crème brûlée french toasts Filed under the very large category of Things Pretty Much Every New Yorker Already Knew About But Was News To Me (don’t bother trying to hail a cab after noon on a Friday, filthy stoops are irresistible for the chill-minded set, etc.), the City Bakery on 18th Street has some astoundingly good French toast on Sunday mornings. It’s also astoundingly expensive, as things will go at a bakery with sweets like you can’t find anywhere else and an iron grip on its original recipes. Their version is a ridiculously thick wedge of battered bread with a caramelized lid that requires no syrup or other accompaniment — well, except maybe some crispy salty strips of bacon — to make it sing. Of course, I’m not trying to make their French toast, I would leave that to their expertise. The snafu me and my poor little middle fingertip — leading to countless, “Look what I hurt today!” Crème Brûlée French Toasts Makes 6 servings Topping 2/3 cup granulated sugar Preheat oven to 325.
Nutella and Peanut Butter Stripe Bread If you've perused through enough of my posts and recipes, you may have noticed my slight obsession with the creation of stripes, swirls and spirals in my edibles. As well as a borderline addiction to pinks and purples :-). As idiosyncratic as it sounds, these are the things make me happy...my brain probably swims in a pink and purple sea of swirls and stripes on a daily basis. Imagine that. I like to think that I'm quite normal; each to his own, wouldn't you say? Well, you may be relieved to know that today there is not an ounce of bright color in my recipe. Nutella and peanut butter filling. The stripes that make up the bread are actually layers of filling, in this case nutella and peanut butter, an irresistible combo to anyone but those poor souls who, for whatever reasons, wish to always watch their weight. There are a number of folding and rolling steps involved (see Method below for pictorial). There's also braiding involved and let me tell you this, I suck at it! (PS. Ingredients:
Peanut Butter Cookies With Coconut Oil Subscribe to Cookie Madness by Email According to my brief and not very thorough research on coconut oil, its health benefits are numerous and we should be eating it every single day. Still, I’ve had a hard time getting myself to spend $7.00 on a jar of fat, and if it weren’t for my curiosity as to how it would work in peanut butter cookies, I might not be the proud owner of a jar of Spectrum Organic Coconut Oil. It seems to have been a good investment because the cookies taste good and have a light and crispy (slightly addictive) texture. I rolled them in honey roasted peanuts and coconut, but you can also roll them in salted peanuts & coconut or just plain peanuts. Thumbs up to coconut oil cookies, now where else can I use it? Honey Roasted Peanut & Coconut Peanut Butter Cookies Cream coconut oil, peanut butter, and both sugars together in a mixing bowl. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix together the chopped peanuts and coconut and lay on a flat surface. Makes 24 large cookies.
28 Muffin Recipes You’ll Want to Try I love muffins. I love them even more than cupcakes. Probably because they are so quick to make. It’s almost instant gratification from the time the muffin idea pops in your head until you’re pulling them from the oven. Of course, not all muffins are the sweet variety. Here’s a list of muffin recipes gathered from this site and all around the web too. Snickerdoodle Muffins – Just like the cookie, only in muffin form. Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins Cranberry Muffins with Orange Marmalade Glaze – The glaze would be really good on other kinds of muffins too. Chocolate Chip Muffins Blueberry Muffins with Orange Glaze Apple Brown Betty Muffins Poppy Seed Muffins Blueberry Sour Cream Muffins Graham Muffins Pumpkin Muffins Argan Banana Muffins from Maroc Mama Sweet Potato Spice Muffins from The Jammie Girl Pumpkin Muffins with Streusel Topping from Hoosier Homemade Banana Muffins with Tart Lemon Icing from Addicted to Recipes Apple Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins from Barbara Bakes Cheddar Muffins
Pumpkin Cupcakes With Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting I couldn't believe my eyes this week when I saw the ad for Pumpkin Spice Lattes in my local Starbucks. Pumpkin Spice already? But there's still a little more summer to be had, isn't there? Of course, it was impossible to stay upset for too long; after all, this is lovely pumpkin -- one of my favorite flavors of all time -- that we're talking about! So, I ransacked my pumpkin-flavored recipes to find this one for Pumpkin Cupcakes. You'll recognize that it's a classic, but the cinnamon in the Cream Cheese Frosting gives it a little something extra. Pumpkin Cupcakes With Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting from AllRecipes Ingredients For cupcakes 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour1 teaspoon ground cinnamon1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg1/2 teaspoon ground ginger1/2 teaspoon ground cloves1/2 teaspoon ground allspice1/2 teaspoon salt1 tablespoon baking powder1/2 teaspoon baking soda1/2 cup butter, softened1 cup white sugar1/3 cup brown sugar2 eggs3/4 cup milk1 cup pumpkin puree For frosting Instructions 1. 2. 3.
Purple and Pink Rainbow Cookies For the last two years for Christmas I have made Italian rainbow cookies using a Gourmet recipe I found on Smitten Kitchen. They are one of my favorite cookies, and homemade ones, in my opinion, are way better than the ones you get at a bakery. They are way more moist and awesome, and they keep really well in my freezer so that I can have a little rainbow cookie snack whenever I want. One of my good friends from college, Celia, got married down in North Carolina last month, and a week before the wedding she asked me if I was going to be bringing some tasty baked goods, like maybe those rainbow cookies I make. I hadn't been planning on bringing anything, since I was having a hard enough time trying to figure out what to wear and how to pack three dresses and five pairs of shoes in my carry-on bag. Italian Rainbow Cookies (or Seven-Layer Cookies)recipe from Gourmet via Smitten Kitchen Preheat oven to 350ºF and place oven rack in the middle of the oven. Makes about 5 dozen cookies.
The Brownie That Will Change Your Life Let me start off by saying that viewer discretion is advised for today’s post. OK now with the story that preludes possibly the greatest brownie I have ever sunk my teeth in thus far in my life. Last Saturday Mrs. Zesty had a baby shower to attend and she was designated for a dessert/sweet treat for the girls. I knew time was tight and I didn’t want to spend all night Friday night to prep a dessert. This recipe, I cannot take any credit for and nor will I try as it is compliments of Nestle Toll House and as you can see from the reviews…. Ingredients 1 pkg. (18.25 oz.) chocolate cake mix1 cup chopped nuts ( Optional )1 cup Evaporated Milk1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, melted35 (10-oz. pkg.) caramels, unwrapped2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) Method Preheat oven to 350° F.Combine cake mix and nuts in large bowl. Bake for 15 minutes.Heat caramels and remaining evaporated milk in small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until caramels are melted. Thanks zesty
cinnamon mini-cheesecakes with pumpkin pie frosting I’ve always said that I like a good balance of cooking and baking in my life. But man oh man, somehow I have gotten on a mega baking kick lately. And since I tend to prefer savory to sweet, the object of my affection as of late has been this epic 3-ingredient biscuit recipe that has pretty much changed my life. Ok, at least it has changed my breakfast. I have already made it 3 times since and counting! That recipe is coming on the blog tomorrow. It’s fairly rare that I have a bag of self-rising flour sitting in my pantry, partly because it doesn’t stay fresh as long with that baking powder mixed in. So bookmark this recipe if you ever need it for the future. Read more Happy day, friends! I hope this finds you well, wherever you may be. Thankfully, life seems well here too. Most weeks, I tend to go-go-go. The weekend ahead looks a little more aflurry, with a local blogging conference kicking into gear tomorrow and friends new and old coming to attend. Read more Read more ¡Amigos! Read more
No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars & Buns In My Oven - I have this secret that I’ve been carrying around with me my whole life. I’ve always been too scared to tell anyone for fear of what they would say. I want to tell you, but if I do will you promise not to call me names and leave me? I’ve never eaten oatmeal before. No, really. I’ve never eaten oatmeal. You aren’t calling me names, are you? I hope not, because I think I’ve finally decided to try oatmeal. For now, let me show you these delicious no bake chocolate peanut butter oatmeal bars. This recipe is super simple. Add 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of peanut butter (smooth or chunky, your choice) to a microwave safe bowl and microwave until it’s all melted together. Pour the chocolate and peanut butter over the top of the oatmeal crust, reserving a couple spoonfuls to drizzle over the top of the bars. Gently press the reserved oatmeal on top of the chocolate and peanut butter, drizzle with the remaining chocolate and peanut butter and then refrigerate for a few hours.
Chocolate Malted & Toasted-Marshmallow Layer Cake - Semisweetie, A geeky baking and recipe blog Recipe: Sweetapolita's Campfire Delight Total time: 4 hours Ease: Intermediate Unusual ingredients: malted milk powder, whipping cream, marshmallows, marshmallow fluff, unsweetened cocoa powder, coffee Marshmallows. Malt. I knew this was going to be a time investment. The cakes themselves were perfect. Toasting the marshmallows was easy in the oven, but when I added them to the mixture of fluff, butter and icing sugar, things got quite a bit messy! The chocolate malted frosting is absolutely delightful. Related Posts:
espresso chocolate chip shortbread cookie recipe Recipe: espresso chocolate chip shortbread What new views through the lens? I went leaf hunting today and found… tall trees leftover snow on the mountains the big kahuna The rest of the sampler from today’s jaunt is on the photo blog. Right, so the title of today’s post should read “to the dogs(‘ sitters)”. espresso to batter mini chocolate chips Of course, I don’t want any hard feelings to be taken out on my girl. everyone likes some dough roll it out I have made one hundred million billion of these cookies to date. measure the slices slap it on a baking sheet and go I made a double batch of these today. this cookie will solve our energy crisis Espresso Chocolate Chip Shortbread[print recipe]from Smitten Kitchen *Note: I didn’t follow all of the instructions in Deb’s version because I am a lazy bum. Dissolve espresso powder in boiling water.
blueberry crumb bars I uploaded pictures of this recipe yesterday onto Flickr, but didn’t get to telling you all about it because I was feeling a little lackadaisical after that whole seven days in a row of posting thing. Three hours later, I received this comment: “Omg, post the recipe already!” Hmmph! I thought. The natives are getting restless. But who could blame them? It could get ugly. But if there ever were a dessert worth getting ugly for, it would have to be this. “Omg, post the recipe already!” As you wish. Blueberry Crumb Bars Adapted from AllRecipes.com Recipes like this make me wonder why I don’t use AllRecipes.com more. I could imagine easily swapping another fruit or berry for the blueberries–I’m especially thinking something tart like sour cherries or cranberries in the fall (I’d use orange instead of lemon with cranberries). These are easiest to cut once chilled, and store even better in the fridge than they do at room temperature–something unusual for cookies! 1. 2. 3. 4.
italian sodas June 30, 2011 | Sweet Recipes | Comments Growing up, these Italian sodas were my favorite!! My mom and I would always stop by a little coffee shack on our road trips to Oregon. Photo Credit: Sugar and Charm Dark Chocolate Pumpkin Truffles Despite the fact that I’ve been inexplicably bought and paid for by the Son of God Himself, I feel guilty all the time. Call it a complex. adorable napkins courtesy of sweet Erin Sometimes it’s Byrd’s fault. She does this thing when I’m leaving for work every morning — do your dogs do this? — where she ramps up her cute factor by 200%. It’s as if she’s saying, “You’re not gonna LEAVE me, are you mom? But every morning, I break her heart by telling her goodbye and shutting her up in my bedroom. Other times it’s my own fault that I feel guilty. Suddenly it’s 1 o’clock in the morning and my to-do list suddenly looks a lot like an accusation staring up at me from my notepad. Last night my guilt was even more justified. Suddenly, I heard a thump. He had fallen off the counter. quick, think of something happy. like pumpkin truffles. MY BABY FELL OFF THE COUNTER BECAUSE I WAS TOO BUSY TO WATCH HIM CLOSELY. The truth is, guilt is useful insofar as it leads us to make a change. They’re worth it.