Pie Crust Rolls

When I was a kid, my mom occasionally made a treat from pie crust, butter, cinnamon, and sugar. This usually happened when she’d made an apple pie around the holidays and needed to use up the third crust from her recipe, which is an exercise in both creativity and thrift-two things I sincerely admire.

Last week, I used one store-bought crust for the remainder of my Meyer lemon tartlets, so I had one crust left over. I don’t usually use store-bought crust anymore now that I’ve mastered my mom’s recipe, but it’s very convenient if you’re trying out new recipes and you’re short on time.

My recipe below uses a slightly different process than the one my mom used to make, so I’ve outlined both ways in case you’d like to try her way too. Next time, I’ll give her process a try!

Ingredients

1 pie crust
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Sugar
Cinnamon

Note: the sugar and cinnamon quantities will vary according to your preference. You can also mix them together before you sprinkle them on the crust if you like.

Preparation: Amy’s Version

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil.

Unroll pie crust and brush with melted butter. Sprinkle with sugar, then cinnamon, then more sugar.

Roll up to create a log; gently press down the top of the log to flatten slightly.

Slice into half-inch slices and place on the prepared baking sheet. Brush tops with remaining melted butter.

Bake for 30 minutes, until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

Preparation: Genny’s Version

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil.

Brush pie crust with melted butter. Sprinkle with sugar, then cinnamon, then more sugar.

Roll up to create a log; gently press down the top of the log to flatten slightly.

Place the entire log on the prepared baking sheet. Brush top with remaining melted butter.

Bake for 30 minutes, until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack, then slice into half-inch portions.

Meyer Lemon Tartlets

Today is one of the days I wish I wasn’t fasting from sugar. I can avoid sweets when I put my mind to it, passing up all manner of cookies, cupcakes, and other treats out of the sheer determination to do so. I usually give up sweets for Lent, missing out on Cadbury Eggs, jelly beans, and Reese’s peanut butter eggs until Easter Sunday. But right now, as I’m looking at the photo of the adorable little lemon tartlets in this post, I sincerely wish I could eat one.

Last week I made some Meyer lemon curd, and tartlets are a natural fit for such a treat. I’ve never made them before, and I’ll definitely employ some different techniques next time. Full disclosure: I made my second batch using store-bought pie crust to experiment with the thickness of the tartlet shells, and I think they came out better than the cream cheese dough I used for the first batch. Although the instructions in my recipe recommended scooping balls of dough, then pressing them into the wells in the pan, I’d recommend rolling out your dough and cutting it with a cookie cutter instead.

I also just realized, when reviewing my curd recipe, that I used whole eggs and not just egg yolks this time. The end result was a creamier, lighter-colored curd than I’ve made in the past (and according to Mike, it is delicious regardless). The curd recipe here yields 2 cups; you’ll have enough for about 40 tartlets, so if you’re using the cream cheese tartlet shell recipe below you’ll want to double it to have enough.

Meyer Lemon Curd

Ingredients

4 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 cup lemon juice (I used 4 small/medium-sized Meyer lemons)
zest of 4 lemons
8 tablespoons butter

Preparation

Lightly beat eggs and pass them through a fine sieve to remove the albumin. Set aside in a medium bowl (or a large, 4-cup glass measuring cup for easy pouring) close to the stove for easy access; thoroughly wash your sieve and place it nearby for a second straining once the curd has cooked.

In a medium saucepan, whisk together cornstarch, sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest until completely combined. Add butter and cook on medium heat until thickened and bubbly.

Working quickly, pour about half of the hot lemon mixture into the eggs, whisking constantly to temper. Pour egg mixture back into the pan and cook and stir for 2 minutes more.

Pour mixture through your sieve to remove the zest; press waxed paper (or plastic wrap) onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Once curd is completely cooled, place in an airtight container. According to various food safety websites and other food blogs, lemon curd should last in the refrigerator for a few weeks.

Cream Cheese Tartlet Shells

Ingredients

3 ounces cream cheese, softened
8 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup flour

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until well-combined and almost fluffy. Add flour and beat until a soft dough forms, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Form dough into a ball and refrigerate at least 15 minutes.

Scoop 1-inch balls of dough into the wells of a mini cupcake pan. Press down to fill each well; I found it helpful to turn the pan several times to distribute the dough as evenly as I could.

Bake for about 15 minutes, until shells are golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for several minutes; remove from pan and place on a wire rack to cool completely before filling.

To fill: place about 1 teaspoon of lemon curd into each shell. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Pie Crust Alternative

Use a store-bought pie crust for tartlet shells; unroll the crust and cut using a 2 1/2 inch round or fluted cookie cutter. You’ll have about 16 rounds if you re-roll the scraps two or three times to use as much dough as you can.

Press circles of dough into the wells of a mini cupcake pan; bake for about 15 minutes, until shells are golden brown. Cool in pans for several minutes; remove from pan and place on a wire rack to cool completely before filling.

Orange Cream Mini Cupcakes

I’ve just completed a mammoth baking endeavor: 23 dozen miniature cupcakes, of varying flavors. This is the largest single-client baking project I’ve ever completed, and it went very well (as far as I know; the aforementioned cupcakes are likely being consumed right now at a fundraising event). It also left me with two dozen miniature vanilla cupcakes that needed frosting, so I asked Mike to choose a frosting flavor to complement them. He chose orange, for an orange cream-like result.

Rising to the challenge, I did a quick online search for orange frosting. There are many to choose from, ranging from orange cream cheese to orange buttercream to orange drizzle. Because drizzle would have been too glaze-like and cream cheese would have added a tang I didn’t quite want, I chose an orange buttercream and adapted it to my liking, using orange extract, vanilla extract, and orange juice to achieve a delicate orange-vanilla balance. If you don’t have orange extract handy, you can substitute with more orange juice. Mike was very pleased with the outcome, proclaiming the end result “very orange-creamy.”

The recipes below yield 24 miniature cupcakes and 1 cup of frosting, which covered my cupcakes perfectly.

Very Vanilla Cupcakes

Ingredients

1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons cake flour
1/2 plus 1/8 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/4 plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup buttermilk

Note: to double this recipe for 4 dozen miniature or 2 dozen regular-sized cupcakes, use the quantities in St. Patrick’s Day Cupcakes.

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line one 24-cup mini cupcake pan with paper liners.

In a small bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

Place egg in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar and continue beating for another 30 seconds.

Add vanilla and canola oil and beat on medium speed for 1 minute.

Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternatively in three batches, beginning and ending with the flour, scraping the sides of the bowl frequently. Batter will be very thin.

Using a teaspoon measuring spoon, scoop batter into prepared pan.

Bake for 8-10 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in pan for about 1 minute, then remove to a wire rack and cool completely before frosting.

Orange Cream Frosting

Ingredients

4 tablespoons butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon orange extract*
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
About 3 tablespoons orange juice
Yellow liquid food coloring
Red liquid food coloring

*Substitute orange juice if you don’t have orange extract. And, this recipe would be very easily doubled if you wanted to make enough to cover 4 dozen miniature or 2 dozen regular-sized cupcakes.

Preparation

In a mixing bowl, beat butter on low speed for about 1 minute. Add 1 cup powdered sugar, orange extract, and vanilla; beat on low speed until well-combined. Add second cup powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon orange juice and beat until well-combined. Add additional orange juice, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, to reach a smooth (but not runny) consistency.

With your mixer running on low, add about 3-4 drops of yellow liquid food coloring, followed by 1 drop of red. Beat on medium speed until color is well-distributed, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary, to achieve a pale orange color.

Fit a piping bag with a large plain tip and pipe frosting onto cupcakes. Store in an airtight container for 2-3 days.

St. Patrick’s Day Cupcakes

Happy (actual) St. Patrick’s Day! Yes, the baking extravaganza continued throughout this past weekend in my kitchen, and these were my final project. I like to think that St. Patrick would be proud of them…if he liked cupcakes, that is.

The two things I love most about baking are that it is both creative and apt to make someone really, really happy. These cupcakes enabled me to be both creative, and the bringer of sugar joy to the family of one of my lovely colleagues from work, whose kids love this holiday.

Apparently, the cupcakes went over big…as you can see in the “aftermath” photo below. And yes, that is my laptop in this photo…a blogger needs her resources close by, after all!

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups cake flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 recipe vanilla buttercream
green liquid food coloring
leaf green and kelly green gel paste food coloring
green sparkling sugar, if desired

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line one regular-sized cupcake pan and one miniature cupcake pan with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

Place eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar and continue to beat for another 30 seconds.

Add vanilla and canola oil and beat on medium speed for 1 minute.

Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternatively in three batches, beginning and ending with the flour, scraping the sides of the bowl frequently. Batter will be very thin.

Using a quarter-cup measuring cup, scoop batter into prepared regular-sized cupcake liners, filling half full. Use a teaspoon measuring spoon to fill miniature cupcake liners.

Bake regular-sized cupcakes for 12-13 minutes and miniature cupcakes for 7-9 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack before frosting.

To frost:

Prepare vanilla buttercream. Add a few drops of green liquid food coloring to the frosting with your mixer running on low to medium speed to achieve a light green color.

