I MET GIADA!

As you may or may not know, Giada De Laurentiis has a new book out and is on a book signing tour. She came to the Williams-Sonoma near me, so of course I had to go. She was super nice, talked to everyone, high-fived a couple of people - definitely everything we'd hoped for!

Meeting Giada!

Since to meet her, you had to buy her book (I say "had to," but I was super excited to get it), I thought I'd make something out of it. I ended up making the Peanut Butter Cookies with Blackberry Jam. The recipe is online at foodnetwork.com, and I would definitely recommend making them! They were a total hit! I used blackberry jam, as the recipe says, but I think many jams would work, and I plan on experimenting in the future with different types.

Here's how mine turned out:

YUM!

Cookie up close!

Fig Walnut Swirl Bread

FIG WALNUT SWIRL BREAD!!

Recipe adapted from: Serious Eats

Yum! Somehow, we have accumulated many different types of fruit "butters" - we have fig, mango, honey apple, and it goes on and on. Honestly, too much fruit butter for two people to eat. SO, what better way to use up the fruit butter than to bake it into the bread itself! I decided to go with fig butter and chopped walnuts, but it was a tough choice. I'm sure any fruit butter would work in this recipe, along with any add--ins, such as nuts, dried fruit, etc. So, without further ado, here's the recipe!

Ingredients

1 cup warm water

2 tablespoons honey

2 1/4 teaspoons yeast (this is the best yeast I've found, honestly)

3 1/2 cups bread flour (I used regular flour and it turned out just fine)

2 teaspoons salt

4 tablespoons margarine or butter

1/2 - 3/4 cup fig butter (or any fruit butter)

Chopped walnuts (I didn't measure this part, just put as many as you want)

Directions

Making this bread was super easy. I mixed the first 4 ingredients (through flour) in a stand mixer with a dough hook. Once those ingredients were all incorporated, I added the butter and the salt, and mixed until those were incorporated. The butter took a bit longer to mix in than I thought it would, but don't worry! It will. Next, I took the dough out, formed a ball, and put it back in the mixer bowl. I think put just a bit of olive oil on the bread (enough to cover, but not enough so there was a pool of olive oil in the bottom), and covered the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise for one hour.

Once the hour is up, it's time to put in the filling! At this point, it's probably smart to start pre-heating your oven to 325 degrees. To fill the dough, I spread mine on wax paper out so it covered a cookie sheet. I then spread fig butter all over it (except one inch at the far end from me, which was a short end) and put the walnuts on. I then rolled up my bread (rolling the short side, not the long side), and put it in a bread pan (which I had pre-sprayed with non-stick spray). I then let the bread rise for another 30 minutes, and covered it with the same plastic wrap I used before.

Finally, put the bread in the oven! Cook it for about 35 minutes, then take it out, let it cool, slice, and enjoy!

Scali Bread

I've been on a total bread baking kick recently. I just made ciabatta, which was delicious (!), but we ate it too fast to take any pictures. SO, when I found this recipe, I had to try it. It's from King Arthur Flour, which I love. Here's the recipe:

SCALI BREAD

Recipe From: King Arthur Flour 

Starter:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 water

1/8 teaspoon instant yeast

Make the starter the night before (just mix it all up, it will be like a normal dough). It's stiffer than most starters I've used, but don't worry - that's normal.

Dough

Starter

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons nonfat dry milk

2 teaspoons instant yeast

2/3 cup warm-ish water

2 tablespoons olive oil

Mix the dough with a bread hook (or by hand) until the dough forms into a uniform dough. I think it took about 5-10 minutes with a bread hook. When done, place dough in large bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 90 minutes. When 90 minutes are up, form three "logs" and let them rest for 10 minutes. 

Topping

1 egg white + 1 tablespoon cold water

Sesame seeds and Poppy seeds

When 10 minutes have elapsed, pull the dough out as long as it will go to form 3 "ropes." Coat each rope in the egg wash topping and sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or anything else. Pinch one end and braid the ropes. Pinch the other end to seal. Transfer to prepared baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap (loosely), and let sit for 90 minutes. Finally, bake bread in 425 degree oven for 25-35 minutes. 

More detailed instructions, and instructions on how to make this bread into rolls, can be found HERE

Chocolate Chip Pretzel Biscoff Cookies

Hello! After a much too long baking hiatus, I'm back and baking. Unfortunately, I was a bit under prepared in regards to ingredients, and had to make a mash-up of a cookie. Additionally, because I used whatever I had in my cupboard, I didn't measure anything. Here are my best guesses for what went into these cookies!

Chocolate Chip Pretzel Biscoff Cookies

INGREDIENTS:
3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup Biscoff spread (I used Trader Joe's Speculoos Cookie Butter)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2-3 cups mini pretzels
1/2 - 1 cup chocolate chips

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix all ingredients except chocolate chips in mixer. (Note: you can break up the pretzels beforehand, but I just threw them in my mixer and it worked perfectly well)
3. Mix in chocolate chips by hand
4. Refrigerate cookie dough for 30 minutes (you can skip this step, but I think it helps the cookies keep their shape)
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes

Cookies baking!

Vanilla Cookie Cupcakes

Vanilla Cookie Cupcakes!
Recipe from: How Sweet It Is
 
These cupcakes are two layers - one cookie, one cake. They're super fun and super easy to make! First make the cookie layer and spread evenly between about 20 cupcake liners (sprayed with non-stick spray, or else the cookies will stick!) Next, make the cake layer and spread evenly on top of the cookie layer. Bake at 350 degrees for about 17 minutes (some of my batches took 17 minutes, some about 19.)

Cookie Layer
1 1/3 cups flour
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients but chocolate chips in mixer. Stir in chocolate chips by hand.

Cupcake Layer
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup milk

When the cupcakes have cooled, it's frosting time!

I used these two recipes: for Classic Vanilla Buttercream Frosting and Chocolate Buttercream Frosting. I also garnished the cupcakes with wafers, but anything would do!

Reese's Puffs Cupcakes

Hello fall flowers!

Reese's Puffs Cupcakes
2 cups Reese's Puffs (ground in food processor)
3/4 cup flour
1/2 coup cocoa powder
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup oil
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup mini Reese's (chopped)

Bake at 350 degrees for 18 minutes (15 minutes if making mini-cupcakes)

Frosting
7 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/3 cup milk

Recipe adapted from: My Baking Heart

 Mini and normal size cupcakes!

Reese's Puff Cookies

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups Reese's Puffs (any cereal would work!)
1/2 cup mini Reese's
1/2 cup chocolate chips (could also omit mini Reese's and add 1 cup chocolate chips)

Mix all the ingredients except the cereal, mini Reese's, and chocolate chips. When the dough is mixed, stir in the remaining ingredients. Bake and enjoy!

Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Adapted from: Cooking is Medicine

Poppy Seed Almond Bread

Ingredients:
1 cup warm water
1 packet instant yeast
3 cups flour (bread or all purpose)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
Slivered almonds for top (optional)

Directions:
1. Mix all ingredients (except almonds) in mixer with dough hook attachment
2. Run for about 5 minutes
3. Place dough in oiled (or buttered) bowl, cover with damp towel, and allow to rise for 45 minutes
4. Punch dough and let it rise for another 10 minutes
5. Transfer dough to pan, and allow to rise for 30 minutes under a damp towel
6. Top bread with almonds
7. Bake in pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes

Adapted from: All Recipes

Pumpkin Muesli Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies

2/3 cup whole wheat flour
2/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
2 eggs
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup muesli
1 handful dried cranberries

Mix all together and bake!

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes

Adapted from Eating Well

 NOTE: The dough is a bit gooey-er and runnier than you might expect - that's ok! They'll still bake nicely.

 The dough

Candy Corn Cupcakes!

Ok, so they're creamsicle cupcakes meant to look like candy corn. Also, they turned out sort of tie-dyed, so not even really that candy corn-like, but oh well! They're festive!

1. Start by making your favorite vanilla cupcake recipe, but leave out the milk. I used this one.
2. Split the batter into three equivalent sections.
3. To two of the sections add the equivalent of 1/3 of the milk to each. Add yellow dye to one of these sections.
4. To the remaining section, add orange soda syrup (in the equivalent proportion of the milk).
5. There should be three sections now, one orange, one yellow, and one white.
6. In the cupcake tray, layer yellow batter, orange batter, and then white batter.
7. Bake as instructed.
8. Top with your favorite frosting (I used butter cream) 

Here is the recipe I used (adapted from Joy of Baking)
1 3/4 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup milk, divided amongst two sections
1/6 cup orange soda syrup (this is the one is used)
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

 Hello Fall!