All posts by Just Baked

Boston Cream Pie

My good friend Eva, from Eva Bakes, and I thought it would be fun to tackle something off of our baking bucket lists together. We would both make the same thing, choosing our own recipe, and then post the results. First up? Boston cream pie. Funny, I think I have only made about 5 layer cakes in my whole life. Layer cakes to me are kind of fancy. I am more of a cookie/brownie kind of girl. But, I certainly have never turned cake down. I love a challenge.

So I got up early Saturday morning to tackle this multi-step cake. Unfortunately, my husband didn’t sleep well the night before and went back to sleep when I got up. Let me just say, making this cake with baby Alex was not an easy feat. He only took out the fire extinguisher, almost dumped a newly opened jar of cornstarch all over the floor, shook salt onto the table, spilled a glass of water, and put a cup of dog food into the dog’s water. Ugh, I think that was it. Given the circumstances, I think my cake came out pretty darn good.

Honestly, the cake really isn’t hard to make, it just takes a few steps. To make the cake, you need to separate eggs and beat them in separate bowls, finally folding them together with flour. While the cakes bake, you make the pastry cream on the stove. You then have some wait time for the cakes to cool and the pastry cream to set in the fridge. After assembling the cake, you make a quick chocolate frosting to pour over the cake. So, all easy…it just takes time. You know the hardest part? Transferring the finished cake from the cooling rack to the serving plate.

The verdict? I thought that cake was delicious. You have a spongy buttery cake, filled with smooth, vanilla scented pastry cream, topped with thick chocolate glaze. How bad could it be? (I love Ina!)

So, one down, so many more to go. Thanks for baking with me, Eva! I can’t wait to see your cake!

Foolproof Sponge Cake

½ cup (2 oz) cake flour

¼ cup (1 1/4oz) all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

3 TBSP milk

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

½ tsp vanilla

3 large egg whites, room temp

¼ tsp cream of tartar

¾ cup (5 1/4oz) sugar – DIVIDED

3 large egg yolks, room temp

2 large eggs, room temp

Place oven rack in middle position and preheat to 350F. Grease and flour two 8in or 9in round cake pans (ATK recommends 9 in) and line with a circle of parchment. Grease the paper.

Whisk together the 2 flours, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan, heat the milk and butter together on low until the butter is melted. Off the heat, stir in the vanilla. Cover to keep warm.

In a large bowl, whip 3 egg whites and cream of tartar together with an electric mixer, on med-low until foamy, ~ 1 minute. Increase speed to med-high and whip the egg whites until soft, billowy mounds form, ~ 1 minute. Gradually whip in 6 Tbsp of sugar, ~ 30 seconds. Continue to whip until until shiny and form soft peaks, ~ 1 to 3 minutes. Do NOT overbeat.

In a separate large bowl, whip the 3 yolks and 2 whole eggs with an electric mixer on med-high. Gradually add in the last 6 Tbsp of sugar, ~ 1 min. Continue to whip the mixture until very light in color and voluminous, ~ 4-6 minutes.

Gently pour the thick, yellow egg yolk mixture on top of the soft peaked egg white mixture. Sift the flour mixture on top of that. Now you have a white layer on the bottom, yellow yolk mixture in the middle and flour on top. Very gently, fold everything together with a rubber spatula, just until combined, ~ 12 folds. Pour the warm milk, in a steady stream, against the side of the bowl. Continue to fold until evenly combined and there are no streaks of flour, ~ 8 folds.

Immediately scrape the batter into the prepared cake pans. Bake until lightly brown and a toothpick in the center comes out with just a few crumbs, ~ 12-18 minutes. Do NOT rotate cakes while baking.

Immediately run a knife around the edges of the cakes and flip onto a parchment lined plate. Peel off the parchment bottom and flip the cakes right side up onto a wire rack. Let the cakes cool completely, about 2 hours.

Pastry Cream

2 cups whole milk

6 large egg yolks

½ cup (3.5 oz) sugar

¼ tsp salt

¼ cup cornstarch

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 tsp vanilla

In a medium saucepan, bring the milk to a simmer. Meanwhile, whisk the yolks, sugar, and salt together in a medium bowl. Whisk in the cornstarch until pale yellow and thick, ~ 30 seconds.

Slowly whisk the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture to temper, then return the mixture to the saucepan and cook on medium heat. Whisk constantly until thick and glossy, ~ 1.5 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in the butter and vanilla. Transfer the pastry cream into a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap directly pressed onto the surface, to avoid skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled and set, ~ 2 hours.

Chocolate Glaze

2/3 cup heavy cream

¼ cup light corn syrup

8 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped fine

½ tsp vanilla

Put all the ingredients into a medium bowl. Microwave, stopping frequently to whisk. Continue until all melted and smooth, ~ 1-2 minutes. Let the glaze cool, uncovered, until thick but still pourable, ~ 20 minutes.

Assembly:

Line a large baking sheet with parchment and place a wire rack on top. Place one of the cake layers on the rack. Spread the pastry cream on top of the cake, right to the edges. Place the other layer on top and press lightly to adhere.

Pour the chocolate glaze on top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides. Refrigerate uncovered, until the chocolate sets- at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours. Before serving, transfer to a serving plate/cake stand and let warm up to room temperature, 30 to 60 minutes.

Source: The America’s Test Kitchen Family Baking Book

14 Comments

by Just Baked on March 4, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in Cake, Chocolate

Tagged ATK, Boston, cake, chocolate, cream, glaze, pastry cream, pie, sponge

Posted by Just Baked on March 4, 2013

http://justbakedbyme.wordpress.com/2013/03/04/boston-cream-pie/

Dahlia Bakery’s All-American Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Wow. I finally found myself a pocket of time and my head was swimming with ideas of what to bake. I’m sure you are thinking, with all these ideas, why did she end up making chocolate chip cookies? Well, to be honest, I just really had a taste for them. When I was flipping through The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook, of course, the chocolate truffle cookies caught my eye first. But, the chocolate chunk cookies were a close second. There isn’t much better than a big, chewy chocolate chip cookie and a tall glass of ice cold milk. And these looked like my kind of cookie.

Most chocolate chip cookies have essentially the same ingredients, just in different proportions. If you are looking for a special ingredient, I hope you aren’t disappointed that there isn’t one in these cookies. Why are they so good then? It must be that the ratios are just right. The cookie tastes just as it should, of butter and brown sugar. It has a very slight crispness to the edges, but is perfectly chewy throughout, and they stayed chewy for three days. At Dahlia, Tom Douglas uses a mixture of milk and bittersweet chocolates. I used all semisweet cut from a Callebaut bar, as unbelievably, I was out of milk chocolate. I also used only 14 oz of chocolate (only??), instead of the 19 oz called for in the recipe. As much as I love chocolate, with too much, I believe you can’t taste the deliciousness of the cookie.

As you probably know, I don’t make many recipes more than once. But this one is a keeper. I’m looking forward to trying the two chocolates next time or M & Ms or Reese’s cups or……

Dahlia Bakery’s All-American Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Yield: 24 to 26 cookies (I got 24 big cookies)

3 large eggs, room temperature

2 tsp pure vanilla

3 1/2 cups (482 grams) all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 cup plus 5 tablespoons (10.5 ounces/298 grams) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (25o grams) packed, moist brown sugar

1 1/4 cups (250 grams) granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups (9 ounces/255 grams) milk chocolate chunks

1 1/2 cups (9 ounces/255 grams) bittersweet chocolate chunks

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line your cookie sheet(s) with parchment.

In a small bowl, break the 3 eggs, add the vanilla and whisk to combine. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and kosher salt. Set aside.

Into the bowl of your Kitchen-Aid, add the butter and both sugars. Cream on medium-high, with the paddle, until very light in color and fluffy, ~ 4-5 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Beating on medium, pour in half of the egg-vanilla mixture and beat until incorporated. Scrape down the sides again and add the rest of the egg-vanilla mixture. Beat briefly to combine.

Add the dry ingredients to the bowl of the electric mixer, beating on low until evenly distributed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and mix just 10 more seconds. Don’t overmix. Add the chocolate chunks and mix just until combined. Remove the bowl from the stand and using a spatula scrape the bottom of the bowl to make sure all the flour is mixed in.

Use an ice cream scoop to portion the cookies in 2.5 ounce portions (~ 1/4 cup), placing them evenly apart, 6 cookies per cookie sheet.

Bake until mostly golden brown on the edges but still pale in the middle, ~ 16 to 18 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through cooking time. If you are baking 2 cookie sheets at a time, also rotate them between racks. Do not overbake.

Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before using a spatula to remove the cookies from the sheets.

Source: The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook: Sweetness in Seattle

10 Comments

by Just Baked on March 1, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in Chocolate, Cookies

Tagged American, bakery, big, brown sugar, chewy, chip, chocolate, chunk, cookie, Dahlia, dessert, Douglas, kids, soft

Posted by Just Baked on March 1, 2013

http://justbakedbyme.wordpress.com/2013/03/01/dahlia-bakerys-all-american-chocolate-chunk-cookies/

Dahlia Bakery Chocolate Truffle Cookies

Chocolate truffle cookies. That was all I had to read before I decided I had to make them immediately. I’m not sure if it is just me, but I honestly don’t get it when someone says a dessert is too rich or too chocolately. There is no such thing. The more chocolate, the better. And these cookies have a trifecta of chocolate: bittersweet, cocoa powder and chips. Sounds like perfection to me. Besides, I have heard wonderful things about the famed Dahlia Bakery and I already love Tom Douglas as a Top Chef guest judge. Though, I have to say, Top Chef has been pretty disappointing this season. I am a huge fan, but Seattle is almost as bad as Texas, I’m afraid. But, I keep watching anyways. I think I just love Tom

These cookies were easy enough to make. I wouldn’t even bother with the double boiler. I have always had good luck melting my chocolate in the microwave. I just melt it on defrost at 15-20 second increments and mix before putting it back in the microwave. Just be careful to not melt until totally smooth or it will be overdone and bitter. There should still be small chocolate chunks and the residual heat will melt the rest. Make sure to beat the batter after you add the eggs for several minutes so you get the pretty shiny tops. When you add the flour, fold lightly just until combined and your cookies will be tender. As they bake, the smell of chocolate is intoxicating. I love how the top cracks, hinting at the dark, delicious fudgeyness underneath. These cookies were so good, I immediately ordered the Dahlia Bakery Cookbook. I have a feeling that these cookies are just a hint of the deliciousness to come…..

Dahlia Bakery Chocolate Truffle Cookies

Yield: 30 cookies, 3.5in diameter

1 1⁄4 cups (7 1⁄8 ounces/205 grams) all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon (3 ⁄4 ounce/20 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder I used Valrhona

1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

1 pound plus 4 ounces (567 grams) bittersweet chocolate, chopped I used Callebaut

1⁄2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1⁄4 sticks/5 ounces/140 grams) unsalted butter, softened

2 1⁄4 cups (1 pound plus 1⁄4 ounce/460 grams) sugar

6 large eggs, room temperature

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups (12 ounces/340 grams) bittersweet chocolate chips I used semisweet mini chips

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a small bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, and baking powder. Stir in the salt. Set aside. Place a heat-proof bowl over a saucepan filled with about 1 inch of water. Heat the water until very hot but not boiling. Put the chocolate in the bowl and stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove the bowl of chocolate from over the water and cool for ~ 5 – 10 minutes. I melted in the microwave at 15 second intervals, stirring in between.

Combine the softened butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle. Cream on medium until well combined. Add the eggs, one at a time. Mix on medium until the eggs are incorporated.

Increase the speed to high and beat for a few minutes until the mixture is very light, creamy, and pale in color. Scrape down the bowl as needed. This is what gives the cookies the shiny, cracked tops. Add the melted chocolate and vanilla. Mix just until combined. Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the dry ingredients with a spatula. Do not overmix or the cookies with be tough. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Start scooping the cookies as soon as the batter is made. The batter is very soft and sticky at first. But it starts firming up quickly as it sits, making it difficult to portion. The easiest way to portion the cookies is with a 2- oz ice cream scoop. Pack the scoop 3/4 full. Or use a scant 1 ⁄4 cup or 1 1 ⁄2 ounces of cookie dough for each cookie.

Scoop the cookies onto baking sheets lined with parchment, about 2 inches apart. Flatten each mound of dough slightly with a dampened hand.

Immediately after scooping the batter, place them in the oven. If baking in batches, don’t refrigerate the scooped dough. Instead, leave them at room temperature. They will not spread properly if the dough is chilled.

Bake until the cookie tops are evenly cracked and they are soft set, ~14 to 16 minutes. Rotate the pan at ~ 7 minutes. If you have 2 pans of cookies in the oven at the same time, also switch them between the racks.

Remove the pans from the oven and cool on a wire rack. Allow the cookies to cool completely before removing them from the baking sheets with a metal spatula.

Source: The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook via In Sock Monkey Slippers

18 Comments

by Just Baked on January 21, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in Bakery, Chocolate, Cookies

Tagged bakery, bittersweet, chip, chocolate, cocoa, cookie, Dahlia, dessert, truffle

Posted by Just Baked on January 21, 2013

http://justbakedbyme.wordpress.com/2013/01/21/dahlia-bakery-chocolate-truffle-cookies/

Brown butter blueberry streusel muffins

I was looking for a recipe to use up some leftover blueberries and well, this recipe had me at brown butter. Okay, at streusel too. You know how I am a sucker for streusel! Please don’t be intimidated by the brown butter. It sounds fancy, but really you just melt butter in a saucepan until it turns golden brown. As long as you don’t burn it, that’s all there is to it. The first time I made brown butter, I was nervous. I almost dumped it because there was a bunch of brown specks. I thought for sure I messed up. It sure wouldn’t be the first time. But after a quick check online, I realized that’s just right.

I only used half the amount of the blueberries called for in the recipe because that was all baby Alex would spare. But, I liked it this way because the berries didn’t overwhelm the taste of the muffin. And, oh my goodness, the muffin itself is delicious. I am the only one in the family who likes blueberry muffins. I have told you before that my family is a little crazy, right? I didn’t want to eat all the muffins, so I brought them to work and had some very happy coworkers. As I was eating my muffin, I was thinking how good it was, even without the blueberries. It would make a lovely crumb cake muffin that my coffeecake-loving husband would go crazy for. I think I’ll try that next time, maybe even with a ribbon of cinnamon sugar or sweet cream cheese? This is the perfect base for experimenting with different flavors. But, I have to say, blueberry is a darn good place to start.

Brown butter blueberry streusel muffins

Yield: 12 muffins

For the muffin:

7 Tablespoons unsalted butter cut into a few pieces

1/3 cup buttermilk I used regular milk

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups fresh blueberries I used about 1 cup

Place rack in the upper third of the oven. Preheat to 375 F. Line a standard muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners. Set aside.

Place a small skillet (not nonstick or you won’t see the color change) over medium heat. Add the 7 tablespoons of butter. Move the butter around with a spoon until it is melted, turns a medium brown color and smells nutty. Remove from the heat right away, before it turns black. Transfer to a bowl to cool.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, yolk, and vanilla until well combined. Stir in the cooled brown butter.

