Sugarcrafter

Canning Q&A: Soft Spreads

Tracy — Wed, 22 May 2013 13:41:53 +0000

I’m at it again over at Food Fanatic today, where I’m answering another one of your frequently asked questions for my Canning Q&A series! Today’s topic is all about the differences among all the different types of soft spreads you can make. Head over to check it out, and have a fantastic Wednesday!

Green Tea Cookies

Tracy — Tue, 14 May 2013 14:24:51 +0000

I’ve been on a bit of a cookie kick around here lately, especially after discovering my new favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe and proceeding to make batch after batch. But today, at the request of my sister, I’ve baked up a lighter cookie that I think goes very nicely with a hot cup of tea. I can’t take credit for the idea of incorporating green tea into a cookie though, that has my sister written all over it. She loves tea, so when she asked me to make these for her, of course I couldn’t say no. It was a little tricky finding powdered green tea, or matcha powder, but I finally located a small tin in the natural food section at the grocery store made by the brand Teas’ Tea. Although it was a bit on the pricey side, a little bit goes a long way…and I’m definitely looking forward to experimenting with some green tea icing with what I have left over, and perhaps even trying my hand at a homemade green tea frappuccino. I hope you enjoy these delightfully buttery cookies, and have a wonderful week!

...Read the rest of Green Tea Cookies on Sugarcrafter.net

New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies

Tracy — Tue, 07 May 2013 14:25:47 +0000

Friends, I have some good news today: I have found the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe. Even though it’s been floating around the Internet for a while now and I’m probably the last person to try it out, it doesn’t matter – this recipe makes THE best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever had, so I absolutely have to share it with you. About a week ago, I finally got fed up with the recipe I’ve always used – the results were never consistent, and more often than not I ended up with big puddles of cookie that baked up flat and slightly burnt. But these – these are where the magic is. Big, soft, bakery-style cookies that melt in your mouth. They do require a bit of planning, since you need both cake flour and bread flour in order to make these. People also swear by the 24-hour chill time before baking, but honestly, I’ve baked them after 4 hours and after 24 hours, and I didn’t really taste too much of a difference. In any case, do yourself a favor and give these a try, at least once! I can’t say enough about them; I’ll never need to use another chocolate chip cookie recipe again. Happy baking and have a great week!

...Read the rest of New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies on Sugarcrafter.net

Rhubarb Jam

Tracy — Fri, 03 May 2013 12:45:32 +0000

Today I’m over at Food Fanatic with a recipe for rhubarb jam, including several of my favorite variations! Happy Friday and have a great weekend!

Individual Rhubarb Tiramisu Trifles

Tracy — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:49:17 +0000

Apologies for the radio silence here lately. I hadn’t meant to go almost an entire month without writing; it just sort of happened…although to those of you who got in touch with me, I appreciate your care and concern. After a rush of activities following Easter, I found myself exhausted, and not necessarily in a good way…so, rather than blindly turning back to business as usual, I took some time to reflect on the current state of things. I’m sure there will be more on that later, but for now, I wanted to share these decidedly springy individual dessert trifles, inspired by my latest delivery from Green Mountain Coffee. Arriving along with some dark roast Italian Roast Barista Prima K-cup packs was a recipe for tiramisu brownies, and lots of fun ingredients to use to jazz them up. I ended up going in a slightly different direction though, since now that warmer weather has finally arrived here in upstate NY, I’ve been craving lighter fare…and although local produce is not readily available just yet, I thought these trifles were made for spring with the addition of layers of homemade rhubarb jam. If you want to go all out and make tiramisu from scratch, I have a recipe for that, too…but if you’re looking for something a little simpler, I hope you’ll enjoy this recipe.

...Read the rest of Individual Rhubarb Tiramisu Trifles on Sugarcrafter.net

Ruby Red Grapefruit Jam

Tracy — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 12:48:33 +0000

Today I’m over at Food Fanatic with a recipe for a lovely and tangy Ruby Red Grapefruit Jam! Head over and check it out, and have a happy Thursday!

Easter Nest Cupcakes (Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream)

Tracy — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 15:32:28 +0000

If you haven’t yet made the Easter nests from my post a couple days ago, today I’m giving you another reason to whip them up: Easter nest cupcakes! Underneath the candy nests and buttercream are lemon cupcakes, since I think that lemon desserts are just perfect for spring…although rather than using a white cake like I did for my lemon-curd filled cupcakes a couple years back, I made these from a yellow cake base. I whipped up a simple lemon buttercream that I tinted light green, but you could certainly use any color you like; a variety of different pastel colors would be fun, too! I sent them to work with the hubby for his co-workers, and they all loved them – in fact, he told me that the ones who were a little skeptical about the candy nests on top ended up declaring it the best part of the cupcake! If you’re still looking for a cute Easter dessert that will elicit some oohs and ahhs from your guests, I recommend making a batch of these. Hope you have a fantastic Easter weekend!

...Read the rest of Easter Nest Cupcakes (Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream) on Sugarcrafter.net

Easter Nests

Tracy — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 14:53:49 +0000

Are you ready for Easter this weekend? As you may know if you’ve been following along for a while, we always host Easter at casa de Sugarcrafter, so I’ve been busy putting the finishing touches on our menu. I decided that I needed to get things ready a little earlier this year since we’ll have so many people coming and going at different times – and I definitely didn’t want to let any stress from my own procrastination to get in the way of spending time with people! In the past, we’ve always done a simple turkey (I know, I know…we’re just not huge ham fans). But last year we decided to switch things up and give the menu an Eastern European theme, and we loved it so much that we’ve decided to do it again this year. Come Sunday our table will be filled with homemade pierogi, Polish babka, sausage & sauerkraut, and of course seasonal veggies (and yes, ham too). Since some of our guests are arriving before the weekend though, I decided to whip up these simple little Easter nests for a fun snack. I adapted the recipe from the one I found on Bridget’s blog, which she adapted from the King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion book – definitely a book I need to get my hands on. Have a great week!

...Read the rest of Easter Nests on Sugarcrafter.net

Green Mountain Coffee: Tully’s Coffee

Tracy — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 15:00:35 +0000

I have to admit that the first time I tried Tully’s coffee, I wasn’t a huge fan. I tend to gravitate toward medium roasts, and so when I took a big gulp of their dark roast Italian blend, I thought that perhaps Tully’s coffee just wasn’t for me. With so many other types of coffee to try, I didn’t really give it another thought until this month’s mailer arrived, which was filled with Tully’s Hawaiian blend. I loved the idea of this blend, particularly because we’re yearning for spring here in upstate NY, but are unfortunately still in the midst of frigid winter weather (and yes, we’re still getting snow). However, I had already come to the conclusion in my mind that I wasn’t going to like it based on my previous experience. I was glad to be pleasantly surprised – this blend falls in the medium range, maybe a little more toward the dark roast side, but is mildly sweet. I enjoyed it, and even though we’re still stuck with winter for now, at least I can take a mini vacation with my coffee cup in any ray of sunshine I can find!

...Read the rest of Green Mountain Coffee: Tully’s Coffee on Sugarcrafter.net

Canning Q&A: Gel Stage

Tracy — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 15:15:14 +0000

I’m over at Food Fanatic again today – however, rather than sharing a recipe this time around, I’m starting a new series! It’s called Canning Q&A, and every so often, I’ll be geeking out about the science behind canning & preserving and answering your frequently asked canning questions. Today’s topic is all about the gel stage, and how to achieve it in your soft spreads without the use of commercial pectin. Head on over to check it out, and have a great Thursday!