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!

world nutella day

hurry! go grab a crunchy almond biscotti + a jar of chocolate hazelnut spread. now slather it on + celebrate world nutella day with me! xxx

ingredients:
• biscotti cookie
• nutella spread
• sprinkles {optional}

to do:
you know what to do!

crushed cakes

i want to feed my face w. these crushed cakes, sooo beautiful! xo

via: i love wildfox

lovejoy bakers

if you ever find yourself in the portland area you must head on over to lovejoy bakers in the pearl district. i nearly flipped over the oreo sandwich cookie and apple crumble dessert! and the cute dog portrait paintings on the walls add to the nice visual appeal. plus, you can’t ever go wrong with the coffee in portland, it’s as simple as that!

japanese plum wine

this sweet dessert wine is so refreshingly delicious. the taste of the plums is infused into the sake and is normally made in the springtime when plum trees are in bloom. you can find these three ingredients in japanese/asian grocery stores and it’s so easy to make!

ingredients:
1 pound unripened green ume plums {in japanese/asian grocery stores during the month of may}
1 quart good quality sake {rice wine – gekkeikan is a good one}
1 bag rock sugar

to do:
rinse and dry plums. in a large lidded jar, drop in all of the ume plums. add in the rock sugar evenly and pour the sake in. place the lid on the jar and allow to sit and age in a cool area for at least one month. the longer it sits the more flavorful it gets. serve chilled straight or on the rocks. the ume plums are deliciously edible as well. enjoy!

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!

shave ice w. adzuki beans

i’ve mentioned this treat before, it is one of my favorites and so far i have only been able to get it in hawaii and japan. but now that my mother has a shave ice maker, we’ve been eating these everyday and plan to do so all summer long. the special sauce is what makes it special, and different from the original snow cone. pleeease make this one.

ingredients:
shave ice maker
ice cubes
flavored syrup {i used strawberry, rainbow colors would be fun too}
packaged sweetened adzuki beans {you can get this at a japanese grocery store}
condensed milk
water

to do:
add a bit of water to the adzuki beans as well as to the condensed milk, in order to loosen up the consistency. this will ensure that they drizzle more easily onto the shave ice. prepare the shave ice in the ice maker. drizzle the flavored syrup onto the shave ice as well as the two toppings. eat immediately 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.

cinnamon vanilla ice~cream w. maple syrup + rice chex

this concoction was stumbled upon by mistake in that i had meant to create something else which required ice-cream. it’s now one of my favorites! right before the big move my kitchen was pretty much packed up, so i was left with these few ingredients. it tastes like a fancified vanilla ice-cream cone. please give this one a try, i think you’ll really love it!

ingredients: {1 serving}
• french vanilla ice-cream {a couple scoops}
• ground cinnamon {to taste}
• good quality maple syrup {1 to 2 T or to taste}
• chex cereal ~ rice or corn {i use this liberally because i like a lot of crunch}

to do:
scoop your ice-cream into a bowl. sprinkle with cinnamon, add the chex and top off with maple syrup. enjoy!