Snickerdoodle Ice Cream

This month's Improv challenge ingredients were cinnamon and sugar. With such a classic combination there are always a ton of recipes that come to mind, but this month I wanted to try something new. Last year I was lucky enough to try the delicious ice cream at Bi-Rite Creamery in San Francisco, and when I got back home Mimi Jr. surprised me with a copy of their cookbook, Sweet Cream and Sugar Cones. Since his first flip through the book, their recipe for Snickerdoodle Ice Cream has been at the top of Mr. Mimi's request list, so I knew this was the time to try it.  I made a few changes to the recipe, seeping cinnamon sticks in the cream,adding a little gelatin to help keep it from turning to liquid too fast and replacing some of the sugar corn syrup to help keep it more scoopable.

All I can say is, I should have made this sooner. It was a thick, rich ice cream with the perfect amount of cinnamon- enough to know it was definitely cinnamon, but not so much that it was overwhelming. To up the snickerdoodle factor, I added some cinnamon chip snickerdoodles and topped the whole thing with a buttery cinnamon sauce. I have never thought of snickerdoodles as a personal favorite cookie, but this ice cream may have just changed my mind. I'll probably have to make it again, just to be sure.

 Snickerdoodle Ice Cream
adapted from Sweet Cream and Sugar Cones
 5 egg yolks
 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoon sugar
 1 cinnamon stick
 1 cup milk
 2 cups heavy cream
 1 teaspoon gelatin
 1/2 teaspoon salt
 1 teaspoon vanilla
 1 teaspoon cinnamon
 2 tablespoons corn syrup
 cinnamon chip snickerdoodles* the amount you use is up to you

 In a small bowl soften gelatin in a tablespoon of water.
 In a medium sauce pan combine milk, cream and cinnamon stick bring to a simmer. Let cinnamon infuse for 30 minutes. Remove cinnamon stick and add corn syrup and 2 tablespoons sugar, bring to a simmer.
Add 1/4 cup hot milk mixture to softened gelatin, stir to dissolve gelatin. Add gelatin to the milk pan and stir to incorporate
 Whisk egg yolk and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a bowl until thick and sugar has dissolved.  Temper the egg yolk by whisking in about 3/4 cup hot milk.. Add egg yolk mixture to the milk, stirring with a wooden spoon, you do not want to make this frothy by using a whisk. Cook over medium heat until mixture coats the back of a spoon, about 170 degrees f. Remove from heat and strain into a clean bowl, allow to cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, about 4 hours or overnight.
Churn in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions.
Break snickerdoodles into bite size pieces.When ice cream has finished churning but is still soft, fold in (as much as you like) snickerdoodles pieces, then place in a freezer safe container, cover and freeze until firm.While ice cream is firming up, make the cinnamon syrup.
printable recipe

Cinnamon Syrup

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 tablespoon Light corn syrup (Karo)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch of salt

In a deep pot combine the butter, sugar, buttermilk, salt, cinnamon and corn syrup and bring to a boil. Boil for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the baking soda and vanilla and stir until combined. *The baking soda will cause the mixture to foam to twice its volume, so be sure to use a big enough pot* The color of the syrup will turn to a golden brown. Remove from the heat and continue to stir until the syrup thickens. Let it cool and serve immediately, or store in the fridge in an air tight container. It will thicken as it cools, but you can warm it up in the microwave to thin it out.
printable recipe

Foodie Friday

DB: Filled Meringue Coffee Cake

The March 2011 Daring Baker’s Challenge was hosted by Ria of Ria’s Collection and Jamie of Life’s a Feast. Ria and Jamie challenged The Daring Bakers to bake a yeasted Meringue Coffee Cake.

We had a choice of two version of the recipe- Jamie's or Ria's. We chose Jamie's version filled with cinnamon sugar, chopped nuts, and chopped chocolate. This soft, moist, slightly sweet coffee cake was really more of a bread than a cake. As with most yeast breads, they are best the day they are baked, so we made half the recipe that is below.

Mr. Mimi declared that he doesn't like chocolate in his breakfast foods and suggested that next time we fill the bread with raspberry jam instead of the chocolate and nuts. I think he may be on to something.

FILLED MERINGUE COFFEE CAKE
Makes 2 round coffee cakes, each approximately 10 inches in diameter

The recipe can easily be halved to make one round coffee cake

For the yeast coffee cake dough:

4 cups (600 g / 1.5 lbs.) flour

¼ cup (55 g / 2 oz.) sugar

¾ teaspoon (5 g / ¼ oz.) salt

1 package (2 ¼ teaspoons / 7 g / less than an ounce) active dried yeast

¾ cup (180 ml / 6 fl. oz.) whole milk

¼ cup (60 ml / 2 fl. oz. water (doesn't matter what temperature)

½ cup (135 g / 4.75 oz.) unsalted butter at room temperature

2 large eggs at room temperature

For the meringue:

3 large egg whites at room temperature

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon vanilla

½ cup (110 g / 4 oz.) sugar

For the filling:

1 cup (110 g / 4 oz.) chopped pecans or walnuts

2 Tablespoons (30 g / 1 oz.) granulated sugar

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup (170 g / 6 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips or coarsely chopped chocolate

Prepare the dough:

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 ½ cups (230 g) of the flour, the sugar, salt and yeast.

2. In a saucepan, combine the milk, water and butter and heat over medium heat until warm and the butter is just melted.

3. With an electric mixer on low speed, gradually add the warm liquid to the flour/yeast mixture, beating until well blended. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes. Add the eggs and 1 cup (150 g) flour and beat for 2 more minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a dough that holds together. Turn out onto a floured surface (use any of the 1 ½ cups of flour remaining) and knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes until the dough is soft, smooth, sexy and elastic, keeping the work surface floured and adding extra flour as needed.

4.Place the dough in a lightly greased  bowl, turning to coat all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let rise until double in bulk, 45 – 60 minutes.

Once the dough has doubled, make the meringue:

In a clean mixing bowl  beat the egg whites with the salt, first on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to high and continue beating until foamy and opaque. Add the vanilla then start adding the ½ cup sugar, a tablespoon at a time as you beat, until very stiff, glossy peaks form.

Assemble the Coffee Cakes:

Line 2 baking/cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Punch down the dough and divide in half. On a lightly floured surface, working one piece of the dough at a time (keep the other half of the dough wrapped in plastic), roll out the dough into a 20 x 10-inch (about 51 x 25 ½ cm) rectangle. Spread half of the meringue evenly over the rectangle up to about 1/2-inch (3/4 cm) from the edges. Sprinkle half of your filling ingredients  evenly over the meringue (ex: half of the cinnamon-sugar followed by half the chopped nuts and half of the chocolate chips/chopped chocolate).

Now, roll up the dough jellyroll style, from the long side. Pinch the seam closed to seal. Very carefully transfer the filled log to one of the lined cookie sheets, seam side down. Bring the ends of the log around and seal the ends together, forming a ring, tucking one end into the other and pinching to seal.

Using kitchen scissors or a sharp knife (although scissors are easier), make cuts along the outside edge at 1-inch (2 ½ cm) intervals. Make them as shallow or as deep as desired but don’t be afraid to cut deep into the ring.  Repeat with the remaining dough, meringue and fillings.

Cover the 2 coffee cakes with plastic wrap and allow them to rise again for 45 to 60 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).

Brush the tops of the coffee cakes with the egg wash. I have a convection oven so I skipped this step. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until risen and golden brown. The dough should sound hollow when tapped.

Remove from the oven and slide the parchment paper off the cookie sheets onto the table. Very gently loosen the coffee cakes from the paper with a large spatula and carefully slide the cakes off onto cooling racks. For a soft crust rub the crust with butter before cooling. Allow to cool.

Just before serving, dust the tops of the coffee cakes with confectioner’s sugar as well as cocoa powder if using chocolate in the filling. These are best eaten fresh, the same day or the next day.

printable recipe

For Ria's version, using saffron and garam marsala visit the Daring Baker's web site

TWD: Coffee Break Muffins

Coffee Break Muffins

 Rhiani of Chocoholic Anonymous picked Coffee-Break Muffins from Dori's book, Baking: From my Home to Yours. These light and delicate muffins had a delicious coffee flavor, but that wasn't quite enough for us- they needed a little something to make them special.

To half of the batter I added chocolate chips and an Oreo cookie crumb topping, with a coffee/chocolate combination in mind and it was a hit with the mocha lovers at my house.

