Individual Pear Galettes

Well hello there! It has been a long 7 months since my last submission. I thought it was about time I jump back on the blog bandwagon because I really did it enjoy it. It's a place where I can share what I am doing from day to day in the kitchen and hopefully encourage others to do the same. The recipe that I am posting is a combination adapted from two different sources. I made individual pear galettes using +Food52's recipe and I used my favorite dough recipe (link will be at the bottom for both). I changed a couple things with each recipe but for the most part they are solid recipes. Right now galettes are my favorite thing to make. You can chunk a bunch of fruit or veggies or even meat in your crust and fold it all up....and bam! It's magic; magic that is addictive. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the recipe & my return. Happy baking! 

*Makes: 4 individual galettes

Ingredients 

For crust: 

• 2 Tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
• 2 Tablespoons ice-cold water
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup yellow corn meal
• 1 teaspoon soft brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• 7 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed

For filling:

• 3 medium pears, ripe but still firm
• 3 tbsp soft brown sugar
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1 pinch salt
• 1/2 cup pear jam
• 1 egg, for egg wash
• 2 tbsp soft brown sugar, to finish

For pear jam: 

• 2 medium pears
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp caster sugar

Bite Size Pretzels with Cheddar Cheese Sauce

The past two weeks have been crazy busy. I decided to sign up for Betty's 2-week cookery course here in England and it was the best two weeks of my life. I learned so many new techniques and recipes. That is why I have been a little non-existent. BUT, I am now posting my pretzel bites I made a few weeks ago and am now wishing I had them right in front of me. These were a lot of work to make but oh so good, especially with the cheese sauce. If you are into pretzels and cheese and the whole shebang, check out this recipe! 

*Makes: 70+ pieces

Ingredients

For the pretzels:

• 1 1/2 cups (360ml) warm water
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
• 4 1/2 cups (580g) all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup (60g) butter, melted
• Vegetable oil
• 8 cups water, for boiling
• 2/3 cup (85g) baking soda
• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• Sea salt for sprinkling

For cheese sauce:

• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (240ml) milk
• 2 cups (160g) extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded 
• Salt & pepper for seasoning

Sweet & Sticky Cinnabon Copycat Cinnamon Rolls

I have been meaning to make cinnamon rolls from scratch for some time now and I finally got around to doing it. They may take ALL DAY LONG, and you may get a little dirty, but the outcome is SO worth it. Taking your first bite of that warm and gooey cinnamon roll that you just spent hours creating, is probably the best taste ever, no really. Give it a go yourself and see what I'm talking about! 

*Makes: 9-12 cinnamon rolls

Ingredients

For the dough:

• 3/4 cup (180ml) warm water
• 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast 
• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup (60g) buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup (80g) canola or vegetable oil
• 4 1/2-5 cups (580-650g) all purpose flour

For the filling:

• 1/2 cup (120g) butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups (280g) packed dark brown sugar
• 2 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tbsp cornflour (or cornstarch)

For the frosting:

• 3 oz. (90g) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup (60g) butter, softened
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon 
• 1/2 tbsp golden syrup (or corn syrup)
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 1/4 cups (160g) powdered sugar

Voodoo Style Krispy Kreme Copycat Donuts

Ever since I heard about Voodoo Doughnut in Portland, I have been wanting to go there just for their unbelievably mouth-watering donuts. Obviously being across the pond, I figured I wouldn't have a chance to go there any time soon. So, I decided to recreate some of their donuts in my very own kitchen. I made Krispy Kreme copycat donuts again, but I added some Cookie Crisp, chocolate Cheerios, Coco Pops, and Froot Loops on top. If this sounds like your kind of donut, then check out the recipe below!

*Makes: 50 donuts, depending on size of cookie cutter used

Ingredients

For the dough:

• 2 cups (480ml) milk
• 1/2 cup (120g) butter
• 2/3 cup (140g) granulated sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp yeast
• 4 eggs (beaten)
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 5 cups (650g) self raising flour

For the glaze:

• 3 cups (400g) icing sugar, sifted
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup (120ml) cold water

For cereal toppings (you can use any cereal you desire): 

• 1 handful of Cookie Crisp
• 1 handful of chocolate Cheerios
• 1 handful of Coco Pops
• 1 handful of Froot Loops 

Sweet & Sticky Honey Buns

I remember being stuck at school waiting for drivers-ed to start or after practice waiting for my mom to pick me up. I used to always have those after school munchies, so I would head over to the vending machine and grab me a snack or two. More times than not I would choose the pre-packaged Hostess Honey Bun and boy was it good. Now, thanks to Martha Stewart, I was able to make some sweet and sticky honey buns from my very own kitchen and let me tell you, they are WAY better. I changed a few things in the recipe so check it out! 

*Makes: 9 honey buns in 1 dough ball (there are 3 balls all together)

Ingredients

For dough:

• 2 tbsp active dry yeast
• 1/3 cup (80ml) warm water
• 1 cup (250ml) milk, room temperature
• 2 sticks (230g) butter, softened
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup (120g) clear honey 
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp vanilla 
• 5 to 6 cups (650-780g) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• Vegetable oil, for bowl

For filling and topping:

• 1 stick (110g) butter
• 1/2 cup (170g) clear honey, plus more for brushing and drizzling
• 1/2 cup (170g) golden syrup
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (100g) Philadelphia cream cheese
• 1/2 cup (120g) sour cream

Homemade Mini Soft Salted Pretzels

What do pretzels remind you of? They remind me of so many wonderful places, including the movie theater, the German Market, and now my kitchen. These are much simpler to make than you think and even more delicious once they are done. I have already eaten two while typing this (don't tell my fiance!) If you are a pretzel lover like me, then you should definitely give these bad boys a try, and try not eating them all like me, too. They will only take you about 20 minutes to make the dough and then 15 minutes to cook in the oven. Go ahead, knock your socks off!

*Makes: 14 pretzels

Ingredients

• 1 and 1/2 cups (375ml) warm water 
• 1 packet (2 and 1/4 teaspoons) active instant yeast 
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 4 1/4 cups (550g) all-purpose flour (plus more for kneading)
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 large egg, beaten
• course sea salt for sprinkling
• granulated sugar for sprinkling