Well this has been an interesting year to say the least and we are not yet finished but we are trying our best to get back into a routine now that school is less than a week away.

Everything looks different this year.

This will be a quick post about my first attempt at babkah. Let’s just say it wasn’t a complete fail but it also wasn’t a win either.

What’s better than a cutout sugar cookie? A cute pinwheel cookie because it’s both vanilla and chocolate! It takes my simple cut out sugar cookie and adds another delicious element and design. Either way they are delicious!

When I was growing up I remember always having these cake-y cookies whenever we had extended family get togethers. Usually they were held at my grandparents house on the North Shore and one of the family would pick up Black and Whites from a Jewish deli/bakery near Boston. I didn’t know they were called Black and White Cookies until after college and that they aren’t a Jewish thing but a New York staple!

This treat is a combo of two of my favorite desserts I have created over the years. My Cecelia named them BB Treats- Blondies and Brownies together. They are decadent and truly addicting! The only hard part about making them is waiting for them to cool while they make the whole house smell so good.

It has been close to two full months since we have been socially distant due to Covid-19. What do we all seek when we are stuck at home with limited activities and plans? Food of course. It makes us happy and gives us something to do until, well, the next meal comes around.

With this whole social distancing all I want are comfort foods or foods I grew up loving. One of those desserts is rice pudding. I don’t know about you but there is something so warm and inviting, eating something so rich and creamy.

Linzer cookies are something that I remember eating in my grandparents’ kitchen as a child. They always seemed to have tins of cookies and Linzer cookies were one of my favorites with that delicious combo of raspberry jam and buttery cookies.

As we are going into our fifth week of social distancing we are starting to get into a rhythm. We have virtual schooling, messaging and video calling friends, lots of outside time when the weather is favorable. Yet our meals have been mostly normal except our poor Cecelia had a nasty accident on the school playground right before schools were shut down…

It’s been a crazy few weeks with social distancing in full swing. Baking has helped ease some anxiety and put smiles on my family’s faces (and maybe a few pounds on their waistlines)

“Moist” It’s pretty much a universally hated word. It brings about a visceral reaction in most people that cannot be explained. Do you know what’s worst than the word? Actual moist baked goods…

These brownies should be illegal because not only are they fudgy, chocolatey, but also vegan top ten (yes you heard that right!) allergen free.

When you think of vegan cupcakes most people think chocolate. This is because most vanilla cupcakes just aren’t quite right when you change or substitute an ingredient. It’s either too dry, flavorless, or grainy. In other words, it’s not great, so it’s not worth eating. Well that is a thing of the past

It has come to my attention that I had a great variety of tasty baked donuts but I was missing one of the best ones around- chocolate! With my Cecelia being the chocoholic, that she is, this was a huge misstep for me.

My Cecelia is a chocoholic it seems. She loves everything she can get her hands on, as long as it’s nut free, that’s chocolate. Since the holiday season started she has also become a really big pie fan. So what do you do when you have a chocolate fan who loves pie? You make her the best chocolate pudding pie you can!

With the holidays right around the corner the only thing I want are cut out sugar cookies! The problem with most are they are laden with butter, wheat, eggs, and other off limits ingredients for someone living with food allergies or intolerances.

Pie! Who doesn’t think of pies when the holidays are in full swing? One of my family’s favorites is my blueberry crumble pie. Maybe it’s because I only make it once a year or that I make it with love but whatever the reason people can’t say enough good things about it. So what better way to spread the holiday cheer than to share this recipe with you?

November is here and it’s officially feeling like pumpkin weather! Yes, I may have taken a little longer to jump on the pumpkin spice bandwagon this year but seriously there were so many fabulous apple desserts I needed to get through first before I could happily move onto the next big flavor.

Fall is in full swing here in Massachusetts and of course my family has to go apple picking (multiple times!) at the local orchard(s). We love going for not only the fruit but the family bonding, memories, tractor rides, and the playgrounds.

Now with all these fun excursions there are a ton of apples that come into the house and for a family who does love their apples you can only eat so many before you turn into one so we make lots of fall apple recipes- like cider donuts, apple crisp, and now muffins.