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Mardi Gras King Cake

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Mardi Gras King Cake

King Cake – A Very Brief History

If you’ve never had a bite of King Cake, today is your lucky day. Mardi Gras King Cake is a multi-colored, sugar-sprinkled giant cinnamon roll treat traditional in New Orleans. Mardi Gras or Carnival is celebrated throughout the American South and around the world but King Cake is traditionally a part of the festivities in New Orleans. You can only get your hands on this delicious purple (justice), green (faith) and gold (power) pastry during the Mardi Gras season. The dates of Mardi Gras are specific, with the first day to buy a King Cake in New Orleans beginning with the feast of Epiphany. Usually in early January. The last day to buy a King Cake in New Orleans is Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday, which signals the first day of Lent.

During my days in New Orleans Gambino’s, Randazzo’s and Haydel’s were the go-to bakeries for Mardi Gras King Cake. In those days it never crossed my mind to bake my own sticky-gooey roll of delicious sweet bread at home. Let alone bake a tiny plastic baby into the center of it. Yes, there really is a baby baked into a King Cake.

Make It Yourself

Then I moved to California. That first February when I ordered a King Cake from the local French Bakery I almost cried. It was basically just a bundt cake with purple, green and gold frosting!  I ended up ordering from Haydel’s in New Orleans out of desperation. At nearly $100 for the cake, plus shipping, I totally blew my monthly food budget. So, I determined the next year to have a much better solution.

I scoured Southern Living, Cooking Light, Food & Wine and every southern cookbook I could find. This recipe is a compilation of the very best traditional recipes from that search. It is also a result of my effort to recreate my favorite King Cakes from the bakeries in New Orleans. 

Most recently I added a spin on the gooey white icing after falling in love with Alison Roman’s Brown Butter-Buttermilk Cake. The brown butter icing on top of her cake is to die for. Literally! The icing gets a nice shell on it and has an incredible buttery flavor that makes it a perfect icing for King Cake. Just be sure to get your sprinkles onto it while the frosting is still wet so they stick to the cake.

I hope you’ll find this King Cake as close to the NOLA OG as you can get when baking one from scratch. Let me know if you try the recipe. I’d love to hear about your results.

Mardi Gras King Cake
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Mardi Gras King Cake

Brightly colored, sugar-sprinkled giant sticky-sweet cinnamon roll treat unique to New Orleans and all of Louisiana during Mardi Gras season.
The instructions for this cake are long, but don't let that deter you. This is a pretty easy recipe to master and the instructions are intended as tips to keep you from making many of the mistakes that I made when learning to make it. Seriously, this cake is definitely worth making. Your family and friends will lose their minds when you share this cake with them. Laissez les bons temps rouler!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American, Creole, French
Keyword Baking, Bread, Cake, Dessert
Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Rise 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Servings 16 servings

Ingredients

For the Cake

  • 8 oz sour cream
  • 4 Tbsp sugar
  • 2 Tbsp butter
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 envelope active dry yeast equivalent to 2¼ tsp
  • ¼ cup warm water
  • 1 Tbsp sugar
  • 1 egg lightly beaten
  • 3 cups bread flour if you only have all-purpose flour that's OK. Your cake will be a bit denser and more cake-like using all-purpose.
  • 5 Tbsp butter softened
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon

Butter Icing

  • 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2-3 Tbsp buttermilk

Decorations

  • colored sprinkles (purple, yellow, green)
  • plastic baby You can find plastic babies on the baby shower aisle of your local craft store or party store. I bake mine right into the cake and they NEVER melt. The cake is only in the oven for 15-20 minutes so the temperature doesn't get hot enough to melt your baby. 😀
  • Mardi Gras beads and dubloons (colored coins)

Instructions

  • In a small saucepan heat sour cream, 4 Tbsp sugar, 2 Tbsp butter and 1 tsp salt. Stir till melted and combined. Turn off heat and let cool to 110° or below.
  • In a small bowl or glass measuring cup mix yeast with ¼ cup warm water plus 1 Tbsp sugar. Stir until dissolved and let sit, for about 5 minutes, until foamy.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer beat the cooled sour cream mixture with the yeast mixture. Add egg and 1 cup flour mixing to incorporate. Reduce speed to low and gradually add remaining 2 cups of flour. The dough should start to become soft and form a ball, still slightly sticky and not too dry or dense. If it is too sticky add more flour 1 Tbsp at a time.
  • Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
  • Butter the sides of a large glass bowl and place the dough inside, turning to cover dough in butter. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and let it rise in a warm place for about an hour or until dough doubles in size.
  • After dough has risen for an hour punch it down. Then roll out into a 22" x 12" rectangle. Spread the 5 Tbsp softened butter evenly over the dough leaving about 1" un-buttered around the edge. Stir together ¼ cup brown sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle evenly over butter.
  • Here's the OPTION part: I braid my dough, but you don's need to do that. You can just roll it up and bake in the oven as a single roll. I will give you both methods.

Braided King Cake

  • Cut the dough length-wise into 3 equal strips. Place the baby on top of one of the strips, press it right down into the buttery dough. Then begin rolling each strip of dough up, enclosing the butter and sugar. (and the baby in one!) Pinch the seams together. Lay each rope seam side down.
    King Cake Baby
  • Place 3 ends of the dough together on top of each other and press them all together so that they become sealed at the end. braid the 3 ropes together, end-over-end until you get the the bottom. This is a sturdy dough so you can stretch and twist it to get the braid the way you want it. Be sure to keep the seams toward the middle of the cake, hidden inside.
  • When you get the end of the braid, pinch the 3 ends together and place on a parchment or foil-lined baking sheet. (Parchment or foil will catch all the melted butter that may seep out of your cake while baking)
  • Bring the ends of the roll together to form an oval ring, pinching edges together to seal. Just get in there and stretch and squeeze it together really well. You won't hurt this dough.
  • Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 20 to 30 minutes or until doubled in size.
  • Bake at 375° for 14 to 16 minutes or until golden. Slightly cool cake on the pan on a wire rack.
  • While the cake is baking and cooling make the brown buttermilk icing.

Jelly Roll King Cake

  • Place your plastic baby anywhere in the rectangle of dough. Starting at one long end, roll up the dough, jelly-roll style, enclosing the butter, sugar and baby inside. Pinch seam together.
  • Place roll, seam side down, on a parchment or foil-lined baking sheet. (Parchment or foil will catch all the melted butter that may seep out of your cake while baking) Bring the ends of the roll together to form an oval ring, pinching edges together to seal. Just get in there and stretch and squeeze it together really well. You won't hurt this dough.
  • Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 20 to 30 minutes or until doubled in size.
  • Bake at 375° for 14 to 16 minutes or until golden. Slightly cool cake on the pan on a wire rack.
  • While the cake is baking and cooling make the brown buttermilk icing.

Brown Buttermilk Icing

  • In a small saucepan heat 3 Tbsp unsalted butter on medium, swirling and watching constantly. As soon as it gets foamy and starts to brown, turn off heat. It should have a nutty buttery aroma. Let it cool slightly.
  • Whisk the powdered sugar, buttermilk and browned butter together, scraping out all of the browned butter bits into the mixture.
  • Drizzle the icing over the top of the cake. Sprinkle immediately with the colored sugars, alternating colors to form bands.
    Mardi Gras King Cake
  • Allow to cool completely before slicing. Tradition says that the person who gets the slice of King Cake with the baby inside buys or bakes the next King Cake for the group. Be sure to pay it forward and have fun with this festive cake and tradition.

Notes

 
 

Pigs in a Brioche Blanket

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Yeah. I know they look like little caterpillar cocoons. Don’t judge. They’re seriously delicious! And for my first attempt at brioche Pigs in a Blanket, let me tell you, they were a huge hit. Make sure to plan for making the dough up to 24 hours before serving these. This recipe uses a yeast dough that requires rising before baking.

I watched a video of Claire Saffitz making these and the craving hit me. Watch her assemble it on Vice. You’ll be entertained and get an idea of how to stretch and wrap the brioche dough.

Swap out Vienna sausages for hotdogs or bratwurst then wrap em up in a buttery brioche dough and baked till golden. Easy to make and impossible to stop eating. Super scrumptious, crowd-pleasing and perfect for game day snacks. Serve with honey mustard dipping sauce or your favorite condiments.

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Pigs in a Brioche Blanket

Course Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine American
Keyword Bread, Hotdogs
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Rise 18 hours

Ingredients

Brioche Dough

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 Tbsp sugar
  • 1 Tbsp kosher salt
  • 3 large eggs at room temperature
  • 8 Tbsp unsalted butter (1 full stick) cold and cut into 8-10 cubes
  • 2 Tbsp milk
  • 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

For wrapping the pigs

  • chilled and risen brioche dough
  • 8 kosher hot dogs or bratwurst
  • all-purpose flour for dusting and rolling dough
  • 1 large egg beaten with a fork or whisk
  • 1 Tbsp sesame seeds or coarse crunchy salt

Honey Mustard Sauce

  • ¾ cup sour cream
  • ¼ cup spicy brown mustard
  • ⅛ cup yellow mustard
  • 2 Tbsp honey
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper optional

Instructions

  • Do your mise en place. Measure and set out all of your ingredients. Make sure your eggs are at room temperature and butter is cut and cold.
  • In a tiny saucepan or in the microwave heat the milk until just lukewarm. 105°-110° on a food thermometer. If it's too hot it will kill your yeast.
  • Pour warm milk into a small bowl. Add yeast and whisk until dissolved. Set aside until foamy - about 5 minutes.
  • Remove the bowl of a stand mixer and add dry ingredients, flour, sugar and salt. Whisk to combine then make a well in the center. Pour in the milk/yeast mixture. Then add the 3 room temperature eggs. Mix by hand until just combined.
  • Put bowl back on stand mixer and attach the dough hook. Mix on low speed until a shaggy dough forms - about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium and mix until dough starts to wrap around the hook. Keep mixing until the dough is soft and supple. Scrape dough off the hook every so often. Mix until dough comes cleanly off the bottom and sides. Add a pinch of flour if the dough is sticking. Knead dough in mixer for about 10 minutes.
  • Keeping the mixer on medium, add the butter one piece at a time. Allow each piece of butter to fully incorporate into the dough before adding the next. This is a long process. It may take about 15 minutes before all the butter is fully mixed in.
  • Gather the dough from the bowl and gently shape into a ball. Dust lightly with flour and set into a lightly buttered bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to rise for a minimum of 8 hours and up to 24 hours.
  • Pre-heat oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Pierce the skin of each hot dog several times to prevent from bursting while baking. Lightly dust each hot dog or bratwurst with flour.
  • Take the risen dough out of the bowl and place on a clean work surface. Divide into 8 equal pieces.
  • Take 1 piece of dough at a time and roll out with your hands. Making long snake-like rolls out of each piece. About 12 inches long each.
  • Working from the middle of each hotdog and rolling outward to the ends, lay the brioche across the middle of the hot dog. Wind one end of dough around the hotdog until you reach one end. Then roll the other end of the dough outward toward the other end of the hotdog. Pinch each end of the hotdog to completely seal.
  • Repeat for all 8 pigs in a blanket.
  • Whisk the remaining egg in a bowl. Brush egg over each roll making sure to get the egg wash into all the little folds and seams. Sprinkle with sesame seeds or coarse salt.
  • Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
  • Remove pigs in a blanket from oven and slice them into serving-size or bite-sized rounds. Enjoy with honey mustard dipping sauce or your choice of condiments.

Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

  • Whisk all sauce ingredients together in a bowl until fully incorporated. Spoon over pigs in a blanket and enjoy.

The Only Pizza Dough You’ll Ever Need

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Best Pizza Dough Ever

Homemade pizza dough has always kind of eluded me. Hard crust outside, soggy inside. Too much flour on the bottom of the crust or cornmeal that leaves it strangely crunchy. Dough that’s hard to work with and ends up with holes or sticking to the pizza pan. I’ve tried and moved on more times than I care to admit.

Through trial and error and repeating mistakes, I finally landed on pizza dough that I can live a long happy life with. This is an adapted version of Roberta’s pizza dough from the famed Italian pizzeria in Brooklyn, NY.  The last time I ate Roberta’s pizza was 8 years ago during a trip to NYC. Seriously, that’s how long I’ve been on a quest to make the perfect dough. When all I had to do was use the recipe from the place. Stubborn, yeah, I already said that to myself.

Well, if you’re still searching, let me save you a little time. Just make this dough and enjoy brighter days filling your pizza with fresh pizza sauce and ingredients that will shine atop this chewy, crispy pizza crust. A little yeast, flour and olive oil is all it takes to make the best homemade pizza dough you’ll ever need. Let’s get to baking!

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The Only Pizza Dough You'll Ever Need

A little yeast, flour and olive oil is all it takes to make the best homemade pizza dough you'll ever need.
Course Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine American, Italian
Keyword Baking, Pizza
Prep Time 3 hours 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings 4 people

Equipment

  • Kitchen scale - Important for this recipe to turn out perfect every time
  • "00" Flour - worth the extra effort to keep "00" flour on hand in your pantry
  • Pizza stone

Ingredients

  • 153 grams "00" Flour If you absolutely do not have "00" in your pantry you can make this with all-purpose flour. Just be sure to order some before your next go of it. It makes a noticeable difference in texture and taste.
  • 153 grams all-purpose flour
  • 8 grams sea salt
  • 2 grams active dry yeast
  • 4 grams extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

  • Begin making this dough 3-4 hours before you want to eat a pizza.
  • Combine flours and salt in a large mixing bowl.
  • In a separate mixing bowl, stir together 200 grams of lukewarm (110° - 114°) tap water, the yeast and the olive oil. The water temperature does matter here. Too hot and you will kill the yeast. Too cold and you will not get the yeast to react. Then pour the yeast mixture into flour mixture. Knead, in the bowl, with your hands until well combined, approximately 3 minutes. It'll be a slightly sticky.
    (Tip: I use a deep 12 qt Cambro serving container for this job because it's easy to get my hand around the dough. But any large mixing bowl will do the trick.) The kneaded dough will be a bit sticky.
    Let the mixture rest for 15 minutes.
  • After the 15 minute rest, knead the dough for another 3 minutes. It should look smooth and be strong. Cut (not ripping or tearing) dough into 2 equal pieces and shape each into a ball with your hands. Place on a heavily floured surface and cover with dampened cloth. A dampened cloth should help prevent or lessen a crust that wants to form on the rising dough.
    Let dough rest and rise for 3 to 4 hours at room temperature or for 8 to 24 hours in the refrigerator. (If you refrigerate the dough, remove it 30 to 45 minutes before you begin to shape it for pizza.)
  • When you're ready to make pizza, put a pizza stone or large cast iron skillet in the oven and pre-heat to 500°. About 30 minutes to be sure that your stone or skillet are blazing hot.
    Place each dough ball on a heavily floured surface or pizza peel and use your fingers to stretch it, then your hands to shape it into rounds.
  • Top with pizza sauce and your favorite toppings.
  • Slide pizza into the oven and onto the hot pizza stone. Reduce oven temperature to 450° and bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Holiday Sugar Cookies

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Christmas Sugar Cookies are simply tradition. This Holiday Sugar Cookie recipe turns out cookies as tasty as they are pretty.

I’ve been baking and decorating cookies at Christmas time since I was a little girl. My mom would buy rolls of Pillsbury Sugar Cookie dough and my brother and I would press out shapes with her antique metal cookie cutters. We’d pop em in the oven and start mixing up powdered sugar and milk for the frosting. Drop, drop, drop of Schilling food coloring and then pile on the sprinkles. Crunching the nonpareils and laughing with green and red stained teeth. Oh, the memories!

And the many years of tradition continued. I threw holiday sugar cookie baking parties with friends and roommates as I got older and continued the festive activity with my children, year after year. The kids are adults now and we still decorate together on FaceTime or when they come to visit. I’m back to throwing holiday cookie parties with friends, laughing, sharing stories and toasting each tasty-cute creation.

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Holiday Sugar Cookies

A Holiday Sugar Cookie recipe that turns out cookies as tasty as they are pretty.
Course Cookies, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American
Keyword Baking, Cookies
Prep Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Decorating Time 2 hours
Servings 24 cookies

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • ⅛ tsp almond extract optional but it will take your cookies to a whole new level of yummy.
  • 2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp sea salt

For the Icing

  • 1 cup confectioners sugar sifted to remove clumps
  • 2 Tbsp milk, cream or lemon juice you can use water in a pinch
  • food coloring as many drops as necessary to achieve your desired color

Instructions

  • In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and sea salt. Set aside.
  • Cream together butter and sugar. Add egg, vanilla and almond extract.
  • Add flour, baking soda and salt mixture to the creamed butter. Mix until dough starts to roll around in mixer bowl.
  • Divide dough in half and, with your hands, form into two balls. Set each piece on a sheet of plastic wrap. Flatten down into a ½ inch disc, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight. Dough will keep in the freezer for 2 weeks.
  • When you are ready to bake, preheat oven to 325°.
  • On a piece of parchment paper, roll out 1 disc to about ⅛ inch thick. Thinner cookies will be more crisp. (Leave the other dough ball in the fridge until you are ready to press out the next cookies.) Cut out cookies with desired shapes using excess dough pieces to re-roll and cut out more cookies until dough is all used up.
    Place cookies on cookie sheets and put in the oven. Bake for 12 minutes rotating them about half way through to get evenly browned.
    Take the other ball of dough out of the fridge and press out more cookies. Repeat.
  • Remove cookies from oven and cool completely on a rack.
  • While cookies are cooling, make the icing.
    Put 1 cup powdered sugar in a bowl and slowly drizzle the milk, mixing in a bit at a time until the icing is about the consistency of peanut butter. If it's too thin add more pwdered sugar. Too thick, add more milk.
    Separate into small individual bowls and add food coloring of choice.
  • Decorate cooled cookies your own special way.
    Add friends.
    Eat as you go.

Oreo Chocolate Chunk Brownies

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Oreo Chocolate Chunk Brownies

Oreo Chocolate Chunk Brownies are a chocolate lovers dream come true. Chewy gooey and chocolatey inside and out. These yummy squares are pure heaven. Consider making two pans if, you know, you’re planning on sharing.

I grew up taking apart my Oreos and scraping out the filling with my teeth. Always chased with an icy cold glass of milk. No dunking for me, just a chaser. Oreos are also the cookie of choice to leave on the table for Santa on Christmas Eve.

These brownies require a cold glass of milk too. It’s up to you whether to dunk or chase. No matter how you nosh, these will be the dessert that you add to the top of your list.

Crushed Oreos
Oreo Chocolate Chunk Brownies
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Oreo Chocolate Chunk Brownies

Ooey gooey delicious brownies. Fudgy heavenly brownies with a rich chocolatey taste and chunks of chocolate and Oreos in every bite.
Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American, British
Keyword Brownies, Chocolate, Cookies
Servings 8

Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsalted butter (2 Sticks)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chunks
  • 2 cups chopped Oreos
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 Tbsp instant espresso powder
  • 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
  • ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1½ tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 13x9-inch baking pan with parchment paper and extend it past the edges, on at least two sides. Grease paper with butter.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  • Set a heatproof, medium-sized bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Heat butter, and chocolate chunks until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, espresso powder, vanilla and sugar. Stir the egg mixture into the slightly cooled chocolate mixture. Cool to room temperature.
  • Add flour mixture to the batter. Stir most of the broken Oreos into the chocolate mixture (save a few for sprinkling on top). Then pour the brownie batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle reserved Oreo pieces on top.
  • Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean with a few crumbs attached. Do not over bake as you want them to be fudgy! Let cool completely, then cover and chill for several hours. Chilling the brownies makes them easier to cut. Invert the chilled brownie pan onto a cutting board, peel off the parchment paper and cut into squares.

Loaded Trail Mix Cookies

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Loaded Trail Mix Cookies

Two of my favorite snacks, trail mix and chocolate chip cookies, come together in the ultimate healthy treat. I take these loaded trail mix cookies with me on hikes for a delicious energy boost. And they make a yummy fun snack for the kids on a day at the beach. Chewy nutty trail mix and cookie all in one.

This loaded healthy snack is sweet, savory, crunchy, and chewy. Trail mix cookies satisfy any craving.  And if you ask me, a cookie is much easier to grab than a handful of trail mix. You can toss any dried fruit, nuts chocolate or seeds into the mix you have satisfying mix. Overloading these cookies with crunchy goodness is encouraged. 

They store easily in the freezer to grab out whenever you need quick energy and crave-worthy satisfaction.

Loaded Trail Mix Cookies
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Loaded Trail Mix Cookies

Chewy nutty trail mix and healthy oatmeal cookie all in one.
Course Dessert, Snack
Keyword Baking, Cookies
Prep Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings 8

Ingredients

  • 1 cup raw nuts, assorted
  • ½ cup rolled oats
  • ¾ cup bittersweet chocolate (or carob chips)
  • ¼ cup sunflower seeds, flax seeds, pine nuts
  • ¾ cup dried fruit, chopped into ¼ inch pieces
  • ¼ cup shredded coconut, unsweetened
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp Kosher salt
  • 2 Tbsp Bob's Red Mill GF Egg Replacer, equal to one large egg
  • ¼ cup brown sugar, lightly packed
  • 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
  • 4 Tbsp coconut oil, (or butter) melted
  • 2 tsp vanilla

Instructions

Mix Dough

  • Preheat oven to 350°. Toast nuts, seeds and oats on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing once, until golden brown, 10–12 minutes. Toasting can also be done on the stove top in a skillet. Transfer nuts and seeds to a medium bowl; let cool.
  • Mix egg replacer, melted coconut oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. Let sit while nuts cool (this will make for a chewier cookie).
  • Add dried fruit, shredded coconut and chocolate to cooled nut mixture. Toss to combine.
    Give egg mixture another stir, then mix in flour.
    Mix in nut mixture, smashing it against the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, until combined and trail mix-ins are evenly coated in dough.
    It will look like you have way too much trail mix. That's great. Dough will come together while it chills.
    Cover bowl and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
    Dough can be refrigerated up to 3 days. You can pop em in the oven whenever you feel like having a quick wholesome snack.

Bake Cookies

  • When dough is chilled and you're ready to bake cookies, preheat oven to 350°.
    Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or use silicon baking sheets.
    Use a ¼ - ⅓-cup measure to scoop out dough into 12 even balls. Place 6 balls on each baking sheet and press each ball down into ¾ inch disks. Sprinkle with coarse salt or coconut flakes if desired.
  • Rotate baking sheets top to bottom and front to back one time during baking. Bake until golden brown and no longer gooey-looking, about 12–15 minutes.
    Allow to cool on baking sheets. They fall apart easily when they are too hot and you use a spatula on them. Try to be patient. 🙂
  • Pack your knapsack and hit the trails!
    Toasted Trail Mix Cookies

Dutch Baby with Blueberries

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Dutch Baby

Dutch babies!  These big, fluffy, super egg-y pancakes bake up in a skillet, rising to the morning beautifully. And they are delicious. I added blueberries to these Dutch babies but you can go plain or fancy. Whatever you’re feeling.

Unlike typical pancake batter, that gets mixed in a bowl, Dutch baby batter is whirled in a blender. This recipe requires just a handful of ingredients and comes together in minutes. I made these Dutch babies with blueberries by tossing fresh blueberries into the skillet filled with batter. Then I loaded it into the oven to bake up together.

Use this recipe as a base and experiment with added ingredients. Try tossing on a bunch of fresh berries or bananas before popping the pan into the oven. If you like chocolate, shave some over the top when they come out of the oven. Coconut, powdered sugar, jam, maple syrup, the options are endless. 

Whip up a batch of Dutch babies for breakfast and see the smiles light up.

Dutch Baby
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Dutch Baby with Blueberries

Course Breakfast
Keyword Baking, Breakfast, Brunch
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings 2

Ingredients

  • ½ cup flour
  • ½ cup milk
  • 3 large eggs at room temperature
  • 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 Tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg or cardamom

Instructions

  • Pre-heat oven to 425°
  • Add flour, milk, eggs, sugar and vanilla to a blender and blend until thoroughly mixed and frothy.
    After blending be sure that the batter has come to room temperature and is not too cold. If your batter is too cold it will not rise up high in the skillet.
  • Melt 2 Tbsp butter in a cast iron skillet in the oven.
  • Take skillet out of the oven and pour enough batter into the skillet to cover the bottom. Return pan to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, until the cake is puffed and golden. Resist the urge to open the oven, checking through the oven window if possible.
    When dutch baby is puffed and golden reduce oven temperature to 300° and bake five minutes longer.
  • Remove dutch baby from the oven. Remove to a plate or platter and cut or tear into wedges.
    Turn oven back up to 425°. Melt more butter into the skillet and pour in more batter to bake another Dutch baby while you are busy demolishing the first one.
    Serve hot topped with syrup, jam, confectioners' sugar or fresh fruit.

Sour Cream and Onion Biscuits

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Sour Cream and Onion Biscuits

I arrived really late to the biscuit making game. All the cooks I knew turned out fluffy light biscuits in minutes. My versions were less than perfect. Not so with these Sour Cream and Onion Biscuits. These turn out perfect every time.

Bon Appetite has a terrific video of their folding method for these biscuits. It’ll make a believer out of you.

Gently folding the biscuit dough by hand makes layers in the biscuits for serious pull-apart success. Using sour cream instead of buttermilk adds just the right amount of acidity to help make light and tender biscuits.

Loads of chopped fresh green onions, and maybe an optional dash of parmesan cheese, take these sour cream and onion biscuits over the top. You’ll finish off a plate of these in no time flat.

Serve biscuits hot and fresh out of the oven with a cheesy mound of scrambled eggs.

