School starts this month, and this is the perfect recipe for an after school snack. My kitchen smelled fabulous while these little gems were baking, and I didn't feel too bad about nibbling on them as they are full of good-for-you stuff! (I'm beginning to think of butter as its own dairy food group....)
Be sure to check out the other blogs from Tuesdays with Dorie!
I made the Family Circle Cupcakes, however, I have been wanting to make cupcakes that were "Oreo inspired". I used the base recipe, but added melted chocolate to part of the batter and layered the cupcakes. If I try this again, I will be more careful with the proportions...I didn't quite have as much vanilla batter as I would have liked.
I also used a butter icing recipe from this cookbook. The recipe called for heavy cream, and I think it may be my new "go to" recipe for butter cream. It was so good!
I topped the cupcakes with crushed Oreos. The picture shows Oreos on top of the cupcakes, but that didn't work as well as I had hoped.
Here are the recipes:
I used frozen blueberries for this recipe, trying to make sure that I drained the excess liquid from the bag. The recipe also called for lemon juice and lemon zest, which added a delicious flavor to the finished ice cream.
I doubled the recipe, so when I put it in the blender, I had this lovely moment where I thought "I wonder if the lid will stay on?" It did, but I was glad that I held the lid in place... The custard was rich and creamy, and I let it chill in the fridge over night. It set up nicely into a thick custard.
The ice cream was put in an ice cream freezer the next day, and turned out a delicious batch of blueberry happiness. I have never made ice cream from a recipe before, and if not for Tuesdays with Dorie, this probably would have been another one of those recipes that I looked at longingly, but never made. Hurray for blueberries!
I haven't used a marbling technique in a very long time, and enjoyed mixing the banana batter with the chocolate and alternating blops of dough in the bread pan. The flavor of the chocolate is wonderful....melting bakers chocolate is truly a wonderful thing!
This cake is rich, delicious and well worth making!
The first interesting moment for me was with the cake. I baked mine in an 8-1/2 by 1-1/2 pan, but realized when I had most of the batter in the pan that perhaps I should have opted for something a little larger. I was so freaked out about the batter that in my panic, I reached for a loaf pan and dumped the excess in there. So then I had a round cake, and a rectangle cake. Now, I had the foresight to flour and line the round pan, but the loaf pan had been a moment of desperation, so when I tried to remove the hazelnut loaf, it wouldn't come out. Too make an already long story short....I ended up accidentally dropping the loaf cake in the sink. That should have been a sign for me. I did end up with a round cake, but the middle seemed a little less then satisfactory (stupid oven).
I don't know if any of you had trouble when you went to make your hazelnut praline, but for some reason, I am unable to melt sugar. I used two different pans, and lots of time (and a little patience), but I never could get my sugar to melt nice and slow like the recipe said. I ended up cranking up the heat considerably, but then instead of melting on the outside first and then the middle, mine melted in the middle first, but not on the outside. I, of course, stirred. Don't stir. It is not pretty. The hazelnuts did find their way in and were coated, and it did make a brittle in the end.
I loved making the Ganache. It was the best part of the recipe, and something I will definitely try again. This was my first time working with this kind of technique, and I loved the way it looked and tasted. My form is very sloppy, so the top of the cake looked nice, but the sides, well at least they taste good.
I topped the cake with lots of hazelnuts. Eating a slice is like eating pure sugar....which is a bit much for me. It reminds me of the fancy cakes you see in the expensive bakeries that cost lots of $$$ and you only get a very tiny sliver. Well, there is a reason that the sliver is so tiny. If you ate anything larger you might enter a sugar induced coma!
I enjoyed making the cake and learning the processes, but I think I will be more apt to make last months Danish Braid again before I would attempt this dessert.
One important lesson I learned through galette making is when using plums, spend a little more time selecting ripe participants to play in the pastry. Evidently some of the fruit was a little on the tart side....
As usual, I decided to make mini versions of the recipe. I cut the dough recipe in half, and rolled it out on my counter. Using a berry bowl, I made 4 circles in the dough and went from there. I was really worried because the dough looked a little thin (like perhaps I should have only made 3 mini-galettes), but when baked, everything held together really well! I didn't use very much of the custard filling at all...makes me wonder if next time I shouldn't cut the plums into small pieces...
These were delicious! I've never baked with plums before!
I cut the recipe in half, and made 4 individual cobblers.
I've not had too many foods that incorporate rhubarb, but was pleasantly surprised by how well the cherries and rhubarb worked together in the filling portion. They truly compliment each other. This is yet another fantastic recipe!
To see other cobblers, be sure to check out the blog roll on Tuesdays with Dorie.
On a happy side note...I had lots of leftover cherries that I enjoyed in yogurt and in oatmeal.
1-3/4 cups white sugar
Adapted from a recipe from Chocolate Step-by-Step.
Here is my new whisk (silicone). This is a picture of my "food processor".
The pudding is absolutely decadent! It came together beautifully and was fairly set up when I put it in the refrigerator. This may become my go to pudding recipe when I prepare pudding.
Notice all the festive sprinkles :) Here is my pie pre-baking, when it was still pretty. I even tried to cut a star in the center.
This is what it looked like after it baked. My pie shield squished the outside crust a bit, and the blueberry happily bubbled up on the top of the crust. I was calling it "the ugliest blueberry pie ever" because of its lack luster appearance.
The pie tasted absolutely delicious! I will make this again!
I am so glad that I tried the Danish Braid recipe and completed the challenge! It was a lot of work (rolling, chilling, rolling, chilling...you get the idea), but everything came together really well. I opted to use the apple filling recipe, and the flavor of the apples, butter and vanilla was wonderful!
The pastry itself featured vanilla bean, cardamom, and fresh orange juice. My kitchen smelled heavenly as it was baking, and the flavor was wonderful! I'm glad I was able to give away most of the braid, as I would have eaten the entire thing if I had been left alone with it. I have never worked with vanilla beans before, but really wanted to try the recipe in its entirety, so I ordered some from e-bay. I think I may be hooked on vanilla beans now.
This was a terrific first challenge for me....and I'm excited to face the next challenge! DANISH DOUGH
Makes 2-1/2 pounds dough
For the dough (Detrempe)
For the butter block (Beurrage)
DOUGH
Combine yeast and milk in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed. Slowly add sugar, orange zest, cardamom, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, eggs, and orange juice. Mix well. Change to the dough hook and add the salt with the flour, 1 cup at a time, increasing speed to medium as the flour is incorporated. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes, or until smooth. You may need to add a little more flour if it is sticky. Transfer dough to a lightly floured baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Without a standing mixer: Combine yeast and milk in a bowl with a hand mixer on low speed or a whisk. Add sugar, orange zest, cardamom, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, eggs, and orange juice and mix well. Sift flour and salt on your working surface and make a fountain. Make sure that the “walls” of your fountain are thick and even. Pour the liquid in the middle of the fountain. With your fingertips, mix the liquid and the flour starting from the middle of the fountain, slowly working towards the edges. When the ingredients have been incorporated start kneading the dough with the heel of your hands until it becomes smooth and easy to work with, around 5 to 7 minutes. You might need to add more flour if the dough is sticky.
BUTTER BLOCK
1. Combine butter and flour in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle and then beat for 1 minute more, or until smooth and lump free. Set aside at room temperature.
2. After the detrempe has chilled 30 minutes, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 18 x 13 inches and ¼ inch thick. The dough may be sticky, so keep dusting it lightly with flour. Spread the butter evenly over the center and right thirds of the dough. Fold the left edge of the detrempe to the right, covering half of the butter. Fold the right third of the rectangle over the center third. The first turn has now been completed. Mark the dough by poking it with your finger to keep track of your turns, or use a sticky and keep a tally. Place the dough on a baking sheet, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Place the dough lengthwise on a floured work surface. The open ends should be to your right and left. Roll the dough into another approximately 13 x 18 inch, ¼-inch-thick rectangle. Again, fold the left third of the rectangle over the center third and the right third over the center third. No additional butter will be added as it is already in the dough. The second turn has now been completed. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
4. Roll out, turn, and refrigerate the dough two more times, for a total of four single turns. Make sure you are keeping track of your turns. Refrigerate the dough after the final turn for at least 5 hours or overnight. The Danish dough is now ready to be used. If you will not be using the dough within 24 hours, freeze it. To do this, roll the dough out to about 1 inch in thickness, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and freeze. Defrost the dough slowly in the refrigerator for easiest handling. Danish dough will keep in the freezer for up to 1 month.
APPLE FILLING (Makes enough for two braids)
Ingredients
Toss all ingredients except butter in a large bowl. Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat until slightly nutty in color, about 6 - 8 minutes. Then add the apple mixture and sauté until apples are softened and caramelized, 10 to 15 minutes. If you’ve chosen Fujis, the apples will be caramelized, but have still retained their shape. Pour the cooked apples onto a baking sheet to cool completely before forming the braid. (If making ahead, cool to room temperature, seal, and refrigerate.) They will cool faster when spread in a thin layer over the surface of the sheet. After they have cooled, the filling can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Left over filling can be used as an ice cream topping, for muffins, cheesecake, or other pastries.
DANISH BRAID Makes enough for 2 large braids
Ingredients
For the egg wash: 1 large egg, plus 1 large egg yolk
1. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll the Danish Dough into a 15 x 20-inch rectangle, ¼ inch thick. If the dough seems elastic and shrinks back when rolled, let it rest for a few minutes, then roll again. Place the dough on the baking sheet.
2. Along one long side of the pastry make parallel, 5-inch-long cuts with a knife or rolling pastry wheel, each about 1 inch apart. Repeat on the opposite side, making sure to line up the cuts with those you’ve already made.
3. Spoon the filling you’ve chosen to fill your braid down the center of the rectangle. Starting with the top and bottom “flaps”, fold the top flap down over the filling to cover. Next, fold the bottom “flap” up to cover filling. This helps keep the braid neat and helps to hold in the filling. Now begin folding the cut side strips of dough over the filling, alternating first left, then right, left, right, until finished. Trim any excess dough and tuck in the ends.
Egg Wash: Whisk together the whole egg and yolk in a bowl and with a pastry brush, lightly coat the braid.
Proofing and Baking
1. Spray cooking oil (Pam…) onto a piece of plastic wrap, and place over the braid. Proof at room temperature or, if possible, in a controlled 90 degree F environment for about 2 hours, or until doubled in volume and light to the touch.
2. Near the end of proofing, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Position a rack in the center of the oven.
3. Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the pan so that the side of the braid previously in the back of the oven is now in the front. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, and bake about 15-20 minutes more, or until golden brown. Cool and serve the braid either still warm from the oven or at room temperature. The cooled braid can be wrapped airtight and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, or freeze for 1 month.
Click the picture above to check out the blogroll for the Daring Bakers and see many more fantastic pastries!
I cut the recipe in half, and made it in individual custard cups. The biscuit topping baked up nice and thick, and had a delicious flavor to it. My individual cobblers took about 40 minutes at the temperature recommended in the book.
I had some scraps, so added decorative hearts to the top of each cobbler.
The berry part of the cobbler was nice and juicy, and the biscuit topping soaked up all the berry goodness!
When I was finished, I took the remaining scraps, and rolled them out into a strip. I sprinkled cinnamon and sugar and raisins over the strip, and rolled it up like a cinnamon roll. The result was an absolutely delectable cinnamon biscuit. Butter and whipping cream make for good pastry!
The mint infused cream was wonderful, up to the point where I whipped it. I never could get it to make the peaks that it was supposed to. However, the flavor was amazing! I ended up putting plain whipped cream in the middles with the sour cream, and having minty coffee for several days. The idea of infusing the cream with mint is a wonderful one, and I intend to try this recipe again, this time being more careful with my whipped cream.
I was really scared at the idea of making puff pastry. Oddly enough, the pastry was the easiest part of the whole recipe. My mini cream puffs came out beautifully!
Delicious!
Thanks so much for all the warm welcomes to "Tuesdays with Dorie!" I'm so glad to be a part of this baking community! Caroline of "A Consuming Passion" chose the recipe for this week, so please visit her blog if you would like the recipe for this dessert, and also to check out her peppermint cream puff ring pictures as well.
4 cups well-drained non-fat yogurt cheese
This recipe made a delicious basic cheesecake. I was amazed at the amount of yogurt cheese it called for. Since I had never made cheesecake using yogurt, I cut the recipe into fourths:
1 cup well-drained non-fat yogurt cheese
1/4 cup Sugar
2 egg whites
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. grated fresh lemon peel (zest) omitted
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
2-1/4 tsp. sifted cake flour
I followed the directions for mixing and baking, although I did leave it in the oven for an extra 30 minutes, and it never did brown. I poured it into a casserole dish that was a little too big, so after I removed it from the dish, I used biscuit cutters to make "cheesecake circles". I then rolled the edges in shaved chocolate. I also took some of the cheesecake and rolled it into small balls that I put in the freezer. After the cheesecake was frozen, I dipped them into semi-sweet chocolate to make candies. Delicious!!!
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9-inch Bundt pan.
Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a large mixing bowl. In another large bowl, mix together the sugar, yogurt, espresso, and oil until well blended. Pour the liquid ingredients into the flour mixture and mix together just until blended. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, smooth with a spatula, and bake 30 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool 10 minutes before removing from the pan.8 servings
Cupcakes take about 15 - 20 minutes in the oven.
½ cup shortening 
