Heaven-Sent: A History of Angel Food Cake

Image: YumSugarThis cloudlike cake would naturally be the first choice of mild-mannered angels: light, fluffy, and delicate.

Now, if you're having trouble wrapping your mind around what Angel Food cake actually is, allow me to help. This delicate cake is painstakingly made with several egg whites whipped until they are stiff and gently folded into fairly typical cake ingredients: cake flour, sugar, vanilla (but no "fat" source such as butter or oil). It also contains cream of tartar, which helps to stabilize the egg whites, keep the cake from browning unevenly, and and does not impart a flavor to the cake. But really, it's the egg whites that are the key to this cake: it is the unique, whip-em-stiff method that allows for the cake's leavening. The resulting cake is light and delicate, making it an ideal canvas for toppings. Usually they are baked in a tube pan--a tall, round pan with a tube up the center that leaves a hole in the middle of the cake (a bundt pan may also be used, but the bumps on the sides of the pan can make removal more difficult, especially considering that the cake pan is not greased for this recipe). As I read here, "The center tube allows the cake batter to rise higher by 'clinging' to all sides of the pan."Image: Wikipedia

But how did we mere mortals come upon this sweet treat?

While some historians claim that early Angel Food cakes were baked by slaves (the reason being that making this cake was labor-intensive, requiring a strong beating arm and lots of labor to whip the air into the whites), many signs point to the cake really planting itself in the common vernacular in Southeastern Pennsylvania, where the cake molds for the famous cake proliferate. "...angel (or angel food) cakes, which some believe evolved as the result of numerous egg whites left over after the making of noodles, may or may not be the brainchild of thrifty Pennsylvania cooks who considered it sinful to waste anything." (American food: The gastronomic story by Evan Jones).

The first recipes do seem to crop up in cookbooks starting in the 1870s, shortly after the invention of a rotary beater. Not coincidentally, the cake also became more common then--much less physical labor involved.

1896 is the year it made its formal debut as “Angel Food Cake”, though, in that year’s updated edition of the Boston Cooking School cookbook. The recipe reads as follows:

"Angel Cake - One cup of flour, measured after one sifting, and then mixed with one teaspoonful of cream of tartar and sifted four times. Beat the whites of eleven eggs, with a wire beater or perforated spoon, until stiff and flaky. Add one cup and a half of fine granulated sugar, and beat again; add one teaspoon of vanilla or almond, then mix in flour quickly and lightly. Line the bottom and funnel of a cake pan with paper not greased, pour in the mixture, and bake about forty minutes. When done, loosen the cake around the edge, and turn out at once. Some persons have been more successful with this cake by mixing the sugar with the flour and cream of tartar, and adding all at once to the beaten egg. "

Other names under which the cake may be seen are: Sponge Cake, Cornstarch Cake, Silver Cake, and/or Snow-drift Cake.

As for my own thoughts on the cake? Confession: I've never completely understood Angel Food Cake. It has always seemed slightly too virtuous, a fat free concoction made of egg whites, sugar, and, seemingly, air. Until, that is, I discovered "Church Spread", defined by CakeLove founder Warren Brown as a "combination of corn syrup or molasses, marshmallow cream and peanut butter...calorie-wise, it's far more sinful than angel food cake"...basically the secret sauce that keeps this light-as-air cake from flying away.

If you want a recipe for Angel Food Cake, click here (also where I got the picture from the top of the post).

Here's a recipe for Church Spread:

• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup peanut butter, smooth
• 1/4 cup marshmallow creme

In a bowl, mix corn syrup, peanut butter and marshmallow creme until thoroughly combined. Store in an air-tight container.

Pillsbury Bake-Off Countdown: Salted Caramel Macaroons

Image: Pillsbury Bake-OffCakeSpy Note: I am beyond ecstatic to announce that I have been invited as a media guest to the 45th Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off in Orlando, Florida! The event will take place in late March; til then, I am going to feature several of the sweets finalists here in anticipation of the big day!

 Don't think less of me, but I actually like macaroons better than macarons. Don't get me wrong: macarons are adorable, distinguished, sophisticated, and an artful baked good which I appreciate very much.

But when it comes to a cookie that satisfies, for me, I will take the lumpy macaroon any time.

But this version has a sort of pinkies-out twist: "Sea salt meets sweet treat in an updated classic coconut macaroon." It was created for the Pillsbury Bake-Off by Sarah Meuser of New Milford, Connecticut.

