Shortbread Bars

You’d think that someone who isn’t eating sweets for four months wouldn’t torture herself by baking flaky, buttery shortbread studded with miniature semisweet chocolate chips. And yet.

This recipe is an adaptation, in both ingredients and process. The original recipe called for dried cranberries instead of chocolate chips, mixing the dough with a spoon, and then, to my great shock, cutting the finished product into heart shapes and discarding the remaining scraps. Since I had some miniature chocolate chips on hand, I easily substituted those for the cranberries, and I found that rubbing the butter into the dry ingredients with my hands was far easier than using a spoon. As for discarding the remaining scraps, well, only someone who isn’t in their right mind would waste perfectly good shortbread.

Just a few tips for this recipe: you want your butter to be at room temperature, but not too soft. The flour and powdered sugar should be sifted before measuring, which is why this isn’t written “3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted.” And while using your hands will be messy, it will also be infinitely easier than trying to stir the dough together with a spoon.

Ingredients

1 cup butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
2 cups sifted flour
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine butter, powdered sugar, flour, vanilla, and salt.

Using your hands, rub the butter into the dry ingredients until a well-combined and soft dough forms.

Add chocolate chips and, again using your hands, incorporate them into the dough.

Press the dough evenly into an 8 x 8 baking dish.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until firm and pale golden.

Let cool on a wire rack for about 20 minutes.

Invert pan onto a cutting board and cut into squares.

Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

Baltimore’s Best

There are two conditions under which I, an avid Steeler fan, can cheer for the Baltimore Ravens: any time they play the New England Patriots, and when they play any team other than the Steelers in the playoffs. You may wonder how a Steeler fan could ever cheer for the Ravens, even one who attended college and lived for some time in the Great State of Maryland. There is a single driving force behind my ability to support our arch nemesis, and his name is Robb Mowery.

Robb is my cousin by marriage; he and my cousin Barb are parents to the adorable Maureen, my goddaughter (who, for her first Halloween, dressed as a Ravens cheerleader). Robb is one of my favorite people ever, even if he has sketchy taste in sports teams. He’s genuine, has a great sense of humor, and would do anything for his family. We enjoy taunting one another throughout football season, and today, I’m happy for him because the Ravens have made it to the Super Bowl for the second time. Robb is an extraordinarily devoted fan, so I hope that, for his sake, they win tonight.

The recipe below is an adaptation of the classic Berger cookie, a Baltimore favorite.

Ingredients

Rich Chocolate Icing

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

5 1/3 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cups sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup milk

Preparation

Begin by making the icing, so it can cool to a warm room temperature as the cookies bake.

Place sifted powdered sugar in a large mixing bowl; set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine chocolate chips, corn syrup, vanilla, and heavy cream.

Heat until very hot and the cream begins to bubble; remove from heat and stir until smooth.

Pour mixture over powdered sugar and beat with a hand mixer until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly while you prepare the cookies.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Line three baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a mixing bowl, cream together butter, salt, vanilla, and baking powder.

Beat in sugar, followed by the egg.

Add flour and milk alternatively, starting and ending with the flour. Do not over-mix; the lowest mixer setting or a spoon work well.

Using a one-inch cookie scoop, drop dough onto prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 1/2 inches between each cookie. Lightly wet your fingers and press the cookies into circles.

Bake for 11 minutes, until bottoms are just brown. The tops should not have any color; these cookies are cake-like and should not be over-baked.

Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then cool completely on a wire rack.

When cookies are cool, gently beat the icing to restore a smooth, even texture. Dip the flat bottom of each cookie into the icing, swirling to generously coat. I admit that I dipped half of the cookies on the wrong side, but I’m sure they’ll taste just fine. Once dipped, top the cookies with the remainder of the icing – while it seems like a lot, that’s the point!

Allow icing to set and store cookies in a single layer.

ANZAC Biscuits

Baking and history are two of my favorite things, so when I find a recipe with a great story behind it, I have to give it a try.

