Pumpkin Gingerbread Bundt Cake

To continue with my mindset of willing it to be fall even though it feels like 100 degrees outside, Miss F and I decided to bake with pumpkin after we purchased a few pumpkins for our porch. She had requested a cake of some sort and having just made a bundt cake for my mom's birthday, I knew I wanted to use the pan again.  I adore gingerbread, especially when served warm with a healthy dollop of whipped cream.  This recipe had the perfect spice and the pumpkin made the cake incredibly moist.  This recipe was adapted from McCormick.

Pumpkin Gingerbread Bundt Cake

4 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup molasses
½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
2 eggs
1 cup boiling water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, beat the pumpkin, brown sugar, molasses and butter on medium speed until combined. Add the egg, mix well. Add the flour and water, alternating and beating on low just until blended. Pour the batter into a greased 12 cup Bundt pan. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, invert cake onto the wire rack and cool completely. Slice and serve with whipped cream.

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Palisade Peach Pie

I had never heard of Palisade Peaches before, but my BFF raved about them when we were talking about peaches (like you do) and so when I saw a pick up truck with a giant "Palisade Peaches" sign, I knew I had to stop.  I got a huge bag of peaches for $8, one of which was eaten by Miss F straight away, and knew pie was in my future.  I used refrigerate pie crusts because I didn't want to try and deal with making pie crust in a kitchen with out air conditioning.  We are hosting Thanksgiving in Colorado and I will attempt homemade crust then, when there will hopefully be snow on the ground.  C loved the filling, but was meh on the crust.  I guess he much prefers homemade, who doesn't?

Palisade Peach Pie

3 ½ pounds peaches
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ cup flour
2 refrigerated prepared pie crusts

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Bring a large pan of water to a boil and make a large bowl of ice water. Score an “X” into the bottom of each of the peaches. Boil each peach for a minute, then put straight into the bowl of ice water. Peel the peaches, then slice into wedges.

In a large bowl, stir together the peaches, lemon juice, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and flour. Place the one of the pie crusts into a pie pan. Add the peach mixture to the pan, mounding high in the center. Top with the second pie crust and crimp the edges to seal. Make three cuts in the center of the crust to vent the pie.

Place the pie on a cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees and cover the edges of the pie with foil, bake for 30 to 40 minutes more. Transfer the pie to a wire rack and cool. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

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Banana Blueberry Muffins

Miss F declared these to be the best muffins ever. She ,made them nearly entirely on her own, the only thing she didn't do was crack the eggs. For some reason she isn't ever wanting to crack the eggs, not too sure why. I think the addition of the orange juice is really what made these the best muffins ever for Miss F.  She couldn't stop talking about them!  She also loved the batter, after she was done dishing out the muffins (without too much mess,) she licked the bowl completely clean. This recipe is from Go Go Go Gourmet.

Banana Blueberry Muffins

2 overripe bananas, peeled and mashed
¼ cup butter, melted
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
¼ cup orange juice
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups flour
1 cup blueberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with paper liners. In a mixing bowl, stir together the bananas, butter, sugar, vanilla and orange juice until well combined. Stir in the baking soda, baking powder, salt and flour until just combined. Fold in the blueberries. Use an ice cream disher to scoop the batter into the prepared tin. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool slightly in the pan, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

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Bagels

I adore bagels, they are one of the few breakfast foods that I actually enjoy. But I am very particular in how I like to enjoy my bagels. They have to be lightly toasted with just butter. No spreads, no schmears, no toppings. Plain toasted bagels with butter. Since I am so simple in my tastes, the bagels have to be quite spectacular. And this recipe, adapted from Sophisticated Gourmet, does not disappoint.  Miss F had so much fun trying to shape the bagels, she wasn't always successful, but she sure enjoyed trying to make the perfect circles.  Miss F is also a purist like I am, she has been enjoying a plain bagel with butter each morning for breakfast.  But she doesn't like them toasted...or even sliced!

