BAKING BASICS: HOW TO MAKE SUGARED CRANBERRIES

It’s been a while since I did a baking basic, but here’s a super easy one for your holiday desserts: sugared cranberries.

Sugared Cranberries

Simple in design, these sparkling cranberries are festive and will quickly dress up any recipe.

I’m keeping this short, like . . . “The end”.

Oh, and don’t forget to come back tomorrow to see one of a few recipes in which I will be using these beauts (Honestly, I’m so off—beauts? It’s staying, no editing).

SUGARED CRANBERRIES

YIELD: Makes 2 cups

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 cups fresh cranberries, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (for rolling)

Directions:

1. Place sugar and water in shallow pan and heat until simmering (not boiling) and stir until sugar is dissolved.
2. Place cranberries in pan and submerge. Make sure cranberries are well coated. Using a slotted spoon transfer coated to cranberries to a wire rack to dry for an hour.  Separate cranberries as much as possible to avoid clumps of simple syrup that will lead to clumps of sugar.
3. Place granulated sugar in a shallow pan or bowl and working in small batches, roll cranberries through sugar to coat. Transfer coated cranberries to a clean surface for furthering drying, about 1hour.

http://www.bakersroyale.com/sugared-cranberries/

CRANBERRY-CITRUS & COCONUT CAKE

In case you are tasked with dessert this holiday, here is an easy punched-up bundt cake that taste as good as it looks. It’s hard to go wrong when you have the bright flavors of cranberries and citrus set against coconut. You know me, I love pitting tart against sweetness. Take that pairing and mix into a cake crumb, pour into a bundt pan, bake and finish with a citrus drizzle and some sparkly cranberries. Done.

If for some reason you have any left over cake, pass the apron onto the person who came empty handed and put them to work for breakfast— this makes a killer French toast. The cake has a hardy crumb that holds up well.

If you are a regular reader than you know, I usually post at least two pictures per post—so my apologies for this pic-short post. I’m still struggling to find my lighting at this new place. As a result only this shot made it out of post editing.

I’m not happy with it, but this is a baking blog first so let’s focus on the cake—make it, you won’t be sorry.

CRANBERRY-CITRUS & COCONUT CAKE

YIELD: Makes one 10-12 cup Bundt cake

Ingredients:

CAKE

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup sweetened shredded coconut
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/3cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons orange zest
• ¾ cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup cream of coconut
• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/2  cup finely chopped  cranberries

GLAZE

• 2 cups confectioner sugar
• 3-4 tablespoons fresh orange juice

GARNISHING (OPTIONAL)

• Sugared Cranberries (recipe here)

Directions:

PREPARATION

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter and flour pan

TO MAKE CAKE

1. Place flour, coconut, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and whisk to blend; set aside. Transfer mixture to a food processor or blender and process until coconut is  coarsely crumbed.
2. Place cranberries in a food processor or blender and process  until coarsely crumbed. Transfer to a bowl; set aside.
3. Using an electric mixer or a food processor beat the sugar, eggs, and zest in a large bowl until pale and fluffy. Keep the mixer or food processor running and gradually add in oil and beat for about two minutes. With the  mixer or food processor still running, add in coconut cream then orange juice and continue to beat until combined. Turn off mixer or food processor.
4. Add flour mixture into wet ingredients and using a sturdy wooden spoon or spatula, fold and mix until combined. Add in cranberries and fold until combined.
5. Pour batter into prepared cake pan and bake until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 45-55 minutes. Transfer to a rack and cool completely before glazing.

To make the citrus glaze

1. Add powdered sugar and orange juice in a bowl and mix to combine. Pour finished glaze over cooled cake and set aside for 30 minutes for glaze to set. Optional: garnish with sugared cranberries.

http://www.bakersroyale.com/cranberry-citrus-coconut-cake/

PEPPERMINT CHOCOLATE SPOONS

Let’s get cozy with some hot chocolate and chocolate covered spoons that have a holiday sprinkle of crushed Hershey Peppermint Candy Kisses.

You guys know I’m crazy for peppermint. Every year around this time, Igo through this run of peppermint recipes so don’t be surprised that another one is coming this week.

And to be totally honest, the one coming later this week was actually suppose to go up today but bad luck prevents me. The images for that post are stuck on a memory card – forever. I’m not sure how I managed this, but one of the spines on the memory card broke and now I can’t get anything off it.

Since many of you don’t know me personally, let me tell you when I panic I curse. No filter, no volume control-nothing, it’s not attractive. Luckily it doesn’t last long, one sentence, four words and two expletives.  But with this broken card, I’m sure my neighbors heard me shout in horror. I’m sorta screwed. I lost five for-hire projects which pushes me back even further in terms of making my other deadlines.

Ah well, one day at time as MIL always tells me.

PEPPERMINT CHOCOLATE  SPOONS

YIELD: Makes 12 spoons

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup dark chocolate
• 1/4 cup white chocolate
• 1 teaspoon shortening
• 8 Hershey's peppermint candy

Directions:

TO MAKE PEPPERMINT SPOONS:

1. Preparation: Line bake sheet with wax paper.
2. Place Hershey's Peppermint Candy in a food processor and pulse until finely crushed; set aside.
3. Place dark chocolate a microwave safe bowl and heat in ten second bursts, removing every ten seconds to stir. Repeat as needed until chocolate is melted. Transfer to a plastic bag and cut a hole in the corner.
4. Place white chocolate and shortening in microwave safe bowl and heat in ten second bursts, removing every ten seconds to stir. Repeat as needed until chocolate is melted. Transfer to a plastic bag and cut a hole in the corner.
5. Place spoons on bake sheet with the handle resting on the side of pan to keep the spoons level. Pipe dark chocolate onto spoons (for an even top level off chocolate). Drizzle white chocolate on top and sprinkle with crushed Hershey's Peppermint Candy.

http://www.bakersroyale.com/peppermint-chocolate-spoons-and-hot-chocolate/

PEPPERMINT BROWNIE POPS

I’m not a huge fan of cake pops, but brownie pops—I’m a fan. And an even bigger fan of peppermint brownie pops that are holiday perfect in flavor.

I realize there are a ton of Christmas brownie pops and these are almost too simple in design to categorize them as such. But sometimes I like things simple and fuss-free, especially since I’m not too crafty when it comes to cute food.

And to clarify these brownie pops require no crumbing, no rolling and no binding with frosting—just bake, insert stick and dip. Which makes them perfect for me, because I don’t want my brownie crumb smashed and made gummy with frosting. I know I’m in the minority with that description, but I’m particular about texture.

So if you are anything like me, you will definitely enjoy this no-fuss brownie pop recipe and for those of you on the other side–by all means, smash, bind and roll away.

PEPPERMINT BROWNIE POPS

YIELD: Makes one 8 inch pan

Ingredients:

BROWNIE

• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar, sifted
• 8 ounces melted butter
• 11/4 cups Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa, sifted
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup flour, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

CHOCOLATE GLAZE

• 4oz dark chocolate
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 4 tablespoons powdered sugar, sifted
• 4-5 tablespoons water, warm

• 10 Hershey's Peppermint Kisses, finesly ground

Directions:

PREPARATION

Heat oven to 300 degrees. Grease and lightly flour pan.

TO MAKE BROWNIES

1. Fit mixer with a whisk attachment, place eggs in the bowl and beat on  medium speed until fluffy and light yellow. Add both sugars. Add remaining ingredients, and mix to combine.
2. Pour batter into greased and floured 8-inch square pan and bake for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan comes out clean. Remove pan from oven and cool on a wire rack.

TO MAKE CHOCOLATE GLAZE

1. Place chocolate and heavy cream in a bowl over simmering water. Let chocolate and cream sit for 2-3 minutes to melt without stirring. Then slowly stir mixture to combine.
2. Add powdered sugar and mix to combine.
3. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing after each addition until pouring consistency is reached.
4. Set aside and let sauce cool to warm.

ASSEMBLY

1. Place Hershey's Peppermint Kisses in a food processor bowl and pulse until finely grounded and crushed; transfer to a shallow bowl.
2. Cut brownie into 1 inch squares. Insert popsicle sticks through the center.
3. Dip brownie in chocolate and transfer to a wire rack for excess chocolate to drip away. Roll brownie pop in crushed Hershey Peppermint Kisses.

http://www.bakersroyale.com/peppermint-brownie-pops/

CHOCOLATE PANNA COTTA WITH A PORT WINE POMEGRANATE SAUCE

Oh, you are going to love this rich and creamy chocolate panna cotta. This is a classic Italian dessert that’s nothing more than simmered cream and sugar with a little gelatin to bind it. From there you can easily scale it up with add-ins for different flavors and variations. For the version here I used a port wine pomegranate sauce to cut through the cream and to give the ensemble a fruity and slightly tart profile.

Chocolate Panna Cotta w Port Wine Pomegranate

And since most of us are in the throes of holiday madness, I’m continuing with the theme “easy elegance” with this one.

The easy portion of this comes into play with technique and the recipe being nearly a one pot dessert. I say nearly because other than the pot, you’ll just need a bowl filled with water for the gelatin to soften. The elegance can easily be fitted by serving the chocolate panna cotta in stemmed glasses rather than using ramekins and un-molding it.

If you haven’t worked with gelatin before, there’s really nothing to it, especially if you are working with the granules rather than gelatin leaves. If you’ve ever made Jell-o, than you you’ve already worked with gelatin. It’s all about letting it soften (often times referred to as “bloom”) and temperature—too hot and you will break the gelatin, not hot enough and the gelatin won’t set. And very important—too much gelatin and you will end up with a rubbery texture.

See? Easy. So get busy!

CHOCOLATE PANNA COTTA WITH A PORT WINE POMEGRANATE SAUCE

YIELD: Makes a total of 20 oz. about 5 servings

Ingredients:

CHOCOLATE PANNA COTTA

• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 envelope plain gelatin (about 2 teaspoons)
• 1 3/4 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 cup  sugar
• 1 tablespoon Hershey Special Dark Cocoa Powder
• 3 oz. dark chocolate
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

PORT WINE POMEGRANATE SAUCE

• 1 cup port wine
• 1/2 cup Pom pomegranate juice
• 2 teaspoons honey
• optional: 1/4 - 1 teaspoon sugar as needed to adjust flavor to personal preference

Directions:

TO MAKE CHOCOLATE PANNA COTTA

1. Pour 1/2 cup of milk into a bowl. Evenly sprinkle gelatin on top; set aside for two minutes.
2. Place the cream, sugar and cocoa powder into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer ( look for small bubbles along the edge of the pan). Add in chocolate, vanilla and salt; stir to combine.  Pour the mixture through a fine mesh sieve. Pour the gelatin mixture into the chocolate mixture and stir until gelatin is completely dissolved (mixture should be free of grit when rubbed between two fingers).
3. Pour into stemmed glasses or ramekins. Chill for at least 2 hours or loosely cover and chill overnight.

TO MAKE PORT WINE POMEGRANATE SAUCE

1. Add port wine, pomegranate juice and honey into a pan and cook, stirring until the liquid is reduced by half about 3 to 5 minutes.  (*Taste and adjust the flavor with a 1/4 teaspoon of sugar until satisfied.)
2. Drizzle on top of set chocolate panna cotta at time of serving.

http://www.bakersroyale.com/chocolate-panna-cotta-with-a-port-wine-pomegranate-sauce/

PEPPERMINT ICE CREAM CAKE

I know peppermint recipes are everywhere right now, but I had to share this easy peppermint ice cream cake. It’s perfect on a cold day with a cup of hot chocolate.

Peppermint Ice Cream Cake

Of course I kept it simple by softening vanilla ice cream and folding in crushed Hershey’s Candy Cane Kisses for the peppermint flavor. And to keep things balanced I layered the peppermint with some chocolate ice cream and a crushed Oreo crust.

Aside from the ease of making this, I needed some holiday cheer and peppermint does it to me every time. This year for reasons I won’t share, the holiday seems to be flying by while I thumb through my iPhone looking for Christmas music to help me get in the spirit. Since that hardly worked, I decided easy dessert making would move it along.

I know it’s awful. I’m awful, but it’s the truth. I’m so busy, I can’t seem to see pass my computer screen.

Thankfully ice cream cake and watching Elf with my little guy did it. Yay, to holiday cheer!

PEPPERMINT ICE CREAM CAKE

YIELD: one 8-inch cake or pie

Ingredients:

• 24 Oreo cookies, crushed
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 12 Hershey’s Candy Cane Kisses, crushed (set as
• 2 cups chocolate ice cream, softened
• 11/2 cups vanilla ice cream, softened

Directions:

1. Place Oreos in a food processor or blender and pulse until cookies are finely crumbed. Alternately, place Oreos in a plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin. Combine crushed Oreos with melted butter and then firmly press crumbs into place to create a crust. Bake crust at 350 degrees F for 7-10 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.
2. Place Hershey’s Candy Cane Kisses in a food processor and pulse until crushed. Portion out 1 tablespoon and set aside for garnishing. Fold remaining crushed candy cane Kisses into the vanilla ice cream; set aside.
3. Spread softened chocolate ice cream on top of crust. Then layer and spread peppermint and vanilla ice cream mixture on top of chocolate layer.
4. Optional: Garnish cake with remaining 1 tablespoon of crushed candy cane Kisses. Pipe whip cream around perimeter of cake.

http://www.bakersroyale.com/chocolate-peppermint-ice-cream-cake-2/

S’MORES MACARONS

S’mores macarons – these little buggers are my latest obsession, or more accurately, macarons in general are my latest obsession. I’m particularly loving these because, call me a sucker, but I love cute food. Along with that, these s’mores macarons are pretty mighty in flavor. The macaron portion is made with crushed graham crackers, the filling is of course a toasted marshmallow and to finish things off true to form, I dipped the tops in chocolate.

S’mores Macaron

I’m not sure how many of you guys will be making this anytime soon, since you have probably been turning out one cookie tray after another and baking burnout may be quickly approaching.

Guess what?

It happens to me as well, but I have a baking blog so I keep trucking along, because truth is, I like my relationship with you guys. Hanging out over food-uh, yeah. Why else are we here, right?

So, bookmark this recipe when you’re back to baking-it’s totally worth it.

SMORES MACARONS

YIELD: 35 macarons

Ingredients:

MACARON COOKIE

• 135g egg whites
• 45g granulated sugar
• 30g graham cracker crust
• 215g powdered sugar
• 115g almond meal

MARSHMALLOW FROSTING

• 5 large egg whites
• 11/2 cup sugar

CHOCOLATE GLAZE

• 2/3 cups dark chocolate
• 1 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon heavy cream
• 4 tablespoons powdered sugar, sifted
• 4-5 tablespoons water, warm

Directions:

PREPARATION

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line bake sheet with parchment.

TO MAKE MACARON COOKIE

1. Trace out 1 inch circles on parchment and set this aside as a “master copy”. Reserve two extra sheets of parchment and set aside.
2. Place egg whites and sugar in a stand mixer bowl and fit mixer with a whisk attachment. Beat on medium low speed until egg whites start to form loose translucent bubbles. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat until meringue turns foamy and white and starts to resemble well lathered shampoo, about 2 minutes. Increase mixer to high and beat until meringue holds glossy stiff peaks, about another 2-3 minutes. Turn off mixer.
3. Place  graham crackers in a food processor and pulse until finely crumbed. Add in remaining dry ingredients and process for two minutes and then push it through a fine mesh sieve to sift.
4. Add dry ingredients to meringue. Using a sturdy spatula fold and smash dry mixture into meringue against the bowl for about 20-25 folds. Don’t worry about being gentle the idea is to knock the air out of it. The batter should hold its shape when spooned on itself and start to slowly flatten out after about 15-20 seconds. Start checking the batter after 20 folds for readiness.
5. Place master copy of drawn circles on a bake sheet and then place a sheet of parchment on top. Fill a pastry bag with batter and pipe until batter reaches edge of circle. Remove master copy from underneath piped layer and place on second bake sheet and pipe remaining batter (remove master copy and save for future use).Take hold of each pan and give it quick hard tap against the counter, turn the pan 90 degrees and give it another quick hard tap. This will deflate any bubbles and prevent cracked shells.
6. Bake for about 12-15 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Leave shells to cool completely in pan. Shells will cleanly peel away from parchment when ready.

TO MAKE MARSHMALLOW FROSTING

1. Combine egg whites and sugar in a stand mixer bowl and place it over—not on, (think bain marie style) simmering water. Heat mixture to 160 degrees F while whisking constantly.
2. Transfer mixer bowl to stand mixer, fitted with a whisk attachment and beat on medium high speed (speed 8 on a KitchenAid stand mixer) until mixture cools, doubles in volume and forms stiff peaks; about 10-12 minutes.

TO MAKE CHOCOLATE GLAZE

Place chocolate and heavy cream in a bowl over simmering water. Let chocolate and cream sit for 2-3 minutes to melt without stirring. Then slowly stir mixture to combine. Add powdered sugar and mix to combine. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing after each addition until dipping consistency is reached.

ASSEMBLY

1. Dip the top of one cookie and pipe filling on the middle of another cookie. Place chocolate dipped shell on top of another marshmallow filled cookie to create a sandwich effect.
2. Place fully assembled macaron on a fire proof surface and quickly torch edge of filling for a toasted marshmallow finish.\

http://www.bakersroyale.com/smores-macarons/