Homemade Lemon Cookies

This is a splendidly flavorful, inviting cookie that's bright and cheery during the blistery winter season, yet it's also a cookie fit for those warm summer months where you'll find them reminiscent of a refreshing summer lemonade.

They are fun to finish by decorating them how you like, you can drizzle icing in zigzag patterns over the top or take a spoonful and make a simple circle atop them. And no one said sprinkles are wrong either. However you finish them just don't leave the icing off, it's critical to the abundant lemony flavor of the cookie (as this portion of the cookie calls for the most lemon juice).

If you like a more noticeably yellow cookie simply add a little natural yellow food coloring to the dough to mimic the hues of those sunny lemon peels. It won't affect the taste but I think we tend to eat with our eyes first so a little yellow addition is a nice touch if you have it.

If you love traditional pumpkin cookies and cinnamon spiced snickerdoodles then these pumpkin snickerdoodles are must try cookie for you! It's a seasonal spin on a classic.

They have just enough pumpkin to have a noticeable flavor while keeping the texture soft but not overly cakey. The butter lends rich moisture, and the spice blend makes them exceptionally delicious.

Then the cream of tartar, which is a classic addition of to most snickerdoodles, adds a nice faint tang to the cookie to highlight them.

These cookies are simple to make and they'll seem to disappear right before your eyes. So much to love in every bite!

Greek Lemon Chicken Soup

Avgolemono soup is one of the quickest, easiest and freshest tasting soups you can make! It's a humble soup made with basic ingredients yet it packs so much bright flavor thanks to all the fresh lemon in it.

It has a nice light herbiness to it and it gets it's creaminess from the starches of the rice and the use of eggs blended into the broth.

We love it paired with a side salad and fresh made pita bread, but fresh rustic bread drizzled with good olive oil is also another tasty pairing option for a basic yet delicious, hearty and carby, get feeling better meal.

Easy Jam Thumbprint Cookies

Thumbprint cookies are a simple, richly buttery cookie much like shortbread cookies. They are however even more tender (like butter cookies) thanks to the egg yolks in the dough and also the jam which slightly soaks in and creates more softness.

They have a unique texture differing from most other cookies because of this.

You can use just about any flavor of jam. The most commonly used are raspberry jam, strawberry, apricot, or peach. You can't go wrong with blueberry, blackberry or fig either.

I think you'll appreciate the fact that they use so few ingredients (only six plus salt) and they are fun and easy to make. Though a small and humble cookie they are also such a pretty cookie with a purely delicious taste!

These are a delightful treat that can be adapted to include other flavors, other fillings and even can be rolled in various coatings before baking (see ideas below).

A simple cookie that proves old fashioned favorites are often the best!

Peppermint Christmas Cookies

We all love that chocolate peppermint combo, but have you tried the white chocolate peppermint combo? These cookies are just that, more of a vanilla meets peppermint cookie and they are completely irresistible in every way!

They are easy to make, similar to a chocolate chip cookie but with the addition of crushing candy canes. And those crushed candy bits add a pretty speckles of red color to these bright and cheery cookies.

You'll find they stay soft for days, thanks to those melted candy cane bits and a fair amount of butter.

They pair beautifully with a cup of chocolatey hot cocoa or deeply flavored coffee. I think they will be a standout addition on a holiday cookie tray and may even become a new tradition on repeat each year.

Put these fun cookies at the top of the baking list this holiday season, they are a must try treat especially if you love peppermint!

Want to make vanilla ice cream to pair with it? Try my silky homemade vanilla ice cream recipe too!

The Best Chocolate Ice Cream Recipe

This chocolate ice cream is the absolute best you’ll ever taste! It’s a staple in our summer dessert lineup, but it’s so tasty I find myself making it all year long. 

It always gets rave reviews when I serve it at parties. After one bite and you’ll never see store-bought ice cream the same!

With a smooth, creamy base and a rich chocolate flavor, it’s delightful on its own but can also be added to sundaes, milkshakes, and all your favorite ice cream desserts. 

Finish it off with a drizzle of hot fudge sauce or homemade caramel sauce for a sweet treat that will cool you off even on the hottest of days! 

Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting

I’m a big fan of making cake recipes from scratch. While box mixes are convenient, you just can’t beat the taste of a dessert that is truly homemade. They’re just so much better!

Soft and amazingly tender, perfectly sweet, deliciously indulgent, this cake is everything you could want in a yellow cake and more. Plus it's easy to prepare!

Its tantalizing flavor will leave you convinced this homemade cake is the only way to go. No matter the occasion, this moist yellow cake recipe is always a crowd pleaser.

With its homestyle sweet vanilla flavor, paired with that sophisticated rich chocolate flavor atop, it is destined to impress. This cake proves that sometimes it's the simplest things that are the best!

Homemade Banana Pudding

This banana pudding recipe has it all. The pudding is made with half and half for richness, egg yolks and cornstarch for a sure thickening, just the right amount of sweetness, and to fancy it up we add a vanilla bean and fresh grated nutmeg for flavor.

Then it includes a generous amount of just ripened bananas, and of course those simple but ever so nostalgic store-bought vanilla wafers. And no baking required.

It's as good as it gets!

This is a year round dessert that's perfect for a holiday celebration, a welcome addition to a weekend dinner, or just because you want a treat yourself kind of indulgence today.

Serve it up laid back casserole style in a baking dish or make it more elegant and serve in individual tumblers or dessert cups.

Have family or friends help with this fun layered cooking project that once complete is amazingly refreshing and satisfying with each and every bite!

The custard is baked in individual dishes in a water-bath after which it's chilled to set, and for the crowning finish it's sprinkled with plain sugar and melted with a hot flame to caramelize.

What is Creme Brûlée?

Crème brûlée is a French dessert that literally means "burnt cream," as it is a custard with a hard caramelized sugar shell coating the top. The contrasting layers make it one of my favorite dessert recipes out there.

It is generally made in individual dishes called "ramekins" and served chilled. And it can be made in various flavors but the classic mostly commonly found variation is vanilla.

Dessert really just doesn't get any better than this! To crack through that incredibly crisp, perfectly golden brown, candy-like shell into a decadent, silky smooth custard is supreme dessert bliss.

This is proof that sometimes the simplest ingredients can create the ultimate recipes.

This dramatic dessert may seem intimidating to make but it really is quite easy. Just follow this method and you can't go wrong.

Halloween Gingerbread Cookies

After just one bite I have the feeling these will become a new Halloween tradition for you. Not only are they such a cute Halloween cookie, but they are an intensely delicious treat too (every time I make them I think I eat half the batch myself!).

They have an abundance of warm ginger (which can be toned down for little kids and cut in half if preferred), and the deeply flavored, thick molasses keeps them soft for days. And that crisp bright icing is the perfect contrast and finish.

Forget trick-or-treat candy—this is the new highlight of the season. And if you do have kids at home let them help decorate they'll have a blast! Decorate skeleton gingerbread Halloween cookies as part of a Halloween class party activity, family Halloween party treat, or take them to a Halloween party to make a seriously spooky impression.

Special Equipment Needed for Halloween Gingerbread Men

You'll need the kitchen standards here such as an electric mixer, rolling pin, cookie sheets, parchment paper, a kitchen scale or measuring cups. Then also:

• Black edible food marker: I tested two different brands and preferred the Wilton edible markers.
• A piping bag for the icing.
• Small plain round tip such as #3 or #4 size.
• Gingerbread cookie cutter.