TWD/BWD: Tea and Honey Madeleines

Madeleines are such a treat.  I've made a variety of flavors, and Dorie's recipe for Tea and Honey madeleines adds to the list.

For this recipe, I used some Earl Grey tea, which was both infused into the melted butter and rubbed into the sugar, local honey, and a clementine/tangerine from my backyard tree.  The batter can be made a day ahead and refrigerated overnight.  Typically, I also put my madeleine pan in the freezer for about 15 minutes before baking.  I did note that these took a bit longer to bake (12 minutes) so that they were done in the center.

They did turn out lovely and didn't last very long in spite of good intentions to freeze some. They were delicious eaten plain as well as dunked into hot tea.

Stop by the Tuesdays with Dorie website to what the other bakers made for this week's posting. 

 

TWD/DAC: Berry Yogurt Cake

This month's featured cake from Dorie's Anytime Cakes is the Berry Yogurt Cake, a favorite cake in France.  It's adaptable to most berries, fresh or frozen, and uses Greek yogurt, which I always have on hand.  

This time I decided to splurge on fresh blueberries. The cake can together easily and quickly, and baked up into a lovely, moist loaf. So easy to snack on during the day!  It didn't last long enough to freeze.

Visit the other Tuesdays with Dorie bakers to see what they thought about this cake.

BBB: Sun Buns (Solskinnsboller)

 

What is more perfect for a foggy day than Sun Buns!  

The current challenge for the Bread Baking Babes was to make Solskinnsboller, cardamom flavored dough filled with cinnamon and topped with a vanilla custard.  

The filled dough is twisted, then coiled.  After the last rise, the custard is spooned on top.  I couldn't resist sprinkling some Swedish Pearl Sugar over the buns before baking. (I did find that half a recipe of the custard was plenty.)

These buns were fun to make and super delicious, especially with a hot beverage. 

Thank you to Karen of Karen's Kitchen Stories, our Kitchen of the Month!  If you would like to bake along, check Karen's website for the recipe.

Stop by the other Babe's websites to see what they did.

• Blog from OUR Kitchen – Elizabeth
• Karen’s Kitchen Stories – Karen (Kitchen of the Month)
• A Messy Kitchen – Kelly
• My Diverse Kitchen – Aparna 
• Bread Experience  - Cathy  
• Thyme for Cooking - Katie
• My Kitchen in Half Cups – Tanna  

TWD/BWD: Chocolate-Tipped Cream-Puff Pocky Sticks

 

My first selection for June's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe is the Chocolate-Tipped Cream-Puff Pocky Sticks.  While I've heard of them, I never actually seen one in person.

 I can't imagine they would taste better than Dorie's homemade version.

First, you make the choux pastry, then pipe it into thin sticks.  After they have baked and cooled, you cover the ends in chocolate (dark, milk, or white), then sprinkle them with decorative dots.  I used Swedish Pearl Sugar.

They are terrific with tea or coffee, or just as a snack.

The other Dorie-bakers produced some very colorful versions!

 

TWD/BWD: Twist Bread

 

Dorie's Twist Bread is a great way to make a simple daily white bread much more fancy and festive.

The dough is spread with a mixture of butter, sugar, cinnamon, and cocoa powder, then sprinkled with raisins or other dried fruit.  I made a note to try mini chocolate chips the next time I make this.

The rolled dough is split, braided, and coiled into a twist.  It is placed in a round pan, brushed with an egg wash and sprinkled with coarse sugar.

It's definitely a lovely bread to look at and delicious to eat. especially toasted or transformed into French toast or bread pudding.

 

Stop by the Tuesdays with Dorie website to see which treat the bakers made this week. 

TWD/DAC: Gemma Cakes

 

What a great way to celebrate strawberry season! These beauties are Gemma Cakes, from Dorie's Anytime Cakes.

The cake is like a genoise, flavored lightly with rose water and white chocolate.  There's also a surprise inside:  a piece of fresh strawberry.

 

Once baked and cooled, the little cakes are dipped into white chocolate and decorated however you would like.  

 

They are delicious bite-sized cakes that disappear quickly!

Head over to the Tuesdays with Dorie website to see what the other bakers thought of them. 

TWD/BWD: Olive Oil Brownies

 I debated whether to post about the brownies. 

 

There is no photographic evidence that I actually made them.  But, I did.  And, apparently, totally forgot to take photos.  

So, picture a plate of brownies.

What made this recipe different was the use of olive oil in place of butter, and the addition of raisins and black pepper.

Using oil in place of butter or shortening makes the baked good more moist, and this was true for these brownies.  They were super moist.

I did make two changes:

     I don't like raisins in most of my baked goods (bread is the exception, and then it has to be golden raisins).  I substituted dried sour cherries instead.  However, I guess I just don't like any dried fruit in my cakes, cookies, etc.

     Instead of black pepper, I substituted Aleppo pepper.  Chile pepper and chocolate are a delicious combination, and it did add a touch of heat to the brownies.  They weren't overly spicy, but there was definitely a bit of a background kick.

 Would I make these brownies again?  Possibly, but not with any dried fruit.  Mini chocolate chips would be a good choice along with the Aleppo pepper. 

Visit the Tuesdays with Dorie website to read about the opinions on raisins and pepper in brownies.