Simple Glazed Scones

November 24, 2014 by Elizabeth 1 Comment

A perfectly crisp exterior, with a light and fluffy inside, drizzled with a mouthwatering icing. Simple Glazed Scones are delicate and delectable. Easy to make and incredibly divine, these little treats are sure to be a hit.

I can’t believe Thanksgiving is right around the corner! Four days to be exact. I think there is something so wonderful about this time of year. I just love all of the amazing food, great smells and wonderful experiences that are always shared around the dinner table. I love coming together with my family, and remembering all of the blessings that we have, and all that we are thankful for.

The last two weeks have just flown by! Wow! The boys and I have been having tons of fun at story time, playing with friends, venturing out in the snow, running errands, and of course having a blast cooking and eating. Andrew has been traveling a bunch for work, which is probably one of the reasons I’ve been a bit on the tired side 😉 All in all, the last two weeks have been incredibly fun and rewarding, and just a tiny bit exhausting. I’m very thankful for a nice LOOOONG weekend coming up!

Here are a few pictures from our adventures.

Scones! There’s just something so sophisticated and decadent about these little goodies. Firm and crisp like a cookie, with all of the fluffy goodness of a piece of cake. Ohhhh my! If you’re hosting company this Thanksgiving and need an impressive breakfast element, or just want something scrumptious to wow your family with, these Simple Glazed Scones are just the thing! They are perfect for breakfast with bacon and eggs, great for an uplifting afternoon snack, or even make for a wonderful dessert after a fun-filled day. I love them with a huge glass of ice cold milk, morning, noon, or night.

My inspiration for these scones came from a recipe I found on MyRecipes for the Best-Ever Scones. I made a few minor changes to the directions, but for the most part, this is such a dynamite recipe as it is! One change it did make was the need to refreeze the dough once it has been sliced. This helps to keep the scones cold right before they go into the oven, and helps to ensure their shape while baking. I also added a sweet glaze to top them off. I think this little touch not only makes them look fantastic, it also gives them that true bakery taste and texture.

Grab your bowl, a few ingredients, and get ready to bake. Pop them in the oven, and in a few minutes your house will be filled with the rich smell of SCONES! Simple Glazed Scones are sure to be a Thanksgiving morning (or anytime) delight.

Simple Glazed Scones

Yield: 8 scones

Ingredients

For Scones:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1/4 inch cubes
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream (plus 2 tablespoons for brushing) (1 cup total)

For Glaze:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dash of salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
In a large bowl, add flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and whisk together. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter (or back of fork), until mixture resembles small pea sized crumbs. Place bowl in freezer for 5 minutes. Remove bowl from freezer, and add 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cream. Stir immediately with a metal spoon until mixture is just moistened. While still in bowl, shape dough into a ball, dough will be crumbly. Place ball onto a piece of wax paper, and press and shape into a 7-inch flat, round disk. Using wax paper, wrap up disk and place in freezer for 5 minutes.
Remove from freezer and cut into 8 even triangular wedges. Place triangles 2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or Silpat baking sheet.
Brush tops of scones with remaining 2 tablespoons cream, until moistened. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet, then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the glaze, in a small bowl, add powdered sugar, water, vanilla and salt, and whisk together until smooth. (Glaze will look like a thick paste). Once scones are cool, drizzle glaze lightly over the top of each scone in a zig zig pattern. Also glaze to harden for at least 5 minutes.

Notes

If glaze becomes too hard to drizzle, place bowl in microwave for about 10 seconds to soften.

http://elizabethshome.com/simple-glazed-scones/

If you’re looking for another great breakfast bread or snack recipe, check out my Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Oat Flour Chocolate Cupcakes

June 22, 2014 by Elizabeth Leave a Comment

Moist, rich, fluffy cupcakes, topped with a decadent, chocolate fudge frosting. These Oat Flour Chocolate Cupcakes are seriously good, and shockingly nutritious.

Happy first official Sunday of summer! I can’t believe baby Charlie is 3 weeks old already! He is such an amazing addition to our family. William and James can’t seem to get enough of him and LOVE holding him. We’ve had a lot of fun this week as a family, and have been soaking up every minute of this precious time together. We also had a few bigger adventures this week, including a family shopping trip, and a date night out with Andrew (and of course Charlie, too). To top it off, Andrew even took all three boys this morning and sent me back to bed for a while! (What a little slice of heaven :))

When it comes to eating a bit on the healthier side, chocolate cupcakes are probably the farthest thing from that thought. A few months ago I had an idea to try and come up with a healthy solution to James’ request for “chocolate cupcakes for my birthday!”. I figured that starting well in advance would allow me to perfect them enough before the big day, and incase my idea was a total bust, I’d still have time to do something else. Well, I am super excited to say that since these were such a HUGE SUCESS, we have made quite a few batches over the last couple of months. I even made these again as a surprise birthday dessert for a special friend, and she raved about them!

Theses cupcakes are so soft and chocolatey, and the icing is rich, creamy, and oh so fudgy. We were all licking our fingers and going back for seconds (and thirds… ~~and fourths~~). 😉

Plus, here’s an added bonus, they freeze incredibly well! I actually made a few batches of these right before Charlie was born, and I will confess that we have been enjoying them on a daily basis. 🙂

Save room for dessert, because these Oat Flour Chocolate Cupcakes are sure to knock your socks off! No one will ever suspect that these sweet little bites are actually THIS healthy. Packed with antioxidants and nutrients, these little chocolate cupcakes are definitely something special.

Oat Flour Chocolate Cupcakes

Yield: 52 mini cupcakes

Ingredients

Chocolate Cupcakes:

1 1/2 cups oat flour
1 1/4 cups Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
8 medjool dates, pitted
3 tablespoons warm water
8 large egg whites (1 cup whites)
1 cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon agave
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Chocolate Frosting:

20 medjool dates, pitted
1 cup warm water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
3 dashes salt

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together oat flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and set aside.
In a blender or food processor, add dates and water, and puree together until mostly smooth. Then add in egg whites, yogurt, applesauce, agave, oil, and vanilla, and blend together until smooth. Pour mixture into large mixing bowl, and whisk in the dry ingredients. Stir until combined. Let batter sit for about 20 minutes before baking, then stir again.
In a mini muffin pan coated with cooking spray, spoon batter into each cup about 3/4 full. Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out with just a few crumbs attached. Remove from oven and allow cupcakes to cool in pan for about 10 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.
For the frosting, add dates and water to blender or food processor. Process until mostly smooth, then add vanilla and whip until completely smooth. Add cocoa powder and salt and process for about one minute until smooth and creamy. Scrape into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap for at least one hour to chill. Then frost cupcakes.

Notes

These cupcakes are great frozen. When frosting them to freeze, allow cupcakes to cool completely, then slice cupcakes horizontally, (removing about 1/3 of the top), spread frosting in the middle and replace top. Once frosted, "flash freeze" cupcakes on a freezer safe plate or baking sheet for about 2 to 3 hours. Then move frozen cupcakes to a ziplock bag or airtight container and store in freezer for up to three months.

http://elizabethshome.com/oat-flour-chocolate-cupcakes/

Good For You Mini Carrot Cakes

April 7, 2014 by Elizabeth 4 Comments

Carrots, oat flour, and spices baked together and topped with a lightly sweetened cream cheese frosting. These Good For You Mini Carrot Cakes are the perfect non-guilty way to end your Easter dinner, or are a great dessert or snack any day of the week.

I can’t believe Easter is only two weeks away! There is something so festive about carrot cake on Easter. I mean, bunnies, carrots, cake, it’s a winner! So, I figured I would take a crack at trying to create a recipe for a carrot cake that was actually healthy, and that could pass as the “real thing”. I am happy to report: mission accomplished! I mean, it’s about time that the one dessert that actually sounds healthy, finally lives up to its name.

The boys and I created these little mini delights the other day when the weather was terrible, and instead of rushing out of the house, I declared it “cooking lesson” time! Both boys grabbed their kitchen stools and their little whisks and spatulas, and stood eagerly at the counter. We added our ingredients and stirred everything together, then baked our first test cake. Once it was done, and cool enough to bite into, we quickly cut into it, and tested away. We tasted it, and decided to add a touch more syrup and a tiny bit more cinnamon, and by the second test batch, it was unanimous. They were perfect! We baked the rest of the little cakes, and could hardly wait until they were done. We each devoured more than our share, and thankfully managed to save a few for Andrew when he got home. Andrew immediately gave these his stamp of approval, and we all agreed that these little carrot cakes would be on the menu for our Easter dessert!

This weekend Andrew was playing around with our little home photo studio and decided to snap a few pictures of the boys. Even though they’re still in their jammies, this has to be one of our new favorite pictures (ever) of these two!

(Stay tuned next week for our Easter photo shoot of the boys and our 32 week maternity pictures!) 🙂

In the meantime, get a jump start on your Easter menu with these Good For You Mini Carrot Cakes. Packed with a delightful little dose of fruits and veggies, sweetness and spice, and finished off with a little bit of sweet cream cheese icing. These will definitely make a happy ending to any meal 🙂

Good For You Mini Carrot Cakes

Serving Size: 26 mini-cakes

Good For You Mini Carrot Cakes

Ingredients

Carrot Cakes:

2 cups oat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
10 medjool dates, pitted
1/4 cup warm water
8 large egg whites (1 cup whites)
1 cup natural applesauce
3/4 cup plain, fat-free Greek yogurt
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups grated carrots (medium grate)
1 cup chopped, toasted pecans

Frosting:

8 ounces 1/3 less fat cream cheese (softened)
2 tablespoons, plus 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Garnish:

26 pecan halves
1/4 cup grated carrot

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
In a small bowl, stir together oat flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg, and set aside.
In a blender or food processor, puree dates with 1/4 cup warm water. Add to blender: egg whites, apple sauce, yogurt, syrup, oil, and vanilla, and blend until smooth. Pour blended ingredients into a large bowl, and whisk in dry ingredients. Then fold in the carrots and toasted pecans.
Spoon batter into a mini-cake pan or regular sized muffin pan coated with non-stick cooking spray. Fill each one about 2/3 of the way full, and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean. Allow cakes to cool in pan for about 5 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
While cakes are cooling, prepare frosting: in a small bowl, whisk the cream cheese, syrup and vanilla together until smooth. (Makes enough frosting for about 20 mini-cakes)
Once cool, slice each cake in half, (so you have a top and bottom), and place a small amount of frosting in the middle of each cake, and then replace the top pieces. Using another small amount of frosting, lightly frost the top of each cake. Garnish cakes with one pecan half and tiny amount of freshly grated carrot. Serve and enjoy!

http://elizabethshome.com/good-for-you-mini-carrot-cakes/