All posts for the month May, 2012

Oatmeal Cream Pies

Like most people, I grew up loving everything Little Debbie has to offer.  I’ve always had a sweet tooth, so I have eaten my share of Nutty Bars, Swiss Rolls, Zebra cakes, and my absolute favorite, Oatmeal Creme Pies.  It’s funny.  I don’t even really like oatmeal.  But, I have always loved those soft oatmeal cookies, with a hint of spice, sandwiched together with a sweet, creamy vanilla filling.  As good as they are, I knew I could do better.  I found this recipe as I was going through some old issues of Everyday Food and I knew I had to give it a try.  The batter comes together in just a few steps, all of them easy.  The filling is a simple sweetened cream cheese to replace the shortening based frosting of store bought.  The cookies are really soft and the cinnamon and molasses give them great flavor.  So, no.  These are not an exact replica of the oatmeal pies you grew up with.  Nope, they are better.  I just know, as a kid, I would have loved to see one of these cookies in my yellow, plastic Garfield lunchbox. :D

Oatmeal Cream Pies

Yield: 13 sandwich cookies ( I got 11)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup packed dark-brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon unsulfured molasses

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups rolled oats (not quick-cooking)

1/2 cup golden raisins   I omitted

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

6 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

A splash of vanilla   optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. In another large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter, brown and granulated sugars, and molasses on high, scraping down bowl, until light and fluffy, 4 minutes. Add vanilla; beat until combined. Beat in eggs, one at a time, scraping down bowl after each addition.

With mixer on low, add flour mixture and beat just until combined. With a rubber spatula, stir in oats and raisins. Drop dough in 2-tablespoonful mounds, 2 inches apart, onto two baking sheets. Bake until cookies are just set at edges and slightly soft in middle, about 11 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let cookies cool on sheets, 5 minutes. Transfer to wire racks and let cool completely.

In a medium bowl, using mixer, beat cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar until light, 2 minutes, scraping down bowl as needed. Spread filling on flat side of half the cookies. Sandwich with remaining cookies.

Source:  Everyday Food September 2010

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by Just Baked on May 30, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Just Baked on May 30, 2012

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Rainbow Vanilla Whoopie Pies

Ugh.  I’ve had kind of a rough week.  So, I thought that baking something fun would cheer me up a bit.  I love vanilla whoopie pies, but I was trying to think of a way to make them different.  I thought of the rainbow donuts I made a few weeks ago and wondered why not make rainbow whoopie pies?  Perfect!  So I made up the vanilla batter, divided it into 6 bowls, and colored it.  Then, I was thinking, now what?  I figured putting them into Ziploc bags and cutting off the corner would be a good start.  Then I randomly dropped lines of batter every which way in the bottom of a dish and scooped up the batter with a cookie scoop.  But the colors got too muddy.  Darn.  So, I decided to put random dots of batter into a bowl and swirl them together with a toothpick.  Again, same problem, muddy colors.  Finally, I put the dots randomly into the bowl, left them as is and scooped.  Now I got the big patches of color that I was looking for!  It was such a fun project for me to work through, trying different things until I got what I had envisioned in my head.  And honestly, rainbow colored or not, these taste fabulous!  My husband tried them and was swearing because they were so good.  “Wow!” was all Jack could say as he stuffed his cute little face.  And, now I am happy to see them happy…though eating several whoopie pies myself probably had a hand in that as well. :D

Rainbow Vanilla Whoopie Pies

Yield: about 24 whoopie pies

Whoopie Pie:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

4 tablespoons vegetable shortening

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon white vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Gel food coloring  I used Americolor (this really gives the best color)

Preheat oven to 375 F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together.  Sift onto a large piece of wax paper.

In the bowl of a mixer with the paddle, beat the butter, shortening and both sugars on medium speed until light and creamy, about 3 minutes.  Add the eggs and buttermilk and beat until combined. Don’t worry if your batter looks curdled. Mine did, but then came together when I added the rest of the ingredients.

Combine the milk, baking soda, and vinegar in a small measuring cup.  With the mixer on low, add the milk mixture to the batter along with the flour mixture.  Beat just until everything is combined.  Add the vanilla and beat on medium for 2 minutes, until completely combined.  Divide the batter among 6 bowls (see helpful hints).  Add red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple food coloring until you get your desired color.  You want the colors to be really bright, so it will take quite a few drops.  I then put each color into its own Ziploc bag and cut the corner off.  Using about a 3rd of each color, I put a bunch of dots randomly into the bottom of a shallow bowl. (You have to work in batches so you don’t muddy up the colors)

Using a small spring loaded cookie scoop (1 tbsp) , carefully drag it through the dots and drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches of space between cookies.   (I got 16 cookies per sheet.)   Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, for 10 minutes (start to check at 6 minutes) , or until they are set and just beginning to brown.  Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

While the first batch is baking, clean the rainbow batter bowl and cookie scoop.  Prepare a new bowl of colored dots, the same way, with another 3rd of the batter.  Scoop as previous and place onto the prepared cookie sheet.  Clean the bowl and cookie scoop. Prepare the final bowl of rainbow batter with the last 3rd of batter.

Marshmallow filling ( I used Martha Stewart’s recipe because I prefer butter in the filling to shortening)

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

1 jar (7 1/2 ounces) marshmallow Fluff

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add Fluff and vanilla and continue mixing until well combined.  I put the filling into a large Ziploc bag, and cut off the corner, so I could easily pipe the filling onto the bottom cookies.

Source:  Vanilla whoopie pies from Whoopie Pies: Dozens of Mix’ em, Match’em, Eat’em Up Recipes and the marshmallow filling from Martha Stewart

Helpful Hints:

  • My 1st batch I used a skewer to swirl the colors together, but it made them too muddy.  I found that the dots of colors swirled on their own just by dragging the cookie scoop through it.
  • Make sure you clean the cookie scoop when you make up each new bowl of rainbow batter. I did this in three batches to keep the colors clean.
  • Make sure your colors are very vibrant to make the colors pop.  It may require several drops of color, preferably Americolor.
  • It is inevitable that your last cookie in each bowl won’t be so pretty since the colors get so mixed together in the scraping of the bowl.  Pretty or not, it still tastes delicious!  The kids will eat the ugly ones :D
  • The blue and purple show through the most, so it might be a good idea to make a little more batter for the red, orange and yellow so those colors come through better.
10 Comments
by Just Baked on May 28, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Just Baked on May 28, 2012

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Double Chocolate and Mint Cookies

Okay, so I am not the only one in my family addicted to the Food Network.  Believe it or not, my 5 year old daughter, Sammie, is in love with Giada, AKA the Cooking Lady.  You know your daughter watches too much Giada at Home when she says spaghetti with an Italian accent, she pretends she is cooking using ingredients like extra virgin olive oil and lemon zest and finally when she asks “Can you live without olive oil”?  Apparently, the Cooking Lady says you can’t. :D   Oh, how I love my little girl.

The other day we were watching Giada and she made these delicious looking double chocolate and mint cookies.  Sammie has always loved Andes mints.  In fact, it is her favorite part of a meal at Olive Garden.  Even better than the bread sticks?  Umm, no, I don’t think so.  These cookies reminded me of a mint version of the Chocolate Dreams I made a few weeks ago.  The cookie is super soft and fudgy, almost brownie-like in texture.   First you taste the rich chocolate of the cookie and then you bite into a warm, melted Andes mint…Mmmm.  I think the Cooking Lady maybe on to something. :D

Double Chocolate and Mint Cookies

Yield: 12 cookies

6 ounces semisweet or bittersweet (60-percent) chocolate chopped  I used Callebaut semi-sweet

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup flour

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa   I used Valrhone dutch processed cocoa

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup sugar

2 eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

One 5-ounce package chocolate mint thins, such as Andes, each cut into thirds  Or you can buy the Andes chips to make it easier on yourself.  I couldn’t find any at the store.  I think they are more seasonal.

Place 1 oven rack in the center of the oven and 1 oven rack in the bottom third and preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the bittersweet chocolate and butter. Place the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water and stir occasionally until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.  As usual, I just melted the chocolate and butter carefully in the microwave.  Just make sure to stop before the chocolate is completely melted and use the residual heat to finish the job.  Or else the chocolate may burn and taste bitter.

In a medium bowl, sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, 2 tablespoons water and vanilla extract. Gradually add the dry ingredients. Fold in the cooled chocolate. Stir in the chocolate mint pieces. Chill the dough 10 minutes to firm slightly. Using 1/4 cup measuring cup, drop 6 mounds of batter onto each prepared sheet, spacing evenly apart.

Bake the cookies 9 minutes. Reverse the baking sheets (top to bottom) and continue baking until the cookies are slightly puffed and dry looking with some small cracks on top, 9 to 10 minutes longer. Cool the cookies completely on sheets (they may deflate slightly as they cool).

Source:  Food Network, Giada De Laurentiis


16 Comments
by Just Baked on May 25, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Just Baked on May 25, 2012

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Chocolate Chip Cookies Straight Up

I am so addicted to the Food Network.   One of my current favorite shows is The Best Thing I Ever Made.  I love that after watching the show, you can turn around and make your favorite Food Network star’s best dish at home.  The other day I was watching the show on Sweet Endings (perfect for me right?) and Elizabeth Falkner, of Citizen Cake Fame, chose her best to be her chocolate chip cookies.  I was intrigued.  Elizabeth has been on Top Chef Masters, she was runner up in the Next Iron Chef, she is a highly regarded pastry chef and the best thing she ever made was a chocolate chip cookie?  Well, these must be some cookies!  So, of course, I had to make them immediately.  The cookies have a higher brown sugar to sugar ratio for chewiness and use dark brown sugar to amp up the butterscotch flavor.  There is a pinch of baking powder to puff them up a touch and chopped chocolate instead of chips to provide maximum melted chocolate gooeyness.   The taste and texture of these cookies reminds me of the brown sugar cookies I made awhile back, but even better with the addition of chocolate chunks.  The taste is much more complex, gourmet if you will, than your average chocolate chip cookie.  Well done, Ms. Falkner, well done. :D

Chocolate Chip Cookies Straight Up

Yield: 3 dozen, but I only got 2 dozen

8 tablespoons (4 ounces) butter, softened but still cool   like Play-Doh

3/4 cup (6 1/4 ounces) firmly packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon (4 ounces) granulated sugar

1 large egg (1 1/2 ounces by weight)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/4 cups plus 3 tablespoons (7 ounces) all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped the size of chocolate chips, or bittersweet chocolate chips (about 1 1/2 cups)  I used Callebaut Semi-Sweet.

3/4 cup (3 ounces) chopped walnuts, optional  I omitted

In a large bowl, with a wooden spoon, cream together the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until smooth, but not over mixed. (Or use a stand mixer with a paddle or a handheld mixer, beating on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl before continuing.)  Add the egg, vanilla and salt.  Stir just until combined.

Sift in the flour, baking soda and baking powder.  Stir gently just until combined. Add the chocolate and nuts (if using).  Stir just until evenly distributed throughout the dough. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. (On the show she says 24 to 48 hours, but I was impatient and did 12 hours.)  Note:  This dough is drier than most chocolate chip cookie doughs I have worked with.

Position the racks in the upper third and lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Scoop up 1-inch balls of the dough with a spoon or mini scoop and set them 2 inches apart on the prepared pans. Bake the cookies, rotating the pans after 7 to 9 minutes, for 13 to 17 minutes until the cookies are golden brown. If you like a very soft cookie, bake them for 13 minutes.  If you like a crisp cookie, bake them for 17 minutes. Transfer to racks and let cool.

Storage:  Best the day they are baked, but you can store them in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Source:  Food Network- Elizabeth Falkner of Citizen Cake

11 Comments
by Just Baked on May 23, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Just Baked on May 23, 2012

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Cook’s Illustrated Individual Coffeecakes

My kids just love those little Hostess Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cakes.  I have to admit, I kind of love them too. :D   When I saw this recipe for individual coffeecakes in The Quick Recipe, that’s exactly what it reminded me of.  You get the same soft, fluffy little cakes perfectly complemented by a sweet, cinnamon streusel ribbon.  So good.  I just love that you can have warm coffee cake muffins on the table in a mere 45 minutes!!  I also love that you can just grab one and go and not make a total mess because the streusel is contained on the inside.  You should see my kids faces after they eat, well, just about anything. So, that’s always a plus for me.