Bagels

1 ¼ cups warm water
1 ½ tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
3 ½ cups bread flour
1 ½ teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons cornmeal

Add ½ cup of the water to the bowl of a stand mixer, stir in the sugar and then sprinkle the yeast over top. Let sit for 5 minutes. Add the flour and salt, then the remaining ¾ cup of water. Mix until well combined. Using the dough hook, knead the dough for 10 minutes at medium-low speed. Shape the dough into a ball, cover with a towel, place in a warm spot and allow it to rise for 1 hour.

Punch down the dough and let rest for 10 minutes more. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces, shape each into a round ball. Gently press your finger into the center of each dough ball and form a ring, stretching each one until there is about a ½ inch hole. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.

While the dough is resting, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and lightly dust a baking sheet with the corn meal.

Reduce the boiling water heat to medium, using a slotted spoon, add the bagels to the water. Simmer for 2 minutes and flip over each bagel and simmer for 2 minutes more. Place the boiled bagels onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown.

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Best Buttermilk Biscuits

I love biscuits. I remember making biscuits at least once a month once I got my own apartment. These were of the Bisquick variety, usually in drop form, because I was too lazy to use a biscuit cutter. I may have finally found my most favorite ever recipe. The major break through for me was cutting the biscuits into squares instead of using a biscuit cutter...no wasted scraps! More importantly, no overworked biscuit dough. These biscuits are incredibly fluffy and quite perfect. Maybe it's the stick of butter that goes into them...

Best Buttermilk Biscuits

2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup butter, cut into cubes
1 cup buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat. In a mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add the butter cubes to the bowl, using two forks or a pastry cutter, work the butter into the flour until it is the size of small peas. Slowly stir in the buttermilk just until combined. Turn the dough out onto a floured board and shape into a 12” x 9” rectangle about 1” thick. Cut the dough into twelve 3” squares and place onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 14 minutes until golden brown. Serve.

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Overnight Cream Cheese Cinnamon Rolls

I made crockpot creamy TexMex chicken and was left with four ounces of cream cheese. I am not a huge eater of plain cream cheese, so I knew it had to be baked into something. Miss F and I decided to make my favorite overnight cinnamon rolls, but instead of their usual icing, we topped them with massive dollops of cream cheese icing. Delicious. Our family ate nearly the whole pan on Sunday morning.  There were only two left, which Miss F claimed for herself for breakfast during the week.  The cream cheese frosting makes these decadent treats even richer and even more delicious. I don't know that I will ever make the plain icing ever again.

Overnight Cream Cheese Cinnamon Rolls

2/3 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter
1 ½ teaspoons yeast
1/3 cup white sugar
3 cups flour
¾ teaspoon salt
2 eggs

½ cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 ½ cup confectioners' sugar

Heat the milk in a small saucepan just until it begins to bubble, remove from the heat. Swirl in the butter until melted.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve the yeast in the milk mixture. Add the sugar, 2 cups of the flour, salt and eggs; stir well to combine. Add the remaining flour a ½ cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. Knead for 5 minutes using the dough hook of the stand mixer.

Lightly oil a large mixing bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour. Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 10x10 inch square. Lightly brush the far edge with water. In a small bowl combine the cinnamon and brown sugar, sprinkle over the prepared dough. Roll up the dough into a log and seal the seam. Cut the dough into 8 equal pieces and place into a greased 9 inch cake pan. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to rise overnight.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, while the oven is heating, let the prepared rolls rise on the countertop. Bake the rolls for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. While the rolls are baking, cream together the cream cheese with the confectioners’ sugar, adding the sugar in ½ cup portions. Spoon the frosting over the baked rolls and serve warm.

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Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies

One of the highlights of the holiday season is my friend's cookie exchange. Everyone brings six dozen cookies, wrapped in packages of three, and we have a huge swap. You return home with 24 different kinds of cookies to enjoy. C and Miss F love pawing through the basket of cookies selecting their favorites. This year was the biggest exchange yet and people really outdid themselves.  There was plenty of Prosecco to sip and an abundance of delicious snacks.  My Uber driver was entertained by me carrying a basket full of cookies, I may have shared a bag with him on the trip home.  This recipe is adapted from All Recipes.  Kroger stocks Salted Caramel Chips, which is what I used in these cookies.  The original recipe calls for chopping up caramel candies, but the chips make it much easier.

Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies
makes 36 cookies

3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 ¾ cups brown sugar
1 cup butter, softened
¼ cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup caramel chips (salted caramel if you can find them!)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. In the bowl of the stand mixer, cream together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar. Beat in the eggs, one at a time and stir in the vanilla extract. Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture until just combined. Fold in the chocolate and caramel chips. Line baking sheets with Silpats or parchment paper. Drop the dough in two tablespoon size balls onto the baking sheets. Bake in the oven until the edges are golden brown, 13 to 15 minutes. Cool the cookies on the pans for 5 minutes, transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

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Chocolate Buttermilk Muffins

I bought a jug of buttermilk to make a cake and besides making pancakes nearly every morning for breakfast, I was looking for another way to use up the leftovers.  Miss F was obsessed with these muffins, but that wasn't at all surprising since they are essentially chocolate-chocolate chip cupcakes without any frosting.  I want to make them again with peanut butter  chips, which I think would be fantastic, even though I wouldn't be able to send them to school with Miss F.  Recipe from Jen's Favorite Cookies.

Chocolate Buttermilk Muffins

⅓ cup vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ cup cocoa powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, sugar and brown sugar. In a separate bowl, sift together the baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder, salt and flour. Stir the flour mixture into the oil mixture, just until combined. Gently fold in the chocolate chips. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners, fill each liner 2/3 full. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes.

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Lemon Layer Cake

A dear friend was turning 40 and to celebrate, I hosted a girls only dinner party. The guest of honor requested a lemon cake for dessert and I happily agreed, since I love lemon almost as much as I love chocolate.  I used my go to, lemon cream cheese frosting, but I wanted to try a new lemon cake.  I have a major aversion to zest in cakes, I just don't enjoy the texture at all.  I heavily adapted this recipe from one I saw on the Chowhound message board.  The buttermilk gives it the perfect tang.  We devoured this cake, but I made sure to save a piece for Miss F, who was snoozing away upstairs while we celebrated (or cackled, as C calls it.)

Lemon Layer Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
3 large eggs
¼ cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1 cup buttermilk

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
½ cup butter, softened
¼ cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
4 cups confectioners’ sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 8” round cake pans, set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the sugar and butter until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Stir in the lemon juice. Add the flour and buttermilk in three additions, alternating between each. Divide the batter and pour into the two prepared pans. Bake for 32 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then remove the cakes from the pans to cool on a wire rack.

Beat together the cream cheese and butter for 3 minutes on medium speed. Add the lemon juice. Add the confectioners’ sugar 1 cup at a time and beat for 5 minutes more. Frost the cooled cakes.

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Pumpkin Gingerbread Muffins

Even though it is still quite warm here, I can still bake like it is actually fall. Miss F loves anything ginger flavored nd muffins are an easy breakfast or snack for school.  These are so easy to make, Miss F nearly did it all by herself.  She is still quite wary of interacting with the oven in any way.  This recipe doesn't use an entire can of pumpkin puree, so we had just enough left to make my favorite puffy pumpkin pancakes.  We can pretend it's fall even though we are sweating right through it!  Recipe adapted from The Lean Green Bean.

Pumpkin Gingerbread Muffins

4 tablespoons butter, melted
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup molasses
2/3 cup pumpkin puree
1 ¾ cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger

Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Stir together the butter, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, molasses and pumpkin until well combined. Stir in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and ginger just until combined. Scoop the batter into the prepared liners and bake for 20 to 22 minutes. Cool completely.

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Garlic Pull Apart Bread

I love baking bread, it is so much better than anything you can get at the store and I have perfected the timing of it all so that it doesn't take an entire day to produce one loaf of bread. C and Miss F devoured this loaf.  And they added additional butter, which wasn't necessary at all, but I couldn't convince them otherwise. I can't wait to try other flavors of pull apart bread, but one thing is certain, the next loaf will include cheese of some sort.  This recipe was inspired by Budget Bytes.

Garlic Pull Apart Bread

1/3 cup warm water
2 ¼ teaspoons dry active yeast
1 cup warm milk
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted (I microwave it with the milk)
1 teaspoon salt
3 ½ cups flour
¼ cup butter, melted
2 teaspoons garlic salt

Add the water to the bowl of the stand mixer, sprinkle the yeast overtop and proof for 5 to 7 minutes, until frothy. Add the milk, sugar, butter, salt and flour, mix at low speed until combined. Swap out the mixer attachment for the dough hook and need for 8 minutes more. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl and allow to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.

In a small bowl, combine the butter and garlic salt. Cut dough into 1 inch pieces; dip into butter mixture. Layer in a greased 9x5 inch loaf pan. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

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Tiger Bread aka Marble Bundt Cake

We spent an amazing couple of weeks in Fiji and New Zealand.   We returned home on a Sunday and Miss F started school the next Wednesday.  Her request for her school snack was "Tiger Bread."  She had it nearly every morning at our hotel in Fiji.  It was essentially marble cake, but since it was served at breakfast, they called it "bread."  Miss F helped make this cake and really enjoyed swirling the batter to create the tiger stripes.  After a week, the entire cake had been eaten...for breakfast, for snack, for dessert...  This recipe was adapted from Sailu's Food.

Tiger Bread aka Marble Bundt Cake
http://www.sailusfood.com/2013/11/15/marble-bundt-cake-recipe-easy/

1/3 cup cocoa powder
3 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup hot water
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup butter, softened
1 ½ cups sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a bunt pan with shortening, then flour it, tapping out any excess. In a small bowl, stir together the cocoa powder, 3 tablespoons sugar and hot water until smooth. Set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter for 2 minutes. Add the 1 ½ cups sugar and beat for 3 minutes more. Add the eggs and beat on low for 1 minute more. Stir in the flour in four additions, stirring until well combined. Transfer a bit less than half of the batter to a bowl and stir in the cocoa mixture. Alternate scoops of vanilla and chocolate batter into the bundt pan using an ice cream disher. Use a knife to swirl the batters into one another, smoothing the top. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then invert to the wire rack to cool completely. Dust with the powdered sugar after cooling.

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Baked Chocolate Frosted Doughnuts

I usually have a large container of plain Greek yogurt laying around. One of my most favorite things to have for lunch is Naan with a huge bowl to Tzatziki. I could live on that stuff.  Miss F loves making baked doughnuts in the summertime, when our mornings are a little more lazy than the madness going on during the school year.  I am not sure I will ever bake a doughnut without Greek yogurt again.  They were amazing.  Truly amazing.   The recipe is title "Best Baked Doughnuts" on Back for Seconds and that isn't a lie.  They are truly the best.  And healthy because protein...right?  HA!

Baked Chocolate Frosted Doughnuts

1 ½ cups flour
½ cup brown sugar (packed)
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 pinch salt
1 egg
3 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted)
¼ cup milk
2/3 cups plain greek yogurt
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup chocolate chips
¼ cup milk
sprinkles

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a two cup measure, whisk together the egg, butter, milk, yogurt and vanilla. Gently stir the wet ingredients into bowl with the dry ingredients until combined. Fill a greased doughnut pan ¾ full with batter and bake for 9 to 12 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes.

Heat the milk in a shallow microwave safe bowl for 60 seconds. Add the chocolate chips and let sit for 1 minute, stir until smooth. Dip the cooled doughnuts into the chocolate and then top with sprinkles.

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Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

I love a good cookie bar. And a brown butter cookie bar is divine.  Making brown butter is a little more effort than usual, but it is done a heck of a lot faster than allowing a stick of butter to come to room temperature.  The brown butter adds a real richness to these cookie bars.  I loved them.  I may have loved them too much, so I sent most of them over to my parents' house.  That way, I wouldn't be tempted to polish off the entire plate of cookie bars.  Which I could have done.  Easily.  This recipe was based off Wine and Glue.

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

½ cup butter
2 cups all purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
¼ cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch glass baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Once the butter begins to foam up and deepen in color, remove it from the heat and set aside to cool. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder together. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter, brown sugar and sugar. Add the vanilla and eggs, then mix well to combine. Stir in the flour mixture and then fold in the chocolate chips. Press the batter into the prepared dish. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until the edges are golden brown. Cool and slice into bars.

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Peanut Butter Cookies

Miss F had two weeks of theater camp and they didn't have any nut restrictions. She rejected a PB&J, but loved being able to take peanut butter granola bars and these cookies. All the fork flattening was done by Miss F and she did a great job, she loves to bake, especially cookies.  These cookies are terrific, bursting with sweet peanut butter flavor and it's easy to snack on several in one sitting.   This recipe was adapted from Food.com.

Peanut Butter Cookies

½ cup creamy peanut butter
½ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
½ cup butter, softened
1 egg
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups flour

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cream together the peanut butter, brown sugar, sugar and butter. Add the egg and mix until well combined. Add the baking soda, baking powder, vanilla and salt. Stir in the flour. Line baking sheets with a Silpat or parchment paper. Spoon heaping tablespoons of batter onto the prepared pans. Use a fork to flatten the cookies, creating a criss-cross pattern. Bake for 7 to 9 minutes. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

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Homemade Tortillas

WHY HAVEN'T I MADE TORTILLAS SOONER?!?! I feel like I have wasted years of tortilla enjoyment by never attempting them at home before. After a weekend in San Antonio, I wanted to try and replicate the soft and fluffy tortillas that we enjoy so much at Mi Tierra.  I looked to Confections of a Foodie Bride for a recipe.  And I decided I needed to make tortillas with lard, no substitutions would do.  The lard at Kroger was six months out of date (gross!) but Fiesta had an ample supply of fresh lard.  And the day was saved.  And these tortillas were amazing.  I have since received a tortilla press as a birthday gift.  It is the best thing ever.

Homemade Tortillas

3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons lard
¾ cup warm water

Pulse the flour, baking powder and salt in the food processor fitted with a dough blade. Add the lard and process until the mixture is crumbly. With the food processor running, stream in the water until the a ball is formed. Knead the dough for 30 seconds with the food processor. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rest for 10 minutes. Heat a large iron skillet over medium high heat. Roll the dough balls into thin rounds. Lay the tortillas in the heated skillet and cook for 20 seconds per side, until the bubbled areas begin to brown. Cover and keep warm until ready to serve.

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Peach Cobbler

We are a nectarine family. Peaches are okay, but I much prefer a smooth skinned nectarine to a fuzzy peach. Except for baking, where the skin doesn't matter and the fruit is baked. I am so-so on a biscuit topped cobbler, I prefer a more pie crust type recipe. But why not just bake a peach pie? My main aversion is that pie crusts can be tricky in the summer because it is so hot and humid here. So I was looking for a new cobbler recipe and this one was really intriguing. The cobbler topping is a cross between a sugar cookie and a pie crust, which is just perfection. I much prefer it to be warmed and topped with Tillamook vanilla bean ice cream. Delicious. This recipe is adapted from The Kitchn.

Peach Cobbler

8 to 10 large peaches
¾ cup sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons cornstarch

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ½ sticks (12 tablespoons) butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Peel and slice the peaches. Stir the sliced peaches with ¾ cup sugar, lemon juice and cornstarch. Pour the peaches into a 9x9 glass baking dish. Stir together the flour, sugar and salt together in a mixing bowl. Pour in the melted butter and stir to combine into a crumbly dough. Pat handfuls of dough into palm sized disks between ¼ and ½ inch thick, lay the disks over the peaches in a cobblestone pattern. Place the cobbler on a baking sheet and bake for 55 to 60 minutes, until the topping is golden brown at the edges. Cool and serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

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Sweet Lemon Muffins

Is anyone else excited for the end of the school year? I am most excited to not have to pack lunches every day, but I will miss packing snack.  I usually have some sort of baked good on hand and anything with lemon is usually Miss F's absolute favorite.  The sprinkle of sugar on top makes these muffins a sweet treat, the whole pan was devoured in a matter of days.  Breakfast, snack, dessert...whenever...they were gobbled right up!  I will say that I am excited to make more doughnuts now that we will have more time in the mornings.  So out with the muffins and in with the doughnuts!  This recipe is adapted from Martha Stewart.

Sweet Lemon Muffins

2 ½ cups flour
1 ¾ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling
2 large eggs
¼ cup lemon juice
¼ cup milk
1 stick unsalted butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, lemon juice, milk and butter. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined. Dish the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle each muffin with sugar. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops spring back when touched. Cool on a wire rack.

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Banana Cinnamon Muffins

It's May. Which means I am totally over packing Miss F's lunch and snack. Especially since she refuses to eat sandwiches. I try to have some sort of muffin or bread in her snack bag alongside a squeezy applesauce. I always keep overripe bananas in the freezer for baking.  Miss F requested "cinnamon banana" muffins for her snack (and breakfast!)   Enter Betty Crocker (shout out to my fellow Delta Zeta!) and we had an easy muffin recipe perfect for any breakfast or lunchbox.   This recipe was easy enough that Miss F could basically do it all on her own, which is an added bonus.

Banana Cinnamon Muffins

2/3 cup sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2/3 cup mashed very ripe bananas (2 small)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 2/3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners. In a medium bowl, beat together the sugar, oil and egg with a whisk. Stir in the bananas and vanilla. Gently stir in the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon just until combined. Dish the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a cooling rack.

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Lemon Layer Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

I have never attempted a lemon cake from scratch before. My mom had brought over a ton of lemons from her lemon tree and I figured now was the time to finally try it. And more importantly, to try out lemon cream cheese frosting. I am not sure I can ever make boxed lemon cake again!  I adapted my usual cream cheese frosting recipe to have just a hint of lemon, be sure you use freshly squeezed juice.  The cake recipe is actually  adapted from a Chowhound posting about lemon layer cakes. As usual, I omitted the zest from the recipe because I don't love the texture it adds to sponge cake.  I did add fresh zest to the top of the cake, which Miss F was a huge fan of creating.

Lemon Layer Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

2 ½ cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
2 large whole eggs, at room temperature
3 large egg yolks, at room temperature
½ cup fresh lemon juice
½ cup whole milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans; set aside. In a medium
2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In the bowl of the stand mixer, beat the butter at medium speed for 30 seconds. Gradually add the sugar and beat until the mixture is light, about 3 minutes. Add the whole eggs and yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce the speed to low, then slowly add the lemon juice. Beat in half of the dry ingredients, alternating with half of the milk after each addition. Beat for 30 seconds after adding all the ingredients. Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans. Bake the cakes for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean. Cool the cakes in the pans for 20 minutes, then invert the cakes onto wire racks to cool completely.

½ cup butter, softened
8 ounces of cream cheese, softened
4 cups of confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Mix all ingredients until smooth. Frost the cooled cake.

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