French breakfast puffs

Ree Drummon, aka The Pioneer Woman, has a fabulous new cookbook out, and I want it. I hear she is signing them at The King's English bookstore in Salt Lake. Does anyone have details? Until I can get my paws on the cookbook, I will happily make these French breakfast puffs. Because they are associated with France and they are rolled in cinnamon and sugar. Really, did I need to explain that? Plus, her directions are laugh-out-loud hilarious. Trust me. Read them here.

Begin by stirring together 3 cups of flour, 3 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teasoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg. Set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer (not necessary, but makes it easier) combine 2/3 cup of shortening and one cup of sugar.

Mix to combine, then add 2 eggs and mix again. Add flour mixture and 1 cup of milk alternately to creamed mixture, beating well after each addition.

Lightly grease a muffin tin with butter or Baker's Joy.

Fill the muffin cups 2/3 full, then bake in a 350-degree oven for 20-25 minutes, or until golden.

In a glass container, melt 2 sticks of regular butter. In another container, combine 1 1/2 cups sugar with 3 teaspoons of cinnamon. Stir to combine. Roll a muffin around in the melted butter. Don’t rush this step; give each muffin a good 20-30 seconds in the butter. You want the butter to begin to seep into the top layer of the muffin. After the muffin has been adequately bathed in butter, begin rolling the muffin in the cinnamon sugar mixture.

Individual baked Alaskas

I have always wanted to try Baked Alaska, so I was thrilled when Karly shared this recipe with me, from Williams-Sonoma.

1/4 c. water

3/4 c. sugar

6 slices purchased almond or plain pound cake, each 1/2" thick

2 c. cherry ice cream

2 c. pistachio ice cream

3 large egg whites

1/4 t. cream of tartar

In a small, heavy saucepan combine water and 1/4 c. sugar. Bring to boil over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and the syrup is clear, about 1 minute. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Arrange 6-fl oz custard cups on a work surface. Trim each pound cake slice so that it fits into a cup and reserve the trimmings. (The slices must cover the bottoms fully.) Using your fingers, crumble the trimmings into coarse crumbs.

Brush the cake layers with the cooled syrup. Spoon about 1/3 c. ice cream into each custard cup, and press firmly to cover the cake and fill the cup. Smooth the top and sprinkle with cake crumbs, then press to adhere. Set the cups on a baking sheet, cover, and freeze them until firm, at least 3 hours or up to overnight.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Using an electric mixer on medium speed or a wire whisk, beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and continue beating until stiff, glossy peaks form. Remove the cups from the freezer. Spoon the meringue over the top of each cup, covering the top completely and swirling the meringue into a high dome.

Return the custard cup to the baking sheet and bake until the meringue is lightly browned, 2-3 minutes. Serve at once.

Brownie pudding

I have seen Ina Garten's recipe for brownie pudding on several blogs now. It sounds divine!

Ingredients

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus extra for buttering the dish
4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup good cocoa powder
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean
1 tablespoon framboise liqueur, optional
Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly butter a 2-quart (9 by 12 by 2-inch) oval baking dish. Melt the 1/2 pound of butter and set aside to cool.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs and sugar on medium-high speed for 5 to 10 minutes, until very thick and light yellow. Meanwhile, sift the cocoa powder and flour together and set aside.

When the egg and sugar mixture is ready, reduce the speed to low and add the vanilla seeds, framboise, if using, and the cocoa powder and flour mixture. Mix only until combined. With mixer still on low, slowly pour in the cooled butter and mix again just until combined.

Pour the brownie mixture into the prepared dish and place it in a larger baking pan. Add enough of the hottest tap water to the pan to come halfway up the side of the dish and bake for exactly 1 hour. A cake tester inserted 2 inches from the side will come out 3/4 clean. The center will appear very under-baked; this dessert is between a brownie and a pudding.

Allow to cool and serve with vanilla ice cream.

Apple cupcakes

I spotted these apple cupcakes on Studio 5 a couple of weeks ago, and I made a variation of them for my Halloween party last week. I actually omitted the apples in the cupcakes, and instead of making my own caramel frosting, I used the maple caramel syrup we bought in Canada. You can also insert a lollipop stick into the cupcakes to make them look like caramel apples.

Ingredients:
•1 box spice cake mix
•2 eggs
•2 tsp. vanilla extract
•1 tsp. cinnamon
•½ cup oil
•2 Granny Smith apples cut into ½" pieces, skins on

Method:

Mix together cake mix, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, and oil. Batter will be thick. Add apples and beat for 2-3 minutes on medium speed. Batter will thin out somewhat. Pour batter into paper liners and fill ¾ full. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack. Frost once cooled.

Caramel Cream Frosting

•4 Tbsp. butter
•¼ cup brown sugar
•¼ cup dark brown sugar
•2-3 Tbsp. whole milk
•1 cup powdered sugar
•1 tsp. vanilla extract

Place butter and brown sugars in a medium skillet over medium heat. Stir and cook the mixture until it comes to a boil. Add milk and bring the mixture back to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove pan from heat and add powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat mixture with a wooden spoon until smooth and creamy. Allow the cupcakes to cool slightly before frosting. Frosting will harden when cooled completely.

Pumpkin Crème Brûlée

Umm, hello? This dessert has written, "Made especially for me" all over it! Pumpkin + crème brûlée = divine! I was tickled pink when I saw this post on Sophistimom.

1 1/4 cup (285g) heavy cream
3/4 cup (170g) milk
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
5 egg yolks
1/2 cup granulated or superfine sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup (245g) pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons superfine sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees (150 degrees Celsius). In a medium saucepan, set over medium heat, bring cream, milk, spices, and vanilla to almost boiling. Reduce heat to very low.
2. In a tea kettle or medium saucepan, start heating about a quart of water to boil.
3. In a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip egg yolks, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and brown sugar until thick and light yellow.
4. With mixer on low speed, slowly pour a cup of the hot cream mixture into the egg mixture. Mix until well incorporated, then add back into the cream mixture. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Stir in pumpkin puree.
5. Place a strainer over a large bowl and strain mixture. Use a wooden spoon to press it through.
6. Pour custard into a 9″ ceramic dish. Place dish into a roasting pan lined with a kitchen towel. Place in oven, and carefully pour boiling water into the roasting pan until it comes about halfway up the sides of the baking dish. Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until the custard looks almost set. There will be some movement when you jiggle the pan, but it should not be liquid in the middle.
7. Remove from oven, and allow to cool in the roasting pan for 30 minutes. Remove custard from the roasting pan, and let cool completely on a cooling rack. Refrigerate until well-chilled, about 2-3 hours,
8. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of superfine sugar evenly over the surface of the custard. Using a kitchen torch, or a propane blow torch from the hardware store, carefully melt the sugar until it caramelizes and hardens onto candy. Refrigerate for thirty minutes more. Serve.

Pumpkin and Gingerbread Ice Cream Sandwiches

What a fabulous idea, from No Fuss Fabulous via Canelle et Vanille. If you don't have time to make both the cookies and the ice cream, consider buying one or both already prepared.

{Photo via Canelle et Vanille.}

Gingerbread Sugar Cookies

250 grams butter
125 grams powdered sugar
1 egg
370 grams flour
3 grams salt
2 grams baking powder
3 grams ground ginger
2 grams ground cloves
1 gram ground cinnamon
Egg wash
Sanding sugar

Cream the butter and the powdered sugar with the paddle attachment. Scrape the bowl and add the egg. Mix until combined. Combine the flour, salt, baking powder and spices and add to the mixing bowl. Mix until combined.

Turn the dough on to your work surface and shape it into a disk. Wrap it in plastic wrap and flatten it some more. Refrigerate overnight.

Remove dough from refrigerator and roll to 1/8" thickness. Cut with a square cookie cutter that is about 3" and place them on a sheetpan lined with a silicon mat or a piece of parchment paper. Brush the tops of the cookies with egg wash and sprinkle sanding sugar on top. Bake at 350F for about 8 minutes. Let the cookies cool before assembling the ice cream sandwiches.

Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream

450 grams whole milk
100 grams heavy cream
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cloves
170 grams sugar
70 grams egg yolks
200 grams fresh pumpkin puree

Cut a medium size pumpkin in half. Place on a sheetpan cut side down and bake at 375F for about 30 minutes or until flesh soft and scoopable. Measure 200 grams of the pumpkin flesh, puree and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, heat the milk, heavy cream, half of the sugar and the spices. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and the rest of the sugar. When the milk mixture comes to a boil, temper into the egg yolks and whisk. Return this base to the pan and cook to 82C or until it coats the back of a wooden spoon.

Strain this custard through a fine sieve into a clean bowl. Mix the pumpkin puree into it and place the bowl over an ice bath to cool it quickly. Let the ice cream base rest in the refrigerator overnight.

Churn in ice cream machine and when done, pour into a frozen quarter sheetpan. Freeze until solid.

Cut ice cream with the same size square cookie cutter used to cut the gingerbread sugar cookies. Place the ice cream squares between cookies and serve,

Caramel Pecan Bars

Ingredients
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter or stick margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons fat-free milk
40 small soft caramel candies
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
Preparation
Preheat oven to 375°.

Beat the first 4 ingredients with a mixer at medium speed until well-blended. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Add flour to sugar mixture, stirring until well-blended. (Mixture will be crumbly.) Firmly press mixture into bottom of an 8-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes.

While crust is baking, combine milk and caramel candies in a medium sauce-pan. Place over low heat; cook until candies melt, stirring occasionally. Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla; remove from heat.

Remove the crust from oven. Pour the caramel mixture evenly over hot crust. Sprinkle with pecans. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.

{Recipe from Cooking Light via My Recipes.}