Tag: dessert

Posted on » by Michael » Theme:

100% Whole Wheat Banana Bread

IMG_6886

Ingredients

  • 4 ounces butter
  • 3 3/4 ounces brown sugar, light or dark (I think 1/2 of this)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • * 1 pound bananas (before peeling, as weighed at the grocery store), peeled and cut into 1″ chunks
  • 3 ounces honey (I think 2/3 of this)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 8 ounces King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour
  • 2 ounces chopped walnuts, optional (didn’t add)

* I took a little over 1 pound of very over ripe bananas and let it defrost. Then I took the result and cooked it down on the stovetop until it was thick

The resulting banana bread was probably the best I’ve ever had. So banany, so moist absolutely delicious.
I didn’t add the optional nuts (didn’t need them)

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 8 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ or 9″ x 5″ loaf pan.
  • In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until smooth. Add the vanilla, baking soda, salt, and bananas, beating until well combined. The mixture will be fairly smooth, with some scattered small chunks of banana.
  • Beat in the honey and eggs.
  • Add the flour, then the walnuts, stirring until smooth.
  • Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top. Let it rest at room temperature for 10 minutes.
  • Bake the bread for 50 minutes, then gently lay a piece of aluminum foil across the top, to prevent over-browning.
  • Bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, then remove the bread from the oven; a long toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center should come out clean.
  • Allow the loaf to cool for 10 minutes; then remove it from the pan, and set it on a rack to cool completely.

Yield: 1 loaf, 16 to 18 servings. (King Arthur Recipe)

Posted on » by Michael » Theme:

Mardi Gras King Cake

(King Arthur Flour Recipe)Mardi Gras King Cake Recipe Mardi Gras King Cake Recipe

This moist, tender, buttery yeast bread, lightly sweetened then drizzled with vanilla glaze, sprinkled with colored sugars, and sometimes crowned with candied cherries, is a traditional New Orleans favorite. Served beginning on Epiphany, or Twelfth Night (January 6), it’s enjoyed right on through Mardi Gras, a sweet symbol of this festive season. The sugars decorating the top of the cake mirror the color scheme of many a Mardi Gras parade float: gold (yellow) for power, green for faith, and purple for justice.

Originally King Cake was a rather plain bread whose flavor was almost all in its sweet toppings. Beginning in the late 1980s, however, customers began to demand something a bit more special. These days, most King Cakes are made with rich, brioche-like dough, and filled, most often with cream-cheese filling. While we give that version here, feel free to dream up your own filling: other New Orleans favorites include butter/cinnamon/sugar; almond (see “tips,” below); various kinds of fruit; chocolate, and praline.

 

Prep
35 mins. to 45 mins.
Bake
50 mins. to 55 mins.
Total
4 hrs 5 mins. to 4 hrs 50 mins.
Yield
1 large loaf, about 16 servings

Filling

Icing

  • 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons + 1 to 2 teaspoons milk, enough to make a thick but pourable glaze

Garnish

  • yellow, purple, and green fine sparkling sugars
  • candied red cherries (optional)

Instructions

  1. Lightly grease a baking sheet, or line it with parchment.
  2. To prepare the dough: Using a stand mixer, electric hand mixer, or bread machine, mix and knead all of the dough ingredients together to form a smooth, very silky dough. You may try kneading this dough with your hands, if desired; but be advised it’s very sticky and soft.
  3. Allow the dough to rise, covered, for 1 hour. It’ll become puffy, though it probably won’t double in size.
  4. Transfer the soft dough to a lightly greased work surface. Pat and stretch it into a 24″ x 6″ rectangle. This won’t be hard at all; it’s very stretchy. Let the dough rest while you prepare the filling.
  5. To prepare the filling: Beat together the cream cheese, sugar, and flour until smooth, scraping the bowl once. Add the egg and flavor, again beating until smooth.
  6. Dollop the filling down the center of the long strip of dough. Then fold each edge up and over the filling until they meet at the top; roll and pinch the edges together, to seal the filling inside as much as possible. Don’t worry about making the seal look perfect; it’ll eventually be hidden by the icing and sugar.
  7. Place the log of dough onto the baking sheet. The dough will be very extensible, i.e., it’ll stretch as you handle it. So pick it up and position it on the pan quickly and gently. Pinch the ends together.
  8. Cover and let rise for about an hour, until it’s puffy. Preheat the oven to 350°F while the dough rises.
  9. Whisk the reserved egg white with 1 tablespoon water, and brush it over the risen cake.
  10. Bake the cake for 20 minutes, then tent it lightly with aluminum foil. Bake it for an additional 30 minutes, until it’s a rich golden brown.
  11. Remove the cake from the oven. After about 15 minutes, transfer it from the baking sheet to a rack to cool.
  12. To make the icing: Beat together all of the icing ingredients, dribbling in the final 2 teaspoons milk until the icing is thick yet pourable.
  13. Pour the icing over the completely cooled cake. While it’s still sticky, sprinkle with alternating bands of yellow, purple, and green sugars. Space candied cherries in a ring around the top.
  14. Yield: 1 loaf, about 16 servings.

Tips from our bakers

  • Feeding a crowd for Mardi Gras? To make a larger cake, double the recipe. Form a long, narrow, 48″ x 6″ rectangle, and dollop the filling down the center of the dough. Fold each edge up and over the filling until they meet at the top; roll and pinch the edges together to seal the filling inside as much as possible. Shape the log into an oval, seam side down, on a large, lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, pinching the ends together. Proceed with the recipe as written.
  • To make an almond-filled King Cake: Crumble 1 cup (10 ounces) almond paste into a large bowl with 4 tablespoons softened butter and 1 teaspoon almond extract. Beat until the butter is incorporated. Add 1/2 cup Baker’s Special Sugar (superfine sugar) or granulated sugar, and 2 cups fresh soft white bread crumbs. Mix until evenly distributed; the mixture will be very stiff, but moist. After rolling out your dough, pat and spread the filling over the surface, leaving a 1″ margin along the long edge closest to you. Brush the bare edge of the dough with water, and starting with the covered long edge, roll the dough into a log, pinching the seam closed. Proceed with the recipe as written.
Posted on » by Michael » Theme:

Fauxreos (Oreo Clones)

I was very happy with how this came out. In my opinion they were pretty similar to Oreo’s and they were maybe a little better.

This is a mix of 2 recipes. I tripled the cookie recipe and doubled the filling recipe and I think that worked out just about perfectly. (may have been the other way around). Anyway in my opinion I over-stuffed a bunch of them (like double or triple stuffed Oreo’s). I think I used ½ inch round cookie cutter for this.

Makes about 24 cookies.

Ingredients

1 3/4 C (9 oz) all-purpose flour

1/2 C and 2 T (2 oz) brut or natural unsweetened cocoa powder. (I used Double Dutch Cocoa Blend which is apparently a dark blend of Dutch-process and black cocoas)

1/4 t Kosher salt

2 sticks (8 oz) room temperature unsalted butter

1/2 C granulated sugar 2 T light brown sugar 3 T honey

For the filling:

2 ounces shortening or unsalted butter at room temperature

5 ounces powdered sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

To make the cookies

Whisk the flour, cocoa, and salt together in a bowl. In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugars, and honey together until fluffy, about four minutes. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in three parts, beating each until just combined. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least a half an hour and up to two days. The dough can also be made ahead and frozen for up to two months. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, and working quickly, roll out the dough on a lightly (rolled in cocoa instead of flour) surface to 1/4 inch thickness. I roll the dough out on a piece of wax paper, and then flip it over onto another piece of wax paper and peel off the piece that is now on the top. This makes it easier to pick up the cookies intact to place them on the cookie sheet.

Gather up the scraps, roll them out, and make more cookies. You might have to put the scraps back into the fridge if it’s warm in your kitchen. Bake each sheet of cookies for 15-18 minutes, until the cookies are firm. Transfer them to a wire rack and let cool completely.

  1. To make the filling: With a hand or stand mixer, cream together shortening/butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt. Cream on medium speed for five minutes; use a rubber spatula to scrape the bowl down periodically. The long mixing time aerates the filling, making it especially white and less gritty.

Using a spatula, transfer the filling to a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip. Alternately, portion with a melon-baller sized ice cream scoop, or by using Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off as a makeshift pastry bag.

  1. To assemble the cookies: Flip half the wafers upside down. Onto each, pipe or scoop 1 teaspoon of filling (specifically: 1/4 oz for Double Stuf, 1/8 ounce for regular) directly into the center. To finish, top with remaining wafers and press down with your fingers, applying very even pressure so the filling will spread uniformly across the cookie.

Transfer cookies to an airtight container and refrigerate for several hours. This is crucial. After whipping the filling, it will be quite soft. Refrigerating it (especially if you’re using butter) will solidify the filling, restoring its proper texture, and bonding it with the wafers. Serve.