Inside the Oven [Vol. 5]
Hi, out there!
- How yummy does that sandwich look? I just finished working on a fun little sandwich post for MPMK and that’s just a preview. Hungry yet? That’s a whole wheat english muffin with spinach, sliced ham, avocado, a squeeze of lemon juice and salt/pepper. Can’t wait to show you the rest on Tuesday.
- I just got an iPhone! (I am SO not an early adopter. haha) The whole thing is pretty cool, but I think the thing I’m most excited about is using Instagram (you can follow me @natalieherr). Can’t wait to share some Instas with you.. once I figure out how to do that. Ha! Anyone have an iPhone tips to share or favorite apps to recommend? I’m all ears.
- I’m loving this geometric necklace (above) on Etsy. I have lots of jewelry wishes but I never pull the trigger. This one is very affordable so maybe I will!
- Does anyone else hoard ripped-out recipes from magazines? I am in the process of going through my stash and pinning dishes I actually like. I found this recipe of Dorie’s in Food & Wine for Chocolate Cayenne Cocktail Cookies (below). I love the cocktail cookie concept- we should really start adding cookies to everything.
- Also- a momentary ‘boo hoo’ that I’m not at BlogHerFood this year. Hope everyone is having fun out there in Seattle! I’ll be here trying not to mope. 🙂
Just a few random thoughts for you today. Hope everyone has a great weekend. Come on back next week for more goodies!
Orange Creamsicles
The summer heat has got me overflowing with popsicle ideas, people! I have been trying out lots of different flavors and a few different molds to find my favorite combinations. One of my recent favorites is this recipe for Creamsicles.
Orange Creamsicle is a classic summer flavor in my mind. My first taste of this pop took me right back to my favorite childhood memories (Orange Flintstone Push Ups, anyone?). These pops are smooth and creamy with just the right amount of orange flavor- a not-too-sweet treat that’s the perfect way to complete a summer meal.
You could also substitute other citrus flavors- blood orange, grapefruit, etc- for a tasty twist on the classic. Just make sure to invite me over, okay? I never met a Creamsicle I didn’t like.
Â
Orange Creamsicles
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Author: Oven Love
Recipe type: dessert
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
- 1 cup orange juice (fresh or frozen. you could also use orange juice concentrate for a stronger orange flavor)
- 1 cup heavy cream or full fat coconut milk (you could also substitute melted/very soft vanilla ice cream)
- 3 tablespoons honey
- ¼ teaspoon orange extract
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk all ingredients together.
- Pour mixture into popsicle molds. Let set for 30-60 minutes, then add popsicle sticks. Freeze for another 4-6 hours or until frozen.
- When you’re ready to serve, run some warm water along your popsicle mold to loosen the popsicles and serve immediately.
Cookie Butter Parfaits with COOL WHIP Whipped Topping
Ahh, summer. Time to turn off the ovens, get away from the heat and enjoy the quick and easy recipes that don’t take much time to prepare. There’s nothing worse that being stuck in a steamy kitchen all day (unless it’s this Steamy Kitchen– i’m sure that would be a blast). There’s enough heat going on outside right now, am I right?
We open our home to friends and visitors a lot during the week, and most of the time, it’s on short notice. I love having treats to share with our guests, but I don’t always have the time for complicated desserts. This recipe has just a few ingredients and can be whipped up (literally) in a very short time.
I don’t know if you’ve heard about the cookie butter/Biscoff/speculoos craze, but I finally got around to trying it and decided to combine it with some COOL WHIP Whipped Topping and a few other ingredients to make these little mousse parfaits. If you’re not into the cookie butter thing, you can substitute Nutella, peanut butter or any other nut butter or spread in its place.
The COOL WHIP in the mousse is what makes it light and fluffy. The final parfaits are quite sweet and the cookie flavor is prominent, but I think the COOL WHIP is really what makes it. It’s amazing how one minute you have a grainy spread in your mixer, but the minute you add COOL WHIP, it becomes a smooth and creamy mousse. It’s like magic.
And by the way, COOL WHIP is offering a Fan Dessert of the Month Contest on Facebook. The winner each month will win $500- how cool is that? All you have to do is make a COOL WHIP dessert, take a photo, and upload it on Facebook. Easy peasy.
While you ponder how to win that cool $500, you’re only six ingredients away from a summer dessert that looks lovely without a lot of work (or any extra heat). Sometimes, it’s the simplest desserts that end up being showstoppers.
What you add makes it. #coolwhipmoms
Â
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Ingredients
- 16 Speculoos cookies (such as Biscoff*), plus more for serving
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted or very soft
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup Speculoos spread (such as Biscoff or TJ’s Cookie Butter*)
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 cup COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, plus more for serving
Instructions
- In a food processor, pulse cookies into fine crumbs. Add butter and pulse until combined. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer, beat cream cheese until there are no lumps. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the spread; mix until combined. Add sugar and beat 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and fold in the COOL WHIP with a spatula.
- Gather your parfait glasses. Line the bottom with the cookie crumb mixture and top with the mousse (feel free to do more than one layer), leaving a small amount for garnish. Let set in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours (this is a just a suggestion, you can eat it right away if you like). When you’re ready to serve, add a dollop of COOL WHIP, sprinkle with remaining cookie crumbs and add a cookie to the bowl. Enjoy!
Greek- Inspired Slow Cooker Chicken
 My darling friend Joy of Fearless Freezer Cooking is here on Oven Love to share some summer freezer tips with us as well as the recipe for this yummy Greek chicken. I’ve enjoyed this recipe twice (once while in Joy’s freezer co-op and once after Lucy was born) and it was so good that I had to ask Joy to share it with everyone. It’s as easy as ever- you freeze the chicken in the marinade and throw it into the slow cooker without even thawing. Joy is the best! Here’s a little introduction to the queen of freezer cooking:
Joy is a stay-at-home wife & mother to two wonderful children. Â She is a fourth generation freezer cook. Â Growing up with freezer cooking as a way of life made it hard for her to understand how folks could NOT use their freezers. Â After being asked again and again for help, she started her Facebook page to give her tips & insight so that others will be Fearless Freezer cooks, too!
(photo by Natalie.)
Hello Oven Lovers! Â I’m Joy, guest posting today for my sweet friend, Natalie! Â I enjoy freezer cooking, how about you? Â I’m here to give you some super simple summer ideas for freezer cooking.
One of the easiest ways to start freezer cooking it to use a marinade. Â When you freeze fresh meat with a marinade, it starts marinating as it freezes. Â Then, when you are ready to use it, toss in the fridge the day before and it marinates as it thaws. Â So simple!
I love that marinated meats are usually cooked on the grill or in the slow cooker. Â My house doesn’t get heated up this way. When preparing a meat and marinade recipe, I like to follow this plan:
- Mix up all the marinades I will be using.
- Label the freezer bags I will be using with name of recipe, date, and reheating instructions.
- Divide up the meat between the freezer bags.
- Divide up the marinade between freezer bags.
- Seal and freeze flat.
One of the benefits of this type of freezer cooking is that you can make up several meals in a short amount of time. Â Another benefit is that you can control the serving size. Â For instance, many marinade recipes call for four to six chicken breasts. Â While our kids are still young, we only need two or three chicken breasts per meal. Â So, for ONE marinade recipe, I divide it between TWO bags for two meals. Â That’s also saving me money!
A few of my favorite freezer marinades:
- Use a bottle of Italian dressing (I like Seven Seas Viva Italian by Kraft.) Grilled chicken tastes great in Italian dressing- it’s especially tasty on salads.
- We really enjoy the homemade Teriyaki marinade recipe in Mary Beth Lagerborg’s Once a Month Cooking, however it suggests baking, not grilling. Â I think Teriyaki flavors would also be good for pork kabobs or some cuts of beef. (Here is a similar Teriyaki recipe from Once A Month Mom.)
- This garlic balsamic marinade recipe comes from Once a Month Mom. Â It is delicious and the pork cooks so moist when grilled. The flavors would be great on chicken, too.
- We also like marinating steaks or London Broil in Worcestershire sauce. So simple and so tasty.
I hope these ideas inspire you! You’ll find the recipe for the Greek-inspired chicken below. I’d love to hear some of your favorite marinade recipes!
Â
(Recipe by Mommie Cooks, via Joy and Once A Month Mom.)
Greek- Inspired Slow Cooker Chicken
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Author: Joy from Fearless Freezer Cooking
Recipe type: Main Dish
Ingredients
- 1 Lemon, Juiced
- 4 Garlic Cloves, Minced
- ¼ Cup Olive Oil
- ½ Cup White Wine
- ¼ Cup Chicken Broth
- 1 tsp Dill
- 1 tsp Rosemary
- 1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
- ¼ tsp Pepper
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 Whole Chicken, Broken into it’s Respective Pieces (Or 4 chicken breasts or thighs. If you’re using chicken breasts, they will likely fall apart because they get so tender- that’s why the chicken above looks shredded and the one in Mommie Cooks’ post is not.)
- Egg noodles, black olives and Feta cheese for serving
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients with the exception of the chicken to the marinade.
- Mix up well.
- Add in the chicken and coat all the pieces completely.
- *If freezing, freeze now. You can put it directly from the freezer to the slow cooker, just add about 2 hours to the cooking time.*
- Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 4 to 6 hours.
- Serve over noodles with sauce from the slow cooker spooned over the noodles and a little feta and olives for good measure.
Cream Puff Cupcakes [My 500th Post!]
FIVE HUNDRED posts. Wow.
That is a lot of food, people! I am amazed that the little food blog I started on a whim in September of 2008 has survived (and thrived!) until today.
There’s been a little bit of everything here on Oven Love, hasn’t there? Lots of sweet desserts, tons of breakfast and brunch recipes, a fair amount of Dorie Greenspan recipes (thanks to TWD), some vegetables every once in a while, a rainbow cake, some lessons in freezer cooking, and everything in between. I can’t believe I’ve filled 500 posts with my culinary ramblings.
To celebrate, I thought I’d take you back to my roots with some help from Dorie. I came up with the idea for these cream puff cupcakes after randomly seeing Meg’s post and I knew I could count on Dorie’s recipes to guide me through transforming the classic cream puff into a cupcake.
Please understand that this is not a recipe that you can whip up in a few hours. This one takes time and planning. This one should be reserved for special occasions and special people. This one should be savored and enjoyed until the last bit of ganache is licked off the wrapper.
First, you’ll prepare the cream puffs. Or you’ll skip that part and buy them at the store. Then, you’ll bake the cupcakes, fill them with pastry cream, cover them with gorgeous, dripping ganache and top them with a cream puff. Be sure to sit back and enjoy your beautiful creation before diving mouth-first into this indulgence. You WILL be full after eating this cupcake, but I make no promises about keeping yourself from eating another one.
Â
I have so loved this blog and the joy that comes with sharing my recipes with the world. This 500th post is just a milestone on the way to greater things. There is so much more in store for Oven Love- and you will get to hear all about it soon enough. Thank you for always visiting, putting me in your reader, pinning my posts, sharing Oven Love with friends, and for all of your encouraging and thoughtful comments over the years. I really do cherish this little blog and all the eyes that fall upon it. Here’s to 500 more!
Â
Buckle your seat belts- there are a lot of recipes below.
Â
Chocolate Ganache Glaze
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Author: Dorie Greenspan (Baking from My Home to Yours)
Recipe type: Dessert
Ingredients
- 4 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Put the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl.
- Bring the cream, sugar and water to a full boil, then pour the liquid over the chocolate and let sit for 30 seconds. Working with a whisk or rubber spatula, gently stir the chocolate and cream together in small circles, starting at the center of the bowl and working your way out in increasingly larger concentric circles.
- If you are pouring the glaze over a chilled cake or cupcakes that is already frosted, the glaze can be used soon after it is blended. If you are pouring it over a room temperature cake or cupcakes, leave the glaze on the counter until it thickens just enough to pour in a ribbon.
Â
Vanilla Pastry Cream
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Author: Dorie Greenspan (Around My French Table)
Recipe type: Dessert
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole milk
- 6 large egg yolks
- ½ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup cornstarch
- 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3½ tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits, at room temperature
Instructions
- Bring the milk to a boil in a small saucepan.
- Meanwhile, in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk the yolks together with the sugar and cornstarch until thick and well blended. Whisking without stop, drizzle in about ¼ cup of the hot milk- this will temper, or warm, the yolks- then, still whisking, add the remainder of the milk in a steady stream. Put the pan over medium heat and, whisking vigorously, constantly and thoroughly (make sure to get into the edges of the pan), bring the mixture to a boil. Keep at a boil- still whisking- for 1-2 minutes, then pull the pan from the heat.
- Whisk in the vanilla extract. Let stand for 5 minutes, then whisk in the bits of butter, stirring until the butter is fully incorporated and the pastry cream is smooth and silky. Scrape the cream into a bowl. You can press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the custard to create an airtight seal and refrigerate the pastry cream until cold (at least an hour).
Â
Cream Puff Dough (Pate Choux)
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Author: Dorie Greenspan (Around My French Table)
Recipe type: Dessert
Ingredients
- ½ cup whole milk
- ½ cup water
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
Instructions
- Bring the milk, water, butter, sugar and salt to the boil in a heavy-bottomed 2-quart saucepan. When the mixture is boiling rapidly, add the flour all at once, reduce the heat to medium and, without a second’s hesitation, start stirring the mixture like mad with a wooden spoon. The dough will come together very quickly and a slight crust will form on the bottom of the pan, but you have to keep stirring – vigorously – another 2 to 3 minutes to dry the dough. At the end of this time, the dough will be very smooth.
- Turn the dough into the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or, if you’ve still got some elbow grease left, you can continue by hand. One by one, add the eggs to the dough, beating until each egg is thoroughly incorporated. Don’t be discouraged – as soon as you add the first egg, your lovely dough will separate. Keep working and by the time you add the third egg it will start coming together again. When all the eggs are incorporated, the dough will be thick and shiny and, when you lift some of it up it will fall back into the bowl in a ribbon. The dough will still be warm – it’s supposed to be – and now is the time to use it. ]
- Using about 1 tablespoon of dough for each puff, drop the dough from the spoon onto the lined baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches of space between each mound of dough.
- Slide the baking sheets into the oven, bake for 15 minutes, then rotate the sheets from top to bottom and front to back. Continue baking until the puffs are golden and firm, another 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer the cream puffs to a cooling rack.
- When the puffs are cool, use a pastry bag with a small tip to poke a hole into each cream puff and fill them with Vanilla Pastry Cream (see recipe below). Store in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to eat.
Â
Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
makes 15 cups (enough to frost and fill approximately three 8″round cakes) This is more than enough for the cream puff cupcakes. The buttercream freezes well, so you can make the extra and save it for later.
Author: Sweetapolita
Recipe type: Dessert
Ingredients
- 16 large egg whites (30g each–total 450g, or 2 cups)
- 4 cups granulated sugar (800g)
- 5 cups (2.5 lbs, 10 sticks) of unsalted butter, softened but cool, cut into cubes
- 30 ml (2 tablespoons) pure vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- Wipe the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk attachment, small bowl, and whisk with paper towel and lemon juice (or vinegar), to remove any trace of grease. Add egg whites and sugar, and simmer over a pot of water (not boiling), whisking constantly but gently, until temperature reaches 140 degrees F, or if you don’t have a candy thermometer, until the sugar has completely dissolved and the egg whites are hot (you can feel a drop in between your fingers to ensure no granules.).
- Take off of stove, and place bowl back on electric mixer fitted with whisk attachment, begin to whip until the mixture is thick, glossy, and neutral (you can feel outside of the bowl to test temperature).
- Switch over to paddle attachment and, while mixing on low speed continously, add butter one cube at a time until incorporated, and mix until it has reached a silky smooth texture (if curdles, keep mixing and it will come back to smooth).
- Add vanilla and salt, mix well. If buttercream is too runny, the butter was possibly too soft–place into the refrigerator for about 15 minutes, then beat again. If still too runny, add a few more cubes of butter and keep beating until it reaches Use immediately, or refrigerate/freeze.
Â
Vanilla Cupcakes
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Author: Oven Love, slightly adapted from The Cupcake Project
Recipe type: Dessert
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups (175 grams) cake flour, not self-rising
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (225 grams) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (57 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ⅓ cup (75 grams) full-fat sour cream
- ¼ cup canola oil or vegetable oil (60 ml)
- 1 tablespoon pure (not imitation) vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup (160 ml) whole milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, mix together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the sugar and mix until well combined.
- Add butter and mix on medium-low speed for three minutes. Because there is so little butter, you’ll end up with a very fine crumb texture.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, sour cream, oil, and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined.
- Slowly add milk and mix on low speed until just combined. The batter will be liquid. (Don’t worry, you didn’t do anything wrong. It’s supposed to be that way.)
- Fill cupcake liners just over ½ full.
- Bake for 14 minutes and then test to see if they are done. They are done when a toothpick comes out without wet batter stuck to it. The cupcakes should appear white with specks of vanilla bean. They should not turn a golden brown. If they are not done, test again in two minutes. If they are still not done, test again in another two minutes.
- When the cupcakes are done, remove them immediately from the tins and leave them on a cooling rack (or just on your counter if you don’t own a cooling rack) to cool.
Â
Cream Puff Cupcakes
Disclaimer: this is going to take a while. There are a lot of components. If you plan to make the cream puffs from scratch, I would do those first before you start the cupcakes. You can make the cream puffs ahead and refrigerate or freeze them until you’re ready to use them.
Author: Oven Love
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 16
Ingredients
- 1 batch Vanilla Cupcakes, baked and cooled
- 1 cup Vanilla Pastry Cream (in addition to the pastry cream used to fill the cream puffs, if you are making them from scratch)
- 1 batch Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- 2 batches Chocolate Ganache Glaze, cooled slightly (2 batches is an estimate, you made need more/less)
- 16 Cream Puffs (purchased or made with the Cream Puff Dough and Pastry Cream below)
- powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- Use a small, serrated knife to cut a round hole into the top of your cupcake. Remove cake from the hole with a spoon.
- Fill the cupcake with pastry cream. You can do this with a spoon or with a pastry bag.
- Pipe the buttercream in a circular motion on top of the cupcake, covering the pastry cream filling. Let set in the refrigerator until frosting seems firm.
- Remove the cupcakes from the fridge. Using a spoon, drip the ganache on top of the cold buttercream and top with a cream puff. Let cool in the fridge until set. These cupcakes are best enjoyed at room temperature, so if you are storing them in the refrigerator, allow them to come to room temperature before you serve them. Add a dusting of powdered sugar and enjoy.
Inside the Oven [Vol. 4]
Happy Memorial Day Weekend!Â
 Hope you’re enjoying the extra time with your family. Here’s what’s new around here.
- As an Air Force family, this holiday is always a good one for us (four day weekend, baby!), but this year is extra cool because it includes a promotion. The hubs is being promoted to Captain! This is cool for many reasons, my favorites being the extra money in the budget and the excuse to call him Captain-related nicknames whenever I please. Congratulations, honey! We appreciate all your hard work and I know the AF does, too.
- We had a pickling marathon here a few nights ago. We’ve had a major cucumber crop and decided to get ahead of it before we’re up to our eyeballs in cukes. We made bread & butter pickles (pictured above) and dill pickles from an excellent canning book called Put ‘Em Up!– it’s divided by specific fruits and veggies so you can just grab the book when you have a big pile of (insert fruit/veggie here) and go to town. I previously thought canning was too hard and not to be messed with, but it’s not as bad as it seems. It was a fun little bonding activity. Nothing brings people together like hot brine and mason jars, am I right?
 - Did you guys catch that I am now contributing to an excellent blog called Modern Parents Messy Kids? I am super-pumped about it and swimming in new ideas to share. I feel like Oven Love is all about the recipes, so it’s going to be fun for me to talk more about how I spend the days with the kids, doing silly stuff in the kitchen and making little bellies happy.
- I just read that I have 1200 pins on Pinterest. How is that possible?? I have always used Pinterest as a mental bulletin board of things I want to do/recipes I want to make.. like a really, big to-do list. I guess that means I have 1200 things to do. Better get crackin’.
- Speaking of the big P– my favorite pin lately is this recipe for Banana Split Pancake Stackers. I wish I had thought of this!! It’s the happiest little breakfast.
- Lastly, I added a few new blogs to my reader this week. Maybe you’ve heard of them, maybe not. They are full of happy inspiration. Here, here, here, here.
Make sure to stop by Oven Love in the next day or two for my 500th post! It’s going to be over-the-top delicious.
A Rainbow Lunch on MPMK
Come visit me over at Modern Parents Messy Kids today! I’m sharing an idea for a fun summer lunch to help your kids learn their colors. I’m so excited to be a contributor to MPMK and looking forward to more yummy, kid-friendly posts!
On My List: Pizza
I don’t know about you, but I’m almost always in the mood for pizza. Doesn’t matter the weather, doesn’t matter the season, doesn’t even matter the time of day. I’m always on board when pizza is involved.
My favorite pizza dough right now is Annie’s, but when I’m in a hurry (or I haven’t pulled any of Annie’s out from the freezer) I like to use this quick dough recipe. I’m always looking for new ideas for toppings since our go-to favorites are barbecue chicken or throw-on-whatever-we-have-in-the-fridge pizza.
Pizza is a like a blank canvas for flavors. I love to see what other people come up with.. and I also love to steal their yummy ideas and recreate them at my house.
These pizzas are on my list.
(wouldn’t you just love to be invited to a pizza party at Annie’s?)
*All photos are taken by the excellent photographers on their respective blogs, I am not claiming these pictures as mine!*
Stuffed French Toast Cupcakes
Happy Monday morning!
If you were following on Facebook this weekend, you know that I was working on some new cupcake flavors for my 500th post- one based on a dessert and one based on a breakfast treat. This is the breakfast concoction- a berry-stuffed french toast cupcake! Begin drooling now.
It isn’t my 500th post yet (just a few more to go!), but this recipe was just as good as the one I picked to share with you later. If you like sweet breakfasts, this cupcake is right up your alley. Here’s the rundown: it’s a maple cinnamon cake with strawberry cream cheese filling, cream cheese frosting with a berry swirl, topped with a french toast bite and a sliced strawberry. Take a bite into this thing and it’s reminiscent of a big slice of syrup-slathered, stuffed french toast (something like this, perhaps?).
I won’t pretend that these are quick and easy to throw together. There are a quite a few steps involved, but if you want to go the extra mile, they will certainly satisfy. I think they would be just as tasty without the filling and the toppings, so you could make a quicker version using just the cake and frosting recipes.
These cupcakes would be perfect for a brunch table or a replacement for those (boring) doughnuts at your morning workplace celebrations. In case you’re wondering, I think it’s an excellent idea to eat cupcakes before noon. Before 8 AM, even. A perfectly acceptable breakfast, really.
Cupcakes disguised as breakfast. Why didn’t I think of this sooner?
Stuffed French Toast Cupcakes
by Oven Love
makes about 16 cupcakes
For the cupcakes (adapted from Cupcake Project):
- 1 3/4 cups (175 grams) cake flour, not self-rising
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup (225 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (57 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/3 cup (75 grams) full-fat sour cream
- 1/4 cup canola oil or vegetable oil (60 ml)
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon maple extract
- 2/3 cup (160 ml) whole milk
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, mix together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
- Add the sugar and mix until well combined.
- Add butter and mix on medium-low speed for three minutes. Because there is so little butter, you’ll end up with a very fine crumb texture.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, sour cream, oil, vanilla extract and maple extract until smooth.
- Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined.
- Slowly add milk and mix on low speed until just combined. The batter will be liquid. (Don’t worry, you didn’t do anything wrong. It’s supposed to be that way.)
- Fill cupcake liners just over 1/2 full.
- Bake for 14 minutes and then test to see if they are done. They are done when a toothpick comes out without wet batter stuck to it. If they are not done, test again in two minutes. If they are still not done, test again in another two minutes.
- When the cupcakes are done, remove them immediately from the tins and leave them on a cooling rack (or just on your counter if you don’t own a cooling rack) to cool.
For the filling:
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 6-8 strawberries, diced
- 3 tablespoons strawberry or raspberry jam
- In a small bowl, mix together cream cheese, diced strawberries and jam. To fill the cupcakes, cut a circle in the center of the cupcake to make a hole and remove the excess cake with a spoon. Spoon the filling into the hole.
For the frosting:
- 12 oz cream cheese, softened
- 8 tablespoons butter, softened
- 3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1-2 tablespoons strawberry or raspberry jam
- In a stand mixer, mix cream cheese until smooth- no lumps. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the butter, mixing again until smooth. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar and mix until smooth. If the mixture is too soft, add additional powdered sugar or chill in the refrigerator before piping.
- To frost the cupcakes using the swirl effect, prepare a pastry bag with a large round tip. Using a spoon, smear a few lines of jam up the sides of the pastry bag. Fill the bag with the cream cheese mixture. Pipe onto the cupcakes in a circular motion.
For the toppings:
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 thick slices french bread
- 4 strawberries, sliced
- Â Heat a small frying pan over medium heat. Meanwhile, whisk together the egg, milk, vanilla and cinnamon in a shallow bowl. Dip the slices of bread into the mixture until soaked through. Add the butter to the pan and fry the slices until golden brown. Let cool, cut into cubes and top each cupcake with a french toast cube and a strawberry slice. (Tip: slice the strawberries first and let them sit out a bit on a paper towel so their juices evaporate and you don’t have a soggy mess on your cupcake.)
Mint Cookies and Cream Ice Cream
Happy Wednesday!
I’m here to introduce you to the most popular treat in my freezer- Mint Cookies and Cream Ice Cream. I’ve mentioned my abundance of garden mint before, but things have gotten even wilder! This mint is taking over the garden like a boss! I’ve been thinking about making mint ice cream with it for a few weeks, but a little twist came to me when I discovered Newman-O’s Hint-O-Mint cookies. They’re just like Oreos, but with a creamy mint filling. The perfect add-in for mint ice cream.
Now, this is not your run-of-the-mill mint ice cream. The fresh flavor that comes from steeping the mint is crisp and lingers on the tongue- you won’t find anything like it in the store. The mint ice cream alone would be a great palate cleanser at the end of a meal or between courses, but I prefer it doctored up with the cookies. If you’re a fan of regular Cookies and Cream, you’ll be in love with this brisk, minty edition.
If you don’t have the fresh mint, you can still make the ice cream with some mint extract (not peppermint!) and I’m sure it will be tasty, too. Whatever you do, stock your freezer with cool desserts like this for easy summer entertaining. Or just come share a scoop with me- that giant mint patch guarantees that there will be gallons and gallons in my deep freezer at all times.
Mint Cookies and Cream Ice Cream
adapted from David Lebovitz
Author: Oven Love
Recipe type: Dessert
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 cups heavy cream, divided
- pinch of salt
- 2 cups packed fresh mint leaves
- 5 large egg yolks
- 10-15 mint cream-filled chocolate cookies, like Newman-O’s Hint-O-Mint
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, warm the milk, sugar, 1 cup (250 ml) heavy cream, salt, and mint.
- Once the mixture is hot and steaming, remove from heat, cover, and let stand for an hour to infuse the mint flavor.
- Remove the mint with a strainer, then press down with a spatula firmly to extract as much mint flavor and color as possible. (You can also use well-washed hands to do it as well, making sure the mixture isn’t too hot to safely handle.) Once the flavor is squeezed out, discard the mint.
- Pour the remaining heavy cream into a large bowl and set the strainer over the top.
- Rewarm the infused milk. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, then slowly pour some of the warm mint mixture into the yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed yolks back into the saucepan.
- Cook the custard, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. If using an instant read thermometer, it should read around 170ºF (77ºC).
- Immediately strain the mixture into the cream, then stir the mixture over an ice bath until cool.
- Refrigerate the mixture thoroughly, preferably overnight, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- While the mixture is freezing, melt the chocolate in a small bowl over a pot of simmering water, or in a microwave oven on low power, stirring until smooth. Place a storage container in the freezer.
- When the ice cream in the machine is ready, scribble some of the chocolate into the container, then add a layer of the just-churned ice cream to the container. Scribble melted chocolate over the top of the ice cream, then quickly stir it in, breaking up the chocolate into irregular pieces. Continue layering the ice cream, scribbling more chocolate and stirring as you go.
- When finished, cover and freeze until firm.
