Sticky Buns--a 1st Daring Baker Challenge

When the September challenge was announced as "cinnamon rolls/and or sticky buns" I was so excited. I have never been able to make a yeast dough and get it to rise, so this was another try at it and it worked! I chose to only make the sticky ones, because, how can you go wrong with just sticky, sugary, goodness soaked into a light and fluffy dough..yum!!
Thanks to Marce for a great challenge!
Go and check out the Daring Bakers blogroll and see their experience with this challenge and their variations as well!!

Sticky Buns
6 1/2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
5 1/2 Tbsp shortening or unsalted butter margarine
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp lemon extract OR 1 tsp grated zest of 1 lemon
3 1/2 Cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp instant yeast (instant yeast is also called rapid-rise or fast-rising)
1 1/8-1 1/4 cups whole milk or buttermilk, at room temp
1/2 Cup cinnamon sugar (6/2 Tbsp granulated sugar plus 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon--or any other spices you would like to use)
Walnuts, pecans, or other nuts that you may choose as well as raisins or other dried fruits, such as dried cherries or cranberries.
Caramel Glaze--recipe at bottom

1. Cream together the sugar, salt and shortening or butter on medium-high speed in an electric mixer with a paddle attachment. Whip in the egg and lemon extract/zest until smooth. Then add the flour, yeast, and milk. Mix on low speed until the dough forms a ball. Switch to the dough hook and increase the speed to medium, mixing for approximately 10 minutes, or until the dough is silky and supple, tacky but not sticky. You may have to add a little flour or water while mixing to achieve this texture. Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
2. Ferment at room temperature for approximately 2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size.
3. Mist the counter with spray oil and transfer the dough to the counter. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin, lightly dusting the top with flour to keep it from sticking to the pin. Roll into a rectangle. Don't roll the dough too thin , or the finished buns will be tough and chewy rather than soft and plump. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the surface of the dough and roll the dough up into a cigar-shaped log, creating a cinnamon sugar spiral as you roll. With the seam side down, cut the dough into 8-12 pieces each about 1 3/4 inches for thick, larger buns or 1 1/4 inch thick for smaller ones.
4. Coat the bottom of 1 or more baking dishes with sides at least 1 1/2 inches high with a 1 /4 inch layer of the caramel glaze. Sprinkle on the nuts and raisins (if you are using). You do not need a lot of nuts and raisins, only a sprinkling. Lay the pieces of dough on top of the glaze, spacing them about 1/2 inch apart. Mist the dough with spray oil and cover loosely with plastic wrap.
5. Proof at room temperature for 75-90 minutes, or until the pieces have grown into one another and have nearly doubled in size. You may also retard the shaped buns in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, pulling the pans out of the refrigerator 3-4 hours before baking to allow the dough to proof.
6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees with the oven rack on the lowest shelf for the sticky buns.
7. Bake the sticky buns for 30-40 minutes, or until golden brown. Remember that the sticky buns are really being baked upside down, so the heat has to penetrate through the pan and into the glaze to caramelize it. The tops will become the bottoms, so they may appear dark and done, but the real key is whether the underside is fully baked.
8. Cool the buns in the pan for 5-10 minutes and them remove them by flipping them over into another pan. Carefully scoop any run-off glaze back over the buns with a spatula. Wait at least 20 minutes before serving.

Caramel Glaze
1/2 Cup granulated sugar
1/2 Cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temp
1/2 Cup corn syrup
1 tsp lemon, orange or vanilla extract.

1. Combing granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt and butter in a bowl and cream for 2 minutes. Add corn syrup and extract of your choice and continue to cream for about 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
2. Use as much of this as you need to cover the bottom of the pan with a 1/4 inch layer. Refrigerate and save any excess for future use, it will keep for months in a sealed container.

It's official!!

It is official! I am now a Daring Baker. Check back on the 30th to check out my first completed challenge.
The Daring Bakers are a group of bakers from all over the world that come together and build friendships through the love of baking. Every month there is is a challenge that we all make by the same recipe to see what different outcomes we all have.
I am very excited to become a part of this group!

Blueberry Crumb Cake

What can I say about this? Wonderful! All you need to go with this cake is a hot cup of coffee. This is from Dorie Greenspan's book "Baking From my home to yours". There are so many great things to make in this book that I have a hard time deciding on what to bake. This cake is light and buttery, with the sweetness of the berries, with a topping that is crunchy, nutty and buttery...how can you go wrong with that?!

