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

[Norm Matthews]

On 11/21/2018 at 2:56 PM, Tri2Cook said:

I prefer the regular version myself (with the disclaimer that I've only tried the chocolate version once) but I agree, nice looking pie.

 

It was the first time I'd tried it and basically it was a chocolate pie with  a lot of pecans in it.  Everyone said it was good though. Another chocolate pecan pie that was a fad this year was one made with bourbon. I passed on making that one because there were some very small kids there.

Edited November 23, 2018 by Norm Matthews (log)

[chromedome]

Either way, the dress code is the same: a white sports coat and a pink crustacean.

[RWood]

A friend asked me to make her in-laws an anniversary cake for today. I said sure, but don't think I'll do that again when I was the one cooking for Thanksgiving 🙃. Ugh, too much. 

Carrot cake with buttercream flowers, it weighs a freakin' ton.

[shain]

Baklava. Two types -

One made with walnuts and pistachios. Flavored with tahini, anise seed, orange zest and cinnamon. Lightly soaked with rose water flavored syrup.

The other made with hazelnuts and walnuts. Flavored with cinnamon, a hint of coffee and cardamom. Same rose syrup.

 

 

 

Edited November 23, 2018 by shain (log)

[Pete Fred]

Stella Parks' Pumpkin Skillet 'Thing'.

 

 

Underwhelming. It took much longer than indicated (internal temp 96°C) which accounts for the overcooked edges. The streusel topping was dry and powdery. I used Ovaltine for the malted milk powder, so it's darker than her version. Several commenters had similar problems so I'm not sure what to make of it. Even if the texture would've been better, the flavour was decidedly 'meh'. It just seemed an expensive way to waste some quality white chocolate.

 

I enjoy reading Ms Parks' articles and have picked up some valuable tips but this isn't the first time I've been disappointed with the results, whether technical or taste. So no hard feelings - no doubt operator error is partly to blame - but her bakes are seemingly not for me.

[Kim Shook]

Mr. Kim’s family has a tradition of serving fondue on tree decorating night.  Dessert is always chocolate fondue.  Toblerone Honey-Almond fondue:

 

Pound cake and angel food cake:

 

Bananas, cherries, marshmallows, dried apricots, dates and dried figs.

Those marshmallows were amazing.  I found them wandering around Walmart at 1am a couple of weeks ago.  As you can see, they are very girly:

I would have bet they were from Mexico or Asia (a friend who grew up in Thailand thought Asian, too), but they are from Spain.  The brand name is Yummallow.  They are very, very faintly fruity and extremely soft.  We toasted them:

 

Ending up with a perfectly charred marshmallow:

 

Dipped in chocolate:

Have mercy, they were SO good.  They get melty all the way through and are incredibly creamy. 

[oli]

My post Thanksgiving dinner dessert. Apricot Frangipan tart.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 4, 2018 by oli (log)

[shain]

Filo cups with ricotta and strawberries. Mint and pistachio.

 

[RWood]

This was a very fast stormtrooper cake. My friend asked me to make it for her nephew last minute. I went to Vegas this past week and she asked for it for today. So, the night before I left, I baked and froze the layers and ganache and said here's hoping I can. Got back Thursday night, got it mostly done Friday morning then drove to Sacramento to see Metallica. Got up, finished the lettering, and she left this morning headed home to Santa Cruz for his sleepover party. Whew!

 

And a shot with the birthday boy!

Edited December 8, 2018 by RWood (log)

[Anna N]

On 12/4/2018 at 5:56 PM, Kim Shook said:

Those marshmallows were amazing.  I found them wandering around Walmart at 1am a couple of weeks ago.  As you can see, they are very girly:

I’m so sorry but I just can’t stop laughing. Girly marshmallows wondering around Walmart at 1 AM.

[chromedome]

13 hours ago, Anna N said:

I’m so sorry but I just can’t stop laughing. Girly marshmallows wondering around Walmart at 1 AM.

I'm a sucker for syntax humour myself.

 

The first year we were together, my (now-) ex asked me to throw her over a dish towel. So I did. I found it much funnier than she did.

 

(To clarify, for those who wonder, she became my ex almost 20 years later so I doubt that was part of it...)

[ElsieD]

15 hours ago, RWood said:

This was a very fast stormtrooper cake. My friend asked me to make it for her nephew last minute. I went to Vegas this past week and she asked for it for today. So, the night before I left, I baked and froze the layers and ganache and said here's hoping I can. Got back Thursday night, got it mostly done Friday morning then drove to Sacramento to see Metallica. Got up, finished the lettering, and she left this morning headed home to Santa Cruz for his sleepover party. Whew!

 

And a shot with the birthday boy!

 

 

Amazing! As one who can't draw a straight line with a pencil, I am in awe.

[RWood]

35 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

 

Amazing! As one who can't draw a straight line with a pencil, I am in awe.

Thanks! I can't really draw either, but seem to be ok other ways. I had delusions of grandeur and wanted to do a full carved helmet, but lack of time and bring exhausted canned that idea 😋

[RobertM]

I made a Basque Cheesecake for a party......I should have taken a picture of the empty plate ..... not a crumb left.  