ANZAC biscuits originated in World War I, when the families of troops in the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) needed a sturdy treat that could make a successful trip from the kitchens of Sydney or Wellington to the Mediterranean, where ANZAC troops were stationed. This is a hearty cookie, and the finished product is definitely one that could stand up to the tests of shipping halfway around the world. I like to imagine the delight of the men who received packages from home, with letters from their wives and tins of these cookies to give them a smile and the smallest sense of normalcy amid chaos.

ANZAC biscuits are baked with Lyle’s Golden Syrup, which would have been a common pantry staple in the British Commonwealth during World War I. Scottish businessman Abram Lyle discovered that after sugar cane was refined it produced a syrup that could be further refined and used as a sweetener in cooking and baking. The syrup became wildly popular and by 1922 was even used by the British royal family. I bought my golden syrup at Soergel Orchards, but for those outside of the Pittsburgh area, it is also available online from King Arthur Flour.

Ingredients

2 cups flour
1 3/4 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup shredded coconut
12 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons Lyle’s Golden Syrup
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
6 tablespoons boiling water

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line three baking sheets with foil or parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, oats, sugar, and coconut.

In a small saucepan, melt butter and syrup together.

Place baking soda in a small glass measuring cup and carefully add the boiling water, one tablespoon at a time; stir to combine.

Add the baking soda water to the melted butter and syrup, stirring to combine.

Add the butter mixture to the flour mixture and stir to combine; you may need to use your hands to fully incorporate the ingredients.

Using a two-inch cookie scoop, drop dough onto baking sheets and flatten with your hand.

Bake for about 15 minutes, until cookies are golden brown and firm, but not hard.

Note: the dough begins to harden once the butter cools, so it is best to scoop and place on baking sheets immediately after mixing.

Banana Bread

In the 1930s, recipes for banana bread began to appear in American cookbooks. Some culinary historians cite the availability of baking soda and baking powder as the impetus for this treat, while others believe it came simply from the kitchen of an enterprising and thrifty gal who didn’t want her overripe and hard-earned bananas to go to waste. I’d wager that both are the truth, and being a thrifty baker myself, applaud the woman who mashed up her spotty bananas and whipped up the first heavenly-scented loaf of banana bread.

Banana bread is simple, and very easy to make. Being a quick bread, there is no yeast, kneading, or rising time involved; the whole process, from mixing bowl to table, takes about an hour. Banana bread can be served warm but many bakers, myself included, believe that it tastes better after a day or so, when the flavors have had time to settle.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
generous 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 egg
3 medium very ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease an 8x4x2 loaf pan and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Make a well in the center and set aside.

In another medium bowl, combine egg, mashed bananas, sugar, and vegetable oil.

Pour into flour mixture and stir until combined.

Pour into loaf pan and bake for about 50 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean; check the bread at about 40 minutes to make sure the top isn’t browning too quickly; if it is, make a tent of aluminum foil and cover the bread until it is through baking.

Cool completely in the plan.

AVC (Almond Vanilla Caramel) Cupcakes

Tonight, my mom is having “the kids” over for dinner. The kids” used to mean my brother Andy and me, then morphed into either one of us and our spouses, or all four of us. Add my nephew Roman in and “the kids” range in age from five to 39.

Because there will be a small group of us at dinner and I’m not eating sweets for the next four months (let’s just say my scale and I aren’t friends at the moment and leave it at that for now), I wanted a recipe that would make just one dozen, so I adapted a basic one-dozen recipe to include both almond and vanilla flavors, then added caramel icing because my mom is a caramel fan. Midway through the caramel, I decided to whip up some chocolate drizzle icing to embellish half of the cupcakes for those who are chocolate fans. The end result is a cupcake from my wildest dreams. Too bad I won’t be eating them!

Almond Vanilla Cupcakes

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup milk

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Line a cupcake pan with paper liners; set aside.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add eggs, one at a time; scrape down bowl, and beat in vanilla.

Add flour mixture and milk alternatively, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

Divide batter evenly among liners, about three-quarters full each.

Bake until golden and tops spring back to touch, 20-22 minutes.

Transfer pans to wire rack; cool completely before frosting.

Caramel Frosting

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
About 1.5 ounces milk (you need half of 1/3 of a cup of milk)
1-2 teaspoons vanilla extract
About 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Preparation

Combine butter and brown sugar in a medium saucepan and slowly bring to a boil.

Boil for one minute, remove from heat, and stir in milk.

Return to heat and bring to a boil once again.

Pour mixture into mixing bowl and allow to cool slightly, about 5 minutes.

Beat caramel mixture on medium speed for a few minutes to disperse heat; the mixing bowl should not be too hot for you to touch, but if it remains warm that is fine.

Add one cup powdered sugar and one teaspoon vanilla, beating until smooth.

Slowly add the remaining powdered sugar and vanilla, beating until smooth.

Transfer frosting to a 12-inch piping bag fitted with a large plain tip. Working quickly, pipe frosting onto cupcakes.

Chocolate Drizzle

Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 tablespoon milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
About 1 cup powdered sugar

Preparation

In a small saucepan, melt butter.

Add cocoa powder and stir to combine, then remove from heat.

Add milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar, stirring until smooth. It may be necessary to add additional powdered sugar to ensure that your drizzle isn’t too thin.

Transfer drizzle to an 8-inch piping bag fitted with a medium plain tip. Pipe drizzle over caramel frosting. Alternatively, you could just use a spoon and literally drizzle the drizzle.

Almond Crinkles

Almond paste and marzipan are both confections made of ground almonds and sugar, with some recipes including egg whites as a stabilizer. Throughout the world, almond paste and marzipan are interchangeable, but here in the US, they’re different products for different purposes.

According to American Almond Products Co., almond paste contains equal parts ground almonds and sugar. It is commonly used in fillings for tarts, pastries, and cakes and can be used to make marzipan, which has a higher sugar to ground almond ratio. The higher quantity of sugar in marzipan makes it more pliable and suitable for molding, which explains why cake decorators use it to fashion tiny fruits, vegetables, animals, and all manner of objects.

I had six ounces of almond paste left over from my Christmas baking and had to scour the internet to find a recipe that called for this amount, fortunately finding the simple cookie below. The end result is a buttery, almondy, sugar-type cookie that would welcome a drizzle of melted chocolate.

Ingredients

8 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
6 ounces almond paste
1 1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups flour

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Line several baking sheets with foil or parchment.

In a mixing bowl, cream together butter, shortening, almond paste, and sugar until very fluffy.

Add egg and beat until combined.

Add baking soda and flour, beating until combined.

Using a one-inch cookie scoop, scoop out dough and roll into balls. Place two inches apart on baking sheets.

Bake for 10-11 minutes, until tops are just golden brown.

Cool on a wire rack.

Chocolate Cake

My five-year-old nephew Roman took a bite of a homemade sugar cookie on Christmas Day and made a face I wasn’t expecting: he wrinkled his nose and shook his head, the universal sign for “I don’t like this.” How could this be, I wondered? He’s a kid, right? Don’t children love sugar?

My brother Andy, Roman’s dad, remarked that kids eat a lot of processed foods, that they’re not necessarily used to homemade tastes. This make me think about the difference between the baked goods you buy at the store–packaged cookies, boxed cake mixes–and how different they really are from homemade. If you bake a cake from a mix, you’ll get fluffy, moist layers that will stay fresh for several days. Bake a cake from eggs, flour, butter, and sugar, and you’ll get a denser, more crumbly treat that lasts three, maybe four days tops (depending on your ability to resist slicing up a huge piece every time you pass your cake stand).

This recipe is a simple, one-bowl affair that requires no melted chocolate, just cocoa powder, and yields a single layer. Caramel frosting pairs well with this cake, but I chose to dust it with powdered sugar, make some whipped cream, and serve it “plain.”

Ingredients

1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
Powdered sugar, for dusting
Sweetened whipped cream, for garnish, if desired

Preparation

Grease and flour a nine-inch round cake pan; set aside. Note: if you plan to leave the cake in the pan, you can simply grease and flour it, but if you wish to remove the cake from the pan to set it on a cake stand, I recommend greasing the bottom of the pan, lining it with a circle of waxed paper, then greasing and flouring the paper.

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

Add milk, shortening, and vanilla, beating on medium speed for two minutes.

Add egg and beat on medium speed for another two minutes.

Pour batter into prepared pan; it will be a light brown color and very fluffy in texture.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool cake on a wire rack in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan (if you desire) to cool completely.

Dust with powdered sugar and top with sweetened whipped cream if desired.

Sweetened Whipped Cream

Ingredients

3/4 cup whipping cream
3-4 tablespoons powdered sugar

Preparation

Chill your bowl and beaters (or whisk attachment) for 10-15 minutes.

Add whipped cream and powdered sugar to the chilled bowl and beat on medium, then medium-high speed until soft peaks form.

Buckeyes

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are my favorite commercial candy, and this recipe reminds me of a slightly sweeter version of the classic cup. If you search the internet, you’ll find dozens of recipes for buckeyes, all different, from the ingredients to the process to the preference for dipping partway or dipping completely. Whichever one you choose, you can’t go wrong. My recipe is very simple, using three ingredients for the filling and Baker’s dipping chocolate, which you can find in the baking aisle at the supermarket, for the coating. Someday, I plan to make buckeyes that are coated in chocolate mixed with paraffin wax, like my brave friend Mysty, but I’m not quite there yet.

Full disclosure: I made these buckeyes as a Christmas gift for myself. And no, I am not sharing.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1 7-ounce cup Baker’s dipping chocolate candy coating

Preparation

In a medium bowl, stir together butter and peanut butter until very well blended.

Add powdered sugar a quarter-cup at a time, mixing until very well combined. I use my hands to make sure the ingredients are completely incorporated and smooth.

Using a one-inch cookie scoop, scoop out peanut butter filling and roll into balls. Let stand on a parchment or waxed paper-lined baking sheet until dry, about 30 minutes.

Melt candy coating according to the package directions. Dip peanut butter balls into candy coating and return to baking sheet, then let stand until coating has hardened. I place my baking sheet in the fridge to help the coating set, then store the finished buckeyes in the fridge.

Buche de Noel

At last…buche de noel. This cake took me literally all day to make, between other baking, errands, and visits. A quick internet search revealed the the yule log was a literal log, tossed on the fire around winter solstice. The literal log somehow evolved into a French treat of chocolate cake, whipped cream-like filling, and chocolate ganache frosting. I love traditional buche de noel, but since my mom is coming over for Christmas dinner tomorrow and she doesn’t eat chocolate, voila…almond buche de noel!

Part One: Almond Sponge Cake

Ingredients

4 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation

Grease a 10 x 15 x 1 baking pan; line with parchment and grease the parchment; set aside.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In a mixing bowl using the whisk attachment, beat eggs on medium speed for three minutes.

Gradually add sugar and beat until mixture is thick and lemon-colored.

Stir in almond extract.

Gently fold in flour mixture.

Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake 15 minutes, until center of cake springs back when touched.

Remove from oven; flip onto a cooling rack, remove parchment paper, then quickly flip onto a towel coated with powdered sugar.

Roll up tightly from the short end, place on a cooling rack, and allow to cool completely before filling.

Part Two: Almond Whipped Cream Filling

Ingredients

3/4 cup whipping cream
½ teaspoon almond extract
3 tablespoons powdered sugar

Preparation

In a chilled bowl, combine whipping cream, almond extract, and powdered sugar.

Using a chilled whisk beater, beat on medium speed until soft peaks form.

Carefully un-roll cake and spread filling inside.

Re-roll cake tightly in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for a few hours before frosting.

Part Three: Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients

8 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Preparation

Place butter in a mixing bowl fitted with a paddle attachment and beat for a few minutes.

Add powdered sugar, and with the mixer on low, beat until all sugar is incorporated into the butter. (Hint: I place a kitchen towel over my mixer during this stage to prevent a powdered sugar blizzard.)

Increase speed to medium; add vanilla and beat for three minutes, then taste. If you’d like a stronger vanilla flavor or to increase the sweetness, add additional extract and a few tablespoons of powdered sugar.

Remove cake from plastic wrap; cut off each end to create a flat surface, or leave intact for a more rustic appearance. Brush off excess powdered sugar, otherwise your frosting will not stick.

Frost cake to look like a log, using broad strokes with a butter knife.

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