Search Results for '("C'

[rottiedogs]

Authentic German Milk Roll (Milchbrötchen)
Submitted by Annabelle's Lair on January 14, 2015 at 5:35 pm
"A German breakfast usually consist of some fresh rolls from the bakery. These rolls are one level above Wasserbrötchen and are more tender because of the butter and milk content. The rolls are then consumed fresh with butter, cheese, jams or cold cuts." WLG

Yield: 8 rolls
Source: Woodlandgardner "Ulrich"
1 teaspoon fresh or dry yeast
4 g brown sugar
300 g of lukewarm milk
500 g all purpose flour
25 g of butter
8 g of salt
In mixing bowl of stand mixer combine warm milk, brown sugar, yeast and let rest 5-10 minutes until yeast dissolves.
Then add the flour, butter salt, and knead 5-7 minutes.
First rising: cover dough in bowl with plastic bag (creates terrarium effect) and let the dough proof for 7-8 hours depending on room temperature.
Shaping: scale dough out into 8 equal pieces; then make a crease in the ball about 3/4" with the back of a wooden spoon handle by rolling dough up into crease around end of handle; pinch ends of roll together.
Second rising: make folds in a well-floured couche, lay the rolls between couch folds upside down (helps roll keep shape) or with crease facing down, and let proof for 1 hour depending on room temperature.
Preheat oven & hearthstone to 420F at least 30 minutes prior to baking the rolls.
Place parchment paper on pizza paddle and gently place the rolls right side up and place on parchment paper.
Slide parchment into oven and bake on 420F for 25-30 minutes.

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[rottiedogs]

German Nut Cake (Nusskuchen)
Submitted by Annabelle's Lair on January 14, 2015 at 5:57 pm

Source: Woodlandgardner "Ulrich"
9 cup bundt pan
1 1/2 cups or 3 sticks (300 g) butter at room temp
1 1/4 cups (250 g) granulated sugar
4 eggs
For the nuts:
1 cup (100 g) ground hazelnuts
1 cup (100 g) ground almonds
1 pinch salt
3 tablespoons baking powder
For the Glaze:
½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
3 tablespoons black rum (I use Barcardi) to thin sugar mixture
Preheat oven to 350F.
Grease and flour bundt pan, set aside. One could also use baking spray with flour instead.
In mixing bowl cream together butter and sugar until sugar dissolved. Add 4 eggs, 1 at a time to creamed mixture.
In separate bowl stir together ground hazelnuts, ground almonds, salt, and baking powder.
Incorporate the nut mixture spoon by spoon into creamed batter.
Spoon batter into bundt pan and bake on 350F for 50-60 minutes or until tester inserted comes out clean.
Wait 5 minutes before removing bundt cake from pan then gently remove to cooling rack.See options below.
Option 1) Apply glaze with brush to hot cake so alcohol can evaporate; OR
Option 2) Once completely cooled, sift confectioners sugar over the bundt cake.
Taste great served with German vanilla whipped cream (see my recipe).
comments
Submitted by bakeraunt on Sat, 2015-01-31 16:09.
Hello, Nebelwesen: I am trying this recipe today, and my butter is softening. I have a question for you: Is 3 Tablespoons of baking powder correct? That seems like a lot, but if you say it is correct, then that is what I will do.

Submitted by Annabelle's Lair on Fri, 2015-02-06 01:13.
bakeraunt, I updated the measurements into English for you. The 3 tablespoons are the correct amount as the bundt cake should be high and light. The baking powder is used in lieu of yeast so the cake won't have a yeasty taste and produces a quicker turnover time unlike yeast desserts. I apologize for not getting back to you sooner. I hope your cake came out ok. If not, try it again and you will succeed. Let me know if you have any questions. I'll be checking my page every day from now on. Thanks.

Submitted by Annabelle's Lair on Fri, 2015-02-06 01:48.
bakeraunt, I forgot to add the glaze recipe for the cake so I went ahead and added that in so you can use that option next time.

