From James's kitchen
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Baking · 223 recipes
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97Reese's Peanut Butter Cups coined the slogan "two great tastes that taste great together" and I completely agree. I made these the other day for a friend who exclaimed, “these are the best ever!” and while that might be a slight exaggeration, I must admit t…
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98I love rustic or “free-form” tarts. This recipe makes two perfect tarts and can be filled with just about any type of firm fruit – apples, pears, peaches, nectarines or plums – whatever is in season. I used Arrowhead Mills Organic Whole Grain Pastry flour a…
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99I’ve tried dozens of banana breads but this one has become the standard for the best traditional banana bread. No exotic ingredients, fancy spices, exotic nuts – just good old fashioned dense moist banana bread. I like to make the in 4 mini loaf tins, but i…
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100My friend Chris was recently visiting LA and I decided to surprise him with one of his favorites - Banana Cake. He lives in NYC and loves to stop by Billy’s Bakery and pick up a whole Banana cake to take home. They have great homemade baked goods and it’s d…
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101In addition to “chewy”, “rich”, and “moist”, you can almost add “healthy” to the list of adjectives for these delicious brownies. The recipe is from one of my favorite baking cookbooks that my sister gave me years ago - King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking:…
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102NY Style Coffee Cake typically comes with a thick rich crumb topping and one of the most famous brands in Drake’s Coffee Cakes. Newman E. Drake baked his first pound cake in Brooklyn in 1888 and sold them by the slice. Drake’s popularity grew and the Drake’…
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103This is a traditional tea cake recipe and makes great use of fresh strawberries – you can also use raspberries, blueberries or a combination. You could dust with powdered sugar or make a simple glaze, but I think it’s perfectly fine on its own.
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104Last year I made a July 4th Trifle ( Trifle Recipe ) but decided to make something a little easier this year. There are countless recipes online for Flag Cakes - but this one from Ina Garten is quite good. She uses an icing that I find to be a little on the…
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105Also known as Lemon Bars, these sweet, buttery, tart confections are synonymous with summer. They are easy to throw together and transport which makes them perfect to take to barbecues or picnics. I’ve tried numerous variations and I prefer the creamy textu…
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106I have a couple of fool proof favorite banana bread recipes, but they never seem to translate into a winning muffin. After reading dozens of recipes, I finally settled on one that I found in the Joy of Cooking cookbook. It’s a perfectly tender, lightly swee…
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107Strawberry Shortcake seemed to always mark the beginning of summer when I was growing up. Although we get strawberries almost year round in California, they always taste best in early summer. We always made our “shortcake” with biscuits. This is a pretty fo…
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108This is one of those “crowd pleasing” pie recipes. Everyone loves the creamy banana filling and billowy whipped cream topping.
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109I was recently visiting a close friend who lives on a macadamia nut farm in Hawaii. It’s a gorgeous place with sweeping views of lush green terrain and the deep blue Pacific. Each morning I enjoyed fresh papaya and pineapple with a nice piece of freshly bak…
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110These are great to make with fresh strawberries, which are just about in season now, but you can use frozen unsweetened as well. The recipe is based on the Sprinkles Cupcakes recipe that aired on the Martha Stewart show. I’ve changed the recipe for the fros…
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111This beautiful cake is easy to make and is infused throughout with natural orange flavor. Not only can you make a great cake, you can also help to fight MS if you order your oranges through Harry & David.
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112This easy cake from Cooks Illustrated has a bright, fresh, citrus flavor and makes a great springtime dessert especially when served with some fresh berries.
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113This is a great wholesome, whole grain cookie recipe adapted from Rosie’s Bakery Cookie Book ( http://amzn.to/15M22mP ). It's one of my favorite cookbooks and it filled with wonderful, easy to follow recipes. Rosie’s is a classic bakery in Boston that’s bee…
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114Doughnuts were a Sunday tradition in my house. Everyone sitting around the kitchen table, sipping coffee, reading various sections of the paper, (I usually opted for Parade Magazine) and reaching for a doughnut. Sometimes my sister would arrive with a varie…
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115For some reason, I recently had a hankering for Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake, a staple in our house when I was growing up. If you’re not familiar with it, it’s a wonderfully moist chocolate cake that was created, according to food legend, by the wife of a Hell…
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116This traditional Italian cake from Cook’s Illustrated is moist, dense and packed with almonds. It makes an elegant dessert when served with whipped cream or crème fraîche and fresh raspberries that have been tossed in a bit of sugar and Amaretto.
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117Apricot Squares are perfect to make during the winter months when good fresh fruit can be tough to find. They are similar to the Date Nut Bars and Raspberry Squares but the apricot crust is more like shortbread. Feel free to experiment with other dried frui…
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118Chocolate seems to be the universal ingredient for most Valentine’s Day desserts. I think the first authentic chocolate mousse that I tasted was at Chez Toutoune in Paris, a charming little bistro that was tucked away on a tiny street (rue de Pontoise) on t…
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119I’m always looking for new citrus desserts which I think make a nice finish to a great meal. This recipe from Cooks Country is reminiscent of Key Lime Pie, though milder and much creamier.
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120These are delicious on their own, or you can dip the bottoms of each macaroon in melted semi-sweet chocolate and then let them cool on wax paper.
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