Brownies

This brownies recipe came from my grandma and my mom has been making them for as long as I can remember.  They are simple to prepare and can be completed within 45 minutes (including baking time).  We’ve always eaten them fresh out of the oven with ice cream, but they also taste great the next day with a glass of milk.  

This recipe can be slightly modified depending on whether you like fudgy or cake-like brownies.  If you like fudgier brownies, use butter, but if you like brownies with more of a cake-like texture, use vegetable shortening. 

Cranberry-Orange Scones

After some much needed encouragement from my friend, RAWkash (check out his blog, Phot(o)graphy for the Masses), I finally sat down and typed up some recipes from my recent baking classes.  The first of these recipes are for Basic Cream Scones, which I modified to create Cranberry-Orange Scones.  These scones are so simple to make, you can throw them together and have a finished product in 30 minutes.  The light, citrus flavor of the scone comes from the zest of an orange and compliments the flavor of the cranberries.  The glaze is optional, but it helps keep the scones moist after they have cooled and adds an extra burst of orange flavor.  I prefer eating scones when they are warm and fresh from the oven, and these scones reheat well.   

Strawberry Cream Roll

This Strawberry Cream Roll is a light vanilla sponge cake rolled up with fresh strawberries and sweetened whipped cream.  It makes a wonderful summer dessert – the cake is light and the strawberries and whipped cream make a refreshing filling.  

If strawberries are not in season, you can also make my Vanilla Bean Strawberry Preserves or use a good quality store bought strawberry jam and layer this on top of the whipped cream before rolling up the cake. 

Blueberry Earl Grey Cupcakes

Blueberries and Earl Grey tea may sound like a strange combination, but when you try these cupcakes, you’ll be amazed by how well these flavors mesh.  The light citrusy flavor of the Earl Grey tea complements the fresh blueberry flavor of the preserves, and the cake itself is light and fluffy.  The blueberry preserves keeps the cake from drying out and the additional flavor transforms ordinary cupcakes into something special. 

Earl Grey Swiss Meringue Buttercream

This Earl Grey Swiss Meringue Buttercream looks beautiful speckled with earl grey tea and has a light, slightly citrusy flavor.  In the above picture, I’ve paired this buttercream with Buttermilk Yellow Cake and Blueberry Preserves in my Blueberry Earl Grey Cupcakes.
 

Ingredients:

• 2 egg whites
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 sticks butter, room temperature, cut into pieces
• About ½ to 1 teaspoon loose leaf earl grey tea (amount should be adjusted to taste; some brands of earl grey tea have stronger flavor than others)

In a spice grinder or food processor (I use the Cuisinart 14-Cup Food Processor), grind or process the earl grey tea leaves until they become a fine powder.  I used a fine mesh sieve to make sure the tea leaves were fine enough so that when mixed into the buttercream, it will not lose its smooth, silky texture.  Set aside.  

Whisk together egg whites and sugar in a mixing bowl over simmering water until sugar has dissolved and egg whites are warm.  Using a stand mixer, beat the egg whites until meringue is a glossy white and can hold stiff peaks, about 3-5 minutes.  Add the Earl Grey tea powder and beat until evenly distributed.  

Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the butter all at once.  Slowly increase the speed to high and beat until mixture is homogeneous, about 2 minutes. 

Blueberry Sauce or Preserves

This blueberry sauce or preserves is made by cooking the blueberries until they break down and their natural juices are released.  This recipe should be made with fresh, sweet blueberries, since it does not have much sugar added and the flavor of the fresh blueberries really shines through.

If you add Wondra (a type of flour for mixing into sauces and gravy) as the blueberries are cooking, they will thicken up like a jam, which is perfect as a spread on toast or for filling cupcakes, such as my Blueberry Earl Grey Cupcakes, or you can leave it without flour to make a blueberry sauce which is perfect served over vanilla ice cream or as syrup for pancakes, waffles, or French toast.  I make this sauce or preserves in small enough batches so that it gets eaten before I have to preserve them using glass jars.  

Buttermilk Yellow Cupcakes

These buttermilk yellow cupcakes are the perfect base for a variety of frostings and fillings.  Vanilla bean seeds or zest from a lemon or orange can be added to the butter-sugar mixture to give these cupcakes an additional hint of flavor.  These cupcakes are amazing with complex flavor variations, such as my Blueberry Earl Grey Cupcakes: Buttermilk Yellow Cupcakes filled with Blueberry Preserves and topped with Earl Grey Swiss Meringue Buttercream. 

Pineapple Sorbet

Now that the weather is getting warmer, nothing is more refreshing than ice creams and sorbets, especially fresh pineapple sorbet.  This pineapple sorbet is light, fruity and somehow incredibly smooth and creamy, yet it is made of only three ingredients.  Since pineapple is the main ingredient, you must use a fresh, whole pineapple, and cut it yourself (no canned pineapple!), but it is well worth the extra effort.  

Ingredients:

• 1 small pineapple, cut into chunks (about 3 cups)
• ¾ cup sugar
• ¾ cup hot water

Instructions:

Dissolve the sugar in the hot water.  Puree the pineapple chunks and simple syrup (sugar-water mixture) in a blender.

Cover and refrigerate the pineapple puree until it is cold, at least 1½ hours (you can skip this step if the pineapple or pineapple chunks were previously stored in the refrigerator).  

Freeze the puree in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. 

Pumpkin Muffins

The creamy, sweet cream cheese center contrasts nicely with the spices in these moist pumpkin muffins.  When eaten warm, the cream cheese center is soft and gooey as shown in the picture, but once the muffins have cooled completely, the center has more of a set, cheesecake-like consistency. 

These pumpkin muffins are the perfect on-the-go breakfast or snack.  The pumpkin in the batter keeps the muffin moist and the cream cheese center is the perfect addition.  This recipe is quick and easy to make, and the muffins can be prepared and baked within an hour.  

Crème Brûlée

Crème brûlée is incredibly easy to prepare and makes an elegant dessert.  It’s the perfect dessert on warm days and tastes great served with fresh berries, such as strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries.  The custard takes less than 10 minutes to prepare and is baked in a hot water bath.  It can be made up to a few days ahead and the sugar topping should be torched just before serving.   

Lemon Bars

The gooey, sweet, lemon filling pairs nicely with the buttery, crumbly crust in these lemon bars.  The crust is so buttery and tender that these lemon bars should be eaten with a fork since the crust can crumble under pressure.  This recipe is simple to master and the lemon bars can be made in about an hour or less.  This lemon bar recipe was one of my favorite recipes growing up and I actually prefer this over the more time consuming Lemon Meringue Tarts. 

Pâte Sucrée

This Pâte Sucrée recipe produces a crispy, buttery, sweet cookie-like crust.  This crust is perfect for pies and tarts with runny and creamy fillings, such as my Chocolate Pudding Pie, Meyer Lemon Meringue Tart, or Blueberry Crumb Tart, as shown below. 

This recipe produces enough crust for 3 – 9-inch pies or tarts.  You can halve this recipe and still have enough crust for a rectangular tart pan or 3 individual-sized tart pans.  

Mini Strawberry Lemon Cupcakes

These bite-sized Mini Strawberry Lemon Cupcakes are refreshing and light; perfect for dessert on a warm day.  When you bite into the mini cupcake, you immediately taste sweet strawberries from the preserves; then the subtle citrus flavor of lemon shines through from the cupcake. 

Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream

This Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream is a beautiful pink color and is perfect with a variety of cupcake flavors.  In the above picture, I’ve paired this buttercream with Mini Lemon Cupcakes in my Mini Strawberry Lemon Cupcakes.  

Mini Lemon Cupcakes

These mini lemon cupcakes are one of my favorite cupcake recipes.  The lemon flavor is refreshing, but not overpowering, and the cake is light and moist.  These cupcakes are perfect filled with Lemon Curd and topped with Vanilla Bean Swiss Meringue Buttercream in my Lemon Meringue Cupcakes, or filled with Vanilla Bean Strawberry Preserves and topped with Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream in my Mini Strawberry Lemon Cupcakes. 

Vanilla Bean Strawberry Preserves

These strawberry preserves are made by cooking the strawberries until the fruit’s natural pectin thickens the mixture.  I make these preserves in small enough batches so that it gets eaten before I have to can them using glass jars.  This is perfect accompaniment to your breakfast toast, bagel, or English muffin, or you can use these preserves in my Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream or to fill cupcakes, such as my Mini Strawberry Lemon Cupcakes.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups strawberries, stems removed and cut into quarters
• 1½ cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• ½ vanilla bean, split and scraped

Combine the strawberries, lemon juice, sugar, and vanilla bean seeds into a medium sized saucepan.  Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved and the strawberries start releasing their juice. 

Bring to a boil (mixture will become frothy and double, or even triple, in volume) and boil for 10-12 minutes.  The strawberries will start to break down and become somewhat translucent and the syrup should be slightly thick. 

Let mixture cool to room temperature uncovered (about 30 minutes to an hour).  The mixture will thicken up even more as it cools.  Store the preserves in an airtight container in your refrigerator. 

Blueberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

This Blueberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake is my favorite coffee cake recipe.  The flavor of blueberries is enhanced by the subtle flavor of cream cheese and finished with cinnamon sugar.  This cake is light and stays moist due to the cream cheese.  

There are certain sweets that I prefer to eat right out of the oven (when they’re still warm), such as apple pie, brownies, and cookies, but this cake is one of the few sweets that I actually enjoy more at room temperature (when the subtle flavor of the cream cheese shines through more).  This is the perfect cake to make on a Sunday and take as a snack to work on Monday.  

Boston Cream Cupcakes

In my twist of the classic Boston Cream Pie, I filled light Two Egg Yellow Chiffon Cupcakes with creamy Vanilla Bean Custard and piped Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream on top. 

Ingredients:

• 24 Two Egg Yellow Chiffon Cupcakes, cooled
• 1 recipe Vanilla Bean Custard, refrigerated until set
• 1 recipe Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Take a small paring knife and core the each cupcake, leaving ¼ inch of cake on the bottom and about ½ an inch of cake on the sides. 

Fill the center of each cupcake with vanilla custard.  I found that using a small spoon and simply spooning in the custard works perfectly. 

Using a spatula, add the chocolate swiss meringue buttercream to a piping bag set with a large star tip.  Pipe the frosting on the cupcakes, starting at the edge and moving in a smooth, circular motion as you bring the tip above the center of each cupcake. 

Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream

This Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream is the perfect topping for almost any cake or cupcake.  It has the distinct flavor of chocolate without giving up the light, creamy texture of a Vanilla Bean Swiss Meringue Buttercream. 

Two Egg Yellow Chiffon Cupcakes

This Two Egg Yellow Chiffon Cupcake recipe is your basic yellow chiffon cake.  In a chiffon cake, egg whites are beaten stiff, then folded into the cake batter to achieve a light, fluffy cake.  This is a very versatile cake and can be paired with a variety of fillings and frostings. 

One of my personal favorite combinations is this Two-Egg Yellow Chiffon Cake filled with Vanilla Bean Custard and frosted with Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream, as shown in my Boston Cream Cupcakes.