A Bowl Of Mush

Lavender Banana Bread

2011-12-09T17:30:00.000-05:00

This week I've been thinking about some of the things that I love most about this time of the year. As stressful as it can be sometimes, its really nice to think that we spend a whole month (or perhaps more) searching for gifts for the ones we love, writing cards to wish them a joyful season and making plans to spend quality time with them. The world around you becomes a festive, warming and happy place even in the midst of a dreary winter. It's a time that allows us to stop for a moment and show how much we appreciate those around us.

Other than my amazing husband, family and friends, here are some things I've been loving this season:

Things I love this Winter...

(From Left to Right)
Trader Joe's bags as gift wrap, Laduree Chestnut & Pear Macarons, Peyton & Byrnes British Baking, Sophie Dahl's From Season to Season, Miller Harris's Violette Tea, Cath Kidston's Bon Bon Stripe Pyjamas, NYC Ballet's The Nutcracker, The Rockefeller Christmas Tree NY, She & Him Christmas album, Episodes of New Girl, Kate Spade's Holiday Gift Guide, Trader Joe's chocolate advent calender.

This Lavender Banana Bread also makes the list. I really don't think I can go back to making regular banana bread now after having this one. It really is one of the best things I've ever eaten.

Lavender Banana Bread: (makes 1 loaf)

* 3/4 cup Lavender Sugar (plus extra for sprinkling)
1/2 cup butter (softened)
2 eggs
pinch of nutmeg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 bananas mashed
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup milk

* For the Lavender Sugar, mix white granulated sugar and dried lavender buds in a jar. For every cup of sugar add a 1/4 cup of lavender.

Seal and store for 1-2 weeks, shaking now and again. (If you don't want extras then just make enough lavender sugar for this recipe).

Preheat the oven to 350F

In a large bowl cream together the butter and lavender sugar (I didn't sieve the lavender buds out).

Add the eggs, vanilla extract and nutmeg, beat well.

Add the mashed bananas, mix well.

Fold in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and mix just enough until well combined.

Line a loaf tin with parchment paper and add the mixture to it.

Bake at 350F for 1 hour (or until golden and a skewer comes out clean.)

When removed from the oven, sprinkle the top of the bread with more lavender sugar.

Allow to cool on a rack. Enjoy with a cup of tea :)

Ricotta Pancakes

2011-11-18T08:52:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving is days away and Christmas is just around the corner and still, I dream of summer...

Beautiful blue Ameraucan eggs.

Ricotta Pancakes: Adapted from Nigella Lawson's Ricotta Hotcakes in How to be a Domestic Goddess

9 ounces ricotta cheese (1 cup + 2 tbsp)
1/2 cup milk
2 whole eggs (separated)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 pinch salt
2 tablespoons powdered sugar and extra for sprinkling (my addition- If you're having these with maple syrup then omit this)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract (my addition)
Strawberries (optional)

In a bowl, combine the ricotta, egg yolks, milk, vanilla and powdered sugar (vanilla and sugar are optional).

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into the ricotta mix and stir to combine.

Beat the egg whites till it forms peaks and then fold into the ricotta mix.

Heat a non-stick griddle and drop heaped tablespoons (or whatever size you wish) to the pan and cook on each side for approx 1 minute.

Sprinkle the pancakes with powdered sugar and serve with strawberries.

Peach & Blueberry Pie

2011-04-28T23:19:00.001-04:00

"Let's see now. We have a dozen peach, a dozen berry, a dozen pumpkin, and a dozen cherry. Now when we finish the apple, we can quit for the night." - Mildred Pierce

If you watched the miniseries of Mildred Pierce last month then it's more than likely that it left you aching for pie, or chicken and waffles for that matter.

I thoroughly enjoyed this miniseries, although it does leave you quite disturbed at times. It taps into the terribly gloomy depression era with its darkly stunning cinematography, 1930's style, and powerful acting, particularly from Kate Winslet, who plays Mildred Pierce and Evan Rachel Wood, who plays Mildred's pretentious daughter Veda. I heard that this was a much better adaptation of the book than the Joan Crawford movie. Has anyone seen that movie or read the book?

I'm not certain if this peach and blueberry pie is very true to the Great Depression, but Mildred sold really good pies and this is certainly a really good pie. I love the almost neon purple that comes out of the blueberries; it's very striking against the orangey peach and golden crust. This pie is not sickly at all and has a lovely sweet and mellow flavor. The pairing of peach and blueberry together is so perfect and summery.

This peach and blueberry pie is wonderful on its own, served warm or cold, or with a little custard. Please let me know if you do make this and manage to not eat the whole thing in one day...I would love to know how you did it.

Happy Royal Wedding weekend! I will most likely be one of those Brits that feels left out and gets up at 4am to watch it all... :)

Peach & Blueberry Pie: (makes one 9" pie)

1 good 9" pie crust recipe for the base of the pie

For the pie filling:

Approx 6 ripe skinned Peaches (or 2 cans of non-syrup, sliced peaches)
4.4 oz blueberries
2 tablespoons confectioners sugar
1/4 cup corn starch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 tsp orange zest

For the topping:

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup ground almonds
1/2 cup light brown sugar (extra for sprinkling)
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp rolled oats
1/8th tsp cinnamon
1/8th tsp salt
1/4 tsp orange zest
1/4 cup butter

Prepare the pie base in a 9" pie dish and then par-bake in the oven at 375F for 6 mins. Set aside. (Keep the oven on.)

In a bowl mix together the sliced peaches and all the rest of the pie filling ingredients. Set aside.

In another bowl add all the pie topping ingredients and rub the butter into it all with your fingers until the mixture resembled fine breadcrumbs.

Add the pie filling carefully into the pie crust, distributing everything evenly.

Then add the crumb topping mixture covering all the fruit.

Sprinkle another teaspoon or so of brown sugar on top.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 375F for 35-40 mins or until the pie is golden brown.

Hot Cross Buns

2011-04-20T21:34:00.002-04:00

One ha' penny, two ha' penny – hot cross buns!

Easter is late this year and it certainly feels like it. Normally my birthday is right around Easter and it has always been more of joint celebration with birthday cake, Easter eggs and eating my body weight in chocolate.

This is the first year I decided to make hot cross buns instead of buying them. It's hard to find the real deal here in the States, all the hot cross buns seem to be more like sticky buns with icing rather than tea cakes. In the UK, they are sold everywhere as "tea cakes" until Easter approaches, when a cross is stamped on them and they become hot cross buns. I love them for breakfast, cut in half, toasted and smothered in butter with a cup of Miller Harris Thé Pétales.

I found this hot cross bun recipe in a book I have from Betty's Cafe & Tea Rooms in Yorkshire, UK. It's a lovely book full of seasonal recipes and desserts from their cafe's. I'm sure there's plenty of posts to come from this book.

Some of my beautiful birthday presents from this year. Some Miller Harris goodies, Fortnum & Mason delights, one of my favorite Jo Malone Scents, Liberty of London, Macarons and Books.

Bettys Tea Rooms Hot Cross Buns: (A Year of Family Recipes by Lesley Wild, Bettys Cookery School)
(makes 12)

For the crossing paste:

180g (3/4 cup) strong white flour/bread flour
Pinch of salt
Pinch of baking powder
50ml (3 tbsp) vegetable oil
200ml (3/4 cup + 2 tbsp) water

For the buns:

400g (1 1/2 cups + 3 tbsp) strong white flour/bread flour
1 level tsp salt
60g (1/4 cup) fine white sugar
2 heaped teaspoons mixed spice (I used pumpkin pie spice)
45g (3 tbsp) butter (cut into small cubes)
50g (1/4 cup) fresh yeast OR 25g (2 tbsp) dried yeast
130ml (1/2 cup + 1 tbsp) tepid water
70ml (1/4 cup + 1 tbsp) milk
100g (1/4 cup +2 tbsp) currants
115g (1/2 cup) sultanas
50g (2 tbsp) chopped mixed peel

For the sugar-syrup glaze:

200g (3/4 cup + 1 tbsp) fine white sugar
200ml (3/4 cup + 2 tbsp) water

You will need to make the crossing paste a couple of hours before it is required to allow it to relax before piping.

Sieve the flour, salt and baking powder together in a bowl.

Then add the vegetable oil. Mix together until a crumb-like texture has formed.

Add the water slowly while beating until a smooth paste has formed. Once you've added all of the water, beat the paste for a couple of minutes.

Cover the bowl with cling wrap and place in the fridge. (Make sure it's quite thick, mine was far too thin.)

In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, salt, sugar and mixed spice.

Add the butter and rub the flour and butter together with your fingers until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

In a small bowl dissolve the yeast with the tepid water.

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the dissolved yeast and the milk.

Begin to mix it all together and then begin to knead the dough for 10-12 minutes (or use your kitchen aid on speed level 2).

After kneading, spread the the dough on a floured work surface and pile all the dried fruit in the center.

Fold the outside edges around the fruit and continue to knead gently until the fruit is evenly distributed (be patient).

Allow the dough to rest on the work surface for 5 minutes covered with a tea towel.

Divide the dough into 12 equal portions and shape into round balls.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Carefully place the buns on the baking sheets with plenty of space in between.

Cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours, until the buns have doubled in size.

When the buns have risen, preheat the oven to 200C/390F.

Prepare the sugar syrup by heating the sugar and water together until the mixture becomes syrupy. Allow to cool.

Pipe the crossing paste over the buns. Bake the buns in the oven for 10-12 minutes until they are rich and golden brown.

Remove from the oven and immediately brush the tops of the buns with the sugar-syrup glaze.

Allow the buns to cool on a rack. Serve warm or toasted with butter and tea.

Pink Grapefruit & Rose Cake

2011-04-12T13:00:00.001-04:00

The online grocery store that we order things from weekly have been throwing in complementary seasonal produce lately, which is nothing to complain about. A few weeks ago, they were giving us lots of gorgeous pears which I loved, but for the past two weeks they've been sending us four big grapefruits with every order! I'm sure this would make many of you very happy, but I really am not a grapefruit fan. I don't like them for breakfast, in salads or as juice. What am I going to do with all these grapefruits? Every time I order, I dread another batch of free grapefruits... As much as I dislike grapefruit in general, I do however remember having a grapefruit cake once that I actually liked, so I gave it a go.

