Black Sesame Amaretti Cookies

Amaretti are some of my favorite cookies for a reason: they are ridiculously simple to make, with only 3 main ingredients—plus the black sesame in this case—and always a crowd pleaser. Even better, they’re naturally gluten-free AND dairy-free (but you won’t miss a thing, I promise!)

These eye-catching black sesame amaretti cookies might look colorless, but they are certainly not flavorless! With an intense roasted black sesame flavor that’s supported by the nutty almond, this Asian-inspired twist on a classic Italian cookie is both surprising and satisfying, not to mention visually stunning with dark gray crackles peeking through a snow white powdered sugar coating.

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve published a new amaretti flavor, and dare I say this one might be my favorite yet?

I’ll be honest I didn’t expect them to be quite so good the first time I made them. Usually my first go at any recipe is like throwing spaghetti at the wall, just to see what happens. It started with a spark of an idea that came to me while looking at the various nuts, seeds, and powders stashed in my pantry that made me think, “what if I swapped out some of the almond flour with finely ground black sesame seeds?” In this case that hunch that turned into a munch (we devoured the first batch in no time!)

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Brown Butter Banana Bread Chocolate Chip Cookies

Luscious, gooey-in-the-middle brown butter chocolate chip cookies with a banana twist, making them taste like a combination of your favorite chocolate chip cookie and a slice of freshly baked, still-warm banana bread. It’s the perfect recipe to use up that sad single banana languishing on the countertop (you only need a single egg yolk too!)

With a deep and nutty flavor from the brown butter, a hearty kick of banana flavor, and studded with a mix of semisweet and dark chocolate pieces that melt into luscious puddles of molten chocolate in the oven, these lengthily-named cookies will become a fast favorite.

So we’ve done BBCCCs (brown butter chocolate chip cookies), but what about BBBBCCCs (brown butter BANANA BREAD chocolate chip cookies)? Indeed, adding a banana to my favorite cookie recipe makes for a cookie that tastes like a perfect mashup between chocolate chip cookies and banana bread.

The idea for this recipe came about when Taylor — who has a banana every morning for breakfast — somehow wound up with an extra banana that quickly turned (let’s just say he likes his bananas medium rare, even a speck of brown and he won’t touch it). I couldn’t very well let that sad, lonely banana go to waste, but given that it was just a single banana, it wasn’t quite enough to make a loaf of banana bread or even my banana bread muffins, at least without more math than my morning brain was willing to do.

But I figured banana cookies sounded pretty good, so why not?

Turns out you can’t just go adding banana to cookie recipes willy-nilly though. Since bananas have a high water content, simply adding banana will lead to puffy, cakey cookies. And I, for one, am not a fan of cakey cookies (whoopie pies being the one and only exception).

To make up for the extra water content, I removed the whole egg, leaving just egg yolk, and removed the splash of milk as well (the banana more than makes up for the water lost while browning the butter, which is why the milk is there to begin with). A single egg yolk combined with the equivalent of one small banana is enough to give these cookies a fudgy, toothsome, and borderline-gooey texture that is anything but cakey.

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10 Pantry Ingredients to Level-Up Your Baking

I’ve been baking all my life, and developing my own recipes for the last 15 years, and during that time have learned and developed a few tricks and secret ingredients to level-up homemade treats, taking them from good to downright extraordinary.

I’m not one for keeping secrets, so I’m here to spill the beans on these 10 (no longer) secret ingredients that will make your bakes look and taste more like professional, bakery-made treats. Plus, they can all be stored in the pantry for months and even years.

You may have noticed one or more of these ingredients listed as optional in many of my recipes. While their omission won’t necessarily cause the recipe to fail, they are included in the recipe for a reason, usually to level-up the recipe by enhancing the flavor, texture, and/or appearance.

Sometimes I’ll utilize a few of these secret ingredients together at once (like my next-level brown butter chocolate chip cookies which feature dry milk powder, instant espresso powder, flaky sea salt, AND good chocolate). While one of these things on its own might not be super apparent in the final product, together they make for some of the best cookies I’ve ever made (and I don’t say that lightly!)

Just a heads up that some of these ingredients won’t be available in your local supermarket, so it does take a bit of foresight and planning to acquire them online or from a specialty baking supply store (and I’ve included links to the products I use where appropriate). But they are all long lasting and shelf stable in your pantry, so they’ll keep beautifully for a year or more, giving you plenty of opportunity to put them to good use!

(Note this post contains affiliate links.)

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Chewy Crinkle-Top Brownie Cookies

Everything you love about a chewy, fudgy brownie in cookie form! With a double dose of chocolate in the form of melted semisweet chocolate and Dutch-process cocoa powder, and a hint of espresso powder to deepen the chocolate flavor even more, these (no chill!) chewy chocolate brownie cookies come out of the oven with paper-thin, shiny, crinkly tops. A sprinkle of flaky sea salt is the perfect finish.

While you can opt to make larger cookies if you prefer, I like a smaller size (about 2.5-inches diameter). That paired with the soft texture makes them perfect sandwich cookies (might I suggest some mint chip ice cream?) though they are plenty satisfying on their own as well.

The recipe is similar to my chocolate raspberry sandwich cookies, with slightly tweaked proportions and ingredients to produce that shiny, crackly top that’s one of the signature features of perfect brownies.

The smaller size and flat shape, not to mention the soft and chewy texture, make them an excellent base for cookie sandwiches. Might I suggest a rich chocolate ganache and jam filling, or maybe this pistachio white chocolate ganache (yes please!)

Or, better yet smash a scoop of homemade mint chip ice cream between two of these cookies and thank me later. The softness of these cookies makes them particularly suitable for ice cream sandwiches since the soft cookie won’t cause the ice cream to squish out when you bite it.

These cookies are rich and fudgy like a brownie, but thin and chewy like a cookie, with that iconic shiny, crackly crust that you expect from the perfect brownie. Not too sweet either, with a balanced sweetness that contrasts beautifully with the deep chocolate flavor and the flake salt on top.

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White Chocolate Focaccia Bread

This sweet and salty twist on a classic Italian focaccia features hidden pockets of white chocolate infused into the tender crumb and a bubbly, golden brown crust topped with flaky sea salt and crunchy turbinado sugar. It’s made over the course of 3 days/48 hours for a full flavor and extra bubbly crust, but with only 45 minutes of hands-on time required.

This unique focaccia can be made with instant yeast or sourdough (the method is nearly identical), and bakes into a crisp, bubbly, and golden brown focaccia with a sweet surprise hidden inside: pockets of molten white chocolate that almost caramelize in the high heat of the oven, melding with the tender crumb of the bread. It’s a sweet, salty, and sensational twist on focaccia that you won’t soon forget!

My sister and I have long been obsessed with this magical white chocolate bread we had at ClubMed in the 90s. You know how some flavor memories are seared into your brain? That bread is one of those things.

I made a regular loaf version of it based on the official ClubMed recipe a few years back, and haven’t thought much about it since. Until my sister fell head first into her own sourdough obsession (you’re only 6 years late, Robs) and set about making a sourdough loaf studded with white chocolate chips (in short: yum).

I’ve been leaning hard into focaccia lately, maybe because it feels like lazy-girl’s sourdough since you don’t have to deal with shaping or scoring or be overly concerned with proofing times. Despite making over a dozen loaves in the last few months, I’ve mainly stuck to basic flavors so far (dried fennel seed is my favorite focaccia flavoring, another throwback to our favorite date night restaurant in college). But I digress.

Despite baking so many loaves, I don’t have a solid go-to focaccia recipe just yet; it’s something I tweak and change pretty much every time I make it, and likely will continue to do so for some time. While I’ve shared same-day focaccia recipes in the past (this peach and thyme focaccia is a particular favorite), I’ve decided that I prefer the more complex flavors, exaggerated bubbles, and crusty exterior I get from an extended timeline.

So taking into account my focaccia fixation and my sister’s forays into white chocolate sourdough, you can see how the idea of white chocolate focaccia came to be. And it turned out fabulous if I do say so myself (not that I’d be sharing it if it didn’t, but still).

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Strawberry Elderflower Jelly (with Strawberry Rose variation)

Strawberries, particularly perfectly ripe, just picked berries, often have subtle floral undertones. By adding flower-infused syrup to the strawberry juice base, we play up that floral characteristic, giving this flower-infused jelly a unique and complex flavor that tastes just like spring feels.

Made with fresh elderflowers, ripe strawberries and classic pectin for a ruby red, crystalline jelly with a subtle undertone of floral elderflower flavor. This small-batch recipe can be water-bath canned for shelf-stable storage, or refrigerated or frozen instead if you prefer.

Also included in this recipe is a variation for strawberry rose petal jelly using dried rose petals (or any other edible flower, really).

Don’t forget to scroll to the bottom of this post to download the free printable labels (both elderflower and rose variations included!)

I have so many strawberry jam recipes. I mean, how many is too many? Asking for a friend…

Without fail, every year I end up picking at least two baskets worth at the pick-your-own farm near us. I just can’t resist the lure of these springtime gems.

In lieu of yet another strawberry jam recipe, I thought I’d mix it up a little bit. Hence: strawberry jelly! The main difference between jelly and jam is strained fruit juice versus whole fruit (more on that below). If a smooth, even texture is your jam—excuse me, your jelly—then this recipe is for you.

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Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (Extra Large, Bakery Style)

These cookies are just… extra. Extra large, extra gooey-in-the-middle, with an extra toasty, extra brown buttery flavor and a texture I can only describe as lush. Tollhouse could never.

This small batch recipe makes 6 obscenely large cookies (equivalent to 12 normal sized ones), but feel free to double or triple the recipe (they freeze beautifully before or after baking). Even better… because it uses melted brown butter, there’s no electric mixer required—the entire recipe can be mixed by hand.

There are a million and one brown butter chocolate chip cookie recipes out there on the internet, but I wanted something impeccable, that was just a little bit different than all the others.

Which is… harder than it sounds.

Needless to say, these cookies have been a long time coming.

And by a long time I mean I’ve tested least 7 test batches baked over the course of the last few months (a sacrifice I’m happy to make). Each time tweaking one tiny little thing to improve the texture, flavor, and/or appearance (or all three). I think there is a reason I haven’t done a basic chocolate chip cookie recipe before now (the closest I’ve come is probably these ganache-stuffed beauties) and that’s because all my years of baking knowledge and know-how was needed to tweak these cookies to perfection.

Normally I go for cookies that spread thinly and evenly for an overall chewy experience, like these pistachio chocolate chip cookies. But this time I wanted a cookie with more substance, a cookie with some meat on its bones, thick and plush and even borderline fudgy, gooey in the middle but still crisp and chewy on the edges, with the perfect balance of buttery cookie to pockets and puddles of rich, dark chocolate.

That’s… a lot to ask of a cookie. (Now you see why it took me so long?)

I ultimately achieved this cookie convergence by precise proportions of flour, sugar, and fat, baking soda (and definitely no powder, which caused the cookie to be overly cakey for my tastes), and by shaping the dough into, of all things, snowmen. Plus a thorough chill and a nice hot oven temperature.

The resulting cookies are oversized and flavor packed, with a robust, toasty brown butter flavor that’s complimented and enhanced by a combination of not-so-secret ingredients: dry milk powder, dark brown sugar, and instant espresso powder, plus cornstarch and an extra egg yolk for the most tender and fudgy cookies of your dreams.

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Pistachio Ganache (with White Chocolate and Pistachio Butter)

This ultra creamy, vibrant green pistachio ganache is made with white chocolate and naturally flavored with real pistachio butter for a sweet, nutty, and earthy pistachio flavor that’s perfect for a wide variety of fillings and frostings for cakes, cookies, and pastries.

With only three main ingredients and a mere 20 minutes of active time (plan on an hour or two for it to set, but it can also be made further ahead of time), this homemade pistachio ganache is a true showstopper, and easily adaptable depending on the exact consistency and flavor you desire.

My pistachio obsession is showing no signs of abating any time soon.

After making a truly otherworldly whipped pistachio ganache to top my exquisite raspberry pistachio frangipane tart, I decided that a standalone pistachio ganache recipe was probably a good idea, as it makes such an incredibly versatile frosting or filling.

This recipe is for a standard soft-set pistachio ganache (perfect for truffle filling or macarons), but it’s easy enough to turn it into a whipped ganache by just adding additional cream and then whipping it to silky smooth, airy perfection the next day.

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Jammy Sour Cream Crumb Cake

With a golden, buttery crumb cake—made extra rich and tender with sour cream—topped with a swirl of bright fruit jam and a crisp, shortbread cookie-like crumb for crunchy contrast, this is a cake that’s as suitable for breakfast as it is for dessert (or even afternoon tea).

Sometimes simple cakes hit just as hard as any multi-tiered masterpiece. As is the case with this deceivingly simple crumb cake, with three layers of textural perfection: tender and buttery cake, sweet and sticky jam, and crunchy crumb topping. And did I mention it’s ready in under an hour from start to finish?

I always seem to have a few jars of homemade jam open and floating in the fridge at any given time. Such is the plight of the jam maker (as I’m sure anyone who makes homemade jam in any quantity likely has the same problem).

It’s why I have an entire category of recipes dedicated to Jams in Action: recipes that use jam as a component in one way or another.

That’s also why this cake—complete with its sticky swirl of sweet and fruity jam—is my ideal cake. One that’s buttery and rich but not overly sweet, with multiple textures to please the palette, and that also uses up some of those sad little orphan jams hidden away in the back corner of the fridge.

The recipe itself is quite similar to my grandma’s sour cream coffee cake (this version with apples being the first version I ever posted), with slightly tweaked proportions and an added shortbread-like crumb topping, plus a layer of fruit jam in between. I like to think of it as a choose-your-own-adventure cake, where the type of jam you use will make it taste completely different every time!

I’ve personally made it with plain raspberry jam, old-fashioned strawberry jam, as well as a blend of raspberry and guava jam from random leftover jars that I mixed together (this one was my favorite, the guava is so punchy I just love it). While I don’t have a recipe for raspberry guava jam, I do have a strawberry guava jam that I think would be absolutely lovely here!

While I’m not calling it coffee cake this time, it really is quite wonderful as a breakfast cake, especially when you take into account the fruity jam. But it’s also perfectly sweet and satisfying for an afternoon tea and even fancy enough to count as dessert (maybe dusted with powdered sugar and served with a scoop of ice cream, perhaps?)

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Raspberry & Pistachio Frangipane Tart with Whipped Pistachio Ganache

Talk about a showstopper: this stunning tart features layers of fragrant pistachio frangipane and raspberry jam in a crisp pistachio shortcrust, studded with fresh raspberries and topped with swirls of luscious whipped pistachio and white chocolate ganache.

This colorful and impressive dessert might look fancy and complicated, but it’s actually easier to make than it looks! The whipped ganache is made the day ahead of time then whipped to fluffy, puffy perfection, and the crust and frangipane filling come together surprisingly quickly too with the help of a food processor and electric mixer (but you could also make the frangipane in the food processor as well).

The first time I made this (for a Hanukkah dinner with our friends, ironic considering the colors make it look like it’s straight from the Grinch’s kitchen), I just made a simple tart crust and the filling of pistachio frangipane and fresh raspberries. No jam layer, and definitely no whipped ganache (sad, I know).

And it looked cute enough and tasted more than fine, but certainly nothing to write home about.

And if there’s anything I want more than anything, it’s to share recipes that are worth writing home about! Writing anyone in fact, I do so love it when my recipes are shared.

So when it came time to make it again, I added a layer of raspberry jam under the frangipane, and topped it with swirls of fluffy pistachio whipped ganache. With those two additions, it became clear, quite quickly, that this is one of my favorite things I’ve ever made. All the flavors and textures come together so beautifully in the end, making each and every bite a truly transcendent experience.

Together, pistachio and raspberry make for a vibrant, eye-catching (and mouth-watering) pairing that balances the rich earthiness of the pistachio with the bright fruitiness of the raspberry.

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Introducing: Life is Butter Dream

Extra, extra, bread all about it! Our brand new Fresh Baked Puns design has landed and is now available for pre-order for a limited time.

This brand new buttery design features an original, hand-cut block print illustration (yes, I carved that thing by hand including all that teeny tiny text. Phew. If there’s enough interest I could be convinced to put a few art prints up for sale as well!) All the gear is locally screen printed on soft cotton tees, tea towels, tote bags, and super cute denim aprons. Oh, and stickers too!

Spread the word: the limited-time pre-order price won’t stick around forever, and once it’s gone, it’s toast.

We’re offering a few more goodies this time than with our previous designs (though if you missed the Live Laugh Loaf totes and aprons check them out immediately as they are fresking adorable.) We also sourced a new unisex shirt style for this design, I know so many of you love Comfort Colors shirts, so we replaced the B+C unisex shirts with these heavyweight cotton tees instead. But don’t worry, the women’s shirts are still the same super soft Bella + Canvas shirts you loved before. :)

Here’s what’s on offer:

🧈 Women’s tees: Ultra-soft Bella + Canvas (a fan favorite for a reason) in stunning Carolina Blue.
🧈 Unisex tees: Heavyweight cotton tees by Comfort Colors (a new heavyweight cotton addition we’re very excited about). Not to mention that butter yellow color? Chef’s kiss. No notes.
🧈 Tea Towels: high quality, 100% cotton flour sack towels. I could have 100 of these things and it wouldn’t be enough.
🧈 Tote Bags: cute and versatile canvas totes with contrast color handles.
🧈 Aprons: these on-trend denim aprons are downright adorable.
🧈 Stickers: because butter belongs everywhere (for real).

Or, butter yet, snag a bundle!

Order yours now at the exclusive pre-order price, and guarantee you get the size, style, and color you want. Butter get on it and snag yours today before this deal melts away!

The discounted pre-order price is valid for one week only through February 15th; all pre-orders will ship the first week of March.

Pre-Order NOW for an exclusive price »

*Please note that for orders containing in-stock and pre-order products, the entire order will ship when the preorder product becomes available. If you need the in-stock item sooner, please place a separate order.

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Overnight Sourdough Discard Waffles

Your new favorite weekend brunch is here: made with sourdough discard for a unique yeasty flavor and buttermilk for tang. Slathered with salted butter, you almost don’t need any syrup (though I’ll admit that the combination of sweet syrup and salty butter on a crisp, yeasty waffle is nothing short of perfection).

The overnight method allows you to mix up the bulk of the batter the night before, letting the sourdough work its magic while you sleep. Then, when you wake up in the morning, just mix in the eggs and start baking and you’ll be enjoying waffles by the time the coffee finishes brewing!

I really do love waffles (you could say, I love them a waffle lot).

I love waffles more than pancakes. And even French toast. Although German pancakes still reign as supreme brunch food in my opinion, but waffles aren’t far behind.

Within the hierarchy of waffles themselves, yeasted waffles always taste just a little bit… more. More flavorful, more fluffy, more crispy around the edges. Just, more.

Seeing as how sourdough is the queen of all yeasts, well, you can see where this is going. To be honest I’m a bit disappointed in myself that it’s taken me this long to actually make sourdough waffles (unlike sourdough pancakes which I tackled years ago).

Once you taste these overnight sourdough waffles, with their golden brown, crunchy exterior and yeasty, toothsome centers, I think you’ll agree that they have been well worth the wait.

If you like your waffles with a bit more substance and depth of flavor—no dry, flavorless styrofoam here—these sourdough waffles might just be exactly the recipe you’ve been looking for. With a perfectly golden brown, crispy exterior and a toothsome, fluffy-yet-substantial interior with a robust yeasty flavor, they truly are the pinnacle of brunch for sourdough lovers. They’re so good that you might find yourself intentionally feeding your sourdough starter a little bit extra, just so you have an excuse to make these waffles.

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The Best of 2025

See ya, 2025. Don’t let the screen door hit you on the way out! (Seriously though, what a year!)

The biggest milestone of 2025—for us at least—was the launch of Fresh Baked Puns, finally putting some of my favorite food puns on tshirts, tea towels, stickers and more (psst! If you missed it, I just added Live Laugh Loaf totes and aprons to the shop! The aprons in particular are extremely limited in quantity, so if you want one, I wouldn’t wait too long.)

I’m currently in the sketching phase for the next two designs coming very soon… let’s just say you butter be on the mailing list if you want first dibs.

Puns aside, we published only 26 recipes this year. The lowest count yet, continuing with the trend of focusing more on quality over quantity. But you know what? I’m darn proud of those 26 recipes and the work that went into them! I think I tested the pecan bars 6 times? 7 times? I honestly can’t even remember any more, I just know I went through a lot of pecans.

Anyway. I’ve done a best of post every year for the past 16 years (!!) and I’m not about to stop such a long-standing tradition despite the fact my brain is half mush—I mean, cookie dough—at this point in the year.

As for what’s in store for 2026… I already have a few recipes in the works that I know you’re going to love. I just need to hunker down and photograph the darn things. Then edit the photos. Then write the recipe and the post. Then promote it… (seriously though, every post takes hours and hours to pull together these days, no wonder I’m not publishing as frequently as I used to).

And while I’ve never been the resolutions type, I’ve got a few big goals in addition to trying to develop some better habits this coming year, including:

• Draw everyday.
• Bake more homemade bread.
• Make more homemade pasta.
• Learn to shoot with artificial light (I’m so sick of fighting the sun).
• Release at least 4 new pun designs (one every quarter).
• Figure out ways to better market myself and Fresh Baked Puns (marketing expert I am not).
• Get more recipes converted, including metric measurements (I’ve made it back to 2019… still 12 more years—and 818 more recipes—to go!)
• Eat less sugar ehhhh who are we kidding. That sweet tooth isn’t going anywhere!

What about you? What are you most excited for in the new year?

(Click through to see which recipe came out on top!)

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Homemade Peppermint Bark (Small Batch)

Peppermint bark is a satisfyingly simple holiday treat, with two gorgeous layers of dark and white chocolates and a flurry of candy cane pieces on top. Making your own from scratch is extra satisfying, with just a few ingredients and less than an hour of your time. This is a small batch recipe, requiring less than 12 ounces of chocolate in total to make an 8-inch square piece of bark, but it can easily be scaled up as needed.

There’s a reason peppermint bark is a holiday staple: it’s oh so festive, almost universally popular, and a perfect long-keeping treat for gifting or cookie exchanges (it totally counts as a cookie, in my opinion). Tied with festive twine and gorgeous gift tags (scroll to the bottom to download the free printable!) it makes an amazing gift for friends, teachers, and anyone who could use a little extra holiday sweetness.

I’ll admit, I didn’t set out to share a basic peppermint bark recipe (or as Taylor would say, a plain a$$ peppermint bark). There are easily a million and one recipes already out there on the Internet, does the world really need another one?

But as I was testing my Chocolate Peppermint Bark Cookie recipe, I couldn’t find a store bought bark that wasn’t A: wildly expensive, or B: overly thick.

So I decided to make my own.

And since I was making my own peppermint bark from scratch anyway, I figured, why not kill two birds with one candy cane, and get a second post out of it? You could say it was peppermint to be! Granted, I didn’t plan on that second post turning into such a behemoth, a dissertation on peppermint bark if you will, but, alas, here we are.

(Don’t forget to scroll to the bottom of this (admittedly very long) post to download the free printable gift tags!)

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Chocolate Peppermint Bark Cookies

When you can’t decide if you want Christmas cookies or classic peppermint bark, these dark chocolate cookies let you enjoy both at once: studded with peppermint bark pieces and topped with squares of peppermint bark for a truly festive, truly glorious cookie that’ll easily become a new holiday favorite.

These cookies are a true holiday showstopper: deeply chocolate with bits of chopped peppermint bark instead of the usual chips, plus an extra square of peppermint bark nestled on top so you know exactly what you’re biting into. And because it is a melted butter-based cookie, you can mix it by hand, no electric mixer required (and no worrying about softening butter ahead of time, either!)

I love peppermint bark… but not necessarily on its own. But making peppermint bark-ified versions of other kinds desserts, well, that I’m totally on board for (see: peppermint bark shortbread and peppermint bark brownies). Peppermint and chocolate should always go together, in my opinion!

These deeply chocolate, peppermint-infused, rich and gooey cookies are the result of years of testing. And I deeply apologize for the extended wait, because you’ll soon find this is one cookie recipe you can’t live without.

What took me so long? Well, whenever peppermint season came around I’d make a batch or two, tweaking the recipe and making it better each time, but it still wasn’t quite right. And I didn’t much feel like testing peppermint cookies come January (I’m sure you understand!) So yes, I’ve actually spent 4 years perfecting this recipe, though I’ve only made it about 5 or 6 times over that period of time.

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Chewy Maple Brown Butter Sugar Cookies

Impeccably chewy and packed with a triple dose of maple flavor (in the form of pure maple syrup, maple extract, and a maple sugar coating) these flavor-packed cookies are also made with browned butter for a toasty, nutty, and—especially when paired with maple— an almost butterscotch-like flavor.

And as an added bonus, because the dough uses brown butter in its liquid form, you don’t need to soften butter beforehand (win), the dough can be mixed entirely by hand without an electric mixer required (double win), and you can bake your cookies immediately, no chilling required (triple win)!

