Blondies

It seems like every weekend involves a baking adventure for me.  Even last weekend did, although I didn't post about it.  I'm not even going to count the brownies I made last weekend because I didn't get a picture of them (that and messed up baking them...) If I want to cross it off my baking bucket list then I have to take a picture of it.  Simple enough but I failed with the brownies.

This weekend I was pondering if I wanted to make if anything (after all it's my birthday week this week which I know will involve some sweets plus I'm just not going to be home for dinner any night except tonight)  I debating going for brownies again so I could get the picture... but I just wasn't feeling great about that... I also debated making salted caramel (which I'm going to be adding to my list) so I could do some other recipes with it - but that stuff only stays good like 2 weeks and this wasn't the best two weeks for that... finally I decided that blondies seemed like a decent idea and I had all the ingredients in the house already so it was easy peasy.

I googled easy blondie recipes and decided to try this one, after all it says it's no fail :)

Now I have a problem... Sometimes I under cook things... actually this is one of those things Dan asks me jokingly about - is cooked all the way?  I made this same mistake with my brownies that blog world knows nothing about.  I didn't get these cooked all the way the first try.  I even did the toothpick test (on the brownies too) and toothpick clean... come to find out I've been using waxed toothpicks so DUH nothing would stick to them anyway.  I thought it was done and then Dan comes over and pretty much sticks his finger into the center to reveal that no, in fact it isn't done.  So yes, I may have mutilated the blondies in the pan a bit (notice no pictures of the pan) - but I did get them nice and cooked.

They are pretty tasty - I used some leftover peanut butter and chocolate chips from the brownies-that-do-not-exist.  The edges got pretty done too - but I like done edges so I'll take that as a win.

B/c one piece is never enough!

Yumm-O

Here's the recipe - from InspiredTaste.net - any comments in red.

 

No-Fail Blondies Recipe

 

Blondies are one of the most simplest, tastiest baked goods you can make. These blondies are perfectly dense with a paper-thin crinkly top and taste like deep, rich buttery caramel.

What You Need to Know: It’s best to use dark brown sugar for these. Light brown sugar will work fine, but the flavor will not be as rich. Feel free to customize this recipe to your liking — add chocolate, nuts, dried fruit or whatever else you adore. We’ve shared suggested amounts in the recipe below. - I only had light brown sugar - so I used that

 

Yield: 16 bars

 

You Will Need

• 1/2 cup (115 g) unsalted butter, melted (1 stick)
• 1 cup (230 g) lightly packed dark brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract, optional - did not use
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup (140 g) all-purpose flour (we use unbleached Gold Medal all-purpose flour)

Optional Extras (Add one or a combination to customize)

• 1/2 to 1 cup chocolate chips (white, milk, semi-sweet, dark, etc.) - As I said above this is what I added, but I did not measure how much I put in - I just dumped the rest of the bag - it was probably half a bag left
• 1/2 to 1 cup chopped and toasted nuts
• 1/2 to 1 cup chopped dried fruit or shredded/flaked coconut
• 1/4 cup liquor (bourbon, whisky, rum, etc.) Note: Increase flour by 1 tablespoon to accommodate
• 1/2 teaspoon favorings or extracts (coconut, mint, rum, raspberry, etc.)
• 2 tablespoons instant espresso powder

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F (177C). Butter or line an 8-inch by 8-inch (20 x 20 cm) baking pan with parchment paper.  Note to self - buy parchment paper...
2. In a medium bowl, stir melted butter and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in egg, vanilla, almond extract (optional) and the salt.  It's a one bowl recipe - love it!
3. Add flour and stir until incorporated then mix in any extras such as chocolate chips, nuts or dried fruit (amounts above).
4. Pour batter into baking dish and bake 20 to 25 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out relatively clean. Cool then cut into 16 squares.  Mine cooked for closer to 30-32 minutes

Read more: http://www.inspiredtaste.net/23801/no-fail-blondies-recipe/#ixzz2wulHJDQt

Homemade Ice Cream

I've had an ice cream maker for quite awhile.  My brother gave it as a Christmas gift few years ago and I had never used it.  I kept thinking that will be a someday item to made (and the fact it sat in my storage unit for almost two years certainly didn't help anything)

Then I decided to make my baking bucket list and decided to add it so I would actually try to make it.  After completing this recipe I realize just how silly it was having this on the list at all.  I mean - making homemade ice cream with an ice cream maker is so stupidly easy there's no real reason to buy ice cream from the store (although drumsticks, you should still buy those)

I decided just to make vanilla my first try as it's easy and I could see how the whole process works.  They kept saying add in extra ingredients with 5 minutes left in the churning process (my words) and I'm like well how the heck am I supposed to know when there is 5 minutes left.  I really just wanted something easy to see how it all goes.

I used the recipe in the instruction guide that came with my ice cream maker - might as well right? Since I knew that size recipe would work for my maker.

In the end it was delicious!  So light and on the softer side (I guess I could have left it in there longer, but honestly I like softer ice cream).  I can't wait to try out new combinations!  (Spoiler alert - I already made another batch with some brownie pieces from the brownies I made this weekend (I still need to hopefully get pics of the brownies otherwise I didn't really make them haha)

Strawberry and Chocolate Syrup!

So yummy and delicious

Here's the recipe I used, which came from my Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker (I don't have the extra bowl) in the instruction guide

Vanilla Ice Cream

Preparation 5 minutes plus 20-25 minutes chilling time; optional 2 hours to ripen.
Makes then 1/2 cup servings

1 cup whole milk, well chilled I used 2% b/c that's what I had on hand
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 cups heavy cream, well chilled This is the same as whipping cream, maybe I'm the only loser who stood in the milk aisle for awhile before I realized it's probably the same thing
1-2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, to taste I went with the maximum b/c I like flavor!

In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer or a whisk to combine the milk and granulated sugar until the sugar is dissolved, about 1-2 minutes on low speed.  Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla to taste.  Turn machine on, pour mixture into freezer bowl through ingredient spout and let mix until thickened, about 25-30 minutes.

Blueberry Crumb Cake

I still had two left over containers of blueberries after the muffins so I was looking for something else to make with blueberries.

I was laying in bed day dreaming about what I could make.  And then I had a brilliant idea - I'd make mini blueberry pies.  A couple of weeks ago (did I totally forget to write about this I can't remember) I went thrift store shopping with my mom and aunt.  I ended up picking up these adorable little dishes from Crate and Barrel.  There are like mini pie or souffle dishes? (Like the small on here but in red) So in my head I'm like yeah! They will be so adorable and I'll do a cool latice top on them and they are going to be so pretty and I can't wait.

At that point I thought I'd just use store bought pie crust... but then I started to get ambitious!  I googled around and looked at pie crust recipes and then had the brilliant idea that I could make the pie crust with the assistance of my KitchenAid mixer.  So I went to the store and picked up all the ingredients I needed to make the pie crust.

As soon as I got home and did the dishes I decided to try it out - I was excited!  But, things just didn't go as planned... the pie crust didn't come together like they said it out online or in the videos I watched.  I waited for my butter pieces to become pea-sized and that never happened!  My mom suspects that I didn't use cold enough butter - which very well might be the case.  I'm pretty sure I mixed it too long too... then I added too much water (when the dough came together it was really slimey and sticky) so I added more flour... ugh... just a mess.

I ended up getting it to what I felt like was ok, and I cut up the pieces and put them in the fridge to firm up... but after that I pretty much decided that was a waste of time.  I ended up pitching the dough and not even trying to make a pie because I was over it and just not feeling the greatest about it. 

I plan on trying to make pie crust again (dang it I'm going to get it right!) but might want to do it by hand with my pastry cutter or get a food processor or something... idk - stay tuned on that one...

But I still had all those blueberries and not really sure what the heck I should make...  So I googled around here and there... then I decided to google blueberry cake to see what would come up.  That's when blueberry crumb cake showed up in my search.  I had be wanting to make a crumb cake... hmm... so I jumped on board.

I looked at a few recipes but decided to go with this one from the Pioneer Woman.  The fact that I had looked at a few different recipes I got them mixed up in my mind and after I had already started this recipe I realized it made a full 9x13 pan.  Had I known that I probably would have cut the recipe in half... but atlast it was already mixed up so a 9x13 pan it is. 

I added the crystaly multicolored sugar to the top (although not as much as the recipe suggested)

Here's a piece all warm and delicious.  She recommends eating it with some butter... which I did try... I don't recommend you trying them, b/c as soon as you do you'll want to eat another piece... with butter... so good!

It was delicious.  I made this on Saturday night and by Tuesday it was gone (Dan and I both ate a fair amount but we also had a friend over that took a piece)

Here's the recipe  from Pioneer Woman with my notes in red.

Ingredients

• 1/2 stick Butter
• 1 Tablespoon (additional) Butter
• 3/4 cups Sugar
• 1 whole Egg
• 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 2 cups All-purpose Flour
• 2-1/4 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 3/4 cups Whole Milk I didn't have whole milk, I didn't even have any kind of milk, so I just used water and still turned out delicious
• 2 cups Fresh Blueberries
• _____
• FOR THE TOPPING:
• 3/4 sticks Butter
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1/2 cup Flour
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine flour, baking powder, and a salt. Stir and set aside.  I know I should mix these things separate together and then combine to the wet ingredients, but I just don't do that messes up another bowl I have to wash by hand.
Cream 1/2 stick plus 1 tablespoon butter with cinnamon and sugar. Add egg and mix until combined. Add vanilla and mix. Add flour mixture and milk alternately until totally incorporated. Do not overbeat. Stir in blueberries until evenly distributed.
Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Pour in batter.
In a separate bowl, combine topping ingredients and cut together using two knives or a pastry cutter. Sprinkle over the top of the cake.
Bake cake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown. Sprinkle with sugar. Cut into squares and serve with softened butter.

Gooey Butter Cake

I meant to go in order of what I made when... but I got the first two out of whack.  I actually made this BEFORE the blueberry muffins - I know quite the mistake on my part... haha.  So forgive me and pretend like it's in perfect order.

A couple of weekends ago we decided to have an impromptu BBQ and it seems like a good time to whip up a new recipe... that and we were visiting some friends for the Daytona 500 the next day and the left overs could easily go to their place so Dan and I wouldn't be eating a whole gooey butter cake to ourselves...

I decided to make the gooey butter cake since it seemed fairly easy and I had to make a decision real fast (we were already at the store)  I only needed to pick up a couple of ingredients (butter, powdered sugar and yellow cake mix)  It seemed like a good choice.

While I only really had one piece - I'd say it was pretty darn delicious.  I mean how could it not be with all that sugar and other delicious things.

I've eaten a lot of gooey butter cakes in my day, but this was the first time I've made my own - I had no idea that you make a crust and filling separate or that it had quite that much powdered sugar in it...

I remembered to get a picture before it was all eaten up

Close up

Since I waited so long to write this dang post I almost forgot what recipe I used, but I believe it was this one from allrecipes.com.  No comments on this one - followed the recipe exactly, although after talking to my mom afterwards could probably cut down on the powdered sugar a bit - 4 cups! That's a lot!

Ingredients:

1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix 1/2 cup butter, melted 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 4 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions:

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.	Mix cake mix, melted butter or margarine, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 2 eggs with a spoon. Pat into a 9 X 13 inch pan.
3.	Mix cream cheese, 2 eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla with an electric mixer. Slowly beat in confectioner's sugar. Pour over cake layer.
4.	Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Cool.

Fresh Blueberry Muffins

A couple of weeks ago I was at the store doing my normal grocery shopping and I noticed that blueberries were on sale 3 containers for $5.  It seemed like a good deal to me so I picked up three packages thinking I could make some good recipes with them.

I especially wanted to make blueberry muffins with fresh blueberries - it was even on my baking bucket list.  So that's exactly what I did!

So pretty!

I googled for a recipe that used fresh blueberries and decided on this one from allrecipes.com. 

It was super easy to whip them up and now that I have my pastry cutter thing it made making the crunchy topping.  I also used bigger sugar (there's probably a real term for that) instead of regular white sugar for the topping.  I thought this would give it a bit of a crunch and plus they are a bit multi-colored.

This recipe made me 11 fairly large muffins.  I also couldn't fit all the topping onto the muffins so some of that got thrown away.  I tried to use my nifty muffin/cupcake scoops I got for Christmas but the batter was pretty thick, so it didn't work the greatest, although probably easier than other methods.

Yum!

Overall they were delicious!  I would make them again for sure.  I loved that it was fresh blueberries... the whole point in making them :)  They were gone in too short of a time, especially considering it was only two of us eating them.  The topping really made these for me!

Here's the recipe with my comments in red.  Again, the recipe is from allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 cup white sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/3 cup vegetable oil 1 egg

1/3 cup milk 1 cup fresh blueberries 1/2 cup white sugar - used crystal-y sugar 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 cup butter, cubed 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions:

1.	Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.
2.	Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture. I think I added slightly more milk b/c my mixture was very thick
3.	To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.
4.	Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.

 

My Baking Bucket List

Last week I had an ephiany... what's that you may ask?  Well, there are a ton of things I want to bake.  There are so many recipes I've saved for later or pinned to my Pinterest board (which I don't ever even look at anymore).  There are things I've always thought someday I'll try to make that.

I've really started to bake more recently.  I've made a ton of cookies... but I want to expand I want to try new things.

Last year I watched the American Baking Competition and just opened my eyes to all sorts of things you can bake, and I'm ready to branch out and try new things instead of always making the same few recipes.

That's why I decided to create a baking bucket list.  I'll probably add to it over time, but here's a place to store all those recipes or things I want to try.  I googled baking bucket lists and it isn't a new concept, but that means I get to look at other people's lists to add things to mine!  I used this one a bunch.

So without further adue here's my list:

1. Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls
2. A 12 Layer Cake (like this)
3. Salted Caramel Apple Pie (all from scratch)
4. Calypso Pie (yes, I've made it before, but never for the blog)
5. Croissants
6. Doughnuts
7. Sourdough Bread
8. Yeasted Coffee Cake
9. Shortbread
10. Peanut Butter and Jelly squares
11. Blondies - DONE
12. Brownies
13. Baked Alaska
14. Souffle
15. Cream Puffs
16. Turnovers
17. Pineapple Upside Down Cake
18. Crumb Cake - DONE
19. Coffee Cake
20. Chocolate Cream Pie
21. Lemon Poppy seed Bread
22. Homemade Ice Cream - DONE
23. Quiche
24. Fudge
25. Strawberry shortcake
26. Tart
27. Tartlets
28. White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
29. Chiffon Cake
30. Soft pretzels
31. Fresh blueberry muffins - DONE
32. Sponge Roll (added for mom)
33. Gooey Butter Cake - DONE
34. French Silk Pie
35. Chocolate Chip Lava Cookies
36. Salted Caramel Sauce (here)

So there's 31 - I want to add some kind of cupcakes on there and I'm sure there are cookies and cakes I'm missing...

I know I'm missing some and Mom or anyone else - suggestions for my list?!?