There was some beach time, pool time, dog time, and doggy in the pool time. She’s kind of a princess. If she wants to go swimming, she goes swimming!

There was also a lot of food time! I started off Saturday at 5am… I worked in a commercial pastry kitchen for the first time! I was so excited I couldn’t sleep and was up at 3:45 am anxious for my alarm to go off 30 minutes later. It was pretty dark driving to work, and there was no coffee options at that hour (and I don’t like brewing a pot for just myself and letting it get cold by the time my family gets up). Thank heavens I keep instant coffee for baking around, not the tastiest, but affective.

I have to say I was really blown away by being in a real kitchen during a shift. It smelt so good!! When I walked in at 5 am croissants were already on cooling racks and scones were coming out of the oven. My duties consisted of packaging baked goods for the farmers market, then moved on to bread puddings, cutting and packaging marshmallows (hands down the messiest job around – and probably why it was assigned to the new girl) and finished the day rolling miniature tart shells. I got to use the really cool machine that is like a giant pasta roller, but for pastry dough that Meryl Streep has in that movie where she owns a bakery. I felt like I check something off my bucket list when the girl in charge walked me over and showed me how to use it! That roller moves a lot faster than you expect… pastry dough almost flew off that conveyor belt the first time I turned the wheel! That would have been a fantastic first impression.

Oh… and I also helped scale out the chocolate chip cookie recipe… first step: 8 POUNDS of butter! You heard me correctly… 8 pounds. I had to repeat the amount back to confirm I didn’t hear something incorrectly. Just to put this into perspective, my chocolate chip cookie recipe that makes about 20 cookies uses ¼ pound of butter, this bakery uses 32 sticks of butter per batch!!

Watching all these chocolate chip cookies be created really made me want some of my own. But It’s Memorial Day weekend. It’s hot and I decided to make my sandwiches! You could use this method for any drop cookie recipe, like oatmeal or peanut butter would be really yummy!

Recipe

 Cookies

2 sticks butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

2 2/3 cup All-purpose flour

1 bag (11 oz.) milk chocolate chips

1 bag (11 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Vanilla malt ice cream

2 cups cream

1 cup milk

¾  cup sugar

2/3 cup malted milk

Pinch salt

1 teaspoon vanilla paste (or powder)

 Instructions

Cookies

• Start with the cookies: line 2 9 x 13 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper
• Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy with an electric mixer
• Add the eggs and vanilla and mix on medium high speed until very pale in color
• Add the dry ingredients and mix until the dough just starts to come together
• Using a spatula mix in the chocolate until evenly incorporated
• Divide the dough in two equal pieces and pat firmly into parchment lined pans (make sure it is an even layer)
• Let the cookies chill in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours
• Pre-heat oven to 350 ° F and bake for about 18 minutes or until the edges just start to brown. You do not want crispy cookies for this!
• Let cool completely

Ice Cream

• For the ice cream mix the cream, milk, sugar and salt together in a medium sauce pan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves.
• Add the malted milk and vanilla and take the mixture off of the heat and transfer to a bowl.
• Let the mixture cool to room temperature before covering with plastic and chilling the refrigerator.
• Pour ice cream into ice cream maker and freeze following manufacturer’s instructions

Assembly

• Flip both sheets of cookies so the top is down on a flat surface covered with saran wrap (this will make your life much easier later)
• Spread the ice cream onto the first layer of cookie
• Stack the second cookie (top side up) on top of ice cream
• Wrap the giant cookie sandwich in plastic wrap and place in freezer until solid.
• Cut the giant slab into 12 or 24 equal pieces and enjoy!

This whole not having a job at month’s end thing is really starting to hit me. Did I really just do that? Why yes, I did! I have been given a nice exit plan of about 4 weeks, and I have been trying so hard to stay involved and be worth my weight around the office and not let too many people know too far in advance that I’m leaving. Word is starting to get out and I have to say I have been pleasantly surprised with my co-workers’ reactions. First, I should probably disclose that I’m the Chairman’s daughter and when the chairman’s daughter resigns it has a chance of hurting company morale. Anyways, everyone that knows I’m leaving the company has been nothing but supportive and truly happy for me that I’m going to be doing what I love and I could not be more grateful for their kindness. It is making the transition much easier, although the lightening of my workload has left me bored and there are only so many articles I can read in one day….

