Topic: Easy

Brown Sugar Caramel Pear Crisp

Posted on February 19, 2016

Warm caramel pear crisp topped with a crisp oatmeal topping is perfect the cold late winter days. Every February I get that feeling that Spring isn’t too far away. And while in some parts of the states that is probably true, here in the Northeast we don’t get real spring weather until close to May.…

Easy Whole Wheat Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Posted on February 8, 2016

Healthier banana chocolate chip muffins are easy to make and great for grab-and-go breakfasts. No mixer needed to make this muffin recipe! L’s appetite hasn’t been that great over the last week (teething? cold? toddler-itis? who knows!). But you better believe when I gave him one of these banana chocolate chip muffins that within minutes…

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip

Posted on January 25, 2016

Cookie dough dip made with brown butter, cream cheese and lots of chocolate chips is a perfect super bowl treat! Sometimes I’m a really good wife. And sometimes, I make pure crack cookie dough dip when my husband’s on a diet. Sorry, Matt. But can you blame me? We were in the midst of a…

Easy Chai Cookies

Posted on November 30, 2015

Crispy buttery shorbread cookies with the warm and spicy flavors of chai. Have you recovered from your Thanksgiving food coma enough to start making Christmas cookies yet? I’m so ready! Last year, I think I only made one batch (newborn mom life) and the years prior it was business cookie baking 24/7. I’m looking forward…

Milk Chocolate Tart with Peanut Butter Pretzel Crust

Posted on November 13, 2015

An easy no-bake dessert that only uses four ingredients! This tart is simple but impressive. I'm currently joining in on the chorus of everyone asking how Thanksgiving is now less than two weeks away. My theory is that the warm fall weather we have had was actually a huge mind trick. How could Thanksgiving be coming…

Peanut Butter Snack Cake

Posted on October 14, 2015

Moist peanut butter cake studded with chocolate chips for an indulgent snack or simple dessert. I’m so excited to share another blogger cookbook with you today! Jennifer of Bake or Break just released her first cookbook, Quick-Shop-&-Prep 5 Ingredient Baking: Cookies, Cakes, Bars & More that are Easier than Ever to Make. I’ve known Jennifer…

Pumpkin Cookie Ice Cream

Posted on October 12, 2015

Creamy pumpkin ice cream with huge chunks of pumpkin sandwich cookies. You don’t need an ice cream maker for this fun fall treat! The other week I picked up a bunch of fun fall treats from Trader Joe’s and Target. When I got home, I set them on my counter and said, “inspire me”. And while…

Apple and Pear Crisp

Posted on October 7, 2015

Warm apple and pear crisp is comforting and delicious, especially with ice cream! ***This post was originally published five years ago! It's one of my favorite recipes and was worth sharing again with new photos and an easily printable recipe. And yes, once again, we ate the whole thing in one weekend.*** I call this a…

One Bowl Pumpkin Blondies

Posted on September 24, 2015

Amazing pumpkin blondies that are easy to make. With chewy centers and crispy crackly tops, you will love this one-bowl dessert. My sister's engagement party is just a couple of weeks away and I'm so excited! It feels like a big kick off to about a year of celebrations. Of course for her shower and…

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Ritz Sandwiches

Posted on September 16, 2015

A no-bake treat that every kid and adult will love, these chocolate covered peanut butter Ritz sandwiches are almost too good to be true! These hardly need any explanation or recipe. Except, they kind of do. This past spring in Florida, when I took a brief break from eating Kilwins’ ice cream, I picked up…

Vegan Apple Cake

Posted on September 9, 2015

A healthier spin on the classic apple dessert, this cake does not disappoint. No mixer needed for this apple cake! I’m pretty lucky that any photos of this cake exist. I baked it one morning while L was napping and then was setting up my shoot that afternoon while he decided that an afternoon nap…

My Favorite Pumpkin Bread

Posted on September 2, 2015

Moist and flavorful pumpkin bread. This classic recipe is perfect for pumpkin bread or pumpkin muffins.   *Sometimes things need a refresh. My favorite pumpkin bread was originally posted in 2010 with some painful-to-the-eyes photos. And while my photography skills have thankfully improved, the recipe, that I've loved ever since I was a kid, has not changed.…

Easy Honey Cake for Rosh Hashanah

Posted on August 26, 2015

An easy and traditional Rosh Hashanah dessert to celebrate a sweet new year. The Jewish holidays are so early this year so it’s a bit of a rush to get organized. Granted, I don’t have that much to do for the holidays, just some baking, but it’s hard to think about those warm fall flavors…

Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies

Posted on August 24, 2015

A small batch of chocolate chip cookies that’s perfect a cookie craving! Let’s be honest, one cookie is never, ever enough. And a whole big batch, while appealing, is too many to eat in one sitting. Plus, sometimes you just want a homemade cookie and you want it fast. This chocolate chip cookie recipe is…

Cinnamon Chip Oatmeal Blondies

Posted on June 8, 2015

Chewy gooey blondies loaded with sweet cinnamon chips. Until this, I hadn't made Blondies since L was born. Which is a shame. Because 1) blondies are really my thing and 2) they are pretty much the easiest way to bake for a crowd. After churning out hundreds and thousands of them for a couple of…

Upside-down Caramel Banana Coffee Cake

Posted on March 16, 2015

Dense and moist coffee-flavored cake topped with gooey caramelized bananas! Every year it’s the same challenge for my dad’s birthday: What special dessert can I make that isn’t too sweet and doesn’t include frosting (well, I did sneak in frosting one year)? Since last year’s dessert was such a hit, I decided to find another…

Easy Meyer Lemon Shortbread Cookies

Posted on January 26, 2015

An easy cookie to make with the wonderful flavor of meyer lemons. Today we are celebrating sweet Caroline’s second virtual baby shower! I adore Caroline and am happy to help her celebrate the birth of baby number two! Today’s shower theme is citrus (one of Caroline’s current cravings!) and I just had to go with…

Skillet Apple Crisp with Brown Butter Sauce {gluten-free}

Posted on October 9, 2014

Served warm, this skillet apple crisp is just what you need to fill you up at the end of a cool Fall day! This apple crisp is warm and hearty and perfect for the end of a chilly day (or in my case, mid-morning on a hot day in mid-August…).  You can make it in…

Salted Caramel Oreo Bars

Posted on January 23, 2014

These sweet and salty dessert bars are packed with an Oreo crust, chocolate, pretzels and salted caramel.  You won’t believe how easy these are to make. Of all the salted caramel recipes I’ve made, these are by far the most dangerous. The first time I made them, Matt joked about how ugly they were and…

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins Made with Quinoa Flour {Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free}

Posted on November 7, 2013

Light and moist pumpkin muffins that are quick and easy to make.  Void of dairy and gluten, these muffins are allergy friendly, too! Wow, it seems like forever ago that I made these muffins!  It was actually towards the beginning of October because I brought them when we visited my sister in Boston.  Now we…

Healthy Pumpkin Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Bake {gluten-free, dairy-free}

Posted on October 28, 2013

This make-ahead breakfast bake is healthy, hearty and tasty!  Full of pumpkin, bananas and oatmeal, you will feel good serving this to your family for breakfast. Confession:  This recipe is already on the blog. But…. ouch!  I realize that something like this is hard to photograph, but those pictures were just so  bad.  And the…

Perfect Chocolate Chip Muffins and a Giveaway

Posted on July 22, 2013

These Chocolate Chip Muffins are easy to whip up and make the perfect sweet treat for weekend breakfasts or holiday brunch. I made these muffins a few weeks ago and actually froze a few to bring with us to the shore this past weekend.  My grandfather kept raving about the “best cupcake” he has ever…

Vanilla Roasted Strawberry Banana Bread that is Low Fat and Whole Wheat

Posted on July 9, 2013

Healthy banana bread full of delicious vanilla roasted strawberries. It’s Tuesday but I feel like I am still recovering from the long weekend!  I think it has something to do with 13+ hours of driving for a two-day trip, dancing all night long at my cousin’s wedding, and the hotel neighbors that found it necessary…

Baby Shower Chocolate Clusters for a Virtual Shower!

Posted on December 11, 2012

SURPRISE!!  A few of us are hosting an intimate blogger baby shower for sweet Rachel at The Avid Appetite!  Rachel is having a baby girl and I am so thrilled for her and Sean!  Rachel is one of my favorite blog friends, we've actually had dinner together a couple of times.  I'm excited for her…

No-Bake Rice Krispie Toffee Fudge Candy Bars

Posted on November 15, 2012

1 week. 7 days.  Some amount of hours that does not feel like enough. That’s how much time there is until Thanksgiving.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m so excited for the holiday, but boy did things get crazy really fast!  It seems like just yesterday I was in the summer lull and just like that…

Sweet and Salty Candy Bar Blondies

Posted on October 16, 2012

The fudgiest blondies loaded with everyone's favorite sweet and salty candies. When I asked my Father-in-Law what he wanted for his birthday dessert, his only request was chocolate covered pretzels.  Sweet and salty, who doesn’t love those? But come on, it is a birthday dessert!  And since chocolate covered pretzels are what I make as…

Easy Low Fat Pumpkin Sheet Cake

Posted on October 8, 2012

This 5-ingredient pumpkin cake is so good, you would never know it is guilt-free! This past Saturday, I took some of my own advice and set aside a day where no work would be done!  It was actually something I scheduled a few weeks ago when the Jewish holidays had me swamped.  Scheduling time off…

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Bites {Gluten-free} {Vegan}

Posted on July 7, 2012

Well, I think/hope that this will be the last banana recipe for a little while.  As I said before, the banana consumption in my apartment has a direct correlation with our workout frequency and things are finally back to normal at home.  We are headed to Napa later this week so the motivation of a…

Fudgy Brownie Crunch Banana Ice Cream Pie

Posted on June 19, 2012

I was talking to some friends a few weeks ago about working out, eating healthy, etc.  For as long as I remember I’ve worked out hard most days of the week and watched what I ate 80% of the time. But when I started running a bakery full-time, things changed.  My days got longer and…

Chocolate Covered Cookie Butter Pretzels

Posted on June 11, 2012

Yes, I’m still alive.  I’ve just been buried in butter, sugar and chocolate… especially in the form of blondies over the last few weeks.  Keep It Sweet Desserts was lucky enough to get a very flattering mention in Star Magazine and readers have been calling, emailing and placing orders like crazy.  It is amazing. Some…

Fun and Easy Ice Cream Desserts to Start Your Summer

Posted on May 21, 2012

Is Memorial Day really this weekend?! Since I don’t want to think about wearing a bathing suit just yet, I’ll think about one of my favorite parts of summer… ice cream.  Well, I eat ice cream all year round, but there is something so nostalgic about going out for an ice cream cone on a…

White Chocolate Cinnamon Bun Krispie Treats

Posted on May 18, 2012

Rice Krispies = Breakfast Cinnamon Buns = Breakfast -> By the transitive property of food, Cinnamon Bun Rice Krispie Treats = Breakfast Obviously. Last weekend I wanted to add an (almost) gluten-free treat to our Mother’s Day brunch spread for my sister to enjoy.  I’d been looking for a good way to use these fun…

Fudgy Double Crème de Menthe Brownies

Posted on April 22, 2012

Saturday was a case of “I have a few hours in the kitchen to make non-KISD desserts, how much can I bake for the blog and how fast?” Of course I had another reason to bake, other than for Matt to have three cupcakes as an afternoon snack.  And the reason wasn’t to give me…

Magic Cake Bars for Easter

Posted on April 5, 2012

For the record, Matt wanted me to take a picture of my hand over the cake and pretend it was the hand of our little niece or nephew helping in the kitchen. 1) We don’t have any nieces or nephews 2) No one wants to see my hands after twelve hour days in the kitchen…

Chewy Ginger Cookies {Gluten-free}

Posted on April 2, 2012

Today I’m guest posting over on All Day I Dream About Food.  In case you’ve never been to Carolyn’s blog, she has an impressive collection of low carb and gluten-free desserts.  The woman has a real talent in the kitchen!  These cookies are another example of easy gluten-free baking:  No complicated ingredients and so easy to…

Spring Cleaning Chocolate & Peanut Butter Lover's Bark

Posted on March 23, 2012

One week down and I’m feeling really good about this working from home thing.  I’m sure that some of the beginner’s high will die down after a while, but I’m glad to be off to such a productive start!  Sure, I might have left out half of the baking soda in a cookie recipe and…

St. Patrick’s Day Mint Chocolate Cookie Sandwiches

Posted on March 16, 2012

I’m usually so bad about coming up with holiday-themed desserts.  But today, in honor of my LAST DAY OF WORK and tomorrow being St. Patrick’s Day, I’m sharing something so easy that you won’t mind making it last minute. The secret to these sandwiches is a pre-made wafer cookie.  Shhh, I won’t tell.  Stuff them…

Easy Gluten-Free Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Posted on March 12, 2012

Today is my last Monday. And if feels incredible.  Ever since I gave my two-weeks notice at work, that heavy feeling that has haunted me for so many Sunday nights and Monday mornings over the past several months has been gone.  No more anxieties about what crazy work politics or project stresses might come up…

Spiced Cookie Butter Truffles Recipe

Posted on March 8, 2012

I shared this recipe a few months ago but enjoyed these truffles so much (straight from the freezer I might add) that I wanted to share it again!  Check out the recipe on Fox if you are as addicted to Speculoos/Cookie Butter/Biscoff Spread as I am.

Chewy No-Bake “Thin Mint” Bars

Posted on February 23, 2012

Sometimes I have a million recipe ideas going through my head at a time and can’t get into the kitchen fast enough. And sometimes I have baker’s block. Every cookie or brownie variation will feel overdone and the creative section of my brain goes into freeze mode. Sometimes I really get stuck and just need…

Flaxseed and Cracked Pepper Crackers

Posted on February 16, 2012

Two weeks*. *someone please tell me I'm not jinxing myself I can do anything for two more weeks, right? Keep secrets, work around the clock, do the equivalent of fifteen** jobs... And in two weeks, I will finally be able to tell you what is going on.  Share with you what I've been wanting to…

Fun Pick-Up Desserts for Super Bowl

Posted on February 2, 2012

It’s Thursday before Super Bowl and you’ve probably seen so many versions of buffalo chicken dip that your head is about to explode with hot sauce.  I love the traditional salty/creamy/fried/cheesy items as much as the next person, but it doesn’t mean that we can forget about dessert.  So for those of you looking for…

Reese’s Pieces Cake Bars

Posted on January 31, 2012

Sometimes you get busy.  There is week-old laundry to put away, streaked kitchen counters that need to be scrubbed and recipes to test. There are websites to be designed, photos to be edited, and post-dessert workouts to get done. But there is also a blog to attend to and readers getting impatient.  Those readers who…

Spiced Cookie Butter Truffles

Posted on January 24, 2012

I think my husband/mother/co-workers/sister/friends/Twitter followers/neighbors/strangers are getting sick of me.  To be honest, I’m getting a little sick of me too. No one wants to constantly hear about stress/anxiety/weight gain/impatience and any other complaints that seem to be incessantly on my mind these days.  If I didn’t have a constant supply of cookies/cupcakes/brownies/truffles/blondies to share…

Easy Lemon Shortbread Cookies

Posted on January 18, 2012

So here’s the thing.  I used to hate lemon desserts. And I used to hate shortbread. But that was when I thought all lemon desserts tasted like the filling to lemon meringue pie (still grosses me out) and all shortbread was boring and flavorless. But at some point in the last couple of years, something…

Chewy Gooey Cinnamon Toffee Blondies {Guest Post}

Posted on January 5, 2012

Sorry, guys.  I tried to be nice but I just couldn’t keep these from you any longer.  I know, you are barely a week into your resolutions and trying to stay strong, but put down your carrot stick, break out your whisk (no mixer required), and make a batch of these.  Your mouth will immediately…

22 Easy Dessert Recipes that Make You Seem Like a Pro

Posted on December 13, 2011

I recently ran into a friend of mine that said she loved my blog but that she could never make any of the desserts I put together because 1) they are hard/time consuming and 2) she doesn’t have any of the “random” ingredients on hand.  As someone who works full time and bakes and blogs…

Caramel Apple Cake Trifle and Giveaway!

Posted on November 27, 2011

I don’t know about you, but I am swimming in leftovers.  The thing is, I can’t decide if it is a good or bad thing.  I have plenty of food to get us through the next few days.  But really, how much turkey can one person eat?  If only I could get sick of cookies…

Cinnamon Sugar Swirl Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread {Guest Post}

Posted on November 8, 2011

Hi, friends!  I have so much to share with you from my Foodbuzz weekend but an apartment full of boxes is keeping me from the blog right now.  In fact, I still haven’t found my underwear (thank G-d for now having a washer and dryer in the apartment!).  On the upside, I don’t have to…

Gooey Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Bars (Gluten-Free)

Posted on September 20, 2011

My busy schedule these days has been keeping me from as much time in the kitchen as I would like.  There are so many recipes that I've been dying to try, but they keep getting put on the back-burner.  Luckily, I found a really easy but tasty dessert to make this past weekend. These bars…

Pumpkin S’more Muffins

Posted on September 6, 2011

So the Northeast kind of got slapped in the face by the end of summer.  We were welcomed back to work on the day after Labor Day with grey skies and non-stop rain.  Well hello, real life! Despite the unofficial end of a quick but wonderful summer, today actually wasn’t too bad.  Starting work on…

Cookies ‘n Cream Almond Butter Spread

Posted on August 18, 2011

I like to have a variety of nut butters available to eat at any given time.  As of last night, there were six open jars in my kitchen.  I'm not going  to tell you how many unopened jars are in the cabinets.  Let's just say that I invest in peanut butter like some people invest…

Nutter Butter Bars {Guest Post}

Posted on August 14, 2011

Wow, I can’t believe it is the last day of my official vacation.  It has been good to get away from real life for a bit but I miss my regular baking and blogging.  I promise to get back to that soon!  Luckily, I have another amazing guest post today.  My blog friends seem to…

Individual S’mores Brownies

Posted on August 7, 2011

You may or may not be on s’mores overload.  For some reason, as many recipes as I’ve seen that put s’mores in some form of cookie/brownie/rice krispie treat, etc. it just doesn’t get old. So of course when I was putting together some baked good packages for a friend I had to include something s’mores. …

Frozen Mocha Brownie Torte

Posted on August 2, 2011

So what did you think of the Peanut Butter Party? A few people suggested having a weekly party with different themes and I’m considering it. Let me know if that is something you’d like to see! This past weekend was the first weekend all summer we didn’t travel anywhere. Matt and I just recently started…

Cajun Brownies with Potato Chips

Posted on July 19, 2011

I’m so excited to share a guest post from Lynn at The Actor’s Diet.  I like to think of her as a celebrity blog friend:-)  Lynn documents her daily eats and her life in LA so well that readers feel like they know her.  Although she enjoys dessert, she doesn’t normally do a ton of…

Strawberry Banana Bread and Childhood Friends

Posted on July 18, 2011

Another summer weekend has come and gone and I feel like time is really flying.  I spent this past weekend in Philly for a bachelorette party and bridal shower for one of my best friends since fourth grade.  One of my favorite things about weddings is the series of events where you get to be…

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Posted on July 12, 2011

Sometimes you just want a chocolate chip cookie.  There are very few things that smell as good warm out of the oven and even fewer things that will illicit a memory as wonderful as dunking a homemade chocolate chip cookie into a cold glass of cold milk. My fond memories of eating the cookies standing…

Root Beer Float Ice Cream Cake

Posted on July 11, 2011

I’m guest posting for sweet Madison of Espresso and Cream while she is off getting married and honeymooning. Head to her blog to get my Root Beer Float Ice Cream Cake recipe!

Can’t Get Enough

Posted on July 5, 2011

How was everyone’s weekend? Mine was good, especially since a 3-day weekend means a 4-day work-week. I love how that happens:-) Matt and I went out to the Hamptons to visit his Parents for a couple days and then went to a college friend’s wedding on Sunday night. It was a lot of fun being…

Cookie Bottomed Cupcakes

Posted on June 23, 2011

I’m guest posting over at the lovely Frosting for a Cause today. Head over there to get the recipe for my Cookie Bottomed Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing and support the women with cancer in your life.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream Bars

Posted on June 21, 2011

What a whirlwind couple of weeks it has been! I skipped my Sunday post this week and haven’t done a real recipe post in almost 2 weeks! Since then, we spent a weekend celebrating our anniversary (think lots of delicious food, including top tier of our cake!) and this past weekend we celebrated Adam and…

