Just J.Faye

Hiking & Other Adventures

Orange-Cranberry Pound Cake

by

Orange-cranberry pound cake. In my kitchen. It’s happening.

Orange-Cranberry Pound Cake Or rather, it happened.

Know what also happened? Rain. RAIN! In December. In Minnesota. Just a few short days before Christmas. What.The.Heck. Why is this happening? Where is the snow?

The forecast says 70% of snow for Tuesday. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for a Christmas miracle. I hope you do the same.

While I wait and hope, hope, hope for the snow I will be enjoying this orange-cranberry pound cake.

Orange-Cranberry Pound Cake I haven’t used my bundt pan in what seems like forever and ever and ever, so I decided to take a quick break from the cookie baking and whip up a pound cake.

This pound cake recipe comes from Rose Levy Beranbaum’s The Cake Bible (which is full of some killer recipes and awesome baking tips) and is dubbed the “perfect pound cake”. Traditionally pound cakes are equal parts butter, sugar, flour, and eggs; however, this recipe has just a little extra butter giving the cake more of that delicious buttery flavor and some nice, tender crumbs. This pound cake is so moist (I don’t care if you hate that word) and has just the right level of sweetness.

To add a little festive twist, I threw in some orange zest and cranberries. The orange flavor is just barely there in the background and the cranberries give little bursts of tart juices in each bite, along with some beautiful color.

The only thing that would make this cake more delicious is a drizzle of some glaze, because as I mentioned before, it’s not very sweet. Unfortunately I was fresh out of powdered sugar. I am the worst. So please bake this, stir up some powdered sugar and orange juice, drizzle it all over the pound cake, and tell me how it is. Thank you. You’re the best.

Orange-Cranberry Pound Cake Now I am going to go spend the rest of the evening wrapping presents and eating pound cake and watching Christmas movies and drinking hot chocolate and wishing for snow.

I hope you are all ready for Christmas and are able to spend lots of quality time with friends and family over the next few days!

Orange-Cranberry Pound Cake

Orange-Cranberry Pound Cake
 
Print
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Perfect moist and tender pound cake with hints of orange and pops of cranberry.
Author:
Serves: 12 pieces
Ingredients
  • 3 tablespoons milk
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice
  • zest for one orange
  • 1 ½ cups cake flour
  • ¾ cups sugar
  • ¾ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 13 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 ½ cups fresh cranberries
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a bundt pan and dust with flour.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine the milk, eggs, vanilla, and orange juice.
  3. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix on low for 30 seconds.
  4. Add the orange zest, butter and half of the egg mixture. Mix on low until all the dry ingredients are moistened. Beat for 1 minute on medium.
  5. Add the remaining egg mixture and beat for 30 seconds.
  6. Stir in the cranberries.
  7. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick is inserted and comes out clean.
  8. Let the cake sit in the pan for about 10 minutes before inverting on a rack to cool completely. This is the time you would ideally add the glaze.
Notes
If you don't have cake flour and don't want to buy any, use all-purpose flour, but take out 1½ tablespoons of the flour and replace it with 1½ tablespoons corn starch.

PS – Remember when I made these awesome cookies and talked about The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap? Well here are the recipe roundups: part 1 and part 2. Check them out and get baking! So many amazing cookiessss!!!!!

Orange-Cranberry Pound Cake

Share this:

Brown Butter Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

by

Are you sick of pumpkin yet? I really, really hope not, because you need to make these pumpkin bars. They are so so so so so so so so sooooooo good.

brown butter pumpkin bars Trust me.

Brown butter. Cream Cheese. Toasted Walnuts. PUMPKIN. Gaaahhhhh. You just can’t go wrong here.

My mom makes these pumpkin bars every year. They are amazing as is, but let’s just face it, brown butter makes everything better sooooo… I re-created them with brown butter. Then I threw in brown sugar and walnuts too for the heck of it. Hey, why not?! We’re gettin’ cray in the kitchen.

Speaking of cray, don’t freak out, there are five sticks of butter in this recipe. I know, I know, that’s a lot of butter; however, this recipe makes A LOT of bars, so it kind of evens out. Plus, they are just too good to not eat. YOLO. Run an extra few miles this week.

Butter is back anyways, right? It’s ok.

brown butter pumpkin bars The bars itself are not too sweet and have the perfect amount of pumpkiny-spice flavor. They are soft, moist (sorry if you hate that word), and cakey with just a little bit of crunch from the walnuts.

Then there is the frosting. Ooohhhh, this frosting! Cream cheese frosting is always incredible, but with the addition of brown butter… incredible to the max. I kid you not.

brown butter pumpkin bars Make these. Eat five. Save six more for yourself. Then bring the remaining to work/bake sale/Friendsgiving/Thanksgiving/wherever people accept baked goods. Since the recipe makes so many bars no one will even know that you hoarded some for yourself.

brown butter pumpkin bars You should have them for dessert after eating this soup. Pumpkin, pumpkin everywhere.

Make sure to add in a few workouts (like this, this, or this) to sweat out some of that brown butter. Life is a balance.  brown butter pumpkin bars

Brown Butter Pumpkin Bars with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
 
Print
These pumpkin bars are so good. They are super soft and have tons of flavor from the brown butter in both the bar and the cream cheese frosting. This recipe makes a lot of bars, so you'll be able to keep some for yourself and share with friends.
Ingredients
For the bars:
  • 2 cups walnuts
  • 1¼ cups butter (2 ½ sticks)
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • ⅔ cup white sugar
  • 29-ounce can pumpkin puree
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon cloves
  • ¼ teaspoon all spice
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
For the frosting:
  • 1¼ cups butter (2 ½ sticks)
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2-4 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 350° F. Grease an 11x17-inch jelly roll pan.
  2. To toast the nuts: spread walnuts on a baking sheet and bake for about 10-15 minutes until golden brown. Stir them around occasionally (every 5 minutes or so) to ensure they are not burning. Once toasted, chop roughly and set aside.
  3. To brown the butter: melt butter in a medium saucepan. Whisk the melted butter until brown specks appear at the bottom, it will froth and foam a bit. Watch closely and be careful not to burn. It should be a light brown color and have a nutty aroma. Save one cup for the bars and one cup for the frosting.
  4. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Set aside.
  5. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine 1 cup of brown butter, the eggs, sugars, and pumpkin. Mix on medium until lights and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
  6. Add in the dry ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined. Stir in the walnuts.
  7. Spread the batter in the prepared pan and bake for 27-30 minutes. Let the bars cool completely.
  8. To make the frosting: cream together the cream cheese and butter, about 3 minutes. Stir in vanilla. Add 2 cups of the powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Add the remaining powdered sugar ½ cup at a time until desired consistency is reached.
  9. When the bars have cooled completely, spread the frosting evenly over the bars. Cut into squares and serve! Store leftovers in the refrigerator.
Notes
You can substitute all the spices with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice.

Slightly adapted from allrecipes.com.

PS- I took a break from knitting and watching Christmas movies on Hallmark to write this. Is that bad? I might be getting too far ahead of myself.

brown butter pumpkin bars PPS- no, I’m not 80-years old. Knitting is cool.

 

Share this:

Fruit And Nut Chocolate Zinfandel Cookies

by

Some of my favorite things: fruit, chocolate, wine, nuts, cookies. I went ahead and combined them and these Fruit & Nut Chocolate Zinfandel Cookies were born.

zinfandel cookies I know, insane. But sometimes insane is a good thing.

You what else is insane? The fact that it is September already! How, how, how in the world did that happen? Did I accidentally hibernate all summer? Where did it go?

I guess I’ll cope by eating these cookies. Let me tell you, a very delicious coping mechanism.

zinfandel cookies I love summer, but I do really enjoy fall as well. The crisp air, the changing leaves, all the varieties of apples, boots and sweaters – so great. Also, the start of school. I always loved the first day of school. I’m a huge dork, but I just really enjoyed back-to-school shopping, school supply shopping, and the first day feeling. I should’ve bought new pens or something to bring into work today. Oh well. Next year.

Anyways, these cookies! Let’s talk more about them.

zinfandel cookies The base is a delicious chocolate drop cookie, but I added in a boost of flavor with some red wine. Why? Because chocolate and wine is always a good idea. And what else goes with chocolate and wine? Fruit and nuts, of course! So I threw those in as well. The nuts add a great texture and additional crunch to the cookies, whereas the dried fruit adds some sweetness.

zinfandel cookies zinfandel cookies Cheese also works very well with this combination, but I didn’t want to go completely overboard. I’ll save that for another day.

For the wine I used Redux Zinfandel from California, which I received in one of my Club W shipments. The recipe calls for a ½ cup of wine. ½ cup < 1 bottle, so pour yourself a glass.

zinfandel cookies Go ahead and have a glass while you bake and maybe another while you taste test. Then invite some girlfriends over to devour the cookies and drink more wine. Maybe you can serve some cheese with it too? Talk about how awesome the summer was and how great the lingering weeks of it will still be. Then start getting excited about fall and having Sunday fundays while pretending to watch football paying really close attention to football games.

That’s just a suggestion. Take it or leave it.

Baking these cookies, though. That is not a suggestion. Use them as a coping mechanism for the end of summer or as a celebration for the beginning of fall. Either way, you need these in your life. You deserve these in your life.

zinfandel cookies

Fruit And Nut Chocolate Zinfandel Cookies
 
Print
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Chocolate drop cookies with Zinfandel red wine, studded with chopped nuts and dried fruit - so many delicious things combined into one little cookie.
Author:
Serves: 36
Ingredients
  • 1½ cups all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ½ cup red wine
  • 1 cup mixed nuts, chopped
  • 1 cup mixed dried fruit, chopped
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes.
  4. Add the egg, vanilla, and red wine. Beat for another minute.
  5. Add in the flour mixture. Mix until combined.
  6. Fold in the nuts and fruit.
  7. Place scoops of cookie dough onto the prepared pans. Bake for 11-12 minutes, be careful not to overbake. Let cool on the sheet for a few minutes before moving to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
You can use any red wine, dried fruit, and nuts that you have on hand. I used Zinfandel, a mix of dried cranberries and cherries, and a mix of almond and pecans.

Happy Tuesday. I hope you all had as amazing and relaxing of a Labor Day weekend as I did. I was actually fairly productive and finally created an index page. Check it out here.

zinfandel cookies

 

Share this:

Blueberry-Mint Brownies (sugar-free & dairy-free)

by

Would you still eat a brownie if I told you it was sugar-free?

blueberry-mint brownies

I would. In fact, I made a whole pan of sugar-free brownies and almost ate the whole thing.

No joke. It was a small pan though. And I said “almost”. I still have some to share.

blueberry-mint brownies Earlier this week I was dead set on trying bake up some fudgy, sugar-free, healthy-ish brownies. Then after reading Minimalist Baker’s recipe for simple berry compote I knew I wanted to somehow combine a version of it with my brownies. After all, who doesn’t love fruit and chocolate together?

That is not a rhetorical question. Who doesn’t love that combo?! Let me know.

blueberry-mint brownies Anywho, I had blueberries on hand and some basil. Thus, blueberry-basil compote was born.

Now it was time for the brownies. I baked some up and they were… a total fail. I wanted something fudgy and delicious and these were dense, cake-like, and had little flavor. I baked them in muffin tins and topped them with the compote. They were still edible, just not what I wanted.

I gave them to my co-workers. This is basically how it went:

  • Me: “Hey! Want a brownie?”
  • Coworker: “Sure!”
  • Me: “Great! They are sugar and dairy free!”
  • Coworker: “Nevermind. I don’t want one. (2 second pause) Ok. I’ll still have one.”
  • Me: “Here you go! These were an experiment and not the best… but hey, brownie!”

It is so easy to give away free food. Bless their hearts.

blueberry-mint brownies They did give me some great feedback though. I went home, re-worked the recipe a little bit, annnddddddd……… SUCCESS!

The result was exactly what I was looking for.

blueberry-mint brownies I used a mixture of cocoa powder and melted chocolate instead of all cocoa powder. I reduced the amount of flour (I knew I added too much the first time around! Lesson learned.) I baked them in an 8×8” pan rather than muffin tins. I then swirled the compote in with the brownie batter so that the fruit was baked right into the brownies rather than just sitting on top. Also, I was out of basil, so I used mint instead.

blueberry-mint brownies Since starting this blog I have been doing a lot of baking experiments. Sometimes things work. Sometimes they don’t, which can be disappointing. But failure can lead to a lot of learning and then to success. I like learning and I like success. I also like eating delicious things. So basically, it all works out.

Oh, and as I mentioned before these are both sugar-free and dairy-free. I used honey instead of sugar and coconut oil instead of butter. So you don’t have to feel super guilty when you eat almost the whole pan. And by “you” I mean “I”. But you are welcome to make these and then eat half of the pan and then go share the other half with people who you like. Or keep them all to yourself. No judgement!

blueberry-mint brownies So there you go. Delicious, chocolatey brownies with burst of blueberries and mint. Indulgent, yet healthy-ish. Does it get any better than that?!

Yes. Yes, it does. Today is Saturday and it’s beautiful outside. Enjoy your weekend!

blueberry-mint brownies

Blueberry-Mint Brownies (sugar-free & dairy-free)
 
Print
These are delicious, fudge-y brownies with bursts of blueberries and mint. Since they are sugar-free and dairy-free, they are also a bit guilt-free too.
Author:
Serves: 16
Ingredients
For the blueberry compote:
  • 1 pint blueberries
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 2 tablespoons chopped mint
For the brownies:
  • ¾ cup all purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons cocoa
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
  • ½ cup coconut oil
  • ¾ cup honey
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
For the blueberry compote:
  1. In a saucepan, add the blueberries and honey. Heat on medium-high until it begins to bubble.
  2. Turn heat to medium-low. Stir and smash berries every few minutes for about 10-12 minutes.
  3. Stir in the chopped mint. Transfer to a mason jar and store in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.
For the brownies:
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease an 8x8” baking pan, line with parchment paper, and grease again.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder.
  3. In a saucepan on low heat, melt the unsweetened chocolate and coconut oil.
  4. Whisk in the honey. Let it cool for a few minutes and transfer to a medium bowl.
  5. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla extract.
  6. Fold in the dry ingredients until combined.
  7. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Add spoonfuls of the blueberry-mint compote. Run a knife or toothpick through the batter to create a marbled effect.
  8. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting and serving.
Notes
The first time around I used basil and the second time I used mint. I loved the outcome of both, so feel free to swap out the mint!
The blueberry-mint compote was inspired by Minimalist Baker's Simple Fruit Compote!

blueberry-mint brownies

Share this:

Pudding-Wiches

by

These pudding-wiches are a blast from the past, bringing me right back to my days at summer camp.

pudding-wiches I was talking to my mom a month or so ago and we were brainstorming snacks to bring to our family reunion (which starts today!!!). She mentioned pudding-wiches and I thought, “OMG! PUDDING-WICHES!!” I had forgotten all about them.

A few of my childhood summers (maybe 3 or so?) I would spend a week at Camp Croix with my siblings, best friends, and our camp counselor mothers. It was always the highlight of the summer. We would make crafts, play softball, tetherball, and nukem (a version of volleyball where you catch and through the ball), canoe, swim, have campfires, sing songs, go to Bible study, put on plays, make new friends, and all those other fun camp activities. So, so fun.

Oddly enough I ran into one of the girls that I met at summer camp one time during an intern event at General Mills. It had been 10 years since we had seen each other, but I have a creepy knack for remembering people (never forget a face!). Isn’t that a crazy coincidence!?

Anyways, the cafeteria would serve these pudding-wiches as dessert or a snack. Then after getting home from camp my mom would whip up a batch or two to keep in the freezer. We would always crave them and then think of fun summer camp memories as we ate them. Plus, pudding-wiches are a super simple and delicious snack to keep on hand and eat when the mood strikes.

pudding-wiches After my mom had mentioned them I decided that I needed to make them immediately. So I did.

Pudding-wiches are essentially graham cracker sandwiches with a filling of chocolate mousse (chocolate pudding + Cool Whip).

Get out your crackers.

pudding-wiches Get our your mousse.

pudding-wiches Dollop on the mousse. Top the sandwiches.

pudding-wiches Freeze for a bit and then wrap in plastic wrap.

pudding-wiches Store in your freezer and eat as your heart desires.

pudding-wiches So that’s it. Nothing fancy or complicated. Just simply delicious.

I have the day off of work and am heading up north in a few hours to celebrate another Dummer Family Reunion. It will be my grandpa, his two brothers, and all the families that stem underneath them. We have the reunions about every three years in various states (Oregon, South Dakota, Colorado) across the country. It is always a great time and this year will be no exception. I love that our family takes the time and money to get together every couple of years to celebrate and actually enjoy our time together.

I don’t remember if my mom actually decided to make pudding-wiches for the reunion or not, but she did text me that she made 3 batches of s’more cookies, 2 batches of salted caramel oatmeal cookies, and a big pan of bars. Plus there will be my Great Grandma Lilian’s German potato salad, burgers, brats, beans, and so many other delicious things. It will be a delicious weekend. Good thing I’m scheduled to lead morning boot camp.

pudding-wiches

Pudding-Wiches
 
Print
Prep time
Total time
 
Graham cracker sandwiches filled with chocolate mousse. A great summer time snack!
Serves: 24
Ingredients
  • 24 graham crackers
  • 8 oz container Cool Whip
  • 3.9 oz box chocolate instant pudding mix
Instructions
  1. Make the pudding according to package directions. Chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
  2. In a large bowl, fold the Cool Whip into the pudding. Place in the freezer for 15-60 minutes to firm up (optional).
  3. Split graham crackers in half. Dollop a large spoonful on half of the crackers. Top with the other half of the graham cracker to create a sandwich. Place in the freezer for 15 minutes.
  4. Wrap individual pudding wiches in plastic wrap and keep in freezer until ready to eat.
Notes
I made my sandwich is batches, making about 8 at a time. This way I could freeze a small amount before making more and stacking them in the freezer.

It’s funny how food can give you such nostalgic feelings. Every time I eat one of these my mind shoots straight back to those summer camp days. It was like the prime of my awkward stage. I’m so glad I (for the most part) am past that. Because, yikes. Those pictures are a bit painful to look back on.

pudding-wiches

 

Share this:

Chocolate Orange Pistachio Cookies

by

I just cut up an entire watermelon. It was a large watermelon, so now I have a giant bowl of watermelon pieces in my fridge. I get really happy every time I think about it in there. So exciting.

chocolate orange pistachio cookies I have really been trying to buy fruits and vegetables that are outside of my normal repertoire, like watermelon and pineapple and beets. Not that I don’t like those things, I love them. They are just a little more high maintenance than my typical apples, blueberries, and cucumbers. You know, you have to cut them up and then there is juice everywhere and you have to clean it all up. BUT the delicious payoff is totally worth all that work.

Go buy a watermelon if you haven’t this year yet. Knock on them and pick out the more hollow sounding ones. These are the best ones, just FYI.

chocolate orange pistachio cookies Anyways, I’m not here to talk about watermelon. I was just excited about it. I’m here to talk about these chocolate orange pistachio cookies.

chocolate orange pistachio cookies That was a quick transition between too semi-unrelated things, but hey, it’s Saturday. Just go with it.

These are basic chocolate drop cookies with chocolate chips, orange zest, and pistachios added in the mix.

IMG_2565 This cookie dough is then rolled in more sugar, orange zest, and chopped up pistachios before being baked to perfection. So you know, all good things.

chocolate orange pistachio cookies I will warn you: the dough can get pretty sticky and messy. I recommend keeping it in the fridge, then grab out small portions at a time to roll into dough balls. This will somewhat help save you from having a huge mess. It will still be messy, just not as messy as it could have been.

Again, the delicious payoff is totally worth the work.

chocolate orange pistachio cookies

Chocolate Orange Pistachio Cookies
 
Print
Chocolate cookies with an added bonus of pistachios and orange zest.
Ingredients
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 6 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch process cocoa
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup sugar plus 2 tablespoons
  • 2 tablespoons pistachios, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons orange zest
  • 9 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 egg, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup pistachios, roughly chopped
  • ⅓ cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  2. In another small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon orange zest, and 2 tablespoons finely chopped pistachios. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until smooth, about 3 minutes.
  4. Add the egg, vanilla, and the remaining tablespoon of orange zest, beat well.
  5. Add in the dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly.
  6. Stir in the chocolate chips and roughly chopped pistachios.
  7. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
  8. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  9. When chilled, roll the dough into balls (about a heaping teaspoon). Then press the balls into the sugar/zest/pistachio mixture. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet with a few inches in between.
  10. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool the cookies on the sheet for 3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
The dough can get pretty sticky and messy when rolling into balls. I recommend keeping the dough in the refrigerator and pulling it out and rolling it one-third at a time.

The recipe was slightly adapted from The Complete Magnolia Bakery Cookbook.

The thing about pistachios: you can’t eat just one. The same goes for these cookies.

chocolate orange pistachio cookies
Ok. Now I’m going to go shopping. I hope you have a great Saturday and eat lots of watermelon and cookies (after you exercise)!

Share this: