The Ultimate Sticky Buns - Bon Appetit

Happy Monday everyone. I think that may be an oxymoron, unless you are retired, or just rich and don't have to work, or you get to bake for a living. Otherwise, going back to work sucks! So hopefully a little sweet treat will brighten everybody's day. Ah, I guess my day wasn't so bad, it's what you make of it I suppose.

I am lucky that my boss gets like every food magazine there is, and I benefit from this because when she is finished with them she brings them to work and leaves them on my desk. Not only is it great that I have a get away for the day and can sneak peeks at beautiful pictures and recipes during down time, but I also get great ideas and yummy recipes to try. When I saw the cover of Bon Appetit and caught my first glimpse of these heavenly sticky buns I knew I was going to have to make them. This recipe does take some time to make, it's not something that you can just throw together in a pinch. It's got a lot of inactive prep time, rising and chilling and rising again, but the good thing is you can do it a day ahead of time. I got rave reviews on these, so I would definitely make them again for a special morning. Now I'm not going to lie, this is a long list of directions. Roll with it.

The Ultimate Sticky Buns - Bon Appetit Style

Recipe Re-printed from Bon Appetit Magazine

Ingredients

Dough

2/3 cup whole milk

5 tablespoons sugar, divided

1 3/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (from one 1/4-ounce envelope)

2 large eggs, room temperature

2 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces, room temperature, plus 1/2 tablespoon, melted

Topping

1 3/4 cups chopped pecans (about 8 ounces)

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

3/4 cup (packed) dark brown sugar

3/4 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup honey

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon finely grated orange zest (optional)

Buns

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup (packed) dark brown sugar

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

All-purpose flour (for dusting)

1 large egg

Coarse sea salt (such as Maldon)

Preparation

Dough

1. Heat milk in a small saucepan over medium heat or in a microwave until an instant-read thermometer registers 110°–115°. Transfer milk to a 2-cup measuring cup; stir in 1 Tbsp. sugar. Sprinkle yeast over milk and whisk to blend. Let sit until yeast is foamy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs; whisk until smooth. Combine remaining 4 Tbsp. sugar, flour, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add milk mixture. With mixer running, add 1/2 cup room-temperature butter, 1 piece at a time, blending well between additions. Mix on medium speed for 1 minute. Knead on medium-high speed until dough is soft and silky, about 5 minutes.

2. If you don't have a stand mixer, fit your food processor with the standard chopping or dough blade. Combine remaining 4 Tbsp. sugar, flour, and salt in food processor. Pulse to blend. Add milk mixture; process until combined. With processor running, add 1/2 cup room-temperature butter, 1 piece at a time, blending well between additions. Process until dough is soft and silky, 2–3 minutes longer. Dough will be sticky but should not be greasy. If it is greasy, process for an additional 1–2 minutes.

3. Brush a medium bowl with some melted butter; place dough in bowl. Brush top of dough with remaining melted butter; cover with plastic wrap. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with plastic; chill.

4. Let dough rise in a warm, draft-free area until doubled in size, 1–1 1/2 hours (or 2–2 1/2 hours if dough has been refrigerated).

5. Chill dough for 2 hours.

Topping

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Spread out nuts on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast until fragrant and slightly darkened, 10–12 minutes. Let cool completely. Set 1 1/4 cups nuts aside for buns.

2. Melt butter in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar, cream, honey, salt, and orange zest, if using. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until glaze is golden brown and glossy, 3–4 minutes. Pour 1 cup of glaze into baking pan (8x8 baking pan), tilting to coat bottom and sides. Set aside remaining glaze. Sprinkle 1/2 cup toasted pecans over bottom of baking pan and let cool.

Buns

1. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and kosher salt in a medium bowl until light and fluffy, 2–3 minutes. Set filling aside.

2. Punch down dough; transfer to a floured work surface. Lightly dust top with flour. 

3. Roll out the dough into a 12x16" rectangle about 1/4" thick. Arrange the dough on the work surface so one long side faces you. Spread the cinnamon-sugar mixture over dough, leaving a 1" plain border on the side farthest from you.

4. Sprinkle 3/4 cup chopped pecans over the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

5. Beginning with the long edge closest to you, roll dough into a log, tightening as you roll, and patting in ends if they begin to taper. Pinch together the seam where the long side meets the roll to seal. Arrange the log seam side down on the work surface.

6. Using a large knife, cut the log crosswise into 9 equal pieces. Lightly flour the knife between slices if the dough is too sticky. Turn the buns cut side up and gently pat the top to flatten slightly. If needed, reshape to form round edges by cupping lightly floured hands around each bun and gently pushing and turning them in a circular motion.

7. Place the buns in prepared pan; space them evenly apart (buns should not touch each other).

8. Loosely cover pan with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel. Let buns rise in a warm, draft-free area until doubled in size, 45 minutes to 1 hour, or 1 1/2–2 hours if dough has been chilled overnight. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill buns and remaining glaze separately. Store remaining pecans airtight at room temperature.

9. Arrange a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 350°. Whisk egg with 1/2 tsp. water in a small bowl. Brush tops of buns with egg wash. Bake, rotating pan halfway through and tenting with foil if browning too quickly, until buns are golden brown, filling is bubbling, and an instant-read thermometer inserted into center of buns registers 185°, about 50 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes. Spoon remaining glaze over. Sprinkle 1/2 cup pecans over. Let cool in pan on a wire rack.

10. Lightly sprinkle sea salt over. Serve buns warm or at room temperature.

Whew ok I'm tired.

Happy Chocolate Chip Banana Bread **from a mix**

I was feeling happy today and knew that I had to add some sprinkles to my life.  :)

The only bad thing about this is I am out of butter! As ashamed as I am to admit that, I have to improvise. I had a box mix sitting up in my pantry just waiting to be used. I wanted something sweet to put my sprinkles in that didn't need butter....some things are just meant to happen.

I have been fighting off a chest cold so I haven't been up for a marathon baking session, but still wanted to smell something heavenly wafting from my oven. Box mix is not my favorite but there is a time and place for everything. The funny thing is I can spend hours and hours in the kitchen working on a fabulous cake but the other half would still choose a box yellow cake with cool whip mixed with pineapple for frosting and banana slices sandwiched in the middle of two layers. It's what he grew up with as a boy, and his mom still makes it for gatherings to this day. When he takes a bite of that cake, not only is he enjoying the flavor but he is savoring the memories that he made over the years with his family while eating that cake. I realize that I can't compete with those beautiful memories he has, but I sure can make some new ones.

Enter happiness in a loaf pan......

Happy Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

From a Mix :)

Ingredients 

1 pkg cake mix (french vanilla is what I had on hand)

3 lrg ripe bananas, mashed

2 lrg eggs

1/3 cup oil

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup mixed chocolate chip (I used a mixture I had left over, white, milk, and dark chips)

2 capfuls rainbow nonpareils (or jimmies or your favorite sprinkle) 

*sprinkle tops with rainbow sanding sugar (optional) 

**would have added nuts but the other half got to them before I did. :)

Directions 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two loaf pans. (13x9 would work fine also) 

2. Place bananas in bowl of stand mixer or large mixing bowl and mix on low to mash bananas. 

3. Add bananas, oil, and vanilla and mix until fluffy.

4. Add cake mix and mix on low for 30 seconds to moisten, and then raise speed to medium for about 1 minute until batter is light and fluffy.

5. Stir in chocolate chips, and rainbow sprinkles. Pour into prepared pans. Sprinkle with sanding sugar if using.

6. Bake in preheated oven 35 - 40 minutes until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Allow to cool on baking rack.

Green Tea White Chocolate Brownies

So it is already getting up in the 90's here in Texas. It's going to be insanely hot before we know it and it’s getting me in the mood for summertime. Swimming and BBQ’s and getting into the car that feels like you are going to internally combust, and forget it if you have leather seats, it’s like sitting on molten lava. Oh boy! It sucks for everyday life, but it’s great for going to the beach or floating the river with an adult beverage, which I need to make an effort to do more of.  There's just something about summertime though that even though it's super hot and you have to watch out for that back sweat stain on your favorite t-shirt, it's still great.

I may be kind of weird. I get excited about going to the grocery store. It's so easy to look at it as a chore, just something to add to your list of things to do that day and fight the crowd, but I just love to explore the aisles. I was doing just that at one of our local specialty grocery stores when I ran across this sweet matcha by rishi. Its matcha powder mixed with cane sugar. You can make green tea lattes with it, or cocktails, and of course you can bake with it. So I couldn’t resist picking up a bag. Look at that lovely green color it imparted into the brownies. You may notice there is no sugar in the recipe and that is because my matcha powder is sweetened. If you are using unsweetened matcha I would start by adding 1/4 cup sugar and maybe a 1/2 cup if you like your brownies really sweet. The white chocolate naturally adds sweetness. Feel free to play with the recipe.

Green Tea White Chocolate Brownies 

Ingredients: 

1 cup flour 

1/4 cup sweet matcha powder 

6 oz white chocolate 

6 tbsp unsalted butter 

2 eggs 

1/2 tsp vanilla 

1/4 tsp almond extract 

1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted 

1/2 cup white chocolate chips 

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven at 350. Grease and flour an 8x8 baking pan. (I used Pam for baking and dusted with a little extra flour) 

2. In a large microwave safe bowl, combine the butter and white chocolate and heat at thirty second intervals until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool. (about 10 minutes) 

3. Stir in eggs and matcha powder until combined, then add flour, vanilla, and almond extract just until incorporated. Lastly stir in almonds and white chocolate chips. 

4. Pour into prepared pan and spread into even layer. Bake about 20 - 25 minutes or until lightly browned. 

5. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut and enjoy.

Where have I been? And cookies!

Well it looks like I've totally skipped over the month of March! What can I say...I was busy.

A lot of things contributed to my little hiatus… 

I turned the big 3-0 (ehhhh) But I did have a great time celebrating it in Vegas! A few great friends and an overindulgent weekend in Vegas, what could be better? 

Only marrying the man of my dreams! We had a small little wedding in Vegas that was beautiful and just perfect…and no…Elvis was not in attendance...he didn’t RSVP. (Pictures coming soon) 

So to be honest it's taken me quite a bit of effort to get back into the swing of things after all the goings on last month. Plus the husband (I love saying that) and I have been keeping ourselves pretty busy. Been going to a lot of sporting events, baseball, hockey, and golf. (oh my) Been taking up running… which I have always thought, why would anyone want to run that far…for fun?!? Running is not fun! Well the hubby got me out there one morning to keep him company while he trained for an upcoming race and before I knew it we had ran 7 1/2 miles. I thought holy crap! I can run that far? Now I’ve got to see how much farther I can go. So…that’s how it started. We’ll see if I can keep it up. If so I’d love to run in the 1/2 marathon this year. 

Anyway, I thought it was about time to get back into it and just jump in with something easy. My coworkers have been wanting cookies, so I decided to play with a recipe that they loved and see what happened. I just used the items that I had on hand in my pantry and they turned out great. This cookie recipe is a great base for what ever mix ins you'd like to add. If you don't want Oreo's add something else.

Oreo and Cookies and Cream Chunk Cookies 

Ingredients 

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened 

1 cup granulated sugar 

1 cup packed light brown sugar 

2 large eggs 

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract 

3 cups all purpose flour 

20 finely ground Oreo Cookies 

1 teaspoon baking soda 

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

10 - 15 crushed Oreo Cookies (coarsely chopped for an added crunch) 

1 (8 oz) bag Hershey’s cookies and creams drops, chopped 

1 cup chopped pecans 

Directions 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and line a large baking sheet with a silpat liner or parchment paper. 

2. In a stand or electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars until light and creamy. Add eggs then vanilla until well combined.

3. In a large bowl add the flour, ground Oreo Cookies, baking soda and salt. Mix to combine then slowly add to wet ingredients until just combined. Add coarsely chopped Oreo cookies, pecans, and cookies and cream chunk until just combined. 

4. With a medium cookies scoop, scoop dough onto prepared baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Bake for 12-15 minutes until edges start to turn golden brown. Remove and let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

Makes 3 dozen cookies 

Slightly adapted from Picky Palate’s - Biscoff Crunch White Chocolate Chip Cookies. Jenny is a-mazing.

Mini Biscoff White Chocolate Chip Cheesecakes

Hey, hey! I know I'm a little late, but I hope everyone had a great super bowl and weekend and all that good stuff. I have great news to share. The other half that I refer to often, my boyfriend of almost 6 years, just popped the question last week. So yeah I'm good, being newly engaged and having a pretty ring to look down at would make anybody's day better. :) I really can't stop looking at it. (He did good!) I am so excited and can't wait to start trying on wedding dresses. Any tips you girls have, send them my way! The stress of planning and "buying" is starting to creep up on me a little. Usually I bake to relieve stress which I guess I need to do more, but I've got to watch the figure too so I can get a pretty skinny dress. You know it's hard to bake and not eat it yourself.