In a separate medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Pour in all the milk mixture and stir gently with a spatula. Do not over mix. Carefully fold in the blueberries then divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin pan. I used a medium cookie scoop. Make the streusel topping.

For the streusel topping:

3 Tablespoons very cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3 Tablespoons granulated sugar

Combine the 3 ingredients in a small bowl. Rub together with your fingers until the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over the muffin batter in the cups.

Bake the muffins for 20 – 22 minutes, or until a little golden. Test with a toothpick. Cool in the muffin tin for 15 minutes before removing. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Source: Joy the Baker Cookbook via Pennies on a Platter

8 Comments

by Just Baked on January 16, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in blueberry, Breakfast, Fruit, Muffins

Tagged blueberry, brown butter, coffee cake, fruit, Joy the Baker, muffin, streusel

Posted by Just Baked on January 16, 2013

http://justbakedbyme.wordpress.com/2013/01/16/brown-butter-blueberry-streusel-muffins/

Top 12 of 2012

Wow! I can’t believe that my blog is old enough to even have a Top 12 of 2012 post! Well okay, since my blog only a year old, it is more like a Top 12 of my entire blog…period.

So, here are your favorites of 2012:

12. Blueberry Swirl Streusel Muffins Big, fat bakery style muffins, filled with blueberries, swirled with homemade jam and topped with streusel. Perfection. For now at least…

11. Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

I had to make these because I kept seeing them all over Pinterest as the best chocolate chip cookies. It seemed like a challenge to me. The secret ingredient is cornstarch which makes them extra puffy and chewy. Giant chunks of gooey Callebaut semi-sweet chocolate didn’t hurt either. Are they the best? I almost never say that…there are just too many recipes to try. But, I will say they are pretty darn good. And, I like to consider myself a chocolate chip cookie connoisseur.

10. Lemonade Sugar Cookies

These chewy cookies taste just like a tall glass of lemonade. They are the perfect ending to a backyard BBQ.

9. Banana Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

If you are anything like me, you always have a bunch of brown, borderline “time to throw in the garbage” looking bananas around. Are you tired of banana bread too? Wait until you try these. And the frosting. Oh my gosh, don’t get me started……

8. Hot Fudge Pudding Cake

Who needs a birthday cake when you can pop this baby in the oven and about a half hour later pull out a moist chocolate cake that has made its own hot fudge sauce. Scoop out a giant hunk and make sure to scrape all the chocolate goo from the bottom. All you need now, is a giant scoop of good ice cream. Hagen Daz vanilla bean please…

7. Chocolate Dreams

Don’t you just love the glossy, cracked coat these cookies get on the outside, just like you get on a perfect brownie? But, it’s not just about the looks. When you bite into the cookie, the bold chocolate flavor is almost shocking in its richness and then the gooeyness….oh my goodness!! If you love chocolate, you have just met your ideal cookie.

6. Vanilla Whoopie Pies

What’s not to love? Cake-like vanilla cookies filled with creamy marshmallow filling? Squeeze the two cookies together so the frosting peeks out enough to roll them in sprinkles. In this house, if there is an opportunity to use sprinkles, we take it. These are my husband’s favorites. He has declared me the whoopie pie queen. In 2013, I see some new flavors in my future.

5. Cookies and Cream Popsicles

My kids went nuts for these popsicles. We are all a bit obsessed with Oreos. Oreos in a sweet ice cream base, frozen onto a stick? Pretty much the perfect summer treat.

4. Hot Pretzels with Sweet Mustard and Cheese Sauce

Early this fall, a bunch of bloggers threw a baseball themed baby shower for our friend Jessica from The Jey of Cooking. When I think of baseball food, besides hot dogs, I think of hot pretzels. And as good as these pretzels are by themselves, they are even better dipped in sweet mustard or cheddar cheese sauce.

3. Mini Rainbow Vanilla Bean Donuts

I made these baked vanilla bean donuts from Sprinkle Bakes a few times and they were delicious. But then, I’m not sure what came over me because suddenly I envisioned them in rainbow. I was probably just inspired with how amazing everything on Heather’s blog is. While these took a bit of time, they really aren’t hard. I love how they turned out. While I promised to get another mini donut pan or two, I still haven’t. Which is probably why I haven’t made any more donuts. Add it to the list…

2. Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

My father in law likes coffee cake more than just about anyone I know. Since the 5 of us were using his house as a base for trick or treating, I thought it was only fair that I bring him a treat. The cake is moist and buttery, with a cheesecake like swirl in the middle, some texture from the streusel and sweetness from the powdered sugar glaze. I mean, really, how could you go wrong with this combination?

1. Downtown Bakery and Creamery’s Cinnamon Donut Muffins

These muffins caught my eye while watching the Best Thing I Ever Ate. Candace Nelson, the owner of Sprinkles, declared these cinnamon donut muffins as her favorite snack. I figured if Candace would rather snack on these than her delicious cupcakes, then must be pretty fabulous. I couldn’t believe it when I saw that Downtown Bakery and Creamy shares the recipe on their website. I must say, Candace has great taste. The muffins bake up tall with a crust on the outside and they are fluffy and tender on the inside. While they are still hot, you brush them all over with melted butter and roll them in cinnamon sugar. Does breakfast get much better than that?

Thank you so much for reading! The fact that there are so many amazing food blogs to read and that you have taken the time to stop by mine wows me. I love that I have found so many delicious new recipes and conquered some of my baking fears through my blog. I hope you have too. I can’t wait to see what goodness 2013 brings….

Wishing you and yours the happiest of new years,

Kim, Justin, Jack, Sammie, Alex and Walter (the pug)

19 Comments

by Just Baked on January 1, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in Uncategorized

Posted by Just Baked on January 1, 2013

http://justbakedbyme.wordpress.com/2013/01/01/top-12-of-2012/

What’s Baking November Round-Up- Oh My, It’s Pie!

I am so excited to be hosting November’s round-up for What’s Baking. I was trying to think up a theme and decided it would be a good idea to try to incorporate Thanksgiving. When I think of Thanksgiving, besides spending time with family, the turkey and all the fixings, I can’t help but think of dessert. And, dessert for Thanksgiving always seems to include pumpkin pie. But it doesn’t have to be pumpkin, does it? There are so many different delicious kinds of pie. So, let’s ditch the pumpkin and make pie the theme!

My good friend, Eva of Eva Bakes, recreated the old-fashioned Southern sweet potato pie that was the perfect ending to a real barbecue meal on a recent trip back to her Southern college town. For this pie to be authentic, a recipe with pumpkin pie spice would just not do. It was not easy, but Eva found the perfect recipe, without the spice, that allowed the sweetness of the potato to come through. My husband is crazy about sweet potatoes. He would totally love this pie!

After scoring a bunch of peaches at the farmer’s market this summer, Heather Lynn at Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks, made and jarred peach jam. Luckily she had enough fruit to make this delicious peach pie filling too. Heather Lynn had a mini-Thanksgiving dinner with some friends and all she had to do for dessert was make a pie crust for the sweet, spicy and juicy peach filling she already made. Now, that’s easy entertaining. Ina would be proud!

Part of what Jenna from Jenna’s Cooking Journey likes about What’s Baking is that she spends a lot of time reading through blogs, looking for the perfect recipe. She has found some great new blogs this way, including Mel’s Kitchen Cafe. where this blueberry cheesecake pie caught her eye. Mel’s is one of my favorite blogs, too. Mmmm…cheesecake with fresh blueberry topping? Sign me up!

Yudith, from Blissfully Delicious, didn’t really like coconut cream pie until she tasted this one that she made special for her mother’s visit. This pie sounds delicious with a chocolate wafer crust, coconut pudding, sweetened whipped cream and toasted coconut. And, congratulations to Yudith and her family on a new addition due this May. How exciting!

Ange, from The Tiny Tyrant’s Kitchen, likes to steer clear of pumpkin pie for the holidays and do something different. This time she decided to give sugar cream pie a try. Although it smelled good while it baked, Ange was disappointed with the consistency and sweetness. I’m sorry Ange, I have had more than my share of baking disappointments.

Joanna, from Kosher Kitchen, decided to make chocolate pecan pie with homemade pie crust. Although she was nervous at first, thankfully, it was easier than she thought. The pie was well received at her Thanksgiving dinner. After eating it, her second cousin declared Joanna’s husband a lucky man. Her husband couldn’t help but agree, for this pie and a list of many other things.

Sandra, of She Cooks and Bakes, just had a baby (congratulations) and was hosting Thanksgiving, so she needed a quick and easy dessert. This peanut butter icebox pie fit the bill. Peanut butter and chocolate just happens to be my favorite flavor combination. In fact, I am eating mini peanut butter cups from Trader Joe’s as I type this. They are so good and I am now sad that they are almost gone. Now, I have to buy more and make this pie!

Cookie Dough Cream Pie, say what? Carrie from Carrie’s Sweet Life made this pie from The Cookie Dough Lover’s Cookbook, which I own. I have made several recipes from the book and they have all been wonderful. Honestly, I don’t know how I missed this recipe because it looks and sounds delicious.

Stephanie, at Brownies and Blondies, was talking to her fiancée about his mom’s coconut cream pie recently and decided to make it for What’s Baking. But, it seemed too summery, so she decided to add cranberries. And then what the heck, throw in some white chocolate because it goes so well with cranberries. And that is how this white chocolate coconut cranberry pie was born!

Nicole, from Seven Ate Nine, decided to make Paleo Pie because her husband and his dad are on the Whole 30 Program, which doesn’t allow for anything in a dessert pie. So, she made an egg “crust” and filled it with eggs, sausage, peppers and onions to make a quiche of sorts. I never think of savory pies, but we love eggs in my house.

And, I made French silk pie. It has always been a favorite of mine and apparently it is now Jack’s and Sammie’s favorite too. Of course baby Alex loved it, but really that is no feat, he eats everything. The great thing about this recipe is that you don’t have to worry about raw eggs. ATK found a way around it and the filling is actually cooked. So now it is safe for small children and it is still delicious. Really, crazy delicious!

Carrie, from Carrie’s Sweet Life, is the December hostess for What’s Baking. So, at the end of next month, make sure to head over to her blog for a round-up of some delicious peppermint recipes!

