I got this recipe from Stephanie and it is the best I have ever made! So I am saving it here. 

Kittencal's Buttery Cut-Out Sugar Cookies W/ Icing That Hardens

from food.com

 
 

Ingredients

COOKIES

• 1 cup butter, softened (no substitutes)
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon vanilla
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon almond extract
• 3 ¹⁄₄ cups all-purpose flour
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon baking soda
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon baking powder
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt 

   

  FROSTING
•  2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (the sugar must be sifted)
• 1 tablespoon milk (adding in more if needed for proper spreading consistency)
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• ¹⁄₄ teaspoon almond extract (can use 1/2 teaspoon vanilla in place of the almond)
• food coloring (use your choice of colours)

   

   

  DIRECTIONS

  
  

  1. For cookies; in a large bowl combine butter with sugar, eggs, vanilla and almond extract; beat using an electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy.
  2. In another bowl combine the flour with baking powder, baking soda and salt; gradually stir into the butter mixture until well blended.
  3. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours.
  4. Set oven to 400°F.
  5. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper (do not grease cookie sheets use parchment paper only).
  6. On a very lightly floured surface roll out the dough into about 1/4-inch thickness.
  7. Cut into desired shapes using cookie cutters.
  8. Place cookies 2-inches apart on cookie sheet.
  9. Bake 4-6 minutes.
  10. Remove cookies to wire racks to cool completely before icing.
  11. For the frosting; in a small bowl mix the confectioners sugar with milk (start with 1-2 tablespoons, you will likely need more milk for the perfect spreading consistency).
  12. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until the icing is smooth and glossy (if the icing is too thick add in a small amount more of corn syrup).
  13. Divide into as many separate bowls as you wish for different colours.
  14. Add in food coloring until desired intensity is achieved.
  15. Paint the icing over the cookies using a brush, or dip edges of cookies into icing.
  16. Allow to set on waxed paper.

   

   

   

   

   
  

 

Black Forest Cake

 I made Black Forest cake the other day, using this recipe. I have never made a sponge cake like that before but it came out pretty well. Although there are many steps, the toughest is the cake itself. For the rest, I was surprised how simple it was to make, I had thought it would be more complicated. The frosting is basically just whipped cream! 

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Black Forest Cake Recipe

from Natasha's Kitchen

Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Cook Time: 22 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 52 minutes

 

This Black Forest Cake is a German chocolate cake with 4 chocolatey layers, 1 lb of kirsch infused cherries and a light whipped cream. If making for children, omit kirsch and add 1 Tbsp sugar to the cherry syrup.

Author: Natasha of NatashasKitchen.com

Skill Level: Medium

Cost to Make: $18-$20

Keyword: Black Forest Cake

Cuisine: American

Course: Dessert

Servings: 12 -14 slices

Ingredients

Ingredients for Chocolate Cake Layers:

• 9 large eggs room temp
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 4 Tbsp 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temp
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

What you'll need:

• Two 9" cake pans and flour sifter or fine sieve

Ingredients for Cherry Filling:

• 4 cups 1 lb bing cherries, pitted, plus 12 whole cherries for decor (I used frozen Costco cherries for these, with maraschino cherries for the top)
• 3 Tbsp kirsch a cherry liqueur (I lowered this to 2 T, next time I might add some Maraschino cherry juice for a bit more cherry flavor)
• 1/4 cup cold water

For the Frosting/Topping:

• 3 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/3 cup Confectioners powdered sugar
• 1 Tbsp kirsch cherry liqueur
• 3 oz good quality dark chocolate

Instructions

How to Make Cake Layers: Preheat Oven to 350˚F. Line bottoms of cake pans with parchment (don't grease sides).

