It has been quite some time since I last baked (and blogged about) cupcakes. October of last year, to be exact. That’s entirely too long for one to go without cupcakes!

To put an end to the cupcake dry spell, I wanted to bake something special. I had the idea for these cupcakes while shopping at Bath & Body Works. Weird, yes, but stay with me here. See, every year they have a few holiday scented body lotions and this past year, they had one called Yuletide Pear Vanilla. After smelling it, I declared, “Hey, this smells good enough to eat!”.

The result? Pear Vanilla Bean cupcakes with vanilla bean buttercream frosting.

The cupcakes are very moist and flavorful thanks to the fresh pears. Add in a bit of vanilla bean and it gets even better!

For more of a vanilla flavor kick, I used pure vanilla bean paste. This is the first recipe I’ve used it in and I have to say, I’m a fan! I love this stuff! It has a thicker consistency and is flecked with vanilla bean seeds. You can use it 1:1 in place of vanilla extract or vanilla beans.

I had originally planned to use vanilla beans for these cupcakes, but I just couldn’t justify spending around $7 for two beans. Thankfully, I stumbled upon vanilla bean paste. It is much more economical and much easier to use!

To shred the pears, I first peeled them using a veggie peeler. Then, after slicing the pears in half lengthwise, I used a melon baller to scoop out the seeds. And finally, I coarsely shredded them using a box grater.

The Bosc pears I used were very juicy, so to avoid a gushy mess of what was supposed to be cupcake batter, I added a touch more flour to even out the moisture.

To top off these babies, I frosted them with Cupcake Project’s Vanilla Bean Buttercream. Just a note, the recipe only made enough frosting to frost about 6 cupcakes, so you’ll have to up the amounts to frost all of the cupcakes.

Had a slight wrapper malfunction. I was trying these new (to me, anyway) greaseproof cupcake liners but when they came out of the oven they had completely separated from the cupcakes. They looked odd, so just took them out. Less work to do before they get eaten!

Pear Vanilla Bean Cupcakes
adapted from Martha Stewart

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla bean paste
4 cups coarsely shredded pears, such as Bosc (about 1 3/4 pounds)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 standard cupcake tins with paper liners.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix butter and sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Add in vanilla paste and eggs. Reduce speed to low; mix in shredded pears. Add flour mixture, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix until just combined.

Divide the batter among lined cups, filling halfway. Bake cupcakes at 350°F for 18-20 minutes or until the tops are springy to the touch. Remove cupcakes from the tins and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Frosting: Vanilla Bean Buttercream (from Cupcake Project)

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© Stormie for BiteSizeBaker.com, 2010. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Cupcakes, Fruit, Pear, Vanilla Bean

Thank you to everyone who entered the Kneadlessly Simple giveaway! I really enjoyed reading all of your comments!

So what is the consensus of the favorite breads? The clear favorite is sourdough, followed closely by french bread. There were 20+ different varieties of bread mentioned. Challah, focaccia, rye, baguette, pumpernickel, whole wheat and cinnamon raisin were some of the other favorites.

And…now…. the winner is….

#64 – Bree – “Yum, I’m definitely going to try out that recipe Thanks for sharing! I absolutely love sourdough bread. I’m drooling right now just thinking about it!”

Congratulations, Bree! I know you’ll love the variety of bread recipes in the book!

Keep an eye out for more giveaways in the the coming months! I love giving away free stuff! It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Happy Baking!

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© Stormie for BiteSizeBaker.com, 2010. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: bread, giveaway, winner

Another month, another great Daring Baker challenge! I’ve only been a Daring Baker for a few months now and each challenge has been a wonderful, educational experience! This month was no exception.

The February 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen and Deeba of Passionate About Baking. They chose Tiramisu as the challenge for the month. Their challenge recipe is based on recipes from The Washington Post, Cordon Bleu at Home and Baking Obsession.

The challenge included making all of the components of tiramisu from scratch. Mascarpone cheese, savoiardi biscuits (ladyfingers) and Zabaglione to be exact. Plus whipped cream and a vanilla pastry cream. So, yeah, I’d call that a challenge since the only part I had experience with was the whipped cream.

Getting back to my “bite-size” roots, I chose to make mini tiramisu using a removable bottom mini cheesecake pan. I purchased the pan way back in April of last year. I never got around to using it, so when I wanted to make mini tiramisu, I knew just what to use it for! I was a bit concerned about removing them without damaging the sides but it worked out really well. More on that below.

I’ve detailed my experience making the mascarpone cheese, savoiardi biscuits (ladyfingers) and the assembly of my mini tiramisu below. Unfortunately, I didn’t get step-by-step photos of the zabaglione or the creams.

Homemade Mascarpone Cheese

Recipe source: Vera’s recipe for Homemade Mascarpone Cheese
Makes 12oz/340gm of mascarpone cheese

474ml (approx. 500ml)/ 2 cups whipping (36 %) pasteurized (not ultra-pasteurized), preferably organic cream (between 25% to 36% cream will do)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (I used lime juice)

Directions:
Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a wide skillet (I used double boiler). Reduce the heat to medium-low so the water is barely simmering. Pour the cream into a medium heat-resistant bowl, then place the bowl into the skillet. Heat the cream, stirring often, to 190°F. If you do not have a thermometer, wait until small bubbles keep trying to push up to the surface.

It will take about 15 minutes of delicate heating. Add the lemon juice and continue heating the mixture, stirring gently, until the cream curdles. Do not expect the same action as you see during ricotta cheese making. All that the whipping cream will do is become thicker, like a well-done crème anglaise. It will cover a back of your wooden spoon thickly. You will see just a few clear whey streaks when you stir. Remove the bowl from the water and let cool for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, line a sieve with four layers of dampened cheesecloth and set it over a bowl. Transfer the mixture into the lined sieve. Do not squeeze the cheese in the cheesecloth or press on its surface (be patient, it will firm up after refrigeration time). Once cooled completely, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate (in the sieve) overnight or up to 24 hours. Keep refrigerated and use within 3 to 4 days.

Vera’s notes: The first time I made mascarpone I had all doubts if it’d been cooked enough, because of its custard-like texture. Have no fear, it will firm up beautifully in the fridge, and will yet remain lusciously creamy.

My notes:

• I was unable to find pasteurized cream and had to settle for ultra-pasteurized.
• It works best to use a stainless steel bowl when making the mascarpone.
• While making the cheese, I was quite worried that it would ever thicken up. Eventually, it did thicken but not as much as I had imagined it would. When I poured it into the cheesecloth lined sieve, it started draining more than it should have. So, to keep it from draining the actual cheese, I added a thin cotton towel. That did the trick. You should only find a small amount (few spoonfuls) of whey that drained. I let mine drain a little longer than 24 hours to help firm it up more. After that, I transfered it to a airtight container and refrigerated it for another day until I was ready to use it. The end result was softer than store bought, but as far as taste, I couldn’t really tell any difference. Pure creamy goodness!

Zabaglione, Vanilla Pastry Cream and Whipped Cream

Recipe source: Carminantonio’s Tiramisu from The Washington Post, July 11 2007

For the zabaglione:
2 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons sugar/50gms
1/4 cup/60ml Marsala wine (or port or coffee)
1/4 teaspoon/ 1.25ml vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

For the vanilla pastry cream:
1/4 cup/55gms sugar
1 tablespoon/8gms all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon/ 2.5ml vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk
3/4 cup/175ml whole milk

For the whipped cream:
1 cup/235ml chilled heavy cream (we used 25%)
1/4 cup/55gms sugar
1/2 teaspoon/ 2.5ml vanilla extract

Directions:

For the zabaglione:
Heat water in a double boiler. If you don’t have a double boiler, place a pot with about an inch of water in it on the stove. Place a heat-proof bowl in the pot making sure the bottom does not touch the water.
In a large mixing bowl (or stainless steel mixing bowl), mix together the egg yolks, sugar, the Marsala (or espresso/ coffee), vanilla extract and lemon zest. Whisk together until the yolks are fully blended and the mixture looks smooth.
Transfer the mixture to the top of a double boiler or place your bowl over the pan/ pot with simmering water. Cook the egg mixture over low heat, stirring constantly, for about 8 minutes or until it resembles thick custard. It may bubble a bit as it reaches that consistency.
Let cool to room temperature and transfer the zabaglione to a bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.

For the pastry cream:
Mix together the sugar, flour, lemon zest and vanilla extract in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. To this add the egg yolk and half the milk. Whisk until smooth.
Now place the saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring constantly to prevent the mixture from curdling.
Add the remaining milk a little at a time, still stirring constantly. After about 12 minutes the mixture will be thick, free of lumps and beginning to bubble. (If you have a few lumps, don’t worry. You can push the cream through a fine-mesh strainer.)
Transfer the pastry cream to a bowl and cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic film and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.

For the whipped cream:
Combine the cream, sugar and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Beat with an electric hand mixer or immersion blender until the mixture holds stiff peaks. Set aside (I stored in the fridge while waiting to assemble).

Keep scrolling for assembly instructions.

