Molasses Cookies for Christmas and Santa!

Molasses cookies (from Bon Appetit) remind me of ginger bread cookies - better tasting!
to keep them soft - cook them like you would a brownie -until the inside part is not wet -take them out immediately.  This way, they are soft!

• Place racks in lower and upper thirds of oven; preheat to 375°. Whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and salt in a small bowl. Whisk egg, butter, granulated sugar, molasses, and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Mix in dry ingredients just to combine.  Place sanding sugar in a shallow bowl. Scoop out dough by the tablespoonful and roll into balls (if dough is sticky, chill 20 minutes). Roll in sugar and place on 2 parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 2” apart.  Bake cookies, rotating baking sheets halfway through, until cookies are puffed, cracked, and just set around edges (overbaked cookies won’t be chewy), 8–10 minutes. Transfer to wire racks and let cool.

  INGREDIENTS

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¾ teaspoon ground cardamom
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
  • ⅓ cup mild-flavored (light) or robust-flavored (dark) molasses
  • ¼ cup (packed) dark brown sugar
  • Coarse sanding or raw sugar (for rolling)
    
    
    NOTES:  used powdered sugar for rolling
    ONLY 1/3 SUGAR/ NO BROWN SUGAR
    ONE TEASP BAKING SODA + ONE TEASP OF BAKING PWDER
    added walnuts

Holiday Cookies

Love this cookie - with soft tender dough - it carries the flavor of toppings well.  Made these with a small dollop of jam/jelly.  I used to taste these during the holidays made by other bakers who commonly covered them with a lemon zest icing.  I can see these any shape and size, decorated like ginger bread cookies for Christmas.  It is just an overall great soft cookie treat.

Sour Cream Cookies

.......bake at 375 until desired light golden brown/dough should be refrigerated before baking/roll out using powdered sugar or flour/cut into desired shapes/make an indention for jam or jelly/ ice or cover with powdered sugar

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup shortening (I use butter/ 1 stick)
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

recipe from 

http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com

Cinnamon Rolls

INGREDIENTS 

• 1/2 cup whole milk 
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) plus 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for brushing 
• 2 1/4 teaspoons rapid-rise yeast (from 1 envelope yeast) 
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar 
• 1 large egg, room temperature 
• 2/3 cup pure pumpkin puree (from a 15-ounce can) 
• Coarse salt 
• 3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar 
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 
• 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature 
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar 
• 2 to 3 tablespoons whole milk
• 
  
• DIRECTIONS 

1. Lightly brush a large bowl with butter; set aside. Heat milk and 3 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until butter is melted -about 120 degrees. use dough hook attachment. Immediately sprinkle with yeast. Let stand until a bit foamy, about 5 minutes. Add flour, granulated sugar, egg, pumpkin, and 1 teaspoon salt. Mix on medium-low speed, until dough is smooth and elastic, about 7 minutes. Transfer to bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 to 2 hours. 
2. Brush a 9-by-13 baking dish with butter; set aside. In a medium bowl, stir together remaining stick melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and a large pinch of salt until smooth and fluffy. Set aside. 
3. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface. Roll out to 15- by-12-inch rectangle. Spread butter mixture over dough, leaving 1/4-inch border. Starting at a long edge, roll up dough like a jelly roll, then cut crosswise into 15 pieces. - let rise in a warm place until buns are almost doubled in size, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. 
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake 17-20 minutes. Let cool 
5. paddle attachment, beat cream cheese on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add confectioners' sugar, a pinch of salt, and 2 tablespoons milk and beat until combined, about 1 minute. If glaze is too thick to drizzle, add more milk,
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APPLESAUCE Muffins

Baked goods with any kind of fruit puree is really moist and tasty
I use applesauce, shredded zucchini, pumpkin puree
any fruit will do!  BANNANA too - but I prefer using home grown fruit...

baked goods really taste great with the addition of lime, lemon or orange peel grated, molasses and vanilla, cinnamon, freely grated nutmeg, cardamon, any of these will do...

lately, I have put flax seeds at the bottom of the muffin paper before filling with batter -I have also tried pineapple, and dried fruit and nuts - chocolate works too...




Ingredients:
 ½ cup butter
 ½ cup sugar
2 eggs
¾ cup Natural Applesauce
1 ¾ cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
½ tsp Salt

 Topping: ¼ cup butter, melted ½ cup sugar ¼ tsp cinnamon


 Steps: Cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time until fluffy. Add applesauce and mix. Sift in dry ingredients. Place in muffin tins and bake at 350 F until golden.
http://simpleasthatblog.com/2013/09/applesauce-muffins-a-favourite-family-recipe.html

Apple Butter

APPLE BUTTER COOKIES
my Aunt's version creates a tender dough and scrumptious cookie
...I was a happy recipient!

1/4 lb butter = 1 stick
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tbls sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp bking pwder
2 1/4 cup flour

Winter Luxury Pie Pumpkin

pretty pumpkin- not thick enough texture -prefer cheese pumpkin and marina di chioggia

PUMPKIN PIE

2 1/2 cups pumpkin puree - if you use the canned - 16 ounce is 2 cups
2 eggs - I've used just yolks, but prefer whole eggs for a lighter custard
3/4 condensed milk
2 tbl molasses
1/2 cup bwn sugar

salt, ground cinnamon, fresh nutmeg, ground cloves
Bake at 350 got 50 min
I use the pasta frolla pie crust and pre bake it

ORGANIC OATMEAL COOKIES

The dogs watched me for more cookie treats - they benefit from my baking. Organic Oatmeal cookies 2 STICKS BUTTER 2 EGGS 1 C WHT SUGAR 1 C BWN SUGAR use less sugar and play with seasonings I used molasses, vanilla, nutmeg... 2 C FLOUR 3 C OATMEAL Bake at 375 for 10 min or until browned

Italian Easter Pie

a more traditional approach is to add orange flower water or millefiore -

Aroma Millefiori (Flower Essence)

 , candied citron, or orange and lemon zest.
also, tradition calls for a pasta frollo italian crust - not this american version shown here
I really just liked the cook and her cooking technique - here is another recipe;

1/2 cup hulled soft wheat berries*
2 1/4 cups plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup plus 1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3 whole large eggs
4 cups cold water
4 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 1/4 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 lb fresh ricotta
1/2 teaspoon orange-flower water**
1 1/4 teaspoons finely grated fresh orange zest
2 tablespoons finely chopped candied citron***
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Special equipment: a fluted pastry wheel
*available at natural foods stores and Middle Eastern markets
**available in the supermarket 's bar section or in the baking aisle, or by mail order from Kalustyan's (212-685-3451)
***available at specialty foods shops and some supermarkets
Cover wheat berries with cold water in a bowl, then chill, covered, 8 to 12 hours. Drain in a sieve and rinse.
Make pastry while wheat berries soak: Sift together 2 1/4cups flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, and 1/2teaspoon salt. Blend in 1 1/4sticks butter (1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons) with a pastry blender or your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 2 whole eggs and stir with a fork until a crumbly dough forms.
Turn dough out onto a work surface. Divide in half and with heel of your hand smear each piece of dough twice with a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather dough and form into 2 disks. Chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.
Make filling: Bring soaked wheat berries and cold water to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, until wheat berries are tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Add remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and simmer 5 minutes more. Drain in sieve and rinse under cold water until cool. Drain well.
Whisk together 2 yolks and 1/4 cup sugar, then whisk in cornstarch and remaining 3 tablespoons flour until smooth. Bring milk to a boil in a small heavy saucepan, then gradually add hot milk to yolks, whisking.
Pour custard into saucepan and bring to a boil over moderately low heat, whisking constantly (custard will get very thick), then boil, whisking, 1 minute. Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla and remaining 1/4 stick (2 tablespoons) butter. Transfer pastry cream to a bowl and chill, its surface covered with wax paper.
Beat together ricotta and remaining 1/3 cup sugar with an electric mixer at medium speed until sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes. Beat in flower water, pastry cream, and remaining 2 yolks, then stir in zest, citron, cinnamon, and wheat berries.
Assemble and bake pie: Preheat oven to 350�F.
Roll out half of dough into a 13-inch round on a well-floured surface with a floured rolling pin. Fit dough into a 9-inch (24-centimeter) springform pan (dough is very tender and will crack). Press dough against side of pan and patch any cracks. Chill.
Lightly beat remaining egg. Roll out remaining dough into a 10-inch round and transfer to a baking sheet. Brush dough with some of egg, then cut into 10 (1-inch) strips with fluted pastry wheel.
Spoon filling into chilled piecrust (filling will not reach top of crust).
Arrange 5 dough strips vertically on filling (1 inch apart), pressing ends of strips into crust. Arrange remaining 5 strips over them in same manner to form a diagonal lattice. Trim crust 1/2 inch from top of filling, then fold over lattice. Brush edge with some of egg.
Bake pie in middle of oven until pastry is golden and filling is puffed and set, about 1 1/2 hours, covering top of pie with foil after 50 minutes to prevent overbrowning. Transfer to a rack to cool. Run a thin knife around edge of pie and remove side of pan. Chill pie at least 2 hours. Bring to room temperature before serving.

UPICK Blueberries

I froze blueberries from a UPick farm in Cooperstown NY named INGALLS BLUEBERY HILL.  they are organic - more expensive - the berries are plump and the owner is helpful.
we picked for about 3 hours.

It was the middle of August, I think a later harvest than normal.  Call 607-547-2600 for info + facebook link - call first for best picking.  

They provide buckets to pick lined with bags to take your blueberries home.  I brought a plastic tray to lay them in the car - they are fragile.  Than I washed and froze them and de-stemmed.  I froze in large 2 mil bags that I use for freezer products.  They held up very well.  I recently made blueberry muffins.  Here is the recipe.

BLUEBERRY MUFFINS
2 c cake flour
1 1/2 tsp baking pwder
3/4 tsp salt
mix dry ingredients

cream
1 stick butter
3/4 c sugar or substitute (honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar)
3/4 c sour cream or buttermilk
2 eggs

add dry ingredients and mix
add blueberries to taste - I used alot

the frozen berries help the batter to chill immediately which makes for better baking
Bake at 350 degrees until a tester comes out clean depending on the size of your muffins they take as little as 15-20 minutes to bake.  They stay moist and soft for a good amount of time in your frig! Enjoy! https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ingalls-Blueberry-Hill/254264028089345

Baking with Fruit & Veggies

Banana Carrot Cupcakes
I left out the yogurt - although baking with yogurt or sour cream is great to moisten the cake -  I used a whole very ripened banana - and with fruit and veggies in a recipe, tthe result is moist anyway.

• 1½ cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• ¼ tsp. nutmeg
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 1 egg
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted
• ½ cup mashed banana/...one well ripened banana
  
• ½ cup plain Greek yogurt/ ...omit if you like
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 heaping cup shredded carrots

Small Batch: Flan

Spoon Sweets: Cyprus

Chocosol

This company is beyond dynamic - founder Michael Sacco appears in many youtube videos - not the one featured here which is about their packaging choices - something we have focused on ourselves for our products at Ambrosia Farms. He started a bean to bar factory in Toronto, Canada and appears to sell mostly through farmers markets and direct from the factory and still encourages customers to bring their own containers to purchase unwrapped chocolate and receive a discount - brilliant again! Especially for those repeat customers that previously read the ingredient list.   I encourage you to learn more via youtube search about these young folks doing good work and let them speak for themselves.

 I will have another blog post about the co- opting of dark chocolate - a increasingly popular beneficial food that is loaded with unhealthy additives by comercial companies and still marketed as healthy - once again by large commercial corporations- and even small ones nowadays - with misleading labels! 

This company is one of the REAL deal...
AUTHENTIC TRUE GOOD FOOD SOURCES FROM FARMER TO TABLE!
Chocosol 6 St Joseph St Toronto, ON M4Y 1J7, Canada
https://www.facebook.com/ChocoSolTraders
Phone: (416) 923-6675 photo from EAT PRAY BAKE blog

Italian Farmhouse Recipes: Easter Pie

Love, love love this pie - with locally grown organic wheat berries!!! Family Farmers Unite!

I use the "pasta frolla" instructions previously posted on this blog

There are many versions of Ingredients for the filling - here are some - scroll down:

http://www.emikodavies.com/blog/pastiera-napoletana/

• 250 grams of cooked whole grains*
• 200 ml milk
• 30 grams of butter
• 350 grams of fresh ricotta (from sheep and cow’s milk, if you can get a mixture of both)
• 350 grams of caster sugar
• 2 whole eggs, plus two yolks
• 100 grams of mixed candied citrus fruit (such as citron or orange), finely chopped
• grated rind of one organic lemon
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence (or 1 vanilla bean pod)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon of orange blossom water

• The Filling
• 10 ounces (300 g) ricotta (purchase this fresh from a delicatessen) 
• 3/4 cup (150 g) sugar 
• 3 eggs, separated 
• 1 vial (1/4 cup) acqua di fiori d'arancio (not orange extract, but orange blossom water -- purchase this from an Italian deli)
• A pinch powdered cinnamon 
• 1/4 cup minced candied citron 
• 1/4 cup minced candied orange peel

there are so many recipes out there!  I will try some and let you know which I liked best.  Where we grew up the neighborhood had some good bread and pastry shops!  Lucky, right?

 http://www.pastiera.com/history.htm 

1 kg pre packed frozen short pastry (if you want to make it at home click here for the recipe) 700 gr ricotta cheese 600 gr sugar 400 gr of boiled wheat (you can easily find cans in any supermarket) 80 gr crystallized citron

80 gr crystallized orange a dash cinnamon 100 gr milk 30 gr butter or lard 5 eggs and 2 egg yolks a spoon full of vanilla a spoon of orange flavoured water 1 lemon

Ingredients

http://lacucinaitalianamagazine.com/recipe/neapolitan_cake

• 1 3/4 cups wheat berries
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 lemon
• 2 pounds fresh ricotta cheese
• 1 cup candied citrus
• 2 tablespoons orange flower water
• 1 orange
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• Heat oven to 375°.
  
  Separate remaining 4 eggs. In a large bowl, stir together wheat berries, ricotta, remaining cup sugar, candied citrus, egg yolks, orange water, finely grated zest from orange, 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest and cin

Mostaccioli

Carrot Cake w/Cardamom Frosting

Carrot Cake w/Cardamom Frosting

blend

1.5 cup sugar

.5 cup brown sugar

4 eggs

.5 cup milk 

1.5 cup olive oil

add 1.5 cup crushed pistachios and 1.5 cup chopped apricots plus 4 cup grated carrots

combine dry ingredients whisked together beforehand

3 cup flour

2 tsp bking powder

1 tbl bking soda

flavor with tsp

salt 

cinnamon

cardamom

nutmeg

all spice

bake 350 degrees F

Italian Farmhouse Recipes: pasta frolla and pizza dough

Pasta Frolla

1.5 cup plus 1 tbl AP flour

7 tbl unsalted butter room temp

2 large egg yolks

.5 cups sugar

pinch fine sea salt

zest of 1 lemon, minced

ideal temp 65-68 degrees F

Pizza Dough

1. 1/3 cups luke warm water

2 teaspoons dry yeast

.5 cup olive oil

4*4.5 AP flour

1 tsp fine sea salt

F.A.B.: Sweet Riot

One of the recommended Companies is  Sweet Riot

Why we review it...

-their CEO is really cool and well spoken as is their Mission!

-good antioxidants

-helps cocoa farmers

-simple packaging

The price:  $4.00/bar

The website:

http://sweetriot.com/

contact info

sweetriot, inc. 
670 Broadway, Suite 302 
new york, ny 10012 
212.431.RIOT (7468)

info@sweetriot/com

Tradition: Italian Struffoli