Just Desserts: Pie, Cake, Ice Cream, Etc.

[Kirin]

I think a long time ago I did an apple and berry crumble that was similar to these. Only I’m pretty sure it also had a bunch of brown sugar, so not as healthy, but you could probably leave it out!

 

[Violentvixen]

If anyone is looking for a good baking cookbook, I just got Snacking Cakes by Yossy Arefi from the library and love it. The recipes are mostly simple and use easy to find ingredients with a few fancier ones. There's also a nice resource at the start of the book going through how to modify a recipe if you don't have the type of pan listed which I hugely appreciate. Also just about every recipe has a few alternate versions suggested which is fun and helps you get an idea of what is and isn't okay to modify.

 

[Ghost from Spelunker]

You know how some cakes have this icing that has the consistency and flavor of Cool Whip, but it's not?
What's the name of it? I'd love to make my own.

 

[Torzelbaum]

You know how some cakes have this icing that has the consistency and flavor of Cool Whip, but it's not?
What's the name of it? I'd love to make my own.

Do you mean like what's in red velvet cake? I think that's ermine frosting but I'm not 100% sure.

 

[Ghost from Spelunker]

That sounds like it, thanks.
What about the poor weasels?

 

[Exposition Owl]

That sounds like it, thanks.
What about the poor weasels?

Don’t worry! They don’t use real mustelids to make ermine frosting these days. They elermineated that practice back in the late 19th century.

 

[Kirin]

Huh, I always thought most red velvet cake just used cream cheese frosting. Looking it up briefly, I guess a lot of modern ones do, but Ermine (which I'd never heard of at least by name before) is indeed traditional. Neat.

 

[Torzelbaum]

So the winter holidays seem to be associated with cookies more than any other holidays are. Maybe that is part of the reason why today is National Cookie Day. Here are some questions relevant to the day at hand:

What are some of your favorite cookies (holiday and/or otherwise)?​

Do you like like your cookies soft and chewy or crispy?​

Do you need to have them hot / warm?​

Do you always dunk them in milk or not?​

 

[Exposition Owl]

-I think that the chocolate chip cookie is perhaps the greatest contribution that the United States has made to world cuisine. I also love ginger cookies, lemon poppyseed cookies, and anything with mint. A bake shop near me makes an Earl Grey cookie which is also quite good.

-I tend to like soft cookies better.

-Warm is nice, but not essential. A cookie that’s too hot is uncomfortable to hold and tends to fall apart.

-I’m not a dunker at all. The cookies I like best don’t need to get any softer, and I find that milk just dilutes the flavor.

 

[Violentvixen]

So the winter holidays seem to be associated with cookies more than any other holidays are. Maybe that is part of the reason why today is National Cookie Day. Here are some questions relevant to the day at hand:

What are some of your favorite cookies (holiday and/or otherwise)?​

Do you like like your cookies soft and chewy or crispy?​

Do you need to have them hot / warm?​

Do you always dunk them in milk or not?​

Screw that instant hot chocolate noise though, we make it with Abuelita.

 

[Torzelbaum]

There are all sorts of cookies I like. About the only cookies I don't like are oatmeal raisin and pfeffernusse.

There are some cookies which I like crispy and even for soft/chewy cookies I do like them to be a bit crispy on the outside.

And warm is great when you can get I but not required.

I can't remember if I have ever dunked a cookie before. It certainly isn't a habit for me.

lemon poppyseed cookies

I don't think I've ever had a cookie like this before. Need to put that on the to do list.

 

[Paul le Fou]

I love me some cookies, but my go-to at a cafe is usually a ginger molasses cookie. Soft and chewy and spicy. I also love me a good snickerdoodle. But I'm adventurous with my tastes so I like trying out wacky flavors when they're available too. Lemon Poppyseed doesn't sound wacky but it's a flavor I know I love so I'd totally fuck up some lemon poppyseed cookies at the drop of a hat.

My favorite holiday Christmas cookie, though, is these almond shortbread(?) triangles my family used to make growing up, purely for the nostalgia reasons.