A Taste of Scotland {Recipes: Chocolate Chip Scones and Homemade Clotted Cream}

Scotland has become a big part of our family since my daughter decide to go to university there for her master's degree. While visiting my daughter in Scotland last spring, she took me to a restaurant that had these wonderful chocolate chip scones served with clotted cream and jam. Right after returning home, The New York Times featured a recipe for Extra-Tender Chocolate Chip Scones that looked similar to the ones I had in Scotland. Clotted cream is hard to find in the US, so I decided to make my own. One of the by-products of making clotted cream is whey. Instead of wasting it, I used it in the scones instead of the heavy cream the original recipe called for; it worked beautifully. 

In September, my daughter came home for a visit, and we had a baking day making these scones with clotted cream. It was fun to bring a taste of Scotland here to the California desert. 

Chocolate Chip Scones 

This recipe is modified from one found in the NYT Cooking section. The original recipe can be found here: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/776535584-extra-tender-chocolate-chip-scones.

2-1/2 cake flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  1 cup cold whey left from making clotted cream, whole milk or heavy cream
  1 large egg
  2 teaspoons vanilla
  1/2 cup cold butter, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
  3/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips 
  1 tablespoon heavy cream
  1-1/2 tablespoons Demerara sugar (optional)
  Flaky sea salt (optional)
  
  
  Line a large baking sheet with parchment or silicone cookie sheet liner; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together cake flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together whey (or, if using, whole milk or heavy cream), egg, and vanilla until well combined; set aside. Add cubed butter into flour mixture. Using your hands, rub in the butter until no larger than small pea-size pieces remain. Add the cream mixture and stir gently with a fork until dough starts to form. Fold in chocolate chips with a flexible spatula just until well distributed in the dough, being careful not to over-mix. Turn dough out onto a work surface (no flour needed). Pat the dough, incorporating in any dry bits, into a 4"x6" rectangle. Using a bench scraper or sharp knife, cut dough into 6 even pieces. The scones can be left squared, or you can use your hand to slightly round them. Place on the prepared baking sheet 2" apart. Cover baking sheet with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to overnight. This step relaxes the gluten, which helps make a more tender crumb. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375ºF. Brush the tops of the scones with heavy cream and sprinkle with Demerara sugar and flaky salt, if using. Bake for 24–26 minutes, or until light golden brown. Cool the scones on a baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack and cool at least 10 minutes more before serving.
  
  

• Makes 6 scones. 

  Homemade Clotted Cream

  Note that there are numerous recipes for clotted cream online with very good, step-by-step instructions. It is very simple to make and this is what my daughter and I did after perusing several recipes. All recipes are basically the same.
  
  
  
  
  
  24 ounces heavy whipping cream, NOT ultra-pasteurized (this affects the texture)
  
  
  Pre-heat the oven to 175-180ºF. Some ovens have 200ºF as the lowest setting. This temperature works, but you may want to take the cream out earlier than the time given. Pour cream into a shallow baking dish; I used my 1.7L covered baking dish, but a 9" square baking dish would work well. The cream should be 1" to 2" deep. Bake in a pre-heated oven for 12 hours; check after 10 hours if the oven's lowest temperature is 200ºF. Do not stir or disturb cream while baking. After baking, carefully remove from oven and let cool to room temperature. Once cooled to room temperature, cover with a lid to a baking dish or plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours to overnight. Scrape off the thickened cream off the top and place into an airtight storage container (a pint canning works well). Set aside the liquid whey on the bottom of the baking dish to use for scones. My daughter likes some of the solid bits of the clotted cream, so we did not stir it. You can stir the clotted cream for a smoother, silkier, consistency. A little whey can be added if the clotted cream seems too dry.
  
  

  

  
  
  Enjoy!

An Update on an Old Favorite {Recipe: Tea Scones-Updated}

Tea Scones-Updated

This is an updated version of my mother's Tea Scones recipe: https://motheralwaystoldme.blogspot.com/2020/03/lets-talk-tea-recipe-tea-scones-with.html. The main change is the use of cake flour. It makes for a more tender and lighter texture. 

2 cups cake flour*
2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter, cold 
1 egg, slightly beaten 1/2 cup or more milk, whey from making clotted cream, OR heavy cream

1 tablespoon heavy cream for brushing on top

1. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment; set aside. 

2. Whisk 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. If the dough is too dry, add little more milk, whey, or cream. The dough should beslightly sticky. Be careful not to over mix. Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface and knead gently 5-10 times to make sure ingredients are well combined. 

3. Pat or roll dough to 3/4 inch thick. Cut the dough using a round 2-inch biscuit cutter.  Place on baking sheet and brush lightly with heavy cream. Chill baking sheet with scones for 30 minutes. While dough is chilling, preheat oven to 425Fº. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown. 

Makes 10-11 small scones. 

*Not an ad, but I like King Arthur Cake Flour. I think it has a better texture than others. 

Enjoy!

Summer Into Fall {Recipe: Chicken Salad With Apples and Pecans}

One foot is in fall and the other is still in summer. This is a variation on the Chicken Salad I usually make (https://motheralwaystoldme.blogspot.com/2019/07/salad-worth-fighting-over-recipe.html) using apples and pecans rather than grapes and cashews. This is perfect for when it is still hot out, but ready for fall. Apples always makes me think of fall. 

Chicken Salad With Apples and Pecans

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 4 boneless skinless thighs OR a combination of both
seasoned salt
poultry seasoning 
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped apple (cosmic crisp, honey crisp or your favorite apple)
3 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1/2 cup mayonnaise 
1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
1 tsp of your favorite prepared mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon finely ground pepper, or to taste
chopped pecan pieces, optional

Season chicken with seasoned salt and poultry seasoning*; set aside.  Coat a large sauté pan or frying pan with vegetable cooking spray or enough vegetable oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Preheat pan over medium heat, then add seasoned chicken. Brown chicken on both sides. Check internal temperature of the chicken with an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken. If the internal temperature has not reached 165ºF, reduce the heat to low, cover and continue to cook until the internal temperature reaches 165º. Once chicken is done, place it on a plate and set it aside to cool. Dice the chicken once it has cooled. Place chicken in a medium size mixing bowl, along with onion, apple, and eggs; set aside. In a small mixing bowl, stir together mayonnaise, sweet pickle relish, mustard, salt and pepper. Add mayonnaise mixture to the chicken mixture; stir until well combined. Refrigerate until serving. This can be served as a sandwich or on a bed of your favorite greens. If desired, sprinkle chopped pecan pieces, or other chopped nuts on top of the chicken salad. 

*I don't have exact measurements for the amount of seasoned salt snd poultry seasoning, I just sprinkle some on until it looks well seasoned. An estimate of the amounts would be about 1/2 teaspoon and 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning.  

Enjoy!

Just an Old Fashioned Cheese Cake {Recipe: Cheese Cake}

This recipe comes from my husband's grandmother. It is the only recipe we have of hers. The recipe is written as a "Cheese Cake" as opposed to cheesecake. It is very different from the cheesecakes I grew up with. Until I tried this cake, I had only had cheesecake made with cream cheese. This recipe uses pot cheese or farmer cheese. This cheese gives the cake a very different texture. 

My mother-in-law gave me a handwritten and illustrated cookbook of family recipes which I treasure. This recipe is included in the book. Because it is the only recipe we have from my husband's grandmother, I want to preserve it here as well. 

This recipe is good, but after making it, I will likely make a few changes to suit our tastes. Mainly, I will cut down on the sugar next time, maybe to 1 cup. In addition, I think lemon zest from 1 lemon would be good in this. My husband's family always served it plain, but I think berries are a must. As shown, I topped it with a bit of blackberry compote and fresh berries. 

Cheese Cake

This recipe is written as my mother-in-law wrote it. The italicized notations I made are to clarify and modify slightly. 

Ingredients

6 eggs

2 cups sugar

little salt (I used 1/4 teaspoon)

1-1/2 tablespoon cornstarch

2 teaspoons vanilla 

2 pounds pot cheese* 

1 pint sour cream

Beat eggs, add sugar, salt, and cornstarch. Add cheese, sour cream, and vanilla. Pour into a buttered spring mold** and bake at about a 250ºF until done. Test by inserting a silver knife in the center of the cake. It will take about 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours.***Turn off hear and let cake remain in oven for another hour. Remove and allow to cool. Baking time is tricky, you may have to bake it longer. The recipe does not state this, but, after cooling, it should be refrigerated for a few hours or overnight before serving. 

*Pot cheese is difficult to find. Farmer cheese can be used instead. It should be put through a foley mill. (If you don't have a foley mill, I would think putting it in a food processor would work. The cheese can be used as is, but the cake would have more texture to it). 

**I lined the pan with parchment. 

***This cake took over 4 hours to bake before I turned the oven off for the additional hour. It took this long for the cake to set. After doing a little research, apparently this is okay. Cooking a cheesecake low and slow can prevent cracking. It didn't have any cracks!

This is the note my mother-in-law wrote at the bottom of the recipe:

"This is a heavy old fashioned cheese cake but good"

Enjoy!

Discontinued? No Problem {Recipe: Bakery Style Honey-Glazed Bran Muffins}

Our local donut shop used to make the best honey bran muffins, but discontinued making them. They were one of my favorites, so I decided to figure out how to make them at home. They are not exactly like the muffins from the donut shop, but they are really good and will satisfy any cravings for them!

Bakery Style Honey-Glazed Bran Muffins

1 cup whole wheat flour or unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup oat bran or wheat bran

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg 

1 egg, lightly beaten

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon molasses

Honey Glaze:

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup honey

6 tablespoons slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 350ºF.  Coat the wells of a large (6 well) muffin tin with non-stick baking spray; set aside. In a medium size bowl, whisk together flour, bran, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg; set aside. In another medium size bowl, whisk together egg, buttermilk, oil, honey, and molasses. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until well combined, but be careful not to over mix. 

In a small mixing bowl, stir together the ingredients for the honey glaze, except for the almonds. Distribute the glaze between the muffin wells. Sprinkle a tablespoon of slivered almonds on top of the glaze. Divide the muffin batter on top of the glaze and almonds. 

Place the prepared muffin on baking sheet to catch any glaze that may cook over.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. 

Once the muffins are removed from the oven, loosen around each muffin with a knife (be careful of any baked over glaze, it is HOT!). Place a parchment lined baking sheet or cooling rack* on top of the muffins and careful flip over. The should come right out. If not, tapping the bottom of the muffin tin should help. Remove the muffin tin and if there are any remaining glaze or almonds, scoop them out and put on top of the muffins.  

*The parchment is for easier clean-up. The honey glaze becomes caramelized in the oven and can be hard to remove.

Makes 6 large muffins. 

Note: This recipe would work with a standard 12-well muffin tin, but reduce the baking time to 15-20 minutes. 

Enjoy

Dessert of the Summer {Recipe: Mini Pavlovas for Two}

This is such an easy dessert to make, but looks impressive. It's perfect for summer when fresh in season berries are available, and it doesn't require too hot of an oven. This dessert will be on repeat this summer!

Mini Pavlovas for Two

For meringue:

2 egg whites, room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon corn starch

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 white vinegar

Preheat oven to 225ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. Whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and cream of tartar in a small mixing bowl; set aside. In a small prep bowl, mix together vanilla and vinegar; set aside.   In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, place the egg whites. Beat the egg white on high until frothy, about 30 seconds. Lower the mixer speed to medium and slowly add the sugar mixture. Increase the mixer speed to high and continue to beat until firm, satiny peaks form; about 10 minutes. Reduce mixer speed to low and add vanilla mixture. Mix until just combined, about 10 seconds. Using a spoon, divide the meringue into 2 portions onto the prepared baking sheet. Use the back of the spoon to smooth the meringue and create a shallow indentation in the center for filling. Bake for 1 hour. Without opening the oven door, turn the oven off and let the meringues cool in the oven for about 1 hour. 

For whipping cream:

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Place whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. On medium speed, whip until firm and soft peaks form. Be careful not to over mix. 

To assemble pavlovas:

Fill the meringues with about a teaspoon of lemon curd, store-bought or homemade (I like this one: https://www.norinesnest.com/easy-microwave-lemon-curd/), divide the whipped cream between the two meringues, and top with fresh berries.

Enjoy!

Simple Pastries at Home {Recipe: Easy Bostock}

 

Bostock is a French pastry similar to an almond croissant, but made with day-old brioche. Although it can be made with day-old croissants as well.

This recipe is very easy. It can be served for breakfast, brunch or tea and is a nice change from French toast. 

Easy Bostock

Preheat oven to 350ºF

4 thick sliced day-old brioche*, challah, or 2 large day-old croissants sliced in            half. (If not using day-old, bread can be lightly toasted in the oven or toaster.)

1/4 cup vanilla simple syrup

4 tablespoons of your favorite jam

Almond Cream

1/4 cup sliced almonds

Powdered sugar

*I used Trader Joe's Brioche (not an ad, just a fan).

For Vanilla Simple Syrup:

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Pour water and sugar into a small saucepan. Heat over medium low, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and add vanilla; let cool. 

For Almond Cream:

3 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup sugar

pinch of salt

1cup almond flour or meal

1 egg, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon flour

sliced almonds

powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Spit croissants in half and place on a parchment lined baking sheet; set aside. In a small mixing bowl, cream together butter, sugar, and salt. Add almond flour and mix well. Mix in egg and vanilla. Add flour and mix until well combined. 

To assemble Bostock:

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Brush each side of the bread* with vanilla simple syrup; place on prepared baking sheet. Spread a tablespoon of jam on each slice to about a 1/2 inch from the edge of the bread. Cover the jam with about 3 tablespoons of Almond Cream per slice. Sprinkle sliced almonds on top of the Almond Cream. Bake for 10 minutes, rotate pan, and bake for 10 more minutes or until puffed and golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes, then sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature. 

*If using croissants, treat each 1/2 as a slice of bread. 

Bon appéti!

Fresh Twist on an Old Favorite {Recipes: Cookie Butter Granola and Cinnamon Apple Yogurt Parfait}

Usually I use cooked apples for making apple yogurt parfait (see http://motheralwaystoldme.blogspot.com/2024/02/better-late-than-never-recipes-graham.html), but this time I decided to try it with raw apples. Using Cookie Butter Granola sounded it would make for a good combo and it is!

Cookie Butter Granola

2 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (make sure to use gluten free, if needed)
1/2 cup ground flax seed

1 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup cookie butter
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 300°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat liner; set aside.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the rolled oats and ground flax seed. Set aside

3. In a small sauce pan, heat the cookie butter, honey and water over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until smooth. Once the mixture is smooth, remove from heat and add vanilla and cinnamon until well incorporated.

4. Pour the cookie butter mixture over the oat mixture and stir until the oat mixture is evenly coated. 

5. Spread the mixture onto the lined baking sheet in an even layer. 

6. Bake at 300°F for 35-45 minutes. After baking for 15 minutes, using a spatula, flip large pieces of the granola over (this promotes getting nice big chunks of granola). Then repeat after 10 minutes. Check the granola again after 10 minutes. If it is starting to get too browned, pull it from the oven. If not, give it another stir and bake it for another 5-10 minutes. Keep a close eye on it too it doesn't over bake. 

7. The granola may be a little soft coming out of the oven. Let it cool completely, uncovered, for at least an hour on the baking sheet. It should crisp up and become crunchy.

 

For Cinnamon Apple Yogurt Parfait:

Chop up 1/2 honeycrisp apple or your favorite apple and place in a small serving container. In a small bowl, mix together 1 teaspoon brown sugar, about 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon; add to apple and stir. A splash of maple syrup can be added as well. On top of the apples, add a small container of vanilla yogurt (I like Siggi's because it is not very sweet). Top with Cookie Butter Granola and a Biscoff cookie (optional).
 

Enjoy!

An Oldie but a Goodie {Recipe: Elegant Toffee}

This is a recipe I have been making since the 1980's. I don't recall the where I found the recipe, but it is a family favorite! 

Elegant Toffee

1 cup whole natural almonds

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 12 oz pkg. real milk chocolate pieces

1/2 lb. walnuts (2 generous cups) finely ground

 

1. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Arrange almonds in a single layer over an area measuring 12 x 7 inches; set aside.

2. Combine butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a heavy 2-quart saucepan.  Cook over high heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon till butter is melted.  Continue cooking and stirring for 5 to 7 minutes or until the candy is the color of unblanched almonds.  Immediately  pour candy without, scraping the pan, over the almonds, covering all nuts.  Let candy cool completely.

3. Meanwhile, melt milk chocolate pieces in the top part of a double boiler, over hot (not boiling) water or melt the chocolate in a heavy saucepan over a low heat. (Chocolate can also be melted in the microwave oven in a microwave safe bowl, uncovered, on 100% power (high) for 1 to 2 minutes or till chocolate is soft enough to stir smooth.)

4. Break the toffee into large pieces.  Transfer the top part of the double boiler containing the chocolate (or whichever container used for melting chocolate) to the work surface.  Place ground walnuts in a large bowl near the chocolate.

5. Using a fork, dip each piece of toffee into the melted chocolate, spreading chocolate over the toffee in a thin, even layer. Scrape off excess chocolate with another fork.

Using two forks, coat each piece of chocolate covered toffee very lightly with the ground walnuts.  Place on foil or waxed paper to set.  

6. Once chocolate is set, break toffee into serving size pieces. Store in tightly covered container in the refrigerator.  

Makes 2 lbs. or 25 pieces.

Enjoy!

Bakery Taste at Home {Recipes: Easy Almond Croissants and Easy Hazelnut Pains au Chocolat}

Until recently, I have stayed away from almond croissants because I don't care for the taste of almond extract, which most almond croissants have. While visiting a friend, she served almond croissants from one of her local bakeries that did not taste of almond extract, and they were delicious.  Anyway, I wanted to replicate the croissants my friend served at home, so here is what I came up with.

Easy Almond Croissants

4 day old flaky butter croissants 

For Almond Cream:

3 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup sugar

pinch of salt

1cup almond flour or meal

1 egg, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon flour

sliced almonds

powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spit croissants in half and place on a parchment lined baking sheet; set aside. In a small mixing bowl, cream together butter, sugar, and salt. Add almond flour and mix well. Mix in egg and vanilla. Add flour and mix until well combined. Spread 2 tablespoons Almond Cream onto the bottom half of each of the croissants. Replace tops of croissants and spread one tablespoon Almond Cream on top of each filled croissant. Sprinkle each one with sliced almond. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until almonds are golden brown. Place croissants on a cooling rack to cool for a few minutes, then dust with powdered sugar. Almond Croissants are best the day they are baked, but will last a day or two stored at room temperature.

Makes 4 

For Easy Hazelnut Pains au Chocolat:

Follow instructions for Easy Almond Croissants, but substitute hazelnut flour or meal* for almond and day old pains au chocolat for the croissants. 

*Hazelnut flour or meal is harder to find than almond. To make your own, place raw hazelnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 350º for until fragrant, about 10-15 minutes. Immediately wrap the hazelnuts in a kitchen towel, let them steam for a minute, then rub vigorously to remove the papery skin. Place toasted hazelnuts into a food processor and process until a flour or fine meal texture is achieved. Be careful not to over process.

Enjoy!

Too Good Not to Share {Recipe: Jalapeño Cheddar Chicken Smash Burgers}

 

This was a spur-of-the-moment dinner with ingredients we had on hand, but they were so good we had to share! The only problem was we didn't have any tomatoes, which would be excellent on these.

Jalapeño Cheddar Chicken Smash Burgers

1 pound ground chicken

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped

1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

1 egg, lightly beaten

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

2 tablespoons green onions, chopped

3/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

In a medium bowl, mix together all the ingredients until well combined. Divide mixture into 6 even meatballs, place on grill pan or large fry pan, and, using a spatula, flatten into patties. Cook until internal temperature reaches 165ºF. Serve on homemade burger buns (http://motheralwaystoldme.blogspot.com/2016/04/if-you-give-kid-recipe.html) or store- bought with these suggested toppings: ranch dressing, lettuce, tomato, and bacon. An extra slice of cheddar can be added to the top of the burger patty for extra cheesiness.

Enjoy!

Sweet Start to the Day! {Recipe: Valentine Chocolate Waffles}

These are a fun start to Valentine's Day or a great way to end it with dessert!

Valentine Chocolate Waffles

2 cups flour 

1/3 cup red cocoa powder* or regular cocoa powder

1/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1/3 cup melted butter or vegetable oil 

1-3/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and vanilla. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Add melted butter and stir until smooth (a few small lumps are okay). Cook in heart shaped or favorite regular waffle iron according to waffle iron manufacturer instructions. Serve with Nutella, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, ice cream, and/or fresh berries. Waffles can also be dusted with powdered sugar. 

*Note: I used Guittard Red Cocoa Powder that can be found at Cost Plus World Market.

My daughter put this together,
 I think her summer working at a ice cream,
waffle and crepe place shows! 

Happy Valentine's!

Take a Hike! {Recipe: Pain d'Epices (French Spice Bread)}

This recipe is adapted from a recipe I screen shot, but didn't capture the source. It is very similar to a honey bread my father-in-law used to make, so I wanted to record it here. My husband loves it and is sure to request it often. Apparently my father-in-law used to make it for when they would go hiking. It is a sturdy bread that would work well for this. 

Pain d'Epices (French Spice Bread)

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease and line a loaf pan with parchment paper. 

In a small saucepan,  over low heat, warm:

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup milk

Remove from heat and set aside. Once cool, whisk in:

1 egg

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together:

2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon cloves

Add honey/milk mixture to dry ingredients, stir together until well combined. Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Note: to make this recipe vegan, use 1 tablespoon ground flax seed stirred in 3 tablespoons water (let set 5 minutes before using) and any vegan milk substitutes (oat, soy, almond, etc). 

Enjoy!

To Smash or Not to Smash {Recipe: Smashed Chocolate Chip Cookies}

To smash cookies is an idea I came across on the King Arthur Flour website while looking up another recipe; I was intrigued by this idea and wanted to try it. I believe the King Arthur recipe is for oatmeal cookies, but suggest to try this technique with other recipes, so I thought I would try my mother's go to cookie recipe. It is fun to do and does add a very nice texture to the cookies. Doing this also makes for easy stacking of the cookies. It would be great to do for cookies being packaged. 

Brown Sugar Cookies

This was my mother's go to recipe for chocolate chip cookies. 

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 cup butter
3 eggs 
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
3 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

Add 1 package semi-sweet chocolate chips for chocolate chip cookies

Fleur de Sel, optional*

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line baking sheets with parchment or silicone mat. 

2. Sift flour, baking soda and cream of tartar in a medium size mixing bowl; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition; add vanilla and salt. Stir in the flour mixture until well combined, but careful not to over beat or mix. Stir in chocolate chips, if using. 

3. Scoop cookie dough, using a 2"cookie scoop, onto the prepared baking sheet.  Sprinkle with a little fleur de sel, if using. Bake in a moderate (350°F), oven for 12-14 minutes, or until golden brown on the edges. Using a spatula, press down on each cookie while hot out of the oven. Cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet, move cookies to cooling rack to finish cooling. Store in an airtight container.

Recipe yields 14 cookies

*Note: cookies shown do not have fleur de sel on them, but everyone in the family agrees that it would have been a nice addition. 

Have fun!