What are you baking these days? October 2011, part 1 [OLD]

[buttertart]

Hey there all y'all - nice and cool today in the Northeast, perfect baking weather, and me with an oven the gas company has counseled I better not use (it's been discovered to be the best little carbon monoxide generator you could ever want). New stove to be delivered next Thursday and I can not wait! Watch out next weekend. So, those of you with working equipment, what are you baking these days?

[Cynsa]

Enjoying souschef's Pistachio Almond Biscotti with morning coffee and the Sunday SF Chronicle. Lazy morning after 5 am baking. I may go back to bed so that I can wake up again for biscotti and coffee. These lovely biscotti are studded with pistachio and chocolate and are perfectly not too sweet .
This recipe suited my requirement for 'easy' but did require shopping for almond paste.

[BabsW]

That sounds wonderful! Could you post the recipe, please?

[Cynsa]

BabsW, here it is:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/7193...

[BabsW]

Thanks!

[Cynsa]

btw, I just discovered by rereading souschef's recipe that 'dipping in whisky' is even better than 'with coffee' - :^)
I'll test that now - before I start tonight's dinner, pouring Maker's Mark Kentucky bourbon.

[souschef]

Glad you enjoy them.

[buttertart]

They are terrific.

[buttertart]

It's the 16th, so awaaay we go with part 2...
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/8125...

[BabsW]

I've got a Yorkshire parkin in the oven right now, from this recipe that Harters and paulj linked in the What Makes a Scone a Scone thread:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/spa...

I found caster sugar and golden syrup at Wegman's but STILL have no found self-rising flour, so I attempted to make my own . It smells lovely so far; can't wait to try it ! :)

[roxlet]

That sounds great -- and super simple. Do let us know how this turns out!

[buttertart]

Parkin is a nice cake. be sure to make it on Nov 5th, Guy Fawkes' night! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Fawk...

[BabsW]

It's delicious, very light, and mildly gingery, not nearly as strong as typical American gingerbread. The golden syrup seems lighter than molasses, and there is much less ground ginger than I use in my gingerbread, but it's lovely. Moist, nice crumb, fragrant.

I had a piece with maple whipped cream as soon as it seemed cool enough.

It's much lighter in color than any of the parkin images I found on Google, but boy oh boy is it tasty. :)

[buttertart]

Looks great!

[BananaBirkLarsen]

Browned butter blondies with cocoa nibs mixed in and extra sugar on top to (hopefully) create a bit of a caramel layer. They're in the oven and the kettle's going for tea. The plan is a quiet Saturday night with movies and dessert.

[beccydinosaur]

I'm home alone for the night so baking some cookies of my own invention. They're peanut butter-maple-oatmeal and since I'm a kid at heart, I've made them dinosaur-shaped :)

[faeriefolk15]

I baked a chocolate and peanut butter cake for my daughter's birthday last month. Her friend requested the same for her birthday yesterday so I threw together another one. I used chopped peanut butter chocolates for the top instead of Butterfinger bars. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to chill the ganache overnight, so the cake tried to slide apart a couple of times. We held it together long enough to get the candles blown out and then slapped it into the fridge to chill while the kids went out to dinner. (Yes, making room in the fridge for a triple layer cake was a challenge.) By the time they got back it was fine.

The recipe for the cake is here:

http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/200...

I had a little bit of leftover ganache, so in the middle of the night last night I rolled up some truffles and tossed them in cocoa powder. :)

[souschef]

Buttertart (and Cynsa?), here's something you should try:

Yesterday I made biscotti and the fig cake to take as hostess gifts to friends I'm visiting this weekend. This morning I wandered into the kitchen, and seeing on the counter some leftover biscotti and leftover glaze from the cake, I spread some glaze over a biscotti. Made for a very tasty morsel for breakfast. Excuse me while I go and repeat the experience .............. ♪

[buttertart]

You are an evil moustache-twirling tempter, you are.

[Cynsa]

my breakfast was yogurt , blueberries and granola - uh, wanna trade?
tomorrow is biscotti baking day

[burgeoningfoodie]

Speculoos Apple Crumble ... recipe to come via Dorie Greenspan..

http://doriegreenspan.com/2011/10/spe...

[kattyeyes]

I made these "Best Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie Recipe" from http://www.versagrain.com/peanut-butt...

10 minutes in the oven was just perfect. They're soft, chewy and flavorful, but as you might guess, not very oat-y. I knew they wouldn't be since my go-to recipe (the recipe on the Quaker Oats canister) calls for three cups of oats rather than just the one cup in this recipe, but I thought it would be fun to try something different. These are more appropriately peanut butter cookies with oatmeal in them rather than peanut butter-flavored oatmeal cookies.

I've already scarfed down three of them, so it's not that they're not tasty; however, my next try will be a peanut buttery riff on the cookies I love best...the ones Nanny always made. I'll either get peanut butter in the batter or just add peanut butter M&Ms instead of regular M&Ms or chocolate chunks. I've also had my eye on those mini PB cups they put in ice cream. In fact, I think I'll need to pull the trigger on that order soon!

I do love how they came out so photo-finish with my cookie scoop!

[sandylc]

Nothing better then oatmeal cookies. I recently made the Cooks' Illustrated salty thin crispy oatmeal cookies, but added unsweetened, dried, toasted coconut flakes and toasted pecan pieces. They were amazing. I love light, crisp cookies.

[kattyeyes]

Is this pretty close? I don't belong to CI, but this blogger's recipe claims to be adapted from...
pghtasted.blogspot.com/2009/01/salty-thin-and-crispy-oatmeal-cookies.html

[sandylc]

Yes, that's the recipe. I toasted the oats a bit and added toasted pecan pieces and toasted, unsweetened, dried coconut - about a half cup of each. I have subsituted 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour for 1/2 cup of the unbleached before, as well.

[kattyeyes]

Thank you--I always wonder when others (NOT you!) "adapt" just how much is changed, so it's good to know that's the real deal. I honestly make changes or just say this is so-and-so's recipe if that's the case. :) Yours are very nice additions.

ETA: And thank you kindly, buttertart!

[buttertart]

Those look pretty dang nom nom nom, kattyeyes.

[marysf]

I made the (in)famous Crack Pie using the LA Times recipe adapted from Momofuku. The pie was sweet, salty, buttery and absolutely addictive.

Sidenote to the OP: Now whenever I see the name "buttertart" I think of crack pie even though the butter tart is something different. :)

[modthyrth]

Mmmm, my favorite carrot cake. When my mom was in pastry school, we baked off six different carrot cake recipes and did blind taste tests with as many people as we could wrangle. This one was the unanimous winner.

Note: I should stick to fondant. My piping and smoothing skills are distinctly lacking.

[kattyeyes]

There is precisely NOTHING lacking in either of these photographs! What fun!

[auburnselkie]

Today I made brown-sugar apple cupcakes with a chopped-apple filling and caramel swiss meringue buttercream. And then I trashed out and made, for a dear single guy friend, oreos wrapped in chocolate chip cookie dough and baked off. One is delicious, and one is hilarious (and also quite good, but not something that you want to call someone over and say, "Hey! Looky what I'm eating!").

[kattyeyes]

Ohmygod, your first sentence really drew me--those sound fantastic...followed by a hearty chuckle at "And then I trashed out!" ;) Is there a link you can share for the cupcakes?

[kattyeyes]

AHA! Found 'em! Boy, oh boy--the description alone hooked me, but a picture (more than one, actually) and the recipe? Why, that's worth more than a thousand words! ;P
http://www.rachelscookery.com/2011/10...

[buttertart]

Gorgeous!

[roxlet]

Those cupcakes sounds wonderful!

[buttertart]

My new stove, named Margie after my mom, is great to bake in. You enter the desired oven temp on a touchpad, and it reaches temp in under 5 mins (the display shows the degrees going up, something that tickles me to an unreasonable extent). The main oven has convection too, have never worked with that before and love it. It holds a very low simmer so you don't have to hover over melting choc.
The stove we got rid of was a dinosaur in comparison. Good riddance!
Made madeleines and whole wheat apple muffins yesterday (both from my mom's copy of the Fannie Farmer Baking Book, which has her handwritten recipes on slips of paper in it) - the browning is very even with convection, very nice indeed. Started to make bran muffins (one of her recipes) but when the bran was in, there were lots and lots of little black specks so out the batter (and the remaining bran) got thrown.
Today if I can wrench myself away from this and from FB, that other gigantic time suck, will finish making the chocolate and sesame cookies from BH&G that intrigued me (with Chinese sesame paste, I don't have tahini) - the chocolate and butter are melted and await further manipulation. http://www.bhg.com/recipe/cookies/cho...

[roxlet]

I just ordered the Fanny Farmer baking book. Those apple and whole wheat muffins sound like a great addition to the breakfast repertory. My son is off eggs, and I need a good breakfast to send him off with in the morning. I'm thinking of making mini apple pies, but until I'm certain what our water situation is, I won't be baking anything...

[buttertart]

I bet! what a complete drag.

[Cynsa]

Congratulations on the new stove/oven! Happy Baking to you and 'Margie'! Double ovens?
I have souschef's recipe for biscotti on my refrigerator door - I see it every day - need to shop for almond paste and pistachios.

[buttertart]

Double ovens, the lower one is not very big but has separate controls - haven't tried it yet.
Last night made a cornbread topping for a "chili" casserole (black beans, TJ's soy chorizo, homemade salsa, and some homemade pico del gallo, simmered together) - straight off the Indian Head cornmeal bag except I used 1 1/4 c cornmeal plus 3/4 c flour i/o 1 cup of each, buttermilk i/o milk, added a half tsp soda (plus the 3 tsp bp, I used Rumsford) and didn't use any sugar. It sat for about 10 mins while the "chili" heated up and was quite aereated from the leavening when I put it on top - baked 20 mins at 425 with convection - made a lovely light topping, the best cornbread I ever made. Margie's a good girl.

[souschef]

Re the biscotti, I don't have a finely-serrated knife, so I use a ham slicer. It does a great job.
I did try a finely-serrated Zylis cheese knife that looks like a Klingon weapon, but the handle is too small for the knife to be useful (you have to use too much pressure, and that makes the biscotti buckle).

[wyogal]

Pita bread for a world music/world cuisine class that I am teaching. I better get after it... oven is hot!

[souschef]

You need to start a thread on world music/world cuisine. I'm a keen music lover, with a great interest in female vocals, especially in Spanish and Portuguese, so I'd love to find out about your class. That I'm interested in food is a given.

[wyogal]

o.k.... Look for Musical Menus

[souschef]

I made Caitlin McGrath's scones again today, but with some modifications:

1) I had only 1 cup of cream, so I added 2 oz of buttermilk. Thanks sandylc for the reminder about the baking soda; to compensate I added 1/4 tsp of baking soda.

2) I added 1/4 cup of cornmeal.

3) As usual I added 2 oz of raisins, this time plumped up in sherry (yes, for breakfast !). There was maybe 1 tsp of sherry.

Made for very tasty scones. All I needed was butter. The corn was not very pronounced, so I think I'll double it the next time. Getting closer to those cornmeal scones I want. ♪

[tastycakes]

souschef, i realize i'm tooting my own horn, but consider trying my cornmeal scone recipe. it's tender, slightly crumbly, moist, and nubby with a slight crunch.

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/8073...

[souschef]

Will definitely try it. You are a doll - weight measures in your recipe.

[BabsW]

I made the infamous Pumpkin Crack yesterday, from here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/577088

I made some changes, using a box of Butter Pecan cake mix instead of the yellow cake - actually I'd wanted to use Spice Cake, but they didn't have it - changed up the spices a bit and topped it with a mix of crushed pecans, crushed gingersnaps and brown sugar instead of plain pecans.

The "Crack" appellation is pretty dead-on. Addictive. Warm with ice cream for dessert, or room temp for breakfast, this stuff is delicious, though I did feel dirty using a boxed cake mix. ;

)

As a bonus, I let the kids have some fun in the kitchen and make this recipe, so it is now their favorite mostly because they got to "bake."

[Chris VR]

Hahaha glad to see the crack lives on!

[roxlet]

I made the Elvis pound cake from epicurious, and a deep dish apple pie.

[biondanonima]

Roxlet, that pie looks GORGEOUS. I love the little apple cutouts - I'm totally stealing that idea! I made an apple crostata today myself, with an improved salty cinnamon maple walnut topping. We'll see how it turns out!

[roxlet]

A piece of advice -- start placing the cutouts on the top and work down, not the other way around (bottom up). Also, dampen the cut outs on the underneath part with a little water or milk. I brushed the pie with milk, and then sprinkled it with sparkling sugar.

[auburnselkie]

They both look great, but that pie is so PRETTY! Just lovely!

[pine time]

How is the Elvis pound cake? I just found that recipe, and can't decide what makes it so good (other than lots of butter, natch). Your opinion?

[roxlet]

I wound up bringing it to a friend's house for brunch, and she never served it. I guess that I will have to make it again to give you an answer!

[chef chicklet]

Gosh, i don't know how i could of missed this! That apple pie looks terrific roxlet, is that the pie dough using the vodka?

[emilyjh75]

Just made some "hot cross buns" with my preschoolers, since they wanted to make them after singing the song so many times. >.< Also made some caramel pecan cinnamon rolls to give as a tip to the delivery guy, since I didn't have any money to spare. He said he would gladly take the fresh cinnamon rolls.

On tap for this week: Russian black bread, probably corn bread, since I make that 1-2 times a week anyway.

[buttertart]

What recipe did you use for the hot cross buns? I love those.

[emilyjh75]

I just grabbed this one off allrecipes:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/traditio...

We liked it. This recipe directs you to make 6 buns, but I thought the buns were huge, so I think I'd make 12 next time.

[buttertart]

Will try, thanks!

[buttertart]

Happy Thanksgiving weekend to my fellow Canadians! I'm off Monday too, my new company also has offices in Canada. What's for dessert?

[souschef]

Happy Thanksgiving to you too, Buttertart. No dessert making this weekend as most of the family is away. But that may change on a whim. Hoping to make Caitlin"s scones tomorrow for breakfast; darn, just realized I'm out of raisins.

Made biscotti earlier to send to my niece; my sister said they were "wicked".

[buttertart]

Those are seriously good biscotti.

[maplesugar]

I'm at work now but I'm planning to make the Caramel Apple Cake in Baked Explorations

ETA: This cake has been on my mind for awhile http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/8081...

[rstuart]

wow. I have this cookbook, but somehow missed this recipe.. how can it be?

[roxlet]

Is there a better combo than caramel and apple? Please report on this one!

[rstuart]

Visiting my mother for Thanksgiving, and we are in charge of desserts. Besides Pumpkin pie, I talked her into making Marie Helene's Apple Cake (although I suspect I will be doing that one). The only thing that's throwing me is 8 inch springform pan,, Mom's is 9 or 10 inches, and I'm worried the cake will be too thin. Think we can risk a regular 8' round cake pan, with parchment paper strips on the side??

[buttertart]

How many cups of ingredients, total? I'd go for the 9" springform, I think.

[rstuart]

That's what we decided; I read a review on Epicurious where someone used a 10 inch, and said that it was fine...
Thanks for the tip!

[rstuart]

Made a ginger bundt cake (recipe by Abby Dodge.. was in Bon Appetit a few years ago) for a thanksgiving potluck today at work. It calls for a full cup of chopped candied ginger.. which I've never had the guts to add for fear I am the only person who will eat it! This time I used about 2/3 Cup ... hope that it's not too "gingery". I also used my mini-chopper to cut the ginger to "save time".. I discovered when chopped finely, the ginger tends to clump together, which meant I had to painstakingly separate the giant ball o' ginger when I mixed it into the batter
Yet another failed efficiency!

[lovetocookPEI]

Just googled the recipe. My doesn't it sound fantastic. Goes to the top of my try next list!!

[rstuart]

It does taste lovely.. first had it at a friend's baby shower. I asked for the recipe, and it turns out that it was one that I had clipped ages ago to try!

[sandylc]

My biggests baking issue is that I have more recipes and ideas than any one hundred people could bake their way through in a lifetime!

[Caitlin McGrath]

Looks like this is the recipe: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...

[rstuart]

That's it Caitlin. I never bother with the fruit, and skimp a bit on the candied ginger .. but it's a good recipe and easy to make. I would definitely recommend it..

[buttertart]

That stove coming tomorrow better be ready for some heavy-duty lovin' being thrown at it!!! Can't wait.

[sandylc]

Lucky you!

[roxlet]

Congratulations on the new stove, and I am sure that this weekend will be filled with sweet things!

[rstuart]

Hope that it's *not* a vehicle for the production of carbon monoxide!!!

[buttertart]

Hope so too!!! can't wait to get home.

[Wtg2Retire]

souschef posted: "I made The McG Scones today" and stated, "Thanks, Caitlin." I have been searching Chowhound for over 2 hours trying to find this recipes and have not found it.

Would someone mind posting the recipe, please.

[roxlet]

Here you go!

2 cups AP flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 T. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 1/4 cups heavy cream (plus more if needed)
Preheat oven to 425F. Stir flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. Stir in any additions. Pour in 1 1/4 cups cream and stir to incorporate all the flour mixture. If you can't incorporate all the flour in 10-15 strokes, drizzle in a bit more cream (I often need about a T extra). Turn the dough out on a floured surface and knead gently once or twice to bring together. Pat into a half-inch-thick round and cut into wedges with a floured knife, or cut with a floured biscuit cutter. (This will make 8 or so 3-inch round scones or around 15 2-inch round.) Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment or silpat, and bake until just golden and firm on top, about 15 minutes depending on size.

[BabsW]

I need to try this recipe and compare it to mine so I know what a "real" scone is supposed to be like! :D

For comparison of ingredients (not the results, mind you) here is my recipe:

Ingredients:

1 cup All-Purpose flour
1/2 cup almond meal
1/2 cup oat flour
1 tablespoon flax seed meal
1/4 cup chopped almonds
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
8 T butter, cold and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup sour cream
1 egg
Turbinado sugar

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat baking mat.
In a large bowl, mix together the All-Purpose flour, almond meal, oat flour, flax seed meal, chopped almonds, baking powder and salt until well-combined.

Work the butter into the flour mixture with your fingers or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs.

Stir in the dried cranberries and give a quick mix.

Whisk together the egg, almond extract and sour cream until smooth, then pour it into the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Work it together into a rough ball and then turn out onto a long piece of waxed paper coated with flour. This dough is going to feel like a sticky mess - don't worry, it will come out right.

Flour the top of the the dough and fold over the wax paper onto the top of it and gently smoosh the dough down until you've shaped it into a 1-inch high rectangle.

Peel the waxed paper back off the dough and with a biscuit cutter, cut out rounds or cut the dough into triangles with a knife.

Place the scones on the baking sheet, sprinkle lightly with turbinado sugar and bake for 15-17 minutes or until they start to turn golden-brown.

Let cool 5 minutes, and then serve warm.

[souschef]

Babs, I'm amazed at how long the list of ingredients is, but I imagine that the sour cream gives it a great texture; definitely something to try. My inclination would be to toast the almonds, so I was wondering if that's something you do. I wonder how it would turn out with cornmeal instead of almond meal.

[BabsW]

I really liked the texture, but I don't know if that's solely the sour cream or if it's the 8 tablespoons of butter!

I didn't toast the almonds, though I might do that next time.

My inclination would be not to use cornmeal in place of almond meal because I'd be afraid that it would be gritty. My almond meal is very fine and soft - silky, even.

The first time I used this recipe, I just used 2 cups of straight AP flour, but last weekend when I made them, I was in a mood to experiment, and the bags of oat flour and almond meal were right there out on the counter, and I thought, "Why not?" :)

[souschef]

Yes, I was wondering about the oat flour and flax seed meal. I'm not a great one for the taste of "healthy" things (I dislike oatmeal, for example, and don't need any help with regularity), so when I make it I think I'll skip both and use cornmeal instead. My last batch was not gritty, but I should get some stoneground cornmeal, per the sage advice from Buttertart.

Hang on, though. Too many recipes! I think I need to work through Caitlin's recipe first. Bonus is the quick assembly with hers.

[BabsW]

As surprising as it sounds, this recipe didn't have that "healthy food" taste, but I do know what you mean. lol

It would be interesting to sub in cornmeal for some of the flour and perhaps make it a savory scone, but then I sguess itwuldn[t be a real scone. :D

[souschef]

It would still be a real scone - a real cornmeal scone.

[kattyeyes]

FYI, that's Caitlin McGrath. :) She's a terrific baker! (Hi, Caitlin, if you're reading along!).

[roxlet]

Oh, yes! Of course. My apologies Caitlin!

[souschef]

My apologies too for being a smartass and not posting Caitlin's whole name !

[Caitlin McGrath]

Thank you, what a nice compliment.

[shaebones]

Just took the congo bars out of the oven. One of my fave CI recipes.

[pine time]

Found a coconut pound cake recipe that looked good, but I always need to gild the lily, so in addition to the vanilla it called for, added a bit of coconut extract, almond extract and eggnog flavoring. Even with all that, still quite mildly flavored. May up the extracts next time!

[tastycakes]

i taught 2 laminated dough classes today so i have dozens of danish and croissants on my counter emitting the most glorious fragrance. if you could bottle it, you'd make a fortune and men would be following you everywhere you went. i made ham and gruyere and chocolate almond croissants, and fig-almond, apple butter, and strawberry rhubarb cream cheese danish in addition to the regular flavors like apricot and raspberry. i hope i can make room in my freezer.

[roxlet]

Oh, wow! That sounds glorious. Where do you teach -- and why didn't the students get to take their handiwork :). I would have escaped with them!!

[tastycakes]

i work at le cordon bleu in california. every student makes their own batch of whatever we are learning that day. today we are doing scones, doughnuts, and cinnamon rolls. i have the great pleasure of baking almost every day at work, but of course it gets repetitive so i bake pretty often at home - especially with the weather getting cooler - to be creative and experiment.

[roxlet]

Very nice, tastycakes! You must be an exemplary baker.

[sandylc]

Sounds like a dream life!

[raygunclan]

please tell me that you live in orlando. please, please, please? ;)

[kattyeyes]

Nevermind your freezer! Please post your address--I'll be right over to help distribute them to deserving folks (i.e., my friends and me!!!). :)

[mnosyne]

Tasty: Do you do any private teaching outside of the School? I would love to learn laminated dough! I'm near Wilshire and Bundy.

[sandylc]

Laminated dough is the best!!! I am moderately good at it - good idea, mnosyne, I should take some lessons to get better at it!

[roxlet]

At 5PM I learned that we would have a one day reprieve for having the water turned off, I quickly put together a citrus pound cake from epicurious.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...

I didn't have any oranges in the house, so I substituted lime. It's in the oven now, and will be a good no-water-in-the-house breakfast.

[buttertart]

That must be bloody awful! (The water situation, not the cake.)

[roxlet]

This turned out quite well, and the guys managed to scarf down a good portion of it as soon as it was cool and I put a little confectioner's sugar/lemon juice icing on it. Strictly speaking, I know it is not a pound cake since it has baking powder, but it sure is good and a good facsimile of a pound cake!

[BabsW]

That recipe looks lovely.

I wonder what other citrus-type fruits wold be good in it. Hmm...

[auburnselkie]

Cookies, cookies, cookies. Swirled chocolate chip, chewy oatmeal, and mamachef's peanut butter cookies, which may be the best I've ever had. Also one more batch of cookies and cream cupcakes, for a friend who missed the weekend birthday party. It's finally cool and overcast here, and what I am thinking of for this afternoon is an apple pie!

[megjp]

I was really hankering for dessert this evening, started looking around the internet and cobbled this idea together from some sites with Persian type desserts..and these turned out to be amazing cookies. My boyfriend and I have been at them all night, to the point where I had to assuage my guilt with a walk.

1 1/4 cups chickpea (besan) flour -- I'm gluten-free for a few years now, I have no idea if you can make this with all-purpose flour but I imagine it would lack some depth; unbelievably un-beany
1/2 tsp. each baking soda, salt
1/4 tsp. each ground cloves and nutmeg
1/8 tsp. strong cinnamon
Ground cardamom seeds from 2-3 pods
Scant 1/2 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar (I used half demerara and half white)
1 large egg + 1 egg white because I had it, but I don't know if it is crucial
2 tbsp. almond milk
Generous splash each almond and orange extracts
Small pinch saffron threads, crumbled
Small handful each golden raisins, sliced almonds -- I imagine this added up to about 1/2 cup

Preheat oven to 375F. Combine ingredients up to and including cardamom, and whisk until fully blended. Cream sugars and butter together, then mix in egg, milk, extracts, and saffron. Fold in raisins and almonds, then drop by spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment or Silpat (this dough is quite sticky so mine may have been a lil.. shaggy). Bake on middle rack until moderately tan, 10 minutes for my batch of much larger cookies (like, 13 yield instead of 30 as detailed on the site). Allow to cool slightly, then .. well, act like you've never seen cookies before and devour several. :)

[macca]

Tried Ina Garten's yogurt lemon cake, with blueberry sauce. I actually made two- one as in the recipe, and the second with the blueberries in the cake. REally good- light and moist, and lemony!

[sandylc]

That sounds luscious.

[BabsW]

Just baked some Cranberry-Almond Scones. I messed with my usual recipe a bit with some substitutions and am very pleased with how they turned out. I ate two hot right off the baking sheet and in my gluttonous haste, burned my tongue.

[souschef]

Hey, we have another Cynsa here, eating stuff right out of the oven !

[BabsW]

I do that all the time. How I don't have permanent numb patches on my tongue by now is a mystery. lol

[buttertart]

It's a rule that anything consumable hot out of the oven must be. Otherwise how you gonna know how they taste?

[BabsW]

That's my thought on it! :)

[Cynsa]

scorched tongue, singed taste buds; heated chemistry changes flavors indeed - how can we know a food and decipher its recipe without tasting it in all stages?
- we have cook's fingers and baker's tongue

[souschef]

Cynsa, please let me know your thoughts after you have tasted a Tarte Tatin straight out of the oven :)

PLEASE DON'T DO IT !!!

[Cynsa]

seared sugars?

[souschef]

Caramel. HOT caramel.

[BabsW]

"seared sugars?" "Caramel. HOT caramel."

Funny, the hottest thing about yesterday's scones were the piping-hot dried cranberries. I definitely got a touch of that seared sugars experience.

They tasted far more almondy when piping hot than after they'd cooled down.

[BabsW]

"- we have cook's fingers and baker's tongue"

Yes!

I'm still extremely cautious about wrapping my hands on thick oven mitts. I have never been able to get the hang of yanking really hot stuff out of the oven with just a towel or pot holder. Nope. If I could get fireman-approved asbestos-lined mitts, I totally would.

[kattyeyes]

Savory kugel--the one my mom has always made--but topped with crushed cornflakes. Thanks, Chocolatechipkt! Love the extra golden-ness and crunch! Here's before and after!

[buttertart]

Yum!

[Chocolatechipkt]

Very yum! Looks great!

[lovetocookPEI]

Just made Patricia Wells’ Winemaker’s Grape Cake"from her At Home in Provence cookbook.This cake is an annual treat for us when the grapes from our vine are ripe. I have also made it subbing fresh mission figs for the grapes and it is fantastic and beautiful, I might add.

[souschef]

Recipe, please. I've never baked anything wiyh fresh figs (which I love), so would like to try it out.

[buttertart]

That does sound great (with grapes or figs) and the figs are nice right now.

[lovetocookPEI]

I followed a link here one day last week and found this variation on my usual recipe along with a photo. I reserved three of the figs and made some attractive slices for the second addition when the cake is partially baked.
Figs are a rarety/novelty here on Prince Edward Island Canada..I suspect it's because they don't travel well.
Cheers.
Helen

[buttertart]

Hey PEI, souschef and I are both Canadian too!

[lovetocookPEI]

Buttertart!! I figured you were! LOL

[buttertart]

Kind of a giveaway to those in the know. I live in NJ and the butter tart is pretty much unknown in the US and A.

[BananaBirkLarsen]

Wait, buttertarts are a Canadian thing?? I just asked my (American) boyfriend and he confirmed that he's never had or heard of them here on the west coast either.

