SoGood Cupcakes, Cookies and More

Moving Day

2010-11-11T17:26:00.000-05:00

Well, I've been spending more time with my other blog, which has more than just baking. In the meantime, I have totally neglected this blog. I just can't seem to keep up 2 blogs.

So, SoGood CCM is moving! From now on, I will post any baking or cooking items on my life blog. Follow me at http://www.lindseyharlow.blogspot.com/

Hope to see you there!

2010-08-13T10:29:00.002-04:00

Cinnamon-Sugar cupcake with a shot of coffee-kahlua buttercream - YUM!

My best friend's daughter's first birthday spread - chocolate cupcakes with chocolate fudge buttercream and white cupcakes with marshmallow buttercream, as well as a little smash cake for the birthday girl!

And lastly, I actually made an angel food cake from scratch. Doubt I'll ever do it again!

A Few More Forgotten Goods

2010-08-13T10:24:00.004-04:00

yellow cake stuffed with butter pecan mousse and topped with a chocolate covered pecan

I cannot remember what this is, but I think it's some kind of banana cake with caramel-nut topping? Shoot, wish I could remember because it looks so good!

Mini sour cherry pies. Simple, easy, delicious.

Back - With A Vengeance!

2010-08-13T10:17:00.004-04:00

I finally uploaded pictures from my camera, and I came across several items that I baked and can't even remember completely what they are! But I'm going to put them in this post, regardless, for your reading and viewing pleasure. And then I'm going to try and get back to being a more regular blogger, so I can remember what I've done! So for the first post, here are some mini cupcakes I baked for a graduation party. I think I made almost 400 of them! The flavors were chocolate with chocolate fudge buttercream, red velvet with cream cheese icing, carrot with cream cheese icing, and spice with buttercream (I think?).

Coming Soon!

2010-08-04T13:38:00.001-04:00

A lot of things have happened since I last blogged, the most important of which was the death of my mother in December. I have had a bit of a difficult time and in the process have neglected my favorite past time - baking. However, my hands are itching to get back to the kitchen, so I feel the need to let someone - anyone know that I will be back blogging about delicious baked goods again very, very soon. So keep looking!

She's Alive!!!

2009-10-02T10:48:00.002-04:00

Hello So Good lovers (if you're still out there). I'm just dropping a note to let you know that although I have been baking up a storm since the last post, I am unable to post anything at this time (and for the last couple of months), as I have a small camera glitch that I am trying to fix. I promise to get back to blogging ASAP!!! Hang in there!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes

2009-05-12T10:29:00.001-04:00

What can I say about these other than they were awesome! Yellow cupcakes stuffed with strawberry preserves and peanut butter icing. A crowd favorite.

Blackberry Upside-Down Cake

2009-03-30T13:58:00.001-04:00

A great way to use up leftover blackberries before they spoil! Yum!

French Yogurt Pound Cake with Lemon Icing

2009-03-30T13:57:00.002-04:00

From Tuesdays with Dorie. Fantastic, of course.

Jammin Number 1

2009-03-30T13:55:00.003-04:00

Believe it or not, I've never made jam before. I finally tried it and it's so easy! And delicious. This is raspberry rhubarb jam.

Before

and after!

11 layers of Happy Birthday to MEP!

2009-02-24T11:57:00.004-05:00

I've been dying to bake this cake for some time now, so I spent Sunday night baking, layering and frosting all 11 layers for my boss's birthday. I baked each layer individually - 12 total, but only 11 made it into the cake, one on the floor - in disposable pans so I wouldn't have to wash over and over (thanks for the great tip, Bakerella).

Then stacked them with chocolate ganache

and frosted the sides with a hot fudge butter cream.

I think this cake was gone in record time - less than 45 minutes!

That's A Sight For Sore Eyes!

2009-02-24T11:52:00.002-05:00

I have been incredibly and overwhelmingly busy the last month or so with work and home life, but I finally managed to squeeze in a little baking time for a charity breakfast at work. I made lemon scones - mini ones. They tasted great, but did not bake as pretty as I'd hoped. I think my dough was too wet (a touch too much buttermilk, perhaps?) and they sort of melted out flat in the oven. But everyone enjoyed them, so no worries! It was just nice to be baking again!

A Most Special Birthday

2009-01-20T11:02:00.001-05:00

Happy 61st birthday to my Mom, who is currently in the hospital being treated for lung cancer. Love you Mom.

Holy Sheet!

2009-01-20T11:00:00.002-05:00

I will admit, I know I've had Texas Sheet Cake before, but for some reason I do not remember it tasting so good!! It's an old favorite, I know, and now I totally see why. If you have a Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook (who doesn't?) then look this up - it's awesome!

Black and White Cookies

2009-01-12T16:09:00.005-05:00

I recently made Black and White cookies for the first time. In all honesty, I had never even eaten one before I made these! They were pretty good, although I'm not a big fan of the "white" side. But the super soft, cake like cookie with the thick chocolate ganache was killer!

Homemade Christmas Gifts - The Best Kind

2008-12-29T10:41:00.003-05:00

For my working group this year, I wanted to bake something special. So I made some adorable penguins and snowmen out of fondant...

put them on top of the MVP of cupcakes (white with marshmallow butter cream)...

put them in some cute Christmas buckets with chocolates...

and wrapped them up tight for delivery.

Only one casualty - a broken wing - was suffered on the delivery route.

SLK Bake-Off Champion!

2008-12-29T10:34:00.002-05:00

My office had a charity bake-off this year and I had two entries:

My Famous Sugar Cookies

And some Milk & Cookies Mini Cupcakes for Santa (because sometimes Santa has to run - no time for drinking milk).

My sugar cookies won best cookie, but my cupackes did not win.
I was told that if I had not been an hour late, I may have won for my cupcakes as well (apparently is was very close).

The Cookie Express - 2008

2008-12-29T10:22:00.005-05:00

Every year for Christmas, I bake cookies for our friends and families,package them up tight,

and Tom and I take a day to deliver the good cheer.

This year our schedules were very tight, but I managed to squeeze out 11 different kinds of cookies,

package them and deliver them mere days before Christmas.

Here is the roll call:

Sugar cookies (everyone's favorite and voted Best Cookie at the SLK Bake-Off!)

Iced Molasses

Toffee Cookie Bark

Snickery Squares

Cinnamon Swirls

Lemon Sandwiches

Chocolate Peppermint Cookie Bark

Chocolate Peanut Butter Krispy Squares

Pecan Tassies

Whopper Drop Cookies

Monster Cookies (no pictures - I forgot!)

Christmas Truffles

2008-12-29T10:19:00.001-05:00

I had two orders for these Christmas Oreo Truffles recently. There's not much to say about these except that they are delicious, easy, and a real crowd pleaser.

Sweet & Salty Cake for a Sweet & Salty Lady

2008-12-29T10:14:00.002-05:00

I made this unbelievably delicious cake for a friend's birthday (recipe from Baked). It's a dark chocolate cake filled with homemade salted caramel and chocolate ganache,

and frosted with chocolate ganache. It was out of this world! (But very labor intensive).

I Swear I Have Not Forsaken You!

2008-12-22T16:22:00.002-05:00

I promise an update is coming very soon! It's been a crazy month FILLED with baking, but little time for anything else (besides work, of course). But I will be adding several updates very soon, so please come back soon!
Lindsey

Happy Anniversary

2008-12-03T11:17:00.002-05:00

These are cupcakes a co-worker ordered for her parents anniversary party.

Ying and Yang:

Chocolate and Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate and Vanilla Swirl Buttercream

Champagne and Strawberries:

Pink Champagne Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream.

I've been told that everyone loved them! Yeah!

The Cutest Little Hi-Hats

2008-12-03T11:11:00.002-05:00

So I have made hi-hats before, but never the mini size. I really wanted to make them, so I thought I'd try to make the mini ones.

I made them for a co-worker's birthday, and wanted to have as many as I could get - the minis go over so much better.

They aren't as hard to make as you might think, just time consuming.

They are chocolate sour cream cupcakes with homemade (of course) marshmallow filling piped on top, then dipped in chocolate.

They are a little odd looking, but fantastic tasting!

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls Rule!

2008-12-03T11:06:00.004-05:00

There's nothing like homemade cinnamon rolls.

