Mexican Wedding Cookies

Or...butter + powdered sugar = delicious.

So, Matt's been bugging me to make these for awhile. It's a simple recipe with few ingredients...these tend to be my favorites in terms of recipes. Too many ingredients sometimes muddle the taste. If you have good ingredients, why not showcase them?

It's been probably a good two years since I've made these cookies. I couldn't remember why, I assumed it was just because these cookies are delicate and don't travel well. Much of my baking has to stand-up to the subway test (can I take them into work? Yes = good recipe, No = seldom made recipe). Our apartment isn't fantastic for entertaining, so delicate recipes tend not to be made often. What I realized when making them is I hadn't made them because they require hand shaping. I'm a lazy baker and prefer drop cookies, or cookie cutter cookies. I'm not gonna lie. But...Matt wanted them, so I made them.

Of course...for Matt's sake I was incredibly messy in my baking since he was home. No one has ever (or will ever) accuse me of keeping my workspace clean. However, I managed to drop my container of flour (ie...the top came off when I was taking it from the shelf) and got flour all over the kitchen. Always an adventure...

Anyway, without further ado:

Mexican Wedding Cookies
adapted from Paul Deen
Paula Deen & Friends Cookbook

Prep time: approx 15 mins
Baking time: 45 mins
Total time: about 1 hour + cooling
Makes about 2 1/2 dzn cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for coating baked cookies
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting hands
1 cup pecans, chopped into ver small pieces

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. Using an electric mixer at low speed, cream the butter and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Beat in the vanilla. At low speed, gradually add the flour. Mix in the pecans with a spatual.

3. With floured hands, take out about 1 TBS of dough and shape it into a crescent. Continue to dust hands with flour as you make more cookies. Place them 1 inch apart from one another on prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 45 minutes.

4. Roll in additional confectioners' sugar while still warm. Cook completely on wire racks and store in airtight tins. So...a few adjustments this time around, and we will see how they go.

• I was running low on pecans (a travesty, I know) so I used about 1/2 pecans & 1/2 walnuts. I use these nuts interchangeably a lot anyway. I tend to like pecans more then walnuts and use them to punch up recipes that call for walnuts. The walnuts don't show in the taste, but there is a bit of a walnut-ty after taste. I do prefer the pecans, but think the walnuts aren't a bad way to go.
• I'm generous with my vanilla use.

Enjoy!

Homemade Vanilla Extract (Can you say....holiday gifts??)

A few moths ago (read: last January) I stumbled upon a recipe for homemade vanilla extract. Can you imagine my excitement? I am a bit of a vanilla nut...and I go through tons of vanilla extract with all my baking. And, I find much of the vanilla extract out there to not be up to my standard of taste. So, I've been biding my time since finding this recipe.

Finally, I got online the other day and ordered my vanilla beans. There are many sites out there that sell vanilla beans - and yes, the beans can be expensive. However, I've found that you can order "Extract Beans" which are for just this purpose. They are a bit dryer and uglier then the vanilla beans you will find at say, the Whole Foods. But apparently they are up to the job of being infused into extract.

The process of vanilla extract making is really quite simple, or so it seems. I guess the true test will be in 4-6 weeks when the extract is ready for tasting. Essentially vanilla beans + alcohol = vanilla extract. I'm starting with one version of the recipe I found, which uses vodka. I am interested (if this turns out) into possibly experimenting with other types of alcohol just to see if it still makes a viable vanilla. (and yes...I now have a lot of vanilla beans.)

Okay...again, pictures to come but here is the basic process:

(adapted from this recipe)

1. Get vanilla beans & vodka. The vodka should be of good enough quality that it has a pretty neutral taste/lack of taste.
2. Get bottles. This recipe creates it in a 1-quart bottle. I'm hoping to use these for gifts, so am starting with 4 oz. bottles. However, I have a good deal more vanilla beans then bottles at the moment because I'm having a hard time finding a local bottle source and shipping is quite pricey!
3. Cut vanilla beans in half & length-wise. For a 4 oz bottle put approx. 2 beans per bottle.
4. Using a funnel, pour 1/2 cup of vodka per 4 oz bottle.
5. Cap bottle. Shake vigorously.
6. Store in a cool, dark place for 4 - 6 weeks. Shake vigrorously a few times per week.
7. This will continue to get more vanilla-y as it ages.

So...I guess in 4-6 weeks I will report back with the progress of this experiment!

Fingers crossed...

Red Velvet Cupcakes

One of my recent favorites to bake is cupcakes. I went through a whole cupcake phase earlier this year, and as I re-visit each cupcake I'll start to post them on here.

