To Try Tuesday - Browned Butter Snickerdoodles

With folders overflowing with recipes that I have either snipped from my magazines, or bookmarked on my computer, it was about time that I got back to my To Try Tuesdays.  Today's recipe is actually a recent one that appeared in my reader just over a week ago.  Three little words got my immediate attention - Browned Butter Snickerdoodles.

This recipes comes courtesy of The Spiced Life.  I love this blog because it is so eclectic.  Laura is always thinking outside the box so you never know what might be on the blog next - how fun is that!  One day you may see a Lentil & Potato Casserole with Pumpkin & Tomatoes topped with a Phyllo Crust, then you could see something like a Lime Basil Bundt Cake, a Chicken Noodle Soup with Mushrooms, Ginger, and Chinese 5 Spice, and so much more.

Browning the butter gives a lovely nutty flavor to the cookies, and I loved the spices. A few years ago I made Chai Snickerdoodles, which had similar flavorings, but did not call for browned butter.  Special note was made of the suggestions regarding these cookies - make sure you keep whisking the butter as it is browning, chill the dough for at least an hour, and do not crowd the cookie sheet.

These cookies are absolutely delicious.  As soon as they came out of the oven I had to try one - quality control you know.  Actually, that is so not the truth.  The reality is that they just smelled so inviting I couldn't stop myself.  There is nothing better than a cookie warm from the oven.

Browned Butter Snickerdoodles

(Printer Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter
• 1½ cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 large eggs
• 2¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon cardamom
• ¼ ground ginger
• pinch finely ground black pepper
• pinch cloves
• pinch allspice

For the cinnamon-sugar:

• ½ cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preparation

1. In a saucepan, preferably stainless steel so you can see the butter, melt the butter on medium heat.  Whisk constantly until the butter turns reddish-golden brown.  Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
2. In a large bowl whisk together the sugar, vanilla, eggs, and cooled butter.
3. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, and spices in a bowl. 
4. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix until combined.
5. Chill your dough for 1 hour (or as long as possible, preferably overnight) in the refrigerator.  
6. Preheat the oven to 350℉. 
7. Meanwhile mix ½ cup sugar and the 2 teaspoons cinnamon in a bowl. 
8. Once dough is chilled measure about 2 tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball. Roll balls in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place dough balls on cookie sheet, 2 inches apart.
9. Bake the cookies 11-13 minutes or until the edges of the cookies begin to turn golden brown. 
10. Cool the cookies on the sheet for at least 2 minutes. Remove the cooled cookies from the baking sheet after a few minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
11. Repeat with remaining dough.
12. Makes about 30 cookies.

Recipe by The Spiced Life, slight adaptations by ATLATC.

To Try Tuesday - Alfajores

A few days ago I was amazed to discover that I have a magic cupboard in my kitchen.  How cool is that?  All I have to do is put a can of condensed milk in there and when I get it back out a few days later, it has turned into dulce de leche.  This is so convenient since I haven't been able to buy a tin of it here. On the other hand it also shows how hot my kitchen has been, which is not so fun.

The condensed milk was to be used in a passion fruit cheesecake, so the fact that it was caramelized was not going to work in that recipe.  I quickly went out and got a new tin so I could make my cheesecake but then I was left with a can of dulce de leche.  After a quick search I found a couple of recipes for alfajores which are a soft shortbread-like cookie that has caramel sandwiched in the middle and powdered sugar sprinkled on top. They are very popular in Latin America and some areas of Spain.  I thought they would be very popular in my household too.

The first recipe that caught my attention during my search was at one of my favorite blogs, Brown Eyed Baker.  Michelle always has great recipes and amazing photos.  I did a little more research and kept seeing that some people like to add cornstarch to their alfajores, so I decided to base my recipe on the one I saw on Brown Eyed Baker, but replace a little of the flour with cornstarch.

These definitely get my seal of approval.  I would definitely describe them as moreish - the more you eat the more you want.  They are just the perfect couple of bites with a cup of coffee.  I am going to have to send them to school with my girls tomorrow or they are going to be calling out to me all day.

Alfajores
Printer Friendly Recipe

Ingredients

• 3½ cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting work surface
• ½ cup cornstarch
• ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1½ cups unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pieces
• ½ cup cold water
• dulce de leche, chilled
• powdered sugar, for dusting

Preparation

1. Sift together the flour and powdered sugar. 
2. In a food processor, pulse together the flour and sugar mixture with the cold butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. 
3. With the machine running, pour in the water in a slow stream, and process just until the dough comes together, about.
4. Form the dough into two flattened disks, wrap well in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
5. Preheat oven to 350℉ and line two baking sheets with a Silpat or parchment paper.
6. On a well-floured surface, roll out one disk of dough to just under a ¼-inch in thickness.
7. Using a 2-inch round cookie cutter, cut out rounds from the dough and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. 
8. Repeat with the other disk of dough. Gather up all the scraps and re-roll and cut.
9. Bake until lightly golden brown, about 20 minutes, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
10. Spread 2 teaspoons of dulce de leche on the bottom of half of the cookies. Top with the remaining cookies to make a sandwich, and dust with powdered sugar to finish. 
11. Finished cookies should be eaten the same day they are assembled. Unfilled cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for about days.
12. Makes approximately 20-25 filled cookies. 

Recipe adapted from Brown Eyed Baker.

To Try Tuesday - Roasted Banana Bread with Browned Butter and Toffee Topping

Sometimes I think I want to give up my blog.  I love the cooking part but I just get so frustrated with taking photos.  They just never seem to turn out the way that I would like them to.  I have these beautiful visions in my head but what I see is not what I get.  I really have no one to blame but myself.  I should learn the ins and outs of my camera, I should take a class in photography, I should read more books on food photography, I should buy some proper lighting.  Lots of "shoulds" but not enough time or finances to do so at the moment.  One day.

Anyway, back to the task at hand.  I had lots of bananas quickly ripening in the fruit basket and I wanted something new to try rather than my go-to recipe for banana bread.  I went through my trusty "To Try" list hoping to find something.  Sure enough there was a great-sounding recipe for Roasted Banana Nut Bread with Browned Butter & Toffee Topping on Karissa's site Baking For Her Soul.

The only changes I made were to omit the nuts and I did not lay the slices of banana on the sides like she did.  The roasting of the bananas brings out the sweetness and adds such a wonderful flavor to the bread.  The crunchy topping was also good, and I can imagine a few different directions to go in if you did want a different topping - a sprinkle of coconut, a cream cheese and passionfruit frosting, even something with peanut butter would be yummy.  And should the bread last long enough to be re-purposed I think it would make an awesome base for a bread pudding.

Roasted Banana Bread with Browned Butter and Toffee Topping

(Printer Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients

• 3 medium bananas
• ⅔ cup brown sugar, separated
• 4 tablespoons butter, separated
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ cup low-fat plain yogurt
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ⅓ cup toffee pieces for sprinkling on top, optional
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar for sprinkling on top, optional

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Grease and flour a 9×5 loaf pan.
3. Peel and slice the bananas into ½-inch pieces and toss them with 1/3 cup brown sugar and 1 tablespoon butter in a foil-lined baking dish.
4. Bake for 40 minutes, stirring once during baking, until the bananas are browned and cooked through.
5. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
6. Reduce oven heat to 350°F.
7. Whisk together flour, baking soda, and cinnamon in a medium bowl, and set aside. 
   
8. On medium heat, brown 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter, swirling the pan several times for about 5 minutes until the butter has started to brown.
9. Remove from heat and add 1/3 cup brown sugar and salt.
10. Add the bananas to the browned butter and mash into mixture, until just combined.
11. Add eggs, vanilla extract, oil, and the yogurt to the butter, sugar and bananas, mix until combined.
12. Add the wet mixture into the dry mixture, and mix to incorporate fully, but don’t mix past the point where it’s just combined.
13. Pour into prepared pan.
14. Sprinkle the toffee bits on top, and then sprinkled the entire top with sugar.
15. Bake at 350°F degrees on center rack for about 40-50 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean and top is browned.
16. Remove from oven and allow to cool in loaf pan for about 10-15 minutes before removing the loaf.
17. Place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe adapted from Baking For Her Soul.

To Try Tuesday - Blueberry Zucchini Bread

Here it is To Try Tuesday and I feel a little behind the eight ball.  I had actually made a few things in advance knowing that I was heading to the Big Island to see my husband compete in a Half-Ironman triathlon, but I seem to have been playing catch up ever since and my blog has suffered which has made me a little sad.



The good news is that my husbands hard work paid off and he was first in his age group (and 12th overall!) and earned a spot to the Ford Ironman World Championships in Kailua-Kona this October.  The girls and I were really glad to be there to cheer him on to his win and take lots (I mean lots) of photos. I always love spending time on the Big Island, and this course is just beautiful, but it is even sweeter with his victory.

OK, back to your regularly scheduled post.  I was recently searching for a recipe for a blueberry quick bread when I came across this recipe by Jamie at My Baking Addiction.   Once you visit her blog you will have a baking addiction too.  Her recipes are amazing, her photos are stunning, and she has very cool giveaways.  A few of her recent posts include Key Lime Pie Ice Cream, Cherry Crisp in Jars, and Heath Bar Cupcakes.  Let me just say that 13,379 (and counting) people on her Facebook page can't be wrong.  If you haven't guessed already I do have a blogging crush on her blog. Where is that little embarrassed smiley when you need it?

Anyway, this quick bread was a big hit with my husband's Saturday training group.  They loved the fact that it had blueberries and zucchini, and a bit of whole wheat flour in it, so it didn't totally negate all of the hard work they had put in training before consuming it. I did sneak a piece the night before and I totally agree that this is a very tasty bread.  It will definitely be a repeater in my household.

Blueberry Zucchini Bread

(Printer Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients

• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ cup white sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 cup shredded zucchini
• ¾ cup all purpose flour
• ¾ cup whole wheat flour
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
• 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 cup fresh blueberries 
• 2 tablespoons of coarse sugar

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Lightly grease an 8.5 x 4.5 loaf pan.
3. In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugars.
4. Fold in the zucchini.
5. Beat in the flours, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon.
6. Gently fold in the blueberries.
7. Transfer to the prepared loaf pan. 
8. Sprinkle with the coarse sugar.
9. Bake 55-65 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted in the center of a loaf comes out clean.
10. Cool 20 minutes in pan, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.

Recipe by Jamie at My Baking Addiction. 

To Try Tuesday - Hot Cross Bun Muffins

I am a little late again with getting my Tuesday recipe up online but I have a good excuse.  I am currently in Australia and feeling a little jet-lagged. I tried my best to get a few posts prepped and ready to go before I left, but unfortunately I just ran out of time.  Thank goodness the baking was done, and the photos taken, so now all I have to do if match the two together in a post.

I really wanted to make some Hot Cross Buns but I saw this recipe and thought it would make a great alternative.  I decided to use raisins rather than currants, and I think that you could substitute any dried fruit that you preferred.  I also added some European mixed peel that I had purchased from King Arthur Flour.  Mixed peel (also known as candied peel) is made by steeping the chopped peel of oranges, lemons, and citron in a sugar solution for a few weeks and then draining off any remaining water.

This recipe came from an Australian magazine, therefore it is in metric.  I would usually convert the measurements before putting it up on my bog, but I just did not have the time to do so this time.  Hopefully everyone has a scale and can flip the switch over to metric measurements.

Somehow I managed to over-mix mine just a little bit.  I guess I forgot the cardinal rule when making muffins - mix only until a few streaks of flour are left.  I should have paid more attention to the fact that I needed to add the fruit as well, which resulted in even more mixing.  That being said, the muffins still had a wonderful flavor that really did remind me of the spiciness of a hot cross bun.

Hot Cross Bun Muffins

(Printer Friendly Recipe)
 
Ingredients

• 100g dried cranberries
• 150g currants (I used raisins)
• 60g mixed peel (from King Arthur Flour)
• 375g self-rising flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg 
• 165ml vegetable oil
• 250ml buttermilk
• 2 eggs
• 200g sugar, plus extra 2 tablespoons
• 80g powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Preparation 

1. Preheat oven to 390°F.
2. Line a 12-hole muffin pan with paper liners.
3. Soak dried fruit in just enough boiling water to cover for 10 minutes.
4. Drain well, then pat dry with paper towel.
5. Sift the flour, baking soda, and spices into a large bowl.
6. In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, and sugar until combined.
7. Add to the dry ingredients and stir to combine. 
8. Gently stir in the fruit.
9. Divide the mixture among muffin liners, then bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly browned and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
10. Cool completely on a wire rack. 
11. Meanwhile, place the extra 2 tbs sugar in a pan with 2 tbs water and simmer over low heat, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Brush the glaze over the muffins. 
12. Sift powdered sugar into a bowl. Add lemon juice and just enough hot water to make a thick, pipable icing. Use a piping bag or drizzle from a spoon to draw a cross on each muffin, then serve.
    
13. Makes 12.

Source delicious magazine (April 2010 - recipe by Kylie Walker)

To Try Tuesday - Jam Filled Buttermilk Donut Muffins

Checking through my extensive list of recipes I would like to try one day I wondered which would be the lucky one today?  I was in the mood for muffins and I found something that I thought sounded really good - cinnamon coated donut muffins.

I remember when I saved this recipe it seemed like everyone was making them.  I guess I am a little behind the trend, which quite honestly is nothing new.  I have to face the fact that I am not a trendy person, and for the most part I am OK with that.  I realized that I actually saved two recipes - one from Food Gal, and another from King Arthur Flour.  I honestly can't remember why these recipes stood out more than the abundance of others around at that time. It is hard to figure out who came up with the original idea because there were so many recipes and adaptations floating around.

In my refrigerator sat a lonely carton of buttermilk so I decided that I would make buttermilk donut muffins.  Then I spotted some Fruits of the Forrest jam that I had brought back from Australia, and I decided that I should fill the muffins too.

It was tough to decide which recipe to go with but I chose the King Arthur one, replacing the milk with buttermilk and sandwiching the jam between two layers of batter. The nutmeg in the batter really gives it that donut-like smell. This is quite a thick batter so I found it easier to spread the top layer of batter with my finger to smooth it out and cover all of the jam




I had mixed emotions about the end result.  Some of the jam over-flowed so I think that next time I will just fill them after they have been covered in the cinnamon sugar. Also, I used cupcake liners and I think that the muffins would be better without them.  Even though I greased them they were still hard to remove, and presentation-wise I didn't like the groove marks they created. As Randy Jackson might say, they were just OK for me.  In hindsight I probably should have gone with the other recipe as it was by Beth Hensberger.

Jam Filled Buttermilk Donut Muffins

(Printer Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients

• ¼ cup butter
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ⅓ cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoons ground nutmeg
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup buttermilk 
• ½ cup jam
• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• 3 tablespoons cinnamon sugar

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a standard muffin tin, or line with 12 paper or silicone muffin cups, and grease the cups with non-stick vegetable oil spray.
2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, cream together the butter, vegetable oil, and sugars till smooth. 
3. Add the eggs, beating to combine. 
4. Stir in the baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, salt, and vanilla. 
5. Stir the flour into the butter mixture alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour and making sure everything is thoroughly combined. 
6. Spoon the batter about ½ way into the prepared pan, add about 1 teaspoon jam, and then fill muffin cups almost full with the remaining batter.
7. Bake the muffins for 15 to 17 minutes, or until they're a pale golden brown.
8. Remove them from the oven, and let them cool for a couple of minutes.
9. While they're cooling, melt the butter for the topping.
10. Brush the top of each muffin with the butter, then sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar. Or simply dip the tops of muffins into the melted butter, then roll in the cinnamon-sugar.
11. Serve warm, or cool on a rack and wrap airtight. Store for a day or so at room temperature.

Yield: 16 muffins. 
Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour.