. First, to prevent the Cream puff shells from becoming soggy leave them in the oven with the door slightly ajar and the oven off for 1 hour.

Second be sure to cool the puffs completely before filling, or even better fill them just before serving.

And third you can make the cream puff shells  ahead of the time and freeze them filling them when you plan on serving them.

If you make this Christmas Cream puff recipe please be sure to leave me a comment, and please don’t forget to tag me on Instagram with your creations. I love hearing from you, It’s my favorite part!!!

Ingredients

• 1 stick of butter
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup flour
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla
• 2 3.5oz. vanilla instant pudding mix
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup butter

Instructions

1. Mix together the vanilla pudding mix cream and milk cover and refrigerate to set
2. Preheat oven to 400
3. In a large pot bring the water, vanilla and butter to a rolling boil
4. Mix  flour with the sugar slowly mix into the water and butter mixture, stirring continually until the mixture forms a ball
5. Using a mixer beat in the eggs one at a time  mixing well after each addition
6. Drop by Tablespoons on ungreased cookie sheet bake 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown
7. Turn the oven off open the door and leave the cream puffs in the oven with it off for one hour
8. Cool completely split them in half and fill them with the pudding mixture
9. Shape them into a Christmas tree  drizzle with chocolate and sprinkle with powered sugar
10. keep refrigerated  until ready to serve

Italian Pizzelle Cookies

No Italian Holiday is without  these crisp, thin, buttery Italian  Pizzelle Cookies.

Delicate, thin, wafer like this recognizable Italian cookies aren’t baked in the oven, they get their shape by pressing the  batter between the hot Pizzella Iron .

This easy, quick cookie can be flavored with vanilla, anise, almond extracts and even chocolate.

These cookies are easy, quick, delicious and use few ingredients, the only thing you need is a pizzella iron.

Things To know When Making Italian Pizzelle Cookies

The first thing to know when making these Italian Pizzelle Cookies is to  be sure the pizzella iron is well oiled and hot.

Another thing is the amount of butter and how tightly you press the iron will determine the texture and thickness. I like mine thin and crispy, so I add a little less flour, and 2 tablespoons more of butter.

You can use margarine or canola oil in place of the butter, I like the flavor of real butter in cookies. As for the flavoring my favorite is that of my childhood, vanilla and anise.

Sometimes I use almond extract and mix finely ground almonds in the mix. These cookies are easy, quick, delicious and use few ingredients, the only thing you need is a pizzella iron.

And  while still hot , you have a few seconds to shape them into different curvy shapes, these Italian Pizzelle cookies made great waffle cones for ice cream too!!!

These classic Italian  Pizzelle cookies don’t need much more than a dusting of powered sugar.

If you need a company’s coming quick dessert top them with vanilla ice cream, and drizzle some chocolate sauce over the top, sprinkle with chopped almonds for a decant flare.

You will want to make these quick, versatile cookies more often than for the holidays,  when  you make them,  please leave me a comment, that’s my favorite part…..

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons each vanilla and anise
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• Instruction
• Heat pizzelle iron
• Beat eggs with sugar,  until light
• Add melted butter, vanilla and anise extract
• Combine baking powder  with flour
• Add flour to liquid ingredients
• Mix until well blended
• Drop by tablespoon on to hot pizzelle iron
• Press the iron shut
• Bake 3 to 4 minutes
• Repeat with remaining dough
• Sprinkle  with powered sugar…….Enjoy!!!!

This apple cheesecake is  moist, easy and a delicious dessert. It’s the perfect sweet and spicy cake, with chunks of sweet apples in a cream cheese filling with a melt-in-your-mouth cookie crust.

The recipe was inspired by two things: one, I had apples that I needed to use, and two, truthfully I wanted something more exciting than your average apple cake.

Although apple cake is one of my favorite cakes, it can be a bit predictable. I was having two ladies over for lunch, one I never met, so I wanted something more exciting. Introducing: an apple cheesecake with a cookie crust, featuring all the flavors of an apple cake, but better!

You can use any variety of sweet apples you like or have on hand. In this recipe, I used Red Delicious and Gala.

In addition to leaving you with a delicious cheesecake, this apple cheesecake recipe will fill your home with the most cozy, comforting aroma of apples and spices.

I used a 9-inch spring form pan with a removable bottom. Grease the pan to prevent sticking. It’s also better if you cool the apple cheese cake completely before slicing.

I don’t know about you, but for me, I like simple, easy desserts that taste delicious, come together in less than a hour, but have your friends thinking it took hours. This is one of those cakes. It’s  simple and so delicious, you’ll want to make it often.

This cake freezes well for a ready-to-make dessert and keeps fresh for a day or two covered in the refrigerator .

If you make this cake, please leave me a comment and tag me on Instagram.

Ingredients

Apple Cheesecake Cookie Crust

1 stick butter

1 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 egg

1 cups sugar

2 teaspoon each cinnamon, allspice, and vanilla

Apple Cheesecake Filling

2 packages 4 oz cream cheese

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

3 unpeeled sweet apples, grated

1 Tablespoon each vanilla and cinnamon

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350º F

2. Coat a 9-inch spring form pan with nonstick cooking spray

3. Beat eggs, sugar, vanilla and butter together until light

4. Combine dry ingredients

5. Add dry ingredients to liquid ingredients

6. Mix until well blended

7. Pour crust into the prepared spring form pan

8. Then mix filling ingredients together except for the apples until light

9. Add the apples and mix just until blended

10. Bake in a 350º F oven for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean

11. Cool for 20 minutes

12. Drizzle cooled cake with a simple glacé

Apple Cheesecake Glacé

Mix 2 cups powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons of milk and 1/2 teaspoon of  cinnamon

Drizzle the mixture over over a cooled cake and enjoy!

Real strawberries Strawberry Cake

It is one of those hot days, when it feels like summer even though it’s almost fall.

I wanted one last fling with a summer berry dessert, or I should say one last try at making a strawberry cake with real strawberries.

I had been thinking about a strawberry cake recipe using real strawberries, no jello.

It starting me thinking about cooking the strawberries to get the liquid out, like making applesauce.

I use applesauce when I make apple cake, so I’ll make strawberry sauce for a strawberry cake.

I would like to tell you it worked the first time,  it didn’t, it was dense, not fluffy and light like a white cake should be.

After a few failed attempts adjusting the the liquid ingredients it worked.

I used my basic white cake recipe, using whole eggs instead of egg whites.

Using whole eggs gives the cake a richer flavor in a  all white cake it isn’t  important if your adding beautiful strawberry color.

What is  important is to cook the strawberries until they are reduced by half and cooled completely. I cook the strawberries the night before and refrigerate them over night. If  you like layer cakes you can use two 9 inch cake pans, I used a bundt pan.

As much as I like layer cakes I like simple better, so most of my cakes are single layer.

Single layer cakes are less labor intense than multiple  layer cakes, I don’t know about you, but for me I like simple, easy desserts that taste delicious, come together in less than a hour, but has my  friends thinking it took hours. This is one of those cakes, light, fluffy and most importantly it  tastes like fresh strawberries, and all it needed was a dusting of  powder sugar if you want, you can frost it with a whipped cream or butter cream frosting. I kept this cake simple, but it got me thinking about strawberries and chocolate, and how to combine the two into a cake, I see it in my cooking mind, I think the combination will be divine!!!!

I’ll keep you posted……Happy Day my dears!!!!!

…Enjoy!!! In the mean time try this 4-ingredient strawberry jam it’s so easy and delicious.

If you try my recipes please leave me a comment or question. It’s my favorite part.

Ingredients

3 cups cleaned strawberries

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

1/2 cup  butter milk

1 tablespoon vanilla

3 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

Instruction

Cook strawberries over low heat until reduced to half  (about 30 minutes)

cool completely

Heat oven to 350

Grease a bundt  pan with butter

Beat eggs, sugar, vanilla and oil until light

Add the cooled strawberry puree

Combine baking powder,  with flour

Add flour to liquid ingredients

Mix until well blended

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes

Sprinkle cooled cake with powered sugar

Enjoy!!!!!