Cinnamon Roll Pull Apart Coffee Cake with Pecans

I think I'm just slightly obsessed with cinnamon rolls. Maybe it's the cinnamon sugar? Maybe it's the cream cheese frosting? Maybe it's the bread? Maybe it's an excuse to eat something sweet for breakfast? Either way, who can resist a cinnamon roll? I know I can't.

In about two weeks, I'll be headed to San Diego and a part of me is looking forward to buying a Cinnabon cinnamon roll at the airport before the flight. Those oversized cinnamon rolls are so freaken' delicious! The smell alone is just so badass! Please...can I just have one now?

It's been years since I've made cinnamon rolls but I didn't want to make a cinnamon roll. I'll leave that up to Cinnabon. But I still had a craving for it, two weeks is way too long of a wait. I just had to have something cinnamon-y. Therefore, this Cinnamon Roll Pull Apart Coffee Cake with Pecans will do!

If you are a fan of the innards of a cinnamon roll, this is for you. Innards is probably not the best word to describe something so delicious, but who cares. It's fluffy, sweet and reminds me of the center of cinnamon rolls. The pecans give it a little somethin' somethin' to cut through the sweetness and give a little crunch. Don't like pecans? Leave it out or substitute it. I'm not one to judge what you do in your kitchen. Either way, it will be delicious!

Cinnamon and Lemon Pull-Apart Coffee Cake

Original recipe by Flo Braker

Makes a 9″x 5″ pan 

Ingredients
Sweet Yeast Dough
About 2 3/4 cups (12 1/4 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) granulated sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope) instant yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup (2 1/2 fluid ounces) whole milk
2 ounces unsalted butter
1/4 cup (2 fluid ounces) water
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature

Cinnamon Sugar Filling
1/2 cup golden brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/4-1/2 cup chopped pecans

2 ounces unsalted butter, melted to be spread over the dough

Tangy Cream Cheese Icing
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup (1 1/4 ounces) powdered sugar
1 tablespoon whole milk
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Directions
Make the Sweet Yeast Dough
Mix two cups (nine ounces) flour, the sugar, yeast, and salt in a medium bowl with a rubber spatula. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan or in the microwave, combine the milk and the butter and heat until the butter is melted. Remove from the heat, add the water, and let rest a minute until just warm (120 to 130°F [49 to 54°C]). Stir in the vanilla extract.

Pour the milk mixture over the flour-yeast mixture and, using a rubber spatula, mix until the dry ingredients are evenly moistened. Attach the bowl to the mixer, and fit the mixer with the paddle attachment. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition just until incorporated. Stop the mixer, add 1/2 cup (2 1/4 ounces) of the remaining flour, and resume mixing on low speed until the dough is smooth, 30 to 45 seconds. Add 2 more tablespoons flour and mix on medium speed until the dough is smooth, soft, and slightly sticky, about 45 seconds.

Lightly flour a work surface and knead the dough gently until smooth and no longer sticky, about one minute. Add an additional 1-2 tablespoons of flour only if the dough is too sticky to work with. Place the dough in a large bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm place (about 70°F [21°C]) for 45-60 minutes or until doubled in size. An indentation made with your finger should keep its shape.

Meanwhile, make the cinnamon sugar mixture by combining the brown sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl. Set aside.

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9″x5″ loaf pan.

Gently deflate the dough with your hand. Flour a work surface and roll the dough into a 20″ by 12″ rectangle. [I suggest using a ruler and getting this as accurate as possible, for a prettier loaf that will fit better in the pan. I also suggest making sure both sides are floured, so that the dough will be easy to lift up later.] Use a pastry brush to spread the melted butter evenly and liberally over the dough.

Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough crosswise in five strips, each about 12″ by 4″. With the dough sliced but still together, sprinkle the dough lengthwise with the cinnamon sugar mixture, followed by the pecans. Take each rectangle and top one over the other. Continue to top with rectangles, so you have a stack of five 12″ by 4″ rectangles, all buttered and topped with the cinnamon sugar.

Slice this new stack crosswise, through all five layers, into 6 equal rectangles (each should be 4″ by 2″.) Carefully transfer these strips of dough into the loaf pan, cut edges up, side by side. It might be a little roomy, but the bread will rise and expand after baking. Loosely cover the pan with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place (70 °F [21°C]) until puffy and almost doubled in size, 30 to 50 minutes. When you gently press the dough with your finger, the indentation should stay.

Bake the loaf until the top is golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the cream cheese icing. Beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar in a medium bowl with a wooden spoon until smooth, then add the milk and lemon juice. Stir until creamy and smooth.

The recipe recommends you tilt and rotate the pan while tapping on a table to release the loaf. I just carefully ran a knife around it. Flip the loaf over onto a cooling rack, then flip onto another rack so that it’s right side up. Spread the top of the warm cake with the cream cheese icing, using a pastry brush to fill in all the cracks.

-Aaron John

Cake Donuts

First of all, sorry for the blurry pictures. When you live in Seattle, the lighting isn't always picture perfect for these kinds of things. Oh well, who cares when you're eating donuts.

Anyways, I've expressed my love for donuts once before and I'm here to do it again. I'm obsessed with donuts!! Fried dough with a sweet coating of some sort from glaze, to chocolate, to maple to plain ol' sugar, these things are damn good.

This recipe and I go way back. I was in the seventh grade when we were offered an opportunity for extra credit by making bread of some sort from our culture. I can't quite remember what bread had to do in our lesson plan but all I remember was we had to make cultural bread. When I got home that day, I told my parents about the project and they had no clue what to do because they aren't bakers. In fact, I can't remember them baking anything, ever!

What I can say is that filipinos love to fry. Let's be honest here, everything is better when it's fried and so filipinos know some good food. I remember coming to the conclusion to just make donuts because it would be relatively easy and well, it's fried, my parent's expertise.

Let me tell you, these were the days of dial-up internet and I remember it taking forever to find a recipe but I got one from Tyler Florence who was my favorite TV-Chef back in the day. Now remember, this was supposed to be a cultural bread and this cake donut recipe was far from a cultural bread of the Philippines.

After all the donuts were made, my parents just said to say that they were "Bitsu-Bitsu" which I guess is a filipino version of donuts. I mean, no one would know what they really were in my class of 12 year olds.

No one even questioned what they were and at the end of the day, everyone loved them and I got my extra credit so who cares if these aren't the true filipino Bitsu-Bitsu. They can't take away my extra credit anymore! 

AJ's Secret:

• The directions indicate to refrigerate and roll out the dough. However, I've never seen cake donuts rolled and cut like yeast based donuts. Donut shops always have those cool contraptions that plunges dough into the fryer in the shape of a donut. Thus, I simply used a 1-ounce ice cream scoop, scooped out the dough and dropped the dough into the fryer. I fried it for about 5 minutes, or until the inside is cooked.

Cake Donuts

Recipe by Tyler Florence

Ingredients
3 1/2 cups (1 pound) cake flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup milk, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Fat for frying, such as canola oil
*Variation: for chocolate donuts, melt 3 ounces of unsweetened chocolate along with the butter and continue as directed.

Directions
Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the eggs until foamy, gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until thick and yellow. Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat and combine with milk and vanilla extract. Stir the milk mixture into the egg mixture until blended. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until incorporated. Chill for 30 minutes to make it easier to roll and cut.

***See my secrets above!
Roll or pat the dough out on a heavily floured surface to about 1/4-inch thick, the dough is somewhat wet. Cut with a floured doughnut cutter, saving the holes. Transfer to a sheet of waxed paper and allow to air dry for 10 minutes. The dough will form a slight crust and absorb less fat when fried. 

Heat 3-inches of vegetable oil or shortening to 375 degrees F in an electric fryer or deep saucepan. Fry doughnuts until golden, about 5 minutes each side. To keep the oil temperature constant, fry 3 at a time. Fry the holes separately and drain on paper towels.

-Aaron John

Apple Cinnamon Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Sour Cream Coffee Cake has always been a favorite of mine. Its moist cake and crunchy topping make a perfect combination. Coffee Cake was the first cake I ever made myself from scratch, just an fyi.

In the house, we had some leftover apples and I wanted to use it in some fashion. Then I remembered how Costco has an "Apple Streusel" type muffin and I decided I would try and recreate it in Coffee Cake form.

I used Ina Garten's recipe from her Blueberry Crumb Cake and tweaked the cake portion to contain apples and cinnamon and tweaked the crumb topping to contain some oats.

For an experiment recipe, it was a step in the right direction. It was moist, and I liked how I added in the oats into the crumb topping, giving it a nutty aspect. I would maybe add more apples to really get a prominent apple flavor in every bite though. Overall, a good day's work in my book!

Apple Cinnamon Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Adapted recipe by Me

Original recipe (Blueberry Crumb Cake) by Ina Garten

Ingredients
For the streusel: 
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

For the cake:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature (3/4 stick)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2/3 cup sour cream
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup diced apples, (Gala or Granny Smith)

For the icing:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp maple syrup

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9-inch round baking pan.

For the streusel: Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl. Stir in the melted butter and then the flour, oats and walnuts. Mix well and set aside.

For the cake: Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed for 4 to 5 minutes, until light. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla, cinnamon, and sour cream. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. Fold in the diced apples and stir with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out with a knife. With your fingers, crumble the topping evenly over the batter. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool completely.

For the icing: Combine the powdered sugar and maple syrup until smooth. Drizzle over the cooled cake and allow to harden.

-Aaron John

Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding

A couple weeks ago, I tried to love pudding by making Aborio Rice Pudding. Sad to say, that didn't go over so well. After watching the "Worst Cooks in America" finale last week and seeing Bobby Flay's mentee making Bread Pudding, it gave me the next opportunity to take another stab at Pudding. 

I assumed Bread Pudding would be something I would like because it contained bread and if you know me, you know I'm a carb-aholic. But, you never know, pudding is a pudding, no matter how you slice it. Plus, I'm not exactly the type to like mushy bread so I was cautiously optimistic.

Did this Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding taste like a Cinnamon Roll? Not exactly. More like Cinnamon Bread with custard. Was it able to convert me? Not exactly either. I wasn't really feeling the texture so much. Once again, texture comes into play as to why I'm not a fan of pudding. By the looks of it, I don't know if I'll ever be a fan of Pudding, but maybe third time's the charm?

Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding

Recipe by Aida Mollenkamp

Ingredients
2 cups whole milk
3/4 cup heavy cream
4 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar plus 1 tablespoon for garnish
1/3 cup nut-flavored liqueur (recommended: Di Saronno or Frangelico)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
7 cups large dice cinnamon challah (or plain challah or brioche plus 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon) (about 10 ounces challah)
1 cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

Directions
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F and arrange a rack in middle.

Whisk together milk, cream, eggs, 1/2 cup sugar, liqueur, vanilla, and salt in a medium bowl until egg is broken up and mixture is smooth. Evenly distribute bread and walnuts in a 2 quart baking dish, pour custard mixture over bread, and allow to soak for at least 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring about 8 cups water to a simmer over medium-high heat.

Evenly distribute remaining 1 tablespoon sugar over bread pudding. Set the filled baking dish into a larger roasting pan and add enough of the hot water to reach halfway up the sides of the baking dish. Bake until custard is set and top is lightly browned, about 50 to 60 minutes. Remove from water bath and let sit 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm, at room temperature.

-Aaron John

Arborio Rice Pudding

Another 10 week quarter has finally ended and Spring Break has arrived! That just means it's time to get back on blog bandwagon after a long hiatus!

Because I wasn't baking a lot, I had a limited supply of ingredients at my disposable. When I opened up the pantry and found Arborio rice, I knew I had to at least do something with it. Thus, I tried my hand at an Arborio Rice Pudding.

Now, when it comes to pudding in general, I'm not exactly moving to the front of the line to get some. There's just something about it and I think it's a texture thing. I know, I know, you can say "Well, eat it with Oreos or something" but you know what, sometimes I just don't have a years supply of Oreos lying around in my bedroom. Shame on me. But, Rice Pudding should be different right?

Well, this Arborio Rice pudding was interesting. I'm still not a fan about pudding. I honestly think this recipe needs more liquid. By the time most of my liquid evaporated, the rice was still on the aldente side and it wasn't a creamy textured Rice Pudding I was hoping for. Oh well, maybe my next pudding adventure will be different...

Arborio Rice Pudding

Recipe by Dave Lieberman

Ingredients
1 cup water
Pinch salt
1/2 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup Arborio rice
 2 cups whole milk
4 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
 Few dashes ground cinnamon
Whipped cream, for serving

Directions
Bring water, salt, and butter to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the rice, return to a boil, and then reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Shake the pan occasionally and cook until rice has absorbed the water but it still al dente, about 15 minutes.

Bring milk, sugar, vanilla, and a few dashes of cinnamon to a simmer in a separate saucepan. Add the cooked rice and cook at a simmer over medium-low heat until rice absorbs most of the milk and mixture starts to get thick and silky, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Transfer pudding to a large bowl and cool to room temperature. Place in refrigerator until cool and set. Serve with whipped cream and a dash more cinnamon.

-Aaron John

Ginger Molasses Cookies

 

Growing up, I wasn't one to eat these "spice" type cookies. It wasn't until I was in my art class way back in elementary school that I had my first gingersnap from our art teacher. Now, I thought the flavor was amazing but that art teacher, who was probably in her 20's and left the year after, gave us some STALE ASS cookies. Oh heck no!

I don't know, maybe it was the fact that that teacher gave us some stale cookies. Maybe it was the fact that my mom didn't like them. Maybe it was the fact that I didn't want to get them from the store in those big packages with 437824 cookies in them and knowing that I will be the only one eating them. Whatever the reason, rarely did I eat them.

Then last year, I tackled Speculoos right after trying "Cookie Butter" at my friend's house which was amazing. But this year, it's a whole other spice cookie. This year, I tackle that stale ass gingersnap from my younger years and make a Ginger Molasses Cookie.

This cookie makes up for that stale gingersnap by 10X. I reduced the amount of cloves by half because I personally find cloves to be overpowering but they still had great clove flavor. These cookies have just the right amount of spice, are crisp on the outside, have a nice crunch from the sugar (if you use raw sugar to roll them in) and they have this soft and chewy center to them if you bake them for a shorter amount of time.

So here's my lesson. If someone passes off a stale ass gingersnap to you, throw it back in their face. Well...maybe just throw it in the trash and make these cookies when you get home instead.

Ginger Molasses Cookies

Recipe from 17 and Baking

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cloves (I used 1/2 tsp ground cloves)
Pinch of salt
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
3/4 cup canola oil
1 large egg
Sugar for rolling (I used raw sugar)

Directions
Whisk together the flour, baking soda, spices, and salt in a medium bowl. In another bowl, combine together the brown sugar, molasses, canola oil, and egg until smooth. Mix the flour mixture into the brown mixture, stirring until dough comes together. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop up the dough using a 1-ounce scoop. Roll the balls in sugar and place on the baking sheets 2 inches apart. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. I baked mine for 9 minutes. Bake it longer for crisper cookies

Cookies will be very soft but will firm up. Leave on the baking sheet 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

-Aaron John

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

When I was younger, one of the first "cakes" I made was a coffee cake recipe by Martha Stewart. Well, with a new recipe, a better appreciation for food and many years later, I make a coffee cake that takes me back to the beginning.

Thinking about it now, I used to keep a booklet that contained printed recipes such as the one for the coffee cake. It came to the point where the splatters of vanilla extract, sights of chocolate smears and the dusting of flour just gave it a bit too much character.

Back then, I thought I perfected so many recipes in that little booklet only to find out there were better ones out there. All I have to say is, move over Martha Stewart because Ina Garten is here to stay.

This coffee cake is moist, fluffy, crunchy, nutty and not too sweet which is perfect. It takes me back to the beginning and then some. This is definitely a must make!

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Recipe by Ina Garten

Ingredients
For the cake:
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 extra-large eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sour cream
2 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

For the streusel:
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3/4 cup chopped walnuts, optional

For the glaze:
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons real maple syrup

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan.

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 4 to 5 minutes, until light. Add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla and sour cream. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. Finish stirring with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed.

For the streusel, place the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and butter in a bowl and pinch together with your fingers until it forms a crumble. Mix in the walnuts, if desired.

Spoon half the batter into the pan and spread it out with a knife. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup streusel. Spoon the rest of the batter in the pan, spread it out, and scatter the remaining streusel on top. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.

Let cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes. Carefully transfer the cake, streusel side up, onto a serving plate. Whisk the confectioners' sugar and maple syrup together, adding a few drops of water if necessary, to make the glaze runny. Drizzle as much as you like over the cake with a fork or spoon.

-Aaron John

Cinnamon Roll Pound Cake Coffee Cake

After a week of midterms I finally have time to blog again! The other day, I was looking through all the "food porn" sites such as foodgawker and tastespotting and is it weird that I wasn't getting inspiration? I literally couldn't think of what I wanted to blog about or didn't see anything on one of the sites that made me say " I am sooooo making that!!"

I went on other food blogs and still had no luck in what to make so I went to the foodnetwork site where Coffee Cake entered my mind. Don't get me wrong, I love a great coffee cake but when I see recipes that have twice as much butter in the crumb topping than in the cake, meaning TWO STICKS, I have some problems. So I came up with this.

I guess you can say this is an experiment within a recipe test. For the cake base, I went for a pound cake recipe I found, but never tried, by Tish Boyle that looked delicious and moist. I actually halved the pound cake recipe for my cake which was actually not enough for the cake. Definitely make the whole batch of cake for a thick cake!

Anyways, I decided to experiment and top the batter with what I normally put in a cinnamon roll, brown sugar and cinnamon, swirl it in and waited to see how it turned out. I then iced it with a powdered sugar icing. This is exactly why it's a cinnamon roll, in a pound cake, eaten as a coffee cake. This Pound Cake was moist and dense and the topping gave a cinnamon roll flavor with coffee cake texture without all the butter. The pound cake itself was great so if you don't feel like making a Cinnamon Roll Pound Cake Coffee Cake, the pound cake is worth it!

Cinnamon Roll Pound Cake Coffee Cake

Cake Base Adapted from Tish Boyle's Lemon Pound Cake

Makes 1-9 inch cake or 1 Loaf

Ingredients

Cake:
2 cups sifted cake flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup heavy cream

Topping
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Icing
1 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 lb powdered sugar
2 tbsp milk

Directions
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease and dust a 9 inch cake pan and set aside. (Or, if you want a plain pound cake, grease the bottom and sides of a 9 1/2 x 5 1/2-inch loaf pan. Dust the pan with flour and set aside.)

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine well and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium speed until very creamy, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the sugar and beat the mixture at medium-high speed until very light, about 4 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally (the mixture should look curdled at this point). Beat in the citrus zest and vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture at low speed in three additions, alternating it with the heavy cream in two additions. Mix just until the flour is incorporated.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon until combines and sprinkle over the top of the batter. Swirl into the cake.

Bake for about 30-40 min. or until the skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool for about 10 min and remove the cake from the pan to continue cooking on a cooling rack

(If making the plain pound cake, bake the cake for 60 to 70 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.)

Meanwhile make the icing by melting the butter in the microwave. Add the vanilla, powdered sugar and milk and mix until combines and no lumps are present. Drizzle the cake with the icing as you desire.

-Aaron John

Speculoos

 

A couple of days ago, I was exposed to the wonder that is Cookie Butter at one of my friend's house. I know what you're thinking. "Cookie Butter? What in the world is that?". That's exactly what I was thinking. At first I thought it would taste like a chocolate chip cookie made into a spread form. But nope, far from that. 

This Cookie Butter has a similar texture to peanut butter but tastes completely different. It's spicy in flavor. Not chili pepper spicy, but spicy in the terms of cinnamon, nutmeg and that sort of thing. When my friend read the label, he mentioned it being made of Speculoos. Then I had an "Aha!" moment. I remembered "Speculoos" from "Throwdown With Bobby Flay" which featured Belgian Waffles. From that episode, they mentioned Speculoos tasting similar to ginger snaps and/or graham crackers and they are right.

I got on the internet to search for a Speculoos recipe and found one from Dorie Greenspan. This cookie screams Christmas with the spices of cinnamon, ginger and cloves running through this cookie. It taste of the mixture of a ginger snap, graham cracker and ginger thins. If you need a new last minute cookie recipe, this one is it!!

My only complaint with this recipe is that it didn't hold onto its shape when I used a fluted cutter. It still tasted great nonetheless. Another thing, I actually preferred these cookies when they are crisp aka darker around the edges. This way, they were reminiscent of ginger thins. So good! 

Speculoos

Recipe by Dorie Greenspan

Makes about 70 cookies

Ingredients
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 (packed) cup light brown sugar
1 LARGE EGG, AT ROOM TEMPERATURE

Directions
Whisk the flour, salt, baking soda, and spices together in a bowl.
Working in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter at medium speed until creamy. Add the sugars and beat until well blended, about 2 minutes. ADD THE EGG AND CONTINUE TO BEAT UNTIL IT, TOO, IS BLENDED INTO THE BUTTER AND SUGARS. With the mixer on the lowest speed, add the dry ingredients in 3 additions, mixing only until the flour disappears into the soft dough. You may have some flour at the bottom of the bowl, or the dough may not be entirely smooth, but that’s normal. Using your hands (always my first choice) or a spatula, reach into the bowl and knead or stir the dough 2 or 3 times, just enough to eliminate any dry spots.

Divide the dough in half. (The dough is very soft, even after you refrigerate it for several hours, so if your kitchen is hot, you might want to divide the dough into thirds – that way it won’t take you as long to cut out the cookies and the dough won’t soften as much.) Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, roll the dough between two sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap until you have a circle that’s a scant ¼ inch thick. As you’re rolling, turn the dough over a couple of times and pull away the paper or plastic, so you don’t end up rolling creases into the dough. Put the rolled-out rounds of dough on a tray or cutting board and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. (The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozne, well wrapped, for up to 2 months.)

When you’re ready to bake, center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Have a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

Choose a cookie cutter – I like to use a scalloped cutter that’s 1 1/4-inches in diameter – and remove 1 circle of dough from the refrigerator. Peel off the top piece of wax paper or plastic and cut out as many cookies as you can from the dough, carefully lifting the cutouts onto the lined baking sheet. Collect the scraps and set them aside to combine with the scraps from the second piece of dough.

Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes, or until they are lightly golden and just slightly brown around the edges. Allow the cookies to rest on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool.

Repeat with the second round of dough, making certain the baking sheet is cool before you put the cutouts on it. To use the scraps, press them together, roll them into a circle, and chill them before cutting and baking.

Serving: The cookies are just right with coffee, made for espresso and tea and really good nibbled as a snack.

Storing: The dough can be wrapped airtight and kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Kept in an airtight container, the cookies will be fine for a week or more.

-Aaron John

French Toast

 

What do you do with leftover bread? Make French Toast

What do you do with leftover Cinnamon-Raisin Swirl Bread? Make Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread French Toast!

Now, I have to admit, there has been plenty of times where I've said on my blog that I'm a carb-a-holic, but even I have my limits. Seriously, who can eat a whole loaf of bread?? That's just absurd. If you can, I would love to see that. ha. Over time, a loaf of bread, as delicious and filled with goodies as it may be, just becomes a loaf of bread. You always need to reinvent that loaf of bread to have some variety. French Toast is the perfect way to continue enjoying a good ol' carb feast.

With my leftover loaf of Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread, it already had plenty of flavor that a simple custard base is all I needed. No need for extra flavorings, just something clean in flavor. French Toast is really something that doesn't need a recipe. Simply, get some eggs and milk, whisk that around and add a tad bit of sugar, dip in your bread and griddle until a delicious crusty golden brown.

I guess the real technique to french toast is the soaking period of the bread. Should you soak for long or little? Well, do you like a mushy, custardy french toast or a firm, yet moist french toast. Some people like one or the other. I personally like a firm, moist french toast. I'm sorry but I def. am not a fan of a custardy french toast due to its texture. I soaked my bread literally for 15/20 sec. a side no more, no less. If you like the other way, soak it longer.

If we can't agree on what's the best texture for French Toast, I think we can all agree that the best part is drenching it all in maple syrup! :d ha

French Toast

Recipe by Alton Brown

Ingredients
1 cup half-and-half
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons honey, warmed in microwave for 20 seconds
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 (1/2-inch) slices day-old or stale country loaf, brioche or challah bread
4 tablespoons butter

Directions
In medium size mixing bowl, whisk together the half-and-half, eggs, honey, and salt. You may do this the night before. When ready to cook, pour custard mixture into a pie pan and set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Dip bread into mixture, allow to soak for 30 seconds on each side, and then remove to a cooling rack that is sitting in a sheet pan, and allow to sit for 1 to 2 minutes.

Over medium-low heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a 10-inch nonstick saute pan. Place 2 slices of bread at a time into the pan and cook until golden brown, approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from pan and place on rack in oven for 5 minutes. Repeat with all 8 slices. Serve immediately with maple syrup, whipped cream or fruit.

-Aaron John

Cinnamon-Raisin Swirl Bread

To be honest, I didn't really know about "The Pioneer Woman" until about a couple months ago when she had a show premiering on the Food Network. Shocker!! Thank God for Food Network putting her on the Food Network or else I would have never known about her! Her blog is amazing and filled with food I want to try out. First up was Cinnamon Swirl Bread.

About a year ago, I saw tons of posts on Foodgawker with Cinnamon Swirl Bread. Apparently, it was part of the "Daring Bakers Challenge" and everyone made it. Growing up, my family didn't usually buy these types of breads. It was all about "Pan de Sal" which is a Filipino dinner roll. However, every time my family went to the supermarket, I would always see this "Cinnamon-Raisin Swirl Bread" and I always wanted to try it! Luckily, "The Pioneer Woman" had a post about it!

Nows my chance to eat this bread and man is it good! I've been deprived my whole life! ha. I personally ate a couple of slices as is. That's how good it was. Just imagine if this was used for cinnamon toast or.....FRENCH TOAST!! Definitely going to be on the to-do list before this loaf of bread is gone! :D

BTW, check out "The Pioneer Woman" website for a step by step guide to this bread. I found it extremely useful!

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Recipe from The Pioneer Woman

Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients
1 cup Milk
6 Tablespoons Butter
2-1/2 teaspoons Active Dry Yeast
2 whole Eggs
1/3 cup Sugar
3-1/2 cups All-purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Salt
1/3 cup Sugar
2 Tablespoons Cinnamon
1/2 cup Raisins (optional)
Egg And Milk, Mixed Together, For Brushing
Softened Butter, For Smearing And Greasing

Directions
Melt butter with milk. Heat until very warm, but don't boil. Allow to cool until still warm to the touch, but not hot. Sprinkle yeast over the top, stir gently, and allow to sit for 10 minutes.
Combine flour and salt.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix sugar and eggs with the paddle attachment until combined. Pour in milk/butter/yeast mixture and stir to combine. Add half the flour and beat on medium speed until combined. Add the other half and beat until combined.

Switch to the dough hook attachment and beat/knead dough on medium speed for ten minutes. If dough is overly sticky, add 1/4 cup flour and beat again for 5 minutes.

Heat a metal or glass mixing bowl so it's warm. Drizzle in a little canola oil, then toss the dough in the oil to coat. Cover bowl in plastic wrap and set it in a warm, hospitable place for at least 2 hours.

Turn dough out onto the work surface. Roll into a neat rectangle no wider than the loaf pan you're going to use, and about 18 to 24 inches long. Smear with 2 tablespoons melted butter. Mix sugar and cinnamon together, then sprinkle evenly over the butter-smeared dough. Add the raisins if desiredStarting at the far end, roll dough toward you, keeping it tight and contained. Pinch seam to seal.

Smear loaf pan with softened butter. Place dough, seam down, in the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix a little egg with milk, and smear over the top. Bake for 40 minutes on a middle/lower rack in the oven.

Remove from the pan and allow bread to cool. Slice and serve, or make cinnamon toast or French toast with it.

-Aaron John

Monkey Bread

With two weeks remaining before class starts up, my time left for working with yeast is slowly decreasing. Why you ask? Yeast simple takes a lot of patience and time and with my school work, that's just a no-no. With my last attempt at bread, I decided to make Monkey Bread. Circular dough balls drenched in butter, rolled in cinnamon sugar with pecans, placed into a bundt pan and baked. Served best when warm. YUM!

Monkey Bread reminds me of an inside out cinnamon roll. Instead of having that delicious gooey centers of cinnamon rolls, monkey bread has more of a crispy sugary crust. With the added crunch of the pecans, it's to die for. This isn't a diet food by any means so if you are on a diet, I apologize. It definitely gives you that sugar rush with every bite you take.

Trust me, with the next two weeks, I'm gonna need that sugar rush. To start off the first two weeks, I'm taking the PCAT for pharmacy this week. EEEEEEEEEKKKK! Super nervous. Just reading through the rules and regulations are freaking me out. The security is crazy! Apparently they have to capture our signature and our PALM VEIN! I thought I was taking the PCAT, not getting arrested! haha. Oh well, I just can't wait to get it over with :)

Monkey Bread

Recipe by Martha Stewart

Makes one 10-inch Bundt Cake

Ingredients
For The Bread:
2 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening, plus more for pan and bowl
1/4 cup warm (110 degrees to 115 degrees) water
1/4 cup granulated sugar, plus a pinch for yeast
1 envelope dry active yeast (scant tablespoon)
3/4 cup warm (110 degrees to 115 degrees) milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

For The Coating:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup firmly packed light-brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
For The Icing:
1/4 cup milk
2 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions
Lightly coat a 10-inch Bundt pan and a medium bowl with shortening; set aside. Put the warm water and a pinch of sugar in a small bowl; sprinkle yeast over top. Stir; let the yeast soften and dissolve, about 5 minutes.

Place shortening, milk, sugar, salt, and egg in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook.

Add yeast mixture to shortening mixture, and beat to combine. Slowly add flour. Knead on medium-low, 1 minute. Transfer dough to the prepared bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and let stand in a warm place, 20 minutes.

Make coating: Place melted butter in a bowl. In a second bowl, combine brown sugar, cinnamon, and nuts; sprinkle 2 tablespoons nut mixture into prepared Bundt pan.

Cut dough into 1/2-inch pieces. Roll into balls. Coat in butter, then roll in nut mixture, and place in prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap, and let stand in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool in pan for 15 minutes. Invert onto a serving plate, and let cool 20 minutes more.

Make icing: In a small bowl, combine milk and confectioners' sugar. Stir until smooth. Drizzle over bread.

-Aaron John

Pull Apart Coffee Cake Two Ways: Cinnamon and Lemon

 

What do you get when you mix a cinnamon roll with a loaf of bread? Pull Apart Coffee Cake! Just imagine eating a cinnamon roll, but only the inner layer of it!Soft, buttery and oozing with that cinnamony goodness! Not to mention that decadent cream cheese frosting! Mmmmm, I can already smell those Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls now. But today is not about the cinnamon roll, it's about Pull Apart Coffee Cake!

I woke up bright and early this morning to put this together. Finally finishing my Summer Quarter at UW, it finally gives me time to bust out the yeast and tackle bread once again. Bread in and of itself is kind of a temperamental thing to begin with. You need patience and even a little muscle power helps along in the process. However, this recipe is one of the easiest bread recipes I have made so don't feel intimidated.

This is my own adaption to the original recipe of a "Lemon Scented Pull Apart Coffee Cake". I wanted that cinnamon roll-esque flavor in the bread but I also wanted to try the lemon of the original recipe. Basically, I made a Half Cinnamon and Half Lemon Pull Apart Coffee Cake. Genius right? Who needs one flavor when you can have two!! If you want a whole loaf of either, just double the sugar filling of whatever you like.

Cinnamon and Lemon Pull-Apart Coffee Cake

From Flo Braker

Makes a 9″x5″ pan 

Sweet Yeast Dough
About 2 3/4 cups (12 1/4 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) granulated sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope) instant yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup (2 1/2 fluid ounces) whole milk
2 ounces unsalted butter
1/4 cup (2 fluid ounces) water
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature

Lemon Sugar Filling
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest (1 1/2 lemons)
1/2 tablespoon finely grated orange zest

Cinnamon Sugar Filling
2 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tbsp light brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 ounces unsalted butter, melted to be spread over the dough

Tangy Cream Cheese Icing
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup (1 1/4 ounces) powdered sugar
1 tablespoon whole milk
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Make the Sweet Yeast Dough
Mix two cups (nine ounces) flour, the sugar, yeast, and salt in a medium bowl with a rubber spatula. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan or in the microwave, combine the milk and the butter and heat until the butter is melted. Remove from the heat, add the water, and let rest a minute until just warm (120 to 130°F [49 to 54°C]). Stir in the vanilla extract.

Pour the milk mixture over the flour-yeast mixture and, using a rubber spatula, mix until the dry ingredients are evenly moistened. Attach the bowl to the mixer, and fit the mixer with the paddle attachment. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition just until incorporated. Stop the mixer, add 1/2 cup (2 1/4 ounces) of the remaining flour, and resume mixing on low speed until the dough is smooth, 30 to 45 seconds. Add 2 more tablespoons flour and mix on medium speed until the dough is smooth, soft, and slightly sticky, about 45 seconds.

Lightly flour a work surface and knead the dough gently until smooth and no longer sticky, about one minute. Add an additional 1-2 tablespoons of flour only if the dough is too sticky to work with. Place the dough in a large bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm place (about 70°F [21°C]) for 45-60 minutes or until doubled in size. An indentation made with your finger should keep its shape.

Meanwhile, make the lemon sugar and cinnamon sugar filling. Mix the sugar, lemon zest, and orange zest in one bowl and mix the sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon in another.

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9″x5″ loaf pan.