It gives me a lot of time to think about all aspects of my life and I think I’m going to be do just fine. After all, the biggest fear I have about this life change is not being able to take full advantage of the USC football season tickets I was so proud to buy for myself that I now will have to travel 300 miles to use. And that whole how to avoid living in a dorm thing… it wasn’t for me when I was 18, I don’t think it will be when I’m 25 either.

This boredom also gives me time to read a lot of recipes and research things I’ve been wanting to try… like coconut oil. I bought a jar a while back and have been wanting to use it but didn’t have any ideas. I starting researching and found that you can basically replace butter in any recipe with it so I gave it a try last night with some blueberry muffins. This time of year my fridge fills up with berries and they seem to go bad quicker than we can eat them all so it seemed like the perfect way to test this mysterious coconut oil in my pantry.

My big discovery from this experiment is that these make the house smell really good. Right out of the oven they had a really strong blueberry and cinnamon smell, but after they cooled and the next morning the coconut became more prominent. Also, the batter was extremely dry and I ended up adding more liquid than usual to the batter, I have a feeling it is because I used 2/3 whole wheat white flour and 1/3 regular flour and it was not because of the coconut oil/ butter exchange. I think the added liquids also might be why the muffins came out with really pretty tall domed tops and later fell (But it was probably because of too much leavening).

I’ll revisit coconut oil again with a control batch… maybe my classic chocolate chip cookies. Just to see if it was the whole wheat flour making things to dry creating the need for extra liquids or not.  These muffins are worth a try in the meantime… they’re actually really good… I just want some answers to my chemistry question.

Recipe

Muffin

1/2 cup Coconut Oil

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon almond extract (or vanilla, or both)

1 cup whole wheat white flour

1/2 cup all purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 cup buttermilk (or more if too dry)

1 pint of blueberries

Crumb topping

1 stick butter, Melted

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

• Preheat over the 350°F and line a muffin tin with paper cups
• Mix the flours, baking powder, baking sod and salt together. (The recipe has less leavening than I used so this should be correct)
• Beat the coconut oil and sugar together, add the eggs and extract.
• Add half of the flour and mix lightly
• Add the buttermilk mix until everything is incorporated and add the last amount of dry ingredients. If it looks more like cookie dough than cake batter now is the time to add more buttermilk, or milk or water (which ever you prefer) by the tablespoon.
• Carefully incorporate the blueberries. IF you have been using an electric mixer i recommend switching to a spatula so the berries do not get smashed.
• Using an ice cream scoop evenly divide the batter between the muffin tins, you should have enough for 12 or a little extra.
• Next make the crumb topping, mix all the ingredients together with your fingers to gent a nice crumb. If the topping looks too much like wet sand add a little extra flour until it feels drier, but you can still create a ball that stays together out of the dough.
• Sprinkle the crumb topping over the muffins and place in the oven
• Bake for about 20 – 30 minutes depending on the size of your muffins.

Filed under: Cakes Tagged: blueberry, breakfast, brunch, Butter, Cake, cinnamon, coconut oil, coffee cake, muffin ]]> http://sarahfromscratch.com/2012/05/15/blueberry-muffins/feed/ 0 saritchka photo (11) photo 12 http://sarahfromscratch.com/2012/05/09/something-fantastic-from-scratch/ http://sarahfromscratch.com/2012/05/09/something-fantastic-from-scratch/#comments Wed, 09 May 2012 23:49:58 +0000 saritchka http://sarahfromscratch.com/?p=1870 Continue reading →]]> Today I did what any rational 20 something college graduate with a decent job and foot up on the corporate ladder at a prestigious marketing agency would do… I resigned. I thought I would cry (because that’s what I do in uncomfortable situations), I thought I would screw up the speech I had been rehearsing in my head for the past several weeks, I thought I would chicken out.

I have been struggling to find happiness in a job I spend 10-12 hours a day at for the past two years, and for the first time in a very long time something made me smile… an acceptance letter from the Culinary Institute of America.

I’m still a little in shock that in about 3 weeks I will not have a steady source of income (or a use for my degree from a top 25 university) and that I actually had the guts to leap off the cliff (probably because I’m still falling and don’t know yet if the deep warm Mediterranean ocean is at the bottom of the cliff like I hope) but I did it.

I received the acceptance letter the week before I took the GMAT (needless to say,studying became a lot harder) and as I was in my kitchen doing math drills while treats were in the oven I had an epiphany… in culinary school my homework would be baking! I called my mom and we both just starting laughing because we knew right then and there that studying for the GMAT was irrelevant to my future (I still took the test and the score can get me into a great business school if I ever chose – options to appease my father).

I’m going to have so much more time to bake a blog! This is going to be amazing…. Now to make up for lost time I have a fantastic recipe. It is inspired by the morning buns at Tartine in San Francisco. Basically it’s croissant dough, with cinnamon sugar and a hint of orange. I hate orange, with a passion. If people ask… i’m allergic (yes, i’m one of those people). So I created a peach version. Enjoy! My mom did…she ate 3 in one day!

Recipe (my own):

Croissant dough (this is a simpler version that does not use levain and poolish like the straight croissant dough in a previous post):

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• ½  cup sugar
• ½ cup warm water
• ½ cup milk
• 1 Tablespoons butter melted
• 1 package yeast
• 1 teaspoons vanilla
• 100 grams butter
• 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• All-purpose flour for rolling

Directions

• Pour the milk into a large mixing bowl. Add the yeast and mix
• Add the flour, salt, sugar, melted butter and vanilla. Mix again with your hands until all flour is incorporated (or use a stand mixer with a dough hook and deprive your arms of the fine sculpting they will get from lots of kneading) Let the dough rest for about 30 minutes.
• Transfer dough to a clear container and let the dough undergo its bulk rise/ fermentation in a warm 75- 80 ° F place for about 90 minutes
• Every 30 minutes give the dough a turn: dampen your hands (so the dough doesn’t stick) with warm water and gently pull dough up from the bottom of the bowl and fold onto the top a few times – this takes the place of kneading the dough.
• Transfer the dough to a large plastic bag, press to flatten in a rectangle and chill in the fridge for 2 to 3 hours (or freeze).

• While dough is chilling prepare the butter. Cut the cold butter into cubes and pound the cubes with a rolling pin until they come together into a sheet about 8” x 12”. While doing this incorporate the ½ cup of flour. You want the butter mass to be similar in consistency to the dough, and to be slightly pliable without getting to warm. Once you have your rectangle place on parchment paper and keep cool until ready to use.

• When you are ready to begin laminating take the dough out of the fridge and roll out into a rectangle about 12 “ x 20” on a very well floured surface.

• Work quickly to place the butter block in the center of the dough. Fold the right and left portions of the dough over the butter as if folding a letter.

• Immediately turn the dough 90 degrees and roll it again into a rectangle about 12” x 20”. Fold the dough over itself like a letter once more. (This is the first “turn”). Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, but not long enough for the butter to re-harden.

• Take the dough out and on a well floured surface turn the dough a second time; roll it out into a 12” x 20” and fold the dough over itself like a letter.
• Refrigerate for an hour and repeat the turning process again. But this time after you fold up the dough (you should have about 8” x 12” block about 2” thick) wrap in plastic wrap or parchment and freeze for about 1 to 2 hours. If you plan on baking them in the morning keep the dough in the freezer until just before you go to bed and transfer to the fridge for the night.
• Make the peach sugar by placing the freeze-dried peaches in the food processor and pulsing until a fine powder (it may help to add some of the sugar because of its abrasive nature).
• mix ground peaches with the rest of the sugar and cinnamon.
• Roll the croissant dough out to about a 18″ x 12″ rectangle on a very well floured surface.  Make sure you are constantly rotating the dough so it does not stick, or worse the butter breaks through the bottom or top layer and gets very sticky!
• Once the dough is rolled out to size pour melted butter over the dough and sprinkle with enough of the sugar mixture to make a thick paste like coating. (you want about half of the sugar mix left to coat the final baked buns)
• Roll the dough up into a log, like rolling cinnamon rolls and cut off the scraggly ends.
• Cut the remaining dough into 12 equal pieces.(you may want to put the log in the refrigerator to stiffen up a little to make slicing easier).
• Grease a regular-sized muffin tin.
• Cut the dough into 12 equal pieces and place in a the greased muffin pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temp for an hour or in the fridge to bake-off early in the morning.
• When ready to bake, preheat the over to 425°F and let the buns come to room temperature for 30 minutes if they have been in the fridge.
• Bake at 425°F for 10 minutes then reduce heat to 375°F and bake until golden brown. You make want to rotate the pan to keep the cooking even. 
• coat each bun with the remaining sugar (they should be buttery enough to stick, but enough a little extra butter only makes them better)

Another Beauty for Yeastspotting!

When I go visit my parents that are living in Hawaii, I always find new and interesting ways to incorporate pineapple into everything I’m making or eating. The Passover/ Easter holiday gave me a chance to go see my parents and BAKE! This pineapple crumb cake is a hybrid of all things my family loves, a sweet yeast dough, pineapple and irresistible crunchy sugary buttery crumb topping (with Macadamia nuts)!

This cake works for all the right reasons. The dough isn’t overly sweet like one from a cake batter with a high ratio of sugar to flour. The pineapple is sweet, but tart has the perfect brightness, and the topping… well its sugar and butter and represents everything that is right in the world.

As I was making this cake I realized that there’s a chance some people might be scared of this cake. I realized there is a reason why most pineapple upside cakes have perfect little canned pineapple rings… most people don’t know where to start when it comes to cutting a pineapple! My father is living proof. He swears by this “pineapple cutter” that he twists into the fruit and it mushes and mangles the thing to a pulp… literally. So here’s a quick tutorial on how to make the nice little slices that are perfect baking and even better for snacking on.

Step 1: Cut the ends off

Step 2: “Peel” the fruit with a sharp knife by cutting all of the skin off the fruit.

Step 3: Cut the pineapple into a half then quarters

Step 4: Remove the core. It’s my favorite part to snack on with baking and doesn’t break down during baking like the rest of the fruit.

Step 5: Slice it up!

Now lets talk cake! I make sweet yeast dough for cakes all the time and I use the same basic recipe that you can find here!

Recipe 

Cake dough:

3 cups all-purpose flour

½  cup sugar

½ cup warm water

½ cup milk

3 Tablespoons butter melted

1 package yeast

1 teaspoons vanilla

1 pineapple sliced

Streusel

1 ½ cups flour

3/4 cup brown sugar

6 Tablespoons butter, melted

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 cup macadamia nuts (optional, but highly recommended)

Directions:

To make cake:

• Mix flour and sugar together on a large mixing bowl
• Place warm water, warm milk and yeast in a small bowl and let proof 

• Pour yeast mixture into the flour and add the extract and butter. Mix together. I prefer to use my hands (t’s the way I learned to make it), but you can do this in a stand mixer with a dough hook

• Add more flour if needed to create a dough. You want it to spring back and not be too sticky

• If mixing by hand knead a few times on a floured surface (this is my favorite part) when you poke the dough it will spring back at you if it is ready.
• Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl in a warm, draft-free place to rise for about an hour, or until doubled in size

• Mix the flour, brown sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl.
• Add the butter and mix together into it is crumbly
• Add the macadamia nuts

To assemble:

• Roll the dough out into a rectangle the size of your pan (about 9″ x 13″) or just press it into the pan.
• Layer the pineapple on top of the dough. I like to take the slices right after chopping and keep them in their neat little row so I can simply spread them out.
• Lastly sprinkle the streusel over the pineapple, cover with plastic wrap and let rise for about 45 minutes while the oven heats to 375° F.

Bake the cake for about 45 minutes until the top is crunchy and brown and the cake is done. Slice and serve, it’s the perfect treat to go with some Kona Coffee!And check out other delicious yeast treats over at yeastspotting!

Hi blog! I’m back… I’ve missed you so much, and I am so glad I finally have time to share the most amazing coconut cupcakes with the world. I’m happy to report that my sister’s wedding was the past weekend and was a complete success! 5 weeks of planning, 40 bridesmaid dresses tried on, and one hilarious Rabbi later, my sister is now a Mrs. And I have time to bake again!

I love coconut! I know it’s not for everyone, but it’s for me. While I usually look down upon cupcakes, I find a towering coconut cake with mile high frosting and multiple layers a little daunting to eat. I feel really guilty cutting a slice… even a sliver is huge when the cake is stacked to the ceiling! So I busted out the cupcake pan.

These turned out awesome. The same day I made these, we had to taste cakes for my sister’s wedding and we all decided we liked the coconut cupcakes better than the professional options! 

Here she is chowing down. I know what you’re thinking… most brides to be are not eating tons of carbs and sugar, but sister is in her second trimester so she get to eat all she wants! The wedding was this past weekend and the night before I was so proud to call her my sister. Instead of fretting about fitting into her gown at her rehearsal dinner she polished off 2 plates of pate, french onion soup, a steak and 2 desserts including a family favorite… berry pie. It’s glorious. 

Moral of the story… both of us would prefer berry pie or coconut cupcakes over wedding cake.

Recipe

Coconut Cupcakes (my Own)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup oil

3/4 cups sugar, plus 1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 extract almond extract

1 1/2 cups cake flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 coconut milk

3/4 cup shredded coconut

4 egg whites

1/2 cup coconut shreds, toasted.

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350° F and line a muffin tin with paper liners. (I used a jumbo muffin size)
• in a large bowl combine oil, 3/4 cup sugar, and extracts. Beat with a mixer until it the sugar and oil come together.
• Add half of the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Mix until the batter barely starts to come together.
• Next add the coconut milk and incorporate
• Finish with the last of the flour, set aside.
• In a separate bowl (and with clean beaters) beat the egg whites on medium speed. Gradually add the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar slowing creating shinny white peaks. Do not over beat the egg whites!
• carefully fold the egg whites into the the batter one starting with one third of the eggs, and eventually folding the rest in. Add the coconut as well. You will have a very light fluffy batter if you do this right. 
• Using a large ice cream scoop, divide the batter among the lined muffin tins. fill each cup to be only about 2/3 – 3/4 of the way full.
  
• Place the cupcakes in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, or until a tooth pick comes out clean. Also it is a good idea to rotate the cupcakes about half way through to ensure even baking.
• Remove cupcakes from oven. While cupcakes are cooling make frosting.

Seven Minute Frosting (Martha Stewart)

Ingredients

3/4 cups sugar

1 tablespoons light corn syrup

3 large egg whites

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

It has been a crazy 2 weeks since my last post. I really don’t even know where to start. Maybe with the speeding ticket I got today. Or yesterday when I left my work laptop at home and had to drive 30 minutes back to my house to get it and then back to work… in the rain. What an amazing hour and a half!

Last week I worked at least 55 hours. I also found out the earlier Saturday my sister is getting married in less than a month and she desperately needs my mother and I to help with all the planning since she lives in Northern California and the wedding will be in Orange County. I created a wedding website. I compiled her whole guest list. I got her to a dress shop and found a dress on the first try! I think I’m in line for sainthood for the miracles that happened this past week!!!

Also, my boyfriend of 2 1/2 years and i are on a break as of 2 weeks ago…

And last but not least, I started a GMAT class (just because I wasn’t busy enough)! a 3 hour class + 20 hours of homework a week is kind of a full time job. What have I gotten myself into? This is going to be a fantastic 9 weeks! Please forgive me if I fall off the blogging radar.

At least I have carbs. They make life worth living, and thank heavens I still have time to eat them. Maybe I should stop… after all I have a bridesmaids dress to fit into in 3 weeks. But I made a fantastic sourdough recently. I ate more of it than I should of, but it’s awesome!! I have been swearing my the Tartine country loaf for the last year + and decided it was time to branch out.

I downloaded a Peter Rienhardt book on my iPad. It’s pretty interesting, mostly because he has more than 1 type of starter, or barm. That pretty much blew my mind. He swears by a firm starter for his sourdough, and now I do too. Not only, did this produce a more sour flavor than the tartine loaf, it is easier to work with because there is less water in the dough. The one thing that does bother me is the lack of consistency in the units of measure, so please forgive me if it annoys you as well.

I love how this bread turns out. It has an amazing flavor! a must try for any bread lover.

Ingredients

Firm Starter:

2 cups (9 ounces) bread flour

2 cups (16 ounces) sourdough starter

Dough

12.5 ounces firm starter (half of the batch)

3 cups (13.5 ounces) bread flour

1/2 tablespoon salt

3/4 teaspoon malt or sugar

1 cup water

Directions

If you do not have a starter, I talk all about mine over here. It is from the Tartine bread book and is very easy to start and maintain. Mine is a little over a year old!

• To make the firm starter, mix the starter you keep with the flour. add a little water if necessary to make it one cohesive mass.
• let rise for several hours, or overnight in a cool environment (I prefer over night to get a more sour flavor).
• To make the loaf, measure out the amount of firm starter, and mix with the water, flour, sugar and salt. I have been doing this my hand, but I think a kitchen aid with a dough hook should be used. Because the starter has such little moisture it is a bit harder to blend into the other ingredients. I love mixing doughs by hand (and my kitchen aid is kept in a very high cabinet so I only get it down when making marshmallows) but this could be an exception. I ended up turning it out onto my counter and kneading it a few times to get everything to come together.

