17 April 2026

Mini Almond Cupcakes

These are soooo good!! I had some almond paste to use up and found this recipe in my recipe binders, though I'm not sure which magazine it came from. At any rate, I highly recommend it! particularly good with my homemade frosting, which I flavor with both vanilla and almond extracts.

Link to my YouTube 'making of the recipe' video: coming soon!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 oz. almond paste
1/3 c. sugar
1 large egg white
1/4 c. milk (I used whole, could also use 2%)
2 T. canola oil
85g (3 oz., or around 2/3 c.) all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
frosting, if desired

Directions:

1. Spray the cavities of a 24 mini cupcake mold with a non-stick baking spray with flour, such as Baker's Joy. Heat oven to 350°F.

2. In a large mixing bowl, use your fingers to combine the almond paste and sugar (smush it together) until it becomes a coarse sand-like mixture.

3. Use an electric mixer to beat the egg white into the mixture, followed by the milk, then the canola oil.

4. Whisk the baking powder and salt into the flour, then gradually add and beat in the dry mixture to the wet mixture in the bowl.

5. Divide batter evenly among the prepared cavities of the mini cupcake mold (around 2 tsp. each).

6. Bake for 8 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center of a cupcake comes out clean. (took exactly 8 min for mine)

7. Cool in pan for 5 min, then remove cupcakes from mold and transfer to cooling rack to finish cooling completely before frosting (if desired). Enjoy!

16 April 2026

Big Chewy Lemon Sugar Cookies

Yum! These cookies are very tasty and easy to make, and not a huge batch.

Link to my YouTube 'making of the recipe' video: coming soon!

Original recipe credit: https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/a36148345/lemon-cookies-recipe/

Recipe below contains my modifications.

Ingredients:

300g (2 1/2 c.) all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 1/2 sticks (12 T.) butter, softened
3/4 c. sugar, plus more for rolling/coating
1/4 c. brown sugar, packed
zest of 2 medium lemons
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
3 T. lemon juice

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and kosher salt. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, brown sugar, and lemon zest, using an electric hand mixer.

3. Beat in the egg and egg yolk, then the lemon juice.

4. Gradually mix in the reserved dry ingredients mixture, until just combined.

5. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to overnight (I went overnight).

6. Once dough has chilled, heat oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment.

7. Form dough into large balls (around 3 T./walnut size), then roll in sugar to coat. Place balls at least 2" apart on prepared cookie sheets.

8. Bake for 12-14 minutes (I went close to 14), or until edges are slightly brown and middles are still soft. After removing from the oven, leave on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to baking rack to cool completely. Enjoy!