White Cheddar & Burnt Sugar Crackers

I love appetizers.  I like standing around the table, picking up small handfuls of grapes, raiding the cheese trays, and eating all the sliced apples.  It stems from my love of snacking.  It’s a problem, but admitting that in no way compels me to reform.  If I had my way, lunch would always consist of a large tray of various cheeses, olives, apples, grapes, and warm baguettes.  Throw in a big sweater and an old book and oh my goodness - totally idyll.

The great thing about snacking is that no one (including you, thank goodness) can keep track of exactly how much you are eating.  The wheel of brie disappears and no one in particular is to blame.  It just disappeared when half a dozen people were standing around the appetizer table.  That’s a good thing when you consume brie at the rate that I do.

A mid-afternoon snack craving inspired these crackers.  Here’s what happened.  I was with my sister, (that line is always a warning that ridiculous and fattening things will follow), when she whipped out a bag of cheddar and caramel popcorn.  What?  Too weird.  I’m definitely not trying that…well, maybe a little bit.

“That's disgustin - wait…  I’m going to marry this stuff!  Give me that bag!”  And that’s how it all went down. 

Fast forward to the next afternoon when the popcorn was gone but the cravings were strong, and I started contemplating how I could recreate the enigmatic yet addicting snack.  Of course, I could make my own cheesey popcorn, but then I would need to dehydrate cheddar and make it into a powder and yeah -- I was not going to go there.

However, crackers were a reasonable option.  That would take care of the cheddar element.  The caramel, however, stumped me at first.  Then I remembered burnt sugar and I knew good things were about to happen.

Making your own crackers is not hard!  Can you make shortbread?  Then you can make crackers, I promise.  The hardest part is not eating them all. 

After the crackers cool a bit they are drizzled with a heavy dose of sticky, golden burnt sugar.

Burnt sugar is just what it says, burnt sugar.  Not super burnt, but just brown enough to give us that caramel flavor and a touch of sweetness.

I paired these crackers with some crisp apple slices and it was a perfectly balanced snack tray.  Think of the crackers as the cheese and the burnt sugar as the honey.  It’s weird but it really works. 

Snack lunching it up in here.  

Sincerely, 

  Pedantic Foodie

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White Cheddar & Burnt Sugar Crackers

 makes about 70 crackers / recipe adapted from Joy the Baker

for the crackers

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups sharp white cheddar, grated 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons cold water 

In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment combine butter, salt and white cheddar.  Mix on low speed for 1-2 minutes, the mixture will begin to form a ball.  While continuing to mix on low speed, slowly add flour in increments until all the flour has been worked in.  Add water, one teaspoon at a time.  Add just enough water to form a rough dough, you may not need the full amount or you may need a little extra, depending on the humidity.  The dough should not be wet or sticky, just moist. 

Shape the dough into two discs and wrap with plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes.  

While the dough chills preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  

Turn the chilled dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to an 1/8 of an inch in thickness.  Use a 1-inch round cookie cutter to cut out the crackers.  Use the end of a skewer to make several indentations into the center of each cracker.  

Place the crackers on a baking sheet lined with parchment, spacing them about 1/4 inch apart, and bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden and fragrant.  Allow to cool for 15-20 minutes.  While the crackers are cooling, prepare the burnt sugar.

for the burnt sugar

• 1 cup granulated sugar 
• 1/4 cup water 

In a small saucepan combine sugar and water and place over medium high heat.  Stir several times and then fit the pan with a candy thermometer and allow to cook, without stirring, until the mixture reaches 300 degrees.  

Remove from heat and drizzle the burn sugar over the cooled crackers with a fork.  Work carefully and quickly, as the sugar with set up rapidly as it cools.

Allow the crackers to sit for about 10 minutes before eating - this will allow the sugar to fully set. 

Serve immediately or store in airtight containers for several days.  Enjoy!

Apple Pie Scones

What does your driving-to-work playlist look like these days?

Are you winning at eating more spinach than marshmallows?  Me neither.

Sweater weather feelings?  Are you into it?  Please be into it.  I don’t want to be cozy all by myself. 

Are you one of those people that sleeps with their socks on?  How do you do that?  Not trying to be creepy but, I kind of need to know. 

What do you think about before going to sleep?  Yeah...that sounded even creepier. 

If you were wondering, (which you probably were not because you are not as nosey as I am but I am going to tell you anyways) I think about scones.

I close my eyes and visions of scones appear.  Like the particular lady I am, I scroll through the webpage of my mind, rejecting or applauding each idea as it passes by.

It took a good bit of scrolling and forty-five minutes of lost sleep before I finally came upon an idea that impressed me.

Before deciding if a recipe concept deserves to be attempted I run it through some very strict, very technical criteria.

1. Is the concept reasonable?  Scratch that. I attempt unreasonable, completely ridiculous things in the kitchen all the time. 
2. Does it include butter?
3. Am I getting hungry thinking about it?
4. Does it require ingredients that are generally available?
5. Am I really hungry from thinking about it?
6. Am I starting to chew on my pillow out of desperation?  

Like I said, it’s technical.

I interrupt this post to say - hey, stop eating all of the spiced pecans!  My supply should have given me enough for two batches but somehow, well… at least I had enough for one. 

As I was saying, these scones underwent some serious thought before they were able to pass the criteria.  I knew I wanted something faintly evocative of the coming season, and I knew I wanted my scones to be stuffed with some sort of fruit.  

After a bit of refining, this was the final idea and I am very happy to say that these scones are absolutely marvelous.  They also taste like you accidentally dropped an apple pie in them.  

Now perhaps you, like my mother, believe scones to be dry, dense, English hockey pucks.  If that is the case, I'm truly sorry, because that means that you have been subjected to one of the many lackluster scones that exist in this world.  However, these scones are nothing like those hockey pucks from your past.  These scones are incredibly moist, slightly crumbly, and cakey.  

Their moisture comes in two forms; heavy cream and sour cream.  Basically, I really love cream. 

Stuffed with apples and cinnamon, brushed with more cream, and baked to perfection.  

I'm still waiting on an answer about those socks.  In the meantime, I think I'll have a cup of tea and another scone.

Sincerely, 

  Pedantic Foodie

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Apple Pie Scones

makes 9

• 3 1/4 cups all purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar 
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice 
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes 
• 2 cups heavy cream 
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 3/4 cup spiced pecans, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 1 crisp apple (I used a pink lady), sliced thinly
• egg wash (1 egg mixed with 1 teaspoon water)
• turbinado sugar

In a large bowl whisk to combine flour, brown sugar, salt, baking powder, and allspice.  Toss in chilled butter and use your fingertips to break up the butter, forming pea-sized pieces.  Toss in spiced pecans. 

In a small bowl combine heavy cream and sour cream.  Pour into the flour mixture and mix quickly using a spatula.  Do not overwork the dough; we do not want to create a lot of gluten.  Stir until just combined and then turn out onto a floured surface. 

Divide the dough into two equal halves and shape each half into a 8-inch square, about 1/2 inch in thickness.

In a small bowl combine ground cinnamon and granulated sugar.  Sprinkle one half of the dough with cinnamon sugar and press down lightly.  Cover the surface evenly with apple slices and then top with the second square of dough.  

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the dough into 9 squares and lay out onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper.  Brush the top of each scone with egg wash and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.  

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown.  Allow to cool 15-20 minutes before serving.  Enjoy! 

Mixed Berry Lemon Breakfast Cake

“When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at last, "what's the first thing you say to yourself?"

"What's for breakfast?" said Pooh. "What do you say, Piglet?"

"I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?" said Piglet.

Pooh nodded thoughtfully. "It's the same thing," he said.” 

― A.A. Milne

It's Summer.  In my mind that translates to longer days and slower mornings.  Second cups of coffee and late breakfasts.

I went berry-picking last weekend and zealously filled my refrigerator with those irresistible green paper baskets of brilliant, blue berries.  

