let the holiday baking begin!

this apple crisp/crumble is really that good! half of it disappeared within less than 5 minutes of serving.

oh, we absolutely love the holiday season. today was my first official holiday baking kickoff. that's because this morning i made this delicious and yummy looking apple crisp or as some people may call it, apple crumble. i don't have any pretty pictures to show apart from the instagram photo i took this morning (above). but i have to say, holiday baking is so much fun. with thanksgiving just days away, it's really just that exciting. i'm already planning out different recipes in my head, and which ones i want to make this year for thanksgiving. then we've got christmas and i don't know what to do! i mean, i know... but there's so many goodies i can't decide which ones to make. hah! i'm sure come december or at the end of the month anyway i'd already have an idea of what's in store for december. oh, how exciting!

below's the recipe for the apple crisp/crumble should you be interested in making it yourself. this is my favorite go-to apple crisp recipe. we make it every year around this time of year. occasionally we'll have it as dessert for those "english" dinner nights where we have turkey shepherd's pie with popovers, gravy and veggies. mmmm... so good with a drizzle of evaporated milk over this warm and yummy crisp. delish! writing about it makes me want to make another one. :)


apple crisp

ingredients:
4 or 5 medium baking apples (such as granny smith, golden delicious or gala)
1/3 butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
optional: 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp cinnamon (i say optional because i don't always put these in)

directions:
preheat oven to 375° F.

peel and slice the apples. then place them in a baking dish (i used an 8x8 glass dish); making sure they cover the entire dish. in a mixing bowl, mix all the other ingredients together (yes, the melted butter, brown sugar, flour and quick cooking oats). if you're using the nutmeg and cinnamon, add those in as well. mix everything until they start to resemble crumb bits. then scatter the topping evenly on top of the apple slices. make sure it covers all the apples as you'll want to have that sweet yummy crumble in every bit! bake in the oven for 30 minutes. serve warm with ice cream or with cold evaporated milk. actually, you can even drizzle warm caramel on top too if you like. delish! enjoy. :)

mini chocolate cupcakes with chocolate ganache

a couple of weeks ago i had the honor and pleasure of baking 100 mini cupcakes (50 chocolate & 50 red velvets) and 120 macarons (these photos to come later in another post when i have time) for one of my coworker's friend's wedding reception. the friend wanted to have a dessert table and have these goodies there. so with that said, i got baking a couple of days leading up to the big day. of course, not these cupcakes. these babies were made the night before/morning of the reception. i have to say they turned out beautifully and tasted yum!

below's the recipe should you be interested in making some yourself. i absolutely love this recipe. it has been my go-to chocolate cupcake recipe ever since i discovered it within the last year. it's also an egg-free recipe so it's perfect for anyone who's got an egg allergy. definitely cannot beat that. enjoy! oh, and if you do make some, please feel free to share your thoughts on it and how they turn out! ;)


now, that's A LOT of chocolate cupcakes eh? and did i mention, they're eggless?! yup, so eat up! :)


a closer shot of these yummy one bite (or two!) cupcakes


i absolutely love this cake recipe. they turn out perfect every time and the chocolate ganache is just delish, especially for chocolate lovers.

mini chocolate cupcakes with chocolate ganache
cake recipe from here and ganache recipe from sweet savory life

chocolate cupcakes:
1-1/2 cups flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup oil
1 cup water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp vinegar

chocolate ganache:
12 oz chocolate, chopped into small pieces
1 cup heavy cream
directions:
for the cake: mix all ingredients together until moist and well blended. put in mini cupcake cups and bake for 17-18 minutes at 350 degrees F.

for the ganache: place chocolate pieces in a large bowl. heat heavy cream on medium high until it comes to a boil. remove from heat and immediately pour cream over chocolate and stir until completely mixed and glossy. allow ganache to completely cool and set up. when you are able to spoon the ganache and it can hold its texture, it is ready for piping. pipe/frost and enjoy!

chocolate cake recipe makes 50 mini cupcakes (or 16 regular ones). ganache recipe makes 1-1/2 cups.

one-bite mini sliders

over the weekend we had another birthday party again (it was our third birthday party, three weekends in a row). to change up the food from weekend to weekend i went ahead and did these mini burger sliders. i knew i wanted to do little sliders, but wanted something different for the bun. you can say i didn't really want to shell out $5 for 12 or 24 dinner rolls. plus, those would be too big for what i was trying to do anyway. so what did i do instead? make my own buns? umm.. yeah, you can say that. now, these buns are not your typical bready buns. i have yet to bake a single loaf of bread in my life (i believe it'll happen some day, just not this past weekend, or today, or anytime soon).

for these one-bite mini burger sliders i actually used a drop biscuit recipe. the recipe came from cook's illustrated's website. i say it's pretty good. no, make it excellent! especially if you eat it warm. the biscuit was just delicious and the small size was great, making it the perfect little bite in one mouthful.

below's the recipe for the biscuit should you want to make your own drop biscuits. for these mini slider buns, i actually used a tiny circle cutter and shaped them to get the biscuits to the right shape and size (about 1 tbsp or 1-inch in size). of course you can do what i did if you're going the mini bun route or just leave them as is (drop biscuits). both variations will be just fine.


these one bite burger mini sliders turned out fantastic!


don't they just look so good?


this drop biscuit recipe makes for the perfect alternative to typical burger buns


these biscuits are really good, especially right out of the oven when they're still nice and warm

best drop biscuits
recipe from cook's illustrated

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (10 ounces)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp table salt
1 cup buttermilk (cold)
8 tbsp unsalted butter , melted and cooled slightly (about 5 minutes), plus 2 tbsp melted butter for brushing biscuits

DIRECTIONS:

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees F. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in large bowl. Combine buttermilk and 8 tablespoons melted butter in medium bowl, stirring until butter forms small clumps (see tip).
2. Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients and stir with rubber spatula until just incorporated and batter pulls away from sides of bowl. Using greased 1/4-cup dry measure, scoop level amount of batter and drop onto parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet (biscuits should measure about 2 1/4 inches in diameter and 1 1/4 inches high). Repeat with remaining batter, spacing biscuits about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake until tops are golden brown and crisp, 12 to 14 minutes.
3. Brush biscuit tops with remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter. Transfer to wire rack and let cool 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 12 biscuits. Enjoy!

Tip: When you stir slightly cooled melted butter into cold buttermilk, the butter will clump. Although this might look like a mistake, it's one of the secrets to this recipe. The clumps of butter are similar to the small bits of cold butter in biscuits prepared according to the traditional method and help guarantee a light and fluffy interior.

thick and chewy chocolate chip cookies

since those brown butter chocolate chip cookies, i've been on a cookie baking spree. i wanted to try other variations of the classic chocolate chip cookie and here i think i've found another great recipe. this one comes from cook's illustrated. these thick and chewy cookies are just perfect whether they're eaten warm or cooled. it's not thin and crispy like how some cookies are. i feel like these cookies have some substance and the chewy center makes it just so delicious. i love how there's a generous portion of chocolate chips in the cookies making every bite a chocolatey one.

i really do love this recipe. it's a change from my typical go-to recipe. feel free to try it out for yourself and let me know what you think. i know i'd be making this one again soon.

these thick and chewy chocolate chip cookies have just the right thickness and super chewy center – delish!


these are so good!


i think i've got my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe now. :)

thick and chewy chocolate chip cookies
recipe from cook's illustrated

ingredients:
2-1/8 cups bleached all-purpose flour (about 10 1/2 ounces)
1/2 tsp table salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
12 tbsp unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), melted and cooled slightly
1 cup brown sugar (light or dark), 7 ounces
1/2 cup granulated sugar (3 1/2 ounces)
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 cups chocolate chips or chunks (semi or bittersweet)

directions:

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions. Mix flour, salt, and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.
2. Either by hand or with electric mixer, mix butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Mix in egg, yolk, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients; mix until just combined. Stir in chips.
3. Form scant 1/4 cup dough into ball. Holding dough ball using fingertips of both hands, pull into two equal halves. Rotate halves ninety degrees and, with jagged surfaces exposed, join halves together at their base, again forming a single cookie, being careful not to smooth dough’s uneven surface. Place formed dough onto one of two parchment paper-lined 20-by-14-inch lipless cookie sheets, about nine dough balls per sheet. Smaller cookie sheets can be used, but fewer cookies can be baked at one time and baking time may need to be adjusted. (Dough can be refrigerated up to 2 days or frozen up to 1 month—shaped or not.)
4. Bake, reversing cookie sheets’ positions halfway through baking, until cookies are light golden brown and outer edges start to harden yet centers are still soft and puffy, 15 to 18 minutes (start checking at 13 minutes). (Frozen dough requires an extra 1 to 2 minutes baking time.) Cool cookies on cookie sheets. Serve or store in airtight container.

Makes 18-20 large (3-inch) cookies. Enjoy!

Note: To ensure a chewy texture, leave the cookies on the cookie sheet to cool. You can substitute white, milk chocolate, or peanut butter chips for the semi- or bittersweet chips called for in the recipe. In addition to chips, you can flavor the dough with one cup of nuts, raisins, or shredded coconut.

brown butter chocolate chip cookies

c wanted to make some chocolate chip cookies this past weekend. we haven't made any in a while so i decided, why not?! instead of our typical chocolate chip recipe we usually do (you can find the recipe here), i decided to try a different one. i must say, these brown butter chocolate chip cookies are sooooo good! they are definitely a new favorite and we will be making them again and again.

these are nice and soft and chewy. the smell of the brown butter is just sweet bliss. it's so good, i don't know why i've never even thought to use it in my recipes before.

below's the recipe should you be interested in baking some yourself. trust me, you will not be disappointed. we love love these!


this brown butter chocolate chip cookie recipe was an instant hit!


these brown butter chocolate chip cookies are now one of our new favorites

brown butter chocolate chip cookies
recipe from london bakes

Ingredients:
115g (1 stick) unsalted butter
75g (1/3 cup) unrefined caster/granulated sugar
90g (1/2 cup) light brown soft sugar
1 medium egg
1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
175g (1 1/2 cups or 6 oz) whole wheat pastry flour (regular whole wheat or all-purpose flour will do just fine too)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda/baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp instant coffee
110g (2/3 cup or 4 oz) chocolate chips
Sea salt for scattering on top (optional)

Directions:

1. Put the butter in a small saucepan over a low heat and cook until it starts to bubble and has turned a lovely golden brown colour. Take off the heat and set aside to cool to room temperature.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda/baking soda, salt and coffee.
3. When the butter has cooled, cream it together with the sugars until combined. Add the egg and vanilla and beat again. As this isn't a recipe for a cake, you don't need to keep on beating forever - you just want everything all nicely mixed together. You can do it by hand if you want although I used my electric mixer.
4. Fold in the dry ingredients, followed by the chocolate chips.
5. Chill the mixture in the fridge for any time between 30 minutes and 24 hours. I don't have that much patience so my chilling time is normally closer to 30 minutes.
6. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F and prepare a couple of baking sheets with either greaseproof paper or a silicone mat.
7. Using an ice cream scoop or a cookie scoop, place spoonfuls of the dough on the baking sheet and, if desired, scatter a little sea salt on top.
8. Bake for 8 - 10 minutes until the edges of the cookies just start to turn golden brown and are firm to the touch.
9. Allow to cool on the baking tray for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Makes 20 cookies. Enjoy!

nwm 2012

C and I with MN at the finish line

yesterday was the nike women's marathon and i wasn't a participant, but a spectator. i decided to skip out on it this year a few weeks ago when i heard about their last chance spot on facebook. i'm so competitive with myself and knew that if i ran it this year i wouldn't beat my time from two years ago. that's because since baby #2 i haven't gotten my pace back to where it was before. anyway, i didn't run it, but my lil half sis did. she did fantastic for someone who's never ran longer than 5 miles in her entire life until yesterday! yeah, you can say she didn't train for this event. her "training" was going on a few runs prior to yesterday's race and finally running about 5-1/2 miles 5-6 days before the race. she did pretty darn good for a first timer, i say – finishing the half marathon in 2:37:21! great job girl! :)

sprinkles-inspired mini red velvet cupcakes

i am still experimenting with different red velvet cupcake recipes. upon doing a quick search on the web for red velvet cupcake recipes, i came across sprinkles' red velvet cupcake recipe. these cupcakes here (the recipe i did in the end) were derived from that famous cupcake shop in los angeles. i also came across a whole bunch of others such as magnolia, ina gartin and martha stewart's but opted for this one instead. maybe sometime next week if i'm brave enough (more like have some time to make them) i'll try those other three and see which one(s) i like best. otherwise, this one may have to be the one.

now, having made these, i'm not sure if i've found one that i really like yet, but so far this one here is pretty close. i think i baked it a tad too long for my liking though. typically i bake all my cupcakes for only 17-18 minutes. with these, i accidentally set the timer to 20 minutes, then instead of resetting it, i told myself i would check the timer before the 20 minutes was up. well, i never did and sure enough, the cupcakes were in there a bit too long. they still turned out great, but personally, i wished i had taken them out at "just" the right time. oh well, will have to make these again and do it properly next time. now, everyone in the office did loved them, so you can say these were a success nonetheless. the cream cheese frosting with these were superb!

below's the recipe should you be interested in baking your own batch. i actually halved it because i only wanted to make 24 mini ones, not the entire recipe. enjoy! ;)


these cream cheese frosted mini red velvet cupcakes are so cute!


these cupcakes were a hit! yay! ;)

Red Velvet Cupcakes
adapted from Sprinkles Red Velvet Cupcakes

Ingredients:
1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
a pinch of salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup + 2 tbsp granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 tsp red gel food coloring (you can use 1 tbsp liquid red food coloring if you prefer)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 recipe cream cheese frosting, recipe follows

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350° F.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder and baking soda, set aside. In a separate large mixing bowl, with an electric hand mixer on medium speed, whip together butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add in eggs one at a time stirring after each addition. (Now stand back and change out of any nice shirt you have on and) Add red food coloring and vanilla extract and mix until combine. Add milk and flour mixture to cupcake mixture, alternating in two separate batches, mixing until combine after each addition. Divide batter evenly among 15 paper lined muffin cups, filling each cup about 2/3 full. Bake in preheated oven 18-21 minutes until toothpick inserted into center of cupcake comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool about 2 minutes in muffin tin, then transfer to wire rack to cool for 10 minutes, then transfer to an airtight container to cool completely (this just helps them retain more moisture). Once cooled completely, spread generously with Cream Cheese Frosting. Enjoy!

Makes 15 regular cupcakes or 48-52 mini cupcakes.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:
1/2 cup salted butter, softened
6 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Milk or cream if necessary

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, using and electric mixer, whip together butter and cream cheese until pale and fluffy (about 1 minute on high speed, then 3-4 minutes on medium high speed). Mix in vanilla extract. Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth.