Chai Spice Carrot Cake with Vanilla Bean-Cream Cheese Frosting

 It was my friend's birthday, and her husband was going to be out of town, so I was afraid she might not get a cake.  I emailed to ask him what was her favorite, and his response was immediate: carrot. 

Which is good.  Because I haven't made a lot of carrot cakes, so it was good experience for me.  AND also good because I just got a new workbowl for my food processor, and I'd been rip-roaring to use it!

When looking for the quintessential no-fail carrot cake recipe, I went straight to Baking Illustrated.  Sure enough, there was a recipe, two variations, two pages of explanation, and three pictures of "failed" carrot cakes, with notes on why they failed.  This, I knew, would give me a great cake.

So I was disappointed and a little torn when I read they make it in a 9x13 pan.  I was hoping for something a little more birthday-worthy, a layer cake.  I scoured the explanation to find out why and came up only with "ease" and "simplicity", not my top priorities when making a birthday cake.  So I cautiously strayed from the formula to make two 9-inch layers. 

The cake was delicious (I made the chai-spiced version.)  The frosting as well.  Though the frosting was slightly soft, and therefore maybe better on a rectangle than trying to spread around the sides of two layers darker than itself.  But I tried to hide those unsightly edges from the camera, for the most part, in the hopes of conveying the fabulousness this carrot cake is.  (And no, I didn't make my own marzipan carrot.  Got it at the local European bakery for a couple of bucks.)

 Chai Spice Carrot Cake with Vanilla Bean-Cream Cheese Frosting (print recipe)
Serves 10 to 12

Carrot Cake:
2 1/2 cups (12 1/2 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 T ground cardamom
1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1 pound (6 to 7 medium) carrots, peeled
1 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed (3 1/2 ounces) light brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups safflower, canola, or vegetable oil

Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting:
2 vanilla beans, halved and seeds scraped
8 oz. cream cheese, softened but still cool
5 T unsalted butter, softened but still cool
1 T sour cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) confectioners' sugar

1.  For the Cake: Adjust an oven rack to the middle position; heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.  Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and spray the parchment.

2.  Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.

3.  In a food processor fitted with the large shredding disk, shred the carrots (you should have about 3 cups); add the carrots to the bowl with the dry ingredients and set aside.  Wipe out the food processor and fit with the metal blade.  Process both sugars with the eggs until frothy and thoroughly combined, about 20 seconds.  With the machine running, add the oil through the feed tube in a steady stream.  Process until the mixture is light in color and well emulsified, about 20 seconds longer.  Scrape the mixture into a large bowl.  Stir in the carrots and dry ingredients until incorporated and no streaks of flour remain.  Pour into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick or skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes, rotating the pan from front to back halfway through the baking time.  Cool the cake to room temperature in the pan on a wire rack, about 2 hours.

4.  For the Frosting: When the cake is cool, process the cream cheese, vanilla bean seeds, butter, sour cream, and vanilla extract in a clean food processor until combined, about 5 seconds, scraping down the workbowl with a rubber spatula as needed.  Add the confectioners' sugar and process until smooth, about 10 seconds.

5.  Run a paring knife around the edge of the cake to loosen it from the pan.  Invert cake onto a wire rack, peel off the parchment, then invert it again onto a serving platter.  Using an offset spatula, spread the frosting evenly over the surface of the cake.  Cut into squares and serve. 

Recipe from Baking Illustrated

Leprechaun Muffins

 Well I didn't quite get these up for St. Patrick's, did I?  But anyone who loves pistachios as much as I do won't mind because these are great any day of the year.  A delicious sour cream batter surrounding a rich sweet pistachio filling that, in every muffin, turns out like a little smile. 

I had to hunt this recipe down like a bloodhound.  See, when I made my Frozen Pistachio Tarts, I had to buy a 3-pack of pistachio paste.  Which means I had a whole lot of pistachio paste left over.  So naturally I started looking for recipes.  In the KAF forums I saw mention of a Leprechaun Muffin, which was achingly intriguing, but I couldn't find the recipe anywhere.  I finally figured out it was published in their own publication, The Baking Sheet, but not available online.  So I went and ordered myself a back issue and waited with great anticipation.

What a gem, too.  Not only did it have this recipe, but also a Pistachio-Chocolate Chip Pound Cake (using more pistachio paste, woo-hoo!), a Daffodil Cake (a yellow-and-white sponge cake flavored with orange), Tourtiere (French meat pie), Hot Cross Buns, and more.  It's a little expensive, but I'm seriously considering a subscription.