Now...I used to be a skeptic when it came to red velvet. I don't really know, I guess part of it was the uncertainty of what red velvet was. I mean...it's kind of a supernatural color. And I'm a huge chocolate girl...so that also was a demerit for the red velvet. Then..a couple years ago I took the plunge and tried a piece of red velvet cake and found out what I was missing! Red velvet I feel like is an often misunderstood cake flavor. It's a class all of it's own. I like that. And...as a redhead I feel obligated to enjoy things of the red variety.

So with that, I delved into trying red velvet cupcakes earlier this year. Because why not? In a way this has become my signature cupcake. It's a nice, moist cupcake with a (not too) sweet cream cheese frosting. (Side note: Amy's Bread in NYC makes a nice red velvet cupcake but with a buttercream frosting...). I have cream cheese issues, which I'm slowly getting over - but really do like this cream cheese frosting! These were some of the first items that I've sold, and also a standard housewarming/birthday present for many of my friends. Today I completed a batch for a friends birthday this evening.

I have photos documenting the adventure which I will post later. Somehow, in cleaning the apartment the other day, I "temporarily relocated" the cable to download pics from camera to computer.

So...red velvet cupcakes.

Fairly standard. I mostly follow the below recipe.

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen, 2007 & the Food Network

Prep Time: 20 min

Cook Time: 20 min

Level: Easy

Serves:

24 frosted cupcakes (medium size cupcakes)

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons red food coloring
• 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Cream Cheese Frosting: And filling if you choose to fill them! More below on that...

• 1 pound cream cheese, softened
• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• Chopped pecans and fresh raspberries or strawberries, for garnish (Since I fill my cupcakes I actually garnish with crumbs from the cored cupcakes instead of the suggested garnish)
  

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with cupcake papers.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins about 2/3 filled. Bake in oven for about 20 to 22 minutes, turning the pans once, half way through. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.

Garnish with chopped pecans and a fresh raspberry or strawberry.

Cook's Note: Frost the cupcakes with a butter knife or pipe it on with a big star tip.

A few tweaks that I make:

• I think there is too much oil. Often times when there is oil in a baking recipe I feel like it's too much - thus, I used 1 1/3 cups of oil.
  
• I also ALWAYS add some additional vanilla. Always. I love vanilla. Soon there will be a post about making your own vanilla...hopefully it will work!

A few other notes:

• I am all about filled cupcakes. When I found myself with some...extra free time I decided to figure out how to fill my own cupcakes. So, I tried a few methods listed online. One of the primary listed methods is referred to as the "cone method". I hate the cone method. The theory is you take a paring knife and cut out a small cone from the middle of the cupcake. I find it messy, time consuming and just kind of annoying. I went out and got an extra piping tip with a nice size whole, stick that in the middle of the cupcake and core the center. It works for me.

• Frosting: If you've never frosted a cupcake with a piping bag I suggest you go out to the store now and get a piping bag (12" or 14" is a good mid-size, I have an 8" which is good for some fillings but too small for frosting and I use a 16" or 18" when actually frosting cupcakes) and some different tips and give it a go. It makes the frosting of cupcakes a much quicker and easier process.

Enjoy!!

Fall is in the Air! Pumpkin Spice Scones

You may not know this about me...but I love fall. It's my favorite season, followed very closely by spring. Something about the transitions..I just love it!

This fall I've embraced the various seasonal foods. I'll take the next couple of days to catch you up to what's been in my kitchen. But let's start with what I made most recently. We just had a house-guest. I feel that whenever possible, fresh baked goods should await a house-guest. It's just how I was raised. And this was a special house-guest, it was Matt's best friend Richard. He was in town so the boys could attend WhiskyFest NYC. (side note...if any of you are interested in whisky check out Matt's blog http://whiskeyapostle.com)

So...in honor of fall, and Richard, I made some pumpkin scones. Now, I'm not really a scone girl. I don't know if it's the taste or the texture or if it's just a mental block. There's something about the word scone that sets me a bit on edge. But we were just at a fantastic b&b upstate (Creek Locks Bed & Breakfast) that had scones one morning for breakfast, so I guess scones were on the brain. And I've been eating as much pumpkin and butternut squash as I can get my hands on lately, so...I decided to scone it up. I think part of the reasoning for this was a somewhat sub-par pumpkin bread I made last week.

I'm totally scavenging this recipe from another cooking blog, so think what you will of me. But below you will find the recipe for Pumpkin Spice Scones. If you want a more thorough accounting of the process went to to make these scones, then please feel free to visit the other blog - it's quite interesting! I somewhat followed the recipe. I added a little more pumpkin then called for, and that was about it. As previously stated...I love pumpkin.


Courtesy of Pinch My Salt
(This recipe takes about 15 minutes to come together and 15-20 minutes to bake)
(Makes 8 scones)

Pumpkin Spice Scones
* 1 C. all purpose flour
* 1 C. cake flour
* 1 1/2 t. baking powder
* 1/2 t. salt
* 1/2 t. ground cinnamon
* 1/2 t. ground nutmeg
* 1/4 t. ground allspice
* 1/4 t. ground ginger
* 6 T. unsalted butter
* 1/2 C. raisins (optional)
* 1/3 C. pumpkin puree
* 1/3 C. heavy cream
* 6 T. brown sugar
* 1 t. vanilla

Plus ingredients for icing (see below)

* 1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Get out a baking sheet and line with parchment paper (not required but makes cleanup easy!).

1a. Cut the butter into small pieces, put it in a small bowl and put it back in the refrigerator.

1b. In a medium bowl, combine both flours, baking powder, salt, and all spices. Whisk together well. Place bowl in freezer (refrigerator is fine if you have no room in freezer).

* 2. In a separate bowl, combine pumpkin, heavy cream, brown sugar, and vanilla. Whisk together well. Put this bowl in freezer (or refrigerator) and take the other bowl back out.

2a. Get the butter pieces out of the fridge and dump them into the bowl with the flour mixture. Cut the butter into the flour using a pastry blender or rub it in with your fingertips until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the raisins if you are using them.

* 3. Get the liquid mixture out of the freezer and pour into the flour mixture all at once. Stir with a wooden spoon until everything is just moistened. The dough will be very crumbly, this is the way it should be.

3a. Turn the mixture out onto the counter and push the pile together with your hands. It should stick together fairly well. Knead it just a couple of times until everything is together. Don’t knead it too much or the dough will get too sticky.

* 4. Pat the dough out into a rough circle, 3/4 to 1 inch thick. Cut it like a pie into 8 pieces. Place pieces on the baking sheet so that they are not touching.

4a. Bake scones for about 15 minutes at 425 degrees. They should be light brown on the bottom, the tops will darken as they cool.

* Icing:
- For ginger molasses icing:
*Stir together 1 C. powdered sugar, 1 T. molasses, 1-2 T. milk, and 1/4 – 1/2 t. ground ginger (to taste). Adjust the
amount of sugar or milk to make the icing the consistency you want. It should be pretty thick.
- For cinnamon icing:
*Stir together 1 C. powdered sugar, 2 T. milk, 1/4 – 1/2 t. cinnamon (to taste). Again, adjust amounts to change
consistency. Icing can be brushed on or drizzled.

Now, this recipe has two options: with raisins & without, and thus two frosting options. I went sans fruit (the ill-fated pumpkin bread last week had dried cranberries and I just wasn't having it) and the suggested molasses-ginger icing. The icing was divine. I made the scones/frosting the night before and I feel like the ginger flavor intensified slightly overnight, but not in a way that made it overpowering. It would make me nervous to go too heavy on the ginger however. I may or may not have overmixed my scones slightly, as the dough was somewhat sticky when I got to transferring it to the baking pan. However, this gave it a surprisingly nice muffin texture.

So there you have it...perfect for any fall morning sunny and warm or dreary and drizzly.



Enjoy!!

Baking for the under employed...

So...it's come to my attention that I should have a blog. A baking blog. Obviously...what else would I blog about? I know about 2 things...stage managing and baking. I've been doing more of one than the other lately. I love baking. I'm not a cook. I don't like to measure things exactly. But it works for me. I don't know why it works for me and not others...but it does.

That said..I LOVE to bake. I don't particularly care for cooking. Occasionally, you will see me post about cooking. I do it because I cannot live on baked goods alone. I haven't tried...I'd like to try perhaps, but I don't think it would be good for the size of my waist.

There you have it. That's what this blog will be. If there are recipes you are interested in me trying, give a shout. Hopefully these will mostly be successes, but I imagine there will be some disaster stories that will show you I'm just a regular gal in the kitchen.

I also have been toying with the idea of going to school to get my certificate of pastry, but do I want to be a chef or a cook? These are the ideals I struggle with in my mind while whipping up something in the kitchen. Do I want to weigh everything? Am I okay with approximate measures? If I did everything perfectly and spent $40,000 on an education would I be a better baker? Of course...it would be prettier, but does that make it better?

I guess only time will tell...