Classic Shortbread with Fleur de Sel

BAKED Sunday Morning

Shortbread is such a classic cookie, but leave it to Matt and Renato to give the recipe a little twist. They suggest using superfine sugar or confectioners sugar. I went with the confectioners which combined with the 1/2 pound of butter (I made half of the recipe) and a mixture of all-purpose and rice flours gives the texture of this shortbread a fine buttery flakiness which just melts in your mouth. The contrast of the little bit of fleur de sel on top with the buttery flavor makes this an unforgettable cookie. And as always, these little shortbreads go perfectly with a cup of tea.

John also gives these two-thumbs up. Visit BAKED Sunday Mornings to see what the other bakers thought.

It's difficult to believe that this year is already drawing to an end and the rush of the holidays is almost over. It's been good to take time out to sip a little bit of tea and enjoy quiet moments of reflection and count my many blessings. I want to take this time to thank you for visiting and commenting and wish you much joy and happiness in the new year. xx

Pumpkin Almond Cake with Almond Butter Frosting

BAKED Sunday Morning

I made this cake for one of my desserts to take to our Thanksgiving dinner at my sister-in-law's. It was a risky move because usually I take recipes that I have made before, but I thought this would be a nice change from the usual pies and it would give me quite a few taste testers. 

This cake did not disappoint. It has all the flavors of a pumpkin pie wrapped up in a cake. I loved the crumb on this cake from the almond flour and I really loved the frosting. The only change I made with this recipe was the substitution of regular milk for the almond milk in the frosting and with the flavor of almond butter I don't think the almond milk was missed. It was also the first time that I have used vanilla bean paste and I really liked the taste and the look of the vanilla beans in the frosting. This cake was a hit and it will be one that I will make often.

Check out BAKED Sunday Mornings to see what the rest of the bakers think about this cake. You can also find the recipe over there.

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Scones

BAKED Sunday Morning

I've mentioned before that I make a lot of scones because they are John's favorite breakfast treat, but this is the first time that I have made a scone that tastes more like a cookie. The recipe also adds some chocolate chips in the mix, but I couldn't resist trying the peanut butter and jelly version so I halved the dough and just put chips in one half.

What's interesting about these scones is that you score them before you put them in the oven and then finish cutting them when they are baked I guess to keep them moist.

But whatever the reason, it worked because both versions are moist albeit a little crumbly. I sliced the portion that I left plain in half and spread some Trippleberry preseves on them. The result is a perfectly delightful peanut butter 'n jelly cookie scone.

The difficult part was deciding which one was my favorite, but in the end I had to go with the chocolate chip and John's favorite was the peanut butter 'n jelly, although he said by the end of his second chocolate chip scone that it was growing on him.

This recipe is definitely a keeper and I will be making these scones again and again. Check out the rest of the group's scones and the recipe over at BAKED Sunday Mornings.

Aunt Sabra King's Pudding Cups

BAKED Sunday Morning

These aren't my Aunt Sabra King's pudding cups. I don't have an Aunt Sabra. This recipe belongs to a former pastry chef at the BAKED Bakery whose Aunt was a gin-drinking, card-playing silver cadillac-driving woman, who apparently was also a pretty good baker.

The graham cracker crust is a simple mixture of crushed graham crackers, some dark brown sugar, melted butter, and a little bit of salt. I made half of the crust recipe and instead of pressing the graham cracker crust into a 9-inch by 13-inch baking pan, I pressed the crust into an 8-cup muffin tin. Even though I baked them the 10 minutes that the recipe said, I think I should have left them in a little longer because my crust was really soft and made it difficult to remove the cups from the ti, but they did manage to hold together with a few crumbs left behind. The crust sure smells good after baking.

The pudding is a pastry cream that is poured through a sieve over finely chopped dark chocolate. This was easy to make and was so rich and creamy. They suggested adding two tablespoons of whiskey which I am sure would add to the flavor of the pudding, but I just wanted to taste the dark chocolate without anything extra so opted not to add the whiskey. After filling the cups I let them chill in the refrigerator for a few hours.

I used a small star tip and piped the whipped cream on top and with my microplane zester I grated some milk chocolate over the top. These were a hit with my family and even though they were a little crumbly, these were perfect -  well slightly imperfect in appearance, but perfect in taste - little dessert cups. What I couldn't wait for more than the pudding cups was the actual pudding itself because I have been craving pudding for the longest time, so I made the full recipe for the pudding and after filling the cups I had enough leftover for four dessert bowls.  Mmmm...my craving was finally satisfied!

This recipe is a keeper and I will be making the pudding and the pudding cups again. Visit BAKED Sunday Mornings to see what the rest of the group thought and get the recipe to try this for yourself.

Peanut Butter and Banana Cream Pie

BAKED Sunday Morning

After making the double chocolate and banana tart for French Fridays with Dorie, I was a little hesitant about making another banana dessert that uses citrus to keep the bananas from turning black. This recipe uses orange juice instead of lemon juice and the flavor all but disappeared. 

What I had to do for this recipe was find a substitution for my favorite Nabisco Vanilla wafers because after reading the label on the box I saw that they have high fructose corn syrup. Have they always had it and I just didn't pay attention? Somehow I don't think so. Anyway, I have to read labels these days because the instant I eat anything with HFS I break out across the bridge of my nose. It's annoying and not very attractive, plus it makes me wonder that if I have an instant reaction to something that I am eating then it most likely is not good for me. My family now jokes that I am a human barometer for high fructose corn syrup. It took me awhile to find these 'natural' vanilla wafers in the cookie aisle. I was amazed at how many cookies have high fructose corn syrup in them.

These wafers taste really good with the vanilla bean and I thought they would complement the pudding part of this dessert because it also has vanilla bean. When I make this again, however, I will cut down on the amount of sugar for the crust because these cookies are much sweeter than the Nabisco wafers and much crispier. If you break this recipe down into steps and do the crust, it doesn't really take that long to make because you can make the pudding while your crust is cooling and then take off and do errands or clean the house while the pudding and crust are chilling in the fridge. The pudding is so creamy and delicious with the vanilla bean! I also really, really like the peanut butter topping and licked the mixer bowl clean afterwards. So very tasty. The top of the pie needed something and bananas were optional so I decided to skip those and decided to drizzle the top with some chocolate. Thank you for the inspiration, Kris!

What you end up with is a delicious dessert that has a layer of cookie, vanilla bean pudding, bananas, and peanut butter cream with a little bit of chocolate. This is a perfect dessert, especially for the summer because you eat it when the pie is nice and chilled. This photo was taken after 3 hours in the fridge, but I put it back in and we had some more later and it was firmer and just as good. It's like eating a childhood favorite of banana pudding with cookies and peanut butter. Check out the rest of the group's pies over at BAKED Sunday Mornings and get the recipe.

Malted Waffles

BAKED Sunday Morning

I don't own a waffle maker, so I thought I would have to skip this recipe or make malted pancakes instead, but I checked with my daughter and she had one. These are so easy to make. The only change I made was with mine - I used peanut butter instead of butter on top because that is how I always fix my pancakes (or I should say my once a year pancake). I added some mini chocolate morsels and some syrup and had the most delicious breakfast. I mean, how could it not be good with all that sweetness on top, right?

John was able to give me a more honest opinion about the flavor of the waffle because he had his waffle with just a little bit of maple syrup. He said that it was delicious and really didn't even need the syrup and had a second waffle plain. One of the reasons why I don't make pancakes very often is because they seem too heavy to me, especially in the morning. The malted milk powder and the buttermilk really gives the waffle a lovely flavor without the heaviness that you find in restaurant waffles. 

I'm glad there is batter leftover to make some more later. Head on over to BAKED Sunday Mornings to see what the other's thought about their waffles and you can also get the recipe while you are there.

Happy Easter and Chocolate Marshmallow Eggs

BAKED Sunday Morning

I have to confess that when I saw that the recipe for this week was Chocolate Marshmallow Cups I seriously considered skipping this one because I don't really care for marshmallow candy; however, since this recipe also happened to be on Easter and my daughter loves marshmallows, chocolate-covered marshmallows, hot chocolate with marshmallows - pretty much anything with marshmallow - I thought I would give the recipe a whirl. When I was looking in the cupboard where I keep my cupcake liners I came across these candy molds from the Martha Stewart Collection from a few years ago, but had never used so I thought I would try to use the egg molds instead of making mini-marshmallow cups.

I halved the recipe for both the chocolate and marshmallow and after melting bittersweet chocolate and milk chocolate together I used a teaspoon to coat the egg molds and then put them in the fridge to set. I have never made marshmallows before and was surprised at how easy it was although you really have to work quickly to spoon the marshmallow into the molds because it starts to stiffen and then is difficult to smooth. The recipe recommended piping the marshmallow, but I felt it was easier to just spoon the marshmallow over the chocolate layer. I then put another layer of chocolate over the marshmallow and put the molds back into the refrigerator to set again. 

I used the leftover chocolate to make chocolate butterflies. I only had a little bit of marshmallow left over and John put a piece in his coffee. It quickly melted and left a layer of milky sweetness on the top of his coffee. He said it tasted delicious.

John and I tasted a couple and I was surprised by how much I liked them. They are so much better than the candy you find in the stores. And the marshmallow is far superior than those bags that you get at the grocery store. I am sure I will be making these again. John also thought these were really good.

The rest of the eggs and butterflies are for my kids. I think they will be a little surprised when they taste them and I have a feeling they will want me to make these for every holiday. I'll have to keep an eye out for other seasonal molds.

Visit BAKED Sunday Mornings to see how the rest of the group made this candy and you can also get the recipe there. I hope all of you have a very lovely Easter!

Chocolate Coffee Cake with Dark Chocolate Ganache

BAKED Sunday Morning

This is one of those cakes that requires some time and effort, but the end result is worth it. I made the cake layers yesterday and thought I would also make the buttercream frosting, but I didn't have enough butter. After a trip to the store late in the day I was then too tired to attempt the frosting last night, so I ended up finishing the cake this morning.

I started making the buttercream at 7:30 and when my husband woke up he helped me smooth the frosting, and weigh the chocolate for the ganache. When my son woke up, he helped with the ganache layer. I poured the chocolate while he used the offset spatula to direct it to the edge so it would drip down the cake.  It was truly a family affair. We admired the cake for a few hours, and then after lunch we cut into it. The chocolate cake is a nice dark chocolate and the buttercream frosting has just the right amount of coffee flavor. I didn't have coffee extract, so I used 3 tablespoons of instant espresso coffee diluted with about 2 teaspoons of hot water. The chocolate ganache gives this cake an elegant touch not only in appearance, but also in taste. It is rich cake (don't even ask how many sticks of butter are in it), but it is not too sweet. I will definitely be making this one again.

Visit BAKED Sunday Mornings to see what the rest of the group thought about this recipe. You can also find the recipe there.

Caramel Popcorn with Peanuts and Chocolate

BAKED Sunday Mornings

This week's recipe is from the Confections and Pastries section of BAKED Explorations and it has quickly become a favorite. Popcorn with caramel, peanuts, AND Chocolate? What's not to love?! This is a simple and quick snack to make.

I grew up snacking on Cracker Jacks. Even when I was really little and grocery shopping with my mom I remember Cracker Jacks always made an appearance in the grocery cart. I not only loved this wonderful snack, but also loved eating my way through the box to find the buried prize. I have to admit that even now, on occasion, when I see the boxes at the grocery store, I have to buy a few - just for nostalgia's sake.

To make the BAKED Explorations twist on this caramel peanut treat, I used whole kernel popcorn and popped it according to the package's instructions with 3 tablespoons of canola oil in a covered pot, shaking the pot gently over medium heat. It was neat hearing the kernels popping away and brought back memories of my mom making popcorn for us like this when I was a kid. The caramel didn't take long to make and was easy to mix in with the popcorn. After baking in the oven the caramel is beautifully melted and you just mix it a little more with the popcorn to make sure it is all coated. After it bakes and cools, you drizzle melted chocolate over it. The chocolate is a mixture of milk chocolate and bittersweet. I did my best Jackson Pollack imitation with the chocolate.

This is one of those recipes that you wish you had been making all your life. It is crunchy, sweet, peanuty and chocolatey deliciousness. A huge hit at my house.

Adding the chocolate to the caramel popcorn is genius. You just can't get enough of it. Head on over to BAKED Sunday Mornings to see the rest of the group's caramel peanut chocolate popcorn and while you are there, check out the recipe on the site. 

BAKED Sunday Morning: Speculaas

No matter whether you call these cookies Speculaas or Speculoos, they are a Dutch brown sugar shortbread cookie that are traditionally served on St. Nicholas day. Matt and Renato's version in BAKED Explorations, Speculaas, is highly fragrant with the addition of grated orange zest. 

In the Baked's notes to the recipe it says that this is a close version to the European Biscoff cookie, but I think these spicy shortbread cookies are far better than the store bought ones. They are a perfect dunkin' cookie for tea or coffee.

I have to say that I was a little surprised that the recipe didn't use a standing mixer as many of the recipes used in this book have been modernized, but this one suggests cutting the butter into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter or fork which I gladly did because this is still my preferred method of making scones. The only thing I did differently from the recipe was instead of forming the dough into a ball before chilling, I formed it into two discs to make it easier to roll out.

I really enjoyed this cookie, but I think I would have preferred it more during the holidays. By the time I made these I had had enough of Christmas cookies, so I will try to make these again for Christmas. You can find the recipe over at BAKED Sunday Mornings. We are teaming up this week with another group who is baking their way through Baked Explorations, so you can view all the lovely links over at Club Baked.

I made a similar version with light brown sugar from Dorie Greenspan's cookbook, Around My French Table, over a year ago which you can see here. 

BAKED Sunday Morning: Pecan Tassies

This week's BAKED Sunday Mornings recipe takes me back to South Carolina. My dad used to buy pecan tassies at the golf course where he played every weekend and bring them home for a morning treat. He and I were the only ones in the family that really enjoyed them because my mom and my brothers felt these were more like eating candy and they preferred to eat a "real" pecan pie.

These were smaller than the ones of my childhood, and not as gooey, but they did have the flavor that I remembered. The dough for the tassie shells is soft and easy to work with and the filling is just as easy to make. These were a perfect Sunday morning treat and since I only made half of the recipe they disappeared before early afternoon because it is really difficult to eat just one. We really liked these and I will be making these again and for sure adding them to my holiday baking list.

You can see what the other members thought about pecan tassies over at BAKED Sunday Mornings and you can also get the recipe while you are there.

BAKED Sunday Morning: Buckeyes

My mom and I used to make chocolate peanut butter balls and chocolate cherries every year for Christmas. We would spend hours rolling peanut butter balls and rolling cherries into soft nougat and then dip them into chocolate. We didn't have enough room to store them in the refrigerator to set, so mom would stack each sheet pan and put them out on the back porch because it was just as cold out there as the refrigerator. We made these each year for our Christmas party and even though we would eat a good share of the peanut butter balls, there were always plenty to put out for our guests.

This week's BAKED Sunday Morning recipe is similar to the chocolate peanut butter balls I used to make with my mom, but instead of dipping the entire peanut butter ball into the chocolate, you leave some of the peanut butter showing so they look like a buckeye. I think it is much easier to dip the entire ball into the chocolate and then go back and cover the hole made by the toothpick with a little chocolate. I had a difficult time maneuvering the chocolate to cover the hole for the buckeyes. After covering myself and the counter with chocolate, I finally had an idea to use the wire dipper that you dip eggs into the dye at Easter. You just have to close the wire opening where you put the egg so that it will fit around the peanut butter ball. Much easier method than using a skewer! The recipe also includes crushed graham cracker crumbs which I am not sure I liked, but the different taste didn't prevent me from eating a good portion of them.

