Ingredient: brown sugar

Cinnamon Crumble Scones

Posted on by Mari Vasseur

The weeks following the winter holidays always feel peaceful to me. The rush is over and it’s time to catch my breath and rest. When it’s chilly and raining outside, I love spending time at home curled up in my coziest fluffy pajama bottoms and fuzzy socks. Give me a blanket, 75 pillows, a warm cup of tea and these Cinnamon Crumble Scones for ultimate coziness!

The crumb topping on these scones will remind you of a cinnamon crumb cake, which makes them extra nostalgic and comforting. The technique of folding the dough over itself gives them a flaky layered texture. For the tenderest scones, make sure not to over work your dough.

To watch Instagram reel, click here. To watch extended TikTok video showing baking process, click here.

Cinnamon Crumble Scones

Print Recipe
Course Breakfast, Brunch
Servings 8 scones

Ingredients
  

Crumb Topping

  • ¼ cup (1 1/8 ounces) all purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • â…› teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • pinch fine sea salt
  • 1 ½ tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cubed

Cinnamon Filling

  • ¼ cup (1 3/4 ounces) brown sugar
  • 1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 teaspoons all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Scones

  • 1 ¾ cups (7 7/8 ounces) all purpose flour, sifted
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 7 tablespoons (3 1/2 ounces) cold, unsalted butter, cubed
  • ½ cup cold heavy cream plus extra for tops
  • ¼ cup cold sour cream
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Icing

  • ½ cup (2 ounces) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1 tablespoon melted butter
  • 1-2 tablespoons whole milk, room temperature
  • ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions
 

Crumb Topping

  • In a medium bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, sugar cinnamon and salt.
  • Work in butter with your fingertips until it looks like wet sand. Press together to make dime size chunks.
  • Set aside in refrigerator until ready to use.

Cinnamon Filling

  • In a small bowl, mix filling ingredients together until well combined.

Scones

  • Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
  • Work butter into flour mixture with your fingertips or with a pastry blender until pea sized pieces are formed.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together heavy cream, sour cream and vanilla extract.
  • Stir cream mixture into flour mixture a little at a time until dough comes together. If your dough is too dry add 1-2 more teaspoons of heavy cream.
  • Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Fold dough over onto itself a couple of times.
  • Pat dough into an approximately 9 x 5-inch oval. Spread cinnamon filling on half of the dough to within 1/2-inch from the edges. Fold dough in half bringing short ends together. Press edges to seal.
  • Shape dough into a 7-inch round, about 3/4-inch thickness. Cut into 8 wedges. (Or 6 wedges if you prefer larger scones.)
  • Pinch the pointed tip of the wedges and tuck under to seal. This helps to prevent the top layer from sliding off while baking. Place wedges about 2-inches apart onto prepared baking sheet.
  • Brush tops of scones with heavy cream. Top with crumb topping. Bake until light golden brown, about 18-22 minutes.
  • Transfer scones to a cooling rack to cool. Drizzle with icing.

Icing

  • In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, butter, 1 tablespoon of milk and vanilla. Add additional milk until desired consistency is reached.
Keyword cinnamon, scones

Grandma’s Apple Crumb Cake

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Grandma's Apple Crumb Cake by Brownie Mischief

I have lovely memories of my grandma making coffee cakes and sweet muffins for breakfast, along with eggs, sausages, hot coffee and a big pitcher of milk on the table. Why do most of our grandmothers cook and bake so well? Because they’ve had decades of trial and error to perfect their recipes, tweaking them here and there until they’re approved and loved by their families, neighbors and friends. This cake has had its share of trial and error. She has earned her place as a well-loved, delicious, beautiful queen of coffee cakes.

A classic coffee cake is usually a subtly sweet cake with cinnamon, crumb topping and maybe some icing. They’re called coffee cakes because they go so well with a cup of coffee, not necessarily because they contain coffee. This Apple Crumb Cake has the elements of a classic coffee cake, but so much better! The cake is fluffy and soft, the crumb topping is chunky and plentiful, and the apples are perfectly tender. And don’t get me started about the icing!

Grandma's Apple Crumb Cake

by Mari Vasseur
Tender vanilla cake with generous crumb topping and vanilla icing
Print Recipe
Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients
  

Apples

  • 1 tablespoon (14g) butter
  • 3 cups (340g) chopped apples (1/2-inch pieces) Use any combination of your favorite baking apples.
  • 2 tablespoons (25g) sugar
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Crumb Topping

  • 1 cup (128g) all purpose flour
  • â…“ cup (67g) brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons (38g) sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • Scant ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 6 tablespoons (85g) cold, unsalted butter, cubed

Cake

  • 1 â…” cups (213g) all purpose flour, sifted
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup (200g) sugar
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • ½ cup (118ml) whole milk, room temperature
  • â…“ cup (75g) sour cream, room temperature

Icing

  • 2 cups (234g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, melted
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
  • 1 pinch fine sea salt
  • 3-4 tablespoons (45-60ml) half & half cream, room temperature

Instructions
 

Apples

  • In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the apples, sugar and cinnamon.
  • Cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender, about 7-10 minutes. Transfer the apples to a bowl and let cool to room temperature.

Crumb Topping

  • In a medium-sized bowl, mix the flour, brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon and salt.
  • Work in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture looks sandy with no large pieces of butter remaining. Press the mixture together to make chunks.

Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 325ºF (165ºC). Line a 9-inch cake pan with a removable bottom*, or a 9-inch springform pan, with parchment paper. Wrap the bottom of the cake pan with aluminum foil.
  • In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt until well blended.
  • In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar, with an electric mixer on medium speed, until pale and fluffy. Beat the eggs and vanilla into the butter mixture in 3 separate additions, making sure each one is incorporated before adding the next.
  • In a small bowl, whisk the milk and sour cream together until smooth and well blended. On low speed, beat the flour mixture into batter in three additions, alternating with milk mixture. Mix just until combined.
  • Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan. Smooth the top with a spatula. Drain any excess liquid from the apples. Top the cake batter evenly with apples, then the topping mixture.
  • Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 50-60 minutes. Cool the cake in pan for 10 minutes. Remove the cake from pan and transfer it to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Icing

  • In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, melted butter, vanilla, salt and 2 tablespoons (30ml) of half & half. Add additional half & half until the desired consistency is reached. Drizzle over the cooled cake.

Notes

*To find the cake pan I used, click here.
Keyword apple, cake

Butterscotch Bread

Posted on by Mari Vasseur

What’s better than the smell of chocolate chip cookies baking or of fresh coffee brewing? The aroma of this warm, sweet buttery loaf of Butterscotch Bread is so heavenly that I’m convinced that angel grandmothers bake this on a regular basis in heaven. The rich scent is accompanied by a soft, tender bread topped with a silky butterscotch glaze.

It all starts with browning your butter first. It adds a nutty, deep butter flavor. When browning your butter, use a light colored saucepan so you can see the visual clues. You’ll see it start to foam and brown specks will collect on the bottom of the pan. It will smell nutty and fragrant. Keep a close eye on it. It can go from brown to burnt in a quick second. When your brown butter has cooled to room temperature, the rest of the recipe comes together quickly. You can also brown your butter a day ahead and keep it in the refrigerator. Bring it to room temperate before using.

This delightful bread goes well with coffee or tea and is just as delicious the next day. Store covered at room temperature.