In the meantime, here's a freebie for you, for no pistachio lover should be without Leprechaun Muffins.

Leprechaun Muffins (print recipe)
Makes 16 muffins

Batter:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract

Filling (makes enough for two batches of batter):
1/2 cup pistachio paste
3 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 large egg
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 drop green food coloring

Streusel:
1/4 cup butter, melted
2/3 cup confectioners' sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped pistachio nuts, optional

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 12-cup muffin tin with papers and spray the insides of the papers.  Put the extras in another tin or the same one after it cooks.

2.  To make the dough:  In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating between additions and stopping to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl after each egg.  Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Add to the egg mixture in thirds, alternating with the sour cream.  Beat in the extracts.

3.  To make the filling: Combine the pistachio paste, cream cheese, and sugar until smooth.  Add the flour, mix to combine, then beat in the egg, almond extract, and a drop of green food coloring, if using.

4.  To make the streusel: Combine the ingredients, mixing well with a fork or your hands.

5.  To assemble muffins: Scoop 2 T of batter into each of the wells of the muffin tins.  Spoon a Tablespoon of filling on top of the batter, then scoop another 2 T of batter on top.  The wells should be filled to just below the tops of the papers.  Sprinkle the streusel on top, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.  Remove from the oven, and cool on a rack for 5 minutes before taking the muffins out of the pans to finish cooling completely.

 Coffeecake variation: Butter and flour two 8-inch round pans or a 9x13 pan.  Spread half the batter in the prepared pans; spread the filling over it, and then spoon the remaining batter on top.  Sprinkle with the streusel, then bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack, or cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe from The Baking Sheet, Spring 2010

Amendment to Lucky Rainbow Jell-O

 So right after posting the Rainbow Jell-o, I decided to make it again.  Some friends were coming for dinner on St. Patrick's Day, so I thought I'd try making it with end-of-the-rainbow chocolate gold coins in the bottom (leftover from Hanukkah.)  AND it was my big chance to make in the trifle bowl, which is PERFECT for showcasing its beautiful colors. 

It was awesome.  Everyone loved it - how can you not?  It's like Skittles in Jell-o form.  And the coins on the bottom worked great, too, and the kids had a fun time discovering them and eating them with dinner, and it didn't even have to count as dessert!

The other food was not really Irish, but Ed's cousin Heather brought her big black plastic Halloween cauldron and filled it with a yummy green punch, plus we were all wearing green, so it was a very festive evening.  Oh, and I invested in a nice shamrock cookie cutter, so we had shamrock sugar cookies and mint chocolate chip ice cream for dessert.  Happy St. Patty's!

Lucky Rainbow Ribbon Jell-o

 We had some friends over to dinner a few months ago and this was the "salad" they brought (I had asked them to; I'd heard about their rainbow Jell-o.)  It's a family recipe, and in my friend Sheri's family, she made it clear, this dish is a "salad."  In fact, she only shared the recipe with me on condition I would file it under "salads."  Gotta love Utah.


But even more, gotta love this Jell-o!  Hello, this is like so pretty, and as long as you plan ahead a day or so, it is like so easy, too!  And really pretty fun to make.  I made it for Dinner Swap on Ginger's birthday, and certainly counted it as a "salad."

Another friend also made me realize what a perfect St. Patrick's Day treat this is - end of the rainbow and all that.  In fact, I had the thought to hide a gold-wrapped chocolate coin on the bottom - what do you think, would that work?  I'm not sure I'm going to make that happen this year, but maybe, just maybe, next. 

Also, at the risk of stating the obvious, you could do this with any colors for any occasion - 4th of July, Easter, baby shower, Christmas, Halloween (purple, green, orange), etc.

Rainbow Ribbon Jell-o (print recipe)

6 (3 oz.) boxes of Jell-o in rainbow colors - purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, red (or any colors you want as your stripes)
6 cups boiling water
2 cups plain yogurt (we prefer Greek)
1 1/8 cup cold water

1.  Starting with the last color first (purple), dissolve each package of Jell-o in 1 cup boiling water.  Pour 1/2 cup of that into a separate bowl and combine with 1/3 cup plain yogurt.  Pour purple yogurt Jell-o into a clear glass serving bowl.  Chill to set in refrigerator, 20 to 25 minutes. 

2.  Add 3 T cold water to remaining purple Jell-o and pour onto first layer.  Chill to set at least 20 minutes.  Repeat with each flavor.