Savoiardi Biscuits / Ladyfingers

Recipe Source: Le Cordon Bleu at Home

This recipe makes approximately 24 big ladyfingers or 45 small (2 1/2″ to 3″ long) ladyfingers. (Made about 38 roughly 2-inch round ladyfingers)

Ingredients:

3 eggs, separated
6 tablespoons /75gms granulated sugar
3/4 cup/95gms cake flour, sifted (or 3/4 cup all purpose flour + 2 tbsp corn starch)
6 tablespoons /50gms confectioner’s sugar

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350° F (175° C), then lightly brush 2 baking sheets with oil or softened butter and line with parchment paper.
Beat the egg whites using a hand held or stand electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Gradually add granulated sugar and continue beating until the egg whites become stiff again, glossy and smooth.
In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks lightly with a fork and fold them into the meringue, using a wooden spoon. Sift the flour over this mixture and fold gently until just mixed. It is important to fold very gently and not overdo the folding. Otherwise the batter would deflate and lose volume resulting in ladyfingers which are flat and not spongy.

Fit a pastry bag with a plain tip (or just snip the end off; you could also use a Ziploc bag) and fill with the batter. Pipe the batter into about 2″ thin circles leaving about 1″ space in between the biscuits.
Sprinkle half the confectioner’s sugar over the ladyfingers and wait for 5 minutes. The sugar will pearl or look wet and glisten. Now sprinkle the remaining sugar. This helps to give the ladyfingers their characteristic crispness.
Hold the parchment paper in place with your thumb and lift one side of the baking sheet and gently tap it on the work surface to remove excess sprinkled sugar.
Bake the ladyfingers for 10 minutes, then rotate the sheets and bake for another 5 minutes or so until the puff up, turn lightly golden brown and are still soft. Use circle cutter approximately the same size as the mini cheesecake cup and cut edges off while the biscuits are still warm.
Allow them to cool slightly on the sheets for about 5 minutes and then remove the ladyfingers from the baking sheet with a metal spatula while still hot, and cool on a rack.
Store them in an airtight container till required. They should keep for 2 to 3 weeks.

My notes:

• I ended up making two batches of the ladyfingers. The first, I mixed with a hand mixer. Not only was it tiring, but the biscuits didn’t turn out “right”. Something was off. They weren’t even spongy. So for the second batch, I turned to my trusty kitchen aid mixer. It cut down on mixing time, the egg whites held stiffer peaks and the biscuits came out more like traditional ladyfingers/savoiardi biscuits. Perfection!
• To get the biscuits perfectly round, and the exact size I needed to fit in my mini cheesecake pan, I used a circle cookie cutter to trim off the edges immediately after they came out of the oven. I discarded (read: ate) the scraps and transfered them to a cooling rack.

Assembly of the Mini Tiramisu

Directions:

2 cups/470ml brewed espresso, warmed
1 teaspoon/5ml rum extract (optional)
1/2 cup/110gms sugar
1/3 cup/75gms mascarpone cheese
about 36 savoiardi/ ladyfinger biscuits
2 tablespoons/30gms unsweetened cocoa powder

Mix together the warm espresso, rum extract and sugar in a shallow dish, whisking to mix well. Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, beat the mascarpone cheese with a spoon to break down the lumps and make it smooth. This will make it easier to fold. Add the prepared and chilled zabaglione and pastry cream, blending until just combined. Gently fold in the whipped cream. Set this cream mixture aside.

To assemble the tiramisu in mini cheesecake cups, working quickly, dip the top of 12 of the round ladyfingers for 1 second in the espresso mixture (they should be moist but not soggy) then place one in the bottom of each of the cups. With a pastry bag fitted with a medium round tip (I used a Wilton 2A), or ziploc with corner cut off, pipe a layer of the tiramisu filling. Dip another 12 ladyfingers in the espresso and place on top of the first layer of filling. Pipe another layer of cream mixture. Dip 12 more lady fingers and place on top of second layer of cream. Pipe the final (top) layer of filling on top of the biscuits. Note: Be careful how thick you pipe your cream mixture. I started with too much in the bottom layer and ended up having to shy the top two layers so that the tiramisu weren’t rounded on the tops. They still were to some extent but that’s okay.

Clean any spilled cream mixture; cover carefully with plastic wrap (I used foil) and freeze the tiramisu overnight or until ready to serve.

To remove and serve the mini tiramisu: Carefully remove the plastic wrap or foil. Gently push up on the bottom of each cup. Try to push them up uniformly and not more towards one side to avoid it toppling out of the pan. If you have one, a wooden dowel about 5/8″ to 3/4″ around (or something of similar shape, such as a cannoli form) works perfectly.

Sprinkle the tiramisu with cocoa powder using a fine-mesh strainer or decorate as desired.

My notes:

• I kept my tiramisu cream mixture in the fridge between layering the biscuits and cream. It kept it from getting soft or difficult to pipe neatly.
• At the end of dipping the ladyfingers, I was left with an insane amount of espresso. Not sure why the recipe calls for 2 cups as it didn’t take near that much. You may want to scale that down to minimize waste.
• Since the tops of my mini tiramisu cups were slightly overfilled, I created a foil “tent” to cover them while they were in the freezer.
• Ideally, they should be thoroughly frozen before trying to remove them. That way, you get the cleanest possible edges.
• The patterns on the tops were created with cupcake and cookie stencils from Martha Stewart. I picked them up at Macy’s last year and unfortunately, I can’t find them online. The back of the packaging says they are exclusive to Macy’s.
• If you don’t have a mini cheesecake pan but still want to make round tiramisu, you could try assembling it in a shallow dish, freezing and then cutting with tall biscuit cutters.

In the end, I’m happy that everything came together so well. It was challenging to get everything together and there was a lot to do, but isn’t a challenge kinda the point?

A big thanks to Aparna and Deeba for such an awesome challenge!

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© Stormie for BiteSizeBaker.com, 2010. | Permalink | 37 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Bite Size, Daring Bakers, dessert, Mini Tiramisu, Tiramisu

When it comes to baking bread, you could say I’m a novice. Complete novice.

Short of banana bread (and I’m not sure that even counts), I’d never made a homemade, warm out of the oven, honest to goodness loaf of bread. Sad, yes, I know.

So last week, I set off for the bookstore with a goal to come home with a bread book. Five minutes of staring at the bookshelves and I was completely overwhelmed. There were bread books by the dozens and most of them were the thickness of an encyclopedia! Whoa! I needed a cookbook that would ease me into the world of bread baking and I found just that when I reached for Nancy Baggett’s book, Kneadlessly Simple: Fabulous, Fuss-Free, No-Knead Breads.

The basis of her no-knead bread baking method is a long, slow rise. Were talkin’ up to 18 hours long. At first, I didn’t really understand why but once I read the first few pages, it made sense. By letting the dough rise for a longer period of time, it essentially kneads itself while developing flavor. Also in the front of the book, she has a great getting started section on basic how-to, ingredients and troubleshooting. Check out Nancy’s website or follow her on twitter! She has some wonderful recipes on her site, including a few from Kneadlessly Simple, and a great FAQ page.

To start off my bread baking experience, I decided to stick to the “easiest ever yeast breads” chapter. Sounds fitting, don’t you think? I chose to make the whole wheat variation of the All-Purpose Wheat Bread. The recipe came together easily and in no time (okay, so a few hours) I had delicious freshly baked bread. That I made. By myself. Amazing.

So, since this was my first experience baking bread, why not have my first giveaway! Sound’s like a good reason to me!

I’m giving away one copy of Kneadlessly Simple!

All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post answering the following question:

What is your favorite type of bread? Are you a sourdough type of person? Rye? Whole Grain? Pumpernickel perhaps? Or, do you love all breads equally?

Deadline to enter is midnight (est) on Friday, February 26th. One entry per person, please. I will randomly select the winner on Saturday morning (2/27). Open to U.S.A & Canada residents.

Make sure to leave a valid email address (or some way of contacting you). If for some reason I don’t hear back from the winner by 3/1, I will select an alternate winner. This contest is solely sponsored by me, BiteSizeBaker.

All-Purpose Whole Wheat Bread
adapted from Kneadlessly Simple by Nancy Baggett (Wiley Publishing)

2 cups unbleached all-purpose white flour, plus more as needed
2 cups whole wheat flour, plus 1 tablespoon for garnishing loaf top
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
Generous 1 3/4 teaspoons table salt
3/4 teaspoon instant, fast rising, or bread machine yeast
3 tablespoons corn oil, plus extra for coating dough top and baking pan
2 cups plus 1 tablespoon ice water, plus more if needed

First Rise:

In a large bowl, thoroughly stir together the white flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, salt and yeast. In another bowl or measuring cup, whisk the oil into the water. Then vigorously stir the mixture into the bowl with the flour, scraping down the sides and mixing until thoroughly blended. If too dry, add just enough more water to facilitate mixing, but don’t over-moisten, as the dough should be stiff. If necessary, stir in enough more white flour to stiffen it. Brush or spray the top with oil. Tightly cover the bowl with plastic wrap. If desired, for best flavor or for convenience, you can refrigerate the dough for 3 to 10 hours. Then let rise at cool room temperature for 12 to 18 hours.

Second Rise:

Vigorously stir the dough. If it is not stiff, stir in enough more white flour to yield a hard-to-stir dough. Using an oiled ribber spatula, gently lift and fold the dough towards the center © the way around (this organizes the gluten for shaping the dough into a loaf). Invert it into a very well-greased 9×5-inch loaf pan. Using a oiled spatula or fingertips, smooth out the top and press the dough out into the pan. Brush or spray the dough top with oil. Evenly sprinkle the top with 1 tablespoon whole wheat flour. Using a well-oiled serrated knife or kitchen shears, make 3 to 4 evenly spaced diagonal 1/2-inch-deep slashes down the loaf. Cover the pan with nonstick spray-coated plastic wrap.

Let the dough rise using any of these methods:
For a regular rise, let stand at warm room temperature for 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours.
For an accelerated rise, let stand in a turned-off microwave along with 1 cup boiling-hot water for 1 to 1 1/2 hours
For an extended rise, refrigerate, covered, for 4 to 24 hours, then set out at room temperature.

When the dough nears the plastic, remove it and continue the rise until the dough extends 1/8 inch above the pan rim or doubles from its deflated size.

Baking:

15 minutes before baking time, place a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat oven to 375°f.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the loaf is well browned and crisp on top; as necessary, cover with foil to prevent over-browning. Bake for 10 to 20 minutes more, until a skewer inserted in the thickest part comes out with just a few particles on the end (or until the center registers 208° to 210°f in an instant-read thermometer). Then bake for 5 minutes longer to make sure the center is done. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn the loaf out onto a rack and cool.

Serve warm, cool or toasted; the bread slices best when cool. Cool thoroughly before storing in plastic or foil. Keeps at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. May be frozen, airtight, for up to 2 months.

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© Stormie for BiteSizeBaker.com, 2010. | Permalink | 85 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: bread, giveaway, no-knead, whole wheat

Since most of the U.S. is covered in a blanket of snow, I figured now would be a great time to whip up something summery. You know, a bit of summer in the dead of winter. And what better ingredient to use than limes. Now would be the time to close your eyes and picture some place tropical with palm trees and hammocks swaying in the salty breeze. Go ahead. I’ll wait.

Okay, back to reality.

I discovered this recipe recently when I picked up a copy of Nigella Lawson’s How to Be a Domestic Goddess. Let me tell ya, if this is what it take to be a domestic goddess, I’ll happily bake these every day! The cakes are flavored with lime zest and they get an added boost of lime flavor from the syrup that is poured over while they are still warm. In the book, Nigella mentions that you can easily substitute lemons for the limes, or even orange juice for orange-syrup cakes. Which ever type of citrus you decide to use, the outcome is bound to be great!

Something new to me is self-rising cake flour, which I had never heard of. After searching the supermarket and coming up empty handed, I decided to turn to my friend, Google. He pointed me in the right direction, and I found that, apparently, White Lily self-rising flour is equal to self-rising cake flour. There you go. Problem solved and it seemed to work just fine.

They have a bit of a peak in the middle but I have a feeling that is due to the fact I over-mixed the batter. Nevertheless, they taste divine!

Mini Lime-Syrup Sponges
adapted from How to Be a Domestic Goddess

For the mini cakes:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
2 eggs
zest of 1 lime
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons self-rising cake flour
pinch of salt
4 tablespoons milk

For the lime-syrup:
4 tablespoons lime juice (1-2 limes) plus zest for decoration
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

Preheat oven 350°F.

Generously butter a 8-cup mini-loaf pan; set aside.

Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs and lime zest, until incorporated well. Gently fold in the flour and salt and then add the milk. Divide evenly into mini-loaf pan, and bake for 25 minutes (Note: I used a dark non-stick pan and the baking time was about 20 minutes).

While the cakes are baking, prepare the syrup by putting the lime juice and confectioners’ sugar into a small saucepan and heat gently so that the sugar dissolves.

As soon as the mini-sponges are ready take them out of the oven and prick them all over with a cake-tester (or toothpick). Pour over the syrup evenly. Let the middle absorb the liquid as well as the sides, then leave it to soak up the rest.

When they have cooled slightly and the syrup looks like it has been absorbed, turn them out onto a cooling rack. Don’t let them cool completely in the pans or they may be difficult to remove.

For a garnish, grate some lime zest on the tops.

Makes 8.

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© Stormie for BiteSizeBaker.com, 2010. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Cake, citrus, lime, mini cakes

Warning: If you are on any kind of diet, you may want to look away.

I first made these bars over the Christmas holidays last year with the intention of blogging about them. Well, let’s just say, they didn’t make it that far. They seemed to disappear before I could get pictures. So obviously I had to bake them again. For the sake of pictures, of course.

The bars look so sinful and taste incredible! They have a blondie type texture with chocolate chunks, carmel pieces, mini marshmallows and butterscotch chips mixed in. And it doesn’t stop there, oh no, right before you bake them, the batter is topped off with even more chocolate, carmel, marshmallows and butterscotch. Oh yeah!

I’m not sure why they are called Rocky Ledge bars but quite frankly, I don’t really care what they are called when they taste as wonderful as they do!

Rocky Ledge Bars
adapted from Martha Stewart

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon coarse salt
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 cups packed dark-brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
18 soft caramel-candy cubes, coarsely chopped
1 cup miniature marshmallows
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used semi-sweet chocolate chunks)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Lightly butter a 9-13-inch baking pan and line with parchment paper, allowing an overhang on the longer sides. Lightly butter parchment with butter (not overhang).

In a medium bowl, whisk flour, salt and baking powder; set aside.

Mix butter and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla; mix until combined. Mix in flour mixture until just combined, being sure not to over-mix. Fold in half of each of the caramels, marshmallows, butterscotch chips and chocolate.

Pour batter in pan and spread evenly. Distribute the remaining caramels, marshmallows, butterscotch chips and chocolate on top. Bake until golden brown or a cake tester comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Let cool. Lift out of pan and move to baking sheet. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until set.

Remove the parchment and cut into pieces. Store in an airtight container at room temp for up to 1 week.

Note: the original recipe called for white chocolate but I omitted it. If you prefer, add 1 cup white chocolate, coarsely chopped, in with the rest of the goodies (1/2 cup in batter, 1/2 cup on top).

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© Stormie for BiteSizeBaker.com, 2010. | Permalink | 12 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Blondies, butterscotch, caramel, chocolate, cookie bars, Cookies & Bars, marshmallow

The January 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Lauren of Celiac Teen. Lauren chose Gluten-Free Graham Wafers and Nanaimo Bars as the challenge for the month. The sources she based her recipe on are 101 Cookbooks and www.nanaimo.ca.

This month’s Daring Bakers challenge was especially exciting as I had never made my own graham crackers before. Part of the challenge was to bake them using Gluten-Free flours. The graham crackers, to me, were much better than store bought!

The second part of the challenge was to make Nanaimo Bars using the graham crackers in the base. I had heard of Nanaimo Bars before, but I had no idea what they were exactly. Boy was I missing out. My goodness, these things are addictive. The bottom layer is made up of coconut, walnuts (or almonds), chocolate and of course, ground graham crackers. The middle layer is what surprised me the most. I was expecting a custard/pudding type filling, not a wonderful vanilla buttercream texture filling. Top it all off with melted chocolate and it just doesn’t get much better that that.

To say the dough was a little sticky would be an understatement. I had flour everywhere when I finished rolling the crackers out. Everywhere.

Now, you can cut out the crackers in any shape you desire, but I was boring and went with round. I tried for some cute fluted edged crackers but those didn’t quite make it. In other words, they were ugly. No worries though, I just made those into the crumbs for the base of the Nanaimo bars.

While I couldn’t find two of the three flours called for, I did find a bag of Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free All Purpose Baking Flour. It seemed to work just as well as the other flours would have.

I’ve posted the recipe below with the adjustment for the flour mix I used. For the recipe using sweet rice flour, tapioca starch and sorghum flour, check out Lauren’s site.

Gluten-Free Graham Wafers
adapted from 101 Cookbooks

2 1/2 cups plus 2 tbsp All Purpose wheat flour (or GF AP Baking Flour Mix)
1 cup (200 g) (7.1 ounces) Dark Brown Sugar, Lightly packed
1 teaspoon (5 mL) Baking soda
3/4 teaspoon (4 mL) Kosher Salt
7 tablespoons (100 g) (3 ½ ounces) Unsalted Butter (Cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen)
1/3 cup (80 mL) Honey, Mild-flavoured such as clover.
5 tablespoons (75 mL) Whole Milk
2 tablespoons (30 mL) Pure Vanilla Extract

Directions:

1. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, combine the flours, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Pulse on low to incorporate. Add the butter and pulse on and off, until the mixture is the consistency of a coarse meal. If making by hand, combine aforementioned dry ingredients with a whisk, then cut in butter until you have a coarse meal. No chunks of butter should be visible.

2. In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the honey, milk and vanilla. Add to the flour mixture until the dough barely comes together. It will be very soft and sticky.

3. Turn the dough onto a surface well-floured with sweet rice flour and pat the dough into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Wrap in plastic and chill until firm, about 2 hours, or overnight.

4. Divide the dough in half and return one half to the refrigerator. Sift an even layer of sweet rice flour onto the work surface and roll the dough into a long rectangle, about 1/8 inch thick. The dough will be quite sticky, so flour as necessary. Cut into 4 by 4 inch squares. Gather the scraps together and set aside. Place wafers on one or two parchment-lined baking sheets. Chill until firm, about 30 to 45 minutes. Repeat with the second batch of dough.

5. Adjust the rack to the upper and lower positions and preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius).

6. Gather the scraps together into a ball, chill until firm, and reroll. Dust the surface with more sweet rice flour and roll out the dough to get a couple more wafers.

7. Prick the wafers with toothpick or fork, not all the way through, in two or more rows.

8. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until browned and slightly firm to the touch, rotating sheets halfway through to ensure even baking. Might take less, and the starting location of each sheet may determine its required time.

9. When cooled completely, place enough wafers in food processor to make 1 ¼ cups (300 mL) of crumbs. Another way to do this is to place in a large ziplock bag, force all air out and smash with a rolling pin until wafers are crumbs.

Have I mentioned these bars can be addictive?!? They are super sweet and a 2″x2″ square was more than enough for me. Luckily they freeze really well and are utterly delicious when they are frozen.

Lauren allowed for any flavor variation but being that I had never tried one before, I opted to stay with the traditional version. After seeing some of the other Daring Bakers outstanding flavor combinations, I will be making these again soon! Take a look at these variations – cappuccino, hazelnut, coconut vanilla bean and cranberry.

Nanaimo Bars
adapted from City of Nanaimo

Bottom Layer:
1/2 cup (115 g) (4 ounces) Unsalted Butter
1/4 cup (50 g) (1.8 ounces) Granulated Sugar
5 tablespoons (75 mL) Unsweetened Cocoa
1 Large Egg, Beaten
1 1/4 cups (300 mL) (160 g) (5.6 ounces) Gluten Free Graham Wafer Crumbs (See recipe above)
1/2 cup (55 g) (1.9 ounces) Walnuts or Almonds (Any type, Finely chopped)
1 cup (130 g) (4.5 ounces) Coconut (Shredded, sweetened or unsweetened)

Middle Layer:
1/2 cup (115 g) (4 ounces) Unsalted Butter
2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons (40 mL) Heavy Cream
2 tablespoons (30 mL) Vanilla Custard Powder (Such as Bird’s. Vanilla pudding mix may be substituted.)
2 cups (254 g) (8.9 ounces) Confectioners’ Sugar

Top Layer:
4 ounces (115 g) Semi-sweet chocolate
2 tablespoons (28 g) (1 ounce) Unsalted Butter

Directions:

1. For bottom Layer: Melt unsalted butter, sugar and cocoa in top of a double boiler. Add egg and stir to cook and thicken. Remove from heat. Stir in crumbs, nuts and coconut. Press firmly into an ungreased 8 by 8 inch pan.
2. For Middle Layer: Cream butter, cream, custard powder, and confectioners’ sugar together well. Beat until light in colour. Spread over bottom layer.
3. For Top Layer: Melt chocolate and unsalted butter over low heat. Cool. Once cool, pour over middle layer and chill.

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© Stormie for BiteSizeBaker.com, 2010. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: chocolate, Daring Bakers, Gluten Free, graham crackers, Nanaimo Bars, wafers

Need to warm up? These chewy Dark Chocolate Chipotle Cookies will certainly help. The wonderful dark chocolate taste comes through first, followed closely by the kick of the chipotle. Such a great flavor combination!

The recipe originally comes from Nantucket Cookie Company via the Food Network and it is the January Cookie Carnival recipe. I halved the quanity mainly because I just couldn’t bring myself to use 4 sticks of butter. I tried, I just couldn’t do it. In the end, my hips thank me, I’m sure of it.

The recipe calls for crushed dried chipotle peppers but my grocery store was out (and has been for a while) so I substituted with ground chipotle powder. Being cautious because I didn’t want to make them too spicy, I started with 1/8 tsp and worked up from there, according to taste. The final amount I used was somewhere between 1/2 tsp and 1 tsp. Really accurate, I know. After tasting the cookies, I do think I could have added even more. The taste was very subtle but it added a lot to the overall flavor of the cookies. I plan on trying these again when my grocery store gets the crushed dried peppers in stock.

I recommend trying these warm, right out of the oven, with a glass of milk or some hot chocolate!!

Dark Chocolate Chipotle Cookies
adapted from Food Network (Courtesy of Nantucket Cookie Company)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar, plus 1/4 for topping
1/4 cup cocoa powder sifted
1 teaspoon crushed, dried chipotle peppers (or Ground Chipotle Chili powder)
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons water
4 oz (0.25 lb) high-quality bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
3/4 cup high-quality bittersweet chocolate chips, plus 1/4 cup for topping

Mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl; set aside.

