Category Archives: Baking

Easy Key Lime Pie with Gingersnap Crust

28 Thursday Mar 2013

Posted by in Baking, Desert, Recipes

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“Easy Key Lime Pie with Gingersnap Crust” 
http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-Key-Lime-Pie-with-Ginger-Snap-Crust/

Ingredients:
Crust
2-1/4 cup mixture of crushed gingersnap cookies and graham crackers
1 stick of unsalted butter (melted)

Filling:
1 (14-oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup Key lime juice
4 egg yolks
2 drops of green food coloring (optional)

Garnish:
1-2 limes (zest or small slice)
whipped cream

This is all the recipe said, LOL. So, I would mix the crushed gingersnaps with the melted butter and press into a pie plate. For the filling you mix all the ingredients until smooth. Refrigerate for several hours. Then garnish with whipped cream and lime slices, if desired.

If anyone is worried about the raw egg yolks, we’ve eaten them in lemon icebox pie that my grandmama use to make with never any problems. Just make sure you use fresh organic eggs.

Easy Pastry Shop Apple Tart

22 Thursday Dec 2011

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Ingredients

  • For the crust:
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • For the cream filling:
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • For the top:
  • 3 apples, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup slivered almonds or chopped walnuts

Notes

If you want to put on a glaze, I’d use apricot jelly, but thin it out with a little water first because you’re working on a bumpy surface with those nuts.

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Make the crust: Cream the butter and sugar. Stir in the vanilla. Finally, mix in the flour to make a smooth dough. Alternately, put the butter, sugar, vanilla, and flour in the food processor and pulse to crumbs. Pour them into your pan and press into place. Press into the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan, giving it about a 1-inch rim. Bake 15 minute, or until lightly golden. Remove the tart shell from the oven.

While the crust bakes, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla for the cream filling until smooth. Make the topping by tossing the apple slices with the cinnamon, sugar, and nuts.

Remove the tart shell from the oven. Spread over the cream mixture. Arrange the apple slices on top, and then scatter over the nuts. Bake until the apples are tender and golden, about 40 minutes.

Swedish Christmas Cookies

22 Thursday Dec 2011

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Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons ground cardamom
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, (2 sticks), at room temperature
  • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
  • Colored sanding sugars or chopped toasted pecans

Directions

Whisk the flour, cardamom, and salt in a bowl.

Put the butter and confectioners’ sugar in a food processor, and process until smooth. Pulse in the egg, vanilla, and lemon zest until combined. Add the flour mixture and process to make a soft buttery dough. Divide dough in half onto 2 (12-inch long) sheets of plastic wrap, using the plastic, shape into rough logs. Refrigerate the dough logs for 30 minutes until just firm enough to shape into uniform logs, 8-inches long by 2-inches in diameter. Refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Scatter either the sanding sugars or toasted nuts on a work surface and roll the logs until completely coated. Cut into 1/4-inch thick cookies and space about 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until golden around the edges, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool cookies on the pan on wire racks. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks

Baked French Toast Casserole with Maple Syrup

22 Thursday Dec 2011

Posted by in Baking, Breakfast, Recipes

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Ingredients

  • 1 loaf French bread (13 to 16 ounces)
  • 8 large eggs
  • 2 cups half-and-half
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • Dash salt
  • Praline Topping, recipe follows
  • Maple syrup

Directions

Slice French bread into 20 slices, 1-inch each. (Use any extra bread for garlic toast or bread crumbs). Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9 by 13-inch flat baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with a rotary beater or whisk until blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread Praline Topping evenly over the bread and bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. Serve with maple syrup.

Praline Topping:

  • 1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well. Makes enough for Baked French Toast Casserole.

Ricotta Orange Pound Cake with Strawberries

22 Thursday Dec 2011

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Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups cake flour
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, room temperature, plus more to grease the baking pan
  • 1 1/2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 orange, zested
  • 2 tablespoons Amaretto
  • Powdered sugar, for dusting
  • 1 pint strawberries, hulled and quartered or 3 oranges, cut into supremes

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan with butter. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine.

Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter, ricotta, and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. With the machine running, add the eggs 1 at a time. Add the vanilla, orange zest, and Amaretto until combined. Add the dry ingredients, a small amount at a time, until just incorporated. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick comes out clean and the cake is beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 45 to 50 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Using a mesh sieve, dust the cooled cake with powdered sugar.

Meanwhile, place the strawberries (or orange supremes) in a small bowl with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Let sit until the juices have pooled around the strawberries.

To serve, slice the cake and serve with a spoonful of strawberries and their juices over the top of the cake.

Malted Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies

22 Thursday Dec 2011

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Ingredients

  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup golden brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 whole eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup (rounded) malted milk powder
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • One 12-ounce bag milk chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cream the butter, then add both sugars and cream until fluffy. Add the eggs and beat slightly, then add the vanilla and beat until combined. Add the malted milk powder and beat until combined.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add to the butter mixture, beating gently until just combined. Add the chocolate chips and stir in gently.

Drop by teaspoonfuls (or use a cookie scoop) on an ungreased baking sheet, leaving plenty of space between the cookies (they spread out quite a bit). Bake for 9 to 11 minutes. The cookies will be very flat and very chewy. Allow to cool slightly before removing from pan with a spatula.

Optional: Allow to cool completely, then use 2 cookies to make an ice cream sandwich. Add sprinkles to the sides of the ice cream, then wrap individually in plastic wrap.

Blackberry Cobbler

22 Thursday Dec 2011

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Ingredients

  • 1/2 stick butter, melted, plus more for greasing pan
  • 1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 cup self-rising flour
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 2 cups fresh (or frozen) blackberries
  • Whipped cream and/or ice cream, for serving

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 3-quart baking dish with butter.

In a medium bowl, whisk 1 cup sugar with the flour and milk. Whisk in the melted butter.
Rinse the blackberries and pat them dry. Pour the batter into the baking dish. Sprinkle the blackberries evenly over the top of the batter. Sprinkle 1/4 cup sugar over the blackberries. Bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 1 hour. When 10 minutes of the cooking time remains, sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar over the top. Top with whipped cream or ice cream . . . or both!

Cinnamon Rolls

22 Thursday Dec 2011

Posted by in Baking, Breakfast, Recipes

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Ingredients

Dough:

  • 1 quart whole milk
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 packages active dry yeast (4 1/2 teaspoons)
  • 9 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
  • 1 heaping teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 scant teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 tablespoon salt

Filling:

  • 2 cups melted butter, plus more as needed
  • 1/4 cup ground cinnamon, for sprinkling
  • 2 cups sugar, plus more as needed

Maple Icing:

  • 2 pounds powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup strongly brewed coffee
  • Dash of salt
  • 1 tablespoon maple flavoring or maple extract

Directions

For the dough: Heat the milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat to just below a boil. Set aside and cool to warm. Sprinkle the yeast on top and let it sit on the milk for 1 minute.

Add 8 cups of the flour. Stir until just combined, and then cover with a clean kitchen towel and set aside in a relatively warm place for 1 hour. After 1 hour, remove the towel and add the baking powder, baking soda, salt and the remaining 1 cup flour. Stir thoroughly to combine. Use the dough right away, or place in a mixing bowl and refrigerate for up to 3 days, punching down the dough if it rises to the top of the bowl. (The dough is easier to work with if it’s been chilled for at least an hour or so beforehand.)

To assemble the rolls, remove half the dough from the pan. On a floured baking surface, roll the dough into a large rectangle, about 30 by 10 inches. The dough should be rolled very thin.

For the filling: Pour 3/4 cup to 1 cup of the melted butter over the surface of the dough. Use your fingers to spread the butter evenly. Generously sprinkle half of the ground cinnamon and 1 cup of the sugar over the butter. Don’t be afraid to drizzle on more butter or more sugar! Gooey is the goal.

Now, beginning at the end farthest from you, roll the rectangle tightly towards you. Use both hands and work slowly, being careful to keep the roll tight. Don’t worry if the filling oozes as you work; that just means the rolls are going to be divine. When you reach the end, pinch the seam together and flip the roll so that the seam is face down. When you’re finished, you’ll wind up with one long buttery, cinnamony, sugary, gooey log.

Slip a cutting board underneath the roll and, with a sharp knife, make 1/2-inch slices. One “log” will produce 20 to 25 rolls. Pour a couple of teaspoons of melted butter into disposable foil cake pans and swirl to coat. Place the sliced rolls in the pans, being careful not to overcrowd. (Each pan will hold 7 to 9 rolls.)

Repeat the rolling/sugar/butter process with the other half of the dough and more pans.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Cover all the pans with a kitchen towel and set aside to rise on the countertop for at least 20 minutes before baking.

Remove the towel and bake until golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Don’t allow the rolls to become overly brown.

While the rolls are baking, make the maple icing: In a large bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, butter, coffee and salt. Splash in the maple flavoring. Whisk until very smooth. Taste and add in more maple, sugar, butter or other ingredients as needed until the icing reaches the desired consistency. The icing should be somewhat thick but still very pourable.

Remove the pans from the oven. Immediately drizzle the icing over the top. Be sure to get it all around the edges and over the top. As they sit, the rolls will absorb some of the icing’s moisture and flavor. They only get better with time… not that they last for more than a few seconds. Make them for a friend today! It’ll seal the relationship for life. I promise.

Pizza Dough

13 Tuesday Dec 2011

Posted by in Baking, Dinner, Dough, Recipes

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INGREDIENTS

  • 4-5 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoon yeast
  • 3/4 cup white wine
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups lukewarm water

  • DIRECTIONS

    Mound the flour on a smooth work surface, and create a well in the middle of the flour. Add the yeast with your hands and add it to the well, along with the white wine, olive oil and a portion of salted lukewarm water. Work the flour slowly, adding the rest of the salted lukewarm water as needed until it turns into a uniform dough.

    Cover the dough and let rest to rise for about 20 to 30 minutes at room temperature.

Pie Crust

12 Monday Dec 2011

Posted by in Baking, Desert, Recipes

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Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup cake flour

  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

  • 1 teaspoon white sugar

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1/8 teaspoon baking powder

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • 5 tablespoons shortening

  • 1 egg yolk

  • 2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar

  • 3 cubes ice

  • 1/2 cup cold water

Directions

1.     Measure butter & shortening onto a plate, put into freezer for about 20 minutes.

2.     Measure cake flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, salt and baking powder into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse for a few seconds to mix.

3.     Take 1/2 of the cold butter and 1/2 of the cold shortening, put into processor with dry ingredients and pulse off and on for about 1 minute. Scrape down twice while doing this.

4.     Take remainder of the cold butter & cold shortening and cut in very briefly with the processor, leaving visible pea-sized chunks. Do not over process at this stage!

5.     In a measuring cup, mix egg yolk and vinegar together, add ice cubes and water. Let this get chilled, about 3 to 4 minutes.

6.     Remove mixed flours and shortening from processor, put into a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle approximately 4 to 5 tablespoons of this egg, water, vinegar mixture, a little at a time, mixing gently with a fork. The key to this is, you do not want a wet dough, and you do not want to overmix.

7.     Place this dough into plastic wrap or plastic bag, chill in refrigerator for a few minutes. (May also be frozen for a few weeks at this stage for future use).

8.     Remove from refrigerator and roll out. This makes absolutely the BEST pie crusts. I have won County Fair competitions with this pie crust. Double for making a 2-crust pie.