Kinda Wheat Bagels

I have a confession to make...here goes...I don't like wheat.  I don't like the smell, taste or texture of wheat bread, bagels, pasta, etc...  I've tried to like it, I swear!  I am an evil white flour lover all the way and I enjoy it...but decided to make a wheat-ish kind of bagel to add some health into it.  I'm starting out slow, but I'll likely end up going with a 50-50 split of white and wheat flours.  Baby steps, right?

These had a great texture, I could taste the wheat in it, but it wasn't overpowering at all.  You can do plain bagels by just omitting the garlic powder and onion flakes.  Plain bagels would be great with some peanut butter on top!

Garlic-Onion Kinda Wheat Bagels

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 c. warm water (about 110 degrees)
• 1 T. instant yeast
• 1 T. white sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3 c. bread flour
• 1 c. wheat flour
• 1 T. garlic powder
• 1/4 c. dried minced onion flakes
• Non-stick spray
• 1 egg
• 1 T. water

 Directions

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fit with the dough hook, pour warm water, sugar and yeast.  Let stand for 5 minutes.
• Add salt, flours, garlic powder and onion flakes.
• Turn mixer on and let the dough knead for approximately 8 minutes, until the dough is elastic and smooth.
• Spray a large bowl with non-stick spray.  Place dough in, turning to coat in oil, then cover in plastic wrap.
• Let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Divide dough into 12 pieces and shape into bagels. (I shape into balls, then punch my thumb through and stretch the bagel to shape.)
• Cover bagels with a clean dish cloth and let rest for 10 minutes.
• While bagels rest, bring a large pot of water to a boil.
• Boil bagels about 4 at a time, 2 minutes on first side and an additional minute after flipping.
• Drain bagels and return to pan.  Repeat with all bagels.
• Whisk together egg and 1 T. water, brush egg wash over bagels.
• Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.
• Let cool on racks and enjoy!*

*These are wonderful frozen, I pre-cut all my bagels and package them in individual sandwich bags, then freeze.  It makes an easy breakfast to grab on your way out the door (if your place of work has a toaster!)

Peanut Butter Cookies 3 Ways

I wanted to make an easy treat for my husband today, so I thought about what I haven't made yet and what ingredients on hand.  With a little searching I decided on Peanut Butter cookies, which surprisingly, I can't ever recall making....ever!  This recipe was so easy, the dough really came together beautifully and turned out amazing.

I began with this recipe below and then added 2 other types of ingredient toppings to make 2 other varieties of dynamite cookies!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies
Recipe courtesy of All Recipes


Ingredients
1 c. smooth peanut butter
1 c. white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Jam/preserves of your choice (I used raspberry preserves)


Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In a medium bowl, mix together peanut butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla until well blended. 
• Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets, I used a small cookie scoop.
• Use a fork to make a criss-cross pattern on the top. 
• Make a small hole in the top of each cookie using the back of an 1/8th tsp. measuring spoon.
• Fill the holes with preserves.
• Bake for 8 to 11 minutes in preheated oven. 
• Allow to cool for a couple of minutes on the cookie sheets before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. 

In some of the cookies, I substituted the jelly with nutella:

And in some other of the cookies, I substituted the jelly with chopped Heath candy bar:

Sub/Hoagie/Sandwich Rolls

I had Meatball Subs on the menu for the week and thought about buying sub rolls, but decided to try my hand at making them myself.  I was worried they would turn out crusty and like hard rolls, but these turned out so soft and fluffy on the inside and though I didn't have any left to freeze, I imagine if you wrapped and froze them, they'd still be perfect thawed and just warmed through.  We used these for the Meatball Subs as well as for lunchtime sandwiches the next day, both times they were delicious!!!

I halved the recipe for 8 rolls with no issues at all, but the recipe below makes 16 rolls.

Homemade Sandwich Rolls

Recipe courtesy of Recipezaar

Ingredients

• 5 teaspoons dry active yeast (2 pkgs)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 cups water, about 110 degrees
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 6-7 cups all-purpose flour
• cornmeal (I omitted)
• 1 egg white
• sesame seed (optional) 

Directions

• Dissolve sugar in water & add yeast to proof. 
• Rest one to two minutes.
• Melt butter.
• Stir melted butter & salt into yeast mixture.
• Mix in flour, 1 cup at a time until desired consistency is reached (not too sticky to the touch but with plenty of give)
• Knead until VERY well developed, about 10-12 minutes (important!)
• Cover with plastic wrap and let stand until doubled in bulk (approx 40 minutes).
• Lightly dust a small amount of corn meal over well-greased pans/Silpat, roll your dough into long, thin "logs" & place about 3" apart on the pans. 
• Slash each loaf every inch & a half with a knife, brush with egg white & sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired.
• Let double in size.
• Bake in a 400°F oven until golden brown.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Brownies

Watching the USA/Canada Hockey Olympic Game, Paul and I had a slight craving for something sweet after dinner....thinking about the ingredients we have on hand, this recipe was perfect.  It all mixed up quick and beautifully and in no time, the sweet smell of peanut butter, sugar and chocolate was drifting out of the kitchen and into the living room.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Brownies
Recipe seen on YumSugar

Ingredients

• 6 tbs unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 c chunky peanut butter
• 1 1/4 c (packed) golden brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 c all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 c Ghirardelli milk chocolate chips 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. 
2. Generously butter and flour 8-inch square baking pan.
3. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until smooth. 
4. Add peanut butter to butter; beat until well blended, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally.
5. Beat in brown sugar. 
6. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. 
7. Beat in vanilla.
8. Sift flour, baking powder & salt into medium bowl.
9. Add to peanut butter mixture; beat until blended. Stir in chocolate.
10. Transfer batter to pan. Using spatula, smooth top.
11. Bake until toothpick inserted 2 inches from edge of pan comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 40-50 minutes. Transfer pan to rack, cool completely. 

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Brownies

Pina Colada Cake

I wanted to make my mother-in-law a cake for her birthday get-together and she said "surprise me"...so I tried to think of something out of the ordinary.  I know she loves tropical drinks, so when Pina Colada Cake crossed my mind, I knew it would be  a hit.  I was not disappointed!  Everyone raved over this cake and it was delicious!  Very moist and the flavors of the drink really came though!  I will definitely be making this again, it was light, moist, refreshing and you almost (almost!) felt like you were on the beach with a drink in your hand...until you saw the forecast for 6-8 inches of snow Monday.  ;)


Pina Colada Cake & Frosting
Recipe Courtesy of About.com: Southern Food


Ingredients
For cake

• 1 (approx. 18.25 ounces) box white cake mix
• 1 small package (4 serving size) vanilla or French vanilla instant pudding mix
• 1/4 c vegetable oil
• 1/2 c water
• 1/3 c light rum
• 4 eggs
• 1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple, undrained
• 1 c flaked coconut

For frosting

• 1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple, undrained
• 1/3 c light rum
• 1 small package (4 serving size) vanilla or French
• vanilla instant pudding mix
• 1 container (8 oz) Cool Whip
• coconut to taste, toast* if desired

Directions
Cake

• Grease and flour a 13 x 9-inch pan or two round 8-inch layer cake pans. 
• Preheat oven to 350°. 
• Mix cake mix, pudding, oil, water and rum. 
• Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. 
• Stir in pineapple then fold in coconut. 
• Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean.

Frosting

• Mix crushed pineapple, rum, and vanilla instant pudding. 
• Beat until it thickens. 
• Fold in 1 container of Cool Whip. 
• Frost cake and sprinkle top with coconut or toasted coconut.
  

Cinnamon Chip Scones

My first "guest blogger" post ever!  This recipe came from my friend Melinda, who lives in Washington DC and was baking her way through being snowed in during the crazy Snow Storm of 2010!  We have been friends for about 15 years now (time does fly!), she is a fabulous baker/cook, works at the Rockville Nature Center, and is a wonderful person all-around.  Take it away, Melinda!

I've always wanted to make scones but had heard that they are hard to get right.  When I found this recipe for entitled "Simple Scones," I thought why not.  I had some cinnamon chips and I was dying to try it.  These scones were very simple and stayed moist while still crumbly and were delicious both warm and at room temperature.

Easy Cinnamon Chip Scones

Recipe adapted from All Recipes

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, frozen
• 1/2 cup cinnamon chips (can substitute other types of chips or fruit)
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 large egg

Directions

• Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position & preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• In a medium bowl, mix flour, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. 
• Grate butter into flour mixture on the large holes of a box grater; use your fingers to work in butter (mixture should resemble coarse meal), then stir in cinnamon chips.
• In a small bowl, whisk sour cream and egg until smooth.
• Using a fork, stir sour cream mixture into flour mixture until large dough clumps form. 
• Use your hands to press the dough against the bowl into a ball. (The dough will be sticky in places, and there may not seem to be enough liquid at first, but as you press, the dough will come together.)
• Place on a lightly floured surface and pat into a 7- to 8-inch circle about 3/4-inch thick. 
• Sprinkle with remaining 1 tsp. of sugar. 
• Use a sharp knife to cut into 8 triangles; place on a cookie sheet (preferably lined with parchment paper), about 1 inch apart. 
• Bake until golden, about 15 to 17 minutes. 
• Cool for 5 minutes and serve warm or at room temperature.

Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies

Being more conscious about what I bake and cook at home is part of my New Year's plan, but that doesn't mean that some tasty treats can't be made every now and then...especially when they are made with whole wheat flour, rolled oats and cranberries!  These tasty treats were delicious and will also make a great treat for my co-workers on a very snowy Friday!  Not overly sweet, a bit of tang and hint of orange in every bite, these came out wonderfully.

Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies
Recipe adapted from AllRecipes

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup butter, softened
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 tsp. orange extract
• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/4 cups dried cranberries
• 2/3 cup coarsely chopped white chocolate

 Directions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a bowl, cream together the butter & brown sugar fluffy.
• Beat in the eggs one at a time.
• Add in vanilla and orange extract.
• Combine oats, flours, salt, & baking soda; stir into butter mixture one cup at a time, mix well after each cup. 
• Stir in dried cranberries & white chocolate. 
• Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheets.
• Pat each mound down with your fingers a bit to flatten.
• Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in preheated oven, or until golden brown. Cool on wire racks.

Yields about 36 cookies.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

My fall obsession with baking with pumpkin hasn't stopped just yet and here is just another example of some treats I made for my co-workers!  These were moist, delicious and a perfect way to use pumpkin in some baking!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
Recipe adapted from AllRecipes

Ingredients

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• 1/2 c. white sugar
  
• 1 tbs. all-purpose flour
• 1 egg
• 1 tbs. orange extract
  
• 1 2/3 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1 c. pumpkin puree
• 1/2 c. vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 c. brown sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line muffin tin with paper liners.
   
2. In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, 1/2 c. white sugar, 1 tbs. flour, 1 egg and orange extract; beat until smooth. Set aside. Sift together 1 2/3 c. flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice; set aside.
3. Place pumpkin, vegetable oil, 2 eggs and 1 1/2 c. brown sugar in a large bowl; beat well. Stir the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture just until combined. Pour 1/4 c. of the pumpkin batter into the muffin wells. Spoon cream cheese mixture on top of this layer and then pour on another 1/4 cup of pumpkin batter.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of the muffin comes out clean. Cool muffins on a wire rack. 

 
 
 

White Chocolate Toffee Pumpkin Blondies

Having leftover pumpkin puree from the pumpkin cupcakes left me wanting to make something else with the delicious fall-flavor!  It was a cold, windy day here in Michigan so these were perfect to make and an even better surprise for my husband to come home to!  Thanks to Annie for this delicious recipe, originally adapted from Martha Stewart.

White Chocolate Toffee Pumpkin Blondies
Recipe adapted from Annie's Eats

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• ¾ tsp. salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 c. brown sugar
• 1/4 c. white sugar
  
• 1 large egg
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 cup white chocolate chips
• 1 cup toffee chips
  

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350° F.  
• Line a 9×13-inch baking dish with foil.  
• In a medium bowl, combine the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt.  Stir together and set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugars on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  
• Beat in the egg and vanilla until well combined.  
• Mix in the pumpkin puree.  
• With the mixer on low speed add the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated.  
• Fold in the white chocolate and toffee chips with a rubber spatula.
• Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.  
• Bake until the edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs, about 35-40 minutes.  
• Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely before cutting.
• To serve, lift the cake from the pan using the foil and transfer to a cutting board.  
• Peel off the foil and using a sharp knife, cut into 24 squares.

Pumpkin Cupcakes

It's fall here in Michigan and the air is cooler, the nights are arriving just a little earlier and I had a serious craving for something with pumpkin.  These cupcakes turned out so light, moist and fluffy inside.  Paired with a nice cream cheese frosting, it certainly satisfied any pumpkin craving!

I also have to share this over-the-top "review" from an anonymous coworker after eating one of my cupcakes.  It really cracked me up!   

"The smooth cream cheese frosting was delicate, bringing back memories of a simpler time in the world of baking (before ace of cakes). The pumpkin cake was light and airy, while still being the appropriate consistency we’ve all come to expect from a fall treat. The combination of frosting and cake in each bite was delectable! While some conspiracy theorists are suggesting this was in fact the work of Betty Crocker or Sarah Lee, any educated palate can tell that these cupcakes are solely the work of Shawna."  

It's kind (in a hilarious way), but Martha gets all the credit for these.  :)

Pumpkin Cupcakes

Recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart 

Ingredients

• 2 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. coarse salt
• 1 tsp.ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. ground allspice
• 1 c. packed light-brown sugar
• 1 c. granulated sugar
• 1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted & cooled
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg & allspice; set aside.
• In another bowl, whisk together brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter & eggs. Add dry ingredients, & whisk until smooth. Whisk in pumpkin puree.
• Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each halfway. Bake until tops spring back when touched & a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating pans once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool.  Frost with your favorite cream cheese frosting.

Apple Cinnamon Bagels

Fall is fast approaching and cooler weather has come to Michigan.  Fall is our favorite time of year, the weather, the smells, the apple orchards, hay rides, bonfires...I could go on and on.  I was talking to my friend Lauren and she asked me for advice on how to make Apple Cinnamon Bagels.  Unfortunately, I have never had them before, nor had any bright ideas she probably hadn't thought of before...until I looked on my counter.  I have a whole row of popcorn spices on my counter-top from Kernel Seasons and one of those spices happens to be Apple Cinnamon.  So, I went ahead and tried a new variation on my bagels today during my Sunday "freezer restocking" session!

Apple Cinnamon Bagels

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 c. warm water
• 1 T. instant yeast
• 1 T. packed light brown sugar
• 1 T. salt
• 2 T. Kernel Seasons Apple Cinnamon seasoning (plus more for sprinkling before baking)
  
• 3 c. bread flour
• 1 c. all-purpose flour
• 2 T. honey, for boiling water

Directions

• In bowl of stand mixer (or regular bowl), combine water, yeast and brown sugar.  Let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes.
• Add salt, flours and Apple Cinnamon seasoning and mix well.
• Knead with the dough hook for 8 minutes (or by hand for 10 minutes) until smooth and elastic.
• Transfer dough to large, oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap or towel.  Let rise 1 hour or until doubled.
• Turn dough out onto countertop and divide into 12-16 (depending on how large/small) round pieces.  Make bagel shape by punching thumb through the center and gently stretching out until it's the size you desire and place on a cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick spray.  *The dough will shrink back a bit, so I recommend over-stretching a bit larger than you actually want.
• Let bagels rise for another 30 minutes covered with clean kitchen towels.
• While bagels are rising, preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
• Begin to boil about 8 cups of water and add the honey.
• After second rise, put as many bagels into the water as will fit comfortably, boiling for 30 sec.-1 min. per side.  Remove from water and place back on cookie sheet, sprinkling with a little more Apple Cinnamon seasoning on top.  Repeat with all the bagels.
• Bake at 400 degrees for 22-24 minutes, until golden brown.

Coconut Cupcakes

Oh.my.goodness. 

That's all I have to say about these cupcakes AND the frosting.  Heaven.  Pure heaven wrapped in a pretty baking cup.  If you want a cupcake recipe that makes a lot of cupcakes (It made 2 dozen reg. size cupcakes for me) and impresses your guests, this is the one.  OK...Ina does go completely, insanely and absurdly overboard with the butter, but if you just think that it's spread out over 2 dozen cupcakes (and I have about 1.5 cups of the frosting left over in the fridge), you can sorta justify it.

Ina's Coconut Cupcakes
Recipe courtesy of Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa, episode Stephen's Birthday

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 5 extra-large eggs at room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure almond extract
• 3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 14 ounces sweetened, shredded coconut

• For the frosting:

  nocoupons
• 1 pound cream cheese at room temperature
• 3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
• 1 1/2 pounds confectioners' sugar, sifted

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter & sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla & almond extracts & mix well.
• In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda & salt. In 3 parts, alternately add the dry ingredients & the buttermilk to the batter, beginning & ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Fold in 7 oz. of coconut.
• Line a muffin pan with paper liners. Fill each liner to the top with batter. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until the tops are brown & a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove to a baking rack & cool completely.
• Meanwhile, make the frosting. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on low speed, cream together the cream cheese, butter & vanilla and almond extracts. Add the confectioners' sugar & mix until smooth.
• Frost the cupcakes & sprinkle with the remaining coconut. 

My 200th Post! Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Wow...200 posts. Where has the time gone? I'm incredibly proud of my little blog here and am so appreciative of all the readers who visit me!

For my Father-in-laws birthday dinner tomorrow, I decided to make him a cake. One of my friends whose blog I visit made this recently in the form of cupcakes and I wanted to make them, however, my cupcake pan is missing in action. A 2 layer carrot cake with cream cheese frosting fit the bill for a birthday cake, so I made it that way instead.

I am still working on my cake frosting and decorating techniques, but overall I think it turned out pretty good.

By the way, my in-laws are Polish and Tata = Dad in Polish. :)

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
From Lovestoeat Weblog, originally from Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients

• 2 c. all purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 2 c. sugar
• 1 1/4 c. canola oil
• 4 large eggs
• 3 c. grated peeled carrots
• 1 c. coarsely chopped walnuts
  

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350
• Line 24 cupcake molds with papers, or butter & flour them.
• Whisk flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg & ginger in medium bowl to blend. Whisk sugar and oil in large bowl until well blended. Whisk in eggs 1 at a time. Add flour mixture & stir until blended. Stir in carrots, walnuts. Divide batter among cupcake molds, filling 3/4 of each.
• Bake cupcakes 14 to 18 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center of one comes out clean. Let cool in pans for five minutes or so, then transfer cakes to a cooling rack. Let cool completely before icing them.
• To make a carrot layer cake: Butter two 9-inch-diameter cake pans instead of cupcake molds. Line bottom of pans with waxed paper. Butter & flour paper; tap out excess flour. Divide the batter between the prepared pans & bake the layers for about 40 minutes each, or until a tester inserted into center comes out clean. Cool cakes in pans 15 minutes. Turn out onto racks. Peel off waxed paper; cool cakes completely.

For Frosting

• Two (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1 tbs. vanilla extract

Directions

• In a stand mixer beat all the ingredients on medium until fluffy.
• Chill the frosting for 10 to 20 minutes, until it has set up enough to spread smoothly or pipe on to cakes.
• To assemble a carrot layer cake, frost the top of one cake, place the other cake on top.
• Frost the sides & top, swirling decoratively.
• Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes to set up frosting.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

I was looking for a nice classic coffee cake to take to some of our neighbors, since they have a very nice habit of bringing over tasty treats for us on occasion. I found this recipe on the King Arthur Flour website and it turned out great! A nice flavor, not overly sweet and it goes perfectly with a nice cup of coffee!

Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Recipe courtesy of King Arthur Flour

Ingredients

Cake

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sour cream or yogurt

Topping/Filling

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions
Cream together the butter or margarine, sugar & eggs. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda & salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture alternately with the sour cream or yogurt, stirring after each addition.

Grease and flour a regular-sized (9 1/2-inch) tube pan or bundt-style pan, or a 9 x 9-inch pan. Spread half the batter in the pan & sprinkle with half the topping mixture. Repeat with remaining batter & topping.

Bake the coffeecake in a preheated 350°F oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the cake tests done. Cool it for 10 to 15 minutes, then remove it from the pan & serve.
Yield: about 12 generous servings.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

It's not often I make cookies these days or bake in general...much to my husbands displeasure. With new prospects on the horizon of him going back to school for some training, I decided to surprise him with some chocolate chip cookies to celebrate!

Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe courtesy of The Way the Cookie Crumbles

*I used the bread flour recommendation that Bridget gave and thought these turned out so fabulous!*

Ingredients

• 2¼ cups (10.8 ounces) bread flour
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ¼ cup (1.75 ounces) sugar
• 1¼ cups (8.75 ounces) brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

• Adjust an oven rack to the middle position. Heat the oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. In a small bowl, combine the flour, salt & baking soda.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugars & beat on medium speed until fluffy. Add the eggs, one a time, mixing for one minute after each addition. Add the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low & add flour, mixing just until almost combined. Add the chocolate chips & pulse the mixer on low speed until the chips are dispersed & the flour is incorporated.
• Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the lined baking pan, spaced an inch or two apart. Bake the cookies for 7-10 min., until slightly browned around the edges & just set in the middle. Cool the cookies for at least 2 minutes on the sheet before transferring to a rack to finish cooling.
  

Saturday baking ... brownie time!

I needed a quick chocolate fix for my husband, brother-in-law and I for our Saturday get together to play video games and watch some TV. This hit the spot and might just be my new "go to" brownie recipe. It was so tasty and moist, that I didn't bother to make the frosting part of the recipe!

Best Brownies
Recipe courtesy of All Recipes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease & flour an 8 in. square pan.
• In a large saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter (I just melted mine in a microwave-safe bowl.) Remove from heat, stir in sugar, eggs, & 1 tsp. vanilla. Beat in 1/3 c. cocoa, 1/2 c. flour, salt, & baking powder. Spread batter into prepared pan.
• Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Do not overcook.
• To Make Frosting: Combine 3 tbsp. butter, 3 tbsp. cocoa, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 tsp. vanilla, and 1 c. confectioners' sugar. Frost brownies while they are still warm.

Orange Creamcicle Cupcakes

So I was in the mood to bake...I rarely get that feeling, so I decided to make the most of it. I decided that cupcakes sounded good, I could use my cupcake carrier that my wonderful friends Liz & Rob gave us for our wedding and take most them up to my parents tomorrow when I go to spend time with my parents.

I wanted to make a cream cheese frosting to go with the cupcakes, because...let's face it, I could eat that stuff with a spoon! Anyway...I found that I had all the ingredients to make a vanilla cupcake and cream cheese frosting...except I wanted to flavor them with the orange extract I had but didn't have the confectioners sugar! Luckily, I did some investigative work via the wonderful internet and found that you can blend regular sugar into powdered sugar!

Unfortunately, I didn't blend long enough or something, it looked and felt pretty powdery, but it made the frosting very gritty...Paul didn't care for the texture, I thought it tasted good, just a little crunch to it. Next time I make these, I'll have regular confectioners sugar and they will be even more spectacular.
Vanilla Cupcakes (which I transformed into orange)
Recipe courtesy of www.joyofbaking.com

Ingredients

• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tsp. Vanilla extract (I substituted Orange extract)
• Zest of 1 large lemon (optional – I omitted)
• 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
• 1 ½ tsp. Baking powder
• ¼ tsp. Salt
• ¼ cup milk

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and lightly butter or line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.
• For the Cupcakes: Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract and lemon zest.
• In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
• With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and milk, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• Evenly fill the muffin cups with the batter and bake for about 18-20 minutes or until nicely browned and a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, frost with icing. If you want flat topped cupcakes then slice off the dome of each cupcake, with a sharp knife, before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting
Recipe courtesy of Slashfood

Ingredients

• 8 oz. cold cream cheese
• 5 tbs. butter, softened
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract (I used 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla and 1/2 tsp. orange)
• 2 cups confectioners sugar

Directions

• Beat cold cream cheese (right out of fridge is fine), the butter and the extract together until combined.
• Add the sugar a little at a time until all combined and uniform. You can add more sugar here until the frosting reaches the desired consistency.

Perfect brownies...

At least in our opinion...these were not TOO sweet, not too rich, the crust was crunchy and the inside was moist and fudge-y. They came together so quickly! I did make one substitution & one addition, but I think it worked out well, see recipe. :) I can see being able to add so many things to this recipe and them all turning out very well!

Brownies Cockaigne
Joy of Cooking Cookbook - 75th Anniversary Edition
Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker, Ethan Becker

If you want them chewy and moist, use a 9x13" pan; if cakey, use a 9x9" pan.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Melt in a double boiler:
1/2 cup butter
4 oz. chocolate (I didn't do this, instead I added 1/2 cup of Hersey's cocoa powder to the melted butter)
Cool this mixture. If you don't, your brownies will be heavy and dry. Beat until light in color and foamy in texture.
Add 4 eggs at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon salt
Add the following gradually and continue beating until well creamed
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
With a few swift strokes, combine the cooled chocolate mixture into the eggs and sugar.
Even if you normally use an electric mixer, do this manually.
Before the mixture becomes uniformly colored, fold in, again by hand:
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
If desired, add:
1 cup chopped pecans (I omitted, but did add a very small amount of leftover Heath bits)
Bake in a 9x13" pan (or 9x9) for about 25 minutes. Cut when cool.

Parmesan Pull-Aparts

When I was browsing through my latest issue of Gourmet Magazine (Feb. 2008), I was drawn to one recipe in particular...the Parmesan Pull-Aparts looked delicious. Truth be told, the way they looked reminded me of those giant, fluffy, warm buns you get at Chinese restaurants... :)

I was nervous to work with yeast again and had a few scares along the way...I didn't think the dough doubled in size with the first rise, but I punched it down anyway and made the individual rolls and put them in the pan. I was pleasantly surprised to see that they did rise again and mostly filled the pan after about an hour.

Overall, these were very light, fluffy and had lots of Parmesan flavor...I would definitely make these again!

Recipe can be found here at the Gourmet website!

Bakerellas Cupcake Pops

Okay....I was a bit ambitious with these and no, they did not turn out as I had envisioned...how do you complete with the utter perfection like Bakerella??

Anyway, they taste great! Super sweet, which means one is definitely enough to satisfy the sweet tooth... My problem was that the molded "cupcakes" weren't cold enough because I didn't have room in my freezer, so I chilled them in the fridge for a few hours - some fell apart while frosting....others didn't get a full coat of frosting, but that is just aesthetic...the taste is still great! I'll probably make these again for a special occasion, but it's a time consuming process and I doubt I would make them for any ordinary night's dessert.