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Pan-banging Peanut Butter Cookies

Sarah Kieffer — Tue, 21 Oct 2025 22:50:23 +0000

It has been awhile since I have made a peanut butter cookie, and I have found myself craving them, per usual, at the beginning of September, when school is back in session. It’s probably due to peanut butter sandwich nostalgia (because wow, I ate a lot of those over my school career), but whatever the reason, I really want a peanut butter cookie. I revamped my pan-banging peanut butter cookie from 100 Cookies; the original recipe includes a little almond flour and a minimal amount of peanut butter. I was out of almond flour and wanted more peanut butter flavor, so I started tinkering with these. My main goal was to keep the crispy edges the pan-banging technique is known for, especially in my Pan-Banging Chocolate Chip Cookies; however, peanut butter tends to make things chewy. Moving the cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling helped keep the edges nice and crisp, while the center stayed chewy and moist. Adding Inclusions Chocolate is optional here, and there is a variation for peanut butter and jelly cookies in the notes. I also have many other recipes for pan-banging cookies: try Sesame Chocolate, Ginger Molasses, and Red Velvet. Some tips and […]

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Chocolate Peppermint Ice Cream Cake

Sarah Kieffer — Mon, 06 Dec 2021 14:14:10 +0000

I’m a big fan of no-churn ice cream, as you may have figured out if you’ve been reading here for a while. I also have a lot of nostalgia surrounding ice cream during the holidays; every Christmas Eve of my childhood was spent at my grandma’s cozy little house, and she, without fail, had a box of sprinkled minty green ice cream Christmas Trees in her freezer. This ice cream cake is an attempt at a grown-up version of that minty goodness; I’ve added chocolate (of course) and a layer of cookie crumbs replaces the sprinkles. The meringue topping puts this over the edge, and a little toasting from your kitchen blow torch will impress any holiday guests. What is baking vanilla? I’ve used Watkins Organic Original Gourmet Baking Vanilla for both the chocolate and peppermint ice creams. Unlike high-alcohol vanilla extracts, the Baking Vanilla doesn’t evaporate when baking or freezing, which helps retain its delicious flavor. It’s a perfect choice for this ice cream dessert, and any other holiday baking as well, like cake, pies, cookies, and crème brulee. All Watkins products are free from dyes, high-fructose corn syrup, addedMSG and other artificial ingredients. Watkins products are available online […]

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Sarah’s 2021 Cookbook Gift Guide & Music To Bake To!

Sarah Kieffer — Fri, 03 Dec 2021 15:02:03 +0000

Cookbooks These first 11 books are book that I have been using over and over since receiving them; they are well-used and loved. Also, my new book, Baking for the Holidays, is on this list, wink wink. 1. Baking for the HolidaysMy new book, Baking for the Holidays, is now available! Inside you’ll find recipes for Morning Breads and Pastries, Holiday Desserts, Gift Giving, and Beyond Christmas. You can find it at all the bookstores listed here, and there are also signed copies locally at Moon Palace Books and Barnes and Noble Minneapolis and Edina. 2. Zoë Bakes Cake – Zoë FrancoisMy dear friend, Zoë Francois, put out her first non-bread book, and it is a must have for every cookbook library. Zoe’s book is filled with all kinds of cake, featuring everything from Bundt cakes and loaves to a beautifully layered wedding confection; you can celebrate any occasion, big or small, with her delicious homemade cake. Her Devil’s Food Cake is a must-have recipe. 3. Mooncakes and Milk Bread – Kristina ChoKristina’s new cookbook is one of my absolute favorites to come out in 2021. Inside you’ll find “sweet and savory baked buns, steamed buns, Chinese breads, unique cookies, whimsical cakes, juicy dumplings, Chinese breakfast dishes, and drinks. Recipes for steamed […]

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Cookbooks

Foodie Digital — Thu, 29 Jul 2021 17:19:59 +0000

What’s Inside? A festive and delectable recipe card deck with 30 essential bakes to enjoy all season long–from Sarah Kieffer, the beloved baker behind 100 Cookies, 100 Morning Treats, 100 Afternoon Sweets, and the popular Vanilla Bean Blog. Ready to celebrate the most delicious time of year? This deck is your go-to guide for holiday brunches, seasonal parties, cookie swaps, showstopping desserts, and incredible edible gifts for family and friends. Tucked into a beautifully designed portable box, each recipe card features a full-color photo and easy-to-follow instructions for seasonal delights and creative riffs on classic bakes for Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year’s Day, and beyond. Including: 100 Afternoon Sweets Filled with more than 120 inspiring photographs, including how-tos for doughs, shaping, and flavor variations, 100 Afternoon Sweets is the third must-have in the trilogy of Kieffer’s 100-themed baking books. These sweets are perfect for wherever the afternoon takes you: at the office deep in emails, hungry kiddos coming home after school, or simply a restful Sunday spent lazing on the couch. From one-bowl snacking cakes to bigger baking projects, here are 100 afternoon treats to help you push past the midday slump, including: 100 Afternoon Sweets Errata Sheet 100 Morning Treats What’s Inside? One hundred morning treats to […]

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15 Best No-Churn Ice Cream Recipes

Sarah Kieffer — Thu, 10 Jun 2021 22:57:48 +0000

No ice cream cream maker? No problem. You don’t even need one to make some of the most amazing ice cream you’ve tasted! No-churn ice cream is made using just 5 easy to find ingredients and 10 minutes of prep. The ice cream is rich and creamy, and while the texture is slightly different than regular ice cream, it’s a great way to make a simple frozen dessert. In this post you’ll find my top 15 no-churn ice cream recipes, everything from classic vanilla to strawberry rhubarb, and a bonus recipe for Raspberry Chip! How to Make No-Churn Ice Cream I dedicated a whole chapter in my first cookbook to no-churn ice cream recipes because I love the ease and versatility of this method so much. No-churn ice cream is simply made by folding whipped cream into condensed milk, along with your favorite flavors or mix-in’s, then spreading in a pan and freezing. Besides heavy cream and sweetened condensed milk, you’ll add a bit of salt to cut the sweetness. And I like to add a small amount of cream cheese for it’s tang, to balance the flavors, and keep the ice cream smooth when it’s frozen. Using No-Churn Ice […]

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Top 25 Holiday Cookie Recipes!

