Dunk Twice

Allspice Oatmeal Cookies

2011-05-05T07:18:00.000-07:00

Friends.... I am feeling a wee bit inflicted this past week.

There seems to be so much going on.

Tsunamis. Tornados in Alabama. Osama bin Laden dying. Friends betraying friends. New job offers. Crossroads in life...

And me getting a car.

Which isn't exactly inflicting to ME...moreso to the people who will be driving with me on the road.

I can just hear it now...

"Hey GRANDMA. GET OFF THE FREAKIN' ROAD. I have to be at work in 5 MINUTES. You're doing 20 IN A FAST LANE."

Yes... that's right. I'm a grandma driver. I do the speed limit. I check three times before I cross the street. You might as well throw a walker at me and call it a day, I'd probably get to work faster that way than driving.

But at least I have transportation!

Now I just need money.

In fact, having no money is kind of what brought me to this recipe to begin with. These cookies are very easy to make and you probably have all the ingredients sitting in the back of your cabinet somewhere collecting dust because that one reason you bought them you forgot to use them for and now it's too late because you already used the other ingredients and you're too lazy to go to the store and get them.

Yeah, that's right. I know your dirty kitchen secrets. Its okay. Mine are probably the same. If you must know, I bought the raisins and dried cherries in this for a chicken salad ( that I never made ) and the oats for breakfast (which I also never made due to my incompetence in making oatmeal).

So when I got the urge to make cookies, I immediately thought Oatmeal. Then I thought to use both the raisins and dried cherries and use them up (I didn't have enough in each packet to just use one flavor). And while I began to make the sweet doughy concoction, it occurred to me that while looking through my spice cabinet that I had no cinnamon whatsoever.

Then, I dropped dead of shock. Because this NEVER. HAPPENS.

I always have cinnamon around. Cinnamon is my mistress. My other lover. The boy next door. It's my favorite spice of all time. When I didn't see any in the cabinet I just about freaked out. Then I stuck my finger in the cookie dough and ate off a spoonfuls worth. Then I felt better.

I tried looking for the closest possible spice. Nutmeg? Oh god, no. Ever since that one time I tried to make Alfredo sauce by scratch and threw like 2 tablespoons of nutmeg in the sauce, nutmeg and I have never seen eye to eye. Cloves? WAY too strong and dark. Ginger? I just had a feeling that wouldn't bear well with the raisins and dried cherries. So, almost at the end of my rope, I kept looking until at the very back of the cabinet I saw my savior:

Allspice.

Allspice doesn't get much attention, but it should. It's a great substitute for cinnamon, since it basically carries all the spices in (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, etc) without being too overpowering. In fact, when I made this cookies I thought it tasted BETTER than cinnamon did. It just gave them this different, spicy edge to it that complimented the dried fruit PERFECTLY. I'm actually really excited about it, too, because who knows what else it's good with? dried apricots, maybe? allspice chocolate chip cookies? we shall see.

In the meantime though, if you're in a cookie crunch and you don't have all the ingredients you wish you did... make these. I'm sure if you don't have allspice you can sub out cinnamon, but it won't taste the same. This recipe is a good base recipe for any additions, really, so just use your imagination.

You may come up with one of your favorite cookies ever.

Allspice Oatmeal Cookies with Raisins and Dried Cherries

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup each raisins and dried cherries or other dried fruit of choice
1 3/4 cup rolled or quick cooking oats (not instant!)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare a cookie sheet pan.

2. Cream together the butter, brown sugar, egg and vanilla on low setting until smooth.

3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, allspice, and baking soda. Add into butter mixture and mix until there are no traces of flour left.

4. Fold in dried fruit and oats by hand with a spatula.

5. Drop the cookies by tablespoonfuls (I made mine a bit bigger) about 2 inches away from eachother on the pan in case they spread (mine didn't). Bake for about 8-10 minutes, or until the cookies are done around the edges but still a little raw in the middle. Cool on pan for 2 minutes then move onto wire wrack to cool completely. Devour immediately.

Makes 1 1/2 dozen cookies depending on how big you make them.

Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Lemon Buttercream

2011-04-20T07:05:00.001-07:00

Sometimes, I forget why I love baking.

I get so caught up in all the hustle and bustle of the day that I just...forget. I forget what butter and sugar look like mixed together. I forget what it's like to feel dough kneaded between my fingers. I forget what it's like to spread homemade icing on a cake, or pressing down buttery delicious graham cracker crumbs into a springform pan. I forget the heat of the oven, the smell of freshly baked cinnamon apple muffins, the first bite into a homemade cookie...

I forget all of the things that are so important to me. That keep me calm, balanced, and happy.

Baking has always been my get-away vacation from the norm. It's time I spend alone in a kitchen with nothing but frantic ideas. It's relaxing, for the most part. And even when it's not -- even when you take a task on so great that you end up curled into a ball on the kitchen floor with icing in your hair and a mess on the counters... you still feel like you conquered the world once that awesome dessert you spent 5 hours to perfect is on your table ready to be served, its demanding presence drawing everyone in.

They ooh, and ahh, and smile, and become happy with each bite. Therefore, making you happy in the process. Because not only did you totally kick that recipes BUTT, but you made people smile and forget their problems.

Baking is a gift. And I need to find more time in my life to do it.

That's why I forced myself in the kitchen yesterday. Though I dreaded the pile of dishes that would follow, I proceeded with confidence. I thought up a recipe. I mixed it all together. I baked them at 350F. And then I frosted them.

Thus, the birth of Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Lemon Buttercream.

And despite the natural light outside not doing well for my little starter DSLR, I went ahead and posted anyway.

'Cause honestly? These cupcakes could make anyones day ten times better.

I've never actually used real vanilla bean in a recipe before, so I was excited when I did for this one. I practically jumped around the room, showing everyone my vanilla bean.

I must've sounded like some kind of Ina Garten obsessed freakshow.

"Look! LOOK! It's a VANILLA BEAN. A REAL VANILLA BEAN! Oh my God. It's the pod and everything! Holy crap! I've only seen this on the teevee!"

Sadly, no one seemed as enthralled by it as I was.

Whatever. Don't judge me.

Anyway, I'm glad I mixed this into the buttercream. It added a fantastic vanilla flavor that I just loved. I used just a little bit of lemon, not enough to overpower it. I didn't want to get rid of that vanilla bean flavor. But you can definitely taste undertones of it. And when your teeth hit the perfect, fluffy vanilla cupcake underneath, you will be in spring HEAVEN.

It's really great to make for any spring-time get together, for church or just for friends coming over for a bit. I highly recommend eating it outside with a pitcher of lemonade while it's nice and sunny...preferably by a pool :) (If you don't have a pool, that's ok -- i'm sure those weird neighbors across the street wont mind you using theirs.)

Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Lemon Buttercream

INGREDIENTS:

Vanilla Cupcakes
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 stick butter (8tbsp), room temperature (VERY important!)
1 egg
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup sour cream or full-fat yogurt
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Vanilla Bean Lemon Buttercream
1 vanilla bean
1 large lemon (or 2 small)
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 sticks butter (16tbsp), room temperature
3-4 cups powdered sugar

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Place cupcake liners in a 12pc cupcake pan or spray with nonstick spray or bakers spray.

2. In an electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or hand mixer), combine the flour, sugar and baking powder together. Add in the butter, eggs, vanilla, and sour cream/yogurt, and mix for 30 seconds (or 1 minute for hand mixer) until the dough is smooth with no clumps, making sure to scrape down the sides.

3. Disperse batter evenly into cupcake pan. Place in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until tops are pale golden and a toothpick through the middle cupcake comes out clean. Once done, leave to cool on a wire wrack.

4. Meanwhile, make the frosting. To a bowl, add the butter, vanilla extract, the zest of 1 large lemon, and the juice of the same lemon. Mix together briefly to combine. Using a sharp knife, cut down the middle of the vanilla bean and scrape the beans inside out and into the mixing bowl. Mix again until the beans are incorporated into the butter. Add 3-4 cups gradually to the bowl until your frosting has the consistency you like, checking for taste after each addition (make sure it's not TOO sweet!)

5. Once cupcakes are cooled COMPLETELY, frost cupcakes as you desire (I just swirled them on with a knife... I'm simple.)

Cinnamon Rolls

2011-04-04T17:59:00.000-07:00

Before I talk about these beautiful, delicious rolls of love... let me tell you 5 reasons why these should not invoke any guilty conscious in you when you make them (and eat all of them).

1. Cinnamon. Cinnamon is good for you. It's high in antioxidants, helps digestion, and also lowers stress!

2. Has enough carbohydrates to make you want to wrestle a bear. And really, hasn't everyone always wanted to wrestle a bear before?

3. You actually can tell people what ingredients go in them! Bet you can't do that with your regular old supermarket cinnamon rolls.

4. They give you a work-out! Rollin' the dough out for these babies is like running a marathon. You'll have so much arm muscle after this you'll be able to lift up a car! (disclaimer: please do not actually attempt said statement after eating cinnamon rolls as it may cause hip displacement or other injuries to vital areas)

5. It makes 7 pans. 7. Pans. What are you going to do with 7 pans of cinnamon rolls?! You practically have to give them away! This recipe actually ENCOURAGES will-power, selflessness, and kindness to your neighbors! (even if you're still pissed at them for stealing your mail for a year)

Now that we've gotten that over with, we can continue with how amazing these cinnamon rolls are. They will make men propose to you. Make your manager give you a raise. They'll make you the most popular chick (or guy) around. Soon enough, people will be begging you to make more. In fact, they'll demand it. They are that good.

Just don't tell anyone it has four and a half sticks of butter in it. Especially not Jillian Michaels. She might come to my house and make me do burpies.

I hate burpies.

Really, though, if you want to make a special treat... This is it. This recipe makes A LOT of cinnamon rolls... so if you make the full recipe, be prepared to give some away. I gave two batches to my neighbor, three to my work (they were gone two days), and froze the last two. They are better than any cinnamon rolls you'll buy from a bakey. And people will be super impressed when you tell them you made them yourself. I highly recommend starting the night before and finishing it in the morning. You can easily freeze these like I did after their done baking or before you put them in the oven. Either way, people will be singing your praises.

Just make sure you save one for yourself.
Remember: Cinnamon rolls make your digestion better.

And who doesn't like being regular?

Right?
...Right?

...

*cricket*

Better Than Supermarket Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Frosting

INGREDIENTS

Rolls:
1 quart whole milk
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
2 packages active dry yeast (o.25 oz packets)
8 cups (plus 1 cup flour, separated) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon (heaping) baking powder
1 teaspoon (scant) baking soda
2 cups butter (4 sticks butter), melted
2 cups sugar
Generous amount of ground cinnamon

Maple Frosting

2lbs powdered sugar (1 large bag)
1/4 cup real maple syrup
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup brewed coffee
1/8tsp salt

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Mix the milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a pan. Scald the mixture (heat until just before the boiling point). Turn off heat and leave to cool 45 minutes to 1 hour. When the mixture is lukewarm to warm, but NOT hot, sprinkle in both packages of Active Dry Yeast. Let this sit for a minute. Then add 8 cups of all-purpose flour. Stir mixture together. Cover and let rise for at least an hour.

2. After rising for at least an hour, add 1 more cup of flour, the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir mixture together. (At this point, you could cover the dough and put it in the fridge until you need it – overnight or even a day or two, if necessary. Just keep your eye on it and if it starts to overflow out of the pan, just punch it down).

3. When ready to prepare rolls: Sprinkle rolling surface generously with flour. Take half the dough and form a rough rectangle. Then roll the dough thin, maintaining a general rectangular shape. Drizzle 1/2 to 1 cup melted butter over the dough. Now sprinkle 1 cup of sugar over the butter followed by a generous sprinkling of cinnamon.

4. Now, starting at the opposite end, begin rolling the dough in a neat line toward you. Keep the roll relatively tight as you go. Next, pinch the seam of the roll to seal it.

5. Spread 1 tablespoon of melted butter in a seven inch round foil cake or pie pan. Then begin cutting the rolls approximately ¾ to 1 inch thick and laying them in the buttered pans.

6. Repeat this process with the other half of the dough. Let the rolls rise for 20 to 30 minutes, then bake at 400 degrees (see note below) until light golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes.

For the frosting, mix together all ingredients listed and stir well until smooth. It should be thick but pourable. Taste and adjust as needed. Generously drizzle over the warm rolls. Go crazy and don’t skimp on the frosting.

New York Style Crumbcake

2011-03-26T21:55:00.000-07:00

Every once in awhile, when my father wanted to treat us, he would drive us after church to a bakery called "Entenmans" off the side of the highway. I remember walking in and just looked at the boxes and boxes of pound cakes, chocolate donuts, cream cheese danishes and chocolate chip cookies. I would look through them excitedly, not straying far from my father. He would smile at me and say, "pick one thing you want", while picking out some things for himself and the rest of the family. My eyes would get wide with excitement, and I would stand there, stuck with a choice that as a child seemed so absolutely life-threatening. If I got the chocolate chip cookies, I wouldn't have any orange pound cake. But if I got the pound cake, then I wouldn't get any chocolate chip cookies. I remember always standing there anxiously, thinking hard.

But there was one item that they sold there that I was honestly addicted to. One of the best things I had ever eaten: New York Style Crumbcake. It had a brilliant small crumb on top, moist cake underneath and powdered sugar all around. If I ever came to a fork in the road about what I wanted, my hands immediately went for the crumb cake. I would constantly sneak into the kitchen, grabbing another slice, until my father would ask who was eating all of the crumb cake and I'd keep my mouth closed and grin to myself sheepishly.

Unfortunately the bakery near me closed down, and now we can only buy some in packages at the super market, which never tasted exactly like the ones that came from the place we went to. And no matter how hard I've tried, I've never been able to completely mimic the taste in a recipe. But I've come damn close with this cake. Infact, I am perfectly fine with settling for this if I cannot get the best, because aside from a bit of dryness at the cake part underneath, this crumb cake was 100% DELICIOUS. And if you are a fan of the crumb cake, then you will like this. I do recommend using something to keep the cake moister or richer... Maybe more butter, or perhaps sour cream in place of buttermilk. Either way, it's an awesome way to treat yourself or just eat something new. Just makes sure you poor some powdered sugar all over these... It's just not right without it.

New York-Style Crumb Cake

Adapted from America's Test Kitchen

INGREDIENTS:
For the crumb topping:
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, still warm
1 3/4 cups cake flour

For the cake:
1 1/4 cups cake flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup buttermilk, at room temperature

DIRECTION
Set an oven rack to the upper-middle position and preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Spray an 8-inch square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and line it with a strip of parchment paper or aluminum foil that is just shy of the width of the dish and long enough to overhang the sides of the dish. Spray the parchment paper with nonstick spray as well.

In a medium bowl, stir together all the ingredients for the crumb topping until they form a smooth dough. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes while you prepare the cake.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, stir together the cake flour, sugar, baking soda and salt at low speed. With the mixer running on low, add the butter chunks one at a time, letting each one incorporate into the dry ingredients before adding another. When the mixture resembles even, moist crumbs, add the egg, egg yolk, vanilla and buttermilk, and increase the speed to medium. Beat until the batter is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.

Break apart the crumb topping into large pea-sized pieces, rolling them slightly in between your fingertips to get them to hold their shape. Spread the crumbs in even layer over the batter. Bake until the crumbs are golden and a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool on wire rack at least 30 minutes. Lift the cake out of the pan using the parchment handles. Dust with confectioners' sugar just before serving.

Dulce De Leches Cheesecake

2011-03-04T08:13:00.000-08:00

For some reason, gossip never seems to go out of style no matter how old you are. You could be 40 years old and still stuck in a inferno of twisted stories. Sure, they may start off innocent. One person telling another person that they saw some hot golfer guy that lives down the street from them helping Crazy Old Lady Tooters with her groceries. Then the person you told says something about it to someone else, then that someone else says it to someone, and suddenly it turns into:

"Did you hear about what's going on with Crazy Old Lady Tooters that lives down the street?! I heard she's having an affair with the hot golfer guy that's married to that one chick that works at Kmart... I even heard that he got her pregnant! I know she's like 5038 years old but oh, my, GOD!"

Then someone decides it would be a good idea to actually ask the people in question what's going on instead of assuming something. Nine out of ten times they hear something completely different than what their peers said. What was thought to be an affair actually turns into Crazy Old Lady Tooters needing help putting away her groceries because she was too weak to put them up in her cabinets, and hot golfer guy was just being a good ol' gentlemen. No affair. No pregnancy. No bomb conspiracies. No wife who works at kmart being cheated on.

Rumors. They can get sticky pretty fast.

Unfortunately, no matter where you go in life, rumors will eventually find their way to you. I'm currently stuck in one that has been blown so much out of logic that at this point all I can do is laugh that anyone could even come up with stuff. It really is ridiculous. I like a good story now and then, but life isn't a Jerry Springer Show. When it comes to gossiping, I try to keep my mouth shut. I've always lived by the philosophy that whatever people tell me, I won't go blabbing to someone else unless I want to know the truth. And in that case, why not just ask that person straight up? This is one of my favorite bible verses concerning this:

“A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret.” Proverbs 11:13

I try to live by this verse when it concerns gossip. Afterall, no one needs to know eachothers private lives.

Now, if you're going to spread rumors about me... At least have it to do something with my baking. Good rumors. Like, "hey, I heard Alex bakes a mean dulce de leches cheesecake"... that, I can live with. Totally. Absolutely. Go right ahead and say stuff about me if you're gonna be saying that.

While you're at it, mention that my dulce de leches has a spiced graham cracker and almond crust. And that it's got a sour-cream dulce de leches swirl on top. Tell them it's absolutely splendid, not too sweet not too bitter... A beautiful medium.

And tell them that I will totally make one for them, too.

Dulce De Leches Cheesecake

INGREDIENTS

Crust:
1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs (about 12 crackers)
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
6 tablespoons butter, melted and still warm (not scorching hot) to the touch
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 cups almonds

Cheesecake:
3 8oz packages of cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract (can replace with vanilla extract)
3 eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup homemade or store bought dulce de leches (from a 14 oz. can)

Topping:
2 cups full-fat sour cream
3 tablespoons granulated sugar (I added more sugar to this cause I like the topping more sweet, but add more to your own preference)
1/2 cup or whatever remains of the dulce de leches
1/4 cup slivered almonds (to decorate)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat your oven to 320 degrees. Spray a 9in springform pan with non-stick baking spray.

2. To make the crust, take all of the crust ingredients and pulse together in a food processor or blender until fully combined. Press into the springform pan, moving up the sides about an inch or two. Put the crust into the oven for about 10 minutes or until slightly brownish. Take out and let cool while you make the cheesecake filling.

3. Using an electric mixer or handmixer, on a low speed combine the cream cheese with the sugar, extracts, and flour until smooth. Add in eggs one at a time, making sure to mix each egg in completely before adding another. Be careful not to overmix. Reserve 1/2 cup of the cheesecake and set to the side.

4. Pour the filling into the cooled crust. Pour the 1/2 cup of dulce de leches into the reserved 1/2 cup of the cheesecake filling. Whisk together, then drop spoonfuls of the cheesecake dulce de leches filling into the regular cheesecake filling. Swirl together with a butter knife.

5. Bake cheesecake for about an hour or until the cheesecake wiggles only slightly in the middle and the outside of the cheesecake is set.

6. Run a knife around the side of the cheesecake to loosen. Let cool at room temperature for another hour, then pop into the fridge for 5 hours or overnight.

Donut Muffins

2011-02-25T21:35:00.000-08:00

Lately, I've been finding myself missing out on my morning "me" time. You know, that point in the day where you're actually by yourself and stalking checking out other peoples facebooks...

If you have kids, this part of your life is probably missing. Don't fret, it isn't gone forever. Unless you're my mom, who hasn't had a kid in years and still has them in her house at all times.

Apparently it's because she makes killer hot wings. But I think they just are fascinated by the fact that she wears a weave.

Actually, I probably wasn't suppose to mention that on the internet...

Anyway, "me" time... It's something I literally go out of my way to obtain. If I don't have a moment in the day where I'm literally by myself for an hour or two, I usually am in a horrible mood for the whole day. I just can't stand going a day without being able to sit down and just chill out. I like to get up early, early in the morning and do this. Everyone's sleeping and I can check my e-mail/facebook/etc in peace without having to worry about talking to anyone or doing anything. It's also my prime time to write, do devotionals, and pray.

But mostly, it's a time to enjoy my first meal of the day. Which for me is a big deal, because I absolutely love breakfast. If I had it my way, I'd probably eat breakfast for lunch and dinner as well. Whether it be waffles, pancakes, eggs/bacon sandwich, grilled cheese, yogurt and granola or apples with milk... I don't care. All I know is that I seriously dig breakfast.

Plus there's that whole bacon deal... Did I ever mention I used to eat plates of bacon for breakfast?

I also had really bad acne...

Yeah... Something to think about.

I also used to love to eat those powdered donut balls from Dunkin' Donuts. My Dad would occasionally buy them on Sunday mornings before church. Whenever he did, they were guaranteed to be gone by that night. I would sneak away with about five of them, washing them down with a cold glass of milk. Since I've moved to Louisiana, I scarcely have seen any Dunkin' Donuts... so those powdered donut holes haven't been in my life.

But thankfully, I found a substitute.

These babies are called Donut Muffins. While they can be rolled in coarse sugar or cinnamon sugar, I went with the powdered variety. Why? Because it's literally like biting into the love child of a beignet and a powdered donut. These babies are made with a good amount of butter, then brushed with MORE butter when they get out of the oven. Sweetened mostly by the powdered sugar, these beauties come out clean and neatly domed without the need of smoothing out the dough. They are soft, perfect, pillowy, and absolutely need to be drunk with milk or coffee. No doubt about it. And don't invite tea to the party. Save the biscotti for that.

Now, with a whole arsenal of these wrapped up and ready to be warmed and eaten, I'm definitel going to try a little bit harder to get that "me" time. I am literally counting down the hours until I can wake up and eat this delicious morsel. Maybe it's not the healthiest breakfast... but it's good for a treat every now and then. Hey, I won't tell if you won't.

Donut Muffins

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 ½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
Scant 1 tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground nutmeg
¾ cup plus 1 Tbs whole milk
2 Tbs buttermilk
1 ½ sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup plus 2 Tbs granulated sugar
2 large eggs

TOPPING
4 - 6 Tbs unsalted butter
1 ½ - 2 cups powdered sugar OR 1/2 cups cinnamon sugar OR 1/2 cup coarse sugar

DIRECTIONS:

1.Preheat the oven to 350. and set a rack to the middle position. Spray a standard-size muffin tin with cooking spray.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg, and whisk to mix them thoroughly. Set aside.

3. Combine the milk and the buttermilk in a measuring cup, and set aside.

4. Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or, alternatively, in a large mixing bowl with electric beaters nearby), and beat on medium speed for a few seconds, until the butter is soft and creamy. With the motor running, add the sugar in a steady stream. Continue beating, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice, until the mixture increases in volume and lightens to pale yellow. It should look light, fluffy, and wonderfully creamy, like frosting. This could take a couple of minutes.

5. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until they are just combined.

6. With a wooden spoon, mix ¼ of the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Add 1/3 of the milk mixture. Continue to add the dry and wet ingredients alternately, ending with the dries. Mix until the dough is smooth and well combined, but do not overmix.

7. Divide the batter between the cups of the muffin tin. Bake until the muffins are firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25-32 minutes.

8. When the muffins are still slightly warm prepare the topping: melt the butter in the microwave or on the stovetop, and pour the powdered sugar/cinnamon sugar/sugar into a deep bowl.