1. Beat 9 eggs with the whisk attachment for 1 min on high. With the mixer on, gradually add 1 cup sugar and continue beating on high speed a full 8 min. It will be thick and fluffy. Tip: the mixture it should fall off the whisk and still ‘stand up’ on the cake mixture
2. Whisk together 1 cup flour and 1/2 cup cocoa powder and sift in thirds into batter, folding with a spatula between each addition. Once all flour is in, continue to fold just until no streaks of flour remain, scraping the bottom of the bowl to get any pockets of flour; do not over-mix or you will deflate the batter.
3. Gently fold in 1/2 tsp vanilla and room temp butter, folding as you add butter in a steady stream and scraping from the bottom to make sure you don't have butter pooling at the bottom. Fold just until incorporated. Divide batter equally between two prepared cake pans and BAKE RIGHT AWAY in fully preheated oven at 350˚F for 20-25 minutes (my oven took 22 min), or until a toothpick comes out clean. Note: Once the butter is added, it must be transferred to baking pans and put into the oven immediately or the batter can deflate quickly.
4. Let cool in pans for 10 min then run a thin edged spatula around edges to loosen cake. Transfer to a wire rack and remove parchment backing. When cakes are at room temp, and you're ready to assemble, slice cake layers in half with a long serrated knife.

Making the Syrup:

1. Roughly chop pitted cherries and place in a medium bowl with 3 Tbsp kirsch. Let sit at room temp for at least 30 min, stirring a couple times, then drain cherries in a sieve over a bowl. Keep the cherries and syrup. Add 1/4 cup cold filtered water to the syrup to get about 3/4 cup total syrup.

Making the Cream: For best results freeze bowl and whisk attachment 15 min before using.

1. Beat 3 1/2 cups heavy cream with whisk attachment on high speed until soft peaks form, add 1/3 cup powdered sugar and 1 Tbsp kirsch and beat on high until stiff and spreadable (1-2 min). Refrigerate until ready to use (tip: keep whisk attachment in the bowl - you can re-whip if it seems slightly loose after refrigeration).

Assembling your Black Forest Cake:

1. Place first cake layer on a cake stand and brush with 1/4 of the syrup. Cover top with about 3/4 cup frosting and top with 1/3 of the chopped cherries. Repeat with remaining layers and top with the flattest layer. Transfer 1 1/2 cups frosting to a pastry bag with a large flower tip and refrigerate until ready to use (don't handle the bag too much or the cream will soften). Fill the cracks along the sides of cake with frosting then frost the top and sides with remaining frosting.
2. To make chocolate shavings, you can either melt chocolate in the microwave, spread it thin over the back of a baking sheet, then refrigerate a few min and use a food scraper to create bark-like shavings. This is the more authentic way. Alternatively, you can use a potato peeler to shave a chunk of chocolate.
3. Cover sides and top of cake with chocolate shavings leaving a 1" perimeter on top for piping frosting. Pipe rounds of frosting around the top of the cake and place a whole cherry over each one. Refrigerate cake for at least 4 hours or overnight before serving.

Recipe Notes

*Recipe Tips: Measure flour by spooning it into a measuring cup and level off top with back of a knife. You can use thawed frozen cherries or canned cherries. If using canned cherries, select cherries in water or juice, omit the 1/4 cup additional water and use the juice from can instead. Maraschino cherries can be used for the topping/decor.

The Most Wonderful Gingerbread Cookies

This gingerbread cookie recipe is great, not too spicy and nice and soft if you bake for 7 minutes. We are not big fans of gingerbread cookies but we liked these. 

THE MOST WONDERFUL GINGERBREAD COOKIES

From Food.com

        INGREDIENTS

•  3 cups all-purpose flour
•  1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons baking powder
• ³⁄₄ teaspoon baking soda
• ¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 1 ³⁄₄ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ¹⁄₄ teaspoon ground cloves
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter - I just used salted butter and omitted the salt
  
• ³⁄₄ cup dark brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• ¹⁄₂ cup molasses
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (optional) - I didn't use this
  

    

  DIRECTIONS

  • In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves until well blended.
  • In a large bowl (KitchenAid's great for this) beat butter, brown sugar, and egg on medium speed until well blended.
  • Add molasses, vanilla, and lemon zest and continue to mix until well blended.
  • Gradually stir in dry ingredients until blended and smooth.
  • Divide dough in half and wrap each half in plastic and let stand at room temperature for at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours.
  • Preheat oven to 375 deg. Prepare baking sheets by lining with parchment paper.
  • (Dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, but in this case it should be refrigerated. Return to room temp before using.) Preheat oven to 375°.
  • Grease or line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  • Place 1 portion of the dough on a lightly floured surface.
  • Sprinkle flour over dough and rolling pin.
  • Roll dough to a scant 1/4-inch thick.
  • Use additional flour to avoid sticking.
  • Cut out cookies with desired cutter-- the ginger bread man is our favorite of course.
  • Space cookies 1 1/2-inches apart.
  • Bake 1 sheet at a time for 7-10 minutes (the lower time will give you softer cookies-- very good!).
  • Remove cookie sheet from oven and allow the cookies to stand until the cookies are firm enough to move to a wire rack.
  • After cookies are cool you may decorate them any way you like.
  • I usually brush them with a powdered sugar glaze when I am in a hurry, but they look wonderful decorated with Royal icing.

