Sablés or Butter Cookies with Apricot Jam

My sister makes the best Sablés cookies ever.  Sablés are butter based cookies filled with apricot jam (home made in my case). They probably one of the rare things that don’t include chocolate and that I love.

I have been willing to learn to make them for some time now, but her visits were always short because the kids had to go back to school. But with the benefit of the summer vacation she has been paying us a visit since Tuesday and what better than a long visit to learn.

Guest Post: Chocolate Cupcakes

Mireille is one of our first blog followers and is my cousin/best friend at the same time. She always read our posts and shared her thoughts about them; she even tried cooking some with us. I have tried to bring her to share her experiences with us and she finally decided to join us in this guest post about cupcakes. Mireille is a Lebanese expat, living in Dubai. We Taste-Buds welcome her contribution to our blog and we hope she can share more of her cooking experience with us. Continue reading below to see Mireille’s take on cupcakes.

Black Bottom Cupcakes

Cupcakes are generally not on my list of top desserts. However, I was convinced I could find a way to make them more like something I really enjoy. I browsed the internet in search of ideas and happened to come upon these delectable little treats, Black Bottom Cupcakes!

Dulcis in Furno’s Ricotta Rolls

A couple of days ago, as I was browsing my inbox on Foodbuzz, I came across a recipe for ricotta rolls by Dulcis in Furno.

Northwest Cheesecake at Work

I was very pressed for time this week, so I did not stray too far from the posted recipe. The  only real changes I made were that I used real butter in forming the crust; I added about ¾ cup of sugar to the cheese mixture instead of the 1 cup the recipe called for; I added 2 tbsp of lemon juice to the mixture for tartness; and I used strawberry pie filling to top the cake.

I was satisfied with the result. The texture was very smooth and it cooked perfectly. My only regret was adding 2 tbsp of lemon juice to it. This was a little too much with the sour cream already adding to the cake’s flavor. The next time I make this recipe, I will probably only add 1 tbsp of lemon juice.

Northwest Cheesecake Supreme Epic

I am the two left feet dancer of baking. Every time I try to make a pastry, I end up failing royally: I tend to cook with ingredients based on need or how I see fit, and there is something about specific quantities and temperatures as well as timing that put me on the edge. So I was a tad nervous about this challenge.

Challenge 3: Northwest Cheesecake Supreme

For this challenge I decided to post an old favorite of mine from a cheesecake cook book I have had for some time.  As a former chemist, I tend to work better with recipes that require well-defined amounts, times, temperatures, and techniques. I have always found that baking desserts fits this bill. This cheesecake is not too complex for those of us that do not make desserts so much, but it will be exciting to see what kind of spin each challenger will put on it! The basic recipe can be found here: NW Cheesecake Supreme Best of luck!