Apple Spiral Bread

Posted on August 12, 2020 by sparecake

A pretty spiral bread I’ve been meaning to make for years. Realistically if you cut your apple slices into smaller pieces, you could make tighter (=prettier) spirals, but I just went with how the slices came from the apples.

Ingredients:

Spiral:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup warm milk
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter
  • 3 small/2 large apples, cored and sliced
  • water with lemon juice

Topping:

  • 3 tablespoons melted butter
  • 3 tablespoons sugar

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Stir in the warm milk and melted butter until a rough dough forms, then knead until smooth and soft. Shape into a ball and place in a greased bowl, then cover and let rise until doubled, 75-90 minutes.

Towards the end of the rising time, prepare your apple slices, placing them in the water with a bit of lemon juice to help prevent browning. Lightly grease 2 8″ or 9″ cake pans.

Punch down the risen dough and divide into two pieces. Roll each ball into an 8×11″ square, then cut each into 9 strips.

Beginning in the center of the pan, coil the dough strips around apple slices in a spiral, working your way out, and pinching the dough firmly to hold each piece in place. Don’t worry too much about drying off your apple slices, just shaking them off over the bowl is fine. Form a spiral in each pan, using half the dough and half the apples for each. Gently cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 45 minutes. Towards the end of that time, preheat your oven to 375.

Bake 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.

Remove from the oven and brush with the remaining melted butter, then sprinkle with the remaining sugar. Best right away, but I certainly kept eating it for a few days of leftovers!

A bit of the sugar kinda soaks in with the butter after a bit and looks a bit less…snow-covered?

Apple Spiral Bread

Adapted slightly from Treat & Trick.

Spiral:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup warm milk
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter
  • 3 small/2 large apples, cored and sliced
  • water with lemon juice

Topping:

  • 3 tablespoons melted butter
  • 3 tablespoons sugar

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Stir in the warm milk and melted butter until a rough dough forms, then knead until smooth and soft. Shape into a ball and place in a greased bowl, then cover and let rise until doubled, 75-90 minutes.

Towards the end of the rising time, prepare your apple slices, placing them in the water with a bit of lemon juice to help prevent browning. Lightly grease 2 8″ or 9″ cake pans.

Punch down the risen dough and divide into two pieces. Roll each ball into an 8×11″ square, then cut each into 9 strips. Beginning in the center of the pan, coil the dough strips around apple slices in a spiral, working your way out, and pinching the dough firmly to hold each piece in place. Form a spiral in each pan, using half the dough and half the apples for each. Gently cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 45 minutes. Towards the end of that time, preheat your oven to 375.

Bake 20-25 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oven and brush with the remaining melted butter, then sprinkle with the remaining sugar.

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Melt In Your Mouth Blueberry Cake

Posted on July 29, 2020 by sparecake

Another one from the Amish cookbook, but this time not enough to feed 800 people at once. Actually, they say it’s often served crumbled into milk, so if you’re eating it alone, slowly enough that it got stale, you could probably keep it going longer by serving it that way. It absorbs the milk very quickly, and, I mean, at that point is basically just breakfast in a bowl, right?

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
  • 1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 large eggs, separated
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 1/2 cup shortening
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 8×8” and set aside. (I only had an 11×7″ handy, it worked.)

Wash and dry your blueberries, then put them in a small bowl. Measure out the flour, then pour a small amount of it over the blueberries, shaking to coat. Set aside. Sift the baking powder into the remaining flour and set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form, gradually adding 1/4 cup of the sugar as you go.

In a large bowl, cream the shortening, salt, and vanilla. It’s little enough shortening that you’ll just sort of have a mess in the bowl.

Measure out the remaining 1 cup of sugar, and scoop out 1 tablespoon, setting it aside. Add the rest of the cup to the shortening mixture, as well as the egg yolks, and beat until light and creamy.

Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with half the milk each time, until evenly mixed.

Fold in the beaten egg whites.

Fold in the blueberries.

Gently turn out into the greased pan and sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar over the top.

Bake 1 hour, or until the cake passes the toothpick test. Because I used a slightly larger pan, I checked mine at 55 minutes and it was done.

Cool in the pan, then slice and serve.

A nicely fluffy cake, with sweet crunchy spots on top thanks to the sugar!

Melt In Your Mouth Blueberry Cake

From Amish Cooks Across America.

  • 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
  • 1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 large eggs, separated
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 1/2 cup shortening
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 8×8” and set aside.

Wash and dry your blueberries, then put them in a small bowl. Measure out the flour, then pour a small amount of it over the blueberries, shaking to coat. Set aside. Sift the baking powder into the remaining flour and set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form, gradually adding 1/4 cup of the sugar as you go.

In a large bowl, cream the shortening, salt, and vanilla. Measure out the remaining 1 cup of sugar, and scoop out 1 tablespoon, setting it aside. Add the rest of the cup to the shortening mixture, as well as the egg yolks, and beat until light and creamy. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with half the milk each time, until evenly mixed.

Fold in the beaten egg whites, then the blueberries, and gently turn out into the greased pan. Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar over the top. Bake 1 hour, or until the cake passes the toothpick test.

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Honey Garlic Shrimp

Posted on July 22, 2020 by sparecake

First time in 4 years that shrimp have made it on the blog! Sounds about right, for how often I eat them, but this was good enough, and quick enough, I could see doing it again a lot sooner than 4 years!

Ingredients:

For broccoli:

  • 3 cups broccoli florets, cut into bite sized pieces
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

For shrimp:

  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons sambal oelek or 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (I used a big gloop of gochujang)
  • 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 pound large or jumbo raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (leave the tail end of the shell on to prevent overcooking; the packaged frozen shrimp I bought at the supermarket still had shells on, but were deveined – 20 minutes in a bowl of water thawed them enough to peel the shells quite easily)
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch

Etc.

  • cooked rice or noodles, for serving
  • thinly sliced scallions, for serving (optional)
  • toasted sesame seeds, for serving (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and make sure a rack is in the center of the oven. Line a sheet with foil or parchment.

In a medium bowl, combine the broccoli with the olive oil, salt, and pepper, then spread over 1 half of the sheet pan.

Put in the oven for 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together the honey, soy sauce, sambal oelek, and garlic. Pour over the shrimp and toss to combine.

Remove the pan with broccoli from the oven and use tongs to flip it. Lightly spray the empty half of the pan with cooking spray, then spread the shrimp in an even layer on the empty side.

Cook an additional 8-12 minutes, until the shrimp are opaque and pink,not gray.

Meanwhile, pour a few tablespoons of the remaining sauce from the shrimp into a small saucepan and whisk in the cornstarch until smooth. Add the remaining sauce and cook over medium heat, whisking frequently, until it thickens, about 5 minutes, then remove from the heat.

Serve with the shrimp and broccoli over rice or noodles, and drizzled with the sauce. Sprinkle with scallions and/or toasted sesame seeds, if desired.

Peas from the garden at work!

Honey Garlic Shrimp

From Savory Simple.

For broccoli:

  • 3 cups broccoli florets, cut into bite sized pieces
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

For shrimp:

  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons sambal oelek or 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 pound large or jumbo raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

Etc.

  • cooked rice or noodles, for serving
  • thinly sliced scallions, for serving (optional)
  • toasted sesame seeds, for serving (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and make sure a rack is in the center of the oven. Line a sheet with foil or parchment.

In a medium bowl, combine the broccoli with the olive oil, salt, and pepper, then spread over 1 half of the sheet pan. Put in the oven for 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together the honey, soy sauce, sambal oelek, and garlic. Pour over the shrimp and toss to combine.

Remove the pan with broccoli from the oven and use tongs to flip it. Lightly spray the empty half of the pan with cooking spray, then spread the shrimp in an even layer on the empty side. Cook an additional 8-12 minutes, until the shrimp are opaque and pink,not gray.

Meanwhile, pour a few tablespoons of the remaining sauce from the shrimp into a small saucepan and whisk in the cornstarch until smooth. Add the remaining sauce and cook over medium heat, whisking frequently, until it thickens, about 5 minutes, then remove from the heat.

Serve with the shrimp and broccoli over rice or noodles, and drizzled with the sauce. Sprinkle with scallions and/or toasted sesame seeds, if desired.

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S’Mores Pie

Posted on July 15, 2020 by sparecake

I had a marshmallow meringue pie topping saved from a cookbook I’d borrowed a while ago that I wanted to try, and it’s 1 billion degrees so the pie needed to be no-bake… getting chocolate peanut butter seemed like a no-brainer, but I sort of didn’t remember how very chocolatey (vs peanut buttery) it was, so was pleasantly surprised, with my first bite, to realize I’d made a s’mores pie! For this we’re going to use a pre-made graham cracker crust but it’s important to get the bigger one, that says it’s got an extra 2 servings. You could fit this amount of chocolate peanut butter pie filling in a normal 9″ pan, but when you add the topping it’d be too much!

A reminder before you get started: eggs separate easier when chilled, but egg whites beat up better at room temperature, so separating them and giving them a chance to warm up helps; cream, on the other hand, beats up better when very cold, so throwing your bowl and beaters in the freezer ahead of time can’t hurt! There’s enough beating up things in this one that I sure would like the hypothetical Kitchenaid I have no room for in this kitchen!

Ingredients:

  • 1 ‘extra 2 servings’ size pre-made graham cracker crust (you could probably make your own in a 10″ pan, I haven’t actually measured how big this is!)

Chocolate Filling:

  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 8 ounces (1 block) cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar plus 2 tablespoons, divided
  • 1 cup chocolate peanut butter (you can use Nutella if you’re ok with hazelnuts)

Marshmallow Meringue Topping:

  • 2 egg whites
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/4 pound marshmallows, cut small (mini marshmallows would be fine)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons milk or cream

To make the chocolate filling, beat the heavy cream until thick and creamy. Add the vanilla and 2 tablespoons of the powdered sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form.

In a separate bowl, beat together the cream cheese, 3/4 cup powdered sugar, and chocolate peanut butter until smooth.

Fold in the whipped cream by hand.

Pour gently into the graham cracker crust, cover, and place in the freezer for 3 hours, or fridge for 6.

After the pie is fully chilled, beat the egg whites until thick and foamy. Add the sugar and vanilla and continue to beat until stiff peaks form.

In the top of a double boiler, combine the marshmallows and milk/cream over simmering water. Cook, stirring constantly, until the marshmallows have completely melted.

Remove from the heat, and give the melted marshmallow mixture a minute or two to cool while you remove the pie from the freezer and maybe chuck some of your dishes in the dishwasher. Gently fold the marshmallow mixture into the beaten egg whites, then turn the whole fluffy mess on to the pie, spreading evenly over the top.

Place in the oven and turn on the broiler, cooking until the top is lightly golden. For me, at 4 minutes there was no difference, at 5 minutes the top was pretty burnt, but luckily like with campfire marshmallows, you can just peel the burnt surface off!

Whooops. Fixable, though!

Even better, though, keep a close eye on it after 4 minutes to avoid burning in the first place. Maybe I’ll do better next time, after I’ve eaten this extra big pie myself, as well as the remains of the Outrageous Chocolate Chip Cookies still in the freezer with a bunch of pineapple buns as well…  a lot of dessert for one person to get through!

S’mores Pie

Adapted from Handle The Heat’s Peanut Butter Pie and the Marshmallow Meringue from The American Everyday Cookbook (1955).

Ingredients:

  • 1 ‘extra 2 servings’ size pre-made graham cracker crust

Chocolate Filling:

  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 8 ounces (1 block) cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar plus 2 tablespoons, divided
  • 1 cup chocolate peanut butter

Marshmallow Meringue Topping:

  • 2 egg whites
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/4 pound marshmallows, cut small
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons milk or cream

To make the chocolate filling, beat the heavy cream until thick and creamy. Add the vanilla and 2 tablespoons of the powdered sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. In a separate bowl, beat together the cream cheese, 3/4 cup powdered sugar, and chocolate peanut butter until smooth. Fold in the whipped cream by hand. Pour gently into the graham cracker crust, cover, and place in the freezer for 3 hours, or fridge for 6.

After the pie is fully chilled, beat the egg whites until thick and foamy. Add the sugar and vanilla and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. In the top of a double boiler, combine the marshmallows and milk/cream over simmering water. Cook, stirring constantly, until the marshmallows have completely melted. Remove from the heat, and give the melted marshmallow mixture a minute or two to cool while you remove the pie from the freezer and maybe chuck some of your dishes in the dishwasher. Gently fold the marshmallow mixture into the beaten egg whites, then turn the whole fluffy mess on to the pie, spreading evenly over the top. Place in the oven and turn on the broiler, cooking until the top is lightly golden, 4-5 minutes.

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A smattering of things

Posted on July 1, 2020 by sparecake

Going to share a few things that maybe aren’t worth their own posts today. First up:

Spice Cabinet Chicken Rub

Am I kind of sharing this just because I’m pleased I finally found a use for the MSG I bought in Seattle last year? Maybe-kinda? It’s tasty enough I cooked it twice in a row to use up some chicken tenderloins, though, so there’s definitely something to it! At some point I’d like to do a whole roast chicken with it, next time I tackle a whole bird…

But for now, a spice rub mix that’s cook for whatever cuts you want – Ingredients:

  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 4 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon MSG

Tastes…most close to chicken bullion, maybe?

This made plenty of spice mix to coat all the chicken from a 2.5 pound bag of chicken tenderloins.

You…stir all those spices together, and then, for smallish chunks of chicken like that, coat the meat and bake for 30 minutes at 350. Easy enough! Coat everything with it!

Pandemic kitchens don’t always have the ideal-est veggie sides =/

 

Next, a video or two I made for work:

Maple Ice Cream

Ingredients:
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
pinch salt
1/2 cups chopped pecans (optional)

Place egg yolks in a heat-safe small bowl and set aside. Heat the syrup to simmering – keep a close eye on it – it’s a small amount of liquid so will heat quickly! Drizzle the hot syrup slowly into the egg yolks, whisking constantly until it’s all added. Chill.
In a large bowl, beat the cream until it can hold a point.
Stir the vanilla and salt into the cooled egg mixture, then pour it into the whipped cream. Beat until evenly combined and no streaks of white remain. Stir in the pecans, if desired. Freeze several hours until firm

Cream Cake with Pastel Jelly Icing

Cream Cake:
• 2 cups sifted cake flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs, well beaten
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 8×8” cake pan and set aside.
Sift flour once, measure, then add baking powder and salt and sift together 3 additional times. In a large bowl, beat the sugar and eggs together well, until light yellow. Add the flour mixture, alternating with the cream, beating after each addition until smooth. Beat in vanilla, then transfer to greased pan. Bake 50 minutes, or until cake passes the toothpick test. Cool 10 minutes in the pan, run a knife around the inside of the pan, and turn the cake out to cool completely on a wire rack. Once cooled, cover top and sides with Pastel Jelly Topping.

Pastel Jelly Topping:
• 1/2 cup jelly (any tart flavor)
• 2 egg whites, unbeaten
• Dash of salt
Place the jelly in a bowl and set over hot water. Add the egg whites and salt and beat until the jelly is free from lumps. Remove from the heat and continue beating until stiff enough to stand in peaks. Spread on cakes and serve at once.

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Outrageous Chocolate Chip Cookies

Posted on June 24, 2020 by sparecake

So, first off, ‘outrageous’ was part of the title in the cookbook I got this from, it’s not my personal judgement. Secondly, this cookbook was an Amish cookbook, and the Amish don’t seem to mess around with volume of food. I got 79 dough balls out of this and immediately froze them all, to bake over several weeks. You could definitely halve the recipe if that’s a more reasonable amount of cookies for you.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
  • 2 cups peanut butter
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 4 large eggs, beaten
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups quick-cooking oats (I only had old fashioned oats, those worked fine too)
  • 4 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 12 ounce package chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt the butter and pour into a large bowl. Whisk in the sugars, peanut butter, vanilla, and eggs, stirring until evenly mixed.

Add the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt and stir, again, until evenly mixed.

Stir in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed.

Roll the dough into 1″ balls and place on lined baking sheets.

Bake 10-15 minutes, until the edges are golden brown, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Or, eat still hot and un-solid straight from the toaster oven.

If, like me, you’re going to be baking up just a few at a time in a toaster oven, put your couple dough balls, still frozen, on a lined pan. Place in the toaster oven, then set the toaster oven to 300 and bake 14 or so minutes, including the pre-heating time. Every toaster oven’s different, so you may want to try a minute more or less, but it’ll be about that.

After a few hours freezing on the pans, they go into bags for storage!

Outrageous Chocolate Chip Cookies

From Amish Cooks Across America.

  • 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
  • 2 cups peanut butter
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 4 large eggs, beaten
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups quick-cooking oats
  • 4 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 12 ounce package chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt the butter and pour into a large bowl. Whisk in the sugars, peanut butter, vanilla, and eggs, stirring until evenly mixed. Add the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt and stir, again, until evenly mixed. Stir in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed. Roll the dough into 1″ balls and place on lined baking sheets. Bake 10-15 minutes, until the edges are golden brown, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

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Fluffernutter Pie

Posted on June 17, 2020 by sparecake

If you’re not from New England, there’s a fair chance you haven’t had a fluffernutter (peanut butter and fluff) sandwich before. That’s sad for you! Once you try it, you’ll be looking to have that flavor, and fluff in general, all the time! Here’s one other way to have some delicious!

*If your supermarket doesn’t have proper Fluff, you can buy whatever ‘marshmallow creme’ they have, but glare at it real skeptically because Fluff is a specific thing and every store should have it!

*This pie should really be in an Oreo cookie crust, but I can’t be trusted with the rest of a package of Oreos around, and my supermarket didn’t have Oreo crusts in stock, so I got a graham cracker crust and glopped some random hot fudge sauce on top to just get some chocolate flavor in there. You can do what makes sense for you!

Ingredients:

  • 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
  • 1 cup cold water, divided
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1 cup Marshmallow Fluff
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1 chocolate crumb crust (see note above)

Combine the gelatin and 1/2 cup of the water in a medium saucepan and let stand 1 minute to absorb.

Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until gelatin is completely dissolved, then remove from heat.

Stir in the sugar, vanilla, and remaining 1/2 cup water.

Beat in the peanut butter and fluff until smooth.

Chill the mixture until it mounds when dropped from a spoon, about 1/2 an hour.

Meanwhile, beat the cream up to whipped cream.

Fold the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture.

Turn the mixture into the crust and chill until set.

Fluffernutter Pie

From The Yummy Book.

  • 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
  • 1 cup cold water, divided
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1 cup Marshmallow Fluff
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1 chocolate crumb crust

Combine the gelatin and 1/2 cup of the water in a medium saucepan and let stand 1 minute to absorb. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until gelatin is completely dissolved, then remove from heat. Stir in the sugar, vanilla, and remaining 1/2 cup water, then beat in the peanut butter and fluff until smooth. Chill the mixture until it mounds when dropped from a spoon, about 1/2 an hour. Meanwhile, beat the cream up to whipped cream. Fold the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture, then turn into the crust and chill until set.

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Ice Cream Sandwiches

Posted on June 3, 2020 by sparecake

Summer is here (except for the days when it feels like it’s not?) so it’s time for ice cream! The ice cream recipe itself allows for a lot of variations for personal preference, and then once frozen it stays soft enough to scoop into ice cream sandwiches without much effort, without being so soft it just runs down your wrist, so you’ll still have one clean hand to donate to bail funds for protesters while you eat.

Ingredients:

Ice Cream:

  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream, chilled
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk, chilled
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped/broken peanut butter shortbread cookies, Oreos, or other cookies
  • 1 4 ounce box Reese’s Pieces
  • several heaping tablespoons of hot fudge sauce, roughly 6 ounces

Cookies:

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup light-brown sugar
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoons salt

*It’s not mandatory, but it never hurts to put the bowl and beaters you’re planning to use in the freezer a while before trying to beat up whipped cream.

To make the ice cream, combine the cream and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat until stiff peaks form.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the condensed milk.

Use a spatula to stir in the crushed cookies and Reese’s Pieces by hand.

Pour half of the ice cream mixture into a large storage container.

Microwave the hot fudge sauce 30 seconds, or until it is smooth and pourable. Drizzle a large, heaping tablespoon of fudge sauce over the ice cream.

Repeat with the other half of the ice cream, and additional fudge sauce.

Run a butter knife or bbq skewer through the mixture to swirl the fudge sauce a bit.

*You can beat the hot fudge sauce in while mixing together the base, but this way it’s just swirls, and each bite is a bit different.

*Remember that ice cream expands a bit as it freezes, so if your container is already filled all the way to the top, split it up so it doesn’t explode out of the lid and make a mess in your freezer.

Cover, and freeze at least 4 hours.

To make the cookies, first cream together the butter and sugars in a large bowl.

Beat in the vanilla and egg yolk.

Sift together the flour and salt and beat it in in two batches.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes, up to overnight.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment.

Roll the cookies out on a lightly floured surface to somewhere between 1/2 and 1/4 in thick.

Cut out cookies with a sharp cookie cutter and place the cutouts on the prepared sheets.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden and crispy.

Remove to a wire rack to cool, then pair up and fill with ice cream to make ice cream sandwiches!

Ice Cream Sandwiches

Ice Cream:

  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream, chilled
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk, chilled
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped/broken peanut butter shortbread cookies, Oreos, or other cookies
  • 1 4 ounce box Reese’s Pieces
  • several heaping tablespoons of hot fudge sauce, roughly 6 ounces

Cookies:

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup light-brown sugar
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoons salt

To make the ice cream, combine the cream and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat until stiff peaks form, then reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the condensed milk. Use a spatula to stir in the crushed cookies and Reese’s Pieces by hand. Pour half of the ice cream mixture into a large storage container.

Microwave the hot fudge sauce 30 seconds, or until it is smooth and pourable. Drizzle a large, heaping tablespoon of fudge sauce over the ice cream. Repeat with the other half of the ice cream, and additional fudge sauce. Run a butter knife or bbq skewer through the mixture to swirl the fudge sauce a bit. Cover, and freeze at least 4 hours.

To make the cookies, first cream together the butter and sugars in a large bowl. Beat in the vanilla and egg yolk. Sift together the flour and salt and beat it in in two batches.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes, up to overnight.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment.

Roll the cookies out on a lightly floured surface to somewhere between 1/2 and 1/4 in thick. Cut out cookies with a sharp cookie cutter and place the cutouts on the prepared sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden and crispy. Remove to a wire rack to cool, then pair up and fill with ice cream to make ice cream sandwiches!

 

 

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Fast Crusty Bread

Posted on May 27, 2020 by sparecake

Where I found this, they called it “no-time” bread, which I think sounds stupid, but “quick bread” is already its own separate type of baked good, so…fast bread? Sure! This bread goes from “hmm I want some bread” to ready to eat in under 2 hours, and makes a good bread with a firm crust, thanks to the power of…the microwave! Nuking the dough briefly dramatically slashes rising time, and a tiny bit of balsamic provides a sort of ‘bite’ to make up for the tang you get in long, slow rise doughs. Give it a try!

Ingredients:

  • 2 packets active dry yeast
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 3 1/2 cups bread flour
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Combine the yeast and sugar in the water in a large bowl and stir to combine, then let sit for a few minutes until it begins to foam.

Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 450, with a dutch oven on the middle rack. Starting now makes sure the dutch oven will be well heated when you’re ready, and, again, we don’t have 2 hour-long rises to deal with here! Grease a large microwave safe bowl and set aside.

Add 3 cups of the flour, as well as the salt and vinegar, and stir together until it’s formed a sticky dough. Knead in the remaining half cup of flour and knead vigorously until smooth and elastic. Form the dough into a ball, place smooth-side-down in the bowl, then rotate smooth-side-up, to grease lightly all over.

Wet a kitchen towel well, then wring it out until it’s not dripping, and drape over the bowl with the dough. Cover the wet towel with a dry towel, then microwave on high for 25 seconds. Let the dough sit in the microwave 5 minutes, then microwave an additional 25 seconds. Remove the bowl from the microwave and let rest an additional 15 minutes.

When the rises are done, remove the dutch oven from the oven and take off the lid. Quickly deflate the risen dough and shape back into a ball, then place in the dutch oven, where it will probably sizzle a bit. Quickly cut slashes in the top of the bread with a sharp knife or razor blade, then cover the dutch oven and put back in the oven.

Bake 30 minutes, then remove the cover and bake an additional 10 minutes, until golden brown and crusty.

Let cool at least 30 minutes before slicing, to avoid a weird gummy texture from the steam all escaping – that’s the same for any yeast bread!

Fast Crusty Bread

From Kitchn.

  • 2 packets active dry yeast
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 3 1/2 cups bread flour
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Combine the yeast and sugar in the water in a large bowl and stir to combine, then let sit for a few minutes until it begins to foam.

Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 450, with a dutch oven on the middle rack. Grease a large microwave safe bowl and set aside.

Add 3 cups of the flour, as well as the salt and vinegar, and stir together until it’s formed a sticky dough. Knead in the remaining half cup of flour and knead vigorously until smooth and elastic. Form the dough into a ball, place smooth-side-down in the bowl, then rotate smooth-side-up, to grease lightly all over. Wet a kitchen towel well, then wring it out until it’s not dripping, and drape over the bowl with the dough. Cover the wet towel with a dry towel, then microwave on high for 25 seconds. Let the dough sit in the microwave 5 minutes, then microwave an additional 25 seconds. Remove the bowl from the microwave and let rest an additional 15 minutes.

When the rises are done, remove the dutch oven from the oven and take off the lid. Quickly deflate the risen dough and shape back into a ball, then place in the dutch oven, where it will probably sizzle a bit. Quickly cut slashes in the top of the bread with a sharp knife or razor blade, then cover the dutch oven and put back in the oven. Bake 30 minutes, then remove the cover and bake an additional 10 minutes, until golden brown and crusty.

Let cool at least 30 minutes before slicing.

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Chocolate Glazed Cake

Posted on May 20, 2020 by sparecake

I bought ingredients for last week’s layered chocolate dessert knowing I’d need to use up some cream and the chocolate syrup, so it was a 2-dessert plan, along with this cake. It was, I’m going to say, a very good plan! This is basically a nice vanilla 1 bowl cake, which then gets doused in chocolate and covered in a light chocolate whipped cream. What could be better?

Ingredients:

Cake:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup shortening
  • 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 4 egg whites, room temperature

Chocolate Glaze:

  • 1/4 cup cold water
  • 1 packet unflavored gelatin
  • 1/4 cup boiling water
  • 1 cup chocolate syrup

Chocolate Whipped Cream:

  • 1 cup cold whipping cream
  • 1/3 cup chocolate syrup
  • 2 tablespoons powdered sugar

It’s easier to separate eggs when they’re still cold, so I recommend separating and then letting just the whites come up to room temperature, rather than leaving the whole eggs out.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9×13″ pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Add the shortening, butter, vanilla, and buttermilk, and beat on low until it begins to combine, then once there are no large areas of dry flour that are likely to explode out of the bowl, increase the speed to medium and beat 2 minutes.

Add the egg whites and beat a further 2 minutes, then pour into the prepared pan.

Bake 30-35 minutes, until it passes the toothpick test. Mine was clearly jiggly and uncooked at 30, but browned and nicely baked at 35. Set aside to cool in the pan for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the glaze. In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the 1/4 cup cold water, then let sit for 2 minutes to absorb. Pour over the boiling water, and stir until entirely dissolved.

Add the 1 cup chocolate syrup and stir well.

Once the cake has cooled for 15 minutes, use a for to poke rows, 1″ apart, the length and width of the cake.

Pour the glaze over the cake, slowly that it can be absorbed into the holes rather than all run off the sides. Refrigerate several hours or overnight to set.

To make the whipped cream, beat together all the ingredients until still peaks form.

Spread over the top of the cake, then serve.

Store leftovers in the fridge.

Chocolate Glazed Cake

From Hershey’s.

Cake:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup shortening
  • 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 4 egg whites, room temperature

Chocolate Glaze:

  • 1/4 cup cold water
  • 1 packet unflavored gelatin
  • 1/4 cup boiling water
  • 1 cup chocolate syrup

Chocolate Whipped Cream:

  • 1 cup cold whipping cream
  • 1/3 cup chocolate syrup
  • 2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9×13″ pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the shortening, butter, vanilla, and buttermilk, and beat on low until it begins to combine, then once there are no large areas of dry flour that are likely to explode out of the bowl, increase the speed to medium and beat 2 minutes. Add the egg whites and beat a further 2 minutes, then pour into the prepared pan. Bake 30-35 minutes, until it passes the toothpick test. Set aside to cool in the pan for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the glaze. In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the 1/4 cup cold water, then let sit for 2 minutes to absorb. Pour over the boiling water, and stir until entirely dissolved. Add the 1 cup chocolate syrup and stir well.

Once the cake has cooled for 15 minutes, use a for to poke rows, 1″ apart, the length and width of the cake. Pour the glaze over the cake, slowly that it can be absorbed into the holes rather than all run off the sides. Refrigerate several hours or overnight to set.

To make the whipped cream, beat together all the ingredients until still peaks form. Spread over the top of the cake, then serve. Store leftovers in the fridge.

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