With an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth, scraping sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the sugars, sifted cocoa powder and chipotle peppers and mix at medium speed until light and fluffy (about 1 minute). Add eggs, vanilla and water. Beat at medium speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Add the slightly cooled melted chocolate and mix again, scraping the bowl to evenly mix everything.

Add the flour mixture, and mix until well incorporated. Add the chocolate chips and mix briefly (about 5 seconds).

Refrigerate the dough in the bowl until cool and fudge-like, but not solid, for approximately 1 hour. You can use an ice cream scoop to create large, even sized cookies. These cookie-dough balls can also be frozen at this point, and baked right from the freezer whenever the need arises.

When ready to bake, press the tops of the cookie dough-balls into the sugar, and then top with 2 to 3 pieces of dark chocolate chips. Place onto parchment-lined baking sheets, allowing space for the cookies to spread (Note: I did about 4-6 cookies per sheet because they spread out quite a bit). Bake for 12 to 14 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven when they are still a little underdone. Slide the parchment paper with the cookies onto a cooling rack and allow to cool before removing from parchment.

Made about 2 dozen large cookies.

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© Stormie for BiteSizeBaker.com, 2010. | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Chipotle, chocolate, cookie carnival, Cookies & Bars

With the Holidays practically here, I’ve been waiting to do all of my major baking until just the right time. It’s been quite a struggle. I’m working through it though.

So, back to the point. I was in need of some small homemade treats to give as gifts and instead of baking cookies, I thought of popcorn. But, I didn’t want to do the typical popcorn balls or carmel popcorn. I think I hit the jackpot when I ran across this recipe from Gourmet. Considering my obsession with maple, I was thrilled!

And, it’s a cinch to make. Five ingredients and it’s done.

Maple Almond Popcorn
adapted from Gourmet

8 cups popped popcorn
1 cup coarsly chopped almonds (or pecans), toasted
3/4 stick unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups pure maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt

Line the bottom of a 17″x11″ jelly roll pan with foil. Lightly oil foil (I used cooking spray).

Toss the toasted nuts and popcorn in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.

In a heavy small sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the maple syrup and salt. Boil (still at med. heat), without stirring, until a candy thermometer reads 300°F (about 15-20 min). Watch the mixture closely towards the end of the cooking as it can burn quickly.

Note: It’s completely optional, but you could do as I did and spill most of the maple syrup on the counter top, down the front of the cabinet and on the floor. Again, completely optional step.

Pour maple syrup mixture over popcorn and nuts. Stir quickly and briskly with a silicone spatula (or oiled spoon) to coat then immediately spread popcorn onto the foil covered pan. Cool completely, break apart into bite-size pieces.

Enjoy!

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© Stormie for BiteSizeBaker.com, 2009. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: almond, maple, popcorn, snacks

So this year, I’m determined to be completely prepared. I have to say, I’m quite proud of my progress so far. Only 7 days into the month and I have a tree! In a stand! With lights and ornaments! Now, let’s hope I can keep the ball rolling here.

So I thought, why not put together a list of a few really cool things that would make great gifts for foodies (or anyone, really)! Some of them I have tried or own, some I really want (are you listening Santa?) and some that are just plain cool.

Nonstick Edge Brownie Pan
How cool is this?!? When it comes to brownies, I’m all about the edge pieces. I think this pan & I would get along really well. Too well, actually.

Jumbo Cookbook Holder
When I bake, things get messy. I really need to protect my cookbooks better than leaving them perched precariously, somewhere between the flour and sugar.

RSVP Endurance Stainless Steel Spice Spoons
I love measuring spoons. I must have at least 4-5 mix-matched sets. So, do I need another set? Technically, no. These are totally different though. (That justifies it right?) The narrow stainless steel scoop fits nicely into spice jars. No more having to use two different measuring spoons because the one I need won’t fit thorough the jar opening. They would be great as a stocking stuffer also!

KitchenAid 5-Quart Glass Bowl
After seeing the new Kitchen Aid 90th anniversary stand mixer, I immediately fell in love with the glass bowl. I loved it even more when read the details… It can go in the microwave, dishwasher and freezer! It has a pouring spout (which is the one thing I wish my existing bowl had), a specially designed lid (also dishwasher safe) and measuring lines on the bowl. Need I say more?

I am an avid Etsy browser/shopper. I could spend days upon days just browsing through all of the wonderful handmade and vintage items! Here are a few really great handmade Etsy items that would make spectacular Christmas gifts for anyone on your list!

Happy holiday shopping!

Now, I’m off to do some shopping of my own. The only thing under my tree right now is my cat.

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© Stormie for BiteSizeBaker.com, 2009. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: christmas, etsy, foodie gifts, gift guide