Orange Chocolate Chip Scones

Chocolate Orange Scones

(better photo coming soon!)

For the Scones

1. 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2. 1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
3. 1/4 cup brown sugar
4. 1/4 teaspoon salt
5. 3/4 cup heavy cream
6. 1 large egg
7. 1 teaspoon orange extract, or zest from one orange
8. 1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
9. 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of dark chocolate chips (depends on how much you like chocolate chips)

For the Orange Glaze (this makes more than enough)

1. 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
2. 1/4 cup heavy cream
3. 1 teaspoon orange extract, or zest from one orange
4. splash of orange juice (optional)

Instructions

1. 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. 2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.
3. 3. In another bowl, slightly whisk together heavy cream, egg, and orange extract.
4. 4. Using a pastry cutter, mix butter into the flour mixture until coarse crumbs form. Add wet ingredients. I find it best to just use your hands to knead the dough. When it’s nearly together, I add in the chocolate chips and knead until combined.
5. Be careful not to over mix. The dough might not come together into one big ball, but into separate lumps, which is just fine.
6. Turn dough out onto your work surface and using your hands, press into a 7-inch circle. Using a pizza cutter, cut circle into 8 equal triangles (like a pizza). Place triangles onto the prepared baking sheet. (I like a silicone mat) Place in the oven and bake for 15-16 minutes or until edges are slightly brown. Remove from the oven transfer scones to wire racks to cool completely and add Icing.

Orange Pecan Biscotti

I was in a mood for Biscotti all weekend, but just didn’t have time to go about making them until Monday. Biscotti are surprisingly easy, but they require a bit of baby sitting and oven time to finish. If you want them for breakfast, you’ll want to prepare them the night before.

Prep Time: 10 Minutes (longer if you have a 3 year old helper)
Baking Time: 50-60 Minutes in 3 steps.

Ingredients

• 6 tbsp butter, softened (I prefer Kerrygold)
• 1/2 Cup of Granulated Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 2 tsp Orange Extract
• 1 1/2 Cups of All Purpose Flour
• 2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 chopped Pecans
• 1/2 cup of  Ghirardelli Chocolate Dark Chocolate Chips (for dipping)

Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 350° F. Line Baking sheet with silicone mat (best invention ever!) or Parchment Paper. 

2. In medium bowl, cream sugar and butter together, then add eggs and orange extract. Beat until throughly mixed.

2. In separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.

3. Add wet ingredient to dry and beat until dough starts to form. Add in chopped pecans, and stir until fully incorporated.

4. Place the dough on covered baking sheet and form a log. I made this log about 6″ x 12″ for thick coffee shop style biscotti.  You can make two 3″ x 6″ logs for miniature biscotti.

5. Bake for 35-40 minutes until light golden brown. Let the biscotti log cool for about 15 minutes and then using sharp knife, form the biscotti cookies by slicing them 1″ for a large log, or 1/2″ for miniature sized.

Flip the biscotti on their sides and bake for another 10 minutes. Let them cool for a minute or two and then flip once more, baking for another 5 minutes.

Let them cool completely, and then dip bottoms into melted chocolate. Place Biscotti in the freezer until chocolate is hardened.

Store in an airtight container and refrigerate to avoid melting the chocolate until it hits your hot coffee. 

 

Kohr Bros: Just another reason to love the Jersey Shore.

Frozen Custard

Merry Muffins

Recipe from King Arthur Flour Cookbook.  You can find it here on their website, although the web directions very slightly. You can fill the muffin liner to the top, they don’t really spread.

I plopped the blueberries into each liner instead of mixing them into the batter, since my husband prefers chocolate chips to any fruit–so he gets special muffins. 😉

The Streusel topping is in the cookbook as well. If I recall off the top of my head, it’s 1/2 cup flour, 6 tbs of brown sugar, 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts, 3tbs of soft butter, pinch of salt, and 1/2 tsp of cinnamon, all mixed together with your fingers.

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Christmas Shortbread Cookies

Pizza Perfection

I was on Instagram the other day, when this delicious looking Pizza popped into my newsfeed. I knew what I was doing this weekend!

Luckily the recipe went up on Little Lady Little City on Friday. (Check it out here!)

I was intrigued by this recipe because it contained honey in the dough, as well as some seasonings that I never put into dough before. I used Raw Honey, and substituted one cup of White Flour for Whole Wheat. It cooked up beautifully. I used Spring Form Pans coated in Olive Oil to bake mine.

I used Organic Tomato Sauce doctored up with some Onions and Garlic Salt, as well as Green Peppers and Oregano and Basil on top. Mine were at 425-F for 25 minutes. Next time I might do a minute or so less. My oven is quirky to say the least. I think I’ll also add a little more salt next time, since all seasonings are to taste.

Ready for the Oven

Tada!

Note the bottom of the Spring Form Pan. It makes it easy to Cut!

Yummm. Hope over to Little Lady Little City to get the Recipe and make your own fresh Pizza!

Cupcakes-The party essential

I offered to bring dessert to a party this weekend. I knew I didn’t have a lot of time to bake, so I put the cupcakes together on Monday, and then froze them until Friday night when I decorated them for a Saturday party.

I cheated. I used store bought cake-mix and icing. I also had a spastic moment, and set my oven to the wrong temperature. I caught it after a couple of minutes, but my cupcakes had already risen too quickly. I turned down the oven, and prayed they would taste okay. Turns out, making them rise too fast made for a fudgier (yes, that’s a word) cupcake. I’m no scientist, so I don’t know why exactly, but they tasted great, and everyone was raving about them.

I pulled out some piping tools and tried to get fancy with the decorating. When I started to run low on icing, I switched to sprinkles.

P.s. I also have an AMAZING new Nikon D7100. I’m in Heaven. It was an incredibly generous gift that I am beyond thankful for!!

Homemade Pizza

Dough Ingredients:

1 1/2 Cups of Warm Water
1 Package ( 2 1/4 Teaspoons) of Active Dry Yeast
3 1/2 Cups of White Flour (Or bread flour if you have it)
2 tbsp of Olive OIl
2 teaspoons of Salt
1 teaspoon of Sugar

Instructions: In a large bowl of a heavy duty mixer (I use a Kitchen Aid) Add the warm water and yeast. Let it sit for about 5 minutes until dissolved. Using a dough hook, mix in Olive OIl, Flour, Salt, and Sugar. Mix until dough is smooth and elastic. Coat a bowl in olive oil, and roll the dough through it until coated. Cover with Plastic Wrap and let sit in a warm place until the dough doubles in size. (about 75 degreesF) I put it in my oven on warm. I waited about 1.5 hours, for it to rise. If you do this oven trick, let the dough cool before handling or it will be very sticky and hard to manage.

Putting the Pizza Together: I used 2 Springform Pans, coated lightly in Olive Oil, and spread the dough until it covered the bottom. Poke holes in the crust, and coat lightly in Olive Oil. Pop in the oven at 450 Degrees F for about 5-8 minutes. Just enough to lightly crisp the rust.
Spread Pizza Sauce in a thin layer on the Pizza Crust.
In a sauce pan, put half of a Chopped Tomato and small Red Onion in a little Olive Oil, and coat with Garlic Salt and Pepper.
Cook for 5 minutes on medium heat, until onions slightly caramelize.
Put the tomatos and onions on top of the Pizza Sauce and coat with Shredded Mozzarella Cheese. Cook for about 12-15 minutes, until cheese is fully melted and slightly golden.

Cranberry Orange Nut Bread

Get the Recipe here

This is one of my Favorite Recipes! Not a lot of sugar, a freshly squeezed orange, and it tastes fantastic.

 

Tea Time

While I was experimenting with props, I also stacked some Wedgewood Teacups. I love this set. It is designed to be mismatched. Each cup is shaped a little differently too. The mixed patterns are fantastic.