December 25th: The day has finally arrived. The day where I get to use the recipe I've been waiting to use since I started my Advent calendar of goodies at the beginning of the month. It's an Apple Pie recipe, but not one I can share.
You see, it's a recipe that's been in my husband's family for decades. His grandmother used to make it from memory and my mother-in-law finally got her to write it down one year. It's a recipe my husband's grandmother used every Christmas and, after she passed away, there was no one to make it anymore. So this year I made the pie and hoped she'd approve. If the sounds and smiles of my husband and in-laws are any indication, I think she would.
I hope you've all enjoyed this journey as much as I have, and I hope you've found some favorite recipes of your own. I'll pick up my baking after ringing in the New Year, but, for now, I'm going to sit back, relax, and enjoy the rest of the holiday. I hope you all do the same. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and my warmest thanks for all your support so far.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Christmas Day Prep
December 24th: I already know what I'm baking for Christmas Day. It's been sitting there at the bottom of my To-Bake list like a little shining beacon guiding me home. It's going to be a pie. But, as with yesterday's pie, I need a crust. And I'm not about to send my husband out for another one. Plus, I already have a recipe, the one I was going to use last night until I realized it would take too long.
This crust recipe is really easy in some respects because you just combine all the ingredients in a food processor. The tricky part is making sure the butter and water are cold enough. The recipe says to leave the butter in the freeze for at least 15 minutes, but I left it in there closer to an hour. And, to make sure my water is cold enough, I actually put ice in it rather than just running the tap until it feels ice cold.
So now the discs wait in the refrigerator for they're application tomorrow . . .
This crust recipe is really easy in some respects because you just combine all the ingredients in a food processor. The tricky part is making sure the butter and water are cold enough. The recipe says to leave the butter in the freeze for at least 15 minutes, but I left it in there closer to an hour. And, to make sure my water is cold enough, I actually put ice in it rather than just running the tap until it feels ice cold.
So now the discs wait in the refrigerator for they're application tomorrow . . .
An All-Time Favorite
December 23rd: Today I realized that my baking adventure has been sorely lacking in one particular area. That area, as I'm sure you've guessed, is pies. I have yet to make a single pie. Well, that changes today, my friends! And what better pie to start with than one of my (if not my #1) all-time favorites . . . drum roll, please . . . Pumpkin Pie! Seriously, I wait all year for Fall just for the pumpkin pie. Okay, and the pumpkin bread and the pumpkin muffins and the pumpkin cookies . . . And I found an amazing one on allrecipes.com, which was not only delicious, but really easy. Actually, the trouble came with the crust.
I'd decided I wanted to make my own crust, but then, upon looking at the recipe I was going to use, I realized it would need to be refrigerated for a while before I could roll it out and use it. If I'd started this at a reasonable hour, it wouldn't have been such a big deal. But, of course, I hadn't. I'd started it at close to 9pm. Oops.
My husband, wonderful man that he is, ventured out into the night to buy me a pre-made one. As you can imagine, given that it's Christmas Eve Eve, he ended up on his own little hero journey in search of a crust for my pie. He started at one grocery store, but they were already closed by the time he got there. So he went to another store that he knew would be open, but they only had Oreo crusts (which maybe could've worked, but wasn't what I was going for). So off he went across the street to another store, but they'd already closed too. So then he trekked 20 minutes out of his way to go to yet another store. Thankfully this one had what I needed, but they were closing as he arrived so he had to run in, grab it, and run out. (After paying, of course.) He was gone so long I actually called him to make sure he was okay.
I was all worth it in the end, though, (I know I feel that way, and I'm pretty sure he does) because this pie is so delicious. It's the first homemade pumpkin pie I've actually actually liked. It was smooth and creamy, without the pumpkin-puree-edge that some homemade pies can have. I wholeheartedly recommend this recipe. I know I'll be using it again.
I'd decided I wanted to make my own crust, but then, upon looking at the recipe I was going to use, I realized it would need to be refrigerated for a while before I could roll it out and use it. If I'd started this at a reasonable hour, it wouldn't have been such a big deal. But, of course, I hadn't. I'd started it at close to 9pm. Oops.
My husband, wonderful man that he is, ventured out into the night to buy me a pre-made one. As you can imagine, given that it's Christmas Eve Eve, he ended up on his own little hero journey in search of a crust for my pie. He started at one grocery store, but they were already closed by the time he got there. So he went to another store that he knew would be open, but they only had Oreo crusts (which maybe could've worked, but wasn't what I was going for). So off he went across the street to another store, but they'd already closed too. So then he trekked 20 minutes out of his way to go to yet another store. Thankfully this one had what I needed, but they were closing as he arrived so he had to run in, grab it, and run out. (After paying, of course.) He was gone so long I actually called him to make sure he was okay.
I was all worth it in the end, though, (I know I feel that way, and I'm pretty sure he does) because this pie is so delicious. It's the first homemade pumpkin pie I've actually actually liked. It was smooth and creamy, without the pumpkin-puree-edge that some homemade pies can have. I wholeheartedly recommend this recipe. I know I'll be using it again.
Happy Hannukah!
December 22nd: No, I'm not Jewish, but in honor of those who are and are celebrating Hannukah (or those who just like the desserts), today I made Rugelach. Other than knowing what's in this recipe, though, I know nothing about this dessert. (I honestly just found it using a Google search.) This recipe is a Martha Stewart one, which I was hesitant to use because I've had some problems with some of her recipes before. Really, my stuff just never comes out as pretty as hers, which makes me think I did something wrong. That was still the case with this recipe, but they tasted amazing according to my husband, my in-laws, and my husband's co-workers, so I guess that's all that really counts.
This recipe was not without it's difficulties/moments of utter terror that I was going to end up with a mish-mashed pile of doughy, apricot-y slop. Specifically, the first disc of dough stuck to my counter despite the surface being floured. Now, we have granite countertops. I have no idea if this would affect such things, but it was the first time I'd had such a problem with anything sticking to a counter that's been floured. Thus, for discs 2 and 3, I rolled them out on parchment paper, which significantly helped.
This recipe was not without it's difficulties/moments of utter terror that I was going to end up with a mish-mashed pile of doughy, apricot-y slop. Specifically, the first disc of dough stuck to my counter despite the surface being floured. Now, we have granite countertops. I have no idea if this would affect such things, but it was the first time I'd had such a problem with anything sticking to a counter that's been floured. Thus, for discs 2 and 3, I rolled them out on parchment paper, which significantly helped.
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| Ah, the wonders of parchment paper . . . |
Because of the melty, gooey nature of the apricot jelly/preserves, both sets look a little messy, but hopefully you can see that the ones on the right look neater than the ones on the left. The ones on the right are the ones I used parchment paper for whereas those on the left stuck to the counter.
I made another slight modification with disc 2 as well: I cut the dough into wedges and then added the chocolate chips rather than adding the chips and then cutting, as the recipe directs. I did this because, in addition to the sticking issue with disc 1, I had a problem with the chocolate chips moving, dragging, and generally causing a mess of my disc 1 wedges. Placing the chips after the wedges were cut was much neater and meant I didn't have a lot of wasted chips that were running away and hiding under my cabinets because they'd fallen off the dough during the rolling process.
I made another slight modification with disc 2 as well: I cut the dough into wedges and then added the chocolate chips rather than adding the chips and then cutting, as the recipe directs. I did this because, in addition to the sticking issue with disc 1, I had a problem with the chocolate chips moving, dragging, and generally causing a mess of my disc 1 wedges. Placing the chips after the wedges were cut was much neater and meant I didn't have a lot of wasted chips that were running away and hiding under my cabinets because they'd fallen off the dough during the rolling process.
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| All dressed up and ready to be taken out! |
For the last disc, I left out the chocolate chips because I'm a fan of giving people options when I can, in case they don't like or want something that's non-essential to the recipe. Also because, when I looked up other Rugelach recipes, I found chocolate chip ones and apricot-walnut ones, but this was the only chocolate chip-apricot-walnut one I found. Apparently they were good both ways, but my husband actually preferred them with the chocolate chips because he said it balanced out the apricot. (I took his word for it. I don't like apricots, so I didn't try these particular goodies.)
So there you have it. If I make these in the future, maybe I'll make all three kinds, just 'cause I like to mix it up like that.
So there you have it. If I make these in the future, maybe I'll make all three kinds, just 'cause I like to mix it up like that.
Mmmm, Chocolate!
December 21st: At this point, I'm itching for a recipe with chocolate in it because, as I've stated, I love chocolate. (Is it possible to say that too many times? Probably. If I get there, let me know.) But, since my in-laws have also come into town for Christmas, I'm also looking for something fast since, you know, they didn't just come to watch me bake all day. What pops into my head? Muffins. Of the chocolate chip variety.
I went to allrecipes.com because it's normally quick and easy to find a decent recipe there. Surprisingly, I had to scroll a bit to find a straight-up chocolate chip recipe as opposed to, say, zucchini chocolate chip muffins or pumpkin chocolate chip muffins (I included the links in case any of you are saying 'Just plain chocolate chip? Boring! Gimme some squash with my chocolate!'). But then I find it, a Chocolate Chip Muffin recipe that fits what I'm looking for (fast and yummy), has a decent rating (4 out of 5 stars from over 100 reviews), and that I have all the ingredients for (except I have regular-sized chocolate chips as opposed to minis).
These muffins are incredible. So incredible, in fact, that I have no pictures because they didn't last long enough for there to be any. They were so easy, so fast, and so, so good. I think this will be my go-to recipe for chocolate chip muffins from now on. I absolutely recommend this recipe. I can't wait to try them with mini chocolate chips next time!
I went to allrecipes.com because it's normally quick and easy to find a decent recipe there. Surprisingly, I had to scroll a bit to find a straight-up chocolate chip recipe as opposed to, say, zucchini chocolate chip muffins or pumpkin chocolate chip muffins (I included the links in case any of you are saying 'Just plain chocolate chip? Boring! Gimme some squash with my chocolate!'). But then I find it, a Chocolate Chip Muffin recipe that fits what I'm looking for (fast and yummy), has a decent rating (4 out of 5 stars from over 100 reviews), and that I have all the ingredients for (except I have regular-sized chocolate chips as opposed to minis).
These muffins are incredible. So incredible, in fact, that I have no pictures because they didn't last long enough for there to be any. They were so easy, so fast, and so, so good. I think this will be my go-to recipe for chocolate chip muffins from now on. I absolutely recommend this recipe. I can't wait to try them with mini chocolate chips next time!
From Bananas to Apples
December 20th: Today I went back to the Baking cookbook to give it another try. This time I used the recipe for Toffee Apple Cupcakes because they looked so amazing in the picture in the book. And because, hey, who doesn't like toffee apples and cupcakes? Mixing them together had to be great. (More on that later . . .) To the recipe!
Makes: 12 cupcakes
Cupcakes:
2 apples
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
heaping 1/4 cup light brown sugar
4 tablespoons butter, plus extra for greasing
scant 1/2 cup milk
scant 1/2 cup apple juice
1 egg, beaten
Toffee Topping:
2 tablespoons light cream
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1. Preheat the over ton 400 degrees. Grease a 12-cup muffin pan (preferably non-stick).
2. Core and coarsely grate one of the apples. Slice the remaining apple into 1/4-inch thick wedges and toss in the lemon juice. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and cinnamon, then stire in the sugar and grated apple.
3. Melt the butter and mix with the milk, apple juice, and egg. Stir the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients, mixing lightly until just combined.
4. Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin pan. Put two apple slices on top of each cake.
5. Bake in the prepared oven for 20-25 minutes, or until risen, firm, and golden brown. Run a knife around the edge of each cake to loosen, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool.
6. For the toffee topping, place all the ingredients in a small pan and heat, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved. Increase the heat and boil rapidly for 2 minutes, or until slightly thickened and syrupy. Cool slightly, then drizzle over the cakes and let set.
Do all that, and this is what you get:
Looks awesome, right? Now you see why I wanted to make these. But, remember how I said I'd get back to that whole toffee apple + cupcake = winner thing? Here's the incredibly sad part: They weren't winners. They were semi-dry and pretty tasteless. The only apple flavor I got, basically, was from the ones on top. So much for putting an apple AND apple juice in the cake batter. Now, I suppose it's possible that these would turn out better with different apples. Or with more apple juice added. Or maybe with some applesauce added. But as it stands, this is one of my most disappointed baking experiences of the whole Advent journey.
I will say this, though, the toffee was pretty good, which I was kind of surprised about given my ineptitude with making caramel.
There is another possibility for why these cakes came out so bland: the light brown sugar component. I'm not sure if the ingredients list meant 1/4 cup loosely packed or firmly packed. Is a heaping 1/4 cup of loosely packed the same as 1/4 cup of firmly packed? Not really sure. I went with a heaping 1/4 cup of loosely packed since it didn't specifically say firmly packed, but maybe it should've been a heaping 1/4 cup of firmly packed. Maybe that would've added flavor of some kind. Who knows?
As a potentially educational side note, you toss the apple slices in lemon juice to keep the outsides from oxidized and turning brown. Handy trick, huh?
Makes: 12 cupcakes
Cupcakes:
2 apples
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
heaping 1/4 cup light brown sugar
4 tablespoons butter, plus extra for greasing
scant 1/2 cup milk
scant 1/2 cup apple juice
1 egg, beaten
Toffee Topping:
2 tablespoons light cream
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1. Preheat the over ton 400 degrees. Grease a 12-cup muffin pan (preferably non-stick).
2. Core and coarsely grate one of the apples. Slice the remaining apple into 1/4-inch thick wedges and toss in the lemon juice. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and cinnamon, then stire in the sugar and grated apple.
3. Melt the butter and mix with the milk, apple juice, and egg. Stir the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients, mixing lightly until just combined.
4. Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin pan. Put two apple slices on top of each cake.
5. Bake in the prepared oven for 20-25 minutes, or until risen, firm, and golden brown. Run a knife around the edge of each cake to loosen, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool.
6. For the toffee topping, place all the ingredients in a small pan and heat, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved. Increase the heat and boil rapidly for 2 minutes, or until slightly thickened and syrupy. Cool slightly, then drizzle over the cakes and let set.
Do all that, and this is what you get:
Looks awesome, right? Now you see why I wanted to make these. But, remember how I said I'd get back to that whole toffee apple + cupcake = winner thing? Here's the incredibly sad part: They weren't winners. They were semi-dry and pretty tasteless. The only apple flavor I got, basically, was from the ones on top. So much for putting an apple AND apple juice in the cake batter. Now, I suppose it's possible that these would turn out better with different apples. Or with more apple juice added. Or maybe with some applesauce added. But as it stands, this is one of my most disappointed baking experiences of the whole Advent journey.
I will say this, though, the toffee was pretty good, which I was kind of surprised about given my ineptitude with making caramel.
There is another possibility for why these cakes came out so bland: the light brown sugar component. I'm not sure if the ingredients list meant 1/4 cup loosely packed or firmly packed. Is a heaping 1/4 cup of loosely packed the same as 1/4 cup of firmly packed? Not really sure. I went with a heaping 1/4 cup of loosely packed since it didn't specifically say firmly packed, but maybe it should've been a heaping 1/4 cup of firmly packed. Maybe that would've added flavor of some kind. Who knows?
As a potentially educational side note, you toss the apple slices in lemon juice to keep the outsides from oxidized and turning brown. Handy trick, huh?
I've Gone Bananas!
December 19th: For this day, it was back to the good ol' Williams-Sonoma Baking Cookbook. For what, you may ask? Why, for Banana-Honey Cake! Now, I'm not really wild about bananas, but I don't mind them once they're mashed up and put into some form of bread, which, even though the name of the recipe says cake, this pretty much is. It's not something you'd frost and use for a birthday since it has a more banana bread/muffin texture.
Makes: One 9-inch square cake
2 1/4 cups (11.5 oz/360 g) flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (4 oz/125 g) plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup (3.5 oz/105 g) light brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup (6 oz/185 g) honey
2 eggs
2 peeled and mashed bananas
2/3 cup (2.5 oz/75 g) walnuts or almonds, chopped
1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan. Sprinkle with flour and tap out the excess.
2. In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. In another large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat together the butter and brown sugar until creamy. Add the honey and beat until blended. Add the eggs, increase the speed to medium-high, and beat until smooth. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 2 additions, alternating with the mashed bananas and beating on medium speed after each addition until smooth. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. Sprinkle evenly with the nuts, if using.
3. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 35-40 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Cut into squares and serve.
This recipe wasn't bad. Not my favorite, but not bad. Honestly, I think I should've let the bananas ripen a bit longer because the flavor wasn't strong enough and I think it would've added some moisture to the cake.
I'm also interested to use some different honeys in future attempts at this recipe since there wasn't much honey flavor in this at all. Since I currently know next to nothing about the different honeys that are out there (i.e., I know there ARE different honeys, but not what they taste like or how they flavor things they're baked in), I'll have to do some research before the next banana-honey cake adventure.
I used walnuts instead of almonds in my cake because I'm a fan of banana nut muffins with walnuts in them, but I'm curious how this would taste with almonds instead. Another thing to try next time, I guess!
Makes: One 9-inch square cake
2 1/4 cups (11.5 oz/360 g) flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (4 oz/125 g) plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup (3.5 oz/105 g) light brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup (6 oz/185 g) honey
2 eggs
2 peeled and mashed bananas
2/3 cup (2.5 oz/75 g) walnuts or almonds, chopped
1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan. Sprinkle with flour and tap out the excess.
2. In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. In another large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat together the butter and brown sugar until creamy. Add the honey and beat until blended. Add the eggs, increase the speed to medium-high, and beat until smooth. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 2 additions, alternating with the mashed bananas and beating on medium speed after each addition until smooth. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. Sprinkle evenly with the nuts, if using.
3. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 35-40 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Cut into squares and serve.
This recipe wasn't bad. Not my favorite, but not bad. Honestly, I think I should've let the bananas ripen a bit longer because the flavor wasn't strong enough and I think it would've added some moisture to the cake.
I'm also interested to use some different honeys in future attempts at this recipe since there wasn't much honey flavor in this at all. Since I currently know next to nothing about the different honeys that are out there (i.e., I know there ARE different honeys, but not what they taste like or how they flavor things they're baked in), I'll have to do some research before the next banana-honey cake adventure.
I used walnuts instead of almonds in my cake because I'm a fan of banana nut muffins with walnuts in them, but I'm curious how this would taste with almonds instead. Another thing to try next time, I guess!
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Red Velvet Carpet
December 17th and 18th: For these two days, I did another cake and frosting duo. I'd started out looking on allrecipes.com for a red velvet cake recipe because I couldn't find one I liked in any of my cookbooks. I came across the one McCormick (you know, the spice, etc. company) had submitted and was about to try it when I started browsing the comments. Most of the comments were good, but more than a few mentioned that the cake was dry. That's when I came across Carrot Top Mom and her comment. Following the link she posted, I ended up here and wound up using her recipe instead because the comments were all good and her cupcakes looked amazing. (She also has the cream cheese frosting recipe to go with these cupcakes, as you can see by going to her red velvet cake recipe page.)
These cupcakes are AMAZING. Seriously, I could've eaten the whole bunch without the addition of frosting. Although, I must say, the frosting was a nice addition.
These cupcakes are AMAZING. Seriously, I could've eaten the whole bunch without the addition of frosting. Although, I must say, the frosting was a nice addition.
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I was pastry-bag-less when I made these, so I used the ol' cut-a-corner-from-the-Ziploc-bag trick to pile the frosting. I've never been able to use this technique flawlessly, but I'm beginning to think it has to do with the stiffness of my frostings. I added an extra four ounces of powdered sugar to this frosting to make it firmer for piling, but it didn't seem to be enough because the frosting wasn't the consistency I wanted as it came out of the bag. Still, it was firm enough that it piled somewhat, so I was happy about that. I also frosted a batch using a knife rather than the bag because I'm not wild about an overabundance of frosting on my cupcakes. (I'm more into the cake than the frosting, hence why it's so important to me to get a good cake recipe rather than just covering a bad one with good frosting.)
Other than that, I don't have much to say about these recipes. They're awesome and I highly recommend them, so go forth and bake up some red velvet cupcakes, my friends!
Other than that, I don't have much to say about these recipes. They're awesome and I highly recommend them, so go forth and bake up some red velvet cupcakes, my friends!
Friday, December 23, 2011
I'm Back!
Okay, so, rather than a SUPER long post which would lose everyone (including me), I'm going to do one post per recipe like usual, in the order I made them. Sound good? Yup, I thought so.
December 16th: I used a new cookbook, Baking: A Celebration of Baking at Home. I received it as a gift some time ago, but I'd never gotten around to using it. So I started with a recipe that looked delicious: Chocolate Caramel Shortbread. Essentially, this is like making your own Twix at home. Sounds awesome, right? Well, it probably would've been if it had worked, but, unfortunately for me, it didn't. Now, I'll tell you up front that I've never successfully made caramel and that I mixed up a couple recipes at one point, which may have had something to do with my most recent failed attempt. But we'll get to that. For now, let's just get to the recipe itself.
Shortbread:
1/2 cup butter, plus extra for greasing
heaping 1 cup all-purpose flour
heaping 1/4 cup superfine sugar
7 oz/200g semisweet chocolate, broken into pieces
Caramel:
3/4 cup butter
heaping 1/2 cup superfine sugar
3 Tbsp dark corn syrup
14 oz/400 g canned condensed milk
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and line the bottom of a 9-inch shallow square cake pan. Place the butter, flour, and sugar in a food processor and process until the mixture starts to bind together. Press into the pan and level the top. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until golden.
2. To make the caramel, place the butter, sugar, corn syrup, and condensed milk in a heavy-bottom pan. Heat gently until the sugar has melted. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let simmer for 6-8 minutes, stirring, until very thick. Pour over the shortbread and let chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours, or until firm.
3. Melt the chocolate and let cool, then spread over the caramel. Let chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours, or until set. Cut the shortbread into 12 piece using a sharp knife and serve.
Note: Superfine sugar can be made by putting regular granulated sugar in the food processor until - surprise, surprise - it's superfine!
I've never made shortbread in a food processor, but it seemed to work reasonably well. And the melting chocolate part worked well because, hey, it's a pretty simple task. But my continued nemesis is the caramel.
First, I confused this recipe with another I'd been thinking about using and put in 1 1/2 cups of butter rather than 3/4 cup. Now, if I'd only had another can of condensed milk, all would've been well because I just would've made a double batch. But, since I was second-can-less, I just had to fish out the extra butter. Which, again, would've been fine if it hadn't already half melted and if I hadn't already added all the other ingredients to the pot. So I pulled out as much as the solid parts as I could, and used my food scale to make sure I was getting all the excess butter out. As you can imagine, this also required scraping of the half-melted butter sticks to get all the corn syrup and sugar off. In other words, it was a mess/disaster.
I also only had light corn syrup, since every other recipe I've ever made called for light. As you can imagine, this means my caramel wasn't the right color. It also doesn't have the right flavor because the color between light and dark corn syrup is about more than color. Whoops. Dark corn syrup has a molasses-like ingredient as well as caramel flavor. So, in other words, I have something that's the consistency of caramel but doesn't really taste like caramel. Again I say, whoops.
My only other concern was that the recipe never specifies when the shortbread should be removed from the pan. To decrease the possibility of mess from pouring caramel and chocolate on the shortbread, I left mine in the pan. However, this make it a little difficult to cut the treat without destroying your cake pan. Next time I try this (yeah, I think I'll try again without the caramel screw-ups because the possibility of homemade Twix is too appealing), I plan on removing the shortbread from the pan to facilitate cutting. Learn from my lack of attention, kids, and good luck on your own chocolate caramel shortbread!
December 16th: I used a new cookbook, Baking: A Celebration of Baking at Home. I received it as a gift some time ago, but I'd never gotten around to using it. So I started with a recipe that looked delicious: Chocolate Caramel Shortbread. Essentially, this is like making your own Twix at home. Sounds awesome, right? Well, it probably would've been if it had worked, but, unfortunately for me, it didn't. Now, I'll tell you up front that I've never successfully made caramel and that I mixed up a couple recipes at one point, which may have had something to do with my most recent failed attempt. But we'll get to that. For now, let's just get to the recipe itself.
Shortbread:
1/2 cup butter, plus extra for greasing
heaping 1 cup all-purpose flour
heaping 1/4 cup superfine sugar
7 oz/200g semisweet chocolate, broken into pieces
Caramel:
3/4 cup butter
heaping 1/2 cup superfine sugar
3 Tbsp dark corn syrup
14 oz/400 g canned condensed milk
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and line the bottom of a 9-inch shallow square cake pan. Place the butter, flour, and sugar in a food processor and process until the mixture starts to bind together. Press into the pan and level the top. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until golden.
2. To make the caramel, place the butter, sugar, corn syrup, and condensed milk in a heavy-bottom pan. Heat gently until the sugar has melted. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let simmer for 6-8 minutes, stirring, until very thick. Pour over the shortbread and let chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours, or until firm.
3. Melt the chocolate and let cool, then spread over the caramel. Let chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours, or until set. Cut the shortbread into 12 piece using a sharp knife and serve.
Note: Superfine sugar can be made by putting regular granulated sugar in the food processor until - surprise, surprise - it's superfine!
I've never made shortbread in a food processor, but it seemed to work reasonably well. And the melting chocolate part worked well because, hey, it's a pretty simple task. But my continued nemesis is the caramel.
First, I confused this recipe with another I'd been thinking about using and put in 1 1/2 cups of butter rather than 3/4 cup. Now, if I'd only had another can of condensed milk, all would've been well because I just would've made a double batch. But, since I was second-can-less, I just had to fish out the extra butter. Which, again, would've been fine if it hadn't already half melted and if I hadn't already added all the other ingredients to the pot. So I pulled out as much as the solid parts as I could, and used my food scale to make sure I was getting all the excess butter out. As you can imagine, this also required scraping of the half-melted butter sticks to get all the corn syrup and sugar off. In other words, it was a mess/disaster.
I also only had light corn syrup, since every other recipe I've ever made called for light. As you can imagine, this means my caramel wasn't the right color. It also doesn't have the right flavor because the color between light and dark corn syrup is about more than color. Whoops. Dark corn syrup has a molasses-like ingredient as well as caramel flavor. So, in other words, I have something that's the consistency of caramel but doesn't really taste like caramel. Again I say, whoops.
My only other concern was that the recipe never specifies when the shortbread should be removed from the pan. To decrease the possibility of mess from pouring caramel and chocolate on the shortbread, I left mine in the pan. However, this make it a little difficult to cut the treat without destroying your cake pan. Next time I try this (yeah, I think I'll try again without the caramel screw-ups because the possibility of homemade Twix is too appealing), I plan on removing the shortbread from the pan to facilitate cutting. Learn from my lack of attention, kids, and good luck on your own chocolate caramel shortbread!
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Technical Difficulties
Hey, guys. No, I haven't dropped off the planet, I've just been having technical oven difficulties. Specifically, something on my oven door has come loose, making it difficult to open the oven. I have been managing bake despite the issue, but it's been making it a bit less enjoyable.
Not to worry, though, I shall be giving you all a (very long) update in the very near future. Once I run around and gather all my recipes into one place. Better get to it...
Not to worry, though, I shall be giving you all a (very long) update in the very near future. Once I run around and gather all my recipes into one place. Better get to it...
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Coffee anyone?
It's hard to believe, but we're already more than halfway our Advent baking adventure! When I started, I had only a handful of recipes I wanted to try and a lot of uncertainty about what I'd be trying after that, but now it's looking like I'm going to run out of days before I run out of recipes. Who'd have thought?!
Today's recipe was Cinnamon-Walnut Coffee Cake from the Williams-Sonoma Baking Cookbook. I made a major modification in that I took out the walnuts, but it didn't change the final outcome. So here's the recipe:
Makes: one 9-inch square cake
Total Time: "15 Minutes Hands-On Time"
2 cups (10 oz/315 g) flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (4 oz/125 g/1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup (6 oz/185 g) sour cream
2 eggs
1 tablespoon orange zest, finely grated
1 cup (8 oz/240 g) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup (4 oz/125 g) walnuts, toasted and chopped
1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan. In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat together the butter, sour cream, eggs orange zest, 3/4 cup of the sugar, and the vanilla until blended. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat on low speed until smooth.
2. In a bowl, stir together the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, the cinnamon, and the walnuts. Spread half of the batter evenly in the prepared pan and sprinkle evenly with half of the walnut mixture. Top with the remaining batter, spreading it evenly, and sprinkle with the remaining walnut mixture.
3. Bake until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 25-30 minutes. Let cool slightly in the pan on a wire rack. Cut into squares and serve warm.
Like I said, I cut the walnuts out, but I also cut the orange zest because I'm not a fan of citrus in my coffee cake. I prefer it to taste more like regular cake. And this does.
I had some slight concerns when putting the batter into the pan as it is very thick and there isn't an overabundance of it. I actually used vegetable oil spray on my hands and pressed the batter into the pan that way since it was just sticking to the spatula I was using, making things very inefficient. In fact, even using this method, it still didn't look like there would be enough batter to make any sort of normal-sized cake. But I needn't have worried, the batter smoothed and expanded just like thinner batters I've used.
Also, in keeping with recent events, I needed to bake the coffee cake 10 minutes longer than the 30 minute maximum to account for the fact that I was baking in a glass pan. Actually, 10 minutes is much better than other things I've made in glass, and I was quite satisfied that this was all the extra time required.
So it's a short and simple recipe today with short and sweet results. Now to send it off with my husband in the morning for his co-workers edible enjoyment! And don't forget to enjoy your own with a cup of your favorite coffee or tea.
Today's recipe was Cinnamon-Walnut Coffee Cake from the Williams-Sonoma Baking Cookbook. I made a major modification in that I took out the walnuts, but it didn't change the final outcome. So here's the recipe:
Makes: one 9-inch square cake
Total Time: "15 Minutes Hands-On Time"
2 cups (10 oz/315 g) flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (4 oz/125 g/1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup (6 oz/185 g) sour cream
2 eggs
1 tablespoon orange zest, finely grated
1 cup (8 oz/240 g) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup (4 oz/125 g) walnuts, toasted and chopped
1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan. In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat together the butter, sour cream, eggs orange zest, 3/4 cup of the sugar, and the vanilla until blended. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat on low speed until smooth.
2. In a bowl, stir together the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, the cinnamon, and the walnuts. Spread half of the batter evenly in the prepared pan and sprinkle evenly with half of the walnut mixture. Top with the remaining batter, spreading it evenly, and sprinkle with the remaining walnut mixture.
3. Bake until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 25-30 minutes. Let cool slightly in the pan on a wire rack. Cut into squares and serve warm.
Like I said, I cut the walnuts out, but I also cut the orange zest because I'm not a fan of citrus in my coffee cake. I prefer it to taste more like regular cake. And this does.
I had some slight concerns when putting the batter into the pan as it is very thick and there isn't an overabundance of it. I actually used vegetable oil spray on my hands and pressed the batter into the pan that way since it was just sticking to the spatula I was using, making things very inefficient. In fact, even using this method, it still didn't look like there would be enough batter to make any sort of normal-sized cake. But I needn't have worried, the batter smoothed and expanded just like thinner batters I've used.
Also, in keeping with recent events, I needed to bake the coffee cake 10 minutes longer than the 30 minute maximum to account for the fact that I was baking in a glass pan. Actually, 10 minutes is much better than other things I've made in glass, and I was quite satisfied that this was all the extra time required.
So it's a short and simple recipe today with short and sweet results. Now to send it off with my husband in the morning for his co-workers edible enjoyment! And don't forget to enjoy your own with a cup of your favorite coffee or tea.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Something New
So I've done cookies. A lot of cookies, even. But that's because I love cookies, they're so quick and easy and...transportable! And I've done cake. 'Cause, who doesn't love cake? But today was a day for something new. And that something was Pumpkin-Nut Bread from the America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. (Have I mentioned that I love pumpkin baked goods?) Here it is:
Makes: one 8-inch loaf
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes plus 1 hour 10 minutes cooling time
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin (unsweetened, NOT pumpkin pie filling)
1 cup sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup pecans or walnuts, toasted and chopped coarse
1 cup dried cranberries (optional)
1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously coat an 8.5 by 4.5-inch loaf pan with vegetable oil spray.
2. Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and ginger together in a large bowl. Whisk the pumpkin, sugar, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla together in a separate bowl until frothy.
3. Gently fold the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula until just combined. Fold in the nuts and cranberries (if using). The batter will be very thick.
4. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few crumbs attached, 45 to 55 minutes.
5. Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes before unmolding onto a wire rack to cool for 1 hour.
I chose not to add the cranberries because I'm not a cranberry fan. And, really, I'm happy that I did because I didn't find the pumpkin bread as sweet as other ones I've had (and loved) in the past, so adding cranberries would've cut that even more.
My pumpkin mixture didn't quite become "frothy," but it looked like it would start separating if I whisked it anymore. So I moved on to the folding part. Now, I'm not an expert at "folding" wet ingredients into dry, so I can't attest to how well this part was done, but the batter was certainly thick and I tried to make sure the walnuts were evenly distributed.
The only other issue I had was that the baking time wasn't enough. At 45 minutes, and even 55 minutes, the center of my bread was still batter. This is the second time something like this has happened, and the only common denominator I can think of is that both of my "messed up" recipes were baked in glass pans. This is the first time I've ever run into issues with baking in glass, so I'm going to attribute it to baking in a new oven (we recently moved). But after adding 17 minutes to the max of 55 minutes, my bread was ready to be pulled from the oven. And, thankfully, it wasn't burned in anyway.
So, all in all, this recipe worked out well and it tastes good. However, it has a slightly denser texture than I prefer and isn't as sweet as I'd like, so I'll keeping looking for and trying out new ones until I find what I'm looking for. I wish you great success in this and all recipes. Keep it up!
Makes: one 8-inch loaf
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes plus 1 hour 10 minutes cooling time
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin (unsweetened, NOT pumpkin pie filling)
1 cup sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup pecans or walnuts, toasted and chopped coarse
1 cup dried cranberries (optional)
1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously coat an 8.5 by 4.5-inch loaf pan with vegetable oil spray.
2. Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and ginger together in a large bowl. Whisk the pumpkin, sugar, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla together in a separate bowl until frothy.
