Ingredient: sugar

Strawberry Sweetheart Brownies

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Strawberry Sweetheart Brownies

At the Brownie Mischief website, all types of brownies are welcome. We all know and love chocolate brownies. But there are other less common brownies in the universe, that deserve to shine too. Let me introduce you to Strawberry Sweetheart Brownies. These lovely pink creations aren’t strawberry cake or strawberry blondies. They contain white chocolate and they’re made with the same baking method as brownies. When you bake chocolate brownies, you want to be careful not to over bake them, to achieve the rich, fudgy texture. The same is true for these strawberry brownies. When you test for doneness, the toothpick should have a few moist crumbs attached to it. If the toothpick is clean, the brownies have baked too long and will likely be a little dry and cakey, although still edible. So make sure to test for doneness well before the end of the baking time!

The baking temperature for this recipe is 325ºF. I noticed that when baking in a heart shaped cake pan, things tend to bake unevenly because of the shape. So I used a lower temperature to help with even baking. If you don’t have an 8-inch heart shaped cake pan, you can also use an 8-inch round cake pan. To find the cake pan I used, click here.

Strawberry Sweetheart Brownies

To watch the Strawberry Sweetheart Brownies Instagram video, click here.

Strawberry Sweetheart Brownies

A heart shaped strawberry brownie made with fresh strawberries topped with strawberry icing.
Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 8

Ingredients
  

Strawberry Brownies

  • 7 tablespoons (3 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter, cubed
  • 6 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped
  • ¾ cup (5 1/4 ounces) sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • ½ cup (4 ounces) strawberry purée, divided
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon pure strawberry extract
  • 1 petite pea size drop pink gel food color (optional) I used Americolor Deep Pink**
  • 1 ½ cups (6 3/4 ounces) all purpose flour, sifted

Strawberry Icing

  • ¾ cup (3 ounces) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 tablespoons reserved strawberry purée
  • ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon pure strawberry extract
  • dash fine sea salt

Instructions
 

Strawberry Brownies

  • Preheat oven to 325ºF. Line the bottom of an 8-inch heart shaped cake pan*** with parchment paper. Spray the insides with nonstick spray.
  • In a large heat safe bowl, melt butter and white chocolate together on the stovetop over a pan of barely simmering water or in the microwave for 20 seconds at time, stirring at each interval. White chocolate overheats easily, so be vigilant.
  • Add the sugar and salt to the butter mixture and mix until well combined.
  • Add egg and egg yolks. Whisk until smooth.
  • Pass strawberry purée through a sieve to remove seeds. Set aside 2 tablespoons of strawberry purée for icing. Add remaining purée to batter. Mix until well combined.
  • Add extracts and food color. Mix until combined.
  • Stir in flour until combined, scraping bowl as needed.
  • Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake until toothpick inserted in center has a few moist crumbs on it, (not batter), about 25-30 minutes. Do not over bake. Let cool in pan. Remove from pan and top with strawberry icing.

Strawberry Icing

  • Whisk all icing ingredients together until smooth and well combined.

Notes

*To make strawberry purée:   Purée clean, hulled and quartered strawberries in a blender or food processor. **To find the food color I used, click here. **To find the heart cake pan I used, click here.
This recipe was updated on January 24th, 2023
Keyword brownies, strawberry

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
  • ⅛ 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

Raspberry Truffle Brownies

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Raspberry Truffle Brownies

Who else loves those heart shaped boxes of chocolates we see at Valentine’s Day? That adventurous first bite of chocolate, when you don’t know which flavor you’re getting, is so much fun! I adore the fruit ganache filled chocolate bon bons. If you love bon bons too, you’ll love these brownies. They’re rich, fudgy and topped with a silky raspberry ganache that makes you feel like you’re biting into a raspberry truffle. The ganache adds an elegant touch to these brownies, so dried rose buds, rose petals and crispy chocolate pearls were my toppings of choice.

This isn’t the first time I’ve created elegant brownies. I displayed beautifully decorated brownies at two previous cookie conventions and they were well received. Elevated brownies are unexpected, but they’re definitely appreciated!