Picking fruit is one of my favorite activities and certainly a Summertime must.  It's on every Summer bucket list I've ever penned, and I never grow tired of plucking my fruit from its natural home.  There is something so satisfying about filling one's car with a bounty of freshly picked fruits and driving home to bake your gatherings into a plethora of deliciously fattening treats.  It feels like we are really appreciating nature in a way that can't be done with market-bought berries.  Perhaps it's my "live off the land" mentality, but it makes me happy and provides inspiration, so I see no reason to question it. 

Perhaps I was a little overly zealous because I have already baked a pie and a dozen turnovers, and I still have half of my berries left. 

So, I made a cake and called it breakfast. I'm a huge "cake and coffee" or "cake and tea" fan.  There's something comforting about being able to eat cake for breakfast, and this particular cake feels extra special.

This cake begins with the creaming method.  You know the drill.  Butter and sugar get to know each other well before they are followed by eggs, milk, and flour.

In this recipe we are trading out our dear friend, All Purpose Flour, for something a bit lighter and finer.  Something known as cake flour.  Let's talk about that for a minute.  

What are cake flours, anyways?  

First, cake flours have much lower levels of gluten proteins, and this translates to more tender baked goods.  Second, these flours are treated with chlorine dioxide, which effects the starch granules. It allows them to soak up more water and swell more easily when introduced to a sugary batter, which in turn produces a strong starch gel.  Lastly, cake flours are milled very finely.   All these attributes combine to create very light, velvety cakes.  Cool, right?

I love using cake flour in this recipe because it gives this cake has an incredibly smooth, pillow-like texture that I absolutely adore. 

Our velvety, lemony batter is studded with berries and sprinkled with a crumbly oat topping, giving this cake an utterly irresistible crunch.

I used blackberries and blueberries because that is what I had on hand, but you can use whatever you have lying around. I think raspberries would be really good.  Mix it up, play around, and let me know what you try in the comments!

Imagine a coffee cake replacing all its cinnamon goodness with tart, bright berries, and its vanilla cake with a bright, lemony cake that is very reminiscent of a pound cake.  This is that cake.

It's one of those gems that is so light and tempting that you'll probably slice off a tiny bit each time you walk through the kitchen, which may lead to eating half of the cake on the first day.  Oops. 

Pour the coffee and slice yourself a generous serving of cake. 

It's a good morning.  

Happy breakfasting! 

Sincerely, 

  Pedantic Foodie

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Mixed Berry Lemon Breakfast Cake 

serves 8

for the crumble 

• 1/4 cup all purpose flour 
• 1/2 cup old fashioned oats 
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled

In a small bowl combine flour, oats, and brown sugar.  Use the tips of your fingers to work the butter into the oat mixture, forming a rough crumble.  The butter should be in pea-sized pieces.  Set aside until ready to use. 

for the cake 

• 2 1/4 cups cake flour 

• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 

• 1/2 teaspoon salt 

• 3/4 cup whole milk 

• 1 egg 

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter 

• 1 cup sugar 

• 1 teaspoon lemon zest 

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 

• 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice 

• 2 cups fresh berries 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

In a large bowl whisk to combine flour, salt, and baking powder.  

Combine lemon zest and sugar, using the tines of a fork to press the zest into the sugar. 

Combine milk, vanilla, and lemon juice in a small container.  The milk will separate but don't fret, it's perfectly fine.     

In the work bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter on medium speed for 1 minute.  Add lemon sugar and beat for 1-2 minutes, or until fluffy.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then add egg.  Beat until well combined.

With the mixer on medium speed, alternately add additions of the flour and milk mixtures until fully incorporated.  

Pour the batter into a greased and floured springform cake pan and top with fresh berries.  Press lightly to push the berries into the batter.  Top with prepared crumble and bake for 35-45 minutes.    

Allow to cool for 20 minutes to an hour before removing from pan and slicing.  Serve with a bit of freshly whipped cream and good coffee.  Enjoy!