HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Posted in Cake, Cookies by sallybr

Trying to control my tears, allow me to just focus on the festivities, not the cruel fact that we will have to wait another 365 days to embrace the creepy and scary… I share four different bakes to celebrate the day: two types of cookies, cupcakes, and Chocolate-Covered Oreos.

LINZER-STYLE GHOST COOKIES

LINZER-STYLE NUTELLA GHOST COOKIES
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

300 g all-purpose flour (2½ cups, spooned and leveled)
200 g unsalted butter, softened but still cool
100 g powdered sugar (about ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon)
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon fine salt

Filling and finishing
Americolor white food gel color
Nutella
black non-pareils

Beat the butter and powdered sugar until smooth and creamy, about 1–2 minutes. Mix in the egg yolk, vanilla and salt. Add the flour and mix just until a soft dough forms. Avoid overmixing.

Divide the dough into two flat discs, wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes, until firm enough to roll without sticking. Roll the dough between sheets of parchment to about ⅛ inch (3 mm) thick. Cut matching pairs of cookies using a round, fluted, or heart-shaped cutter. Cut a small window in the center of half the cookies. Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets.

Paint white Americolor over the cookies that will be the top. Freeze all cookies for 15 minutes then bake at 350F for about 15 minutes, until edges start to get golden. Cool completely on a rack. Fill with Nutella, add little black non-pareils for the eyes.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I wanted to make an almond-free cookie, to avoid having the volunteers at the homeless meal having to deal with possible allergies. This recipe turned out perfect, a similar texture, dough very nice to work with. Yu can use of course seedless raspberry jam instead of Nutella. The idea to paint the white on the top was to avoid having to shower them with powdered sugar. It is nice if you can serve them on a single layer on a platter, but I need to transport them with other cookies in a box, so the powdered sugar is a problem, This was my way to get a similar look without the messy top.

LITTLE SKULL COOKIES

LITTLE SKULL COOKIES
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

4 cups (575 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup (226 grams) unsalted butter, softened
1cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
¼ cup agave nectar
1 teaspoon orange baking emulsion (LorAnn)
1 teaspoon caramel flavor (LorAnn)
2 large eggs, room temperature

Whisk the flour, salt and baking powder in a large bowl. Reserve. Whisk the eggs with the flavorings in a small bowl. Reserve.

In the bowl of a KitchenAidd type mixer beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until the mixture is light and
fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the agave nectar and beat on low speed until well blended, about 1 minute more.

Add the egg mixture in four installments, beating in low-speed until incorporated. Add the flour mixture and continue mixing until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Divide the dough in two portions, refrigerate for an hour or so.

To make the skulls, add 30g portions to the cavities of a mini skull pan (I used NordicWare). Bake at 350F for about 18 minutes, until the tops are getting golden brown. Remove the cookies to cool on a drying rack. Paint the surface with luster powder purple, brown, gray, or any color you like. You can also just serve them without painting.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Any sugar cookie recipe will work. In this case, because it bakes in the pan, I don’t mind a little baking powder, in fact I prefer to have some leavening agent so that the cookie itself has a lighter texture. You can use vanilla or other flavorings if you like. I often add agave nectar to my cookie dough, a trick I learned from Amber (@sweetambs). The cookies brown a little more and retain moisture longer.

MARSHMALLOW MONSTERS CUPCAKES

Any particular recipe will work, I used Chocolate cupcakes and vanilla buttercream (American style) for the frosting (check recipes in this post of my recent past). A swirl of orange with a 2D piping tip, sprinkles, and a piece of marshmallow decorated with black Royal icing to add the final touch.

CHOCOLATE COVERED OREOS

From top left to bottom right: Orange Dyed Candy Melts + black fondant decorations; Orange Dyed Candy Melts + Black Royal icing; Chocolate Transfer Sheet from Evil Cake Genius; Orange Dyed Candy Melts + Black Royal icing

1 YEAR AGO: Happy Halloween!

2 YEARS AGO: Halloween Brownies, Two Ways

3 YEARS AGO: Revving the Engines for Halloween

4 YEARS AGO: Happy Halloween from my Cookie Blog to You!

5 YEARS AGO: Incredibly Simple Carrots

6 YEARS AGO: Sarah Bernhardt’s Cookies

7 YEARS AGO: A Really Big Announcement

8 YEARS AGO: Stir-Fried Chicken in Sesame-Orange Sauce

9 YEARS AGO: Monday Blues

10 YEARS AGO: A New Way to Roast Veggies

11 YEARS AGO: Two Takes on Raspberries

12 YEARS AGO: Spice Cake with Blackberry Puree

13 YEARS AGO: Own Your Kitchen with Cappuccino Panna Cotta

14 YEARS AGO: Chicken Parmigiana, the Thriller

15 YEARS AGO: Wild Mushroom Risotto

16 YEARS AGO: Tartine Bread: Basic Country Loaf

17 YEARS AGO: Pugliese Bread

15Oct2026

PINWHEEL COOKIES, TWO WAYS

Posted in Cookies by sallybr

Pinwheel cookies are a lot of fun to make, but if you want them to look really nice, precision is key. Rolling both colors of dough to the same extension and similar thickness, although you can also make one dough slightly thicker for a different final look. The first one is quite appropriate for Halloween. I flavored it with black sesame and orange.

BLACK SESAME AND ORANGE PINWHEEL COOKIES
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp orange emulsion (I used LorAnn)
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 cups flour
1 tsp black sesame seed powder dissolved in 1 tablespoon warm water
orange and black food gel dye

Cream the butter, powdered sugar and salt using a KitchenAind type mixer for a couple of minutes. Add the orange emulsion, mix until combined. Add the flour and salt, mix until almost fully combined. Divide the dough exactly in two and add to one half the orange dye, a few drops. To the second half, add the dissolved sesame paste and a few drops of black food gel. Form each dough as a rectangle and place in the fridge for 10 minutes.

Roll each dough into roughly 8 x 11 inches – that is about the size of a regular sheet of printer paper, so I like to place a sheet underneath the parchment paper to visualize the dimension to roll it. Stack both doughs with parchment paper separating them and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Remove from the fridge, place the dark dough over a clean piece of parchment, add the orange dough on top of it. Make sure both doughs are properly aligned, and trim the edges if needed. Refrigerate, cover with plastic wrap for 30 minutes. Remove from the fridge and roll the dough as a sausage, starting at the longest edge. Wrap with plastic and refrigerate at least one hour.

Heat the oven to 350F. Cut 1/4 inch slices of the dough, place over parchment paper on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until set and slightly darker at the edges. Cool completely on a rack. Cookies keep well for a few days stored in a closed container at room temperature.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

.

CHOCOLATE-VANILLA PINWHEELS

Use the same exact dough, but flavor it with vanilla extract. For the darker dough, add 2 teaspoons cocoa powder dissolved in 1 tablespoon warm water.

Comments: You can roll the dough over cocoa nibs before slicing the cookies, but I did not like that effect very much, so I did only half of it that way. These cookies have a delightful crumbly texture, and are not very sweet, as the black sesame and the cocoa powder cut the sugar intensity a bit. This basic formula can be used for countless flavors and color combinations, of course. I hope you give it a try!

1 YEAR AGO: Fifteen Years with an Oscar Winner!

2 YEARS AGO: Semolina Sourdough

3 YEARS AGO: Incredibly Simple, times three

4 YEARS AGO: Chile Rellenos

5 YEARS AGO: Vietnamese “Pizza”

6 YEARS AGO: Chocolate Bonbons with Mango-Ganache Filling

7 YEARS AGO: Giant Cookie Meets Mousse

8 YEARS AGO: The Brazilian Battenberg

9 YEARS AGO: Salzburg Sourdough

10 YEARS AGO: If I had One Hour

11 YEARS AGO: Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Cake

12 YEARS AGO: Sourdough Rye Bread with Flaxseeds and Oats

13 YEARS AGO: Apricot-Raspberry Sorbet: A farewell to Summer

14 YEARS AGO: Marcela’s Salpicon

15 YEARS AGO: Pork Kebabs

16 YEARS AGO: Fondant au Chocolat

17 YEARS AGO: Got Spinach? Have a salad!

9Sep2026

FOUR GREAT BAKES, AND A COOKBOOK REVIEW!

Posted in Cake, Cookbook Reviews, Cookies, Desserts, Desserts, Sweets by sallybr

Today I have a very special blog post for you. I am very excited to share a short review of the first cookbook by Martin Sorge. Martin won The Great American Baking Show back in 2023 and just published an amazing cookbook that reflects very well his style of baking: attention to detail, focus on things that truly matter to make a recipe shine, and creativity to come up with clever twists in classics. Normally, I would include a recipe but to do so I would have to ask permission from Martin himself and/or the publisher. I wanted this post to be a surprise for Martin so I did not contact him. I will just share photos of the recipes I’ve tried so far, and direct you to his book. If you love to bake, Great Bakes is a total must-have!

Great Bakes: Modern Classic Recipes from the Midwest, by Martin Sorge. To order, click here.

I will start with perhaps my favorite…

LEMON-GINGER SANDWICH COOKIES

This recipe has quite a few clever twists to prevent common issues with sandwich cookies. The filling is pure genius, using clarified butter to reduce the water content, so that it firms up and holds nicely when you bite into the cookie. The cookie dough contains fresh and powdered ginger, the filling a touch of turmeric. You absolutely need to make this… The texture, the taste, the sharpness of the filling, it is perfection in cookie shape!

BLACK FOREST BROWNIES

Fudgy, intense, sweet but with the bursts of sharpness of sour cherries, this recipe is brilliant and very “uncomplicated”. Martin streamlines things whenever possible, it is part of what makes his book so cool and his flawless baking approachable.

SHORTBREAD COOKIES

One of my favorite sections of the book, I made his basic version (although I did add some bells and whistles with the chocolate drizzle and bling), but Martin offers several variations, including one that is calling my name, Toasted Sesame. I even invested in a new pan for this bake… A 9-inch square pan with removable bottom. Because, why resist, right? Click here for the one I got.

ULTRA-OATY OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

This was an OMG type of chocolate chip cookie, and got two thumbs up by the resident critic, who is very picky about cookies with oats and chocolate chips. They MUST contain nuts, and Martin did not disappoint him… In case you are wondering, no raisins were invited to this party.

And now, time for a little walk through his book…

The book is divided in chapters that are quite unusual and fun in their terminology. First comes…

DUMP IT IN A PAN… The chapter opens with a quote from Dolly Parton; There’s no bad way to eat a biscuit. Considering her recent passing, this is a sweet reminder of who she was and how she’s lived her life. This chapter shares recipes for crisps cobbler, cornbread brownies and biscuits. I will have to pick my favorite recipe from this chapter to be his brownies since it was the first recipe I tried from his book. He offers a few variations for this classic but the Black Forest was outstanding. I would love to try the coconut caramel brownies, as well as his strawberry and tarragon shortcake, and his Midwest cornbread, which I am sure will be spectacular.

BALLS OF JOY… That is how Martin classifies cookies, isn’t it adorable? Opening quote by Cookie Monster, you will have to get the book to see which one he chose. Chapter opens with Shortbread, and Martin has very clear ideas about what makes it perfect. Love the variations, and adored his basic version. Crumbly, just the right amount of sweetness. He went on with Spritz cookies, which I definitely intend to try, particularly his Eggnog version. But I am set to trying his Strawberry Magic Macarons, just looking at the picture makes me dream.

STUFF IN CRUST… Opening quote by Carl Sagan, one of my heroes. I had not seen that one, and it gave me a huge smile. I do think Martin excels at pastry, the chapter is a basic, thorough lesson on pie crusts, including many versions of pies that you probably never imagined making. Oe example Apple, Quince and Vanilla Bean Pie. The lattice work on that one is to die for. Apple Strudel is in there and looks fabulous too. I am looking forward to making his Corn, Tomato and Red Pepper Galette, and Sausage Rolls.

NEED TO KNEAD… Opening quote by James Beard. Martin knows how to pick the quotes, I tell you. This is an outstanding chapter, Martin did his homework and each recipe sounds like a winner. I have not made a recipe from his book yet, but a whole wheat loaf from his blog is a favorite in our home. You can check that recipe here. From the book, pretty much everything in this chapter appeals to me: Big Crusty Loaf, Three-Seed No-Knead Bread,Whole Wheat Toast Bread, Honey Emmer Dinner Rolls, just to name a few. But perhaps my favorite section in this chapter is “Breads that Speak German”. He had a chance to practice bread baking in Germany, and shares his expertise with us. Swabian Soft Pretzels, Bungalowbrot, Vollkornbrot (aka Real Rye Bread), Stollen. A wonderful collection indeed.

NICE CAKES… Martin confesses that cake was his nemesis for many years, and since I was a certified cake-o-phobe, I had to smile. Martin is partial to chocolate ganache or whipped cream to decorate cakes, although he shares a Chocolate Cake with Peanut Buttercream that seems amazing. I am absolutely mesmerized by Nirali’s Masala Chai Chocoflan, Nirali was a contestant in the same season of the Bake Off, and they live in the same city, so they kept swapping ideas and baking together. This gorgeous cake is a result of this sweet collaboration.

