Bunny FuFu Muffins

I have been eating so many sweets because I am trying to master baking cakes and tortes. My poor scale is getting abused. So the health food faerie godmother came around and said it was time for Bunny FuFu muffins. So we packed up and went to Whole Foods to pick up some bran.

We read almost every label on the Red Mill flour bags and picked out Teff flour and flaxseed meal. First of all they are both gluten free! Second, the flaxseed meal is heart healthy, contains Omega-3, and will give the muffins a nutty flavor. I picked Teff flour because it is a wonderful source of protein, iron and fiber. The health food faerie godmother is all for high fiber. Just remember to warn family and friends that these muffin are high in fiber, otherwise they might think you are poisoning them. Otherwise they might want to rename these muffins to Bunny PooPoos.


Two other helpful ingredients are wheat germ for vitamins and raw macha powder for energy.

So if you really want to make these muffins you will need:
½ cup Flour
1 cup Flaxseed meal
1 cup teff flour
2 tablespoons raw macha powder
¼ cup wheat germ
2 tablespoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
Ground ginger (to taste)
Allspice (to taste)
Ground cloves (to taste)
Nutmeg (to taste)

1 ½ cups Apple Sauce
1 cup honey
½ cup milk
2 eggs
¼ cup soften butter
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds

To make:

1.Sift together the first 12 ingredients.

2.In a large bowl combine apple sauce, honey, milk and eggs.

3.Add dry ingredients to wet batter and mix until blended.

4.Stir in pumpkin seed, if you have raisins you could add in a cup of them.

5.Pour batter into greased pans.

6.Bake at 350º for 30-45 minutes.

7.Let cool on a wire rack

Macaronnage, Macaronner and Pied!

Three things you will need to know when making macarons are macaronnage, macaronner and pied.

Pied is the little feet the pastries have. If your pastries don't have a pied they are not macarons.

Macaronnage is the way you mix the flour and the meringue to make macarons. With a spatula bring the batter from the bottom of your bowl up and turn it upside down. You will do this 15 times.

Macatonner is when you mix the batter until it is firm enough to slowly drip with lifted with the spatula. At this point your batter will be ready to pipe on to cookie sheets.

Basic Macarons

Best thing when making Macarons is to have all of your equipment and ingredients together before you start mixing your batter. Save your alcohol consumption till your done, cuz you will need it then!

Check list time!

Equipment:
Parchment Paper
Cookie Sheets
Pastry bags/ or if you are cheap like me, large zip-lock bags
A mixer, stand or hand held
Spatula
Flour Sift
Mixing Bowl

Ingredients:
2/3 cup ground almonds (I make mine from blanched almonds, but you can always buy almond meal)
1 ½ cup powdered sugar
3 egg whites at room temperature
5 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract



To make a basic Macaron you will need to follow these steps closely, because if the cookies you make don't have feet, they are not a Macaron.

1.Set up your cookie sheets by covering them with parchment paper. You will want to draw out 1-inch circles on the paper. If you plan to add macaroons to your baking repertoire you will want to draw out your circles on a separate piece of paper that you can place under the parchment paper. This way you can use it over and over again.
2.If you are grinding your own almonds you will want to use a food processor. A nut grinder is going to take too long and make more dishes. You will need the food processor to mix the ground almonds with the powdered sugar. After you have done that you will need to sift the almond and powdered sugar mixture. You can discard the large chunks that won't break down after you have shifted the mixture twice. You will want to set this mixture in the refrigerator while you are doing the next step.
3.Angry? Good…you get to beat some eggs! You can stop when the egg whites are foamy.
4.Now a tablespoons at a time add in your granulated sugar and continue to beat the whites until the white become a meringue. Your meringue will be stiff, firm and glossy (sorry that sounds dirty.)
5.If you are adding in a liquid flavor this would be the time to add it in.
6.Now add in half of the almond and powdered sugar mixture to the meringue. Also if you are using dry flavoring this is the time to add it in. Use your spatula to bring the meringue up from the bottom of the bowl. Once the is combined you will add in the rest of the almond and powdered sugar mixture. This is macaronnage. (see Macaronnage and Macaronner post for technique)
7.Place your batter into a pastry bag or a large zip lock bag. Following your drawn out circles, pipe out your batter. (If you suck at piping and your cookies have bumps you can always get your finger slightly wet and dab the bumps down... but I would suggest that you just learn how to pipe better. Dear readers I am sorry for my feistines of this post... all I can say is I just burnt a cookie sheet of macarons and I am taking it out in this post. For better piping instructions I would have to suggest checking out Martha Stewart. This is the only time I suggest referencing her for macaroons.)
8.You will want to gently (something I can't do right now) tap the cookie sheet against the counter top. I am under the assumption that this will help your macaroons get there pied.
9.Here is where you will learn patience. You will have to let your batter dry. You will want them to be still moist with a thin crust. They can be touched without coming off on your finger.
10.Bake your cookies in a 375ºF oven for 15 minutes.
11.Remove from oven when they are slightly crisp and let them cool on a wire rack.
12.Thank me if they have turned out correctly, if they didn't, go to your favorite book seller and pick up a copy of Hisako Ogita's I ♥ Macarons.

Pineapple Bunny Cakes

Autumn is fast approaching and I want to hang on to summer for a little bit longer. So in hopes of capturing a little sunshine, I have made pineapple bunny cakes. These yummy little cakes are in tribute to my beloved rabbit, Stewart Vincent BunBun. Stewie loved pineapple, so it was only fitting to make these cakes in a bunny mold. If you don't have bunny molds you can always make this recipe in a 13” by 9” by 2” baking pan. If you make the little bunny molds you will end up with 12 bunnies. Unlike rabbits that like to multiply, bunny cakes like to add. The beautiful thing about this recipe is all you have to do is count to two. Yes, two, you make this cake with two of everything.

So for you to make Pineapple Cake you will need;

2 cups sugar

2 cups of cake flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 eggs

2 (8 oz) cans crushed pineapple

In a mixing bowl combine everything and mix well.

If you want, at this time, you can stir in about a cup of chopped pecans.

Pour batter into ungreased molds or cake pan.

Bake at 350º for 20 minutes for small molds and 40 minuets for cake pan.

Top with a cream cheese frosting. (see past post)

Have this beach bunny with some Dr. Pepper and Rum

or lift your pinkie as you have tea with this charming couple.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 Cup Softened Butter
8 oz. Softened Cream Cheese
1 1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla

Combine all and beat until smooth.

ABC

Not so easy as 1-2-3.

Down in the south liquor is sold at a different store than the grocery store. It is called the ABC Store. I really didn't think about this before I moved to the South. In Wisconsin I had it made. I could do all of my baking shopping in one simple trip. I just had to do it between 8:00 AM and 8:30 PM. Now I have to make two trips. Also the only ABC store I know of is in a very small city and has a very small selection. Oh how I miss the mega-liquor stores. Everything from Absinthe to Zima. So dear readers, I have to apologize to you for the lack of liquor in my baking. I also have to apologize for my lack of baking in general; most of what I have been baking has been very experimental and not quit blog worthy. But never fear…I will conquer my shortcomings in regards to the 3 B’s…Booze, Baking and Blogging and I will be back in the Ovens again.

Do-Ri-Mi…1-2-3, baking you and me!

Irish Coffee Cookies

For my birthday this year I was given the coolest set of cookie cutters. I love them, they are so adorable. One major problem though, I have never been good at making sugar cookies. I have always stuck to low fuss cookies. So one night I decided to make my very first batch of sugar cookies. I think they sucked. There were so boring. So what makes things better in my book....? Whiskey. Those who know me know that whiskey is my liquor of choice. I was sneaking it in the dorm rooms back in the day and well I think I might have to blame it for half of my boyfriends. Plus Whiskey gave me the Irish courage to take on a new form of sugar cookie. Irish Coffee Cookies.

So to make the best Irish Coffee you need to start with an Americano. It is going to be so much smoother than just regular coffee.

For Irish Coffee you need:

1 1/2 oz Irish Whiskey
1 tsp brown sugar
6 oz hot coffee
Heavy Cream

Combine whiskey, sugar and coffee in a mug and stir to dissolve. Float cold cream gently on top. Do not mix.

In the summer I love iced Irish Coffee. Milwaukee's Irish Fest got me hooked on that.

So to make this into a cookie I took a basic sugar cookie recipe. If you have one you like it can be easily converted.

You will need:

For cookies

1/3 cup butter, softened

2/3 cup shortening

1 teaspoon baking powder

Dash of salt

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon Irish Whiskey

1 pack Italian VIA (or instant espresso)

For Royal Icing:

2 cups sifted powder sugar

4 teaspoons meringue powder

¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

¼ cup warm water

½ teaspoon Irish Cream

In a medium bowl beat butter and shortening with an electric mixer on medium speed. Add in your sugar, baking powder, and a dash of salt. Beat until combined. Add in your egg, vanilla, VIA and Whiskey. One cup at a time add in the flour. Cover and let chill. It takes about hour to chill and you know what that means... Happy Hour!

Preheat your oven to 375°.

On a floured surface roll out our dough so it is about ¼ inch thick. Get now it is time to get creative. You can use any type of cookie cutter you want. Hey if anyone comes across cookie cutters in the shape of martini, wine glass or beer mugs, please, let me know where you found them.

Place your cutouts on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes and let cool on sheet for 1 minute before transferring to a cooling rack.

Right before you are ready to ice your cookies make your royal icing.

Combine all of you icing ingredients and mix on a low speed for about 7 minutes.

Pipe icing on your cookies and you are set.

Please don't look too closely at my cookies... they look like a drunken person decorated them... ummm well... I did have a happy hour while the dough was chilling.

Since I am sweet enough, I only frost the cookies a little. I don't like overly sweet things but you may find you like them fully frosted.