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

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

Happy Friday! Did you have a good week?

I'm just back from my annual family camping trip, and have these "camp bars" on my mind. Wish I had one, as I'm currently on a BC ferry heading back to Vancouver, from a shoot, and all I can smell is hotdogs, or something like that (not what the doctor ordered). These are so simple to make and are easy to pack for a little camping get-away.

Camp Bars - makes about 12 bars in an 8x12 pan

5 cups puffed cereal (rice, millet, kamut, or wheat. I used millet)
1 cup brown rice flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 cup finely chopped dried fruit (I used apples, peaches, and apricot)
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup almond chocolate spread (or peanut butter or almond butter)
1 cup unsweetened apple sauce
chocolate chips to sprinkle on top (optional, but you should do it:) )

Preheat oven to 350f/180c. Lightly spray an 8x12 pan with oil and line with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the fruit, flour, millet, cinnamon, walnuts and salt. Add the honey, almond chocolate spread and applesauce. Stir to combine. The mixture should be sticky and clump together nicely. If it's too crumbly, add a bit more applesauce. Spread out the mixture, evenly, in the pan, then sprinkle with chocolate chips (if using). Bake for about 20-25 or until they just come away from sides of pan. Watch that they don't burn. While warm, cut into bars and leave in pan to cool. That's it!

Have a good weekend!
janis

Baked

Ah, hello sun! We finally seem to be getting a bit of a summer around here. How's your week been so far?

Went to see K.D. Lang last night. My husband, Robert Edmonds, designed her poster (that happens to be her profile pic on twitter), so we received a few tickets to one of her shows, here in Vancouver. I've always appreciated her talent, but I've never been a huge fan, didn't know much about her, but I am now.  Um, well, that voice. She opens her mouth and angels, butterflies and rainbows fly out of it. That woman can sing. Anyone else seen her live?

Ok, on to the chocolate ricotta cake. I had lots of ricotta in the fridge, along with some other things I wanted to use up. Here it all is, in a cake.

Flourless Chocolate Ricotta Cake - makes one 9" cake

500g (one container) ricotta
3/4 cup berry/superfine sugar
zest of 2 lemons
4 eggs, separated
250g almond meal
1 1/2 cups dark chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350f/180c. Lightly grease a 9" spring form pan and set aside. Melt chocolate, in a large heat proof bowl, over a pot of boiling water. Stir chocolate until melted. Keep the bowl on the pot of boiled water and add ricotta, sugar, almond meal, zest, and cinnamon to the melted chocolate and stir to combine. Stir in egg yolks.

In another bowl, whisk egg yolks until soft peaks form. Remove chocolate mixture from stove and gently fold in egg whites, being careful not to over mix. The batter will be quite thick. Spoon batter into prepared pan and smooth out top. Bake for about 45 minutes or until a skewer, inserted in centre, comes out clean. Place on a wire rack and allow to cool in pan before removing. You could glaze this cake, but I had a small jar of chopped pistachios, so I sprinkled them on top along with a little icing sugar.

Have a great day! Back soon....
janis

Baked

How's your week going? Hope it's been stress-free.

I was in the mood for balsamic soaked strawberries, and decided to make chocolate sponge cake to go with them. Just couldn't leave well enough alone, it seems Have you tried balsamic with strawberries? If not, you need to. Outrageously good.   

Chocolate Sponge Cake with Balsamic Strawberries - makes 6
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
4 eggs, room temperature and separated
1/2 cup berry/caster sugar
2 oz unsalted butter, melted
8 oz fresh strawberries
1.5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon raw sugar
1 cup whipping cream
Icing sugar for dusting

Balsamic Strawberries:

Hull strawberries and cut in half. In a bowl, mix the strawberries, balsamic vinegar and raw sugar together with a spoon. Allow to stand for about an hour. 

Preheat oven to 350f/180c. Grease and dust with cocoa powder, a six cup muffin tin (3/4 cup) and set aside.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa and baking powder, 3 times. In a large bowl, beat the 4 egg yolks and sugar, with an electric mixer, until thick and creamy, about 5 minutes. In another bowl, beat together the 4 egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the egg yolk mixture into the egg whites making sure not to over mix. The batter needs to remain light and airy. Next, sift half the flour over the egg mixture and carefully fold in until just incorporated. Sift over the remaining flour mix and fold in. Add the butter and gently fold into batter.

Spoon the batter into each cup of the muffin. Bake for about 18-20 minutes, or until cake springs back with lightly pressed, and cake is coming away from sides of muffin tin. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack. 

Cut cakes in half, and top one half with whipped cream and strawberries. Place other half on top and dust with icing sugar. Enjoy!

Have you baked anything lately? Do you find baking to be a bit of a stress-reliever or a stress-adder (new word)? I'd love to know.

Have a great day! Back soon.

Janis

Baked

I hope your week is going well! Thanks to all who sent emails and left lovely comments about my news the other day. Shooting the cookbook, for Butter Baked Goods, will be a fantastic experience...and possibly fattening!

Speaking of fattening (actually, these aren't too bad), I baked a batch of cookies the other day using almond meal, coconut and chocolate. They seem to be my favourite ingredients these days...so many possibilities!

Almond Coconut Cookies with Chocolate - makes about 12

1 1/4 cups almond meal (finely ground almonds)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
whole almonds for tops of cookies
100g of dark chocolate for dipping

Preheat oven to 350f/180c. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a medium bowl, beat the butter, then add the egg and almond extract, mixing well. In another bowl combine the almond meal, baking soda,sugar and coconut. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, a little at a time, until completely incorporated. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.

Roll dough into balls, about 1.5 inches each, and place on baking sheet. Flatten a little and press an almond on top of each cookie.

Bake for about 10 minutes. They are quick to burn, so keep a watch on them. Allow to cool on wire rack.

To melt chocolate, break up 100g of chocolate into a small saucepan. Melt on low heat, stirring until melted. Dip one half of cookie in melted chocolate and enjoy!

Have a great day! Back soon.
Janis

Baked

Hope your week is off to a good start! I've got heaps of photo editing to do, and deadlines looming. Oh well, nothing a cupcake can't help.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Coconut Buttercream - makes 12 cupcakes

150g unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar (I used raw cane sugar)
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup almond meal
1 cup all purpose or whole wheat flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

To make cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350f/180c. Lightly spray a 12 cup muffin tin with vegetable oil, or line with paper liners (I didn't seem to have any of those kicking around).
Beat butter and sugar, with an electric mixer, until smooth and creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until well combined.

Pour in milk and almond meal, and blend. Sift in the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt, and mix together until well combined.

Scoop batter into cups evenly and bake for about 20 minutes or until a skewer, inserted in centre, comes out clean. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

Coconut Buttercream
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 cups icing sugar
2 teaspoons coconut extract
2 tablespoons coconut milk
unsweetened coconut to sprinkle on tops

To make buttercream: Beat the butter, with an electric mixer, until smooth and creamy. With mixer on low speed, slowly add the icing sugar, a little at a time, then coconut extract, and coconut milk. If it's too thick, add a little more coconut milk. Spread over top of cupcake, then sprinkle with coconut. Enjoy!

Have a great day! Back soon.
Janis

PS
I've done a "behind-the-scenes" of a photo shoot for The Cross, over at Poppytalk today. It was so much fun!

Baked

Hello all! How's your week going?

I baked some healthy(ish) cookies the other day. I'm still trying to use less wheat flour, and I have to admit, I do feel better for it, but I feel I may fall off the wagon soon. ;) I didn't feel half as bad when I realized I had eaten 6 while taking their portrait.  

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Cookies - makes about 30

3/4 cup buckwheat flour

3/4 cup tapioca starch

1/2 teaspoon guar gum

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

pinch of salt

2 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 smooth peanut butter (I used unsweetened)

1/4 unsalted butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup brown rice crisp cereal (like a healthier version of rice crispies)

1 85g dark chocolate bar, chopped (milk chocolate is also pretty fantastic)

1/2 cup roasted unsalted peanuts, chopped (roast in a 350f oven for about 8 minutes)

a little milk for pressing out dough. 

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

Whisk together, buckwheat flour, tapioca starch, guar gum, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. In another bowl, with an electric mixer, beat together butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, then peanut butter, and vanilla. Mix until just combined. Add flour mixture and stir until blended. Fold in chocolate, cereal and peanuts. 

Roll tablespoons full into a ball, and place on baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Flatten slightly with a fork dipped in milk or water. Bake for about 15 minutes, until just starting to turn a golden colour. 

Place on a wire rack to cool. These are delicious, not too sweet, and addictive. I love the crispy bits.

Have a lovely day! Back soon,

Janis

Baked

It's hump day! How's your week going so far? I got a bit snowed in today (anyone who has experienced real snow would laugh at us here in Vancouver), which worked out well as it was a huge post production kind of day for me.

Here's a treat that's not too hideous for you, and it's perfect for a day like today. Oatmeal, Chocolate, Cherry bars can be made with regular flour or they can be gluten free, which is the way I went. Pretty tasty.

Oatmeal, Chocolate, Cherry Bars - makes one 8"x12" pan

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup gluten free all purpose flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)*
1/2 cup almond meal
1/4 teaspoon guar gum
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 cups whole oats (not quick oats)
1 cup dried sour cherries, chopped
8 oz dark chocolate, chopped
* you can use 1 1/2 cups regular all purpose flour then omit the almond meal and guar gum

Preheat oven to 350f/180c. Lightly spray an 8"x12" pan with oil and line bottom with parchment paper. Beat in eggs, one at a time, blending well. Beat in vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk flour, almond meal, baking soda, cinnamon, salt.

Gradually add dry mix to butter mixture and stir in until just combined. Fold in oats, chocolate and cherries. Place dough in prepared pan, and press down. Bake for about 25 minutes until a light golden brown. Enjoy!

By the way, I'm off to Palm Springs tomorrow for a shoot, and I'd love to get a list of shops and restaurants to check out. If any of you have some helpful hints, please pass it on. Thanks!

Back soon!
Janis

Baked

Well, I completely missed Wednesday! How's your week going so far?

It was my husband's birthday yesterday so I hung with him and baked him chocolate pavlova. He's Australian, so he grew up having summertime birthdays, hence the summery pavlova ;)

Chocolate Pavlova with Raspberries - makes 4 small, or one large

4 egg whites
3/4 cup berry/caster sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted
50g dark chocolate, finely chopped
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

To top:
fresh raspberries
1 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
shaved chocolate

Preheat oven to 275f/140c. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a medium bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Whisk together the sugar and cornstarch. Add sugar mixture, a tablespoon at a time, and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold in cocoa, balsamic vinegar, and chopped chocolate.

Spoon mixture onto baking sheet and form into mini round(ish) pavlovas. With the back of a spoon, make a little well on top of each pavlova.

Bake for about 1 hour 10 minutes, or until it sounds hollow when lightly tapped. Turn oven off, open door a little, and allow to cool completely in oven. Should be crunchy on the outside and kind of like marshmallow inside. So good.

Top with a little whipped cream, raspberries and shaved chocolate. Enjoy!