This summer has been a doozy! There was the fleeting Hot Vax Summer (Pfizer over here!), a couple of trips to see my family, planning our annual trip to Maine, and a whole lot of baking. People are celebrating again, which means I’ve been busy making layer cakes—that makes me really happy.
I will also say that I am worn out. I’ve noticed a lot of people talking about burnout these days, and while I haven’t said it explicitly up to now, here goes: I’m a little burnt out. I’ve kept up my usual workload, but I am tired, y’all! So today, instead of posting something new, I’m going to give myself the day off. But also? I’m going to list off some of my favorite things I made this summer. Hopefully you’ll get a chance to try one or two before everything is all apples and pumpkins all the time.
So, yes, a day off for ol’ E2. Next week though, I’m going to knock your socks off with a new waffle recipe. Get ready.
I try to keep a certain level of variety on here, but with 600 recipes there are bound to be some variations on a few really good staples.
Case in point: shortbread bars. They’re one of the simplest desserts in my baking arsenal, and also one of my very favorites. They’re quick and easy to make and have a short ingredient list. You almost certainly have all the shortbread ingredients right now.
Shortbread bars hit all the same notes as pie, yet require only fractions of the work and time. The shortbread dough doubles as both base and topping, and you don’t need to roll or crimp anything—rustic is the name of the game. You can make them square, or bake them up round and cut them into wedges.
Perhaps best of all, shortbread bars seamlessly adapt to whatever fruit you have in hand, whether it be apples, cherries, blackberries or an astonishing amount of sweet & tangy late summer plums.
Yep. This recipe’s a keeper.
Plum Shortbread Bars makes one 8-inch pan, 8-12 wedges
Filling: 3 cups sliced fresh plums* (1-inch pieces) 1 tablespoon lemon juice (about 1/2 medium lemon) 1/2 cup granulated sugar pinch of Kosher or sea salt 1 tablespoons cornstarch
Shortbread: 2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/4 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes
Place oven racks in top and bottom positions. Preheat oven to 375F. Butter and flour an 8-inch round cake pan, or line with aluminum foil, leaving overhang, and grease with butter. Set aside.
Make plum filling. In a medium mixing bowl, combine sliced plums, lemon juice, sugar, salt, and cornstarch. Set aside while you make the shortbread.
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Add cold butter. Use your fingertips to rub butter into flour until the largest pieces are the size of small peas. It will be powdery, but should hold together when pinched. Set aside 1 cup of the mixture for topping.
Pour remaining shortbread mixture into prepared pan. Spread it around to cover the bottom of the pan before using your hand to pack it down into an even layer. Prick several times with a fork. Spoon plum filling over the top and arrange into an even layer.
For the topping, use your fingers to pinch together small portions of the reserved shortbread mixture. Scatter them over the top of the blackberry layer.
If your pan is on the shallow side, place it on a rimmed baking sheet to collect any light overflow. Bake on the bottom rack of the oven for 20 minutes. Move bars to the top rack and bake for an additional 10-12 minutes, until browned. Tent with foil if anything begins to brown too quickly. Let cool in the pan on a rack until they reach room temperature. Refrigerate for at least 90 minutes, or until cold.
Run a thin knife around the edges of the pan. Use parchment overhang to remove to a cutting board. Slice and serve.
Leftover Plum Shortbread Wedges will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. They will soften over time.
Note:
I used 2 medium red plums and a dozen Italian prune plums.
We all know cookies & cream as an ice cream flavor, but have you ever tried it in blondies? You should—it’s outrageously good. Like, I love a good Basic Blondie in all it’s butterscotch glory, but I think I might be a Cookies & Cream Blondie person now.
These chewy, vanilla-scented squares are filled with big chunks of Oreo, along with some white chocolate chips for good measure. And when I say “filled,” I do mean filled—there might be more mix-ins than batter!
The batch comes together in one bowl, bakes up in half an hour, and slices like a dream once cooled. You’ll notice that the base for these blondies is lighter in color than the usual brown sugar batter. That’s because I only used granulated sugar in this recipe—because of their lighter color and flavor, I think of these as “platinum” blondies. This flavor profile is more in line with traditional cookies & cream, but feel free to swap the base for the brown sugary original, if that’s more your style.
I cannot overstate how delicious these are. The blondie batter is basically only there to hold the ample amount of Oreos and white chocolate together, so every bite is filled with cookies & cream! There are so many textures here: soft blondie, crispy cookie, smooth white chocolate—these are proof positive that you can have it all. Or at least you can when it comes to dessert.
Cookies & Cream Blondies makes one 8- or 9-inch pan, about 16 bars
1/2 cup (1 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly 1 cup granulated sugar 1 large egg, room temperature 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 1 cup all purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt 16 Oreos (or other chocolate sandwich cookies), sliced into quarters + more for topping 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8- or 9-inch square pan and line with parchment, leaving overhang for bar-removal. Set aside.
Make the blondie base. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together melted butter and sugar. Mix in eggs and vanilla, followed by flour and salt. Use a silicone spatula or wooden spoon to fold in Oreos and white chocolate chips.
Spread the blondie batter in prepared pan. Top within more Oreos, if desired. Bake 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean (no raw batter). Let blondies cool in the pan on a rack until they reach room temperature.
Run a small, thin knife around the edge of the pan, then use parchment to lift them onto a cutting board. Discard parchment. Slice blondies with a large, sharp chef’s knife, wiping the blade clean between cuts. Serve.
Blondies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Back to school season always puts me in the mood for peanut butter and jelly. This classic sandwich combo was my favorite school lunch growing up, and is quickly becoming a favorite dessert flavor, hence today’s Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich Cookies!
These two-bite treats are for those of us who like a little jelly with our peanut butter. The cookies themselves are just miniature versions of my favorite soft peanut butter cookie recipe. It’s a quick no-mixer, no-chill recipe that bakes up in a flash. Truly, the most tedious part of the entire process is rolling the tiny cookie dough balls, and that’s really no trouble at all!
While the cookies are baking and cooling, whip up a small batch of sweet & salty peanut butter buttercream filling. This stuff is irresistible—light and smooth and about as peanut buttery as it is possible to be! I have big plans to use this recipe for future layer cakes, but today it’s going between two tiny peanut butter cookies with a little bit of jelly for maximum late-August nostalgia.
Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich Cookies are everything great about the classic psandwich, just smaller and for dessert! The cookies are peanut buttery and tender, and the filling—I mean, do I need to describe the majestic deliciousness of peanut butter buttercream?! A hint of jelly rounds it all out. Basically, they taste like nostalgia feels, but better. All the flavor and none of the studying.
Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich Cookies makes about 3 dozen sandwich cookies
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter 3/4 cup light brown sugar 1 large egg 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Filling: Peanut Butter Buttercream (recipe below) heaping 1/2 cup jelly of choice (I used strawberry)
Set oven racks in central positions. Preheat oven to 350F. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment. Set aside.
In a small-medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
Combine butter and peanut butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until melted. This may also be done in a small pot on the stove over medium-low heat.
Transfer butter/peanut butter to a medium mixing bowl and whisk in brown sugar, followed by egg and vanilla. Add dry ingredients in two installments, stirring until a combined.
Scoop dough in 1/2 tablespoon (1 1/2 teaspoons) increments, roll into balls and place 2-inches apart on prepared pans. Bake 8-9 minutes, until puffed and no longer raw looking. Let cool on the pans for 7-10 minutes before removing to a rack to cool completely. Let baking sheets return to room temperature before rolling and baking any remaining dough.
While cookies are cooling, make Peanut Butter Buttercream (recipe below). There are two options for filling:
1. To assemble a sandwich cookie by piping, apply filling by pipe a circle in the middle of the underside of one cookie, leaving about 1/4" around the edge. Top with 1/2 teaspoon jelly, then a second plain cookie with the underside filling-side-in. Repeat until all cookies have been used.
2. To assemble a sandwich cookie by spreading, use an offset frosting knife to spread 1/2-1 teaspoon on the underside of one cookie. Top with 1/2 teaspoon jelly, the a second plain cookie with the underside filling-side-in. Repeat until all cookies have been used.
You may serve cookies immediately, but for best structure (minimal filling escaping during bites) let cookies rest at room temperature for an hour.
Sandwich cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days, or in the refrigerator for up to a week. Layer them with parchment or wax paper when storing.
Peanut Butter Buttercream makes enough for 1 batch of sandwich cookies
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter 3/4 cup confectioners sugar pinch of Kosher or sea salt 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 tablespoon heavy cream (or milk)
In a medium mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat butter and peanuts butter until light and fluffy (about two minutes). Mix in confectioner's sugar and salt, scraping down the bowl as necessary. Add in vanilla, followed by heavy cream (or milk). Beat on high for 1-2 minutes, until very fluffy.
I have a couple of new peanut butter recipes coming up in the next few weeks, so I thought I’d do a peanut butter round-up today. That is, until I then I went through my recipe index and realized that I have written a lot of peanut butter recipes. Like…a lot. I just really like peanut butter, I guess. So, instead of doing an endless round-up, I’m sticking to peanut butter cookies today.
I mean, what’s better than a homemade peanut butter cookie?! From soft to crunchy to vegan & gluten-free to loaded with oats and candy, there’s no wrong way to get your peanut butter cookie on this weekend! Here is some inspiration from my archives.
If you’re looking for a dreamy soft & chewy peanut butter cookie recipe, this is it. You won’t need a mixer or to budget time for a chill, and you can swap in any mix-ins you like (or leave them out entirely). If you’re the kind of person who likes peanut butter with their peanut butter though, I highly recommend getting your hands on some Reese’s Pieces.
The polar opposite of my Reese’s Pieces Peanut Butter Cookies, this old-fashioned recipe was inspired by the cookies at my family’s favorite road trip stop. Made with simple ingredients, crosshatched with a fork and baked until crunchy, these are a classic.
Peanut butter’s texture, protein, and fat content mean it works extremely well in gluten- and grain-free baking. These cookies have a short ingredient list and include a vegan egg substitute that you likely already have: aquafaba! And that’s to say nothing of that glossy chocolate drizzle.
Here are not one, but two more vegan, gluten-free peanut butter cookie recipes! Either way you bake this recipe, you’ll end up with a single cookie big enough for just one or two people. If you’re the sort of person who doesn’t share your peanut butter, these are for you.
e2 bakes brooklyn 