A Cake Recipe Worth Sharing {Recipes: Emma's Chocolatey Chocolate Cake and Peppermint Frosting}

 

Every summer for several years the kids and I would visit my sister and her family in Missouri. At the time, my sister owned a bakery and would allow the kids to bake a few items to sell with her baked goods at the farmers' market. One year, my daughter wanted to create her own recipe, this is the recipe she came up with. In addition, she wanted to name it "Emma's Chocolatey Chocolate Cake". It was a very fun project for my daughter, in addition, we now have a very good recipe for a chocolate snack cake. 

When school started after that summer trip, my daughter wanted to make this recipe for her class for her birthday (which usually falls on the second week of school). So, she made enough mini loaves for the entire class and along with the recipe and note. 

This Christmas my daughter and I decided to try this cake with peppermint frosting. If using the peppermint frosting, omit the cinnamon. 

Emma's Chocolatey Chocolate Cake 

I wanted to make up my own cake recipe, so I sat down with my mom and went over what ingredients usually go into a cake. We also discussed basic measurements and ingredients for baking. With this informations, I decided what I wanted to put in my cake and wrote it down. My mom checked with a similar recipe to see if the ingredients and measurements I came up with would work. We thought what I came up with would work except I originally had 2 eggs in the recipe, which probably would have been too much. While mixing together the dry ingredients, I decided that cinnamon might be a yummy addition-I think I was right! -Emma A. Age 8

1 1/2 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, melted

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup milk

1/2-1 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a 8'x8"square, 8"round, or line an 8 cavity mini loaf pan with large cupcake liners to make mini cakes. Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon (if using) in a medium size mixing bowl; set aside. In another medium size mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter, cocoa powder, and sugar until will blended. Add egg and vanilla to the butter/cocoa powder mixture and blend well with whisk. Add 1/2 the flour mixture to the butter/cocoa mixture; whisk well. Then add 1/2 cup milk, whisking until well blended. Repeat these steps for the remaining flour mixture and milk. Pour batter into prepared cake pan or evenly distribute into prepared mini loaf pan cavities, filling each cavity about 2/3 full. Sprinkle cake(s) with mini chocolate chips. Tap pan to allow for some of the chocolate chips to settle into the batter. Bake for 30-35 minutes for 8"cake, 20-25 minutes for mini loaves, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake (or one mini cake) comes out clean. Let cakes cool in pan(s) for about 5-10 minutes, then remove from pan(s) and place on cooling rack to cool completely. This cake is yummy on its own or with vanilla, chocolate, or peppermint frosting and sprinkled with chocolate a few more chocolate chips for decoration.

This cake is very good on its own
or dusted with a little powdered sugar.

Note: This recipe was created to be put together in Emma's aunt's bakery. The industrial size mixers are too big to use with this recipe, so a whisk is used. That said, the bakery whisks are heavy duty as well. While a regular whisk does work, a hand held mixer on a lower setting might be easier.

Peppermint Frosting

3 cups powdered sugar, sifted

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened

1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

2-4 tablespoons milk

Combine powdered sugar, butter, peppermint extract, and 2 tablespoons milk into a medium size mixing bowl and whisk or mix with mixer set on low at first and increasing speed and ingredients come together (powdered sugar will go everywhere if you start on a higher speed). Add more milk, a teaspoon at a time, until a light spreadable consistency is achieved. Makes enough frosting for one 8"single layer cake or 8 mini loaves. 

Merry Christmas and Enjoy!

If as First You Don't Succeed... {Recipe: Vanilla Biscotti}

The only time I have thrown out a baking project is with biscotti. I got through the first bake, then while trying to slice it for the second bake, I wound up with a big crumbled mess. I was so frustrated, I dumped the whole batch in the trash. It probably didn't help that I was still in college and just got through winter quarter finals, the last thing I wanted to deal with is being stressed while baking. 

Enough time has passed (20+years) since my biscotti baking disaster, I figured it was time to give biscotti a go again. This time I looked up a trusted source, King Arthur Baking, and followed their trouble shooting suggestions. Below is an adapted version of the recipe from King Arthur Flour, it is a good basic recipe. This recipe should lend itself well to variation. As I try different variations, I will add them to this post. 

Vanilla Biscotti

This recipe is adapted from one found @https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/american-style-vanilla-biscotti-recipe

Basic Recipe:

6 tablespoon butter*

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt 

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

2 large eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a 18"x 13" baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

2 In a medium-size mixing bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, salt, vanilla, and baking powder until smooth and creamy.

3. Beat eggs into the butter mixture, the batter may look a but curdled. Add flour and, with mixer set on low, mix until smooth. The dough will be sticky. 

4. Place the dough onto a kitchen scale and divide the dough in half or place the prepared baking sheet and divide the dough in half just by eyeing it. Shape dough into two 9 1/2"x2" logs about 3/4" high. Smooth the top and side of the logs with a wet spatula or bowl scraper. 

5. Bake the dough in preheated oven for 25 minutes; remove from oven.

6. Using a spray bottle filled with room temperature water, lightly spray the tops and sides of the logs. This will make slicing the biscotti easier and less crumbling. Reduce the temperature of the oven to 325ºF

7. Let the baked logs sit for 5 minutes, then using a serrated knife, cut the logs crosswise into 3/4" slices. Alternatively, the logs can be cut diagonally for longer, but fewer, biscotti. Be careful to cut straight down, or else you will have uneven slices that may topple while baking. 

8. Return the biscotti flat edge down onto the prepared baking sheet. Return the biscotti to the oven and bake 20-25 minutes, or until they feel very dry and start turning light golden brown. They may feel slightly soft and moist in the very center if breaking one open for testing, but they will continue to dry out while cooling.

9. Transfer biscotti from baking sheet to cooling rack; cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Optional variations:

• Sprinkle prepared logs with coarse sugar (like turbinado) and press lightly into dough before first bake time. 
• Drizzle with white, dark, or milk chocolate 

*Note: Some recipes I looked at state the butter should be cold, but most didn't specify what temperature the butter should be. I took the butter and eggs out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before starting the dough.

Pour a cup of hot cocoa or coffee and enjoy!

The Smell of Fall {Recipe: Pumpkin Bread}

 

Pumpkin bread is a autumn staple on our house; it always makes the house smell like fall. I didn't get into pumpkin bread until I became an adult, although this recipe modified from the Betty Crocker Cook Book I was given when I was 12. The only time we had anything pumpkin when I was growing up was pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving and I hated it. I am sure that is why it took me so long to try anything else that was pumpkin. Boy, was I missing out! I love just about anything else pumpkin that is not pie. This is my go to recipe for pumpkin bread. 

Pumpkin Bread

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line and spray the bottom of two 9x5x3 inch loaf pans with parchment and cooking spray. 

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together dry ingredients:

3 1/2  cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 

1/4 teaspoon ginger

Set aside. 

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together wet ingredients:

2/3 cup butter, melted and cooled

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar

4 eggs

1 can (16 ounces) pumpkin*

2/3 cup water

2 teaspoons vanilla

Optional: 1/3 cup chocolate chips or raisins and 1/3 cup nuts (walnuts or pecans) can be added.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until well combined, but being careful not to over mix. 

Pour into into pans. Bake 45-60 minutes or until a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. 

*Note: I use Trader Joes Organic Pumpkin, which I believe is more liquid than solid packed pumpkin. I would think either would work. 

Enjoy!

Sisters Go Together Like Peanut Butter and Chocolate {Recipes: Peanut Butter Ice Cream and Homemade Magic Shell}

Years ago, one of the best treats my sister and I would go out for was chocolate dipped peanut butter ice cream cones from Swensen's Ice Cream. At that time there were lots of Swensen's around, and the one we used to go to was in San Luis Obispo, CA. Now the only one I know of in CA is the original one in San Francisco. Maybe someday I'll make it to San Francisco and visit Swensen's again, but until then I came up with my own recipe for Peanut Butter Ice Cream and Magic Shell for dipping or serving poured over the ice cream. 

