Make a soccer ball cookie cake worthy of the 2026 World Cup that resembles the new Trionda soccer ball design.

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While watching soccer for a week straight I realized something – the classic soccer ball shape we all associate the sport, the 32-panel truncated icosahedron originally introduced by Adidas for the 1970 World Cup, was updated to a 14-pannel ball by Adidas for the 2006 World Cup improve accuracy and hasn’t been seen since in professional play. And yet we still all envision that 32-panel black and white ball when we think of a soccer ball. To be fair it is still used for recreational use so it’s not completely gone.

Now that you’ve had a little soccer ball history lesson, I will explain why it is relevant to this recipe. At first I was looking to create homemade soccer cookies since a few people have been having trouble finding the Pillsbury soccer ball cookie dough that I used in my World Cup Soccer Cookies. But then I thought about making a jumbo soccer ball cookie cake that would essentially look like a life-size, albeit flattened, soccer ball!

But then while scrolling Instagram I saw that Kelly of Just A Taste had already beat me to it! I could have gone ahead and still done mine but I decided to give myself a challenge and make a soccer ball cookie cake that looks like the Adidas Trionda used in the 2026 World Cup. It’s not that much harder to make but it was much harder to describe in the directions as you’re not just simply creating round balls of dough and pressing them flat. I hope you are able to figure it out based on my photos.

If I wasn’t in such a hurry to get this done in time for the USA vs Australia game today I should have hunted down Canada and Mexico flags to pair with USA for my photos as they are the three North American hosts this year. Instead I used Italy (whom isn’t even at the World Cup this year) and a Czechia hat because I was working with what I had at the moment. This is what happens when I bake on a whim at 6am before my day job.

WORLD CUP TIRONDA SOCCER BALL COOKIE CAKE

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Yield: 8-12 Servings Prep Time: 2 Hours 45 Minutes Cooking Time: 20 Minutes 20 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Blue, green, and red gel food coloring
• Blue, green, and red sanding sugar (optional)

Directions

1. In a small bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla until just combined. Slowly beat in flour mixture until it comes together into a dough.
3. Divide the dough into sixths (I used a kitchen scale). Wrap three dough balls in plastic wrap and place in the fridge.
4. Place the remaining 3 portions into three separate small mixing bowls. Add a few drops of blue food coloring to one, green to the second, and red to the third. Mix until blended. Wrap each color in plastic wrap and refrigerate all of the dough for at least 2 hours.
5. When ready, preheat oven to 350 degrees F and coat a 10-inch springform or cake pan with nonstick spray; set aside.
6. Take out the 3 undyed dough balls and place on a clean, floured work surface*. Roll each into approximately 1/2-inch thick and 12-inch long log; set aside.
7. Take out the 3 dyed dough balls and shape each into a lowercase "b" shape** (see photos), about 1/2 inch thick.
8. Place colored sanding sugar into separate bowls. Coat each colored dough with its corresponding color. Shake off the excess and return to the work surface.
9. Pair one white log with each colored dough, wrapping the log around the long outside edge and tucking into the short edge (shaped like a 6 around the b - see photos).
10. Arrange the three doughs in a circle so that the long arms on the outsides, underlining the "b" of the adjacent color (see photos). Lightly press together. Using a cake lifter or large spatula*, transfer dough to the prepared baking pan.
11. Press cookie dough evenly into the pan to fill the spaces, but be careful not to disturb the sprinkles***. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until center is set and dough is very lightly golden.
12. Remove from oven and let cool for about 15 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely. Serve and slice as desired.

Notes

*Alternatively you could work on a sheet of parchment paper and use it to lift and place in the bottom of a springform pan, cutting off the excess. **If you want to get fancy, I pinched off the tail of each and swapped them to the tails of the adjacent one to try to emulate the pattern on the real soccer ball. ***I recommend placing a piece of wax or parchment paper on top to help spread evenly while not disturbing the sprinkles.

Source: Adapted from my Cut Out Sugar Cookies and Pizza Cookie Cake.

Kicking off the World Cup with these sweet earth soccer cookies that are perfect no matter who you are cheering for – we are all on this planet together!