Now a flavor that I do happen to like, or obsess over to be more exact, is rose. Give me anything rose flavored and I will love it.
As an experiment, I decided to add something that I love (rose) and something I don't love (grapefruit) into something that I always love (cake) and let me just say that I LOVE this love/hate cake!

This cake is very very moist and light; it is so beautiful. The grapefruit is still very present but in a lovely mellow way and the rose flavor is subtle but makes this cake so delicate and gorgeous.

A slice of this and a lovely cup of tea; I am in love.

Pink Grapefruit & Rose Cake
(makes 1 loaf)

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons pink grapefruit zest (approx one large grapefruit)
2 tablespoons rose water
1 tablespoon rose syrup
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1+1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup buttermilk

For the syrup:

4 tablespoons freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice
1+1/2 teaspoons rose water
1/2 cup confectioners sugar

Preheat oven to 350F Grease an approx 9" loaf pan and line with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, using a whisk or stand mixer, cream together the butter, oil, sugar, grapefruit zest, rose water, rose syrup and vanilla extract until smooth.

Whisk in the eggs.

Sift in the flour and baking powder and salt, mix well.

Then add the buttermilk and whisk until smooth.

Add the cake batter to the lined loaf pan and bake at 350F for 45-50 minutes until golden, spongy and set.

While the cake is in the oven, make the syrup in a bowl by mixing the grapefruit juice, rose water and confectioners sugar together until smooth. Set aside.

When the cake is done, leave it in the pan and allow it to cool for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes puncture it all over with a tooth pick and then pour over the grapefruit-rose sugar syrup and let the cake sit and absorb the liquid until completely cooled.

Remove from the loaf pan very gently, slice and serve with your favorite tea :)

Lavender Earl Grey Scones

2011-03-29T12:41:00.005-04:00

I'm so glad to say that spring is here, it felt like winter would never end! Although it's still pretty chilly here, the sun couldn't be brighter and cherry blossoms are starting to bloom.

When the weather changes and my birthday approaches, I can think of nothing more than picnics and cream tea in the park. Alice's Tea Cup has become one of my favorite spots for afternoon tea in New York. Their tea list is never ending and the scones and sandwiches are utterly delicious. My particular favorites are their buttermilk or banana berry scones with jam and whipped cream with a lovely pot of lavender Early Grey tea. My husband likes their pumpkin scones and Russian Caravan tea.

The Alice's Tea Cup book is really worth a look at; it's beautiful. They have gorgeous recipes for scones, cakes and brunches. Being a fan of their Lavender Earl Grey tea, I jumped when I saw their Lavender Earl Grey scones in the book. I couldn't imagine a scone more perfect.

These scones will fill the air with the scent of sweet buttery lavender and take you straight to the south of France. They're just the way scones should be: flaky, soft inside and melt in the mouth dreamy. The lavender is beautiful and floral and the Earl Grey adds a subtle depth to the flavor. It's tea time baked straight into a scone. I added more lavender as the recipe's amount was very slight and too subtle.

I like eating these particular scones warm and fresh with butter, as the flavor is very delicate, but I wouldn't say no to some jam and clotted cream. A cup of Lavender Earl Grey tea is a must with this. Scroll to the bottom for this tea recipe.

Lavender Earl Grey Scones (Adapted from Alice's Tea Cup) Makes 10-12

2 heaping teaspoons Lavender Earl Grey tea (scroll down for recipe)
Lavender flower buds (my addition to the recipe)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar (and extra for sprinkling)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter (cold and cut into cubes)
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup heavy cream (for brushing)

Preheat the oven to 425F/220C

Steep 1 heaping teaspoon of the Lavender Earl Grey tea in 1/4 cup of boiling water for 3 minutes. Strain and reserve the tea.

Using a pestle and mortar or coffee grinder, grind a teaspoon of Lavender Earl Grey tea to a fine powder. (I added an extra teaspoon of lavender buds to this- it's worth it!)

In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and ground lavender tea powder. (I added a heaped tablespoon of lavender buds as well for more taste and prettiness) Add the butter and rub the flour and butter together with your fingers until you get a fine breadcrumb like texture.

Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and add the buttermilk, vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon of the brewed Lavender Earl Grey tea.

Combine the mixture very slowly and lightly until the dry mix is wet- do not knead!

Turn the mixture onto a floured surface and gather the dough together very carefully, handling it as less as possible.

Gently pat the dough to make a rectangle or square about 1 1/2 inches thick. Using a dough cutter cut the scones into circles or wedges, however you prefer. Lay them on a nonstick baking sheet.

Gather the remaining dough together lightly to cut more scones. Try to touch the dough very little for a beautiful scone texture.

Brush the top of each scone generously with heavy cream and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake the scones for about 12 minutes, or until very lightly browned.

Lavender Earl Grey Tea: (I make my own, but you can buy the tea from Alice's Tea Cup)

Earl Grey Tea Leaves
Lavender flower buds (ground roughly with a pestle and mortar)

Whatever amount of Earl Grey you use, you will need 1/2 the amount of Lavender. So for every teaspoon of Earl Grey add 1/2 teaspoon of roughly ground lavender buds, or for a bigger batch add 1/2 cup of lavender to every cup of Earl Grey.

Mix the Lavender and Earl grey together and store in a sealed jar or container.

You can use more or less of the lavender, its completely up to how you like it.

English Pancakes with Lemon & Sugar

2011-03-08T10:35:00.000-05:00

I have lovely memories of eating English pancakes as a child, particularly on Shrove Tuesday, more commonly known as Pancake Day. My mother would be flipping these pancakes on that special Tuesday morning for breakfast before my sister and I went off to school. Pancake Day was always something we looked forward to and Lemon and sugar was always the traditional topping of choice.

For me that special Tuesday defined the beginning of spring time: the smell of sweet lemon in the air, the sun shining brightly into the kitchen, and snowdrops propping up like lamp posts in the garden.

I remember making English pancakes for my American husband for the first time. He of course grew up eating fluffy American pancakes with blueberries and had never experienced Pancake Day. I'm happy to say now that his pancake of choice is the English and like me, he looks forward to that special Tuesday in the early spring.

English pancakes are thicker than the French crepes and the lack of sugar in the batter makes them very versatile and can be used as a sweet or savory pancake. The traditional way to serve these is with sprinkled sugar and lots of freshly squeezed lemon, I have always preferred it this way, however any kind syrup, fruit compote, chocolate, cream, or anything that takes your fancy would be lovely.

English Pancakes with Lemon & Sugar
(makes approx 8)

1 egg,
1 egg yolk
1 cup flour
1 1/4 cups of milk
1/8th teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon melted butter
White sugar
Lemons

Sift the flour in a bowl with the salt

Make a well in the middle and add the eggs and half the milk, whisking.

Then add the rest of the milk and melted butter, whisk well.

Heat an 8-inch frying pan until hot and then reduce to medium.

Add a very small knob of butter to the pan, spread it around and let it sizzle.

Pour approx 2 tablespoons of batter into the frying pan, tilting the pan swirling the batter to cover the round area of the pan.

Cook the pancake for approx 30 seconds per side.

On a plate sprinkle plenty of white sugar and freshly squeezed lemon juice on each pancake and roll it up.

Squeeze extra lemon over the pancakes before eating.

Take in the smell of the beginning of Spring :)

M&M Cookies

2011-02-25T08:43:00.006-05:00

The hubby and I have been going through an M&M phase lately. I bought a bag of them back in December thinking I would use the red M&M's for the nose in some Rudolph Christmas cookies that I actually did not end up making. The bag of M&M's was ripped open one night when only chocolate would do and over the course of January we had eaten the whole bag. I hadn't had M&M's in a long time and I forgot how addictive they are.

The other week the husband came home with yet another bag! Oh dear... This time I decided to spin straw into gold and make M&M cookies.

I always loved cookies made with Smarties when I lived in the UK and these are just like them: fun and incredibly tasty. I made a big batch for a baby party I went to recently; they're so colorful and cute.

These cookies are lovely and chewy which complements the chocolatey crunch you get from the M&M's.

A bag of peanut butter M&M's mysteriously appeared in the apartment this week...

M&M Cookies: (makes approx 30)

3/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1 cup butter (room temperature)
2 eggs (room temperature)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups of M&M's

Cream the butter and sugar together

Add the vanilla and eggs and beat well.

Add the flour, salt and baking soda, blend well.

Add a cup of M&M's and mix in.

Drop tablespoons of dough onto a cookie sheet, separated well from each other.

Cover each drop of dough with more M&M's on top.

Bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes (depending on how you like them).

Chocolate Valentine Cakes

2011-02-12T15:35:00.006-05:00

What does everyone like to do for Valentine's Day? I prefer birthdays and anniversaries to be the big present giving days, so for us, Valentine's Day isn't anything too fancy. It usually involves roses, chocolates, candy and cards; I like it to be traditional. Sometimes we go out for a beautiful meal and sometimes we like to stay in and cook something special.

I love making a cake for Valentine's Day; its pretty much the only time of the year when everything can be red, pink and heart-shaped with a huge dose of lovey-doveyness. Last year's rose petal cake was so delicious and romantic that I actually thought about making it again this year. In the end though, I decided to not even make one big cake, but rather little cakes with lots of chocolate and some cute decorating.

These little love cakes are made using heart shaped silicone cupcake liners. The Martha Stewart one-bowl chocolate cupcakes recipe that I used for them is absolutely gorgeous and are probably the best chocolate cupcakes I've ever tasted! I poured silky chocolate ganache over the cakes for a decadent finish. The red cakes are made with white chocolate and red food coloring and the dark cakes are made with rich dark chocolate.

Heart shaped chocolate cupcakes: Adapted from Martha Stewart's one-bowl chocolate cupcakes
(makes 18-24)

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup warm water
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons safflower oil (I used pure coconut oil)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Ganache icing:

200g good dark chocolate or white chocolate
1 cup of heavy cream
1 tablespoon butter

Pre-heat oven to 350F.

Sift together all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

Whisk in the eggs, warm water, buttermilk, oil and vanilla until smooth.

Fill heart shaped cupcake liners 3/4 full with the batter.

Bake for approx 20 minutes at 350F.

Allow to cool completely and then remove them from the liners and refrigerate while you make the ganache.

Chop all the chocolate up into very small pieces and put in a large bowl.

In a pot heat the heavy cream and butter until boiling.

Quickly pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth.

Put the cakes on a cooling rack with a baking pan underneath.

Immediately pour the ganache over the cakes and allow to drip down on a cooling rack.

Decorate as you like. :)

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

2010-11-22T10:00:00.002-05:00

What the heck is a whoopie pie? That was definitely my reaction when I saw one for the first time. Then came the questions. Whoopie? Whoopie Cushion? Is it even technically a pie? I would think it is more like a cake; some would say it's more like a cookie, but surely not a pie? Then I tried one...geez, who cares what these are called! Yum! Whoopie!

The first whoopie pies I ever made were red velvet last Christmas. What could be better than red velvet whoopie pies? Pumpkin ones! Everyone loves pumpkin this time of year. The maple cream cheese filling really completes the flavors of these delicate pumpkin delights. How could I resist not taking these to Thanksgiving this year?

I have only celebrated three Thanksgivings in my lifetime; being an American holiday, we don't celebrate it back home in the UK. Christmas is the only day we bring out the grand turkey, so it was a little disorientating for me the first time. It felt too much like Christmas. Thanksgiving definitely feels different to me now. The abundance of all things pumpkin is surely something that helps separate the holidays and sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top are not something you would find on the Christmas table. Thanksgiving has become an autumnal celebration of food that I just could not live without now.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies: (makes 36)

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup unsalted butter (softened)
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 and 1/2 cups pureed pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 and 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8th teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt

Maple Cream Cheese Filling:

3 cups powdered sugar
8 ounces cream cheese (room temp)
5 tablespoons butter (softened)
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F

Cream together the butter and sugar well.

Whisk in the eggs, vanilla, salt and pumpkin.

Sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and spices.

Mix until well combined.

Scoop teaspoons of the batter on a parchment lined cookie sheet.

Bake for 10-15 minutes at 350F.

Allow to rest on a rack until completely cooled before assembling.

For the filling whisk all the ingredients together until very smooth.

Turn one cookie upside down and add a teaspoon of the frosting and add another cookie on top.

Continue until all your whoopie pies are assembled.

The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie

2010-11-19T10:05:00.001-05:00

As we near towards the holidays I often start to think about my favorite cookies. Everyone has their favorite Christmas cookies, but what's everyone's favorite cookie of all time? Is there really a cookie out there that is better than the classic chocolate chip cookie? For me there's just nothing I like more than a warm chocolate chip cookie fresh out the oven and dunked in a cup of tea.

Every person will always claim that their favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe is the best in the world. It all comes down to the fact that there actually is no such thing as the world's best chocolate chip cookie. Rather, it seems to come down to personal preference; the best chocolate chip cookie in ones own opinion.

My mother in law makes what I would call the best chocolate chip cookies. She gave me this recipe years ago and I just haven't found another that turns out more perfect. Slightly crisp on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside with an overload of chocolate chips.

Chocolate Chip Cookies: (makes 24)

2/3 cup butter (softened)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I added another teaspoon...)
1 and 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 and 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375F.

Cream the butter and sugar together. mix in the egg and vanilla.

Sift in the flour, baking soda and salt.

Add the chocolate chips and combine well.

Scoop teaspoons of the cookie dough and spread out on a un-greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 375F for 8-10 minutes.

Remove when the cookies are still soft.

Apple and Cinnamon Muffins

2010-11-15T10:45:00.000-05:00

As soon as we enter fall, I always find myself at the farmers' market every Sunday without fail, even if there's nothing particular that I need. There's something very comforting about an Autumn farmers' market; it brings out the homely side in me.

Buying produce closest to their natural state seems more rustic and appropriate now that it's fall. Brussels sprouts: do I want to buy them loose and cut off from their stem? No, it's much more fun bringing the whole stalk home or a large bunch of carrots with their lengthy leaves still intact. I also find these vegetables being showcased more in the fall. The usual carrots chopped up and thrown in the microwave to steam rather become carrots braised in fresh thyme and beef stock or roasted along with a medley of other seasonal root vegetables such as butternut squash and parsnips with sage and butter.

Autumn seems to have that magic touch that transforms any of our everyday ruts to blissful comfort goodness. Oatmeal becomes spiced pumpkin oatmeal with maple syrup. Apple juice becomes warm apple cider with cinnamon. Our everyday coffee becomes a gingerbread or pumpkin latte and a blueberry muffin is now a warmly spiced apple muffin with almonds.

The best item of all to buy at the farmers' market this time of year is most certainly apples. We might eat them year round but never do they taste the same as freshly harvested fall apples. Honeycrisps are my favorite in particular; they're fantastically crunchy, sweet and juicy. I have used Honeycrisp apples in this muffin for a bite of luxurious sweetness, but any fresh Autumn apple will taste beautiful in these muffins to be truthful. My favorite muffin of the season...so far!

Apple and Cinnamon Muffins: Adapted from Nigella Lawson's Nigella Kitchen
(makes 12)

2 of your favorite apples (peeled, cored and diced small)
1 3/4 cups spelt flour or all-purpose flour (I used all-purpose)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup flavorless vegetable oil (like canola)
2 eggs
1/4 cup raw almonds (roughly chopped)

For the topping:

4 teaspoons light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup raw almonds (roughly chopped)

Preheat oven to 400F

Measure all the dry ingredients in bowl. Add the chopped almonds.

In another bowl add the brown sugar, honey, yogurt, oil and eggs.

Fold the dry ingredients into the wet along with the chopped apples. Don't over mix.

In a small bowl mix together the ingredients for the topping.

Spoon the batter into muffin cups/muffin tin and then sprinkle on top of each with the topping mixture.

Bake for 20 mins until risen and golden.

Pumpkin, Pecan & Choc Chip Muffins

2010-11-10T20:45:00.002-05:00

Happy Fall!

I'm back! It's been a while since my last post! (Okay a long while.)

I'm now Mrs. Bowl of Mush ;) Our wedding was everything I ever hoped it would be and the cake was soooo delicious!

Now that I'm all settled down and there's no more crazy wedding plans to take care of I can finally get back to blogging! This is my favorite season for baking. It's a time for warm, comforting, Autumn flavors.

These muffins are so delicious and very fitting to the season. They smell incredible. Originally they started out as pumpkin pecan muffins but this time I added chocolate chips and I was in heaven.

Pumpkin, Pecan & Choc Chip Muffins:
(makes 12)

2 cups flour
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup vegetable oil (like canola)
2 large eggs
1/4 buttermilk
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of ground cloves
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Pre-heat oven to 350F

Mix together the dry ingredients in a bowl. Set aside.

Mix together the wet ingredients and then add to the wet mixture.

Add the chopped pecans and chocolate chips.

Be careful not to over mix the batter for a lighter muffin.

Bake at 350F for 25-30 mins.

Amelie's Famous Plum Cake

2010-07-01T21:00:00.000-04:00

I watched Amelie last weekend; it's one of my favorite movies. I love escaping into Amelie's magical, quirky world of cracking crème brûlées and skipping stones. Since then, I have not been able to stop thinking about her "famous plum cake." Nobody really knows what Amelie's plum cake looks like as you never actually see it. For those who haven't seen the movie and think I'm talking absolute nonsense, there is a scene near the end where she begins to make this cake while day dreaming of her crush running in the rain outside, tracking down yeast for her "famous plum cake." Every time I see this I dream of eating plum cakes in France. Well I'm not in France...but I did make a plum cake! I'm sure Amelie's was quite a bit different to mine, there is no yeast in it, but it turned out to be a very moist and delicious plum cake.
Last week, the company Oh! Nuts sent some bags of nuts my way to use for recipes. Of course, I was delighted! They sent me some unshelled pistachios, macadamia nuts and almond flour. So I would like to say a big thank you to Oh! Nuts.

I'm very keen to make some macadamia nut cookies and lots of things using the pistachios. I decided to begin with the almond flour for this plum cake and turn it into a plum and almond cake. The almond flour will also come in very handy when I finally attempt to make macarons!
Plum + Almond Cake:
(9" by 9" square pan)

3-4 firm, sweet red plums (quartered and stone removed)
3/4 cup butter (softened)
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 cup almond flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
pinch of nutmeg
2 tablespoons milk

Pre-heat oven to 350F

Cream the butter and sugar together, beating for about 3 mins.

Add the eggs, orange zest, almond extract and vanilla extract and beat well.

Then add the almond flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt followed by the milk.
Combine well.

Pour the batter into a 9" by 9" square baking pan, or a 9" round pan if you prefer.

Arrange the plum quarters on top of the batter.

Bake at 350F for 30-40 mins until golden.

Allow to cool for at least 10 mins before serving. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Cherry Clafoutis

2010-06-25T13:23:00.044-04:00

Yes, it's been over a month since my last post. Yes, I feel silly. Yes, I'm a bad blogger... I'm sorry :( Here's my excuse: It seems that every moment of time is now dedicated to my wedding that's in September...is that a valid excuse? Probably not!

I can't believe how much work goes into planning a wedding, especially when you're having it back home in Scotland and you live in New York City! I thankfully have a fantastic family who are actually the real reason any of it is coming together.

Anyway, summer is finally here and I've got cherries on my mind. I love it when all the summer fruits are in season; raspberries, strawberries, mangoes, peaches and cherries are some I've been buying this month.

Before making this one, I had never had a cherry clafoutis or any other kind of clafoutis before, but I was always curious about it. My first testing of this recipe went horribly wrong and was more like an omelet but then after a lot of tweaking, I think I finally found the perfect cherry clafoutis. I don't have anything to compare it to, but it tasted amazing! I loved the custardy flan texture, the cherries were sweet and delicious and it had this lovely golden sponge covering it.

It has definitely become one of my favorite summer desserts. It's lovely warm out of the oven, or even cold. Makes a great brunch as well as a dessert!
Cherry Clafoutis:

1 1/2 cups fresh cherries (pitted)
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of nutmeg
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons melted butter
3/4 cup all-purpose flour

Pre-heat oven to 375F
Butter a 9" pie dish and set aside

Pit the cherries. I just cut them in half and took the stone out.

Whisk the eggs in a bowl for about 2 mins until they begin to turn pale. Add the cream, milk, vanilla, nutmeg, sugar and butter. Mix well.

Sift in the flour and mix until very smooth.

