Bisquets

One of my favorite things about Mexico is the presence of Mexican bakeries, Panaderias, on every street corner. Panaderias are not just bakeries, they are filled to bursting with every type of pan dulce (sweet bread) you could ever imagine. For about 25 cents (U.S.), you can walk out with a delicious warm treat. The selection is astounding, go here to see a few of the options. I love trying to recreate the recipes, but finding authentic recipes is not as easy as you would think! I have been searching and searching for a recipe for Mexican bisquets, my favorite Mexican bread, by far. I have tried to replicate the recipe, but to no avail. The Mexican bisquet is giant (in both height and width), flaky, and buttery. The panederias make the bisquets in the normal circular shape but they always top them with a rounded piece of dough. They are quite different from your common buttermilk or baking powder biscuit (although I enjoy those as well). They have a deep yellow hue and are a bit sweeter than American style biscuits. The finishing touch is an egg wash which gives them a pretty varnish. I finally came upon this recipe, and while not an exact replica, I am getting closer. The bisquets did turn out amazingly buttery and flaky, but they didn't rise as high as I was hoping. Maybe more baking powder next time. I will keep searching for the perfect recipe, but until then these biscuits are really very good! So I hope you enjoy this recipe, and if any of you have any good Panaderia recipes I would love to give them a try!

Bisquets

Recipe adapted from Reposteriaypanederia.com

70 grams or a scant 5 tablespoons butter

70 grams or a scant 5 tablespoons butter flavor Crisco (I know, I'm not a huge fan, but it's what most of the Mexican Bread recipes call for, actually they call for pork fat but I couldn't make myself do that...)

2 cups flour

½ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar

¾ cup cold milk

3 teaspoons baking powder

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder.

Cut in (or grate in) butter and Crisco and mix together using your hands, adding milk little by little to ensure everything is mixed together.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to about 2 centimeters. Cut bisquets using a rounded glass.

To make the indent on top I used a little pill bottle and lightly pressed it into the dough making sure it doesn't go all the way through (doesn't affect taste at all, just makes them look pretty). When all dough has been rolled and cut, put biscuits onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Brush with a bit of milk. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.

Now for a quick Spanish lesson...

Pan = Bread

Bisquet=Biscuit

Delicioso = delicious

yummmm = yummmmm

Happy Weekending!

Linking to Weekend Wrap Up, Sunday Spotlight, and Sunday Showcase.

Irish Potato Farl

Oh. my. gosh.First of all, Happy St. Patricks day! I wanted to try a traditional Irish Recipe for my St. Pattys day breakfast this year, little did I know it would be the easiest recipe I have ever attempted, .and seriously one of the best things I have ever tried. Behold, Irish Potato Bread Farl. Apparently it's a breakfast staple in Northern Ireland a part of something called an Ulster Fry. An Ulster Fry, according to Wikipedia, is a full Irish breakfast, usually fried (go figure), consisting of bacon, eggs, sausage, soda bread, and potato farl. Now, I have never been to Ireland, but apparently they eat quite well! The Potato Farl is delightfully crisp on the outside and smooth and creamy on the inside. It reminded me a bit of a less oily hashbrown, but a million times better. I messed with the recipe proportions because I only had three little potatoes left over, which yielded 1 1/3 cups mashed potatoes. The recipe source I used said that the amount of flour can vary, just add bit by bit until a soft dough forms. A good rule of thumb is use half as much flour as potato. So, for example, I had 1 1/3 cups mashed potatoes, so I used a scant 2/3 cup flour. The finished product is supposed to be savory and is often served with onions and mushrooms. But I like my breakfast on the sweet side so I topped it with butter and syrup.

It was delightful, and, dare I say it, I liked it better than pancakes! And that is something because I LOVE pancakes! Next time you have mashed potatoes, definitely set a few aside for a hearty potato farl, and Happy St. Patricks day!

Irish Potato Farl

from foodista.com

Ingredients

2 cups hot boiled potatoes

Scant 1 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon butter + more for griddle

While hot, mash potatoes well with salt and butter. Gradually work in flour in smaller increments until a soft dough forms. Dough should be a little tacky but workable.

Divide and roll/press into a circular shape about 9″ and 1/4″ thick.

Cut into 6 or 8 ‘farls’ (wedges). Grill in a hot, greased griddle or pan until well browned on both sides.

So. So. Good.

Have a Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Linking up at Prairie Story Recipe Swap, Full Plate Thursday with Ms. Helen, Designs By Gollum, Family Friendly Friday's, I'm Lovin It, Everything But the Kichen Sink, and It's A Keeper Thursdays.

Cookie Dough Chocolate Cookies

I have a problem, if something is on sale for a dollar, chances are, I will buy it. So, when cookie dough bites were on sale, guess who bought three boxes.... that would be me. I figured I would incorporate them into some baked good at some point. Then I forgot about them, until today! I was cleaning out my cupboard, happened upon the candies, and immediately though of a recipe I recently saw over at Annie's Eats, Giant Double Chocolate Cookies. Intense chocolate cookies enveloping little chunks of chocolate covered fudge brownie cookie dough, chocolate chip cookie dough, and peanut butter cookie dough! WOW. I used less sugar in the cookies, since I added so much candy, and that was a good plan, otherwise they would've been way to sweet! The cookies came out all dark and chocolaty with little melted pools of sweet cookie dough throughout.

Cookie Dough Chocolate Cookies

Adapted from Annie's Eats

Yield: 12 very large cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter, cubed

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

½ cup dark cocoa powder

2¼ cups all-purpose flour

¼ tsp. coarse salt

1 tsp. baking powder

3 boxes cookie dough bites (flavor of your choice)

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar. Beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Blend in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed.

Mix in the cocoa powder until well blended.

Add the flour, salt and baking powder to the bowl and mix on low speed just until incorporated.

Fold in the cookie dough bites with a spatula. Transfer the dough to a work surface and knead briefly by hand to be sure the ingredients are well combined. Divide the dough into 4 ounce portions (or divide into 12 equal pieces).

Roll each portion of dough into a ball and flatten just slightly into a disc. Place on the prepared baking sheets, a few inches apart. Bake 16-20 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheets 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Enjoy!

Linking up at Under the Table and Dreaming, Tasty Tuesdays and Tater Tots and Jello

Whole Wheat Apple Scones

First of all, thank you for all your votes in my poll! I love getting your opinions and it was great to see that you guys are so interested in healthy stuff! This makes me happy for many reasons, one of which being I work at a Head Start as a Family and Health Supervisor, this means that I give many trainings throughout the year on nutrition and healthy eating to staff and parents in our program. So, in spite of the many not so healthy treats on my blog, I actually eat pretty healthy, which is why I love this scone recipe! The scones are low cholesterol and only 170 calories. I got the recipe from the archives of good old Cooking Light (aka Myrecipes.com). They cook up super moist and I used almond milk which gave them a distinctive nutty flavor that perfectly accented the cinnamon, apple, and vanilla. They are not very sweet, if you prefer something sweeter, go ahead and add some extra sugar or serve with a dollop of honey. Making them using part whole wheat flour ensures that they are hearty and filling but not too dense. I had one for breakfast and stayed full till lunch!

Whole Wheat Apple Cinnamon Scones

Adapted from Cooking Light via Myrecipes.com

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (about 5 ounces)

1 cup whole wheat flour (about 4 3/4 ounces)

1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 cup chilled butter

1 1/2 cup shredded peeled apple (about 2 medium apples)

1/2 cup 1% low-fat milk (I used unsweetened Almond Milk which has even less calories!)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons low-fat milk

2 teaspoons sugar

Preheat oven to 425°. Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups and tablespoons; level with a knife. Or use a kitchen scale and weigh it out.

Combine flours, 1/4 cup sugar, and next 5 ingredients (through nutmeg) in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Grate in butter (chill your butter well and use your cheese grater, so much easier than cutting into small pieces then cutting into flour).

Mix in a bit with a fork or pastry cutter until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Add apple, 1/2 cup milk, and vanilla extract, stirring just until moist (dough will be sticky).

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead lightly 4 times with floured hands.

Divide dough in half; pat each portion into a 6-inch circle on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.

Cut each circle into 5 wedges, cutting into but not through, dough. Brush tops of wedges with 2 tablespoons milk, and sprinkle evenly with 2 teaspoons sugar (I added some cinnamon too).

Bake at 425° for 15 minutes or until golden.

Serve warm.

They are good next day too, just warm them in the microwave for 10-15 seconds.

Calories: 170, Fat: 5.1g (sat 3g,mono 1.3g,poly 0.3g), Protein: 3.7g, Carbohydrate: 28.1g, Fiber: 2.1g, Cholesterol: 13mg, Iron: 1.3mg, Sodium: 319mg, Calcium: 84mg

Linking to Tater Tots and Jello, Saturday Night Special at Funky Junk Interiors, and SUnday Showcase at Under the Table and Dreaming.

Baked Fudge

If you ask me about my favorite desserts, pudding and pudding like desserts would not be among my top choices. I prefer a big cookie with ice cream, or a slice of fruit pie. However, this recipe has me singin a different tune. It is rich, fudgy, and pretty awesome. When eaten warm, it easily sneaks its way to the top (okay near the top) of my list of cravable desserts. I got the recipe from the lovely blog, "Finding Joy in My Kitchen" Seriously, check out her blog, it is chock full of amazing recipes. The recipe was originally from Pioneer Woman, who, in my opinion has some of the best recipes in the blogosphere! It is ridiculously easy to make, it does take about an hour to bake, but that works out well as you can use that hour to.. oh I dunno.. go jogging so you have plenty of room to indulge in one... or two... of these little beauties.

Pioneer Woman's Baked Fudge

Modified by Finding Joy in My Kitchen

2 eggs

3/4 cups sugar

2 heaping tablespoons of cocoa

2 tablespoons flour

6 tablespoons butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Beat eggs until scrambled, and then beat in sugar until combined.

Add cocoa, flour, melted butter and vanilla. Mix until combined.Pour batter into 4 rammekins, or 1 8-inch square glass pan.

Set dishes or pan into a larger pan, filled halfway with water. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until upper crust is crispy and the rest of the batter is set.

Don't over cook, you want the inside gooey!

Add a dusting of powdered sugar and enjoy!

Linking up at Rook No 17, Prairie Story and Tasty Tuesdays.

Baked Ravioli

I happen to LOVE Real Simple magazine, if I could only have (heaven forbid) one magazine subscription, Real Simple is the one I would have! It has fashion, organizing, life, recipes, everything I need in a magazine. This is a recipe from the Real Simple website, and it's a good one! Super easy (or should I say simple?) and tasty too. I halved it and baked it in two individual sized ramekins. The original recipe has chicken sausage in the ingredients, which I didn't have so I made my version even simpler. Three ingredients: mozzarella cheese, marinara sauce (buy a good kind, or make your own, you don't wanna go with the cheap watery kind here), and ravioli. Mix it all together, bake it for 20 minutes and there ya go. Dinner is served!

Baked Ravioli

adapted from Real Simple

Makes 4 servings

2 cups marinara sauce

1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

16-18 ounces fresh or frozen ravioli

Cook ravioli according to package directions, drain and return to pot.

Toss with marinara sauce and about 1/2 - 3/4 cups of cheese. Transfer to a shallow, 2 quart baking dish, or divide among individual ramekins.

Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and bake for 15 - 20 minutes, until bubbling and beginning to brown.

Real. Simple.

Linking to Foodie Fridays, Friday Potluck , Paisley Passions, Friday Favorites, Tater Tots and Jello, Sunday Showcase, and Tidy Mom