Gingerbread Cookies Two Ways

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Deep down, I wanted to make some glorious Christmas cookies with beautiful royal icing decorations, that would just impress the heck out of my friends and family.  And then I tried.  And there was a disconnect the size of the Grand Canyon between what I was hoping it would look like, and what it actually did. I had initially made some for me to decorate and for my son to decorate.  My son and his cousin had a blast decorating their gingerbread men cookies (center bottom picture), and that was worth the tedium of cutting out the shapes.  I tried a simple cookie glaze from King Arthur Flour on the ones in the bottom left because I had neither meringue powder, nor a desire to use raw eggs, and I thought they came out pretty cute, but the glaze was tricky to pipe.  Then, my wonderful brother and his girlfriend bought me meringue powder in exchange for a lesson on macaron making, so I tried my hand at royal icing (bottom right).  That was where my desire to make beautiful, royal icing cut out cookies ended in a ball of flames.  The icing colors, in spite of using lots of gel food color, came out pastel, it was still too runny, it took every bowl in my kitchen I had, I didn't have good tips that were small enough, the bottles I bought to ice with were too narrow of a neck, and I just completely lack creativity and patience.

I do not have the patience, or the creativity, or the time, or the money to put in to what can only be described as a labor of love.  So what to do with the 1-1/2 recipes of gingerbread cookie dough sitting in my fridge?  I took it out, shaped it in to a log, and made gingerbread slice cookies (like the shortbread and sugar cookies).  It took 5 minutes, one pan, almost no mess.  Then I made the simple cookie glaze, and just slathered it on them haphazardly and called it good (picture top center).  Much more my speed.  So, now that I have given an explanation to my cookie cutting and icing experience, I am giving you two ways to tackle these cookies, cut out or slice.  Do whatever floats your boat :)

One last word on these cookies:  They are good!  As in the best gingerbread cookies I have ever had, good.  If you roll them or cut them a bit on the thicker side, I think they come out even better, because then they have a little chew and substance.  They are bursting with flavor, and I have yet to give them to someone to try who has not loved them.  So whatever way you choose, I hope they find a wonderful place in your Christmas traditions.

GINGERBREAD COOKIES TWO WAYS
(Adapted from King Arthur Flour's Gingerbread Cookies)

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 3/4 cup molasses
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 2-1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice (or cloves)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour

Eggnog Icing 
(Adapted from King Arthur Flour's Simple Cookie Glaze)

• 2-1/4 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 to 2-1/2  tablespoons eggnog, as need for desired consistency  (use milk if you want plain vanilla icing)
• Food coloring if desired

Directions:

1. Dough: In a medium microwave safe bowl, melt butter.

2. Transfer the butter to a medium-sized mixing bowl, then stir in the brown sugar, molasses, salt, and spices. let it cool to lukewarm, and beat in the egg.

3.In a small bow mix the baking powder, soda, and flour, and then stir these dry ingredients into the molasses mixture.

4. Divide the dough in half, and wrap well in parchment paper or saran wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour or longer.

5. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Get out several baking sheets and line with parchment paper (for easy cleaning)

6. For Shaped Cookies: Once the dough has chilled, take one piece of dough out of the refrigerator, and flour a clean work surface, and the dough. Roll it out as thin or thick as you like; for slightly less crisp cookies, roll it out more thickly. 

7. Use flour under and on top of the dough to keep it from sticking to the table or rolling pin. Alternatively, place the dough on parchment, and put a sheet of plastic wrap over it as you roll, pulling the plastic to eliminate wrinkles as necessary when rolling; this will keep dough from sticking without the need for additional flour. For soft dough, or dough to be rolled extra-thin, you may choose to roll right onto the ungreased back of a baking sheet.

8. Cut out shapes with a cookie cutter, cutting them as close to one another as possible to minimize waste.

9. Transfer the cookies to ungreased cookie sheets (or, if you've rolled right onto the parchment, remove the dough scraps between the cookies). Bake the cookies just until they're slightly brown around the edges 8 to 12 minutes, or until they feel firm. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for several minutes, or until they're set. Transfer them to a rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough. 
10.  For Sliced Cookies: Once dough has chilled, take one piece of dough out of the refrigerator and roll it in to a log with your hands, about 6-8 inches long and 1-1/2 to 2 inches in diameter.  Using a sharp knife, cut 1/6 to 1/4 inch thick slices and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake until they are just slightly browned and firm around the edges, 8-10 minutes.  Cool for several minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer them to a baking rack to finish cooling.  Repeat with remaining dough.
11.  For Glaze: Mix the sugar, vanilla, and corn syrup in a bowl.  Mix in 1-1/2 tablespoons eggnog and stir well.  Add more 1 teaspoon at a time until desired consistency is reached.
12.  For Royal Icing: If you want to do royal icing instead, check out this tutorial from Chocolate, Chocolate, and More here.

13. Decorate the cookies as desired.

Challah Bread

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We LOVE bread in my family.  I am always looking for new ones to try.  While browsing my facebook news feed I saw a post for a lovely challah bread.  The baker inside me was inspired to make this beautiful bread, so I took off to my favorite bread baking site, King Arthur Flour, and sure enough, they have a lovely Classic Challah bread recipe.  I had received some Red Star Platinum yeast as a freebie a month or two ago, and had been saving it for a sweeter bread, and decided to give it a go.  My husband saw it as I was putting it in the oven, and was so excited, he is a huge fan of challah bread, and couldn't believe I was giving making it a try.  That made me very happy to see him so enthusiastic about it.  Now the pressure for it to turn out was really on though :)

This dough was very stiff, even though I measured everything by weight, and in hindsight I should have added a tad bit more water probably.  It was around 72 degrees F. today in my house, and after 3 hours it hadn't really risen at all.  I warmed up the oven, then put it in there and let it rise another 45 minutes, and it finally got puffy.  probably not doubled, but enough.  I proceeded with the recipe, and it worked perfectly fine.  I think my kitchen was just too cold.

This is the most beautiful bread I think I have ever made, and the flavor reminded me of the King's Hawaiian Sweet Rolls, just like 1,000 times better.  I am in love with this bread.  Slightly sweet, lovely crust, and incredibly tender and light inside.  Can not go wrong!  I did not alter the recipe hardly at all, except for the addition of diastatic malt powder to help with the rising, and some sesame seeds on top, because my husband loves sesame seeds on his bread.  I also left the directions as written on King Arthur Flour's recipe (see link under the title for the original recipe and more pictures), because I want to make sure that you all get the best information and directions for making this labor of love.

I don't know a great deal about the history and significance of this bread, other than it is significant for Jewish holidays, but I will be looking into it much more now that I know about it a bit better.

CHALLAH BREAD
(From King Arthur Flour's Classic Challah)

Ingredients:

Dough

• 1/2 cup lukewarm water
• 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 large eggs
• 4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon diastatic malt powder (optional)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon instant yeast

Glaze

• 1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon cold water
• Sesame seeds or poppy seeds (optional)

Directions:

1. To make the dough: Combine all of the dough ingredients and mix and knead them, by hand, mixer, or bread machine, until you have a soft, smooth dough.
2. Allow the dough to rise, covered, for about 2 hours, or until it's puffy and nearly doubled in bulk.
3. Gently deflate the dough, and transfer it to a lightly greased work surface. (Mine was very stiff, and took closer to 3-4 hours to even rise barely double, but it still all worked out.  Ended up sticking it in a warmed oven for the last 40 minutes and it finally started rising.)
4. You may braid the challah the traditional way, into a three-strand braid. For a fancier presentation, make a four-strand braid, as follows (Check out KAF's Baking Banter for step by step directions and pictures) Divide the dough into four pieces, and shape each piece into a rough 6" log. Cover the logs with lightly greased plastic wrap or a proof cover, and let rest for 10 minutes.
5. Roll each log into a 15" rope. Cover, and let rest for 10 minutes.
6. Continue rolling the ropes til they're about 20" long; they'll shrink back to about 18" as they sit.
7. Lay the strands parallel to one another, and pinch the ends on your left together.
8. Take the rope nearest you, and move it up over the two adjoining ropes.
9. Next, move the rope back under the rope next to it. Fan the ends of the ropes out again.  
10. Repeat the process, but start with the rope farthest away from you. Bring it down and across the two adjoining ropes, and then back under the rope nearest it. Continue in this fashion, alternating which side you begin with, until you've braided the whole loaf. Pinch the loose ends together, and tuck them underneath the loaf.
11. Gently pick up the loaf, and place it on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet.
12. Cover the loaf with lightly greased plastic wrap or a proof cover, and let it rise till it's very puffy, 60 to 90 minutes. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 375°F.
13. Whisk together the egg and 1 tablespoon water, and brush this glaze over the risen loaf.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds or poppy seeds if desired.
14. Place the baking sheet atop another baking sheet; this will insulate the bread's bottom crust, and keep it from browning too much. Put the challah in the lower third of the oven, and bake it for 20 minutes. 
15. Tent the challah loosely with aluminum foil, and bake for an additional 25 minutes, until the loaf is golden brown.
16. Remove the bread from the oven, and place it on a rack to cool.           

Garlic Cheese Twists and Easy Puff Pastry Dough

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I haven't made many appetizer kind of items, and I don't usually make decadent savory items, because we try to be on a calorie conscious diet here, but sometimes, we just want something rich, cheesy, and sinful. I thought I would surprise my husband with these garlic cheese twists since her loves Italian bread sticks, and cheese straws.  I am not ambitious enough, nor do I have the time to try and do puff pastry the traditional way, so I thought I would give King Arthur Flour's Fast and Easy Puff Pastry Dough a try.  It did not disappoint. It was fast, and easy, and baked up flaky, butter and tender.  Definitely worked great, and I can't wait to make something sweet like apple turnovers with the dough next.  I made a double batch of pastry dough, and now I have one batch in the freezer just waiting to be used.  What could be easier??

Enjoy these lovely Garlic Cheese Twists for a nice party appetizer at a holiday party, or just to snack on at home.  Can't go wrong!

GARLIC CHEESE TWISTS
(Adapted from King Arthur Flour's Flaky Cheese Twists)

Makes about 34 cheese straws

 Ingredients:

• 1 recipe Easy Puff Pastry, see below (or about a 16-18 ounces of puff pastry dough)
• 3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese or pecorino romano
• Garlic Salt  
• paprika
• 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water 

Directions: 

1. 1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Ready a baking sheet by lining with parchment, if you have it; otherwise, just get out a baking sheet, no need to grease it
   2. Place the pastry on a well-floured work surface, and roll it into a 12" x 24" rectangle, about 1/8" thick.
   3. Brush some of the beaten egg/water over the dough, saving the remainder for later. 
   4. Sprinkle cheese over half of the dough, and then sprinkle the garlic salt over the same half, to taste (I like a hint of garlic, so I go light, but go heavier if you like it more).
   5. Fold the dough half without filling on top of the piece with filling, making a 12" square.
   6. Gently roll till the two halves stick together; you'll now have a rectangle about 12" x 13".
   7. Cut the rectangle in half lengthwise to make two rectangles, each 6" x 13". 
   8. Cut each rectangle crosswise into 3/4"-wide strips; you'll cut about 17 strips from each piece of dough, about 34 strips total. 
   9. Pick up a dough strip and twist each end in opposite directions until the dough is a spiraled cylinder. Place it on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough strips, leaving about 3/4" between them.  
   10. Brush with remaining egg wash.  Sprinkle with more garlic salt and then add a light dusting of paprika if desired, for color.
   11. Bake the twists for 12 to 15 minutes, until they're golden brown. Remove them from the oven, and cool slightly on a rack before serving. 

Rolled out puff pastry dough

Dough after it has been brushed with egg mixture, sprinkled with parmesan cheese, and sprinkled with garlic salt.

Dough after folding over, rolling, and cutting into strips.

Twisted, brushed with more egg wash, sprinkled with garlic salt and paprika.

 EASY PUFF PASTRY
(Adapted from King Arthur Flour's Fast and Easy Puff Pastry)

Ingredients:

•  2 cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt*
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 
• 1 cup cold unsalted butter,* cut in pats 
• 1/2 cup fat free Greek Yogurt  
• 1-2 tablespoons milk (if the dough just won't come together enough)

*If you use salted butter, reduce the amount of salt to 1/4 teaspoon

 Directions:

1. Whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder.
2. Add the butter, working it in to make a coarse/crumbly mixture. Leave most of the butter in large, pea-sized pieces.
3. Stir in the yogurt; the dough won't be cohesive. Turn it out onto a floured work surface, and bring it together with a few quick kneads (if it still doesn't come together, add a little bit of milk).
4. Pat the dough into a rough log, and roll it into an 8" x 10" rectangle.  
5. Dust both sides of the dough with flour, and starting with a shorter end, fold it in three like a business letter.
6. Flip the dough over, give it a 90° turn on your work surface, and roll it into an 8" x 10" rectangle. Fold it in three again.
7. Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes before using. To make pastry, roll into desired size. 
8. Freeze dough for prolonged storage, up to 2 months. To use, thaw in the refrigerator overnight.  

Pepperoni Pizza Pull Apart Bread

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We love pizza in my house.  I am always trying to figure out new, easy, tasty ways to make pizza-like dishes.  These pull apart rolls I found from King Arthur Flour looked easy, tasty, and fun, so I thought I would give them a try.  They did not disappoint!  The dough is more biscuit like then bread like, and it is moist and tender on the inside, a little bit crisp on the outside and full of flavor.  Add on top of that all the delicious fillings, and it is sure to be a winner! 

Pepperoni Pizza Pull Apart Bread
(Adapted from King Arthur Flour's Pull Apart Pepperoni Biscuit Recipe)

Ingredients:

Dough

• 3-1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup corn starch
• 1 tablespoon pizza seasoning (or 1 tsp. dried basil + 1 tsp. dried oregano + 1/2 tsp. garlic salt)
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 4 teaspoons butter, melted
• 1-3/4 cup fat free or low fat evaporated milk

 Filling/Topping

• 2 ounces of pepperoni slices cut in quarters (about 48 small slices, cut in quarters)
• 8 mozzarella string cheese sticks cut in quarters (or 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese)
• 1/4 cup basil leaves, chopped
• 1-15 oz. can tomato sauce or spaghetti sauce or pizza sauce
• 1/2 cup shredded/grated fresh pecorino romano cheese or parmesan cheese  
• garlic salt

Directions:

1) Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with olive oil. Make sure whatever you choose can safely go from freezer to oven.

2) Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, flavor, seasoning, baking powder, and sugar. 

3) Stir in the evaporated milk and melted butter to moisten the dough thoroughly. 

4) Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, and roll it 1/4" thick. 

5) Use a sharp 2 3/4" square biscuit cutter or a straight-edge and sharp knife to cut the dough into 2 3/4" squares, re-rolling and cutting the dough until you have 32 squares.

6) Fill the center of each square with 1/4 teaspoon tomato sauce/pizza sauce, a few pieces of chopped basil, several pieces of quartered pepperoni (about 6 little quarters or 1-1/2 slices total), and a quarter of a piece of string cheese or heaping teaspoon of mozzarella. 

7) Gather up the four corners of each square; pinch the corners and edges to seal. 

8) Place the balls in the prepared baking dish. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic salt and then cover with shredded pecorino ramano or parmesan cheese.

9) Place the dish in the fridge for 45 minutes to improve the biscuits' texture and rise (or 30 minutes in the freezer if it fits). While the biscuits are chilling, preheat the oven to 400°F.

10) Bake the biscuits for 35 to 40 minutes, until golden brown. 

11) Remove them from the oven, cool for 5 minutes, and serve with the extra tomato sauce* for dipping.

*I used plain tomato sauce and for the sauce that was left over I added 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp basil, and 1/4 tsp garlic salt and mixed together and heated up in the microwave to use as a quick dipping sauce.

         

Fudgy Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

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Ok. For WEEKS I have been craving something just utterly chocolatey, sweet, savory, chewy and yummy.  I have looked through hundreds of recipes and could not decide.  Do I make brownies?  Cookies?  Candy?  Well, I decided!  I found a recipe for Flourless Fudge Cookies on King Arthur Flour.  I have made them before with regular chocolate chips, and they are like fudgy brownies in cookie form.  Absolutely the richest chocolate cookie I have ever had.  I thought that this time, to get some of that savory in there, I would add some Reese's peanut butter morsels.  OH. MY. GOSH!  These are like a killer peanut butter cup cookie.  I won't lie, these are dangerous.  What is even more dangerous about them, they take about 5 minutes to whip up, if that, and 8 minutes to cook.  in 13 minutes you can be in peanut butter chocolate bliss.  AND they are waist line friendly, at only about 80 calories a cookie. 

This is by far one of my favorite cookie recipes of all times.  My son even helped me make these tonight, perfect cookie for little ones, since it doesn't require a long attention span from start to finish.

FUDGY PEANUT BUTTER CHIP COOKIES
(Adapted from King Arthur Flour's Flourless Fudge Cookies)

Makes approximately 36 cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon instant coffee granules, optional but tasty
• 1 cup cocoa powder, Dutch-process
• 3 large egg whites
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 package (10 oz.) Reese's peanut butter morsels

 Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly grease two baking sheets, or line them with parchment paper and lightly grease the parchment.
2. Using a hand mixer, mix everything together except the peanut butter morsels.  Scrape down the bottom and sides and mix again.  Add the peanut butter morsels and mix in gently.
3. Using a 2 teaspoon cookie scoop, scoop out dough (more like a batter) onto the prepared cookie sheets.  Flatten the cookies out slightly to even distribute the morsels.
4. Bake in oven for 8-9 minutes, until they spread, are slightly shiny, and start to crackle a little bit on top.  They should be slightly firm to the touch.
5. Let cool on cookie sheet. 

Tomato Basil Bagels

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My husband had the good fortune to be near a wonderful bagel shop in college.  His favorite bagel was their tomato basil bagel.  Sadly, after he moved back to California, he has not been able to ever find this flavor again.  When I asked him about his favorite bagel flavor, he told me that he would love me to try to make a tomato basil flavored bagel.  A bit chewy, a good crust, not too bready, and obviously, that tomato basil flavor.  He was able to tell me three things about it: 1) there was no tomato pieces in the bagel, 2) there were basil flecks in it, 3) they were kind of a light pink inside.  With this information I started brainstorming.  Decided I was going to use my favorite King Arthur Flour bagel recipe as a base, since I already knew their recipe produced a texture and outer crust that I was looking for.  I opted for the tomato paste mixed into the water to evenly distribute the tomato flavor without using something like sun dried tomatoes (though I am sure that would be tasty!).  Lastly, good ol' dried basil. 

The resulting bagel: Lovely crust, good chew, perfect balance of tomato and basil flavors, and best of all, it got a thumbs up from my husband!  He said it is as close as he has ever had to those, based on what he remebers them tasting like.  Woo-hoo!

One note though.  I thought I would be all smart and bake these on my pizza stone since that always produces the good crust I look for in my bread and rolls.  Don't do it.  The sugar from the boiling must caramelize onto the baking stone.  They were a nightmare to get off.  Be smart, stick with how KAF wrote it, they know what they are doing :)  I am using their directions pretty much unchanged, because it is well written, and works. 


