muddy buddy krispy treats

Posted on September 1, 2017 by natalie @ wee eats

Let’s all close our eyes for a moment and return to our childhood, shall we? Where we enjoyed easy-to-make desserts like rice krispy treats and muddy buddies.

Now imagine, if you will, that these two famous treats come together to form one mega-delicious ultra-dessert that is just as easy to make as either of the two on their own but so much greater than the sum of its parts.

This, my friends, is what we have here. Two childhood favorites – Muddy Buddies and Rice Krispy Treats – combined into one amazingly delicious, just-as-easy-to-make dessert.

You’re welcome.

muddy buddy krispy treats

Ingredients

3 Tablespoons butter (salted or unsalted will work, I use unsalted)
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 (10 ounce) bag marshmallows
2 cups (or one small bag) chocolate chips
5 cups crisp rice cereal
1/2 cup to 1 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

Line a 9×13” pan with foil and/or parchment and grease generously with butter or nonstick cooking spray.
**Stovetop Instructions** Heat a large pot over medium/medium-low heat. Add butter until it is almost melted, then add peanut butter and marshmallows until melted. Add chocolate chips, stirring until they are mostly melted, then add cereal. Remove from heat and continue stirring until the cereal is fully coated in marshmallow mixture. If it starts to harden, return to the burner and continue stirring.
**Microwave instructions** Cut butter into cubes and place into a large bowl with peanut butter and marshmallows. Microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between each session, until the mixture is almost completely melted. Add chocolate chips and continue microwaving in 30 second increments until chocolate is almost completely melted. Add cereal and stir until the cereal is completely coated with the marshmallow mixture.
Pour mixture into prepared pan and press gently but firmly to ensure they keep their form. Allow to cool completely at room temperature or in the fridge before cutting.
Trim edges (if you like clean edges, like I do, and cut into desired size squares. These are pretty rich so you can probably get away with 1 to 1 1/2 inch squares if you wanted.
Place about 1 cup powdered sugar in a bowl and coat each square with powdered sugar. Alternatively, if you want less powdered sugar (but why would you!?) you can just dust the top and bottom of the squares with powdered sugar.
Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Notes

I trimmed the edges of my krispy treats then, not wanting to waste them, threw those edges into a ziploc bag with some powdered sugar making muddy buddy krispy treat 'bites' essentially. These were also delicious and a great snack for when you want to distract yourself (or your hubby) from eating the pretty squares 😉 You could also do this with the entire batch, just crumble it into bites and toss them with powdered sugar. Yes, they're that good.

https://wee-eats.com/2017/09/01/muddy-buddy-krispy-treats/

babka rolls

Posted on July 1, 2017 by natalie @ wee eats

Babka has been on my to-do list for a long time now. So when King Arthur Flour featured their babka recipe as their Bakealong Challenge back in April, I Jumped on the opportunity to finally make my own.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with babka, it’s like cinnamon swirl bread but on crack. Often filled with chocolate or cinnamon and nuts, then topped with a sweet, crunchy streusel topping – this stuff is irresistible.

Though it looks very intimidating, having finally made it I can honestly say it’s not nearly as scary or daunting as I thought it would be. It’s a lot like making cinnamon rolls except you don’t have to cut the log into individual pieces, although once I made these all I wanted to do was turn them into rolls… which is why my April post turned into a July post (oops?).

However you decide to shape it, your babka will start with a simple sweet yeast dough. Once properly kneaded, you let it rise, shape it, let it rise again, then bake it off in the oven.

I know what you’re thinking… You’re looking at all those twisties and and saying to yourself that clearly this is some kind of trick. It must be harder than expected because just LOOK at how beautiful these babies are. I assure you, it’s no trick. Though time consuming (as all yeast breads are), these are not actually “difficult”. I made these three ways so you can choose your favorite and run with it.

