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13 Finger Foods for Baby Showers

April 13, 2023 by Jenna Atkinson

Baby showers are an exciting time for families and friends to come together to celebrate the birth of a new baby.

Baby showers can be stressful and chaotic to plan and prepare.

You can make some of these finger foods ahead of time prior to the baby shower, such as watermelon cups, strawberry basil caprese, BLT egg sliders, and bacon cheddar stuffed celery.

Cantaloupe and Prosciutto Wraps

Cantaloupe and prosciutto wraps are juicy and savory.

Slice cantaloupe into thin pieces, and then wrap a piece of prosciutto around the cantaloupe.

Drizzle balsamic reduction over the cantaloupe and prosciutto wraps to garnish.

Prosciutto and Brie on Artisan Crackers

Prosciutto and brie on artisan crackers is a crispy appetizer with a sweetened finish to it.

Artisan crackers are arranged on a plate, and topped with a slice of brie cheese on each of them.

Basil leaves are placed on top of the brie, along with strips of prosciutto that are placed in a folded shape.

A couple sprigs of arugula are placed on top of the prosciutto to complete the base of the appetizer.

Drizzle a bit of honey and balsamic reduction all over the artisan crackers and enjoy!

Bacon and Cheddar Stuffed Celery

Bacon cheddar celery is a creamy, spicy stuffed celery appetizer.

To make the filling, softened cream cheese is whipped with a hand mixer.

Crispy bacon bits, shredded cheddar cheese, chives, hot sauce, parsley, salt, and pepper are added to the cream cheese, and whipped together with the hand mixer.

Celery sticks are cut into 2-3 pieces for an appetizer serving size.

To assemble the appetizer, spoon the filling into the celery sticks.

Garnish with a few chives, and bacon bits on top.

Meat Balls

Meat balls are a bite sized appetizer that are packed full of savory flavor and sweet sauce.

Sweet and Tangy Asian meat balls are covered in teriyaki sauce for a sweet and savory flavor.

Garnish the meat balls with fresh parsley and sesame seeds.

You can place a toothpick into each meat ball so it isn’t sticky on your fingers.

Roasted Cherry Tomato Bruschetta

Roasted cherry tomato bruschetta is served warm, made on crispy garlic crostini’s.

The roasted tomatoes are tossed with fresh basil leaves, and then placed on top of the crostini’s that have been rubbed with garlic.

The bruschetta topped with a sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese, and a drizzle balsamic vinegar.

Deviled Eggs

Deviled eggs look eye catching and are quite filling as an appetizer.

They are made by cooking eggs, and the cutting them in half.

The center portion of the egg is mixed with mayo, diced dill pickles, mustard, pepper and paprika.

The filling is piped back into the white portion of the egg, and garnished with a bit more paprika.

Strawberry Caprese with Lemon and Basil

Strawberry caprese with lemon and basil is a cheesy and fruity toothpick finger food appetizer.

Cubed mozzarella is marinated with lemon juice, lemon zest, thin strips of fresh basil leaves, olive oil and salt.

Strawberry caprese is made by cutting strawberries in half.

To assemble the appetizer, place a strawberry, a slice of mozzarella cheese, and then repeat again together in a stack.

A toothpick is placed through the stack to create the strawberry caprese appetizer.

Fresh ground pepper is sprinkled on top of the appetizer to finish it off.

fruit caprese Finger Food for Baby Shower

Focaccia Bread with Oil and Balsamic

Drizzle extra virgin olive oil on a plate. It should be a decent size, depending on how many people you’ll be serving for.

Pour balsamic reduction over the olive oil in a zig zag design.

Focaccia bread can be cut into strips, and then in half for a decent serving size.

Dip the bread in the mixture of olive oil and balsamic for a savory finger food appetizer.

bread appetizer Finger Food for Baby Shower

Watermelon Cups

Watermelon cups are circular appetizers filled with cucumbers and feta.

The cup portion of the watermelon is made by using a circular cookie cutter (I used a scone cutter since it has a handle on top – made it much easier!).

Cut the watermelon with the circular cookie cutter until you’ve made enough for your appetizer.

Next up, a melon baller is used to scoop the inside of the circle. A melon baller makes the inside a perfect circle, but if you don’t have one you can always use a spoon!

The watermelon cut from the center is diced into small pieces and placed in a bowl.

Cucumber cut into a similar sizing as the watermelon pieces and added to the bowl with the watermelon. Feta cheese is crumbed into the bowl to make the base of the filling.

A little red wine vinegar, olive oil, and salt and pepper seasons the cucumber and watermelon. Mix them together and then spoon the filling back into the watermelon cups.

Top with a little more crumbled feta and it’s all finished.

Tea Sandwiches

Tea sandwiches are small sandwiches that are usually served with high tea. You could even think about making a high tea themed baby shower.

Tea sandwiches are cut into rectangles or circles to give them a unique shape.

You can make different types of sandwiches for a baby shower such as:

ham and cheese
cucumber and cream cheese
egg salad
chicken salad
tuna salad
strawberry, basil and cream cheese

Pinwheels

Pinwheels are made by using a tortilla, and spreading the filling over the tortilla in a thin layer.

The pinwheel is made by rolling up the tortilla, and then slicing it into 1/2-3/4″ rounds.

Cheese Ball

Easy cheese ball with cream cheese is a savory finger food appetizer.

The cheese ball is made by simply using a hand mixer to whip the cream cheese until light and fluffy.

Add a couple of herbs, spices and cheddar cheese to create the base of the cheese ball.

The next part is very messy!!

Shape the cream cheese into a ball shape, and roll into a plate of chopped up walnuts.

Chill for half an hour to make it firm up again. You could also put it in the fridge overnight if you wanted to make this appetizer ahead of time.

Serve your cheese ball by slicing off a bit of it and put it onto a cracker to enjoy!

BLT Egg Sliders

BLT egg sliders are adorable finger food appetizers that look like miniature burgers.

BLT egg sliders are made by cooking hard boiled eggs and then cutting them in half to create the “buns”.

The bottom half of the “buns” need to have a little bit of the bottom of the egg cut off so it can sit flat on a serving plate.

Add a little salt, pepper, and your favorite sauce (ketchup, mustard, mayo, hot sauce, horseradish) to the bottom half of the egg.

Assemble the egg sliders by placing a strip of freshly cooked bacon, a slice of tomato to fit right inside the slider, and a piece of lettuce.

Top the slider with the other half of the egg to make the sliders complete.

Garnish the egg sliders by adding a little more pepper and sesame seeds.

Place a toothpick through the egg slider to make sure it stays together.

You can make these ahead of time, and place them in the fridge until you’re ready to serve them.

19 Cake Crust Recipe Ideas

April 12, 2023 by Jenna Atkinson

Cake crusts are the bottom portion of the cake that are crispy and hard to give the cake a base to sit on.

You can use nuts (hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds), cookies (Oreo, lady fingers, shortbread, vanilla or chocolate wafers), feuilletine, and more to create a bakery worthy cake crusts.

Chocolate Feuilletine Cake Base

Chocolate feuilletine cake base is a crunchy chocolate cake base you can use with in desserts like intricate entremet cakes.

Chocolate feuilletine is made by first making crispy feuilletine using a dough similar to crepe batter.

As soon as the feuilletine is cooled, it can be broken up into pieces.

To make the chocolate crunchy cake base, combine hazelnut crumbs, feuilletine pieces, and melted dark and milk chocolate in a bowl and mix together until it’s combined.

Pour the cake layer into a springform pan, or a pan with raised edges, and let it sit in the fridge or freezer to fully set the cake crust.

Shortbread Cookie Crust

Shortbread cookie crust is a thick, buttery cookie crust you can use for lemon cakes, or fruity cakes.

Shortbread cookie crust is made by creaming butter and sugar together. Flour and salt are beaten into the shortbread dough, and then the dough is pressed into a pan.

Shortbread cookie crust is baked in the oven until the crust just begins to have a hint of color.

Oreo Cookie Crust

Oreo cookie crust is a sweet, crunchy, cookie crust for a cake crust.

Oreo cookie crust is made by crushing Oreo’s into small pieces using a rolling pin, or blending them in a food processor.

The small bits of Oreo’s are mixed together with melted butter to create the cookie crust.

The cookie crust is pressed into a springform pan, and then you can refrigerate the cake crust, or bake it in the oven to let it set.

Vanilla Wafer Crust

Vanilla wafer crust has a crunchy, vanilla flavoring cake base.

Vanilla wafers can be blended in a food processor until they are quite fine, and then combine with melted butter to create a vanilla cake base.

Press the crust into the bottom of a springform pan, or cake pan.

Vanilla wafer cake base is baked in the oven to let it set.

Peanut Butter Cookie Crust

Peanut butter cookie crust is a sweet, nutty cake crust that goes well with caramel cake, or chocolate cake.

Peanut butter cookie crust is made by actually making the dough for peanut butter cookies.

The peanut butter cookie dough is frozen first, and then pressed into a springform pan.

The pan is baked in the oven for 25 minutes to set the cookie cake crust.

The cake crust needs to cool to room temperature prior to adding any cake filling on top.

Praline Feuillentine Cake Base

Praline feuilletine is a crunchy cake base used in fancy bakery cakes.

Feuilletines are crispy wafers that give the cake base it’s crunchy texture.

Feuilletines are made by mixing together equal parts egg whites, flour, icing sugar, and butter and baking it in the oven until it’s golden brown.

The feuilletine is then broken up into small pieces that will be mixed into the cake base.

Praline paste is made by creating a caramel sauce, and then adding in roasted hazelnuts at the end of the caramel making process.

The caramel and hazelnuts are blended together until it creates a paste. The praline flavor gives the cake base a nutty and caramel flavor.

To make praline cake crust, mix together melted milk chocolate, praline paste, and feuilletine pieces.

Pour praline feuilletine into your cake base and let it set in the freezer for a couple of hours prior to using.

Cinnamon Bun Crust

Cinnamon bun crust is a spongy cake crust for.

Cinnamon bun cake is made by adding cinnamon and brown sugar to a cake base, and then the it’s poured into a springform pan.

The cinnamon bun cake base is baked in the oven for about 25 minutes to let it set.

Cinnamon bun cake crust goes well with vanilla cake, or pumpkin cake.

Brownie Base

Brownie base for a cake is a thick, chocolatey, cake base.

Brownies are made by adding dark chocolate and cocoa powder to a cake base, and adding it to a springform pan.

The brownie cake base is baked in the oven for 15 minutes to set the brownies crust.

Brownie cake crust goes well with vanilla cake, chocolate cake, or caramel cake.

Gingersnap Crust

Gingersnap crust is a cookie crust that goes well with pumpkin cake.

Gingersnap cookies are blended in a food processor until they are coarse crumbs.

Gingersnap crumbs are mixed together with melted butter, vanilla extract, and brown sugar to create the gingersnap cake crust.

Gingersnap cake base is baked in the oven for a few minutes to let the crust set.

Lady Finger Crust

Lady finger crust is an espresso flavored cake base that works well for tiramisu cake.

Lady finger cookies are pulsed in a food processor until they are in small, fine pieces.

Lady finger cookie pieces are mixed together with melted butter and strong espresso or coffee to make the cake base.

The lady finger cake base is pressed into a springform pan and then it can either be baked in the oven, or frozen to set the crust.

Hazelnut Crust

Hazelnut crust is a sweeter crust, since it’s made with dates.

Blended dates, and toasted hazelnut pieces are combined in a food processor with vanilla extract, and maple syrup.

The hazelnut cake base is pressed into the bottom of the pan, and it’s ready to use.

Chocolate Base

Chocolate cake base is a chocolatey, crunchy cookie base for a cake crust.

Chocolate cake base is made by crushing chocolate wafer cookies, and mixing them together with melted butter.

The chocolate cake crust is pressed into a springform pan, and then it’s baked in the oven to set the crust.

Pretzel Crust

Pretzel crust is a crunchy cake crust that works well for a peanut butter cake, or chocolate cake.

Pretzel cake crust is a salty base, which balances out the sweetness of the cake filling.

Pretzels are crushed with a rolling pin until they are small and fine pieces.

The pretzels are mixed together with melted butter, brown sugar, and salt to create the pretzel cake base.

The pretzel cake crust is baked in the oven to let it set.

Almond Crust

Almond crust is a crunchy, nutty cake base.

Slivered almonds are ground into a fine powder using a food processor.

The almonds are combined with brown sugar and melted butter to make the almond cake base.

The almond cake crust is pressed into the bottom of the cake pan, and it’s ready to use.

Walnut Crust

Walnut crust is a sweet and crunchy cookie base for a cake.

Walnuts are blended in a food processor until they are fine like a powder.

Shortbread cookies are crushed with a rolling pin, and then they are combined with the walnuts, sugar, and melted butter.

Walnut cake crust is pressed into the springform pan, and it’s ready to use.

You don’t need to bake or chill the crust.

Graham Cracker Crust

Graham cracker crust is a buttery, cookie flavored cake base.

Graham cracker crumbs are mixed together with sugar and melted butter to create the crunchy cake crust.

The graham cracker mixture is pressed into the springform pan or cake pan, and then it’s baked in the oven to set the crust.

Digestive Cookie Crust

Digestive Cookie Crust is a crunchy biscuit base for cake.

You can make the cookie crust by crushing the cookies with a rolling pin, or blending them in a food processor.

Mix the cookie crumbs with some melted butter, and press it to the bottom of your pan. You can either chill the crust, or bake it in the oven to let it set.

Ice Cream Cone Crust

Ice cream cone crust is an easy crust you can make with a couple leftover ice cream cones.

Place the ice cream cones in a food processor, and blend until they become small pieces or a fine powder.

Mix the ice cream cones with a bit of sugar and melted butter to create the cake base.

Press the base into the bottom of your pan, and then you can add your cake layer on top.

There is no need to bake or chill an ice cream cone cake base.

Coconut Cookie Crust

Coconut cookie crust has a hint of coconut in the crust from adding coconut flakes to the cake base.

Digestive cookies are blended in a food processor until they are coarse cookie crumbs. The digestive cookie crumbs are combined with sugar, coconut flakes, and melted butter to make the coconut cookie cake base.

The crust is pressed into the pan, and there is no need to bake or chill the crust. It’s ready to use.

8 Lemon Custard Dessert Ideas

April 12, 2023 by Jenna Atkinson

Lemon custard is a sweetened, succulent custard you use to fill rich desserts like creme brulee, mille feuille, tarts, meringue cups and more!

Mille Feuille with Lemon Custard Filling

Mille feuille is a dessert made with puff pastry layers, and a custard filling in between the layers.

For lemon mille feuille, custard is prepared by heating milk in a saucepan.

In another bowl, egg yolks and sugar are whisked together until combined. Flour and lemon zest are mixed into the egg yolk mixture, and then the hot milk is slowly added to create the custard.

Lemon custard is heated again the saucepan until it thickens. When it’s finished thickening, it is removed from the heat source, and then fresh lemon juice is added to create a tart lemon custard.

Lemon custard needs to chill for a few hours, and then whipped crème fraiche is folded into the lemon custard to thicken it.

Assemble lemon custard mille feuille by placing a layer of baked puff pastry on a cutting board.

Add a thick layer of lemon custard. Repeat, and end with another layer of puff pastry on the top so you have 3 layers.

Sprinkle with a dusting of icing sugar, or top with royal icing and drizzled dark chocolate for more of a classic mille feuille.

Lemon Crème Brulée

Lemon crème brulée is a specialty dessert with a crisp sugar coating on top of lemon custard.

Lemon crème brulée is made by heating heavy cream, sugar, fresh lemon zest, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat.

In another bowl, egg yolks are whisked together in a heat proof bowl.

When the heavy cream mixture just begins to simmer, slowly add it to the egg yolks whisking vigorously to temper the eggs.

After the cream has fully been added to the eggs, lemon extract and vanilla extract are added to complete the custard.

Lemon custard is poured into ramekins, and then baked in the oven in a water bath. Once the custard sets, and has cooled down, lemon custard is chilled in the fridge for a few hours.

When lemon crème brulée is ready to serve, add sugar on the top of the lemon custard dessert, and torch until the sugar is caramelized.

Lemon Custard Ice Cream

Lemon custard ice cream is a rich, tart ice cream.

Lemon custard is made by heating milk, lemon zest, and salt together in a saucepan over medium heat.

In another bowl, egg yolks and sugar are whisked together.

When the milk almost begins to bowl, slowly add it to the egg yolks mixture and whisk together to temper the eggs.

After the milk has been added to the bowl, place the entire mixture back into the saucepan, and heat the custard on low.

Lemon custard should thicken after a couple of minutes, then you can remove it from the heat source, and add heavy cream, fresh lemon juice, and vanilla extract to create this luscious rich flavor for lemon ice cream.

Place the ice cream base in the fridge for a few hours, then it’s ready to churn in the ice cream maker. Freeze for a few hours to harden the ice cream before enjoying.

Lemon Custard Cookies

Lemon custard cookies are a thumbprint cookie where lemon custard sits in the center of the cookie.

Lemon custard cookies are made with a portion of almond flour, giving them a nutty flavor.

The cookie dough has a hint of lemon zest, and vanilla extract, making these cookies have a delicious vanilla, almond, and lemon flavoring.

Cookies are rolled in to a ball, and then pressed in the center with your thumb.

They are baked in the oven, and then pressed in the center again, this time with a spoon to make a crevasse for the custard to sit in.

When the cookies begin to cool, a spoonful of lemon custard is placed in the center of the cookie, and then they’re ready to serve!

Lemon Custard Cake

Lemon custard cake is a creamy and spongy cake that’s lovely to serve in the summer.

Egg yolks are beaten together with sugar, along with melted butter and vanilla extract.

Flour is folded in to create the base of the cake batter.

Fresh lemon juice and lemon zest are added to the cake batter for citrusy lemon flavor.

Milk is added at the end to smooth out the cake batter.

Egg whites are beaten until stiff peaks form, and are folded into the cake batter. There should be a a few lumps of egg whites in the cake batter still that are not completely mixed in.

Lemon custard cake batter is poured into a pan and baked in the oven.

Let cool, and dust with powdered sugar.

Lemon Custard Pie

Lemon custard pie has a pate sucree pie crust which is a sweet, buttery pie crust that will melt in your mouth!

Pie crust in baked in the oven to pre-set the crust prior to adding the custard.

Milk is heated in a saucepan over medium heat until it begins to simmer.

In another bowl, granulated sugar, cornstarch, salt, eggs, egg yolk, and fresh lemon juice are whisked together until combined.

Eggs are tempered by slowly adding hot milk to the egg mixture, and whisking vigorously. After all of the hot milk is added to the eggs, the entire mixture is put back in the saucepan, and heated on medium heat.

Lemon custard will thicken up after a few minutes, and then is removed from the heat source.

Lemon extract, vanilla extract, and lemon zest are whisked into lemon custard, and then it can be poured into the baked crust.

Lemon custard pie is then baked in the oven to set the custard for about an hour, and then let to cool at room temperature. Chill the pie for 4 hours prior to serving.

When you’re ready to serve, top with tangy lemon whipped cream.

Lemon Custard Tart

Lemon custard tart has a succulent lemon flavor, with a buttery tart crust. You can even make them into mini tarts if desired.

Lemon custard is made by beating together butter and sugar, and slowly adding egg yolks until they have completely mixed together.

Add flour that has been dissolved into milk to the butter mixture and beat together.

Add fresh lemon juice and lemon zest to the butter mixture and set aside for later.

In another bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form, and fold into the butter mixture.

Place your tart crust inside your tart pan, and then add your lemon custard inside the tart crust.

Bake in the oven for an hour, let cool, and chill in the fridge for a few hours. Serve with fresh slices of kiwi on top.

Lemon Custard Filled Meringue Cups

Lemon custard filled meringue cups have a crunchy meringue, with a soft custard in the middle.

Prepare the meringues by beating egg whites, vinegar, vanilla extract, and a dash of salt until soft peaks form.

Slowly add granulated sugar and beat until the meringue has formed stiff peaks, and looks glossy.

Spoon the glossy meringue to create mounds on a baking sheet fitted with parchment paper. Press a spoon until the mound to create an indent on the meringue. This will be a where the lemon custard will go later.

Bake the meringues in the oven, and then turn the oven off to let the shells dry in a warm oven for about an hour.

To make lemon custard, combined cornstarch, sugar, water and salt in a saucepan on medium heat until the mixture begins to simmer.

In another bowl, whisk egg yolks, and then slowly add the hot sugar to the egg yolks to temper the eggs.

Place the sugar egg yolks mixture back into the saucepan, and heat on medium until the custard begins to thicken.

Remove custard from the heat source, and add fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, and cubed of butter.

Whisk the custard until the butter has completely melted into the custard.

Chill the custard for a few hours prior to serving.

When you’re ready to serve, place a meringue shell on a plate, spoon lemon custard in the center of the meringue.

Top with whipped cream and enjoy!

6 Finger Food Desserts for Weddings

April 5, 2023 by Jenna Atkinson

Finger food desserts work well on a wedding dessert table, as they are easy to serve.

You can serve simple desserts like macarons, chocolate covered strawberries or mini cupcakes as your wedding dessert.

You can also make mini version of more complicated desserts such as mille feuille, or go all out and have a chocolate fountain at your wedding!

Macarons

Wedding macarons are beautiful and intricate cookies that can be served on a 3 tier stand, or as a macaron tower on a dessert buffet table.

Finger Food cookie Desserts for Weddings

Wedding macarons can be flavored with a variety of flavors including champagne, pina colada, white chocolate rose, and salted caramel.

Finger Food macaron cookies for Weddings

Wedding macarons can be colored white, gold, or made to be a specific color to match your wedding colors.

You can even color them blue for a “something blue” theme.

Finger Food macaron Desserts for Weddings

Mini Mille Feuille

Mille feuille is a dessert that is made up of 3 layers of puff pastry.

In between the puff pastry layers is piped vanilla custard. The vanilla custard is made with actual vanilla beans so you can see the tiny vanilla beans in the custard.

Mille feuille has a layer of royal icing on the top of it, with a couple of decorative lines of dark chocolate.

The dark chocolate is made a bit more fancy by using slits with a knife, giving mille feuille its signature look.

Mini mille feuille is a tiny verison of mill feuille and can be served in cupcake liners for an easy finger food dessert.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Chocolate covered strawberries are simple, yet the fruit and chocolate combination makes them irresistible!

You can decorate chocolate covered strawberries using a contrasting color of chocolate (white or dark chocolate depending on what kind of chocolate you dipped your strawberries in).

You can drizzle chocolate in lines, or add chocolate scrolls on top.

You can even add sprinkles or a bit of gold dust for more of a fancy look to the chocolate covered strawberries when served at a wedding dessert table.

Mini Cupcakes

Mini cupcakes are a delicious mini version of a cupcake that gives people 1 bite of cake with icing.

Since mini cupcakes are bite sized, there’s no mess with them! They work exceptionally well for a mini dessert table.

You can make a couple of different kinds of mini cupcakes for a wedding dessert table – a lighter flavor like vanilla, and a heavier flavor like red velvet work well together as a variety.

Finger Food cupcake Desserts for Weddings

Mini Lemon Tarts

Mini lemon tarts are made by creating pie crust, and then baking the pie crust into tart shells.

The tart shells are filled with lemon cream. Lemon cream is has a buttery, citrusy flavor.

On top of the lemon cream, add a couple of fresh raspberries.

Drizzle a little white chocolate ganache and they’re ready to be served!

Mini lemon tarts are an easy finger food dessert that your guests can enjoy in a couple of bites.

Chocolate Fountain

Chocolate fountains look mesmerizing on a wedding dessert table.

Chocolate fountains are easy to set up and get going.

To prepare the foods to be dipped into the chocolate fountain is another story…

Everything needs to be cut up into bite sized pieces, including fruit, rice krispies, angel food cake, etc.

You can dip several different types of food in a chocolate fountain, so not everything needs to be prepared. Keep this in mind when selecting your foods.

You’ll want to have plates, toothpicks, and napkins readily available for your chocolate fountain.

It’s definitely worth it to have a chocolate fountain on a wedding dessert table given its popularity!

Feuilletine Recipe

April 5, 2023 by Jenna Atkinson

Jump to Recipe

Feuillentine is a crispy wafer that uses a batter similar to crepes.

The batter needs to be spread thin with a brush to create the crispy texture.

If the batter isn’t spread thin, the feuilletine will be flimsy, and bendable.

You’ll have to cook it a bit longer to get it to crisp up.

When the feuilletine begins to turn golden brown you’ll know it’s ready to be taken out of the oven.

Feuilletine Ingredients

melted butter
icing sugar
all-purpose flour
egg whites

What can you use feuilletine for

Feuilletine gives a cake base it’s crunchy texture.

You can make a crunchy cake crust layer with feuilletine by mixing together a combination of praline paste, melted chocolate, hazelnut crumbs, and hazelnut butter.

Crunchy Cake Crust Recipes with Feuilletine

Feuilletine Desserts

Feuilletine Recipe

How to make feuilletine.

Prep Time10

Active Time15

Total Time25

Course: Dessert

Keyword: dessert

Yield: 1 cup

Materials

1/4 cup egg whites
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup butter melted
1/4 cup icing sugar

Instructions

In a medium sized bowl, mix together 1/4 cup icing sugar and 1/4 cup flour until well combined.
Add 1/4 cup egg whites, and whisk together until it's completely mixed through.
Add melted butter (1/4 cup) to the bowl and whisk together again until it's fully combined.
Line a half sheet sized baking sheet with parchment paper. You can always use 2 – quarter sized baking sheets if you don't have a half sheet.
Place the mixture into the baking pan. Using a brush, spread the mixture out as thin as possible. This creates the crispy texture. If it's too thick it won't crisp up in the oven. It will be more squishy than crispy.
Bake for 10-15 minutes at 325 degrees F. It should golden brown when it's finished.
Let the feuillentine cool fully. Then break up into pieces.
Store in an airtight container until you're ready to use them.

6 Pepper Appetizer Recipe Ideas

April 5, 2023 by Jenna Atkinson

Peppers can be used to make memorable, invigorating appetizers such as bruschetta, pizza poppers, and stuffed peppers.

You can use mini peppers for stuffing peppers so it will be a smaller portion, the perfect size for an appetizer.

Roasted Red Pepper Bruschetta

Roasted red pepper bruschetta is a chilled pepper bruschetta with freshly made crostini’s.

Red peppers are sliced in half, and their insides along with the seeds are removed. Red peppers are roasted in the oven on both sides until they begin to slightly char.

To steam the peppers, place them in a paper bag until they are cooled. This allows the skins to be easily peeled away.

Roasted red peppers are sliced and placed in a bowl.

Drizzle olive oil over the peppers, and add minced garlic, fresh basil leaves, oregano, and balsamic vinegar to the bowl. Mix together and let marinate in the fridge for 3 hours.

Make your own crostini’s by brushing slices of baguette with olive oil and toasting them in the oven for a couple of minutes.

Place a spoonful of red peppers on the freshly made crostini and enjoy!

Roasted Red Pepper and Goat Cheese Crostini

Roasted red pepper and goat cheese crostini are made by roasting red peppers in the oven with a bit of olive oil and Italian seasoning.

Once the red peppers have charred, you can remove them from the oven and slice them up.

Prepare the crostini’s by placing slices of baguette on a baking sheet, and brushing them with olive oil. Toast them in the oven for a couple of minutes.

Top the freshly made crostini’s with a goat cheese and roasted red peppers.

Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil, and a sprinkle of Italian seasoning.

Pepper Pizza Poppers

Pepper pizza poppers are a cheesy and warm pepper appetizer with a hint of spicy pepperoni.

Mini peppers are sliced in half, and their insides along with the seeds are removed.

Place the mini peppers with the cut side up on a baking sheet.

Place a spoonful of pizza sauce inside the peppers, and top with grated mozzarella cheese.

Add slices of pepperoni and bake in the oven until the cheese begins to melt.

As soon as the peppers come out of the oven, top them with strips of fresh basil leaves or parsley, and enjoy!

Jalapeno and Goat Cheese Stuffed Peppers

Jalapeno and goat cheese stuffed peppers are a creamy and spicy pepper appetizer.

Mini bell peppers are sliced in half, and then deseeded. Mini peppers are grilled on the BBQ until they’ve charred up and softened.

Jalapeno pepper is diced and the seeds are removed so it’s not too spicy in the appetizer.

Goat cheese is mixed together with diced jalapeno, and then mini peppers are stuffed with the spicy goat cheese for a pepper appetizer with a bit of a bite!

Grilled Peppers with Burrata

Grilled peppers with burrata is a creamy and tart pepper appetizer.

Peppers are sliced and seeds are removed. Peppers are placed on the grill until they have charred and softened up.

Vinaigrette is prepared by mixing together red wine vinegar, minced garlic, salt and pepper, pepper flakes and olive oil.

Pour vinaigrette over the peppers and let it for a couple of minutes.

Place pieces of burrata inside the peppers, and then drizzle vinaigrette over the burrata.

Top with a few toasted sourdough bread crumbs, and fresh thyme, basil leaves, and rosemary sprigs.

Roasted Garlic Hummus

Roasted garlic hummus is a homemade chickpea appetizer with hints of garlic, and spicy flavors.

Roasted garlic hummus is made by roasting garlic in the oven.

You can make the roasted garlic by cutting off the top part of garlic to expose the cloves, and then drizzle olive oil on the cloves. Cover the garlic with tin foil, and place in a heat proof dish. This way, the oil drippings will end up in the dish, instead of in your oven.

When the roasted garlic is finished cooking, and has cooled down, squish out the roasted garlic cloves.

To make the roasted garlic hummus, chickpeas, tahini, roasted garlic cloves, lemon juice, olive oil and water are added to a food processor. The mixture is blended until smooth, and then it’s ready to serve.

Serve with peppers for dipping into roasted garlic hummus.

6 Quesadilla Sauce Recipe Ideas

April 4, 2023 by Jenna Atkinson

Quesadillas can made with savory sauces such as chipotle lime sauce, avocado chimichurri, basil ranch, Hawaiian BBQ sauce, or pesto sauce.

You can fill your quesadillas with chicken, black beans, or steak, and drizzle your sauce inside your quesadilla.

Quesadilla sauce fills the inside of the tortilla, along with vegetables and cheese.

You can also use quesadilla sauce for dipping sauce as well, along with guacamole, sour cream, or crema.

Pesto Sauce

Fresh pesto sauce is a creamy, and earthy sauce you can use inside quesadillas.

Pesto goes well with dried cranberries and chicken in quesadillas.

It’s best to make fresh pesto sauce for quesadillas, as it’s packed full of flavor. Pesto bought in a jar doesn’t have nearly as much basil flavoring.

Quesadilla Sauce for chicken quesadillas

Serve your Chicken pesto quesadilla with a tangy yogurt cilantro lime sauce.

Cilantro lime sauce has a light, refreshing citrus taste to it which goes well with chicken pesto quesadillas.

Avocado Chimichurri

Chimichurri is a red wine vinegar based sauce blended with parsley, oregano, garlic, and olive oil. Chimichurri has a tart flavor with earthy herb tones.

Avocado chimichurri is when the chimichurri sauce is mixed with mashed avocado, giving it a creamier, thick base to the sauce.

Avocado chimichurri can be used inside, and on top of steak quesadillas.

Hawaiian BBQ Sauce

Hawaiian BBQ sauce is a pineapple juice infused BBQ sauce used to marinate chicken to use in a chicken quesadilla.

Chicken quesadilla is made with chicken, grilled pineapples, onions, cheddar cheese, rice, and pickled jalapenos.

Hawaiian BBQ sauce is made by mixing together pineapple juice, fresh lime juice, and cilantro leaves.

Half of the BBQ sauce is used for the chicken. The other half of the Hawaiian BBQ sauce is drizzled on the top of quesadilla to serve.

As well, the quesadillas can be served with an accompanying pineapple and mango guacamole.

Basil Ranch

Basil ranch is a creamy, aromatic sauce for chicken and bacon quesadillas.

You can use Greek yogurt or sour cream for the base of the sauce, along with a bit of mayonnaise.

Buttermilk, fresh basil leaves, cilantro leaves, chives, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne is added to the base of the sauce and are blended together to create a thick quesadilla sauce.

To make the quesadillas, place shredded gouda, arugula, grilled chicken, bacon bits, sun-dried tomatoes, and diced pickles on half of the tortilla in a frying pan on medium heat.

Add a few spoonful’s of basil ranch over the quesadilla, along with some honey mustard sauce.

Add more shredded gouda, and close the tortilla and continue cooking on both sides.

Serve quesadilla with chopped pieces of avocado and more basil ranch for dipping.

Chipotle Lime Sauce

Chipotle lime sauce is a spicy, thin sauce for chicken quesadillas.

Chipotle lime sauce is made by blending together diced jalapeño, chipotle sauce, garlic, lime juice, orange juice, cumin, salt, black pepper, soy sauce, and olive oil.

Chicken is marinated in chipotle lime sauce, and grilled for inside the quesadillas.

To make the chicken quesadillas, place a tortilla in a frying pan on medium heat.

Add shredded Monterey jack cheese and diced chicken to the tortilla.

Drizzle chipotle lime sauce over the tortilla. Fold the tortilla over and continue cooking on each side.

Serve chipotle chicken quesadillas with a side of chipotle lime sauce, sour cream, or guacamole.

BBQ Sauce

BBQ sauce is a sweet sauce you can use in chicken quesadillas.

Chicken quesadillas can be made by spreading a thin layer of BBQ sauce all over the tortilla.

Shredded cheddar cheese and Monterey jack cheese are sprinkled over the BBQ sauce, along with red onions, grilled chicken, and cilantro leaves.

BBQ sauce quesadillas are fried, and then served with a side of BBQ sauce for dipping.

Spring Cookie Decorating Ideas

April 4, 2023 by Jenna Atkinson

Spring is a time to look forward to after a long winter. You can enjoy the flowers beginning to bloom, and bees in the garden.

Spring time also brings Easter to bring together family and friends.

You can make beautiful spring cookies including bunnies, Easter eggs, flowers, and bees for your family and friends.

Flower Cookies

You can make flower spring cookies using either powdered food coloring or gel food coloring with a couple of drops of almond extract to create a “paint”.

In order for you to apply the food coloring to your cookies, you will need to use a food safe paint brush.

Macarons have delicate shells that can be damaged if pressed too hard with a paint brush. Apply the food coloring to the macaron gently, as if you were painting a picture.

You can also paint on sugar cookies that have been flooded with royal icing and let to dry. This way, the paint will not run on the cookie.

When you’re making up your coloring for painting on macarons, you don’t want to use too much almond extract to make your coloring.

If you pour too much, the food coloring will be more like watercolor paint. The color will not go on the cookie as strong, and it will be too runny to really show up.

Just use a little almond extract for your coloring. The color will be strong and easily painted on the the cookies. The color will not run if you only use a drop or two of almond extract.

Sometimes the color will dry out in your bowl, just add another drop or two of almond extract to make it liquid again.

You can use a flat food safe paint brush to paint the color into a teardrop shape for the petal of a flower. Continue making a total of 5 flower petals, making sure you space them out on your cookie.

To make the center of the flower, use a black edible marker and make “dots” in the center of the flower.

To make the leaves, use a narrow, long paint brush, and use wispy lines and float along the cookie for the vinery look.

Bee Cookies

Bee macarons are made by piping out the appropriate shapes using a Bee Macaron Template, and adding a few decorations to it.

White chocolate is painted onto the wings to create the shimmer look for the wings. You could use gold dust and paint on the gold shimmer to give the wings an even more beautiful look to them.

The stripes, face, and antennae are added using an edible marker.

Bee macarons need to be made in forward template and reverse template shapes so they can be sandwiched together easily and have their shapes match.

Spring pollinator Cookie Decorating Ideas

Place the bee macaron template underneath your silicone mat or parchment paper fitted on a baking pan.

Fill your piping bag with yellow macaron batter fitted with a 1/2” tip.

Pipe the body of the bee first. Start at the front of the bee and drag the tip to the other end of the bee.

Add the wings by starting at the top of the wing and dragging the wing downwards into the body. Repeat for the other wing.

Using a toothpick, guide the stinger of the bee into a point.

Remove your template from underneath your silicone mat or parchment paper.

Remove the air bubbles from the macarons by banging the bottom of the baking pan.

Bake, cool, and fill the macarons.

Add eyes, antennae, and stripes to the bee using an edible marker.

Using melted white chocolate, add the chocolate to the wings in a teardrop shape using a food safe paint brush.

You can also make bee sugar cookies and cutting out a bee shape using a cookie cutter.

Once you’ve baked the cookies, you can add melted white chocolate and paint it onto the wings of the bee.

Add the stripes, eyes, and antennae using a black edible marker.

Bunny Cookies

Make your macaron batter. You don’t need any food coloring added to the macaron batter if you’re making a white colored bunny.

To pipe your bunny macarons, begin by piping a small circle ~ 1″ in diameter.

Pipe one ear off to the side of the circle on the top. You’ll want to drag the macaron batter upward, and then let the batter drip back on to itself to create one ear. Repeat on the other ear.

Use a toothpick to guide both of the ears of the bunny into a point.

Pipe all of your bunny macarons in the same way.

Remove the air bubbles from the macarons by banging the bottom of the baking pan.

Let the macarons dry for 30 minutes.

Bake your bunny macarons for the exact same time it says in the recipe you’re using, and let them cool. Fill your macarons.

Add eyes and eyelashes with an edible marker. Draw 2 wavy lines to create the eyes, then add small lines outwards to create the eye lashes.

Add 2 “U” shaped lines to create the mouth.

Add 2 whiskers on each side of the bunny face.

Use pink powdered food coloring and a little almond extract together to make a paint. Paint the pink color on the inside of the ears of the bunny, and a triangle or round nose using a food safe paint brush.

Let dry for 20 minutes.

Store your bunny macarons in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

You can also make bunny cookies using shortbread dough or sugar cookie dough.

Use a bunny shaped cookie cutter, and then bake your cookies.

Once they are cooled, you can decorate them with a food safe marker, royal icing, or using a bit of gel food coloring mixed with almond extract.

Easter Egg Cookies

Easter egg cookies can be shaped into an oval to look like an egg. You can also just make them into a regular circle as well.

You can make Easter egg cookies by making sugar cookies, and cutting out the eggs using a cookie cutter.

Another option is to make macaron batter, and shape them into an oval for the egg shape.

To decorate Easter egg cookies, you can make royal icing for some fine detail work.

Royal icing will dry hard, and you can use piping tips to create small lines on your Easter egg cookies.

Spring Easter egg Cookie Decorating Ideas

You can also decorate your Easter egg cookies with an edible marker, and draw lines on the cookies.

To make your Easter egg cookies full of color, you can make your own paint using powdered food coloring and almond extract.

Paint your Easter egg cookies using a food safe paint brush.

Criss-crosses, circular lines, triangles, circles, all look beautiful to make your Easter egg cookies.

Tuile Cookies

December 31, 2023March 13, 2023 by Jenna Atkinson

Jump to Recipe

Tuiles are a thin crispy cookie. You can fill tuiles with sweet fillings such as mousse, chantilly cream, custard, and curd.

Tuiles are made by making a thin cookie batter, and then shaping it on a silicone baking mat with the back of the spoon. See video here.

You don’t need to use a stencil to make tuiles.

You can simply shape the tuiles using a spoon and guiding it into your desired shape, such as a circle or rectangle.

Tuiles are baked in the oven until the edges start to turn a golden brown.

Tuiles need to be shaped right after coming out of the oven, otherwise they solidify and you can’t mold them into a shape.

Cone

Cone tuiles are made by putting a spoonful of batter on the silicone baking mat, and then smearing the batter into a circle using the back of a spoon.

Be sure to get the batter as uniform as possible, so it bakes evenly.

After the circle is baked, shape the cookies by folding it over a metal cone shape.

Try to overlap the batter at the narrow end of the cone so the cone has an overlap.

This will make filling the cones much easier, and they will look nicer when presented.

Place the cone seam down for it to set. It only takes a couple of minutes for the cone to set.

Taco

Taco tuiles are made by putting a spoonful of batter on the silicone baking mat, and then smearing the batter into a circle using the back of a spoon.

Be sure to get the batter as uniform as possible, so it bakes evenly.

After the circle is baked, to make a “taco” shape you can drape the cookie over a thick rounded object ~1″ in diameter.

You can even use the handle of one of your cookware. Let it sit to dry until it’s shaped into a taco.

Spiral

Spiral tuiles look beautiful as a decoration on top of a dessert.

You can make a spiral tuile by placing a spoonful of batter on a silicone baking mat.

Guide the batter into a rectangle shape (~1.3″x6″).

Bake the tuile in the oven. After it’s come out of the oven, twist the tuile over a round object (~1″ in diameter).

One of the ends will be at the top, the other end should be opposite, and then rolled over the rounded object to create the spiral. Let it cool down to set the spiral tuile.

Semi-Circle

Semi-circle tuiles can be the base of a dessert, and have mousse or Chantilly cream piped onto it as a unique dessert.

How to make desserts with half circle shaped tuiles

You can make a semi-circle tuile by placing a spoonful of batter on a silicone baking mat.

Guide the batter into a rectangle shape (~1.3″x6″).

Bake the tuile in the oven. After it’s come out of the oven, place the rectangular cookie inside a half sphere silicone mold, and then let to set to solidify.

Basket

Basket tuiles are made by putting a spoonful of batter on the silicone baking mat, and then smearing the batter into a circle using the back of a spoon.

Be sure to get the batter as uniform as possible.

Bake the tuile. While the tuile is baking, place a glass upside down.

As soon as it comes out of the oven, drape the tuile over the glass. Fold the edges of the tuile over the glass, and press them towards the center. This creates the basket shape.

Let it sit for a couple of minutes to set the tuile basket. Remove the tuile from the glass, and place it right side up to fill your tuile basket.

Straw

Straw tuiles are made by putting a spoonful of batter on the silicone baking mat, and then smearing the batter into a circle using the back of a spoon.

Be sure to get the batter as uniform as possible.

Bake the tuile.

As soon as the tuile comes out of the oven, place a chop stick at the edge of the tuile.

Roll the tuile over the chop stick, and place it seam side down to let it set.

Remove the chop stick, and repeat for the next tuile.

How to Decorate Tuiles

Tuiles can be decorated using chocolate, sprinkles, or frosting.

