Cream Scones

I love scones, but I'm very pick about them. I really don't like those dry, hard things some places try to pass off as scones. These were soft and had a very nice texture to them. After I had made these I decided to make some butter as well, which was delicious on a nice warm scone. This recipe was very easy. I've already made it twice this week, once with currants and once with cherries. They were both very tasty and I plan on playing around with different flavor combinations and whatnot.




My mother took these and some muffins I made with her to Nebraska this week and my Grandma and aunts loved them, which is always nice to hear. I am going to have one for breakfast tomorrow, that is if there is any left.

I have no idea why the actual recipe's font size is so tiny, nothing I do seems to fix it. sorry about that!

Cream Scones
from Dorie Greenspan's Baking From my Home to Yours
1 large egg
2/3 cup cold heavy cream
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons butter, but into small pieces and cilled
3/4 cup moist currants

Center a rack in the oven and pre hear the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicon mat.

Stir the egg and cream together.

Wish the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl. Drop in the butter and, using your fingers, toss to coat the pieces of butter with flour. Quickly working with your fingertips or a pastry blender, cut and rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is pebbly. You'll have pea-size pieces, pieces the size of oatmeal flakes and pieces the size of everything in between - and thats just right.

Pour the egg, cream and currants over the dry ingredients and stir with a fork just until the dough, which will be wet and sticky, come together. Don't overdo it. Still in the bowl, gently knead the dough by hand, or turn it with a rubber spatula 8 to 10 times.

Lightly dust a work surface with flour and turn out the dough. Divide it in half. Working with one piece at a time, pat the dough into a rough circle that's about 5 inches in diameter, cut it into 6 wedges and place it on the baking sheet. (At this point, the scones can be frozen on the baking sheet, then wrapped airtight. Don't defrost before baking- just add about 2 minutes to the baking time.)

Bake the scones for 20 to 22 minutes, or until their tops are golden and firmish. Transfer them to a rack and cool for 10 minutes before serving, or wait for them to cool to room temperature.

How were those cupcakes?

I think its safe to assume they liked them...

My aunt licking the remains of cupcake off her plate.

Chocolate and Vanilla Cupcakes

Chocolate Cupcakes

I've this was my first time using this vanilla cupcake recipe and I must say, I love it. It's very moist and isn't too sweet. I've been using the chocolate cupcake recipe from Emeril for a while and I really like how you just throw it all into the bowl at once. The vanilla recipe made 24 cupcakes(filled a little too full) and 12 mini cupcakes, The chocolate made 16. 

This frosting did NOT work like I thought it would. I have a terrible time with buttercream frostings and this was no better the usual. I still had the annoying runnyness, but I managed to save it. I added a lot of powdered sugar to it. Started to separate. I added a block of cream cheese. A little less separated. This was getting me quite frustrated so I searched my pantry for something to fix it. I came accros two packets of Wip It. Brillaint! This fixed everything and now I have the lightest, almost whip cream like frosting ever. Its soo good. I think my problem is that I didn't beat the eggs long enough and poured the sugar mixtuer in to quickly.

Vanilla Cupcake

For the vanilla cupcakes
(recipe from Desserts by the Yard, Sherry Yard)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
6 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk


1. Make the Cake: Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degreesF. Spray two 9-inch round cake pans with cooking spray and line with parchment paper. Spray the parchment.

2. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together two times and set aside.

3. Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or use a large bowl and a hand mixer, and beat together at medium speed for 4 to 5 minutes, until the mixture is very light and fluffy. Scrape down the paddle or beaters and the sides of the bowl.

4. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract.

5. Beating on low speed, add the milk and the flour mixture each in 3 additions, alternating wet and dry ingredients. Beat only until smooth. Fill the cupcake pans 3/4 full.

6. Bake for 30 minutes. To test the cake for doneness, lightly touch the top with a finger - it should spring right back into place; the cake should also be beginning to pull away slightly from the sides of the pan. If necessary, bake for 5 to 10 minutes more.

7. Let the cupcakes cool in the pans on a rack for 15 minutes. Allow to cool for at least 2 hours before frosting.

Vanilla Cupcake

For the chocolate cupcakes

From Emeril's Theres a Chef in my Soup!

1 large egg, cracked 
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened 
1 1/2 cups flour 
1/2 cup sifted cocoa powder (optional for chocolate cupcakes) 
1/2 cup buttermilk 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
1 teaspoon baking soda 
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1 cup sugar 
1/2 cup hot water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and make sure the oven rack is in the center position. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper cups, and place 4 paper cups inside a second muffin tin. Add 2 tablespoons of water to each of the remaining empty muffin wells.Combine all the cupcake ingredients in a bowl, adding the water last. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Divide the batter evenly between the lined muffin cups. Bake until risen and golden in color and a toothpick inserted into the center of 1 cupcake comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven and carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Cupcake

For the buttercream

recipe from Desserts by the Yard, Sherry Yard

2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (60 grams) water
seeds of one vanilla bean or 1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
3 1/2 sticks (7 ounces; 200 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
flavouring of your choice (a tablespoon of an extract, a few tablespoons of melted white chocolate, citrus zest, etc.)

1. Combine the sugar, water and vanilla bean seeds or extract in a small saucepan and warm over medium heat just until the sugar dissolves.

2. Continue to cook, without stirring, until the syrup reaches 225◦F (107◦C) on a candy or instant-read thermometer. Once it reaches that temperature, remove the syrup from the heat.

3. While the syrup is heating, begin whisking the egg and egg yolk at high speed in the bowl of your mixer using the whisk attachment. Whisk them until they are pale and foamy.

4. When the sugar syrup reaches the correct temperature and you remove it from the heat, reduce the mixer speed to low speed and begin slowly (very slowly) pouring the syrup down the side of the bowl being very careful not to splatter the syrup into the path of the whisk attachment. Some of the syrup will spin onto the sides of the bowl but don't worry about this and don't try to stir it into the mixture as it will harden!

5. Raise the speed to medium-high and continue beating until the eggs are thick and satiny and the mixture is cool to the touch (about 5 minutes or so).

6. While the egg mixture is beating, place the softened butter in a bowl and mash it with a spatula until you have a soft creamy mass.

7. With the mixer on medium speed, begin adding in two-tablespoon chunks. When all the butter has been incorporated, raise the mixer speed to high and beat until the buttercream is thick and shiny.

8. At this point add in your flavouring and beat for an additional minute or so.

9. Refrigerate the buttercream, stirring it often, until it's set enough (firm enough) to spread when topped with a layer of cake (about 20 minutes).

Granola

Granola

I've very picky about my granola and usually when I buy it, it doesn't get eaten and it ends up sitting in the pantry for a few months...or years. But I love home made granola and this is one that I'll actually eat. Its great over yogurt or milk and its nice to snack on all by itself. This is one of those things that I just eyeball, so the measurements are rough and you can use whatever you have on hand and customize it to your personal preference.

Whatever Granola
5 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup honey
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tbs vanilla bean paste
2 tbs cinnamon
1 tbs nutmeg
pinch or so of salt
1-2 handful flax seeds
5 handfuls of assorted nuts, roughly chopped (I used sunflower seeds, almonds, pecans, peanuts and cashews)
3 handfuls dried fruit (I used raisins, golden raisins and currants)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees and line a baking sheet with tin foil and lightly coat with oil, so the mixture does not stick. Mix all ingredients in a bowl excluding the dried fruit. Pour this mixture onto the baking sheet and place in the oven for 30 minuets. Half way through, flip the pan and toss the granola. Once the 30 minuets are up, remove from the oven and let cool. Once it is cool you can mix in the dried fruit.

My Breakfast

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Crossovers

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Crossovers

Lately peanut butter cookies have been sounding awfully good, so this morning I decided to make some and I'm glad I did. They were very soft and chewy, but almost too sweet for me, so I might cut back on the sugar next time. I changed up the recipe a bit by halving everything(it originally made 40 and I didn't need that much) and adding mini chocolate chips(about a cup or so of them). As I was almost done making them I spotted a bag of mini marshmallows and decided to add them to the dough I had left, which made for slightly funny looking cookies but the flavor and texture is so good. I'll work on making those with the marshmallows look prettier and not so blob like next time I make these.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Crossovers

Peanut Butter Crossovers
from Dorie Greenspan's Baking from my home to yours
21/2 cups all-purpose four
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch freshly grated nutmeg
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup peanut butter- crunchy or smooth (not natural)
1 cup (packed) light brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
11/2 cups chopped salted peanuts

about 1/2 cup sugar, for rolling

Getting Ready: Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon mats.

Whisk together the four, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed for a minute or two, until smooth and creamy. Add the peanut butter and beat for another minuet. Add the sugars and beat for 3 minutes more. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for one minute after each addition. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and, on low speed, add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they have just disappeared. Mix in the chopped peanuts. You'll have a soft, pliable(mushable actually) dough.

Pour the 1/2 cup sugar into a small bowl. Working with a level teaspoonful of dough for each cookie, roll the dough between your palms into balls and drop them in the sugar to coat them, then place on the baking sheets, leaving two inches between them. Dip the tines of a fork in the sugar and press the tines against each ball first in one directing and then in a perpendicular directing-you should have flattened rounds of dough with crisscross indentations.

Bake for twelve minuets, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point. When done, the cookies will be lightly colored and still a little soft. Let the cookies sit on the sheets for a minute before transferring them to cooling racks with a wide metal spatula. Cool to room temperature.

Repeat with the remaining dough, making sure to cool the baking sheets between batches.

intro and cupcake disaster

Hello Everyone! I thought I would start this thing out with a little of my baking/cooking history. 

One day when I was about 6 I woke my mom up and asked her to turn the oven on for me because I had a cake/pie/thing to put in it, which I had made completely from scratch and topped with multicolor mini marshmallows. It didn't taste half bad. I continued to do things like this for a few more years. Then I ventured in to making dinner for my mom and dad, which usually went okay. I do have one memory of making a rice and lemon oven baked chicken breast, that I brought to the table half cooked, which my mother quickly brought to my attention (luckily no one had eaten any of it yet) That ended in tears and my father finishing off the chicken on the stove. The next few years continued on like this and I didn't do much baking or cooking. Then one day I got the brilliant idea to make biscotti. I had to get the very old kitchen aid stand mixer off the top of the refrigerator and wipe off the thick layer of dust before I could start. I had everything ready and it was going well. That is until the mixer started smoking. Even with that setback the biscotti turned out pretty good. Then we moved to a new house, with a big kitchen (and a new mixer.) and I didn't cook that much, partially for fear of dirtying a new, clean kitchen, which is something I am fantastic at(the dirtying part, that is) There were a year or two of cookies and failed attempts at scones. Then in the start of 2008 I decided I was going to expand my kitchen knowledge. I made Easter dinner for my family and grandparents. Some very messed up cupcakes. Some very good cupcakes. Some not so good lemon meringue pie. And some fantastic granola. 

The good cupcakes!

The bad cupcakes...

I made Chockylit's Vanilla-Cherry Cupcake recipe for Easter this year. I was so excited for this, as they looked amazing(and they tasted even better then they looked!) I decided to also make them in chocolate(as you can see) I had everything ready and going and baked a batch. Failure. They looked like the second picture. Now I do this about 6 more times, and each time I end up with these weird terrible cupcakes. So I blame the recipe and try a cupcake recipe from Emeril's Theres a Chef in My Soup and the same thing happens. So I decide to take a break and make the frosting, even thought I have no edible cupcakes. I go to the pantry to look for the powdered sugar. I don't see it. I go back out and look on the island, and there is the powdered sugar, which I had been using as if it was flour for all of those failed cupcakes. I just about cried. But I wasnt going to let that stop me. I picked back up where I left off(using flour this time) and ended up with the lovely cupcakes you see in the first picture. The ones in the front with the cherry's on them are the Vanilla-Cherry and the blue ones in the back are plain chocolate. Sorry about the not so great iphone pictures. 

-Sydney