The original recipe provided by King Arthur Flour gave enough for two loaves, so I’ve halved the recipe assuming you will only want to make one loaf (or 12 rolls). If you want to make two loaves (or two batches of rolls), feel free to double the recipe and divide it into two pieces after its first rise to work one loaf at a time. I did NOT halve the filling or the topping, you will use all the filling in the rolls and you’ll have leftover topping but that stuff is good on everything so feel free to stash it in your fridge or freezer for the next time you want to jazz something up with a bit of streusel on top.

babka rolls

Ingredients

For the dough

1/2 to 2/3 cups warm water
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3 cups + 2 tablespoons (13.25 ounces) all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tablespoons nonfat dry milk*
1 tablespoon instant (rapid rise) yeast
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

For the filling

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup dutch cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon espresso powder
1 cup mini chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

For the streusel topping

4 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour

For the egg wash (make right before baking)

1 large egg, beaten (set aside)

For the glaze (make after the rolls come out of the oven)

1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon milk

Instructions

Make the dough

In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine all of the dough ingredients, using the lesser amount of water. Mix the ingredients together until everything is moistened, adding additional water if necessary to enable the dough to come together. It will still be a little lumpy and not very pretty. Once the dough comes together, cover the bowl with a cloth or plastic wrap and let the dough rest for 20 minutes.
After resting, knead the dough by hand or with the dough hook until it becomes soft and smooth like a normal bread dough.
Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Set aside to rise for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the dough becomes very puffy (it may not quite double in size).
If you need a break, now's the time to take it. Instead of allowing to rise now, you can cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight. In the morning, remove from fridge and allow to rise, covered, for 2 to 3 hours until it's nice and puffy.

Make the filling (I make mine while the dough is rising then warm it a bit to loosen before filling the dough)

Stir sugar, cinnamon, cocoa, and espresso until the butter is fully incorporated. Set aside, covered, until ready to use. (Do not mix the chocolate chips or nuts in with the other ingredients).

Make the streusel (I also make this while the dough is rising, and then stash it on the counter or in the fridge until I need it)

Combine all ingredients in a bowl until moistened. You should be able to press the streusel into clumps with your hands.
Extra streusel can be stored in the fridge for up to two weeks. Throw it on top of banana bread or muffins, or toss some into pancake or waffle batter. You can also freeze it for a month or two if you like.

Shape the dough

Line a 9-by-13 inch pan with parchment and grease lightly with butter or cooking spray.
Pour dough onto counter and gently deflate, stretching/patting into a rectangle.
Roll dough into a rectangle approximately 15 by 20 inches. If it's being stubborn cover it with a towel and let it set 5 to 10 minutes to relax. I usually use a combination of rolling and stretching until I achieve my desired size, it doesn't have to perfect, just something in that vicinity.
Spread filling over the dough and sprinkle with chocolate chips and nuts.
Starting at the long end, roll the dough into a log about 20-inches long. Trim about a half inch or so off of each end to get rid of the straggly edges.
Using a serrated knife, cut into 12 equal-sized rolls and place cut-side down into prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside to rise in a warm place for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours until rolls become puffy and begin to crowd each other in the pan.

Bake the rolls

Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.
Once ready to bake, lightly brush the tops of the rolls with egg wash and sprinkle generously with streusel topping.
Bake rolls for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown on top and baked through.

Glaze the rolls

In a small bowl, mix together the powdered sugar and milk until no lumps remain. If too runny, add more powdered sugar, if too thick add more milk. The glaze should be on the thicker side, sort of like Elmer's glue but more delicious.
Drizzle glaze over slightly-cooled rolls. Best served the day they are made (and still slightly warm).

OK, but what if you want to make that impressive fancy babka loaf you see at the bakery? Well, I've got steps for that too!

