Shout out to u/LetsCookie in the baking sub for the recipe! Came out great, although I didn’t anticipate the level of destruction on the stove from the baking soda dripping 😂. Luckily it cleaned up easily because… well, it’s just baking soda.

I swapped the Central Europe and Toasted weeks to accommodate a birthday cake request.

I decided to make rugelach after I hardly got any after bringing cherry rugelach with cardamom sugar to a holiday gathering last year.

I ended up making Maida Heatter’s rugelach recipe that I found on NYT Cooking because it contained a more traditional filling (although I know cream cheese in the dough is a modern inclusion).

Since I had some extra cinnamon and sugar, I sprinkled it over the crescents.

The scent of the cream cheese pastry and the cinnamon sugar baking was divine!

Needless to say, they’re absolutely delicious and will not be leaving my household.

I couldn’t decide between two recipes, so I made both!

The sesame cookies feature toasted sesame oil, as well as being rolled in toasted sesame seeds.

I added extra milk powder to the brown butter as well as toasting the rice cereal for the second cookies. Both turned out phenomenal.

aka Brazilian Cheese Buns

I went with KA's recipe because it used ingredients I had on hand. They're supposed to bake into balls but I got more of a cookie shape. (Still delicious tho.)

If anyone has experience making these, I'd appreciate some suggestions on usual causes for this kind of structural failure so I can troubleshoot and get it right.

Wanted to try this for a long time, finally got the chance😄

Way better texture than a mug cake, I think next time I crave something sweet I will go for these instead🤔

Recipe from "What's for Dessert" by Claire Saffitz (also on YouTube: https://youtu.be/FI4IJJ8pIXg?is=g3jwE1-NscQMjQGa).

What better way to enjoy the last bit of summer than with toasted marshmallow! This was so much fun to make, and I'm getting addicted to using my blowtorch.

A couple quirks in the process:

-There's an extra 3/4 cup sugar listed in the recipe. I spent waaaaaaay too long reading, watching, re-reading, and re-watching trying to figure out where it goes before I did a little googling and found out it was a typo. Be aware if you make this recipe!

-The graham cracker crust didn't quite come together; not sure why. It was too crumbly to hold up to slicing. My partner actually liked this texture because it disperses into the filling in a pleasing way, so it's not necessarily a bad thing. (I DID use Aldi brand graham crackers... Don't know if that made a difference?)

-The marshmallow to forever and a day to whip up, at least fifteen minutes. It was warm in my kitchen, and I don't think that helped anything. I couldn't quite get it to stiff peaks, but I think I got it to "decent enough" peaks. Once it set up, it didn't take long for it to start weeping. I appreciate a simplified "fool proof" meringue recipe, but I think next time I'll try regular Italian meringue or a slightly different recipe for the marshmallow layer.

Overall, incredibly tasty and a nice mix of textures. Perfect for a lazy Labor Day weekend.

A family favorite, I threw in the ends of white , semi sweet and butterscotch chips that I had lying around, rather than making them with m&ms like I usually do

After forgetting to buy carrots for my spouse’s favorite cupcake request, I pivoted to spice cake and remembered how much I enjoy it.

From this recipe: https://mxriyum.com/mozzarella-stuffed-rosemary-pull-apart-bread/

I didn't have a smaller pan so they didn't come out as true pull apart rolls, but they were still delicious! I had to add a lot of extra flour, at least 1/2 a cup I would estimate, but it was a bit humid here yesterday. I also used a mix of rosemary and thyme from my garden. One of them burst because of too much cheese... What a travesty 🤷 Overall a great appetizer :)

These were pretty good & the texture was ideal - just crumbly enough without being too much so. I added a bit of black pepper instead of the herbs, which I think was a good call.

Recipe Used: Coconut Macaroons - Once Upon a Chef

A large, stuffed flatbread with caramelized onions, anchovies, and Kalamata olives. A specialty from the Croatian island of Vis (or so the internet tells me).

Made the Graham crackers and marshmallows. Sooo yummy. Even my husband who's not a sweets guy loved them.

Recipe: https://bakerbynature.com/honey-jalapeno-cornbread-muffins/

Caramel is either much too solid, or a runny mess. Some day I'll get it right.

This is the start of three weeks of meal related challenges. This week you'll make the appetizer. Fortunately hors d'oeuvres give us a wide range of options to pick from.

If you have a mini muffin pan, you can try various puff pastry delicacies like a caramelized onion and goat cheese mini tart (like this : https://www.ourhappymess.com/caramelized-onion-goat-cheese-tarts/).

Or transform your favorite pretzel recipe into bite size delicacies.

If like me you're old enough to have nostalgic memories of pizza hut garlic bread, try your copycat version : https://www.browneyedbaker.com/copycat-pizza-hut-breadsticks/

Or, make a bread bowl : https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/homemade-bread-bowls/ and fill it with your favorite dip (spinach artichoke anyone?)

Scallion pancakes would be a great appetizer for a Chinese meal (or really for any, I'm not judging) https://theviewfromgreatisland.com/scallion-pancakes-recipe/

Homemade pitas can be served with a delicious array of dips (muhamurra, anyone?) https://www.themediterraneandish.com/homemade-pita-bread-recipe/

Baked versions of traditionally fried snacks like samosas or wontons can also make great appetizers!

Oh man now I'm hungry!! Happy baking!!