Sour Cream and Onion Biscuits
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Sour Cream and Onion Biscuits

Perfectly fluffy and light biscuits with a sour cream and onion flavor that's out of this world. They bake up perfectly every time.
Course Breakfast, Brunch
Keyword Baking, Biscuits
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients

  • 10 scallions
  • 2½ cups all-purpose flour plus extra for kneading
  • 1 Tbsp Kosher salt
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 1¼ cups sour cream
  • 12 Tbsp unsalted butter very cold and divided

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. (I have used non stick baking sheets and no parchment paper with equal success.)
  • Coarsely chop white and light green parts of scallions.
  • Melt 2 Tbsp butter. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl combine flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar. Whisk to combine.
  • Cut remaining cold butter into small ¼" pieces. Add to dry ingredients and toss to coat. With your fingers work butter into the flour pressing it into bits. The mixture should resemble pea-sized sand.
    Add scallions and lightly toss to combine.
  • OPTIONAL: Add 2-3 Tbsp sharp cheddar or Parmesan cheese along with the scallions for a bold flavor.
  • Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add 1¼ cup sour cream. Mix with a fork until dough just comes together. It should be pretty shaggy.
  • Turn mixture out onto a lightly floured surface and form together with your hands until it comes back together. Keep your hands floured to keep from sticking. Pull loose mixture into the dough and knead once or twice to combine.
  • Pat dough into a rectangle about 1 inch thick, pressing bits of dough that fall back into the dough.
  • Starting at one of the short edges of the rectangle, fold dough toward the center, one third of the way. Then fold the other edge over that and pat into another rectangle. Don't worry if it's a little misshapen here. The idea is to fold and pat, fold and pat to create layers in the dough. You will do this "fold and pat" two times then pat the dough back to a 1 inch thick rectangle about 8 x 4" in size. Square it up and even the edges with a blade or pastry scraper.
  • Cut dough down the center lengthwise, then cut each half into 4 squares of dough. There should be 8 biscuits total.
  • Transfer biscuits to a baking sheet. Brush tops gently with 2 Tbsp melted butter. Don;t skip this step. It makes your biscuits golden brown and just slightly crisp on top.
  • Bake until light golden brown, 20-25 minutes.
  • Serve hot with a side of eggs.

Blueberry Lemon Muffins with Streusel Topping

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Lemon Blueberry Streusel Muffins

These Blueberry Lemon Muffins are decadently fluffy and loaded with blueberries. With just a hint of lemon zest and a crown of super tasty, crumbly streusel topping, these little treats are hard to resist. I love these gorgeous muffins served warm from the oven with a steaming cup of coffee.

For added visual appeal, skip the muffin liners and wrap each well of a muffin tin with parchment paper. Blueberry muffins come out of the oven looking so special and all dressed up for Sunday brunch.

Lemon Blueberry Streusel Muffins
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Blueberry Lemon Muffins with Streusel Topping

Decadent, delicious and oh, so pretty. These blueberry muffins with lemon zest and a streusel topping will keep you coming back for more. This adaptable recipe works well with fresh or frozen blueberries. Try it with raspberries or blackberries too.
Course Breakfast, Dessert
Keyword Baking, Muffins
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings 8

Equipment

  • muffin pan
  • parchment paper or muffin liners (optional)

Ingredients

Streusel Topping

  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp nutmeg
  • 3 Tbsp butter melted

Muffins

  • 2½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 Tbsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ½ cup butter melted
  • 1 tsp lemon zest
  • 3 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 cup whole milk or buttermilk I use Saco Buttermilk Powder
  • 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
  • 2 cups blueberries if using frozen, do not thaw

Instructions

Streusel Topping

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.
  • Drizzle in the melted butter and toss until crumbles form. Set aside.

Blueberry Muffins

  • Adjust the oven rack to just above center.
    Preheat oven to 400º.
    To make parchment paper liners cut 5" x 5" squares of parchment paper and line your muffin pan. (Check out this great how-to at The Kitchn)
    If not using cupcake/muffin liners, make sure to spray the cupcake tin generously with baking spray.
    Lemon Blueberry Streusel Muffins
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, melted butter, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Add milk/buttermilk and vanilla.
  • Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until just combined. Lumps are ok. Gently fold in the blueberries.
  • Divide the batter into the muffin cups (about 2½ Tablespoons in each) Top with extra blueberries. Evenly sprinkle streusel over each muffin.
  • Bake for 20-25 minutes at 400º. You can do a toothpick test at 20 minutes and see if it comes out clean.
    Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes before removing muffins from the pan.
  • Serve warm. In the rare chance that you have any left over, they will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Angel Food Loaf Cake

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Angel Food Cake

Angel food cake is one of my favorite desserts. It’s light, springy and has a addictive chewiness at the edges. Plus you can eat an entire cake in a single sitting (I know I can!) and not even feel it. Heavenly. Angel Food…oh, I get it.

But if you think angel food cake requires a bundt pan, I’m here to tell you, there’s another way. Angel Food Cake baked in a loaf pan.

Angel Food cake requires egg whites. I make a lot of ice cream custard that uses plenty of egg yolks. I’ve usually got a lot of leftover egg whites multiplying in my fridge.  And my dog can only eat so many of them. In that case, I needed another solution, other than wasting a bunch of egg whites…I really hate wasting food. That said, my small kitchen doesn’t have room for a bundt pan that I’d use only a couple of times a year. My favorite alternative is this Angel Food Cake. In a loaf pan.

This cake is topped with whipping cream shaken up in a jar and fresh strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries from the garden. But you can whip your cream with a mixer.

I used a standard 9 x 5 loaf pan. And here’s a tip: Do NOT grease the pan and DO NOT line it with parchment paper. Angel food cake really needs to stick to the pan for better rise in the oven. Sticking to the pan is important so that the cake stays in the pan when you turn it upside down to cool. 

Another tip: Whip your egg whites at room temperature for maximum loft and fluff. Use cream of tartar, lemon juice or distilled vinegar when whipping. Whichever you have on hand.

You must invert angel food cake while it’s cooling so it maintains its loft. Otherwise it will just be a flat, dense loaf. I simply turn the cake over onto a couple of food cans then come back in an hour to take it out of the pan.

Top angel food cake with your favorite fruit and cream or drizzle with chocolate.

Angel Food Loaf Cake
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Angel Food Loaf Cake

Make this airy fluffy light cake easily in a loaf pan. Use the berries you have available and enjoy this sweet summer treat with jam or homemade whipped cream.
Course Dessert
Keyword Baking, Berries, Cake
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Cooling Time 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours
Servings 6

Equipment

  • 9 x 5 loaf pan

Ingredients

  • ¾ cups sugar divided
  • ½ cup cake flour All-purpose is ok
  • 1 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 6 real egg whites (not from a carton)
  • 1 Tbsp cream of tartar, lemon juice OR distilled vinegar
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • whipping cream
  • fresh berries

Instructions

  • Pre-heat oven to 325°
  • Whisk together flour, cornstarch and ¼ cup of the sugar. Reserve ½ cup sugar for the next step.
  • In a clean bowl of a mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium speed with the cream of tartar (or lemon juice or distilled vinegar if using instead), vanilla, and salt until foamy. About 1 minute.
  • Increase the speed to high and gradually add in the remaining 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Beat until soft hilly peaks form about 3-4 minutes. Do not beat into stiff peaks.
  • Use a rubber spatula to gently fold in the flour ingredients. Add about 1/4 at a time to the egg whites. You want to incorporate all of the flour without deflating the egg whites. Take your time and gently fold. You may have a few small lumps, just make sure there is no dry flour left.
  • Gently pour/spoon the batter into the loaf pan and evenly spread. Bake at 325° for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown and no longer sticky on top.
    Angel Food Cake Batter
  • Turn the pan upside down and rest on top of two jars or cans. Cake must cool upside down for at least 1 hour. Angel food cake will deflate if it cools right-side up.
    Cake cooling hack

Whipping Cream

  • Chill a mixing bowl (or bowl of a stand mixer) in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
  • Pour 1 cup of very cold heavy whipping cream and 1 Tbsp sugar into the chilled bowl.
  • Using a mixer with whisk attachment, mix the cream and sugar on high until rich and creamy. Do not over-mix or cream will become a dry clump that scoops rather than dollops.
  • To serve, carefully run a butter knife around the edges. Lay the pan on its side and carefully pull the cake out with your knife. You can use an offset spatula and run it under the bottom of the cake to gently pull it from the bottom and sides.
    TIP: Slice the angel food cake with a serrated knife. Gently "saw" down into the cake rather than pushing it down and smashing the cake.
    Serve with fresh strawberries, blueberries, and homemade whipped cream.