city baked

Peanut Candy Bar Caramel Corn

2011-12-31T03:41:00.000-08:00

It was one of those mornings that was really the afternoon when I woke up with a pounding head. As I went to rub my face, as if to wipe away the pain, this inflicted even more pain on my throbbing nose. On the floor beside the bed, two dirty and wet socks were thrown near a pile of last night's clothes. At this point, I reached around for the time. But alas, no phone.

And nope, it wasn't the morning after New Years so there is no logical reasoning except that my cousin had just arrived to town and a certain friend is very encouraging. Turns out, the pounding is because of a dance battle that involved a head stand. The wet socks are from an evening stroll that was so important that shoes were not. And to add insult to injury, my phone was at the taxi office on the other side of town.

When all is wrong, make some caramel corn. It gives a sense of accomplishment and it softens the blow of a hangover and the jokes being thrown around about last night's dance off. Don't worry, they are clearly just jealous of my mad dance skills.. and popcorn.

Peanut Candy Bar Caramel Corn

Adapted from my favourite recipe

3/4 cup butter
2 cups light brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 quarts popped popcorn (3 regular size bags of popped smartpop)

2 cups honey roasted peanuts
3 cups chocolate bars chopped (peanut butter cups and snickers are da-bomb)

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (95 degrees C). Place popcorn and peanuts in two very large bowl.* In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil without stirring 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in soda and vanilla. Pour in a thin stream over popcorn, stirring to coat.** Place in two large shallow baking dishes lined with tin foil and bake in preheated oven, stirring and alternating sheets every 15 minutes, for 1 hour. Remove from oven and immediately toss in the chocolate bar chunks. Let cool completely attacking it with your face.

* I didn't listen to my own advice from my own recipe. Two huge bowls are needed and it will still flop over the edges. Think of it as a bonus snack to eat along the way.
** The popcorn won't be completely coated but as it bakes it will melt and coat as it's tossed. So remember to stir it around in the oven for maximum awesomeness.

Apple Cheddar Scones

2011-12-05T00:32:00.001-08:00

The "at the end of the day thoughts" can be trouble. One part allows you to focus on what really matters like family, love, keepin' it realz in yo life and appreciating everything that comes your way. Then there is the other part that allows you to blow stuff off because "at the end of the day" it does not really matter. But tomorrow comes and the stuff you did not do catches up brings regret alongside.

But then the ability to power through comes. The assignments are finished, showering has worked its magic and it masks the feeling of dying inside and somehow apple cheddar scones have been produced to share that feeling of relief that it is the final freaking tutorial of the semester. Wake me up when Christmas comes until then enjoy the scones. They manage to make everything seem a little better.

Apple Cheddar Scones

Adapted from my favourite scone recipe and the idea was from a Martha pie and the genius Smitten Kitchen

Notes: These are such a killer Autumn/it-is-cold-give-me-something-comforting combo. This scone texture is my favourite. It is never dry and it is the perfect crumb. Oh and get some homemade freezer strawberry jam, toast these babies and spread that sweet love on top.

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tbsp sugar

5 tbsp butter, chilled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

2 medium granny smith apples, peeled and cut into 1/2 to 3/4 inch chunks

1 cup extra old cheddar cheese, 1/2 inch cubed

3/4 cup + 2 tbsp heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 375º. Line a sheet with parchment paper or butter it. Spread out the apple chunks in a single layer. Bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes, just until they are looking dry and a little cooked. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool a bit.

f using a food processor: Pulse together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Sprinkle the butter over the flour mixture. Pulse about ten times until the butter has been distributed to make a grainy sand. Dump this mixture into a bowl. Mix in the apples and cheddar cheese.

If using a old school method: Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Using a pastry cutter or your hands or some knives, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it is a grainy sand with the odd larger pea here or there. Mix in the apples and cheddar cheese.

Now pour the cream over the mixture and mix just until getting combined. Dump out onto a lightly flour surface and knead together. I dump it onto a large sheet of parchment. Then I softly flatten it out a bit then fold it in half and softly flatten it again. Repeat again if there is still lots of dry flour bits. I then form it into a 8 inch circle. Take a knife and cut 8 wedges. Place on a buttered or parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, turning the sheet halfway through. They should be golden and the bottoms should be slightly golden too. Allow to cool on the sheet for about two minutes then transfer to a wire rack.. or just dig in right then and there. Makes 8 scones.

* By the way, that photo is of little baby scones that I made for my class. Every weekend I've been making them into wedges but it always slips my mind to take a photo of them. The little baby scones were about an inch size circle and it took about 8 to 12 minutes to bake. Mini love.

Nutella Coconut Caramel Pecan Bars

2011-12-01T11:34:00.000-08:00

Canada is awesome. The one little problem is Thanksgiving. We get to celebrate way ahead of the States, all the way in early October. This gives us a few months to rest before the Christmas turkey rolls in.

But the issue is the internet. Before food blogs came into my life, American Thanksgiving slipped by without me even knowing. Now the minute November strikes, I know something bad this way comes. Every food website becomes a turkey/potato/pie palooza.

Americans, this is my plea. Please stop making every-dang-thing you bake and cook look amazing. The drool has ruined my keyboard. Since there is nothing I can do about this, the only option is to give in and bake. And bake I did. This little number is like a pecan pie but one that likes to party with nutella and coconut on a shortbread dance floor.

Nutella Coconut Caramel Pecan Bars

Adapted from my favourite shortbread and beloved Buns in the oven

crust

2/3 cups flour

1/3 cup cornstarch

1/3 cup icing sugar

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

filling

1 egg

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup salted caramel or caramel sauce

2/3 cups sweetened flaked coconut

2/3 cups pecans toasted, some left whole and some halved

3/4 cup nutella

Preheat the oven to 300º. In a bowl, sift together the flour, cornstarch, icing sugar and salt. Set aside. In a larger bowl, beat the butter. Dump in half the flour mix and stir until almost combined. Add the rest of the flour mix and stir until just combined. Press the dough into a ungreased 8 x 8 inch pan*. Bake for 20 minutes, until it starting to look dry on the top but not golden or coloured. Meanwhile this is cooking, beat together the egg, brown sugar and caramel sauce. Fold in the coconut and pecans. Spread the nutella over the hot crust. I let it sit on the crust so it would loosen then I spread it around. Pour the pecan mixture over top of the nutella. Return the pan to the oven for about 20 to 25 minutes, until the pecan mixture looks set. Remove from the oven. Immediately run a knife around the edges. Allow to cool completely then slice into squares and enjoy! Makes 12-16 squares.

* My pan is boss. It is has a removable bottom. This is a life saver. Instead of having to panic about lifting things out of it or trying to get them from sticking, all I gotz to do it pop it out. If you do not possess this, perhaps line the pan with parchment paper to make your life a little easier. Or be a rebel, and do not do a thing.

Peanut Butter Bacon Chipped Cookies

2011-11-22T17:13:00.000-08:00

I am always hooting and hollering about my Mum, so here is my Dad. My Paps is the kind of guy that strikes fear into young children's hearts. Let me rephrase, he is the type of man who intentionally strikes fear into young children's heart. He was that dad who would threaten to split kids up at a sleepover if they didn't stop shooting the flying ballerina across the room. The kind of dad that waited in the living room to slowly lower the newspaper like the Godfather and nod at my friends with the look that said 'you best be well-behaved.'

But it turns out that while he was 'that dad' to other people, he's the perfect Paps for me. He is the calm before the angry storm that my crazy brothers and mother brews, his love for burnt cookies makes my screw-ups feel like total wins, he has the driest humour known to mankind that causes me to snort publicly, he is now a crazy cat man and he is the reason why I love peanut butter and bacon sandwiches.

My Paps' cooking skillage stretches from raisin bran, toast and jam, pickle or peanut butter and bacon sandwiches. If my Mum ever was out working one of those was our dinner and I love every single one of those dinners. But it turns out I was flying solo for a long time on the peanut butter bacon front until I started reading blogs when it was everywhere. Right then and there food blogs and I became one. Give this combo, like peace, a chance.

Peanut Butter Bacon Chipped Cookies
Adapted from my all time favourite peanut butter cookie recipe

1 1/4 cup flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup butter
1 cup chunky peanut butter
3/4 cup sugar + extra for coating the dough
1/2 brown sugar, firmly packed
1 egg
1 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup bacon, cooked and diced
1/3 cup toffee chips

Preheat the oven to 350º. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, soda, powder and salt. Set aside. In a larger bowl, beat together the butter and peanut butter. Beat in the sugars until it is nice and smooth and fluffy. Beat in the egg, milk and vanilla. Dump in the flour mixture and mix until it is combined. Stir in the peanut butter chips, bacon and toffee chips. Scoop heaping tablespoons and roll them into balls. Place a couple tablespoons of sugar in a bowl. Roll the balls of dough in sugar. Place on a baking sheet that has been buttered or lined with parchment. Slightly flatten them with a spatula. Bake for 12 minutes, alternating halfway through. They will look underdone but they are not! They will be golden on the edges and a little bit on top. Pull them out and let them sit on the sheets for a few minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire rack. Makes 24 cookies.

Maple Bacon Scones

2011-11-08T21:59:00.000-08:00

I'm thee most vague person to walk the planet. It's a pretty bold claim but it's legit. My friends believe I lead a secret life and not like the strange TV show. No werewolves here. But when I used to do gymnastics for roughly ten years of my life, no big, it was a secret. "Of course it is true, those bruises all over my body are from when I fell off the couch the other day. Why don't you believe me?" As I'm writing this I see why everyone thinks it's nuts.

The Bakers Market down on Prince Albert Street* in Vancouver is my new secret life. (Who is precise now?) It involves me baking up a storm for a few days, packaging like a freaking elf and then trying to look normal so people will actually look at my stall. This market is basically loaded with people who have shops, who rock a business or just straight love to bake like myself. Some people bake gluten-free goods, some make fresh bread, some make pies (ayo!), one lady makes lychee marshmallows that are amazing and it is all making me expand like a balloon. But I sort of love it.

It's an excuse for me to bake all of my favourite things, not raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, and put my piles of cake plates to use. Double bonus. My list of goods is cookies, some bars and scones. Including these bad boys. Every week I've changed the formula until when this photo was taken because they were perfect. Turns out everyone loves bacon because these are a hit. One fella comes in every week and buys four. Probably my new favourite person.

Maple Bacon Scones

Rough rough roughly adapted from my favourite recipe a la America's Test Kitchen

scones

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 cup butter, chilled

1/2 pound of bacon (half a package), cooked and diced

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup maple syrup

wash

1 1/2 tbsp heavy cream

1 tbsp maple syrup

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400º. This method is the old school method that I use but the food processor instructions are below. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut the chilled butter into smaller pieces and toss it into the flour mixture. Using a pastry cutter, some knives or your fingers, blend the butter in until it looks sort of sandy with a few pea sized ones here and there. Toss in the bacon and mix it in. Pour the heavy cream and the maple syrup in. Using a spatula, mix this in just until a dough forms about 30 seconds. Then transfer the dough and all the floury bits to a lightly floured surface or a counter with a big piece of parchment. Knead this until it forms a nice old dough, just about 10 seconds. Pat the dough until it is about 1 inch thick and using a 2 inch cookie cutter, cut out little scones. Grab the scraps, and repeat. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Mix together the wash and brush it over the scones. Bake those puppies for about 12-14 minutes, alternating the sheets halfway through. Makes about 10 scones.

Food processor method: Place the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a food processor. Pulse together about 6 times. If using food processor, remove cover and distribute butter evenly over dry ingredients. Cover and pulse 12 times, each pulse lasting 1 second. Add the bacon and pulse once. Dump this mixture into a large bowl. Proceed as you would with the other directions.

Make Ahead: You can shape these and put them on a baking sheet and pop them in the freezer for about an hour. Then throw them in a freezer bag and freeze them for up to a month. Just pull them out and bake as directed, maybe a couple minutes longer.

* Coincidence? I think not.

Pumpkin Swirl Brownies

2011-10-25T14:52:00.000-07:00

I hope these don't seem weird to you but if they do, may I something stranger to make these sound good? For Halloween one year, I dressed up as a cat ballerina. Not a cat or a ballerina, but a cat ballerina.* Talk about compromise at its finest! Compromise can be a beautiful thing. Instead of having to choose between two (awesome) options, you get to have both. Like cats and ballerinas or pumpkin and chocolate.

This pumpkin and chocolate brownie idea has been floating around for a while but there were mixed reviews for every recipe that came my way. One said that it was too gummy and the flavours did not work, the other said that the pumpkin was too watery and the brownie was too dry. Compromise time. Take my favourite brownie and jack up the pumpkin swirl and voila, we have the perfect mix.

Pumpkin Swirl Brownies

Idea from Martha, brownie recipe from here, filling adapted from Betty Crocker

brownies

1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa
2 tsp instant coffee

1/2 cup + 2 tbsp boiling water
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, very finely chopped
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, browned!
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp canola oil
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 tbsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

filling

3 oz cream cheese, room temperature

3 tbsp brown sugar, packed

1/8 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp cinnamon

a couple big pinches of allspice

1 egg yolk

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 350º. Butter (or non-stick spray) a 9" x 13" baking pan then line with foil with an overhang so the brownies can be lifted from the pan. Butter or cover with non-stick spray.

filling Beat the cream cheese, sugar, salt and spices together until combined. Beat in the egg yolk. Mix in the pumpkin until fully combined, set aside.

brownies Whisk cocoa, instant coffee and boiling water together in a large bowl until smooth. Add the unsweetened chocolate and whisk until chocolate is melted. Whisk in butter and oil. (The mix will look curdled and weird, it's hokay.) Add eggs, yolks and vanilla and continue to whisk until smooth and combined. Whisk in sugar until fully incorporated. Add flour and salt and mix in with a rubber spatula until combined. Fold in chocolate. Spread about half of the batter into prepared pan. Grab the filling and drop big spoonfuls over the brownie batter. Pour the rest of the brownie batter on top. Run a knife through the batter a few times to marbleize it. Bake until toothpick inserted halfway between the edge and center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer pan to wire rack and cool 1 1/2 hours. Using foil overhang, life brownies from pan. Return to wire rack and let cool completely, about an hour. Cut and serve. Makes 18 brownies.