I've been considering having a Canadian Thanksgiving dinner later this month and I think I've just found my dessert.

[souschef]

I suggest that you make a test batch beforehand; I find them too sweet.

[BananaBirkLarsen]

I live in California now, but I'm originally from BC and have eaten many a buttertart in my time. Only reading this thread did it sink in that I haven't seen one in years!

You're right though. They do tend to be very sweet. Maybe that's why there aren't any butterpies -- it would just be too much. I've been looking at recipes tonight and found one that suggested using chopped apple instead of raisins. I wonder if a good tart apple might help cut through the sweetness.

[lovetocookPEI]

No Butterpies? Well, there is something called Sugar Pie here in Canada , in Quebec mainly where it is called Tarte au Sucre. I think historicly it must have been made with Maple sugar but today it is usually made with brown sugar. It is very sweet but it is a tradition at Christmas in Quebec.I would say it resembles butter tarts without the raisins or pecan pies without the pecans.It definately goes back to a time when cooks had very basic ingredients on hand. My grandmothers sugar pie recipe is very similar to this one which I have just found from the grand dame of French Canadian cooking Mme Jehane Benoit
1 – Cover an 8-inch pie plate with dough. Spread with 1/2 inch of brown sugar or maple sugar. Wet with 3 tablespoons of cream or milk; dot with a few small dices of butter.
2 – Cover, to taste, with a few strips of dough and bake in a 400F oven for 35 to 40 minutes.

[sandylc]

There is a pie in Indiana called Sugar Cream Pie. It is essentially cream, white sugar, vanilla, butter, nutmeg, and a bit of flour to thicken it. Surprisingly, no eggs. One of the richest, sweetest things you'll ever eat. Next time I make it I'll buck tradition and top it with fresh berries to cut the sweet.

[buttertart]

I've always wanted to try that Indiana pie.

[biondanonima]

My mother (who is from Ohio) makes a version of this that she just called Sugar Pie - sugar, flour, milk, butter, a little cinnamon and nutmeg - incredibly sweet, although a little less rich than the Indiana version, I would assume, since she used milk instead of cream. I loved it when I was a kid but I haven't had it in years.

[modthyrth]

Sounds like what I know as Hand Pie from my Iowa parents and grandparents. I think ours was made with cream, though.

[BabsW]

It's funny what's in a name - we grew up having something my Dad called Sugar Pies, which were just the leftover scraps of pie crust dough rolled out super-thin and then sprinkled with cinnamon-sugar and baked. Great way to repurpose dough scraps.

My dad said his mom made them as a treat for him and his brothers when they were kids growing up in a farm during the Depression. So, really, 3 good reasons not to let a scrap of food go to waste, ever.

[kattyeyes]

When my mom made those, she called them tootsie rolls! Go figure.

[rstuart]

My mother also made those, with butter and cinnamon-sugar, and rolled up and baked in the oven. We called then "cinnamon twistie things" because they didn't have a name!

[kattyeyes]

HA HA HA! Very descriptive, at least! :)

[sandylc]

Yum. We had those, too. I still make them occasionally.

[Caitlin McGrath]

They didn't have a name in our house, but they happened. The other thing my mother did, and still does on Thanksgiving is to roll out the scraps and cut them in long strips about 3 inches wide, then add grated cheese and herbs (whatever's on hand), fold the dough over the long way and crimp shut, and bake, sometimes with a sprinkle of plain or smoked paprika. When they're baked, she cuts them across in bite-size pieces and serves them with the hors d'oeurves.

[rstuart]

Those sound good! We all have such sweet tooths in my family, we would have rebelled if they hadn't been baked with cinnamon and butter!

[BananaBirkLarsen]

Tarte au sucre. Huh. Wow. I'm really not as up on my Canadian desserts as I thought I was. Perhaps it's because I'm from the west coast and we really only take credit for Nanaimo bars.

I would love to try that recipe with maple sugar, but I doubt I can find any here that's reasonably priced. I bet it would be really good with fresh pears and whipped cream to cut through the inch of sugar!

[buttertart]

Nanaimo bars really only hit Ontario in the 70's and I still think of them as a West Coast thing. Butter tarts are Ontario and then some to me. There's a pastry chef here who does a "crack pie" that's a bit on ther butter tart line taken to ridiculaous extremes...http://www.thebittenword.com/thebitte...

[BananaBirkLarsen]

Ah yes, I've heard of the crack pie, although I never tried it myself. I lived in Brooklyn for a few years before moving out west.

I always associate buttertarts (and buttertart bars) with Christmas cookie trays and bake sales. Nanaimo bars were everywhere though. And trail mix cookies. The closest I've seen since leaving BC is a granola cookie, which really wasn't the same thing.

[pinehurst]

Checking in....my Nana Helen Gaudette was from Tignish in PEI...wonderful cook. Cheers to you buttertart and lovetocook! She also made a real mincemeat pie every Thanksgiving (with real meat/suet) that was tough to beat/replicate

[buttertart]

Aah Mme Benoit, I can still hear her voice.

[lovetocookPEI]

In the 60's, in Montreal,( showing my age here) as a young newly-wed, I got to know Mme Benoit. Her cookbooks were available in sort of an installment mode at Steinberg's, a local grocery chain. The segment of her cookbooks were available on a monthly(?) basis and each segment was a chaper with a different topic. These were my bed time reading for years and my introduction into cooking. I learned all the basics from Mme Benoit and still admire her no-nonsense recipes and cooking methods.I go back to her time and again for some fave recipes. The only thing I regret is getting rid of the original cookbook sometime in the 80's or 90's when I began to condsider her old fashioned!! LOL
Anyone else remember these?

[buttertart]

How nice, she always struck me as a very sweet person. My mom loved her. I remember those cookbooks (and Steinberg's) and still use her Mme B Cooks at Home book. The Greek crema dessert from that is lovely.

[Candy]

I used to love her books. I lived in Plattsburgh then. I used to wait table at one of the Howard Johnson's near the beach in the summer. To tie in with the discussion above, a lot of Canadians who came down used to ask for " Sugar Pie". The closest I could come up with was Pecan Pie. I never got any complaints

[BabsW]

This sub-thread has me dying to make a butter tart. I Googled it and it sort of reminds me of Shoofly pie, though that has molasses in it, and pecan pie minus the pecans.

And then I thought, "Hmm, how about a maple-walnut version?"

Because that is how my baking/cooking stream-of-consciousness thought process works! I know I should try a straight butter tart recipe first though. :)

Any recommendations on the best recipe? Best crusts?

[pinehurst]

I tweak Martha Stewart's recipe, a sweet crust. I sub brown sugar and salted for sweet butter.

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon granulated brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

[buttertart]

Here's my mom's: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/658814
We had them in the house pretty much all the time.

[BabsW]

This looks great, Buttertart! I can;t wait to make one now. :)

[souschef]

Buttertart, Babs' comment about this being a sub-thread makes me think that you should start a new thread with the recipe. It would make a search much easier with your name actually in the title - something like, "Buttertart's Buttertart" ?

[buttertart]

A bit presumptuous of me, but considering what today is, maybe I'll do just that!

[BabsW]

That's pretty close to the crust recipe I use. I might sub in my maple sugar and add ground walnuts when I make it. I really have maple-walnut on the brain lately.

[rstuart]

I've seen maple butter tarts.. have also seen them with or without raisins (I prefer with), and with or without nuts
another Canadian..

[maplesugar]

Figs are available for what seems like 5 minutes here in Central Alberta, when across the Rockies, Kelowna still has them til at least mid-late September.

I'd love to do more with dried figs/fig jam this winter. I've made fig truffles and a copycat fig newton but that's about it.

[lovetocookPEI]

Made the cale again today using grapes as in the original recipe

[sweeetfreeek]

fig pinwheel cookies are nice - make a sugar cookie rollout (you can flavor it with orange zest :)) dough and chill... heat fresh figs with sugar or honey and some water (I added Baileys Irish cream :)) reduced to a jam consistency. roll out dough to a large rectangle and spread the fig love and roll - chill for an hour - then slice and bake 375 for about 7 to 11 mins depending on oven - then drizzle with vanilla confectners glaze ... nice....especially with a cuppa.

[MichaelBeyer]

I'm currently working on a fresh fig version of fig newtons with a cinnamon flavored dough.

[kattyeyes]

That sounds just ducky! Sorry, your avatar made me say it like that. Sincerely, bet they're fab!

[modthyrth]

I just made a batch of Apple Cider Caramels using this recipe:

http://blondiescakes.blogspot.com/201...

They're still cooling in the pan, but what I scraped off the spoon and pot was *delicious*! The apple flavor really does come through.

I always add a little bit of salt and a little bit of acid (cider vinegar, in this case) to any caramel recipe, but otherwise, I followed the recipe and instructions exactly. Oh, and I always use a silicone pan rather than buttering and lining a regular pan. I don't use my silicone pan for much, but wow, does it make caramels and bar cookies a breeze to get out!

[buttertart]

Good to know about that. Do you do a lot of candymaking? I have a bee in my bonnet about trying it. I've only ever made fudge and peanut brittle.

[modthyrth]

My candy-making experience is very limited, I'm afraid! I make caramels and English toffee at the holidays, and that's pretty much it. But I'd love to do more! I failed spectacularly the one time I tried to make real fudge.

Those cider caramels are soooooo good. I brought a baggie to my friend this evening, who demanded I email her the link the moment I got home. They are the perfect fall candy.

[Chocolatechipkt]

Those sound great! Will definitely have to try them.

ETA: Go for it Buttertart. Candymaking is fun!

[buttertart]

Twist my arm! Somebody should start a candymaking thread, that'd really be fun.

[Chocolatechipkt]

Mm, and I was just thinking of making my snickerfudge again.

[buttertart]

Please.share.recipe.please...

[rstuart]

Snickerfudge?? I'll second buttertart.. recipe??? Please???

[buttertart]

cckt, could you please post the recipe itself and put us out of our misery? thanks!

[Chocolatechipkt]

Here you go ... let me know if you make it. :)

Kt's Snickerfudge

1 c semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 c smooth peanut butter (don't bother to measure ... a big scoop is fine)

4 T butter
1 c sugar
1/4 c evaporated milk
7 oz marshmallow fluff (one jar)
1/3 c peanut butter (another scoop)
1 tsp vanilla
2 c peanuts (no need to chop)

*approx 3/4 of a recipe of caramel (recipe below, make a few hours ahead if possible)

1 c semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 c peanut butter

Prepare a 9x13-inch baking pan by lining it with aluminum foil and lightly coating it with an unflavored vegetable oil.

For the first layer, melt the chocolate chips and peanut butter on very low heat til smooth. Pour into the pan, spread evenly and refrigerate while you prepare the next layer.

For the second layer, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the sugar and evaporated milk, let it come to a boil, and then cook for about 5 min., stirring constantly. Add the marshmallow fluff, the peanut butter, and the vanilla. Then add the peanuts and mix well. Quickly spread onto the now-chilled first layer and refrigerate again.

For the third layer, take the cooled but still pourable caramel and spread evenly onto the marshmallowy layer. Use as much or as little as you want, but make sure it covers the second layer completely. Refrigerate for at least 30 min. so it sets up a bit.

For the final layer, melt the chocolate chips and peanut butter on very low heat til smooth. Pour on top of the chilled caramel and spread evenly.

Cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours, til the candy has completely set up. When you're ready to slice, lift the candy out of the pan by the foil edges and lay it flat on the counter. Slice off uneven edges if you're a perfectionist. Using a sharp knife, cut into small squares (it's rich!) and put into a container for refrigeration. Enjoy!

Classic Cream Caramels
(based on the recipe from Truffles, Candies and Confections)

This recipe is intended to make caramel candies. For the purposes of the recipe above, I want the caramel liquid, but you can spread this out on a foil-lined, lightly oiled cookie sheet, let it cool, and slice into pieces for traditional buttery, chewy caramels, too. Make sure to use a large enough saucepan when making this (at least 4 qts)--or else you'll find yourself scrambling to find something larger halfway through the cooking process, and possibly ending up with almost-caramel bubbling up and over the top of the pan. Ahem. Making caramel is not hard, but you do have to be careful when you're making this, or anything with hot sugar, not to get it on your skin, as it's one of the worst kinds of burns you'll find. I sometimes wear oven mitts while stirring just in case the caramel starts to bubble a bit too energetically.

2 c sugar
1 c light corn syrup
2 Tbs unsalted butter, in pieces
2 c heavy whipping cream
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla

In a large saucepan over medium heat, mix the sugar and corn syrup, stirring constantly until the mixture comes to a boil, about 5 min. Use a pastry brush dipped in water to keep sugar crystals from forming on the sides of the pan.

Increase the heat to medium-high, attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pan, and cook the mixture without stirring (yes, it's hard to do) until the temperature reaches 305 degrees F.

Remove the pan from the burner, and stir in 1 Tbs of butter. Return the pan back to the heat and add the last tablespoon of butter in pieces, letting the mixture continue to boil.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the cream to a boil and then slowly add it to the caramel mixture. Be careful, as the mixture will bubble even more ferociously at this point, but keep stirring to mix it all together. Continue cooking and stirring til the thermometer reads 250 degrees F, maybe 10 min.

Remove the pan from the heat, place the pan on a folded towel (to protect the countertop), and let sit about 5 min. Add the salt and vanilla, and mix well. Pour the caramel into a metal bowl (or onto a cookie sheet, as described above) and allow to cool. Do not touch the bowl -- it will be very hot! When the caramel has cooled but is still pourable, use in the snickerfudge recipe above.

[buttertart]

Thank you!!! Must make.

[rstuart]

Looks great! Thanks for sharing..

[raygunclan]

i made a coconut cake today as well as cook's illustrated's old fashioned chocolate layer cake. i also made their frosting but didn't really like the consistency so i added it to the leftover buttercream i had and it was perfect after a little stint in the fridge. ain't nothing like removing everything in your fridge so that you can take out all of the shelves to fit in a 4 layer cake. :) wah.

[buttertart]

That's for dang sure!

[souschef]

I made The McG Scones today. Added 2 oz raisins, because I like raisins in my scones.

I got twelve 2-inch scones; they were a bit thicker than 1/2 inch. Brushed the tops with milk.

The scones were puffed and high and tender, and separated easily through the thickness (a must for me).

The bottoms were a bit overdone, so the next time I think I'll bake them at 400 instead of 425. Also, I felt I could taste baking powder, so will reduce it a bit.

I prefer these to the ones I normally make, so this is my new recipe; less time to make too.

Thanks Caitlin!

Buttertart, you linked this thread from the September one incorrectly, so the link does not work.

[buttertart]

Shoot. Thanks.

[roxlet]

I saved this recipe and I might mix everything but the cream tonight and make them for my son's breakfast tomorrow morning. I'm thinking pecans and maybe currents...

[souschef]

When you mix it, the batter is at first very sticky, so you may be tempted to add more flour, but it does come together okay so you can roll it out.

[souschef]

I think you'll have better luck with currants :)

How did they turn out?

[BabsW]

Mmm, scones.

Until I started using a Silpat mat, I always, and I do mean ALWAYS, burned the bottoms of my cookies, biscuits and scones.

It's the weirdest thing, I tried light-colored sheet pans, air-insulated pans, greased, not-greased, parchment paper, lowering the temp etc but no matter what I did, the bottoms were always too dark.

Silpat has saved my biscuits. lol

[sandylc]

If you can taste baking powder, check what kind you are using. Non-aluminun BP is a must-use. Rumford brand is the best one in my area.

[souschef]

I don't taste baking powder in my old scone recipe, so it's not the baking powder that's a problem, it's the quantity. Funny thing is that my wife said she could not taste it. She also prefers this recipe to the old one.

I'm planning to make them again for breakfast tomorrow, but I have only 1 cup of cream, so I'm planning to use 1/4 cup of buttermilk too, and throw in 1/4 cup of cornmeal. I'll also try 2-1/2 teaspoons of BP instead of 3 (1 Tbsp). Or maybe an egg yolk with buttermilk to make up the 1/4 cup ?

[sandylc]

I think you need a bit of baking soda when you add a cultured product like buttermilk. The salt needs to be reduced just a bit to compensate sodium-wise. I'm not sure what adding the egg would change...

What kind of scone are you going for? Fluffy or shortbready?

[souschef]

Sorry I only just saw this post; darn CH marked it as read - not the first time.

I'm going for fluffy. I like shortbread, but dislike shortbready scones. I think the egg would make it a bit cakey. This is in keeping with my love of cake, and that I'm not a pieman.

[sandylc]

I experimented a bit with scones a few years ago, and more butter seemed to translate into more shortbready. A half stick (4 T.) of butter to 2 cups of flour seemed to be fluffier; any more butter than that and you're headed into shortbready land. I liked both, actually.

I've never thought that eggs belonged in scones, although I know many people do that. Yes, it would make them more muffiny/cakey.

Hey, they're all good when made with real, lovely, fresh ingredients, though, aren't they?

[souschef]

Yes, they are ☼