That being said....

Mmmmm...Biscoff. If you haven't tried this yet it is sooo yummy. Biscoff is a spread that is made out of cookies, it's about the same consistency as peanut butter. I just want to put it on everything. I actually had it on a piece of toast for my breakfast this morning. See, you can have cookies for breakfast! I made these little treats for super bowl so everyone could just grab one as they're walking by and they were a big hit! The crust, which is made out of Biscoff cookies, is sweet and buttery and the cheesecake is nice and creamy with white chocolate chips studded throughout.

Mini Biscoff White Chocolate Chip Cheesecakes 

Makes 18

For the crust:
Ingredients: 
1 1/2 Biscoff cookie crumbs
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 tbsp sugar

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.

In a bowl of a food processor combine cookies and sugar and pulse into fine crumbs.

Then pour melted butter and pulse until all the ingredients are moistened

Press cookie mixture into the bottom of cupcake liners. (I used a small glass ramekin to pat crumbs down, but you can use anything you can find that will fit)

Bake until the crust is set, 6 minutes. Then set aside to cool while working on the cheesecake mixture.

For the cheesecake:
Ingredients: 
2 (8oz) packages cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup Biscoff spread
White chocolate chips (about 1/2 cup) 
Pinch of salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 275° F.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese on medium-high speed until smooth.

Gradually add the sugar, and beat until combined.

Beat in the vanilla.

Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating to combine and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add in Biscoff spread and salt, beat to combine.

Then place a few white chocolate chips into the prepared cups then cover with a spoonful of cheesecake mixture, then add a few more white chocolate chips and then fill with cheesecake mixture. (Now I did it like this so I would get the same amount of white chocolate chips it every cheesecake, but you can surely just mix them into your cheesecake batter if you don’t want to fuss with it.)

Bake about 22 to 26 minutes.

Transfer the muffins tins to a wire rack to cool completely. Refrigerate (in the muffin tins) at least 4 hours.

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Just in case you guys would like to see what has been distracting me.....

Just perfect :)

Banana Nut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Hey guys, hope you all had a good weekend. I did, I live for the weekends. I did a little shopping in preparation for my trip to New Mexico this week. I grew up there and haven’t been back in years. I’m going to help out my dad and visit family and friends. I’m actually really excited! Isn't it fun picking up those little travel size items? It seems like I always find something new that I have been wanting to try, so it’s always a score when I find the smaller version. It’s a good way to decide if you want to buy the actual product.

So the other half is giving me a hard time because I didn't go to the gym with him. I baked these yummy cookies instead. Hey they're healthy, and low cal. That counts for something right? These are nice and soft and moist and totally addictive. They are a healthier version but if you eat like ten at a time it's not going to make a difference. That said, they are scrumdiddliumtious.

Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies 

Makes about 35 cookies 

Ingredients: 

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour 

1 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1/2 cup sugar 

1/2 cup splenda

1/4 cup brown sugar splenda

2 large eggs

1/2 tsp maple extract

1/2 cup mashed banana (1 medium)

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I use Ghirardelli 60%baking chips) 

1/2 cup chopped nuts (You can use any kind, I used mixed nuts) 

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking sheet.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, followed by maple extract and mashed banana. 

4. Stir in flour mixture, then mix in the chocolate chips and toasted nuts until well-distributed in the batter

5. Shape dough into 1 to 1 1/2 inch balls and place on baking sheet, leaving about 3 inches between cookies to allow for spread. (I used my cookie dough scoop)

6. Bake for 11-14 minutes, until cookies are a light golden brown.

7. Allow to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

107 Calories – 5g Fat – 5g Sugar 

Recipe adapted from Baking Bites.

Blood Orange Vanilla Cake for a Special Day

Hope everyone had a great long weekend, those of you that had one. (thank god for bank holidays) I had an eventful one myself. This weekend I got to experience something new, the other half and I went to the symphony. They were playing Beethoven, and it was wonderful. We went to a great restaurant for dinner early that evening, Biga on the Banks, and then had time to stop in at a bar for a drink before the concert. Got to bake and relax, nothing better than that!

I started this little blog a year ago today as a creative outlet for my cakes and other sweets. I love to bake and I wanted to share it with others. The first blog I stumbled upon before I had ever heard of a baking blog was The Cupcake Project. The recipe was her Oreo Cupcakes with a built in chocolate cup for milk. I had been searching for an oreo cupcake recipe and was directed to her site. I couldn't believe my eyes, what a genius idea! I started reading some of her older posts and probably went through her whole blog in about two days. This was so exciting to me and is when I decided that keeping a blog would be a great way to document my baking adventures. You can tell from my first post that I was not very well versed. Needless to say I've gotten a little more talkative, and surprisingly it sparked my interest in photography and food styling as well. I am not the greatest at it by any means, but I am learning and enjoying every moment of it.

The color of the cake is all natural. The delicate pink hue came from the beautiful blood orange juice. I had been thinking of what I might like to bake to celebrate my blogs first year, and when I came across these oranges in the market they just called out to me. I have always wanted to try a blood orange and finally caught them in season. The cake turned out nice and fluffy with a sweet vanilla flavor and a wonderful hint of orange. It reminded me of a creamsicle. Yummy :)

Blood Orange Vanilla Cake

Ingredients:

5 large egg whites (5 ounces/150 grams) at room temperature
3/4 cup blood orange juice (180 mL/6 liquid ounces), at room temperature

zest of 1 blood orange
2 1/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (9 grams)
2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour (10 ounces/285 grams)
1 3/4 cups sugar (12 ounces/350 grams)
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon baking powder (19.5 grams)
3/4 teaspoon salt (5 grams)
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (6 ounces/170 grams), at room temperature and cut into cubes

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease and flour two round 8-inch pans. (I used 9-inch pans)

2. In a medium bowl or measuring cup, combine and stir the egg whites, 1/4 cup of blood orange juice, zest, and the vanilla. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the dry ingredients together on low speed (I use the “stir” setting on my mixer) for 30 seconds.

4. Add the butter and remaining 1/2 cup of blood orange juice, and mix on low speed until just moistened. Increase to medium speed and mix for 1 1/2 minutes.

5. Scrape the sides of the bowl and begin to add the egg mixture in 3 separate batches; beat on medium speed for 20 seconds after each addition.

6. Divide the batter in two, spreading it evenly with a small offset palette knife. If you have a kitchen scale,  weigh to ensure 2 even layers.

7. Bake 25-35 minutes or until a cake tester comes clean when inserted into the center. Be so careful to not overbake. Check cake at 20 minutes, but not before, and once you feel it’s almost ready, set the timer for 2 minute intervals. Let cool on racks for 10 minutes before loosening the sides with a small metal spatula, and invert onto greased wire racks. Gently turn cakes back up, so the tops are up and cool completely.

8. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature for up to 2 days, refrigerator for up to 5 days, or frozen for up to 2 months. Best eaten the same day as baked.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Ingredients:

5 large egg whites
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons superfine granulated sugar
1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, cut into cubes
1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

3-4 tablespoons blood orange juice

zest of 1 blood orange

Pinch of salt

Method:

1. Wipe the bowl of an electric mixer with paper towel and vinegar, to remove any trace of grease. 

2. Add egg whites and sugar, and simmer over a pot of water (not boiling), whisking constantly, until temperature reaches 140 degrees F, or if you don’t have a candy thermometer, until the sugar has completely dissolved and the egg whites are hot.

3. With whisk attachment of mixer, begin to whip until the mixture is thick, glossy, and cool. 

4. Switch over to paddle attachment and, while mixing on medium speed continously, add softened butter in chunks until incorporated, and mix until it has reached a silky smooth texture (if curdles, keep mixing and it will come back to smooth). 

5. Add vanilla, blood orange juice, zest, and salt, mix well.

Keep in airtight container in refrigerator for up to one week, leaving out at room temperature when needed, rewhipping in mixer for 5 minutes.

Recipes slightly adapted from Sweetapolita's fluffy vanilla cake and swiss meringue buttercream. Rosie is amazing, her blog is one of my favorites.

My very first post, a year ago, and don't laugh at how little I wrote: Monster Cookies