Zesty Madeleines

Hey fellow quarantine people! 

After going through our kitchen and organizing a bit, I found my Madeleine pan and decided to make some yummy spongy treats! But I would need to use what I already have....which wasn't much. Fortunately we happened to have a bunch of tangerines that will make a great citrus zest!

Madeleines are pretty simple...thank goodness! I made them awhile ago but couldn't quite remember the process. You start by combining 3 eggs, 2/3 cup of sugar and tangerine zest in a bowl. You really only need 1.5 tsp of zest for the flavor to come out. But feel free to add more if you like but don't over do it LOL!

Next you whisk together the dry ingredients, 1 cup of flour, 1 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp of salt. Then combine the dry ingredients into the egg mixture and add in 6 tbsp of melted butter and voila! Your dough is complete!

One important part of making Madeleine cookies is that the dough needs to chill for at least an hour, allowing for the traditional Madeleine "hump" to form during baking. 

After chilled, add 1 tbsp of dough to each Madeleine imprint. But don't worry, the dough will spread out on its own, so no touching he he. *Be sure to coat your pan in baking spray beforehand.

Bake at 350 degrees for 7 to 8 minutes, or until edges are golden. Then once cooled, sprinkle powdered sugar and serve. These cookies are at their best on the day they are baked, but the dough may be made about 2 days ahead of time.

Jack was a little disappointed that he could not try these delicious French cookies, but he was proud of me for wrangling together ingredients to make them. He's so supportive! They were indeed yummy and spongy. Like a Twinkys classy uncle ha ha!

While mixing up these Madeleines my mind wandered to New Orleans. It could be the simplicity of the southern lifestyle or the warm feeling that catches in my chest when thinking of our trips there...it could be both. But I suddenly had a clear vision of a small two story home in the French Quarter, small balcony lined with a few Mardi Gras beads and hanging plants. A stoic cat perched on a filigreed chair, in front of green window shutters, gazing out into the world. The day starting to warm and the streets filling with visitors. Having a small shop with my art and fresh cookies, open and waiting for guests. Light reverberations of blues flowing through the walls and the distant smell of gumbo in the air. This image makes my heart so happy, someday it could be true, but back to reality I go.

 Thinking of French treats, it would be an uplifting idea for everyone to pick something they will make, once the lock downs are over. Something delicious to share, or just to celebrate the end of this surreal reality. I'm choosing beignets, I'm sure you could have guested that ha ha! Hopefully I will get to make them soon! 

Cheers!

-Bunny

Outlander: Jam Tarts

Happy Holidays! 

Christmas is here and I decided that this holiday season needed some delicious Jam Tarts and boy was I RIGHT!

This Outlander treat called for 1/2 Short Crust Pastry recipe and 1/2 cup of Fraser Strawberry Jam.

To start set the oven to 375 degrees and prepare your muffin tin. For the dough, mix together flour, sugar, salt and butter in a food processor. Pulse until you have mostly pea sized lumps. Then whisk together ice water, egg yolk and lemon juice. Add to the bowl and pulse a few more times. I eventually had to mix a little more thoroughly by hand.

Sprinkle some flour on your counter and knead the dough into a ball. Flatten with a rolling pin and roll to about 1/8 inch thick. Use a 4 inch "cookie cutter" to cut out 12 rounds. If you don't have one, I used a large mason jar. Press the pastry into each muffin tin cup and poke the bottoms three or four times with a fork. Bake for about 5 mins. Don't worry, you will be baking the pastry a bit more once the jam is added. 

The tasty Fraser jam is at the back of the Outlander Cookbook, detailing how to make and can preserves. For this strawberry jam, you will need Granny Smith apples, strawberries, lemon juice and sugar. Start by cutting the apples into 1/2 inch cubes and the strawberries into halves or quarters. 

In a pot of medium heat stir the fruit and lemon juice together. Bring the mixture to a boil and stir constantly to avoid any scorching. Next stir in the sugar until it's dissolved. The jam needs to reach about 212 degrees which takes about 15 to 25 minutes. 

It was kinda fun making a fruit compote, I always see chefs turn to this 'filling' solution on the Food Network and they make it look effortless. Turns out it is pretty easy and quick to create. I'll definitely have to make it again. My mom kept wanting to add in a thickener and I had to convince her that I needed to follow Theresa Carle-Sanders recipe exactly. It was pretty funny!

Hindsight, I should have cut the apples a bit smaller but their size did not take away from the old-fashioned compote-style jam. It was just a bit chunkier and there's nothing wrong with that he he! 

Now you're ready to create your tarts. Fill each cup with about 1 teaspoons of jam (I was a bit heavy handed) and return them to the oven. Bake until the jam bubbles and the pastry is golden. This took about 15 minutes. 

Gently remove the tarts from the muffin tin and set on a cooling rack. The recipe says to let them cool completely and they were right LOL! I didn't want to wait and tried to eat one a bit early. I topped a few tarts with a strawberry slice and plated them. Voila! Outlander Jam Tarts! Thanks Theresa! 

These lovely creations were both savory and sweet. I couldn't get enough and my whole family really enjoyed them. Craig described these as tasting like the original strawberry pop tarts of his youth and he's not wrong!

Thanks for readin!

Cheers, Bun

Cookie-dough Bites!

Hello Lovelies! 

I wanted to share one of my favorite Sakara treats! Cookie Dough Bites. These little morsels are packed full of flavor and really bring a smile to my day.

To start take a 1/2 cup of almond butter mixed into 1/4 cup of maple syrup and vanilla until smooth. 

In another bowl mix together the dry ingredients: 1/4 cup of coconut flower, 3 tablespoons of flax-seed meal and salt. Then mix the wet and dry ingredients together and fold the cacao nibs in. Once mixed properly roll the dough into 1 inch balls and set aside. 

Mix together shredded coconut and hemp seeds that will be used to roll the dough balls in. Feel free to pick any type of  topping but the coconut is yummy. After rolling your bites into the mix refrigerate the bites for about 30 mins, before serving. 

These bites are pretty simple and much more of an almond bite than traditional cookie dough. However, I really love them and don't feel guilty for scarfing them down. Plus they definitely have more protein and less artificial ingredients.

Thanks for readin!

-Bunny

SF: Museum of Ice Cream

Tucked into classic architecture and busy streets sits the Museum of Ice Cream's San Francisco installment.  

This pop-up museum explores the origins of ice cream through themed rooms and interactive displays, including giant gummy bears and animal cookie art. Most importantly a pool filled with sprinkles created to satisfy the kid in all of us...as soon as I heard about their famed sprinkle pit I knew we had to go!

  Unlike most museums this exhibit is more of a journey moving from room to room with other guests, never going backwards. Creating a path through giant cherries and clouds. The museum holds a limited number of tickets with designated entry times to cut back on the wait. Even with the entry times, there were a lot of people, though with the museums popularity I wasn't surprised. Still, there was enough time and space to try out the animal cracker 'rides'. Highlight of my birthday he he!

 A few of the rooms held a deeper meaning, one of acceptance. The museum houses a love for delicious ice cream but more importantly the belief that we are all unique and worthy of love. That's what I took away from it, all flavors welcome he he. One of the first rooms sported floor to ceiling magnetic white boards where we were invited to create a positive message. I love that someone had to bring Beyonce into the mix!

The museum guides each had their own room to look after, complete with ice cream questions and awesome crowns made from cones and sprinkles. PS. snag your own crown at the gift shop! I loved how they interacted with guests and seemed to really enjoy showing us through the maze.

A few of the rooms even offer specialized treats. The old-school diner passed out soft serve ice cream cones while the next room had cotton candy! But my favorite treat was in the mint room. After guides asked each guest to share a fun memory they served little mochi balls filled with mint ice cream! YUM!
Around one turn we were greeted by two lovely unicorns. We couldn't touch their horns but a picture was encouraged. This rainbow room complete with unicorn magic carried the Museum of Ice Cream's theme of acceptance and love with it.

Past all of the fanciful lands we finally made it to the sprinkle pool! It was such a funny feeling...as I jumped into the pit of rainbows my feet sank and my inner child awoke! My mind knew that we were adults sitting in a small pool filled with tiny plastic sprinkles but my heart was thrilled. Both Craig and I enjoyed it more than we thought we would! I wish we could have stayed longer.

 The Museum of Ice Cream is modern, colorful and sublimely simple. The concept is brilliant, ice cream with sprinkles of positive messages on top. Definitely made for a fun day! Check it out if you can and let the colors brighten you day!

Check out museum locations and tickets here: https://www.museumoficecream.com/

Thanks! 
Bunny

Millionaire's Shortbread

Hey there, 

What do you do when two lovebird soulmates are about to meet again after a few decades apart and separated by 200 years? The answer is, you make amazing chocolate caramel bars! This recipe was actually quite simple and didn't take long at all. 

First, butter the sides and bottom of a 9-inch pan. I chose to not use any parchment paper and the butter worked just fine. Then I started on the shortbread layer. Combine flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Grate in 1 1/2 sticks of butter and mix. Use your fingertips to blend the mix together until it resembles cornmeal then press the dough into the pan and poke with a fork. Bake until firm and golden brown, about 30 mins.

While the shortbread cools down, grab a saucepan and melt 4 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar and sweetened condensed milk. Bring to a gentle boil and stir frequently. Then reduce the heat and stir until it thickens for about 10 mins. Pour over the shortbread evenly and let cool.

Embarrassing but I didn't realize that caramel was just brown sugar and condensed milk. Sure you have to keep your eye on it to prevent burning, but it is quite simple! This caramel came together well, the texture wasn't as silky but the flavor was perfect. 

While waiting for the caramel to set, melt the chocolate and remaining butter in a double boiler. This way the chocolate melts evenly. Once smooth, pour over the caramel. 

Check out my poor-person makeshift boiler! 

I let the bars cool and then cut out a nice square to taste. The chocolate melted in my mouth with the delicious crunch of cookie and I was in heaven....SO GOOD! So rich! Craig's review..."These bars combined a bit of sweet and chewy crunchy decadence."  

Just the right amount of chocolate to caramel to cookie. Perfect! I even took some to work to share. They were a hit! Thank you Theresa Carle-Sanders!

They were indeed worthy of a great romance.

Thanks for readin!

Bunny

Funfetti Cookies

Howdy!

I was going though my baking drawer looking for cookies to make and came across my all time favorite cake mix! Funfetti! So I decided to take the cake mix, add some frosting and turn them into yummy cookies.

My instincts were right...they were amazing! The extra sprinkles added crunch and the frosting was creamy and sweet. Paired with some cold milk, funfetti perfection!

-Bunny

Sakara Love

Howdy!!

So I am in complete love with these Dark Chocolate Cardamom Cookies from Sakara! LOVE! I didn't even know I liked cardamom. Such a great treat...not too sweet, not too savory. Perfect! They are so yummy but a bit too pricey to order all the time :(

A week or two after my last cookie had been eaten I started craving the spice and nutty almond butter of the Sakara cookies. I had to have more, so I decided to try making my own. The main ingredients call for almond flower, almond butter, cardamom and honey. While these still have sugar in them, it was nice not adding in a stick of butter, sugar and a few eggs. Also, you add in chopped dark chocolate. I have never been a huge dark chocolate fan, it can be so bitter, but these cookies turned me around! Such a good combo!

For this mix you have to let it chill out in the fridge over night but that didn't stop me from eating some of the dough he he! 

After rolling out little dough balls onto my cookie sheet and giving them a quick bake, they were ready! So delicious and just like the Sakara ones. They look a little different but it's probably how I molded each one...a little too smooth/round.

Tip: Definitely use a paddle mixer instead of a whisk. The dough became thicker with each ingredient and wasn't the easiest to mold. Plus I added in dark chocolate chips but will chop up the chocolate a bit more when I make them again. That's right, again, again and again ha ha! 

Or I may add the Sakara ones to a Clean order as a special treat. See the link below for the Sakara Clean Boutique. Such great products! I would recommend the beauty and detox waters as well!

 https://www.sakara.com/collections/clean-boutique

Cheers, Bunny

3 Treat Brownies

Howdy! So this happened......I made a really simple but over the top dessert!! 

I present the 3 Treats Brownie:

• One layer cookie dough(I chose regular/choc.chip)
• One layer Oreo cookies (original)
• Final layer Brownie Mix (dark chocolate fudge mix)

Set the oven to 350 degrees

First you start by spreading out your cookie dough into the bottom of a non-stick pan. Try to make it even throughout. 

Next place your Oreos over the dough. You might even be able to get away with a few layers of cookies he he!

Then after mixing up the brownie batter, pour it over the Oreos and cookie dough.  

 After spreading the batter evenly you are ready to place it into the oven. 

I started by setting the timer to 20 mins but it proved to take a lot longer. I kept adding on 5 mins...so almost 40 mins later it was done, but still gooey! 

Make sure to check it with a toothpick to make sure it is cooked through.  

 After letting it sit for 10 mins, I had to cut off a piece and see what this creation looked like...and it was truly delicious! Very rich and decadent!

I also had some extra cookies and dough so I made a second treat, but it did not turn out as photogenic as the brownies he he! So pay no mind.

This brownie filled our place with such a yummy smell...part cookie, part brownie. I started drooling right away he he! 

Thanks for readin! -Bunny