Donut Army

  This was my first effort at pudding - and it definitely worked and tasted great! It was slightly grainy, which I understand from further reading is likely the fault of my lack of vigorous stirring. Blame the fact that I'm still nervous about scratching the new All-Clads. Old Fashioned Butterscotch Pudding The Raleigh Newspaper 4 egg yolks 3 T cornstarch 1/2 tsp fine sea salt 1 T unsalted butter 2 c whole milk 1 c heavy cream 1 T bourbon whiskey 2 tsp vanilla extract   Put egg yolks, cornstarch and salt in a large bowl and whisk until smooth and lump-free. In a medium pot over medium heat, combine brown sugar and butter. Whisk until brown sugar melts, 1-2 minutes. Let cool, whisking constantly, utnil mixture starts to smell like hot caramel and darkens slightly, about 1 minute longer. Immediately pour milk and cream into the pot. It will bubble fiercely and seize up. Continue to cook, whisking constantly, until clumps melt, 2-4 minutes. Slowly whisk 1/2 c of the hot cream mix...

  This recipe did not work as written. The dough was far too dry and crumbly. I was tempted to add maybe 2 T of milk, but suspected that would change the structure of the shortbread. A quick Google search suggested that increasing the fat -- the butter -- by another 2 T should fix the problem. I softened 2 more T of butter and beat it in and the dough came together just fine. I have amended this in the below.   These have a nice shortbread texture. The lavender flavor is interesting, but perhaps too floral for a cookie. The source that advised me about adding more butter also used less lavender -- only 2 tsp instead of 3 (which is what a T is). I have made that suggestion below, as well. In all, I guess I"m suggesting that you use her version, and not the one from Serious Eats! Honey Lavender Shortbread Cookies Serious Eats 2 c flour 3/4 tsp salt 1/2 tsp baking powder 2 tsp lavender 8 oz unsalted butter, softened 2 T honey 1/2 c powdered sugar Combine flour, salt, baking powd...

These are delightfully flavored sugar cookies - a little hint of grapefruit and that makes the taster wonder "what is in this thing?" The below is the original recipe. Personally, I would amp up the juice or zest to make the flavor even more pronounced. It's worth it. Ruby Red Grapefruit Cookies Homesick Texan 1 1/2 c sugar , plus more for dipping 1/2 c butter , softened 1 egg 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 T ruby red grapefruit juice 1 T ruby red grapefruit zest 2 c all-purpose flour 2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp kosher salt pinch of ground ginger Preheat the oven to 350°F and either lightly grease or line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cream together the sugar and the butter until well combined. Stir in the egg, vanilla extract, grapefruit juice, and grapefruit zest until well combined. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and ginger and then combine with the liquid ingredients until a soft dou...

One of my all-time favorite cookies. And quite possibly the only recipe from The Splendid Table that has actually worked for me. What I love about this cookie is you pick it up, thinking it's going to be yet another Italian wedding cookie -- a cookie you'll enjoy but immediately forget. Instead, you bight into this and there's a hint of sweetness, an undertone of heat, and an overall sense of Je ne sais quoi that keeps one going back for more. Chile-Spiked Mexican Wedding Cakes The Splendid Table 1 c pecan , lightly toasted, in pieces 1 c unsalted butter , softened 1/2 c sugar 2 tsps vanilla extract 2 c flour 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper 1/4 tsp cinnamon 1/2 c powdered sugar In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the pecans until coarsely ground. Add the butter and pulse until combined. Mix in the sugar and vanilla. Add the flour, salt, cayenne and cinnamon and pulse just to combine. Gather the dough into a ball and wrap in plastic. Refrige...

I don't know if I'm proud or embarrassed by this fact, but, it's December of 2020 and I have never had a single "pumpkin spiced" product ever. Except for pumpkin pie. Which it turns out is all that "pumpkin spice" is!  These are tasty. Would absolutely take them to a party or give them as gifts. They're not a conventional snickerdoodle because of the extra spices, but absolutely worthy of presentation. Also, I've been living on them for at least the past two meals....  Some notes on cost. I don't taste the orange blossom water. Like at all. And, the spice combo for rolling the dough in is twice as much as you need. So, either cut that in half, or, double the cookie dough portion. Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodle Food & Wine Ingredients: 1 3/4 c sugar , divided 2 T cinnamon 1 1/2 tsps cardamon 1/2 tsp nutmeg 1/2 tsp cloves 1 tsp coarse salt , divided 2 3/4 c flour 2 tsps cream of tartar 1 tsp baking soda 1 c unsalte...

We enjoyed this so much we ate the entirety of it in two sittings and immediately set out a stick of butter to make it again the next day. How's that for an endorsement? The rum is a lovely addition that you actually can taste in the final product, so, do not omit. French Apple Cake Once Upon a Chef 1 c all-purpose flour 1 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 c unsalted butter, room temperature 2/3 c sugar 2 eggs 1 tsp vanilla 3 T dark rum 2 baking apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2-inch cube Powdered sugar (optional), for garnish   Preheat oven to 350° . Grease a 9" springform.  In small bowl, whisk together flour, powder, and salt. In bowl of a mixer, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and rum and beat. The batter will look grainy - that's ok. Add dry ingredients and mix on low until just combined. Fold in chopped apples and scrape batter into the prepared top. Spri...

The cooking fad of the fall of 2020 was the mini pie. And one weekend, I decided to try it. "They'll be so cute!" I was told. "They're so easy to make!" I was told. "They're actually healthier because people know to eat only one!" I was told. These were kind of impossible to turn out and, imho, a far more pain in the ass to make than a normal ass pie. Cute - yes. Those that released from the pan were cute. Easy to make? Not particularly - certainly not easier than rolling out a pie dough. Better on portion control? Let me tell you - this recipe makes 8 mini pies. And, a pie-pie makes 8 servings. Normally, if I make a pie, a person has one slice. I made these little things and precisely because they were cute and hand-held, we each ate twice a normal portion. Mini Apple Pies King Arthur Flour 2 T butter 4 c apples, diced 6 T sugar dash salt 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/8 tsp nutmeg 1/8 tsp allspice 1 T flour 1 T cornstarch 2 T boiled cider 1 tsp vanilla 1...

I don't often bake something that I read about in the paper, but these were nice! They had soft interiors, but were chewy at the edges. Reminscent of graham crackers in flavor. Nice cookie, easy to put together. Not a showstopper, but nice and easy and filling. Brown Sugar Cookies with Maple Drizzle The News & Observer newspaper 2 c flour 1 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp fine sea salt 3/4 c unsalted butter , softened 1 c dark brown sugar 1/4 c + 1 T maple syrup 1 egg , room temperature 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 c powdered sugar Heat oven to 375. Prep 3 cookie sheets. Whisk flour, soda and sa.t In bowl of a mixer, beat together butter and brown sugar until smooth and creamy. Add 1/4 c maple syrup pand beat until incorporated. Beat in egg and vanilla until belnded. Fold in the flour mixture and fold until no traces of flour remain. Use a 1 1/4" cookie scoop to drop dough onto sheets, spacing 2" apart. Bake 12 minutes, until dark golden brown. Cool com...

 This month, due to an overage of apples, I am conducting a back-to-back taste test of easy fruit desserts -- crisps, cobblers, betties, buckles, and slumps. The first entry comes from Mariquita Farm, and is a basic (and easy but tasty) apple crisp. I baked this crisp for 45 minutes and the filling was perfect, though the top could have been crispier. No one was complaining, though, as the entire thing was demolished. Quick Apple Crisp Mariquita Farm Apples 1 c flour 1 c brown sugar 1 stick butter Cut a bunch of apples, peeled or not, into an 8x8" Pyrex sprayed with Pam. Pile enough so that the apples rest about 1/4" - 1/2" below the rim of the pan. Blend flour, sugar and butter together with a fork or your fingers. You can add cinnamon or other spices if you'd like. Blend until crumbly and mostly mixed. Press over apples until the surface is covered. Bake 45-60 minutes, until the topping seems nice and browned and the apples are soft.

When I first made this cake, I was under the impression that I didn't like pineapple upside-down cake. Turns out, I just don't like the ones sold at the grocery store and served at the church potlucks of my childhood. This one is a nice combination of spongey cake with a caramel/fruit topping. If you're careful, you can eat enough fruit before the pineapple cooks down that you can trick yourself into thinking you've been healthy. I choose to make this cake in one pan. I saute the pineapple, make the caramel, return the pinapple, and put the cake on top of it -- all in the same cast iron skillet. The only trouble with this plan is that the recipe is written for a 10" skillet, and I have a 9" and a 12". Believe me, I've tried with the 9" and it's just too small, so I use the 12". Which is perfect for holding one whole pineapple, but does mean the cake batter is a bit thinner than intended. Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Cook's Illus...

I have been making this cake since the 1990s - it's always a hit, at least among those who eat gluten. This comes from the reliable Silver Palate cookbook from 1979. Orange Poppy-seed Bundt Cake The Silver Palate 8 T salted butter, room temperature 1 1/2 c sugar 4 eggs 2 c flour 2 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 3/4 c milk 1/2 c poppy seeds (i jar if using a store-brand purchase) 1 tsp vanilla extract grated zest of 2 oranges Orange Glaze 1/2 c orange juice 1/2 c sugar Preheat oven to 325. Grease and flour a 10" bundt pan. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients together and sift. Then, add to the creamed mixture, alternating with additions of milk. Mix well after each addition. Fold in poppy seeds, vanilla, and orange zest . Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 50-60 minutes, or until the edges shrink away slightly from t...

I have had this recipe for years. As long-time readers, or personal friends, might know, I collect older recipe books. And I have a fondness for the compilation -- the church recipe book; the Civic Club of Wherever recipe book; the Fill-in-the-Blank political party recipe book. Usually, people contributing to these books are submitting the best of their best. Because social capital can be gained from having a good contribution. (As opposed to asking someone you barely know for a recipe, and they give it to you but conveniently leave one key ingredient out.) In comparison to that scenario, these books are goldmines of solid, time-proven recipes. Healthy - they are not. Trendy - they are not. But tested - they definitely are. All that to say, I have had this recipe for a long time -- but hadn't made it. Nor had I saved an attribution for where I got it from. An online search brings up very few hits for a similar recipe. The Vintage Recipe Project comes the closest, even thoug...

A little tacky at first, these get better with a little age.  Good for mixed audiences, too -- not too sweet, and slightly savory. And, well suited to an Asian-themed dinner. Orange, Sesame, and Honey Cookies from Cooking Light 1 1/4 c sugar 1/2 c brown sugar 1/2 c butter, softened 1 tsp vanilla 1 egg 1 3/4 c flour 1 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt 1/3 c sesame seeds, toasted 2 T honey 2 tsp orange rind, grated 1/3 c sesame seeds, toasted 1 T orange juice 1 T honey Preheat oven to 350°. Combine granulated sugar, brown sugar, butter, and vanilla in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until fluffy. Add egg; beat just until blended. Beat in flour, baking soda, and salt. Beat 1/3 cup toasted sesame seeds, 2 table­spoons honey, and grated orange rind into cookie dough at medium speed. Place 1/3 cup toasted sesame seeds in a bowl; scoop dough by tablespoonfuls, and roll in sesame seeds. Arrange cookies 2 inches apart on parchment paper-lined baking sh...

  This Sharlotka -- a Russian sponge cake -- is nice because it is actually very, very light. With less than 1 cup of flour, this is more of an apple crumble, but with form.  My Springform pan is 9", as opposed to the 8" in the recipe below. Therefore, the cake pictured here sprawls more, and is less tall, than what you might get if you have the proper pan. Apple Sharlotka Food and Wine , November 2014 4 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored, quartered, and thinly sliced 1 T lemon juice 1 c sugar 3/4 c + 2 T flour 1/4 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp nutmeg pinch salt 3 eggs 1/4 tsp almond extract powdered sugar, for dusting Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease the bottom and side of an 8-inch springform pan. In a large bowl, toss the apples with the lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of the sugar and let stand for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the flour with the cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the eggs with the almond...

This recipe is a re-post from an earlier entry, where I shared two variants on brownies -- this orange cheesecake, and, a turtle brownie. I realize now that, combining those two recipes into one entry makes it hard for users to find the recipe again later. So, am re-posting now to help make it easier to find. This brownie is still delicious! Orange Cheesecake Brownies Gourmet Magazine , December 1996 Cheesecake Batter: 1 8-oz package cream cheese, softened 1/3 c sugar 3/4 tsp orange zest, finely grated 1 egg 1 T flour Chocolate Batter: 6 T unsalted butter, cut into pieces 2 oz unsweetened baking chocolate, chopped 2 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped 1 c sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 eggs 2/3 c flour 1/2 tsp salt Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour a 9" square baking pan, knocking out excess flour. Make cheesecake batter: in a bowl, stir together cream cheese, sugar and zest with a wooden spoon until smooth. Beat in egg with a fork until blended and ...

I may be one of the rare fools who loves wedding cookies. This is a nice variation - moist and filled with flavors beyond just powdered sugar. Cherry-Pistachio Wedding Cookies Cooking Light 1 1/2 c cake flour 2/3 c flour 1 1/4 c powdered sugar, divided 2 tsp cornstarch 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 c butter, chilled, cut into small pieces 3 tsp ice water 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 c tart cherries, dried 1/4 c pistachio, roasted, salted, finely chopped Combine flours, 3/4 c powdered sugar, cornstarch and salt in a food processor pulse to combine. with food processor on, add butter through chute a few pieces at a time process 1 minute or until mixture is texture of sand. Combine 3 tsp ice water and vanilla in a small bowl. With processor on, slowly add ice water mixture through chute. Process 1 minute or until very well combined. Mixture will remaing crumbly. Add cherries and pistachios pulse 10 times or unitl combined. Transfer mixture to a bowl. Mixture will be crumbly. Gen...

  This cake is a little dense and savory -- as you would expect from something made with cornmeal and rosemary. Undoubtedly, I prefer my desserts sweeter, so my favorite part of this cake is the top portion -- the part featuring icing! If you keep these characteristics in mind, however, it makes a good breakfast or tea cake -- but is not ideal for dessert. Cornmeal Bundt Cake with Pecan Pie Swirl Vegetarian Times Swirl: 6 oz cream cheese, softened 1 egg 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp vanilla Swirl and Topping: 1/2 c sugar 1 T lemon juice 1 c pecans, coarsely chopped 1/3 c powdered sugar Cake Batter: 2 1/4 c flour 3/4 c cornmeal 1 T + 2 tsp rosemary, finely chopped 2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 1/4 tsp salt 1/3 c sugar 1 c yogurt 3 eggs, lightly beaten 3/4 c olive oil 1 T vanilla Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 10-inch Bundt pan with cooking spray, and dust with flour. To make Swirl, whisk together cream cheese, egg, cinnamon, and vanilla...

I was recently gifted with a mini-Bundt pan. I had always wanted to try them, but had never gotten around to buying one. My first attempt with the mini-Bundt had two goals: 1) learn how the pan responds to use; and, 2) get rid of some of the excess food in the pantry -- including some of this grapefruit that has stacked up. Mission accomplished! Check out this recipe for a light-flavored citrusy cake that will leave people guessing as to its main ingredient. (They'll know it's not lemon, and not orange, but they probably won't guess grapefruit.) The other success from this experiment was successfully cooking for few. Using the mini-Bundt cakes, I was able to bake up desserts for 2 people that would last a few days. I poured the rest of the batter into cupcake liners, and popped the unbaked cupcakes into the freezer, where I can then grab them next time I need a small batch of cake happiness in the house. Grapefruit Bundt Cake adapted from Food Babbles dot com ...