Blueberry Crumb Cake

For the crumbs:

5 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temp

1/4 Cup sugar

1/3 Cup (packed)light brown sugar

1/3 Cup all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 Cup chopped walnuts (I didn't have walnuts, so I used pecans instead)

For the cake:

2 Cups blueberries (preferably fresh, or frozen, not thawed)

2 Cups plus 2 tsp all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

2/3 Cup sugar

Grated zest of 1/2 lemon or 1/4 orange

3/4 stick (6 Tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temp

2 eggs. at room temp

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 Cup buttermilk

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square pan and put it on a baking sheet.

To make the crumbs: Put all the ingredients except the nuts in a food processor and pulse just until the mixture forms clumps and curds and holds together when pressed. Scrape the topping into a bowl, stir in the nuts and press a piece of plastic against the surface. Refrigerate until needed.

To make the cake: Using your fingertips, toss the blueberries and 2 tsp of the flour together in a small bowl just to coat the berries; set aside. Whisk together the remaining 2 cups flour, the baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Working in the bowl of a stand mixer or in another large bowl, rub the sugar and zest together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and aromatic. Add the butter and, with the paddle or whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat the sugar with the butter at medium speed until light, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one by one, beating for about 1 minutes after each addition, then beat in the vanilla extract. Don't be concerned if the batter looks curdled-it will soon smooth out. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture and the buttermilk alternately, the flour in 3 parts and the buttermilk in 2 (begin and end with the dry ingredients). You will have a thick, creamy batter. With a rubber spatula, gently stir in the berries.

Scrape the batter into the buttered pan and smooth the top gently with the spatula. Pull the crumb mix from the refrigerator and, with your fingertips, break it into pieces. Scatter the crumbs over the batter, pressing them down slightly.

Bake for 55-65 minutes, or until the crumbs are golden and a thin knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

*My cake was done in about 45 minutes, so you may want to check on yours after it has baked for about 35-40 minutes, just in case your oven decides to bake a little hotter than usual. :)

I hope that you enjoy this cake as well as I did!

Creamy Pecan Pralines

Over the summer my family went to Myrtle Beach, SC for vacation. While we were there shopping we came across one of the candy shops and sampled a piece of pralines there and they were so good...but very experience. This recipe is out of Jill O'connor's book "Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey". They are very simple to make, but make sure that it is a warm, dry day or the humidity can turn into little puddles of yummy goo..

Creamy Pecan Pralines

1 1/2 Cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 Cups packed dark brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp light corn syrup

1 Cup heavy cream

3 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temp and cut into bits

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 Cups pecan halves, toasted and cooled

2 Tbsp bourbon or TN whiskey (optional)

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

-Spray the sides of a heavy 2-quart saucepan with nonstick cooking spray. combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and salt, corn syrup, and cream in the pan. Heat slowly over low heat, stirring constantly, until the sugars are melted and the mixture is smooth. Increase the heat to medium-high heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Boil gently until the mixture reaches the soft-ball stage (about 236 F on a candy thermometer), about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let the mixture cool until it reaches 220F, about 10 minutes.

-Using a wooden spoon, beat in butter and vanilla until the mixture turns creamy and opaque. Stir in the pecans and whiskey, if using. Drop in 1/4-cup portions on the prepared baking sheets. Let the pralines cool completely until firm. When cool, serve immediately, or wrap each praline individually in plastic wrap or waxed paper and store in a tightly covered container for up to 1 week.

Chocolate Malted Whopper Cookies

I LOVE baking cookbooks and magazines. I have a ton of them and I am always looking for one to give a new home on my shelf. My favorite magazine right now is Tea Time Magazine. This weekend I went to the book store and bought "Baking, From my home to yours" by Dorie Greenspan, and "Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey" by Jill O'Connor. I cannot wait to make every single thing in both of these books! :)

This is the first thing that I have made...Chocolate Malted Whopper Drops, only I made them in mini muffin tins. They are from Dorie Greenspan's book. If you need a chocolate fix, and want in cookie form, this would definitely be an option. You also need a big glass of cold milk with these. Enjoy!

Chocolate Malted Whopper Drops

1 3/4 Cups all-purpose flour

1 Cup malted milk powder

1/4 Cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 stick plus 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature

2/3 Cup Sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 Cup whole milk

2 Cups chocolate-covered malted milk balls (I used Whoppers), coarsely chopped

6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped, or 1 Cup store-bought chocolate chips or chunks

-Sift together the flour, malted milk powder, cocoa, baking powder and salt.

-Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until very smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Beat in the vanilla; don't be concerned if the mixture looks curdled-it will even out when the dry ingredients are added. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add half the dry ingredients, mixing just until they disappear into the batter. Mix in the milk, then the remaining dry ingredients, mixing only until they are incorporated. The batter will look more like fudge frosting than cookie dough-and that's fine. With the mixer on low, or by hand with a rubber spatula, mix in the malted milk balls and chopped chocolate.

-Drop the dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto the sheets, leaving about 2 inches on space between spoonfuls. Bake for 11-13 minutes. When done, the cookies will be puffed and set but slightly soft to the touch. Let the cookies rest for 2 minutes before using a wide metal spatula to transfer them to racks to cool to room temperature.

September 11th--just a thought

Today is the 6th anniversary of the day that we as American's will never forget. It reminds me of how blessed I am to live here, with my husband and to raise my 3 beautiful children here, in this country. This morning, while taking 2 of them to school, I reminded them of today and to remember the families that lost their loved ones, and the children, like themselves, that lost their parents. I would imagine the anniversary of this date doesn't get any easier for them.

I am very proud of the men and women fighting for our freedom and the soldiers prior to this time.

Blackberry-Lime Cupcakes

Blackberry-lime cupcakes?! Such a strange combination, but refreshing! Here it is--a vanilla bean and lime cupcake, filled with a blackberry-lime curd, topped with cream cheese icing. Yum! The lime is not as strong as I imagined that it would be, but just a hint, and that is plenty. I would have never thought of a cupcake with lime as an ingredient, I would rather have chocolate, but when I saw "Who will be the next cupcake hero"
(http://slush.wordpress.com/2007/09/03/cupcake-lovers-of-the-world-unite/)I knew that I had to at least try. So, here it is...



Vanilla Bean & Lime Cupcakes:

1/2 Cup unsalted butter, softened
zest and juice of 1 lime
1 Cup sugar
2 eggs, room temp
3/4 Cup self-rising flour
1/2 Cup plus 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
4-5 Tbsp milk
1/2 vanilla bean


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

-Cream butter and zest in the bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed until butter is smooth. Gradually add sugar and continue beating until fluffy.

-Add the eggs 1 at a time, scraping the bowl and beating until smooth after each addition.

-Squeeze the lime directly into a liquid measuring cup. Add enough milk to total 1/2 cup of liquid, whisk to combine. In a medium bowl, whisk flours together to combine.

-Add the flour mixture to the batter in four parts, alternating with thirds of the milk mixture and beating after each addition until incorporated.

Add in the vanilla beans.

-Divide batter among the 12 cups of a lined standard cupcake pan. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until cupcakes are just starting to turn brown and toothpick comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from pan and let cool completely.



Blackberry-Lime Curd



2 Cups blackberries
1 Stick unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1/2 Cup sugar
1/4 Cup fresh lime juice
3 Large eggs
4 Large egg yolks


-Fill medium saucepan three-quarters full of water and bring to a simmer over medium heat.

-Puree the berries in a food processor or blender, then pass the puree through a fine-mesh strainer into a small bowl. Measure 1 cup of puree and reserve any remaining puree for another use.

-Melt the butter and blackberry puree together in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 1 minute. Stir in the sugar and lime juice and stir until the sugar is dissolved.

-Combine the eggs and egg yolks in a medium heatproof bowl and whisk briefly to combine. Slowly drizzle the hot blackberry mixture into the eggs, whisking continuously.

-When all the mixture has been added to the eggs, place the bowl over the saucepan of simmering water. Cook, whisking continuously, for about 5 minutes. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl from time to time. Insert a thermometer and check the temperature. The curd is done when it has the consistency of sour cream and a temperature of 160 degrees F.

-Strain the curd through a fine-mesh strainer into another medium bowl and let cool completely.



Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 oz. Cream Cheese, room temp
2 lb. bag powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
about 4 Tbsp milk


Cream together the cream cheese, vanilla and about 1/2 of the powdered sugar. Continue to add powdered sugar and milk to get your desired consistency for the frosting.






Now, to assemble:
Cut a cone out of the top of the cupcake and fill with the curd. Replace the top on back on the top of the blackberry-lime curd and frost with the cream cheese frosting.

Strawberry Blossom Tart

This weekend was my cousin's fiance's "thunderstorm" and for those of you like me, that had never heard of such a thing...it is a shower for the groom. As always, I was in charge of a dessert..so, as I was looking through one of my Chocolatier magazine, I found this recipe and thought that it sounded great and light for an outside event, and how can you go wrong with a White Chocolate pastry cream and strawberries, when it is almost 100 degrees. It was a ton of fun to make and looked very pretty...although, I am not sure if I liked the taste of it or not. It is kind of iffy.. Here is the recipe and if anyone else out there tries it, I would love to hear from you and what you thought about it.

