Happy Valentine's Day & the last of sweets for 28 days........

This post is slightly belated, but the treats within are appropriate for any occassion. Just fun for Valentine's because they are red & white. The first treat for a Valentine's/Chinese New Year work lunch was a hit, and was quick, perfect to whip up during a busy week. I had this strawberry pretzel dessert a few years ago and knew the recipe was not hard, but never found it until my co-worker, Natalie, was making a family recipe book and it was just what I had been looking for. We had also received some cupcakes from a rep the day before our lunch so we saved them and I created some paper conversation hearts to jazz them up. The words are heard throughout our group on a regular basis. The reason this post is also titled 'the last of sweets for 28 days' is because, althought I have suffered from migraines for the last 15 years, the past two months have been unbearable, so I have started a restrictive diet that slowly adds back in 'trigger' foods, so that means no sugar for about a month. It will be tough, but definitely worth it if I can figure out what is causing my migraines. And who knows, maybe I'll get creative and come up with some tastey sweets using things that are not restricted like agave nectar and pure maple syrup.

Strawberry Pretzel Dessert

Ingerdients:
2 Cups Crushed Pretzels
1 1/2 Sticks Melted Butter
2 Tablespoons Sugar
8 oz. Package Cream Cheese (I used 1/3 less fat cream cheese)
1 Cup Sugar
8 oz. Cool Whip (I used light cool whip)
2 Small Packages Strawberry Jello
2 Ten oz. Packages Frozen Strawberries (I used 1 16oz package of fresh strawberries, sliced)


Crust
Mix crushed pretzels, butter, and 2 tablespoons sugar to form crust. Spread across the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Let cool.


Bottom Layer
Mix together cream cheese and sugar until smooth then fold in cool whip. Spread over pretzel crust and refrigerate.


Top Layer
Mix 2 cups boiling water with jello powder in a bowl. Refrigerate until somewhat gelled and then add strawberries. Pour over cream cheese layer and put in the freezer until set.

I spent the rest of my Valentine's weekend in Wisconsin with Gregory, Dino, and my Mom. Dino made us delicious dolmates for dinner and Gregory and I made red velvet cupcakes for dessert. For now, these are definitely in my top 3 favorite cupcakes along with the strawberry dream cream cupcakes and the snickerdoodle cupcakes I made last year. I really love red velvet when it's done right (it's like tiramisu, if it's not amazing, I can't even be bothered with it) so I did a lot of research and landed on the combination of red velvet cupcake recipe from Magnolia Bakery in NYC and the cream cheese frosting recipe from Sprinkles Cupcakes originally out of California.  The cupcakes are so light and airy but still have a great flavor, just enough cocoa to actually taste it, and then paired with the cream cheese frosting, they are just to die for! Like most frosting recipes it makes more than enough, so we also had a bonus dessert of cream cheese frosting on graham crackers.....brought Gregory and I right back to our youth, the frosting was usually from a can though.
Magnolia's Red Velvet Cupcakes
Ingredients:
3½ cups cake flour (not self-rising)
¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 ½ cups sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
6 tbsp red food coloring (I used one whole tube of the red gel coloring and it was just enough)
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
1½ tsp vanilla extract
1½ tsp salt
1½ cups buttermilk
1½ tsp cider vinegar
1½ tsp baking soda
1.Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and lightly flour 2 cupcake pans (24 cupcakes), or use cupcake liners.

2.To make the batter: In a small bowl, sift the cake flour and set aside. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a small bowl, whisk together the red food coloring, cocoa, and vanilla. Add to the batter and beat well.


3.In a measuring cup, stir the salt into the buttermilk. Add to the batter in three parts alternating with the flour. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated, but do not overbeat. In a small bowl, stir together the cider vinegar and baking soda. Add to the batter and mix well. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl, making sure the ingredients are well blended and the batter is smooth.


4.Divide the batter among the prepared pans. Arrange the oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and bake the cupcakes, switching positions of the pans halfway through baking, until a tester comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool the cupcakes in the pan 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool completely on a rack before icing. To ice, mound about ¼ cup of frosting on top of each cupcake and use an icing spatula to make a swirl on top. If desired, decorate with colored sprinkles.


Sprinkles Frosting
  Ingredients:
12 ounces cold cream cheese

1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) butter, firm but not cold
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 pounds (1 1/2 boxes) powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla

1.Combine butter, salt, and cream cheese in mixer and beat on medium speed 2-3 minutes.



2.Add sugar until just incorporated. Don’t over mix. It should be thick but not fluffy.


3.Add vanilla. If necessary, add milk to thin.

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

It has not taken me long to truly enjoy the art of baking bread. I am still starting out and have yet to try some more complex breads (I am waiting to get a kitchen scale so I can weigh flour and also waiting for some warmer days). However, a couple of Sunday's ago it was a gorgeous sunny day which I figured would aid in the rising of my dough and it certainly did. A few days earlier I was out with some co-workers and someone mentioned cinnamon raisin bread and I could not get it out of my head. Of course Martha has a recipe for it in her baking hand book so that is the recipe I chose to proceed with. It turned out SO good, I could have eaten the whole loaf right out of the oven. I was initially excited because the recipe made two loaves so I made sure to freeze one right away for a future day. Well, I recently retrieved that loaf for the weekend because I had friends in town, and although it worked perfectly for french toast, freezing it had dried it out a lot. I guess from now on I will just have to be a generous bread baker and pass on a delicious fresh loaf to a lucky recipient.

Ingredients
2 cups plus 1 1/2 teaspoons warm water (100 degrees to 110 degrees)
2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
5 3/4 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting
2 tablespoons nonfat powdered milk
4 teaspoons sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1 tablespoon salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 cups dark raisins
Canola oil, for bowl and plastic wrap
3/4 cup sugar
7 teaspoons cinnamon
1 large egg, beaten
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 large egg white, beaten  

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine 1/4 cup warm water and yeast. Let sit until yeast is foamy, about 10 minutes. Add flour, powdered milk, sugar, salt, 3 tablespoons melted butter, and 1 3/4 cups warm water. Mix, using the paddle attachment, on low speed for 1 minute. Change to dough hook, and mix on medium-low speed for 7 minutes. Or knead by hand, 15 or 20 minutes. Add raisins, and mix on medium-low speed until dough is firm but not dry, 3 minutes.

2. Transfer to a lightly floured surface, and knead by hand into a ball. Place dough, smooth side up, in a large, lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap; let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.

3. Butter two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans generously, and set aside. In a small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon, and set aside. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface, and cut in half. Cover one piece of dough loosely with lightly oiled plastic wrap.

4. Press the other piece of dough into a 10-by-12-inch rectangle. Brush with half of the beaten egg, sprinkle with half the cinnamon sugar, and drizzle with half the melted butter. Rub the surface with the back of a spoon to blend butter and cinnamon sugar. Starting at a short end, roll up dough tightly, and pinch together along crease. Roll the dough back and forth to make it cylindrical, and pinch the ends together. Transfer to a loaf pan, seam side down, and cover loosely with lightly oiled plastic wrap. Repeat process with second piece of dough. Let loaves rise in a warm place, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Thirty minutes before this final rise is completed, place a baking stone, if using, in the lower third of oven. Heat oven to 425 degrees.

5. Brush tops of loaves with egg white, and sprinkle each loaf with 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar. Bake 15 minutes; lower oven to 400 degrees, and bake 15 minutes more. Remove from oven; cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing.

Magic Blondies

I have found a new favorite recipe! Not just because it tastes great, but it is the perfect recipe to use up all the half bags of chocolate chips, craisins, coconut, nuts, or anything else you may have in your cabinets from a baking extravaganza around the holidays. These were so easy and delicious I actually made them two nights in a row. My roomies were quite dissappointed when I didn't bring any leftovers home from the ones I brought to the office so we made another batch that night. This recipe, of course, comes from Martha Stewart. I made them in a mini-muffin pan and it was the perfect size for the plethora of flavors.

Ingredients:
-2/3 cup sweetened flaked coconut
-2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
-2/3 cup chopped pecans (about 2 1/2 ounces)
-2/3 cup dried cherries or cranberries
-1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
-1 teaspoon baking powder
-3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
-9 tablespoons (1 1/8 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
-1 cup packed light-brown sugar
-2 large eggs
-1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line a standard 24-cup mini muffin tin with paper liners; set aside. Stir together coconut, chocolate, pecans, and craisins in a medium bowl; set aside.

2.Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.

3.Put butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla; mix until combined. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture, and mix, scraping down sides of bowl, until well combined. Mix in 1 cup coconut mixture.

4.Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full. Sprinkle remaining coconut mixture over tops. Bake blondies until a cake tester inserted into center comes out with a few crumbs but is not wet, about 15 minutes. Blondies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 days.

Parmesan Rosemary Crackers

It is no secret that I am in love with my kitchenaid mixer and I have grand ideas of making delicious artisan breads and other specialty items.....in a perfect world my kitchen will never see a store bought bread item again. Seeing as though I have never tried my hand at yeasted baked goods I decided to start small and it doesn't get much smaller than crackers. Really though, these are pretty giant crackers. I have a lot of faith in Martha Stewart and she has yet to lead me astray so I thought it best to choose something from her Baking Handbook.  

The only thing I did not already have was fresh rosemary so I substituted a garlic/parmesan/rosemary seasoning and it was fantastic. At some point I will probably make this with fresh rosemary, but I will definitely add some garlic. From the yeasted bread recipes I have been studying I don't think there are too many out there that are not going to be time consuming or at least have to be tended to a few times over the course of 5-6 hours, but this was a pretty simple one and there was no rising of dough that had to occur, which is something that I have a lot of anxiety about, especially since I am attempting to do this in winter. I think I am going to learn to appreciate the hot humid summers Chicago has to offer when my dough rises like a dream.

I'm not sure if I did not roll the dough out thin enough or did not bake them long enough, but they ended up being more like a very thin flat bread than a crispy cracker. Not only did they taste great, but the house smelled wonderful for the entire day and night!

Chocolate Pretzels

I am now the proud owner of the Martha Stewart Cookie book and Martha Stewart Baking Handbook and simply cannot be baking enough these days. With my new kitchen aid mixer I am virtually unstoppable. I have quite a few baking supplies/ingredients left over from all of my holiday candy making so I have been narrowing down my choices by making things that don't require a trip to the grocery store......the snow and freezing temps have also ignited my baking drive a bit. I suppose another factor in my choices is the new year's inspiration to drop a few pounds, but a girl's got to eat and I just can't cut out sweets entirely.


My first recipe for the new year was Martha Stewart's Chocolate Pretzels from her cookie book. although they are shaped like pretzels they remind me much more of a biscuit or biscotti. They are not very sweet and taste best with coffee or tea. They turned out well, but not quite sweet enough for my taste. I much prefer a pretzel covered in chocolate. I could see myself making these again, but only in addition to a variety of other cookies and sweets in order to fill up a tray and add something that breaks up the really sweet things.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 teaspoon good-quality instant espresso powder
3 tablespoons boiling water
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 large egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 large egg yolk
Sanding sugar, for sprinkling (I used some left over sugar sprinkles I had from my christmas sugar cookies)


1. Stir cocoa and espresso powders into the boiling water in a small bowl until dissolved; set aside. Meanwhile, put butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until creamy. Mix in vanilla and salt. Reduce speed to medium-low. Mix in egg, then cocoa mixture. Gradually add flour, and mix until a smooth dough forms. Turn out onto a piece of plastic; pat into a square. Wrap dough, and refrigerate until cold, about 30 minutes.


2. Divide dough into 24 equal pieces. Roll into balls. Shape balls into 12-inch-long ropes. Twist each rope into a pretzel shape. Space 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.


3. Preheat oven to 325°. Whisk egg yolk with 1 teaspoon water in a small bowl. Brush cookies with egg wash; sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until dry, about 35 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 1 week.

Vote for Me!

I have entered a recipe for the infamous White Chocolate Haystacks  to be included in a recipe book being created by Foodista. These haystacks are a favorite on mine and anyone that I share them with! They have shown up in this blog multiple times even though the blog hasn't even celebrated it's 1st birthday yet. So please help me out and vote for this recipe. Thanks!

Candy! and lots of it

Shortly after Halloween I started compiling a list of all the holiday candy that I wanted to make this year. It's a long list and at first I thought I was being a bit over zealous, but it turns out not only was I able to do it (well, almost, I still have a few more to make this weekend for my family's christmas) but I had enough gatherings to attend to get rid of most of it and not have an abundance sitting around the house.


I also have to note that the candy making itself is not hard, just tedious, BUT it's been impressive that I have stuck with it in lieu of baking since I am the proud owner of a beautiful new kitchen aid mixer that I have only used once since all of my candy making just has me utilizing the heck out of my double boiler and candy thermometer.


Here is the list of candy that I suggest you all try, SO delicious, and I think I will be on a sugar high until Valentine's Day.....