strawberry hand pie cookies

i’m obsessed with hand pies. and it’s not just about how they taste, i love the name itself and also the idea that they are tiny enough to fit inside your pocket. so i present you with hand pie cookies, this recipe is actually a combination between two cookie recipes, and just a side note here: i sadly do not have a rolling pin in my kitchen currently so i used a half-filled wine bottle to roll out the dough. i also must admit that i get pretty nervous when it comes to dough rolling, but i got through it, you can too!

ingredients:
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• powdered sugar {optional}
• strawberry jam

to do:
1. place flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl and stir. beat granulated sugar and butter in a medium bowl with a mixer until light and fluffy. beat in egg and vanilla. gradually add the flour mixture. beat at low speed until a dough forms. {i used a wooden spoon because my mixer is in storage} divide dough in half, wrap. refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm.

2. preheat oven to 375 degrees. working with 1 portion at a time, roll dough on lightly floured surface to 1/8 inch thickness. cut dough into 18 small to medium circular shapes with a floured cookie cutter, i used the rim of a small spice jar. {if dough becomes too soft, refrigerate several minutes before continuing.} place 9 circles on ungreased cookie sheets. place about 1 teaspoon or less of the strawberry jam on each circle, leaving a 1/8 inch border around the edges. place the remaining circles over the filling, press edges together with a fork. cut 2 to 3 slits through the top circles of the dough. apply a touch of egg wash to the tops. bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until lightly golden. remove cookies and place on wire racks for cooling completely.

3. sprinkle powdered sugar a top the cookies if you wish. i didn’t have my mesh sieve on me so i did my best using a spoon for a “rustic” look :) enjoy!

english thumbprint cookies

my mom used to bake these a lot when i was a kid so they hold sentimental value. but sentimental or not, they are just so satisfyingly delicious with their crumbly nutty texture and shot of sweetness from the jam. go make these this weekend! x

ingredients: {makes 30 cookies}
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 egg, separated
• 1 cup pecan pieces, toasted + finely chopped
• 2 to 3 tablespoons strawberry jam

directions:
1. preheat oven to 350 degrees F. place flour and salt in medium bowl; stir. beat butter and brown sugar in large bowl w. electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. beat in vanilla and egg yolk. gradually beat in flour mixture. beat egg white w. fork until frothy. place pecans in shallow bowl.

2. shape dough into 1-inch balls. roll balls in egg white; roll in pecans to coat. place balls on ungreased cookie sheets. press deep indentation in center of each ball with thumb.

3. bake 8 minutes or until set. remove cookies from oven; fill each indentation w. about 1/4 teaspoon jam. return filled cookies to oven; bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. immediately remove cookies to wire racks; cool completely. enjoy with a hot cup of black coffee!

banana bread with a brown sugar crust

this banana bread is so fluffy and moist with just a few hints of coconut and almond flavorings. you can omit the nuts if you want but for me they are essential to any dessert that i favor. the secret to this banana bread is the brown sugar crust which adds the perfect amount of sweetness and texture. i made this loaf from scratch, you can check out my last banana bread recipe here, which was made from a box and was still delicious nonetheless.

ingredients: {makes one loaf}
• 4 very ripe brown bananas
• 1/3 cup melted unsalted butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon coconut extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 tablespoons of brown sugar

to do:
no need for a mixer for this recipe! preheat the oven to 350 degrees. with a wooden spoon, mix the butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. mix in the egg, sugar, nuts and extracts. sprinkle the baking soda, baking powder and salt over the mixture and mix in. add the flour last in batches, mix but do not over mix. pour the mixture into a buttered 4×8 inch loaf pan. evenly sprinkle the brown sugar atop. bake for 1 hour. allow to cool. remove from pan and enjoy!

holiday goodies

as per one reader’s request, i’ve compiled a few of my past recipes into one post for some holiday eating inspiration. as far as i’m concerned, the simmering, the mixing and the noshing have only just begun! click on the links for the recipes + i hope you enjoy! x

