Triple butterscotch: Butterscotch chips inside; butterscotch extract inside; butterscotch extract brushed on the top. My lifelong love of Scones came from a coffee shop in Washington Square, Brookline (back in the day) that had the best maple-oatmeal scone that I ever ate. I really wasn't even a scone fan, thinking them dry and crumbly, without … Continue reading Butterscotch (“Scudderchip”) Scones
World’s Best Apple Cake (The best dessert that’s not chocolate or ice cream)
Of all the things people ask me to make, and I oblige, the World's Best Apple Cake is at the top of the list (second only to the World's Best Chocolate Cake). Many apple baked goods suffer from a lack of cohesion— apple pies (and their ilk) often feature hard or brittle crusts with … Continue reading World’s Best Apple Cake (The best dessert that’s not chocolate or ice cream)
Potato Pancakes You’ll Eat Standing Up
If you are like me and spend most of your year avoiding potatoes and fried foods, then you will certainly love this potato latke recipe for Chanukah. Most Jewish kids I knew regarded Chanukah as a special time, but somewhat less special than Christmas. And for many good reasons. One, it often didn't happen when there … Continue reading Potato Pancakes You’ll Eat Standing Up
Isabel’s Perfect Holiday New York Style Cheesecake: Sinful and Gluten-Free
If you are still searching for that perfect holiday dessert, I have one for you. For both religious and secular celebrations (Christmas, Thanksgiving, Chanukah), this cheesecake is a winner. Why? It's a dairy dessert, served cold and it's gluten-free (if you make it with corn starch, not flour). It can be served with fruit or fruit topping or … Continue reading Isabel’s Perfect Holiday New York Style Cheesecake: Sinful and Gluten-Free
World’s Best Chocolate Cake Recipe
Of all the things I make for people, this recipe is probably the single most requested. I must admit, that I got the recipe from a web site, ingeniously titled "The Best Chocolate Cake Recipe." The recipe there is nearly perfect. Yet I felt I had to make a few modifications from the original … Continue reading World’s Best Chocolate Cake Recipe
Salty-Sweet Pecan Cookie
Above, Curio's vanilla salt and Pocketful of Starlight's vanilla sugar. Not pictured: Niblack's butterscotch products, which I think are the best available (and I use a lot of butterscotch products). If you come to this blog often, you will already know that I am not a creator of recipes, but a finder, tester and tweaker … Continue reading Salty-Sweet Pecan Cookie
Banana Muffins 2020
If you know me you know that I buy a lot of bananas, mostly at the pace of my house's eating them, but occasionally there is a skip, then bananas turn brown, no one will east them, new green ones come in, I deposit the brown-black bananas in the freezer. It's like the opposite of … Continue reading Banana Muffins 2020
Banana Cake (not banana bread)
When faced with a surplus of bananas, I make the Cook's Illustrated banana bread recipe. If I'm feeling whimsical, I might make banana pancakes, or I will use them for muffins, with walnuts, chocolate chips, or whatever. Over the years I have collected wisdom around banana baking- and that is that first and foremost to … Continue reading Banana Cake (not banana bread)
Jane’s Pasta – Quarantine Version
We call this "Jane's Pasta" because my sister in law made this for my kids one day when it looked like there was nothing in the refrigerator. Everyone has some kind of meal that they can whip up with very little planning. Spaghetti (and anything) is probably pretty common, but this came out good, and … Continue reading Jane’s Pasta – Quarantine Version
Master of Low Arts 