Category Archives: Home Baking

Valentine Pop Hearts

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Makes 10

Ingredients

Pop Hearts

  • 1 box (400g) Ready-to-bake refrigerated pie crusts
  • ½ cup cherry pie filling, or strawberry jam

Frosting

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 Tbsp milk
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
  • Food Gel colouring, optional
  • Sprinkles, optional

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
  2. On a parchment-lined or lightly floured work surface, unroll one sheet of pie crust. Cut the pie crust into 10 hearts using a 3-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter. Place the hearts on the prepared baking sheet
  3. On the same work surface, unroll the other sheet of pie crust and cut it into 10 hearts using the same heart-shaped cookie cutter
  4. Spread 1/2 teaspoon filling, or jam, in the centre of each heart that is on the baking sheet, leaving about 1/4-inch around the edge
  5. Place another heart-shaped crust evenly on top of each jam-topped heart. Press the edges down with your fingers all around the heart and then use a fork to crimp and seal the edges
  6. Bake for 15 minutes or until light brown around the edges
  7. Meanwhile, make the frosting by combing the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract in a medium bowl. Stir until you have a spreadable consistency, adding a small amount of extra milk if required. The frosting can be left white, or coloured using gel colouring
  8. Remove the pop tarts from the oven and let cool on a rack before finishing
  9. Frost the centre of each pop tart with desired coloured frosting. Alternatively place the frosting in a piping bag, snip the end  off and drizzle over the cooled pop tarts
  10. If using finish with decorative sprinkles

Galette Des Rois

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Makes 1 x 9″ galette

Ingredients

Pastry

  • 1 portion rough puff pastry as per my Saskatoon Berry Pie recipe

Filling

  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons cherry brandy liqueur
  • 1 Tablespoon amaretto liqueur
  • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1 cup ground almonds (almond meal)
  • 3 Tablespoons warmed orange marmalade, sieved to remove the peel

To Finish

  • 1 egg beaten with
  • 1 teaspoon milk

Method

  1. Preheat your oven to 400F
  2. With the pastry divided into 2 as per original Saskatoon Berry Pie, roll to thickness 4mm thick. Using a 9″ plate or cake pan bottom, cut a disc shape from the pastry and place on a baking tray lined with baking parchment. Transfer to the refrigerator to chill, and repeat with the second portion of pastry on a separate lined baking sheet. You should now have 2 discs of pasty chilling in the refrigerator while you move on to making the filling
  3. In a medium bowl combine the sugar and softened butter. Beat with an electric whisk until pale and well combined
  4. Add the eggs, cherry brandy, amaretto, almond extract, cornstarch and whisk until well combined
  5. Add in the ground almonds and fold to combine well
  6. Once combined, cover and chill in the refrigerator
  7. Remove one disc of chilled pastry (still on lined baking tray) from the refrigerator and brush on the warmed marmalade, leaving a 1″ border to the pastry disc
  8. Transfer your almond mixture into a piping bag fitted with a round nozzle and pipe the filling mixture on top of the marmalade, keeping the 1″ border. Using a palette knife or spatula smooth the top of the filling for any major dips or bumps
  9. Liberally wet the border area with water
  10. Remove second disc of chilled pastry from your refrigerator and careful place on top of the first filled disc (I invert the second disc whilst on it’s baking parchment baking and then peel to remove the parchment). Press the edges over the wet area to seal the edge of the pastries
  11. Using a knife (or a chopstick) push into the galette edge to crimp/ scallop it
  12. Brush the top of the galette with the finishing egg mixture until fully covered and golden. Avoid brushing the side of the galette
  13. Using a sharp knife or bakers lame, cut a decorative pattern into the top of the pasty, careful not to go the full way through
  14. Transfer to your preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until the top is a golden brown (There may be some leakage of butter form the filling)
  15. Once baked remove from the oven and transfer to cooling rack to cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing

Amaretti Morbidi

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Makes 15

Ingredients

  • 2 1/4 cups finely ground almonds
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • pinch salt
  • 2 large egg whites
  • ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • ½ teaspoon almond extract
  • Confectioner’s sugar

Method

  • Preheat oven to 300°F. Line a large baking sheet or cookie tray with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat
  • In a large bowl, whisk together ground almond, sugar and salt until well combined
  • In a mixing bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk egg whites and cream of tartar until they hold soft peaks
  • Add beaten egg whites and almond extract to dry ingredients and stir until mixture forms a soft, sticky dough, kneading with your hands if necessary
  • Lightly dust your hands with powdered sugar. Use a small cookie scoop to portion dough into 1-inch balls. Roll into a smooth ball, then roll in powdered sugar. Arrange on your prepared baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch of space between cookies
  • Bake for 20-25 minutes until tops are cracked and bottoms are just barely golden. Remove from oven; let cool a few minutes on the baking trays, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely
  • Cookies will keep at room temperature in an airtight bag or container, for up to 5 days

Vegan Peppermint Festive Crinkle Cookies

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Makes 30

Ingredients

Cookies

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup dutch-process cocoa powder
  • 2 cups sugar
  • ½ cup canola oil
  • ¾ cup applesauce
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon peppermint extract

Coating

  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup powdered sugar

Method

  1. In a bowl combine the flour, salt, and baking powder. Set aside until needed
  2. In a medium bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, combine the sugar, applesauce, oil, and extracts, until well blended. Add flour mixture and mix until just combined
  3. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours
  4. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with baking parchment, or silicone baking mats. Place the granulated and powdered sugars in two separate bowls close by
  5. Remove chilled dough and roll into balls about one tablespoon size each. Toss first in the granulated and then second in the powdered sugar, coating fully
  6. Bake for 12-13 minutes (cookies should be slightly underbaked). If you would prefer a more crinkled look to your cookies, you can gently bang the baking try on a counter-top at this point. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 2-3 minutes before transferring onto a wire rack to cool completely
  7. Once cookies are completely cool, store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days

3-Ingredient Sugar Cookies

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Makes 24

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter, room temperature
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 cups All-purpose flour

Optional

  • 1 ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract
  • Festive Sprinkles

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with barking parchment or a silicone baking mat
  2. Add your butter with sugar into a large bowl and beat with an electric whisk for a few minutes until combines and fluffy. (If you’re using vanilla extract add at this point)
  3. Add in your flour and beat again until combined. The dough will be crumblier that typical cookie dough
  4. Break off/ scoop walnut sizes pieces and roll in your hands*
  5. Place the cookies balls onto the prepared tray and using a flat-bottomed glass press down to flatten to ¼ to ½ inch thickness. You can press some sprinkle into the tops at this point
  6. Bake in your preheated oven for between 12-14 minutes, until the edges are just turning golden-brown
  7. Cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then move to a rack to cook completely

*You can roll them in some additional granulated sugar at this point if you like