Bake 52: Week 52

I cannot believe it is week 52! I cannot believe this year is over! And I cannot believe all of the amazing things that I baked this year!

For our last week, we baked 

Thick and Chewy Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies

This picture was taken on my phone and isn't so much in focus. I am sure other bakers got much better shots to give you a better idea of what these look like!

I made these a couple of weeks ago, knowing that Christmas week would be super busy. I was trying to find something fun for the kids to do one night and we decided to make cookies.  This was the perfect chance to try these out!  

So they are triple chocolate:  cocoa in the dough, melted chocolate in the dough, and chocolate chips in the dough.  Sounds amazing, right?

These were too sweet for me.  I almost felt like I didn't know who I was anymore - my motto is "there's never too much chocolate" and suddenly there was.  I could only eat one cookie.  And didn't want to eat the entire bowl of dough.

So...my conclusion is that I was either  coming down with a horrible case of something and my tastebuds weren't working properly....or they are just a little too rich for me.  I'm anxious to see what everyone else thought of it.

Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!  I am looking forward to our Dinner Group for 2013!

Check out Janet's blog for the reicpe!

Bake 52: Week 51

This week's pick was Biscotti

The recipe was Almond Biscotti, but there were different variations.  Like most of the bakers this week, the chocolate chip definitely sounded the best to me!

 My grandma's cute little old friend used to always make Biscotti for Christmas - I always think of her this time of year.  It was fun to have this today!
And I loved all of the pictures of the Biscotti with hot chocolate - which I need to try tonight. I am sure dipping it is yum, however it was also super yum partnered up with an icy cold diet coke!  But then again, what isn't?

Thanks, Emily, for picking this recipe!  Check out her blog for the recipe.
Merry Christmas to all!!
 

Bake 52: Week 49

This week it is my turn to host again....the last time for Bake 52 this year.
I decided for my last baking host-age (to be read as the act of being a host, not being held as a hostage) that I wanted to try the jelly roll. I have never made one. Or a pumpkin roll. Or anything else that you roll in like manner.  But then I turned the page and decided if we were going to roll a cake, the one to make would be the 

Glazed Chocolate Cream Roll

First off I must say that making this cake reminded me sooooo much of the ice cream cake from The Milky Way - the bestest litle diner shop growing up.  Amanda - come on, you've got to have these secret recipes for us!  I am going to try using this same cake and doing ice cream rather than marshmallow cream. I think we might just have a new favorite birthday cake around here!

As the recipe was, though, it was delicious!  As I started to bake and realized that there was not a lot of flour called for in this cake (3/4 cup), I decided to try it gluten-free.  So I subbed in 3/4 cup of Pamela's Baking Mix for the flour.  I was prepared to have it totally fall apart when I started to roll it, because that's what happens when things are gluten free. And I already had a plan - fill a bowl with the cake chunks and they could still be enjoyed, and start a new cake with regular flour.

How delightedly surprised I was when it rolled PERFECTLY!  

We all really loved this cake!  And here's why: Chocolate cake, Marshmallow filling, Chocolate glaze.

Glazed Chocolate Cream Roll
America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book pg. 258

You'll need an 18X13-inch rimmed baking sheet for this cake.  We prefer a stiffer marshmallow creme in this filling, such as Jet-Puffed or Fluff.  Be sure to have the filling ready by the time the cake is finished baking; if the baked cake sits around for longer than 15 minutes before filling, it will become too stiff to roll.

CAKE:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

5 large eggs, room temperature

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

FILLING:

6 Tbsp. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened

2/3 cup confectioners' sugar

1 1/4 cups marshmallow creme (see note above)

3/4 tsp. vanilla extract

1/8 tsp. salt

GLAZE:

1/3 cup heavy cream

2 Tbsp. light corn syrup

4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

For the Cake: Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease an 18X13-inch rimmed baking sheet, line the bottom with parchment paper, and grease the parchment.  

 Whisk the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl.

In a large bowl, whip the eggs with an electric mixer on medium-high speed and gradually add the sugar and then the vanilla, about 1 minute.  Continue to whip the mixture until very thick and voluminous, 4-8 minutes.

Sift the flour mixture over the egg mixture and fold in with a rubber spatula until just incorporated.

 Scrape the batter into the prepared baking sheet and spread out to an even layer.  Bake the cake until it feels firm and springs back when touched, 12-17 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking.

 For the Filling: Meanwhile, beat the butter and sugar together in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Beat in the marshmallow creme, vanilla, and salt until incorporated, about 2 minutes.

Remove the cake from the oven, run a knife around the edge of the cake to loosen it, then flip the hot cake onto a large sheet of greased parchment paper.  Peel off and discard the parchment paper baked onto the cake.  Starting from a short end of the cake, roll the cake and parchment snugly into a log and let cool for 15 minutes.

Gently unroll the cake. Spread the filling over the cake, leaving a 1/2" border at the edges. 

  Reroll the cake gently but snugly around the filling, leaving the parchment behind as you roll.   Trim the ends of the cake, then let it cool compltely, about 30 minutes.

 For the Glaze:  Transfer the cake to a wire rack set over a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet.  Microwave all of the ingredients together, whisking often, until melted and smooth, 1-2 minutes.  Pour the warm glaze evenly over the cake, letting it drip down the sides, and refrigerate until the glaze has set, about 1 hour.  Transfer the cake to a cake platter before serving.

 For the Glaze:  Transfer the cake to a wire rack set over a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet.  Microwave all of the ingredients together, whisking often, until melted and smooth, 1-2 minutes.  Pour the warm glaze evenly over the cake, letting it drip down the sides, and refrigerate until the glaze has set, about 1 hour.  Transfer the cake to a cake platter before serving.

Bake 52: Week 48

Large Danish Braid

What a fun recipe to try!  I was sold when I saw that this had glaze AND icing.  You seriously can't go wrong with that!  Danish dough is a reeeeaaaallllllly long process, but you end up with flaky, sweet, pastry crust.  There were a few options for filling, I chose to do cream cheese and raspberry - again, a great combination - can't go wrong!  This turned out really good. I am not sure if I would commit as much time as it took again, but I think you could make something very similar with an easier dough.  It just wouldn't be as flaky.  I highly recommend trying this out - check out Jen O's blog for the recipe!

Bake 52: Week 47

Best Buttermilk Biscuits

I have always made drop-style biscuits, so this was another first for me.  I didn't have a round biscuit cutter, so resorted to a snowflake cookie cutter - very festive!

These were fast and easy to whip up and I really loved them! All of my kids did too. I made them on a night we were having soup and it tasted so great dipped in it.  They were also muy bueno with honey or jam.

Definitely try these out!
You can visit Betsy's blog for the recipe!

Bake 52: Week 46

This week we baked a

Sweet Potato Pie

This is the reason I love being a part of this baking group.  Here's how it looked in my head:

Sweet Potatoes are good.

Pie is good.

Sweet potatoes and pie do not mix.

BUT I was wrong!  It does mix because it has sugar, brown sugar, spices, and whole milk....

oh yah, sweet potato pie is GOOD!

And what good is pie without ice cream? This was no exception - the flavors went so well together!

So glad we got to try this!

Check out Talesha's blog for the complete recipe!

Bake 52: Week 45

This week Amanda chose for us to bake

PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE

Pumpkin - Great

Cheesecake - Great

Pumpkin + Cheesecake = Fantastic

What else can I say? 

I did think it was interesting that this recipe had you dry out the pumpkin puree first, I have never seen or done that, but it's a great tip to know!

Definitely a great dessert - and just in time for Thanksgiving!

Check out Amanda's blog for the complete recipe!

Bake 52: Week 44

This week's pick was a 

Red Velvet Layer Cake

 Growing up I never tasted a red velvet cake.  Once I got married, I found out that red velvet cake is "the cake" in my hubby's family.  In fact, when we got married it was his very favorite cake. His mom always made it for his birthday.  And she made it gluten-free.  Here I come into the picture with no idea what gluten-free even means...let's say I left that up to his mom for awhile.

Over the years I have tried a couple of different red velvet cakes and cupcakes with surprisingly good results.  When I saw that was the pick for this week, I decided to give it one more try, gluten-free style.  I followed the recipe exactly, only substituted a GF baking mix for the flour.  The results were great!  The middles of my cakes sank, but that was easily remedied by adding a lot of frosting to even it out. You can never get too much frosting - oh and did I mention it was cream cheese frosting?  Absolutely delish!  We always put red velvet cake in the fridge, so after trying it, I covered it up good and put it in the fridge overnight. I really do think it was even better the next day.

Check out Janet's blog for the recipe!

Bake 52: Week 43

This week our host, Emily, chose to bake Apple Dumplings.

Don't they sound good? I bet they were.

I, on the other hand, thought we were baking Apple Turnovers....

Not only did I pick the wrong recipe, but I turned it into intestines for Halloween. 
And I got Talesha to bake with me.  

So here's how it went down.  Talesha and I hosted a book club this week.  We made all sorts of fun, creepy food.  I had seen this idea for the intestines and thought - hey - if we are making turnovers, we could make this recipe together, but shape it different.  If only we were making turnovers....

Anyway, we did it.  We used puff pastry dough, had yummy apple filling, rolled it up and painted it with blood (ahem, red food coloring).  It was delicious.
If only it was April Fool's instead of Halloween, this would probably be a little funny.

 You should try making apple turnovers.  And apple dumplings!

Sorry for the mess up, ladies!  Can't wait to see how all of yours turned out!

Check out Emily's blog for this week's recipe!

Bake 52: Week 42

This week is my turn to host again, I decided to choose

Creme Caramel

I wanted to make something new, something gluten-free...and this recipe had me at "caramel".

My husband absolutely LOVED this dessert.  I thought it was just OK.  I didn't particularly love the flavor or texture, and it didn't taste like true caramel.  Lucky for him - he got to eat most of them - and I heard no complaints about that!

I really found this recipe to be fascinating, though.  First you pour the caramel into the bottom of a ramekin.  It hardens quickly - it is like glass and super stuck onto the ramekin. I couldn't imagine how I would ever get it out of there.  Somehow in the process it softens, fuses with the custard, and even becomes a bit runny - it's a bit magical!

Here's the recipe - give it a try - it's always fun to try something new :) 

 Creme Caramel - from The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book 

Serves: 8

The caramel is best prepared in a light-colored pan so that you can gauge its color as it cooks.  Be careful handling the caramel, as it gets extremely hot.  The best way to clean stuck-on caramel from the ramekins after unmolding the custards is to fill them with boiling water and let them sit for a few minutes until the caramel dissolves.

1/2 cup water

1 2/3 cups sugar

3 large eggs, room temperature

2 large egg yolks, room temperature

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Pinch salt

3 cups half-and-half

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Place a kitchen towel on the bottom of a large roasting pan and arrange eight 6-ounce ramekins on the towel.  Bring a kettle of water to a boil.

 Pour the 1/2 cup water into a medium saucepan, then pour 1 cup of the sugar into the center of the pan (don't let it hit the pan sides). 

 Gently stir the sugar with a clean spatula to wet it thoroughly.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, without stirring, until the sugar has dissolved completely and the liquid has a faint golden color (about 300 degrees on a candy thermometer), 6 to 10 minutes*.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the caramel has a dark amber color (about 350 degrees on a candy thermometer), 3 to 4 minutes longer.

  Immediately remove the pan from the heat and, working quickly but very carefully, pour about 2 tablespoons of the caramel into each ramekin.  Let the caramel cool slightly until hardened.

 4. Whisk the eggs, egg yolks, vanilla, salt, and the remaining 2/3 cup sugar together in a large bowl.  

Heat the half-and-half in a medium saucepan over medium heat until steaming, then whisk it into the egg mixture until just combined.  Strain the custard through a fine-mesh strainer into a large liquid measuring cup or pitcher.  

Pour the custard evenly into the ramekins on top of the caramel. Place the roasting pan in the oven and carefully pour enough boiling water into the pan to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

  Bake the custards until a small knife inserted halfway between the center and edge comes out clean, 35-40 mintues.

 Carefully remove the ramekins from the water bath using tongs and a sturdy spatula and let the custards cool to room temperature, about 2 hours.  

Set the ramekins on a baking sheet, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours.

 TO SERVE:  Run a small knife around each rameking to loosen the custard.  Place an inverted serving plate over the top and quickly flip the custard onto the plate, shaking the ramekin gently to help release the custard and caramel.  Drizzle any extra caramel sauce over the top (some caramel will remain stuck in the ramekin).

* If you have a candy thermometer, definitely use it! I botched up my first bath of caramel and had to start over.  It took much longer than indicated here!

Bake 52: Week 41

Oatmeal Scones

I've never had a scone that wasn't fried.  So although these are much healthier, they seemed more like a cookie or biscuit. I really liked the texture, and the flavor was good too - subtle with a little sweetness. Easy to make and can be made ahead, which is always nice for a breakfast option!  Check out the recipe on Jen O's blog!

Bake 52: Week 40

Pumpkin Sheet Cake

This week was an excellent choice - pumpkin sheet cake! Have I made it clear that I LOVE pumpkin baked goods?  Of course I had to make this in my cookie sheet to make pumpkin bars.  I make pumpkin bars every year and this recipe trumps my old one. This recipe is going to get a lot of use.  And I was able to successfully make this gluten-free!  I also really loved this cream cheese frosting recipe - it was a little different with a little bit of sour cream and was whipped a lot longer, really good! Turned out perfect!  This is definitely one to try! Check out Betsy's blog for the recipe.

Bake 52: Week 39

Spiced Pumpkin Bread

 I simply cannot express in words how much I LOVE fall!  I love it! The cooler weather, the leaves, the approaching holidays, football season...it is the best!

I made this bread Monday, which turned out to be the perfect fall day!  It began by waking up to "sweater-weather" for the first time this year. Oh how I love wearing sweaters!  Then I enjoyed my house smelling like amazing pumpkin bread baking all afternoon.  After having soup for dinner, we took our kids to a gorgeous park to play.  We ended the night by stopping at Starbucks for a Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate. I. LOVE. FALL.

I love pumpkin bread too and because the pumpkin is so moist, it usually makes for incredible gluten-free bread!  So I had to try it with this recipe.  I decided to make gluten-free pumpkin muffins.  Of course half had to have chocolate chips, because pumpkin+chocolate is like peanut butter+jelly!

Shockingly (seriously, I was shocked!) I found myself enjoying the plain ones even more.  Don't get me wrong, the ones with chocolate were fantastic, BUT there was something simple and delicious about the plain ones.  The results were incredible!  Best gluten-free muffins ever!  I will definitely be making these A LOT!  

I'm sure this bread is great with the nuts and cranberries too, but this was more my family's style.

(I subbed Pamela's Baking Mix for the flour and omitted the baking soda and baking powder.  It was that easy!)

Great Fall pick, Talesha! Check out her blog for the recipe!

Bake 52: Week 38

Make Ahead French Toast Casserole

I'm not a big fan of breakfast - but I love breakfast for dinner.  So yesterday morning I put this together while getting the kids ready for school and it was super easy to have ready and just throw into the oven.  I love recipes like this on Tuesdays...between scouts, football practice, homework, and about a gazillion other things that hit on that night, it is wonderful to not worry about dinner as well!

It smelled delicious cooking! I loved the topping (though I didn't add the nuts because my kids won't eat them).  Overall I actually really liked the flavor, but it was a little too soggy and eggy for me.  What I really loved about this recipe, though, is that surprisingly my kids really did love it! They all ate multiple servings last night, and this morning my son even asked if I could pack it in his lunch today!  Wow!

Was really good with fresh peach syrup!

Check out Valerie's blog for this week's recipe!

Bake 52: Week 37

Deep Dish Pepperoni Pizza....Yummmm

 This week I totally felt like I was back in elementary school (yes, Durrant...) and got a "Book It" award for the personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut.

This deep dish pepperoni pizza was AMAZING! Seriously tasted just. like. pizza. hut.

Crisp bottom (although the sound of boiling olive oil while baking grossed me out, it totally paid off!), soft inside - loved it!  I was surprised that you were able to bake these in 9" cake pans. I did laugh that it made two small pizzas and said it fed 6-8 people.  Apparently these people have never met my children!  It was delicious and I will definitely try it again!
Check out Amanda's blog for the recipe!

Bake 52: Week 36

Tunnel of Fudge Cake

This was an excellent choice this week!  Tunnel. of. fudge. cake.  YUM! I really don't know what else I can say.  Except that I literally ate too much cake and made myself sick. 
Really sick.  My hubby was making fun of me for eating so much cake, but it was too good, I couldn't stop myself.  Easy and lovely, I will make again! (and I will share!)

Check out Janet's Blog for the recipe!

Bake 52: Week 35

This week's pick was

Crunchy Granola Bars

 This was a fun and easy recipe to try.  I added coconut and peanuts, but definitely want to try it again and add chocolate chips, dried cranberries, etc.  I don't know that I love how crunchy they turned out, as I was spreading them on the baking sheet and tasted it I absolutely loved the flavor.  I couldn't wait til they were done, and was a little disappointed because I liked them better pre-baked.  Next time I think I will just bake for a few minutes and have chewy granola bars.  And there will be for sure be a next time -  my kids loved these.  They are easy and make a lot and they stay good for two weeks when wrapped in saran wrap.  Great for lunch boxes and snacks!

Check out Emily's blog for the recipe!

Bake 52: Week 34

This week was my turn to host again and I choose to bake

GLAZED LEMON COOKIES

 Honestly, I'm not sure why I chose something without chocolate.  But I did.  I had been eying the lemon bars in this book, but we did raspberry bars last week, so I thought maybe a lemon cookie would lend enough variety.  These were good. I wouldn't say I'm in love, but they all got eaten, nonetheless. My seventeen-month-old especially loved them!

They did have just the right amount of lemon to them and were soft and moist.  Maybe if they were covered in chocolate chips I would have adored them a little bit more.

Here's the recipe if you're up for a new lemon recipe!

Glazed Lemon Cookies - The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book, pg. 167

Makes about 30 cookies
You will need a food processor to make these cookies.  For the brightest flavor, use fresh lemon juice.  Be sure to mix the lemon juice and egg yolk together in step 2 at the last minute - it will curdle if mixed together in advance.
Cookies:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons grated fresh lemon zest
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 large egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Glaze:
1 tablespoon cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1. For the cookies: Process the granulated sugar and lemon zest together in a food processor until the sugar is pale yellow and damp, about 30 seconds.   Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and pulse to combine, about 10 pulses.  Add the butter pieces and pulse until the mixture resembles fine cornmeal, about 15 pulses.

2. In a small bowl, whisk the lemon juice, egg yolk, and vanilla together.  With the machine running, add the lemon juice mixture through the feed tube in a slow, steady stream, about 10 seconds.  Continue to process until the dough begins to form into a ball, 10 to 15 seconds.

3. Transfer the dough to a clean counter and roll it into a 10-inch log, about 2 inches thick.  Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.

4. Adjust the oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 325 degrees.  Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
5. Slice the dough into 3/8-inch-thick cookies.  Lay the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, spaced about 1 inch apart.  Bake the cookies until the edges begin to brown, 13 to 16 minutes, switching and rotating the baking sheets halfway through baking.  Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before glazing.
(Enter lots and lots of screaming and kid drama - hence no pictures here...)
6. For the Glaze: Whisk the cream cheese and lemon juice together in a medium bowl until smooth, then whisk in the confectioners' sugar.  Spoon a teaspoon of the glaze onto the center of each cookie and spread it out evenly with the back of the spoon.  Let the glaze dry completely, about 30 minutes, before serving.