homemade thin mints

Welcome to the happiest day of my life. Just kidding... sort of. When it's girl-scout-cookie season, thin mints have always been/will always be my go-to cookie. When I met up with my friend Anna (who I haven't seen since Greece!), I was happy to learn that she works for Vegetarian Times (she's also a SF chef as well as a chocolatier!) and tests recipes. I was even happier when I found out that she recently worked on recipes from BabyCakes' new book, BabyCakes Covers the Classics. And then I was ecstatic to see that she had extra frozen dough from when she tested a homemade thin mints recipe.

As we prepared the dough for the oven and waited for the chocolate-covered pieces of heaven to cool, the one word that seemed to be floating around was "impatience." We wanted these bad. Somehow we managed to let the chocolate melt completely, let the cookies cool (almost) completely, and let the chocolate-dipped cookies harden (so what if we used the freezer instead of the fridge) before we ate them. The patience was hard to come by, but it was so, so worth it.

homemade thin mints
from BabyCakes

1 1/2 cups Bob’s Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten-Free Baking Flour
1 cup vegan sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup arrowroot
1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup melted refined coconut oil or canola oil
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1 cup vegan gluten-free chocolate chips
3 tablespoons mint extract

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, arrowroot, xanthan gum, baking soda, and salt. Add the coconut oil, applesauce, and vanilla and mix until a thick dough forms (it will be a little crumbly). Form small dough balls and place on a lined cookie sheet-- each 1 to 1 1/2 inches apart from one another, flattening each ball and smoothing the edges. Bake for 7 minutes, rotate the pan, and bake for another 7 minutes. Let stand on baking sheet for 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt chocolate and mint in a double boiler (or a metal boil on top of water boiling in a pot). When completely melted, remove from heat. Dunk cooled cookies in mint chocolate and place on a cooling rack. Once all dipped cookies are on the rack, place them in your freezer for 15-20 minutes, until the chocolate has hardened.

You're welcome.

oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

I've been making these cookies since my coffee-shop-baking days almost two years ago. The original recipe calls for raisins, but they're easily interchangeable with chocolate chips if you happen to have some anti-raisin friends. Every time I make these classic cookies they come out really well-- the proportions are perfect and the cookie is nice and chewy. Since the recipe is so simple, it's easy to make them on a whim and fill your house with the scent of freshly baked cookies.

oatmeal chocolate chip cookies
adapted from smitten kitchen

1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350°F. First cream the butter, then add the sugar, egg, and vanilla until well combined. Stir in the flour, baking soda, and spices until the dough begins to come together. Fold in the oats and chocolate chips. Place dough-balls at least two inches apart from one another on your baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes, or, until golden brown. Once they're out of the oven, let them sit on the baking rack for a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Enjoy with vanilla soy milk (or your beverage of choice)!

m&m cookies

I'm surprised that it's taken me to long to make these. Cookies? Good. M&M's? Good. M&M Cookies? Even better. There isn't much to say. I took my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, replaced the chips with M&M's, and enjoyed my second favorite candy* in the form of a cookie.

*My favorite are Kit Kats. I'm still thinking of ways to incorporate these into another dessert...

m&m cookies
adapted from Alton Brown

2 sticks (1 cup) of butter
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups M&M's

Preheat the oven to 375° F. Melt the butter. In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking soda. Add both sugars and cream together. Add egg, yolk, milk, and vanilla until well combined. Incorporate the flour mixture with the butter mixture. Stir in M&M's. Chill the dough for 15 minutes. Scoop dough balls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, each cookie 2-3 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Check frequently and turn the baking sheet after 5 minutes for even browning. Enjoy!

ate pre's cranberry orange cookies

A lot of people hear "cranberry orange cookies" and don't think that they'd be a big deal. Believe me, these are a big deal. I first had them during our road trip to Seattle to visit my cousin, Ate Preciosa. She was baking tons and tons of batches as holiday cookies and David and I were lucky enough to be there during the process. I heard "cranberry orange" and didn't expect much. I'm not particular to cranberries. Or oranges. Or cookie glazes, for that matter.

After Ate Pre made hers and I tried some, I kept "walking by" the kitchen just in case there were more on the table. These are amazing. They're addicting. And now my official go-to non-chocolate cookie.

cranberry orange cookies
adapted from allrecipes

1 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups dried cranberries

1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
3 tablespoons orange juice
1 cup confectioners' sugar

Cream the butter and sugars together. Add the egg, zest, and juice and mix. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the orange mixture. Fold in the cranberries. Drop tablespoonfuls onto parchment paper, about 2 inches apart. Bake at 375° for 12-14 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool completely.

While the cookies are cooling, mix orange zest, juice, and confectioners' sugar. Add more sugar or juice as needed to get a drippy consistency. Once the cookies have cooled, drizzle the glaze over the cookies* and let the glaze harden (5-10 minutes) before eating. Enjoy!

*I highly suggest putting newspaper (or old homework assignments..) down under your cooling racks before doing this. It's messy (but totally worth it).

carrot cake muffins

The return of the muffin! Anna and I made these Saturday morning after she found this recipe featured on the NY Times. This particular recipe is great for breakfast-- I truly think that this is the healthiest muffin I've ever made. The whole wheat flour and the grated carrots make the muffin very wholesome and perfect with a morning cup of tea.

carrot cake muffins
from the new york times

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups grated carrots

Combine flour, powder, soda, and spices. In a separate bowl, mix eggs, brown sugar, oil, buttermilk, and vanilla. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in carrots. Evenly disperse in greased muffin tins* and bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

*This recipe is very wholesome, so if you'd like to add a little extra sweetness, I recommend sprinkling brown sugar on top of the muffins before they bake.

apple galette

My first galette! A few months ago my sister made a really delicious berry galette, and when Norris told me she'd like an apple galette for her birthday I knew it was finally time to try it myself. I went to the ever-useful, Deb, for advice, but unfortunately this was the first time that a Smitten recipe didn't come out perfectly for me. The apple to dough ratio was a little off so I've fixed it below for future reference. But, even though there were holes in my dough and apple juice burned along my silicone liners, everything was still [golden] delicious. Okay... no more puns.

apple galette
adapted from Smitten Kitchen

dough:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick (8 tbsp) of just softened butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
4 1/2 tablespoons cold water

filling:
3 medium golden delicious apples (or which ever firm type you'd like) peeled and cored
2 tablespoons melted butter
4 tablespoons sugar
1-2 teaspoons cinnamon

Combine flour, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter at low speed until the dough looks like coarse cornmeal. Add the rest of the butter, until the largest chunks resemble peas. Slowly dribble in a tablespoon or so of water, then mix and add more until the dough begins to come together. Run your fingers through the dough and begin forming a ball (if there are dry patches, add another tablespoon or so of water). Form a disk 4 inches in diameter, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Once ready, on a lightly floured surface, begin to roll dough out with a floured rolling pin (or muddler, or wine bottle..). As the dough thins, smooth over and repair cracks at the edge so it's one continuous circle. Roll the dough out to 14 inches in diameter, 1/8th - 1/4th of an inch thick.

Place dough on silicone mat or parchment paper. Assemble apples in the middle, with at least 2 inches from the perimeter of the circle. Begin to fold dough onto the apples, making vertical pleats in the dough. Brush apples and dough with melted butter then sprinkle sugar and cinnamon on top.

Bake at 400°F for 45 minutes, rotating the galette every 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for at least a few minutes before you enjoy it warm and fresh.*

*Homemade whipped cream is a highly suggested addition.

strawberry & banana whipped cream cake

For years my family has gone to a tiny bakery called Mazzetti's for our favorite cake: chocolate with layers of strawberries and bananas with whipped cream frosting. To be honest, I don't really like cake... but I love this cake. When I was in Oxford I tried to make it for the first time in for my friend Hiyabel's birthday and since its success I always anticipate birthdays in the event that someone will request this.

My dear, beautiful mother's birthday was last week so I made the cake for our family get together. Not to toot my own horn... but with the cake, on my own handmade cake stand, with the strawberries and whipped cream just perfect... I was one proud baker.

strawberry & banana whipped cream cake

1 box of chocolate cake (or one scratch recipe)
2 bananas
2 pound-container of strawberries
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 pint heavy whipping cream
1/2 to 1 cup powdered sugar

Place a metal mixing bowl in the freezer (the one you'll use to make your whipped cream). Make chocolate cake in two 8" or 9" cake rounds according to recipe. Once finished, remove from pans and place in the freezer for 30-40 minutes, or until cake is completely cool. In the mean time, mix half of the heavy whipping cream with 1/2 cup of sugar in your metal bowl and whisk at high speed until there are stiff peaks. Set in fridge.

Chop up bananas and place in a bowl. Reserve 6 or 7 strawberries that you think are the prettiest (these will be used for decoration). Slice the rest into quarters. Mix with bananas and lemon juice. Slowly fold in whipping cream with fruit until you get an even ratio. Make more whipped cream again. Place a layer of fruit onto one cake round and then place the other round on top. Frost the cake with the remaining cream and decorate however you'd like to (I chopped up chocolate chips and threw them along the side). Refrigerate until serving. Enjoy!*

*Try to make and consume the cake in the same day... the whipped cream doesn't hold as well because it's so light and fluffy!

crème de menthe cookies

I've been wanting to make these for years but I could never find the Andes chips at the grocery store. Of course, upon finding them in November, I realized I could have just chopped up the Andes chocolates myself because that's basically what these are. For all mint chocolate lovers-- these cookies are a must. There's an essence of creme de menthe throughout the soft cookie which makes them a little extra perfect after a meal. And, when I gave a batch to my friends for Christmas, they asked if I had put crack in the cookies. I didn't... but yes, they're that good.

crème de menthe cookies
adapted from andes

1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup white granulated sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 package (10 oz.) Andes Chips
2 2/3 cups flour

Cream the butter and sugars together. Add soda, powder, vanilla and eggs. Add flour. Fold in the mint chips until well combined. Stick in the freezer for 10-15 minutes. Form the dough into balls and bake at 350° F for 10-12 minutes. Share with loved ones.

Merry Christmas Eve!

pumpkin apple streusel muffins

After having a Mimi's Cafe muffin on Black Friday, I haven't been able to stop thinking about how warm, moist and perfect it was (the sign of a really good muffin). I scoured the internet for a the recipe, and the one I found may not be exact but if it's not, it's perfect on its own.

Shred the apples. Make the streusel. They are the perfect combination of a sweet, crispy top with a moist, flavorful inside. I also discovered that apple and pumpkin compliment one another really well. I'd never thought of it before, but both are pretty subtle flavors and they make the perfect pair.

pumpkin apple streusel muffins
adapted from the Cooking Light forum

1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 cups shredded apple (I use 2-3 large apples, peeled)

streusel:
3 tablespoons flour
1/4 c sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons room temperature butter

Mix dry ingredients and wet ingredients (minus apple) in separate bowls. Once mixed, add wet and dry ingredients together and fold in the apples. Evenly distribute in muffin tins. Combine dry streusel ingredients. Mix in butter (I like to use my hands) until well incorporated and there are no large butter chunks. Sprinkle onto muffins. Bake at 350° for 18-20, or until slightly crispy on top.

Serve fresh out of the oven for breakfast.

PS - Today I've got another pumpkin recipe featured over at sweet symphanie!

chocolate banana cupcakes with buttercream frosting

Next in my little tea-series are mini cupcakes!

While I think that tea, sandwiches and scones are the most essential part of a tea party, mini bite-sized cupcakes are a great thing to have if you have extra time to make them. They're a great compliment to the savory sandwiches and are a nice sweet treat to enjoy with your tea. They're also adorable and another lovely way to decorate the table. I chose banana chocolate cupcakes because subtle banana flavors really compliment rich chocolate, but you can use whichever mini cupcake is your favorite to add to your menu.

banana chocolate cupcakes

2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 - 3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2-3 bananas, mashed
1 cup warm water
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup butter
1/2 shortening
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons milk
your favorite food coloring color

In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients. In another bowl, combine wet ingredients until well mixed. Add wet to dry ingredients until combined. The batter will be very thin, so I recommend using a deep spoon or muffin scoop when putting the batter in the tins. Bake at 350° for 18-20 minutes (this is for mini muffins) or until a cake-tester comes out clean. Cool cupcakes completely.

In a cold mixing bowl, cream butter and gradually add the shortening. Once combined, add the sugar slowly, one 1/2 cup at a time. If the frosting is really think, add a tablespoon of milk to thin it out a little bit. Once combined, add 2-3 drops of your favorite food coloring color to give the frosting a fun spin. Pipe/spread the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes and serve!

lavender banana bread muffins

I know I mentioned the peach-nectarine cobbler that I just made on Sunday, but I made these mini lavender banana bread muffins yesterday and couldn't wait to share them. When I was in Potsdam with David, we visited a little tea shop to look for souvenirs to bring back, and I ended up getting a bag of loose lavender tea to bring home and share with my flatmates.

Last week I went to Costco to get some things and made the mistake of buying a bunch of bananas. Not that I don't love bananas, but how did I expect myself to eat 8 bananas in less than week- not to mention the four days spent waiting for them to get ripe? I decided to make banana bread to make sure that the fruit didn't go to waste, but I didn't want to make the everyday-run-of-the-mill bread (even though it is delicious). So, I thought, "Bananas and lavender? Well, they're both pretty subtle flavors... maybe they'd be good together..."

And so, the end result: the proportions were just right so that I could taste both the banana and the lavender, without either being too overpowering. The extra essence of the flower really brings a new dimension to the bread-classic. I love these.

lavender banana bread* muffins

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
5 bananas mashed up
1 1/2 tablespoons of lavender, chopped**

Cream the butter and brown sugar together. Once combined, add the eggs and bananas until just blended. Stir in the dry ingredients- be cautious of over-mixing. Bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes*** until golden at the top and a cake tester comes out clean.

*Recipe adapted from Banana Banana Bread
**Don't worry if the lavender isn't chopped very finely- I found that the flowers seems to melt into the batter while in the oven.
***This time suggestion is for mini muffins. Regular muffins might take about 18-20 minutes, and large muffins can take up to 25-30 minutes. No matter the baking medium, always keep checking to see if they are done.

a cupcake kind of weekend

I spent a large portion of this weekend baking 90+ cupcakes (and two cakes) for my nieces' birthday party on Saturday. I haven't baked such a large amount in a while, so it was sort of like reliving my coffee-shop-baking days. The party was princess themed, of course, so I made little cupcake toppers and I'm pretty happy with the way they turned out. And of course, there were a few boy-friendly toppers, too.

PS - More of my holgas are up at Anna's for Much Love Monday!