I’ve been sick for a few days and have not been able to bake.  Thought I’d get back in the saddle with this simple, delicious fave.

INGREDIENTS

 

Nonstick spray

2 cups flour

5 tablespoons sugar, divided

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt + 1/2 teaspoon salt to sprinkle on top of bread

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3 tablespoons butter, chilled, cut into cubes

1 cup buttermilk

2/3 cup raisins

1 tablespoon caraway seeds

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray 8-inch-diameter cake pan with nonstick spray. Whisk flour, 4 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in large bowl to blend. Add butter. Using fingertips, rub in until coarse meal forms. Make well in center of flour mixture. Add buttermilk. Gradually stir dry ingredients into milk to blend. Mix in raisins.

Using floured hands, shape dough into ball. Transfer to prepared pan and flatten slightly (dough will not come to edges of pan). Sprinkle dough with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and caraway seeds.

Bake bread until brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool bread in pan 10 minutes. Transfer to rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

I worked with this recipe.

So simple, yet so delicious.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups heavy cream

4 tablespoons Amaretto

3 lare eggs

2 large egg yolks

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided

1 teaspoon vanilla

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 325°. In a saucepan, heat cream and amaretto until bubbles form around sides of pan; remove from heat. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, egg yolks and 3/4 cup sugar until blended but not foamy. Slowly stir in hot cream mixture. Stir in vanilla.

Place six 6-oz. broiler-safe ramekins in a baking pan large enough to hold them without touching. Pour cream mixture into ramekins. Place pan on oven rack; add very hot water to pan to within 1/2 in. of tops of ramekins.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean; centers will still be soft. Immediately remove ramekins from water bath to a wire rack; cool 10 minutes. Refrigerate until cold.

To caramelize topping with a kitchen torch, sprinkle custards evenly with remaining sugar. Hold torch flame about 2 in. above custard surface and rotate it slowly until sugar is evenly caramelized. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 1 hour.

You can also use the broiler to caramelize the top.

I worked with this recipe.

Bread, butter, chocolate.

INGREDIENTS

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon instant yeast

Approx. 1 1/2 cups water

1/2 cup chocolate chunks

Fudge Butter

1 stick of salted butter, softened

1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

Dash of flaked salt

DIRECTIONS

Mix together the first 3 ingredients. Slowly add the water until dough is wet and a little loose. Fold in chocolate chunks.  Cover and let sit on the counter overnight.  In the morning heat oven to 500 degrees with dutch oven in it so it gets hot too.  Once the oven and pot have been heating for about 30 minutes, plop the dough into the dutch oven. Cook covered for 30 minutes.  Take lid off and let the top of the bread brown for about 10-15 minutes.

At any point, make the fudge butter:

Heat chocolate chips in microwave in 30 sec increments until melted.  Put aside and let cool.  Mix into softened stick of butter by hand or in mixer.  Sprinkle with flaked salt. Refrigerate while not using.  Let sit out for a few minutes before serving.

 

For all those in love, this cake is for you. Angel food cake with angel frosting.

INGREDIENTS

CAKE

1 1/4 cups sugar

3/4 cups flour

pinch salt

1 1/4 (approx 6) egg whites

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Frosting

1 egg white

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

1/2 cup boiling water

1-2 drops food coloring (red or pink will make pink)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375°. Line bottom and sides of a mini cake pan with aluminum foil, allowing 2 to 3 inches to extend over sides of pan. (Do not grease pan or foil.) Sift together first 3 ingredients.

Beat egg whites and cream of tartar at high speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until stiff peaks form. Gradually fold in sugar mixture, 1/3 cup at a time, folding just until blended after each addition. Fold in vanilla. Spoon batter into prepared pan. (Pan will be very full. The batter will reach almost to the top of the pan.)

3. Bake at 375° on an oven rack one-third up from bottom of oven 15-20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Invert pan onto a lightly greased wire rack; let cool, with pan over cake, 1 hour or until completely cool. Remove pan; peel foil off cake. Transfer cake to a serving platter.

To make frosting, mix all except boiling water in large mixing bowl.

Add boiling water all at once and beat 5 to 7 minutes on high until light fluffy and good spreading consistency. Don’t overbeat or the mixture will become grainy. Frost cakes and use kitchen torch if  you like that kind of thing.

I worked with this recipe.

Chewy sugar cookies can turn any frown upside down.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 egg

2 1/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

decorative sugar for rolling

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla.

Stir in flour, baking powder, and salt.

Scoop tablespoon size ball of dough and roll it into a ball.  Roll the ball in sprinkles or sugar.  Place on sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes until edges start to brown.

I worked with this recipe.

My neighbor gave me some pomegranates and there are very few things you can bake with them, so I made up my own.

INGREDIENTS

3 cups cake flour, sifted

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 cup butter, room temperature

1 2/3 cups sugar

4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

½ cup orange juice

¾ cup buttermilk

Orange Glaze

1 ¼ cups confectioners’ sugar

2-3 Tablespoons orange juice

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping:

Seeds of one pomegranate

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease bundt pan.

Whisk the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together in a bowl.

In separate bowl or stand mixer, beat butter and sugar on high speed for 2 minutes. Add the eggs and the vanilla. Beat on medium-high speed until combined. Beat in the juice. On low speed, add the dry ingredients in three additions alternating with the buttermilk and mixing each addition just until incorporated.

Spoon the batter evenly into the bundt pan. Bake for 45-55 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes inside the pan.

