Just give me a latte and a few of these bad boys and I’m good.

INGREDIENTS

255 grams salted butter, cold, cut into small pieces
100 grams granulated sugar
50 grams light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
295 grams flour
2 tablespoons espresso powder
170 grams semi- or bittersweet dark chocolate, chopped in chunks
1 large egg
Demerara, turbinado, raw, or sanding sugar, for rolling
Flaky sea salt for sprinkling

DIRECTIONS

Beat the butter, granulated and brown sugars, and vanilla with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, scraping down bowl as needed. Add flour and espresso powder, and mix just until combined. Add chocolate chunks, mix just until incorporated. Mixture will look crumbly.

Divide between two sheets of parchment paper, waxed paper, or plastic wrap and use your hands to form the dough halves into log shapes about 2 to 2 1/4 inches in diameter. Chill until totally firm, about 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line one or two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Lightly beat the egg and open up the chilled cookies logs to brush it over the sides. Sprinkle the coarse sugar on the open paper or plastic wrap and roll the logs into it, coating them.

Using a sharp serrated knife, cut logs into 1/2-inch thick rounds. You’re going to hit some chocolate chunks, so saw gently, squeezing the cookie to keep it from breaking if needed. Arrange cookie slices on prepared sheets one inch apart (they don’t spread much) and sprinkle each with a few flakes of salt. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the edges are just beginning to get golden brown. Let cool slightly before transferring to the cookies you don’t eat immediately to wire racks to cool.

I worked with this recipe.

First challenge of 2018.  Happy New Year. Bake more. Complain less.
INGREDIENTS

Vanilla Custard
2 cups whole milk
2 vanilla beans, split with seeds scraped out
6 egg yolks
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup 1 tablespoon cornstarch
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed

Sponge Cake, Fillings, & Decorations
4 eggs
3/4 cup sugar  + 2 tablespoons
1/3 cup cornstarch, sifted
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon almond extract
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons jam
1 pound marzipan
1/2 cup mini marshmallows
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Red food coloring (gel, not liquid)
Green food coloring (gel, not liquid)
Powdered sugar (for dusting)
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate
3 tablespoons sugar

DIRECTIONS
For the Custard: In a pot over medium heat, heat the milk with the vanilla beans and seeds just until it starts to simmer. Turn off the heat and let it sit. Mix egg yolks, cornstarch, sugar, and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Remove vanilla pods from milk and slowly pour milk into bowl, stirring constantly. Return to the pot and whisk 4 to 5 minutes, until very thick. Add butter and stir until melted. Refrigerate for at least one hour, or up to overnight.

Make the Fondant Rose: Make the fondant by microwaving the marshmallows until melted (15-20 seconds). Stir in the powdered sugar and knead for a few minutes on a clean surface, adding more powdered sugar if it sticks, adding a few drops of water if it’s too dry, until smooth and pliable. Knead in red food coloring drop by drop until you have your desired shade of pink. Dust two small pieces of parchment or waxed paper with powdered sugar and one by one, place the balls of fondant between the sheets of greaseproof paper and flatten each ball out with your fingers, to a thin circle, approximately 2 cm/1 in in diameter, to form the petals. Roll the first petal up to form a center bud and wrap the remaining petals around the bud to make a rose. Leave to dry at room temperature for at least an hour.

For the Cake: Preheat the oven to 350 °F, 175 °C. Butter or spray a 9-inch springform pan. Line the bottom of the pan with a parchment circle, then butter or spray that as well. In the bowl of a KitchenAid or electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat eggs and 3/4 cup sugar until very thick, pale, and fluffy, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add almond extract. Sift flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking powder over bowl (or sift into a separate bowl first) and fold in with a spatula. Fold in the melted butter and stir just to combine. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes before turning it out onto a rack to cool completely.

When the cake is completely cool, use a serrated knife to carefully slice it into three even layers. Divide the jam evenly between the first two layers, spreading a thin layer over the top. Next, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar to the whipped cream and beat until it holds stiff peaks. Fold half of the whipped cream into the pastry cream, reserving the other half. Evenly divide the pastry-whipped cream mixture between the first two layers, spreading it carefully over the thin jam layer.

Stack the two first layers, then top with the remaining cake slice. Set aside one cup of the reserved whipped cream, then use a rubber spatula to shape the remaining whipped cream into a dome shape on top of the cake, then set the whole thing into the fridge for an hour to set.

