Sweet Cream Ricotta Pancakes

Pancakes
1 cup Ricotta Cheese
3/4 cup Buttermilk
2 Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 cup Flour
4 Tablespoons Sugar
1 teaspoon Baking Powder (may use 1 1/2 teaspoons if you desire a thicker pancake)
1/4 teaspoon Salt
Butter for skillet

Optional Add-ins:

2 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
1/2 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Zest

Berry Maple Syrup:

1/4 cup Butter melted
1 cup Real Maple Syrup
1 cup Blueberries or Raspberries

In a large bowl, mix ricotta cheese, buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla until combined.

Carefully fold in flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt and stir until just combined, avoiding over-mixing.
Heat skillet over medium heat. Place a pat of butter onto skillet and wait for it to sizzle.Pour batter in 1/2 cup portions and cook until golden brown on each side.

Berry Maple Syrup:
In a saucepan over medium-low heat, add butter and let it melt. Add syrup and berries and heat for about 3-4 minutes until it starts to bubble. Remove from heat and serve with pancakes.

Savory Breakfasts: Tator Tot Casserole & Biscuit Sandwiches

These are recipes I love to serve when I have company in town . . . hearty and savory dishes to offset the sweeter, carb-heavy breakfast fare like muffins and cereal. Both dishes can easily be made ahead and re-heated, too (but are best fresh).

Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole with Sausage & Bacon
Makes 8 servings

1 lb breakfast sausage
2 TB olive oil
¾ cup EACH diced onion and red bell pepper
1 TB minced fresh garlic
8 eggs
½ cup whole milk
1 tsp EACH kosher salt and black pepper
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
2 lb. frozen tater tots
2 cups shredded Cheddar
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
3 TB chopped scallion greens


Preheat oven to 350. Lightly coat 9x13 pan with nonstick spray.

Cook sausage in oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat until nearly cooked through, crushing with a potato masher. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic; cook until veggies are softened and sausage is thoroughly cooked, about 5 minutes more.

Whisk together eggs, milk, salt, black pepper, and cayenne.

Layer tots in bottom of prepared dish; top with half the cheeses, sauce mixture, egg mixture, and remaining cheeses. Cover dish with foil.

Bake casserole, covered, 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking casserole until cheese is golden brown and temp in center reaches 160-degrees, about 30 minutes more. Let casserole rest 15 minutes; top with bacon and scallions before serving.

Biscuit Breakfast Sandwiches

Makes 6 servings


BISCUITS

1⅔ cups (8⅓ ounces/236 grams) all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons sugar
1¼ teaspoons
baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon table salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 cup buttermilk, chilled

FILLINGS

6 (3½- to 4-inch) breakfast sausage links
6 large eggs, divided
¼ teaspoon table salt, divided
2 teaspoons unsalted butter, divided
6 slices cheese—pepper Jack cheese, American, OR Muenster (2¼ ounces), halved

FOR THE BISCUITS

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Generously grease 8-inch square baking pan. Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in bowl.

Add melted butter to buttermilk and stir until small clumps form. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture and stir well until fully combined. Transfer dough to prepared pan. Using your lightly greased hands, pat dough into even layer and into corners of pan (dough will be thin). Using bench scraper sprayed with vegetable oil spray, cut dough in half. Turn pan 90 degrees and make 2 equidistant parallel cuts to create 6 rectangles. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let biscuits cool in pan for 5 minutes. Transfer biscuits to wire rack. Turn off oven.

FOR THE FILLINGS

While biscuits bake, line half of large plate with paper towels. Slice 1 sausage lengthwise, stopping just short of slicing all the way through. Open sausage up like book; invert onto cold 12-inch nonstick skillet; press to flatten into 4 1/2 by 2 1/2-inch rectangle; and remove casing, if desired. Repeat with remaining sausages. Cook over medium-high heat until firm to touch, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer sausages to paper towel–lined side of prepared plate. Wipe out skillet with paper towels.

Beat 3 eggs with ⅛ teaspoon salt until whites and yolks are thoroughly combined. Melt 1 teaspoon butter in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat. Swirl butter over surface of pan. Add eggs and tilt pan to evenly coat bottom. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for 45 seconds. Uncover and tilt to swirl uncooked egg to edges of omelet. Cover and continue to cook until top is just set, 45 to 60 seconds. Slide skillet off heat. Run spatula around edges to loosen.

Fold 4 sides of egg toward middle to create 8-inch square. Fold square in half to create 8 by 4-inch rectangle. Use edge of spatula to cut rectangle crosswise into 3 rectangles. Transfer to unlined side of plate. Repeat with remaining 3 eggs, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon butter. After cooking and portioning second batch of eggs, return first batch of eggs and all sausages to skillet. Cover to keep warm.

