Blueberry Streusel

1/2 c dark brown sugar
1 c flour
1/4 lb butter, chilled
2 pints of blueberries
1/4 to 1/2 c sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine the sugar and flour in a large bowl.  Rub the butter into the flour mixture with your fingers or cut in with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs.

2. Combine the blueberries and sugar in another bowl.  Pour the berries into an 8×8 baking dish (or individual ramekins.)  Generously mound the streusel on top and  bake for about 20 minutes until the streusel is golden brown and the blueberries are bubbling.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 4

Note:  I suggest you place the baking dish on a sheetpan covered with parchment as the blueberries tend to bubble and sometimes overflow.  No need to clean up a sticky mess later!

I found this recipe in a big stack of recipes torn out of magazines… so I’m not sure which one this came from, but it is simple and good.  I made a few adaptions… like cream cheese glaze.  What’s not to like?

Glazed Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

Dough
1/2 c unsalted butter, softened
2 c milk
1 tbsp instant dry yeast
6 1/4 c all purpose flour
3/4 c sugar
1 tsp salt

Filling
1/2 c unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c brown sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon

Glaze
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 c powdered sugar
1/4 c unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. In a small saucepan, melt 1 stick of the butter in 1 cup of the milk over moderate heat. Remove from the heat and add the remaining 1 cup of milk. Pour this mixture into the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with a paddle. Add the yeast and beat until dissolved. Add the 6 1/4 cups of flour, 3/4 cup of the sugar and the salt and beat at medium speed until a dough forms.

2. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, 1 minute. Lightly oil a large bowl, add the dough and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm place until the dough has almost doubled in bulk, 40 minutes.

3. Line the bottoms of two 10-inch round cake pans with parchment paper and lightly butter the paper. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Roll 1 piece into a 12-by-6-inch rectangle about 1/3 inch thick, with a long edge facing you. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar with the cinnamon. Spread 2 tablespoons of the butter on the dough and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the cinnamon sugar, leaving a 1-inch border at one long edge. Roll up the dough jelly roll-style and pinch to seal. Repeat with the remaining dough and cinnamon sugar.

4. Cut each roll into 8 slices. Arrange the slices in the cake pans, cut side up and about 1/2 inch apart. Cover with a damp towel and let rise in a warm place until the rolls rise slightly, about 30 minutes.

5. Preheat the oven to 375°. Bake the rolls for 30 minutes, or until golden. Meanwhile, combine all of the glaze ingredients and beat with mixer until soft.  Spread on the hot rolls.

Makes about 30 rolls

It’s blueberry season! This week we’ve had blueberry pancakes, blueberry muffins and many big ole bowls of blueberries. They really are one of the best snacks… healthy AND yummy!  This is a combination of my favorite streusel recipe (from my Turkey day sweet potato casserole) and favorite muffin recipe (from The Joy of Cooking.)  This is NOT one of those healthy muffins, but one that is cake like and addicting.  So what’s not to like?

Streusel Recipe

1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 c flour (plus another tablespoon or two if needed)
1/2 c chopped pecans
2 tbsp butter, melted

1. Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, flour and chopped pecans in a small bowl.  Add the melted butter and stir well to incorporate.  I find it easier to use my hands to mix.  The mixture should start to resemble small pebbles.  You might need a little more flour in order to get the right texture.  If the streusel is too wet, it will just flatten out when it bakes. If it is too dry, it will be sandy instead of streusel-y.

2. Set aside and prepare the muffin batter.

Blueberry Streusel Muffin Recipe

2 c all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 c sour cream
2/3 c packed brown sugar
8 tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 c blueberries, fresh

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and butter a standard 12 muffin pan. You can also use paper liners.

2. Combine the first 5 ingredients in a large bowl.  In another bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients and sugar.  Add the wet ingredients and blueberries to the dry ingredients, stirring just enough to incorporate. Do not over mix… you should have some small lumps.

3. Using a scooper or spoon, divide the batter among the cups and top with the streusel.

4. Bake in the middle of the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes.  I usually test one with a skewer or toothpick to make sure it is cooked.  It should come out clean.  Let cool for several minutes in the pan before removing.  Serve warm.

Makes 12 muffins

So I came home and made my own version of banana pudding.  I really was feeling indulgent and used a combination of half and half and whole milk… It can also be made with only whole milk (or even 2%) and the result will be good but not nearly as rich and creamy.  I justified making the full fat version because I only made half of the recipe.  :P  Makes sense to me!

Banana Pudding Recipe

2/3 c sugar
1/3 c cornstarch
1/8 tsp salt
2 c half and half
2 c whole milk
4 large egg yolks
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 c sour cream
1 box vanilla wafers
6-7 ripe bananas

1. Combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt together in a small bowl.  Whisk together the half and half, milk and egg yolks in a medium sized heavy bottom saucepan.  Gradually whisk the dry ingredients into the saucepan.

2. Heat over medium heat until pudding mixture becomes thick and smooth, whisking constantly.  This takes about 2 minutes after the mixture is simmering.  Do not overcook or the mixture will get chunky.

3. Fold in the vanilla extract and sour cream.

4. In a 2 quart dish, layer about a third of the vanilla wafers in a single layer.  Slice about 2 bananas and layer them over the cookies.  Add 1/2 of the pudding mixture over the bananas, gently spreading out evenly.  Repeat again with the cookies, bananas and then the vanilla wafers.

5.  Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the pudding and refrigerate.  This helps to avoid the yucky “pudding skin.”  When ready to serve, crush a few more cookies and sprinkle on top.  You can also top with whipped cream or meringue, but I prefer it without either.  I like the crunch of the crumbs on top.

Makes about 8 servings

Note: This can be eaten warm or cold.

Instead of making a traditional cake, I made Red Velvet Whoopie Pies with Peppermint Filling.  Our photography studio has been very busy this month with last minute photo shoots and holiday cards and there just wasn’t the time to make a real birthday cake.  It’s OK, though.  Stephan really doesn’t like traditional birthday cake.  I only made them in the past because it seemed like the right thing to do.  So this year, I not only combined his birthday and Christmas present, but I combined his birthday cake and a Christmas cookie.  Yeah, I know… not cool.  I’m definitely not winning the wife of the year award!  Thankfully, the whoopie pies are really yummy and made up for the lack of birthday-ness!

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies with Peppermint Filling Recipe
(adapted from Better Homes & Garden Magazine)

1/2 c butter, softened
1 c packed brown sugar
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 c all purpose flour
1/2 c buttermilk
1 1-oz bottle red food coloring (or enough paste to color it dark red)

6 oz cream cheese, softened
3 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
3 cups powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 375 and line two sheet pans with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar until well combined, at least 1 minute. Scrape bowl occasionally.  Add the cocoa powder, baking soda and salt and beat until combined.  Beat in the egg and vanilla until combined, again scraping bowl.  Alternately beat in the flour and buttermilk, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined.  Stir in the food coloring.

3. Drop batter by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart onto prepared sheet pan.  Bake in oven for 7 to 9 minutes or until edges are set.  Do not overcook, as the texture should be like cake, not a cookie.  Cool for 2 minutes on the pan and then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.  If you’re reusing the same sheet pan, make sure to let it cool completely before baking the next batch.

4. While the cookies are baking beat the cream cheese, butter and peppermint extract until light and fluffy.  Gradually add the powdered sugar, beating well.  If necessary, stir in a few drops of milk to make the filling spreadable.

5. Spread filling on bottoms of half of the cookies.  Top with the remaining cookies, bottom side down.  If desired, sprinkle with small broken pieces of candy cane before serving.

Makes about 40 sandwich cookies.