To make a loaf

Line a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with parchment and grease lightly with butter or cooking spray.
Shape each half of the dough into a 9" x 18", 1/4"-thick rectangle.
Smear dough with the filling, coming to within an inch of the edges and scatter nuts and chocolate chips over the filling

For the fancy (split top) twisty loaf

Starting with a short end, roll the dough gently into a log, sealing the seam and ends.
Use a pair of scissors or a sharp knife to cut the log in half lengthwise to make two long pieces of dough.
With the exposed filling side up, twist the two pieces into a braid, tucking the ends underneath. Place into prepared baking pan

To make a less fancy (twisty) loaf

Starting with the long end, roll the dough gently into a log, sealing the seam and ends.
Fold the dough log in half (like a horse shoe) and twist the horseshoe. Place log into prepared baking pan.

To make an easier less fancy (non-twisty) loaf

Starting with a short end, gently roll the dough into a log about 10-inches long, sealing the seam and ends. Place log into prepared baking pan.

To bake either of the loafs

Place loaf into a lightly greased 9" x 5" loaf pan and cover with plastic wrap, allowing to rise about 2 hours. Right before baking, brush with egg wash and sprinkle with topping.
Preheat oven to 300°F and bake for 35 minutes. Tent with foil then continue baking an additional 15-25 minutes, for a total baking time of 50-60 minutes.
Remove loaf from the oven, and immediately loosen the edges with a heatproof spatula or table knife. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and finish cooling on a wire rack.

Notes

* If you don't have dry milk, substitute liquid milk for the water.

* If the dough doesn't want to roll/stretch out, cover it with a clean towel and let it rest for 10 minutes to relax the gluten, then stretch it some more.

* For those (like me) who like to rely on thermometers, the bread should reach an internal temperature of at least 190°F

https://wee-eats.com/2017/07/01/babka-rolls/

baked occasionally – election palmiers

Posted on November 7, 2016 by natalie @ wee eats

When I chose election palmiers for our November Baked Occasionally recipe, it honestly had nothing to do with the election. It’s completely coincidental that the post is debuting the day before election day and they’re called “election palmiers” and … it’s just a whole bunch of serendipity I guess.

I’ll spare everyone words on the actual election, as I know it’s all we have heard about nonstop for the last few months, the last thing I need is another place to read about candidates and issues and voting, etc, I’ll leave you to pretty much any other form of media for that. Let’s deem this a safe space, shall we? Free of election news, despite the name of these delicious cookies. Instead, let’s talk about cookies, shall we? Palmiers, to be exact. Vote Palmiers 2016, that’s a cause I can get behind!

I’ve made palmiers dozens of times, but I’ve never made them totally from scratch. Usually I just grab some puff pastry from the freezer section and go along my merry way, so I was really curious to see what went into creating them from scratch. Lucky for me, Shannon had also never made them from scratch and being the curious creatures we are, we agreed that although it was probably the best-known recipe, it was also the most exciting recipe for November.

Yes, some elbow grease is required as we are basically taking a cookie dough and then laminating it. No, not with heat and plastic, but with rolling and folding and butter. Lots of butter. I also used this recipe to try out a new gluten free flour blend, but more on that later.

So, the pros

The homemade version is a bit crunchier, flakier, with more butter flavor than the puff pastry version and I would say they are worth the extra work.

The cons

It is a lot more work than simply unrolling some puff pastry and going on your merry little way, BUT I still think you should try making them from scratch at least once.
Rolling – I seriously HAAAATE rolling dough. The only thing I hate more than rolling is cutting out cookies. I have tried for many years to make cut out cookies for the holidays and usually end up with a few cookies cut out and then I just give up. Make your life easier here by putting a piece of plastic wrap between your dough and your roller. You’re welcome.
Folding – Yeah, it gets tedious and can be difficult, a dough scraper can be helpful for getting stubborn dough off or your counter tops and to help you get that perfect fold.

