Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook - (Review) - Sweeties, You're Going to Like this one!

Click here to go to Back in the Day Bakery website.

Hey all you sweets-lovers out there!

You're going to like this book!

I purchased the e-book last week, and will probably have to get a hard copy- because I like to make written notes when I make the recipes.

I just made the Banana Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Frosting and 

OH MAN!!!

They are freaking AWESOME, for lack of a better word.  This is a new way for me to use up bananas!

I made one substitution- 1/4 cup sour cream in the frosting instead of 1/4 cup of heavy cream.

It gave it a nice little tang!

I love southern cooks and southern recipes.

Simply because I love to bake.

And I love to eat something sweet.

I can't wait to try some of the other recipes.

The ingredients called for in the recipes are mostly common ones.  Some of them are ones that must be specific to their bakery, but they give you resources in the back of the book, if you want to mail-order anything you can't find.

The crumb on this little tasty cake is delicate and moist and just downright perfect!
It's made with cake flour.  The chocolate chips do go to the bottom, but I don't care!
The taste is absolutely perfect.  I really love it with my sour cream in the chocolate frosting.
I think this would be a perfect birthday cupcake.

Rice Pudding ~ Everyone Could Use Some Right Now.....

 Okay, I know some of you are just going to say "Yuck",

but bear with me, and believe me, even people who don't

like pudding will think they've hit the jackpot when they

taste this.

 Yesterday, I gave you a recipe for Peanut Butter cookies.

Today, it's Rice Pudding.

I guess you could say I'm into comfort food lately.

I really think we could all use some of it, with

everything that's going on these days.

 This is the dish, still in the water bath.  I couldn't wait for

it to cool off before I "got me some".  The little

liquidy stuff, from the milk, will not be there if you

let it cool off before you take some out of the dish.

Here it is in a little dish.  I apologize for the photos. 

All taken in incandescent light.  It's night-time, you see,

the best time for comfort food.

And I must tell you, any Swede will tell you they

love Rice Pudding.  Or at least that it was served

at church suppers and at home during the Christmas holidays.

You can even eat it for breakfast.

~~~

You probably have all the ingredients to make this in your cupboard

right now, but I'll make a great suggestion and tell you to buy

Jasmine Rice for this recipe.  It is the perfect rice because it's

tender and not chewy. But you can use what you have.

~~~

For my recipe, you'll need 1 cup cooked rice, so do that first.

I use the boil and drain method of making rice.

Place more water than you need to make rice in a saucepan,

get it to nearly the boiling point, then put in 1/2 cup (jasmine) rice.

Stir rice a few times after you put it in the pan to keep it from sticking,

then cook at medium heat till soft.  Then drain it through a sieve or strainer when its done.

~

Coat a baking dish with nonstick spray.  (You could probably use a smearing of butter if you don't have the nonstick spray.)  Set dish aside.

~

In a separate bowl, crack two eggs and lightly beat them.

Then add 1 1/2 cups milk.  I use 2%.  You can use whole milk too.

Keep in mind that if you use skim milk, the pudding will turn out more watery.

Now add the rest of the ingredients:

1/2 cup granulated white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup raisins

the rice

~

Mix together well, then place in the baking dish.

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Place the baking dish in a pan of warm water,

then place in cold oven.

Set oven temperature to 300 degrees F.

Once it is up to the temperature, set

your timer for 1 1/2 hours (90 minutes).  Yeah, it takes

that long!  You bake this slow so the eggs will set

and make this great tasting, custard-like dessert.

~

Remove pan from oven - carefully. 

I like to leave my dish in the pan with the

water til it cools off.

~~

Some Swedes I know like a little almond extract in their pudding.

And they love cardamom. 

And there's a little tradition of placing an almond in the pudding.

Whomever gets the almond in their pudding, means they'll have

good luck. 

~~~

I wish you all some good luck for the rest of this year,

and good health too!

 

BB



Peanut Butter Cookies ~ The Best!

Mmmmmmm.......scroll past photos for recipe!

Press a criss-cross mark in unbaked dough,

using a fork.

Done!

 ~

Sometimes, you just need a good peanut butter cookie.

This recipe is a common one, it's been around a long time.

It's my favorite one because it actually TASTES like

peanut butter.  Plus they're so easy to make, and you probably

have all the ingredients in your cupboard already.

~

1 cup granulated, white sugar

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

~

Mix all ingredients together well.  You won't need a mixer for this. 

 They will easily mix by hand with a sturdy, large spoon.

Form into 1 inch balls of dough.  This will make 24 cookies.

(My balls of dough were a little bigger than 1 inch, so

I only got 18 cookies.)

~

Place them onto ungreased baking sheet.  I have found that

ALUMINUM pans are best for baking cookies.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F, and bake

for 10 minutes. 

~ 

****NOTE:  you will have to adjust your baking times to YOUR oven.  Every oven seems to be different.  I found that 10 minutes wasn't long enough in my oven.  I bake mine for 19 minutes.  That gives me a nice, light brown bottom on the cookie, and a firmer cookie. I suggest setting your timer for 10 minutes, then keep adding more time as needed until baked to your desired "doneness".****

~~~

Let cool before removing from pan, to make sure they don't fall apart.

Don't forget the milk!!  They also go well with Kool-Aid or other kids drinks.

I'm a dunker, from way back, so I'll dunk them in milk, Kool-Aid, Iced tea,

coffee-- anything!

~

I've made this recipe many times, so it's tried and true!

XXOO, BB

Momofuku Milk Bar Cookbook by Christina Tosi - Review of Cookie Recipe

Hello All!

I’ve got a tip for you on a new cookbook, or rather a baking book!

It’s called Momofuku Milk Bar , by Christina Tosi. I believe this young lady knows what she’s doing!   She looks like a little pixie, don't you think?  

First of all, don’t you just LUV that name “Momofuku”?! It’s from the name of the restaurant started and owned by David Chang. Christina was hired as a pastry chef there and has, I believe, since gone on to be a Star in her own right. (If you click on the word Momofuku, you can find out more information.) The word sounds playful and like toy-like to me. I’d love to have a pet named “Momo”!
~

Anyway, back to the subject- the cookbook.
~

I only heard about this on Saturday, December 17, 2011, when I was listening to one of my favorite radio shows on NPR, “The Splendid Table.” (Click on the words The Splendid Table to link to the website.  Go here for the recipe:  Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmellow Cookies.)

Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmellow Cookie
Baked in Convection Oven

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All you Honeybees out there: I’ve been baking for quite some time and can tell from reading a recipe and it’s directions whether or not it’ll be good. Christina doesn’t hold back on this recipe– she uses Butter!! Yes, Butter– I always make sure to buy the SWEET CREAM UNSALTED butter. (If you buy the salted butter, everything you make with it will have too much salt– If you buy it by mistake, leave out the added salt in your recipe.)
***Update: I have now made these cookies several times and have made it with ONE stick of butter, instead of two.  Cookie turns out GREAT.  I also freeze the unbaked dough in scoops, and take out one or two to bake at a time-- works great in my little convection oven--16-17 minutes.  I can also bake them on the little aluminum pan that has been sprayed well with vegetable spray.  You could also use Crisco.)

Cookies beginning to spread while baking
~
Okay, lets get to it. This cookie tastes like a dream– it’s a little bit chewy, and crunchy, what I call a good “tooth”. It has a slightly carmel taste with a touch of chocolate. What I like about it the most is that it has a sweet and salty taste at the same time, which is really satisfying. You’ve got to try this recipe if you like that combination. I must say she uses a lot of sugar, so if you're diabetic, these recipes are out.

Cornflake crunch that goes into the cookies--Love this stuff!  It tastes great!

~

I have some notes for you on this recipe: KNOW your OVEN! I used all three of my ovens because the recipe calls for a large scoop of dough that has to be placed 4 inches apart on your pans, and I didn’t want to be baking all night. So I tried all of my pans. I used my countertop convection oven with its’ aluminum pan; an airbake pan (has a double layer of aluminum) and my old dark cookie sheets (not nonstick). I placed a sheet of parchment paper in each. You’d better use parchment paper for this recipe or you’ll have trouble getting them off the pans.)
~


Cookies overbaked in a too hot oven
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Well, low and behold, the little convection oven baked the most perfect cookie. So, if you are planning on getting a new oven, I’d recommend a convection oven. I’m almost thinking about replacing my electric oven based on this because it just overbaked this wonderful recipe! You can see from the pictures how the cookies should look– and the electric oven was just too hot for this task. I even turned down the temperature and they overbaked, quickly. So you’ve got to watch these, carefully.

Cookies Baked in Convection Oven
~

Well, I think I like Christina, because she said in her interview with Lynn Rosetto Kasper, on the The Splendid Table that she grew up liking cereal. Lynn had asked her why she puts different cereals in her recipes. I grew up liking cereal too, and would sit at the breakfast table with my box and bowl. I just recently remembered what I like about Rice Krispies! You can see what’s in my pantry right now– not particularly adult cereals.

~
This is a girl after my own heart, I tell ya! I don’t have her cookbook yet– but it's going to be the first book I down load into my new e-reader!!! And even if I have to limit myself to one cookie a week and put the rest in the freezer, I'll do it.


XXOO, BB