3. Gently fold the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula until just combined. Fold in the nuts and cranberries (if using). The batter will be very thick.
4. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few crumbs attached, 45 to 55 minutes.
5. Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes before unmolding onto a wire rack to cool for 1 hour.
I chose not to add the cranberries because I'm not a cranberry fan. And, really, I'm happy that I did because I didn't find the pumpkin bread as sweet as other ones I've had (and loved) in the past, so adding cranberries would've cut that even more.
My pumpkin mixture didn't quite become "frothy," but it looked like it would start separating if I whisked it anymore. So I moved on to the folding part. Now, I'm not an expert at "folding" wet ingredients into dry, so I can't attest to how well this part was done, but the batter was certainly thick and I tried to make sure the walnuts were evenly distributed.
The only other issue I had was that the baking time wasn't enough. At 45 minutes, and even 55 minutes, the center of my bread was still batter. This is the second time something like this has happened, and the only common denominator I can think of is that both of my "messed up" recipes were baked in glass pans. This is the first time I've ever run into issues with baking in glass, so I'm going to attribute it to baking in a new oven (we recently moved). But after adding 17 minutes to the max of 55 minutes, my bread was ready to be pulled from the oven. And, thankfully, it wasn't burned in anyway.
So, all in all, this recipe worked out well and it tastes good. However, it has a slightly denser texture than I prefer and isn't as sweet as I'd like, so I'll keeping looking for and trying out new ones until I find what I'm looking for. I wish you great success in this and all recipes. Keep it up!
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Justification!
It was another delicious day in the kitchen. Refusing to give up on the Williams-Sonoma Baking Cookbook, I tried their recipe for Almond Pound Cake, and it came out perfect! I will say this, though: almond extract is strong. (I'd never used it before.) So here it is:
1 cup (4.5 oz/140 g) slivered blanched almonds
1 cup (8 oz/250 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups (1 lb/500 g) granulated sugar
6 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3 cups (15 oz/470 g) flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (8 oz/250 g) sour cream
1/2 cup (2 oz/60 g) sliced (flaked) almonds
powdered sugar for dusting
1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Butter a 10-inch Bundt pan or two 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-inch loaf pans. Sprinkle with flour and tap out the excess. In a food processor, process the slivered almonds until finely ground.
2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat together the butter and granulated sugar until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla and almond extracts. In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 2 additions, alternating with the sour cream and beating on low speed after each addition until smooth. Stir in the ground almonds. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan(s). If using loaf pans, sprinkle evenly with the sliced almonds.
3. Bake until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 1-1.25 hours. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Invert the cake onto the rack and lift off the pan. Let the cake cool completely. Dust the top with powdered sugar shaken through a sieve, cut into slices, and serve.
You may have noticed something new in today's post. That's right, kids, I included weight measurements! (At least where they were provided to me by the handy dandy cookbook.) That's because, as I reminded myself/was reminded by running out of sour cream before I should have, baking is actually best done using weight measurements rather than traditional cups. This means, if you don't have one already, you should buy a food scale. Trust me, you won't regret it.
The only modification I made to this recipe is that I ground the sliced almonds I already had rather than buying a new bag of slivered almonds that I wouldn't use all of. I figured since they were ground that it wouldn't make a difference. And, since the recipe worked so well, I guess I was right. I also made sure the eggs were room temperature when I added them, as suggested/recommended by the Pastry Chef Online.
As with every other cake I've made in a Bundt pan, the top (which became the bottom) domed. I suppose I could've trimmed it and made it even, but that seemed like a waste of perfectly good cake. So I left it domed and just dusted and sliced it.
I will definitely be using this recipe again. I'll probably try it in the loaf pans at some point so it seems more like a traditional pound cake, but I'm content to keep using a Bundt pan for a while. Bundt cakes just look so nice, after all!
1 cup (4.5 oz/140 g) slivered blanched almonds
1 cup (8 oz/250 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups (1 lb/500 g) granulated sugar
6 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3 cups (15 oz/470 g) flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (8 oz/250 g) sour cream
1/2 cup (2 oz/60 g) sliced (flaked) almonds
powdered sugar for dusting
1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Butter a 10-inch Bundt pan or two 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-inch loaf pans. Sprinkle with flour and tap out the excess. In a food processor, process the slivered almonds until finely ground.
2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat together the butter and granulated sugar until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla and almond extracts. In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 2 additions, alternating with the sour cream and beating on low speed after each addition until smooth. Stir in the ground almonds. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan(s). If using loaf pans, sprinkle evenly with the sliced almonds.
3. Bake until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 1-1.25 hours. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Invert the cake onto the rack and lift off the pan. Let the cake cool completely. Dust the top with powdered sugar shaken through a sieve, cut into slices, and serve.
You may have noticed something new in today's post. That's right, kids, I included weight measurements! (At least where they were provided to me by the handy dandy cookbook.) That's because, as I reminded myself/was reminded by running out of sour cream before I should have, baking is actually best done using weight measurements rather than traditional cups. This means, if you don't have one already, you should buy a food scale. Trust me, you won't regret it.
The only modification I made to this recipe is that I ground the sliced almonds I already had rather than buying a new bag of slivered almonds that I wouldn't use all of. I figured since they were ground that it wouldn't make a difference. And, since the recipe worked so well, I guess I was right. I also made sure the eggs were room temperature when I added them, as suggested/recommended by the Pastry Chef Online.
As with every other cake I've made in a Bundt pan, the top (which became the bottom) domed. I suppose I could've trimmed it and made it even, but that seemed like a waste of perfectly good cake. So I left it domed and just dusted and sliced it.
 |
| Doming just makes the slices bigger! And everyone likes bigger slices! |
I will definitely be using this recipe again. I'll probably try it in the loaf pans at some point so it seems more like a traditional pound cake, but I'm content to keep using a Bundt pan for a while. Bundt cakes just look so nice, after all!
 |
| Pretty, right? |
Flat but Tasty
So yesterday I made Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. This was first time I'd made them from scratch without simply modifying one of my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipes. They came out really good, but oddly flat, and the first tray more than the rest. This was another adventure in the Williams-Sonoma Baking Cookbook, and I simply refuse to give up on this book because I love their chocolate chip scone recipe. Let's get to the recipe itself, shall we?
Makes: about 60 cookies (I got 58)
Total Time: recipe in the "30 minutes Start to Finish" section of the book
1 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
12 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped (optional)
1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Line 2 rimless baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and granulated and brown sugars until creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth. In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat on low until smooth. Stir in the oatmeal, chocolate chips, and walnuts, if using.
3. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of the dough onto the prepared sheets, spacing them about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake until the cookies are golden brown, 10-12 minutes. Transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.
Okay, now the recipe doesn't specify that the butter should be softened, but I've never seen a recipe call for creaming that didn't use softened butter. In fact, I don't even know if this is possible. So I softened my butter. I also put my mixing bowl in the freezer for about 10 minutes before using it, which is something I do for another cookie recipe but haven't done in a while. I've been doing (and not doing) it so long that I don't even remember why I started, and even the power of the internet couldn't answer me. Perhaps this was the reason for my flat cookies? Even if it is, why don't my other chocolate chip cookies wind up flat when I do this? Well, it's something to consider for next time, that's for sure.
Next, I didn't use walnuts. I like them, I even like them in my chocolate chip cookies, but I just wasn't feeling them for this. Also, I have other applications in mind for my walnuts. (Coffee cake anyone?) I also used semisweet chips mixed with milk chocolate because, as previously mentioned, I prefer the sweeter chips even in my cookies. (If you're looking for a dark chocolate girl, I'm not it.) Of course, you can use whatever kind of chocolate chips you want. That's the beauty of baking! I also used an extra ounce of chocolate chips because I didn't want to leave 1 ounce of chips in a bag and the dough looked a little thin on chips.
All right, onto putting the cookie dough onto the pan! I put them in tablespoon-sized blobs, as instructed, the popped the pan into the oven. Halfway through baking, my cookies were already getting flat and looked a bit runny. I was concerned, but I stuck with it and finished out their baking time. Now they were definitely flat. As in, looking at them you'd expect them to be crunchy. Thankfully, though, they were still chewy, but they certainly did not go off to work with my husband this morning.
For the next tray, I decided to try something different. I've been doing so many recipes recently that involve rolling the dough in sugar of one kind or another, so I decided to try rolling these in powdered sugar to see if it would add a little resistance and help them hold shape to look more like the cookies I was going for. I figured if it didn't work that I'd only "wasted" 12 out of about 60 cookies, so no harm done. To my joy, it actually worked quite well. The cookies still came out a bit flatter than I would have liked, but they certainly looked better than the first batch. And the "extra" sugar didn't change the taste, which was my only other concern.
So, all in all, it was a good baking day yesterday. Will I use this recipe again? Well, the cookies all came out tasty and chewy, even if they were flat, so probably. But I'll also keep looking for another recipe to see if I can achieve the trifecta of tasty, chewy, and not flat. I'll also try this one again without putting the mixing bowl in the freezer first to see if that fixes my issues.
Having baking successes of your own? Let me know! And, as always, feel free to comment with recipe recommendations, favorite memories that involve baking, or favorite holiday memories. (If you can combine all of these, I'll be amazed and excited.)
Makes: about 60 cookies (I got 58)
Total Time: recipe in the "30 minutes Start to Finish" section of the book
1 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
12 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped (optional)
1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Line 2 rimless baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and granulated and brown sugars until creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth. In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat on low until smooth. Stir in the oatmeal, chocolate chips, and walnuts, if using.
3. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of the dough onto the prepared sheets, spacing them about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake until the cookies are golden brown, 10-12 minutes. Transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.
Okay, now the recipe doesn't specify that the butter should be softened, but I've never seen a recipe call for creaming that didn't use softened butter. In fact, I don't even know if this is possible. So I softened my butter. I also put my mixing bowl in the freezer for about 10 minutes before using it, which is something I do for another cookie recipe but haven't done in a while. I've been doing (and not doing) it so long that I don't even remember why I started, and even the power of the internet couldn't answer me. Perhaps this was the reason for my flat cookies? Even if it is, why don't my other chocolate chip cookies wind up flat when I do this? Well, it's something to consider for next time, that's for sure.
Next, I didn't use walnuts. I like them, I even like them in my chocolate chip cookies, but I just wasn't feeling them for this. Also, I have other applications in mind for my walnuts. (Coffee cake anyone?) I also used semisweet chips mixed with milk chocolate because, as previously mentioned, I prefer the sweeter chips even in my cookies. (If you're looking for a dark chocolate girl, I'm not it.) Of course, you can use whatever kind of chocolate chips you want. That's the beauty of baking! I also used an extra ounce of chocolate chips because I didn't want to leave 1 ounce of chips in a bag and the dough looked a little thin on chips.
All right, onto putting the cookie dough onto the pan! I put them in tablespoon-sized blobs, as instructed, the popped the pan into the oven. Halfway through baking, my cookies were already getting flat and looked a bit runny. I was concerned, but I stuck with it and finished out their baking time. Now they were definitely flat. As in, looking at them you'd expect them to be crunchy. Thankfully, though, they were still chewy, but they certainly did not go off to work with my husband this morning.
For the next tray, I decided to try something different. I've been doing so many recipes recently that involve rolling the dough in sugar of one kind or another, so I decided to try rolling these in powdered sugar to see if it would add a little resistance and help them hold shape to look more like the cookies I was going for. I figured if it didn't work that I'd only "wasted" 12 out of about 60 cookies, so no harm done. To my joy, it actually worked quite well. The cookies still came out a bit flatter than I would have liked, but they certainly looked better than the first batch. And the "extra" sugar didn't change the taste, which was my only other concern.
So, all in all, it was a good baking day yesterday. Will I use this recipe again? Well, the cookies all came out tasty and chewy, even if they were flat, so probably. But I'll also keep looking for another recipe to see if I can achieve the trifecta of tasty, chewy, and not flat. I'll also try this one again without putting the mixing bowl in the freezer first to see if that fixes my issues.
Having baking successes of your own? Let me know! And, as always, feel free to comment with recipe recommendations, favorite memories that involve baking, or favorite holiday memories. (If you can combine all of these, I'll be amazed and excited.)
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Hmm...
Well, I'm not sure how today's recipe went. I venture to say it went poorly, but the food isn't inedible, so I guess it was all right. I tried Brown Sugar Blondies today, a recipe in the Williams-Sonoma Baking Cookbook. It was my first attempt at baking blondies of any kind, though I've thought about it before because the Applebee's blondie dessert is my sister's favorite dessert ever. So here we go:
1 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature (I used butter-flavored Crisco, but it may be the cause of my semi-failure)
1 cup light or dark brown sugar, firmly packed
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup sliced (flaked) almonds
1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan.
2. In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat together the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed just until blended. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. Sprinkle evenly with the almonds.
3. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out almost clean, about 30 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Using a sharp knife, cut into squares and serve.
This recipe is in the "15 Minutes Hands-On Time" section of this particular cookbook, so that explains why it's fairly simple. However, simple doesn't appear to be working for me today. I'm just not sure where exactly I went wrong. I mixed the ingredients properly, and the batter looked fine when I put it in the pan. At least, I'm assuming the batter was fine. It was thick, but I assumed this was the way it was supposed to be. I mean, blondies are just another form of brownies, right?
The baking process didn't go so well, though. I put them in the oven for 30 minutes like the recipe says, but, despite the edges being golden brown, the entire center was jiggly/liquidy. So I gave it 10 more minutes. Still liquidy. Another 10 minutes seemed to do the trick for the center being less jiggly, but we were past golden brown (and all the way to brown brown), and the middle had deflated even though the edges were still high. After they cooled a bit, I cut them and tried one of the corners - like I said, it wasn't inedible, but it wasn't what I was going for either.
Needless to say, I won't be sending these to work with my husband. (Not that they wouldn't eat them, but I prefer to put my best effort forward at all times.) I'm not sure if I'll try this recipe again, or if I'll just search for another one. Most likely, I'll look for another and, if I keep having problems, then try this one again.
If any of you try this and have great success, please let me know. If I went wrong somewhere along the way, I'd love to know where it was.
In other, more pleasant news, a friend of mine has also started a baking blog! Hers will include cooking as well as baking, so you should definitely check it out. (You can follow her culinary adventure here!)
1 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature (I used butter-flavored Crisco, but it may be the cause of my semi-failure)
1 cup light or dark brown sugar, firmly packed
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup sliced (flaked) almonds
1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan.
2. In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat together the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed just until blended. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. Sprinkle evenly with the almonds.
3. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out almost clean, about 30 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Using a sharp knife, cut into squares and serve.
This recipe is in the "15 Minutes Hands-On Time" section of this particular cookbook, so that explains why it's fairly simple. However, simple doesn't appear to be working for me today. I'm just not sure where exactly I went wrong. I mixed the ingredients properly, and the batter looked fine when I put it in the pan. At least, I'm assuming the batter was fine. It was thick, but I assumed this was the way it was supposed to be. I mean, blondies are just another form of brownies, right?
The baking process didn't go so well, though. I put them in the oven for 30 minutes like the recipe says, but, despite the edges being golden brown, the entire center was jiggly/liquidy. So I gave it 10 more minutes. Still liquidy. Another 10 minutes seemed to do the trick for the center being less jiggly, but we were past golden brown (and all the way to brown brown), and the middle had deflated even though the edges were still high. After they cooled a bit, I cut them and tried one of the corners - like I said, it wasn't inedible, but it wasn't what I was going for either.
Needless to say, I won't be sending these to work with my husband. (Not that they wouldn't eat them, but I prefer to put my best effort forward at all times.) I'm not sure if I'll try this recipe again, or if I'll just search for another one. Most likely, I'll look for another and, if I keep having problems, then try this one again.
If any of you try this and have great success, please let me know. If I went wrong somewhere along the way, I'd love to know where it was.
In other, more pleasant news, a friend of mine has also started a baking blog! Hers will include cooking as well as baking, so you should definitely check it out. (You can follow her culinary adventure here!)
Victory Returns!
I didn't forget to bake yesterday, I just didn't get to post because...well...I was tired. That's what happens when you don't start baking until after 6 p.m. Oops.
So yesterday I tried a different chocolate cake recipe. And, despite my modifications, they turned out great! I also made peanut butter frosting to go with them. So that takes care of two recipes in one day to get me all caught up with my Advent calender! What are these wonderful recipes, you ask? Have no fear, they're right below. (Both are from the America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook.)
Dark Chocolate Cupcakes
Makes: 24 cupcakes (I actually got 30 even though some of mine were overfilled)
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes plus cooling time
16 Tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I used semisweet chocolate chips because I dark dark chocolate isn't my thing)
1 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder (I used regular unsweetened cocoa powder because that's what I had on-hand, but Dutch-processed generally gives a richer taste)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs, at room temperature (you can do this quickly by putting the eggs in hot - not boiling - water for 10 minutes)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup sour cream
1. Microwave the butter, chocolate, and cocoa together, whisking often until melted and smooth, 1 to 3 minutes. Set aside to cool until just warm to the touch.
2. Meanwhile, adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two muffin pans with cupcake liners. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl and set aside.
3. Whisk the eggs and vanilla together in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in the sugar until combined. Whisk in the cooled chocolate mixture.
4. Sift one-third of the flour mixture over the batter, then whisk it in. Whisk in the sour cream. Sift the remaining flour mixture over the batter and whisk until completely incorporated (the batter will be thick).
5. Fill the cupcake liners about two-thirds full. Bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out with a few crumbs attached, 18 to 22 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking.
6. Let the cupcakes cool in the pans on wire racks for 5 minutes. Remove from the pans and let cool completely on the racks before frosting, about 1 hour.
When they say the batter is thick, they're not kidding - mine was almost brownie thick. This made it slightly difficult to tell when the cups were two-thirds full since the batter didn't settle into the pan. This meant I had to eyeball the amount of batter in the cups and adjust it as needed. I also only have one muffin tray - I know, it's shameful - so I baked one at a time, for 18 minutes each.
And now the peanut butter frosting! (It's one of the provided modifications for the America's Test Kitchen Quick and Rich Vanilla Frosting.)
Makes: 3 cups
Total Time: 10 minutes
2 Tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
Stir the cream, vanilla, and salt together in a small bowl until the salt dissolves. Beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth, 30 to 60 seconds. Reduce speed to medium-low, slowly add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth, 2 to 5 minutes. Beat in peanut butter until smooth. Beat in the cream mixture. Increase speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, 4 to 8 minutes.
Super easy and delicious! I did, however, end up with more than I could use for the cupcakes. Probably because I don't an overabundance of frosting on my cake, no matter how delicious it is. Of course, that means I now have extra frosting to use on another occasion. I can think of worse problems to have.
I love these cupcakes. In my opinion, few things go together better than chocolate and peanut butter. And I'm already thinking up modifications for the next time I make these (peanut butter chips in the cupcakes, perhaps?). Now, the cupcakes are a smidge dry, but I'm unsure if this is related the to recipe itself, or my modifications of it. Thankfully, though, the frosting evens it out and they taste great.
So yesterday I tried a different chocolate cake recipe. And, despite my modifications, they turned out great! I also made peanut butter frosting to go with them. So that takes care of two recipes in one day to get me all caught up with my Advent calender! What are these wonderful recipes, you ask? Have no fear, they're right below. (Both are from the America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook.)
Dark Chocolate Cupcakes
Makes: 24 cupcakes (I actually got 30 even though some of mine were overfilled)
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes plus cooling time
16 Tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I used semisweet chocolate chips because I dark dark chocolate isn't my thing)
1 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder (I used regular unsweetened cocoa powder because that's what I had on-hand, but Dutch-processed generally gives a richer taste)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs, at room temperature (you can do this quickly by putting the eggs in hot - not boiling - water for 10 minutes)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup sour cream
1. Microwave the butter, chocolate, and cocoa together, whisking often until melted and smooth, 1 to 3 minutes. Set aside to cool until just warm to the touch.
2. Meanwhile, adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two muffin pans with cupcake liners. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl and set aside.
3. Whisk the eggs and vanilla together in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in the sugar until combined. Whisk in the cooled chocolate mixture.
4. Sift one-third of the flour mixture over the batter, then whisk it in. Whisk in the sour cream. Sift the remaining flour mixture over the batter and whisk until completely incorporated (the batter will be thick).
5. Fill the cupcake liners about two-thirds full. Bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out with a few crumbs attached, 18 to 22 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking.
6. Let the cupcakes cool in the pans on wire racks for 5 minutes. Remove from the pans and let cool completely on the racks before frosting, about 1 hour.
When they say the batter is thick, they're not kidding - mine was almost brownie thick. This made it slightly difficult to tell when the cups were two-thirds full since the batter didn't settle into the pan. This meant I had to eyeball the amount of batter in the cups and adjust it as needed. I also only have one muffin tray - I know, it's shameful - so I baked one at a time, for 18 minutes each.
And now the peanut butter frosting! (It's one of the provided modifications for the America's Test Kitchen Quick and Rich Vanilla Frosting.)
Makes: 3 cups
Total Time: 10 minutes
2 Tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
Stir the cream, vanilla, and salt together in a small bowl until the salt dissolves. Beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth, 30 to 60 seconds. Reduce speed to medium-low, slowly add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth, 2 to 5 minutes. Beat in peanut butter until smooth. Beat in the cream mixture. Increase speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, 4 to 8 minutes.
Super easy and delicious! I did, however, end up with more than I could use for the cupcakes. Probably because I don't an overabundance of frosting on my cake, no matter how delicious it is. Of course, that means I now have extra frosting to use on another occasion. I can think of worse problems to have.
 |
| So, so good! |
Friday, December 9, 2011
Oy
In my quest to take care of two recipes in one day and yet preserve space in my kitchen, I wanted to try cake and frosting recipes that would go together. Since I was missing one key ingredient for each of the two cake recipes I really wanted to use, I searched for another. I found one on allrecipes.com with a high overall rating from many reviewers and decided to give it a try.
This Chocolate Cake apparently won the Greatest Cocoa Cake Contest at the Pennsylvania Farm Show one year. I only made the cake part, not the frosting it is shown with since I wanted to try another frosting recipe, but I have to say I was very unimpressed. The majority of the chocolate flavor must be in the frosting, because the cake itself just tastes generic. It's light and fluffy enough, but there's not really anything special about it. I also tried to make cupcakes rather than a full cake, so I lowered the baking time to 18-20 minutes. The batter expanded significantly, which meant the customary "fill the cups to 2/3" rule didn't work for me - the batter expanded over the tops of the cups and fused to cupcake pan. I even tried only filling them about halfway, but that didn't fully work either. Of the 36 cupcakes I made, I was only able to salvage about 12.
In my opinion, this recipe is a waste of ingredients, and a lot of ingredients at that (3 cups of brown sugar? 4 eggs? 2 sticks of butter?). In fact, I still had batter enough batter for another 12-24 cupcakes that I tossed because I was so fed up. So, essentially, I didn't like this recipe, nor do I intend to use it again. If you have better luck, be sure to let me know!
