My Baking Addiction
Today's recipe is from Jamie at My Baking Addiction. This is the first of her recipes I've tried, and these are the first scones I've made. I picked a great first recipe...with a luscious mocha glaze too.
Here's what you'll need (for the scones):
Flour, Sugar, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Kosher Salt, Butter, Chocolate Chips, Sour Cream, Coffee, & Egg
Here's what you'll need (for the glaze):
Powdered Sugar, Coffee, & Unsweetened Chocolate
Whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
Grate frozen butter into the flour mixture and mix together with your hands. I chose to grate the butter onto wax paper, then add to the flour mixture. The small chunks of butter you see here I chose to cut rather than grate, because I love my knuckles.
Stir in chocolate chips.
In another bowl, whisk together the sour cream, egg, and coffee until smooth.
Stir the sour cream mixture into the flour mixture.
Using your hands, mix together in bowl until dough forms into a ball. Do not over-mix.
Turn dough out onto floured surface and shape (using your hands) into circle or square approximately 3/4 inch thick...may need to flour your hands slightly. Also, I did not incorporate all of the flour you see pictured here...it was just to keep my dough from sticking.
Cut dough into triangles (8)...or if dough is in a square, cut into smaller squares (10), being careful not to scratch your counter top.
Place cut scones onto baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
Bake until golden in color.
Melt chocolate in microwave, and prepare glaze by whisking together the melted chocolate, powdered sugar, and coffee until smooth.
Drizzle chocolate glaze over scones and let sit until glaze is set (or until you can't wait any longer)!
Easy to make with great texture and taste! I can't wait to try some of her other scone recipes...she has 8 in all! Thank you, Jamie!
*Next day: A few seconds in the microwave warms the scone and softens the chocolate as if it were straight out of the oven.
My only changes to her recipe:
1) used milk chocolate chips instead of semi sweet chips
2) made glaze a little thicker by adding a small amount of additional powdered sugar
RECIPE: Mocha Scones
The flip side...
This french toast recipe includes its own buttery caramel sauce, and the dish reminds me a little of bread pudding. Serve it for breakfast, lunch, brunch, dinner, dessert, or as a midnight snack! I prepared it with Challah bread, also known as egg bread, but you can make it with french bread, too.
Here's what you'll need:
Challah Bread, Eggs, Whipping Cream (or half-n-half), Butter, Salt, Brown Sugar, Corn Syrup (or honey or maple syrup), Orange Juice (or Grand Marnier), Vanilla Extract, and Pecans (optional)
Start by adding butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup (or honey or maple syrup) to saucepan. Stir and cook over medium heat for a couple of minutes until sugar is dissolved. Do NOT overcook...turns to hard caramel.
As soon as sugar is dissolved, remove pan from heat, and pour mixture into bottom of 9x13 pan.
Tear Challah bread into small pieces and place evenly in pan over sugar/butter layer.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, 1 1/2 cups whipping cream, vanilla extract, orange juice (or Grand Marnier), and salt until thoroughly combined.
Pour egg mixture evenly over bread pieces in pan. Using a spoon, lightly press bread pieces down into egg mixture. Top with more whipping cream (up to 1/2 cup) if needed to coat bread...but not too wet.
Sprinkle with pecan pieces, if using.
Cover pan and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, and up to 24 hours.
When ready to bake, remove pan from fridge, and let sit at room temperature while oven is preheating.
Bake, uncovered, then cut into square portions.
Optional: top with light dusting of powdered sugar.
Optional: Flip each serving over onto plate so that caramel sauce is on top.(not pictured)
Goes well when paired with fresh fruit or fruit juice.
Enjoy!
Crème Brulee French Toast
www.whispersofthyme.blogspot.com
(yields 9x13 pan)
Ingredients:
1 loaf Challah Bread (or french bread...may need more than 1 loaf)
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 stick unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons corn syrup (or maple syrup or honey)
5 eggs
2 cups whipping cream (or half-n-half), divided (1 1/2 and 1/2 cups)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon orange juice (or Grand Marnier)
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pecans, chopped (optional)
Directions:
Add butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup (or honey or maple syrup) to medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. Stir and cook over medium heat for a couple of minutes until sugar is dissolved. Do NOT overcook...turns to hard caramel. As soon as sugar is dissolved, remove pan from heat, and pour mixture into bottom of 9x13 pan.
