Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Doughnuts and Muffins

Unless you've been avoiding Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, walking down the sidewalk and talking to other people, you know that "Pumpkin Spice Season" is upon us. You can't turn the corner without seeing a PSL (or a pumpkin spice latte, if you want to be formal) in a death-grip or browse Facebook without seeing a love poem to some pumpkin spice. While I pretend to mock them, let's be real, I am one of them.

Smelling cinnamon coated apples basking in the warmth of my oven makes me giddy and apt to spread some baking joy. Hoarding canned pumpkin is a seasonal tradition and unearthing it again in July is always a shock. So yes, I roll my eyes at all the "#PSL" hype… but I partake is a more homemade fashion.

To any co-workers who are reading this post, yes, these are the baked goods I brought into the office! 

Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Doughnuts & Muffins

Adapted from King Arthur Flour

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin purée – not pie filling
• 1/2 to 1 tsp salt (see note above)
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder (see note above)
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon plus a heaping 1/4 teaspoon each ground nutmeg and ground ginger
• 8 oz (1 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp) all-purpose flour

For the cinnamon-sugar topping:

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degree F.  Grease the muffin tins and doughnut pan with a little bit of butter and flour.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the oil, eggs, sugar, pumpkin, salt, and baking powder on medium speed until the mixture is smooth.
3. Lower the speed of the mixer and stir in the cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger, as well as the flour until they are completely incorporated. Do NOT over mix - this can lead to a tough texture.
4. If you're making doughnuts, fill the wells of the doughnut pans about 3/4 full, using a scant 1/4 cup of batter in each well (a small cookie scoop works well here). 
5. If you’re making muffins, fill each well about 3/4 full.
6. Bake the doughnuts for 15 to 18 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of one comes out clean. If you’re making muffins, they’ll need to bake for 23 to 25 minutes.
7. While the doughnuts/muffins bake, stir together the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl until well mixed; set aside.
8. Dip the warm doughnuts and muffins in the cinnamon-sugar topping. The muffins will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 to 3 days and may need a cinnamon-sugar refresher before serving. 

Apricot Maple Cinnamon Rolls

I feel like I could post a picture and present without comment (but I'm a chatterbox so that would be impossible to do). However, I essentially did just that on my Facebook page and boy-oh-boy did the offers start rolling in! I had one friend beg me to come back to Seattle, another started plotting a road trip over to Madison and all the while, "A" is gloating in the glory that is homemade apricot maple cinnamon rolls. Freshly baked on a Sunday morning. All to himself. Even though I did offer up the leftovers, no one seemed willing to make the journey. Oh well, "A's" gain.

While I was ambitious enough to make cinnamon rolls for our weekly Sunday brunch, I was just lazy enough to do the prep work the night before. Make the rolls according the directions but instead of having them do the final rise on the counter, plop them in the fridge overnight for a slow rise. The next morning, bring them to room temperature on the counter before baking.

The thing is, friends, these rolls are shockingly uncomplicated to make. Granted, I do have a KitchenAid stand mixer to do most of the dirty work for me. Even if you don't have a mixer, the dough is so soft and pliable that it would be too difficult to work with by hand.

Apricot Maple Cinnamon Rolls

Adapted from the Joy the Baker Cookbook

Ingredients:

• for the dough:
• 2¼ tsp. (1 pkg) active-dry yeast
• ½ tsp. + ¼ scant cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup water, lukewarm (~115° F)
• ½ cup almond milk milk, at room temp.
• 2 TBSP. packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 2¾ c. all-purpose flour + more for kneading
• ¾ tsp. salt
• 4 oz. (½ cup) goat butter, softened

for the filling:

• ½ cup packed light brown sugar
• ½ cup finely chopped walnuts
• ½ cup dried apricots, chopped
• 1 TBSP. ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp. salt
• pinch ground cloves
• 3 TBS. pure maple syrup
• ¼ cup goat butter butter, melted

for the glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• ⅛ cup almond milk

Instructions:

Dough:

1. Combine yeast, ½ tsp. of sugar, and water in the bowl of a mixer. Stir and let sit until foamy, 5-10 minutes.
2. Add remaining sugar, almond milk, brown sugar, vanilla, egg, and egg yolk. Beat until well combined. Using a dough hook, add flour and salt to bowl and mix at medium speed until dough just begins to come together. Turn mixer to medium-high and knead for ~4 minutes.
3. Add the softened butter and continue to knead for ~6 minutes. The dough will be wet and sticky. Knead in another ⅓-½ cup of flour into the dough. Dough should be just slightly tacky and very soft, but it should not stick to your hands.
4. Place in a large, greased boil. Cover with plastic or clean kitchen towel and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1½-2 hours.

