Wedding Mints

Mints have been a classic wedding favor since the nineteenth century, when they were given in the form of peppermint candies as a luxurious sweet in the days when white sugar was rare and costly. Today, mints are still the sweet of choice for American brides, and you can add a personal touch by making them yourself and adding a personalized label. Ingredients: • 12 oz. cream cheese • 3 lbs. powdered sugar • 6 drops peppermint flavoring, or as desired • food coloring Put all ingredients … [read more...]

Alfajores Cookie Recipe

Alfajores are a beloved Latin American sweet that is treasured everywhere as much for its filling of Dulce de Leche as for the completed sweet cookie itself, which is often encased in chocolate, or sometimes, as in our recipe below, rolled in coconut. There are probably as many recipes for Alfajores as there are houses in Latin America, but the commonalities they share is the baked sweet wafer and the filling of Dulce de Leche. These take a little time to make, but hey, what are we here for? They … [read more...]

Valentine Rum Truffles

February has a far more relaxing vibe than the preceding two months. The most notable holiday is Valentine’s Day; a holiday you can choose to celebrate on a large scale by sending out a plethora of notes, or more laid back and intimately spent with your sweetheart. I insist on doing both. My favorite way to continue the creative momentum and warmth of the holidays, usually climaxing on New Year’s Eve, is to give my loved ones little treasures on Valentine’s Day. To make it extra special and … [read more...]

Double Thumbprint Cookies

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, so if you’re looking for a fun and inexpensive gift for kids and friends, bake up a batch of double thumbprint cookies! These are the perfect Valentine’s Day treat because, instead of your standard thumbprint cookies (which are round), the double thumbprint variety are gently pressed together and tapered at the bottom to form the shape of a heart. It’s the same classic taste with a festive new shape! Double Thumbprint Cookies Recipe adapted from … [read more...]

Sweetheart Cupcakes

I love any excuse to make cupcakes and with Valentine's Day coming up, these pretty Sweetheart Cupcakes are perfect! The great thing about this recipe is that you can make it as simple or as fancy as you want. You can use any recipe for white cake that you like. If you are in a hurry, a box of Betty Crocker mix and frosting will do the trick! I chose to make lemon buttermilk cupcakes (my favorite cupcake flavor) for this project. Sweetheart Cupcakes Recipe adapted from Cheese and Chocolate Makes … [read more...]

Almond Mini Cakes

This is a rich, dense, and delicious cake; tiny portions are ideal. It keeps well, so it can be made ahead without loss of flavor, plus it is very easy to make- basically you throw all the ingredients together and put in the oven. It comes out looking and tasting absolutely delicious! All this adds up to an ideal recipe for a lovingly made favor gift. If you want to make a large cake instead of mini cakes, you can make a "Santiago Cake," that famous almond confection of Northwestern Spain whose … [read more...]

Black Bean Brownies

Wedding favors are a great way to appreciate guests for sharing in your celebration. For the wedding of my dear and only sister, I wanted to make something quirky and memorable for guests to tuck away for another day, in commemoration of the union of Natalie Bevers and Christopher Fowler, December 2nd, 2011. Considering I’ve been seeking out new recipes for substituting more nutritionally valuable ingredients in my cooking, I thought this was the splendid opportunity (and setting) for baking an … [read more...]

Magdalenas

These Spanish sponge cakes are also known in France as Madeleines; but whatever they are called, they are eggy, buttery and light with a hint of lemon, and one of my favorite breakfasts. Magdalenas have been made since the Middle Ages, and they probably have something to do with the pilgrimage route through Northern Spain, which was a highly popular activity centuries ago. When my daughter Lorraine and I were there on our pilgrimage a few years ago, Magdalenas were everywhere. These days, they are … [read more...]

Cream Cheese Mints

I make these every year for my holiday cookie trays. They are easy and fun to make. You don’t need to make very many. Just a few mints look great on a tray or by themselves. Trade them at a cookie parties or give them as gifts. Recipe: • 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese • ¼ c. soft butter • 2 boxes powdered sugar 2 lb. (plus 1 box on hand for rolling) • Food coloring (Try the gels if you haven’t yet. You can control color intensity better than with liquids.) • Various extract flavors … [read more...]

Peppermint Bark

Peppermint bark is a special holiday treat that I look forward to every Christmas, and this year I've seen several tasty homemade versions featured on some of my favorite blogs. While each recipe I've encountered is ever so slightly different, all tout peppermint bark as simple, quick, and well worth the small amount of effort it takes to make. So after doing a little research, I found myself a recipe that, while slightly more complex than the standard, is actually still ridiculously easy to prepare, … [read more...]