PB&J Meets PB & Chocolate

Posted on June 5, 2011

I love peanut butter.  I love peanut butter with chocolate, I love peanut butter and jelly, I love peanut butter by the spoonful.  You already know this, but I just had to get it off my chest. I expressed my love of blueberries and peanut butter before, and then I combined chocolate and blueberries.  And…

Dark Chocolate Kissed Almond Butter

Posted on June 2, 2011

I had big baking plans for last night, but with the temperature around 90 degrees, turning on the oven just seemed wrong.  A no-bake dessert probably would have been a good solution, but Matt has been asking me to make chocolate almond butter for a few weeks now.  It shouldn't have taken so long to…

Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream Pie

Posted on May 25, 2011

I have to tell you, the pictures don’t do this dessert justice.  Whoever has tips for taking pictures of ice cream please send them my way! So lately I haven’t been showing enough love to my two favorite food groups: peanut butter and ice cream What, those aren’t food groups? Could have fooled me! Does…

Magic

Posted on May 22, 2011

Magic: Possessing distinctive qualities that produce unaccountable or baffling effects source The ability for a pie to exist one minute and be gone the next, that seems like magic to me. The ability for a dessert to call your name and whisper sweet words into your ear, I'd call that magic. The ability for a…

Double Chocolate Mint Krispie Treats

Posted on May 17, 2011

First of all, a huge thank you for all of your inspiring comments on Sunday’s post!  I was actually a little nervous to hit publish but I’m so glad I did.  I love this community:-) Now, let’s get back to the desserts!  For the shower, I made some of my old favorites and a couple…

Healthy Muffins and a DSLR

Posted on May 12, 2011

These cute little banana corn muffins are low fat, easy to make,  and the perfect healthy breakfast treat. Earlier this week I had an agenda: 1.  Start experimenting with my NEW camera (!!!) 2.  Bake something healthy enough to eat on a daily basis 3.  Use up the extremely brown bananas on my counter Based…

Oreo Mallow Clusters

Posted on May 8, 2011

Happy Mother’s Day to all of my mom and soon-to-be mom friends! I hope that all of you had a great weekend.  I spent a lot of time in the kitchen but also a lot of time outside.  The sunny and  warm weather makes me so happy.  Yesterday I got to take a long walk…

Sweet & Salty White Chocolate Blondies

Posted on May 5, 2011

Can you believe it is May now?!  Memorial Day is only a few weeks away and summer is so close I can taste it!  This winter was pretty brutal in the Northeast and I am just now feeling like myself again.  The cold and the snow tends to put me in complete hermit mode.  Good…

Flourless Chocolate Cookies

Posted on April 28, 2011

You know I can’t go anywhere with only one dessert.  That just isn’t my style. So, once I made cheesecake with berry sauce for Jessica’s Passover dinner, I had to make something else.  Originally I planned to make Passover brownies.  They weren’t a ton of work, but the idea of separating eggs and whipping them…

Mixed Berry Sauce

Posted on April 26, 2011

I’ve been wanting to make a variation of this sauce for a while now:  something that would take a scoop of vanilla ice cream to the next level (because let’s face it, vanilla will never be chocolate), add texture and flavor to a slice of basic angel food cake, or be so pretty you want…

Blueberry Peanut Butter

Posted on April 21, 2011

Recently I discovered my love for blueberries and peanut butter.  Really, I love anything with peanut butter, especially chocolate, but the combination of blueberries and peanut butter is taking a new place in my heart. One of my favorite snacks is a cup of fresh juicy blueberries topped with a spoonful of peanut butter.  Sometimes…

3 Reasons to Make Truffles

Posted on April 17, 2011

I had a huge problem on Saturday. There was almost an entire pint of organic heavy whipping cream in my fridge and it was about to expire. The horror! But I prevailed.  I went through cookbooks and blogs searching for the perfect recipe to experiment with.  Whipped cream, ganache, caramel… for some reason I just…

Blueberry Pretzel Clusters

Posted on April 10, 2011

There is a place at the Jersey Shore (not that Jersey Shore) that sells the most amazing chocolates.  Every summer I look forward to a few trips for chocolate clusters filled with high quality fillings like caramel, nuts and marshmallows.  On a good day, my grandfather will leave a box of them out in the…

