If Sparkles Had A Scent

Triple Vanilla Scones

 

I feel sorry for anyone who thinks vanilla is boring.

 

Vanilla is glorious!

It adds layers, brings out flavors...it's magic.

I won't promise that these scones will grant you powers or wishes, but they are tasty.  They do require some planning ahead (AND FREEZER SPACE), but served with a cup of tea (Barry's Irish Breakfast, thank you very much), they are a decidedly non-boring treat. There's even a little surprise inside!

Tied in Knots

I've had my eye on these Glazed Cinnamon-Cardamom Buns* for some time.

They showed up in a newsletter again, which Matt saw, and there was a lot of, "Oh, my".

But like so many recipes, the dough wants a nice, long rest in the fridge (as well a nap later, after being rolled out), and if you're anything thing me...

WHO HAS SPACE IN THEIR REFRIGERATOR???!!?!?


Ehem.

Stuff was moved, temporarily taken out, and I got down to business.

I love doughs like this.  They're just so satisfying to work with.

And making these twists was fun!

The twists became knots (I am historically awful at braiding, so am always a bit apprehensive when it comes to these sorts of things, but it worked out rather nicely).

Which were baked, then brushed with a syrup made from water and brown sugar.

They guys love them, and my gosh; how pretty are they??!

Easy recipe; just needs a bit of time, and room in your fridge (HA!).


*I ran out of cinnamon (gasp!), so one third of the filling is ginger.

Roll With It

Yeah, I've been doing stuff. Chocolate-y stuff.

Finally got around to really playing with flavors and textures. The hard part was waiting for the weather to cooperate!

Matt gave me a tempering machine a few years back, and once I started using it, the ideas! Boom. They were everywhere.

So, a few weeks ago, we bought all the chocolate. And cream. And I made all the ganache. And there were spices. And herbs. And fruits. And nuts. And...you get the idea. And there were TRUFFLES.

Just a quick photo, and only half of what I ended up with. But, Strawberry-Basil Shortcake (basil and freeze-dried strawberries in milk chocolate ganache, rolled in pulverized freeze-dried strawberries and Nilla wafers), Mint (mint in milk chocolate ganache, dipped in more milk chocolate and topped with candied mint leaves), Mexican hot cocoa (cinnamon and cayenne in dark chocolate, rolled in cocoa powder), Ginger-Thyme (fresh ginger and thyme in dark chocolate, topped with crystallized ginger) and Guajillo (Gujillo peppers in dark chocolate, rolled in Turbinado sugar).

There's four more (including fun with white chocolate), but that's a (maybe?) post for another day.

Baking for Batgirl

Not long ago, Gail Simone was asked what Barbara Gordon's favorite cookie/baked good would be. The answer?

Snickerdoodles.

Yeah. You just know my food geek over-achiever-y-ness was going to kick in.




Snickerdoodles are good. But what about Snickerdoodle cupcakes?

I mean, cupcakes are (were?) the rage for a reason. Who doesn't like cupcakes?



Not Babs, I hope!



Lovely cake batter with just enough cinnamon to evoke that wonderful cookie.



I opted for a basic powdered sugar frosting in lieu of the Italian meringue (which tends to leave me a bit punchy).





On top of that, sift cinnamon sugar and there you have it. Snickerdoodle cupcakes! Perfect after a hard night of crime-fighting. ...or, you know, not.