Category Archives: Baked Good & Sweets

Banana Mocha Coconut Muffins

Posted on by Laurie

The other morning, I had a guest on an almost vegan diet; so I made these delicious muffins which one would never know were free of dairy products and eggs. I hope that you enjoy the recipe!

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Banana Mocha Coconut Muffins

3/4 c. sweetened shredded coconut

2 c. all-purpose flour

1 c. granulated white sugar

2 T. instant coffee or 2 t. espresso powder

1 T. baking powder

1 c. mashed ripe bananas

1 c. coconut milk

1/2 c. canola oil

1 T. coconut rum

1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips, preferably miniature ( use vegan chocolate if needed)

1 recipe Coffee Coconut Milk Glaze (below)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spread coconut on a baking sheet. Toast in oven for 3 to 4 minutes or until just starting to turn golden at the edges. Remove coconut from baking sheet and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, prepare 12 standard muffin cups or 10 four-ounce ramekins with baking spray.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, 2 T. of the instant coffee or 2 t. of the espresso powder, and baking powder. Set aside.

4. In a medium bowl, whisk together bananas, coconut milk, canola oil, and rum. Stir banana mixture into dry ingredients. Fold in chocolate chips.

5. Divide batter into ramekins or muffin cups. Using the back of a spoon, shape each cup of batter into a slight mound. Bake 15 to 20 minutes for 12 muffins or 20 to 25 minutes for 10 muffins. Muffins are firm to the touch when done.

6. Meanwhile, prepare Coffee Coconut Milk Glaze. Glaze muffins immediately upon removing from oven and  then sprinkle them with toasted coconut.

Coffee Coconut Milk Glaze

1 c. confectioner’s sugar

2 T. coconut milk

1/2 t. minced orange or lemon zest

1/2 t. instant coffee or 1/4 t. instant espresso powder

1/2 t. coconut rum, light rum, or orange or lemon extract

1. In a small bowl, slowly stir coconut milk into confectioner’s sugar. Stir in coffee, then zest, then rum or extract. Stir until smooth, then warm glaze to dissolve coffee.

Searching for the Perfect Gluten-free White Butter Cake + Notes on Preparing Cake Pans

Posted on by Laurie

Part I.

As an innkeeper, I am aware of just how many people have food sensitivities or allergies and also of how difficult it can be for them to find foods that they can eat when they travel. This is especially the case when it comes to special events, such as  wedding receptions, where the food choices are limited.

I am working on perfecting my gluten-free white butter cake recipe which could be used for wedding cakes or baby showers. My goal, of course, is for my gluten-free cakes to be 100% as delicious as my regular wheat flour cakes. I would say that I am about 90% there with this particular cake. The flavor and crumb (cake texture) are good, but it does not quite have that melt-in-your mouth quality of my other cakes. I think that I just need to increase the butter a little on my next attempt. The two key issues to solve with gluten-free baking are (1) using the right wheat flour substitute for your recipe and (2) figuring out the right flour-fat ratio. In many recipes such as cookie recipes, a one-to-one substitution of rice flour for all-purpose flour works fine. Substitutions for specialty flours, such as cake flour, are a different story.

Normally I use cake flour for baking white butter cakes. Cake flour has a low protein content – 7.5% as compared to 10% for all-purpose flour- and weighs 3.5 oz. per sifted cup. While rice flour has an even lower protein content – 5% – it is not milled nearly as finely as cake flour. To lighten the texture of cakes made with rice flour, the flour needs to be blended with starches which are very fine in consistency. These starches also act as thickeners helping to compensate for the reduced protein content. The gluten-free cake flour blend that I made for this recipe is significantly lower in protein than cake flour – 2.5%, and is heavier weighing 4.5 oz. per double-sifted cup; but it works pretty well.

Laurie’s Gluten-free Cake Flour Blend:

Whisk together, and then sift together twice, the following ingredients.

1 c. white rice flour

1/2 c. tapioca starch

1/2 c. potato starch

1 T. Cake Enhancer (from King Arthur flour)

I used 9 oz. (by weight) of gluten-free cake flour blend as a substitute for 7 oz. cake flour in my regular white butter cake recipe. As I mentioned above, the flavor and crumb were good, but the cake didn’t have the melt in your mouth quality that really makes for a wonderful butter cake. Next time, I think that I shall increase the butter slightly. The other option would be to decrease the flour, but since the dry-wet ratio of the batter seemed right, I am going to try the increased butter option first – my theory being that the recipe needs increased fat to compensate for the increased weight of the flour.

If you have been experimenting with your own gluten-free cake recipes, I’d love to hear from you!

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Part II.

Proper preparation makes removing any cake from the pan easier.

(1) Place your baking pans on parchment paper and trace the outside with a pencil. Cutting just inside the pencil lines, cut paper to fit inside pans.

(2) Cut strips of parchment paper long enough to wrap around the sides of your pans, making the strips just taller than your cake pans.

(3) Butter the inside of the cake pans and one side of each of the pieces of parchment paper. Place paper, buttered side up/out in pans.

(4) Sprinkle with sifted flour or gluten-free flour. Tap pans to distribute the flour. Shake out any extra flour. (If you prefer to use baking spray, skip buttering the paper. But don’t use baking spray for gluten-free baking.) Fill with batter and bake.

(5)  After baking, allow cakes to cool then remove parchment paper from sides of pans, invert cakes, remove paper from bottoms of cakes, then re-invert.

Your cakes should turn out the pans perfectly each time.

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Happy Valentine’s Day with Raspberry Muffins

Posted on by Laurie

We’ve been having Valentine’s Day themed breakfast specials all week long at The Morning Star. One of the items that I served this morning was Raspberry Buttermilk Muffins. We also had Nutella French Toast and Bagels with Fresh Strawberry Cream Cheese today in addition to our regular menu. It was a very festive breakfast this morning as it has been all week!
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Valentine’s Raspberry Buttermilk Muffins

(makes 10 – 12)

2 c. all-purpose flour

1 c. granulated white sugar, plus extra for topping

1 T. baking powder

8 T. unsalted butter, melted

1 c. low fat buttermilk

2 large eggs

2 t. orange extract

2 c. frozen raspberries

(1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Prepare 12 standard muffin cups or 10 eight-ounce ramekins with butter and flour or baking spray.

(2) In a large bowl, whisk together flour, 1 c. sugar and baking powder. Set aside.

(3) Whisk together butter, buttermilk, eggs and orange extract. Stir mixture into dry ingredients. Fold in raspberries.

(4) Divide batter into prepared muffin cups or ramekins. Using the back of a spoon, shape each cup of batter into a light mound. Sprinkle batter with granulated white sugar. If using ramekins, place them on two baking sheets before putting in the oven. Bake muffins for 15 to 20 minutes or until done. Muffins are firm to the touch when done.

Enjoy! Happy Valentine’s Day!

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2LC Monthly Cooking Challenge: Mexican Wedding Cookies

Posted on by Laurie

Thank you once again to Bebe and Ridha for hosting this month’s Two Little Chefettes Cooking Challenge. The theme for this month is nuts. I just made a batch of Mexican Wedding Cookies – the pecan version – to put out for our guests. Here is the recipe. Enjoy!

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Mexican Wedding Cookies*

Makes about 32

Known by various names, including Russian Tea Cakes, these buttery nut cookies, rolled in confectioner’s sugar, are good for entertaining because you can make them up to a week ahead of time and store them in an airtight container without any loss of quality.

1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened

2 T. confectioner’s sugar + about 1/2 c. extra for rolling cookies

1 t. vanilla extract*

1 c. all-purpose flour

1 c. pecans or walnuts finely chopped or ground to the texture of coarse kosher salt

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In large bowl, beat butter until light and fluffy. Beat in 2 T. of the confectioner’s sugar and the vanilla extract. On lowest speed, beat in flour and then nuts. The mixture will be very crumbly.
  3. Spoon a small about (about 1 heaping teaspoon) of mixture into one of your palms. Squeeze lightly until the mixture holds together then shape into a ball. Place on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining mixture, spacing the balls well apart on the 2 baking sheets.
  4. Bake for about 11 to 13 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned on the bottom. Place baking sheets on wire racks and allow cookies to cool. Once cool, roll the cookies in confectioner’s sugar until well coated. If desired, roll a second time.

* This recipe is from my cookbook, Confectionately Yours: A Collection of Cookies, Candies & Yummy Confections.

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2LC: Brown Sugar Cinnamon Syrup

Posted on by Laurie

The ingredient for this month’s Two Little Chefettes‘ Cooking Challenge is cinnamon. For the challenge, I made Brown Sugar Cinnamon Syrup because it can be used to add rich cinnamon and caramel flavor to so many dishes. Pour over French toast, pancakes or waffles. Use to glaze coffee cakes, muffins, scones or brownies. Add to coffee, cocoa or tea. Drizzle over apple pie with ice cream. Use in place of simple syrup in cocktails and mocktails.  There are so many ways to enjoy Brown Sugar Cinnamon Syrup!

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Syrup

1 c. packed brown sugar

1 c. granulated white sugar

2 c. water

12 inches of cinnamon bark (e.g. 3  four-inch long cinnamon sticks)

Place ingredients in a 2 qt. non-stick saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the syrup comes to a simmer and sugars are completely dissolved. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 15 more minutes. Remove from heat. Allow to cool. Transfer to a glass jar, cover, and refrigerate overnight.  Remove the cinnamon sticks. (If there is any chance that there are splinters of the cinnamon bark in your syrup, strain the syrup  into a clean glass container.) Cover and store in the refrigerator.

FrenchToastWithSyrupNote on color: the syrup looks quite dark – like dark maple syrup – when it is in a container, but looks considerably bit lighter when it is poured.

LOGO-2LITTLE

Related Articles:

whisksandchopsticks: Apple Crisp

feedtheburn: Cinnamon Buns

Crazy Good Coconut Oil Coffee

Posted on by Laurie

When Veronica of Veronica’s Cornucopia blogged about coconut oil coffee, which she had read about on The Veggie Nook, I thought that it sounded quite strange. Nevertheless,  her enthusiasm about this drink, made me curious; so I decided to try it. At first, I just wound up with an oily cup of coffee because I didn’t read the instructions and so neglected to put the ingredients in a blender. Once I whipped the coffee, though, it turned out perfectly.

I substituted turbinado sugar for stevia and added some shaved chocolate to the top. When I tasted it, I thought that it would make an excellent dessert coffee, especially with a splash of brandy. Being 8:30 in the morning, though, I decided to try that variation on another occasion. Nicole thought that amaretto would be a good addition and then one could have an Almond Joy Coffee (almond, coconut and chocolate).

While I was photographing the coffee, my husband came along and polished off  my prop in about 3 “sips”. So that was the end of my photographs!

One note: since virgin coconut oil is rather expensive, I would save this coffee for special occasions.

Coconut Oil Coffee:

Whip the following together in a blender until frothy and serve topped with shaved chocolate.

1/2 c. hot coffee

2 T. virgin or extra-virgin coconut oil

2 t. turbinado sugar

Whipping the coffee cools it off somewhat. If desired, microwave the coffee afterward to make it hot again.

Enjoy!

Halloween Bars

Posted on by Laurie

Halloween Bars*

Makes about 30 bars

Similar to Hello Dolly Bars, I make these fun treats to use up leftover Halloween candy.

1 1/2 c. sweetened shredded coconut

1 c. graham cracker crumbs

1/2 c. unsalted butter melted

1 1/4 c. chopped walnuts

1 c. finely chopped candy bars such as Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Nestle’s Crunch Bars, Snickers, or Milky Ways

1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips, peanut butter chips or white chocolate chips

1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease a 13 x 9” baking pan.
  2. In a medium bowl, mix together coconut, graham cracker crumbs and butter. Spread evenly over bottom of the baking pan and then press crumb mixture down firmly.
  3. In the same bowl mix together the remaining ingredients.  Spoon the mixture evenly over the crumb crust.
  4. Bake for approximately 25 to 28 minutes or until lightly golden brown around the edges and no longer wet looking. Place baking pan on a wire rack and cool to room temperature. Once cooled, cover pan with plastic wrap and allow to firm up overnight before cutting to serve. If desired, chill the bars for an hour or two before serving in order to make them less sticky.

Variation: Combine all of the ingredients, except the sweetened condensed milk, in a large bowl. Press evenly into buttered baking pan. Spoon sweetened condensed milk over the top and bake.

*Recipe from my cookbook Confectionately Yours.

Bumpkins with Pure White Cookie Icing

Posted on by Laurie

These pumpkin oatmeal cookies are absolutely one of my favorite cookies to serve during autumn months. I made them yesterday afternoon for my guests. The recipes are from my cookbook, Confectionately Yours.

Bumpkins

Makes about 34 cookies

1 c. all-purpose flour

1 c. rolled oats

1/2 t. baking powder

1/4 t. baking soda

1/4 t. salt

1 t. ground cinnamon

1/2 t. ground ginger

1/4 t. ground mace

1/4 t. ground nutmeg

1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened

3/4 c. dark brown sugar, firmly packed

1/3 c. granulated white sugar

1/2 c. packed pumpkin puree

1 lg. egg

1 t. vanilla extract

2/3 c. walnuts, finely chopped

2/3 c. baking raisins, sweetened dried cranberries, pitted and chopped fresh dates, and/or chopped prunes, combined

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In medium bowl, whisk together flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, mace, and nutmeg. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in pumpkin, egg, and vanilla. On lowest speed of mixer, beat in dry ingredients until well combined and then stir in nuts and fruit.
  4. Scoop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto baking sheets spacing cookies 3” apart.
  5. Bake for about 14 to 16 minutes or until cookies are just set and are lightly browned on the bottoms. Place baking sheets on wire racks and allow cookies to cool. Serving suggestions: once cooled drizzle with Pure White Cookie Icing.

Pure White Cookie Icing

This icing will add  just a little sweetness to your baked goods, and will make them see a little moister, but is primarily used for decoration.

 

1 c. confectioner’s sugar

1 T. milk

2 t. light corn syrup

  1. Place confectioner’s sugar in a small bowl. Stir in milk and light corn syrup until perfectly smooth. The mixture will be a little on the thick side, but should pour from a spoon in a slow, smooth stream.
  2. Drizzle or pipe onto cooled baked goods right away. (This is thick enough to pipe thin lines but not thick enough to pipe firm shapes.)

Just Out of the Oven: Chai Spice Snickerdoodles

Posted on by Laurie

Soft and sugary, but spicy too, Chai Spice Snickerdoodles are one of my favorite cookies. I just baked this batch for our guests.

Chai Spice Snickerdoodles*

2 c. all-purpose flour

3/4 t. ground cinnamon

1/2 t. ground ginger

1/8 t. ground cardamom

1/8 t. ground nutmeg

3/4 t. baking powder

1/4 t. baking soda

1/4 t. salt

1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened

3 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 1/3 granulated white sugar

2 lg. eggs

1 t. almond extract

3 T. spiced sugar (2 T. + 1 t. granulated white sugar blended with 1 1/2 t. ground cinnamon, 1/4 t. ground ginger, 1/8 t. ground cardamom, and 1/8 t. ground nutmeg)

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, spices, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese until smooth. Gradually beat in sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time and then beat in extract. Scrape down sides of the bowl as needed.

3. Gradually beat in the dry ingredients just until well combined. Cover dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.

5. Remove dough from refrigerator and remove plastic wrap. Scoop by rounded tablespoonfuls. Roll dough between palms to form balls and then roll the balls in the spiced sugar mixture. Place 3 inches apart on baking sheets.

6. Bake for approximately 12 to 14 minutes or until just set and slightly golden. Place baking sheets on wire racks and allow cookies to cool. Enjoy!

* Recipe from my second cookbook, Confectionately Yours: A Collection of Cookies, Candies & Yummy Confections.

Mmmm … Apple Pancakes

Posted on by Laurie

Our breakfast special today was Apple Pancakes. Mmm!

Recipe

1 c. all-purpose flour

1 T. granulated white sugar

1/2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. baking soda

1/4 t. ground mace

2 – 4 T. melted butter (how much depends on how “sticky” or non-stick your cook surface)

1 – 1 1/2 c. low-fat buttermilk, divided

1 lg. egg

2  medium apples, peeled, cored and cut into chunks (2 c.)

2 T. fresh lemon juice

Confectioner’s sugar, yogurt, warm maple syrup, and apple slices for serving

(1) In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together butter, 1 c. of the buttermilk and egg. Gently stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients just until dry ingredients are absorbed. If needed, stir in more buttermilk. Batter will have small lumps.

(2) Toss apple chunks in lemon juice then fold into pancake batter.

(3) Meanwhile, preheat grill or griddle until a drop of water sizzles but does not skate across surface. Grease well with canola oil or vegetable shortening.

(4)  Ladle pancake batter onto cook surface. (Makes 8 medium or  6 large pancakes.) Cook until bottom is light golden brown and bubbles appear on top of pancakes. Flip and cook on the second side until done in the middle and bottom is light golden brown. Garnish and serve immediately.