Lemon Ginger Sandwich Cookies

I'm not much of a tea drinker. I usually think it smells kind of weird and makes the back of my tongue feel scratchy. But all that is changing. I had a sip of my friend's chai tea the other day (we snuck it into a movie, shh!) and it was tasty. So that night I had some peppermint tea. It was so refreshing and reminded me of the holidays coming up.




I saw a cup of Lemon Ginger tea on the counter, and I tried that. As soon as I tasted it, I knew that whatever I made this weekend was going to have those flavors. The acidity of the lemon goes perfectly with the gentle earthy flavors of ginger. I wasn't loving the idea of a lemon ginger cake at the time, although I'm sure it would be interesting, so I went with cookies.



I love making roll-out cookies because you can get those nice crisp shapes. Again, I don't usually love roll-out cookies, but I tasted a little of this cookie and it is good all by itself. If you like that kind of cookie better, then just don't frost them. You will be pleasantly surprised. You will see a lot of cookies soon because I'm going to be running a booth at a holiday crafts fair with my cookies. I'll try and take pictures when I make the bags, but no guarantees because I will probably be covered in flour and entirely frantic by the time I will be ready to photograph them. Have a nice weekend!

Ginger Cookies

2 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/4 cup mild molasses

Whisk the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl, then set aside. In a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Then, add the molasses. Once smooth, add dry ingredients and mix well. Transfer the dough onto some plastic wrap, and pack tightly. Put the dough in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

After chilling, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Roll the dough out on a floured piece of parchment paper until 1/4" thick. Using a cutter of your choice, cut out shape and transfer to parchment lined sheet pans. Bake for around 12 minutes, until only slightly darker around the edges. Remove from oven and let cool for at least 2 hours before frosting.

Lemon Buttercream

1.5 sticks butter
1 cup confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon lemon oil
Zest of one medium lemon

Combine ingredients in a stand mixer. Transfer to a piping bag with a small, plain, tip.

Assembly
Ice a circle slightly inside the border of the cookie and fill the circle. Place another cookie on top and press lightly. These store well in the fridge up to a week.

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Fall Guest Post for Cakespy

For a dinner party at my house this past weekend I made apple cranberry galettes with honey cinnamon ice cream. I rarely eat anything I bake, but it was reported back to me that they were delicious. This is a great fall recipe, so check it out at Cakespy.
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Halloween Cupcakes

These halloween cupcakes were very last minute. I made the the chocolate vanilla "ghosts" on Thursday night and the pumpkin spice ones on Halloween itself. I think that with Halloween, there has to be a little chocolate, and pumpkins are basically the symbol of Halloween, so you've got to have that. I've found that people tend to enjoy the mini cupcakes the most. First, they're irresistibly cute and they just pop into your mouth so easily.




When a regular size cupcake is presented to someone they will most likely eat it, but feel rather sick afterward. To avoid that bad feeling being associated with cupcakes, I usually make these little guys. The frosting/cake ratio also seems to work a little better with the minis.

Chocolate Cake

4.25 oz unsweetened chocolate
1 cup AP flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter; softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over simmering water. Stir until melted. Remove from water and let cool.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl.

In a large bowl, mix the butter and sugar until smooth and creamy. On low speed, add the melted chocolate until incorporated. On medium speed, add the eggs, one at a time. Add the vanilla and beat until the mixture has changed to a slightly lighter color. Mix in the yogurt until completely blended. Dissolve espresso powder into water and pour into batter. Mix on low speed just until smooth. Line a muffin tin with paper cups and spray the whole pan with vegetable oil [to prevent sticking]. Fill each cup almost to the top. Bake minis for about 10 minutes.

Vanilla Buttercream

1-1-½ stick unsalted butter
1 cup powdered sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1-1-½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Sanding sugar or sprinkles

In a stand mixer, beat softened butter and powdered sugar, then salt, and mix thoroughly. Add in vanilla extract and mix. Transfer to a piping bag and pipe onto cupcakes. Sprinkle with orange sprinkles or any other decorations of choice.

