Lemon Curd Pie

I created my own recipe for the crust on this pie using a formula I found in the Baking text book.  The recipe is as follows:

Crumb crust
1 cup Honey Nut Cheerios
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup toasted pecans
3 T butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place butter in pie dish and melt it in oven, make sure it does not burn.  Add Cheerios, brown sugar and toasted pecans in food processor and pulse until the mixture is a fine crumb.  Pour crumbs into the melted butter, mix completely and press into pie dish.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.  Cool.

Lemon Curd Filling
(recipe is prepared by weight except where noted)

4 fluid oz. of fresh lemon juice
6.5 oz. white sugar
2 tsp sugar
2 eggs
6 oz. unsalted butter at room temperature

• In a saucepan, bring to boil - lemon juice, 3 oz. of the sugar and the lemon zest.
• Mix eggs and remaining sugar in glass bowl.  Do not aerate.
• Temper egg mixture by adding 1/4 of boiling juice to egg mixture.  Then add remaining juice and return the whole mixture to the saucepan then return to stove.
• Whisking vigorously, bring mixture to boil.  Continue whisking and cook 1 minute.
• Remove from heat, leave in pan, chill over an ice bath until mixture cools to 120 degrees.
• Make 5 additions of the butter mixing thoroughly after each addition.
• Fill pie shell, cover and chill.
• Serve with whipped cream.

Chocolate Chunk Cookies

I have been trying to find a decent chocolate chip cookie recipe other than just the one on the bag of chocolate chips.  I found this recipe in the cookbook The Culinary Institute of America's Gourmet Meals in Minutes and on the website Culinary Institute of America.

I love the idea of making up a batch of dough and freezing it so that whenever the occasion arises I can offer my friends and family freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.  It makes a small batch of cookies which is good because I think they tasted best when still slightly warm right alongside an ice cold glass of milk.

Although I didn't add any nuts since most of family doesn't care for them in baked goods, I think that these cookies would be fantastic with the addition of chopped and toasted walnuts or pecans.


Chocolate Chunk Cookies - yield 16 cookies

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks

• Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars on medium speed with the paddle attachment, scraping down the bowl periodically, until the mixture is smooth and light in color, about five minutes.
• Combine the eggs and vanilla. Add to the butter-sugar mixture and blend until fully incorporated, scraping down the bowl as needed. On low speed, mix in the sifted dry ingredients and the chocolate chunks until just incorporated.
• Shape the dough into one sixteen-inch log on a piece of waxed or parchment paper, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate or freeze until firm enough to slice into sixteen pieces. (Dough can alternatively be scaled into two-tablespoon portions and baked immediately.)
• Arrange the cookies on the parchment-lined baking sheets in even rows.
• Bake at 375 degrees F until golden brown around the edges, about twelve to fourteen minutes. Cool completely on cookie sheets.

Friday Afternoons = Baking time with my Grandma and Cousins

We made easy and delicious Applesauce-spice Cupcakes frosted with Brown-Sugar Cream-Cheese Frosting.  The recipes we tried came from the cookbook Martha Stewart's Cupcakes: 175 Inspired Ideas for Everyone's Favorite Treat.

I loved that the ingredients were things that I usually keep around so if  someday I decide to bake cupcakes this would be a great recipe to go to.



Applesauce-Spice Cupcakes - Makes 18

2 Cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cloves
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup light-brown sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla (her recipe does not call for it, we added it)
1 can unsweetened applesauce
1 cup toasted and chopped pecans

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare muffin tins with liners.  
• Sift or whisk together dry ingredients
• Cream butter and sugars together with electric mixer on medium speed until mixture is pale and fluffy
• Add eggs one at a time, scraping down bowl as necessary
• Reduce speed to low adding applesauce then flour mixture until combined.
• Stir in pecans by hand
• Spoon mixture into cups, we were able to bake 20 although the recipe calls for 18.  
• Bake, rotating tins halfway through cooking to ensure even browning (we skipped this step) and toothpick comes out clean, takes appx. 20 minutes. 
• Cool completely on wire racks before frosting.
• Store frosted cupcakes in refrigerator and allow to warm to room temperature before serving

Brown-Sugar Cream-Cheese Frosting - 2 1/2 cups


1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
8 oz cream cheese room temperature
1 cup light-brown sugar

Place all ingredients in mixing bowl and mix on medium-high speed until mixture is smooth. Frost cupcakes.  Frosting can be store for 3 days in refrigerator, allow to warm to room temperature before serving.

Dinner Rolls - Recipe from How To Cook Everything

I purchased Mark Bittman's book "How To Cook Everything"
from a yard sale last summer and it quickly has become my favorite go to cookbook.

I made these rolls as written and didn't make any modifications to the recipe.  They only took a couple of hours to make but most of that was to allow the dough time to rise.  

The recipe was supposed to yield 20 rolls but the weights of my rolls varied
 somewhat so I ended up with 19 and some dough left over to nibble on. We devoured all but one, I consider this a successful afternoon.