Tomato Basil Bagels
(Adapted from King Arthur Flour's Bagels Recipe)

 Yield: 8 bagels

Ingredients:

Dough

•  1 tablespoon instant yeast
•  4 cups (17 ounces) Unbleached Bread Flour
•  2 teaspoons salt
•  1 tablespoon malted milk powder (like Carnation's), (if not available, use brown sugar or barley malt syrup)
•  1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) water, lukewarm
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 3/4 teaspoon diastatic malt powder (optional, not the same as malted milk powder)

Water Bath

•  2 quarts (64 ounces) water
•  2 tablespoons malted milk powder, brown sugar or barley malt syrup
• 1/2 tablespoon baking soda
•  1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Directions:

1. Manual/Mixer Method: To make this dough by hand or in a mixer, combine the water and tomato paste and stir until the tomato paste is dissolved into the water.  Mix all of the remaining dough ingredients into the water mixture and knead vigorously, by hand for 10 to 15 minutes, or by machine on medium-low speed for about 10 minutes.  The dough will be quite stiff; if you're using an electric mixer it will "thwap" the sides of the bowl, and hold its shape (without spreading at all) when you stop the mixer. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, and set it aside to rise till noticeably puffy though not necessarily doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

OR

1. Bread Machine Method: Place all of the dough ingredients in the pan of the machine, program the machine for Dough or Manual, and press Start. Check the dough after 10 minutes; it should be quite stiff, and won't have formed a smooth ball. The dough will feel quite firm when you poke your finger into it. Allow the machine to complete its cycle, then complete bagels as instructed below. 
2. Transfer the dough to a work surface, and divide it into eight pieces. Working with one piece at a time, roll it into a smooth, round ball. Cover the balls with plastic wrap, and let them rest for 30 minutes. They'll puff up very slightly.
3. While the dough is resting, prepare the water bath by heating the water, malt, baking soda, and sugar to a very gentle boil in a large, wide-diameter pan. Preheat your oven to 425°F.
4. Use your index finger to poke a hole through the center of each ball, then twirl the dough on your finger to stretch the hole till it's about 2 inches in diameter (the entire bagel will be about 4 inches across). Place each bagel on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, and repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.
5. Transfer the bagels, four at a time if possible, to the simmering water. Increase the heat under the pan to bring the water back up to a gently simmering boil, if necessary. Cook the bagels for 2 minutes, flip them over, and cook 1 minute more. Using a skimmer or strainer, remove the bagels from the water and place them back on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining bagels.
6. Bake the bagels for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they're as deep brown as you like, turning them over about 15 minutes into the baking time (this will help them remain tall and round). Remove the bagels from the oven, and cool completely on a wire rack.    

Pumpkin Pie Stuf'fins

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I had a ton of pumpkin puree left over from making my Pumpkin Molasses Cookies yesterday.  My sweet husband came home from the bank today and told me that he saw Starbucks had a pumpkin cream cheese muffin, just in case I needed any inspiration.  I pondered for a few minutes, looked around at some of the food bloggers' sites, didn't find too much.  I found a recipe eventually at King Arthur Flour for Inside Out Pumpkin Muffins, and decided, with a few tweeks, to give them a try.  My husband things that putting the frosting in the muffin or cupcake is actually the recipe for the perfect cake to frosting ratio, in a lovely little package, so I put the frosting on the inside as the original recipe called for, and named them Stuf'fins, for Stuffed-Muffins :)  Cute, right?  Yea, I know, I am full of witty naming conventions.

I had so much pumpkin I decided to do a double batch.  Well, after getting the first batch in the oven, I sat down to write this post, and realized I never put the brown sugar in them.  I never forget ingredients usually!  Ugh.  So when they came out, I gave them a try.  YUCK!  Muffins need sweetener, that is all I have to say.  So, in to the trash they went, and I added the brown sugar to the rest of the batter that was left, and gave it a good mix.  As I write this, I am waiting with baited breath to see if they tasted better.  Because of the substitutions I made, they are not a high rising muffin, due to the fact that I subbed applesauce for the oil, but I just wanted to see if I could make them a bit more waist line friendly.  If you want the richness of the oil, then by all means, add the oil instead of the apple sauce.  The verdict:  Needs more sugar, still.  And oil.  So, I have made those corrects, bumped up the spices a bit, and now I am more confident these will be tasty little morsels.  And don't worry if they sink in the top when they cool, it won't affect the taste one bit.

And one last thing I learned while making these....when the recipe says to spray the muffin liners, do it.  I learned that the hard way today too.  It was just one big lesson on learning the hard way.  Oh well, sometimes baking is like that.  Live and learn, and then bake some more!