My son, Jack, for the first time in his 6 years of life, slept until 9am!  I was upstairs with a hot pad on my aching back from carrying around my little butterball baby, Alex, all the time.  So I didn’t get to see him eat one.  Later, when I asked him if he liked the muffins, he said they were so good.  Who made them?  Come on silly, Jack.  Who do you think made them?  They must be pretty delicious because usually when I try to make a homemade replica of something I buy in the store, my kids don’t like it.  It’s just not the same.  Heck no it isn’t the same….it’s better.  But, they never see it that way.  In this case, I’m sure the chocolate chips and the glaze tipped the scales in my favor.  Sorry, Hostess.

Cook’s Illustrated Individual Coffeecakes

Yield:  12 cakes

1 1/2 cups (7.5 oz) unbleached all purpose flour   DIVIDED

1/2 cup  packed (3.5oz) dark brown sugar    DIVIDED    I used light

1 cup (7oz) granulated sugar

1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

12 Tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1 inch cubes

3 large eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

semisweet chocolate chips- (to sprinkle on top of the streusel)   optional

Adjust oven rack to the middle position and heat oven to 350F.  Spray a standard muffin tin with nonstick spray.

Combine 1/2 cup flour, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and all of the granulated sugar in the work bowl of a food processor.  Combine the mixture in five 1 second pulses.  Remove 3/4 cup of the mixture and place it in a medium bowl.  Add to it the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar and the cinnamon, mix to combine, set aside.

Add the remaining 1 cup flour to the mixture remaining in the food processor work bowl along with the baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Combine the mixture in five 1 second pulses.  Scatter the butter over the dry ingredients and pulse until the mixture breaks down into small pebbly pieces that resemble wet sand, about ten one second pulses.  Add the eggs and sour cream and process the mixture until it is well combined and thick, about eight 1 second pulses.

Place enough batter (about 2 TBSP) into each muffin cup to cover the bottom surface of the cup, but rise no more than 1/2 inch up the sides.  Sprinkle with about 1 1/2 Tbsp streusel mixture over the batter.  Sprinkle chocolate chips on top if using.  I used mini chocolate chips for half the batch.  I didn’t use all the streusel.  Cover with an additional 1 to 2 Tbsp of batter, or enough to fill the cup to 3/4 full.  Bake until light golden brown and the cake feels firm, but springs back when touched, 20 to 24 minutes, rotating the pan from front to back halfway through the baking time.  Invert the cakes onto a wire rack and cool 5 minutes.  Dust with powdered sugar or drizzle with Quick Confectioners’ Sugar Icing below..Serve immediately.

Quick Confectioners’ Sugar Icing:

1 cup (4 oz) confectioners’ sugar

2 Tbsp water

I added a splash of vanilla

Whisk the powdered sugar, water and vanilla together (if using) in a medium bowl until smooth.  Place a piece of wax paper underneath the wire rack of cakes. Spoon about 2 tsp glaze on top of each upside down cake (narrow end facing up).  Make an X in the glaze so it runs down the sides of the cake in 4 places.  I prefer to drizzle the glaze on top.

Source:  The Quick Recipe

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by Just Baked on May 21, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Just Baked on May 21, 2012

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Peach Barbecue Sauce

I learned so much from my last recipe swap when I made garlic, ginger and scallion shrimp, that I decided to give it another go.  This time the theme was warm weather and BBQ (yay!) and I got a recipe for Peach Barbecue Sauce.  I have never:  made my own barbecue sauce, tasted a fruit based barbecue sauce, cooked with alcohol, blanched fruit, or cut a jalepeno (Umm…inhaling burns).  Lots of firsts, right?  That is why I love these swaps.  While I am a good baker, I am the first to admit I am not the best cook.  These swaps challenge me and I love that!  I actually get to apply my Food Network knowledge and everything I read in my ATK cookbooks.  Fabulous.  The sauce is easy to put together.  You just the blanch and peel the peaches, do some chopping, and measure out the rest of the ingredients.  Then you just let the sauce simmer and reduce, followed by blending to the consistency you like.  We like our sauces smooth.  Oh how I love my Vitamix!   I made some pork tenderloin in the Crock-Pot and finished it on the grill, basting it with the sauce.  I found the sauce to taste like a peach flavored honey mustard sauce, a nice change from the usual tomato based barbecue sauce.

Peach Barbecue Sauce

1 pound fresh peaches

3/4 cup chopped sweet onion such as Vidalia

1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh jalapeño with seeds   adjust to taste

1 tablespoon canola oil

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1/4 cup bourbon

2 1/2 tablespoons mild honey

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

3/4 teaspoon light brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

1/8 teaspoon dry mustard

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Cut an X in bottom of each peach, then blanch in a medium saucepan of boiling water 10 seconds. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice and cold water and cool. Peel peaches and coarsely chop.

Cook onion, jalapeño, and a pinch of kosher salt in oil in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Add peaches and remaining ingredients and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until peaches are very tender, about 30 minutes.

Purée in a blender (use caution when blending hot liquids).

13 Comments
by Just Baked on May 18, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Just Baked on May 18, 2012

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Brownie S’mores

Besides my obvious cookbook obsession, I also have a pretty bad cooking magazine obsession as well.  I must subscribe to at least a dozen magazines, even after I recently paired them down.  While I know I could probably get most of the recipes online, I think with all the junk I get, I just really enjoy getting some fun mail that isn’t bills.  It’s probably silly, but I was so happy this morning when I opened the mailbox to see 3 magazines!  Score!  Exciting life I lead I tell you. :D   Taste of the South magazine is one that I have been getting for several years now.   I always book mark a bunch of recipes in each issue, but then they end up on the shelf, and I forget about them.  I decided to start going through my magazines and at least write down those that really catch my eye, so I don’t miss out on any great recipes.  That is how I came across brownie s’mores.  I thought it was fun to have brownies with a vanilla wafer crust and topped with golden toasted marshmallows. Right from the oven the marshmallows and brownies are the perfect amount of melted gooey deliciousness.  Now that the weather is getting warmer in Chicago, sure I could make some s’mores on the grill one night after we barbecue.  But, here you get 12 perfectly cooked s’mores all at once.  Besides, for some reason, I was never very good at campfire marshmallow cookery.  Most likely because I am not much of a camper.  So, I’ll stick with what I do best.  I’ll take a baked brownie s’more against a plain old graham cracker s’more any day.

Brownie S’mores

Yield: 12 to 16 servings

1 (12-ounce) box vanilla-wafer cookies

2 1/4 cups sugar, divided

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

1 cup plus 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, divided

5 (1-ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

5 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 (16-ounce) bag large marshmallows, each cut in half  (easiest to use kitchen scissors)

2 Hershey Bars  optional

Preheat oven to 350°. Line a (13×9-inch) pan with aluminum foil, letting foil hang over sides of pan. Set aside. In the work bowl of a food processor, pulse together cookies, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt until mixture is fine. With processor running, slowly add 5 tablespoons melted butter, and continue blending until mixture is well combined. Press crumb mixture firmly into the bottom of prepared pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together remaining 1 cup melted butter and melted chocolate until mixture is well combined. Whisk in remaining 2 cups sugar and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, whisking constantly, until mixture is smooth and glossy. Whisk in flour and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Pour batter into pan, smoothing top.

Bake until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out with just crumbs, 30 to 35 minutes. I undercooked mine a bit because I like the gooeyness.  Bake yours longer if you like a more firm brownie texture.  If using, break the Hershey bars into squares and scatter them along the top of the brownie.  Let cool slightly.

Preheat oven to broil. Place marshmallow halves on top of brownies, in rows, as close as possible. Broil until tops of marshmallows are golden brown and puffed, approximately 5 minutes. Let cool slightly before cutting brownies into squares.  But, make sure to cut while still warm. Serve warm.

Source:  Taste of the South Magazine

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by Just Baked on May 16, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Just Baked on May 16, 2012

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Pancake Soufflé Muffins with Strawberry-Maple Syrup

On Saturday night, my husband asked what I wanted him to make me for my Mother’s Day breakfast.  While that is so sweet, and I really appreciate it, I absolutely love to make breakfast.  I just couldn’t give it up.  So I said it would make me happiest if I made breakfast for everyone.  Begrudgingly, my husband gave in.  :D

I subscribe to a bunch of recipe sites, so I must get at least 50 emails a day.  When I opened an email a few days ago from Fine Cooking, I was immediately drawn to the photo of light looking muffin, smothered in syrup and topped with fresh strawberries.  When I read the name, Pancake Soufflé Muffins with Strawberry-Maple Syrup, I knew these had to be made and soon.  It would be the perfect Mother’s Day breakfast! I love the idea of making pancakes in muffin tins.  It’s brilliant because everything is done at the same time and can be served piping hot.  No sweating over a hot griddle and flipping pancakes. No preheating the oven to warm finished pancakes while you make more.  No trying to get bacon done in between all the pouring and flipping without burning anything.  Here, you just pour the batter in the wells and bake.  Done.  I loved the texture of these muffins, so different from anything I’ve had before. Since the egg whites are beaten and folded into the batter, you get a light, souffle textured muffin that tastes just like a pancake.  How does that not make you want to make these muffins immediately?  If you don’t, you must have willpower of steel.  I envy you. :D

Pancake Soufflé Muffins with Strawberry-Maple Syrup

Yield:  24 muffins, 12 servings

Muffins

Nonstick cooking spray
10-1/2 oz. (2-1/3 cups) all-purpose flour
4-1/2 oz. (1 cup plus 2 Tbs.) cake flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
6 large eggs, separated and at room temperature
3/4 tsp. cream of tartar
3 oz. (6 Tbs.) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
6 T bs. granulated sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3-1/3 cups buttermilk, at room temperature
Confectioners’ sugar, for sprinkling

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 400°F. Liberally spray two 12-cup muffin pans with the cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, mix the all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In a large, clean mixing bowl, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar with an electric hand mixer on medium-high speed to firm (but not dry) peaks, 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside.

In another large bowl, beat the egg yolks with the mixer on medium-high speed until thick, ribbony, and lemon-yellow, about 6 minutes. Add the melted butter, sugar, and vanilla; mix on medium-low speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Add one-third of the dry ingredients and mix on low speed. Add one-third of the buttermilk and mix to combine. Alternate adding the remaining dry ingredients and buttermilk, ending with the buttermilk and mixing until just combined.

With a large rubber spatula, gently fold the whites into the batter, leaving some streaks.

Scoop about 1/2 cup of the batter into each muffin cup—you can fill the cups to the rims. Bake, rotating the pans after 10 minutes, until browned on top and puffed, and a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out dry, 20 to 25 minutes total.

Strawberry Syrup -

1 cup pure maple syrup
1 cup quartered, hulled ripe strawberries

While the muffins are baking, bring the maple syrup to a boil in a small pot over medium-high heat. Put the strawberries in a medium serving bowl. Pour the syrup over the berries and set aside in a warm spot.  I served mine with just a sprinkling of powdered sugar, syrup for dipping and strawberries on the side.

To Serve:

With an offset spatula, pop the muffins out of the cups and arrange on a platter. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar and serve with the syrup.

Make Ahead:

You can make the batter up to 2 hours ahead through the step of folding in the beaten egg whites. Refrigerate it, covered, in its bowl. Do not portion it into muffin tins until you’re ready to bake.

Source:  Fine Cooking

8 Comments
by Just Baked on May 14, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Just Baked on May 14, 2012

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Brown Sugar Berry Shortcakes

Strawberries are my absolute favorite fruit.  Unfortunately, you can’t get great fresh strawberries year round.  Now that strawberries are in season, I made sure to pick some up at the grocery store so I could make a dessert highlighting them.  I wasn’t sure what though, so I pulled a few books off the shelf, including Cook’s Country 2006 annual, and found these brown sugar berry shortcakes.  I just loved the idea of using brown sugar to sweeten the berries, the shortcakes and the whipped cream.  While these shortcakes may look difficult to make, the dough comes together rather quickly in the food processor.  Some of the berries are crushed and sweetened to make a sauce for the berries and then you make sweetened whipped cream.  A few steps maybe, but all of them actually quick and easy.

I honestly don’t think I have ever had real strawberry shortcake.  Before today, strawberry shortcake to me was one of those little sponge cake cups that come in plastic wrap sold by produce, topped with strawberries and Cool Whip.  When I asked my daughter, Sammie, if she liked strawberry shortcake, she told me, “Yes, I love HER!”  So, I guess we were both a little confused.  But, at least, I have been corrected.  I will not make that mistake again.  These are strawberry shortcakes.  Period.  :D

Brown Sugar Berry Shortcakes

Yield:  6 servings

Fruit: 

6 cups of mixed berries (strawberries- hulled, halved and sliced, Raspberries- whole, Blackberries- halved, Blueberries- whole, currants- whole)    I used just strawberries

4-6 Tbsp packed light brown sugar

Shortcakes:

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 Tbsp packed light brown sugar

1 Tbsp baking powder    Due to the large amount, I recommend using aluminum free for better taste.

1/2 tsp salt

8 Tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces and chilled

1 large egg

1/2 cup sour cream

2 Tbsp unsalted butter melted (to brush shortcakes)

2 Tbsp granulated sugar

Brown-Sugar Cream Topping

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

For the fruit: 

Crush 6 cups berries and brown sugar in a large bowl with a potato masher.  Fold in the remaining 4 cups of berries and let sit at room temperature until sugar has dissolved and berries are juicy, about 30 minutes.

For the shortcakes:

Adjust oven rack to upper middle position and preheat oven to 375F.  Line rimmed sheet with parchment paper.  Pulse flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt in a food processor until no lumps of sugar remain.  Scatter chilled butter pieces over the top and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 7 pulses.  Transfer to a large bowl.

Whisk egg and sour cream together in a small bowl.  Stir into flour mixture with a rubber spatula until large clumps form.  Using your hands, knead lightly until dough comes together and no dry flecks of flour remain.  Be careful to not overwork to keep your shortcakes tender.

Using a large (#10) ice cream scoop, scoop 6 dough rounds onto the prepared sheet.  If you don’t have a ice cream scoop, do your best to divide into 6 even pieces and use your hands to gently form into semispherical shapes.  Brush the tops with melted butter and sprinkle with granulated sugar.  Bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through the baking time.  I would start checking at about 20 minutes.  Cool the shortcakes on baking sheet x 10 minutes.  (Cooled shortcakes can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and kept on the counter for up to 24 hours.

For the topping:

With an electric mixer, beat heavy cream, sour cream, and brown sugar to stiff peaks.  Split each shortcake in half, using a serrated knife, and place the bottoms onto individual plates.  Spoon some fruit onto the bottoms of each shortcake, top with the whipped cream, and cap with the shortcake tops.  Serve.

Source:  Cook’s Country June/July 2006

7 Comments
by Just Baked on May 11, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Cake, Fruit
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Posted by Just Baked on May 11, 2012

http://justbakedbyme.wordpress.com/2012/05/11/brown-sugar-berry-shortcakes/

Glazed Citrus Doodles

I always thought citrus was fine as a flavor, but why choose it if chocolate is available?  But, I have really grown to love it, especially lemon and lime.  But, I just realized that I have never baked anything with orange before. So, when I was flipping through Everyday Food,  I was intrigued by this recipe for glazed citrus doodles.  I love Martha, she never lets me down, so I thought I would give them a try.  The cookie is a simple snickerdoodle base, but minus the cream of tartar.  Then you add orange and lemon zest, which together give the cookie its super refreshing citrus flavor.  And oh my gosh, I am so in love with the smell of zesting citrus fruit!  Although the cookies are delicious as is, they are made even more delicious with the addition of an orange-lemon glaze.  These citrus doodles are the perfect cookies to finally welcome in the warm weather.  So, come on, and get yourself a plate, a tall cold drink and enjoy it.  Here in Chicago, you can never know how long it will last…

Glazed Citrus Doodles

2  3/4 cups all purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/4 tsp fine salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp

1 1/2 cups  sugar

2 Tbsp grated orange zest, plus 3 Tbsp juice (2 oranges)

4 tsp lemon zest, plus 3 Tbsp juice (from 2 lemons)

2 large eggs

2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

Preheat oven 350F, with racks in upper and lower thirds.  Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter, granulated sugar, 1 Tbsp orange zest, and 2 tsp lemon zest on medium high until pale and fluffy, 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl as needed.

Beat in eggs, one at a time.  Add flour mixture; beat to combine.

Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place 2 inches apart, on parchment lined baking sheets.

Bake until the edges are lightly golden, 12 to 15 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through.  Let cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes, then transfer cookies to racks and let cool completely.

Whisk together 1 Tbsp orange zest, 2 tsp lemon zest, citrus juices, and confectioners’ sugar until smooth.  You may need to add more confectioners’ sugar to get it to the consistency you want.

With a small spoon, spread glaze over each cookie.  Let set 1 hour. (Store in airtight containers, up to 3 days.)

Source:  Everyday Food

14 Comments
by Just Baked on May 9, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Cookies
Tagged , , , , , , ,

Posted by Just Baked on May 9, 2012

http://justbakedbyme.wordpress.com/2012/05/09/glazed-citrus-doodles/

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