I scaled back on the cayenne significantly (by about half, but maybe my cayenne is just extra spicy?) and it added just the right amount of kick at the end without making the cookies overtly spicy. If you’re worried about it at all, feel free to leave it out entirely. It does give the cookies an interesting boost of flavor, though. I also made a second batch of these with pumpkin pie spice in place of the cinnamon (and no cayenne), which were equally as enjoyable.

baked occasionally – election palmiers

Yield: 20 - 24 cookies

Serving Size: 1 cookie

Ingredients

1½ cups (170 g) all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
7 ounces (1 ¾ sticks/200 g) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
¾ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 large egg, beaten
½ cup (125 g) raw sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1½ teaspoons cayenne pepper (optional)

Instructions

Chill the ingredients

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and ½ teaspoon of the salt and place in the freezer. Place the butter in a separate bowl in the freezer. Finally, in a small prep bowl or measuring cup, stir together 2 tablespoons water with the lemon juice and place in the freezer.
Allow all the items to chill in the freezer for 12 to 15 minutes.

Make the dough

Remove all items from the freezer. Place the flour mixture in a food processor and pulse for 1 or 2 short bursts.
Add about half of the cold butter chunks and pulse about 3 to 4 times in short bursts. Do not over process the mixture - the butter pieces should be visible and just slightly bigger than pea size.
Add the remaining butter and pulse a few more times - the butter should still be visible and pronounced in the mixture.
Drizzle in a few drops of the lemon juice mixture and pulse 2 or 3 times until crumbly.
Test the dough by pinching a bit in your fingers, the dough should just hold together. If it still crumbles apart, continue to add drops of the lemon juice mixture and pulse as needed.
*Note: you may not use all of the mixture, or you may need to add a few extra.
Be careful not to over process the dough - it should be loose and crumbly, you aren't looking for it to form a ball.

Form the dough

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead until it just comes together. Use your hands to shape it into a rough 6-by-9-inch (15-by-23-cm) rectangle about ½ inch (12 mm) thick, with the shorter side closest to you.
Make the first letter fold: Fold the bottom third of the dough on top of the middle third, then fold over the top third to cover, just like folding a letter.
Rotate the rectangle so the short side is facing you, and letter-fold the dough again.
Rotate again and use your hands to gently shape the dough into another 6-by-9-inch (15-by-23-cm) rectangle.
Perform the final letter fold. If, at any time, the dough starts feeling soft or the butter starts to warm, refrigerate until cool again.
Once all three letter folds are finished, cover the dough loosely in plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for 30 minutes.

Fold again!

Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and place it on a lightly floured surface.
Using a rolling pin this time, roll the dough into an 8-by-15-inch (20-by-38-cm) rectangle, with the shorter side closest to you.
Make the first letter fold - Fold the bottom third of dough on top of the middle third, then fold over the top third to cover.
Rotate the rectangle so the short side is facing you and letter-fold the dough again. Rotate again, gently roll the dough back into a rough 8-by-15-inch (20-by-38-cm) rectangle, and perform a final letter fold. Cover the dough loosely in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 more minutes.

Shape the cookies

In a small bowl, whisk the egg with a fork. Set aside.
Place a half sheet pan sized (18 by 13 inches/46 by 33 cm) rectangle of parchment on your counter.
Whisk together the sugar, cinnamon, cayenne (if using), and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and dust the parchment with one-third of the sugar mixture.
Place the dough on top of the parchment and sprinkle the dough with another third of the sugar mixture.
Roll the dough into a 12-by-15-inch (30.5-by-38-cm) rectangle about 1?8 to ¼ inch (3 to 6 mm) thick. If the dough becomes too sticky, sprinkle a tablespoon or two more of the sugar mixture over it. (I found that putting a layer of plastic wrap over the dough helped me out immensely here).
Return dough to the refrigerator and chilld for 5 to 10 minutes to firm up.
Remove the dough from the fridge and roll up both of the long sides of the dough toward the center so that they meet in the exact middle.
Brush the egg wash where the two sides of the dough meet (this will help to keep the rolls stuck together).
Wrap in parchment paper and refrigerate for another 20 minutes.

