Baked

Happy Thanksgiving Canada!

It's been a weekend of baking, eating, cooking and then eating again. Tonight's our huge Thanksgiving dinner with my family. One more day of stuffing, then that's it ;) Who else is having their big dinner tonight?

I haven't posted anything for a few months...where did the summer go? Hope you're all well!

Thought I'd share an easy recipe from the recipe box of my mom. Hermits (which I've been all long weekend).

Hermits - makes about 36

1.5 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (I buy whole nutmeg)
pinch of salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts and a little extra to sprinkle on tops of cookies

Preheat oven to 375f/190c. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg, milk, and vanilla and beat well. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt, and combine well. Stir in raisins and walnuts.
Drop about a tablespoon of mixture onto lined baking sheet, then sprinkle tops with extra chopped walnuts. Bake for about 10-12 minutes.

That's it! Pretty simple to make. 

Have a great day!

janis

Baked

Hello all! Hope you've had a good week. Any exciting plans for the long weekend?

This week has been mostly spent in front of my computer, catching up on editing a few shoots. I wanted to make some kind of a loaf/bread the other day, to help ease the pain of editing, but had no bananas. I did have dates, walnuts and coconut though, so tossed them all in a basic bread mix.
Since there are a lot of dates in this recipe, it's already super sweet, so I didn't add sugar. If you want to add sugar, I wouldn't add more than half a cup.

Date Walnut and Coconut Bread - makes one 9"x5" loaf (I couldn't find my large loaf tin, so I used my old Hovis tin, which is smaller. The result was just taller bread!)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs
2 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1 cup milk
1 cup pitted dates, soaked in hot water
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup large flake coconut
a little raw sugar to sprinkle on top

Preheat oven to 350f/180c. Line loaf tin with parchment paper, and set aside. In a small bowl, cover chopped dates with 1/2 cup of hot water. Cover and allow to sit for 30 minutes.
Beat the butter, in a large bowl, until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add dry mixture to creamed butter, a little at a time, alternating with the milk. Drain water from dates, and fold into batter along with walnuts and coconut. Spoon batter into loaf tin and sprinkle raw sugar on top. Bake for about 50-60 minutes, or until a skewer, inserted in centre, comes out clean.

If you try out this recipe, I'd love to know what you think!

Have a lovely long weekend!

janis

Baked

Happy Tuesday! Hope your week is off to a good start. 

I made some straight-up crackers over the weekend, that were quick and easy to make with only a few simple ingredients. Perfect for dipping, with cheese and chutney and, of course, soup. By the way, they cost about 50 cents to make as well. Gotta love that. 

Cheese Crackers - makes about 5 dozen

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon melted butter

6-7 tablespoons water

a little extra melted butter for tops of crackers

a little coarse salt for sprinkling on tops of crackers

Preheat oven to 400f. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and parmesan cheese. Add the melted butter and combine. Add the water, a tablespoon at a time, and mix well until a smooth dough forms. 

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to about 1/8" thick, and cut out shapes. I made a few batches, so I make 1.5" round crackers, and some tiny soup crackers. If cutting out square shape crackers, transfer rolled out dough to baking sheet and score with a pastry cutter. If using a round cutter, cut out shapes then transfer to baking sheet. Brush tops with a little melted butter and sprinkle coarse salt over top. You could also sprinkle a little extra parmesan on top - so good. 

Nothing like a quick recipe that's super simple to make. If you give these a whirl, let me know!

Have a great day. 

janis

Baked

Hello weekend! Hope you all had a great week. If you're in Vancouver, did you enjoy the little bit of snow we had? It was so pretty! Really wish we'd see more of that lovely white stuff. 

I haven't made bread in awhile, so I made a basic white bread, and added some spicy chilli chocolate to the centre. So good and pretty easy to make too. 

Mini Bread Loaves with Spicy Chocolate - makes 4 loaves

1 eight gram packet of active dry yeast

3 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon sugar (1 tsp for yeast mixture, 3 tblsp for dough)

1 cup lukewarm milk

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 85g spicy dark chocolate bar, broken into pieces

To glaze:

1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon milk

Preheat oven to 320f/160c. Grease and line with parchment paper, 4 one cup baking tins and set aside. 

In a small bowl, mix together the yeast, one teaspoon of sugar, and milk. Set aside in a warm spot until bubbles form on the surface, about 5 minutes (see pic below).

In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, oil, 3 tablespoons sugar and yeast mixture and stir until a smooth dough forms (I use my hands for this). Knead the dough, on a lightly floured surface, for a about 5 minutes, until it's elastic and smooth.

Divide the dough into 4 even pieces. Flatten out each piece and place chocolate in centre. Fold around chocolate and pinch together to close. Smooth into a ball and place, pinched side down, into prepared baking tin. Cover with a towel and allow dough to rise, in a warm spot, until about doubled in size. This should take 45-60 minutes. 

Brush the tops with the egg mixture and bake for about 25 minutes, until golden brown on top. 

Allow to cool a little, in tins, before removing.

Have you made bread before? It's a pretty fun thing to do, and I find it so relaxing to knead dough by hand. Kids love it too! Maybe something to try out over the weekend? 

Have a great weekend! 

janis

Baked

Hello all! Hope your week is off to a good start.

I've been baking a little more these days, and trying to make things a little on the healthier side while I'm at it. I went off the healthy rails with this one, but every now and then isn't going to hurt. Right? I played around with a basic coffee cake, that I've made forever, by adding orange, almonds and cardamom. It's pretty delicious. Love the light cardamom flavour. 

Orange & Almond Coffee Cake w/ Cardamom - 

To make the streusel topping/filling:

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

6 tablespoons chilled butter, diced

1 1/2 cups chopped almonds

Mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon. Blend the chilled butter in with your fingers until small pebble size clumps form. Add the almonds and stir to combine. Cover and set aside in refrigerator. 

To make the cake:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 cup granulated sugar 

3/4 cup butter, softened

3 large eggs

1-2 teaspoons orange rind

2 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups low fat* sour cream 

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

* this is my attempt at taking a little of the fat out of it ;) 

Preheat oven to 350f/180c. Grease two 6"x6"x2" pans or one 13"x9"x2" pan and line with parchment paper for easy removal. 

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and baking soda. In another large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, then add orange rind, ground cardamom, and vanilla. Stir in the flour, a little at a time, alternately with the sour cream.  Add the orange juice stir to combine. If using two small pans (like I did), spread about a quarter of the batter in each pan. Sprinkle about a quarter of the streusel over top each. Drop another half of the remaining batter on top of each cake and sprinkle with remaining streusel. 

Bake for about 25 minutes, then check to make sure topping isn't getting too browned. If you think it is, place aluminum foil, loosely, on top of each pan. Bake for about another 20-25 minutes (total of about 45-50 minutes) until a skewer, inserted in centre of cakes, comes out clean. Allow cake to cool in pans, on wire rack, for at least 15 minutes before removing. Enjoy! 

If you try making this cake, let me know what you think. You may find it hard to leave alone! 

Have a great day.

janis

Baked

I haven't done it in awhile, but I baked some cookies with my niece over the weekend, inspired by fast approaching Valentine's Day.  Even though I shot the Butter Baked Goods book, including countless cookies, I hadn't made the Butter's Shaped Cookies myself. We gave them a go this weekend....they're my favourite sugar cookie recipe by far!

Butter's Shaped Cookies (aka sugar cookies) - made about 60 1.5" hearts

3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 cups butter, room temperature
3/4 cup icing sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons pure vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350f. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Onto a large piece of parchment paper, sift together the flour and baking powder. Set aside.
3. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla and mix to combine. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again.
4. Turn the mixer to low and add the dry ingredients and mix until fully combined.
5. Shape the dough into a large disk about 1" thick and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
6. Divide the disk into two, and place half the dough on a lightly floured work surface. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to about a 1/4" thick.
7. Use the cookie cutter of your choice to cut out cookies. Carefully transfer to the prepared cookie sheet and place about 1/2" apart. You may have to combine the dough scraps and re-roll the dough to cut out enough cookies. Avoid doing this too many times, as the cookies will become tough with over-handling.
8. Use a rolling pin to roll out the second disk of dough to about 1/4" thick and repeat step 7.
9. Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until the cookies are lightly browned on the edges.
10. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool for about 10 minutes on the sheet, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Royal Icing:

4 cups icing sugar
1/4 cup meringue powder
6 to 8 tablespoons water

1. In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine the icing sugar and meringue powder. Mix on medium speed until the meringue powder is evenly distributed throughout the icing sugar.
2. Turn the mixer to low and slowly add the water, little by little, until the icing reaches the desired thickness and consistency.
3. Once the water is incorporated, beat the mixture on high to create some volume and lightness in the icing.
Colour the icing with a little food colouring of your choice.

