The weeks following the winter holidays always feel peaceful to me. The rush is over and it’s time to catch my breath and rest. When it’s chilly and raining outside, I love spending time at home curled up in my coziest fluffy pajama bottoms and fuzzy socks. Give me a blanket, 75 pillows, a warm cup of tea and these Cinnamon Crumble Scones for ultimate coziness!
The crumb topping on these scones will remind you of a cinnamon crumb cake, which makes them extra nostalgic and comforting. The technique of folding the dough over itself gives them a flaky layered texture. For the tenderest scones, make sure not to over work your dough.
To watch Instagram reel, click here. To watch extended TikTok video showing baking process, click here.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, sugar cinnamon and salt.
Work in butter with your fingertips until it looks like wet sand. Press together to make dime size chunks.
Set aside in refrigerator until ready to use.
Cinnamon Filling
In a small bowl, mix filling ingredients together until well combined.
Scones
Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
Work butter into flour mixture with your fingertips or with a pastry blender until pea sized pieces are formed.
In a small bowl, whisk together heavy cream, sour cream and vanilla extract.
Stir cream mixture into flour mixture a little at a time until dough comes together. If your dough is too dry add 1-2 more teaspoons of heavy cream.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Fold dough over onto itself a couple of times.
Pat dough into an approximately 9 x 5-inch oval. Spread cinnamon filling on half of the dough to within 1/2-inch from the edges. Fold dough in half bringing short ends together. Press edges to seal.
Shape dough into a 7-inch round, about 3/4-inch thickness. Cut into 8 wedges. (Or 6 wedges if you prefer larger scones.)
Pinch the pointed tip of the wedges and tuck under to seal. This helps to prevent the top layer from sliding off while baking. Place wedges about 2-inches apart onto prepared baking sheet.
Brush tops of scones with heavy cream. Top with crumb topping. Bake until light golden brown, about 18-22 minutes.
Transfer scones to a cooling rack to cool. Drizzle with icing.
Icing
In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, butter, 1 tablespoon of milk and vanilla. Add additional milk until desired consistency is reached.
I remember my grandma making coffee cakes and sweet muffins for breakfast, along with eggs, sausages, hot coffee and a big pitcher of milk on the table. The older generation really loved their coffee cakes. I’ve noticed that many Millennials and Gen Z’s think coffee cake contains coffee. Maybe some coffee cake does contain coffee, but in general, coffee cake is called that because it’s typically eaten with coffee. A classic coffee cake is usually a subtly sweet cake with cinnamon, crumb topping and maybe some icing. The Apple Crumb Cake recipe I’m sharing with you has the elements of a classic coffee cake, but so much better! The cake is fluffy and soft, the crumb topping is chunky and plentiful, and the apples are perfectly tender. And don’t get me started about the icing!
Why do most of our grandmothers cook and bake so well? Because they’ve had decades of trial and error to perfect their recipes, tweaking them here and there until they’re approved and loved by their families, neighbors and friends. This cake has had its share of trial and error. She has earned her place as a well-loved, delicious, beautiful queen of coffee cakes.
In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the apples, sugar and cinnamon.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender, about 10 minutes. Transfer the apples to a bowl and let cool to room temperature.
Crumb Topping
In a medium bowl, mix the flour, brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon and salt.
Work in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture looks like wet sand. Press together to make 1/2-inch chunks.
Cake
Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Line a 9-inch cake pan with a removable bottom*, or a 9-inch springform pan, with parchment paper. Wrap the bottom of the cake pan with aluminum foil and place pan on a baking sheet.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar, with an electric mixer on medium speed, until light and fluffy.
Beat the eggs and vanilla into the butter mixture in three separate addition, making sure each addition is incorporated before adding the next.
In a small bowl, whisk the milk and sour cream together.
On low speed, beat the flour mixture into batter in three separate additions, alternating with milk mixture. Mix just until combined.
Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan. Smooth the top with a spatula.
Drain any excess liquid from the apples. Top the cake batter evenly with apples, then the topping mixture.
Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 50-60 minutes. Cool the cake in pan for 10 minutes. Remove the cake from pan and transfer it to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Icing
In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, melted butter, vanilla, salt and 2 tablespoons of cream. Add additional cream until desired consistency is reached. Drizzle over the cooled cake.
What’s better than the smell of chocolate chip cookies baking or of fresh coffee brewing? The aroma of this warm, sweet buttery loaf of Butterscotch Bread is so heavenly that I’m convinced angel grandmothers bake this on a regular basis in heaven. The rich scent is accompanied by a soft, tender bread topped with a silky butterscotch glaze.
It all starts with browning your butter first. It adds a nutty, deep butter flavor. When browning your butter, use a light colored saucepan so you can see the visual clues. You’ll see it start to foam and brown specks will collect on the bottom of the pan. It will smell nutty and fragrant. Keep a close eye on it. It can go from brown to burnt in a quick second. When your brown butter has cooled to room temperature, the rest of the recipe comes together quickly. You can also brown your butter a day ahead and keep it in the refrigerator. Bring it to room temperate before using.
This delightful bread goes well with coffee or tea and is just as delicious the next day. Store covered at room temperature.
In a small saucepan, cook the butter over medium heat until brown and fragrant. When brown specks (not black!) collect at the bottom of the pan, immediately transfer the butter to a small bowl. Let cool to room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line the bottom of an 8 x 4-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Grease and flour the insides.
In a medium bowl, beat the brown butter, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla and buttermilk until smooth.
Stir in the flour mixture in two additions. Mix just until combined. A few lumps are okay.
Transfer the batter to prepared baking pan. Bake until the top is deep golden brown and q toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 38-43 minutes.
Let the bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, them turn it out onto a cooling rack to cool completely. Top with two coats of butterscotch glaze.
Butterscotch Glaze
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar and salt.
Continue stirring over medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil. Boil for two minutes.
Turn the heat down and slowly stir in the heavy cream. Keep stirring until mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
Transfer the butterscotch glaze to a small bowl and let cool until thickened.
If you’ve ever gotten up early enough to grab one of those delicious breakfast soufflés at that bakery that starts with a P, then you might just love this recipe. There are plenty of copycat versions online, mostly using refrigerated crescent rolls. I love crescent rolls and you can make a pretty close copy of the originals with them, but why not take them up a notch? In my humble opinion, using puff pastry makes them so much better! These pretty little soufflés will puff up and get golden brown and crispy. You can also personalize each one. Try swapping out the spinach and bacon for your favorite omelet ingredients, such as chopped ham, chives, jalapeños or whatever you like.
Preheat oven to 425ºF. Grease four 8-ounce mini pie dishes* or ramekins.
On a lightly floured surface, roll puff pastry sheet to a 10-inch square. Cut into four 5-inch squares. Place one square in each prepared dish. Dock the bottom of each one by poking holes with a fork.
In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and red peppers and cook until softened, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with flour and cook 1-2 minutes more.
Slowly stir in milk. Use a whisk if sauce seems lumpy. Cook until edges start to bubble and sauce thickens. Stir in salt. Remove from heat.
In a medium bowl, beat eggs. Set aside 1 tablespoon of beaten eggs in a small bowl. Add about a third of the sauce mixture into the medium bowl of eggs and whisk until combined. Add the egg mixture back into the saucepan and whisk until smooth.
Stir in Colby-Jack cheese, half of the parmesan cheese and spinach.
Ladle egg mixture evenly into the prepared dishes. Top with bacon and remaining parmesan cheese.
Fold pointed ends toward the center. Brush folded pastry edges gently with reserved beaten egg.
Bake until golden brown and puffy, about 25-30 minutes.
You can serve the soufflés warm in the pie dishes or remove them from the dishes and transfer to a cooling rack.
My mom had a cupboard in the kitchen containing a few old cookbooks that she rarely used. As a child, I used to enjoy perusing them and looking at the baked treats. Some of the cookbooks were so old, they had black and white photos or even just drawings of the food. The ones with drawings interested me because they depicted smiling children enjoying the treats.
When I started learning to bake, I found a recipe for French Breakfast Puffs in one of those old books. The title sounded so fancy, but they were really just simple muffins dunked in butter and rolled in cinnamon sugar. I have no idea what the name of the cookbook was or what happened to it, but the delicious muffin recipe stuck around for a while. I’ve tweaked the recipe so many times over the years, and most recently, I added pumpkin to it. These Pumpkin Cinnamon Mini Muffins are one of the best versions I’ve created. The inside texture of the muffins is soft and moist and it contrasts nicely with the slight crunch you get from the cinnamon sugar on the outside. They look so cute too, like little pumpkins, and they definitely make children smile!
To watch the TikTok video of these mini muffins being made, click here.
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease and flour a 24-serving *mini muffin pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.
In a large bowl, beat sugar, oil, egg and pumpkin purée until smooth.
Stir in flour mixture just until combined. A few lumps are okay. Batter will be thick.
Transfer batter to prepared pan, about a scant 2 tablespoons of batter in each muffin cup.
Bake until toothpick inserted into muffins comes out clean, about 11-13 minutes. Do not over bake! Be diligent, since over baking can happen very quickly with mini muffins.
Let muffins cool in pan for 5 minutes. Turn muffins out onto a cooling rack.
Topping
Combine sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl.
Dunk warm muffins in melted butter, then roll in cinnamon sugar.
Preheat oven to 400ºF (200ºC). Grease a 2 quart baking dish.
In a large bowl, toss the nectarines with the lemon juice. Add the vanilla, brown sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon and stir gently to combine. Fold in the blueberries.
Transfer fruit mixture to the prepared baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Work the butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips or with a pastry blender until pea size pieces from.
Stir in the sour cream and milk just until a shaggy dough forms.
Remove the baking dish from the oven. Top the fruit with 2-tablespoon size portions of dough. Sprinkle the dough with coarse sugar.
Return the baking dish to the oven and continue baking until the topping is deep golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving, to allow the sauce to thicken.
Every peach season, I get excited by the abundance of peaches at my local farmers market and I end up buying way too many. So if you’re like me and you have ripe peaches sitting on your counter, turn them into peach purée. I love adding peach purée to my iced tea or adding it to desserts like this moist, tender cake. This is one of my most popular cake recipes on social media, and for good reason. It does not disappoint! To watch the TikTok video, click here.
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Peaches and Cream Loaf Cake
Moist, tender peach cake with peach cream cheese icing
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line the bottom of an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Grease and flour the sides.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Set aside 2 tablespoons peach purée for icing.
In a large bowl, beat sugar, oil, eggs, remaining peach purée and extracts until smooth.
Add flour mixture and beat just until combined.
Transfer batter to prepared baking pan. Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 38-45 minutes.
Let cake cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely. Spread icing on cooled cake.
Icing
In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth.
Add powdered sugar, salt, vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon of peach purée. Beat until smooth. Add additional peach purée, if needed, until desired consistency is reached. Fold in diced peaches.
Yellow is the color of happiness and sunshine. These adorable Lemon Scones will bring you a burst of lemony brightness even on the grayest day. The pretty, vibrant yellow sparkling sugar adds a pleasant crunch to the tops. It’s a nice contrast to the soft, tender interior of the scones. These little gems would shine on any breakfast or brunch table. I served them with blueberry jam and green tea, which was so delightful, I’m still smiling.
This cheerful little loaf cake feels like a spring or summer picnic with lemonade and sunshine. It’s similar to a pink lemonade cake that my elderly neighbor used to make when I was growing up. She made it for all the neighborhood kids and we always gobbled it up. When I was about eight years old she taught my friend and me how to make it. She used a yellow cake mix in a large baking pan and poked holes all over the cake, then drenched it in a pink, sugary lemon icing. I transformed that happy pink lemonade memory into a delightful loaf cake made from scratch.
Preheat oven to 325ºF (163ºC). Line the bottom of an 8 X 4-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Grease and flour the sides.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda.
