Cheesy Quinoa Cakes

Posted on May 17, 2013 by

Tasty crispy little cakes I made yesterday with my friend Jani. She’s moving away this weekend, to which I can only say: Boo! But at least we had time to make one more good thing together!

IMG_6039Ingredients:

Quinoa Cakes:

  • 2 cups cooked quinoa
  • 2/3 cup grated fontina cheese
  • 3 tablespoons all purpose flour (I used gluten-free)
  • 2 green onions, thinly sliced
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • salt to taste

Aioli:

  • 1/2 cup light mayonnaise
  • 1 head of garlic, roasted (wrap a head of garlic and a bit of olive oil in some foil and chuck it in your toaster oven until it feels smooshy; when ready to use, peel off the outer layers, then squish the softened garlic cloves out of their outer layers)
  • 1 lemon, zested and juiced
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • salt and pepper to taste

Combine all the quinoa cake ingredients except for the olive oil in a medium bowl and stir together well. Set aside for 5 minutes to come together.

IMG_6032

There’s a tiny bit of red quinoa in with the white quinoa, just because. Totally not necessary/noticeable in the taste.

While you wait, combine all the aioli ingredients in your food processor and process until smooth.

IMG_6034Heat the oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Form golfball sized portions of the quinoa mixture into flattened patties, and cook approximately 5 minutes on each side.

IMG_6035The color of the quinoa on the top becomes a bit less bright when they’re ready to flip.

IMG_6036Remove the browned cakes to a piece of paper towel to blot any excess grease.

IMG_6037Serve with the aioli, and enjoy!

IMG_6038I think more cheese would have been nice, especially since they’re called “cheesy” quinoa cakes. They’re easy enough to make, and you can scarf enough of them, that I think you might as well make a double batch. The recipe makes enough aioli that you shouldn’t need to double that.

Cheesy Quinoa Cakes

From spoon fork bacon.

Quinoa Cakes:

  • 2 cups cooked quinoa
  • (at least) 2/3 cup grated fontina cheese
  • 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 2 green onions, thinly sliced
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • salt to taste

Aioli:

  • 1/2 cup light mayonnaise
  • 1 head of garlic, roasted
  • 1 lemon, zested and juiced
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • salt and pepper to taste

Combine all the quinoa cake ingredients except for the olive oil in a medium bowl and stir together well. Set aside for 5 minutes to come together.

Combine all the aioli ingredients in your food processor and process until smooth.

Heat the oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Form golfball sized portions of the quinoa mixture into flattened patties, and cook approximately 5 minutes on each side. The color of the quinoa on the top becomes a bit less bright when they’re ready to flip. Remove to a piece of paper towel, then serve with the aioli.

Posted in Dinner, Lunch, Snack | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Lemonies

Posted on May 15, 2013 by

That’s like brownies, but lemon flavored, if you couldn’t figure it out. Different from how I picture lemon bars, as they don’t have a crust or a sort or smooshy layer, but they do have plenty of lemon flavor!

IMG_5899Ingredients:

Lemonies:

  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon table salt
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup white chocolate ganache, optional (but why wouldn’t you?)

For the Lemon Glaze:

  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8X8″ pan.

Beat together the butter, sugar, and lemon zest until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating 20 seconds after each.

Sooon I will be back to a mixer with a paddle attachment!

Sooon I will be back to a mixer with a paddle attachment!

Add the salt and flour and beat in on low speed. Spread the batter in the greased pan.

IMG_5888Spread the ganache over top. I did mine in a pattern but it didn’t end up showing, so that doesn’t matter at all. Oh, and mine was leftover from the white chocolate strawberry thumbprints!

IMG_5889Bake 20-25 minutes, until it passes the toothpick test. Mine took 25.

IMG_5890Let cool completely in the pan.

Whisk together the glaze ingredients.

IMG_5892Spread over the top of the lemonies, then let set for ten minutes before serving.

IMG_5894Not a ton of ingredients, and an easy way to use up the lemon that’s about to go weird in the back of your fridge!

Ready to travel!

Ready to travel!

Lemonies

Adapted from Sweet Pea’s Kitchen.

Lemonies:

  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon table salt
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup white chocolate ganache, optional

For the Lemon Glaze:

  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8X8″ pan.

Beat together the butter, sugar, and lemon zest until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating 20 seconds after each. Add the salt and flour and beat in on low speed. Spread the batter in the greased pan, then spread the ganache over the batter.

Bake 20-25 minutes, until it passes the toothpick test. Let cool completely in the pan. Whisk together the glaze ingredients and spread over the lemonies. Let set ten minutes before serving.

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Tri-Layered Vegetable “Meatloaf”

Posted on May 13, 2013 by

This dish is called polpettone di fagiolini, which as close as I can figure out basically means meatloaf of green beans. About right, but with a few more veggies! It’s a really nice looking dish that, like so many others, is simple to put together, but kind of time consuming.

IMG_5803Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 pounds green beans
  • 1 1/2 pounds carrots
  • 1 1/2 pounds celery root (a big white roundish thing, also called celeriac)
  • 6 eggs, separated
  • 3/4 cup pecorino cheese, grated
  • 3/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
  • 4 shallots, finely chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh majoram leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
  • pinch of nutmeg
  • pinch of sea salt
  • olive oil
  • butter and almond meal for the pan (didn’t have almond meal, just used flour)

To start off with, you have to steam or boil (preferably steam) all the vegetables, one at a time. This took significantly longer than I expected! I was definitely wishing I had cut the vegetables into smaller pieces, as they continued to be rock hard for ages. Cut them into small pieces, and then steam until soft enough to mash. This can be done the day before, just let them cool uncovered and then cover and refrigerate overnight.

When all the vegetables are prepared, or the next day, grease and line a 9X5″ bread pan with almond meal. Stir fry the celery root and garlic with a bit of olive oil over medium heat until the celery root looks dryer. I’ve always been under the impression that garlic burns reasonably fast, so I only added it towards the end.

IMG_5788Remove the celery root from the pan, add a bit more oil, and cook the shallots until softened.

Beat the egg whites and pinch of salt until fluffy. I wasn’t positive what “fluffy” meant, but went with soft peaks, and it felt right.

Stir the cheeses and egg yolks together in a small bowl.

IMG_5791

Around now, preheat the oven to 355 degrees.

Next, mash each of the vegetables. I decided I didn’t feel like doing this by hand, and instead used a food processor. Probably made back some of the time I had lost the night before with the extra long steaming.

Mix 1/3 of the yolk/cheese mixture into each vegetable. Add the marjoram and half of the shallots to the green beans, and the nutmeg and other half of the shallots to the carrots.

I did eventually remember to get the shallots in there too.

I did eventually remember to get the shallots in there too.

Divide the egg white mixture into 3, and gently fold 1/3 into each vegetable. Spread the green bean mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.

The cross section would have looked better in the finished product had I been more even here.

The cross section would have looked better in the finished product had I been more even here.

After adding the green beans, I was a bit concerned this wouldn’t all fit in one pan, but it worked. Spread the celery root mixture on top of the green bean one, and top with the carrot.

It all fit, just.

It all fit, just.

Bake until set, about an hour. At 1 hour, the top of mine looked set, but you could see that it was still soft/moist in the cracks so I kept baking, wanting to make sure it didn’t flop coming out of the pan. Continued baking didn’t really make a difference to how moist it seemed inside, so eventually I just took it out and hoped for the best, and it did end up set enough to hold together fine, so I suggest just basing “set” on the very top.

IMG_5799Let cool in the pan 20 minutes or so, then invert onto a platter.

This would probably be a nicer shade on the outside with almond meal!

This would probably be a nicer shade on the outside with almond meal!

Visually, I think slices of this are pretty impressive looking, even with less than perfectly even layers.

IMG_5804It’s not going to replace a tangy meatloaf in my life, but as its own dish it’s a good way to get some veggies in.

Having re-read the recipe, this is apparently nice served with a loose pesto. Skimmed that the first time around, as I don’t much care for pesto, but I’ll agree that a sauce would be a nice addition.

Tri-Layered Vegetable “Meatloaf” (Polpettone di Fagiolini)

From Bread & Companatico.

  • 1 1/2 pounds green beans
  • 1 1/2 pounds carrots
  • 1 1/2 pounds celery root
  • 6 eggs, separated
  • 3/4 cup pecorino cheese, grated
  • 3/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
  • 4 shallots, finely chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh majoram leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
  • pinch of nutmeg
  • pinch of sea salt
  • olive oil
  • butter and almond meal for the pan

Cut each of the vegetables into small pieces. Steam or boil (preferably steam) each vegetable, one at a time, until soft enough to mash.

When all the vegetables are prepared, or the next day, grease and line a 9X5″ bread pan with almond meal.

Stir fry the celery root with a bit of olive oil over medium heat until the celery root looks dryer, adding the garlic at the last minute. Remove the celery root from the pan, add a bit more oil, and cook the shallots until softened.

Beat the egg whites and pinch of salt to soft peaks. Stir the cheeses and egg yolks together in a small bowl.

Preheat the oven to 355 degrees.

Mash or food process each of the vegetables. Mix 1/3 of the yolk/cheese mixture into each vegetable. Add the marjoram and half of the shallots to the green beans, and the nutmeg and other half of the shallots to the carrots. Divide the egg white mixture into 3, and gently fold 1/3 into each vegetable.

Spread the green bean mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan, followed by the celery root mixture, and topped with the carrot mixture.

Bake until the top is set, about an hour. Let cool in the pan 20 minutes or so, then invert onto a platter. Serve with a loose pesto.

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White Chocolate Strawberry Thumbprint Cookies

Posted on May 10, 2013 by

This week’s batch of cookies for my floor hockey team! I tore the house apart several times trying to find my camera, and finally gave up and just used my cell phone to take the pictures for this. Shortly after they were done, I remembered exactly where I’d left the camera. At least it’s back now…

Assuming you let your white chocolate set up more than I did before adding it, yours can be less runny!

Assuming you let your white chocolate set up more than I did before adding it, yours can be less runny!

Ingredients:

  • 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 tablespoons strawberry jam
  • 2 cups + 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 8 ounces white chocolate

Put the white chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan until nearly boiling, then remove from the heat and pour over the chocolate. Stir together until smooth. Chill. This mixture stays liquid for way, way longer than expected, so you might want to make it a few hours before starting the dough.

20130507_150609Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line two sheets with parchment.

Beat together the butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and jam until smooth.

Again, I'd probably use the beater attachment if there were one in this house.

Again, I’d probably use the beater attachment if there were one in this house.

Beat in the flour and salt on low speed. At first the dough seemed so dry I thought it would never come together, but after a few minutes of mixing it was just fine.

20130507_151709Roll dough into 1″ balls and place on the sheets.

20130507_153215Flatten slightly, then press the back of a spoon into the center of each cookie to create a dent.

It's possible that actually using a thumb print would let you get a deeper, more even depression? Not sure.

It’s possible that actually using a thumb print would let you get a deeper, more even depression?

Bake 10 minutes, until lightly browned at the edges.

20130507_154739Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Spoon the thickened chocolate mixture into the dent in each cookie, then chill to firm up further. If the white chocolate hasn’t firmed up before you spoon it into the cookies, it’s just going to run out/everywhere, so do give it a long time in the fridge before you put it in the cookies.

20130507_195058These were billed as a Valentine’s Day cookie, but why wait?!

White Chocolate Strawberry Thumbprint Cookies

From Sugarcrafter.

Ingredients:

  • 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 tablespoons strawberry jam
  • 2 cups + 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 8 ounces white chocolate

Put the white chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan until nearly boiling, then remove from the heat and pour over the chocolate. Stir together until smooth. Chill until firm enough it doesn’t run much but is still workable.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line two sheets with parchment.

Beat together the butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and jam until smooth. Beat in the flour and salt on low speed until combined. Roll dough into 1″ balls and place on the prepared sheets. Flatten slightly, then press the back of a spoon into the center of each cookie to create a dent.

Bake 10 minutes, until lightly browned at the edges. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Spoon the thickened chocolate mixture into the dent in each cookie, then chill to firm up further.

Posted in Dessert | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Banana Butterfinger Cake

Posted on May 8, 2013 by

A flavor combination that I decided recently makes tons of sense to me, Butterfingers and bananas. My only complaint is I should have doubled the amount of Butterfingers! (Which I have done in the recipe below, so don’t re-double. Or do? Who am I to stand in the way of progress?!) It’s a good, well-banana-flavored cake that stays moist for days and days, and the candy’s a super addition.

IMG_5798Ingredients:

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 cups mashed very ripe bananas
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 6 regular sized Butterfingers
  • 5 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
  • 1/2 cup cream

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a bundt pan. Chop the Butterfingers into small pieces, and set aside. If you leave big chunks, they’re prone to sinking in the batter, so pretty small works best.

Smaller than half of these...

Smaller than half of these…plus twice as many!

Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.

Combine the sugars and butter in a large bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating between each addition.

I recommend using the paddle attachment, but my step-mother does not appear to have one for her mixer.

I recommend using the paddle attachment, but my step-mother does not appear to have one for her mixer.

Beat in the vanilla, then beat in the dry ingredients on low speed.

IMG_5785Add the bananas and sour cream and beat until evenly mixed.

IMG_5786Stir in the Butterfinger pieces, then transfer to the bundt pan and spread evenly.

IMG_5787Bake 50-60 minutes, until the top is browned and the cake passes the toothpick test. At 50 minutes the top of mine was browned, but the middle was not yet set, so I covered the top with foil so it wouldn’t burn.

IMG_5789Let cool about 20 minutes in the pan, then flip out onto a platter to cool completely.

IMG_5790When the cake has cooled, put the chocolate in a small bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan until nearly boiling, then remove from the heat and pour over the chocolate. Stir until smooth, then drizzle over the cake.

IMG_5797Slice and enjoy!

IMG_5805I haven’t gotten sick of it, after five days! (I’m dog-sitting alone for a few weeks, so there’s a lot of eating leftovers going on!)

Banana Butterfinger Cake

Adapted from Bon Appetit.

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 cups mashed very ripe bananas
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 6 regular sized Butterfingers
  • 5 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
  • 1/2 cup cream

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a bundt pan. Chop the Butterfingers into small pieces, and set aside. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.

Combine the sugars and butter in a large bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating between each addition. Beat in the vanilla, then beat in the dry ingredients on low speed. Add the bananas and sour cream and beat until evenly mixed. Stir in the Butterfinger pieces, then transfer the batter to the bundt pan and spread evenly.

Bake 50-60 minutes, until the top is browned and the cake passes the toothpick test. Cover with foil if necessary to prevent burning.

Let cool 20 minutes in the pan, then flip out onto a platter to cool completely.

When the cake has cooled, put the chocolate in a small bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan until nearly boiling, then remove from the heat and pour over the chocolate. Stir until smooth, then drizzle over the cake.

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Peanut Butter Reese’s Cookies

Posted on May 6, 2013 by

This seems like a pretty obvious flavor combination. The cookies themselves are puffy and thick, but light and don’t make you feel gross when you inevitably eat too many of them, and the Reese’s are…Reese’s. So, good.

IMG_5719Ingredients:

  • 8 tablespoons of salted butter
  • 6 tablespoons of creamy peanut butter
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 egg + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 8 ounce bag of Reese’s Minis

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees and line to sheets with parchment.

Combine the butter and peanut butter in a small bowl and microwave in 30 second increments until melted. Stir together and set aside to cool to room temperature.

IMG_5712Mix the flour and baking soda in a small bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix the butter/peanut butter mixture with the sugars until combined.

IMG_5713Stir in the egg, yolk, and vanilla.

IMG_5714

Add the flour/baking soda, and stir until just combined. It’s dry enough at this point that you might want to just use one of your hands to knead in the last bits of flour, but don’t worry – once baked these are not dry, hard, life-sucking peanut butter cookies!

IMG_5715Mix in the Reese’s.

IMG_5716Scoop into golf ball sized balls, and place 2″ apart on the lined sheets.

IMG_5717Bake 10-12 minutes, until starting to brown at the edges but still soft in the middle.

IMG_5718Reeaaaally tasty!

IMG_5721Peanut Butter Reese’s Cookies

Lightly adapted from How Sweet It Is.

  • 8 tablespoons of salted butter
  • 6 tablespoons of creamy peanut butter
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 egg + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 8 ounce bag of Reese’s Minis

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees and line to sheets with parchment.

Combine the butter and peanut butter in a small bowl and microwave in 30 second increments until melted. Stir together and set aside to cool to room temperature.

Mix the flour and baking soda in a small bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix the butter/peanut butter mixture with the sugars until combined. Stir in the egg, yolk, and vanilla. Add the flour/baking soda, and stir until just combined, kneading lightly if necessary to incorporate all the flour. Mix in the Reese’s, then scoop the dough into golf ball sized balls, and place 2″ apart on the lined sheets.

Bake 10-12 minutes, until starting to brown at the edges but still soft in the middle.

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Apple Strudel Monkey Bread

Posted on May 3, 2013 by

This is one I’m pretty pleased with myself about. Like Wednesday’s Chorizo and Manchego Rolls, this was one where a recipe (KAF’s Apple-Cinnamon Pull-Apart Rolls) got me thinking, but then I went another way and made things up.

IMG_5710Ingredients:

Dough:

  • 3/4 cup lukewarm milk
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
  • 1 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 3 cups all purpose flour

Filling and Topping:

  • 1 – 1 1/2 apples
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

Glaze:

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2-3 tablespoons milk

Combine the milk, yeast, and sugar in a small bowl or measuring cup and set aside for 5 minutes. While you wait, combine the other dough ingredients in a large bowl.

Stir the milk mixture into the flour mixture until combined, then knead until a smooth dough is formed. Cover, and set aside to rise 1 hour.

IMG_5696Before the hour is up, combine the sugar, flour, and cinnamon of the topping, and cut the apples into small chunks. I aimed for roughly 1/2″ bits, but there was a lot of variation. If there are more than a few minutes left to go for the dough, store the apple in a bowl of water to prevent browning, and just lightly tumble them in paper towel before you start using them. Grease a bundt pan and set aside.

IMG_5697Divide the risen dough into quarters, then roll each quarter into a rope. Cut each rope into 10 pieces of dough.

IMG_5698Wrap each piece of dough around a piece of apple, pressing closed to seal.

IMG_5699IMG_5700Dip each piece of dough in the melted butter, then roll it in the sugar/flour/cinnamon mixture.

IMG_5701Place the coated dough pieces evenly around the bundt pan.

IMG_5702Cover and let rise half an hour. You can then either bake immediately, or refrigerate overnight. If you refrigerate, remove from the fridge 45 minutes before you intend to bake.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake 25-30 minutes for same-day dough, and 35-40 minutes for refrigerated dough, until the top pieces feel firm and cooked.

IMG_5702Let cool 10 minutes in the pan, then flip out onto a plate or platter.

IMG_5706IMG_5708Whisk together the powdered sugar and enough milk to reach a drizzle-able consistency. I just used what was left in the bottle! Drizzle the glaze over the monkey bread.

IMG_5709Pull out pieces to your heart’s content! The dough is lightly sweet and delicious, and the apple and cinnamon sugar coating go well together. Not too shabby! I’ll be submitting this to yeastspotting.IMG_5711

Apple Strudel Monkey Bread

Dough:

  • 3/4 cup lukewarm milk
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
  • 1 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 3 cups all purpose flour

Filling and Topping:

  • 1 – 1 1/2 apples
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

Glaze:

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2-3 tablespoons milk

Combine the milk, yeast, and sugar in a small bowl or measuring cup and set aside for 5 minutes. Combine the other dough ingredients in a large bowl. Stir the milk mixture into the flour mixture until combined, then knead until a smooth dough is formed. Cover, and set aside to rise 1 hour.

Before the hour is up, combine the sugar, flour, and cinnamon of the topping, and cut the apples into small chunks, storing cut apples in water if necessary. Grease a bundt pan and set aside.

Divide the risen dough into quarters, then roll each quarter into a rope. Cut each rope into 10 pieces of dough. Wrap each piece of dough around a piece of apple, pressing closed to seal. Dip each piece of dough in the melted butter, then roll it in the sugar/flour/cinnamon mixture. Place the coated dough pieces evenly around the bundt pan. Cover and let rise half an hour.

Bake immediately, or refrigerate overnight. If you refrigerate, remove from the fridge 45 minutes before you intend to bake.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake 25-30 minutes for same-day dough, and 35-40 minutes for refrigerated dough, until the top pieces feel firm and cooked.

Let cool 10 minutes in the pan, then flip out onto a plate or platter. Whisk together the powdered sugar and enough milk to create a drizzle-able icing, then pour over the monkey bread.

Posted in Bread, Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments