I saw these cookies in last month’s issue of Bon Appétite and was looking forward to making them for Valentines Day’s. Since nothing says “I love you” more than chocolate. The recipe was really straight forward, but I knew something was off when the batter was more cake-like than cookie-like, and even though it thickened a bit while chilling in the fridge, the dough never turned into the consistency I imagined it would. Continue reading
This past weekend my coworker, who is also an avid baker, and I teamed up to compete in a cookie bake-off competition in Brooklyn. And we won 3rd place!!!! The event was hosted by The Takedown, a food competition for the amateur home cook. It was so deliciously Brooklyn. The competition consisted of 30 cookie baking teams each with their own tempting recipe. Some were unique (Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies with a little kick), some were classic with a spin (sunflower seed chocolate chip cookies) and some complimented by ingenious marketing (the Cookie Vermonster, a pecan maple cookie with a Cookie Monster sidekick, come on!). Continue reading
I’ve told you about my love for salt, right? And it’s pretty obvious I have a serious sweet tooth. So when I saw a recipe for salted caramels with bourbon (!!!!!), in this month’s Bon Appétit magazine, it was a stop everything, run to the store and stock up on ingredients kind of moment. And oh my, am I glad I did. These are out-of-control good, the bourbon adds this subtle smoky flavor, and the flaky sea salt contrasts perfectly with the chewy sweetness of the caramel. Also, did I mention they have bourbon in them? It’s cold outside people. And bourbon keeps you warm. It’s sort of a no brainer. Continue reading
There’s been something in the air here in New York that’s hard to put into words. With the cool mornings, perfect for a run along the East River, turning into sun drenched afternoons ideal for exploring, that make way for perfectly crisp nights dining out. When all you need is a light jacket to wander through the streets of the East Village, lined with red and yellow leaves and leftover Halloween decorations. Where every restaurant has pumpkin on the menu and every coffee shop has spiced apple cider for sale. It’s been nothing short of perfection. I’ve never seen so many posts on Instagram or Facebook documenting weekend outings to orchards for apple picking and apple cider tastings and comments on how perfect the weather has been. Continue reading
A good friend of mine is severely allergic to nuts. Like EpiPen stat, rush to the hospital kind of allergic. It’s a constant paranoia whenever I’m baking and sharing to make everyone aware if a dessert contains nuts. I warn everybody before they take a bite ‘- “WAIT – Those cookies have nuts, are you allergic?” The tough thing is, I absolutely love nuts, of all kinds. Hazelnut, cashew nuts, macadamia nuts, pistachio nuts (I couldn’t help myself), and often include them in a lot of my baked goods. So when my friend told me that she has a hard time finding pumpkin flavored desserts, one of her favorite ingredients, without nuts, I had to immediately fix this problem. Continue reading
Last weekend, I did something I never in my life thought I would do – I ran a Tough Mudder. For those of you not aware of the “Tough Mudder Competition” I encourage you to check it out on YouTube as it’s highly entertaining to watch. The race is a 12 mile obstacle course, consisting of treks through uneven terrain, running through fire, jumping into ice baths, crawling through mud, running through an electric shock field, the list goes on. The obvious question here is, “Why would anyone ever want to do that?” Good question! The answer is pretty simple: I am terrible at peer pressure, and I have a serious fear of missing out. FOMO as they call it. Continue reading
Have you noticed everyone’s obsession with pumpkin lately? It’s seriously everywhere – in muffins, doughnuts, pies, cakes, cookies, it’s now even in coffee! Not that pumpkin coffee is a new thing, it’s been in Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts for a while now. But every year when the days start to get shorter and the air is a bit cooler, I walk by these “coffee shops”, and can’t help but wonder why this has turned into a craze. Maybe I’m just old fashioned in liking normal traditional lattes, but I wonder what a barista would do if you wandered into a cafe in Rome and tried to order a “skinny, soy, non-fat, pumpkin caramel latte, per favore.” They’d probably laugh in your face and serve you an espresso. Continue reading
Is it just me, or did summer seem to fly by? I’m sure I probably say this every year right around Labor Day, but for some reason, this summer seemed to move particularly fast. Though normally I’m a bit sad to see summer close up shop, the crisp, perfect fall air that we’re starting to experience in New York is getting me very excited for the coming months, particularly for all the amazing things I can make in the kitchen. If you haven’t noticed, I’m a big advocate for cooking and baking with fresh, local ingredients when I can – and in order to do that, most produce has to be in season. Of course I love all the fruits and veggies that summer provides, but most of my favorites actually come into season in the fall: crisp apples, sweet acorn squash, and tart cranberries are just a few ingredients I’m already dreaming up recipes for. Continue reading
I absolutely love salt, and must admit I probably consume maybe a lot a little more than I should. It can sometimes be difficult for me when I’m cooking for others – always feeling like I should be holding back on the sodium, knowing that others don’t love it quite as much as I do. But seriously, nothing can ruin a dish more than if it’s under-seasoned, and in many dishes I cook that are simple with few ingredients, lack of salt can be a major mistake. But of course too much salt can be a killer, so I’m always walking the fine line trying to keep a good balance. After all, you can always add on, but you can’t take away in cooking and baking. Continue reading
This past weekend we threw my sister Sam a surprise birthday party, and oh boy was she surprised. She had absolutely no idea that there were 30-40 of her closest friends waiting behind the door to her apartment. Two of her friends did most of the work, setting up her apartment, bringing food and drink, decorating adorable mason jars with twine to serve a specialty cocktail, and adorning her entire apartment with beautiful flower arrangements that we asked each guest to bring. Continue reading
Cassie's Kitchen 