Pumpkin Cake
Adapted from Martha Stewart

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pan
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin puree

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Beat butter, sugar, eggs, and pumpkin puree in mixer until thoroughly combined.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Mix together well. Add to the wet mixture. Do not overmix.

Butter and flour mini muffin tins. Fill each cup 1/2 way with batter. Bake for 10 minutes, until the cakes are firm to the touch.

Remove from oven and let cool.

Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting

1 stick butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Mix ingredients together in mixer until smooth and creamy. Transfer to a piping bag and pipe onto cooled cupcakes.

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Upside Down Apple Cakes

Last weekend I visited Lopez, one of the San Juan Islands, with my friend. Her family has a lovely house there, including apple and pear trees. The Northwest is known for those two fall fruits, and I certainly know why. I picked one of the apples and cut it open then and there. It was unbelievably crisp and juicy. As soon as I tasted it I knew I had to make something. Not being at home, I had to be a little more creative with what was there. I had a nice selection of tools, but no Kitchen Aid stand mixer! I got some help making the cakes from my friend's little sister, so she deserves some credit. I rarely bake with other people, so it was nice to have a hand.

Cake
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup whole milk


Sift flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg into a medium bowl and whisk until well combined.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter for 10 seconds, until soft. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Mix in eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly in between.

Beat in dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with the milk, in two parts. Start and end with the flour. Try not to overmix. Set aside.

Apples
6-7 medium apples, preferably tart variety
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Peel and cut apples into thin, 1/4" slices. Toss in sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Let macerate for 15 minutes in the fridge. In a large sauté pan, add 1 tablespoon of butter, and turn on medium heat. Once butter is melted, add apples and cook until the apples are cut through easily, but not browned.

Assembly
Lay apples in the bottom of the muffin tins that have been buttered and floured. Fill the remainder of the muffin cup with cake batter. Bake for 14-16 minutes, depending on your oven.

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Pumpkin Gingerbread Ice Cream Sandwiches

My school is a little weird in that it divides the year into 5 parts. My first "quint" is ending, which means teachers decide to pile on the work. All at one time. The last week of the quint is always a little insane; everyone's very stressed and a little grouchy. But there is reward to the difficult week. We get a couple days off to recuperate, which means I'll most likely have time for an extra post (woot woot). I've been doing a lot of college searching lately, and I'm completely falling in love with the courses I've been looking up. I'm not exactly sure what I want to, but graphic design has always been a love of mine. I get really excited whenever I start to research it. There's a lot of anxiety involved in picking out what you want to be for the rest of your life. But there's a lot of fun involved, too. Seeing the types of things I'll get to do in a couple of years, eases the pressure, as it looks like so much fun. I know I love my web designing, photography, and baking, so that's what I'll stick to for now!

Pumpkin Ice Cream

1 cup pumpkin purée
2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 egg yolks

Combine pumpkin and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Cover and place in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Whisk egg yolks with 1/2 cup of cream and 1/2 cup brown sugar until thick.

In a medium saucepan, combine 1/4 cup brown sugar and remaining 1 1/2 cups of cream. Heat on low until sugar is dissolved and steam rises, continually mixing.

Add 1/2 cup of hot cream into egg mixture gradually, whisking thoroughly.
Pour egg mixture into saucepan and heat on medium-low until mixture is thickened, but does not boil.

Pour through a strainer and let cool in refrigerator for 30 minutes, then mix in pumpkin. Cover in an airtight container for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

Transfer mixture to ice cream maker and use manufacturer's in structions.



Gingerbread Cake
adapted from martha stewart

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
3/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ginger
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup molasses
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray a half sheetpan with cooking spray and line with parchment. Spray parchment and use a paper towel to spread. Flour well and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together spices, salt, sugar, and flour.

In another bowl, whisk together molasses, egs, canola oil, and buttermilk.

Dissolve the baking soda in the boiling water.

Gently fold in molasses and water mixtures into the dry ingredients until a batter is formed. Pour into prepared sheetpan and bake for 20 minutes, or until the cake springs back with a light touch, depending on your oven.

Let cool for at least 20 minutes before attempting to remove. Once cooled, use a ruler or other straight edge to cut equal size squares. remove the squares and each cut in half, producing two rectangles.

Assembly

Once the ice cream is made, spread it in a sheetpan lined with parchment into one even layer. Let set up in freezer for at least 3 hours. Once hardened, use a ruler to cut ice cream squares the same size as the cake.

Just before serving, stack ice cream on top of one piece of cake, layering another on top of the ice cream. You can make a little powdered sugar+cream glaze to drizzle on top, and pecans go nicely with this.

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Asian Pear Coffee Cake

It has finally gotten chilly around here. I am so excited to wake up each morning and be freezing. I know I'm a little weird for loving to be cold. Over the past couple of days it has actually become fall, which means new flavors. Fall is my favorite season, not to mention its flavor profiles. The warm spices and crisp apples are just a few of the many perks. I decided on this asian pear coffee cake because of some lovely asian pears picked by family friends at their farm. Pears like that don't just come around all the time, so I knew I had to take advantage of them. I find that both apples and pears taste the best slow cooked with a cake or crumble. Since I wanted to make something that combined the three, I went with a coffee cake. This recipe is moist, but not too dense. It has a delicious crumble on top and the cinnamon pears add a nice texture and juice to the cake. This is great for breakfast, dessert, snack, whatever. Enjoy your first days of fall!

Crumble

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cups brown sugar
1 teaspoon coarse salt
6 oz butter, cold & unsalted

Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter until there are only small lumps of butter.

Place in refrigerator until ready to use.



Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 stick butter, unsalted
1 cup + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
4 medium asian pears

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg. Mix well in a medium bowl, and set aside.

In a stand mixer, beat butter and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and beat well. Add vanilla extract until combined.

Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with the sour cream, starting and ending with the dry ingredients.

Do not overmix batter.

Peel and slice asian pears very thinly, about 1/4"-1/8" thick. Toss with 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and 1/2 a teaspoon of nutmeg. Let macerate for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, butter a 9" bundt cake pan thoroughly. Pour 1/2 the batter on the bottom, using a spatula to spread. Layer macerated pears on top. Layer the rest of the batter
on top. Remove crumble from refrigerator and pour evenly on top.

Bake for about 50 minutes, depending on your oven, until the top is dark golden brown.

Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 2 hours before removing from pan.

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Chocolate Caramel Tarts

I can't even believe how long it's been since I've been able to put up a post. I missed it, trust me. What with going to school, playing sports, and staying social, the time to bake, photograph, and blog is very limited. But I had some time this weekend, and because baking is a calming thing for me, I decided that was what I was going to do. I chose this recipe by looking through Donna Hay magazine. Yes, my friends make fun of me for reading Donna Hay and Martha Stewart, but I love those ladies! The food styling in Donna Hay magazine is to die for. I buy every $10 issue from Australia because it is just so beautiful to look at, let alone make recipes from it. I guess this post goes to my favorite women in the industry, too perfect for their own good.




I decided just to put up a little quad of an apple pie I made with some butter pecan ice cream. I won't be putting a recipe up, but I thought it captured the autumn spirit, so enjoy the cold weather (woo hoo!).

Short crust pastry
from Martha Stewart

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups (2 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg yolk

In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix flour, sugar, and salt on medium-low speed to combine. Add butter, and continue mixing until coarse crumbs form. Add egg yolk; mix just until dough comes together. Form into a ball and place in plastic wrap. Tightly wrap sides. Use a rolling pin to flatten as much as possible, without pushing to dough out of the plastic wrap. Chill for at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

On a floured work-surface, roll the dough 1/2" thick. Press into tart pans and place in freezer for 20 minutes. Line with parchment paper and weights and bake for 13 minutes. Let cool.

Caramel Filling

396g can sweetened condensed milk
60g unsalted butter
2 tablespoons corn syrup

Combine ingredients in a medium saucepan on low heat until melted. Let thicken slightly, then pour into cooled tart shells. Let sit in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Chocolate Ganache

200g dark chocolate
2 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream

Combine in a small saucepan until melted and pour on top of chilled caramel filling, spreading if needed. Sprinkle lightly with fleur de sel and let chill just until serving.

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