This rosemary shortbread is definitely one of my all time favorite cookies. I love how savory it is, with just a touch of sweetness. I recently made it for a daytime tea that I hosted, but it’s a perfect dessert for almost any occasion… baby shower, wedding shower, springtime lunch, or even part of your Christmas cookie box gifted to friends. I combined a couple recipes (from Food52 and NYT Cooking) and then made a couple tweaks/additions. I absolutely love how they turned out and hope you enjoy! Almost every time I’ve made them I’ve doubled the recipe, so I recommend you do the same… one batch will be gone too soon! These last for days on your counter in a tightly sealed container, and they also freeze wonderfully.

I N G R E D I E N T S

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons rosemary
1 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons citrus zest (I’ve tried lemon and grapefruit- both delicious)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
flakey salt + a dash of sugar for topping

D I R E C T I O N S

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Bring butter to room temperature. Finely chop the rosemary and zest the citrus. Line with parchment an 8×8 baking pan.
Whisk together all-purpose flour, salt, and rosemary in a prep bowl.
In your stand mixer on medium to high speed, mix your butter, sugar, citrus zest and vanilla until soft and fluffy. Slowly add in your flour mixture until well combined, but not over-processed.
Press mixture into the prepared pan with an offset spatula and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Prick dough all over with a fork and sprinkle with sugar and flakey salt.
Bake for about 35 minutes, or until light golden brown. Cut while still warm, and leave in the pan to cool completely.

Enjoy!

I found this recipe for an olive oil lemon cake and I couldn’t wait to try it. I didn’t have some of the ingredients, and I preferred to add / sub a few others, so I thought I would share the exact version I made. I cut some of the sugar and didn’t use tapioca flour, among other things. It was SO, so delicious. Not too sweet, super moist, and had a perfect amount of zing from the lemon. It would be a perfect dessert for a daytime shower, or for Easter. It would also be beautiful served with cream and berries! Below is my take:

I N G R E D I E N T S

• 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil, for the pan
• 1/2 cup flavorful extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup + 1/8 cup organic granulated sugar (divided use)
• finely grated zest of 1 medium lemon
• 1/4 cup strained fresh lemon juice
• juice of 1 small blood orange
• 4 large egg yolks
• 2 cups blanched almond flour
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 large egg whites
• vanilla extract

D I R E C T I O N S

Preheat oven to 325ºF. Rub the bottom and sides of a 9-inch cake pan with the coconut oil. Line the bottom of the pan with a round of parchment paper, and rub the parchment with coconut oil as well.

Line the bottom of the pan with thinly sliced lemon and blood orange slices

In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, 1/4 cup sugar, lemon zest and juice of lemons + orange (if using), and egg yolks to combine. Place a mesh strainer over the top and sift in the almond and coconut flours, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine.

Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment. Whip on high until foamy. With the mixer running, gradually add in the remaining 1/8 cup sugar and a couple drops of vanilla extract and continue to whip until the egg whites are shiny and hold firm peaks when you lift the whip out and hold it upside-down. Slowly fold in the whipped egg whites into the batter. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

Bake the cake until golden on top, beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 40-45 minutes. Let the cake cool slightly, then loosen the edges with a small butter knife or spatula. Flip the cake onto a wire rack and peel away the parchment. Let cool completely.

Enjoy!

This is my mom’s old recipe for ginger cookies and it’s really a good one! The best part is that it’s all made in one pan on the stovetop- super easy and super quick. We added candied ginger this time and loved the addition, so I added it to the ingredient list below. I’ve been eating them with a cup of this turmeric amber sun tea and it’s the perfect afternoon treat. Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 sticks salted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
chopped candied ginger pieces

Directions:
In a medium pot on low heat, melt the butter. Turn off the heat and mix in the sugar, molasses, and egg. Sift together the dry ingredients and add to the saucepan. Refrigerate until the dough is firm. Mix into balls and roll in granulated sugar. Bake for about 12 minutes at 350.

Happy holiday baking!

Bourbon with lemon juice is one of my favorite cocktails. It’s not at all sweet and very easy to make which is right up my alley! If I ever want it a little sweeter, maple syrup is the perfect addition. During this autumn and holiday season, it’s fun to add candied orange or lemon with herbs and spices. Since I prefer simple cocktails, I lightly use these additions in the form of stirrers and garnish.

You can play around with these proportions depending on your tastes preferences.

3 oz. bourbon
1.5 oz. lemon juice
1 oz. maple syrup (I prefer a little less)
ice
garnish: orange or lemon slice, rosemary, cinnamon stick

Cheers!

I have been making these cookies from Sweet Laurel on repeat. They are vegan and gluten free and absolutely delicious. Make sure to use precise measurements– just a tad too much oil will result in really flat, greasy cookies and just a little too much flour will make them dry. Although, they are still delicious! The best part is you can eat the batter by the spoonful.

Ingredients:
3 cups almond flour
1/2 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Topping:
1/4 cup date sugar (I used coconut sugar)
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and set rack in the middle of the oven.
Stir together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Whisk together all wet ingredients and stir into the dry ingredients. Place one inch balls of batter onto parchment lined baking sheets and lightly press down. Sprinkle with the sugar and cinnamon combination. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until just golden brown around the edges. Remove from the oven and place the cookies on a cooling rack.  

Enjoy!

I’ve had big, hearty salads on repeat over here. While we were waiting on our new baby, I kept stocking the fridge with them– farro, orzo, pasta, black bean and corn– the options are endless and they are so great to have on hand for lunch and dinner. This Mediterranean farro salad is one of my favorites.

The recipe is flexible, so add or remove whatever you wish! I boiled the farro per the directions on the package. While it was boiling, I chopped and tossed everything else into an extra large bowl: cherry tomatoes, cucumber, feta cheese, green onion, marinated artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, arugula, and chickpeas. Drain and rinse the farro, then toss that in. I mixed everything up with lemon juice, olive oil and lots of salt and pepper.

One of my favorite (healthy-ish) summertime desserts is the vanilla cake from Sweet Laurel. I’ve made it for my son’s birthday two years in a row now and I think we will keep the tradition! It’s perfectly sweet and moist. **The only change I make is adding a dash of cinnamon to the cake batter, otherwise this is the recipe from Sweet Laurel:

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups almond flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp Himalayan pink salt
2 eggs
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted, plus extra for greasing
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
dash of cinnamon**
seasonal berries

For the coconut whipped cream
1 13.5 oz can full-fat coconut milk (I like Let’s Do Organic brand)
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions
Prepare your 8-inch pan by cutting a circular round of parchment paper to fit the base of your pan. Place the circular parchment round inside the cake pan, then grease the sides of the pan with melted coconut oil.
Place eggs, coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla extract in a bowl. Whisk until well incorporated. Add almond flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon. Mix until batter is formed, then pour into prepared pan.
Bake about 25 minutes, until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool, then flip cake out of pan onto a cake plate.

For the coconut whipped cream
Place can of coconut milk in refrigerator the night before you make your cake.
Before you plan to serve your cake, open the can of refrigerated coconut milk. The fat will have risen to the top of the can, with the liquid at the bottom; scoop out only the solids to your mixing bowl, then add the maple syrup and vanilla extract. Whisk together, then refrigerate whipped cream to keep it firm until you are ready to top your cake.
To frost your cake, place cooled cake on serving plate and top with prepared coconut whipped cream, followed by organic seasonal berries.