9. Using a pastry brush and working one muffin at a time, lightly brush the entire outside of the muffin with butter, and then roll it in the powdered sugar/sugar/cinnamon sugar. Shake off any excess, and place the finished muffins on a rack or serving platter. Serve.

Tres Leches Cake (Three Milk Cake)

2011-02-16T17:13:00.000-08:00

So I decided to go pink on Valentine's Day.

Real pink.

As in... Pink eye pink. Or should I say blood red.

Yeah. A box of chocolates has never been more needed.

It wouldn't have been so bad if I didn't have to go to the ER two days before Valentine's Day and have my eye forced open by a doctor because it was swollen shut. I was literally blind for the entirety of Saturday. I have never felt so helpless in my life before. You don't realize how much you need your eyes to do everything until you have nothing anymore.

So unfortunately, I spent my Valentine's Day inside, making this delicious Three Milk Cake.

In other words, it wasn't that bad. Plus, eye pain is the perfect excuse for second helpings of anything.

"But sweetie, my eye likes calories... it needs the energy to feel better!"

My boyfriend totally fell for it.
My doctor... ehh, not so much.

But what do they know anyway.

Tres Leches Cake, or Three Milk Cake, is a dessert quite popular in Latin America. Not only is it ridiculously easy but it's ridiculously delicious and most of the ingredients are pantry staples. I made it for my boyfriends mother, whose birthday falls on Valentine's Day. When I asked her what she wanted, it seemed to be a tie between a cheesecake and Tres Leches Cake.

Obviously, if she picked this over cheesecake, that says something.

My favorite part about this cake is the fact that it's a sponge and it literally does not dry out. Even if you leave it at room temperature or leave a piece uncovered in the fridge on accident, you wont have a dried out piece of cake. It stays moist and delicious, usually with a small pool of milk underneath. And the whipped cream on top stays soft and fluffy. Just the way it's suppose to be.

If you ever make a dessert for any Puerto Rican, Mexican, Honduran, etc, in your life, I guarantee you they will love it if you bring this to their house as a dessert. Just make sure you bring more than one.

Us hispanics like our food in bulk.

Don't judge.

(P.S. Do not, and I repeat, DO NOT buy premade whipped topping for this cake. It will not taste the same. If you're gonna make the cake, you gotta go with homemade topping.)

Tres Leches Cake

(adapted from the Pioneer Woman Cooks)

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup All-purpose Flour
1-½ teaspoon Baking Powder
¼ teaspoons Salt
5 whole Eggs
1 cup Sugar, Divided
1 teaspoon Vanilla
⅓ cups Milk
1 can Evaporated Milk
1 can Sweetened, Condensed Milk
¼ cups Heavy Cream

WHIPPED TOPPING
1 pint Heavy Cream, For Whipping
5 Tablespoons Sugar

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 inch pan liberally until coated.

2. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Separate eggs.

3. Beat egg yolks with 3/4 cup sugar on high speed until yolks are pale yellow. Stir in milk and vanilla. Pour egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and stir very gently until combined.

4. Beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. With the mixer on, pour in remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until egg whites are stiff but not dry.

5. Fold egg white mixture into the batter very gently until just combined. Pour into prepared pan and spread to even out the surface.

6. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Turn cake out onto a rimmed platter and allow to cool. While cake is cooling, stick your mixing bowl and your spinners (whether its from a kitchenaid or handmixer) into the freezer along with the heavy cream for the whipped topping.

7. Combine condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream in a small pitcher. When cake is cool, pierce the surface with a fork several times. Slowly drizzle all but about 1 cup of the milk mixture—try to get as much around the edges of the cake as you can.

8. Allow the cake to absorb the milk mixture for 30 minutes.

9. To ice the cake, take out your thoroughly chilled mixing bowl and spinners and whip 1 pint heavy cream with 5 tablespoons of sugar until thick and spreadable.

10. Spread over the surface of the cake. Decorate cake with whole or chopped maraschino cherries. Cut into squares and serve.

Orange Mini Bundt Cakes with Orange Glaze

2011-02-05T09:31:00.000-08:00

Holidays seemed to have kicked me straight in the butt this year. Usually, I'd be baking up a storm all the way 'till Valentine's Day but I seem to have taken a long hiatus from the kitchen despite my beautiful new KitchenAid that I got for Christmas.

It definitely made things a heck of a lot easier... Though I'm pretty sure I pulled some kind of weird shoulder muscle getting that hunk of a machine out of the box and onto the counter.

Homegirl needs to go on a diet ASAP.

Maybe Christmas and New Years burned me out. Shafted along with Chris's 22nd birthday and our anniversary, blogging kind of had to take a backseat for a bit.

But now I'm back. And the Florida sunshine has not followed me into Louisiana territory.

I'm pretty sure it was so cold one night I could see my breath inside the car.

With the heater on.

Totally not awesome.

Among my KitchenAid I did get a lot of more cool gadgets...AKA, this awesome mini bundt pan. Along with one of those brownie pans, a gorgeous glass cake platter (that turns into a punch bowl), and some other little baking goodies in my stocking. Yeah... I got out good this year. And yes, I do still get a stocking. My mother and I made an agreement that I get to have a stocking until I'm married. And I'm not married yet. So there.

While I've made a couple of things already with this pan, It's really fun to make bite-sized versions of little cakes that just look so beautiful glazed or even dusted with powdered sugar. This cake in particular was delicious. Soaked up with an orange syrup and then finished with a zesty citrus glaze...if you're a fan of oranges, this is right up your alley.

I'll be posting more often soon, so be on the lookout for new posts. BTW, you can totally make these in a cupcake pan as well or double the recipe for a full-size bundt cake Just sayin'.

Orange Mini Bundts with Orange Glaze
(makes 12 mini bundt cakes or cupcakes)

Bundt Cake Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
zest of 2 oranges
1 cup sour cream

Orange Syrup Ingredients:
1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Glaze Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 tablespoon cream
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Spray a mini bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray (or line a standard muffin tin with 12 cupcake papers). In a medium size bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar and mix until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in eggs, one at a time, incorporating well after each addition. Add in vanilla and zest. Incorporate sour cream.

3. With the mixer on low, slowly add in dry ingredients and mix until well-incorporated, scraping down the bowl as necessary. Fill each bundt mold halfway with batter (if there is any extra, pour into cupcake liners in a muffin tin). Bake for 15-20, or until a toothpick entered into the center bundt comes out clean.

5. For the glaze: While the cakes are baking, in a small saucepan set over medium heat, combine sugar and orange juice. Boil for 1 minute. When the cakes come out of the oven, allow to cool for 5 minutes, then invert on a wire cooling rack. Pour warm syrup over each of the cakes.

6. Combine all ingredients for the glaze in a small bowl and drizzle over warm or cool cakes.

Carrot Cake with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

2010-12-20T17:54:00.001-08:00

You know how whenever you're having a really bad day, and you say to yourself, "it can't get any worse" and then ten minutes later it gets worse?

Yeahhhh... That was Sunday.

This weekend was my mother and I's birthday weekend. I get told a lot that my birthday kind of gets shafted, you know, with my mom's birthday the day before mine and Christmas 6 days away. You'd think it'd be like, "oh cool! I get double the presents!" but that's totally not the case.

It's more like... "oh, cool! my birthday present is my Christmas present too!"

*Awkward silence*

"....waaaaaaaaitaminute."

Yeah.

Totally not bitter or anything like that. Nope.

Kidding, in all honesty, I don't really mind. After I turned 15 I got really weird about birthdays. I just never liked them after that. Call me crazy, but a whole day devoted to me is not something I'm too into. And no, it's not because I'm Ms. Humble ;) It's because that every time my birthday rolls around, something happens that ends up ruining my whole day. Don't believe me? I can pretty much list every single birthday since I was 14 where somethings gone wrong. It's crazy.

My birthday is like an excuse for the universe to play russian roulette or rather, "let's-press-all-of-alex's-buttons" day. So I prefer to skip the whole birthday thing. It just makes it easier.

However, this year, I decided to bite the bullet and do something.

Instead of being a "party-pooper" on my own birthday, I went ahead and planned to do something I actually wanted to do. What better excuse? It's my birthday. You gotta do it, or else you'll end up on Santa's naughty list and get no presents.

At least that's what I tell my nieces and nephews.

What? It's the only perk of having a birthday close to Christmas. ;)

Anyway, I decided I wanted to bake my own cake (aka the only cake I'll eat besides rum cake), have all my family members over to play a board game, and just really spend time with my family. Something that I have been lacking horribly the past 5 months.

The day didn't start off bad... In fact, it was great. Filled with new york crumb cake and lots of (caffeinated) tea. It was wonderful. Church was awesome, and everyone sang me happy birthday, which caused me to sink into my chair, turn into a tomato and run to North Korea.

Then, all it took was a text message. Our vacuum had broken in the middle of my mother cleaning the house back at home. "Ok, figures," I think to myself, "at least that's all it was".

That should've been the first sign.

Next thing you know, I realize I have no ingredients for the cake I want to make. Ok, another bump in the road, not too bad... Go to the store, get the ingredients, and then see that I forgot the most crucial part of carrot cake.

Carrots.

So, there goes another trip to the store. I start to get jittery at this point, watching the clock all the while. I get home and try to get going as quickly as possible. I get all my ingredients ready, set everything up, butter my cake pans, preheat the oven....

And then the oven catches on fire.

Yeah.

Fire.

Flames.

Fiery flamey flames.

Next thing I know the whole house is filled with smoke and my neighbors are asking if I'm letting Bob Marley stay at my house. The smoke is so dense I can barely see the other side of the kitchen, and as the oven stays on it's not getting any better.

It's at this point that the universe wins and Alex goes into breakdown mode.

"I knew this was going to happen," I cried, shaking an invisible fist to the universe. "This always happens!"

Thankfully, my mom was there. And since she can magically make everything better, the day didn't end in disaster and fiery flames. She helped me calm down, clean up the oven, keep baking, and get everything done in time.

And you know what? Everything came out perfectly. The cake. The frosting. The party. The everything.

Overall, I did have a good birthday. And I had a freakin' delicious carrot cake to go with it. I honestly adore carrot cake. Probably the only cake I'll ever eat. And the brown sugar cream cheese frosting was such a complement to the cake... I loved it. The best part about this cake is that it has virtually no fat in it. I had even used 0 calorie granulated sugar and it was still amazing. I kept it moist with 0% greek yogurt and REAL brown sugar. The taste was tremendous and just lightly spiced. Over all the cake came out great. Although there is no coconut in this cake. I'm seriously against coconut in carrot cake... Sue me.

Carrot Cake with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup greek yogurt (fat-free works fine)

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar (zero calorie sugar substitutes work fine for this cake)

4 eggs (I used 1 cup egg substitute)

1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained of most its juice

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup chopped walnuts (I used more than this cause I love walnuts in carrot cake)

1 cup golden raisins

3 cups grated carrots (I finely grate mine to a pulp)

BROWN SUGAR CREAM CHEESE FROSTING INGREDIENTS:

8oz cream cheese, room temperature ( I used fat-free)

1/2 cup butter, room temperature (I used light)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (or pumpkin pie spice)

3 cups powdered sugar (add more as needed)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Whisk together flour, baking soda, spices and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

2. Preheat your oven to 350F degrees. Grease 1 9x13 inch pan or 2 8x8 cake pans with butter and flour.

3. Mix together greek yogurt and sugars until fully combined. Mix in egg substitute until incorporated (if using real eggs, beat in one at a time), and then proceed to mix in the crushed pineapple and vanilla extract.

4. Gently fold in walnuts, raisins and carrots, being careful not to overmix.

5. Pour into prepared cake pans and bake at 350F for about 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the center clean and the cake is a slightly dark golden brown.

6. While cake is cooling, make the frosting. Blend together the cream cheese, butter, brown sugar, vanilla extract and cinnamon until smooth. Add in powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until you've reached a stiff, smooth frosting. In other words, if you use a spatula to pick up the frosting from the bowl and the frosting is dripping off your spatula, you need more powdered sugar. Set the frosting aside or put in covered container in the fridge until cake is cooled and ready.

7. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a plate. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you are ready to frost (this is also helpful for cooling the cake down quicker so the frosting does not melt). Once cake is cooled, frost with brown sugar cream cheese frosting any way you'd like.

Hot Chocolate Bars

2010-12-14T18:31:00.000-08:00

So I've decided that Mother Nature is having a temper tantrum this week.

I'm not sure what happened. Maybe she got up on the wrong side of the bed. Maybe the sun burned her favorite pair of shoes (I mean, what women wouldn't get pissed over that?). Maybe she just likes picking on poor traveling families just trying to have a nice vacation at Disney World.

Or maybe God didn't want the north to have all the fun this winter.

I don't know. All I know is that I woke up Sunday morning and it was bright and sunny out and now it's 20 degrees outside.

In Florida.

Excuse me, but... WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?

You know it's cold in Florida when shops close down early because no one is leaving their house. Seriously. Us Floridians aren't like other people. We don't go, "oh, it's cold out, better take out my warm clothes!". Uhm, no. Us Floridians don't have warm clothes. We have 500 tank tops and maybe one hoodie thats stuck in the back of our closet underneath our shorts.

If you have lived in Florida for over 6 years (or all of your life), you don't go outside during winter. You stay inside, eat a lot of comfort food, and don't get out of bed until the sun comes out and makes it all better.

In other words, native Floridians go into hibernation during the winter, leaving the poor traveling families who thought they were going somewhere warm for winter in the freezing cold.

At least there are no lines at Disney. Ha ha...ha...

I don't really like the winter. I used to be in love with it, but now it bugs me. I don't like being cold and numb. I do, however, like being snug. The best part about the winter is being able to cuddle under your blankets, and drink hot chocolate, with the heat blasting and fuzzy neon green socks on your feet...

Okay, maybe the fuzzy neon green socks are just me.

I do love drinking good hot chocolate during the winter though. And not the things that come out of the packet. I mean real melted chocolate in a cup with the fluffiest marshmallows you can imagine, and maybe some whipped cream on top. There is nothing better than curling up on the sofa and drinking real hot chocolate with marshmallows.

Except...maybe, baking hot chocolate BARS with marshmallows.

Yeah, now you're talking.

These bars awesome because of four reasons:

(1) They took less than 10 minutes of prep work.

(2) They have marshmallows on top.

(3) Chocolate.

(4) ONLY ONE DIRTY DISH. Emphasis on ONE ONE ONE ONE.

I'm all about using one bowl. It calms my soul and helps me sleep at night.

While the bars have more of a brownie texture, you can definitely taste the hot chocolatey taste in them. If I could, I probably would've either added maybe some espresso to the mix or more powdered hot chocolate to give it an extra POW, but I think it did just fine as is. And the marshmallows? Awesome touch. These definitely need to be cooled completely before cutting, or else you'll have a marvelous gooey mess on your hands. Trust me, I know from experience.

But hey, if you like melted marshmallows and half-baked chocolate goo all over your fingers and counter-top, more power to you!

Just don't expect me to come over and clean your kitchen.

It's too cold for that sort of thing.

Hot Chocolate bars with Marshmallow Topping

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup butter

1/3 cup dark chocolate (I used semi-sweet)

1/2 cup hot chocolate powder (I would up this to maybe 3/4 cup next time)

1 egg

2 tablespoons milk or heavy cream

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 cup flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 cups marshmallows

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat your oven to 350F. Line a 8x8 pan with foil or parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray or butter it.

2. Melt the 1/2 cup butter with the chocolate. Stir until smooth and glossy. Pour into a large mixing bowl. (I just melted the butter/chocolate together in the microwave in my mixing bowl)

3. Add in chocolate powder, egg, milk/cream, and sugar. Whisk until thoroughly combined.

4. Add flour and baking powder (you don't have to whisk together beforehand), mix until there are no signs of flour left.

5. Press into your prepared 8x8 pan.

6. Bake for 15 minutes. Top with marshmallows and then bake for an extra 2 minutes or until the top of the marshmallows are just slightly brown. For better presentation, use the back of a spoon to gently push the marshmallows down into the bars without smashing them completely.

Banana Nut Bread

2010-12-09T07:52:00.000-08:00

I'm still not quite sure what part of me thought it was a good idea to get on an airplane during the Holidays and think that somehow nothing would go wrong.

I hate airplanes.

Wait, no, let me correct myself... I hate airports.

They are a pain. A big pain. Like... stepping on a bunch of lego's kind of pain. For one, all the food there is too expensive... even if it's just one little piece of fruit! I was in layover in Tennessee and you know how much it cost for one tiny palm sized apple!? $1.30! I could buy like... a whole POUND of apples for less than that. It was riiiiiiidiculous.

Not only that, but God forbid your flight delays. You know what there is to do at an airport if you're stuck there for an extra hour? nothing. You could walk around the whole airport... but then you start to feel really weird because you keep passing by the same stores and the people that work there start to give you funny looks like they've never seen someone stuck at an airport before.

Not to mention the fact that going through security takes five hours. Five hours of which you feel like you have to throw all your clothes off in lightspeed because somehow you ALWAYS end up in front of the one person who only takes like....a laptop and flip-flops.

All the while, you have to worry about being one of those selected people who get the majorly violating pat-down that will give you nightmares of security people touching you in weird places while you sleep. Keep your hands to yourself, please.

The worst part about it wasn't the security though. Or the one hour delay. Or the fact that we couldn't even leave the plane because for some reason the plane door wouldn't unlock, so we had to wait 15 minutes. It was the fact that before the flight I had meant to bring a slice of banana nut bread with me and I totally forgot.

I made banana nut bread before I left for what seems like the first time in ages. For years I've been searching for the banana nut bread that tastes most like the one my grandmother made, but I haven't been able to yet. I'm certain she made hers with walnuts, but for lack of time, I subbed out pecans. While the bread is still absolutely delicious, and probably one of the better recipes I've used, it still isn't my grandmothers bread. One day, I'll make it. But for now, this one will definitely do.

It uses up at least 5 BLACK bananas. Yes, BLACK bananas. Don't use them if their spotted. Wait until they are completely dark as night black. That's when the banana flavor is most prominent and sweet. And though you can use less than 5, I really recommend 5. It gives the bread a nice banana flavor that melds beautifully with the nuts, brown sugar, and dash of cinnamon. I also added a nice sugar crust to the top, which gives it a slight crunch when you eat it. It's perfect with peanut butter or nutella, or toasted with butter. And the slices are thick and well kept together enough that it can totally be made into french toast. So really, this banana bread is just all kinds of awesome.

Maybe if all the people work at the airport had this kind of bread for breakfast, they'd be less cranky. Including me.

Banana Nut Bread

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, melted

3/4 (packed) brown sugar

2 large eggs, beaten

2 1/3 cups mashed black bananas (5 bananas)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease 9x5-inch loaf pan.

2. In large bowl, combined the mashed bananas with the melted butter and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in eggs, vanilla extract and cinnamon.

3. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture. Stir together.

4. Sift in the 2 cups of flour, and then mix until there is no signs of flour left. Do not overmix. It's dangerous for your banana breads soul.

5. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out the middle mostly clean. Allow bread to cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Upside-Down Pear Gingerbread Cake

2010-12-02T06:59:00.000-08:00

I am not good at Christmas shopping.

Actually, that's a lie. I'm not bad at Christmas shopping at all.

I just have some issues when it comes to it.

For example, when I'm Christmas shopping, economic value goes straight out the window. It then becomes what I would like to call the "Aunt" value. In layman terms, what can I buy all my nieces and nephews that can trump the other 20 other uncles and aunts?

Suddenly, it's like I do not see price-tags on anything. Instead, I see a "lame" to "awesome" value of everything I contemplate buying my nieces and nephews. $2 dollar stuffed polar bear at walmart with a funky smell? Lame. Freakin' incredibly huge stuffed polar bear/pillow that smells like victory? Totally awesome.

Christmas. It's a time for giving, loving, family, being thankful... and competition.

Of course, this has put in motion some minor setbacks. Like...buying one niece #1 two things and niece #2 just one thing because I saw something niece #1 might like and therefore grabbed it and rang it up without thinking twice.

And then returning it once I realized I had already bought her a present. And then having a huge argument with myself on whether or not I should just buy everyone two things or just stick with one thing for all. Thus bringing me into a spinning mental state of what I should do ending in me being in the fetal position in the parking lot of Toys'R'Us.

Which isn't really an odd thing to witness this time of year.

Either way, Christmas shopping is both a blessing and a curse. Which is why after I come home from a nights worth of fighting with my brain about the whole Christmas present deal, I go into my kitchen and I bake something that fills the house with a very simple reminder. It's not about who gets the best gift, but about the fact that someone cared enough to get one for you.

I baked this the morning of one of those crazy Christmas shopping days, and honestly, just how beautiful it came out and how wonderful the apartment smelled afterward was enough to get me ready for the day.

It's a Upside-Down Pear Gingerbread Cake. You may think that sounds odd, but pears are often quite complimentary for gingerbread. Right next to apple, it has a fruity sweetness that works in harmony with the spices inside the cake. It is an incredibly fragrant cake that has a glossy brown sugar shine on the top. The white chocolate drizzle is spiced with pumpkin spice, but if you don't have that on hand, a dash each of ground cinnamon/ginger/nutmeg/cloves will do the trick just fine. It really does complete the cake, I think. This is incredibly moist. I'm sure if this cake was an aunt, it'd probably win the "awesome" award right off the bat (unless, of course, its competition was a cheesecake). With just the right amount of spices, and caramlized pear slices on top... it makes a perfect brunch, breakfast, or light dessert. Plus, it makes your house smell like heaven. Who wouldn't want that?

Upside-Down Pear Gingerbread Cake

(adapted from Gourmet)

INGREDIENTS:
2 ripe pears
1/4 cup of salted butter, melted
1/2 cup of packed light brown sugar
2 1/2 cups of flour
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon of ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of molasses
1 cup of boiling water
1/2 cup of salted butter, softened
1/2 cup of packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Peel and core pears and cut each into thin slices. Arrange pears in the bottom of an 8 inch springform pan. Drizzle with melted butter and sprinkle with brown sugar.

2. Whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt in a bowl. Whisk together molasses and boiling water in a small bowl. Beat together butter, brown sugar, and egg in a mixer at medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes, then alternately mix in one third of the flour mixture and half of the molasses mixture at low speed until smooth, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Pour batter over topping, being careful not to disturb pears, and bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes.

3. Cool cake in pan on a rack for 5 minutes. Run a thin knife around the edge, then remove sides and invert a large plate with a lip over the bottom of the cake and, using pot holders to hold the pan and plate tightly together, invert cake onto plate. Replace any pears that stick to skillet. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Pumpkin Pie Butterscotch Bars

2010-11-21T21:25:00.001-08:00

So I was wondering if I was the only person currently with 5 cans of pumpkin puree in their pantry? No? Good.

I wouldn't want to feel like the only one who has been trying to figure out a way to make the most of an abundance of pumpkin. Apparently, thanksgiving in all it's turkey glory cannot come fast enough for me to use up all of this pumpkin that I bought a month ago thinking to myself it would be a smart investment to get it now before it disappears thanksgiving week and I'm having panic attacks in the kitchen ripping my hair out because the pumpkin shortage of '09 has come back to haunt me.

By the look of my local supermarkets, I think I acted a little too quickly.

I can't really be upset about it though. Because if I had never bought those numerous cans of pumpkin puree, I would've never stumbled upon these addicting Pumpkin Pie Butterscotch Bars.

That's right.

Pumpkin. Pie. Butterscotch. Bars.

Now, I don't usually go off the map for thanksgiving and make anything outside of pie or cheesecake.... but honestly, I would have no shame in bringing these crustless square beauties. Delicious does not even begin to describe. It is far better than any pumpkin pie or cheesecake I have ever had or made. And I do not take my pumpkin desserts very lightly.

As you can probably tell from the pictures, my bars are very custard-y. That's because I took 'em out of the oven a little bit earlier than I was suppose to. Do I regret it? NO. In fact, I think they taste better this way. Sure, you'll have to eat it with a napkin next to you but that is a sacrifice I'm willing to make. I'm sure any trees that had to die in order for me to use said napkin would do the same thing in my place. I'm positive of it. Yup.

While the pumpkin pie bars themselves are ahhhmazing on their own (due to the fact that this baby is packed with brown sugar and butter up the wa-hoo), the butterscotch chips are a must and I would not recommend leaving them out less you may cause me to cry at night for your loss. It's worth the extra $$$, I promise you that. The caramelized taste paired with the sweetness of the butterscotch chips just tie the flavors together so beautifully that it's hard to believe I have gone so long without realizing the potential of using the two together.

If you are looking for a thanksgiving pumpkin dessert that differs from the norm while still staying on the same track of a "pumpkin" theme... then I swear by this recipe. I cannot imagine any person being able to pass a second helping of these up. It's just not possible.

Please. Make these. If you are a pumpkin fan: MAKE THEM. Eat them. Eat them lots. Eat them lots, get a tummy ache, and send the rest to your neighbor. Or make them for thanksgiving and watch everyone else eat them and sing your praises until your ego is so big you decide you deserve a shot of rum in your egg nog. I won't tell. Just please, please, PLEASE.... Make these.

Pumpkin Pie Butterscotch Bars
(Recipe adapted from Brown Eyed Baker)

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2½ teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (8 ounces) butter, melted
2 cups dark brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin
1 2/3 cups butterscotch chips

TOPPING:
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons flour

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9×13-inch baking pan and line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on both sides.

2. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt; set aside.

3. In a large bowl whisk together the sugar and butter. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and whisk until combined. Add the pumpkin and whisk until thoroughly combined. Add the flour mixture and, using a rubber spatula, gently stir or fold the flour into the pumpkin mixture until just combined.

4. Scraped the batter into the pan and smooth the top. In a small bowl, stir together the granulated sugar and cinnamon, and then sprinkle evenly over the top of the batter. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted into the center has just a few moist crumbs on it. Cool completely and then, using the parchment as handles, lift out of the pan and cut into 24 squares. Store at room temperature in an airtight container.

Toffee Almond Cookies

2010-11-18T07:17:00.000-08:00

Every time this year, there is an outburst of random acts of kindness. It's like, as soon as Halloween is over, everyones got the satan out of them (Okay, not everyone, but some people) and they all want to start sending out cookies and calling up relatives and oohh, santa's comin', you better be good! kind of deal to all the children. It's almost as if people suddenly realize, "oh CRAP, Christmas is coming... better get my sunday best on!" -- y'know, that kind of thing...

It's also the time of year where donators start popping up everywhere. Outside your shopping mall. Inside your grocery store, stalking you down dorito lane. After any transaction you make, you are usually asked to decide whether you would like to donate to so-and-so's foundation or not and that it goes to a great cause and it will only cost you $$ amount of money.

I know this, because I'm doing it at my store as well.

Never doing a donation run before during the holidays has shown me a lot about people. It has shown me: 1. how giving people can be; and: 2. how downright ridiculously unreasonable people can be. Sure, if a donation is like, over 7 dollars, I can imagine the pause in someones thought process when you ask them if they'd like to donate. But when someone is asking you if you'd like to donate $1.25 to a local childrens hospital charity, and you say "no, I can't right now" and then hand me a $100 dollar bill to pay for your $20 dollar purchase, there is something very, very, very wrong.

Sure, there are some of you out there who really can't donate. And I can understand that. But those of you who can... should. Not because Santa or God is watching over you but because it's the right thing to do. I don't always want to spend that extra 4-5 dollars as a donation, but you know what? I get paid. I have a job. Five bucks cut from my salary won't hurt me. And if it doesn't hurt you, then really, is there any reason not to do it? Nope.

I don't mean to get on anyones case about it. I know people have been ripped off by christmas charities before and we're all a little wary of where our money goes. But still. Helping is helping, and yes, even a $1.25 makes a difference.

Now that I've gotten that out of the way... these cookies are very good. Slivered almonds and 1 cupful of toffee make these a great little gift to anyone (who doesn't have a nut allergy). If you wanted to, you could also use milk-chocolate covered toffee. Either one tastes amazing. The cookies are a little on the soft side, making them perfect for dunking twice since they soap up the liquid fast and then it's just a brilliant symphony of toffee, cool milk or hot coffee and the subtle crunch of almonds in your mouth. Yeah, these babies are good for any time of the day.

If you wanted to, you could probably throw in 1/2 cup of oatmeal in there too if you want a chewier cookie. I was going to do that, but unfortunately I didn't have enough oatmeal. Thus, my dreams were ruined forever.

Make the cookies. Make donations when you can. Make cookie donations when you can. Helping in any way is better than doing nothing. Even if it's just $1.25, I promise you it's worth it. Just cause you can't see a sick child in front of you, doesn't mean they don't exist.

Toffee Almond Cookies

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup softened butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 1/4 cups AP flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup of toffee pieces, milk chocolate or otherwise
1 cup almond slivers

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Mix dry ingredients together in a separate bowl: all purpose flour, baking soda, & salt.

3. Cream together butter & both sugars. Add eggs & vanilla, mix well. Slowly incorporate the dry mixture into the sugar mixture.

4. Stir in the chocolate chips, toffee pieces, & almond slivers.

5. Drop by tablespoons onto baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes. Let cool completely on wire wrack.

Brown Sugar Bundt Cake with Maple Espresso Glaze

2010-11-12T08:26:00.000-08:00

A long time ago, when I was a itty-bitty Alex who liked to run around in her PJ's all day and refused to wear actual clothes until she was well past 8 years old, my Mother baked me my own cake for my birthday.

It was a lovely box mix yellow cake with lovely Pillsbury white frosting slathered all over it. She made it in her Bundt Cake pan, and after she had frosted it completely, she decided it would be a great idea to stick a little doll figure angel in the middle of the cake. She then had an even better idea, which was to surround said doll figure with candles.

Candles.

Lit. Candles.

With fire.

Fiery candles of death.

I don't think anyone in the room thought it was the best idea, but she went with it anyway. And as she lit the candles, I still remember to this day the image in my head of that poor helpless doll sitting on top the middle of a thickly frosted bundt cake, surrounded in flames. As if the doll was being made as an ancient sacrifice to Chthulu and the candles were the natives lighting their torches getting ready for the sacrifice to their angry God.

Ok, so I wasn't exactly thinking that when I was a kid. But when I think about it today, that's all I see.

Now-a-days, It's hard for me to look at a bundt cake without thinking about that moment. It's not often that I eat bundt cakes. Anyone who knows me knows that I don't like cake. It's not my preferred dessert of choice and given the chance I will always pick something other than cake at the dessert table or party. Sure, I'll try it to be nice, but that's about as far as it goes for me. As I've touched on numerous times in my blog, it's no specific thing about cake that makes me dislike it. I just don't like the cake/frosting combo. Doesn't sit well with me or my tummy.

The thing about cake is that often, it has a dry crumb that gives it that kind of "stick to the roof of your mouth" chew that can be both unpleasant and yucky to many people. Dry crumbs are often caused by 1. using cake mix and 2. having not enough moisture in your cake. I've always thought anyone who can pull off a moist but not "wet" cake had a one in a million skill of being able to perfect the balance between a cake that has enough dryness in it to keep it together but has enough moisture to make it both tender, sweet, and melt-in-your-mouth quality.

This cake...is nothing like that. In fact, it's a superb way to end any meal, or start any day with a thick slice for breakfast. The glaze on top is subtley sweet, giving a perfect finish to the caramely tasting insides. The crumb is both moist and satisfying, and the chocolate chips inside are just a fantastic added bonus that ties it all together and makes it much more than just a regular ol' cake with some glaze on it. Even I myself could be found picking off pieces of this cake here and there throughout the day. And that's definitely saying something.

If you wanted to, you could make the glaze a lot thicker. I like a thinner glaze on my cakes, so I used a bit more heavy cream. But if you like a thicker, more visually apparent glaze, go ahead and stick with the recipe below. And please, do not disclude the chocolate chips. They are worth the extra trip to the store. Promise.

Brown Sugar Bundt Cake with Maple Espresso Glaze
(Recipe by Bon Appétit)

INGREDIENTS:

Cake:
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 12-ounce package semisweet chocolate chips
3 cups all purpose flour, divided
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups (packed) golden brown sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon maple extract
4 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons (or more) whipping cream
1 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso powder

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter 12-cup Bundt pan. Spray pan generously with nonstick spray. Dust pan lightly with flour.

2. Mix chocolate chips and 2 tablespoons flour in medium bowl.

3. Sift remaining flour with baking soda, baking powder, and salt into another medium bowl.

4. Using electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar in large bowl until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in vanilla extract and maple extract. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

5. Mix in flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with buttermilk in 2 additions, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Fold in chocolate chip mixture. Transfer batter to prepared pan, spreading evenly.

6. Bake cake until tester inserted near center comes out clean and cake begins to pull away from sides of pan, about 1 hour. Cool cake in pan on rack 30 minutes. Invert cake onto rack and cool completely.

7. For the glaze, Combine powdered sugar, maple syrup, 2 tablespoons cream, and espresso powder in medium bowl. Whisk until smooth, adding more cream by 1/2 teaspoonfuls if glaze is too thick to drizzle. Spoon glaze decoratively over top of cake; let stand at room temperature until glaze is firm, about 1 hour. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome and let stand at room temperature

Brownie Mosaic Cheesecake

2010-11-04T09:57:00.000-07:00

This cheesecake is magical.

In one bite, it can do so many different things.

It will change your life.
It will change your perspective of everything.
It will make you question reality.
How can something taste so good?

It will impress your drama-queen manager who is always PMSing. Even if he's a guy.
It will make your boyfriend stop playing Fable 3 and Halo: Reach for more than just a potty break.
It will cause odd and excessive groaning/moaning noises from everyone that eats it.
It will make anyone who hates you, love you. Forever.
It pretty much brings all the boys to the yard. And not for milkshakes.

This cheesecake...is just far too much.

Smooth. Creamy. Sweet enough to balance out the brownies. Decadent enough to satisfy with one serving, but addicting enough to go back for more sometime around midnight when no one can see you lick it off the fork. Oh, and a chocolate wafer crust to top it all off.

Yeah. You can't really get better than this without enticing a heart attack on yourself.

The best part about this cheesecake is that it's easy. Sure, it includes some patience. But it's so very, very worth it. If you've got a big event coming up, or maybe just want to do something nice for someone... this is the way to go. Plus, it looks so impressive when you cut into it. The brownie chunks make such a beautiful pattern, it will make anyone "ooh" and "aah" all over again when they take a slice. Please, make this cheesecake. You won't regret it.

Brownie Mosaic Cheesecake
(recipe from Smitten Kitchen)

Brownie Ingredients:

1 family-size box of brownie mix, baked as directed
or
1 9x13 pan of your favorite brownie recipe

Crust:
(measurements to double crust in parenthesis)

1 1/2 cups or 5 ounces (3 cups or 10 ounces to double) finely ground cookies such as chocolate wafers. Or Chocolate Teddy Grahams.
5 tablespoons (10 tablespoons to double) unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup (2/3 cup to double) sugar
1/8 (1/4 teaspoon to double) teaspoon salt

Cheesecake

3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sugar
2 cups brownie cubes

Chocolate Ganache:
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, broken up, or 1/2 cup chocolate morsels
2 ounces butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon confectioners sugar

Directions:

1. Bake brownies as directed on the box or bake your own recipe. Once brownies are cool, store in the refrigerator or freezer before you cut them for cleaner cuts.

2. Stir together crust ingredients and press onto bottom and 1 inch up side of a buttered 24-centimeter springform pan. Fill right away or chill up to 2 hours.

3. Make crumb crust as directed above for 24-centimeter cheesecake. Preheat oven to 350°F.

4. Make filling and bake cake: Beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until fluffy and add eggs, 1 at a time, then vanilla and sugar, beating on low speed until each ingredient is incorporated and scraping down bowl between additions.

5. Fold brownie cubes in very gently and pour mixture into prepared pan. Put springform pan with crust in a shallow baking pan. Pour filling into crust and bake in baking pan (to catch drips) in middle of oven 45 minutes, or until cake is set 3 inches from edge but center is still slightly wobbly when pan is gently shaken.

When completely cool, top glaze.

6. To make the ganache, grind the chocolate into powder in the food processor, scald the butter and cream in a saucepan (or in a Pyrex cup in the microwave). With the machine running, pour the hot cream/butter mixture slowly through the feed tube onto the chocolate. Blend until completely smooth, stopping machine to scrape down sides once or twice.

7. Add the extract and sugar and process until smooth. Spread over cheesecake while ganache is still warm. Chill until ready to serve.

Apple Muffins with Maple Icing

2010-10-28T09:48:00.000-07:00

Apples. I love them. No, seriously, I love them.

There hasn't been a time in my life where apples have not been present in whatever place I'm housing. It's true.

Ask my Dad. He has the Costco receipts.

When fall comes around, I get giddy. Sure, apples are widely available at all times of the year but it's this time in specific that they really start to get tasty. Not only that, but you've got a wide variety at your disposable. Granny Smith. Jazz. Red Delicious. Fuji. Pink Lady. And I guess we can include the Grapple in there, too (although I am not a fan of the grape/apple hybrid species).

Out of all of them, I prefer my Red Delicious and Fuji. Fuji when I want something a little lighter and sweeter. Red Delicious when I want that CRUNCH every time I bite in. Yeah, i'm a crunchy-sweet-apple fan.

Which means I hate Granny Smith. In everything. Including Apple Pie. I don't know who decided a tart apple would be the best kind of apple to use for pie, but I highly disagree on all levels. That clever Granny Smith may look all sparkling green in the apple bin... but it's just to fool you. No wonder they call them Granny Smith. It's like biting into a bitter old lady with 9 cats. Grainy. Tart. Yuck.

No offense to bitter old ladies with 9 cats or Granny Smith fans... I love you. Just not the apples. Sorry.

These apple muffins in particular are fantastic. And while you could go ahead and use Granny Smith if that's your preference, I prefered a combo of my two favorites: Fuji and Red Delicious. One of each, to be specific. And as unhealthy as they may look, the only guilty thing about these babies is the brown sugar topping and perfect maple icing that pairs along with it. Seriously. Maple Icing... Where have you been all my life? I could have sat there dunking apple pieces in that stuff until I had a sugar stroke. No lie.

They are made primarily with applesauce in replace of butter and oil, with a little bit of yogurt to help keep them moist. I sifted the flours together twice to get a more light crumb but you can just go ahead and whisk them if you prefer. They are loaded with cinnamon and have just a tad bit of actual sugar in them. I couldn't really find one recipe for these in specific so I just ended up mixing some recipes together and bam: Apple Muffins.

By the way, these are worth going to the store and buying real maple syrup for. Don't use that fake pancake stuff. It's not the same AT ALL.

I hope you all are enjoying apple season as much as I am. Even if you do like Granny Smith.

Apple Muffins with Maple Icing

Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
1/2 cup plain fat-free yogurt
2 medium sized apples, cored and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds (optional)

Crumble Topping:
1/4 cup brown sugar or granulated sugar
1/4 cup oats, rolled or quick-cooking
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3-4 tablespoons butter, cold
handful of toasted slivered almonds, optional
(if you like A LOT of topping, double this)

Maple Icing:
1/3 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons REAL maple syrup (NO PANCAKE SYRUP)
1 teaspon to 1 tablespoon milk, to thin

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400F degrees. Prepare muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray or liners.
2. Sift or whisk the flours, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.

3. Whisk together the sugars and applesauce in a large mixing bowl. Add eggs and yogurt. Mix until smooth.

4. Combine the flour with the applesauce mixture and stir until no trace of flour remains. Mixture will be thick. Fold in chopped apples and almond slivers, if using.

5. To make the crumble topping, combine brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, oats, and almonds together. Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, cut in the butter in small pieces until mixture is crumbly.

5. Distribute batter evenly between muffin cups, sprinkling the crumble topping on each one as desired. Bake at 400F for 18-20 minutes (NOTE: Mine were done in 14 minutes so make sure to check them with a toothpick a little earlier on). Cool on wire rack when done.

6. While muffins are baking, make the maple icing. Simply whisk together the powdered sugar, maple syrup. Add milk in teaspoonfuls until icing drizzles easily off the tip of a spoon or fork.

7. Once muffins are done and cooled, drizzle maple icing on each one. Don't be flimsy with it either. I'm watching you.

Makes 16-18 Muffins.

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

2010-10-23T21:59:00.000-07:00

I have an aversion to cupcakes.

I don't know why or what it is about cupcakes that are unappealing/unappetizing to me. And I'm not talking about just a particular part of the cupcake. I don't eat the cake and leave the frosting or vice versa. No, I just flat out leave the whole thing in tact.

It doesn't even matter if they are homemade or store-bought. If the frosting is cream cheese or buttercream. Either way, chances are I'm going to pass them by the dessert table and go straight for the out of the box brownies.

I didn't realize how alone I was in this feeling until my co-workers and I had a huge discussion about cake and desserts in the break room one night, where I stated briefly that I "didn't like to eat cupcakes".

The jaws dropped to the floor and it was like in seconds I was Jason Bourne trying to figure out what was wrong with me and why everyone wanted me dead. "You don't like cupcakes?!" they exclaimed, following with statements like: "cupcakes are my favorite! how can you not like cupcakes?" "I've never met anyone who didn't like cupcakes!" "Alex, you can't be a baker and not like cupcakes." As I sat there, my reputation as a baker diminished for my dislike of cake and frosting and everything else, I decided to do what any hard-headed baker would do.

I asked someone what their favorite cupcake was and I baked it that very week.

Of course, out of all the types of cupcakes that could be requested, Red Velvet made it's way to the top of the list. Sure, yeah. Pick the cake with the five gallons of food coloring in it, I thought, as I grumpily grabbed a whole bottle of it from the grocery shelf. Three dollars to prove my worth. All because of a cupcake debate.

As I woke up that very morning at 9AM to bake those cupcakes to take to work, I couldn't help but try to figure out in my head all the reasons of why I don't like cupcakes. So far, this is all that I have:

1. I ate too much pillsbury chocolate frosting out of the can as a child, and have ruined myself forever.

2. I ate five cupcakes at a party once and ended up puking up sprinkled cake mix, and have ruined myself forever.

3. Frosting cupcakes sucks.

4. Frosting cupcakes suck when you have no pastry bags.

5. Frosting cupcakes suck when you have no frosting tips.

6. Frosting cupcakes sucks.

7. I am too impatient to frost a cake or a cupcake and make it look nice.

8. I am too impatient to bake five hundred cupcakes and make them look nice.

9. I am too impatient.

10. At least when you eat 5 cookies as a midnight snack you don't have 5 empty wrappers waiting on the desk/counter/trashcan to give you a guilt-trip in the morning.

11. In fact, why the hell do cupcakes have to have wrappers? What makes them so special that I have to spend an extra 2 dollars just to make them look pretty? They already have frosting, what more do you want from me!?

12. Cupcakes are divas. Divas with wrappers. And sprinkles.

13. I'm poor.

Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure that my relationship with cupcakes has absolutely nothing to do with that list and I just am one of those people who prefer the apple to the orange. But at least I can go home happy knowing that while I may not like everything that I bake, at least I can bake it and know it will taste good regardless. Even if it doesn't have sprinkles on it. Or a wrapper. Whatever.

These cupcakes will definitely hit home for any red velvet cake fan. Please, do not skimp on this one. The cream cheese frosting is a must, as is the cake flour. If you leave those two out, you will only be left with an unsatisfying heavy cake that is most definitely not red velvet. And just a tip: Don't forget to check if you have enough red food coloring. 2 tablespoons is more than that little container you get when you buy a pack of assorted colors. Trust me on this one. I know from experience... and failed "pink" velvet cakes.

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
(Adapted from Annie Eats)

INGREDIENTS:

For the cake:
2½ cups cake flour
1½ cups sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tbsp. cocoa powder
1 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
1½ cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 tbsp. (1 oz.) liquid red food coloring
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. distilled white vinegar

For the frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese
5 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2½ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the cake flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa powder and salt; whisk to blend.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the eggs, vegetable oil, buttermilk, food coloring, vanilla and vinegar. Beat on medium speed until well blended. Mix in the dry ingredients on low speed and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes.

4. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared liners. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through baking, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 18 minutes.

5. Let cool in the pans 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

6. To make the frosting, combine the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until well combined and smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Mix in the vanilla extract. Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar until totally incorporated, increase the speed and then beat until smooth. Frost cooled cupcakes as desired.

Yield: 24 Cupcakes

Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake

2010-10-18T14:08:00.000-07:00

I have come to the conclusion that I have a problem.

Don't worry! It's not the kind of problem that includes the use of anti-itching cream in odd places or anything like that.

It's more of a personal thing. You know. Like a, "what the heck was God thinking when he made me?" problem.

No offense to you, God. We're still homies.

I guess the problem, more or less, is my attitude in the kitchen. It's like... as soon as I walk into the kitchen, I turn into the Hispanic/American hybrid female version of Ramsey. And instead of having a spatula in my grasp, I have a hand-mixer on high, ready to kick someones butt if they even look at what I'm doing. Isn't that horrible?'

You'd think having such a passionate love for baking and cooking would give me a sense of patience. In reality, I am probably the least patient person in the world. And if someone gets in my way when I'm cooking, or says something like, "are you sure you wanna use that much cinnamon?" while I'm in the middle of making snickerdoodles, then I cannot account for the words that may pass my lips.

Example: This pumpkin cheesecake. It was not easy to make. There were many trials. And I was not alone in making it.

I've made pumpkin cheesecake before. I've made a lot of varieties. When I saw the recipe for Rose Levy's pumpkin cheesecake, I couldn't resist. But at the same time, I saw another recipe that called for ginger, nutmeg, allspice and cinnamon in the batter; spices which were lacking in Rose's recipe. I decided to just combine the two and see where it got me. Not only that, but I decided to ask my boyfriend to join me, as he is a huge pumpkin cheesecake fan and I thought it would be fun...

Until he tried to take the cream cheese out of its package with a whisk because he didn't want to get his fingers messy.

It all just went downhill from there.

Now that I think about it, working on something like cheesecake with someone who has never baked something from scratch before may not have been a good idea. And although I was thankful for the time spent together, I won't deny the fact that at one point I wanted to just throw the whole batter out into the sink and call it a day. Gratefully that didn't happen, because regardless of the whole batter being funky issue, the cheesecake still came out perfectly firm, uncracked, and delicious. Although I wasn't a huge fan of it (I'm not a pumpkin cheescake person), the spices did meld together perfectly and I think it made all the difference in the cheesecake. That, and an awesome crust that I pretty much almost ate by the fistful by itself.

But really. This whole impatience with other people in the kitchen thing... am I the only one? I would honestly rather wait 20 minutes for lunch then work with someone else in a small kitchen so we can make our own lunches at the same time. It just doesn't work for me.

Either way, this cheesecake did come out awesome. I didn't have a food processor so the recipe itself didn't work out for me exactly the way I wanted it to. If you do have a food processor, great! Maybe it'll work out for you. But I didn't. So, if you only have a hand mixer, I'm going to include both ways to make this cheesecake with and without a food processor. And if you do happen to make this with someone else less baking savvy, and you have the same kitchen temper I do... let them make the crust.

Trust me.

It might save their life.

(P.S: I do love my boyfriend for helping me out with it, and he is still alive. Just wanted to make that clear before someone calls the police.)

Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake w/Gingersnap Pecan Crust
(Tweaked from Rose Levy Beranbaum's Pure Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe)

Crust:
4 1/2 oz gingersnaps (about 17 2-in. cookies)
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon sugar
4 tablespoons butter, melted
(NOTE: I doubled the crust for mine and it worked out fine)

Cheesecake:
16oz cream cheese, softened
15oz pure pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix, preferably Libby's)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups heavy cream, chilled (NOTE: I had to substitute 2 cups full fat evaporated milk for this since there was no heavy cream left at the store, feel free to do the same if you're watching your budget)

For Garnish:
Whipped Cream
Crumbled Gingersnaps
Caramelized Pecans

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9x 2 1/2 -inch or higher springform pan.

To make the crust:
2. In a food processor, process the cookies with the pecans, sugar, salt and cinnamon (if using) until the cookies become fine crumbs, about 20 seconds. Add the melted butter and pulse about 10 times, just until incorporated.

3. Using your fingers or the back of a spoon, press the mixture into the base of the prepared pan and partway up the sides. Lay plastic wrap over the crumbs to keep them from sticking to your fingers. Be sure to press the bottom thoroughly so that the crumbs are evenly distributed. Wrap the outside of the pan with a double layer of extra-wide heavy-duty aluminum foil to prevent water leaking in from the water bath .

To make the filling:
4. In a small, heavy saucepan, combine the pumpkin puree and sugar. Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a sputtering simmer, stirring constantly, about 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low and cook stirring constantly, until the mixture has darkened somewhat, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

FOOD PROCESSOR WAY:

5. Scrape the pumpkin mixture into a large food processor and process for 1 minute with the feed tube open (so steam can escape), scraping down the sides. With the motor running add the chilled cream. Add the softened cream cheese and process for 30 seconds or until smoothly incorporated, scraping down the sides two or three times. Add the eggs and yolks and process for about 5 seconds, just until incorporated.

HAND MIXER WAY:

5. Scrape pumpkin mixture into a large mixing bowl with cream cheese. Blend together until completely incorporated and smooth. Add the eggs and yolks until just incorporated. Add chilled heavy cream until smooth, remembering to scrape down the sides.

To bake the cheesecake:
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Set the pan in a larger pan (a 12×2-inch cake pan or a roasting pan and surround it with 1 inch of very hot water. Bake the cheesecake for 45 minutes. Turn off the oven without opening the door and let the cheesecake cool for 1 hour.

7. Transfer the cake to a rack (the center will still be jiggly) and cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.

8. Unmold cheesecake onto serving platter. Garnish as desired.

Persimmon Coffee Cake

2010-10-11T08:19:00.000-07:00

Fuyu Persimmons.

Does anyone else know what they are? Huh? Anyone out there?

Hello? Japan? Can you please explain yourself, here? Because I seriously need to know why these haven't been apart of my life until now. What else are you hiding from me?

Fuyu Persimmns. They blow my mind.

Upon my first meeting of the Fuyu Persimmon (not to be confused with its sister fruit, Hachiya Persimmon), I thought it was a tomato. Imagine my surprise when I brought a buttload of them home under the impression that I'd be eating BLT's all week, only to be told that those were definitely not tomatoes, but a fruit instead (yes, I know tomatoes are technically a fruit but I would rather not get into a political discussion about fruit today). I didn't believe it until I ran a knife through it and heard the familiar *crunch* noise that followed. It was as if I was cutting a juicy, firm, ripe apple. Except the taste was entirely different. Subtly sweet with a hint of what seems like cinnamon or honey, Fuyu Persimmons quickly became one of my favorite fruit the minute I snacked on it.

Which is why I had to take a perfectly healthy fruit and throw it in some butter and brown sugar and make a coffee cake.

What? It's only the logical thing to do.

In most persimmon recipes, they tell you to puree the fruit first due to its hard texture. But I merely chopped these up, threw them with some baking powder and then folded them into the batter like you would do for apples or pears. The result was a still slightly firm but mostly soft fruit buried within the coffee cake, giving bursts of flavor in every bite. Not only that, but the perfect crumble on top brings it all together for an awesome sunday morning treat or weekday brunch.

Or just a snack every time you pass by the kitchen. I'm not kidding. You won't be able to pass by this without grabbing little bits here and there.

I plan on experimenting with this fruit a little more since I still have quite a few left over. If you want you could easily substitute the persimmons for apples, pears, or any other fall fruit.

Just don't confuse them for tomatoes. It might mess up everything. Especially if you planned to use them for spaghetti sauce. Although, Fuyu Persimmon Spaghetti Sauce might turn out pretty awesome... Y'never know.

Fuyu Persimmon Coffee Cake

Coffee Cake Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoon baking powder, divided
1 stick butter, softened
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups chopped fuyu persimmons (3 medium persimmons, chopped)
1/2 cup of golden raisins (optional)

Crumble Topping Ingredients:
1/2 all-purpose flour
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, cold
powdered sugar (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and flour a 9x13in. pan. Stir 1 teaspoon baking powder with chopped fuyu persimmons in a medium bowl to coat. Set aside.

2. Sift together all dry ingedients (flour through 1 teaspoon baking powder) in a medium bowl and set aside.

3. Mix together butter and sugar until creamy. Blend in eggs and vanilla until the batter is light and fluffy. Fold in the fuyu mixture into the batter.

4. Blend the flour mix into the fuyu mix until no trace of flour remains.

5. In a seperate bowl, make the crumble topping. Whisk together flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or your fingers until the batter is crumbly.

6. Pour the fuyu batter into the 9x13 pan, sprinkle the crumble topping evenly ontop.

5. Bake at 350F for 30-50 minutes or until a knife/toothpick comes out without crumbs when inserted into the middle. Let cool on a wire rack. Dust with powdered sugar if desired.

Reeses Peanut Butter Bar Blondies

2010-10-08T07:43:00.000-07:00

Before I get into how awesome these blondies are, let me tell you a little bit about someone else who is just as equally awesome.

My sister.

Y'see, my sister is a little out there. She's a little strange. Possibly because she's related to me. Or maybe it's the other way around... whatever. Either way, my sister is in her own way one of the most special people I've ever met.

She's not TOO complicated. She enjoys the simple things in life. Like Lost. And Dexter. And Bones. She also was the person who got me hooked on The Fringe... which I haven't decided if that's a good thing or not.

When she was pregnant with her first kid, my sister craved starbursts and hersheys kisses. When I was younger, I would snuggle up to her and watch her play Zelda while we ate chocolate together. And then she'd get pissed off and go "What the hell do I do?" every five minutes. I'd just watch intently, trying to memorize everything she did so I could do it, too.

When my sister reads a good book, or gets hooked on a good videogame, she won't put it down until she's beat it. And I am not kidding. The freaking apocalypse could be going on but she'll still be balled up on the couch reading the next Nora Roberts series. It's a little scary.

My sister also rocked the punk dreads look when she was my age. Just sayin'.

My sister can rival any man in anything. Case in point: My mother called my sister instead of my 4 other brothers to come kill a mouse in our house. If that doesn't prove it, I don't what does. This fact also includes burping contests. Please don't ask me how I know.

I'm still trying to forget the many dinners spent having my sisters large belch blown in my face. Thanks, sis.

My sister likes wine. And chocolate. And cheese. She has a tongue ring which really grosses me out. Her laugh can fill up a room. She has a beautiful singing voice and used to be in choir. And she somehow attracts every over-possessive bi-polar weirdo freak out there (I think it's due to the tongue ring, personally...). She also wanted to go to Culinary School to be a Pastry Chef, like myself. Except she wanted to decorate cakes, and open up her own shop dedicated to it. If I had a million dollars, I'd send her to Culinary School so she could do it.

Even though sister can be a stubborn hard-ass, it's cause she has been through hell and back. She is one of the most strongest people I've ever known, hands down. She single-handedly raised two awesome kids. Worked her butt off for everything she has, and yet still offers to help others with a genuine smile on her face. Her faith is inspiring to me. Lets me know that if she can still keep her head up after all that's happened to her, that I can definitely do the same.

And if I could be anywhere right now, I'd be at her house making her these Reeses Peanut Butter Bar Blondies. Because she's worth it. Because she likes Reeses. And because it would make me feel better to share these instead of eating them all myself. That, and I kind of owe her after all the years of her putting up with me going into her room and reading her diary, which was in cursive, so I couldn't read it anyway.

Yeahhh... Sorry about that, sis.

But really, my sister is just as awesome as these blondies. And, also like my sister, they should come with a warning label. So just in case you couldn't already tell, you probably shouldn't eat these blondies if:

1. You don't like peanut butter. In which case, what the heck is wrong with you?
2. You are dieting.
3. You have no one to share with.
4. You don't have milk in the house.

If none of the above apply to you, then please.. for the love of all that is holy: Make. These. Share. These. Eat. These. They are so good it's ridiculous. And if you're a fan of peanut butter, you'll go nuts. If you can't find Reeses Peanut Butter Bars (not to be confused with PB cups), you can substitute reeses pb & choco chips, or reeses pb cups chopped up.

Either way, don't miss out on these. They are too good.

Reeses Peanut Butter Bar Blondies

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick butter, softened
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 king-sized reeses peanut butter bars, chopped
1/2 cup peanut butter & chocolate chips (found with the bags of semi-sweet chocolate chips)
1/2 cup finely chopped honey-roasted peanuts (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease a 9x13 pan with non-stick spray.

2. Mix butter and brown sugar together until light and creamy. Mix in eggs, peanut butter, and vanilla until smooth.

3. Combine the dry ingredients (flour through salt) together in a seperate bowl. Mix into peanut butter batter until no trace of flour remains.

4. Fold in Reeses bars. peanut butter & chocolate chips, and peanuts.

5. Pour into prepared pan and bake for about 20-25 minutes or until a knife/toothpick in the center comes out clean.

6. Let cool before cutting into 24 squares.

Roasted Banana Muffins with Brown Sugar Topping

2010-10-05T10:04:00.000-07:00

Bananas.

Gwen Stefani and I can relate to them.

Because apparently, a lot of things make me bananas.

For example, when I walk past the kids section of our bookstore on a saturday night after a family of six have been sitting there for 3 hours.

I go bananas.

When it's 8 in the morning and I am ready for my cuppa coffee only to find that the coffee bin is bone-dry empty,

I go bananas.

When my bank decides to withhold 300+ dollars from me for 2 weeks just 'cause they feel like it,

I go bananas.

When I'm in a public bathroom and at the last possible second I realize that there is no toilet paper left for the stall,

I go bananas.

And then I panic and start having violent convulsions and delusional thoughts about how I am going to get said toilet paper without coming into another humans contact or leaving the stall with my pants on the ground.

But mostly I just go bananas.

The point is, bananas and I have a long history together. I know how bananas feel. Which is why I couldn't help but feel just a little bit bad when I threw them in the oven, roasted them until they were caramelized and then mashed them all together to make a muffin.

But then I ate them with some coffee, and I didn't feel bad anymore.

These muffins are incredibly moist, low in sugar, and really not that bad nutritional wise for you. Especially if you skip the brown sugar topping (but that might drive you bananas). Since I didn't completely mash them up they have little chunks of banana sticking out here and there making them really visually pleasing when you open them up. Made with mostly whole wheat flour, no eggs, 3 lovely black as night bananas and 1/2 cup sugar, they are an appropriate breakfast item especially if you schmear some all natural peanut butter on top. Mmm.

Try 'em out. Their delicious, and roasting them doesn't take too long and certainly makes all the difference.

Roasted Banana Muffins with Brown Sugar Topping

Banana Muffin Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (I used 1 cup whole wheat, 1/2 cup all-purpose)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup white sugar or brown sugar (I used white)

3 very ripe bananas
1 egg, whisked (optional, I omitted and it came out great)
1/3 cup fat-free sour cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Brown Sugar Topping
1 tablespoon quick cooking oats
1 tablespoon whole wheat flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
dash of cinnamon

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425F

2. First, make 3 in. slits into the bananas skin. Place them into the oven (or a conventional oven) for 15-20 minutes or until juices start flowing out of the slits. Remove from oven and let them cool down a bit. Reduce oven heat to 350F.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together dry ingredients (flour through nutmeg)

4. Briefly mash bananas together with the sugar, sour cream, vanilla and egg if using until it just combined and still chunky in some areas.

5. Fold flour mixture with banana mixture until there is no trace of flour left. Do not overmix.

6. Pour into prepared muffin tin about 3/4th full.

7. In another small bowl mix the topping ingredients together. Sprinkle evenly over all muffins.

8. Bake muffins at 350F for about 10-15 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Makes 12 regular sized muffins and 16-17ish mini muffins.

Chocolate Crunch Chunk Cookies

2010-10-04T07:46:00.000-07:00

I think my body is seasonally confused.

Yeah... Awkward.

Seriously, though. Autumn is well on its way to arriving full blast here, and instead of eating warm bowls of oatmeal for breakfast, sipping hot tea and enjoying warm comfort meals like lasagna and soup, all I crave is summer foods.

Cold yogurt and fruit. Frappucinos. Ice-cream sandwiches. Cool salads. And milk. Lots and lots of nice, out of the fridge milk.

It's becoming a bit of a problem.

Although I am bursting at the seams with excitement for the forthcoming events like Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas, I feel like I am still stuck in summer, even though the temperatures have dropped. Maybe it's because I didn't get enough strawberries this year. Maybe it's because back in Florida we don't have a "fall", we just have a summer and 3 months of "winter". Honestly, I have no idea. But i'm still waiting for my christmas cookie bug to set in.

And with all of the cool milk and scoops of ice-cream that have been consumed lately, I figure the time is right for some cookies. Cookies, unlike pumpkin pie and blueberry cobbler, is a thing that can be enjoyed at any season. There is no confusion with cookies. It's kind of like God created three things: Man, Woman, and Cookies. It's just meant to be there.

Yeah, I totally just put cookies on the same level as human creation. Sorry.

These are probably one of the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever made. I don't say that lightly because Lord knows I've made way too many (mostly failed) chocolate chip cookies. While they aren't my absolute favorite chocolate chip cookies ever, they do scale right up there in the top 10. These aren't just filled with chocolate chunks, either. They have bits of Ghirardeli's milk deluxe crisp chocolate bars in them as well, making them particularly yummy. If you don't want to shell out the cash for a Ghirardeli bar, you can just settle for a normal crunch bar. It won't be as rich, but it gets the job done. If you can get the Ghirardeli though, I'd definitely pull towards that one. It balances out nicely with the semi-sweet chocolate chunks. Oh, and for extra good measure, I threw some cornflakes in there for added texture. You can always use rice krispy cereal, too. Or just omit it all together if you're a cookie purist.

Either way, they are deliciously chewy. Make sure to cool them on the sheets while they are still underbaked if you like 'em chewy like me. If you like them on the softer side, just remove them immediately once they are light brown around the edges. And if you like them crisp, leave them in till they are nice and brown all over. Proceed to eat with cold milk. Or hot coffee, if your body is not seasonally confused.

Chocolate Crunch Chunk Cookies

Ingredients:
12 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt (omit if butter is already salted)
2 cups all-purpose flour (I used 1 1/2 cups all purpose and 1/2 cup whole wheat)
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks
2 Ghirardeli Milk Deluxe Crisp Bars (8 squares in each bar) or 2 king-sized crunch bars (8 squares in each bar), roughly chopped
1 cup cornflakes

Directions:
1. Melt butter in a sauce pan, then mix with brown sugar and white sugar. Let mixture cool before mixing in the eggs and vanilla until thoroughly combined.

2. Mix in the baking soda and salt.

3. With a wooden spoon, fold in two cups of flour into the batter until no traces are left.

4. Fold in chocolate chunks and chocolate crunch bars. Then fold in the cornflakes right after.

5. Chill for 1 hour or until firm.

6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and bake cookies for 8-12 minutes. For chewy cookies, take out of the oven when the sides are brownish but middles are still underbaked and leave to cool on the hot pan for 3 minutes. For soft cookies, take out of the oven when sides are light brown and remove from pan onto cooling rack. For crispier cookies, leave in oven for about 10 minutes or until brown all over. Remove from oven and pan and place on cooling rack.

Lemon Bars with Crumble Topping

2010-10-02T08:05:00.000-07:00

Have you ever gone to a cafe', or a bakery, or just any eatery in general and saw one of their perfect looking desserts behind the glass display and thought to yourself, "oh my gosh, I HAVE to try THAT"? Then you get all excited, thinking of what it will taste like, how someone could come up with it, how you totally should spend that $2 dollar price tag for it on something that matters like AA batteries for your camera, and how darn cute it looks all nicely presented amongst the other desserts. You savor the moment when you ring it up, sit down, take a quick sip of your freshly brewed coffee and finally, you dig into your 2 dollar treat without skepticism.

And for a brief moment there is a quiet line between the excitement, and then the disappointment that follows.

You get mad. You bite your cheek. You stare at it and say, "that's...not what I expected" and you push your plate away and ask if someone else wants it. For the rest of that evening, you are sad and let down that you didn't get what you expected or wanted. And then your husband/boyfriend/best friend/girl friend/family member is all like, "OH MY GOSH THIS IS DELICIOUS" and you stare at the dessert being gobbled up with longing eyes until you collapse in a pit of tears and shake your fist at the dessert Gods for doing this awful thing to you and making you waste 2 dollars and now you can't buy the camera batteries and everything is ruined forever.

Orrrrrrr... maybe that's just me who does that.

Seriously, though, I think we've all had that happen to us once. As you can probably tell, it happened to me recently. I had seen a "lemon crumble bar" in the display of the cafe' I regularly go to on my break. I've tried most of their desserts already but this one in particular stood out to me because not once had I ever considered a lemon bar with a crumbled topping before. Sure, you have your raspberry oatmeal bars with the oatmeal streusal on top, and your muffins with a brown sugar crumble... but lemon bars? I never considered. Never thought about it. So I was both deathly curious and excited to try it.

Except, when I did, the lemon bar didn't taste good at all. It tasted like biting into chewy, not crumbly, shortbread, with a dry, not sweet at all topping, and a very dense lemon custard in the middle. Even the lemon flavor was not very prominent. I could taste no sign of a zest or anything like that. And after baking many lemon bars before, I could not understand why this one tasted nothing like the ones I had made or eaten previously. Disappointed, I gave the rest to a co-worker that loved it and said I was crazy.

I may be crazy, but that lemon bar wasn't lovely at all. And I was not about to sit there in wonder about what it could have tasted like. I was going to find out. And I did.

Besides the caramelized crust due to a little too much time in the oven, this lemon bar was exactly what I was expecting, and more. Prominent lemon taste, with lemon zest in the shortbread crumble on top. Simple ingredients. Easy to make. And worth the time to go make it myself. I was really happy with the results of the topping with the lemon bar. Totally balanced each other out, and a small slice is more than satisfying. Not too sweet or too tart. I was tempted to go back into the cafe' with this tart and let them sell this instead. But then that might not be the best idea in the world.

It may be a good lemon bar but I don't think it warrants banishment from coffee. Actually, I don't think anything is worth banishment from coffee.

Word.
Lemon Bars with Crumble Topping

Shortbread Base Ingredients:
1 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon icing sugar or powdered sugar
1 stick of cold butter

Lemon Filling:
2 large eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup FRESH lemon juice (no bottled stuff here, people!)
1 tsp lemon zest (zest of two small lemons)

Crumble Topping:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
zest of one small lemon
4 tablespoons butter, softened
powdered sugar (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 350F. Then, make the shortbread base. Whisk flour and powdered sugar together until combined. Using a pastry cutter (or your fingers), add the cold butter in by small amounts until the dough is crumbly. Press into a greased 8 or 9in. tart pan. Poke the crust with a fork all over.

2. Place crust into oven for 15 minutes or until a pale golden. Leave on a cooling rack to cool.

3. To make the lemon filling, mix the eggs together until frothy with a handmixer or kitchenaid. Add the sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Pour into cooled shortbread crust. Bake for around 18 minutes.

4. While the filling is baking, make the crumble topping. Combine the sugar and lemon zest together first to let the sugar draw out the flavors of the zest. You can do this by pinching the sugar and zest together with your fingers until the sugar is lemony and fragrant. Add in the flour, whisk to combine. Add in the butter until your dough resembles a crumbly mixture.

5. After 18 minutes have passed, take the lemon bars out and sprinkle the crumble evenly over it. Return back to the oven and bake for an additional 5-8 minutes.

6. Once your topping is slightly golden, take the lemon bars out to cool. Sift powdered sugar over it before serving. Store in refrigerator or at room temperature (I like mine cold from the fridge).

Pumpkin Spice Loaf with Cream Cheese Glaze

2010-09-26T07:12:00.000-07:00

The fact that October is in 4 days hasn't hit me yet. The fact that Halloween is at hand and I feel like we're still just getting over Easter is bugging me. I've never been one to lose count of the months, or the days. Now it feels like the complete opposite.

And that whole Christmas is in 3 months thing...

Yeah. 3 months. I know everyone reading this just felt their stomach drop.

Even though fall is here it doesn't feel like it yet. Sure, we've put up all our fancy fall specials in the cafe of our store. Canned pumpkin is making its return full blast and Winter Squash is goin' for 69 cents a pound at the store. It should feel like it's Autumn, but where's the cold? Kind of hard to enjoy my butternut squash soup on a chilly night when it's hot enough to still be drinking pink lemonade and eating overpriced strawberries.

Regardless of the humidity, I'm still trying to get into the set of things. I know that as soon as I get that whiff of winter on a chilly, foggy morning here, I'll get the Christmas bug. I like to call it my CCD. Christmas Cookie Disorder. It begins whenever the first smell of winter arrives, and leaves any time after the store stops selling those awesome Danish Butter Cookies that come in the dark blue tins... Dang, those things are good.

This loaf is one of those things helping me remind myself that yes, it is almost October. Yes, there is pumpkin to be eaten. Yes, I do not have any freakin' idea what to get anyone for Christmas and Yes, this Pumpkin Spice Loaf goes great with Coffee or if you're feeling really ambitious, a Pumpkin Spice Latte'. Hey, man, if you're gonna go all the way.... ;)

The bread itself is moist, a little less sweeter than you're normal pumpkin bread just because I went ahead and cut the sugar in half so I wouldn't get a blood rush in the morning when I ate it for breakfast. It's virtually fat-free, replacing all the oil with unsweetened applesauce and only using one whole egg. The bread still stays delicious, though I could've definitely amped up the "spice" part of it, but I feared the end result would be a little too hardcore for my cinnamon-hating other half to handle. I'd say when and if you do make the bread, definitely throw in 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of ground ginger, and maybe even add 1/4 teaspoon of allspice. Or you can just go with a healthy dose of pumpkin pie spice and call it a day. Whatever makes your skirt fly up.

Though the bread part of it is pretty much good for snacking and breakfast, the unsweet undertones of the bread are balanced out completely by the cream cheese frosting.

And yes. It is to die for. You will have leftovers. Use them wisely. As in.... insert spoon into vat of frosting and proceed to put it in your mouth. Don't worry! Even the frosting isn't that bad for you... Or at least that's what we can pretend.

I'm going to keep trying to get my mindset in the Autumn mood. Maybe buy a few fuzzy jackets. Make a few Christmas Cookies ahead of time. Eat some gingersnaps. Eat some gingersnaps in a crust with Pumpkin Pie. Eat some gingersnap in a crust with Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie. Heck, maybe I'll actually carve a pumpkin this year and make it look like Elvis.

And then I'll make another loaf of pumpkin spice bread. And eat all the frosting for breakfast. Yep. That sounds like a plan.

Pumpkin Spice Loaf with Cream Cheese Glaze

Pumpkin Spice Loaf Ingredients:
1 cup of pure canned pumpkin
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 egg white
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I would up this to 2 teaspoons next time)
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (I would up this to 1 teaspoon next time)
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice (optional, but it wouldn't hurt)

Cream Cheese Glaze
4 tablespoons butter, room temperature (I used I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Light and it tasted fine)
4 oz 1/3 less than fat cream cheese, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
(yes, you will have leftover glaze. If you do not want leftover glaze, cut the ingredients in half)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325F.
2. Combine all wet ingredients, pumpkin through vanilla extract, into a medium bowl. In a larger mixing bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients, flours through allspice.
3. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry until no trace of flour is left
4. Pour the mixture into a well greased 9x5in. loaf pan, making sure the batter is even and flat on the surface.
5. Bake at 325F for 50-60 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Meanwhile, while bread is baking, make the glaze. Mix together the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until smooth. Add powdered sugar by 1/2 cupfuls, waiting until each one is incorporated until adding more. Once you've got the desired consistency, set aside.
7. When bread is finished baked, leave to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before taking it out and cooling completely on a wire wrack. Once bread is cooled, top off with half of the cream cheese mixture. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and keep the rest in the fridge for later baking adventures. Or you can go all out and just pour all of that glaze on top of the bread. Whatever strikes your fancy. ;)

Serves 12 generously. Or just one really ravenous lady at breakfast.

Flourless PB&CC Cookies

2010-09-05T13:20:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, a girl just needs to be able to enjoy the specifics of something. You know what I mean, right?

No?

Okay, examples. You come home from work and your sweetie lover honey muffin offers to give you a foot massage after a long day. He says, "come here my darling oogly-moogly, come take a nap after a long days work, you deserve it!" and you think to yourself: gee, that sure does sound awesome. But then you realize that even though that may sound appeasing, it's totally not what you're craving as a stress reliever. Something bright to end the day.

I know all you woman are like "yeah right, like I'd pass up a foot massage". But you know what I mean!

Sometimes, a woman needs specifics.

Sometimes, a woman needs... cookies.

And peanut butter. And milk chocolate. And she needs them to be gluten-free. Not because she has a gluten intolerance but because she has no flour and after working 10 hours the last thing she wants to do is haul her butt to Wal-mart (don't even pretend that you don't shop there, bakers) and pick up some flour for cookies.
So what does she do? She exclaims, "I need cookies!" and she makes them. Plain. Simple. Easy. It's no foot massage. It's no walk on the beach. But sometimes, it doesn't have to be any of that. Sometimes it just has to be something simple.

That, and I believe that a cookie a day keeps insanity away.

I think that even if we aren't all entitled to the best things on earth, we should still enjoy the little things we can. Something as simple as a cookie or maybe just a glass of wine before bed is things that we hold dear and near to our hearts. It's our special cool-down time. The part of our day where we can just breathe. Sometimes we share those moments with others. Sometimes we share them with strangers. Sometimes, we share them with God. Whoever it is you're sharing your special moments with, don't forget to take them when the opportunity strikes. You only live once. So even if some kid at your job decides it would be a fun idea to throw all the bouncy balls onto a display of stacked books, or some british guy gives you a hard time at the register because you have to see his ID for something, don't sweat it. Don't let it bring you down. Go home. Make cookies. Snuggle your sweetie-pie. Heck, do both at the same time (but please be careful not to burn yourself ;) ). Or just go for a walk, enjoy a glass of wine... whatever strikes your fancy

And if you don't have any flour on hand, make these cookies.

Speaking of these cookies, they totally hit the spot a few days ago for me. These are very simply sweet. I used a combination of honey roasted creamy peanut butter and extra crunchy peanut butter to give them a slight salty/sweet taste. Ontop of that, I threw in some MILK chocolate chips (not semi-sweet... I'm not a fan of semi-sweet chocolate chips in my peanut butter cookies), and sprinkled them with salt just before baking. The result? A very, very chewy, but light, peanut butter cookie. Perfect to dunk in milk or eat in itself. Probably a little too perfect. ;) I also added some oats for texture, and ditched the egg yolks since I didn't need the extra density (or fat, admittedly). Even without the yolks, the cookies came out awesome. I did refrigerate these for awhile, though, so just be aware if it's still really humid/hot where you are to stick these in the freezer for a half an hour before baking. It'll save you the headache.

Flourless PB&CC Cookies

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup extra crunchy peanut butter
1/2 cup honey roasted creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 egg whites
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup quick cooking or rolled oats
1/4 tsp salt
fleur de sal for sprinkling (or other coarse salt like sea salt)

DIRECTIONS
1. If baking immediately, preheat oven to 350F degrees.
2. Using a hand mixer, blend the peanut butters, sugars, salt and baking soda together in a bowl until smooth and sugar is completely incorporated.
3. Blend in egg whites until fully combined.
4. Stir in choco chips and oats with a wooden spoon or spatula.
5. Refrigerate for freeze dough if desired for 1-2 hours or overnight.
6. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350F degrees. Or unless you didn't wait, go ahead and scoop your cookie batter out by tablespoonfuls and drop them on a greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle them on top with fleur de sal or sea salt.
7. Bake 8-15 minutes or until cookies are slightly brown around edges.
8. Stuff into face and enjoy with a big glass o' milk.

Of Life and Custard Pies

2010-08-30T08:25:00.000-07:00

Hey. I'm back. Just like I said I would be. See, I can keep my promises after all! (Except that time when I was 13 and I promised my Dad i'd finish all my math homework by the end of the week... Yeah, sorry about that, Dad.)

I'm not gonna lie, I've been hesitant to write anything for awhile now. Half because I have too much to say, and half because I don't know how to say it, so let's just start from the beginning and work our way to this point...I've been makin' changes lately in my life. Moving away from the place I called home, out in the middle of nowhere with no family or friends to speak of (sans one person, who has kept me sane for the past month and a half). Working a part-time job at a bookstore that makes me sign papers that I won't blog about them on the internet. Yes, I'm serious.

Lately i've been feeling like a person who is at the beach for the first time. You see the ocean and it looks so beautiful. Everyone around you is splashing about, having a great time in the water... totally disregarding the oncoming wave from behind thats going to swallow them up whole. Instead of running away and never coming back in the water, they just let the waves hit them, take them under, and then trust that the water will allow them to come back up for air. So you think... Hey, that'll happen to me! And there you go, running into the beautiful ocean, having a great time, getting hit with a few waves and surviving each one. Your confidence builds. Your heart races. You feel confident. You don't think anything will happen.

Then a big, big wave hits... And you think you're prepared. So you dive right in and let it take you away... Until you release you're caught in a tide. You can't get to the surface. It's pulling you away from the others. You need help, but all you can do is splash around, freak out, try to yell, and pray that the tide lets you go. You swim, swim, swim away, as fast as you can... and then, if you're lucky, you pull your head up over the water, gasp for air, and swim back to shore. With your eyes burning from salt water, and congestion in your lungs, you cough up nervous laughter. Half because you can't believe you're okay, and half because you don't want anyone to see how scared you were.

The new life I've started off into the world is much like that. I'm finally getting a taste of some real waves, instead of just standing at shore, watching other people take the risk of falling into the tide. Life outside of the four walls I was living is scary, and not as green as I thought. Working 10 hour shifts with little break and little time to myself is not very glamorous. Getting on your feet and finding out that you have 32 cents to feed yourself for a week is not fun. Thinking of all the things you have to pay for, all the things you want to do but can't. Realizing how limited your limitless freedom is... It's all very daunting. And when the only person you know that can hold you up is the least person you get to see every day... well, that's where things get really lonely. And then it all just seems like you're working just for the sake of surviving and not for the sake of living.

But amongst all those bad things, are the good things that make the bad things worth going through.

Case in point.

There are always upsides to badsides, and nothing in life comes free. Except love. But even that, we have to work for. To retain trust, friendships, etc. And while we almost never see the results, or the big picture right away, if we keep going... it will pay off, in the end. As long as you do what you love, keep close to those who you care about like family and friends, and keep your eyes to the sky and your hands on the plow --- you'll be okay. Maybe not now, or tomorrow, or the next day... but one day, you'll be alright. We all have to learn. Some, harder than others. As for me, this whole new experience has opened my eyes in a lot of ways. For that, I am grateful.
And I am not without blessing in it all.

I do miss my family. Especially my mom. And up till a couple of weeks ago, I had missed baking as well. Thankfully, that one special person that I got around to help me out did me a huge favor and bought me a hand mixer. Something I had been completely without. That very same day, he went out and bought me ingredients to bake... And I've been doing much better ever since.

As a thank you, I made him this. It's a custard pie. Literally. Custard pie. It's his favorite dessert ever, one that he hadn't had since he was a kid. Apparently they stopped selling it at the store and he hasn't found one ever since. Sure, there's LEMON custard pie... but this stuff? This stuff is pure eggs, sugar, vanilla and milk. Dumped in a pie crust that I didn't bake from scratch (because pie crusts scare the heebiejeebies out of me). A sprinkle of nutmeg and some cornstarch and you've got yourself a velvetty smooth, mouth pleasing, subtly decadent custard pie that is way too easy to consume five servings in one sitting. It is not overly sweet on the taste buds and gives you just the right amount of flavor so that you're not just tasting eggs and sugar (because seriously, who wants to eat eggs and sugar? Um, no sir.)

I was pretty paranoid about how this would come out since I had never made a CUSTARD pie before... and I haven't had too good of a history with making custards or anything that has to do with hot milk and eggs. But as I stood there in the kitchen, waiting for him to take his first bite after a very terrorizing warning that if it was bad, he would tell me straight up, my dreams remained in tact as after the first bite all he could say was "Oh my God" for literally 5 minutes straight. Amazing what nostalgia can do for a person. What better way to thank someone? :)

Custard Pie

INGREDIENTS:
3 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 cups milk (fat free is fine but not recommended)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (if you're not a fan of nutmeg and can smell it a mile away like some people i know, you can just replace it with cinnamon or leave it out entirely)

1 deep dish 9in. pre-baked pie crust.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat your oven to 345F. Pour milk and heavy cream into a medium sauce pan over medium heat on your stove stop. Let the milk scald until it is barely steaming, about 6 minutes.
2. While that's going, in a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, cornstarch, sugar, vanilla and nutmeg.
3. When milk is steaming (DO NOT BOIL), add it in a slow, steady stream to your egg mixture, whisking constantly (if you have a handmixer with a whisk attachment, take it out!). Once you have poured all the milk into the egg mixture, pour the ENTIRE mixture BACK into the sauce pan. DO NOT STOP WHISKING UNLESS YOU WANT SCRAMBLED EGGS.
4. Continue to whisk until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
5. Take the sauce pan off the heat and pour it into a prepared pie crust, then stick it in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the edges are set but the middle is still a bit jiggly and the top of the pie looks toasted (don't worry if it rises while baking, it will flatten out in the fridge).
6. Transfer pie to the refrigerator for it to set or eat warm with a big spoon and never share t with anyone ever again. For the pie to be the right temperature, it's best to leave it in there for 5 hours or overnight.

Serves anywhere between 8 and 16 people.

"Ooey Gooey Cake" aka Millionaire Bars

2010-08-22T20:40:00.001-07:00

Hey Blog,

How are you? I know, I know... I haven't touched you in, what.... over a month? 4 months, maybe? Give or take? Either way, I know you can't be too thrilled with me. Packing my bags in the middle of the night and leaving you all alone, patiently waiting... and I didn't even leave cake in the fridge. What the heck. I'm awful. I'm not getting any presents for Christmas this year.

It wasn't my fault though! You gotta believe me! Between the whole... you know... broken camera thing... Yeah, I have bad luck with cameras, I know. And I should probably admit that I've kindasortahavehadacameraforafewmonthsnow... I know. I really don't have any excuses other than sheer laziness and... well... I'm pretty picky about my picture quality, here. A 3 megapixel camera won't get you very far these days, you know. I mean, I think the iphone might take better pictures than this one.

That really doesn't make you feel any better though does it? Sorry.

But I came back for you, just like I said I would! I missed you! I missed us! I missed what we had! I baked, took pictures, and you displayed them! And I wrote about life and grandpas and cakes with identity crisis'! It was fantastic. It was awesome.

Could we work it out, you think? Get it back together? I think we can, blog. You and me.... we aren't finished yet. We can do this. I know it in my heart to be true (Sorry to anyone who gets this reference).

Here's my peace offering: Millionaire Bars. A simple dessert with a shortbread crust, caramel on top and some sweet chocolate ganache to tickle your fancy. How can you say no to that, blog? How can you say no?

I say we try again... and this time, I promise I won't leave you home alone without cake for 4+ months. Ever ever. Promise.

Forever yours,
Alexandra

Millionaire Bars
(adapted from joy of baking)

INGREDIENTS:

Shortbread Base
1 1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1 1/2 stick butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt

Caramel Layer
1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk or 1 14-oz can of dulce de leche

Chocolate Topping
6 oz coarsely chopped semi-sweet chocolate
1 teaspoon butter

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place rack in center of oven. Grease a 9x9in. pan with butter or non-stick spray.

For shortbread, in the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the flour and salt and beat until the dough just comes together. Press onto the bottom of your greased pan and bake for about 20 minutes, or until pale golden in color. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool while you make the filling.

For caramel filling, if using Dulce de Leche then simply warm the caramel in the microwave or in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. If using sweetened condensed milk, pour the milk into a heatproof bowl and place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Cover and cook, over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 60 to 90 minutes or until the milk has thickened and has turned a caramel color. Remove from heat and beat until smooth. Pour the caramel over the baked shortbread and leave to set.

Note: You can also do this step in a microwave oven. Place the sweetened condensed milk in a large microwaveable bowl and cook on medium power for about 4 minutes, stirring halfway through baking time. Reduce the powder to medium-low and continue to cook for another 8 to 12 minutes, or until the milk has thicken and has turned a light caramel color. Remove from microwave and beat until smooth.

For the topping, melt the chocolate and butter either in the microwave oven or in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Pour the melted chocolate evenly over the caramel and leave to set. Cut the shortbread into pieces using a sharp knife.

Store the shortbread in the refrigerator to keep the chocolate nice and firm.

Yield: 16 2in. squares.

Identity Crisis White Cake with Strawberries

2010-03-16T05:46:00.000-07:00

I truly believe that reality T.V. should come with a warning. Maybe like...

"WARNING! Please do not watch this show if you have any desire to keep hope for mankind." Or, "WARNING! Please do not watch this show if you have 4 feet of clean clothes to fold and put away and a sink full of dishes." Or even, "WARNING! Please do not watch unless you absolutely enjoy spending your time watching/making fun of/staring in disbelief at general human stupidity." Etc, etc...

Maybe, then, I wouldn't get stuck watching it so much. Then again, I could always get up and turn my T.V. off or change the channel... but every time I do that, I end up going to the food network, and for some reason Giada is always on. And while she's definitely not a horror to watch... I'm much more interested in seeing food than cleavage. Might as well go back to VH1 for that.

My mother and I were discussing reality T.V. last night. I'm definitely not as addicted* as her when it comes to keeping up with all the episodes but I shamefully enjoy a couple of them. My favorites happen to be celebrity fit club, tool academy, and occasionally celebrity rehab. And the next one that just started, Jessica Simpsons "the price of beauty" has already shown some kind of promise. I wouldn't even really count that as reality T.V. More like a comedy central skit with meaningful undertones. I mean seriously, Jessica... giggling in the middle of meditation with a bhuddist? Who does that?

Wait, i'm talking about Jessica Simpson, here. Why am I surprised? Kidding, kidding. Jessica, don't worry. I love ya for who you are. Really.

Anywho, so my mom and I were discussing reality T.V. and I had to laugh at what she was telling me. "You know," she began, "if these people want to lose weight (referring to celebrity fit club), they should just go on drugs. Then, they won't be hungry. And then they can go to celebrity rehab. And then they can go to sex rehab. Which will then lead them back to celebrity fit club..."

"Then they can make a show about finding their true love!" I piped in. "Yes, yes!" My mom laughed, agreeing. "...And then go right back to sex rehab." I slipped in smugly. We both broke out into fits of giggles.

I don't think that there's anything really wrong with some Reality T.V... I think that I, along with everyone else in the world, have a hard time turning away from watching a train wreck. And that's basically what reality T.V. is half the time. Fake or not, it is pretty darn funny to watch if you don't take it so seriously.

Plus, it's the perfect thing to watch when you're eating this cake. Because just like every single person on Reality T.V., this cake seems to be having identity issues. It can really relate.

I mean, it really just can't decide what it wants to be. When it comes to fashion, it leans towards the whole strawberry tiramisu look... but in terms of taste, it's more like a frosted version of a strawberry shortcake. Some may even say it's borderline neopolitan. But me? Well... I just see it as exactly what it is. A white cake filled with strawberries, frosted with vanilla buttercream and dusted with cocoa powder.

So in other words, a really gosh darn good cake that came out way better than expected.

I don't know what compelled me to bake a cake yesterday morning. I just kind of winged it, putting together different things that my family enjoyed and throwing it all together. Thankfully, the end product is a divinely fluffy white cake, a not-too-sweet buttercream, a perfectly light fruity filling and a wonderful burst of cocoa powder that just rounds it all out. I like it a lot.

It's not hard to make, at all. Though, I do recommend frosting it better than I did, letting the cake cool in the fridge before frosting. I admit, I suck at frosting cakes. Don't ask me why, I just do. Something about my whole "too-impatient-to-wait-to-put-a-second-layer-on" thing... Who knows. All I know is that this cake is awesome and you should definitely try it if you want something light and sweet. Or if you're having an identity crisis, too.

Identity Crisis White Cake with Strawberries
(Makes 2 8 or 9in. cake pans, or 9x13 pan)

INGREDIENTS:

Cake
2 1/4 cup cake flour
4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
6oz (scant 1/2c) vanilla yogurt (fat free is fine)
1 tablespoon orange zest (optional, but highly recommended)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup milk (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk, but whole, soy or skim milk will work fine)
1/2 cup water
6 egg whites

1/2 cup raw organic cacao powder (or another good quality cocoa powder)

Filling
1/2 tub whipped cream (or make about 1 cups worth of homemade)
1/2 pint of strawberries, sliced thin

Vanilla Buttercream
1/3 cup butter, softened
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-3 tablespoons milk

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat your oven to 350F and spray 2 9in. cake pans or a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick spray. Line with parchment paper if desired (RECOMMENDED).

2. To prepare the cake, sift the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl or mixing bowl, blend the butter, yogurt, sugar and orange zest if using together until smooth and light.

4. In a pyrex measuring cup or just a plain cup, combine 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup water, and extracts together.

5. In another separate, small bowl, using CLEAN mixers, whip the 6 egg whites until they form a nice soft peak (they don't have to be hard peaks, soft is fine... just make sure it isn't liquidy soft but structurally soft).

6. Alternating with the flour mixture and milk mixture, slowly blend in the flour, then the milk, then the flour, then the milk, then the rest of the flour, until well combined.

7. Take about 1/3rd of your egg white mixture and blend it straight in with a spatula to your cake batter. Proceed to FOLD NOT BLEND the rest of the egg white mixture to the bowl until there are only a few noticeable spots (do not over-mix at this point).

8. Pour batter in prepared pans, giving the side of the pan a nice little hit with your hand to smooth out the top of the batter. Bake for about 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean in the middle.

9. Allow cake to cool before removing and storing in the refrigerator, tightly wrapped, or just allow to cool COMPLETELY before frosting.

10. To prepare vanilla buttercream, mix the butter and vanilla extract together until smooth. Add in the powdered sugar and 1-2 tablespoons milk (if your mixture is too thick, thin it out with a little more milk).

11. To assemble cake, either cut through the middle of the two cakes to create a four-layer cake, or simply keep them as is (your choice). You may also cut off the tops of the cakes for a more smooth surface, if desired (recommended). On the top of one layer of your cake, fill the top with about 1/4 of your whipped cream (prepared or homemade), smoothing out to around the edges. Top with strawberry slices, slightly overlapping. Place the other cake ontop of it, and smooth out the whipped cream around the edges with an offset spatula. Place in refrigerator to set for about 20 minutes.

12. Once filling has set, take the cake back out, and proceed to use about 1/2 of your frosting to do an initial crumb coating on your cake. Frost your cake as desired with 1/2 of the frosting, then place back into the fridge until crumb coating is set. Take back out, and frost the cake with the rest of the frosting. Smooth with offset spatula for a clean look.

13. Sift the top of the cake with cocoa powder before storing, covered, in the refrigerator, or keeping covered at room temp. Unfrosted/unfilled cake can be frozen for up to 2-3 weeks.

St. Patty Whoopie Pies

2010-03-13T11:38:00.000-08:00

Imagine for me, if you will, a beautiful, crisp spring day. The sun is out. The skies are clear with maybe just a little puffy cloud here and there... A nice, refreshing breeze that blows up all the leaves that have fallen off the trees into the air, dancing around you as if trying to prove that there is life after death. That they are still beautiful even though they are broken, brown, and seemingly drained of their bright green pride. You are feeling new. You are feeling motivated. You are feeling like cozying up by a lake, reading a book, sipping coffee and maybe sharing a conversation with a friend or a stranger. You watch your kids outside, playing and getting dirt all over their gorgeous faces.

It's one of those days where you can't help but smile, open up the windows, breathe, and fully appreciate the oncoming brighter days. The knowledge that finally, the worst of winter has passed, and the time for sundresses, popsicles, beaches and lemonade has arrived.

When it comes to my favorite type of days... these have to be up there in my favorite. There is something just so renewing that comes with a gorgeous bright day that appears right after the more crummy, yucky ones.

It's gotta rain before it can shine, right? Right.

So, with such a perfect day to take a hold of, I really wanted to make something pretty... and festive! Afterall, St. Patricks day is coming up, which means that making these cute little whoopie pies are a must. Best part about it? They are IN. CREDIBLY. EASY. Which means instead of staying inside and making these, you can quick whip 'em up, make 'em, prepare the frosting while they are baking and then all you have to do is assemble them and, if desired, roll them in some pretty bright green coarse sugar. Heck, even if you aren't irish... make 'em! Even better, find someone who is Irish and share them! Or just find someone who likes cookies and cream cheese frosting. I'm sure that can't be too hard. :)

Here's to brighter days for all of us.

And yes, I know I totally sounded like a hallmark card.

Super-Easy-Peasy Whoopie Pies

INGREDIENTS:

For Cookies
1 box of french vanilla style cake mix (like duncan hines)
1/2 stick butter, softened
1 egg

For Frosting
4oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 to 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Coarse sugar, for decoration (*optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Prepare oven to 350F

2. For cookies, use a handmixer or kitchenaid to combine the cake mix, butter, and egg together until moist. Don't worry if mixture is a bit dry. For smaller, mini whoopie pies, drop by teaspoonfuls onto baking sheet. For normal whoopie pies, drop by tablespoonfuls.

3. Bake for 9-10 minutes. Take out and leave to set on pan for 2 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely.

4. To prepare frosting, mix cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Add teaspoon of vanilla. Add powdered sugar in 1/4 cup intervals to mix until you get a consistency you like (I used 2 1/2 cups of powdered sugar).

5. When cookies have cooled completely, fill with about 1-2 teaspoons of cream cheese mixture, and sandwich cookies together. If desired, roll the edges of the cookies in coarse colored sugar. Store cookies in air-tight container in the refrigerator. Makes about 25 mini whoopie pies and 15 normal sized ones.

Cinnamon Roll Muffins

2010-03-11T10:37:00.000-08:00

I love going to the dentist.

For serious.

No, not because of the drugs (I swear).
No, not because my doctor looks like one of those dorky guys in medical school with their smartypants black-rim glasses and "I know i'm totally awesome/smart but I'm all laid back about it" demeanor.
Not even because of the lollipop you get afterwards. Although that's always a welcomed bonus...

None of those things are reasons why I love the dentist.

I love the dentist... 'cause I love getting my teeth drilled.

There is something oddly comforting about someone working on my teeth. Whether it be extracting a tooth or somethin' else... It feels like a nice mouth massage. I know, I am so totally weird. And I mean, the headache afterwards really sucks, but man... The whole vibration in the mouth, against my tooth? So calming! Don't ask me why. I don't know. All I know is that it almost, ALMOST makes up for the fact that they stuck a needle in my mouth. Almost.

Now if they can only switch the lollipops for chocolate, we'll be in business.

I bring this up because I got one my lovely teeth taken out today. Thank God. There is nothing worse than a toothache... for real. I can take burning my hands on a hot pan. Heck, I can even take stepping on a piece of glass every now and then! And migraines. Pfft. One aleve and a nice nap and I'll be better in no time...

But toothaches? Nuh uh. No way. Toothaches = me curled up in bed for five hours crying. No fun. No fun at all.

So even though I'm sitting here, biting down on some gauze and still getting over the fact that ohmygodtheyputafreakingneedleinmymouth, I feel pretty relaxed. And very, very happy. No more toothaches for me. No sir.

Thankfully, I made these wonderful cinnamon roll buns before I went to the dentist. And he didn't even notice. Pffttt.

I know, I know. A blog post about cinnamon roll muffins and dentists...Something isn't right here. But that's okay. Because cinnamon roll muffins are involved.

I've been wanting to make a REAL batch of cinnamon rolls for quite some time now... but to be honest, I fear yeast. Using it scares me. And the whole wait-for-an-hour-thing? Yeah. No thanks. When it comes to my cinnamon rolls, I am a woman of conveniance. Sure, maybe one day I'll make 'em from scratch. But till then, I think I'll just fall back on these cinnamon roll muffins. Not only are they dasterdly cute, but they are a quick breakfast/brunch delight and totally warming from the inside out on a very rainy, yucky day. And although they do use yeast, they came out great and I really didn't have any troubles at all.

Make 'em! Surprise your family. They make your house smell heavenly. And they will kick any craving you may have to go down to your nearest cinnabun. Promise.

Just remember to brush your teeth after you eat one. ;)

Cinnamon Roll Muffins
(Adapted from Joy the Baker)

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
4 tsp active dry or rapid rise yeast
2/3 cup warm milk (100-110F; low fat is fine)
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg

Filling/Topping

2 tbsp butter, room temperature
2/3 cup brown sugar
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch ground cardamom

Icing
1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 tbsp milk or cream

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt. Dissolve the yeast in a measuring cup filled with the warmed milk, then stir milk mixture, vegetable oil, vanilla extract and egg into the flour mixture. Mix well, until very smooth. Pour into prepared pan and let rest for 15 minutes.

2. While the dough rests, mix together butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and cardamom in a small bowl using a fork until all the butter has been incorporated into the sugar and mixture is crumbly. Divide the batter between 12 greased muffin cups. Sprinkle evenly on top of rested dough and press the mixture down into the dough with your fingertips (or swirl in with a spatula.)

3. Place pan into a cold oven, then set the oven temperature to 350F.

4. Bake for about 20 minutes, until bread is lightly browned at the edges and the center of the bread springs back when lightly pressed. Some of the sugar mixture on top may still be bubbling.

5. Cool for at least 30 minutes before whisking the powdered sugar and milk together to form an icing and drizzling it onto the bread. Serve warm. Leftovers can be reheated in the microwave.

Lemon-Cornmeal Cookies

2010-03-08T08:26:00.000-08:00

I never thought that anyone would have to teach me the "proper" way to slice a lemon. Infact, I didn't even think twice when the servers from restaraunts would come over and bring me my tea/water with a dainty little lemon slice perfectly placed upon the rim of my glass. It was almost like I just assumed they came that way. Like somewhere there was a lemon tree with presliced lemons or something. Okay, maybe that's going a bit out there... but really, I never even once considered that the people inside the kitchen actually sliced the lemons themselves. Or that there was a certain way you had to do it.

Until I became one of those servers and was told by my manager to go slice lemons for tea. At first I thought, "okay, whatever, slicing lemons... not that hard" and as I washed the lemons clean and placed them on a cutting board to slice, I sliced them right down the middle (first mistake) and then tried awkwardly slicing them in strips.

In other words, I had no idea what the heck I was doing.

Thankfully for me there was a nice man who saved me, though I still got a wild look from my manager later on when she walked in and saw me being taught how to slice a lemon ("you don't know how to slice a lemon!?") as if it was the most simple thing in the world. And now that I know how to do it, I realize that it probably is. Given the fact that you have common sense. Something I seem to lack in these situations.

Anywho, he taught me how to properly slice the lemons WITHOUT the danger of cutting off my fingers. He told me the trick is to hold the knife a certain way in which the blade rests against your fingertips as you move along slicing, therefore if you slip up accidentally the risk of you havings stubs for fingers is scarce. I wanted to give the man a hug, but I refrained, and kept slicing lemons. Soon I got them to be just like those dainty little slices you find on your glass.

I felt like a lemon-slicing pro. Like I could take on the world. Just the lemons, knife, and I. No tea anywhere would be without us.

Or, I guess, in this case, cookie.

Originally this recipe says to only use lemon zest, but I took the suggestion of the reviewers and added a nice little squeeze of fresh lemon juice to the batter. The difference? W-h-o-a! I can't even imagine what these cookies may have tasted like without the extra zip of juice, seeing as the cookies themselves were only lightly lemony tasting. Like a lemon bar in a crisp, very chewy cookie form.

One thing about them though is that they do, and will dry out, if kept at room temperature for too long. That, and if you leave these in your oven for too long, they can crisp up and burn real fast. So make sure you keep an eye on them. Especially if your oven tends to burn cookies. If you're super paranoid about it though, you can always put the cookie dough in the freezer a few minutes before popping it into the oven. This will help prevent burning, but it may also make your cookies "puff up" rather than spread.

These are delicious with a nice cup of espresso or just on their own as a light snack. The cornmeal especially gives them a distinct texture that I love. Give 'em a try. I don't think you'll be disappointed. Just don't skimp on the juice!

Lemon Cornmeal Cookies
(Adapted from Cooking Light)

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup all-purpose flour (about 4 1/2 ounces)
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 large egg
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
2 tsp or 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup, and level with a knife. Combine flour and the next 4 ingredients (through ground ginger); stir with a whisk. Combine sugar and butter in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes). Scrape sides of the bowl occasionally. Add egg; beat well. Beat in grated lemon rind. Add flour mixture to butter mixture, and beat at medium-low speed just until blended.

3. Spoon about 1 1/2 teaspoons batter 2 inches apart onto 2 parchment-lined baking sheets. (Note*: I rolled mine into 1 1/2 teaspoon balls with damp hands to keep from sticking, then sprinkled the cookies with a generous amount of granulated sugar, patting the cookies down very lightly before baking to get a more even spread and a crisp sugar coating). Bake at 350° for 12 minutes or until lightly browned underneath, almost firm around the edges but still slightly underbaked in the middle. Remove from oven. Cool on pans for 1-2 minutes or until firm. Remove from pans. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Yields 30 cookies.

Swedish Visiting Cake

2010-03-05T06:25:00.000-08:00

I have to apologize for going (once again) randomly A.W.O.L on my blog. But somewhere between the excitement of finally finding a good job (that I liked), fitting that job into my daily schedule, fitting my baking/social life/videogames/cookie-eating around my job, quitting my job half a week later due to harrassment from my manager, being depressed about said job and eating copious amounts of cookies to cheer me up and then feeling even more depressed due to the fact that I ate copious amounts of cookies, I was just not really in the mood to blog.

Throw in the fact that I'm not allowed to go running and you got yourself a recipe for stress.

But thankfully... thankfully there are simple things in life. Thankfully there is flour, eggs, and sugar. Thankfully, there is an oven that works and mouths to be fed. Cookbooks to be read and ovens to be turned on at 350 degrees.

Thankfully there is... cake.

If there is anything more simple than this cake... I would like to find out what it is. Or, rather, if there is anything as simple and good tasting than this cake.

Dorie Greenspan... you're a genius, man (like my little rhyme there? Smoooooth).

This cake, a "swedish visiting cake", is spectacular. Though it uses common ingredients found in most cakes, it has a different way of mixing, thus giving the cake a very crumbly, almost sweet bready taste. With this particular dessert, there is no shame in using your finger tips to eat it. As long as it's accompanied with a napkin to catch the crumbs that will inevitably scream mutiny and try to escape from your grasp, leaving its brothers and sisters to accept their fate...

The crumb. It lives to see another day.

If you've got some almonds, sugar, butter, lemon zest and eggs on hand...then I highly recommend making this cake. It's simple. It's easy. It won't get you fired from your job. In fact, it might just get you promoted. And the cool part is? You can even make it in a cast-iron skillet for ultra awesome presentation. Or you can be like me and use a cake pan. Whatever works.

Swedish Visiting Cake
(adapted from Baking, From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan)

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
About 1/4 cup sliced almonds (blanched or not)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a seasoned 9-inch cast-iron skillet or other heavy ovenproof skillet, a 9-inch cake pan or even a pie pan.

2. Pour the sugar into a medium bowl. Add the zest and blend the zest and sugar together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and aromatic. Whisk in the eggs one at a time until well blended. Whisk in the salt and the extracts. Switch to a rubber spatula and stir in the flour. Finally, fold in the melted butter.

3. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Scatter the sliced almonds over the top and sprinkle with a little sugar. If you're using a cake or pie pan, place the pan on a baking sheet.

4. Bake the cake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until it is golden and a little crisp on the outside; the inside will remain moist. Remove the pan from the oven and let the cake cool for 5 minutes, then run a thin knife around the sides and bottom of the cake to loosen it. You can serve the cake warm or cooled, directly from the skillet or turned out onto a serving plate.

A small hiatus.

2010-02-20T19:23:00.001-08:00

I'm going to be taking a small hiatus from the blogging world for a bit. Life is kind of hectic right now and having time to bake is unfortunately not coming easy. But please bear with me, it'll only be for maybe a week and then we'll be back on track. :)

Hope to see you soon,
Alexandra

White Chocolate Rice Krispy Hearts

2010-02-13T08:12:00.000-08:00

Love, love, love, love.

It's everywhere this weekend. You can't escape it. The chocolate. The pink. The red. The hearts. The Barry Manilow songs playing in the background of every department store...

At least chocolate is on the list.

V-day is one of those holidays that I think is ridiculous. Of course, that doesn't mean I don't celebrate it. I do. Any excuse to eat a box of chocolates, or make some cute heart shaped treats for people I love is good enough for me. But, I really think that Valentine's Day should be every day! You know what i'm sayin'? Although I won't deny that i'd enjoy a night out at some fancy schmancy restaurant that serves REALLY good, warm, handmade bread (oh lord, would I love that) and way too much food for my tiny self to eat; I would rather spend each day showing the people I love that I love them rather then pick a day out in particular. I wouldn't say i'm a fuddy duddy or anything... Regardless, I am totally going to smother my special someone on Sunday. But I'll also do it on Monday. And tuesday. And wednesday.

Though we won't be going to any fancy schmancy restaurant, we will still have a wonderful day just spending time together. And that's all that matters to me.

Anywho, enough about my Valentine's Day philosophy's. These yumyums are amongst the many things that I love. Besides chocolate, anyways. Not only that, but their simple, easy, and budget friendly. And seriously... who doesn't like butter, marshmallows, rice krispies and white chocolate?

Tie it all up with a pretty ribbon or cut it out into heart shapes and you've got yourself a sweet treat that will melt your babies heart in a minute.

So go on! If you don't think you'll have time to make something big for your loved one, this is definitely a killer way to still do it without too much hassle. And who knows, maybe these little delights will sweep your crush off their feet.

As for me, I don't think that any amount of heart shaped goodies will get Johnny Depp to fall in love with me. But hey, it's worth a shot.

White Chocolate Rice Krispy Hearts
(bear not included)

INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup butter, plus more for greasing the pan
5 cups rice krispy cereal
3 cups miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup (or 8oz) white chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 drop of neon pink food coloring (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Butter a 9x13 inch baking pan with butter liberally.

2. In a large saucepan (make sure it's big!), melt 1/4 cup of butter over low-medium heat.

3. When butter is melted, add marshmallows and pink food coloring, if using

4. When marshmallows are mostly melted and mixture starts to boil slightly, remove from heat and stir in the rice krispy cereal and white chocolate chips. Make sure to stir it very good so the mixture is well combined.

5. Pour mixture into prepared pan, using the back of a spatula or buttered parchment paper to spread the mixture evenly throughout the pan. Smooth the top with an offset spatula if it's very bumpy.

6. In a microwave safe bowl, place the chopped white chocolate and 1/4 cup of heavy cream together. Mix slightly. Place into microwave and microwave on high, stirring every 10 seconds until chocolate is smooth. BE CAREFUL NOT TO OVERCOOK. Mine usually takes about 20-25 seconds total before I can stir it enough that the chocolate melts completely.

7. Pour white chocolate mixture ontop of rice krispy treats, spreading with a spatula to cover the top.

8. Let mixture sit for about 2 hours. If refrigerating, let treats come to room temperature before cutting.

9. Cut into squares or heart shapes (if cutting into shapes, I recommend pressing the cookie cutter into the treats, and then using a very sharp knife to cut around the outlines. You will get smoother cuts this way).

King Cake Cupcakes

2010-02-09T08:03:00.000-08:00

Happy National Bagel Day!

I don't know how many celebrations you can cram into one day, but I'm sure someone out there is trying to score a meal for each ocassion. Which won't be hard, I'm sure. 'Specially if you live in New Orleans. Those people know how to party. Not that I would know or anything... *insert innocent whistle here*

Actually, in all honesty, I'm not really a party person. I'm more of the stay home and make fun of reality t.v. shows while kneading dough kind of person. But I do enjoy the ocassional outting with friends and having a couple of drinks. Though, I can definitely skip on the "freeing your boobies" part of partying. Especially when said boobies have some weird deformed overlarge nipples that have some kind of satanic piercing going on.

Sorry. You probably didn't want to hear that. Trust me. I didn't want to see it. Scarred for life much? You bet.

But let's not talk about that. Let's talk about cupcakes. King Cake Cupcakes!

Besides the whole letting your milk jugs express themselves openly, Mardi Gras celebrates the love of all things pastries. From fried foods, to pancakes, to King Cakes... It's not just in New Orleans, but in places like Latin America and the Carribean. Mardi Gras is celebrated the day before Ash Wednesday, and the festivities range from carnival activities to simply gorging out on all things sugary and fatty before the ritual of fasting for Lent. Although I'm pretty sure that most people who celebrate Mardi Gras are just looking for an excuse to eat a crap load of carbs. Hey, i'm not judging. Any day where it's socially acceptable to gorge out is cool with me. Then again, I like any excuse to bake horrible sugar-laden foods. Which is why these cupcakes definitely made my list of things to make.

I've never had a traditional King Cake, but I do know the basic ingredients on how to make one. Since I was thinking of actually making my own King Cake, I tried my hardest to learn all the techniques -- only to realize that I was quite a few ingredients short, and the whole process seemed very daunting. Instead, I took the easy way out and made an adapted, non-yeast version that can be made at your convenience. I'd say the most difficult part of making these was probably the wait time between cooling and decorating. After that, however, you better have a friend or two to invite over... Because these cupcakes are guaranteed to consume at least three different meals of your day. Seriously. They are GOOD. And by finely chopping the pecans, you get a nice little toasted nutty crunch in each bite. Which is awesome. Unless you have a nut allergy. Then, not so awesome... But I bet these cakes would taste great with, or without the pecans. They are that good, people.

Hope you all enjoy your sugar comas today. And don't forget to eat a bagel. It's just the right thing to do.

King Cake Cupcakes

INGREDIENTS:

CUPCAKES:
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted

ICING:
1 cup + 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
3 tablespoons warm water

+ Colored yellow, green and purple sugar for decorating

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375F and spray 16 cupcake liners with nonstick spray.

2. Whisk together dry ingredients (flour, cinnamon, etc)

3. Whisk together butter and sugars until smooth. Whisk in egg, milk, and vanilla.

4. Stir in dry ingredients and pecans just until there is no trace of flour left (do not overmix, your batter will be lumpy -- that's a good thing).

5. Fill cupcake liners with batter, and stick in oven for about 10 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs.

6. Cool on wire wrack.

7. Once cupcakes are cooled completely, whisk together the powdered sugar and warm water until smooth. Drizzle with a spoon over cupcakes liberally. Sprinkle with colored sugar/sprinkles.

Classic American Yellow Cake with Chocolate Ganache

2010-02-06T13:28:00.000-08:00

Dear 9,000 year old Bundt Pan,

Look. I know how it is. You sit, unused, at the bottom of my cabinet, alone and abandoned. I understand how scary it must be in there... forced to sleep in the shadows every night. And with the broken old bent springform pans, no less. Feeling so neglected, collecting dust, and being nothing more than a home for the ocassional bug or fly. Getting your hopes up every time you see a speck of light dawn on you from the bright kitchen that you see so little of, only to have those hopes crushed when you realize that someone was just looking for the frying pan that got carelessly shoved all up in your personal space in someones careless rush to clean the kitchen. I know. It sucks to be forgotten. It sucks to be unused, especially when you have so much potential. So much to offer.

But Bundt Pan, you shouldn't be so bitter. You see, when you do get used, you really shouldn't do horrible things that make people never want to use you again.

For example...

1) Hanging onto half of my cake even though I rubbed shortening all over you 10x.
2) BURNING the top half of my cake regardless of the extra procedures I went through to ensure that didn't happen.
3) Did I mention the hanging onto half of my cake part? Yeah. That wasn't cool, Bundt Pan.

I really do want to use you more. I do. But when you do stuff like this... no matter what I do to avoid it, you always end up throwin' off my groove, Bundt Pan. And it makes me want to never use you. Ever. Ever ever ever ever.

I don't know if I can use you again, Bundt Pan. You really screwed up this time, man. You're lucky I had lots of ganache in the fridgerator. Real lucky. Or else, I might have thrown you out this morning. You're even luckier that this recipe is so kick butt that it's good enough for me to post regardless of your little tactics to try and ruin my cake making desires. Seriously... perfectly, all-american golden cake, tender and moist underneath two thick layers of ganache? Not even you can ruin that, Bundt Pan. Though you try.

I really am serious, man. Maybe if you got your act together, I'd use you more, and then you'd be happier, and so would I. Just sayin'. A little cooperation is all i'm askin' for.

Hopefully, this isn't an omen for the Saints to lose on Sunday. 'Cause if they do... I'm blaming you, Bundt Pan.

With Love,
Your Frusterated Owner Alexandra

Classic American Yellow Cake with Chocolate Ganache
(Adapted from a Passion for Baking by Marcy Goldman)

Note: I highly recommend not using a bundt pan for this recipe like I did, and instead making a layer cake or cupcakes.

INGREDIENTS:

CAKE
1 cup (2 sticks)unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar, pulverized in food processor
3 large eggs, room temperature
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 cups warm milk

GANACHE
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup butter

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Generously spray two 9-inch round cakepans with nonstick cooking spray and place pans on large parchment paper-lined baking sheet (or spray 24 cupcake liners).

2. In a mixer bowl or large food processor, blend butter and sugar until fluffy and thoroughly combined. Then add eggs and vanilla and blend well. Add flour, baking powder, and salt, drizzling in milk as mixture blends to make a smooth batter. Spoon batter into prepared cakepans.

3. Bake until cake springs back when gently pressed with fingertips, 35-40 minutes. Cool slightly. Unmold cakes from pans, cool on wire wracks, and then gently wrap in wax paper or plastic wrap. Chill in freezer 30 minutes or wrap and refrigerate until you are ready to frost.

4. To make chocolate ganache, melt in a double boiler or in the microwave the heavy cream, chocolate chips and butter until smooth and velvetty. Cover and place in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

5. To assemble cake, take cake and ganache out. Give the ganache a quick stir to make it velvetty smooth again. Spread 1/4 of the ganache between the cake layers. Spread half of the remaining ganache mixture ontop of the cake, letting it drip down the sides. Return ganache and cake to the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes. Take back out, and give the top of the cake another helping of ganache. Let ganache set on the cake before serving.

Grapefruit Bars

2010-02-01T11:20:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty sure that south is currently going through a week of PMS. One day, it's rainy and cold. Two days later, it's humid and sunny. Seriously, someone needs to give mother nature some chocolate to help calm her down so she can make up her mind.

It's dreary this Monday. Dreary. Sad. Depressing. Yucky. And while I don't mind the drizzling drops of rain, it does lead to a very slow and dark way to start off the week. And all this chilly weather has been going on long enough to have me pining for summer. I'm missin' the days of beaches and short shorts (although, not so much missing sixty year old guys at the beach in their tighty whities... I can pass on that). I find myself daydreaming about dipping my toes into the pool while enjoying frozen yogurt, or picnics by the lake with my favorite person. It seems like summer will never roll around, and with this constant teasing of off and on sunny/rainy weather, I'm craving the day spring presents itself at my door step.

Until then, though, I will have to make my own spring and summer.

I may not be breakin' out my bikini, but you might be tempted to if you're gonna make these grapefruit bars. Yesterday one of the nice ladies at my church brought a ton of citrus fruit that she had picked that weekend with her family. They were fresh, big, juicy, and all they needed was a good wash down and they would be ready for consumption. I'm not gonna lie, I was tempted to grab every single bag of fruit. And I probably would have. But God was watching. ;)

I used to dislike the taste of grapefruit This is probably due to the fact that when I was a kid, I saw my mom drinking it and I asked, "does it taste like orange juice?" She responded, "not really" and then proceeded to tell me she was on a grapefruit diet where all she did was drink and eat grapefruit and she'd lose weight. At the time I thought, "wow, that's dumb, I wouldn't try that"... but after she had left the kitchen and I was looking for something to drink, I decided to pour myself a glass and see what all this magical dietry belief was about. Now, mind you, I was a kid who was accustomed to all things sugar laden regarding fruit juices, so when I took a sip of no-sugar-added grapefruit juice, I promptly puckered up my lips, spit the vile concotion out into the sink and vowed that I would never go on the grapefruit diet and would much rather go on the oreos-and-milk diet. Now a days, though, I don't mind the taste. I think it's pretty good and reminds me a lot of lemon. And so, in hopes of coaxing spring and summer to come faster, I made these awesome grapefruit bars.

And I guess, if you happen to be on the "grapefruit diet", then TECHNICALLY you can eat these, since they have grapefruit in them...

But I don't think you'll see very good results. ;)

Grapefruit Bars
(Adapted from Crepes of Wrath)

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour + 1/4 cup for filling

1/4 cup white sugar + 1 1/3 cup for filling

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt + 1/2 teaspoon for filling

1/2 cup cold butter, cubed

4 eggs

Zest 3 grapefruits

Juice of 1 grapefruit (about 2/3 cup)

Juice of 1 lemon (about 2/3 cup)

powdered sugar (for dusting)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups flour and 1/4 teaspoon of salt and set aside.

2. In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Slowly add in the flour and salt mixture until combined.

3. Press this mixture into a greased and/or lined 9×13 pan (I really suggest lining the pan with tin foil and spraying with Pam – this way, you can lift the bars right out of the pan when they’re ready to cut instead of having to angle your knife into a pan). Bake the crust for 15-20 minutes or until just turning golden on the edges.

4. While the crust bakes, combine the grapefruit and lemon zest and 1 1/3 cups of white sugar in a medium sized bowl and rub them together until the zest is incorporated into the sugar (this makes sure that all of the grapefruit and lemon flavor/oils from the zest is well incorporated into the sugar and filling).

5. Whisk or beat in the eggs and add the lemon juice. Add 1/4 cup of flour and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and whisk them in, too.

6. Pour the lemon filling over the hot crust and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top is set and doesn’t wiggle.

7. Remove the lemon bars from the oven and allow to cool COMPLETELY before sprinkling with powdered sugar and cutting. Makes about 12-16 squares, depending on how large or small you cut them.

Spiced Buckwheat Pancakes with Sautee'd Apples

2010-01-30T07:29:00.000-08:00

Oh yeah. You heard right. Buckwheat. It happened.

Don't worry, I'm not gettin' all fancy and organic on ya.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am not typically a pancake person. Sure, they are good... but I only get a craving for them maybe once or twice a year. Preferably on thanksgiving morning with a tub of whip cream, maple syrup and bacon on the side. Other than that, I'm not really into the whole pancake obsession thing. But after today, I think I might be.

I forget whose blog I was looking at, but I had seen pictures on foodbuzz for buckwheat pancakes, and they looked so beautifully brown and sounded so good I vowed that very moment that at some time of the week, I was going to track down buckwheat flour and make them. And after four trips to the store turned up nothing, I had pretty much given up. It seemed that this flour had disappeared from the world, even in organic supplied markets. I was a sad panda.

But then, last night, at a last minute trip to the store for some milk and chocolate covered pretzels, I thought 'eh, hey, why not' and trudged over to the flour aisle. Surprise, surprise! What did I see? Buckwheat flour.
I was a very, very happy foodie.

While I'm not personally vegan, vegetarian, or anything like that, I am obsessed with this pancake recipe. And with buckwheat added in, it's a lot better for you health-wise than most pancakes. Not that that's going to stop you (or me) from drenching it in maple syrup but hey -- you only live once. And maple syrup... it makes everything better. Except, maybe, brussel sprouts (no offense to any maple syrup brussel sprout lovers out there). I also have an aversion to dairy so this recipe is easily adaptable so that I can make my cake and eat it too (Hah, cake, pancake, get it?).

If you have time, and you can find it -- make these pancakes. Make them with buckwheat flour. Make them with sautee'd apples. Make them with blueberries. Heck, If you're feeling extra decadent, make them with chocolate chips. I won't judge you.

Just don't leave out the maple syrup. Seriously. Maple syrup. Pancakes. It's essential.

Or, if you're my brother, serve yourself a pair with a generous scoop of vanilla bean ice-cream.
It'll be our little secret.

Spiced Buckwheat Pancakes with Sautee'd Apples
(makes about 8 medium sized pancakes, and around a dozen silver dollar sized ones)

INGREDIENTS:

Pancakes
3/4 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1-2 tablespoons sugar (depends how sweet you like your pancakes)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ginger
3/4 cup almond milk mixed with 1 teaspoon lemon juice (or 3/4 cup buttermilk)
1/4 cup water (or additional milk)
1 egg white, beaten until foamy
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons unsalted vegan butter, melted (or regular butter) and cooled completely

1/2 cup add-ins (optional, such as blueberries, nuts, chocolate chips, etc)
1 tablespoon sugar mixed with 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, for sprinkling (optional)

Sautee'd Apples
1 large apple, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon sugar

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine dry ingredients and any mix-ins (such as blueberries/chocolate chips/nuts) in a large bowl with a whisk, set aside.

2. In a large liquid measuring cup, combine almond milk, water, egg white, vanilla extract and melted butter. Whisk together till just combined.

3. Slowly pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients, stirring gently with a spatula or wooden spoon. Stir JUST UNTIL there are no signs of flour left. Don't worry if it's lumpy. It's suppose to be. Do not overmix.

4. Heat up a skillet to medium heat and spray lightly with cooking spray. When skillet is hot enough, test the heat by sprinkling water on it. If the water drops start to sizzle and dance, it's hot enough. If they evaporate immediately, turn down the heat a notch. If they don't evaporate or dance, turn the heat up.

5. Drop by 1/4 cupfuls (use a 1/4 measurement cups or 3 tablespoons) onto skillet. When the top of the pancakes start bubbling (it shouldn't take very long), flip pancakes over with a spatula and cook just a minute longer. Take off skillet and continue until there is no batter left. Makes about 8 medium sized pancakes, or a dozen silver dollar sized ones. Sprinkle with sugar/cinnamon mix if using.

6. To sautee' apples, take a seperate skillet and melt 1 teaspoon of butter over low heat. Throw in sliced apples, cinnamon, and sugar, and stir together until apples are coated. Cook until apples are soft, but still slightly firm.

7. Serve pancakes warm with sautee'd apples, real maple syrup, whip cream and freshly brewed coffee. And vanilla ice-cream, if you're feeling particularly naughty.

Glazed Orange Tea Cake

2010-01-26T07:43:00.000-08:00

I guess you'll be happy to know that no, I haven't gone away forever, and yes, I am back to fill in the space between your hips and your jeans. ;)
I went out of town for two weeks and had a wonderful time in Louisiana and, although I did not have any beignets this time around, I can assure you that I made up for the loss in double stuffed oreos, fudge striped cookies and a marathon of star wars. Yeah. Killer combo.

Even though I didn't want to come back home, I did miss dusting flour off my clothes and the way the house smells right before you're ready to take a batch of homemade brownies out of the oven; and I am entirely inspired to try more new recipes than ever before. Actually, I'm inspired to try a lot of new things lately.

Like my newest fascination with peanut butter and jelly. Whoa. Why I never liked this combo when I was a kid is beyond me. I feel robbed.

Anywho, we'll save my peanut butter and jelly laments for another day. For now, let's talk cake. This glazed orange tea cake, for example.
When I first read over the recipe from Cooking Light, I thought to myself. "Ah, okay. Not too bad nutrition wise, I guess..." and then I thought to myself I could seriously reduce the amount of sugar and fat in the recipe while still keeping the great orange flavor simply by swapping out 3 tablespoons of butter with low-fat, plain yogurt and cutting the sugar in half. The results? A very dense, yet light tasting tea cake that is perfectly sweet enough to enjoy with tea or coffee or heck, a tall glass of milk works just fine, too. The best part has to be the glaze ontop which definitely completes the entire dessert. The only thing I'd watch out for is that this cake is not meant to be left on the counter at room temperature over night, or it will dry out. If you don't eat it all in a day (which, I can promise you, will be difficult not to), wrap it up in plastic wrap and keep it in your fridge. I find that it tastes five times better the next day when it's nice and chilled and still completely moist.

Glad to be back in the baking saddle. Look out for more recipes to come this week as I am definitely in the mood to shell out some interesting recipes.
That, and I really, really need an excuse to make some pancakes. Stat.

Glazed Orange Tea Cake
(Adapted from Cooking Light)

Ingredients:

CAKE

1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1 egg
3 tablespoons low-fat, plain yogurt
1 2/3 cup cake flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (can substitute with low-fat, skim or whole milk)
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 large egg whites
cooking spray

GLAZE
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon orange liqueur (can substitute with orange juice)
1 teaspoon orange juice

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. To prepare the cake, place the granulated sugar and butter in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at high speed until well-blended. Add the egg and yogurt, beating well.

3. Combine cake flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk.

4. Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in zest and extract.

5. Beat the egg whites with a mixer at high speed until stiff peaks form using clean, dry beaters (do not overbeat).

6. Fold egg whites into batter; pour batter into an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray.

7. Bake at 350° for 50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes on a wire rack, and remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

8. To prepare the glaze, combine the powdered sugar, liqueur, and juice in a small bowl. Poke holes in top of cake using a skewer; drizzle glaze over cake.

We now return to our every day programming.

2010-01-22T21:42:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! Sorry for the lack of posts. I was out of town for two weeks and totally forgot to make a post about it. Don't worry, I didn't leave the blogging world. It'll probably be a day or two before I get some new stuff up but hang tight 'cause I got a lot of goodies to share that will make up for time lost. :)

Stay spiffy.

Proudly dunking twice,
Alexandra

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-01-08T08:59:00.000-08:00

Let me tell you something about my grandfather.

My grandfather does not approve of refined sugar, gluten, and caffiene. He is strongly against anything with that "really bad high fructose corn syrup stuff", prefers a glass of goats milk over cows milk, and would not be caught dead in ordering a burger from McDonalds. He does not like any ingredients that he cannot pronounce, and he is an avid lover of all things with seeds and anything labeled with the words "organic". When he's not busy talking about how I should really get out, exercise more, get some sun, etc, he is telling me all about the health benefits of raisins and protein drinks. In short, my grandfather is a very "healthy" man who eats all the right things and exercises daily and never sleeps in past ten in the afternoon.

Now, let me tell you something else about my grandfather.

My grandfather is the first person to order dessert at a table. My grandfather is the first person to go for a second helping of cookies. He is the first to try everything and anything when it comes to sweets and he does not skimp when he gets his frozen yogurt (fat-free!) from the yogurt bar. He is the one that will have "just a little" slice of cheesecake, only to five minutes later come back and have "just a little" slice more. And yes, my grandfather would like whip cream and chocolate syrup with that. Thank you very much.

I always find it funny when our family gets together and my grandfather spends all night talking about being healthy and such, and everyone just rolls their eyes because they know he will be the one who dives head first into the brownie pan as soon as he smells them coming out of the oven, or as soon as he even gets the faint sound of someone opening the fridge door to get the nights big dessert out. It is something we all expect, and there hasn't been one time where he has let us down. My grandfather, needless to say, is a secretive sweet-tooth, and I am never surprised when I catch him sneaking a cookie into his mouth when no one is looking. And if you even think of saying, "Popops! (that's what we call him) I thought you don't eat sweets?" he will just laugh at you and say, "oh, i'm only having one, and that's it. I'm done. Really."

Sure, pops, whatever you say.

So, by all means, my Grandfather would probably not approve of these cookies. Not only are they full of wonderful, beautiful butter, but they are also jammed pack with a cup full of Jif peanut butter, a duet of brown and white sugar, and a good helping of chocolate chips. Oh, and yes, it has flour in it.

In other words, these cookies are perfect, scrumptious, and a great addition to any cookie platter or just a really tall glass of milk. They are both chewy, soft, and definitely have a prominent "peanut butter" taste that I think a lot of peanut butter cookies lack (I personally never make a peanut butter cookie unless it has at least 1 cup of peanut butter in it).

I think that all things should be enjoyed in moderation, whether it be healthy or not. And that splurging a little on something sweet wont ruin your day. Actually, I'm pretty sure that these cookies could cure any bad day. Ever.

And if you're still not convinced, and going, "gosh, those look good, but my pants can't take it!"...

You could always send your cookies to my Grandfather.

Afterall, he wouldn't "want them to go to waste". ;)

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies
(Adapted from multiple peanut butter cookie recipes)

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/4 to 2 cups all purpose flour* (please, PLEASE see note below)
a dash of nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup peanut butter (do not use sugar free/organic/reduced fat)
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips
3 tablespoons milk* (optional, once again, PLEASE see note)

NOTE*: Please be wary that the amount of flour you'll use for this recipe will vary on your weather/house conditions, so DO NOT BE AFRAID of using more flour than recommended. I ended up using a whole two cups, and then my dough was too dry. If you do add flour and your dough gets dry, add 1 tablespoon of milk at a time to the batter until it reaches a smoother consistency.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2. Whisk together flour, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and peanut butter until just creamy and combined.

4. Beat in sugars, again, until just combined into the batter. Take care to smooth out any brown sugar chunks.

5. Beat in egg and vanilla.

6. Add the flour mixed and beat together until no flour remains to be seen. If your dough is too sticky, add 1/4 cup of flour. If your dough is too dry, add up to 3 tablespoons milk until it gets a creamy but not too sticky consistency.

7. Fold or stir in 1 cup chocolate chips.

8. Drop cookies onto sheet in rounded 1 inch balls onto the cookie sheet. Press each cookie down lightly with the back of a fork vertically and horizontally to get a "criss cross" shape (if you don't want the criss cross shape, press the ball down lightly with the bottom of a glass). Bake at 350F for about 10 minutes. Your cookies may look a little bit "soft" coming out of the oven but that's okay.

9. Leave the cookies on the sheet for a minute or two to set up, and then remove them and place them on a cooling wrack. Let cool completely.

Black and White Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-01-04T12:12:00.000-08:00

I always get funny looks when I talk about chocolate with other people. Everyone, obviously, has their favorite brand of chocolate. Ranging from the well known Godiva, Lindt, and if you're REALLY a chocolate connoisseur, Vosges is probably up your lane of choices as well. Not to say that any of these chocolates are bad. I like all of them, to be honest. Some more than others (I personally dislike anything from Lindt unless its their truffles). Either way, every foodie who enjoys the wonderful taste of chocolatey goodness usually has a favorite brand.

So when I tell people what my favorite chocolate ever is, they usually look at me and go, "Really?" as if they expected me to come up with some exotic chocolate from belgium that costs more than all my baking utensils put together.

But i'll be honest with you. My favorite chocolate is neither Godiva, nor Ghirardeli, nor any other special kind of chocolate from any country outside the US...

My favorite chocolate ever in the world is Hershey's Hugs Kisses.

Yes, that's right. Hershey's. Of all the chocolate I could pick from, I pick one that comes from Hershey's.

Call me crazy. Call me insane. It's okay, I won't mind. But I will do backflips for a bag of Hugs. It might be because everytime I've had them it's always been a special thing. Like sharing a bag with my sister while watching her play Zelda when I was a little kid, or the fact that my mom would always put a bag of them in my stocking for Christmas and in my Easter basket, or the fact that they are somehow ten times more stupendous when you eat them with someone you love. I don't know what it is about them. But biting into a hershey hug right out of the freezer, breaking open the white chocolate and milk chocolate swirly shell around it and then letting the pure milk chocolate center melt in your mouth -- Good Lord. I'm about ready to go to the store right now to get some. They are seriously that good, and I am not ashamed to say that I could munch on a bag mindlessly all day if given a chance (the boyfriend as my witness!).

So you can only imagine my reaction when I saw a bag of mini chocolate and white chocolate swirled morsels on the baking shelf of my local grocery store. Yeah. You bet I grabbed one. And ever since, it has been waiitng patiently in my freezer, waiting to be used.

While the mini chocolate morsels in themselves don't taste much like Hugs (unfortunately), they still get the job done. I've been waiting to come across the perfect recipe to incorporate them in and I honestly think that this might be it. Unlike your typical chocolate chip cookie, these are made with cake flour, a dash of Kahlua (a coffee liquor), and egg substitute. Lending for a much more healthier cookie in general that doesn't sacrifice or skimp on taste. The toasted pecans definitely lend a wonderful contrast, though I didn't use many of them because I like to have more chocolate in my cookies than I do nuts ;).

I won't lie, these are addictive. Though I didn't have Kahlua on hand, I replaced it with some brewed Espresso and I think that they came out just as good as they would if I had used Kahlua. These cookies are absolutely awesome and though they are originally meant for a blend of white chocolate chips and semi-sweet chocolate chips, I'm pretty sure that using the swirled kind lends its own flavor that lets you enjoy both at once instead of separately -- and I like it better that way.

If you don't happen to find the swirled morsels in your grocery, feel free to use a mix of white chocolate chips and semi-sweet ones. But if you do find them, I gotta say: use them! Do it. You won't regret it. I absolutely pinky promise you.

Black and White Chocolate Chip Cookies
(adapted from Cooking Light)

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups cake flour (about 8 ounces)
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons egg substitute (OR 2 tablespoon egg whites)
1 1/2 tablespoons Kahlúa (coffee-flavored liqueur) OR 1 1/2 tablespoons brewed espresso
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup white chocolate/semi sweet chocolate swirled morsels OR
6 tablespoons semisweet chocolate minichips
1/3 cup premium white chocolate chips

2 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped pecans, toasted (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; stir with a whisk.

3. Combine sugars, butter, and shortening in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

4. Combine 1/4 cup water, egg substitute, Kahlúa, and vanilla in a small bowl. Add Kahlúa mixture to sugar mixture; beat 2 minutes or until well blended.

5. Gradually add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until combined.

6. Fold in all your chocolate chips (whether you used the swirled or individual kind) and pecans. Drop by level tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets.

7. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, at 350° for 14 minutes or just until set and beginning to brown around edges and on bottoms.

8. Remove from oven; cool on pan 1 minute. Remove from pan; cool completely on wire racks.

Makes about 40 cookies.

Brown Butter Snickerdoodle Muffins

2009-12-31T10:32:00.001-08:00

When it comes to New Years... I'm not too big on whole "I'm gonna be a better person" or "i'm gonna eat healthy" or "I'm gonna do something great this year" switch that seems to get hit everytime our calenders restart and January rears its head back into our lives. Not that I'm against anyone who does do that. In fact, if it really does help you to set goals for yourself every year -- be my guest and do it man. I'll be right here rooting you on (yeah! eat those veggies!)

But as for me... setting goals at the start of the year makes me feel like, if I should need an exact date to change something important about myself, to better myself as a person, then why even bother at all? I should be wanting to do that every day. I should be wanting to treat my family nice all the time. I should be wanting to show the people I love that I love them every day. I should be eating healthy because It's good for me, not because I have to shed off all the pounds I may have gained by eating a cookie or two (or five). I shouldn't need one day out of the year to be the starting point of becoming the person I want to be. And really, I just feel like I'm setting myself up for failure more than anything else. Because when I make resolutions, I tend to go the "welp, there goes that" approach and just give up altogether. Well, not this year!

Instead of sitting here thinking of ways to better myself this year... I'll just keep doing what I've been doing. Trying to follow God as best that I can, being the person He wants me to be, and in the process treating everyone I love with the respect and care that they have given me. I'll count my blessings and instead about worrying of what will come three or two months from now, focus on today.

And most of all, I will keep baking whatever I friggin' want -- healthy resolutions or not!

And I am totally not saying that just because these muffins are probably one of the most delicious things to have ever graced my kitchen. Not even joking with you.

All new years talk aside... these muffins are amazing. I can't even begin to explain to you how good these are. They have even converted a muffin hater like myself to be tempted for another bite.

These are definitely no ordinary cinnamony/sugar muffins. They have a beautiful depth of buttery flavor that comes from browning the butter in a saucepan until the butter is a nice bronze, emitting a wonderful nutty aroma that will make you want to shove your face in the saucepan (disclaimer: I am by no way responsible for any known injuries if you actually do this) and forget the muffins altogether. But please, please refrain from doing so. Because these muffins are just too good to pass up. And don't you even think of using plain, normal butter. Brown butter is definitely the way to go with these babies.

Not only that, but they have a gorgeous cinnamon sugar crust on top. While you could do a crumble crust, or just simply sift some powdered sugar over the muffins instead once they've cooled -- the crust really does make for a simple and elegant presentations and a wonderful crunch right before you hit the soft, slightly dense snickerdoodley crumbs that lay underneath; truly living up to its name as a "Snickerdoodle Muffin".

So if you're not totally sick of the holiday sweets, and you've got a soft spot for snickerdoodles (we're all big snickerdoodle lovers in my family), make these! And if you really don't trust yourself around them but still want to make them, do what I did and give them to your awesome neighbors as a New Years gift. Ten bucks says as soon as they smell the warm, cinnamon fragrance coming from these babies, they aren't gonna dare turn them down.

Or you could just hog them all to yourself and love them and call them George. Your call.

Snickerdoodle Muffins
(Adapted from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody)

Makes about 12 normal muffins and 20ish mini muffins.

INGREDIENTS:
1 stick unsalted butter, browned (see directions for instructions on browning butter)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon cream of tarter
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon mixed together for topping (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. First, to brown your butter, get out a non-stick saucepan and set the heat on medium-low. Stick your stick (hah) of butter inside the pan and let melt completely. Butter should start foaming up on top, which will make it hard to see if it is "browning" or not. Don't worry, if this happens, determine if it's done or not by smell. As soon as the butter begins to starts to emit a nutty smell, give it a stir or two with your fork. It may start bubbling (thats ok). Keep the butter over medium-low heat for about 2 minutes after it starts to smell nutty. Stir again and let it bubble for a little longer, about 1 minute or so. You should see a bit of caramelization on the sides of the saucepan building up, and the smell should be getting stronger and more "caramel"-y. When this happens, take the saucepan off the heater and let cool. The foam will die down and you should be left with a glorious bronze color. If your butter does not foam (some dont) then just wait for the butter to get a bronze color before pulling it off the saucepan.

2. After browning your butter, LET IT COOL COMPLETELY. This is important because we do NOT want hot butter to go with the eggs as they will start cooking.

3. Preheat your oven to 375F degrees, spraying a paper-lined 12 cup muffin or 2 mini muffin tins with nonstick spray.

4. In separate bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and cinnamon.

5. In your mixing bowl (the one that will hold your muffin batter), take a whisk and whisk together the sugar, eggs, COOLED brown butter, vanilla, milk, and sour cream. Do not over whisk. It's okay if there are a few lumps from the sour cream.

6. Add flour mixture and whisk in JUST UNTIL there are no signs of flour left. Once again, DO NOT OVERMIX. It's okay if the batter is lumpy -- it's suppose to be.

7. If using the sugar and cinnamon topping mix, GENEROUSLY cover the top of each muffin with the mix (about a heaping tablespoon for each).

8. Bake muffins at 375F for 15-20 minutes, sticking a toothpick in the middle of one of the muffins to check for doneness (in other words, the toothpick should come out with only a few moist crumbs). Take out and cool muffins on wire wrack.

9. Muffins can be frozen and then warmed in the oven or microwave if desired. These are best served warm and out of the oven with a strong cup of coffee.

Gingersnaps

2009-12-28T08:39:00.000-08:00

I think I can honestly say that my oven will be getting its holiday vacation for the next couple of days or so.

It seems like everyone builds up for Christmas each year and yet the day comes, and goes, and next thing you know, Christmas, the day we spend weeks getting ready for, is over in what feels like minutes. Sometimes, I wonder if Christmas should just be considered a month-long holiday. 'Cause it certainly felt like it this month. I'm still finding random balls and disks of forgotten cookie dough in my fridge and freezer... and underneath my fingernails... but that's irrelevant...

I hope you all had a great, wonderful Christmas full of good food and, of course, cookies. I know I sure did (cookies included!). I hope you all got pretty chef knives and lots of cookbooks under your tree... I know I'll be enjoying my new set of ramekins, my new cookbook, and my espresso maker. Oh yes. The espresso make has been put to good use already, I assure you -- it will not go unused ;). Now I just need to whip up some biscotti to go with it, and I'll really have no reason to get out of bed. Ever again.

Besides the being sick, Christmas allergies and the drastic amount of laundry covered in powdered sugar and flour touring over next to me, I'd say that this Christmas was a successful one... with leftovers to enjoy.

In all seriousness, I'll probably be back in the cookie making business in a few days. ;) Have to put those new tools to good use afterall :).

One of the most praised cookies that made it to my cookie tray this year had to be these gingersnaps... I gotta admit, they are the best i've ever had. I usually like my gingersnaps very crunchy, but these are wonderful when chewy and much, much better than the store-bought ones that taste like molasses bricks, in my honest opinion. And thankfully, they go either way you want them to... crunchy or chewy. But make sure you don't store the crunchy ones with the chewy ones... the moisture will rape whatever crunchiness your other batch of cookies will hold. No crunchy cookie is safe from it. Truth.

Now, if you don't want to go run off and bake these beauties right away... I completely understand... but definitely keep them in your recipe box to make. And just so you know, they taste just as fabulous after Christmas as they do on Christmas. In other words... you have no excuse not to make these. ;) They really are splendid with a particularly frothy cappucino or just a nice glass of cold milk. You might even find yourself actually getting out of bed to go for seconds.

