Tag: baked good

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Bars

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I did two things on this day I hadn’t done before. I made a successful shortbread base and a peanut butter fudge. I put those two amazing things together to make my favorite type of dessert…a tray bake!

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 sticks of butter
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 1/2 cups of flour
  • 1 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk
  • 2 cups peanut butter and chocolate chips
  • Peanuts for garnish

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper.
  2. Put all your ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment and mix to combine. The mixture will be crumbly.
  3. using lightly oiled hands push down your ingredients in an even layer into your pan. Use a fork to dock the pastry so it doesn’t rise up to high.
  4. Bake the pastry for 30 minutes until it is a nice golden brown. Set it aside to cool.
  5. While the pastry base is cooling put a medium size sauce pan on medium heat.
  6. Put the condensed milk and chocolate into the pan and cook until the chocolate is melted and fully incorporated.
  7. Put your fudge mixture on top of your cooked pastry base and garnish with peanuts.
  8. Put in fridge to set for at least one hour.

This delicious tray bake almost tasted better the longer it set so if you can wait I would make it the day before you need it and let it sit.

Strawberry Olive Oil Cake

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So I know this recipe is not like traditional olive oil cake recipes I looked at, but I’m still gonna call it olive oil cake because that was the inspiration for the recipe. Instead of milk I used olive oil and the result is a rich delicious cake with the bright flavor of strawberry. You will not be able to stop eating. It will call to you like the ocean calls to moana.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup sliced strawberries
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a square 8×8 cake pan and line it with parchment paper.
  2. In the bowl of your mixer with the whisk attachment cream together your sugar and butter until it’s fluffy.
  3. Add your egg and vanilla and whisk to combine.
  4. Add all your dry ingredients and whisk to combine. It will be slightly dry.
  5. Slowly whisk in your oil until you get a well combined hydrated batter. You may need more oil or you may need less. It will be a slightly thick consistency.
  6. Fold in your strawberries until well distributed.
  7. Place in your prepared tin and bake for 40 minutes. It will still look soft but will firm up as it sits.
  8. Top with powdered sugar and serve to happy people.

Mixed Fruit Crumble

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When you need a dessert that comes together quickly and satisfies the need for something sweet without being too overpowering a crumble is your answer. You can use whatever fruit you have hanging around and it will always taste good.

That crumb topping though…

Ingredients

  • 1 pound of fruit ( I used peaches, nectarines and strawberries)
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp. Ground ginger
  • 5 tbsp. Butter, melted
  • 2/3 cup flour
  • 1/4 cup oats
  • 1 tbsp. Sugar

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Cut up your larger fruit into smaller pieces. Place in whatever baking dish you have. Combine with 1 tablespoon sugar.
  3. In a mixing bowl combine all your dry crumble ingredients. Whisk to combine.
  4. Add your melted butter and stir until well combined. You should begin to see some of your ingredients kind of clump together. These little clumps will brown up into little pockets of buttery deliciousness.
  5. Cover your fruit in your crumb topping and bake for 40 minutes.

You don’t want to add too much sugar to the fruit because you really want the flavor and natural sugar of the fruit to shine.

Blackcurrant shortbread bars

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Had you ever heard of a blackcurrant till right this minute? I had never heard of them until I started looking into flavors common to British food and desserts. It’s commonly used like Americans use grape.

I managed to come across a jar of blackcurrant jam at my local big box store and decided I wanted to add something with this flavor profile to our Tea Week. It came together very easily and was a hit even with my husband who doesn’t have that much of a sweet tooth.

Buttery and delicious

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 1/4 cup blackcurrant jam
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tbsp. Oil
  • 2 tsp. Baking powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Combine 2 cups of the flour and the rest of your dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
  3. Mix butter, eggs, oil and vanilla together in a separate bowl until well combined.
  4. Combine your wet and dry ingredients together until you get a moist shortbread consistency.
  5. Line a greased square cake pan with parchment paper and put half of your shortbread mixture in the pan. Smash it into the corners and make sure it’s even.
  6. Spoon your jam over the shortbread and make sure it’s an even layer.
  7. Using the other half of your shortbread mixture combine it with the last 1/2 cup of flour and combine until you get a mixture of large and small chunks of dough. This will be your topping.
  8. Sprinkle your topping liberally over the top. It should cover most of the jam layer while still allowing some of it to peak out. (See the pics to see what I’m talking about)
  9. Bake for 20 minutes until the topping gets brown and crisp.
  10. Cool for about 10 minutes before cutting

British Cranberry Scones

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Ingredients

  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 tbsp. Sugar
  • 4tsp. Baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. Salt
  • 2/3 cup milk
  • 3 tbsp. Unsalted cold butter
  • 1/3 cup dried cranberry
  • Egg wash: 1 egg yolk and 1 tbsp. Milk

Directions

  1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Combine all the dry ingredients (not the cranberries) and butter. Using your fingers combine the butter into the flour until you have a bread crumb like consistency.
  3. Add your milk and whisk until all the lumps are gone.
  4. Fold in your cranberries until well combined.
  5. Onto a floured surface turn out your dough and knead your dough 2-3 times until flour has coated the whole surface.
  6. Using a dough cutter cut your dough into 8 equal triangles.
  7. Lay them onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet and egg wash the tops of them all.
  8. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.
  9. Serve with jam and our amazing clotted cream for the traditional experience.

The Difference between American and British scones

The biggest difference between American and British scones that I have found is the amount of butter. American scones have upwards of a stick and a half of butter while the British variety have only 2-3 tablespoons.

The American scone recipes that I have seen also contain a lot more sugar in the form of mix ins and icing. They are more akin to a pastry then a biscuit. British scones tend to be plain so they can pile the sugar on with jam and clotted cream. A strategy I can definitely get behind.

Everything bagels

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Everything bagels are one of the only types of bagels that I buy from the supermarket. They have all the flavor zip that I need to start my day and the onion and sesame seed mix the best with the range of cream cheese.

So I decided to bake them at home. When that smell of the topping cooking on that delicious bagel crust filled my kitchen I knew I had success. You will not regret home made bagels.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cup warm water
  • 1 packet instant yeast
  • 4 cups bread flour(all purpose flour also works)
  • 1 tbsp. Light brown sugar
  • 2 tsp. Salt
  • Everything bagel seasoning
  • 2 tbsp. Oil( for greasing the bowl)
  • Egg wash: 1 egg and 1 tbsp water
  • For boiling: 2 qt. Water and 1/4 cup honey

Directions

  1. Put warm water and yeast into the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook. Whisk together and let sit for about 5 minutes till it gets frothy.
  2. Add flour, brown sugar and sqlt. Beat for 2 minutes.
  3. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead for five minutes until a smooth dough forms.
  4. Put in a lightly greased bowl and slow to rise for 90 minutes.
  5. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
  6. Divide into 8 pieces. Shape into a ball and poke a hole in the center.
  7. Let sit while you preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
  8. Boil water and honey in a heavy bottomed pot. Boil 1 minute on each side. Boil up to three at a time.
  9. Place on baking sheet and egg wash tops. Sprinkle with topping.
  10. Bake 25 minutes. Let cool on a baking sheet for about 10 minutes then move them to a cooling rack.