TASTE: Lavender Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting

Lavender Vanilla Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting.

My gender reveal party ruined me. Ever since I tasted those delicious Magnolia Bakery and Sprinkles cupcakes, I've just wanted MORE. And since I don't want to use this pregnancy as a reason to eat the entire Earth, I'm trying my best to resist sweet-tooth cravings. Trying. My. Best. Well, all that went out the window when I glanced in my pantry and suddenly noticed those lovely lavender herbs. And in a wonderful flash of sugar-craving brilliance, this adorable recipe was born. I birthed it! (Prepping my baby speechin', obviously.)

I think this is a really great treat to make in honor of Easter. Especially for all of you who gave up sugar for Lent - this is a great way to break the fast! Yummy, pastel and fluffy, anyone can take a moment to revel in this precious-tasting confection. Go ahead, it's okay to make and share. Or hoard all alone in your bedroom. I mean, what?

Ingredients:

Lavender Vanilla Cupcakes

- 1.5 cups All-Purpose Flour (I like Bob's Red Mill White Flour)

- 3/4 cups Sugar (I use Sugar in the Raw and just blend it for about 15 seconds in my Vitamix to achieve a more refined texture)

- 3/4 tsp. baking powder

- 1/4 tsp. salt

- 1.5 sticks of butter, softened

- 3 eggs, beaten

- 6 tbsp. milk

- 1.5 tsp. Vanilla Extract

- 2 tsp. dried lavender

Buttercream Frosting

- 1 stick of butter, softened

- 2 cups powdered sugar (Also made in the Vitamix - Just blend regular sugar on high for 30 seconds!)

- 2-3 tsp. half & half

- 1/2 tbsp. vanilla extract

- Red & blue food coloring

// Steeping the lavender. Mmm. //

Method:

1. Bring the 6 tbsp. of milk to a boil in a saucepan. Remove from heat. Steep 2 tsp. lavender in the milk for 30 minutes. Set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake tin with liners.

3. Mix the flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Set aside.

// Beware: Too much time whipping up these frosted treats could result in a belly like this. (JK. You gotta do other kinds of stuff to get a belly like this.) //

4. Beat the 1.5 sticks of butter together with the sugar. Add in the steeped, strained milk (there should be no bits of lavender left in the mixture), along with the beaten eggs and vanilla extract.

5. Slowly pour the dry mixture into the wet mixture, taking a few moments to beat and combine, then adding a bit more.

6. Once the mixtures are combined, pour the batter into the cupcake tin, filling each cup to 2/3 full.

7. Bake in the center of the oven for 18-20 minutes, or until they are lightly golden. Let the cupcakes cool for 15-20 minutes until completely cool. You don't want to frost while they're warm or they will get all melty. Ick.

8. To make the frosting, beat together the softened butter, powdered sugar, cream and vanilla together until slightly fluffy. Add the food coloring in, but don't add too much! Start with a drop of the red and a drop of the blue, then continue mixing/adding until you achieve the desired share of soft purple.

Note: If you used Sugar in the Raw in place of white sugar, like I did, your frosting won't start out pure white. This will affect the desired color of your icing, so just bear with it and play with the food coloring. I still managed to achieve a purple-ish hue.

9. I don't have a frosting kit, so I just added the frosting into a large ziplock bag and cut a tiny corner out. I squeezed the frosting through this itty-bitty opening. If you want to add sprinkles, do so immediately after applying the frosting, so they dry together. Or you could skip this all-together and just frost the cupcakes with a spatula. And occasionally lick the goodness. Okay, lick the goodness a lot and just save a little to dress the cupcakes. Either way.

Voila! If you want to get really fancy, you can use a frosting tip inside your pastry bag. I kind of couldn't wait to munch on them... so I did it the quick way! And they're still so pretty! Oh, dear springtime, we're so ready for you!

Taste: Valentine Heart Tarts!

Happy Valentines Heart Tarts.

These Valentine Heart Tarts are so adorable. They make a great handmade treat for your loved one. I learned this recipe from my incredible day with

Mary the Cookie Lady

, and have made them a few times since our grand baking extravaganza. My family devoured these in ONE DAY. Officially known as Moroccan Jam Cookies, these cookies are special because they have a shortbread taste with a delicious tart jam filling. And they're shaped like hearts. Duh.

Ingredients:

- 3 cups flour + more for flouring the pastry surface

- 2 1/4 sticks butter (unsalted)

- Little more than 3/4 cup sugar

- 1/4 cup eggs, beaten (I usually end up using 2 eggs, but just see what works)

- Cookie Filling (I use apricot & raspberry baking jam)*

*Baking jam is different than regular jelly or jam. You don't want to use jelly/jam when baking, because it will burn more quickly than a baking jam will. You can purchase baking jam online or find it at a local bakery. Or you can wing it with jelly. Just remember, I told you so :-)

Tools:

My food processor really comes in handy with baking. Instead of mixing the ingredients with a hand mixer, I just throw everything and process it. Until I get one of these bad boys, using the food processor is the way to go. Also, I got my heart-shaped cookie cutter at William-Sonoma. And for the center cut-out, I used a bottle top (from bottled water). Just find whatever works!

// Using a food processor makes this recipe SO EASY. As long as you're not afraid of getting your hands a little messy :) //

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Mix flour & butter together in a food processor or mixer, just as you would for a pie. (It's best if you use ice cold butter cut into cubes.)

2. Add the beaten egg (s). Knead the mixture well, it should be sticky at this point.

3. Roll out the dough on a pastry surface. Make sure to lightly flour the surface before rolling out the dough, this will keep the mixture from sticking. Make sure to bathe your rolling pin in flour, as well!

4. Cut out the hearts with a cookie cutter. You will want to count so that you have an even number of hearts with a hole in the middle and without. Eventually, you will layer these one on top of the other, so you want to make sure you have an even number!

5. Bake hearts until lightly brown, about 10-12 minutes. Give them plenty of time to cool.

6. Spread the hearts (without cutouts) with baking jam. Top with the hearts with cutouts. Voila! You should be able to see the jam through the hole in the center of the cookie.

7. Optional: You can lightly sprinkle the cookies with powdered sugar. I chose not to because they already look so pristine!

// The friendliest cookies on the block. //

Oh Happy Day.

If you're snowed in this weekend like me, you could try out this recipe for your special someone. Whipping up a batch of these delicacies is a surefire way to get a whole lot of "I Love Yous!" Also, if you're still looking for a gift, you can check out my Valentine Guide. And if you want to make a loving weekend brunch, try out these yummy crepes.

Happy Valentines Day!

Noel: Mary the Cookie Lady

Mary the Cookie Lady.

When I was a little girl, my Aunt Shirley used to come into town on Christmas Day. She flew in from Connecticut, which always sounded to me just like the North Pole (all that snow!) And my Aunt Shirley, my dear dear Aunt Shirley, would always come armed with a tin full of extra special cookies. These were no run-of-the-mill chocolate chip types, nor boring sugar cookies either. The confections Aunt Shirley brought with her in that special tin were decadent, spectacular truffles of majesty. Swirled with cinnamon, powdered with sugar, fluffy and rich with apricot filling. Oh these cookies! They were the best in the WHOLE WORLD. And my wide eyed sisters and I would exchange equally meaningful and sneaky glances as we attempted to take two, three, four cookies at a time, all the while my mother would cluck her tongue at us, “Girls, these are a treat! You only need one!” But we couldn’t bear it. We couldn’t resist the magical cookies from the magical land of Connecticut, which was probably something like the magical North Pole.

I love how romantic childhood Christmas memories can be.

Now, let me tell you, my Aunt Shirley does not bake. She doesn’t cook. There are no spatulas in her kitchen. She has no need for such tools, since her fingers can swiftly dial and she can have takeout from all her favorite places in 20 minutes. She would tell you this herself. She has her doctorate in psychology, she is the most popular professor at Sacred Heart University (and has a bevy of awards to prove it!), she has contributed to a number of humanitarian and rehabilitation efforts over the past 35 years. She has been, understandably TIED UP for quite some time. So baking? Eh, not on her list of to-do’s. She’s been saving the world. Which means that these fine cookies… they weren’t by the work of her hands. These cookies were crafted by Mary the Cookie Lady. AKA Aunt Shirley’s bestie. Mary is the genius mastermind, the true craftswoman behind these works of tasty art. Turkish Delights are a woeful knockoff to her baked glories. Mrs. Fields? Please. Ain’t got nothin’ on Mary.

People. I invited myself to bake with her. I went to Mary’s house. I BAKED WITH THIS GODDESS. I could cry at how amazing the experience was. Um… actually, I did. I got in the car and wept like a foolhardy little girl. Because baking with Mary was like playing onstage with a rock star. She is a rock star. I don’t know how else to describe it.

I asked Mary if I could learn from her, be an apprentice of sorts. I hoped she would be willing to share her generations-old recipes with me, a mere outsider, a non-family member. Not only did she invite me into her home, she welcomed me with the warmth of a queen. When I arrived, she had the kitchen set and ready to learn 5 different cookie recipes. Her ingredients were stocked, her tools were ready and there was a gigantic wrapped present on the counter for me. Seriously, is this woman an angel or what? Apparently she got the memo that I am a total gift hog. She presented me with all sorts of wonderful baking contraptions and ingredients so that I could re-make the cookies when I got home. What a woman. 

Photos by Shirley Pavone, AKA my hero

There is just something about Mary.

I'm sneaking bites, Aunt Shirley is playing with her pup, and Mary is busy working. A pretty accurate portrait of the day.

Herstory.

Mary was born in Croatia and grew up baking with her mother. On the day that we baked together, she pulled out a beautifully worn wooden pastry board that she inherited from her mother. Let me tell you, it was a beauty. You could see the markings of heritage, the imperfections in the grain, the evenly worn tone of the wood that could only be achieved over lots of time. I felt like I was stepping into her story as she unearthed the tools she had used for so many years to bake the magical cookies I had grown up, so tastefully admiring. This woman. She had baked her own legend into my life without even thinking twice.

Our works of art!

The day was more than a success. We laughed (obviously, I cried), we drank a lot of wine and Aunt Shirley was our culinary judge. In fact, she gave us all 10's.

Want to make some of your own famous Mary cookies? I've included one of her recipes below:

Ingredients:

- 8 oz. cream cheese

- 1 cup (2 sticks) sweet butter

- 1/4 cup butter, melted

- 2 cups sifted, all-purpose flour

- 3/4 cup brown sugar

- 1 tbsp. brown sugar

- 3/4 cup finely chopped hazelnuts

- 1 tbsp. water

Method:

1. Blend cream cheese, butter and flour in a mixing bowl until dough ball forms.

2. Chill dough for 1 hour.

3. In the mean time, combine the brown sugar, chopped nuts and cinnamon until well mixed. Set aside.

4. Preheat the over to 400 degrees.

5. Grease cookie sheets.

6. Remove dough from the oven. Cut ball of dough into 4 parts.

7. On a floured pastry board, roll out each fourth into a 9-inch circle (as if you were rolling out a pizza pie.) Dough should be about 1/8-inch thick once rolled out.

8. Sprinkle dough with 1/4 the hazelnut-brown sugar-cinnamon mixture.

9. Cut dough like a pizza, into 10-12 "slices."

10. Roll up slices, starting from "crust end" and gently fold into half-moon wedges. Place on baking sheet.

11. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Remove and let cool on racks.

Thank you, Mary, for taking the time to teach me your way around the kitchen! You are a joy and a total inspiration. And to all of you Oysters, I hope you enjoy your very own special Mary Cookies as much as I do! It's a Merry Christmas, indeed!

TASTE: The Perfect Pie Crust

Perfect Pie Crust.

I just had to share this before we are all in the swing of holiday baking later this week. I made a pie crust last week (to make with this quiche) and I couldn't believe how incredibly easy it was. Why haven't I been doing this all my life? Please, this year, promise me that you will resist the temptation to pick up a few pre-packaged crusts from the frozen food section.

Tools:

- Food Processor (mine is a 3-cup and can totally manage this recipe)

- Rolling pin

- Clean counter-top surface or wooden cutting board

Ingredients:

- 2 1/2 cups flour (plus extra for rolling)

- 1 cup (2 sticks) of very cold butter (almost frozen, seriously)

- 1 tsp. salt

- 1 tsp. sugar

- 6-8 tbps. ice water

Method:

Note: This recipe makes a bottom and top crust combination. If you only need a bottom crust and are leaving your pie/quiche, etc. open on top, you can cut this recipe in half or freeze your dough.

1. Combine the flour, salt and sugar in a food processor and pulse to mix the ingredients.

2. Chop up the really cold/frozen butter into, roughly, 1-tbsp. sections.

3. This is the fun part! Add the butter to the food processor and pulse about 8 times. This part always fascinates me, because it completely transforms the consistency! Keep pulsing until the mixture is coarse and the butter is scattered throughout.

4. Begin adding 1 tbsp. of ice water at a time, pulsing the mixture, then adding another tbsp. Keep doing this until the mixture begins to form a crumbly dough. A good test: if you you pinch some of the dough, it should stick together. If it doesn't, add a bit more water and pulse. You don't want to add too much water because it will make the dough tough to work with.

5. Remove dough from the processor and transfer to your clean surface (preferably a pastry board like this or this, but we can't all be so lucky, huh?)

6. Begin by mashing the dough up a bit. This is not only a therapeutic moment, but it actually helps the dough layers flatten (resulting in a flaky crust, mmm!)

7. Roll the dough with your hands until it forms a round mound. Using a large knife, cut the dough in half. Now you have two parts, one for the top crust and one for the bottom. Wrap each mound in plastic and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Note: If you only need one crust for your recipe, you can refrigerate the second mound of dough for up to 2 days. Or you can freeze it for up to a month.

8. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes (this allows it to soften a bit.) Flour your rolling pin and pastry board or clean surface and begin rolling the dough out. You want to roll the dough out to a 12-inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick. If the dough is sticking a bit, just keep adding flour to the surface.

9. Carefully lift the rolled dough and place in a 9-inch pie pan. Using your fingers, gently press the dough into the pan. Trim the edges with kitchen shears. I like to use the excess dough to make designs on the crust with these cookie cutters. So festive.

10. Add pie filling.

11. Repeat step 9 with the second mound of dough. Leave a little extra dough around the edge of the top layer and press into the bottom layer around the edges. You can use your fingers or a fork. Make 4 2-inch cuts in the top layer of dough to allow steam to escape while the pie cooks.

Voila! Ready for baking!

I guarantee that you will be so pleased with the ease and TASTE of this dough that you will never go back to the store-bought stuff again! And your family will get a big kick out of your homemade handiwork (they don't have to know how easy and fun it is; that will just be our little secret!)

TASTE: Spiced Pumpkin Coconut Custard

Pumpkin Time.

It's officially pumpkin season, right? I think I've gone a little pumpkin crazy in the past few days. My kitchen has been an auburn haven of earthy spices, creamy coconut and warm pumpkin puree. I've been whipping up all kinds of fun fall-themed treats and this one is extra special, because it's my first attempt at custard. And it's reeeaaaally yummy. Prepare yourself for fun, creamy clouds of autumnal joy. This recipe was inspired and adapted from this trio of recipes: spiced pumpkin ice cream, vanilla ice cream and coconut milk custard. Now brace yourself, custard requires really following the recipe, but in the end, all that meticulousness is totally worth it!

Spiced Pumpkin Coconut Custard

Ingredients:

- 15 oz. can coconut milk

- 12 oz. can evaporated milk

- 1 level cup canned pumpkin

- 1/2 cup brown sugar

- 3 large egg yolks

- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

*The egg yolks give the custard that creamy effect. All you "egg-whites-only" gals, don't shy away!

Method:

1. Combine the coconut milk, evaporated milk and pumpkin in a saucepan on low heat. Add in brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat.

2. Set up an ice bath. If you've never done this before, it sounds more complicated than it is.  Fill a large bowl (or pan, I used a pyrex baking dish) with ice and water. Place an empty 2-quart bowl in the ice-water bath. Pour hot mixture into the empty 2-quart bowl, let sit for approx. 5 minutes. *The ice bath helps the mixture cool more quickly.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together 3 egg yolks. You can save the egg whites for an omelet!

4. Slowly add the whisked eggs to the hot mixture, taking time to combine. Whisk the mixture for about 2 minutes.

5. Pour entire mixture back into the saucepan, heat pan over low, constantly whisking for about 2-3 minutes. Bring to a boil.

6. Pour mixture into an 8x8 glass pyrex baking dish. Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes.

7. Put dish in the freezer and let sit for an hour. The edges of the mixture will begin to freeze, so you will want to stir up the mixture. Let it freeze for another hour, then stir the mixture again.

8. Let sit over night and then devour!

Let me know what you think about this tasty treat. Enjoy the whole autumn season in every spiced, creamy bite.

Bon Appetit!