Salted Caramel Macaroons

Ingredients

• 1 can (14 oz) Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 1 jar (12.25 oz) Smucker's® Caramel Ice Cream Topping
• 1 cup Pillsbury BEST® All Purpose Unbleached Flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons   Sea Salt
• 2 bags (14 oz each) shredded coconut
• 1 1/2 cup Chopped Pecans
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate baking chips

Procedure

1. Heat oven to 325°F. Line 2 large cookie sheets with cooking parchment paper; spray with Crisco® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray.
2. In large bowl, combine condensed milk, caramel topping, flour and 3/4 teaspoon of the sea salt; mix well. Stir in coconut, pecans and chocolate chips until well mixed.
3. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls 1 inch apart onto cookie sheets. Lightly sprinkle tops with remaining 1/2 teaspoon sea salt.
4. Bake 15 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Store in airtight container.

Which Card Design Is Cuter?

Undoubtedly the idea of a forbidden love affair between cheesecake and cheesesteak is pretty adorable.

United by dairy, separated by the dinner-dessert divide, one made with Philly cream cheese, one just plain made in Philly.

But which version of this affair, immortalized in card form, is cuter? What do you think? With words or without? 

Here's a bigger version in case it helps you decide.

Pillsbury Bake-Off Countdown: White Chocolate and Apple-Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding

Image: Pillsbury Bake-OffCakeSpy Note: I am beyond ecstatic to announce that I have been invited as a media guest to the 45th Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off in Orlando, Florida! The event will take place in late March; til then, I am going to feature several of the sweets finalists here in anticipation of the big day!

Let's talk about White Chocolate and Apple-Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding.

Or, better yet, let's not. Let's just make a big batch, put on a Lifetime Original and a pear of sweatpants, and enjoy the riches. Kidding. Sort of.

"Pillsbury cinnamon rolls jump-start a bread pudding with a creamy custard and rich white chocolate", says creator (and suspected genius) Antoinette Leal of Ridgefield, CT.

Here's how you make it at home.

White Chocolate and Apple-Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding

• 1 can Pillsbury refrigerated cinnamon rolls with icing
• 1 12-ounce bag white baking chips
• 3cups half-and-half or heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 4 Eggs, beaten
• 1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled, diced
• 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• 1/2 cup Chopped Pecans

Garnish, if desired

• 1/2 cup sweetened whipped cream
• 8 Cinnamon Sticks
• 8 fresh mint sprigs

Procedure

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Spray 8 (10-oz) ramekins or custard cups with Crisco® No-Stick Cooking Spray with Flour. Place each roll, cinnamon topping up, into ramekin. Reserve icing. Place ramekins in large baking pan with sides.
2. Bake 11 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.
3. Meanwhile, reserve 1/3 cup white chips for topping. To make custard, in 2-quart saucepan, combine remaining baking chips, half-and-half, vanilla and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, or until mixture is smooth. Remove from heat; cool 5 minutes. Beat eggs into custard with wire whisk until blended.
4. Pour approximately 1/2 cup custard over each baked cinnamon roll. Let stand 10 minutes. Evenly top ramekins with remaining custard.
5. Bake at 375°F for 10 minutes or until eggs are starting to set.
6. Meanwhile, in medium bowl, stir together reserved icing, diced apple, ground cinnamon, pecans and reserved 1/3 cup white chips.
7. Spoon about 1/4 cup apple mixture over each cinnamon roll. Bake an additional 15 to 18 minutes or until filling has set and apples are tender. Remove from oven; let stand 15 minutes.
8. Garnish bread puddings with whipped cream, cinnamon stick and sprig of mint. Serve warm.

Sweet of the Day: Ice Cream in Pretzel Cones, Miller's Twist, Philadelphia

The best invention, possibly ever: ice cream in pretzel cones. Honestly, the combo is all WIN, no lose. 

I discovered this feat of awesomeness at Miller's Twist, a pretzel-hot-dog-ice-cream vendor in the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia. 

After being drawn in by the sign for Butter Brickle ice cream (a flavor you really don't see enough), I noticed that I could get a cake or wafer cone, like a jerk...

or, for a mere $1.25 more, I could get either a waffle, chocolate, cookie, or pretzel cone.

Pretzel Cone! No contest!

The sweet, creamy ice cream against the sturdy, salty-carby-crackery pretzel cone, was basically the best thing ever. It was a sweet and salty combo which called to mind the decadence of french fries and a shake, but was devoid of the greasy sogginess that can occur when you dip your fries. The pretzel cone stood the test of cone consumption time, not collapsing under the weight of the ice cream, and not leaking or getting soggy toward the end. 

Butter brickle in a pretzel cone was a very delicious combo, but to bravely test out another option for you, I returned the next day and got another pretzel cone, this time with peanut butter ripple ice cream.

It was also, I am happy to report, quite delicious. So, to review: if you are in Philadelphia, get yourself to Miller's Twist for a pretzel cone!

Find Miller's Twist on Facebook here.

Batter Chatter: Interview with Carmen of C for Cupcake Cupcakery

I love baked goods, and I love people who bake goods. They've always got some sweet wisdom to impart, and new flavor combinations to share.

What follows is an interview with budding baking business C for Cupcake Cupcakery, a southern California based business specializing in...well, you guessed it, cupcakes! But with flavors like Japanese honey and a blog which intersects sweetness and pop culture, this business is anything but cookie-cutter. Read on:

C for Cupcake Cupcakery. How did you make the jump from home baker to commercial baker? I always enjoyed baking, cooking and art. Baking is a magical hobby that somehow marry two things I love the most, food and art, together! I often baked for no reasons at home in the past. One evening, a friend of my husband came over to our house, and he saw me baking some cupcakes. He asked if I am having a party tomorrow. I answered no, just baking for fun. Then, he was joking that I should consider baking for others as a business. After his "joke", I thought of it thoroughly for nights, and totally agreed that I could turn my hobby to business. After preparing myself for years (mastering my recipes and practicing my cupcake decorating skills), I was finally ready to turn myself to a commerical baker to serve others.

Do you still enjoy baking as a hobby, or is it more like work to you now? OF COURSE! I still enjoy baking and still treat it as my ultimate hobby. I still love trying new recipes, bake for fun, and decorating cupcakes when I have ideas popped up in my mind .

If cake balls and cupcakes had a knife fight, who would win? hm...hm...interesting question - I will say cupcakes would still kick cake balls' butts. The reason why I love cupcakes are the feeling of biting in a moist cupcake with fluffy frosting on top. Cake balls cannot fulfill that satisfaction (SORRY! cake balls, but I still love you.)

I need fashion advice. Do you think I could get away with wearing a cupcake dress like Katy Perry? Dear Head Spy, you will look as cute as (or even cuter than) Katy in a cupcake dress, trust me on that!

Tell me more about your "Japanese Honey" flavor. Japanese food is my cardio. Japanese food and its culture have influence my baking and decorating in a big way. I once had this Japanese cake when I was a little kid. Ever since that "encounter", I could not forget the honest flavor of this cake. So I experienced with different recipes to find the perfect flavor I had tasted when I was little. Finally, I successfully created this perfect Japanese honey cupcake. This cake has a very honest taste - a faint honey flavor, a hintful of egg flavor, very light and almost spongy texture.

What is a "bad" cupcake to you? A DRY cupcake with overly sweet frosting is a bad cupcake to me.

Do you think you'll ever open a retail location? Why or why not? That's my dream! I have couple ideas/concepts in mine of what I want my store to be (*secret*); I am working hard to make my dream come true. I want people to view my store as part of the lifestyle.

Pressing dessert question: which do you like best: ice cream, gelato, or frozen custard? Gelato and FroYo are my fave!

If you could only eat one cake/frosting flavor combo for the rest of your life, what would it be? It's quite a challenging question to answer - I would pick my home-made caramel apple cupcake with caramel butter cream frosting; this cupcake reminds me of a big caramel apple but with a soft texture.

Tell me about how pop culture and cupcakes intersect in your life and business. Pop culture is something I see, read and listen everyday. A simple line from a movie, clothes that celebrities wear, or a romantic sit-com are always an inspiration to me. I love to cooperate what I saw, listened, read lately into my cupcake designs.

What's next for C is for Cupcake? We just launched our Etsy shop not too long ago (http://www.etsy.com/shop/C4CupcakeCupcakery). My next goal this year is offering matching party supplies, including fondant cupcake toppers/paper cupcake picks, cupcake liners, party decorations (such as banners, paper straws, flags, etc.) to help people to create their perfect party!

Any parting words? I always believe that everything is possible.  Don't ever look down on yourself!  Don't tell yourself you are just an ordinary housewife, a freshly graduated student without a real job, or a single mom...Everything is possible, so DON'T STOP BELIVING!  A drive can make people run very very very...far.

For more sweetness, visit the C for Cupcake website.

Pillsbury Bake-Off Countdown: Chocolate and Caramel-Cinnamon Roll Skewers

Image: Pillsbury Bake-OffCakeSpy Note: I am beyond ecstatic to announce that I have been invited as a media guest to the 45th Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off in Orlando, Florida! The event will take place in late March; til then, I am going to feature several of the sweets finalists here in anticipation of the big day!

Everything tastes better on a stick.

But some things on a stick taste better than others. For instance, Chocolate and Caramel-Cinnamon Roll Skewers. Do you really need to hear much more than the name to know what I mean?

This is a finalist in the Bake-off, created by Frances Blackwelder of Grand Junction, Colorado, who says "Do cinnamon rolls one better. Skewer them and drizzle with caramel, chocolate and icing for a most indulgent treat!".

Here's the recipe. 

Chocolate and Caramel-Cinnamon Roll Skewers

Ingredients

• 1can Pillsbury® Grands!® Flaky Supreme refrigerated cinnamon rolls with icing
• 5 (12- or 10-inch) wooden skewers
• 25 caramels, unwrapped (from 14-oz bag)
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 3/4 cup Chopped Pecans
• 3/4 cup milk chocolate baking chips
• 1 teaspoon Vegetable Oil

Procedure

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line large cookie sheet with cooking parchment paper or spray with Crisco® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray. Separate dough into 5 rolls; reserve icing. Unroll each roll into a strip; thread each strip onto wooden skewer. Place on cookie sheet.
2. Bake 13 to 19 minutes or until golden brown. Place piece of waxed paper under cooling rack. Transfer skewers from cookie sheet to cooling rack.
3. Meanwhile, in 2-quart saucepan over low heat, heat caramels and milk, stirring occasionally, until caramels are melted. Place pecans on piece of waxed paper. Generously drizzle caramel mixture lengthwise over cinnamon roll strips; roll in pecans. Return to cooling rack.
4. In small resealable freezer plastic bag, place chocolate chips and oil; seal bag. Microwave on High 15 to 25 seconds or until softened. Gently squeeze bag until chocolate is smooth; cut off tiny corner of bag. Squeeze bag to drizzle chocolate crosswise over cinnamon roll strips.
5. Place reserved icing in small resealable freezer plastic bag; seal bag. Microwave on High 10 seconds or until softened. Gently squeeze bag until icing is smooth; cut off tiny corner of bag. Squeeze bag to drizzle icing crosswise over cinnamon roll skewers. Serve warm.

Foodbuzz 24x24: Sweet Brunch in Philadelphia

Question: When you move to a new city, how do you get people to love you quick?

This was a question I came up against when I recently took an artistic opportunity to relocate from Seattle to Philadelphia for a while. With the prospect of several months on the East coast ahead of me, I knew that I wanted to surround myself with some sweet friends. 

And the answer to how I would do this was pretty easy: design a brunch menu completely composed of sweet treats. Sort of like "if you bake it, they will come."

And happily, the folks at Foodbuzz thought it was a fantastic idea too, and chose my concept for their monthly 24x24 event, wherein 24 food bloggers create a meal and execute it within the same 24 hours.

Now, to really immerse myself in my new city, I hit up the Reading Terminal Market for ingredients. If you're shopping for weekend brunch at the market, though, I suggest doing it on Friday or Saturday: the Amish vendors are not there on Sundays, and you definitely want to hit up Beiler's Bakery for cakes and cinnamon rolls, as well as other Amish vendors for farm-fresh eggs, milk, and all sorts of other ingredients. Like coffee.

And all of the other baking basics: eggs, butter, and cakes and pastries (flour and sugar I just got at the grocery store). Armed with plenty of delicious stuff, I set to work.

