Easy Mocha Ice Cream

From King Arthur Baking

• 1 cup (227g) milk, cold, whole preferred
• 3/4 cup (149g) granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons (11g) instant espresso powder
• 2 tablespoons (11g) unsweetened cocoa, Dutch-process or natural (we like Trader Joe’s)
• 2 cups (454g) heavy cream or whipping cream, cold
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 8 (113g) chocolate sandwich cookies, broken into small pieces (optional – I didn’t use them)

Whisk together the milk, sugar, espresso powder, and cocoa until the sugar is completely dissolved. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla.

Chill the mix in the fridge overnight. Then freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions.*

If using the cookies, stir the cookie bits into the soft ice cream and serve immediately. Or freeze for longer storage; see Tips, below. I liked the flavor better after it had been in the freezer for several days.

*If you don’t have an ice cream maker, pour the chilled mocha cream into a bowl, place the bowl in the freezer, uncovered, and stir the cream every hour. After about 4 hours or so, it’ll be soft-serve consistency. Continue to stir and freeze until it’s the consistency you like. While it won’t be as creamy as churned ice cream, it’ll be absolutely delicious. 

Tips

• For firm ice cream rather than soft-serve, transfer the churned ice cream to a covered container and place in the freezer for 2 to 3 hours, until ice cream is as hard as you like it. Note: Freezing longer than this will make the ice cream rock hard; plan on softening at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes or so before serving, if it’s been in the freezer longer than a few hours.
• To keep ice cream from freezing rock-hard in the freezer, stir a couple of tablespoons of vodka, coffee-flavored liqueur, or your favorite spirit into the churned ice cream before placing it in the freezer. The alcohol will keep it nicely scoopable indefinitely.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

slightly modified from Sally’s Baking Addiction

This is just a little too sweet – I will try cutting back on the sugar next time. 9/29/22

1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour (spooned & leveled)
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar – cut back to 1/3 cup?
3/4 cup (150g) packed light or dark brown sugar – cut back to 2/3 cup?
1 1/2 cups (340g) pumpkin puree (canned or fresh)
1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil, canola oil, or melted coconut oil
1/4 cup (60ml) orange juice
2/3 cup (120g) semi-sweet chocolate chips (Ghirardelli 60%)

1. Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position and preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) degrees. Lowering the oven rack prevents the top of your bread from browning too much too soon. Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and salt together until combined. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together until combined. Whisk in the pumpkin, oil, and orange juice. Pour these wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, add the chocolate chips, and gently mix together using a large rubber spatula. There will be a few lumps. Do not overmix.
3. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 60–65 minutes, making sure to loosely cover the bread with aluminum foil halfway through to prevent the top from getting too brown. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with only a few small moist crumbs. This may be before or after 60–65 minutes depending on your oven, so begin checking every 5 minutes around the 55-minute mark.
4. Allow the bread to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before removing and slicing. Cover and store leftovers at room temperature for up to 3–4 days, or in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Smitten Kitchen’s Breakfast Apricot Crisp

Here’s Smitten Kitchen’s original post, with handy photos. Breakfast Apricot Crisp

Deb writes:
Apricots, especially these early-season ones I picked up, are a bright and tiny bunch. The first time I made this it was so tart, I thought it was borderline caustic. The second time, I tripled the sugar in the fruit from one tablespoon to three and ended up with something that was… also crazy tart.

But then, like magic, I chilled it in the fridge where its acidity mellowed and it’s flavors came together and the next morning, with a scoop of plain yogurt, I was in breakfast nirvana.

As for putting this together, it couldn’t be easier. Trust me, there is nothing more fun than a crisp you have made with fruit you tore apart with your bare hands. Heck, you could even mix the topping with your fingers, if you’re feeling that rustic.

Fruit Base
1 pound apricots
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon flour
Grated fresh nutmeg, a pinch

Crisp Topping
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons, 2 ounces) butter, melted
6 tablespoons turbinado or regular sugar (turbinado, also sold as Sugar in the Raw, gives an excellent crunch)
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (or a mixture of whole wheat and all-purpose flour)
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons sliced almonds

Prepare fruit: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pull apart apricots at their seam, remove pits, and tear them one more time into quarters, placing them in a small baking dish (one that holds two to three cups is ideal). Stir in sugar, flour and pinch of nutmeg.

Make topping: Melt butter and stir in sugar, then oats, then flour, salt and almonds until large clumps form. Sprinkle mixture over the fruit. Bake for about 30 to 40 minutes and serve warm.

Although you could dust this with powdered sugar and serve it warm with vanilla ice cream for dessert, as I noted, it is on the tart side for an after-dinner treat. Truly, this excels cooled in the fridge overnight, and mixed with a scoop of plain yogurt for a weekday breakfast that will cure you of all weekday breakfast doldrums. It sure did for me.

Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Slightly adapted from King Arthur Baking

• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup (99g) canola oil
• 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder
• 1/3 cup (28g) unsweetened cocoa, Dutch-process or natural
• 1 cup white whole wheat flour
• 2/3 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 2 cups (242 to 300g) shredded, unpeeled zucchini, gently pressed
• 1 cup (170g) chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F; lightly grease an 8 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ loaf pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, oil, sugar, and vanilla until smooth.
3. Add the salt, baking soda, baking powder, espresso powder, cocoa, and flour, mixing until well combined.
4. Stir in the zucchini and chocolate chips.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
6. Bake the bread for 65 to 75 minutes, until the loaf tests done (a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center will come out clean, save for perhaps a light smear of chocolate from the melted chips).
7. Remove the bread from the oven, and let it cool for 10 to 15 minutes before turning it out of the pan onto a rack.
8. Cool completely before slicing; store well-wrapped, at room temperature.

Candied Orange Peel

Slightly modified from epicurious.com

4 large oranges, 1/4″ of top and bottom cut off
3 3/4 cups sugar, divided
3 cups water

Set a large pot of water on to boil.

For each orange, make a vertical cut, just through the peel and pith, at each compass point. Remove each quarter of orange skin, including the pith, in one piece. (Eat the peeled orange sections!) Cut each piece into 1/4″-wide strips. Put all the strips into the large pot of boiling water and cook for 15 minutes. Drain, rinse, and drain again.

In a medium-sized pot over medium heat, bring 3 cups sugar and 3 cups water to boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add peel and return to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until peel is very soft, about 45 minutes. (I will try 35 or 40 minutes next time for a little more chew.) Drain, saving the delicious orange simple syrup for other use: soaking a cake, sweetening tea, cocktails, etc..

On a large rimmed baking sheet, pour the remaining 3/4 cup sugar, spreading it out into an even layer in the center of the sheet. Put the cooked peels onto the sugar, and toss them to coat thoroughly. Lift them out of the sugar and place them on a parchment- or foil-lined tray. Let stand until coating is dry, 1-3 days.

Make ahead: wrap and freeze for up to 2 months.

Cinnamon Caramel Ice Cream

Based on a recipe at SimplyRecipes.com

Makes about 1 quart

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup plus 3 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2 cups heavy cream
5 egg yolks
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Place the cinnamon in a medium saucepan over low heat and warm gently until fragrant.  Add the milk, sugar, salt and 1 cup of cream, whisking to mix well.

Fill a large bowl with ice and set aside.

Whisk the egg yolks in a medium-sized bowl.  1/4 cup at at time, at 3/4 cup of the warm milk mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly to avoid scrambling.  Return the egg/milk mixture to the original milk saucepan and return to the stove, whisking well to combine.  Stir frequently over medium heat with a wooden spoon or heat-proof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir.

While the egg/milk mixture warms, wash the bowl used for beating the egg yolks, then set it over the ice bowl.  Place the remaining cup of cream into the chilling bowl and set a mesh trainer on top.

When the custard in the saucepan has thickened enough to coat a spoon and hold a line, pour it through the strainer into the cup of cream in the chilling bowl.  Stir until cool. Pour into a container, cover and chill in the refrigerator overnight.

The next day, stir in the vanilla and freeze according to your ice cream maker’s directions.

Tin Roof Sundae Deluxe
cinnamon caramel ice cream
chocolate sauce
chopped salted peanuts
crushed pretzels

 

Sweetened Whipped Cream

(Schlagobers)

Editor’s note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from Rick Rodgers’s book Kaffeehaus: The Best Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague. To read more about Austrian cooking, click here.

This recipe originally accompanied Sachertorte.

Throughout the rest of the German-speaking world, whipped cream is called Schlagsahne, but the Viennese call it Schlagobers, which translates into something like “very well whipped.” Whipped cream is a very important ingredient in the daily life of a Viennese; a dab goes on top of coffee or tea, or alongside the afternoon snack, or, unsweetened, as a garnish for soup.

First, use high-quality cream (pasteurized, rather than ultra-pasteurized) with a high butterfat content (36 to 40 percent), which whips up thick and fluffy and has better flavor. Your natural food stores might carry such a cream, or look for old-fashioned dairies.

Room-temperature cream won’t incorporate air, so use well-chilled cream straight from the refrigerator. Use a chilled metal bowl or place the bowl in a larger bowl of iced water.

For sweetening, confectioners’ sugar is preferred to granulated sugar because the small amount of cornstarch in the former discourages the weeping that occurs when whipped cream stands for longer than a few hours. A hint of vanilla is imperative.

Learn to distinguish between the stages of whipped cream; it doesn’t always have to be stiff. As a garnish for a dessert, the goal is softly beaten Schlagobers that barely mounds. When used for piping, cream should be whipped to the stiff stage. Of course there is an in-between stage, too, used for when the cream is the base for a torte filling. Take care not to overwhip the cream, at which point it has a coarse, grainy texture and is well on its way to becoming butter.

A balloon whisk will give you the most control over the whipping process, but most people prefer an electric mixer. A hand mixer is best, because the strong motor of a standing mixer makes it difficult to gauge the whipping progress and can quickly overwhip the cream.

 

1 cup heavy cream
2 Tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pour the cream into a well-chilled bowl and add the sugar and vanilla. Using an electric hand mixer or balloon whisk, beat the cream to the desired consistency. For soft peaks, the cream will be just thick enough to hold its shape in soft billows. For stiffly beaten cream, the beaters or whisk wires will leave distinct traces on the cream and stand in firm peaks when the beaters are lifted.

TO MAKE AHEAD:  The cream can be whipped up to 1 day ahead, covered tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerated. If liquid separates from the cream, whip it again to incorporate the liquid.

From Epicurious.com.  From the book Kaffeehaus: The Best Desserts from the Classic Cafe of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague by Rick Rodgers ©2002 Published in 2002 by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, a member of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc.

Swedish Neighbor Cream Cake

Slightly modified from a recipe in Scandinavian Gatherings: From Afternoon Fika to Midsummer Feast by Melissa Bahen

 

10-12 servings

Start at least 6 hours ahead.

1 1/4 cups Baker’s Sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 cup buttermilk

filling & topping
1 1/2 pounds fresh strawberries
1 Tablespoon Baker’s Sugar
1 pint whipping cream (NOT ultra-pasturized)
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray two 9″ round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment.

In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the sugar and butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.  Add the vanilla and 1 egg, and beat until smooth, then add the remaining eggs one at a time, beating between each addition.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.

With the mixer on low, add one-third of the flour mixture, then half the buttermilk, beating each addition just until combined.  Repeat until all the flour mixture and buttermilk have been added.  Then turn the mixer to high speed and beat 30 seconds more.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans.  Smooth out the thick batter with your rubber spatula.  Bake for 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean and the edges are beginning to brown.

While the cakes are baking, make the filling and topping.  Finely chop the berries (reserving several whole berries for garnishing the finished cake), then put them in a bowl and stir in the granulated sugar.  Refrigerate until you are ready to assemble the cake.  In a medium bowl, whip the cream until stiff peaks form.  Add the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla, beating until combined.

Remove the cakes from the oven.  Allow them to cool for 10 minutes in the pans.  Flip the cakes onto non-stick cooling racks (or spray regular racks with cooking spray) and allow them to cool completely.

To assemble the cake, place one cake layer on a serving plate flat side up.  Top with half of the berries and half of any juice that has accumulated in the bowl, then half of the whipped cream. Repeat with the remaining cake layer, berries, and whipped cream.  Cover the cake, and refrigerate for several hours before serving to allow the berry juice to soak into the cake layers.  Just before serving, garnish with halved strawberries.

 

 

Vanilla Ice Cream

Significantly modified recipe, but same instructions, from a recipe in “Sweet Cream & Sugar Cones: 90 recipes for making your own ice cream and frozen treats from Bi-Rite Creamery” by Kris Hoogerhyde, Anne Walker & Dabney Gough

Makes about 1 quart.  Keeps for about 1 week.

1 cup whipping cream
1 1/2 cups non-fat milk
1/2 cup Baker’s sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 vanilla bean or 1/2 teaspoon ground vanilla
4 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

INFUSE THE MILK/CREAM

In a heavy nonreactive saucepan, stir together the cream, milk, half of the sugar (1/4 cup) and the salt. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and use the knife to carefully scrape the seeds from the bean (or use the ground vanilla).  Add the seeds and the split bean to the pan.

Put the pan over medium-high heat.  When the mixture just begins to bubble around the edges, remove from the heat, cover the pan, and let steep for about 30 minutes.

MAKE THE BASE

In a medium heatproof bowl, place the yolks and half of the sugar (1/4 cup) and whisk together.  Set aside.

Uncover the cream mixture and put the pan over medium-high heat.  When the mixture approaches a bare simmer, reduce the heat to medium.

Carefully scoop out about 1/2 cup of the hot cream mixture, and whisking the eggs constantly, add the cream to the bowl with the egg yolks.  Repeat, adding another 1/2 cup of the hot cream to the bowl with the yolks.  Using a heatproof rubber spatula, stir the cream in the saucepan as you slowly pour the egg-and-cream mixture from the bowl into the pan.

Cook the mixture carefully over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it is thickened, coats the back of a spatula, and holds a clear path when you run your finger across the spatula, 1 to 2 minutes longer.

Strain the base through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean container.   Set the container into an ice-water bath , wash your spatula, and use it to stir the base occasionally until it is cool.  Remove from the ice-water bath, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate the base for at least 2 hours or overnight.

FREEZE THE ICE CREAM

Add the vanilla extract to the cold base and whisk to blend.

Freeze in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions.  While the ice cream is churning, put the container you’ll use to store the ice cream into the freezer.  Enjoy right away, or for a firmer ice cream, transfer to the chilled container and freeze for a least 4 hours.

 

 

MILK CONVERSION

Skim milk has no fat.
1% milk has 2.5 grams of fat per cup
2% milk had 5 grams of fat per cup
Whole Milk [3.2%] has 8 grams of fat per cup.
Half & Half has 28 grams of fat per cup or 1.75 grams per tablespoon
Whipping Cream has 88 grams of fat per cup or 5.5 grams per tablespoon

To make whole milk out of skim milk and Half & Half: Use 2 ounces of half and half and six ounces of skim milk to make one cup.

To make whole milk out of 1% milk and Half & Half: Use 3 Tablespoons of half and half and the balance 1% milk to make one cup.

To make whole milk out of skim milk and heavy cream: Use 1½ Tablespoons of heavy cream and the balance skim milk to make one cup.

To make whole milk out of 1% milk and Whipping Cream: Use 1 Tablespoon of heavy cream and the balance 1% milk to make one cup.”

 

Granola Biscotti

Very slightly modified from the recipe in smitten kitchen EVERY DAY

Makes 36 biscotti.

1 cup (130 grams) all purpose or whole wheat pastry flour
1.5 cups plus 2 tablespoons (130 grams) rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table or fine sea salt
6 Tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter, melted, or virgin coconut oil, warmed until liquified
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated or raw (turbinado) sugar
1/4 cup (50 grams) light- or dark-brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
1/2 cup (45 grams) thinly sliced almonds (I used slivered and it was fine)
1/2 cup (40 grams) shredded unsweetened coconut
1 cup (about 150 grams) dried fruit of your choice, such as raisins, cranberries, cherries or chopped dried apricots, or a mix
1 egg white (I skipped this and it was fine)

Mix the flour, rolled oats, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bow. Whisk the melted butter (or coconut oil) and sugars in a large bowl.  Whisk in the eggs and vanilla.  Stir in the dry ingredients, nuts, coconut, and dried fruit.  Expect a stiff batter.

Position a rack in the center of the oven, and heat to 325 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

OPn a floured board, using floured hands, roll half the dough into a log a little shy of the length of your baking sheet, 12 to 14 inches.  Transfer the dough log to the baking sheet, and pat lightly to flat it to about 1/2″ thickness.  Repeat with the second half of the dough.  Beat the egg white until foamy, and brush it over the logs.  Bake the logs for2 0 minutes, untl they are lightly golden brown and begnning to form crakcs.

Let cool almost completely (it’s okay if the centers are still lukewarm), about 1 hour.  With a serrated knife, ut the logs on the bias into 1/2″-thick slices.  They will be crumbly; cut as gently as possible.  Transfer the slices back to the parchment-lined baking sheet, and lay on their cut side in a single layer.  Bake for another 20 minutes, until toasted and crisp.

Cool on the baking sheet, or transfer to a rack.

NOTE:  This recipe should prove very tweakable; you could use cinnamon, or almond extract, add citrus zest, very the fruits and sweeteners.  You could add some chocolate chips.

DO AHEAD:  They keep in an airtight container at room temp for up to 2 weeks, and longer if well wrapped in the freezer.