Girl Scout Thin Mint Scones

Girl Scout Thin Mint Scones

My friend's daughters were selling Girl Scout cookies. My favorite time of the year! I helped them and left the order form out at work (along with this cute photo of the girls!) and sold 81 boxes of cookies at a couple work places! Um, I may or may not have purchased a bunch of said cookies. You know, supporting youth. I'm all for it.

Cream scones. Thin Mints. Match made in baking heaven!

I made the scones in the evening and cut them into 16 small squares. I put them on this 1/4 sheet pan and wrapped it tightly with plastic wrap. Then I froze them overnight. In the morning, you can just pop them in the oven (spread out on two 1/2 sheet pans) for a little longer than the recipe's recommended baking time. In my rush, I forgot to put the egg wash and sanding sugar on the scones before baking so your finished scone may look a bit different.

I chopped up less than one sleeve of Thin Mints (about 12-14 cookies). It was a little less than 1 cup...enough to give a Thin Mint taste with a few cookies remaining to eat while they bake! :)

Thin Mint Scones
Adapted from: Cream Scones from the Art and Soul of Baking (page 152). This is a very good book - find it on Amazon or in your library.

2 cups (10 oz) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (1 3/4 oz) granulated sugar
2 1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 stick butter (4 oz) (cold, cut into pieces)
1 cup (8 oz) heavy whipping cream (cold)
3/4-1 c chopped Thin Mint cookies (about 12-14 cookies) (less than 1 sleeve of Thin Mints (2012 box size))

Topping
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 T sanding sugar or granulated sugar

1. Preheat over to 425 degrees
2. Mix together dry ingredients.
3. Using a pastry cutter, two knives or your fingers (I use my fingers), cut in the butter. (The book uses a food processor, but I like to make scones by hand...less to clean up!)
4. Add whipping cream and chocolate chips. Blend together quickly (I use my hands and/or a spatula). Do not overmix.
5. Shape into a round or square.
6. Cut into shapes.
7. Place on parchment or Silpat covered baking sheet. Brush with egg wash. Sprinkle with sugar.
8. Bake for 14-16 minutes (depending on your oven) until golden brown and delicious. I cut my smaller and got 16 scones.

Other Thin Mint cookie baking ideas...


Thin Mint Brownies


Thin Mint Brownies


Thin Mint Cupcakes

Cute Hooking Sugar - sucres cavaliers colombes

Good Morning!
It's Monday morning and we all need something pretty to start our day.

How about these freaking cute little sugars?

My friend, Mary of Popsicles & Sandy Feet, picked these up in Paris and sent them to me...what a delightful package of cuteness.

On the side of the package, it has some English and says: "Hooking sugars for hot drinks." Sorry, the 8th grader in me just giggled.

I can't read French, but the manufacturers website is full of sugar cuteness. Check out Belle De Sucre!

Thanks East Coast Mary for sending me darling sugars from Paris! - west coast mary

David Schat's Bakery - El Segundo, CA

David Schat's Bakery, El Segundo, CA

This morning, the conversation between my friend JustJenn and I went something like this:

Ring Ring (Yes, young people, people still use phones to actually talk and not just text)

JustJenn: Free for lunch?
Me: Yes!
JustJenn: I need to eat something light...big dinner tonight.
Me: Hum...let me think.
pause
JustJust: Oh! I know! There's a bakery I want to try!
Me: Coming over.

Yes, when we think meal, we actually think bakery.

JustJenn and I went to David Schat's Bakery in El Segundo, CA. El Segundo is one of the South Bay beach cities, between Manhattan Beach and the LAX airport. If you've ever driven up to Mammoth, you may have visited Eric Schat's Bakery in Bishop...my parents always bring home Sheepherders bread. Each one of the Schat's Bakery's are independently owned and operated, but they have a long history of Dutch baking.

I'm excited to have Sheepherders bread in the Los Angeles area now...along with some delicious sandwiches and baked goods.

JustJenn and I both got the combo for lunch...

Classic Turkey Sandwich with fries, drink and a cookie, $12.00

Roasted Vegetable Panini (comes with cheese, but I opted out) with sweet potato fries, drink and a cookie, $11.75. I like that they use 1/4 sheet pans as serving trays!

Rose cupcake $1.50 (very good white cake cupcake). Mini Eclair & Mini Cream Puffs ($1.00 each) - they also have large size elcairs and cream puffs.

