Chocolate Hazelnut French Macarons (Penn Appetit #2!)

During the summer, my  Brownie Skillet Cake was featured on University of Pennsylvania’s student-run food magazine Penn Appetit. Today, I’m very excited to announce my second submission: Chocolate Hazelnut French Macarons. This dessert contains a huge “wow”-factor, so check out the delicious post below!

Baked Banana Bread Pudding (Skinny)

Today, I had to take a round of SAT Subject tests.  While it’s not the ideal way to start off the weekend, it is an excuse to eat an extraordinarily delicious breakfast!  So, I combined some of my favorite things–banana and french toast–for this AH-MAZING baked banana bread pudding.

Caramel Crepes (Panqueques con Dulce de Leche)

Happy New Year! I wanted to start the new year off right with my favorite meal: breakfast! I thought  crepes would be absolutely perfect because I loved making the Nutella Crepes and because my family had some dulce de leche left in the fridge, which I wanted to use before my dad finished the whole can! When he was a kid, one of his favorite desserts in Argentina was “panqueques con dulce de leche”, or caramel-filled crepes.

Nutella Crepes

It’s Winter Break!!!! Yay! (Now finals will no longer mandate my 2-week break from posting recipes!) I don’t know what’s more exciting: 1) that I’m on vacation or 2) that yesterday was the first time I tried Nutella! My friend Gemma swears by this delicious chocolate topping as she eats it from the jar in spoonfuls, but for some reason I’ve never tasted it before…a surprise, considering my dessert obsession!

Apple Tarte Tatin (Watch out, Julia Child!)

Bonjour, everyone! I’m home from France with a souvenir for all of you to enjoy: a magnificent Apple Tarte Tatin! Ironically enough, I watched the movie “Julie and Julia” on my plane ride back home, and as Julia Child’s most famous French dessert, it is only fitting that I bake a tarte tatin in honor of one of France’s best known pastries. An Apple Tarte Tatin, my dad’s all-time favorite dessert, makes a fantastic home-baked delicacy that fills the house with the sweet smell of baking apples and caramel!  When the apples caramelize in the pan, they form a sweet syrup that creates a delicious coat around the tart. The tarte tatin is so surprisingly simple to make; you’ll only need a skillet and four ingredients! Paired with a flaky crust and vanilla ice cream (a la mode is a must!), this dessert is totally irresistible! Bon appetit!!

Recipe: Apple Tarte Tatin

**NOTE: Watching your diet? A trick I like to indulge in is freezing Cool Whip to scoop like ice cream; serve  it with a slice of Tarte Tatin and you’ll never miss the “a la mode” appeal!

Almond Peach Butter Cake

Butter, almonds, more butter, and peaches…This cake is DE-licious! As a thank you to my school’s new college counselor, who met with me during her first week on the job (and during the summer), I made her this fantastic French financier-like almond cake. I’m sure it was appreciated much more  than a thank you card! With it’s impeccable almond flavor,this cake is moist, light, and perfectly sweet for  summer. But here’s more: I used the peaches sitting in my kitchen to add a classic southern twist! ***(See below) (I’ve always loved the look of upside down cakes where the fruit is a beautiful ring of topping; it’s a gorgeous decoration!) This cake is really the best of both worlds; it’s a classic vanilla almond cake plus some southern country flair! All you need is a huge scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and a giant spoon to enjoy!

Recipe:  Moist Almond Cake

***NOTE: This cake can be made in various ways; the original recipe is a delicious almond cake that I just sprinkled almond slices on before baking. If you want to add peaches (or any other fruit), place the fruit slices on top of the cake before baking. (The peaches will sink to the bottom while baking, and you will see them when you flip the cake after cooled.)