One of those nights

Sometimes you just need a night of a mini Law & Order marathon and a glass or two of a nice pinot noir... or is that just me? I was having one of those utterly relaxing evenings this week, and knew that I had to whip something up to round out the lineup of indulgence.

I feel like I might have been behind on this realization, but ripe bananas freeze really well. No more carefully timed baking here - just wait for the bananas to get super ripe, peel them and freeze them in an airtight container. Now you can use them for baking whenever the mood strikes! I overzealously froze a half dozen a few weeks ago, so banana bread was the clear answer to my cravings. It's been a long time since I've baked anything because I've been so busy, and I especially haven't made banana bread in AGES. Not quite knowing where to turn, I searched the internet for recipes that would make the cut. Leave it to Food & Wine magazine's "Perfect Banana Bread Every Time" to blow away the competition.

I decided to sweeten things up and add some Heath toffee bits to the batter, and was very happy with the result. It's not identifiably "toffee" flavored, but there's an extra dimension that won the hearts of all who tried it. Another important lesson: EVERYTHING tastes better with butter. Forget all those banana breads you used to make with vegetable oil. There's just no substitute - nothing will have the same cakey texture, perfect crust and solid body without good old butter. Use it :)

Toffee Banana Bread
Adapted from foodandwine.com

4 bananas, very ripe
1/2 C granulated sugar
1/2 C packed brown sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 C whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 C toffee bits (optional)

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare 9"x5" loaf pan with nonstick spray.


Blend together bananas and sugar, then add butter. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Slowly add in dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Pour into loaf pan and bake for 50-60 min, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely.

In a jam?

If you do find yourself searching for something sweet, hearty and easy to whip up, look no further than these jam bars. There's a little baking company in San Francisco that I'm working far, and before I ended up on their payroll I was smitten with all - but especially one - of their treats and tried to recreate it at home. While it wasn't exact, the bars came out even better than I expected, and definitely joined my go-to baking repertoire.

The beauty of these jam bars is that you can make them with whatever jam or preserves you choose! I'm a blackberry fan myself, but you could go with apricot, peach, raspberry or strawberry (shown in these photos). Perfect for any and every time of day or season, jam bars are exactly the way to start your fall baking!

Jam Bars
Yields one 8"square or circular pan


Oatmeal cookie base:
1 C whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 C old fashioned rolled oats

1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 C (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 C packed brown sugar
1/4 C granulated sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp almond extract


1 C jam or preserves


Streusel:
3 Tbsp (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces
1/4 C flour
1/4 C packed brown sugar
1/4 C old fashioned rolled oats


Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare a baking pan (circular or square) with nonstick spray. Combine flour, oats, salt and baking powder in a medium bowl and set aside. Cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy (several minutes). Add in egg and almond extract and beat to combine. Slowly add in dry ingredients, mixing on medium-low until just combined. Press dough into pan until it is an even thickness to all edges. 


For streusel topping, combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulsed until they form a coarse mixture with no butter pieces larger than a pea (or cut in butter with a pastry cutter). 


Spread on jam, making about a 1/4 inch thick layer (more if desired, but it gets messy!). Sprinkle streusel topping copiously over jam layer. 


Bake for 30-40 min, until the bars are set and don't jiggle in the middle when you slide the pan around. If the jam around the edges of the bars start to overcook (it will definitely be bubbling), cover with foil until set. I had to check these pretty frequently to avoid overcooking, so I would recommend testing for doneness every 5 minutes or so after 20 minutes.


Let cool completely in pan, then cut and serve!

A Biscoff break

I think that most people who have spent time in western Europe (and definitely France) have discovered the amazingly delicious little spice cookies that accompany coffee or tea and just seem to pop up everywhere. Many know them by their brand name, Biscoff, but these crisp cookies called speculaas originated in Belgium as treats to be served around Christmas time. They traditionally have images of the story of St. Nicholas stamped on them, and although I've never seen them, there are apparently pans made especially for them!

Speculaas spice is a mouth-watering, heart-warming combination of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, cardamom and coriander. This magical blend is sharp but not too overwhelmingly spicy, and when you smell these cookies baking it will make you feel all kinds of holiday nostalgia. Almost makes me wish it were cold and raining! Almost.

For me, there's an experience of a coffee or tea break that begs a side dish. A square of dark chocolate, a cakey donut or a crisp cookie are essential when I'm starting or taking a break from my day. I was feeling a little homesick for a Parisian sidewalk cafe, and decided to see if this recipe was easy enough to whip up on a regular basis. Good news! - it's so easy :)

It's not identical to the texture of Biscoff, but this recipe captures the flavors perfectly and something about homemade makes it even better. You can make the cookies in varying thicknesses, but I like a balance between crisp and chewy and rolled out the dough to a little over 1/8" thick.

A note about the recipe - it specifies weight instead of volume of the flour and sugar, so the volume approximations are not precise. I used a food scale for a more accurate result.

Speculaas
Spice blend from Seitan is My Motor
Cookie recipe from Tasty Kitchen
Makes about 20 cookies (about 2.5" diameter)


Speculaas spice blend
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/8 tsp ground coriander
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

Cookies
8 oz all-purpose flour (or ~2 1/4 C)
5 oz dark brown sugar (or ~3/4 C)
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp speculaas spice blend
5 oz cold butter, cut into small pieces
4 Tbsp milk

Directions: Combine dry ingredients and then add butter and milk. Blend with an electric beater or cut in with pastry cutter (much more labor intensive, be warned!) until dough is formed. Refrigerate in a disk for at least a few hours.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out on plastic wrap or a lightly floured surface to about 1/8" thick and then cut with cookie cutters. Place on prepared baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes, until fragrant and lightly browned on the edges. Let cool for a minute and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Going into the oven!

Caffeinated and happy

I think my love and devotion to coffee has been pretty well-established throughout the course of this blog. My aforementioned hot, intelligent and generally awesome barista boyfriend got the ball rolling about a year and a half ago, and now that we've moved to San Francisco there's no turning back! There's a long history and thriving culture of artisan coffee in the city, and people here are pretty serious about their morning (afternoon, evening) cup of joe. 

Ritual Roasters is a San Francisco institution, with a reputation for incredible coffee and baristas that has given it national press and a devoted following. Barista boyfriend proved his chops and landed a job with these folks, and so it goes without saying that Ritual is now a permanent fixture in our lives. I love learning about coffee - from the tree to the cup - and have relished immersing myself into the culture along with him. The free coffee and watching my man roll up his sleeves behind the espresso machine again definitely helps as well. 

A winning combination

So what's a perpetually happily caffeinated girl to do? Make a cup, pour some into baked goods, and then sit down and enjoy finished baked goods with coffee :) I wanted to experiment with the combination of spiced chocolate and coffee flavors, and decided to use Ibarra chocolate - a brand of Mexican table chocolate that is made with cocoa nibs, cinnamon and undissolved sugar. It's a funny texture because it's primarily meant to be dissolved in milk to make Mexican hot chocolate and not eaten plain. I broke up the tablets into small chunks and then ground them into powder with a food processor. 

I substituted the ground Ibarra for cocoa powder in a recipe for chocolate baked donuts. I wanted to see if I could make them without a donut pan - who has space for a donut pan? - and settled for making giant "donut holes" in muffin tins. While the finished product looked predictably like small muffins, they had the tender crumb and thicker texture of cake donuts. The Ibarra? Heavenly. 

While the donuts were in the oven, I brewed myself a cup of Concepcion Buena Vista, a Guatemalan coffee, and worked it into a glaze that I dipped the tops of the finished donuts into. The thin glaze laces the top of the donuts with the multi-dimensional tang of coffee that balances the sweetness perfectly. 

Warning: these donuts last about five seconds in front of anyone who encounters them. 

Ibarra Chocolate Baked Donuts with Coffee Glaze

Donut recipe adapted from Vanilla Sugar

Glaze adapted from 5 second rule

Makes about 16 donuts

Donuts

1 1/2 C cake flour OR 1 1/8 C all-purpose flour + 3 Tbsp cornstarch

2/3 C ground Ibarra chocolate

1/2 C granulated sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

3/4 C buttermilk, room temperature OR 3/4 C milk + 1 3/4 tsp white vinegar

2 eggs

Unglazed giant donut holes!

2 Tbsp butter, melted

1 tsp vanilla extract

Coffee Glaze

4 Tbsp butter, melted

1 1/2 - 2 C powdered sugar

1/2 C freshly brewed coffee

2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare muffin tins with nonstick spray. Mix flour, chocolate, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Add buttermilk, then butter, then eggs and vanilla, combining in between each addition. Fill the muffin tins about 1/3 full, then bake for 8-10 minutes until the tops of the donuts spring back to the touch. Let cool in the pan for a couple of minutes, then cool completely on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, whisk butter, coffee and vanilla together. Add powdered sugar until glaze reaches desired thickness. You can make it thick and opaque like icing, or thinner like I did so you get more of the coffee flavor and less overpowering sweetness. Let it cool a little bit before dipping the rounded tops of the donuts into the glaze. Let cool - glaze will sink in and make the tops shiny. Coat a second time and let cool completely.

Southern comfort

I'll go ahead and venture that aside from ice cream, pie is one of my all-time favorite comfort foods. Put ice cream on a warm slice of pie and you'll be my friend for life. We all know, that pies are a bit of an undertaking and they're definitely not something I whip up on a regular basis, but finishing my first quarter of my doctorate program was absolutely such an occasion (confession: I made this pie before I finished my final exams. But we'll gloss over the procrastination aspect of this project and just call it a celebration).

I haven't made an apple pie in ages, and for good reason. It takes about a year to peel and slice all the apples, another seven or eight months to make the dough, chill it and roll it out to make it fit a pie pan, and a generally unreasonable amount of time to cool before you can dig in. With that said, this recipe may be worth the wait.

I have recently discovered bourbon - yes, I know - and it's probably the first liquor that I've ever actually wanted to savor the taste of. The good stuff is round, sweet and the perfect accompaniment to the tartness of apples and zing of cinnamon. I think that splashing some Maker's Mark into the mix added a depth of flavor that you can't get anywhere else - you don't taste "alcohol" but there's a little something extra that made me a lot of friends from this pie.

Note: I only made one recipe of pie crust and it was definitely not enough for me to roll out and make two complete pie crusts (hence the streusel topping). If you want to make the traditional second crust of the apple pie, make twice this crust recipe and roll out, cut and top the pie as you choose. Just make sure you crimp the two edges together and cut some holes in the top for steam if you're leaving it whole and not in strips!

Bourbon Apple Pie
Crust from Joy of Baking
Filling adapted from Sweet Pea's Kitchen

Crust
2 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 C (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces and chilled
1/4-1/2 C ice water

Directions: Blend flour, salt and sugar in a food processor. Add butter and process for about 15 seconds, until the mixture looks like coarse meal. Pour 1/4 C of ice water in and process until the dough starts to hold together (you may need a little bit more). Don't overmix! Remove dough and dust with flour, then wrap with plastic and flatten into a disc. Chill for at least one hour before using.

Filling
6 medium-sized tart apples (I used Braeburn, Cortland and Golden Delicious)
1/3 C Kentucky bourbon (the good stuff!)
1/2 C packed brown sugar
1/4 C granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
4 tsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp lemon juice

Streusel topping
1/2 C all-purpose flour
1/2 C packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
5 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into chunks and chilled

Directions: Peel and slice all of the apples - I cut them into quarters, removed the core and then sliced the wedges into 1/4 inch thick pieces. In a large saucepan, mix together apples, bourbon, sugars, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cornstarch. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until apples are fork-tender but not mushy (about 15-20 minutes). Uncover and cook for another 5 minutes until the liquid is glossy and a little thickened. Remove from heat, add lemon juice and let cool to room temperature (about 30 minutes).

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove dough round from refrigerator and roll out on a floured surface to a little more than 1/4" thickness. Transfer to pie pan by folding round in half and moving it, or draping over your rolling pin. Pat dough gently down into sides and bottom of pan, and crimp edge.

Combine all ingredients for streusel in a food processor and pulse until the butter is in small pieces and the mixture is crumbly. Set aside.

Pour cooled apple mixture into pie pan and spread to fill it evenly. Sprinkle streusel mixture all over top of pie. Cut foil strips and use them to cover the edge of the crust (it will prevent burning of the edge). Bake for about 50 minutes, removing foil halfway through. The pie is done when the crust is golden brown and you can see some bubbling from the filling.


Now here comes the hard part: you have to let it cool for at least 1 hour before you eat. This gives the filling a chance to set - if you cut into it right away you will have cinnamon apple soup!

Can "vegan" be delicious?

Let me preface this recipe by saying that I'm a bit suspicious of baked treats that are "gluten free" or "vegan." I'm a bit old fashioned in my devotion to butter, flour, eggs and milk in my baking, but I'm certainly open to be convinced that both of the aforementioned categories can be ridiculously delicious. I was recently challenged with baking for a friend's birthday - she's allergic to dairy and the treats were to be eaten during our 8am anatomy lecture. Obviously cakes were off the table, and in a search for something vegan that was (relatively) filling and healthy for the morning I stumbled upon this recipe for vegan blueberry banana muffins.

They were so easy to make, and no one even guessed that they were anything less than "normal." Moist with a tender crumb, the creaminess of banana and the tart pops of blueberries make these a fantastic addition to breakfast or an afternoon snack. I've gotten in the habit of buying large quantities of fresh blueberries during the summer when they're in season and then freezing them - you'll have the taste of July whenever you're in the mood, even when there's nothing good at the market! You can also make and then freeze the finished muffins them to keep for a longer time.

So what's the verdict on vegan baking? With recipes like these, I say keep it coming!

Vegan Blueberry Banana Muffins
Adapted from Week of Menus
Makes about 12 muffins


1 1/2 C whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
6 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 C water
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 C granulated sugar
3 large brown bananas
1 C blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees and coat muffin tins with nonstick spray.
In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Add blueberries and toss to coat. In a large bowl, squish together bananas and sugar. Add vanilla, oil and water and mix well. Add dry mixture to wet mixture and stir until just combined - don't overmix or they will be tough!


Divide batter and bake until golden brown and the top of the muffins spring back to the touch, about 25-30 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Another year

Time flies, and I really can't believe it's been another year. To think about how much has changed since the last time I made myself a birthday cake is pretty exciting - worked for almost a year at the most amazing restaurant (with the greatest coworkers ever), graduated from college, moved to a new city with this super awesome and very attractive barista, started my graduate program... and those are just the big ones! But at the risk of sounding very young, turning 22 is pretty anticlimactic and the only thing big change will be fewer "Awww, really? You're a baby!" comments and pats on the head from pretty much everyone who learns my age. I'm just grateful for another year surrounded by the people who make my life so much better, and have given me more love and support than I could have ever asked for.

But let's not get too nostalgic - there are things to bake and cakes to eat! I'd been thinking about my 22nd birthday cake for a while, and I was a bit more ambitious with the design than I have ever been before. I was very pleasantly surprised with the result, and would probably rank this as my favorite cake I've ever (gasp) made. The layers of white cake flavored with pistachio are light and fresh, and when refrigerated with layers of pastry cream in between take on an even more moist and tender crumb with a hint of vanilla flavor. The hardened ganache spread on top and dripped down the sides not only gives it extra decadence and effortless "cool" factor, but is a great complementary texture to the cake. If you want, you can make these into beautiful little cupcakes as well - just dollop cream on top and drizzle with ganache and you're ready to go!

I also made pastry cream (the custard-y filling in eclairs) for the first time for this recipe, and it's definitely not as intimidating as it seems. As long as you're hovering over the stove and don't let anything get too hot/boil/curdle, this recipe works very well! Make sure you make the pastry cream the day before you assemble the cake, as it needs time to completely set up.

Quick tip: If you don't have a long, sharp serrated knife, it's going to be hard to cut your cake layers in half without messing one up. Either do your best and make do with uneven layers (like me) or use two/three cake pans and make thicker cake layers. Because one of mine got split on the edge, it splayed out a bit when I stacked them. I remedied this by tightly wrapping plastic wrap around the finished product to hold it in place until it got cold enough to hold together itself. 

Pistachio and Vanilla Cream Layer Cake

Here's the rundown...

1. Make vanilla pastry cream, chill overnight 

2. Bake two 8" round pistachio cakes, let cool completely

3. Slice each cake round in half width-wise to make four thin round layers

4. Layer cake rounds with about 1/2" thick layers of pastry cream, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set

5. Make dark chocolate ganache and drizzle over top of cake, refrigerate until you serve

6. Swoon

Vanilla Pastry Cream

from Baked Explorations

3 C half and half

6 egg yolks (reserve 3 egg whites for cake batter!)

1/2 C granulated sugar

3 Tbsp cornstarch

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions: In a medium sized saucepan, bring half and half to a simmer. Whisk together egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch and salt in another bowl, until the mixture is pale (about 1 minute). Whisk half of the heated half and half into the egg mixture, then pour the egg mixture back into the sauce pan with the remaining half and half. Continue to cook over medium heat for about 6-8 minutes, whisking constantly. The cream is done when the mixture thickens and starts to boil a little (when some bubbles pop to the surface). Remove from heat and pour into a heat-safe bowl, then press a layer of plastic wrap onto the surface of the cream (to prevent a skin from forming). Refrigerate overnight or at least for a few hours.

Pistachio Cake

(aka Aunt Sassy Cake) from Baked Explorations

1 1/3 C shelled pistachios

2 1/2 C cake flour3/4 C all-purpose flour

If you don't have cake flour, add 2 3/4 C all-purpose flour and 5 Tbsp cornstarch 

1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 C (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 C granulated sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 egg
3 egg whites, at room temperature
1 1/2 C ice cold water
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar (or 1/4 tsp white vinegar if your cupboard is bare)

Directions: Preheat oven to 325 degrees and prepare 8" round cake pans with parchment or nonstick spray, and line cupcake tins with liners if desired. In a food processor, pulse pistachios until coarsely chopped. Reserve about 1/4 C of these for decorating, then continue pulsing until finely ground (but not powdery). Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt together and then combine with pistachios. 

Beat butter on med-high speed until light and creamy (about 3 min), then add sugar and cream the mixture until fluffy. Add the whole egg and beat to combine. Add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the ice water (start and end with flour). Beat on low-medium between each addition, just to combine.

This recipe also makes beautiful cupcakes!

In another bowl (totally dry and clean!), beat egg whites and cream of tartar (or vinegar) at high speed until soft peaks form.

Gently fold egg whites into batter, being careful to maintain the air in the mixture.

Divide batter into pans or cupcake tins, and bake until the top of the cake springs back to the touch. The cupcakes take about 20 minutes, and the 8" cakes take about 30, but check them every few minutes or so after 15 minutes because you don't want to overbake! 

Let cool for 20 minutes on a wire rack before turning them out to cool completely. Trim the top of cake rounds with a long, sharp serrated knife. so they are level and not domed. Cut the layers in half by width if you'd like. 

Dark Chocolate Ganache

4 oz dark chocolate (I use Trader Joe's 72%)

1/3 C butter, at room temperature and cut into cubes

Directions: Melt chocolate and butter in a double boiler over medium-high heat. Stir until melted and smooth, making sure that no water gets in the mixture (it will curdle!)

Pour melted mixture over top of assembled and refrigerated cake, using a spatula to spread it over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides. Sprinkle with reserved chopped pistachios and refrigerate until serving!

Classy

A very dear friend and very classy lady recently celebrated her birthday, and I found myself at a loss of what to make that would be ship-able, yummy, fun yet classic. I remembered that I had some whole vanilla beans in my cupboard, and decided that this would be the perfect time to make and use vanilla sugar. Super simple, but you can't do it unless you have a food processor. Don't fret, these cookies taste are pretty delicious made with vanilla extract!

You can pick any chocolate to dip these in, but of course I always prefer dark (60-70%). Make sure you go through the tempering process, which will avoid the matte colored chocolate coating that melts when you touch it. A little extra effort and a few dollars on a candy thermometer will make a huge difference in the finished product :)

Enjoy these striking, classic and classy cookies!

Vanilla Sugar
Chop 1 vanilla bean into small pieces, then process with 1 C granulated sugar until bean is only seen as small black flecks in the sugar.

Vanilla Sugar Cookies
From allrecipes.com
Makes about 15 cookies


1/4 C + 2 Tbsp butter, room temperature
1/2 C granulated sugar (vanilla sugar if desired)
1 egg
1/4 tsp vanilla extract (omit if using vanilla sugar)
1 1/4 C all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

~6 oz chocolate of your choice (chopped)

Directions: Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add egg and vanilla extract (if using) and beat until combined. Gradually add in flour, baking powder and salt and beat until just combined. Form into a log about 3-4 inches in diameter and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Freeze or refrigerate until solid.


Preheat oven to 400 degrees and prepare baking sheet with parchment. Slice cookie log, forming cookies that are the thickness you desire. I like thick, chewy cookies so I sliced them about 1/2 inch thick. Place on baking sheet, sprinkle with more vanilla sugar, and bake 6-8 minutes until slightly golden around the edges. Let cookies cool completely on a wire rack.

When cookies are cooled, melt about 4 oz of the chocolate in a double boiler until the temperature reaches 110 degrees F. Add the unmelted remaining chocolate and stir to melt it. Once the temperature has reached 90 degrees, dip the ends of the cookies in the chocolate and place back on the rack or waxed paper to cool and harden. Voila!

Also, you should probably grab everything in the house
and dip those in chocolate too...

DIY

I'll concede to the fact that when you're in the grocery store and hungry for a cold treat (RIGHT. NOW.) the aisles of pre-made ice cream sandwiches are pretty darn appealing - and practical. But if you're willing to delay gratification a teensy bit, this upcoming recipe and method for making your very own ice cream sandwiches is well worth the wait and extra effort!

A note about the method: It's easy to just slap some ice cream between two cookies, but taking the extra step to make ice cream "pucks" will ensure an even distribution of ice cream throughout the cookie, a neater outside edge and reduce the tragic breakage of cookies from pressing down too hard.

I've become enamored with the combination of chocolate, toffee and coffee, and this treat really solidifies it for me. Rich chocolate gets a sweet kick from toffee and depth from coffee, and the contrast of textures is really spectacular. While I advocate this particular combination, feel free to experiment with any kind of mix-ins or exchange the chocolate cookie for a regular butter flavor. You won't be disappointed! Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and then in a baggie or plastic container and they'll keep for a long time. Or as long as it takes for you to devour them...

Chocolate Toffee Coffee Ice Cream Sandwiches
Cookie recipe slightly adapted from Bon Appetit Desserts by Barbara Fairchild

1/2 C (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 C plus 2 Tbsp sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 C all-purpose flour (I used whole wheat pastry flour)
1/2 C unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 C dark chocolate chips
1/2 C toffee chips or crushed toffee bars

Coffee ice cream (I used Lucerne's Coffee Caramel Swirl from Safeway - it's local and delicious!)

Directions: In an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat until well blended. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt together, then add gradually to butter mixture until well blended (careful not to over-mix). Mix in toffee and chocolate chips. Chill dough until firm. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare baking sheet with parchment while you're waiting.

Roll dough into rounded tablespoonfuls (bigger if you'd like bigger sandwiches). Bake until they puff and crack on top but are still soft, about 11 minutes. Let them cool on baking sheet for 1 minute and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.


While the cookies are baking and cooling, take your ice cream out to soften slightly. Spoon into muffin tins and make a (relatively) smooth and even "puck" that's about 1 inch thick. Put tray in freezer for about a half an hour. When the pucks are re-frozen, remove from muffin tins by running a knife around the outside edge. Place puck in the center of two (fully cooled) cookies - enjoy now or wrap tightly and freeze for the next hot day!

There's nothing better on a sunny Fourth of July afternoon!

Summer in San Francisco

I know that my baking's been on a bit of a hiatus - moving to San Francisco meant packing up my Kitchenaid for a few weeks while I unpacked, got settled in my new apartment (and waited for my oven to get fixed) and figured out a way to schedule breaks from intense studying. BUT - I'm back! And what better way to return to the kitchen than with this fantastic recipe.

The weather's taken a turn for the warm up here in the city (shocker) and nothing sounded better to me than the crisp tang of lime. This recipe that I found for a cupcake with ricotta cheese and lime zest and juice is one of the best I've ever tasted, and I'm so excited to share it with you. I upped the lime content by adding twice the zest, and I think it was perfect. The cake is light with a nice crumb, and I think that the ricotta really lived up to its reputation as a great way to make fluffy baked goods fluffier! It's the perfect end to a summer BBQ (or accompaniment to a margarita?)

For the frosting, I chose the white chocolate buttercream that I used for my whoopie pies. I think the sweetness of the white chocolate nicely balanced the tartness of the lime, and it stands up a little better to room temperature than a whipped cream frosting.

So wherever you are - laying in front of the fan or bundled up in a sweatshirt dreaming of the sun - enjoy this cupcake and think of summer!

Lime Ricotta Cupcakes
From Kayotic Kitchen
Makes 18 cupcakes


2 1/2 C all-purpose flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 C sugar
7 oz butter, softened
1/2 C + 2 Tbsp ricotta cheese
4 eggs, separated
4 limes

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cupcake tins with liners or nonstick spray. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. Grate limes and add to flour mixture, juice 2 limes and reserve juice. Cream together sugar and butter in an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add ricotta and beat until well incorporated and very light. Add egg yolks and beat to incorporate. Alternate adding flour and lime juice, starting and ending with flour. Reserve this batter, wash out your electric mixer if you don't have a separate beater.

Add a pinch of salt to the egg whites and beat at high speed until you make soft peaks. Fold egg whites into batter, making sure to incorporate very gently to maintain the air in the mixture!

Fill cupcake tins 2/3 full and bake for 25 minutes, or until the top of the cupcake springs back to the touch. Let cool completely before frosting. Store in a cool place, don't frost until you really need to!

Sweet and spicy

Just as I'm about to leave San Diego, I discover a lounge that was literally made for me! It's sad, but I've been making up for lost time and making as many trips to Starlite Lounge as my end-of-school schedule will allow. The atmosphere is beautiful and classy without being pretentious, and both the food and drink menus are very reasonably priced but high quality, inventive and absolutely delicious. Once I tasted the Velvet Diablo cocktail on my first trip, I knew that no other cocktail would ever measure up. It blends spicy and fizzy ginger beer, sweet creme de cassis, zesty lime and the punch of tequila - in other words, perfection. 

I had never really thought of using ginger in combination with a sweet and tart berry flavor, and when I was thinking of what to bake for my last weeks in San Diego, I knew that I had to somehow incorporate the Velvet Diablo. The result is below - buttery shortbread with a little zing of ginger sandwiching the creamy tartness and sweetness of fresh blackberry. Great for impending summer weather and even better for my last memory of baking in San Diego. 

NOTE: The buttercream needs to be refrigerated in order to stay relatively solid, so make sure the cookies are completely cooled before piping the filling and put them in the refrigerator after assembling. Don't leave them out for more than 10-15 minutes before eating :)

Velvet Diablo Shortbread Sandwiches

Adapted from Evil Shenanigans

Yields about 2 dozen sandwich cookies

Ginger shortbread cookies
1 1/3 C all-purpose flour

1/3 C cornstarch

1/2 tsp baking powder

10 Tbsp butter, room temperature

2/3 C powdered sugar

1-2 tsp ground ginger (depending on how spicy you'd like the cookies)

Blackberry buttercream

5 Tbsp butter, room temperature

2 Tbsp finely diced fresh blackberries (pull out the chunks of stem)

1 1/2 C powdered sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare baking sheets with parchment. Combine all ingredients for cookies in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, and mix on low speed until the ingredients just come together. Increase speed to medium-high for about 30 seconds, until the dough starts to clump around the paddle. If you can't get it to incorporate after a couple of minutes, add water (maybe 1-2 tsp) to bind the dough better. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to about 1/8 inch thick. Cut with a cookie cutter (I use a shot glass!) and place cookies onto baking sheets about 1/4 inch apart. Continue re-rolling and cutting until all dough is used. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until cookies are slightly puffed and just golden on the bottom edge. Cool completely on pans.

For buttercream, cream butter and blackberries then add powdered sugar. Blend until smooth. Add extra powdered sugar until the filling has the consistency of cake frosting.

Once the cookies are cool, pipe a dollop of filling onto the undersides of half of the cookies, then sandwich. Refrigerate until serving!

Baking pyrotechnics

Well, almost. While visions of impressive, show-stopping flames jumping out of my cupcakes danced through my head when I first read this recipe, the result was more of a subtle, often hilarious experiment in lighting things on fire.
I must say that the recipes for chocolate cupcakes and buttercream are DIVINE, and especially the cupcake is probably the best chocolate one I have ever made (and the easiest)! The recipe calls for cutting strawberries in half and filling them with a strong liquor (over 80 proof), then lighting the wells of alcohol on fire. Megan and I were skeptical about the idea of using a lighter as the recipe suggested, as we thought the butane would "flavor" the strawberry, but our attempts at using matches yielded strawberries that tasted like, well, like licking an ashtray. Moral of the story: save some strawberries to eat on the side and toss the burned out ones as soon as you can. Gross. But we did have a fun few minutes playing with matches, and turning off the lights and watching our cupcakes flame was pretty darn cool. Try this recipe out the next time you're bored and hungry - it provides entertainment and SUPER yummy cupcakes to boot!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream and Flaming Strawberries
From Sprinkle Bakes
Yields about 20 cupcakes

Cupcakes
3/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1 1/2 C sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
3/4 C hot water
3/4 C heavy cream
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract

Frosting
2 sticks butter, softened
4 C powdered sugar
4 Tbsp sifted cocoa powder

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare muffin tins with liners or nonstick spray. Sift together cocoa, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until smooth. Divide batter between muffin tins, filling a little over half full. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the top of the cupcakes spring back to the touch. Let cool completely before frosting.

Using an electric mixer with a whisk attachment, cream together all frosting ingredients - begin with low speed and move to high speed. Beat until fluffy and light, then pipe or spread onto the tops of the cupcakes.

Wash and hull strawberries carefully, so you don't have holes for the alcohol to leak out. Press each strawberry into the frosting with the hollow end up, then fill with a small amount of 80+ proof liquor (apparently Bacardi 151 is the best) just before lighting. Use a grill lighter or matches to light the flame! Turn off the lights and prepare for the oohs and aahs :)

Birthday blowout - Part II

And the celebration continues... with the bright, tart sweetness of lemon! I've fallen deeper and deeper in love with everything lemon flavored, and I think this recipe is pretty much the pinnacle of lemon-ness. I love my boyfriend so much that I will even candy lemon peel for him... If you'd like a touch of color and texture, add blueberries or raspberries!








I'll let the recipe and photos speak for themselves, but I'll sum it up by saying that these little pillows of heaven are best eaten the day they are baked, and just after being frosted. Refrigerating will make the cake very dense and a mere shadow of its former light, fluffy, crumby texture. With a recipe like this I don't think they'll last long!


Triple Lemon Cupcakes


Lemon Cupcakes
From Joy of Baking


1/2 C unsalted butter, softened
2/3 C granulated
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
zest of 1 large lemon
1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 C whole milk

frozen blueberries or raspberries (optional)
lemon curd (I like Trader Joe's brand)

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin tin with cupcake liners or nonstick spray. Rub lemon zest into sugar so the sugar is completely coated. Beat butter and sugar in electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition, then add vanilla extract. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl, then add the mixture alternating with the milk. Make three additions, beginning and ending with flour. Fill muffin cups with batter and top with blueberries. Bake for about 20 minutes - until lightly browned and the tops of the cupcakes spring back to the touch.

When cupcakes are cooled, top with a small amount of lemon curd and spread to make a thin layer over the top. Pipe on whipped cream frosting and top with candied lemon peel.

Whipped cream frosting
whipping cream
granulated sugar
vanilla extract

Directions: Beat whipping cream at high speed until soft peaks form. Add granulated sugar and vanilla extract to taste (I use about 1 Tbsp of sugar and 1 tsp vanilla).

Candied lemon peel
From Epicurious

2 lemons
granulated sugar

Directions: Wash lemons well and peel skin off in thin vertical strips using a vegetable peeler. Place peels and 1 C cold water in a small saucepan, and bring to a boil. Pour off water, pour in another 1 C cold water, and bring to a boil again. Repeat a third time, then pour off the water, remove peels and let cool.


Combine 1 C sugar and 2 C water in the saucepan, and whisk over medium-high heat until the sugar is dissolved. Add lemon peels and bring to a boil. Lower heat and let the mixture simmer uncovered until the peels are tender and translucent, about 10-15 minutes. Drain peels and let cool.
Toss peels in granulated sugar to coat, and shake to remove excess. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Birthday blowout

I'm a big believer in birthdays, and an even bigger believer in eating everything unhealthy that you possibly can on your birthday because... it's your birthday! With that said, it makes a lot of sense that I would take full advantage of the opportunity to go all out and stuff my lovely boyfriend full of his favorite sweets on his 22nd. This only comes around once a year, though, so don't get used to it...

Not to toot my own horn, but I think I may have outdone myself this year (almost wish I hadn't set the bar so high...). The most effective way to fit in as many baked goods as possible is to insert them at every meal. You don't have dessert with breakfast? Time to start.

Raspberry Creme Brulee Coffee Cake
Makes 2 8-inch round cakes

Creme brulee
1/2 C heavy cream
3/8 C whole milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 egg yolks
1/8 C granulated sugar

Directions: In a small saucepan, heat cream, milk and vanilla until just before boiling. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until smooth. Stir hot cream mixture into egg mixture and whisk until smooth. Set aside and let cool while preparing coffee cake batter.

Coffee cake 
Adapted from Food Gal

For streusel:
1/2 stick unsalted butter
2/3 C all-purpose flour
1/4 C granulated sugar

Directions: Melt butter. Stir in flour and sugar to make crumbly mixture and set aside.

For coffee cake:
1 1/2 C granulated sugar, divided
2 C all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
4 eggs + 1 egg yolk
3 sticks unsalted butter, softened

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare cake pans with nonstick spray. Whisk together flour, salt, cinnamon and sugar in a large bowl. Cream butter and sugar in an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add flour mixture and eggs alternately to butter mixture, combining well in between each addition.

Pour half of the batter - divided evenly- into the pans and spread to coat evenly.

Layer frozen raspberries over cake batter, then divide the creme brulee mixture between each pan. 

Top with the rest of the cake batter and spread to distribute evenly...  

...then top with streusel.

Bake for about 45-50 minutes, until the top is lightly browned and the cake is set. 

Let cool in pan, cut and serve - warm in the microwave if you'd like!