Bready or Not

• Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Fully grease a large bundt pan with nonstick spray.
• In a large bowl, beat butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time.
• In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
• Gradually mix in about half of the dry ingredients into the wet. Add the sour cream and vanilla, scraping the bottom of the bowl to incorporate. Mix in the rest of the dry ingredients.
• Pour batter into the bundt pan and level out. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes; the middle should pass the toothpick test. Let cool for about 15 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to completely cool.
• Before slicing and serving, dust with confectioners’ sugar. Store covered at room temperature. Slices can also be individually wrapped and frozen for later.

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• Preheat oven at 375 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter to soften. Add both sugars and beat until fluffy. Add vanilla followed by the eggs one by one.
• In another bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet, scraping the bottom of the bowl to incorporate everything. Fold in the chocolate chips.
• Use a scoop or tablespoon to space out dough on parchment. Bake for 10 to 13 minutes, until they look set and light gold. Let them remain on the pan a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
• Store cookies at room temperature in a sealed container.

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• Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Line a 9×13 pan with aluminum foil. Spray nonstick spray or coat with butter.
• Beat butter in a large bowl. Add vanilla and egg. Add flour, sugar, and espresso powder. Scrape bottom to make sure dough incorporates everything. Fold in 3/4 cup sliced almonds.
• Press dough evenly into the pan. Sprinkle remaining almonds over the top. Gently press in.
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned and the middle passes the toothpick test. Cool completely, speeding the process in the fridge, if desired.
• Combine the glaze ingredients, adding more confectioners’ sugar or half & half to reach a thick consistency. Drizzle glaze over the pan. Cool completely, until glaze solidifies.
• Use foil to lift onto a cutting board to slice into bars. Store in a sealed container, using waxed paper between stacked layers.

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• Use the shredding attachment on the food processor to freshly grate the cheddar cheese. (Note that pre-grated cheese from the store may not incorporate well.) Temporarily move cheese to a large bowl.
• Use a knife or kitchen shears to reduce the bacon to small pieces. Set aside.
• Switch to the s-blade on the food processor. Add the pecans and process until finely chopped, but don’t make a paste. Add the diced bacon, cold butter, cheese (don’t wash the bowl), flour, and cayenne. Process until mixture begins to form a dough.
• Place empty former cheese bowl on food scale. Level out the tare for the bowl (or note number to subtract).
• Remove the s-blade and transfer the dough to the big bowl that previously held the cheese. Use hands to make sure everything is incorporated to make dough. Observe the weight of the dough; divide in half.
• Place each half of dough on a long piece of plastic wrap. Shape dough into long logs about an inch in diameter. Dough may be quite crumbly; use the coating of plastic and hand pressure to bring it together.
• Completely wrap dough to stash in fridge. Chill in fridge for anywhere from 8 hours to a couple days, or stash in freezer for up to a month. If frozen, thaw in fridge overnight before baking.
• To begin baking, preheat oven at 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Pull out a log. Slice into coins about 1/4-inch thick; if they crumble a bit, reform with fingers. Place slightly spaced out on parchment. Sprinkle pretzel or flaked salt on top of each cracker.
• Bake for 14 to 16 minutes. Crackers should look pale golden and set. Leave them on the sheet to cool for about 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Repeat to bake the rest.
• Store in a sealed container at room temperature. Crackers are best within two days but are still edible after that, albeit chewier.

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Make the dough

• In a large mixing bowl, combine ricotta, sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla until smooth and creamy.
• In another bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Gradually combine with the wet mixture, scraping the bottom to incorporate everything.
• At this point, the dough can be divided, if desired, to freeze half or all. If baking soon, wrap and chill the dough for about two hours or overnight.
• To begin baking, preheat oven at 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Use a large or small scoop or spoon to dole out dough balls spaced out on cookie sheet. Large cookies will bake in about 15 to 18 minutes; small cookies will need 11 to 13 minutes. The edges should be golden brown. Let cookies sit for about 3 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Cool completely.

Make the glaze

• Mix confectioners’ sugar, milk, and almond extract until thick and smooth. Use the back of a spoon to spread atop a cookie. Immediately add a pinch of sprinkles. Continue with the rest of the batch.
• Let cookies rest until glaze is set, then transfer to a sealed container. Store at room temperature.

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Make crust

• Place the butter, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan and heat on medium until the sugar is dissolved and the butter is fully melted.
• In a large bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs with the butter mixture to thoroughly moisten.
• Place tart pan on a cookie sheet. Press crumbs evenly across the base and sides of the tart pan. Use the cookie sheet to place pan in fridge for at least 1 hour, or freeze for 15 minutes.

Make filling

• In a medium saucepan, bring the heavy cream and espresso powder to a simmer. Remove from heat and add the chocolate and butter; let them stand for 2 minutes, then stir until glossy and smooth. Pour the ganache into the crust and smooth out with an uneven spatula.
• Chill tart in fridge until it’s starting to set, about 20 minutes, then sprinkle flaked sea salt over top.
• Put back in fridge to chill until completely set, at least an hour. Carefully pop the tart pan's outer ring off. Place base onto a cake plate or other serving dish. Cut off slices to serve. Serve with a drizzle of caramel on top, or use honey or fruit preserves. Would also be great with ice cream.
• Cover tart with foil to store in fridge. Will keep well for at least 6 days.

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