Recipe | Walnut Thumbprint Cookies

2.27.2024

Recipe | Walnut Thumbprint Cookies

hello! 

welcome back to the blog. today I thought it would be fun to wrap up this month by sharing a flavorful walnut thumbprint cookie! I find this recipe so simple and easy to make -- it only has 6 ingredients! the nutty cookie and the fruity filling brings the best of both worlds to the table and everyon loves them.m

what you'll need

Salted Butter

250 g @ room temp 

powdered sugar

150 g

eggs

2 

walnuts 

4 large handfuls

Flour 

Jam / Fruit Preserve

how to make it

step 1.

place four large handfuls of walnuts in a food processor and run it until they become fine. dump the walnuts into a bowl with your butter, powdered sugar, and eggs. 

step 2. 

start mixing with your hands and start adding in a cup of flour. do this, 1 cup at a time, folding it into your mixture until the dough stops sticking to your bowl. 

step 3. 

preheat oven to 350 degrees and line your baking pans with parchment paper.

step 4. 

it's time to formulate the dough into little balls and place a "thumbprint" in them. to do this, I grab a small amount of dough (depending on how big I want my cookies to be) and roll it in between the palms of my hand.

step 5. 

to make the "thumbprint," I use a 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon and press it into the center of my dough ball. 

step. 6 

fill your little thumbprints with jam! any jam will do -- strawberry, marionberry, cherry, apricot, raspberry and blackberry are some of my favorites, but you can get creative. I love using nutella, apply jelly, and lemon curd as fillings as well. 

step 7.

place them in oven and bake for 15 - 25 mins. I like my cookies to be on the softer side, so I typically take them out around 18 minutes. if you like a crispier cookie, you can leave them in the oven until the cookie part gets a little more golden brown. 

step. 8 

take out of oven and place on cooling rack. 

 *a few notes

ꕥ when serving, sprinkle a little more powdered sugar on top!  

ꕥ this recipe will yield about 30 - 40 cookies, depending on how big your dough balls are. I usually double the ingredients for a bigger batch of 60-80 cookies for gatherings.

ꕥ when making bigger cookies, you can play around with the shape of the "thumbprints" -- think hearts, stars, clovers, etc.

ꕥ they go great with a cup of coffee ;)

and there you have it! 

a super simple recipe that will have everyone reaching for more! until next time. xoxo

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Recipe | Gogosi (Romanian Doughnuts)

3.08.2021

Recipe | Gogosi (Romanian Doughnuts)

hey ya'll, today we're talking about one of my very favorites -- gogosi! they're homemade romanian styled doughnuts and they're delicious. I asked my mom to show me how to make it awhile back, so I could tell you guys all about it, but she refused. She's an eyeball(er) when it comes to recipes, so she couldn't tell me the quantities. The problem was officially solved because I brought my digital scale and we were able to measure it for you guys. 

Before I share the recipe, I want to say that even though this recipe looks super lengthy, it's not that complicated. I've done my best to show you all the steps through the photos and videos, but at the end of the day, it's waiting for the dough to rise that's the most tedious. 

What You'll Need

Flour

Canada Bleached All-Purpose | 60 ounces

Red Start Quick Rising Yeast

2 packets

Lukewarm Water 

1/2 cup

Sugar

Eggs

5

Salt 

1 tablespoon 

Greek Yogurt 

1 cup

Orange Zest

Milk 

Butter 

2 sticks at room temperature 

Cinnamon 

Canola Oil

How To Make

step 1.
sift all your flour.

step 2.
in the cup of lukewarm water, mix in two regular sized spoons of sugar and the two packets of yeast. let this mixture sit until the water starts to bubble (aka: rise) yay! you’ve just proofed your yeast. if the water doesn't bubble or rise, that means that either the water was too hot or the yeast is old and not good for use, so you'll need to go ahead and restart this step. 

step 3.
mix 1 cup of greek yogurt and 4 cups of milk in a glass container and then warm the mixture to a temp that you can place your hand in it. careful with this step because you don’t want it to be very hot because the yeast won't rise the dough. 

note: we like to mix greek yogurt into the milk, but the yogurt can be skipped if not on hand.

step 4.
place the yeast mixture in the sifted flour, in the middle, and mix. then, add five whole eggs.
slowly add the four cups of milk to the mixture -- don't add it all at once. mix in and start slowly kneading as you're mixing.

if you've added all the milk to the mix and you see a lot of flour left, heat up and add more milk until the mixture is just right. you’re going to have to eyeball this step — you want the dough to be just right which means that it's not very soft, but not very stiff. it has to be somewhere in the middle.

we ended up using five 5 cups of milk total in the entire process.

this is a complicated step as some types of flour absorb liquid differently, so pay attention to how the dough is feeling and how the flour is mixing into your dough mixture. 

✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸ this would be the time and place to mix in your orange (or lemon) zest ✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸

note: this time, I didn't add zest because we used the same dough to make Langos -- Romanian style stuffed fried bread. but if you're only wanting to make gogosi, then the zest would be mixed in at this point in time.

pro tip: a few days before you make gogosi, zest several oranges and place the shavings in a small glass jar with several spoons of fine sugar. mix together and then seal the jar, placing it in the fridge. when making the gogosi, use a few spoonfuls of this in your dough to give it an even sweeter taste. left over zest? no problem -- this sugary zest can stay in the fridge for up to a year if sealed correctly. it's ready to be used in other cakes and muffins! 

step 5.
then take your two sticks of butter and start incorporating it into the dough. buuuut, wait, don’t place all it at once. you want to take it in sections and knead it in. like you did with the milk. 

step 6.
then after you’ve incorporated the butter, take half a handful of oil, and rub it on top of the dough and the sides. you do this because we’re gonna put some plastic wrap on top as we wait for it to rise and we don't wang the dough to stick to the plastic.

step 7.
place plastic wrap all around the bowl and then take a warm blanket, fold it in half place it on the table. place the bowl of dough in the middle and then cover up the bowl with the other side of the blanket, making sure that the entire bowl is covered.

step 8.
let sit to rise.
this takes a few hours -- ours took about 3 hours to rise! 

this is the perfect opportunity to wash dishes, tidy up and run errands even. 

step 9.

after your dough has risen, go get your frying pan and fill it up with oil about half way.
you want your doughnuts to float, so the amount of oil depends on the size of your pan.

step 10.
turn on the stove to heat medium heat.
then, wait about 7 mins -- it's time to test the oil. 

to do this, drop a little bit of dough in the pan.
if it starts to bubble and rise quickly, your oil is ready.

if it doesn’t, go ahead and wait a few more minutes and try again. 

repeat this process until the little piece rises to the surface right away.

step 11.
now, grab a large plastic board placing it on the counter. 

and then take a little bit of oil and spread it all over the board and your hands. 

this helps move the dough and not get it stuck to your hands.

step 12.

now, let’s make the doughnuts!

grab a bit of dough, place it on the board and flatten it with your hands. 

now get a regular-sized cup and start cutting your circles.
if you want them to look like American doughnuts, 

then go ahead and get a milk gallon cap to cut out the doughnut hole.

step 13.
place doughnut in oil and wait until you see the edge get golden brown. then flip over with a spoon.

step 14.
when the entire doughnut is golden brown, place a paper towel on a plate and then let your doughnuts cool on top of the paper towel — this soaks the excess oil from the surface.

step 15.
next, in another plate mix fine sugar and cinnamon together. 

after the gogosi have cooled a bit, roll it in the sugary mix and place on serving platter.

step 16. 

serve and enjoy!

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recipe | romanian style puff pastry with apple filling

9.27.2020

recipe | romanian style puff pastry with apple filling

I posted on my instagram stories over the weekend that I was baking something that involved apples and several of you asked if I would share the recipe, so here I am, coming at you with yet another dessert recipe. today, I am going to share how to make a romanian style puff pastry with apple filling. fair warning, this recipe calls for you to have some time on your hands as prepping the filling can be a little time-consuming (as most romanian recipes are). 

growing up, my great aunt would put this filling into cozonac or placinta  -- which the Romanian version of a sweet loaf and mini pies. my mom would substitute the sweet loaf dough with puff pastry sheets to cut down the prep time and it's probably my favorite hack ever. 

buuuuuuut, enough with the rambling -- let's get to the recipe!

WHAT YOU'LL NEED

Puff Pastry 

1 box; unthawed at the time of baking.

Apples 

14 medium-sized.

I used a mix of golden + red delicious apples, but you can use any apple variation in this recipe.

Eggs

1

Butter

1/3 of a stick

Sugar

to taste 

Cinnamon

to taste

+++++++ PREP TIME: 1 HR ++++++++ BAKE TIME: 30 TO 45 MINS +++++++

How to Make

step one. 

you're going to need to wash your apples and peel them. 

this is really time-consuming, so I used my kitchen aid mixer and a peeling extension!

if you don't have a mixer, then an apple peeler is a good investment for this.

step two. 

you're going to want to remove the stem and halve the apples. 

pit them and take off any remaining skin. 

step three. 

in a large bowl, grate your apples! 

you're going to want to use a medium-sized grater.

as you grate your apples, you're going to notice that there is a lot of juice in your bowl -- this is normal and will be addressed in the next step, so whatever you do, don't panic. 

step four.

strain the apple juice from the grated flesh of the apple.

to do this, take a handful of grated apple and place in a strainer. 

then over another large bowl, press the apple with your fist (or wooden spoon) 

until all the juice comes out. place the freshly pressed apple in a clean large bowl when you're done. 

