Cinnamon Roll Cookies

Simply delicious and deceptively easy to make, these are sure to impress. Cinnamon roll cookies that taste exactly like the real thing.

I modified this recipe by throwing a few handfuls of almond flour into the dough and filling. It came out just right!

The dough was wet and a bit hard to work with, especially during the rolling part, but I froze the log for about 20 minutes to make it less sticky and it worked beautifully. In case you haven't noticed, that's my baking solution for just about everything: freeze it!

I drizzled a sweet glaze over these, tasted them after I took pictures, and then dumped a whole lot more glaze on top. Go crazy, it's hard to mess these cuties up.

These cookies were tender, crunchy, sweet and cinnamon-y. 

They were soft and chewy.

Small and delicious. 

Go make these - now.

Chocolate Macarons 2-Ways AND a Macaron Cake

I went on a macaroon-making binge. I made about 70 for an order. Then made more for a cake. Then made more for a party. I can't even tell you have many egg yolks I had in my fridge, but it was so worth it. Wanna see?

These macarons are filled with a rich chocolate ganache - my favorite!

I experimented with a few recipes. These puffy macarons were made with David Lebowitz's recipe, found here. They were tasty, reliable, and pretty easy to make, but I wanted a more shiny, classic-looking macaron.

Then I put the macarons on a cake. Why? Because I can.

By the way, this is a double chocolate cake filled with chocolate ganache and fresh raspberries, covered in more dark chocolate ganache.  You can stop drooling now.

 Yes, the cake is displayed on an upside down cookie sheet. I'm a college student, don't judge. The macaron recipe, by the way, is from here. The were pretty and yummy, but kinda finicky and I'm not totally in love with this recipe yet. I'll keep searching.

And another batch of chocolate macarons, David Lebowitz's recipe again. There's something to be said for consistency!

 These little gems were filled with a marshmallow fluff/chocolate ganache swirl.

 And then they were rolled in graham cracker crumbs.

Yes, s'mores macarons! Chocolate shells, fluff/ganache filling, and graham cracker crumbs. The only thing that would have made them better is to make the marshmallow filling from scratch and attack it with a blowtorch before sandwiching them to give it that campfire taste. These kept in the fridge for well over a week and they were so yummy. Very messy because the filling oozed all over until they had some fridge time to set, but it was worth it.

You'll definitely want to be licking the spoon for these. Want to know my favorite thing about macarons?

They're so easy to eat!

What a Difference a Real Camera Makes!

Probably tired of coming over in the mornings before work, my photographer friend lent me a fabulous camera! I've been experimenting by making and photographing fruit tarts. I've been going crazy at the farmers market buying pluots, nectarines, plums, peaches, and strawberries. The crust is crumbly and nutty with walnuts and almonds. The fruit rests on a thick layer of vanilla bean-lemon pastry cream.

I have a fair amount of art background from high school programs and college classes, so I understand color and composition, but I had NO CLUE what a difference the camera makes.

Observe:

I made this fruit tart last week. It was quite tasty, and I photographed it using my little point and shoot digital camera. I make sure to clear the background, go outside, and photograph in the daylight to make the best of what I have. Not bad.

But then I made a second tart the following week, using the same fruits, crust, and filling.

 With the good camera, you can see how juicy and delicious the fruit is. The glaze and the detail are clear and you can see the nuts in the crust.

There's a HUGE difference and I'm so happy with the results.

Celebrate the summer by enjoying some fresh fruit!