Tag Archives: bake

Strawberry Cake

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I love strawberries and some of my favorite baked goods use them. I have shared just a few of my favorite ways to enjoy strawberries here, but this is a new one. It’s simple and perfect for any occasion – like today is Thursday…I needed cake! This smells amazing while baking, and the vanilla sugar makes a difference! The finished cake is beautifully light, fruity and floral (thanks to the vanilla sugar). The raw sugar sprinkled on top before baking, became caramelized and crunchy. I like the strawberries arranged on top, it’s simple but elegant and girly! It’s a perfect spring time treat and great for sharing if you’re feeling generous 😉 I’m sure I will make this many more times this strawberry season.

I also have a unique way of hulling strawberries to show you. I saw this technique on Good Eats, where AB uses a large star tip for cutting and extracting the hulls of strawberries. AB is not a fan of “unitaskers” and a strawberry huller is just that. I thought it was pretty clever, and thankfully I had one that worked perfectly. ( ‘scuse the camera phone pictures).

Carefully twist the leaves off the top of your strawberries.

Gently twist the star tip into the center of the stem end of the strawberry, making sure to go as deep into the berry as the tip will allow.

Gently pull out the tip and your strawberry will have a nice hole in the center where the hull used to be. See? So easy – now make this!  Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Strawberry Cake – adapted from Martha Stewart

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pie plate
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup sugar (*I used vanilla sugar)
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 pound strawberries, hulled and halved
  • 2 tablespoons raw or sanding sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10-inch pie plate. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl.

Put butter and 1 cup sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low; mix in egg, milk, and vanilla.

Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture. Transfer batter to buttered pie plate. Arrange strawberries on top of batter, cut sides down and as close together as possible. Sprinkle raw/sanding sugar over berries.

Bake cake 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Bake until cake is golden brown and firm to the touch, about 1 hour. Let cool in pie plate on a wire rack. Cut into wedges. Cake can be stored at room temperature, loosely covered, up to 2 days.

Sam’s Club/Costco Knock-Off Jumbo Muffins

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You know those giant chocolate muffins with chocolate chips from the club stores? Well, these are so similar to those it’s a little scary! The only difference is that these much less dense and a whole lot cheaper to make at home. I used to make this recipe in the recommended bundt pan years ago. I haven’t thought of it until recently when my big sister told me about it. She blogged the recipe here, and I remembered where I first saw it. Years ago I used Allrecipes all the time, but now there are so many options out there, but my most recent discovery is Pinterest. It is so easy to find new recipes that I might never find via Tastespotting.com. Anyway, I don’t normally use boxed cake mixes anymore, or the instant pudding mix but this recipe makes for a super easy, moist and chocolaty cake. I’m sending M to work with several of these so I don’t eat them all!;) (Oh – I made the muffin papers from parchment squares, it’s really easy to do.) Thanks for reading, enjoy!


Chocolate Muffins –  adapted from Allrecipes.com

makes 12 jumbo muffins, or 24 regular sized muffins

  • 1 (18.25 ounce) package devil’s food cake mix
  • 1 (3.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 cup warm water
  • 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Directions –

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).In a large bowl, mix together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, beaten eggs and water. Stir in the chocolate chips and pour into muffin tins (3/4 fill for jumbo, 2/3 for regular sized). Bake for 20-25 minutes for jumbo, or 15-20 minutes for regular sized muffins – or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool in muffin tin for 3-5 minutes, then take them out of the tin and cool on a wire rack.

Two Minutes to Chocolate Fix

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Quick Post: I doubled the recipe for my chocoholic husband and I. It was quick which was what we both needed. The texture is different from other cakes or brownies I have had before, but I think that is because there is no egg added to this. The night after we tried these, I made a mug cake with eggs to see the difference – but that will be a different post! 😉 These were okay, certainly not as good as these or these, but for a quick fix it meets the requirements. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Two-Minute Mug Brownie – adapted from Babble

  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
  • Pinch salt
  • 2 Tbsp canola or other mild vegetable oil
  • 2 Tbsp milk, coffee or water

Directions –

In a heatproof mug or ramekin, stir together the dry ingredients until no lumps remain. Stir in the oil and milk until you have a thick paste.

Microwave on high for a minute, checking it after 30 seconds (microwaves vary) – it will be done when it’s springy on top but still a bit gooey – like the very best brownie. Eat warm.

Garlic Bread Pizza

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Quick Post: I found this on Pinterest the other day and knew that this would be on the menu this week! We finished the whole pizza 🙂 Next time I will have to double the recipe to make sure there are leftovers. I love the texture of the crust because the butter made it slightly toasty and pleasantly crisp. I will make this again, but I will plan ahead next time to let this dough age in the fridge for a few hours to give the dried herbs and garlic powder time to meld and flavor the dough. Thanks for reading, enjoy!


Garlic Bread Pizza Crust – adapted from How Sweet Eats

  • 1 1/8 cups warm water (100-105 degrees)
  • 3 teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 garlic cloves, pressed or very finely minced
  • 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese

In a large bowl, combine water, yeast, honey and olive oil. Mix with a spoon, then let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add in 2 1/2 cups flour, salt, garlic powder and dried basil, stirring with a spoon until the dough comes together but it still sticky. Using your hands, form the dough into a ball and work the additional 1/2 cup flour (you don’t need to use all if it is not needed) in to the dough, kneading it on a floured surface for a few minutes. Rub the same bowl with olive oil then place the dough inside, turning to coat. Cover with a towel and place in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour.

Once the dough has finished rising, roll it out and finish with your favorite pizza toppings. I used pepperoni, fresh mozzarella, Pecorino Romano and parmesan cheese.  Spoon the garlic butter over the edges of the dough. I baked the pizza off in a 475 degree oven for 10 minutes on top of my pizza stone.

Insane, Triple Layer Brownies

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(Sorry for the bad picture, but you get the idea)

These are known over the internet as “Slutty Brownies”, and as hilarious as that name is, I can’t in good conscience title this post with that name. When I came across it last week, I just had to laugh and then find out why someone would name something so decadent after an insult. Apparently they’re called this because: “…because they’re oh so easy, and more than a little bit filthy.” (The Londoner) If you can get past the name to try these, you should – because no one likes to choose between cookies or brownies, right? 😉

Because I like to make things from scratch as much as possible, I decided to go with this version of the recipe. The original one is boxed mixes and refrigerated cookie dough. So, maybe this version isn’t “slutty” at all! I’ve redeemed you, brownies! 😉 However, they’re still pretty bad for you – eh, go for a run afterwards. Besides, holiday calories don’t count and this is a special dessert for my sweet-toothed hubby.

Verdict: These taste about at good as you might imagine – rich, sweet and chocolaty. Vanilla ice cream is a must to cut through the richness of these crazy brownies! M really enjoyed these and I’m sure he’ll request them again in the future. With all the butter and sugar amounts in this, I certainly wont make these more than twice a year at best, but we will see if I am able to get away with that! 😉 I passed some of these out to our lucky neighbors and thankfully, they don’t seem to mind too much. Before I make these again, I will have to invest in a 9×9 baking pan. These were super thick because I only have 8×8 pans in my kitchen, and that extra space would have helped. The leftover cookie dough will probably become some deep dish cookies – another one of our favorites. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

 

Slutty Brownies – adapted from Handle the Heat

Brownie layer:

  • 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Oreo layer:

  • 16 double-stuffed Oreo cookies

Cookie layer:

  • 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate cips

For the brownie layer:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9×9-inch pan with tin foil then spray foil with non-stick cooking spray.

In a medium saucepan melt the butter. Remove from heat and add the sugar and cocoa powder, whisking to combine. Add salt, vanilla, and eggs. Whisk until combined. Add flour, mixing until just combined. Set aside.

For the cookie layer:
In the bowl of an electric mixer beat the butter and sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla, beating until combined. Add flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda and mix on low until incorporated. Fold in chocolate chips. Set aside.

To assemble:
Press half of the cookie dough mixture into prepared pan in an even layer. Reserve remaining cookie dough for another use (store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months).

Layer Oreo cookies into one even layer on top of cookie dough, pressing in slightly.

Pour all of the brownie batter on top of Oreo layer and spread evenly with a spatula. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a knife comes out mostly clean when inserted into the middle of brownies. Serve warm (will be messy) or let cool completely and cut into 16 bars.

Buffalo Wings

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I have never made wings before, so what better time to make them than for Super Bowl Sunday?? It wasn’t the easiest task to prep the wings, but now that I know where to cut it should be much easier next time. I like this method of cooking the wings, because I’m not a big fan of frying – I enjoy eating fried foods, just not being the one responsible for not burning the house down 😉 The steaming renders off a good amount of fat so that when they roast in the oven, there is far less steam and mess to deal with later. It’s actually slightly healthier, too – especially when compared to deep frying. We will soon see if the extra effort and my cautious nature pays off. I have a new 5 quart stainless steel pot that has a steamer insert in it and was able to cook the wings in two small batches. The insert in so much easier to clean than those small, collapsible steamer baskets.

Verdict: These were so good, I wished I bought the party pack! I used Frank’s Red Hot, which has the perfect combination of flavor and heat and the minced garlic gives it a little something extra. These aren’t difficult to prepare, and the only part I didn’t like about making them is dividing the wings. However, after tasting these I would make these again – they’re perfectly moist, tender, juicy and flavorful. The only thing that’s missing is the super crispy skin you get when you fry them. I’m so glad when a little extra effort goes a long way in flavor. Oh, I made a blue cheese dip for these too. It couldn’t be easier! I’ll post that below the wing recipe. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Buffalo Wings – adapted from Alton Brown

  • 12 whole chicken wings
  • 3 ounces unsalted butter
  • 1 small clove garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup hot sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Directions:

Place a 6-quart saucepan with a steamer basket and 1-inch of water in the bottom, over high heat, cover and bring to a boil.

Remove the tips of the wings and discard or save for making stock. Using kitchen shears, or a knife, separate the wings at the joint. Place the wings into the steamer basket, cover, reduce the heat to medium and steam for 10 minutes. Remove the wings from the basket and carefully pat dry. Lay the wings out on a cooling rack set in a half sheet pan lined with paper towels and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Replace the paper towels with parchment paper. Roast on the middle rack of the oven for 20 minutes. Turn the wings over and cook another 20 minutes or until meat is cooked through and the skin is golden brown.

While the chicken is roasting, melt the butter in a small bowl along with the garlic. Pour this along with hot sauce and salt into a bowl large enough to hold all of the chicken and stir to combine.

Remove the wings from the oven and transfer to the bowl and toss with the sauce. Serve warm.

Super Easy Blue Cheese Dip –

  • crumbled blue cheese – as much or as little as you want
  • mayonnaise
  • sour cream
  • fresh cracked pepper

It couldn’t be easier – just add the amounts that you prefer. For about one cup of dip, I use at least 1/4 cup of crumbled blue cheese, 1/2 a cup of sour cream and 2 – 4 TBSP of mayonnaise, and lots of pepper to taste.

Challah Bread

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I have had this recipe bookmarked for far too long. It took my sisters FB post to remind me of the Challah bread that I never got around to making. This was something I never thought I’d get the guts to make years ago – it looked so difficult to me for some reason. I found a YouTube video that demonstrates how to properly braid the Challah and that was super helpful. While baking, the top braid started to tip over, but thankfully it never fell off. Next time I make it, I’ll make sure that the base is even and maybe even a little wider so this wont happen next time. The amount of dough this makes doesn’t seem like it would be enough to make such a large-looking braid and the bread bakes up surprisingly light and airy. This is a slightly healthier version of a traditional Challah bread recipe. I didn’t mean to choose a healthier version, and I wont tell M this bit of information 😉 I decided to use  grapeseed oil instead of the recommended olive oil, which replaced all the butter in the original version. I don’t think I have ever had Challah bread before, so I have nothing to compare it to, so maybe next time I will make the butter version. This loaf is destined to be french toast,  and I wont feel bad if I add a little butter to the pieces later;) Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Challah Bread – adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride

  • 1/2 cup warm water
  • 3 cups AP flour
  • 1 pkg instant yeast
  • 2 eggs and one egg yolk
  • 2 TBSP raw sugar
  • 1 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
  • 4 TBSP grapeseed oil
  • 1 egg and 1 TSBP of water for the egg wash

Directions –

Place all ingredients in the bowl of your standing mixer. Mix with the paddle attachment until combined, then switch to the dough hook. Knead for 5 to 7 minutes or until the dough is smooth, elastic and slightly tacky. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let proof until doubled in size – about an hour. Gently punch down the dough, cover and let it rise for another 45 minutes.

Cut off 1/3 of the dough (my digital scale takes all the guess work out, but if you’re more daring, you can eye-ball it). Divide the remaining dough into three equal pieces then roll out into 16 inch long strips. Braid.

Take the remaining ball of dough and divide it into three equal pieces and make a second braid. Set the smaller braid on top of the larger braid and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let it proof for 30 minutes and preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Lightly brush the top of the loaf with the egg wash and bake it for 30 minutes or until dark brown. Cool completely on a wire rack – at least 2 hours. Enjoy!

Banana Bread, Revisited!

