Chocolate Raspberry Rugelach with Pecans

This recipe comes from the Smitten Kitchen cookbook, which is amazing.  Every recipe I have made from it has been delicious.  Raspberry. Chocolate. Pecans. You can’t go wrong!

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks of unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 brick of cream cheese, 250 grams
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup raspberry jam
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 3 tbs pecans, toasted and finely chopped
• 1/2 cup miniature bittersweet chocolate chips
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon water
• coarse sanding sugar (i also used maple sugar for half of them)

For the dough.

With an electric mixer or paddle attachment on your kitchen aid, beat the butter and cream cheese together until light and fluffy.  In a medium bowl, whisk the salt and flour and then pour the flour mixture into the cream cheese and butter mixture.  Beat on low, just until the flour disappears.   Put the dough on some plastic wrap and make flat.  Wrap the rest of the dough with plastic and chill for at least 2 hours, up to 3 days.

Line 2-3 baking sheets with parchment (I only used 2)

For the filling.

Heat the jam in a small saucepan until it simmers.  Your jam will have seeds, and I recommend removing them for this recipe.  Push the jam through a fine mesh strainer to remove them and then set the warm jam to the side.  Combine your cinnamon and sugar in a bowl.  In another small bowl, whisk the egg yolk and water together until smooth.

Things you’ll need next:

• rolling pin
• flour for the counter
• spatula or butter knife to spread the jam
• knife or pasty wheel to cut the dough
• spoon for the dry toppings
• large piece of waxed paper
• brush for the egg wash

Divide your dough into 2 or 3 (i did 2).  On a well floured counter, roll the first part out into a thin circle as best you can.  It doesn’t have to be perfect (approx 12 inches in diameter).  Spread 2 tablespoons of jam thinly over the dough and then sprinkle 3 tablespoons of the cinnamon-sugar , 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips and 1 tablespoon of the pecans all over.  Next use your piece of waxed paper and place over top while gently pressing the toppings into the dough.  Use your knife or pastry wheel to dive the dough into wedges (approx 16).  Roll each wedge tightly from the outside to the center and then place on a baking sheet.  Space them apart 1 inch.  Put your tray in the freezer for 15 minutes before baking.

Preheat your oven to 350°.  Repeat the process with your next set of dough while the current dough chills in the fridge.

Before baking, brush the top with the egg yolk mixture and sprinkle sanding sugar on top.  Bake for 20-25 minutes until puffed and golden brown.  Transfer to a cooling rack while still hot, that way the jam spills out or else it will harden.

 

 

 

Definitely making these again!!!

Home Sweet Home

I finally feel happy and comfortable in my home again.  With a little re-arranging, a few trips to Ikea and Crate & Barrel along with a new couch and bar cart, it feels like home again.  There’s nothing better than sitting in front of the fire and sipping on some wine.

Happy Halloween

I know it’s been quiet around here lately, but hopefully that will change soon.  I have been going through some major life changes, and am finally starting to feel…. normal again.  Just wanted to pop in and say hello and share a few photos of fall/Halloween goodness that’s been happening around here.

Homemade pumpkin pie – from crust to filling

Pumpkin Jam

Homemade Candy Corn

Halloween Cookies

Amy & Robot

Mike’s Amazing Pumpkin

Me – Halloween Costume Bjork Swan Dress (Costume design from ABM)

A Few DIY Crafts for the Home

Beaded Cocktail Stirrers

I saw this on Scout and new I had to make these immediately.  I love making anything with beads and cocktails.  Hopefully we can have some people over for some cocktails soon, our bar keeps growing.

 Book Holder – Anthropologie  Inspired

I saw this DIY on Pinterest and knew this was the project for me. Wholly Kao did an amazing tutorial for this book holder. I love cook books, you could call it an…. addiction really, so I decided to make one for a few favourite cook books to keep close to the kitchen.  I also love Anthropologie but it can sometime be pretty pricey.  I had almost all of the tools/supplies needed for this project so I gave it a go.  However I don’t seem to have much patience for taking proper measurements or cutting in a straight line, as you can see my book holder is not very even at the bottom.  I’m also not that thrilled with the stain I used, but it was what I had.  I will definitely try to make another one of these soon.

 

Constellation Coasters

 

 

Another great tutorial from Almost Makes Perfect – who doesn’t need coasters?  Anything to do with constellations I’m game.

The Perfect Snack for Camping – Granola Bites

We went camping a few weeks ago and I was thinking of something quick and easy I could make for us to snack on.  I saw this recipe on Molly’s blog (which I love by the way!)  These were perfect for snacking on in the car, in between meals, or while hiking.

Granola Bar Bites (slightly  adapted from Molly)

• 2 cups of rolled oats
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup almond butter
• 2 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 1/3 cup chopped up pecans

I doubled the recipe and added some pecans.  I also found I needed a bit more almond butter and honey to make everything stick a bit better.  You can use whatever you have in your pantry.  Walnuts, chocolate chips, anything really.

In a bowl stir together the rolled oats, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla.  Add the almond butter, honey, raisins and nuts if you like.  Roll into balls.  DONE.

A few photos from our camping trip.  We spent two nights at Wapiti, just outside Jasper, Alberta.

New Books

New books from Amazon, a bit of a variety.  Cooking/Decorating/Gardening/Crafting.  I love getting new books in the mail.

Tomato Scallion Shortcakes with Whipped Goat Cheese

This recipe is from the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook.  I absolutely love everything in this book.  Every recipe I have made has been delicious, and there are some I have made over and over.

Scallion Biscuits

• 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pieces
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced
• 1 – 2 tablespoons cut up chives (optional) I had them so I added them
• 1 cup whole milk

Tomato Salad

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 ½ tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• pinch of sugar
• fresh ground black pepper
• approximately 1 ¹⁄³ cups cherry tomatoes

Toppings

• 3 tablespoons whipping cream
• 115 grams goat cheese, softened (I used a fig flavour goat cheese, so good!)
• 2 green scallions, thinly sliced

To make the biscuits, preheat the oven to 425ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  In a bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.  Add the pieces of butter and with your fingertips, mix in the butter with the dry ingredients – until it resembles coarse meal.  Stir in the scallions and chives.  After add the whole milk and stir until evenly mixed.  Your biscuits should be 3/4 to 1 inch thick and about 3 inches wide.  Pat them out on the parchment and reshape if needed, with spacing of 2 inches apart.  Bake for approximately 15 minutes or until golden brown.  Rotate the pan halfway.

To make the tomato salad whisk the olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, sugar and fresh ground pepper in a bowl.  Slice the cherry tomatoes and add them to the mix.  Toss everything together.

To make the whipped goat cheese, use the whisk of an electric mixer and mix the whipping cream until peaks form.  Add the goat cheese, and beat together until its light and fluffy.  I found that the fluffiness for me went down significantly when I added the goat cheese.  Although it was not as fluffy, everything was still delicious.

Split the warm biscuits and assemble your shortcakes.  Add the tomato mixture on half the biscuit along with a generous topping of whipped goat cheese.  Sprinkle some scallions on top and enjoy!

 

Life Lately

 

1. KitchenAid Cookie Cuter

2. KitchenAid Cookies 

3. Robot.  He loves water

4.  Amazing truffles from  the Violate Chocolate Company’s Open House

5. Nutella Cinnamon Buns.  I think I may have found the perfect recipe (from this cookbook)

6.  Ready to get my little garden started

7.  The cake I made for my nephews birthday

8. Carson turns 1.  Love of my life

Coconut Cake – 4 Tiers

I really took a chance with this one, and I was almost certain it wasn’t going to work out.  But with a little patience, this cake turned out wonderful in the end .  I used cake flour and coconut milk instead of all purpose flour and milk, and I found the cake needed to bake a lot longer in the oven.  For a long time it looked finished, but the inside was still… watery.  It was almost like…. a waterbed.  If you would push on it, it might burst.  But I just kept my eye on it and eventually it cooked everywhere and was done.  Turned out super moist and delicious!  You could also make this as 2 tiers in a 9 inch pan, but I used 2 -six inch pans and then cut them in half to make 4 tiers.

This recipe was adapted from Ina Garten

Ingredients :

• 3 sticks of unsalted butter, at room temperature.  Plus more for greasing the pans
• 1 ¾ cups sugar
• 5 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups cake flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 4 ounces sweetened shredded coconut

For the Frosting :

• 1 pound cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 pound confectioners sugar, sifted
• 6 ounces sweetened shredded coconut

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 °F.  Grease 2 (6-inch) round cake pans and line with parchment paper.
2. In an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy.  Approx 3-5 min.  Then add the eggs, 1 at a time.  Mix well and scrap down the sides as needed.  Add the vanilla.  If the mixture looks curdled, don’t be concerned.
3. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients and the coconut milk, alternating in 3 parts and beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.  Add the shredded coconut.
4. Pour batter into 2 pans and smooth the top with a knife.  Bake in the center  of the oven for about an hour and a half or until the cake tester comes out clean.  Cool on baking rack for 30 minutes, and then turn the cakes on the baking rack to finish cooling.
5. In the meantime you can make the frosting!  In an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese, butter and vanilla extract on low speed.  Add the confectioners sugar and mix until smooth.
6. Once the cakes are cooled, you can slice them in half if you’re going 4 tiers.  Then you can assemble them by icing and then adding a layer. Once the cake is covered in icing, add the shredded coconut all over!

Happy Birthday Amy !

Bread with no Flour

I saw this recipe on the blog My New Roots and I was really intrigued by the ingredients.  I love nuts and I knew I could find everything I needed for this recipe at Bulk Barn.  To me though this felt more like a nut loaf rather than a bread, but I think it’s because I maybe should have left it in the oven a little bit longer.  We loved having this as our breakfast during the week.

Head over to Sarah’s blog for the full recipe and her tips.  This was delicious with jams and I even made pesto to go with it.  I will definitely make this again!