Recipe from Sheri Wadman

Happy Pi(e) Day

It's a must-post day for any self-respecting food blogger.  I refer you here for my thoughts on the matter.

I did make a pie today - four, actually.  It's my cooking day for Dinner Swap so I made four Icebox Key Lime Pies, in honor of both Pi(e) Day and St. Patrick's coming up this Saturday.  It's so good.

But the real Pi Pie come later this week.  Our friend's birthday is today, so to celebrate, they are having a pie contest party this weekend, and that's when I'll break out the big guns.  I've got it narrowed down to four:

Blueberry Slab Pie
Banana Cream Pie with Salty Bourbon Caramel (it's got a peanut shortbread crust!)
Black Bottom Pie with Gingersnap Crust
Upside-Down Banana Split Pie

Decisions, decisions...

Dessert Club: Candy

 Oh it was a sweet, sweet Dessert Club in February.  On Leap Day we met to taste and share some devilishly delicious mouthfuls.  "Candy" was not my idea for February's theme.  Candy-making is a whole different realm from baking, and not one that I'm comfortable, or very interested, in.  But I did give it a go.  I tried Claire Robinson's New Orleans Bacon Pralines, but they ended up crumbly so I just threw them away.  Shame, it seemed like a good idea.  But things with thermometers make me nervous; it's just too delicate a process.

Which also seemed the general consensus since so many of Candy Night's offerings were truffles.  But I'm not complaining; everything was sooo good.

Chocolate-Covered Nougat & Peanuts 
 (like a Baby Ruth - and she TEMPERED THE CHOCOLATE - talk about love)

Double Dark Pistachio Fudge
(and the topping was a secret none of us could guess!)

Caramel-Dark Chocolate Truffles with Fleur de Sel

Butterfinger Truffles

Vanilla-Orange Caramels with Candied Orange Peels

"Gumdrops for Grown-Ups"
(fruit gelee in three flavors: Pear-Cardamom, Rosewater-Saffron, Pink Grapefruit-Rosemary)

Spicy Passion Truffles
(with layers of flavor that smoke up your mouth - we decided to rename them Burning Passion - my personal favorite of the evening)

 

And the winner was...

Chocolate Raspberry Truffles

The winner received a new Maverick Digital Candy thermometer with a timer and lots of bells & whistles.  It was wrapped up to look like a huge candy.  Made me really wish my pralines had worked out.

 Aah, it was another fabulous and successful Dessert Club.  We stayed up extra late talking after the tasting had long ended.  DC is so great for us, on so many levels.  I hope it goes on forever and ever.

Thin Mint Cheesecake Swirl Brownies

 Where the time goes.  How long I have been trying to put this post together.  How many freaking things have kept me from doing so. 

Pardon the mini therapy session here.  I am seriously baffled.  I have the same number of kids as a few months ago.  Same hours in a day.  Basically the same amount of stuff to do from week to week.  Maybe slightly lower energy levels (allergies are kicking my butt.)  But for some reason I have not been on top of this blog like before.  I know it doesn't matter that much to you, but it is ticking me off.  On to brownies, therapy is over.

Girl Scout cookie season!!!  Sing it with me - GIRL SCOUT COOKIE SEASON!  I know that probably if you've got a box of Thin Mints around, you are going to eat them.  Or maybe freeze half for a treat in the summer.  But if you happen to have extra Thin Mints - we only do because we both ordered cookies from different scouts without knowing it, and ended up with quite the stack of boxes! but even so, I ordered an extra box just for this recipe - you might consider making these luscious treats. 

I made them a few weeks ago while visiting my sister in Vermont.  They actually have only certain nights designated as dessert nights, so luckily I was there for one.  And here's me playing with the focus on my new camera.

 This is one happy Thin-Mint-Cheesecake-Swirl-Brownie eater.

Oh my gosh.


Thin Mint Cheesecake Swirl Brownies (print recipe)
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1 3/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 cup flour
1/2 cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 1/3 cups coarsely chopped Thin Mint Cookies

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 8 inch metal baking pan. Put a long piece of parchment paper in the bottom of the pan, letting the parchment extend up two sides of the pan and overhang slightly on both ends. (This will make it easy to remove the bars from the pan after they have baked.) Butter the parchment.
2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Whisk in sugar and bring to a boil, whisking frequently; boil 1 minute. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and peppermint extract until combined, about 1 minute.
4. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder and salt; whisk until combined.
5. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs until combined. Whisk in melted butter-sugar mixture until well combined. Stir in flour mixture until just combined,followed by Thin Mint Cookies.
6. Spread half of brownie batter into the prepared baking dish, followed by cream cheese layer. Distribute the remaining brownie mixture in 8 dollops over the cheesecake layer and spread evenly. Swirl in with a knife or spatula.
7. Bake for 24-28 minutes, until brownies and cheesecake are set. A knife inserted into the cheesecake mixture should come out clean and the edges will be lightly browned.
8. Let cool completely in pan on a cooling rack before lifting out the parchment paper to remove the brownies.

