Nutella Buttons - Tuesdays with Dorie

Nutella Buttons

I have 10 minutes to post this before I have to head out to work!

So...
I made these.
I didn't put enough nutella in some of them.
I topped some of mine with more nutella.
Because, really, you can't have too much nutella.
This is a post for the awesome baking group, Tuesdays with Dorie.
Eeck!
Out of time. See you later!
- mary the food librarian



Tuesdays with Dorie doesn't publish the recipe. You should get Dorie's book: Baking Chez Moi: Recipes from My Paris Home to Your Home Anywhere! You'll love the book. I promise

Be sure to check out the other Tuesdays with Dorie bakers and their take on this yummy recipe!

Crispy-Topped Brown Sugar Bars - Tuesday with Dorie

Crispy-Topped Brown Sugar Bars

Whew! I made it by 2 hours! I'm back with Tuesdays with Dorie. Oh, I lost a couple months due to the holidays and a full week of the flu...but I couldn't miss today! It's a bar with Rice Krispies on top!

These were super simple to make. A brown sugar shortbread is baked until golden brown. Then, you spread chopped chocolate (I used Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate block) on top and let it melt a bit. A quick spread of the chocolate creates a space for your cereal!

You can put a caramelized cereal topping too. Look at the book for this yummy option.

Tuesdays with Dorie doesn't publish the recipe. You should get Dorie's book: Baking Chez Moi: Recipes from My Paris Home to Your Home Anywhere (this recipe is on page 324)! I love all the recipes in the book and Dorie's kind words and encouragement. In this recipe, she says, "show it who's boss" referring the shortbread dough. Love it!

Be sure to check out the other Tuesdays with Dorie bakers and their take on this yummy recipe!

P.S. I love my 8 x 8 x 2 pan. It's by Magic Line/Parrish. The edges are perfectly square so you get sharp edges on brownies, cakes, etc. I have 8" and 9" square pans, as well as 9" x 13" rectangle pans too. And they are made in Los Angeles! (I've visited the factory store...here's a post about it)

Brown Butter and Vanilla Bean Weekend Cake - Tuesdays with Dorie

Brown-Butter-and-Vanilla-Bean Weekend Cake

It's time for Tuesdays with Dorie! I made this last month and work really enjoyed it. I'm pretty exhausted so this is going to be super short.

Tuesdays with Dorie group does not post the recipes as we want to support the great work of Dorie Greenspan so please purchase the book, Baking Chez Moi: Recipes from My Paris Home to Your Home Anywhere and turn to page 6 for this fun recipe!

Brown butter is always nerve racking to make. Is it ready? Is it too far? What's that smell? Is that toasty or is that burnt?


This is supposed to be baked in a loaf pan, but I couldn't get to it. I tweeted a plea for help and professional baker and author @janeofmanytrade came to the rescue. She said I could use an 8" round. Thanks Alisa!

I didn't have a vanilla bean, so I used 2 teaspoons of both Nielsen-Massey vanilla extract and vanilla paste. Do you have the paste? I love it. More economical than getting vanilla beans and you get all the yummy flakes. I also skipped the alcohol (dark rum or amaretto).

I topped mine with some powdered sugar so it didn't look so plain.

I have a bunch of other stuff to post, and I hope to get to it next month (there are some good oatmeal scones coming up).

Good luck to Dorie Greenspan and all my friends on the East Coast as you get through this snowstorm!

See you next time,
Mary the Food Librarian

Granola Energy Bars - Tuesdays with Dorie / Baking Chez Moi

Granola Energy Bars

It's time for Tuesdays with Dorie! I missed December's recipes (two words: Mochi Day) but I hope to get back to them. It'll be fun to make a buche de noel in summertime! This week, it's Granola Energy Bars! These are super easy to make and I'm sure your kids would love helping you. Tuesdays with Dorie group does not post the recipes as we want to support the great work of Dorie Greenspan so please purchase the book, Baking Chez Moi: Recipes from My Paris Home to Your Home Anywhere and turn to page 328 for this fun recipe!

These bars are very versatile and you can add your favorite dried fruits. I used dried blueberries, dried cranberries and dried apricots. I also skipped the coconut because it feels like dental floss (I like coconut flavored stuff but can't handle the strands).

  Luckily, I live near a Sprouts Market with the bulk bins so I was able to buy small bits of the ingredients needed: slivered almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and dried fruits. It also carried the brown rice syrup. This is an easy substitute for melted marshmallows in a rice krispie treat; I've been wanting to try it, and Dorie gave me a perfect reason to pick up a bottle. After measuring out your ingredients, it is a simple mix together and bake. Easy peasy and enjoy! Happy New Year everyone! And to those in TWD, I made the next recipe too (what?! I know, new year's resolution to have a tad less procrastination...) and it was delicious!

See you soon, Mary the Food Librarian

P.S. If you didn't get this book for the holidays from Santa or your family, then buy it! You deserve to start the new year with awesome recipes. :)

Cranberry Crackle Tart - Tuesdays with Dorie - Baking Chez Moi

Cranberry Crackle Tart

This tart is the reason I love Tuesdays with Dorie.

It has meringue.

You might think I'm excited about the recipe because I love meringue.

But it's quite the opposite. I hate meringue. (It's this sweet, sticky cloud that gets in the way of the lemon filling in a lemon meringue pie). And that's why this group is awesomesauce.

Tuesdays with Dorie makes you bake things outside your taste and comfort zone. If you know me, you know my comfort zone is Bundt cakes, scones, muffins, and Jello. Never, ever meringue. But since this is Recipe #2 of Tuesdays with Dorie/Baking Chez Moi edition, it was time to settle in and get those eggs to room temperature to whisk, whisk, whisk!

By the way, I'm so excited to see so many friendly faces from the first round of Tuesdays with Dorie!! This is a fun baker's reunion! And I'm looking forward to meeting the new faces too! :)

First, you make sweet tart dough and put it into the tart shell or pie tin. Um, I seem to have moved my rolling pin someplace very very safe and secret...and can't seem to find it. So, garbanzo beans to the rescue! Yes, I was even too lazy to get out the step stool to grab the bottle of vodka on the top shelf of the cabinet!

Dorie reveals her new technique - that I LOVE. Instead of making the dough, forming into a disc and chilling it for a couple hours, THEN rolling it out (which is a pain because it is hard and cold).... Dorie now makes the dough, forms it into a disc and rolls it out between sheets of parchment paper while still soft! Brilliant! She does chill the dough in the pie or tart shell before baking or using it.

I made a 4" tart and a few mini tarts (I used 1/2 a recipe of sweet tart dough). I did make a two egg white meringue and tossed some of it because I know it is difficult to whip up just one egg white - at least two eggs work better.

A layer of jam is placed at the bottom of the shell and the meringue with cranberries it layered on top.

My tart shells got a little too brown, but they were tasty!


The tart bakes at 300 degrees for an hour (mine baked for less time because they were smaller).

I'm not sure if this is how the meringue is supposed to turn out. The crackle top was tasty, but, as I said before, not a fan of the meringue so I didn't care for the eggy middle. I did enjoy the added cranberries - that was a tart treat amid all that meringue.

The mini minis had very little eggy meringue inside and were mostly crackle crunch (so I liked them best!).

We aren't publishing the recipes on Tuesdays with Dorie...but this recipe happens to be online at The Splendid Table and on Dorie's website.

Check out the other Tuesdays with Dorie bakers and their creations here!

Happy Thanksgiving! - mary the food librarian

Palets de Dames - Tuesdays with Dorie Baking Chez Moi

Hello. Good morning!
It's Tuesday.
And since it's Tuesday, I'm happy to say it's Tuesday with Dorie Day!

In May 2007, I started this blog to learn how to bake from scratch and drop the cake mixes.

After I started baking, I learned about a group of bakers who were baking their way through Dorie Greenspan's cookbook, Baking: From My Home to Yours. I joined in 2008 and then spent the next few years not only baking many things I might not have made if weren't it for the group, but I also met lots of friends along the way.

Dorie has a new wonderful book Baking Chez Moi: Recipes from My Paris Home to Your Home Anywhere and it's time to try to bake my way through this one as well.