Submitted by bakeraunt on Fri, 2015-02-06 14:48.
Nebelwesen: Thank you for the reply. I actually tried it with just 1 Tbs. of baking powder, and alas, it collapsed, and butter leaked out of the pan (springform pan with a bundt insert), and then it stuck to the pan. The good news is that I made it into a dessert by crumpling the cake and adding defrosted blueberries and frozen vanilla yogurt. It still tasted good, so I will certainly try the recipe again, and this time I will use the 3 Tbs. of baking powder. I will also use a pan that will not leak.
. My family ancestry is mostly German, with some Swedish and English, but none of the German recipes came down to me, so I am always interested in finding some. Thank you!

Submitted by Annabelle's Lair on Sun, 2015-02-08 14:26.
If you are really serious about baking European then scale out your ingredients which will provide the most accurate results. Amazon has some nice kitchen scales..Soehle, Kaiser, Starfrit. I pretty much use a scale for most of my baking now.

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[rottiedogs]

Swiss Rheintaler Ribel
Submitted by Annabelle's Lair on March 16, 2015 at 12:27 am
"This dish, made from cornmeal, use to be a very popular dish around St.Gallen which was simply served with sugar, a glass of milk, coffee or apple sauce. The leftover Ribel can be used for Muesli the next day." WLG

Source: Woodlandgardner "Ulrich"
1/2 cup (100 g) milk
1/2 cup (100 g) water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (170 g) cornmeal
2 Tbsps (25 g) butter
1. Heat the milk, water, and salt in microwave until simmering.
2. Then pour simmering milk over the cornmeal, stir well, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit in fridge overnight; Ribel will swell overnight.
3. Heat pan on medium heat, then add oil for frying.
4. Pour Ribel into frying pan and roast, stirring until mixture is crumbly for about 10-15 minutes; mixture will stick to pan and will require a lot of scraping to break it up - which explains where the word “Ribel” comes from which means “rubbing.”
5. To finish up Ribel add the butter
6. Serve with compot, apple sauce, etc

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[rottiedogs]

Authentic German Cinnamon Buns (Schneckennudeln)
Submitted by Annabelle's Lair on March 16, 2015 at 12:59 am

Very similar to American cinnamon roll just not as sweet.

Yield: 12 rolls
Source: Woodlandgardner "Ulrich"
For the Rolls:
250 g warm milk
75 g brown sugar
30 g fresh yeast or 1 tsp dry yeast
1 egg
500 g all purpose flour
1 pinch of salt
80 g butter
For the Filling:
50 g butter melted
2 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
50 g raisins (optional)
For the Glaze:
60 g powdered sugar
1 tablespoon of water
1. Combine the warm milk, brown sugar, yeast, and let sit for 5 minutes until yeast dissolves.
2. Once the yeast is dissolved, add egg and whisk.
3. Then add the flour, salt, and butter.
4. Knead 5-7 minutes. Dough will smear at first when kneading because of butter.
5. Let rise until at least doubled about 1 hr or maybe 2 (fresh yeast results in faster rising).
6. Preheat oven to 400F.
7. Remove dough from bowl and cut x in middle then spread out flaps to make rectangle shape then start rolling dough out to make 30cm by 35cm
8. Brush melted butter onto dough, sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar/raisins, them roll up. Seal edge with a little butter if needed.
9. Cut pieces into 1 to 1.5 inches and place on parchment lined baking sheet and brush rolls with leftover butter.
10. Cover with food wrap and let rise 10 min.
11. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
12. Remove rolls from oven and brush rolls with glaze while still hot.

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[rottiedogs]

German Chives Bread (Schnittlauchbrot)
Submitted by Annabelle's Lair on March 16, 2015 at 11:13 am

Source: Woodlandgardner "Ulrich"
chives finely chopped
radishes sliced in half
butter
German beer
Method:
smear roggenbröt or any other German bread with butter and sprinkle with chives
serve with German beer
comments
Submitted by buttercup on Mon, 2015-03-16 18:31.
My family was from Bavaria. I never had the bread with the chives there. Maybe my family didn't serve it. My Oma had a very large garden and grew all her own herbs. We did have onions with radishes or just radishes. I make that for myself in the summer, but not the bread. Do you have a recipe for the bread? I'm going to try the chives when they are growing again. I do buy the dried chives from Penzey's and put it on top of my cottage cheese on bread. Very good

Submitted by Annabelle's Lair on Tue, 2015-03-17 22:30.
If you look through my recipes posted you will see all of my German bread recipes including the recipe for German sourdough and how to start it.

Submitted by dachshundlady on Wed, 2015-03-25 15:35.
I finally put chives in my garden last year so I will try this in my Rye Beer Bread if my poor chives have survived this winter!

Submitted by Annabelle's Lair on Thu, 2015-03-26 16:51.
It's so delicious!

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[rottiedogs]

Pane di pasqua (Italian Easter Bread)
Submitted by Annabelle's Lair on April 05, 2015 at 11:37 pm

A delightfully sweet bread that can be served at Easter breakfast with coffee.

5 dyed UNCOOKED eggs or the amount you need for your use in making a wreath, baskets, bunnies, figure 8's or twists
2 packages (4 teaspoon) active dry yeast
1 cup warm water - divided
1.5 cups sifted all purpose flour
3/4 cup shortening or butter
1.5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
3-4 cups sifted flour
1 egg yolk and 1 tablespoon milk
tiny multi-colored candies (non-pariels)
Soften the yeast with 1/2 cup warm water and set aside.
Pour the other 1/2 cup of warm water into a large bowl and blend in the 1.5 cups of flour.
Mix well. Add the softened yeast to this mixture. Beat until smooth and "gooey". Cover the bowl with waxed paper and let stand until doubled (about 40 min - l hour).
WHILE DOUGH IS RISING:
Cream together the shortening or butter and sugar in a mixer or food processor.
Add the lemon juice, lemon peel and vanilla.
Add the eggs one at a time, blending well.
The batter should be creamy and fluffy, with no lumps from the butter.
When the yeast mixture had doubled, add the creamed mixture to it and beat well until smooth. This "gluey" dough becomes more like a cake dough.
Measure the remaining 3-4 cups of flour. Add one cup at a time and blend, by hand, until smooth before adding another cup. After 3 cups have been added, turn the dough onto a floured board and knead the last cup of flour into the dough until it is smooth and no longer sticky.
Select a bowl deep enough for the dough to double. Grease the bowl and turn the dough into the bowl so the top has been greased. Cover with waxed paper and a towel and let rise to double (about 2 hours).
After rising, punch dough down with your fists. Divide the dough into two equal balls, cover and let stand for 10 minutes.
SHAPING THE DOUGH:
At this point, decide what you want to make with the dough. If making one large wreath (a great table centerpiece), roll out each ball and braid then form into a wreath, inserting the uncooked colored eggs in between the braid - one large wreath fits 5 eggs.
If making baskets cut each ball into four parts. Trim a piece off the make the handle. Roll into a strand, and make a circle, insert the egg. Roll the trim piece into a handle and place over the egg and tuck under the basket. Figure eights are just one long strand, twisted, with two eggs placed. To make a bunny, use a figure eight but make the body space larger than the head and place the two eggs in the spaces accordingly. Trim dough from the ball to make the ears and the tail and tuck under the body. This is really easy and kids love the bunnies!
You can make two wreaths out of this dough by using each ball to make a wreath. Split each ball in half, roll into strands, braid and form a wreath. A smaller wreath fits 3-4 eggs each.
Shape your dough and place the eggs in the dough where you want them. Cover loosely with a towel and set aside to rise for a few hours. Don't rush this step.
When breads have risen, bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. Remove and brush the breads lightly (bread might deflate if you press too hard) with the egg yolk and milk mixture, sprinkle with candies. Place back in the oven
Large wreath for 30-35 minutes; smaller wreaths for 25 minutes; smaller breads (baskets, figure eights) for about 20 minutes. Breads will be brown, eggs will cook inside the bread.
Let cool and decorate with Easter grass and candies. Best eaten spread with butter for breakfast or tea time.

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[rottiedogs]

German Nut Roll (Nussrolle)
Submitted by Annabelle's Lair on January 14, 2015 at 6:16 pm

Yield: 1 nut roll
Source: Woodlandgardner "Ulrich"
For the dough:
1 cup (240 ml) warm milk
5 tablespoons (40 g) fresh yeast
1/4 cup (50 g) brown sugar
4 cups (500 g) flour (I use King Arthur unbleached flour)
7 tablespoons (100 g) unsalted butter thinly sliced
grated zest of 1 lemon
1 pinch of sea salt
For the filling:
1 cup (120 g) grated hazelnuts
1 cup milk (100 ml)
2 tablespoons (25 g) cornstarch plus little cold water
1/2 cup (120 g) granulated sugar
For the glaze:
1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
In mixing bowl of stand mixer combine the warm milk, brown sugar, yeast and let sit 5-10 minutes until dissolved.
Then add to yeast the flour, butter, lemon zest, sea salt, and knead 5-7 minutes. The dough will be sticky until it comes together.
Cover dough in bowl with plastic bag (creates terrarium effect) and let proof 2 hours depending on room temperature.
For the filling, bring the milk to boil and add cornstarch whisking continuously until it thickens. Then add sugar, nuts, and keep whisking until thickened. Set aside and cool.
Once the dough is done proofing, cut diagonal into dough and flatten out flaps to make a square.
Roll the proofed dough out into rectangle about 50cm x 70cm. 50 centimeters is about 19 5/8 inches or 19 11/16 inches; 70 centimeters is about 27 1/2 inches.
Spread filling onto dough and then start rolling up using dough scraper as dough likes to stick to counter.
Prepare baking sheet with parchment paper and slowly move roll to parchment.
Seal dough edge with water and then flip roll over to good side.
Make deep cuts into roll 1 3/16th inches (3 cm) apart and then let proof 45 minutes covered.
Preheat over to 400F and bake roll at 400F for 40 minutes
While the nut roll is baking prepare the glaze by whisking together powdered sugar and lemon juice. Brush glaze onto nut roll while still hot. Let cool and serve.
comments
Submitted by dachshundlady on Thu, 2015-01-15 13:16.
Boy this looks great. Now to convert to cups and spoons!

Submitted by Annabelle's Lair on Thu, 2015-01-15 22:29.
I scale out all my ingredients as it's the most accurate way to bake. I would recommend this scale that can be purchased at Amazon.

Submitted by LouiseP on Wed, 2015-01-28 12:11.
Thank you for sharing this lovely recipe. I'm looking forward to making it.

Submitted by Annabelle's Lair on Fri, 2015-02-06 02:19.
I updated the measurements to English so hope this helps.

Submitted by tretterjan on Sun, 2015-04-05 15:37.
I'm looking forward to trying this recipe! My mother-in-law used to make something similar, her filling was made with ground walnuts, sugar and egg whites; the recipe was not written down, and now she has Alzheimer's so the recipe is permanently lost. Thank you for posting this

Submitted by Annabelle's Lair on Sun, 2015-04-05 23:39.
Good luck and your welcome!

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[rottiedogs]

German Medieval Lemon Cake (Zitronenkuchen der Fuggar)

Submitted by Annabelle's Lair on January 14, 2015 at 3:28 pm

Yield: 1 cake
Source: Woodlandgardner "Ulrich"

23 cm or 9" springform pan
For the dough:
200 g all purpose flour
125 g cold butter, shaved
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
1 pinch of salt
For the filling:
150 g of ground almonds
125 g of sugar
zest of one lemon
juice of two lemons
Topping:
30 g of slivered almonds
Line springform pan with parchment paper and set aside.
In a mixing bowl of standard mixer combine flour, butter, egg, egg yolk, salt, and knead until smooth.
Scale dough into 2 equal pieces and place in fridge for 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350F.
While dough is chilling, prepare the filling by combining ground almonds, sugar, zest of one lemon, juice of two lemons, and set aside.
Remove dough from fridge, roll out the first piece of dough, and place on bottom of springform pan.
Place prepared filling onto dough in springfrom pan.
Roll out other piece of dough and place on top of filling.
Seal dough edges and poke top of cake with fork.
Brush the top of dough lightly with cream and then sprinkle the slivered almonds top of cream.
Bake at 350F for 40-50 minutes. Cool completely on cooling rack.
comments
Submitted by kween of swords on Thu, 2015-05-07 12:53.
It is hard to tell from the photo, which I can't seem to scale larger, but is the bottom dough pressed up and along the sides of the pan? if so, what is the final height one is trying to achieve? Thanks, looking forward to trying the one!
Submitted by Annabelle's Lair on Sun, 2015-05-10 11:30.
Place first piece of dough on bottom and push the sides of the dough up along the sides of the springform pan, about 1/2 -3/4. The final results will be about the height of a one-layer cake.

• This topic was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by rottiedogs.
• This topic was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by rottiedogs.

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[rottiedogs]

Authentic Cuban Bread (Pan Cubano)
Submitted by Annabelles Lair on March 15, 2015 at 10:58 pm

Yield: 2 loaves
Source: Woodlandgardner "Ulrich"
1 cup (300 g) water
1-2 teaspoon brown sugar
2 teaspoon fresh yeast OR 1 teaspoon dry yeast
4 cups (500 g) all purpose flour (I use King Arthur)
4 tbsp (50 g) of lard
1 tsp (8 g) salt
1 corn leaf or palmetto leaf
1. Combine water, brown sugar, yeast, and let sit 5 minutes or until yeast dissolves.
2. Then add the flour, lard, and salt to the yeast mixture.
3. Kneading: roughly incorporate ingredients into dough and knead dough 5-7 minutes
* (dough will smear and stick to counter in beginning but will smooth out)*
4. First rising: cover with plastic bag (creates terrarium effect) and let rest overnight for 8 hours.
5. In the morning, scale out the dough into 2 loaves
6. Pre-shaping loaves:
a. Take first edge of dough and fold to middle (creates tension in bread);
b. Flip dough and repeat; do this for all 4 side of dough; basically all 4 sides will be folded to middle which
will look like a package;
c. Cover both loaves with plastic bin to prevent drying out and let rest for 20 minutes
7. Second shaping:
a. Dust counter with flour and fold the first two edges of dough towards center
b. Then fold the dough in half
c. Then use palms to roll out dough into log shape
d. Cover loaves again with plastic bin and let rest 10 minutes
8. Final shaping: (goal is to lengthen loaves a bit longer)
a. Use palms to roll out dough into longer log shape;
(most Cuban dough is 3 ft but the standard stove is too small);
b. Once rolled out place loaves on well-floured couche;
c. Place strips of corn or palmetto strips on top of bread which leaves indentation;
(if not accessible just use lame to slice row down middle of dough)
d. Let bread rise upside down on couche for 1 hour.
Pre-heat oven to 420F
Side dough onto pizza stone with baker’s paddle and bake 25 minutes.

• This topic was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by rottiedogs.
• This topic was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by rottiedogs.
• This topic was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by rottiedogs.
• This topic was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by rottiedogs.
• This topic was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by rottiedogs.
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[BakerAunt]

Jalapeno Cheese Grits
Submitted by frick on September 24, 2008 at 10:36 pm

2 cups quick-cooking grits
2 ½ cups extra sharp Cheddar cheese
1 stick unsalted butter
1 tbsp. hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco)
3 large eggs, well beaten
2 jalapenos, finely diced
¼ cup canned chopped green chiles
Garlic salt

Preheat oven to 350F.

Cook the grits according to the directions on the back of the package. Remove from heat and add next 6 ingredients (cheddar through chilies). Stir well and season with garlic salt to taste.

Pour into a buttered 9-inch baking dish and bake for 1 hour. Let cool slightly before slicing and serving.

This recipe was provided by Stephanie March and accompanied the prime rib roast which was the requested meal for Bobby Flay's birthday. He said this is his favorite side dish, made by his girlfriend/wife??

Note: This dish will be too spicy for me but will be easy to reduce the "heat" factor.

[BakerAunt]

Authentic Italian Limoncello
Submitted by frick on March 31, 2009 at 12:47 am

Source: Recipe from website: whatscookingamerica.net/Beverage/Limoncello2.htm

Recipe from Ron Carducci. Ron says, "I have relatives in Italy and they make limoncello the same way it is made all through Italy. Additionally, almost without exception, every limoncello I order as an after dinner digestive in ristoranti all over Italy, is made and tastes pretty much the same (I speak Italian and I ask the chefs how it is made and they almost always give me a recipe that varies only slightly from the one I am including below). It is made with 95% pure grain alcohol, lemons, and simple syrup. That is it! The same is true for arancello. One bonus feature of the legit Italian recipe is that it only takes one week to make.

Folks from the Amalfi coast that I have spoken with (that's where it originated) tell me that legit limoncello, when you sip it straight, ice cold and without ice (Italians never put ice in their limoncello), should be very lemony, and smooth but have a "jolt" in the middle of it; i.e., a spreading warmth with a friendly kick. Recipes made with vodka, not Everclear Alcohol, are smooth but do not have the jolt. Plus, the vodka taste is alien to the Italian limoncello taste. Try this recipe - you'll be pleasantly surprised."

My own note: I found this a little sweeter from what I remember Limoncello in Florence. I will cut back a bit next time. You might try making the simple syrup as stated, but adding only 3/4 of it to your lemon-flavored alcohol, then adding more sugar syrup until it 'tastes right'.

Authentic Italian Limoncello

1 liter (750 ml) of Everclear alcohol
10 medium to large lemons
1 1/2 liters of water (6 1/3 cups)
3 pounds of sugar (6 1/2 cups)
See note below for amounts if everclear measures 750 ml.

Wash the lemons with a vegetable brush and hot water to remove any reside of pesticides or wax; pat the lemons dry. Using a potato peeler, take all the lemon rinds off of the lemons so there is no white pith on the peel. Place the rind-peelings in a large container with the Everclear alcohol. Cover the container and let it sit for seven days.

On the eight day, strain the peels from alcohol; discard peels.

In a large saucepan, make a simple syrup by combining the water and sugar; let it simmer "fast" for 15 minutes. Let simple syrup cool to room temperature. Add to alcohol.

You are now finished and can drink it right away.

NOTE: This same recipe works for arancello also. Use 10 large oranges.
Makes about 2 1/2 liters.

NOTE:
Ingredient Amounts for 750 ml. bottle of Everclear:
750 ml. Everclear
7.5 lemons
1 ½ liters water X 7.5 = 1125 ml. = 4 ¾ cups
3 lbs. sugar X 7.5 = 2.25 lbs = 2 lbs. 4 ounces

[BakerAunt]

Banana Sour Cream Coffee Cake Penzey's
Submitted by frick on March 09, 2009 at 11:16 pm

Their note said “Don't expect there to be any leftovers. This cake will go fast.

Baked in a bundt pan it has a nice topping of sugar and nuts; if you use a tube pan, that will be on the bottom of your cake. Either way, top the cake with Caramel Icing.

This cake is really delicious. I did not make the icing. It would make a more elaborate presentation for a party or dessert table but the cake is quiet sweet and very flavorful without it.

Cake
½ cup pecans, chopped
¼ cup cinnamon sugar (mix ¼ cup sugar with 4 teaspoons cinnamon, then
measure out ¼ cup of the mixture).
½ cup shortening (I used butter)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup bananas, mashed
1 Tbsp. vanilla
½ cup sour cream (I misread the recipe and used 1 cup. It worked fine)
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease either a bundt or tube pan and set aside.

Combine chopped pecans and cinnamon sugar and sprinkle half of this mixture into the greased pan before preparing batter.

With a mixer, cream butter or shortening and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, mashed banana and vanilla. Add sour cream and mix until blended.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to the batter and mix until just blended. Work quickly here since the baking soda immediately reacts with the sour cream and the batter begins to lighten.

Spoon half the cake batter into the pan and smooth it somewhat. Follow with the second half of the sugar/nut mixture and end with the rest of the cake batter.

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes in the pan, then turn out the cake to finish cooling. Top with Caramel Icing

Yield: 12-16 good sized slices
Prep time: 15 minutes (I never believe this!)
Bake time: 45 minutes

Caramel Icing*
6 Tbsp. butter
¾ cup brown sugar
6 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add sugar and milk. Bring to a boil and continue to boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat, add vanilla and gradually mix in the powdered sugar. This icing hardens up rather quickly so you need to work fast. If it hardens up too quickly for you, add some more milk to thin it out.

Note: I think rum would be good in the icing. I would use at least a tablespoon and reduce the milk accordingly.

[BakerAunt]

Texas Pecan Pie Bars
Submitted by frick on August 12, 2010 at 12:35 pm

This is hands down the best Pecan Pie Bar I've ever met, drawing raves from everyone. Every crumb was scavenged from the box and tray. I bought the book (The Pastry Queen) just for this recipe.

Crust
1 ½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temp (I use Costco salted butter)
1 cup firmly packed golden brown sugar
4 cups AP flour
1 tsp salt (reduce to 1/2 tsp. if using salted butter)

Filling
8 large eggs
6 cups firmly packed golden brown sugar
¼ cup bourbon (I did use this)
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted (I also used salted)
2 Tbsp. vanilla
1 cup AP flour
1 tsp salt
2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
2 cups pecan halves (I chopped mine a little). I doubt if it matters.

Note: this calls for a pan 12 by 17” (that's 204 square inches). Do not be fooled and use a shallow pan like a jelly roll pan. It simply MUST go into a pan 2-3 “ deep. You could use two 10 by 10 pans (200 sq. in.), a 13 by 9 plus a 9 by 9 square (198 sq. in.), or cut the recipe in half. It does make a huge amount, a very deep bar with a lot of topping. My first batch used only half the topping and was still good, but not as good as doing it right.

Preheat oven to 350. Spray or butter pans.

Beat butter in mixer on medium about 1 minute; add sugar and beat until fluffy, about 1 minute. Add flour and salt and mix on low until incorporated but still crumbly. Press into prepared pan. Bake 15-20 minutes until it is a deep golden brown. Leave the oven at 350.

Whisk eggs & sugar in a large bowl until well blended. Add bourbon, butter, vanilla, flour and salt, then add coconut and pecans. Pour into crust and spread evenly. Bake until set, about 25-30 minutes.

Cool thoroughly before cutting.

[BakerAunt]

Apple Walnut Loaf
Submitted by frick on July 29, 2010 at 6:50 pm

Dear SOS: Every summer, we vacation at Twin Lakes near Bridgeport, Calif., in the Eastern Sierra. The 1881 Coffee Cafe, in a historic 1881 house, has the most incredible baked goods. We recently had an apple walnut loaf with a crusty cinnamon topping — absolutely delicious. Do you think you could obtain the recipe?
Nancy Dworzak, Westminster

Dear Nancy: We were smitten with this loaf even before it came out of the oven, the scents of cinnamon and apple perfuming the kitchen as it baked. Cooled, the wonderfully crumbly topping revealed a light and fluffy loaf, almost cake-like in texture. It's only slightly sweet with a gentle tang from buttermilk, and with little chunks of apple and walnut suspended throughout. Paired with a good cup of coffee, it makes a perfect start to the day.

1881 Coffee Cafe's Dutch Apple Walnut Loaf
Total time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Servings: 8 to 10

Note: Adapted from 1881 Coffee Cafe in Bridgeport, Calif. This recipe requires a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf dish.

Topping
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) cold butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in the cold butter until the mixture becomes crumbly. Set aside.

Loaf and assembly
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups (8.5 ounces) flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups peeled and diced apples
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Prepared topping

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-5-by-3-inch baking dish. Line the base of the dish with parchment paper, then grease the top of the parchment paper.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large bowl using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well until fully incorporated. Beat in the buttermilk and vanilla.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. With the mixer running, slowly beat in the dry ingredients just until fully combined. Stir in the diced apples and chopped walnuts by hand.

4. Pour the batter into the prepared dish, then sprinkle over the topping.

5. Place the dish in the oven and bake until puffed and a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 55 minutes to an hour. Cool the dish on a rack for 15 minutes, then unmold and cool completely before slicing.

Each of 10 servings: 390 calories; 5 grams protein; 51 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams fiber; 19 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 79 mg. cholesterol; 28 grams sugar, 267 mg. sodium.
Copyright © 2010, The Los Angeles Times

[BakerAunt]

Raisin Spice Bars
Submitted by frick on August 20, 2010 at 2:23 pm

Source: from the book Big Fat Cookies

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
½ tsp cloves
½ cup (1 stick butter) at room temp
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
2 Tbs. unsulphured molasses (I used honey, a mistake)
*1 cup raisins
*2 Tbsp. minced candied ginger
½ cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

ICING
½ cup conf. sugar
3-4 tsp milk

MAKE COOKIES
Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment.

* Put the raisins in the food processor with the ginger and pulse until they are finely chopped and form a clump. This is from the forum, not part of the original recipe. You may put the raisins and ginger in whole if you wish but I would chop the raisins smaller.

Sift the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves into a medium bowl and set aside. Beat the butter with the sugar in a large bowl of an electric mixer until creamed, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing. Add the egg and mix until blended, about 30 seconds. On low speed, mix in the molasses. Add the flour mixture, mixing just until it is incorporated. Mix in the raisin mixture and the walnuts.

Divide the dough in half and form it into 2 logs. Place the logs 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet, and pat each into an 11 x 2 ½ x 1 inch thick rectangle. Bake until the tops feel crusty but the interior feels soft when gently pressed, about 15 minutes. The edges will have just begun to brown. ** This instruction may be correct if you do not grind up the raisins and leave them more or less in chunks. With the raisins ground, they become an integral part of the dough and the hermits have to bake longer. See bottom note.

** I baked the hermits 15 minutes, at which time they were very squishy. Another 5 minutes later, still too squishy so I left them in for 5 minutes more. At 25 minutes, you can see that they were still very moist in the center. This may need more tinkering with.

Cool the logs on wire rack (still on the parchment) for 10 minutes. Then use a wide metal spatula to remove them from the parchment and to the wire rack. Cut each log into pieces about 2 inches wide.

MAKE ICING
In a small bowl, stir the powdered sugar together with enough milk to form a thick but pourable icing. Use a small spoon to drizzle several thin lines of icing over each cookie. Let them sit at room temp until the icing is firm.

The cookies can be stored in a tightly covered container at room temp for up to five days.

Note: I did not use the icing. Some recipes have it and some do not.

I consider the honey a mistake because it needed the molasses flavor. The hermits tasted too much like brown sugar for my taste and I wanted more spice. Next time, I will increase the spice and use another recipe to guide me in converting the brown sugar to a mixture of molasses and honey. It's actually a simple recipe. I just have to tinker with it more . . . frick