Spiked Cookies and a Winner

Posted on April 7, 2011

Last weekend I had lots of plans for vegetables. Vegetables and chocolate cake (random, I know). But then I got caught up on Recipe Girl’s collection of chocolate chip recipes. And got busy with the Brown Eyed Baker’s Salted Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies. Oh yes, and I went a little crazy with Peeps. So…

Ooey Gooey Filled Chocolate Chip Cookies with a Crunch

Posted on April 5, 2011

You know I have a weakness for holiday candy. These weren’t even on sale but I had to buy them.  My sister pointed out how pretty the color was and I agreed.  Plus, when was the last time I had a Peep? Trust me, it’s been too long.  Never mind the fact that I don’t…

Accidentally Scuffins

Posted on March 24, 2011

Sometimes recipe experiments don’t work out.  Sometimes they work, just a little differently than you expect. I set out to make scones, but I ended up with scuffins!  A scuffin is basically the hybrid of a scone and a muffin.  These Cinnamon Apple Chunk Scuffins are hearty, chewy, and flavorful.  Like scones, they aren’t too…

Mixed Fruit & Nut Butter

Posted on March 17, 2011

I love nut butter. Peanut butter, almond butter, mixed nuts, you name it. Just leave the coconut out and I am a happy girl. There are a few standard jars that I like to have on hand, but lately I’m enjoying making my own nut butter. It’s fun and easy to make, and the taste…

Brownies for a Guest

Posted on March 10, 2011

One of my best friends is coming to town. Kristen and I have been friends since we were in 2nd grade.  No, that is a lie.  We have known each other since then but actually weren’t really friends until 6th grade.  I don’t really remember why it took so long, but we have been best…

Pear and Cheese Pockets

Posted on March 7, 2011

I have a few weaknesses in life: 1) Post-holiday candy sales at CVS 2) Ice cream on sale at the market* 3) Bulk anything at Costco *Who can blame me when it costs $7.99 / half gallon in NYC! It must be in my blood to love Costco. My Dad is a walking advertisement for…

Ice Cream Inspiration

Posted on March 3, 2011

Did you know that Cold Stone sells ice cream cupcakes?  They do.  Did you know that ice cream is my ultimate portion control weakness?  It is.  If you put this in front of me and left me alone, it would be gone when you came back. Individual ice cream cupcakes, however, this is portion control…

Easiest Cookie Ever, and Delicious Too!

Posted on February 16, 2011

When I saw Lauren’s suggestions for Valentine’s Day treats included this cookie, I knew I had to try it!  Lauren has a wonderful blog that makes incredibly delicious and healthy versions of food that everyone loves.  Unfortunately, I didn’t have any chocolate peanut butter on hand, but I did have some of this chocolate almond…

Salted Caramel Buttercream

Posted on February 13, 2011

I’m kind of obsessed with caramel lately, especially when there is salt involved. Ever since I made these bars a few months ago, caramel has been on the top of my list for delicious dessert ingredients.  There is something about the rich flavor and silkiness that keeps you going back for more.  After seeing this…

Boston and a Chocolate Cupcake

Posted on February 2, 2011

Last weekend, the Husband and I went to Boston for a short trip to visit our foodie friends/newlyweds, Jon and Ali.  Given that they love food as much as we do, most of the weekend’s itinerary revolved around eating!  We had brunch at The Friendly Toast, tasted beers at Harpoon Brewery, dinner at B&G Oysters, …

Chocolate Cherry Maple Cookies

Posted on January 30, 2011

*Check out the ask me anything post, good questions coming in so far **Check out the discussion on my Vegan Challenge in the Comments section After the successful Lemon Pound Cake, I figured I should try a few other desserts with different flavor profiles.  Don’t worry, I’ll always come back to my true love peanut…

For the Chocoholics

Posted on January 23, 2011

Every time I visit my parents, my mom and I email constantly the week before about what we will bake.  There are always too many things for us to try, so it’s usually a pretty fattening special looking recipe that makes the cut.  Last weekend we made Picky Palate’s Chocolate Chip Oreo Cookie Sandwiches and…

Lighter Lemon Pound Cake

Posted on January 14, 2011

I used to have an aversion to lemon desserts.  Lemon meringue pie? No thank you.  Lemon bars?  Don’t tease me with that powdered sugar topping.  Lemon cake? Eh.  Truthfully, I have an initial reaction to any dessert lacking chocolate that involves a little bit of apprehension.  Even though I adore ice cream, plain vanilla will…

Cookie Sandwiches Guest Posted

Posted on January 7, 2011

The below post is also being featured today on Liz’s blog, Blog is the New Black.  Check out her blog for great recipes for any part of the meal. On New Year’s Eve, my husband and I went to his brother’s apartment for a fun but low-key night.  They made us a delicious dinner and…

Ice Cream Pie with a New Year's Eve Worthy Topping

Posted on January 1, 2011

A few months ago I received a few coupons for free Stonyfield's ice cream or frozen yogurt.  I finally used the coupons just in time for their expiration date and was inspired to use my frozen yogurts to make a New Year’s Eve dessert.  I’ll leave a full review of the yogurt for a separate…

Peanut Butter Cheesecakes with Pretzel Crust

Posted on December 28, 2010

You already know that my pants don’t fit.  I don’t know about you, but I find it nearly impossible to diet around this time of year.  It is so cold out that the last thing I want to eat is salad.  What really appeals to me are dishes like chili, lasagna, fresh baked cookies… comfort…

How do You Define the Perfect Cookie?

Posted on December 23, 2010

Who doesn’t like a fresh-baked chocolate chip cookie?  No one I know.  At the same time, if you put 100 people together in a room and had them each describe their perfect chocolate chip cookie, you would get 100 different answers.  My dad, for one, LOVES crispy cookies.  He likes to bite into a chocolate…

Topped with Marshmallows

Posted on December 16, 2010

It seems that there are two types of people when it comes to a Sweet Potato Casserole: Those who cover theirs with toasty melty marshmallows, and those who don’t.  Do you think I am biased? You already know I love to sneak dessert-like side dishes onto my table.  Why wouldn’t I top my Sweet Potato…

Brownies with Cookie Dough Topping

Posted on December 7, 2010

I learned to bake by watching my mom, the Original Baker.  Most of my memories are of standing next to her at the kitchen counter as she measured ingredients and put them together effortlessly.  I’d help pour the sugar into the bowl or turn on the mixer, and sometimes even crack the eggs.  The best…

My Favorite Ice Cream Brownie

Posted on October 23, 2010

Last weekend was very exciting, we celebrated the engagement of Adam and Sara (my brother-in-law and future sister-in-law)!  Lots of champagne was involved and of course I had to bake for the occasion. The happy couple: Me with the new member of the family: Looks like Matt and I are now the old married couple…

Showing Almond Butter Some Love

Posted on October 13, 2010

Bars are such an easy thing to make and serve. Rather than dropping dozens of cookies onto several baking sheets and switching pans in and out of the oven, you can spread the batter into one large pan and bake it in one batch. Once they are done and cool, you just slice and serve.…

Chewy Chocolaty Cookies with Mint

Posted on October 7, 2010

I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with these for a while now. This is sort of my vice (well, I may have a lot of food vices), but this is one that the husband tries not to support (he tries to save room for my desserts instead). One of my big memories…

Updating Tradition and a Winner

Posted on October 5, 2010

First of all, congrats to Lauren who said “I love Chobani! Their pomegranate flavor is amazing!!”.  Email me your mailing address to KeepItSweetLCL at gmail dot com.  I’ll be sending the coupons along with something sweet (I hope you like chocolate!). So every year for Yom Kippur, my family breaks the fast with the same…

Low Fat Peanut Butter Mousse

Posted on October 1, 2010

Although I’d like to eat these or these every day, my body doesn’t seem to think that is acceptable enough for fitting into my clothes!  As a result, I am constantly thinking of dessert ideas that are a little more healthy.  Don’t get me wrong, when you need a brownie, you NEED a brownie, but…

Fan Favorite

Posted on September 28, 2010

Do you have a dish or dessert that friends and family are constantly requesting?  There is one dessert I make that people are always asking for, and go and figure, it is one of the easiest recipes I have ever made.  I actually was hesitant to post it on the blog in case my friends…