The Tuesdays with Dorie group will be making two recipes per month and I hope I can keep up with that schedule. Please visit the Tuesdays with Dorie website and take a look at all the bakers who baked the recipe of the week. And if you're a baker, I hope you join in the fun and bake with Tuesdays with Dorie too. The cookbook is so lovely and I hope we can bake together. Please note that we will not be publishing the recipe on our blog posts, as we want to support Dorie and encourage everyone to purchase her beautiful cookbook.

The first recipe is Palets de Dames. These are sweet little butter cookies with a glaze of powdered sugar. They are cakey cookies and are perfect with coffee or tea. You can tint the glaze if you want to suit the occasion, or use sanding sugars to give it an extra sparkle or color - or do both!

These cookies are a perfect start to the group because you're quite easy to make. Simply creaming together butter, sugar, eggs and adding just a bit of sifted flour makes the base. When you make these, plan your time because you need to chill the dough for at least one hour or overnight before baking.

Aren't these really cute and sweet? Only bake them until the edges are lightly browned.

After the cookies cool, an easy glaze of powdered sugar milk and a few drops of lemon juice (I substituted orange juice because I was out of lemons) is made, and the cookies are dipped in the glaze. I topped some of mine with sanding sugar - clear and pink.

I'm looking forward to another round of Tuesdays with Dorie. I see some old friends already (Di, Katrina, Alisa, Jules, Audrey, Cathy...) - I'M SO HAPPY TO SEE YOU GUYS!!! It's like a bakers reunion!

And I look forward to meeting more "baking interwebs" folks. See this post for links to other baker's posts.

- mary the food librarian

P.S. Dude, buy the book. It's fantastic! Like, crazy fantastic. And it makes the perfect holiday cookbook gift!

P.S.S. If you are new to my blog, I haven't been blogging much lately, but you can always find me on Instagram and Twitter @foodlibrarian

Banana Chocolate Chip Bundt - I Like Big Bundts 2013 - Day 6

Banana Chocolate Chip Bundt

I Like Big Bundts 2013, Day 6

Hello! It's Day 6 of I Like Big Bundts 2013...my little effort to remind you of the greatest food holiday around: National Bundt Day on November 15th! Oh, crazy food holidays and the crazy people who celebrate them (me!). I'm a huge fan of the Bundt cake and have been making lots of bundts over the years. This year, I'm doing 15 days of Bundts leading up to National Bundt Day and I hope you grab your Bundt pan and bake along!

Today's recipe is a slight twist on a classic. Along with hundreds of other delightful food bloggers, I baked my way through Dorie Greenspan's incredible book, Baking: From My Home to Yours in an online group called Tuesdays with Dorie. My pick for the group was Dorie's Classic Banana Bundt Cake. It got great reviews from everyone and I make it all the time.

This year, I thought I would bring it back and add some chocolate chips to it! Oh, I thought I was so clever. However, this morning, as I'm writing this post at 4:30 am, I realize that I already made this in 2011!! After making over 100 bundts, I guess I forgot I was already clever in 2011 and not so clever in 2013. But that doesn't stop this cake from being AWESOME.

Banana. Chocolate. Together. Forever.

This cake has everything good and delicious. Ripe, ripe bananas, butter, sour cream (or yogurt if you wish) and chocolate chips. It fills the Bundt pan so be sure to use the 12-cup classic Bundt.

You can eat this plain or with a sprinkling of powdered sugar. If you are crazy for chocolate, you can drizzle some chocolate ganache on top.

I just love this recipe! Dorie Greenspan is a genius. Whenever I made a Dorie recipe, I feel old and nostalgic for Tuesdays with Dorie. The group, started by Laurie Woodward, happened just at the start of the food blogging explosion and we were a small but tight community - before search engine optimization, advertising, conferences and branding were commonplace. We just wanted to learn or improve our baking and share what we made with each other. I owe so much to Dorie - I made friends (some that I've met in real life), developed my baking skills, and had a great time.

If you don't have several of Dorie Greenspan's books on your bookshelf, tell Santa. Everything she writes is delicious and you should make everything...including this Banana Bundt!

See you tomorrow for another Bundt! - mary the food librarian

P.S. Remember, if you bake on National Bundt Day, I'm doing a round up on my blog. I'll post photo and link submission info on Friday! (You don't have to have a blog to enter.)

I Like Big Bundts 2013 (so far)
Day 5: Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt
Day 4: Moosewood's Fresh Apple Spice Bundt Cake
Day 3: Butterscotch Bundt Cake
Day 2: Ultimate Lemon Pound Cake Bundt
Day 1: Orange Marmalade Jubilee Bundt

Recipe: Banana Chocolate Chip Bundt
Adapted from Classic Banana Bundt Cake
Page 190, Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan
Find it in your library or buy it on Amazon!

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, preferably at room temperature
About 4 very ripe bananas, mashed (you should have 1 1/2 - 1 3/4 cups)
1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
1 cup semi-sweet pr bittersweet chocolate chips

Oven: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Pan: 12-cup Bundt pan. Spray with Pam with Flour or Baker's Joy, or butter and flour pan generously.

1. Dry ingredients: Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together.

2. Cream: Working with a stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugar and beat at medium speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla, then add the eggs one at a time, beating for about 1 minute after each egg goes in. Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the bananas.

3. Combine dry & wet: On low speed, add 1/2 the dry ingredients, then all the sour cream, followed by the rest of the flour. Don't worry if the batter curdles. Fold in the chocolate chips.

4. Bundt Pan: Pour into prepared bundt pan. Rap pan on the counter to debubble and smooth the top.

5. Bake: Place pan in the oven (never put a Bundt pan on a tray - air needs to circulate through the hole in the center of the Bundt pan). Bake until a skewer inserted comes out clean or with just a few crumbs, about 65 to 75 minutes. Check the cake after about 30 minutes - if it is browning too quickly, cover it loosely with a foil tent. Remove and let cool on rack for 10 minutes before inverting onto rack. Cool to room temp.

6. Dorie says "If you've got the time, wrap the cooled cake in plastic and allow it to sit on the counter overnight before serving - it's better the next day."

Tuesdays with Dorie Finishes Book - Thank you Dorie & TWD

Just some of the delicious recipes made during Tuesdays with Dorie...

This past week, the baking group Tuesdays with Dorie completed making all the recipes in Dorie Greenspan's wonderful book, Baking: From My Home to Yours.

I wasn't able to participate each week, but I have made a majority of the recipes in the book. Aside from the butter, flour and chocolate, the Tuesdays with Dorie group changed my life in so many positive ways. I've made new friends and felt such a sense of community and friendship in this vast online world. TWD has helped me discover blogs and inspired me to bake each week! I learned new skills and gained confidence in my baking. Thank you Dorie Greenspan for being supportive of our group (getting a comment from The Dorie Greenspan on your post is such a thrill) and answering our questions. Dorie would give us hints and explanations...she's awesome! Thank you Laurie (who started the group) and Jules (who helped with  coordination) for keeping us organized and on track!

My new year's resolutions is to join the group going through Dorie's classic, Baking with Julia!

I'm sad this round of Tuesdays with Dorie has ended...but I know I have a book full of great recipes and notes, friendships and inspiration to carry me for many years to come.

Please read this Washington Post article about the group!

Chocolate Biscotti - Tuesdays with Dorie

Chocolate Biscotti

For this week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection, Jacque of Daisy Lane Cakes picked Chocolate Biscotti from Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours.

I used raw almonds (chopped a bit) and mini chocolate chips. Next time, I'm going to add dried cherries...that would be awesomeness.

Biscotti are twice baked cookies. Bake off a log, let cool for a bit and then cut and bake on its side. This finishes the baking and dries them out...making them crunchy. I like to leave a bit of "soft" in the center.

Grab a couple biscotti and a cup of coffee or tea. Nothing better.

Check out the other Tuesdays with Dorie bakers and see their creations!

Recipe:
Jacque of Daisy Lane Cakes blog,
or, Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours (page 144)

Brown Sugar Bundt Cake - Tuesdays with Dorie

 Brown Sugar Bundt Cake

For this week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection, Peggy from Pantry Revisited chose Brown Sugar Bundt Cake on page 179 of Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours.

