Glazed Doughnut Muffins

I think these should be called spiced muffins…to me they do not taste like a glazed doughnut…but more like a spice muffin…

Recipe

For the Batter
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 to 1 ¼ teaspoons ground nutmeg, to taste (I used ¾)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup milk

For the Glaze
3 tablespoons butter; melted
1 cup confectioners’ sugar; sifted
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons hot water

1) Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a standard muffin tin. Or line with 12 paper muffin cups, and grease the cups with non-stick vegetable oil spray; this will ensure that they peel off the muffins nicely.

2) In a medium-sized mixing bowl, cream together the butter,

vegetable oil, and sugars

till smooth.

3) Add the eggs,

beating to combine.

4) Stir in the baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon,

salt, and vanilla.

5) Stir the flour

into the butter mixture alternately with the milk,

beginning and ending with the flour and making sure everything is thoroughly combined.

6) Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared pan, filling the cups nearly full.

7) Bake the muffins for 15 to 17 minutes, or until they’re a pale golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the middle of one of the center muffins comes out clean.

8.) In a medium bowl, prepare the glaze by mixing together the melted butter,

confectioners’ sugar,

vanilla

and water. Whisk until smooth.

9.) When muffins have cooled slightly, dip the muffin crown into the glaze

and allow the glaze to harden.

At this point, you can leave them as is or go for the double dip. I glazed my muffins twice.

10.) Serve warm, or cool on a rack and wrap airtight. Muffins will keep at room temperature for about a day.

Here is that recipe for you again:
For the Batter
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 to 1 ¼ teaspoons ground nutmeg, to taste (I used ¾)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup milk

For the Glaze
3 tablespoons butter; melted
1 cup confectioners’ sugar; sifted
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons hot water

1) Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a standard muffin tin. Or line with 12 paper muffin cups, and grease the cups with non-stick vegetable oil spray; this will ensure that they peel off the muffins nicely.

2) In a medium-sized mixing bowl, cream together the butter, vegetable oil, and sugars till smooth.

3) Add the eggs, beating to combine.

4) Stir in the baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla.
5) Stir the flour into the butter mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour and making sure everything is thoroughly combined.

6) Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared pan, filling the cups nearly full.

7) Bake the muffins for 15 to 17 minutes, or until they’re a pale golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the middle of one of the center muffins comes out clean.

8.) In a medium bowl, prepare the glaze by mixing together the melted butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and water. Whisk until smooth.

9.) When muffins have cooled slightly, dip the muffin crown into the glaze and allow the glaze to harden. At this point, you can leave them as is or go for the double dip. I glazed my muffins twice.

10.) Serve warm, or cool on a rack and wrap airtight. Muffins will keep at room temperature for about a day.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

recipe

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

3 extra-large eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sour cream
2 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

For the streusel:
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

For the glaze:
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons real maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan.

Cream the butter

and sugar

in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 4 to 5 minutes,

until light. Add the eggs 1 at a time,

then add the vanilla

and sour cream.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour,

baking powder,

baking soda,

and salt.

With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined.

Finish stirring with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed.

For the streusel, place the brown sugar,

flour,

cinnamon,

salt, and butter

in a bowl and pinch together with your fingers until it forms a crumble.

Spoon half the batter into the pan and spread it out with a knife.

Sprinkle with 3/4 cup streusel.

Spoon the rest of the batter in the pan, spread it out,

and scatter the remaining streusel on top.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.

Let cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes. Carefully transfer the cake, streusel side up, onto a serving plate. Whisk the confectioners’ sugar and maple syrup together,

adding a few drops of water if necessary, to make the glaze runny. Drizzle as much as you like over the cake with a fork or spoon.

 

here is that recipe for you again:
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 extra-large eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sour cream
2 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

For the streusel:
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

For the glaze:
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons real maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan.

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 4 to 5 minutes, until light. Add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla and sour cream. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. Finish stirring with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed.

For the streusel, place the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and butter in a bowl and pinch together with your fingers until it forms a crumble.

Spoon half the batter into the pan and spread it out with a knife. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup streusel. Spoon the rest of the batter in the pan, spread it out, and scatter the remaining streusel on top. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.

Let cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes. Carefully transfer the cake, streusel side up, onto a serving plate. Whisk the confectioners’ sugar and maple syrup together, adding a few drops of water if necessary, to make the glaze runny. Drizzle as much as you like over the cake with a fork or spoon.

Glazed Orange Scones

Made these for my co-worker Dummy aka Melissa for her Birthday!

Recipe Adapted from http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/

For the Scones

1/3 cup sugar
zest of two medium oranges
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, frozen
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1 large egg

For the Glaze

3 tablespoons unsalted butter; melted
1 cup confectioners’ sugar; sifted
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

Directions:

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl, combine sugar

and orange zest;

mix with your fingertips until the sugar is moistened and fragrant.

Add in the flour,

baking powder,

baking soda

and salt

and mix until combined.

3. Grate butter

into flour mixture

on the large holes of a box grater; use your fingers to work in the butter until the mixture resembles  coarse meal.

4. In a small bowl, whisk the sour cream

and egg

until smooth.

5. Using a fork, stir sour cream mixture into flour mixture

will come together.

6. Place on a lightly floured surface and pat into a 7-inch circle about 3/4-inch thick.

Use a sharp knife to cut into 8 triangles;

place on prepared baking sheet, about 1 inch apart. Bake until golden, about 15 to 17 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes and prepare the glaze.

7. In a medium bowl, prepare the glaze by mixing together the melted butter,

confectioners’ sugar,

vanilla

and orange juice.

Whisk until smooth.

Dip the top of the scones into the glaze

and allow the glaze to harden.

At this point, you can leave them as is or go for the double dip. I glazed my scones twice.

Notes: scones store well in an airtight container for up to two days.

Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies

I made these for an order for my co-workers daughters birthday. I had to share the recipe cause these cookies are yummy!

Recipe Adapted by: http://www.annies-eats.com/

Yield: about 2 dozen large cookies

Ingredients:
For the cookies:
4½ cups all-purpose flour
4½ tsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. salt
1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1½ cups sugar
3 large eggs
5 tsp. vanilla extract

For the frosting:
5 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1/3 cup (5 1/3 tbsp.) unsalted butter, melted
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
7-8 tbsp. milk (plus more, as needed)
Food coloring (optional)
Sprinkles (optional)

To make the cookies, preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. In a medium bowl combine the flour,

baking powder

and salt,

and whisk together to blend.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter

and sugar

and beat together on medium-high speed

until soft and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time,

mixing well after each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed.

Blend in the vanilla.

With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients mixing just until incorporated and evenly mixed.

Cover and chill the dough for 1 hour.

When you are ready to bake the cookies, scoop a scant quarter cup of dough and roll into a ball. Flatten the ball slightly and place on the prepared baking sheet. (I rolled the dough out and cut mine with cookie cutters and it worked fine)

Repeat with the remaining dough, spacing the cookies at least 2-3 inches apart.

Bake about 10-12 minutes or just until set. (Do not overbake! The edges should be no more than very lightly browned if at all.) Let cool on the baking sheet for several minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To frost the cookies, place the confectioners’ sugar in a medium bowl.

Add the melted butter,

vanilla,

and milk to the bowl

and whisk until smooth.

Whisk in additional milk as necessary, 1 teaspoon at a time, until you reach your desired consistency. Tint with food coloring if desired. Use an offset spatula or spoon to frost the cooled cookies. (If the frosting begins to thicken as you decorate, just continue to whisk in small amounts of milk to keep it workable.) Top with sprinkles if desired. Store in an airtight container.

Blueberry Scones with Lemon Glaze

Happy Monday All! BLAH! Me no likey Monday’s!

So thought I would start my Monday off with a recipe!

I made these for my co-worker Dummy, also known as Melissa! Her and I call each other dummy. So nice of us. I like nicknames!

So Dummy Loves Blueberries. So I found this recipe while hard at work! (HA!) and told her if she got the blueberries I would make her some blueberry scones cause I had the rest of the ingredients. So she got the blueberries. So I made her some scones! Great Teamwork!

this was my 1st time making scones! (I think I did pretty good)

Recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut in chunks
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing the scones

Lemon Glaze:

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 lemon, zest finely grated

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Sift together the dry ingredients; the flour,

baking powder,

salt,

and sugar.

Using 2 forks or a pastry blender, cut in the butter to coat the pieces with the flour.

The mixture should look like coarse crumbs.

Fold the blueberries into the batter.

Take care not to mash or bruise the blueberries

because their strong color will bleed into the dough. Make a well in the center and pour in the heavy cream.

Fold everything together just to incorporate; do not overwork the dough.

Press the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about 12 by 3 by 1 1/4 inches.

Cut the rectangle in 1/2 then cut the pieces in 1/2 again, giving you 4 (3-inch)
squares. Cut the squares in 1/2 on a diagonal to give you the classic triangle shape.

Place the scones on an ungreased cookie sheet

and brush the tops with a little heavy cream.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until beautiful and brown.

Let the scones cool a bit before you apply the glaze.

You can make the lemon glaze in a double boiler, or for a simpler alternative, you can zap it in the microwave. Mix the lemon juice

with the confectioners’

until dissolved in a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water for the double-boiler method, or in a microwave-safe bowl. Whisk in the butter

and lemon zest.

Either nuke the glaze for 30 seconds or continue whisking in the double boiler. Whisk the glaze to smooth out any lumps, then drizzle the glaze over the top of the scones. Let it set a minute before serving.

I had two taste testers available to make sure these scones were ok!

Butter Bits

I had this recipe posted before, but I just felt that it needed better pictures posted and more! So I deleted the old post and am posting a new one!

These babies are GOOD! So bad for you, so you know they are good! They are also very easy to make…

One Year Ago: Chicken scallopine with sage and fontina cheese

Recipe

1 cup flour

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Mix all ingredients.

Place walnut-sized ball of dough on parchment or silicone mat-lined baking sheet.

Flatten in criss-cross pattern with floured fork.

Bake for 15 – 18 minutes.

When completely cooled, lightly sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar before serving.

Key Lime Pie

Wanted to use the rest of the key lime juice that my mother in law got me last year in Key West. It expires this month so I didn’t want it to go bad…so I made a Key lime pie…

recipe

1 Graham Cracker Crust (recipe below), pre-baked
4 egg yolks
Grated zest of 1 or 2 key limes
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 to 2/3 cup key lime juice (depending on how tart you like your pie), fresh or bottled
1 cup cold heavy cream
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

1.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2.Using a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment

beat the egg yolks

and lime zest for about 2 minutes.

3.Add the condensed milk,

and combine well.

4.Slowly add the lime juice.

When the lime juice is thoroughly incorporated, turn off the mixer. Let the mixture set at room temperature for about 5 minutes, until the filling thickens.
5.Pour the filling into the crust.

6.Bake for about 15 minutes, until the filling appears set but still wobbly. Cool to room temperature on a wire rack. Cover with loosely tented foil (or slip the pie into a pie keeper), and refrigerate for at least 3 hours before slicing. (If you accidentally touch something to the surface of the pie and mess up the finish, don’t sweat it. That’s why God made whipped cream.)
7.For the Whipped Cream: Pour the heavy cream into the bowl of a stand mixer, and add the confectioners’ sugar. Whip on low-speed to combine, and then increase the speed to medium-high. Whip until medium-stiff peaks form, about 1 1/2 minutes.
8.Serve pie topped with whipped cream, and garnish with a little grated lime zest.

Graham Cracker Crust

Makes one 9-inch crust
1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs (ground fine from 12 large graham crackers)
1/4 cup light brown sugar
Pinch of salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter your pie plate, and set aside.
2.In a small bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar and salt.
3.Add the melted butter and mix thoroughly, first with a fork and then with your fingers. (If the mixture seems too sandy, wet your fingertips under running water, and keep mixing.)
4.Press the mixture evenly into the bottom and up the sides of your pie plate.
5.Bake for 8 minutes.
6.Cool the crust on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before filling.

Fresh Fruit Tart with Vanilla Pastry Cream

I made this Friday for my boss. It was her Birthday and well she puts up with a LOT! So I thought I would make her feel special! I think everyone should feel special on their birthday, no matter what age you are…

So special story about my tart pan and why I bought it. Well I had always wanted a tart pan and well I just kept putting it off to buy one, and by the way they aren’t that expensive. So one of my co workers helps these special kids out and so she was having a celebration for them http://youthtransformationcent​er.org/ and so I offered to donate some Jamie Cakes (Cupcakes) to them. So I made Rainbow Cupcakes for these amazing kids and just really made their day and made them feel special. So to thank me for being so generous and making these cupcakes for them, They got me a gift card to my favorite Cake store and so I saved my gift card for a while and wanted to save it for something special to buy, So I bought my very 1st tart pan with it! So this tart pan is special to me…So my 1st tart was to make someone else feel special…my boss.

recipe

For the tart dough:
1 large egg yolk
1 tbsp. heavy cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the work surface
2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
8 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

For the pastry cream:
2 cups half-and-half
1/2 cup sugar
Pinch salt
5 large egg yolks
3 tbsp. cornstarch
4 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the topping:
15-20 Strawberries, washed and sliced
I Heart YOU!

6-9 oz. raspberries

1/2-1 cup blueberries

6-9 oz. Blackberries
Apple jelly, for glazing

To make the tart shell, whisk together the egg yolk, cream and vanilla in a small bowl; set aside. Place the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Process briefly to combine. Scatter the butter pieces over the flour mixture;

process to cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about fifteen 1-second pulses. With the machine running, add the egg mixture and process until the dough just comes together, about 12 seconds. Turn the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and press into a 6-inch dish. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 48 hours.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator. (If refrigerated for more than an hour, let stand at room temperature until malleable.) Unwrap and roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to a 13-inch round. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch tart pan. Mold the dough to the sides of the tart pan and remove the excess off the top. Set the dough-lined tart pan on a large plate and freeze for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, adjust an oven rack to middle position. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Set the dough-lined tart pan on a baking sheet, press a 12-inch square of foil into the frozen shell and over the edge, and fill with pie weights. Bake for 30 minutes, rotating halfway through the baking time. Remove from the oven and carefully remove the foil and weights. Continue to bake until deep golden brown, 5-8 minutes longer. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

To make the pastry cream, heat the half-and-half, 6 tablespoons of the sugar, and the salt in a saucepan over medium-high heat until simmering, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Meanwhile, combine the egg yolks and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in a medium bowl and whisk until the sugar has begun to dissolve and the mixture is creamy, about 15 seconds. Whisk in the cornstarch until combined and the mixture is pale yellow and thick, about 30 seconds.

When the half-and-half mixture has reached a simmer, slowly add it to the egg yolk mixture to temper, whisking constantly. Return the mixture to the saucepan, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula. Return the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly, until a few bubbles burst on the surface and the mixture is thickened and glossy, about 30 seconds. Off the heat, whisk in the butter and vanilla. Strain the pastry cream through a fine mesh sieve set over a medium bowl. Press plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming and refrigerate until cold and set, at least 3 hours and up to 2 days.

To assemble the tart, spread the cold pastry cream evenly over the bottom of the tart shell. Arrange the fruit on top of the pastry cream as desired. Heat the jelly in the microwave for 20-30 seconds, just until slightly melted and easy to stir. Using a pastry brush, paint a light layer of jelly over the fresh fruit. Serve.

Nutella Wontons

I got this Recipe from  Steamy Kitchen, but she used chocolate. I was going to use chocolate. But had to do it different. So someone suggested using Nutella…So I went with that. I have never had, or tried Nutella until I made this recipe…It’s damn good stuff, and these are damn good wontons. The crunchy from the wonton the chocolatey, hazelnut flavor from the Nutella and then top it off with powdered sugar = Heaven!

1 egg
1 tablespoon water
12 wonton wrappers, defrosted (keep wrappers covered with damp towel)
1/2 Tablespoon of Nutella

Vegetable oil
Confectioners’ sugar, for sprinkling

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and water to make an egg wash. On a clean, dry surface, lay one wrapper down with a point toward you, like a diamond. Place 1/2 tablespoon of Nutella near the top end of the wrapper. Brush a very thin layer of the egg wash on the edges of the wrapper. Fold the bottom corner of the wrapper up to create a triangle and gently press to remove all air from the middle. Press the edges to adhere the sides. Make sure the wrapper is sealed completely. Repeat with the remaining wrappers. Keep the folded Nutella wontons covered under plastic wrap or a damp paper towel to prevent them from drying.

In a wok or medium pot, pour in two inches of oil. Heat the oil to 350°F (180°C) and gently slide a few of the Nutella wontons into the hot oil. Make sure you don’t crowd the wontons too much. Fry 1 1/2 minutes, then flip and fry another minute until both sides are golden brown and crisp.