#biggerbolderbaking

Best Pumpkin Cookie Bakeoff

Recipe from: https://www.biggerbolderbaking.com/homemade-english-muffins/

Dad came over this morning for an early Father's Day brunch. I made these scones as part of our meal, along with homemade sausage patties and scrambled eggs. He enjoyed one with his cup of tea and told me that the traditional English way to serve them--which he would know, being English--is to have them with butter, jam, and whipped cream. I had the butter and jam, but will remember to get the whipped cream next time. Thanks to Bigger Bolder Baking for the recipe, and Happy Father's Day, Dad! <3 Traditional Irish Scones (Makes 6-7 scones) 2 1/3 cups flour 1 1/2 t. + 1 T. baking powder 6 T. butter, frozen solid 1/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup raisins 1/2 cup + 2 T. milk 1 egg, beaten In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour and baking powder. Grate in the butter. Stir in the sugar and raisins. In a separate bowl, combine the milk and egg. Pour 3/4 of the wet mixture into the dry and, with an open, claw-like hand, bring the ingredients together to form a soft dough, adding more liquid as needed. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer the dough onto a floured surface and press it out with your hands to 1 1/2 inch thick. Cut out your scones with a 3-inch round cutter, reshaping as needed. There should be a little bit of your egg/milk mixture left and so, with clean hands, brush it on top of the scones. At this stage, you can freeze the scones for later and, when you want to bake them, take out as many as you like, let them defrost for 10-15 minutes, and bake as instructed. Place the scones on your prepared baking tray. Bake for 22-26 minutes or until the scones are a deep golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. #BiggerBolderBaking #TraditionalIrishScones #BrunchRecipes https://www.instagram.com/p/CQCIyxPA50s/?utm_medium=tumblr

Last night's dinner: Crock pot Irish potato soup and homemade Irish soda bread. The soda bread comes from @biggerbolderbaking. The only changes I made were I cut the recipe in half to make a smaller loaf and I used only all-purpose flour instead of combining it with an equal amount of wheat flour. Recipe for Traditional Irish Soda Bread: https://www.biggerbolderbaking.com/irish-soda-bread/ The soup is my own creation, a result of me Frankensteining together what I felt were the best elements from several recipes I found online. Crock Pot Irish Potato Soup 5 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed 3 stalks of celery, diced 2 large carrots, peeled and sliced 2 green onions, diced 1 T. dried parsley 1 t. salt 1/2 t. black pepper 1/2 t. ground caraway seeds Cayenne, to taste (I used 1/2 t.) 1 bay leaf 1 package cooked bacon 1 32 oz. carton chicken broth 1/2 cup flour 1 1/2 cups milk 1/2 cup sour cream 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, plus more for garnish Place the vegetables, seasonings, and bay leaf in the crock pot. Tear the strips of cooked bacon into pieces and add them and the chicken broth to to crock pot. Cover and cook on Low for 8 hours. Using a potato masher, mash some of the potatoes. In a bowl, combine the flour, milk, sour cream, and cheddar cheese. Add the mixture to the crock pot, stir, and cook for thirty minutes more. Serve with garnishes such as diced green onion, sour cream, cheddar cheese, and bacon bits. #FeedingCreatively #BiggerBolderBaking #TraditionalIrishSodaBread #CrockPotIrishPotatoSoup #IrishPubAtHome #ColdWeatherComfortFood https://www.instagram.com/p/CIZEff5gDLO/?igshid=1er41y8xtko83

Closer to the Yule/Christmas season, I prefer gingerbread cookies. But during wintertime in general, there's nothing more festive to me than a slice of gingerbread cake. This loaf version from @biggerbolderbaking is amazing! It smells like the holidays, with a wonderfully old-fashioned, bittersweet aroma thanks to the cinnamon and ginger. The molasses gives it a toffee flavor and slightly sticky texture. A great treat to have sliced on its own with a cup of tea or coffee for breakfast or, to make it a dessert, top with vanilla ice cream or sliced bananas and whipped cream. Sticky Gingerbread 1 stick of butter 1/2 cup brown sugar 6 T. molasses 1 egg 1 1/2 cups flour 1/4 t. salt 1 t. ginger 1 1/2 t. cinnamon 1/2 cup + 2 T. milk 1 t. baking soda Preheat the oven to 300°F. Grease a loaf pan. In a pot, gently heat the butter, brown sugar, and molasses until melted. Let cool slightly. Once cooled, beat the egg in a separate bowl, then whisk into the molasses mixture. Add in the flour, salt, ginger, and cinnamon and stir until just combined, being careful not to over-mix. Warm the milk in the microwave. Add in the baking soda. You will see it bubble and activate. Whisk the milk mixture into the molasses mixture. The batter will be thin. Pour the batter evenly into the two loaf pan. Bake for 45 minutes. Cover the pan with foil and bake an additional 15 minutes. This is a very important step, as it creates a lovely, sticky gingerbread. Once the bread is done baking, remove the pan from the oven. Let the loaf cool, still covered by the foil. Once cool, remove the foil. Store the gingerbread in an airtight container for up to three days (it gets better the longer it sits). #FeedingCreatively #BiggerBolderBaking #WintertimeTreats #StickyGingerbread #GingerbreadLoaf https://www.instagram.com/p/CH6HYD9HgcR/?igshid=1xxtoo034x9jw

Tonight's dessert: Trying another carrot cake recipe! This one comes from @biggerbolderbaking, and I tweaked it a bit. The original recipe featured 1/2 cup raisins in the batter and called for the cake to be baked in a 9-inich tin, then cut into layers. I omitted the raisins because I prefer my carrot cake without them and divided the batter between two 8-inch round pans to make creating a layer cake easier for me. It turned out gorgeous, both in look and taste. My Version of Gemma’s Carrot Cake 2 cups sugar 4 eggs 1 1/3 cups oil 1 t. vanilla 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 3 t. baking powder 1 t. cinnamon 1 1/3 cups finely-grated carrots Cream cheese frosting Preheat the oven to 340°F. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans with butter and line them with parchment paper. Whisk the sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla together until thick. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and cinnamon. Add the dry ingredients to the egg and sugar mixture and mix gently. Add in the carrots and mix until well-combined. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the centers come out clean. Let cool completely before frosting. Place one of the cakes on a serving plate. Spread with cream cheese frosting, going all the way to the edges. Place the other cake on top and frost. Using a knife or spatula, go around the edges, smearing the frosting coming out from the sides to create a “naked cake” look. Wrap and chill a few hours before serving. #BiggerBolderBaking #AvocaHandweaversCafe #CarrotCake #DenseCarrotCake #SummerSweets #CinnamonCakes https://www.instagram.com/p/CCuhLGinNcE/?igshid=12piyq8awgnml

We all need a little sweetness in these tough times and this recipe from Bigger Bolder Baking is the perfect pick-me-up. Featuring the classic combination of bananas and chocolate, this bread can be enjoyed by anyone at any time of day, whether you're a chocolate lover like me or just want a small not-too-sweet treat, whether you have a slice for breakfast, an afternoon snack, or dessert. It's delicious and will become a staple recipe on my table! :) Chocolate Banana Bread 1 T. flaxseed 3 T. water 1 cup flour 1/2 cup cocoa powder 1 t. baking soda 1/2 t. salt 3 large, ripe bananas 1/3 cup oil 3/4 cup brown sugar 1 t. vanilla 3/4 cup chocolate chips In a small bowl, mix together the flaxseed and water and let stand for 10 minutes. This is to create a “flax egg”, or egg substitute. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a loaf pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. Add the oil and stir to combine. Next, add the brown sugar, flax egg, and vanilla. Stir until smooth. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet, being careful not to overmix. Stir in 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips. Bake for 40-65 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. This bread will keep on the counter, wrapped, for up to 4 days. #BiggerBolderBaking #CupboardStapleSweets #FeedingCreatively #QuarantineBaking #ChocolateBananaBread https://www.instagram.com/p/CA3ekH0nGJw/?igshid=eh589odoc9a6

Irish Apple Cake! Made this a few days ago and we're already down to the last two slices. Absolutely delicious, and the ingredients are all cupboard staples. So simple and so yummy! :) Irish Apple Cake: https://www.biggerbolderbaking.com/irish-apple-cake/ #BiggerBolderBaking #IrishAppleCake #CupboardStapleDesserts #SimpleSweetRecipes https://www.instagram.com/p/B-xFt_CnDik/?igshid=s1jjipc9x8h5