BEYOND CATEGORIZATION… Opening quote: The proof of the pudding is in the eating. Indeed it is! In this chapter you will find things such as Chocolate Malt Pudding, Lemon Curd (with variations), Pavlova, Choux Pastry and incredibly cool Sweet Corn Cream Puffs.

NEEDLESSLY COMPLICATED… This is a nod to the showstopper component of the Bake Off. Martin starts giving tips on how to tackle a real intimidating, complex baking project. Having won the competition in that tent, he knows what he’s talking about. The chapter opens with S’mores Croquembouche, moves to Bagel and Lox Paris Brest, but I am also super intrigued by his Piña Colada Princess Cake.

I hope you enjoyed this little review, I close this post congratulating Martin not only for the amazing performance in the tent, but for the beautiful job he did composing and publishing this book!

1 YEAR AGO: A Duet of Macarons

2 YEARS AGO: Caramel Sandwich Cookies

3 YEARS AGO: Miso-Caramel Cracker Cookies

4 YEARS AGO: Mooncakes for Mid-Autumn Festival

5 YEARS AGO: Almond-Raspberry Triangles and a Special Cookbook Review

6 YEARS AGO: Sweet and Spicy Roasted Cauliflower

7 YEARS AGO: Roasted Cauliflower Salad over Hummus

8 YEARS AGO: Queen of Sheba

9 YEAR AGO: Brunch Burger

10 YEARS AGO: Mango Salsa with Verjus

11 YEARS AGO: Raspberry Bittersweet Chocolate Chunk Brownies

12 YEARS AGO: Scary Good Pork Burgers

13 YEARS AGO: Review of exercise program Focus25

14 YEARS AGO: Celebrate Wednesday with a Thai Seafood Curry

15 YEARS AGO: Post-workout Breakfast

16 YEARS AGO: Semolina Barbecue Buns

17 YEARS AGO: Lavash Crackers

24Jun2026

LAVENDER-LEMON COOKIES, TWO WAYS

Posted in Cookies by sallybr

One cookie dough, two outcomes. Rolled out and cut in circles, or baked in a silicone mold, then covered with chocolate. This approach is similar to a strawberry version I made not too long ago (check it out here).

LAVENDER-LEMON SUGAR COOKIE
(inspired by 100 Cookies, by Sarah Kieffer)

1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon culinary lavender
zest of 1 lemon
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon lemon extract or paste
2 cups all-purpose flour

for the glaze:
1/3 cup milk (you won’t need the full amount)
1/8 tsp lemon extract
1 + 1/2 cup powdered sugar

to coat the roses:
compound chocolate, white
purple oil-soluble food dye, tiny amount

sprinkles to decorate the cutout cookies (optional)

In the bowl of a food processor, process the granulated sugar, lavender and lemon zest together until the lavender buds are broken down. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the lavender-sugar and salt, and beat again on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla, and mix on low speed until incorporated. Add the flour and mix on low speed until just combined. Remove the dough, form into a circle and place in the fridge for 1 hour.

Roll the cookie dough and cut circles, about 3 inches in diameter. Use a portion of the dough to form small balls and stick in a rose shaped silicone mold. Bake the cookies in a 350F oven, circles until lightly golden at the edges (about 15 minutes), small roses until firm to the touch, it might take a little longer than the cutout cookies.

To finish the little rose cookies: Once the roses are cold, place the mold in the freezer for 10 minutes and then remove the baked cookies to a rack. Wash the mold, dry well. Melt white compound chocolate, divide in two portions. Leave one white, dye the other purple (using very little oil-soluble color). Marble them together, pour into the mold and immediately stick the shaped cookies. Place in the freezer for 15 minutes, un-mold and if needed shave the bottom with a Microplane to tidy the edges.

To finish the rolled out cookies: make a glaze mixing the powdered sugar with milk and lemon extract until the consistency is right, not too thick, not too thin. Add the milk, a little bit at a time to the powdered sugar. Coat the baked, room temperature cookies with the glaze, then add sprinkles to decorate, if so desired. Let it set for a couple of hours.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: These cookies are very flavorful, the lavender won’t be too pronounced, just right. In the cookbook, she uses a different type of glaze, that did not work very well for me, and she sprinkled the cookies with lavender, that was a bit much for my taste. Do what you feel agrees with your tastebuds.

