It’s like a dulce de leche sandwich on snickerdoodle bread.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground anise
16 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar, plus 1/2 cup for rolling
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 can of sweetened condensed milk

INSTRUCTIONS

Take the paper label off the can of sweetened condensed milk and place it in a pot large enough to cover it with at least 1 inch of water. Boil for two hours on a low boil always making sure can is covered in water.  Let it cool before opening.

For the cookies: Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and anise. Set aside.

Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in three additions, until just combined, scraping down the bowl as needed.

Combine cinnamon and remaining 1/2 cup of sugar in a shallow dish. Scooping out the dough 2 teaspoons at a time, roll into 16 balls, roll around in the cinnamon sugar mixture to coat, and space them 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until edges are firm, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through baking. Let cookies cool on the sheet for 1 minute and then gently place each warm cookie in the cinnamon sugar and turn to coat evenly. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat twice more with the remaining dough.

Please make sure that dulce de leche has cooled before opening and pipe filling over the bottom of half of the cookies then top with the remaining cookies pressing lightly to adhere.

I worked with this recipe.

Thank you, Smitten Kitchen, for the inspiration for my parent’s Anniversary Cake.

I ran out of raisins so I tried something new and they are delicious.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar, well-packed
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup almond butter
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
3 cups of old-fashioned oats

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Mix butter, sugars, vanilla. and eggs thoroughly until light and fluffy.  Add cinnamon, then mix in nuts and almond butter.  Add the dry ingredients and mix well.  Stir in rolled oats.  Use a small ice cream scoop to form each cookie.  Press down halfway with a fork and bake for 10-12 minutes.  They should be a golden color.

Berry cake and summer go together like Daltry and Townshend.

1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 large egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup fresh raspberries

Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside. In a larger bowl, beat butter and 2/3 cup (146 grams) sugar with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, then beat in vanilla and zest. Add egg and beat well.

At low speed, mix in flour mixture in three batches, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour, and mixing until just combined.Spoon batter into cake pan, smoothing top. Scatter raspberries evenly over top and sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar.

Bake until cake is golden and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool to warm, 10 to 15 minutes more.

I got the recipe here.

Cover these cookies with any sprinkles you like.  You will always get a smile.

INGREDIENTS

3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon fine sea or table salt
1 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup yogurt
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Sprinkles

DIRECTIONS

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking large sheets with parchment paper.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl and whisk to blend. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat yogurt, butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg and extracts and blend again. Add flour mixture and beat just until flour disappears. In some cases, this dough will feel too soft to roll into balls in your hands; if so, let it chill in the fridge for 20 minutes or so before using.

Use a small ice cream scoop to make balls of dough and roll them briefly in the palms of your hands before dropping them in a bowl of rainbow sprinkles and gently rolling to coat them evenly.

Transfer balls of sprinkle-coated dough to baking sheets at least two inches apart. Use the palm of your hand to press down on the cookies until they are about 1/4 to 1/2-inch tall. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until they look underbaked but lightly golden underneath. Let set on the baking sheet on a rack for a few minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

When you dear friend celebrates a birthday you make sure you bake.  Amy Sedaris’ recipe for cupcakes is exceptional.

INGREDIENTS
280 grams flour
15 grams baking powder
50 grams sugar
1/2 teaspoon table salt
85 grams cold, unsalted butter
about 130 grams chopped very ripe strawberries
1 cup heavy cream

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a bowl, whisk flours, baking powder, sugar and salt together. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles a crumbly meal with tiny pea-sized bits of butter about. Gently stir in the strawberries, so that they are coated in dry ingredient, then stir in heavy cream. Use a spatula to mix and then knead it once or twice in the bowl, to create one mass. Do not overwork dough.

Generously flour your counter. With as few movements as possible, transfer your dough to the counter, generously flour the top of it and with your hands or a rolling pin, gently roll or press the dough out to a 3/4-inch thickness. Cut into 2 1/2-inch circles with a floured biscuit cutter or top edge of a drinking glass, pressing straight down and not twisting (this makes for nice layered edges) as you cut. Carefully transfer scones to prepared baking sheet, leaving a couple inches between each.

You can re-roll the scraps of dough to use it all up.

Bake the scones for 12 to 15 minutes, until bronzed at the edges and the strawberry juices are trickling out of the biscuits in places. Cool in pan for a minute, then transfer to a cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Thanks to Smitten Kitchen for this recipe.

Thanks to Once Upon a Chef’s recipe for these perfect blueberry muffins.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups  flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup milk
2-1/4 cups fresh blueberries
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar

DIRECTIONS

I adapt my grandmother’s recipe to add any flavors that are available.

INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 cups flour
1/4 pound of crisco
3 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
Zest of two oranges
2 tablespoons Fresh Orange Juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup sliced almonds
6 oz melting chocolate

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Combine orange zest and sugar and let sit for a few minutes.  Sift flour, sugar/zest, and baking powder. Cut in crisco until small crumb consistency.  Add beaten eggs, orange juice, and vanilla.  Stir in almonds.

Split dough into 4 equal pieces.  Form “football” shaped loaves and bake them for approximately 30 minutes until cooked through.  Check with toothpick. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes.  Slice each loaf into approximately 6-9 pieces diagonally.  Place them on the cookie sheet and return to oven to toast for approximately 15 minutes.  Remove from oven, flip over to other side to toast evenly.  Let cool and decorate with melted chocolate.