• Next, lightly oil the vessel your dough will rise in, place the dough in there and cover with plastic wrap.
• Let rise at room temperature for several hours until it has doubled in size. 
• At this point you can either take it out and knead the dough, or you can just give it several turns within the bowl or tub it is rising in.
• Let it rise for an hour or two more. Once the dough has risen again, turn it out onto a floured work surface. Let the dough rest for about 30 minutes (this step helps the gluten develop and relax… don’t skip this!)
• Press the dough down with your fingertips, to create almost a rectangle. Then fold the dough up like a burrito – fold down the top 1/3 of the bread, followed by the sides and then fold the bottom remaining portion up over the other folds.
• Flip the dough seam side down and gently cup well floured hands underneath the dough.
• Start pulling the dough towards you slowly but firmly to create a tight skin on the outside.
• transfer the dough into a proofing basket that is generously dusted with rice flour. Cover with a dish towel and let rise for an hour.
• preheat the oven to 500° F with a dutch oven inside (including the lid) for at least 30 minutes.
• Take the dutch over out of the oven, and carefully flip the loaf into the pan. Cut a slit or two across the top of the loaf and cover the dutch oven with the lid and place it back inside the oven.
• Turn the oven down to 450° F and bake the loaf covered for 30 minutes.
• Remove the lid and continue baking for approximately 25 minutes. Take the loaf out of the oven and let cool completely before cutting. 

Heading to yeastspotting now!

Have you ever craved the smell of something? I know this might sound extremely weird, but sometimes I just want to smell a certain thing. usually its the smell of a sweet yeast dough cooking. Something about the smell makes me feel loved and comforted. everyone knows this smell. It’s what draws people to the cinnabun and pretzel stands at malls. It’s what makes waking up on Sunday mornings as a kid memorable. It’s one of the few things I remember my mom making when I was a kid.

The past week I’ve struggled with work and life and all of these adult things that now fill my life. I went and saw a movie only to cry for a solid 2 hours (note to all – The Descendants is not what I expected out of a film with Mr. Clooney existing in Hawaii). I knew only one thing could shake the mood I was in, baking.

I felt better as soon as I started to smell the yeast blooming in the milk. Any remaining tension disappeared while kneading the dough. How could the problems of my life really be so bad if I still have everything I need to bake?

I didn’t really know where I was going when I made the dough. Maybe a cake? Maybe sweet rolls? Maybe something different. As the dough proofed I investigated the pantry and made the best discovery: sour cherry jam! from there I just went with what ever came to mind, and I have to say…. the end product surprised and impressed me.

It might have been a restless 5:30 this morning when my cherry creation went into the oven, but it was worth it. There’s no better smell coming out of a kitchen in the morning than one of these!

Recipe all my own

Pastry Dough:

1 Cup milk

1 Package instant yeast

1/2 Cup sugar

3 Cups flour

1/2 cup almond meal

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 stick butter, melted

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

Cherry Filling

1 8.5oz container of sour cherry jam

1 cup frozen cherries

1/4 cup flour

juice of 1 lemon

Topping

1 egg

1 tablespoon cream

1/2 cup blanched slivered almonds

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon honey, or as needed

Directions

• Warm milk to about 100 degrees, add a pinch of a sugar and the package of yeast. Let bloom
• In a large bowl mix flour, almond meal, sugar and salt
• Once the yeast is activated add the milk mixture  and the melted butter to the dry ingredients. mix to combine
• transfer the dough out onto a floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth
• place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise until it has doubled in size, about 1 hour
• while the dough is rising make the filling. Place the jam and frozen cherries in a bowl and microwave until the jam is loose. add the lemon juice and the flour mix and set aside.
• get out your largest kitchen towel and cover generously with flour.
• place the risen dough on the towel and begin rolling until the dough is about the size of the cloth.
• spread the filling out over the entire surface of the dough
• gently roll the dough up into a log
• to shape the dough make the log into a U-shape and the twist
• place the dough on a lined sheet pan cover with plastic wrap and let rise for at least an hour, preferably over night. It will double to triple in size
• When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400° and mix the egg and cream together. Brush the egg mixture over the entire dough.
• sprinkle the almonds over the pastry and place small cubes of the butter throughout the topping.
• last, drizzle about a tablespoon of honey over the almonds
• place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes rotating half way through, if the dough looks dry, drizzle more honey over the danish
• let cool before slicing

Check out other awesome pastries over at Yeastspotting!