   

Birthday Cake

 I have made this cake several times and each time I make the frosting as written, which is WAY TOO SWEET. I am blogging it here so I can try something different next time. OR it would be even better to try a different kind of buttercream entirely.

Classic Birthday Cake

from livforcake

Ingredients

Yellow Cake:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter room temperature
• 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs room temperature
• 2 tsp clear vanilla extract (apparently this makes the cake taste more like box mix, I use regular vanilla and it is fine)
  
• 1 cup whole milk room temperature

Chocolate Frosting:

• 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar sifted
• 1/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder sifted
• 3oz good quality semi-sweet chocolate chopped, melted, cooled

Instructions

Vanilla Cake:

• Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour two 8" cake rounds and line with parchment.
• In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined. Set aside.
• Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on med-high until pale and fluffy (approx 3mins). Reduce speed and add eggs one at a time fully incorporating after each addition. Add vanilla.
• Alternate adding flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with flour (3 additions of flour and 2 of milk). Fully incorporating after each addition.
• Bake for 35-40mins or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean. (for 9 inch rounds, it took approx. 25-30 mins to bake)
  
• Place cakes on wire rack to cool for 10mins then turn out onto wire rack.

Chocolate Frosting

• In a large bowl, whisk sifted powdered sugar and cocoa powder to combine. Set aside.
• Beat butter until smooth and creamy. Add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, beating well between each addition. Beat until smooth (approx 5mins).
• Add in cooled melted chocolate and beat until combined.

Assembly:

• Place one layer of cake on a cake stand or serving plate. Top with approximately 1 cup of buttercream. Repeat with remaining layer and crumb coat the cake. Chill for 20mins.
• Frost the top and sides of the cake in a rustic manner using an offset spatula.
• Decorate the top with sprinkles and decorative flags if desired.

Overnight cinnamon buns

Making homemade cinnamon buns from scratch is way easier than I thought it would be, although it does take a lot of passive time for the dough to rise, etc. Prepping these buns the night before so you can have them in the morning is genius.

Here is the recipe:

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/overnight-cinnamon-rolls-recipe-2014250

A few notes:

-- Make sure to dissolve the yeast in a little water before adding to the dough.
-- I didn't use the final 3/4 cup of flour at all.
-- I added 1/2 cup (maybe 3/4 cup?) of chopped walnuts to the brown sugar mixture and it was great! 
-- Don't dump all the frosting on the buns, just drizzle a little and serve the rest on the side since they are quite sweet!
-- Make sure the buns are in the middle of the oven when you cook them, mine were too close to the top and the top of the buns got a little too brown

Alton Brown's Blueberry Buckle

I saw a post that said this recipe was Alton Brown's best recipe ever. As a lover of superlatives, I had to try it. Everyone here raved about it! I might even try buying cake flour to try that with it next time! This time I used 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour and 1/4 cornstarch mixed together as a substitute and it came out well.

Blueberry Buckle

From Alton Brown

FOR THE TOPPING

• 3 1/2 ounces sugar
• 1 1/2 ounces cake flour
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (freshly grated)
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (cubed and chilled)

FOR THE CAKE

• 9 ounces cake flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (left at room temperature for 30 minutes (or until instant-read thermometer stuck into the middle reads about 60 degrees F))
• 5 1/4 ounces sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 15 ounces fresh blueberries

MAKE THE TOPPING

1. Combine the sugar, flour and nutmeg in a small bowl then work in the butter, using a fork to combine. Keep “forking” until the mixture has a crumb-like texture. Set aside. (Note: If you have a pastry cutter, now’s the time to use it.)