Remove about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of the frosting and tint darker green; I used a combination of leaf green and kelly green to create my shamrock color. Fit a piping bag with a small to medium-sized plain tip (I used a Wilton #5 tip) and place dark green frosting inside; set aside.

Frost regular-sized cupcakes first; using a 1-inch cookie scoop, scoop light green frosting onto each cupcake and frost in a smooth layer. Pipe shamrock shapes onto each cupcake; make three heart-like shapes then add the stem.

Frost miniature cupcakes next; replace your dark green piping bag with a large plain tip (I used Wilton 12) and pipe in swirls.

Fit another piping bag with a large star tip (I used Wilton 21) and fill with light green frosting. Pipe in swirls.

Dip half of each shade of the miniature cupcakes into the green sparkling sugar. Store at room temperature in an airtight container for 2-3 days (or store in the fridge to extend the life of your buttercream).

The aftermath at the Houser family St. Patrick’s Day celebration is as follows:

Lucky Charms Treats

I didn’t eat Lucky Charms cereal until I was 16 years old. My mom didn’t stock sugary cereals in our house, claiming that my brother and I would eat one bowl and lose interest. While that might be true, I also suspect that she, a physical education and health teacher, just didn’t believe that anything involving a marshmallow could be suitable for breakfast.

I remember when red balloons joined the marshmallow cast of pink hearts, yellow moons, orange stars, green clovers, blue diamonds, and purple horseshoes in 1989, but not one bite of Lucky Charms passed my lips until I was a teenager. And as an adult, despite my penchant for sugar consumption, I rarely eat this magically delicious cereal. Perhaps my mom was right about my preference for “regular” cereals like Cheerios and Wheaties.

Much like their Rice Krispies Treat cousins, these treats are easy to make and require only a few ingredients. It is important to work quickly once the cereal joins the butter/marshmallow mixture though, to prevent the marshmallows in the Lucky Charms from melting.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter
4 cups miniature marshmallows
6 cups Lucky Charms cereal

Preparation

Spray a 9 x 13 pan with nonstick spray; set aside.

In a large pot, melt butter and marshmallows over medium heat, stirring until completely combined.

Add Lucky Charms and stir until completely coated with marshmallow mixture; immediately pour into your prepared pan and smooth out using a spatula.

Allow to cool completely, then cut into squares. Store in an airtight container.

Rice Krispie Shamrocks

Nearly every American child has probably had, at one time or another, a Rice Krispies Treat. I have distinct memories of standing next to the stove with my mom, waiting to pour in cup after cup of Rice Krispies as she stirred the marshmallow mixture. My grandmother was also fond of making these, and she employed a range of cereals, from Cocoa Krispies to Frosted Flakes, to create her own versions.

According to Wikipedia, the original recipe for Rice Krispies Treats was pioneered in 1927 by Malitta Jensen and Mildred Day, two employees in the Kellogg Company home economics department, as a fundraiser for the Camp Fire Girls. Later, these treats were popular additions to care packages for soldiers stationed abroad during the 1940s. And while they are currently available in store-bought varieties, I think the best treats are still the kind you make on your own stove, waiting for that melted marshmallow smell to waft out of the pot.

The recipe below is an adaptation of the original, using one fewer cup of cereal to yield a more pliable, marshmallowy texture.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons margarine
4 cups miniature marshmallows
green liquid food coloring
5 cups Rice Krispies
shamrock sprinkles, optional

Preparation

Spray a 9 x 13 pan with nonstick spray; set aside.

In a large pot, melt margarine over medium heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted; add as much green liquid food coloring as desired to achieve the shade of green you’d like.

Add Rice Krispies and stir until completely coated with marshmallow mixture; immediately pour into your prepared pan and smooth out using a spatula. Sprinkle with shamrocks, if desired, using the spatula to press sprinkles into the Krispies.

Allow to cool completely, then turn out onto a sheet of parchment. Spray a shamrock cookie cutter with nonstick spray and cut into shamrocks; reserve the scraps for snacking.

Sweet Lemon Frosting

The Sweet Lemon was, at one time, one of my preferred names for a bakery. Alas, there is already a Sweet Lemon Bakery in London, so I’ll just have to figure out another name for the bakery that I’ll open someday.

This frosting is a creation very similar to lemon cream cheese frosting, but with far more sweetness because of the ratio of lemon curd and powdered sugar to the cream cheese. You can certainly adjust based on your own taste preferences, adding more or less lemon curd to round out your flavors. I originally paired this with a white cake that was filled with lemon curd, but you could use it on lemon, strawberry, or raspberry cupcakes for delicious results. I hope to try out a raspberry cupcake with this frosting over the summer, when raspberries are in season.

The recipe below frosted the top of one 8-inch round cake; you could easily increase it to frost an entire two-layer cake, 24 cupcakes, or a sheet cake if necessary.

Ingredients

4 tablespoons butter
2 ounces cream cheese
2 tablespoons lemon curd
About 2 1/4 cups powdered sugar

Preparation

In a mixing bowl, beat butter and cream cheese until very well blended, about 3 minutes.

Add 1 cup powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon lemon curd; beat on low to begin, then increase speed and beat on medium until well-blended. Add additional cup powdered sugar and additional tablespoon lemon curd; beat on low to begin, then increase speed to medium and beat until very well-blended. Taste; add another 1/4 cup powdered sugar if desired.

Fresh Strawberry Buttercream

This is prize-winning frosting, my friends. Literally. I used it on strawberry lemonade cupcakes last summer and won first prize in the baking contest at the Soergel Orchards strawberry festival.

Unlike my raspberry buttercream, this recipe requires fresh strawberries that are pureed and incorporated into the mixture. Farmer’s market strawberries, which are usually small and more pink than red, are preferable to the super market kind that are vibrant red, large, and definitely not as flavorful.

Bring all of your ingredients to room temperature before preparing this frosting; it yields the best results. The recipe below frosted 24 cupcakes.

Ingredients

8 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, at room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
Scant ¼ cup strawberry puree, at room temperature

Preparation

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and lemon juice on low speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.

Gradually add powdered sugar, in half-cup increments, beating until fully incorporated.

Add strawberry puree, mixing until completely incorporated, about 1-2 minutes.

Using a small cookie scoop, scoop frosting onto tops of cupcakes and spread with an offset spatula. Frosting can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days; refrigerate cupcakes after they are filled and frosted for up to 3 days.

Note: you can adjust the sweetness or tartness of this frosting very easily by adding more lemon juice or puree; you’ll just need to add more sifted powdered sugar so the frosting isn’t too runny.

Peppermint Buttercream

So, it was Christmas, and I wanted to make a dark chocolate yule log with peppermint frosting. While the yule log didn’t quite work out, I did end up making a dark chocolate cake and frosting it with the recipe below…and it was delicious.

Peppermint buttercream could pair with vanilla, white, or peppermint cake or cupcakes, but my preference would certainly be dark chocolate cake or cupcakes, reminiscent of a York Peppermint Pattie.

The crushed-up peppermint candies are certainly optional; some peppermint buttercream recipes call for mixing crushed candies right into the frosting, rather than using them as a garnish, so you could do that if you prefer. Peppermint Patties might make a fun addition to this frosting if you cut them into wedges and placed them along the outside of your cake, or just on top of each cupcake.

This recipe yields enough for one 9 x 13 sheet cake.

Ingredients

8 tablespoons butter, softened
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 teaspoons peppermint extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons heavy cream
red and white peppermint candies, crushed (optional)

Preparation

Place butter in a mixing bowl and beat on medium speed for 1 minute using a paddle attachment. Add powdered sugar and beat on low speed until the sugar is fully incorporated; this will take several minutes. I cover my mixer with a kitchen towel to prevent a powdered sugar storm.

Scrape the sides of the bowl and add peppermint extract, vanilla extract, and 1 tablespoon heavy cream. Beat until well combined, scraping sides of the bowl frequently; beat in additional tablespoon of heavy cream and continue beating for 1-2 minutes for a smooth, even consistency.

Frost the cake and sprinkle the edges with crushed peppermint candies if desired.

Vegan Vanilla Frosting

Vegan frosting? Yes, it does exist. And this version is delicious.

Okay, so most folks who are vegan are probably more health-conscious than I am and might be appalled to see one full cup of vegetable shortening in this recipe, but trust me, it’s the only way to go. I got this recipe from my cousin Barb, who has a friend whose children have various food allergies, including dairy and egg allergies. The friend actually got this recipe from her grandmother, who called it something like “Depression frosting,” likely because during the Depression dairy and eggs were scarce. It remind me a great deal of my grandma Zella’s frosting, which includes egg whites.

Just a caveat: you really do need to take the full 10 minutes to whip this frosting, or the ingredients won’t come together properly. You could also certainly cut the recipe in half for a smaller yield; this frosted 36 cupcakes very generously, with just a bit left over.

Ingredients

1 cup shortening
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup water
8 cups powdered sugar

Preparation

In a mixing bowl, combine shortening, 1 teaspoon vanilla, water, and 4 cups powdered sugar. Mix on low speed, then increase to medium-high and beat for 10 minutes, until smooth. Add remaining powdered sugar and additional teaspoons of vanilla extract, beating until smooth.

Frost cupcakes as desired; you can add food coloring for tint if you like, once frosting is fully mixed.

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