mint julep bundt cake

Mint Julep Bundt Cake

Posted on by Katie Gaffen

It’s Derby time again!  As always, it snuck up on me this year.  Between Mother’s Day, the usual spring Marvel movie release, and life in general, it can be tough to remember that the Triple Crown is also about to start.  The standard Derby fare for my home viewing “parties” (a.k.a. the times I sit on the couch eating food and making Josh watch a horse race) usually includes mint juleps, Kentucky hot browns, and pecan pie.  Last year, I made some horse-themed cupcakes for dessert.  This year, I decided to change it up a little and turn the mint juleps into a bundt cake instead.

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Green Tea Cheesecake

Green Tea Cheesecake with Mint Raspberry Sauce

Posted on by Katie Gaffen

Another week, another birthday cake!  This one was made for one of my husband’s coworkers.  I asked her what her favorite cake was, and after a minute of thinking, she (very politely) requested green tea cheesecake (then proceeded to insist that I really didn’t have to go out of my way to make it).

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Turtle Oatmeal Cookies

Turtle Oatmeal Cookies

Posted on by Katie Gaffen

Normally, when I want a baked good, I prefer to just make it myself rather than buy it.  That said, every once in awhile, I don’t mind letting someone else do the work for me.  Josh and I made the pilgrimage to Cleveland’s Little Italy last Friday to indulge in some fancy desserts from Presti’s.  Josh chose a chocolate-coated raspberry mousse, and I was just barely able to limit myself to a chocolate cannoli and a turtle shortbread cookie (sorry, no pictures because I am a human vacuum when it comes to dessert).  The turtle cookie seemed like such a clever idea that I couldn’t get it out of my head all weekend.  I came up with the idea for this recipe while driving to the grocery store the next day (good timing).

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Lemonhead Cookies

Lemonhead Cookies

Posted on by Katie Gaffen

I know the calendar says that spring has started already, but I have my doubts.  It’s snowed twice in the last week here in Cleveland, and there’s no end in sight yet.  With that in mind, I am taking it upon myself to bring elements of spring into my life, from brightly colored dresses, to butterfly wall stickers, to (you guessed it) fruity cookies.  I’ve been waiting eagerly for awhile now to share these lemon cookies with you (about as impatiently as Cookie Monster in this commercial), and this past snowy weekend seemed like the perfect time to test them out.  Here’s to sunnier days ahead!

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Hamanataschen

Hamantaschen

Posted on by Katie Gaffen

Purim begins today, and that means it’s the season of hamantaschen!  For those who haven’t yet experienced the joy that is eating a hamantasch (I hadn’t until two years ago), it’s time to fire up your oven right now (well, actually after many hours of chilling, but we’ll get to that later).  There are various stories about the symbolism of the triangular cookies (you can read more about them here and at the link above), but in general, they represent the villain of Purim, Haman.  The most traditional filling is made of poppy seeds, but fruit fillings are also common.

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Chocolate Strawberry Pie

Chocolate Strawberry Pie

Posted on by Katie Gaffen

My first wedding anniversary is right around the corner, so naturally this calls for pie!  This is a recipe that my husband and I developed together while we were dating.  It’s been through several revisions since then, but the version I’m presenting today is the one we served at our wedding (along with six other varieties of pie, of course).  It’s just the right mixture of strawberry and chocolate, as well as crunchy and smooth.

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Pesto Pinwheel Bread

Pesto Pinwheel Bread

Posted on by Katie Gaffen

I first saw a version of this bread on the Great British Baking Show, and I knew I had to try it.  It’s simply too pretty not to make.  However, being who I am (and knowing that my husband hates butternut squash), of course I had to make some revisions to the recipe.  I decided to add some herbs and spices to the dough, and I went with an almost entirely different filling.  What I ended up with turned out pretty much like inside-out pizza without sauce, but I’m ok with that because it was delicious.  It tastes best warm out of the oven, but it also tastes good cold.  I am in the process of experimenting with freezing and thawing it, so I will update you on how that works out.

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Red Velvet Beet Brownies

Red Velvet Beet Brownies

Posted on by Katie Gaffen

I bake interesting and delicious things all the time (if I do say so myself), but sometimes I just want some brownies.  I like them dense and fudgy with more chocolate chips inside than a brownie has any right to contain.  Boxed brownies with a mess of broken candy (known fondly around my home as “garbage brownies”) are a treat I rarely allow myself to indulge in these days.  However, garbage brownies wouldn’t make for a particularly interesting post, now would they?  That’s where red velvet and beets decided to barge into the picture.

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