Slice and Bake

When you are ready to bake your cookies, preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment.
Add a teaspoon or two of water to the parchment and use your hands to spread it around, making the parchment to be slightly damp.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and cut crosswise into ½-inch (12-mm) slices and place the slices on the prepared baking sheets about 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart.
Sprinkle the remaining sugar over the slices.
Bake for 5 minutes, then remove from the oven and flip the cookies over with a spatula. Bake the other side of the cookies until they have spread slightly and are puffy and golden brown, about 5 more minutes.
*Note: I flipped some and didn't flip others, because SCIENCE! See details below.
Allow to cool slightly, then serve warm or at room temperature.

Storage

Allow to cool completely before transferring to an airtight storage container. They recommend eating the same day, but my coworkers seem to be enjoying them just fine a whole 24 - 36 hours later.

Notes

* Do yourself a favor and make rolling easier by putting a piece of plastic wrap between your dough and your roller. You'll thank me later.

* If making and baking all in one go, you will want to begin preheating the oven when you return the dough for its final chill (after shaping it into the spirals).

* Flipping the cookies: I left some cookies un-flipped for science and did not notice a huge difference in terms of flavor/texture between the flipped and un-flipped cookies, so I would deem this step as OPTIONAL. Especially if you are prone to burning yourself like yours truly.

https://wee-eats.com/2016/11/07/baked-occasionally-election-palmiers/

Get the book – Baked Occasions

Check out Shannon’s post – November Baked Occasionally

(This post contains affiliate links, which means a tiny percentage of what you spend will go towards supporting Wee Eats)

baked occasionally october – peanut butter and jelly muffins

Posted on October 3, 2016 by natalie @ wee eats

It’s no secret that Shannon and I are big fans of peanut butter and jelly.

Shannon’s pbj ice cream, and my pbj birthday cake, we can hardly get enough of the stuff. Hardly a week goes by where I don’t consume at least one of my favorite pbj sandwiches (Jif Natural, creamy of course, with Favorit raspberry jam, and maybe a couple fruit slices or potato chips stuffed in for crunch). It’s impossible to resist.

So, it should surprise no one that Shannon’s choice for October’s Baked Occasionally series was the Peanut Butter & Jelly muffins from Baked Occasions.

You will have some batter (and streusel) left over, don’t try to stuff it into the muffin tins (or, read that line after you’ve been stuffing, whatever). If you use the fancy leaf muffin liners, you can use more batter and streusel than normal because they are taller and will hold more. This, however, will also add a few minutes to your baking time.

Tender, slightly sweet peanut butter muffins, filled with just a bit of sweet, sticky jam and topped with crunchy peanut streusel. There’s really not a single thing wrong with these.

What I liked:

Easy to make – Despite being a filled and topped treat, these muffins were pretty easy to make, actually. I used a large scoop for the batter and a small scoop for the filling and it seemed to work out perfectly!
Not too sweet – The flavor melds perfectly with sweet filling paired with a peanut-buttery muffin and topped with sweet, crunchy streusel. The muffin itself isn’t too sweet, which is good because it helps to keep this recipe nice and balanced without being tooth-achingly sweet.

What I didn’t like:

The filling – Of course you need jelly for it to be “PB&J” and I didn’t really “dislike” the jelly, I just wasn’t sure how much it added to these guys. It felt like, if anything, it didn’t add enough jelly flavor for it to be worth the effort. I remember thinking that someone should invent “jelly chips” (like chocolate chips, but filled with jelly and without any chocolate!) and they would be great here because you could evenly dispense the jelly flavor. ANYWAY – If you weren’t up to the effort of dropping tiny spoonfulls of jelly into your muffin cups, you could definitely just serve it on the side, with the added bonus of everyone being able to choose their own jelly flavor!
One more super tiny note – Again, more of a ‘note’ than a “dislike” really. A couple of my peanuts burned while baking, so you could either tent the muffins with foil for the last five minutes or so of baking, or you can just leave out the peanuts, either way will work just fine.

The Verdict:

All in all? These are a winner! Bake some up for your next brunch or take them to work (your co-workers will thank you, trust me).

As always, my PIC (that’s “partner in crime”) Shannon has her own beautiful post right here where she shares her thoughts on the recipe, but with much prettier pictures. 🙂

peanut butter & jelly muffins

Ingredients

For the Crumb Topping

½ cup (75 g) salted, roasted peanuts
1 cup (130 g) all-purpose flour
1?3 cup (75 g) dark brown sugar, firmly packed
½ teaspoon kosher salt
3 ounces (¾ stick/85 g) unsalted butter, melted and warm

For the Muffin Batter

1¾ cups (225 g) all-purpose flour
½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
½ cup (110 g) dark brown sugar, firmly packed
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup (120 ml) whole milk, room temperature
½ cup (115 g) sour cream (not low-fat), room temperature
½ cup (130 g) creamy peanut butter
1?3 cup (75 ml) canola oil
1 large egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1?3 to ½ cup jelly of choice

Instructions

For the crumb topping

Finely chop peanuts and put in a medium bowl.
Whisk in the flour, brown sugar, and salt.
Pour melted butter over the mixture and fold the ingredients together until the mixture is crumb-like. If you press some together inside your fist, it should form a solid piece. Set aside.

For the muffins

Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C). Lightly spray each cup of a standard 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray and use a paper towel to spread the oil evenly along the bottom and up the sides of each cup. Alternatively, you can line the muffin tin with liners.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, both sugars, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt, until well combined. Be sure to break up any lumps of brown sugar.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, sour cream, peanut butter, oil, egg, and vanilla.
Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into the well.
Fold the wet ingredients into the dry until just combined.
Drop about 2 tablespoons of batter into each cup of the prepared muffin pan. Use the back of a clean, lightly oiled spoon (or silicone spoon) to flatten the batter and make a slight indentation into the center.
Place 1 rounded teaspoon of jelly onto the muffin batter in each cup, being careful to keep it in the center of the cup.
Top the jelly with another 2 tablespoons of muffin batter to cover the jelly completely, using the back of a spoon to gently spread the batter into an even layer. It's best to start on the outside of the muffin cup so that you don't spread the jelly towards the outside. The muffin cups should be not quite full.
Note: You might end up with excess batter. Do not try to force it into the cups; simply make one or two extra muffins.
Cover the surface of each muffin cup with a small handful of crumbs, pressing the mixture ever so gently so that it adheres to the top. If you use the pretty muffin liners , you can probably fit a very generous amount of streusel onto the top of the muffin, but will likely have some left over.
Bake muffins, rotating halfway through the baking time, until the crumb topping turns a golden brown, 14 to 18 minutes.

Baking the muffins:

If a toothpick inserted into a muffin near the edge (avoiding the jelly center) should come out clean (disregarding any topping or jelly that might stick), bake them for a minute more—these muffins might sink in the middle if not baked all the way.
Let the muffins cool almost completely in the pan on a cooling rack.
If you used the aforementioned liners, removal is easy peasy. Otherwise, angle the muffin tin slightly and use a small offset spatula or a butter knife to coax the muffins out of their tins. Place muffins on the cooling rack until completely cool.
These can be stored in an airtight container for 1 day, or wrapped in saran and stored in the freezer for up to a month.

Notes

- You will have extra batter and streusel topping from this. You can make an extra muffin or two, if you like and save some of the streusel, refrigerated, for another use.

- If you don't feel like filling your muffins, I think jelly would be just as good if not better served alongside these muffins, rather than filled.

- If you notice your topping browning a bit too quickly, tent the muffins with foil for the last 5 or 10 minutes of baking.

https://wee-eats.com/2016/10/03/baked-occasionally-october-peanut-butter-and-jelly-muffins/

Bake along – Get the book here!

Check out Shannon’s post here.

This post contains an affiliate link – purchasing through this link will help to support the existence of this blog.

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