I do this cycle twice as I do not want a soggy puff pastry. 

mini side step 

after you've completed step four, pour the apple juice into a pitcher and place it in the fridge to chill.

you now have fresh-pressed apple cider at your disposal! drink within five days.

step five. 

take the 1/3 stick of butter and melt in a nonstick frying pan. 

add your apples and then sprinkle cinnamon + sugar on top. 

cook until apples are tender, making sure they do not start to burn. 

in regards to the amount of cinnamon and sugar, it really depends on your preference and on the sweetness of the apples you are using. 

for the sugar -- normally, I take a regular spoon from the utensil drawer, and measure the sugar that way. one spoon of sugar in the mixture, mix it in and taste. I do this until I can taste a hint of sweetness. 

for the cinnamon, sprinkle how much you'd like as cinnamon is an acquired taste. I typically lightly sprinkle some on top of the apples right before I cook them and taste. if I can't taste a little bit of cinnamon midway, I mix in another light sprinkling of cinnamon halfway. 

step six.

after apple mixture is cooked, let sit for about 10 minutes to chill. 

in the meantime, roll out your puff pastry sheets and slowly and gently press upward on the ends to elongate the sheet without tearing it.  

step seven. 

grab your apple filling and place a layer of apples on your pastry sheet, leaving about an inch from the sides.

step eight. 

now, roll the sheet inward and turn over. 

gently press the ends of the sheets together in addition to the body of the roll. 

we're doing this so apple filling won't leak from the roll when in the oven. 

step nine.

now, lightly spray a baking pan with non-stick cooking oil and place your roll on pan. 

take a knife and carefully cut through the roll about half an inch. 

step ten. 

beat an egg and then with a pastry brush, add the egg to the top of your rolls. 

sprinkle cinnamon on top rolls. 

then place into an oven that was preheated to 350 degrees for about 30 to 45 minutes or until pastry is golden brown.

step eleven. 

let pastry cool for about 30 minutes and then cut along the roll and place on a serving dish.

sprinkle powdered sugar on top if desired.

serve and enjoy! 

another mini sidestep.

this pastry is also delicious if served cold.

I place leftovers in the fridge overnight and pair this cold pastry to a creamy cup of coffee! 

annnnnnd that's how you make this delicious mouth-watering dessert. 

it's perfect for a cozy fall day and will fill your home with the most pleasant aroma.  

⇓ PIN IT ⇓

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Recipe | Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins (In 4 easy steps)

9.20.2020

Recipe | Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins (In 4 easy steps)

 

hey friends, today I'm sharing a quick little recipe to ring in the fall season. it's a healthy(ish) treat that is super simple and easy to make. honestly, these little muffins are great for when you're crunched on time! Just 4 easy steps and you're ready to bake

WHAT YOU'LL NEED

Betty Crocker German Chocolate Cake Mix
1 box

Eggs
3

Canola Oil
1/2 cup

Cold Water
1 1/4 cup 

Pumpkin Puree
12 ounces

Oats 

a handful 

Cinnamon 

4 tsp

Brown Sugar

5 tsp

Flour

1 tsp

How To Make 

step one.
add a box of german chocolate cake mix, eggs, water, and oil in a large bowl.

mix until you get a batter consistency. ⁣
⁣

step two. 
in a separate bowl, mix pumpkin purée, cinnamon, brown sugar, and a handful of oats. ⁣

⁣then. add the pumpkin mix to batter and stir.⁣
⁣

step three.
grease muffin pan and add batter to the pan. ⁣

step four.⁣
bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 mins. 

toppings.

these muffins are good as is, but if you're like me and want to add a little extra step to make these muffins look a little more spiffy -- toss about 2 tsp of cinnamon, flour, and brown sugar with a handful of oats and pumpkin seeds (or chopped pecans) in a bowl and mix it around a few times. then, sprinkle this on top of muffins before popping them in the oven.⁣

+++++++ PREP TIME: 7 MINS ++++++++ BAKE TIME: 15 TO 20 MINS +++++++

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Recipe | Peach Berry Cobbler

8.25.2020

Recipe | Peach Berry Cobbler

Hi friends, today I'm sharing one of my favorite late-summer desserts: peach berry cobbler. This past week I made three of them -- one for us and two for family members and y'all they were a hit! I've had several of you ask for the recipe when I posted to my Instagram stories, so I thought it'd be fun to document the process via the blog while sharing the recipe and getting my little guys to help. 