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This one is hands down, M’s most requested bread. I have been making it for some time now, but there is just way too much sugar and butter for my liking. He hasn’t noticed that I have cut the sugar in half the last two times I have made it! Score for me 🙂 This time  I used less butter and sugar, more bananas and went with the addition of toasted walnuts. These were all really great modifications and I’m glad I wrote them down, because from now on, this is how he’ll get his banana bread! Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Banana Bread – heavily adapted from Crust and Crumb

  • 8 ounces flour (1 3/4 cup)
  • 1/2 TBSP baking powder
  • 1  tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 6 TBSP butter, room temp
  • 8 ounces sugar (6 ounces brown, 2 ounces white)
  • 2 large eggs, room temp
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 11-12 ounces very ripe banana (about three medium), mashed
  • 3/4 cup lightly toasted, coarsely chopped walnuts
Directions –

1. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

2. Using a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or using a hand mixer, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy – about 2 minutes.

3. Mix in eggs one at a time, incorporating each egg before adding the next. Mix in vanilla and continue beating for 2 to 3 minutes until light and fluffy.

4. Mix in 1/3 of the dry ingredients, then 1/3 of the buttermilk, then 1/3 of the mashed bananas. Continue in this manner until all the ingredients are incorporated and the batter is smooth. Stir in walnuts.

5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease one 9×5 loaf pan. Bake for 45 minutes then reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees. Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until baked through. The safest way of knowing if it is finished is to test them with a probe thermometer. The internal temperature should be 180 – 185 degrees.

6. Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out on a rack to cool for at least one hour before slicing.

Honey Oat Bread

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I love bread! This one is a little sweet, buttery, moist and delicious. It makes perfect toast because all that buttery, sweet, oaty-ness is turned up. The recipe is for a pullman pan, but offers the conversion for a large, 9×5 loaf pan. It just takes longer to bake, about 40 minutes. Be sure to check its temperature before de-panning. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Honey Oat Bread – adapted from King Arthur Flour

  • 3 cups AP flour
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
  • 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick oats)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 4 tablespoons melted butter
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 1 cup to 1 cup + 2 tablespoons lukewarm water*
  • *Use the smaller amount in the summer, or in a humid climate; the larger in winter, or in a drier climate.

1) Combine all of the ingredients, and mix until cohesive. Cover the bowl, and let the dough rest for 20 minutes, to give the oats a chance to absorb some of the liquid. Then knead — by hand, stand mixer, or bread machine — to make a smooth, soft, elastic dough.

2) Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, or in an 8-cup measure (so you can track its progress as it rises), and let it rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until it’s risen noticeably. It won’t necessarily double in bulk.

3) Gently deflate the dough, and shape it to fit into a 9×5 loaf pan. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and let rise until the loaf crests over the pan by one inch. Preheat your oven to 350 during the last 15 to 20 minutes of the rise time.

4) Remove the plastic and place in the center of the oven, bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in the center registers at least 190 degrees F.

7) Remove the bread from the oven, and turn it out of the pan onto a rack. Run a stick of butter over the top, if desired; this will yield a soft, buttery crust. Cool completely before cutting; wrap airtight and store for several days at room temperature.

Yield: 1 standard loaf.

Triple.Chocolate.Cookie.CAKE.

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My husband wont believe this when he sees it. I picked the most decadent cookie recipe I could find without his input! 😉 Yesterday, I cleaned up my pantries – big time! So, now it’s all pretty and organized; and I made sure that he got a peek before it became a mess again. He noticed that I had lots of chocolate chips that needed to be used up…so today I gave in to the peer pressure! It didn’t help that Publix had a decent sale on ice cream, either 😉 Milk and cookies is great, but cookies and ice cream? Forget about it!

This is obviously a great idea for a party or an excuse to have the neighbors over to help you eat it. We enjoy having friends over and food is always involved. I love that I’m comfortable with it, because years ago I had anxiety over the very idea of “entertaining” guests. I felt a lot of pressure while cleaning, and cooking – I wanted to impress everyone. I’m over that now, thankfully and I have become much more confident in my cooking and baking.  I know it’s good, my family agrees and all my friends do – all those people wouldn’t lie to me 😉

This was so good, and anytime I showed someone the picture on my phone – they swoon! 😉 It was perfect with the vanilla ice cream on top and if you’re feeling extra dangerous, you can add our favorite homemade hot fudge sauce over top! Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Triple Chocolate Cookie Cake – adapted from Food Network

  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 2/3 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
  • 2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 2/3 cup white chocolate chips

Special equipment – 12 to 14 inch round baking dish

Directions –

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars. Add the eggs, beating well after the addition of each.

In a bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix with a whisk. Add to the butter mixture, mixing to incorporate, and add the vanilla extract. Fold in the chocolate chips. Spread across the bottom of the prepared pan and bake until the edges are golden and the cookie is set but the center is still slightly soft, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.