SUZIE SWEET TOOTH

Cakes, Treats, and Everything Sweet

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    • Soft Buttered Pretzels

      This recipe is great on a cold Winter day. I’m probably a week or so late though since the polar vortex in the Midwest and Eastern United States has past. For my peeps in the Midwest; keep this in mind for the next time it gets really cold or you need an activity to keep the kiddos busy. The pretzels are really fun to make, so it’s great to get the kids involved to have a go at shaping the pretzels. Chances are you have all the ingredients already on hand. You will need granulated (active dry) yeast though. An added bonus if it’s really cold is these bake at a pretty high temperature so the house gets nice and toasty. You could also shape these into little 1 inch bits (dip size) and make them for the “Big Game” or a fun party snack served with different types of mustard. The recipe is from Alton Brown and I added an extra step by brushing the pretzels once they come out of the oven with butter; just like the ones you get in the mall. If you like a sweet version, dip the pretzels in cinnamon sugar on both sides. Another alternative is you could sprinkle on some pizza type seasoning, or sprinkle with chopped jalapeno/chopped green chili and shredded cheddar cheese.

      pretzels sweet or salty tray

      Salty Classic or Cinnamon/Sugar Soft Buttery Pretzels

      pretzels buttered and salted

      salty version (with kosher salt)

      pretzel cinnamon sugar variety

      Cinnamon-Sugar (my fave)

      pretzels out of the soda bath

      Shown: pretzels out of the soda bath and brushed with egg yolk mixture ready for the oven. Note: The pretzels puff up in the soda bath, (and in the oven), (next time I would make the rope a little longer than the recommended 24 ” so it is thinner-say 26 “) to define the shape a bit better

      Soft Buttered Pretzels (sweet or salty)

      • 1 1/2 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water
      • 1 tablespoon sugar
      • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
      • 1 package active dry yeast
      • 22 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 1/2 cups
      • 2 ounces (1/4 Cup) unsalted butter, melted
      • Vegetable oil, for pan
      • 10 cups water
      • 2/3 cup baking soda
      • 1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
      • Pretzel salt (or coarse sea salt or kosher salt would be fine)
      • Optional: cinnamon sugar (mix 1/2 Cup sugar with generous 1/4 tsp. cinnamon in a shallow bowl)

      1. Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam.

      2. Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes (the dough should make a slapping noise as it hits the side of the bowl and you know it is ready).

      3. Remove the dough from the bowl, (it will be sticky and that’s normal). Place it in an oiled large bowl and turn dough over so both sides are oiled. Cover with an oiled piece of plastic wrap or wax paper (I like wax paper) and put in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.

      4. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.

      5. Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.

      In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-26 inch rope. (The original recipe says 24 inches, but I think a bit longer would be better). Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and fold down the tails towards you to press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.

      6. Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 at a time, for 30 seconds. (I find it easy to place the pretzel onto a very large spatula; like a pancake turner size and then place into the water- the pretzel will release on it’s own). Remove from the water. Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt (omit the salt for cinnamon sugar version). Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving. Brush with softened butter while pretzels are still warm. (I find it handy to use the other half of a stick of butter; just peel off a bit of the paper and “brush” over the pretzel).

      7. For cinnamon sugar version: omit the salt before baking and after resting for 5 minutes, brush pretzel with butter as above and dip both sides generously into a shallow bowl filled with the cinnamon sugar mixture.

      For 1 inch pretzel bits: bake ~ 10 minutes

    • Cornbread and Cinnamon Honey Butter

      Does everybody have sugar overload coming off of the holidays? Here is a savory recipe for you to break up the sweetness a little. We still like to have a little goodie with our meals but maybe we need to take a break from it. Or not. ;-)

      I’ve included a recipe for cinnamon-honey butter so if you need a wink of sweetness you can slather on the flavored butter. This butter is amazing on scones, biscuits or bagels so make sure to store the rest in the fridge.

      pan of cornbread

      cornbread with honey butter

      cornbread with cinnamon honey butter

      Cornbread with Cinnamon Honey Butter

      yield: 9×9 square pan

      2 Cups fine cornmeal

      1 Cup AP flour

      3 Tbsp. sugar

      1 Tbsp. baking powder

      1/2 tsp. baking soda

      1 tsp. salt

      1 Cup buttermilk OR plain yogurt

      3 large eggs

      1 (15 oz.) can cream style corn

      1/4 Cup unsalted butter, melted

      1. Preheat an oven to 425° F. Line a 9 inch square pan with parchment paper; leaving 2 inches overhang and spray the pan with non stick baking spray.

      2. In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients with a whisk. In a 4 cup glass measuring cup combine the wet ingredients with a whisk. Add the wet to the dry and stir to combine. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 25-35 minutes until golden brown around the edges and a toothpick inserted comes out with moist crumbs.

      Serve with cinnamon honey butter if desired.

      Cinnamon-Honey Butter

      recipe: Food Network

      1 stick (I/2 Cup) unsalted butter, softened

      3 Tbsp. honey

      1/4 tsp. cinnamon

      pinch of salt

      Combine all the ingredients with a rubber spatula or hand mixer until thoroughly combined. Store extra butter in an air tight container in fridge. Leftover butter is great on bagels or scones!

    • Mini Red Velvet Cheesecakes

      Merry Christmas to all my wonderful readers.

      Peace, Love, and Blessings to all of you and a Happy New Year for 2014.

      I know this is a bit late to plan for baking for Christmas so I apologize as I have been running around like crazy this week; but keep it in mind for Valentines Day; just plan to change up the sprinkles to something appropriate.

      Blessings,

      “Sweet Tooth”

      red velvet cheesecake mini

      red velvet cheesecake batter

      Red Velvet Mini Cheesecakes

      yield: ~ 19 individual cheesecakes

      1 Cup chocolate graham cracker crumbs

      4 Tbsp. melted unsalted butter

      20 oz. cream cheese, room temp

      1 Cup sugar

      1/4 Cup natural (such as Hershey’s) unsweetened cocoa powder

      1 tsp. vanilla

      1 oz. red liquid food coloring (such as McCormick) (one small McCormick bottle is 1 oz.)

      3 lg. eggs, room temp

      1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Prepare mini cheesecake pan(s) or standard size muffin pans with paper liners. Spray the mini cheesecake pan with non stick baking spray or alternatively spray the paper liners.

      2. Mix the chocolate crumbs and melted butter together and press 1 Tbsp. into the well of each cup. Press firmly to the bottom. NO NEED TO PRE BAKE! Set aside while making the batter.

      3. Cream together the cream cheese and sugar until fluffy. Add the cocoa and beat until combined. Add in the vanilla and red food coloring until smooth. Add eggs one at a time and stop often to scrape bottom and sides of mixer bowl. Combine until smooth. Pour batter into a glass measuring cup to make filling easier. Fill each well  almost to the top. Use a bamboo skewer or toothpick to pop any visible air bubbles.

      4. Bake at 375° F for 15-20 mins. or until tops of cheesecake no longer look shiny. Bake only one pan at a time. [remaining cheesecake batter filled pans will be fine to sit while first batch is baking]. Note; baking time is only a guideline; make sure to check cheesecakes as pan sizes vary. Remove pan to cool over wire rack. Once cool, place in fridge to cool completely.

      5. To serve; top with whipped cream and crushed pieces of candy cane.

      6. Note; this recipe also works well as half a recipe (to yield 9 cheesecakes). Divide recipe by half, and regarding the eggs; just weigh the egg portion and use 1 1/2 eggs. (Weigh the second egg and divide by half).

