BUTTERSCOTCH PUDDING TARTS

These tarts were fun to make. I went for a bit of a different assembly and made them in a mini tart pan. The dough comes out a bit rougher looking than the original, but it is still delicious, with a somewhat earthy flavor. It calls for both whole wheat and regular flour as well as ground oat flakes.

The butterscotch filling is simply heavenly. The recipe calls for a topping of chopped Butterfingers. I substituted with chopped up Twix (a favorite), since Butterfingers are hard to find here.

 The combination of the earthy flavor of the crust, the sweetness of the pudding and the crunch of the Twix is perfect!

     You can find the recipe here at Baked Sunday Mornings. 

     Enjoy!

Cinnamon Mocha

I must admit, I was somewhat skeptical about making this drink, even though I’m a serious coffee, mocha and cinnamon lover. Three things swayed me into giving it a try;  I’m a serious coffee, mocha and cinnamon lover (!), the temperature is dropping tonight and it just seemed appropriate ( more than the day before when it was 80 degrees outside!) and I love using these double-paned cups! Anything you pour in them just looks prettier.

Another thing I like about it was that it's a recipe for two. I love making it, finishing it and that's that- no leftovers to munch on.

It's very easy to make and the taste is just heavenly! A combination of some of my favorite flavors (did I say that before?)

I am taking the liberty of quoting from the book "Baked- New Frontiers in Baking", since I can't say it any better. "Depending on your personality, this is either a coffee drink, or a  hot chocolate drink, but either way it is an extraordinary wintry treat."

As recommended I topped it with a simple vanilla bean whipped cream(listed as optional- but in my opinion, whipped cream is not an option, it's a must!)

This drink is a real treat, easy enough to make 1,2,3- give it a try- you won't regret it!

You can find the recipe here at Baked Sunday Mornings. 

Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Cookies with Milk Chocolate Chunks

You really can't get much better than the combination of peanut butter and chocolate. Reese's? I mean, the ultimate in the merger of flavors. But I'm biased- I love anything with peanut butter- jam, chocolate, bananas and  a few other things that I dare not mention for fear of being thought of as even weirder than I am. 

The recipe calls for chunks of milk chocolate. With all the fancy chocolates around that cost a fortune, when it comes to milk chocolate , I always come back to basics. This is Israeli milk chocolate called "para" which means" cow". Best stuff around- for baking, eating, melting or whatever you need milk chocolate for. It is an icon here in Israel and has been around since 1934. I don't think there is an Israeli that didn't grow up with a few bars of these in their kitchen cupboards 

(or wherever Mom's would hide them). I always loved the imprint of the cow on each chocolate square.

This recipe from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking is simple to make, amazingly melts in your mouth and, unfortunately for me, quite addictive. I made the dough and kept it in the fridge, making only a few at a time so I didn't devour the entire output at once. ( Which didn't stop me from eating a spoonful or two of unbaked dough straight from the fridge- no words!!)

Ready to bake!

 Hot out of the oven- that's the way I like them- soft, warm and melt in your mouth!

OMG, those huge chunks of chocolate!!

You can find the recipe here at Baked Sunday Mornings!

Enjoy!

Exceedingly Chocolate Crinkles

The recipe for this week on Baked Sunday Mornings was Apple Pie. I love apple pie, but having just finished the season of the fall Jewish holidays, where EVERYTHING is apples, I decided to go rogue this time. I made cookies from the book we recently finished- Baked Occasions.

There were quite a few "assignments" I missed during the baking of the book, and this was a perfect opportunity to catch up.

These cookies have a million different versions in books and online, but the basic concept is the same for all- that crinkly look. This recipe is easy, straightforward and if directions are followed, should come out, well, crinkley!

Baking is all about chemistry and the interaction between and among various ingredients, how they work together - or against each other- to produce the desired results. I wanted to know what it is that makes these balls rolled in powdered sugar, spread slightly and crinkle during the baking process. I did some simple research and there are a few explanations.n Some recipes say that the combination of baking soda and  baking powder, give the cookie the right amount of lift to spread just enough so that the rolled cookies produces "fissures " or cracks as they bake. All fine, but this recipe has no baking soda in it and they turned out just beautifully "cracked"!

One recipe also says the key is to roll the balls in granulated sugar before rolling them in powdered sugar. Also not required here and the results-again- were perfect.

What is important here is to use quality ingredients(as always), do not over mix the dough, and chill before forming the circles, and rolling them so they are thoroughly coated in powdered sugar.

The result is a soft, cakey center with a slightly crisp edge that just melts in your mouth! Delicious right out of the oven or cooled. ( But who can resist "right out of the oven?!)

You can find the recipe for Exceedingly Chocolate Crinkles here at Baked Sunday Mornings.

Enjoy!

Banana Cupcakes with Vanilla Pastry Cream

We are now back to the beginning-the first "Baked" book,  "New Frontiers in Baking" which, in my opinion is the best. I have bake extensively from this book and look forward to redoing some of my favorites.

This particular recipe is one of the few I haven't made before. I think I was leery of the pastry cream topping and the 6 egg yolks involved. As it turns out, rightly so!

The cupcakes are light and fluffy- quite different from a typical banana bread or cake, which tend to be heavier.  The batter was easy to make but made more than the designated amount- but that's fine! More is better!

Now for the pastry cream-

I always debate as to when the thickness is the right thickness. Taste doesn't seem to be the issue- it's delicious, but being able to pipe the cream is a different story. Mine did not come out thick enough to pipe so I just lightly spread it on top. Sort of runny......

I think next time I would possibly fill the cupcakes with the pastry cream and top it with a light butter cream frosting. Lots of cream leftover- guess I'll just have to make cream puffs!!

You can find the recipe here: Baked Sunday Mornings

Enjoy!

LEBKUCHEN

Lebkuchen (German pronunciation: [ˈleːpˌku:xn] , or Pfefferkuchen, traditional German baked Christmas treat, somewhat resembling gingerbread.

I've never tasted these before so I had no references as to comparisons. But just knowing that they have some relation to gingerbread and all those delicious ,warm spices that go with it, was enough for me.

Now mind you- at the present moment it is close to 100℉ here in Israel; humidity is, well, let's just say two showers a day are a minimum to feel "not sticky". So baking cookies that have a Christmas, wintery association is a bit out of sync for me, but I haven't baked in so long that I just had to give these a try.

Interesting. That's my word to describe them. Interesting. The combination of spices is soothing and warm, with the added chocolate coating on top to give it just the right amount of sweet ( but not too much).

The recipe calls for chopped candied orange peels, so I decided to make them myself. Saturday,most grocery stores are closed here and I was too lazy to go out in the heat to the one or two places that are open. Making the candied orange peels was easy enough and if I were to make them in large batches, I would definitely dip them in melted chocolate! Only warning if you want to try them is to allow enough time for them to dry out.

I think what I like about these cookies is that one was certainly satisfying ( I tend to overindulge!) and the taste of the spices sort of lingered in my mouth and just kept on going for quite a while. Like I said- interesting.

If you'd like to give these a try, you can find the recipe here at Baked Sunday Mornings.

Enjoy!

OLD-SCHOOL OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Everyone has their favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. My personal favorite is from Jacques Torres. Then there are the famous Tollhouse cookies that we were all brought up with- just a so- so in my opinion. These definitely are up in running for a tie with first place!

The addition of oatmeal, both ground and chunks, gives the cookies a texture that is hearty and down to earth. The sprinkling of fleur de sel on top gives  that extra zing that takes them over the top. Both old and young loved them!

Apologies for the low quality iPhone pics- no time to get out the camera and set up the tripod etc.
You can find the recipe  here at Baked Sunday Mornings. Enjoy!

S Cookies

This recipe came just in time to finish off the last of the flour in my house until after Passover. 

I have always looked at baking as a kind of therapy( for me at least). These simple, yet delicious (and addicting, I may add!) cookies really hit the mark on that note. I found the rolling of the dough so soothing  ( weird, I know, but...) and relaxing. They were easy to put together- the recipe calls for using a mixer and I did. I think they could be made without by just hand mixing. They are somewhat similar to a biscotti recipe I have which is completely in one bowl- which I love. Next time I try these I will see if they turn out just as well by hand mixing. 

The "S" shape is fun to do and as explained in the recipe, they are the perfect  dunking cookie. That's where the addicting  part comes in. You can't just dunk one or two- you have to keep dunking until all the tea or coffee ( or a glass of milk, for that matter) is GONE!  Anyways, that's my personal rule!

You can find the recipe here at Baked Sunday Mornings. Enjoy!

Tricolor Cake

Unfortunately, from this picture, you can't see the tricolor. I'll have to edit this post and insert a picture when I cut the cake- and that will have to wait until Tuesday when the cake is being served. Hopefully, when I cut into it , there should be a layer of mint green, white and yellow.

This cake was a bit labor intensive- not difficult- just a lot of work and time consuming. I had difficulty finding almond paste and used something local, which I have no idea if it  worked or not- just have to wait until I cut into it. (scary) What I should have done from the very beginning was make my own almond paste.  In the first Baked book-Baked- New Frontiers in Baking, there is a recipe for Italian tricolored cookies. I have made them numerous times and they are one of my favorites. I used the recipe there for almond paste.  So easy and much more economical. Why I didn't do that this time is beyond my comprehension. ????

In any case, it's done and the verdict will come in on Tuesday. Updates to follow!

You can find the recipe here, at Baked Sunday Mornings.

SWEET POTATO TART WITH GINGERSNAP CRUST

 I haven't really celebrated Thanksgiving since I've lived in Israel. It falls in the middle of the week and my family here is not really excited about the very American type food of Thanksgiving. Personally, as a kid, I always concentrated on the stuffing, cranberry sauce and dessert. I could leave the rest with no problem.

I haven't baked anything in a while and I  miss it. This tart came just at the right time- I happened to have sweet potatoes on hand. I love it when I can just get to work without having to run to the grocery store to get this or that. The sweet potato puree is easy to make and I had all I could do refrain from sitting down with the whole bowl and just eating it as is!

Putting it together is easy enough and the smell that fills the house as it is baking just yells "autumn". ( I'm sure it is autumn somewhere in the world- certainly not here!) There was quite a bit of the sweet potato filling leftover, so I decided to make sweet potato muffins. The recipe is adapted from the recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Loaf from the first of the Baked books "Baked- New Frontiers in Baking". I switched the pumpkin to sweet potato and made one loaf and the remainder of the batter into muffins. Froze them for an easy to pull out, quick , on-the-go breakfast. Really good!

You can find the recipe for the tart here, at Baked Sunday Mornings.  Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Mini Chocolate Brownie Cupcakes

Life is so fragile. Every once in a while something comes along to brutally shake us back into reality. Look at things in proportion. All those catch phrases like: "live for today", "cherish the moment", "don't sweat the small stuff" etc. etc. We hear them, nod our heads yes ,yes, and then continue on the rat race of life , forgetting to heed those words. I am one of those people. 

True-much easier said than done. Our lives have become so busy and complicated in these modern times, that sometimes just surviving on a day to day basis, getting things done, making ends meet, can take an incredible amount of energy. In the process we often get lost; lose sight of what matters. then that big "boom" comes along-unexpected, shocking, causing us to STOP! We take a moment or even longer (as in my case) and look at our lives, ourselves and how we really want to live. Sometimes, it is enough to rock our world to make a change. More often we SAY we are going to make a change and then get swept back into the rat race.

My "rock the world" event happened just recently, the other day, in fact. A colleague and friend passed away after a long, painful illness. Just 53 years old, 3 children and a life of beautiful moments clipped short in a most agressive and brutal way. We knew there was no hope, but the reality of the finality is always difficult, regardless. It is then all my questions arise- why? and why in this grueling, painful way? what can I learn from this tragic event? I believe her life and memory can be honored by approaching life as she did. Always positive, helpful, caring of people and animals, I know these are all "words". Putting those words in to practice in our lives is another thing, but at least we can try and make one small change, whatever it may be. 

I have dealt with depression, poor body image and low self-esteem for as long as I can remember. I am aware that much of it is physiological; serotonin, endorphins and all those other big words. But it is also the way I have always looked at life in general. It takes work (at least for me) to overcome or at best, deal with these feelings. Sometimes exhausting, sometimes feeling it is futile, but I keep on working at it.

So today, as I, and our community pay our last respects to this special person, I hope to take away some of her positive outlook, her attitude towards life and her kind, thoughtful being.

As for the recipe for today..... well, chocolate is always chocolate. Probably one of the best bites you can have to make you feel better- even if for that fleeting moment. Recipe can be found here.

So have a bite of chocolate and smile!

Derby Cookies

As a child, I loved horses. Even took riding lessons and collected horse figurines. I wasn't a particular fan of horse races, but just to see the beautiful horses run the Kentucky Derby was a treat.

These are easy cookies to make. I was expecting them to come out more like actual balls, but they sort of flattened out on the bottom, while retaining the rounded top. No matter- delicious in any shape. 

The addition of bourbon to the demarra sugar for rolling, really kicks these cookies up a notch. That, with the 2 tablespoons of bourbon in the recipe- well, we're set for the day!

You can find the recipe here, at Baked Sunday Mornings. Enjoy!

MAE'S CRESCENT COOKIES

I love cake, and I love pie, but what I really love the most are COOKIES! All kinds and shapes.There are cookies that are the "usuals"- chocolate chip ( although there are some very "unusual" varieties), oatmeal, sugar.  There are cookies from different countries and cultures and cookies of all shapes and sizes. The fun part about cookies (besides eating them) is that you can play around with additions and easily make them your "own" cookie.  Pretty quick to put together,  a great gift when wrapped in an interesting package, and of course- always have that cookie tin filled with cookies for the kiddies when they visit!

                             

These cookies fill all those categories for me. A simple, ton of butter cookie with walnuts (I substituted pecans), shaped into a delicate crescent shape and drowned in powdered sugar for that extra zing. Easy?- check. Pretty gift in a tin or jar?- check.  Kid ready?- check. Taste more than good?- check , check , check! Not a crunchy cookie, they just melt in your mouth as soon as you bite  pop a whole one onto your tongue. A bit addictive, yes, but what kind of cookie isn't?

Crescent cookies go onto my list of  "go-to's" for sure. You can find the recipe here, at Baked Sunday Mornings, as well as see the creations of other members from our baking group. Enjoy!

ST. PATRICK’S DRUNK BUNDT CAKE- Chocolate -Stout cake with Whiskey-Bailey's Glaze

That title is quite a mouthful, but so is this cake! If you are looking for something very 

chocolatey with a hint of alchohol, then this is your baby. I don't celebrate St. Patrick's Day , but I certainly don't see that as a prerequisite for enjoying a combination of chocolate, stout, Bailey's Irish Cream and whiskey.

The cake is easy to make- NO MIXER to clean-yay! I acutally didn't have any whiskey on hand so I just upped the amount of Irish Cream. I'm sure that the whiskey would give it a nice,extra kick. (next time, which there definitley will be!)

The whole family willingly indulged at last night's Friday dinner. The youngest participant 

(age 3) enjoyed sitting next to the plate and scooping up the glaze with his finger. He said that was the part he liked the best!!

Give it a try! You can find the recipe at Baked Sunday Mornings, along with the other bakers reactions to this cake.

Enjoy!

Conversation Heart Cakes( black velvet cake) Happy Valentine's Day!

I can't say I have ever been a big participant in the Valentine's Day celebrations. Maybe it's because of one outstanding memory I have of a Valentine's Day celebration from second grade. Coming from Upstate New York, Valentine's Day falls in the middle of winter- cold, snowy, windy and icy winter. In "those" days ( and I'm dating myself here) we walked, yes, actually walked to and from school!

It was traditional to exchange Valentine cards with classmates and get all kinds of little packets with candy hearts and other sweets. I remember having a large package of all my Valentine cards and candies in a plastic bag. I was all bundled up except for some reason I decided not to put my mittens on before leaving school. Walking home, I began to drop things, the bag ripped and I was struggling to hold on to everything with my "unmittened", freezing hands. I began to cry (as the tears froze on their way down my cheeks), somehow finally made it home to find that my hands had become slightly frostbitten. Ouch! Mom ran them under cold(yes!)water and slowly but surely the pain disappeared, but I was left with a not so nice memory of Valentine's Day.

This week's recipe for Baked Sunday Mornings, was a chocolate (what else for Valentine's Day?!) or actually , black velvet cake. They are decorated like the candy messages we all remember from our childhood- LUV U!, BE MINE! etc. etc. I followed the recipe exactly except for the fact that "black cocoa" is literally unobtainable in this neck of the woods so I used regular cocoa- the best I could get here.  

The frosting is a cream cheese base frosting, which I usually have no trouble with, but this  time something went wrong. Not sure if my amounts were off or if I over beat it, but it came out very runny- good but runny. Even after refrigeration, it didn't hold it's shape. Once in a while, it's good to have a bit of a failure, just to keep things real. 

I love to decorate cookies as well and this was a wonderful opportunity to get back into it after a long hiatus. I forgot how much I enjoy the cookie decorating!

I have a weakness for stores that sell all different kinds of cupcake liners, paper cake molds and well, all baking supplies, so when I see something I like, I buy it. Even if I don't need it right at the moment. Sometime, somewhere, some occasion may pop up and those little liners or molds will be perfect! So, on one of my rounds of those stores, I came across these heart shaped baking papers. Couldn't resist, bought them, and put them upon the shelf to wait patiently for their turn. And their turn came! Instead of making a flat cake and cutting out the heart shapes, I simply poured the batter directly into the molds. So, mine are one layer, quite thick, but a nice size for two to share. How appropriate for the occasion! 

Happy Valentine's Day! Get the recipe here.

Enjoy!

CHINESE FIVE SPICE SCONES

Risks. Taking risks is an important part of life (in my opinion). Now, there are all levels of risk- some involve a life or death decision (tfu, tfu tfu), some have to do with a life change- career, moving to a new place etc., and then there are those type of risks that won't hurt you one way or the other... trying a new food, wearing a type of clothing you've never worn before, making friends with someone you wouldn't normally connect with; they are risks that can broaden your view of yourself and the world around you- good things!

This recipe is one of those "risk-taking" types for me. I've made scones before- chocolate, actually, so what could be bad about that? Scones were a totally foreign item to me and what I did know about them was that they were something the British ate. Wasn't particularly appealing to be honest. 

So when it came time to make these Chinese Five Spice Scones, I was very skeptical. First of all,  I knew that trying to find Chinese Five Spice mix here in Israel was going to take some searching and investigation. After checking out a few places with no luck, I decided to make my own. No lack of recipes for DIY spices! Bought the ingredients and was planning on grinding everything together, when at the last moment, (completely  by chance-isn't that the way it always works?!)I came across this.

Granted, it is from Thailand, but after reading the ingredients, it seemed like it would do the trick. It contains cinnamon, anise, coriander (which wasn't listed in any of the recipe I found , but whatever) Szechuan pepper and regular pepper.  I added some ground fennel and ground cloves as well. 

They were easy to put together- no mixer, all in one bowl- now don't we just love that part!?

The recipe calls for cutting it into eight pieces. I thought they were too large , so I cut them smaller. Topped with a glaze of buttermilk and demerara  sugar, they baked up quickly, brown and beautiful, not to mention the delicious aroma that permeated the house.

And..... they are delicious! I was definitely surprised. They have a flavor that is warming, with just a slight hint of the pepper, but super with a cup of good coffee.  

   

                                

 Take a risk! Give them a try!

You can find the recipe at Baked Sunday Mornings. Enjoy!