Filling:

1. While dough is rising, combine sugar, walnuts, apricots, cinnamon, salt and cloves in a medium bowl. Stir in the maple syrup and set aside.

Dough (again):

1. When dough has doubled in bulk, tip it out of the bowl onto a heavily floured work surface. Gently knead the dough until it is no longer sticky, adding ~3 Tbs of flour as needed for ~2 minutes. At this point, the dough is soft, silky, supple, and totally sexy. Let rest on counter for 5 minutes.
2. Using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough into roughly a 10"x20" rectangle. Position dough so that the long sides are parallel to you (you'll be rolling from the long side). Brush about half of the melted butter over the top of the dough, enough to coat it well.
3. Dump all of the filling onto the buttered dough and spread evenly, leaving a 1" border at one of the short edges of the dough so the roll can be properly sealed. Lightly press the filling into the dough.
4. Roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Pinch all along the edge to seal. Place dough, seam side down, on a cutting board. Cut into equal slices.
5. Arrange slices, cut side up, in a greased pan (I used a large pie pan). Each roll will have a bit of space on all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to rest in a warm place for 1 ½-2 hours, until they've puffed up nice and big and are touching. (NOTE: is you would like to refrigerate overnight, place the covered unbaked rolls into the fridge at this point. Bring to room temperature before baking.) Place oven rack in upper ⅓ of oven and preheat oven to 375° F during last 15 minutes of rise time.
6. Slide into preheated oven and bake for ~30 minutes, until golden and bubbling. Rub some goat butter on the rolls just after you've pulled them from the oven.

Glaze:

1. While the rolls are cooling slightly, whisk together the powdered sugar and almond milk until smooth. Drizzle over warm rolls.
2. Share with friends. Make people happy. Smile.

Homemade Biscoff Cookies

First and foremost I dedicate this blog post to my sister, Caroline. When texting with her earlier tonight I (essentially) asked "should I blog about cookies or salad?" and she (essentially) said "you loon, if you don't blog about cookies I will hunt you down until you do." That may or may not have been how it went down but go with me here. It's kinda snowy and I've come down will a spell of cabin fever.

The snow tried to trap me in another day but too bad I had already planned to do some baking. One of my favorite things in the world is Biscoff cookies, also known as Delta airplane cookies. When Trader Joe's introduced their version of the traditional European coffee dunking cookie, I bought that up with such a fervor that you'd think it was the Seattle Witch Trials. Seriously. But sadly, as it goes anything I love at Trader Joe's, it seems to have been discontinued after the holidays ended. Nothing can keep me away from Biscoffs for long though. Ask any flight attendant, I am that obnoxious flyer who asks for two, sometimes three, cookies. Luckily for the flight attendants and grocery store workers of the world, I figured out how to make them on my own.

And you know what? They tasted eerily similar. I even ran out of cinnamon, first time this has ever happened, and the taste was still on par. If it hadn't been for the "storm of the decade," I would have been more apt to run over to the stores to pick up some more cinnamon. The best part of this recipe though is the texture. It has the same crisp as the original and dips in your morning coffee just the same. Even this morning when 'A' and I were drinking coffee, I forced myself to dip a few in and I felt like I was back in Paris. Or on a redeye back to Detroit. I'm not picky.

The snow is hopefully finally melting, the ice fading away and I will slowly lose the excuse to drink hot chocolate at all points of the day. I will also maybe be able to drive my car again, a girl can dream.

Biscoff Cookies 

Adapted from Dorie Greenspan from Around My French Table

Ingredients:

• 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 7 tablespoons Earth Balance, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 (packed) cup light brown sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature

Directions:

1. Whisk the flour, salt, baking soda, and spices together in a bowl.
2. Working in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a bowl with a hand mixer, beat the Earth Balance at medium speed until creamy. Add the sugars and beat until well blended, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and continue to beat until it, too, is blended into the butter and sugars. With the mixer on the lowest speed, add the dry ingredients in 3 additions, mixing only until the flour disappears into the soft dough. If there is any flour left at the bottom of them bowl, work it in with your hands or a spatula.
3. Divide the dough in half. Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, roll the dough between two sheets of parchment paper until you have a rough rectangle that’s about ¼ inch thick. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to 3 days.
4. When you’re ready to bake, center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
5. Using a sharp knife, cut into 1"x3" rectangles. Collect the scraps and set them aside to combine with the scraps from the second piece of dough.
6. Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes, or until they are lightly golden and brown around the edges.  Allow the cookies to rest on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
7. Repeat with the second round of dough, making certain the baking sheet is cool before you put the cutouts on it. To use the scraps, press them together, roll them into a circle, and chill them before cutting and baking. 

Apple Spice Blondies

The reviews are in on yet another fall-themed apple dessert and there are more than a few sticky thumbs-up in the crowd. Keep in mind there might have been a slight error in tallying the votes as I'm pretty sure a lot of the ladies at girls night were licking their fingers. I know I was constantly licking spoons and stealing apples out of the batter when I was mixing up the dough. Tell me, what is better than apples coated cinnamon-y fall-flavored batter? Nothing? Nothing. That's right - you found my Achilles heel. So anyone who is trying to trick a favor or a slice of cake out of me… use this piece of information wisely.

I came across the recipe when I was trying to look for an alternative to baking a whole apple pie. Don't get me wrong, it's one of my favorite desserts out there and little is more rewarding than seeing a homemade pie emerge from of the oven. But you see people, it's a lot of work and waiting. The dough, the baking… the resisting of eating apples covered in spices and sugar straight out of the mixing bowl. Sometimes a girl just needs a break. Good thing these apple spice blondies are a pretty good pie substitute without sacrificing flavor.

Before I leave you to the recipe, a piece of wisdom: don't ship your sister these blondies 3,000 miles wrapped in only some tin foil and enclosed in a measly flat rate envelope.  It's true, they will show up on her door room stoop flattened like a sheet of paper and virtually inedible.  At least she got a sassy card with the package…

Roasted Pear and Toasted Pecan Ice Cream

Three more weeks.  I keep on having to repeat that to myself over and over… only three more weeks until I will (hopefully) start reintegrating gluten and dairy.  My doctor thinks I am sensitive to one of the two and I need to "cleanse" my system more before I nosh on a hunk of bread or block of cheese.  While I wouldn't call my current diet ideal, not being able to have dairy hasn't been too hard.  I've known for a while I'm lactose intolerant.  I mean, haven't you noticed that 99.9% of my recipes use a milk substitute?  But what has been hard is finding a soy ice cream without brown rice syrup.

You'd think having the word rice in the name would mean it was gluten free.  You'd be wrong.  It's one of those sneaky glutenous ingredients.  So, if I can't buy it I'll make it!  I had some pears that were at the edge of being over ripe and a craving for some ice cream.

 When you make this ice cream (which I highly recommend) make sure you set aside a chuck a time.  While not being labor intensive, there is a lot of down time.  At least at the end of it all, your house will smell like roasted pears, toasted pecans and you will be snacking on some freshly turned ice cream.

Cinnamon Roasted Almonds

I don't know about you, but I was pretty excited when the Packers won the Superbowl last night.  I mean, I guess I didn't really have a preference because the Seahawks didn't make it and the Lions will never make it, I just liked the Packers more than the Steelers.  However, now I am bedridden with some iconic form of the flu and thought "well, if I can't get out of bed, I might as well publish a blog post."  Ta da!

I've actually been doing a lot of cooking and baking recently, so be looking forward to some new recipes.  Right now I am uploading and editing photos from my camera and I forgot exactly how much food I made!  Quinoa salad, brownies, macarons… and the Superbowl food.  Oh dear, the Superbowl food.  As can be expected, I willingly volunteered to cook for the big game and did not take my task lightly.  I had been cooking since last Tuesday (making ahead as much as I could & freezing) and woke up early on Sunday (8am) to finish everything in time.

Now I feel like I'm leaving you all hanging by not posting a recipe from the Superbowl!  Alas, these cinnamon almonds are just as delicious and (hopefully) a little healthier.  When my roommate came home from Christmas break, she had a big bag of the cinnamon roasted almond you find at fairs, outside of Uwajimaya and the like.  I wanted what I couldn't have and instantly started craving almonds.  As luck would have it, I had a pound of almonds in the back of my pantry and about 3 jars of cinnamon - I was prepared.  When cooking these, make sure to stir the almonds regularly.  I found that it gives them the "crunch" that you find with more mass produced cinnamon almonds.

Snickerdoodle Blondies

I originally wanted to make snickerdoodle cookies, alas, I didn't have any cream of tartar on hand.  Then I thought snickerdoodle muffins.  You need cream of tartar for that too?  Dangit.  Snickerdoodle blondes?  You don't need cream of tartar?  YES!  Victory!

I made these a few weeks ago, I brought three-fourths on them into the Bivouac, but I gave the other fourth to Jake in a little baggie when we were meeting for a drink at Ashley's after I got off work.  They never made it back to his house.  He had one at Ashley's before he left, gave one to a friend he saw there… and then every minute on the walk back to his house he ate another one.  Needless to say, I think these were a hit.  They also weren't hard to make and my house smelled wonderful while they were baking.  The texture of them is somewhat like a really thick sugar cookie and somewhat like a brownie - trust me, it's good!

On a side, personal, note: Today was my last day of classes at the University of Michigan!  I am (almost) officially a college graduate!

Snickerdoodle Blondies

Adapted from Dozen Flours - makes 30 bars

Ingredients:

• 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 2 cups packed brown sugar
• 1 cup butter, at room temperature
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch pan.
2. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. In large bowl, beat together butter, sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth.
3. Stir in the flour mixture until well blended. Spread evenly in prepared pan (mixture will be somewhat cookiebatter-ish). I used my wet hands to spread the batter into the pan. Combine white sugar and cinnamon in a little bowl. Evenly sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture over the top of the batter.
4. Bake 25-30 minutes or until surface springs back when gently pressed. Cool slightly. While still warm, cut into bars with a sharp knife.

Fudgey Brownies

I have a very sad story.  Last Tuesday my hard drive died; as in it froze, burnt out, stopped working and ceased to exist.  Then because the last time I used Time Machine to back-up my computer was March 16th, I lost two weeks worth of data, including 5 recipes worth of photos.  Needless to say I was stressed.  But in the time between my hard drive dying, getting a new one on, re-installing OS X and restoring my hard drive I decided I need to bake.

If you have been reading my blog, you would know that I love Mollie Katzen's "The New Moosewood Cookbook."  Her entrees are some of my favorite I have ever made, but I haven't made too many of her desserts.  I usually prefer to develop my own.  But these brownies, oh, they are amazing.  I think the last time I made them was two years ago when I was living out in New Mexico working at Philmont and I felt it was time to make them again.  These brownies are incredibly fluffy, while still being dense and fudgey, and the crumb has a wonderful texture.  To enhance them even further I added some chocolate chips and ground cinnamon (it adds an incredible depth to chocolate).

Moosewood's Fudgey Brownies
Adapted from The New Moosewood Cookbook
Ingredients:

• 2 sticks of butter, softened
• 5 oz of baking chocolate
• 1 ¾ cups light brown sugar, packed
• 5 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 ½ cups chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Let soften 2 sticks of butter (don't melt it)
2. Melt the 5 oz. baking chocolate with a doubler boiler. Let cool.
3. Cream the butter with 1 3/4 cups (packed) light brown sugar and 5 eggs until light and fluffy. Add 1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract. Beat in the melted, cooled chocolate.  Stir in flour, 1 tsp of cinnamon and 1 ½ cups of semisweet chocolate until just combined.
4. Spread into a buttered 9x13" baking pan. Bake 20-30 minutes (mine took more like 40 minutes, but once again, I have a student housing oven) at 350 degrees.
5. Cut immediately after removing from the oven and wait about 10 minutes until serving.

Maple Cinnamon Walnuts & Roasted Cinnamon Almonds

These were actually made for, and eaten on, Christmas Eve... well, the one's that were left anyways.  After they were all cool, I put the nuts in a tupperware and stuffed them in a corner in the kitchen.  However, throughout the day, whenever anyone in my family walked past them... we just had to grab a handful.  By the time we were settling down to have pre-dinner snacks and trying to find our copy of It's a Wonderful Life, there was only one small bowl left.  Regardless, they were delicious and easy to make!  If you have these ingredients on hand, whip up a batch and set them out at your New Year's Eve party tomorrow!

Happy New Year!

Cinnamon Maple Pecans

Ingredients:

• 2 cups pecan halves 
• 1⁄4 cup real maple syrup 
• 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla 
• 1 tablespoon butter 
• 1⁄4 teaspoon cinnamon 
• 2 dashes salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300°F. Spread pecans out on a baking sheet. Place the pecans in the oven and toast for 8–10 minutes, or until fragrant.
2. Remove pecans from oven and set aside to cool. In a small saucepan combine the maple syrup, vanilla, butter, cinnamon and salt. Stir until combined and butter is melted.
3. Add pecans to a medium sized bowl. Drizzle with maple syrup mixture and toss to combine. Spray a baking sheet with spray oil, such as PAM. Spread pecans on greased baking sheet. Return to oven and roast at 300°F for 20–25 minutes.
4. Spread parchment paper on a cookie cooling rack or counter. Place nuts on top of the parchment, spread- ing so they don’t stick to each other while they cool. When cool, package as you’d like.

Cinnamon Roasted Almonds

Ingredients:

• 1 egg white
• 1 teaspoon cold water
• 2 cups whole almonds
• 3 T white sugar
• 3 T brown sugar
• 1 T ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 250 degrees. Beat the egg white and water until frothy with a whisk in a medium bowl. Add the almonds, and stir until well coated. Mix the sugars, salt, and cinnamon, and sprinkle over the nuts. Stir the nuts until they are well coated.  Spread the almonds evenly on a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper or a Silpat.
2. Roast the almonds for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes or so. Your house will smell amazing!
3. When cool, package as you’d like.

Overnight French Toast

And the reviews are in:

"This is the most sinful thing I've ever had, including desserts" - Dad

"This is too good to be breakfast" - Caroline (sister)

"Eggbake is out, this is now IN for Christmas breakfast" - Grandma

This really was amazing!  I used the No-Knead bread (in the previous post) which was the PREFECT density and texture for the french toast and absorbing the custard.  I only used 5 pieces of bread (for 6 people) and my mom was convinced that wouldn't be enough... as soon as she took a bite I soon proved her wrong.  This is so rich and filling that you don't need to eat much to feel satisfied.  If you don't want to make your own bread (which is perfectly understandable), I recommend that you use a sourdough or a nice hefty artisan bread... don't use your sandwich bread for PB&J's.  The french toast does need to cook for 45 minutes, so if you will be making this for a brunch or another event, you will want to accommodate for that and the pre-heating of the oven.

And while the lighting and colors of the photo isn't so great... see that making bokeh?  Thank you new camera lens; an AF NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8 D, thank you grandma!  It's an amazing lens and I the depth of field I can achieve with it is unbelievable!


Overnight French Toast
Adapted from King Arthur Flour

Ingredients:

Glaze:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

Bread:

• French or Italian bread sliced 1/2" thick, enough to cover the bottom of a 9" x 13" pan

Custard:

• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 5 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Topping:

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan or shallow 2-quart casserole.
2. To make the glaze: Melt the butter in a saucepan, and stir in the brown sugar and syrup. Bring the mixture to a simmer, cooking until the sugar melts.Pour the glaze into the prepared pan, spreading it to the corners.
3. Lay the slices of bread in the pan, atop the glaze. Use baguettes for smaller servings, a fat loaf of Italian bread for larger servings. 
4. To make the custard, whisk together the cream, half and half, or milk, eggs or egg substitute, the flavor, and the salt. Pour it over the bread in the pan, pressing the bread down into the custard.
5. Cover the pan, and refrigerate overnight, or for up to 24 hours.
6. When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F.
7. Make the topping by stirring together the brown sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Sprinkle it evenly over the bread.
8. Bake the French toast for 40 to 45 minutes, until it's bubbly and the top is very lightly browned.
9. Remove it from the oven, and allow it to cool for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Serve individual slices of bread, turning it over on the plate so the syrupy bottom is on top.

Before putting the french toast in fridge for the night!

Yeasted Apple Cider Doughnuts

I just committed the cardinal sin for food bloggers - I forgot to take a picture of my food before it was inhaled by co-workers and housemates.  So, you are left with the tupperware remnants of the apple cider doughnuts I made.  For this being my first time frying dough (I do make onion rings from time to time, so I'm not a complete stranger to frying), I think they turned out quite well.  I was happy that I was able to find a recipe for yeasted apple cider doughnuts - most of the recipes out there are for cake doughnuts (a texture I am not too fond of).  I had the most trouble with keeping the oil at a consistent 360 degrees.  One second it would be at a perfect 360 degrees then shoot up to over 400 degrees and take forever to cool back down.  Next time I make doughnuts, I'll work harder for temperature regulation.

Apple Cider Doughnuts

Adapted from Coconut & Lime

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 3/4 cup milk, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup apple cider, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup warm apple cider (about 110 degrees)
• 3 1/4 cups flour
• 4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
• 3 egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoons salt

apple cider frosting

• 3 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup apple cider

Cinnamon Sugar Topping:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

vegetable oil for frying

Directions:

For the frosting:

1. Beat all ingredients together until a spreadable icing forms.

For the doughnuts:

1. In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm cider in the bowl of a stand mixer or large mixing bowl. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the flour, remaining cider, milk, butter, egg yolks, sugar, and salt until you have a soft, elastic dough that comes together easily into a ball.
3. Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with a tea towel or plastic wrap. Let the dough rise until it has doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.
4. Flour a clean work surface. Place the dough on the surface and roll it out. Roll until it is about 1/2 thick. Cut out doughnut shapes.  With excess dough, reform into a ball and let it rest in the refrigerator until ready to roll out again.
5. Meanwhile, heat (to 360) about 3 inches of oil in a heavy pot. Fry the doughnuts flipping at least once to insure that they are golden brown on all sides, about 1.5 minutes. 
6. Drain on paper towel lined plates or baking pans. Repeat for remaining doughnuts. Frost cooled doughnuts if desired, then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture. Eat the same day they are made.

Spiced Apple Pumpkin Muffins

Here is the second pumpkin puree inspired recipe!  These muffins are absolutely fantastic!  I over processed the streusel a little bit too much, so it wasn't as crumbly as I wish it'd be.  But it still baked well and firmed up nicely.  A tip for baking muffins - don't ever beat the batter!  Fold in the ingredients lightly until their just combined.  This will ensure that the muffins come out light and fluffy.  While that is a general tip for all muffins, for these muffins I fill the tins 3/4 of the way full.

Spiced Apple Pumpkin Muffins

Adapted from Inn Cuisine

Ingredients:

• 2 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup cooked or canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cups canola oil
• 2 cups peeled apples, finely chopped

For the streusel topping:

• ½ cup sugar
• ¼ cup and 1 tsp. flour
• 4 tbsp. butter, cubed
• 1 ½ tsp. cinnamon

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. In a small bowl, combine eggs, pumpkin and oil; stir into dry ingredients until just moistened, taking care not to over-mix. Gently fold in apples. 
2. To make the streusel topping, combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Mix together with a pastry blender or two forks until crumbly.
3. Fill well-greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. 
4. Sprinkle the streusel topping over the top of the batter.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes, or until muffins test done (toothpick inserted near center comes out clean). Cool for 10 minutes before removing muffins from pan.

Spiced Pumpkin Cookies

I finally have my lightbox!  Well, a DIY lightbox that my dad made for me, but it is still fantastic!  Sadly, my cameras ISO was still set to 800 when I was taking pictures... so they are much grainer than I wish they'd be.  These cookies (along with the apple pumpkin muffins) were made with the fresh pumpkin puree that I whipped up yesterday.  These cookies have the texture of cake (see the picture!) but are definitely still a wonderful cookie!  Both my housemates and neighbors loved them (especially the Mickey Mouse shaped cookie for Zenka)!

Spiced Pumpkin Cookies with Dark Chocolate and Butterscotch Chips

Adapted from Joy the Baker

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup canola or corn oil
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup butterscotch chips
• 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven . Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and butter the paper.
2. Stir the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices together in a medium bowl and set aside. 
3. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the eggs and sugar until smooth and lightened in color, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing. 
4. On low speed, mix the oil, pumpkin, and vanilla until blended.
5. Mix in the flour mixture to incorporate it. Mix in the chips. 
6. Place heaping teaspoons full on batter on the prepared cookie sheet.
7. Bake the cookies one sheet at a time until the tops feel firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry, about 14 minutes. 
8. Cool them on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then use a wide metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

HOW TO MAKE PUMPKIN PUREE:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Snap the stem off of a pie pumpkin and cut down the middle.
3. In a large rosting or baking pan, place the cut side of the pumpkin down and roast for an hour, or until the pumpkin is soft.
4. Wait until the pumpkin is cool enough to hold and peel off the skin.  Place the pumpkin meat in a food processor or blender and puree until smooth.
5. Line a colander with cheese cloth and place pureed pumpkin in the colander and drain for at least 4 hours.
6. Use the pumpkin puree right away or freeze in freezer-safe bags and defrost before using.

Apple Crisp

I promised to post this recipe a few days ago... oops.  Here is the recipe for Apple Crisp.  As I mentioned earlier, this past week I couldn't decide between making apple crisp and apple pie... so I just made both!  I have had and used this recipe forever - it's been a staple in my 'fall recipe' collection for years.  This is a relatively easy dish to make - the the only real labor intensive this about it is waiting the 45 minutes for it to get out of the oven!

Apple Crisp

Ingredients:

Filling:

• 4 Apples, cored and sliced into 1/4 inch pieces
• 1/2 cup white sugar

Topping:

• 1 1/4 cups rolled oats
• 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoon cinnamon
• A dash or two of nutmeg and apple pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Place the cut apples in an ungreased 8- or 9-inch square baking pan. Sprinkle with the white sugar.
3. Mix together the topping ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Distribute the mixture over the top of the apples, and pat it firmly in place.
4. Bake uncovered for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the top is crisp and lightly browned and the fruit/juice is bubbling around the edges. I recommend serving this hot, but it tastes just as yummy at room temperature.

Apple Pie! It's Finally Fall!

If you ask anyone who knows me, I live for fall flavors.  I wake up early in the morning just to get the best gallon of apple cider at the farmers market, I dream about going to the Dexter Cider Mill, and I get excited for fresh picked apples for fresh baked fall treats.  I'm posting two recipes, one for apple pie (with an all butter crust) and one for apple crisp.  I couldn't make up my mind for which one I wanted to bake, and when asking people which one they'd rather eat, the results were split down the middle.  Nick gave me some Jonathan apples that he picked from his grandfathers farm!  They were absolutely amazing; so fragrant, crisp, and a perfect balance of tart/sweet.  I also had some New Zealand Pink Lady's at my fridge, so I used one of those in the apple pie (because I needed just one more apple) and the others were used in the apple crisp.

I also always make an all butter crust; the concept of shortening just freaks me out.  We have been using butter churns much longer than shortening-making factory equipment.  And butter just tastes better!  What also made making this crust so much easier is that I got to use my "new-used" food processor for the first time!  My grandma gave me her old one that she barely used and it works like a dream… and it's 20 years old!

Oh yes, and this recipes, I can't even remember where I got them.  I have been making apple pie since I was 16 and the recipes are fairly engrained in to my memory.  However, I did forget how long to cook the pie for, so I referenced Smitten Kitchen for that.

All Butter Pie Crust:

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks cold unsalted butter
• 2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoon sugar
• 2 tablespoon yogurt
• 6 tablespoons cold water 

Directions:

1. Cut the butter into 1/2" prices and freeze the pieces for at least 10 minutes.
2. In a food processor, combine the flour, salt, and sugar. Process for a few seconds to combine.
3. Mix together the yogurt and cold water in a small measuring cup.
4. Into the food processor, add the chilled butter pieces. Give the flour/butter mixture 6 to 8 one-second pulses. You want some pea-sized pieces of butter remaining for a flaky crust (over-processing will result a shortbread-like texture).
5. Pop the liquid ingredients into the freezer for a couple of minutes.
6. Drizzle in half of the liquid into the food processor. Give the mixture 3 one-second pulses.
7. Drizzle in the remaining liquid and repeat the 3 one-second pulses.
8. Check the consistency of the dough. The texture should be similar to wet sand. Pinch a bit of the dough together with your fingers. If it holds together on its own, it has enough moisture. If it doesn't hold together, drizzle in an additional tablespoon of water and repeat the 3 one-second pulses.
9. Turn the dough out on a work surface. Split into two balls and wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour (or up to a couple of days).
10. If refrigerating the dough for more than a couple of hours, let stand at room temperature to soften a bit (15 to 30 minutes) before rolling out.
11. Roll the dough out into a circle and fit into a pie pan, make sure to press the crust down firmly into the corners of the pie pan!
12. Place the crust in the refrigerator while assembling the apples.

You can see the butter and liquid chilling (and in the tupperware my no-bake cookies that will not firm up)

Apple Pie:

Ingredients:

• I used 3 medium and 1 large apple
• 1 tablespoon juice and 1 teaspoon zest from 1 lemon
• 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 cups brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 egg white, beaten lightly

Directions:

1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat rimmed baking sheet and oven to 500°F. 
2. Peel, core and cut apples in half, and in half again width-wise; cut quarters into 1/4-inch slices and toss with lemon juice and zest. In a medium bowl, mix 1/2 cup of white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, flour, salt and spices. Toss dry ingredients with apples. Turn fruit mixture, including juices, into chilled pie shell and mound slightly in center.
3. Roll out second piece of dough to 12-inch disk and place over filling. Trim top and bottom edges to 1/2-inch beyond pan lip. Tuck this rim of dough underneath itself so that folded edge is flush with pan lip. Flute edging or press with fork tines to seal. Cut four slits on dough top. If pie dough is very soft, place in freezer for 10 minutes. Brush egg white onto top of crust and sprinkle evenly with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.
4. Make a ring of tin foil (see picture) around the crust of the pie - it protects the edges from burning and keeps that nice and flakey! 
5. Place pie on baking sheet and lower oven temperature to 425°F. Bake until top crust is golden, about 25 minutes. Rotate pie and reduce oven temperature to 375°F; continue baking until juices bubble and crust is deep golden brown, 30-35 minutes longer.
6. Make sure to let the pie sit to cool for AT LEAST 30 minutes!  This is crucial!  During this time the insides of the pie firm up and make it a lot easier serve/eat/enjoy.

Cinnamon Rolls

This is a tried and true favorite from one of my favorite (and most abused/covered in food) cookbook: The Tassajara Bread Book. I made these for a couple of reasons. First, my grandpa really likes cinnamon buns - I dropped them off at my grandparents house Friday afternoon and they loved them! Second, I have to keep my co-workers at Bivoauc fat and happy. Third... does they need to me a third? Who doesn't like cinnamon buns? Most of the cinnamon buns turned out well, but the final pan of buns that I put in the oven kinda were a little over cooked. I fell asleep for a hot second... so those were a little over cooked. Oh well - I'm pretty sure people still ate them. If you did get one of the kinda over cooked ones - I swear I'm usually better than that.

But for the actual cinnamon buns, I used a yeasted Norwegian Coffee Cake recipe for the dough.

Cinnamon Buns

Adapted from the Tassajara Bread Book

Ingredients:

For Dough:

• 2 packages of active dry yeast
• 1 1/4 cups lukewarm water
• 1 1/2 cups unbleached white flour
• 5/8 cups brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground cinnamon
• 3 1/2 cups unbleached white flour

For Cinnamon Bun Filling:

• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 (ish) tablespoons cinnamon

Directions:

1. Dissolve yeast in liquid and stir in the 1 1/2 cups of white flour, adding a couple of tablespoons of the sugar. Beat well, and set aside to rise (I proof mine in an oven heated to 100 degrees and then shut off).
2. Cream the butter, and then cream in the sugar.
3. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
4. Fold the butter mixture into the yeast sponge along with the salt and cinnamon. Then fold in the flour, one cup at a time, as necessary to form a soft dough. Knead the dough until smooth, using more flour as needed.
5. Let the dough rise until doubled in size.
6. After it has risen, roll it out on a floured board in a rectangle 3/8 inch thick. Brush on melted butter.
7. Sprinkle on the brown sugar and cinnamon.
8. Starting at one edge, roll up the dough fairly tight as you would a carpet. Cut the toll in sections about 1/2 inch thick, and place the sections flat on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving space around them to rise and spread out. Let them rise for 20 minutes.
9. Brush with an egg wash (1 egg beaten together with 2 TBSP of water) and bake at 375 for about 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown.
10. Frost with a powdered sugar glaze (powdered sugar beaten with milk until desired consistency is reached).

I'm Back! Time to start cooking (Snickerdoodles!)!

Hello all! I am back from Europe and ready to start experimenting and cooking again! While Europe was amazing, what I found to be truly amazing was the depth of culinary skill in all the places that we visited. No matter where we ate, the food was so much different (and interesting) than most things I've tasted before. One of my goals for the rest of the summer is to try and replicate some of the things I've tasted: Dutch pancakes/waffles, hot pepper infused olive oil, many types of pasta and pizza, desserts (mainly sorbetto), and so much more! For those of you who work at the Bivouac/live with me/are in close proximity to me will most likely be subjected to tasting my experimentations. So consider yourself forewarned!

Now onto a recipe! This past Thursday I made dinner for my dad and sister; making risotto for the first time and a new, fluffier, snickerdoodle for dessert. For now, I will post the recipe for the snickerdoodle, I'll try and get around to posting the recipe for Asparagus Parmesan Risotto later today or tomorrow.

Light and Fluffy Snickerdoodle Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 2¾ cups flour
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1½ cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoon cinnamon

Directions:

1. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or a baking mat and put in refrigerator to chill.

2. Whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Set aside.

3. Cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, it should have a very light and fluffy texture (think mousse, kinda). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition (just when you think you've beaten the eggs well enough, beat some more). Beat in the vanilla.

4. Gradually stir in the flour mixture, slowly beating just until the flour is blended.

5. Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes (it will make forming the dough much easier).

6. In the meantime, mix together the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.

7. Heat the over to 350 degrees. Scoop 1-inch balls of dough and roll in the cinnamon and sugar mixture to coat.

8. Place on chilled cookie sheet about 2 inches apart and bake for 10 minutes.

9. Chill the dough and cookie sheets between batches.

10. Let cookies set on baking sheet for 2-3 minutes and then remove to a cooling rack. And if you're super daring - eat one fresh out of the oven (it'll be hard to stop yourself) or grab some nutella, make a snickerdoodle/nutella sandwich, and prepare yourself for heart attack.

"Bowl o' Oatmeal Cookies" Experimentation

Today is one of my days off and I felt like experimenting. No, no... not with the chemicals of science, but the chemicals of COOKING! (However, if you talk to Alton Brown, science is cooking and cooking is science). Now, I was having a hankering for peanut butter cookies, but I didn't want just plain peanut butter cookies. I wanted them to have some spice, some crunch... just a little more flavor. Hence, I thought of what I usually have in my oatmeal when I make it for breakfast: Cinnamon and Peanut Butter. Thus, the birth of "Bowl o' Oatmeal Cookies"

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 cups natural peanut butter
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups AP flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats

Directions:

1. Preheat Oven to 350 degrees
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Once light and fluffy, cream in the peanut butter, cinnamon, and vanilla until smooth.
3. Beat in the eggs one at a time until well blended.
4. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture. Mix in the oats until just combines. Make teaspoon-sizes balls and drop onto an un-greased cookie sheet. Flatten lightly with a fork.
5. Bake for 13 and a half minutes in the oven, or until just light brown.

UPDATE:

After testing out these cookies on my daring Bivouac co-workers, they made a few suggestions that I think I will try out the next time I make these. One - mashed bananas in the batter. Two, chocolate chips? (I kinda like how these cookies aren't ovely sweet, so I may pass on this one). Three, a little less starch.