sugar cookies

The September 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Mandy of “What the Fruitcake?!” Mandy challenged everyone to make Decorated Sugar Cookies based on recipes from Peggy Porschen and The Joy of Baking.

For this challenge, we were allowed to pick a theme of our choice but it had to relate to the month of September.  For my cookies, I decided to choose "autumn" as the theme.

Basic Sugar Cookies:
Makes Approximately 36x 10cm / 4" Cookies

½ cup + 6 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
3 cups + 3 Tbsp All Purpose / Plain Flour
1 cup Caster Sugar / Superfine Sugar
1 Large Egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp Vanilla Extract / Or seeds from 1 vanilla bean

Directions
• Cream together the butter, sugar and any flavourings you’re using. Beat until just becoming
creamy in texture.
• Tip: Don’t over mix otherwise you’ll incorporate too much air and the cookies will spread during
baking, losing their shape.
• Beat in the egg until well combined, make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add the sifted flour and mix on low until a non sticky dough forms.
• Knead into a ball and divide into 2 or 3 pieces.
• Roll out each portion between parchment paper to a thickness of about 5mm/1/5 inch (0.2 inch)
• Refrigerate for a minimum of 30mins.
• Tip: Recipes commonly just wrap the whole ball of dough in clingwrap and then refrigerate it for an hour or overnight, but by rolling the dough between parchment, this shortens the chilling time and then it’s also been rolled out while still soft making it easier and quicker.
• Once chilled, peel off parchment and place dough on a lightly floured surface.
• Cut out shapes with cookie cutters or a sharp knife.
• Arrange shapes on parchment lined baking sheets and refrigerate for another 30mins to an hour.
• Tip: It’s very important you chill them again otherwise they’ll spread while baking.
• Re-roll scraps and follow the above process until all scraps are used up.
• Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C Fan Assisted) / 350°F / Gas Mark 4.
• Bake until golden around the edges, about 8-15mins depending on the size of the cookies.
• Tip: Bake same sized cookies together otherwise mixing smaller with larger cookies could result in some cookies being baked before others are done.
• Tip: Rotate baking sheets half way through baking if your oven bakes unevenly.
• Leave to cool on cooling racks.
• Once completely cooled, decorate as desired.
• Tip: If wrapped in tinfoil/cling wrap or kept in airtight containers in a cool place, un-decorated cookies can last up to a month.

Royal Icing:

2½ - 3 cups Icing / Confectioner’s / Powdered Sugar, unsifted
2 Large Egg Whites
2 tsp Lemon Juice
1 tsp Almond Extract, optional

Directions

• Beat egg whites with lemon juice until combined.
• Tip: It’s important that the bowls/spoons/spatulas and beaters you use are thoroughly cleaned and grease free.
• Sift the icing sugar to remove lumps and add it to the egg whites.
• Tip: There are 2 amounts of icing sugar, the lesser amount is good for a flooding consistency, and the larger amount is for outlining, but you can add even more for a much thicker consistency good for writing. If you add too much icing sugar or would like to make a thinner consistency, add very small amounts of water, a few drops at a time, until you reach the consistency you need.
• Beat on low until combined and smooth.
• Use immediately or keep in an airtight container.
• Tip: Royal Icing starts to harden as soon as it’s in contact with air so make sure to cover containers with plastic wrap while not in use.

reduced sugar apple butter

The September 2010 Daring Cooks’ challenge was hosted by John of Eat4Fun. John chose to challenge The Daring Cooks to learn about food preservation, mainly in the form of canning and freezing. He challenged everyone to make a recipe and preserve it. John’s source for food preservation information was from The National Center for Home Food Preservation. 

Reduced Sugar Apple Butter Recipe

I used used sweet apples from my neighbour's tree, so the need for sugar was reduced. 


