Monday, December 28, 2009
New Best Friend?
Mom's kitchen has a new addition--it's pretty safe to say I'll be visiting a lot more frequently now! We've probably been talking about getting a stand mixer for a good five years, and now that it's here, we are all very excited.
Its first project was a *double* batch of gingerbread (more on that soon)--that's TWELVE cups of flour! And it did an absolutely wonderful job. A photo of it in action, and another of the enormous batch of dough:
The two of us will be spending a lot of time together during the next week...
Its first project was a *double* batch of gingerbread (more on that soon)--that's TWELVE cups of flour! And it did an absolutely wonderful job. A photo of it in action, and another of the enormous batch of dough:
The two of us will be spending a lot of time together during the next week...
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Holiday Train
The weekend I got home, mom and I were invited to help decorate some truly innovative holiday creations! Miriam and her sister Meredith--both good friends of the family--have a yearly tradition of baking elaborate surprises for David's House for the holidays, and this year was certainly no exception. First and foremost, the train!
When we arrived, we found two large trays of Fruity and Coco Pebble treats, which yielded the building blocks of the train. There were also bags and boxes of various candies, which we ended up using as the embellishments. After about three or four hours (I lost track of time!), we had a finished product:
The second project they had planned was the snowmen cupcakes. The cupcakes had been prepared and frosted already, so all that was left to do was to build the snowmen. We ended up developing something like an assembly line for these--my job was to draw the faces! After a while, we had an army of 4 dozen snowmen:
To round out our evening, we assisted in the decorating of some Santa cookies (as part of yet another assembly line!).
When we arrived, we found two large trays of Fruity and Coco Pebble treats, which yielded the building blocks of the train. There were also bags and boxes of various candies, which we ended up using as the embellishments. After about three or four hours (I lost track of time!), we had a finished product:
The second project they had planned was the snowmen cupcakes. The cupcakes had been prepared and frosted already, so all that was left to do was to build the snowmen. We ended up developing something like an assembly line for these--my job was to draw the faces! After a while, we had an army of 4 dozen snowmen:
To round out our evening, we assisted in the decorating of some Santa cookies (as part of yet another assembly line!).
Happy Holidays!
Friday, December 25, 2009
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Earl Grey Cupcakes
With all the studying that happened this week, I was looking for any excuse to take a bake-break. We decided to turn a group study session into a study 'party' by bringing cupcakes. They even got dressed up for the occasion...
These have a very subtle early grey flavor, and the recipe makes a moist, not-too-sweet cake. The batter rises much more than expected, though, so don't fill the cups too generously. I used a vanilla frosting this time, but I think citrus or chocolate might better complement the tea flavoring.
Earl Grey Cupcakes
-2/3 c. whole milk
-2 tea bags (Earl Grey)
-1 1/2 c. flour
-2 t. baking powder
-1 t. salt
-1/2 c. unsalted butter, room temperature
-1 c. sugar
-2 eggs
1. Heat the milk with the tea in a small saucepan. Bring it to a boil, then remove it from heat and allow the tea to steep for about 30 minutes until milk is cool.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
3. Cream together butter, sugar, and eggs.
4. Alternately beat in flour mixture and milk.
5. Spoon batter into cups.
6. Bake at 350* for 22-25 minutes.
(Don't fill them this much!)
All dressed up...
...and ready to go!
These have a very subtle early grey flavor, and the recipe makes a moist, not-too-sweet cake. The batter rises much more than expected, though, so don't fill the cups too generously. I used a vanilla frosting this time, but I think citrus or chocolate might better complement the tea flavoring.
Earl Grey Cupcakes
-2/3 c. whole milk
-2 tea bags (Earl Grey)
-1 1/2 c. flour
-2 t. baking powder
-1 t. salt
-1/2 c. unsalted butter, room temperature
-1 c. sugar
-2 eggs
1. Heat the milk with the tea in a small saucepan. Bring it to a boil, then remove it from heat and allow the tea to steep for about 30 minutes until milk is cool.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
3. Cream together butter, sugar, and eggs.
4. Alternately beat in flour mixture and milk.
5. Spoon batter into cups.
6. Bake at 350* for 22-25 minutes.
(Don't fill them this much!)
All dressed up... 
...and ready to go!Double Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
Back again with a handful of posts! The semester is nearing its end, and finals are in full force. I'm taking a bit of a break from paper-writing now to offer a few more recipes....
I saw the recipe for these in a magazine while at home for Thanksgiving, and they looked too good to pass up. The recipe calls for a full pound of chocolate, so needless to say, they're rich. Next time I make them, I think I'll add in some more cranberries--their tartness contrasted with the sweetness very nicely.
Double Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
-16 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used chocolate chips; they worked well too)
-1 c. flour
-3 T. unsweetened cocoa powder
-1 t. baking powder
-1/2 t. salt
-1/2 c. unsalted butter, room temperature
-3/4 c. sugar
-1/2 c. packed light brown sugar
-2 large eggs
-1 t. vanilla
-1/2 c. dried cranberries
1. Melt 10 oz. of the chocolate over simmering water, or in the microwave on low power. Let it cool slightly.
2. Mix together dry ingredients, set aside.
3. Cream together the butter and sugars. Add in eggs and vanilla. Stir in melted chocolate--make sure it isn't too warm.
4. Add in the flour mixture. Stir in remaining 6 oz. of chocolate and the cranberries.
5. Drop heaping tablespoons onto ungreased baking sheet.
6. Bake at 350* for 15-17 minutes.
I saw the recipe for these in a magazine while at home for Thanksgiving, and they looked too good to pass up. The recipe calls for a full pound of chocolate, so needless to say, they're rich. Next time I make them, I think I'll add in some more cranberries--their tartness contrasted with the sweetness very nicely.
Double Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
-16 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used chocolate chips; they worked well too)
-1 c. flour
-3 T. unsweetened cocoa powder
-1 t. baking powder
-1/2 t. salt
-1/2 c. unsalted butter, room temperature
-3/4 c. sugar
-1/2 c. packed light brown sugar
-2 large eggs
-1 t. vanilla
-1/2 c. dried cranberries
1. Melt 10 oz. of the chocolate over simmering water, or in the microwave on low power. Let it cool slightly.
2. Mix together dry ingredients, set aside.
3. Cream together the butter and sugars. Add in eggs and vanilla. Stir in melted chocolate--make sure it isn't too warm.
4. Add in the flour mixture. Stir in remaining 6 oz. of chocolate and the cranberries.
5. Drop heaping tablespoons onto ungreased baking sheet.
6. Bake at 350* for 15-17 minutes.
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