Papaya Blueberry Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

Papaya Blueberry Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
Originally uploaded by watchjennybake.

These are adapted from a recipe adapted by my in-laws to turn a breakfast bread into cookies. They travel a lot, and eating cookies in the morning makes sense.

I'll give you the basic recipe, and please realize you can try almost anything with it. The main point is to not use white flour or sugar, use a lot of fruit, and be creative! The texture is a little like baked oatmeal, and I'm trying to make it breadier without adding too many bad things. The oatmeal texture is okay with me, but it might be foreign to you.

Healthy Breakfast Cookies
2 cups oat flour *
1 cup oats
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp assorted ground spices (cinnamon is good, in this I used allspice and cloves)
1/2 tsp salt
8 (ish) medjool dates, pits removed
1 1/2 cups liquid (rice milk, apple juice, soy milk)
2 medium apples (peeled and chopped) **
1/4 cupish molasses ***
2-3 tbsp agave syrup
crunchy things, dried fruit, or fresh fruit

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. In a bowl, combine dry ingredients.
3. In a blender, blend fruits and liquids until smooth.
4. Mix dry ingredients, wet ingredients, and sweeteners to taste. Stir in crunchies. Mixture will be rather moist, but you can add extra oat flour or oats if you're concerned.
5. Make uniform heaps onto parchment paper lined cookie sheets. Bake 30-45 minutes and cool on wire rack.
6. Freeze extra or chill up to 4 days.

* Oat flour is made by grinding up oats, not quick ones, but regular. 2 cups oats = roughly 1 1/2 cups oat flour, so allow for extra
** Papaya was on sale, so I substituted papaya for apple, just about two cups. I would try almost any fruit!
*** I left the molasses out this time, to try for a fruitier cookie. Just experiment!

Here is a picture of the original version made by Al during their visit:

They threw in some walnuts and organic chocolate chips.

Here is a picture of some of the weirder ingredients:



Categories: Blueberries, Cookies, Papaya, Vegan

Coffee Banana Chocolate Chip Scones

Coffee Banana Chocolate Chip Scones
Originally uploaded by watchjennybake.

The last time I had bananas sitting around, I decided to try to find a scone recipe that could include them. I also had some random chocolate chips sitting around (white and semisweet).

The original recipe can be found here but since I altered it quite a bit to make it richer, the recipe below is my own version.

Coffee Banana Chocolate Chip Scones

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup mashed ripe banana
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tsp instant coffee granules
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup miscellaneous baking chips (optional)

Directions:
In large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Cut in butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Gently heat cream in separate bowl (or glass measuring cup) and stir in instant coffee until dissolved. Stir in vanilla and banana; add to dry mixture, stirring lightly to make a moist dough. Stir in chips (optional).

On lightly floured board, knead dough lightly for about 30 seconds. Roll out dough to 1/2 inch thickness; cut into 3 inch rounds and place on lightly greased baking sheet. Bake in 425 F oven for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Makes about 10 scones.

Jenny's notes: I used a scone pan for mine, so it made 8 scones. You could also just pat the dough into a circle and cut it into wedges. I used three bananas, so my mixture was a little more moist and the scones had to bake longer because of this.

I used 2/3 cup white chocolate chips and 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips, because that's what I had. The next time I make these I will try adding peanut butter chips too because even though there are many many flavors here, peanut butter would have just kicked the entire recipe up to pure heaven.

I feel obligated to say that my husband thought there were too many flavors going on here, and that the flavor was too intense. You could start with half the amount of coffee if you were concerned, but for me, the more flavor the better.

Categories: Banana, Chocolate, Coffee, Scones

Pretzels

Finished Pretzels
Originally uploaded by watchjennybake.

I can see myself veering away from super sweet stuff to yeasty items. I made my first post about the Daring Bakers two weeks ago, but they've been together longer than I've been a part of them.

Last year one of their challenges was to make pretzels. Recipe can be found here. I can't say enough about these. They were so easy, and so delicious. And perfect with mustard or plain.

As you can see, mine are a bit pale, and I could have used an extra 2-5 minutes, but they were still good. This was the first time this month I wished I had a pastry brush (the last step includes brushing the pretzels with melted butter) but not the last!

This was the first time in a long while I had kneaded dough by hand - probably not since the day the industrial mixer broke down on challah day, back when I worked at a bakery. I had forgotten how great it feels, both during and after, and don't plan on using the silly dough hooks on my mixer again any time soon. I also have a lovely island in my kitchen now which is perfect for kneading and preparing dough.

A picture of them before baking:


The only thing I can say about these - I wish I hadn't baked them all at once. They get a little soggy and tough after a day or so, and I could have stopped after the last step before baking, and frozen the dough. At least, that's what I'll try next time unless I'm baking for a crowd.

Categories: Bread, Pretzels, Savory, Yeast

Pie Challenge!

A Muffin Story's pie challenge
Originally uploaded by watchjennybake.

A_Muffin_Story on LJ declared this week pie week! My goal is to make at least three pie type dishes this week, and not all sweet!

I had some leftover diplomat cream from the pastry challenge I did last weekend, and found a banana cream pie recipe that could use it. The recipe was from a cookbook I've had for a while but never tried anything from - the Roselyn's Cookbook. When I lived in Indiana, I heard story after story about Roselyn's - a historic local bakery that had unfortunately closed by the time I lived there, but they had sold recipes and continued selling some of their products under the Roselyn's name.

The banana cream pie is nothing difficult - I used a graham cracker crust, soaked the 3 bananas in pineapple juice, filled the crust with the diplomat cream, topped it with bananas, and put whipped cream on the top.

The piece I took doesn't look pretty (really I should have used a somewhat different cream that would have set up more) but it tasted good!

Hooray for pie week!


Categories: Banana, Cream, Pie

Daring Bakers - Gateau St. Honoré

Back in March when I noticed a bunch of the baking bloggers I religiously read were all making red velvet cakes, I begged to be included in the group! This month Daring Bakers has grown to 48 members, all attempting the same challenge. This month's challenge was Gateau St. Honoré, in honor of the birthday of St. Honoré, the patron saint of bakers.

This pastry is often used as a final exam for pastry chefs, since it includes puff pastry, cream puffs, cream, caramel, and spun sugar. You can read more about the recipe and look at other bakers by clicking on Helene's post - she was one of the two hosts for this month's challenge.



I decided to make several small pastries rather than one large cake, and am glad I did. I even drizzled some caramel on the parchment paper that looked kind of like a butterfly, so I've included it here. Here's another view where it might be easier to see:



I was overwhelmed by this challenge. Last week I had talked myself out of it completely, but let myself be talked back into it. I did take the out of buying storemade puff pastry, but everything else is mine. I had never made cream puffs before, so that was neat to see how easy it is! All of my cake decorating supplies are still in the closet of my old bedroom in my parents' house in Oregon, so I had to improvise with spoons and ziploc bags, but it worked just fine. I didn't start until today, and it was due today, whoops. Normally I would have taken my time but I had psyched myself out about it.