In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and sour cream.
In a large bowl, beat the sugar, oil, eggs, lemon zest and strawberry extract until smooth.
Stir in the flour mixture in two additions, alternating with the milk mixture. Stir just until combined. Stir in food color a little at time until your desired shade is achieved.
Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean, about 45-50 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare lemon syrup.
Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and transfer to a cooling rack. Poke holes all over the top of cake with a skewer.
Brush the warm cake generously with the lemon syrup. Let the cake cool completely, then top with icing.
Lemon Syrup
In a small saucepan, combine the juice of one lemon with enough water to equal 1/4 cup. Add sugar and stir over medium-low heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat.
Icing
In a medium bowl, beat the butter, powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, the strawberry extract and a pinch of salt, until smooth. Add more lemon juice until your desired consistency is reached. Mix in gel food color.
Italian Easter Pie, also known as Pizza Rustica is a rich, delicious, savory pie, similar to a quiche. When I was growing up, my family enjoyed this pie at Easter time, but it’s delicious and comforting any time of the year. Easter Pie typically contains meats and cheeses. We made ours with sausage, cheese and spinach. I started making these small, handheld versions years ago for my kids. They love dipping them in pizza sauce. I included the recipe for the homemade pie crust below, but you can streamline the recipe by making the pie dough the night before or using store bought 2-crust pie dough if you wish.
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Italian Easter Pocket Pies
Golden handheld pies filled with Italian sausage, spinach, ricotta and mozzarella cheese
Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Work the shortening into the flour mixture with your fingertips until evenly distributed. Work the butter into the flour mixture until flat, dime size pieces are formed.
In a small bowl combine the ice water and vinegar. Sprinkle the ice water mixture over the flour mixture a little at a time and mix just until the dough comes together. You may not need all of the water, depending on your climate. On a lightly floured surface, fold the dough over onto itself a couple of times. Form the dough into two disks. Wrap the disks in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least two hours or up to overnight.
Filling and Assembly
Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Combine the sausage, spinach, cheeses and seasonings in a medium bowl and mix well.
Roll out the pie dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into ten 5-inch rounds. Place the rounds on the prepared baking sheet.
Brush the edges of the rounds with egg wash. Place about 3 tablespoons of filling into the center of each round. Fold the dough over and press the edges to seal. Crimp the edges with a fork. Brush the pies with egg wash. Cut a 3/4-inch ventilation slit on the top of each pie.
Bake until golden brown, about 25-30 minutes. Serve with pizza sauce or marinara if desired.
A good scone has a way of making you feel elegant, especially if you pronounce it ‘skon’ instead of ‘skōne’. I went to a lovely tea recently where scones were served, along with an array of dainty tea sandwiches and desserts. The scones were round with pink sugar sprinkled on top. Pretty pink food is always so promising. Unfortunately, the scones were hard, dry and bland. No amount of clotted cream slathered on them could help. There’s nothing elegant about a dry, hard bite of a scone that you have to struggle to choke down. Scones should be dense and slightly dry and crumbly, but there’s no reason we can’t make them more delicious. It’s fun to add fruit, chocolate, herbs, nuts or whatever you like to make them more delightful. These Raspberry White Chocolate Scones are tender and buttery with bursts of flavor from the fresh raspberries and white chocolate. I added pink sparkling sugar for texture and, of course, to make them look pretty!
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Raspberry White Chocolate Scones
Tender scones with fresh raspberries and white chocolate, topped with crunchy sparkling sugar.
In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together. Work the butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips or with a pastry blender until pea size pieces form.
In a small bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, sour cream and vanilla.
Stir the cream mixture into the flour mixture until a shaggy dough forms.
Gently fold in the white chocolate and raspberries.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Form the dough into a 1-inch thick round, about 6 1/2 inches in diameter. Cut the dough into 8 wedges.
Place scones 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Chill the scones in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
Heat oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Brush the tops of the scones with heavy cream. Sprinkle with coarse sugar.
Bake until the edges look golden brown, about 20-24 minutes. Transfer the scones to a cooling rack.
