Brown Sugar Scones~by Kelsey

So good!  Makes eight scones, you may want to double.

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch squares (or salted butter if you reduce salt to 1/2 teaspoon)
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, brown sugar and cinnamon.  Work in the butter with a fork or pasty blender until mixture is coarse crumbs.  In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, heavy cream, vanilla.  Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet.  Stir just until dough forms.  Turn dough onto floured surface and from a disc about one inch tall.  Cut into eight wedges.  Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes until scones begin to brown on bottom.  Remove from oven and cool about five minutes before serving.

Roasted Cherry (or Berry) Dutch Baby with Caramel Sauce

After doing seven hours of cardio in the past five days plus snowboarding and tubing for several hours yesterday, I woke up this morning needing something sugary and full of carbs and calories. Luckily for me, TheKitchn.com had posted a recipe for Dutch Babies (or Pannekoene if you actually want to be fancy and call it by it's Dutch name) with cherries and caramel sauce earlier this week. Because I didn't have any frozen cherries, I used about a cup of frozen blueberries and it worked wonderfully! This recipe isn't quick --it took almost an hour from start to finish-- it's definitely worth the effort! I also don't have a cast iron pan big enough, so I just used an oven safe skillet. Some people commented on the original post that enamel cast iron pots work, too.

PS According to the recipe, it serves 8. I have already eaten half and I'm contemplating more. Keep that in mind if you are trying to serve several people.

I love TheKitchn not only for its recipes, but because their food is always so perfectly photographed!

Roasted Cherry Dutch Baby with Brown Sugar-Cinnamon Sauce
Serves 8

For the Dutch Baby:
1 cup (5 oz) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (2 oz) white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (6 oz) whole or 2% milk
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 12- or 16-oz bag frozen sweet cherries
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons (1 oz) unsalted butter

For the Sauce:
2 tablespoons (1 oz) unsalted butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch salt

Heat the oven to 425°F.

Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor or blender and pulse several times to combine. Add the milk, eggs, and vanilla and blend continuously for 10 seconds. Scrape down the sides, and blend continuously for another 10 seconds or until there are no more lumps and the batter is frothy. Let the batter stand in the blender for 15-20 minutes to give the flour time to absorb the liquids.

Meanwhile, toss the cherries with the brown sugar. Scatter them in a 10-inch cast iron skillet or other oven-safe dish of similar size. Roast for 18-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cherries look wrinkled and their juices have turned syrupy.

Add the butter to the cherries and return the skillet to the oven for 2-3 minutes to melt the butter. Stir the melted butter into the cherries. Whiz the pancake batter to froth it up again and pour it immediately over the cherries. Don't stir.

Bake for 20-25 minutes. When finished, the edges of the pancake should be domed and turn deep brown while the middle should look puffed and golden. The dark cherry juices will make the edges look nearly burnt, but continue cooking until the middle looks done.

While the pancake is baking, prepare the sauce. Combine the butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally until the butter has melted, and let the butter and sugar come to a boil. Off the heat, whisk in the cream, cinnamon, and salt. Return to heat and let the sauce come back to a boil. Immediately remove the pan from heat and set the sauce aside.

Serve the dutch baby as soon as it has finished baking. Drizzle some sauce over the entire pancake and then divide it into eight wedges. Serve with extra sauce on the side.

Pumpkin Pull-Apart Bread ~Molly

I stumbled upon this recipe while trying to find something to bake with pumpkin that isn't pie or bars (I've already made-- and ate-- those things this month. Twice.) This bread isn't overly pumpkin-y but it's delicious! I followed the recipe exactly (except I used all-purpose flour instead), but you can knead by hand if you don't want to bread out the KithenAid. The dough is pretty sticky, so I make sure you use a ton of flour when you roll it out. If you want to see the original recipe, go here: http://willowbirdbaking.wordpress.com/2011/09/18/pumpkin-spice-pull-apart-bread-with-butter-rum-glaze/

Pumpkin Pull-Apart Bread Ingredients:
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope) active dry yeast
2 1/2 cups bread flour

Filling Ingredients:
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Butter Rum Glaze Ingredients:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/8 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons milk
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon rum 


Directions:
Make the pull-apart bread dough: Grease and flour a loaf pan and set aside. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, brown the 2 tablespoons of butter. Let it bubble and foam and when you see it start to brown, stir it so that it browns evenly. When it’s the color of dark honey, remove it from the heat and pour it into a large heat-safe mixer bowl to cool. In the same saucepan over medium-low heat, warm the milk until it bubbles. Remove it from the heat and pour it into the bowl with the butter. Let these cool until they’re about 100-110 degrees F (use a candy thermometer to check). Set the saucepan aside for another use later. I use the same one throughout the entire recipe; why do more dishes?

Stir the sugar and yeast into the milk/butter mixture and let it sit for about 10 minutes to proof (it should foam; if it doesn’t, discard it yeast and try again with new yeast). Stir in pumpkin, salt, and 1 cup flour. If you haven’t already, fit your mixer with a dough hook. Add the rest of the flour 1/2 cup at a time, stirring between each addition. When the dough is combined, knead on low speed with a dough hook until smooth and elastic (about 4 minutes with a mixer).

Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover it with a damp cloth. Let it rise in a warm place for about an hour until it doubles in size (After it rises, you can put it in the fridge overnight to use it in the morning, but let it sit out for half an hour before rolling if you do.)

Make the filling: While the dough is rising, whisk the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a small bowl. Toward the end of the rising time, melt the 2 tablespoons of butter for the filling in the saucepan over medium-high heat and brown it as directed above. Put it in a small heat-safe bowl to cool for use later.

Shape and bake pull-apart bread: Knead a sprinkling of flour (about 1 tablespoon) into the dough, deflating it, and recover it. Let it sit to relax for 5 minutes. Flour a large work surface and turn your rested dough out onto it. Roll it out to a 20 inch long and 12 inch wide rectangle, lifting corners periodically to make sure it’s not sticking. If it seems to be snapping back, cover it with your damp towel and let it rest for 5 minutes before continuing (I had to do this twice during the process).

Spread the browned butter over the surface of the dough with a pastry brush and then sprinkle the sugar mixture over the top, patting it down to ensure it mostly sticks. Joy the Baker encourages you to use it all even though it seems like a ton, but I admit I got squeamish at the amount and only used most. It was fine despite my nerves. Go ahead and pile it on.

With the long edge of the rectangle toward you, cut it into 6 strips (do this by cutting the rectangle in half, then cutting each half into equal thirds. I used a pizza cutter). Stack these strips on top of one another and cut the resulting stack into 6 even portions (again, cut it in half, and then cut the halves into equal thirds). Place these portions one at a time into your greased loaf pan, pressing them up against each other to fit them all in. Cover the pan with your damp cloth and place it in a warm place for 30-45 minutes to double in size.

While dough rises, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (or 325 if you have a glass loaf dish instead of a metal pan). When it’s risen, place the loaf in the center of the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes until dark golden brown on top (if you take it out at light golden brown, it’s liable to be raw in the middle, so let it get good and dark). Cool for 20-30 minutes on a cooling rack in the loaf pan while you make the glaze.

Make the glaze: In your saucepan, bring the butter, milk, and brown sugar to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove it from heat, add the powdered sugar and rum, and whisk it to a smooth consistency.

Assemble and serve: Use a butter knife to loosen all sides of the bread from the loaf pan and gently turn it out onto a plate. Place another plate on top and flip it to turn it right side up. Drizzle glaze over top. Serve each piece slightly warm with a drizzle of glaze.

Mocha Fudge Cake ~Molly

I found this recipe in Self magazine adapted from a spa in Arizona. It's delicious! I added powdered sugar on top and ate it with ice cream (Mom added milk, but that's gross).

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 3 eggs
• 3 oz unsweetened, bittersweet, or semisweet chocolate, melted
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup hot coffee
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Vegetable oil cooking spray
• 
  
• PREPARATION
• Heat oven to 350˚. Beat sugar and butter in a bowl until combined. Beat in eggs, then chocolate, then sour cream. Sift flour and baking soda in a bowl; add to chocolate mixture. Beat in coffee, vanilla and salt until combined. Coat a 9" x 13" pan with cooking spray; pour in batter. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 35 minutes.
• 
  
• THE SKINNY
• 279 calories per slice, 11 g fat (6 g saturated), 42 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 4 g protein

White Cake ~ by Molly

I found this recipe through TheKitchn.com and it formed one of the three layers of Grace's 8th birthday cake. It basically tastes like a fluffy sugar cookie. I also like this recipe because it came from a cookbook written by Amish people, so it 1) has a German name, and 2) reminds you to be tactful about the use of birthday candles. I put the link at the bottom of the recipe-- I'm kinda obsessed with this blog, it has so many recipes I'm dying to try and awesome pictures!

Described as Geburtstag Kucha (Birthday Cake from Rebecca Weber) in Food That Really Schmecks

“Snow white and light as a feather; baked in layers.”

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter

2 cups white sugar

3 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 cups ice water

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

4 egg whites beaten stiff

Method:

Add sugar to the butter and beat until light. Sift dry ingredients and add alternately with ice water and flavorings, beating thoroughly after each addition. Fold in the beaten egg whites. Pour into greased layer pans and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Cover with Angel Feather Icing and be tactful about the number of candles.

http://sweetapolita.com/2010/12/pretty-in-pink-old-fashioned-party-cake/

Killer Brownies ~ by Sarah

I found these brownies in my Pioneer Cookbook.  I decided to give them a try and I only have one thing to say: Where have you been all my life?!?

Seriously, you must make them.  I have two theories on how these got their name.  They are so incredibly delicious when people eat them they say, "Wow!  These are some killer brownies!"

-or-

People eat them, realize they contain 4 1/2 cubes of butter (yes, you read that right), and they say, "Wow!  These are some killer brownies!  I think I might be having a heart attack!  Please call 911!"

Regardless of their name's origin, they are insanely delicious.  I took them to school yesterday and had people hunting me down all day asking for the recipe.


Ingredients:
4 1/2 cubes butter, melted (I read that applesauce can be a successful alternative to butter when baking.  If you can't get past the butter, try half applesauce and half butter.)
1/2 t. salt
3 c. oatmeal
3 c. flour
1 t. baking soda
3 c. packed brown sugar
1 (about 21-oz.) bottle butterscotch/caramel sauce (I have never found them together, so I always buy one jar of each and mix them.)
2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Mix first 6 ingredients in a bowl.  Spread half of the mixture evenly on the bottom of a 15x10 3/4-inch pan.  (Make sure it's at least 1/2-inch deep.)  Pat down.  Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Drizzle caramel sauce over the baked mixture.  Use rubber spatula to spread to within 1/2 inch of the edges.  Sprinkle chocolate chips on caramel sauce, then sprinkle remaining dry mix on top.  Bake for an additional 15 minutes at 350 degrees.  Cut into squares when completely cool.

Tip: Because of the copious amounts of butter in these, I highly recommend that you keep these in the refrigerator.  If the room is at all warm they really start to get gooey and are hard to hold.  Still delicious, but messy!

Chocolate Cake with Buttercream Frosting and Ganache ~ by Molly

 This is a recipe I found on FoodNetwork.com several years ago and make constantly (mostly because Sarah demands it!). While the recipe is long and has several steps, it's still easy and can be made with things that are usually already on-hand. I copied the recipe from the website, but I usually make a few changes to it. I like to add a brick of cream cheese to the frosting and increase the amount of powdered sugar to make it the right consistency. I also use 2 bittersweet or semi-sweet Ghirardelli chocolate bars instead of chocolate chips. It's better quality chocolate and sometimes chocolate chips have additives that make them harder to melt. I also usually use either 8 or 9 inch pans (depending on what's in the kitchen) and increase the time to at least 30 minutes.

Ingredients

Cake:

• 3 cups packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup canola oil (olive oil is okay, too)
• 3 eggs
• 2 2/3 cups flour
• 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 1/8 cups cocoa powder

Frosting:

• 1 1/2 pounds unsalted butter, soft
• 3 cups sifted powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract

Ganache:

• 1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 3/4 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 3/4 cup heavy cream

Directions

To make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Oil 3 (10-inch) cake pans and line the bottom with parchment paper. Alternately, oil the pans and then flour them.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the brown sugar and oil. Turn on the mixer to a low speed and mix in the eggs. Let the sugar, oil, and eggs mix while sifting together the flour, baking powder, soda, and salt in a separate bowl. Set this mixture aside.

In another small bowl, mix the vanilla into the milk and set this aside as well. Bring the water to a boil and pour over the cocoa and whisk it until it is smooth. To the egg mixture, alternately add the flour mixture and the milk mixture beginning and ending with flour. With the mixer off, scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition. With the mixture at a low speed add the cocoa. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and pour this mixture into the prepared cake pans. Bake the cake for approximately 15 minutes or until tester comes out clean. When cake layers have cooled, remove from pans and refrigerate until cold.

To make the frosting: In an electric mixing bowl place the soft butter and beat it on a low speed while adding powdered sugar. When all the sugar is mixed in, turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add in the vanilla and salt and let the mixer beat for 5 to 7 minutes on a medium speed. Fill and frost the cake and refrigerate it for 10 to 20 minutes to set up the frosting.

To make the ganache: In a heatproof bowl, place the chocolate chips and the corn syrup. Bring the heavy cream to a full boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate and whisk it until smooth then set it aside.Pour ganache over the top of the cake and, with a cake spatula, smooth the top of the cake and allow ganache to spill over the sides. Refrigerate for 20 minutes or longer.

Bacon Wrapped Lit'l Smokies ~ by Jessie

Ok, so this is a recipe in which not a single ingredient can be classified as 'healthy' (my favorite kind of recipe). It's basically pork wrapped pork (or pork & turkey or beef, depending on your preference) with sugar sprinkled on top. I, like most people I know, think almost anything can be improved by wrapping it in bacon, and that's exactly how these little smokies (or lil or lit'l or however it's spelled) are prepared.

At this point I have no pictures, but next time I make them I will take some, as they deserve to be documented on all their porky, sugary glory. Enjoy and keep an aspirin nearby in case of a heart attack.

1 pkg lit'l smokies
1 pkg bacon (NOT thick sliced, it will be soggy and unappetizing)
brown sugar

Cut the bacon into thirds (lengthwise obviously), wrap each lit'l smokie with a piece, and secure bacon with a toothpick. Place bundle of goodness on rimmed baking sheet. Continue until you run out of smokies or bacon, which ever comes first. Sprinkle each bundle with a healthy amount (about 1tsp) of brown sugar, leaving sort of a pile on top. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until bacon is fully cooked.

They're a delicious little appetizer and my favorites are the ones that have a big mound of crusty sugar on top.