While the cake is chilling, make the green marzipan exterior. On a surface lightly dusted with powdered sugar, knead the marzipan until it’s pliable. Add two dots of green gel food coloring and knead until the color is uniform. If you like, add another dot or two of food coloring until it reaches a light lime color. Place the marzipan between two sheets of waxed paper and roll into a 16-inch diameter circle, large enough to generously cover the cake.

Take the cake out of the fridge and gently drape the marzipan over the whipped cream dome. Shape and smooth the marzipan around the cake to get a clean appearance. Trim the edges and tuck them neatly under the cake. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a small star tip with the reserved cup of whipped cream, and pipe a row of stars around the edge of the cake to hide any imperfections.

Melt the bittersweet chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave (in 10-second increments). Make a skinny-tipped cone with parchment paper and fill it with the melted chocolate, then snip off the tip to create a makeshift pastry bag. Carefully pipe the chocolate over the top of the cake in a swirl or curlicue. Top with the pink rose in the center.

Thanks for the recipe Food52.

The Italian Doughnut comes to Mar Vista.

INGREDIENTS

Doughnut
2 cups bread flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
75g (heaping ⅓ cup) granulated white sugar
100g (7 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
20g fresh cake yeast or 1 package (7g) dry instant yeast
7g (1½ tsp) salt
150g (3) whole large eggs
40g (2) egg yolks
110g (1/2 cup) lukewarm water
1 tsp vanilla extract
granulated sugar, for coating

Pastry Cream Filling
1½ cups whole milk
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup cake flour
½ teaspoon kosher salt
4 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 heavy cream for whipping before filling

DIRECTIONS
First, dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water, and allow it to sit until it blooms.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine all ingredients except for one of the whole eggs, and beat on medium speed for 5 minutes, then high speed for 5 more minutes.

Add in the remaining egg, and beat on medium speed until a smooth and elastic dough forms {you may have to add a little more flour if it seems too sticky}.

Knead by hand for a couple of minutes, then place the dough in a large, lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise in a warm place for at least 2 hours until tripled in size.

While the dough is chilling, make the pastry cream. In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks until well combined, about 30 seconds. Slowly whisk in the flour mixture until thick and pasty. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, warm the milk and cream until bubbles just start to form around the edges. Do not let it boil.

Remove the milk from the heat and slowly drizzle into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Scrape the egg mixture back into the saucepan and place over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens and comes to a boil, about 3 minutes. Boil, whisking, for 10 seconds (the cream will become thick and glossy and won’t have any foam on top), then immediately remove from heat.

Pour the pastry cream through a fine mesh sieve set over a small bowl and whisk in the vanilla. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic wrap against the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours.

After the first rise, lightly knead the dough, roll it out to 1/2 inch thickness, and cut out rounds.

Transfer all your rounds to baking sheets lined with wax paper, spray lightly with water, and cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel. Allow the bomboloni to rise another hour and a half until they triple in size once more.

When ready to fry, heat vegetable oil in a large, deep pan to a temperature between 330-350 degrees F.

Fry the bomboloni a few at a time, making sure to not crowd the pan. Fry them for about 3 minutes on each side, until they are golden brown, then drain off the excess oil, and set them on a wire rack to cool.

While they are still warm, pour some granulated sugar in a small bowl, and roll the bomboloni around until completely coated in the sugar.

Whip cream until still and fold in pastry cream.  Fill will pastry cream once cooled.

I worked with this recipe.

When you have this stuff lying around, magic happens.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup milk
1/4 cup melted butter
2 large eggs
1/2 apple finely chopped
1/2 pear finely chopped
1/2 cup walnuts chopped
1/4 crumbled gorgonzola

DIRECTIONS

Preheat your oven to 425°F. Lightly grease the cups of a standard 12-cup muffin pan. Or line the cups with papers, and grease the papers.

Blend together the dry ingredients.

Beat the milk, butter, and eggs until light.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Take a fork or wire whisk and blend the two briefly — about 20 seconds.  Gently fold in fruit, nuts, and cheese.

Fill the cups of the muffin pan two-thirds to three-quarters full. 

Bake the muffins for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of one of the center muffins comes out clean. Remove them from the oven, and as soon as you can handle them turn them out of the pan onto a rack to cool.

Seems like the perfect treat for Christmas day and a cup of tea. From Ottolenghi & Goh’s book, Sweet.

INGREDIENTS

180g unsalted butter at room temp.
160g dark brown sugar
160g light brown sugar
Zest of one large orange
3 large eggs
120g sour cream or yogurt
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tsp pumpkin spice
220g flour
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
Powdered sugar for dusting

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees farenhiet. Greast a standark 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan and line with parchment paper.  Set aside.

Place the butter, both sugars and orange zest in the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment. Beat until lightened and smooth but not too fluffy.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs by hand. Add the yogurt and vanilla extract and whisk again until smooth.

Sift the mixed pumpkin spice mix, flour and salt together into a separate bowl and set aside.

In alternating batches and with the machine on medium low speed, add a third of the egg-yogurt mixture to the creamed mixture, followed by a third of the sifted dry ingredients. Continue with the seance and third batch, continuing to beat until combined. Stir the baking soda with the vinegar in a small bowl; it will fizz up a little but that is fine. Add this to the mixture and as soon as everything is combined, turn off the machine. Don’t worry if the mixture starts to split; it will still cook up well. Scrape the mixture into the loaf pan and bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.

Transfer the cake to a wire rack for about 15 minutes to cool before inverting onto a cake plate.  When cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Slightly crisp edges and a chewy center. Perfect for holiday baking.

Happy Hanukah!

½ cup water water (about 110 F)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk (save the white for the glaze)
3 cups all-purpose flour (+ ½ cup, if needed)
¼ cup sugar
2¼ teaspoons instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons salt
1 cup chocolate chips
1 large egg white (to glaze)

DIRECTIONS

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine 3 cups of the flour, sugar, yeast and salt. In a 2-cup measuring cup, whisk the warm water, melted butter, eggs and egg yolk. With the mixer on low, slowly add the water mixture and mix until a rough dough starts to form. Increase the speed to medium-low and let the machine knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. The dough should clear the sides of the bowl, but stick to the bottom. If the dough is too sticky, add up to ½ cup flour a little at a time.

Lightly grease a large bowl, form the dough into a smooth ball, and place in the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, or place in refrigerator overnight. To check if your dough has risen enough, press a finger into the dough. If it springs back, let it rise a little bit longer. If it stays indented, move onto the next step.

When the dough has risen, turn it out onto a floured countertop and cut it in half. Roll the first half out into a rectangle and sprinkle the chocolate chips over it. Roll the dough into a tight rope. Very carefully stretch the rope of dough as far as you think you can from each end, and cut this longer rope in half. Repeat with the second half of the dough.

Place two ropes of dough in each direction, perpendicular to each other, like a pound symbol #. Weave them so that one rope is over and the other is under where they meet. Take the four legs that come from underneath the center and cross them over the rope to it’s right. Take the ropes that are now on the bottom and, again, cross each over the top rope, this time to the left. If you have extra length in your ropes, you can repeat these left-right jumps until you run out of rope. Tuck the ends of the ropes under the dough with the sides of your hands to form a round shape.*

Once you’ve formed your challah, place it on a baking sheet covered with parchment. Beat the egg white and brush it over the dough. Let the challah rise another hour.

Preheat your oven to 375°F. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until deeply brown. If your challah is getting too dark too quick, tent it with aluminum foil for the remainder of the baking time. The challah is done when a thermometer inserted into the center of the dough reads 195°F, or if you don’t have an instant thermometer, lift the challah gently with an oven mitt and knock gently on the bottom of the loaf. If it sounds hollow, it’s done.

I worked with this recipe.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1 cup sugar
3 extra-large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4-5 peeled and sectioned clementines

For the glaze:
1 tablespoon sugar
1/3 cup freshly squeezed clementine juice

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease and flour the pan.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, and vanilla. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it’s all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and place clementine slices on top. Bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup juice and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.

When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, pour the clementine-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. Cool.

 

Pete and Amy gave me a huge bag of clementines from their house so be prepared to see everything and anything you can bake with clementines. This first one is gluten free.

INGREDIENTS

3 large or 5 small tangerines (to make about a cup of puree)
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
3 cups almond flour
1 tsp baking powder
Powdered sugar for dusting

DIRECTIONS

Set oven to 350F

Wash your tangerines and put them in a saucepan covered with cold water. Boil for 15 minutes. Drain the pan, refill with cold water, and boil again for 15 minutes. This boiling removes the bitterness in the citrus skin.

Rough chop the tangerines and remove any seeds, do this on a plate so you don’t lose any juice. Put it all in a food processor and process until completely smooth. You’ll have to stop and scrape down the sides a few times.

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until light and creamy. Fold in the almond meal, orange pulp, and baking powder, mixing until combined.

Pour into a buttered 9″ spring form pan.

Bake for 50-60 minutes, until lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan to finish cooling.

Dust with confectioner’s sugar.

I worked with this recipe.