My (Bitter)Sweet & Salty Muse: Walnut Shortbread Sandwich Cookies with Caramel Cream

Apparently I’ve been living under a large rock for quite some time, because even throughout my many pastry “research” excursions in San Francisco, I had only recently become familiar with Yigit Pura and his magnificent pastry shop, Tout Sweet. I first sampled his fabulous French macarons and other creations at the SF Ferry Building Farmers’ Market, […]

Channeling Sicily: Blondies with Salted Pistachios & Lemon

When I saw this recipe for Blondies with Salted Pistachios & Lemon in December, my first thought was, “This screams January,” so I tucked it away for after the holiday madness; it feels so far removed from the gluttonous chocolate, peppermint, and gingerbread that we were happily stuffing in our faces just a month ago. Then, lo […]

The Polar Espresso: Stumptown Shorties

I feel like an Ovenly fan-girl– I just can’t say enough about their magical little cookbook. Every recipe I’ve tried (here and here, plus Eggnog Sandwich Cookies) has been terrific; not since BAKED have I crushed so hard on a particular bakery’s treats. Brooklyn bakeries have captured my heart! One of the best things I had when I visited the […]

Baked Sunday Mornings: Gingersnaps with Lemon Sugar

We are a couple of weeks into 2015 now, and I, for one, have so far failed miserably at my goal of eating less sugar. I try not to set “resolutions” per se, because we all know how that goes, but I did go into the year with the very real intention of getting back to […]

Baked Sunday Mornings: Date Squares… with Toffee Sauce

Let’s begin with a quote from the illustrious Ms. Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen: “Prior to last month, I had spent exactly zero minutes of my life thinking about date cake, craving date cake or noting the absence of date cake in my life and/or site archives.” This precisely sums up my feelings about baked goods […]

Baked Sunday Mornings: Campfire Cookies

If anyone loves s’mores, it’s THIS GIRL. Any time there’s a s’mores-themed recipe on the Baked Sunday Mornings schedule, I’m gonna be pretty stoked about it, particularly our recent S’more-Style Chocolate Whiskey Pudding— I continue to dream about that incredible mess of chocolate, graham crumbles, and toasted meringue at least twice a week. I also made […]

Baked Sunday Mornings: Election Day Palmiers

  Ohhhh, ‘Murica… You have made me very sad in this election week. But as Stellina Sweets is not a political forum, I shall spare readers from a lengthy diatribe about everything wrong with our government; suffice it to say that the state of politics in this country is nothing short of a clown rodeo… And what’s the […]

Baked Sunday Mornings: Pumpkin Harvest Dunking Cookies

It’s Fall. Me happy. I am, of course, by no means unique in my love of the autumnal season, with its warm cocoa, reds and yellows and oranges, and that glorious, crisp relief after months of sweltering heat. (Not that’s it’s cooled down in California much at all yet, but at least I know it’s […]

Baked Sunday Mornings: Candy Bar Cookies

Holy cookies, Batman. I’ve been out of commission after (another) ankle surgery for the past two weeks, and I was so happy to be back on my feet this week. I was able to bake ahead for the last couple of Baked Sundays Mornings recipes, so that I didn’t have to miss any blog posts, but I […]