@CaitlinM have you been moderating this entire time? I see you’re the moderator for the baking COTM. If so, WOW! Hats off to you! and yes, would have been completely shocked to think it would be going for 16 years and counting.
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(Not) Taro Leaf Buns from Mooncakes and Milk Bread. I like anything made from this milk bread dough, and this is no exception. I didn’t have taro or purple sweet potato, so I filled half with well seasoned black beans and cheese, and the other half with pistachio paste. The bean ones were much harder to twist, as the filling wasn’t sticky enough, but they stayed twisted much better than the pistachio ones.
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@redwood2bay No, there’s a long list of people who coordinated over the years, and recently a few of us have rotated through the months. The BCOTM is only every few months, so no biggie for me.
Love this riffing on Leaf Buns! Have you enjoyed Mooncakes and Milk Bread? I have it out from the library. I am also a fan of pistachio paste in baked goods (see post above).
I have loved everything I’ve made so far. The rhubarb and cream cheese buns were probably my favourite, and the char siu bao close behind.
I did see that challah—bet it was amazing! I once did one with stalks of roasted rhubarb and pistachio paste inside each strand. Very challenging to braid but delicious.
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I may have to try the char sui bao recipe. The challahs were good. I have roasted black sesame leftover from making tang yuan. I made a challah “streaked” with sesame in the braid, and that was good but also searching for other ideas. As you can see, I am far from an expert braider myself. I find that sloppy braids do not affect the taste, however 
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I bought some pistachio paste at costco which i havent used. Wondering if thats the one you used?
It is! I am moving in a month and trying to bake and cook my pantry and freezer empty. I could just eat that stuff with a spoon though….
I brought loads of pistachio paste, nuts and milk back with me from Sicily, but they are long gone, so it was great to find a large jar at a reasonable price. Will make the gelato someone posted on the ice cream thread next. Maybe with milk bread buns instead of brioche?
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I need to get some black sesame seeds. I buy the unhulled roasted ones in large bags, so usually just use them for everything. I was looking at the sesame cookies and the black sesame cake, maybe cheesecake in the M&M book.
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Thanks, i havent open my jar yet and if they still have it i will buy more.
Those of you who know me from Chowhound know that I’m a big fan of malt.
I made these Ovaltine/cinnamon cookies yesterday. They are delicious.
The Ovaltine and the cinnamon compliment each other. The soft cookie compliments the crunchy topping.
I added a generous pinch of Kosher salt because recipes for sweets that don’t include salt make me nervous.
For anyone who hasn’t baked with Ovaltine, you need to run it through a strainer as it gets lumpy.
Those of you who like your sweets not too sweet should skip this recipe.
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Freestone peaches are here - yay!
These are Red Globes, an extra-large freestone peach. Like everything else in Washington State this year, they were two weeks late. I read that yields were down due to weather, also.
Was happy to pick up 80. lbs today (four cases) at $1.65/lb. - half for a friend, half for me. It was a 10-hour round trip, first on a ferry and then over a mountain pass, but it’s a beautiful drive and the reward is worth the effort.
I’ve been slathering over the talk of stone fruit baking on this forum. Now I can look forward to doing some of that with you all.
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You made a TEN HOUR trip for peaches.
You are my hero!!!
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Lol! Some of that is ferry time, and some of it is waiting for the ferry. The drive itself is through some of the most scenic country in the state, so it’s a win all the way around. A break from our usual routine and peaches!
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Tell us what you’re hoping to make with them
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That’s the question! What all to do?! 
If I don’t include the two which are bruised, and will need to be eaten soon (breakfast tomorrow)?, I’ve got 59 peaches to play with. I’m working on a spread sheet now, trying to a) organize myself, as they won’t all ripen at once and I need to know how many I need for each project, and b) make sure I make/do the things that are highest on my priority list.
In the baking department, Dories Everything cake with peaches, blueberries and peach brandy will most likely come first - I have blueberries still to use up. The Stonefruit Tea Cake from Rustic Fruit Desserts is also high on the list. I want to try my hand at some pies - with the exception of apple slab pies, I’ve only done hand-pies in the past, and I think I’m ready to make the leap to something bigger. I’ve already made some pie-crust up (un baked) for the freezer.
There will also be a lot of canning - both boozy and straight. And peach jam - need a year’s supply.
Lebovitz’s peach frozen yogurt is a must. Maybe twice.
I might slice and freeze a few, just to have them during the winter months.
Not all the slots are filled, so if anyone has any suggestions, I’m all ears!
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What an amazing list already.
I’ve become very partial to this crispy peach cobbler from Smitten.
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Oh - that looks and sounds terrific. I’ll need to scale down the recipe. Do the leftovers hold up at all (and if so, covered or uncovered?), or should I scale it down to what we might eat in one sitting?
It also reminds me I want to make a peach cobbler with Dorie’s blueberry biscuit topping.
So, there’s two more dishes on the list!
The crispy peach cobbler emphatically does not hold, in the sense that the crispy shell uncrisps pretty quickly. If you halve the recipe, two people can pretty much polish it off in one sitting
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Also, I was so disappointed with how my Lebovitz peach frozen yogurt came out… maybe I could digitally peek over your shoulder while you make that to understand what I did wrong…?
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