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Today marks the first day of the 2026 World Cup and to celebrate the occasion I whipped up these soccer ball cookies last night after seeing the Pillsbury soccer balls cookie dough at the grocery store. Nothing like a last minute recipe to keep the blog alive. But sometimes spontaneity is necessary for my creative baking juices to flow. Although in this case spontaneity also paired with a desire to be quick and easy as this bake was not part of my regularly schedule program last night.

Originally I thought I would make a chocolate chip cookie cake topped with the soccer cookies but then I remembered I basically already did that with my skillet football cookie cake. Further brainstorming brought me to cupcakes topped with green frosting piped to resemble grass but I had zero desire to process two separate bakes, let alone to make frosting and deal with a piping bag. So I decided to make a World Cup version of my double decker cookies.

I had hoped the patriotic Pillsbury Funfetti cake mix would be available in stores since Memorial Day just past and July 4th is on the horizon but alas it was not. Halloween decor has been spotted but not patriotic Funfetti? Maybe they aren’t coming out with it this year? Either way I decided it was for the best because even with the sprinkles, Funfetti cake mix cookies would have been too similar in color to the soccer cookies on top. I wanted a pop of color and a pop is what we got!

Dyed to resemble our sweet Earth (round) instead of just one country to honor all of the humans living on this planet together – which also means they are perfect no matter which team you are supporting. I considered using matcha and blueberry pea flower to dye them instead but again I wanted something easy. Maybe you will appreciate that as well when you go to make these for yourself!

Side note: If you are unable to find these premade soccer cookie dough balls, I did find a video that shows a neat way to make your own soccer cookies. I had intended to make giant version but instead I decided to go from this easy recipe to one that required slightly more shaping skills and made a trionda soccer ball cookie cake!

Looking for ideas for a USMNT watch party that are more patriotic/red+white+blue themed? Feel free to dye these red and blue instead. My USA soccer ball cake is also super fun but does take a bit more skill as it has a surprise inside. To take advantage of all those seasonal summer berries you could made red white and berry shortcakes or hand pies.

Alternatively, if you are already sweltering in the heat this week and don’t want to turn on your oven, some great no-bake options are a patriotic dessert lasagna or patriotic rice krispie treats. And I even have a recipe for a red white and blue sangria!

WORLS CUP SOCCER COOKIES

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Yield: 20 cookies Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cooking Time: 10 Minutes 10 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 1 box (15.25 oz.) white cake mix
• 1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder*
• 2 eggs, room temperature and lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• Green and Blue food coloring
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 (9.2 oz.) package of Pillsbury soccer ball shaped cookie dough

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350º F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, lightly mix together the cake mix, cocoa powder, eggs, and vegetable oil. Divide evenly into two bowls, add a few drops of green food coloring to one and blue food coloring to the other. Blend dough until thoroughly mixed and no dry pockets remain.
3. In a small bowl, place the granulated sugar; set aside.
4. Portion the dough into 3/4-inch balls (I used a small cookie scoop, size 60) then combine one of each color into one medium-sized dough ball.
5. Roll dough balls in sugar, shaking of excess, and place on the prepared baking sheets 2 inches apart. Using the bottom of a glass, flatten each cookie to about 1/2-inch thick. Place a soccer ball cookie dough ball on the top of each.
6. Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes, or until just barely golden on the edges. Let cool 5-10 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

*This helps the food coloring be richer/darker rather but it is optional.

Source: Adapted from my Red Velvet Thumbprint Cookies and Holiday Double Decker Cookies.

Biscoff rice krispie treats are an upgrade to your favorite childhood treat with cookie butter blended into the marshmallow mixture and crunchy speculoos cookie pieces throughout.

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Apparently there are still people in my life that have never heard of Biscoff spread, aka Speculoos cookie butter, and it shocks me as it’s been a staple in my kitchen since 2011. It’s a food trend that has wavered over the years but it definitely has hung around enough that I thought it to be mainstream – evidently not.

I made these when friends came in town to visit Mother’s Day weekend (thank you for the distraction) and one of those friends is who I had to describe their flavor profile beyond “Biscoff” and “cookie butter”. They’re spiced but not just with cinnamon. From what I understand there is also nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, ginger, anise, and a bit of white pepper for that zing.

Thankfully you don’t need to know what Biscoff, or speculoos, or cookie butter is to enjoy these Biscoff rice krispie treats and the aforementioned friend devoured several of them. Similarly to my peanut butter version, there is cookie butter mixed into the melted marshmallow-butter mixture before blending in the puffed crispy rice cereal and chopped Biscoff cookies. For a little extra flavor and decoration I added a drizzle of cookie butter icing on top.

BISCOFF RICE KRISPIE TREATS

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Yield: 2 dozen Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cooking Time: 5 Minutes 5 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

RICE TREATS

• 5 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 bag (10.5-oz) miniature marshmallows
• 1/2 cup speculoos cookie butter
• 6 cups puffed rice cereal
• 16 speculoos cookies, roughly chopped

TOPPING

• 1/2 cup speculoos cookie butter
• 2 Tbsp powdered sugar

Directions

1. Butter a 9 x 13 inch pan; set aside.
2. In a large saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add marshmallows, stirring frequently, until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the cookie butter. Fold in the cereal and chopped speculoos cookies until well combined and coated.
3. Transfer sticky cereal mixture to the prepared pan, pressing down until the top is level. Allow to cool completely before cutting into squares*.
4. In a small heatproof bowl, place the cookie butter for the topping and heat in a microwave for 15 seconds. Add powdered sugar and whisk until blended together. Drizzle** on top of cut rice treats. Allow to set before serving, about 30 minutes. 

Notes

*You can also drizzle the topping before you cut them into squares. **Use a spoon, or a piping bag/zip-top bag with a corner snipped off for thinner/more precise lines.

Source: Adapted from my Peanut Butter Oreo Rice Crispy Treats.

Chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake bars are the cheesecake dreams of cookie dough monsters.

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Somehow I made peanut butter cup cookie dough cheesecake bars before the classic cookie dough cheesecake bars but today I am remedying that oversight. Although given my affinity towards peanut butter I suppose it’s not entirely shocking that a peanut butter version came first. I do spend most of the entirety of fall and the start of winter celebrating all things peanut butter and chocolate during The Ohio State Buckeyes football season.

The recipe title says it all but in case you need further clarification, these cookie dough cheesecake bars have a classic graham cracker crust and egg-free chocolate chip cookie dough distributed throughout the layer of otherwise classic cheesecake. The pieces on top obviously get a little bit of a baked-cookie texture rather than cookie dough (these bars are baked after all) and I suppose I could have made no-bake cheesecake bars to avoid that, but personally I prefer the texture of baked cheesecake. Besides the cookie dough embedded in the cheesecake is perfectly doughy.

I made these before friends came to visit for the Sonic Temple 4-day rock music festival which brough me to LIFE. It’s hard to beat the euphoria seeing your favorite music performed live. And then we brought our fulfilled but tired feet home every night to these as our late night snack!

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DOUGH CHEESECAKE BARS

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Yield: 24 Servings Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cooking Time: 1 Hour 1 Hour

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

CRUST

• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs (~13 sheets)
• 8 Tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

COOKIE LAYER

• 1-1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup mini chocolate chips

CHEESECAKE LAYER

• 16 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

 

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9-13 inch square baking pan with parchment paper or foil allowing a little overhang and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, mix the melted butter and graham cracker crumbs until thoroughly combined. Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 6 minutes, remove to a cooling rack, and keep oven on.
3. While the crust is cooling, prepare the cookie layer. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt and vanilla until smooth and thoroughly combined, about 1 minute. Mix in the flour on low speed until just incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips by hand. Distribute half of the cookie dough over the crust, flattening each piece to cover as much as of the crust as possible. Set aside the remaining half.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer cream together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Mix in the egg and vanilla on low speed just until incorporated. Pour the cheesecake batter over the cookie dough in the prepared crust. Spread to cover evenly.
5. Distribute the rest of the cookie dough onto the top of the cheesecake batter, flattening each piece to cover as much of the cheesecake as possible.
6. Bake for about 45-55 minutes, until the top feels dry and firm, is just starting to turn golden, and the entire pan looks set if given a gentle shake. Move bars to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
7. Lift the bars out by the overhang. Slice into desired size and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Source: Adapted from my Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars.

