Chinese Almond Ginger Cookies: Terrific Crispy, Buttery, Sweet, & Spicy Delights!

Thin, crispy, sweet, buttery, sparkly, spicy, and fruity describe these Chinese Almond Ginger cookies. They have a balance of thin and crispiness with a tender, soft center that melts in your mouth. Think of a sugar cookie with a hint of ginger and almond flavors. These cookies will pleasantly surprise you even if you aren’tContinue reading “Chinese Almond Ginger Cookies: Terrific Crispy, Buttery, Sweet, & Spicy Delights!”

Scottish Black Bun: Hogmanay New Year’s Cake Wrapped in Pastry

The Scottish Hogmanay Black Bun is a satiating sweet treat of dried fruit mixed with an abundance of spices, a bit of flour, and sweetened with brown sugar and molasses. It’s enveloped in a lightly sweetened buttery, flaky pastry resembling a present. It truly is an edible gift of joy and hope. The traditional ScottishContinue reading “Scottish Black Bun: Hogmanay New Year’s Cake Wrapped in Pastry”

Addicting Finnish Pinwheels: Elegant but Simple Fruit-Filled Sugar Cookies

Cookies or mini tarts? Finnish fruit-filled pinwheels are tasty, sweet treats, perfect for the holidays. This version made with a tender shortbread artistic cookie dough and dollops of sweet homemade dried fruit filling is a must try. While prune filling is traditional, you can use your favorite dried fruit instead like cranberries, cherries, blueberries, dates,Continue reading “Addicting Finnish Pinwheels: Elegant but Simple Fruit-Filled Sugar Cookies”

Holiday Rolled Baklava: Wonderful Spices, Pistachios, Pomegranate, & Orange

The smell, taste, and look of the holidays rolled into a sticky, crunchy, sweet confection does more than tickle your senses. My holiday rolled baklava recipe focuses on holiday flavors to include pistachios, pomegranate seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, brown sugar, and orange zest rolled in layers of buttered phyllo dough and coated in a honey-orangeContinue reading “Holiday Rolled Baklava: Wonderful Spices, Pistachios, Pomegranate, & Orange”

Quesadilla Salvadoreña Sweet Cheese Pound Cake: Gluten Free & Buttery

Imagine a dessert that’s a cross between a sweet pound cake and savory, buttery, cheesy cornbread in both flavor and texture. The Salvadorans have done just that. The Quesadilla Salvadoreña Sweet Cheese Pound Cake is near the sweetness and texture of a pound cake with a moist, sweet cheese flavor and near density of aContinue reading “Quesadilla Salvadoreña Sweet Cheese Pound Cake: Gluten Free & Buttery”

Easy Blueberry Shortcake with Blueberry Glaze & Creamy Custard

Most of us living in the US have eaten strawberry shortcake. It’s a classic summertime dessert. As much as I love strawberries, blueberries are at the top of my list of favorite fruits. So, one day, I thought “why not a blueberry shortcake?” Have you ever thought about blueberry shortcake? Well, here it is! I’mContinue reading “Easy Blueberry Shortcake with Blueberry Glaze & Creamy Custard”

Easy Strawberry Shortcake with Strawberry Glaze & Creamy Custard

One of my favorite summertime desserts is a strawberry shortcake. My version consists of repeat layers of light, pillow-y angel food cake covered with a sweet strawberry glaze followed by a creamy, sweet cream cheese custard topping. This tasty, layered dessert is easy to make, perfect for the season, and ideal for social gatherings. StrawberryContinue reading “Easy Strawberry Shortcake with Strawberry Glaze & Creamy Custard”

Rugelach: Sugar Cookies with Rich Strawberry and Almond Filling

Rugelach is a traditional Jewish pastry often in the shape of a French croissant made with a yeast dough or cookie dough. It is rolled with a sweet filling to include chocolate, jams, nuts, and much more. These cookies are found in bakeries all over Eastern Europe and in Jewish communities around the world. I’mContinue reading “Rugelach: Sugar Cookies with Rich Strawberry and Almond Filling”

Greek New Year’s Cake: Rich & Buttery with a Hidden Treasure

New Year’s Day is probably the only day of the year that every country and culture celebrates. Granted, some countries and cultures use a different calendar. Regardless of the actual day, there are so many different traditions for bringing in the New Year. In fact, even in the same country, people celebrate in different ways.Continue reading “Greek New Year’s Cake: Rich & Buttery with a Hidden Treasure”

Nutella Swirl Pumpkin Pie with Gingersnap Crust: Rich & Chocolatey

Tis the season for all things pumpkin, even if, it’s only the spice. It’s hard to find a table during the holidays (in America) without pumpkin pie. Years ago, I wanted a change for my Thanksgiving table. Still pumpkin, mind you, but not the same traditional pie. Low and behold, I found it, or createdContinue reading “Nutella Swirl Pumpkin Pie with Gingersnap Crust: Rich & Chocolatey”