Pour the batter into the pie dish and then evenly spread out the cherries.

Bake for 30-40 mins until golden.

An inserted toothpick should come out clean and it should be firm inside.

Allow to sit out of the oven for 20 mins before serving.

Lemon Poppy-Seed Cookies

2010-05-04T16:36:00.109-04:00

As Jamie Oliver once said "If you took lemon, herbs and olive oil away, I'd give up cooking".
Well in my case, if you took lemon, butter and sugar away I might kill myself! (I really don't know if I'm kidding)

Lemon plays an important role in almost everything I bake. It always adds that much needed kick in every recipe; including everyday savory meals (I know you are all surprised to hear that I don't actually eat cake for dinner...). A squeeze of lemon and a pinch of zest will liven up any dish.

Lemons are actually a really great way to alkalize and balance your body's natural PH, so it's always great adding it to your water, squeezing it in salad dressings or marinades, or of course, adding it to your cookies and cakes for a vitamin C boost. ;)

My favorite desserts always seem to be the lemony ones. After making the lemon-syrup tea cake, my appetite for lemony treats will forever be incurable, but these cookies have thankfully kept me going.

If you're passionate for all things lemon, you will love these. These cookies are perfectly sweet, crisp and delicate with a wonderful zesty tang. The poppy seeds add a lovely crunch and finish off the cookie very well.

This dough is a lot wetter than most cookie dough. I think it may help to refrigerate the dough for a couple of hours before rolling into balls. I didn't do that, I just worked gently with it using a cookie scoop and dropping the dough in the sugar mix and gently rolling it around.
Lemon Poppy-Seed Cookies: (adapted from Martha Stewart Living, August 2004)

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon poppy seeds (plus extra for sprinkling)

Pre-heat oven to 375F
Bring the lemon juice to a simmer in a saucepan until reduced by half. Add 1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter, stir until melted. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the other 1/2 cup (stick) of butter with 1 cup of the sugar with an electric mixer.
Add the egg and melted lemon butter. Whisk for about 3 minutes until it becomes pale.
Mix in the vanilla and 2 teaspoons of the lemon zest.
Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt, fold gently and then add the poppy seeds.

In another bowl, stir together the remaining sugar and lemon zest.
Take spoonfuls of the cookie dough and roll it in the sugar/zest mix.
Place 2 inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Press each cookie flat with the flat side of a glass dipped in the sugar/zest mix.
Sprinkle with more poppy seeds.

Bake in the oven for 10-11 minutes at 375F until the bottoms have browned lightly.
Allow to cool fully on a rack.

Check out some of my other Lemony Posts:
Lemon Cream Cake
Lemon Tarts
Lemon-syrup Tea Cake

Strawberries & Cream Fairy Cakes

2010-04-30T10:35:00.050-04:00

I always called these fairy cakes, but recently discovered that most people call them butterfly cakes. Either way, they always sound like the prettiest little cakes.

I was just talking about fairy cakes the other day with someone and how they remind me of my childhood and bake sales at school. They seemed to be the only cupcakes we knew or enjoyed making.

It's a shame nobody makes these anymore. The, cake, creams, cupcake, dessert, fairy cakes, magnolia bakery, mother's day, spring, strawberries, strawberry, summer, sweet, vanilla simplest things in life are always the best and no matter how simple this recipe may seem, you can't argue when something tastes this good! So I decided to make an adult friendly version of a fairy cake to please all.

These cakes are seriously delicious and a really cute play on strawberry shortcake. One bite of the fluffy and moist sponge topped with a sweet whipped cream filled with chopped strawberries and you'll be in heaven.

Happy Mother's Day!

Vanilla Cupcakes: (adapted from Magnolia Bakery's Vanilla Cupcakes)
(makes 24)

1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup unsalted butter (softened)
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs (room temp)
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream filling: (for 24 cupcakes)

1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped strawberries

confectioners sugar and strawberries for decorating.

Pre-heat oven to 350F
Line x2 12 cup muffin tins with paper cases.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and vanilla extract with an electric whisk/mixer.
Then add the eggs and whisk in well.
Sift the flour into the bowl and fold the mixture together slowly pouring the milk until everything is combined well.

Spoon the mixture into each paper case about 3/4 full.
Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes.

Allow the cupcakes to cool completely on a wrap before you begin the next step.

In a large bowl whisk the heavy cream and vanilla until it reaches stiff peaks. Then add the confectioners sugar and chopped strawberries and whisk a little more until well combined.

Cut a circle out with a knife in the middle of each cupcake and then spoon the center out.

Fill the hole with a heaped dollop of whipped cream.

Cut the cut-out circle of cake in half and place as wings on top of the whipped cream with the rounder edges on the outside.

Repeat for all the cupcakes and then dust with confectioners sugar and add strawberries.

Lemon-Syrup Tea Cake

2010-04-22T13:28:00.012-04:00

If you haven't noticed by now; I love tea and cake! It's pretty much what I live for... tea parties, afternoon tea time, picnics with cakes and tea. Life can't be that bad when there's tea and cake.

If you are going to make any lemon cake, make this one! After countless lemon tea cakes, pound cakes, loafs etc, nothing beats this. One bite and you'll be daydreaming of the English countryside, sipping tea on a warm summer's day.

It's the perfect afternoon cake; light, refreshing and vibrant with its sweet, lemony favor which is truly awoken by the syrup oozing through. It just melts in your mouth.

If you don't have self-rising cake flour like me, then substitute it for 3/4 cup + 2 1/3 tbsp all-purpose flour, 2 and 1/3 tbsp corn starch, 2 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp of salt.

It's going to be hard not to make this every week for the rest of the summer.

Lemon- Syrup Loaf Cake: (Adapted from How to be a domestic goddess by Nigella Lawson

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon white sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (my addition to the recipe)
2 large eggs
zest of 1 lemon
1 cup + 1 tablespoon self-rising cake flour (substitute recipe above)
pinch of salt
4 tablespoons milk

For the syrup:

Juice of 1 1/2 lemons (approx 4 tbsp)
1/2 cup confectioners sugar

Preheat oven to 350F Butter and line the loaf pan with parchment paper

Cream together the butter, sugar and vanilla extract. Add the eggs and lemon zest, beating them in well.

Sift in the flour and salt, folding in gently but well. Then add the milk and combine well.

Spoon the cake batter into the lined loaf pan and back at 350F for 45 minutes or until golden.

While the cake is baking, prepare the syrup. Add the lemon juice and confectioners sugar to a small saucepan and heat until the sugar dissolves completely. Set aside.

As as the cake is out of the oven, puncture all over the top of the cake with a tooth pick. Pour the lemon syrup all over the entire loaf.

Allow the cake to cool completely before taking it out of the loaf pan to avoid crumbling.

The cake is so moist, perfectly crumbly, light and beautifully lemony.

Serve with your favorite tea on a sunny afternoon :)

Easter Thumbprint Cookies

2010-04-04T10:54:00.029-04:00

Happy Easter!

I love everything about this time of year: the beautiful spring weather, the colors, the produce, birds chirping in the morning, my birthday :) It's the one time in the year that I actually appreciate the color yellow; there's nothing like the friendliness of bright yellow daffodils.

Pastel colors are a must right now; it really cheers you up after all those winter blues. I always stock up on plenty of Cadbury's Mini Eggs come spring, not only do I love eating them, but they make the cutest decorations on cakes and cookies for Easter. I actually prefer the UK version of the Mini Eggs, they are more purple in color and have spots and specks on them just like birds eggs, but I couldn't get a hold of them.
We used to get so many huge Easter eggs when I was a kid from everyone, it was always a competition between us all to see who got the most. The supermarkets are absolutely filled with so many different Easter eggs this time of year in the UK.

This Martha Stewart thumbprint cookie recipe is really lovely. They are very delicate and light like shortbread. They are very small, you get about two bites out of them, but they're the perfect Easter/spring treat, especially with the little mini egg on top. I changed the recipe around a bit. I added more butter to the dough as I found it a little too crumbly and I refuse to use corn syrup as much as I can, so I added butter to the chocolate filling instead.

Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies: (adapted from Martha Stewart's Chocolate Thumbprints)
(makes 24)

10 tablespoons unsalted butter (the recipe originally calls for 8)
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate (chopped)
1 tablespoons butter (the recipe actually calls for 1 1/2 tsp corn syrup)

Preheat the oven to 350 F

With an electric mixer, beat together the butter, sugar, vanilla and salt until smooth. Beat in the flour slowly until the dough has formed.

Roll teaspoonfuls of dough into balls. Place on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 10 mins.

Then remove from the oven and press thumb prints into the center of the balls
( I used the back of a utensil)
Place the tray back in the oven for a further 7-9 minutes or until lightly golden.

Allow the cookies to cool fully on a rack.

Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler until smooth.
Allow to cool slightly, then pour the chocolate into the cookies little thumbprints.

Add a chocolate mini egg on top for a cute Easter look.

Healthy No-Bake Granola Bars

2010-03-24T08:24:00.007-04:00

When I'm not busy eating the things I love, like cakes and other treats that go straight to my thighs, I actually eat pretty healthy. Or I try to at least do the obvious things, you know: eat lots of fruit and veggies, drink lots of water, ~~force myself to~~ exercise regularly...then treat myself to a cookie or 5 :)

Lately, I've gone a bit hardcore healthy. For the past month, I haven't touched any dairy or wheat and I've only been eating clean, alkaline and organic meals. I actually feel really great and have become so addicted to almond milk that I don't even miss regular milk!
Of course, my biggest weakness in the world kicked in the other day when I broke the no dairy rule with a to die for grilled cheese! Oh well! It's not like I'm actually a vegan or anything. I'm still going to carry on with this way of eating, but without restricting myself completely...

I started buying those yummy health bars you always see in Whole Foods, like that active greens bar and Larabars (the coconut cream pie one is seriously amazing). That's when I thought, why am I not making these myself?

I've always loved granola bars; with all that butter and sugar that's usually in them, who wouldn't love them? So I attempted these unbaked, semi-raw health bars with no refined sugars or anything and they really turned out lovely! They're sticky and chewy with lot's of bite and nuttiness. These are some serious super powered bars that will give you a huge boost of energy and all the omega 3's you will ever need. Looks like I'll be making these more often!

Don't worry, this blog will never say goodbye to real desserts ;)

Healthy No-Bake Granola Bars:

(makes 8-10 large slabs)

3/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup flax seeds
1/4 cup chia seeds
2 tbsp sesame seeds
2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup millet puffs
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
10 unsweetened medjool dates (pitted, chopped and mashed)
1/3 cup raw almond butter
1/4 cup organic, extra virgin coconut oil
1/4 cup agave nectar

In a large bowl, add the oats, flax seeds, chia seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, millet puffs and coconut flakes.

Then add the mashed dates, almond butter, agave nectar and coconut oil.

Scrunch the mixture with your hands until evenly and well combined.
The mixture should easily stick together when you press it with your hands.

Line a baking dish or something similar with plastic wrap and then press the mixture into the dish firmly until even.

Cover tightly with more plastic wrap and then place the baking dish in the freezer for a few hours.

Remove slate of granola from the pan by flipping it upside down on a work surface, it should slip out easily because of the plastic wrap.

Cut the granola bars into slices and wrap each one individually in plastic wrap or wax paper and store in the refrigerator.

Rose Petal Cake

2010-02-13T17:33:00.063-05:00

What cake doesn't look pretty and romantic with rose petals scattered on top?

This cake has certainly brought out the mushy side in me this Valentine's weekend and it's all thanks to that "slight" obsession I have with anything flavored or scented with rose.

Over the winter holidays I was in London and brought some amazing things back with me, including the cocoa powder from Ladurée which I broke into in my last post. Fortnum and Mason is a place that never goes unvisited any time I'm in London. It was all taken for granted when I lived there but now it's a struggle limiting what I wish to purchase to what my suitcase can handle.

Along with countless tins of tea, another item I did manage to squeeze back was a gorgeous rose petal jelly preserve made from fresh rose petals. I've been desperate to use it in something other than spreading it on toast at any chance I get.

The preserve works perfectly in this cake. Its genuine rose flavor and delicate scent is very reminiscent to a Ladurée rose macaroon...can't complain about that!

The only thing I would change in the cake would be the use of a true buttercream recipe with egg whites as opposed to the butter and confectioners sugar recipe. A true buttercream is very delicate and as this cake is also light and fluffy; I think it would have matched very well. The buttercream recipe that I did use still worked very well though and the rose syrup in it is lovely.
White Cake: (adapted from baking bites)

1 cup milk (room temperature)
6 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup softened butter

Buttercream:

1 cup unsalted, softened butter (2 sticks)
4-5 cups confectioners sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-3 teaspoons rose syrup

Rose petal Jam (for spreading between cake layers)

Pre-heat oven to 350F

Grease two 9 inch cake pans, line with parchment paper, grease again and dust with flour.

Combine the milk, egg whites and vanilla extract in a bowl, mix with a fork and set aside.

In another bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix together well (I sift mine a few times for a very light cake).

Add the butter and either with your hands or a paddle mixer combine the mixture until you have a crumb like texture.

Add all but 1/2 cup of the milk/egg mixture to the flour mixture and whisk on a medium speed for 1 1/2 minutes.

Add the remaining 1/2 cup of the milk/egg mixture and beat again for 30 seconds.

Divide the batter equally between the two cake pans and smooth the tops. Bake for 30-35 minutes at 350F.

Let the cakes cool in their pans for 15 minutes before moving them onto racks to cool fully.

For the buttercream, add the softened butter to a large bowl and whisk until smooth.

Then add the milk, vanilla extract and slowly add the confectioners sugar, whisking to create a smooth cream

Add the rose syrup and whisk again. ( This will color the cream pink).

To start assembling the cake, cut each 9 inch cake in half horizontally.

Spread the rose petal jelly on top of the first layer and spread a thin layer of the buttercream on top.

Spread the jelly on the bottom of the next cake piece, add this to the first cake piece and then spread the jelly on top, as well as the buttercream.

Repeat the same directions for the next two cake pieces.

Once the cake is assembled, begin to spread the butter-cream over the whole cake to cover it completely.

Sprinkle the cake with pink and red rose petals :)

Chocolate Love Muffins

2010-02-03T15:28:00.089-05:00

Happy (almost) Valentine's Day!

Whether you're making these for your loved one, friends or just for yourself, they are sure to make anyone's Valentine's Day sweet.

I have actually made these muffins a few times without any Hallmark excuse, but adding the dusted heart on top gave it the cute factor for this holiday.

While I was in London over the Christmas holidays, I made it over to Ladurée in Piccadilly for some of those macaroons I've been craving all year. I also picked up a beautiful box of their cocoa powder and I finally got to use it for the first time in this recipe. Good quality cocoa powder really does make a world of difference.

Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Muffins (makes 12)
(Adapted from Feast by Nigella Lawson)

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 large egg
1 cup milk
1/3 cup + 2 teaspoons vegetable oil (I used melted butter)
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

My lovely Ladurée cocoa!

Preheat the oven to 400F

Measure out all the dry ingredients into a large bowl.

In another bowl measure out all the liquid ingredients.

Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and mix together.

Mix in the chocolate chips.

Line a 12 hole muffin tin with paper cups.

Spoon the muffin batter evenly into each paper cup.

Bake in the oven at 400F for 20 minutes.

Allow the muffins to cool on a rack.

To create the hearts on top of the muffins, place a heart shaped stencil on top of a muffin and lightly dust with powdered sugar. Remove the stencil carefully and repeat with each muffin.

Venetian Rainbow Cookies

2009-12-22T11:30:00.050-05:00

Another Italian tradition from my fiancé's family and a definite favorite of mine. My mother-in-law to be is pretty much the master of these little cookies and makes them every Christmas.

The cookies have been given many different names such as Venetians, Italian rainbow cookies, seven layer cookies, etc. I've always known them as Venetians.

There are three almond cake layers in the cookies, which are tri-colored: green, white and red to represent the Italian flag, although the red tends to be more pinkish. In between each layer is a spread of raspberry jam. Some recipes call for apricot jam, but I'm sticking with my mother-in-law's recipe as it never fails to amaze. The topping of chocolate really finishes these little cookies off beautifully and when they're all cut into little squares, you are left with the most perfect Christmas cookies. One bite of these and you will be hooked forever!

1 can (8 ounces ) Almond paste (I make my own, see recipe below)
1 & 1/2 cups butter (3 sticks) softened
1 cup granulated sugar
4 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
10 drops green food coloring
8 drops red food coloring
1 jar (12 ounces) red raspberry preserves (seedless)
2 squares of semisweet chocolate or use semisweet chocolate chips

Almond Paste: (makes enough for 2 batches of cookies)

1/2 cup orange juice
2 cups blanched almonds
1 cup sugar

Grind the almonds until you have a fine almond flour.
Add all three ingredients to a blender and blend until combined well and smooth.
Store in the refrigerator in an air-tight tub.

Grease three 13/9/2 " pans and line with waxed paper and grease again.

In large bowl add the almond paste, butter, sugar, egg yolks, and almond extract.
Beat until fluffy with an electric mixer for 5 minutes.

Beat in the flour and salt.

Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form in a small bowl.

Stir the egg whites into the almond mixture with a folding motion.

Remove 1-1/2 cups of batter and spread into the first prepared pan.

Remove another 1-1/2 cups of batter, add green food coloring and spread into the second pan.

Add red food coloring to the remainder of the batter and spread into the third pan.

Bake at 350F for 15 minutes, or just until edges are golden brown.

The cakes should be 1/4 inch thick.

cool on wire racks.

Place the green layer on the back of a foil covered cookie sheet.

Heat the raspberry preserves (strain if there is seeds) and spread 1/2 of the warm preserves on the green layer.

Slide on the yellow layer and spread the reminder of the preserves on top.

Slide on the red layer and cover with plastic wrap.

Store in the fridge overnight with a weight on top. (such as a cutting board)

Melt the chocolate and spread a thin layer over the top.

Allow to dry for 30 minutes and then cut into 1" square pieces.

Italian Anise Cookies

2009-12-22T11:10:00.065-05:00

Merry Christmas everyone!

For the past five years I've had these cookies at my fiancé's family Christmas. It is an Italian tradition that has been in their family for years and they are truly fantastic.

This Christmas, as we will be at my family's place, I thought it would be lovely to make them. My family Christmases are usually very British: Christmas puddings, mince pies, etc.

These Italian cookies have a subtle yet soft anise flavor complimented by the sweetness of vanilla. They really do brighten up a Christmas or New Year dessert spread and are a perfect treat with coffee after a wonderful dinner. The cookies came out much bigger than I wanted them to be in my first batch. Unless you want them to be big cookies, make sure you roll them into little balls, no bigger than the size of a walnut.

I've made a huge batch of these for the holidays!

Italian Anise Cookies:
(makes about 30 cookies)

1 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups flour
3/4 Cup Butter or shortening
4 teaspoons baking powder
pinch salt
1-3 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 teaspoon anise extract

Cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy.

Add eggs one at a time and whisk.

Add the vanilla extract and anise extract.

Sift in the flour and baking powder.

Add a little milk at a time until you have a smooth dough.

Roll the dough into walnut sized balls and place on a a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 375F for 12-15 minutes.
Do not let them brown.

Allow to cool on a rack.

Ice the cookies by mixing powdered sugar and milk together until quite thick and add 1\2 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon anise extract.

Drizzle over the cooled cookies and sprinkle with colored balls.

Mini Star-Topped Mince Pies

2009-12-17T15:29:00.087-05:00

This is truly the most traditional food of the British Christmas season. We all know Christmas is upon us when mince pies are being stocked in every store around.

You really can buy the most perfectly delicious mince pies, there are so many different brands, but you absolutely cannot beat warm mince pies fresh out of the oven. The buttery sweet, slightly spicy and fruity aroma it leaves around your house is honestly the best thing about Christmas.

These festive pies have always been a tradition in my life; Christmas Eve wouldn't be right without a beautifully lit tree, a fun holiday movie and a tray of mince pies to share. As a child a mince pie and a glass of milk were always left out on Christmas Eve for Santa Claus.

These Mini Mince Pies have become my very favorite. They're bite size and can easily be popped in your mouth in one go. The more you eat the merrier!

I did not make my own mincemeat, If you buy a really good jar of mincemeat you aren't really missing out on anything. Of course many prefer to make their own but with the absolute stress and rush in this holiday season, its always nice to come home and know that freshly baked mince pies are just minutes away (make lots of pie dough ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze like I do).

Star-topped Mince Pies: (Adapted from Nigella Christmas by Nigella Lawson)
(Makes 36)

1-2/3 cups all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons vegetable shortening, such as Crisco
½ stick (4 tablespoons) cold butter
Juice of 1 orange
Pinch of salt
Approximately 2/3 cup mincemeat

You will need a mini-muffin pan, a 2¼ inch round cookie cutter and a 1¾ inch star cookie cutter.

To make the pie dough, measure out the flour in a bowl.
Add the butter and shortening and rub the fat and flour between your fingers until you are left with crumbs
(or pulse in a food processor).

Add the orange juice to this as well as the salt and combine together.

Turn the dough out on a floured surface and knead it together well.

Cut the dough into about 3 batches, cover each with cling film and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Pre-heat the oven to 425F

Take out each batch and roll each into discs and cut out circles and stars per mold.

Press the circles gently into the molds of the mini muffin tins.

Add about a teaspoon of mince meat mixture into each mold and then top it with a star.

Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 425F until golden and bubbling.

Allow the pies to cool on a wire rack, although they are just perfect straight out of the oven.

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

2009-12-04T14:22:00.085-05:00

Happy Holidays!
The tree is up and I'm playing annoyingly great jingly tunes. So what's next? Time to get into some serious Christmas baking. I'm still eating cranberry bread, its so nice this time of year and I'm hoping to squeeze in a lot of other festive treats on here before I fly to Edinburgh for Christmas.

I've pretty much been waiting all year to make these and I couldn't wait any longer! These little cakes just scream Christmas, they're so festive.

The cake is extremely moist and tender with a subtle cocoa flavor and the vanilla filling is very creamy and delicious. I know the majority of whoopie pies either have a cream cheese or marshmallow filling but this frosting definitely plays its part as a perfect creamy center.

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies:
(makes 15 whoopie pies)

1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup softened butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder (unsweetened)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8th teaspoon salt
2-3 teaspoons red food coloring

Filling:
(makes 1 cup)

1/4 cup softened butter
2 cups confectioners sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch salt

Pre-heat oven to 375F and line a baking tray with parchment paper.

In a large bowl cream together the butter, sugar and vanilla extract.

Whisk in the egg and salt until smooth and then mix in the buttermilk.

Sift in the flour, cocoa powder and baking soda.

Then add the red food coloring and mix to combine evenly.

Evenly scoop out teaspoons of the mixture on to the lined baking tray separating each at least an inch apart.
(for 2 inch whoopie pies)

Bake in the middle of the oven at 375F for 7-9 minutes
(you will have to do this in batches).

Allow the little cakes to cool on a rack.

To make the filling, whisk together the butter, milk, vanilla and salt then slowly add the confectioners sugar while whisking until you have a smooth frosting.

Place a heaped teaspoon of the filling on the underside of 1/2 the cake circles and place the other 1/2 of the cakes on top to sandwich.

Pecan Pie

2009-11-23T09:48:00.090-05:00

Pecan pie is such a classic dessert that is usually so poorly made these days. It is a humble pie with very simple flavors and when you have simplicity like this, it is important for the quality of the ingredients to be really good, allowing the wonderful flavors in this delicious pie to come through.

I've noticed that a lot of pecan pies are made using corn syrup, which I really don't like. I don't think it does anything to help the beautiful flavors or aromas that a pecan pie should have and you are left with something quite sickly. Maple pecan pies can be really good and I would always choose maple syrup over corn syrup of course. I didn't want to use maple for this pie as I was aiming for a great classic pecan pie.

There are a few twists in this recipe, I did everything I could to achieve a classically tasting pecan pie using good ingredients. It's not too horribly sweet or overwhelming allowing the pecans to dominate the flavors.

I really loved the way the pie filling came out, it was exactly what I was hoping for. Not too horribly sweet or overwhelming. You can pick out a lot of the individual flavors in each bite along with the lovely pecan flavors. This pie just melts in your mouth.

Happy Thanksgiving! :)

Pecan Pie: (A Bowl Of Mush recipe)
Makes one 9" pie

1 par-baked pie crust (9")

1 cup halved pecans
3 tablespoons butter (softened)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons golden syrup
2 teaspoons molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (good quality)
3 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon orange zest
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon whole milk
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon finely grated dark chocolate ( I used Valrhona 85%)
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of cinnamon

Prepare the pie crust and par-bake

Pre-heat the oven to 350F

Toast the pecan half's on a baking sheet for 7 minutes

Set aside to cool

Set the oven to 400F

In a large bowl cream together the butter and brown sugar.

Add the golden syrup, molasses and vanilla extract and begin to whisk.

Whisk in the eggs and milk.

Then add the orange zest, grated chocolate, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and all-purpose flour.

Whisk very well to combine and then add the toasted pecans.

Pour the mixture into the par-baked pie crust

Bake in the oven at 400F for 5 minutes then turn it down to 325F and bake for 45-50 minutes.

The pie should still jiggle slightly but a knife should come out clean when pierced.

Chocolate Walnut Biscotti

2009-11-17T09:37:00.081-05:00

The plan for this week's post was to make traditional Italian biscotti, but after finding that I had no anise flavoring, I decided to make chocolate biscotti and make the traditional one another time.

I always thought that the best chocolate biscotti I ever had was the one from Meredith's Bread at the NY farmers' markets, but while their biscotti is still fantastic, I really do think this Amy's Bread recipe beats it.

The recipe Is actually chocolate and hazelnut, and I know I have a habit of replacing hazelnuts in a lot of things. It's not that I hate them, I'm just not a huge fan of them and would always prefer walnuts or almonds, especially in biscotti.

I'm just going to go ahead and say that I think it's pretty much impossible to get a better chocolate biscotti than this. I'm amazed at the perfection of this recipe.

These indulgent biscotti have just the right amount of sweetness and are beautifully studded with bits of chocolate and nuts. They would be a perfect accompaniment to the end of a Christmas or Thanksgiving meal with coffee as they are not overwhelmingly rich but hit the spot when in need of something sweet and chocolatey.

Chocolate Walnut Biscotti: (makes 24)
Adapted from The Sweeter Side of Amy's Bread. (Recipe for Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened)
1 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup + 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder (use a really good one)
1 teaspoon instant coffee powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 3/4 cups hazelnuts, toasted (I substituted these for Walnuts)
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 large egg for egg wash

Pre-heat oven to 350F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar using an electric whisk.

Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until fluffy and pale (1 min).

Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, coffee powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Fold this in to combine.

Then fold in the toasted nuts and chocolate chips.

Divide the dough in half and turn each one out onto a floured surface and roll each half into a log and patting down slightly to form the dough to approximately 2 inches wide by 14 inches long by 1 1/2 inches high.

Place each log on to the prepared baking sheet several inches apart.

In a small bowl mix an egg and then brush the egg wash lightly over the top of the logs.

Bake in the middle of the oven for 27 minutes, rotating the baking sheet half way through.

Remove from the oven and turn the oven down to 300F.

Allow the logs to cool for about 20 minutes before slicing them at an angle to about 3/4-inch-thick pieces.

Lay each slice back on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper leaving at least 1/2 inch of space between each.

Bake them at 300F for 5 minutes and then flip each biscotti piece over and bake on the other side for 5 minutes again.

Remove them from the oven and allow to cool fully.

Cranberry Bread

2009-11-10T16:57:00.111-05:00

I love how festive cranberry bread looks with its beautiful red color piercing through. I feel that the inclusion of cranberries in any kind of baked good confers instant Christmassiness.

The cranberries add a wonderful tartness to the sweet orangey bread and the walnuts finish the flavors off beautifully with their nutty bite.

The way the aromas synthesize in this bread when baking is unlike anything else. It produces this heavenly seasonal scent that makes us sure that the holidays are upon us and almost brings a cheerful light into the darkness of winter.

My beautiful mother in law (to be) always makes cranberry bread for the holidays and this is the recipe that she likes to use. It was an introduction to cranberry bread for me having never tried it before and since then I have tasted a number of recipes but always come back to this one. It has always been the best cranberry bread I've ever tasted.

Make two loaves because I promise you one loaf won't last you a minute! :)

Cranberry Bread: (makes 1 loaf)
(Adapted from Ocean Spray's Classic Cranberry Nut Bread)

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons butter (softened) or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
1 egg well beaten
1 1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh cranberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract ( my addition to the recipe)

Preheat the oven to 350F

Grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.

Chop the Cranberries and walnuts and set aside.

In a large bowl mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

Stir in the orange juice, orange peel, egg and butter.

Then fold in the chopped cranberries and walnuts.

Spread the mixture evenly in the greased loaf pan and bake in the oven at 350F for 55 minutes.

Allow to cool on a rack for at least 15 minutes.

I like to slice this after a couple of hours, ( If I can resist) it definitely needs that time to set for neat slices.

Chocolate-nut Loaf

2009-10-28T19:48:00.099-04:00

I keep hearing how fantastic this chocolate-nut loaf is by Pierre Hermé so I thought it was about time I tried it. I have his book Desserts in which I used his lemon cream recipe for my lemon tarts. It was spectacular; by far the best lemon cream I've had. I'm eager to learn more from this great chef.

This loaf is full of surprises; it goes against every expectation of of an everyday chocolate loaf. It bursts with flavor from the toasted nuts to the dense moist decadence of the chocolate cake, emphasized by rich chocolate chunks. I really love the sharp green color of the pistachios against the dark chocolate cake.

I have to admit, I didn’t stick to the recipe entirely. I did not add any hazelnuts; instead I opted for extra pistachios and almonds. In a way, I’m pleased with this change. The loaf was a lot nuttier in flavor than I expected and I think the strong flavor that hazelnuts give would have been too much. Of course, I’m sure others would beg to differ, so I have written the original recipe below but also mentioned where I have made changes.

Chocolate-nut Loaf:
(Adapted from Pierre Hermé's Desserts)

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
7 tablespoons very good cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2/3 cup sugar (I added 2 extra tablespoons)
5 ounces almond paste
4 large eggs (at room temperature)
2/3 cup whole milk
1/2 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts (I substituted these for more pistachios and almonds)
1/3 cup blanched chopped and toasted almonds
1/3 cup chopped pistachios
3 ounces good bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chunks (I used Valrhona Manjari)
3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon butter (melted and cooled)

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Prepare an insulating layer for the cake by stacking two baking sheets, one on top of the other.