You can dip the edges of the tuiles into melted chocolate to give the cookies a chocolate coating.

How to Decorate cone Tuiles with chocolate

Add on a few sprinkles for a pop of color to your tuiles.

Frosting can be piped onto the edges of the tuile for a beautiful decoration. You can use the star tip for an intricate look to buttercream icing on the edges of the tuile.

Fillings for Tuile Cookies

Tuile Cookies

How to make tuile cookies

Prep Time10

Active Time8

Total Time18

Course: Dessert

Keyword: cookies

Yield: 20 tuiles

Materials

1/4 cup butter room temperature
1/2 cup icing sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
2 egg whites
1/2 cup all purpose flour

Instructions

In a medium sized bowl, use a hand mixer or a whisk to mix together 1/4 cup room temperature butter, 1/2 cup icing sugar, and 1/4 tsp vanilla extract until the sugar is creamed into the butter.
Add 1 egg white and whisk into the butter mixture. Add the other egg white, and whisk again.
Slowly add 1/2 cup of flour, whisking add you add the flour. You want to whisk out any clumps of flour so at the end you have a thick batter.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat. Place a spoonful of batter on the silicone mat, and tap the batter off the spoon. Use the back of the spoon to guide the tuile into a circular shape. The tuile should be approximately 2.5-3" in diameter. Only put about 6 tuiles on the baking mat. You don't want to bake too many at a time, otherwise you won't be able to shape them all when they come out of the oven.
Bake the tuiles for 5-9 minutes. The tuiles are finished baking when the edges start to turn golden brown.
Immediately after removing the tuiles from the oven, use a flipper to remove one of the cookies from the baking sheet.
Shape the cookies by folding it over a metal cone shape, and then place it seam down for it to set. This will create a cone tuile.
To make a "taco" shape, you can drape the cookie over a thick rounded object. You can even use the handle of one of your cookware. Let it sit to dry until it's shaped how you want.
You can make a spiral tuile by making a rectangular shaped tuile. After it's come out of the oven, twist the tuile over a round object. One of the ends will be at the top, the other end should be opposite, and then rolled over the rounded object.
After you're done baking the tuiles, store them in an airtight container.
You can also save the batter by placing it in the fridge covered, and then using it over the next 2 days.

6 Taco Coleslaw Recipe Ideas

March 15, 2023February 14, 2023 by Jenna Atkinson

Tacos are favorite family dinner that can be paired with taco coleslaws cilantro lime coleslaw, avocado crema coleslaw, or honey mustard coleslaw depending on the taco meat or vegetables you choose.

Taco coleslaws are made by adding a sauce to a coleslaw base.

Coleslaw bases can be made with a combination of red cabbage, green cabbage and carrots. You can also add cilantro leaves to your coleslaw mix as well if you like.

Cilantro Lime Coleslaw

Cilantro lime coleslaw is a tangy, vinegar based taco coleslaw.

Fresh lime juice, rice vinegar, olive oil, and salt are mixed together to create the sauce for the coleslaw.

In a separate bowl, mix together shredded carrots, green cabbage, purple cabbage, and cilantro leaves.

Add lime vinegar sauce over the coleslaw mixture and mix to coat the coleslaw.

Cilantro lime coleslaw works well with shrimp tacos, beef tacos, and cauliflower tacos.

Cilantro Lime Crema Coleslaw

Cilantro lime crema is a thick lime sauce coleslaw you can use with chicken tacos, or fish tacos.

Sour cream, mayo, cilantro leaves, lime zest, lime juice, minced garlic, and salt are blended in a food processor until the sauce is thick and smooth.

In a separate bowl, mix together shredded carrots, green cabbage, and purple cabbage.

Pour cilantro lime crema sauce over coleslaw, and mix together until the coleslaw is fully coated.

Avocado Crema Coleslaw

Avocado crema coleslaw is a coleslaw coated in avocado sauce made with yogurt.

Avocado crema coleslaw is made by first making an avocado crema, which is then used to coat the coleslaw.

Thick plain yogurt mixed with avocado makes the sauce creamy and full bodied. It has a strong lime flavor to the avocado crema that finishes the sauce off well.

Avocado crema sauce is made by combining plain yogurt, avocado, cilantro leaves, minced garlic, fresh lime juice, olive oil, and a little salt in a food processor. To keep the sauce full and thick, the mixture is only “pulsed” in the food processor until it combines.

Coleslaw is made with shredded red cabbage, green cabbage, and carrots.

Mix avocado crema with coleslaw for a creamy avocado taco coleslaw. You can use it on top of shrimp tacos, cauliflower tacos, pulled pork tacos, chicken tacos, and fish tacos.

Creamy Mexican Coleslaw

Creamy Mexican coleslaw is a thick sauce made with a sour cream base with a hint of cumin flavor.

A bag of coleslaw mix (shredded red cabbage, green cabbage, and carrots) are combined with sliced green onions and chopped cilantro leaves for the base of the taco coleslaw.

In a separate bowl, mayo and sour cream are mixed together along with fresh lime juice, cumin, cayenne pepper and salt and pepper.

Add the spicy lime sauce to the coleslaw mixture to coat the cabbage.

Your creamy Mexican coleslaw can be used over steak tacos and chicken tacos.

Honey Mustard Coleslaw

Honey mustard coleslaw is best served over barbeque pork tacos.

To make the honey mustard sauce for the coleslaw, mix together Dijon mustard, mayo, honey, milk, and salt and pepper.

Drizzle sauce over a coleslaw mix. You can find coleslaws mixes near your produce section. Coleslaw mixes include red cabbage, green cabbage and carrots.

Honey mustard coleslaw goes well over a BBQ sauce marinated meat for tacos like pork or chicken.

Jalapeno Cilantro Coleslaw

Jalapeno cilantro coleslaw is the perfect addition to pulled pork tacos or fish tacos.

In a large bowl, add shredded green cabbage, grated carrots, sliced red onions, diced jalapeno peppers, and cilantro leaves to base of the coleslaw.

In another bowl, whisk together mayo, fresh lime juice, cayenne pepper, honey, and salt and pepper.

Add lime sauce to jalapeno coleslaw to coat the mixture.

Spoon coleslaw over tacos to enjoy!