 

Butterscotch Bread

by Mari Vasseur
Print Recipe
Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert
Servings 1 loaf

Ingredients
  

Butterscotch Bread

  • ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter
  • 1 ¾ cups (220g all purpose flour, sifted
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon fine seat salt
  • 1 cup (200g) brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup (177ml) buttermilk

Butterscotch Glaze

  • ¼ cup (57g) unsalted butter
  • ½ cup (100g) packed brown sugar
  • â…› teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ¼ cup (59ml) heavy whipping cream
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions
 

Butterscotch Bread

  • In a small saucepan, cook the butter over medium heat until brown and fragrant. When brown specks begin to form at the bottom of the pan, immediately transfer the butter to a small bowl. Let cool to room temperature.
  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line the bottom of an 8 x 4-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Grease and flour the insides.
  • In a medium-sized bowl, beat the brown butter, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla and buttermilk until smooth and creamy. Stir in the flour mixture in two additions. Mix just until combined.
  • Transfer the batter to prepared baking pan. Bake until the top is deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 38-43 minutes.
  • Let the bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, them turn it out onto a cooling rack to cool completely. Top the cooled cake with two coats of butterscotch glaze.

Butterscotch Glaze

  • Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar and salt. Continue stirring over medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil. Boil for two minutes.
  • Turn the heat down and slowly stir in the heavy cream. Keep stirring until mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
  • Transfer the butterscotch glaze to a small bowl and let cool until thickened.
Keyword butterscotch, cake, loaf

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

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

Marshmallow Mudslide Cookies

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
marshmallow mudslide cookies

Have you ever had mudslide cake? It’s a deliciously messy chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and marshmallows, also known as Mississippi mud cake. I saw one covered in a layer of marshmallow fluff and it made its way into my dreams. I woke up with the inspiration to make a cookie version of the gooey mudslide cake.

I saw a few mudslide cookie recipes out there that used standard size marshmallows and chocolate chips mixed into the cookie dough. If you’ve ever baked with marshmallows, you know that they nearly disappear during the baking process. Chocolate chips melt beautifully into little pools of chocolate, but then harden once cooled to room temperature. I happily volunteered to address these challenges! After some trial and error, I created a satisfying cookie with plenty of gooey marshmallow goodness and a rich fudge filling that stays soft at room temperature. Dreams do come true!

marshmallow mudslide cookies

 

Marshmallow Mudslide Cookies

by Mari Vasseur
Chocolate fudge-filled cookies topped with toasted marshmallows
Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 22 cookies

Ingredients
  

Fudge filling

  • 1 â…“ cup (227g) semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1 cup (310g) sweetened condensed milk
  • â…” cup (74g) chopped toasted pecans or walnuts optional

Cookies

  • 2 ¼ cups (287g) all purpose flour, sifted
  • ½ cup (45g) unsweetened Dutch Process cocoa powder, sifted preferably dark
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 cup (227g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup (50g) packed brown sugar
  • 22-24 S'mores marshmallows or jumbo marshmallows* I used Kraft Jet-Puffed S'moreMallows

Instructions
 

Fudge filling

  • Melt the chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk together in a double boiler or in the microwave in a medium-sized microwave safe bowl.** Stir gently until smooth.
  • Stir in the chopped nuts if using. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Cookies

  • Preheat the oven to 350º (180ºC). Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  • In a medium-sized bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well blended.
  • In a large bowl, beat the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar with an electric mixer at medium speed, until pale and fluffy. Mix in the eggs and the vanilla in 3 separate additions, making sure each addition is incorporated before adding the next. On low speed, mix in the flour mixture in 2 additions, just until combined.
  • Roll the fudge filling into 1-tablespoon-sized balls. Roll the cookie dough into 2-tablespoon-sized balls then flatten them into disks. Place a ball of fudge filling in the middle of each disk. Wrap the cookie dough around the ball of filling, sealing it completely.
  • Place the cookies about 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets. Bake until the tops of the cookies are set, about 9-11 minutes. Remove from oven.
  • Place a marshmallow on top of each cookie. Use a kitchen torch to toast the marshmallows or toast them in the broiler: Turn on the broiler. Transfer the cookies to an aluminum foil-lined cookie sheet. Broil the cookies until the marshmallows are toasted. This takes about 1 minute. WARNING: Use extreme caution and watch the cookies carefully when broiling. They can go from done to burnt in the blink of an eye!

Notes

*I used Kraft Jet-Puffed S'moreMallows, but if you're unable to find them, use jumbo marshmallows. Cut them in half with kitchen shears. Place them on the cookies cut side down.
**To melt the fudge filling in microwave, heat for 20 seconds. Stir, then microwave for 10 second bursts, stirring until melted and smooth.
Keyword chocolate, cookies

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Blood Orange Cream Cheese Icing and Candied Blood Orange Slices

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Gingerbread Cupcakes with Blood Orange Cream Cheese Icing and Candied Blood Oranges

Every winter, when blood oranges come back in season, I start keeping an eye out for them at grocery stores and farmers markets. This year was different. I’ve been at home, having my groceries delivered instead of perusing the local produce aisles. If you’ve been entrusting strangers to do your shopping like I have, then you know delivery produce selections are hit and miss. So I was elated when a bag of perfectly beautiful, ripe blood oranges landed on my doorstep. This simple joy made my day. There was no choice. I had to make something worthy of the gorgeous red beauties!

I didn’t get enough of gingerbread this holiday season, so I decided to make a gingerbread cupcake recipe that I created a few years ago when I was experimenting with blood oranges. I used blood orange zest in the cupcake batter and brushed the warm cupcakes with the blood orange syrup left over from making the candied oranges. If you don’t make the candied oranges, you can easily make a batch of the syrup* or skip this step altogether. They will still be delicious. I topped the cupcakes with cream cheese icing made with more orange zest and some blood orange juice mixed in. The juice makes the icing turns a soft shade of pink.

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Blood Orange Cream Cheese Icing and Candied Blood Oranges

Candied blood orange slices are so stunning, that I can’t bring myself to just lay them on top of a dessert. They remind me of stained glass windows. I like to place them on toothpicks so they can stand up in regal style! Many recipes out there will instruct you to boil the orange slices, then let them air dry. This is perfectly fine if you don’t mind floppy candied oranges. For this recipe, boiling the slices, then letting them dry in the oven on low heat will give them enough stiffness to stand up.

If you can’t find blood oranges where you live, here’s a link to get blood oranges shipped to you. This recipe will also work with other types of oranges. You won’t get the deep scarlet color and the flavor will have a bit more tartness, but it will still be beautiful and delicious!

 

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Blood Orange Cream Cheese Icing

by Mari Vasseur
Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 12 cupcakes

Ingredients
  

Gingerbread Cupcakes

  • 2 ¼ cups (287g) all purpose flour, sifted
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 ¾ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
  • â…› teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ cup (100g) packed brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons blood orange zest or orange zest
  • ¾ cup (245ml) molasses
  • 2 large eggs
  • ¾ cup (174ml) buttermilk

Blood Orange Cream Cheese Icing

  • ¾ cup (170g) cream cheese, softened
  • 6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 teaspoon blood orange zest or orange zest
  • 1 pinch fine sea salt
  • 3 ½ cups (450g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 3-4 tablespoons (45-59ml) blood orange juice or orange juice

Candied Blood Orange Slices

  • 2 medium blood oranges or oranges
  • ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
  • ¾ cup (177ml) water

Instructions
 

Gingerbread Cupcakes

  • Preheat the oven to 350º. Spray the wells a 12-serving muffin pan with non-stick spray.
  • In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, baking soda and salt until well blended.
  • In a large bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar and orange zest with an electric mixer at medium speed, until pale and fluffy.
  • Add the molasses and beat until combined. Beat in the eggs one at a time until incorporated. On low speed, mix in the flour mixture in two additions, alternating with the buttermilk. Beat just until combined.
  • Scoop the batter into prepared the muffin pan, filling the wells 2/3 full.
  • Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean, about 15-18 minutes. Allow the cupcakes to cool in pan for 7 minutes, then remove them from pan and place them upside down on a cooling rack.
  • Brush the warm cupcakes generously with orange simple syrup. Allow them to cool completely before frosting.

Blood Orange Cream Cheese Icing

  • In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, on low speed with an electric mixer, until smooth.
  • Add the butter, orange zest and salt and beat until smooth and well blended.
  • Add the powdered sugar. Beat on low speed until the powdered sugar is incorporated. Increase the speed to medium and beat until smooth.
  • Beat in the blood orange juice, one tablespoon (15ml) at a time until the desired consistency is reached.

Candied Blood Orange Slices

  • Slice the oranges into thin 1/4 inch slices.
  • Combine the sugar and water in a shallow saucepan and bring to a simmer. Add the orange slices to the saucepan. Simmer for 10 minutes.
  • Drain the oranges, reserving the syrup.
  • Preheat the oven to 175ºF (80ºC). Place on a large baking sheet lined with a baking mat in a single layer and bake until the orange slices begin to stiffen, about 2 hours.
  • Remove the orange slices from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet. If desired, insert toothpicks when the slices are cool enough to handle. The slices will continue to stiffen as they cool.

Notes

*To make orange simple syrup,  combine the juice of one orange with enough water to make 1/2 cup. Combine mixture with the zest of one orange and 1/2 cup sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Let cool and transfer to a glass container. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Keyword blood oranges, candied oranges, cupcakes, gingerbread

Pumpkin Cheesecake Crumble Brownies

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
pumpkin cheesecake crumble brownies

It’s Fall 2020. We need chocolate! We need pumpkin spice! And we need it drenched with caramel! These satisfying brownies check all of the boxes with multiple layers of comfort. A rich chocolate brownie is the base. The next layer is heavenly pumpkin cheesecake. The topping is a buttery crumble that rivals the best crumb cake. Finally, as if that isn’t enough, it’s drizzled with caramel sauce!

If it sounds complicated, don’t worry, it’s not. Each layer is super easy to make. You can use your favorite store bought caramel sauce to top it with. Vanilla ice cream and/or whipped cream are optional, but highly recommended toppings also. Just saying.

The layers go unexpectedly well together and make the perfect dessert for Halloween or Thanksgiving. I’m even going to add these beauties to my Christmas dessert table this year. Enjoy! You deserve it.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Crumble Brownies

by Mari Vasseur
Chocolate brownies with a pumpkin cheesecake layer and crumb topping, drizzled with caramel sauce.
Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 12

Ingredients
  

Crumb Topping

  • 1 cup (128g) all purpose flour
  • â…“ cup (66g) brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ½ cup (g) unsalted butter

Pumpkin Cheesecake Layer

  • ¾ cup (170g) cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup (235g) canned pumpkin
  • 2 large eggs
  • 6 tablespoons (75g) sugar
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Brownie Layer

  • ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, cubed
  • ¼ cup (58ml) vegetable oil or neutral oil of your choice
  • 1 â…› cup (225g) granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ½ cup (45g) unsweetened Dutch-Process cocoa powder, sifted
  • ¾ cup (95g) all purpose flour, sifted
  • ½ cup (150g) caramel sauce, purchased or homemade

Instructions
 

Crumb Topping

  • In a medium-sized bowl, mix the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt until well combined.
  • Work in the butter using a pastry blender or your fingertips until the mixture looks sandy. Press the mixture together to form chunks. Set aside in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Layer

  • Preheat oven to 325º (165ºC). Line a 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper.
  • In a medium-sized bowl, beat the cream cheese, with an electric mixer on low speed until smooth. Add the pumpkin, eggs, sugar, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg and mix until well blended.

