Goodies By Anna

Fresh Apple Cinnamon Scones

Scones are terrific for breakfast and adding in a diced fresh apple with some spicy cinnamon makes them a perfect fall treat. I don't care for cinnamon chips so I left them out. These scones are mixed up by hand and quickly divided into two rounds.

 

 

 

 

Each round is cut into six wedges, brushed with milk and sprinkled with some cinnamon sugar, or I used some apple cinnamon sugar crystals for a little extra flavor and crunch. The rounds are chilled for 30 minutes in the freezer before baking to a golden brown. These scones are best served warm but are easy to reheat later on in the oven. Here is how you can make your own.

 

 

 

You can find the entire recipe here. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silpat. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and spice. Work the chilled butter into the flour until mixture becomes crumbly. I used a pastry blender to more easily incorporate the butter into the flour mixture. Stir in the chopped apple and cinnamon chips ( I didn't use cinnamon chips). In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla and applesauce. Mix the liquid mixture into the flour/butter mixture until a dough comes together.

 

 

 

 

Divide the dough into two equal pieces. Form each piece into a 5 1/2" circle. Place one circle of dough on each baking sheet. Brush tops of each round with milk and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture (I used an apple cinnamon sparkling sugar). Cut each round into six wedges. Pull the wedges apart, approximately 1/2" space between each wedge. Place the scones into the freezer for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

 

 

 

 

After 30 minutes in the freezer, bake the scones for 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown with no wet edges. Scones should look completely done. Let scones cool briefly on pan before serving warm or let cool completely before storing. You can easily reheat scones: Preheat oven to 325. Place the scones on a baking sheet and tent with foil. Warm in the oven for around 10 minutes before serving.

 

 

 

Brown Butter Baked Doughnuts with Chocolate Brown Butter Glaze

Time to break out the doughnut pan again and this recipe for Brown Butter Baked Doughnuts was a perfect fit! The batter makes up six doughnuts, just enough for you and someone special to share! The key to these moist delicious baked doughnuts is the brown butter in the batter.

 

 

 

 

Brown butter has such a nutty warm flavor, it adds a richness to any baked good. Make sure not to over mix the batter or you will end up with tough, rubbery doughnuts. I baked these doughnuts until just lightly golden, this kept the insides nice and moist and fluffy. The longer these bake the dryer they become so watch the bake time carefully. The chocolate glaze is the perfect topping and I added a little brown butter to the glaze for some extra flavor. Sprinkles are a MUST! Here is how you can make your own.

 

 

 

You can find the entire recipe here. Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a six cavity doughnut pan with Pam and set aside.

Doughnuts: In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and sugar. Since I used powdered buttermilk I added  2 Tablespoons here with the dry ingredients. Set aside. In a small sauce pan brown the 3 Tablespoons of butter until brown and fragrant.

 

 

 

Transfer immediately to a small bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the egg, 1/2 cup water if using dry buttermilk or 1/2 cup fresh buttermilk, and vanilla extract. Whisk in 2 Tablespoons of the brown butter. Save the remaining brown butter for the glaze.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix by hand until incorporated.

 

 

 

Do not over mix batter. I poured the batter into a piping bag and piped the batter into the doughnut pan. You can also use a spoon to transfer the batter to the pan. Bake the doughnuts for 8 to 10 minutes, do not over bake. The doughnuts should be a very pale golden color. Let cool in pan then turn out onto a cooling rack. Let cool completely before glazing.

 

 

 

Glaze: In a medium bowl sift together the powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Whisk in the salt, remaining brown butter if using, vanilla extract and 2 Tablespoons of milk. Glaze should have a thick yet pourable consistency. When the doughnuts have cooled, dip into the glaze and return to wire rack. Top with colored sprinkles. Allow the glaze to set up for 30 minutes before serving.

 

 

 

Maple Cake

I came across this recipe on the Martha Stewart site, it's going to be in a new cake cookbook that she has coming out soon! This super simple Maple Cake is sure to please and has become a new fall favorite of mine!

 

 

 

The delicious smokey sweet flavor of the maple syrup just lends itself to all things fall and this cake is no exception. The maple cake bakes up with a light, moist crumb enhanced with the rich maple syrup. The icing is a simple mix of butter, maple syrup and confections sugar whipped into a rich and delicious icing that pairs wonderfully with the cake.

 

 

 

To give the icing a little more dimension I browned the butter before mixing. The browned butter gives the icing a rich, slightly nutty flavor and aroma that pairs well the the maple. This cake and icing combo is not overly sweet which really lets the pure maple syrup flavor come through.  

 

 

 

 

Ideas: With all the holiday gatherings coming up, this cake makes an excellent hostess gift because it is so portable. Simple bake your cake in a supermarket disposable pan with a see-thru top. Tie with a big red bow and a pretty tag. Your hostess can enjoy it the next morning with a cup of coffee!  Here is how you can make your own.

 

 

 

You can find the entire recipe here. The recipe calls for Grade B maple syrup but I couldn't find any so I used Grade A maple syrup and added a teaspoon of maple extract for a little more flavor. Preheat the oven to 350 and spray a 9" x 9" baking pan with Pam for Baking. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and spray again with the Pam for Baking. Set aside.

 

 

 

 

Cake: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the maple syrup and add the eggs, one at a time, until completely incorporated. Beat in the vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon of maple extract if using. Beat in the flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the sour cream. Beat until just combined. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth with an offset spatula. Bake cake for 40 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Let cake cool in pan for 10 minutes then run a spatula around the edges and turn cake out onto wire rack to cool completely before icing.

 

 

 

 

Icing: When cake is completely cooled, start the icing. Melt the butter or you can brown the butter like I did (let the butter melt and cook until it becomes fragrant and takes on a light brown color.) Mix butter and maple syrup (I added 1 teaspoon of maple extract) until combined. Sift in the powdered sugar, mixing with a whisk, until a thick icing comes together. Quickly spread the icing evenly over the cake. Let set for 15 minutes then cut into squares (4 across and 4 down).

Best Pumpkin Cookies with Penuche Glaze

I love pumpkin and what better way to kick off the beginning of the fall season than with these soft and tender Best Pumpkin Cookies with Penuche Glaze. The cookies bake up soft and cake-like, very tender and moist. Their subtle pumpkin spice flavor gets stronger a few days after you bake these gems.

 

 

 

The Penuche Glaze is a sweet toasty caramalized confection made with dark brown sugar and butter that pairs well with the pumpkin spice cookie. I topped the glaze with a little coarse raw sugar for some added crunch. Here is how you can make your own.

 

 

 

You can find the entire recipe here. Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment or Silpat. Set aside.

Cookie: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, Pumpkin Pie Spice, and salt. Set aside. Instead of Pumpkin Pie Spice I used 2 teaspoons of Penzey's Cake Spice, a nice combination of China cinnamon, star anise, nutmeg, allspice, ginger and cloves.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugars. I used dark brown sugar for a richer flavor and color. Beat in the pumpkin, egg and vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture until just combined.

 

 

 

 

Using a cookie scoop or tablespoon measure, scoop balls of dough onto the prepared cookies sheet. I wanted larger cookies so I used a #24 scoop, approximately 2 Tablepoons of dough. Since these cookies don't spread a lot, I placed eight dough balls per cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes. I baked mine for 12 minutes because they were a little bit larger. Remove cookies from sheet and let cool completely on a wire rack before glazing.

 

 

 

Penuche Glaze: In a small saucepan heat the butter and dark brown sugar over medium heat, stirring constantly, until bubbly and thickened. Whisk in the milk and then the powdered sugar until combined and smooth. I used 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar for my glaze. Keep the glaze warm on the stovetop while using or the glaze with harden up quickly. Use an offset spatula to spread glaze over tops of cookies, quickly sprinkle with raw sugar if using. Let glaze harden before storing cookies.

Fresh Berry Tart with Cornmeal Pate Brisee Crust

With all the beautiful berries in season I decided a fresh fruit tart would be the perfect dessert to kick off summer! I used a combination of fresh strawberries, raspberries and blueberries to top off a delicious vanilla pastry cream filling.

 

 

 

The crisp rustic style crust is a cornmeal pate brisee that I rolled out and placed into a 9" tart pan. The combination of the rich, smooth pastry cream and the crisp buttery crust create the perfect backdrop to the ripe berries. A simple glaze made of heated and strained strawberry jelly creates a sweet shine of the berries. Here is how you can make your own.

 

 

 

Cornmeal Pate Brisee: Start by making the cornmeal pate brisee crust. This recipe makes enough for two crust so just save one in the freezer to use at a later date. You can find the entire recipe here. After you make the dough and divide it into two equal pieces. Wrap each piece in plastic wrap and place one in the fridge (the other can go into the freezer in a ziplock baggie) to chill for a few hours or over night. When the dough is completely chilled, roll out to fit a 9" tart pan. Place the rolled dough into the pan, pressing in firmly and evenly around the sides and the bottom. Prick bottom of shell with fork. Trim off the excess and wrap pie shell in plastic wrap. Chill the pie shell in the pan in the freezer for 30 minutes. While pie shell is chilling, place a rimmed baking sheet in the oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees.