In terms of seasonal cookies, let’s think outside the box (and by box, I mean the ubiquitous fall/winter flavors of pumpkin, peppermint, and gingerbread). Maple might not be as widespread in fall baking recipes, but it certainly deserves the spotlight as much as its -ber month cousins, and these cookies are a great way to give maple its much deserved moment. Maple is, afterall, good for more than just pancakes!

I’m ashamed to admit I’ve been ignoring humble maple just as much as you have, as there are startlingly few recipes that use maple syrup in our archives. I definitely need to remedy that, stat!

In the meantime… these cookies are the best way satisfy your most urgent maple cravings short of a shortstack of pancakes. They’re just as chewy as your favorite molasses cookies, but with the unique flavor of maple shining through, plus delicately crispy edges and a touch of crunch from the larger grains of maple sugar. Add in a little brown butter for some roasty toasty goodness, and, well, you’ve got yourself a smashing success of a cookie.

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Snack Friday Sale + the Cutest Foodie Gift Guide Ever (shop small!)

This holiday season… we’re shopping small, buying thoughtful gifts from local businesses and independent artists and creators. Who’s with me?

If you’ve been following me for any length of time you likely know my love of food puns runs deep, and this year I finally acted on the idea that had been rolling around my head for years: putting some of my favorite puns on illustrated tees, tea towels, and more. I called it Fresh Baked Puns.

The best price on new designs is always during the pre-order phase (our next designs launch in January… sign up here for updates!) But we didn’t want to let black Friday (excuse me, *SNACK Friday*) pass by without at least a little something something to sweeten your holiday shopping list.

That’s why we’re offering:

>> 10% OFF EVERYTHING: from tees to tea towels to stickers and more, everything in the shop is 10% off through Monday 12/1 with code SNACKFRIDAY.

>> FREE SHIPPING on That’s My Jam: Hardcover copies of That’s My Jam ship FREE! Buy a book on its own and pay $0 shipping, or add one to your order and pay no additional shipping (and let’s face it, books are heavy, so this is a great deal!) No code necessary, US shipping only.

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More Small Business Love!

But mine isn’t the only small business you should support this holiday season! I’ve gathered some cute food-themed gift ideas from other creators and small businesses, and there is some seriously adorable stuff out there.

How cute is this farfalle hair clip? I also adore the bread and croissant themed accessories from this French artist.

I love food-themed art, and this sardine block print is perfection. I’m eying a number of her block prints, actually.

Birthday cake candle? Say no more.

Fellow pun lovers: we rise at dawn! Hand-lettered and illustrated greeting cards (plenty of non-food designs too).

I don’t have pierced ears but I’m almost tempted to solely so I can wear these heirloom tomato earrings (yes! these are earrings!)

This blood orange art print is simply STUNNING, with bold, vibrant colors. The matching tea towels too!

These ceramic frosted animal cookie magnets are so cute and they look EXACTLY like the nostalgic cookies from your childhood.

This ravioli spoon rest is simply adorable, and punny to boot! I love it.

More ceramic love… this fruit mug is absolutely perfect. No notes.

As a caffeine-averse tea lover, this herbal Apple-achian Chai Tea sounds right up my alley.

Hats off for this adorable rainbow chard hat (not sure about you, but rainbow chard is my favorite leafy green). I also love the food-themed hair accessories, too many cute things to choose!

I’m in awe of these hyper-realistic food paintings on newspaper… the bagel and lox painting in particular (which has since sold, but she’s got a number of other one of a kind paintings available including more bagels).

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Happy holidays, everyone!

from Love and Olive Oil https://ift.tt/obvnEhz

Pecan Pie Shortbread Cookie Bars

Chewy pecan-studded and maple-infused caramel atop a sweet and salty brown sugar shortbread. The result is a chewy (but not gooey), sweet and nutty bar that is practical, portable, pecan perfection.

Pecan pie, transformed into a portable, easier to prepare package. Instead of finicky pie crust, the base is a simple brown sugar shortbread. And instead of a temperamental custard with eggs that may or may not set properly, a simple brown sugar and maple syrup caramel that bakes up to a perfectly chewy, nutty finish.

Is it a cookie? A pie bar? A bar cookie? Or a little bit of all three?

For a seemingly simple recipe, this took me more than a few tries to nail the right ratio of shortbread to pecan and the proper set to the pecan caramel layer. And by more than a few, I mean 6. Indeed, it took me 6 trial batches to perfect this recipe (I felt a little like goldilocks, but instead of bears and porridge it was pecans and caramel.)

The winning topping ended up being the eggless version (an added bonus as the shortbread is eggless as well). While the egg made for a more traditional custardy pecan pie consistency, I had a really hard time getting it to set properly, it was always just a little too gooey and drippy, which made for an overly messy eating experience.

The eggless topping, on the other hand, bakes up to a perfectly chewy-but-not-gooey caramel, giving the cookie bars the perfect texture and chew without the sticky mess. The stable caramel makes these bars perfectly portable for cookie swaps, holiday parties, edible gifts and more.

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from Love and Olive Oil https://ift.tt/YrFhtCS

Black Bottom Pumpkin Cream Pie with Chocolate Ganache

Add a little chocolate decadence to your Thanksgiving table with this multi-layered take on a classic pumpkin pie. Featuring a smooth and lightly spiced pumpkin cream filling, with a hidden layer of dark chocolate ganache that’s not visible until you slice into it. Surprise chocolate? Count me in!

A traditional pumpkin pie this is not: with a pudding-like pumpkin filling that’s cooked on the stovetop rather than in the oven (freeing up your oven for other delicious things) and a black bottom of silky dark chocolate ganache, all nestled in a sweet and salty chocolate graham cracker crust, with a stabilized whipped cream to finish it off with a flourish.

I know, two pie recipes in a row! Usually I try to mix it up a little bit when I share recipes, but I figured y’all would want this pie recipe sooner rather than later (assuming you’ve already started to plan your Thanksgiving menus, that is, this pie should definitely be on it!)

I like to think of this as the pumpkin pie for pumpkin pie haters, but pumpkin lovers will adore it too. Assuming that most of the pumpkin pie hate comes from the texture: namely, the potentially-pastey and overly-thick baked custard filling of most traditional pumpkin pie recipes. Personally, I feel that a good pumpkin pie is anything but pastey if you do it right, but a luscious, creamy filling is certainly not the easiest feat to achieve.

Eyes on the Pies!

Pie lovers, this one’s for you! Get your Eyes on the Pies tshirt, tea towel, or sticker today from Fresh Baked Puns.

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Enter: Pumpkin Cream Pie. Think banana cream or coconut cream pie, but pumpkin (I know, right??)

The filling is more like a pudding rather than a baked custard, cooked on the stovetop instead of the oven. That means that, other than a few minutes to set the chocolate graham cracker crust (which you can certainly do ahead of time), the rest of the pie can be made without the use of the oven, freeing up that valuable rack space for other things. Not technically no-bake, but close to it!

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from Love and Olive Oil https://ift.tt/bwxM52Z

Flaky Chocolate Pie Crust

Pie crust is great, but have you ever had chocolate pie crust? This flaky chocolate pie crust is everything you love about pie pastry: tender, flaky and buttery, with the addition of cocoa powder for a deeply chocolate flavor that will complement just about any filling.

The crust comes together just like any other pastry, you can use a pastry blender by hand, or mix with a stand mixer or food processor (though I always recommend mixing in the water by hand regardless). The result is a beautiful, flaky pastry that’s easy to work with and a delight to eat!

My Chocolate Banana Cream Pie recipe (newly updated and improved with new photos and step-by-step!) features a chocolate pastry crust, but the original recipe utilized a rough-puff technique that has since vanished from the internet.

The original crust recipe proportions were a little vague as well, so I made a couple changes and also clarified the process, with step by step photos to show you the way!

So I figured it was high time for an update, and such a delicious crust was more than worthy of its own post, especially since it’s so versatile: you could really fill this chocolate crust with just about anything, from fruit to pumpkin to custard! Let’s be serious, what doesn’t go with chocolate? You could also swap this crust for chocolate cookie crusts if you prefer a flakier pastry (and as much as I love a cookie crust, the demise of the Famous chocolate wafer cookie has me looking for chocolatey alternatives).

The result is a buttery, flaky pastry crust with a rich chocolate flavor. It’s amazing how much chocolate flavor you actually get from a mere 3 tablespoons of cocoa!

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from Love and Olive Oil https://ift.tt/gK1PHrM