Cabin in the City

Books, cats and midwestern charm.

Baking

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My 2019 Christmas Baking List

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I love Christmas and I love Christmas baking. I love how productive I feel after a long day in the kitchen making cookies and desserts for my family. (And I love how I can reward myself after a long day of baking with a Christmas movie and a glass of wine.)

This year I’ve got more bakes on my plate than ever. Here’s what I’ve baked (and will be baking in the next few days).

Cookies

My whole family bakes Christmas cookies, and we all have our specialties (shout out to my Aunt Mary who makes candy cane cookies for me every year!). This year I made a few old favorites and some new-to-me recipes.

  • Cream cheese pillows: These are a favorite of mine, my Aunt Debby and the crowd at the Cookie Takedown. Michael loves to think of new names for these, like cookie calzones and cookie pierogi. They’re apt for sure.
  • Pioneer molasses cookies: These are an old, old favorite with my family. I’m so happy that Michael loves them as much as I do!
  • Italian rainbow cookies: I sampled these at Taste of Home‘s cookie give away and loved them. I decided to make them myself. I’ll say that these were a major hassle, but I’m glad I gave them a go!
  • Cornflake wreaths: These cookies are so easy to make and always a hit (with me at least). I like to add a little almond extract to the mix for more flavor.
  • Mandelbrot: I am in love with Midwest Made by Shauna Sever. I made her mandelbrot recipe (they’re similar to biscotti, but not quite as hard) and they’ve gotten rave reviews so far!
  • Apricot kolaczky: I make kolaczky most Christmases. This year I used a recipe out of Midwest Made. It’s a good one!

Christmas Desserts and Breads

  • Chocolate babka: I obviously had to make my superstar recipe for the holidays.
  • French silk pie: This is one of my favorite desserts. I figure it’s time I learn how to make it from scratch and then share it with the fam for Christmas dessert (and I’m aiming to try the recipe in Midwest Made).
  • White fruitcake: Yes, another Midwest Made recipe! I’ve made this white fruitcake recipe in the past but I wanted to switch it up this year. And yes, my family like fruitcake. Weirdos, I know!
  • Cranberry tart: I made this tart last year and it deserves a repeat performance. It’s so simple to make, but I think it looks pretty fancy—especially dusted with a little powdered sugar.

Writing out this whole list really makes me realize how much baking I’m doing this holiday! Whew!

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Covergirl // My Babka Is a Star!

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I hinted to this a few weeks back, but now I can officially make this announcement: My babka recipe is on the cover of Taste of Home!

I am so proud of this! I made this bread back in February for a regular work assignment, thinking it would just live on the internet (that was good enough for me), but I learned a few months back that it would be on the cover of Taste of Home—and the holiday issue no less!

I won’t lie to you: This is a darn good recipe. It does take a little bit of work since it’s a yeasted bread, but it’s nothing a normal home baker can’t accomplish.

Plus, the flavors here are so good. Who doesn’t love dark chocolate, orange and a bit of cinnamon? It’s just the thing to slice up and enjoy while opening gifts or for snacking on the day after Christmas.

You can get the whole how-to (and watch me make this bread) right here.

You can find the December/January issue of Taste of Home on newsstands now! I encourage you to pick up a copy.

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A Real Treat // My Recipes on TasteofHome.com

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You probably know by now that I spend my days working for Taste of Home. Consequently, I spend a lot of time cooking and baking. Occasionally I share some of my recipes online there, and it’s a real joy.

Recently, though, some of my recipes went through the Test Kitchen’s official tests (not just casual coworker testing) and were approved to add to the official Taste of Home library and got some fabulous new photography. I’m absolutely and incredibly thrilled.

You can check out all my Taste of Home work here.

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If You Like Piña Coladas (and Zucchini Bread)

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If I’m being totally honest, I’m not huge on zucchini bread. I always think this bread would be good if only it didn’t have all these zucchini bits in it. But once in a while, a good recipe changes my mind. For me, it’s this one from Taste of Home – with a few adjustments of my own.

I’m big into this recipe because it’s full of just as much good stuff – AKA pineapple and coconut – as it is zucchini. I’m also a fan because in the hottest days of summer is when I’m craving tropical flavors the most. And I’ve got a bumper crop of squash.

Piña Colada Zucchini Bread Ingredients

OK, let’s cut to the chase. Here’s what you’ll need for this recipe:

  • 4 cups flour
  • 2½ cups sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1½ teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 4 eggs
  • 1½ cups vegetable oil (you can sub in some coconut oil if you want)
  • 2 tablespoons rum
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 cups shredded zucchini
  • 20-ounce can crushed pineapple, drained
  • 1 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut, divided

Mixing It All Up (+ Baking)

Mixing this bread up is easy. Start by whisking together the flour, sugar, soda, baking powder and salt in a very large bowl. Then in another bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, rum and vanilla extract. If you have coconut extract, feel free to add a teaspoon. If you have rum extract, use a teaspoon in place of the rum in this recipe (it’ll be more potent).

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, along with the pineapple and stir until just combined. Then fold in the zucchini and three-quarters of a cup of coconut.

For baking, you can use just about any loaf pan you like, but this recipe divides perfectly into three 8×4″ loaf pans. Or two of those and two mini loaf pans. You get the idea. Just grease the pans and line with parchment. Fill them about three-quarters full and top with the remaining quarter cup of unsweetened coconut. Pop in a 350ºF oven for 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

How’s It Taste?

The result is pretty darn tasty. You get a little kick of rum but plenty of sweetness from the pineapple. Also, I’m a big fan of crunchy coconut on the top.

Personally, I’d eat this just for breakfast, but it’s got enough charm to bring to a party. Cheers!

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Stamped Rolling Pin Sugar Cookies

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For my birthday, my amazing sister-in-law brought me this totally gorgeous rolling pin all the way from Poland. I had seen plenty of these before (though never one so pretty) but hadn’t ever used one. Of course, I had to get to work right away making some cookies. I’ll give you my recipe plus a few tips on how to use one (because it took me a minute to master it).

The Classic Stamped Sugar Cookie Recipe

According to the box, this is the cookie recipe to use with this rolling pin. Who was I to argue? I just converted the measurements as best I could from metric and here’s what I’ve got:

  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1-1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons almond extract
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3-1/3 cups flour

It’s a pretty simple recipe. Just cream together the butter and confectioners’ sugar. Then add in the egg and almond extract and beat until nice and light. Mix in your salt and flour until combined and you’re done!

Roll out the dough until nice and thin with a regular rolling pin – I’d say somewhere between a quarter and an eight inch thick. Then go over with the stamped rolling pin and cut out shapes with any cutter you like (I just used a basic round one). Pop in the oven at 375ºF for about ten minutes (or golden brown). Done!

Chocolate Stamped Cookies

Of course, I couldn’t just stop with almond cutouts, I had to try some chocolate ones, too. For a while, I was really wracking my brain if my family’s regular chocolate cutout recipe would suffice. Then I was frantically googling recipes. In the end, the answer was right under my nose. Truly. My friend got me Bravetart for my birthday and on the cover are stamped sandwich cookies. I gave those a shot. Here’s the recipe:

  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1-1/4 cups flour
  • 1/3 cup cocoa powder

To make these, combine the butter, sugar, syrup, salt, baking soda and salt together in a stand mixer. Beat until fluffy – about five minutes. Scrape the sides and then gradually add the dry ingredients.

It will look pretty dry at first, but if you keep it going with the mixer, it will smooth out.

Bake at 350ºF for 10-15 minutes.

Some Stamped Rolling Pin Tips

I’ll tell you right now that using this rolling pin took a little practice, but I think the effect is worth it. So just follow these tips and you’ll be on your way to some darn pretty cookies.

  • Don’t chill the dough. I know. This goes against everything you’ve ever learned about rolling out cookies, but with this recipe, it’s best to just work with the dough right out of the bowl. Chilled it’s just too crumbly and the dough really wants to pull up with the decorative rolling pin.
  • Give the pin a dusting.Like with any cutout cookies, you should give the rolling pin a dusting of flour ahead of time. Same goes for this decorative rolling pin. Because this one has so many crevices, I took a clean (and never been used) paintbrush to get the flour into those nooks and crannies. It helps tremendously.
  • Firmly press with the rolling pin. Cue this Spongebob clip. Then really do press down firmly to imprint the design. The more definition you have before going into the oven the better. You’ll end up with more distinctive cookies after baking.
  • Be patient. Patience is not my strong suit, but it’s worth working on for these cookies. Until you get the dough the right temperature (I chilled my first and then learned from that mistake) and the pressure just right, these cookies can be a bit tricky. But once you get the technique down – it took me probably three or four passes – it gets much simpler.

Good luck with your fancy rolling pins!

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A Junk-Foodie’s Perfect Dessert: Compost Cake

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It’s been a while since I’ve shared a recipe on this blog! Mostly because I’ve been sharing my bakes over at Taste of Home. But I thought I’d share a new-to-me recipe here today.

This past December, I got to interview Christina Tosi and I totally fell in love with her new cookbook All About Cake. I whipped up her birthday sheet cake for an assignment. It was fantastic, but a lot of work. Paging through the book, I found a casual recipe that was more my speed for everyday sweets: compost cake.

What really caught my eye was the pretzels and potato chips sticking out the top. I’m big on salty-meets-sweet desserts. This one was for me. It just might be for you, too.

I will say that I altered the recipe a bit to suit my taste. I nixed the butterscotch chips (they’re not my favorite) and added some more pretzels and chips in their place. I also simplified the method a bit. Give my version a go, but also grab All About Cake for the full experience (and lots of great cake recipes!).

OK, let’s start! To make this cake you’ll need:

  • 2 cups cake flour
  • 3/4 cup + 3 tablespoon sugar
  • 1/4 cup old fashioned oats
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon ground coffee
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 7 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/3 cup buttermilk
  • 3 tablespoons grapeseed oil
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
  • 1/3 cup crumbled graham crackers
  • 1/4 cup pretzels, lightly crushed
  • 1/4 cup potato chips, lightly crushed
  • 1 tablespoon flour

For the topping, you’ll need:

  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons grapeseed oil
  • Handful pretzels
  • Handful potato chips

Mixing Up the Batter

I love this cake because it doesn’t require any heavy-duty equipment. Instead of breaking out the stand mixer, you can just use a spatula or a whisk. Major win for lazy me who doesn’t want to lift the ol‘ KitchenAid out of the closet.

OK, start by whisking together the cake flour, oats, brown sugar, sugar, coffee, baking powder and salt together. Then, in another dish, whisk together the melted butter, grapeseed oil, buttermilk, vanilla and eggs.

Take the wet ingredients, add them to the dry and give them a good stir until combined. Easy peasy!

Then toss the chocolate chips, graham cracker crumbles, pretzel bits and potato chips together with a tablespoon or so of flour. You want to give these ingredients a quick coat in flour to prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the cake.

Once they’re coated, just stir them into that batter. It should be pretty darn thick. Don’t worry – it just means it’s full of the good stuff.

Baking the Compost Cake

Grease and line an 8×4″ loaf pan with parchment paper. Then add your batter. Bake this for an hour at 350ºF. It’s a long time, but it’s kind of nice not to have to babysit something for a while.

When it’s done baking, cool it on a rack for about a half hour before removing it from the pan. You’ll want it to be completely cool (or at least nearly cool) before moving onto the last bit.

Topping It All Off

What really made this cake stand out to me was the topping. Pretzels! Chips! Chocolate! And making that topping is really easy.

All you need to do is melt together a half cup of chocolate chips with a teaspoon and a half of grapeseed oil. You can do this in the microwave if you have one – we actually ditched ours more than a year ago (and you can read about it here). Otherwise, melt it with a double boiler on the stove.

All that’s left to do is dip pretzels and chips into the chocolate and stick them to the top of the bread. Use whole pretzels and chips, crunched up ones, whatever you please. When I felt like the top was pretty packed with salty snacks, I drizzled a little bit more of the chocolate on top.

You want this to set up a bit before diving right into it. If you want this cake quick, pop it into the freezer for five minutes to set it. If you’re not in a rush, you can refrigerate for a half hour or so. Just be sure to bring it back to room temp before serving.

The Eating

In the end, this compost cake is exactly the kind of dessert I love: unfussy, slightly messy and almost overstuffed.

I sliced this up and served it during our podcasting practice (March goal!), and it definitely kept us going as we rehearsed. I really like how each bit is a bit different. Plus, as an easily adaptable recipe, I like that I can crunch up whatever snacks I have on hand (or whatever bits of candy) to mix into a future batch.

Give it a go (and get that cookbook, too!).

