Rising Dough & Real Vanilla

Happy Foods - Volume One

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 02:55:00 +0000

Delicious food items on my favorites list these days?

1. I enjoy from-scratch baking. Clearly. When it comes to pumpkin, however, I will opt for the Libby's canned version almost every time over the arduous (and really, not all that much cheaper) process of boiling and processing a pumpkin in my kitchen. The long way is a novelty, sure, but I prefer (even taste-wise) the canned stuff.

From September through November, pumpkin is a very popular flavor at my house. Pumpkin bread, pumpkin bars, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin granola, and the best pumpkin cream cheese muffins in the history of mankind (recipe to come soon!)...they're all favorites!

2. If you haven't tried Pretzel M&Ms yet, we need to talk. I thought it was impossible for any M&M to replace the peanut butter version in my life, but the sweet-and-salty combination that these deliver is enough to make me seriously question my loyalty. I'm not one to randomly pick up candy in the grocery check-out line, but I've slipped enough of these little blue packages into my cart lately that Noah actually pointed at them today and said, "Look! Mommy's M&Ms!" *ahem*

3. Local people - are you familiar with the homemade potato chips at Martin's? If so, why did no one tell me about these before recently? And if not, allow me the honor of introducing you. Mark and I love these, and have made them a bring-them-out-after-the-kids-are-in-bed snack. Not because they're expensive (this small but generously-portioned bag cost me all of $1.28), but because we just wouldn't want to share them. You can find them at the deli counter, and they're available in several flavors, including Buffalo Wing (one of our favorites). Try them soon. You're welcome.

Apple Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 02:52:00 +0000

Apparently I took the summer off from food blogging. Not from baking, of course. Just from documenting it all. With the arrival of Fall (my favorite time to create in the kitchen), I'm very ready to jump back in!

I've had this apple cake recipe from A Southern Grace starred in Google Reader for quite some time. Finding myself with some gorgeous Granny Smith apples this week, I figured it was high time to try it out! It definitely did not disappoint. While not the prettiest dessert on a plate, it more than makes up for it in taste. The cake itself is so moist, loaded with apples and cinnamon. And then when you figure in the glaze - brown sugar, milk, and butter simmered together and poured over the top of the still-warm cake...it's pure Autumnal bliss!

Apple Dapple Cake

(from A Southern Grace)

Cake:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup applesauce
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups finely chopped, peeled apples

Glaze:
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup milk

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Make a well in the center and set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine eggs, oil, applesauce, and vanilla. Pour the wet mixture into the well in the dry ingredients and stir until just moistened. Stir in apples.
Spread the batter in a greased and floured 9 x 13-inch pan. Bake at 350°F for 45-50 minutes.
For the glaze, combine the brown sugar, butter, and milk in a small saucepan. Cook and stir until bubbly and all of the sugar is dissolved. Cool slightly. Drizzle warm over cake when it has cooled for 5 minutes.

Lemon-Raspberry Whoopie Pies

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Thu, 06 May 2010 14:24:00 +0000

I saw this recipe in Martha Stewart's Everyday Food magazine and was intrigued by the springtime twist on the classic whoopie pie form. While picking out some fresh raspberries at the store, I was inspired to grab some blackberries as well, and fill half of these cakey lemon sandwiches with raspberry cream and half with blackberry cream. I like them both - the raspberries lend a slightly more tart flavor to the filling while the blackberries make for a sweet, mild berry-infused cream. Next time I make these, I'll decrease the baking time just slightly, maybe just by a minute. Definitely a keeper recipe, though!

Lemon-Raspberry (or Lemon-Blackberry) Whoopie Pies
(adapted from Everyday Food)

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
1 cup plus 3 T. light-brown sugar (divided)
1 T. grated lemon zest
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. coarse salt
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup fresh raspberries (or blackberries, or some of each)
powdered sugar, for dusting

Preheat oven to 350. in a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter, 1 cup brown sugar, and lemon zest until light and creamy. Add vanilla and egg and beat to combine, scraping down bowl as needed. In separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With mixer on low, beat in flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with milk and ending with flour mixture, until combined.