4 Comments

by Just Baked on December 3, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in blueberry, Candy, Cheesecake, Chocolate, Cookies, Fruit, Pie

Tagged blueberry, cheesecake, chocolate, coconut, cookie, cookie dough, cranberry, cream, paleo, peach, peanut butter, pecan, pie, Reese's, sugar, sweet potato, What's Baking

Posted by Just Baked on December 3, 2012

http://justbakedbyme.wordpress.com/2012/12/03/whats-baking-november-round-up-oh-my-its-pie/

French Silk Chocolate Pie

I’m sorry to have been absent this month. I am very excited to have a great, new FT job!! Then I also have my PT teaching job, three children, a husband, a dog….so, as you can imagine, November has been a bit busy. But, in a great way!

I am happy to be the November hostess for What’s Baking. I chose pie for the theme, figuring with Thanksgiving and all, it would be very fitting. This year, we went to my mother-in-law’s for Thanksgiving and of course, I was in charge of dessert. I decided to make a French silk pie because it has been my favorite ever since I was a little girl and my grandpa would bring one from Baker’s Square every time he visited. I hadn’t made it since college, then using a Pillsbury pie crust and a recipe with raw eggs. But, with three kids, I figured this would just not do. So, I thought the cooked version from ATK would be the perfect solution. And, I would scrap the store-bought crust and make my own pastry crust. Oh, I always have grand plans…

So, I set off to make Martha’s pastry crust that I made last Thanksgiving. But, I either forgot or didn’t read the directions carefully that the prepared crust had to be refrigerated for 1 hour before baking. At this point, it was already noon and there was no time for that. So, I just put the crust in the oven as is and hoped for the best. When time was up, to my dismay, the crust totally shrunk down to about 1/2 inch tall. Yeah, no way was this crust going to hold the French silk filling. Oh, geez. Now what? Thank goodness we had some Oreos and so I made a quick cookie crust. Problem solved.

For the filling, you will need a hand mixer to beat the eggs and sugar over a double boiler for ~8 minutes until they reach 160 degrees. Midway through this process, my husband yelled for me to come upstairs. He didn’t sound too happy, so I turned off the stove, put the mixer down, and went upstairs. There I see Justin, holding Alex with blue, purple and green marker all over his face, hands, and the walls of his bedroom. Apparently Alex crawled out of his bed after his nap, found his sister’s markers, and decided that he and his room were in need of a makeover. So, Justin had to put out that fire, while I went back to my pie. Luckily, the rest of it went off without a hitch.

The pie was ready just in time to leave for my mother-in-law’s house. I hadn’t made the whipped cream and chocolate curls yet, but the kitchen was all a bustle in apps, turkey and sides preparation. So, I figured I should have an apple bourbon drink and just wait until after dinner to finish my pie. But, the problem is, I cannot take pictures inside. No matter how I adjust the white balance on my camera or how I edit it, I cannot get the color right on indoor pictures. Of course, after dinner it was dark, so I didn’t get a photo But, this pie was crazy delicious and went fast. So, what the heck, I would just have to make another one. I mean, after all, I was hosting What’s Baking, I chose the theme of pie and then I had no pie? This could not be. I can think of many worse things than having to eat two French silk pies in one week.

French Silk Chocolate Pie

Yield: one 9 inch pie

For the crust:

18 Oreo cookies

3 Tbsp melted butter

Place cookies in the food processor and process until they are fine crumbs. Pour in the butter and process until well combined.

Press crumb mixture onto bottom and up the sides of 9-inch pie plate. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees until the crust is fragrant, ~ 10 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

Source: I combined the recipes from Martha Stewart New Pies and Tarts and Kraft.

For the filling:

1 cup heavy cream, chilled
3 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons water
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and softened

With an electric mixer on med-high, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks, ~2 to 3 minutes. Put the whipped cream in a small bowl and refrigerate until needed.

Prepare a double boiler with a medium-sized saucepan filled with ½ inch of barely simmering water and place a large heat proof bowl on top. Put the eggs, sugar, and water into the bowl. With electric mixer on medium speed, beat until the egg mixture is thick and registers 160 degrees on a candy thermometer, ~ 7 to 10 minutes. Remove the bowl from the heat. Continue to beat the egg mixture until fluffy and cooled to room temperature, ~ 8 minutes.

Add the cool chocolate and vanilla to the cool egg mixture. Beat until incorporated. Beat in the softened butter pieces, a few at a time, until well combined. Using a spatula, fold in the whipped cream until no streaks of white remain. Scrape the filling into the pie shell. Refrigerate until set, at least 3 hours and up to 24 hours.

Garnish with sweetened whipped cream and chocolate curls if desired.

Source: Cook’s Country Feb/March 2009

For the sweetened whipped cream topping:

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar

Chocolate curls, if desired

With an electric mixer on med-high, whisk cream just until soft peaks form. Add confectioner’s sugar and whisk until stiff peaks. Spread whipped cream over the chocolate filling.

Garnish with chocolate curls just before serving if desired. To do this, heat a thick bar of milk chocolate in the microwave for 15 second increments until it softens a bit, but doesn’t melt. Use a peeler along the long side of the chocolate bar to make the curls. Don’t worry, it’s easier than it looks.

Source: Martha Stewart New Pies and Tarts

9 Comments

by Just Baked on December 2, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Chocolate, Pie

Tagged ATK, chocolate, CI, Cook's Country, cooked, cream. pie, crust, french, heavy cream, Oreo, silk

Posted by Just Baked on December 2, 2012

http://justbakedbyme.wordpress.com/2012/12/02/french-silk-chocolate-pie/

Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

The last few years we have gone to my father in law’s for Halloween because we live in a townhouse and no one really trick or treats here. We use Karl’s house to get everyone dressed (this year as a ninja, Princess Tiana and a gnome), trick or treat as long as the cold Chicago weather permits, and stop back for dinner and dessert. I was trying to decide what to bring and then it came to me. My FIL loves coffee cake (given the opportunity, he could eat the whole thing himself) and I had just pinned the perfect recipe a few weeks ago. I knew that the kids wouldn’t eat it, but they would be too preoccupied with sorting and eating candy to even notice. So, coffee cake it was.

Halloween was a super busy day. We went to Sammie’s parade in the morning and then went back again at 1 for Jack’s parade. Immediately after that, I planned on making the coffee cake. But the problem was I neglected to notice that there were four steps and a 45 minute baking time. I took the cake out of the oven just 15 minutes before we had to leave. It was supposed to cool before glazing, but there was no time for that. So I glazed it anyway. The pan was too hot to hold so I had to carry it by the cooling rack and put it on the floor of the car. Luckily, it didn’t burn into the rug.

I couldn’t wait for dessert to taste this cake. I love coffee cake too, especially those without cinnamon. Don’t get me wrong, I love cinnamon, but I just prefer my coffee cake without. I save cinnamon for the rolls I have to say, this cake was so worth the wait. The cake is moist and buttery, with a cheesecake like swirl in the middle, some texture from the streusel and sweetness from the powdered sugar glaze. I mean, really, how could you go wrong with this combination?

Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Yield: 13 x 9 cake

For the filling:

Two 8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened (light or regular) I used regular

½ cup sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg

For the cake:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup sour cream (light or regular)

For the streusel topping:

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup flour

3 tablespoons butter, chilled and cubed

For the glaze:

¼ cup confectioners’ sugar

1 ½ teaspoons milk

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease/flour or spray a 9 x 13 cake pan. Set aside.

Make the filling: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle, mix together the cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla on medium-low speed until creamy. Set aside for the filling. (If you have 1 bowl and paddle, you will need to put this mixture in a separate bowl, and wash them to use to make the cake batter)

Make the cake batter: In medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt until well combined. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle, cream together the butter and sugar on medium-low speed. Add eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla extract. Slowly pour in the flour mixture alternating with the sour cream until it is all combined.

Spread half of the batter into the prepared cake pan with a spatula. Spread the cream cheese filling evenly on top. Top with remaining cake batter and smooth with a spatula. Using a butter knife, gently swirl in the batter.

Make the topping: Add the sugar, flour and chilled butter in a small bowl. Stir using a fork or pastry blender until the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle the streusel on top of cake batter.

Bake for 40-45 minutes until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack.

To make the glaze: In a small bowl, combine confectioners’ sugar and milk until creamy. Drizzle over cake.

Source: Mother Thyme

97 Comments

by Just Baked on November 7, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Breakfast, Cake

Tagged breakfest, cake, coffee cake, cream cheese, dessert, filling, glazed, streusel

Posted by Just Baked on November 7, 2012

http://justbakedbyme.wordpress.com/2012/11/07/cream-cheese-coffee-cake/

Oreo Cheesecake Cookies

This was not what I was going to blog today. I made this zebra bundt cake, coloring the white part orange, so it would be black and orange striped for Halloween. Cool right? Well, it would have been if the whole top of the cake didn’t stick to the pan. Oh, and then it broke into 3 pieces after that. Damn, it tasted good and the stripes looked awesome too. Bundts for some reason always give me trouble. I have a Nordic Ware pan, I use Pam baking spray plus flour, take the cake out at 15 minutes exactly, and about 50% of the time, I still get major stickage. So, if anyone has any tips for me I would be glad to hear them. It is just maddening.

No way I was going to attempt another bundt, so I decided to make cookies. I scanned through my cookies board on Pinterest and I was stopped dead in my tracks when I saw these Oreo cheesecake cookies. After reading through the recipe, though, I thought there must be a mistake. It doesn’t have any eggs and no leavener either. Weird. But, I followed the blog trail all the way back to the original recipe and it was correct. I was a bit hesitant to make them, but they sounded so good (and quick and easy) that I decided to give them a try. I’m glad I did. When you bite into them, you get a slight crunch around the outside and almost a creaminess on the inside. You can taste the tang from the cream cheese and of course, the just plain deliciousness of Oreos. I mean, really…Oreos, cheesecake, and cookies? There can’t be too many better combinations. Okay, maybe chocolate and peanut butter.

So, since I messed up my Halloween themed post, I will leave you with a Happy Halloween from Jack, Sammie and Alex. Well, maybe just Jack and Sammie. Baby Alex is not at all happy.

Oreo Cheesecake Cookies

Yield: 12 to 15 cookies (I got 14)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup flour

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1 cup crushed Oreo’s (roughly 8 – 10 Oreo cookies)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with Silpat or parchment paper.

In a food processor, process the Oreo cookies until they are fine crumbs. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the softened butter and cream cheese until smooth and well combined.

Add the sugar and vanilla. Beat until well incorporated.

On low, mix in the flour. With a spatula, stir in the chocolate chips.

Scoop the dough with a medium cookie scoop. Place the dough in your hands and roll it into a ball. Roll the dough in the Oreo crumbs, covering it completely.

Place the Oreo coated ball of dough on the prepared cookie sheet. Repeat with the rest of the dough.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, rotating halfway through baking time. Remove from the oven when you see the edges just starting to brown. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer to cool completely on a wire rack covered with a paper towel.

Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Source: Table for Two (as seen on Brown Eyed Baker and Two Peas and Their Pod), original source: Multiply Delicious

12 Comments

by Just Baked on October 31, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Chocolate, Cookies

Tagged cheesecake, chocolate, cookies, cream cheese, dessert, Oreo, quick

Posted by Just Baked on October 31, 2012

http://justbakedbyme.wordpress.com/2012/10/31/oreo-cheesecake-cookies/

Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing

Hello everyone! I feel like I have been gone forever. We have had a terrible cold virus taking us out one at a time. First it was my daughter, then baby Alex got croup, then me and now my husband. Somehow, only Jack was spared, knock on wood.

This month, my friend Eva at Eva Bakes picked pumpkin and sweet potatoes as the theme for What’s Baking. I am so grateful for the support Eva has always given me and my blog. Us bakers stick together! So, if you get a chance, head over to Eva’s wonderful blog and check out her oh so fabulous looking desserts!

As I have said before, my husband is a super picky eater. But surprisingly, at least to me, he loves sweet potatoes. I have never baked with them before because I am not really a big fan. So, I decided to go with pumpkin instead, since we both like it. I made pumpkin bread a few weeks ago and it was delicious. But, I wanted to do something different. I came across these pumpkin cookies with brown butter icing and thought…pumpkin, spices, brown butter, frosting? Umm..yum!

The batter of these cookies is simple to put together, but then Martha recommends piping the dough onto a cookie sheet. Well, for 6 dozen cookies, that sounded like it would take forever. I thought the batter was definitely thick enough to use a cookie scoop for portioning. They may end up looking a bit nicer Martha’s way (doesn’t it always?), but I thought my way turned out just fine and was a heck of a lot faster. Although these are called cookies, they have a cake-like texture, more like a whoopie pie. If you have never made brown butter before, it’s really easy. You just melt butter in a pan until, you guessed it, it is brown. You just have to be careful to not go to far and have the bits turn black. Then, I’m sorry, you will have to start over. The addition of brown butter to the frosting, instead of the usual softened butter, gave it almost a butterscotch flavor that was crazy delicious! When I was done frosting the cookies, I let Jack and Sammie eat the last bit of frosting in the bowl while I cleaned up. All I could hear was Mmmm….Mmmmm and when I took the bowl away it was almost clean enough to put back in the cabinet. Sammie didn’t even want to taste the cookies because she hates pumpkin, she says. Yet, after some convincing, she ate two before I cut her off. Jack kept saying “These are so good mom”, baby Alex kept pointing to the container to ask for more, and all Justin could say was “Oh.My.God”. So, yeah, I think my family liked them okay.

Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing

Yield: 6 dozen (I got 4 dozen)

For the cookies:

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger

3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

2 1/4 cups packed light-brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin (14 ounces) Almost a whole 15 oz can

3/4 cup evaporated milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle, mix the butter and brown sugar on medium until pale and fluffy, ~3 minutes. Mix in eggs one at a time. Reduce the speed to low. Add the pumpkin, evaporated milk, and vanilla. Mix until well blended, ~ 2 minutes. Note: The mixture will look curdled, don’t worry. Add flour mixture and mix until combined. It shouldn’t look curdled anymore.

Martha says: Transfer 1 1/2 cups batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip (such as Ateco #806) and pipe 1 1/2-inch rounds onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 1 inch apart. I used a cookie scoop and it worked great. Bake the cookies, rotating sheets halfway through baking. When done, the tops should spring back, ~ 12 minutes. Cool on sheets on wire racks for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire rack and cool completely before frosting.

For the brown butter icing:

4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon evaporated milk Save the remaining milk to thin the frosting out if it thickens too much while frosting all the cookies

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract I used vanilla bean paste….I love those specks!

Measure the confectioners’ sugar and put into a large bowl. Set aside. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Cook the butter, swirling pan occasionally, until golden brown, ~ 3 minutes. Watch carefully, you want brown bits, not black. Immediately pour the browned butter into the bowl of confectioners’ sugar. Make sure to scrape any browned bits from sides and bottom of pan. Pour in the evaporated milk and vanilla. Stir until smooth. Spread about 1 teaspoon icing onto each cookie. If icing stiffens, stir in more evaporated milk, a little at a time. Let sit for a few hours to set before packing up for storage. Make sure to place wax paper in between each layer to prevent sticking.

Source: Martha Stewart