How to Bake a Kate

Ingredients for Cookies:

2 1/4 c AP flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg*

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon*

3/4 c butter, at room temperature (all I had was salted, though the original calls for unsalted--it turned out just fine)

1/2 c sugar

1/2 c packed light-brown sugar

2 large egg yolks

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp caramel extract*

1/2 c Amaretto coffee creamer*

Ingredients for Frosting:

1/2 c butter, room temp

3-5 Tbsp Amaretto coffee creamer* (start with 3 & add to reach desired consistency)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp caramel extract*

3 c powdered sugar

Directions for Cookies:

Preheat oven to 350°F

Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon.

In a separate bowl, beat butter & brown sugar until pale & fluffy.

Add the egg yolks to the butter & brown sugar.

Mix the extracts & creamer into the eggs, butter, & brown sugar.

Add dry to wet in 3 installments, mixing between each addition-slow, slow, slow!

Drop spoonfuls of the cookie dough onto parchment paper lined baking sheets, about 2in. apart.

Bake for 11-13 minutes at 350°F.

Allow the cookies to rest on baking sheet before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.

Once completely cooled, top with frosting (directions below). I added gold sprinkles because, hey, New Years!

Directions for Frosting:

Whip butter until extremely pale.

Add in extract & creamer, mix until combined.

Mix in powdered sugar very slowly!

Add more creamer as needed to reach desired consistency.

Let me tell you, this frosting was the best frosting I have ever had. It was incredibly flavorful, gorgeous, silky... and it made these already delicious cookies that much more amazing. My favorite thing about this recipe? You could probably substitute almost any coffee creamer (if you change the other *starred* ingredients to suit it) & still wind up with a wonderful final product!

Hooray for successful experimenting!

Coffee cake holds a special place in my heart. My family has spend some of our summer vacation out on Fire Island almost every year since I was born. No lie--I was only a few weeks old for my first visit! And every year, we bike over to Rachel's in Ocean Beach and fill a bike basket with a box of delicious little treats to divide up when we returned home. Though the raspberry bars are pretty scrumptious, it's the coffee cake I dream about! The topping-to-cake ratio is just perfect, and that's the best part about these cookies--you decide the ratio.

Ingredients:

1 roll of store-bought sugar cookie dough

1 c light brown sugar, packed (1/2 for cookies & 1/2 for glaze)

1/2 c AP flour

1/2 tsp cinnamon

4 Tbsp unsalted butter

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1-2 Tbsp water (depending on how runny you want your glaze)

Directions:

Using a fork, mix together the flour, cinnamon, butter, and 1/2 of the brown sugar until you reach an almost sand-like state, but don't over mix! A few big clumps will make the perfect nod to a coffee-cake crumble.

Start baking the cookies according to package directions. I find that I can get about 28-30 perfectly sized cookies from a Pillsbury sugar cookie dough pack (provided I don't eat any dough).

Pull the cookies out when they're half way done & sprinkle some of the brown sugar topping on them before allowing them to finish cooking.

Make a glaze by mixing together vanilla, water, and the remaining brown sugar.

When the cookies are done baking, drizzle the glaze over the top. You could also dust them with powdered sugar if that's how you take your coffee cake, but I don't think they need it!

Summon all your will-power and allow them to cool down before you enjoy them--that way, they'll firm up a bit. Of course, if you've misplaced your will-power (or you're a certain blonde-haired roommate of mine), then you can dive right in. I'm not going to judge you; I know how good these things are!

Do you see that crumb-to-cookie ratio? That's what I'm talking about. And don't be afraid to get a little messy with your crumb-sprinkling... Those crispy bits around the edges where the sugar has caramelized are the best part!

Recipe courtesy of Oh, Bite It!, one of my favorite baking blogs!

I had a design in mind from the start, so the only question was flavor, which I left up to him. A German Chocolate Cake with the traditional coconut pecan topping, like his mom used to make him (from scratch!) for his birthday when he was growing up.

Oh... a scratch-made, mother's-love-filled, childhood-dream cake. No pressure. Needless to say, I was worried, but you, dear reader, need not to worry, as I can now guarantee this recipe results in a super moist, delicately chocolatey, painfully delicious cake. For maximum wow-factor, I topped it all off with a gum paste dragon (complete with fireball candle!), cascading jewel-Skittles (his favorite candy), and a Dungeons&Dragons-esque picture of the birthday boy himself.

(yield: I tripled this recipe and ended up with 3 9-inch cakes and over 2 dozen cupcakes. I also tripled the frosting, and wound up with barely enough for the cake--left about 16 cupcakes bare in case of nut allergies or coconut aversions.)

German Chocolate Cake:

4 oz Baker's German Sweet Chocolate

1/2 c boiling water

1 c butter

2 c sugar

4 eggs, separated

1 tsp vanilla

2 c AP flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 c buttermilk

Topping:

1 c evaporated milk

1 c brown sugar

3 egg yolks

1/2 c butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 c chopped pecans

1 1/3 c flaked coconut

Special Stuff:

9-in round pan (or whatever you want to bake it in)

cupcake pan (or whatever you want to bake it in) + liners

a large sauce pan for the topping

lots of bowls for melting and mixing and separating eggs

Directions for Topping:

If you're baking & decorating the cake on the same day, start the topping first, as it takes awhile to cook!

Combine the evaporated milk, butter, brown sugar, egg yolks, vanilla extract a large sauce pan.

Cook over a low heat, stirring frequently, until thick. This took me about 30 minutes.

Remove from heat before stirring in pecans and coconut.

Let cool to room temperature before applying to cake!

I apologize for not taking any pictures of this topping, but it was so easy. You don't need a visual--I promise.

Directions for Cake:

Preheat your oven to 350*F.

Separate the eggs (bowls 1 & 2)--both the whites and yolks will be used!

In a small bowl (3), melt the chocolate with the boiling water.

In a separate bowl (4), cream the butter and sugar, then beat in the egg yolks.

To this mixture, add the melted chocolate and vanilla.

In another separate bowl (5), mix the flour, baking soda, and salt. I ran out of bowls at this point and had to use a giant ceramic solo cup my mom bought me. And hey, it even matches my apron. Thanks, Mom!

Slowly add the flour mixture to the contents of bowl 4, about 1/3 at a time, alternating with the buttermilk.

Beat the egg whites. Don't stop at the "Matt Smith's floppy hair" stage (pictured below)! Continue to beat until you form stiff peaks.

Fold the egg whites very carefully into the rest of the batter. Try to keep as much air in as possible--stop as soon as it's just combined!

Pour the batter into your baking vessel of choice. About 1/3 of the batter in a 9-inch round pan will bake for 30 minutes. Cupcakes should be checked every so often, as I can't remember how long those took. 12-15 minutes would be my guess. You're on your own for figuring that out. I believe in you!

Allow to cool completely before adding the pecan-coconut topping. I baked my cakes a day in advance and stored them in cling-wrap in the fridge, but I really recommend making the topping day-of if possible.

Fun Fact: Traditionally, this isn't a completely "covered" cake! The topping is added in between layers and on the top of the top cake, but not on the sides.

And there you have it! Another perfect way to procrastinate show someone how much you care about them and value their friendship/existence.

I wish I had some Dungeons & Dragons terminology to work into this closing paragraph, but I can't think of anything clever. I could try to say something about rolling a D20, or the ways in which delicious cake may or may not fit the chaotic good alignment, but I don't know enough about D&D to attempt that... so here's a picture of Riley cutting into his cake! (If you pretend the knife is a sword, it's even more D&D themed.)

(yield: about a dozen fried risotto balls, depending on how big you make them)

Ingredients for Risotto:

1 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp Canola/veggie oil

1 1/2 c Arborio Rice

1/2 c white wine

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

4 c stock (veggie or chicken)

1-2 c shredded sharp cheddar cheese (depending on how serious you are about cheese--I go for 1 1/2 c normally)

a jar of cherry peppers (roasted red peppers work, too)

a couple splashes of Worcestershire sauce

Ingredients for Arancini:

eggs

milk

panko bread crumbs

oil for frying (I use Canola)

Special Stuff:

a deep saute pan for the risotto to cook in (this stuff expands like crazy!)

a pan for the stock to warm up in

a vessel for frying (I used another deep pan, but do as you please)

a wire cooling rack covered in paper towel

a safe way to remove the arancini from the oil

Directions for Risotto:

Shred the cheese and cut the peppers into small chunks. Set aside for later. Stop for a moment and appreciate how much cheese is going into this. Be thankful for this cheese.

Melt the butter with the oil in a deep saute pan over a medium heat.

Put your stock in a pan over medium-low heat, just to warm it up a bit.

Once the butter has melted, add the rice and stir, making sure to coat the rice as well as possible. Allow to cook like this for about a minute.

Add the wine and Dijon mustard to the rice and increase the heat to medium-high. Stir until completely absorbed. From now on, you will be stirring constantly, so prepare yourself for that!

Pour in the warm stock about a cup at a time, adding each cup only when the previous has been completely absorbed. Stir constantly.

Add a splash or two of Worcestershire sauce.

Add in the cheese, a handful at a time, and stir until completely incorporated.

Add the peppers to your liking. It won't take a whole jar.

If you stop here, you'll have a perfectly lovely risotto (which you should serve immediately), but if you continue...

Directions for Arancini:

Transfer your risotto to either a plastic container or a lined pan and allow to chill in the fridge. This will make everything much easier!

Once cool, scoop & shape your rice balls. I like to make mine about 2.5 in in diameter, but whatever floats your boat. Unless you're making little ones, flatten the balls slightly.

If they've warmed up, chill them again. (Yes, seriously. They're so much easier to work with when they're cold!)

Add enough oil to probably cover the risotto balls, either in a fryer (if you're fancy) or any sort of deep pot (if you are not). If you only want to fill it with enough oil to fry half a disc at a time, that's fine! Do what you want--you'll just have to flip them over after a few minutes. It's your life; it's your choice.

Allow the oil to heat to about 350°F. To test it, sprinkle a few panko crumbs into the oil and see if they sizzle. If they do, it's ready! If they don't, it's not. If they burn, turn it down.

Mix up the egg wash: 2 eggs, a couple splashes of milk. Be prepared to make more if needed, as it will vary based on the size of the risotto balls.

Set up your station: cooled risotto balls, dish of egg wash, dish of bread crumbs, resting spot, oil, cooling rack + paper towels.

These need to be double-dipped in order to get a really nice coating, so the dredging process goes egg to panko to egg to panko to oil. I suggest making a few so you can have them going, then make a few more while the first batch is frying.

Fry for a few minutes, until golden brown, and then move onto a wire rack + paper towel to drain.

Serve immediately if possible. If reheating, warm in a 350°F oven until you're satisfied with them.

I love to serve these with red pepper jelly, balsamic glaze, or hot sauce, but they're also fantastic on their own!

Ingredients:

1 package of brownie mix ( + whatever that calls for)

1 c + 1 tbsp of flour

1 package of milk chocolate chips

Directions:

Mix everything together according to package directions. I used the "fudgey" instead of the "cake-like" directions because I only had 2 eggs.

Mix in flour & 1 c of chocolate chips. I used milk chocolate, but do as you please!

Bake at 350°F for 10 min--until they're set!

Top the warm cookies with a few extra chocolate chips. (Live a little!)