We went with shades of pink, for our hearts, and made some mini bags to to package them up. So simple.

If you try this recipe out, I'd love to know what you think. Keep me posted!

Have a good day!
janis

Baked

Happy Tuesday!  Hope your week's off to a good start.

Life has been pretty busy, and maybe just a little chaotic, so I took out a moment to bake. Something I haven't been doing that much these days, but when I do it's quite calming.  I'm also trying to eat healthier...not always easy ;) These tarts definitely have a little dose of fat, but only a sprinkle of added sugar. I try ;)

The crust is made from almond meal, and I like to have these ready to fill with anything. This time I roasted some peaches and sprinkled the tops with almonds. Easy and pretty delicious. Click here for a savoury tart with an almond crust.

Peach Tarts with Almond Crust - makes about 24 mini tarts

3 cups almond meal
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons water

Peach filling:
4 large peaches, cut into slices
1-2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1-2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
sliced almonds to top
icing sugar to sprinkle on top

For the crust:
Preheat oven to 350f/180c. Spray a little oil in mini muffin tin and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together almond meal, baking soda and salt. Add oil and water and stir until dough forms (I use my hands for this part. Add to that calming experience!). Press about a tablespoon of dough into each mini muffin cup to form a cup. Bake for about 10-12 minutes, until just slightly golden on sides. Allow to cool completely before adding a filling or place in an airtight container to store for a few days.

For filling:
Preheat oven to 350f/180c. Spread out sliced peaches on a baking sheet. Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle over top. Cut small pieces of butter and place on top of peach mixture. Bake for about 15 minutes. Fill almond crust cups with peach mixture, top with sliced almonds, and bake for another 10-12 minutes, until tops just start to turn golden brown. Allow to cool completely then sprinkle with a little icing sugar. Enjoy!

Have a great day!

janis

Baked...for Canada Day

Ah, long weekends. Love them, even if I'm working for most of it. I'm in Victoria BC, for a few shoots, but back for July 1st - Canada Day. What are your plans?

Lately, I've been playing around with different flours in my never ending attempt at being healthier. Interesting, because as I write this, I have a wee bit of a hangover. ;) These were made with quinoa flour and almond meal, and they're pretty delicious. Similar to a friand, really.

Let's call them Canada Day cupcakes - makes about 10 medium cupcakes. 
3/4 cup almond meal
3/4 cup quinoa flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
125g unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup berry/caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk

For topping:
1 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup (or to taste)
fresh raspberries

Preheat oven to 350f/180c.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond meal, quinoa flour and baking powder. In another bowl, beat the butter, vanilla, and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, and mix until combined. Stir in the dry ingredients, a little at a time, until combined. Fold through the milk.

Spoon, evenly, into cups and bake for about 20 minutes, or until lightly golden and springy to touch.
Cool on a wire rack.
For topping, beat whipping cream and maple syrup together until it's, well, whipped cream! Top cooled cupcakes with whipped cream and a raspberry. Enjoy!

Have a good weekend everyone and, to my fellow Canadians, have a fun and safe Canada Day long weekend!

Baked

Hello all. Hope you're having a good week!

My week has been, mostly, filled with editing, with a quick baking session tossed in. I've been playing around with quinoa flour and almond meal, and came up with a cracker that is actually not too bad for you. My diet is often pretty dodgy on editing days (girl scout cookies, chips, etc), so I'm trying to change it up. They're so good!

Quinoa Almond Crackers with Parmesan & Chives - makes about 3 dozen 1.5" crackers

1/2 cup quinoa flour
1/2 cup almond meal
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 1/2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons chopped almonds
2 tablespoons chives
Coarse salt for sprinkling on tops

In a medium bowl, beat together the butter and parmesan cheese. In another bowl, whisk together the quinoa flour, almond meal, dry mustard and baking powder. Add the chives and chopped almonds, stir to combine. Add the milk, a little at a time, until a dough forms. I always seem to use 2.5 tablespoons. Flatten dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, and chill for a few hours.

Preheat oven to 400f/200c. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Roll out dough to about 4mm and cut out shapes. I used a 1.5" cutter. Sprinkle tops with a little coarse salt and bake for about 7-8 minutes, until lightly golden. They're very moreish!

If you make them, let me know what you think. Have a good day! 

janis

 

Baked

I've been on a bit of a nut crust/cookie thing for the last few weeks. Always fun to experiment with different ingredients. This time I paired up hazelnut meal with chocolate and the result was a very chewy and delicious cookie. Not half bad for you either ;) 

Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies - makes about 30

3 cups hazelnut meal (I used Bob's Red Mill. Tried grinding up my own hazelnuts, but it turned into a butter. Oops.) 

1 teaspoon baking soda

pinch of salt

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup arrowroot powder or cornstarch (I use arrowroot)

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 cup vegetable oil 

1/2 cup maple syrup or agave syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

A little sugar and cinnamon to roll cookies in.

Preheat oven to 350f/180c. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the hazelnut meal, baking soda, arrowroot powder, cinnamon, salt and cocoa powder. Add the vegetable oil, maple syrup and vanilla and combine well. 

Roll tablespoons of dough and place on baking sheet. Flatten a little with the bottom of a glass (preferably flat on the bottom). Roll the side of each cookie through a small dish of sugar & cinnamon mixture and place back on baking sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes. Allow to cool on tray. Enjoy!

Have you tried baking without flour? If you did, how did it turn out? Let me know! 

Have a great day!

janis

Baked

The week has flown by. Where did it go? Hope you've had a good week so far!

Since we're heading into party season, thought I'd share one of my fave appetizer recipes. It involves a nut crust, as I prefer that over a traditional crust (a little healthier too, unless you're allergic to nuts!), and it has way more flavour as well.  Party snacks are my favourite way of eating, but sadly not everyday is a party ;)

Mediterranean Tarts with a Nut Crust - makes 24 mini tarts

Crust:
3 cups almond meal
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons water

Filling:
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
1- 5oz container of baby spinach
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
1/3 cup finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes (if you use jarred tomatoes in oil, drain oil first)
3 large eggs, lightly beaten

To make crust:
Preheat oven to 350f/180c. Lightly spray a mini muffin tin with oil and set aside.
Whisk together the almond meal, salt, baking soda and parsley in a large bowl. Stir in the oil and water and mix together until well combined and clumps together without crumbling apart. Break off small pieces and press into each muffin cup. Bake for about 10 minutes until just starting to brown. Allow to cool before filling.

To make filling:
Saute the onion in a little oil, over medium heat, for about 5 minutes until starting to brown. Add the spinach and tomatoes and cook for a few minutes until spinach is wilted. In a large bowl, lightly beat the eggs, then stir in cheese. Stir in the spinach mixture and combine well. Spoon into each crust and bake for about 20 minutes, until lightly browned on sides and cooked through. Try to save some for your guests. They're so good.

Do you prefer a traditional crust? Have you made a nut crust? Let me know! 

janis

Baked

How's your week going so far? Hope it's been smooth sailing!

I had heaps of plums, that were on their way out, so I made a tart. Inspired by a recipe from Ina Garten, I just added a basic custard to the mix.

Plum & Custard Tart - makes one 9" tart

1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cups pecans
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 large egg
1 lb plums, pitted and cut into quarters

Custard:
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1  large egg
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350f/180c. Lightly grease a 9" springform pan and set aside.
In a food processor, pulse together the whole wheat flour, pecans, and sugar. Add the butter and egg and pulse until a crumbly mixture forms. Scoop about half the mixture into the pan and press down making an even layer. Layer the plums on top of crumb crust.

To make the custard, place all ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk together until it thickens a little.
Pour the custard over top of the plums, then sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture, evenly, on top. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the sides are slightly golden. Allow to cool before cutting. Enjoy!

This is so easy to make. If you try it out, let me know how it goes!

If you didn't see Monday's post, I'm giving away one of my 2013 calendars. Click here to check it out. 

Back soon!

janis