5 pounds apples
1 cup apple cider or water
1/2 cup sweetener such as honey, agave syrup or sugar to taste (I only used a few tablespoons of agave syrup as my apples were quite sweet to begin with)
1 tablespoon cinnamon 
1/2 teaspoon allspice 
1/4 teaspoon cloves


1. Wash apples well and remove stems. Cut apples into quarters or eighths and remove cores. Note: I ended up peeling the apple at this step.
 
2. Combine unpeeled apples and cider in 8-quart (about 7 1⁄2 litre) saucepan. Cook slowly and stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Cook until apples are very soft (falling apart).

 
3. Position a food mill or strainer securely over a large bowl. Press cooked apples with cider through the food mill or strainer to make a pulp. Be sure to collect all the pulp that comes through the food mill or strainer; for example, scrape any pulp clinging under the food mill into the bowl.

(My apples were very soft at this point, so did not need to do this step.  I simply mashed them with a potato masher)
 
4. Combine pulp with sweetener and spices in an 8-quart (about 7 1⁄2 litre) saucepan. Simmer over low heat, stirring frequently.
 
Note: A stick blender was used to mix the spices and creates a smoother apple butter. Also, when cooking down the apples, you want to leave the lid ajar or use a splatter screen. This will allow for evaporation. Another trick is to support the lid by laying two wooden spoons across the top of the pot.

 
5. To test for doneness, spoon a small quantity onto a clean plate; when the butter mounds on the plate without liquid separating around the edge of the butter, it is ready for processing. Another way to test for doneness is to remove a spoonful of the cooked butter on a spoon and hold it away from steam for 2 minutes. It is done if the butter remains mounded on the spoon.

 
6. Pour contents into desired storage container or multiple containers and process accordingly. 

 
The Finished Apple Butter
 
Apple Butter is often used as a spread. However, apple butter can also be used as a condiment (pork chops or in marinades) or as an ingredient to an apple quick bread.
 
Freezing
  
You can use a freezer bag where I expelled as much air as possible and minimized the gaps in the bag. Freezer bags work well for storage since they can lay flatter in the freezer than containers.
 
With a container, you need to ensure you have “headspace”. Headspace is the gap between the food (or liquid level) and the top of the container. Typical, headspace when freezing foods is 1/2 “ (1.27 cm) for straight sided containers. As mentioned previously, water expands when freezing. The headspace allows room for expansion.
 
Thawing: The best method (Food Safety) is to thaw in the refrigerator for a day. Cold water, 70F (21C) or lower, can be used for as quicker way to defrost. The frozen food is submerged under running water. An alternative to running water is to change the water every 30 minutes. If you need an even faster method to defrost and you plan to cook the food immediately, the microwave is another method (of last resort).
 
Boiling Water Canning

 

For our challenge, apples are high acid foods. Golden delicious apples have an approximate pH of 3.6. Boiling Water Canning is an appropriate method of preserving apple butter.
 
Apple Butter processing information: Headspace when canning apple butter is 1/4 “ (0.64 cm)
 
Processing Time: 15 minutes for altitude of 0 ft (0 m) to 1,000 ft (305 m) 20 minutes for altitude of 1,001 ft (305.1 m) to 6,000 ft (1828.8 m) 25 minutes altitudes above 6,000 ft (1828.8 m)
 
For boiling water canning, you need a pot that is high enough to cover the jars with at least 1” (2.5 cm) of water. Also, a rack, to prevent thermal shock, is used to keep the jars off the bottom of the pot. Any type of rack will work – a tea towel, a trivet, tying together unused bands... etc.
 
Jars are filled using a wide mouth funnel. A plastic bubble remover is run along the sides of the jar, in an up and down motion, to remove air pockets. Headspace is measured to 1⁄4" (6.5mm). The top and side of the jar are wiped down with a damp paper towel.
 
Lids are placed in a pan of hot water (180F or 82C) to soften the sealing compound. The lid is seated, centered on the jar and the band is screwed on. The purpose of the band is to hold the lid down, but not too tightly. Air from the jar needs to escape into the boiling water.
  
Screw down the bands only until finger tight.
 
