These is almost like a sweet bread stick that goes really well with a cup of tea, mug of coffee, or glass of milk. Enjoy.
½ cup sesame seeds (roasted) 120 g unsalted butter, room temp ½ cup sugar 1 medium lemon zest grated 1 cup whole wheat flour ½ cup all-purpose flour ½ cup almond flour 1 tsp baking powder ½ tsp salt 2 tablespoons honey 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 120 g milk divided in half and room temperature
Roast the seeds over low heat, making sure to move them constantly until they just begin to brown. Allow to cool.
Line two baking sheets with parchment.
Sift flours, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.
In a stand mixer, add sugar, lemon zest, honey and butter and cream until light and fluffy. Add vanilla to combine.
Alternate the flour mixture and 60 g of milk by hand until fully incorporated. Don’t overwork the dough.
Divide the dough into 8 pieces and roll them into a log about 1” thick. Cut the dough into 2” pieces, dip in 60 g of milk and then toasted sesame seeds. Place on baking sheet (about 1” apart) and refrigerate for 30 minutes while you preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Bake the cookies for 20 minutes at 325 F then lower to 300 degrees for 5-8 minutes until they are lightly browned.
I reimagined this raspberry jam coffee cake from Kleinworth Company. I think the streusel is the best part, so I pretty much doubled it and played with the method a bit. Same with the cake. This was a solid recipe for sure. Huge thanks.
Ingredients
For the Streusel
227g unsalted butter, soft but not melted 270g flour 135g brown sugar 135g granulated sugar 4 tsp ground cinnamon
Coffee Cake
200 g flour 2 tsp baking powder ½ tsp salt 84 g butter, room temp (6 tablespoons) 150 grams sugar 2 large eggs, room temp 2 tsp vanilla extract 60 grams sour cream 120 grams buttermilk 160 grams fruit preserves (1/2 cup)
Glaze
3 tbsp milk 200 grams powdered sugar
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.
Grease a 9″ round springform pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, make the streusel by combining flour, sugars, cinnamon and butter.
Mix together until mixture forms a ball and then crumbles in your fingers. Set aside.
For the Cake, combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
In a large mixer bowl, combine butter and sugar on medium speed until fluffy.
Add in the eggs and vanilla, continue beating until combined. Turn off mixer.
Fold in sour cream. Then fold in flour mixture and buttermilk. Gently combine.
Pour batter into the prepared pan. Place dollops of preserves on top of the cake batter & cut a knife through to create swirls. Sprinkle the streusel on top.
Bake in your prepared oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until toothpick test is clean.
Make the glaze, whisk together the milk and powdered sugar until a smooth
This is the kind of stuff that puts a smile on someone’s face. And who doesn’t want to do that?
INGREDIENTS
Cake
200 g flour 300 g sugar 75 g unsweetened cocoa powder 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 3/4 teaspoons salt 1 tablespoon cinnamon 3/4 teaspoon of cayenne powder 180 g buttermilk (room temp) 160 g hot water 180 g vegetable/canola oil 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 eggs
Frosting
227 grams unsalted butter softened 224 g powdered sugar 120 g melted semi-sweet or dark chocolate 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 teaspoon cayenne poweder
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and line two 8″ cake rounds. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and cayenne. In a separate medium bowl, mix together buttermilk, oil, vanilla, and eggs.
Combine wet (not hot water) and dry ingredients. Mix until combined and then add hot water. Mix until combined and then pour into prepared pans.
Cook for approximately 25 minutes until done. Let cool and then make frosting.
Melt chocolate and set aside to cool. Using a stand mixer with paddle attachment, add butter and powdered sugar to bowl and mix at high speed until light and fluffy (3-4 minutes). Add cayenne and vanilla. Lower speed and slowly add melted chocolate. Cover in a cool place until cake is completely cooled.
To decorate my cake, I trimmed the layers to level them and put the excess cake into the food processor to make crumbs.
I adapted the Serious Eats Carrot Cake recipe for this classic loaf cake.
INGREDIENTS
1 pound of carrots, chopped 1 cup walnuts, chopped 2 ¼ cups flour ¾ cups whole wheat flour 2 teaspoons baking soda 2 teaspoons grated nutmeg 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt 4 eggs 1 cup sugar ½ cup dark brown sugar ½ cup honey ½ cup coconut oil (if solid, melt in microwave) ½ cup buttermilk
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 9”x 5” loaf pans with cooking spray and set aside. Boil carrots for approximately 10 minutes until tender. Drain and mash like mashed potatoes and set aside to cool.
Toast the walnuts in a pan for a few minutes until lightly browned.
In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs with sugar and honey until pale yellow. Whisk in the coconut oil and buttermilk. Stir in the carrots, then combine with the flour mixture until just blended. Fold in walnuts.
Pour into prepared pans and bake until cake springs back for about 45-50 minutes. Let cool in pans for ten minutes and then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.
Look, I know I didn’t come up with the recipe for biscuits. But I did take everything I learned from about 20 different recipes and came up with this. I hope it works for your too, because honestly, there ain’t nothing like a fresh biscuit out of the oven.
