Posts under ‘Desserts’

Monet was to the art of painting as Nick Malgieri is to the art of all things confectionery. Author of eight cookbooks and Director of Baking Programs at The Institute of Culinary Education (ICE), Malgieri has established himself as the foremost authority on delectable desserts. From Supernatural Brownies to Chocolate Chunk Zucchini Cake, this man [...]

I have been eagerly awaiting Module 4 of my culinary arts program, as it signals the start to four straight weeks of intensive pastry and baking. From cream puffs and croissants to pâte à choux and palmiers, we will be covering every inch of sugar-topped and butter-stuffed glory.
We’ve made the transition from culinary lessons, where [...]

Get ready for Valentine’s Day with a simple shortcut to homemade toffee, no candy thermometer required! What better way to celebrate one of the sweetest days of the year than by layering chewy oats with semisweet chocolate. Toasted coconut and chopped pecans add a final touch of crunch to this quick-fix candy that’s guaranteed to [...]

I’m turning to all of my holiday baking favorites as I count down the last few days before Christmas. From my great grandmother Momoo’s 100-year-old recipe for Peanut Butter Bars to simple classics like Christmas Wreaths, deck the halls with flour and make your home a sugary winter wonderland with my favorite holiday sweets.
Holiday Baking [...]

Let the holiday baking begin! I had all of the ingredients for these Brown Sugar Shortbread cookies in my pantry, so they became the product of a lazy afternoon spent avoiding the 20º temperatures outside. This recipe was adapted from a recent feature I read in The Washington Post about the simplicity of shortbread and [...]

Each nook and cranny of my NYC kitchen is stuffed with every kitchen gadget imaginable. Potsticker maker? Check. Food mill? Check. Edges only brownie pan? Check. You name it, I own it. But an ice cream maker is one thing I don’t have. So when I stumbled upon a gadget-crazed version of cranberry sorbet I [...]

What better way to put that leftover Halloween candy to use than to whip it into a homemade dessert? Grab your bulk-purchase favorites and use them as toppers on this quick-fix mix for super moist blondies. I used up my leftover Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups on this first batch but would also suggest trying Snickers, [...]

Celebrate the arrival of autumn with a fun twist on everyone’s favorite Thanksgiving flavors! I’m a huge fan of individual desserts, and with a layer of cream cheese frosting sandwiched between two pumpkin pie cakes, these Pumpkin Whoopie Pies are the perfect sweet finale to any meal.
Part cookie and part cake, this recipe was inspired [...]

Happy National White Chocolate Day! I figured there was no better way to celebrate an obscure food holiday than to whip up a seasonal take on one of my favorite easy desserts, chocolate bark. This make-ahead confection can be loaded with your choice of dried fruits, nuts and spices. I chose to go for big [...]

As I approach the one year mark of the launch of Just a Taste, I realize many of you may not have seen some of the earliest recipes - including the recipes that were the original inspiration behind the site. There are unbeatable favorites like Noni’s Baby Back Ribs, Hungarian “Little Guys,” Curry Crab Dip, [...]