Sarah Kieffer — Thu, 17 Dec 2020 02:33:55 +0000

Each year at Christmas I like to put together a cookie box for family, friends, and neighbors. The content changes somewhat over the years; some cookies come and go, others are staples that stick around. I’ve put together a list of favorite holiday cookies that I’ve featured here on my site. Many of these recipes come from both my cookbooks: 100 Cookies and The Vanilla Bean Baking Book. My friend Amanda has a list of gluten-free christmas cookie recipes, if you’re looking for those too! I find that cookies bake most evenly on these half-sheet pans, and I like to use this cookie scoop. To remove cookies from the baking sheet, this spatula (actually labeled a pancake turner!) is the best. Freezing Baked Christmas Cookies Most cookies are best eaten the day they’re made, or within a day or two of baking. If you can’t finish off a baker’s dozen in 24 hours flat, the good news is that you can freeze them! Make sure your cookies are cool, then place them on a lined sheet pan in a single layer. Let them freeze for an hour or two, then once they are frozen solid, move them to labeled freezer-safe bags […]

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Fig and Orange Sables

Sarah Kieffer — Fri, 27 Nov 2020 15:44:08 +0000

From 2020: This Thanksgiving was unusual, to be sure. Our family made the decision to spend it with just our immediate household, and while my two kids understand the necessity of social distancing, it still brought a lot of heartache. We made a short house call to our family: dropping off pies on doorstops: pumpkin, chocolate mousse, and apple. “I have always loved a window, especially an open one,” Wendell Berry commented, and I couldn’t help agreeing with him after throwing hugs and kisses to my sweet little nieces through glass. But we had each other, we had plenty of food, we had a roof over our heads, and it was enough. “History overflows time. Love overflows the allowance of the world. All the vessels overflow, and no end or limit stays put. Every shakable thing has got to be shaken. [N]othing is ever lost, and we are compacted together forever, even by our failures, our regrets, and our longings.” Wendell Berry ******** These delicious shortbread cookies are made with California Dried Figs and based on the Sables recipe from my 100 Cookies cookbook. I grew up in a household that always had a package of soft fig-filled sandwich cookies […]

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Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Brownie Skillet

Sarah Kieffer — Tue, 25 Aug 2020 18:33:34 +0000

100 Cookies is out in the world! I want to thank you so much for all your support – both in baking from the website and purchasing my books! I’m sharing this Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownie Skillet to celebrate. It’s is a mash-up of two recipes from the new book, and although it’s rather decadent, it is also delicious. A few book related things: *Rick Nelson over at the Star Tribune interviewed me last week about the book – you can read that here. *My Strawberry-Creme Fraiche Bars are up over on ChowHound. *Heated Magazine has a few recipes from my new book up on their site, including Neapolitan cookies and Toasted Sesame Pan-Banging Cookies. *Kate from Wood + Spoon made my Sugar Cookie Raspberry Ripple Ice Cream Sandwiches! *Michelle from Hummingbird High made my Neapolitan Cookies. More Brownie Recipes: Marshmallow Brownies with Peanut Butter Peanut Butter Brownies With Candied Cacao Nibs My Favorite Brownies

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Panettone Swirl Buns

Sarah Kieffer — Fri, 09 Nov 2018 03:43:47 +0000

I’ve mentioned quite a bit on this site that I contribute over at Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day – I’ve been working with Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François for about six years. While I write some blog posts for them and spend a good deal of time over on their Instagram account, one of the highlights of my job is helping them work on cookbooks. About this time a year ago Zoë was baking piles of bread and I was photographing them for the new book, Holiday and Celebration Breads in Five Minutes a Day (affiliate link). We spent a lot of time together talking and not talking, laughing hysterically, singing, and ranting about the state of the world. It was a lot of hard work, but I enjoyed every moment of it. I was a fan of the Bread in Five series before I met Jeff and Zoë, and now after spending time with the two of them, I can’t rave about them, and their books, enough. I’ve made boules, baguettes, bagels, doughnuts, beignets, coffee cake, sandwich bread, dinner rolls, bostok, and cinnamon rolls with their dough. This new book is one of my favorites in their collection – filled with breads of the world, for […]

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dark chocolate snack cake

Sarah Kieffer — Fri, 20 Jul 2018 04:27:35 +0000

I posted a picture of a chocolate snack cake on Instagram this week and had many requests for a recipe, so here it is. I’ve featured a snack cake on my site before, but found that cake recipe to occasionally sink in the middle, so I’m offering you this one instead. It is based on my favorite cake recipe, is tried and true, and is very chocolatey and moist. I bake it in two square cake pans, and while it is as decadent as any regular two-layer cake, it feels ‘snacky’ and simple being served in just one layer. Chocolate Snack Cake tips: This recipe makes enough for two snack cakes, and buttercream for two snack cakes. Both the cake base and the buttercream freeze well, so if you only want to serve one, you can freeze the other one (and half the buttercream) to use at another time. I would suggest freezing the cake layer and buttercream separately, and then assembling when they have come to room temperature (you will have to rewhip the buttercream a little bit before spreading). You can also bake this in a 9 x 13-inch pan which will give you a nice thick cake, […]

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