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Posts from the ‘Baking’ Category

May 13

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Tasting Jerusalem: Hot Cross Buns in Cookie Form

ottolenghi spice cookies jerusalem | dailywaffle

My love for hot cross buns is well documented in the pages of this blog. But I only ever seem to think of them around Easter, when really, there’s no reason we shouldn’t be enjoying sweetened yeast buns with just a hint of spice, currants and candied fruit any ol’ time.  Which is what made these Spice Cookies my first choice for this month’s baking theme for Tasting Jerusalem.

You get the flavors of hot cross buns, the spice, the currants, the citrus in cookie form. And while it may seem slightly odd to be making spice cookies in the spring, because the truth is they do taste like the holidays, I couldn’t resist.

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Apr 29

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Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Crisp

strawberry rhubarb crumble crisp | dailywaffle

Rhubarb is perpetually stuck in the Friend Zone, like that friend you’ve known your whole life, but you just didn’t see him that way.  Every spring, rhubarb kicks off farmers market season in the Pacific Northwest, but all you have eyes for are the asparagus and peas. Last week at the market, I snapped a few photos of rhubarb but otherwise passed it by. Then, with a nudge from Hannah’s rhubarb cranachan (think oaty rhubarb jam parfait) over at Blue Kale Road, I put this crazy red celery-looking fruit on the shopping list.

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Apr 17

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Molasses Pecan Snack Attack Cake

molasses pecan snack cake

I love the idea of a snack cake.  It’s simple, no dog-and-pony show like a layer cake, just a perfect little square of sweetness alongside tea or coffee.  No frosting required, this is two or three bites of afternoon pick-me-up cake dotted with pecans or sprinkled with powdered sugar.

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Mar 3

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Hippity Hop Hop, Easter’s On Its Way: Candied Citrus Peel

candied orange peel in sugar| dailywaffle

When it comes to food and Easter, the thing I look forward to most isn’t a Cadbury egg (never liked ‘em) or the Reese’s eggs w/ twice the peanut butter you get in a regular peanut butter cup (stock up now!). The thing I wait all year (er, 3 or 4 months) for is a batch of Hot Cross Buns.

And what is it that makes a Hot Cross Bun so deliciously dunkable in your morning cup of joe? The candied and dried fruit.  But have you noticed candied orange and lemon peel can cost an arm and a leg?  Last year I bought tiny tubs of both for $8.50 a piece! Granted, you don’t use a huge amount in the buns, but there’s no reason to drop that kind of dough. Making candied citrus peel is dead simple.

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Feb 26

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Dahlia Bakery English Muffins

dahlia bakery english muffin

When I heard Tom Douglas was going to be at Costco signing copies of the Dahlia Bakery Cookbooka couple of months ago, I expected organized chaos a la Giada de Laurentiis’ signing. I rolled in about 30 minutes before it was slated to start and Tom was already there. No need to pre-purchase a book, get in line outside and have a handler scribble your name on a post-it for the inscription.  I walked right up, got a book (one for me, and one for my mom), had a chance to have a little chat with Tom and then was on my merry way for the rest of my Costco shop.

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