To start off with a bang, I started by preparing a tray of Cadbury Creme Eggs Benedict. This recipe is possibly my crowning achievement, featured in my amazing book, CakeSpy Presents Sweet Treats for a Sugar-Filled Life. Here's the recipe:

• 2 Cadbury creme eggs
• 1 plain cake doughnut
• 1 brownie, the fudgier the better
• 2 to 4 tablespoons' worth of buttercream frosting, to taste
• 1 large slice pound cake, cut into small cubes
• 1 tablespoons butter
• Red sugar sprinkles, to garnish

Procedure

Prepare the "side potatoes" by melting 1 tablespoon of butter in a frying pan. Add your cubed pound cake slices and fry on medium heat for about 2 minutes. Flip the pieces and fry for 2 more minutes. Once they are lightly crispy on the edges, they're ready; put them on the side of your serving plate, leaving half of it clear for the Benedict stacks.

Prepare your plate. Slice your doughnut in half; place the halves, cut side up, side by side on your plate. Cut your brownie in half, the way that you would slice a bagel (so that you have two fully sized but thin brownie pieces). Either cut or shape each piece into a circle so that it is slightly smaller in circumference than the doughnut halves. Place the circles on top of the doughnut halves. Note: While I realize that brownies might not have an accurate hue to represent the layer of ham, I chose them for their sturdy texture and for their deliciousness quotient. A pink cookie or layer of colored marzipan could be substituted if you really wanted a hammy look, though.

Prepare the Creme Eggs. The idea here is to get them lightly melty, but not so much that the yolk oozes out. I found that the best way to do this was to either put them on a sheet of aluminum foil atop a baking sheet and put them in either a toaster oven on high or a preheated moderate oven for about a minute. As soon as the tops of the chocolate eggs starts to get a bit shiny, remove them from heat, and very carefully (so as to not puncture the chocolate and let the yolk ooze out) transfer each egg to the top of your two prepared brownie and doughnut stacks.

Put your buttercream frosting in a small, microwave-safe bowl, and microwave on high for about 10 seconds, with additional increments of 5 seconds each if needed, until the frosting is soft enough that it drips lightly when spooned (you don't want it to be pourable though). Spoon as much as you'd like onto each prepared "egg" stack.Sprinkle each finished stack with red sugar sprinkles; serve immediately.

Om nom nom.

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Next, you've got to have at least a couple of bagels with cream cheese--NOT! These "bagels" are actually doughnuts, split and filled with cream cheese frosting (using Philly Cream cheese, naturally!) and topped with poppyseeds. Here's how you make 'em:

Trompe L'oeil Bagel With Cream Cheese Doughnuts

• Plain cake doughnuts (as many as you'd like); I got mine at Beiler's Bakery in the Reading Terminal Market
• Vanilla or cream cheese frosting (about the same amount you'd use to top a cupcake for each doughnut; if you need a recipe, try this one or this one)
• Poppyseeds (or sesame seeds would work too)
• Butter (about a teaspoon-ful per doughnut)

Directions:

1. Slice doughnut in half (for some reason it seems to work easiest if you apply the poppyseeds after slicing)
2. In a small microwave-safe dish, melt about 1 teaspoon-ful of butter per doughnut you'll be making by putting it in the microwave for about 10 seconds. 
3. Lightly brush the top side with about a teaspoon of melted butter (oh, get over it--they're already fried, anyway)
4. Immediately sprinkle poppyseeds on top of the buttered side (this will ensure that they stick) and put this half to the side for a moment.
5. Apply a generous dollop of room-temperature frosting to the bottom (sans seed) half of the doughnut. It is important that the frosting be room temperature because if it is chilled, when you try to spread it you may break the doughnut apart. Gently spread.
6. Put the poppyseed-laden piece on top. Enjoy.

- - - - - - - - - - 

For the carb-o-holic, Funfetti Cake Mix pancakes are definitely also in order. I mean, half of "pancake" is "Cake", so why not make it extra fun by making them with cake mix?

Funfetti Cake Mix Pancakes

• 1/2 box (about 2 1/2 cups) Funfetti or Rainbow Chip Cake Mix
• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup flour, sifted
• butter, for greasing your frying pan
• Combine the dry cake mix with the remaining ingredients in a small mixing bowl.
• Blend on medium-low speed until the batter is fully incorporated, about 2 minutes.
• Prepare your frying pan by lightly greasing it with butter; let it heat up on a medium-high heat setting on your stovetop.
• Drop the batter, 1/4 cup at a time, on to the prepared griddle. When the edges turn golden and are beginning to lightly bubble, flip the pancake and let the second side bake (this may take less time than the first side).
• Serve immediately; garnish with jam, syrup, or even some cake frosting if you're feeling very decadent.

- - - - - - - - - - 

Leftover Cake French Toast was also in order, so I picked up a small cake at Termini Brothers Bakery. I had a slice (yum) and then refrigerated the rest overnight to make some French toast with the rest!

Once you have your cake, here's how you make the French Toast with it:

Cake French Toast

• 6 to 8 slices cake, chilled in the refrigerator overnight
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk or light cream
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• Dash of cinnamon or other spices, to taste
• 2 to 4 tablespoons butter, for frying
• Confectioners' sugar glaze or sprinkles, to garnish

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk or cream, sugar, and any spices you'd like to add, until the mixture is fully combined and lightly frothy on the edges.

Remove your cake from the refrigerator. It will work if you haven't chilled your cake too, but chilling it overnight keeps the frosting from melting all over when you pan fry the cake. Slice the cake into thick slices.

Dip each cake slice in your egg mixture, coating it fully on both sides (go ahead and submerge each slice). Place the dipped slice directly in the frying pan; depending on the size of your pan, add 2 or 3 slices at one time.

Let each slice fry for a minute or so, until it is lightly coming up on the sides (you can lift a side gently with a spatula to see if it is browning). Turn over and repeat on the opposite side, being sure to turn gently so that you don't let the frosting smear across the pan.

Remove from the pan and transfer to a serving platter or directly to plates. Repeat with the remaining slices until you've finished them all. If desired, top with a confectioners' sugar glaze and sprinkles. Serve immediately.

- - - - - - - - - - 

Of course, around this time you might be experiencing a sharp fear that you haven't supplied your guests with enough carbohydrates. The solution? Biscuits with sugar butter, naturally!

For the biscuits

• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 6 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature, plus three tablespoons melted butter (for glazing the biscuits)
• 1/2 to 1 cup whole milk
• pats of butter, for serving (in case the sugar butter isn't enough)

 For the sugar butter

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup heavy cream (more if necessary, to your desired consistency)

 Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 450. Grease a baking sheet or line with parchment paper.
2. Put the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Cut in the room temperature butter with two forks (pie crust style!)--or go ahead and do this with a food processor if you've got one, mixing until the mixture is about the consistency of cornmeal. 
3. Add 1/2 cup milk and mix (or pulse) until combined. Add more milk if needed until the dough has reached a consistency where you can form it into a large, soft ball (it will be sticky; handle with floured hands on a floured surface).
4. Lightly knead the dough on a floured surface for 30 seconds--about 10 folds. The dough should be fairly moist and light--overworking will make the biscuits tougher (though still pretty tasty!).
5. Form a ball with the dough, and then roll it out into a half-inch sheet on your floured surface using a well floured rolling pin. Using a biscuit cutter, larger cookie cutter, or a mid-sized drinking glass, cut into rounds or shapes. I used a heart-shaped cookie cutter, because I, you know, love biscuits.
6. Put the biscuits on your prepared sheet. Brush the tops with the melted butter and bake for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from the oven, but keep the biscuits on the baking sheet until the sugar butter is ready--this will keep them warm. Nom.
7. Prepare the sugar butter. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter, then stir in the brown sugar and cook until the mixture bubbles. Add the cream, and turn down the heat to keep the cream just below a simmer. Cook for about 20 minutes on low heat, ur until the sugar is dissolved, the mixture has started to reduce and thicken, and the flavors are working for you (you'll have to taste it for this part. Be brave.)
8. Add a bit more cream if the sugar butter is too thick for your liking and stir to combine.
9. Get ready to serve. Put a pat of butter on top of your biscuits, and ladle a big ol' spoonful of the sugar butter on top. Enjoy.

- - - - - - - - - -  

I know that for some people, the thought of brunch without cinnamon rolls is simply not fathomable. For those types, I tricked out some treats with chocolate chip cookie dough, making for delicious results:

Glazed Cinnamon Rolls Stuffed with Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

Ingredients

• 1 package Pillsbury cinnamon rolls with glaze (I used orange sweet rolls)
• 1 teaspoon chocolate chip cookie dough per cinnamon roll (if uneasy about if it will cook thoroughly, use an egg-free version)

Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to 400.
2. Unwrap the roll of cinnamon rolls until you get that jarring "pop" that means the feast has been unleashed.
3. Separate the rolls, and unroll each one gently.
4. Roll each teaspoon of cookie dough into a thin log (use floured hands), slightly thinner than the thickness of the unrolled cinnamon roll.
5. Place the log of dough on top of the unrolled cinnamon roll, and gently re-roll. Repeat with the rest of the rolls.Place the rolls in a lightly greased pie plate (it keeps it all contained) and bake according to the package directions, 15 minutes or so.
6. Once the rolls are out of the oven, gently heat the glaze in the microwave for about 10 seconds, or until pourable. Liberally glaze your cinnamon rolls with it.
7. Enjoy.

- - - - - - - - - - 

Finally, you don't want to let your guests roll out the door on some sort of a sugar-bender, so I suggest serving them something savory at the end of the meal. Howsabout some cookies? But these cookies aren't sweet: they're savory! So here's a non-sweet treat that is fun to serve and delicious to eat - an idea I got from Pillsbury Bake-Off contestant Teresa Robinson! You can find the recipe here.

Thanks to Foodbuzz for choosing me for the 24x24 project this month, and thanks to Philadelphia for welcoming me with open arms!

Pillsbury Bake-Off Countdown: Bacon-Cheddar Whoopie Bites

Image: Pillsbury Bake-OffThink these are sandwich cookies? Think again, fool!

In one of the few acceptable ways to punk people by not serving them dessert, these morsels are treats--but not sweet! They're called "Bacon Cheddar Whoopie Bites" and they're a finalist in the upcoming Pillsbury Bake-Off! As entrant Teresa Smith of Santa Rosa, CA, says, "Whoopie! Indulge in three-cheese melt-in-your-mouth appetizers with savory bacon too!".

Here's how you make them at home.

Bacon-Cheddar Whoopie Bites

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese (4 oz), room temperature
• 4 oz (half of 8-oz package) cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
• 2 cups Pillsbury BEST® All Purpose Flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper
• 3/4 cup Unsalted or Salted Butter, cut into pieces
• 2 cups finely shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (8 oz)
• 1/2 cup Fisher® Praline Pecans, chopped
• 8 slices packaged precooked thick-sliced bacon, microwaved according to package directions until crisp, crumbled
• 2 to 3 tablespoons ice water

Procedure

1. Heat oven to 400°F. Spray large cookie sheets with Crisco® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray or line with cooking parchment paper. To make filling, in medium bowl, beat ricotta cheese and cream cheese with electric mixer on low speed until blended. Add milk; beat on medium speed 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Stir in lemon peel. Cover; refrigerate.
2. In food processor, add flour, baking powder and red pepper. Cover; process until well blended. Add butter; cover and process until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add Cheddar cheese, pecans and bacon. Cover; process with on-and-off pulses until mixture is consistency of fine crumbs. With food processor running, gradually add enough water through feed tube and process just until dough pulls away from side of bowl and forms a ball.
3. Shape dough into 48 (1 1/4–inch) balls; place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Using fingers, press each ball into 2-inch round.
4. Bake 8 to 12 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 10 minutes.
5. Spread or pipe about 1 tablespoon filling on bottom of each of 24 rounds. Top with remaining rounds, bottom sides down. Store covered in refrigerator.

Sweet Discovery: The Cookie Lady, Ogden UT

The Cookie Lady of Ogden, Utah, has a new fan: ME.

No, she doesn't run a retail operation, but she sells her sweet wares at coffee shops and gourmet grocers all around the greater Ogden area. I picked up some of her cookies at Grounds For Coffee, a small coffee chain. I was told that the cookies were "really, really good" - so naturally I had to pick up a few. There were oatmeal, chocolate chip, and even vegan varieties.

The standout? The chocolate chocolate chip cookie with pecans.

For one thing, the cookie is a nice, decent size. Not too big, but not annoyingly small, it's a mouthful but it won't leave you feeling sick afterward. A good start.

And the cookie itself has a great texture: crispy on the edges, chewy on the inside.

And the flavor brings it home: rich and chocolatey, buttery and well-rounded, with a nice crunch from the pecans, this cookie is clearly made well, made with love, and made in a home-baked tradition. That is to say, it's like grandma's homemade cookies...but better than my grandma's homemade cookies. Plus, the flavor combination is just a little bit unexpected.

Other than Grounds for Coffee locations, I can't tell you where else you might find the cookies in the area, but if you felt like doing your own sleuthing, the company's info is listed on the cookies; you can find their phone number and info here.