INGREDIENTS
380g cups flour (AP is fine but White Lily if you have it) ½ tsp kosher salt 4 tsp baking powder 170g cold butter cubed 1 cup buttermilk (add 1 teaspoon of white vinegar to whole milk if you don’t have buttermilk) 2 tablespoons butter
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Measure out the flour, salt, and baking powder in a bowl. Cube the butter to 1” pieces and toss it in the flour. Since it all has to be very cold put this in the refrigerator for a few minutes.
Weigh out the milk, add the vinegar if using whole milk and put it back in the refrigerator.
Line a baking sheet with parchment. Melt the butter in a small bowl and put aside.
Take the cold butter/flour out of the refrigerator and cut the butter into the flour until you can still see pea-sized pieces of butter. Add the cold milk and stir with a fork until the flour/butter is moistened. Do not over mix.
Working quickly, tip out onto a lightly floured surface and begin folding the dough over itself 5 to 6 times smashing it a bit with the palm of your hands until the flour is all mixed in. You will still see chunks of butter. Form or gently roll into a 1 to 1 1/2-inch thick disk.
Using a biscuit cutter or glass cut out your biscuits. Use a quick motion to cut through the dough. The more you play with it the less they will rise. Place them on the baking sheet and brush the tops generously with the melted butter.
These thin ginger snaps are what holiday baking is all about. I visited Sweden when I was 16 so clearly, I’m an expert. I have The Culinary Chronicles to thank for this.
INGREDEINTS
2 1/2 cups flour 2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 170g unsalted butter 4 tbsp ground ginger 2 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp ground cloves 1/4 tsp pepper Pinch cayenne 1 1/4 cups packed dark brown soft sugar 1/4 cup molasses 1 large egg plus 1 large yolk
Mix the flour, baking soda and salt together in bowl. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and then let it brown. Swirl the pan frequently. Once brown, turn off the heat.
Measure out spices and toast them in a pan.
Whisk in all the spices and then add the brown sugar and molasses to the butter mixture. Whisk to combine until the sugar has melted and you have a smooth mixture. Add the egg and yolk and mix again with the whisk to combine. You should have a dark, sticky, smooth and glossy mixture.
Pour this mixture into your bowl of flour and combine with a spatula until you have a dough – don’t over work it. Place dough between two sheets of parchment and roll out slight to a rectangle. Get it as thin as possible. This will save you time when rolling out. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight.
Preheat oven to 275 F when you are ready to bake. Take dough out of refrigerator and divide into 4 pieces. Let the first one sit out for about 15 minutes before rolling as thin as possible, 1mm, if you can do it! Return the other pieces to the refrigerator before rolling out. I rolled them between two pieces of parchment, in one direction and kept turning the dough/parchment. I don’t add flour and this makes it easier to ensure the rolling pin does not stick. Peel back the top layer of parchment when you have reached the desired thin-ness (not thickness 😉 ) and cut out cookies using whatever cutter you desire.
I left the cookies on the parchment and pulled back the excess dough, flattened the excess dough and put it back in the fridge. I left the cookies where they were (close together on the parchment) and then put them on a sheet and placed them in the freezer for 30 minutes until they firmed up. When hard, the cut cookies are easy to assemble on a lined baking sheet–1″ apart.
Bake for 10 minutes and then turn sheets to ensure even baking. I baked mine for two minutes more totaling 12 minutes. Let cool on rack.
Start the morning or night before you are baking and soak the raisins and cranberries in rum.
In an electric mixer fitted with the dough-hook attachment, combine the milk, flour, and yeast until a loose dough is formed, about 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a buttered bowl big enough for the sponge to double in size. Cover with plastic wrap then place in a warm part of the kitchen until it doubles in size (approx. 30-60 minutes).
Scatter the almonds on a cookie sheet and toast until very light brown, about 10 minutes. Cool completely and roughly chop. Meanwhile, cream the butter, spices, sugar, and salt until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks, vanilla, and almond extract. Mix to combine.
Drain the currants and reserve the rum. Toss together the cranberries, candied fruit, and toasted almonds and reserve until ready to use.
In the electric mixer fitted with the hook attachment, combine the sponge and the remaining flour with the butter mixture. Mix on medium until the dough is shiny and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add cranberry, raisin, fruit and nut mixture until incorporated. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a ball, keeping a smooth skin of dough over the top that contains the currant-nut mixture inside the dough. Place the dough in a buttered bowl large enough to let it double in size and cover it with plastic film. Let it rise in a warm part of the kitchen until it doubles, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Transfer the dough to a floured surface and cut into 4 pieces. Shape each piece into a football, keeping the smooth skin on top and tucking in the fruit underneath. Let the breads rest for a few minutes covered with plastic film. Working with one piece of dough at a time, flip them over on your work surface. Punch them to get rid of any air bubbles and tuck the dough over and in to form a tight football shape. Repeat with the other 3 pieces of dough. Let them rest on the table covered with a plastic bag for 15 minutes.
While they’re resting, roll the pistachio paste into four pieces and roll them into 4 logs about 6 inches long. After the 15 minute rest period, take your first loaf and flip it on a floured surface. Roll the center of the loaf until it’s 1/2-inch thick with a rolling pin to create a cradle about 4 inches wide while keeping the edges thick. Place the log in the center and fold the top half over. Press with the side of your hand to create a crease between the log and the two thick pieces of dough. Place the shaped loaves on two sheet pans lined with parchment paper, apart from each other so they can double in size. Place the trays in plastic garbage bags and then set in a warm part of the kitchen for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until the dough is spongy to the touch.
While it if rising for the final time, preheat the oven to 375°F. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes until deep golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Once the bread is cool enough to handle, brush it generously with the reserved rum and melted butter. Sprinkle with the sugar and dust heavily with powdered sugar. Eat right away or store it wrapped in plastic film.
(Adapted From The Big Sur Bakery Cookbook: A Year in the Life of a Restaurant, William Morrow An Imprint of Harper Collins Publishers, 2009)
It was my turn to come up with a challenge for the Home Baker’s Collective. Nabisco made these cookies when I was a kid. We would go to Food Town on Bloomfield Avenue in Caldwell, NJ and buy a few boxes of them. Inevitably we would crack open a box on the car ride home and each of us would get our own cardboard box full of these delicious marshmallow treats. I mixed a few recipes and even modified the Serious Eat’s pop tart recipe to try to get the cookie right. It is still not there. But oh, so close. If anyone out there remembers these cookies and has a better idea for the cookie part, please let me know.
INGREDIENTS
Cookies
113 g cold cubed butter
110 g all-purpose flour
30 g whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
85 g corn syrup
45 g honey
Marshmallow Filling
4 teaspoons gelatin
1/2 cup water, divided
1/2 cup light corn syrup, divided
9 ounces granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Assembly
½ cup Apricot Jam
2 tablespoons water
DIRECTIONS
Cookies With your fingers, cut butter into flour, along with salt, until reduced to pea sized lumps. Next, add corn syrup and honey all at once and mix with a fork until it forms a ball. Dust your hands with a little flour, scoop out the dough, and knead lightly until smooth.
Flatten dough into a squarish shape, wrap in plastic, and chill at least 30 minutes. Or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove dough from refrigerator and let it warm up just a bit. Roll to 1/8” thick. Use a round cookie cutter to make circles and place them on parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for approximately 10 minutes until just turning color. You don’t want to brown them.
Remove from sheet and let cool. While you make the marshmallow.
Marshmallow Bloom gelatin by placing 1/4 cup water in small bowl and sprinkle gelatin over top. Let sit at least 5 minutes to soften.
Place 1/4 cup corn syrup in standing mixer bowl. Place remaining 1/4 cup corn syrup remaining 1/4 cup water, and sugar in medium saucepan over medium-high heat until dissolved. Continue to cook, without stirring, until mixture reaches 240 degrees F (use a thermometer). Immediately pour hot syrup down side of mixer bowl and add softened gelatin and vanilla. Turn mixer to medium speed and beat until combined, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium high and beat until light and fluffy, about 7-8 minutes.
Assembly Add water to apricot jam to pot and heat until it thins out. Spread thin layer on each cookie half. Line them up and pipe marshmallow filling on one half and then place 2nd cookie on top. Do not push down. Gravity will do the work. Let them dry out on some parchment for a couple hours.
This month’s challenge by the Home Baker’s Collective was to share something from your state. I decided to do my Blue Bottle Coffee inspired granola. So easy, adaptable, and good for you. You should always have a jar of this on hand.
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup water
4 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup flax seeds
1 cup unsweetened coconut
1 1/2 cups sliced almonds
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 cup coconut oil
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
In a small saucepan, combine brown sugar, coconut oil, and water. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly while sugar dissolves and begins to boil. Set off heat and add vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Let cool to room temperature.
In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients and mix well. Add the room temperature oil/sugar mixture and coat evenly. Transfer to a rimmed 13″x18″ inch baking tray. Pat down to an even layer and bake for 75 minutes, break up granola into a few big pieces and flip halfway through. Make sure it is all dried out and not sticky. Let dry completely before storing.
4 salted egg yolks
170g butter, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon salt
85g sugar
Topping:
1 egg yolk + a little water for wash
1 tablespoon each of black and white sesame seeds
DIRECTIONS
Follow these directions for salted egg yolk. You will have to do this at least one day in advance. Once it is ready, smash with fork or pastry cutter until crumbled and set aside.
In separate bowl, sift flour, cornflour, baking powder, baking soda and milk powder.
In the mixer bowl, add butter, salt and sugar. Mix until well incorporated.
Add smashed salted egg yolks and sifted flours until well combined. Chill dough for a few minutes. If it gets too cold it will crack easily. Roll out to 1/4 inch thick and use any cutter you desire. Place them on lined cookie sheets and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place sesame seeds in a small bowl and mix. Remove cookies from refrigerator and brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Commandatore Of The Kitchen 