Gingerbread Sheet Cake

Recipe Adapted from Serious Eats
INGREDIENTS
1 cup light brown sugar
3 ounces unsulfured molasses
1 tablespoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon dried orange peel
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, fresh grated
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon mace
1/8 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
3 large eggs, straight from the fridge
2 sticks unsalted butter, melted and cooled to about 100°F
5 1/2 ounces all-purpose flour
2 1/2 ounces whole wheat flour
8 ounces buttermilk

DIRECTIONS
Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat to 350°F. Line an anodized aluminum half sheet cake pan with parchment, then grease lightly with pan spray.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine brown sugar, molasses, ginger, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, cloves, five-spice powder, black pepper, and eggs. Mix on low until moistened, then increase to high and whip until foamy and thick, about 8 minutes.

Reduce speed to low and drizzle in melted butter, then add all-purpose and whole wheat flours, followed by buttermilk. Once combined, shut off mixer and fold batter once or twice from the bottom up with a flexible spatula, then scrape into prepared pan.

Bake until cake is puffed and firm (though crust will retain a light impression when pressed with a fingertip), about 20 minutes. Cool in pan until firm, top with cream cheese frosting.

I love all things gingerbread. Gingerbread cookies- soft, snappy, I'll take them all, the gingerbread churro at Disneyland, Gingerbread Spice Life Cereal… so I knew I wanted to find a gingerbread cake that will make my heart the happiest. BUT in all the recipes I tried, it just wasn't quite spicy enough. Yeah, gingerbread needs to be spicy! To balance the of the sweetness of the holidays. So, I used the cake recipe that I enjoyed the texture of the most (the addition of whole wheat flour gives it such great texture) and used my favorite gingerbread spices.

Christmas Chex Mix

INGREDIENTS

13.5 oz Rice Chex
2 cup coconut
2 cup slivered almonds
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup light corn syrup
1.5 sticks butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp almond extract

DIRECTIONS
Line half sheet pan with wax paper.

In a large bowl, mix Rice Chex, coconut, almonds, and dried cranberries. Set aside.

In a medium sized pot, over medium heat, bring corn syrup, butter, sugar and salt to a boil, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat, and add baking soda and almond extract. Mixture will bubble.

Pour over dry ingredients, and stir to coat.

Spread evenly over wax paper lined sheet pan. Cool 1 hour.

This is what I will probably eat every day in heaven, or not be allowed to eat in hell. It brings back memories of eating something very similar on cheer bus trips in high school. Only that definitely took out a filling, which then chipped a tooth, and was not nearly as delicious as this. There is just enough syrup to coat every ingredient, while still maintaining that delightful crunch from the Chex and slivered almonds. The flakes of coconut give it a "it just started to snow" vibe and complements the almond extract flavor, and the dried cranberries bring a tart sweetness and color. Definitely my new favorite.

Pumpkin Cake with Brown Sugar Caramel Frosting

Recipe adapted from: Our Best Bites
INGREDIENTS
Brown Sugar Caramel Frosting
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, divided
(2 sticks, and 1 stick)
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup whole milk
1 lb powdered sugar

Pumpkin Sheet Cake

DIRECTIONS

In a large pot, heat two sticks of butter, brown sugar, cream, and salt over medium heat until sugar has dissolved, and mixture is combined.

Turn heat up to medium high, and bring to a boil. Let mixture boil for 1 minute, pushing mixture down from sides of pot. Reduce heat, and let simmer for about 3 minutes.

Remove from heat, and carefully* pour into a mixing bowl to cool. While the mixture is cooling, add remaining stick of butter 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring until melted.
*Hot, simmering sugar is way hotter than simmering water.

When caramel has cooled to lukewarm, carefully incorporate  powdered sugar until fluffy and soft.

Use immediately, as frosting will thicken upon standing.

Okay friends, this frosting is my new favorite thing ever. It came about because the penuche frosting from my original post with this sheet cake has a tendency to become a little grainy, and is extra sweet. So I found the recipe for brown sugar caramel frosting from Our Best Bites, doubled the recipe, and added an extra stick of butter to give the sugar something to stay dissolved in. I also omitted the vanilla, because my vanilla was lost in our recent kitchen remodel, and I haven't made my way to Trader Joe's to purchase more. The extra butter does require that the cake stay fairly cool, because the butter makes the frosting extra soft and it will melt all over the place. But if you're looking for a frosting that has a warm, caramel flavor WITHOUT being sickly sweet, this is your jam.

Rainbow Chip Cake Mix Cookies

INGREDIENTS
1 box Betty Crocker Rainbow Chip Cake Mix
2 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 jar Betty Crocker Rainbow Chip Frosting

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Prepare cookie sheet with parchment paper or silpat, then set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs in the oil. In a medium bowl, whisk the rainbow chip cake mix to break up any lumps. Then dump the eggs/oil on top, and mix until combined.

Using a small cookie scoop, scoop out the dough, and place at least 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 9-10 minutes, remove from oven and allow to cool for 2-3 minutes on the cookie sheet. Transfer from cookie sheet to cooling rack, and let come to just above room temperature.

Frost cooled cookies with your Rainbow Chip Frosting, and then have at it!

No-Churn Raspberry Ice Cream

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups Heavy Cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 can Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/2 cup Raspberry Freezer Jam
Raspberry Freezer Jam (for swirls)

DIRECTIONS
In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whip your heavy cream and sugar until soft peaks appear. Add vanilla, and half of your sweetened condensed milk and whip until combined. Add remaining sweetened condensed milk until stiff peaks appear.
Gently fold in your raspberry freezer jam until soft pink in color. In a freezable container with lid, layer your with spoonfuls of raspberry freezer jam, and gently swirl. Cover with plastic wrap before putting on the lid, and freeze for at least 2 hours. Then enjoy!

*I was in the mood for something sweet. It is also unbearably hot in my home, so baking was out of the question, and the method I like to use for ice cream usually involves some stovetop time, and I was a little wary of pulling out the frozen canisters because I was afraid my ice cream wouldn't churn to the smooth consistency I prefer. Enter "no-churn ice cream" recipes. I have watched many a video from Delish about no-churn ice creams, and figured it was my time to try one out.

So I chucked my kitchenaid stand mixer bowl, and whisk attachment into the freezer, and started searching for ingredients! I happened to have half a can of sweetened condensed milk from my foray into brazilian limeade, I found a jar of raspberry freezer jam in the freezer, and I went from there. My phone was at 2%, so I took a chance and guessed what proportions I needed. Definitely one of my better experiments, and it was CRAZY good with a waffle cone!

The Grey Stuff

Recipe Adapted from The Disney Diner

INGREDIENTS
2, 3.3 ounce packages, instant white chocolate pudding
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1, 14.3 oz package Oreos (regular)
3 tablespoons instant chocolate pudding mix
1, 16 oz tub Cool Whip

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, whisk together the heavy cream and whole milk. Add the packages of instant white chocolate pudding. Whisk it together, and place in the refrigerator to set, about 10 - 15 minutes.

While the pudding is setting, place Oreos in a food processor, and blend until fine. Set aside 1/3 cup of the crushed Oreos.

Remove the pudding from refrigerator. Add the crushed Oreos to the white chocolate pudding, and mix in the 3 tablespoons of chocolate pudding mix. Gently fold in the Cool Whip, and voilà! The Grey Stuff!

To Serve: The Red Rose Tavern in Disneyland served their version of The Grey Stuff over a lemon shortbread cookie, red velvet cupcake, topped with a fresh raspberry. It was freaking delicious. I didn't have the patience to make lemon shortbread cookies, so I made red velvet cupcakes, topped with raspberries, and then I piped The Grey Stuff using a Wilton 1M tip, and topped with pearl sprinkles. I totally forgot to sprinkle some crushed Oreo on top, but you should.

Homemade Soft Pretzels

INGREDIENTS
Dough

4 3/4 cups unbleached, all purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons Active Dry Yeast (2 packets)
2 cups warm water

Topping
2 cups water
4 tablespoons baking soda
Coarse, kosher or pretzel salt
1 cup unsalted butter, melted

DIRECTIONS

In a mixer, bloom the yeast with the sugar and water, let sit for 3 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, and using the hook attachment, combine ingredients until it forms a dough that pulls away from the sides. Continue kneading for about 5 minutes. It should be soft, smooth, and quite slack. Cover, and allow it to rest for 30 minutes.

While the dough is resting, prepare the topping:

In a small pot, boil water and add baking soda, stirring until the soda is dissolved. Reduce heat to a soft simmer.

Preheat your oven to 475°F. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper.

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface, and divide it into sixteen equal pieces (about 70g, or 2 1/2 ounces, each). Allow the pieces to rest, uncovered, for 5 minutes.

Pour the baking soda/water into a 9" square pan.

Roll each piece of dough into a long, thin rope (about 28" to 30" long), and twist each rope into a pretzel. Working with 4 pretzels at a time, place them in the pan with the baking soda/water, spooning the water over their tops; leave them in the water for 2 minutes before placing them on the baking sheet. This baking soda "bath" will give the pretzels a nice, golden-brown color.

Transfer the pretzels to the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle them lightly with salt, if desired.

Allow them to rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Bake the pretzels for 8 to 9 minutes, or until they're golden brown.

Remove the pretzels from the oven, and brush them thoroughly with the melted butter.

Keep brushing the butter on until you've used it all up; it may seem like a lot, but pretend you're Paula Dean, and you need butter to live.

Sprinkle with more salt, because we go hard to the paint here, and serve!

Variation: PRETZEL BITES WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE. Instead of twisting your ropes of dough, cut them into 1 inch pieces, throw them in the soda water for a minute, and let sit for 10 minutes, and bake for 6-7 minutes, or until golden brown.