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CPA: Certified Pastry Aficionado

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Cookie Bars

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Cookie Bars

bars and brownies· Cookies· dessert· Easter· Fall Flavors· Holiday Favorites· snacks
August 22, 2023

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Cookie Bars – Brown sugar cinnamon filing is placed between shortbread cookie layers. It all gets a…
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Peach Upside-down Cake

Peach Upside-down Cake

cake· dessert· Fall Flavors· Summertime Favorites
August 11, 2023

Peach upside-down Cake – Fresh peaches are baked under an almond-flavored cake and then inverted to reveal perfectly cooked peaches…
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Carrot Snack Cake

Carrot Snack Cake

cake· dessert· Easter· Fall Flavors
April 6, 2023

Carrot Snack Cake – A square single-layer carrot cake is topped with a homemade cream cheese and sprinkled with chopped…
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Pistachio Loaf

Pistachio Loaf

bread· breakfast· cake· dessert· Easter· Fall Flavors· Holiday Favorites· pastries· snacks
January 15, 2023

Pistachio Loaf – Real pistachios are ground and added to olive oil, eggs, sugar, flour, and a hint of almond…
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Quinoa Harvest Salad

Quinoa Harvest Salad

Fall Flavors· salad· Summertime Favorites
January 8, 2023

Quinoa Harvest Salad – Spring mix is tossed with roasted sweet potatoes, goat cheese, roasted pepitas, dried cranberries, and quinoa…
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Holiday Mule

Holiday Mule

drinks· Fall Flavors· Holiday Favorites
December 26, 2022

Holiday Mule – Ginger beer, cranberry juice, vodka, apple cider, and Prosecco are combined to make this perfect drink for…
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Gingerbread Soufflé

Gingerbread Soufflé

dessert· Fall Flavors· Holiday Favorites
December 5, 2022

Gingerbread Soufflé – A special holiday version of the classic dessert. This soufflé is the perfect treat to serve all…
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Hi, my name is Sharon. I’m an accountant by day, risk-taking baker and food enthusiast by night. Come join me as I share my favorite recipes and test out new ones along the way!

fall flavors

overhead shot of quinoa harvest salad on a plate

Quinoa Harvest Salad

oatmeal rolls sitting on a baking sheet

Oatmeal Dinner Rolls

a trio of gingerbread souffles on a serving platter

Gingerbread Soufflé

styled shot of pumpkin snickerdoodles

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

carrot raisin muffins stacked on top of each other and sitting on a purple plate

Carrot Raisin Muffins

a glass dish with pumpkin cinnamon rolls in it with some missing from the center and a spatula with a pumpkin the background, shot from a side angle

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

ORDER MY NEW COOKBOOK NOW!

photo of entertaining made easy cookbook available for preorder now

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holiday favorite

styled shot of Chocolate Espresso Snowcaps

Chocolate Espresso Snowcaps

a trio of gingerbread souffles on a serving platter

Gingerbread Soufflé

autumn kale salad in a blue salad bowl

Autumn Kale Salad

The Best Waffles

Berry Mimosas in flutes pictured with champagne and bowl of berries

Berry Mimosas

 

Double Chocolate Biscotti – Chocolate cookies ar Double Chocolate Biscotti – Chocolate cookies are loaded with chocolate chips and baked twice to make them extra crispy and perfect for dunking into your favorite hot beverage.

Biscotti is the dessert I never knew I needed. I discovered them in college when I craved a snack while studying for finals. I bought a biscotti at the library coffee shop and dunked it in my coffee. The cookie that I thought was too crunchy suddenly turn soft and chewy. Yum!

Those memories inspired me to make my own biscotti. First, I made these gingerbread biscotti. And then I made this pistachio version. Now, I’m recreating the biscotti I first had many years ago – Double Chocolate Biscotti.

RECIPE: https://www.certifiedpastryaficionado.com/double-chocolate-biscotti/
Classic Fruit Tarts – Rich vanilla pastry cream Classic Fruit Tarts – Rich vanilla pastry cream is filled into a buttery mini tart shell and covered with fresh fruit.

I decided to share a recipe that is (1) perfect to serve during the holidays and (2) absolutely gorgeous to look at. And with that, I present to you my Classic Fruit Tarts!

https://www.certifiedpastryaficionado.com/classic-fruit-tarts/
Rosemary Cheese Straws – The Southern cheese str Rosemary Cheese Straws – The Southern cheese straw is flavored with fresh rosemary to give them a sophisticated feel.

I am a snacker, through and through. Before meeting my husband and living together, my meals were not planned out and mostly consisted of a lot of small snacks throughout the day. 

Over time, I learned it’s very hard to coordinate meals and get togethers with others when I’m not super hungry so I learned to adapt. But in my core, I am still a snack lover!

Today’s recipe is my newest snack obsession – Rosemary Cheese Straws

https://www.certifiedpastryaficionado.com/rosemary-cheese-straws/
Split Buns with Cream and Jam – soft, enriched y Split Buns with Cream and Jam – soft, enriched yeast buns split and filled with fresh whipped cream and raspberry jam, then dusted with powdered sugar!

Once again, The Great British Baking Show has led me to a new treat I'd never heard of but was completely entranced by! Devonshire split buns are a popular British treat made with soft baked buns filled with cream and jam, and honestly? I'm obsessed! 

What I love about these buns is how they feel like eating a sweet sandwich – imagine a jam sandwich but in a long bun with whipped cream! Doesn't that make you drool?

The great news is they're super easy to make! With a simple enriched dough recipe and store-bought jam, you can have these buns ready in just a couple of hours! The dough took me some time to develop because I wanted them soft like hot dog buns (but obviously sweeter!), not dense and heavy!

Pro tip: DO NOT slice all the way through! Leave the bottom connected so the buns hold the filling well! Use piping bags with tips to fill neatly – it makes them look bakery-quality!

Perfect for breakfast, dessert, holiday gatherings, brunch, or anytime you want a soft, indulgent treat! 

💬 Comment "SPLITBUNS" for the recipe
💾 SAVE for baking inspiration
📤 SHARE with someone who loves buns!

https://www.certifiedpastryaficionado.com/split-buns-with-cream-and-jam/
Fig & Goat Cheese Crostini – crispy baguette sli Fig & Goat Cheese Crostini – crispy baguette slices rubbed with fresh garlic, spread with rosemary honey goat cheese, and topped with fig preserves! 

This particular crostini was born when I had leftover fig preserves to use up! And let me tell you – this combination is INCREDIBLE! Every single bite is perfectly balanced – crispy, tangy, sweet, spicy, and creamy all at once! My guests absolutely cannot stop at just one!

The magic is in the rosemary honey goat cheese spread – that's where all the flavor comes from! The fresh rosemary pairs SO beautifully with the sweet fig preserves!
Pro tip: Do NOT assemble these until you're ready to serve! 

The bread will get soggy if you make them ahead! BUT you can toast the bread and make the goat cheese spread ahead of time for quick assembly!

Perfect for holiday parties, entertaining guests, or anytime you need an impressive appetizer that's seriously easy to make! 🎉

💬 Comment "CROSTINI" for the recipe
💾 SAVE for party planning
📤 SHARE with someone who loves appetizers!

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