Pumpkin Pie Stuf'fins
(Adapted from King Arthur Flours Inside-Out Pumpkin Muffins)

Makes 12-14 regular muffins

Ingredients:

1 cup (8 ounces) puréed pumpkin (about half of a 15-ounce can)
2 large eggs
2/3 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons vegetable oil  (or unsweetened apple sauce, but it will affect texture and rise)
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1-1/2 tablespoons molasses
1-1/2 tablespoons frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed (or more light corn syrup)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice 
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup (2 5/8 ounces) milk, soy milk, or almond milk
1 1/2 cups (6 3/4 ounces) All-Purpose or White Whole Wheat Flour

Filling:
 
1 8-ounce package cream cheese or Neufchâtel cheese
1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with muffin papers, and spray with non stick spray.
2. To make the batter: Whisk together the pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, apple sauce, apple juice concentrate,corn syrup, salt, spices, baking powder, baking soda, and milk. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add the flour and mix until well combined.
3. To make the filling: Place the cream cheese in a microwave-safe bowl, and heat on low power for 40 seconds, or until soft enough to be able to mix in the sugar. Stir in the sugar and flavor.
4. Drop about 2 tablespoons of the batter (a tablespoon cookie scoop works well here) into each muffin cup, spreading it to cover the bottom. Dollop on a tablespoon of filling, then cover with another 2 tablespoons of batter.
5. Bake the standard muffins for 18 to 20 minutes, until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out crumb-free. Remove from the oven. Transfer them to a rack to cool. 

Pie Crust "Fries"

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So one of the desserts I made for my son's 1st birthday party was pie crust "fries."  Essentially pie crust dough rolled out, cut in strips, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and then baked.  I got these adorable french fry containers from the Oriental Trading Company.  They were so easy and so much fun!  Check out the other goodies here.  Because really, what is better than a bunch of pie crust dough covered in cinnamon sugar???

Here is a blog post and pictures from King Arthur Flour, Pie "Fries"

Pie Crust " Fries"
Pie crust recipe adapted from KAF's All Butter Pie Crust)

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (16 tablespoons, 8 ounces) unsalted butter*
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water
• 1 tsp white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• *If you use salted butter, reduce the salt in the recipe to 1/2 teaspoon. 

Topping:

•  1/2 cup sugar + 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, mixed

Directions:

1) Whisk together the flour and salt.

2) Dice the butter into small cubes, or cut it into pats. Work it into the flour until it's well-distributed, but not fully incorporated. Larger, pea-sized pieces of butter will be scattered throughout the mixture.

3) Tossing with a fork or your fingers, drizzle in the ice water. Stop adding water when the dough starts to come together, and grab it in your hands. If it holds together easily, without crumbling, it's ready. If it has dry spots, or pieces break off easily, add a bit more water until it's totally cohesive.

4) Gather the dough into a ball, and divide it in half. Gently pat/shape each half into a rough disk. Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes before rolling. If dough has been refrigerated longer than 30 minutes, allow it to warm at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes, until it rolls easily.  Here you can also place it in the freezer in a ziploc bag and save it for another batch if you don't need a lot.

5)  After it has been refrigerated, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface, to 1/4 to an 1/8 of an inch thick.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

6)  Sprinkle liberally with the cinnamon sugar mixture, pressing in lightly.

7) Using a pizza cutter or pastry cutter, cut the dough in to 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch wide strips, and about 3-4 inch long segments.  Using your fingers or a spatula, transfer them to a parchment lined baking sheet.

8)  Bake for 12-15 minutes, until puffy and golden brown.  Make sure to watch them carefully, they burn easily.  Remove from oven, let cool, and enjoy!

Homemade English Muffins

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Nothing screams breakfast food like an English muffin slathered in boysenberry jam and butter, at least in my house.   I used to by them by the two pack at Costco, and go through them in a week.  They are so incredibly versatile they worked for every meal.  English muffin sandwiches with eggs, cheese, and bacon for breakfast, or mini english muffin pizzas for lunch, or as a bun for a hamburger at dinner.  They are the perfect bread item.

Imagine my absolute astonishment when I found out that not only can you make these at home, but they are easy, and 100 times tastier!  I now refuse to by English muffins.  Every other week or so I make a double or triple batch.  We eat a bunch right then and there, I send some home with my mother-in-law, some to my parents, and stick the rest in the freezer.  A few seconds in the microwave and they are good as new.  Here is a care package I sent with my parents the morning of a road trip they were taking to Vegas.  Some English muffins hot out of the skillet, banana chocolate chip mookies, s'mores truffles, and some butter and black raspberry jam for the English muffins.

As I confessed in my first ever post, I am a King Arthur Flour recipe and product addict.  If I had to move somewhere in the country, away from my wonderful Southern California spot, it would be Vermont.  For the sole reason that this is where King Arthur Flour's bakery and shop is located.  This would be my dream job.  Anyways, enough daydreaming.  This recipe is their creation.  I do it by hand with no stand mixer, just a little elbow grease, but believe me, it is doable and worth it.  The recipe from KAF was written for a bread machine, but I have adapted it for no equipment necessary.  If you want to prep the dough in a bread machine, check out the link below. 

Just a note though: To get the traditional English muffin nooks and cranny's, make sure you use a fork to split them, because you wont get them if you cut it with a knife.  Or, you can just do it my husbands way and grab one warm out of the skillet and eat it plain, no waiting for splitting or toppings of any kind.

IF YOU LIKE THIS RECIPE, PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO PIN IT :)

English Muffins  
(Adapted from King Arthur Flour's English Muffin Recipe)


Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups (14 ounces) milk, warm (can sub soy milk)
• 3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) butter (or shortening, or vegan butter like earth balance sticks)
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons (7/8 ounce) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 4 to 4 1/4 cups (17 to 18 ounces) Unbleached Bread Flour (if you don't have bread flour, all purpose will work, but the texture will be a bit different
•  2 teaspoons instant yeast (*if you don't have instant yeast, make sure to proof your yeast for 5 minutes with the milk and sugar first before incorporating the rest of the ingredients)
  
  **You will also need cornmeal for covering the surface of the pans.

Directions:

1. Place the ingredients in a large bowl and combine thoroughly.  Knead for 5-7 minutes by hand, until it is fairly smooth and when poked quickly, the dent starts to spring back.  If you want to do it in a stand mixer, place all ingredients in the bowl and after mixed, use a dough hook and let it go for 5 minutes on medium high.  If you want to let it rise in the fridge overnight for use the next morning, proceed to step 2.  Otherwise, let this rise for an hour or until it has doubled in volume.
2. To rise in fridge for next day use:  Stick this dough in the fridge until the next morning, without letting it do the first rising.  I like to make the dough the night before, do the kneading, then let it do its first rise in the fridge over night.  In the morning take the dough out, and proceed with step 3, just let the muffins rise a bit longer after they have been cut into the circles.
3. Transfer the dough to a cornmeal-sprinkled surface and roll it out until it's about 1/2-inch thick. Cut out circles with a floured 3-inch cutter. Re-roll and cut out the leftover dough. Cover the muffins with a damp cloth and let rest for about 20 minutes. 
4. Heat a frying pan or griddle to medium low heat. Do not grease, but sprinkle with cornmeal. Cook four to six muffins at a time (whatever fits), cornmeal side down first, for about 7 minutes, covering the skillet for the first 7 minutes. Flip and  lower the temp to low, cooking uncovered for another 7 minutes.  Repeat until all muffins are cooked.
5. Check after about 3 to 4 minutes to see that the muffins are browning gently and are neither too dark nor too light; if they seem to be cooking either too fast or too slowly, adjust the temperature of your pan or griddle. 



This is what step four looks like, after they have been flipped




6. When the muffins are brown on both sides, transfer them to a wire rack to cool, and proceed with the rest. If you have two frying pans (or a large griddle), you'll be better able to keep up with your rising muffins. 

Yield: 16 muffins.

Big pile of English muffin happiness!  They even look like the store bought, just better!

Nutrition information per serving, via King Arthur Flour (1 whole muffin, 2 halves, 59g): 140 cal, 3g fat, 4g protein, 23g complex carbohydrates, 1g sugar, 1g dietary fiber, 24mg cholesterol, 194mg sodium, 78mg potassium, 38RE vitamin A, 1mg iron, 77mg calcium, 55mg phosphorus.

Double Chocolate Banana Muffins

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I love chocolate.  If I can make something and somehow make it chocolatey, all the better I say!  I love making banana muffins.  Inevitably, I always have some ripening bananas lying around begging to be used.  Unfortunately, after making plain banana muffins dozens of times, I am kind of bored with the same old same old.  Then I had a brilliant thought.  Add chocolate!  It makes everything better.  I took one of my current  favorite banana muffin recipes, King Arthur Flour's Banana Muffin recipe, and after a nice online chat with one of the bakers there, set out to turn them in to double chocolate banana muffins.  The lovely baker on the other end of the online chat box gave me some measurements for adding cocoa to their recipe, I took it one step further and guiltlessly dumped a whole package of chocolate chips into the batter (I made a double recipe since I had like ten overripe bananas to use, otherwise a half a bag of chocolate chips is called for).

I think these still qualify as a good breakfast food, right?  I mean it has oat bran and bananas, ergo, must be a healthy breakfast food.  Ok, at least a yummy breakfast food.

Enjoy these moist, chocolatey, banana-y muffins.  If you want a finer texture, throw the oat bran in the food processor to make it finer, otherwise it will have a heartier texture to the muffins.  

Double Chocolate Banana Muffins Recipe

Makes approximately 16-20 per batch, depending on how full the muffin cups are.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup yogurt (I used Fage 0% Greek yogurt)
• 1 large egg
• 2 Tbs. vegetable oil
• 1/2 snack container natural applesauce (no sugar added) or 1/3 cup*
• 1 1/2 cups mashed banana; 2 to 3 large bananas
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup oat bran (If you don't have this, grind up rolled oats in a food processor)
• 1 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1/3 cup dutch process cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
• 6 oz. semi sweet chocolate chips 

*If you double the recipe, I used 2 Tbs. vegetable oil, and a whole snack size container of applesauce, which is a little less than half a cup.  If you don't have or don't want to use applesauce, use 1/4 oil for a single recipe.  I like the applesauce to cut down on fat and calories, and I can never tell a difference.

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a standard muffin tin, or line with papers and grease the papers.
 2) Combine the yogurt, egg, oil, applesauce, mashed banana, sugar, and oat bran in a bowl. Whisk together and set aside for 10 minutes.
3) Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and cocoa.
4) Whisk the banana mixture into the flour mixture.  Mix in chocolate chips. Scoop into the prepared muffin cups, filling them almost full; the muffins won't rise much.
5) Bake the muffins for 20 to 24 minutes, until the muffins are set and browned. Remove from the oven and let rest in the pan for 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and enjoy warm.
 

King Arthur Flour Hearth Bread

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I am a bread-a-holic.  If I weren't on a diet, my diet would be comprised solely of carbs.  When I worked in Tustin, CA, I was conveniently down the street from a store called Claro's.  It was an italian food shop where you could get imported pastas, olive oils, canned san marzano tomatoes, as well as access to the very popular deli where they would make sandwiches right there for you, and their bakery full of italian breads and cookies and desserts.  One of the things I would go there specifically for was their crusty italian bread.  We don't know the name of it, but it was dark, it was crusty, and it was GOOOOOD!  My husband and I were very good at having half the loaf (it was a large loaf too) gone before we got home from there, if we went down there together.  It is such a happy store.  It is probably the best crusty bread ever, and now I am on a mission to find something that taste like it, and has the crusty happiness.  We think it might only be completely achieved when we get our wood fired pizza oven we lust after, but I figured I should give it a go anyways.

Research led me to my favorite baking site, King Arthur Flour and their Hearth Bread recipe.  This is their go to, traditional, on the back of their flour bags, recipe.  I opted for the version that was supposed to give a crustier, lighter product.  We only waited like two minutes after it came out of the oven to try it, but it definitely had the flavor of the bread from Claro's and a slight crustiness, but when I say Claro's bread is crusty, I am talking 1/4 inch of crispy, flaky bready crusty goodness (the kind where you happily eat the middle out of the slice of bread, then kind of munch of the crust).  This stuff left us, our laps, and our car covered in crumbs, but it was so worth it.  Mine may have been at a disadvantage because between baby and picking up our toddler at preschool and getting lunch, it may have over risen.  Fear not though, I am going to give it another try and see if I can get it any crustier.  The flavor was spot on though.

This is a fairly simple recipe, and anyone who likes good, simple, rustic bread, should definitely give it a try.  The only thing I changed was the addition of 1 1/2 tsp of diastatic malt powder, but that is a specialty item that you needn't worry about.

This is what it looked like when it came out.  It spread out quite a bit, and they ran in to each other.  My shaping wasn't the prettiest, but the good news is, that does not affect taste :)  Make sure you leave enough room between them.  As you can probably tell, we had already dug in by the time I could whip my camera out.

This would make fantastic garlic bread or panini sandwich bread if you cut it parallel to the table horizontally.  Oh my gosh would it be good....or pizza toppings and put under the broiler....or the good old stand by: cut it in big hunks and dig in!

King Arthur Flour's Hearth Bread (from their site)


Makes 2 loaves, 8 servings each, for a total of 16 servings

1 tablespoon (1 packet) active dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon salt
2 cups warm water (not over 110°F)
5 1/2 to 6 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
cornmeal
boiling water

To mix: Mix together the first four ingredients. Let this stand until the yeast, sugar and salt are dissolved. Gradually add the flour to the liquid and mix thoroughly until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface to knead. (This may be a little messy, but don't give up!)

Knead It: Fold the far edge of the dough back over on itself towards you. Press into the dough with the heels of your hands and push away. After each push, rotate the dough 90°. Repeat this process in a rhythmic, rocking motion for 5 minutes, sprinkling only enough flour on your kneading surface to prevent sticking. Let the dough rest while you scrape out and grease the mixing bowl. Knead the dough again for 2 to 3 minutes.

Let It Rise: Return the dough to the bowl and turn it over once to grease the top. Cover with a damp towel and keep warm until the dough doubles in bulk, about 1 to 2 hours.

Shape it: Punch down the dough with your fist and briefly knead out any air bubbles. Cut the dough in half and shape into two Italian- or French-style loaves. Place the loaves on a cookie sheet generously sprinkled with cornmeal. Let the loaves rest for 5 minutes.

Bake it: Lightly slash the tops of the loaves 3 or more times diagonally and brush them with cold water. Place on rack in a cold oven with a roasting pan full of boiling water on the oven bottom. Bake at 400°F for 35 to 45 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and sounds hollow to the touch.

For a lighter, crustier bread, let your shaped loaves rise for 45 minutes. Preheat the oven and roasting pan with water to 500°F for 15 minutes. Brush the loaves with cold water, place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Lower the temperature to 400°F and bake for 10 more minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool and devour!

For a heartier, more nutritious bread, substitute 2 cups of King Arthur Traditional Whole Wheat Flour for 2 cups of King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour.

Nutrition:

1 serving (based on 5 1/2 cups flour used)--

Calories: 140

Carbs: 31g

Fat: 0g

Protein: 4g

Fiber:1g