Brownie Layer

  • Melt the butter in the microwave in a large microwaveable bowl. Whisk in the sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and salt until smooth and creamy. Whisk in the cocoa powder until well blended. Stir in the flour mixture just until combined. Do not over mix.
  • Spread the brownie batter into prepared baking pan. Smooth the top with a spatula. Spread the pumpkin cheesecake batter over the top of brownie batter, then smooth the top. Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the top of the pumpkin cheesecake layer.
  • Bake until a toothpick inserted into pumpkin cheesecake layer comes out clean, about 35-45 minutes. The internal temperature of the cheesecake should be 145º-150ºF (63º-65ºC).
  • Let cool completely. Cut into squares and serve with warm caramel sauce. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

Chocolate Snack Attack Cookies

Posted on by Mari Vasseur

Fully Loaded Chocolate Snack Attack Cookies by Brownie Mischief

I’ve seen some cookies loaded with add-ins out there, but these extreme cookies just won the title! They’ve got enough chunky, chocolatey, sweet and saltiness to satisfy the most ravenous cookie craving! But, before we even go one step further, I must mention a few disclaimers. I strongly urge you to make sure your fridge is stocked with milk. Please change into your comfiest pants before attempting this recipe. Canceling all plans for the rest of the day is recommended, as a nap may ensue immediately following consumption of these cookies. OK, now that we got that out of the way, let’s jump in with both feet!

Fully Loaded Chocolate Snack Attack Cookies by Brownie Mischief

First we need a moody photo that looks like it was taken in a rustic cabin to emphasize the seriousness of these chocolate cookies. It’s no coincidence that I’m sharing this recipe with you right before Father’s Day. Every Dad I know is an accomplished snacker. Dad will love these cookies for his personal snack stash! Package them up and deliver them to your Pop with a jug of milk or a thermos of coffee. You can probably skip the straw. We all know that Dad is going to chug his milk, but every respectable blog photo of milk must contain a pretty straw.

Fully Loaded Chocolate Snack Attack Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches by Brownie Mischief

These cookies make amazing ice cream sandwiches, too. Press a scoop of softened vanilla ice cream between two cookies and pop it in the freezer. If you want to make these cookies picture perfect, use a scoop to portion out your dough. This will make them uniform in size and they’ll bake more evenly. Click here to find the scoop I used. For even more visual appeal, don’t crush the pretzels before adding to the cookie dough. Some of them will break when you are mixing them into the dough and this is fine, because the large pieces help make these cookies chunky. This recipe makes eighteen large cookies. That’s one dozen for Dad plus six for you to snack on, because when these babies come out of the oven with their melted chocolate chunks and little pools of caramel, resisting will be impossible! Now it’s cookie time…you’ve got this!

Fully Loaded Chocolate Snack Attack Cookies

Large chunky, sweet and salty chocolate cookies loaded with chocolate chunks, pretzels, caramel, rice cereal and nuts.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Dessert
Servings 18 cookies

Ingredients
  

  • 2 â…› cups (270g) all purpose flour, sifted
  • ½ cup (45g) dark cocoa powder, sifted
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 cup (227g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup (50g) brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ cups (213g) semisweet chocolate chunks
  • 1 ½ cup (43g) mini pretzel twists
  • 1 cup (170g) caramel baking bits
  • 1 cup (43g) chocolate rice cereal (I used Cocoa Pebbles)
  • ¾ cup (92g) honey roasted peanuts (or roasted mixed nuts)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350º F (180ºC). Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt until well blended.
  • In a large bowl, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together, with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated. Add vanilla and beat until combined. On low speed, mix in the flour mixture just until combined. Stir in the chocolate chunks, pretzels, caramel bits, chocolate rice cereal and peanuts.
  • Scoop 1/4 cup portions of cookie dough and place them about 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake until set, about 13-15 minutes. Let the cookies cool on cookie sheets for 1 minute before transferring to a cooling rack.

Notes

To find 1/4 cup portion scoop, click here.
To find blue baker's twine, click here.