homemade oreos « Sassy Radish When we arrived to America, I was quick in growing to love American traditions and foods and general popular culture. I ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with great zeal and often dreamt (and still do) of pizza. Hamburgers and French fries, chicken nuggets and fish sticks, potato chips and chocolate chip cookies, sweet potato and broccoli, Fourth of July clambakes and Thanksgiving turkeys – I embraced it all as if it were the most natural thing in the world. I forced these unknown traditions on my parents, arguing with them, a bold and foolish teenager that I was, that these were the new ways of the world, and that we had to let go of our old world traditions because they were archaic that no one, besides my parents and their Russian friends, understood. Except for the Oreos. No matter how hard I tried to love the Oreo, its white stuffing eluded me. With sadness, I accepted the fact that I was never to become an Oreos fan, when I spotted these homemade Oreos on Smitten Kitchen.
Some More Please! Lincoln’s Red Velvet (Cheesecake) Cake Wednesday, April 7, 2010 Lincoln’s Red Velvet (Cheesecake) Cake Psssst…. there’s a surprise inside this pale exterior! Oh yeah! I spent a LOT of time thinking about “Lincoln’s Cake” (which is what I always referred to it as when discussing it). When it came down to choosing the actual recipes I would follow, I wanted sources I trusted. Now for some notes on the structure and assembly of this gorgeous cake. Now, you probably want to know what this tastes like, right? I know I don’t usually write this much, but this cake was just so delicious, and surprisingly easier than I expected. This cake was so delicious and stunningly beautiful, I did something I’ve NEVER done before. (Love the idea of this cake, but are you more of a chocolate & peanut butter person? **Update** I’ve gotten so much great response on this cake, and I greatly appreciate when readers comment saying they’ve made the cake. Commenter #48 Amber’s cake: Commenter #49 Patrick’s cake: Reader Joyce’s cake, Christmas version!
Siew Bao (Baked BBQ Pork Buns/烧包 These days, I am so busy that I don’t have much time to explore blogoshere, so I rely on websites like Tastespotting to discover really good food blogs, and that’s how I discovered My Kitchen. Lydia Teh is a fellow Malaysian and her blog My Kitchen is full of great recipes and very beautiful food photography. Lydia is also a great cook and makes some of the most authentic Chinese and Malaysian dishes around. Please welcome My Kitchen to Rasa Malaysia as she shares her Char Siew Bao/Char Siu Bao recipe (Chinese roast pork or barbequed pork buns) with us. What’s more, she made her Char Siew Bao/Char Siu Bao (叉烧包) from scratch. (Check out my char siew/char siew recipe. A while ago, I received an email from Bee–Rasa Malaysia. What dish should I bring to Rasa Malaysia? It is a must order item whenever we visited a dim sum restaurant. Steamed buns made with the mixture low-protein flour and wheat starch are fluffier and softer than those using only low-protein or all purpose flour.
Snickerdoodle Muffins Last Friday I finished my exams and was planning on coming home and having a baking extravaganza, but then I tripped on my cat and fell down the stairs. We're both fine, though I think he's a lot more fine than me because as soon as I felt his soft body under my foot I took all my weight off of him and slid down the stairs. Which has left me with a swollen foot. I recently discovered the insane deliciousness of snickerdoodle cookies. As for how they turned out, the muffins were incredibly moist and a great sour cream muffin texture. Snickerdoodle Muffinsslightly modified from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody 2 sticks unsalted butter1 cup sugar2 tsp vanilla2 eggs3/4 tsp baking soda3/4 tsp baking powder3/4 tsp cream of tartar3/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg1 1/4 cup sour cream2 1/4 cups all purpose flour 1/2 cup sugar and 1 TBSP cinnamon mixed together for rolling* 1.Cream the butter and sugar until soft about 3 to 5 minutes. 4.
pumpkin cheesecake w/ nutella ganache When you go to bed at night, as soon as you hit the pillow, do you get all these pop up bubbles of thoughts of the day of what you didn't do or what you should have done? I hate that. Well, most nights I hate that. But last night I didn't hate. I am back to kind of loving Top Chef Desserts. pumpkin cheesecake w/ nutella ganacherecipe by dawn finicaneprint recipe crust1- 10 oz box of Lorna Doone shortbread cookies, crushed fine (I used all 2 sleeves)1 stick salted butter, meltedTiny pinch of sea salt1 ts vietnamese cinnamon cheesecake filling4 - 8 oz. packages of cream cheese, room temp¾ cup granulated sugar¼ cup heavy cream (maybe a little less)3 large eggs and 2 large egg yolks1 cup plus 3 TB pumpkin puree1 ts of pure vanilla extract1 ts cinnamonCouple dashes of pumpkin pie spice mix (use as much as you like; I’m not fond of it, so I used very little) cook notes:as I said above I should have used the milk chocolate chips instead of the bittersweet chips.
Broccoli, Mushroom “Stir Fry” | Rawmazing Raw Food Ok..it is stirred, but not fried. Creating new raw food recipes is something that I love to do. Even more fun is getting surprised along the way. When I started this recipe, I had something very different in mind. A quick marinade, chop a few veggies, toss and eat. Equipment Needed: Food Processor Broccoli Mushroom “Stir Fry” serves 2 Marinade: 1/4 C Olive Oil2 T Nama Shoyu1 T Agave or Raw Honey Whisk olive oil, nama shoyu and agave or honey together. Stir Fry 1 1/2 C Sliced Mushrooms1 C Chopped Broccoli1 Large Parsnip2 Carrots1 C Pea PodsSesame Oil (optional)Black Sesame Seeds (Optional) Place broccoli and mushrooms in marinade. Peel and cut parsnip into pieces. Cut the carrots into match stick sized pieces. Chop the pea pods into 1/2 inch pieces and mix into the parsnip “rice” with the carrots. Stir in the entire broccoli, mushroom marinade mix.
Gingersnap Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Cinnamon Buttercream 1 stick softened butter 3/4 Cup granulated sugar 2 large eggs 3 Tablespoons molasses 1 Cup all purpose flour 1/2 Cup gingersnap cookies, ground very fine 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 Cup milk 1 teaspoon vanilla Frosting 1 stick unsalted butter, softened 2 1/2 Cups powdered/confectioners sugar 1/4 Cup milk 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds removed 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl combine the flour, ground gingersnap cookies, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Scoop batter into 12 lined cupcake cups and bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean from center. To make frosting beat softened butter and powdered sugar in mixing bowl until smooth while slowly adding milk/vanilla and cinnamon in to get a smooth thick frosting. 12 cupcakes
Salted Caramel Brownies I first fell in love with salted caramel back on a chilly January day this past winter. It was a Friday. The night before, my Chief Culinary Consultant and I went to a Pens/Caps game (we won’t discuss the result), and he was in town and off the next day. So we did what we do best – we went shopping. We were making our way around town when we passed a cupcake shop and I’m pretty sure I was adamant about stopping in. Somehow it took me until now to actually make salted caramel instead of traipsing around eating it in the form of frosting. And if that weren’t enough, there’s more good news. If you received the Brown Eyed Baker weekly newsletter last week then you know the weekly baking challenge was… brownies! One year ago: Dulce de Leche Cheesecake SquaresTwo years ago: Zebra Cake
White Chocolate Dark Chocolate Raspberry Tart | Rawmazing Raw Food Years ago, one of my family’s favorite desserts was a white chocolate, raspberry, chocolate tart. I have been thinking about it lately and decided that I was going to make a raw version to bring to the 4th of July celebration at my friend Kim’s house. I was the only raw food person there but I sure wasn’t the only person who loved the dessert. It was a huge success. If you want a light crust, like in the picture, you will have to peel the almonds. This is actually very easy once they have been soaked. White Chocolate Dark Chocolate Raspberry Tart Crust: 1 cup almonds, soaked 6 hours, drained and peeled1/4 cup coconut oil, melted 1. 2. 3. 4. Filling: 2 cups cashews, soaked at least 6 hours, drained1/3 cup agave nectar1/2 cup cacao butter, melted1/3 cup coconut oil, melted1 teaspoon vanilla2 pints raspberries 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Top with layer of Chocolate Ganache Chocolate Ganache recipe here: Chocolate Ganache Other similar recipes can be found here: Desserts
Butterbeer recipe | Chica and Jo UPDATE: I’ve tweaked this recipe based on more research done at Universal. Be sure to take a look at our updated Butterbeer recipe to see the new ingredient! I’ve been a huge Harry Potter fan since the second book came out and my husband brought it home on the recommendation of a co-worker. I stayed up until the wee hours in the morning with my eyes bugged out so I could finish reading the first and second books. So we were very excited when we had the opportunity this summer to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios. As fun as it was that day, it was also hot. On that hot afternoon, I preferred the frozen version (a slushie consistency) but I liked the regular drink a little bit better overall. The mugs were really cute as well. But how would I make the mug? I picked out some really pretty glass mugs that I wanted to use, making sure that were big enough for my stencil, which measures about 4″ x 2-3/4″. Start by thoroughly cleaning your mugs with rubbing alcohol.
Crêpes with Cream Cheese Filling Crepes are a beloved kind of dessert over here – in our monkey household. They make the days brighter and happier. I don’t really know how but it works! Here’s a little idea on how to make crepes a little different than usual – why not fill them with a wonderful cream cheese filling! It’s beyond delicious. And beyond simple. Come and have a look at how I made them… These are the ingredients that I’ve used. I bet you have them all in your pantry right now. Right? 1. At least the one I make. You just throw the eggs, flour, milk, water, sugar, and a pinch of salt into a bowl… 2. If there’s any more elaborate way how to prepare the crepe batter I never want to know. Never! I can perfectly survive with this amount of knowledge. 3. Pour some vegetable oil in since we don’t want our crepes to stick to the pan. Place the pan over medium heat and let it stay there until it’s rather hot or until a few sprinkles of water dropped on the pan splatter. 4. 5. 7. 9. Yum! At this point it is important to be very strong.
Nanaimo Bars Other than my short stint as a resident of New York City, I've never lived in a city with a "signature" food. I'm talking about claim-to-fame level: cheese steaks from Philadelphia, coffee from Seattle, Hatch chiles from New Mexico. These Nanaimo Bars are the ultimate signature food, from beautiful Nanaimo, British Columbia on Vancouver Island in Canada. Nanaimo bars are a rich, decadent, 3-layer, no-bake treat. These bars are ubiquitous in Canada. Nanaimo BarsAdapted from The City of NanaimoPrintable RecipeMakes ~50 bars Bottom Layer½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter¼ cup sugar5 tbsp. cocoa powder1 egg, beaten1 ¼ cups graham cracker crumbs½ c. finely chopped almonds1 cup coconut½ c. Melt first 3 ingredients in top of double boiler. Middle Layer½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature2 Tbsp. and 2 Tsp. half-and-half2 Tbsp. vanilla custard powder or powdered vanilla pudding mix2 cups powdered sugar Cream butter, cream, custard powder, and icing sugar together well.