Perfect Gingersnaps
(Thanks to 17andbaking for the killer recipe)

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cloves
Pinch of salt
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
3/4 cup canola oil
1 large egg
Sugar for rolling (I like evaporated cane juice or raw sugar)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, spices, and salt in a medium bowl. In another bowl, combine together the brown sugar, molasses, canola oil, and egg until smooth.

2. Mix the flour mixture into the brown mixture, stirring until dough comes together. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 20 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper.

4. Scoop up bits of dough by the heaping teaspoonful and roll into balls between your palms, about the size of a quarter. Roll the balls in sugar and place on the baking sheets 2 inches apart. Bake 8 minutes – if you like crispy gingersnaps, try 9-10 minutes. Cookies will be very soft but will firm up. Leave on the baking sheet several minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

5. Store crunchy cookies at room temperature, uncovered. Store chewy/soft cookies in air-tight container. Cookies will stay good for quite some time.

My favorite sugar cookies

2009-12-23T08:04:00.001-08:00

You know. Being sick around Christmas time really blows. Seems whatevers been going around has finally caught up to me (2 days before Christmas... joy), and is enjoying beating the living crap out of my immune system as I lay helplessly in bed, yearning to get inside my kitchen and finish the numerous amounts of baking I still have yet to do.

You know what doesn't suck about being sick?

Fuzzy green neon socks.

Yes, you heard me right. Fuzzy. Green. Neon. Socks. They rock. They are my "sick-time" socks. They keep my feet nice and warm and cozy and I love them. And the best part is, because I'm sick, I have a totally justified reason for wearing them with PJ pants and a "free hugs!" shirt that I made two years ago with spray paint. Awesome.

So despite my attempts at staying in bed all day, I'm cheating and posting a recipe for my favorite sugar cookies ever... Their incredibly easy to make. They puff up and get all soft and yummy and so perfect. The dough is perfectly handled in a way that the cookie comes out delicate yet sturdy and oh so buttery. Pair that up with some awesome icing skills (of which I do not have the patience for) and you got yourself a crowd pleaser.

The best part about making the dough is that it's actually quite a messy process... The recipe calls for you to mix it in BY HAND. And by hand, I mean literally using your hands. That's right. You incorporate the flour WITH YOUR HANDS. And once the flour is almost gone, you switch to a spatula just to make sure it's all entirely mixed. I didn't realize how much of a difference this method made in these cookies until I simply used my mixer to mix the flour in... the cookies had a duller texture and just weren't the same, light-hearted sugar cookies that seem to come out when you do it exactly as the directions say: by hand. So if you don't mind getting your hands a bit messy (i'm sure they already are), definitely make these cookies. Right now.

And make me a batch too. I'm gonna need the sugar.

Michelle's Soft Sugar Cookies

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (may need 1/4 cup more for dough to come together)
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:
1. Cream the butter and add the sugar gradually. Beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at time, mixing well after each addition.

2. Stir in the vanilla.

3. Add the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt gradually to the creamed mixture, stirring in with floured hands. Dough should be slightly sticky and not too wet. If too wet, incorporate 1/4 cup more of flour. Cover and chill dough overnight.

4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

5. Roll dough out on a floured surface to 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick and cut into your favorite shapes. Place cookies onto the prepared baking sheets.

6. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for exactly 8 minutes. Cookies will be pale and only slightly brown at the edges.

Red Velvet Cheesecake

2009-12-21T06:45:00.000-08:00

Hi.

How's life? Got all your Christmas shopping done yet? Still doing 1:00 AM visits to Walmart? Tired of the sound of cash registers? Not done planning your Holiday menu? Stocking up on Pillsbury ready-to-bake cookies and cakes just in case? Realizing it's only 4 days left until Christmas? 10 seconds away from saying 'screw it!' and just letting the kids unwrap their Christmas gifts by just taking them out of the bags they originally come in? In debt up to your eyeballs? Trying to figure out why your pants dont fit anymore? Trying to figure out why nothing fits anymore?

Don't worry. That's okay. Me, too.

Thankfully, there are things in life that are very forgiving when it comes to the stress of holiday seasons...

Like Red Velvet Cheesecake.

I'm not gonna lie.
It calls to me.

It's like the Marilyn Monroe of cheesecakes.
It doesn't give a flying fudge nugget what you think of it. It's sexy, and it knows it's sexy, and it'll seduce you with just one look.

Assuming, of course, that your cheesecake has eyes... Mine doesn't... I pretty much prefer it that way; but to each their own.

I really do love this cheesecake... Even though I messed up on the crust (1/2 cup melted butter instead of 1/4 cup... Woops!), AND my cheesecake cracked at the top... Everything was good in the world as soon as I threw a dollop of cream cheese frosting on top. And hey... no one's gonna mind the extra chocolate crust... ;)

If you're looking for a sure-fire way to make everyone ooh and aaah at the Christmas table, this is a great go-to recipe to have on hand. Everything comes together nicely and the cheesecake itself is perfectly tasty. Much like red velvet cake, except with a creamier texture and a chocolate crust. Still, very, very good.

Just make sure you don't do what I did and find out you don't have enough red food coloring at the last minute. Because then you'll find yourself in an array of hysterics throwing spices out of your cabinet looking for an extra bottle of food coloring while shouting "MY CHEESECAKE IS PIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINK. PIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINK." at the top of your lungs.

It isn't pretty.

Red Velvet Cheesecake
(Adapted from Culinary Concoctions from Peabody)

INGREDIENTS:

CRUST
1 ½ cups oreo cookie crumbs
¼ cup butter, melted
1 TBSP granulated sugar

FILLING
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 TBSP unsweetened cocoa
1 cup sour cream
½ cup whole buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp distilled white vinegar
2 (1 oz) bottles red food coloring

TOPPING
1 4oz package cream cheese, at room temperature
2 tbsp butter, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

1. Stir together oreo crumbs, melted butter and 1 TBSP sugar; press mixture onto bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.

2. Beat together cream cheese and sugar at medium low speed with an electric mixer 1 minute. Add eggs, unsweetened cocoa, sour cream, buttermilk, vanilla extract, vinegar and food coloring. Mix on low speed just until fully combined.

3. Pour batter into prepared pan.

4. Bake at 325F for 10 minutes, reduce heat to 300F, and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until center is firm.

5. Run knife along outer edge of cheese. Turn oven off and let cheesecake stand in oven 30 minutes.

6. Remove cheesecake from oven; cool in pan on a wire rack for 30 m minutes.
Cover and chill for 8 hours.

7. To make the topping, beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth; gradually add powdered sugar and vanilla, beating until smooth.
Remove cheesecake from refrigerator and spread topping evenly over top of cheesecake.
Remove sides of springform. Garnish if desired.

Cranberry White Choco Chip Oatmeal Bites

2009-12-17T08:47:00.000-08:00

First, please forgive me for the offset color coordination of these photos. My camera... it defeats me sometimes, and adds weird reflections of other colored objects to my cookies when picture taking time comes around. It's not a very cooperative camera. But that's okay. It knows if it ticks me off too much it'll sit in its little dark corner in my drawer until it learns its lesson. Or until I have to use it again.

I'll admit it's usually the later. But whatever. It doesn't need to know that.

I've got this recent obsession with small little bite-sized cookies... which is awfully weird because I've been craving the opposite. But I just can't help but love how easy they come together and can be packaged and sent off as gifts or other. These little oatmeal bites are exactly what I'm talking about. They get their softness from the 1/4 cup of yogurt that replaces 1/4 cup of butter in the original recipe, a lightness from whisking an egg white in replace of a whole egg, a chewyness from the oatmeal bits and craisins and a slight crunch from the white chocolate chips that heavily stud every piece like little yummy jewels.

I just love it. I really do. And look how festive they are. Come on. The only dangerous thing about these cookies is the fact that anything easily popped inside the mouth will be gone in about... 10 seconds? Okay. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt... 15 seconds.

If you're looking for an easy way to whip up some easy package cookies that will stay moist and satisfy the sweet tooth in your life, then make these. Not only are they incredibly seasonal, but come on... Cuteness factor is out the door here. Don't deny it.

Cranberry and White Choco Chip Oatmeal Bites

INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup butter, softened
scant 1/4 cup plain, non-fat yogurt
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar (*See footnote)
1 large egg
1 large egg white, briefly whisked
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cup oatmeal, quick-cooking or rolled (I used quick cooking since its what I had on hand)
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 6oz package sweetened dried cranberries
2/3 cup white chocolate chunks or chips (or 4oz, chopped)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Beat butter, yogurt and sugars* together. Mixture should not look light and fluffy but will be a little more on the liquidy looking side. That's okay. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well.

2. Combine oats, flour, nutmeg, baking soda and salt together in a separate bowl. Add to butter mixture in several additions, mixing well after each addition (don't skip this step!)

3. Stir in dried cranberries and white chocolate. Dough should be sticky. If dough seems too wet, mix in another 1/4 cup of flour.

4. Divide dough into 2 separate balls and cover them in plastic wrap or foil. Refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours.

5. Preheat your oven to 375

6. Drop by rounded teaspoonfulls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom and slightly set on top. Remove from sheets and cool on wire wrack. Makes about 2 1/2 dozen.

*Footnote: These are a little on the sweet side, so if you want you can probably only use 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar in replace of the 1/4 cup, or just forget the sugar entirely. The only reason why I added 1/4 cup of sugar was to cut the tartness of the plain nonfat yogurt which has a slight tang to it that I was scared wouldn't balance out with the brown sugar. So if you want, just cut the 1/4 cup out or just use a tablespoon if you're paranoid.

Linzer Sablés with Nutella

2009-12-15T11:04:00.000-08:00

Well. It's official. Florida has made it quite clear that it wants nothing to do with Christmas this year, as is evident by our 78 degree weather. I could blame it all on that global warming yap, but I honestly think that Florida just isn't in the mood to celebrate. That, and this state has some serious PMSing issues. But don't tell her I said that (or him... I am, afterall, entirely convinced that men endure a monthly PMS as well).

Seriously. It's hard to get into the yuletide cheer when you can practically bake your holiday cookies ontop of your car because of the weather outside. Whatta bummer.

Regardless, though, you'll still see snowflakes hanging from tree's in peoples front yard and lots of interesting decorations (I personally love one of the houses in my neighborhood whom has a little squad of penguins huddled together in front of a fire on their lawn). We may not be gettin' chilly weather our way anytime soon, and the air conditioner may just be on high for Christmas Day... but people are still determined to keep the spirit alive, and I think that that's awesome.

Despite the wavering heat that's been washing over our little town, I still find it hard to stay away from the oven and baking cookies even if I go through five ice cold water bottles while I do it. It may not look like Christmas outside... but it'll smell like Christmas inside. And honestly, how can you not think about cute little chubby santa clauses munching down on a plateful of goodies when you have gingerbread bars and these Linzer cookies goin' down in your kitchen?

That's what I thought.

You can keep thinking about those chubby little santa clauses too.

I won't judge you.

Linzer cookies are incredibly easy to make, and while they are typically filled with jam (raspberry does wonders with the almond taste), I decided to slasher on some Nutella for mine, and the taste of chocolate/hazelnut combo with the almondy butter cookie was just what Santa ordered... though he may need to spend some more time on the treadmill for it ;). I rolled mine a bit thinner than required but it gave the cookies a nice snap to them so I didn't mind. Make sure you watch these, as they can burn very easily in the oven if left in just a moment too long. It's well worth the extra time spent. As always, Dorie Greenspan knocks my socks off with another cookie recipe. Here's to hoping I get my own copy of her book for Christmas!

Linzer Sablés with Nutella
(Adapted from Dorie Greenspan From My Home To Yours)

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups finely ground almonds, hazelnuts or walnuts
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
Scant 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 large egg
2 teaspoons water
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup nutella or other filling (such as raspberry jam or other)
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

DIRECTIONS:
1. Whisk together the ground nuts, flour, cinnamon, salt and cloves. Using a fork, stir the egg and water together in a small bowl.

2.Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together at medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed. Add the egg mixture and beat for 1 minute more. Reduce the speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they disappear into the dough. Don't work the dough much once the flour is incorporated. If the dough comes together but some dry crumbs remain in the bottom of the bowl, stop the mixer and finish blending the ingredients with a rubber spatula or your hands.

3. Divide the dough in half. Working with one half at a time, put the dough between two large sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap. Using your hands, flatten the dough into a disk, then grab a rolling pin and roll out the dough, turning it over frequently so that the paper doesn't cut into it, until it is about 1/4 inch thick.

4. Leave the dough in the paper and repeat with the second piece of dough. Transfer the wrapped dough to a baking sheet or cutting board (to keep it flat) and refrigerate or freeze it until it is very firm, about 2 hours in the refrigerator or about 45 minutes in the freezer. The rolled-out dough can be wrapped airtight and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Just thaw the dough enough to cut out the cookies and go on from there.

5. enter a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

6. Peel off the top sheet of wax paper from one piece of dough and, using a 2-inch round cookie cutter-a scalloped cutter is nice for these-cut out as many cookies as you can. If you want to have a peekaboo cutout, use the end of a piping tip to cut out a very small circle from the centers of half the cookies. Transfer the rounds to the baking sheets, leaving a little space between the cookies. Set the scraps aside-you can combine them with the scraps from the second disk and roll and cut more cookies.

7. Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 11 to 13 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly golden, dry and just firm to the touch. Transfer the cookies to a rack to cool to room temperature.

8. Repeat with the second disk of dough, making sure to cool the baking sheets between batches. Gather the scraps of dough together, press them into a disk, roll them between sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, then cut and bake.

9. When cookies are cooled, drop a heaping teaspoon of nutella onto one side (preferably the side without the hole in it) and spread with an offset spatula or the back of the spoon until cookie has a thin spread covering it. Sandwich with another cookie (the one with the hole, if you made them with holes) and dust with Confectioner's sugar if desired. Enjoy!

Gingerbread bars with white chocolate icing

2009-12-13T07:06:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, some thing just tastes so good, that you can't even compare what it tastes like with an actual taste. For example, say you're at a restaurant and you order the jerk seasoned shrimp with mango salsa and mashed sweet potato with fried plantains on the side... you taste it, and you get such an explosion of hot, spicy & sweet that sometimes all you can

say is: "Oh man. That tastes like the freakin' bahamas right there."

And somehow, everyone will nod their head and totally know exactly what you mean even though in reality it makes no sense whatsoever.

These bars... are kinda like that.

I want to say they taste like gingerbread bars that have been tinted with a nice white chocolate (and cream cheese) icing laced on top. I want to say they taste subtly spicy with a sweet tone. I want to say they taste like a thousand gingerbread men, only in cake form... but none of these seem to fit the description as well as my sister-in-laws words:

"It's like I just bit into Christmas."

Y'took the words right outta my mouth. Except not literally because that would be awkward.

Just look at these. They are so delicately weighed. Not too light or heavy. A perfect little snack cake that would do well with or without the icing (but because we like to take things to the next level and once is never enough, we'll just go ahead and ACCIDENTALLY cross over another healthy helping of lacy icing on these babies. Remember. Accidentally.) It's not rich at all and it

really does taste like you are biting into Christmas Day itself. It's like a total nostalgia rush to the fifth degree. Even if you've never had gingerbread before, you'll be swept away into Christmas.

Or just another piece.

Extra icing, please.

I was actually going to opt for Martha's AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS looking white chocolate gingerbread blondies BUT... 2 sticks of butter martha?! 2 whole sticks!?

...WELL, MARTHA, I DON'T HAVE TWO STICKS OF BUTTER TO USE. So you and your fancy pants recipe will just have to wait another week before they get their grips on my waistline.

So there.

(I'm sorry, I had to get that out. Forgive me.)

'Till then, I'm going to savor what has to be the best version of gingerbread I have possibly ever had. And I encourage you to do the same.

Gingerbread Bars with White Chocolate Icing

Stolen from Culinary in the Desert who adapted it from Bon Appetit

INGREDIENTS:

For gingerbread bars:

2 cups all-purpose flour, divided

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup molasses

1 cup white chocolate chips (optional)

For white chocolate icing:

1 oz white chocolate, melted and cooled

4 oz cream cheese, softened

3-4 cups powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tbsp milk (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13x9 inch pan with foil, with the foil going over the length-wise edges of the pan, sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, add flour. SCOOP OUT 2 TABLESPOONS OF FLOUR and place in separate bowl to reserve for topping.

3. Into the flour (not reserved flour), whisk in ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

4. In large mixing bowl, cream together butter and 6 tablespoons of granulated sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating just to combine after each addition. Mix in vanilla and molasses. Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in white chocolate chips if using.

5. Scoop batter into prepared pan and, with an offset spatula, smooth out top. Sprinkle the top with reserved flour, then sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar over that.

6. Place into oven and bake until bars are golden brown and a toothpick comes out mostly clean with a few crumbs attached, about 20-24 minutes. Remove and place pan on wire wrack to cool completely before cutting.

7. While gingerbread is cooking, make the icing. take a clean medium-small bowl and blend together the cream cheese and powdered sugar. Blend in the melted white chocolate. Then blend in the vanilla. IF your icing is too thick, thin it out with a tablespoon of milk. If it's too think, add more powdered sugar.

7. When bars are cooled, lift the bars out of the pan with the foil that you lined over the edges of the pan. Cut into desired bars and, using a pastry bag (Or take a ziplock bag, put the icing in it and then cut off a little hole with scissors at the pointy tip), drizzle white chocolate icing over bars. Save leftover icing in fridge if desired.

Cakey Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-12-11T06:30:00.000-08:00

Reader, I know.

This is difficult.

This is hard.

This is not easy to do, and I understand.

That penguin cookie jar is seriously too cute for your mind to control. I know. I feel your pain.

Oh. And cookies. Those don't help either.

I'm not too big of a fan of chocolate chip cookies. This could be because mine always burn or turn out flat. Yeah, that whole nestle tollhouse recipe everyone raves about? Seems that no matter what I do, I get burned chocolate chip pancakes instead of sturdy cookies. It sucks. It really does.

I have yet to come across a chocolate chip cookie recipe that has successfully given me my kinda chocolate chip cookie -- crisp, slightly crumbly, not too chocolate and melt-in-your-mouth when dipped in cold milk. Those are my kinda chocolate chip cookies. I guess you could say even after all the chocolate chip cookies I've tried, I'm still a chips ahoy! girl at heart ;).

Still, it's hard to really care when you don't get a chocolate chip cookie recipe right. There are so many others out there, the possibilities are endless, and even if you get it wrong there are still some desperate relatives (or very hungry mice, apparently; but that's a story for another day) who will eat it despite it's flaws and enjoy it thoroughly. That's kind of what happen

ed with these cookies.

Their perfectly soft -- cakey and delicious with just the right amount of chocolate chips in each little ball. I could've make them tinier, to be honest. And it would have probably helped to put them in the fridge for a little while after dropping them on the cookie sheets so they wouldn't have spread and burned on the bottom. But that's alright. They still came out good and, surprisingly, keep very moist and still cakey after a week of being in an airtight container. Good deal.

So if you're the cakey chocolate chip cookie type, definitely whip some of these up. Or if you know someone who likes cakey chocolate chip cookies, give it as a gift! After all, it is the season of giving. And I promise they won't mind if you have slightly burned bottoms. Promise.

(And no, I am not the least bit disturbed by the fact that you have to remove the penguins head to get the cookies. I just see it as if he's got cookies on his mind -- haha, get it? yeahh. I'm good.)

Cakey Chocolate Chip Cookies

(recipe by Martha Stewart)

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

14 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 cups (about 12oz) semi-sweet and/or milk chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together flour and baking soda; set aside.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter with both sugars; beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Add salt, vanilla, and eggs. Beat until well mixed, about 1 minute.

4. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Turn out dough into plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour if desired.

5. When ready to bake cookies, drop heaping tablespoon-size balls of dough about 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

6. Bake until cookies are golden around the edges and slightly set in the center, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to wire wrack, and let cool completely. Store cookies in airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.

Punitions with Rum Cream Cheese Icing

2009-12-06T10:15:00.000-08:00

The chilly morning weather is rolling in and I am seriously finding it harder and harder to get out of bed in the morning. Seriously. You could be whippin' up a batch of cinnamony french toast and bacon and I'll still hesitate to get out from under the covers. It's just been one of those weekends where all you wanna do is snuggle inside your blanket, watch some awesome T.V. shows (*cough*THEFRINGE*cough*) and eat a lot of nice, warm, comforting, homey food.

Even though Christmas is coming, I really hardly feel like it is. It seems like the hype is so died down this year for everyone... But I'm still glad people are spreading the Christmas cheer anyway. That, and there is DEFINITELY no shortage of cookie making and consumption. No,

not at all.

Though I admit I was a total laze ball this weekend, I did manage to drag my butt out of bed and get some things done... And of course, those things came mostly in cookie form. Because it's Decemeber. And they can come in no other way but in cookie form.

I love these cookies because they are basic, simple, and still the bomb. Throw some snazzy cream cheesy icing on there that's been spiked with rum extract and you got yourself a class full of happy, hungry, cheery little kids all wanting to gobble these cute little snowmen up. And I don't blame them one bit!

Punitions, also known as "Punishment" cookies, are incredibly easy. You just mix flour, sugar, and butter together in the food processor, stick it in the fridge for a few hours, roll it out and cut it into traditional wedged circles or get all fancy-shmancy and use a snowman cut out. Your choice.

They're great on their own with a crumbly and snappy texture. But the icing really makes it even better. You really don't want to eat too many of these... they are truly for sweet tooths only. You know. The kind of people who can enjoy a few Hawaii'an sweet rolls with a good pat of butter on 'em.

Mmm. Hawaii'an sweet rolls...

Punitions (Punishment cookies)

(courtesy of smitten kitchen, adapted from Boulangerie Poilane, via Paris Sweets by Dorie Greenspan)

INGREDIENTS:

For cookies:

1 1/4 sticks salted butter, at room temperature
Slightly rounded 1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 cups all-purpose flour

For rum cream cheese icing:
1/4 cup cream cheese, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon rum extract
1 teaspoon light corn syrup
1 teaspoon water (optional, for thinning)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Put the butter in the work bowl of a food processor* fitted with the metal blade and process, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until the butter is smooth. Add the sugar and process and scrape until thoroughly blended into the butter. Add the egg and continue to process, scraping the bowl as needed, until the mixture is smooth and satiny. Add the flour all at once, then pulse 10 to 15 times, until the dough forms clumps and curds and looks like streusel.

2. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and gather it into a ball. Divide the ball in half, shape each half into a disk, and wrap the disks in plastic. If you have the time, chill the disks until they are firm, about 4 hours. If you’re in a hurry, you can roll the dough out immediately; it will be a little stickier, but fine. (The dough can be wrapped airtight and refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 1 month.)

3. Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

4. Working with one disk at a time, roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface until it is between 1/8 and 1/4 inch (4 and 7 mm) thick. Using a 1 1/2-inch (4-cm) round cookie cutter, cut out as many cookies as you can and place them on the lined sheets, leaving about 1 inch (2.5 cm) space between them. (You can gather the scraps into a disk and chill them, then roll, cut, and bake them later.)

5. Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes, or until they are set but pale. (If some of the cookies are thinner than the others, the thin ones may brown around the edges. M. Poilâne would approve. He’d tell you the spots of color here and there show they are made by hand.) Transfer the cookies to cooling racks to cool to room temperature.

6. For icing, beat cream cheese and powdered sugar together. Add extract and corn syrup. Beat until combined. If icing is too thick (it should have a drizzly consistency) add teaspoon of water or milk as desired. Ice cookies and leave for icing to harden.

Do ahead: The cookies can be kept in a tin at room temperature for about 5 days or wrapped airtight and frozen for up to 1 month.