Sweets Posts

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Italian Prune Plum Crumble

Tuesday September 15th 2009

I have to admit: Until recent years, I was scared to death of these little things. Are you kidding me: “Prune” in the same sentence with “dessert?” No, thank you. I didn’t get over it until well into my late twenties. And I’m still kicking myself that it took me that long.

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Chocolate Caramel Tart

Monday September 7th 2009

This tart is like a grown-up candy bar, in decadent tart form. The cookie crust is crisp and buttery. The caramel is creamy with just a little tang from the addition of a dollop of craime fraiche. The chocolate ganache is velvety and rich.

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No-Cook Strawberry Ice Cream

Tuesday August 25th 2009

You can make this easy, no-cook strawberry ice cream in your blender. (No ice cream maker required!) The hardest part is waiting for it to freeze.

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Cranberry Almond Trail Mix Cookies

Tuesday August 4th 2009

The recipe is my version of a super-yummy cookie that Whole Foods sells. They’re a real treat, but at almost $7 for a handful of cookies, I wanted to see if I could noodle out a similar recipe at home, based on one of my oatmeal cookie doughs. These come pretty close—and cost a lot less!

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Blackberry Sorbet

Wednesday July 29th 2009

One of my favorite ways to enjoy summer berries is to make sorbet. If you’ve never made sorbet, you may be surprised by how easy it is to do at home. You can’t beat the flavor. Nothing in the supermarket even comes close.

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Basic Cooking: How to Make a Blueberry Pie

Friday July 24th 2009

You don’t always need a ton of ingredients to make an absolutely mouthwatering dessert. Blueberry pie is one of my favorite summer treats. A few cups of fabulous, fresh fruit. A little sugar to bring out its flavor. A handful of flour to trap all that luscious juice and thicken it into a syrupy sauce.

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Boston Cream Pie

Friday July 17th 2009

When our friend Foroct Fralion celebrated a rather auspicious birthday a few weeks ago, it only seemed proper to make him a Boston Cream Pie, one of his favorite treats. Here are step-by-step instructions for how to make one at home.

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French Cheesecake

Friday July 3rd 2009

This French Cheesecake is my favorite Secret Weapon Dessert. Easy to make. Easy on the eyes. Practically guaranteed to stun everyone—including your best friend’s chatty new girlfriend—at your dinner party into blissful, dessert-nibbling silence.

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Classic Whoopie Pies

Friday June 26th 2009

This recipe makes the quintessential whoopie pie. The cake is moist, chocolate-y, and dense. The filling is creamy, fluffy, and decadently sweet. If our friend D. Bunnyhunter hadn’t stopped by and taken it when he did, The Angry Chef and I may have come to blows over the last one. (Phew! Thanks, man!)

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Best Ever Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Friday June 12th 2009

Dotted with relatively colossal chunks of chocolate, these cookies are soft, chewy, just a wee bit cakey—and wickedly addictive. Among other ingredients, half a pound of butter + a pound of chocolate = pure bliss, in baked form.

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