Candy making is not something I typically try my hand at. All that talk about thermometers and stages and testing methods. Those recipes always look like the kind of thing I don’t have the patience for. Plus, once you’ve been badly burned by hot sugar, it makes you candy-shy. But this is an exception. I call it Pralines for Idiots, because it really does away with all that … [Read more...] about Pralines for Idiots
Sweets
Tunnel of Fudge Cake
Before molten lava cake or chocolate fondants or fallen chocolate cake there was Tunnel of Fudge Cake. It’s a classic recipe, and I am sure many people have their own version. Tunnel of Fudge Cake is possibly the recipe that I have been making longer than any other, and more often. My mother passed this recipe on to me; she’d gotten it from my cousin and kept it in her little … [Read more...] about Tunnel of Fudge Cake
Gingerbread Pillows
I set out to make a cookie reminiscent of good-old fashioned gingerbread cake. When I managed to achieve this, it occurred to me that if I called them gingerbread cookies, it would bring to mind the crispy, crunchy type - like gingerbread men or tree ornaments. That is not what these lovelies are at all. These little pillowy cushions of cakey, gingerbread goodness are … [Read more...] about Gingerbread Pillows
Egg Nog Tres Leches Cake
The holidays are here and that, for me, means egg nog. The most wonderful time of the year! I love egg nog straight from a Santa Claus mug, but it is a great flavor for baking and adds real holiday cheer to almost anything. I stir it into hot chocolate, oatmeal, bake it in breads and muffins and flavor cookies and candies with it. And of course, my must-have Christmas … [Read more...] about Egg Nog Tres Leches Cake
Sweet Potato Cobbler
I’m going to go all Southern on you again with this delicious, old-fashioned, homey dessert perfect for the autumn table. I’m not, however, going to get into a discussion on what exactly a cobbler is – biscuit top, crumble top, pastry top, whatever. This is how I make cobbler, and that’s good enough for me. But really, is there any more comforting dessert than a cobbler, … [Read more...] about Sweet Potato Cobbler
