Italian Cream Cupcakes...These are not overrated. Yummm!

I have a strange relationship with baked goods  I learned to cook before I learned to bake, so my cooking skills have always been a step ahead of my baking ones.  Which at some point made me really angry.  Why can I cook a pretty okay four course meal but fail miserably at making a decent cookie?  Good baking contains some sort of magic ingredient, which arguably is different for every baker and every baked good.  Sometimes it's patience, sometimes it's extra cinnamon, who knows?  Here's the most important thing I learned along the way.  Great and inspired cooking requires flexibility and willingness to experiment with flavor and ingredients, but great baking is a precise science, you HAVE to learn the science before you can get creative with the "extras".  My recommendation:  Subscribe to America's test Kitchen online and really pay attention to the articles.  Then, start making their recipes and you'll start to understand what their lessons are really talking about.

On the other side of the coin, I don't really have a sweet tooth.  I will bake all day long in an attempt to make the prefect cookie, but I will only actually end up eating one or maybe two of them.  I typically give the rest away.  So if I can actually manage to bake something that I want to eat more than one of, I know it's a success.  My least favorite baked good is cake.  Which means cupcakes are in the same category.  They're just too much sweetness...Until I met this recipe.  It is adapted from a recipe out of Cuisine at Home magazine (not sure of the issue). 

Despite my non-favor of cake,  I'll eat at least two of these!

Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened ( 1 1/2 c)
6 eggs, separated
2 tablespoons hazelnut syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups sweetened flaked coconut, toasted
1 cup hazelnuts, toasted, skinned, chopped
Cream Cheese Icing
16 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened ( 1 1/ c)
3 tablespoons hazelnut syrup
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 lb powdered sugar, sifted

Directions
Preheat oven to 325F
Line two 12 cup muffin pans with paper liners and coat with nonstick spray.
Separate the egg, placing the whites in a mixing bowl with wire whips.  Whip the egg whites in a mixing bowl until stiff peaks form.  Set aside for later use.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl; set aside.
Cream sugar and butter in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment on medium speed until white and fluffy; about 5 minutes. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition; mix in syrup and vanilla until incorporated. Mix 1/2 the dry ingredients into butter mixture, followed by the buttermilk, then remaining dry ingredients; blend until just incorporated.  Fold in the egg whites, coconut and hazelnuts.  Fill each muffin cup to the top and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Remove from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes  then remove from the pan and let cool the rest of the way.

For the icing:

Place butter and cream cheese and cream in a mixer and stir until well combined and slightly fluffy.  Add the remaining ingredients and stir until well combined and stiff enough to hold it's shape on your cupcakes.  Adding powdered sugar as necessary.

Top each cupcake with toasted coconut and sprinkle with hazelnuts.

Holy Sweetness!

I love this recipe so much.  Well, don't I love them all really? These morning buns are so very simple to make, and so sinfully delicious.  I have actually done this recipe by making my own croissant dough, and while it's delicious, the work involved is really lengthy and intensive.  By purchasing the croissant dough, this recipe instantly becomes a super easy treat for any morning.  Curl up with one of these and a nice hot latte or cup of tea, and your day is bound to be an excellent one.

Ingredients:
1 Egg
2 Tablespoons Milk

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 cup of granulated sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar

2 packages of croissant dough

1/2 cup of granulated sugar (optional)

Directions:

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and milk.  Set aside.

In another bowl, combine the cinnamon and sugars.

Prepare two muffin tins by greasing each cup and the top edge lightly with non-stick spray.

Open one of your packages of dough and place it on a lightly floured counter top.  Roll it lightly to make a slightly larger rectangle and to get rid of the perforations that are there.  Brush the dough with half of the egg mixture, making sure to brush it all the way to the edges.  Sprinkle the entire surface with half of the sugar mixture.

Begin rolling your dough, jelly roll style into a long log, making sure to keep it tight. Pinch the seam closed and brush away any excess sugar.

With a very sharp or serrated knife, cut the log into 1 1/2 inch slices and place each piece into a cup in the muffin tin.

Repeat with the other package of dough.

Place your buns in a warm place to rise.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a damp towel.  let rise until the dough is slightly higher than the rim of your muffin cups.

Preheat the oven to  350 degrees.  Place the muffin tins on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly golden brown and puffy.

Place your white sugar in a large cookie sheet or platter.  Turn the hot buns out of the muffin tin and onto the tray with sugar.  Immediately roll each bun around to coat with sugar and let cool.

Latte Love!

Merry Christmas!!!

Every Christmas, I make this coffee bread for Christmas breakfast.  One year I almost did not make it becuase I was so busy with other things, but everyone was so outraged that I ended up staying up until midnight on Christmas Eve to finish it.  The ruination of Christmas was almost on my head.  Can't have that people...no bueno!

Swedish Cardamom Coffee Bread

Dough:

3 cups bread flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup crisco
2 Tablespoons yeast
3/4 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 cup milk powder (I prefer whole if you can find it)
1 Large egg
2 cups hot water (110-115 degrees)
3 cups bread flour

Filling:
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup ground almonds or 1/2 cup almond paste and 1/2 gruond almonds.
1/3 teaspoon almond extract
3 Tablespoons butter
1 egg

Directions:
Divide your flour in half and set one half aside.  In a mixing  bowl, place one half of the flour and the remaining "dough" ingredients.  Turn your mixer onto medium speed and mix until a slimy liquid is formed.  Remove your whisk attachment and replace with a dough hook.  Gradually add the remaining flour until a soft dough is formed.  It should just barly stick to your fingers when you touch it.

Turn the dough into a greased bowl, grease the top of the dough and cover with plastic wrap.  Set in a warm place to rise.  Let rise until doubled  in volume.

Meanwhile, mix together all of your filling ingredients until a thick paste is formed.

Once dough has doubled in size, place a generous amount of flour on your counter top or a large cutting board.  Divide the dough in half and place one piece of the dough on the floured surface. Roll out into a large rectangle with a floured rolling pin.

Take half of your filling mixture and spread it onto your dough rectangle, leaving a 1/4 inch of dough around the edge with no filling.  With one long side, start rolling your dough into a log.  Just like you would do for cinnamon rolls.  Pinch the dough at your long seam to seal the edge closed.  Make sure it's sealed well, as you don't want it to open in the cooking process and lose all of your yummy filling.

Once you have rolled and pinched the dough, Place your log onto a parchment covered baking sheet and form the log into a large ring, like a wreath.  pinch the ends together and cover loosly with plastic wrap.  Set in a warm place to rise.  Repeat process with  second piece of dough and remaining filling mixture.

Let both rings rise until almost  doubled in size.  While they are rising, preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Before baking, remove the plastic wrap and place in the center of your oven.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and firm to the touch.

Remove from the oven and let cool completely.  If you are not serving immediately, cover it with foil or place in tummerware to store.  WHen ready to serve, reheat it in a 300 degree oven for 10 minutes.

I like this bread with a light glaze on top, to sweeten it up a bit more.  You can make this by combining one cup of powdered sugar and a 1/3 cup of water or heavy cream.  Add in a dash of vanilla and drizzle over the top.

enJoy!

Welcome to Fall!

Yes!!!!!  Fall is officially here.  Althought the weather occasionally thinks otherwise, we are definitely headed in the right direction.  

One of my favorite parts of the season is the Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks.  In fact, I even became a fan of Starbucks on Facebook just so I could get the early alert that the "PSL" was available again in a Starbucks near me.  I kid you not...I need help people.  And now I have another little problem as well.  A friend recently introduced me to the pumpkin loaf and I am now addicted to yet another non-health food.  Thus I HAD to figure out how to make it myself right?  I mean why limit myself to enjoying it once a week or so.  That would be the healthy approach...


This recipe was the result of my search for copy cat Starbucks pumpkin loaf recipes.  It's not exactly the same, but it is equally good, I promise.
  

These are Pumpkin seeds, also known as Pepitas

Autumn Pumpkin Loaf
Ingredients:


1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree
4 large eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water 
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons Cinnamon
1 teaspoon  Nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 


Directions: 


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease three 7x3 inch loaf pans or a bundt pan and set aside.


In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended.  In a seperate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamom, nutmeg and ginger.  Stir the dry ingredients into the the pumpkin mixture until just blended.  Pour into prepared pans.


Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven.  Loaves are done when a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.


Optional: I like to sprinkle the top with roasted salted pepitas before baking.  These can be found in healthfood stores and occasionally in the mexican section of your grocery.


enJoy! 

Dreaming of Autumn

I realize it's not yet fall, as the heat summer still hangs in the air, but a girl can dream right? Fall is my favorite season. With bright sunny days that have a sweet chill to the air, easing us into the fridgid winter days ahead. The leaves turning thier amazing brilliant colors in preparation of dormancy. It's not yet cold enough to make me want to hibernate, but the buzz of holidays and cozy blankets is in the air. And of course there's always the baking. I think I could bake 10 hours a day throughout fall and winter and be perfectly happy.

In my dreaming of autumn, I made a pecan pie. While there is great debate about what makes the perfect pecan pie, mostly originating from north/south loyalties, I'm not a discriminator :-) It's all pretty much pecan pie to me. This recipe is a little different than the usual sweet sticky caro corn syrup concoctions, and I really love it. With a decent amount of maple in the filling, this recipe can be a wee bit more costly, but it is truly a treat for pecan pie lovers.

Maple Pecan Pie

Ingredients:

1 rolled-out round of basic pie dough
1 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup dark corn syrup
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups pecans, coarsely chopped

Directions:

Fold the dough round in half and carefully transfer to a 9-inch pie pan or dish. Unfold and ease the round into the pan, without stretching it, and pat it into the bottom and firmly up the sides of the pan. Using kitchen scissors, trim the edge of the dough, leaving 3/4 inch of overhang. Fold the overhang under itself and pinch it together to create a high edge on the pans rim. Flute the edge decoratively.

Refrigerate or freeze the pie shell until firm, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 375°F.

Line the pastry shell with aluminum foil or parchment paper and fill with pie weights or raw short-grain rice. Bake for 20 minutes, then lift an edge of the foil. If the dough looks wet, continue to bake, checking every 5 minutes, until the dough is pale gold, for a total baking time of 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the maple syrup to a boil and boil for 8 to 10 minutes to reduce. Remove from the heat and pour into a heatproof measuring pitcher. The syrup should be reduced to 1 1/2 cups. If necessary, return the syrup to the saucepan and continue to boil until sufficiently reduced. Let cool to room temperature before proceeding.

In a bowl, stir together the eggs, brown sugar, reduced maple syrup, salt, melted butter and vanilla until well mixed. Add the pecans and stir well. Pour into the partially baked pie shell, making sure the pecans are evenly distributed.

Bake the pie until the center is slightly puffed and firm to the touch, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool until just slightly warm.

Serve with whipped vanilla cream of course :-)

The best chocolate chip cookies EVER!

I love me some cookies!  I don't have a huge sweet tooth, but cookies are my weakness.  I have searched high and low for a chocolate chip cookie recipe that has just the right combination of chew and crisp, and this one hits the nail square on the head.  The increase amount of brown sugar aids in not only the rich flavor, but the chewy texture.  The melted butter is a surprise, and the first time I've seen it called for in a cookie recipe.  Whatever the purpose is, it works!

These were my dad's favorite cookies, and every time I make them, I smile at the success in finding a chocolate chip cookie recipe that truly made him happy :-)  Cookie cheers to you Dad!

Dad's favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/8 cups of flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
12 Tablespoons of butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-2 cups of chocolate chips.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and place the rack in the center of the oven.

In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter and set aside to cool slightly.  In the bowl of a mixer, place both of the sugars and butter.  Mix on medium high speed until slightly lighter in color and well incorporated.  Add the eggs and vanilla and stir to incorporate.  Add the remaining dry ingredients (except the chocolate chips) and blend well to incorporate.  Remove your bowl from the mixer and fold in the chocolate chips.

Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to scoop out the dough and place on an un greased cookie sheet.  Bake for 15-18 minutes.

**Note: this is the perfect time to use your silpat baking mats as mentioned on the "tools" page.

Fun ideas:
Use one cup of chocolate chips and 1 cup nuts of your choice.
Use one cup of chocolate chips, 1/2 cup of toffee bits and 1/2 cup nuts of your choice.
Use one cup of chocolate chips, 1/2 cup of toffee bits, 1/2 cup of shredded coconut.
Use one cup of chocolate chips, 1/2 cup of caramel pieces and 1/2 cup of coconut.

Enjoy!