    • Holiday Spice Fruit Mince Tassies

      This recipe is an homage to my Mom as she loves mincemeat. Everyone knows how I love mini sweets, so when I saw this recipe in Donna Hay it definitely spoke to me. I found the original recipe interesting but I tweaked the recipe quite a bit by adding in additional flavors such as Holiday inspired spices and a bit of brandy. Oh yeah~ don’t forget the brandy. They are divine!

      Holiday Spice Fruit Mince Tassie

      Fruit Mince Tassie

      Mincemeat Tassies

      Holiday Spice Fruit Mince Tassies

      recipe: adapted from Donna Hay

      yield: 20-24 mini muffin size tarts

      1/2 Cup grated, peeled granny smith apple, (excess juice discarded)

      1/4 Cup currants

      1/4 Cup diced fine sweetened dried cranberries

      1/4 Cup diced fine pitted dried dates

      1/4 Cup slivered almonds

      2 Tbsp. diced fine candied orange peel (optional)

      1/4 Cup orange juice

      1/2 Cup packed brown sugar

      1/4 tsp. cinnamon

      1/4 tsp. allspice

      1/8 tsp. ground ginger

      2 Tbsp. (25 gm) unsalted butter, melted

      1 Tbsp. brandy

      Confectioners sugar (for dusting on top)

      * 1 recipe of my cream cheese press in crust (per below)

      For Filling: In a medium bowl combine all the ingredients and let sit to absorb all the flavors for at least one hour. Stir mixture a few times during soaking time. Make the crust while the filling is soaking.

      Prepare the tassies: Lightly grease a 24 well mini muffin tin(s) and press in cream cheese press in crust by pinching off an inch of dough and rolling it into a ball. Flatten the ball into a circle about 2 1/2 inches big. Press the crust into the prepared tin. If crust gets too soft while working, let chill in the fridge for a few minutes. Fill each well to the top with mince meat filling. If desired: Top each tassie with a star cut out by pressing scraps of dough flat and using a small cutter. Brush each star and edges of crust with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 350° F for 30-35 minutes or until edges of crust are golden brown. Let cool in tin for about 5 minutes, then carefully remove to cool completely over wire rack. Dust with confectioners sugar if desired before serving.

      *Cream Cheese Press in Crust

      3 oz. cream cheese, cubed at room temp

      1 stick butter, cubed at room temp

      1 Cup all-purpose flour

      1  1/2 tsp.  sugar

      pinch of salt

      In a large shallow bowl combine flour, sugar and salt. Add the cubed butter and cubed cream cheese. Using a fork mix to combine into one cohesive mass. Knead gently into a ball to gather up any scrappy bits of dough. Wrap in plastic and let rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

    • Gingerbread Men Cookies

      I don’t know why but I’m not one to start early on making Christmas cookies. For some reason I tend to trudge along until about the week before Christmas and then suddenly the mood strikes me with full force to start making cookies. Once it grabs hold then I’m in deep. Today the mood finally struck me and I went all out in serious cookie mode. I’ll admit I don’t usually make gingerbread men or gingerbread cookies for that matter, but when I saw a picture in Donna Hay magazine with them strung along on a cute ribbon as gingerbread garland, it was so cute I had to make them.

      I adapted this recipe from Sweetopia’s recipe for her gingerbread.

      gingerbread garland

      gingerbread men garland

      Gingerbread Men Cookie Garland

       

       

      Gingerbread Trees frosted with Royal Icing, Sanding Sugar and Edible Glitter

      Frosted Gingerbread Trees

      It’s a “White Christmas!”

      White Christmas Gingerbread Trees

      gingerbread trees 3

      Gingerbread Cookies

      recipe: adapted from Sweetopia

      yield: ~ 5-6 dozen cookies, depending on size

      1/2 Cup + 1 Tbsp. (125 gm) unsalted butter, softened

      3/4 Cup packed brown sugar

      1/4 Cup white sugar

      1 large egg

      1/2 Cup molasses (I use Grandmas brand)

      3 1/4 C (400 gm) all purpose flour

      1 1/2  teaspoons ground cinnamon

      1 1/2  teaspoons ground ginger

      1/2  teaspoons ground cloves

      1/2  teaspoon salt

      1. Cream together the sugars and butter until fluffy. Add the egg and mix until combined. Add the molasses and beat until combined. Note; the mixture will initially look like it will not mix together, and will remain a bit grainy looking until the flour mixture is added.

      2. In a medium bowl whisk the flour and spices and salt. Add the flour mixture and beat until just combined. Remove the cookie dough to a large bowl and separate into 3-4 balls and knead each ball of dough lightly in your hands to combine if any flour spots remain. Flatten each ball and wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes before rolling out.

      3. Roll out cookie dough to 1/4 inch thick between two sheets of parchment paper. Chill shapes for 15 minutes before baking. Bake at 350° F for about 14-15 minutes. Let cool on wire rack.

      4. Decorate if desired with royal icing. I use her technique for “10 second icing” for both outlining and flooding the cookie. Check out the blog for sweetopia.net as she has amazing tutorials and how to’s for decorating with royal icing.

      Royal Icing

      4 Tbsp. meringue powder

      1/2 C cold water

      1 lb. powdered sugar

      1/2 tsp. clear vanilla

      Combine the meringue powder and H2O until foamy. Add the sugar a cup at a time [if the sugar is lumpy; make sure to sift it first] and beat on low until combined. Once all the sugar is combined, turn up the mixer to high and beat for about 5 mins. until the meringue forms stiff peaks. To thin frosting for outlining and flooding; add cold water one tsp. at a time until the mixture is thinned to consistency of heavy cream. Ice the cookies and let the icing dry until the icing is totally dry.

    • Baked Mini Cherry and Sakura-Sugar Donuts

      Sakura sugar is sugar blended with cherry blossom flowers. I can’t even begin to tell you how amazing this sugar is. I know I needed to make something simple to let the sugar be the star. Simple baked donuts. Light, infused with cherry flavor and tossed in this amazing sugar. Now I know most of you will not be able to get your hands on this sweet sugar, so I included a version for cherry glaze that you can dip the tops of the donuts in. Enjoy~

      sakura sugared mini donuts

      sakura sugar bottle

      Sakura Sugar Donut

      cherry glazed sakura donuts

      cherry glazed version

      Baked Cherry & Sakura-Sugar Donuts

      recipe: adapted from Doughnuts by Lara Ferroni

      3/4 Cup all purpose flour

      1/4 Cup pastry flour

      1 tsp. baking powder

      2 tsp. dried cherry powder

      1/3 Cup super fine sugar

      1/4 tsp. salt

      2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

      1/4 Cup whole milk, scalded

      1/4 Cup plain yogurt

      1 tsp. vanilla

      1 egg, beaten

      dried cherries, diced (optional)

      Topping:

      melted butter

      Sakura sugar

      Cherry Glaze Topping:

      1 Cup confectioners sugar

      ~ 2-3 Tbsp. cherry juice

      1. Prepare a mini donut pan by greasing lightly with oil. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

      2. Sift the flours and baking powder together into a large bowl or the bowl of a mixer. Whisk in the sugar, dried cherry powder, and salt. Add the butter and use your fingers to rub it into the dry ingredients as you would in making a pastry crust, until even distributed. Add milk, yogurt, vanilla and egg and stir until just combined. Fold in dried cherries (if desired). Do NOT overmix or your donuts will be rubbery.

      3. Using a piping bag or small spoon, fill each doughnut well until about 3/4 full, making sure each center post is clear. Bake until light golden brown and donuts spring back when touched, about 8 minutes. Let cool slightly before attempting to remove from pan.

      4. For sugar coated: dip each donut into melted butter and roll in sakura sugar.

      5. For cherry sugar glazed: mix the confectioners sugar and cherry juice until desired consistency (you are looking for thickness like heavy cream). Dip top of each donut into glaze and let set up over a wire rack. Sprinkle with decorative or sakura sugar.