Butter a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan and set aside.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder in a bowl and set aside.

Add the sugar and almond paste to a mixer and beat on a medium speed until they are well blended. (or use a large bowl and a hand held electric whisk)

Add the eggs one at a time beating for two minuted each time. Then turn the mixer on full speed and whisk for 8-10 minutes until the liquid has formed an emulsion that looks like mayonnaise.

Reduce the mixer to a low speed, add the milk and combine.

Sift in the flour ingredients and mix until homogeneous.

Fold in the nuts, chocolate chunks and melted butter.

Pour the cake batter into the loaf pan and bake at 350F for 60-70 minutes.

Allow to cool on a rack.
You can serve the cake at this point, although it's best to wrap in a double thickness of plastic wrap or foil and allow it to "ripen" for a day before cutting it into slices and serving.

Pfeffernüsse

2009-10-23T13:11:00.091-04:00

Pfeffernüsse is a traditional German Christmas cookie. It is quite deeply spiced with a sweet peppery tone and perfect for the Christmas season.

There's several cookies I bake around the holidays and this is definitely one of the first that comes to mind and I've finally made it.

I can't believe I'm even mentioning Christmas, Halloween hasn't even happened yet, so I'm just thinking of these cookies as a delicious cold weather treat. The warm spices in this will certainly make you feel cozy.

These cookies are very similar to lebkuchen, although lebkuchen is much more cake like. I always bought lebkuchen and pfeffernüsse from the Christmas German market in Edinburgh every single year. This year I decided to make them myself.

It's really nice to have the smell of pfeffernüsse cookies in my house early this year. Whenever you buy these cookies, as soon as you open them the whole house permeates with its aroma, so you can just imagine the smell of them straight out of the oven.

There are so many different kinds of recipes for pfeffernüsse all requiring different ingredients. I remember the ones I always had did not really taste nutty, that was always the lebkuchen, so I didn't add nuts to this. This recipe is most similar to Martha Stewart's recipe from her cookie book, but I changed it up a lot to how I like it.
Pfeffernüsse:
(makes 24)

1 cup +2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
pinch of ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
pinch of ground cloves
pinch ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground all spice
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 cup softened butter
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons black treacle (or molasses)
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup powdered sugar

Pre-heat oven to 350F

In a bowl combine the flour, baking soda and all the spices, set aside.

In another larger bowl beat the sugar, butter and treacle together with an electric whisk until smooth.

Add the eggs, lemon zest and vanilla extract and beat again.

Then fold the flour/spice mixture into the wet mix until completely combined.

Line a baking sheet with parchment.

Form the cookie dough 2 inches apart using a mini cookie scoop.

Bake for about 15-20 minutes at 350F (you will need to do this in a few batches).

Allow to cool on a rack for at least 10 minutes.

Dip each cookie in a bowl of powdered sugar until completely coated.

Keep these in an airtight container and they will last a couple of weeks.

Maple Pumpkin Muffins

2009-10-19T13:51:00.118-04:00

Autumn just makes me go pumpkin mad!

You could eat these muffins everyday and never get tired of them. There are so many pumpkin bread and muffin recipes out there, but after a bit of testing I think I can finally say I've come up with what I would call my favorite pumpkin muffin.

I remember when I was 9 years old at school in Edinburgh we had an American substitute teacher who brought us pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. Of course being from the UK, I had no idea what Thanksgiving was and thought the idea of eating pumpkin was bizarre. We really didn't like it. Looking back at that memory now, I can't believe that I could have possibly not liked pumpkin!

It's been bitterly winter cold here in NY this week and almost took away my lovely autumn mood. Autumn baking should be accompanied by bright blue skies and scenic amber foliage, but the leaves seem to be falling faster and it's always dark and grey outside. What happened to the East Coast's well acclaimed harvest season?

Well, while autumn is hiding, these muffins will certainly prolong the season. I love the combination of maple and pumpkin together; two of the best fall flavors. The texture of the muffins is very moist and springy and they are incredibly light.

I really love the way the pumpkin seeds toast on top and add a little crunch to the muffin and the maple drizzle allows the maple flavor to stand out more boldly against the spicy pumpkin flavor.

I'll be making these muffins every week now until I'm ready for Christmas muffins. I'm really enjoying the beautiful autumn scent they've given to my apartment.

Maple Pumpkin Muffins:
(Makes 12)

2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 heaped teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons yogurt
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
2 tablespoons maple syrup and powdered sugar for the maple drizzle.

Pre-heat oven to 350F

In a large bowl, whisk together the white sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, yogurt and pumpkin puree.

Then sift in the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice, fold together.

Then pour in the maple syrup and fold just enough to combine.

Line a x12 muffin tin with paper cases.

Fill each paper case to the top with the batter.

Sprinkle the top of each muffin with pumpkin seeds.

Bake in the oven at 350F for 25-30 minutes.

When the muffins are done, place on a rack and allow to cool fully.

For the maple drizzle mix together 2 tablespoons of maple syrup with enough powdered sugar to thicken it and drizzle over the muffins.

Chocolate & Pumpkin Squares

2009-10-13T12:17:00.110-04:00

Trick or treat!

Well, now that I've been decorating the apartment with pumpkins and little ghosts for Halloween, I thought it was about time I baked something for the holiday. Normally I would never even think about Halloween until the day before it, let alone really do anything for it but here in the States, its quite the contagious holiday.

I was really happy the way these little cake bars came out. The chocolate pumpkin cake is extremely moist and has a lovely crumb, yet holds its shape perfectly when cut into squares. Your taste buds will really pick out the bold pumpkin and chocolate flavors and the aroma of these with the spices added are heavenly.

The frosting is just a simple buttercream with a pinch of spice to compliment the cake flavors and the chocolate drizzle on top brings back the boldness that is current in the cake, balancing out the layers and bringing all the flavors together.

I will gladly make these again in a few weeks for Halloween.

Chocolate & Pumpkin Squares:
makes 9 (3x3") squares

For the cake:

3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons butter (softened)
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons buttermilk
3 drops black food coloring

Pre-heat oven at 350F

In a medium sized bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.

In a larger bowl cream together the brown sugar and butter with an electric whisk until light and fluffy.

Add the vanilla extract and eggs and continue to beat.

Fold in the pumpkin puree and buttermilk.

Add the black food coloring and whisk just until the color has evenly combined.

Pour into a 9" square cake tin and bake at 350F for 35 mins.
Allow to cool fully.

For the frosting:

3 tablespoons butter (softened slightly)
2 tablespoons milk
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
20 drops orange food coloring

Add the softened butter to a bowl and whisk constantly while slowly adding half of the powdered sugar.

Add the milk and whisk.

Then continue to whisk while slowly adding the rest of the powdered sugar.

Finally whisk in the vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice and orange food coloring until well combined.

When the cake is completely cool, begin to spread the frosting, covering the top of the cake smoothly.

Place the cake in the refrigerator while making the drizzle.

For the chocolate drizzle:

3 tablespoons bittersweet chocolate chips
3 teaspoons heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon butter
1/4 teaspoon cocoa powder

Add the chocolate chips, heavy cream, butter and cocoa powder to a saucepan and heat on a very low heat, whisking constantly until it has all completely melted and come together.

Pour into a piping bag and drizzle the chocolate over the cake.

Refrigerate the cake for at least an house before cutting into 3x3 inch squares.

Nutmeg Cookies with White Chocolate

2009-10-07T13:31:00.088-04:00

I know I haven't been posting as much as I really wanted to so far this autumn; I have so many things I want to put up before it becomes winter and I change from fall/harvest mode into Christmas mode.

I managed to catch a cold twice since the weather changed and I haven't felt up to baking much (sneezing and baking aren't really a great match), so I've been quite slow and the poor bowl of mush has been feeling quite thin lately.

On the bright side though, I'm feeling much better and I'm ready for some serious fall treats. There are so many things to celebrate this season!

I think these cookies are now my favorite kind of chocolate chip cookies. I like them around this time of year, although to be frank, you could eat these year round. The nutmeg is very present in the flavor, but these are not deeply spiced cookies, so it's not an overwhelming flavor. I just love the white chocolate with the nutmeg; they really compliment each other. The addition of treacle is purely to add an amount of depth to the flavor. You could always use molasses for that, but I absolutely love treacle.

Nutmeg Cookies with White Chocolate:
(makes approx 15)

1 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/4 teaspoons nutmeg
2 pinches of ground cloves
6 tablespoons softened butter
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons golden syrup
1 teaspoon black treacle
1/3 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Pre-heat oven to 375F

In a medium bowl mix together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.

In a larger bowl beat the brown sugar and butter together with an electric whisk until fluffy.

Add the egg, golden syrup and treacle and beat together until it is completely smooth and not curdled looking.

Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and beat together until completely incorporated.

Add the white chocolate chips and fold to combine.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and grease lightly with oil.

Pour the granulated white sugar onto a plate.

Take pieces of the dough and roll into 2 inch balls and then roll the balls in the plate of sugar until coated.

Place each of the balls of dough about 2-3 inches apart on the baking tray.
(You will need to bake these in 2 batches, or line 2 baking trays)

Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes until the cookies have spread and are just beginning to brown.

Remove from the oven and place on cooling racks.

I photographed these cookies as soon as they cooled so they are quite light in color, but they do gradually become darker and more brown looking, especially the next day.

The flavors also infuse overnight so these cookies just get better and better by the day.

Warm Pear Custard Tarts with Pomegranate

2009-09-30T12:14:00.020-04:00

This is a jazzed up version of a classic french custard tart from the Normandy region, traditionally made with apples but pears are also a popular choice.

The sweet crust tarts are filled with sliced pears and a cream custard, which is then baked and finally sprinkled on top with pomegranate seeds.
The addition of pomegranate gives the tarts a vibrant burst of flavor and crunch.

The tartness of the fruit is a nice contrast to the sweetness of this tart and adds a splash of vivid color scattered over the tarts like little ruby jewels.