TO ASSEMBLE

Separate biscuits into 6 portions. Stand 1 biscuit on side and gently saw in half with serrated knife. Repeat with remaining biscuits. Arrange biscuit bottoms on now-empty plate and top each with ½ slice cheese, 1 egg portion, 1 sausage, and remaining ½ slice cheese. Arrange biscuit tops over cheese. Place sandwiches in still-warm oven until cheese is melted, at least 5 minutes or up to 20 minutes. Serve (plate will be hot). 

(Refrigerate leftover sandwiches for up to 3 days. To reheat, place sandwich on plate and cover with bowl. Microwave for 1 minute. Uncover and let sit for 1 minute before serving. Crusts of reheated biscuits will be softer.)

Oven-Fried Bacon

This is the only way I make bacon. So much quicker, easier, and less messy than frying it in a frying pan. I've been doing it this way since 2010!

Preheat oven to 425-degrees.

Use a light-colored baking sheet that has sides (so the grease doesn't drip down all over your oven). If you wish, line the pan with heavy-duty tinfoil (doing so makes clean-up a breeze). 

Lay the bacon strips out flat in rows on the baking sheet. The bacon strips can touch, but not overlap one another. 

Place the baking sheet in the center of the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes, depending on how crispy/well-cooked you want the bacon to be. Rotate the pan halfway through baking time. No need to flip the bacon strips if you're cooking them until crispy—they'll cook evenly on both sides without flipping. However, if you like your bacon a little less crispy, I find that it does help to flip the strips at the half-way mark when you are rotating the pan.

Of note, I have found that it does not work well to have two pans of bacon in the oven at a time. Even if you rotate the pans between the higher- and lower-shelves at the halfway point, the bacon just doesn't cook as quickly and evenly as when you do one pan at a time (on the middle rack so that it's exposed to the heat coils).

Buttermilk Waffles

This is my favorite buttermilk waffle recipe. Super light and fluffy waffles. Comes together quickly and easily. You can halve the recipe to make fewer. If you don't have buttermilk, you can always make your own with milk and vinegar, but I continue to maintain that real buttermilk is always best.

Also, these freeze beautifully! Re-heat in your toaster for a perfectly crisp and warm waffle anytime! (If I'm freezing them, I set each waffle out individually on a cooling rack as soon as it comes out of the waffle maker until it's completely cool before wrapping it and putting it in the freezer).

Makes about 24 (4x4-inch) waffles.

4 cups (480 g) all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons (60 g) sugar
4 teaspoons (20 g) baking powder
2 teaspoon (14 g) baking soda
1 teaspoon (8 g) salt
4 cups buttermilk***
2/3 cup (11 TB) butter, melted
4 eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla extract

***I add 1/2 cup additional buttermilk (on top of the 4 cups the recipe calls for) because I prefer a lighter/softer/more-like-a-pancake/less-dense waffle than what is customary for waffles [and what this recipe produces].

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

 
In another medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk and butter. Add eggs and stir until combined.

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and whisk until just combined (there will still be lumps and lumps are what you want for high-rising, fluffy waffles). Fold in vanilla. Let batter rest for 10 minutes and do not re-stir or you'll deflate the batter.

Preheat waffle iron and grease. Pour about ⅓ - ½ cup of batter into the waffle iron (or until batter reached about ½ inch to the edge of the iron). Cook until ready (I cook about 3 to 3-1/2 minutes). Top with syrup and berries.

QUICK & EASY POPOVERS

The ideal popover is crisp and well browned on the outside and hollow on the inside, with inner walls that are lush and custardy. This batter comes together quickly, so start heating your oven before gathering your ingredients and equipment. This recipe works best in a 6-cup popover pan, but you can substitute a 12-cup muffin tin, distributing the batter evenly among the 12 cups; start checking these smaller popovers after 25 minutes. Whole, 2%, or skim milk can be used. For consistent results, weigh the flour for this recipe. Do not open the oven during the first 30 minutes of baking.

1 ¼ cups (6¾ ounces) bread flour
¾ teaspoon table salt
1 ½ cups milk, heated to 110 to 120 degrees
3 large eggs
Salted butter

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly spray cups of popover pan with vegetable oil spray. Using paper towel, wipe out cups, leaving thin film of oil on bottom and sides. (I've also made them by brushing a thin layer of Crisco on the insides of the cups with a pastry brush and then dusting with flour).

Whisk together flour and salt in 8-cup liquid measuring cup or medium bowl. Add milk and eggs and whisk until mostly smooth (some small lumps are OK). Distribute batter evenly among prepared cups in popover pan. Bake until popovers are lofty and deep golden brown all over, 40 to 45 minutes. Serve hot, passing butter separately. (Leftover popovers can be stored in zipper-lock bag at room temperature for up to 2 days; reheat directly on middle rack of 300-degree oven for 5 minutes.)

Note:

• I have two 6-well popover pans and always make a double recipe for my family. (See stock photo of the pan I use below.) Available HERE.
• I use a size #12 (2.8-ounce) scoop for filling the wells of my popover pans. Available HERE.
• To get the milk the perfect temperature, I microwave a double recipe (so, 3 cups of milk) in a microwave-safe, silicone, cylinder measuring cup for 2 minutes and 30 seconds.

Assorted Baked Doughnuts and Glazes

I'm a big fan, and long-time follower, of Erin Jeanne McDowell. She's a cookbook author, food stylist, and recipe developer who is a magician-baker, if you ask me. So you can imagine my delight when she published a recipe series for doughnuts, both baked doughnuts and traditional yeast doughnuts! I had to try them! Erin came through for me. These are hands-down the best doughnuts I've made, and I've tried many. And the glazes are phenomenal!


BAKED DOUGHNUTS
(Note: you can make them chocolate by subbing out 1/2 cup flour for 1/2 cup cocoa powder)

4 tablespoons (58 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1/4 cup (60 g) vegetable or melted coconut oil
3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
2 large (113 g) eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
1 1/4 cups (288 g) whole milk, at room temperature

 
Preheat the oven to 375° F. Grease and flour two sets of doughnut pans.

In a large bowl, whisk the butter, oil, and sugar together until well combined, about 1 minute.

Add the eggs one at a time and mix until fully incorporated. Add the vanilla extract and mix to combine.

In a separate medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg to combine.

Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the egg mixture and mix until combined. Add 1/2 of the milk and mix until fully incorporated. Repeat, adding another 1/3 of the flour mixture, the remaining 1/2 of the milk, then finally the last of the flour. Mix until thoroughly incorporated, but do not overmix.

Transfer the batter to a large piping bag and cut a 1/2-inch opening from the tip. Pipe the batter into the prepared molds, filling them about 3/4 of way to the top of the mold. Give the pans a few good taps on your work surface to eliminate any air bubbles.

Bake the doughnuts until they spring back gently when touched and/or a toothpick inserted into the thickest part comes out clean, 15 to 17 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes inside the pan before inverting onto a cooling rack. Cool for at least 10 minutes more before glazing or finishing.

Note: To make swirl doughnuts, make one batch of vanilla batter and one batch of chocolate batter and swirl them together. Pipe a small amount of vanilla batter in two quarters of each doughnut mold, and fill in the remaining two quarters with chocolate batter, then use a toothpick to swirl them together.

Some finishing options: 

Vanilla Glaze: Mix 3/4 cup (85 g) confectioners' sugar, 3 to 4 tablespoons (45-60 g) heavy cream or milk (enough to make a runny glaze), and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. 

Chocolate Glaze: Mix 3/4 cup (85 g) confectioners' sugar, 2 tablespoons (14 g) dark cocoa powder, and 4 to 5 (60-75 g) tablespoons milk or cream. 

Matcha White Chocolate Glaze: Melt 1 1/2 cups (255 g) white chocolate and add 2 tablespoons (30 g) melted coconut oil and 1 tablespoon (9 g) matcha powder. Stir to combine. 

Powdered: Toss in confectioners' sugar while still warm to coat. (Keep in mind that the powdered sugar will be absorbed into the doughnut, so serve immediately or re-powder right before serving)

Cinnamon-Sugar: Toss in cinnamon sugar while still warm to coat.

YEAST DOUGHNUTS

1 1/2 cups whole milk (12 1/2 ounces)
1/3 cup water (2 1/2 ounces)
4 tablespoons butter (2 ounces)
5 cups all-purpose flour (25 ounces)
1 pinch nutmeg
1 pinch cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar (2 ounces)
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
2 eggs
6 cups Vegetable oil, for frying (use more if needed)

In a small pot, heat the milk, water, and butter until the butter has melted and the mixture is warm. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

Mix the flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, sugar, and yeast in the bowl of a mixer (or a large bowl if mixing by hand). Add the warm milk mixture and mix to combine. Add the eggs, scraping the bowl well. Turn the mixer up to medium speed, and, using a dough hook, mix until the dough begins to pull away from the edges. If mixing by hand, knead until it easily pulls away from the sides of the bowl while as you knead (it will still be quite sticky).

Transfer the finished dough to a well-oiled container and cover. Allow it to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Alternatively, you can refrigerate the dough overnight so that it’s ready to make in the morning—but you may need to punch the dough down once or twice during that period to prevent it from over-fermenting.

To shape the doughnuts, roll out half of the dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/2-inch thick. Use a doughnut cutter to cut doughnuts (alternatively you can use two circle cutters, or even the rim of a drinking glass and the rim of a shot glass, to shape the doughnuts). I also like to cut the doughnuts into squares (about 2 inches by 2 inches) using a pizza cutter -- this is especially great for filled doughnuts.

Heat the oil to about 360° F. (You can use a candy/fryer thermometer, but I just do a test with one of the donut holes or a scrap piece of dough: If it rises rapidly to the surface, the oil is ready. If the donuts begin to brown too quickly, the oil is too hot.)

Fry the doughnuts, turning them halfway through cooking, until they're golden brown on each side. Drain on absorbent paper towels. Finish as desired. (You can glaze the donuts by dunking them, or by pouring the glaze over donuts on a rack).

Some finishing options:
Powdered: Toss in powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar.
Glazed: Mix 3/4 cup powdered sugar, 3 to 4 tablespoons heavy cream or milk (enough to make a runny glaze), and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla (optional).
Chocolate-Glazed: Mix 3/4 cup powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons dark cocoa powder, and 4 to 5 tablespoons milk or cream.
Chocolate-Coated: Dip doughnuts in tempered chocolate thinned with 1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable oil.
Fruit-Glazed: Mix 1 cup powdered sugar and 1/4 cup fruit purée.
Violet-Glazed: Mix 1 cup powdered sugar, 1/4 cup cream or milk, and 1 teaspoon violet extract. Garnish with candied violets.
Pistachio: Glaze donuts with basic glaze, then press in chopped toasted pistachios.
Coconut: Glaze with coconut glaze (1 cup powdered sugar, 1/4 cup coconut milk, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla), and press in toasted coconut flakes.
Black and White: Make a dark chocolate ganache with 1 cup chopped dark chocolate and 1/2 cup heavy cream. Make a white chocolate ganache with 1 cup chopped white chocolate with 1/4 cup heavy cream. Glaze half the doughnut with the chocolate glaze and half with the white glaze.
Caramel-Glazed: Melt 1 cup of caramel candies with 1/3 cup heavy cream in the microwave in 10-second blasts until fully melted. Thin the glaze with additional milk or cream as needed to get a pourable glaze.
Meyer Lemon: Mix 1 cup powdered sugar with the zest and juice of 1 Meyer lemon, then add enough milk to form a pourable glaze.
Cinnamon Roll: Roll out the dough to 1/4-inch thick. Mix together 1 stick melted butter with 1 cup granulated sugar and 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon. Spread the mixture evenly all over the dough, then roll tightly into a cylinder. Cut into 1 inch-thick pieces, then fry until golden brown. Glaze with basic glaze.

Ebelskivers

Ebelskiver/Aebleskiver [EH-bleh-skee-vor] is a traditional Danish pancake that is often filled in the center with either sweet or savory fillings. The name means “apple slices” in Danish, as ebelskivers are often filled with apples. A special pan is necessary to make these spherical delights, and can be easily found at a reasonable price online.

It takes a little time for the pan to come to temperature, so let it heat up a few minutes before you start cooking the pancakes. I don’t know if it’s just my crappy stovetop, but I find that it’s necessary to adjust the temperature as I go, sometimes from batch to batch. Word to the wise, start at medium-low.

We’ve been making these as a family for 15 years. They are often requested on birthdays and as a special treat for all sorts of occasions from holidays to “just because.” Our family’s favorite filling is Nutella, but you simply can’t go wrong with pretty much any filling (sweet or savory).

Note that this recipe doubles and triples easily, but you do need to use it right away so that the whipped egg whites don’t have time to deflate, so don’t make more batter than you can use at one time. I’ve made many different recipes for these over the years, but this one remains my go-to.

These cook quickly, so have all fillings and toppings ready to go.

Makes about 21 pancakes.

1 cup (5 oz/155 g) all-purpose flour

1-½ teaspoons sugar

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

2 large eggs, separated

1 cup (8 fl oz/250 ml) whole milk

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

Filling of choice 

(our family favorite is Nutella, but you can do sweet or savory fillings; ideas include cubed cheese, finely diced sauteed apples, chocolate chips, cooked ground breakfast sausage, lemon curd, orange cream, etc. Herbs and flavorings can also be added to the basic batter recipe to compliment the flavors of the fillings.)

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a small bowl, lightly whisk the egg yolks, then whisk in the milk and melted butter. Add the yolk mixture to the flour mixture and, using a wooden spoon, stir until well blended. The batter will be lumpy.

In a clean bowl, using an electric mixer on high speed, beat the egg whites until stiff, but not dry, peaks from. Using a silicone spatula, fold about one-third of the egg whites into the batter to lighten it, then fold in the rest just until no white streaks remain. Use the batter right away.

Using a pastry brush, coat the wells of the ebelskiver pan evenly with melted butter and place over medium or medium-low heat. Let the butter heat for a few moments.

When the butter begins to bubble in the pan, use a Size #60 (0.54 oz) food scoop (or two soup spoons—one spoon to scoop and the other to scrape) to add roughly a tablespoon of batter to each well.

Working quickly, carefully spoon about 1 teaspoon of the desired filling (I use a #110 food scoop) into the center of each pancake.

Immediately add another tablespoon-ish of batter on top of the filling to enclose it.

Cook the first side until bubbles rise from the centers of the pancakes and they are lightly browned and crisp on the bottom (about 3 minutes).

Position 2 wooden skewers (I use bamboo skewers for kabobs) on opposite sides of a pancake, slide the tips between the edge of the well and the cooked edge, and lift and rotate gently. Repeat to turn the remaining pancakes.

Cook the pancakes until lightly browned on the second side, about 3 minutes longer. Use the skewers to transfer the pancakes to a plate or platter.

WARNING: The center fillings will be molten after being cooked, so allow the pancakes to cool off a little before eating.

Blueberry Buckle

This is a fantastic and easy-to-make breakfast treat. The batter is very thick and at first you'll say to yourself, "I can't possibly stir in those blueberries!" but you can—just do so gently so as not to crush the berries.

Notes: A blueberry buckle is a blueberry coffeecake with a streusel topping. The batter will be extremely thick and heavy, and some effort will be required to spread it into the prepared cake pan. This buckle is best made with fresh blueberries, not frozen ones, which are too moist. If you'd like to serve the buckle as dessert, consider a vanilla ice cream or whipped cream accompaniment. Leftovers can be wrapped in plastic and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Ingredients

Streusel

½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour(2 1/2 ounces)
½ cup packed light brown sugar(3 1/2 ounces)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch table salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter(1/2 stick), cut into 8 pieces, softened but still cool

Cake

1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour( 7 1/2 ounces)

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
10 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/4 stick), softened but still cool
⅔ cup granulated sugar (about 4 3/4 ounces)
½ teaspoon table salt
½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs, room temperature
4 cups fresh blueberries (about 20 ounces), picked over

Instructions

For the streusel: In standing mixer fitted with flat beater, combine flour, sugars, cinnamon, and salt on low speed until well combined and no large brown sugar lumps remain, about 45 seconds. Add butter and mix on low until mixture resembles wet sand and no large butter pieces remain, about 2 1/2 minutes. Transfer streusel to small bowl and set aside.

For the cake: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9-inch round cake pan with 2-inch sides with nonstick cooking spray, line bottom with parchment or waxed paper round, and spray round; dust pan with flour and knock out excess.

Whisk flour and baking powder in small bowl to combine; set aside. In standing mixer fitted with flat beater, cream butter, sugar, salt, and lemon zest at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes; using rubber spatula, scrape down bowl. Beat in vanilla until combined, about 30 seconds. With mixer running at medium speed, add eggs one at a time; beat until partially incorporated, then scrape down bowl and continue to beat until fully incorporated (mixture will appear broken). With mixer running on low speed, gradually add flour mixture; beat until flour is almost fully incorporated, about 20 seconds. Disengage bowl from mixer; stir batter with rubber spatula, scraping bottom and sides of bowl, until no flour pockets remain and batter is homogenous; batter will be very heavy and thick. Using rubber spatula, gently fold in blueberries until evenly distributed.

Transfer batter to prepared pan; with rubber spatula, using a pushing motion, spread batter evenly to pan edges and smooth surface. Squeeze handful of streusel in hand to form large cohesive clump; break up clump with fingers and sprinkle streusel evenly over batter. Repeat with remaining streusel. Bake until deep golden brown and toothpick or wooden skewer inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Cool on wire rack 15 to 20 minutes (cake will fall slightly as it cools).

Run paring knife around sides of cake to loosen. Place upside-down plate (do not use plate or platter on which you plan to serve the cake) on top of cake pan; invert cake to remove from pan, lift off cake pan, then peel off and discard parchment. Re-invert cake onto serving platter. Cool until just warm or to room temperature, at least 1 hour. Cut into wedges and serve.

Mixed Berry Scones

I'm a big fan of these. Soft, tender crumb with bursts of bright berry flavor. So good. Just remember that overworking the dough will result in dry, tough, and leaden scones. Boo! So use a light hand when mixing. I like to spray my bench scraper with Pam (so that the dough doesn't stick) and then use the bench scraper to shape the dough—I find that I work the dough less this way than when I use my hands alone.
Makes 8 scones

Scones
1 ¾ cups (8 3/4 ounces) frozen mixed berries
3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
3 cups (15 ounces) all-purpose flour
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, chilled
⅓ cup (2 1/3 ounces) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 ¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons whole milk
1 large egg plus 1 large yolk

Glaze (I always double the glaze because I love it so much!)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon honey


BEFORE YOU BEGIN
Work the dough as little as possible, just until it comes together. Work quickly to keep the butter and berries as cold as possible for the best results. Note that the butter is divided in this recipe. An equal amount of frozen blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, or strawberries (halved) can be used in place of the mixed berries.

FOR THE SCONES: Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. If your berry mix contains strawberries, cut them in half. Toss berries with confectioners’ sugar in bowl; freeze until needed. (Tossing the berries in confectioners' sugar prevents the juices from bleeding into the dough).

Combine flour, 6 tablespoons butter, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt in food processor and process until butter is fully incorporated, about 15 seconds. Add remaining 6 tablespoons butter and pulse until butter is reduced to pea-size pieces, 10 to 12 pulses. Transfer mixture to large bowl. Stir in berries.

Beat milk and egg and yolk together in separate bowl. Make well in center of flour mixture and pour in milk mixture. Using rubber spatula, gently stir mixture, scraping from edges of bowl and folding inward until very shaggy dough forms and some bits of flour remain. Do not overmix.

Turn out dough onto well-floured counter and, if necessary, knead briefly until dough just comes together, about 3 turns. Using your floured hands and bench scraper [I like to spray my bench scraper with Pam so the dough doesn't stick to it], shape dough into 12 by 4-inch rectangle, about 1 1/2 inches tall. Using knife or bench scraper, cut dough crosswise into 4 equal rectangles. Cut each rectangle diagonally into 2 triangles (you should have 8 scones total). Transfer scones to prepared sheet. Bake until scones are lightly golden on top, 16 to 18 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking.

FOR THE GLAZE: While scones bake, combine melted butter and honey in small bowl.

Remove scones from oven and brush tops evenly with glaze mixture. Return scones to oven and continue to bake until golden brown on top, 5 to 8 minutes longer. Transfer scones to wire rack and let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

TO MAKE AHEAD: Unbaked scones can be frozen for several weeks. After cutting scones into triangles in step 4, freeze them on baking sheet. Transfer frozen scones to zipper-lock freezer bag. When ready to bake, heat oven to 375 degrees and extend cooking time in step 4 to 23 to 26 minutes. Glaze time in step 6 will remain at 5 to 8 minutes.

Yet Another Cinnamon Roll Recipe . . . My Fave Yet!

I am constantly trying new recipes. Even when I've found something I absolutely love, I'm still on the hunt for the next variation. For example, I'll bet ya I've made at least 3 dozen different chocolate cake recipes over the years. 

Well, I've tried several different cinnamon roll recipes, too. For years, my go-to recipe was this one—see HERE. And I love the filling and icing for this recipe HERE. But for now, I've found a new favorite . . . the dough is rich and tender, the filling is perfect . . . it all makes for a fantastic cinnamon roll . . . I have adapted this recipe from "Handle the Heat" . . . 

For the dough:
1 cup whole milk
1 stick unsalted butter
1/4 cup sour cream
1 envelope (2-1/4 teaspoons) instant yeast*
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
2 egg yolks, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 to 4-1/2 cups (508 to 540 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
*You can use active dry yeast in place of the instant yeast. Add in in with the warm milk and butter mixture and a teaspoon of the sugar and allow it to proof for 5 to 10 minutes, or until foamy.

For the filling:
1 stick unsalted butter, very soft but not melted
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt

For the frosting:
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


Make the dough:

In a small saucepan, heat the milk and butter until the butter melts. Remove from heat and stir in the sour cream until smooth. Let cool until lukewarm (about 110-degrees F). Note: Watch carefully as it melts because if it gets all the way to a boil, it takes much longer to cool down afterwards.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the lukewarm milk mixture with the yeast, sugar, egg, egg yolks, and vanilla until well combined. Add in half of the flour and the salt and mix until combined. Remove the paddle attachment and fit the mixer with the dough hook. Gradually add the remaining flour until a dough begins to form. Only add as much flour as you need to form the dough. Knead at medium speed until the dough is very soft, smooth, pliable, and doesn't stick to the sides of the bowl, about 8 to 10 minutes. If the dough is unbearably sticky add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time. Only add as much four as needed to create a smooth dough.

Lightly grease a large bowl. Shape the dough into a ball and place in the greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1-1/2 to 2 hours.

Punch down the risen dough and turn out onto a lightly floured work surface. Use a rolling pin to shape the dough into a 16 x 12-inch rectangle with the long side facing you.

Spread the filling mixture all over the dough (a small offset icing spatula works great for this), leaving a 1/2-inch border at the far edge. Brush the border with water to help seal. Roll the dough up, pulling with your hands to keep it tightly rolled until it's an even log shape. Press the border to seal. Trim the edges.

Grease (or line with parchment paper) a 9-x 13-inch baking dish or two 9-inch pie pans. Note: It's important to use a dish with sides because 1) the filling sometimes bubbles over and out during baking and would drip off the sides of a regular cookie sheet, making a mess in your oven; and 2) these rolls spread out when baking so they need the support of being close to other rolls and being in a pan with sides).

Cut the roll into 12 equal pieces using a sharp serrated knife or unflavored dental floss. Place the rolls cut side up in the prepared baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1-1/2 to 2 hours.

Make Ahead: Allow the shaped rolls to rise until they've grown in size by about a quarter. Refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Allow to come completely to room temperature and continue to rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours, before baking as directed below.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350-degrees. Bake the rolls until lightly golden brown, 22 to 30 minutes. (You can test for doneness by taking the internal/center temp of rolls, which will be 190-degrees when done.)

For the icing:

Combine the icing ingredients in a small mixing bowl until a smooth pourable icing forms.

Spread over hot rolls. Serve warm the day they are baked.

Make the filling:

Add filling ingredients to a medium mixing bowl. Beat with a hand-held electric mixer on medium-high until very well combined, about 3 minutes. Or, mix in a stand mixer using the paddle attachment. (I zap the combined filling mixture in the microwave for 10-15 seconds after mixing to make it a little easier to spread).

Oat-y Cinnamon Rolls

These cinnamon rolls use oats, which contribute a nutty, earthy flavor to the dough. The filling is concentrated flavor in paste form--a little different than a traditional sprinkling of cinnamon and sugar. And this frosting--with the vanilla bean paste--is probably my favorite cinnamon roll frosting ever.

You can find my more traditional cinnamon roll recipe HERE.

Makes 12.

Dough:

1-¼ cups whole milk

½ cup shortening

¼ cup packed brown sugar

1 package yeast

1 cup old-fashioned oats

½ cup hot water

4 cups all-purpose flour

2 eggs

1-½ teaspoon salt

Filling:

1-½ sticks unsalted butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon table salt

Frosting:

4 tablespoons butter, softened

8 ounces powdered sugar

2 tablespoons whole milk

1-½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste (worth the splurge; the flavor the paste adds to this recipe is fantastic)

¼ teaspoon salt

For the dough, heat milk, shortening, and brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium-low until
shortening is melted; transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer. Let mixture cool to 100-110-degrees F, then
whisk in yeast and proof until foamy, about 5 minutes.

Soak oats in hot water until all water is absorbed.

Add 2 cups flour and eggs to the yeast mixture and mix on low with the paddle attachment
until combined. Switch to the dough hook and add remaining 2 cups flour, oats, and salt. Mix
on low speed until incorporated, then increase speed to medium and mix until dough pulls away
from the side of the bowl, about 7 minutes.

Transfer dough to a bowl coated with nonstick spray, cover with plastic wrap,
and let rise in a warm place until dough doubles in size, about 2 hours. Lift edges of dough away
from bowl and press air bubbles out with your hands.

For the filling, combined butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt.

Coat a 9x13-inch baking pan with butter. Transfer dough to a floured surface and gently
press to remove air bubbles. Divide dough into two pieces and roll one piece into a 10-16-inch
rectangle.

Spread half the filling over dough, leaving a ½-inch border. Starting at the short end, roll dough,
jelly roll-style, into a log. Repeat filling and rolling with remaining dough half. Freeze logs 10 minutes
to firm.

Slice each log into six rolls and arrange in prepared pan. Cover rolls with a towel and let rise until
puffy, about 1 hour; remove towel.

Preheat oven to 375-degrees. Bake rolls until browned, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool rolls in the pan for
10 minutes, then top with frosting.

For the frosting, beat butter, powdered sugar, milk, vanilla bean paste, and salt with a mixer
until combined.

Assorted Mini Muffin Doughnuts

Makes 48 mini muffins. One muffin recipe, finished three different ways to imitate doughnuts. You can bake and cool muffins ahead without the toppings. Store the muffins in a plastic freezer bag in the freezer for up to 1 month. To serve, thaw muffins before topping.

The key with these is to not overmix the batter and not overbake them. At each step, mix only until the ingredients are just incorporated. And, when baking, watch carefully. The muffins will be baked completely and yet still appear very light in color (with no browning), which might trick you into thinking they're not done yet. Do the toothpick test. When done correctly, these are light and fluffy and moist and tender little bites of Heaven!

Muffins:

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ teaspoon baking soda

1-¼ cups whole milk

½ cup sour cream

1-½ sticks unsalted butter, softened

½ cup granulated sugar

⅓ cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

Cinnamon-Sugar Topping:

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 stick unsalted butter, melted

Powdered Sugar Topping: (Note: The powdered sugar topping is absorbed into the muffin within
about 30 minutes of applying, so wait to apply until right before serving/eating).

1 cup sifted powdered sugar

Chocolate Glaze:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons heavy cream

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 ounces bittersweet bar chocolate

1 cup sifted powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Coat mini muffin pans with nonstick spray (or use mini paper muffin
liners).

For the muffins, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and baking soda. Combine
milk and sour cream.

Cream butter, granulated sugar, and browns sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy.

Beat in eggs once at a time until fully incorporated.

Alternately add flour mixture and milk mixture to butter mixture, starting and ending with flour
mixture. Mis batter until just combined and smooth.

Transfer a heaping 1 tablespoon batter into each well of prepared pans and bake muffins
until a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean, 12 - 15 minutes. Cool muffins in the pans
5 minutes, then turn them out. Apply toppings while muffins are warm.

For the cinnamon-sugar topping, combined sugar and cinnamon. Dunk warm muffins first in
melted butter, letting excess drip off, then roll in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

For the powdered sugar, rolls arm muffins in powdered sugar until completely coated.

For the chocolate glaze, heat butter, cream, corn syrup, and vanilla in a saucepan over low
until butter melts. Whisk in chocolate until melted. Stir in powdered sugar until smooth. Dip
tops of warm muffins with glaze.

Sausage Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole

SAUSAGE-HASH BROWN BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

Serves 10.

Can be prepped ahead and baked the next morning. For extra flavor and color, saute one large onion and one bell pepper in the pork drippings.

To make mini-frittatas, cookin 6-inch cast-iron skillets for 30 minutes at 375-degrees. Top with sliced avocados, pico de gallo, and a dollop of sour cream, and sprinkle with green onions.

1 pound mild ground pork sausage

1 pound hot ground pork sausage

1 (30-ounce) package frozen hash browns

1-½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

6 large eggs

2 cups milk

Cook sausages in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring until sausage crumbles and
is no longer pink. Drain well.

Prepare hash browns according to package directions, using ½ teaspoon salt and pepper.
(Note: Take a light hand on the pepper as it tends to easily overwhelm the other flavors in the dish).

Stir together hash browns, sausage, and cheese. Pour into a lightly greased 13” x 9” baking dish.
(If saving overnight for cooking the following morning, put the pan in the fridge, covered; the next morning, proceed with the recipe as follows).

Whisk together eggs, milk, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Pour evenly over potato mixture.

Bake at 350-degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.

Pancake Bake with CInnamon Streusel Topping

I recently made several pan-fuls of this for a church function. It was easy to prep ahead and was a crowd-pleaser. Win! Win! (I made it even easier by buying a bulk-size box of ready-made frozen pancakes. I let the pancakes thaw a little before using them so that they'd better be able to absorb the liquid).

Serves 10.

30 pancakes (make your own, or buy ready-made)

6 large eggs

1-½ cups heavy cream

1 cup whole milk

¼ cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup all-purpose flour

1 cup roughly chopped pecans

¼ cup packed light brown sugar

¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ cup cold unsalted butter, cubed

Pure maple syrup, for serving

Cut each pancake in half. Lightly grease a 13”x9” baking dish with cooking spray. Arrange halves, cut sides down and overlapping slightly, in 3 rows starting at 1 long end of prepared baking dish.

Whisk together eggs, cream, milk, granulated sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl. Slowly pour egg mixture over pancakes; cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Make the Streusel: Combine flour, pecans, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl; cut butter into flour mixture with a pastry blender (or use your fingers) until mixture is crumbly. (Note: I omitted the pecans when making this for a crowd because of nut allergy concerns. I also found that I needed to add a little melted butter, along with the cold butter, to achieve the desired consistency for the streusel).

Uncover casserole, and sprinkle streusel mixture over the top. Bake, uncovered in preheated oven until center is set, 50 to 55 minutes. (Note: Mine started to brown excessively on top about half-way through, so I loosely covered the top of the pan with tinfoil to prevent over-browning). Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Drizzle each serving with maple syrup. (Note: I generously drizzled the entire pan with regular syrup before cutting into serving-size pieces).

Blueberry Lemon Loaf

My dear sister Emily was visiting for the week when she discovered this gem in one of my baking magazines. She insisted that we make it. It did not disappoint! It's a keeper!

Makes 1 (10-inch) loaf

1-1/2 cups (188 grams) plus 1 tablespoon (8 grams) all-purpose flour, divided
1-1/2 cups (187 grams) cake flour
1-1/2 teaspoons (4.5 grams) kosher salt
1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking powder
1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking soda
3/4 cup (170 grams) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup (170 grams) maple syrup
3 large eggs (150 grams)
1/2 cup (110 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped and reserved (or 1 tablespoon vanilla extract)
1 tablespoon (3 grams) lemon zest (about 1 lemon)
1/2 cup (120 grams) Fage Total 5% Greek Yogurt (or sour cream)
1 cup (170 grams) fresh blueberries
2 tablespoons (24 grams) turbinado sugar
2 tablespoons (24 grams) sparkling sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 10-inch tube pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, cake flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter, maple syrup, eggs, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla bean seeds (or vanilla extract), and zest. Whisk in  yogurt (or sour cream). Add flour mixture to butter mixture, and whisk just until dry ingredients are moistened.

In a small bowl, toss together blueberries and remaining 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour. Fold blueberries into batter. Soon batter into prepared pan. Top with turbinado sugar and sparkling sugar.

Bake until a wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean, 50 to 55 minutes, covering with foil halfway through baking to prevent excess browning. Let cool in pan for 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.