Get the party started with this easy no-bake funfetti dessert lasagna. Tastes like my childhood, licking funfetti batter off the beaters.

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All these years of blogging and I’ve only missed posting on my birthday once. It was 2019 and I was in Italy for our belated honeymoon. I was too busy eating gelato for breakfast – good enough excuse right? For 41, I decided that every new recipe I share this month will be inspired by one of my favorite things. I started with a Hawaiian SPAM pizza because I love a fruited pizza, especially the OG.

Since my birthday is also May the Fourth be with you I often post a Star Wars-inspired recipe today for my actual birthday but decided to take my Funfetti stuffed cookie for one into a multi-serving dessert instead. No-bake dessert lasagnas are one of my favorite desserts in general especially the first one I ever made – peanut butter cup dessert lasagna. I have made several variations over the years and it was finally time to make a funfetti dessert lasagna.

I debated using birthday cake Oreos instead of graham crackers but I didn’t want this to be an Oreo and Funfetti desert lasagna because the grocery only had the classic chocolate Oreo version, none of the vanilla Oreos. Although Oreo Funfetti would be delicious I wanted the cake batter flavor to shine – and if I’m being honest I find the cake batter creme in those Oreos is extra artificial tasting. I’d rather a classic Oreo than the birthday ones and that defeats the purpose of using the Oreos in the first place. But I digress.

This Funfetti dessert lasagna is pretty simple but has all the birthday vibes. Layers of graham cracker soften overnight between layers of a filling reminiscent of Funfetti batter/cheesecake Finished with a layer of whipped toping and lots of sprinkles! And yes I did eat a slice of this for breakfast this morning.

FUNFETTI DESSERT LASAGNA

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Yield: 2 dozen Prep Time: 6 Hours 30 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 (3.4 oz.) package vanilla instant pudding
• 3 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup white or yellow dry cake mix*
• 1 tsp cake batter flavor (or vanilla extract)
• 24 oz. frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided
• 1 (14 oz.) box classic graham crackers
• 1/2 cup rainbow sprinkles**, plus more for garnish

Directions

1. In a medium mixing bowl, whip together the heavy cream and instant pudding mix. Add cream cheese, cake mix, and vanilla. Whip for 2-3 minutes until fully combined and smooth. Add 16 ounces of the thawed whipped topping, 1 cup at a time. Continue to whip until fluffy and light. Fold in the rainbow sprinkles. Set aside.
2. In a 9 x 13 inch dish place one layer of graham crackers (I used 7-1/2 per layer). Spread 1/3 of the filling mixture over the graham crackers. Gently press the next layer of graham crackers into the filling and repeat, ending with the final third of the filling.
3. Cover and chill for at least 4-6 hours (overnight for best results). When ready to serve, top with remaining 8 oz. of whipped topping and decorate with more rainbow sprinkles before cutting into 24 squares.

Notes

*Heat treat raw flour before consuming. Toast it in the oven at 350F for about 5 minutes, or microwave for 1 minute, stirring every 15 seconds, until an instant thermometer reads 160F. **Use jimmies as the nonpareils color bleeds easily.

Source: Adapted from my No-Bake Peaches and Cream Dessert Lasagna.

Don’t be fooled, these deviled egg cookies might look like your standard party eggs on the appetizer table but they are meant for the dessert table!

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My original plan was to share these deviled egg cookies on April Fools’ Day because I legit fooled people into thinking they were deviled eggs, but alas I lost track of time and missed it by 2 days. Over the years I’ve not been the best at catching this holiday but I have shared plenty of silly-fun food recipes of the years.

For example: my recent carrot cake crepes, new ways of thinking of deviled eggs in the form of deviled potatoes and deviled strawberries, disaster turned fun holy crap cookies, rice krispie sushi for a nephew’s birthday, buckeye AND chocolate deviled eggs, and my every growing collection of Halloween and Cheetos recipes.

Some might say I have a thing for deviled eggs and deviled egg-like food. Some might be right, because obviously today is yet another silly deviled egg creation. This time instead of testing peoples limits by making a dessert filling for a real hard boiled egg white (it’s not that weird I promise, the egg white is just a mostly bland vehicle anyway) I went for something less scary for those that are not as adventurous – sugar cookies.

I baked these deviled egg cookies in an egg-shaped silicone baking mold a friend gifted to me for the sole purpose of making these (thanks Beth!). We had seen others online baking similar things but I had an idea – what if I dipped the tops in white chocolate to make them look like true egg whites? Sure enough if you dip them in white chocolate and lay them face down on wax paper, once they set and you peel them off they really do look like little egg white cavities ready to be filled with deviled egg filing. All that remained was a little lemon curd frosting for the filling and red sanding sugar for “paprika” to lock it in.

I do have to admit I was a little distressed that the white chocolate coated eggs weren’t perfectly shaped despite my best efforts to remedy the fact that the cookies obviously weren’t perfectly flat. However several people said they are more realistic to the struggles of peeling eggs to make deviled eggs which was hilariously accurate.

So instead of trying to make these again but *prettier* I decided to just go for it and share them in all their imperfect glory. The internet needs a little more reality even if it’s just in the chocolate coating of a cookie to make it look like a deviled egg. Even if deviled egg cookies are a bit of a distortion of reality – whoops!

DEVILED EGG COOKIES

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Yield: Approximately 20 Prep Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes Cooking Time: 15 Minutes 15 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

SUGAR COOKIE

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

TOPPING

• 6 oz. white chocolate candy coating
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 Tbsp lemon curd
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• Yellow and red food coloring
• Red sanding sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat three 8-cavity egg-shaped silicone baking molds with nonstick spray; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Blend in the egg and vanilla just until incorporated.
3. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to the butter mixture 1/3 at a time until incorporated.
4. Place a 1-1/2 tablespoon ball of dough into each cavity (I used a medium cookie scoop). Place silicone trays on a cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes, rotating halfway through, or until the tops are slightly golden.
5. Remove from oven and immediately press an small indentation (where the egg yolk would have been if it were an egg) using the back of a measuring spoon. Allow to cool 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.
6. While the cookies cool, prepare the white chocolate. Line a flat tray with wax paper; set aside.
7. Melt white chocolate in a double boiler (or metal/glass bowl over a pot of lightly simmering water). Stir occasionally until smooth, and remove from heat.
8. Dip the top (flat side with indent) of the egg cookies into melted chocolate letting excess drip off. Place on wax paper, chocolate side down. Repeat with remaining cookies then refrigerate for 30 minutes or until set. 
9. While the chocolate sets, prepare the frosting. In a small bowl, beat together the butter, lemon curd, and powdered sugar until creamy. Add a couple drops of yellow food coloring and the smallest drop possible of red, mixing into the frosting to create a rich yellow color. Add a little milk or powdered sugar to reach desired consistency, but should remind you of deviled egg filling.
10. Spoon or pipe into the indentations of the cooled, white chocolate topped egg cookies. Sprinkle to red sanding sugar to resemble paprika. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Source: Adapted from my Sugar Cookie Spoons.

The adorable carrot cake crepes will be the star of your brunch spread this spring season, made easy with premade crepes.

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It’s the last day of Spring Sweets Week and I saved the cutest recipe for the end – carrot cake crepes that look like carrots! Seriously, how stinking cute are these? And they are so simple to put together using premade crepes.

The filling is a blend of cream cheese, whipped topping, pulverized carrot cake flavored Oreos (but you can substitute dry carrot cake mix), fresh shredded carrots, and pecans. Add a little orange for extra flavor and you’re ready to spread that creamy carrot cake filling over half a crepe to then be rolled up into a cone/carrot shape.

But the real trick is saving some of that filling before adding the smashed Oreos, carrots, and pecans, adding food coloring to dye it orange, drizzling on top and then sticking in some fresh parsley, cilantro, or maybe you have some carrot greens leftover from the carrot you shredded.

If you did happen to snag some carrots with the greens still attached, chances are you have a ton left (and carrots), so you should just go ahead and make carrot gnocchi with carrot top pesto to use them up and then serve these carrot cake crepes for dessert. Although I guess crepes are for breakfast? Do whatever feels right. Just know these don’t store well and are best enjoyed immediately.

Check out even more Spring Sweets Weeks recipes to serve along with these carrot cake crepes:

• Orange Poppy Seed Muffins by Hezzi-D’s Recipe Box
• Pineapple Pistachio Cake by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Deviled Egg Sugar Cookies by Jolene’s Recipe Journal
• Carrot Cake Tamale by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Dubai Chocolate Easter Eggs by Magical Ingredients
• Kentucky Derby Pie by Art of Natural Living
• Fresh Strawberry Snacking Cake with White Chocolate Chips by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Lemon Raspberry Pound Cake by Rave About Food

EASY CARROT CAKE CREPES

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Yield: 20 Crepes Prep Time: 30 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
• 8 oz. container frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 2 Tbsp orange juice (~1/2 orange)
• Red and yellow food coloring
• 3/4 cup chopped carrot cake Oreos* (~8 cookies)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans**
• 1/2 cup shredded carrots
• 10 crepes, halved (I used Melissa's Produce brand)
• 2 tsp milk
• Fresh cilantro, parsley, or carrot top greens, for garnish
• Orange zest, for garnish

Directions

1. In a medium bowl with a hand mixer, blend together the cream cheese, whipped topping, and orange juice. Remove 1/2 cup of mixture and place in a small bowl; set aside. To the medium bowl of filling, fold in the carrot cake cookies, chopped walnuts and shredded carrots until evenly distributed.
2. Spread 2 Tbsp of filling over each crepe half, leaving 1/2-inch around the edges. Starting at one end, roll the crepe up to create a cone/carrot shape. Repeat with each crepe half***.
3. To the small bowl of reserved filling, add a couple drops of red (~2) and yellow (~4) food coloring and stir to create an orange color. Add 2 teaspoons of milk to thin it enough to drizzle over the crepes.
4. Insert the stems of the carrot greens, mint, or parsley into the top of each crepe with leaves sticking out to resemble a carrot. Sprinkle with orange zest, if using, and serve immediately.

Notes

*If you cannot find the carrot cake Oreos, swap for 2/3 cup carrot or spice cake mix, but make sure to heat treat by heating in microwave to 160 degrees F - about 1 minute stirring every 15 seconds. **You could also add/substitute nuts for toasted coconut or raisins if you prefer. ***If not serving immediately, keep components separate until ready.

Source: Adapted from my Carrot Cake Dip, Cake Batter Fruit Dip, Oreo Cheesecake Fruit Dip, and A Season to Smile.

Nutty pistachio and tangy lemon pair exceptionally well in these soft and pillowy pistachio lemon ricotta cookies, topped with a lemon glaze and even more pistachios.

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On the second day of Spring Sweets Week I gave to you, a batch of pistachio lemon ricotta cookies. They may not be as colorful as the blood orange ricotta cookies recipe from which they were derived, but they certainly pack as much flavor.

The earthy nuttiness of the pistachios pairs just as well with the zesty freshness of lemon as it does with lime (as seen in key lime pistachio cheesecake and lemon-lime pistachio bars). And in case you were unsure what flavor you are dealing with, the yellow lemon glaze on top sprinkled with chopped pistachios should help.

Normally I am not a soft/pillowy cookie fan but these pistachio lemon ricotta cookies have just the right about of chewiness that I am on board. Of course that meant that I had to chop up the pistachios more finely so as to not have large crunchy spots in these otherwise soft textured cookies.

Don’t get me wrong, I love nuts in cookies but my husband often seems off-put by surprise nuts inside so that’s why I chopped them up smaller. Granted I then saved the larger pieces for topping but at least you can see those coming. My logic is flawless, don’t come at me.

• Strawberry Swirl Banana Bread by Hezzi-D’s Recipe Box
• Sushki by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Baked Carrot Cake Donuts by Jolene’s Recipe Journal
• Sourdough Cardamom Buns by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Carrot Halwa by Magical Ingredients
• Lavender Creme Brulee by Art of Natural Living
• Chocolate Raspberry Marble Pound Cake by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Easy Lemon Curd by Rave About Food

PISTACHIO LEMON RICOTTA COOKIES

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Yield: 4 dozen Prep Time: 40 MInutes Cooking Time: 10 Minutes 10 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

COOKIES

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1-3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 15 oz. whole milk ricotta cheese, room temperature
• 3/4 cup finely chopped pistachios
• 2 Tbsp fresh lemon zest (from ~5 lemons)
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract

GLAZE

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• ~1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (from ~5 lemons)
• Yellow food coloring, if desired
• 1/4 cup chopped pistachios

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder; set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar for 2 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, ricotta cheese, pistachios, zest, and vanilla and mix just until combined.
4. Add half the flour mixture and mix until combined. Repeat with the second half until a soft dough forms. Use a medium cookie scoop to roll into golf ball sized  balls and place on prepared baking sheet 2 inches apart.
5. Bake for 10 minutes or until the edges are slightly golden. Allow to cool 5 minutes on the pans before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.
6. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl whisk together 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla extract. Add the rest of the powdered sugar, then start to add the lemon juice a little at a time until you reach desired consistency (I prefer mine a bit less firm). Add a few drops of lemon food coloring, if desired, and mix until blended.
7. Spread glaze over the cooled cookies (or dip tops into the glaze) and sprinkle with chopped pistachios. Let set until firm.

Source: Adapted from my Blood Orange Ricotta Cookies.

This basil lime curd tart has a Biscoff crust, fresh strawberries on top, and is finished with basil whipped cream.

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What happens when you make something so good you think about it years later? Normal people would just make that same thing again, but what if it could be just as good but different? That’s what I did after dreaming about my blood orange curd tart for two years.

I changed almost everything about it from the crust, to the filling, and the topping. This time around the crust is crushed Biscoff (Speculoos) cookies because that’s one step up to traditional graham cracker crust, especially when the filling is a lime curd tart. But not just any lime curd, a basil lime curd tart.

Once the basil lime curd tart was set, I topped it with a heaping pile of macerated strawberries. A very organized heap, but a heap nonetheless. And no tart is complete without some chantilly cream (sweetened whipped cream) so I added a little basil to that too.

I made this for a friend’s birthday but it doubled up as the kick starter for Spring Sweets Week. Technically spring has begun but the weather is yo-yoing around that it’s hard to know what season it is from day to day. But instead of dressing for the job we want, we will be eating for the season we want. Check out what everyone else made listed right before the recipe for my strawberry basil lime curd tart.

• Strawberry Pop Tart Cookie Bars by Hezzi-D’s Recipe Box
• Napoleon with Fresh Berries by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Strawberry Lemon Crinkle Cookies by Jolene’s Recipe Journal
• Lemon Pudding Cake by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Matcha Strawberry Cream Buns by Magical Ingredients
• Lemon Crinkle Cookies by Art of Natural Living
• Bowtie Cookies with Strawberry Jam by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Lemon Lush by Rave About Food

STRAWBERRY BASIL LIME CURD TART

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Yield: 10 Servings Prep Time: 4 Hours 20 Minutes Cooking Time: 50 Minutes 50 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

CRUST

• 1 cup crushed Biscoff cookies
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 Tbsp cold, unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

FILLING

• 10 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 1 Tbsp lime zest (~2 limes)
• 1-1/4 cup lime juice (~10 limes)
• 1 cup granulated sugar 
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 4 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 4 large basil leaves

TOPPING

• 1 lb. sliced strawberries
• 3 Tbsp granulated sugar, divided
• 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream
• 1 large basil leaf, minced

Directions

1. Move the oven rack to the center of the oven and preheat to 350ºF.
2. Make the crust: In the bowl of a food processor* add the Biscoff cookies, sugar, and salt. Pulse to combine. Scatter the butter pieces over the top and drizzle with vanilla. Pulse until the butter is fully incorporated, 20-30 seconds**. 
3. Coat a 4 x 14-inch tart pan with a removable bottom*** with nonstick cooking spray. Transfer dough into the pan and press the crust evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the pan.
4. Place tart pan directly on oven rack and bake until the top edges of the crust are just barely starting to turn golden, 15-20 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Remove and allow to cool on a wire rack. Lower the oven temperature to 325ºF.
5. Make the filling: Place the butter and lime zest in a heatproof bowl, then set a mesh strainer over the bowl; set aside.
6. In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, salt, eggs, and egg yolks. While continuing to whisk, gradually pour in the lime juice until combined. Add basil leaves and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens slightly and reaches 160-165ºF on an instant-read thermometer, about 5-10 minutes. Immediately pour the curd through the prepared mesh strainer and into the bowl of butter. Whisk to combine then pour into the cooled crust.
7. Bake the tart at 325ºF until the the center wobbles like firm gelatin when gently shaken, 20-30 minutes. Remove and let cool to room temperature on a wire rack for about an hour, then chill until firm, 3-4 hours or overnight.
8. Make the topping: When ready to serve, in a medium bowl, combine the sliced strawberries and 2 Tbsp+2tsp sugar. Toss to coat and set aside to macerate. Meanwhile, in another medium bowl, whip the heavy cream until it form soft peaks. Add the remaining teaspoon of sugar and minced basil and whip further until it forms firm peaks. Serve topped with macerated strawberries and whipped cream on top.

Notes

*Can also use a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. **If using a stand mixer, run on medium-low until the dough comes together, 3–5 minutes. ***You can also use a 9-inch round tart pan.

Source: Adapted from my Blood Orange Curd Tart, inspired by Pick Yin.

That’s no robin’s egg on top, these Cadbury mini egg cheesecakes use spring’s favorite candy for a festive take on miniature cheesecake.

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Today is the official first day of spring but some of my bulb flowers already bloomed last week because of the extra freakish weather we’ve been having in Ohio. Legit it was in the 70s one day and snowing the next. Thankfully a friend gave me the novel idea of cutting them to put in vases inside. How I did not think of this on my own is a bit pathetic but they are safe indoors for as long as cut flowers can last – certainly longer than frost bitten ones.

Besides erratic weather, spring brings the best thing since the Reese’s pumpkins in the fall – Cadbury mini eggs! Personally, I prefer the royal dark ones because most mass produced milk chocolate is hardly chocolate anymore (I’m looking at you, Reese’s), but I also enjoy the dark chocolate as a contrast to an otherwise overly sweet treat. That being said, cheesecake isn’t overly sweet so you could use either type of Cadbury chocolate in these mini egg cheesecakes based on your preference.

Other than that I don’t really know what else you need to know to be convinced to make these mini egg cheesecakes, unless you are a purist and eat them straight out of the bag with no exceptions. If so, I respect that. But if you are willing to part with half a bag I think these are worth it. They are quicker to prepare than a full-sized cheesecake, can be made ahead (basically have to be due to chilling time), and are cute but not too cute to eat! But if cheesecake isn’t your jam then I also have recipes for Cadbury mini egg cookies, 7-layer bars, gooey butter cake, and rice treats.

CADBURY MINI EGG CHEESECAKES

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Yield: 1 dozen Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cooking Time: 35 Minutes 35 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

CRUST

• 1 sleeve (2 oz, 4 sheets) graham crackers, finely ground in food processor (~1 cup)
• 2 Tbsp butter, melted

FILLING

• 12 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 24 mini candy coasted chocolate eggs*, chopped (~1/2 cup)

GANACHE

• 1/2 cup chopped dark* chocolate
• 1 Tbsp heavy cream

TOPPING

• 1/4 cup shredded coconut, toasted
• 36 mini candy coasted chocolate eggs*

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine ground chocolate graham crackers and melted butter into a bowl until well combined.  Spoon into 12 mini cheesecake cups** that have been sprayed with cooking spray.  Press into the bottom of each cup so the crust is flat.  Partially bake for 5 minutes then remove from oven.
2. In a stand or electric mixer beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Fold in the chopped chocolate eggs.
3. Pour mixture evenly into the 12 cups, filling about 3/4 way full. Bake for 25-28 minutes or until cheesecake is cooked through. Let cool completely.
4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl add the chocolate and heavy cream. Microwave on 50% power for 1 minute, stirring every 15 seconds until melted.
5. Once cooled, remove cheesecakes from pan and top each with a teaspoonful of chocolate ganache, a sprinkle of toasted coconut, and 3 chocolate eggs. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes

*I like Cadbury royal dark, but you can use milk chocolate if you prefer. **Can also use regular muffin pan with cupcake liners. Yield and cook time may differ.

Source: Adapted from my Mini Chocolate Chip Oreo Cheesecakes and decoration inspired by A Pumpkin and a Princess.