Category Archives: dessert

Instant Pot Gingerbread Cheesecake

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We are planning a cozy, just-the-four-of-us Christmas this year. I’ve tried very hard not to dwell on negatives this year – which means that instead of focusing on all the holiday cooking I won’t be doing, I decided to tackle some smaller-batch treats that will be perfect for our family.

Instant Pot cheesecakes are perfect for smaller crowds because they themselves are smaller – and they’re super easy to pull off . Jazzed up with the gingerbread-inspired spices, this small-batch holiday treat is a slam dunk.

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Hot Chocolate Sweet Rolls

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If you’ve been a reader for a while, you know I love my sweet rolls. I also love hot chocolate so it seemed only proper that as part of this year’s Christmas sweets, I give a nod to both. These warm, sticky rolls are an ode to my favorite winter drink.

Chocolate dough is wrapped around swirls of melty chocolate chips and toasty marshmallows – and it’s all topped off with even more marshmallow cream. This is a perfect treat for brunch on Christmas day – or all winter long!

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12 Cookies Perfect for Christmas

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‘Tis the season to bake those cookies!

Baking up lots of cookies is one of my favorite part of the Christmas season. If you’re looking for something new to add to your baking list this year, I’ve rounded up a dozen of my favorite cookies here.

Whether you’re looking for a great cookie to leave out for Santa or something new for your cookie tray, you’ll find something perfect here!

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Cranberry Pecan Pinwheels

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These two-bite treats are so versatile for the holidays and so easy to make! The pinwheels start with refrigerated pie dough and add a filling that’s ready in just a few pulses. The result is a flaky crust with a nutty, tangy filling – all topped off with a perfect, sweet icing that hardens nicely for easy storing.

Whether you’re serving these as part of a holiday breakfast or adding them to your cookie tray, they’ll be well received!

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Cranberry Scones

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Quarantine has brought a lot of new routines for us. Afternoon tea is now a regular thing for me and the kids – and my baking is often scaled-down.

Scones have become one of my favorite thing to bake during quarantine because they yield a relatively small batch and making them seasonal is such a fun challenge.

Our scones-of-the-week are these cranberry ones. They’re perfectly flaky, but not at all dry thanks to the buttermilk in them – and they’re a breeze to throw together thanks to the food processor!

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Winter Pecan Horns

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This post is sponsored in conjunction with Christmas Cookies Week. I received product samples from sponsor companies to aid in the creation of the Christmas Cookies Week recipes. All opinions are mine alone.

When you hear “Christmas cookies”, do you think of a certain type of cookie? For me, it’s three – the three that my Opa made us in huge batches every year.

We’d always look forward to the package he’d send in December with oranges picked from his backyard trees and an enormous amount of gingerbread, butter cookies, and these pecan horns.

I love his recipes so much – but hardly anyone needs to be cranking out 15 dozen cookies, especially this year! I’ve spent time adapting his bakery-scale recipes measured by weight into something more manageable to the family tradition would live on.

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New York-Style Black & White Cookies

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This post is sponsored in conjunction with Christmas Cookies Week. I received product samples from sponsor companies to aid in the creation of the Christmas Cookies Week recipes. All opinions are mine alone.

If you’ve never had a black and white cookie, put it on your list for the next time you visit NYC. These oversized, cake-like cookies that are frosted half with vanilla and half with chocolate are some of my favorites – and they’ve been on my baking bucket list forever.

All this extra time home is giving me some time to get around to ideas I’ve had stashed away – and these pillowy cookies just made my heart so, so happy.

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Chocolate Hazelnut Slice-and-Bake Cookies

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This post is sponsored in conjunction with Christmas Cookies Week. I received product samples from sponsor companies to aid in the creation of the Christmas Cookies Week recipes. All opinions are mine alone.

Are you prepping for Christmas early this year?

I was chatting about my pull to decorate early this year over on Instagram last week even though I’m usually a wait-until-Thanksgiving person – and just about everyone agreed with me. It seems like we all need a little extra holiday cheer this year!

If you are prepping ahead, add these cookies to your list! This slice-and-bake dough is freezer friendly so you can mix it up now, before all the holiday craziness, and then pull it out to bake late.

Fresh baked cookies on Christmas Eve with minimal effort? That’s definitely something 2020 needs!

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Monster Mash Cookies

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Who else is pumped for Halloween? I know this year is going to look different, but I still can’t help but be excited – Halloween is one of my favorite days. I’m planning lots of fun eats and crafts at home. We’ve got our costumes and we’re ready!

I have a lot of cookies on this blog, but Monster cookies are one of my favorites – and when you add candy eyeballs, they become deliciously perfect for Halloween.

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Instant Pot Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake

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Sized-down treats have been all the rage in my kitchen during the pandemic – fewer get togethers mean fewer mouths to feed – and I am so excited to share my current favorite! This cheesecake is the perfect size for a small celebration – and it’s made in the Instant Pot!

A creamy chocolate cheesecake is topped off with fluffy peanut butter frosting and dotted with mini chocolate chips. If you’re a cheesecake lover, you will just love this!

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