Roundup: Perfect Pancakes, Chocolate Cookies, and Homemade Ice Creams

Where have I gone to? Did I disappear? Of course not. Who would be writing this? Silly.

It's been one of those weeks. You know, those weeks, where everything conspires to trip you up. If it wasn't tornadoes it was Boy Scout mayhem, and if it wasn't Boy Scout Mayhem it was the appearance of a moderately inconvenient cold. Oh, week, what is up with you?

None of this derailed me from my typical baking/cooking path, but it did limit my endeavors to those that were of the simpler variety. While simple is delicious and nothing went screwy on me, it was just nothing to really write about.

Except for the pancakes.

Oh, my little thimblekins, I did perfect my pancake recipe. You'll thank me, you will. They are light and fluffy and moist and delicious and perfect. All true. I don't have a picture of them, but you will make them and you will see the light and you won't care one bit about pictures.


The Scone Gunman's Killer Aim Pancakes
(Makes about 9 pancakes)

1 3/4 c flour
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
3 Tbsp unsalted butter (melted)
1 1/4 c milk
2 eggs

Preheat a non-stick pan or griddle for at least 5 minutes over medium heat before you put the pancakes on.

In a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients, then whisk in the remaining ingredients and mix until smooth (but don't over-mix). Drop by the 1/4 to 1/2 cupful (I use an ice cream scoop) into the preheated pan and cook until golden brown on both sides.

Tip: pancakes are ready to flip when they get bubbles on the top and are just set around the edges.

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In other news, we got an ice cream maker, which tickles me pink. My first go at it I made mint chocolate chunk, which is fantastic, even though very basic. My second go was a simple but very rich chocolate ice cream. This one isn't lasting very long, I'm afraid. Yesterday I made chocolate cookies (this recipe, sans chips and walnuts, and my god are they soft!)so I could make chocolate chocolate ice cream sandwiches.

They are awfully good.

Big, Fat, Moist Brownies

Alright, so there's two camps when it comes to brownies: those who like theirs rich and fudgey, and those who like it more cake-like. I personally love a fudgier brownie, but these here fall somewhere in between, which makes them a good go-to brownie.

These have a frosting, although you certainly don't need to use it. Actually, next time I make these I'll omit that part. They're so dense and rich, the frosting doesn't really add anything.


Food o' del Mundo's Million $$$ Brownies (ingredients kept the same, I tinkered with the instructions)
(Makes 9-12 brownies, depending on how you slice them. Adapted from here)

1 c butter (melted)
1 c flour
2 c sugar
3/4 c dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the frosting (slightly modified):
1/2 c butter
3 1/2 c confectioner's sugar
1/4 c cocoa powder
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees (f) and grease a 9"x13" baking pan (I couldn't find mine, so used a 9"x9" and increased the baking time by 10 minutes).

Sift together the dry ingredients. Add the butter and vanilla, then add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for about 30 minutes. Set on a wire rack (pan and all) to cool.

Make the frosting: Melt the butter over medium heat, then add the remaining ingredients, whisking until smooth and thickened. Pour over still-warm brownies. Allow the frosting to set before slicing.


Tips: For easy removal and slicing, line your pan with foil (before greasing). When the brownies have cooled, simply lift them from the pan using the foil. This makes slicing and serving a breeze. To cut the brownies cleanly, heat your knife under hot running water, wipe off the moisture, and then cut. Repeat as necessary.

Mother's Day Gift: Embroidered Kid's Writing

If I had any good sense, I would have taken a pic before framing it.

For my mom's Mother's Day gift, I had all three of my kids (12, 6, and 2) write something on some fabric and then I embroidered over it. I used a modified satin stitch to really get the feeling of kid's handwriting. And let me tell you, embroidering all wonky-like is not as easy as it may seem!

All the kids chose their own colors, except my youngest. I chose for him, because he's small and I own him.

A somewhat better shot of the detail:

Happy Mother's Day everyone!

Knock Your Socks Off Apple Cake

Although I love all the creatures of the dessert kingdom, I admit to being just a bit biased when it comes to fruit desserts. Apples in particular (and peaches. Oh, and plums. I should stop). Since I had a bag of Granny Smith's sitting around looking beautiful and lonely, I knew this cake was in the cards.

This is a very moist cake. And delicious. Did I mention it's actually quite freaking fantastic? With fresh whipped cream? Forget about it. Boy. Too good for it's own...good. I guess what I'm driving at is that it's so good I can't stop thinking about it. I feel like Hollywood from the movie Mannequin, when he describes how the doughnuts call to him.

"Hollywood! Come and get me, Hollywood!"

Yes, that.

Knock Your Socks Off Apple Cake
(Makes one 9" cake adapted from Food Tale)

1 1/2 c sugar (divided)
1/2 c unsalted butter (softened), plus more for greasing the pan
1 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
8ox cream cheese (softened)
2 eggs (room temperature)
1 1/2 c flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
 1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp cinnamon (divided)
2 1/2 c tart apples (peeled and coarsely chopped)
1/2 a medium sized tart apple (peeled and sliced)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (f) and grease a 9" springform pan (you could also use a round cake pan).

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, 1 1/4 c sugar, and cream cheese. Add the vanilla, then the eggs, one at a time, making sure they're well incorporated after each addition. Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and 2 1/2 tsp of cinnamon. Combine the wet and dry mixtures until just incorporated. Fold in the chopped apples and pour into the greased pan.

In another bowl, combine the 1/4 c sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon, then toss the sliced apples in the mixture to coat. Arrange the sliced apples on top of the batter.

Bake four about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until a fork inserted in the center comes out clean (make sure you're not hitting an apple. You don't want to over-cook it). Cool on a wire rack and serve with fresh whipped cream, powdered sugar, or sliced apples.

It' A Jungle In Here...

Spring. It is sprung, and I can't keep myself away from the greenery. Having a greenhouse right next door isn't helping the situation (or my wallet), but who could meaningfully balk about a house and patio full of gorgeous plants? It won't be this girl.

I've shocked myself by not killing any of the (numerous) flora we've brought into out home over the last weeks. I'm vigilant about looking up every plant we get, making sure I give it the amount of sun and water it likes best.

Grab your machete and pith helmet as I take you on a tour of our makeshift nursery...

Black magic elephant ears (left) and black eyed Susans

Trailing jade that looks as if it's trying to escape.

 

Hibiscus

Chenille

Majestic palm

Don't want to forget the big fake tree over there in the corner

These are just some of my plants. I'm always getting more. It's a sickness.

Locked and Loaded Chocolate Chip Cookies

Like everyone else out there, I've been on the hunt for "The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie" since birth (or thereabouts). One cookie will have a trait I love, but lack something in a different department, and another cookie will have that very thing but lack some other crucial trait. What's a girl to do?

Frankenstein her own recipe, of course.

Naturally, there is no one universal "perfect cookie". Maybe you like yours thin and crisp, while your best friend likes hers fat and chewy. I like mine loaded with chocolate chips, while others are more conservative with the chips.

These cookies lean more toward the soft, chewy side, and certainly aren't shy with the chocolate. I also add what I consider to be the game-stopper: cinnamon. Just enough to give it a spicy mystery, but not so much that it screams "Hey, there's cinnamon here!". Because cookies can do that.


The Scone Gunman's Locked and Loaded Chocolate Chip Cookies
(Makes 4 dozen)

1 c butter (softened)
1 c brown sugar
1/2 c white sugar
2 eggs (at room temperature)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 c flour (sifted)
1 tsp baking soda
1 heaping tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 c (about 1 bag) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 (f). Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes with a hand mixer). Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the vanilla. Sift in flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Mix until just incorporated. Fold in chocolate chips.

Drop by the tablespoonful onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake 8-10 minutes, until the edges are just golden brown. Remove from the oven and let sit on the sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool.

Raspberry Crumb Cake

It's nearing grocery shopping time again, which means it's nearing time to clean out the fridge and freezer. I have a few too many packages of frozen fruit, so whatever I was going to make next would need to make good use of at least some of those.  Being particularly fond of raspberries, they were the obvious choice. And seeing as how I don't make cake nearly often enough, that was obvious choice the second.

And can I just say that this is, hands down, the best cake I've ever made? Of course I can, it's my blog.

It's absolutely brilliant topped with freshly-whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon, although smart money has me shoveling this into my gob straight from the pan without ceremony.

Raspberry Crumb Cake
(Makes one 9" round cake adapted from lululu)

3 c flour plus 2 Tbsp for coating raspberries (if frozen)
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 c sugar
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 c buttermilk*
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c unsalted butter (cold and cubed)
2 Tbsp unsalted butter (melted)
2 c frozen raspberries (fresh can be used, but leave out the 2 Tbsp extra flour)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees (f) and grease a 9" round cake pan (I used a springform).

Mix together buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla, then set aside.

In a food processor, pulse the first four ingredients for a few seconds until combined. Add the cubed butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Remove one cup of this mixture and set aside for the topping.

Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Toss the raspberries in the 2 Tbsp flour and carefully fold into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Add the 2 Tbsp melted butter to the 1 cup of reserved flour mixture and stir with a fork until nice and crumbly. Sprinkle over the batter and then bake in the oven for 60-70 minutes, until a fork inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean (make sure you're not hitting a raspberry). Tent the pan if the top browns too fast.

Remove to a wire rack and let cool completely before serving.

*As always, if you don't have buttermilk on hand (as I never do) you can make your own by pouring 1 Tbsp lemon juice or vinegar (I much prefer lemon juice for this) in a 1 c measuring cup, and then fill it to the top with regular milk. Let it sit for 5 minutes and then use as you need it.

Chocolate-Glazed Baked Chocolate Doughnuts

I could tell you that I made baked doughnuts because they're easier, or healthier. But I would be a liar. The truth is that I'm am a terrible frier-of-things. Ok, so maybe fritters don't hate me, and my French fries came out pretty good, but my track record isn't even as good as 50/50, so when I even think of heating oil I get the cold sweats. And if I were really being truthful (hey, why not?), I'd tell you that my real problem is in not owning a thermometer, which invariably leaves me with smoking oil or oil that isn't hot enough.

You'd think I'd invest in a thermometer by now.

But back to the sweet at hand. Doughnuts! Baked doughnuts. Not as good as fried, I'll admit, but I wouldn't kick them out of bed for being crumby. And not just any baked doughnut, but chocolate doughnuts covered in a chocolate glaze.

And who could have a problem with that?


Baked Chocolate Doughnuts with Chocolate Glaze
(Makes 18)

3 c all purpose flour
1 c sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3 eggs
1 c buttermilk*
2 Tbsp milk
1 stick unsalted butter (melted)
3/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees (f). Sift together the first four ingredients. Add the eggs, buttermilk, milk, and butter. Stir well, but don't over-mix. Add the cocoa powder. Spoon batter into a lightly greased doughnut pan, filling them just barely halfway (they'll rise a decent amount). Cook for 11-13 minutes, until a fork inserted into the center of one comes out clean. Remove immediately to cool on a wire rack.

* If you don't have buttermilk on hand (and I never do), make your own by pouring 1 Tbsp of lemon juice or vinegar into a 1 cup measuring cup, and then filling to the top with milk. Let it sit for 5 minutes and then use as needed.

For the chocolate glaze:
3/4 c semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 Tbsp unsalted butter (cubed)
2 Tbsp milk

Heat all of the ingredients in a double boiler until melted and smooth. Dip the tops of your doughnuts into the glaze and enjoy!

The Postman Only Rings Once

 A tiny adorable pink rolling pin and a Kaiser black steel springform pan? Yes, please.

My great-grandmother (we'll call her Granny Gunman) has lived most of her life in the kitchen. When I was growing up, I never ate macaroni and cheese from a box, or pre-made anything. If I wanted mac & cheese, she would break out the elbow macaroni and start grating cheese (of course, I couldn't appreciate that then. I wanted neon orange powdered cheese in a package!). She's the kind of person who will wake the rooster clanging pots and pans around in the kitchen, and she never visits anyone empty handed.

Cooking and baking is an integral part of who she is.

Sadly, several years ago she was diagnosed with macular degeneration. Her vision got worse and worse until, now, she's nearly blind. This would hit anyone hard, but moreso Granny Gunman because she has always been a fiercely self-sufficient person. One of the harshest consequences of losing her vision was the increasing inability to cook.

Which brings me to today's post.

The mailman (that's not very PC, is it? Mail carrier? Postal technician? Screw it) brought me a couple large boxes today from Granny Gunman. And what was in them?

Doughnut pans, muffin top pans, muffin pan, springform pans, tart and tartlette pans, loaf pans, copper molds, rolling pins, bundt pans, cookie cutters, measuring cups and spoons, pastry wheels, turnover/empanada press, Pyrex loaf pan, square cake pan, huge loaf pan, cooling racks, and a lot more.

It's Granny Gunman's arsenal, and she passed it on to me.

To say that I was excited when I saw all the goods would be an understatement. A billion recipes I didn't have the equipment for flashed through my mind. Tartlettes? Baked doughnuts? A baked cheesecake?

Just you wait to see what I have in store for you. And I have Granny Gunman to thank for it all.

In Bloom

After this morning's breakfast of perfectly amazingly splendiferous fluffy pancakes with strawberry-lime jam, me and my better half (no, not my left side, although it is awfully lovely today) decided to take our youngest son out and head down to the local nursery. Although I don't have much room (3 bedroom townhouse with just a teeny tiny spot calling itself a porch) I felt the need for more flora.

Earlier this week we bought a tomato plant, begonias, and a bitty cute one whose name I can't remember (situated right in front of the geraniums). This time I grabbed a jalapeno and bell pepper plant, verbena, geraniums, and coleus.

Ah, and this mind-blowingly gorgeous fuchsia...

And we'll be heading back to the nursery again soon, because they have some beautiful, large indoor tropical plants for a great price. Now, if I only had a backyard.