Monthly Archives: June 2012

June 8, 2012 · 5:00 am

Vanilla Bean Snickerdoodles

I love a good snickerdoodle!  Like I really LOVE snickerdoodles.  If I’m not eating a giant pile of dark chocolate goodness, I want a soft, delicate, delicious snickerdoodle cookie.  If you’ve only known me the last few years, you have no idea how picky of an eater I used to me.  It took me a long time to like cinnamon :-(   My mom used to make me French toast without the cinnamon, that’s how much I didn’t like it.  I was a fool.

So obviously I need to make up for all the time I spent away from cinnamon with extra!  When I first bought the Joy the Baker cookbook, I immediately booked marked this recipe, I was just waiting for the perfect opportunity to make the cookies!  Well the time had arrived!  My friend Lynn, also a snickerdoodle lover, was visiting for a hot minute and I had to make her a special treat.  I’ve made her snickerdoodles before, but I thought it was high time to try a new recipe.

These snickerdoodles do not disappoint!  They are soft and tender, full of cinnamon and vanilla flavor.  I love how round and thin they are.  Don’t let the thinness fool you, these guys are still moist and chewy, not at all crispy.  I used the leftover cookies to make something AMAZING, but I’m waiting to share that with you!

I tried to do a lot of step-by-step photos, let me know what you think!

Print the Recipe.

Vanilla Bean Snickerdoodles
Adapted from Joy the Baker cookbook, page 220
Yield – 3 dozen cookies

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 3/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda (I know the picture shows powder, but that is a mistake, use soda!)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 vanilla bean, split with the seeds removed

For rolling
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

  1. Beat together the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, sift together the flour, cream of tartar, and soda onto wax paper, set aside.
  3. Add the eggs one at a time to the butter and beat until well combined.
  4. Beat in the vanilla and vanilla seeds.
  5. Scrape down the bowl and add the flour mix and then mix on the lowest speed.  Mix until just combined.
  6. Place the batter in the fridge for 30 minutes.
  7. Preheat the oven to 350 F and mix together the remaining sugar and cinnamon.
  8. Use a 2 tablespoon scoop to portion out the dough.
  9. Roll each piece of dough into the cinnamon-sugar and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
  10. Leave about 2 inches of spaces between each dough ball.
  11. Bake 10 minutes and then let cool on the cookie sheet before transferring to a rack to cool completely.
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June 6, 2012 · 5:00 am

Tiramisu Cupcakes

These were also made for Ruth’s birthday.  Why does Ruth get two birthday treats?  Wasn’t the cake enough?  Well my friends, Ruth is an awesome roommate and she often makes a delicious dinner!  And we were going out to dinner to celebrate, so I needed a dessert.  Funny story – the waitress commented on how delicious the cupcakes looked and asked if they were from Crumbs.  Um, no.  With a completely straight face I told her they were from a bakery called Pale Yellow.  When she said she had never heard of that bakery I told her it was a small bakery on Butler Street.  Awesome!!  I’m also kind of jerk, but whatever, I bake a lot, my kitchen is sort of a bakery, I just don’t make any money!

Stacey shouldn’t feel slighted though, her cupcakes were the reason I started this blog!

Anyway, I’ve been wanting to make these cupcakes for awhile.  Any recipe that combines liquor and coffee will be a huge hit in our apartment.  As usual, an Annie recipe is never a disappointment!  These cupcakes really taste like tiramisu!  The best part was how good these cupcakes tasted two days later, almost better than fresh!  I suggest you make a batch, leave them in the fridge, and eat as needed throughout the week.

The cake directions are a little complicated, make sure you read all the directions before starting, there is a lot of heating and cooling going on.  The multiple steps are worth it in the end because the cake has a unique texture reminiscent of lady fingers.  Honestly, this vanilla cake tastes a whole lot better than lady fingers!  The soaking syrup is the KEY here!  Amazing flavor and deliciousness.  I kind of over whipped the whipped cream, watch closely!  Even with the slight baking fail, the frosting was light and perfectly creamy and sweet.

Print the recipe.

Tiramisu Cupcakes
Adapted from Annie Eats
Yield – 15 standard cupcakes

3 tablespoons milk
1 vanilla bean
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup + 3 tablespoons cake flour
1/2 + 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs + 3 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar

  1. Preheat the oven to 325 F.
  2. Add the milk to small saucepan.  Cut open the vanilla bean, scrape the seeds from inside the vanilla bean, and add the seeds and the vanilla bean pod to the milk.  Heat on low until the milk begins to simmer.
  3. Add the butter to the simmering milk and turn off the heat.  Whisk to combine and set aside.
  4. Sift together the flour, powder, and salt over wax paper, set aside.
  5. Whisk together the eggs and sugar until combined in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Place the bowl over a small pot of barely simmering water.
  6. Whisk and heat the eggs until the sugar is dissolved.  Place the bowl back in the mixer and whisk on high speed until the mixture is pale yellow and reaches a ribbon consistency.
  7. Turn the mixer on low and add in the dry in ingredients.  Fold in the milk (remove the vanilla pod) and butter mixture by hand.
  8. Use a standard size ice cream scoop to add the batter into lined cupcake tins.
  9. Bake 15-18 minutes until the tops are golden brown.  Make the soaking syrup while the cupcakes bake.

Soaking Syrup
1/4 cup hot, strong coffee
1 1/2 tablespoons Kahlua
3 tablespoons sugar

  1. Add the Kahlua and sugar to the hot coffee, stir to combine.
  2. Once the cupcakes come out of the oven, place on a cooling rack over a cookie sheet.
  3. Take a skewer and poke the top of each cupcake 5 times to make holes for the soaking syrup.
  4. Use a pastry brush to apply the soaking syrup to the top of each cupcake.  Keep adding syrup until it is all used up.  I went about 6 rounds.
  5. Let the cupcakes cool completely.

Frosting
1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces mascarpone, room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
cocoa powder for dusting

  1. Whip the cream until it reach stiff peaks.  Remove from the bowl and set aside.
  2. Beat together the mascarpone, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy.
  3. Fold in the whipped cream.
  4. Use large round tip to pipe on the frosting.
  5. Dust the tops with cocoa powder before serving.

 

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June 4, 2012 · 5:00 am

Vanilla Cake Pops

I have a love-hate relationship with cake pops.  There cuteness is universally adored, yet they are a lot of work!  I often wonder if the cuteness is worth the effort.  But alas, I made these as a special request, and I have to say, this was one of the easiest batches I’ve made.

I’ve promised my student monitors I would make them each a treat for their half birthdays and this student requested vanilla cake pops with light blue candy melts.  As I’ve discussed before, these girls are amazing!  They keep my grades up-to-date, my room clean, and my bulletin boards beautiful!  Making cake pops was the least I could do!

One of the many things I love about these girls is that they make cake pops at home!  I made a batch for their class last year and the girls asked for the recipe.  Ever since then, we are now able to openly discuss where to buy the best candy melts and the trials & tribulations of making cake pops.  It’s kind of awesome being a teacher!

As a double bonus, I sort of owed my homeroom, so there were enough cake pops for a two-for-one!  We went to Fun Time America on a field trip and I told them if they chipped in and used their tickets to buy me something, I would bake them cake pops.  This is what they got me.

A little ridiculous, especially when they brought it on the bus to go back to school!  The kids deserved some cake pops after that.  When the students are doing group work, I usually bring it into the middle of the room and bounce around, it’s kind of awesome!

They also spontaneously wrote and performed this rap on the bus.  It started on the way there and after several rounds of practicing, I made the recording on the way back.  BTW, they are referring to the Oreo Cupcakes and Tie Dye Cupcakes I made them for raising the most money for Pennies for Patients!

Students rapping about cupcakes!

The one thing I really hate about cake pops is how heavily most instructions rely on boxed mix.  I don’t want to sound like a food snob or anything, but I really don’t like cake mixes and I can always taste when one is used.  It surprises me how many commercially sold cake pops use boxed mix.  To make these cake pops as delicious as they are adorable, I relied on my favorite vanilla cake recipe.

The cake is moist, full of vanilla flavor, and easy to prepare.  I made and cooled the cake the day before I planned on making the cake pops.  The frosting was quickly and easily thrown together and provided what was needed to hold everything together.  I definitely recommend using your stand mixer to break apart the cake, it makes everything so much easier!  These were probably the best cake pops I’ve ever had, definitely worth the extra effort making the cake and frosting from scratch.

Print the recipe.

Vanilla Cake Pops
Yield – 50 cake pops

Vanilla Cake
Adapted from Cupcake Project

1 1/2 cup sugar
2 1/4 cup cake flour
6 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 1/4 tea. baking powder
3/4 tea. baking soda
3/4 tea. salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
3 eggs
1/2 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla
1 cup milk

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Grease and flour a 11 x 9” pan.
  2. In the bowl of a mixer add the sugar, flour, powder, soda, and salt, mix slowly with the paddle attachment.  Add the butter and beat for several minutes until the mixture becomes nice and crumbly.
  3. While the mixer is mixing, whisk together the sour cream, oil, eggs, and vanilla.  Pour this in the mixer and combine.
  4. Slowly add the milk in and turn on high for a few seconds.
  5. Pour into the prepared pan and bake 35-40 minutes until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
  6. Let cool completely, overnight is best.

Simple Buttercream
Yield – a cup, plus some extra

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

  1. Beat the butter and sugar together until well combined and fluffy.  Scrap down the bowl.
  2. Add in the milk and the vanilla and again beat until light and fluffy.
  3. Remove from the mixing bowl and set aside.

Assembly
2 bags candy melts
1-2 tablespoons shortening
50 lollipop sticks
sprinkles
3 x 4 plastic bags
ribbon

  1. After making the frosting, do NOT clean out the bowl.  Remove the frosting and set aside.
  2. Break up the cake into large pieces and put in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Using the paddle attachment, start mixing on low.  This is a good time to use the batter guard.  Keep mixing and gradually increase the speed until the cake is reduced to fine crumbs.
  3. Add in about 3/4 cup of frosting to the cake crumbs.  Add more frosting if needed.  Mix until the mixture sticks together well.
  4. Use a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop to portion out the cake mixture.
  5. Roll the scoops into balls and refrigerate 1 hour.
  6. Set up a double boiler with a heat proof bowl over about 1 inch of simmering water.  Make sure the bowl is not touching the water.
  7. Add the candy melts and stir until they are all melted.  Add the shortening if you prefer a thinner coat of candy melt coating.  I think it is easier if the candy melts are less viscous.
  8. Dip about 1-inch of a lollipop stick into the melted candy melts and push into the cake ball.  Refrigerate for about 10 minutes.
  9. Remove the cake pops from the fridge 10-15 at a time.
  10. Fully submerge the cake pop into the candy melts and then tap to shake off the extra.
  11. Let the cake pop dry in a styrofoam block.  If you want sprinkles, add them right away before the candy melts harden.
  12. Once the cake pop dries, about 5-8 minutes, place in a small bag and tie with a ribbon.
  13. Try to not refrigerate because that often leads to cracking.

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June 1, 2012 · 5:00 am

Strawberry Sparkler

Thursday are hard.  The week has dragged on and it’s almost the weekend, but you still have that one last day to work.  And summer vacation is not coming fast enough.  I’ve been turning the last few Thursday into cocktail nights.  Previously I have made the delicious Cake Martinis, but they are a little strong, and I wanted something more summery.

There is a liquor and wine store right next to the nail salon across the street.  It’s kind of a bad combo, yet it is an awesome routine!  Sit for a nice relaxing mani/pedi and then pick up some booze and head on home.  On top of everything else, it has been raining for days and days here in Brooklyn.  This Thursday required a drink, some food delivery, and a movie on the couch!

This cockail is light and refreshing, like a strawberry lemonade with a kick!  The Strawberry Sparkler is similar to a light sangria.  The cocktails were fun to drink and very enjoyable!

Print the recipe.

Strawberry Sparkler
Inspired by Valley and Co Lifestyle
Yield – 1 pitcher (serves 3-4)

2/3 cup lemon juice (5 lemons)
1 cup sliced strawberries
1 cup strawberry vodka (Stoli)
1 cup water
2 tablespoons agave nectar
1 bottle Prosecco (or other sparkling wine)

  1. Juice the lemons and add the juice to a pitcher with the strawberries, vodka, water, and agave.  Stir to combine.
  2. Add in the Prosecco and refrigerate until ready to serve.
  3. Serve in a glass with a strawberry on the side and ice.

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