Stellina Sweets

Chocolate-Halva Babka

As much as I love contemporary baking like layer cakes, cupcakes, and pastries, there are few baked goods that conjure childhood nostalgia like babka. Aside from my mom’s birthday cakes shaped in […]

Baked Sunday Mornings

Baked Sunday Mornings: Heartland Turtle Bars

I joined Baked Sunday Mornings in Fall 2012, when the group had already baked through about ⅔ of BAKED’s second book, Baked Explorations. Although I baked most of the remaining recipes, there […]

Cakes

Pumpkin & Cookie Butter Sheet Cake with Toasted Meringue

You’re already preparing for Thanksgiving dinner, aren’t you. On the […]

Fruit Desserts

Apple-Maple Tart

I know. Pumpkin pie is supposed to be, like, the thing this week. I am fully aware of this, and yet, I refuse to conform. I’ve just never been a huge […]

Baked Sunday Mornings

Baked Sunday Mornings: A Trio of Truffles

I love chocolate. I really do. A LOT. But for some reason, chocolate truffles, at best, illicit a lukewarm reaction for me– they are not my preferred chocolate delivery system. […]

Baked Sunday Mornings

Baked Sunday Mornings: Peanut Butter Cookies with Milk Chocolate Chunks

Ah, 2008– a quaint time when I didn’t yet understand […]

Cakes

Tuscany: Torta di Mele (Apple Cake)

I’ve been writing about Italy for several weeks now (except for a little hiatus due to work craziness), and I know every place I write about is all amazing and […]

Baked Sunday Mornings

Baked Sunday Mornings: Classic Apple Pie

In the Great Life Debate of cake vs. pie, cake pretty much always wins in my book. (Unless there is chocolate and/or caramel in the pie. Then we might have […]

Baked Sunday Mornings

Baked Sunday Mornings: Banana Cupcakes with Vanilla Pastry Cream

My feelings about bananas are not a secret… suffice it […]

Breads & Doughs

Rainbow Sprinkle Bread with Birthday Cake Crumb Topping

I know I’m supposed to be telling you more about […]

Cakes

Apple Orange Rye Honey Cake

We interrupt this regularly scheduled Italian Desserts blog post to wish you a Belated Shana Tova! If you celebrate the Jewish High Holy Days, I hope your Jewish New Year is off […]

Baked Sunday Mornings

Baked Sunday Mornings: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Loaf

Today is a special baking day. My baking-blogging group, Baked Sunday Mornings, has just wrapped three years of working our way through all 75 recipes in Baked Occasions, the 4th cookbook […]

Chocolate

Rome: Ciambelline al Vino with Dipping Chocolate

There’s a very good reason why Rome is so storied and romanticized and revered. It deserves it. I first visited Rome on an organized bus tour with my mom in […]

Baked Sunday Mornings

Baked Sunday Mornings: Peppermint Chocolate Chip Meringues

Guys, I did it. Baked Sunday Mornings is making our very […]

Breads & Doughs

Puglia: Spicy Pepper & Herb Taralli

For most people, visiting Italy means Rome, Florence, Venice, maybe Milan, right? Let’s throw in Bologna or Pisa if you wanna get real fancy. But how many tourists make it to the southern […]

Baked Sunday Mornings

Baked Sunday Mornings: Lebkuchen

Orange. Lemon. Coriander. Ginger. Cocoa. Rum. Honey. Almonds. Many people would say all yummy things, yes? But have you ever put them all into one recipe? Specifically, a cookie recipe? Germany, […]