admin

consigliato per te

  • in Recipes

    31 Festive Cocktails: One for Each Day Left in 2020

    I always look forward to December and this year I want to celebrate even more. It’s finally the LAST MONTH OF 2020!! It’s been a long year folks, and I am more than happy to show 2020 the door. Grab a glass and let’s sip our way through this month.
    I don’t know about you but our liquor cabinet is much better stocked than it was in 2019 and I’m not mad about it. What to do with all that liquor? Cocktails of course.
    The only trick to creating 2020 sustaining cocktails is a variety of liquors and a few essential tools:
    cocktail shaker or canning jar with a lid
    muddler
    strainer
    ice cube trays
    I also recommend keeping simple syrup on hand to avoid waiting for the syrup to chill before mixing up your favorite drink.
    Let’s celebrate the end of 2020 with a variety of classic and seasonal cocktails. Cheers! LEGGI TUTTO

  • in Recipes

    10 Cup Cookies

    More is more when it comes to these loaded peanut butter-oat cookies! They're crisp on the edges and chewy in the middle with a bite of tart dried cranberries. A high yield recipe like this one makes plenty to package and give.Hello December! Today begins a month-long sweets fest here on the blog, and I could not be more excited to share some of my new favorite recipes with you. This year, let's celebrate and take comfort in all the good food the holidays bring. I think we all deserve it! This cookie recipe has been around for a while and originated from Taste of Home, but it was new to me. Talk about love at first batch! Ten Cup cookies are chock-full of chips, nuts, oats, and peanut butter. My variation uses dried cranberries instead of raisins, because they add a pop of color and taste a little more Christmassy to me. Continued, click to read more… LEGGI TUTTO

  • in Recipes

    2020 Home Cook’s Holiday Gift Guide: For the Wine Drinker

    A bottle of their favorite red or white is a safe and easy gift for just about any wine drinker, but that’s really just the start!
    This gift list is geared toward the wine lover, with a focus on everyday items that are sure to bring them joy each time they pop open a bottle and pour themselves a glass. LEGGI TUTTO

  • in Recipes

    Hungarian Butterhorn Cookies

    1 Preheat the oven and prepare the baking sheets: Preheat the oven to 400ºF and line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
    2 Make the filling: In a very clean, large mixing bowl, use a whisk, hand mixer, or stand mixer with whisk attachment to whisk together the egg whites and cream of tartar, just until the cream of tartar is fully incorporated and the egg whites have a lot of bubbles.
    Add the sugar to the egg whites, one tablespoon at a time, whisking it in completely after each addition, for a minute or so if you’re doing it by hand, or about 30 seconds if you’re using an electric mixer.
    Add the vanilla, then continue to whisk at high speed, until the egg whites are glossy and silky in texture. Stop the mixer and rub a little of the meringue between your fingers. It should feel smooth and you should not be able to feel any gritty sugar between your fingers.

    3 Add the walnuts: Whisk the ground walnuts into the meringue just until well combined, about 30 seconds. Set aside. (If you are using a stand mixer, use a spatula to transfer the meringue to a small bowl, then wash out the mixer bowl and return it to the stand.)

    4 For the dough: In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment to cream the butter, yeast, sour cream, and egg yolks for about 2 minutes—it’s fine if the mixture looks split or a bit broken.
    Add the flour and salt in three batches, mixing slowly until the flour is thoroughly blended into the dough, about 10 seconds each time.

    5 Prepare your work surface and divide the dough: Sprinkle a work surface generously with powdered sugar. Transfer the dough to the work surface. If the dough is still a little shaggy, knead in the dryer bits until you have a cohesive ball of dough. Use a bench scraper or knife to divide the dough into four equal pieces. Shape each of the pieces of dough into a round disk, about 1 inch thick

    6 Roll and cut the dough into wedges: Using a rolling pin, roll one piece of the dough into a circle about 10 inches in diameter and about 1/8-inch thick, a little bit thinner than if you were rolling out pie dough. With a bench scraper, knife, or pizza cutter, cut the dough into 8 triangle wedges.

    7 Fill the cookies: Spoon a small amount of the meringue mixture onto the wide end of a wedge of dough, about a heaped 1/2 teaspoon of filling. You may use a little more or less depending on the wedge of dough, as they won’t likely be all perfectly evenly sized.

    8 Shape the cookies: Roll up the dough from the wide end to the tip, like you would a crescent roll. (The filling may spread along the wedge of dough a bit as you’re rolling it up, but it shouldn’t spill out too much over the sides. Use a light hand and don’t worry if they’re a little messy.)
    You can gently bend the ends in to form a crescent shape or just leave them straight. It’s up to you.
    Transfer the cookie to the lined baking sheet.
    Complete this process with the rest of the dough, rolling out the three remaining balls of dough, cutting them into wedges, and rolling up the cookies with the filling, to make 32 cookies.
    You will have a good amount of filling leftover (a half cup or so).

    9 Bake the cookies: Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking to ensure that they bake evenly. They should be light in color when they are done, and just barely lightly browned on the ends. You can check for doneness by touching one of the cookies, if it springs back when gently poked, the cookies are done.

    10 Cool the cookies: Remove the cookies from the oven and transfer them to wire cooling racks. Let the cookies cool completely, for about 30 to 45 minutes. Save the baking sheets. You’ll use them again to glaze the cookies.
    11 Make the glaze: In a bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla, and 6 tablespoons of the milk. Once you have incorporated as much of the powdered sugar as will absorb into the milk, add more milk gradually, by the teaspoon, until the glaze is thick but pourable, a little bit thicker than Elmer’s glue.

    12 Glaze the cooled cookies: Place the cooling racks on lined baking sheets to catch any dripping glaze.
    Spoon about a tablespoon of glaze over the top of each cookie, using a spoon to gently coax the glaze into dripping down the sides— you want to cover the cookies as much as possible. Let the glaze set for an hour or so, until it is no longer tacky.

    13 Enjoy! The cookies will keep in a tightly lidded container for up to three days at room temperature or up to three months in the freezer. LEGGI TUTTO

  • in Recipes

    Gifts For The Baker On Your List!

    These gifts will bring a smile, and will make the holiday sweeter for the baker on your list!

    Seasons Greetings, friends! It’s hard to believe that Thanksgiving 2020 is now a memory. I hope you all were able to celebrate or at least dine accordingly. Ours was quieter than usual with just two people and three little dogs begging under the table, but it was meaningful all the same. 

    December is almost here, and I’m so ready for all things Christmas! In the spirit of the giving season, I decided to put together a gift guide of some of my favorite things. There’s a mix of practical items, tools, and some fun things, too! Or, if you’re more into making homemade gifts this year, be sure to check out my Holiday Flipbook embedded at the end of this post. It has lots of my holiday recipes from seasons past all in one place (with clickable links!)

    Please note that this post is not sponsored, but contains affiliate links. I only recommend products and services that I’ve had the chance to use personally, or that I think will be beneficial to the readers of Sprinkle Bakes.  Now – on to the shopping!

    Practical and Heirloom-Worthy Gifts
    These useful gifts will be a kitchen ally for years to come.

    1. Mixing Bowls: There’s a reason why big-name baking brands such as Food52 and King Arthur Baking love Mason Cash bowls. They’re sturdy but not too heavy, easy to grip thanks to the signature pattern on the outside of the bowl, and have a wide opening like the mixing bowls from days of yore. That is to say, your biscuit-making grandmother would love this bowl. I have the 11.75-inch in turquoise, but white goes with everything.

    Mason Cash Mixing Bowl Mason Cash Mixing Bowl Original White

    2. Bundt Pans: I have so many of these, but there’s always room for one more! Nordic Ware pans are sturdy, durable, and have a nonstick finish that promotes clean removal. There are so many artful designs to choose from, but this year I’d love to add Brilliance to my own collection, and you can never go wrong with the classic Anniversary Bundt ® pan. 

    Nordic Ware Brilliance Bundt Pan
    Nordic Ware Anniversary Bundt ® Pan

    3. Cast Iron Skillet: The cast iron skillet I use for everything –cornbread, cinnamon rolls, biscuits, home fries, hash, and skillet cookies, to name a few – is a 10-inch Lodge for under $25 at most retailers (and less than $15 at the following link!). Don’t be fooled by fancy brands with big price tags. I’ve tried them and I speak from some considerable experience as a cast iron user and southerner, this one is hard-working and, in my opinion, the gold standard for cast iron cooking.

    Lodge 10.25-inch Preseasoned Cast Iron Skillet 

    4. Pie Dish: Every studied pie maker can instantly recognize the beautiful ruffled profile of an Emile Henry pie dish. It’s made from Burgundian clay which heats evenly for uniform baking and browning. It’s crafted in France, and the design hasn’t changed since the early 1900’s. The ruffled edge makes it easy for beginner bakers to get a pretty ruffled pie edge with very little work. These dishes have a real heirloom quality and with a little care, could possibly be handed down for generations.

    Emile Henry Pie Dish

    5. Stand Mixer: This is the gift for the baker who doesn’t have everything. It’s an investment, but it’s a total workhorse and the most important tool I have in the kitchen (aside from my own hands). If I didn’t already have a red KitchenAid mixer, I’d get this limited edition Queen Of Hearts version. It is beautiful, oh-so-shiny, and currently a very good deal. 

    100 Year Limited Edition Queen of Hearts 5 qt. KitchenAid Stand Mixer

    6. Rolling pin: Sturdy rolling pins cut and turned from a single piece of wood tend to be a favorite of mine. The beauty is in the simplicity, and this olive wood pin with tapered handles is polished to a fine shine. It’s easy to control, a pleasure to use and a beauty to display. 

    Olivewood Tapered Rolling Pin

    At Your Service! Gifts
    If you’re ever stumped for a gift, remember that a serving tray is one-size-fits-all.

    1. Bake boxes: These sweet-looking pine boxes are perfect for transporting pies, cookies – and more! They’re such a useful gifts, and even better when paired with a pretty spatula or tea towel.
    Anthropologie Bake and Take Boxes

    2. Serving tray: This is a handy gift for anyone, but the cake baker in your life will LOVE the cute graphic of an elephant balancing a tiered chocolate cake on its tusks.

    Misha Blaise Chocolate Fondant Wooden Tray

    3. Large platter: Platters give cookies a place to call home, and this one is sizeable! The sentiment struck me most, and I love the cheerful lettering.

    The Best Things In Life Are Shared Platter

    4. Cutting Board: This dual-sided cutting board is a kitchen tool on one side, and a work of art on the other. You’ll want to hang it on your wall when it’s not in use!

    Burcu Kokmazyurek Botanical Garden Rectangular Cutting Board

    5. Acrylic Rectangular Tray: This is a good-sized handled tray that just calls out for cake service! It’s adorably printed pink with a rainbow sprinkle motif. 

    Pink With a Chance of Sprinkles Tray

    6. Compote: Compote dishes are the unsung heroes of dessert service. They’re multipurpose and can hold much more than their namesake. Fill this one with whipped cream, or pile it high with colorful macarons. This white footed dish goes with everything and looks so chic.

    La Patisserie Compote Dish

    7. Cake Stand: I can’t say it any better than the seller’s description: “Gorgeous honed white marble floats effortlessly on a sculptural gilded base creating elegant stacked serving for parties, brunch and definitely holidays. Amazing housewarming/host gifts, too.” I will add that I love its modern yet classic look, and it will seat a 9-inch cake.

    Essex Small Marble Server

    Cute and Fun Finds!
    I’ll have one of each, please.

    1. Shower Gel: Philosophy consistently puts out the most enticing sweet-smelling scents, and I want to try them all! This is more than just shower gel. It’s a three-in-one shampoo, bubble bath, and shower gel combined! 

    Philosophy Chocolate Macaroon Three-in-One Shower Gel, 32 oz.

    2. Baker’s tee: This adorable shirt leaves nothing more to say. I yam what I yam. 

    Bakers Gonna Bake T-Shirt

    3. Recipe box: This is a gift that delights and endures. It’s small enough to not crowd your cupboards, but too pretty to keep hidden! Start the recipient off right with a hand-written recipe of your own, which will add sentimental value to the gift.

    Jot and Mark Recipe Tin for Cards
    Floral Recipe Cards

    4. Dessert-themed cosmetics: With eyeshadow color names like cereal milk, red hots, and cinnamon-sugar, how can you resist? All the colors are sweet-smelling or fragranced with cinnamon.

    Too Faced Cinnamon Bear Makeup Set5. Cute mug: This is a sweet gift to let your favorite baker know how much you care. Consider filling it with a bag of rainbow sprinkles for good measure (wink).

    You Take the Cake Mug

    6. Oven mitt set: You can never go wrong giving a baker a set of oven mitts – bonus points if it’s SUPER cute like this Kate Spade trio.

    Kate Spade Christmas Kiss Oven Mitt, Towel, and Potholder Set

    7. Lunch tote: This cool carrier has a subtly lettered message of great importance. Even though I work from home, this carrier is the perfect size for packing snacks for two for a Sunday drive.

    Kate Spade Save Room For Dessert Lunch Tote

    Honorable mention – this SUPER sweet sugar molecule necklace!

    Molecular Motifs Sugar Molecule Necklace
    Small Gifts and Stocking Stuffers
    Evergreen favorites for year-round use!
    1. Bench scraper: I don’t think I’ve published a gift round-up that was without this tool. I use it for so many tasks – cutting dough, transferring cakes to cake stands, smoothing buttercream – I find new uses for it all the time! It may not look exciting, but your favorite baker will thank you.

    Stainless Steel Pastry Scraper

    2. Cookie Stamps: These are so much fun! I’ve used them for a couple of years now (see THIS recipe!). They make the most uniform stamped ‘thumbprint’ cookies I’ve ever seen! They are plastic, but firm and sturdy and will last a long time with proper care.

    Williams-Sonoma Thumbprint Cookie Stamps, Set of 3

    3. Cookie Scoop: I’ve linked this cookie scoop so many times in previous blog posts, I’ve lost count. It’s my go-to for scooping cookie dough, but I also use it to make big, beautiful chocolate truffles (and bourbon balls!). 

    Wilton Stainless Steel Cookie Scoop, Silver

    4. Food Color: Giving a baker a box of pretty food colors is like giving an artist a new set of paints. I love these vibrant Chefmaster colors, and have a supply of my own. If your baker is a purist, then they also make a set of natural food colors.
    Chefmaster Fade Resistant Food Coloring, Set of 12

    5. Kitchen soaps: I once was an avid fan of Williams-Sonoma HUGE bars of kitchen soap back in the 90’s. I was young and without a decent kitchen then, but I still loved the scent of their Kitchen Lemon bar. It made my dismal apartment kitchen feel fancy. This Meyer Lemon scented set is a recent favorite that reminds me so much of that beloved bar. Lasts as long time!

    Williams Sonoma Meyer Lemon Hand Soap and Dish Soap, Classic 3 Piece Set

    6. Dish towels: I’m fairly certain that no one needs any help picking out pretty dish towels. They are at every home goods store in plentiful supply. But I’m linking this one because I’m obsessed with Meyer lemons and this makes a nice pairing with the previously linked Meyer lemon soap caddy.

    Meyer Lemon Towels, Set of 2
    7. Pie edge molds: Okay, this is a fun one. This tool instantly transforms ordinary pie dough into beautifully sculpted edging for your pies. I have a set very similar to this one, and I find myself using it for all my pies! 

    Silicone Perfect Pie Crust Mold

    8. Pastry brush: Where would bakers be without the humble pastry brush? I’ll tell you where – standing in front of some sad, pale pastries! Ha! Look for natural boar’s hair bristle brushes like this one, when you’re buying. The bristles are soft enough to glide over cakes and pastries without tearing or pocking their surfaces.

    Williams-Sonoma Pastry Brush 

    I’ve always said homemade gifts are the best gifts (it’s true) so I’ve compiled a flipbook of my favorite holiday recipes! Who doesn’t love getting a batch of cookies? I mean, it’s Santa’s favorite gift, which is really saying something.

    Have a look! (Click fullscreen in the center for easiest viewing.) And if you see something you like, click the link symbol on the picture to go to the recipe. Enjoy! -xo, h

    [embedded content]

    link Gifts For The Baker On Your List! By Heather Baird Published: Sunday, November 29, 2020Sunday, November 29, 2020Gifts for the Baker on Your List! LEGGI TUTTO

  • in Recipes

    Dinner Recipes to Make the Most of Holiday Leftovers

    This month, we welcome back Marta Rivera for more of her meal plans. Marta is a trained chef, mom of twins, Army wife, and a Simply Recipes recipe tester and developer!
    Oh, the joy of leftovers! How I love to swing wide the door of my refrigerator and see bins of imagined leftover faces smiling back at me.
    I realize that there are some who can’t stand the thought of eating “old” food. For you, I propose not leftovers, per se, but food that is reimagined into another meal. Hopefully, that sounds a lot more approachable if you’re not into leftover, leftovers. If you’re a fan like me, this week is made for you.
    Bake a couple of loaves of bread on Sunday to go with soup to use up leftover ham or for sandwiches to make the most of what remains of turkey dinner. Don’t forget about the the odds and ends you didn’t cook! The extra sweet potatoes intended for a casserole or that pie pumpkin you didn’t need can find new life as twice-baked potatoes or pumpkin chili.
    I even tossed in a non-leftover recipe for salmon to make the leftover haters among us happy. LEGGI TUTTO

  • in Recipes

    Turkey Chili (with Leftover Turkey)

    Method

    1 Sauté the vegetables: In a large, 8-quart, thick-bottom pot, heat the olive oil on medium high heat. Add the onions and green peppers and cook, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes.
    Add the garlic, chili powder, and cumin, and cook, stirring, for a minute or two more. Add a bit more olive oil if needed.

    2 Add the remaining chili ingredients: Add tomatoes, tomato paste, stock, kidney beans, oregano, salt, pepper, and cooked turkey meat. Bring mixture to a simmer and reduce heat to low. Simmer, partially covered, for an hour.

    3 Taste and season: Salt to taste. Add sugar to taste if needed to balance the acidity of the tomatoes.
    The chili may be made in 2 days in advance, or frozen for 2 months.
    4 Serve with toppings: Serve with shredded cheddar cheese, chopped red onion, and or sour cream. Serve alone, over rice, or with cornbread.

    Hello! All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. Thank you! LEGGI TUTTO

  • in Recipes

    Vieux Carré

    The Vieux Carré is a classic New Orleans cocktail. It’s made with a blend of brandy and rye, bitters, Benedictine, and vermouth — a combination that will warm your blood and enliven your spirit.

    The Vieux Carré is a classic, complex standard bearer of New Orleans cocktails. It’s made with a potent and beguiling blend of brandy and rye, bitters, Benedictine, and vermouth — a combination that warms your blood and enlivens your spirit.
    Strong and rich in flavor, with a rosy hue, this is a fine-featured statement of a cocktail, a must-have and must-perfect for any home bartender.

    WHAT IS A VIEUX CARRÉ ?
    Typically pronounced “voo-kah-ray” in New Orleans, the Vieux Carré is full-flavored and boozy. It’s made with a nearly equal parts mix of rye whiskey, cognac, and vermouth, all elevated by the herbal, spiced, dark honey taste of Benedictine. Dashes of both Angostura and Peychaud’s bitters – the two most iconic and foundational aromatics – add notes of anise, clove, and even nutmeg; these are sensed more than tasted, but indispensable all-the-same.
    The Vieux Carré is one of the strongest cocktails you could mix up (nearly 58 proof, when all is said and stirred), and it’s also one of the more soulful, with the best qualities of the Manhattan, Sazerac, and Old-Fashioned stirred into one.

    WHAT’S THE HISTORY OF THE VIEUX CARRÉ?
    In the 1930s, Walter Bergeron was the head bartender at the Monteleone Hotel, in New Orleans, when he created this variation on the Sazerac (New Orleans’s other, and original, cocktail). Bergeron gave it the French name for the “old square” we refer to as the French Quarter, adding brandy, or cognac, to the Sazerac’s rye and bitters blend.
    It was the introduction of brandy that truly made this an international drink, with the French brandy now introduced to the upstart American rye, sharing a glass with Italian vermouth and Caribbean bitters. The brandy (cognac, particularly) also commemorates a very specific moment in time when, following a phylloxera outbreak in France which destroyed brandy production, the focus began to shift toward rye whiskey as a base. In this drink, both eras swim together in the same glass.
    THE BEST WHISKEY FOR VIEUX CARRÉ
    Deciding whether to use rye whiskey or bourbon should have less to do with tradition than taste: The corn-based bourbon will have a soft sweetness and full-bodied flavor that pairs well with the cognac, while the rye whiskey’s crisp, spicy tones and drier taste truly complement (and make more interesting) the supple, fruity, rounded taste of the cognac.
    Rye is recommended here for just that reason, with the added benefit of its higher proof contributing to the strength and full-flavored potency the drink has long been known for.
    Rittenhouse Rye 100 Bottled-in-Bond Whiskey is a classically styled, spicy rye that is high proof and low priced. It works as well in darker, boozy drinks as it does in citrusy cocktails, but truly shines in drinks like the Vieux Carré, with so many other key notes to play with.
    Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey is a New Orleans original that, while slightly lower strength at 90 proof, carries itself well and, if we’re to be believed, is faithful to the ryes produced a century ago, at the dawn of the Vieux Carré.

    THE BEST COGNAC FOR VIEUX CARRÉ
    Could you use a generic brandy in your Vieux Carré? Assuming you are in a pinch, you absolutely could, though it might be best to keep this fact a secret. Cognac is a double-distilled blend of several grapes from the Cognac region of France, all aged in an oak that lends the spirit its own subtly spicy notes.
    Pierre Ferrand Ambre and H by Hine VSOP Cognac are both great options, if expensive. The former has a soft, autumn fruit elegance, without being too sweet, while H by Hine is drier but just as cooperative in a drink like this.
    More affordable but perfectly enjoyable (and often stocked here) is Remy Martin VSOP. (The VSOP designation means that it was aged for at least four years in oak casks.)
    THE BEST VERMOUTH FOR VIEUX CARRÉ
    Traditionally, your Vieux Carré would be made with a standard sweet vermouth. In this recipe we’re recommending (if you can find it) Carpano Antica Formula Vermouth. This vermouth is a slightly bitter and more full-bodied mixer, with notes of fig, cacao, and caramel in addition to the vanilla for which it’s famous.

    WHAT IS BENEDICTINE?
    Like absinthe is to a Sazerac – the forebear of the Vieux Carré – Benedictine is a brandy-based liqueur that adds deep notes of herbs, spices, and dark honey. While using much more than a scant quarter ounce will risk making your drink far too sweet, that amount goes a long way, and perfectly so.
    Benedictine helps to balance everything, not only your bitterness and sweetness, but the many complexities on the palate. It is indeed indispensable.
    TRY THESE VARIATIONS OF THE VIEUX CARRÉ?
    Vary this drink too much and you’re off in the weeds, far outside of the French Quarter. That’s not to say that there isn’t some room to play, however.
    Vieux Ananas: Ezra Star’s riff replaces the cognac with pineapple rum, preferably Plantation Rum Stiggins’ Fancy Pineapple.
    The New Carousel: According to Vintage Spirits & Forgotten Cocktails, the Carousel Bar (birthplace of our dear Vieux Carré) has taken to using dry vermouth in lieu of sweet. “It works just fine that way, too.”
    Add a Mezcal float: After making the drink, lightly pour 1/4 ounce of mezcal down the back of a barspoon into the glass. Topping off the drink will add a smokiness and slight chocolate flavor — an aromatic touch and tongue exciter in one.
    MORE CLASSIC NEW ORLEANS COCKTAILS LEGGI TUTTO