With my extra dough I made some eclairs. I have no idea what I'll do with the bowl of cream I have left over, but some bakers have done some creative things including turning it into icecream!



There were a few casualties - I had a saucepan I was ready to throw away, so it was sacrificed to the caramel. I know I could heat it back up and retrieve the pan, but it was ready to die anyway. I did burn my finger on the molten caramel, and smartly (not) stuck it in my mouth, burning my tongue as well! Other than that, things went fairly smoothly. I'd like to eventually make puff pastry from scratch, it just wasn't going to happen this month.

Categories: Caramel, Cream Puffs, Custard, Daring Bakers, Pastry, Puff Pastry

Tres Leches Cake

Tres Leches Cake
Originally uploaded by sh1mm3r.

I attend a potluck type dinner every month with a bunch of friends/co-workers, and each month has a different theme. This month's International Dinner Group theme was Mexico, and I didn't see how we could have a Mexican meal without a tres leches cake!

I have quite the history with tres leches cakes. When I worked as a cake decorator for a upscale supermarket in Indiana, I would get in trouble from the assistant manager because I would refuse to make tres leches cakes for the case. They were a lot of trouble, and nobody ever bought them, and we were always swamped with orders. So tres leches cake had an unhappy history in my mind that desperately needed correcting.

I surfed the internet for a recipe and ended up making a variation of the one on the Betty Crocker site. I am not ashamed to use cake mixes as a basis for a good cake - it's just the dry ingredients. It's what you do with them that matters. I read a lot of reviews and took some of the ideas into consideration.

Without any further ado, I present my modified recipe:

Tres Leches Cake

This needs to be made the day before serving. Please plan accordingly.

1 box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® yellow cake mix
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup rum
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
3/4 cup whole milk or evaporated milk
1 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup rum

1. Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Grease and flour or spray bottom and sides of 13x9-inch pan.
2. In large bowl, beat cake mix, water, rum, oil, vanilla and eggs with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pan.
3. Bake 29 to 35 minutes or until edges are golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes. Poke top of hot cake every 1/2 inch with long-tined fork, wiping fork occasionally to reduce sticking.
4. In large bowl, stir together sweetened condensed milk, whole milk, rum, and whipping cream. Carefully pour evenly over top of cake. Cover; refrigerate about 12 hours or until mixture is absorbed into cake.
5. Serve with whipped cream and fresh fruit.

Jenny's notes: Okay, so originally tres leches cake doesn't have rum in it, but the Cuban version definitely does, and I think it adds a lot of flavor to what would otherwise be just a super sweet cake. You can leave it out, just sub water in the cake and milk for the three milks mixture.

The original recipe said to soak for 1 hour, but 1 hour is not long enough - you'll just end up with a soggy half soaked cake. 12 hours is optimum.

What you should end up with is a sweet, light, delicious cake! I have to be honest, I liked this more than I expected to.

Categories: Cake, Mexico, Milk, Rum

The Power of Baking

Buttermilk Baking Powder Biscuits
Originally uploaded by watchjennybake.

I get home from a faculty meeting that almost hit the three-hour mark. I am exhausted. Since I am already home almost an hour and a half later than usual, I decided not to stop at the grocery store.

I go to the fridge - not really anything to eat, other than eggs which don't sound good at all and leftover pasta which I ate for lunch.

I go to the cupboards - wow, I need to do some shopping, but at least I have cans of soup.

Soup, what goes well with soup? Biscuits sound amazing, but I'm not sure I have the energy. But somehow over the weekend we have consumed all the bread and crackers in the house, and soup alone probably won't cut it.

I dump the dry ingredients into a bowl, and lightly mix them. The powder feels soothing to my fingers. I dice the margarine before dumping it into the bowl, distributing it with my fingertips, just until the mixture is a fine crumb. I raid the fridge for milk and decide on buttermilk that is about to expire, and swirl the right amount into the bowl. At first I lightly mix the dough with a spatula, but soon abandon it for my hands.

I mix, I knead, I roll, I cut - and the biscuits are ready on a greased baking sheet before the oven has finished preheating. I realize the exhaustion has left me, and I feel exhilarated.

A can of soup alone is so lonely. A can of soup accompanied by fresh homemade biscuits with delicious jam is comfort food at its best.

Rhubarb Coffee Cake

Rhubarb Coffee Cake
Originally uploaded by watchjennybake.

'Tis the season for more rhubarb! And another terrific recipe from Beth Hensberger. I had to take the book back, but have now added "Bread for Breakfast" to my Amazon.com wishlist. It is truly a terrific baking book! I can't emphasize enough how much I think each person should go out and buy it.

This time rhubarb was only available in 1 pound bundles - this actually ended up lucky for me, because I could pick the freshest, sweetest stalks for the coffee cake.

Rhubarb Coffee Cake
From Bread for Breakfast by Beth Hensberger

SPICED NUT CRUMB TOPPING
¼ cup light or dark brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground allspice
6 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
½ cup chopped walnuts

COFFEE CAKE
8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup light or dark brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp apple pie spice mixture, or ground cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
1 cup cultured buttermilk
½ pound fresh or frozen rhubarb, finely chopped to make 2 cups

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line the bottom of a 10-inch springform pan with parchment paper, and grease the sides.

2. To make the crumb topping, combine the brown and white sugars, flour, cinnamon, and allspice in a small bowl or in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Cut in the butter with your fingers, or process just until the mixture forms coarse crumbs. Add the walnuts and set aside.

3. To make the coffee cake, in the workbowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars on low speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat until smooth. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, apple pie spice, and salt. Add to the creamed mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Beat on medium-high speed until the batter has a creamy consistency, about 1 minute. Stir in the rhubarb.

4. Using a rhubarb spatula, scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle evenly with the crumb topping. Bake on the center rack for about 40-45 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan on a rack. To serve, remove the sides of the springform pan, and cut into wedges.

Jenny's notes: My husband and I both really liked this. The texture was moist and light, the rhubarb was an obvious flavor and texture, and the crumb topping was superb (I did leave out the nuts again).

I also chopped the rhubarb in a larger dice rather than "finely chopping" as the recipe suggested, since I wanted to really taste it.

This did take quite a bit longer to cook than the recipe indicated, but I might blame that on my juicy rhubarb pieces.

A note to the baker - rhubarb coffee cake will mold if it is not refrigerated. Darn!

Categories: Coffee Cake, Rhubarb

White Chocolate Apricot Scones

White Chocolate Apricot Scones
Originally uploaded by watchjennybake.

This recipe comes from "Bread for Breakfast" by Beth Hensberger, a book which I requested interlibrary loan after seeing a form of these scones on Cream Puffs in Venice, one of my favorite baking blogs.

Bread for Breakfast looks like it has some great stuff - I have my eye on the rhubarb coffee cake for the weekend, since rhubarb is still in season right now.