Gently deflate the dough with your hand. Flour a work surface and roll the dough into a 20″ by 12″ rectangle. [I suggest using a ruler and getting this as accurate as possible, for a prettier loaf that will fit better in the pan. I also suggest making sure both sides are floured, so that the dough will be easy to lift up later.] Use a pastry brush to spread the melted butter evenly and liberally over the dough.

Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough crosswise in five strips, each about 12″ by 4″. With the dough sliced but still together, sprinkle the dough lengthwise with the all the sugar (half getting the lemon and half the cinnamon). Take each rectangle and top one over the other, making sure the lemon is over the lemon and the cinnamon is over the cinnamon. Continue to top with rectangles, so you have a stack of five 12″ by 4″ rectangles, all buttered and topped with lemon sugar for one half and cinnamon sugar for the other.

Slice this new stack crosswise, through all five layers, into 6 equal rectangles (each should be 4″ by 2″.) 3 should be all lemon and 3 should be all cinnamon. Carefully transfer these strips of dough into the loaf pan, cut edges up, side by side doing cinnamon, cinnamon, cinnamon, lemon, lemon, lemon. it might be a little roomy, but the bread will rise and expand after baking. Loosely cover the pan with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place (70 °F [21°C]) until puffy and almost doubled in size, 30 to 50 minutes. When you gently press the dough with your finger, the indentation should stay.

Bake the loaf until the top is golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the cream cheese icing. Beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar in a medium bowl with a wooden spoon until smooth, then add the milk and lemon juice. Stir until creamy and smooth.

The recipe recommends you tilt and rotate the pan while tapping on a table to release the loaf. I just carefully ran a knife around it. Flip the loaf over onto a cooling rack, then flip onto another rack so that it’s right side up. Spread the top of the warm cake with the cream cheese icing, using a pastry brush to fill in all the cracks.

-Aaron John

Snickerdoodles

Yesterday around 8:00 AM, I was contemplating when I would have time to bake this weekend. With the plethora of tests I had this coming week, would I have time to bake? But if I didn't bake up something, my blog followers will leave! So, in the spur of the moment and with a grin on my face, I grabbed my mixing bowl, took my butter out of the refrigerator and got to baking. After all, I only had 2 1/2 hrs before I left for class at 10:30 AM so I needed to be quick.

I already planned on making Snickerdoodles so I ran to my computer as fast as I could, typed in "snickerdoodles" into the foodgawker search, found the best looking one and decided to make the recipe. See how "spur of the moment" this was? ha. I then grabbed my laptop, ran to the kitchen and measured out my ingredients in less that 5 min. Fast, huh?

I quickly made the dough and let it chill. While chilling, I went to take a shower. I can't waste any time you know? After my shower, it was time to bake. With the dough slightly chilled and the oven preheating, I scooped out the dough, rolled in cinnamon-sugar, baked them off, cooled them, took pictures and left for class. Now that's what I call fast work! :)

Can you believe that I pulled off these cookies in about a about 2 hrs, starting from cold ingredients? Shocking?! I know... Here's how I did this in about TWO hours.

Tips
-Slice your butter as thin as you can and place them around your mixing bowl. This speeds up the process of getting them to room temp. Should take about 30 min.

-Take your cold eggs and place them into a glass filled with hot tap water. It brings your eggs to room temp. in about 10 minutes.

-While your cold ingredients are coming to room temp, don't waste any time. Go ahead and measure your flours, sugars, leavening, etc. so you can "dump and mix" when ready

-In chilling this dough, I went ahead and placed it in the freezer for about 30 min. Time Saver!

-Preheat your oven after your dough has been in the freezer for 15 min. For your oven to properly be preheated, it takes about 15 minutes anyway.

Results
Taste: Sweetness and 'spiciness' from the outer coating of cinnamon-sugar and a slight tang from the cream of tartar.

Texture: Crunchy yet chewy edges with a soft, cake like center. 

Snickerdoodles
Recipe From Rebel Without A Sauce, adapted from Martha Stewart

Ingredients
2¾ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter
1¾ cups sugar, plus more if needed (1 1/2 for the dough, 1/4 for the cinnamon sugar)
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon, plus more if needed
2 large eggs

Directions
-Sift together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine butter and 1½ cups sugar. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add eggs, and beat to combine. Add dry ingredients, and beat to combine.
-Refrigerate the cookie dough for 1-2 hrs

-Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, with one rack in top third and one rack in bottom third of oven. Line baking sheets with Silpat baking mats or parchment paper; set aside.
-Use a small (1 1/4-ounce) ice-cream scoop to form balls of the dough
-In a small bowl, combine remaining ¼ cup sugar and the ground cinnamon.
-Roll the balls of dough in the cinnamon sugar.

-Place about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until the cookies are set in center and begin to crack (they will not brown), about 10 minutes, rotating the baking sheets after 5 minutes.
-Transfer the sheets to a wire rack to cool about 5 minutes before transferring the cookies to the rack. Store in an airtight container up to 1 week.

-Aaron John

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