Peanut Butter and Julie

Happy Birthday to Me (and Julia)

I was always destined to be a cook.  I mean, what other explanation is there for my birthday falling on the same day as the birthday of culinary maven, and part-time spy, Julia Child?  No offense to Ben Affleck, Ethel Barrymore, and Napoleon, some of the other famous folks who share my big day.  You're all great and accomplished in your individual fields, but I have no aspirations to be an actress, dictator, or director/tabloid regular, so I'm going to go ahead and toast to Julia.  You understand.

Since it's my birthday today, I decided to bake myself some cupcakes.  Don't feel sorry for me.  You need to remember that I enjoy baking, so the process of creating a new recipe is fun for me.  Growing up, my mom always made us our birthday cakes (except for the one year that I insisted on a Carvel ice cream cake), so I'm not a big fan of store-bought or bakery-made cake anyhow.  As far as I'm concerned, bringing me a cake would be like bringing Mrs. Fields a box of Chips Ahoy! chocolate chip cookies.  Chances are, Eric will eat one cupcake, I'll take a bite, and the rest will go to the neighbors anyway, and it's much easier to bring them cupcakes than 9/10 of a birthday cake.

One of my favorite flavor combinations is vanilla and orange.  Whenever the ice cream truck would drive through the neighborhood where I grew up, I would almost always opt for the Creamsicle.  There is something so light and refreshing about the tart citrus, mellowed out by the smooth vanilla.  Creating a moist vanilla cupcake is no easy task.  The majority of the recipes that I have tried err a little on the dry side.  After much trial and error, I found a combination that yields a moist and light cupcake (using both butter and oil is the trick.)  Add some orange flavor to both the cupcake batter and to my go-to easy vanilla buttercream and voila!  You've got yourself a batch of Creamsicle Cupcakes.  Here are my extra tips for this sure-to-vanish vanilla-orange cupcakes:

• One great product that I have found is called Fiori di Sicilia, which is sold through the King Arthur Catalogue.  It is a very concentrated extract, which gives baked goods a very distinct vanilla-orange "bakeshop" flavor.  Just a small amount added to sugar cookies, vanilla batters, and certain muffins makes a huge difference.  I add about 1/4 teaspoon to this batter.
• If you don't have orange extract for the buttercream, you can add more orange zest or a tablespoon of orange juice (adjust the amount of whipping cream accordingly.)
• I added 4 drops of red and 6 drops of yellow food coloring in order to give the buttercream that creamsicle hue.
• Chocolate and orange make a great flavor combination.  Add some miniature semisweet chocolate chips or some chopped bittersweet chocolate to the cupcake batter to take these cupcakes to the next level!

Creamsicle Cupcakes with Easy Buttercream Frosting

Makes 12

1 1/4 cups flour

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Zest of one large orange

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/3 cup canola or safflower oil

1/2 cup whole milk, room temperature

For the frosting

3 cup confectioners' sugar

1 cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon orange extract (or to your liking)

2-3 tablespoons whipping cream

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.  Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper or foil liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt.

In the bow of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the sugar with the eggs and vanilla a medium speed until smooth and thickened, 3 minutes.  Add the orange zest, butter and the oil and beat until incorporated, scraping the sides of hte bowl as necessary.  Add the dry ingredients and milk in 3 alternating batches, beating between additions.  Divide the batter evenly among the muffin tins, filling them just over halfway full.

Bake the cupcakes for 18-20 minutes or until they spring back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted into the center emerges clean.  Let the cupcakes cook slightly in the tin and then transfer them to a wire rack to cook completely.

Prepare the buttercream:  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the sugar and the butter until well combined.  Add the vanilla and orange extracts and mix on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Add enough whipping cream to reach your desired consistency, beating on medium speed for about 1 minute longer.  Decorate the cooled cupcakes using a piping bag fitted with a large star tip or with a small offset spatula.

Red Velvet Valentine Cupcakes

Over the past five years, thanks in part to the popularity of places like Magnolia Bakery in New York and the original Sprinkles in L.A., cupcakes have become the hottest trend in the dessert world.  At last count, responding to a demand which created lines that wrapped around the corner, Sprinkles had opened four more locations, with at least a dozen more "coming soon." Williams-Sonoma, knowing a goldmine when they see one, has even commissioned Sprinkles to do a branded cupcake mix to sell in their retail stores and catalogs.  Las Vegas, where I live, already has a large handful of Magnolia knock-offs, and even the small town where my parents live has a store dedicated to selling six to eight flavors of the small sweet treats.

I have never been a huge fan of these all-cupcakes-all-the-time establishments for three reasons.  First of all, I am amazed that people will pay upwards of $3.75 each for these small desserts (and they are small), a price that is certain to go up as food costs continue to rise.  Since when did cupcakes get so expensive?  I remember when I was little (which wasn't that long ago), I used to get delicious homemade, hand-decorated cupcakes from the Italian bakery for something like seventy-five cents each.  C'mon, prices haven't gone up that much.  But then again, I wasn't paying for the trendiness premium and cute expensive packaging.....

Second, maybe being a baker has made me extra picky, but I have yet to find a cupcake at one of these places that rivals the ones that are made at home.  They are either much too dry, dense and crumbly or they taste like they have been made from a mass-produced mix.  The frosting is often much too greasy or sugary, and there is never enough (I love my frosting.)  Cupcakes are supposed to be moist and light, and if they aren't going to be eaten right away, then they need to be stored properly, which is hard to do in a display case.  To be fair, I'm sure there are some really great cupcake bakeries out there that I haven't tried.  I should make it my mission to keep "sampling" until I find them.........

Third, next to chocolate chip cookies, cupcakes are some of the fastest, easiest, and most fun desserts to make at home.  I think that they were probably one of the first things that I learned how to make on my own as a child.  These red velvet cupcakes would be the perfect Valentine's Day gift from the heart, not to mention a great, inexpensive project to do with your kids.  In the time that it would take you to drive to the bakery and pick out a dozen, you could practically finish baking and decorating a batch at home, well, almost.  Here are some tips for velvety crimson cupcakes:

• As an alternative to cupcakes, this recipe makes enough batter  to fill two 9-inch cake pans for a layer cake.
• The decorated cupcakes will keep for 2-3 days, tightly covered at room temperature.
• The white chocolate buttercream will keep for up to one week, refrigerated and tightly covered.  Bring to room temperature and beat for 2 minutes at medium speed (to make fluffy) prior to icing the cupcakes. 
• If you would like for the color of the cupcakes to be even redder, then increase the amount of food coloring used by one to three tablespoons.
• Sometimes cocoa powder can clump together.  If this is the case with your cocoa powder, then it would be better to sift the flour, cocoa, and salt together as opposed to simply whisking to combine.  Whisking will probably not get rid of the lumps.
• If you would prefer to make plain vanilla buttercream, please refer to my post for Moist Chocolate Christmas Cupcakes (scroll about halfway down for the buttercream recipe).
• If you don't have cake flour, for each cup you can substitute 7/8 cup flour (same as 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons) plus 2 tablespoons cornstarch, mixed well.

Red Velvet Valentine Cupcakes

Makes 24

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups cake flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/4 cups vegetable or canola oil

2 large eggs

1/4 cup red food coloring

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons white vinegar

White Chocolate Buttercream (recipe follows)

Berries, sprinkles, and candies for decorating (optional)

Preheat your oven to 350F degrees.  Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake liners and set aside.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the cake flour, cocoa powder, and salt; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the sugar and the oil, and beat on medium speed until well combined.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add the food coloring and vanilla, and beat until well combined.  Add the flour mixture, alternating with the buttermilk and scraping the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.

In a small bowl, mix the baking soda and the vinegar until well combined.  Add to the batter, and beat until combined.  Fill the cupcake liners slightly more than half full with the batter.  Bake the cupcakes, one tin at a time, until they spring back when lightly touched and a cake tester inserted into the center emerges clean, about 18 minutes.  Let cool completely on a wire rack.  Decorate cupcakes with white chocolate buttercream, sprinkles, candies, and fresh berries, if desired.

White Chocolate Buttercream

Enough to frost 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 pound butter, softened

1/2 cup whole milk, lukewarm

12 ounces white chocolate, melted and cooled to warm

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 cups sifted confectioner's sugar

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 3 minutes.  Carefully add the milk, and beat on medium-low speed until smooth.   Add the melted chocolate, increase the speed to medium, and beat well, about 2 minutes.   Add the vanilla and beat until well combined.  Gradually add the sugar and beat on medium low speed until combined.  Increase the speed to medium and beat until buttercream is fluffy and reaches desired consistency.

Heart-Shaped Pancakes

This year, there will be about 1 billion Valentine's Day cards sent to loved ones throughout the world.  About 85% of these cards will be sent by women.  With each passing year, it seems like finding the perfect card for Valentine's Day, or any holiday for that matter, has become an increasingly difficult task.  At the end of my grocery trip, I often find myself stuck in the greeting card aisle for 20-30 minutes, my shopping cart practically abandoned, as I read through card after card, trying to find something remotely relevant, genuinely funny, or somewhat meaningful.  Nine out of ten times, all I have to show for my time spent searching is a card for a holiday that occurs in eight months and a half-gallon of melting frozen yogurt.

Fanny Fern famously said "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach."  Recognizing this, rather then spend 20 minutes looking for the perfect Valentine's Day card, wouldn't it make more sense to dedicate this time to whipping something  up in the kitchen that says "I love you", thus combining the greeting with the eating?  Let's face it, although the card will be appreciated, the surprise breakfast of delicious heart-shaped pancakes will stay with your Valentine, via their happy stomach, all day long (or at least until lunch).

Many times, recipes like this will require that you use a special mold or form to shape the pancakes.  I find that the heart shapes look just as nice when piped by hand, leaving you with fewer utensils to clean up.  It also allows you to make hearts in all shapes and sizes, for your Valentines of all ages and appetites!  Here are a few tips for pancakes that will win their hearts:   

• You can substitute whole wheat flour for the buckwheat flour if you don't have on hand, or you can use regular flour for the entire amount (1 1/4 cups).  Buckwheat flour can usually be found in the organic or health foods section of the grocery store, but occasionally it can be found in the bulk bins. 
• Instead of serving the pancakes with maple syrup, you could serve them with powdered sugar, whipped cream, or fruit puree.
• For extra-sweet pancakes, replace the blueberries and bananas with chocolate chips.  Drop several chocolate chips onto the heart shape after piping it onto the griddle.
• If you don't have a piping bag and tips for making the heart shape, simply fill a large zip top bag with the pancake batter and then snip off a corner to make an approximately 1/4 inch diameter opening.

Heart-Shaped Pancakes

Serves 4

Ingredients:

3/4 cup flour

1/4 cup buckwheat flour

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

2 tablespoons cornmeal

2 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 eggs

2 tablespoons melted butter, plus additional for brushing griddle

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1 cup fresh blueberries (optional)

1 thinly sliced banana (optional)

Pure maple syrup for serving

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, buckwheat flour, whole wheat flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.  In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with one cup of milk and the melted butter.  Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture, adding the additional 1/2 cup of milk if the mixture is too thick.

Preheat the oven to 200F degrees.  Heat a griddle over medium high heat and brush with some melted butter.  Fill a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4 inch plain round tip with batter and twist the end of the bag to secure.  Working in batches, pipe heart shapes on the griddle, filling in the center by drawing a large "V" inside the border.  If desired, drop blueberries and/or banana slices on top of the batter. 

When pancakes have bubbles on top and are slightly dry around the edges, about 2 minutes, flip them over.  Cook until the pancakes are browned on the bottom and cooked through, 1-2 minutes longer.  Repeat with the remaining batter, adding more butter to the griddle for each batch, keeping finished pancakes on a heat-proof plate in the oven until ready to serve.  Serve with warmed maple syrup and berries.

"Be My Valentine" Cookies

When I was a little girl, one of my favorite days of the school year was Valentine's Day.  The reason for this wasn't because I had more boys than I could count bringing me flowers and candy (we're talking elementary school here--boys for the most part were still "yucky").  On the morning of Valentine's Day, we would all arrive to class with the empty shoeboxes that we were instructed to bring from home.  Inevitably, one student would always forget to bring one and burst into tears, sending the teacher all over the lower school looking for a suitable replacement.  Once everyone had their shoebox, we were instructed to cut a small rectangular opening in the top, which usually took me twice as long because of those malfunctioning "lefty" scissors that I had to use.  Next, we would don our smocks (a.k.a. dad's old shirt), and using paint, glue, markers, and construction paper, would proceed with making our Valentine's Day card mailboxes, which, thanks to the rule that every child must bring a card for each classmate, would be filled to capacity by the afternoon. 

At the end of the day, we would have our Valentine's Party, with punch, cupcakes, candy, and, my personal favorite, heart-shaped sugar cookies.  We would sit down at our desks with our stuffed pink and red shoe boxes and our treats, and then we were allowed to read our "mail."  Most of the cards were pretty similar, cut outs of Strawberry Shortcake, Star Wars, or Rainbow Bright with a classmate's name scrawled on the back.  Some cards, identifiable by their tell-tale bumpy envelope, merited a second glance because this meant that they had a few pieces of candy taped to them.  I was one of the few students whose mother suggested make my own cards, so the class usually got something involving a doily, stickers, and glitter.   Looking back, because even at that age I was more interested in baking than art, it would have been much easier for me if I had just baked up a batch of these cookies and personalized one for each classmate.  No, they probably wouldn't have fit through the slits in the shoe boxes, but I don't think my teacher would have minded, so long as I brought one for her too.

This is a chocolate version of the more traditional vanilla sugar cookie.  A combination of cocoa powder and melted chocolate makes that flavor nice and rich.  Here are a few tips for making the sweetest heart cookies:

• The cookie dough can be made up to 2 days in advance.  Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and keep chilled.
• Decorated cookies will keep for up to 4 days.  Store at room temperature between sheets of waxed paper in airtight containers.
• If you want to make vanilla sugar cookies instead of, or in addition to, the chocolate ones,  use the recipe that I used for Super Bowl Football Cookies.  You will also find the recipe for Royal Icing in this post.
• If you don't have a heart-shaped cookie cutter, then either cut out a heart-shaped piece of paper and trace around it, or make the heart shapes freehand with a sharp knife.  They don't all need to be the same shape, size, or perfectly symmetrical.
• Cold dough is much easier to work with.  If the dough becomes too warm as you are cutting out the cookies, place the dough, waxed paper and all, in the freezer for 5 minutes.
• To make "sandwich hearts" using 2 cookies and jam, cut out 2 hearts of equal size and then cut  the center out of one of the hearts to make a heart shaped "window."  After the cookies have baked and cooled, spread the flat bottom side of the windowless heart lightly with jam.  Cover it with the heart with the window; jam will adhere the hearts.  Fill the window with more jam.
• For directions regarding how to decorate using royal icing, refer again to the "Tips" section of the Super Bowl Football Cookies post.  Instead of using red and blue colors, use a combination of red, pink, and white.  Be creative and decorate the cookies any way that you prefer.  The photos that I have included are simply meant to serve as guides or sources of inspiration! 

"Be My Valentine" Cookies

Makes 20-25 cookies

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped

2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened

1 1/3 cups sugar

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Royal Icing (optional, this recipe can be found in the Super Bowl Football Cookies post)

Sprinkles (optional)

Raspberry jam (optional)

Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon together into a medium bowl.  In a small saucepan, melt the chocolate over medium-low heat, and stir until smooth; set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.  Slowly add the sugar and beat until the mixture is pale and fluffy, 2 minutes.  Add the egg and beat until well blended.  Reduce the speed to low and beat in the vanilla and chocolate.  Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until well blended.  Gather the dough into a ball and divide in half.  Form each half into a ball and flatten into a disk.  Wrap the disks separately in plastic and chill until firm, at least 2 hours.

Let the dough stand at room temperature for 20 minutes prior to rolling out.  Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.  Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Working with 1 disk at a time, roll out the dough between 2 sheets of waxed paper to slightly less  than 1/4 inch thickness.  Using heart shaped cookie cutters, cut out cookies of various sizes.  Use an offset spatula to peel away the excess dough and transfer the cookies to the parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them 1 inch apart.  Gather the scraps, roll out the dough, and cut out more cookies, repeating until all of the dough is used.  If not icing the cookies, decorate with sprinkles or other toppings, if desired.

Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until they are firm on top and slightly darker around the edges, 9-11 minutes.  Cool the cookies completely on a rack and them decorate with royal icing if desired.

Cookies for Santa: Snickerdoodles

I think that it is pretty safe to say that everybody loves Snickerdoodles.  How can you not love a cookie with a name that fun to say??  I think that our fondness for these crackly cinnamon-sugar treats can partially be attributed to the fact that they hand the recipe out to all grandmothers as a part of their initiation.  They are so old-fashioned that they have become fashionable again!   

Snickerdoodles are probably German in origin, and some say that the name is taken from the German word "schneckennudeln," which translates as "crinkly noodles."  Others say that it is just a nonsense word that was invented in America.  Either way, these cookies are crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside, full of cinnamon flavor, and, when partnered with a cold glass of milk for dunking, they always made the perfect after-school snack. 

Because these cookies are so simple to make and the ingredients are ones that most people always have in supply, these would be great to make for a last minute holiday cookie exchange or to leave out as a snack for Santa.  I'm sure his grandmother made them too.  Here are some tips for the Snickerdoodles:

• The balls of dough can be frozen in a resealable plastic bag for up to two weeks.  Thaw them at room temperature for 15 minutes and then roll them in the cinnamon sugar and bake.  You may need to increase the baking time by a few minutes.
• The baked cookies can be stored at room temperature, in an airtight container between sheets of waxed paper, for up to one week.
• If you like a flatter cookie, flatten the balls of dough with the bottom of a drinking glass after placing them on the cookie sheets.
• If you don't have parchment paper, then simply place the balls of dough on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Snickerdoodles

Makes 24 cookies

Ingredients:

Topping

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Cookie Dough

3 1/2 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups sugar

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon and set it aside.

Stir together the dry ingredients.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter.  Add the sugar and continue to mix until fluffy, about 4 minutes.  Add the eggs, one at a time, then add the corn syrup and vanilla, and mix thoroughly.  Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until blended.  Chill dough for one hour.

Preheat the oven to 375F degrees.  Roll dough into balls about the size of a golf ball, and then roll them in the cinnamon sugar to coat.  Place the balls on baking sheets lined with parchment paper and space them about 2 1/2 inches apart.  Bake for 10-12 minutes, until puffed and the surface is slightly cracked.  Let cool on the pan for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack. 

Stollen (German Christmas Bread)

Because I am a "foodie", one of my favorite things to do when I travel is browse the learn about the traditional foods of the country that I am visiting.  During my recent trip to Germany, I loved having the opportunity to see (and sample!) all of the wonderful European breads and pastries that the bakeries prepared freshly each morning (Why is it so hard to find here in America the same quality of these pastries that is seemingly produced effortlessly all over Europe?). While most tourists snap photos of architecture and historic landmarks, I was capturing an array of gingerbread and Kugelhopf in a bakery window.  It was so difficult to select which one I would try for my breakfast with coffee or for a mid-afternoon snack after hours of walking around the markets.  Time and time again however, I found myself going back to my favorite kind: Stollen.

Stollen is a bread-like cake traditionally made in Germany, usually eaten during the Christmas season.  It has similar characteristic to a fruitcake in that it contains dried fruits, nuts, spices, and sometimes liqueurs, but it is made with yeast and is not nearly as dense or sweet.  Whenever I tried it in Germany, it was finished with a sprinkling of powdered sugar, but I prefer it with a simple glaze.  This is a recipe that I have been making for a few years now and it never fails me.  It makes two large loaves, so it is good for a large crowd on Christmas morning or afternoon coffee, or you can keep one and give the other one away.  There are two options for shaping the loaves, which I detail below.  I prefer to use the ring shape for serving at home for the "wow" factor, but recommend the loaf shape for gifts as it is much more portable.  Here are my recipe tips:

• The stollen are best when eaten the day they are made, but they will keep for up to 3 days, tightly covered, at room temperature.  I suggest reheating pieces in a 325F degree oven, wrapped in foil, until warmed through.
• 3 packages of yeast is equal to 2 tablespoons plus 3/4 teaspoon yeast.
• Feel free to mix up the types of dried fruits that you use for the recipe.  For the recipe in the picture, I substituted dried peaches for the apricots and dried blueberries for the currants.  Currants are a very small variety of a seedless grape, and can be hard to find, so you may need to substitute another fruit for these.
• If you don't want to soak the fruits in liqueur, then double up on the orange juice for soaking purposes.
• This recipe produces quite a bit of the fruit and nut filling and it can be challenging to work it all into the dough.  Work as much in as you can and then discard the rest, but the dough should be fairly full of the filling, evenly distributed (see photo below).
• As an alternative to make the ring shaped stollen, you can make the more traditional long  oval loaf shape.  To do this, roll the halved portion of dough into an 8 by 12 inch rectangle and then brush it with melted butter.  Fold the long sides of the rectangle over the center, overlapping each other by one inch.  Turn the dough over and taper the ends, and then place it on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.  Bake at 350F degrees for 40-45 minutes.  Dust with confectioner's sugar or drizzle with glaze when cooled.

Stollen

Makes 2 loaves 

Ingredients:

11 cups flour, sifted

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 cups whole milk, warmed

2 1/2 sticks butter, melted, plus 4 tablespoons for brushing

3 packages active dry yeast, dissolved in 1/2 cup warm water

6 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 1/4 cups currants, soaked in 1/2 cup Brandy or Cognac

2 1/2 cups golden raisins, soaked in 1/2 cup orange juice

Zest of 4 oranges

Zest of 2 lemons

3/4 cup dried cranberries, chopped

1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

2 1/2 cups chopped or sliced almonds

1 cup confectioner's sugar plus 2 tablespoons whole milk for icing

Sift together the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg in a large bowl.  Stir in the milk and butter.  Add the yeast mixture and eggs; stir until combined.  Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until fairly smooth.

In a medium bowl, combine the currants and raisins along with their soaking liquids.  Add the zests, cranberries, apricots, extract, and almonds and toss well.  Gradually knead this mixture into the dough, using your hands to work it in and flouring the surface as needed to prevent sticking.  Continue to knead for about 10 minutes and then place the dough into a large buttered bowl.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and a clean kitchen towel and let rise until doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours.

Punch the dough down and divide into 2 equal pieces.  Roll each piece into a long rectangle about 16 by 24 inches and 1/4 inch thick.  Starting with a long side, roll up tightly to form a cylinder.  Carefully transfer the dough to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and then join the ends together, pinching together with fingers, forming a large circle.  Using sharp scissors or a knife, make cuts along the outside of the circle, at 2 inch intervals, cutting 2/3 of the way through the dough.  Twist each segment outward, forming a wreath shape with all of the segments overlapping.  Brush each of the rings with 2 tablespoons of the melted butter.  Cover each pastry with a kitchen towel and set aside to rise for 30 minutes.  They will not rise much.

Preheat the oven to 375F degrees.  Bake the rings for 45 minutes, until golden brown and crusty.  Cool on a wire rack before icing.  To ice, mix the confectioner's sugar and 2 tablespoons of milk until well combined.  Drizzle over the cooled stollen.

Apfelstrudel (Apple Strudel)

I just returned from a ten day trip to Germany with my mom, where we visited the Christkindlmarkts, the Christmas Markets, which are held each year all over the country during the advent, the four weeks preceding Christmas day.  The markets, which are generally held in town squares and pedestrian areas, all vary in size and quality of offerings depending on the population of the host city and its unique traditions.  Each city displays its own variation of the Nativity scene, also known as a creche or crib, and some of the more common items that can be found for sale in the stalls include Nutcrackers and "Smokers", ornaments, jewelry, beer steins, hand-crafted toys, traditional German clothing, and music boxes.   Some of the stalls seemed to have no rhyme or reason as to what they sold, almost as if they had gathered everything that they no longer wanted and put it on display for sale, but hey, one man's trash........

One common thread in all of the markets, no matter how small, was the large percentage of stalls offering food and drink.  Germans love to eat, and they really love their Gluhwein.  Gluhwein is a hot mulled wine, usually with a shot of Brandy added, and although almost one-tenth of the stalls were dedicated to selling only this beverage, they were all extremely crowded.  The original purpose of the Gluhwein was to keep the body going in the cold winter air, but as the evenings progressed it became apparent that many people took the strategy of drinking as much of it as they could so that they would be too drunk to even notice or care how incredibly cold it was.  Either way, I suppose that it served its purpose.   

Some of the other more common foods that were offered included: all kinds of German sausages or  "wursts" with sauerkraut, Lebkuchen, a soft gingerbread, Bretzels, or soft pretzels, spiced nuts, all kinds of chocolate covered fruits (see pears to the right), crepes, potato pancakes, and Speculatas, a thin spiced cookie.  One food that I had hoped to have while I was in Germany, but much to my dismay I was unable to find, was Apfelstrudel, or Apple Strudel, the traditional fruit-filled pastry.  So, I decided to make it myself when I got home (after I recovered from my 28-hours-of-travel jet lag of course!)   

This is a recipe that I have been making for several years.  I got it from a German professor whose class I took while going to summer school in Switzerland during my junior year of college.  I like to imagine that it is the kind of recipe that might have been in his family for generations, as the directions are a little vague (don't worry, I expanded them!), the ingredients are straightforward and simple, and the outcome is very rustic looking.  This strudel crust is made from a simple elastic dough of flour, water, and oil as opposed to strudel recipes from other parts of the world, where the pastry is made from filo dough.  This delicious recipe works every time--it produces a sweet and juicy filling with a thin and crisp crust.  If I close my eyes and take a bite, it might seem as if I found my strudel at the Christkindlmartks after all!  Here are my tips for this recipe:

• This recipe can be made one day ahead of time.  Cover and store at room temperature.  Reheat at 325F degrees on a baking sheet, covered with foil, until warmed through, about 10-15 minutes. 
• Creme anglaise, which I suggest serving with the strudel as an alternative to ice cream, is a light pouring custard made of sugar, egg yolks, milk or cream, and vanilla.  There are several good recipes for this on Epicurious or the Food Network website.  I also like to serve it as a sauce for bread pudding or pumpkin pie.
• The directions for this recipe do not include peeling the apples, as I don't usually feel that it is necessary to do for most desserts.  Feel free to peel the apples if you prefer your apple desserts this way.  The recipe will turn out the same.
• If you don't like hazelnuts or if you don't have them on hand, you can substitute walnuts, pecans, almonds, or even chestnuts.
• If you don't have parchment paper to work with after rolling out the dough, you can transfer it to a large clean kitchen towel to use as a guide for forming into a log and placing on the baking sheet.
• The dough for this recipe is very easy to work with, strong, and also very forgiving.  Don't be afraid of stretching it too much to cover the filling, and if it tears, just try to patch it up with an extra scrap of dough.  It is fine if you have some small tears or gaps around the seam, as they will be hidden underneath the strudel as it bakes.

Apfelstrudel

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups bread flour

2 teaspoons vegetable or canola oil

9 tablespoons lukewarm water

2 pounds tart apples (such as Granny Smith), cored and sliced

2/3 cup plain breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons butter, cut into pea-sized cubes

1/2 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling on top

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts

4 tablespoons butter, melted

Confectioner's sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 375F degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the flour, oil, and water.  Mix on low speed until combined, and then increase the speed to medium.  Mix until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 3-4 minutes.  Let rest for 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the apples, breadcrumbs, butter cubes, sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, raisins, and nuts.  Toss all the ingredients to combine well; set aside.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into a very thin (1/8 inch) long oval shape.  Transfer the dough to the parchment-lined baking sheet and then continue to stretch the dough with the back of your hand until almost paper-thin.  Pile the apple mixture into the center of the dough, leaving a 1-inch border on the shorter ends and a 3-4 inch border on the longer sides. Fold the 1-inch border on the short sides in over the filling.  Using the parchment paper as a guide, roll the longer sides of the dough over the filling, and pinch the seam to seal.   Carefully turn the roll so that it is seam-side-down on the parchment paper. 

Lightly sprinkle the top of the roll with granulated sugar.  Bake for 30-40 minutes, until golden brown.   Remove it from the oven and brush with the melted butter.  Let cool for several minutes and then dust with confectioner's sugar.  Serve with vanilla ice cream or creme anglaise.   

Decorated Gingerbread Cookies

A holiday cookie assortment would not be complete without the addition of gingerbread people.  Their individuality, complements of "the artist", their smiling faces, and their friendly waves help each one of them to take on a personality of their own.  Whether you plan to bring them to a holiday cookie swap, keep them at home for a treat, or punch a hole in the top of each one and use them for decorating the tree, these sweet and spicy cookies will bring with them a feeling of warmth that no store-bought cookie can provide. 

Making decorated gingerbread cookies is an ideal family project to usher in the holidays.  I used to look forward to doing this with my mom every year.  I had the freedom to decorate my "masterpieces" as I saw fit, which usually involved piling as much icing and as many candies on each cookie as I could, but that was part of the fun.  The cookies usually didn't stick around long enough for my work to be admired, but knowing that each one had been crafted with care made them that much more delicious.  Here are some tips for making Gingerbread Cookies:

• The dough can be made ahead of time, wrapped tightly in plastic, and then refrigerated for up to 5 days.  Let soften for 30 minutes prior to rolling out.
• If you don't have a food processor, the dough can be mixed by hand, or with an electric mixer.  It obviously is a bit more labor intensive by hand, but just think of the muscles that you will build!
• I like to decorate gingerbread cookies with Royal Icing.  Royal icing dries hard, so the colors don't run or bleed, and you can be very specific with your designs.  For a quick royal icing, sift 3 1/4 cups of confectioner's sugar and combine it with 2 large egg whites.  Mix in 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and then enough water (only a few drops at a time!) to reach your desired consistency.  The icing should be glossy.
• For icing consistency, when outlining shapes, keep the icing a little stiffer.  When you want to fill the shapes with a solid color, the icing can be a little runnier.  When the outline has dried, pipe the icing in the interior of the outline and then spread it with toothpicks to the edges.  This is referred to as "flooding" the icing. 
• Pastry bags work best for piping decorations onto the cookies, but as an alternative, you can use a squeeze bottle or a ziploc bag with the corner cut off.

Decorated Gingerbread Cookies

Makes about 20 cookies

Ingredients:

3 cups flour

3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

12 tablespoons butter, softened and cut into tablespoon portions

3/4 cup molasses

2 tablespoons whole milk

Vanilla glaze or royal icing

Food coloring, candies, and sprinkles for decorating

In a food processor, process the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, spices, and salt until combined.  Scatter the butter pieces over the flour mixture and process until the mixture resembles a fine meal.  With the machine running, gradually add the molasses and the milk; process until the dough is evenly moistened and forms a soft mass.

Scrape the dough onto a work surface and divide it in half.  Working with one portion at a time, roll the dough to a 1/4 inch thickness between two large sheets of parchment paper.  Leaving the dough between the papers, stack it on a baking sheet and freeze it until firm, 15 minutes.

Place oven racks in upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 350F degrees.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.  Remove 1 dough sheet from the freezer and peel off the parchment paper.  Cut the dough into desired shapes, transfer to the baking sheet, and space 1 inch apart.  Bake the cookies until they are set in the center, 8-11 minutes, rotating positions halfway through.  Cool to room temperature on a wire rack and decorate if desired.

Peppermint Candy Cane Marshmallows

Question: What is better on a cold winter night than a hot cup of cocoa with marshmallows?

Answer:  A hot cup of cocoa with homemade peppermint marshmallows.

Yes, you read correctly.  I am suggesting that you make your own marshmallows this year, and I think that you will be surprised by how simple they are.  Contrary to popular belief, homemade marshmallows are not something that can only be made by Martha Stewart.  Prepare to impress your friends and family with your confection-making abilities!

The following recipe is really very easy, providing that you follow the directions well and you have a few key items in your kitchen: a candy thermometer and a stand mixer (a hand mixer will burn out with this recipe).  Once you have tried this recipe, your hot chocolate and s'mores will be taken to a whole new level and store bought marshmallows just won't do the trick.   If you don't like the idea of peppermint marshmallows, substitute vanilla extract for "plain" marshmallows or roll the squares in toasted coconut or cocoa powder.  A few tips about this recipe:

• This recipe is all about timing.  It is important to make sure that you have all of your ingredients ready and in place prior to starting, so make sure that you read the recipe completely through first.  I like to have all of my utensils and bowls set out on position, so that they are ready when I need them.
• The color swirling part can prove to be a little tricky as the marshmallow starts to solidify, making it tough to run your toothpick through.  Don't worry about making this part perfect.  The red is just supposed to be an accent color to let people know that the marshmallows are flavored--you can even omit the food coloring portion if you want to.
• After you cut the marshmallow squares, sprinkle them with a little bit of additional confectioner's sugar.  The confectioner's sugar helps to keep the marshmallows from sticking together.

Peppermint Candy Cane Marshmallows

Makes 16 two-inch marshmallows

Ingredients:

Vegetable oil cooking spray

2 cups sugar

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

4 packages (1/4 ounce each) unflavored gelatin

3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

2 large egg whites

2 teaspoons red food coloring

Confectioner's sugar for dusting

Coat an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray, line the bottom with parchment paper, and then coat the parchment paper with cooking spray.  Set the pan aside.

Place the sugar, corn syrup, and 3/4 cup water in a small saucepan.  Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved.  Stop stirring and let the mixture come to a boil.  Raise the heat to medium-high and cook until the mixture registers 260 degrees on a candy thermometer.

Meanwhile, sprinkle the gelatin over 3/4 cup water in a heatproof bowl and let stand 5 minutes to soften.  Set the bowl with the gelatin mixture over a pan of simmering water and whisk constantly until the gelatin is dissolved.  Remove from the heat and stir in the extract; set aside.

Beat the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until stiff, but not dry, peaks form.  Whisk the gelatin mixture into the hot sugar mixture.  With the mixer running, gradually add this mixture to the egg whites.  Mix on high speed until very thick, 10-12 minutes.

Pour the mixture into the lined pan.  Working quickly, drop dots of red food coloring across the surface of the marshmallow.  Using a toothpick, swirl the food coloring into the marshmallow to create a marbleized effect.  Dust with confectioner's sugar.  Let the marshmallow stand, uncovered, at room temperature until firm, at least three hours or overnight.  Cut into squares. 

Rich Chocolate-Pecan Fudge

American culinary folklore says that fudge was invented in the United States over 100 years ago.  Most stories claim that the first batch resulted from a "fudged" batch of caramels made in 1886--hence the name "fudge."  At this time, it sold for about 40 cents per pound.

Apparently, Americans still love there fudge.  On Mackinac Island in northern Michigan, fudge is the primary industry and about 10,000 pounds of the confection are sold every day!  Tourists are actually referred to as "fudgies" (no, I am not making this up) and they hold a Fudge Festival every August.  Fudge is also know for its healing properties and its ability to cure sore throats.  I mean, that's why I eat it--isn't that why you eat it??

This recipe was actually adapted from President Eisenhower's wife Mamie's recipe for her famous "Million Dollar Fudge", which was reproduced by housewives all over the nation after it was printed in several publications.  I like to use this as my standard fudge recipe because, unlike most recipes, it does not require the use of a candy thermometer and it results in perfect fudge every time.  Box a few pieces of this up or put it in a decorative holiday bag and you have a perfect homemade holiday gift!  Here are some tips for this recipe:

• The fudge will keep for up to 10 days, covered and chilled.  Bring to room temperature before serving.
• This recipe allows for some improvisation as far as flavoring and ingredients for the fudge.  Instead of pecans, try substituting walnuts, almonds or macadamia nuts.  Add some dried cranberries or sour cherries or some shredded coconut.  When you add the chocolate, you can opt to add some peppermint extract and then sprinkle some crushed peppermint candies on top of the fudge as it sets. 
• If you don't have the German's chocolate, try combining a mix of semisweet and dark chocolates or semisweet and milk chocolates.  Using more than one type of chocolate results in a more complex flavor.

Rich Chocolate-Pecan Fudge

Makes one 9X13 pan

Ingredients:

4 1/2 cups sugar

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 large can evaporated milk

12 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

12 ounces German's sweet chocolate, chopped

1 pint marshmallow cream

2 cups pecans, coarsely chopped (optional)

Prepare a 9X13 inch pan by lining it with buttered foil or parchment paper; set aside.  In a medium saucepan, heat the sugar, butter, salt, and evaporated milk over low heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.  Bring to a boil and boil for 6 minutes.  Combine the chocolates, marshmallow cream, and nuts together in a large heatproof bowl.  Pour the boiling syrup over the ingredients.  Beat until the chocolate is all melted, and then pour into the prepared pan.  Let stand for at least 3 hours before cutting.