A Newsy Letter About Butterscotch Pudding, Overnight Baked French Toast With Apple Compote, Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies And More . . .
Hello peeps and welcome to another newsy letter. This week I’m sharing a few recipes that I think make a lot of sense for right now: mid-to-late February appropriate, in other words. I’m also linking to my new podcast and to the most recent episodes, as I could not be more excited about the two guests I had the pleasure of speaking with over these last weeks. Finally, as always, I might say a word or two about Snackable Bakes . . . never heard of it? Oh, it’s just this little old, easy-peasy baking book I wrote that the NYT picked as one of its best cookbooks of 2022 . . . that’s all, nothing else. Anyway . . .
Butterscotch Pudding is one of my all-time fave treats. I adore pudding in all its incarnations and I also love butterscotch – which is in essence very similar to caramel, in taste, color etc., except it is made with brown sugar rather than white . . . This recipe could not be easier (natch) or more delicious and it comes together quickly, as all the best things I do (IMHO).
Another one of my true loves (besides pudding – yes, I have several loves that I consider true) is bread pudding. There is something about custard’y baked bread that just gets me excited – there are crispy edges and creamy middles for days in a bread pudding, and in case you did not know, overnight baked French toast is essentially just like bread pudding, except you eat it for breakfast! Yes, lucky you - and me. Here, I am sharing a recipe for overnight baked French toast (aka bread pudding) with an apple compote. However, if you are not feeling a homemade apple compote, and I get it if you are not, just add a store-bought jam of your liking (maybe even a store-bought apple butter situation??) in its stead.
Happy to be sharing recipes for butterscotch and apples here, but what about carrots, you might be asking? Or maybe you are not, but I am sharing a carrot recipe, nevertheless. This recipe for carrot cake sandwich cookies with cream cheese frosting, is basically like, I don’t know, one of the best cake-masquerading-as-a-cookie situation you’ve ever encountered? Yeah, something like that.
Finally, I think I might be one of the last peeps to the semifreddo party, but if you have never made this easy, almost ice cream-like (but not) frozen dessert before, gosh are you ever in a for a chilly, creamy, flavorful treat. My version goes a tahini chocolate direction, but if you are more peanut butter than tahini, you could substitute . . .
Hopefully these recipes will keep you busy and satisfy your sweet tooth. And if while satisfying said tooth, or cooking, or walking, or driving, or just living, etc., you like to listen to other folks talk about baking, desserts, etc., have I ever got the podcast for you. It’s called She’s My Cherry Pie and a new episode drops every Saturday morning. Last week I had the pleasure of talking to none other than Claire Saffitz, and we talked fruit pies and pie dough.
And this past week, Dorie Greenspan and I talked cream puffs and all the wonderful things you can do with choux pastry . . . hope you’ll consider giving one of these a listen (or both!).
Finally, Snackable Bakes remains a veritable bargain over on Amazon, at only $21.99 a copy and if you have yet to get your hands on one, consider doing so, stat. Also, I am HAPPY to send you a signed book plate, as a little incentive (ie: you buy the book and let me know you did so and share your mailing address, and I’ll send you a personalized book plate sticker, that you can place in the book!).
Finally, I am hosting a baking retreat in July in Birmingham with my pal Brian Hart Hoffman and the team from Bake from Scratch Magazine (a magazine in which I contribute a column: Fast Fix with Jessie Sheehan)!! Brian and I will be baking up (along with you (fingers crossed)) ALL the yummy summer treats and I’d love for you to join. More info is here.
Alrighty, that’s it for another newsy-letter. Hope you enjoyed and looking forward to being back in touch in two weeks.