They make a great gift for family and friends especially when you put them in Martha Stewart's holiday food packaging. Visit BAKED Sunday Mornings to get the recipe and see the group's buckeyes. 

Mom's Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls

1 pound margarine (I now use unsalted butter)

2 pounds creamy peanut butter

3 pounds confectioners' sugar

3 teaspoons vanilla

3 packages of chocolate chips

Mix together the first four ingredients and knead. (Mom and I would get our hands dirty here, but you can use a mixer.) Form into balls and place on a baking sheet covered in wax paper. You can layer the balls on the sheet, by just placing a piece of waxed paper between each peanut butter ball layer. Chill the balls overnight. Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler. (We used to use Nestle's Semi-Sweet chocolate chips, but you can use your favorite chocolate.)

Using a toothpick or skewer, dip each ball into the melted chocolate making sure you shake off as much of the chocolate that drips and place on the covered baking sheet. When you have finished dipping the balls, dip the toothpick into the chocolate and cover each hole in the peanut butter balls. Chill until chocolate is set. You can use parchment paper instead of wax paper. This recipe makes enough peanut butter balls to serve for a party or give as gifts.

BAKED Sunday Morning: Baked French Toast

What a perfect Sunday morning breakfast! And, it couldn't be easier to put together. The hardest part was going to the store and getting the bread. I really wanted to try Challah bread for this recipe since we had never tasted it before and Whole Foods carries Challah made from a local bakery. They also had a golden raisin version which I thought would be perfect for french toast. What's great about this recipe is that you assemble it the night before, refrigerate it, and the next morning you add the nuts and bake it for 40 minutes. I used pecans instead of almonds and grated some fresh nutmeg on top before putting it into the oven.

I also substituted eggnog for the milk called for in the recipe, but still used 1 cup of half-and-half. I pretty much put eggnog in everything this time of year, so I thought it would be a good seasonal substitution. 

When you take it out of the oven, you have a lovely golden brown french toast with the custard bubbling up. I don't think I'll go back to making french toast one or two slices at a time with a griddle on the stove top. I also think this would make a perfect breakfast when you have company because you can pop it in the oven when everyone is asleep and they can wake up to the smell of cinnamon and nutmeg. 

The recipe suggests making a raspberry syrup or you can use any other fruit, but I just wanted to use maple syrup because that's what we prefer on our pancakes and french toast. I think I would like to try it with fruit syrup another time, but with it being so cold and windy out -  I heated the maple syrup before pouring it over the french toast and with the french toast still warm from the oven it just warmed us up from the inside out.

The result was layers of bread and raisins with eggnog custard. The maple syrup gave it just the right amount of sweetness and the pecans along with the crispy brown crust gave it the crunchy texture that was so satisfying. The cinnamon with the raisin challah was a perfect combination in this recipe. Yep, I don't think I'll ever go back to the stovetop method of making french toast. Visit BAKED Sunday Mornings to see how the rest of the group make their french toast and you can also get the recipe on the site.

BAKED Sunday Morning: Boston Cream Pie Cake

The first cake I can remember making was Boston Creme Pie from a cake mix. Do any of you remember that cake mix? Boston Creme Pie was one of my dad's favorites and I enjoyed making it for him. This week's BAKED Sunday Morning recipe pays homage to this great American dessert.

I would call this a grown-up version as I followed Matt's suggestion and soaked two of the layers in some light rum. You couldn't taste the rum at all and it actually compressed the sponge layers a little bit, so I think I would omit this step the next time I make this recipe. The milk sponge layers are light and the pastry cream is so smooth and delicious. I love the twist in this recipe with making two layers of chocolate pastry cream with one layer of vanilla. 

The chocolate ganache is a perfect finish for this cake. Cutting through layers of chocolate ganache, milk sponge cake, chocolate and vanilla pastry cream is every chocolate lover's dream. This was a huge hit here and we couldn't get enough of it. While it takes some time to make, this cake is definitely worth the effort.

You can see the other group members' creations over at BAKED Sunday Mornings and you can also find this recipe there. If you haven't made this cake, I hope you will give it a try. You won't be disappointed.