And now it’s January. How did that happen? Time is starting to go by way too quickly.  The new year reminds me of what I have not done in my life yet. It frustrates me. I’m starting to feel old. It’s 2012! That means that I’m going to be 25 this year. Remember on newlyweds when Jessica Simpson had a break down because she was turning 23 and that’s half way to 25, which is half way to 30. I’m starting to feel like that. Except I’m going to be 25! And I haven’t made my millions and bought a mansion in the hollywood hills with a ruggedly handsome man yet. What was she freaking out about?

Regardless of feeling old and not where I thought I would be by now, I know one thing… I make a mean cookie. I found a recipe that worked for me about 5 years ago and I adjust it depending on what I have on hand or what I feel like.This time I decided to make rocky road cookies…  And then I decided that I wanted a more brownies like chocolate cookie that has a shiny exterior instead of a cocoa based chocolate cookie that my standard recipe would produce. I kept looking for recipes and they all had white chocolate chips instead of marshmallows and I was really disappointed. I wanted the gooey marshmallows in mine!  In the back of my head I knew there was a reason for not baking marshmallows… they dissolve into a puddle of sugary goop in the oven. I know this. But still… I wanted them in there and maybe if my cookies weren’t in the oven too long they would survive. And if they don’t I’ll use some white chocolate too so at least they have the white chunks to visually look like rocky road.

I ended up finding a recipe for “outrageous chocolate cookies” by Martha Stewart and just changed what I added into the cookies to make them rocky road.  The marshmallows melted as expected. But these still tasted delicious! And the marshmallow that spilled out while baking caramelized and became crunchy and a sliver lining to the melting. Totally on my make again list.

Recipe (adapted from Martha Stewart)

8 ounces semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup walnuts

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

1/2 cup mini marshmallows

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Heat chopped chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl in 20-second increments, stirring between each, until almost melted; do not overheat. Let cool
3.  In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. Add beat eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla into the melted chocolate.
5.  Mix in flour mixture until just combined.
6. Stir in white chocolate, marshmallows and nuts.
7. Drop heaping tablespoons of dough 2 to 3 inches apart onto baking sheets. 
8. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies are shiny and crackly yet soft in centers, 12 to 15 minutes. 

Cool on baking sheets 10 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely… or eat them hot and burn your mouth like me!

P.S I’m going to be a better blogger starting now! Football season is over and I can no longer use my excuse of being in Hawaii for the holidays as an excuse. Get ready to see a lot more of me!

check these out on http://sweet-as-sugar-cookies.blogspot.com/

This time of year is always an interesting time in my family .Not because we hate each other or any of the typical reasons most families claim the holidays are crazy, but because  my family doesn’t really have holiday traditions. I grew up with my mom’s family celebrating Christmas and dad’s family celebrating Hanukkah. It took my mom 10 year of marriage and begging to finally get a “Hanukkah Bush” in the house.  I was seven. It was life changing. Not only did I end up totally confused being raised with both holidays, my dad happened to be born on December 25th.

If you have the pleasure of knowing my dad you know that the world revolves around him. Not because he is full of himself, it’s because he just kicks major butt.  This makes for an interesting dynamic when someone who is so used to everything being the way he wants having to celebrate his birthday on a commercially exploited holiday that he does not observe. He takes it in stride.  The big Christmas tree went up at the outdoor mall near us. My dad took a photo to send to me with the caption “It’s beginning to feel a lot like my birthday”.

I would love to say that we have amazing traditions, but we don’t. Some years we’re home, some years we are at my parents house in Hawaii. Some years theres a Hanukkah bush, some years theres no home cooked meal, and last year… well it was Palm Beach where my sister was living at the time. The last few years all 5 of us haven’t even been together. The one constant to this season for me is baking.

Since we lack holiday traditions, I try to make every singly traditional thing I see on the covers of magazines, websites, or Martha Stewart. I thought I’d start December off with a really wintery treat. Stollen. I’d never made one until now. I also forgot to look for all the ingredients before starting… turns out my family eats lots of dried fruit and I didn’t have what was called for on hand and improvised.Instead of those listed below in the recipe I used dried tart cherries, figs and currants.

I have to say… This was easy and very delicious. It made the whole house smell great. The yeasty dough baking woke my mom up. It’s that good. It better than waking up to the smell of bacon. I will make this again, and take some to the German Grandma and hopefully get her stamp of approval!

