CLOCKWORK DAGGER ebook on sale for $1.99!
My novel The Clockwork Dagger is currently on sale for $1.99! I have no idea how long it will be at that price. This is the first book in my series that’s been described as Agatha Christie meets Final Fantasy.
Please, if you haven’t read it yet, grab it while you can! And please spread the word, too.
#SFWAPro
Bready or Not: Almond Cake
This Almond Cake tastes fancy, but thanks to a handy-dandy food processor, it’s actually quite straightforward to make. I’m all about fancy without major effort!
The food processor isn’t just there to streamline the process, though. Those blades really shred into the eggs and sugar, creating a cake that lusciously dense, not light from being gently blended.
This cake bakes up into a soft, almond-fragrant pillow with a tender crumb and a golden, crunchy top. It’s one of those cakes that is as delicious as it is beautiful.
To make this even better, unlike many other cakes, it keeps well! Wrap up individual slices, and they are fine at room temperature for up to 3 days. They can also keep in the freezer for weeks!
This cake would be wonderful for breakfast, brunch, or dessert. It’s great by itself, but would also be lovely with some fresh fruit.
Modified from America’s Test Kitchen.
Bready or Not: Almond Cake
Equipment
- 9-inch springform pan
- parchment paper
- large food processor
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 1/2 cups sliced almonds
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups white sugar
- 2 lemons zested
- 3/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
Topping:
- 2 Tablespoons white sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1/3 cup sliced almonds
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 300-degrees.. Cut a piece of parchment to fit in the bottom of the springform pan. Grease pan, place parchment inside, then grease that as well. Set aside.
- In food processor, pulse sliced almonds, flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda until the almonds are finely ground. This will be 5 to 10 pulses. Move mixture to another bowl.
- Into the now-empty processor, place the eggs, white sugar, 1 Tablespoon of lemon zest (reserve rest for topping), and almond extract. Process for about 2 minutes, until everything turns pale yellow. Pour in the melted butter and oil until they are blended in. Add the almond mixture with a series of pulses.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan.
- Start preparing the topping by using fingertips to mix the lemon zest into the white sugar, dispersing the zest throughout. Sprinkle the almonds all over the top of the cake. Follow that up with the lemon-sugar.
- Bake cake until the middle is set and bounces back when gently pressed, about 55 minutes to an hour. The middle should also pass the toothpick test. Let the cake cool for about 15 minutes. Run a plastic knife or toothpick around the sides of the cake to make sure it is loose. Set a plate on top of the cake and tip it out to invert it. Then set cake back onto a cooling rack, almonds up.
- Let cake cool at least 2 hours at room temperature, or speed the process by chilling it in the fridge. Cake tastes best at room temperature. Cut into wedges and serve.
- Individual wedges of cake can be wrapped in plastic to keep at room temperature for up to 3 days, or can be frozen for later enjoyment.
*OM NOM NOM!*
Bready or Not Original: Slow Cooker Apple Steel Cut Oats
These Slow Cooker Apple Steel Cut Oats are not the most photogenic of foods, but they are delicious, healthy, and good, and probably one of the most convenient meals in my cooking repertoire.
I’ve been cooking this recipe for over five years now, tweaking it here and there, making it better. What I present here is really a foundation. This recipe can be customized all kinds of ways–either when the food is being assembled, by adding in different spices or apples, or by tweaking it at serving time.
I love using Gala, Honeycrisp, or Pink Lady apples, but go for any good baking-type apple or a variety thereof. You don’t want the apples to go to mush. Or maybe you do? That might not be a terrible thing here.
I typically use unsweetened vanilla almond milk or cashew milk, but any plain or vanilla nut, soy, or oat milks would work, or you can opt for dairy milk.
This isn’t an overnight slow cooker oats recipe. I’ve tried that. Even on low and warm settings, the oats just plain overcooked for my preference. The consistency goes brick-like and the pot requires some intense scraping if you don’t use a removable liner. I prefer to make this during the day, and then portion out the oats to go in the fridge and freezer. They reheat beautifully.
Bready or Not Original: Slow Cooker Apple Steel Cut Oats
Equipment
- large slow cooker
Ingredients
- 2 cups steel cut oats no substitutes
- 2 cups nut milk or oat milk, regular or vanilla, sweetened or unsweetened
- 2 cups water
- 2 medium apples peeled and chopped
- 1/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in slow cooker and stir to distribute. Place lid on pot and put heat level to LOW. Cook for 3 hours before lifting lid again. Stir and taste to test doneness. Continue to cook for 30 minutes to an hour more, dependent on the desired texture for the oats. The longer it cooks, the thicker it will be.
- Serve oats fresh, or stash in fridge to reheat in microwave over the next week. These oats are great to portion out and freeze for later. If desired, add more spices, fresh fruit, or extra milk when serving–the customization possibilities are endless!
*OM NOM NOM!*
Bready or Not: Snickerdoodle Brookie
Don’t struggle to choose between Snickerdoodles and Brownies. Have them both at the same time in this extraordinary Snickerdoodle Brookie!
This is essentially like a massive cookie-cake hybrid. It looks impressive, and the flavor is impressive, too. If the layers work out right, you get a bit of everything in every bite.
If you eat the brookie warm, the chocolate flavor is quite strong. I actually liked this best at room temperature. The flavors play together better then.
I mean, it’d be a shame to not get to enjoy the Snickerdoodle side of things. A travesty.
I modified this from the original in my favorite food magazine, Bake from Scratch. I tried to make it easier by using the microwave, prepping the pan with parchment, and clarifying the steps throughout.
I can also testify that this is a great recipe to portion out and freeze. Pieces don’t take long to thaw and the brookie is dense enough to be pretty portable, too, though the dusting of cinnamon and sugar on top can sometimes be messy.
Modified from the March/April 2020 issue of Bake from Scratch Magazine.
Bready or Not: Snickerdoodle Brookie
Equipment
- 9-inch round cake pan
- parchment paper
Ingredients
Brownie batter:
- 6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips or bittersweet (170 grams)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 cube
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup Dutch process cocoa powder sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Snickerdoodle dough:
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Topping:
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Cut a piece of parchment to fit inside a 9-inch round cake pan. Apply nonstick spray in pan, place parchment, then spray parchment as well. Set aside.
Make brownie batter
- Melt together the chocolate and butter either in a double boiler on the stove or in the microwave in a microwave-safe bowl. Stir until everything is mixed and smooth. Stir in sugar. Set aside to cool for a few minutes before mixing in the eggs and vanilla.
- In a medium bowl, stir together flour, cocoa, and salt. Fold the dry ingredients into chocolate mixture just until combined. Set aside.
Make snickerdoodle dough
- Beat together the butter and sugar until they are fluffy; in a stand mixer, this will be at about 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl a few times. Add the egg and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, stir together flour, cream of tartar, salt, cinnamon, and baking powder. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into butter mixture. Dough will be quite thick.
Assemble the cake
- Spoon large dollops (about 3 tablespoons each) of brownie batter into bottom of the prepared pan, leaving space between each lump. Crumble dollops of snickerdoodle dough in between brownie batter. Top with any more scoops of brownie batter and snickerdoodle dough. Gently use fingers to even out top.
- Bake until the middle passes the toothpick test, 33 to 40 minutes.
Make topping
- Stir together cinnamon and sugar. As soon as the cake is removed from the oven, sprinkle the mixture across the top.
- Let cool at least 15 minutes before cutting in. Cake can be served warm or at room temperature. It can also be frozen in slices and thawed for later enjoyment.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Potato Rolls
These Potato Rolls are perfect for a hearty sandwich with a wet filling like BBQ sauce.
The ‘potato’ here is potato flour, a not-so-secret ingredient to create soft bread with a tender crumb. It handles moisture in a different way than standard wheat flours.
It’s not the kind of thing carried by a standard grocery store, but the internet comes to the rescue! I use the kind sold by King Arthur Flour (an all-around fantastic purveyor of bready goods), but it is also sold by Bob’s Red Mill and (of course) Amazon. Check your local natural goods store, too.
Nonfat dry milk powder IS sold by many grocery stores, but I like the results of King Arthur Flour’s version best.
I’ve made these rolls several times and I find they didn’t double for me during the rise stages, but did they puff, and at the end the crumb showed a good texture inside.
I found that dividing by 8 made for good-sized sandwich rolls, but you can make these as big or small as you want, and any shape, too.
Modified from Food & Wine Magazine June 2020.
Bready or Not: Potato Rolls
Equipment
- parchment paper
- food scale
- basting brush
Ingredients
- 2 2/3 cups bread flour
- 1/3 cup potato flour available from King Arthur Flour and Bob's Red Mill
- 1/3 cup nonfat dry milk powder
- 2 1/2 Tablespoons white sugar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 1/4 oz active dry yeast or one store-bought envelope
- 1 cup warm water 100 to 110-degrees
- 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter divided
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the warm water and 4 Tablespoons of melted butter. Add the bread flour, potato flour, milk powder, sugar, salt and yeast, and mix using the dough hook. Beat until the dough is cohesive, about 3 minutes.
- Increase the mixer’s speed and beat for another 6 minutes to make it smooth and elastic. Dough might be sticky. Grease another large bowl and dump the dough in there. Cover with plastic wrap or a towel and let it rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Place parchment paper on a large baking sheet. Use the food scale to weigh the dough. To make rolls of a good sandwich size, divide the total by eight; if smaller rolls are desired, go smaller. Pull off pieces of dough and shape into rounds. To smooth the surface, keep a saucer with water in it nearby, and use moistened fingers to smooth the dough. Set rounds spaced out on parchment. Loosely cover rolls with plastic wrap or a towel and let rise until they are puffy, about 35 to 45 minutes.
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Remove plastic wrap or towel. For sandwich-sized rolls, bake for 15 to 19 minutes, until the outside is nicely browned. Dip the basting brush into the remaining tablespoon of butter, and paint butter atop each roll to make glossy.
- Let rolls cool at least 15 minutes before cutting in. Rolls will keep for at least 2 days in a sealed bag at room temperature. They can also be frozen and thawed for later consumption.