It's a small world! We ran into friends who were having lunch...and they totally didn't mind me taking a shot of their Roast Beef Sandwich and Grilled Cheese! (They are friends who understand food blogging - I got to show them my new camera too! :)

Finally, they sell some Dutch treats such as De Ruijter bread toppings. Holy smokes. I looked over, saw the boxes and I was transported back to the early 1990's. My UCLA roommate, Agnes is Dutch and we had a shelf of the chocolate sprinkles and anise and little pink & white ones in the apartment. She introduced me to Nutella...when you had to buy it at import stores. Oh, the Dutch and their bread. Delicious combos. Great memories.

Anyway, if you are in the South Bay (or have a crazy layover at LAX), I suggest stopping by David Schat's Bakery! They have a breakfast menu too...can't wait to try that! The staff was very nice, service was really fast and there is plenty of seating (outdoor seating area as well). There is street parking and they are next to a city parking structure.

David Schat's Bakery
131A W. Grand Ave., El Segundo, CA, 90245
Twitter :: Facebook

Apricot Jam Oatmeal Bars (Pioneer Woman)

Apricot Jam Oatmeal Bars

Photo taken with cell phone

These were really expensive apricot jam oatmeal bars (adapted from The Pioneer Woman's Strawberry Oatmeal Bars from her Food Network show). 

 Here's the story:
1. Get up super early.
2. Wipe the sleep from my eyes.
3. Stumble to kitchen.
4. Make these simple jam bars from the Pioneer Woman.
5. Toss them into the oven.
6. Start to clean up the kitchen. (I think I should mention here that my camera is on the countertop.)
7. Move the flour container...and knock off my camera from the countertop...and see it nose dive onto the hardwood floor.

It was horrible! I saw it in that slo-mo action...where you want to yell, "Noooooo..." but it happens so fast you are only able to yelp, "n...."

The lens came apart and I found a piece of it on the floor. Darn.

I've been wanting a new camera recently so this forced my hand. I purchased this combo:

Canon EOS Rebel T3i (body)
Canon EF 50 mm f1.4 (lens) (I upgraded from the f1.8 lens that crashed)

 

I love the new camera! It is much faster than my old one (which I bought in 2008). I'll be updating the camera page soon! 

This recipe is super simple. Just mix together most of the ingredients and press 1/2 on the bottom, and 1/2 over the jam layer. (These are the last photos taken with my old camera!)

Make these bars. Kids and librarians alike will love them! And hang onto your camera! :) - mary

Recipe:
Apricot Jam Oatmeal Bars

Adapted from The Pioneer Woman (shown on her Food Network show). Her recipe here.
1 3/4 sticks salted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for greasing pan
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cup oats (I used old fashioned oatmeal)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
One 10 to 12-ounce jar apricot jam (Pioneer Woman used homemade Strawberry Jam...I used Trader Joe's Apricot Jam)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch pan.
2. Mix together flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. Using a pastry cutter/blender, cut in the butter.
3. Press half the oat mixture into the prepared pan.
4. Spread jam on top of the oat mixture.
5. Sprinkle the other half of the oat mixture over the top and pat lightly.
6. Bake until light brown, 30 to 40 minutes.
7. Let cool completely, and then cut into squares.

Roasted Romanesco Broccoli / Cauliflower

Roasted Romanesco Broccoli/Cauliflower, Potatoes and Carrots

In the last post, I mentioned my Tanaka Farms CSA. Today, I tweeted a photo of this green vegetable found in my CSA box with the questions: what is this vegetable and what should I make w it? 

My twitter friends came to the rescue! Thanks dessertbycandy, misschiffonade, valgriswold, justjenndesigns, janeofmanytrades, michele_james, robinreads, bluechefk for the help!!

Some sources call it the Romanesco Broccoli and some call it Cauliflower. I'm going with awesome looking veggie!

My twitter friends suggested some delicious recipes and I'm saving them for later! Today, I simply roasted it (like I would a cauliflower) with Tanaka Farms carrots and potatoes I picked up at the Farmer's Market.


I love the wonderful design and color of the Romanesco. If you haven't picked one up, please do so.

Recipe:

Roasted Romanesco Broccoli/Cauliflower, Potatoes and Carrots

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. I used the "Convection Roast" setting on my oven...it is wonderful for roasted veggies. Cut veggies to size and toss with olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Place potatoes & carrots on a sheet pan and roast for 7-10 minutes. Then add the Romanesco and cook until done (depending on your oven), turning the veggies once or twice. (I started the root vegetables earlier because they usually take longer to roast than the rest of the veggies, but it depends on your preference and size of your veggies.) Next time, I'd like to throw in a handful of pine nuts at the end too. Enjoy!

Tanaka Farms CSA (Los Angeles)

Late last year, I signed up for the Tanaka Farms CSA box (Community Supported Agriculture). Tanaka Farms is located in Irvine (Orange County), California and is one of the few farms left in Los Angeles & Orange Counties. My friends and I went on their Strawberry Farm tour, and it is a delight to be able to purchase local produce!

The most convenient aspect of this CSA is that you can pick it up at Whole Foods! And they have hours for working people (some pick-ups are until 9 pm). This shows Whole Food's commitment to local farmers, and it gets people in the store! In addition to picking up the box, I must get some Cranberry Tuna from the deli and am always picking up a few more items. By the way, have you tried the Whole Food's Cranberry Tuna? It is such crack. Sometimes, I eat some in my car, in the parking lot. Total crack.

I get the "small" box for $20 plus $3 delivery. It's awesome! You can check out Farmer Tanaka's blog to see what might be appearing in the box.

Although I'm crazy lucky to have year-round Farmer's Markets available, I often load up on tons of fruit (and kettle corn) and neglect some veggies. The CSA makes sure I fit in some fresh, fresh, fresh veggies. I can't wait to open the box and see what I got this week! It's like a little birthday gift.

Sometimes I share the box with my parents... I leave a bag of produce on their door on the way to work. A nice surprise for them too!

I started in the Winter so we've been getting lots of greens such as swiss chard, bok choy, broccoli, green beans, lettuce, spinach, kale, Romanesco, and Tanaka Farms delicious carrots. Oh, those carrots are so tasty.

Last week, I squealed in Whole Foods! I opened the CSA box (you pick it up from the produce guy) and there was a box prettier than any Tiffany box. Tanaka Farms Strawberries. These are sooooo delicious! As we head toward spring and summer, I can't wait for more strawberries and sweet corn!

Tanaka Farms doesn't have an orchard so they supplement the box with organic oranges and apples from Cuyama Orchards in Ventura County.

If you are interested in a Tanaka Farm's CSA, they are multiple pick up locations in LA & OC. The small box is $20 and the large box is $30 (plus $3 delivery unless you pick it up at the farm in Irvine). You can get weekly or bi-weekly delivery (I get bi-weekly).

Tanaka Farms Swiss Chard Saute

Here is how I enjoyed my first CSA box: Sauteed swiss chard in olive oil. A bit of zest and juice from a Meyer lemon. Enjoy!

Busy Beaver Button Company - Golden Button Award Voting

Were you a 2011 I Like Big Bundt Baker? You have the chance to make our special button (only sent to bundt bakers) a winner!

The Busy Beaver Button Company is hosting their 1st Annual Golden Button award and my friend JustJenn's  design was nominated for the People’s Choice Award!

It's fab that they nominated Jenn's cute button...I hope it is on your apron and reminds you to make some big bundts. The button with the most votes wins! Please go here to vote for #7 “I Like Big Bundts” from now until Feb 23 (that's tomorrow! Do it now!!!)

Orange Blueberry Muffins

Orange Blueberry Muffins

Things have been crazy busy lately. Don't quite understand how it got to be near the end of February! Where is 2012 going?!

Take a moment to slow down and make some muffins. Muffins are always simple and fast...they aren't called "quick breads" for nothing.

I received Sweet and Savory Swedish Baking by Leila Lindholm from my friend JustJenn of JustJenn Recipes. She selected this book because "it had little frosting." My friends know me quite well! :)

A bit of orange zest is added to the mix. I used frozen blueberries from Trader Joe's because I ate the fresh ones with my yogurt. And I always like a bit of sanding sugar atop a muffin for the great texture and bit of sweetness it provides.

Adapted from Sweet and Savory Swedish Baking by Leila Lindholm (Nine Classic Muffins, page 98)

Orange Blueberry Muffins
1/2 c (1 stick) unsalted butter
3/4 c milk (I used whole milk)
Zest of 1 orange (I used a Cara Cara orange)
2/3 c sugar (130 grams)
2 eggs, room temp
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/3 c all-purpose flour (326 grams)
2 teaspoons baking powder
Dash of salt
1 1/2 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
Sanding sugar

1. Prep: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prep muffin tin with liner (12 muffins).
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
3. Melt butter. Add milk and combine.
4. Rub zest with sugar. Whisk in eggs and vanilla until pale.
5. Add butter and milk mixture into egg mixture.
6. Pour wet mixture on dry and carefully fold together. Don't overmix.
7. Fold in blueberries, reserving a few for top of the muffins.
8. Scoop into muffin tin. (I use an ice cream scoop)
9. Top with the reserved blueberries. Sprinkle with sanding sugar (optional).
10. Bake, depending on your oven, until toothpick comes out clean, about 25-35 minutes (using frozen blueberries takes longer to bake).

Pancake Day - Shrove Tuesday Ideas

It's Fat Tuesday / Shrove Tuesday / Pancake Day! The day before Lent, it's a day to indulge and use up some forbidden foods.

Here are some ideas of pancakes I've made in the past. Happy Pancake Day to you and yours! Next year, I hope I finally make a King Cake...this recipe from the LA Times Food Section is very interesting!

Thin Mint Pancakes

Blueberry-Cornmeal Pancakes

Cinnamon-Oat Pancakes

Cornmeal Pancakes with Maple Syrup

Welcome Baby Kendal!

Welcome to the world, Kendal

My dear friend Racheal gave birth to the most beautiful baby girl on February 10, 2012. Here are Kendal and her mom in the hospital less than two days after she came into the world. She was a couple weeks ahead of schedule so her lungs needs a little extra care for a few days, but now she is home and happy.

All those cute little toes! Isn't she precious?!

I love being Auntie Mary and can't wait to spoil her with lots of hugs and cookies. Her older brother's first real food? My chocolate cinnamon bundt! Awesome.

Congratulations Racheal & Lee! - mary

White Loaves - Tuesdays with Dorie: Baking with Julia

White Bread - Baking with Julia

Whoo Hoo!
It's Tuesday.
And we're back! It's the first week of Tuesdays with Dorie: Baking with Julia edition.

For the past few years, a group of bloggers baked our way through the awesome Dorie Greenspan cookbook: Baking from My Home to Yours. When that finished (4 years later), we all wanted to continue baking! So we embark on baking twice a month from the classic book Baking with Julia - combining two treasures: Julia Child and Dorie Greenspan!

For this week's Tuesdays with Dorie: Baking with Julia, the organizers Laurie and Jules are hosting our inaugural baking extravaganza!

Whenever I make bread, I wonder why I don't make bread more often! I love the chemistry of it all...all those little yeast molecules coming back to life.

I made 1/2 the recipe for one loaf. I raced home after work, kneaded the dough, and let it rise while I went to pilates. Then I punched it down and let it go for a second rise while I shopped at Costco. It was a multi-tasking night!

Thanks to my friend Shannon, I was able to put lovely homemade Apple Preserves on the bread. Thanks Shannon for this treat!

Be sure to check out the other Tuesdays with Dorie members!

Recipe:
The Tuesdays with Dorie group encourages you to support cookbook authors like Dorie Greenspan and purchase the book. You won't be disappointed! You can also check WorldCat to see if your local library has the book.

White Loaves, page 81-82
Recipe is also on the host's blog:  Someone's in the Kitchen

Napa Cabbage, Asian Pear and Carrot Salad

I'm guest blogging over at Kitchen Corners blog. Damaris is one of my favorite bloggers and she started off 2012 with 31 days of salads!

I made a Napa Cabbage, Asian Pear and Carrot Salad. Check it out on Kitchen Corners! ;) - mary

Chocolate Breakfast Muffins - King Arthur Flour

Chocolate Breakfast Muffins

Chocolate for breakfast. Sign me up!

This is pretty much a cupcake without frosting...so that makes it totally legit for breakfast. ;)

This recipe is super duper easy and from the fine folks at King Arthur Flour. You can throw the ingredients together in the morning and bake them while you are taking a shower. The muffin has Dutch-process cocoa and some chocolate chips for a double chocolate punch.


My friend Racheal came down with the dreaded cold... Have you had it yet? It is going around like crazy. I dropped this care package for Racheal and her cute son, Caden to get the healing started. Chocolate is medicinal, right?! Believe me, this is much better than a get well card.


Look what I bought myself for my birthday! A little stamp that says "From the Kitchen of...The Food Librarian." It's made by Three Designing Women. You can pick one up on Amazon - they mail you a blank stamp and a certificate to order the design online.

Recipe:

Adapted from King Arthur Flour's website

Chocolate Breakfast Muffins

2/3 cup (2 ounces) Dutch-proces cocoa 

1 3/4 cups (7 1/4 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

1 1/4 cups (9 3/8 ounces) light brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon espresso powder, optional (I used the espresso powder...coffee punches up with chocolate flavor) 

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup (6 ounces) chocolate chips (I used Nestle semi-sweet chocolate chips)

2 eggs

1 cup (8 ounces) milk (I used whole milk)

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 teaspoons vinegar

1/2 cup (4 ounces, 1 stick) butter, melted

Optional: coarse pearl sugar, for topping (I didn't have any pearl sugar (must get some, it is so pretty on the chocolate muffin)...I used some sanding sugar instead)

Prep: Preheat oven to 400°F. Prep muffin tin (I sprayed mine with Pam with Flour spray).

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cocoa, flour, sugar, baking powder, espresso powder, baking soda, salt and chocolate chips. 

2. In a large measuring cup or medium mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla and vinegar. 

3. Add the wet ingredients, along with the melted butter, to the dry ingredients, stirring to blend, just until combined. Do not overbeat.

4. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tin. King Arthur makes 12 muffins with big tops, but I made them a bit smaller and got 16 muffins. Sprinkle with sugar. 

5. Bake the muffins for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove the muffins from the oven, and after 5 minutes remove them from the pan, to cool on a rack.

Quartre Quarts - French Fridays with Dorie

Quartre Quarts

I'm back! I'm back on the French Fridays with Dorie circuit! This week, the French Fridays with Dorie group made Quartre Quarts from Dorie Greenspan's cookbook Around my French Table. 

It's a snacking cake with no frosting. Um, I'm sooooo there!

This is totally delicious. I just made it afternoon and am trying to save some to bring into work tomorrow! It reminds me of the Swedish Visiting Cake sans the nuts. It is light, not very sweet and goes perfectly with a cup of coffee or tea. I used vanilla (you can also use rum) so it has a great warm, vanilla taste. It's topped with just enough brown sugar to give it sweetness.

Be sure to check out my fellow French Fridays with Dorie members and see their creations!

Please note: French Fridays with Dorie will not be posting recipes. Please support Dorie and purchase the book or find it at your library.

Any Day All-Occasion Apple Snack Cake (Flo Braker)

Flo Braker’s Baking For All Occasions

I love snack cakes as much as I love Downton Abbey. I'm a bit late to the party and have been watching marathons of the first season. Oh, that Thomas...you are vile. And Bates and Anna? So perfect...if it weren't for that crazy pesky wife. Anyway, Miss Patmore might not make this, but you can make a quick cake any morning.

This recipe is from Flo Braker’s Baking For All Occasions - pick up the book, it is filled with lots of yummy recipes.

This cake uses oil and no butter, even for the topping. Mix most of the dry ingredients together with oil and then pull out some of it. Add nuts (I used chopped walnuts from Trader Joe's) and some cinnamon to finish off the topping.

In the headnote, Flo says you can add a cup of fruit or veggies to the mix...it's very versatile. I shredded an apple (skin on).

Any Day All-Occasion Apple Snack Cake
(adapted from Flo Braker’s Baking For All Occasions)

2 1/3 cups (300 grams) all-purpose flour (I used King Arthur all-purpose unbleached flour)
3⁄4 cup sugar (150 grams)
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon - divided (I used Penzy's cinnamon)
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar (200 grams)
3⁄4 cup vegetable oil (I used Wesson's canola oil)
(I added 1 cup shredded apple with skin on)
1 cup chopped walnuts, pecans or hazelnuts (I used Trader Joe's Walnut baking pieces)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 large egg

Prep: Preheat oven to 350 F. Prep a 9 x 13 pan.
You don't need a KitchenAid mixer...just a couple bowls and a whisk.

1. Sift together the flour, sugar, salt and 1⁄2 tsp cinnamon into a large bowl.
2. Mix in the brown sugar with a whisk.
3. Stir in the oil. (By this point, my batter was a little dry and in crumbles - this worked out fine).
4. Crumb topping: Remove enough of the flour mixture to measure 3⁄4 cup loosely packed. Add the remaining 1 tsp cinnamon and blend well with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Set aside.
5. To finish the cake batter, stir in the baking powder and baking soda. Add the buttermilk and egg and whisk until the mixture is smooth.
6. Stir in your added fruit or veggies (if adding). I added one shredded skin-on apple.
7. Pour the batter into pan, then sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the batter.
8. Bake for about 35 mins until toothpick comes out clean.
9. The instructions say to depan the cake after 10-15 minutes and let cool completely. However, I just left it in the pan to cool off.