Drop batter in 2-Tablespoon mounds, about 2 inches apart, on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until puffed and pale golden around edges, 17-19 minutes (I'd say more like 15-16), rotating sheets halfway through. Cool completely on wire racks.

*Cakes can be made a day ahead, but wait to fill and assemble until just before serving*

In large bowl, whip cream and 3 T. brown sugar to soft peaks. In small bowl, use fork to mash berries, then fold into whipped cream. (If using two kinds of berries, separate cream between two bowls.) Match cakes together by size, spread one side of each pair with berry cream and sandwich with the other. Dust with powdered sugar.

Store extra whoopie pies in refrigerator.

Vanilla Buttermilk Cake with Whipped Ganache Icing

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 13:15:00 +0000

This is a really great, basic cake recipe that I've used several times. It's technically a yellow cake, but uses a slightly different composition and technique than the average yellow cake, and has an amazing flavor. Like most homemade cakes, it has a denser crumb than from-the-box versions. It's not at all dry - very moist, in fact, but the texture is more substantial. I much prefer homemade cake texture, but I know there are many people who enjoy the super-fluffy box variety, so I thought it best to offer this disclaimer!

I've used a few different icings for this cake in the past. I've done a richer, fudgy icing, which works quite well. I've also used my go-to chocolate buttercream, which is a fantastic icing, but I find almost not deep enough in flavor to pair perfectly with this cake. This time I went with something completely different. In essence, it's a traditional ganache (whipping cream combined with semi-sweet chocolate), but this version is allowed to just set, and then whipped until deceptively fluffy, yet still rich and mildly-sweet. I thought it fit the cake nicely.

Another note: This recipe, which I'm giving in it's original version, calls for 8-inch cake pans. I use 9-inch, and find that I prefer thicker cake layers with this recipe, to keep them moist and fluffy. So I often scale the recipe up by 1/3, in order to use three 9-inch pans and still keep the preferable texture. It's your call, and will depend on the size of pans you prefer to use, but I'd highly recommend scaling up the batter if you use 9-inch.

Vanilla Buttermilk Cake

4 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract (please, for the love of all that is good and holy, do NOT use imitation)
1 1/4 cups buttermilk, divided
3 cups cake flour
2 cups sugar
4 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 350. Butter three 8-inch cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment or waxed paper, and butter the paper.

Whisk eggs and egg hooks in medium bowl with vanilla and 1/4 cup of the buttermilk, until well-blended.

In large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter and remaining buttermilk, and blend together on low speed. Increase speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, about two minutes.

Add the egg mixture in three additions, scraping down the sides of the bowl and mixing just until incorporated. Divide the batter between the pans.

Bake for 28-32 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean. Cool 1o minutes, then turn out onto wire racks and cool completely.

Whipped Ganache Icing

2 cups heavy cream
16 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

Bring the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan. Place the chocolate in a medium bowl and pour the hot cream over it. Cover the bowl with foil and allow to stand 5 minutes. Whisk the mixture until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cool and slightly firm, about 1 1/2 hours. Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat at medium speed until fluffy and mousse-like and forming medium-stiff peaks.

Dulce de Leche Sandwich Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 13:14:00 +0000

Have I mentioned that I love Dorie Greenspan? Well, I do. Her book, Baking: From My Home to Yours is my favorite baking guide, and I've never been let down by any of her recipes.

This lovely cookie is no exception! Soft, not-overly-sweet cookies with a deep caramel flavor, held together by creamy dulce de leche.

One note I'd make is that while this recipe calls for store-bought dulce de leche, it's fairly simple to make your own, which basically involves cooking down either a milk/sugar/vanilla mixture or a can of sweetened, condensed milk. I prefer homemade dulce de leche for most uses, but the canned version is surprisingly good, works quite well in these cookies, and is obviously a time-saver. Totally up to you!

Dulce de Leche Sandwich Cookies
(Dorie Greenspan - "Dulce de Leche Duos)

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup store-bought dulce de leche, plus more for filling (I ended up using about 1 1/2 cans)
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350. Line two baking sheets with parchment.

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

Beat the butter at medium speed until soft. Add 3/4 cup dulce de leche and both sugars and continue to beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for one minute after each addition. Reduce speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until just blended.

Spoon the dough onto the baking sheet by heaping teaspoonful, two inches apart.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating pans halfway through. Cookies should be honey brown, and still soft. Allow to sit on the baking sheets for a few minutes after removing from the oven; then transfer to cooling racks.

When cookies have cooled, match them into pairs of similar sizes. Spread one cookie from each pair with remaining dulce de leche, and sandwich with the other.

Vanilla Pudding Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:13:00 +0000

I really enjoy cinnamon rolls, but I'm picky. I don't enjoy them if they're overly bread-y, or if the dough is tough or too thick. I also simply can't understand a recipe that calls for white sugar in the filling. No. I'll say it again...No. For me, the perfect cinnamon roll has a tender, sweet dough, spread with real, softened butter, and in perfect proportion with a brown sugar/cinnamon filling.

Well, I'm forever indebted to Melanie at My Kitchen Cafe...because this recipe is everything I want in a cinnamon roll. I've seen other recipes that call for pudding mix incorporated into the dry ingredients, but prepared vanilla pudding mixed right into the dough? Um...yes please! It yields a super-soft, nicely sweet dough, filled to perfection and (just to push the whole experience over the edge) topped with an amazing cream cheese icing.

This is the link to Melanie's post, and I'd encourage you to check out her blog for a whole bunch of other incredible recipes. I've never been disappointed with anything I've tried from her site.

I've also put my very, very slightly adapted version below. I've found that I need to add a decent amount more flour than what she calls for, I upped the cinnamon just slightly, and I also scaled it to 12 rolls. (I'm not a fan of freezing these, although I know some people have great success with that.)

Enjoy! (And sorry for the lack of picture...they were consumed too fast this time around!)

Vanilla Pudding Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing.

Rolls:
1/4 cup warm water
1 tablespoons active dry yeast
1 tablespoons sugar
2 oz. instant vanilla pudding mix, prepared with milk as directed on the box...you have to guesstimate a bit
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 + cups flour

Filling:
1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

Frosting:
4 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
1 - 1 1/2 tablespoons milk

In a small bowl combine water, yeast and sugar. Stir until dissolved. Set aside. In large bowl, take pudding mix and add milk to prepare according to package directions (You'll have to guesstimate a bit). Add butter, egg and salt. Mix well. Then add yeast mixture. Blend. Gradually add flour; knead until smooth. Do not overflour the dough! It should be very soft but not sticky. Place in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled. Then roll out on floured board. Take 1/2 cup soft butter and spread over surface. In bowl, mix 1 cup brown sugar and 2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Sprinkle over the top. Roll up very tightly. With knife put a notch every 1 1/2 inches. Cut with thread or serrated knife. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet 1 inch apart, or in greased 9 x 13 pan. Cover and let rise until double again. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Remove when they start to turn golden (don’t overbake). Frost warm rolls with cream cheese frosting (combine butter and cream cheese and mix well, then add vanilla and sugar and mix again, then add milk for desired consistency). Makes about 12 very large rolls.

Double Chocolate Pudding Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:34:00 +0000

These cookies are super easy and intensely chocolate-y. With a generous amount of chocolate fudge pudding mix incorporated into the dough, they bake up with an incredibly soft texture and stay that way.

Double Chocolate Pudding Cookies

2 1/4 c. flour
3 oz. instant chocolate fudge pudding mix
1 tsp. baking soda
dash salt
1 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
1-2 cups chocolate chips

Whisk together flour, pudding mix, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. Beat butter & sugars together until fluffy. Add vanilla & eggs and beat until well-combined. On low speed, mix in flour mixture until just incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop by tablespoonful onto baking sheets and bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Don't overbake these! I usually bake them for 8 minutes, and allow them to sit on the baking sheets out of the oven for 2-3 minutes to set up a bit before transferring them to racks to cool. Store carefully, as they will remain very soft.

Petit Fours

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:50:00 +0000

There are several reasons why these tiny cakes don't fit the pure definition of petit fours, but putting them together this weekend with a friend was lots of fun, and they're definitely delicious!

For the cake layers, I baked up a couple of loaves of Martha's chocolate pound cake. I used this recipe, decreasing the salt to two teaspoons and omitting the glaze.

Chocolate Pound Cake - recipe link - Martha Stewart

After the loaves had cooled completely, we leveled the tops and sides to form perfect rectangles, then split them horizontally and into small square sandwiches.

We filled half of the cake sandwiches with seedless raspberry jam, warmed just slightly until smooth and spreadable. For the other half we whipped up a mixture of about one cup peanut butter, one-half cup confectioner's sugar, and a splash of milk.

For the chocolate ganache, we heated two cups of heavy whipping cream until just simmering, poured it over 3 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips, let it stand for just a couple of minutes, and whisked it until smooth. We allowed the ganache to cool until it reached a thick, but pourable, consistency, and then dipped the filled cakes, coating completely.

We placed the dipped cakes in the refrigerator to set the ganache, and then melted some white baking chips with a spoonful of shortening, filled some decorator's bags, and piped the mixture onto the chilled cakes in various designs.

Fun, delicious, and a good Valentine's Day treat!

Tres Leches Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:48:00 +0000

Ree Drummond (otherwise known as The Pioneer Woman) is one of the reigning queens of the internet (or should be), and her site has been one of my very favorites for as long as I can remember. This cake, though, transcends the "great recipe" category in my mental file and reaches the level of life-changing. And for a dessert that contains not a single bit of chocolate...that is a truly exceptional statement coming from me.

I followed the recipe almost exactly, except that rather than removing the cake from the pan after cooling, I loosened the edges but left it in the pan to more easily soak up the milk mixture. I know that cakes of this type are often served with fruit, and Ree tops hers with maraschino cherries, but I actually think it's truly perfect on it's own, with the slightly-sweetened whipped cream spread overtop.

I need another occasion to make this again. Soon!

Tres Leches Cake - recipe link - The Pioneer Woman

Angel Food Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 14:26:00 +0000

This time of year, amidst all of the butter cookies, fudge varieties, and other beloved festive favorites, I thought I'd throw in a lighter option. Not because I have anything at all against the richer treats (believe me - my kitchen has been cranking them out in droves the past few weeks). And really, I guess when you add a sweet glaze, some homemade raspberry sauce, freshly-whipped cream and chocolate garnishes (the way I prefer to do the angel food thing), this isn't exactly a health food either. But the cake itself - relatively light. What you do to it after that is not my problem. I'm just here to offer suggestions. (But seriously, try it my way. You won't be sorry!)

Angel Food Cake

11 egg whites
1 1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
1 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar

Sift confectioner's sugar and flour together at least three times. (Don't skimp on this. I know it's a pain, but it's crucial.) Set aside. Beat egg whites, vanilla extract, almond extract, and salt on high speed. Gradually add sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Fold flour mixture in gradually. Spoon into ungreased tube pan, cutting through batter with a knife to remove air pockets. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes. Immediately invert pan and cool completely.

For glaze: Beat together 1 T. softened butter, 1/2 tsp. vanilla, 1/8 tsp. salt, and 1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar. Add 2-3 T. milk, until desired consistency. Drizzle over cooled cake, allowing glaze to run down sides.

For raspberry sauce: Simmer together 10 oz. frozen raspberries with 1/2 cup sugar, until berries have broken down and sugar is dissolved.

For whipped cream: Beat 2 cups whipping cream, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla until stiff peaks form.

For semi-sweet chocolate garnishes: Melt semi-sweet chocolate chips or pieces & pipe onto wax paper in various shapes. Allow to set.

Pumpkin Cookies with Butterscotch (or Chocolate) Chips

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 01:42:00 +0000

This recipe, from Joy the Baker, produces soft, generously-sized cookies that are very cake-like in texture. I was drawn to this one originally (over the plethora of other pumpkin cookie recipes floating around right now) because of the unique addition of butterscotch chips, which make for a great flavor-pairing. I also love the combination of semi-sweet chocolate chips with pumpkin, though, so when I make these cookies I often divide the batter and make some with butterscotch chips and some with chocolate. I'm indecisive like that.

One note - it will be tempting not to use the parchment paper. Do not be led into temptation. The parchment is really important in getting these cookies to set up and bake to perfection.

Pumpkin Cookies with Butterscotch (or Chocolate) Chips

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup canola oil

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup butterscotch or chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and butter the paper.

Stir the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together in a medium bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar on medium speed until smooth and lightened in color, about 1 minute. On low speed, add the oil, pumpkin, and vanilla and mix until blended. Mix in the flour mixture until just incorporated. Mix in the chips.

Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup or ice cream scoop, drop scant 1/4 cups-full of batter onto buttered parchment paper. Allow plenty of room between scoops. (I usually only bake about 8 to a pan.)

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time until the tops feel firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry, about 15-16 minutes. Cool them on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then cool completely on wire rack.

Deep Dark Chocolate Brownies

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 01:58:00 +0000

Attention, everyone: This may be the perfect brownie. It's definitely the closest I've found so far. Intense chocolate flavor...dense, fudgy texture...perfection, I tell you.

I've come across this recipe several times, but was inspired to give it a try by this post by Melanie at My Kitchen Cafe. It's my new go-to version. For now. :)

Deep, Dark Chocolate Brownies

2 sticks (8 oz) butter
8 oz good-quality semisweet chocolate
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
5 large eggs
1/3 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 13×9 inch metal pan with foil and spray foil with cooking spray. Alternatively, you may use parchment. These are pretty sticky at first!

Melt butter and chocolate in a 3-qt heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring, until smooth. Add 1 cup of the sugar to the hot chocolate mixture. Remove from heat and let cool to lukewarm.

Whisk in remaining 1 cup sugar and vanilla. Whisk in eggs 1 at a time until mixture is glossy and smooth. Whisk in salt and cocoa powder, then add flour and stir until it disappears (do not overbeat).

Spread in pan and bake until a pick inserted in center comes out with crumbs, 25 to 35 minutes. Cool to room temperature then chill for an hour or more. Lift from pan and cut into squares.

Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate-Chip Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:56:00 +0000

I know, chocolate & peanut butter again. I know. It had to happen, though.

So, awhile back I had one of those days where chocolate chip cookies were seeming very necessary. My problem was that I had no flour. And also, no desire to load two children into the car to drive to the store. Now, I know most normal people in the midst of this scenario would just, you know, not bake cookies. I am not one of those people. I went on an exhaustive search for a flour-free recipe I remembered coming across in recent days, finding it on Baking Bites, a really fun blog I follow. Another plus? This recipe also does not require butter. Which was a good thing that day, since I didn't have any of that either. (Prepared! That's me!)

I adore these cookies. They mix up in minutes and are so, so easy. Because of the different composition of ingredients, they require a longer baking time, and I've found that a couple of minutes to set up on the baking sheet after removing from the oven is a must. The texture is unique, very crumbly and almost meltaway in feel. They're a different breed of cookie, in a very good way.

Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate-Chip Cookies

1 cup creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup sugar (you can use white or brown)
1 egg
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup chocolate chips

Mix all ingredient together, drop by heaping tablespoon on baking sheet and bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes.

Honey Wheat Bread

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 02:24:00 +0000

This is as close to a no-fail bread recipe as I've found. Seriously. And I'm not an expert bread-baker. I love the combination of half white flour and half whole wheat. It makes for a rich, nutty flavor while still maintaining an ultra-soft texture. And the touch of honey adds just enough sweetness. This is my go-to recipe for when I know I want a guaranteed perfect loaf of bread to serve with dinner.

Honey Wheat Bread

1 cup very warm water
1 T. milk
2 T. oil
2 1/2 T. honey
2 T. brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 1/2 tsp. fast active dry yeast

Combine water, milk, oil, honey, brown sugar, and salt and mix well. Add flours & yeast and knead about 10 minutes, until smooth. Place in oiled bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.

