packaging is everything

these would make my cupcakes so much better! thanks for the link, whoolia.

brownie muffins

so, i've been trying to find a recipe for brownies that can be made from scratch that can be better than box brownies. which is really hard. the box just kind of "kills" it. they are so good. also, i have documented my love for corner pieces so i decided to try them in a muffin pan so it would have "corners" all around. however, i don't think they maintained the texture of a corner piece. maybe it would have worked better with silicone baking cups or paper liners or something. i will have to experiment some more.

here is the recipe from baking illustrated.

5 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into quarters
3 T. cocoa powder
3 large eggs, room temp.
1 1/4 c. sugar
2 t. vanilla extract
1/2 t. salt
1 c. unbleached all-purpose flour


in a medium heatproof bowl set over a pan of almost-simmering water, melt the chocolates and butter, stirring occasionally until smooth. whisk in the cocoa until smooth. set aside to cool.

whisk together the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a medium bowl until combined, about 15 seconds. whisk the warm chocolate mixture into the egg mixture; then stir the flour with a wooden spoon until just combined. pour the misture into the prepared muffin pans for 15 minutes. (or 8x8 pan for 35 to 40 minutes if you don't want to use the muffin pans)

butterhorn dinner rolls

ok, so these are the rolls my whole family goes crazy for and devours every holiday. this was the first time making them by myself so i had a few tips from my mom and oldest sister and figured i'd try to document the process so it would make it easier for anyone to figure this out in the future. so here goes the step by step tutorial.

1 T. yeast dissolved in 3 T. warm water and 1 t. sugar
1 c. salted (salted really makes a difference) butter
2 eggs, beaten
4 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1 c. warm milk
1 t. salt

cream butter and sugar. add eggs. add alternatively flour (with salt), and milk and lastly, dissolved yeast. dough will be sticky and the consistency of cookie dough. refrigerate overnight. (the dough won't have risen really by morning) but will be pretty hard, so take out about 30 minutes before you want to start working the dough. cut in fourths.


roll out dough in as perfect a circle as you can. about 1/4 t0 1/8" thick. melt 1 stick of salted butter, spread over dough, then cut into wedges like so.

roll into horns from large to small end into horns like shown below. put on buttered (or i use a silpat - which i love) cookie sheet, cover with a dishtowel and raise for three hours. (fills two trays)


after 30 minutes, they look like this. not much more raised but, just a little bit.

bake at 350° for 20 minutes. brush hot rolls with more of the melted butter. serve as soon as possible.


enjoy these delicious. rolls. easy recipe but fairly time consuming and very worth the effort.

pumpkin cheesecake with praline sauce

so, another idea for thanksgiving dessert is another favorite, pumpkin cheesecake. it always goes over very well and is a great alternative to a traditional pie.

crust:
1 T. butter, softened
1 1/4 c. finely chopped pecans
1/4 c. fine dry bread crumbs
2 T. sugar
2 T. butter, melted

filling:
4 (8oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
1 c. firmly packed brown sugar
2/3 c. sugar
5 eggs
1/4 c. flour
2 t. pumpkin pie spice
1 (16oz.) can pumpkin

sauce:
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. water
1/4 c. butter
1 egg, beaten
1/4 c. chopped pecans (optional for non-nut lovers)
1/2 t. vanilla

heat oven to 350 degrees. butter 9" springform pan using 1 T. butter. in medium bowl, combine 1 1/4 c. pecans, bread crumbs and 2 T. sugar. drizzle melted butter oer pecan mixture; toss to combine. press into botom and up sides of buttered pan. refrigerate.

in large bowl, beat cream cheese at medium speed until smooth and creamy. gradually beat in 1 c. brown sugar and 2/3 c. sugar until smooth. at low speed, add 5 eggs, 1 at a time. beat just until blended. in small bowl, combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, and pumpkin; mix well. gradually add to cream cheese mixute; beat until smooth. pour into crust-lined pan.

bake at 350° for 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes or until center is set. turn oven off; let cake stand in oven 30 minutes with door open at least 4 inches. remove from oven. run sharp knife around sides of pan. cool to room temp. on wire rack. cover and refrigerate overnight or at least 6 hours.

in small saucepan over medium heat, combine 1/2 c. brown sugar, water and 1/4 c. brown sugar, water and 1/4 c. butter. bring to a boil; boil 2 minutes. gradually blend small amount of hot syrup into beaten egg. return egg mixture to saucepan; cook over low heat 1 minute, stirring constantly. remove from heat; stir in 1/4 c. pecans and vanilla. remove sides of pan from cheesecake. serve sauce slightly warm over wedges of cheesecake. store in refrigerator.

friendsgiving

so, this weekend is the annual friendsgiving. and i volunteered to make two pies and the yam-apple bake with the marshmallows. normally i always make pumpkin and pecan pie, but i'm thinking of trying something different. does anyone have a recipe they have been meaning to try but haven't or something they really love? i'd love to try some new recipes and post them later. so, if you have a link or a recipe you'd like to share, please do!

oreo mini cheesecakes

i'm posting pictures now and will post the recipes when i have time, later this week.

the original halloween doughnut recipe

unfortunately, i have no pictures of these... yet. but here is great grandma julia's classic recipe:

beat till frothy:
3 eggs

add, beating well:
1 1/4 c. sugar

add, stirring well:
2 T. melted butter
1 c. milk

stir in:
1 t. baking soda
2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1 t. nutmeg
2 t. cinnamon (i like to add a little more)
4 c. flour

mix well—can chill for easier handling. Fry at 375° until done.

my sisters like to eat these plain, but my old roomate and i like to make cinnamon sugar topping or a glaze.

any of the doughnuts i've made, yeast or cake seem to only really be good the day that you make them. they lose their light texture after they cool off and sit for too long. let me know if any of you guys try either of these recipes!

doughnut party

that provided the recipe for cinnamon doughnuts. well, this year i wanted to relive my when we were kids, we would make doughnuts with our parents on halloween. i think it was my great grandma juliachildhood memories by making doughnuts on halloween (that and i was a halloween hater this year) but usually people hate on cake doughnuts so, i thought i'd try a yeast recipe. i found this one on the food network that turned out pretty well. i would not put in nutmeg the next time and i added more flour. i found another recipe online that is supposedly the krispy kreme recipe and i used the glaze part of it for these doughnuts.


Doughnuts
2 cups scalded milk
1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar, divided
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons yeast
4 eggs (beaten)
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
7 cups sifted flour

Glaze
3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup cold water

Melt butter in hot milk, add 1 tsp sugar and salt. Allow to cool.
Beat in yeast, nutmeg, eggs, remaining sugar, and 3 cups flour.
Add rest of flour (dough will be sticky).
Knead for 5 minutes then allow to rise for 1-1 1/2 hours.
Roll out dough, cut into shapes.
Do not re-roll dough, then allow to rise for 30-45 minutes.
Heat oil to 365° and fry 1 - 2 minutes on each side or until brown. Toss in the doughnut holes first, let those cook, and then proceed to cooking the donuts.
Let them cool on a paper towel - helps get the glaze to stick.
Dip in warm glaze.

i'd be interested in trying this recipe for the doughnut part when i have more time and see if it really is like the krispykremes. but i do have to say, next doughnut party, people are getting great grandma julia's recipe cinnamon doughnuts whether they like it or not.