The jars are lowered into the hot water canner. Water temperature is about 180F (82.2C). The water level is checked to ensure there is at least 1” (2.54 cm) of water above the jars. Next, pot is covered and heat turned to high. When the water comes to a boil, the timer is started (15 minutes). The heat can be lowered as long as the water remains at a boil.
 
After the 15 minutes are up, the whole canner is removed off the burner and uncovered. Jars are left in the canner for 5 more minutes.
After 5 minutes, the jars are lifted out level. The temptation is to tilt the jars to drain the water off the top of the lids. Do NOT do that! You don’t want to contents of the jar to running under the seal.
 
Jars are placed on a dish towel to minimize thermal shock and allowed to cool for 12 to 24 hours. While the jars are cooling, you may hear a ping or a pop from the lid as it seals. That ping is a good sound.
 
After 24 hours, test the seal. The lid should be bowed down (concave), when you press down the lid should not move or pop up. Also, try lifting the jar by the lid only. The lid should stay on if properly sealed. The final thing is to look at the lid to see if there are any cracks or debris caught between the jar and the lid.
 
Storing – Once the integrity of the lids have been checked, it’s best to store the jars in a cool, dark space. The rings are removed. The rings have done their job of holding down the lids in the boiling water canner and are not needed for storage.
 
Remember to check the lid before you open a jar. If the lid has become unsealed during storage or the lid is bulging, throw it out. If the food has mold, become oddly discolored or has an off odor, throw it out.
 
The canned apple butter can easily store on a shelf for one year.

sweet potato pound cake

This is the perfect fall pound cake.  Your kitchen will be filled with the most wonderful smell and it really is comfort food in a cake.  It is moist, it is dense, and it's full of sweet-potatoey goodness!  Try it toasted for an extra treat.  I topped mine with a quick caramel glaze which was a great match.

Sweet Potato Pound Cake 
(from Southern Cakes by Nancie McDermott)

3 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
4 eggs
2 cups mashed cooked sweet potatoes

Heat the oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan.  Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt in a medium bowl, and stir with a fork to mix well.  Combine the milk and vanilla in a small bowl.  Set aside the milk and flour mixtures.


In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and brown sugar together with a mixer at high speed until light and well combined, stopping once or twice to scrape down the bowl.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well each time.  Add the mashed sweet potatoes and mix at low speed for 1 minute, or until the batter is evenly mixed.


Add about half the flour mixture and beat gently, using a wooden spoon or a mixer at low speed, only until the flour disappears into the batter.  Add half the milk and mix gently to combine everything well.  Mix in the remaining flour and then the remaining milk, beating gently only until you have a thick, smooth batter.


Scrape the batter into the prepared tube pan, and bake at 350 degrees for between 60 and 75 minutes, or until the cake is evenly browned, springs back when touched gently in the centre, and a wooden skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.


Cool in the pan on a wire rack or a folded kitchen towel for 20 minutes.  Then use a table knife to loosen the cake from the pan.  Turn out the cake onto a wire rack, place it top side up, and cool to room temperature.  

Quick Caramel Glaze

This glaze sets up quickly and needs to be spread on the cake as soon as it is ready.


1/2 cup butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup evaporated milk
4 cups sifted confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla


Combine the butter and brown sugar in a medium saucepan.  Stir over medium heat until the butter melts and blends with the brown sugar to make a smooth sauce, 2 to 3 minutes.  Add the milk, and let the icing come to a gentle boil.  Stir well, remove from the heat, and add the sifted confectioner's sugar and vanilla.  Beat well with a mixer, whisk or spoon for 1 to 2 minutes, until the glaze thickens and loses a little of its shine.  Use at once.  If the glaze hardens, stir in 1 or 2 spoonfuls of evaporated milk to soften it.

cookbook review - "Southern Cakes"

The review I wrote for the cookbook "Southern Cakes: Sweet and Irresistible Recipes for Everyday Celebrations" by Nancie McDermott is now up on the Daring Kitchen website.