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  • in Recipes

    Pumpkin Cranberry Mini Cakes

    Pumpkin Cranberry Mini Cakes celebrate two of the season’s best flavors. Cream cheese frosting balances tart cranberry filling sandwiched between layers of pumpkin sponge.

    Even though the first day of fall was in September, it feels like it’s only just arrived here in East Tennessee. There’s a snap in the air and the trees are finally showing their colors. I see geese flying south almost daily, and their path seems to navigate right over our backyard. I’ve seen and felt all of these things before, but each year it feels new. Funny, isn’t it?
    All of this has urged me to start holiday baking in earnest. I’ve been piecing together flavors for new recipes with autumn flavors. This recipe started out as an idea for petit fours, but as the build progressed it was clear they were meant to be a bit larger.

    Setting the scene.
    Before I get into the cake, I wanted to share this little table. My bestie and I set up an autumn-themed tablescape just outside my back door. The more we arranged the more I began to consider it a trial run for this year’s Thanksgiving table. My set of vintage Noritake china with persimmon-hued flowers seemed just right, and they inspired the decors for the mini cakes.
    (For those interested, the china has been discontinued but Replacements.com has some nice pieces here.)

    The cakes!
    Begin this recipe with an easy pumpkin sponge baked in a sheet pan. It’s a tasty base that can easily support layers of filling. Then spread on a layer of cranberry filling. This is simply made from a can of organic whole berry cranberry sauce.

    Next, the cream cheese filling. Spiced pumpkin sponge and cream cheese were made for each other, if you ask me. (See My Favorite Pumpkin Roll Recipe for more on this.) This layer also balances out the tartness of the cranberry.

    Trim the edges of the cake to neaten them using a large serrated knife. Then top the whole thing with a layer of marzipan. This is a classic element in most petit fours recipes, and it tastes great!

    Using that same large serrated knife you used to neaten the edges, cut the cake into pieces. I have a kitchen-dedicated ruler that really helps to make even portions. You can see this in action in the video at the end of this post.

    Draped glaze.
    After all the cakes are cut, cover them in a thick confectioners’ glaze made of powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract. This is a much easier topping to make than poured fondant, and it dries to a satin finish. The coating doesn’t need to cover the entire cake. An asymmetrical drape will give enough coverage while still showing off those delicious layers.

    Small flowers can be fashioned by using leftover marzipan. I wanted to match the little flowers on the Noritake china on the table, so I tinted them an orangey-persimmon hue.

    Gold dragees in the centers of each flower gives them a little sparkle as a finishing touch.

    The cakes were really beautiful on the table. Petite but not too small. And you can’t get any more season appropriate than Pumpkin & Cranberry, right?

    These Pumpkin Cranberry Mini Cakes require a little planning and effort, especially if you make the decors on top. But they are well worth the effort. The recipe provided yields 20 mini cakes, but it can be halved to feed a smaller crowd.

    Pumpkin Cranberry Mini Cakes

    The pumpkin sponge cake portion will need to be made twice to yield the two 15×10 sheets needed for all 20 cakes. If you require less servings, the cake recipe can be made once and both filling recipes halved.

    #wprm-recipe-user-rating-0 .wprm-rating-star.wprm-rating-star-full svg * { fill: #5A822B; }#wprm-recipe-user-rating-0 .wprm-rating-star.wprm-rating-star-33 svg * { fill: url(#wprm-recipe-user-rating-0-33); }#wprm-recipe-user-rating-0 .wprm-rating-star.wprm-rating-star-50 svg * { fill: url(#wprm-recipe-user-rating-0-50); }#wprm-recipe-user-rating-0 .wprm-rating-star.wprm-rating-star-66 svg * { fill: url(#wprm-recipe-user-rating-0-66); }linearGradient#wprm-recipe-user-rating-0-33 stop { stop-color: #5A822B; }linearGradient#wprm-recipe-user-rating-0-50 stop { stop-color: #5A822B; }linearGradient#wprm-recipe-user-rating-0-66 stop { stop-color: #5A822B; }No ratings yet

    Prep Time 2 hrsCook Time 50 minsTotal Time 2 hrs 50 mins

    Course DessertCuisine American

    Servings 20 mini cakes

    Equipment15×10 jelly roll panlarge serrated knifesmall flower fondant plunger cuttersmall leaf fondant plunger cutterfluted pointed star fondant toolfood tweezers
    Ingredients  Cake ingredients3/4 cup all-purpose flour1/2 teaspoon baking powder1/2 teaspoon baking soda2 teaspoons ground cinnamon1/4 teaspoon salt3 large eggs1 cup granulated sugar2/3 cup canned pumpkinCranberry filling14 oz. canned organic whole cranberry sauce1/4 cup granulated sugar1 1/2 teaspoons orange zest from one large naval orange2 tablespoons cold water1 tablespoon cornstarch1 tablespoon orange liqueur such as CointreauCream cheese filling 1 pkg. 8 oz. cream cheese at room temperature1 cup powdered sugar sifted6 tablespoons butter softened1 teaspoon vanilla extractAssembly1 lb. prepared marzipan2 cups powdered sugar4 tablespoons milk or cream plus more if needed1 teaspoon vanilla extractCopper brown gel food colorMoss green gel food colorGold sugar pearls
    Instructions Pumpkin sponge cakesPreheat oven to 375° F. Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan; line with parchment paper, or spray with flour-based baking spray. Cover a large work surface with parchment paper and lightly dust with powdered sugar.Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in small bowl. Beat eggs and granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer until thick and pale. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan.Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. (If using a dark-colored pan, begin checking for doneness at 11 minutes.) Immediately loosen and turn cake onto the prepared parchment paper. Remove parchment paper that lined the pan from the cake, if necessary.Bake the sponge recipe twice so that you have two 15×10 sheets of pumpkin sponge.Cranberry fillingPlace the cranberry sauce in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugar and stir until the mixture begins to steam. Stir in the orange zest. Using an immersion blender, blend the mixture right in the saucepan to a smooth puree. (If you don’t have an immersion blender, cool mixture and transfer to a blender pitcher to puree. Then return it to the saucepan and re-heat.)In a small bowl, stir together the water and cornstarch to make a slurry. Add the mixture to the hot cranberry puree while whisking, and stir until thickened, 3-5 minutes. Remove from the heat an let cool. Add the orange liqueur and refrigerate until completely cool.Cream cheese fillingBeat cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until smooth.Scrape down the bowl and mix again until light and fluffyAssemblyCut one of the pumpkin sponge cakes into thirds that you have three 10×5-inch long pieces. Spread one of the cake layers evenly with the cranberry filling. Top with a second sponge. Spread a layer of cream cheese filling on top of the second sponge evenly. Top with the third layer of sponge. Refrigerate the cake until firm, about 25 minutes.Meanwhile, roll out half of the marzipan to slightly less than 1/4-inch thickness. Remove the cake from the refrigerator and brush the top with water (I used a kitchen-dedicated spray bottle to mist it). Place the marzipan on top of the cake and trim away the excess so that the marzipan fits the top of the cake exactly. Save marzipan scraps. Refrigerate again for 15 minutes.Repeat the entire process of filling, covering, and chilling the second pumpkin sponge.Remove the cakes from the refrigerator and score the marzipan down the center length of the cake using a serrated knife. Score width-wise every two inches so that you have 10 mini cakes portioned. Using gently sawing motions, cut the cakes at their score marks. Repeat the process with the second assembled cake so that you have 20 mini cakes.In a small bowl, stir together the powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons milk or cream, and vanilla extract. Whisk until thick glaze forms. Add a more milk or cream if needed. The mixture should be so thick that it holds in the balloon of a whisk, and slowly pours back into the bowl in an opaque ribbon. Pour a spoonful of glaze over each cake, gently nudging the glaze over the sides of the cake with the back of a spoon. Let the cakes stand until the glaze is firm, about 1 hour.Meanwhile, tint a 2 oz. ball of marzipan with the copper brown gel food color. Knead well until a consistent hue is achieved. Repeat the process with another 2 oz. ball of marzipan and the moss green food color. If the marzipan is sticky, knead in a little confectioners’ sugar.Roll out each piece of marzipan and stamp small flower shapes from the copper marzipan using the flower plunger cutter. Gently shape them using a fluted, pointed star fondant tool. Use the small leaf plunger cutter to stamp shapes from the moss green marzipan. A leaf veiner can be used to create leaf impressions in the marzipan, if desired.When the mini cakes are firm, arrange flowers and leaves on top of each cake. When they are arranged correctly, use dot of leftover glaze to adhere them to the tops of the cakes (or you could use a water dampened art brush). Using cake decorator’s tweezers, press gold sugar pearls into the centers of each cake.Place cakes in a large cake box or in a baking pan that is taller than the cakes’ height. Store loosely covered in plastic wrap in the refrigerator (an airtight container will cause the glaze to wrinkle – avoid this). Allow cakes to stand at room temperature for a few minutes before serving. This knocks a little of the chill off and the flavors will be well developed.
    NotesThe work of building this cake can be spread out over a couple of days. The pumpkin sponge and cranberry filling can be made a day ahead of assembly. 
    Marzipan decors can be made ahead of time and stored airtight for freshness.
    Cake layers will stay well-defined and sharp when refrigerated. If left at room temperature for more than a couple of hours, the cranberry filling will begin to soak into the bottom sponge. 

    Keyword canned pumpkin puree, cranberry cake filling, cream cheese cake filling, organic canned cranberry sauce, pumpkin sponge cake

    You may also enjoy: LEGGI TUTTO

  • in Drink

    Episode 209 – Through the Looking Glass with Deke Dunne

    Combine your ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice, give em a good, hard shake, then strain into a highball glass or a double rocks glass over ice, top with a splash of sparkling water or club soda, and enjoy.If you’re following along at home, you’ll recognize the Cancha cocktail as a Daiquiri made with honey syrup and lengthened by a dealer’s choice amount of carbonated water. It’s a drink that’s popular in both Trinidad and Cuba, where rum and lime are a very popular combo, and for some reason it seems to have a more medicinal heritage than the classic daiquiri. Perhaps that’s from the honey syrup, perhaps it’s that late Victorian association between carbonated water and health benefits, or maybe it’s just because the Cancha is a feel-good cocktail.This drink can be found on Allegory’s “Passage to the Somewhat Familiar” section of their cocktail menu, along with a Cold Brew Negroni and a Tequila drink called the Infante because sometimes when you’re surrounded by surrealist murals, you need to ease into happy hour with a drink that makes sense. From there, it’s a choose your own adventure, and the possibilities may very well lead you down your own mixological rabbit hole.Show NotesIf you find yourself in Washington, DC, you need to check out this gorgeous hotel and grab a drink with Deke and his team at Allegory. If you walk in the front of the hotel, you’ll continue past the front desk into the library, then turn right through an unmarked door into the speakeasy.The following gallery features a scenes from muralist Erik Thor Sandberg, as well as some of the cocktails you can enjoy at Allegory. All photos are courtesy of Kimberly Kong. LEGGI TUTTO

  • in Recipes

    Old Fashioned Sweet Rice Fritters

    These Rice Fritters, aka Sweet Calas, are a southern fried doughnut famous in New Orleans. Crispy on the outside, soft and tender on the inside, coated with powdered sugar!

    This recipe was developed in partnership with my friends at Imperial Sugar. CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL RECIPE.
    Sweet Rice Fritters Are A Classic Creole Recipe
    Rice Fritters are a classic southern recipe. The sweet yeast batter is mixed with mashed rice to create a tender fritter-style doughnut that is fried until golden and coated with powdered sugar. Calas used to be a popular street food in New Orleans, much like Zeppole or beignets. 
    Sweet Calas – What To Expect:
    These little rice fritters are crispy on the outside and soft and tender on the inside. The yeast dough is flavorful and airy, while the mashed rice adds texture. Grab a napkin because you’re sure to get powdered sugar all over your shirt!The subtle cinnamon flavor in the batter really makes these little doughnuts unique! You could even add small diced apples into the batter to create a rice apple fritter!Make ahead! Start the batter the night before, and in the morning it will be ready to fry for a special breakfast!

    Ingredients:
    For the full list of ingredients with measurements CLICK HERE
    Cooked rice. You will want to use soft rice, and mash it up well! If using leftover rice, reheat it with a bit of water to steam it. You don’t want the rice to have any “bite”Active Dry Yeast. You can also use Rapid Yeast as well!Warm water Large eggsGranulated sugarKosher saltGround cinnamonAll purpose flourVegetable oil for fryingPowdered sugar for coating
    How To Make Rice Fritters (Step by Step):
    Place the mashed rice into a medium bowl and set aside. Do your best to mash the rice as best you can. The rice adds texture, but you don’t want whole grains of rice in the fritter. 

    2. Sprinkle yeast into warm water and allow it to dissolve, until foamy, 10 – 15 minutes.

    3. Pour the yeast mixture into the mashed rice and stir to combine. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight. 

    4. Remove the rice mixture from the refrigerator and add in the whisked eggs, sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Stir to combine. Add in the flour and stir until evenly incorporated. 
    5. Cover the bowl with a towel and place in a warm, draft-free place for 1 hour, until the mixture is bubbly and slightly airy. It will increase in size slightly. This isn’t a typical yeast dough. It will be thinner and more “batter-like”. 
    6. Heat oil in a medium Dutch oven, or electric fryer until it reaches 365°F. Drop the fritter batter by the heaping tablespoon into the oil and fry until golden brown, turning once, to brown evenly. Remove the fritters from the oil with a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper towel lined plate or baking sheet to absorb excess oil. Work in batches of 4 – 5 fritters at a time.
    7. Place the powdered sugar in a large zip-top or brown paper bag. Add in half the fritter and shake to coat. Repeat with the remaining fritters.

    Tips:
    I own a small electric fryer, which is what I used for this. It’s a recent purchase that I decided upon after years of HATING the way frying foods made my house smell! It is an inexpensive item that I use on the rare occasions I deep fry anything, and actually plug it in in my garage or out back. It’s an easy little appliance to store (I bought a small 1.1 Liter fryer) and having the ability to fry things outdoors keeps that stale fried smell out of my house! I wish I had purchased this years ago!If you don’t have an electric fryer, use a Dutch Oven or a heavy bottomed pan.Using a small scoop (1.5 tablespoon) makes portioning out the batter MUCH easier! Here’s the one I use.The batter expands a bit while frying, so work in batches! Serve these warm or at room temperature. They are best served the same day they are made.
    How To Store:
    Like I mentioned above, I don’t recommend storing these for any length of time. Like any doughnut, they are best if served the day they are made…and if they’re warm, even better!

    For the FULL RECIPE hop over to Imperial Sugar and print it out! LEGGI TUTTO

  • in Drink

    Episode 208 – Recipes Aren't Enough

    Combine these ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice, give it a good, hard shake until it’s well chilled and properly diluted, then strain into a double rocks glass over ice and enjoy. And if you’re in the market for a garnish, we might recommend an expressed orange twist.A couple things to note about this drink:First, it’s a big boy. We’ve got 5 full ounces of liquid ingredients before ice and dilution, so when we say “a double rocks glass,” we mean it. But the nice thing is, it’s not a booze bomb. It doesn’t contain more alcohol than any other classic drink you’ll find on a cocktail menu, but it really gets its legs from the complex fruit profile it offers.Next, we need to talk about the infused ingredient, the “Hibiscus & Magnolia rum.” When reading this, we were thinking it involved those weird almost “pine-cone-like” fruits you’ll find on a magnolia tree during the summer and early fall. But in fact, Magnolia refers to the magnolia berry, also known as “five flavor berry,” which is a Chinese variant of the Schisandra family. According to Wikipedia, it’s called this because it contains salty, sweet, sour, pungent (spicy), and bitter flavors all in one berry, so you can see why it would be an intriguing ingredient for an infusion. If you’re looking to source these, we’d recommend locating some dried Schisandra berries online and using those for your infusion.In terms of weights, measures, and timing, Kurt recommends you infuse about a quarter ounce each of dried hibiscus and the magnolia berry seeds in about 20 ounces of rum over the course of 2 weeks. The key advantage here is that you get to pick your rum, so we would recommend going with something in the “white” or “light” spectrum so that the infused flavors don’t have to compete with a bunch of desserty barrel notes.Like most cocktails in The Infused Cocktail Handbook, the “Paint the Town Red” cocktail is an opportunity to learn about ingredients you might not have worked with in the past and to really delight your guests (or yourself) with a cocktail that’s a great deal more complex than the sum of its parts. LEGGI TUTTO

  • in Recipes

    Ghost Bark Cake

    Make this creepy-cute sprinkle cake for a fun Halloween party centerpiece. Ghost candy bark makes an edible cake topper and adds an extra-scary dimension.

    Hello, friends! Halloween is fast approaching – a little too fast, if you ask me. And I’m pleased to share my latest effort for Food Network. This Halloween-themed ghost cake is a fun and colorful confection dressed in black chocolate frosting and lots of sprinkles. It would make a tasty, eye-catching centerpiece for a ghoulish gathering.

    Halloween Hues.
    Begin with some fluffy buttermilk cake layers. Whenever a cake requires a colorful interior, I turn to this white cake recipe. Most cake-makers are familiar with the WASC cake (white almond sour cream) that uses white cake mix as an ingredient. The finished batter takes on food color very well, and yields rich hues. For this recipe I swapped the sour cream for buttermilk and it worked beautifully.

    Use black or dark chocolate cocoa powder for the black chocolate buttercream so you won’t need to add loads of black food color. Black cocoa powder will yield the best results, and it darkens as it sets on the cake.

    You’ll see in the video that I use a special technique to get those rings of sprinkles on the cake. It’s the same spray and roll technique I used for Peach Ring Cake, and it’s not too hard to master!

    Spooky-cute!
    The ghost bark is just TOO CUTE. There are lots of versions of it online, and I thought it would be a snap to make. Ha! Not so much. But there’s a trick to it. I ran into issues with the candy setting up before I could get all the ghosts piped and swirled on. But I discovered if you keep your oven at 200F, you can pop the entire sheet of bark in there for 2 minutes and the whole thing will re-melt. Use this re-heating technique and you’ll have a much easier time!

    Worth it! Look how cute. The best tool for making the ghostly arm and body trails is a chopstick. A toothpick is too thin for this job.

    When the candy is set, break it apart and use it for an edible cake topper. Insert shards upright so that it appears the ghosts are floating upwards!

    The interior is tangy, almost like a red velvet cake (it’s all that buttermilk!) and it is wrapped in the darkest chocolate frosting. Which tastes much like an Oreo cookie!

    You can find the recipe for Ghost Bark Cake on FoodNetwork.com, right here. And don’t forget to check out the video, which demonstrates how to get that stripe-y sprinkle effect.
    Note: If you’re outside the US, you may not be able to view the recipe due to Discovery’s geo-blocking. If this happens, leave a comment and I’ll work on sending the recipe to your email address.

    You may also enjoy: LEGGI TUTTO

  • in Recipes

    Easy Homemade French Bread

    Learn how to make bakery-style French Bread from the comfort of your home! This soft homemade bread is SO easy and can be used in so many meals, appetizers, and snacks!
    Love making bread? Try My Homemade Brioche too! It’s SO good!

    The Best French Bread
    When it comes to baking bread, you don’t have to be an experienced baker! Of course I most often make a quick bread, like my famous banana bread, but, recently I decided to switch it up with some Homemade French Bread, and boy am I glad that I did!
    These fresh loaves of chewy French bread are completely addicting. I know the sugar content of the recipe is generally a little higher when I make statements like that, but it holds true here too. The crust/exterior of this homemade baguette is the perfect level of crispy, and the inside is pillowy-soft. Words cannot describe, my friends.
    Making your own French bread sounds like a lot of work, but it’s actually super easy. (And here I’ve been going to the store weekend after weekend!) So, if you’re a first-time bread-maker, no worries. The process is really simple and totally within your grasp!

    What Makes This Recipe Work
    Simplicity is the key to success here. Keeping it simple means less work for you, and more time to do whatever else you need to get done today! This French bread is made with only 6 ingredients, and you can have the bread in and out of the oven and cooling on the counter within a couple of hours. What’s more, you probably already have everything you need for homemade French bread in your pantry, which is always a plus.
    What You’ll Need
    Alright, let’s talk real quick about those 6 ingredients! Here’s what you’re going to need to round up:
    Warm Water: Make sure that the temperature is somewhere between 110°F – 120°F.Sugar: Just regular-old granulated sugar is perfect for this recipe.Yeast: Active dry yeast will help your loaves of bread rise up nice and tall. You can also use Instant Yeast (Rapid Rise Yeast) which will only require one rise, not two!Flour: You can use any kind of bread flour that you like for this French bread. You will use about 6 cups flour in this recipe.Salt: I like to use kosher salt in my bread. One tablespoon of salt might seem like a lot, but it’s really the only flavor addition to the bread and without it it’d be very bland.Canola Oil: You can also use olive oil or vegetable oil as a substitution if needed.
    Do You Have To Use Bread Flour?
    The recipe will work with all purpose flour, but you won’t get that chewy bread texture unless you use bread flour. Bread flour has a higher protein content (usually 11% – 13%). The protein in the flour is what produces lots of gluten, which is what gives you that chewy bread texture. Bread flour can be found in white and whole wheat varieties.
    How to Make French Bread
    Like I mentioned above, making your own French bread is no sweat. And you don’t even need a bread maker to do it! The process breaks down into four basic parts: forming the dough, letting it rise, shaping it into loaves, and baking. Here’s the more detailed description:
    Dissolve the Yeast: Add the water, sugar, and yeast to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment (or mixing bowl if doing by hand). Allow the yeast to dissolve and become foamy, approximately 5 minutes.

    Form the Dough: Add in the flour, salt, and oil. Turn the mixer to low and mix for 30 seconds to combine the ingredients. Turn the mixer up to medium speed and mix for 8-10 minutes total, until the dough becomes smooth and elastic.
    Let the Dough Rise: Place the dough into a lightly greased bowl and cover with a towel. Place the bowl in a draft-free, warm place to rise for 1-2 hours, or doubled in size. My oven has a “proof” setting that works amazingly well for yeast bread recipes. Alternately you can allow the dough to rise slowly overnight in the refrigerator.

    Form the Loaves: Once the dough has risen, sprinkle some flour onto a clean counter and place the dough onto the lightly floured surface. Divide the bread dough in half and roll into a 12-inch long log. No rolling pin needed! You could certainly make more smaller loaves. Just note the bake time will be decreased. Place the dough into a greased or parchment paper lined baking sheet (or a french bread pan). Cover with a towel and allow to rise in a warm, draft-free place for an additional 30 minutes, or until doubled in size.

    Preheat the Oven to 375°F: Then, when the dough has risen, use a sharp knife to cut slits into the top of the dough.
    Bake: Bake for 20-25 minutes until the bread is golden brown.
    Getting That Golden Crust
    The best part of French bread? The crispy golden-brown crust of course! A really easy way to ensure that you get a perfectly golden crust on your bread is to use some egg wash. Before you put your bread in the oven, whip together an egg and some water and lightly brush this mixture on top of the loaves. Then bake, and prepare to be excited.
    Tips for Success
    I’ve got a couple more tips to share with you before you get started, if you don’t mind. Here are a couple of other important French-bread-making tricks:
    Can I Make This Bread Ahead? Yes! In fact, I like to make this bread ahead and reheat it right before serving. To do this, preheat the oven to 375° and bake for 5-7 minutes to lightly toast the outside. This gives the bread a crusty exterior with a soft, warm center.How to Know When the Bread is Done: The exterior should be a golden-brown as mentioned above, but also, when the crust is tapped it should sound hollow.Do I Need a Stand Mixer? No, you can stir and mix the dough together by hand. It’ll take a while longer, but you’ll get a good workout in! Stir the ingredients together with a wooden spoon and then knead on a floured surface with your hands.Where Should I Let the Dough Rise? In front of a window is a good place, as is near the preheating stove. Can I Mix in Some Whole Wheat Flour? Sure. I don’t recommend completely substituting the bread flour with whole wheat flour, but an even mix of the two should turn out well.

    Ways to Use Your Bread
    You can use/serve French bread in so many ways! These are some of my favorite ideas:
    Make French Bread Pizza: And add your own toppings! This dinner is always a hit with the kiddos. Serve with Soup: Butter up a slice of toasted French bread and dunk it in your favorite soup. Make Garlic Bread: Or homemade cheesy breadsticks… it’s up to you!For Sandwiches: This is probably the number one way we consumer French bread in my house. For Toast: Pile on the honey, butter, and/or jelly and jam!Make Croutons: All you need are a few seasonings and some olive oil and you’re good to go!

    How to Store French Bread
    I usually store this French bread in a tightly-sealed Ziploc bag for a couple of days at room temperature. You could also wrap it in plastic wrap instead, if you like.
    Can I Freeze This?
    Yes! Store your French bread in the freezer in an airtight container (or a few tight layers of plastic wrap). It should keep for about 3 months this way.
    Here Are Some More Easy Bread Recipes:

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    Easy Homemade French Bread

    Description:
    Learn how to make bakery-style French Bread from the comfort of your home! This soft homemade bread is SO easy and can be used in so many meals, appetizers, and snacks!

    Ingredients:

    2 1/2 cups warm water (110°F – 120°F)
    2 tablespoons granulated sugar
    2 tablespoons active dry yeast
    6 cups bread flour
    1 tablespoon kosher salt
    2 tablespoons canola oil

    Instructions

    Add the water, sugar, and yeast to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Allow the yeast to dissolve and become foamy, approximately 5 minutes.
    Add in the flour, salt, and oil. Turn the mixer to low to mix for 30 seconds to combine the ingredients. Turn the mixer up to medium speed and mix for 8 – 10 minutes total, until the dough becomes smooth and elastic.
    Place the dough into a lightly greased bowl and cover with a towel. Place the bowl in a warm, draft-free place to rise for 1 – 2 hours, or doubled in size.
    Once the dough has risen, place it onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough in half and roll into a 12- inch long log. Place the dough into a greased or parchment lined baking sheet (or a french bread pan). Cover with a towel and allow to rise in a warm, draft-free place for an additional 30 minutes, or until doubled in size.
    Preheat the oven to 375°F.
    When the dough has risen use a sharp knife to cut slits into the top of the dough.
    Bake for 20 – 25 minutes until golden brown and when the crust is tapped it sounds hollow.

    Notes:

    Can I Make This Bread Ahead? Yes! In fact, I like to make this bread ahead and reheat it right before serving. To do this, preheat the oven to 375° and bake for 5-7 minutes to lightly toast the outside. This gives the bread a crusty exterior with a soft, warm center.
    How to Know When the Bread is Done: The exterior should be a golden-brown as mentioned above, but also, when the crust is tapped it should sound hollow.
    Do I Need a Stand Mixer? No, you can mix the dough together by hand. It’ll take a while longer, but you’ll get a good workout in!
    Where Should I Let the Dough Rise? In front of a window is a good place, as is near the preheating stove.
    Can I Mix in Some Whole Wheat Flour? Sure. I don’t recommend completely substituting the bread flour with whole wheat flour, but an even mix of the two should turn out well.
    Storage: I usually store this French bread in a tightly-sealed Ziploc bag for a couple of days at room temperature. 

    Keywords:: french baguette, how to make french bread, homemade baguette

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  • in Recipes

    Black Cat Cookies for Halloween

    Dark chocolate Black Cat Cookies are simple to decorate using sanding sugar, melted chocolate, and candy-coated sunflower seeds. Whip up a batch for a spooky Halloween treat.

    October is moving along rather quickly, and Halloween will be here before we know it! I’m trying my best to fit in some spooky treats before time runs out. This one is pretty simple – as far as roll-out sugar cookies go. The decorating is simple by design, and makes a really cute 2 dozen cookies for handing out to mini specters, or for party favors.

    First, you’ll need a kitty cat cookie cutter. You can find the one I used in this set.
    I hope you’re not getting tired of this chocolate ‘blank canvas’ cookie recipe. It’s rom my first cookbook, and I continue using it because it’s so reliable. You might remember it from this Spider Web cookie I posted a couple of weeks ago. It really is the perfect blank canvas for any cookie project (tasty, too!).

    Chill these guys in the freezer for 10 minutes, and then pop them in the oven. They’ll come back out looking almost the same as they went in. The cookies will puff a little bit, but the edges will stay nice and sharp.

    Double chocolate goodness!
    After the cookies bake, cool them completely on a wire rack. Now you’re ready to decorate! There’s no royal icing to mix here, just a simple bowl of melted chocolate. Use a kitchen-dedicated art brush to completely coat the surfaces of the cookies with chocolate.

    Immediately after brushing the melted chocolate onto a cookie, turn it over onto a plate or pan of black sanding sugar. Press gently. The sugar will adhere well to the chocolate.
    My mom sometimes makes a special trip to her favorite Amish store to pick up baking supplies. She always gets me the nicest sanding sugars. That’s where this extra-sparkly black sanding sugar is from, but you can find similar for purchase right here.

    So sparkly! These guys already look pretty magical to me. If black sanding sugar isn’t your thing, then purple would also be cute and totally appropriate for Halloween.

    Now, for the cat eyes! A single candy-coated sunflower seed makes a nice cat eye. Use the green and yellow ones, or for a more sinister kitty, use the red ones!

    Dot a little of the chocolate onto a sunflower seed and place it on a kitty face. If you have kitchen-dedicated tweezers, then I suggest using them. I used my fingers, but all the while I was scolding myself for misplacing my cookie decorating tweezers.

    These spooky-sweets package well for Trick-or Treaters, or for Halloween party favors. But they also look great lined up on a serving tray. They’re a fun and not too scary way to celebrate the holiday!

    Black Cat Cookies for Halloween

    Heather Baird

    Who says black cats are bad luck? Not me! These are especially sweet with a double dose of chocolate and crunchy sanding sugar. They’re easy to decorate with just three ingredients, so get the kids involved!

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    Prep Time 45 minsCook Time 15 minsTotal Time 1 hr

    Course DessertCuisine American

    Servings 24

    Equipment3 inch cat cookie cutter1 inch soft bristle brush (2)kitchen dedicated tweezers
    Ingredients US CustomaryMetric Cookies1 cup unsalted butter 2 US sticks1 cup granulated sugar1 egg1 tsp. vanilla extract2 cups all purpose flour1 cup dark cocoa powderPinch of saltDecoration
    Instructions CookiesIn a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter and sugar together until just incorporated. Do not over-mix at this stage, or the cookies may spread while baking.Add the egg and vanilla extract. Mix again on low speed, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl intermittently as needed.In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder and salt. Add to the butter and egg mixture. Mix on low speed until a dough is formed and there are no longer any streaks of butter in the mixing bowl. The dough will often clump around the paddle attachment while being mixed. This is normal and a good sign that your dough is the right consistency.Line one or two large baking sheets with parchment paper.Turn the dough out onto a sheet of parchment paper and top with a second sheet. Roll dough into an oblong disc between the paper with a rolling pin. Transfer dough – wax paper and all – to an extra large cookie sheet. Wrap the dough onto the cookie sheet with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. (If you don’t have an extra-large cookie sheet, divide the dough in half and roll each half between parchment paper, then transfer the fridge on smaller baking pans.Remove top sheet of parchment paper and roll dough a little thinner. It should not be sticky. You may dust the surface lightly with flour if it is sticky, but not too much! You don’t want streaks of white flour baked onto your pretty dark chocolate cookies.Roll dough to about 1/4 inch thickness.Cut out shapes from the dough with the cat cookie cutter and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. The dough should be chilled and firm enough to stamp out shapes with crisp, defined edges. If the dough starts to soften, be careful not to stretch the cutout shapes or they will look distorted.Refrigerate the cutouts for 30 minutes. This will help the cookies maintain a crisp shape during baking.Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack. Decorate the cookies when completely cooled.DecorationPour the sanding sugar onto a shallow plate or pan. Use the kitchen-dedicated soft art brush to spread melted chocolate over the surface of a cookie and immediately press the cookie face down into the sugar. Flip the cookie over and inspect it for any gaps or places where the sugar did not adhere. Sprinkle those areas with the sugar and pat them into the cookie with a finger. Shake off the excess sugar and return the cookie to the wire rack to dry. Repeat with remaining cookies.Pick up a candy-coated sunflower seed with the kitchen tweezers or your fingers and dot a little melted chocolate on one side. Place the candy onto the kitty cat face so that the pointed end of the sunflower seed is oriented towards the kitty nose. Repeat this process with the remaining sunflower seeds and cookies.Allow the cookies to set completely before packaging or serving.
    NotesWhat to expect:
    The flavor of the undecorated cookies reminds me a little of an Oreo. I use and recommend Hershey’s special dark cocoa powder for this recipe. 
    As you cover the cookies with chocolate, expect your art brush to become a little clumpy, because the chocolate will begin to set on the brush. You may need to re-heat your chocolate (I find the microwave works best and quickest). Also, have a second art brush at the ready to help you quickly complete your cookies without having to stop and clean your brush.
    The sanding sugar gives these cookies a lot of crunchy goodness. You don’t have to limit yourself to black cats – try purple or even orange sanding sugars in place of the black. 
    The most tedious portion of this recipe is placing the sunflower seed ‘eye’ on the cookie. Do this using tweezers, if you have them. 
     

    Keyword black sanding sugar, chocolate-covered candy-coated sunflower seeds, dark cocoa powder

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  • in Recipes

    Homemade Cherry Liqueur

    This Homemade Cherry Liqueur infuses quickly and makes a wonderful homespun holiday gift. Use it in cake and pastry recipes to impart cherry flavor, or stock it in your bar for cocktails.

    Here’s something easy and satisfying to make. And if you start infusing right now, it will be ready just in time for holiday gifting. Homemade cherry liqueur is something I keep on hand. Not so much for drinking, although it is sweet and tasty stuff, I tell ya. I love using it to impart cherry flavor in cakes an pastries. There are so many classic bakes that call for cherry liqueur, such as cherries jubilee, clafoutis, and my favorite – Black Forest cake.

    Start with two big mason jars (quart jars are ideal) and divide a large bottle of vodka (1 liter) between them. Add in two cups of cherries per jar. I like using dark frozen cherries, thawed, because they are frozen at peak ripeness and I don’t have to pit 492 cherries. Also because two 16 oz. bags does the trick.

    Sweeten the pot!
    Pour in some granulated sugar, lid the jars and give them a shake. The sugar here is variable, but if you’re a cake maker like I am, then I recommend using the full amount. This makes a great stand-in for Kirshwasser in my favorite Christmassy Black Forest Dome Cake.

    Steep the cherries for at least a month, but longer is better. Aim for about 2 months. Store the jars in a cabinet or dark place and shake them occasionally. The sugar will completely dissolve over time. These jars are two months old. When you deem them ready, strain out the liqueur. (And save the cherries! More on that later.)

    Pick up some pretty bottles if you plan to gift the liqueur. Using these 8.5oz. stopper bottles you’ll get four gifts. Seal them up and they’ll keep indefinitely!

    Now. What to do with those leftover cherries? Transfer them all into one large quart jar and top off with rum. (Or bourbon. Or your favorite spirit!) Now your bar is well stocked with cocktail cherries. You could also divvy these up into jars for gifts. Just make sure the cherries are completely submerged in the spirit of your choice so they’ll keep very well preserved.

    I found these (free!) printable cherry liqueur labels online, so I printed some off on a sheet of self-adhesive paper and cut them out. You can find them here. If you’re gifting, a pretty velvet ribbon makes a nice presentation.

    The cherry liqueur will be deep red, and I think the green velvet ribbon dresses them for the holidays. If you’re not a cherry fan, then I have good news! You can use nearly any fruit in place of the cherries. Raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, and peaches are all great choices for infusing. See the recipe notes for more tips!

    Homemade Cherry Liqueur

    Heather Baird

    Homemade cherry liqueur infuses quickly and has a variety of uses. I use it to flavor cakes and pastries, but it’s also great for cocktails. It makes a wonderful holiday gift for the amateur mixologist in your life, or give it as a hostess gift.

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    Prep Time 10 mins1-2 months to infuse 30 dTotal Time 30 d 10 mins

    Course DrinksCuisine American

    Servings 4 bottles, 8.5 oz. each

    Equipment32 oz. (quart) canning jars with lids (2)8.5 oz. liqueur bottles (4)
    Ingredients US CustomaryMetric 1 large bottle vodka 1.75 liter, about 4 cups4 cups frozen dark pitted cherries thawed, 32 oz. bag2 cups granulated sugar
    Instructions Divide the bottle of vodka evenly between the two large canning jars (slightly more than 2 cups per jar). Add two cups of cherries to each jar. Add 1 cup of sugar to each jar. Screw the lids on tightly and give them a good shake. Keep the jars in a cupboard or other dark place for at least 1 month. During this time, shake the jars at least twice a week, or whenever you think about it. The sugar will fully dissolve. The vodka will be flavored at 1 month, but longer will result in deeper flavor and color.When the liqueur is steeped, strain a jar of liqueur into a large glass measure with a pour spout. Decant the liqueur into two sterilized 8.5 oz. bottles with tight fitting lids. Repeat the process with the second jar.Pack all of the cherries into one of the quart jars and top off with rum, bourbon, or brandy. Keep for cocktail cherries. You can also divide these into small jars for gifts (perfect for the old-fashioned cocktail fan in your life!).Store bottles of liqueur and cherries in a cool dry place, such as a cabinet or pantry.
    Notes
    Use your favorite fruit in place of the cherries in this recipe. Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and peaches are all good choices to infuse.
    Frozen fruit, thawed, is easy to use in this recipe and yields excellent results, but you can also use fresh fruit. Frozen fruit is usually sold in 16 oz. bags. Pick up two bags for this, or one 32 oz. bag. 
    Infuse for at least one month for best flavor. Some people steep this only for a week, but when I tested this recipe over time it was flavorful at 1 month, and even better at 2 months. 
    Adjust the sugar content to your taste. I always use the full amount because it takes the edge off the tartness of the cherries. Also because it lends itself well to sweet applications, such as flavoring cakes and pastries.
    Cherry liqueur will keep indefinitely. Store it in a cool dry place, like you would any spirit. 
    Use the liqueur to make simple syrups for cakes, or brush it directly on for tart cherry flavor. Use it in most any recipe that calls for kirshwasser. Mix it into cocktails. Give it as a fine hostess gift. 

     
    What to expect:
    This recipe yields a sweet, slightly tart liqueur that’s smoothness depends on the quality of vodka you use. I use and recommend Smirnoff.
     

    Keyword frozen dark cherries, granulated sugar, vodka

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