Daring Bakers in December: Gingerbread House
December 25, 2009 at 1:11 pm | Posted in cookies & bars, daring bakers, groups, other sweet, sweet things | 20 Comments
Welcome to my home– my gingerbread home! Let me show you around inside. It’s nothing fancy. Just four walls and some spackling. Oh, and mind your head…the roof has quite a slope.
Anna of Very Small Anna and Y of Lemonpi had us break out our hard hats and toolboxes to construct our very own gingerbread houses for this month’s Daring Bakers’ challenge! As a result, I’m sure you’ll tour some ultra tricked-out gingerbread houses around Food Blog Avenue this Christmas. Mine’s more of a cottage, really…some may say a shack…but I’m quite pleased with it. And it’s now over two weeks old, so I know it’s solidly built!
I used the Scandinavian Gingerbread recipe provided by Y, found an easy template, and started construction. I needed just half a recipe of dough, and I actually added a spoonful of cocoa powder to it, just to make the color a bit darker. Some windows, a sanding sugar snowstorm and a wreath out front, and I was a proud homeowner in just a few hours!
I wish you all a very Merry Christmas, and I’m sure I’ll see you again before the new year!
Scandinavian Gingerbread (Pepparkakstuga)
adapted from The Great Scandinavian Baking Book by Beatrice Ojakangas
1 cup butter, room temperature [226g]
1 cup brown sugar, well packed [220g]
2 tablespoons cinnamon
4 teaspoons ground ginger
3 teaspoons ground cloves
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ cup boiling water
5 cups all-purpose flour [875g]
-In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until blended. Add the cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Mix the baking soda with the boiling water and add to the dough along with the flour. Mix to make a stiff dough. If necessary add more water, a tablespoon at a time. Chill 2 hours or overnight.
-Cut patterns for the house, making patterns for the roof, front walls, gabled walls, chimney and door out of cardboard.
-Roll the dough out on a large, ungreased baking sheet and place the patterns on the dough. Mark off the various pieces with a knife, but leave the pieces in place.
-Roll out the dough on a floured bench, roughly 1/8 inch thick (which allows for fact that the dough puffs a little when baked), cut required shapes and transferred these to the baking sheet. You can save any scraps to reroll at the end.
-Preheat the oven to 375’F (190’C). Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the cookie dough feels firm. After baking, again place the pattern on top of the gingerbread and trim the shapes, cutting the edges with a straight-edged knife. Leave to cool on the baking sheet.
Royal Icing
1 large egg white
3 cups (330g) powdered sugar
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon almond extract
-Beat all ingredients until smooth, adding the powdered sugar gradually to get the desired consistency. Pipe on pieces and allow to dry before assembling. If you aren’t using it all at once you can keep it in a small bowl, loosely covered with a damp towel for a few hours until ready to use. You may have to beat it slightly to get it an even consistency if the top sets up a bit. Piped on the house, this will set up hard over time.
The December 2009 Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to you by Anna of Very Small Anna and Y of Lemonpi. They chose to challenge Daring Bakers’ everywhere to bake and assemble a gingerbread house from scratch. They chose recipes from Good Housekeeping and from The Great Scandinavian Baking Book as the challenge recipes.
Tuesdays with Dorie: Café Volcano Cookies
December 15, 2009 at 1:01 am | Posted in cookies & bars, groups, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 26 Comments
Would you like to come over for coffee? We can chat…we can gossip…I’d really love to meet you. And, yes, of course there will be cookies. It’s no problem at all…these little Café Volcano Cookies that MacDuff of the always entertaining The Lonely Sidecar picked for TWD are ridiculously easy to whip up.
Just a few ingredients (egg whites, sugar, espresso powder, walnuts and almonds) stirred together by hand produce these sweet and crispy little treats. Not quite the same as a traditional meringue, they’re like coffee air held together by nuts.
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan (it’s also here on The Splendid Table), or read The Lonely Sidecar. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
Tuesdays with Dorie: Sugar-Topped Molasses Spice Cookies
November 3, 2009 at 1:37 am | Posted in cookies & bars, groups, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 41 Comments
You may notice that the TWDers are not all posting the same recipe this week. We’re able to tackle the month’s chosen recipes in any order we like, and I’ve decided to start off with Dorie’s Sugar-Topped Molasses Spice Cookies, picked by Pamela of Cookies with Boys. I think I’m easing into November…it’s probably the least complicated of the month’s four recipes to make. But don’t think it’s simple in flavor…molasses adds a complexity you don’t get with white sugar, and the spices here really shine through. It’s a perfect cookie for this time of year. (I am having wicked thoughts of stirring some bittersweet chocolate chips into the dough the next time I make them, though.)
Dorie intends these to be crisp cookies, but mine were soft and chewy. What can I say…I forgot to flatten my balls of dough before putting them in the oven. As a result, they also didn’t spread quite as much. No matter though…crispy or chewy, I like them equally, so I am pretending that they were meant to be that way.
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan or read Cookies with Boys. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll and see what everyone else made!
Tuesdays with Dorie: Cottage Cheese Pufflets
September 22, 2009 at 1:35 am | Posted in cookies & bars, groups, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 31 Comments
This is my second TWD in a row showcasing 45-45-90 triangles. I majored in math back in the day and am seriously thinking of turning this blog into a weekly cooking/geometry lesson (changing the name to “a whisk and a protractor,” of course). But before I start handing out purple-inked dittos to everyone, let’s review these Cottage Cheese Pufflets, which Jacque of Daisy Lane Cakes chose for TWD.
I really like cottage cheese, but I also really never buy it. Don’t know why…it just doesn’t pop up on my grocery radar screen very often. I was glad, then, to have a little leftover from these cookies to eat for lunch with carrot sticks. I was also glad that these cookies were fantastic, because while I was curious to try them, I really wasn’t sure what to expect from a cookie with cottage cheese in the dough. But I’ll tell you what to expect…they are puffy and light and flaky, but with a little chew. (You can also expect the dough to be super sticky to work with, so chill it every step of the way and your life will be easier.) The dough itself isn’t too sweet, but it’s complimented by a bit of jam in the center. I filled my pufflets with some of my homemade Easy Plum Jam. Such a pretty color poking out through the steam hole (and through the sides…hmmm), don’t you think?
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read Daisy Lane Cakes. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
Tuesdays with Dorie: Espresso Cheesecake Brownies
September 1, 2009 at 1:15 am | Posted in cookies & bars, groups, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 49 Comments
My taste in brownies is usually pretty plain. Lots of chocolate and some walnuts– that’s pretty much all I need. I’ve never even had a cheesecake brownie…at least not until Melissa of Life in a Peanut Shell chose Espresso Cheesecake Brownies for TWD. Espresso and chocolate are a winning combo, so I was game to give the recipe a shot (in half-recipe form, baked in a loaf pan).
The brownie layer was pretty standard. My cheesecake batter was super-loose, though, and I was a little nervous that it wouldn’t set-up. I wasn’t able to swirl the extra brownie batter into it, so I just plopped bits on (hence the leopard-print spots) and crossed my fingers as it went into the oven. Success! The heat did it’s trick, and everything cooked up fine.
I decided at first to go without Dorie’s suggested sour cream topping for the brownies, but after eating them the first night, I thought they needed more chocolate pop. So the second night, I topped the remaining pieces with a chocolate sour cream topping. Not bad, not bat at all.
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read Life in a Peanut Shell. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
Tuesdays with Dorie: Applesauce Spice Bars
August 18, 2009 at 1:23 am | Posted in cakes & tortes, cookies & bars, groups, simple cakes, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 27 Comments
Apples, cinnamon and brown sugar…these are flavors that make me instantly think of fall, but, really, I enjoy them anytime of year. Karen of Something Sweet by Karen must, too, because she’s picked Dorie’s Applesauce Spice Bars for this week’s TWD.
These bars weren’t exactly what I expected, but I mean that in a good way. I was thinking they’d bake up into something chewy and kind of dense, but they were actually like a snack cake..super moist and with a cake-style crumb. A toffee-like glaze sweetly seals the deal. I couldn’t just stop at the itty-bitty bar-sized potions Dorie suggested, so we ate bigger squares. We enjoyed them so much that next time I’ll make more than just a third of a recipe (which baked up nicely in a loaf pan).
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read Something Sweet by Karen. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
Tuesdays with Dorie: Brownie Buttons
August 11, 2009 at 1:26 am | Posted in cookies & bars, groups, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 50 Comments
Boy, are we cruising through the brownie section of BFMHTY. Who knew there were so many types of brownies out there? The latest take on these little squares of chocolatey goodness are actually not squares at all, but Brownie Buttons, chosen by Jayma of Two Scientists Experimenting in the Kitchen.
Baking the batter in a mini-muffin tin is all it really takes to turn your brownies into “buttons.” There is some optional orange zest in this batter…I’m not usually a fan of fruit and chocolate, so I opted out. I said “yes, please” to the white chocolate topping, though.
These gave a good little chocolate pop, but I won’t lie and say that I was only able to eat one at a time! For that reason, I’ll probably stick to regular brownies (OMG– who else made these?!?), but I can see myself making these again if I need to do a cookie platter.
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read Two Scientists Experimenting in the Kitchen. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
Tuesdays with Dorie: Tribute-to-Katharine-Hepburn Brownies
July 7, 2009 at 1:09 am | Posted in cookies & bars, groups, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 42 Comments
As a child, there were a few movies I was a bit obsessed with…so you don’t think I’m too demented, I won’t mention that as a six-year-old I could recite lines from The Elephant Man or pretty much the entirety of Mommy Dearest. Instead I will tell you that I’ve seen On Golden Pond, starring none other than Katharine Hepburn, more times than I can count. So for years I’ve known what a wonderful actress she was, but until Lisa of Surviving Oz chose Tribute-to-Katharine-Hepburn Brownies for TWD, I did not know that she was also an accomplished brownie-baker. (By the way, our guest hostess Lisa designed our fantastic new TWD logo, which you can see over there in my sidebar.)
These dark, deeply chocolate brownies are made with cocoa powder and lots of bittersweet chunks. They’re on the thin side, and since they have very little flour (one of Miss Hepburn’s tips for good brownies), they are really fudgy. I know that some people fervently oppose nuts in brownies, but I’m a die-hard with-walnuts fan, so I was glad to see them here. I also liked the strong hit of coffee from the espresso powder in the recipe, but I left out the suggested cinnamon so I wouldn’t have too many competing flavors. After reading a comment from Caitlin, I cut back on the butter by a tablespoon, and they were still wonderfully rich. A half-recipe baked up nicely in a loaf pan, although these were so good, we could easily have polished off a full batch!
The recipe, of course, is in Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, but she also has it here on NPR’s site, and Lisa of Surviving Oz has it as well. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
Cookie Carnival: Strawberry Shortcake Cookies
June 24, 2009 at 8:46 pm | Posted in cookies & bars, events, sweet things | 25 Comments
It’s been a long time since I’ve participated in The Clean Plate Club’s Cookie Carnival. I saw this month’s recipe for Strawberry Shortcake Cookies in a recent issue of Martha Stewart Living, and they were too cute to resist! I have been gorging myself silly on fresh strawberries since the end of May, so I had plenty on hand to whip these up a couple of weeks ago.
These cookies come together without much fuss, but I do have a couple of pointers. They are pretty much just little biscuits, but the addition of fresh strawberries makes the dough quite wet. To make it easier to handle (and to prevent too much color from bleeding into the dough), after tossing the diced strawberries with sugar and lemon, I left any accumulated juice behind before mixing the berries in. I was a little scared of the large amount of heavy cream in the original recipe, so I replaced half of it with buttermilk, and it worked just fine. Keep a close eye on the cookies near the end of baking time…any strawberry bits on the bottom will start to caramelize if they are taken too far.
They really do taste like little shortcakes! Nice and soft, but a sprinkling of sanding sugar gives them a bit of crunch on top. Do take the advice written in the recipe, though, and eat these soon after they’ve cooled. I did save a few overnight in a container, and by the next day, I would have to say that they had gone from nice and soft to sad and soggy.
Strawberry-Shortcake Cookies– makes about 3 dozen
adapted from Martha Stewart Living, June 2009
Steph’s Note: You can replace half the amount of cream with buttermilk.
12 oz strawberries, hulled and cut into 1/4-inch dice (2 cups)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
3 ounces (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2/3 cup heavy cream
sanding sugar, for sprinkling
-Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine strawberries, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and remaining 7 tablespoons granulated sugar in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter, or rub in with your fingers, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in cream until dough starts to come together, then stir in strawberry mixture.
-Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop or a tablespoon, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment, spacing evenly apart. Sprinkle with sanding sugar, and bake until golden brown, 24 to 25 minutes (start checking at 20 minutes!). Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool.
-Cookies are best served immediately, but can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day.
Tuesdays with Dorie: Chipster-Topped Brownies
May 26, 2009 at 3:28 am | Posted in cookies & bars, groups, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 37 Comments
OK, so I totally thought that a Chipster-Topped Brownie was a brownie with some chocolate chips scattered on top (what can I say…my mum does that all the time to jazz up plain brownies). It wasn’t until Beth of Supplicious chose them for TWD, and I checked out the ingredient list to see if I needed to buy anything prior to baking, that I saw that they are actually brownies with chocolate chip cookies on top. Whaaat? Dorie, you crazy!
Once I had that sorted, I developed in my head an expectation of what they would be like– specifically, a fudgy brownie base topped with a big, soft, brown-sugary chocolate chip cookie. Chalk it up to an overactive imagination, but oftentimes in life, and in baking, I just don’t get what I expect…this was one of those times. That golden cookie top you see in the picture was actually just a super-crisp, thin crust, and underneath it was a large pocket. It pretty much shattered when I cut into the bars. The piece in the photo was the only one who’s top halfway held together. And apart from that outer shell and the presence of chocolate chips on top and walnuts on the bottom, the two layers didn’t visually appear very distinct. The top did have a different texture than the brownie, but I wouldn’t necessarily call it “cookie-like.” The bottom, though, was most definitely brownie.
I had no problems with the cookie batter, and no difficulty spreading it nicely over the brownie. What went on here, I just don’t know. The bars were tasty, though, and my husband liked them a lot. I probably won’t make them again (even if they had come out the way I’d envisioned, I still prefer my brownies as just plain ol’ brownies), but I am curious to see all the other outcomes from the TWD Blogroll. For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read Supplicious.
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