I decided to bring Starbucks home with me...

I have to admit... when it comes to lattes, I'm a sucker for Starbucks. Every time I stand in line waiting for my grande soy latte I look at the baked goods on display and think... "I can totally do better than that!"... and so began last week's baking challenge. I decided to bake up a batch (or three) of Starbucks' classic Cranberry Bliss Bars and their Banana Walnut Bread.

I think in the end I did really well... the bars ended up with a bit of a thicker brownie crust than I would have liked - but I now know what I'll do next time... and believe me, there will be a next time. I can understand why these are such a hit in the coffee shops around the holidays - they look so festive when assembled - and taste as good as they look!

You have to be a little proactive with this recipe... the frosting calls for softened cream cheese - so be sure to take it out of the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature (ditto for some of the butter). And... you have to be patient... things need to cool before you can continue to assemble, but it really is worth the time and effort. I promise... after all, if I can be patient enough to do this, you can too!

Cranberry Bliss Bars

The Base
ingredients:
1 c. butter, melted
1 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. white sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp orange extract
2 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground ginger
3/4 c. dried cranberries
3/4 c. white chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 325 F. Prepare a 9x13 rectangular pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.

Allow the melted butter to cool slightly. In a large glass bowl and with your electric mixer, beat together the melted butter and sugars for 3 - 5 minutes until light. Gently blend in the eggs (1 at a time) and orange extract with the mixer at low speed. Add the flour, baking powder and ginger, just incorporating. Add the cranberries and chips - folding in with a wooden spoon.

Spread the batter into the pan (it'll be thick, that's ok). Bake until the skewer test comes out clean - my oven took about 45 minutes - but I started checking @ 29 minutes... since I didn't want to over bake and dry out the brownies.

Allow the brownies to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Remove them from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

While they are cooling start on your frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting
ingredients:
3.3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
2 tbsp butter, room temperature
3 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp orange extract
3 tbsp half & half (or milk - whatever you have on hand)

Add your paddle attachment to your kitchenaid and blend the cream cheese and the butter until fluffy (about 3 minutes @ speed 4).

Add the orange extract and the powdered sugar and beat until you get that fluffy and spreadable frosting - adding the half & half a tbsp at a time; use your judgement in adding the liquid... it'll give you that looseness you need to create a spreadable frosting.

Spread the frosting over the cooled brownie bass.

Now for the fun... garnish these babies :0)

The Festive Garnish
ingredients:
1/2 c. dried cranberries, roughly chopped
zest of 1 orange
1/3 c. white chocolate chips
1/2 tsp vegetable oil

Zest your orange and roughly chop your cranberries. Sprinkle them both over the frosted base.

Mix the white chocolate chips and vegetable oil in a glass bowl over a simmering pot of water. Allow the chocolate to melt - stir as needed.

Using either a whisk or a fork, drizzle the melted chocolate over the bars. Allow the white chocolate to set for one hour before you cut them. I wanted the "traditional Starbucks triangles", so I cut the base in 3 columns and then 4 rows and then cut each of those squares in half diagonally to create the triangles.

Simply beautiful and really impressive.

Next time: I'll be using a 10x15 rectangular pan for a thinner brownie base... and I'm also going to exchange the orange extract for vanilla and swap out the orange rind for crystallized ginger... just to twist it up a little more.

Here's to the beginning of the holiday season... cheers!

the birthday weekend...

I'd been looking forward to last weekend for quite some time... you see, Gigi and René bought their first house and Saturday evening was not only their house warming par-tay, but it was also René's birthday.

I wanted to bring them some lovin' from the oven - and it had to be something that I knew would bring huge smiles to their faces. That meant that it could only be one thing...lemon meringue pie.

This time round I made mini lemon meringue tarts for them. Although it's not a new recipe (I've already posted it), I thought you'd enjoy at least looking at some pictures - some blind baking of the crusts, filling them with lemon curd and then baking the meringue... oh, and obviously of course pictures of the new home-owners (and birthday boy).

Bonne fête René! And congratulations guys... I heart your home (and the two of you).

have i mentioned i'm lovin' scones?

I wish I could update this blog with a recipe that has nothing to do with scones... and yet, I can't. You see - the obsession hasn't diminished. If anything, it's gotten worse.

I'm also still obsessed with lemons. So why not make a combo - a light, fluffy, wonderfully tart batch of lemon scones. Easy to make, so few ingredients and so wonderful to eat; the tartness of the lemon with the sweetness of some sugar sprinkled on top of the batter - an absolute winner in my books.

Lemon scones
adapted from: the cheese board collective works
ingredients:
grated zest of 1 large lemon
juice of 1 lemon
3/4 c. + 1/4 c. white sugar
3 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 c. (2 sticks) cold butter, cut into cubes
3/4 c. half & half
3/4 c. buttermilk

Preheat your oven to 375 F. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper.

Zest the lemon over the 3/4 c. of sugar and set aside.

Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together into your stand-mixer bowl. Add the sugar/lemon mixture to the bowl and mix with your paddle attachment at a low speed (STIR)until just combined. Add the butter and cut it into the flour on low speed for about 4 minutes (you're looking for pea sized clumps).

Stop mixing and make a well in the centre of your mixture. Add the cream, buttermilk and lemon juice. Mix together (low speed) very briefly; you want everything to come together and gather a little on your paddle attachment.

Turn the dough out onto a well floured surface. You'll want to use your rolling pin to roll out the dough into a rectangle. Cut your scones into triangular shapes. Place your scones onto the prepared pans and then move the pans to the freezer. Allow the dough to chill for 30 minutes (allowing the butter to get really cold in order to really puff while baking).
Remove from the freezer and sprinkle the scones with the remaining 1/4 c. of sugar. Bake in the middle rack for 25 to 30 minutes (golden brown). Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely - or grab one and eat it (that's exactly what I did... and boy, was it good).

You should make these just so that you're kitchen is filled with the smell of lemons and warm dough... and then you can fill your tummy with them as well!

the sweet smell of vanilla

Guess what?! I have orders!!!! In the last week I've baked dozens of scones; jalapeño-extra old cheddar, double cheddar-parmesan, cranberry-corn, lemon, white chocolate and raspberry, and finally vanilla bean.

As one request would come in (thank you Zarah for getting the ball rolling) other flavour inspirations would come up... until finally I was baking late into the night (and very early morning).

As part of my brainstorming for flavour ideas, I mentioned vanilla bean scones to Tonya and her face positively lit up; she placed her order immediately. I googled several recipes in an attempt to find the perfect one... with that much excitement I didn't want to disappoint my friend.

From these recipes, I ended up tweaking a couple and merging them together. I was so excited to try this recipe: I couldn't wait to cut into that vanilla pod and scrape out all those seeds. Add to that some pure vanilla extract and I ended up with a sweet smelling treat in my kitchen.

I've learnt the real secret to baking scones. Place the shaped, uncooked batter in the freezer for at least 30 minutes before baking them. This allows the butter to get really cold and then the scone puffs up as it bakes. It made all the difference, taking my scones to a whole new level.

Vanilla Bean Scones
ingredients:
2 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/3 c. white sugar
3/4 tsp vanilla salt
1 tbsp baking powder
1 vanilla pod, cut length-wise and seeds scraped out
1/2 c. (1 stick) COLD butter, cut into small cubes
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 c. buttermilk
1 egg with 1 tsp water, beaten
extra sugar, to sprinkle on top of unbaked scones

Preheat your oven to 375 F. Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

In the bowl of your stand-mixer combine the flour, salt, baking powder, sugar, and vanilla seeds together. Mix to combine with your paddle attachment.

Add the cold butter and start working the butter into the flour at the STIR speed on your mixer (low speed). You just want it to incorporate - so this should take about 4 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the 2 eggs, buttermilk and vanilla extract together in a small bowl. Whisk everything up (so that the eggs are beaten).

Stop the mixer and make a well in the middle of the batter. Pour the wet mixture into the hole and combine (low speed) until everything just comes together... there will be a bit of flour on the bottom of the bowl, that's ok.

Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface. Carefully knead it until it comes together (see photo above of the dough before I cut and shaped it). You want to roll out the dough into a large square (don't roll it too thin). From there you can cut out triangles. I was able to get 12 scones out of my batter - but next time I make them I'm going to make mini-ones. So I imagine I would be able to get at least 24 - if not more...I'll let you know how those turn out.

Place on your cookie sheets and set in your freezer for 30 minutes. Trust me - this makes a difference (see how flat my pre-baked scones are compared to the final product in the pictures above).

Remove from the freezer, brush with the egg wash and then sprinkle some sugar on top of these babies.

Bake for 20 minutes - increasing the time if you need to (mine took 20 minutes, but my oven is totally unpredictable).
Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack. These will store in an airtight container well... but they are too good to keep too long!

This recipe was a winner... and if anyone says "plain vanilla" you can offer them one of these... there is nothing plain about these babies!

just some pictures...

Oh Cannon G10, how I love thee (insert sigh). I love that you can make even my pictures look good. I love that you were made to take pictures of the baked goods I so enjoy making. And I love that I got you on sale.

Here are some pictures from the latest batch of jalapeño-extra old cheddar scones I made (3 dozen in the last week... all sold too!).

Perhaps these pictures will make you want to get out your ingredients and start baking. If not, give me a call. I deliver :0)

bread that really schmecks!

Deb lent me Food that Really Schmecks by Edna Staebler last February. She promised that not only did it have the best bread recipe (in her own words "no fail each and every time") but it would read like a novel; or I'd feel like I was chatting with Edna while enjoying one of the delightful goodies she writes about.

Deb isn't a liar. She was right; the bread recipe hasn't failed me. The book reads like I'm visiting my grandmother and we're sharing a pot of tea and devouring cookies, pies, cakes or warm loaves of bread (or all of the above).

Why schmecks? Well, Edna compiled recipes from the Kitchener/Waterloo (Ontario) Mennonite community. Everything that's in it is tried, tested and no fail; after all, (as I learnt reading this) Mennonites love their food and don't have time to waste. I have re-read it several times; bookmarking pages along the way.

I like to think that this blog is really an Edna entry - since it's thanks to her book that I am able to pass it along :0) (thank you Deb for introducing me to her and her recipes)

This batch makes 3 loaves: I turned one into a raisin bread with a cinnamon, allspice, and brown sugar topping. The second one into a plain white loaf (my father and step-mother have been enjoying that one with me) and the last one into a cornmeal crusted loaf.

I hope you enjoy eating this as much as I enjoyed baking it and eating it... after all, it's bread that really schmecks!

Neil's Harbour White Bread
ingredients:
1 c. lukewarm water
1 tsp white sugar
2 tbsp yeast granules (or 2 packets)
2 c. lukewarm water
1/2 c. white sugar (I used brown sugar instead)
1 heaping tbsp salt
1/2 c. vegetable oil (I only used 7 tbsp)
about 9 c. of all-purpose flour (I only needed 8 1/2 c.)

Warm up your stand-mixer bowl (warm water in it, then dump out the warm water) and pour the 1 c. lukewarm water, the tsp of sugar and sprinkle the yeast in order for it to dissolve.

Let stand for 10 minutes. I cleaned out my fridge while I waited :0)

Once your yeast has risen to the surface of the water, stir it all until it's well blended (and ensuring that the yeast is all dissolved).

Into the mixture you will stir in:(use your dough hook attachment and the STIR speed) the remaining water, the brown sugar, salt, oil and 3 cups of flour.

Increase the speed to level 2 and add more flour, by the 1/2 cup. The dough will start to gather on the hook and you'll know it's ready when it gets that elastic texture - super glossy as well (the flour will pull away from the sides and all gather together).

I got to about 8 1/2 cups of flour and got the texture that I needed. Turn the dough over onto a floured surface and knead it with your hands for a minute. Put about 1 tbsp of vegetable oil into a glass bowl, greasing the bottom and sides and then placing the ball of dough into the bowl. Make sure that you coat the dough with the oil (move it around). Cover with a damp dish towel and set in a draft-free place for at least an hour (I always put mine in the oven) so that it can double in size.

Once it's doubled in size, punch out the air, take it out of the bowl and divide it into 3 equal sizes. This is when I added about a cup of raisins to my raisin loaf - kneading the raisins into the dough before shaping it.

Shape your bread into your shape of choice - loaf or round, or like me - keep them pretty rustic looking.

Place on a cookie sheet (2 loaves on 1 pan and 1 on the other) and cover with a damp cloth again. Allow to rest another 40 minutes in a warm spot - or cover with a damp cloth and allow to rest overnight in the fridge.

When you are ready to bake, preheat your oven to 400 F. Take out the dough, remove the dish towels and make an egg wash; beaten egg with a bit of water. I made my brown sugar mix - 2 tbsp of brown sugar, 1 tbsp cinnamon, 1.5 tsp allspice mixed together.

Brush the egg wash on all 3 loaves. Cover the raisin loaf with the sugar/spice mixture. I covered another loaf with finely ground yellow cornmeal and left the 3rd loaf plain.

With a sharp knife, cut some "steam vents" into the tops of the bread.

Bake for about 20 - 30 minutes. You'll know that they are ready when the tops are golden brown and if the bread sounds hollow when you knock on the bottom.

Allow to cool. Or be like me, and cut right into it. I heart this bread. I heart food that really schmecks.

don't call me cheesey...but you sure can call my scones that!

I have become obsessed (yet again, and with yet another thing). This time, the object of my obsession is scones. Last week alone I made 4 dozen scones - and sold almost all of them! It all started with a simple request from Zarah. She wanted to know if I could make her some jalapeño-cheddar scones... I had never made them, but figured I could try. As you can tell from the picture, the end result was pretty awesome... they smelt great and tasted even better. I think I've found my calling - I'm going to become a scone queen :0)

I used my stand-mixer since I have one, but obviously scones can be made even if you don't have one. The secret to them is not to over work the batter (just like your pastry dough) and to use COLD butter. And cream. If you want a flakey, moist and delicious scone - pull out the heavy cream and just enjoy!

Oh, and be careful when handling those jalapeño - don't de-seed them, so don't touch anything you don't want burning ;0)

jalapeño-extra old cheddar scones
ingredients:
3 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp finely ground yellow cornmeal
3 jalapeño peppers, finely chopped
1 tbsp butter, room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) COLD butter, cut into cubes
1/2 lb (300 g) of COLD extra-old cheddar (I prefer using white), cut into cubes
1/2 c. heavy (35%) cream
1 c. buttermilk
1 egg beaten (with 1 tsp of water)
extra cornmeal

Preheat your oven to 375 F. Dust your cookie sheets with some of the cornmeal (spread it all around) and set aside.

In a small pan over medium-high heat, melt the 1 tbsp of room temperature butter and sauté the chopped jalapeño peppers. You want them to soften, so cook them for about 2 minutes. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

In the bowl of your stand-mixer, sift the flour, b. soda and powder, salt and cornmeal together. Use your paddle attachment to stir the ingredients together (level STIR on your machine). Once combined, slowly cut in the cubes of butter (low speed); until they resemble the size of small peas, about 4 minutes. With the mixer still running add the cheddar cheese and the jalapeño peppers and mix them in.

Make a well in the centre of the dry batter and add the cream and buttermilk. Slowly mix until everything just comes together (I would say less than a minute at the STIR speed). You want everything to have pretty much gathered on the paddle but still have a bit of flour sitting at the bottom of the bowl. Your cheese will still be in chunks and your batter will be pretty wet.

Turn your dough out onto a floured counter top. Gently work the dough - I personally worked it into a log and cut out my scones from that shape. Place the scones onto the cookie sheets (on top of the cornmeal)- about 2 inches apart (allow room for them to spread) and lightly brush both the top and bottom with the egg wash.

Bake in the middle of the oven for 30 - 35 minutes. Remove from heat, transfer to your wire racks to cool. Store in a well-sealed Tupperware in order to keep them as fresh as possible - if they even last that long. I promise you, just the smell of these scones will have you counting down to when you can devour them!

You should get at least a dozen scones... perhaps even 13.

*If you only need half the recipe; just freeze half the batter - follow all the steps until you get to the point were you will brush them with egg wash. Place them (already cut) on a clean cookie sheet. Put the cookie sheet in the freezer and allow the batter to completely freeze. Then remove from the freezer, put all the frozen scones into either a Ziploc bag or a Tupperware and return to the freezer. Bake as desired (thaw the batter and then put cornmeal on the cookie sheet and brush the scones with egg wash).

Enjoy!