Your Daily Sweets: What Are You Making and Baking? (2016 – 2017)

[Kerry Beal]

2 hours ago, FrogPrincesse said:

I have!

This year I used Plantation 5 for the rum. Next time I want to use an aged agricole.

 

There you go and now I recall watching Harold and Maude again after that post!

[chromedome]

On 29/12/2016 at 10:39 PM, FrogPrincesse said:

For Christmas dinner, I was asked to bring a dessert with no further direction. So I decided to make one of my favorite pies which is a ginger pie with a touch of rum.  I love the little crispy crust that forms on top, and the leftovers are always great the next morning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Barring the extra spice (and splash of rum), the basic filling resembles butter tarts. 

[Ama]

So, in the midst of Christmas baking, I had a very belated birthday cake to make for a former colleague.  I'd all but promised a cake for an August birthday, but this was the first time a group of us could get together since July.  Oops . It was 4 layers of chocolate cake with alternating layers of ganache and a whipped Nutella custard-type filling, topped with ganache and liberally dosed with kahlua and baileys.  Unfortunately the extreme heat had it sliding around, even with the skewers I used to anchor it and multiple returns to the refrigerator during assembly.  It tasted great, though, and it made us all laugh at the leaning tower of cake.

My inspiration from here was an attempt at the Nutella star bread.  The heat got me again, though, and my dough was difficult to manage.  Thus you only get to see the prettier part of the bread.  Again, taste carried the day and nobody minded the rather ugly other half

[rarerollingobject]

I had a bit of sweet pastry dough left over from my Christmas mince pie endeavours, and a whole lot of rhubarb to use up, so I made a rhubarb, apricot jam and ginger syrup tart.

 

[suzilightning]

@FrogPrincesse I'll take that with some cubes of cheddar cheese, please

 

Actually bought some Pink Lady and Northern Spy apples and later today will make an apple and cranberry crumble for dessert (or more likely breakfast for me for tomorrow).

[weinoo]

I enjoy baking some stuff when the weather cools down.

 

 

Pierre Hermé's Korovas, aka World peace cookies.

 

 

Thin and crispy and salty oatmeal cookies.

[Patrick S]

Tart Tatin, recipe from Phillipe Conticini. Thin-sliced apples cooked with caramel, atop caramelized puff pastry, garnished with hazelnut streusel.

[Yiannos]

Some almost too ripe bananas and a few pantry items led to Mary Berry's banana and honey tealoaf:

 

 

 

 

Edited January 4, 2017 by Yiannos (log)

[jmacnaughtan]

9 hours ago, Patrick S said:

Tart Tatin, recipe from Phillipe Conticini. Thin-sliced apples cooked with caramel, atop caramelized puff pastry, garnished with hazelnut streusel.

 

I have this recipe, and have been looking at it for a while.  Is it worth doing (in comparison to a normal tatin), and have you tried his quince version?

 

ETA: It looks good, by the way

Edited January 4, 2017 by jmacnaughtan (log)

[Patrick S]

On Wednesday, January 04, 2017 at 6:30 AM, jmacnaughtan said:

 

I have this recipe, and have been looking at it for a while.  Is it worth doing (in comparison to a normal tatin), and have you tried his quince version?

 

ETA: It looks good, by the way

 

Honestly, it's not different from any other tart tatin I've tried, except for maybe a little more eye appeal. 

 

ETA: I have not tried the quince version- in fact, I'm embarrassed to admit that I've never baked with quince before at all!

Edited January 6, 2017 by Patrick S (log)

[rarerollingobject]

On 30/12/2016 at 1:39 PM, FrogPrincesse said:

For Christmas dinner, I was asked to bring a dessert with no further direction. So I decided to make one of my favorite pies which is a ginger pie with a touch of rum.  I love the little crispy crust that forms on top, and the leftovers are always great the next morning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've just read the recipe, have fallen totally in love with it, and an going to try to make it this weekend..did you use a loose-bottomed tart tin? How big? Is it better warm or cold? Any other tips? Thanks!

[FrogPrincesse]

17 minutes ago, rarerollingobject said:

 

I've just read the recipe, have fallen totally in love with it, and an going to try to make it this weekend..did you use a loose-bottomed tart tin? How big? Is it better warm or cold? Any other tips? Thanks!

 

I used a 9" ceramic tart pan (like this one). For the crust, I used @David Lebovitz's recipe because it's my go-to recipe. I baked it blind with parchment paper & pie weights first (or rather, some rice that I use for that purpose), then without the paper. Finally I added the filling and followed the directions from the recipe I linked.

 

I like it at room temperature, and I think it gets slightly better the next day for some reason!  

 

[kayb]

Almost ashamed to post my poor efforts amid all these gorgeous confections -- but they DID taste good. 

 

Peanut butter fudge.

 

 

Coconut macaroons.

 

Both made and left at my daughter's house for late birthday/Christmas goodies, as they are her two favorites.

 

 

[Thanks for the Crepes]

Last night I made a small batch of chocolate chip cookies using peanut butter for half the butter fat. I ate one for quality control and took most of them to the nursing home today and gave the remainder to my brother. The recipe said it made 3 dozen, but I only got 23 cookies, so I guess mine were larger.

[rarerollingobject]

Only OK use of all those interminable candy canes you somehow end up with every Christmas; peppermint bark.

 

One layer of tempered Callebaut dark chocolate spiked with peppermint oil, one layer of Callebaut white spiked with more peppermint, one layer of candy canes I imagined were my enemies and bashed the hell out of with a rolling pin.

 

[JohnT]

1 hour ago, rarerollingobject said:

Only OK use of all those interminable candy canes you somehow end up with every Christmas; peppermint bark.

 

One layer of tempered Callebaut dark chocolate spiked with peppermint oil, one layer of Callebaut white spiked with more peppermint, one layer of candy canes I imagined were my enemies and bashed the hell out of with a rolling pin.

I must admit that I have not seen "candy canes" in our shops for quite a long time during the Christmas season. They used to go "gummy" or "sticky" in the summer heat, making it nearly impossible to remove the wrapper.

[rarerollingobject]

15 minutes ago, JohnT said:

I must admit that I have not seen "candy canes" in our shops for quite a long time during the Christmas season. They used to go "gummy" or "sticky" in the summer heat, making it nearly impossible to remove the wrapper.

 

I can't actually account for how I have any, let alone so many! I certainly wouldn't buy them.  

[chromedome]

I had to write an article recently listing 20-odd uses for them. Most weren't especially appealing to me, but a couple of the craft ideas were practical enough I suppose. 

 

I'm one of the rare few who don't care for the combination of mint and chocolate, so bark wouldn't cut it for me. Sure does look pretty, though.

[Toliver]

9 hours ago, rarerollingobject said:

Only OK use of all those interminable candy canes you somehow end up with every Christmas; peppermint bark.

 

One layer of tempered Callebaut dark chocolate spiked with peppermint oil, one layer of Callebaut white spiked with more peppermint, one layer of candy canes I imagined were my enemies and bashed the hell out of with a rolling pin.

 

I made something similar at Christmas time but it was very trailer-trashy compared to your recipe.

My recipe was a package of white chocolate chips, melted and poured out onto a cookie sheet (I use either wax paper or non-stick foil on the cookie sheet).. Then sprinkle 15 crushed Oreo cookies over the white chocolate and press the cookie (and crumbly bits) into it. Then sprinkle on crushed candy canes and press them into the white chocolate/Oreo bark. Let dry/set up then break it up into bite-sized pieces. I agree with you...it's a quick way to get rid of candy canes!

[rarerollingobject]

15 hours ago, Toliver said:

I made something similar at Christmas time but it was very trailer-trashy compared to your recipe.

My recipe was a package of white chocolate chips, melted and poured out onto a cookie sheet (I use either wax paper or non-stick foil on the cookie sheet).. Then sprinkle 15 crushed Oreo cookies over the white chocolate and press the cookie (and crumbly bits) into it. Then sprinkle on crushed candy canes and press them into the white chocolate/Oreo bark. Let dry/set up then break it up into bite-sized pieces. I agree with you...it's a quick way to get rid of candy canes!

 

100% would eat.

[pjm333]

wedding cake tasting 

[kayb]

19 hours ago, Toliver said:

I made something similar at Christmas time but it was very trailer-trashy compared to your recipe.

My recipe was a package of white chocolate chips, melted and poured out onto a cookie sheet (I use either wax paper or non-stick foil on the cookie sheet).. Then sprinkle 15 crushed Oreo cookies over the white chocolate and press the cookie (and crumbly bits) into it. Then sprinkle on crushed candy canes and press them into the white chocolate/Oreo bark. Let dry/set up then break it up into bite-sized pieces. I agree with you...it's a quick way to get rid of candy canes!

 

In the trailer-trash vein, pretzel sticks dipped in melted white chocolate chips and rolled in crushed candy canes are pretty good.

[pjm333]

Carrot Cake Truffle Pops !

[RichardJones]

A chocolate, praliné, raspberry and hazelnut entremets. Took a shot of the slice this time as it was requested before. Frustratingly my cocoa butter spray died on me so I had to resort to a dusting of cocoa powder. By the time it came to taking photos there had been quite a lot of moisture migration—too bad!

[Thanks for the Crepes]

7 hours ago, RichardJones said:

A chocolate, praliné, raspberry and hazelnut entremets. Took a shot of the slice this time as it was requested before. Frustratingly my cocoa butter spray died on me so I had to resort to a dusting of cocoa powder. By the time it came to taking photos there had been quite a lot of moisture migration—too bad!

 

Oh my! Now that is something that absolutely looks worth the calories! Moisture migration be damned.