Cranberry-Orange Scones

I made these scones for my family's open sukkah today. Sukkot is the Jewish holiday that celebrates the fall harvest, and our temple selects families to welcome new and old members of the community into their sukkah. We have done this for the past couple of years, but I was in charge of the baking this time.
The recipe is from Simply Scones by Leslie Weiner and Barbara Albright and were the first scones I have ever made. They turned out really well, usually scones are too dry but these were the perfect balance of crumble and slight moistness. They're aesthetically pleasing too with their bright red flecks of cranberry and pale yellow crumb.

TWD: Dimply Plum Cake

I actually took Dorie's advice on this one and ate a piece for breakfast the day after I baked it. This is one delicious cake. If you're looking for something not too heavy or sweet, with that tangy plum taste that comes with fall, you will love this cake. I used prune plums and also used the cardamom. The plums wouldn't completely suck back in their juices while it was cooling, but that's ok; they weren't to dribbly anyways.

Pumpkin-Apple Butter Waffles

I opened up a big can of pumpkin on Thursday to make Pumpkin Mini Loaves. Then I realized that I had to use the whole thing up, or risk forgetting about it in the freezer. So I made Pumpkin Rocks and this morning, Pumpkin-Apple Butter Waffles. I used smitten kitchen's Pumpkin Waffle recipe except after putting all the ingredients together, I realized I only had a 1/2 cup of pumpkin left. Instead of running out at 9:00 to go to the supermarket, I substituted a 1/2 cup of apple butter.
They turned out really good, just the right combination of fluffy and dense, with the spice of pumpkin pie. The apple butter didn't add too much flavor, it was mostly pumpkin; I figured it was the right consistency and wouldn't mess up the batter. My whole family ate them with plain greek yogurt and baklava filling (golden raisins, almonds, walnuts, honey, and spices) on top. The house is saturated in the smell of these delicous waffles- something I don't mind one bit.

Maple Walnut Mini Loaves

Two days ago, I went to Home Goods and got this. Mini anything is so cute, and I wanted to make something immediately, except I couldn't think of the perfect recipe to christen my new pan. It was between the basics: pumpkin bread, banana nut bread, blueberry loaf, blah blah blah. Then I spotted Maple Walnut Muffins in Mostly Muffins by Barbara Albright and Leslie Weiner. It was the perfect recipe for the fall chill we're starting to get in Massachusetts.
They baked for the full 20 minutes that the recipe called for; I thought they would take a little bit longer, but good thing I checked! I haven't tried them yet, but I'm sure that's what I'll be having for breakfast tomorrow morning. I'll let you know how they turn out although, I have to say, they smell maple syrup-y deliciousness.

Maple Walnut Mini Loaves
original from Mostly Muffins
adapted by Zoe

1 cup all-purpose flour (the original calls for 2 cups AP and no whole wheat)
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 T dark-brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup toasted chopped walnuts
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/3 cup sweet butter or margarine, melted and cooled
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp vanilla
optional- 1/2 tsp maple extract (I didn't use this)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease 4 mini-loaf pans.

In a large bowl, stir together flours, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; stir nuts into dry ingredients to coat. In another bowl, stir together buttermilk, syrup, butter, egg, vanilla, and maple extract if you're using it, until blended. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients; add buttermilk mixture and stir just to combine.

Spoon batter evenly into the 4 pans, and spread the batter so it reaches all the corners of the pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.


Remove pan from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Cool 3 or 4 minutes before removing the loaves from the pans. Wait until the loaves are completely cool before storing in an airtight container.

These freeze very well, and are best eaten, warm, the day they are made.


Update: Just had a slice of this- it's so good. Moist, with a nutty whole wheat flavor and the distinctive sweetness of maple syrup. Although there is definite maple flavor, next time I will add the maple extract to give it that extra je ne sais quoi.

TWD: Pecan Honey Sticky Buns

I've never made sticky buns before. In fact, even after 5 months of working for Panera Bread, I've never eaten a sticky bun! Sure I loved to snag the pralines off the baking pan when my evil manager wasn't looking but...the whole thing? It looked like a crusty swirl with glop and nuts on top. Well...essentially that is a sticky bun. But trust me, the ones I sold were not appealing. So when I asked my parents to pick from the Tuesdays with Dorie list of already made recipes and they unanimously chose the sticky buns, I knew I was in for a treat.
They were hard. I didn't have a KitchenAid that I could use, because my parents keep a kosher house and our KitchenAid is parve, meaning no dairy or meat can go in it. And boy does this dough have a lot of butter. So I got to work out my arms with a wooden spoon and some seriously sticky dough.
In the end, these were SO GOOD. I didn't let the glaze boil quite enough, so it was a bit grainy, but otherwise these were ooey gooey perfection. The soft brioche dough combined with the crunch of the pecans and the sweet sweet glaze took these buns over the top. Lesson learned- I will never judge a sticky bun by Panera's nastyness again.