Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Sweet Shortcuts - Ganache

Hi everyone,

I've changed the name of Tuesday Shortcuts to Sweet Shortcuts, since I can't seem to stay on a schedule.  :-)

Today's shortcut is really more of a "I can't believe how easy this is."  I've always been intimidated by chocolate ganache - double boilers and chopping chocolate, etc.  The version I use is much simpler.


Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Tuesday Shortcut - Cinnamon Roll Hearts and Flowers

I should really change the name of Tuesday Shortcuts to Wednesday Shortcuts, because I am always a day late!

This week's shortcut is for Cinnamon Roll Hearts and Flowers.  These cuties are made from refrigerated cinnamon buns, and are super easy.

Preheat the oven to the temperature indicated on the package.

Just take the rolls out of the tube, place on a cutting board, and make the following cuts:




Saturday, April 13, 2013

Palmiers / Elephant Ears

Hi everyone!

Thanks for being patient when I took a short hiatus from my blog to enjoy the gorgeous weather we've been having.  This post is all about making palmiers (or elephant ears) with puff pastry.  I use frozen pastry, but if you prefer to make it from scratch, more power to you!





Monday, April 8, 2013

Too beautiful to bake!

Hi everyone,

It was such a beautiful day here in Washington, DC and I decided that it was a day to be outside, not in a hot kitchen!

So instead of baking photos, I thought I'd share some spring photos.  (All photos are © 2013 Anne Schroeder)

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Piping Frosting - Tips and Tricks

Hi everyone!  Today, I'm going to share some tips and tricks with you about piping frosting.

A few notes - I use Wilton disposable piping bags because the clean-up is so much easier than cloth bags.  But I have friends that swear by the cloth bags.  It's completely up to you!

Okay, to begin, I grab my piping bag and whatever tip I'd like to use.  FYI - the tips I'm using in this post are all from the Ateco Large Tube set, which you can find on my Amazon page here.  I'm using this tip, number 847:


Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

I received some emails asking for the chocolate chocolate chip recipe I mentioned in yesterday's post, so here it is!

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt (I use kosher salt)
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chunks
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 cup butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract


















Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Tuesday Shortcut - Premeasured Ingredients

Hi everyone!

I have to apologize for not posting very often these past few weeks - I'm getting a degree in Art History with a Religion minor, and it's been very busy recently!  I'm working on some new posts, and will get them out to you as soon as possible.

Today's shortcut is a time saver.  I make a lot of cookies from scratch, and it takes time to measure out all the ingredients, plus they get all over the counter!  This shortcut is to measure out ingredients ahead of time in as many batches as you'd like - then when you want to bake, you just have to add the wet ingredients.  Plus, you make a mess much more infrequently.

I usually do mixes for chocolate chip, peanut butter, sugar cookie, and chocolate chocolate chip.  Just add all of the dry ingredients into a container, and whisk to combine.  This is my chocolate chocolate chip dry mix:

 
 
Then put the top on and label it with the name of the mix, as well as the wet ingredients needed for the final recipe.  Like so:
 
 
 
So the next time you want to make cookies from scratch, just reach into your cupboard and pull out one of these handy dandy premixed containers.  I think you'll find it to be a huge time saver. 
 
By the way, these also make GREAT gifts, just package them in a pretty container with a ribbon and label, and give them away...your friends will love them!
 
Enjoy!
- Sugar Baby