Notes about Recipes in this book

• Buttermilk biscones

  • lissabeebe on July 30, 2023

    Fantastic “biscuit”. I served these with chicken noodle soup so I omitted the sugar in them and on top. I included cardamom (as directed in recipe). Did not taste of cardamom but these biscones are fantastic so it might just add that special extra *something*. Recipe specifies to generously brush egg wash on top. Next time I would take care not to let it pool. Big fan of this recipe.

• Blueberry muffins

  • lisibit on December 19, 2012

    A nice basic muffin recipe that comes together quickly. No noticeable difference using cold versus room temperature ingredients. Photo: http://flic.kr/p/bx6xzu

• Carrot-golden raisin muffins

  • anya_sf on May 15, 2024

    Using my muffin scoop, I only got 9 muffins - could have stretched to 10, but not 12. With the batter made the night before (so it was chilled), baking time was 30 min. The muffins were moist with a strong molasses/spice flavor; I wouldn't have known they had carrots. Not my favorite - the molasses was too strong for me - but good if you like molasses.

• Mocha-oatmeal muffins

  • KristenS on March 13, 2021

    These were okay. Very chocolately. I really love her jam-filled muffin recipe so will continue to try others.

• Cranberry-orange muffins

  • anya_sf on October 28, 2017

    I used white whole wheat flour and mixed the batter the night before. They turned out a bit dry (perhaps due to my changes). Despite the large amount of orange extract, plus the marmalade, they weren't super orangey. I think some orange zest would be nice. Or substitute OJ for the milk. They were good, but not the best cranberry-orange muffins I've had.

• Peach cobbler muffins

  • anya_sf on July 23, 2018

    I made these with white whole wheat flour and like that they're fairly healthy. The peach flavor really comes through. So far, this is my favorite peach muffin recipe. The turbinado sugar is really nice on top.

  • TrishaCP on September 03, 2018

    These are really good- albeit on the sweet side. The amount of cinnamon is perfect. I used 1/2 cup whole wheat flour in place of the same amount of regular flour, which helped keep it from tasting too much like dessert. I didn't get the fat puffy caps that the book shows though- mine look closer to Anya_sf's picture.

  • KristenS on March 30, 2021

    Unlike some of the other muffin recipes in this book, this one makes small muffins (I had to steal some batter back to get a full 12). Very easy and quick to pull together. They're okay, but I don't think I'll make them again. Really not that sweet (in my opinion). Chopped frozen peaches are nice.

  • Rachaelsb on June 26, 2022

    I thought these were delicious. Not too sweet with hint of almond. Yum! I made these as 6 x-large muffins-just needed a few extra minutes cooking time.

• Buttermilk cornmeal pancakes

  • tarae1204 on October 19, 2021

    Excellent, restaurant-worthy pancakes when made as written with the maple-cassis-blueberry syrup. The pancakes are rich with butter, slightly crunchy from the cornmeal, nicely sweet, and with enough salt to bring out the flavors. They soak up the syrup. The maple cassis blueberry syrup is more than the sun of its parts. Note that these cakes spread on the griddle.

  • anya_sf on April 08, 2024

    Unlike many cornmeal pancakes, these were relatively thick. Flavor and texture were great overall, but slightly dry (like many cornmeal pancakes) and needed plenty of syrup. The blueberry syrup tasted fantastic on top. I got 18 pancakes.

• Blueberry-maple-cassis syrup

  • anya_sf on April 08, 2024

    Delicious! The syrup didn't really thicken upon simmering, but did slightly as it cooled, but that was okay.

• Irish soda bread with black currants

  • anya_sf on March 19, 2024

    Very nice and wholesome, lightly sweet. Using Irish wholemeal flour instead of regular whole wheat made the texture extra nubby. A toothpick came out clean after 40 min, but the bread was a little doughy, so next time I won't completely trust that to tell if it's done. We enjoyed it toasted and buttered (there is no butter in the bread).

• Brown sugar banana bread

  • hillsboroks on March 08, 2019

    The mace and brown sugar take this banana bread way out of the ordinary. Sprinkling the dark brown sugar on top before baking results in a delightful crunchy crust. I think this is now my favorite banana bread recipe.

  • Rachaelsb on March 26, 2022

    Just delicious!!! Flavoring is just right. Perfect banana bread.

• Pecan-chocolate-espresso coffee cake

  • jimandtammyfaye on December 19, 2022

    Such a delicious recipe! It is often repeated and requested.

• Blueberry buckle

  • Colson1987 on January 10, 2026

    Batter tastes great, love the spice blend.

• Banana-chocolate chip cupcakes with chocolate cream cheese frosting

  • bellatavia on October 23, 2016

    This recipe results in very light cupcakes. We liked them, although we found that the chocolate chips all fell to the bottom of the batter -- perhaps mini chips would be better. Also the Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing was delicious, but I would have liked to have seen this go more in the direction of walnut icing -- if I made these again, I might experiment with walnut butter icing.

  • anya_sf on August 03, 2017

    The texture was super light, which was a pleasant surprise. I used mini chips, which did not sink. We liked the chocolate cream cheese frosting, but regular cream cheese frosting would be great also.

  • ChefLeen on July 31, 2022

    I tried to half the recipe and failed miserably. It’s so hard to half or quarter eggs. I will try again when there’s 24 people available to enjoy them.

• Spiced cream cheese frosting

  • anya_sf on April 03, 2024

    1/2 recipe was a generous amount for 1 carrot cake layer. I enjoyed the cinnamon, but would probably make it plain next time. I liked the large proportion of cream cheese, and amount of vanilla. As written, though, the frosting would be too sweet for me. I just used 1.5 c powdered sugar for 1/2 recipe and thought that was perfect.

  • MarciK on December 27, 2024

    Made this with the carrot cake from the same cookbook. This was subtly spiced, didn’t overwhelm the cake.

• Chocolate heaven with chocolate buttercream

  • Rachaelsb on May 14, 2023

    This cookbook never disappoints! This cake is incredibly moist and the frosting is so deliciously light and smooth-so easy to spread. It’s a cake that made our guests swoon!!

• Coconut cake with coconut buttercream

  • bellatavia on January 24, 2016

    This is a delicious cake. I personally wish it was more coconutty -- if I make this again I will take her up on her suggestion of "basting" the cake in coconut flavored simple syrup to add some moisture. The cakes weren't dry but more moist wouldn't be bad. It's a dense, big cake, so this can feed A LOT of people. A dozen, methinks.

• Carrot cake with spiced cream cheese frosting

  • anya_sf on April 03, 2024

    There are many delicious carrot cake recipes out there, and this is one of them. I chose this because I had currants and pecans on hand, and also because it called for a relatively large ratio of carrots. I just made 1/2 recipe; the cake baked up taller than expected (filled the pan). The layer was flat and didn't need leveling. There was a generous amount of frosting, which would have been too sweet for my taste as written - I used less sugar.

  • MarciK on December 27, 2024

    I made this for Christmas dessert and everyone loved it. Moist and nicely spiced. I made half recipe in 6” cake pans.

• Brown sugar bundt cake with butterscotch glaze

  • leilx on February 02, 2020

    Super delicious and simple! Glaze made enough for 2 cakes.

  • Avcount on January 04, 2022

    An amazing recipe and a favourite of me and several of my friends/family members. Recommend cutting the glaze in half as it makes too much for one cake.

  • anya_sf on October 30, 2022

    Relatively simple cake, but still delicious. I made 1/2 recipe (using 1 egg and 1 egg white) in a 6 cup Bundt pan; baking time was 45 min. As the other reviewers said, half the glaze (in my case 1/4 recipe) was enough.

  • Jronay on April 20, 2026

    This is one of my all time favorite cakes!!

• Deep, dark flourless chocolate cake

  • manond on August 26, 2012

    This was absolutely delicious! I did use a combination of milk, semisweet, & bittersweet chocolate, instead of all semisweet. I would not hesitate to make it again!

  • Rachaelsb on April 16, 2022

    Amazing!!! Made for first nite of Passover. Creamy, chocolatey but not overwhelming and fluffy in a mousse kind of way but still enough density to have more texture. Vanilla icecream and fresh berries a must!!

• Blackberry cobbler

  • anya_sf on August 27, 2024

    Very good, not overly sweet, perfect with vanilla ice cream. I made 1/3 recipe, but with somewhat more berries, for 3 servings. A mixture of whole milk and sour cream worked well instead of heavy cream. I'd increase the cardamom next time and/or sprinkle the top with cardamom sugar as I couldn't really taste it.

• Strawberry-rhubarb crisp

  • anya_sf on June 11, 2022

    Recipe instructions were vague. My strawberries were large so I halved them (recipe didn't specify). The topping is supposed to be stirred "with a fork until completely blended". With 1/2" cubes of butter, I wasn't sure what that meant. I partially cut/mashed the butter but many pieces were still large. The topping didn't bake evenly, so it's better to use a pastry cutter or fingers to form crumbs. There was more topping relative to fruit than I would have liked. Overall flavor was good, but on the sweet side.

• Bourbon bread pudding

  • hillsboroks on November 28, 2018

    If you like your bread pudding sweet with a capital "S", this is the one for you. The bourbon flavor was overwhelmed by the sweet flavor. Next time I think I would skip the glaze and just add the bourbon to the custard. I followed the recipe exactly as to baking temperature and time but I think it was a bit over baked. The custard appeared overcooked. After looking at a bunch of other recipes for bread pudding, next time I will drop the temperature to 300F or 325F and consider using a water bath.

• Plum custard

  • anya_sf on October 02, 2017

    I made half the recipe for 3 people. It was easy to divide in half, and quick to assemble. I actually baked it ahead and chilled the custards. I think they'd be good warm or cold. I did not sprinkle them with confectioners' sugar, as they were plenty sweet, but did top with whipped cream - not necessary, but very good. We really liked these custards. They were satisfying without being overly decadent.

• Lavender shortbread

  • EmilyR on August 26, 2023

    recipe here : https://www.cityline.tv/2012/04/12/back-in-the-day-bakerys-lavender-shortbread/

  • EmilyR on August 26, 2023

    We tried these cookies at the Savannah bakery served up by Cheryl herself. They were very delicate - almost akin to a sugar cookie. Will make these and report back how the recipe compares to the original.

• Mexican hot chocolate shortbread

  • auntlainey on March 23, 2018

    These are perfect!

  • Bloominanglophile on January 05, 2019

    A really nice cookie that was well received. I made these several months ago, but from what I remember, they were a bit on the sandy side, from the almonds in the dough and the sugar coating. I used a small depression glass bowl as a cookie stamp to make a starburst design (came out rather faintly). Will make again!

• Chocolate dreams

  • Rachaelsb on February 04, 2022

    Yum! A great chocolate with a little coffee flavor-crunch to get to soft but not too gooey inside. Yum again!

• Chocolate chip cookies

  • TrishaCP on September 28, 2015

    These are just as good as the recipe note brags. Since I was making them for kids, I excluded the sprinkle of fleur de sel and didn't miss it.

• Molasses-ginger cookies

  • yellowbird531 on December 21, 2015

    Spread too much.

  • Colson1987 on February 04, 2026

    A little heavy on the clove. An ice cream scoop renders 10 cookies, which takes a longer bake.

• Lemon pie bars

  • anya_sf on June 06, 2022

    Yummy, like a creamy, lemony version of key lime pie. Maybe it was my water bath, but the bars didn't seem done after 25 min - they took closer to 45 min, and even then I wasn't sure if they were set - I let them cool in the bath. Key lime pie isn't baked in a water bath, so these might not need one either.

• Cherry pie bars

  • anya_sf on September 15, 2025

    Delicious. I made 1/4 recipe in a 6"x6" pan to use up 8 oz fresh cherries that had been in the fridge a little long. Baked the crust a few minutes longer as it still looked too pale, but in hindsight should have stuck with the stated time as the bottom was brown enough. Baking time for the filling was as stated. We enjoyed the bars chilled.

• Sunny lemon bars

  • anya_sf on May 26, 2023

    Good, fairly standard lemon bar recipe, but easier, as the butter in the base is melted, so everything can be mixed by hand. The base took 25 min to get pale brown and probably could have used a few more minutes. The topping was pleasantly sweet-tart.

• Serious Eats

  ...fresh energy underlaid with a decade of experience is what makes this cookbook shine. ...with recipes that show a keen awareness of their surroundings, and a cleverness that sometimes surprises.

  Full review