These scones are an amazing combo of fruit and sweet - if my husband didn't have nut issues I think the salty crunch of the nut would have been a nice addition. I had a tupperware of white chocolate chips just begging to be used. I made these in one of my most recent kitchen acquisitions - a scone pan! Instead of having to cut out dough or cut it into wedges (which is admittedly not that hard), I just plop the dough into the pre-wedged circle and they come out beautifully!

Apricot, White Chocolate and [Walnut] Scones

Makes 8 scones

2 cups flour
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
4 tbsp (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup cold buttermilk, plus more, as needed
4 oz white chocolate, cut into 1/2" chunks, or 3/4 cup white chocolate chips
3/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
3/4 cup chopped dried apricots

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.

2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Using a fork, cut in the butter until it has the texture of soft crumbs.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk. Pour this mixture into the flour mixture and stir until the dough forms a soft, shaggy ball, adding additional buttermilk 1 tbsp at a time, as needed. Add the white chocolate, walnuts, and apricots, stirring until evenly distributed.

4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead gently about 10 times, or just until the dough holds together. Divide the dough into 2 equal portions. Pat each dough piece into a 1-inch-thick round, 6 inches in diameter. Using a sharp knife, cut each round into 4 wedges.

5. Place the wedges 1/2 inch apart on the baking sheet. Bake on the center rack of the oven 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven and cool on the baking sheet. Serve the scones the day they are baked.

Jenny's notes: I of course omitted the nuts. I think this would be good with pecans too.

I prefer to mix the butter in with my fingertips, like I was making biscuits. And I mixed the apricots and chips into the flour butter mixture before lightly mixing in the liquids. This is the order all of my favorite scones recipes do it, and I believe it keeps the dough from getting overmixed and becoming too heavy.

These would look very pretty cut out into spring shapes!

Categories: Apricots, Baked Fruit, Buttermilk, Scones

Rhubarb Crisp

Rhubarb Crisp
Originally uploaded by watchjennybake.

Back when I worked in Restaurant Land, I started thinking of each month in terms of specific ingredients. I remember one March having a pasta dish with fiddlehead ferns, truffles, and white asparagus. Another thing that comes with spring - rhubarb!

This might sound crazy, since rhubarb is somewhat of an old-fashioned "fruit" (more of a vegetable really), but I had never had it before. Not once. Not even in something else, like a strawberry-rhubarb pie. So I did a little research and recipe searching. I found that rhubarb is also known as "pie plant" in some parts of the country.

In my recipe searching, I found a lot of recipes where rhubarb is used as a secondary ingredient, but not a lot where you could taste it on its own. Since this was my first rhubarb experience, I wanted something truly rhubarbesque.

Enter the trusty old Betty Crocker cookbook. Sometimes, especially for traditional or old-fashioned recipes, you just have to use the cookbook you were raised on. For some people it's Joy of Cooking, for me it was Betty Crocker. In fact, my Mom had two - the "old" version and the "new," because the older one had recipes that were left out of the update. Her "new" was several versions before my new.

All I did was follow the suggestions in converting apple crisp to rhubarb crisp, which was basically swapping out the fruit for equal amounts.

The best part of my rhubarb experience was in preparing the rhubarb. How can something so much like celery be in a dessert? It looks like celery, you clean it like you clean celery, when you cut it it crunches like celery.... I felt like I was in some kind of science fiction novel where nothing was as it seemed. After it cooks it turns into a pale pink, and the sugar from the topping cooks down into the fruit.

Cooking it softens it, but it doesn't entirely lose its slight tartness, a characteristic that I really enjoyed. The tart paired with the sweet crumbly crips was a match made in heaven. Peach or apple crisp might prove too sweet in the future, because I have had rhubarb crisp!

I'm not including a recipe - just use your favorite crisp recipe and substitute equal amounts rhubarb. Or try half n' half. I really want to try blackberry rhubarb, for some reason. Or pear and rhubarb.

Categories: Crisp, Rhubarb

Red Velvet Cake

Red Velvet Cake
Originally uploaded by watchjennybake.

Red Velvet Cake has been a theme in my life lately. First, we had a library cake walk to raise money for Relay for Life. One person paid for five rounds of the cake walk just to try to win the red velvet cake that had been contributed.

Then, one of my favorite baking blogs made Red Velvet Cupcakes for the March challenge of a group of baker bloggers called Daring Bakers (which I'm joining starting in May!). Her post also lists what everyone else made, and after seeing post after post of red velvet cakes, I simply had to make one.

The night I made this cake was somewhat of a comedy of errors - I don't like to force butter to come to room temperature (no microwaving allowed, in other words) and didn't take it out of the fridge until I got home at 5 that day. Then I discovered that somehow I only have one 9-inch cake pan, meaning I had to bake the cake one layer at a time. It was 10:30 before I even thought about making icing, and I had to be at work at 8 the next morning. It made for a late night, but my students seemed to enjoy the cake.

This red velvet cake recipe comes from a new cookbook - The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook. I made Pimento Cheese from it and featured it in my vegetarian cooking blog two weeks ago.

Red Velvet Cake

Makes one 2-layer, 9-inch cake; enough for 12 people.

For the cake:
2 3/4 cups plus 1 tbsp sifted cake flour or 2 1/2 cups sifted bleached all-purpose flour, plus more for flouring the pans
2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup natural cocoa powder such as Hershey's
1 ounce red food coloring
1 1/2 tbsp water
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing the pans
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp natural vanilla extract
1 tbsp orange zest (from 1-2 oranges)
1 cup whole or lowfat buttermilk

For the icing:
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 pound cream cheese (2 packages), softened
1 pound (4 cups) sifted confectioners' sugar
2 tbsp whole milk, if needed

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9x2-inch cake pans or line their bottoms with greased, floured waxed paper.

2. Sift the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together twice. In a small mixing bowl, whisk the cocoa, red food coloring, and water to a smooth paste, about 1 minute, and reserve.

3. In a large mixing bowl, beat 1 cup butter with an electric mixer until creamy, about 30 seconds. Add the sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, beating about 15 seconds after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl if necessary, until the mixture has lightened in color and become fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, the vanilla, and orange zest, beating for 15 seconds after each addition. Add the red cocoa paste and mix until evenly incorporated.

4. Add the flour mixture to the butter and egg mixture in thirds, alternating with 2 additions of half the buttermilk. To avoid overworking the batter, gently mix with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula after each addition, until the ingredient is just incorporated. Once all ingredients are incorporated, beat the batter 10-12 strokes with your spoon or spatula if using cake flour, 2-3 strokes if using bleached all-purpose flour.

5. Divide the batter between the cake pans and spread the tops evenly with the wooden spoon or spatula. Bake until a cake tester or toothpick emerges clean, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the cakes cool in their pans on a rack for 10 minutes, then slide a thin paring knife around the edge of the pan and invert the cakes. Lift away the waxed paper if using. Cool the cakes completely on a rack, with their tops facing up.

6. In a large bowl, beat 3/4 cup butter with the mixer until creamy, about 30 seconds. Add the cream cheese and beat until the mixture is fluffy, white, and very smooth, about 1 minute. Add the confectioners' sugar 1 cup at a time, beating for 30 seconds after each addition, until the mixture is creamy, fluffy, and smooth. If the frosting is too stiff, beat the milk into it to loosen it.

7. Gently ice the cake layers generously. Spoon 1 cup of icing in the center of the first cake layer. Working an icing or rubber spatula in gentle swirling motions, spread the icing from the center towards the edges of the cake until it forms an even layer 1/3 to 1/2 inch thick .

8. Carefully set the second cake layer on top of the first and ice the second layer in the same manner, beginning with a dollop in the center and working it out to the sides. Then ice the sides of the cake.

9. Store the cake at room temperature, beneath a cake cover. If you don't plan to eat it for 24 hours, put it on a plate, tent it with plastic wrap, and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Remember to remove the cake from the refrigerator 1 hour or more before serving to take the chill off.

Jenny's notes: I didn't pay close attention to beating times on this cake, and wonder if my overbeating contributed to a slightly dry cake texture. I also didn't sift the dry ingredients (shh! don't tell!), so that could have contributed.

I don't ice cakes in the way this recipe recommends - I do the middle, then the sides, and then the top, just like I was trained when working as a cake decorator. You may find it easier to do it this way as well.

The icing makes a bunch more than the cake needs, even when icing generously. I saved the rest and used it on top of cinnamon rolls Easter morning (adding orange juice and zest to it for orange rolls!).

Make sure you check your amounts on food coloring - most dye bottles sold in sets are only about 1/3 ounce, and you really need a full ounce. I had added a tube of red food coloring gel and it made it a nice pink, but I had to add an entire separate bottle to end up with the red cake that I picture here.

Categories: Cake, Cream Cheese, Red

Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding with Cinnamon Rum Sauce

Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding with Cinnamon Rum Sauce
Originally uploaded by watchjennybake.

Due to snafus with finding silken tofu at the grocery store, I have to delay what I intended to make today (vegan chocolate cake) and post about something I made a while back.

Back when I had serious thoughts about working as a chef, I subscribed to all sorts of culinary magazines. This recipe comes from the January 2003 issue of Bon Appetit, and can be found online here. When I was making desserts at Almost Home Tearoom in Greencastle, IN, I brought this recipe in despite the fact that we already had a popular bread pudding. The addition of chocolate and the marvelous cinnamon rum sauce made this a fast hit.

The last time I made it was for the Mardi Gras party we had at work. Last week someone told me that they went to a restaurant in town and her husband ordered the bread pudding. She had a bite but said it "wasn't as good as mine." Ah, that's sweet. But seriously, bread pudding is such an easy thing to make, and you must try this one. (The picture features my fingers, whoops).

CHOCOLATE CHIP BREAD PUDDING WITH CINNAMON-RUM SAUCE

ingredients
1 1-pound loaf brioche* or egg bread with crust, cut into 1-inch cubes
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 1/2 cups half and half
1 cup sugar
6 large eggs
4 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons (packed) dark brown sugar
Cinnamon-Rum Sauce

preparation
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Place bread in large bowl; pour 8 tablespoons melted butter over bread and toss to coat. Add chocolate chips and toss to combine. Transfer mixture to prepared dish.
Whisk half and half, 1 cup sugar, eggs, egg yolks, vanilla extract, and salt in large bowl to blend. Pour over bread cubes in dish. Let stand 30 minutes, occasionally pressing bread cubes into custard. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) Drizzle remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter over pudding; sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake bread pudding until puffed, brown, and set in center, about 1 hour. Serve warm with Cinnamon-Rum Sauce.

Cinnamon-Rum Sauce

ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup dark rum
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

preparation
Melt unsalted butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add dark brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and salt and whisk until sugar is dissolved and mixture is bubbling and smooth, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in dark rum and vanilla extract. Serve warm.
(Cinnamon-Rum Sauce can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over low heat, whisking occasionally, before serving.)

Jenny's notes: I have made this with brioche, and it is outstanding, but seriously, just buy a loaf or two of french bread instead. Even the flatter "Italian" bread works fine, but let it dry out a bit after cubing it up if it's too fresh. Stale bread soaks up the custard better.

I recommend tossing the bread in the custard in a bowl before pouring into baking dish, and tossing once in the pan. This will help the top pieces get as soaked as the bottom (be gentle!).

You can leave the rum out and just have a cinnamon sauce, but the alcohol cooks out and really adds a lot of flavor.

And talk about a crowd pleasing meal - if you are having friends over and own two 9x13 pans, I suggest making this in one, and Jani'ces Vegetarian Baked Ziti in the other. Your friends will be stuffed, but both can be made in advance, and are fairly easy.

Categories: Bread Pudding, Chocolate, Cinnamon, Custard
, Rum

Lemon Poppyseed Shortbread

Lemon Poppyseed Shortbread
Originally uploaded by watchjennybake.

For the last entry during Foodie Lit Madness, I have chosen a recipe from one of the Tea Shop Mysteries by Laura Child. I first picked these up because I was trying to read as many books set in South Carolina as possible, but when she added in themes of a tea shop and recipes (one character is more of a baker/caterer, who works in the tea shop), I was hooked! The main character (and amateur sleuth) is Theodosia Browning, owner of the Indigo Teahouse in Charleston, South Carolina.

This recipe is from a book I don't have yet, but can be found on Laura Childs' site. I am reprinting it here because she specifically gave me permission (thanks!).

Lemon Poppyseed Shortbread

3/4 cup soft butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp poppy seeds
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 cups sifted flour
2 tsp. sugar

Cream butter and powdered sugar, stir in poppy seeds and lemon juice. Gradually add flour, mixing well. Divide dough into four portions and roll our each portion into a 4˝ circle on a lightly floured surface. Cut each circle into six wedges. Prick dough with fork and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Cool, then break into wedges.

Jenny's notes: I was impatient and didn't wait for the butter to get soft enough, and as a result had to add quite a bit of cream to get all the flour to absorb into the dough. I added a little extra lemon juice too. The flavor is good, and baking the rounds on parchment paper helped them not to brown too much on the bottoms and the edges.

Categories: Cookies, Foodie Lit, Lemon, Poppyseed, Shortbread

Chocolate Chip Crunch Cookies

Chocolate Chip Crunch Cookies
Originally uploaded by watchjennybake.

March is Foodie Lit Madness! This week's featured author is Joanne Fluke, who writes the Hannah Swensen Mysteries. Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder is the first of the series, and features Hannah Swensen, baker and amateur detective, who tries to figure out who killed her milk delivery man.

This book is the first of nine (so far) and each features a different type of baked good! There are seven cookie recipes in this one, sprinkled throughout the book as the recipes are mentioned. It took a long time to decide on one, but ultimately I picked this recipe because it went with the book title (but I reserve the right to make the chocolate covered cherry cookies that sound SOOOO good)!! I love how the recipes interact with the story. It made me feel like I was participating too!

I contacted the author, who graciously gave her permission to post a recipe in this blog. Thanks, Ms. Fluke!

Chocolate Chip Crunch Cookies

1 cup butter, melted (2 sticks)
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 beaten eggs (you can beat them up with a fork)
2 1/2 cups flour (not sifted)
2 cups crunched corn flakes (just crunch them with your hands)
1-2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Melt the butter, add the sugars and stir. Add soda, salt, vanilla, and beaten eggs. Mix well. Then add flour and stir it in. Add crushed corn flakes and chocolate chips and mix it all in thoroughly.

Form dough into walnut-sized balls with your fingers, and place on a greased cookie sheet, 12 to a standard sheet. Press them down with a floured fork in a crisscross pattern.

Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then move to a wire rack until they are completely cool. (The rack is important - it makes them crisp).

According to the story, these cookies are a favorite of Andrea's, Hannah's sister.

I was giggling as I typed up this recipe, because I completely skipped flattening out the dough before baking, which explains why I had to bake mine 2-3 extra minutes. I also didn't have cornflakes on hand, so I used Post Great Grains cereal. Probably any crunchy cereal will do, but I actually liked using this one - it had flakes, granola, and pecans in it. I ended up giving up and mixing in the cereal and chocolate chips with my hands.

I love the taste and texture of these cookies. I have a tried and true chocolate chip cookie recipe, but this was a nice change with the crunchy elements and sweeter taste. I wasn't sure if the recipes would actually be any good, since this isn't really a cookbook - I was perfectly prepared for them to be sheer novelty but not quality, but I was happily mistaken! Now I'm excited to buy the rest of the series (I only have Strawberry Shortcake Murder) and try more of the recipes!

Categories: Chocolate, Cookies, Foodie Lit

Bakery Visit - Enrico Biscotti

I always try to visit a bakery when I go to a new town. While in Pittsburgh at the end of February, I had planned to visit the Jenny Lee Bakery (just liked the name). I found it but it was under renovation and closed until April. I looked up "Pittsburgh and bakery" in Google, and came up with Enrico Biscotti. I remembered seeing them on the Food Network, and was ecstatic to go there!

One afternoon I had a few hours free, so I ventured out with Terry from the last university I worked at. We took a cab there, and it was located in a section of town with a lot of Italian shops and an open-air market feel (despite the snowy weather). The people working there (might be the owners) were incredibly friendly, wanted to know how we found out about them, where we were from, why we were there, etc. They even took the time to take our picture (if you click on the picture above, you can see others from my trip).

What was the most amazing was the smell. Imagine the smell of one biscotti, and multiply it by 1,000! They must have had at least twenty different kinds. I bought bags of apricot hazelnut and chocolate vanilla swirl to share with co-workers, and bought a half dozen for my husband and I - chocolate chip, peanut butter chocolate chip, pumpkin, cranberry, chocolate covered almond, and double chocolate. All biscotti are crunchy, but many are stale tasting and hard. These were perfect, and had so much flavor - I wish I had purchased much more. Lucky for me, I can buy some more online. I also bought one macaroon that was the most buttery and tender macaroon I have ever had. (You might notice in the picture that the macaroon is barely pictured as I took a bite before taking a photo!).

If you are in Pittsburgh, do not skip a trip to Enrico Biscotti!

(I know this month is supposed to be recipes from foodie lit, and that will continue next Monday)

Categories: Bakery, Biscotti

Double Shot Chocolate Cake

Double Shot Chocolate Cake
Originally uploaded by watchjennybake.

This month I am going to focus on recipes from what I call "foodie lit" - books that are not cookbooks, but contain recipes. Usually they go along with the story, and often the main character is involved in food preparation in some way.

There are several mystery authors out there that write food-themed series. Goldy Bear is a caterer and single Mom featured in Diane Mott Davidson's books, who lives in Colorado but seems to work as an amateur detective almost more than she works as a caterer! In Double Shot, Goldy finds out her ex-husband has been released from prison, but is he responsible for everything happening to sabotage her business?

I actually haven't read this book. I started back at the beginning of the series, but this recipe was one of the ones actually available on her site. You can get to it here, although you might have to log in.

At Furman, we sometimes have a booktalk during our library faculty/staff meetings called "The Book Stops Here." In February my co-worker and I did a shared booktalk on foodie lit, and I made and brought this cake. It was very rich and the recommended whipped cream is almost a requirement because of its density and darkness. I used Nestle Chocolatier bittersweet baking chocolate, and have been pleased with its consistency and quality.

Categories: Cake, Chocolate

Decadent Chocolate Satin Pie

Decadent Chocolate Satin Pie
Originally uploaded by watchjennybake.

I am choosing to end the month of all-chocolate posting with my favorite chocolate recipe of the year. This is another one from Nestle Chocolatier's online recipes, and can be found here.

What I love about this pie is that it is so easy, but truly decadent. Minimal effort for maximum taste - this would be a great dessert for the person who works full time but still wants to have a dinner party. Just make it the night before, and the dessert will be perfectly firm and smooth by the evening.

The piece pictured is way too much for one person, because it is incredibly rich, dark, and smooth in every mouthful.

I will make this again, and next time I think I'll try it in a tart pan, or possibly in individual servings. As you can see I substituted a chocolate crust for the recommended graham cracker one, because I just couldn't dream of putting something so rich into a non-chocolate crust.

Categories: Chocolate, Pie

Chocolate Truffles

Chocolate Truffles
Originally uploaded by watchjennybake.

This is what I brought my hard-working students for Valentines Day. Half were rolled in pink + red sugar, half were rolled in cocoa powder. The recipe is something I found on the label of a condensed milk can a few years ago, and have been making it ever since. How can something with only three ingredients taste so good? (And keep reading to find out how to make it even better!)

Chocolate Truffles
(recipe found on Eaglebrand.com)

Ingredients
3 cups (18 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 (14-ounce) can Sweetened Condensed Milk (NOT evaporated milk)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Coatings: Finely chopped toasted nuts, flaked coconut, chocolate sprinkles, colored sprinkles, unsweetened cocoa, confectioners' sugar or colored sugars

Instructions
In large saucepan, over low heat, melt chocolate chips with condensed milk. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla.
Pour into medium bowl. Cover and chill 2 to 3 hours or until firm.
Shape into 1-inch balls; roll in desired coating and/or decorate with frosting and candies. Chill 1 hour or until firm. Store leftovers covered in refrigerator.

My notes - you can substitute the vanilla extract for any other extract, or even a bit of flavored liquor. Grand marnier would be nice, for instance.

One year I rolled these in chili powder, a la the movie Chocolat, but you have to make sure you are using pure chili powder, not the kind with onion and garlic added.

The quality of chocolate is key here. Spend an extra dollar and buy Ghiradelli, but stay with the semi-sweet. I tried bittersweet once and it just didn't work as well. I also always add a pinch of salt. It really improves the depth of flavor in the truffles.

To make these even better, you can chill them and then dunk them in tempered chocolate, preferably of a different variety (bittersweet or milk chocolate), and then roll in desired toppings. The tempered chocolate will harden and will result in a more professional crispy bite into the truffle.

I have so many stories that involve these truffles. One year I made them for my student workers during finals week. It was a Saturday, when I lived in Indiana, and there were tornado warnings that included a black sky, torential rains, and people hiding in stairwells. Luckily, the music library was a safe place, and one student said in a small voice, "At least I had these truffles."

Categories: Candy, Chocolate

Chocolate Chip Cake

Chocolate Chip Cake Slice
Originally uploaded by watchjennybake.

This recipe comes from Treasured Recipes from the Charleston Cake Lady. If you are like me and often flip through cooking shows, chances are that you've seen Teresa Pregnell featured on a show about the south or about cakes. She is legendary!

In my search for the perfect cake to give away, I picked the chocolate chip cake recipe from this book. There are several good looking pound cake recipes as well. This had the ingredients of many cake recipes, but the extended beating time adds an incredible delicate texture to the cake itself. This was wolfed down by my co-workers, despite the mass injury the cake suffered when I was removing it from the pan.

Chocolate Chip Cake

1 package (18.5 oz) butter recipe golden cake mix
1/3 cup granulated sugar
8 oz sour cream (do not use low-fat or nonfat)
2/3 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 package (12 oz) mini semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325 F.
Grease and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan.
In a large mixing bowl with a mixer, blend the cake mix, sugar, sour cream, and oil on low speed for 1 minute. Add the eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for 4 minutes. Add the vanilla extract. Fold the chocolate chips into the batter by hand and stir gently until they are well distributed.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool in the pan. Invert the cake onto a plate and enjoy your delicious chocolate chip cake.

Categories: Cake, Chocolate

Chocolate Mayan Bundt Cake

Chocolate Mayan Bundt Cake
Originally uploaded by watchjennybake.

I have decided that February is all about rich chocolate recipes.

First up we have the Chocolate Mayan Bundt Cake. The recipe is from the Nestle Chocolatier baking chocolate site, but I have to admit that the store I went to that day didn't have the Nestle so I used Ghiradelli. It was just as good.

This cake is moist, dense, and wonderfully rich and spiced. I'm sold on the cake but am not sure the icing/glaze does it justice. When I make it again, I'm going to make a darker chocolate glaze with less sugar, or just serve it plain with whipped cream. I brought this cake in for my students and they devoured it.

Categories: Cake, Chocolate

Chocolate Chip Scone

Chocolate Chip Scone
Originally uploaded by watchjennybake.

These scones are a recipe I make quite often. I even bring the recipe with me when we travel to see friends or family and make them as a treat to say thanks for having us. This is a mixture of several scone recipes that I liked for various reasons.

Chocolate Chip Scones

2 cups flour
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1/3 cup butter, chilled and cut into cubes
1 cup mini chocolate chips (may substitute currants)
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Combine dry ingredients. Rub butter into flour until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour in cream and mix just until combined (DO NOT OVERMIX). Roll out to ¾” thick and cut with 2” biscuit cutters, or form into round and cut into wedges. Bake at 450 F for 15 minutes.

Even better with a cinnamon sugar glaze! And as in the picture, best with jam and whipped (or clotted) cream.

Categories: Chocolate, Scones, Tea

Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies

Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies
Originally uploaded by watchjennybake.

My mother sent me a large bag of Oregon hazelnuts after I dropped a few not-too-subtle hints before Thanksgiving, because to me, "chopped nuts" or "ground nuts" in Christmas cookies simply have to be hazelnuts, because that is what we used throughout my childhood.

Of course, growing up in Oregon, we called them filberts. But that is a subject for another day.

In one of my favorite baking blogs that I read (Cream Puffs in Venice, I came across this recipe. She followed the recipe exactly until the very end, where she rolled the edges in chopped hazelnuts. I abandoned the recipe when it wanted me to chill the dough two separate times. Instead I did the first chill and then scooped out equal amounts of dough, pressed the cookies down with a fork, and baked them a little extra.

The result was a more rustic feel than the original recipe, more suited for a glass of milk than a shot of espresso. The taste was amazing, and the raspberry jam sandwiched in between seemed just perfect. Next time I'd like to use Nutella, because I'm sure that would only enhance the hazelnut flavor, but really, it came through on its own.

The recipe can be found here.

Categories: Cookies, Hazelnuts, Shortbread

Danish Pinwheel

Danish Pinwheel
Originally uploaded by watchjennybake.

Using the other half of the danish pastry dough from Baking with Julia, I made danish pinwheels, turnovers, and wraps. (Pinwheels with apricot jam pictured).

I used the rest of the confectioner's cream in the turnovers, along with raspberry jam. I experimented and tried lemon curd in some of the pinwheels, and although it tasted good, the amount of sugar and lack of pectin meant it melted all over the parchment paper.

Of everything I tried, I definitely prefer the taste of the long danish braid rather than individual pieces.

Categories: Breakfast, Danish, Pastry

Danish Braid

Danish Braid
Originally uploaded by watchjennybake.

This was my first foray into breakfast pastries!! I have been wanting to attempt something like this for over a year but every time I would wake up one morning and think "pastries would be nice today" it would already be too late. But this time I thought ahead.

The recipe I used comes from Baking with Julia, and I feel as if it is too complicated and long to replicate here. But please, go and buy the book or check it out of the library. (I also like it because some of the recipes are written just like she is talking to you, with sentences like "If you're feeling brave...."

The recipe uses the danish pastry dough at the front of the book, which is used in several different recipes. The dough has butter that the baker is instructed to leave in big chunks, and you can see it throughout the process. It has to be mixed, then chilled, then rolled out in several stages, including folding the dough like an envelope in between rollings.

This danish braid used half of one recipe of the pastry dough, and also includes a confectioner's cream (using the microwave, which is much quicker than what I've done before in a mixer) and fruit jam. I used fruit-only raspberry jam instead of making one from scratch, and it worked out great.

After the pastry was braided, it was left to get a little puffy. After it came out of the oven, I glazed it with a coffee glaze.

This was delicious and definitely worth the work. I still have half the dough to use, and next time I'll just make the dough sometime during the week and have it ready to use on a weekend morning.

Categories: Breakfast, Danish, Pastry

Grandma's Fudge

Grandma's Fudge
Originally uploaded by watchjennybake.

This is my Grandma's fudge recipe that she got from her Grandma. The holidays are simply not complete without it!

4 1/2 cups sugar
2/3 cup butter
1 cup milk (evaporated)
Boil the above together for 5-8 minutes at medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture has thickened and is pulling away from the edges of the pan. (The original recipe says 8 minutes, I find 6 to be better on my stove).
Remove from heat.

Stir in:
8 oz. marshmallow cream
1 1/2 pkgs chocolate chips (18 oz)
1 1/2 squares unsweetened baking chocolate (or 4 1/2 Tbsp cocoa powder + 1 1/2 Tbsp butter)
Pinch of salt
Tbsp of vanilla (the last two are my additions)
Pour into a buttered jelly roll pan. Cut when cool and store in airtight containers.

Makes 5 lbs.

To make things easier, my Grandma puts the chocolates in a bowl and the marshmallow cream on top, so the candy mixture does not overcook while you try to scrape the marshmallow cream out of the jar. Another hint is to use chopped nuts but not ground - ground will dry out your fudge (which is an issue in this particular picture).

Categories: Candy, Chocolate

Seven Layer Cookies

Seven Layer Cookies
Originally uploaded by watchjennybake.

This recipe comes from Epicurious.com. These amazing little gems are quite a bit of work, but I would like to say they are completely worth the effort.

I made a few changes to the recipe - the layers seemed to need to bake at least 15 minutes or they were gooey, and for them to stand up in the cookie, they need to be somewhat firm. The recipe warns against overbaking, but underbaking seems an equal crime here (my pinkish red layer was underbaked and when biting into the cookie, the pink layer squishes out slightly).

I would also recommend blending the chocolate with a little bit of cream to soften that layer, making it easier to cut.

In between the layers (making the seven) is apricot jam, although several reviewers said they use other flavors like raspberry. I loved the flavor combination of the almond, apricot, and chocolate. This was such a contrast to the other baked goods I make during the holidays (more recipes to come, now on a weekly basis).

This recipe gets my Best Recipe of the Year Award because of its appearance, taste, and unique appeal.

Categories: Almond, Apricot, Chocolate, Cookies

Peanut Butter Balls

Peanut Butter Balls
Originally uploaded by watchjennybake.

Of the many treats I make during the holidays, this is a recent favorite. I first made these in 2000, and at this point, it is NOT December without my peanut butter balls. They are so simple but the flavor is incredible.

I adapted the recipe from Gale Gand. Her recipe can be found here. I don't think it's necessary to make peanut butter from scratch, I prefer semisweet chocolate, and I've played with the amount of sugar slightly - she uses 16 oz, but I prefer them a litle less sweet. I would start with 12 and see what you think.

Peanut Butter Balls

18 oz. peanut butter
12-16 oz powdered (confectioners' sugar)
1 1/3 cups graham cracker crumbs
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
12 oz. (or 1 package) semisweet chocolate chips, melted

In a large bowl, combine peanut butter, sugar, graham cracker crumbs, and butter. Mash together until combined. Form the mixture into balls. Chill until hardened, about 30 minutes. Dip into melted chocolate. Let set.

Yield: 32 balls.

We usually store ours in the fridge.

Categories: Candy, Chocolate, Peanut Butter

Gingerbread people

Gingerbread people
Originally uploaded by watchjennybake.

I made these cookies for my devoted student workers for finals week (and their friends). The recipe comes from A Baker's Field Guide to Cookies which has a wonderful selection of recipes. I haven't made one yet that has been disappointing.

In the past I have made gingerbread snowflakes and trees, but really the best use of gingerbread cookie dough is to make people. If I had more time I would have tried making each one unique, but it was late as it was!

I bought one of the pre-made frosting tubes but neglected to buy the tips, which explains the somewhat messy frosting job. I need to build up my cake decorating supplies, or get my originals from my parents' home in Oregon!

Categories: Cookies

Winter Bliss Cookies

Winter Bliss Cookies
Originally uploaded by watchjennybake.

There will be a lot of posts this month involving Christmas cookies and candy!

This is a recipe I developed based on several I found. The combination of the butter and margarine makes for a soft, chewy cookie, but don't overbake! They will get crunchier and crunchier the longer you bake them.

Winter Bliss Cookies

1/2 cup butter, room temp
1/2 cup margarine, room temp
1 1/3 cups brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cups flour
2 1/2 cups oats
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
6 oz white chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. Cream butter, margarine, and brown sugar. Mix in eggs and vanilla.
3. Blend dry ingredients and mix in.
4. Stir in cranberries and white chocolate chips.
5. Drop onto cookie sheets and bake 8-12 minutes.

Categories: Cookies

Swedish Christmas Cookies

Swedish Christmas Cookies
Originally uploaded by watchjennybake.

This recipe can be found here. I really liked the sound of these cookies - sugar cookies with cardamom and lemon, and made in a roll, which is much faster than cut out cookies.

I made the dough ahead of time and based on some of the reviews on the site, put it in the freezer. I rolled it in the sprinkles right before slicing it to bake. If I made these again, I would try more than one color of sprinkles since just red makes the cookies look a little like the barbecued pork at Chinese restaurants.

I was surprised by how the cookies baked - they never flattened out at all, and the edges stayed vertical. I'm not sure if this is a result of the dough or because I froze them, but it would definitely add a shape variety to your holiday cookie tray.

Another thing I would want to try if I made these again is something I saw on Martha Stewart once where she actually wrapped tubes of cookie dough in wrapping paper rolls, and turned them in the fridge periodically while they set up. This might have made them a little more perfectly round (but this may not have mattered once you start slicing off rounds).

Categories: Cookies

Battle of the Pumpkin Pies - Food Network's Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin Pie
Originally uploaded by watchjennybake.

This recipe can be found here. I did everything except make their crust recipe, since I had so many leftover from my Grandma's recipe.

I think the par-baking technique with the crust made a nice contrast with the pumpkin but almost managed to overshadow the pumpkin. I would like to try this in a deep dish version so the pumpkin had more of a chance to shine. But this baked easily, the recipe worked great, and I might make it again.

Categories: Pie, Pumpkin

The battle of the pumpkin pies - Pumpkin Praline

Pumpkin Praline Pie
Originally uploaded by watchjennybake.

I got this recipe from an online buddy, and I'll share it with you also!

Praline Pumpkin Pie

Praline:
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons butter
unbaked pie shell

Filling:
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
2 cups cooked pumpkin
14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
whipped cream

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Combine pecans, brown sugar, and butter. Press into the bottom of the pie shell. Prick the sides of the shell with a fork. Bake 10 minutes, cool. Decrease the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Mix together eggs, sugars, flour, salt, and spice; blend in the pumpkin. Gradually add the milk and mix well. Pour the filling over the pecan mixture in the baked shell. Bake 50-60 minutes or until a knife inserted into the filling comes out clean. Serve with whipped cream.

My thoughts - this was an okay pie. A little too sweet for my liking. Also, much better the first day because after that the sugar in the praline part turns quite grainy.

Categories: Pie, Pumpkin

Pumpkin Apple Muffins

Pumpkin Apple Muffins
Originally uploaded by watchjennybake.

This recipe can be found everywhere on the internet, including here. I did not bother with the streusel, as the dough looked tasty on its own, and it was.

This is a great recipe this time of year, because you can dump in all your holiday baking remnants - I can't be the only one with half cans of pumpkin puree and random apples from buying them in bulk. I didn't have quite enough pumpkin so I just added that much applesauce, and it worked just fine.

Categories: Apple, Muffins, Pumpkin

Pumpkin Spice Cake

Pumpkin Spice Cake
Originally uploaded by watchjennybake.

This recipe is my adaptation of the Pumpkin Cake II recipe found on Allrecipes.com (click here to see the original).

1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 15 oz can pumpkin
2 tbsp water
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
4 eggs

Preheat oven to 350. Dump all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Pour into desired pan and bake until done. For a bundt pan, I think it baked 50 minutes.

I made a glaze of powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk.

My co-workers raved about it and my students quickly devoured it as well. The cake was incredibly moist, and the spices really add a lot of flavor (as well as using the entire can of pumpkin and decreasing the water, which is what I did from the original recipe).


Categories: Cake, Pumpkin

Grandma's Apple Cake

Grandma's Apple Cake
Originally uploaded by watchjennybake.

This recipe is hard to ruin, and it can be made in any shape - 9x13, 2 loaf pans, muffin sized, or bundt. It is moist and delicious! To me, fall means apple cake, and I've had it every year as long as I can remember.

Fresh Apple Cake

4 cups diced apples
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup chopped nuts
2 eggs, beaten
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt

Mix apples and sugar. Add oil, nuts, eggs, and vanilla. Mix together dry ingredients and add. Pour into greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until baked in center.

For a luxury version of this cake, you can try baking it in two 9" pans and icing with cream cheese frosting; or serve in wedges with butter pecan icecream, drizzled with hot caramel sauce.


Categories: Apple, Cake

Apple Praline Pie

Apple Praline Pie
Originally uploaded by watchjennybake.

This recipe is from the Almost Home Tearoom in Greencastle, IN, where I used to make desserts. Today I used a combo of braeburn and golden delicious apples, and was quite pleased with the results.

Apple Praline Pie

Combine:
4 cups (about 6 medium) sliced, peeled apples
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/16 tsp mace (opt.)
1/4 tsp salt

Pour into: 1 unbaked 9" pastry pie shell
Dot with: 2 tbsp butter
Cover with: Second pastry pie shell

Seal, flute, and slit top to vent. Bake at 425 degrees 40-45 minutes until golden brown.

Melt in saucepan:
1/4 cup butter

Stir in:
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp cream or milk

Bring to a boil and boil one minute.
Stir in: 1/2 cup chopped pecans.
Pour over HOT pie.


Categories: Apple, Pie

Pie Dough

Frozen Pie Crust
Originally uploaded by watchjennybake.

I'm going to share my grandma's recipe for pie crust. To me, this is what pie crust should taste like, because all the pies I had growing up used this recipe! One year my Grandpa was in the hospital and I spent two days with my Grandma baking for the holidays. After that, my Mom told me that pie baking skips a generation and it was always my job growing up.

I know this recipe calls for shortening - the good news is that Crisco now makes a version with 0 trans fat. I read the reviews, and it is slightly less flaky than regular Crisco (and I would agree with this after using it) but to me, worth the difference in content. You can use half shortening and half butter, but the crust might burn more easily. And of course you could use half lard, but really, who wants pie crust made out of lard.

Grandma's Pie Crust

Makes 6 crusts

5 cups flour
2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
2 1/4 cup shortening
1 egg
1 tbsp white vinegar
cold water

Mix flour, salt and baking powder in a large bowl. Cut in shortening until evenly distributed (mixture will be crumbly). Beat egg in 1 cup measuring cup; add vinegar. Fill to 1 cup with ice-cold water. Mix. Add to above with fork.

Use as directed in pie recipes, or divide dough into 6 portions and store in freezer, double-wrapped.


Categories: Pie

Cinn-ful Vegan Apple Cake

Cinn-ful Vegan Apple Cake
Originally uploaded by watchjennybake.

I tried this recipe from Sinfully Vegan. Without eggs and butter, the process entailed mixing brown sugar with oil, and ground flaxseed with apple cider. The cake tastes a little too "healthfood store" for me, and I'm not sure if the culprit is the flaxseed or the whole wheat flour. I did like the concept of shredding the apples, although I would have expected a moister final product.

I used an ancient bundt pan that I found at a random garage sale. Best 50 cents I've ever spent!

Categories: Apple, Cake, Vegan

Streusel-Topped Apple Custard Pie

Streusel-Topped Apple Custard Pie
Originally uploaded by watchjennybake.

While in North Carolina, we stopped at SkyTop Orchard. I had seen the signs before, but didn't know just how far up we would have to drive until we did it. I wish the road was better. I decided to purchase mutsu apples for baking, from that very orchard. Mutsu is a mix between Golden Delicious and Granny Smith, so I thought it might hold up nice in a pie.

This recipe is from Almost Home Tearoom in Greencastle, Indiana, where I worked for over a year, making desserts. At first appearance it looks like a typical stresel-topped apple pie, but it also has a sweet custard surrounding the apples. The link to the tearoom also includes information on purchasing their cookbook. I wanted to make something that wasn't "just" an apple pie. The crust is a modified version from the typical shortening recipe - I decided to use half butter for better flavor, and kept the crust coverered with tinfoil until the last 10 minutes of the baking process.

The mutsu apples definitely held their shape while baking - in fact after over an hour of baking time in the oven they were still slightly firm. Almost too firm. I still have more to experiment with. If you have a favorite apple recipe, send me an e-mail! I'd love to hear from you.

(I used this picture because you could see my rolling pin in the background. I think it is so cute!)

Categories: Apple, Custard, Pie

Bakeries of southern North Carolina

Flat Rock Village Bakery
Originally uploaded by watchjennybake.

I've decided to start blogging about bakeries I visit in addition to my own creations. Yesterday my husband and I drove to two bakeries in North Carolina. The first one was the Wildflour Bakery in Saluda. For a tiny town in the mountains, this bakery was a busy place! We stood in line for 15-20 minutes. They had a nice lunch menu but we decided to just buy cookies and bread. We tried a ginger cookie (crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside), a mocha cookie, and each had what they called a Carolina Dandy - a butterscotch pecan oatmeal cookie. The bread we brought home didn't look all that appetizing really - we got the oatmeal raisin - but had really good flavor and texture. Even more impressive to me was the variety of options for wheat-free and sugar-free clients - spelt cookies and breads, sugar-free breakfast bars, etc.

Pizza
Originally uploaded by watchjennybake.

About 15 minutes away was the Flat Rock Village Bakery in Flat Rock, NC, behind The Wrinkled Egg. I had been there before for amazing woodfired pizza, and this trip didn't disappoint. We tried the daily special which was a roasted red potato, red onion, fresh rosemary, olive oil, and gorgonzola cheese pizza. This bakery was equally busy but the service was quite a bit faster. We also purchased scones and croissants for the next day's breakfast (the winner in what I tried was the apricot cranberry!). The bread they carry is more of the artisan type compared to Wildflour, with the rounder loaves and chewier crusts.

Categories: Bakery