* At least when my future children want to be avocado bats and easter reindeer I will know what is up.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Rice Krispie Squares

2011-10-22T00:37:00.000-07:00

"Hello? Is it me you're looking for?" That's me, Lionel Richie beeteedubz, saying sorry. I brought squares to make it up to you! But let me tell you a little story about how these bars came to be. It all started back when this shining ray of light was brought to banana bread for the first time back in the late twentieth century. I'm totally not being dramatic at all.

Banana bread has always been my favourite thing to eat. I can down a loaf and the remaining batter, that was purposely left in the bowl, in less than twenty four hours. It's been done and it is never pretty. It involves a lot of rolling on the ground, staring at a treadmill and then falling asleep. Regardless, we always find our way back to each other. But I'm still always searching for new ways to bake bananas.

In my long list of banana recipes to bake, there was this. It contains everything that is right in the world: chocolate, peanut butter and bananas. It's like a rice krispie square on 'roids. In the best possible way.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Rice Krispie Squares
From Bakers Royale (check this site out, it will blow your mind.. and stomach)

rice krispie square
6 cups Rice Krispies
5 cups marshmallows
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 banana (2.5 oz, approximately ½ of 1 large size one)
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

topping
1 ½ cup mini marshmallows
1 tablespoon butter
½ banana (2.5 oz, approximately ½ of 1 large size one)
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons semi-sweet chocolate chips

To make the squares: Place marshmallows, butter, banana, peanut butter and chocolate chips in a non-stick pan and melt over low heat. Stir to combine. Quickly add marshmallows and Rice Krispies and stir to combine. Press mixture into an 11 x 13 pan. Set aside.
To make topping: Place marshmallows, butter, banana and peanut butter in a non-stick pan and melt over low heat. Stir to combine. Pour topping over Rice Krispie mixture. Melt chocolate and pour small dots of it throughout the topping. (Or be a dork like me and mix the chocolate into the topping.) Using a knife gently pull it through the chocolate dots to create a swirl pattern. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours fo the topping to set. Makes 24 bars.

(Vegan) Mocha Coconut Banana Bread

2011-09-24T00:00:00.000-07:00

There's something wrong with brains. They convince you that you must have your nails done perfectly everyday otherwise you don't feel right. They make you believe it's the school library's computer's fault that you didn't plug your headphones in properly and everyone was staring at you as you continued to turn up the volume for the Arcade Fire soundtrack whilst remaining completely oblivious. They make you believe that a loaf of banana bread is healthy because it has bananas. All of this seems logical according to brains.

remember this phota?

While this is mostly false in reality, banana bread is still glorious. It is probably to the thing that is whipped out of my kitchen the most. I intentionally buy loads of bananas knowing that they will never be eaten in time thus become brown and nasty. Banana bread likes them that way.

(Vegan) Mocha Coconut Banana Bread
Adapted from Joy the Baker

1 cup mashed very very ripe bananas, about 3 bananas
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tbsp instant coffee dissolved into 1 tbsp of hot water

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2/3 cup sweetened shredded coconut

2/3 cup milk chocolate chips (or a vegan alternative to make the bread, well, vegan)

1-2 tbsp cinnamon sugar (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease and flour a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the bananas, oil, coffee and sugar briskly to combine. Sift the flours, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl. Dump the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Use a wooden spoon to mix until the wet and dry ingredients are just combined. Fold in the coconut and chocolate. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar if you’d like. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes. The top should be lightly browned and a knife inserted through the center should come out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes before transferring out of a pan and onto a wire rack to cool completely. Slice and lather it in caramel sauce and enjoy!

Maple Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-09-21T01:10:00.000-07:00

I like "this time I'm not leaving without you" being stuck in my head all day. I like when it's my turn to leave the wait room so the lady demanding texts "fo' fray" from her cell phone company is shut up. I like free apple juice from nice ladies, in a non-creepy way. I like changing life plans. I like Jeff Bridges. I like cookies.

My awesome Mum got us tickets to see Jeff, first name basis baby, and we manage to fight our way to the front. We really just walked up and sat down but the fight makes it seem as if my love knows no boundaries. It doesn't. Age is but a number and love is blind but in this case it needn't be blind as he is smokin'.

These cookies may not be smokin' but they are everything (everything related to cookies - not men) that I like: maple, pecan, chocolate, very chewy, little bit of crisp exterior, brown sugar but no Jeff. He is awesome but not in a cookie. That's weird. These aren't, so go eat up some cookies and change some plans. That's all.

Maple Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adapted from Everybody Loves Sandwiches

1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 large egg
1 tsp maple extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp kosher salt
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
3/4 cup toasted and roughly chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350º. In a large bowl, combine the butter, brown sugar, extract and maple syrup together. Add in the egg and combine until fluffy. Dump in the flour, baking soda and salt and stir until just blended before adding the chocolate chips and pecans and stirring again. Drop by tablespoon 2 inches apart onto a parchment or silpat covered cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges are just golden. Transfer to wire rack to cool. Makes 24 cookies.

I'm Back in the USSR

2011-09-15T16:32:00.000-07:00

How freaking awesome is this? When I was fourteen I was a Beatles fan. I also was into wearing a different colour of eye shadow everyday of the week with sparkly earrings to make my uniform 'kool' but nobody wants to think about that. Ever. The Beatles (and Coldplay. Swallowed by the Sea people, go have a good smile cry.) were another 'kool' thing. Especially because a certain 'boi' liked them too and liking them together was 'totally awesome. lol."

Now if only my fourteen year old self could get off MSN chat and see that they will get past the phase of liking low cut jeans and move on to wear clothes and make up that is bearable. But they should know that the Beatles are always going to be wicked. Oh and Mum was right, that was too much eyeliner.

Chocolate Malt Sandwich Cookies

2011-09-13T18:52:00.000-07:00

The first week of school has already got me panicking. What does one do when they are panicked? I resorted to baking cookies (lots of cookies), read the Great Gatsby (at least I read something) and organized all my magazines. Turns out that procrastination of school got me to stop procrastinating on cleaning my room. Yay for avoiding!

Sorry for the crap photo. My brother went to Vegas and took the camera with him. Son of a gun. Blackberries do not take the best photos. How could they, they're fruit! Sorry that was not funny.. heh heh. The cookies, on the other hand, are delicious. My Mum loved them but that's because she said her generation was all hopped up on Ovaltine. Whatever floats your boat.

Chocolate Malt Sandwich Cookies
From Martha Stewart Cookies aka my fav cookie book

cookies
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/4 cup plain malted milk powder like Ovaltine
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons hot water
filling
10 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup plain malted milk powder
3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons half-and-half
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make cookies: Sift together flour, cocoa powder, malted milk powder, baking soda, and salt. With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Mix in egg, vanilla, creme fraiche, and hot water. Reduce speed to low; mix in flour mixture. Space tablespoon-size balls of dough 3 1/2 inches apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake until flat and just firm, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool on parchment on wire racks.

Making filling: Melt chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring. Let cool. With an electric mixer, beat malted milk powder and cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. Gradually mix in half-and-half, chocolate mixture, and vanilla. Refrigerate, covered, until thick, about 30 minutes. Mix on high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Assemble cookies: Spread a heaping tablespoon filling on the bottom of one cookie. Sandwich with another cookie. Repeat. Makes 1 1/2 dozen sandwiches

Hot Fudge, Peanut Butter and Caramel Bars

2011-09-10T18:25:00.000-07:00

How to turn twenty: 1. Lie around all day, doing nothing, in various locations around your home like your bed, deck, kitchen floor, etc. 2. Bake something from one of your many cookbooks because that's why you bought them and it is getting pretty ridiculous that half your room is covered with them. But this is just a theory. 3. Try White Russians on for size, Big Lebowski style. Get a little too loopy, Big Lebowski style. Wear your Big Lebowski shirt that your awesome big brother got you, Big Lebowski style.

Finally step 4. Pay the consequences for taking step three too seriously but reap the benefits of accomplishing step two. How I will miss these four steps as university starts today and drinking White Russians in class is frowned upon. Maybe if they are disguised as iced lattés, it could work. Only joking! ..unless you agree in which case I'm totally serious. Kidding (?)

These would be amazing if they were dipped in a White Russian. Last drink reference, promise. These bars are pretty glorious themselves. They have all of the key ingredients of a Peanut Buster Parfaits from DQ minus the ice cream. If you throw a scoop of ice-cream on top, you got yourself a deal. One key thing here, which isn't necessary but actually is, is the caramel. This caramel. It truly makes everything and anything better. It would even be good in a White Russian (don't fight it.)

Hot Fudge, Peanut Butter and Caramel Bars
Adapted from beloved Buns In My Oven and Martha Stewart's fudge sauce

base
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
hot fudge sauce*
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 tbsp corn syrup
3 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
rest of the top
1/2 cup peanut butter (chunky it up)
1/2 cup caramel sauce*
1 cup dark brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 (I did two 8 x 8 inch pans) baking dish with parchment. In the bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add 1 whole egg and the yolks of 2 eggs. Set aside the egg whites for the topping. In a small bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to the butter mixture and beat until fully incorporated. Spread the batter in the prepared baking dish. It will be thick, so just use your fingers to smoosh it all around the pan.

Combine heavy cream and corn syrup in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook until bubbles barely break the surface. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and whisk until melted. Measure out 1/2 cup of the hot fudge sauce (there will be extra) and place it in a separate bowl. Add the peanut butter and mix until fully combined and is a pourable consistency.

Pour over the batter in the baking dish and spread to cover. Pour the caramel over as well. Beat the 2 egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold in the brown sugar gently. Spread this over the hot fudge and peanut butter. Bake for 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the bottom crust is cooked through, but not crunchy. Cool and then cut into bars and serve. Makes about 32 squares.

* You can totes use store bought fudge sauce but why do that? And homemade caramel sauce is the bomb too. Do it up.

Sea Salt Vanilla Bean Caramel

2011-09-01T17:57:00.000-07:00

My past few days have consisted of me baking cookies and cooking up caramel, watching Big Bang Theory for hours on end, dipping cookies in caramel, trying to knock some movies of my must list like American Psycho, No Country for Old Men and Requiem for a Dream which is a lot of depressing for one day; making banana bread to smoother caramel all over, showing up for a waxing appointment that left third degree burns and coming home to eat more caramel whilst I sat in pain from my forming scars.

Caramel is my savior. It's that time of the month where I feel like lying around doing nothing and imagining devious ways to attack people from trees who have disturbed me. They may lock me up real soon but in the meantime, let's have some sweet and salty caramel!

Sea Salt Vanilla Bean Caramel

From Baked Bree

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup water
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 vanilla bean, sliced and seeded
1 teaspoon sea salt

Slice a vanilla bean in half. Using the back of the knife, scrape the seeds from the pod. Pour the cream into a measuring cup and add the vanilla bean scrapings, and sea salt. Set aside. Put the sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring the sugar to a boil. Let the sugar cook (do not stir using a spoon, at most, you may swirl the pan to avoid hot spots) until it reaches a deep amber color. Whisk in the cream mixture. It will bubble and go nuts, but keep whisking. It will come together. Pour into a jar and keep in the fridge. The sauce will thicken, but it is more of a loose sauce. This will keep for about a week in the fridge.

Lemon Raspberry Sandwich Cookies

2011-08-17T22:04:00.000-07:00

Have I ever mentioned that Izzie and Denny complete me? That Meredith is my on screen double? How about that when Addison left it broke my heart like how Mark's abs make me melt? Grey's Anatomy, people. This yunk is good minus that horrible third/four season slump. All is forgiven. I'm nearly finished the seventh season and considering I started during our trip, that is damn impressive. Pathetic yet impressive.

But it is almost unbearably depressing at times. I once was sobbing for a solid hour and a bit over Denny. Post breakdown, I called Bo to tell her what happened. She had already seen it but made me tell her what had happened causing the hysterics to fire up again. That son of a gun.

So if you happen to be as down and out due to fictional problems that you live vicariously through, make some bright and shiny cookies. Talk about a way to soak up your sorrows and fill up your bellay. The tart lemon smell is refreshing and the raspberries add a neon, discotheque mood minus the strobe lights. It's uplifting, promise.

Lemon Raspberry Sandwich Cookies
Roughly adapted from here

cookies
1/2 cup butter, melted and slightly cooled
2 3/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp kosher salt
2 cups sugar
2 tbsp lemon zest
2/3 cup whole milk
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
filling
3/4 cup cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup raspberry jam

cookies Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter (still warmish) with the sugar and lemon zest until fragrant. Whisk in the milk and lemon juice until smooth. Gradually stir in the flour mixture until no streaks of flour remain. The dough will be pretty soft so refrigerate for about an hour. Make the filling (below) in the meantime. Or don't if you roll like that. Preheat the oven to 350º. Drop dough in 1/2 tsp balls* onto prepared baking sheet, leaving about one and a half inches between cookies to allow for them to spread. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until cookies are set around the edges. Cool for 2-3 minutes on a baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack with a spatula to cool completely.

filling In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Beat in the raspberry jam. Cover and cool in the fridge until ready to use.

Place about 1 tablespoon of the filling on one of the cookies and sandwich with another. Makes about 24 small sandwich cookies.

* I had used a larger sandwich scoop, as seen in the photos above, but I highly recommend a small scoop. The cookies will spread and they are much easier to eat when the sandwiches are smaller. It is also easier to eat smaller sandwiches thinking it's healthy. Obvz.