Yields: 16 large brownies or 24 small brownies

Butterscotch Blondie Bars with Peanut-Pretzel Caramel

 It was time for something sweet-salty and gooey.  I figured Bon Appétit had my number with this one.  But I was actually surprised that the final product was not quite the salty that I expected.  It's because they used unsalted nuts.  Don't know why, because salted would have been perfect (I noted it in my version below.)  Also they used honey in the caramel instead of the typical corn syrup.  In addition to being sweet, honey has kind of an extra-sweet flavor to it.  But I think salted nuts would balance it better. 

I feel like altering a Bon Appétit recipe tags me as "NOT SOPHISTICATED ENOUGH", but we all kind of knew that, didn't we?  I can't be what I'm not. But I can love my new camera.  And Butterscotch Blondies with Salted Peanut-Pretzel Caramel.

Butterscotch Blondie Bars with Peanut-Pretzel Caramel (print recipe)
 Makes 40

Blondie:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Peanut-Pretzel Caramel:
4 cups roasted lightly salted (or unsalted) peanuts
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup honey or light corn syrup
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups 1 1/2"-wide thin twisted pretzels, coarsely crushed

1.  Preheat oven to 350.  Line 13x9x2" metal baking pan with parchment paper, leaving 1" overhang on long sides of pan.  Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.  Stir butter in a medium skillet over medium heat until browned bits form at bottom of pan, 7-8 minutes.  Transfer to a medium bowl.  Add brown sugar.  Using an electric mixer, beat until well combined and mixture resembles wet sand, 2-3 minutes.  Add eggs and vanilla; beat until fluffy and well combined, about 2 minutes.  Add dry ingredients; beat until smooth (batter will be thick.)  Using an offset spatula, evenly spread batter in prepared pan.

2.  Bake blondie until golden brown, edges pull away from sides of pan, and a tester inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 20-25 minutes.  Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

3.  For the Peanut-Pretzel Caramel, preheat oven to 350.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.  Spread peanuts over sheet in an even layer.  Bake, stirring frequently, until golden brown and fragrant, 5-7 minutes.  Set aside. 

4.  Stir sugar and 1/2 cup water in a large saucepan over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves.  Increase heat; boil without stirring, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides with a wet pastry brush, until caramel is deep amber, 12-15 minutes.  Add corn syrup or honey; return to a boil, stirring often, about 1 minute longer.  Add butter; stir until blended.  Add cream (mixture will bubble vigorously); whisk until smooth.  Stir in peanuts and pretzels.  Pour over cooled blondie.  Chill until cool, about 30 minutes. 

5.  Run a knife around short sides of pan to release blondie.  Using parchment-paper overhang, lift from pan.  Cut lengthwise into 4 strips.  Cut each strip crosswise into 10 bars. 

Recipe from Bon Appétit, December 2011

Genevieve's French Bread

I'm in this Dinner Swap group.  Maybe you've heard about it.  Every time it's my cooking day I wonder why I'm doing it.  Then the other three nights, when a hot dinner arrives in Gladware containers, I remember the many reasons.

Anyway.  There are eight of us in the group, making two groups of four, which rotate each month.  One month, when I was not in her group, I had two separate reports of the DIVINE French bread my friend Genevieve had made for dinner.  Well.  I gave her a call straight away to get the recipe.

She was at the doctor's office or something and said she'd have to email it to me later.  But that I would need one of these, which I ordered tout de suite.  Then within the hour I received a text from her - the recipe was so simple and easy she could remember it, and texted it to me on the spot.

Keep in mind, this was a family recipe that she got from her sister-in-law.  And as we know, family recipes are famous for leaving out crucial details.  So the first time I made it, I called Genevieve at least four times to find out things like, how long does it rise, what consistency should the dough be, how many slashes in the bread, etc.  Details.

This bread is so easy it's almost embarrassing.  Start to finish under 2 hours for sure, you could even do it between an hour and hour-and-a-half.  You just need the pan.  And my flushed-out recipe with all the proper instructions!

 

 Genevieve's French Bread (print recipe)

2 1/2 cups warm water
2 T active dry yeast
2 T sugar
2 tsp salt
5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg white, lightly beaten

1.  Combine the water, yeast and a pinch of sugar.  Allow to proof for a few minutes.  In a large mixing bowl, combine yeast mixture, sugar, salt and flour and mix/knead for about 5 minutes until well combined.  Dough will be very wet & sticky.

2.  Place dough in a greased bowl, cover and allow to rise for 15 minutes (it rises quickly but this is flexible - if you don't get to it for 20-25 minutes it will still be OK.)

3.  Preheat oven to 450.

4.  Punch down dough and shape into two oblong loaves, about 13 inches long each.  You will need a lot of flour on your hands and work surface to do this.  Place loaves in perforated French bread pan.  Using sharp clean kitchen shears, snip about six diagonal slashes in the bread, about 1/2-inch deep.  Brush loaves with beaten egg white.  Cover lightly with a greased piece of plastic wrap and allow to rise for 15 minutes (this time is not so flexible - you don't want them to over-rise and spill out of the pan.)

5.  Bake at 450 for 15 minutes or until medium golden brown.  Remove and allow to cool.  Makes two AMAZING loaves!

Recipe from Genevieve's sister-in-law

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

Happy Pancake Day!  As you know Mardi Gras = National Pancake Day.  And the entire week before lent = Pancake Week.  Which is usually celebrated here with a pancake-a-day.  Reality is, I have the recipes to try, and I made some of them, but I just couldn't pull it off in time this year.  Sorry for the downer.

But the good news is, I have one for today, and it's so awesome.  One of those many recipes that make me smack my forehead wondering why I never thought of it before.  If you're only going to make one pancake today, or this week, this is an awfully good one to go with!

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes (print recipe)
(Makes 8 to 10 pancakes)

Pancakes:
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 cups buttermilk
2 T canola oil
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Cinnamon Filling:
1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 T ground cinnamon

Cream Cheese Glaze:
4 T butter
2 oz. cream cheese
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1.  Prepare pancake batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.  Whisk in the buttermilk, oil, and eggs, just until batter is moistened (a few small lumps are fine.)

2.  For the filling, in a medium bowl, mix butter, brown sugar and cinnamon.  Pour filling into a pastry bag with a small tip or a squeeze bottle with a small tip.  Set aside.  This should be about the consistency of toothpaste.

3.  For the glaze, in a medium, microwave-safe bowl, heat butter and cream cheese until melted.  Whisk together until smooth; whisk in powdered sugar and vanilla; set aside. 

4.  Heat griddle or large skillet over medium-low heat.  Spray with nonstick cooking spray if necessary.  Scoop about 3/4 cup batter onto the skillet.  When pancake has started to cook a little, swirl on the cinnamon filling. 

 When bubbles begin to appear on the surface, flip carefully with a thin spatula, and cook until browned on the underside.  Transfer to a baking sheet to keep warm in the oven.  When ready to serve, spoon warmed glaze onto the top of each pancake. 

*Save extra filling for next time.

Recipe adapted from The Baker Chick

Red Hot Cinnamon Bread

 Hey, friends.  Happy Valentine's Day.  I've got some love for you.

You remembered to stock up on red hots, right?  If not, run out and hunt some down - in some places, this is the only time of year you can find them! 

Why do I need them, you ask?  Well, for starters, there's Cinnamon Candy Cider and Red Hot Red Velvet Whoopie Pies.  They also make great sugar cookie decorations, pancake add-ins, or soak them in hot water to make Cinnamon Tea for a tea party, hello.

And, natch, there's this bread.  I just love fun bread.  Because once you eat your fill warm from the oven, you can always use what's left for toast, French toast, or bread pudding.  You cannot go wrong with great bread.  This one is studded with fabulously red Red Hot candies, which melt into cinnamon gooey goodness while it cooks.  Amazing!

 Red Hot Cinnamon Bread (print recipe)
Makes 1 loaf or 9 buns (I have two loaves because I doubled it)
1/4 cup lukewarm water
1/2 cup lukewarm milk
1/4 cup softened butter
2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3 cups King Arthur All-Purpose Flour
1/2 cup cinnamon Red Hot candies

1.  Combine all dough ingredients except candies and mix and knead together - by hand, mixer or bread machine - until you have a soft, pliable dough.

2.  Allow the dough to rise, covered, for 45 minutes to one hour or until full and round.  To test, poke dough with index finger approximately 1/2 inch deep.  If the impression remains, the dough has sufficiently risen.

3.  Gently deflate the dough, and pat into a 8" x 10" rectangle.  Knead in the cinnamon candies in 3 stages, using about 1/3 of the candies each time.

4.  Shape the dough into a loaf and place in a greased or parchment lined 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pan.  Tent the pan loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap.  Allow to rise for 40 to 50 minutes.  Dough should just crest the top of the pan.

5.  If making buns, divide the dough evenly into 9 pieces and shape into smooth, round balls.  Place buns in greased 9x9" square pan.  Tent the pan loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap.  Allow to
rise for 30 to 40 minutes.  Buns will be full, puffy and barely touching one another.

6.  Bake bread (or buns) in preheated 350 degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes (20-25 for buns).  If bread browns too quickly on top, tent loosely with aluminum foil.  Place pan over parchment or foil lined cookie sheet to catch any drips of hot candy.  Bread is done when internal temperature reads 190 degrees on an instant thermometer.

7.  Remove bread from pan and allow to cool on a wire rack.  Place rack over a piece of parchment to catch any drips of hot candy.  Candy will set as bread cools.

Recipe from King Arthur Flour

Don't feel like cinnamon for Valentine's Day?  You could also try:
French Toast Baked in Honey-Pecan Sauce (from my sexiest cookbook!) 
Strawberry Flip Cookies
Red Velvet Cookies

Pumpkin Biscuits

I know this recipe seems out of season, and it is.  But I post 'em as I make 'em.  And I made these for Dinner Swap a few weeks ago, so I thought I'd post them.

Speaking of Dinner Swap, I think it's partially responsible for my decrease in frequency here.  I just haven't been baking much since November, and maybe even a gradual decline since September.  It's baffled me, but I think part of it is that cooking day is so long, intense, and tiring that on the other days I'm just not drawn to the kitchen like I used to be.  I can't figure out another reason.  I don't think I'm any more busy than before, but it seems like there is less time to bake these days.  Or maybe less reason.  But I will still post when I do, never fear!  I hope it's just a phase.

I made these biscuits to go with a really good sausage & lentil soup - they are a great bread-ish side dish when you need something a little different, or a barely sweet-and-spicy flavor profile (we get a lot of cornbread and white bread and rolls in the Swap.)  My kids loved them, and as a bonus, we ate the rest for breakfast!

Pumpkin Biscuits
Makes 16 to 18
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 T packed brown sugar
1 T baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into thin slices or grated
1 (15 oz.) can unsweetened pumpkin

1.  Preheat oven to 425.  Grease a cookie sheet or line it with parchment.

2.  In a large bowl, stir the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and spices.  With a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture looks like cornmeal.  Stir in the pumpkin and mix until you form a soft dough.

3.  On a well-floured surface, and with well-floured hands, pat out the dough to 1/2-inch thick.  Using a floured, sharp knife or floured round biscuit cutter, cut into 2-inch squares or rounds.  Place on cookie sheet and cook in the center of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes.  Serve hot or at room temperature.

Recipe from my sister Tona

Frozen Pistachio Pie

Here's the "gadget" treat I made for Dessert Club.  I had a set of six mini tart pans, so I just adapted it to tarts instead of a big pie.  I searched high and low for a recipe that inspired me.  I had it narrowed down to these and these (I still want to make both.) 

Then I found this one.  Ordered myself some pistachio paste.  (And a back issue of KAF The Baking Sheet which has more recipes I can make with it.)  I just loved the idea of chocolate crust with purely pistachio cream filling.  And, ahem, I wasn't the only one who loved them.  These were a very closer runner up in the always-competitive Dessert Club vote.  Yum! 

And a side note: you know I love yellowy-greens - these were such an awesome color!

Frozen Pistachio Pie (print recipe)
Crust:
1 prebaked Chocolate Cookie Crust

Filling:
2 large whole eggs
3 egg yolks
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
4 ounces (1/2 cup) pistachio paste
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
Chopped pistachios, for garnish

1.  Make and cool the crust.

2.  For the filling, beat the eggs, yolks and confectioners' sugar together in the top of a double boiler.  Cook over simmering water, stirring constantly, until thickened and the temperature reaches 165 degrees F.

3.  Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the pistachio paste.  Set over a pan of ice water to cool, stirring occasionally.

4.  In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream and then fold it into the cooled egg mixture.  Spoon it into the prepared crust, sprinkle with chopped nuts and freeze for at least 6 hours, until firm.

Recipe from King Arthur Flour