Invert onto a wire rack set over a large plate or serving dish. Allow cake to cool before glazing and serving.

To make the glaze, whisk the confectioners’ sugar, 2 tablespoons of orange juice, and vanilla together. It will be very thick. Whisk in 1 or more Tablespoons of juice, depending how thick you’d like the glaze. Drizzle over cake. Sprinkle pomegranate seeds on top.

I had no idea why I started to make this last night but and then I realized that someone uttered the words “Lemon Meringue Pie” yesterday.

INGREDIENTS

Crust

12 tablespoons very cold butter

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

1/3 cup very cold Crisco

6 to 8 tablespoons ice water

Filling

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest

2/3 cup fresh lemon juice

8 egg yolks (save the whites for the meringue)

½ teaspoon salt

1 ¼ sticks unsalted butter cut into pieces

1 cup water

¼ cup corn starch

Meringue

8 egg whites

2/3 cup sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS

Crust:

Dice the butter and return it to the refrigerator while you prepare the flour mixture. Place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl and whisk. Add the butter and shortening. Use a pastry cutter to cut in the butter and Crisco. Add water slowly and form a ball. Dump out on a floured board and roll into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Roll out dough and place in pie plate. Blind bake for 45 minutes until cooked. Take out and set aside while you make the lemon filling.

Filling

In a medium saucepan, off heat, whisk together sugar, zest, and egg yolks; whisk in lemon juice and salt. In separate bowl whisk together water and corn starch then whisk into egg & lemon mixture.

Add butter and place pan over medium-high. Cook, whisking constantly, until butter has melted, mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, and small bubbles form around the edge of pan, about 5 minutes (do not boil).

Don’t chill curd. Pour it directly into cooled crust and smooth top. Refrigerate until chilled and set, 3 hours (or up to 1 day).

Preheat oven to 350 degree.

Meringue

In a large bowl, combine egg whites, sugar and salt. Using an electric mixer, beat on medium-high until stiff peaks form. Pile meringue on pie, making sure it touches the crust all around. Bake until meringue begins to brown, 8 to 10 minutes.

I worked with this recipe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cream, Butter, Sugar Pie. You can thank Judit for turning me on to this masterpiece.

INGREDIENTS

Crust

6 tablespoons very cold butter

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons sugar

4 tablespoons  cup very cold Crisco

3-4 tablespoons ice water

Filling

4 tablespoons cornstarch

¾ cup sugar

4 tablespoons butter, melted

2 ¼ cups heavy cream

1 tablespoon vanilla

Topping

4 tablespoons butter, melted

½ cup sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

Crust:

Dice the butter and return it to the refrigerator while you prepare the flour mixture. Place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl and whisk. Add the butter and shortening. Use a pastry cutter to cut in the butter and Crisco. Add water slowly and form a ball. Dump out on a floured board and roll into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Roll out dough and place in pie plate. Blind bake for approximately 10-12 minutes or until partially baked. Set aside.

In a small bowl, mix together the cornstarch and sugar until blended. In a medium saucepan, bring the cornstarch-sugar mixture, melted butter and heavy cream together over medium heat, stirring constantly. The mixture is done when it’s thick and creamy. Stir in the vanilla.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pie crust and smooth out the top. Drizzle on the melted butter and evenly sprinkle on the cinnamon sugar. Bake for approx. 25 minutes, then turn on the broiler and broil for about 1 minute, watching carefully. Remove from oven and allow to come to room temperature before refrigerating for at least one hour to set. Store in fridge.

 

I worked with this recipe.

Add sugar to any vegetable and they taste better. That’s my motto.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup flour

½ cup oats

1 ½ cups whole wheat flour

2 scoops protein powder (use a flavor that will compliment or no flavor)

1 ½ cups sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ cup chopped walnuts

¾ cups melted butter, cooled

3 large eggs + 1 egg white

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup yogurt

1/2  cup shredded carrots

1/2  cup shredded zucchini

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin cups.

Whisk together dry ingredients in a large bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk together cooled melted butter, eggs, milk, and yogurt. Stir in grated carrots and zucchini.

Combine wet and dry ingredients until just mixed. Fill muffin tins ¾ full and bake for about 20 minutes.

Cool on rack.

 

I turned 49 today. So I bake a couple little cakes.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup butter, softened

¼ cup vegetable shortening

1 ½ cups granulated sugar

2 eggs, room temperature

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

Pinch of salt

¼ cup whole milk, room temperature

¼ cup buttermilk, room temperature

1 teaspoons vanilla

Decorations

Fresh Whipped Cream

Fresh Strawberries

 

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350º F. Coat a jelly roll pan with butter and flour.

Cream together butter and shortening until light and fluffy with an electric mixer. Slowly add sugar ½ cup at a time, making sure to fully incorporate each cup before adding another. Add eggs one at a time, making sure to fully incorporate each egg before adding another.

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Pour milks and vanilla into measuring cup and whisk together with a fork. Add to butter and shortening mixture alternately with milk mixture, beginning and ending with dry ingredients.

Gently stir all ingredients until well combined. Stop mixer and scrape down sides and bottom of bowl, making sure to have all ingredients mixed well.

Pour cake into prepared pan and smooth to make even. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove and allow to cool slightly in pan for about 5 minutes, then cool completely on a wire rack.

Once cooled, use circular cutouts to make 6 even circles.

Make whipped cream. Slice strawberries. Take on circle and add strawberries and whipped cream, then add the next circle and continue until there are three layers of cake.

I got the recipe here.