Strawberries-n-Cream Cookies, No-Bake Cheesecake and some PB and Chocolate RKTs

Hi hi peeps! I’m in Washington DC, in a hotel room, as I write this, I am about to record with two fantastic DC pastry chefs, Susan Bae and Isabel Coss, for She’s My Cherry Pie (you know that’s my baking podcast, right?) in a few hours. And can I just say: I love a hotel room and room service (no matter the quality) is always my fave food. Something about eating in a bed that is not your own? Call me crazy . . . but I digress, because guess what? My fourth book is coming out on September 24th! Joke, folks: I know you know ALL about SALTY CHEESY HERBY CRISPY SNACKABLE BAKES, and I’m optimistic that you have already pre-ordered. But if not, here’s the link to do so - oh, and send me your receipt and I’ll send you 3 recipes from the book (you’re welcome). I’ll be doing some fun Salty Cheesy collaborations with pals in which we bake up goodies from the book, over the next few weeks, so look out for those. Also, just for you-know-what and giggles, I wanted to show you the photo that we intended to use as the cover of the book (it’s the one on the left below - 🥰). 

We thought we wanted to mimic the cover of Snackable Bakes, with its wide array of gorgeous (easy-peasy) baked goods . . .

And so we tried to do the savory version of that. In the end, however, the purple cutie above on the right won out.

Some Snackable Happenings:

I have two fun things to share that have gone down since last we “spoke.” The first is that I was featured in Cool Stuff NYC’s weekly newsletter, in the “Cool Friends” column. So, in case you did not know, it is now confirmed that I am, indeed, a cool friend. You can read all about just how cool a friend I am, here.

And the second happening worth sharing, is that I shot a fun pilot with Hungry TV. Hungry TV is is a new food and cooking focussed “FAST” channel (aka a Free Ad-supported Streaming Television channel), and my pilot features two recipes from Salty Cheesy (the Cheesy Butterswim Old Bay Biscuits and the Tomato Za’atar Galette with Onions and Cheese) and two from Snackable Bakes (the Devil’s Food Snacking Cake with Marshmallow Frosting and the Epic Snickerdoodles for Stephanie). And I will def share all the details - including where to watch! - when I have them. Below you can see me explain why cold eggs are so important in my Snickerdoodle recipe (and yes tips/tricks lovers, the pilot is filled to the brim with all my baking know-how). Cute dress, too, right? It’s new . . . 🥰

Recipes!

First up, are some Strawberries-n-Cream Cookies that I baked up eons ago and that I think you should bake stat. They are made with freeze dried strawberries, assembled in only one bowl, with melted butter, and they are adorable AND delicious (what a combo, right?). And chock full of sweet, yet tangy and very fruity strawberry flavor and white chocolate chips.

Next, I wanted to share a No-Bake Oreo Cheesecake, that is also an oldy, but goody. If you are a cookies-and-cream ice cream fan, you will love this cake. There is something about coupling crushed Oreos with tangy cream cheese, lightened with whipped cream, that will 100% knock your cheesecake socks off. Highly recommend. And “no-bake” FTW, am I right?

And finally, wanted to share the recipe for my Chocolate Glazed Peanut Butter Rice Krispies Treats for a Crowd with you. I made these for a cookbook event I attended in Napa in June, and despite the sweltering temperatures, and thus their melty tops (as pictured below), these cuties were a huge hit. These are great for potlucks, bake sales and the like - but you can also halve the recipe for a smaller crowd. 

On This Week’s Episode of She’s My Cherry Pie . . .

In podcast news, my pal Deb Perelman is back on the pod this week and we are chatting all things icebox cakes and it is an absolute must-listen. Below is a pic of Deb and me when she was on the pod a year ago, talking all things chocolate chip cookies (another MUST-LISTEN).

Have you watched . . .

I just finished binging My Lady Jane and I have to say, I thought it was pretty hilarious and very entertaining. It is a period drama (Tudor England) very much in the vein of Bridgerton (with lots of foul language thrown in for good measure), The Regime and The Great. But it was completely under my radar until I listened to the Even the Royals podcast (see below) episode, in which the hosts interviewed the actress who plays Jane, as well as the female producer and writer of the show – and thus introduced me to the show itself.

Have you listened . . .

So, the Even the Royals pod does deep dives into royal families in a very funny, but also informative way. I have only listened to some of the episodes in their series about Henry the VIII’s wives and I am into it.

Have you read . . .

I read Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid about a year ago and to quote it’s description online, it is “a page-turning and big-hearted story about race and privilege, set around a young black babysitter, her well-intentioned employer, and a surprising connection that threatens to undo them both,” and I adored it. Highly HIGHLY recommend. Moreover, Reid has a new book out (or, new to me) which i just bought and will now place on my (very tall) pile, which already includes All Fours and James…

Alrighty, that’s it for today. See you in two.