Tag Archives: cinnamon

Baked Pears

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Our fall weather has been kind of cold. It seems like we had summer, lots of rain, then winter is here …..Do you ever crave for a nice warm dessert after dinner on a cold night ? My daughter and I certainly do ! And often we want something that’s slightly healthier.  Here is one very simple recipe. You can just put it together just before having dinner, put it in the oven and it’s ready when you finish !  You can serve them with some vanilla yoghurt….or ice cream ! Well, I think that’s still pretty healthy….. 

Makes 4 servings

  • 4 ripe Anjou pears
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup crushed walnuts
  • 3-4 tablespoons maple syrup
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F
  2. Cut pears in halves and remove cores
  3. Mix together walnuts, cinnamon and maple syrup
  4. Spoon fillings into pears
  5. Sprinkle and drizzle with more cinnamon and maple syrup
  6. Bake for about 40 minutes until soft
  7. Serve warm with vanilla yoghurt if desired 

 

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Coffee Cake Muffins 

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The past month has been super busy! Kids were on spring break, we went for a mini vacation to Portland with my parents. I came back to start a new pharmacy job, meanwhile trying to prepare for 3 Spring markets….. I was basically working 14-16 hours a day! It was exhausting but I had so much fun doing the markets. I love to share my baking passion and people’s responses are very positive and encouraging. I also love meeting and talking to other artisan vendors. It makes me really appreciate the time and effort that they put into their art, whether it’s food related or not. So go visit your local artisan markets and I am sure you will discover some very amazing local vendors and their products.

This is a recipe I did a while ago. I usually try to have one or two “spare” recipes so I can keep posting when I am busy. It’s a very simple muffin recipe but the crumble makes them taste so good! It’s a perfect afternoon snack with a cup of coffee! And definitely need it on my 16 hour-day!

Makes about 12 

For the muffins

  • 360 g all-purpose flour
  • 10 g baking powder
  • 4 g baking soda
  • 2 g salt
  • 200 g granulated sugar
  • 180 g unsalted butter, melted
  • 60 mL canola oil
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 300 g sour cream
  • 10 mL pure vanilla extract

For the crumble

  • 60 g demerara or brown sugar
  • 90 g all-purpose flour
  • 2 g ground cinnamon
  • Pinch of salt
  • 60 g cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F
  2. To make the crumble, mix together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt
  3. Rub in cold butter with fingers until resemble wet sand, set aside
  4. To make the batter, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda
  5. Mix in sugar and salt
  6. Add eggs, vanilla, sour cream, melted butter and oil, stir until just blended
  7. Spoon half of the batter, then half of the crumble into lightly oiled and floured muffin tins
  8. Layer with the remaining halves
  9. Bake for about 25 minutes

Recipe adapted from Sour Cream Coffee Cake Muffins with Streusel Topping at www.justataste.com

Baked Cinnamon Doughnuts (with Butterscotch Glaze and Toasted Walnuts) 

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Another school year has just started ! I can’t believe my son is in high school ! He is certainly excited to move on and become an official teenager, and I am happy to see him growing up and becoming more independent. But as a mom, I would never stop worrying about him ! Is he doing well at school, is he making new friends, and are they good kids, etc….Luckily, my kids and I are very close, and we would talk about almost everything…..I am sure there are things they don’t want me to know !

Since the kids are back to school, I finally have a little more time to work on my recipes. These cinnamon doughnuts are nice surprise ! I was trying to make some cinnamon apple waffles but they didn’t turn out right. So, I switched and made doughnuts instead. And I am so glad  I did ! They are so soft and tasty even without any toppings. But hey, why not kick them up 2 more notches ! The butterscotch glaze is heavenly ! No kidding, my daughter would have “drunk” the whole bowl if I didn’t stop her ! The toasted walnuts are really nice too, they add extra flavour and crunchiness. Pecans would also be a good alternative. You can refrigerate the extra butterscotch sauce for up to 1 week. Rewarm and drizzle it on some vanilla ice cream, and you’ll have another dessert !  

Makes about 12 doughnuts     

For the doughnuts

  • 300 g all-purpose flour 
  • 6 g baking powder 
  • 3 g baking soda 
  • 2 g salt 
  • 6 g ground cinnamon 
  • Pinch of nutmeg 
  • 30 g brown sugar 
  • 30 g granulated sugar 
  • 2 eggs (slightly beaten)
  • 300 mL buttermilk 
  • 60 mL vegetable oil 
  • 5 mL pure vanilla extract 

For the butterscotch glaze  

  • 60 g unsalted butter 
  • 120 mL whipping cream 
  • 120 g brown sugar
  • Pinch of salt
  • 5 mL pure vanilla extract

You will also need about 90 g walnuts 

  1. Preheat oven to 325ºF 
  2. Toast walnuts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for about 10 minutes, let cool and crush into small pieces
  3. Turn oven up to 350ºF
  4. In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg, add both sugars
  5. In another bowl, mix together eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla extract 
  6. Add wet ingredients into dry ingredients, mix until just blended 
  7. Pour batter into lightly greased doughnut pans and bake for about 12 minutes, let cool
  8. To make the glaze, cook butter and whipping cream in a small non-stick pot over medium heat until butter melts
  9. Add sugar and salt , stir continuously until thicken and smooth  
  10. Add vanilla, let cool slightly
  11. To assemble, dip one side of doughnuts into the glaze, then the crushed walnuts, best to serve immediately

 

Butterscotch sauce recipe adapted from Mark Bittman, “How to Bake Everything” 

 

Books and Tools

 

How to Bake Everything: Simple Recipes for the Best Baking

Wilton Nonstick 6-Cavity Donut Pan

You can get the doughnut pans and the cookbook through the Amazon website by clicking the above link. I will receive a small compensation if you purchase the item. 

Gingerbread Buttermilk Pancakes 

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It’s not Christmas yet, but I am already craving for gingerbread cookies !  Not the overly sweet icing or the candy decorations on top, but the actual cookies.  The spices, the molasses, they just taste so good.  But it seems a little too early to make Christmas cookies ?! So, to satisfy my craving, I put these wonderful flavours into pancakes ! And of course, I have to serve them with maple syrup ! With a cup of coffee, it’s the best breakfast on a cold windy day!

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I asked my daughter to draw me a gingerbread man and this is what she came up with……
Oh No ! Mr.Gingerbread Man is getting worried that he is going to be eaten soon !

Makes about 4-6 pancakes 

  • 180 g all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder 
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger 
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
  • Pinch of ground cloves 
  • Pinch of ground nutmeg 
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 tablespoons fancy molasses 
  1. Sift and mix together all dry ingredients
  2. Whisk in egg and other wet ingredients, mix until blended
  3. Pour batter onto a lightly oiled non stick pan or griddle over low to medium heat
  4. Cook about 1-2 minutes until bubbles begin to form on top
  5. Flip pancake over and cook for about 1-2 more minutes until lightly brown
  6. Serve warm with butter and maple syrup 

 

Gingerbread Buttermilk Pancakes

Cinnamon Bites

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When I hear the words “comfort food”, I would somehow think of cinnamon buns ! Warm, sweet bread with ooey, gooey cream cheese icing……yum ! To no surprise, I found that they are originated from Sweden. (that’s why they sell them at Ikea?!) In Swedish they are called “kanelbulle”  which literally means “cinnamon buns” and October 4 is “Kanelbullens Dag” ,Cinnamon Roll Day. Wow, Swedish people must love their cinnamon buns !  I wish I can be there to taste the authentic flavour. Well, for now, I will comfort myself with these little cinnamon bites !  (I made them in bite-size pieces cause I often found the rolls too big) 

For the dough

    • 540 g (3 cups) bread flour
    • 1 cup warm whole milk
    • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
    • 4 g instant yeast
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 1 egg
    • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

For the coating

  • 100 g unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

For the cream cheese icing

  • 180 g soft cream cheese
  • 6 tablespoons icing sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  1. Dissolve sugar in warm milk, add yeast and let sit for a few minutes until frothy
  2. In a large mixing bowl, mix together flour, salt, egg, vegetable oil and yeast mixture
  3. Stir with hand and mix until dough starting to form
  4. Transfer to a lightly floured surface
  5. Knead dough until smooth and stretchy
  6. Wrap with plastic wrap and let rise for about 60 minutes until double in size 
  7. Preheat oven to 350ºF
  8. When dough is ready, punch air out, cut dough into 4 parts
  9. Roll each part into a long log, about 12 inches long
  10. Cut each log into about 12 small pieces
  11. Grease two 8 inch round flat pans or pans of your choice
  12. Mix cinnamon and 1/2 cup of sugar together
  13. Dip each small piece into melted butter, then coat with cinnamon sugar
  14. Place in pans, about 24 pieces each
  15. Bake for about 20 minutes
  16. Meanwhile, prepare icing by beating cream cheese, icing sugar and vanilla together until blended
  17. When bread bites are ready, serve warm with cream cheese frosting

Cinnamon Bites

 

 

Pear Cobbler

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You may have noticed, I like to make my desserts or cakes into individual servings. Instead of making a big cake, I would make 12 minis. The main advantage, especially for baking, is that you can control your baking time and temperature much better. You would need less time, and your goodies would be baked more evenly. There is also more room to play around with your toppings and decorations! This cobbler is another mini version. Top it up with ice cream or a vanilla sauce like Creme Anglaise…..A great dessert on a cold day ! 

Makes about 8 servings

For the pear fillings

  • 400 g Bartlett or Anjou pear chunks (washed, peeled cored and cut)
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 4 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  1. Coat pear chunks with lemon juice and zest
  2. Mix with brown sugar, cinnamon and melted butter

For the topping

  • 1/2 cup quick oats
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
  1. Mix oats, flour, sugar and cinnamon
  2. Add melted butter, mix until blended

To make the cobbler

  1. Preheat oven to 375ºF
  2. Spoon pear fillings into ramekins, add topping
  3. Bake on a tray for about 25 minutes, serve warm
  4. Top with ice cream or a vanilla sauce like Creme Anglaise

Cinnamon Swirls

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These treats are yummy and super easy to make !

Makes about 30

  • 1 box of store-bought frozen puff pastry (two 10 inch x 10 inch sheets), thawed
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/8 cup ground cinnamon
  • 1 egg, beaten
  1. Preheat oven to 400 °F
  2. In a bowl, mix together sugar and cinnamon
  3. Brush pastry sheets with egg and sprinkle with sugar mixture
  4. Cut each sheet into 5 inch x 1 inch rectangular strips
  5. Twist each strip and place on baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 1 inch apart
  6. Bake for about 10 minutes until golden
  7. Cool on baking sheets for about 5 minutes then transfer to racks to cool completely

You can adjust the ratio of cinnamon to sugar according to your taste, I use a 1:4 ratio.