1. chocolate raspberry bars w. white chocolate and almonds
2. gnocchi w. brown butter sauce
3. white chocolate-dipped pretzel rods
4. cherry jello cake
5. holiday biscotti
6. poached pears in red wine sauce
7. red wine risotto w. peas
8. sun-dried tomato pesto pasta

gingerbread man cookies

remember how i said that these were my absolute favorite kind of cookies? well i lied because these are.. i know, sorry, it’s kind of hard to take me seriously now but i actually had never tried these cookies up until a few days ago, so technically i didn’t really lie. sooo.. this gingerbread is slightly chewy and has such a rich depth of flavor from the molasses. and the icing, well you know, icing is just the icing on the cake, i mean cookie ;)

ingredients: {makes 3 1/2 dozen 4 inch cookies}
• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 cup salted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup unsulfured molasses

to do:
1. pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.
2. whisk together flour, soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in a medium bowl.
3. in a large bowl with an electric mixer cream butter and sugar. scrap down the sides of the bowl. add egg and molasses, and beat on medium speed until smooth. scrape bowl and add the flour mixture. blend on low speed until combined; do not overmix.
4. separate dough into 2 balls and flatten into disks. wrap each disk lightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm.
5. on a floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. with floured cookie cutters cut into gingerbread men. use scraps until all the dough is used. place on ungreased baking sheets 1/2 inch apart and bake for 8-10 minutes or until slightly golden.
6. allow to cool completely before icing.

* see recipe for icing here.

sugar cookies w. royal icing

these are hands down my favorite holiday cookies. growing up, we visited family in san jose for the holidays, and these babies would always be waiting for my sister and i to devour. some of these types of cookies have icing that is firm, but i prefer them to have a soft, buttery consistency similar to that of cake frosting.

i will not lie to you, these are not the easiest cookies to master if in fact you’re a perfectionist like me and aim for perfectly iced cookies, e.g., williams-sonoma catalogs. one trick that i find helpful is to use a chopstick for correcting the iced outlines of the cookies. but despite their level of difficulty, they are totally worth it
in that christmas only happens once a year!

ingredients: {dough}
• 2 sticks {1 cup} unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt

ingredients: {icing}
• 3 cups confectioners sugar
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1/3 cup whole milk {i substituted with coconut milk}
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• food coloring {separate icing into however many bowls for each color that you are using}

to do: {dough}
in a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer for 30 seconds. add sugar and beat until smooth. beat in the eggs and vanilla extract. add flour, baking soda and salt to butter mixture and beat on medium until smooth. if the dough is very sticky, beat in a little more flour. form dough into 2 balls, wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. preheat oven to 375 degrees. roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface to about 1/8 inch thick. cut out cookies with cookie cutters of your choice until all of the dough is gone. place cookies on a baking sheet 1 inch apart. bake for 10 minutes or until golden. remove cookies to a wire rack and cool for 20 minutes.

to do: {icing}
beat all of the icing ingredients until smooth and separate into bowls with their appropriate food coloring colors added. ice cookies by first outlining using pastry bags or squeeze bottles and then flooding. correct iced edges with a chopstick, cleaning chopstick as you go with a dampened hand towel. add sprinkles and/or other decorations. enjoy!

five things

i can’t believe that it’s already december 7th, how time just gets away.. wishing you guys a great weekend ahead + here are five lovely things. x

1. dough made from scratch for sugar cookies, recipe coming next week
2. best friends really do start to mirror one another
3. i love great quotes
4. part of my shoe collection + finally thinking about how best to organize them
5. new sparkly pouch for lip glosses + the like

rocky road cupcakes

these are so good. so good that my 2 year-old niece had a meltdown the other day when she wanted another one. these cupcakes were the star of the father’s day feast, aside from the beer can chicken that we also had, but that’s another recipe for another time. in the meantime, make these!

ingredients: {makes 12}
• 1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup self-rising flour
• 3 T unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 T full fat milk
• 2 oz. white chocolate chips
• 1 cup mini marshmallows
• 2 T slivered almonds

to decorate:
• 3.5 oz. white chocolate, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 3 T slivered almonds
• 1/4 cup white chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup mini marshmallows

to do:
preheat oven to 350 degrees F. beat the butter and sugar together in a bowl until pale and fluffy, then beat in the eggs, one at a time. sift the flour and cocoa powder into the mixture and fold in. stir in the milk, followed by the chocolate chips, marshmallows and nuts.

spoon the mixture into a 12-cup cupcake pan, lined with paper liners and bake for about 18 minutes until risen and the tops spring back when lightly pressed. transfer to a wirerack to cool.

to decorate, put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. heat the cream in a saucepan until almost at a boil, then pour over the chocolate and leave to melt for about 5 minutes. stir until smooth and creamy, then leave to cool for about 30 minutes until thick and glossy.

spread the chocolate mixture over the cakes and stick the nuts, chocolate chips and marshmallows into the frosting. enjoy!

* recipe from say it with a cupcake by susannah blake

irish soda bread

this bread is the perfect balance of savory and sweet. eat it for a light breakfast with a sweet cup of hot tea or for a satisfying 3 o’clock snack. it bears a similar consistency to that of a scone, with it’s light outer crust and fluffy baked inner goodness.

ingredients:
• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 t baking powder
• 1 t baking soda
• 3/4 t salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter cut into little cubes
• 1 cup sour creme
• 1 egg
• 2 cups raisins or black currants
• 1 cup buttermilk

to do:
preheat oven to 375 degrees. whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. add into a food processor and mix together with the butter, sour creme and egg just until crumbs are formed. add the buttermilk and raisins and mix until you get a sticky dough. transfer to a lightly oiled cast iron skillet to form a round dough. bake for 1 hour or until golden, insert toothpick into center to make sure. serve with a hot cup of chai tea and enjoy!

mini apple crisps

remember the apple crostata that i posted the other day? well, this recipe comes from the leftovers of the remaining apples. and i think that it may even taste more delicious than the crostata itself. just don’t tell giada de laurentiis okay?

added ingredients: {3 small servings}
3 T unsalted butter
3 T brown sugar
6 T rolled oats
whipped cream or cool whip
granulated sugar
cinnamon

to do:
preheat oven to 350 degrees. make the apple filling portion of the apple crostata recipe. from there, portion out the apples into 3 ramekins. sprinkle 2 T of rolled oats, 1 T brown sugar, a sprinkle of granulated sugar, a dash of cinnamon and 1 T of butter into each ramekin and bake for 20 minutes uncovered. allow to cool slightly, top with whipped cream and enjoy!

apple crostata

i know i say this quite often, but this is one of my favorite desserts! and don’t be intimidated, it’s not that difficult to make actually. i know myself, that i tend to shy away from making anything from scratch that involves a crust, but i promise that it’s fairly easy. you can get the recipe here from once again, one of my favorite t.v. chefs.

jean’s wheat germ cookies

growing up, my mother informed me that she was always on the hunt for healthy treats for my sister and i. and it just so happened that my childhood best friend’s mother was too. this cookie recipe comes to you from jean. she and my mother had fun swapping many healthy family recipes and these cookies are now being made for my niece to enjoy.

ingredients: {makes approx. 36 depending on the size}
• 3/4 cup wheat germ
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup flaked unsweetened coconut
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries
• 1 t baking powder
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 3/4 t vanilla extract

to do:
preheat oven to 350 degrees. combine dry ingredients in a large bowl and sift together. cream butter and sugar. beat in egg and vanilla. combine the dry ingredients into the wet careful not to over mix. drop dough onto baking sheets
and bake for 8 to 12 minutes. place onto cooling racks, cool and store in airtight containers. enjoy!

lemon buttermilk sheet cake

this recipe comes from the america’s test kitchen cookbook. i accompanied my mom as she made this sweet tasting light cake the other day {recipe cut in half}. and it’s great because all of the recipes are just for two people, making it so you need not feel like you have to wolf down an entire cake, good for the waist line i’d say. and it offers up just the perfect amount of lemony sweetness without being overly cloying. give it a shot!

sleeping beauty 1997

i remember finding this video stashed at my grandparents’ house in san francisco, and thinking how cute it was that they were both fans
of this enchanting cartoon. but i’ve come to realize now, that some cartoons are definitely not just for children. the music in this movie is exquisite as is the animation. you sort of forget that you’re watching a cartoon. and this seems to
be the case with all disney films. princess aurora is another fashion/beauty
inspiration of mine. although her clothes remain less than glamorous, i can
remember always wanting to sport her bib-like peasant dress. now she is a
classic example of not letting her clothes wear her, she wears her clothes.

image source: youtube

i also have a major obsession with the magic, used by the fairy god mothers
for the cake making process. and even though i have yet to accomplish baking
one of that caliber myself, i will settle for the petits fours sold in the williams-sonoma catalog. i do believe that this explains my present day obsession with fondant cakes. well, alice in wonderland has also influenced this, but that’s
for another post.

image source: this distracted globe

{maleficent has nicely arched eyebrows, but that's about it}