Rugelach

Like a good Jewish girl, I was forced to make my own Rugelach for Rosh Hashanah because apparently they don't sell it anywhere in the south.  Shockingly, they weren't hard to make and actually turned out to be pretty delicious!

Rugelach (adapted from epicurious)

Ingredients

2 sticks butter, softened

8 oz cream cheese, softened

2 cups flour
Generous pinch salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 heaping cup raspberry jam, divided
1 cup golden raisins, chopped
1 1/4 cups walnuts, finely chopped
Milk for brushing cookies

Directions

1. Beat together the butter and cream cheese until well combined

2. Stir in flour and salt with a wooden spoon until dough comes together

3. Gather the dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap.  Flatten into a 7x5 rectangle and chill until firm (at least 8 hours)

4. Preheat the oven to 350.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper

5. Cut the dough into 4 pieces.  Working with one piece at a time (keep others refrigerated), roll out dough to a 12x8 rectangle on a well-floured surface with well-floured rolling pin

6. Place dough on parchment on cookie sheet and place in fridge while working with the other dough sections

7. Combine sugar and cinnamon

8. Working one piece at a time, spread 1/4 cup jam evenly over dough

9. Sprinkle 1/4 cup raisins and heaping 1/4 cup walnuts walnuts evenly over jam.  Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons cinnamon sugar mixture

10. Roll up dough into tight log, using parchment as an aid.  Place seam side down on lined baking sheet.  Pinch ends closed and tuck underneath

11. Repeat steps 8-10 with each piece of dough

12. Place all 4 logs in freezer for 20-30 minutes until firm

13. Remove from freezer and arrange 1 inch apart on baking sheet 

14. Brush logs with milk and sprinkle each with heaping 1 teaspoon cinnamon sugar

15. Slice logs at 1 inch intervals, slicing only 3/4 of the way through the dough

16. Cook on middle oven rack for 45-50 minutes or until golden

17. Cool in pan on rack for about 30 minutes, then transfer to cutting board and cut all the way through

Blackberry Pie Bars

Blackberry Pie Bars
Ingredients
Cake
2 sticks unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
3 cups flour
21 oz can blackberry pie filling

Icing
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons milk

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9x13 pan with baking spray and line with parchment paper
2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until combined
3. Add eggs one at a time, beating until fully incorporated after each addition
4. Beat in vanilla and almond extract
5. Beat in flour until fully incorporated.  Your mixture should be creamy
6. Spread 3/4 of the batter into your prepared pan.  Spread the top with the blackberry pie filling
7. Dollop the remaining batter randomly over pie filling
8. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until tester inserted into the middle comes out clean
9. Cool completely on wire rack in pan before slicing
10. Combine the glaze ingredients and drizzle over bars as they cool

Funfetti Cupcakes

Funfetti Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes
5 large egg whites
3/4 cup whole milk, divided
2 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon baking powder
12 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup rainbow sprinkles

Frosting
2 sticks butter
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

Cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cupcake tins with paper liners
2. In a small bowl, whisk egg whites, 1/4 cup of the milk, and vanilla
3. Combine the cake flour, sugar, and baking powder in a large bowl
4. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup of milk.  The mixture will become sticky.  Add the butter and mix with an electric mixer until combined
5. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the egg mixture in 3 separate batches.  After each addition, beat until fully combined 

6. Fold in the sprinkles

7. Spoon batter into cupcake tins.  Fill liners 3/4 of the way
8. Bake 15-18 minutes, rotating tins half way through baking.  Cupcakes are done when tester inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out with few crumbs attached and tops are lightly golden

9. Cool cupcakes in tins on wire rack

Frosting

10. Beat butter with an electric mixer until pale and creamy

11. Add powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla.  Continue to beat until frosting is light and fluffy

12. Frost cupcakes after they have cooled completely

Cranberry Vodka Cheesecake Brownies

I'm at it again with more vodka infused treats.  Some things I would change for next time:

• Use more Deep Eddy Cranberry Vodka in the cheesecake batter.  Like WAY more
• Increase flour to 1 cup for a more cake-y consistency for the brownie base
• Add dried cranberries to the brownie batter for an extra hit of cran

Cranberry Vodka Cheesecake Brownies

Ingredients

Brownies

1 stick unsalted butter

3 ounces dark chocolate (I used 70% cacao)

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2/3 cup flour

Cheesecake

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 egg yolk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

3 tablespoons Deep Eddy Cranberry Vodka

Red food coloring (optional)

Directions

Brownies

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray

2. Melt the butter and chocolate over low heat.  Once melted and smooth, pour over granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl

3. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla

4. Fold in the flour

5. Spread in your prepared baking dish

Cheesecake

6. Using a hand mixer, blend the first 4 ingredients together until creamy and smooth

7. Add the Deep Eddy Cranberry Vodka to taste, mixing until well incorporated

8. Add food coloring, mixing after each additional drop, until desired color is achieved

9. Dollop cheesecake mixture over brownie batter and swirl with a knife

10. Bake 35-40 minutes or until edges are slightly puffed and center is just set

11. Cool on rack overnight

 

Lemon Zucchini Bread

This somewhat savory bread works just fine on its own without the icing.  If you're looking for a sweet touch, definitely don't sleep on the lemon icing.  A thin layer is plenty to give it that sugary sweetness.

Lemon Zucchini Bread

Ingredients
Bread
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Generous pinch of salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt
Juice from 1 lemon
Zest from 1 lemon
1 cup grated zucchini (~1 medium zucchini)

Icing (optional)
1 cup powdered sugar
Juice from 1 lemon

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 10" loaf pan and line with parchment paper
2. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl
3. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with the oil, sugar, yogurt, juice, and zest.  Fold in the zucchini
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until just combined
5. Pour batter into loaf pan and bake for 45-50 minutes until tester inserted into middle of bread comes out clean
6. Cool in pan for 10 minutes.  Remove to rack to cool completely
7. Make the icing by mixing together the powdered sugar and lemon juice
8. When the bread has cooled completely, spread the icing on top of the loaf

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

The secret to keeping these guys chewy is both the melted butter and cooling the cookies on the pan.  Store them in an airtight container immediately after they cool to maintain the chewy consistency.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies (adapted from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Grease cookie sheets
2. Melt butter over moderately low heat
3. While butter is melting, sift flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl
4. In a separate bowl, combine the brown and white sugar.  Pour the melted butter over the sugar and beat until well combined
5. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and yolk until combined
6. Mix in the dry ingredients until just combined
7. Fold in chocolate chips
8. Roll ping pong sized balls of dough and place on cookie sheet.  Bake for ~20 minutes, rotating pan halfway through, until edges are just golden brown
9. Cool completely on sheet

Vodka Cupcakes with Vanilla Honey Buttercream Frosting

Inspired by my summer internship at Deep Eddy Vodka, I decided to make some baked goods with their delicious Ruby Red vodka.  Some things I would change for next time:

• Use more food coloring to get a richer pink color
• Add either more vodka or 1/4 cup fresh grapefruit juice to bring out the flavor
• Brush the tops of each cupcake LIBERALLY with at least 1 teaspoon vodka each

Vodka Cupcakes with Vanilla Honey Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
Cupcakes
2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened
4 eggs
1/2 cup Deep Eddy Ruby Red Vodka, plus additional for brushing cupcakes
1 teaspoon vanilla
5 drops red food coloring (optional)
2 cups flour
1 cup granulated sugar
3.5 teaspoons baking powder

Icing
1 stick of unsalted butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup vanilla Greek yogurt

Directions
Cupcakes
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line 15 cupcake tins with liners
2. Beat the butter and eggs.  The mixture will be clumpy.  Stir in the vodka and vanilla.  Mix in the food coloring
3. Whisk the flour, sugar, and baking powder together
4. Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet batter, mixing until just combined
5. Fill liners about 2/3 full.  Bake 20-25 minutes or until tester comes out clean and cupcakes are slightly golden on top
6. Immediately after removing the cupcakes from the oven, brush the tops with additional vodka
7. Move to a rack to cool completely

Icing
8. Beat butter until creamy
9. Beat in powder sugar until combined
10. Beat in honey and yogurt (add more sugar if icing becomes too runny)

11. After cupcakes have cooled, frost tops and decorate with sprinkles or sea salt

Key Lime Pie Bars

I actually omitted the flour from the filling which made their texture a lot creamier.  Flour will fluff it up a little but either way works.  I would also potentially make twice the amount of filling next time as the buttery crust overpowers the lime taste a little bit

Key Lime Pie Bars
Ingredients
Crust
2 sticks of butter, unsalted
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 cups flour

Filling
4 eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
6 tablespoons flour
1/3 cup key lime juice
1 tablespoon key lime zest

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Coat a 9x13 pan with cooking spray
2. Make the crust: cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the flour and mix until incorporated
3. Press the dough into the bottom of your greased baking dish.  Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden.  Cool for ~20 minutes
4. Make the filling: whisk all five ingredients together
5. Pour over cooled crust and bake for 20-25 minutes until just set
6. Cool and dust with powdered sugar

Bacon Bourbon Brownies - Round 2

Bacon Bourbon Brownies (Reprise)

If I were to make these again, I would cut the bourbon in half.  The bourbon flavor was a bit strong for my taste, but it was definitely still delicious and complemented the dark chocolate flavor well.  I think the bacon flavor was a bit lost though.  I would recommend making twice as much bacon (1 lb) and mix half of the chopped bacon (1/2 lb) into the batter.  I would also maybe try a smoked bacon to bring out the flavor in the brownies a bit more.

Ingredients
1/2 lb center cut bacon
1 stick + 2 tablespoons butter
8 oz bittersweet chocolate
2 oz unsweetened chocolate

3 tablespoons bacon grease, reserved
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 eggs

Generous pinch of salt
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup flour

1/2 cup bourbon

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 9x13 pan with tinfoil, allowing the paper to overhang on two opposite sides. This will make the brownies easier to remove. Spray with cooking spray
2. Cook the bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels and let cool. Remember to reserve 3 tablespoons of grease. Finely chop the bacon. 

3. Try not to eat all of the bacon; save some for the brownies
4. In a saucepan, over low heat, combine the butter and both chocolates. Heat until melted and smooth. Transfer to a large bowl
5. Stir in both sugars and reserved bacon grease. Add the eggs and salt and whisk until smooth
6. Mix the cocoa powder and flour into the wet ingredients. Do not over mix
7. Scrap the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle the bacon on top. Bake for about 20 - 25 minutes or until tester inserted has some batter clinging to it and edges are set
8. Remove from the oven and place on a rack to cool completely. Lift the brownies out of the pan using the parchment paper. Cut, serve, and enjoy :)