 

 

 

Line chilled pie shell with parchment paper and fill with pie weights. Place on preheated pan in oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove weights and parchment and continue baking pie shell until browned and crisp looking, another 15 to 20 minutes. Let pie shell cool completely on wire rack before filling with pastry cream.

 

 

 

Pastry Cream:  While the shell is cooling start the pastry cream. You can find the entire recipe here. In a medium sauce pan whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch until thick and pale.  In a small sauce pan bring the milk to a boil. Drizzle a 1/4 cup of the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking the entire time. Pour the rest of the milk into the egg mixture and continue whisking until completely combined. Put the pan over medium heat and while whisking vigorously, bring to a boil.

 

 

 

Keep the mixture at a boil for 1 to 2 minutes then remove pan from heat and scrape into a clean bowl and let set for 3 minutes. Add the butter and 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract, mixing until the butter is completely melted and combined. Place plastic wrap on the surface of the pastry cream and chill until completely cold- 3 hours to overnight. When pastry cream in completely chilled, remix and pour into pie shell.

 

 

 

Assembly: Top pastry cream with berries. In a small microwavable bowl, heat up 1/4 cup of strawberry jam until liquid. Brush and dab the jam over the berries to cover. Keep tart refrigerated until ready to serve.

 

 

 

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa always has terrific recipes and these Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies are no exception! Peanut Butter and Chocolate are the perfect pair and these cookies end up tasting a lot like a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup.

 

 

 

All that is needed is a big glass of cold milk. Make sure you use chocolate chunks, not chocolate chips, as they really give a nice, rich chocolately flavor to the cookies. Here is how you can make your own.

 

 

 

You can find the entire recipe here. Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment or Silpat and set aside.

In a medium sized bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until well mixed. Mix in the vanilla and the peanut butter. Quickly mix in the dry ingredients until a dough just starts to come together then mix in the chocolate chunks.

 

 

 

At this point I like the let the cookie dough chill in the fridge for 30 minutes before baking. I think this chilling process lets the dry ingredients absorb the wet ingredients and creates a more flavorful and tender cookie.

 

 

 

Scoop out the dough using a #24 scoop. Place the dough balls, evenly spaced, onto the prepared baking sheet. I placed 6 dough balls per baking sheet. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until slightly underdone looking. Do not overbake. Let cookies rest on baking sheet for a couple of minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Frozen Strawberry Souffle

I first came across this recipe is an old Martha Stewart Wedding Magazine but it made 16 small frozen souffles and I only needed four.

 

 

 

My dad scaled down the recipe for me and I decided to place the mixture in larger sized 3 1/2" ramekin cups for a larger dessert and left off the parchment wrap because I wanted an easier dessert!

 

 

 

These cool, creamy, refreshing fruity souffles are a terrific way to use in-season strawberries. Top with freshly whipped cream and a fresh strawberry. Here is how you can make your own.

 

 

 

You can find the recipe for 16 servings here and I have included the scaled down version for four servings below.


Frozen Strawberry Souffle  (adapted from Martha Stewart)

1 pint fresh strawberries (plus four whole berries for decoration)
3 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/4 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
3/4 cup whipping cream (plus more for piping on top if desired)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar

In a food processor puree the strawberries, lemon juice and 3/4 cup sugar. Stain mixture thru a sieve to remove seeds and set aside. Prepare an ice water bath, set aside.

 

 

 

In a heat proof bowl, sprinkle gelatin over 1 & 1/2 Tablespoons of cold water. Place bowl over a pot of simmering water and continue to stir the gelatin until completely dissolved. Remove bowl from heat and stir in 1/2 cup of the strawberry puree. Pour in remaining puree and mix well. Set bowl into water bath until mixture is chilled and slightly thickened, stirring frequently. This will take around 20 minutes.

 

 

 

In a separate bowl whip the cream and 1 teaspoon vanilla until stiff peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the chilled strawberry mixture then divide the mixture between the four 3 1/2" ramekin cups. Place filled cups into the freezer for up to three hours or until the mixture is set. When ready to serve, top with extra whipped cream and a fresh strawberry.

Peanut Butter Cup S'Mores Bars

Warning: Gooey, mouth-watering dessert ahead! These Peanut Butter Cup S'mores Bars combine three All-American favorites: Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Marshmallow!

 

 

 

 

Kinda like a traditional s'more except you bake these up in a pan and cut them into ready-to-eat bars. I gilded the lily by using a brulee torch to brown the marshmallow after cutting into bars. This gives the marshmallow that toasted gooey goodness, like the s'mores you made as a kid. Here is how you can make your own.

 

 

 

You can find the entire recipe here. Start by lining an 8" x 8" pan with foil. (I use foil because it makes for much easier removal of bars from the pan after baking.) Spray the foil lightly with Pam and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In the bowl of a food processor pulverize enough graham crackers to make 1 cup of crumbs. In a large bowl whisk together the graham cracker crumbs, flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat together the butter and sugars until fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in the flour mixture until a dough comes together.

 

 

 

Evenly spread 2/3 of the dough into the prepared pan. Lightly press the peanut butter cups (I used 36 miniature peanut butter cups) into the dough. Next, spread the marshmallow fluff over the peanut butter cups. (To get the fluff out of the container a little easier, microwave for approximately 50 seconds then quickly scoop out and spread with damp fingers. I find this to be the easiest method for spreading the marshmallow evenly.) Roll the remaining dough into a 8" x 8" square and place over the marshmallow. Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown. Allow bars to cool in the pan for an hour or two then, for easier cutting, transfer to the fridge for an additional hour to firm up.

 

 

 

 

If you don't care how the bars look, go ahead and dig it right away! Cut into bars and if you'd like, use a brulee torch and lightly brown the marshmallow just before serving! This gives a great toasted look and flavor to the bars!

 

 

 

 

Cream Cheese Pound Cake with Strawberry Coulis

The pound cake is a great recipe to have on hand for a delicious, fool-proof dessert that everyone will love. The addition of cream cheese in the batter gives this pound cake a little extra flavor and moistness. Baking in a bundt pan offers a beautiful presentation pretty enough for any occasion.

 

 

 

A liberal drizzle of strawberry coulis made with fresh in-season strawberries and Grand Marnier Orange Liqueur provides the perfect burst of bright flavor and color to the buttery rich cake. You can easily make the cake and the coulis in advance. Make sure to wrap the still warm cake in plastic wrap and then place in an air-tight tupperware container kept at room temperature to keep it moist. The strawberry coulis will be fine for a few days in the fridge. Here is how you can make your own.

 

 

 

You can find the entire recipe here. Start by spraying a 12 cup bundt pan with Pam for Baking and set aside. Preheat oven to 325 (I placed the rack onto the second from the bottom rung in the oven.)

 

 

 

Cake: Place butter and cream cheese into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until smooth. Add sugar and increase speed to high, beating until light an airy for at least 5 minutes.

 

 

 

Add the eggs one at a time beating well between each egg. Add the vanilla and almond extracts, then add the flour mixture all at once and beat until just combined. Pour batter into prepared pan and shake to even out batter. Bake until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. I baked mine for exactly 1 hour and 15 minutes. After 1 hour I covered the cake with aluminum foil and then baked for the remaining 15 minutes.

 

 

 

Let cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes then turn cake out onto a wire rack to cool completely. If not serving immediately, wrap the warm cake in plastic wrap and place in an air tight tupperware container at room temperature until ready to serve. Wrapping the cake while warm helps to keep it moist longer.

 

 

 

Strawberry Coulis: In a blender combine strawberries, 1/4 cup water (I used 1/4 cup Grand Marnier Orange Liqueur instead of water), 3 Tablespoons sugar and 1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice. Puree until very smooth then press through a strainer to remove seeds. Cover and refrigerate until cold before pouring over cake.

 

 

 

Assembly: Lightly dust the top of the cooled cake with powdered sugar. When ready to serve, cut pieces and drizzle with strawberry coulis.

Nutella Banana Swirl Muffins

I always have super ripe leftover bananas that I keep in the freezer just for baking. Instead of the typical banana bread I decided to go with the Nutella Banana Swirl Muffins because everything is better with Nutella! Chocolate and banana are a perfect pair, throw in some chopped walnuts for crunch and top with some chocolate sprinkles for fun.

 

 

 

These muffins are great for a brunch or even dessert. The cake is moist and flavorful with the combination of ripe banana and luscious Nutella chocolate. The crunch and nutty flavor of the walnuts rounds out this terrific muffin. Here is how you can make your own.

 

 

 

You can find the entire recipe here. Start by mashing together 4 over-ripe bananas in a small bowl. Set aside. Line a muffin tin with papers and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Note: You can also make this batter the night before, just leave in the fridge and bake up when you want fresh muffins!

 

 

 

In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat together the banana, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Beat in the egg, vegetable oil and vanilla. Slowly beat in the flour mixture until just combined then stir in the nuts (I used chopped walnuts). Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tins, 3/4 full (I used one full ice cream scoop per muffin).

 

 

 

Scoop 1 teaspoon of Nutella into each muffin, swirl with a toothpick. Top with chocolate sprinkles if desired. Bake muffins for 15 - 19 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Serve muffins warm from the oven or let cool and store in an airtight container. This recipe makes around 14-18 muffins.