The Vanilla Bean Blog

Soft Carrot Cake Cinnamon Rolls

Sarah Kieffer — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 13:13:31 +0000

These Carrot Cake Cinnamon Rolls are adapted from a recipe in my book, 100 Morning Treats. The recipe found there is for a Giant Carrot Cake Cinnamon Roll, which is a fun project, but I went with individual buns using the sweet dough base from my soft and gooey Cinnamon Rolls for a great Easter morning breakfast. I was so happy with the results: the buns bake up tender, with a faint carrot flavor that my kids declared to be delicious. A pinch of cloves in the filling gives extra warmth, the icing makes each cinnamon roll center perfectly gooey, and a scattering of candied pecans gave a little crunch to each bite. I like my cinnamon rolls super soft and gooey, so I put a thin layer of the icing over them while they are still warm. The icing melts into the just baked rolls, eliminating any hard corners or edges. If you prefer a little crispy crunch to your cinnamon rolls, you can wait until they have cooled and then top them with all the icing. Things You Should Know About This Recipe: 1. What if I don’t have instant yeast? You can still use active yeast. Active dry yeast […]

The post Soft Carrot Cake Cinnamon Rolls appeared first on The Vanilla Bean Blog.

Moist Cherry Almond Muffins

Sarah Kieffer — Mon, 16 Mar 2026 14:20:07 +0000

Back in college when I was working at the Blue Heron Coffeehouse, Cherry Almond was a popular muffin flavor that showed up in the bake case at least once a week. Since my reader favorite Blueberry Muffin recipe already had almond flour in it, I decided that it would be very adaptable for this nostalgic flavor. It works beautifully in this base recipe, and is a perfect way to start a morning. These muffins are light with a tender crumb, and almond flour and almond extract give them a well-rounded flavor. Some muffin tips from my testing: *I found adding almond flour keeps the crumb tender and light, and also adds rich flavor. I don’t recommend swapping it with all-purpose flour. *Since muffin pans are all unique, I like to bake a test muffin when I first try a recipe to see how it bakes up in my pan. This way I know how to adjust how much batter to put in the pan if the muffin spills over while baking. *Filling the muffin cups so that every other cup is empty can help the muffins bake higher. Leaving that extra space in between muffins gives them more room to rise, […]

The post Moist Cherry Almond Muffins appeared first on The Vanilla Bean Blog.

Lemon Meringue Cake

Sarah Kieffer — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 19:41:16 +0000

This is a re-vamp of the lemon meringue cake from my first book. My mother-in-law requested this cake for her birthday last year, and I changed a few things around with great results. First, I swapped out the yellow cake base for white, and found that to be a big improvement. The white cake was lighter and more tender, and this worked well with the buttercream and meringue topping. I did keep the lemon soak, which adds a lot of great flavor, but I also added a lemon curd layer to bump up the lemon zing even more. It was truly one of the best cakes I have ever made, and now a yearly birthday request. My Ingredient Notes: Why I Use the Reverse Creaming Method I prefer the reverse creaming method for making cakes, where butter is introduced to the dry ingredients instead of initially creamed with the sugars. I prefer the texture of this type of cake over butter and sugar creamed cakes; it isn’t quite as fluffy, and has a very fine crumb that is even throughout. It works well for this reader favorite White Sprinkle Cake, too. The top also doesn’t dome as much as a […]

The post Lemon Meringue Cake appeared first on The Vanilla Bean Blog.

Flaky Lemon White Chocolate Scones

Sarah Kieffer — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 01:22:46 +0000

I have a bag of lemons and blood oranges in my refrigerator. Maybe it’s the Minnesota in me, but March and April can drag here, and bright, tart citrus is a welcome addition to the snow covered yards. After years filled with brief moments of blissful warm followed by weeks of dreary cold rain mixed with snow, I don’t trust this ‘second’ spring we often find ourselves in. So, the citrus stays a little bit longer. White Chocolate In Scones? There are some who believe that chocolate does not belong in scones, ever, but I respectfully disagree (and have a similar opinion regarding sprinkle scones and chocolate chip scones). While I love fruit in scones, like my Double Apple Scones and Raspberry Scones ), sometimes a hit of chocolate is just what is needed with a steaming cup of coffee. And white chocolate and lemon is a beautiful match. Make sure to cut the white chocolate into small pieces, because it doesn’t melt as easily as regular chocolate. How I Make My Scones I have made many scones over the years, and have finally settled on this recipe with a buttery scone base, crème fraîche, and an extra egg yolk for rich flavor and tenderness. This scone recipe […]

The post Flaky Lemon White Chocolate Scones appeared first on The Vanilla Bean Blog.

Chewy Lemon Sugar Cookies

Sarah Kieffer — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 16:10:23 +0000

I used to work at a coffeehouse that made the most perfect lemon sugar cookies: gigantic in size, with light lemon flavor and a dusting of sugar. However, when the baker left (along with a few important recipes), this cookie was pronounced lost forever. On and off over the years, I have tried to re-create the magic of these cookies, and finally succeeded. These incredible lemon cookies are large in size, bakery-style: the sides are slightly crisp, and the center rich and chewy. They are a perfect way to ward off the lingering winter blues while we impatiently wait for spring. It took awhile to get these cookies just right. The original recipe had a delicate lemon flavor, with crisp edges and a soft, chewy center that almost melted in your mouth. I spent weeks playing around with ratios, and finally settled on 2 tablespoons lemon zest for good flavor, an added egg yolk to help with both softness and richness in the center bite (plus it added a little more yellow color), and both baking powder and soda to help the centers rise while baking, and then gently drop as they cooled, creating a tender, yet chewy center. Important […]

The post Chewy Lemon Sugar Cookies appeared first on The Vanilla Bean Blog.

Soft Sugar Cookie Bars

Sarah Kieffer — Tue, 09 Dec 2025 20:44:59 +0000

Every winter holiday of my childhood involved a sugar cookie decorating day. Hours upon hours were spent decorating trays of cookies, each one unique (and often over decorated). While I loved spending quality time with my siblings sprinkling and frosting, there are times when throwing dough in a pan is so much easier. Sugar cookie bars are a streamlined version of the classic sugar cookie; baked up in a 9 by 13 in pan, they are delicious and much less time consuming. While this recipe is based off the Sugar Cookie recipe I have in 100 Cookies, these bar cookies are slightly different than a your average sugar cookie: they have a more chew in the center, and the frosting keeps them soft and tender. My heart has plenty of room for both the classic cookie and this modern variation, and I often make both for the holidays. My tips for making this recipe: Looking for a cookie not a bar? Try my Panettone Sugar Cookies, Chocolate Sugar Cookies with Cardamom, or Pan-Banging Sugar Cookies.

The post Soft Sugar Cookie Bars appeared first on The Vanilla Bean Blog.

Sunken Chocolate Cake with Nutmeg

Sarah Kieffer — Tue, 25 Nov 2025 18:36:20 +0000

Nutmeg has been my spice of choice this last year. (If you are not a nutmeg fan, no worries! This cake still tastes delicious without it, just omit it.) This spice has been showing up in a lot of my recipe testing, and I can’t seem to get enough of the warm, nutty flavor. I’ve always loved it in Blueberry Muffins, but recently have been adding it to my soft and chewy Oatmeal Cookies instead of cinnamon. It also pairs well with chocolate, as evidence in this cake, and a fresh grating on top right before serving really elevates the spice in the cake and it gives it warm, holiday vibes. I love this nutmeg from Diaspora. This intense chocolate cake is a riff on the Chocolate Bread from my first cookbook, but now is baked in a springform pan, which makes it slightly more elegant in appearance, and perfect for serving at any holiday event you may find yourself attending. I find the flavor of the chocolate is deeper and darker a day or two after the cake has been made, and I make it ahead of time if I am bringing it somewhere, but a slice of this […]

The post Sunken Chocolate Cake with Nutmeg appeared first on The Vanilla Bean Blog.

The Best Way to Prep & Store Cookie Dough

Sarah Kieffer — Sun, 23 Nov 2025 00:32:27 +0000

This post is sponsored by Nordic Ware. I often put things off until the last minute (I can be a chronic procrastinator) but holiday cookie baking is always something I prepare for well in advance. It appears many of you do as well, as making cookie dough in advance is one of the questions I receive the most. I’m excited to share all of my tips and tricks with you, featuring the five most popular holiday cookies on my site! I start making cookie dough in November, taking a few hours on a Saturday and making family favorites for Thanksgiving. I freeze the dough, and then bake off as needed. Whenever the dough starts getting low, I take another afternoon and make more, re-making any favorites that only come out for the holidays, and then new ones in rotation. In December I work on even more cookie dough, as I make boxes for all the neighbors and spend more time with loved ones. I spend a few days making dough, and then bake the morning of the box giving and a few days before our family gatherings. In years past I have spent my time making dough, freezing it on […]

The post The Best Way to Prep & Store Cookie Dough appeared first on The Vanilla Bean Blog.

Chewy Snickerdoodle Bars

Sarah Kieffer — Sun, 09 Nov 2025 18:04:55 +0000

I didn’t grow up eating Snickerdoodles. In fact, the first time I ever tried one was in my twenties; a colleague had made them for a work meeting, and I was instantly smitten with their crackly, spiced tops and chewy centers. The most traditional recipes use shortening in the dough and of course, cream of tartar, which gives them their “tangy” flavor. My cookie version of the recipe (found in my cookbook 100 Cookies) is what I make every year around the holidays, but this year I decided to shake things up and bake them in bar form. I am happy to report that snickerdoodle bars are delicious, and I just might prefer them over the traditional cookie. I have tweaked my original recipe a bit – there is a little less butter, and I’ve added a pinch of nutmeg to the dough which really adds a lot of good flavor. Traditional snickerdoodle recipes call for shortening, and I’ve kept a little in the recipe to help keep the integrity of the cookie texture. The shortening helps with thickness, and helps keep the bars tender. Baking them in a square pan also saves quite a bit of time, and adds […]

The post Chewy Snickerdoodle Bars appeared first on The Vanilla Bean Blog.

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 […]

The post Pan-banging Peanut Butter Cookies appeared first on The Vanilla Bean Blog.