Caramel Almond Pie

After my summer break, I came back to the blog and found out that it still thought it was on vacation…and wasn’t accepting any photos at this time. I was proud of myself for finally tackling a recipe that I’ve had on my radar for a while and spent a day baking it, taking pictures, and writing up the post. The recipe was quite a…

After my summer break, I came back to the blog and found out that it still thought it was on vacation…and wasn’t accepting any photos at this time. I was proud of myself for finally tackling a recipe that I’ve had on my radar for a while and spent a day baking it, taking pictures, and writing up the post. The recipe was quite a doozy, but with a name like Smoky Caramel Almond Pie, how could I not make it? It was a bit of a project but I persevered (in the name of smoky caramel and almonds…) but when I came to upload the photos, my blog wasn’t having any of it and said non.

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Oreo Rice Krispie Treats

If you’ve made our classic Rice Krispie Treats, you know they are the VERY best! And if you haven’t made them, what are you waiting for? Well, we have another amazing treat for you today, Oreo Rice Krispie Treats! We took our tried and true…

If you’ve made our classic Rice Krispie Treats, you know they are the VERY best! And if you haven’t made them, what are you waiting for? Well, we have another amazing treat for you today, Oreo Rice Krispie Treats! We took our tried and true Rice Krispie Treat recipe and added in Oreo cookies and…

The post Oreo Rice Krispie Treats appeared first on Two Peas & Their Pod.

A Minimalist Dessert to Kick Off Berry Season

A Big Little Recipe has the smallest-possible ingredient list and big everything else: flavor, creativity, wow factor. That means five ingredients or fewer—not including water, salt, black pepper, and certain fats (like oil and butter), since we’re gue…

A Big Little Recipe has the smallest-possible ingredient list and big everything else: flavor, creativity, wow factor. That means five ingredients or fewer—not including water, salt, black pepper, and certain fats (like oil and butter), since we're guessing you have those covered. This week, guest columnist Thalia Ho, creator of the award-winning blog Butter and Brioche, is sharing a recipe from her stunning new cookbook, Wild Sweetness.


I got the taste for tartness young. The earliest memories I have are of my aunt in Austria, her outstretched hand filled with wild berries: gooseberries, raspberries, and currants that shone like tiny jewels under the sun. There were even alpine strawberries, too early for picking, but so rare that I have never seen them again.

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White Chocolate Cheesecake Bars + June Oven

This post is sponsored by June Oven. All opinions are my own.  I never grew up with a toaster oven or convection oven of any kind (my grandma had a toaster oven that always impressed me, but I rarely used it myself), and never had the means or the…

White Chocolate Cheesecake Bars

This post is sponsored by June Oven. All opinions are my own.  I never grew up with a toaster oven or convection oven of any kind (my grandma had a toaster oven that always impressed me, but I rarely used it myself), and never had the means or the counter space to invest in one most of my adult life. Now that I have a little more room in my kitchen, I’ve been intrigued by the notion of an appliance that does some extra work. As luck would have it, I was sent a June Oven to try out this week.  The June Oven does quite a bit of extra work; the newest model (generation 3) boast of 12 different settings: convection, air fryer, grill, roaster, slow cooker, dehydrator, toaster, reheat, pizza oven, bread proofer, broiler, and warming drawer. It also is pleasing to the eye; both my kids called it “cute” when we pulled it out of the box and immediately wanted to try it out.  So we have over the last few days. We have used it for basic tasks: toasting bagels and heating up taco shells and left over pizza. We made chicken nuggets in the air […]

The post White Chocolate Cheesecake Bars + June Oven appeared first on The Vanilla Bean Blog.

White Chocolate Peppermint Pretzel Rice Krispie Treats

We love making Rice Krispie Treats because they are easy and always a crowd pleaser. If you’ve made our recipe, you know it is the VERY best. Well, we decided to create a festive Rice Krispie Treat recipe for the holidays and they are GOOD, reall…

We love making Rice Krispie Treats because they are easy and always a crowd pleaser. If you’ve made our recipe, you know it is the VERY best. Well, we decided to create a festive Rice Krispie Treat recipe for the holidays and they are GOOD, really good! These White Chocolate Peppermint Pretzel Rice Krispie Treats…

The post White Chocolate Peppermint Pretzel Rice Krispie Treats appeared first on Two Peas & Their Pod.

White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

I am an absolute cookie fanatic (which is totally evident if you’ve ever checked out the cookie section here on the blog!). I have LOTS of cookies to choose from and can never pick a favorite, but during the holiday months, these White Chocolate …

I am an absolute cookie fanatic (which is totally evident if you’ve ever checked out the cookie section here on the blog!). I have LOTS of cookies to choose from and can never pick a favorite, but during the holiday months, these White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies are up there. I used a classic cookie base…

The post White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies appeared first on Two Peas & Their Pod.

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies are a classic cookie and always a favorite! I do think it’s hard to find a GOOD white chocolate macadamia nut cookie. Most cookies are too greasy and lack flavor. Well, I have created the BEST white chocolate…

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies are a classic cookie and always a favorite! I do think it’s hard to find a GOOD white chocolate macadamia nut cookie. Most cookies are too greasy and lack flavor. Well, I have created the BEST white chocolate macadamia nut cookie. The cookies are soft and chewy, slightly crisp around…

Black Sesame-Stuffed Matcha Sugar Cookies

Ultra soft matcha infused sugar cookies with an unexpected surprise inside: a pocket of sweetened black sesame paste for a savory richness that you’ll absolutely adore. The black sesame proves to be a perfect foil to the saccharine sweetness of the sugar cookie: it’s nutty and sweet, but also slightly savory at the same time […]

Ultra soft matcha infused sugar cookies with an unexpected surprise inside: a pocket of sweetened black sesame paste for a savory richness that you’ll absolutely adore.

The black sesame proves to be a perfect foil to the saccharine sweetness of the sugar cookie: it’s nutty and sweet, but also slightly savory at the same time (and the result is downright amazing.)

Stack of Black Sesame-Stuffed Matcha Sugar Cookies, with bowls of matcha powder and black sesame seeds

This isn’t the first time I’ve combined matcha and black sesame.

And it most certainly won’t be the last. ?

I mean, these two ingredients were made for each other, united with a bit of sugar into a practically perfect union. The subtle grassiness of the matcha and the roasted nuttiness of the black sesame is a unique flavor combination that is sure to raise some eyebrows, but trust me on this one: it works.

Overhead shot with a cooling rack with rows of matcha sugar cookies, bowls of matcha powder and black sesame seeds.

I played around with a few different filling options before settling on black sesame, including raspberry jam and a raspberry cream cheese filling, plain white chocolate, as well as 3 different black sesame mixtures.

While the raspberry jam filling was quite tasty (I didn’t care for the cream cheese), I ultimately felt the raspberry was too strong a flavor that overpowered the matcha.

The black sesame, on the other hand, complemented the matcha perfectly without overpowering it. Perfection!

(The white chocolate was probably my second favorite but considering I already did that in a stuffed chocolate cookie I decided I needed some variety).

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Crunchy Pecan Praline Biscotti

Light and crunchy pecan praline biscotti dipped in a white chocolate praline coating and sprinkled with a caramel praline crunch, this pecan praline biscotti might just change your opinion of biscotti for good! No more rock hard biscotti! This praline biscotti is thinly sliced and perfectly baked for a delicately crispy crunch you’ll adore with […]

Light and crunchy pecan praline biscotti dipped in a white chocolate praline coating and sprinkled with a caramel praline crunch, this pecan praline biscotti might just change your opinion of biscotti for good!

No more rock hard biscotti! This praline biscotti is thinly sliced and perfectly baked for a delicately crispy crunch you’ll adore with coffee or simply on its own.

White chocolate dipped biscotti cookie sitting on the rim of a blue gingham coffee cup, with more biscotti in the background.

Biscotti has always been a cookie favorite of mine, especially around this time of year.

It’s just so darn shippable that, when you regularly send out a dozen cookie boxes to friends and relatives like I do, it’s hard not to love it’s durability. Not many cookies can arrive half way across the country and little worse for wear.

Plus, the fact that they were literally meant to be dipped in coffee means they are totally acceptable breakfast fare.

Cookies for breakfast? What’s not to love?

Rows of white-chocolate dipped biscotti neatly lined up on a baking sheet

This recipe is a hybrid of my orange and dark chocolate biscotti and ATK’s almond biscotti recipe from The Perfect Cookie. I added caramelized pecans and a bit of pecan praline flavoring, plus a dip of praline-infused white chocolate and sprinkled with crunchy praline crumbs for even more crunch. I know I’m usually on team chewy, but there’s no denying these cookies are delightfully crunchy and downright delicious.

The secret to the perfect texture is air: rather than creaming the butter with the sugar like most cookie recipes, here you start by beating air into the eggs. Then you add the sugar, melted butter, and dry ingredients.

Comparing identical batches with and without this special first step, the biscotti with the beaten eggs were noticeably lighter with a more delicate crunch that won’t threaten your dental work.

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Mirror Glaze Christmas Ornament Cakes

Pretty on the outside, stunning on the inside: these festive Christmas ornament entremet cakes feature flavors of chocolate and caramel enrobed in a shiny red mirror glaze. Entremet cakes are a labor of love, but the final result is downright impressive. This holiday variation incorporates a crunchy chocolate pecan crust, gooey salted caramel, creamy chocolate […]

Pretty on the outside, stunning on the inside: these festive Christmas ornament entremet cakes feature flavors of chocolate and caramel enrobed in a shiny red mirror glaze.

Entremet cakes are a labor of love, but the final result is downright impressive. This holiday variation incorporates a crunchy chocolate pecan crust, gooey salted caramel, creamy chocolate crémeux and a cloud-like caramel mousse.

Two red mirror-glazed cakes decorated to look like Christmas ornaments, on white plates with gold forks and fairy lights in the background.

For the last two weeks I’ve been completely and utterly consumed by this recipe. (That said, I’ve already consumed two of the finished cakes myself, so… I’d call it even in the end.)

Entremet cakes by nature have many different layers and components, and I found myself with a serious case of choice paralysis: there were simply too many options and I just couldn’t decide. I spent hours scouring the internet and pastry cookbooks, considering a multitude of options for different flavors, textures and techniques; my obsessive thoughts even finding their way into my dreams (if you’ve never had OCD recipe development dreams, are you even a food blogger?)

Three red mirror-glazed Christmas ornament cakes on a white rectangle plate with a bowl of Rolo candies and fairy lights in the background.

I knew I wanted a combination of chocolate and caramel flavors to go with the Rolo candies I’d be using for the ornament topper. But that was really the only thing I had definitively decided.

But should I do a chocolate mousse and a caramel crémeux, or a caramel mousse and a chocolate crémeux?

How about a caramel-chocolate ganache or a chocolate-caramel sauce or a regular salted caramel? s

Should the base be soft sponge cake or chocolate cookie or crispy sable crust?

Should I mold the insides as domes or should I cut out rounds?

Well…

Now you see what I mean by choice paralysis?

Eventually, after testing a few components separately, I decided on a crunchy chocolate pecan cookie crust, a center of rich chocolate crémeux, a layer of simple salted caramel, and then a salted caramel and caramelized white chocolate mousse for the outer layer.

Yes, I probably obsessed over the details a bit too much, because, really, how can you go wrong with anything chocolate and caramel?

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