Gingerbread Tree Cookies

"It’s the most wonderful time of the year!" With this song in my head I trimmed my Christmas tree today. As the song says the holiday season is the most exciting and emotional time of the year for me and trim the Christmas tree is a warm welcome to this magical month. It's so good the recollections of my childhood when my mother, my sister and I used to made this action a great event. I have clear memories of my satisfaction to place each ornament one by one until the final decoration. The expectation for presents, shopping, candies, panettones, Christmas dinner and the family reunion were fabulous and I'm trying to keep this delightful sense of wonder alive. 

After my wedding, setting up a tree at my new home became even more special. Over the years, I’ve been collecting some ornaments from the places I've visited. One that I really like is the crystal angel from the Munich Christmas Market.

So to celebrate this special event of the day I made some delicious gingerbread tree cookies decorated with marshmallow fondant. They are so cutie that you can use them as ornaments as well as a gift. With these gingerbread tree cookies I start my Christmas series and I hope you enjoy the ideas for your holidays!

Gingerbread Tree Cookies

(fron the book Willians-Sonoma Cooking at Home)

Ingredients:

2 1/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. ground ginger

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1 tsp. allspice

1/4 tsp. salt

¾  cups (6 oz/185g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

¼  cup unsulfured molasses

2 egg yolks

Decorating sugars and pastes as desired

Directions:

Have all the ingredients at room temperature.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, allspice and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the butter on medium-high speed until fluffy and pale yellow, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the brown sugar and beat for 1 minute. Reduce the speed to low and add the molasses, beating until well combined, about 1 minute. Add the egg yolks one at a time.

Sift the flour mixture mixture directly onto the butter mixture. Beat just until combined, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Using floured hands, form the dough into a smooth mound and divide into 3 equal portions. Shape each into a disk and wrap separately with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.

Preheat an oven to 400ºF. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Remove 1 dough disk at a time from the refrigerator and let stand for 10 minutes. Place the dough between 2 sheets of parchment or waxed paper and roll out to a thickness of 1/4 to 3/8 inch. This thickness is important to ensure the baked cookies will fit together.

Dip the cutters into flour just before using and cut out the shapes. Using an offset spatula, carefully transfer the cutouts to the prepared baking sheets. Repeat with the remaining dough. Gather up the scraps, reroll them and cut out additional cookies. For best results, do not reroll scraps more than once. Refrigerate the cookies until firm, about 20 minutes.

Bake the cookies until golden browned on the edges, about 10 minutes.

Transfer the baking sheets to wire racks and let the cookies cool for 5 minutes. Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheets, then decorate as desired.

Maple Apple Pie

Some weeks ago, in a pleasant Monday morning, my husband and I went to the Patterson Fruit Farm to pick up some apples. Honey crisp, Macintosh, Golden Delicious and Gala. These are some of the varieties that we found there. There were more kinds of apple there too, but most of them were new to me and I could just remember those. Among all those options we gathered beautiful apples avid to make our first apple pie. In my imagination when I think of this iconic American dessert, I always see a warm pie even with a fragrant swirling steam cooling on the kitchen counter like in the old cartoons I watched when I was a child.

Making my own apple pie was very exciting! First I prepared the dough. To obtain a perfect pie crust I left it resting overnight on the fridge, and then I make the apple filling with maple syrup, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. During the baking, when the top crust starts to became golden I brushed the entire crust with milk and sprinkled some sugar and cinnamon. The flavors of the juicy compote filling covered by the sugary crust were sensational. How wonderful was enjoy this traditional dessert on a typical autumn evening!

Maple Apple Pie

(adapted from here)

For the pastry:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

2 Tbs. sugar

10 Tbs. (1 1/4 sticks) cold unsalted butter,
  cut into pieces

10 Tbs. cold vegetable shortening, cut into
  pieces

7 Tbs. ice water

1 tsp. distilled white vinegar

For the filling:

2 1/2 lb. baking apples, peeled, cored,
  quartered and cut lengthwise into slices 1/2
  inch thick

1/2 cup sugar, plus more as needed

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

½ cup maple syrup

2 Tbs. unsalted butter, cut into pieces

2 Tbs. milk

Sugar and cinnamon for dusting

Directions:

To make the pastry, in a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center, add the butter and shortening and, using your fingertips, rub them into the flour mixture until small, flat pieces form. In a cup or small bowl, combine the water and vinegar. Using a fork, gently mix just enough of the liquid into the flour mixture so it comes together in a rough ball; do not overwork. Discard the remaining liquid. Divide the dough in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

To make the filling, in a bowl, toss together the apples, the 1/2 cup sugar (adding more to taste if the apples are tart), cinnamon, nutmeg and maple syrup.

Preheat an oven to 400°F.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out half of the dough (leave the other half refrigerated) into a 12-inch round about 1/8 inch thick. Fold the dough in half and then into quarters and transfer it to a 9-inch pie dish. Unfold and gently press into the bottom and sides of the dish. Trim the edges even with the rim. Roll out the remaining dough into a 10-inch round about 1/8 inch thick.

Turn the apples into the pastry-lined pan, mounding them slightly in the center. Dot evenly with the butter. Brush the edges of the dough with water. Fold the dough round into quarters and unfold over the apples. Press together the top and bottom crusts to seal, then trim the edges flush with the rim of the dish and crimp to form an attractive edge. Make a few slits near the center to allow steam to escape.

Bake for 25 minutes. Brush with milk and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and continue to bake until the apples are tender (insert a knife blade through a slit) and the top is golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes more. Transfer the dish to a wire rack and let the pie cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.

Makes one 9-inch pie; serves 8.

Autumn Leaves

On a visit to The Cleveland Museum of Art I was astonished by the painting View of Schroon Mountain, Essex County, New York, After a Storm - Thomas Cole (American, 1801-1848). The intense colors of fall represented in a dramatic way are beautiful and impressive. Cole declared about the autumn theme on his painting: "one season where the American forest surpasses all the world in gorgeousness”. In my tropical country there is no colored autumn like in the north hemisphere. I think maybe that is why I am passionate about everything related to this season. I really like to feel the spice flavors, the cinnamon smell, and to observe the change of the colors.

This is my second autumn in US and I feel pretty lucky to live here. As I already mentioned on the last post, fall it’s really special for me. Visit the Cleveland Metroparks to see the beauty of the foliage and pick up apples and pumpkins at Patterson Fruit Farm are already essentials and delightful habits acquired for me and my husband.

Some days ago I resolved to take a stroll on the condominium were I live to photograph some trees. I was fascinated with so many different leaves shape and colors. After an hour I came back to my apartment with my pockets full of leaves, happy with my photos and an idea: to make painted leaves fondant. So I bought some cutters, made the marshmallow fondant again and with some food coloring I tried to recreate the essence of this time of the year. Then I used these edible cute leaves to decorate some delicious chocolate cupcakes with cinnamon frosting. I also use them to cover some cookies.

Chocolate Cupcakes 

(adapted from My Baking Addiction)

 Yield: 12 cupcakes

1 cup cake flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 

2/3 cup vegetable oil 

3/4 granulated sugar 

1 egg 

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12 cupcake wells with paper liners or spray pan with spray with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Sift together cake flour, cocoa powder and salt.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine oil and sugar until well-blended. Add egg and mix until combined.

4. Turn your mixer down to the lowest speed add vanilla then slowly add in the food coloring. Note:If you are using liquid food coloring, it will take about 2 tablespoons of coloring to get a dark red shade. I used about 1 tablespoon of gel dye to achieve the shade in the photographs. Add the dye slowly and color according to your preference.

5. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk in two batches; scrape down the side of the bowl. Continue mixing until just combined, taking care not to over mix.

6. Add the baking soda and beat for about 10 seconds.

7. Using a medium scoop (about 3 tablespoons), divide batter among between the 12 wells, filling each well about 2/3 full of batter. Bake for 20-24 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Be careful not to over bake.

Cinnamon Frosting

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon cinnamon

Once the cupcakes have cooled, prepare the frosting. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together the butter, sugar, cinnamon and milk until smooth and creamy. Add the vanilla and beat to combine.

Sugar Cookies

(from Sweetapolita)

Yield: Approximately 30 medium/small mixed shape cookies

*Note: recipe reflects a recent decrease in baking powder, which creates a more compact cookie that won’t lose shape when baked.

6 cups (750 grams/1 lb +  10 ounces) sifted all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon (6 grams) salt

1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking powder

2 cups unsalted butter, (1 lb, 454 grams, 16 ounces) softened for about 2 hours at room temperature

2 cups (400 grams/14 ounces) sugar

2 large eggs (straight from refrigerator)

2 teaspoons (10 mL) pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon (1.25 mL) pure lemon extract

1. In large bowl, sift together flour, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.

2. Use an electric mixer to cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs.

3. Add flour mixture and mix on low speed until thoroughly combined. Stir in vanilla and lemon extract.

Steps to the perfect rolled dough (again, modest, I know):

4. Remove 1/2 of dough from bowl, make a ball, and place on a large piece of plastic wrap on counter.

5. Wrap the sides of wrap over the ball, then press down with the palm of your hand and make a disc about 2″ thick. Finish wrapping the disc with the plastic wrap. Repeat with 2nd half of dough.

6. Chill both discs of dough for about 45 minutes.

7. Remove one disc and remove plastic wrap. Place on top of a large piece of parchment paper (I use a silicone rolling mat underneath to ensure it doesn’t slip while rolling, but you can even dampen counter so the parchment sticks a bit.), then place 2 wooden dowels on either side of your dough, then another sheet of parchment paper.

8. Roll dough (this will require a bit of elbow grease for the first few minutes until it softens up a bit) so it’s flush with dowels–they will ensure that your dough is even thickness.

9. Preheat your oven to 350 F. Slide your parchment paper and dough onto a board, then place in refrigerator for about 15 minutes.

10. Remove from fridge, and cut your shapes using the cutters of your choice, placing them on a baker’s half sheet lined with a Silpat Mat, with 2″ clearance around each one and the edge of sheet.

11. Place sheet with cookies into freezer for 15 minutes before baking. Then bake 10-12 minutes, or until edges are golden brown.

12. Cool sheets on wire racks for 10 minutes, then gently remove cookies and place on wire racks to finish cooling.

May be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. They also freeze well.

Marshmallow Fondant 

10 oz mini marshmallows

1/4 cup water

2 lbs of powdered sugar

2/3 cup shortening

Drizzle the water over the marshmallows and microwave 1 minute and 25 seconds. Transfer to a mixing bowl, and add 1 bag (2 lbs) of powdered sugar and 2 tbs shortening. With the paddle attachment, mix about 2 minutes. Finish on the table, use more powdered sugar if necessary. Wrap in plastic wrap or bag, and store at least 2 hours or overnight before using. Always knead fondant before using.

• This Post was featured on The Kitchn.com

A Cake to Celebrate Fall - Cinnamon Layers with Sweet Potato Cream

Fall brings me fond remembrances of the beginning of my marriage. One year ago I started to live in US. I was newlywed and I embraced all the changes to hone the life with my beloved husband. The excitement to enjoy the pristine home and to learn a new culture was grand and comforting, although the longing for my family and friends still remained. Fortunately, the breathtakingly beauty of the colorful fall enhanced even more the happiness of this great moment of my life.

So, a cake that unites some of the best ingredients of this season is certainly a befitting way to celebrate its beginning and the good thoughts that it has brought me: cinnamon layer cake with sweet potato cream.  I saw this cake recipe with cinnamon and sour cream from baker Matt Lewis of Brooklyn's Baked bakery and I thought it would be a good pair with sweet potato cream. I was inspired by the purple sweet potatoes candies that my mom used to prepare. This cream basically consists of one medium sweet potato, sweetened condensed milk, nutmeg and milk. It was a perfect combination with the cinnamon flavor from the cake.

I’m developing quite a liking for making flowers and decorating cake with fondant. It has been delightful and such a surprise. I created these flowers without using a blossom cutter. I just used a knife to cut small pieces of gum paste to model in triangle shapes. My goal now is to learn how to make a rose using wired petals.

I would like to thank all you for your adorable comments on the last post. I’m glad that my first cake decorated had pleased you.

Cinnamon Cake with Sweet Potato Filling

(adapted from here)

Makes one 8-inch round layer cake

10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, room temperature, plus more for pans

All-purpose flour, for pans

1 3/4 cups cake flour (not self-rising)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed light-brown sugar

3 large eggs

1 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans; line with parchment-paper rounds. Butter parchment paper and lightly dust pans with all-purpose flour, shaking out excess.

In a large bowl, sift together cake flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and both sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until just incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Reduce speed to low; add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with sour cream and beginning and ending with flour mixture, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary.

Pour batter into prepared pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Set pan on a wire rack to cool for at least 20 minutes before loosening sides of cake from pan and inverting onto a wire rack. Remove parchment paper and reinvert; let cool completely.

Sweet Potato Cream

1 medium sweet potato

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 can evaporated milk

fresh ground nutmeg

1 tablespoon corn starch

Cook the sweet potato in water and puree until smooth. Pour the condensed milk into a medium saucepan and place over medium heat.

Add the sweet potato puree, nutmeg, evaporated milk and corn starch. Stir the mixture until it starts to show the bottom of the pan when you scrape it with a spoon. As you scrape the bottom of pan with the spoon, the mixture should be thick enough to show you the bottom the pan for a couple of seconds before the mixture levels out again.

Pour the mixture in a bowl and leave aside to cool. Place it in the fridge until decoration.

Vanilla Cake with White Chocolate Raspberry Ganache Filling Covered with Dark Chocolate Ganache

Last week I showed you my first sugar flowers that I made with homemade fondant. Today, as I promised, I prepared a cake decorated with fondant and more flowers. This cake consists of vanilla base from the adorable blog Sweetapolita,  with white chocolate raspberry ganache filling and covered with dark chocolate ganache. Luscious! I’m proud to say that is the first time I made a good finish in a cake. Here it is, ready to be covered with fondant.

I covered the cake with the same homemade fondant as before, but this time I used gum paste to make the flowers. This paste is proper to make them. It is more elastic allowing shape thin petals like real ones. When I finished covering with fondant, I instantly got an idea to make some ruffles around the cake. I followed this great tutorial made by the talented Linda, of the blog Call me Cupcake. She was inspired by the amazing frilly cakes designed by Maggie Austin.

This cake is a way to wish a Happy Birthday to my lovely friends Clara, Alessandra and Biankita. 

Vanilla Cake with White Chocolate Raspberry Ganache Filling Covered with Dark Chocolate Ganache

Classic Vanilla Butter Cake

 (from Sweetapolita)

Yield: three 8-inch round cake layers

4 large eggs (separated)

3 1/2 cups sifted cake flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 cups granulated sugar, divided

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup milk (room temperature)

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 350°F (180° C) and place rack in center of oven. Butter and flour three – 8 inch (20 cm) round cake pans. Line bottoms of pans with parchment paper and grease and flour parchment paper.

While eggs are still cold, separate the eggs, placing the yolks in one bowl and the whites in another bowl. Cover the two bowls with plastic warp and allow the eggs to come to room temperature before using (about 30 minutes).

In a mixing bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter until soft (about 1-2 minutes). Add 1 1/2 cups of the sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla and beat until combined.

With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and milk, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour.

In a clean bowl of your electric mixer, with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until foamy.  Add the cream of tartar and continue beating until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. With a rubber spatula gently fold a little of the whites into the batter to lighten it, and then fold in the remaining whites until combined. Do not over-mix the batter or it will deflate.

Divide the batter evenly between the three prepared pans and smooth the tops with an offset spatula or back of a spoon. Bake in preheated oven for approximately 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Place a wire rack on top of the cake pan and invert, lifting off the pan gently. Once the cakes of completely cooled, wrap in plastic and place the cake layers in the freezer for at least an hour (to make filling and frosting the cakes easier).

White chocolate and raspberry ganache

(from Australian Gourmet Traveller)

50 ml heavy cream

100g white chocolate

45g raspberries, coarsely chopped

Bring cream just to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat, add chocolate, stand until melted (5 minutes), stir until smooth and glossy. Refrigerate until firm yet still pliable (45 minutes-1 hour) then stir until smooth. Add raspberries, stir to form a ripple effect.

Note: If fresh raspberries are unavailable, substitute defrosted frozen raspberries

Dark Chocolate Ganache

18 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 cups heavy cream

Bring cream just to the boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat, add chocolate, stand until melted (5 minutes), stir until smooth and glossy. Refrigerate until firm yet still pliable (45 minutes-1 hour) then stir until smooth.