Punch dough down, knead for a minute or so, and form into loaf. Place in greased loaf pan, cover (or don't cover...I usually just stick it in a slightly warm oven uncovered for the second rise), and let rise about 30 minutes, or until almost doubled.

Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. Remove from oven and cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan to cooling rack & serve warm.

Apple Crisp

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 03:41:00 +0000

I do a lot of baking this time of year. I also buy a lot of apples. A LOT of apples. You know, the cost-effectiveness and all. So somewhere around this time of fall, I start to get a wee bit...well, tired of apples. But turning them into dessert? Yeah, that still works.

Apple Crisp

5 cups apples, peeled & sliced
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 rolled oats
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/3 cup cold butter

Place apples in bottom of 8 x 8 baking dish. In medium bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, oats, cinnamon, and allspice. Cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle mixture evenly over apples.

Bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes, or until apples are tender. Serve with vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Dark Chocolate & Peanut Butter: The Super-Cookie

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:46:00 +0000

I'm of the opinion that there does not exist a more delightful combination in all the world than that of chocolate and peanut butter. Which is why I set out recently to combine an incredible dark chocolate cookie with my favorite peanut butter cookie to see what sort of magic might result. Perhaps a super-cookie? A heroic confection that rescues mankind from a reality with one less chocolate/peanut-butter pairing? (I have a flair for irritating melodrama. I'm working on it. Except not at all.)

The result turned out to be quite lovely. But don't take my word for it, here you go!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Super-Cookies

2 cups + 2 T. all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) butter, softened to room temperature
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup peanut butter
1 cup powdered sugar

sugar for rolling

Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In separate bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat to combine. Gradually add flour mixture, beating to combine. Chill dough for at least an hour.

Mix peanut butter and powdered sugar until combined, and form into small balls. Take large spoonful of chocolate dough and flatten it, placing a peanut butter ball in the middle and forming dough around it to cover. Roll in sugar and place on parchment-lined cookie sheet. Flatten each cookie slightly with palm of your hand before baking.

Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

Oatmeal Chocolate Caramel Bars

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:43:00 +0000

I have a recommendation for you. With these bars, focus on the rich chocolate layer; the gooey caramel center; the crumbly brown sugar top and bottom crust. Do not, I repeat, do NOT focus on the amount of butter that the recipe calls for. In fact, as you set it out to soften, just stick your fingers in your ears, close your eyes, and say, "La la la la la...I can't hear you, arteries! I can't hear you over the chocolate and caramel!"

You'll be glad you did. Not glad in the, "Woohoo, I can finally fit into these pants again!" kind of way, but glad nonetheless.

Oatmeal Chocolate Caramel Bars
(adapted from Pillsbury)

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) butter, softened

1 1/2 cups caramel ice cream topping
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Grease bottom and sides of 9 X 13 pan. In large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Add butter and mix at low speed until crumbly. Press half of crumb mixture into bottom of greased pan. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine caramel topping with 1/4 cup flour, mix well.

Remove crust from oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Drizzle evenly with caramel mixture and sprinkle with remaining half of crumb mixture.

Bake an additional 18-22 minutes, or until golden brown. Cut into bars.

Well, hello there!

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:58:00 +0000

Welcome to my shiny new blog!

I'm Laura, wife to my high school sweetheart and stay-at-home-mom to two super-cute kids. I love to write and love to bake. So a food blog is a pretty obvious hobby, come to think of it.

It makes me so happy to walk into my kitchen on a quiet morning, coffee in one hand and a really great recipe in the other...the sight and sound of the mixer beating the butter and sugar into the perfect, creamy consistency; the smell of vanilla extract working through the batter; feeling the dough in my hands; watching the ingredients come together to puff and rise and turn a lovely golden brown and watching chocolate melt into rich, gooey perfection. To me, baking is art and science and poetry and love.

You won't find great photography or fancy technical features here. What you will find is a collection of recipes that I've tested and loved. I hope it feels like a cozy little piece of internet-land to visit. Thanks for stopping by!

P.S. Special thanks to my friend Jaimie for the lovely header/banner!