You’ll get a thin but chewy cookie with a deep brown butter flavour that will go so well with anything and everything in your pantry.
]]>It's important to note that the base recipe for this cake is from Nigella Lawson. I tweaked it by adding spices and a bit more leavening agent. Time to make a cake!
For the cake:
4 whole clementines
1 1/4 cup Almond Flour
6 Eggs
1/2 cup White Sugar
2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Cardamom
1/2 tsp Ground Ginger
1/2 tsp Salt
For the Curd:
1 cup Clementine juice
Zest of 1 Clementine
2 tbsp Lemon juice
4 Egg Yolks
1/2 cup White Sugar
3 tbsp Cornstarch
2 tbsp Butter
1/2 tsp Salt
For the Candied Clementine Slices:
3 Clementines (sliced 1/4 cm thin)
1 cup White Sugar
1/2 cup Water
1 tbsp Cardamom
Tools:
9 inch spring form pan, double broiler, baking sheet, food processor or blender.
Make the Curd
Make the Cake
Make the candied Clementine
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Sponge:
1 cup Milk (substitutes are great but no skim plz!)
1 tbsp Vinegar
1 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup White Sugar
2 Eggs
3/4 cup Veg Oil
1 cup AP Flour
3/4 cup Cocoa Powder
1 tbsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
1/2 cup Coffee (hot)
Chocolate Ganache
250 g Semi-sweet Baking
250 g Heavy Cream
Chocolate Glaze
2 1/2 tbsp Water
4 tsp Gelatine Powder
2/3 cup Heavy Cream
2/3 cup Water
1 cup Cocoa Powder
1 cup + 2 tbsp Sugar
*The cake can be made 1 day in advanced before assembly.
Make the ganache:
Make the glaze:
This pie is absolutely delicious! With a brown sugar and graham cracker crumb crust, filled with a luscious vanilla custard filling and topped with a generous amount of toasted meringue. I need not say more. This pie is worth bringing to the 21st century!
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup Graham Crackers Crumb
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
1/3 cup Butter (melted)
2 tbsp Butter (cold)
1 tsp Cinnamon
5 Egg Yolks
2 cups Full Fat Milk (Coconut Cream works great too)
6 tbsp Cornstarch
1/4 + 1/4 cup White Sugar
5 Egg Whites
1/2 tsp Cream of Tartar
In this recipe, I incorporate my loose leaf cream earl grey tea into the dough and filling of my sticky buns. The best part, you can use your own variation of tea. The best tea to use are black teas. What are you waiting for? Start steeping.
Ingredients:
2 cups All Purpose Flour
1/2 cup Milk (plant based or regular)
3 + 2 tbsp Loose Leaf Tea
1/4 cup + 1/2 cup White Sugar
2 Eggs
2 1/2 tsp Active Dry Yeast
1/3 + 1/2 cup Butter (soft and spreadable)
1 tsp Salt
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1 tbsp Vanilla Extract
How to:
I want to share this recipe with you so you can feel this beautiful coziness that I feel in my heart right now! This recipe is very easy to make - easy enough for a 14 year old me to make on my own! I hope you enjoy.
3/4 cup AP Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
2/3 cup Pumpkin Puree
2 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/2 tsp Cloves
3 Eggs
3/4 cup Sugar
1 tsp + 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 cup Powder Sugar
1 cup (1 block) of Cream Cheese (softened)
6 tbsp Butter (softened)
1 tsp Lemon Extract
Tools: A 13x9 Baking Sheet, Parchment Paper, Clean Kitchen Towel, Electric Mixer, Mixing Bowls and Spatula
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Using your electric mixer, cream the eggs and sugar until well combined. Add 1 tsp of vanilla extract and pumpkin puree. Mix well.
3. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder and spices. Mix until combined. Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly with a spatula. Bake for 12-13 minutes. Test doneness by inserting a toothpick or a small knife in the middle of the cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is done!
4. Immediately cover the cake with clean kitchen towel and carefully invert. The towel should be on the underside of the cake now. Remove the baking sheet and the parchment paper on the cake. Flip the parchment paper sheet so now the clean side should be against the cake. Carefully, roll (with the towel and parchment paper) into a tight log from the shorter end. Let the roll cool slightly before unrolling. This should take about 20 minutes.
5. While the roll is cooling, make the filling. Using your electric mixer, cream the cream cheese and butter together until no lumps remain. Add power sugar and lemon extract. Mix until well combined.
6. Once the roll has cooled slightly, carefully unroll and spread the filling on the roll evenly. Re-roll tightly, wrap the roll in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 2 hours before slicing
7. To serve, trim the the ends of the Pumpkin roll, sprinkle with powder sugar and cinnamon and slice into 2 inch thick rolls. Enjoy!
]]>Since we can't enjoy a lot of the usual outdoor events this summer, making these pretzels at home will hopefully bring your tastebuds back to the good ole' times! This recipe is very easy to follow and will make either sweet or savoury pretzels!
For the Dough:
2 1/2 tsp Yeast
1 cup Milk
2+3 tbsp melted Butter
3 tbsp Brown Sugar
2 1/2 cups of AP Flour
1 tsp Salt
Topping of Choice (Cinnamon Sugar, Coarse Salt, or Sesame Seeds)
For the Water Bath:
4-5 cups of Water
1/4 cup Salt (Omit salt if making sweet pretzels)
1/4 cup Baking Soda
Make the Dough:
Water Bath:
Crostatas are mainly filled with jam but if you're not the jam type of person, may I suggest filling it with a layer of Nutella? I'll leave you with that thought and my recipe for a 9 inch Rhubarb Strawberry Crostata.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup AP Flour
1 stick + 2 tbsp Butter (melted)
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 cup Sugar
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 Egg Yolks
1/4 Jam
Tools:
9 inch Tart Plate with a removable bottom
1 Bowl
A small knife
A rolling pin
Parchment or Wax Paper
How to:
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There isn't a day where I am not thankful to be living in Canada. Though this country is not perfect, there are so many things that we enjoy daily in this country that some people unfortunately can still only dream of.
Speaking of dreamy Canadian things, let's talk about Butter tarts. Sweet gooey filling cradled by flaky butter crust, all I can say is "Thank you Canada!".
Whether you're a proud Canadian or a sweet admirer, you can make these dreamboats at home in 1 hour! Can you believe it? I made a slight tweak to this recipe by adding some vanilla and orange blossom extract for a beautiful layer of flavour and I also added 1 extra egg to get a more stable filling. Think of a butter tart and a flan having a baby together. This is Canada's gift to you world. Enjoy it!
Ingredients
For the filling:
3 tbsp Butter (melted and cooled)
1/2 cup Maple Syrup or Honey
2 tbsp Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
1/4 tsp Salt
1 tsp Vanilla
1/2 tsp Orange Blossom Extract
For the crust:
1 cup and tbsp AP Flour
1/2 cup or 1 stick of Butter (cold and cubed)
1 tsp Salt
1/4 cup Cold Water
Tools:
2 bowls
1 regular sized muffin tin
1 whisk
Your oven
How to:
1. Make the crust by combining flour and salt in a bowl. Cut in cold cubed butter. Toss the cubes until covered in flour and crumble them using your fingers. Working quickly to avoid melting the butter. You're aiming for a sandy texture with visible chunks of butter.
2. Add the cold water to the butter/flour mixture combine to form a loose dough. Turn out dough on a slightly floured surface and knead sparingly - about 3-4 turns. Wrap the dough with plastic wrap and chill for 20 minutes.
3. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Farenheit.
4. Make your filling by mixing all ingredients in a bowl. Whisk until well combined. Easy peasy! Set aside.
5. Take out dough from the fridge and flatten using a rolling pin. You want this crust to be thicker than a normal pie crust. Flatten to about 1/3 of an inch. Use a cookie cutter to cut out circles. Press the circles into a muffin tin. You'd want to have the dough covering the entire height of the muffin tin (up to the rim). The dough will slightly shrink in the oven so the higher the sides, the better!
6. Pour the filing into the crust about 3/4 full. Bake the tarts for 15-18 minutes. The filling should puff up in the oven but will sink back down as the tart cools. Let the tarts cool completely before taking out of the tin. Enjoy!
]]>I made these crackers to use them in my icebox cake recipe but I'm not gonna deny that I've nibbled on a bunch. They are so crunchy, with bold chocolate flavour. You'd want to just stash them in a jar to snack on their own.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 cup AP Flour
1 stick Butter (cut in cubes)
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 cup Icing Sugar
1/2 cup Cocoa Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Cardamom
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
4 tbsp Milk
2 tbsp Honey
How to:
But on the flip side, I am excited to be sharing with you my recipe for perfect patisserie quality eclairs and my very own orange blossom pastry cream! Here we go!
Ingredients:
1 cup of Milk
125g Butter
5g Salt
185 Bread Flour
6 Eggs
4 tbsp Icing Sugar
How to:
1. In a pot, heat butter with milk and salt in medium heat. Make sure the butter is fully melted before the mixture starts to simmer.
2. Once the mixture is simmering, immediately add the flour and mix vigorously until a dough forms. Once the dough has dried slightly and a film develops at the bottom of your pot - your dough is ready! Take off heat and transfer to a heat proof bowl (or your kitchen aid bowl).
3. Let the dough cool slightly by pressing against the side of the bowl. This takes about 5 minutes. Once cooled, use an electric mixer with a paddle attachment. Mix the dough semi slowly (Level 2 in a Kitchenaide mixer) while adding the eggs one by one. The mixture will first start to look like its curdled but don't worry! You just need to keep mixing. The eggs will incorporate well. You are looking for a soft batter - not watery. You'll know the batter is done if it forms a V shape when a spatula is dipped in it.
4. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Pipe the batter using a French Tip on a parchment paper lined paper cookie sheet. Try to pipe straight lines. Right before going to the oven, lightly sprinkle icing sugar on top of each eclair.
5. Put the eclairs in the oven and bake at 425 degrees for the first 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 18 minutes. The high temperature will cause the eggs to expand rapidly in the first 10 minutes and then the lower temperature will cause the eclairs to dry up inside and make room for the pastry cream.
6. Cook eclairs before filling.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup Whole Milk
4 Egg Yolks
1/3 cup Sugar
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 cup Cornstarch
1 tsp Orange Blossom Extract
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 tbsp Butter (softened)
How to:
1. Warm the milk and orange blossom and vanilla extract in a pot. Do not boil! We are looking for wisps of steam only. Once you see the steam floating, take milk off heat.
2. In a heatproof bowl, whisk your sugar, egg yolks, cornstarch and salt until well incorporated and creamy. Temper the egg yolk mixture with the milk by pouring one scoop of hot milk in the egg yolk mixture and whisking vigorously until combined. Add another scoop of milk and whisk. Pour the yolk/milk mixture back into the pot and continue whisking.
3. Bring the pot back to heat and continue whisking until the mixture thickens.
4. Once the mixture thickens, add the butter to finish off. Whisk until the butter has melted and well incorporated. Take off heat and transfer to a clean heatproof bowl. Cool before using.
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Dough Ingredients:
2 1/2 tsp Active Dry Yeast
1/2 cup Milk (no Skim Milk!)
1/4 cup Sugar or Honey
1 egg + 1 egg for egg wash
1/2 cup Butter (melted and cooled)
2 cups AP Flour
1 tsp Salt
Zest of 1 Orange
Filling Ingredients:
1 cup Brown Sugar
2 tsp Cinnamon (ground)
1 tsp Cardamom (ground)
1/3 Butter (soft and spreadable)
Icing Ingredients:
1 cup Icing Sugar
1/2 cup Cream Cheese (softened)
1 Vanilla pod or 1 tbsp Extract
1/2 tsp Orange blossom extract
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If you're ready, let me show you how to make magic on your stove top.
P.S. This goes great with biscuits or scones!
Ingredients:
1/4 cup Lemon Juice (fresh or concentrate)
4 Egg Yolks
1/2 cup of Sugar
1 tsp Salt
3 tbsp Butter (softened)
How to:
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Are you sold yet?
Ingredients:
3 1/2 cup AP Flour
2 sticks of cold Salted Butter (sliced into small chunks)
2 tbsp Granulated Sugar
2 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1 Cup Buttermilk
How to:
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Curious about baking CBD or THC? Me too! Join me in discovering how to infuse Cannabinoids to home baked goods. This is the first of many (hopefully) recipes that I'll be sharing with you.
Let's start with something simple - homemade marshmallows. Super easy to make and relatively simple infusion. I've been obsessed with Orange Blossom water lately and I really want to capture the essence of spring in these mallows. The CBD oil I used for this recipe has Limonene (major component in the oil in citrus peels) which I think fused beautifully with the orange blossom flavour.
Before you start any baking, it's important to understand that:
OK let's get this series started! We are using 3 ml of CBD oil (from a 30 ml bottle of 350 mg) for this recipe which will yield 16 squares of marshmallows with 2mg of CBD per square. This is considered a very small amount of CBD per square which is recommended when you are new at infusions and/or new with using CBD. You can always just eat more than 1 square if you prefer a larger dose.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup Granulate Sugar
4 tsp Gelatine
1/2 cup White Corn Syrup
1/4 + 1/2 Cup Water
1/2 tsp Orange Blossom Water
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp Salt
Powder Sugar for dusting
3 ml of CBD oil (use the dropper to measure)
Optional: Peach Gel Food Colouring
How to:
*You're going to need an electric mixer for this recipe.
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It takes about 3 hours and you only need Flour, Yeast, Water, Honey and a bit of Sugar and Salt. Crazy right? Let me teach you how to make your own bagels at home. Let's go!
1 cup and 3 tbsp of Warm Water
1 tsp Granulated sugar
2 tsp Active Dry Yeast
3 cups of AP Flour
1 tsp Salt
2 tbsp Honey or Maple Syrup + 1/3 cup for the bath
*Your topping of choice
1. Bloom the yeast by combining warm water, granulated sugar and dry yeast in a bowl. Stir and let it rest for 5 minutes or until frothy on top.
2. When the yeast is frothy, add the honey, flour, and salt and mix with your dough hook if you're using an electric mixer. If doing this manually, work the mixture with your hands until you form a dough.
3. Turn out our dough onto a clean surface and knead for 5 minutes (less if you used a mixer). Your dough is ready when it is smooth and springs back when you poke it. Transfer dough into an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap or kitchen towel. Place somewhere warm and let it rise for 1-2 hours or until doubled in size.
4. When dough has doubled, dived your dough into 10 portions. Lightly roll each portion into a 6 inch strand. Wrap the strand around your hand so that it connects and forms the bagel shape. Connect the ends to each other by rolling palm down on your surface until it blends into one and completes the bagel circle.
5. Place your bagels on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. You will need two. Cover with a kitchen towel and let it proof a second time for about 20-30 minutes.
6. As your bagels are rising, prep your water bath. Boil about 3 inches of water mixed with 1/3 cup of honey or maple syrup. Preheat your oven to 475 degrees Farenheit.
7. Once your bagels have proofed, you're ready to do a water bath! Drop 2-3 bagels into the pot of boiling honey water about 1 minute per side. Transfer back to the lined cookie sheet. Make sure they are not touching each other. Sprinkle toppings as you like.
8. Bake your bagels for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown in colour and springs back when poked.
9. Let the bagels completely cool before eating. Enjoy!!
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I love that it's something people have been making and eating for hundreds of years and it even comes with its own little song. I'm sharing this recipe with you today because I think we all need some feeling of familiarity these days. It's a very simple recipe, kicked up a notch with the addition of some orange blossom and cardamom in the dough.
Ingredients:
For the dough
3/4 cup of Whole Milk
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp Active Dry Yeast
3 1/2 cup AP Flour
1/3 cup Dark Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
5 tbsp softened Butter
1 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Orange Blossom water
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Cloves
1/2 tsp Cardamom
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1 cup Raisins
For the Cross:
1/2 cup AP Flour
8 tbsp Water
For the Glaze:
2 tbsp Orange or Apricot Jam
1tbsp water
How to:
1. Bloom your yeast by combining 1 tsp of sugar and warm milk in a bowl. Sprinkle the yeast right on top. Leave for 5-10 minutes until frothy. In the meantime, soak raisins in warm water to make them plump.
2. In a separate bowl, add your flour, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom. Mix well.
3. Once the yeast has bloomed, add the brown sugar, eggs, butter, orange blossom water, and vanilla extract. Mix well and then add the dry ingredients. Drain the water from the raisins and add them to the mixture also. Continue mixing until a dough forms.
4. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 2 minutes. The surface of your dough should be smooth and the raisins should not be falling out. Transfer dough to a well oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place your bowl somewhere warm and let it proof for 1-2 hours or until doubled in size.
5. Once your dough has doubled, you are now ready to divide into portions and shape them into buns. Divide your dough into 18 portions.
6. Lightly oil 2 cake pans or 1 9x13 rectangular pan and set aside.
7. Shape each dough portion by folding all four corners towards the centre, flip it so that the seam is underneath and then roll until a tight ball forms. Place 9 portions in each prepared pan (if using cake pans). Cover with a tea towel and let it rest for at least an hour. In the meantime, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Farenheit. Eggwash each bun to create a nice shine after baking.
8. Create your flour cross by whisking 1/2 cup of AP flour with 8 tbsp of water. Mix well until a loose paste forms. Spoon paste to a piping bag.
9. Once your buns have finished proofing, its time to pipe the flour crosses on top. Snip the tip of the bag and pipe crosses on top of each bun.
10. Bake for 20-25 minutes. While waiting, create your glaze by mixing orange or apricot jam with 2 tbsp water.
11. You'll be able to tell when the buns are done when they spring back after being poked lightly with your finger. Once done, take buns out of the oven and brush with glaze immediately. Let it cool at least 20 minutes before eating.
Enjoy!
]]>The best thing about this recipe is that it takes 30 minutes to make (including baking time) so you can satisfy your craving on demand! If you have an electric mixer, that would cut the effort in making these in half.
Here we go!
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups AP flour
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1 stick Melted Butter (cooled)
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
1/3 cup Dark Brown Sugar
1 Egg
1 tbs Milk
1 cup Dark Chocolate Chips
1 cup Toffee bits
Cinnamon (to taste)
Vanilla (to taste)
How to:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Do not grease!
Super easy - whisk both kinds of sugar, melted butter, vanilla until well combined. Add your eggs and milk and continue whisking.
2. Add flour, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda in the wet mixture and stir with a wooden spoon. Be careful not to over mix. Add your chocolate chips and toffee until well combined.
3. Using two spoons, drop dough on to your prepared cookie sheet. These cookies will spread out so make sure you leave enough space in between each cookie.
4. Bake for 12 minutes. When you take out of the oven, let cookies cool on the cookie sheet for about 2 minutes before using a thin spatula to lift on to a cooling rack. Enjoy!
]]>I have the biggest sweet tooth - 60% of why I bake so much is because I get intense cravings and the 40% is because I'm bored. Lol.
Anyway, I was really hell bent on perfecting donuts. I tried it once, and it didn't work out. My first try was dense and over cooked. It was so gross, chewy, and frustrating. Not wanting to give up - particularly because I really really want some donuts, I did some more research and recipe tweaking and then finally it happened! Pillowy donuts that takes 2.5 hours from scratch to finish. OMG you can make this - at home - today!! You can eat them straight up, rolled in sugar and cinnamon or stuff them with jam or caramel or anything your heart desires.
Makes 3 dozen mini donuts
PS. This will be easier done in a Kitchenaid Mixer, if you have one.
Ingredients:
1 packet Active Dry Yeast or 2 tsp if you're using a jar
4 cups of AP flour
1/4 cup of Granulated Sugar and and extra 1 tsp plus more for coating
1 tsp Salt
1 cup Whole Milk (3.25% Homogenized Milk works well!)
2 whole Eggs
10 tbsp Butter (melted and cooled slightly)
How to:
1. Zap your milk in the microwave for about a minute or until milk is warm to the touch (not scalding). Pour your warm link in a clean bowl, add the 1 tsp of sugar and stir until dissolved. Sprinkle yeast on the milk and let stand for about 10-15 minutes. The yeast will be frothy. This is how you know your yeast has bloomed successfully and will work well in your recipe.
2. Once the yeast has bloomed, add melted butter and eggs and sugar to the mixture and stir until well incorporated.
3. Add the flour and salt and stir until the mixture comes together and forms a soft dough. You can use your hand to mix if needed.
4. Let the dough rest in the bowl for 10 minutes. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and pop in the fridge for 1 hour.
5. Take out the bowl from the fridge and place in a warm and dry area for another 30 minutes. Your dough will be slightly bigger but won't double in size.
6. Your dough is now ready to roll out! Turn out your dough on a clean flat surface and roll out with a rolling pin or a clean wine bottle. Roll out dough to about an half an inch thick. Use a small (3 inch) round cookie cutter (in a pinch you can use a small drinking glass to cut out the bomboloni).
7. Place your uncooked rounds on a clean plate or cookie sheet and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Let them rest for 15 minutes before frying.
8. While your rounds are resting, pour frying oil in a deep sauce pan or fryer and heat the oil to 350 to 375 degrees. This is very important, if your oil is not hot enough, it will produce greasy donuts.
9. When your rounds have finished resting and your oil is at the right temperature, start frying! These are small donuts so they will cook very quickly. Fry each side until light golden brown - about 30 seconds a side.
10. While still hot, toss bomboloni in sugar to coat. Fill with jam or just enjoy plain!
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During this time, its important to remind ourselves that this will eventually end but for now let's enjoy the solitude and treat ourselves every now and then with something comforting and familiar.
And what is more comforting than some home made caramel? Drizzled on ice cream, baked in a caramel apple pie, or spread on toast and topped with bananas. It doesn't matter how you use it, what matters is that this recipe takes literally 10 minutes to make and use only 3 ingredients that you may already have in your fridge or pantry!
When you feel anxious and can't sleep at night, make this caramel and know that we're all in this together.
Ingredients:
1 cup of Granulated Sugar
6 tbsp butter (cold or room temp)
1/2 cup of Heavy Cream (also called Whipping Cream)
How to:
1. In a sauce pan, cook the sugar in medium heat until it melts and turn golden brown in colour. Stir often while cooking.
2. Once the sugar has melted completely, add the butter and continue stirring until melted.
3. When the butter has melted completely, add the heavy cream and stir until well incorporated. The mixture will bubble up while cooking so be careful not to spill. Cook the mixture for another minute.
4. Take the pan off the burner and transfer the caramel in your preferred heat proof jar or bowl. The caramel will thicken as it cools. Enjoy!
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