Worth posting again.  These go out to my friend Jason.

INGREDIENTS

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon fine sea or table salt

1 cup unsalted butter

1/4 cup yogurt

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1 large egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Sprinkles

DIRECTIONS

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking large sheets with parchment paper.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl and whisk to blend. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat yogurt, butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg and extracts and blend again. Add flour mixture and beat just until flour disappears. In some cases, this dough will feel too soft to roll into balls in your hands; if so, let it chill in the fridge for 20 minutes or so before using.

Use a small ice cream scoop to make balls of dough and roll them briefly in the palms of your hands before dropping them in a bowl of rainbow sprinkles and gently rolling to coat them evenly.

Transfer balls of sprinkle-coated dough to baking sheets at least two inches apart. Use the palm of your hand to press down on the cookies until they are about 1/4 to 1/2-inch tall. If you see any bare spots in the sprinkles that bother you, you can sprinkle a few more on top. Bake for 9 to 10 minutes until they look underbaked but lightly golden underneath. [If they’re not quite soft in the center, they will be fully crisped through the next day. Let set on the baking sheet on a rack for a few minutes before transferring to cooling racks to cool the rest of the way. Repeat with remaining cookie dough.

INGREDIENTS

½ cup of butter, at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar, plus more for rolling the cookies

½ cup of pure pumpkin

¼ cup of molasses

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 ⅓ cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

Glaze:

1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

2 tablespoons milk (maybe more or less, depends on desired thickness)

DIRECTIONS

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until creamy and smooth. Add the pumpkin, molasses, egg, and vanilla extract, mix until well combined.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, spices, and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until combined. Refrigerate the cookie dough for at least 1 hour. The dough can be chilled for 2-3 days.

When you are ready to bake, preheat oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper. Place sugar in a small bowl. Roll tablespoon-sized balls of dough in sugar until well coated and place on prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10–12 minutes, or until cookies look cracked and set at the edges. The cookies will still be soft. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a 2-3 minutes after removing them from the oven, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make glaze by whisking all ingredients adding milk slowly until desired thickness is achieved. Dip cooled cookies into glaze and let set.

My first attempt at truffles. As always, my decorating skills need work but they taste good. 

INGREDIENTS

8 ounces of cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

3 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped dried tart cherries 

8 ounces milk chocolate for melting

Sea Salt for topping

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar until well blended. Stir in melted chocolate  until no streaks remain. Stir in cherries. Refrigerate for about 1 hour. Shape into 1 inch balls. Freeze for 1 hour. 

Melt milk chocolate and dip frozen balls in chocolate.  Place on wax paper to harden.  Refrigerate.

#MakeAmericaBakeAgain

INGREDIENTS

½ oz. dry active yeast

1 cup warm, but not hot, water

3 cups flour

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup mixed dried fruit,(golden raisins, cherries and dates, chopped)

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar

1/3 cup American whiskey, bourbon or rye

1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

¾ teaspoon ground allspice

½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

½ teaspoon fine salt

½ cup granulated sugar

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

2 tablespoons milk

DIRECTIONS

Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water in a medium bowl. Stir a few times and let stand to allow the yeast to dissolve and begin bubbling, 1 to 2 minutes. Sift 1½ cups of the flour into the bowl and stir until mostly smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place for about 30 minutes. The mixture will expand, loosen in texture and will have large bubbles on the surface. 


While that sits, generously butter a 12-cup Bundt pan and set aside. Place the dried fruit, 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar and all of the whiskey in a microwave-safe bowl. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Heat in the microwave until hot and bubbling, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir and set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, whisk the remaining 1 1/2 cups flour with the cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and salt. 


Beat the butter with the remaining 1/2 cup brown and the granulated sugar with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until combined (the mixture may look slightly curdled at this stage), and then add 1 teaspoon of the vanilla. Beat in the yeast mixture and then reduce the speed to medium-low and gradually beat in the flour mixture. Add the plumped dried fruit with any remaining liquid and beat on medium speed until the fruit is well blended. The dough should be soft and elastic at this point.

Transfer the dough to the prepared Bundt pan and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until the dough fills the pan about three-quarters of the way, about 2 hours. When is the cake is almost done rising, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Bake the cake until golden brown and a skewer inserted comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes in the pan on a wire rack. Loosen the sides with a small metal spatula and turn onto the wire rack to cool completely.

Before serving, stir the confectioners’ sugar with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 1 tablespoon milk. Gradually add as much as needed of the second tablespoon of milk to make a thick glaze that will just gently run. Spoon over the top of the cake, allowing the glaze to slowly run down the outside and inside of the cake.

I got the recipe here.

November is the beginning of the holiday and baking season.  I don’t make a lot of pumpkin stuff, but I might this year.

INGREDIENTS

1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree

1/2 cup melted butter

3 large eggs

1 2/3  cups granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon fine sea or table salt

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Heaped 1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg

Heaped 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Two pinches of ground cloves

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

TOPPING

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 6-cup loaf pan or coat it with nonstick spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, melted butter, eggs and sugar until smooth. Sprinkle baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinanmon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves over batter and whisk until well-combined. Add flour and stir with a spoon, just until mixed. Scrape into prepared pan and smooth the top. In a small dish, or empty measuring cup, stir sugar and cinnamon together. Sprinkle over top of batter.

Bake bread for 65 to 75 minutes until a tester poked into all parts of cake (both the top and center will want to hide pockets of uncooked batter) come out batter-free, turning the cake once during the baking time for even coloring.

Let it cool for about 30 minutes in the pan and then let it finish on a rack but try not to pick off the topping.

I got the recipe here.

My man loves his chocolate and peanut butter.

Ingredients

Cake

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

1½ teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon espresso powder

1 cup milk

½ butter, melted and cooled

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup boiling water

Frosting

2 cups creamy peanut butter

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Ganache

9 ounces good semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

1 cup heavy cream

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350º F. Prepare two 9-inch cake pans by spraying with baking spray or buttering and lightly flouring.

For the cake:

Add flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk through to combine or, using your paddle attachment, stir through flour mixture until combined well.

Add milk, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla to flour mixture and mix together on medium speed until well combined. Reduce speed and carefully add boiling water to the cake batter. Beat on high speed for about 1 minute to add air to the batter.

Distribute cake batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, remove from the pan and cool completely.

After cake is cooled, make ganache and frosting.

Frosting:

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and beat with a hand mixer util well combined, light and fluffy. Frost cooled cake.

Ganache:

Put chocolate in a bowl. Heat cream in a pot and just before it is about to boil, take it off the heat and pour over chocolate.  Let it sit for a minute then whisk until smooth and shiny.  Let sit a minute and then decorate as you like.

Sugar and Cayenne and everything nice.

INGREDIENTS

Nonstick cooking spray or vegetable oil
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup popcorn kernels
2 cups salted peanuts (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 to 3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (see Note)
3 cups sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher or coarse sea salt (see Note)

DIRECTIONS

Lightly coat two large, heatproof rubber spatulas, a very large mixing bowl and two large baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray or a thin slick of oil.

In a large saucepan or pot with a lid, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the popcorn kernels, cover and keep the saucepan moving until all of the kernels have popped, about 5 minutes. Transfer to the prepared bowl, removing any unpopped kernels. Toss with salted peanuts, if using.

In a small bowl, whisk together the baking soda and cayenne pepper.

Have the two large baking sheets ready. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, butter, salt and 1/2 cup water. Cook over high heat, without stirring, until the mixture becomes a light golden-yellow caramel, 10 to 14 minutes. Remove from the heat and carefully whisk in the baking-soda mixture (the mixture will bubble up).

Immediately pour the caramel mixture over the popcorn and don’t fuss if it doesn’t all come out of the pot — you’ll have plenty. Working quickly and carefully, use the prepared spatulas to toss the caramel and popcorn together, as if you were tossing a salad, until the popcorn is well coated.

Spread the popcorn onto the baking sheets and quickly separate them into small pieces while still warm. Cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes. Once cool, store in an airtight container for up to two weeks or two minutes, if you’ve got a family like mine.

This is where I found the recipe here at Smitten Kitchen.

Berry muffins with lemon icing.

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1  cup blueberries and raspberries

Icing

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Directions

Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 12 muffin cups, or line with paper muffin liners.

Sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter, egg, buttermilk, and vanilla.

Pour the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients and stir just until mixed (the batter will not be smooth). Gently stir in fruit.

Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tins; fill the cups almost to the top. Bake in the preheated oven until golden and the tops spring back when lightly pressed, about 18 minutes.

Mix juice of one lemon with about 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar and ice muffins.

I got the recipe here.

Brown butter icing makes these oatmeal cookies a bit more special.

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS