Cinnamon Whipped Cream Cream Puffs
These turned out so wonderfully that I couldn’t wait to share them. My only complaint is that the recipe only makes 12 or 13 puffs. I guess unless you are sharing them, maybe that’s a good thing, eh?
This is my first time making cream puffs and it was really easy. They do take quite a while in the oven, but the payoff is excellent. I wanted a little something extra for these, so I made some cinnamon whipped cream to fill them with. I know the photo is kinda boring, but that’s just because the cream is tucked inside. After the puffs cooled completely, I used a paring knife to poke a small hole in the bottom of each one. I filled a pastry bag with the cream and squeezed it in through the bottom.
The whipped cream was delicious! That extra touch of cinnamon just made each of these little puffs a delight. Now I’m wondering if they could be made ahead and frozen with the cream right inside. Anyone know?
Recipe: Cream Puffs
(from Joy of Baking)
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 c. water
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
Egg Wash Glaze:
1 large egg
1/8 tsp. salt
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and place rack in center of oven. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, sugar, and salt. Set aside. Place butter and water in heavy saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and, with a wooden spoon, quickly add the flour mixture. Return to heat and stir constantly until the dough comes away from the sides of the pan and forms a thick, smooth ball. (1-2 minutes) Transfer the dough to your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, and beat on low speed a minute or two to release the steam from the dough. Add the slightly beaten eggs and continue to mix until you have a smooth thick paste. Spoon or pipe 12-13 mounds of dough onto the baking sheet. Beat together the egg and salt for the glaze. With a pastry brush, gently brush the glaze on top of the dough.
Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees, then reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Bake for a further 30-40 minutes, or until the shells are a nice amber color and, when split, are dry inside. Turn the oven off and open the door slightly ajar. Let the puffs dry an additional 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack.
Recipe: Cinnamon Whipped Cream
1 c. cold heavy cream
2 Tbsp. sugar (I used granulated sugar this time, but next time I’ll try it with powdered sugar instead. Just a tiny bit grainy with the granulated sugar.)
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
Combine all ingredients and beat in a cold stainless steel bowl until you achieve a good consistency for piping. When the whisk attachment is lifted out of the cream, the peak holds its shape. Fill pastry bag (any tip) with cream and squeeze filling into cream puffs. (You can split cream puffs in half to fill, or poke a hole in the bottom with a paring knife, insert tip of pastry bag and fill.)
It’s Eco-Friendly Friday!
Let’s get things rolling with some great sites that sell awesome “green” toys.
Is someone in your life an athlete? Check out the products at Fair Trade Sports. Fair Trade Sports has a line of sports balls and apparel that are all certified green and certified Fair Trade. If you don’t know what Fair Trade means, you can learn more here. In a nutshell, it is an internationally recognized approach to making sure that producers of goods in third-world countries are treated fairly. When you buy products with the Fair Trade logo on them, you can be certain that wherever that product was made, the workers have been treated equally and with respect. Buying Fair Trade promotes sustainable development in other countries and equity in world trade.
These toys are just a sample of the great playthings from the aptly named company, Green Toys. All of their toys are made in the USA from recycled milk containers. And just look at them! How cool is that? Even their packaging is minimal and free of plastics – all 100% recyclable. There’s a store locator on the website, and if I can find them in my neck of the woods, I’ll bet you can find them in yours too.
I could be here all day telling you about the great toys I’ve found.
Instead, I’ll just give you the links and you can go check them out.
Happy shopping!
Sprig Toys – battery free toys that feed the imagination
Under the Nile – organic and adorable baby clothing and toys
Wonder World – PEACE…P=play, E=Education, A=Activity, C=Creativity, E=Environment
Plan Toys – innovative toys from a company that limits its impact on nature
Sugar Cakes
I debated even posting this recipe because I kind of thought these cookies were rather plain and needed something more to boost their flavor. But let me start at the beginning. Someone asked me if I’d ever heard of sugar cakes, and she gave me her family recipe. Apparently this is a PA Dutch cookie and versions of it are very popular in the PA Amish community too. Having never eaten them, I figured I’d give it a try. (I’m passing along the recipe exactly as it was given to me.)
This recipe makes a sticky dough that just didn’t want to cooperate with a cookie scoop or even spoons. Some of the cookies kind of oozed all over the cookie sheet, while some stayed in their nice little circle shape. There just didn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to which ones turned out well and which ones didn’t. And, frankly, since they didn’t taste exceptional, I ended up just bagging the whole thing mid-way through.
Not long afterward, my sister-in-law and her hubby walked in and were mighty happy to see the cookies sitting on the table. They ate a bunch of them and really enjoyed them. Maybe they were just frustrating me too much for me to like them. Go figure. I’m just moving on.
Recipe: Sugar Cakes
2 c. granulated sugar
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. buttermilk
4 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda dissolved in 1 Tbsp. boiling water
3 eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream sugar and butter. Add eggs and beat well. Add 1/2 of the buttermilk, 1/2 of the flour, and all of the baking powder. Mix well. Add the remaining, buttermilk and flour, and the baking soda. Mix well. Add vanilla and mix.
Drop by spoonful onto lightly greased cookie sheet. (Only grease baking sheet the first time.) Sprinkle with colored sugars. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until edges start to brown and an indent made by your fingertip disappears on the cookie’s top.
Voting for Cupcake Hero :: Peanut Butter has begun!
It’s been a while since I posted my awesome fluffernutter cupcake, so here are some pics to refresh your memory. Wait ’til you see the delicious entries at i {heart} cuppycakes. Yum!
Pumpkin Pecan Pie Candy
I saw these a month or so ago at Beantown Baker and knew I’d be making them. I’ve had all the ingredients in the pantry for weeks, but didn’t get to it until now. They were a perfect treat for book club. Bite-sized, holiday flavors, and sweet.
Though this is a little messy to make, I kind of had a good system going after a few minutes and I managed to be a little neater. These candies definitely give you the taste of pumpkin and pecan pies.
They were a huge hit at the library and I think they make a nice, out of the ordinary treat. There is a lot of sugar, which I would cut back on next time though. (Jen from Beantown Baker said the same thing in her post.) I also think this would be an easy candy to adapt with a sugar substitute if you needed to.
Recipe: Pumpkin Pecan Pie Candy
(found at the blog Beantown Baker)
1 15-oz. can pumpkin puree
1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
2 c. sweetened, shredded coconut
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 – 2 c. chopped and toasted pecans
In a medium saucepan, combine the pumpkin, sugar, coconut, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Over medium heat, cook and mix together and allow sugar to dissolve. Continue cooking and stirring until mixture forms into a ball, about 15-20 minutes (Mine actually took 30 minutes, so just be patient.) Once the liquid evaporates, the mixture will come together in a ball.
Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Transfer to a heat-safe bowl and cover mixture with plastic wrap so a skin doesn’t form. Chill until cool.
Using a cookie scoop or tablespoon, scoop up a little mixture and roll in your hands or carefully drop onto plate of chopped pecans. (I found that if I dropped my spoonful of pumpkin onto the pecans, it was easier to neatly cover it with nuts, then to shape it into the ball shape. Rolling it in your hands gets pretty messy.) Coat all sides of pumpkin mixture with pecans. Replace in refrigerator until ready to eat. Can be stored in an airtight container up to one week.
Cheddar Corn Chowder
I grew up on my mom’s potato soup. There really wasn’t much to it – just potatoes and onions boiled in water with milk and butter. It doesn’t sound like much now, but I really loved it as a kid. Especially with buttered white bread. Wow, how my tastes have changed! I know I’d still happily chow down on that soup if my mom made it, but this cheddar corn chowder is a nice alternative. I still get the potatoes and onions… cream and butter, but with more sophisticated flavors added in. Add a couple thick slices of hot buttered bread, you’ve got yourself some comfort food.
Recipe: Cheddar Corn Chowder
(slightly adapted from Ina Garten at Food Network)
8 oz. thick sliced bacon, chopped
2 onions, diced
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. turmeric
6 c. chicken broth
white potatoes, unpeeled and diced, about 5 medium
1 lb. bag of frozen corn
1/2 c. half and half
3/4 c. sharp white cheddar cheese, grated
In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel. Reduce heat to medium, add onions and butter to bacon drippings. Cook for 10 minutes, or until onions are translucent.
Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and turmeric. Cook for 3 minutes. Add chicken broth and potatoes; bring to a boil and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add the corn to the soup; then add half-and-half and cheddar cheese. Cook for 5 more minutes, until cheese is melted. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Serve hot with garnish using cooked bacon bits and pieces.
Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha
I have a sizable addiction to any combination of chocolate and peppermint, and especially to Starbucks’ Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha or Peppermint Mocha – hot or cold – it really doesn’t matter to me. I long for the stuff. I make up excuses to go to Target because there’s a Starbucks inside the store. You just can’t beat shopping while sipping on a frappuccino. Sometimes my sweet mom even sends me a Starbucks gift card in the mail… just because. My adoration is great. For my mom and for Starbucks. But mostly for my mom, of course.
When I saw this recipe last winter, it practically sang to me. Of course I had to try it, and it did not disappoint. Pouring this into the blender made a nice froth that I topped with a little bit of whipped cream. The recipe made one large serving so you might want to share with a friend.
Find a quiet corner, a warm blanket, and a really good book. Now make yourself a steaming mug of this peppermint white chocolate mocha. It’s also a great treat to enjoy while you decorate for the holidays. Enjoy!
Recipe: Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha
(adapted from Joy of Baking)
1 1/2 c. milk (any fat content will do)
3 oz. white chocolate, chopped (make sure the ingredients include cocoa butter)
1 Tbsp. instant coffee or espresso powder
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 – 1/2 tsp. pure peppermint extract
Place the milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until it is nice and hot. Meanwhile, place the chopped white chocolate, instant coffee powder, and vanilla extract in your blender.
Pour the hot milk in the blender and process until nice and foamy. Garnish with shaved chocolate or whipped cream.
Here’s hoping you all enjoyed a great Thanksgiving with those you love. I wanted to share a quickly-taken photo of our pumpkin pies. I traced each of my kids’ hands and then cut them out of dough to put in the center. Even though this photo isn’t great, the pies were really cute.
I always follow the good ole’ Libby’s pumpkin pie recipe and I use this amazing pie dough. I make two pumpkin pies because we have a kooky tradition around here. We look forward to having one pie for breakfast on Thanksgiving morning, then the other is for dessert after dinner. My theory is that we are always so full from eating such a big dinner, that we definitely enjoy the pie more for breakfast. And my kids enjoy this treat as much as I do. {smile}
Recipe: Pie Dough
(from Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan)
~yields enough dough for two double-crust pies
5 1/4 c. pastry flour or all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. kosher salt
1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 3/4 c. solid vegetable shortening (11 ounces), chilled
1 c. ice cold water
(I made my dough in my kitchen aid mixer, but you can also do this by hand or in a food processor.)
Fix mixer with paddle attachment (or use a pastry blender). Put flour and salt in bowl and mix. Add butter and mix on low until it is cut into dry ingredients and the mixture looks coarse and crumbly. Add shortening in small bits and continue to mix on low. When the mixture holds together when a small bit is pressed between your fingers, add the water and mix only until it is incorporated. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and fold it over on itself two or three times, just to finish the mixing and to gather it together.
Divide the dough into four equal balls and flatten into thick discs. Wrap dough discs in plastic and refrigerate for 2 hours or as long as 5 days. When dough is thoroughly firm and chilled, roll for pie crusts.
Peanut Butter Popcorn
Here’s a recipe for those of you with a serious sweet tooth. Peanut butter popcorn with chocolate drizzle. I didn’t enjoy this one any where near as much as I loved that cinnamon popcorn I made a while back. It tasted more like candy to me, than the salty/sweet snack I was craving. Jim and Sam liked it though, so I wanted to share it.
I’ve also got a camera update. I happily upgraded just a little from my old, broken point and shoot camera to a new Nikon L100. It’s still a point and shoot but it offers me more flexibility and choices when I’m taking pictures. Now I just have to learn how to use it! And thank you for all the blog-commiserating when my camera broke!
Recipe: Peanut Butter Popcorn
(slightly adapted from Frantic Home Cook)
8-10 c. popped popcorn
1 c. light corn syrup
1 c. granulated sugar
1. c. peanut butter (I used smooth, but I think chunky would be great too.)
2 pinches of kosher salt or sea salt
chocolate candy melts for drizzling
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Stir corn syrup and sugar together in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for one minute. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter. Be careful! This is super hot! Pour mixture over popcorn and stir to coat. Pour popcorn onto baking sheet and bake in oven for 10 minutes. Spoon popcorn onto wire rack covered with waxed paper or parchment paper. Allow to cool completely. Melt candy melts in microwave following package directions. Drizzle over popcorn and allow to set. Break popcorn into pieces. Store in airtight container.