Peach and Lime Cream Crumb Bars

2011-08-14T13:26:00.000-07:00

Hey good lookin'. No I'm talking to you, not the crumbly bars. Yeah this sounds creepy. Yeah, it's been a while.. but I come bearing goods! Fine, they were made out of default because a certain someone (Bacon) purchased four limes for four beers not realizing that each beer doesn't need a whole lime. Oh and hotels do not provide knives.

It seemed pretty inappropriate for me to make myself a drink filled with fresh limes and sweet vodka on a Tuesday morning. Sitting there defeated, it hit me and I hit the butter. One of my favourite summer recipes came from my friend's Mum, a friend of a friend one could say, who took it from Fine Cooking. A few switch ups later, these were born.

Give into summer and let your house smell of juicy peaches.

Peach and Lime Cream Crumb Bars
Adapted from Fine Cooking

8 oz. (1 cup) salted butter, softened; more for the pan
13-1/2 oz. (3 cups) all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick oats)
1-1/3 cups packed light brown sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 large egg, separated
14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
2 tsp. grated lime zest
3 cups room-temperature peaches, sliced into 1/4 inch wedges then sliced into 1/4 inch pieces, pat some of the juice away

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9x13-inch metal baking pan with foil, leaving a 1-inch overhang on the ends. Lightly butter the bottom and sides of the foil. In a large bowl, combine the flour, oats, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Using your fingers, blend the butter completely into the flour mixture. Transfer 2 cups of crumb mixture to another bowl and reserve for the topping. Blend the egg white into the remaining crumbs and then press the mixture into the bottom of the pan to form a level crust. You can tamp it with the bottom of a measuring cup to even it out. Bake the crust until it starts to form a dry top, 10 to 12 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk the condensed milk, lime juice, lime zest, and egg yolk. Let this mixture stand for 5 minutes; it will begin to thicken. Sprinkle the peaches evenly over the hot crust and then drop spoonfuls of the lemon mixture over the blueberries. Spread gently with a spatula to distribute a little more evenly, but take care not to crush the berries; it’s fine if the lemon mixture isn’t perfectly even. Bake until the lemon mixture just begins to form a shiny skin, 7 to 8 minutes. Sprinkle the reserved topping over the lemon-blueberry layer, pressing the streusel between your fingers into small lumps as you sprinkle. Bake until the filling is bubbling at the edges and the topping is brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Let the bars cool in the pan on a rack until just warm, about an hour. Carefully lift them out of the pan using the foil overhang and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Remove the foil and cut into 24 bars when cool. The bars may be stored at room temperature for a few hours but otherwise should be kept in the refrigerator. Makes 24 bars.

Chocolate Banana Bread

2011-07-26T00:00:00.000-07:00

Chocolate banana bread has been on my mind. Not because it is currently being ingested right now but because it has been driving me crazy. This was the first recipe I tried and it is so simple. Cake mix, bananas, milk and some cinnamon if you want. And it was ridic yet it was shameful that it wasn't completely from scratch.

First there was a poor attempt at a recipe made on a whim. It was too fudgy and it couldn't complete cook through no matter how hard I tried. Next up, I went for the infamous coco-nana bread by one Dorie Greenspan. This was way better but still not as good as the first. I then broke down into a weeping heap on the kitchen floor.

That was a lie. The sensible being that I am excepted that cake mix is awesome and this bread is my best banana friend. And that is tough competish.

Chocolate Banana Bread

1 Devil's Food Cake Mix
1 1/4 cup very ripe banana, mashed
1/4 cup milk (skim or whole works)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 cup milk chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350º. Butter a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. Mix together all the ingredients until just combined. A few bumps are alright, they will work themselves out. Pour batter into prepared pan. Cover with tin foil. Bake for 40 minutes and remove the foil. Continue baking for another 30 to 40 until a toothpick inserted comes out with a bit of batter. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Move to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 12 slices.

* This bread is amazing when it is sliced with a serrated knife, each piece wrapped in plastic wrap, thrown in a freezer bag and allow it to freeze. They don't freeze completely because the bread is so fudgy. It tastes great frozen or reheated in the toaster. Enjoy!

Libraries

2011-07-23T00:00:00.000-07:00

It's hard to explain how I feel. This is a problem for me in general but in particular right now. There is something that left and it will be coming back but not for a while. It's feels like a piece of me left with it. Sort of like being short of breath. This sounds crazy even as I write it but oh it's true. But enough of that pish posh. Let's look at these beauties.

I have always wanted a huge library. I don't care if I have to cook, bathe and sleep in there as long as I have it. This craze started when from Beauty and the Beast. If you haven't seen the movie, Beast has thee most awesome library in his castle which furthers Belle's admiration for him due to her love of books. Find me a beast.

I can't remember where these photos came from but I want to live in each and every one. Maybe my future home can just be filled with libraries. Libraries with ovens, libraries with showers and perhaps a library with a bed. Can you say awesome?

Snickerdoodles

2011-07-22T00:00:00.000-07:00

I am currently in Cranbrook. Things are getting nuts no doubt. These cookies are perfect for my situation right now. The first time I heard about these beauties was at the mall in Columbia Falls, Montana. My good ol' cousins informed me that we were out of the loop for never having had a snickerdoodles. It was straight shameful that we hadn't even heard of them.

Those puppies were delicious, they weren't hyping it up. My Mum started making them and then I followed the trend. After trying a few recipes, these are my favourite. But I still want to try the shortening way and see if it makes a big difference. In time amigos.

Snickerdoodles
Adapted from Martha

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
16 tablespoons (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 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat the oven to 400°, with one rack in top third and one rack in bottom third of oven. Line baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper; set aside. 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. You can chill the dough if it is to soft to roll into balls. In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar and the ground cinnamon. Use a 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. Transfer the sheets to a wire rack to cool about five minutes before transferring the cookies to the rack. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Painis Pasta

2011-07-21T01:12:00.000-07:00

Italy was a trek. We started this journey in Venice. Venice nearly burned to the ground (not Nickelback style) within the first hour we arrived. Turns out that map websites are not applicable to Venice because we ended up with directions to a street across town with our hotel nowhere to be seen. This anger was heightened by the fact that I was wearing pants in the sun and a hugh jazz backpack.

While I loved Venice for the beautiful buildings, the surrounding water and all other Tourist scenery (yeah I watched it), it will forever be the birth place of the Bambino. The Bambino, below, is a balloon type material filled with what we assume was illegal drugs/cornstarch with hair and eyes glued on. And we happen to be the stupid tourists who eat this crap for breakfast. It was originally named after Bo but since I would do a seventy year old, French-Canadian smoker accent to go with it it became the Bambino (bam-bane-oh). This little fella was quite the animal, as you will see from his smoking habits.

That crazy cougar. He, however, died an unfortunate death in Rome. One evening he stretched himself to far and hit the dust. That was a pun. When we tried to take this photo in Vernazza, the ladies across the street were laughing and taking photos of us puffing cigarettes and putting them on what probably looked like a hairy tennis ball.

This little town by the coast was packed with cats or "bros." This cat is such a bro. He was straight sleeping in the middle of the main square and refused to move for anyone. Anytime a cat came out, I would exclaim "brooooooooz!" It still surprises me that we were never removed for disorderly conduct.

Va-va-vaticano! The entire time we were in the va-va-vaticano I would proceed to thrust and fist pump while singing "va-va-Vaticano!" One, that song reminds me of last summer and two, they played it at every bar we went to over there. It appears that vodka shots are a foreign concept over there. The little man at the bar covered his eyes when we did them. Way to stand out in a crowd.

All in all, Italy was pretty excellent. We were for serious stuffed with pizza and pasta. Stereotypical but so true. I really recommend staying by the Pantalon (Pantheon). It's a nice area that is pretty dang close to everything too.

Have you ever been to Italy?

S'more Rice Krispie Squares

2011-07-16T00:00:00.000-07:00

You know quite a bit about me. After all, this blog is a written outlet of my life and the things that get baked up along the way. But what about you? If you are anything like me, you scour the internet for new recipes from your favourite blogs. You love baking at any hour of the day. You jump from blog to blog reading and watching until you force yourself to do something slightly more productive but think "screw that." But these are just assumptions.

Tell me about you. Let's start with something easy. Do you have a movie that you know like the back of your hand?

S'more Rice Krispie Squares

These are so easy and the perfect way to hit up some s'mores.. all day.

3 cups large marshmallows

1 heaping tablespoon butter

2 tsp vanilla

3 cups rice krispies

1 cup graham crackers, broken into coarse pieces

1 cup milk chocolate chips

Butter a 8 x 8 inch square pan. In a large, microwave-safe bowl, place the marshmallows, butter and vanilla in the microwave until the marshmallows begin to soften, about a minute. Mix with a spatula and microwave for another minute until the marshmallows are fully melted. Add the rice krispies until just mixed together. Add the graham cracker chunks and chocolate chips to combine. Press the mixture into the prepared pan. Allow to cool and devour. Makes 16 smaller squares.

P.S. My brother thinks these are ridiculous.

White Wine

2011-07-15T00:00:00.000-07:00

When we went to Munich, I stayed with the family friends I had stayed with last time I was in Germany. I was fourteen when I had last stayed with them. They thought I was malnourished and thought I wasn't eating enough. This is false. It may have to do with the fact that they weren't there for breakfast. My breakfast there was 4 fresh rolls smothered in nutella. To this day, those are the best rolls I have ever had. This time they also gave me a lot of white wine. I hope they couldn't tell but I was schwasted. They are much taller and mature than me so maybe they don't get drunk on two glasses of wine but oh I do. And it didn't stop at two glasses, it was like there was a waterfall into my glass. My memory is lacking but hopefully I kept it together.

Michael Jackson Tribute?

This time around Munich was a little different. I could actually drink at the beer gardens I went to (but chose not to because beer is gross) and that's about the only difference. That was embarrassing because we were on a walking tour and I was the only one not drinking. On this walking tour they showed us this tribute. What the helena, right? The people of Munich keep putting up memorabilia of MJ despite the continuous efforts of the police who try to clean it up. That is down right Billy Jean style awesome. They won't Beat It. I guess it doesn't matter if you are Black or White to love MJ. Alright I will stop now.. but Don't Stop Till You Get Enough.

Königssee

Dieter took me on a few trips around Bavaria. Since I have always loved castles, they had taken me to every castle last time I visited. Neuschwanstein is, to this day, one of the coolest experiences for me. That was my dream and the fourteen year old in me still swoons at the image of that place. Anyways, so we went to the mountains and lakes this time. But Kônigssee was the prettiest sight of that trip. Check it! Oh and they sold fresh buttermilk there as a treat. Is that normal? Got to love the crazy Germans.

(Vegan) Caramel Rocky Road Bars

2011-07-14T00:00:00.000-07:00

I am immobile. For the first time in two years I attempted the Grouse Grind. Along the way I told my brother he had four options. 1. I turn around, 2. I go in to cardiac arrest, 3. He pushes me off a cliff to end my misery or 4. I trek out into the forest to find a bear to maul me and I put myself out of misery. Did I mention that I hate hiking?

By the end though it was as if my body was so numb with pain and rain that I felt like Rambo coming out of that forest. I told my brother he should have carried me around the corner with blood on his cheeks and a bandanna on his head to impress our Paps. He did not think this was a brilliant idea. Stupid logic always ruins great ideas. These bars were a great idea to devour post-hike-that-nearly-murdered-me. This photo looks like a chocolate caramel burial ground. And I mean that in the best possible way. These bars are so chewy and get way better two to three days later. But I unfortunately only had one square left that was hidden after three days so good luck with that.

(Vegan) Caramel Rocky Road Bars

Adapted from Alice Medrich

1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar

1/4 cup + 2 tbsp natural cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1 cup cold water

1/4 cup vegetable/canola oil

1 tbsp distilled vinegar

2 tsp vanilla

6 ounces (dairy-free to be vegan) milk chocolate chips

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

1/2 cup (vegan) quartered chewy caramels

15 marshmallows, quartered

Preheat oven to 350º. Line a 9 x 9 pan with foil and butter and flour it. Whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, soda and salt in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl combine the water, oil, vinegar and vanilla. Pour the liquid mix over the flour mix. Mix with a spatula until just smooth. Fold in half the chocolate, half the pecans and all the caramels. Scrape the batter into the pan evenly. Distribute the marshmallows over the top with the cut sides up. Press slightly into the bars. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate and nuts over top. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the batter no longer jiggles when nudged. Cool on a rack. Lift the edges of the foil to transfer to a cutting board. Slide a metal spatula underneath the bars to remove the foil. (I clearly did not do this. I just cut and devoured as I went.) Cut into squares. Serve warm or at room temperature. Keep in an airtight container for 3 days. Makes sixteen squares.

It Was All For You

2011-07-13T00:00:00.000-07:00

I'm a person who has favourites. When it comes to food, there are loads of different types of food that I love. But with music and movies there is always one that stands above. Music wise, the Killers are my favourite band. I have every album, every word is memorized and nearly every time they come to Vancouver I am there. Movie wise, Pride and Prejudice ranks supreme.

The funny bit is, I never saw it in theaters. But back in the day I didn't go every week. Once I watched three times in one day. Sickness had overcome me and I remained stationary on the couch and kept replaying it. Similar to music, I can literally play out this movie for you.. but you'd enjoy the movie much more. Thus I recommend that you pop this in, turn on the subtitles (for first timers it's hard to understand the accents) and welcome to my life.

Triple Chocolate Biscotti

2011-07-12T00:00:00.000-07:00

Thursday night marks the end of a huge part of my life. We say goodbye to Harry Potter friends. Yeah I am one of them. One of those people who lines up for the book and movie releases, who reads the book in twenty four hours, who mutters "avada kedavra" at those who interrupt her and I'm one of those who cries uncontrollably at the title of an article that said "Farewell Harry."

It is going to be a rough night. I had to distract myself this week by baking. Lots of it. Between work and baking I haven't had much time to dwell on the fact that I will be in a deep dark depression come the end of the week. Cheers to that. These were the first of many distractions. Even when it comes to biscotti, I like them to be slightly chewy. These are crisp and yet I liked them. They taste like oreos minus the filling.. maybe I smear then with some of the oreo filling? Must go try.

Triple Chocolate Biscotti
Adapted from Alice Medrich

1/3 cup (2 ounces) coarsely chopped semisweet of bittersweet chocolate
2 cups flour
1/3 cup (1 ounce) Dutch-processed cocoa powder*
2 tsp baking powder *
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp instant coffee powder
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup milk chocolate, coarsely chopped or chips

Preheat oven to 300º. Position racks in upper and lower thirds of oven. Line sheets with parchment. In a food processor, combine the chocolate with four, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt and coffee. Pulse until the chocolate is reduced to the size of coarse bread crumbs. Set aside. In a medium mixing bowl whisk the eggs and egg whites with sugar and vanilla until well blended. Stir in the flour mixture and the chocolate. The batter will be thick and sticky. Scrape the batter onto the lined or greased pan in 2 skinny strips 16 to 17 inches long and at least 2 1/2 inches apart. Use a spatula to even up the strips. Put the pan on the lower rack and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the loaves are firm but springy to the touch. Rotate the pan from front to back halfway through the baking time to ensure even baking Set the pan on a rack to cool for at least 15 minutes. Leave the oven on. Transfer the loaves carefully to a cutting board. If you used parchment slide a metal spatula under each loaf to detach and remove the liners. Using a sharp serrated knife, ct the loaves on a diagonal into 1/2 inch slices. Stand the slices on unlined baking sheets at least 1/2 inch apart. Toast them for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back halfway through the baking time. Cool the biscotti completely before stacking or storing. May be kept in an airtight container for several weeks. Makes about 50 small biscotti.

* You can use natural cocoa powder but you must then omit the baking powder and use 1/2 tsp of baking soda instead.

P.S. My blog wasn't functioning. This was due for July the 12th. So we are on schedule!

Bears, Beets, Battlestar Galactica

2011-07-11T00:00:00.000-07:00

The second destination of our trip was Paris but you wouldn't know that from the title. While we were in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, we spent nearly every evening staying up until ridiculous hours watching the Office. We may have watched seasons one through five. I left Bo and Dylan alone for an evening and they had finished the fourth season. Pretty impressive or pathetic depending on your point of view.

View from the apartment

I mentioned that we were living in a closet in London. But we loved London when we were there. The shifty neighborhood was not dampening our mood no matter how many arguments and sirens were outside our windows. This all changed when we got to Paris and our apartment felt like a castle. It was seven flights of stairs up which resulted in some pretty ripped thighs. But check it out. That was our view! It was right in town and we could bathe properly. Two bonuses.

View from the Eiffel Tower

The second day we were there we rode on over to the Eiffel Tower. The bike system there is wicked and educational. Example of wicked: traveling from place to place is cheap and easy. Example of educational: wearing a dress while riding a bike is difficult if you wish to keep what is below the dress private.

L'Arc de Triomphe

The weather was great when we were in Paris too. If there was anywhere that I got a tan from it was Paris. Those dam tan lines won't fade either. But the one day it did rain we were riding our bikes around, soaking wet and surrounded by armed police. Apparently something went down in Israel and we were right by the embassy thus the armed men. Since this was sort of scary we opted to go see a movie. I go to the movies every week at home so I didn't mind seeing one over there but Dylan forced us to go see Thor. Son of a.. bee sting. Granted it was not that bad but oh I was ready to brawl if had been.

The Great Hall of Mirrors

Let me preface this. Before we left on the trip we were all watching some Lonely Island together. It dawned on me that we should do the creep everywhere we go. Thus the creep photos were born. I decided to show this one because it is not only a creep shot but a mirror shot in the great hall of mirrors. That's boss.

Versailles

Versailles is one of my favourite castles. I have been to Paris before but Bo hadn't. Thing is though, I was just as pumped to see everything again as she was to see it for the first time. Everything in Paris is beautiful. Bread included. Ho baby bread. But back to Versailles..

Versailles gardens

We finished wandering and scaring people in the castle and moved out to the gardens. They are huge. I swear they go on for miles. Paris was a close second when it came to my favourite part of the trip. We weren't running around as much as we were in London but we had just as much as fun. We spent our days lying in the gardens by the Louvre (that sounds pretentious) and our nights drinking cheap wine (that sounds pretentious too.) God I wish I was there.

Vanilla Latté

2011-07-10T00:00:00.000-07:00

Mornin' 'migos. Fun fact: Since I go to school for the fall and spring semesters, summers are mine. Sort of. Instead I work full-ish time. Now this job requires me to interact with lots of people. Dam people bothering me up at customer service. The nerve, right? I mean the bulk don't bother me, I even have my favs. Amongst these favs are the European crowd. These pals of mine all hang out by the local coffee shop and smoke. Another hobby they all have in common is guessing my nationality. So far I have gotten: Greek, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Armenian (that's the latest), you name it. Did I mention that my ancestry is basically Scottish with a dot of Ukrainian? The day they guess right is the day their cigarettes are on me.

I'm not much of a smoker like my bromigos but I'm one hell of a coffee drinker. This little body of mine manages to funnel in about three cups on a easy day. My coffee is to be loaded with (whole) milk and sugar. Thus for day two of the search for inspiration I switched, or should I say whisked, it up. BAM. A latté. This essentially means that the milk to coffee ratio increases and the strength of the coffee increases. Basic and delicious science friends.

Vanilla Latté

1 cup skim milk

1 tbsp vanilla

1 heaping tablespoon sugar (adjust as needed)

1 shot of espresso or a dam big shot of dam strong coffee

In a small saucepan, over medium-low heat, combine the milk, vanilla and sugar. Keep whisking until the milk mixture starts to steam, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk like crazy for some extra foam or just pour into a nice old mug. Pour the shot of espresso on top. Enjoy!

Heaven And Back

2011-07-09T00:00:00.000-07:00

I mentioned that I went away.. and not away in a mental institution type of way or a visit to the mountains for nine months for "relaxing" but in a Europe type of way. This is pretty obvious to say but it was awesome. Phenomenal. Fan - freaking - tastic. Let me slowly hit you with some photos. Since we started in London, let's start there.

St. Paul's Cathedral

Funny fact about this trip: I didn't tell my parents. While I am an adult this was clearly not an adult move. Okay, I'm a child. Point is, they would become all protective and "Taken" ** ready thus the simple solution was to not tell them, right? Wrong. Turns out they will be even angrier if you do not tell them before you have booked your flight, apartments and a tour to Stonehenge. And if they find out from a coworker. I never said I had any logic.

Stonehenge

Anger aside, Bo and I headed out to the big UK in early May. My expectations for London were high and they were blown out of the fricken' River Thames water. London is amazing! It was like home but the buildings are much more beautiful, the accents are brilliant and they drive on the other side of the road. If I have one recommendation for London, it is to ride on the upper level of the bus and sit right at the front. Going around corners will blow your mind if you have a soul.. but no pressure.

Kensington Palace

As Queen Victoria is my favourite monarch ever, it was historic heaven for me. I straight love her. As a history major, my inner nerd that is rarely disguised anyways, came even more alive. Pretty sure Bo was ready to knock me. We also managed to touch everything in the castles and made sure we really rubbed our feet on the floors thus we had technically met the her via walking on the same floor. Score. Rhymed.

The burnt down pier in Brighton

Besides the tour to Stonehenge, Bath and Windsor, we took was down to Brighton. My cousin came and stayed with us in our closet in London and then we traveled back to his for the night. I'm really into the public drinking there. I should double check if that was legal. We ended up hanging out on the rocky beach with large ciders for most of the day. It was a nice break from running from point to point in London. And having a shower that could fit my body was nice too.

Leadenhall Market

Before I bore you anymore, you must see this. This right here is the entrance to Diagon Alley. It was the perfect place to engage in a wizarding duel, much to the annoyance of everyone around us. If you have ever seen two girls holding sticks and yelling made up (but actual spells if you know them) words at each other, that would be Bo and I battling to the death in a duel. They don't call me the Dark Lord for nothing. So that was London and that was amazing.

** What is up with the daughter's running? It was as if she prepared for the scene by watching Phoebe run through central park.

Black Pepper and Cheddar Biscuits + A Proposal

2011-07-08T01:25:00.000-07:00

I have always wished I had an accent. Preferably one that was from the UK or the dirty south depending on my mood. Normally it's the UK one I'm craving because I would A. sound like a genius all the time (even dumb remarks like that would sound intelligent.) and B. I could be the next Keira Knightley. Very sensible reasons if you ask me. But the dirty south accent would be perfect during the summer time or anytime I bake anything I consider southern such as these. When I was making these I kept whipping out a Southern drawl to anyone in the house. It's amazing how quickly people can find a reason to leave when this happens. Consider me a human awkward machine.

Point is, you should make some biscuits and go whip out your own dirty south accent.. That way everyone will leave you alone to eat all the biscuits. Win win, baby.

Now this proposal is not for marriage or the movie. I have not been posting as frequently as I like. Lately, inspiration has not hit me. If inspiration won't hit me then I will hit it. My plan is to post every day for thirty days. This is day one of thirty satisfactory (Lowering expectations results in better reactions. Fact.) days. Let's do this baby.

Black Pepper and Cheddar Biscuits

Adapted from America's Test Kitchen

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp sugar

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp kosher salt

2 tsp freshly ground black pepper + extra for top

1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 1/2 cups heavy cream + extra for top

Adjust an oven rack to the upper-middle position and heat the oven to 450 degrees.* Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, kosher salt and pepper together in a large bowl. Stir in the grated cheese. Stir in the cream with a wooden spoon until the dough forms, about 30 seconds. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and gather into a ball. Knead the dough briefly until smooth, about 30 seconds. The key is to work the dough as little as possible. The more you mix, the more you develop the protein in the flour, which leads to a tough biscuit. Pat the dough into a 3/4 inch thick circle. Cut the biscuits into rounds using a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter. Place the biscuits on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush the tops with extra cream and sprinkle with extra pepper. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes.

* Once the biscuits have been cut, they can be placed on a baking sheet in the freezer. When they are completely frozen (about 6 hours), they can be moved to a sealed freezer bag. They can last for a month in the freezer. Do not defrost and baked as normal but for about 20 to 25 minutes.

The shaped biscuits can also be wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 2 hours.

Maple Pecan Oatmeal Cookies

2011-06-30T12:54:00.000-07:00

For the third time, this post has not saved. That means that it comes up blank or with a single sentence. I am about to drop kick this computer to Abbotsford. The dam world wide web is the devil's craft. There was a teacher at my high school who told us that the internet was demon work. I am starting to see where he was coming from.

This should have been posted years ago. Not because the internet hasn't been working for years or that I made them years ago but because this combination is what my body runs on. Maple and pecans were born together. (This is an assumption, not a fact.) Thus they were reborn together in these cookies. Holla.

Maple Pecan Oatmeal Cookies

Adapted from Martha

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
3/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/4 pound (1 stick) plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons boiling water
1 teaspoon pure maple extract
2 3/4 ounces (1 cup) walnuts, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Have ready 2 baking sheets lined with parchment. In a medium bowl, whisk the oatmeal, coconut, flour, salt, and sugar. Set aside. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter and maple syrup. Heat until the butter is melted. Remove from heat, and set aside. In a small bowl, combine the baking soda with the boiling water. Immediately stir this mixture into the melted butter until combined. Add the maple extract; stir into the oat mixture. Fold in pecans. Form heaping tablespoon sized balls. Place about an inch and a half apart. They don't really spread. Flatten each of the balls slightly. Bake until golden brown and set, about 12 minutes, rotating halfway through. Transfer to wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container up to 1 week. Makes about 2 dozen.

Coconut Nutella Bundt Cake

2011-06-24T01:00:00.000-07:00

I like to think that I have a pretty level head. As in, I can determine what is stupid and what is not. And this includes my own actions. It's quite funny how one event can cause you to completely question yourself. Here is some insight: You are Frodo and you are carrying the ring. The ring is completely bad for you, the cons outweigh the pros by a mile. It is carries the weight of the world and breaks you down. Yet, Frodo does not want to give up the ring. From an outside perspective, it seems the sensible solution would be to rid of the ring. But there is something very powerful making Frodo keep it. Catch my drift? Well I feel like Frodo.. and dam do I wish I was Gandolf.

My head is pretty unstable when it comes to this cake too. When we were traveling, we discovered the colossal combination. Not an O' Henry but nutella and coconut. My friend, Bo, loves coconut and nutella but it was only when we saw them on a crepe menu together that we realized what we were missing. It seems so obvious. And it is amazing. When I got home I wanted to get my bundt on and then the colossal craving hit and the birth of this cake came to be.

Coconut Nutella Bundt Cake
Adapted from Bon Appetit Desserts

3 cups cake flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 1/2 cups sugar
6 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1 cup whole milk*
2 cups (packed) sweetened flaked coconut (about 7 ounces)
1 1/2 cups Nutella, divided

Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter 12-cup Bundt pan; dust pan with flour. Stir 3 cups cake flour and salt in medium bowl to blend. Beat butter in large bowl until fluffy. Gradually add 2 1/2 cups sugar, beating until well blended. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then both extracts. Beat in flour mixture in 4 additions alternately with 1 cup milk in 3 additions. Fold in 2 cups flaked coconut. Transfer batter to prepared pan. In heaping tablespoons, drop 3/4 cup of the Nutella onto the batter. Using a long knife swirl the batter and the Nutella to marbleize. Smooth the top. Bake cake until top is golden brown and tester inserted near center comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Check the cake about 30 minutes in to see if the top is browning. If so, cover with tin foil. Cool cake in pan 5 minutes. Turn cake out onto rack; cool completely. Heat up the remaining 3/4 cup Nutella in the microwave to loosen it. Spread over the cool cake. Dust with powdered sugar. Serves 16.

* The original recipe called for coconut milk but I only had light and did not want to risk it. Feel free to try it with regular coconut milk instead of whole milk.

Oatmeal Bars

2011-06-18T03:01:00.000-07:00

"I'll be bawk." Annnnnnd I'm back. Sorry for leaving you high and dry but I was out of the country. The continent for the matter. For the past six weeks I was in Europe. You probably couldn't tell because of the frequent posts and because of my high level of stealthness. But near the end of the trip things were winding down and then coming home was a hassle so blogging fell to the side lines. But I'm bawk and with oatmeal bars to top it off.

I will tell you all about my trip next time but for now there are more pressing matters. These bars. These were on my mind before I left but due to time constraints they weren't made until I returned. It's the stuff dreams (mine anyways) are made of. Were talking caramel, chocolate and peanut butter. Ho baby. Welcome home.

Oatmeal Bars

A near twin of Martha's recipe

48 soft caramel-candy cubes
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
10 ounces (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup milk chocolate chocolate chips

1 cup peanut butter chips

Preheat oven to 350º. Coat a 9-by-13- inch baking pan with cooking spray. Line with a 9-by-21-inch sheet of parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on each short side. Put caramels and cream in a small saucepan; cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until caramels are melted, about 5 minutes. Let cool. Stir together oats, flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and the salt in a large bowl. Blend in butter with a fork or your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal; press half of mixture onto bottom of lined pan. Bake until just set and starting to color around edges, about 20 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack 5 minutes. Sprinkle crust with chocolate chips; drizzle with caramel mixture. Top with remaining crumb mixture. Bake until pale golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely in pan before cutting into squares. Makes 24 squares.

The Hall

2011-06-06T00:00:00.000-07:00

My Mum has decorated our entire house. I love everything she does. My Paps doesn't have much input simply because he does not even notice if anything changes. He is not the most observant person. Anyways here is the hall from the entrance of the house that leads to the kitchen.

And here is the hall that leads to the the spare room, bathroom, some closets, my baby broha's room and my room. My Mum hung that picture at the end of the hall against my will. For an art assignment, we had to paint somebody of our choice. The obvious choice is Brad Pitt.. smoking, scarred and wearing a wife beater from Fight Club. When my Paps saw it he said "Who did the painting of me?" He's a riot.

That dang cat gets in every photo. This was the only one he didn't sneak into. Sneaky and needy Meowenstein.

P.S. I have a cookie recipe coming. Just keep your pants on and hold your horses.

Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

2011-06-02T00:00:00.000-07:00

I sort of broke my golden rule here. I did not brown the butter. Even when I was melting the butter my body was screaming 'Brown it!' But despite my self hatred, these are good. The texture is great and the icing really does make them that much better. But now to make up for not browning the butter I have to do some penance and go brown a couple pounds of butter. This is going to be the best redemption ever.

Lemon Poppyseed Muffins
Adapted from Dorie Greenspan

muffins

2/3 cup sugar
Zest of 2 lemons - 1 1/2 tbsp
juice of 1 lemon - 1/4 cup
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp kosher salt
3/4 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 tbsp poppy seeds
icing

1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2-3 T fresh lemon juice

muffins Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400°. Butter or spray the 12 molds in a regular-size muffin pan or fit the molds with paper muffin cups. Set aside. In a large bowl, rub the sugar and the lemon zest together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and the fragrance of the lemon is strong. Whisk in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, whish the sour cream, eggs, vanilla, lemon juice and melted butter together until well blended. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and, with a rubber spatula, gently fold together. Don’t worry about being thorough-a few lumps are better than overmixing the batter. Stir in the poppy seeds. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a thin knife inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes before carefully removing each muffin from its mold. Cool the muffins completely on the rack before icing them.
icing Put the confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl and add about 1 1/2 tbsp of the lemon juice. Stir with a spoon to moisten the sugar, then add enough additional lemon juice, a dribble at a time, to get an icing that is thin enough to drizzle from the tip of the spoon. You can then drizzle lines of icing over the tops of the muffins or coat the tops entirely, the better to get an extra zap of lemon.

Kitty

2011-05-28T00:00:00.000-07:00

Chocolate Chip Sour Cream Coffee Cake

2011-05-24T00:00:00.000-07:00

Cheers cheers ol' chap, may we raise our glasses to the sun and the moon, the earth and the water, and to the great abyss. I feel like saying that in a uppity British accent when I eat this. It is my favourite coffee cake. We ate it in one day. Nobody can resist this perfect cake. Whenever I am in doubt as for what to bring to coffee, dinner or to just straight eat in general.

I don't know how else to tell you to eat this but please please do.

Chocolate Chip Sour Cream Coffee Cake
From smitten kitchen

cake
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick, 4 ounces or 113 grams) at room temperature
1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated sugar
3 large eggs, separated
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups (16 ounces) sour cream
3 cups (375 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

filling and topping
2 cups milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-x-13-inch baking pan. If not nonstick coated, cover the bottom with a rectangle of parchment paper. Set pan aside. In a large bowl, cream butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together into a separate bowl. Alternately mix in sour cream and then dry ingredients into butter mixture until both are used up and the batter is smooth and very thick. In a medium bowl, beat eggs whites until stiff, then fold into batter. In a small dish, whisk together sugar and cinnamon for filling and topping. Spread half the cake batter in the bottom of prepared pan. Sprinkle with half of cinnamon-sugar mixture and 1 cup of chocolate chips. Dollop remaining cake batter over filling in spoonfuls. Use a rubber or offset spatula to gently spread it over the filling and smooth the top. Sprinkle batter with remaining cinnamon-sugar and remaining chocolate chips. With the palm of your hand, ever-so-gently press the chocolate chips a bit into the batter. No need to submerge them, you just want to make sure they adhere bit. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, rotating halfway through, until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Serves 24.

Overnight Baked French Toast

2011-05-20T00:00:00.000-07:00

A while back I had a Mother's Day brunch. It went amazingly well. I live by this guide from smitten kitchen. She is the almighty master of brunch. On my list of things to make was: scones, muffins, cake, frittata, home fries, french toast, fruit salad and bacon. The scones and muffins were in the freezer, the french toast and salad were in the fridge, the cake was made the night before and the ingredients for both the frittata and the home fries were prepped. So come the day of all I had to do was throw everything into the oven and make the home fries and bacon. I was not stressed at all and even had time to read the paper, what up?!

The french toast recipe is brilliant. I probably love it so much because it is like a breakfast style bread pudding. I highly recommend this if you like bread pudding and eating.

Overnight Baked French Toast
Adapted from Epicurious

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, room temperature
12 3/4-inch-thick French bread slices
6 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tsp cinnamon + 3 tbsp sugar
1 cup pecans, roughly chopped

Spread butter over bottom of heavy large baking pan with 1-inch-high sides.* Arrange bread slices in pan. Beat eggs, milk, sugar, syrup, vanilla and salt to blend in large bowl. Pour mixture over bread. Turn bread slices to coat. Cover with plastic and refrigerate overnight. Preheat oven to 400°F. Sprinkle the french toast with the cinnamon sugar mixture and sprinkle the pecans on top. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown and crisp on top. Serve warm and with maple syrup. Serves 8.

* I baked mine last year in a large jelly pan and it was great so that each would be crisped up but this year I used two 8" x 8" pans. While it was nice to have it sit on the table, it is so much nicer in the large pan. They turn out that much better. But either way is good.

Mini Brown Butter Banana Muffins

2011-05-16T00:00:00.000-07:00

As of a few weeks ago, I am an official driving citizen in Canada. Not a learning one, or a new driver, but a driver with no sign on the back. But it took a lot to get there. Not driving training wise but actually on that day. It was in the middle of no where which led me to drive by the mental hospital many times and make me look like I should have been in there. My Pap's friend used to mow the lawns there when he was younger and someone threw a solid concrete ashtray through the bars at him. Ever since I have been scared because I am still a six year old loser.. who was on their way to get their license. At said point, my nose started to bleed which made me spill coffee on myself. The instructor probably passed me because she felt sorry for the bloody, coffee soaked girl with the blood shot eyes. You can just imagine the photo on my license.

After that whole ordeal, I wanted one of my favourites like banana bread. Better yet, banana bread batter. I really wanted to call these Caramel Banana Muffins. But seeing as there actually isn't caramel in them, I couldn't. But the mix of browned butter and brown sugar makes them taste like a caramelized banana muffin. This batter knocked my socks off and threw them in the laundry. It was that good.

Mini Brown Butter Banana Muffins

1/3 cup butter
1 1/2 cups mashed rippppe bananas
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 350°. Butter the mini muffin tins. In a small saucepan over medium heat, cook the butter until brown bits begin to form stirring occasionally. Set aside to cool slightly. In a medium bowl, beat together the bananas, sugar, egg and the cooled butter. Add the flour, salt and baking soda and mix just until combined. Divide amongst the mini muffin tins, filling them just below the top. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, 18 to 22 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes then move to a cool rack. Makes 48 mini muffins.. or probably a loaf of bread or 18 muffins.

* These would be great with some chocolate and 1 tsp instant coffee added in the butter. I don't know if I should bother saying but pecans would be a lovely addition. As always.

Recycling

2011-05-12T00:00:00.000-07:00

In my last post, I mentioned that the scones could be frozen. Well they are one of many things I love to have in the freezer. The one thing that is always in my freezer are these oatmeal cookies. See that pan below there? That is one of two. I double the recipe, freeze them and then throw them in a freezer bag and it's good to go. I also quite like freezing banana bread or muffins so that I can just turn the oven on and reheat them when I please.

The main point of my speech here is that you should make these cookies. I mean if I am making them weekly then it has to be good! And they honestly taste better after they have been frozen and then baked so that the center of the cookies remain amazingly chewy and the outside has a nice crunch. And if you look carefully in the third row up, third from the right that is in fact an entire pecan. No need to chop in my books.

My Favourite Scones

2011-05-07T00:00:00.000-07:00

Before I had made these my success with scones was here and there. Here being great and there being dry flour lumps. There was a lot of there. I think it was when I tried to make whole wheat peanut butter scones. Just one big no. But then I tried one from Bon Appetit and it was amazing! Then another dud. But then these came along. They have a different formula and it works.

These babies use a lot of whipped cream in place of the butter and the result is the perfect scone. I have made these several times in several different ways. Oh and as if they couldn't be any better, they are easy and can be made ahead of time in the freezer. Awesome? Heck yes.

Cream Scones

From America's Test Kitchen

2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour, preferably a low-protein brand such as Gold Medal or Pillsbury
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
5 tablespoons chilled, unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1/2 cup currants (Variations below)
1 cup heavy cream

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425°F. Place flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in large bowl or work bowl of food processor fitted with steel blade. Whisk together or pulse six times. If making by hand, use two knives, a pastry blender or your fingertips and quickly cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few slightly larger butter lumps. Stir in currants. If using food processor, remove cover and distribute butter evenly over dry ingredients. Cover and pulse 12 times, each pulse lasting 1 second. Add currants and pulse one more time. Transfer dough to large bowl. Stir in heavy cream with a rubber spatula or fork until dough begins to form, about 30 seconds. Transfer dough and all dry, floury bits to countertop and knead dough by hand just until it comes together into a rough, sticky ball, 5 to 10 seconds. Form scones by either a) pressing the dough into an 8-inch cake pan, then turning the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, cutting the dough into 8 wedges with either a knife or bench scraper (the book’s suggestion) or b) patting the dough onto a lightly floured work surface into a 3/4-inch thick circle, cutting pieces with a biscuit cutter, and pressing remaining scraps back into another piece and cutting until dough has been used up. ** Place rounds or wedges on ungreased baking sheet and bake until scone tops are light brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack for at least 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

* I have used raisins instead with or without 3/4 tsp cinnamon added to the flour mix, dried cranberries with or without 1 tbsp lemon zest, or omitted the fruit entirely and added the seeds from a vanilla bean. All have worked and each taste amazing!

** At that point the scones can be placed on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and placed in the freezer for an hour. After the hour, or until they are pretty solidly chilled, they can be moved into a air tight freezer bag and be kept in the freezer for a month. Bake at the same temperature for a few extra minutes and do not defrost beforehand.

Carrot Snack Cake with Maple Glaze

2011-05-03T00:00:00.000-07:00

Wills and Kate. People up here have been going nuts over this whole royal wedding ordeal. My cousin was in town and he is from England and it is a bigger deal over here then it is over there. But in a state of post-party nausea, we watched the William and Kate movie despite my friend, Bo, telling us it was the worst movie ever. Greatest movie ever. The actors sound like Americans trying to attempt British accents Mischa-Barton-in-Virgin-Territory style. Turns out they are actually British! Rubbish I say.

Truth be told though I watched the wedding. Total hypocrite. But keep in mind my favourite movies are Pride and Prejudice and Young Victoria. Anything English, Royal or romance related I am down with. But why didn't they kiss until they were on the balcony?! Gawd. She looked so beautiful and she is rocking my dream dress, the Grace Kelly. Oh love.

Carrot Snack Cake with Maple Glaze
This is a snack cake simply because it isn't layered and there isn't a full on frosting. It is very moist and glaze makes it that much better.

cake

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp kosher salt
4 eggs
3/4 cup canola oil
3/4 cup pure maple syrup
2 cups peeled, grated carrots
1 tbsp sugar + 1/2 tsp cinnamon mixed together
glaze
3 ounces cream cheese
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 350º. Butter a 8" x 8" cake pan, set aside. In a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients, flour through to salt. In a smaller separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil and syrup. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients just until combined. Fold in the carrots. Pour into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mix on top. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes then remove to a wire rack to cool.
In a small bowl, melt the cream cheese, syrup and sugar together until the cream cheese is completely melted and the glaze mixes together. Drizzle over the cooled cake. Serves 16.

My Desk

2011-04-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

Here's a little mini tour series of my bedroom. This is where the magic happens. Know what that is? Sleep. Get your mind out of the gutter. Let's proceed, shall we? To start we have the desk.

Standard junk like drawers, photos, a cake stand and a flag to another nation. It is a story for another time.

Here are some of the innards. Starting on the left we have peanut butter cups which should not be a surprise if you have ever even glanced here before. I'm not too sure why there is drink mix and hot cereal in my desk but I remember having a solid reason and that is good enough.

Once again, the peanut butter cups but there is also some bittersweet symphonies there. They actually are milk chocolate but the song doesn't croon about "cause it's a milk chocolate symphony, this ly-hyffffe." And then there is more drink mix and a Costco sized gum pack. Every purse or bag in my possession has a pack of gum in it. It may have something to do with the fact that I drink coffee like water and nobody wants coffee breath all up in their grill. I consider myself an honourary gangster.

Above the desk is what really matters. Jeff, Jeff Bridges. "Sexiness wears thin after a while and beauty fades. But to be married to a man who makes you laugh everyday. Ah, now that's a treat." Joanne Woodward once said that about Paul Newman and I love it. I've also memorized it because I see it everyday on my fridge. But I have to disagree in this case. Sexy never ages.

Finally, part of my shelf. On the left side there is my liquor cabinet of sorts accompanied by an embarrassing photo so lets just stick to this side. I keep some of my cookbooks in here but a good lot of them are in the hallway closet. My recipe binder is up there as well. Puzzles are the greatest. When I was really young, I could complete a puzzle in record time and my parents thought I was advanced. Turns out I am just really good at puzzles, what a let down. Then we have some more of Mr. Bridges with a tea set and a map of New York above.

Why I showed you this is uncertain but there you have it!

Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-04-27T00:00:00.000-07:00

The minute I saw this creation from Picky Palate, I knew I would make them. She started with an Oreo cookie and then progressed to s'mores, peanut butter cups, you name it. So not only did I see it once but continued to have it put in my face for a few weeks. How can you deny it then? You can't. Here is some more reinforcement on her behalf.

Let me start by saying I loved them all. After all, it is simply chocolate chip cookie dough stuffed with more goodness. So I am putting them in order of which I liked best but let it be known even the last on the list was still liked! Now that the air is cleared, let's start. Skor was tied for last simply because the toffee doesn't melt and just become pretty hard to chew.

The pink marshmallow bunny is just a pink marshmallow. It was good but compared to the others out there it just didn't compare.

This is shocking. The fact that peanut butter cups are lower on the list is for one simple reason, and it is my fault, is because I used a mini peanut butter cup and not a large one. Therefore it did not compared to the others size wise. It is always number one in my heart.

This was pretty dang good. I think it was because of the cookie crunchy bits in the chocolate. This must only mean that an Oreo one is ridiculous.

The s'more one was just crazy. It was huge. The marshmallow, chocolate and graham just form together and it is like a rocky road cookie.

Symphony beat out s'more because I think the s'more taste didn't come through enough. I was expecting a s'more on chocolate chip cookie dough roids. This one was like Tom Arnold in True Lies. While everyone goes to see Arnold, it turns out the witty side kick steals the show. Great movie.

My ultimate favourite. When I was raiding the house for things to throw in these cookies and I saw a bag of chocolate chip cookies. A chocolate chip cookie within a chocolate chip cookie? Oh yeah. (This is me. On top of that, he is voiced by Jason Segel. That just confirms it.)

Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies
Cookie recipe adapted from Gourmet and the brilliant beyond brilliant idea is from Picky Palate

cookies
3 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla
3 cups milk chocolate chips
stuffing
Symphony chocolate bars, Hershey's cookies and cream bars, marshmallows, peanut butter cups, s'mores, skor bars and bloody chocolate chip cookies

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Place the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Melt and continue to cook until brown bits form at the bottom. Beat together butter and sugars in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs *and vanilla. Reduce speed to low and mix in flour mixture until just blended, then stir in chips. Chill the cookie dough for at least 4 hours. Scoop out a hunk of dough and flatten it in your hand. Place one of the various stuffings on the dough and cover it with another mound of dough. Press and roll it together to seal in the stuffing. Place similar sized cookies on one baking sheet at least 3 inches apart. I used a separate sheet for the s'more and chocolate chip cookie stuffed ones because they were double the size. Form and place remaining cookies on additional sheets. Bake each sheet separately. Transfer cookies to a rack to cool and continue making cookies in same manner using cooled baking sheets. Makes a 3 dozen depending on the size.

* I just threw in 3 eggs. This was the directions as the original recipe says: Lightly beat 1 egg with a fork in a small bowl and add 1 3/4 tablespoons of it plus 2 remaining whole eggs to butter mixture, beating with mixer until creamy, about 1 minute.

Cinnamon Raisin Buns

2011-04-25T00:29:00.000-07:00

I do not like hot cross buns. I do not like them Sam I.. luns. It rhymed? They taste like fruitcake with those spices and fruits which is the taste of nastiness. Sorry if you love and that means I am talking to you Paps. When one of the coolest country gals around posted a recipe for hot cross buns that wasn't loaded with the gross factors, hot cross buns crept in to my future.

This recipe was followed almost to perfection up until the actual cross bit came along. We all settled for some delicious cinnamon raisin buns with honey, peanut butter, jam or butter. We are simple folk. These have a nice crust with the egg wash but are nice and soft on the inside. If you don't like hot cross buns (amen.) then these are in your honour.

Cinnamon Raisin Buns

From the Pioneer Woman

buns
2 cups whole milk
½ cups canola oil
½ cups sugar
1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
4 cups all-purpose flour
½ cups (additional) flour
½ teaspoons (heaping) baking powder
½ teaspoons (scant) baking soda
2 teaspoons kosher salt
¼ cups sugar
2 teaspoon cinnamon
2/3 cups raisins, plumped*
glaze
1 whole egg white
splash of cream or milk

Combine 2 cups milk, canola oil, and 1/2 cup sugar in a saucepan. Stir and heat until very warm but not boiling. Turn off the heat and allow to cool until mixture is still warm, but not hot–about 30 minutes. Sprinkle yeast over mixture. Add 4 cups of flour and stir to combine. Mixture will be very sticky. Cover with a towel and set aside for 1 hour in a warm place. Add 1/2 cup flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir till combined. At this point the dough can be placed in a bowl coated in oil, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and it can refrigerate overnight. Combine 1/4 cup sugar with cinnamon and whatever other spices you want to use. Lightly flour surface. Press to slightly flatten dough. Sprinkle a couple tablespoons of the sugar/cinnamon mixture. Sprinkle on about a third of the raisins. Then fold the dough over on itself and flatten again so the dough is “plain” again. Repeat the sugar/raisin process, then fold the dough again. Repeat a third time until all the raisins are used. Pinch off ping pong or golf ball-size bunches of dough. With floured hands, quickly roll it into a ball, then turn the edges under themselves slightly. Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Cover and allow to rise in a warm place for at least 30 minutes…an hour-plus is better. Preheat the oven to 400º. Mix the glaze ingredients together. Brush onto each roll. Bake for 20 minutes, give or take, or until tops of buns have turned nice and golden brown. Remove from pan to a cooling rack. Dig on in. Makes 18 rolls or 16 slightly larger rolls.

* To plump the raisins, place them in a bowl and cover them with hot water, coffee, booze or whatever floats your boat.

Double Chocolate Tiramisu

2011-04-20T01:11:00.000-07:00

At the moment I am: hopped up on caffeine through coffee and diet coke, dizzy with information regarding Thatcherism and French words related to traffic, pumped for Europe and freedom from exams and Easter, cold because my sweater is upstairs. These past few days have been pretty wild. Not rave wild but wild as in sleep deprived and nerve racking.

Oh well! Let bygones be bygones, water under the bridge, etc. No matter how much school is kicking me in the knees, it does not matter because there is too much to be excited for baby. I listed said things above but I must include that once exams are over it will give me more time to watch Young Victoria. Again. Hoops. Other plans include vodka and some cranberry raspberry juice if you know what I am talking about. If you don't, I mean drinking alcohol.

Speaking of booze, it is meant to be in drinks not baked goods for me. Most of my experiences of tiramisu are booze or coffee soaked nastiness. Sure it is the proper way to make it but the cream cheese and chocolate packed version is tastier. Cream cheese does that. My Mum made this once a few years ago and it was ridiculous. I was so excited that I liked it that I nearly ran off with it into the sunset.

Double Chocolate Tiramisu

Adapted from Everyday Food

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for garnish

1 1/2 cups hot and fresh coffee
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 bar (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
24 ladyfinger cookies (from a 7-ounce package)

powdered sugar for garnish

In a medium bowl, mix cocoa powder with coffee until dissolved; set cocoa mixture aside. In a small microwave-safe bowl, place 1/4 cup cream and chocolate; microwave in 1-minute increments, and stir until melted. Cool to room temperature. Beat the cream cheese and sugar until fluffy. Add the cooled chocolate and cream mix. Add remaining cream; beat chocolate filling until fluffy. Spread 1/4 cup chocolate filling in the bottom of a 2-quart serving dish. One at a time, dip 6 ladyfingers in cocoa mixture, then arrange in a single layer in dish; spread with 1 cup chocolate filling. Repeat with three more layers, ending with filling. Cover tiramisu, and refrigerate at least 2 hours (or up to 2 days). Dust with cocoa powder and powdered sugar before serving. Serves 10.

And Stay With You?

2011-04-18T23:15:00.000-07:00

Sorry, no recipe today, just a word of advice. Watch Young Victoria. I may have watched it twice so far this week and it's Monday. You could say I like it. This movie is not replaceable to me. (If you watch the movie you will understand what I mean.) Have a good one!

Bran Muffins with Raisins

2011-04-15T00:00:00.000-07:00

Something odd has happened. I started going to the gym. Not that I don't exercise, I do, but not at gyms. How do the bloody machines work? I've stuck to the treadmill and fear advancing to the other machines because that alone resulted in me nearly running at nine miles an hour and then proceeded to accidentally "cool down" three times. If you see a girl thrashing on a machine, do not stare. It makes things worse.

To top it off, in the mail today I got some bad news. Instead of making cookies for myself, bran muffins for my Dad seemed like the right thing to do. Spread some love even though I did not get any. Bastards. Anyways, these bran muffins are so moist. Bran muffins seem to be associated with being dry and bland. False I say! A throw back to Shakespeare. The buttermilk keeps these moist and the raisins are obviously the perfect match. Oh and cinnamon sugar on top just to make sure things don't get too healthy around here.

Bran Muffins with Raisins

Adapted from allrecipes

1 1/2 cups bran flakes cereal

1 cup raisins

1/4 cup shortening

3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup buttermilk

1 1/4 cup flour

1 1/4 tsp baking soda

heaping 1/4 tsp kosher salt

2 tbsp sugar + 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Place the bran flakes in a small bowl. Pour 1/2 cup of boiling water over the cereal. Mix so all the cereal is moistened. Set aside. Place the raisins in another small bowl. Pour boiling water over the raisins until all are covered. Set aside. Butter a 12 cup muffin tin. Preheat the oven to 375º.* In a medium bowl, beat together the shortening and sugar until combined. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Stir in the bran flakes and then the buttermilk. Add the flour, baking soda and salt and mix just until combined. Fold in the raisins. Divide the batter amongst the muffin tin. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, rotating halfway through. Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the pan then remove to a wire rack. These are great with butter or peanut butter (obviously.) Makes 12 muffins.

* The batter can be stored in the fridge for up to a week in an airtight container.
** I named them Bran Muffins with Raisins simply because I didn't use Raisin Bran cereal and I figure one could throw in other dried fruit or, my preferred choice, chocolate instead of raisins.

Mini Chocolate Chip Pancake Muffins

2011-04-13T00:00:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, there was a girl who said that if she ever melted butter again she would brown it instead. That girl was me and that I have. It really does add an almost caramelized taste to baked goods. This recipe comes from a magazine I bought way back in the fall specifically because Bakerella was on the cover. She is awesome. This recipe popped in my mind because there was buttermilk nagging at me in the fridge. I have the most noble intentions when I buy buttermilk and then find myself scrambling to use it all up. Granted it pushes me to bake new things but seriously screw off.

Since it is exam season and I'm supposedly on the South Beach Diet, I should not be baking. But since the last batch of cookies I made threw off the diet, how could muffins hurt? They are fricken cute to. I may in fact use this recipe for the Mum's Day brunch I'm planning. God that is a lot of extra links.

Mini Chocolate Chip Pancake Muffins

Adapted from Bakerella

2/3 cup buttermilk
1 egg
2 1/2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons butter

1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips or mini chocolate chips + extra for sprinkling*

1/2 cup maple syrup

In a small saucepan, over medium heat, melt the butter. Continue to cook said butter until brown bits form on the bottom. Set aside to cool slightly, about ten minutes. Preheat the oven to 350º. Spray 24 mini muffin tins with non-stick spray or butter them. In bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg, maple syrup and browned butter until combined. With a spatula, stir in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Mix until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. Evenly distribute the batter. Sprinkle with extra chocolate chips. Bake, alternating halfway through, for 10 to 12 minutes. Allow them to cool in the pan for 5 minutes then remove to a rack. While they are cooling, warm up the maple syrup for dipping the muffins. Enjoy! Makes 24 mini muffins.

* I used milk chocolate chips in the batter and then mini chocolate chips for sprinkling.

Salted Chocolate Buttermilk Cookies

2011-04-10T23:17:00.000-07:00

Will I ever win?

Only time will tell
You got to suffer to remember how well
that are our ideals never really marched in time
That's the bottom line
Jilted lovers and broken hearts

Is it sad that this song makes me think of baked goods and me? The lyrics do speak to me because I am currently "suffering" from lack of eating baked goods. And "our ideals", baked good's being to made of butter and all things delicious and mine being to devour them and remain petite, don't exactly "march in time." "That's the bottom line." And as a result we are "jilted lovers" left with "broken hearts."

There you have it. Songs do not just refer to people! They are supposed to appeal to everyone and I will interpret it as I may. Truth be told, this South Beach thing is not going to horribly. I've broken a few rules though. The suggested serving for peanut butter is one teaspoon and I went through a thirty two tablespoon jar in eight days. You can do the math. Well if you can't that is an average of a quarter cup a day. Hooooops. It was also my best ol' pal Lee's birthday and I made her some of these and had to test them for poison. Don't want to kill anyone.

Salted Chocolate Buttermilk Cookies

Adapted from Baking Bites

These are so chewy (props butter and buttermilk.) The salt definitely provides an excellent contrast to the sweet chocolate cookie as it always does. I seldom make full chocolate baked goods because my family doesn't go nuts for them but these were the greatest exceptions ever.

1/2 cup butter
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
3/4 cup dutch processed cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp instant coffee dissolved into 1 tsp water
2 cups milk chocolate chips
fleur de sel for sprinkling

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Cook the butter, stirring occasionally, until brown bits form at the bottom. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Go make your breakfast, read the paper, hit up some coffee or something of those sorts. Preheat the oven to 350º. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, combine the browned butter (still warm) with cocoa powder and whisk until very smooth. Whisk in sugars, vanilla extract, buttermilk and coffee. Gradually stir in the flour mixture until no streaks of flour remain. Stir in the chocolate chips. Drop dough in 1-inch balls into prepared baking sheet, leaving about two inches between cookies to allow for spread. Sprinkle the cookies with fleur de sel. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until cookies are set around the edges. Cool for 2-3 minutes on a baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack with a spatula to cool completely. Ho baby, these are amazing hot, warm, you name it.

Top Pecan Recipes

2011-04-07T00:00:00.000-07:00

..Thus far. Nearly every post recently has had pecans in it. But I can't bring myself to apologize because I truly love them. A little while ago I showed some peanut butter love and it is only fair to show off one of my other favourites. Here is a little snazzy list of some of my favourite pecan recipes.

1. The dough for these maple pecan slices is easily accessible when it sits in the fridge. God these were killer.

2. The coffee with the caramel and the pecans is just amazing in this cake. The caramel melts into the cake and cooks on top. Droool.

3. Hello Satan, we meet again. This itty bitty cup of caramel corn was all that was left from the original batch.. after one night. And the pecans aren't in this photo because I had eaten them all by this point. It's deadly.

4. I can not tell you how often I make these. Okay, once a week. There are normally some of these oatmeal chocolate pecan cookies baked or frozen on hand. When they run out, and they do because we eat them from the freezer too, I prepare another batch. An all time baller.. as in favourite.

5. Holy macaroni and cheese steaks, I have not had this bread in so long. My Mum makes this date and nut bread and it is one of the best quick breads, if you are into dates and pecans of course.

6. Why are mini versions of basically anything cute? I swear that if someone tried to pull off a gap baby onesie you would give them the stink eye but oh no, mini style it is alright. Sorry, I'm bitter that onesies are not socially acceptable. But these pecan tassies are acceptable.. to eat by the dozen.

7. Another really recent recipe, these maple pecan bars were finished within a few hours. Maple and pecans were meant to be.

8. The chewiness of these oatmeal cookies is unbelieveable. The dried cranberries, oats and brown sugar make them so chewy and the pecans are the perfect counterpart. Toasting is necessary.

9. Making granola at home is awesome. You will feel accomplished, guaranteed.

9. Sure these were posted a few days ago but they need to be shown again. I can't explain these banana muffins perfectly but let's have a go at it. The crisp exterior is unlike anything I have had before. Yet they are so moist on the inside. Did I mention the chocolate on the inside and the pecans toasted on the outside. "Legen - wait for it - dary" as Barney would say.

Now go spread the pecan love!

Banana Pecan and Chocolate Muffins

2011-04-05T00:00:00.000-07:00

"Do you have to put almonds on all of them?"

My brothers are great but when it comes to baking, they do not know what is up. Once I had the batter ready to go in the muffin tins, the next step was to place the pecans on top. Now my brothers do not like pecans and any nut for that matter in baking. After all, I too only recently came around. The big one was rolling on by at said point and asked that question. Not to disrespect him but I burst out laughing and proceeded to call him a moron. It's what family does. But to pay him back I only put pecans on half. What a great sister.

Banana Pecan and Chocolate Muffins
Adapted from Ina's recipe

3 large verrrrry ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup milk chocolate chips

1/3 cup pecans, toasted

Preheat the oven to 350º. Butter 14 muffin cups, set aside. In a large bowl, mix the bananas, sugars and maple syrup until combined. Mix in the oil, eggs, sour cream and vanilla until fully combined. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Gradually add to the banana mix until the flour and banana mixture is just combined. Fold in the milk chocolate chips. Fill the muffin tins until about 4/5 full. Top the muffins with three pecans, or as many as desired. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, rotating halfway through or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the muffins in its pan for 5 minutes and then turn them out on a wire rack to cool further.. But I highly recommend eating them warm. Serves 14.

Bad New Bears

2011-04-03T00:00:00.000-07:00

There is something I should tell you now. Due to the fact that I head off to Europe in less than a month (hell yeah!), my friends and I have decided to try a little something to look good for our trip. The South Beach Diet.

You can stop laughing now. For realz. With a 'z.' I started about five days ago. Technically I am only on day four. My Grandma Gin's invited us over for dinner and I couldn't be rude and not eat everything she had made. I only ate the vegetables and chicken which is alright but dessert wasn't going to eat itself. And it's awesome. She makes the same things every time. It's either blueberry crumble with ice cream, chocolate log cake or fruit cocktail cake. Oh Gin.

Back on track. While this is for Europe, it is also to hopefully reboot my eating habits. This past year has resulted in a few extra pounds. While I am in moderately good shape and my weight is perfectly normal, my pants are tighter. So much so that it was necessary for me to buy new ones. This is a matter of feeling a bit better and getting back into my pants. Not that I am naked. Don't get any ideas.

But this phase 1 of the diet means no sugar, carbs and other such things like butter. God be with me. If I make it through alive, you will hear from me. If not, you have been great. The time we had was special.

Cordially, Hannah

Toasted Coconut Rice Krispy Squares

2011-04-01T19:46:00.000-07:00

My brothers do not like coconut. They like it in certain cookies were it is subtle but when it is straight coconut, it is a no go. But since my friends love coconut, they are a great outlet for my coconut lovin'. The PLL (Pretty Little Liars) finale was not to long ago and I brought these babies along. That finale was awful. Every story line was not concluded and everything was a straight mess. I mean come on. Normally the show concludes one issue and begins another (See vampire diaries, daws, etc.). Sweet heavens, kill me now.

Apologies. It was late, they weren't going to last until the morning and the camera was in Mexico (long story).

I clearly have a poor choice in TV shows but why fight it when one can embrace it. The worst of it was is when we ran to the computer to see when the series would start again we freaked out that weren't going to be home. Because we would be in Europe. We took a step back at that point and realized we were morons and then our minds shifted to how excited we were for Europe. Oh, if I only had a life. (Imagine that being sung Wizard of Oz style.)

Toasted Coconut Rice Krispy Squares

1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut

3 tbsp butter

5 cups marshmallows

1 tsp vanilla

4 cups rice krispies

Preheat the oven to 350º. Butter a 8 x 8 pan. On a baking sheet, spread out the coconut. Bake the coconut for 3 to 4 minutes, tossing halfway through. Do not leave it unattended as it can burn in a heartbeat. While the oven is heating up, place the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally until brown bits begin to form on the bottom. Remove from heat. Place the marshmallows in a bowl big enough to fit in the microwave. Microwave the marshmallows for about 30 seconds, until they start to melt. Add the butter. Stir around and microwave for another 30 seconds or until the marshmallows are completely melted. Stir in the vanilla. Stir in the rice krispies until fully combined. Press into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the coconut on top and press into the bars. Allow to set, if you can, and dig in. Makes 16 bars.

Coffee Pecan Pie Cake

2011-03-29T00:18:00.000-07:00

The title was very difficult to determine for a few reasons. If it had been named Pecan Pie Coffee Cake, one would assume that it is merely a coffee cake without actually coffee within the cake. One could also assume that perhaps I was writing about pecan pie and coffee cake. Had it been titled Coffee Pecan Cake then the pecan pie topping would not be given justice and the cake could be overlooked and ignored. The sheer horror I tell ya.

After a long period of deliberation, the title was settled. Let me describe the cake: crunchy topping from the caramel and pecans with a super moist coffee cake spiked with pecans. Yeah, it's bad ass.

Coffee Pecan Pie Cake

cake
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 tbsp instant coffee dissolved into 1 tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla
topping
2 tbsp butter
3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
3/4 cup pecans, whole and halved
assembly
1/4 cup pecans, whole and halved

Preheat the oven to 350º. Butter an 8 x 8 inch pan, set aside.
topping In a small saucepan, beat together the butter and sugar until combined. Beat in the egg. Blend in the milk. Place over medium to medium-low heat. Stir constantly until the mixture is thick and smooth which is about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
cake Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt, set aside. In a large bowl beat together the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Beat in the eggs until fully combined. Mix the milk, coffee and vanilla together in a separate bowl. Add the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the milk. Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle on the 1/4 cup pecans. Pour on the remaining batter. Fold the 3/4 cup of pecans into the topping now. Pour the topping on top of the cake. Bake the cake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs. Allow the cake to cool slightly then slice and enjoy! Serves 16.

Jump Back!

2011-03-24T00:00:00.000-07:00

Some things I don't like: molasses, raw tomatoes, almond extract, fake banana flavour, cilantro, fruit cake, Pepsi (it's a religious thing), Scarlett Johansen, extreme wind, snow in the city, grapefruit and its juice, decaf, leaving, fainting, blood work, Cougar Town, boys, leggings (They are not pants. End of story.), lamb, tarragon, pains in my middle region (it happens a lot and leads to fainting, see earlier), licorice, beer, being home alone.

Some things I love: snow on the mountains, storms, The Killers, rain, bananas, Harry Potter, roasted tomatoes, peanut butter, bread pudding, my family, the dog and cat, white honey, Keira Knightley, Pride and Prejudice, Titanic, Footloose (I would watch this every morning for the rest of my life and it would pump me up for the day no matter what), food blogs, bread, walking, Paris, my D3 buds, coffee, packing, grocery shopping, boys, traveling, Conan, reading, flying (in a plane but a broom would be awesome), Marshall Erikson and Barney Stinson, Vancouver and Canada for that matter, Baby Canadian, shoes, purses, being home alone, all of you.

Something that I love is, yes, you. Not that I am in love with you personally or sitting outside your window in a tree with binoculars but for your support. As in the fact that you read this blog and comment. I seriously lose my shit when there is a comment. Dramatic? Yes. Honest? Yes. Just thought you ought to know. What are you loving?

Maple Pecan Bars

2011-03-22T00:00:00.000-07:00

An Ode to Pecans by Me:

Pecans are amazing

I love them in baking

They're perfect for grazing

My heart they are shaking

I am not an English major, don't worry. The poem does not make complete sense but neither does love so take that. Sorry, pecans change me. The story of how these bars came into being: Mornings are not my thing. I'm known for being silent and ready to kill during the first two hours post wake-up. During this anger period one morning, I calmed myself by baking these babies. Baking makes me happy.. unless it goes wrong then all beware my wrath.

Since pecans are one my favourite things, it was the natural choice to brighten my day. I was completely surprised when my little cousin loved these. For some reason it is my belief that all children hate nuts. I did, my baby broha still does and even my big brother too. Limited references granted but it still surprises me. Anyways, if you love pecans these are for you. There are pecans in the crust and halves and whole pecans on top. That's right.

Maple Pecan Bars
Adapted from an old Pillsbury recipe

crust
1 1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1/3 cup pecans, toasted and finely chopped
topping
2 eggs
3/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
3 tbsp flour
1 1/2 tsp maple (or vanilla, depending on your preference) extract
1 tsp kosher salt
1 cup pecans, halved and whole

crust Preheat the oven to 350º. Butter a 9 x 13 inch pan. Sift together the flour and baking powder. In a separate bowl beat together the butter and brown sugar. Add the flour mix and combine until it is like fine sand. Use your hands to get it all together. Toss in the pecans. Press into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 8 minutes.

topping While the crust bakes, whisk the eggs until foamy. Add the maple syrup, brown sugar, flour, vanilla and salt until combined. Stir in the pecans. Pour over the hot crust. Bake for 25 minutes, it will set once it is completely cooled. Makes 24 bars.

Monkey Bread

2011-03-20T00:00:00.000-07:00

My Aunt and my cousin were in town last week. They live all the way across the province in Cranbrook which is a pretty awesome place. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. My grandparents live just outside of the city and I spent every summer there as a kid. The farm is surrounded by mountains, the fields and the lakes. Seriously, my Grandpa has a lake. It's awesome.

Needless to say it was great to see them. Said cousin is only six years old but she had a bite of this and said it was 'a bite of heaven.' If I wasn't sure before, I am now, we are related. She stole the words right out of my mouth.

Monkey Bread

From the internet somewhere

1 340 gram (12 ounce) package of biscuits, not the flaky kind

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 350º. Butter a bundt or tube pan. Quarter the biscuits. In a ziploc bag, mix the cinnamon and sugar together. Drop about 8 biscuit pieces at a time into the bag. Shake them around so they are completely covered. Plop them into the greased pan. Continue with the rest of the biscuits. In a small saucepan melt the butter and brown sugar together over medium heat. Once it is completely melted, continue to cook for one minute. Pour over the biscuits. I spooned it over so it would be even. Bake for about 25 minutes. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes then turn out onto a plate. Devour. Serves about 3 to 4 people.

Browned Butter Hazelnut Blondies

2011-03-18T00:00:00.000-07:00

This Summer is going to be legendary. Actually it will technically be this Spring. Enough of the technicalities, back to the awesomeness. Two of my bromigos and myself are going to Europe baby! It's been planned for a bit now but today seemed like a good day to mention it. I've been a few times before but never with my friends on our lonesome.

