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GINGERBREAD

12/18/2020

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Not a big gingerbread fan? You should try this one! This tender, aromatic old-fashioned gingerbread cake is mild enough for children and people who don't love spicy. You'll love the lovely molasses flavor base and warm hints of ginger, cinnamon and a touch of clove. Feel free to play with the flavors and add your favorites if you like.

Designed as a 9x9 cake, we made this in a special gingerperson tin this year. You can make as a standard cake, as muffins, or in fun shapes as we did. This recipe, very slightly adapted from one by Once Upon a Chef, serves 16. The cake keeps for 4 or 5 days on the counter. Serve with a sprinkle of powdered sugar, whipped cream or ice cream for a fancier dessert. 

We made this cake in the stand mixer with SideSwipe (naturally!), but it can made with a hand mixer or even by hand. We liked the mixer because it allowed us to get a smoother mix.

ingredients

  • 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off with back edge of knife
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 2/3 cup mild-flavored molasses, such as Grandma's Original (not Robust or Blackstrap)
  • 2/3 cup boiling water
  • 1 large egg
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directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-in square pan with nonstick cooking spray with flour. (Alternatively, grease the pan with butter and lightly coat with flour.)
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon and cloves. Set aside.
  3. In your stand mixer fitted with SideSwipe or a large bowl:  beat or whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, molasses, and boiling water. When the mixture is lukewarm, whisk in the egg. (Do not put egg in the hot mixture, as it will cook)
  4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined and there are no more lumps.
  5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 35 minutes, or until the edges look dark and the middle feels firm to the touch. Set the pan on a rack to cool slightly, then cut into 16 squares and serve. This cake is best served warm out of the oven or reheated. 

ALTERNATE SHAPES: You can also make this recipe as muffins. Lower baking time to around 18 minutes. We made our gingerbread people cakes in a shallow shaped tin (about 1 inch deep). We filled the cavities about 2/3 full then baked for 12 minutes. Allow to cool completely before removing from a shaped tin. And take your time - it can be a little tricky getting them out!

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Chocolate cupcakes

12/7/2020

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Who says holiday baking is all about cookies? We had a hankering for some chocolate cupcakes, so searched for a new recipe to try. We typically go for a devil's food cake because it is more moist than most from-scratch chocolate cakes. But we are always on the lookout for a cake with real chocolatey flavor. And we found it!!

This recipe, very slightly adapted from Stefani at Cupcake Project, really does yield The Best Chocolate Cupcakes we've ever eaten. We topped it with their Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting and found that combo to be a chocoholic's dream.

These cupcakes are tender, moist and densely chocolate. They're even moist and tender several days later, not dry and ashy as chocolate cupcakes can sometimes be. Not that these little beauties will be around that long. 

This makes 16 standard size cupcakes. 
NutritionCalories: 218kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 121mg | Potassium: 76mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 180IU | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg
​#cupcakeproject


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ingredients

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder (natural or Dutched will both work with this recipe)
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 ounces chocolate - You can use any plain chocolate that you like except white chocolate or candy melts. The chocolate doesn't have to be one typically earmarked for baking. We used semi-sweet baking chips.
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 2 large egg yolks, room temperature
  • 9 tablespoons vegetable oil ( This is the same as 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon - measure in a liquid measuring cup)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup full-fat sour cream or yogurt, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup coffee or water, room temperature ( be sure to measure in a liquid measuring cup)

directions

  • Preheat oven to 350 F.
  • Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, and cocoa powder into a separate medium-sized bowl. Use a fork or a whisk to ensure that the ingredients are mixed well after sifting. Set aside.
  • Melt the chocolate in the microwave or in a double boiler. Set aside to cool.
  • In your stand mixer, mix butter and sugar until fully combined. The end result should look like wet sand.
  • Once the melted chocolate is cool enough to touch, add it to the butter/sugar mixture and mix until just combined.
  • Mix in eggs and egg yolks one at a time until just combined.
  • Mix in oil, vanilla, and sour cream until just combined.
  • Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in three additions, mixing until just combined after each addition.
  • Mix in water until just combined.
  • Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and put in the oven.
  • Check for doneness at 17 minutes - a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake should come out clean. If they are not done, check again every minute until they are done. We found they were perfect at exactly 18 minutes.
  • Immediately remove cupcakes from the cupcake tin and place on a cooling rack or on the counter to cool to room temperature. Although they are really good when they are hot, be sure to wait until they are room temperature to give your evaluation.

notes

  • COFFEE. If you would like to add coffee to the recipe, either add 1 teaspoon espresso powder or instant coffee granules along with the sifted dry ingredients, or replace the water with room temperature brewed coffee.
  • Using different cocoa powders will alter the taste of the cupcakes. We used a combination of Dutch-processed and natural cocoas that you can find at the grocery store. Feel free to substitute any cocoa powder you like and to experiment with fancier brands of cocoa.
  • If you don’t have sour cream in the house,  yogurt works perfectly as a substitute for sour cream.
  • For making these cupcakes, use any mild vegetable oil.
    • Neutral options like canola, vegetable or safflower oil will not affect the taste of the cupcakes. You can experiment with using non-neutral oils and try baking these cupcakes with pistachio oil, for example, to get a totally different taste.
  • You can make this recipe as an 8-9-inch cake. You will need to increase the baking time to about 25-35 minutes.