Recipe (From the LA Times)

1/2 cup seedless raisins

1/2 cup dried currants

1 cup diced mixed candied citrus peel ( 1/4 -inch dice)

1/2 cup candied cranberries

1/2 cup brandy (or water if you don’t cook with alcohol)

4 to 5 cups flour, divided

2 packages active dry yeast

1/2 cup sugar, divided

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs, at room temperature

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 package (7 ounces) marzipan

Melted butter

1/4 cup powdered sugar

Directions

• combine the raisins, currants, candied peel and candied cranberries. Pour the brandy over the fruit and let stand 1 hour. Drain, reserving the brandy. Pat the fruit dry with paper towels
•  In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over one-fourth cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees) and stir until dissolved. Stir in 1 teaspoon of the sugar. Let stand until the yeast begins to bubble, about 5 minutes.
• over medium heat, heat the milk, salt, butter and remaining sugar to warm (110 to 115 degrees).
• In a large bowl mix flour with the milk mixture, vanilla extract and eggs to the yeast mixture and beat in a mixer or by hand with a fork or wooden spoon until combined Beat in the reserved brandy.
•  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Flatten the dough out, then knead in the candied fruit, adding flour to the board as needed
•  Shape the dough into a ball and put the dough into a buttered glass bowl. Turn the dough buttered side up and loosely cover. Let rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
•  Punch down the dough and divide into two equal parts. Place one half aside. Roll the other half into a 12-by-8-inch oval. Brush with melted butter.
• Cut the marzipan into quarters and roll each quarter into a 12-inch rope. Put two of the ropes alongside each other along the length of the dough, leaving a 1 1/2 – to 2-inch border between the two ropes in the center of the rolled-out dough. Fold the long side of the dough over to the center of the oval. Fold over the other long side so that it overlaps the center by about 1 inch, pressing down gently but firmly. Lightly taper the ends of the loaf. Put the finished loaf on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush with melted butter. Repeat with the reserved dough.
• Let the two loaves rise until each has doubled in size. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake about 30 to 40 minutes until dark golden brown. Dust loaves with powdered sugar.

At least my mom didn’t have to suffer too much through a football filled night. She had a whole batch of fresh made penuche fudge to keep her company. And marshmallows. And Gingersnaps.

You might be asking yourself what is penuche? The best was I can answer this is with another question… have you ever had a butterscotch square from See’s Candy? That center is basically penuche. A rich, brown sugary, smooth but somewhat crumbly soft candy. Growing up my mom would go to See’s and make us wait in a long line so she could get a custom box… one pound of butterscotch squares. So every once in a blue moon I make penuche for her. It’s very simple to make. Almost too easy. And the best part is i get to sue my favorite new toy… a laser thermometer! Basically its a little wand that has a laser reader on the bottom, you press a button the laser measures the surface temperature of the candy and you don’t have to clean it! Who knows how many thermometers I’ve broken… I’ve dropped them, cooked sugar onto them, put them in the dish washer… you name it… I’ve broken one doing it. Or just got so damn frustrated cleaning the thing I threw it out.

I love this new laser thing… I get super excited over dorky things like this. I have looked for a reason to use it for months and finally it was cool enough of in SoCal to make some candy. If you’re a novice candy maker this is a great recipe to start with. All the ingredients are easy to find, the technique is very easy and it’s something that most people aren’t familiar with, so it’s fun to introduce it to people.

I use a Martha Stewart recipe, because it’s somewhat hard to find a recipe of this confection. And its a good recipe, I leave out the nuts though (since See’s doesn’t have nuts in their butterscotch squares)

Penuche 

Ingredients

Vegetable oil cooking spray

1 can (5 ounces) evaporated milk

1 1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar

5 ounces (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Coat a 5-by-10-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Line with plastic wrap leaving a 2-inch overhang on 2 sides.

Bring evaporated milk, brown sugar, butter, and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan, stirring constantly.

Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring frequently, until mixture registers 236 degrees on a candy thermometer, about 25 minutes.

Transfer to a mixer bowl, and beat in confectioners’ sugar on low speed. Scrape down sides of bowl as needed. 

Increase speed to medium, and beat until mixture is thickened and smooth, 2 to 4 minutes. Reduce speed to low, and add vanilla.

Spread mixture in pan, smoothing top. Refrigerate, uncovered, until firm, about 25 minutes.

Unmold fudge using plastic overhang, and discard plastic. Cut into pieces.

Sorry for the lack of pictures. It went pretty quickly, and I never got a picture after I cut the candy. Now that football season is over I will be a more diligent blogger. Or just make another batch… and maybe coat them in chocolate this time. Yum