Sweets

Ginger Crinkle Cookies

By in Cookies & Bars, Sweets 7 Comments Tags: , , , ,

Ginger Crinkle Cookies

I”ve been eating these Ginger Crinkle Cookies since I was a little girl, except we grew up calling them Ginger Snaps. The name felt a little bit misleading because these cookies are soft and not snappy at all, so I thought I”d switch it up. Hope you don”t mind, Mom! ;)

I looked so forward to these cookies every time my mom made them. I still remember coming home from school and the house being filled with the smell of sugar and spices. I don”t think there”s a more comforting smell (well, besides the cuddly smell of a newborn baby. Can”t beat that!).

Warm spices may be more reminiscent of fall but even in the spring and summer we need that bit of comfort to make us feel warm and fuzzy inside. These are lightly spiced so they are a great cookie to serve any time of year. We made them a bit more spring-like by sandwiching them with Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream (recipe to come!). It was such a perfect combination that I”m definitely going to be doing it again soon. It”s a great way to bridge the gap between the cooler weather and the warmth to come – because here in western Canada it is still cold!  I think I need to go make some more cookies to comfort myself.

Ginger Crinkle Cookies

  • 1.5 cups butter, softened

  • 2 cups sugar (+ more for coating)

  • 2 eggs

  • 1/2 cup molasses

  • 4 cups flour

  • 4 teaspoons baking soda

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 4 teaspoons ground ginger

  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

  • 2 teaspoons ground cloves

Cream together butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and molasses. Combine dry ingredients and blend into butter mixture. Shape into 1 inch balls. Roll in sugar to coat. Place 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets. Bake at 350ºF for 8-10 minutes (no obvious browning should appear). Allow to cool several minutes before removing to wire wracks or paper towel to cool completely.

Soft Bird’s Nest Sugar Cookies

By in Cookies & Bars, Easter, Kids, Sweets 8 Comments Tags: , , , , ,

soft birds nest sugar cookies

I love making things with Max in the kitchen, but if the project is too intricate or involved I find myself getting more stressed out then I like to be. I want us all to enjoy our time in the kitchen together, I want to foster a love for the kitchen, not memories of a stressed out mom. That’s why I love planning projects like this that are easy for him to help with, don’t make a ton of mess and look great no matter how tiny the hands are that made them.

This is the perfect project for toddlers and preschoolers because although their not quite adept enough to pipe sensical decorations onto cookies, they can decorate these cookies easily and have them turn out beautiful. They can choose the colours they like or mix and match them like Max did. They can have complete freedom and you’ll know the end product will add something special and delicious to the Easter table.

We topped our’s with candy coated chocolate covered almond eggs (wow, that’s a mouthful!) which I thought were the perfect complement to the coconut topping. When I made these I figured they would be just for looks but they were actually really delicious. This is one case where the toppings aren’t just there for show, they actually add something special to the flavour of the cookie.

The coconut topping is just shredded coconut that has been dyed with food colouring and water. I used liquid food colours but you could also use gel colours, although you may need to add a bit more water to make it the right consistency to coat the coconut. My favorite colour was definitely the purple and I’ve included the instructions below on the amounts of liquid colour I used to achieve the colour. The other colours are much more straight forward – just one or two drops from the average four-pack of liquid food colouring.

These are so tasty and so fun, I know I’ll be making them again next year. Im pretty sure we just found a new Easter tradition. :)

Soft Bird’s Nest Sugar Cookies

Just FYI, I had a lot of leftover frosting. But, I don’t think half the frosting would be quite enough. Better to have too much then too little right?

Soft Sugar Cookies
  • 1.5 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1.5 cups sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 5 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 4.5 cups all-purpose flour
  • 4.5 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt

Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well combined. Beat in vanilla.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl. Slowly beat into butter mixture, just until combined. Cover and refrigerate for one hour.

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Scoop 1/4 cup amounts of cookie dough, roll each into a ball and flatten slightly. Place on parchment-line baking sheets 2-3 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes or just until set; do not brown. Let cool on baking sheet for 3 minutes before removing to cooling racks or paper towel to cool completely.

Frosting
  • 5 cups icing sugar (confectioners sugar), sifted
  • 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 7 tablespoons milk

Mix together all ingredients until smooth.

To Decorate
  • 1 cup shredded coconut
  • food colouring
  • water
  • chocolate covered almond eggs, chocolate eggs or jelly beans

Place 1/4 cup coconut into four ziploc bags. In a small bowl add 1/4 teaspoon water and desired food colouring, swirl to combine. Pour into one of the bags, seal and shake until the coconut is evenly coloured. Rinse the bowl and repeat with remaining colours. (To make the purple, use 3 drops red and 2 drops blue of liquid colour.)

Top each cookie with frosting, a good sprinkling of coconut and chocolate eggs.

Store, covered, at room temperature.

Makes approximately: 2 dozen cookies

Decoration inspired by Betty Crocker. Recipe Adapted from Annie’s Eats, originally from Hostess with the Mostess.

Easter Pavlovas with Lemon Whipped Cream & Vanilla-Rhubarb Compote

By in Easter, Simple Bites, Sweets No Comments Tags: , , , , , ,

pavlova

So, when I said I hogged all the rhubarb at the store I made more then just Rhubarb-Vanilla Lemonade. I also made some sweet and refreshing Easter pavlovas (in the shape of eggs) topped with lemon whipped cream and vanilla-rhubarb compote. Are you seeing a theme here? I have become obsessed with the rhubarb-vanilla-lemon combination, it’s just so darn good together. I’m sharing the recipe and some tips on making the perfect pavlova over on Simple Bites today.

“Pavlova’s are a perfect Easter dessert for so many reasons. 1) The majority of the work can be done a couple of days before serving. 2) You can make individual servings or one large dessert. 3) You can top it with whatever variety of toppings you like – or even serve it buffet style with a variety of topping and everyone can customize their own.”

Get the recipe and tips on Simple Bites.

White Chocolate Key Lime Pie

By in Creamy, Easter, Pastries, Sweets 28 Comments Tags: , , ,

white chocolate key lime pie

Is anyone else as giddy as me that today’s the first day of spring? I’m absolutely ecstatic! That means all this gorgeous weather we’ve been having here in New York isn’t just a cruel prank. It’s actually the start of something awesome!

Me and the kids have been going to the rooftop, kicking up our heels and drinking in the sunlight. We’ve been going to the playground in our t-shirts, having barbecues, eating ice cream and making no-bake desserts that slap you in the face with how springlike they are.

Yay spring! As my son is so fond of saying, “goooo-job” spring, “goooo-job”. I’m happy to see your smiling face.

White Chocolate Key Lime Pie. Mmmm. The first words out of my mouth when I tried this were, “oh goodness, that’s good.” I may have said it out loud, while I was by myself. I may even have skyped my hubby to tell him how good it was and that he’d better hurry home so we could have it with lunch. And while we’re at it , it might have taken every ounce of my strength to resist another bite until after I’d finished my lunch. This is a highly probable situation.

This is so easy to make and so refreshing that I just know it’ll become a staple around here in the spring and summer. This is prime potluck and barbecue material (or even Easter, for that matter). It actually makes quite a few servings even though it’s a regular sized pie. It’s very rich – like a big citrus truffle. I think lime and white chocolate are a perfect pairing because, even though this is a rich dessert, the lime makes sure that the white chocolate isn’t too sweet and the white chocolate makes sure the lime isn’t too tart. It’s a match made in heaven, I say.

White Chocolate Key Lime Pie

You can use key limes or regular limes for this pie.

Graham Cracker Crust
  • 1.5 cups graham cracker crumbs
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup butter, melted

Mix ingredients together in a 9-inch pie plate until evenly combined. Press evenly onto the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before filling.

Pie Filling
  • 1 cup whipping cream
  • 11 oz. white chocolate chips
  • 1 tablespoon sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon lime zest
  • 1/3 cup lime juice
  • Garnish: lime slices and chopped white chocolate

Melt together cream and chocolate chips in a small saucepan set over low heat. Remove from heat, stir in sour cream, lime zest and juice. Pour into prepared pie crust. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 hours, or overnight.

Garnish with limes slices and chopped chocolate if desired.

Serves: 12

Crust adapted from allrecipes. Filling adapted from my recipes.

End of the Rainbow Cupcakes

By in Cakes, Sweets 23 Comments Tags: , , , , ,

End of the Rainbow Cupcakes

Last week was my birthday. The night before, as my hubby was bringing my sweet little boy to bed he turned and said to me, “Happy Birthday Cake Mommy!” I knew in that moment I wasn”t going to get away without making a cake. How could I after such sweetness?

Other years I”ve happily made a cake for myself because my guys birthdays are in the summer and waiting the whole year before making a cake seems entirely too long. But, now that my baby girl was born in the dead of winter she kind of solved that problem.

I don”t know about you but I get much more excited about cooking and baking for other people. Dreaming and scheming up something for myself just feels… strange. But, I didn”t want to let my little sonny down. He gets so excited about birthdays and I knew he was going to want to help.

Then I remembered that St. Patrick”s Day was coming up and although I normally don”t make anything special for that day, I thought it would be fun to bake some cupcakes with a little nod to the old tale of a pot o” gold at then end of the rainbow. I remember being fascinated about that idea as a child and it always frustrated me that try as you might it never seemed possible to find the end of the rainbow. It seemed like the perfect whimsical treat to bake up with my son in celebration of not growing up too much.

I decided to start with a classic yellow cupcake, then topped it with a whipped vanilla frosting in all the colours of the rainbow, to mimic a pot o” gold at the end of the rainbow (or underneath the rainbow in this case). I think it would be also super fun to fill it with some lemon curd to get the whole “hidden treasure” thing going in full effect. I only had liquid food colouring on hand so my colours are pretty pastel but I”m a pastel kind of girl anyways so I was fine with that. But, you could use gel colouring to get those true eye-popping colours of the rainbow.

So, lets get started.

To make the rainbow frosting you”ll want to divide your frosting into six bowls. Color each bowl a different colour of the rainbow. I used my favourite whipped vanilla frosting but I have to be honest, although I LOVE that frosting for layer cakes I”m not really a fan of it on cupcakes. I really like the piled high look on cupcakes but I found the frosting to be a little much in that manner. If you like buttercream frosting on cupcakes then this would probably suite you just fine, but I generally prefer a lighter frosting on my cupcakes. Next time I make these cupcakes I would probably go for a cream cheese frosting or do some sort of white chocolate buttercream. If you do want to use the buttercream I would double the whipped vanilla frosting recipe.

So, once your frosting is tinted as you like, spoon it into ziploc bags (I like to place the bags in a cup and drape it over the sides for easy filling). Seal the bags and cut off one corner on each one. Place three of the bags (with coinciding colours) into a large piping bag, putting them in the order they are in the rainbow. It”s important to try and make sure they are in the bag as evenly as possible or you”ll run out of one colour faster than the others. Repeat in a separate bag with the remaining three colours.

Snip off the ends of the two bags and put them together into one large piping bag fitted with a large coupler, again placing them in the colour of the rainbow. The larger the bag you can find the better. If it”s not large enough you may have to work with half of the amount of icing at a time.

Squeeze out any excess air before piping onto cupcakes. The first couple cupcakes may look a little funny until all of the colours start coming out at once. If you want you can do this on some parchment paper until you get the look you want. But I prefer to waste these types of things in my belly so we just mark those couple cupcakes as “taste tests”. I used a Ateco #827 tip to frost my cupcakes.

And, there you go, rainbow coloured frosting that the kiddies will go crazy for!

Classic Yellow Cupcakes

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour

  • 2 cups cake flour*

  • 1 tablespoon baking powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

  • 1 3/4 cups sugar

  • 4 large eggs

  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

  • 1 1/4 cups milk

Sift together flours, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until combined. Beat in vanilla. Beat in the flour in three additions, alternating with milk, starting and ending with flour. Do not overbeat.

Scoop 1/4 cup batter into 24 regular sized muffin tins lined with cupcake liners. Bake at 350ºF for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing cupcakes from pan and cooling on wire racks. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

 *To make your own cake flour for this recipe, sift together 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour  with 1/4 cup cornstarch a couple of times to incorporate and fluff it up. This is equal to 2 cups of cake flour.

Makes: 24 cupcakes

Cupcakes recipe adapted Simple Bites, originally from Martha Stewart”s Baking Handbook.

Vanilla Bean Rice Pudding

By in Creamy, Sweets 9 Comments Tags: , , , ,

I know. I know. Rice pudding? It”s not really something that gets people clambering up walls and banging on doors. When I was growing up rice pudding was our go-to when we had leftover rice hanging around. We”d heat it up with some sugar, milk and raisins mixed in. I always looked forward to it. I realize that, that rice pudding, although good, is nothing to write home about. Let me reassure you, this is not that rice pudding – this is post-worthy rice pudding. If rice pudding could be considered gourmet, this would be it.

I always love little flecks of vanilla seeds in white desserts and they make this pudding look like something special (or like dirt if you”re unfamiliar with vanilla beans). Since vanilla beans are so expensive I like to use them in recipes where they really shine. And, that”s just what they do in this recipe. The cream and vanilla give this such a creamy-dreamy-vanilla flavour and consistency. I love it warm but you can also serve it cold with a little bit of extra milk mixed in to get the consistency you like. It”s hard to describe just how delicious and comforting rice pudding can be, I guess you”ll just have to try it out for yourself to know what I”m talking about. ;)

P.S. If you don”t access to vanilla beans you can substitute it with 1-2 teaspoons of vanilla extract.

Vanilla Bean Rice Pudding

1 cup arborio rice (or other short grain rice)
3 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split open and seeded
1/2 cup sugar

Place rice in a medium-sized saucepan, cover with cold water. Bring just to a boil then strain in a fine mesh sieve, rinsing with cold water (this is to remove some of the starch). Place drained rice back in the saucepan along with milk, cream, vanilla bean and seeds. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in sugar and simmer an additional 5 minutes or until rice is cooked and mixture is thick and creamy (it will thicken more as it cools). Let cool slightly and serve warm or refrigerate and serve cold with a bit of milk stirred in to loosen the consistency.

Serves: 6

Adapted from Tartelette.

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