This dessert is loaded with seasonal berries and fruit which makes it the perfect option for even the healthiest of eaters. I also love this recipe because it's quick and simple -- the perfect recipe for an action-packed day. 

Below, I've listed ingredients as well as step by step instructions paired with pictures of the process. At the end, you'll find a recipe sheet that you can pin, save, and print. so, let's get baking! 

What You'll Need

Betty Crocker Super Moist Vanilla Cake Mix

1 box

Eggs

3

Canola Oil 

1/2 cup 

Cold Water 

1 cup 

Peaches

3 to 4; whole, pitted + skinned, thinly sliced

Flour

1 cup

Seasonal Berries 

3 to 5 cups; as desired

blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries all go great with this recipe. 

+++++++ Prep Time: 10 mins ++++++++ Bake Time: 30 to 45 Mins +++++++

How To Make 

Step One. 

set oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

grease pan with butter or cooking spray. 

Step Two. 

empty cake mix into a large bowl.

add eggs, oil, and cold water.

mix until smooth.

set aside. 

Step Three. 

wash, pit, and peel peaches. 

thinly slice them and place a layer on the bottom of the pan. 

sprinkle a handful of flour on top of peaches.

Step Four. 

rinse and strain berries. 

layer them on top of the peaches. 

sprinkle a handful of flour on the berries. 

Step Five. 

add batter to the pan. 

Step Six.

evenly spread the batter to cover the fruit. 

then, add a layer of sliced peaches on top of the batter. 

Step Seven.

place into the oven for 35 to 40 minutes.

when the outer crust is brown, take a fork to the middle of cobbler.

if the fork comes out clean, your cobbler is done. 

if batter sticks to the fork, leave another 10 minutes.

repeat the process until the fork comes out clean. 

Step Eight. 

take cobbler out of the oven.

sprinkle powdered sugar on top. 

Step Nine. 

serve hot with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. 

or let the cobbler cool off & top with fresh fruit + whipped cream. 

but most importantly, enjoy it! 

Some Tips 

about the flour -- if you're wondering why I'm always sprinkling it on the fruit, its to soak up some of the fruit juice as it's baking. no one likes a soggy cobbler, am I right? 

berries not in season -- one thing I love about this recipe is that berries and peaches don't have to be in season to make it. frozen fruit works great! just remember to rinse the ice off the fruit and use pieces that aren't frozen into big clumps. 

get creative -- with the top layer design, with the ingredients, and with how you serve it. drizzle some jam, sprinkle some granola on top for some crunch; there is always room for an extra dash of cinnamon. the possibilities really are endless! 

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Recipe | Chocolate Chip Banana Bars

2.06.2019

Recipe | Chocolate Chip Banana Bars

Today I thought I'd share my favorite way to get rid of ripe bananas that doesn't consist of me throwing them away. Since wasting food is something I try to avoid, I use my ripened bananas to make these yummy chocolate chip banana bars. They're the perfect bite sized bar that will knock out any sweet tooth craving in just minutes! These are great for breakfast with some coffee, a cold glass of milk or maybe you need a little mid day pick me up? No matter when or what you pair it with, they're simply delicious!

What I love about this recipe is that even if you're not a fan of chocolate, you can totally omit that ingredient and use something else -- you can get creative and still make something totally delicious using other fun ingredients. I'll share some of my other favorite chocolate replacements later on in the post, but for now, let's get baking!

What You'll Need 

Ripe bananas
5

Brown Sugar
3/4 of a cup 

Canola Oil
1/4 of a cup 

Milk
1/4 of a cup

Eggs
2

All Purpose Flour
1 3/4 cups 

Baking Soda 
1 tsp. 

Salt
1/2 tsp.

Cinnamon
1 tsp. 

Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
2 cups

How To Make

Step One. 

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray baking pan(s) with non-stick spray.

Step Two. 

Peel and mash the bananas well and by well, I mean really mash these babies! After you've made the banana mesh creamy and smooth, go ahead and stir in the brown sugar, oil, milk and eggs.

Step Three. 

Stir in dry ingredients -- the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

Step Four.

Add 1 cup of the chocolate chips to batter and stir in -- skip this step if you hate chocolate and scroll down to see what you can use to substitute the chips if you're still wanting a bit of flavor / kick to your bars! 

Step Five. 

Spread the batter in prepared pan(s) -- I usually place about 2 inches of batter per pan due to the fact that I want to make the bars pretty thin, but if you want to make a banana bread loaf or muffins instead of bars, you totally can! Just remember that the number of pans may vary. 

After you are done spreading the batter evenly onto the pan, it's time to sprinkle remainder of chocolate chips on top of batter. 

Step Six. 

Place pan in oven and cook for about 18 to 24 minutes. One way to see if they're ready is to place a fork (or toothpick) in batter and see if it is dry when pulled up -- if it is, then yaaaaaay, they're done!

Step Seven. 

Take out of oven, let cool, and cut them into squares. Place on pretty serving dish & enjoy!

+++++++ PREP TIME: 40 MINS +++++++  YEILDS ABOUT 23 BARS +++++++ 

Chocolate Chip Substitutes

If you're not crazy about chocolate -- that's okay, here are a few other things you can place in or on top of the batter to give it a little kick. 

Chopped Walnuts 

Raisins

Blueberries -- tip:: cover them with flour first before sprinkling on top, so they won't sink to the bottm of pan when baking in the oven. 

Dried Cranberries 

PB Protein Powder -- I'd add about 1 tsp. of powder when mixing in the dry ingredients for a hint of peanut butter flavor.

Coconut Shavings

& any other substitute you can think of -- if you're daring. 

ORRRRRRRRRRR... you could just leave the chocolate chips out all together and move along with the recipe without a substitute if you're feeling like you want to be healthier and avoid a few extra calories -- It'll taste as just delicious, I promise! 

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Recipe | Traditional Romanian C-Shaped Christmas Cookies

12.21.2016

Recipe | Traditional Romanian C-Shaped Christmas Cookies

Today, I'm sharing the recipe for my favorite Romanian cookies. Ever since I was a little girl, my mom would make these every Christmas and my whole family would munch on these goodies from the moment they came out of the oven. They make your whole house smell amazing and they're a great snack for the kids to nibble on without the mess. It's just an added bonus that these cookies are so simple to make! 

Ingredients

Salted Butter 
at room temperature: 250 grams -- about two 4 oz sticks and a tablespoon

Powdered Sugar
150 grams -- about 5.3 oz

Eggs 
2

Grounded Walnuts
2 1/2 cups

Vanilla Extract
1 tablespoon

Flour
as needed

++++ Important Notes On Ingredients Before You Begin Baking ++++

No. 1
Make sure the butter you have is at room temperature -- if it's not, it will ruin the dough by making it hard. your goal is to have a soft, non-sticky dough that is moldable.

No. 2
About the ground walnuts. My mother has a machine from Romania that I use to ground walnuts, but you can also use a food processor to ground them -- just make sure you pulse the walnuts in the processor because if you don't, the walnuts become a paste rather than the fine shreds this recipe needs.

How To Make

Step One. 

Preset oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Step Two.

Take your 2 eggs, your grounded walnuts, your 250 grams of room temperature salted butter, 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract and your 150 grams of powdered sugar and place them in a mixing bowl. Mix the elements together with your hand and add flour. Start with 1 cup of flour and mix. 

Step Three. 

Keep adding flour until the dough no longer sticks to the bowl you're mixing in -- as you add flour, please note that the flour needs to be soft, so be careful.

Step Four.

The dough is ready to be molded as soon as you're done mixing, no wait time for rising and such, so break off a small chunk of dough, placing it in your hand or on the plastic board you will be rolling and molding on. 

Step Five.  

From the dough in your hand, break off another piece of and roll it into a small ball (about the size of a small ping pong ball). Place that ball on a plastic board, and with the palm of your hand, roll it into a line. Make sure it's a uniformed line because the dough is soft and you don't want it to break apart when you mold it. 

Step Six. 

Take that line that you just rolled, and form it into a C-shape and place on a backing pan. 

Step Seven. 

Fill pan with your C-shaped cookies and then place in oven. Bake until cookies turn a golden brown.

Step Eight. 

Take out of the oven and let cool. When cool, shake pan slightly until cookies slide. 

Step Nine. 

Place cookies in bowl or container until ready to serve.

 + Yields about 70 to 80 cookies + depends on how thick you make them +

To Serve 

You can eat these plain or you can sprinkle powdered sugar on them for a pretty white look. I typically place a cup of powdered sugar in a plastic ziplock bag and throw in a handful of cookies. After zipping up the bag, we gently shake the bag so the powdered sugar can coat the cookies. This method saves time and prevents a mess. Then it's time to place them on a platter, serve & enjoy!

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