Cookies and Cream Mini Cheesecakes

February 11, 2018February 11, 2018 ~ Max ~ Leave a comment

These little cheesecakes are a favourite for any event. Easy to eat without a plate or cutlery, these cheesecakes leave behind very little mess.

Making these, I intended to add a fudge swirl to modify the recipe from Martha Stewart’s Original. Upon realizing I forgot muffin liners (AFTER already forgetting Oreos) I rushed out to the grocery store with my friend to pick some up. I came home to find my house filled with smoke because I left the fudge melting on the stove. Luckily there was no fire and I baked some challah to cover the smell of smoke. Thanks DN for the support and help throughout this adventure.

Taking this as a sign that I shouldn’t change the recipe, the only changes I made were using light cream cheese and sour cream.

Ingredients:

18 Oreos (any type, try a fun flavour to change it up)
2 8-ounce packages light cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/2 cup light sour cream
a pinch of salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 275˚F and line a muffin tin with liners (that you purchased in advance). Place 1 whole Oreo in the bottom of each liner.

In an electric mixer beat the cream cheese.

Add sugar and beat again.

Crack two eggs into a separate bowl and beat together.

Add vanilla and the egg mixture slowly.

Place remaining 6 Oreos in a ziplock back and break apart (using a rolling pin). Stir in oreos.

Divide batter into muffin liners and bake for 25 minutes. Refrigerate for 4 hours.

These can be stored in the fridge (in an airtight container) for 3 days or the freezer for 1 month.

Science Fact of the Week:

Sour cream is a dairy product that results from fermenting cream with lactic acid bacteria. Sour cream is high in healthy fats which may be protective against disease. It is also rich in nutrients such as vitamin A, riboflavin and phosphorous. These nutrients are essential for eyesight, immune health, bone health and energy.

Cranberry Orange Scones

January 28, 2018January 22, 2018 ~ Max ~ 1 Comment

These were again created off the same favourite base scone flavour. They truly work with any combination of flavour and are a great snack to keep on hand.

Make ahead and freeze the dough for a quick and fresh treat.

Thanks AH for the flavour suggestion and the help making these.

Ingredients:

For the scone

2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour (plus extra for counters)
6 tbsp. (75g) granulated sugar
2 and 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
zest of one orange
1/2 cup (115 g) unsalted butter, frozen (I throw it in the freezer ice drawer about 20 mins before I start making the scones, and take it out only when I’m ready to use it)
scant 1/2 cup heavy cream (I use 35% Cooking Cream)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 large egg

For the glaze

1 cup (120 g) confectioners’ sugar
2-3 tbsp fresh orange juice

Directions:

Mix the the first 5 ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and orange zest) in a large bowl.

Grate frozen butter (simplest to use food processor). Add butter to flour mixture and combine with pastry blender or fork. Mix until flour is combined and no larger than pea sized amounts remain.

Create a well in the centre and add cream, vanilla and an egg.

Mix wet ingredients in the well with a fork. Combine dry and wet ingredients with a spatula.

Shape and slice the dough exactly as done in Earl Grey Scones with Vanilla Glaze.

Bake for 12-17 minutes (15 minutes works perfectly for me).

Science Fact of The Week

A single orange can contain 75% of the recommended dose of vitamin C. Maintaining regular doses of vitamin C can be preventative of cancer and cardiovascular disease. Last year I wrote a literature review of vitamin C and cancer, looking at its use even as a cancer treatment. To get some extra vitamin C, you can eat the extra orange left after juicing! Contrary to popular belief, vitamin C is actually higher in other natural food such as red and green peppers!

Peppermint Mocha Meringues

January 7, 2018January 7, 2018 ~ Marvin ~ Leave a comment

Nothing “tastes like winter” quite like these Peppermint Mocha Meringues. We’ve even heard they taste like Christmas (thanks CS for the confirmation)!

Ingredients:

6 large egg whites, at room temperature
½ tsp. cream of tartar
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
2 tsp. cornstarch
½ tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. white vinegar
½ tsp. pure peppermint extract
4 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp. ground espresso powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 200F. Beat the egg whites with the wire whisk of an electric mixer in a large mixing bowl until foamy.

Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat until the beaters start leaving a trail through the whites.

In a separate bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch and salt.

Slowly add the sugar mixture into the egg whites, beating on high speed until they hold stiff, glossy peaks.

Add the vinegar and peppermint extract and beat again. Sift the cocoa and espresso powder over the mixture and fold in the dry ingredients.

I used a large ice cream scoop to drop the meringues on to 2 large baking sheets covered with parchment paper.

Bake for 120 minutes, then leave oven door halfway open for another 30 minutes, allowing cookies to dry. Makes 18 large meringues.

The original recipe for these was a peppermint meringue, but the addition of espresso powder gives these a unique flavour that reminds you of keeping warm on a cold winter day. Feel free to top with whipped cream, fruit, chocolate sauce or any other add ons.

Science Fact of the Week:

Like me (Max) you may be asking, what on earth is cream of tartar. It is a byproduct of wine and grape juice processing (sadly no, it is not alcoholic). It is added to meringue to stabilize whipped egg whites since it is an acidic salt. Quoted from Slate.com “Added to the whites before whipping begins (typically at a ratio of ⅛ teaspoon per large egg white), the acidic powder lowers the pH of the albumen. This changes the electrical charge of the proteins, making them more sensitive to denaturation, so the egg whites promptly begin to foam. The cream of tartar also increases the mixture’s hydrogen ions, which prevent the protein molecules from bonding too tightly. With the proteins aligned but not jammed together too tightly, the structure keeps the water and air bubbles in place, and therefore is stronger and more secure.” Some people even suggest adding it to any recipe that uses egg whites. Now we know!

Gingerbread People

December 31, 2017December 30, 2017 ~ Max ~ 2 Comments

Tis the season for gingerbread men and women, so we thought we would share our favourite recipe. This has been tweaked from the original (added espresso powder and vanilla extract) and works perfectly. Decorated with royal icing, people will be asking you where you bought them.

Ingredients

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup margarine or butter, softened
1 large egg
2/3 cup molasses
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups of all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp espresso powder (optional)

For the Royal Icing

2 tbsp meringue powder
1 lb icing sugar
6 tbsp water

Directions:

For the Cookies:

Preheat oven to 350˚F.

Cream the margarine (or butter) and sugar in an electric mixer.

Add egg, molasses and vanilla. Beat well.

Add in the dry ingredients (remaining ingredients) and mix slowly at first.

Once incorporated, increase the speed of the mixer until a dough is formed. Scrape down the edges and mix again. It should be sticky.

Shape the dough into two discs and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for minimum 2 hours, and up to 3 days.

Roll out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Use a gingerbread cutter to shape. Use a spatula transfer the gingerbread to a lined baking sheet.

Place baking sheet with gingerbread men in the refrigerator for 30 mins. This allows the dough to maintain its shape when baking.

Bake for 8-14 minutes (depending on the size of your gingerbread cutter). I used a small one, and my cookies baked for 9 minutes. They are done when they are just beginning to brown and are firm.

For the Icing:

Sift the sugar and meringue powder into bowl of electric mixer with a paddle attachment. Add water and beat until it has soft peaks.

I like to ice the gingerbread men using ziplock bags and multiple colours. I transfer spatula-fuls of icing to a ziplock, add food colouring, and then seal. I mix it around in the ziplock and then slice a tiny piece of the edge to create a make-shift piping bag.

I use white icing to draw all the faces first. Feel free to get creative and draw emoji faces (Thanks RT for that idea). I’ll then use different colours to add gum-drop buttons, ties, bowties, draw outlines and any other designs. Be creative!

Domestic Goddess lovingly refers to these as Menchies (little people). They are great.

Science Fact of the Week:

Like me as a kid, you may be asking – what on earth is molasses? Molasses is a byproduct of refining cane sugar. It comes from crushed sugar cane. It comes in multiple forms: light, dark, molasses, blackstrap, sulphured and unsulphured. We use unsulphured molasses, meaning it has no sulphur dioxide added to it. Molasses is very high in sugar, but it is unlike refined sugar in that it contains some vitamins and minerals, including vitamin B6, calcium, potassium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, and selenium.

