Cinnamon Roll Scones

So if you haven't noticed, I absolutely love Annies-eats.com!  She baffles me.  She works, is a wife and mom of two youngsters and does so much cooking, baking and creating.  How does the woman do it all!?  And so darn well!  I envy her ability to create such amazing treats and dishes and her eye for capturing all her creations to well in photo's.  I don't know Annie...but from the many recipes of her's and other's recipes she's made...I go to her site to find anything good.  I trust and know that anything she posts to her blog, must be amazing!  I do have a few recipes of my very own soon to post...they are sitting in my draft box, half written.  Between the two kiddo's and just busy life, I'm finding it hard to post as much as I want.  So for right now, here is another fave of mine that I recently made.  She has taken two of the most yummy breakfast treats and married them together so creatively into one knock-out delicateson(my husband would say :) .)  I made these for my mom and her bible study girls on her birthday and got rave reviews.  I am challenging my self to make these dairy free for the hubs!  So the dairy free version, to be posted soon...that is if they don't taste like tar.  *Btw...Annie's are much much prettier.  I'm workin on it...I usually end up halfway thru all my baking sessions with my little helper Haylen dragging a chair over to the counter to "help" mommy, and/or my littlest helper Kyrie on my left hip trying to grab everything in my other hand.  My loves :)  It's always a wonder how on earth anything ever turns out.

Cinnamon Roll Scones

Yield: 8 Scones

For the dough:

8 Tbls (1 stick) unsalted butter, frozen whole

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup low-fat greek yogurt

1 cup all purpose flour, plus more for dusting the work surface

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbls unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:

Milk or cream, for brushing

3 Tbls sugar

3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

2/3 cup chopped pecans, toasted

1/4 cup cinnamon chips(I didnt have these, never heard of them actually..next time, but still delish!)

To Finish:

2 Tbls butter, melted

Course sugar, for sprinkling (optional)

For the glaze:

1 cup confectioners' sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract 

2 Tbls milk

Adjust an oven rack to the middle and preheat oven to 425deg F.  Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.  

Grate the frozen butter on the holes of a large box grater or use a food processor.  Set aside.  Whisk together the milk and yogurt in a medium bowl; refridgerate until needed.  Combine the flours, 1/2 cup sugar,  baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.  Whisk to combine.  Add the grated butter and toss with fingers until completely coated.  

Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and fold with a spatula until just combined.  Transfer the dough to a generously floured work surface.  Dust the top of the dough with flour, knead with well floured hands, 6-8 times, just until the dry ingredients have been mostly incorporated.  

Roll the dough into a 12in square.  Fold the dough into thirds, like a business letter(a dough scraper really helps with these steps.)  Fold the short ends of the dough into the center in thirds, to form an approximate 4-inch square.  Transfer the dough to a lightly floured plate and chill in the freezer for 5 minutes.

Return the dough to the floured work surface and roll into a 10-inch square.  Lightly brush the surface of the dough with milk or cream.  Whisk together the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl, and sprinkle the mixture over the dough evenly.  Layer with the toasted pecans and cinnamon chips.  Roll the dough up into a tight log.  Lay the log seam-side down on a cutting board.  Use a sharp knife to slice into 8 round discs.  Place the shaped scones onto the prepared baking sheet.  Lightly brush the top of each scone with the melted butter and sprinkle with coarse sugar.  (If freezing ahead of time, flash freeze on the baking sheet for 20 minutes, then wrap individually and store in a freezer bag until needed.)

Bake until the tops and bottoms are golden brown, 16-20 minutes (about 20-22 if baking from the freezer.) Transfer to a wire rack and let cool at least 10 minutes.  In a small bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar, vanilla and milk.  Whisk together until smooth, adding more milk or sugar if needed to reach your desired consistency.  Drizzle the glaze over the scones.  Serve warm.  

Source: adapted from Annies-eats.com and Cook's Illustrated

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by She Bakes, She Makes ~ Sunday, March 4, 2012 1 comments

Lemon Scones (dairy/egg free)

My hubby loves loves baked goodies for breakfast in the morning...ok...we all do!  Who doesn't!?  So often I will make him vegan muffins, which he usually takes on the road with him for a snack or like I said...for breakfast.  I went against the muffin grain this morning and made Lemon Scones!  Mmmm!  I usually screw these up...too dry or flavorless, but I got the yummy approval this mornin!  Phew!  These babies were almost flawless!  Sorry for all the exclamation marks...my finger can't stay away from that button!!!!!  Anyways, I took a glance at a few different scone recipes that were not vegan and adapted this lovely Vegan Lemon Scone recipe.  So if you if you want these with dairy, just substitute.  I'm sure they would be even more delicious!

Lemon Scones (dairy/egg free)
Yield: 8 large scones/12 medium scones

Scones:
3 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup sugar
zest from 1 lemon
3/4 cups or 12 Tbls dairy free butter, cold (I use Earth's Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks)
1 cup dairy free buttermilk (1 cup almond, coconut, soy or rice milk and 2 tsp white vinegar; mix and let sit for 5-10 min)
Juice from 1 lemon

Lemon Glaze:
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
Juice from half a lemon(roughly 1-2 Tbls...add little, mix, taste, add more if desired)
1/8 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 425deg F.  Prepare one or two baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, blend the flour, sugar, baking powder and lemon zest.  Cut the butter into small pieces and cut into the dry ingredients with a fork, pasty cutter or food processor, until crumbly.  Add in the buttermilk and lemon juice, mix together until combined.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently for a few minutes; until the dough comes together and all the dry ingredients are incorporated into the dough.  Do not over work or your scones will be tough. Hand pat or roll dough out into a 9-in circle and cut like a pizza to make either 8 large scones or 12 medium scones (I made 8 large..perfect size).  Place scones on parchment lined baking sheet(s).

Bake at 425deg F for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool on wire rack.  When cool, drizzle with lemon glaze.

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by She Bakes, She Makes ~ Wednesday, February 29, 2012 2 comments

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

Aren't these cupcakes just too adorable!?  Not are they so stinkin cute...they are equally or more delicious!
 I wish I had taken more detailed pics of the process and the inside of the cupcakes.  They were really fun to make.  I made these for my Haylen's 2 yr Olivia the Pig party a couple months ago.  And they were a hit!  Let me describe to you the delicious details of this unique lil treat.  The bottom of the cupcake has an open faced Oreo halve(cookie and the yummy center), topped with the angelic white cake with numerous big chunks of Oreo pieces cooked in.  Then topped off with a dollop of cream cheese frosting(the best I've ever had in my life!), then the cute factor...the Oreo halve and cookie crumbles.  Mmmmm...I want one right now!!!  This is one of many to be posted faves of mine from Annies-eats.com!  Love her!

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes
Yield: 24 cupcakes

24 Oreo halves, with cream filling attached

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

8 Tbls unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 2/3 cup sugar

3 large egg whites, at room temperature

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup milk

20 Oreo cookies, coarsely chopped(quartered is best)

8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature

6 Tbls unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 Tbls vanilla extract

4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

2 Tbls heavy cream

Oreo cookie crumbs

24 Oreo cookie halves

Preheat the oven to 350deg F.  Line two cupcake pans with 24 paper liners.  Place an Oreo halve in the bottom of each liner, cream side up.  In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; stir together with a fork and set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Blend in the egg whites, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Blend in the vanilla extract.  With the mixer on low speed, beat in half of the dry ingredients just until incorporated.  Add the milk and beat just until combined, then mix in the remaining dry ingredients.  Gently fold in the chopped Oreos with a rubber spatula until well incorporated, being careful not to over-mix.  

Evenly divide the batter between the prepared cupcake liners.  Bake for 18-20 minutes(I overcooked mine a bit and the paper stuck to the cake..oops), rotating the pans halfway thru baking, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool in the pans 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  

To make the frosting, combine the cream cheese and the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on med-high speed until smooth, 1-2 minutes.  Add the heavy cream to the bowl and beat on medium-low speed just until incorporated, then increase the speed to med-high and whip for 4 minutes until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.  

Frost the cooled cupcakes as desired.  Sprinkle with Oreo crumbs and garnish with Oreo halves.

Source:  adapted from Annies-eats.com  who adapted it from Beantown Baker

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by She Bakes, She Makes ~ Wednesday, February 22, 2012 0 comments

Texas Sheet Cake (dairy and egg free)

Picture from The Food Allergy Mama's Baking Book

Your world is about get a lot more tasty.  You have strict orders to quickly scribble down the ingredients for this cake and rush to the store, get home and make this cake...stat!  This cake is certainly...life changing.  Texas Sheet Cake...the cake that quickly tops every one's favorite cake list after the very first bite.  I had never heard of this cake..ever.  My thighs and butt have been saved from this cake...til a handful of months ago, when we discovered my husband's dairy and egg allergies.  We thought our life was over and we would never again enjoy a single bite of amazing dessert again(coming from a dairy and chocolate loving family.)  I did some research and quickly stumbled upon miracle worker Kelly Rudnicki and her book, The Food Allergy Mama's Baking Book!  She has turned our frowns into chocolate covered smiles :).  Thank you for coming into our lives Kelly!  She cooks allergy free for her son who is severely allergic to dairy, eggs and nuts.  Although we can still have nuts(minus pecans), I will just add them to any recipe if I so desire.  And I prefer to use almond milk rather than soy or rice milk, as she does.  If you prefer a more rich dairy and egg filled version, there are plenty of recipes for such a cake...my fave, Ree Drummond, Pioneer Woman.

Texas Sheet Cake

Yield: 1 cake

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 cup dairy-free margarine (we use Earth's Best, sticks or tub, found in health food section)

1 cup water

2 cups granulated sugar

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

2 Tbls water

1/2 cup dairy-free buttermilk (1/2 cup soy, rice, almond or coconut milk mixed with 1 tsp white vinegar; let sit for 5-10 minutes)

1 tsp vanilla extract (vanilla powder is amazing if you haven't tried it)

Texas Glaze (recipe follows)

In a medium saucepan, bring the cocoa powder, margarine, and 1 cup water to a boil, stirring constantly over medium heat.

In a large bowl, mix together the sugar and flour.  Pour the cocoa mixture over the sugar-flour mixture and blend well. Add the baking soda, 2 Tbls water, buttermilk, and vanilla.

Preheat oven to 400deg F.  Spray a 15x10x1-inch jelly-roll pan with dairy-free baking spray(like Pam baking spray with flour, do not use butter flavored!!)  Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes.  While the cake is baking, prepare the Texas Glaze.  

When the cake is done, immediately pour the Texas Glaze over it, spreading evenly.

Texas Glaze

1/2 cup dairy-free margarine

6 Tbls soy, rice, almond, or coconut milk

4 Tbls cocoa powder

1 tsp good-quality vanilla extract

2 cups confectioners' sugar

In a medium saucepan, combine the margarine, milk alternative, and cocoa powder, bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and add the vanilla and confectioners' sugar; mix well.  Immediately pour the glaze over the warm cake. 

*I haven't tried this, but I've seen recipes with nuts sprinkled on top.  

Prepare to be amazed!

Source: adapted from The Food Allergy Mama's Baking Book by Kelly Rudnicki

     

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by She Bakes, She Makes ~ 0 comments