Author: Mari Vasseur

Strawberry Sugar Hearts

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
strawberry sugar hearts
To watch the Strawberry Sugar Hearts video, click here.

I’ve always been enamored by sugar cubes. You can’t help but feel fancy dropping a lump of sugar or two into your teacup. Flavored sugar formed into cute shapes is so fancy, I may faint. Someone please get the smelling salts! Pardon me while I google “what exactly are smelling salts?” In the mean time please enjoy these sweet, dainty, positively precious Strawberry Sugar Hearts. Pop them into tea, lattes, lemonade, cocktails or sparkling water.

These cuties are fragrant, delicious and easy to make. The most tedious part is filling the molds. Make sure to fill them completely and press firmly for the most defined shape. It’s also important to use enough water. Think of building a sand castle at the beach. You want enough water to dampen the sugar, but not turn it to slush. I live in a dry climate so I used 3 teaspoons, but you may need less depending on your climate.

Feel free to use the freeze dried fruit of your choice. Most grocery stores carry freeze dried fruit and you can always find it online. The most interesting one I saw was an apple-cherry combination. I might try that next!

 

Strawberry Sugar Hearts

Print Recipe
Servings 1 batch 1/2" sugar hearts

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup freeze-dried strawberries or raspberries
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • 2-3 teaspoons water

Instructions
 

  • Process thenfreeze-dried strawberries in a small food processor or a clean spice grinder until a powdered consistency is reached.
  • Pass the powdered strawberries through a sieve to strain out the seeds.
  • In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the powdered strawberries and sugar.
  • Add water, one teaspoon at a time, until the mixture is the consistency of wet sand. Your climate will effect how much water is needed.
  • Press the mixture firmly into silicone heart molds* or any shape silicone molds of your choice. Brush off any excess sugar.
  • Let dry, uncovered, at least 24 hours. Remove sugar hearts from molds and store in a covered container.

Notes

*To find the silicone heart molds I used, click here

Chocolate Peanut Butter Tarts

Posted on by Mari Vasseur

Does anyone else remember those old peanut butter cup commercials where two people on the street would collide and a chocolate bar would miraculously end up inside of a jar of peanut butter? Then the person carrying the open jar of peanut butter would say, “Hey you got chocolate in my peanut butter!” and they would suddenly discover it’s a delicious combination. The real question is, why was anyone walking around outside with an open jar of peanut butter? I miss those silly commercials.

If you love chocolate and peanut butter together, you’ll absolutely love these tarts. The creamy peanut butter filling and the silky chocolate ganache topping are perfect together. The chocolate cookie crust adds a nice crunch. I used heart shaped tart pans to make the tarts a little more special for Valentine’s Day. To find the tart pans I used, click here. You can also use round tart pans if you prefer.

 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Tarts

Mari Vasseur
Personal peanut butter tarts with chocolate cookie crusts and chocolate ganache topping
Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 4 tarts

Ingredients
  

Crust

  • 14 chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed including filling
  • 2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, melted

Filling

  • ½ cup (128g) creamy peanut butter, room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ cup (60g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 2 tablespoons (30ml) heavy cream, room temperature
  • ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 Pinch fine sea salt

Topping

  • 3 ounces (85g) bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
  • ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons (88ml) heavy cream
  • Chopped peanuts optional
  • Mini peanut butter cups optional

Instructions
 

Crust

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF. (180ºC). Place four 4-inch tart pans with removable bottoms* on a baking sheet.
  • In a medium-sized bowl, mix the crushed sandwich cookies with the melted butter until well combined. Press the crumb mixture into the tart pans.
  • Bake for 8 minutes. Let cool completely.

Filling

  • In a medium-sized bowl, beat the peanut butter and softened butter until smooth. Add the remaining filling ingredients and beat until smooth and well blended.
  • Fill the cooled tart shells with the filling. Refrigerate the tarts until set, at least 2 hours.

Topping

  • Place the chopped chocolate in a small bowl.
  • In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream over medium-low heat just until bubbles form around the edges. Do not boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Let sit two minutes then stir until smooth.
  • Spoon over the peanut butter filling. Add toppings if desired. Refrigerate until chocolate is set. Carefully remove tarts from pans.

Notes

To find the tart pans I used, click here.
Keyword chocolate peanut butter, tarts

Lavender White Chocolate Scones

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Lavender white chocolate scone
Click here to watch the video of Lavender White Chocolate Scones

These lovely Lavender White Chocolate Scones are soft and tender on the inside with crisp golden exteriors. The pretty, lilac coarse sugar gives them a subtle crunch. The sweet, melted white chocolate is the perfect contrast to the fragrant, earthy notes from the lavender.

Now, let’s talk a little bit about lavender. I used one teaspoon of lavender in these scones, which I think is the perfect amount to give a hint of lavender, without tasting too floral. You can adjust the amount to your preference. Just taste the cream before adding it to the scones. You can use any culinary lavender in this recipe. English lavender is usually used for culinary purposes. Spanish and French varieties tend to be too strong. People are enchanted by lavender because of its beauty and soothing scent. A little touch of lavender makes these scones magical.


 

Lavender White Chocolate Scones

by Mari Vasseur
Tender, soft heart-shaped scones with crisp, golden edges topped with coarse sugar
Print Recipe
Course Breakfast, Brunch
Servings 9 scones

Ingredients
  

  • ¾ cup (177ml) heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon culinary lavender *
  • 1 ¾ cups (223g) all purpose flour, sifted
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 7 tablespoons (99g) cold, unsalted butter, cubed
  • ¼ cup (57g) cold sour cream
  • 1 cup (170g) white chocolate chunks or chips (not chopped white chocolate)
  • Lavender or lilac coarse sparkling sugar**

Instructions
 

  • In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream and lavender over medium heat, just until bubbles form around the edges. Turn the heat to low and simmer gently for 1 minute. Strain the lavender cream into a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.
  • Heat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt until well blended. Work the butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips or with a pastry blender until pea size chunks form.
  • Whisk together 1/2 cup (118ml) of the chilled lavender cream with the sour cream. Stir this mixture into the flour mixture until a shaggy dough is formed. If your dough seems too dry, add 1-2 more teaspoons of heavy cream. Fold in the white chocolate chunks.
  • Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Fold the dough over onto itself a couple of times. Do not overwork the dough! Pat or roll the dough into an 8-inch round, about 3/4 inch thick. I used 2 3/4-inch heart biscuit cutter*** to cut out 9 scones.
  • Place the scones about 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheet. Brush the scones with the remaining cream. Sprinkle with sparkling sugar. Bake until golden, about 15-17 minutes.

Notes

*To find culinary lavender click here
** To find the sparkling sugar I used click here
***To find the heart shape biscuit cutter I used click here
Keyword lavender white chocolate, scones

Cheddar Ham Biscuits

Posted on by Mari Vasseur

Have you ever had one of those mornings where you wake up starving? It typically happens to me when I skip dinner the night before. So one morning that happened. My family and I were really hungry, there was a bit of leftover holiday ham in the fridge and these fluffy, satisfying biscuits were born. I think these biscuits need to be included in all lumberjack breakfasts from now on.

If you love ham and cheese anything, you’ll love these biscuits. You can also add fresh chives or swap out the ham for bacon if you like. I love baking them in a cast iron skillet because of the rustic, crispy sides and bottoms you get from the high heat conductivity of cast iron. To find the cast iron pan I used, click here. You can also bake them in a 9-inch cake pan or pie plate.

Cheddar Ham Biscuits

Print Recipe
Course Breakfast, Brunch
Servings 8 biscuits

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups (9 ounces) all purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ½ cup (4 ounces) cold, unsalted butter, cubed
  • ¾ cup (3 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese, preferably sharp cheddar
  • ½ cup (2 3/4 ounces) diced cooked ham (1/4-inch pieces) Pat dry with paper towel.
  • â…” cup cold buttermilk
  • 1 tablespoon melted butter

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 425ºF. Butter a 9-inch cast iron skillet*
  • In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.
  • Work butter into flour mixture with your fingertips, until flat dime size pieces are formed.
  • Gently stir in cheese and ham.
  • Stir in buttermilk a little at a time until a shaggy dough is formed.
  • Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
  • Fold dough over onto itself a few times. Form dough into a 7-inch diameter 3/4-inch thick round.
  • Using a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter, cut dough into seven biscuits. Press the scraps together and cut one more biscuit. If dough becomes warm at any point, chill in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes, then proceed with recipe.
  • Transfer biscuits to prepared pan. Brush with melted butter.
  • Bake until biscuits are puffy and tops are golden brown, about 22-25 minutes.
  • Serve immediately.

Notes

To find the skillet I used, click here.

The Nutcracker Land of Sweets Cupcakes

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Nutcracker Land of Sweets Cupcakes

The tradition of enjoying the Nutcracker Ballet at Christmastime has been in my family for over 20 years. The Nutcracker Land of Sweets is a magical theme that has me mesmerized. Gingerbread, candy canes, gumdrops and billowy clouds of pink frosting are what dreams are made of. And that’s exactly what these dreamy cupcakes are made of. The cupcake flavor is a subtle spice cake. The recipe is adapted from a Martha Stewart cake recipe I made last summer. The original cake was paired with blackberry jam, but I knew plum jam would be perfect for these cupcakes. I topped them with a mildly sweet, fluffy Swiss meringue buttercream.

Part of the fun of making these cupcakes began at the store as I collected the sweets to decorate the cupcakes. Another perk of the job is taste testing the candy. I discovered that purple spice drops are licorice flavored and red spice drops are cinnamon. Who knew?

You might also like my Nutcracker Land of Sweets inspired candy bark. It’s a delightful holiday bark I designed that is often imitated. To view it, click here.

The Nutcracker Land of Sweets Cupcakes

Spice cupcakes filled with plum jam, topped with fluffy pink frosting, gingerbread men and Christmas candy, and dusted with sugar snow
Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 12 cupcakes

Ingredients
  

Spice cupcakes

  • ¾ cups (3 1/4 ounces) all purpose flour, sifted
  • ¾ cups (3 ounces) cake flour, sifted
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • small pinch ground cloves
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ½ cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
  • ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons (6 1/8 ounces) fine granulated sugar or regular granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg white
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
  • â…” cup whole milk
  • ¾ cup plum jam I used red plum jam

Pink Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream

  • 4 large egg whites
  • 1 â…“ cups (9 3/8 ounces) fine granulated sugar or regular granulated sugar
  • 1 ½ cups (12 ounces) softened, unsalted butter, cubed
  • 1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract or pure vanilla etract
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 2 drops pink gel food color I used Americolor deep pink

Decorations

  • small gingerbread cookies
  • mini candy canes
  • assorted candies such as spice drops, gumdrops, peppermints,
  • sprinkles or sugar pearls
  • powdered sugar

Instructions
 

Spice Cupcakes

  • Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a 12 serving muffin pan with disposable baking cups. (I used silver foil liners.)
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, spices and salt. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
  • Add egg, egg white, and vanilla, one at a time, mixing until well combined.
  • Add flour mixture in two additions, alternating with milk. Mix until combined.
  • Divide batter evenly into wells of prepared muffin pan, filling about 2/3 full.
  • Bake until light golden and toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 16-18 minutes.
  • Let cool in muffin pan for 5 minutes. Gently transfer cupcakes to cooling rack to cool completely.
  • Core the center of each cupcake, removing a 3/4-inch deep circle. Fill with jam and replace the circle top.
  • Frost cupcakes with pink Swiss meringue buttercream. Decorate with cookies and candies. Lightly sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Pink Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercreamgue Buttercream

  • Combine egg whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl. Set over a pan of gently simmering water.
  • Whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved and temperature of 160ºF is reached.
  • Transfer mixture to the bowl of a stand mixture with a whisk attachment. Whisk on low speed, gradually increasing to medium-high speed. Whisk until glossy, stiff peaks form and mixture reaches room temperature.
  • Turn mixer to medium-low speed. Add butter, a few pieces at a time, allowing the butter to fully incorporate each time before adding more.
  • Switch to paddle attachment. On low speed, mix in vanilla, salt and food color. Continue mixing on low speed for a few minutes until smooth.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart Spice Cake
Keyword cupcakes

The Nutcracker Land of Sweets Bark

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
The Nutcracker Land of Sweets Bark
To watch the original Nutcracker Land of Sweets Bark video click here

The Nutcracker Land of Sweets Bark

White chocolate candy bark topped with mini gingerbread cookies, gumdrops and candy canes. Inspired by The Nutcracker Ballet.
Print Recipe
Course Dessert

Ingredients
  

  • white chocolate or candy melts, melted
  • pink candy melts, melted
  • gingerbread cookies
  • puffy poles marshmallows
  • gum drops
  • mini candy canes
  • mint candies
  • sprinkles of your choice

Instructions
 

  • Spread melted white chocolate onto a parchment lined quarter sheet pan. Drizzle on lines of pink chocolate and make swirls with a skewer. Top with remaining ingredients. Cut or break into pieces when set.

Raspberry Sauce

Posted on by Mari Vasseur

Homemade raspberry sauce is a delicious addition to desserts, drinks or pancakes & waffles. This recipe works with fresh or frozen raspberries.

Raspberry Sauce

Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 1 cup

Ingredients
  

  • 3 cups (12 oz or 340g) fresh or frozen raspberries
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1/4-1/3 cup (50-66g) sugar depending on the sweetness of your raspberries

Instructions
 

  • Purée the raspberries with the lemon juice in a blender or food processor. Pass the purée through a fine mesh sieve* to remove the seeds.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the water and cornstarch.**
  • In a small saucepan, heat the raspberry purée with the sugar and cornstarch slurry to a boil over medium heat. Turn the heat down to low and simmer until slightly thickened, about 2-3 minutes.

Notes

*To find a fine mesh sieve, click here.
**To find a mini whisk for whisking small amounts, click here.
Keyword raspberry, sauce

Maple Pecan Brownies

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
maple pecan brownies

Pecan pie was my mom’s favorite, but she didn’t bake pies, so I always used to bake her one for Thanksgiving. One year, I made a chocolate version. It was delicious, but let’s just say it wasn’t user friendly. It was gooey and hard to serve. Over the years, it eventually morphed into these Maple Pecan Brownies. The brownie version is still delicious, rich and gooey with toasty pecans, but much more user friendly.

Enjoying Maple Pecan Brownies with a glass of milk or a cup of coffee is a must. Thinking of it brings back memories. I can practically smell my dad brewing the coffee to go with these brownies.

Maple Pecan Brownies

Rich, gooey brownies topped with pecan pie filling
Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 16 brownies

Ingredients
  

Brownies

  • ¾ cup (6 ounces) unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar
  • ¾ cup (5 1/4 ounces) brown sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup (2 1/4 ounces) unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted preferably Dutch process cocoa
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ¼ cups (5 5/8 ounces) flour

Pecan Topping

  • ¼ cup pure maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) unsalted butter, melted
  • ½ cup (3 1/2 ounces) brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon maple extract
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups (7 ounces) pecan halves or pieces

Instructions
 

Brownies

  • Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, overlapping the sides an inch or two. Spray parchment paper with nonstick cooking spray.
  • In a large bowl, stir together melted butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until well combined.
  • Mix in eggs and vanilla, one at a time, until well combined.
  • Mix in cocoa powder, baking soda and salt until well combined.
  • Stir in flour just until combined.
  • Spread batter into prepared baking pan. Bake just until top is set, about 25 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, prepare pecan topping.
  • When brownie top is set, remove from oven. Gently pour pecan topping around the outer perimeter of brownies, to avoid making brownies sink in the middle. Evenly distribute the pecan topping over the top gently with a spoon.
  • Return the brownies to the oven and continue baking until the topping is set, about 20-25 minutes. Brownies will stop jiggling and topping will look deep golden brown. Toothpick inserted inside will have a few moist crumbs on it. (If your topping starts to brown too much on the edges before the inside is done, apply aluminum foil around the edges as you would with a pie.)
  • Remove from oven and cool completely before cutting, about 2- 2 1/2 hours.
  • Cut into squares, wiping knife between cuts.

Pecan Topping

  • In a medium bowl, stir together maple syrup, butter, brown sugar, egg, maple extract and salt until well combined.
  • Stir in pecans until well coated with maple syrup mixture.
  • Set aside until brownies are partially baked.
Keyword brownies, chocolate, maple pecan

Apple Spice Cookies with Brown Butter Icing

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Apple Spice Cookies with Brown Butter Icing

These Apple Spice Cookies were one of my most popular cookies last fall so I decided to bring them back a little early this year. The combination of cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla in this cookie dough will remind you of cinnamon rolls and apple pie and inspire you look forward to fall.

The apples in this recipe are cooked briefly on the stovetop to bring out the flavor and create the perfect texture. Dropping raw apple chunks into cookie dough or cake batter is usually not a good idea. If you’ve ever baked an apple pie, you know that apples release liquid as they cook and that liquid will end up in your baked cookies, creating soggy spots. So definitely don’t skip this step!

These gorgeous, golden brown cookies are perfectly delicious on their own, but extra credit goes to the Brown Butter Icing for taking them over the top!

apple spice cookies with brown butter icing

Make sure to head over to Instagram to watch the video of these Apple Spice Cookies being created: Click here

Apple Spice Cookies with Brown Butter Icing

Spice cookies with fresh apples and brown butter icing
Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 12 cookies

Ingredients
  

Cooked Apples

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 cup (4 oz or 113g) chopped apples (1/4-inch pieces) I used one large Granny Smith apple
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Apple Spice Cookie Dough

  • 1 ½ cups (6 3/4 oz or 191g) all purpose flour, sifted
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ½ cup (4 oz 113g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup (7 oz or 200g) packed brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • ½ teaspooon pure vanilla extract

Brown Butter Icing

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • ½ cup (2 oz or 57g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • pinch fine sea salt
  • 1-2 tablespoons whole milk

Instructions
 

Cooked Apples

  • Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add apples, sugar and cinnamon to the skillet.
  • Cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender, about 4-5 minutes.
  • Remove from heat and let cool completely. Drain any excess liquid from the cooled apples.

Apple Spice Cookies

  • Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy.
  • Beat in the egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract, one at a time, until well combined
  • Stir in the flour mixture, just until combined.
  • Fold the the cooled apples into the cookie dough.
  • Divide the dough into 12 equal golf ball size portions and place them 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
  • Bake until golden brown, about 11-13 minutes. Let cool 1 minute on the baking sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Brown Butter Icing

  • In a small saucepan, cook the butter over medium heat until golden brown and fragrant. When brown specks start to form in the bottom of the pan, remove from heat.
  • Immediately transfer the browned butter to a small bowl. Whisk in the the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, salt and 1 tablespoon milk. Add more milk as needed to reach desired consistency.
  • Drizzle the icing over the cooled cookies.

Notes

NOTE:  If your cookies spread too much when baking, refrigerate dough for 30 minutes, then bake as directed.
Keyword cookies, holiday, thanksgiving

Fairy Tale Meringues

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Fairy tale meringue cookies

Sometimes we need a little magic in our lives. These pretty, dainty meringue cookies sparked a bit of magic in my life that I want to share with you. It started when I washed some beautiful little violas. Watching them float in a bowl of clear water was positively therapeutic. After pressing and weighing them down with a heavy book overnight, the reveal of perfectly flat, delicate blossoms was so satisfying. The process of making meringue is also very satisfying for me. I love the moment when the frothy egg and sugar mixture magically turns to glossy, billowy sweetness.

Piping the meringue circles was fun! I traced circles on the bottom of the parchment paper to use as a guide for stress-free piping. I used white chocolate to fill the center of the meringue circles, but you can also use white chocolate chips or candy melts. You can use any small edible flowers or flower petals. Feel free to express your creativity! Try using sprinkles, edible glitter or tint the meringue mixture with a few drops of gel food color.

fairy tale meringue cookies

 

Fairy Tale Meringues

by Mari Vasseur
Meringue cookies filled with white chocolate and topped with pressed edible flowers
Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 24 cookies

Ingredients
  

Pressed edible flowers

  • 24-30 small edible flowers

Meringue cookies

  • 4 large egg whites
  • ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1 cup (200g) fine granulated sugar
  • â…› teaspoon pure almond extract
  • 1 cup (170g) chopped white chocolate or white chocolate chips

Instructions
 

Pressed edible flowers

  • Gently wash the edible flowers. Pat dry with paper towels.
  • Press between parchment paper. Weigh down with a heavy book for at least 24 hours.

Meringue cookies

  • Beat the egg whites, with an electric mixer at medium speed, until frothy. Add the cream of tartar and beat to soft peaks. Continue beating and gradually add thensugar and almond extract.
  • Turn mixer to up to high speed and beat to glossy, stiff peaks.
  • Preheat oven to 200ºF (95ºC. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • Transfer the whipped meringue to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. I used Ateco #864*
  • Pipe 2-inch circles about an inch apart onto prepared baking sheets.
  • Bake for one hour. Turn off the oven and let the meringues cool in oven.
  • In a microwave safe container, microwave white chocolate for 10 second intervals until melted or melt on the stovetop in a double boiler.
  • Transfer the melted white chocolate to a squeeze bottle or a piping bag. Fill the centers of the meringue circles with white chocolate. Top each one with a pressed flower. Let chocolate set at room temperature. Do not refrigerate.

Notes

*To find Ateco tip #864, click here.
Keyword cookies, meringues

Pumpkin Spice Muffins with Caramel Filling

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
pumpkin spices mini loaves with caramel filling

In early September, I saw someone announce the fall season on social media. In addition to people pointing out that it was too early for the announcement, the word police corrected the person with the word autumn. Since both terms are correct, we can call the season whatever we prefer. I think autumn is a pleasant sounding word, so I’ll use it for the rest of this post. Whatever you call it, these Pumpkin Spice Muffins are a perfect little celebration of the season. They have just the right amount of warm spices, making them so fragrant that your kitchen will smell like cozy autumn heaven.

pumpkin spices mini loaves with caramel filling

I originally made them in mini loaf pans, but I thought they would be cute as muffins too. They’re so cute and delicious that I often give them as holiday gifts. This year I decided to try them in ramekins and I loved the results! I used 6-ounce ramekins, but you can use 8-ounce ramekins, any size mini loaf pans, a muffin pan or even an 8 or 9-inch loaf pan. Keep in mind that baking times will differ. To find the ramekins I used, click here.

Pumpkin Spice Muffins with Caramel Filling

by Mari Vasseur
Tender pumpkin spice muffins with caramel filling and luscious cream cheese frosting
Print Recipe
Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert
Servings 7 muffins

Ingredients
  

Pumpkin Spice Mini Loaves

  • 1 ½ cups (191g) all purpose flour, sifted
  • 1 ¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • â…› teaspoon ground nutmeg preferably freshly ground
  • 1 pinch ground cloves
  • ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup (200g) brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup (225g) pure pumpkin purée
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • â…“ cup (100g) caramel sauce, purchased or homemade
  • ¼ cup (28g) roasted, salted shelled pumpkin seeds

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 3 ounces (85g) cream cheese, softened
  • 6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 pinch fine sea salt
  • 2 cups (240g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1-2 teaspoons heavy cream, room temperature

Instructions
 

Pumpkin Spice Mini Loaves

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Grease and flour seven 6-ounce ramekins or six 8-ounce ramekins or any mini loaf pans of your choice.
  • In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, nutmeg and cloves until well blended.
  • In a separate large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar together, with an electric mixer at medium speed, until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. Beat in the pumpkin purée and vanilla extract until well blended. Stir in the flour mixture just until combined.
  • Divide the batter evenly into the prepared ramekins. Bake for 15-25 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Do not overbake.
  • Cool completely if serving in ramekins or remove from pans after cooling for 10 minutes. Continue to cool on wire rack.
  • Make 3/4-inch wells in the center of each muffin. Fill with caramel sauce. (For loaves, poke multiple holes with a skewer. Fill with caramel sauce.) Top with cream cheese frosting and pumpkin seeds

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter together, with an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth and well blended. Do not over beat.
  • Add the vanilla extract and salt and beat until combined. On low speed, gradually beat in the powdered sugar incorporated. Add the heavy cream and continue beating at low speed smooth. Remove any bubbles by gently stirring with a spatula.
Keyword muffins, pumpkin, pumpkin spice

Peaches & Cream Scones with Caramel Icing

Posted on by Mari Vasseur

Peaches & Cream Scones with Caramel Icing

Tender scones with fresh peaches, topped with a quick caramel icing
Print Recipe
Course Breakfast, Brunch
Servings 8

Ingredients
  

Scones

  • 1 ¾ cups (7 7/8 oz or 223g) all purpose flour, sifted
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 7 tablespoons (3 1/2 oz or 100g) cold, unsalted butter, cubed
  • ½ cup (4 oz or (118 ml) cold sour cream
  • ¼ cup (2 oz or 59ml) cold heavy cream Plus more for tops
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (about 7 oz or 200g) chopped fresh peaches, patted dry Peaches should be ripe but still firm, not over ripe.
  • egg wash (optional) 1 egg whisked with 1 tablespoon of water

Icing

  • ¼ cup (2 oz or 57g) salted butter
  • ½ cup (3 1/2 oz or 100g) packed brown sugar
  • â…“ cup (2 5/8 oz or 78 ml) heavy cream

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
  • Work the butter into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or with your fingertips until pea size pieces form.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream, heavy cream and vanilla.
  • Mix the sour cream mixture into the flour mixture until a shaggy dough forms. Fold in the peaches.
  • Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Press the dough together and fold it over onto itself a couple of times.
  • Pat or roll dough into a 7-inch round. Cut dough into 8 wedges. Transfer to the prepared baking pan. Brush the scones lightly with egg wash or heavy cream.
  • Bake until golden brown, about 18-22 minutes. Transfer the scones to a cooling rack.

Caramel Icing

  • Melt the butter a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the brown sugar until smooth, about 2 minutes.
  • Whisk in the heavy cream and heat until bubbly. Remove from heat. Set aside to cool slightly. Drizzle or spoon the icing over the cooled scones.
Keyword peach, scones