In addition to making Peanut Butter Ice Cream, I made a version with Biscoff Cookie Butter because my daughter is allergic to peanuts. It's a toss up which one is better; they are both delicious! My daughter thinks the Biscoff Cookie Butter Ice Cream is the best I have ever made! If you are a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup fan, which I am, this Peanut Butter Ice Cream with Magic Shell is for you! 

Peanut Butter Ice Cream

This ice cream is adapted from a Pumpkin Ice Cream recipe that came with my Cuisinart Duo Ice Cream Maker that was purchased around 2003.   

1 cup natural peanut butter, smooth or chunky (I use Laura Scudder All Natural Smooth Peanut Butter)
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 cup whole milk
1 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons vanilla

1. In a medium size mixing bowl, combine peanut butter and brown sugar using a hand mixer set on low. Add milk to peanut butter mixture and continue to mix with the hand mixer set on low until sugar is dissolved.  (It's a little difficult to tell if the sugar is dissolved with natural peanut butter because the peanut butter is a little grainy. Mixing for a couple of minutes should be long enough to dissolve the sugar.) Stir in heavy whipping cream and vanilla. 

2. Pour into ice cream maker and process according to your ice cream maker's instructions. 

Makes about 1 quart. 

Variation: for Homemade Biscoff Cookie Butter Ice Cream, substitute Biscoff Cookie Butter for peanut butter and use 1/2 cup granulated sugar instead of 3/4 cup brown sugar. Also, add a pinch of salt. 

Homemade Magic Shell

There are many recipes for this on Pinterest and elsewhere, they are all basically the same. All homemade Magic Shell is chocolate and coconut oil. More coconut oil can be added to make a thinner chocolate shell and less coconut oil will make a thicker one. Semi-sweet chocolate, butterscotch, or peanut butter chips would work as well. 



1 11.5 ounce package milk chocolate chips
1/4 cup coconut oil

Place ingredients into a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 30 seconds, stir, and repeat until the chips are completely melted, about 1-2 minutes total time. Let cool to room temperature. Spoon over ice cream, let harden a bit, then enjoy!

Store in an air tight microwave safe container at room temperature or refrigerator. If stored in the refrigerator, it will have to be reheated again in 30 second increments. Stored at room temperature, mixture should remain pourable, if not reheat for few seconds in the microwave until desired consistency is reached. 






Enjoy!

That's Right, We're Basic {Recipe: Potato Salad}

It took a long time for me to come around to liking potato salad. Potatoes swimming in mayo with pickles and celery just does not appeal to me. It doesn't help that when I finally tried it at a family picnic I got food poisoning. It probably wasn't the potato salad, but that is what I blamed it on. Anyway, the Old Fashioned Potato Salad at Trader Joe's caught my attention a few years ago and I decided to try it; my family and I loved it! It is a good basic, no frills s potato salad (although if you go to their website they have recipes to dress it up). This is my homemade version of Trader Joe's potato salad. 

Potato Salad

My family and I like a very basic potato salad that is a little on the dry side. This recipe can easily be adjusted to taste. More mayonnaise can be added, different vinegars can be used, dill relish instead of sweet, and red onions instead of green are just a few ideas to change up this recipe. 

3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4" cubes
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup mayonnaise 
1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
1 teaspoon yellow mustard or your favorite mustard
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Salt and pepper to taste (I use about 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper)
3 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1/4 cup chopped green onions, plus a bit more to garnish top of salad

1. Place prepared potatoes in a large stock pot and add enough water to come about 1 inch above the potatoes. Bring potatoes to a boil over medium-high heat, add kosher salt, then reduce heat to medium. Cook potatoes until they are just fork tender, about 8-10 minutes. Be Be careful not too over cook potatoes or they will be mushy. Drain potatoes and return to stock pot; toss with apple cider vinegar and let cool to room temp. 

3. In a small mixing bowl, combine mayonnaise, sweet pickle relish, mustard, onion powder, and salt and pepper. Stir until well combined. 

4. Place cooled potatoes into a large mixing bowl, add hard boiled eggs and green onions. Gently stir in mayonnaise mixture until well combined. Cover and chill for a couple of hours.  Garnish with chopped green onion just before serving, if desired. Serve chilled.

Makes about 8 servings.

Enjoy!

Father Knows Best {Recipe: Burnt Sugar Cake with Burnt Sugar Icing}

My father always said his favorite cake was the burnt sugar cake with burnt sugar icing his mother made. Unfortunately my paternal grandmother passed away before I was born and my father did not have any of her recipes. I always wanted to make my father one of these cakes, but couldn't find a recipe. Now with  the internet and Pinterest, there are recipes for burnt sugar cakes all over the place!

After looking over several recipes, I decided to adapt one found on @allrecipes. This, with the addition of burnt sugar icing, seems to be the closest to what I recall my dad describing. Now, I only wish he was still here for me to make him one. He was right though, this cake is delicious!

 This is my father in his LAPD uniform. 

Burnt Sugar Cake

Recipe for the cake is adapted from one found @allrecipes.com. The icing is a basic buttercream with  a bit of the burnt sugar syrup added. 

For burnt sugar syrup:

1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup hot water

Heat sugar in a heavy saucepan over medium-medium high heat, stirring constantly until with a heat proof spatula or wooden spoon. Once sugar is melted and turns a deep golden brown, remove from heat and very slowly add the hot water to the sugar. BE CAREFUL when adding the water, it will sputter. Stir the mixture until sugar is dissolved; set aside and cool.

This is the set up I use for making burnt sugar; I also have a heat proof measuring cup close by for the hot water. I place about a cup of water in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil, to measure out 1/3 cup later. I also place the 1/2 of sugar in a saucepan on the burner next to the water. This way I have hot water ready and close by for the burnt sugar. 







This is the burnt sugar before the water is added. If the sugar seizes up and burnt sugar doesn't dissolve completely, put the mixture on medium low-low heat until burnt sugar completely dissolves.






For cake:

1 1/2 cup +1 tablespoon cake flour 
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
1 egg
3 tablespoons burnt sugar syrup 
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line bottom of one 8" round or square cake pan with parchment* and lightly grease the parchment paper with cooking spray or butter; set aside. 

*Note: parchment is not necessary if using a square pan and will be leaving the cake in the pan.

2. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium size mixing bowl; set aside. 

3. In another medium-large size mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat until well blended, scraping sides of the bowl if necessary. Mix in burnt sugar syrup and vanilla. 

4. Starting with the flour mixture, add 1/2 to the butter mixture, then add 1/2 of the milk; repeat. After last addition of milk, beat mixture until smooth. Pour batter into prepared cake pan. 

5. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cake for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rake and cool completely.  

Makes 8-12 servings


For icing:

2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Remaining burnt sugar (amounts can very)
Pinch of salt
1-3 tablespoons milk

Place all ingredients into a large mixing bowl, but start with adding just 1 tablespoon  milk.  Beat with mixture until light and fluffy, adding more milk a teaspoon at a time as necessary. 

Makes enough icing for one 8" single layer cake. 

Square Burnt Sugar Cake

Note: Pecans are a great addition to top the cake with. I have to leave them off because of my daughter's nut allergies, but just put some pecans out to add to individual servings. 

Enjoy!

It Only Took a Pandemic {Recipe: Eggs Orsini or Oeufs Orsini}

We just finished week three of social distancing due to the corona virus pandemic. One positive outcome of all this is I am trying recipes from cook books I've had forever, but never made a recipe out of; Monet's Table, The Cooking Journals of Claude Monet by Claire Joyes is one such book. I was given this book years ago and love looking through it, but it wasn't until now that I actually tried a recipe from it. 

Apparently Eggs Orsini was one of the French impressionist artist Claude Monet's favorite egg dishes to serve to guests at his house in Giverny. It is a simple, but elegant, egg dish to impress guests. It is a fun dish to try just to change things up from ordinary scrambles or fried eggs. 

Eggs Orsini or Oeufs Orsini

This recipe is adapted from one found in the book: Monet's Table; The Cooking Journals of Claude Monet.

Ingredients:

4 eggs

pinch of salt

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons Gruyère cheese, grated 

Fresh ground pepper

Chives for garnish (optional)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 300ºF. Generously butter 4 ramekins; set aside.

Separate egg whites from egg yolks into a medium size mixing bowl. Place egg yolks still in egg shells carefully on a scrunched up clean kitchen towel as shown in photo below; set aside.

Add salt to egg whites, then beat until stiff (can be done by hand or mixer). The egg whites should be firm enough to support the weight of a small spoon when gently placed on top.

Gently spoon egg whites into prepared ramekins, then carefully spread with the back of a small spoon to the edges of the ramekins.  Using the back of the spoon, make indentations into center of the egg white deep enough to delicately slip the egg yolk into. 

Sprinkle tops of eggs with grated cheese and dot with butter. Grind a bit of fresh pepper onto to each. 

Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until egg whites turn golden brown and yolks are just set. Top with chopped chives, if using, and serve immediately. Like a soufflé, the eggs will collapse if left to sit too long. 

Makes 4 servings

Bon Appétit

When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Muffins! {Recipe: Lemon Muffins With or Without Blueberries}

Well, we are through the 1st week of self distancing during this COVID-19 scare. One of the best things I've seen come out of this is the people on social media willing to help one another. Food bloggers are offering help with figuring out what to do with food people have on hand, teachers offering to help parents who are homeschooling, others offering to help run errands for those who can't, etc... The positive stories far outweigh the negative.

One of my favorite quotes.

My way of dealing with all of this seems to be baking. I'm certainly willing to bake something for someone, if needed, or help someone learn to bake. Muffins are one of the easiest things to make, and they are one of the first things I learned to bake. There is only one main rule: don't over mix! Over mixing results in tough muffins. 

These muffins are made with ingredients I had on hand. Lemons are something I always try to have on hand. They have a relatively long shelf life (a week or two) and I use them in baking and cooking a lot. Also, lemon juice can be frozen if you can't use the fresh ones up fast enough. Just pour one tablespoon of juice into each well of an ice cube tray and freeze; you'll have pre-measured lemon juice at the ready!  

Lemon Muffins With or Without Blueberries

2 cups all purpose flour (can substitute 1/4-1/2 cup whole wheat)
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
zest from 1 lemon
2 tablespoon lemon juice
2/3 cup milk
1 cup fresh blueberries, optional*
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease or line with cupcake liners 12-15 wells in a muffin tin(s), depending if adding blueberries; set aside. 

2. In a medium size bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

3. Whisk together butter, egg, vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice until well combined. Alternate adding milk and flour mixture, starting with 1/2 of the milk, then 1/2 flour mixture; repeat. Mix until just combined, there will still be small lumps in the batter. 

4. Using an ice cream scoop, fill prepared muffin tin wells 2/3 full. Bake 18-22 minutes, or until light brown and tooth pick inserted to center comes out clean. 

5. While muffins are still warm, dip the tops of muffins into melted butter, then sugar. 

Makes 12-15 muffins

*Note: I add 1/2 cup blueberries to 1/2 of the batter. Not everyone in my family likes blueberries in muffins. 

Stay safe and healthy my friends!

Added Twists to a Classic {Recipe: Tea Scones with Variations}

This recipe comes from my mother's old recipe file and is a good classic scone recipe. The recipe lends itself well to adding different flavors. Vanilla Bean Scones are the first variation I tried and they are fantastic! Starbucks has nothing on these! Honestly, I don't think I will ever have a Starbucks Vanilla Bean Scones again.

Tea Scones

2 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter, cold 
1 egg, slightly beaten (plus one egg for brushing on top of scones before baking)
1/2 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 425ºF. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment; set aside. 

2. Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut butter into about 1/2 inch pieces, then add to flour mixture. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut butter into flour mixture until resembles coarse crumbs. Add egg and milk. Stir with a fork until mixture is just combined. Be careful not to over mix. Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface and knead gently 15 times. 

3. Cut dough in halves and shape each into a ball. Pat or roll each ball into a 6 inch circle 1/2-inch thick. Cut each into eight wedges. Place on baking sheet and brush lightly with lightly beaten egg. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown. 

Makes 16 scones. 

For Vanilla Bean Scones with Brown Butter Glaze:



Increase sugar to 3 tablespoons. In a small bowl mix vanilla seeds scraped from 1/2 vanilla bean into sugar, then sift together with flour, baking powder, and salt. Add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract along with the milk and egg. Skip brushing tops of scones with egg before baking. 

Let scones cool for a few minutes after baking, but while still a bit warm dip tops into Brown Butter Glaze. 





Brown Butter Glaze

2 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 vanilla bean
pinch of salt 
1-2 tablespoon hot water

Heat butter in saucepan over medium heat until it becomes a delicate brown color. Remove from heat, whisk in confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Stir in hot water 1 tablespoon at a time until proper glaze consistency is achieved. 

For Savory Cheese Scones:




Decrease sugar to 1 tablespoon and add 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper along with the other dry ingredients that are sifted together. After butter is cut into dry ingredients, use a fork to stir in 1 cup grated medium or sharp cheddar cheese and 1/4 cup grated Parmesan.  A bit of grated Parmesan can also be sprinkled on top of scones after brushing with lightly beaten egg before baking.




For Lemon Scones:


Increase sugar to 3 tablespoons and add zest of one lemon* to dry ingredients with butter. For the scones shown I used 1 cup all purpose flour and 1 cup white whole wheat flour because it is what I have on hand; it worked well. While scones are still warm, dip tops of scones into Lemon Glaze. Dip all scones once, then dip again. This gives the scones nice coating of glaze. A hand full (about a cup) of blueberries can carefully stirred with the wet ingredients OR 1/2 tablespoon of poppy seeds can be added with the dry ingredients.




Lemon Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice*
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla 

Whisk all ingredients together until smooth.

*Note: Orange can be substituted for the lemon for a delicious Orange Scone. 

For Chocolate Chip Scones:

Increase sugar to 3 tablespoons and add 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips. Coarse decorative sugar can be sprinkled on top after brushing tops with egg, before baking (optional). 

Note: these are the larger scones from patting out the dough into one circle about 3/4 inch thick and cut into 8 wedges. 

Enjoy!

And the Winner Is...{Recipe: Caramel Popcorn with Chocolate Drizzle}

This caramel popcorn is a must for annual Oscar party I've been attending for years. I honestly think the host and fellow guests would not let me in the door if I didn't bring it. This  is also perfect treat for another February celebration, Valentines!

Caramel Popcorn with Chocolate Drizzle

This recipe is adapted from a recipe found on the blog, One more Moore @https://morganmoore.typepad.com/one_more_moore/. I believe the original recipe is from AllRecipes.com. 

1 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda 
1 teaspoon vanilla
5-6 quarts of popcorn
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 250ºF. Spray the inside of a brown paper grocery bag with cooking spray. Make sure it's well coated on the sides & bottom so the caramel doesn't stick to the inside of the bag. Pop the popcorn, remove any unpopped kernels & place popcorn inside the of the brown bag. Stir together baking soda and vanilla in a small bowl; set aside. In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat.  Stir in the brown sugar, corn syrup & salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. **This is the crucial part of the recipe: as soon as this mixture starts to boil, step away from the pan. Boil without stirring for 4 minutes. Once the mixture is done boiling, remove from heat and add the baking soda & vanilla mixture; stir well. The mixture will bubble up quite a bit do to the reaction to the baking soda, stirring should keep it under control. Pour over the popcorn in the paper bag. Fold over the top of the bag and shake like crazy, turning upside-down and side to side. This is the best way I've learned to evenly get popcorn coated. Once coated, divide the mixture evenly and place onto 2 cookie sheets and bake for an hour, stirring every 15 minutes. This is what makes the caramel corn crunchy. It you don't want it too crunchy, bake for less time. I seem to find that 45 minutes works perfectly. Once cooked, allow to cool completely. Melt 1 cup of chocolate and drizzle onto the popcorn. The popcorn needs to be completely cooled or the chocolate won't harden. Once the chocolate is drizzled, you can always place the pan into the freezer for 10-15 minutes  or in the fridge for 30 minutes. It can take a few hours to harden if left to harden at room temperature. Once cooled, break into pieces.

Enjoy!

Baking to Satisfy the Senses {Recipes: Cinnamon Rolls with Browned Butter Glaze, Cream Cheese Icing or Caramel Icing}

To me, cinnamon rolls are the most satisfying thing to bake. The gorgeous swirls of cinnamon, sugar, and buttery yeast dough that make the house smell heavenly when baking; everything that makes for a delightful baking experience. 

Although I don't remember the first time I made cinnamon rolls, it's likely this was the recipe I used. It comes from the first cookbook I was ever given, Betty Crocker's Cookbook, 1974 edition. I like to try new recipes for cinnamon rolls, but this remains my go to recipe.

Traditionally I make cinnamon rolls with vanilla glaze or cream cheese icing, but recently I tried a Browned Butter Glaze on them and it is amazing! Funny thing is I thought browned butter was a fairly recent thing people started adding to baked goods, like maybe the last 10 yrs. or so, but the recipe for the glaze was also in my old cookbook. How did I notice noticed glorious glaze before?!! 

Traditional Sweet Roll Recipe

The following recipes are adapted  from a one found in Betty Crocker's Cookbook, 1974 edition. It can be used for various sweet rolls and coffee cakes, I have only it used for cinnamon rolls. 

2 packages active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (105°F to 115°F)
1/2 cup lukewarm milk (scalded then cooled)
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 1/4 to 5 cups all-purpose flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in milk, sugar, salt, eggs, butter, and 2 1/2 of the flour. Beat until smooth. Mix in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle. 

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured board, knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Place in a large greased bowl; turn greased side up. (At this point, dough can be refrigerated 3 to 4 days.) Cover; let rise in a warm place until double in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.  (Dough is ready if impression remains when touched.)

Punch down dough. Shape dough into desired rolls or coffee cake.* Cover; let rise until double, about 30 minutes. 

Bake in a 375°F pre-heated oven as directed in roll or coffee cake recipe used. 

*There are several recipes in the cookbook that use this dough for their base. 


Cinnamon Rolls

Traditional Sweet Roll Recipe*
1/4 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon 
Brown Butter Glaze or Cream Cheese Icing (recipes below)

Grease** 9x13" baking pan; set aside. 

Roll dough into a recatangle, 9x15 inches; spread with butter. Mix together sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle rectangle. Roll up, beginning at the wide side. Stretch roll to make it even. 

Cut the roll into 15 slices. Place slightly apart in prepared baking pan. Let rise until double. Bake 25 to 30 minutes. While warm, frost rolls with glaze or icing. 

Makes 15 rolls

*The book specifies halving the recipe for cinnamon rolls, but  I use the whole recipe and find it works well.

**I also line the pan with a parchment sling so I can lift all of the cinnamon rolls out together to serve, but it is not necessary if you don't want them to all come out together.  I have also found that they bake nicely on a Silpat lined 15x10" baking sheet and are easier to separate. 


Brown Butter Glaze


1/3 cup butter
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 to 4 tablespoon hot water

Heat butter in saucepan over medium heat until it becomes a delicate brown color. Remove from heat, whisk in confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Stir in hot water 1 tablespoon at a time until proper glaze consistency is achieved. 



Cream Cheese Icing

2-4 ounces cream cheese, softened*
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt
1-3 teaspoons of milk, if needed

Combine all the ingredients in a medium sized mixing bowl, except for milk; stir until smooth. If the mixture is too stiff, add a little milk a teaspoon at a time until desired consistency is achieved. 

*Add the amount of cream cheese according to taste. For a hint of cream cheese flavor, add 2 ounces, for a more pronounced cream cheese flavor, add 4 ounces. 

December 2021 update: This year we tried these rolls with Caramel Glaze and they were fantastic! Here is the recipe for the Caramel Glaze:

Caramel Icing:

3 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

Pinch of salt

1/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup powdered sugar

In a small saucepan, combine butter brown sugar, salt, milk, and vanilla. Cook over medium-low heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and add powdered sugar; mix until smooth. Drizzle over cinnamon rolls while they are still warm. 

Enjoy!