Why today did I mention this? For some odd reason blondies seem like a American dessert. Yet when I think of hazelnuts, I think of Europe. Yes that is odd but hazelnuts is in Nutella which is eaten a lot over there and hazelnuts are in Ferrero Rochers which sound European. Therefore when I added the hazelnuts it made this American dessert transform into something European. A solid analysis if I may say so myself.

Browned Butter Hazelnut Blondies
Adapted from Martha

blondies
1/3 cup butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 3/4 cups packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted, skins rubbed off with a kitchen towel, and chopped

2/3 cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-by-11-inch baking pan*. Line with parchment paper. Butter parchment. Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat and stir occasionally until brown bits start to form at the bottom. Remove from heat. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat butter and sugar until combined. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add flour mixture, and stir until combined. Stir in hazelnuts and chocolate chips. Press dough into pan. Bake until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs, about 25 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes. Cut into squares. Serve with additional Nutella. Blondies can be stored in an airtight container up to 2 days. Serves 24.

* Who has an 8 x 11 pan? I used a 8 x 8 pan and a loaf pan. I reckon an 9 x 9 would be better.

(Vegan) Peanut Butter Bread

2011-03-12T00:00:00.000-08:00

A few months ago my Dad was offered a promotion at his place of work but there was sort of a hitch, he would have to travel. When he first started working at said company he had to travel a lot and even though I was a wee lass at the time I remember missing him. Now is no different. Since he loves his job I will let it slide. Apparently people have to support their family even if they hate it, dumb rules.

But now when he is home I make sure there is something for him. His favourites are christmas cake (barf), rugelach and burnt cookies. Everyone else in the family hates christmas cake so he goes nuts. It is often referred to his crack and my Dad isn't one to make a drug related joke. It is serious. For some reason peanut butter bread seemed right up his alley (and my life source). The ingredients list is so simple! And it isn't the least bit dry and yet has a crispy crust. Heaven amigos, heaven.

Vegan Peanut Butter Bread

Adapted from Girl Versus Dough who got it from The Food Network

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed

4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 cup soymilk

1/2 cup chunky peanut butter

Preheat the oven to 375º. Grease a loaf pan and set aside. Whisk together the dry ingredients. Place the peanut butter in a small bowl and melt it in the microwave which was approximately 30 seconds. Add the soymilk and melted peanut butter. Mix just until combined. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow the loaf to cool for 5 minutes, remove to a cooling rack. It is easier to slice once cooled but dig in right away if necessary. Makes 1 loaf.

Oscared

2011-03-10T00:00:00.001-08:00

Did I mention the Oscars? There a big deal. For me, that is. I seriously get jacked. It is an occasion that calls for preparation which means popcorn and iced tea and cookies help too. This year was sort of upsetting. Normally James Franco is hilarious (check funny or die, you will die) and Anne Hathaway is great but it didn't really work.

But it wasn't just the hosts, they did give it their best shot, but the awards were a let down. This year I was rooting for the Natalie Portman, Hailee Steinfeld, Jesse Eisenberg and the Social Network. I was torn on Geoffrey Rush and Christian Bale. Christian Bale deserves the Oscar but I thought of the two in The Kings Speech it should have gone to Geoffrey Rush.

Thank Gawd Natalie Portman won. That was the performance of a life time. My eyes were covered when they announced it. But may I say it was hard to cover my eyes with a stone cold fox like Jeff Bridges on stage. Age is but a number people. My Dad and I were both upset that little Hailee Steinfeld didn't win. She carried True Grit all on her own and I clearly love Jeff Bridges.

The Kings Speech was a great movie and I saw it twice even but The Social Network was amazing. It was almost tied with the upset of the Hailee loss. So there you have it, my Oscar rant of 2011.

Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate

2011-03-08T00:00:00.000-08:00

Spring is nearly upon us but it is pretty bipolar here. It snowed last week yet it was on the weekend so no snow days. Yay. The other day the winds were so extreme that Whistler shut down early and my Dad almost didn't make it home. But today it is sunny enough for a walk in a t-shirt. Too bad I was wearing the shirt that said "Between the cheek 8 bucks." I have no idea where the shirt came from but it is the best sleep/walk shirt. For once I dam the sun for making me take my sweater off.

Little story time. Near my house, on the lake, there used to be a prison. It was taken down the year I was born. While this always seemed awesome to me, my parents informed me it was dangerous in the years leading up to the closure. Thirteen high risk prisoners managed to escape in one day. How is that possible?! Even Shawshank style would be difficult with thirteen. Needless to say, three years later it was gone. How does this relate to hot chocolate? It doesn't. How have I gone so long without this? My brain automatically thinks of ways to add peanut butter to everything and it seems hot chocolate is the natural next step and it was brilliant.

Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate

1 1/2 tbsp smooth peanut butter

4 tsp sugar

1 tbsp cocoa

huge pinch of cinnamon

1 cup milk

In a small saucepan, combine the peanut butter, sugar, cocoa and cinnamon. Mix until combined. Add the milk. Place over medium heat. Whisk until the mixture is combined and nice and hot. Top with marshmallows. Serves 1.

Watermelon Salad

2011-03-05T16:54:00.000-08:00

This is to make up for that crazy good popcorn. It's nice to have balance in life so for every cupcake, eat an apple. Let that be the lesson of the day. This recipe is something that was supposed to be posted in the summer. Nearly everyday during the summer I eat watermelon. There are trends in my appetite clearly.

The problem was it would be eaten before I took photos. Woops-a-daisy. When mini watermelons were on sale last week, five may or may not have been put in my cart. And that was being restrained. It seemed like the perfect time for me to exercise a bit of control and get some photos and share my love.

Watermelon Salad

3 cups watermelon, cubed

1 lime

1/4 tsp pepper

Place the watermelon in a bowl. Squeeze the lime juice on top of the lemon. Add the pepper. Toss and inhale.

Note: This is also great with lemon. And the pepper can be more or less depending on your taste.

Caramel Corn

2011-03-02T15:21:00.000-08:00

Everyday I eat popcorn. This is not a lie. It is something that has grown out of habit I assume. It started this past year or so and it has escalated. But corn is a vegetable, do not argue me on this, and it provides fibre and all things nutritious. One can not fight science. While popcorn is a daily occurrence this drug is not.

Notes on the photo: There are no pecans because I picked them all out and ate them by this point. This is also the remainder of what was left after that night. We basically ate the entire batch between the two of us in one night. My pants are tight right now.

My friend Saliva (burn.) comes over at least twice a week so we can get out Daws on. We realize the pun and it's awesome. She brought some maple corn the other day to spark up our regular popcorn routine and because we are that Canadian. It was get-down-on-your-knees-and-tell-me-you-love-me good. Come two days later, we were in the kitchen with this a'brewing. All credit goes to her though because she was the one who sat in lecture reading the thousand plus reviews and recommendations on this five star recipe on allrecipes. It is why we are friends.

Caramel Corn
Recipe adapted from Allrecipes

3/4 cup butter
2 cups light brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 quarts popped popcorn (3 regular size bags of popped smartpop)

2 cups pecans, toasted and roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (95 degrees C). Place popcorn and pecans in a very large bowl.* In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil without stirring 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in soda and vanilla. Pour in a thin stream over popcorn, stirring to coat.** Place in two large shallow baking dishes lined with tin foil and bake in preheated oven, stirring every 15 minutes, for 1 hour. Remove from oven and let cool completely before breaking into pieces.

* We had to use two huge bowls and it was still flying out of the bowl. Be prepared with two huge bowls.

** Don't worry if the popcorn is not completely coated. Once it bakes and you toss it every 15 minutes, it coats and spreads much better.

Peanut Butta Lova

2011-02-28T00:00:00.000-08:00

It has come to my attention that all my attention is on peanut butter. Subconsciously and consciously, very Freud of me to figure this out. How this occurred to me was when I was updating the recipe index. The cookie section is basically an ode to peanut butter. And further around peanut butter pops up everywhere.

No what is the worst part? Whenever I bake, I think about ways this recipe could include peanut butter. And as I went through the recipes, ways to incorporate peanut butter into every other recipe kept popping into my head. To be honest though, I wouldn't have it any other way. It is straight delicious! Go check out how much peanut butter one gal can handle in the new section in the recipe index dedicated to peanut butta.

S'more Cookies

2011-02-26T13:38:00.000-08:00

"Less is schmore." This statement proves that idiotic behaviour and humour is genetic. I think I once wrote a psychology paper on that. My broha insists on saying schmore, not a s'more. He started incorporating it into everyday sentences too. Like I said, genetics.

These actually prove that schmore is schmore. Holy Helena, these are good. They have a chewy dough and a chewy component from the marshmallows. And on top of chocolate chips, the symphony bars make it that much more amazing with a crunchy from the almonds and toffee. Sheer brilliancy amigos. It is a schmore in a cookie.

S'more Cookies

Nearly Identical to Lovin' from the Oven

1 3/4 cups flour

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

2 eggs

1 tbsp vanilla

2 cup milk chocolate chips

1 - 1 1/2 cups large marshmallows chopped

2 7 oz. symphony (the large toffee and almond ones), broken into pieces

Preheat the oven to 375º. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, graham crumbs, salt and soda. Set aside. Beat together the butter and the sugars until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs and vanilla until fully combined. Add in the flour mixture and stir until combined. Mix in the chocolate chips. Using a 2 tbsp icecream scoop, place rounds on a baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake for 8 minutes, rotating halfway through. Remove from the oven and place pieces of chocolate and marshmallows on top. Put the cookies back in the oven for another 4 minutes, rotating halfway through. Allow the cookies to cool on the sheets and then transfer to a wire rack and store in an airtight container. Makes 4 dozen.

Salted Chewy Brownies

2011-02-22T00:00:00.000-08:00

Have I mentioned I like salt? Seriously, it is dangerous. Granted putting salt on desserts is the hip thing right now but it doesn't make it any less valuable! It simply proves how awesome it is. That is why I always use kosher salt in baking (except below) because you can actually taste it.

These were great. Chewy but not raw fudgy. Nor were they cakey and dry. They are great but so is everything that comes from The Test Kitchen. Ugh. This isn't related to brownies but if you watch Dawson's Creek, read on. Pacey Witter is love. Joey and him should get married and have lots of babies. And Dawson should go jump off a cliff. Season four better turn things around.

Salted Chewy Brownies

Adapted from America's Test Kitchen Magazine March & April 2010

1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa
2 tsp instant coffee
heaping 1/2 cup boiling water
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, very finely chopped
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp canola oil
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp table salt*
1 1/2 cup milk chocolate, roughly chopped
1 cup pecans, toasted and roughly chopped (optional)
1 tsp fleur de sel

Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 350º. Line a 9" x 13" baking pan with foil with an overhang so the brownies can be lifted from the pan. Coat with non-stick spray. Whisk cocoa, instant coffee and boiling water together in a large bowl until smooth. Add the unsweetened chocolate and whisk until chocolate is melted. Whisk in butter and oil. (Mixture may look curdled.) Add eggs, yolks and vanilla and continue to whisk until smooth and combined. Whisk in sugar until fully incorporated. Add flour and salt and mix in with a rubber spatula until combined. Fold in chocolate and pecans (if using). Scrape batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle the fleur de sel over top. Use all of it, if not more than 1 tsp. Bake until toothpick inserted halfway between the edge and center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 30 to 35 minutes. ** Transfer pan to wire rack and cool 1 1/2 hours. *** Using foil overhang, life brownies from pan. Return to wire rack and let cool completely, about an hour. Cut into 2-inch squares and serve.

* It killed me not to use kosher and I don't think the table salt made a difference. Kosher would work as well.

** My brownies were finished after 28 minutes.

*** If the brownies were baked in a glass pan, remove them from the pan after 10 minutes and allow them to cool completely on a wire rack. Glass pans with continue to cook the brownies if they stay in the pan.

Red Velvet Cake

2011-02-17T00:00:00.000-08:00

Guess what I made? Certainly not a particular cake that is the colour of love. Not a cake that is associated with a certain holiday dedicated to lurv. Okay, I did. Red velvet cake can not be denied right now. As I said, it is love time.

I have made red velvet cake before but thought I would try out a different recipe. This recipe from smitten kitchen uses a lot of cocoa powder in terms of red velvet cake. It actually made the cocoa have a purpose and taste in the cake but still kept that tangy flavour that red velvet cake is known for. It's a very moist and a deep red cake. Perfect for lovin'.

Red Velvet Cake

From smitten kitchen

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 1/2 cups cake flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa (not Dutch process)
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 cups canola oil
2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) red food coloring or 1 teaspoon red gel food coloring dissolved in 6 tablespoons of water
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place teaspoon of butter in each of 3 round 9-inch layer cake pans and place pans in oven for a few minutes until butter melts. Remove pans from oven, brush interior bottom and sides of each with butter and line bottoms with parchment. Whisk cake flour, cocoa and salt in a bowl. Place oil and sugar in bowl of an electric mixer and beat at medium speed until well-blended. Beat in eggs one at a time. With machine on low, very slowly add red food coloring. (Take care: it may splash.) Add vanilla. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk in two batches. Scrape down bowl and beat just long enough to combine. Place baking soda in a small dish, stir in vinegar and add to batter with machine running. Beat for 10 seconds. Divide batter among pans, place in oven and bake until a cake tester comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool in pans 20 minutes. Then remove from pans, flip layers over and peel off parchment. Cool completely before frosting. Makes 3 9" cake layers*

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces cream cheese

2/3 cup butter

1/4 tsp vanilla

3 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted

In a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter together until it is creamy and fluffy. Stir in the vanilla. Slowly add the confectioner's sugar in 1/2 cup portions. Beat until combined. Frost the cooled cakes.

* I opted to make a smaller cake and it made 3 6" cake layers and about 12 cupcakes. The cake layers had to bake for about 30 to 35 minutes and the cupcakes were only about 20 minutes.