Bunch of brunch

Forget pancakes! Flip over some delicious Welsh cakes for breakfast or brunch.

Welsh Cakes

Ingredients:

2 cups (280 grams) all-purpose flour

1/3 cup (65 grams) granulated white sugar

2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground mace

1/2 cup (113 grams) cold unsalted butter

1/3 cup (50 grams) currants or raisins

1/4 cup (40 grams) chopped mixed peel

1 large egg, lightly beaten

2 - 4 tablespoons milk

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, ground cinnamon, and mace. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Stir in the currants and mixed peel. Add the beaten egg and enough milk to form a light dough.

Knead the dough gently on a lightly floured surface and roll to a thickness of 1/4 inch (5 mm). Cut into rounds using a 2 1/2 inch (6 cm) cookie cutter.

Lightly butter a griddle, heavy frying pan, or electric frying pan and heat to medium hot. Cook the welsh cakes for about 5 minutes per side, or until they are golden brown, but still soft in the middle. Immediately after baking, sprinkle with granulated white sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Welsh cakes can also be eaten buttered or split in half and spread with jam.

Makes about 20 - 2 1/2 inch cakes.

Recipe from: Joy of Baking website

Caramel Brownies

PERFECT MOIST BROWNIES

2 (1 oz.) squares unsweetened chocolate
1/2 c. butter
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. sifted flour
1/2 c. chopped nuts, optional

Cream butter and sugar, add eggs and beat well. Blend in melted chocolate, vanilla, and flour. Mix in nuts if desired and pour batter into a greased, 8 x 8 inch pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes. Do not overbake!

Caramel Frosting

2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter, and mix in 3 tablespoons milk and brown sugar. Boil vigorously for 1 minute.

Remove from heat, and beat in 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar. Cool slightly, and beat in the vanilla and remaining 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar. Add more milk if the mixture is too thick.

Apple Pie Afternoon

It's been years since I've baked an apple pie. Thanks to this fantastic apple pie website, I finally brought out my rolling pin (gathering cobwebs in a cupboard somewhere!) and spent a sun drenched afternoon making the tastiest, flakiest, crumbliest and juiciest apple pie ever!

Happiness is a tin of butter cookies

I'm a sucker for Danish Butter Cookies. Those lovely, butter-y, secret goodies in keepsake, collectible tins. I think they make the nicest, sincerest gifts. Every tin is a nest of warm, happy thoughts.

Last night, I actually spent hours making these buttery treats. Chill. Cut. Bake. Enjoy!

Butter Cookies

Preparation: 1 hr. Baking: 6 min. Cooling: 15 min.

Chilling: 2 hrs.

Cookies:

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg

21/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons

orange juice

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking powder

Combine 1 cup butter, sugar and egg in large mixer bowl.Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy (1 to 2 minutes). Reduce speed to low; add flour, orange juice,1 tablespoon vanilla and baking powder. Beat until well mixed (1 to 2 minutes).

Divide dough into thirds; wrap in plastic food wrap.

Refrigerate until firm (2 to 3 hours or overnight).

Heat oven to 400°. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface,one-third at a time (keeping remaining dough refrigerated), to 1/8 to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut with 2-inch cookie cutters. Place 1 inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 6 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Let stand 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets. Cool completely.

Yield: 3 dozen cookies

Candy shaker ornaments

Candy shaker ornament

Fill salt and pepper shaker with tiny candies such as candy hearts, spicy cinnamon dots or peppermint. Hang on the tree. Happy holidays!

First day of Christmas: Chocolate cake-a-melting

Individual Chocolate Melting Cakes

Ingredients:

10 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup
1 1/2 tsps baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
Caramel sauce
Coffee ice cream

Directions:

Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly coat a 12-muffin tin with vegetable cooking spray.

Melt the chocolate and butter in a large bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Remove from heat. In another large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar at medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and melted chocolate. Mix with a spoon until well blended.

Divide the batter evenly into 8 muffin tins and bake until the cakes have just cooked through about 15 minutes. The cakes will still look a bit moist on top. Remove from the oven and let cool 5 minutes. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream with caramel sauce on top.

Caramel Sauce

Sugar 8 oz
Water 2 oz
Lemon juice 3/4 tsp
Heavy cream 6 oz
Milk 4 oz

1. Combine sugar, water and lemon juice in heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Cook the syrup to caramel stage.

2. Remove from heat and cool 5 minutes.

3. Bring heavy cream to a boil.

4. Stir and continue to add the cream slowly. return to heat.

5. Let cool completely.

6. Stir the milk into cooled caramel.

American Gothic

" I had to go to France to appreciate Iowa."
-Grant Wood

Take a bite out of the American heartland or better yet, dig in your pitchfork into this apple cake recipe straight from The American Gothic Cookbook, a compilation of American painter Grant Wood's family and friends heirloom recipes.

This is a deliciously satisfying afternoon coffee cake. I make this recipe with a pinch of nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon mixed into the cake batter. So good with vanilla ice cream too.

Apple Cake

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 beaten egg
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
2 cups peeled and diced apples
1/3 cup chopped nuts (optional)
Cinnamon sugar for topping

Cream butter and sugar. Mix in the remaining ingredients, except cinnamon sugar.Pour into a lightly buttered 8-inch square pan or loaf pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes until firm.

Yield: 6-9

The pleasure of scented sugar

Tarragon, lemon and rosemary sugar

I've prepared a batch of assorted scented sugar just in time for my annual sugar cookie baking fete. It takes at least 2 weeks for the herbs and citrus to sufficiently infuse the sugar. By then, it's ready to roll.

Sugar cookies are the yummiest, most versatile cookies in the world and they're my absolute favourite. They can be decorated with royal icing and and decorated with silver or gold dragees for an edible Christmas tree. Alternately, they can also be used as a scrumptious base for tiramisu in lieu of lady fingers. Sugar cookies can be spritzed or fancifully cut with cookie cutters. I prefer to make them the old fashioned way-rolled into a ball , dipped in sparkling sugar and pressed down with a fork for criss cross effect. This year, I look forward to rolling my sugar cookies in citrus and herb scented sparkling sugar. There's rosemary, lemon and tarragon sugar to choose from!

Best Rolled Sugar Cookies
(Recipe courtesy of allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups butter or maragarine
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Cream together butter/margarine and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix well.
2. Add flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. Cover and chill dough for at least an hour (or overnight).
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
4. Roll out dough in floured surface 1/4- 1/2 inch thick. Cut with any cookie cutter. Bake 6-8 minutes on ungreased pan. Cool completely.

Yield: 5 dozen

A taste of vintage Christmas

I've always loved the extraordinary illustrations of America's living national treasure Tasha Tudor. Her artworks have graced children's books as well as numerous well-loved vintage cookbooks. One of those rare cookbooks that gives us a glimpse of New England kitchen life is Mary Mason Campbell's rare and charming book Butt'ry Shelf Cookbook: Receipts for Very Special Occasions. A butt'ry is a New England cottage pantry, the hub of cooking and baking and where all good things abound. In this book, Mary delights us with her prose as well as with time honoured family recipes passed from generation to generation. Anecdotes about New England country life and Tasha's delightful illustrations sprinkle each page, like nutmeg on apple pie.

One of the delightful recipes featured is this old fashioned Gingerbread recipe that has won many country fair awards. As a Christmas treat or tea party staple, this gingerbread is just perfect. Not too sweet and overwhelming, it comes out moist yet richly dense. The aroma of ginger, cinnamon and cloves brings in a heady rush of good for the soul kitchen aromatherapy. Serve a slice of this lovely gingerbread with either sweetened whipped cream, white frosting or maple cream.

Gingerbread

½ cup sugar
½ cup butter
1 egg beaten
1 cup molasses
1 cup hot water
1 ½ cups raisins
2 ½ cups sifted flour
1 ½ tsp soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
½ tsp powdered cloves
½ tsp salt

Cream butter and sugar together, add beaten egg and the molasses. Then add dry ingredients sifted together. Add hot water and beat until smooth. Fold in the raisins. Bake in a well buttered gem pans or in a loaf or cake pan. Bake in a medium oven 350 until tests done with a toothpick.
 

Maple Cream
 

1 cup heavy sour cream

1/4 cup maple syrup with a pinch of salt

Grated nutmeg

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas