Where Do I Begin????

Wow...I know...it's been forrrrrevvvverrrrrr!! Why the long absence you may ask, well, I have been busy....baking a baby!!

My husband and I welcomed a beautiful baby boy in June and we are over the moon in love.

You can't tell from the picture, but it is seriously crazy what changes happen to the body while pregnant. About 6 weeks in I broke out in full body hives that looked like huge red welts. It was nuts, but I couldn't complain too much since it only lasted a few days, thank goodness, and I had zero morning sickness.

Then, towards the end of my pregnancy I was retaining so much water the tops of my feet were like memory foam pillows. If you touched them with your finger it would leave an indent that would take a few seconds to disappear, but after all was said and done I would do it all over again to experience the miracle of life. Sorry...totally cheesy, but I swear...it's a magical experience.

So fast forward to 3months later and I am just getting back into the groove of things. I am almost finished with pastry school; my school was nice enough to give me an extension, and I am learning to deal with extreme sleep deprivation.

As a new mommy I am trying to find balance in my life. I am back to work so I am trying to figure out how to find time to bake while also spending time with the loves of my life.

This recipe is actually perfect for busy moms who want to bake something special, but 1.) don't have time to go to the store to get specialty ingredients; and, 2.) just don't have time in general.

It's an adaptation of the strawberries and cream bars I previously made from the awesome blog Cookies and Cups. I love it because it only takes a handful of ingredients that are really staple ingredients in a lot of homes, you can change things to suit your tastes or use what you have on hand and it doesn't take that long to make. 

Plus, it looks impressive and like it took all day, but I managed to whip it up while my baby was taking a little cat nap. 

Spiced Toasted Walnut Tart

Bake Time: 25-30min

Bake Temp: 350 degrees

1 box of Spice Cake Mix (use what you have!)

1/3 cup butter softened

2 eggs, divided

8oz package of cream cheese softened

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 to 1 teaspoon vanilla (or another flavor you like)

1/2 to 3/4 cup walnuts roughly chopped (any kind of nut will do) OPTIONAL (or some berries, or candy...use your imagination)

Essentials: 10 inch tart pan or 13 x 9 baking dish

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease your tart pan or baking dish (I used Pam spray) and set it aside. Blend the cake mix, butter, and one egg together in a bowl until combined. Take the mixture, which will look like cookie dough, reserve 1 cup for the topping and pour the rest into your prepared pan or dish. Press it into the bottom and up the sides a bit. Bake it off in your pre-heated oven for 10 minutes. 

While the crust is baking make the filling by blending the cream cheese, sugar, remaining egg and vanilla in a blender until combined and smooth and set aside.

Once the crust comes out of the oven pour your cream cheese mixture over the crust, sprinkle with the reserved crust crumble and walnuts.  Throw it back in the oven for about 25-30 minutes until it's golden brown and the center is set (my oven took about 27 minutes). 

Once cooled you can pop it in the fridge to chill until it's time to eat. It is a great make-ahead treat and a perfect dessert to take for a dinner party, holiday get together or potluck.  This recipe in particular would be greatly complimented by a cinnamon flavored whipped cream and some fresh berries to give a real depth of flavor and to keep it from being one note. 

Any uneaten portion should be tightly wrapped and stored in the fridge for a midnight snack!

It feels good to be back...I hope you try this recipe and let me know what you think or what changes you have made. 

Happy Baking,

Dani xoxo

Go Coo Coo for Choux!

You are probably wondering why the heck I waited so long to do a post on choux pastry considering it is my blog's namesake, but the truth is I wanted the post to coincide with my choux pastry assignment under Classic Pastry Elements, which I am very proud to say that I received 100% on!! Whoo Hoo!!

Choux Mise en Place

Like I have said before, choux paste is sooo simple to make. Just look at these ingredients: butter, water, flour, eggs and salt...THAT'S IT!! You can always add a little sugar too when you add the flour for a little more sweetness. 

Preparation of Choux Dough

All you have to do is slowly bring the butter and water to a boil. I like to melt the butter a bit first so that the water doesn't evaporate too much and mess up the liquid to flour ratio.

Once it comes to a boil you need to take it off the heat and add the sifted flour all at once. This is essential to keeping the paste from becoming lumpy.  After it has combined put it back on the heat and stir constantly until a white film develops on the bottom of the pot.  Then remove the dough from the heat and allow it to cool in a bowl on the counter.

Silky Pate a Choux

When the butter, water and flour mixture are cool to the touch add the eggs one at a time until fully incorporated.  If you add the eggs too soon you might end up with scrambled eggs in your batter so be careful! At first you will think you are doing something wrong because the dough separates and curdles a bit, but keep at it!!  Soon it all comes together into this silky and shiny paste. 

Piped & Ready for the Oven

After you have taken a moment to congratulate yourself on how amazing the paste looks (it's pretty great right?!?) fill a pastry bag with your paste (or large ziplock type bag with the corner snipped off) and pipe it onto a parchment lined cookie sheet (circles for cream puffs, rectangles for éclairs or even rings).

Golden Brown & Hallow Inside

Now time for the baking.  I know it will be hard, but restrain yourself from peaking in the oven for at least the first 15 minutes or so.  Opening the oven before the puffs set up can cause them to collapse. The goal is to create a crispy exterior with a tender yet hallow interior.  I like to bake for about 15 minutes then remove them from the oven, cut a small slit in the side (this will help the steam to escape) then return them to the oven for another 3-5 minutes or until they are golden brown, crispy and sound hallow when you lightly tap on them.

When you are ready to fill the puffs you can use the small slit you cut into them earlier to fill them without needing to cut them open any further, which will also help to keep that creamy center from dripping all over your lap! Choux Pastry tastes amazing filled with pastry cream and drizzled with chocolate sauce or used to sandwich your favorite ice cream flavor.

Chef Bruno Albouze cracks me up, but also gives a great tutorial on how to make choux pastry and fancy swans (sorry, youtube videos only show up on computers - follow this link if viewing from your phone http://youtu.be/w4fQc1wJZ3w):

I hope you try to make your own choux pastry and you too go coo coo for choux!!!  If you are not sure that you want to make a huge batch on your first try follow this great recipe by Christina of Desserts for Two, which only makes about 6 or 7 puffs.

Flashback Pic of My Very First Attempt at Cream Puffs
Recipe From Another Great Cookbook: The Illustrated Kitchen Bible

Happy Baking,
Dani xoxo

Easy-Peasy Cookies

Easy-Peasy Banana Spice Cookies

So I wanted to share this super easy recipe with you (emphasis on easy). By no means is this a fancy pastry school recipe, but it's something that you can throw together at a moments notice. They would be great for a hostess gift or on those days it's your kid's turn to bring a sweet treat to school. 

Recently my friends and I decided to enjoy an outdoor showing of Edward Scissorhands hosted by Street Food Cinema, which is this great pairing of food trucks and movies in the park...the perfect pairing considering the warm summer nights we have been experiencing.  What made this event even better was that we were able to bring our own snacks and drinks to enjoy during the movie so I whipped up a batch of these Easy-Peasy Cookies and off we went.

Feel free to experiment with flavors here...like with choux pastry the possibilities are endless so have fun!!

Easy-Peasy (Banana Spice) Cookies

Approx 25-30 Cookies*

Prep Time: 45min

Bake Time: 10-12 min

Bake Temp: 350 degrees

1 Box of Spice Cake Mix (use what you have!)

1/2 cup (1 stick) Butter softened

1/2 cup (2 medium) ripe Bananas smashed

1 teaspoon vanilla (or another flavor you like)

3/4 cup White Chocolate Chips (or chocolate or butterscotch...yum)

3/4 cup Pecans roughly chopped (any kind of nut will do) OPTIONAL

Essentials: Parchment paper for grease free baking and no sticking!!

Cream the butter, bananas and vanilla together until combined. Add cake mix and combine. Fold in white chocolate chips and pecans. Batter will be creamy here so don't worry!  Chill the dough in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

Make sure you preheat your oven to 350 at least 5-7 minutes before you take the cookies out of the fridge (depends on how fast your oven comes to temperature).

Bake on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper** for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and the cookie springs back at the slightest touch.  Transfer the cookies and parchment paper on a wired rack to cool...then devour!!

* I used a small 1 1/2 table spoon ice cream scooper to portion my cookies.

** Neat tip...if you only have a jelly roll pan, you know the cookie sheets with the raised lip all the way around...well, flip it over and use the upside down pan lined with parchment paper. This helps to have the cookies get an even amount of heat. 

I really hope you enjoy this recipe, I know my friends and I did!!

Happy Baking,

Dani xoxox