Honey Nut Scones

I found this recipe that I had made last winter, but not posted yet from Dorie Greenspan on page 31 of Baking from My Home to Yours.

 These were very good...light and just slightly sweet!  Brent likes everything VERY sweet or smothered in butter or frosting.  I was pretty sure he wouldn't like them this way, so I stirred together some honey butter for him.

That did the trick! They were gone in no time!

Honey Nut Scones
{Baking with Dorie from my Home to Yours}

1 large egg
2 tbsp. honey
1/2 c. cold milk
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 stick cold unsalted butter
1/2 c. chopped walnuts

Getting ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Stir the egg, honey, and milk together,

Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl. Drop in the butter and, using your fingers, toss to coat the pieces of butter with flour. Quickly, working with your fingertips, or a pastry blender, cut and rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is pebbly. You'll have pea size pieces, pieces the size of oatmeal flakes and pieces the size of everything in between-and that's just right.

Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir with a fork just until the dough, which will be wet and sticky, comes together. Don't overdo it. Stir in the chopped walnuts.

Still in the bowl, gently knead the dough by hand, or turn it with a rubber spatula 8 to 10 times. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and divide it in half. Working with one piece at a time, pat the dough into a rough circle that's about  5 inches in diameter, cut into 6 wedges and place on the baking sheet.

Bake the scones for about 20 minutes, or until the tops are deeply golden and firmish to the touch,. Transfer them to a rack and cool for 10 minutes before serving, or wait for the scones to cool to room temperature.

Baking with Dorie, Great Grains Muffins

Hi!

Today's Baking with Dorie was chosen by ME!

I will post the recipe below or you can find it on page 9 of Baking from My Home To Yours, by Dorie Greenspan. You can also check out the other bakers here.

We love muffins and these sounded so interesting to me. I liked the idea of adding oats, whole wheat flour,cornmeal and maple syrup. I wondered what the texture and flavor would be like.

I made just a half a batch, and we really enjoyed them fresh from the oven for breakfast this morning! I could really taste the hint of cornmeal which was what I was hoping for. They are not a light muffin, but  not heavy either! I added raisins and walnuts....they were perfect! Not too sweet, just right after being overloaded with all the Easter goodies this past week.

We had a great Easter with our kids home!

Here we are celebrating our Birthdays:

The day went by way too fast for me. I always get a bit sad when they leave so it was fun to wake up this morning and get this post ready. It was good to be baking again! It's a beautiful day here and I plan to spend some of it just sitting outside in the sun..it has been a LONG winter!

Have a great Easter Monday!

Great Grains Muffins

1 cup flour

1/3 c. whole wheat flour

1/3 c. cornmeal

1/3 cup old fashioned oats

1/4 c. sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

1/3 cup pure maple syrup

2 large eggs

1 stick {8 Tablespoons} unsalted butter, melted and cooled

3/4 cup quartered, moist, plump prunes or other dried fruits and or chopped nuts

GETTING READY:

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter and spray 12 molds in a regular-size muffin pan or fit the molds with paper muffin cups. Alternatively, use a silicone muffin pan, which neither needs greasing nor paper cups. Place the muffin pan on a baking sheet.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, cornmeal, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.In a large glass measuring cup or other bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, maple syrup, eggs, and melted butter. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry and, with the whisk or a rubber spatula, gently but quickly stir to blend. Don't worry about being thorough-if the batter is a bit lumpy, that's fine. Stir in the fruit or nuts, if you are using them. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups,.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a thin knife inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes, then carefully lift each muffin out of its mold and onto the rack to cool.

Baking with Dorie, BRRRRR- OWNIES

Today's baking with Dorie is Brrrrr-ownies, and you can find the recipe here or on page 103 of  Baking with Dorie, From my Home to Yours. You can check out all the other bakers here.

Brrrrr-ownies.

Wow. That's about all I have to say. Well, not quite all.....

These were SO fudgy. SO chocolaty. SO minty. SO incredibly rich.

I can usually down at least a couple of brownies, but honestly, after eating just one I was satisfied. Each chocolaty bite was full of bits of peppermint patties. Ahhhhh.

It was a good feeling!

Baking with Dorie, Brownie Buttons

Today's Baking with Dorie is Brownie Buttons, and the recipe can be found here or on page 106 of Baking, From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan.

These were so easy! And cute! I dipped them in white chocolate and then into yellow sprinkles. It was a lot of fun making these. I think they would be fun treat for Easter. Who doesn't like brownies? Yum!

You can check out the other bakers here.

Baking with Dorie, Cinnamon Squares

Today's Baking with Dorie is Cinnamon Squares, and the recipe can be found here or on page 210 of Baking, from My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan.

I loved this cake! I'm a cinnamon lover, so I guess that's not really a surprise. There is a TON of cinnamon in this. I changed the recipe a bit..well actually alot. It called for chocolate in the middle layer, and also for the frosting on the top. I forgot to buy some and didn't want to run into town again. I decided to add chopped walnuts instead, and to not frost it at all. I served it with whipped cream...and it was delicious!

I may try it again sometime with chocolate, but I don't know, it's really good just the way it is! You can check out the other bakers here.

Baking with Dorie, Coffee Break Muffins

Today's Baking with Dorie can be found here or on page 15 of Baking, from My Home to Yours. You can check out the other bakers here.

I wasn't sure what I would think of these muffins, since I am NOT a coffee drinker. But I found the coffee flavor quite light and really enjoyed the simplicity of these muffins. They were slightly sweet, with a wonderful moist crumb and just a hint of cinnamon.

I made them into mini muffins and made just a half of a batch. They took just minutes to stir together!

Brent on the other hand, loves coffee, and found he really enjoyed eating them with a cup! He must have liked them alot...as there aren't any left!

Baking with Dorie, Apple Coconut Family Cake

This was really a fun bake! I love making cakes. And this one was so EASY! I think it only took about 15 minutes to stir it up.

 Isn't it pretty? Look at the wonderful apple glaze:

I loved the texture....it was full of coconut, apples and pecans in every bite:

                                                                     We loved it!

Today's Baking with Dorie, Apple Coconut Family Cake, was chosen by Mia, and you can find the recipe here, or on page 214 of Baking with Dorie, from My Home to Yours. You can check out the other bakers here.

Recipes I can't wait to try

No Baking with Dorie

Today I SHOULD be posting about Dorie's World Peace cookies, but I wasn't able to make them. Last week I had gallbladder surgery. All went well, but I find I'm a bit slower on the mend than I would like to be. I seem to get tired so easily. Maybe by the end of the week I'll feel like baking the cookies!

So today I am sharing a recipe for scalloped potatoes. I made these with some leftover ham after Christmas. Not the best photo of this dish, but I had to hurry.The boys were hungry and stopping to take a photo was not appreciated!

I had to agree, because prolonging eating this comfort dish is just wrong! The aroma from the ham and creamy potatoes just gets your mouth watering before you even sit down at the table!

This recipe is made with a common white sauce. I just add a couple of cups of ham. If I have any cream on hand {which I did} I'll pour alittle on top and stir it in a bit before baking it,too. I ALWAYS make this after the holidays...it's a great way to use up any leftover ham!

Creamy Scalloped Potatoes

{Betty Crocker}

2 lbs. potatoes{about 6 medium}

3 T. butter

3 T. flour

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

2 1/2 c. milk

Peel and cut potatoes into slices. Arrange in a 2 qt. greased casserole. {can add ham also, if desired}

Heat 3 T. butter in a sauce pan.until melted. Add flour, salt and pepper. Cook and stir over low heat until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Stir in the milk and heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Pour over potatoes, cover, and bake at 325 for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake at 350 for 70 minutes longer. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Baking with Dorie, Sables

Today's recipe can be found on page 131 of Baking with Dorie, from my Home to Yours. You can check out the other bakers here.

Today was my turn to choose! I wanted a cookie that would be good for Christmas baking. I love shortbread and this is wonderful. I rolled some in pecans, and some in sugar. I think I liked the pecans the best!

They were rich and buttery...and easy to make, which is always a bonus!


Sables

2 sticks {8 ounces} unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/2 tsp. salt, preferably fine sea salt
2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
2 c. flour
decorating {coarse} sugar

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter at medium speed until smooth and very creamy. Add the sugars and salt and beat until well blended, about 1 minute. The mixture should be smooth and velvety, not fluffy and airy. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the eggs yolks, again beating until the mixture is homogeneous.

Turn off the mixer. Pour in the flour, drape a kitchen towel over he stand mixer to protect yourself from flying flour and pulse the mixer at low speed 5 times, a second or tow each time. Take a peek- if there is still a lot of lour on the surface of the dough, pulse a couple more times: if not remove the towel. Continuing at low speed, mix for about 0 seconds more, just until the flour disappears into the dough and the dough looks uni formally moist. If most of the flour is incorporated, but you've;e still got some in the bottom of the bowl, use a rubber spatula to work the rest of the flour into the dough.} The dough will not clean the sides of the bowl, nor will it come together in a ball-and it shouldn't. You want to work the dough as little as possible. What you're aiming for is a soft,moist,clumpy{rather than smooth} dough. Pinch it, and it will feel a little like Play-Dough.

Scrape the dough out onto a smooth work surface, gather it into a ball and divide it in half. Shape each piece into a smooth log about 9 inches long: it's easiest to work on a piece of plastic wrap and use the plastic to help form the log. Wrap the logs well and refrigerate them for at least 3 hours, preferably longer.{ The dough can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.}

Getting ready to bake:

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.

Remove a log of dough from the refrigerator, unwrap it and place it o a piece of parchment paper or wax paper. Whisk the egg yolk until smooth, and brush some of the yolk all over the sides of the dough-this is the glue-then sprinkle the entire surface of the log with decorating sugar.

Trim the ends of the roll if they're ragged, and slice the log into 1/3 inch thick cookies. {You can make these as thick as 1/2 inch or as thin as-bit no thinner- than 1/4 inch." Place the rounds on the baking sheets, leaving an inch of space between them.

Bake one sheet at a time for 17 to 20 minutes, rotating the baking sheet at the midway point. When properly baked, the cookies will be light brown on the bottom, lightly golden around the edges and pale on the top: they may feel tender when you touch the top gently,a nd that's fine. Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest a minute or two before carefully lifting them onto a rack with a wide metal spatula to cool to room temperature.

Repeat with the remaining log of dough, making sure the baking sheets are cool before the second batch.



Baking with Dorrie, Brown Sugar Apple Cheesecake

Today's Baking with Dorrie recipe is Brown Sugar Apple Cheesecake and can be found here, or on page 238 of Baking, from My Home to Yours.

I changed the recipe quite a bit. First, I used gingerbread graham crackers for the crust instead of ginger snaps. I had never seen them before and wanted to give them a try. They are awesome for crusts! However just eating them plain...I don't know. The ginger flavor is too strong. I was going to take the leftover packs to school for snacks for the kids but I don't think they would care for them. I 'll still try though and see what they think.

The next thing I did was cut the recipe in half and make just a small cheese cake. I also decided not to do the apple layer. Believe it or not I am not a fan of fruit on my cheese cake. I like it plain.

I love cinnamon and I could really taste it in every rich, creamy bite. This was a fun recipe to try..and we enjoyed it very much!

Baking With Dorrie, Apple sauce Spice Bars

Today's recipe for Baking with Dorie was chosen by Chaya. You can find the recipe here, or on page 117 of Baking with Dorie, from My Home to Yours. Check out the other bakers here.

I made just a 9" pan of these and wish now I would have made the whole recipe. They were fantastic! Rich, moist, and full of apples and nuts, they were a hit! The sweet glaze put them over the top. I served them with some ice cream, but they are wonderful on their own, too. A mighty tasty fall treat!

Baking With Dorie Pecan Pie

Today's Baking with Dorie recipe is,"My favorite pecan pie." The recipe can be found here or on page 327 of Baking with Dorie, From My kitchen to Yours.

This was a great tasting pie! Pecan pie is one of my favorites so I was anxious to try this. I didn't use Dorie's recipe for the crust, I used my mom's recipe. I forgot it was for a 8" pie though, and my pie pan was 9."  I had to roll it pretty thin, and didn't have much left for the edge, but I made it work!

I didn't add the espresso powder or the cinnamon and I added a full cup of corn syrup. It was wonderful! I especially liked the chunks of chocolate. I ate a piece while it was still warm, enjoying the sweet flavors of the brown sugar, pecans and chocolate in each bite!

Baking With Dorie Pumpkin Muffins

Today's "Baking with Dorie" is Pumpkin Muffins.  You can find the recipe here or on page 13 of  Baking with Dorie, from My Home to Yours. This was a quick, easy recipe that I really enjoyed baking. {and eating} It was a perfect recipe to choose for this time of the year, AND it made the whole house smell wonderful!

I added raisins and chopped walnuts to mine. I knew these wouldn't be sweet enough for Brent, so I made some cream cheese frosting for him. {yes, I baby him} They were great for breakfast!

Kids Thumbprints Baking with Dorie

I have to admit I was pretty excited when I found out this would be the next Baking with Dorie recipe. Cookies are one of my favorite things to bake and these sounded delicious. I mean....peanut butter and jelly? What an all time favorite combo. I also had all the ingredients on hand. No extra trip to the grocery store!

I suppose Dorie called these "Kids Thumbprints" because kids typically love peanut butter and jelly. Well, I'm here to say these really aren't just for kids.  We have been eating them all weekend...adults love the combo too!

I have eaten many kinds of thumbprint cookies but have never made any myself. I don't know why. Especially after trying Dories recipe. In fact, these were so good, I'll be making them often. I plan on adding them to my Holiday baking. The nutty coating was my favorite part. Or maybe it was the shiny raspberry jam in the middle. Well, the peanut butter flavor inside was pretty good, too. Maybe it was just all of it together, salty and sweet....that really made quite an impression on me!

The recipe can be found here or on page163 of Baking with Dorie from My Home to Yours. You can check out the other Dorie bakers here.

Banana Cream Pie Baking with Dorie

Today's Baking With Dorie is Banana Cream Pie. You can find the recipe here, or on page 342 of Baking with Dorie from My House to Yours.

This was a thick, creamy, rich tasting pie! I really liked the custard. The cinnamon added a nice flavor...one I never expected I would like in a banana cream pie. I also liked the addition of sour cream mixed in with the whipped cream.

I have to admit I still like my mom's pie crust recipe best. It's just so light and flaky...and I suppose what I am used too. It's made with shortening, not butter, like Dorie's. I think next time I make this I would try it with her crust!

You can find the links to check out the other bakers pies here.

My turn!!!!!...Baking with Dorie Chocolate Chunkers

When I received the email telling me it was my turn to choose the next recipe for our Baking with Dorie group, I was so excited! I had just ordered my book and only had it about a week. I really only had time to just flip through the pages. I thought it would be fairly simple to choose, as there were SO many recipes I really wanted to try.

But then I started reading the book. All 514 pages. I loved all the little stories that went with each recipe. AND each recipe sounded better than the last.  How was I ever going to choose? I flipped back and forth. I marked up pages. I used sticky notes. This was going to be harder than I thought!

I just couldn't make up my mind. And then I just asked myself what I was really hungry for. That was easy. Cookies. Chocolate cookies. Something that sounded rich and sinful. Page 70. Chocolate Chunkers. Dorie described them as "truly fabulous, big gooey, exceedingly chocolaty." It was a done deal!

I'm REALLY happy with my choice...and actually...... I just have one word to say. "Fabulous!"

You can check out the other members cookies here.

Chocolate Chunkers

{Baking from My House to Yours by Dorie Greenspan}

1/3 c. all-purpose flour

1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. baking powder

3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped

2 large eggs, at room temperature

2/3 c. sugar

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped into chunks, or 1 cup store

bought chocolate chips or chunks

6 ounces premium-quality milk or white chocolate, chopped into chunks, or

1 cup store-bought chocolate chips or chunks

1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped nuts, preferably salted peanuts or toasted pecans

1 cup moist, plump raisins{dark or golden} or finely chopped moist dried apricots

Getting ready:

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

Sift together the flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder.

Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Add  the butter,bittersweet chocolate and unsweetened chocolate and heat, stirring occasionally, just until melted-the chocolate and butter should be smooth and shiny but not so hot that the butter separates. Remove the bowl from the heat and set it on the counter to cool.

Working with a stand mixer,preferably fitted with a paddle adjustment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the two eggs and the sugar together on medium high speed for about 2 minutes, until they are pale and foamy. Beat in the vanilla extract, then scrape down the bowl. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the melted butter and chocolate, mixing only until Incorporated. With a rubber spatula, scrape down the bowl, then on low speed. add the dry ingredients. Mix just until the dry ingredients disappear into the dough, which will be thick, smooth and shiny. Scrape down the bowl and, using the rubber spatula, mix in the semi-sweet and milk{or white} chocolate chunks, nuts, and raisins-you'll have more crunchies than dough at this point.{The dough can be wrapped in plastic and kept refrigerated for up to three days'}

Drop the dough by generously heaping tablespoons onto the baking sheets, leaving about an inch of space between the mounds of dough.

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 10 to 12 minutes. The tops of the cookies will look a little dry but the interiors should still be soft. Remove the baking sheet and carefully, using a broad metal spatula, lift the cookies onto a cooling rack to coll to room temperature.

Repeat with the remaining dough, baking only one sheet of cookies at a time and making sure to cool the baking sheets between batches.

If, when the cookies are cooled, the chocolate is still gooey and you'd like it to be a bit firmer, just pop the cookies int the fridge for about 10 minutes.

Blueberry Crumb Cake, Baking with Dorie

I've been waiting and waiting to make this crumb cake! I bought the blueberries..had everything ready to go.... but no time to bake it. It's just been too busy this week with school starting again. I finally got it in the oven last night.

It's simply wonderful. I would bake this again and again. It's PACKED with blueberries and the nutty crumb topping is delicious! Actually I had a hard time not eating the topping before I got it on the cake. This is another of Dorie's recipes found on page 192-193 of Baking from My House to Yours, or you can find it here.

Baking with Dorie Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins Recipe

Since I joined the group, "Baking with Dorie" a bit late..I'd like to try to bake all the recipes that I missed. Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins was one of them.  You can find the recipe here or on page 10 in Dorie's book, Baking from My Home to Yours.

I love anything lemon so I knew I would like these. The lemon glaze really added a nice tang and also kept them very moist. Perfect for Sunday morning breakfast!

Baking with Dorie, Mini Chocolate Bundt Cakes

It's that time again! Time for another recipe from Dorie Greenspan's book, Baking from My Home to Yours. This recipe was chosen by therookiebaker. You can find the recipe on her site or on page 188-189 of the book.

Well, as you can see I didn't use a mini bundt cake pan. I thought I was going too. One of my friends said she had one I could borrow. SCORE! She looked for it and couldn't find it, and figures she must have sold it at a garage sale. BUMMER.

It's one of those pans you usually don't use that often, so I decided not to buy one and used my cupcake pan. It worked perfectly. The recipe makes 6 mini bundts... mine made about 8 cupcakes.

It just so happens we were celebrating my mother-in-law's birthday so this cake recipe was perfect timing! It was a hit! My favorite part was the swirl inside made from pecans, cocoa, and sugar. Oh my. And lets not forget all the chocolate...actually, ALOT of chocolate!!!!

 I had read quite a bit about the glaze for this recipe not working well, so I used Alton Brown's recipe. {I used just half of the recipe.}

I really enjoyed baking these....and eating them! In my opinion, another "winner" for Dorie!

Baking with Dorie Brown Sugar Bundt Cake

Doesn't this look tempting?

I joined a baking group called "Baking on Monday's" using Dorie Greenspan's book, Baking From My Home To Yours.  This Monday  Chaya chose Brown Sugar Bundt Cake found on page 178. You can also find the recipe on her site.  I can see why she chose it!

I have to say for my first Dorie recipe I am VERY pleased. I knew this cake would be good but I had no idea it would be incredible. As it baked I could smell the brown sugar goodness and it was driving me crazy! I couldn't wait to taste it and had to have a piece as soon as it was cooled.{ Dorie says it tastes better the next day. I don't know. I think it tasted great every day I had some!} The brown sugar flavor just melts in your mouth and I loved the pieces of pears and raisins throughout. I followed the recipe exactly, except left out the nuts..I didn't have any on hand. I need to try it next time with the nuts. I don't know how it could get any better, though!

I just sprinkled some powdered sugar on mine.

But I made a brown sugar glaze and drizzled some on before I served it to Brent.....yum!

  I can't wait to try the next recipe.  Here's a link that will tell you more about it!