Strawberry Blossom Tart

Pate Sablee:
1/2 C (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1/4 C granulated sugar
1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1 large egg yolk
2 Tbsp ice-cold water

White Chocolate Pastry Cream
1/2 C granulated sugar
3 Tbsp cornstarch
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
2 C milk
3 oz. high-quality white chocolate, chopped

Assembly:
1/3 C raspberry preserves
2 pints fresh strawberries, washed, hulled and quartered
Powdered sugar for dusting

1. Make pate sablee: Put butter and sugar in bowl of food processor and pulse until combined. Add flour and pulse several times, until butter is in pea-sized pieces. Add yolk and water and pulse until dough is combined, but still crumbly. Transfer dough to work surface and shape into disc. Wrap disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

2. Make pastry cream: In medium bowl, combine sugar and cornstarch. Whisk in eggs and egg yolks until smooth.
In a large saucepan, heat milk over medium-high heat until bubbles begin to form around edge of pan. Whisk about 1/3 of milk over yolk mixture until well blended. Pour in remaining hot milk, then return entire mixture to saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Let mixture boil for 1 minute while continuing to whisk. remove pan from heat and add white chocolate. Whisk until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Transfer pastry cream to bowl and let cool for 10 minutes.
Place plastic wrap directly on surface of cream and refrigerate until ready to use.

3. Line tart pan: Remove dough from refrigerator and let softened 15-20 minutes, until pliable. Place dough in center of tart pan with removable bottom and press dough into bottom and up sides of pan, covering it completely and removing excess dough from edges. Chill dough in pan for at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven for 425 degrees. Line the pan with parchment paper and fill with pie weights, beans or rice. Place pan in center of oven and bake for 7 minutes. Remove pan from oven and reduce oven temp to 350 degrees. Remove parchment paper and weights from crust and bake for an additional 8-12 minutes, until it is just beginning to turn light golden brown around the edges. Cool completely and remove tart from pan.

4. Assemble the tart: Brush bottom and sides of the tart crust with raspberry preserves. Fill with the white chocolate pastry cream and top with the strawberries, pointed end up. Lightly dust with powdered sugar before serving.

**I cheated a little with the crust part :) ...and it turned out fine. I didn't have any pie weights, so I docked the bottom of the crust with holes, and baked it on 350 for about 15 minutes. It turned out the same that it would have if I used the weights, it didn't puff at all.

Happy Baking!!

Marshmallows

A couple of years ago, I decided that I wanted to make "homemade marshmallows"....well, I used the Martha Stewart recipe and to make it a really short story, it ended up with my hands looking like the Michelin Man and a cookie sheet attached..that is a mental picture that I do not want to relive. So, as I was looking at different blog spots and came across Tartelette's I found her recipe and the picture above is what I ended up with. They taste great...look great...and were a hit at the fondue party that my husband, Jamey, and I just hosted. This will definitly be a Christmas gift and maybe I will try flavors...peppermint or coconut...Maybe be adventurous and try pumpkin spice. Here is the recipe and I would advise anyone who wants to tackle this project to do so. It is well worth the effort!!



Marshmallows




2 1/2 envolpes unflavored gelatin (2 Tbsp plus 1 1/4 tsp)

3/4 Cup cold water, divided

2 Cups granulated sugar, divided

2/3 Cup light corn syrup

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

2 Large egg whites

2/3 cup powdered sugar

3 Tbsp cornstarch



Line a 9X13 in baking pan with heavy duty plastic wrap, allowing plastic to extend 1 inch over sides of pan. Lightly coat the plastic wrap with cooking spray. Sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water in a small bowl, set aside. Combine remaining 1/4 Cup water, 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar, and corn syrup in a large saucepan. Cook, without stirring, over medium-high heat until a candy thermometer registers 260 degrees (about 15 minutes). Remove from heat; gradually stir in softened gelatine (mixture will appear foamy).

While sugar mixture cooks, beat the vanilla, salt, and egg whites at high speed in a heavy-duty stand mixer with whisk attachment until foamy (about 1 minute).

Gradually add remaining 1/4 Cup granulated sugar, 1 Tbsp at a time, until stiff peaks form. Gradually pour in gelatin mixture, beating until very thick (about 5 minutes). Gently pour marshmallow mixture in prepared pan. Coat 1 side of another sheet of plastic wrap with cooking spray. Place plastic wrap, coated side down, over marshmallow mixture. Chill 8 hours or until firm.

Sprinkle powdered sugar and cornstarch over a cutting board. Remove top sheet of plastic wrap. Invert marshmallow mixture over powdered sugar