The cinnamon flavor was not very strong, so next time I would increase the cinnamon in the batter and I would add a cinnamon and sugar struesel topping to the plain muffins to give them that little something extra. The plain muffins are a good starting point for any number of variations, and a nice change from the blueberry or banana muffins we usually make.

Visit Rhiani if you want the recipe. To see what the other TWD bakers thought visits our blogroll.

TWD: Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread

Cinnamon Swirl Raisin Bread

This week Susan of Food.Baby picked Raisin Swirl Bread. What's not to like about homemade bread? We really enjoy fresh bread and this buttery loaf was no exception. I made this easy dough on Friday evening and let it rise once, before stashing it in the fridge over night. In the morning the dough was thoroughly chilled and had had the opportunity to rise a second time. I just rolled it out, covered it with the cinnamon and cocoa mixture, sprinkled a few raisins over the dough, and placed it in the loaf pan and let it rise before baking

By the time the kids rolled out of bed there was a loaf of warm cinnamon bread waiting for them. It was great on its own, but a little sweet butter spread over it really made it the perfect breakfast. I was planning on making French toast with any leftovers, but it was gone way to quickly for that. I do think it would make a great French toast or a bread pudding, so next time I'll make two loaves, one for eating and one for experimenting.

Raisin Swirl Bread
Adapted form Baking: from my home to yours by Dorie Greenspan

One package active dry yeast (about 2 1/2 teaspoons)
1/4 cup sugar, plus a pinch
11/4 cup whole milk , warmed to about 90 degrees F.
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 teaspoon salt
one large egg
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
grated zest of one half orange
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
3 3/4 to 4 cups all-purpose flour

For the Swirl
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
One cup moist plump raisins
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

To make the bread
Put yeast in a small bowl toss in a pinch of sugar and stir in 1/4 cup of warm milk. Let rest for three minutes then stir the yeast. It may not have dissolved completely and may not have bubble but it should be soft.

Working with a stand mixer preferably fitted with a paddle attachment combine remaining milk,the butter and remaining 1/4 cup sugar and mix on low speed for a minute or two. At the salt, egg and vanilla, zest and nutmeg,and mix for one minute. Add the yeast mixture and beat on medium low speed for one minute more.Turn the mixer off and 2 3/4 cups of the flour. Mix on low speed just until you work the flour into the liquids, you will have a sticky mix. If you got a dough hook switched to it now. Add another one cup of flour increases mixes speed to medium and beat The dough for a couple of minutes. The dough should  come together and clean the sides of the bowl,  if not add up to 1/4 cup more flour 1 tablespoon at a time. Keep the mixer speed at media and knead the dough for about three minutes or until it is smooth and has a lovely buttery sheen. It will be very soft much too soft you need by hand.

Butter a large bowl, turn the dough into the bowl and cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Put the bowl in a warm place and let the Dough rise until it is double in size, about 1 1/2 hours. Scrape Dough onto a large sheet of plastic wrap and wrap it and put it in the freezer for 30 minutes. At this point, you can instead refrigerate the dough overnight if that is more convenient.

To make the swirl and shape the loaf:

butter a 9 x 5" loaf pan.
Whisk together cinnamon, sugar and coco .
Put the dough on a large work surface lightly dusted with flour, lightly dust the top of the Dough and roll the dough into a rectangle about 12 x 18". Gently spread 2 tablespoons of the butter over the surface of the doubt sprinkle the sugar mixture over the butter and scatter the raisins over the top.
Starting from the short side of the Dough roll the dough up jellyroll fashion, making sure to roll the dough snuggly. Fit into the buttered pan, seam side down, and tuck the end under the loaf. Cover the pan and loosely with wax paper and sent in a warm place; let the dough rise until it comes just a little above the edge of the pan, about 45 minutes.
When the dough has almost fully risen, Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375°. Line baking sheet with parchment or silicone mat. Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter and brush the top of the loaf with the butter. Put the pan on the baking sheet and bake the bread for about 20 minutes. Cover loosely with a foil tent and bake for another 25 minutes or so, until the bread is golden and sounds hollow when the bottom of the pan is tapped. Transfer pan to rack and cool for five minutes, then unmold invert the bread and cool to room temperature right side up on the rack.