What is better than bread and butter? How about cherry, date, and walnut bread with cinnamon and brown sugar butter?

Bread

3 cups flour

1 ½ tablespoons kosher salt

1 ½ teaspoons yeast

1 cup + 2 tablespoons water

½ cup dried cherries

½ cup dates, chopped

½ cup walnuts, chopped

Butter

1 stick butter softened

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons brown sugar

Mix together flour, salt, and yeast in stand mixer. Add water slowly reserving 2 tablespoons. If dough ball does not form after a few minutes add the water a teaspoon at a time until it forms a bowl that does not stick to the sides. Add dates, cherries, and walnuts and mix until combined.

Place dough in a covered bowl overnight.

In the morning preheat oven to 450 degrees with the pot in the oven so it heats up. Plop dough into pan. Cover and cook for approx. 30 minutes. Remove lid and cook for about 15 minutes more.

Add cinnamon and brown sugar to softened butter and mix.

I started with blueberries, added some lemon but couldn’t stop there. Out came the coconut and then all hell broke loose. A bundt cake was born.

Cake

2 ¾ cups flour

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup butter

1 ¾ cups sugar

4 eggs

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup buttermilk

½ cup yogurt or sour cream

1 ¼ cups blueberries tossed with 1 tablespoon flour

1 cup coconut

Glaze

1 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar

8-10 teaspoons lemon juice

¼ cup tablespoon toasted coconut

 

Heat oven to 350 degrees and butter 12-cup bundt pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients and set aside.

In another bowl, beat butter until smooth. Add sugar and beat for 2 to 3 minutes until fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla and beat until combined. Beat in flour in three additions, alternating with buttermilk and yogurt. Beat for 2 minutes. Fold in blueberries and coconut and spoon into pan.

Bake for 50 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Turn out and cool completely.

Glaze: in a small bowl, mix together confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice until smooth. Drizzle over top of cake and let it roll down the sides.

I had to get up early today to take my son on a class trip so I made this last night. I almost couldn’t stop eating eat. It’s like Cracker Jack for adults. I’ll be making this again tomorrow for the office.

Spicy Caramel Popcorn
Adapted from The Craft of Baking

 

Makes 4 quarts

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)

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.

No one really knows where carrot cake came from. Apparently there was a shortage of sugar during medieval times and carrots were used to sweeten things. Still doesn’t explain carrot cake. Do you care? I don’t. I really like carrot cake, my friend Judit, loves carrot cake. I made this for her.

Carrot Cake

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

3 eggs

2 cups sugar

¾ melted and cooled butter

¾ cup buttermilk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups carrots

8 ounce can of crushed pineapple drained

3 ½ oz flaked coconut

1 cup chopped pecans

Cream Cheese Frosting

¾ softened cup butter

11 oz softened cream cheese

3 cups powdered sugar, sifted

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Figure out which pans you want to use. This will make three 9” round cakes that you can layer. I made it in one big sheet pan. Butter and flour the bottom and sides and line the bottom with parchment paper.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Stir together first 4 ingredients.

Beat eggs and next 4 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Add flour mixture, beating at low speed until blended. Fold in carrot and next 3 ingredients. Pour batter into prepared cakepans.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Different pans will require different bake times.

Remove from pan and cool completely before frosting.

For Frosting beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add powdered sugar and vanilla; beat until smooth.

I worked with this recipe.

When I was growing up I spent a lot of time hanging out in diners–early mornings, late nights, quick stops for a cup of coffee to go. I always drank my coffee, “regular” that meant with milk and sugar. Most of the time I would also order a corn muffin. It took me a long time to figure out how to recreate these and this is damn close.

Ingredients

1 ½ cups of yellow cornmeal + ½ cup to cook

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 ¼ teaspoons fine sea or table salt

1 ¼ cups milk

1 cup sour cream

1 stick unsalted butter melted and cooled

5 tablespoons sugar

2 large eggs

Directions

Heat oven to 425°F

Grease or line a 12-cup standard muffin tin.

Whisk 1 ½ cups cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl.

In a medium saucepan, combine milk and remaining ½ cup cornmeal. Cook cornmeal mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it thickens then transfer to large bowl.

Whisk butter, then sugar, then sour cream into cooked cornmeal until combined let cool for a few minutes and then add eggs making sure they don’t scramble. Whisk until combined.

Fold in flour mixture until thoroughly combined and the batter is very thick. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups; it will mound slightly above the rim.

Bake until tops are golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Rotating muffin tin halfway through baking to ensure even cooking. Let them cool for a few minutes and then serves with butter, of course.

Got the recipe here.

Not sure what to bake, I started to surf for some inspiration.  When I opened Facebook this popped up. You should make them and use them as currency. They are the perfect Peanut Butter Cookies from Smitten Kitchen.

1 3/4 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups smooth peanut butter
Coarse-grained sea salt, to finish + a handful of chocolate chips

Whisk together brown sugar and eggs until smooth. Whisk in the vanilla extract, then the peanut butter until smooth and completely incorporated; you shouldn’t be able to see any ribbons of peanut butter.

Use a small ice cream scoop and scoop onto lined cookie sheets.  Put in freezer for 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Sprinkle the dough balls lightly with coarse-grained sea salt just before baking. Top with one chocolate chip (optional) Bake smaller cookies for 14 to 15 minutes and larger for 18 to 20. When finished, cookies should be golden at edges. They’ll need to set on the sheet for a minute or two before they can be lifted intact to a cooling sheet. Trust me, you should let these cool completely before eating so the different textures (crisp outside, soft inside) can set up.

I used this exact recipe from Smitten Kitchen.

I took a perfectly good chocolate pound cake recipe and turned it into a little kids’s sandwich. Chocolate Peanut Butter and Jelly Cake.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup softened butter

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cup Dutch cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/3 cup jam

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

Butter and lightly flour loaf pan.

Cream the butter until smooth.

Add the sugars and beat until fluffy.

Add the egg and beat well, then the buttermilk and vanilla.

Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt together into your wet ingredients. Stir together with a spoon until well-blended. Do not overmix.

Pour ½ the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Add tablespoon sized bits of peanut butter and jelly then cover with the other half of the batter. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in pan on a rack for about 10 to 15 minutes then turn out and cool completely.

I used this as a base.

It’s like I just said “fuck it” and threw all the ingredients in a bowl and make a cake instead.

Cake

Butter for coating pan

1 cup granulated sugar

Finely grated zest from 1 orange

Finely grated zest from 1 lemon

1/2 cup (120 ml) olive oil

2 tablespoons white wine

1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon fine sea or table salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 or 2 pinches allspice

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup mini-chocolate chips

¼ cup citron

6-8 Marischino Cherries for garnish (optional)

Icing

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon orange juice

2 tablespoon milk

Heat oven to 350°F. Coat a standard (8 1/2-x-4 1/4″) loaf pan with butter.

Place sugar in a large bowl, and add zest. Whisk in olive oil, wine, ricotta and eggs. Sprinkle baking powder, salt, cinnamon and allspice over wet ingredients, then whisk to combine. Gently stir in flour, then chocolate and citron until just combined.

Scrape into prepared loaf. Place cherries in a line across the top of the batter but do not push in. Bake oven for 55 to 65 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake come out clean. Let cool on wire rack in pan for 15 minutes, then invert out onto rack to finish cooling.

For icing, blend together powdered sugar, juice, and milk.

Once cooled, drizzle icing over the top of cake.

I worked with this recipe from Smitten Kitchen.

Butter, syrup, hotcakes.

3/4 cups buttermilk (or add 2 tablespoons of white vinegar to milk and let sit for 10 minutes)

1 cup flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons melted butter

1. Whisk together buttermilk, egg, and melted butter in a bowl.
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in another bowl.  Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and whisk until lumps are gone.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and grease with butter . Pour, flip, butter, add syrup and eat. 

Since I was a little girl these Italian cookies have been my favorites.  These are pretty easy to make, and the taste and texture are a nice departure from your typical  cookies.

1 lb. almond paste

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 egg whites

2 tablespoons honey

1 additional egg white

preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. In food processor, beat almond paste and sugar until crumbly. Beat in 2 egg whites. mix well.
2. Beat together almond & sugar mixture with honey and egg whites until smooth. This will be thick.
3. Whisk remaining egg white in a small bowl. Put pine nuts in another small bowl. Roll in egg whites and coat with pine nuts. Place 2 in. apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Flatten slightly.
4. Bake at 325° for 15-18 minutes or until lightly browned.