 

[demiglace]

On 12/8/2018 at 2:42 PM, RWood said:

 

And a shot with the birthday boy!

 

 

The smile on this kids face is worth a million bucks! Well done.

[patris]

An extremely kind and generous friend gifted me a large quantity of Belgian chocolate, which was a wonderful addition to Santa’s Tonawanda Workshop this year. I wanted to pay this generosity forward, so I contacted a food pantry/soup kitchen/general community resource on the West side of Buffalo to ask if they would accept a donation of chocolate treats made in a private home. Happily they said yes, so I spent today working on some goodies for their holiday meals and festivities. There’s about 6 pounds of peppermint bark, 5 dozen or so pretzel rods wrapped in caramel and dipped in milk or dark chocolate, and 3.5 pounds each of chocolate clusters - milk chocolate with salted peanuts and cornflakes, and caramelized white chocolate with toasted coconut and heath toffee bits:

 

 

I will drop these off tomorrow and hope they brighten the season for the agency’s clients, volunteers and staff.

[MelissaH]

23 hours ago, patris said:

An extremely kind and generous friend gifted me a large quantity of Belgian chocolate, which was a wonderful addition to Santa’s Tonawanda Workshop this year. I wanted to pay this generosity forward, so I contacted a food pantry/soup kitchen/general community resource on the West side of Buffalo to ask if they would accept a donation of chocolate treats made in a private home. Happily they said yes, so I spent today working on some goodies for their holiday meals and festivities. There’s about 6 pounds of peppermint bark, 5 dozen or so pretzel rods wrapped in caramel and dipped in milk or dark chocolate, and 3.5 pounds each of chocolate clusters - milk chocolate with salted peanuts and cornflakes, and caramelized white chocolate with toasted coconut and heath toffee bits:

 

 

I will drop these off tomorrow and hope they brighten the season for the agency’s clients, volunteers and staff.

You're awesome, in so many ways!

[Shelby]

Chocolate sheetcake for my mother in law's birthday

 

[shain]

Galaktoboureko (filo pie filled with milk and semolina custard). With orange caramel syrup (caramel, orange zest, orange water. No butter/cream). Also added a hint of cinnamon and rosemary between the filo sheets.

 

 

Some adjustment needed, the bottom wasn't as crispy as I'd like and the filling not custardy enough (needs more eggs, less semolina). But I don't think that It's be easy to solve one issue without making the other worse (water filling = soggier crust). So I might bake the filling and crust separately next time.

 

Edited December 14, 2018 by shain (log)

[heidih]

3 hours ago, shain said:

Galaktoboureko (filo pie filled with milk and semolina custard). With orange caramel syrup (caramel, orange zest, orange water. No butter/cream). Also added a hint of cinnamon and rosemary between the filo sheets.

 

 Hhmm intriguing on the rosemary with the orange.  I must become more bold in my flavor combinations.  The lack of bottom crunch is why I am not a fan of American pie and I sometimes wonder about my baklava. But the melding of ingredients seems to "make it" so deconstruction does not strike me as ideal (can you tell I have been dealing with the goverment all day - carful wording!)

[shain]

A little late for hanukkah, but still I wanted to make sufganiyot (doughnuts).

 

They are yeast risen, the dough is sweetened and lightly enriched with butter and eggs.

Untraditionally, I steam them before filling and shallow frying . This makes the frying quicker, the doughnuts crisper; and you don't need to wait for them to chill in order to fill them.

 

I made quite a few (the photos are from the first of three batches). Some went to the freezer for later use.

 

"Classic" with a strawberry jam (home made) and powdered sugar.

Dulce de leche and coconut.

Mini doughnuts with cinnamon and brown-sugar for dipping (it didn't stick :P).

 

 

Edited December 15, 2018 by shain (log)

[BeeZee]

Banana, oat, walnut muffins

 

[Anna N]

 so granddaughter asked for treats to take to a potluck tomorrow for her lifeguard colleagues.  I decided to make her very favourite brownies. No idea what went wrong but the first batch was a bit of a disaster.   I am sure she will enjoy them in a bowl with some ice cream but they are unfit for presentation.  

 

 Second batch worked out much better but I forgot to take a photograph before I had packaged them up. 

 

 

 Even these are not pretty but they held together.  Bettin’ my next pension check  there are no leftovers. 

[MelissaH]

Wait, what's a leftover brownie?

[heidih]

5 hours ago, Anna N said:

 so granddaughter asked for treats to take to a potluck tomorrow for her lifeguard colleagues.  I decided to make her very favourite brownies. No idea what went wrong but the first batch was a bit of a disaster.   I am sure she will enjoy them in a bowl with some ice cream but they are unfit for presentation.  

 

 Second batch worked out much better but I forgot to take a photograph before I had packaged them up. 

 

 

 Even these are not pretty but they held together.  Bettin’ my next pension check  there are no leftovers. 

 

They look tasty. The very combination of the phrases "lifeguard",Ontario Canada and December  17 send this wimpy Califrnia girl running