MAKE THE CAKE

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch square GLASS baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and ginger together in a medium bowl and set aside.
3. Beat together the butter and sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed until light and fluffy, approximately 1 minute. Reduce the speed a bit and thoroughly incorporate the egg. Reduce the speed to low (or “stir” on a Kitchenaid) and add one-third of the flour mixture. Once incorporated, add one-third of the milk then repeat alternating until all ingredients are combined.
4. Gently stir in the blueberries and pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle on the topping mixture.
5. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 45 minutes, or until golden. Cool for 30 minutes before serving.

Makes: 1 (9-inch) Cake

Sugar Cookies

We made these for Easter and they were pretty good, I made sure to leave them thick and they stayed soft in the middle. I didn't have meringue powder and don't like to use raw eggs in royal icing so I just mixed powdered sugar and water together and we iced the cookies with that.


Sugar Cookies

From A Touch of Thyme

Ingredients:

For the sugar cookie:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups all-purpose flour

For the icing:

- Powdered Sugar and Water

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together using an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla.
2. Turn the mixer to low and add the baking powder and salt. Gradually add the flour and mix until combined.
3. Form dough into a ball and wrap dough tightly in plastic cling wrap and freeze for 30 minutes or refrigerate until firm (at least 1 hour or overnight).
4. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line the cookie sheet with parchment paper.
5. Remove dough from fridge and let it stand for 5-10 minutes.
6. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to about ¼-inch thick. Cut out shapes using egg-shaped cookie cutters.
7. Transfer your cookies onto the cookie sheet, placing them 1 inch apart.
8. Re-roll scraps and repeat.
9. Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes depending on thickness. Let it cool for 1 minute on the pan and then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

spinach muffins

These muffins have 2 cups of spinach and Kiran begged for a third one!

From Jenn

Spinach Muffins

1 cup sliced ripe banana (about 2 small or one medium/large)

2 cups lightly packed spinach

3/4 cup milk (dairy or unsweetened plain nondairy)

1/4 cup honey or sugar

2 tablespoons melted and cooled butter OR neutral oil OR plain yogurt

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup rolled oats

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup flour

Mini chocolate chips, optional

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and grease a muffin tin. 

2. Place all wet ingredients into a blender (not flour and chocolate chips). 

3. Blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowls as needed. You want the greens to be very finely blended in so the batter is green.

4. Pulse in the flour just to combine, or stir it in gently.

5. Pour batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling each cup about 3/4 cup full. Sprinkle with chocolate chips if using.

6. Bake for 15 minutes or until firm to the touch and lightly browned around the edges. (You can also check to see if a cake tester inserted into the center comes out cleanly.)

7. Remove from the oven and use a paring knife, if needed, to transfer to a wire rack to cool.

8. Serve slightly warm, at room temp, or chilled.

9. You can store the muffins in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days and eat cold or slightly warmed. Or store in a zip top bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or at room temperature.

the best banana bread

This one is it

https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/banana_bread/

Apple cake

This is a good way to use up extra apples!

https://smittenkitchen.com/2008/09/moms-apple-cake/

Pouding Chomeur (Poor Man's Pudding)

This is a French-Canadian treat I remember having on rare occasion as a child. My mom made this recipe the other day, it was so delicious I couldn't stop eating it and I had to have the recipe. 

Ingredients 

⦁ 1/2 cup softened butter or 1/2 cup margarine

⦁ 1 cup sugar

⦁ 2 eggs

⦁ 1 teaspoon vanilla

⦁ 2 cups flour

⦁ 1 teaspoon baking powder

⦁ 1 1/3 cups milk

⦁ 1 1/2 cups pure maple syrup

⦁ 1 1/2 cups brown sugar

⦁ 1 1/2 cups heavy cream

⦁ 1/3 cup butter

Directions

CAKE.

1. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugar till the mix is light.

2. Add eggs and vanilla and mix.

3. In another bowl, mix flour and baking powder.

4. Alternate flour mix and milk to the butter mix.

5. Pour into a 13 inch by 9 inch greased pan.

MAPLE SAUCE.

1. In a large casserole, bring to boil the syrup, brown sugar, cream and butter and constantly stir.

2. Reduce heat and gently cook 2 minutes or till sauce has reduced a little bit.

3. Pour sauce gently over cake.

4. Bake at 325°F about 40 - 45 minutes or till cake is light brown and when toothpick inserted comes ou

Whoopie Pies

This is the kind of dessert that I like the best. These Whoopie Pies are like Whoopie Pies on crack, I think it's because the recipe uses butter instead of shortening. I ate so many of these I should probably never make this again, but just in case I do, here is the recipe I used:

https://www.kcet.org/food/weekend-recipe-whoopie-pies

Making (and eating) the full-size pie is quite extravagant, but next time I would probably make them half the size, so 12 small pies instead of 6 huge ones. 

And since you can't find Marshmallow Fluff in this backwards place:

https://www.chowhound.com/recipes/homemade-marshmallow-creme-30296

p.s. Who knew that you can make your own marshmallow fluff?

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

I must have seen a pineapple upside-down cake on Facebook, because somehow the image has been stuck in my head all day. I decided to make us one for dessert tonight in my cast iron fry pan. I don't know if I've ever even had pineapple upside-down cake before, I've certainly never made it. What a loss! This cake is so easy and fast to make, and so delicious! The brown sticky crust on the outside reminds me of delicious grand peres my french-canadian grandmothers made for us growing up (that I've never been able to replicate as an adult), but the pineapple and cherries make it even better! I suggest you stop whatever you are doing and make this right now.

From Food. com

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 4 slices pineapple, from a can of sliced pineapples
• 9 maraschino cherrys (plus more for cake batter, if desired)
• 1 1/3 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup melted butter (I used a little less and topped up with pineapple juice)
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 large egg

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Melt butter in iron skillet.
3. Sprinkle brown sugar over butter. Mix together a little bit.
4. Arrange pineapple slices on top brown sugar/butter.
5. Place cherries in center of slices. and then 1 between each slice, and 1 in the middle.
6. Mix dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in one bowl
7. Mix wet ingredients: melted butter, milk, egg in another bowl.
8. Combine dry and wet ingredients, mix to combine but only as little as possible. 
9. I also chopped up extra maraschino cherries and added them in to this cake batter because I like maraschino cherries. 
10. Pour batter over pineapple in skillet and bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until tooth pick inserted comes out clean. (35 minutes worked great for me)
11. Remove from oven, let cool about 5 minutes or so, turn onto heat-proof plate while still warm.

Strawberry Shortcake

Every year when I see the first local strawberries in the store, I think "strawberry shortcake." It's one of my favorite desserts, and I finally found the perfect biscuit recipe, I don't want to forget it!

Adapted from Betty Crocker

Makes 6 biscuits worth

Ingredients

1 lb fresh strawberries 

2 Tablespoons granulated sugar

3 Tablespoons butter, chilled, cut into small pieces

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2.5 Tablespoons granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

pinch salt

1/2 cup milk, plus a little more for brushing on biscuits

1 teaspoon granulated or coarse decorating sugar

3/4 cup whipping cream 

 

1 Tablespoon sugar

 

 

Directions

Directions

• Heat oven to 400°F. In large bowl, slice strawberries, mix with 2 Tablespoons sugar; set aside.
• In medium bowl, cut butter into flour, 2.5 Tablespoons sugar, the baking powder and salt, using pastry blender or 2 forks, until butter is the size of small peas. Stir in milk.
• Place on lightly floured surface; knead 5 to 7 times or until dough forms. Pat dough 1/2 inch thick; cut out 6 rounds with 2 1/2-inch round cutter (I used a cup). Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Brush milk over rounds; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sugar.
• Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 15 minutes.
• In chilled small bowl, beat whipping cream and 1 T. sugar with electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. (or do what I do, put it in a tight Tupperware container, cover tightly, and shake) 
• Split shortcakes in half horizontally. Spoon strawberries between halves and over tops. Top with whipped cream and additional strawberries.

 

Tropizenne part one: no-knead Brioche

The other day we received an invite to a pot-luck dinner which was very interesting. "We're asking each person (family) to bring a dish that reminds them of some special place they've been to or lived in the world," it read.

I started wracking my brain to think of something we could bring that was interesting and vegetarian, as usually no one else brings a vegetarian main dish to these types of dinners and I wanted to make sure Mahesh had something to eat.

After a lot of thinking, the dish I wanted to make the most was a dessert called Tropizenne. It's a pastry we discovered in the south of france, basically pastry cream sandwiched inside of a brioche bun with sugar sprinkled on top. (Brioche bread is just a rich bread made with eggs, butter, and honey). So simple but really the most memorable sweet thing we ate on our last trip to France. I've never seen it in any restaurant or pastry shop here in Vancouver, so in order to ever eat it again, short of going to France I would have to learn how to make it. This sounded like the perfect opportunity.

When I told Mahesh I wanted to make it, brioche bread and all, and he thought I was crazy. But I found a no-knead Brioche recipe, and I decided to make a sample brioche just to see if I could. If I could do that, the rest will be easy.

I almost threw out the dough because the yeast granules didn't look like they dissolved and I was afraid the final bread wouldn't rise, but I decided that it would be just as easy to throw it out after I baked it. I am happy to report that the final brioche turned out great! I will share the recipe below, and next week try and make the whole pastry.

No-knead Brioche

From Weekend Bakery

makes 1 Brioche loaf

250 g French Type 55 flour / all purpose flour / plain flour
100 g fresh dairy butter, melted
70 g water at room temperature
2 organic eggs (medium, about 110 g)
50 g runny honey (flower /acacia)
5.5 g / 1 teaspoon salt
3 g / 1 teaspoon instant yeast

-- egg yolk for brushing

TO MAKE AUTHENTIC TROPIZENNE: 
-- 1 handful of pearl sugar (or sliced almonds) -- This is a special kind of "puffed" sugar used is French pastries. It looks like "rice crispies" and has about the same light texture and crunch. It's very difficult to find this type of sugar, but worth the effort to make your Tarte Tropézienne look authentic. The only luck I've had in San Francisco is buying some from a local French bakery.

Making the Brioche

1) If you use granulated yeast like I do, put the water in a small bowl and sprinkle the yeast on top and let sit for 5 minutes to dissolve a bit.

2) In a larger bowl, combine eggs, honey, salt and melted butter, yeast/water mixture and whisk, somewhat vigorously, for about 30 seconds. Sift the flour into the mixture. Again, with enthusiasm, whisk for 30 seconds until your dough looks smooth and homogeneous. Cover your bowl and let the dough rest for two hours at room temperature.

3) Take the dough out of the bowl and onto a floured work surface and do one or two stretch and folds (full fold ones, left over right, right over left, bottom over top, top over bottom; see Weekend Bakery's bread movies to observe this technique if you are not familiar with it). If your dough is very ‘elastic’ and cooperative, do a few, if it starts to resist you can just stop.

4) Return the dough to the bowl, cover it with clingfilm and take it to the fridge where it will stay for 24 to 48 hours.

5)  Take the dough out of the fridge. Now it is time to shape. You can choose any shape you want but for tropizenne you want EITHER 4 inch buns, or one large flat round loaf. I am doing one large flat round loaf, so I made a circle about 8" around and 1" high, on a silpat-covered baking sheet.

6) Cover and leave to proof for 2 to 3 hours, depending on the temperature of the dough and of the room.You are looking for it to double in volume. It is best to cover the brioche with something that does not stick to the dough or weighs it down.

7) When dough has risen, brush it with egg yolk and sprinkle the top with the crystallized sugar if using.

7) Preheat your oven at 190ºC / 375ºF. Brush the brioche with some egg wash before you put it in the oven. Bake at 190ºC / 375ºF for about 10 minutes, then turn down the thermostat to 160ºC / 320ºF and bake for another 15 minutes. If the top browns too quickly or gets too dark, cover it with some aluminum foil to protect it.

8) After taking it out of the oven, brush it, with some melted butter directly after baking. Then leave to cool completely before slicing it. The brioche keeps very well for a few days (in container or bag) and even after that it can be given some oomph by toasting it lightly.

I thought it was great, and I wasn't the only one. 

Homemade Brownies

Before this week, I've always made brownies from a box mix. And since they were good and easy to make, I never thought about making them from scratch. Why bother?

Well, who knew how EASY it was to make brownies at home from scratch? These are just about as easy as from a box, really. And not just any brownies, but the most delicious brownies I've ever had! With ingredients I always have on hand! After making this recipe twice in the last two days, I am in trouble for sure. 

Mmm-mmm better brownies
from allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

1/2 cup vegetable oil 1 cup white sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 eggs 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/8 teaspoon salt (pinch) 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x9 inch baking pan.
2.	In a medium bowl, mix together the oil, sugar, and vanilla. Beat in eggs. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt; gradually stir into the egg mixture until well blended. Stir in walnuts, if desired. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.
3.	Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the brownie begins to pull away from edges of pan. Let cool on a wire rack before cutting into squares.

Cranberry Hootycreeks

 cranberry hootycreeks -- from allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter 1/3 cup packed brown sugar 1/3 cup minus 1 Tablespoon white sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1/2 cup rolled oats 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 cup dried cranberries 1/2 cup white chocolate chips 1/2 cup chopped pecans DIRECTIONS:  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).   2. Grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.  3. In a medium bowl, beat together 1/2 cup softened butter, the white sugar, and the brown sugar until fluffy.  4. Beat in egg and vanilla.  5. Add the rest of the ingredients, and mix together by hand until well blended.  6. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets.  7. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until edges start to brown. Cool on baking sheets, or remove to cool on wire racks. If you refrigerate the dough overnight before baking the cookies taste even better!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I made some cookies for Mahesh's parents while they were here visiting. In Mahesh's part of India a few people are only now just getting ovens so anything baked is still pretty new. This was a big hit, I replaced the egg with a "flax egg" made of 1 tablespoon ground flax and 3 tablespoons of water.

BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

adapted from allrecipes

• 1 cup of butter, softened
• 3/4 cup white sugar
  
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
  
• 2 eggs (or substitute, above)
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons hot water
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Dissolve baking soda in hot water. Add to batter along with salt. Stir in flour, chocolate chips, and nuts. Drop by large spoonfuls onto ungreased pans.
3. Bake for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are nicely browned.

Raspberry Almond Coffeecake

This is one of our favorite desserts, very light, easy to make, and not very sweet. If you like cakes more on the sweet side you may want to add more sugar. You can use any kind of berry in it (or probably other fruit as well), we often use blueberries. Original recipe here.

Raspberry Almond Coffeecake

Ingredients

• 1 cup fresh raspberries, or other berries
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray, or butter pan.
2. Combine berries and brown sugar in a bowl. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Combine sour cream, butter or margarine, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and egg, and add to flour mixture. Stir just until moist. Spoon 1/2 of the batter into the prepared pan. Spread raspberry mixture evenly over the batter. Spoon remaining batter over raspberry mixture. Top with almonds.
4. Bake for 40 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack.

Banana-jam muffins

We don't typically eat a lot of cold cereal, but lately both Mahesh and I have been on a frosted mini-wheats kick. One downside to this is the bottom of the bag has so many crumbs. I hate wasting food, but I also do not want to eat them as cold cereal. So I found this muffin recipe that uses up the crumbs. It is incredibly variable, and tastes great! Here are the modifications I would like to use next time we have extra mini-wheats crumbs to use up:

Banana-jam Muffins (or Banana fruit muffins)

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 12

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup sugar (can use less than this because those crumbs are sugary! maybe 1/4 cup)
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups Frosted Mini-Wheats (crushed to 3/4 cup)
3/4 cup mashed ripe banana (about 2 small bananas)
1/2 cup fat-free milk
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons Jam or preserves (or 3/4 cup frozen blueberries or other chopped fruit)

Direction:

1. Butter or spray one 12-cup muffin pan, or use liners.

2. In medium bowl stir together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

3. In large bowl stir together Frosted Mini-Wheats crumbs, banana and milk. Let stand about 5 minutes or until cereal softens. Add egg, oil and vanilla. Beat well. Add flour mixture, stirring until just combined. Here is where you add in the fruit if you are using it, and fill the muffin pans evenly.

IF you are using jam, portion half of the batter evenly into muffin pan. Top each muffin with scant teaspoon preserves. Portion remaining batter evenly on top of preserves.

4. Bake at 375°F about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan for 5 minutes. Remove from pan. Serve warm.