This Chocolate Cake apparently won the Greatest Cocoa Cake Contest at the Pennsylvania Farm Show one year. I only made the cake part, not the frosting it is shown with since I wanted to try another frosting recipe, but I have to say I was very unimpressed. The majority of the chocolate flavor must be in the frosting, because the cake itself just tastes generic. It's light and fluffy enough, but there's not really anything special about it. I also tried to make cupcakes rather than a full cake, so I lowered the baking time to 18-20 minutes. The batter expanded significantly, which meant the customary "fill the cups to 2/3" rule didn't work for me - the batter expanded over the tops of the cups and fused to cupcake pan. I even tried only filling them about halfway, but that didn't fully work either. Of the 36 cupcakes I made, I was only able to salvage about 12.
In my opinion, this recipe is a waste of ingredients, and a lot of ingredients at that (3 cups of brown sugar? 4 eggs? 2 sticks of butter?). In fact, I still had batter enough batter for another 12-24 cupcakes that I tossed because I was so fed up. So, essentially, I didn't like this recipe, nor do I intend to use it again. If you have better luck, be sure to let me know!
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Two Victories in One Week!
Hello all! Today was another success in a previously failed area. That's right, I attempted another form of gingerbread. This time it was soft gingerbread cookies, since one of you lovely people asked me to keep an eye out for a good recipe for this tasty treat. I'm pleased to say that I've found one! I would even venture to say that it's a great recipe.
This is another allrecipes.com one because I love the website and because it had the highest rating from the most number of people of any that I looked at (5 stars from almost 3,000!). Apparently a lot of people like their Gingerbread Cookies soft. Who knew?!
Now, the recipe calls for margarine. First, I've never, ever used margarine in a recipe. Second, from everything I've heard and read about baking, you shouldn't use salted butter/margarine unless the recipe explicitly states it. Since I've never seen unsalted margarine (not that I've really looked, to be honest), I used butter flavored Crisco instead of the margarine. For those of you who aren't aware, if you're substituting shortening for butter or margarine in a recipe, you also need to add a bit of water. In fact, the top of the Crisco packaging will tell you this. If you can't find these instructions, it's really simple: 1 cup of Crisco + 2 Tablespoons of water = 1 cup butter/margarine. So, since the recipe calls for 3/4 cup of margarine, I used 3/4 cup of shortening and 1 1/2 tablespoons of water.
In keeping with what's normal for me, I was able to make more cookies than the recipe says it yields. Specifically, I made 36 cookies rather than the expected 24. Apparently my estimation of the size of a walnut is a little off, but it worked out well enough for me. I might try making them a little bigger next time, though, just for fun.
The recipe states the baking time should be 8-10 minutes, but doesn't say what to look for in order to know whether it's time to pull the cookies from the oven. As such, I just used my judgment, which meant I baked mine for 9 minutes. I also turned them halfway through baking because I've often had better results when I do this since the rear of an oven can be warmer than the front.
So for those of you who love soft gingerbread, are looking to give it a try, or are just surrounded by people who love gingerbread in all its forms, this recipe is a winner. It's fast (from an ingredient-mixing perspective), simple, and downright yummy. Give it a try this holiday season! I'll bet you'll be glad you did.
This is another allrecipes.com one because I love the website and because it had the highest rating from the most number of people of any that I looked at (5 stars from almost 3,000!). Apparently a lot of people like their Gingerbread Cookies soft. Who knew?!
Now, the recipe calls for margarine. First, I've never, ever used margarine in a recipe. Second, from everything I've heard and read about baking, you shouldn't use salted butter/margarine unless the recipe explicitly states it. Since I've never seen unsalted margarine (not that I've really looked, to be honest), I used butter flavored Crisco instead of the margarine. For those of you who aren't aware, if you're substituting shortening for butter or margarine in a recipe, you also need to add a bit of water. In fact, the top of the Crisco packaging will tell you this. If you can't find these instructions, it's really simple: 1 cup of Crisco + 2 Tablespoons of water = 1 cup butter/margarine. So, since the recipe calls for 3/4 cup of margarine, I used 3/4 cup of shortening and 1 1/2 tablespoons of water.
In keeping with what's normal for me, I was able to make more cookies than the recipe says it yields. Specifically, I made 36 cookies rather than the expected 24. Apparently my estimation of the size of a walnut is a little off, but it worked out well enough for me. I might try making them a little bigger next time, though, just for fun.
 |
| I think Santa would approve. And, really, you can't ask for more than that! |
The recipe states the baking time should be 8-10 minutes, but doesn't say what to look for in order to know whether it's time to pull the cookies from the oven. As such, I just used my judgment, which meant I baked mine for 9 minutes. I also turned them halfway through baking because I've often had better results when I do this since the rear of an oven can be warmer than the front.
So for those of you who love soft gingerbread, are looking to give it a try, or are just surrounded by people who love gingerbread in all its forms, this recipe is a winner. It's fast (from an ingredient-mixing perspective), simple, and downright yummy. Give it a try this holiday season! I'll bet you'll be glad you did.
Quick and Easy
In my quest for storage space, yesterday's recipe was one that has an easy-to-store product: cookies! And not just any cookies, cookies that appear to be at the top of many people's list of favorites. The good ol' Snickerdoodle.
I looked through different recipes, but decided to give the America's Test Kitchen version a try since they made it sound so easy. Let me tell you, it was. When they save 5 minutes of prep time, they're really not kidding. (Okay, it might take 10 if you don't have everything lined up on the counter already or if you put things away as you use them, like I do.) So here it is:
Makes: about 2 dozen
Prep time: 5 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes plus cooling time
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 Tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup vegetable shortening (I used butter flavored Crisco)
2 large eggs
1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Combine 1/4 cup of the sugar and the tablespoon of cinnamon in a shallow dish for coating and set aside. Whisk the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl and set aside.
2. Beat the butter, shortening, and remaining 1 1/2 cups of sugar together in a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 6 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping down the bowl and beaters as needed.
3. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly mix in the flour mixture until combined, about 30 seconds. Give the dough a final stir with a rubber spatula to make sure it is combined.
4. Using wet hands, roll 2 tablespoons of dough at a time into balls, then roll in the cinnamon sugar to coat and lay on two parchment-line baking sheets, spaced about 2 1/2 inches apart. Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, until the edges are set and just beginning to brown but the centers are still soft and puffy, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking.
5. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then serve warm or transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
That's all there is to it. Simple, right? And delicious!
One note, when it says "wet hands," it doesn't mean dripping wet. Actually, I'm fairly certain it actually means slightly damp. You just want some moisture on the outside so that the cinnamon sugar coating will stick to the ball of dough, since this is not a sticky dough. If you use too much water, which I did at the beginning, your cookies will still taste good, they just won't look as pretty. If you don't care about presentation (and there are certainly times when I don't, though they're rare), then this isn't such a big deal. I'd give you a picture to illustrate what I mean, but my husband swept them out of the house and off to work before I had a chance to take any. Just take my word for it, damp, not wet, hands.
And that's it. A quick and easy recipe, perfect for when you remember at the last minute that you said you'd bring something to the holiday potluck or when you just really want a Snickerdoodle and don't feel like waiting a long time for one. Enjoy!
I looked through different recipes, but decided to give the America's Test Kitchen version a try since they made it sound so easy. Let me tell you, it was. When they save 5 minutes of prep time, they're really not kidding. (Okay, it might take 10 if you don't have everything lined up on the counter already or if you put things away as you use them, like I do.) So here it is:
Makes: about 2 dozen
Prep time: 5 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes plus cooling time
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 Tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup vegetable shortening (I used butter flavored Crisco)
2 large eggs
1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Combine 1/4 cup of the sugar and the tablespoon of cinnamon in a shallow dish for coating and set aside. Whisk the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl and set aside.
2. Beat the butter, shortening, and remaining 1 1/2 cups of sugar together in a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 6 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping down the bowl and beaters as needed.
3. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly mix in the flour mixture until combined, about 30 seconds. Give the dough a final stir with a rubber spatula to make sure it is combined.
4. Using wet hands, roll 2 tablespoons of dough at a time into balls, then roll in the cinnamon sugar to coat and lay on two parchment-line baking sheets, spaced about 2 1/2 inches apart. Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, until the edges are set and just beginning to brown but the centers are still soft and puffy, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking.
5. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then serve warm or transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
That's all there is to it. Simple, right? And delicious!
One note, when it says "wet hands," it doesn't mean dripping wet. Actually, I'm fairly certain it actually means slightly damp. You just want some moisture on the outside so that the cinnamon sugar coating will stick to the ball of dough, since this is not a sticky dough. If you use too much water, which I did at the beginning, your cookies will still taste good, they just won't look as pretty. If you don't care about presentation (and there are certainly times when I don't, though they're rare), then this isn't such a big deal. I'd give you a picture to illustrate what I mean, but my husband swept them out of the house and off to work before I had a chance to take any. Just take my word for it, damp, not wet, hands.
And that's it. A quick and easy recipe, perfect for when you remember at the last minute that you said you'd bring something to the holiday potluck or when you just really want a Snickerdoodle and don't feel like waiting a long time for one. Enjoy!
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
New All Around
Okay, so the original plan was to do two recipes for three days to catch up with my Advent calendar plan. But then I ran out of storage space. So just the one recipe today, and I'll do two later this week to catch up, once I have a chance to ship more cookies and brownies off to work with my husband.
Recipe #5 (a.k.a. today's) was a brand new one for me: Biscotti. I used one from The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook since I've been pleased with many of their other recipes in the past. Their base recipe is for almond biscotti, but they have 3 variations: pistachio, chocolate chip, and lemon-anise. I chose to make the chocolate chip ones because, hey, everyone loves chocolate! (Okay, maybe not EVERYONE, but I don't know anyone who doesn't.) The recipe is as follows:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup chocolate chips (I prefer milk chocolate chips in all my baked goods, but I was unsure how sweet this recipe would be, so I used 1/2 cup of semisweet chips and 1/4 of milk chocolate chips. You, of course, should use chips that appeal to your tastes.)
1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.
2. Beat the sugar and butter together in a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 6 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla extract, scraping down the bowl and beaters as needed.
3. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly mix in the flour mixture until combined, about 30 seconds. Mix in the chocolate chips. (I use an electric stand mixer, so I mixed the chips in with a spatula.)
4. Split the dough in half and use floured hands to press each into a 2- by 13-inch loaf, spaced about 3 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until the loaves are golden and just beginning to crack on top, about 35 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking.
5. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, lower the oven temperature 325 degrees.
6. Transfer the loaves to a cutting board using a wide metal spatula. Slice each loaf on the diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick slices using a serrated knife. Lay the slices about 1/2 inch apart on the baking sheet.
7. Bake until the slices are crisp and golden brown on both sides, about 15 minutes, flipping the slices over halfway through. Transfer the biscotti to a wire rack and let cool completely before serving, about 30 minutes.
Note: This recipe creates a softer biscotti rather than the traditional, dry Italian cookie.
Sounds easy enough, right? Thankfully, it pretty much is. I had some concerns about my dough just after mixing, namely that it didn't look so much like a mound of dough as crumbled bits of dough. Since this is my first foray into the baking of biscotti, I'm not sure if this is normal or not. To address my concern, and get the dough into what I felt was a workable state, I turned out the dough crumbles onto a floured surface and molded it together into one large ball, which I then cut in 2. I rolled each half into a log about 13 inches long and transferred that to my baking sheet. To me, 2 inches sounded too narrow for biscotti, so I made mine about 3 inches wide by flattening my logs and forming each into a loaf that resembled biscotti I've seen before before putting the pan in the oven.
