Palmiers

I love the French. Strictly for inventing this cookie. I'll admit, I'm finding it a bit difficult to share with you how good these pastries are after I just confessed my undying love in the previous post about Florentines. How do I boast about how delicious these cookies are after I basically favored another just prior? Well, I'm going to have to find a way because these pretties are just as delightful. Surpisingly that Italian Cantinetta I mentioned earlier also made these, everyday. Yes, I know I said and quote, "Out of all the things I got to nibble on each day, these (florentines) were my favorite." Don't let that discourage you from the deliciousness that these palmiers really are. Think of it this way. It's kinda like a new mother, she has just had twins, ask her which one she loves the most and what's her answer? Precisely. Florentines and Palmiers are like my twins, who I love both unconditionally. Being with just one of these babies at a time makes you realize just how much pure joy and sincere love you have for that single cookie, and how much devotion you can give to that little ball of bliss. Then, realizing when you spend time with the other, you have that same unconditional love and you just could never choose a favorite. That's kinda what this love triangle between me, Palmiers, & Florentines looks like. Got it? On the same page? Ok, on with the recipe then.

You really can't go wrong in the kitchen with these. Theres 2 ingredients, yes I said 2. It's the small uncomplicated things in life that really make you happy, or hungry. You can add cinnamon to these if you'd like, it gives it sort of a "baked apple pie" flavor. I guess when you combine butter, with dough and cinnamon, you get apple pie, I don't know how it works out just see for yourself. :) I prefer it without the cinnamon but get creative, you can add basically whatever spice you'd like, even make them savory! I think the next batch I make will be with Cardamom. Use a store bought dough, especially if your short on time, or not too keen on the rise, punch, fall, roll routine. I do think these would be even more phenom with a homemade dough. I will have to try to make one next time and let you know how it goes. Take note that these are tagged as cookies, pastries, & breakfast. Don't second guess that last one. Make a batch of these the night before and bring them in to work with you. Your co-workers will love you and there really GREAT paired with your little blended frappachini thingy thats giving you all that caffeine every morning. Didn't your momma tell you not to drink coffee on an empty stomach? Okay then, its settled.

Palmiers
i found this recipe here

1 sheet store bough puff pastry or 1 completed recipe puff pastry (I recommend the recipe in the book Baking with Julia, written byDorie Greenspan)
1 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spread out 1/2 cup of sugar onto a large silicone baking sheet. Place the puff pastry on the sugar and dust 1/2 cup more sugar on top. roll it out into a rectangle 24"X12". (your wanting to press the sugar into the dough with the rolling pin). Turn the pastry so that it is facing you horizontally. Fold the bottom edge of the dough up so that it lies in the middle and the top edge of the dough down so that it lies in the middle. The two edges should now touch each other in the middle. Next, fold the left side in halfway so that it lies in the middle. Fold the right side in halfway so that it lies in the middle. Both sides should now meet in the center. Next, take what remains and fold it in half so that the left side meets the right side, like you're closing a book. Chill for 20 minutes.


 Slice along the short end into about 1/2 inch slices and place flat on cookie sheets lined with silicone baking mats. Fan out slighly at the top and pinch at the bottom to create a heart shape. 

Remember to allow room on your baking sheets because each cookie will triple in size. Because the dough needs to stay cold before it is baked, you may want to only work with a few slices at a time. Bake for about 8 minutes and flip. If there is not enough carmelization on the back, bake for a few minutes longer. Cool on baking rack.

Homemade Donuts

Where do I begin to share with you my love for doughnuts? Let's start with the fact that at least once a week I beg my boyfriend to drive me to Krispy Kreme in the middle of the night (he usually gives in). Or how about when I drove around 3 hours one Saturday from town to town looking for "Ma & Pa" donut stores (I ended up finding 1, so disappointing). Or even that EVERYTIME I make a trip home I buy a dozen apple fritters from my absolute FAVE doughnut shoppe and eat them within a few days (oh, not all 12 by myself : P )  Am I donut obsessed? Or just donut deprived here in Utah? Either way everything added together = one gi-normic donut lover. I researched how to make homemade donuts for quite some time but shied away from the process due to intimidation (and not wanting to have such a terrible experience that I'd, *don't say it*, end up not liking donuts anymore-gasp!). I gave in after I couldn't control my craving one friday evening for that fluffly, chewy, homemade Ma&Pa donut (don't get me wrong I love me a Krispy Kreme, *see note above* but I wanted the real deal). I came across Ree's recipe for her homemade donuts on her amazing blog. She had a step-by-step picture tutorial that gave me enough confidence to jump into the recipe. I honestly was surprised at how easy these beauties actually are to make! A long, and at first daunting task, turned into a great experience, and DOUGHNUTS were the outcome! yah! So without further ado, all you crazy donut lovers like myself, here is my first try at homemade donuts.

Homemade Donuts

• Doughnuts
• 1-⅛ cup Whole Milk, Warm
• ¼ cups Sugar
• 2-¼ teaspoons (one Package) Instant Or Active Dry Yeast
• 2 whole Large Eggs, Beaten
• 1-¼ stick Unsalted Butter, melted
• 4 cups All-purpose Flour
• ¼ teaspoons Salt
• Canola Oil
• GLAZE
• 3 cups Powdered Sugar
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• ½ teaspoons Vanilla
• ½ cups Cold Water Or Milk

Preparation Instructions

To Make the Dough

1. Make sure milk is nice and warm, but not overly hot.
2. Add sugar to milk. Stir to dissolve.
3. Add yeast into a small bowl.
4. Pour milk/sugar mixture over yeast. Stir gently, then let sit for 10 minutes.
5. Melt butter in separate bowl until butter is almost melted. Stir to finish melting so butter won’t be overly hot.
6. Add beaten eggs to melted butter, stirring constantly to make sure the butter’s not too hot for the eggs.
7. Add the egg/butter mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook.
8. With the mixer on 3 or medium-low speed, pour in the yeast mixture.
9. Allow the dough hook to stir this mixture for a couple of minutes, making sure it’s thoroughly combined.
10. With the mixer still going, add helpings of the flour mixture in 1/4 to 1/2 cup increments until all the flour is gone.
11. Stop the mixer, scrape the bowl, then turn the mixer on the same speed for five whole minutes.
12. After five minutes, stop the mixer and scrape the bottom of the bowl.
13. Turn on the mixer for 30 seconds.
14. Turn off the mixer and allow the dough to sit in the bowl undisturbed for 10 minutes.
15. After 10 minutes, transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl. Toss the dough to coat, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place straight in the fridge.
16. Refrigerate dough for at least 8 hours, or overnight.

To Make the Doughnuts

1. Remove bowl from fridge and turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface.
2. Roll out to 1/4 to 1/3-inch thickness.
3. Using a 3-inch cutter, cut as many rounds as you can, then roll out remaining dough and cut as much as you can, etc.
4. Cut holes out of each round using a 1 1/2-inch cutter. If you don't have one of these, be creative. A used a circular cookie cutter for the donut and both a square and heart shaped fondant cutter for the "holes"!
5. Place both doughnuts and holes on a floured baking sheet.
6. Cover with large tea towel and place in a warm place in your kitchen; I actually turned on my fireplace and set the pans on stools all around, worked great.
7. Allow doughnuts to rise undisturbed for at least 1 hour; 1 hour 15 minutes if necessary. Doughuts should be visibly puffier and appear to be airy.

To Fry the Dougnuts

1. Heat plenty of canola oil in a large pot until the temperature reaches 375 to 380 degrees—do not let it get hotter than 380 degrees! 375 is ideal; keep the thermometer in the pan to continually monitor.
2. One to two at a time, gently grab doughnuts and ease them into the hot oil. Allow them to cook 1 minute on each side; they will brown very quickly.
3. Remove doughnuts from the oil with a slotted spoon, allowing all oil to drip off.
4. Place doughnut immediately on several layers of paper towels. Count to five, then flip it over onto a clean part of the paper towels. Count to five, then flip it over again; the purpose, obviously, is to drain as much grease as possible before it soaks into the doughnut.
5. Repeat with remaining doughnuts and holes. The holes will cook more quickly than the doughnuts; about 30 seconds per side.
6. Allow doughnuts to slightly cool.

To Glaze

I actually made 4 total "frostings" for these bad boys. The glaze did, in the end, wind up being my favorite. 

1. Mix all glaze ingredients in a bowl unil completely smooth.
2. One by one, dip doughnuts into the glaze until halfway submerged. (Note: completely submerge doughnut holes, then remove with slotted spoon.)
4. Remove from glaze, then turn right side up on a cooling rack over a cookie sheet (to catch dripping glaze.)
5. After the glaze has somewhat set, double dip the donuts, completely optional (but who wouldn't want a double dose of glaze?) 
6. Serve warm if possible, or room temperature.


You can find the chocolate glaze recipe here.


The cinnamon & Sugar ones are simply a mixture of 1cup sugar and 2 tsp, cinnamon.


The maple glaze I used is the same as the one from my homemade cinnamon rolls, with an extra tbsp. of maple syrup and tsp. of maple extract.

Happy Doughnutting!

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

ooey. gooey. delicious. There's nothing more nostalgic than the smell of cinnamon rolls baking in your kitchen first thing in the morning.  In this case it was around midnight but non-the-less equally fulfilling. I've been wanting to make these morning cakes for a while now but have been a bit intimidated (I get intimidated easy if you can't tell). Something about making dough, letting it rise, then rolling it into a magical pinwheel of love kept me away for quite some time. I finally gave in this last weekend, being General Conference and my boyfriend's family in town, I wanted to make something they could just pop into the oven and devour without me there (I have to work every weekend, *sigh*). These ended up being really fun to make and absolutely perfect for a quick morning meal! A lot easier than i thought. You have it good if 5 minutes of waiting time is the only thing that separates you from sinking your teeth into buttery, cinnamon-y, deliciousness-es. That was absolutely grammatically incorrect but I think I got my point across. This recipe is really good, and great to make with the kids as well. Super easy and even more satisfying. Now that I have made these homemade buns I know what I'd do next time to up the anty of these cakes even more (I know, if at all possible right?) This recipe makes a bun load ;) so it's a good idea to bake them in disposable tin rounds and gift them or like Ree says; hide in your closet and devour the whole batch :) Try these for your families next Saturday morning breakfast! Make them the night before and heat them in the oven for 5 minutes the next morning! I promise this will become a weekend ritual. 

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

  original recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

• 1 quart Whole Milk
• 1 cup Vegetable Oil
• 1 cup Sugar
• 2 packages Active Dry Yeast
• 8 cups (Plus 1 Cup Extra, Separated) All-purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon (heaping) Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon (scant) Baking Soda
• 1 Tablespoon (heaping) Salt
• Plenty Of Melted Butter
• 2 cups Sugar
• Generous Sprinkling Of Cinnamon
• (I also added 1/2 cup chopped pecans to one batch and they were delicious!)
• _____
• MAPLE FROSTING:
• 1 bag Powdered Sugar
• 2 teaspoons Maple Flavoring
• ½ cups Milk
• ¼ cups Melted Butter
• ¼ cups Maple Syrup (the original recipe calls for brewed coffee here, but since I don't drink coffee,maple syrup took it's place, and good thing because it tasted like maple donut frosting YEEUUUM!)
• ⅛ teaspoons Salt

I decided I wanted to try a cream cheese frosting too. This tastes very similar to Cinnabon's! 

Recipe from Whisk Kid

Cream Cheese Frosting

3 oz (85 g) cream cheese, room temp
1/4 c (50 g) butter, room temp
1 1/2 c (234 g) confectioners' sugar (may need more or less depending on desired consistency)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp salt
2 Tbls maple syrup (optional - my addition)

Beat together cream cheese and butter until well combined. Sift in confectioners' sugar, bit by bit and add salt. Beat about 5 minutes until light and fluffy, then briefly beat in vanilla and maple syrup, if using. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.

Preparation Instructions

Mix the milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a pan. “Scald” the mixture (heat until just before the boiling point). Turn off heat and leave to cool 45 minutes to 1 hour. When the mixture is lukewarm to warm, but NOT hot, sprinkle in both packages of Active Dry Yeast. Let this sit for a minute. Then add 8 cups of all-purpose flour. Stir mixture together. Cover and let rise for at least an hour.

After rising for at least an hour, add 1 more cup of flour, the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir mixture together. (At this point, you could cover the dough and put it in the fridge until you need it – overnight or even a day or two, if necessary. Just keep your eye on it and if it starts to overflow out of the pan, just punch it down).

When ready to prepare rolls: Sprinkle rolling surface generously with flour. Take half the dough and form a rough rectangle. Then roll the dough thin, maintaining a general rectangular shape. Drizzle 1/2 to 1 cup melted butter over the dough. Now sprinkle 1 cup of sugar over the butter followed by a generous sprinkling of cinnamon. (don't skimp out on the cinnamon people, trust me too much is a good thing here!)

Now, starting at the opposite end, begin rolling the dough in a neat line toward you. Keep the roll relatively tight as you go. Next, pinch the seam of the roll to seal it.

Spread 1 tablespoon of melted butter in a seven inch round foil cake or pie pan. Then begin cutting the rolls approximately ¾ to 1 inch thick and laying them in the buttered pans. (Make sure you leave a little room in between each roll, if there squished together the edges wont get that crusty goodness, and the frosting wont have the chance to hug the sides like they want to) :)

Repeat this process with the other half of the dough. Let the rolls rise for 20 to 30 minutes, then bake at 400 degrees (see note below) until light golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes.

For the frosting, mix together all ingredients listed and stir well until smooth. It should be thick but pourable. Taste and adjust as needed. Generously drizzle over the warm rolls. Go crazy and don’t skimp on the frosting.

Note: My rolls don’t work for me at 400 degrees anymore. I now bake them at 375 degrees. (My rolls were actually a little undercooked at 375 so I say try 400.)

How cute I had some left over batter so I made mini cinnamon rolls! Look how darling!

Homemade Organic Granola

After all these cookie posts...I decided it was time to make something a little more on the healthy side. With  bathing suit season around the corner, I figured you guys might like something that's still delicious but easy on the waistline as well. You will have NO idea that this granola is even healthy. I made 2 batches yesterday and there both already gone. Of course I did package some to gift for friends, but lets be honest I'm the main culprit here. I've been snacking on this all day, and its gotten better with every bite. Add any dried fruit or nut you'd like, the possibilities are endless! Whether plain, on top of yogurt, or paired with milk for a delicious cereal change, this stuff is just plain grrrrrreat! ;)

Homemade Organic Granola
adapted from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking
(with my personal changes)

2 cups organic rolled oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 whole vanilla bean, split (you can use 1 tsp. of vanilla extract as well)
1/3 cup slivered almonds
1/3 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup pecans, coarsely chopped  
1/3 cup golden raisins &  dried cranberries
1/4 cup black mission figs chopped
1 tbsp. candied ginger chopped

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or use silicone mat.

In a large bowl, toss the oats with cinnamon and salt.

In a medium bowl, or measuring cup,  stir together the oil, honey, brown sugar, and vanilla.  Pop in microwave for 30 seconds to melt the brown sugar, stir. 

Pour the honey mixture over the oats mixture and use a wooden spoon to combine them.  Stir well until all of the oats are coated with the honey mixture.

Pour the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Spread it out evenly, but leave a few clumps here and there for texture.

Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and use a metal spatula to lift and flip the granola. Sprinkle the almonds, walnuts, and pecans over the granola and return the baking sheet to the oven. ( the granola will look and feel "wet," this is how it is supposed to be, even after the full baking time it still will feel a bit wet, when you cool it on the baking sheet it will harden I promise) :)

Bake for 5 minutes, then remove from the oven and use a metal spatula to lift and flip the granola. Return the baking sheet to the oven.

Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven. Let cool completely. Sprinkle the raisins and cherries over the granola and use your hands to transfer it to an airtight container. 


The granola will keep for 1 week. 

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Okay, I have a kick a** coffee cake recipe, I'm just gonna come straight out and say it. : P I sold this to a local art gallery/cafe and it got eaten up, everytime, no exceptions. Actually, I'm not 100% sure if it ever made it to the pastry shelf or if the employees scarfed it down everytime before it ever had a chance. Anyway, without a doubt it is good, really good, and such a versatile cake, you can initially add/alter this in any way you'd like with whatever fruit, nut, or extract your in the mood for. So, try it, it's a keeper.

Meili's Cinnamon Cream Cheese Streusal Coffee Cake

Ingredients:

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs
1/4 cup sour cream
2 cups all purpose flour (whole wheat works great as well)
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. each: ground nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, allspice

Filling:
1 (8oz) package cream cheese
1 egg yolk
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Streusal Topping:
1/4 cup sugar (brown sugar works great or 1/2 of each)
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup butter (semi-soft)
1tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped pecans

Directions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Cream the butter and sugar in a medium sized bowl fitted with a paddle attachment for 3-4 minutes.
Add the eggs & sour cream and beat for another 3 minutes.
Sift together in a seperate bowl: flour, baking powder, salt, and spices & add to creamed mixture, mix on low just until combined.
Spread 1/2 of the batter into the bottom of a greased spring form pan.
In another bowl, mix cream cheese with the egg yolk for 1 minute, add sugar and vanilla and mix to combine. ( I like to mix this long enough to make it a bit lighter in consistency, more like a whip, that way it is easier to spread over the coffeecake mixture.)
Spread filling mix over coffeecake mix. Spoon remaining 1/2 of coffee cake mixture over top, be careful not to disrupt the filling mixture as much as possible.
Make the stresual topping by combining all ingredients and using a pastry cutter or fork to cut the butter into the topping mixture until it resembles crumbles. Sprinkle over top.
Bake for 50-55 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack until almost room temperature before removing springform. Enjoy!