Warm Pear Custard Tarts with Pomegranate:
(adapted from Julia Child's Tarte Normande Aux Poires in
Mastering the Art Of French Cooking)

Makes 6 small tarts

Pâte Sablée dough for 6 tart shells (Recipe and directions in my Lemon Tarts post).

x2 medium pears (peeled, cored and sliced)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 large egg
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup sifted flour
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon cognac (I altered this- recipe calls for 3 tbsp)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract (my addition)

1/2 cup of pomegranate seeds (my addition)

Pre-heat oven to 375F

Par bake the tart shells, directions in my Lemon Tarts post.

Peel, core and slice the pears.

Toss them in a bowl with the sugar and cinnamon, coating the pears well.

Arrange the pears in the tart shells and bake in the oven at 375F for about 20 minutes.

Remove and let cool.

In a mixing bowl, beat the egg and sugar together until it becomes thick and pale yellow.

Beat in the flour and then the cream, cognac and vanilla.

Pour the custard in the tart shells filling them almost right to the top.

Return the tarts to the oven at 375F for about 10 minutes until the cream begins to puff.

While the tarts are still warm from the oven sprinkle with the pomegranate seeds and serve.

Chai Spiced Pumpkin Bread

2009-09-25T15:03:00.008-04:00

This chai spiced pumpkin bread brings the best of fall flavors together with warm fragrant Indian chai spices.
As the days begin to cool, there's nothing more perfect than this warmly spiced bread to take the chill out of those upcoming crisp days.

This bread is so luscious and moist. The earthy chai flavors enrich the hearty pumpkin taste and infuse the bread with the most wonderful aromas. The fragrance of your home while these are baking should be bottled up and made into a candle.

Chai Spiced Pumpkin Bread:
(makes 1 loaf)

1/2 cup butter (softened)
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 can of pumpkin puree
2 black tea bags steeped in 1/4 cup hot milk (I used assam tea)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
pinch of black pepper
pinch of all spice

Pre-heat oven to 350F

Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl.

Whisk in the eggs and vanilla extract.

Fold in the pumpkin puree and the milky tea
(make sure the tea has completely cooled before adding)

In another bowl mix together the all-purpose flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.

Then add all the spices to this.

Add the flour mixture into the pumpkin mix.

Fold until just combined.

Grease a loaf pan and pour the mixture in.

Bake for 55-60 minutes at 350F

Allow to rest and cool on a rack.

Serve slightly warm and buttered, maybe with a nice cup of hot chai!

Cider Doughnuts

2009-09-21T09:09:00.132-04:00

Apple Cider is back in season and that means cider doughnut time!
This is a doughnut that began to sell at apple orchards as a treat to accompany their farm fresh apple cider.
Now they can be found easily around the New England area, but you absolutely can't beat the taste of these when they are homemade.

The apple cider is subtle but definitely gives these doughnuts their classic fall flavor; and when combined with cinnamon and nutmeg the perfect apple spice is created.

Since moving to New York, these have become one of my favorite things about autumn.
There's nothing better than a cider doughnut with a cup of spiced apple cider on a crisp autumn day.

For more farmer's market pictures view my Flickr

Vermont Apple Cider Doughnuts: (makes 12)
(adapted from a recipe recommended on Chowhound)

1 cup Apple Cider
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter (softened)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Vegetable oil for frying
1 cup cinnamon-sugar mixed

Boil the apple cider in small saucepan until it is reduced to 1/4 cup. Allow to cool down fully.

In a large bowl beat the sugar with the butter until smooth. Beat in the eggs.
Then add the buttermilk and reduced apple cider.

In another bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg.
Add the flour mixture slowly to the liquid mixture and mix enough to combine.

Transfer the dough to a floured board and knead slightly to combine well without over working the dough.

Roll or pat the dough to a 1/2 inch thickness.

Cut with an approximately 3-inch round cookie cutter

Then cut in the middle of each with a smaller round cookie cutter.

(Re-roll scraps and continue with the cutting process)

Place the doughnuts on a tray lined with grease proof paper.

Take a deep pan and add enough oil to fill it approx 3 inches deep.

Fry a few doughnuts at a time, turning once or twice until they are browned and fully cooked through.

Allow the hot doughnuts to drain on some paper towel.

While the doughnuts are still warm, coat them in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Eat these doughnuts warm and freshly made.

Pear and Ginger Muffins

2009-09-14T09:30:00.055-04:00

An essential part of autumn is smell. Walking into a home where you can smell pumpkin spice, or an apple pie baking is really what autumn is all about for me.
These muffins are definitely one way to bring these aromas into your home. The comforting pear scent will permeate your kitchen and taste buds alike with a sweet and slightly spicy scent, an appetizing autumn invitation.

I absolutely love pears; the ginger really intensifies the sweet pear flavor without overpowering it and the pears give the muffins a really luscious texture.
I've been eating these almost everyday for breakfast or as a snack; they even work perfectly when partnered with a good pungent cheese.

The pears I used were the first ones I bought this season from the green market. There are so many varieties of pears and honestly I love them all but I chose to use Bartlett pears this time, they're always very sweet.

Lovely pears at the Green market in Union square NY.

For more pictures from the market check out my Flickr.

Pear and Ginger Muffins: (adapted from Nigella Lawson's Nigella Express)
( makes 12)

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar (and more for sprinkling)
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2/3 cup sour cream (I used Greek yogurt)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon honey
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups small diced pear (peeled and cored)

Pre-heat the oven to 400F

In a large bowl, add the flour, baking powder, white sugar, brown sugar and the ground ginger.
Mix well to combine.

In another bowl whisk together the sour cream, oil, honey and eggs. Fold this in to the flour mixture.

Mix in the diced pear gently.
(Dice the pears right before you add them, or they will start to turn brown.)

Line a 12-bun muffin tin with muffin papers and fill each muffin case with the mixture evenly.

Sprinkle the top of each muffin with brown sugar.

Bake in the oven for 20 mins at 400F

When the muffins are golden and baked through, remove and place on a cooling rack.

These are lovely when eaten warm.

They smell amazing! I need a candle that smells just like this :)

Butter Pecan Bundts

2009-09-10T08:42:00.016-04:00

Autumn is here! Well, not officially, but here in the United States, Labor Day represents the summer season coming to an end and opens the door to fall.
I always look forward to the crisp autumn weather and the baking opportunities the new season brings.
Some of my favorite fall ingredients include: pears, apples, pumpkins, pecans blackberries, figs, walnuts and many more.

I'm going to kick the new season off with something that has become one of my favorite breakfast items, butter pecan bundts; Of course these bundts needn't be purely for breakfast.

I recently bought the cutest rose shaped mini bundt molds, so I used them for these. They're so pretty, I'll have to make pink bundts someday so they look like roses.
Butter Pecan Bundts:
(makes 12 small bundts or 1 large bundt)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon white sugar
1/2 cup softened butter (1 stick)
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
1/8 teaspoon orange zest
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
A pinch of nutmeg
2 eggs
3/4 cup chopped pecans (with 3 tablespoons butter and 4 tablespoons brown sugar)

Roughly chop the pecans.

Heat a small pan to medium/high heat. Add the 2 tablespoons butter and allow to melt and bubble. Then add the 4 tablespoon brown sugar and mix with the butter.

Immediately add the chopped pecans to the pan. Allow the pecans to brown while the sugar dissolves and caramelizes slightly ( keep stirring).

Once the pecans are browned and sticky, remove them to a plate and place in the refrigerator to cool down.

Pre-heat the oven to 350F

In a large bowl, cream the white sugar and butter together with an electric whisk until smooth.

Whisk in the eggs and beat for about 3 minutes.

Add the salt, vanilla, nutmeg, orange zest and whisk.

Briefly whisk in the Greek yogurt.

In another bowl combine the flour, baking powder and baking soda, then sift this into the bowl with the wet mixture. Whisk well to combine.

Fold in the cooled, chopped pecans.

Grease the bundt molds and fill each one 2/3rd's full.

Bake in the oven at 350F for 35-45 minutes.

Allow to rest on a cooling rack.

Breakfast time!

It also makes a really great afternoon treat with tea.

Raspberry Bavarian Cream

2009-09-08T08:22:00.008-04:00

Bavarois aux Framboise
Continuing with my Julia Child obsession, she has several Bavarian cream recipes In her book Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I decided to go with the raspberry Bavarian cream.
As the book says, "Bavarian cream is a mold of crème anglaise (custard sauce) with gelatin, beaten egg whites and flavoring. It is un-molded after it has been chilled, and makes a dessert as beautiful to see as it is to eat."
I didn't end up un-molding the cream as I wanted to keep them in individual serving glasses rather than on a serving plate, but I will have to try that one day.
This dessert is so perfect in every way. It's almost like a mousse but the texture is more velvety; it's very creamy and light.
Even though there are some really nice variations of Bavarian cream in the book, I thought raspberry would be a great treat before the summer ends.

Raspberry Bavarian Cream:
(This recipe makes enough for 8-10 people, I made half of this.)

1/2 cup orange juice (or raspberry juice)
1 1/2 tablespoons gelatin powder
5 egg yolks
1 cup granulated white sugar
2 teaspoons corn starch
1 1/2 cups boiling milk
5 egg whites
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon granulated white sugar
a tray of ice cubes
1/2 cup chilled whipping cream
1 pint fresh raspberries (and extra for decoration)

In a bowl add the orange or raspberry juice and the gelatin powder and mix together and set aside to soften.

In a large bowl beat the egg yolks, cornstarch and sugar together until pale yellow.

Beat the boiling milk into the bowl pouring very slowly.

Pour this mixture into a sauce pan over a medium heat, stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture is thick enough to coat the spoon.

Immediately remove the saucepan from the heat and add the orange/gelatin mixture and beat all together until dissolved completely.

Rinse out the previous mixing bowl and pour the custard cream in.

In another bowl beat the egg whites, salt and tablespoon of sugar until it forms stiff peaks.

Fold the egg whites into the custard cream mixture gently and set the bowl over another bowl filled with the ice and water.
Allow this mixture too cool down without setting, mix a few times.

In another bowl whip the whipping cream until it doubles in volume. Fold the whipped cream into the cooled custard mixture.

Push the raspberries through a sieve into a bowl to make 3/4 to 1 cup of puree.

Fold the raspberry puree into the custard cream mixture.

Add the cream to individual serving glasses, top the cream with fresh raspberries and place in the refrigerator to set for approximately 3 hours or until they are ready to be served.