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Milestones // 6 Months as a Mary Berry Wannabe

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The anniversary passed me right by, but I realized the other day via LinkedIn that I’ve been at my new full-time gig for six months already. That time just flew by! I guess that’s what happens you’re in neck deep with recipes, snacks, sweets and everything good in this world.

Anyways, I thought I’d mark this occasion by sharing a few fun things that I’ve been up to at Taste of Home.

Taste Tests

Really and truly, conducting taste tests at work is one of my favorite things ever. Every week we round up a handful of products and compare them side-by-side in a blind tasting. It’s incredibly fun and also incredibly surprising to see what brands really rank as number one!

By and large my favorite test was boxed wine, but here are a few other faves too!

We Tried 5 Brands and Found the Best Boxed Red Wine

We Tried Popular Valentine’s Day Chocolates. Find Out Which Brand We’re Sweet On.

The Very Best Butter Brands According to Our Test Kitchen Experts

https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/best-cinnamon-rolls/

Passion Projects

But working isn’t all just testing snacks of course. I also get to write up some really fun pieces that just speak to me. Obviously one of my favorite pieces that I pitched, was this amazing GBBO copycat slideshow. But there are a few others, too!

Great British Baking Show Copycat Recipes

https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/cheese-wheel-wedding-cakes/

We Tried Internet Famous Pan-Bang Chocolate Chip Cookies (and Loved Them!)

Near & Dear

I’ve also got to work on some really fun projects and a few that are super close to my heart. It’s really such a pleasure to share recipes and foods that are special to me with the whole internet (not just this itty bitty, irregularly updated blog). One of my favorite pieces that I’ve got to share was my mom’s recipe for potica. But I also liked sharing my take on pierogi (which 99% of Facebook commenters hated, but I still manage to sleep at night).

https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/how-to-make-potica/

How to Make Homemade Pierogi the Right Way

And there you have it! A really brief summary of my time at Taste of Home so far. Hoping the next six months are even sweeter!

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Cranberry Orange Pecan Cookies

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Folks, I’ll let you in on a little something: I’m not a huge Thanksgiving fan. While most people are salivating over the biggest food event of the year, I shrug and go meh.

The turkey is fine, the stuffing is OK and I like apple pie well enough, but in conjunction with mashed potatoes, yams, vegetable casseroles and pumpkin everything? Not into it. It’s all just too much rich, brown food, you know? And to deviate from those classics would be almost blasphemy.

So I try to make Thanksgiving enjoyable for myself in other ways. For the past few years, I’ve mixed up pie crusts in advance for all the pies my family makes (which is a lot: apple, lemon meringue, pecan and two pumpkin–one with coconut, one without). This year, I decided to up my Thanksgiving baking game with more pie crusts and a new cookie recipe.

Admittedly, I’m not a pecan person (or really a cranberry person), but these cookies really seem to fit the Thanksgiving bill (and they’d work well into the Christmas season, too). Bonus: they’re so easy to make and great for a last-minute treat.

Here’s what you’ll need:

  • 2¼ cups flour
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ½ cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped
  • ½ cup pecans, chopped
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • Zest of one orange

Making the cookies is super simple. Just cream together your butter, sugar and egg yolk, then mix in your vanilla, salt and flour until combined. Once that’s all mixed, stir in your nuts, cranberries and zest.

Then divide your dough into two. Roll each bit of dough into a log, roughly six inches long. Wrap this up in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least three hours (though you can keep it in the fridge for a day or two if you’re the plan ahead type).

Once chilled, slice your logs into ¼” slices and pop on a lined cookie sheet. Bake at 350ºF for 12 to 15 minutes.

If you don’t have pecans on hand, I think pistachios would work well, too (but feel free to sub in macadamia nuts, walnuts or whatever you prefer). If you’re into white chocolate (I’m not) a drizzle over the top could be super pretty. It’s up to you!

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Apricot Poppy Seed Bars

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I have a soft spot for poppy seeds. My wedding cake was a delicious almond poppy seed layer cake filled with buttercream, and not too long ago I tried to replicate it (and did OK!). But I also love the flavor in the potica and kolaczky I make at Christmas. I love the hint of nuttiness and the crunch they add to all these treats. But let’s face it, cakes, potica and fancy cookies aren’t really everyday treats.

But you know what is an everyday kind of treat? A bar. Just a hardworking sweet that doesn’t require any garnish or flair. They’re perfect for weeknight desserts of for bringing to a party.

So it figures that I wanted to combine the tasty flavor of poppy with the no nonsense feeling of a good ol’ tray bake. I developed this struesel bar recipe based on a recipe from Amy Thielen’s The New Midwestern Table, one of my favorite cookbooks. I wasn’t super keen on the raisins she calls for (and I didn’t agree entirely with some of the proportions), so I developed my own take. Plus, this totally counted as my September bake for my Great America Baking Resolution. Let’s dig in.

For the filling:

  • ¾ cup poppy seeds
  • ¾ cup whole milk
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup chopped dried apricots
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

For the bars:

  • 2 cups sugar
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1½ cup room temperature butter, cut into chunks + more for greasing pan
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

I warned you that the filling for this one takes a little extra time and work, but you can relax a little knowing it can be prepped a few days in advance – just stash it in the refrigerator. You can relax a little more knowing that making this filling from scratch isn’t mandatory either. Feel free to substitute a can of poppy seed filling from the grocery store (it’s typically in the baking aisle near the canned cherries).

Now let’s get to it. I’m going to kick this off with an optional step: crushing the poppy seeds. This isn’t 100% necessary, but it does help release a little extra poppy flavor by cracking the exterior of the seeds. To crush the seeds, pulverize them in a clean coffee grinder. Working in batches, pulse the seeds in the grinder until they resemble coffee grounds. Set these aside for a moment.

Using your food processor, pulse your chopped, dried apricots so they break down a bit before you add your remaining ingredients. I’d say pulse until they’re about the size of chocolate chips. Then you’re ready to add the rest of your filling ingredients: milk, cream, sugar, vinegar and your poppy seeds. Process until the apricots are reduced to the size of mini chocolate chips or smaller. A blender would work well here too if you don’t have a food processor.

Once blended, pour your mix into a sauce pan. I’ll warn you that it doesn’t look the most appetizing, but don’t worry – it will turn out. Cook this mixture over medium heat, stirring frequently. When the mix begins to bubble, reduce to medium low heat and continue cooking (and stirring) until the filling has thickened – about 15 minutes. Set aside or pop in the fridge.

Now, onto the bars themselves. In a large bowl, quickly mix together your dry ingredients. Then add your cubed butter and mix with your hands until the mix feels damp and holds its shape when squeezed.

Grease a 13″x9″ pan with butter. Scoop five heaping cups of unpacked dough into the pan and press down to form a crust. Bake this at 375ºF for 15 minutes. When done, remove from the oven and let cool for another 15.

Once the base has cooled off a bit, spread the poppy filling across in an even coat, leaving a bit of room around the edge. Then take the remaining struesel mix and crumble on top. Don’t cover the poppy seeds 100%. You’ll want a bit of the filling to show through.

Pop this back into a 375ºF oven for another 45 minutes or so. Wait for this to cool and slice away!

The result is a rich, buttery struesel with a delicious nutty filling with a hint of fruit. These are a bit time consuming, but I think for poppy lovers like myself, they’re definitely worth it.

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A Great British Baking Show Shop Update

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In case you missed it, The Great British Baking Show is back on PBS! I’ve been biding my time watching Master Class on Netflix, but we all know that’s not the same as the real deal (though Mary Berry is a delight AS ALWAYS).

To capitalize on my own GBBS frenzy, I decided to whip up some hoops inspired by Mel, Sue and my girl Mary. I think they turned out really fun, and I am hoping that there are some folk out there that are living for crafties like these. Also, this fits along with my small goals for June – I wanted to get a handful of non-wedding hoops up in the shop, and I did it!

The most obvious option is, of course, the ready, get set, bake! I think it’s super charming, and I hope it finds a home in someone’s adorable kitchen.

My goal is to capture that cute English garden feel with the fabric choices. I pretty much thought to myself could this be a grandma’s handkerchief or tea towel? as I picked out the fabric. I think that guided me to some pretty good options.

So far these are the only hoops in my GBBO series, but I’m always open to more! If you have any Mary Berry-sims you’d like to see stitched, leave them in the comments! I’d love to expand on this idea!

P.S. I also have other new hoops in the shop (just not baking-related). Check them out!