Dude, it's a Bundt. You know I'm there. I love all of Dorie's Bundt recipes...and this one is no exception. I brought this into the library while it was still warm...and everyone could smell the lovely brown sugar!

Instead of using pears, I used granny smith apples. I also skipped all the nuts and the raisins to make it co-worker friendly. Super easy to make and no frosting. Ah, this is why the Bundt is the greatest baked good on the planet! Darn, I Like Big Bundts. :)

Thanks Peggy for a great pick! Check out the other Tuesdays with Dorie bakers and see their creations!

Recipe:
Peggy from Pantry Revisited blog,
or, Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours (page 179)
My notes: I used 2 granny smith apples instead of pears. I skipped all the nuts and raisins.

Thumbprints For Us Big Guys - Tuesdays with Dorie

For this week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection, Mike of Ugly Food Dude selected Thumbprints For Us Big Guys on page 164 of Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours.

Mike of Ugly Food Dude is hella funny and one of the few (are there others?) dudes cooking in Tuesdays with Dorie. You should definitely read his blog.

Be sure to check out the other Tuesdays with Dorie bakers!

I used walnuts instead of hazelnuts because I'm lazy and didn't want to buy any hazelnuts. Besides, I always think hazelnuts should be a blue-green color.

My cookies spread out a bit and don't look like the photo, but they were tasty.

I used Pam Jam in the center. Pam Jam? My friend Pam and her family make jam every year from their Berkeley plum tree. It's the best!

Recipe:
On Mike's Blog or...
Page 164 of Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours.

Sweet Potato (not) Pumpkin Biscuits - Tuesdays with Dorie

For this week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection, Erin of Prudence Pennywise selected Sweet Potato Biscuits, page 26 of Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours. Be sure to check out Erin's blog...it is lively and fun!

I messed up and ATE my sweet potato. Yes, I ate it! I had baked some up for a Bundt and wasn't thinking when I was seduced by the fall scent of fresh yams/sweet potatoes (I forgot which ones I purchased!) and ate the remaining sweet potato.

So, I used leftover canned pumpkin instead. I made 1/4 of this recipe.

They were easy to make, but I think I should have added more sweetness to the mix. Dorie's recipe uses canned sweet potatoes, but I was going to use fresh. Since sweet potato is sweeter than pumpkin (as the name implies...hee hee), I should have added more sugar.

I didn't have a biscuit cuter and since I'm pretty square, I made them in my likeness. Yes, nerd biscuits by someone who ate her ingredient.

I'll have to try these again with the proper ingredients and cutting utensils. In the meantime, why don't you go visit some fellow Tuesdays with Dorie bakers and see how they made out?

And if you have time, visit the rest of my blog for my crazy baking adventure. I cannot lie. I Like Big Bundts and am making 30 Bundt cakes leading up to National Bundt Day, November 15th. Today, I'm posting a Sweet Potato Bundt from Paula Deen!

Recipe:
Sweet Potato Biscuits, page 26, Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours.
Erin's blog of Prudence Pennywise

Allspice Crumb Muffins - Tuesdays with Dorie

For this week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection, Kayte of Grandma’s Kitchen Table chose Allspice Crumb Muffins, page 16 of Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours.

Ah. The muffin.

Such a lovely little mini cake that takes no time at all. And no frosting to fuss with. Score.

This one uses Allspice as the secret ingredient. (Although with the name Allspice Crumb Muffin, I guess it ain't a big secret! :)

I don't use allspice much...and I had to head to Penzeys Spice to pick up a new container. Ahhh. Nothing like fresh spices.

I think my topping should have formed a bit more. My topping wasn't crumby enough and sorta spread out on muffin. I'll have to see how my other Tuesdays with Dorie friend made theirs.

Thanks Kayte of Grandma’s Kitchen Table for a yummy pick!

Be sure to check out the other Tuesdays with Dorie bakers!

P.S. Happy Birthday to my niece Hailey!!

Recipe:
Kayte of Grandma’s Kitchen Table
Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours (page 16-17)