Awesome (But Not Quite Magical) Cheddar-Sage Scones

I had a dream.... yes, a dream

I dreamed that someone gave me a scone. Now I know that doesn't sound very exciting. It it really shouldn't be, I don't even particularly like scones, but this one was different. 

This one was the most amazing scone I have ever tasted! It was buttery and flaky and just melted in my mouth. It was perfect.

The person who gave it to me asked if I wanted the recipe and I, of course, said yes!

Just as I was being handed the recipe, I woke up. I was devastated! I tried to go back to sleep, but couldn't. Visions of that perfect scone have haunted me ever since...

Months later, I was reading A Study in Darkness (The Baskerville Affair #2) by Emma Jane Holloway (read my review of the book here), I came across this passage

So that's what it took to make the best scones ever; MAGIC!

But where was I ever going to find baking magic? Only in my dreams...

but also in books!

Introducing Brownies and Broomsticks (A Magical Bakery Mystery #1) by Bailey Cates.

Why yes, this is a book about baking magic! And not only that, it confirmed my suspicions about magical scones! YAY!

This is one of those great books that not only is fun to read (see my review of the book here), but has recipes in it. And you better believe that it has the scone recipe in it! So, of course, I had to try it out

Cheddar-Sage Scones

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 tsbs baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp dried sage

6 tbsp butter, cut into 1-inch pieces and chilled in the freezer for 15 minutes

2/3 cup of cheddar cheese, grated

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 400'

Set aside 1/4 cup of flour in a small bowl. In a medium bowl combine 2 cups of flour, baking powder, salt and sage.

Add chilled butter and cut into flour by rubbing with your fingers or using a pastry blender until the consistency of rough cornmeal.

Add the grated cheddar to the 1/4 cup of flour and toss to coat.

 Shake to remove excess flour and add to pastry mixture, tossing with your hands to evenly distribute the cheese.

Whisk together egg and milk. Add to flour mixture, stirring lightly with a fork until ingredients are moistened and just hold together.

Trasfer ti a lightly floured surface and knead twenty times. Add more flour to the surface if needed. Pat into an 8-inch circle, slightly higher in the center than on the edges.

Using a very sharp knife, cut eight equal wedges. Place scones on baking sheet lined with parchment paper, slightly apart from one another.

Bake for 12-14 minutes until golden brown.

Although these scones were delicious, they were not magical. I will have to work on that for next time. Until then, I'm off to look for more magical scone recipes.

Season's Geetings from Bake Star Wars For Me!

May your pastries be fluffy and light

and may all your baking turn out right!

Happy Holidays and Happy Baking to all!

Kitchen Overlord Illustrated Geek Cookbook

I started this blog because I wanted a world with more geeky treats in it. 

I've looked for fun cooking and baking books over time, but never really found anything that really fit the image that I had in mind. 

Well, that is until I found Kitchen Overlord's Illustrated Geek Cookbook!

Kitchen Overlord's Illustrated Geek Cookbook is a lavishly illustrated, easy-to-use cookbook representing over 120 years of geek culture.

Artist Tom Gordon and I spent over a year collaborating to create dozens of beautifully illustrated, ridiculously geeky, and, most of all, surprisingly easy recipes. Fans of Kitchen Overlord begged us for a display worthy cookbook, because nobody really wants to rub smudgy food fingers all over their iPad while trying to scroll through a recipe online.

Your wish is our command! We ran a successful Kickstarter this summer which earned over $16,000. That money went straight into printing high quality hardback books. The printers say the books will be delivered in the next 4-8 weeks. Preorder it now and you'll get a copy signed by the author as well as a quad folded poster of our not so problematic Ice Planets to hang in your kitchen. 

This isn't yet another collection of boring nachos and cookies with recipe title puns. Instead, we give you unique recipes that look like iconic aspects of your favorite fandom.

You like science fiction? We’ve got recipes for Sandworms, Tribbles, Cylon Raiders, and lots more.

Prefer fantasy? How about washing those Princess Buttercups down with some Gelatinous Cube Jello Shots. Bring them both to a party and I promise, you’ll add plus four to your charisma.

Are you a comic lover? How about chowing down on Captain America’s Shield, Tony Stark’s Arc Reactor, or Deadpool’s Chimichangas.

Prefer the classics? We don’t stop at old school favorites like Soylent Green and a Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy recipes. We start there, then go all the way back to the earliest days of Geek culture with tributes to Cthulhu, Sherlock Holmes, and HG Wells. Then we bring it right back to the present with recipes inspired by hit shows like Once Upon a Time and the The Walking Dead.

This isn’t just a comic. It’s not just a cookbook. It’s an illustrated encyclopedia of the best of geek culture.

Check out some of the awesome recipes that are going to be in this book!

You can buy it, and these other awesome cookbooks on her Etsy 

An Unexpected Cookbook

Wood For Sheep

Dining With The Doctor

But if you're going to dine with the doctor, you might want to invest in these!

buy here

I can't wait to get cooking!

Funfetti Cake Batter Cookie Dough Brownie Layer Cupcakes

I'm always looking for a reason to create something sweet and wonderful.

An upcoming team building meeting, a gathering of friends and a birthday was the perfect excuse to try something that I had been meaning to make for awhile.

 

Funfetti Cake Batter Cookie Dough Brownie Layer Cupcakes

 

 

yup, that's a mouthful to say, so let me try to explain what this masterpiece is. It's funfetti cake batter mixed into cookie dough, sandwiched between layers of brownie and then topped with chocolate icing. In other words, melt in your mouth amazing! This recipe, brought to you by Life, Love & Sugar, is suppose to be made as a cake. Well, I'd much rather have cupcakes, so I modified it a bit.

Brownies

1 1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 cups sugar
3 tsp vanilla extract
6 eggs
1 1/2 cup flour
1 cup cocoa
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Line the bottoms of cupcake pans with parchment paper and grease the sides. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix together the oil, sugar and vanilla extract. Add eggs and mix until well combined.
Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt.
Slowly add dry ingredients to the egg mixture until well combined.
Pour the batter evenly into the three pans and spread evenly.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs.

 

Remove brownies from oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes in the pan, then remove to cool on wire rack. While brownies cool, make cookie dough.

 

 

 

Cookie Dough

1 1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
two 15.25 oz boxes funfetti dry cake mix
1 1/3 cups flour
3-4 tbsp milk
4-5 tsp sprinkles
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
3/4 cup chocolate chips

 

 Cream butter and sugars together until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
Mix in vanilla extract.
With the mixer on low speed, add one entire box of dry cake mix, plus 1 1/2 cups from a second box of cake mix and mix until combined. 

 

Add 1 cup flour and mix until combined. Add milk and up to an additional 1/3 cup of flour to preferred thickness.

 

 

Stir in sprinkles and chocolate chips. Dough will be thick. Set aside.

 

 

Since we're doing cupcakes instead of cake, cut the brownies in half horizontally and place in cupcake liners.

 

 

Take a handful of cookie dough and mould into a round, flattened ball and place on top of brownie half. Once finished, replace the tops of the brownies on top of the cookie dough.

 

 

Chocolate Frosting

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup shortening
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1 tbsp water or milk
sprinkles, for topping, if desired

 

 

Beat the shortening and butter together until smooth.
Slowly add the powdered sugar and cocoa and mix until smooth.
Add water or milk and mix until smooth.

 

Pipe icing onto the top of the cupcakes. Top with sprinkles.

 

 

Don't they look divine?

 

Everyone who had these wished that I had made more of them. Even I wished I had. These are quite time consuming, but totally worth making.

 

Happy Birthday To Me! Chai & Honey Cupcakes

So this past weekend was my Birthday! Yay! I am officially 31 and just getting better with age.

Not only was it my birthday, but also Canadian Thanksgiving. So I decided to make myself some cupcakes that would go well for both occasions.  

For my love of bees and the sweet goodness they provide; Honey

For the quickly coming fall and all the warm delights that go with it; Chai Tea

Mix them together to combine something amazing;

Chai & Honey Cupcakes

This awesome recipe comes from the same book as 

the Rose Water & Raspberry cupcakes that I posted about earlier this year.

So far these recipes have proven to be worth making

3 chai-spice tea bags

2/3 cup boiling water

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup honey

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/4 cup buttermilk

1 large egg, at room temperature

honey, to drizzle (or honeycomb, cut into 1-inch pieces, for garnish)

Position oven rack in the middle of oven; preheat to 350°; line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper or foil liners.

In a small bowl, steep the tea bags in the boiling water for 5 minutes.

Discard tea bags and let the tea cool to room temperature.

In a bowl, whisk the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt together.

Look at that beautiful, organic, wildflower honey
soooo good....

In a big bowl, combine the honey, melted butter, buttermilk, and egg.

Add the flour mixture and, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat until just combined, about 2 minutes.

Add in the cooled tea and beat until just combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each 3/4 full.

Bake about 18-20 minutes, until a pick comes out clean.

Let the cupcakes cook in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes.

Transfer the cupcakes to the wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour (the unfrosted cupcakes can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days; bring to room temperature before frosting and garnishing).

Honey Whipped Cream

1 cup cold heavy cream

2 tablespoons honey

In a chilled bowl, combine the cream and honey; using an electric mixer on low speed, beat until slightly thickened, 1-2 minutes.

Gradually increase speed to medium-high and continue to beat until the cream holds soft peaks, 2-3 minutes; use right away.

I did n't have any honeycomb and neither did the store, so I opted for topping my cupcakes with a drizzle of honey.

If you let the honey sit on the whipped cream for a moment, it starts to sink in and leave these cute little indented lines in it.

These cupcakes were perfect. Not only were they better than I thought they would be, they were also the perfect fall treat!

Happy Birthday to ME!

Stay tuned, as I'm hoping to get my computer back up and running again soon so I can post more of the treats I made this summer.

May The Fourth Be With You

Happy Star Wars Day to all my geeks out there!

Oreo Cupcakes

 

The Handsomest, most Amazing man in the World, my boyfriend Adam (yes, I might be a teensy bit bias in this regard, but I'm ok with that) recently had a birthday.

He decided to throw himself a board game party and invited all his friends.

I, of course, loving themed treats, scoured the internet for ideas for game themed cupcakes, but found I didn't come away very inspired.

Adam asked that I make him Oreo cupcakes instead. I've been meaning to make him some Oreo treats for awhile now, so I jumped at the idea. I looked at lots of recipes and finally decided to do it my own way.

 

For the cake I used the Vanilla Tex Mex recipe, but cut way back on the cinnamon. Instead, I got a bag of mini Oreos and cut them into small chunks, middle stuff and all and mixed them into the batter.

 

I placed a full sized Oreo cookie at the bottom of each baking cup, then filled the rest with batter.

Like the Tartcuppins, having something at the bottom of your cake makes the baking time change. The heat doesn't penetrate the same. I ended up baking them for about 10 minutes longer and then broiling the top of them, hence the slightly browned look.

mmm... look at those big Oreo chunks...

 

For the icing, I wanted to do something special. I looked up recipes for homemade Oreo's and used the recipe for "the middle stuff" from Sally's Baking Addiction, tripled the recipe and made it into icing. 

1/4 cup (60g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

1/4 cup (48g) vegetable shortening, room temperature

1 and 3/4 cups (210g) confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a small bowl using a handheld or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and shortening together on high speed until creamy and combined, about 1 minute. Turn the mixer off and add the confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Beat on low for 1 minute and then switch to high and beat for 1 more minute until creamy and combined. The cream filling is thick.

I tweaked this recipe, using a bit of milk, a bit more vanilla and Oreo crumbs until I found a taste that I felt worked.

 

Once the cupcakes were iced, I placed the remaining mini Oreos on top as garnish.

 

 

Don't they look good?

 

 

Check out what they look like inside. You can see the Oreo at the bottom, which had softened nicely in the oven.

 

 

These cupcakes were heavenly! I made about 24 all together and all but 2 or 3 were left at the end of the night, which was pretty good, since there were only 7 of us there. The remaining cupcakes were gone the next morning and made a terrific breakfast ;)

 

You should try these, they are to die for!