I will admit that these were not the best ones I've ever made, but they were good.

I filled them with cinnamon and apple filling.

The icing was the so-so part. Instead of my fave cream cheese icing, I just made a simple powdered sugar icing. It was fine, but not exciting!

Thank You Chrissie!!!

2008-12-03T11:05:00.003-05:00

Check out the coolest cookbook stand ever that I got for my birthday from one of my bestest friends!

50 is Dreamy When it's Chocolate Raspberry Flavored!

2008-11-19T15:49:00.002-05:00

A co-worker ordered these mini (of course) cupcakes from me for another co-worker's 50th birthday.

These are chocolate sour cream cakes with raspberry butter cream.

I also made little chocolate "50" to put on top of some. I hear they were a hit!

Happy Birf-day JB!

2008-11-19T15:46:00.002-05:00

These are just some pics of the mini cupcakes I made for a friend's birf-day. The usual fave - white with marshmallow buttercream

and chocolate with cream cheese icing.

Charity Auction Cupcakes

2008-11-19T15:39:00.003-05:00

I was asked to donate some baked goods for a charity auction - specifically cupcakes. The auction was for Northwest Ohio's Foodbank and the event they call "Scouting For Food." I made chocolate logos for the tops of the white cupcakes and used a little luster dust to make them sparkle.

The two flavors I made were the infamous MVC - Most Valuable Cupcake which is white with marshmallow butter cream

and chocolate cheesecake,

which are chocolate butter cakes with cream cheese icing. I hope whoever won them loved them!

All Things Pumpkin, All The Time

2008-11-18T15:54:00.005-05:00

I cannot go through the Fall without making a ton of pumpkin flavored things. I've already posted the pumpkin cookies and pumpkin muffins, as well as a pumpkin coffee-cake. And now, drum-roll for the newest pumpkin dish........Pumpkin Roll. Who doesn't love them? This was made for a special request by my best friend, Becca.

And for more pumpkin excitement, I also made a pumpkin-swirl cheesecake for a charity auction last week. The crust was made from gingersnap cookies and toasted pecans....

And the center was a delicious pumpkin swirl.

And I only had one tiny crack, and if you know anything about baking cheesecakes, that is the hardest part - keeping it from cracking!

Halloween Always Makes Me Think of Dog-Nuts

2008-11-18T15:48:00.003-05:00

As a kid, my older sisters and dad would always take me trick-or-treating. And when we returned to our house to sort through the bags of candy, my mother would be making dog-nuts in the kitchen. Dog-nuts = Donuts. So this Halloween, I decided to make some homemade donuts. Cinnamon-Sugar and Chocolate. They were great, but, like most donuts, not so great the next day. Good thing they were pretty much all gone the next day!

Sorry TWD

2008-11-05T10:29:00.001-05:00

Unfortunately, I was unable to complete the TWD this week at all because I am sick with a cold. WAAAHHH!!! I was looking forward to making the Rugelach, and probably will in the near future, and I'll be sure to post it when I do. But in the meantime, click the TWD link to the right and check out some other blogs of those who managed to make it this week.

WTF Was She Thinking?

2008-11-05T10:15:00.004-05:00

I recently got a new cupcake cookbook and, of course, was very excited to make something from it. Our neighbors were celebrating their 36th Wedding Anniversary so I decided to make some cupcakes for them. The hard part is, she is allergic to chocolate and nuts. (Why go on living?) So I chose a Caramel Banana recipe. Sounds lovely....

The first sign that I wasn't going to like these cupcakes was the cake recipe. The recipe was great up to the point where you add 1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest. I thought it sounded strange for a banana cupcake, but then again my fave banana cake recipe has coconut in it, so how bad could it be?

I hated it. Ok, hate is strong, but seriously, I did not like it. I did not like the lemon flavor in the cupcake at all.

Then the frosting. It was basically an Italian meringue buttercream with banana added. It started out lovely....

and ended in disaster. It totally broke down when I added the banana and looked disgusting. So I tossed it and made peanut butter buttercream instead, which was delicious. But the cupcakes remain, on my counter, uneaten, and below my gift-giving standards. I think I will stick to my fave recipes from now on...

I Love Olive Bread

2008-11-05T10:09:00.003-05:00

My husband, Tom, loves olive bread. And I can't say I don't. But what I don't love is making breads. I can't explain why, it's just not as exciting to me as all other baked goods. But I am trying to learn to love it, and I think I'm actually getting there....

I tried to make this olive bread once before and failed miserably. The recipe failed to mention that you should drain and DRY your olives, otherwise they are too wet for the dough.

So this time I drained them and laid them out on paper towels for hours to dry, and them pressed them with paper towels again after I chopped them and....

it worked!

The bread is really really good, and it made two big loafs (which is nice).

I think I should have baked it a little longer to get a crisp, crunchy crust, but the soft crust is definitely not bad at all.

These Cake Pops Are Making Me Crazy - Help Me Bakerella!

2008-11-05T10:02:00.004-05:00

So, if you haven't checked out Bakerella's blog (see Other SoGood Blogs to the right) then you simply must. She is awesome. The Queen of Cake Pops. She made the cutest Halloween cake pops, so I decided to make some for work. Of course, they were almost a disaster.

For some reason, several of them cracked when the chocolate dried. I can't figure out why, except that maybe the cake expanded as it thawed. But not that big of a deal.

What ticks me off even more is that this is the 2nd time I have purchased Wilton's crappy food color pens for $8. They DO NOT work! Bakerella apparently uses a different brand (Americolor) and I need to find those, because I could not use the Wilton ones to draw the faces on my jack-o-lanterns and ghosts. SO, I spent hours shaping little ghosts that ended up looking like white wedding bells instead (because they had no faces). Ugh.

But, they were still a hit - everyone loved them, and it will not stop me from making them again. Although it probably will stop me from making any which require drawing...

Jack Daniels - Cake Form

2008-11-05T09:56:00.002-05:00

I received a special request from a friend that went something like this:
Friend: "Do you make cupcakes with Jack Daniels in them?"
Me: "Sure, why not!"
Friend: "I'll take a dozen!"

The cupcakes were for Friend's boyfriend who is an avid catamaran sailor (is that right?). So I topped a few of them with chocolate catamarans. The cakes are basically a vanilla cake with Jack Daniels, pecans and chocolate chips in them, and a buttercream frosting made with Jack Daniels.

Admittedly, I hate Jack Daniels (but my husband loves it)so I didn't even taste these. The smelled like JD out of the oven and after, so I couldn't even bring myself to put a crumb in my mouth. My husband did try them, however, and he thought they were pretty good, but "I wouldn't make them again," he snorted. The taste of JD was apparently pretty strong. Duh.

Mini Halloween Dreams

2008-10-28T13:35:00.002-04:00

Again, the most requested cupcake - white with marshmallow buttercream - made for our annual Halloween Bash.

Chocolate Chocolate Cupcakes - OMG (TWD)

2008-10-28T13:30:00.003-04:00

I did it! I finally made it on time for a Tuesdays with Dorie post! Here they are - Chocolate Chocolate Cupcakes. These are my idea of the perfect chocolate cupcake. Moist and not too sweet. Of course, I filled mine with Nutella, which I think made them taste even better. The topping is the perfect chocolate ganache - the perfect topping to any chocolate cupcake. Sin-credible!

A Chocolate School Bus Driver turns 51

2008-10-28T13:24:00.003-04:00

My sister-in-law recently celebrated her 51st birthday. So of course I had to bake her some cupcakes. She is a chocolate fiend, so I made chocolate cupcakes with chocolate fudge buttercream. And, since she is a school bus driver, I topped them off with some handmade chocolate school buses. Happy Birthday!

Everbody Wants Something

2008-10-28T11:56:00.003-04:00

For some reason, these cupcakes seem to be the crowd favorite. They are white cake (very moist, very delish) with marshmallow buttercream. I get a lot of requests for them. These were for the birthday of a co-worker. Cute and simple and SoGood!

Old-Time Favorite

2008-10-23T11:00:00.003-04:00

My mom has always been a great baker. But one of the best things she always made was caramel corn. She would make (and still does) big tubs of caramel corn for Thanksgiving and it would be gone by the end of the day. So last weekend, when my friend was visiting, I decided to whip up a batch. And believe me, it was gone the next day.

I Am Rude Because Oprah Says So (TWD)

2008-10-22T14:12:00.003-04:00

I was watching Oprah the other day and the topic for the day was rudeness and civility. Let me say, I do not consider myself to be a rude person at all (ok, only when necessary or when I'm really tired). However, there was a quiz in which you answered certain yes or no questions to determine how rude you are. The first question was: Are you chronically late? *sigh* As much as I'd like to deny it, I am chronically late, therefore, I am rude.

And that is why, once again, my TWD is late. I know it was supposed to be posted yesterday, and I baked the pumpkin muffins yesterday, took pictures, and loaded them onto the computer. However, I am waiting for my husband to upload them to the internet before I can get them on here. But in the meantime, you have my explanation, and at least an indication that yes indeed, TWD Pumpkin Muffins are coming to SoGood CCM very soon!

Cranberries and Pumpkin, Again?

2008-10-22T14:09:00.004-04:00

Before I made the Pumpkin Cranberry Cookies, I never thought of putting pumpkin and cranberries together. But, I am now convinced that it is like putting peanut butter with jelly, ham with cheese - it's just meant to be!

I made two Pumpkin Coffee Cakes recently, the only difference being one made with walnuts and one made with pecans. Both were absolutely delicious.

*Note: Pictures coming soon (as soon as my husband uploads them onto the internet!)

My First Time

2008-10-15T11:30:00.005-04:00

So I joined the Tuesdays With Dorie blogroll and I'm so happy I did. Each Tuesday we all make the same recipe from, what I refer to as "My Baking Bible," Baking: From My Home To Yours by Dorie Greenspan. This week was my first Tuesday, and unfortunately I am posting one day late. I seem to have a hard time getting my pictures uploaded quickly, which is why I often do several posts in one day. But from this point forward, I think I will bake on the weekend so I can post on Tuesday like I'm supposed to.

Anyway, the first recipe was Lenox Almond Biscotti and it was awesome. I've made biscotti many times, but the difference in these is the batter contained yellow cornmeal. The cornmeal added the nicest extra crunch and texture that I've ever tasted in a biscotti.

I will definitely be making theses again, especially since my husband has declared biscotti as his new favorite dessert. I think next time I may dunk the finished product in some chocolate for a chocolate covered biscotti - how could it be bad?

I Heart Chocolate Cuppycakes!

2008-10-15T11:25:00.004-04:00

The other recipe I decided to try from I Heart Cuppycakes blog (see post below) was a Mexican Chocolate cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese icing. I made these for a friend's birthday, and again, a big hit! Again, I made minis because they go farther and people seem to prefer them.

The cupcakes were a delicious dark chocolate - not too sweet and just enough chocolate. The icing was a cream cheese with cinnamon that was too die for! I think this might be my new favorite cupcake!

Serioulsy?!? Crunkcakes?!?!

2008-10-15T11:16:00.007-04:00

One of the many blogs that I visit nearly every day is I Heart Cuppycakes. She always has some really interesting cupcakes recipes on her site, and I've been dying to try several of them. This past weekend I finally tried two - the first of which was Caramel Appletini Crunkcakes. Crunkcakes because they contain apple vodka. The vodka and martini lover in me could not resist. In fact, the idea behind the cupcakes is that they taste like a caramel appletini (which, if you've never had one, I highly recommend trying one).

The cupcakes were soooo good too! They were basically an apple spice cake, but instead of just adding apples, I sliced up some granny smiths

and roasted them,

then peeled the slices and mashed up the roasted apples in my food processor. The roasted apples really added a beautiful flavor and texture (I left it kind of chunky). The icing was basically a brown sugar buttercream, but instead of milk or water, I used the apple vodka. (Although the recipe called for a little milk, I just kept adding vodka!)

Each little mini cupcake was then frosted and rimmed with green sugar crystals - just like a martini glass - and drizzled with some melted caramels. They were a big hit!

Vivian's Groovy Strawberry Tart

2008-10-08T07:31:00.000-04:00

As you may have noticed from my sidebar, I have joined a few baking challenges. The first of which is "Do You Want Pies With That?" Every month, a new theme is chosen and the challenge is to create a pies based on that theme. This month's theme is, "I Love That Movie!" Pick a movie you love and bake a pie based on that movie. Of course I love a lot of movies, but I really love "Pretty Woman."

Remember the scene early in the movie, when Edward (Richard Gere) takes Vivian (Julia Roberts) to his hotel room for the first time, and he orders champagne and strawberries? Vivian looks confused on what to do, and Edward tells her the strawberries bring out the flavor in the champagne, to which she replies, "Oh. Groovy."

So this pie is based on that scene. It's a strawberry tart with champagne whipped cream. I made a sweet tart crust (recipe from Baking From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan),

slathered the bottom with excellent quality strawberry preserves, and poured fresh strawberries on top, (all of this based on a recipe from the above Dorie Greenspan book - but I can't remember the name of the recipe right now - sorry!).

I used about 1 cup of champagne and put it on medium heat, letting it simmer until it had reduced to about half. To be honest, I'm not sure this was necessary, but it did seem to get rid of the bubbles (of course), and concentrate the flavor. I think you could easily use champagne flavoring, if it's out there (which I'm sure it is in the candy making world - I just didn't have time to look for it).

The only problem with this method is I was forced to drink the rest of the bottle of champagne so it wouldn't go to waste (maybe that's not really a problem).

To make the champagne whipped cream, I combined heavy cream, (about 1/2 pint), a little vanilla (about 1/2 teaspoon), and the reduced champagne (about 2 tablespoons) in my new whipped cream dispenser, and voila!

I will say it looks lovely, and tasted fantastic. My husband absolutely loved it. I'm sure if Vivian could taste it, she would think it was really groovy.

Ooey Gooey Caramel

2008-10-07T12:28:00.005-04:00

I had a special request for caramel cupcakes for the belated birthday of a partner in my law firm. I attempted a caramel cake recipe, but was not impressed with the result. So I made yellow cupcakes instead - mini, because everyone loves the minis.

Finding a caramel frosting recipe that wasn't stiff or similar to old-fashioned penuche candy was not so easy. So I took matters into my own hands and made a simple butter cream frosting recipe, but instead of adding any liquid, I added a jar of caramel sauce. The result was a gooey, sticky frosting with a sweet hint of caramel - and a total hit with the birthday boy.

The Right Stuff

2008-10-07T12:23:00.002-04:00

I'm a big advocate of using the right ingredients and the right equipment when baking, but sometimes corners can be cut. One thing I have found that is very important, however, is an oven thermometer. I recently purchased one from, where else, Williams-Sonoma for $18. I was surprised to find that my oven is off by about 10 degrees. In other words, the recipe I was making called fro 350 degrees, but when I set my oven at 350, it was only 340 degrees. I had to turn it up to 360 degrees to get a true 350 degrees inside the oven. So please, if you're really passionate about baking, or you just want things to come out right, invest in the right stuff.

Pumpkin, Spice and Everything Nice!

2008-10-07T12:19:00.004-04:00

Struck with my love for the flavors of Fall once again, I decided to bake some pumpkin cookies. I can't seem to get enough pumpkin flavored things in the Fall, and although I've made pumpkin cookies in the past, I've never made anything pumpkin and cranberry. The combination is fantastic, and I'm looking forward to making a Pumpkin Cranberry Coffee Cake very soon!

Cranberry-Pecan Pumpkin Drop Cookies (from "A Harvest Of Pumpkins And Squash" by Lou Seibert Pappas)

3/4 cup pecan halves

1/2 cup butter

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 large egg

2/3 cup pumpkin puree

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp allspice

1/2 tsp cloves (I left this out because I don't like cloves)

Pinch of salt

1 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter 2 baking sheets or line them with parchment paper.Spread the pecans in a small baking pan and bake until lightly toasted, 8-10 minutes. Chop coarsely.

In a large bowl, using electric mixer set on medium speed, beat the butter until creamy. Gradually add the brown sugar, beating until fluffy. Add the egg, pumpkin, and vanilla and beat until smooth, In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and spices. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix just until incorporated. Stir in the cranberries and pecans.

Drop the batter in rounded teaspoons onto the prepared pans. Bake until golden brown, 12-14 minutes. Transfer the cookies to wire racks and let cool. Store in an airtight container for 3-4 days, or wrap tightly and freeze for up to 1 month.

Oh Oh Oatmeal!

2008-10-02T10:29:00.003-04:00

Yet another delicious recipe from Williams Sonoma Essentials of Baking - Old Fashioned Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. Big, moist, chewy and bursting with raisins!

Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

2008-09-28T21:37:00.015-04:00

Nothing goes better with a fresh cup of coffee than crunchy biscotti. Although I usually prefer a chocolate version, this time I went for this cranberry pistachio version that is SoGood. If you've never made biscotti, I recommend trying it. It's very easy and a nice change-up from regular cookies.

Cranberry-Pistachio Biscotti (from Williams-Sonoma Essentials of Baking)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 teaspoons grated orange zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup coarsely chopped pistachios, toasted
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and sent aside. Combine eggs and sugar in mixer and beat on medium speed until light in color, about 3 minutes. Beat in melted butter, orange zest, vanilla and almond extracts on low speed until blended. Add dry ingredients and beat until incorporated. Stir in nuts and cranberries. Dough will be soft and sticky.

Scoop out half of the dough onto one half of the prepared baking sheet, and form it into a log 10 inches long. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing logs 3 inches apart. Press logs gently to make them 3 inches wide. With damp fingertips, gently smooth the surface of the logs.

Bake the logs until they are crisp and golden on the outside, about 20-25 minutes. Centers will be soft. Remove from oven and let cool on on baking sheet for 10 minutes. Lower oven temperature to 300 degrees.

Transfer logs to a cutting board and, with a serrated knife, cut each log crosswise on the diagonal into slices 3/4 inches thick. Arrange slices, cut side down and at least 1/2 inch apart, on the baking sheet.

Bake until crisp and brown on the outside, 17-22 minutes. Let cookies cool on baking sheet 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Interiors become crisp as they cool. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Fall Is In The Air!

2008-09-25T07:18:00.007-04:00

Fall is my absolute favorite time of year. I love the falling leaves, crisp cool air, pumpkins, cornstalks, sweaters and apple cider that October brings. It's also the perfect time of year for baking with apples. So last night I made the most delicious Apple Cake with Maple Frosting. The recipe comes from a cookbook Tom & I received as a wedding gift, Williams-Sonoma Essentials of Baking. The cake was very moist with just a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg, and a nice crunch from the walnuts. I added extra powdered sugar to the icing to stiffen it up faster because we couldn't wait until it cooled to eat it!

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves [I left this out because I don't like cloves]

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 large eggs, room temperature

1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature

2 cups diced, peeled apples [I used Granny Smith]

1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

Maple Frosting

1 cup pure maple syrup

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1/2 heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups powdered sugar

To make cake:

Sift together dry ingredients in a large bowl. In another large bowl, combine butter and sugar and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in 1/3 of flour mixture, until almost fully incorporated. Fold in 1/2 buttermilk, then fold in another 1/3 of flour mixture, followed by remaining buttermilk. Add remaining flour mixture, apples, walnuts, and using a light lifting motion and turning the bowl continuously, fold in until the batter is smooth and flour is thoroughly incorporated. Do not fold too vigorously or the cake will be tough.

Spread batter in a 9 x 13 buttered baking pan and bake at 350 degrees until top of cake is brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean - about 35-40 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool. Cool completely before frosting.

To make Maple Frosting:

In saucepan over medium-high heat, simmer maple syrup until it reduces by half, about 15 minutes. Stir in butter. Remove from heat and add vanilla and cream. Sift powdered sugar into a bowl, and pour maple mixture over sugar. Beat with whisk until smooth and creamy. Let cool completely before frosting cake.

Welcome to the Official Blog of SoGood CCM!

2008-09-23T14:07:00.004-04:00

I am a lawyer, but my passion is baking - from cupcakes to cookies, cheesecakes to muffins. This blog will highlight my baking adventures, for anyone interested in the goodies I'm baking now.

If you are interested in a special order of cupcakes, cookies, muffins, or any SoGood goodies, please contact me for a list of items and pricing.

Welcome to SoGood CCM!