Halva and Tahini Brownies

December 24, 2017December 23, 2017 ~ Marvin ~ Leave a comment

Happy Holidays!

This recipe is originally from Bonnie Stern in the National Post. We tried this for the holidays and instantly fell in love so we thought we would share it with you.

Ingredients:

1 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cups granulated sugar
5 large eggs
½ cup strong coffee at room temperature
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 ¼ cups unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. kosher salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks
4 oz. halvah, diced into small cubes
½ cup raw tahini, stirred until smooth

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 350F and line a 9-inch by 13-inch. baking pan with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
2) In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade, process oil, sugar, eggs, coffee and vanilla.

3) In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, powder and salt.

4) Add the dry ingredients to the processor and pulse until just combined.

5) Add the chocolate chunks and halvah and fold in with a rubber spatula until just combined.
6) Transfer the batter to prepared baking pan. Drizzle tahini over the batter and swirl with the tip of a knife.

7) Bake 28-33 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature then transfer to refrigerator in order to slice once chilled.

Science Fact of the Week:

Tahini is made of sesame seeds and is rich in vitamins and minerals which may promote healthy cell growth and prevent anemia. Tahini is high in healthy fats and amino acids, providing many nutritional benefits.

Sufganiyot (Hannukah Donuts)

December 10, 2017December 9, 2017 ~ Marvin ~ Leave a comment

This was the first attempt at a Chanukah delicacy and it worked! Uniquely made with a bread machine, these homemade Israeli style donuts need very close supervision (don’t step away from the pot).

Ingredients:

2/3 cup slightly warmed unsweetened vanilla almond milk
¼ cup water at room temperature
¼ cup (1/2 stick) unsalted pareve margarine at room temperature
1 egg, slightly beaten
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt
3 cups bread flour
2 ½ tsp. bread machine yeast
Peanut/canola oil for deep frying
Jam/Nutella for filling
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Directions:

Add to bread machine pan all of the ingredients in the order listed above from milk through yeast. After 2 hours, remove dough from pan.

Roll out the dough to ½ -inch thickness and cut rounds using a standard drinking glass dipped in flour. This should make 32-36 rounds.

Place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and cover with a dish towel for one hour.

Using a thermometer, fill deep pot with approximately 2 inches of oil and bring to 375F over medium heat.

Carefully place 4 donuts in oil for 1 minute until golden brown

Then flip them and fry for another 30 seconds.

Remove from pot and place on cookie sheet lined with paper towels. Continue to deep fry the donuts while the temperature remains at approximately 375F. Feel free to dust with icing sugar or “inject” with jam/Nutella/filling of your choice.

Science Fact of the Week:

For this recipe we used peanut oil! It has a high smoke point and as such can be heated to a high temperature. These are fried for a short period of time, keeping the oil absorbed to a minimum.

Cake Pops

December 3, 2017November 29, 2017 ~ Max ~ Leave a comment

For any family event my go to dessert is a cake pop. I make 3-4 different kinds, and have mastered the technique over the last 5 years. This recipe is a lot of work and requires patience, but the pay off is worth it. Make these and the number one question you get will be “where did you buy them?”

Buckle down and get ready for the ride, this post is a long one. Clear some freezer space and head to Michael’s with a shopping list in hand.

Supplies

Cake pop sticks
Cake pop treat bags with twist ties
Candy melts, any colour
Foam blocks
An opaque bucket – such as this one, but any canister you want to place the cake pops in for decoration
Optional: ribbon for decoration of canister and/or cake pops

This recipe is going to follow an untraditional format from previous ones. Instead of including the ingredients/directions for the cake, I’ll be providing the assembly instructions. These cake pops can be made with any cake and any frosting. The choices are endless and it is up to you! I’ve made red velvet with cream cheese frosting, green tea cake with cream cheese frosting, chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, chocolate cake with espresso frosting, vanilla cake with chocolate frosting, vanilla cake with vanilla frosting and even cookie dough.

This recipe is comprised of pictures of many different samples, however the classic favourite in our house is chocolate with espresso frosting. Please note: if you are making cookie dough, try this recipe and don’t include any frosting. Skip straight to rolling out the balls once you’ve prepared the raw dough. A shout out to SA for helping prep these. She helped make these cake pops right after designing our incredible logo.

Ingredients:

1 recipe chocolate cake
1/2 recipe espresso frosting

Directions

1) Prepare cake in a 9×13 pan and allow to cool.

2) Carefully trim top and sides of cake to remove any “crunchy” exterior

3) Prepare a 1/2 recipe of frosting

4) Place cake in a large bowl and add 1-2 cups of frosting and mix with your hands (varies depending on moisture level of cake). You want the cake pop to be able to stick together when rolled into a ball. Ensure that you add enough frosting so they don’t crack and crumble.

5) Scoop a heaping tablespoon of cake from the bowl and roll into an even ball. Repeat until all dough is finished. This picture is from the vanilla cake pops, however the chocolate would look very similar.

6) Place balls on parchment on a cookie sheet and place in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes.

7) Take balls out of fridge and melt a bowl of candy melts in a bowl (any colour)

8) Dip a lollipop stick into the melted chocolate, and then put it into the cake ball. Place the stick into the foam block to support it.

9) Put the cake pops (with foam blocks) in the freezer for 1-2 hours

10) Melt more of the candy melts (a full bowl) – can be done on the stove or in the microwave (any colour)

11) Dip the frozen cake pop into the melted chocolate and twist it so it is completely covered. Since the cake is frozen, it will harden quickly. Optional: cover the outside in sprinkles

12) Place the stick back in the foam block and allow it to harden completely in the freezer.

13) Optional: You can decorate the cake pops by melting a different colour candy melt. Place a small amount of the candy melt in a ziplock back. Seal it and place it in a large bowl of hot water. Once melted, cut a small tip off the corner and drizzle onto the cake pops.

14) Once the cake pops are prepared, slide them into the treat bag and close with a twist tie. Optional: Add a ribbon for decoration.

15) Place a foam block in the container (cut to size). Arrange the cake pops into a bouquet in the container. Optional: Add a ribbon to the outside for decoration.

Congrats! You made it to the end! This recipe is intensive, but a unique one. Give it a shot and it will be worth it.

Science Fact of the Week:

Our science fact of the week has to do with gravity and temperature. These cake pops are very temperamental. If you make them too large, they will be heavy and will fall off the stick. As the saying goes, what goes up must come down. Let’s just hope it comes down into our stomachs. As well, ensure that you are allowing the cake pops to cool between steps so that the balls and chocolate harden. This will ensure their stability on the sticks.

The Best Banana Bread

November 26, 2017November 21, 2017 ~ Marvin ~ 1 Comment

Simple and delicious; after many tweaks and adjustments in the lab, one of my most favourite recipes to prepare. I have attached a photo of my late mother Pearl’s original recipe.

I like to think that Max and I are lucky enough to have inherited some of my Mom’s and Bubi’s baking genes.

Ingredients:

3 ripe bananas
2 large eggs
¼ cup canola/grapeseed/olive/coconut oil
¼ cup orange juice/soy milk/almond milk/coconut milk
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. kosher salt
OPTIONAL-1 cup semisweet chocolate chips tossed in 1/8 cup any flour

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350F and line a standard loaf pan with parchment paper, sprayed with cooking spray.

Place bananas, eggs, oil, milk, vanilla and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process until well combined.

In a separate bowl, combine flours, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

Add to food processor and pulse until just combined.

Fold in chocolate chips if using.

Transfer batter to loaf pan.

Bake for 60 minutes.

This banana bread freezes well and is a great use for overripe bananas. If you have bananas sitting on your counter use them to make this banana bread.

Science Fact of the Week:

Bananas are inexpensive and great to keep on hand. As they ripen they release ethylene gas, which is a natural part of the ripening procedure of most fruits and vegetables. If you have a couple unripe bananas and one ripe one, throw them together into a brown paper bag to speed up the ripening process. This also works to soften an avocado. Put a ripe banana with an avocado in a brown bag overnight and it speeds up the ripening process.