It is not very easy to get the chocolate coating to be fully smooth, at least I seem to have some problems with it. Maybe pouring the chocolate while warmer and banging the mold a bit on the countertop could help, but keep in mind you’ll need to work reasonably fast, as you will have several cookies to coat at once. I would not try to make more than eight at a time. Even if not fully smooth, these are delicious and I love the way they turned out…

1 YEAR AGO: Spaetzle, a Classic Made Lighter

2 YEARS AGO: Chicken Roll-ups with Asparagus

3 YEARS AGO: Flower-Shaped Dinner Rolls

4 YEARS AGO: Pride Macarons

5 YEARS AGO: Blood Orange Macarons

6 YEARS AGO: One-Two-Three Macarons

7 YEARS AGO: Marshmallow Macarons

8 YEARS AGO: Fujisan Bread

9 YEARS AGO: Air-Fried Tomatoes with Hazelnut Pesto & Halloumi Cheese

10 YEARS AGO: Red Velvet Layered Cake

11 YEARS AGO: Lemon-Lavender Bars

12 YEARS AGO: Quinoa Fried Rice

13 YEARS AGO: Carrot Flan with Greens and Lemon Vinaigrette

14 YEARS AGO: The Secret Recipe Club: Granola Bars

15 YEARS AGO: Awesome Broccolini

16 YEARS AGO: A Twist on Pesto

17 YEARS AGO: Ciabatta: Judging a bread by its holes

1Jun2026

STRAWBERRY SHORTBREAD COOKIES, TWO WAYS

Posted in Cookies by sallybr

One cookie dough, two different outcomes. Not sure which one I loved most, but the rolled out and cut as circles is obviously the simplest and easiest. But, how to resist little tiny strawberry shaped cookies, coated in chocolate?

STRAWBERRY SHORTBREAD COOKIES
(slightly modified from Bakes by Brown Sugar)

320 grams unbleached all-purpose flour
15 grams strawberry powder
227 grams unsalted butter room temperature
114 grams granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Strawberry Glaze
1 cup (115 grams) powdered sugar
5g strawberry powder
3-5 teaspoons whole milk

Mix the flour, strawberry powder and salt in a bowl. Reserve.

Place the butter, sugar and vanilla extract in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and mix on medium speed until the mixture is smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.

Add all the flour-strawberry mixture at once. Turn the mixer to low speed and mix until all the dry ingredients are combined and the dough forms into a cohesive dough ball. The dough will be crumbly at first but then form into a dough ball. Turn the cookie dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Use your hands to shape the dough into a rectangle and lightly flour the top of the dough.

Roll the dough out to 1/2-inch thick. Use a round cookie cutter to cut out the cookies. Place the cookies on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or perforated silicone mat. Freeze for 15 minutes.

Heat the oven to 300 degrees F. Bake the cookies for 20-23 minutes.

Make the glaze: place the powdered sugar and strawberry powder in a bowl. Add 3 teaspoons of milk and stir until the mixture is creamy and smooth and there are no lumps. The glaze will be thick. If you want a thinner glaze, add milk 1/2 teaspoon at a time until the desired consistency is achieved.

Holding each cookie on their sides, dip the top of the of the cookie into the glaze. Press down slightly to ensure the whole of the top side is covered. Lift the cookie up and shake off any excess glaze. Place the cookie back on the wire rack and let the glaze set. Decorate with fondant or chocolate pieces.

To make strawberry shaped cookies, press the cookie dough in the cavities of a silicone mold (I used this one), and bake at 350F for about 15 minutes. Let it cool completely in the mold before removing the cookies. Wash the mold and dry well. Paint melted compound chocolate dyed red and green carefully in the cavities, then drop the baked cookie back inside. Place in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes to solidity the chocolate. Carefully remove the coated cookies, use a Microplane if you need to adjust the edges.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: This delicious cookie recipe comes from a former contestant of The Great American Baking Show, participant before my time, Cheryl. I subscribe to her blog, and invite you to visit clicking here. I modified her recipe to use a product I am quite fond of, strawberry powder. Easier to use than freeze-dried, although you will have to cave and support the Evil Empire to get some. I have never seen it sold in grocery stores in my town. The cookies are absolutely delicious, you could skip the glaze but I urge you not to. Just wonderful! Thank you, Cheryl!

The little strawberries were a bit more involved to make, but they were a big hit when I donated them. I know some have issues using compound chocolate, but it does a good job here. Not too hard to bite into, and if you use a nice brand, it tastes fine. Just take your time painting the inside of the strawberry. Do the green part first, let it set, then come with the red all over it, and immediately place the cookie inside.