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Showing posts with label baking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label baking. Show all posts

Puffy Pillows of Perfection

The summer has begun, and quite frankly I couldn't wait for no schedules, no wake up calls, just relaxation.  With that said, we do need to keep a little structure around here during the summer, it's nice to have something to look forward to.  So this year, just like last, we have days of the week that we plan to do things.  This summer we have a cooking day, so my kids and I get to choose anything we want to make.  First week out of the gate my daughter chooses beignets, in honor of the Princess and The Frog movie.

Have to admit that they turned out just perfect, like pillows of perfection.
She did all the work, from the yeast and the eggs,


To adding the bread flour, and all the kneading.
This was her dish, and she was into it.
After the 2 hour rise time, she rolled out the dough, measured her beignets, and they were ready for the fryer.
Oil at 350 degrees, she carefully fried them under my watchful eye of coarse!
Added a little powdered sugar, and we ate a good portion of them, and just had to share them with friends.  Good first day of cooking.












French Quarter Beignets

Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 packet active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 cup evaporated milk
7 cups bread flour
1/4 cup shortening (we used butter)
Oil, for deep frying ( we used sunflower oil)
3 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions

Mix water, sugar, and yeast in a bowl and let sit for 10 minutes.
In another bowl, beat the eggs, salt and evaporated milk together.  Mix egg mixture to the yeast mixture.  Add 3 cups of the flour to the yeast mixture and stir to combine.  Add the shortening (butter) and continue to stir while adding the remaining flour.  Remove dough from the bowl, place onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth.  Coat a large bowl with oil or nonstick cooking spray.  Put dough into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap or towel.  Let rise in a warm place for at least 2 hours.
Preheat oil in a deep-fryer (or large heavy pot) to 350 degrees F.
Roll the dough out to about 1/4 inch thickness and cut into 1-inch squares.  Deep-fry, flipping constantly, until they become a golden color.  After beignets are fried, drain them for a few seconds on paper towels, and then dust them with confectioners' sugar.

Eat many!
Enjoy!



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Bake Sale 2!

Well the bake sale is going better than expected, and more items are in need.  Here is my chance to try this butterscotch brownie recipe.  By the way, I already tried one (cook must sample right?), and they are awesome.  These are staying in the back pocket for sure.

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
1 3/4 cups packed brown sugar, light or dark
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1 cup butterscotch chips or chocolate chips
(or you can combine the two for total of 1 cup)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter a 13x9 baking pan.  Place butter in a saucepan and melt it over low heat.  Remove the pan from heat, and add the brown sugar, and stir until blended.  Then let it cool for at least 5 minutes.  Add the vanilla, then the eggs one at a time, and stir quickly so the eggs don't scramble on you.  Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.  Add flour mixture to the saucepan and stir until combined.  Mix in chips, and scrape the batter into the prepared baking pan and level the top.  Bake until a wooden skewer come out clean in the middle, 25-30 minutes.  Let them cool in the pan on a wire rack, and then cut them into 12 -24 squares.

First time for this recipe, and I found that I needed to bake them longer to get the middle to come out fairly clean.  I let them cool, while I helped out the student council, that my son is proudly on!!  Came back home, and they were ready to cut and package for the bake sale.  I labeled each individual brownie, and noted that there were no nuts, which these days is a big deal.


Off to the bake sale I go...
Happy Baking
-K-
 
 
 
 
 
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Bake Sale!

It was bake sale week at my kids school, that means trying to find the time to bake plus all the other things that occur during the week.  I do however have a go to chocolate chip cookie recipe that is easy and allergy free for the most part.  I found this recipe when my son was younger and allergic to everything, dairy, eggs, peanuts.  How do you do baked goods without all those items right?

I stumbled across this recipe from Silk Soy Milk, and it is the easiest recipe.

1 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar               
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup soy milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 1/4 cups flour
12oz chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cream butter and sugars together, then add the soy milk and vanilla until combined.  Mix dry ingredients together, not chocolate chips yet.  Add to wet ingredients until combined (I usually add the dry ingredients in about 2 batches), then mix in your chocolate chips. Put unbaked cookies on baking sheets in the size of cookie you desire.  Bake for 13 minutes, or until done.  If you choose a larger cookie the baking will take a little longer.  Then cool on a wire rack.  I have a convection oven, which affords the ability to make 3 pans at one time, cuts down the time immensely!

I know what you're thinking, she used butter, a dairy product, but no.  We had to go searching for a butter spread that had no dairy, but still satisfied my need for no trans fats or hydrogenated anything.  We found Earth Balance natural buttery spread, which contains no dairy and no hydrogenated oils, etc.  Win, Win!!  You can however use butter or vegetable shortening, and they will turn out fine.

I have made these cookies into big ice cream sandwiches (son no longer allergic to dairy!) for birthday treats.  I've left out the chocolate chips to make a sugar cookie that my kids decorate with frosting and sprinkles.  This is a versatile recipe for what ever occasion you have.

I'm making a new recipe for the bake sale, butterscotch brownies, while not new in the baking world, new in mine, and I'll let you know how they come out!

Happy Baking
 -K-
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