Recipe: Glazed Orange Brownies

Posted on April 29, 2015 by Ann Roth

It’s recipe time! This one is easy and delicious.

Glazed Orange Brownies
A Paula Deen recipe, with modifications (in parentheses) that cut down on the sugar and fat

Ingredients
Brownies:

2 cups sugar (I use 1)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened (I use 1 stick instead)
4 large eggs (I use 2 instead)
2 teaspoons orange extract
2 teaspoons orange zest, divided (1 for the batter and 1 for the glaze)

Glaze:

1 cup confectioner’s sugar
2 tablespoons orange juice, fresh

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 13×9-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray. (This pan is too big! I use a smaller one.)

2. In a large bowl, stir together sugar, flour, and salt. Add butter, eggs, extract, and 1 teaspoon zest, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan.

3. Bake for 30 minutes or until light golden brown and set. Remove from oven, and pierce cake all over with a fork.

4. In a small bowl, combine confectioners sugar, orange juice, and remaining teaspoon zest until smooth. Pour over warm cake. Let cool completely before cutting into squares.

Enjoy!

Until next time,
Ann
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Jumbo Island Cookies, aka Don’t Let Those Bananas Go Bad!

Posted on March 13, 2015 by Ann Roth

I used to hate when the bananas at my house got a little too ripe. Then I discovered this mouth-watering cookie recipe. With bananas, chocolate chips, coconut and macadamia nuts, how can you go wrong?

Jumbo Island Cookies

Ingredients
1 2/3 cup flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
6 Tbsp butter at room temperature
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup mashed banana
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup flaked coconut
1/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Directions
Sift together flour, baking power, baking soda, salt and nutmeg; set aside. Using a mixer at high speed, beat butter for 2 minutes. Add sugar and mashed banana. Beat for 3 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla. Turn speed to low and add flour mixture. When incorporated, turn off mixer. Stir in chocolate chips, coconut, and macadamia nuts.

Using an ice cream scoop (coat with oil so this gooey batter doesn’t stick), drop onto a greased cookie sheet (I use Silpat instead). Bake 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees, until lightly golden. Let cool 1-2 minutes, then transfer to wire racks.

These won’t last long enough to store, but if you must, use an airtight container.

Until next time,
Ann

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Let them Eat… Chocolate Icebox Cake

Posted on January 30, 2015 by Ann Roth

I got this recipe from my mother and although I always loved it, I haven’t made it in years. Recently, I pulled out the recipe. I’m glad I did!

Enjoy!

Until next time,

Ann

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New (Actually Old) Recipe

Posted on January 9, 2015 by Ann Roth

Mrs. Lawrence’s Scrumptious English Tea Cake

Around Christmas, I was listening to NPR’s Found Recipes program. Love that series! The story I heard intrigued me so much that I headed for the website to download the recipe for Mrs. Lawrence’s English Tea Cake.

I’ll be honest here. As I made it, I had my doubts. Could this unusual recipe possibly be as tasty as the woman in the story claimed it was?

As soon as it was ready, I tested it on my husband and sampled some myself. The unanimous conclusion: delicious!

This cake takes a little time–it contains yeast and needs to rise twice–but otherwise, it’s easy to put together, and well worth the time and effort.

Note: I tinkered with the instructions a bit to make them more clear. Also, italicized notes and information in the parentheses are mine.

Mrs. Lawrence’s English Tea Cake

For the Cake

1/3 cup melted butter, cooled
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
1 egg, at room temperature
1 yeast cake, or 1 package of dry yeast
1/2 cup water, at 110 to 115 degrees
1/2 cup warm milk
1/2 cup golden raisins
3 tablespoons citron (I had to look up citron: a citron is a large, fragrant citrus fruit known for its aromatic smell and flavorful peel. I also had to ask someone at the grocery store to help me find the stuff-comes in a container and I doubt it ever goes bad.)
3 cups bread flour (I used all-purpose flour and had no problems)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg

For the filling
Note: Double this!!
1/4 pound butter (1 stick), very soft
1 cup powdered sugar
A dash of vanilla

Stir softened butter, powdered sugar and vanilla together until it reaches a spreading consistency. (I waited to make this until the cake was cooling, but you can make any time.) Set aside.

Making the cake:
(Note: You’ll need several bowls or containers for all the mixing and setting aside.)

Following directions on the package, dissolve yeast pack in warm water. Let sit 3 to 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix warm milk, raisins and citron together. Set aside.

Sift together flour, salt and nutmeg. Set aside.

Mix melted butter, sugar, orange peel and egg together in a large bowl. Make sure the butter has cooled so as not to cook the egg. Set aside.

Now it’s time to mix these things together! Add yeast mixture to sugar-butter mixture and stir to blend. Stir in flour mixture, a little at a time, until all is added. (No kneading required at this point.) Let dough rise until doubled in bulk, about 1-2 hours.

Knead the dough with additional flour (up to 1/2 cup) for about 10 minutes. Dough will be very elastic and light. Divide in half and form two balls. Press dough into two 8-inch round pans and let rise again for 1 to 2 hours. (I only had 9″-round cake pans, which were too big, but they worked well enough. The end result isn’t as pretty as it could have been, but I like how it looks! See photo above.)

Bake at 375 for 20 minutes. Cool thoroughly, split each cake in half (I used a large, serrated knife and some patience) and spread with filling mixture. Store in the fridge in a plastic bag to keep it fresh. Before serving, wrap loaves in foil and reheat at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Recipe courtesy of Mrs. Lawrence’s granddaughter, Laura

To hear the intriguing story that goes with this recipe, visit http://n.pr/13QRAAH

Happy eating, and until next time,

Ann

Tunnel of Fudge Cake

Posted on November 17, 2014 by Ann Roth

Years ago, I cut this recipe out of our now-defunct, and dearly missed daily morning pager, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer (http://www.seattlepi.com/). The paper has since moved online, but I really liked reading the hard copy over breakfast and coffee. Anyway… I finally got around to trying this recipe. Wow. Scrumptious, and rich, with a lovely, fudgy center. The directions are a bit wonky in places (I mean, if the mixing bowl doesn’t feel cool, stop mixing and place in the freezer for 5 minutes? Give me a break!) , so I made a few changes.

Note: the amount of sugar in this thing is staggering. I worried that it would taste too sweet. But it came out just right. I will definitely make this one again.

Tunnel of Fudge Cake

Adapted from a recipe by Shirley O. Corriher

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a Bundt pan.

1 cup softened butter (original recipe called for more, but 1 cup is enough!)

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1 cup white sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/3 c vegetable oil

2 egg yolks

4 whole eggs

2 cups confectioners sugar (I used scant cups)

2 1/4 cup all purpose, unbleached flour (I avoid the bleached stuff–who wants to ingest anything that has been bleached?)

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup cocoa powder

In a bowl, mix together flour, and salt; set aside.

In mixer, cream butter and sugar and beat until airy. Add eggs and yolks and mix for about 20 seconds. Add vanilla and oil. Mix for about 30 seconds; add flour mixture. Mix until incorporated; add confectioners sugar and cocoa powder. When incorporated, pour into prepared Bundt pan. Bake about 38-45 minutes. Note: Because of the gooey center, there is no way to insert a toothpick to see if done. I have a convection oven, and baked for 38 minutes.

Place on a wire rack and let cool in the pan for 30 minutes. Then gently press on the top with the palm of your hand to eliminate the air pocket that formed while baking. Cool in the pan for 2-3 hours; then invert pan onto a serving platter to finish cooling. Or serve warm.

Until next time, and droolingly yours,

Ann

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Scones: They do the body good.

Posted on November 14, 2014 by Ann Roth

You may recall that about a month ago, I made pumpkin puree from sugar pumpkins. The puree went into the freezer for later. The other day, I thawed some and made pumpkin scones.

Scones, baking in the oven

They smelled great, and I couldn’t wait to taste one.

The finished product

I wasn’t disappointed. These babies are buttery and flavorful.–all around delicious!

Here is the recipe, courtesy of Joy of Baking. com. http://www.joyofbaking.com/

Pumpkin Scones

Makes 8 scones– I doubled the recipe and froze the extras for later.

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup light or dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/3 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
1/3 – 1/2 cup buttermilk (in doubling the recipe, I used 2/3 cup)
1/2 cup fresh or canned pure pumpkin (if using canned pumpkin make sure there are no spices or sugar added)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Egg Wash:
No need to double this– it was more than enough for my doubled recipe
1 large egg
1 tablespoon milk or cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and place rack in the center of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, spices, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Stir in the raisins and pecans, if using. In a separate bowl mix together the buttermilk, pumpkin puree and vanilla and then add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture. Mix just until the dough comes together. Do not over mix.

Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead dough gently four or five times and then pat the dough into a circle that is about 7 inches round and about 1 1/2 inches thick. Using a table knife, cut circle in half, then cut each half into 4 pie-shaped wedges (triangles). If the triangles are too big, feel free to halve them. Place the scones on the baking sheet. Brush the tops with the egg wash.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Or give in and have one hot from the oven! I did. 🙂

Until next time, and happy eating,

Ann

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A recipe for…. chocolate chip pumpkin cookies!

Posted on October 24, 2014 by Ann Roth

If you like pumpkin and chocolate, these cookies are for you. I made a batch recently and oh! Are they yummy.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

(Original recipe found at www.lovebakesgoodcakes.com)

Note: I tweaked the original recipe a bit. The recipe below incorporates my changes.

Yield: about 5 dozen

Ingredients
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup sugar
1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup quick-cooking oats
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 cups chocolate chips

Instructions
Preheat oven to 375°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper (I used Silpat) and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar and sugar until creamy. Add the pumpkin, egg and vanilla; beat until smooth and well combined.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, oats, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix into the pumpkin mixture. Fold the chocolate chips into the dough. Using a cookie scoop, drop dough onto the baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges just begin to brown. Allow to cool on the pan for 3 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Store leftover cookies in a covered container.

Until Monday, and Droolingly Yours,

Ann

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I Scream, You Scream, We all Scream for… Pie!!!

Posted on August 22, 2014 by Ann Roth

Every time I look at this photo of this butterscotch pie I made, my mouth waters. This recipe calls for real Scotch. The alcohol cooks out and leaves a rich, nuanced taste that skyrockets this particular pie into food heaven. 🙂

It looks hard, but I promise you, it isn’t.

Butterscotch Pie

One 9-inch baked pie crust (recipe at the end… or use your own)

Filling:
2 cups 2% milk
1 1/2 cups half and half (you could probably substitute whole milk to cut down on the richness)
6 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar, packed
3 egg yolks (save the whites for the meringue top)
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp Scotch whiskey
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
Meringue top:
3 egg whites
pinch salt
2 Tbsp sugar

In a large saucepan, combine milk and half and half and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Turn off heat and set aside.
In a large, heavy skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Stir in brown sugar and cook 5-7 minutes, stirring constantly, to caramelize the mixture. (You will smell a characteristic nutty-caramel flavor odor when the butter browns, signaling that the mixture is ready.)
Whisking constantly, gradually add the brown sugar mixture to the hot milk mixture. If mixture is not smooth, blend for 20 seconds with a hand mixer or pour through a fine sieve.
Put the egg yolks in a medium bowl. Whisk in about 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture. Whisk in cornstarch and salt until dissolved. Whisk the cornstarch mixture back into the hot milk mixture in the saucepan. Add the Scotch and whisk in.
Whisking constantly, cook over medium-high heat until thick and just boiling. When the mixture thickens, the whisk will leave trail marks on the bottom of the pot and the mixture will have a few large bubbles boiling up to the top.
Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla extract. Pour into the pre-baked pie shell and cover with meringue. Then chill at least two hours or overnight.
Meringue:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Whip whites and salt to soft peaks, then add sugar and whip until sugar is dissolved and whites are glossy. Spread meringue on top of the slightly cooled pie and bake for five minutes or until lightly browned. Chill as above.

Crust (made in a food processor):
Makes enough for bottom and top or two bottoms
2 cups flour
3/4 cup butter, straight from the refrigerator and quickly cut into chunks
1/4 cup shortening (I use the white Crisco)
6 or more Tbsp ice water
Put flour into food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add butter and shortening and pulse a little at a time until mixture is crumbly and about the size of peas. Don’t over mix. Add water one Tbsp at a time, pulsing briefly with each addition. As soon as the mixture forms a ball, stop (you may need more or less than 6 Tbsp water).
Wrap in wax paper and refrigerate 30 minutes. Divide dough in half and roll half to fit a 9-inch pie pan. Place in pan. Bake at 425 degrees until golden brown. Roll out the other half, put in pan, wrap in freezer paper or freezer bag and freeze unbaked for later.

Until Monday, and wishing you a pie-filled weekend,

Ann

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I Scream, You Scream: Rocky Road Ice Cream

Posted on August 1, 2014 by Ann Roth

Is there anything better than a bowl or cone of your favorite ice cream on a hot summer night?

For fun, I wanted to make my own, but nothing too challenging. Years ago, I found this yummy concoction in my local newspaper. It’s easy to make–you don’t need an ice cream maker or any fancy gadgets.

Warning: It’s rich as sin. 🙂

Note: This stuff requires an overnight rest in the freezer, so plan to make it a day in advance.

Rocky Road Ice Cream

serves 8-10, depending on the portion served

1 can (14-oz) sweetened, condensed milk
1/2 cup chocolate syrup (I use the good-quality stuff that comes in a jar, but any kind will do)
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup mini-marshmallows
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup salted peanuts

Stir the sweetened, condensed milk and chocolate syrup together until well mixed. Whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks. Fold into the chocolate mixture. Add marshmallows, chocolate chips,and peanuts. Store in an airtight container, and freeze overnight.

Will keep up to two weeks–but I’m betting it won’t last that long. 🙂

Happy Ice Creaming, and until Monday,

Ann

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