Tear Challah bread into small pieces and place evenly in pan over sugar mixture.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, whipping cream, vanilla extract, orange juice (or Grand Marnier), and salt until thoroughly combined.
Pour egg mixture evenly over bread pieces in pan. Lightly press bread pieces down into egg mixture. Top with remaining 1/2 cup cream, if needed. Sprinkle with pecan pieces, if using.
Cover pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or up to 1 day.
When ready to bake, remove pan from fridge, and let sit at room temperature while oven is preheating. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F. for 35 to 40 minutes.
Cut square portions and serve. Refrigerate remaining french toast and reheat individual portions.
Options:
1) add 1 teaspoon cinnamon to egg mixture,
2) add 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg to egg mixture,
3) add single layer of cooked apples to bottom of pan over the layer of caramel sauce, but before adding bread cubes,
4) sprinkle individual serving portions with light dusting of powdered sugar
5) flip each serving portion over onto serving plate so that caramel sauce is on top
Valley Ridge Recipes
...is your mouth watering yet?
This recipe is from Valley Ridge Recipes, and if you like cinnamon rolls...these are quick and tasty.
Or see my recipe for my latest cinnamon rolls here.
Here's what you'll need (for the rolls):
All-purpose Flour, Yeast, Sugar, Salt, Water, Eggs, Oil, and Cinnamon and (Butter, not shown). You may add Nuts and/or Raisins.
Here's what you'll need (for the Icing):
Powdered Sugar, Vanilla Extract, Butter, Salt, and Milk (or cream).
I also used a small amount of Butter Flavor Crisco (for the icing).
Let's start making rolls... Add sugar to a mixing bowl, preferably one with a dough hook.
Add yeast.
Add oil.
Add warm water (between 110 and 115 degrees F.)
Stir mixture well.
Let sit for 15 minutes. Should be puffy...if not, then yeast is dead (or your water was too cold or too warm).
Once 15 minutes is up, add salt.
Add eggs.
Add flour.
Mix together for 10 minutes, then let sit for 10 minutes.
Oil counter-top and dump out dough.
Divide dough in half. (I skipped this step, because I only made half of the recipe to start with).
Press mixture into rectangle (use your hands).
Spread dough with melted butter, then with cinnamon-sugar mixture.
Cover sugar mixture with nuts and/or raisins, if using.
Starting with the long side, roll up dough. (not pictured)
Divide into 12 rolls and place on greased cookie sheet.
Repeat with other half of dough, if you made the full recipe.
I was unable to roll dough as tight as I'd like, because I placed too much oil on the counter top, so my dough was slippery. Fortunately, this did not affect taste or texture!
Let dough rise for approximately 20 minutes.
Bake for 12-15 minutes. (Mine baked for 18 minutes)
Yeasty, cinnamony, sugary, nutty, buttery bliss...and we haven't yet frosted the darlings.
To make the Icing/Frosting...
Mix together butter, vanilla extract, salt, and powdered sugar.
I also added butter-flavor Crisco. Add in small amount of milk to reach desired consistency.
(this step not pictured)
Frost the rolls once they have cooled a bit.
Better than the cinnamon rolls at the mall!
I halved the recipe and still came out with 15 BIG rolls.
Here is an approximate breakdown of my time from start to finish:
20 minutes total to mix and let yeast mixture rise.
23 minutes total to mix and let flour/yeast mixture rest.
6 minutes total to oil counter, shape dough, top with butter & nuts.
3 minutes total to cut dough into rolls and place on cookie sheet.
20 minutes to let rolls rise on cookie sheet.
18 minutes to bake.
5 minutes to prepare frosting.
1 minute to frost rolls.
96 minutes, or 1 hour and 36 minutes.
*My changes and tips:
Halved her recipe for rolls.
Halved her recipe for Icing, THEN reduced powdered sugar in frosting to 3/2 cups total.
Added pecans to rolls.
Added 2 tablespoons butter-flavor Crisco to Icing.
Divided dough into rolls by using strand of thread [or dental floss (un-waxed).]
See this Video on how to cut rolls.
Optional: microwave rolls for approximately 20 seconds before serving
RECIPE: Cinnamon Rolls (Valley Ridge Recipes)
See the comments under her recipe. On May 5, 2012, you will see the measurements for 1/2 of the recipe.