Raspberry Truffle Brownies

by Mari Vasseur
Rich, fudgy brownies topped with silky raspberry ganache
Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 9

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup (128g) all purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch process
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter, cubed
  • 8 ounces (227g) bittersweet chocolate (70-72%), chopped
  • 1 ½ cups (300g) sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
  • ½ cup (118ml) strained raspberry purée
  • ¼ cup (59ml) heavy cream
  • 4 ounces (113g) white chocolate, finely chopped

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 325ºF (165ºC). Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a couple of inches of overhang.
  • In a medium-sized bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder and salt.
  • In a medium-sized heat safe bowl set over a pot of barely simmering water, melt the chocolate, making sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl. Stir occasionally, until smooth. Remove from heat.
  • In a large heat safe bowl, melt the butter in the microwave or set the bowl over a pot of barely simmering water. Whisk the sugar, eggs, egg yolk and vanilla into butter until smooth and the sugar is mostly dissolved. Stir in the melted chocolate until well blended. Stir in the flour mixture just until combined.
  • Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs on it, about 25-30 minutes. Do not over bake. Let cool completely.
  • Place the white chocolate in a medium-sized bowl.
  • In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, simmer the raspberry purée until reduced by half. Combine the heavy cream with the reduced purée in the saucepan. Heat until bubbles start to form around the edges. Do not boil.
  • Pour the hot cream mixture over the white chocolate, making sure its completely submerged, and let stand 5 minutes. Stir until smooth and well combined. Spread over the cooled brownies.

Notes

To find dried rosebuds, click here.
To find dried rose petals, click here.
 
Keyword brownies, raspberry truffle

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Sauce

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Flourless Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Sauce

This cake story has a happy ending. Once, many years ago, someone gave my grandparents’ neighbor a flourless chocolate cake. The neighbor had a slice and couldn’t finish it because it was too rich. She brought the cake over to my grandparents and they each had a slice and couldn’t finish them, because they were too rich. I had a slice and I couldn’t finish mine either and, well…you can guess why. So my grandparents, not wanting to be wasteful, put the cake in the freezer and forgot about it for a very long time. Whenever I opened the freezer and saw it, I wondered why none of us could eat more than a few bites of that rich cake. Although I don’t know for sure, it was probably because the ratio of chocolate to butter was off. But I do know that serving it with something acidic, like berries or raspberry sauce, would have helped immensely.

The happy ending to this story is that this flourless chocolate cake was created to be enjoyed to the last bite. It’s decadent, but not overly rich. It has a good balance, not too sweet or too bitter. The raspberry sauce and fresh raspberries compliment it perfectly. This luscious cake is also delicious with strawberries or any combination of berries you like. It’s also delicious served with salted caramel sauce. I wish my grandparents were still around to give my version of a flourless chocolate cake a try. I think they would have loved this cake and finished every last bite!

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Sauce

Print Recipe
Servings 8

Ingredients
  

Flourless Chocolate Cake

  • 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
  • 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
  • 6 ounces unsalted butter, cubed
  • 6 large eggs, chalazae* removed
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • boiling water
  • powdered sugar for sprinkling
  • fresh raspberries for top
  • raspberry sauce (Recipe below)

Raspberry Sauce

  • 3 cups (12 ounces) fresh raspberries
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1/4-1/3 cup (1 3/4-2 3/8 ounces) sugar
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch

Instructions
 

Flourless Chocolate Cake

  • Preheat oven to 325ºF. Line a 6-inch springform pan** with parchment paper. Spray the parchment paper with nonstick spray. Wrap the bottom two inches of the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Set pan in a baking pan.
  • Combine chocolate and butter in a large stainless steel bowl set over a pot of barely simmering water. Stir until melted and smooth. Remove bowl from heat.
  • In a large bowl, beat eggs with an electric mixer until doubled in size, about 5 minutes. Beat in vanilla extract and salt.
  • With a large spatula, gently fold beaten eggs into chocolate mixture in three additions until no streaks of egg remain. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Smooth top of batter with a small offset spatula.
  • Pour 1 1/2 inches of boiling water into baking pan. Bake until top is set and internal temperature*** reaches 140ºF, about 28-37 minutes.
  • Remove cake pan from water bath. Cool to room temperature then cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (or up to overnight, but cake is best served the day it's made).
  • Remove cake from pan when chilled and set. Top with powdered sugar and fresh raspberries.
  • To serve, remove cake from refrigerator at least 30 minutes before serving and serve at room temperature for best texture. Serve with raspberry sauce.

Raspberry Sauce

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

Notes

*Chalazae are the opaque chords of egg white. Removing them is optional, but they do show up as white spots in the cake after baking.
**To find the 6-inch springform pan I used, click here.
***To find an instant read thermometer, click here.
****To find a fine mesh sieve, click here.
*****To find a mini whisk for whisking small amounts, click here.
Keyword cake, chocolate

Grandma’s Apple Crumb Cake

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Grandma's Apple Crumb Cake

I remember 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

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
  • ⅓ 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 ⅔ 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
  • ⅓ 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 bowl, mix the flour, brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon and salt.
  • Work in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture looks like wet sand with no large pieces of butter remaining. Press together to make 1/2-inch 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 and place pan on a baking sheet.
  • In a medium 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 light and fluffy. Beat the eggs and vanilla into the butter mixture in three separate addition, making sure each addition is incorporated before adding the next.
  • In a small bowl, whisk the milk and sour cream together. 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 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

Sweet Cornbread Muffins

Posted on by Mari Vasseur

These soft, tender, fluffy, sweet cornbread muffins are my favorite version of cornbread ever! No hate to the crumbly, savory cornbread that some people prefer. I like that too! Coincidentally, the latter has fans who leave the most heated comments on my cornbread posts. Maybe their cornbread is making them cranky. This cornbread recipe is delightful and would cheer up anyone, especially when it’s served warm and slathered with butter and honey. Positively divine.

I used a square muffin pan because it makes the muffins look absolutely adorable. The pan is also known as a brownie pan. The pan details are in the recipe notes. Feel fee to use a standard round muffin pan instead.

Sweet Cornbread Muffins

Soft, tender, fluffy, sweet cornbread muffins
Print Recipe
Servings 12 square muffins

Ingredients
  

  • 2 ½ cups (11 1/4 oz or 319g) all purpose flour, sifted
  • 1 ⅓ cups (9 3/8 oz or 266g) sugar
  • ½ cup (2 1/2 oz 71g) cornmeal
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 ½ cups (12 oz or 355ml) sour cream
  • ½ cup (4 oz or 118ml) vegetable oil or neutral oil of your choice
  • ¼ cup (2 oz 57g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease and flour a 12-serving square muffin pan, also known as a brownie pan.* (You can also use a traditional round muffin pan. The baking time may be a little shorter.)
  • In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cornmeal, baking powder and salt.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, sour cream, oil and butter until smooth.
  • Add egg mixture into the flour mixture and mix just until combined. A few lumps are okay.
  • Transfer batter to prepared pan, filling wells halfway full. (Fill 2/3 full if using a round muffin pan.)
  • Bake until edges turn golden brown and a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 17-20 minutes. Do not over bake.
  • Let cool in pan for 5 minutes them transfer muffins to a cooling rack. Serve warm or room temperature.

Notes

*I used a Fat Daddio's square muffin pan. It's available at kitchen stores and online.  If you can't find that one, Chefmade also makes a good one. The cavities on that one are a little smaller, so the baking time may be shorter. To find it, click here.
If you're using a dark colored pan, reduce your oven temperature to 325ºF
Keyword cornbread, muffins

Blackberry Honey Butter

Posted on by Mari Vasseur

Blackberry Honey Butter

Print Recipe
Course Breakfast, Brunch

Ingredients
  

  • ⅓ cup (57g) ripe blackberries
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 3 tablespoons (63g) honey
  • 1 pinch fine sea salt to taste

Instructions
 

  • Place the blackberries in a small bowl. Sprinkle with sugar. Let the blackberries macerate at least 30 min. then smash them with a fork. Drain off any excess liquid.
  • In a medium-size bowl, beat the butter and honey together until smooth and well combined. Add salt to taste. Fold the blackberries into honey butter. Transfer the blackberry butter to a covered storage container or spread it on plastic wrap and form it into a log. Refrigerate until ready to use. Store in the refrigerator for up to one week or freeze for up to three months.
Keyword blackberry honey butter

Blackberry Cornbread

Posted on by Mari Vasseur

This sweet Blackberry Cornbread is super easy to make. It makes a delicious breakfast, brunch or side dish. It’s so good served with Blackberry Honey Butter. I love baking my cornbread in a cast iron skillet. It gives the cornbread a crisp, rustic crust. You can also use a cake pan if you prefer. (The baking time may vary.) Make sure not to over bake your cornbread since overtaking will dry it out. Use fresh, ripe blackberries when they’re in season. You can also use frozen blackberries or fresh or frozen blueberries. Skip the macerating step if you’re using blueberries or frozen berries.

Blackberry Cornbread

Sweet cornbread studded with ripe blackberries
Print Recipe
Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • ¼ cups (158g) AP flour, sifted (plus one tsp for the blackberriesAP flour, sifted (plus one tsp for the blackberries)
  • ⅔ cup (132g) sugar
  • ¼ cup (35g) cornmeal
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • ¾ cup (170g) sour cream
  • ¼ cup (57ml) vegetable oil or neutral oil of your choice
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter
  • 1 ¼ cups (6 oz or 170g) ripe blackberries, divided (Cut large berries in half)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease an 8” cast iron skillet* or an 8” round cake pan.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cornmeal, baking powder and salt.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, sour cream, oil and melted butter until smooth. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture. Mix just until combined. A few lumps are okay. In a small bowl, gently toss one 1 cup (136g) of the blackberries with 1 tsp of flour. Gently fold the berries into the batter.
  • Transfer the batter to the skillet. Top with the remaining blackberries. Bake until the top is golden brown and toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 35-43 min. Let cool in the pan 10 min. Serve with Blackberry Honey Butter** or honey if desired

Notes

*To find an 8-inch cast iron skillet, click here.  
**To find the Blackberry Honey Butter Recipe, click here.
 
Keyword blackberry, cornbread

Perfect Pumpkin Cake

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Pumpkin Cake

This Perfect Pumpkin cake brings back memories. The tender, moist texture reminds me of the pumpkin cake bars I used to make in junior high. I got the treasured bar recipe from an old children’s cookbook. I lent the cookbook to a neighbor and never saw the book or the recipe again. Through trial and error, I came up with this perfectly spiced, soft fluffy cake, which I think is even better! It’s so delicious it doesn’t need frosting, but the classic pairing with cream cheese frosting takes it over the top.

Perfect Pumpkin Cake

Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 8

Ingredients
  

Pumpkin Cake

  • 1 cup (128g) all purpose flour, sifted
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, preferably freshly ground
  • 1 cup (200g) sugar
  • ⅔ cup (150ml) avocado oil or neutral oil of your choice
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (227g) pure pumpkin purée Not pie filling

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 6 tablespoons (85g) cream cheese, softened
  • 6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, softened
  • ¾ teaspoon vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
  • 1 pinch fine sea salt
  • 2 cups (240g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1-3 teaspoons heavy cream, room temperature

Instructions
 

Pumpkin Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 325ºF (165ºC). Line the bottom of an 8-inch round cake pan* with parchment paper**. Grease and flour the insides.
  • In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg until well combined.
  • In a large bowl, beat the sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla and pumpkin purée with an electric mixer or by hand with a whisk, until smooth and well blended. Stir in the flour mixture, just until combined.
  • Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 38-43 minutes. Cool the cake in pan for 10 minutes. Remove the cake from pan and transfer to a cooling rack.

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter together with an electric mixer, until creamy. Beat in the vanilla extract and salt until well combined. On low speed, beat in the powdered sugar. Keeping the mixture at low speed, beat in the heavy cream a little at a time until your desired consistency is reached. Stir with a spatula to smooth out any bubbles.

Notes

*To find the cake pan I used, click here.
**To find the parchment rounds I used, click here.
Keyword cake, pumpkin

Harry Potter Inspired Pumpkin Pasties

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Pumpkin Pasties

Even though the weather is warm where I live at the moment, I’m dreaming about all the delicious fall treats I’ll be baking this year. Let’s look forward to cool, crisp weather, the smell of pumpkin or apples baking, and sipping a warm mug of something spicy while we wait for our bakes to come out of the oven.

Inevitably, every fall, the Harry Potter movies come on at my house and it’s nice to have some popcorn and sweet treats to enjoy while watching the movies. And these Harry Potter Inspired Pumpkin Pasties are perfect for that! If you’ve read the Harry Potter books, you may remember the Pumpkin Pasties being mentioned. There are many interpretations out there, but I imagined them to be crispy and flaky on the outside with a sweet pumpkin filling. I included a delicious flaky pie crust recipe here, but feel free to use store bought pie dough if you want to streamline the process. I sprinkled mine with raw turbinado sugar before baking which provides a sweet delicious crunch. You can also use maple sugar or sparkling sugar. To find the sugar I used, click here. And as a magical touch, I added some edible gold star glitter. To find the edible gold stars, click here.

Pumpkin Pasties

Harry Potter inspired sweet pumpkin filled hand pies
Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 12 hand pies

Ingredients
  

Pie Crust

  • 2 ⅔ cup (340g) all purpose flour, sifted
  • 2 tablespoons (25g) sugar
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ¼ cup (50g) vegetable shortening
  • ¾ cup (170g) cold, unsalted butter, cubed
  • ½ cup (118ml) ice water
  • 1 tablespoon (15ml) apple cider vinegar

Pumpkin Filling

  • ¾ cup (170g) canned pure pumpkin purée Not pie filling
  • ⅓ cup (66g) sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tablespoons (30ml) heavy cream
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg preferably freshly ground

Assembly

  • egg wash 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon (15ml) of water
  • coarse sugar

Instructions
 

Pie Crust

  • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt. Work the shortening into the flour mixture with your fingertips until evenly dispersed throughout.
  • Work the butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips, creating flat dime size pieces.
  • Mix the ice water and vinegar together. Sprinkle over the flour mixture a little at a time, stirring until dough comes together. You may not need all of the water depending on your climate.
  • Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Fold the dough over onto itself a few times. Do not overwork the dough! Form the dough into two disks. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least two hours or up to overnight.

Pumpkin Filling

  • In a medium-size bowl, mix together the pumpkin purée, sugar, egg, heavy cream, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg until well combined.

Assembly

  • Preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut the dough into twelve 5-inch* rounds, re-rolling the scraps as needed. Place the dough rounds a couple of inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets.
  • Place about 2 tablespoons of filling on each round, leaving a half-inch border. Apply egg wash to the edges of the rounds.
  • Fold the dough over and press the edges together. Crimp the edges with a fork. If any filling oozes out, wipe it up with a paper towel or it will burn.
  • Brush the pasties with egg wash. Cut a half-inch slit into the top of each pastie. Sprinkle with coarse sugar.
  • Bake until golden brown, about 18-20 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack.

Notes

*To find a 5-inch round cutter, click here.
Keyword pastry

Skillet Chicken Pot Pie with Herb Crust

Posted on by Mari Vasseur

Pot pies belong to everyone. They date back to ancient times and many cultures worldwide have various versions of savory pies. It’s a very popular comfort food dish here in the U.S. and many people already have a favorite recipe. The recipe I’m sharing here isn’t the only way to make a pot pie, but it’s one way to do it that happens to be delicious! I usually bake pot pies in a casserole dish, and you can certainly bake this one in a casserole dish if you want to. But I thought it would be nice to save a step and try baking one in a skillet. I love baking other things, such as cornbread, in a skillet so I had a feeling it would be good. I used an 8-inch cast iron skillet. Click here to find the skillet I used.

I had a ton of fresh herbs on hand, so they ended up in my pie crust on a whim. I was very pleased with the results. Feel free to switch up the herbs and use your favorites. Typically when you bake or roast something with fresh herbs, they tend to turn black and crispy. But don’t worry, they’ll be safely nestled inside the crust. And speaking of the crust, this one is tender and flaky due to my grandmother’s method of working the fat into the dough with your fingertips. You want to end up with flat dime size pieces throughout. A little vegetable shortening helps to add structure and flakiness and the butter makes it taste good. A touch of vinegar helps to inhibit gluten formation, so you’ll have a tender, flaky crust rather than a chewy one. And if you’re one of those people who tends to over work your dough, the vinegar can help with that. But please do yourself a favor and don’t over work your dough!!

Now I’m going to give you the best piece of cooking advice my grandmother ever gave me: Taste as you go! Taste everything as you are preparing it, not just when it’s done. So when you’re making your filling for this pot pie, add the herbs, salt, pepper and sage a little bit at a time until it tastes good to you.

Skillet Chicken Pot Pie with Herb Crust

Skillet chicken pot pie with fresh herbs baked into the crust
Print Recipe
Course Main Dish
Servings 3

Ingredients
  

Herb Crust

  • 1 ⅓ cups (6 ounces) all purpose flour, sifted
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
  • 6 tablespoons (3 ounces) cold, unsalted butter, cubed
  • 1 ½ tablespoons minced fresh Italian parsley
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
  • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
  • ¼ cup ice water
  • 2 teaspoons white vinegar

Filling

  • 3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter
  • ¼ cup (1 ounce) diced onions
  • ⅓ cup (1 1/2 ounces) chopped celery
  • ½ cup (2 1/4 ounces) sliced carrots
  • 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 1 ½ cups chicken broth
  • ⅓ cup heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh Italian parsley
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
  • 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt or to taste
  • ½ teaspoon pepper or to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon ground sage
  • 2 ¾ cups (11 ounces) shredded cooked chicken
  • ⅓ cup (2 ounces) frozen peas
  • egg wash 1 egg beaten with one tablespoon water

Instructions
 

Herb Crust

  • In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar and salt. Work shortening into the flour mixture with your fingertips until evenly dispersed throughout.
  • Work butter and herbs into the flour mixture with your fingertips, creating flat dime size pieces.
  • Mix ice water and vinegar together. Sprinkle over flour mixture a little at a time, stirring until dough comes together. You may not need all of the water depending on your climate.
  • Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead dough briefly by folding dough over onto itself a few times. Do not over work dough! Form dough into a disk. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour or up to overnight.

Filling

  • In an 8-inch cast iron skillet, heat butter over medium heat. Sauté onions, celery and carrots until onions are translucent, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with flour and cook one to two more minutes, stirring frequently.
  • Stir in chicken broth slowly. If your sauce seems lumpy, use a whisk and vigorously whisk until smooth. Simmer on low until thickened. Stir in heavy cream. Add herbs and seasonings to taste. Add a splash of chicken broth if your sauce seems too thick.
  • Mix in chicken and peas. Remove form heat. Set aside until skillet is cool enough to handle.

Assembly

  • Preheat oven to 400ºF.
  • On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out to a 10-inch round. Place dough over filling, tucking ends under and crimping with your fingers or with a fork. Brush pie with egg wash. Cut a 1-inch X in the center of pie to allow steam to escape.
  • Bake until golden brown, about 40 minutes. Cover edges of crust with strips of foil if they start to brown too fast.
Keyword chicken pot pie, pastry

Pineapple Scones with Cream Cheese Icing

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Pineapple Scones with Cream Cheese Icing

I had pineapple smoothies two days in a row. There’s something so vibrant and refreshing about pineapple. It feels sunny and tropical. Should scones ever feel sunny and tropical? I’m going to say yes, why not? Scones deserve a vacation too. They can take a break from tea parties and coffee shops and enjoy a little sunny picnic with iced tea or a beachfront breakfast or brunch with mimosas.

You’ll be pleasantly surprised when you experience your first bite of a scone with a burst of pineapple flavor. I immediately thought, “Why isn’t this a thing?” There are probably other pineapple scones out there in the universe, but they’re definitely not well known, like the very popular blueberry scone for example. I’m going to go so far as to say, pineapple scones are better than blueberry scones. And this is coming from a person who loves blueberries!

 

Pineapple Scones with Cream Cheese Icing

by Mari Vasseur
Print Recipe
Course Breakfast, Brunch
Servings 8 scones

Ingredients
  

Pineapple Scones

  • 1 ¾ cups (223g) all purpose flour, sifted
  • 2 tablespoons (25g) sugar
  • 1 tablespoon (14g) baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 7 tablespoons (99g) cold, unsalted butter, cubed
  • ½ cup (118ml) cold heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons (30ml) pineapple juice
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (170g) chopped pineapple, fresh or canned in juice Chop into 1/2-inch pieces. If using canned pineapple, drain well and reserve the juice
  • Egg wash 1 egg whisked together with 1 tablespoon water

Cream Cheese Icing

  • 2 tablespoons (28g) cream cheese, softened
  • 1 tablespoon (14g) unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ cup (57g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 2 tablespoons (30ml) pineapple juice

Instructions
 

Pineapple Scones

  • Preheat the oven to 375ºF. (190ºC). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt until well combined. Work the butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips or with a pastry blender until pea size pieces form.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, pineapple juice and vanilla. Stir the heavy cream mixture into the flour and butter mixture until a shaggy dough is formed. Gently stir in the pineapple.
  • Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Fold the dough over onto itself a few times. Do not overwork the dough. Pat or roll the dough into a 7-inch round. Cut the dough into 8 wedges.
  • Place the scones about 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheet. Brush the scones with egg wash. Bake until golden brown, about 18-22 minutes. Transfer the scones to a cooling rack.

Cream Cheese Icing

  • In a medium-sized bowl, stir the cream cheese with a spatula until smooth. Add the butter and beat until smooth and well combined. Whisk in the powdered sugar and pineapple juice until smooth. Drizzle the icing over the cooled scones.
Keyword pineapple, scones