My loaves cracked along the top after being in the oven for less than half their baking time. Again, having never made biscotti before, I'm unsure if this was because there was something off about my dough, but that seemed the most logical explanation to me. (Namely, that my dough is too dry. Next time, I won't use the entire flour mixture to see if that helps.) Still, I baked it the full 35 minutes, taking the pan out when the loaves were golden brown.
After cooling the loaves for 10 minutes, I transferred them to a cutting board, as instructed, but I made my slices a bit thicker than 1/2 inch since, as expected, my loaves remained very narrow and cutting the slices this thin seemed like it would yield rather anemic pieces of biscotti. As a result, I baked my slices closer to 20 minutes since they did not crisp in the recommended 15 minutes.
Overall, I'd say my first attempt at biscotti was a mild success. They taste good, but they don't look like the ones you buy from bakeries, grocery stores, or Starbucks. I believe part of my somewhat messy presentation is the chocolate chips; since they are not completely cooled when the loaves are sliced, melted chocolate is swiped across the biscotti, so it looks less like chocolate chip and more like...chocolate swirl. Also, the biscotti loaves were rather small, so I think that using miniature chips or bigger loaves may be advisable for future batches. I plan to try both, and I'll let you know what I find.
UPDATE: So apparently baking my biscotti slices for extra time was a non-ideal plan. I didn't read the side note about these being softer biscotti until after they were finished (and almost missed it completely because of the way it was presented in the book), which is why I gave it to you guys up front. My biscotti are edible and taste good, but they definitely need to be dunked in coffee or tea to soften them up a bit, more like traditional biscotti. So if you try this recipe, stick to baking the slices for 15 minutes.
Recipe #5 (a.k.a. today's) was a brand new one for me: Biscotti. I used one from The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook since I've been pleased with many of their other recipes in the past. Their base recipe is for almond biscotti, but they have 3 variations: pistachio, chocolate chip, and lemon-anise. I chose to make the chocolate chip ones because, hey, everyone loves chocolate! (Okay, maybe not EVERYONE, but I don't know anyone who doesn't.) The recipe is as follows:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup chocolate chips (I prefer milk chocolate chips in all my baked goods, but I was unsure how sweet this recipe would be, so I used 1/2 cup of semisweet chips and 1/4 of milk chocolate chips. You, of course, should use chips that appeal to your tastes.)
1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.
2. Beat the sugar and butter together in a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 6 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla extract, scraping down the bowl and beaters as needed.
3. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly mix in the flour mixture until combined, about 30 seconds. Mix in the chocolate chips. (I use an electric stand mixer, so I mixed the chips in with a spatula.)
4. Split the dough in half and use floured hands to press each into a 2- by 13-inch loaf, spaced about 3 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until the loaves are golden and just beginning to crack on top, about 35 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking.
5. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, lower the oven temperature 325 degrees.
6. Transfer the loaves to a cutting board using a wide metal spatula. Slice each loaf on the diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick slices using a serrated knife. Lay the slices about 1/2 inch apart on the baking sheet.
7. Bake until the slices are crisp and golden brown on both sides, about 15 minutes, flipping the slices over halfway through. Transfer the biscotti to a wire rack and let cool completely before serving, about 30 minutes.
Note: This recipe creates a softer biscotti rather than the traditional, dry Italian cookie.
Sounds easy enough, right? Thankfully, it pretty much is. I had some concerns about my dough just after mixing, namely that it didn't look so much like a mound of dough as crumbled bits of dough. Since this is my first foray into the baking of biscotti, I'm not sure if this is normal or not. To address my concern, and get the dough into what I felt was a workable state, I turned out the dough crumbles onto a floured surface and molded it together into one large ball, which I then cut in 2. I rolled each half into a log about 13 inches long and transferred that to my baking sheet. To me, 2 inches sounded too narrow for biscotti, so I made mine about 3 inches wide by flattening my logs and forming each into a loaf that resembled biscotti I've seen before before putting the pan in the oven.
My loaves cracked along the top after being in the oven for less than half their baking time. Again, having never made biscotti before, I'm unsure if this was because there was something off about my dough, but that seemed the most logical explanation to me. (Namely, that my dough is too dry. Next time, I won't use the entire flour mixture to see if that helps.) Still, I baked it the full 35 minutes, taking the pan out when the loaves were golden brown.
After cooling the loaves for 10 minutes, I transferred them to a cutting board, as instructed, but I made my slices a bit thicker than 1/2 inch since, as expected, my loaves remained very narrow and cutting the slices this thin seemed like it would yield rather anemic pieces of biscotti. As a result, I baked my slices closer to 20 minutes since they did not crisp in the recommended 15 minutes.
Overall, I'd say my first attempt at biscotti was a mild success. They taste good, but they don't look like the ones you buy from bakeries, grocery stores, or Starbucks. I believe part of my somewhat messy presentation is the chocolate chips; since they are not completely cooled when the loaves are sliced, melted chocolate is swiped across the biscotti, so it looks less like chocolate chip and more like...chocolate swirl. Also, the biscotti loaves were rather small, so I think that using miniature chips or bigger loaves may be advisable for future batches. I plan to try both, and I'll let you know what I find.
UPDATE: So apparently baking my biscotti slices for extra time was a non-ideal plan. I didn't read the side note about these being softer biscotti until after they were finished (and almost missed it completely because of the way it was presented in the book), which is why I gave it to you guys up front. My biscotti are edible and taste good, but they definitely need to be dunked in coffee or tea to soften them up a bit, more like traditional biscotti. So if you try this recipe, stick to baking the slices for 15 minutes.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Another Good Day
As the title suggests, it was another good day in the kitchen overall. There were a few uh-oh and hmm moments, but everything worked out in the end. The brownies, in particular, were fabulous. So let's get straight to it, shall we? (Both recipes again came from allrecipes.com.)
I started with the Brownies because they would take longer in the oven. I was curious at one point because the instructions say to combine the flour, cocoa powder, and salt, but then they say to add the flour mixture to the cocoa mixture. Is it just me, or is this a little confusing?
The only snafu I ran into was when the batter appeared dry and crumbly. Of course, then I went back to the recipe and realized I'd forgotten to add the eggs. Sort of important. I worried for a fraction of a second about adding the eggs at the end since the recipe calls for them to be added before the flour-cocoa mixture. But I figured you add eggs to dry mix when you make brownies from a box, so I went ahead and just added them at the end. Now, baking is a precise endeavor, but sometimes you can fudge it (no pun intended). Thankfully, this was one of those times.
I also took advantage of tonight's brownie baking to try a technique described in the America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. If you've ever made brownies before (and if you haven't, you really should), you know that they can stick to the pan no matter what you try to do. Then you end up with brownie mush which, though still yummy, isn't abundantly appetizing to look at and is hard to transport if you're making them to take somewhere. Enter the brilliant people at America's Test Kitchen and the aluminum foil (or parchment paper) sling. Basically, you use two piece of aluminum foil to line the pan, laying them one on top of the other perpendicularly so as to make a T or +, being sure to use pieces long enough to leave about four inches of excess over the sides. You want to make sure to get it into the corners and to keep it as smooth as you can. Unless wavy-edged brownies is what you're going for, I guess. Spray the foil with cooking spray before putting the batter in so the brownies won't stick and then, once they've baked and cooled, just lift the whole thing out of the pan by the flaps of excess foil on the sides.
Not only does the sling lift your brownies out of the pan, but they don't stick to anything and the pan is still clean! Genius, right? I thought so.
Inspired by a friend's recent baking, I made a slight modification to this recipe and sprinkled coarse sea salt on top for a little salty-sweet action. Of course, having never done this before and afraid of using so much salt that the brownies would be rendered inedible, I erred on the conservative side. In other words, I didn't use enough sea salt so the salty-sweet only comes through on some bites. But, with or without it, these brownies are incredible.
Chocolatey, chewy, fudgy, gooey. Basically every good word you can think of to describe a brownie is covered here. I cannot recommend this recipe highly enough. And I can't help but wonder if they would've been even better if I'd added the eggs at the right time. Guess I'll find out next time!
I also made cookies, cookies that go by many names. When I first discovered them, it was under the name Wedding Cake Cookie, but they're also known as Mexican Wedding Cookies, Russian Teacakes, and, in the case of this recipe, Snowballs. Choose your favorite, they taste good no matter what you call them.
The recipe I used calls for pecans, but I've seen others that call for pecans or walnuts. I happened to have walnuts on hand, so that's what I used. But I think I may do half and half next time, just for kicks.
The cookies are good, but I ran into two minor issues. The first was that I only used half the amount of nuts called for and that still seemed like a bit too much. Perhaps this is because I used walnuts instead of pecans, I'm not sure. Either way, it wasn't a big deal, I just saved the other half cup of walnuts for future baking. The second glitch I ran into was the number of cookies I was able to make from the recipe. It states that one full batch should make 5 dozen cookies - I got almost 3 dozen. This is odd for me because I'm normally able to get MORE cookies out of a recipe than it states I should. I'm not sure if there is a typo in the recipe stating that each cookie should be made with a tablespoon of dough where it really means teaspoon, or if my version of a tablespoon is simply too big. Regardless, my cookies baked in the same amount of time and taste great. They're just a little on the large side compared to what I'm used to for this type of cookie.
A word of caution (which isn't nearly as ominous as it sounds): let the cookies cool for a few minutes on the pan after baking before you move them to the powdered sugar. They're very fragile when they first come out and can break quite easily. They'll still be plenty hot to adhere the sugar after a few minutes, so don't be an Overzealous Olive/Ollie unless you just want an excuse to eat all the cookies.
I look forward to tomorrow's baking, and I hope you do, too. And if you have any recommendations for me, be sure to leave them in the comments!
I started with the Brownies because they would take longer in the oven. I was curious at one point because the instructions say to combine the flour, cocoa powder, and salt, but then they say to add the flour mixture to the cocoa mixture. Is it just me, or is this a little confusing?
The only snafu I ran into was when the batter appeared dry and crumbly. Of course, then I went back to the recipe and realized I'd forgotten to add the eggs. Sort of important. I worried for a fraction of a second about adding the eggs at the end since the recipe calls for them to be added before the flour-cocoa mixture. But I figured you add eggs to dry mix when you make brownies from a box, so I went ahead and just added them at the end. Now, baking is a precise endeavor, but sometimes you can fudge it (no pun intended). Thankfully, this was one of those times.
I also took advantage of tonight's brownie baking to try a technique described in the America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. If you've ever made brownies before (and if you haven't, you really should), you know that they can stick to the pan no matter what you try to do. Then you end up with brownie mush which, though still yummy, isn't abundantly appetizing to look at and is hard to transport if you're making them to take somewhere. Enter the brilliant people at America's Test Kitchen and the aluminum foil (or parchment paper) sling. Basically, you use two piece of aluminum foil to line the pan, laying them one on top of the other perpendicularly so as to make a T or +, being sure to use pieces long enough to leave about four inches of excess over the sides. You want to make sure to get it into the corners and to keep it as smooth as you can. Unless wavy-edged brownies is what you're going for, I guess. Spray the foil with cooking spray before putting the batter in so the brownies won't stick and then, once they've baked and cooled, just lift the whole thing out of the pan by the flaps of excess foil on the sides.
 |
| My foil didn't come out as smooth as the ATK chefs, but I was just happy to get it into the corners properly. |
Not only does the sling lift your brownies out of the pan, but they don't stick to anything and the pan is still clean! Genius, right? I thought so.
 |
| I'll never make brownies without a sling again! |
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| The recipe name isn't kidding, these are bombshell brownies. |
I also made cookies, cookies that go by many names. When I first discovered them, it was under the name Wedding Cake Cookie, but they're also known as Mexican Wedding Cookies, Russian Teacakes, and, in the case of this recipe, Snowballs. Choose your favorite, they taste good no matter what you call them.
The recipe I used calls for pecans, but I've seen others that call for pecans or walnuts. I happened to have walnuts on hand, so that's what I used. But I think I may do half and half next time, just for kicks.
The cookies are good, but I ran into two minor issues. The first was that I only used half the amount of nuts called for and that still seemed like a bit too much. Perhaps this is because I used walnuts instead of pecans, I'm not sure. Either way, it wasn't a big deal, I just saved the other half cup of walnuts for future baking. The second glitch I ran into was the number of cookies I was able to make from the recipe. It states that one full batch should make 5 dozen cookies - I got almost 3 dozen. This is odd for me because I'm normally able to get MORE cookies out of a recipe than it states I should. I'm not sure if there is a typo in the recipe stating that each cookie should be made with a tablespoon of dough where it really means teaspoon, or if my version of a tablespoon is simply too big. Regardless, my cookies baked in the same amount of time and taste great. They're just a little on the large side compared to what I'm used to for this type of cookie.
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| Powdered sugary goodness! |
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| Nobody likes a broken cookie. |
The Flush of Early Success
Yesterday's baking adventure was quite successful, if I do say so myself. (It was also quite a long adventure, hence why this post is coming now rather than close to midnight last night.) One bite of the pumpkin cookies and I decreed that they had to get out of the house before I ate them all, and my husband gave the gingerbread his highest praise. Not a bad start, right?
Both recipes came from allrecipes.com, which has an amazing selection of, well, basically anything you could ever hope to make. I try to find recipes with high star ratings that have lots of comments because, as anyone who has ever been party to group discussion can tell you, it's fairly difficult to find something that everyone agrees on, so if hundreds of people can agree that a recipe is awesome, I figure it's worth a shot. Not to say that I won't try a recipe with only a handful of positive reviews, but lots of positive reviews is my general goal when searching for recipes via the grand ol' internet.
Now, onto what you're really wanting to know: the nitty gritty details of yesterday's baking!
The Iced Pumpkin Cookies were incredibly easy and amazingly delicious. This is a cake-like cookie, so it reminded me of pumpkin bread or pumpkin muffins, both of which I love. In fact, the plethora of pumpkin baked goods is one of my favorite things about Fall. The recipe calls for canned pumpkin puree, which I used, but I plan on trying it with fresh pumpkin at some point since I will definitely be making these again.
I had momentary concern that I was making my cookies too big because the recipe says it makes 3 dozen cookies and it wasn't looking like I was going to get that many. I'm not sure if I started making them slightly smaller after that, but I got exactly 3 dozen cookies. Now, I did only end up with enough glaze for 2 dozen, but that's because I drizzled my glaze a little thicker than called for. I could've made another half batch of glaze for the remaining dozen, but the cookies are good enough on their own, in my opinion, so I didn't bother. Also, since they're going with my husband to work - did I mention that they need to get out of my house before I eat them all? - I wanted to give people the option of a non-iced cookie.
The Gingerbread I had a few more moments of concern over. The first came when I added the hot water to the creamed butter and sugar after adding the molasses. It started separating in an odd way that made me think I'd done something wrong, but, hoping all would be well if I kept going, I proceeded to add the flour mixture as the recipe instructs. Thankfully, once I did that, it smoothed out and looked like normal batter. Crisis #1 averted!
My next moment of concern came when the gingerbread didn't appear to be cooking in the center. Now, to understand why this would be worrisome to me - after all, it has to set up at some point if I just keep baking it, right? - you need to know what happened the last time I attempted to make gingerbread. Specifically, the center of the cake was still batter and the edges were already burned. As good as fresh-baked gingerbread smells, burned gingerbread smells anything but. Adding insult to injury, that burned smell had worked itself into the flavor of the cake by the time the center was cooked enough that I was actually able to pull it out without having total goo in the middle and it tasted so bad that I just had to toss the whole thing. So, yeah, I was worried. Since I'd used a new recipe this time, I began to wonder if I was just fated to be inept at baking gingerbread, a fate that wouldn't be so bad if my husband didn't love it so much. But I decided to give it a few extra minutes (past the recommended 35 maximum), thinking that, as long as any potential burned edges didn't contaminate the flavor of the rest of the cake, I could just trim them off.
My third dread came in when I tried to test if the gingerbread was ready to come out - the center had stopped jiggling, but that didn't mean it was fully cooked yet, of course. Well, poking through the top of the cake led to something that resembled a small sinkhole in the middle of my gingerbread. The presentation of the whole thing was shot, but it came out clean, so at least the cake was done. (Can you tell I'd already resigned myself to failure at this point?)
Once I pulled it out of the oven, though, I noticed that the edges were not, in fact, burned. Score! Crisis #2 averted! And, after I let it cool enough that I could turn it out of the pan and cut into it, I realized that the gingerbread is just very gentle, hence the "sinkhole" from my tester poke. Crisis #3 semi-averted! And my husband LOVED it.
The next time I make this recipe - and, yes, I will be using it again - I will add 2-3 minutes of baking time and not do a test poke (I'll be working under the assumption that it's cooked through based on this experience) to see if that prevents the center of the cake from falling. Here's hoping.
Also, this recipe includes instructions for making a whipped cream topping. I didn't try it this time, but I will in the future because, hey, whipped cream makes almost everything better. (I would just say everything, but, really, whipped cream on something like tacos sounds downright gross.)
I hope these recipes turn out just as well for you. And if you find yourself worrying about your gingerbread, as I did, just trudge on and keep it up!
Both recipes came from allrecipes.com, which has an amazing selection of, well, basically anything you could ever hope to make. I try to find recipes with high star ratings that have lots of comments because, as anyone who has ever been party to group discussion can tell you, it's fairly difficult to find something that everyone agrees on, so if hundreds of people can agree that a recipe is awesome, I figure it's worth a shot. Not to say that I won't try a recipe with only a handful of positive reviews, but lots of positive reviews is my general goal when searching for recipes via the grand ol' internet.
Now, onto what you're really wanting to know: the nitty gritty details of yesterday's baking!
The Iced Pumpkin Cookies were incredibly easy and amazingly delicious. This is a cake-like cookie, so it reminded me of pumpkin bread or pumpkin muffins, both of which I love. In fact, the plethora of pumpkin baked goods is one of my favorite things about Fall. The recipe calls for canned pumpkin puree, which I used, but I plan on trying it with fresh pumpkin at some point since I will definitely be making these again.
 |
| Looks tasty, right? |
The Gingerbread I had a few more moments of concern over. The first came when I added the hot water to the creamed butter and sugar after adding the molasses. It started separating in an odd way that made me think I'd done something wrong, but, hoping all would be well if I kept going, I proceeded to add the flour mixture as the recipe instructs. Thankfully, once I did that, it smoothed out and looked like normal batter. Crisis #1 averted!
My next moment of concern came when the gingerbread didn't appear to be cooking in the center. Now, to understand why this would be worrisome to me - after all, it has to set up at some point if I just keep baking it, right? - you need to know what happened the last time I attempted to make gingerbread. Specifically, the center of the cake was still batter and the edges were already burned. As good as fresh-baked gingerbread smells, burned gingerbread smells anything but. Adding insult to injury, that burned smell had worked itself into the flavor of the cake by the time the center was cooked enough that I was actually able to pull it out without having total goo in the middle and it tasted so bad that I just had to toss the whole thing. So, yeah, I was worried. Since I'd used a new recipe this time, I began to wonder if I was just fated to be inept at baking gingerbread, a fate that wouldn't be so bad if my husband didn't love it so much. But I decided to give it a few extra minutes (past the recommended 35 maximum), thinking that, as long as any potential burned edges didn't contaminate the flavor of the rest of the cake, I could just trim them off.
My third dread came in when I tried to test if the gingerbread was ready to come out - the center had stopped jiggling, but that didn't mean it was fully cooked yet, of course. Well, poking through the top of the cake led to something that resembled a small sinkhole in the middle of my gingerbread. The presentation of the whole thing was shot, but it came out clean, so at least the cake was done. (Can you tell I'd already resigned myself to failure at this point?)
Once I pulled it out of the oven, though, I noticed that the edges were not, in fact, burned. Score! Crisis #2 averted! And, after I let it cool enough that I could turn it out of the pan and cut into it, I realized that the gingerbread is just very gentle, hence the "sinkhole" from my tester poke. Crisis #3 semi-averted! And my husband LOVED it.
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| Delicious despite my worries. And, yes, I really like tea. Especially with pastries. |
The next time I make this recipe - and, yes, I will be using it again - I will add 2-3 minutes of baking time and not do a test poke (I'll be working under the assumption that it's cooked through based on this experience) to see if that prevents the center of the cake from falling. Here's hoping.
Also, this recipe includes instructions for making a whipped cream topping. I didn't try it this time, but I will in the future because, hey, whipped cream makes almost everything better. (I would just say everything, but, really, whipped cream on something like tacos sounds downright gross.)
I hope these recipes turn out just as well for you. And if you find yourself worrying about your gingerbread, as I did, just trudge on and keep it up!
Sunday, December 4, 2011
The Journey Begins!
Baking. Even the word itself holds an awesomeness comparable to the steam that rises from a fresh-from-the-oven muffin as it's broken in two or that first bite of Grandma's traditional holiday pie. It brings to mind warmth and joy and, of course, deliciousness.
I have always loved to share my baking with others - at the age of 10, I was already baking cakes for my classmates' birthdays, complete with whatever plastic decorations I could find, and I once made a model of the Opera House of Paris out of cake for a class project. Mind you, it wasn't particularly intricate and wouldn't win any awards for presentation, but I still maintain that it was a creative, and tasty, way to get an A.
As I got older, I discovered new groups of people with whom I could share my love - sometimes bordering on obsession - of making cookies and pies and muffins and cakes. One of those people, in fact, suggested this very blog. But it wasn't until recently that I began to take his suggestion seriously.
So here my journey begins, with the holiday season upon us and my inner baker no longer willing to have her cries squelched. I see many references to the Twelve Days of Christmas, but I am taking a slightly different approach: an Advent calendar of baking, 25 days with a new recipe (to me) for each day. (Since I'm starting a few days late, the first few days will have two recipes each.) So off I go! Iced Pumpkin Cookies and Gingerbread!
Recipe suggestions are always welcome. And be sure to leave comments below with some of your favorite holiday memories.
I have always loved to share my baking with others - at the age of 10, I was already baking cakes for my classmates' birthdays, complete with whatever plastic decorations I could find, and I once made a model of the Opera House of Paris out of cake for a class project. Mind you, it wasn't particularly intricate and wouldn't win any awards for presentation, but I still maintain that it was a creative, and tasty, way to get an A.
As I got older, I discovered new groups of people with whom I could share my love - sometimes bordering on obsession - of making cookies and pies and muffins and cakes. One of those people, in fact, suggested this very blog. But it wasn't until recently that I began to take his suggestion seriously.
So here my journey begins, with the holiday season upon us and my inner baker no longer willing to have her cries squelched. I see many references to the Twelve Days of Christmas, but I am taking a slightly different approach: an Advent calendar of baking, 25 days with a new recipe (to me) for each day. (Since I'm starting a few days late, the first few days will have two recipes each.) So off I go! Iced Pumpkin Cookies and Gingerbread!
Recipe suggestions are always welcome. And be sure to leave comments below with some of your favorite holiday memories.
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