GEOMETRIC HEART BUTTER COOKIES

Posted in Cookies by sallybr

A little labor of love, these cookies are adorable and will brighten up any special occasion. You’ll need a special silicone mold, but other than that, it is all pretty straightforward.

GEOMETRIC HEART BUTTER COOKIES
(from The Bewitching Kitchen, adapted from several sources)

240g unsalted butter, at room temperature
140g powdered sugar
2 egg yolks
2 tsp vanilla extract
260g flour
20g cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt

Candy melts or compound chocolate of your choice, white and pink
sprinkles for decoration
Diamond dust pump

Mix the flour with cornstarch and salt in a medium bowl. Reserve. Add the butter to the bowl of a KitchenAid type mixer, and using the paddle attachment, mix it for a couple of minutes until soft and creamy. Add the powdered sugar, mix on low, then increase the speed to medium and mix for a couple more minutes. Add the egg yolks and vanilla. Mix until all is incorporated, then add the reserved flour mixture.

Mix until all flour is incorporated and there are no dried bits anywhere. Fill the cavities of the mold with the cookie dough, 3/4 to the top, making sure to allow a little space for expansion. Ideally, you want the cookie to bake flush with the top of the mold.

Bake at 325F until the cookies are set in the center, that might take about 20 minutes. Let the cookies cool completely over a rack. If you want to be extra safe, place the cool mold in the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes before un-molding.

Remove the cookies, wash the molds and use them to melt compound chocolate and do the final coating and decoration.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: To bake the cookies, you will need a silicone pan such as this one. The cookies will take longer to bake in the mold than they would shaped and baked on a baking sheet. Also, you need to let them cool completely before attempting to un-mold. Wash the pan, dry it well, and use it to pour a base of melted compound chocolate (I used white and pink, marbled together). Place the cookies gently back over the melted chocolate and freeze the whole tray for 15 minutes. Additional melted chocolate and sprinkles make the cookies even more festive, but of course, that step is optional.

These cookies would be perfect for an engagement party, a wedding anniversary, a teenage girl Birthday, or simply to offer to someone you really love!

ONE YEAR AGO: Cake Pucks

TWO YEARS AGO: Haniela’s Cheese Crackers

THREE YEARS AGO: Shrimp Tacos with Jicama-Mango Salsa

FOUR YEARS AGO: Mini-Egg Brownies

FIVE YEARS AGO: The Luck of the Irish

SIX YEARS AGO: When life gives you Eye-of-the-Round

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Carrot Cake Macarons

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Soup Saturday: Say Goodbye to Winter

NINE YEARS AGO: Manchego and Poblano Soup

TEN YEARS AGO: A Smashing Pair

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Spinach and Mushroom Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Crispy Chickpea and Caper Spaghetti

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Spring has Sprung!

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO: Chickpea and Fire Roasted Tomato Soup

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: Double Asparagus Delight

SIXTEEN YEARS AGO: Sun-dried Tomato and Feta Cheese Torte

13Feb2026

BAKING WITH LOVE

Posted in Cake, Cookies by sallybr

Valentine’s Day is just about here! Today I share a few ideas to sweeten up this special weekend… Make sure to visit my cookie blog tomorrow for a series of cookies that celebrate love. And now, let’s get started, shall we?

I open this post with a Vanilla Pound Cake with Hibiscus Glaze

VANILLA POUND CAKE WITH HIBISCUS GLAZE
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

for the cake:
3 sticks (339g) unsalted butter, softened (room temperature)
8 oz Cream Cheese, at room temperature (one regular package)
2 + 1/2 cups (500g) sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla paste or extract
6 Eggs, at room temperature
3 cups (375g) flour

for the glaze:
3 tablespoons hibiscus tea
200g powdered sugar
squeeze of lemon juice

Heat oven to 325F.

Cream butter, cream cheese and sugar with hand mixer until light and fluffy. Pound cakes do not contain leavening agent, so make sure to work the butter until fluffy. Add salt and vanilla, beat well.
Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Gradually mix in the three cups of flour.

Pour into well greased bundt pan. Bake for about 90 minutes, covering with foil if the top gets too brown before a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Wait for 15 minutes before un-molding over a rack. Let the cake cool completely, then make a glaze whisking all the ingredients. Pour the glaze over the cake, decorate with sprinkles, if desired.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe click here

Comments: The Bundt pan I used is this one. Any cake will look good with a simple dusting of powdered sugar, but I decided to go with a light glaze and sprinkles.

CHOCOLATE-COVERED
BROWNIE HEARTS

If your heart is set on chocolate, but you don’t feel like a simple tray of brownies, here is a very cute idea… Bake the brownies in a heart-shape silicone mold, then use the same mold to coat each piece in chocolate (I went with compound chocolate dyed red). I used these molds to bake and coat the brownies. And my favorite recipe for the little cakes (check here).

When you bake the brownies, the bottom side, that touches the mold, will be super flat. You can flip them when you coat and place the non-flat side touching the chocolate. That will end up smooth, so both sides of your little cakes will be nice and flat.

So the process goes like this: bake the brownies, cool them completely in the mold. Freeze for 10 minutes to make sure the brownie will be nice and firm. Remove cakes. Wash the mold, dry well. Melt compound chocolate in the color of your choice, add a layer to the bottom of the mold and immediately insert the cake back. Push gently all the way down. Make sure you see the chocolate coming up a bit around the edges, no need to come all the way to the top. Freeze for 15 minutes. Un-mold, and decorate.

Once they are coated, you can pipe a drizzle of melted chocolate and add sprinkles.

CHOCOLATE-COVERED OREOS

No need for recipe, just a little festive decoration, made with Royal icing and sanding sugar. Leftover melted chocolate was used to form little hearts using this mold.

VALENTINE’S SQUARE CAKE

I cannot share the recipe, as it is copyrighted. Published as Sunny Sprinkle Layer Cake, it is in a great book by Molly Gilbert called Sheet Pan Sweets. I baked it in a half-sheet pan, then cut 4 squares to make the layers, used a simple American Buttercream to frost it. It was not easy to frost smoothly a square cake, but oh, well. What does not kill you, makes you stronger.

I wish you a wonderful weekend, no matter where you stand on the festivities of February 14th!

ONE YEAR AGO: Baking with the Heart

TWO YEARS AGO: Baking with the Heart

THREE YEARS AGO: Roasted Cauliflower with Chickpeas and Quinoa

FOUR YEARS AGO: A Savory Phyllo Pie

FIVE YEARS AGO: Nut-Free Lady Grey Macarons

SIX YEARS AGO: Mini-Heart Cakes for your Valentine

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Blue Moon Milk

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Slow-Cooked Chicken Meatballs

NINE YEARS AGO: Zesty Flourless Chocolate Cake

TEN YEARS AGO: Maple Pumpkin Pecan Snacking Cake

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Silky Gingered Zucchini Soup

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Sweet Fifteen!

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Sesame and Flaxseed Sourdough

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO: Green Beans with Miso and Almonds

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: Saturday Morning Scones

SIXTEEN YEARS AGO: White Bread

3Feb2026

HEART-SHAPED FONDANT POTATOES

Posted in Side dishes, Vegetarian-friendly, Veggies by sallybr

Valentine’s Day is coming up, so if you are cooking at home, this would be a perfect side dish… A little bit tricky to get the timing of everything right the first time, but we absolutely loved this recipe.

HEART-SHAPED FONDANT POTATOES
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

Medium-large Yukon Gold Potatoes
1 quart warm water
4 tsp salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons butter
1 to 2 cups chicken broth
sprigs of rosemary and thyme

1 heart shaped cookie cutter, preferably metal

Cut the potatoes in slices as thick as your cookie cutter. Use the cookie cutter to get heart shapes, as many as you want and will fit an oven-safe skillet in one single layer. Place the slices of potato in a bowl with the warm water and salt for 2 to 6 hours.

Remove the potatoes from the brine, dry them well. Heat the olive oil in a skillet, when really hot, add the slices of potato and let the first side brown well. Season with a little pepper, you might want to skip the salt due to the brining. Brown the first side for about 4 minutes. Flip the slices over, add the butter, once it melts, remove the pan from the heat and carefully add the chicken stock, to about half the height of the potatoes. Add the rosemary and thyme.

Cover the pan and transfer to a 400F oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the sprigs of herbs, and spoon some of the cooking liquid over the potatoes. Serve immediately.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Fondant potatoes are a classic, but as you might imagine, I had to reduce a little bit the amount of butter. It did not compromise the taste, they were melt-in-your-mouth tender and super flavorful. In the classic version, cubes of potatoes much larger are used, and the cooking time is longer. It is al little tricky to make it work with thinner slices, but worth the trouble. Leftovers, in case you are wondering were spectacular still two days later. We enjoyed them with beef tenderloin and asparagus. Ate like Royalty. Not surprising, since a Prince lives with us…

ONE YEAR AGO: Coconut Cupcakes get Frosty

TWO YEARS AGO: Mexican Bolillos

THREE YEARS AGO: Brazilian Style Banana Cake

FOUR YEARS AGO: Tiger Shrimp in Chili Sauce

FIVE YEARS AGO: Tangzhong Hamburger Buns

SIX YEARS AGO: Potato Soup with Spicy Shrimp

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Rose-Harissa Chicken Thighs

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Caramel-Chocolate Tartlets

NINE YEARS AGO: Chicken Korma-ish

TEN YEARS AGO: Sunday Gravy with Braciola

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, February 2015

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Avocado and Orange Salad with Charred Jalapeno Dressing

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Green Olive, Walnuts and Pomegranate Salad

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO: Romanian Flatbreads

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: Ziti with Artichokes and Meyer Lemon Sauce

SIXTEEN YEARS AGO: Blasted Broccoli, Stove-top version

26Nov2025

BAKING WITH THE HEART

Posted in Breads, Cookies by sallybr

This is the time to focus on everything we are grateful for.
Cook with love, bake with love. Share. Repeat.

DRAGON FLOWER SOURDOUGH LOVE
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

STENCIL from Sourdough Fever, available HERE

480g bread flour
20g spelt flour
16g dragon flower powder
10g salt
350g water
75g sourdough starter (70-100% hydration)

Make the levain mixture about 6 hours before you plan to mix the dough. It should be very bubbly and active.

When you are ready to make the final dough, place the water in the bowl of a KitchenAid type mixer and dissolve the starter in it, mixing with a spatula briefly, then add the two types of flour, the Dragon flower powder and the salt. Turn the mixer on with the hook attachment and knead the dough for 4 minutes at low-speed all the time. If the dough is too sticky, add a maximum of 1/4 cup flour, you want the dough to start clearing the sides of the bowl, but still be sticky at the bottom.

Remove from the machine. Get a small piece of dough and place in a little glass container to follow fermentation (optional, but highly recommended). Transfer the dough to a container lightly coated with oil, cover lightly with plastic wrap and allow it to ferment for 2 hours, folding every 30 minutes or so. After the fourth folding cycle, let the dough sit at room temperature until doubled in size, following the progress in the small amount of dough removed.

Shape the dough as a ball, and place, seam side up, in a lightly floured banetton. Place in the fridge overnight, from 8 to 12 hours or even longer, if you prefer.

Next morning, heat the oven to 450F. Invert the dough over parchment paper, carefully place the stencil on top, and dust with flour. Make sure to rub the flour well into the design, a small brush is helpful. Lift the stencil and place the dough in a Dutch oven.

Bake at 450F for 45 minutes, preferably covered for the first 30 minutes to retain steam. Cool completely over a rack before slicing.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: This is actually my second loaf with the Dragon flower powder, the first one was beautifully pink inside, but this turned out marbled and light. Cannot quite figure it out, it was the same exact formula and method. Oh, well. Still absolutely delicious, no change in flavor, maybe the crumb has slightly more moisture, the bread is a bit more tender than a sourdough without the powder.
.

Moving on, I share a series of cookies that center on a message of love….

Royal icing lavender base; details in piping consistency white. Fondant rose detail.

Scalloped edge heart cookie. Iced in two tones of Dusty Rose. Details in piping consistency gray.

Dusty Rose for the base icing. Details in dark Dusty Rose, piping consistency, same for bead border.

Inspired by a little reel I saw on Facebook. Shape cut by hand. Iced in two stages, wet on wet details, and piping consistency dark Dusty Rose. Fondant for the detail at the bottom.

Two-toned heart. Once again using Dusty Rose as the main color. Details piped in white. White pearls for bling.

Stencil + Air-brushing over cookies iced with pure white.

For a different take, a little pastel green. Details in piping consistency white.

I hope you enjoyed this little round-up of love in baking format. And don’t forget, always follow your heart!

ONE YEAR AGO: Fall-Inspired Vanilla Cupcakes

TWO YEARS AGO: Bake it Better with a Friend

THREE YEARS AGO: Bison a la Mode de Bourgogne

FOUR YEARS AGO: Masala Mashed Potatoes

FIVE YEARS AGO: Lessons from Tanya: Sugar Cookie Silhouettes

SIX YEARS AGO: Cherry-Chipotle Chicken Thighs

SEVEN YEARS AGO: White Chocolate Mini-Mousse with Sugared Cranberries

EIGHT YEARS AGO: You Say Ebelskiver, I say Falafel

NINE YEARS AGO: Happy Thanksgiving!

TEN YEARS AGO: Two Takes on Raspberries

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Spice Cake with Blackberry Puree & The Global Pastry Review

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Own Your Kitchen with Cappuccino Panna Cotta

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Chicken Parmigiana, the Thriller

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO: Wild Mushroom Risotto

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: Tartine Bread: Basic Country Loaf

SIXTEEN YEARS AGO: Pugliese Bread

12Jan2024

SOURDOUGH LOVE

Posted in Breads by sallybr

This post is dedicated to my sister Norma,
wishing her a very Happy Birthday!

A series of sourdough bread made in the past couple of months in the Bewitching Kitchen…

BASIC SOURDOUGH FORMULA
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

480g white bread flour
20g spelt flour
10g salt
350g water
75-90g sourdough starter at 100% hydration
1 tsp spice mix of choice (optional)

Make the levain mixture about 6 hours before you plan to mix the dough. It should be very bubbly and active.

When you are ready to make the final dough, place the water in the bowl of a KitchenAid type mixer and dissolve the starter in it, mixing with a spatula briefly, then add the two types of flour, salt and spices. Turn the mixer on with the hook attachment and knead the dough for 4 minutes at low-speed all the time. You will notice the dough will gain quite a bit of structure even with just 4 minutes in the mixer. Remove from the machine, and transfer to a container lightly coated with oil, cover lightly with plastic wrap and allow it to ferment for 4 hours, folding every 45 minutes or so. Because the dough is already a bit developed from the initial time in the mixer, you should get very good structure after 3 and a half hours, or even sooner than that.

After four hours bulk fermentation, shape the dough as a ball, and place, seam side up, in a lightly floured banetton. Leave at room temperature one hour, and then place in the fridge overnight, from 8 to 12 hours.

Next morning, heat the oven to 450F.

Place a parchment paper on top of the dough, a flat baking sheet, and invert the dough, flipping it out of the banneton. Flour the surface of the dough, add the stencil and air-brush if so desired. Score with a razor blade.

Bake at 450F for 45 minutes, preferably covered for the first 30 minutes to retain steam. Cool completely over a rack before slicing.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Here is how to make the decorations on the loaf…

For the little hearts, the bread is painted using air-brush and a stencil, after scoring the surface with a grid pattern. The corners of each square get a small cut with scissors. One of the loaves had the little hearts outlined with black food pen, the other I left without the outline. Your kitchen, your rules…

Below, a design in which a large comb was brought to play… No, I never used the comb on my hair, it was bought just to play with bread baking…
Inspired by Nicola’s recent reel on IG.