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classic spritz cookies

12/2/2020

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This classic holiday cookie is buttery and just about melts in your mouth. We piped our cookies (it takes a little muscle!), but you can use a cookie press like your mom or grandma used to use every holiday season.

Spritz cookies are super versatile. Color the dough. Flavor the dough. Decorate with sprinkles. Dip in chocolate. Do whatever makes you happy. We made these with dough in its most naked form with just a little vanilla to resemble those Danish cookies you can buy everywhere this time of year. But you do you!!

This recipe makes 4 dozen cookies, depending on how hard you press. We didn't count as we ate a bunch of the "ugly" ones. You'll probably end up with more!

These are a great choice if you want to ship a gift to someone, as they are still tasty after a week if you keep them tightly sealed. To extend their life, you can also store in the fridge for an extra few days or the freezer for up to a month.
 

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ingredients and tools

  • 1 cup butter, softened to room temperature
  • 1 egg, room temperature
  • 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup white sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3-4 drops liquid or pea size gel food coloring (optional)
  • sprinkles, chocolate for dipping or creating a sandwich cookie (optional)
  • cookie press and disks or piping bag and tips
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directions

  1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
  2. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone liners.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour with salt and baking powder. Set aside.
  4. In your stand mixer, fitted with SideSwipe or flat beater: cream together softened butter and sugar on medium speed until well combined and fluffy. 
  5. Add egg and vanilla. Mix on medium speed until well incorporated.
  6. Add the dry ingredients all at once. Mix on lowest speed until moistened. Then increase mixer speed to medium-low just until combined.
  7. Add optional food color. Mix on low until color is distributed throughout the dough.
  8. Load into cookie press fitted with the disk of your choice.
  9. Push dough through the cookie press onto lined cookie sheets. It takes a little practice to master the perfect technique. See NOTE below for tips on using a cookie press.
  10. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 8-10 minutes or until very light brown and set.
  11. If dipping in chocolate: In a deep, narrow bowl, microwave chocolate/melting wafers in 30 second intervals, stirring until smooth. You can also use a double boiler on your stove, as we did, which we like better for controlling the heat.
  12. Dip half of each cookie in melted chocolate and transfer to parchment or wax paper to set.
  13. Store in an airtight container for up to one week.

NOTE:  Remember that the cookies will stick to the paper/silicone liner, so you should hold the press vertically, touch the rim to the pan, press quickly and then lift vertically for the best shape. You can place them fairly close together - about 1-2 inches between - as they do not expand very much.
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Italian Ricotta Pear Cake

11/9/2020

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Pears are often overlooked in the fall, in favor of their more flashy cousins, the apples. But they are a delicious fruit for eating and a lovely addition to baked goods, as well.

This Italian Ricotta Pear Cake, adapted from a recipe by Rosemary Malloy of An Italian in My Kitchen, is a tender, not-too-sweet cake that's perfect with tea or coffee for a snack, dessert or even with breakfast or brunch. It's the perfect fall cake to celebrate the subtle flavor of pears at the peak.

We made this cake several times with ricotta, which we often have on hand. The original recipe calls for mascarpone, which is sometimes more difficult to find, but would be just as delicious. 

​The cake will keep for several days on the counter, if it lasts that long! We haven't tried freezing it, but it should be able to be frozen for up to a month if well wrapped and sealed.

ingredients

  • 1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup + 1- 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1- 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar - plus 2 Tablespoons to sprinkle over cake
  • 3 large eggs (room temperature)
  • 1 cup mascarpone or ricotta cheese (room temperature)
  • 2- 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 pears (room temperature) (ripe but firm)
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directions

  • Set out cold ingredients 30-45 minutes before baking so they reach room temperature.
  • Pre-heat oven to 340° (170° celsius). Lightly grease and flour a 9" (23 1/2 centimeter) cake pan or spring-form pan
  • Clean and peel the pears, one pear chop into medium-sized cubes and the other pear thin slices, set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, corn starch, baking powder and baking soda.
  • In your stand mixer fitted with SideSwipe or a flat beater: At medium speed, beat sugar and mascarpone/ricotta until well combined and smooth. Add eggs and continue beating until creamy. 
  • On your mixer's lowest speed, add the flour mixture into the creamed mixture until just combined. Some flour streaks are ok. Add oil and stir again on lowest speed until just combined. Remove bowl from mixer and scrape down the beater.
  • Fold in the medium-sized cubed pear. Spoon into prepared cake pan.
  • Top with sliced pears. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons (40 grams) sugar (granulated).
  • Bake approximately 45 - 60 minutes, or until the center springs back lightly when you touch it or the toothpick comes out clean. The edges will begin to brown early. You can cover the sides of the pan with a little foil if you want to reduce the browning.  Enjoy!
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Calories: 387kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 89mg | Sodium: 114mg | Potassium: 250mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 495IU | Vitamin C: 1.9mg | Calcium: 121mg | Iron: 1.6mg
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