Because nothing beats a classic.

INGREDIENTS

2 3/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 stick or 8 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar, plus more if needed
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon, plus more if needed
2 eggs

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400°.

Sift together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add eggs, and beat to combine. Add dry ingredients, and beat to combine. At this point, I chilled the dough for at least an hour before scooping it.

Once dough has chilled, in a small bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar and the ground cinnamon. Use a small ice-cream scoop to form balls of the dough, and roll in cinnamon sugar. Place about two inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until the cookies are set in center and begin to crack (they will not brown), about 10 minutes, rotating the baking sheets after five minutes.

Thanks Smitten Kitchen.

My adorable neighbor, Mason, brought me some fresh figs from his garden.  When I walked into the kitchen and saw the walnuts from the bread I made yesterday, I just put them together. Oh, and then I saw some dried, sweetened oranges in my cabinet from Trader Joe’s….a recipe was born.

INGREDIENTS

3 eggs
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups ripe figs, mashed
3/4 cups melted and cooled butter
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup chopped walnuts
Trader Joe’s Sweetened and Dried Orange Slices

DIRECTIONS

Heat the oven to 350 F. Grease and flour two 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pans.

In a mixing bowl with an electric mixer, beat the eggs. Add the sugar and beat well. With the mixer on low speed, add mashed figs and vegetable oil.

Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

Add the flour mixture to the first mixture alternating with the buttermilk. Beat until well blended.

Fold in chopped walnuts

Bake in the preheated oven for about 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

I worked with this recipe.

My second recipe from La Cucina Italiana today.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 ounce (1 packet) of active dry yeast
3 cups flour
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
Extra-virgin olive oil for brushing
3/4 cup walnut pieces

DIRECTIONS

In a small saucepan heat milk over medium heat until warm; remove from heat. In a large bowl, stir together warm milk, sugar, and yeast; let stand until foamy, about 15 minutes.  If mixture doesn’t foam, start over.

Add flour, butter, and salt to milk mixture; mix together to form soft dough. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic about 5 minutes. Brush a large bowl with oil, the turn dough in bowl to coat. Cover with a clean, damp dishtowel and let rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Punch down dough and transfer to a clean surface. Knead in walnuts and form into a round loaf. Transfer to a payment lined baking sheet. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled inbuilt about 1 hour.

Heat over to 400 degrees F with rack in middle.  Using a shark knife, score load with 3 shallow slashes. Bak until bread is golden and sounds hollow when tapped, about 25 minutes. Cool break completely on wire rack before slicing.

Recipe from La Cucina Italiana.

Glad I found an old issue of La Cucina Italiana.  This is even better than its American cousin.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup Aborio rice
2 2/3 cups whole milk
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar
2/3 cup heavy cream

DIRECTIONS

Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil; add rice and cook for 15 minutes then drain.

In a saucepan, combine drained rice, 2 cups milk, 1 cup water, vanilla bean and seeds, and salt. Bring to a simmer and cook 10 minutes, then stir in sugar and continue cooking until rice is tender. 10 to 15 minutes more. Remove pot from heat; remove and discard vanilla bean, then stir in remaining 2/3 cup milk and cream. Transfer rice mixture to a blender and mix until pudding is fairly smooth.

Transfer ric pudding to a bow and chill in refrigerator at least 2 hours or overnight. Add some whipped cream on top when serving.

Recipe from La Cucina Italiana.

I just added espresso to Elvis Presley’s favorite pound cake.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup of unsalted butter, softened (additional for greasing pan)
3 cups sifted cake flour (additional for dusting)
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3 cups sugar
7 large eggs at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup espresso

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
3 tablespoons espresso

DIRECTIONS

Generously butter pan and dust with flour, knocking out excess flour.

Sift together flour, cinnamon, and salt into a bowl. Repeat sifting into another bowl. Repeat 3 times.

Beat together butter (2 sticks) and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes in a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or 6 to 8 minutes with a handheld mixer. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low and add half of flour, then all of cream and espresso, then remaining flour, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down side of bowl, then beat at medium-high speed 5 minutes. Batter will become creamier and satiny.

Spoon batter into pan and rap pan against work surface once or twice to eliminate air bubbles. Place pan in (cold) oven and turn oven temperature to 350°F. Bake until golden and a wooden pick or skewer inserted in middle of cake comes out with a few crumbs adhering, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Cool cake in pan on a rack 30 minutes. Run a thin knife around inner and outer edges of cake, then invert rack over pan and invert cake onto rack to cool completely.

Whisk together powdered sugar and espresso until desired consistency and pour over cooled cake.

I worked with this recipe.

This buttercream is the bomb.

INGREDIENTS

Cupcakes
1 1/4 cups cake flour
3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla
1/2 cup canola oil
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup sour cream

Buttercream
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large egg whites
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp cut into 6 pieces
1/2 tsp vanilla
pinch kosher salt

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350*F.

In a medium bowl, add cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Stir together with whisk, and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, add eggs and beat 10-20 seconds.  Add sugar and continue to beat on medium speed about 30 seconds.  Add vanilla and oil, beat.

Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly add about half of the flour mixture.  Add the milk, then the rest of the flour and the sour cream.  Beat until just combined.  Scrap down the side of the bowl.

The batter will be thin.   Pour batter into a muffin pan prepared with paper liners.  Fill liners about 2/3 full.

Bake cupcakes in pre-heated oven for 12-14 minutes. Cool then Frost.

Buttercream: In a small heatproof bowl, whisk the sugar and egg whites. In a 1-quart saucepan, bring 2 cups of water to a simmer over medium-high heat. Set the bowl over the simmering water (don’t let the bowl touch the water) and heat the mixture, whisking occasionally, until hot to the touch, 4 to 6 minutes. It will thin out a bit as the sugar melts.

Remove the bowl from the heat and scrape the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip on medium-high speed until the mixture is light, white, and cool to the touch, 4 to 6 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and add the chunks of butter one at a time. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until the buttercream is smooth, 4 to 5 minutes. Mix in the vanilla and salt.

I got the cupcake recipe here.

I am experimenting with different flours. This was from the back of a Trader Joe’s package. 

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 egg + 1 egg white
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups almond flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Line cookie sheet with cookie sheet.

Cream butter and sugars.  Whisk in egg + egg white and vanilla.  Mix in almond flour, baking soda, and salt.  Mix in chocolate chips.

Scoop on to baking sheets.  Bake for 12-14 minutes.

 

You can glaze these or sprinkle with sugar.  I chose the sugar option although a zesty lemon glaze would be nice. That’s it, I’m going with the lemon glaze.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
1 egg beaten slightly
1 cup milk
zest and juice of one lemon
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup chopped strawberries

Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
lemon juice (a few tablespoons, depends on desired consistency)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and grease a muffin tin.

Mix the flour, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a large bowl.  Add the zest, then egg, milk, and butter.  Stir enough to dampen the flour.  You don’t want to smooth out the batter. Fill muffin tins  2/3 full and bake for about 25 minutes.

Make glaze by whisking powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth and desired consistency. Dip muffin tops in glaze and let set.

I keep trying to make these and I always make a different mistake. These were pretty good. 

INGREDIENTS

1 cup of powdered sugar
1 cup ground almonds
2 medium egg whites
small pinch of salt
1/4 cup caster sugar

Filling

1 cup granulated sugar
4 large egg whites
1 cup unsalted butter, room temp cut into 12 pieces
1/2 tsp vanilla
pinch kosher salt

DIRECTIONS

Sift powdered sugar and ground almonds into bowl and mix together. Set aside.

In a separate bow, whisk egg whites and salt until they form soft peaks. Add any food coloring you desire and caster sugar slowly and whisk until thick and glossy.

Fold in ground almond mixture in two batches.

Fill a piping bag with the mixture and pipe out small round shapes (I put a template under my silpat). When tray is full, lift it up and drop it so you release any air bubbles. Let dry for about an hour. The macarons will form a skin.

Preheat oven to 300 F. Bake for 8 minutes Slide silpat onto wire rack and wait until they are completely cool to remove or they will break. Fill as desired.

Filling:

In a small heatproof bowl, whisk the sugar and egg whites. In a 1-quart saucepan, bring 2 cups of water to a simmer over medium-high heat. Set the bowl over the simmering water (don’t let the bowl touch the water) and heat the mixture, whisking occasionally, until hot to the touch, 4 to 6 minutes. It will thin out a bit as the sugar melts.

Remove the bowl from the heat and scrape the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip on medium-high speed until the mixture is light, white, and cool to the touch, 4 to 6 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and add the chunks of butter one at a time. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until the buttercream is smooth, 4 to 5 minutes. Mix in the vanilla and salt

 

INGREDIENTS

Bread
1/4 pound softened butter
3/4 cups dark brown sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups (about 5) ripe bananas
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup chocolate (mixed white and dark)

Topping
1/4 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons sugar

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan. Using electric mixer, cream butter until smooth and fluffy. Add sugar and cream together 2 minutes more. One at a time, mix in eggs. Mix in bananas until only small lumps remain.

Stir dry ingredients together and mix into banana mixture just until combined. Fold in pecans and chocolates. Pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle topping over batter.

Bake about 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Let cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack and let cool completely.

I worked with this recipe.