Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies

Gluten free peanut butter cookies turn out to look, feel, and taste exactly like non-GF cookies.  Made these for Scott and Sarah, my gluten intolerant friends down in Florida.

Raspberry Macarons

Thomas Keller's raspberry macaron cookies are HUGE.  Practically a meal replacement.

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

Sweetened peanut butter filling sandwitched between two crunchy, chewy peanut butter cookies. Recipe from CooksIllustrated.

Ginger SassaFluff Cake

Hot n' sassy gingerbread on a graham cracker crust with 7 minute marshmallow fluff frosting and an "f" shaped cookie, made for Somerville's annual "What the Fluff?" Festival, celebrating the invention of Marshmallow Fluff.

I took home the trophy for Most Creative Presentation!

Pictured above are the judges, contest winners, and... a gorilla in a fluff t-shirt.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Turns out you can bake cupcakes into canning jars and send them in the mail!  These were for my Cincinnati friend Justin's birthday.  The red velvet cake with creamy vanilla frosting recipe comes from the Flour Bakery cookbook (what a surprise!)

Cherry Massacre

This is what happens every time I make a cherry pie.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Two strawberry rhubarb pies, made on a rainy day in my brother's kitchen in Brooklyn.  One to celebrate my friend Koleen's new baby boy (for her first child I baked an apple pie, so now the whole baby = pie thing is a tradition), and the other went to a BBQ on Bradley Beach.

Strawberry Parfait

Layers of moist olive oil cake, pastry cream whipped with butter cream (called mousseline), fresh strawberries, creme fraiche and raspberry jam make up this phenomenal dessert, which comes from Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bakery cookbook.  This was made for a number of coworkers' recent birthdays, but turned out to also be part of my own send-off from Arnold!

Hazelnut Almond Dacquoise

Hazelnut and almond meringue layers with creamy espresso buttercream and a chocolate ganache filling.  Recipe from Flour Bakery. Made for Erika Hakansson's departure from Arnold.

Brown Butter Crispy Rice Treats

These vanilla bean-laced Rice Krispy Treats made with brown butter are the brain child of Joanne Chang and her glorious Flour Bakery cookbook. Made for coworkers for Valentine's Day.

Polvorones

Polvorones, Spanish cookies that are popular during the Christmas season in Spain. Prepared to follow a paella dinner.