Homemade Honey Graham Crackers

My little guy absolutely loves graham crackers. So, thank goodness I learned how to make them in culinary school this past year and now I'll NEVER buy them again. It's just too easy to make them and they are just too delicious! Seriously. Once you try these you will never go back. Now all I need is to whip up some homemade marshmallows and make the most divine homemade S'mores of all time! :)

FYI... you'll definitely need a kitchen scale for this recipe. Weighing your ingredients is definitely the best way to get accurate and consistent results when baking.

Recipe:

9.6 oz all purpose flour

2.1 oz pastry flour

1/2 t. (.1 oz) baking soda

1/2 t. (.1 oz) cinnamon

1/8 t. salt

8 oz unsalted butter, softened

2.4 oz granulated sugar

2.1 oz brown sugar

1.2 oz honey

2 t. vanilla extract

-Sift the flours, soda, cinnamon and salt together and set aside.

-Cream the butter, sugars, honey and vanilla together on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes or until fluffy. 

-Add the dry ingredients on low speed and mix just until combined. Do not mix after combined or you will develop the gluten too much and the crackers will end up being tough.

-Separate the dough in half. Roll each half between two pieces of parchment paper or Silpats into a rectangle the size of your cookie sheets and chill until firm.

-Bake at 350ºF for 10 to 12 minutes, remove from the oven and cut into squares. Return to oven and bake until golden brown.

-Let cool on pans and store crackers in airtight ziploc or container.

Layered Strawberry Shortcake

I've always been a sucker for strawberry shortcake. Who doesn't love the stuff? Honestly. It's just classic and delicious. And there's something about having berries in dessert that makes me feel a little less guilty. 

This recipe is adapted from a classic shortcake recipe. I modified it in order to make rounds instead of a square pan (rounds display more beautifully)and in order to produce thinner layers so you won't have to worry about trimming and cutting the layers. This recipe is perfect for that summer picnic you forgot about and need a quick, easy dessert for. Enjoy!

Recipe:

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 cup milk (2% or whole works best... none of that fat free stuff. :))

Sweetened whipped cream

Strawberries

Grease 2- 8in. round pans. Preheat oven to 350ºF.

In medium bowl cream sugar and butter. Add egg and vanilla and beat well. Combine dry ingredients separately (always sift dry ingredients as well).  Add dry ingredients alternately with milk beginning and ending with dry. 

Spread batter into rounds.  Bake for 12-15 minutes or until toothpick comes out of center clean. Cool in pans for a few minutes. Finish cooling on cooling rack.

When rounds are completely cooled assemble cake. Place one layer on serving plate. Spread half whipped cream over layer. Sprinkle strawberry pieces over cream. Place second cake layer on top. Spread the rest of the whipped cream onto the top. Sprinkle the rest of the strawberry pieces on the top. If you have lots of time you can get creative and make cool designs with the strawberries. 

Keep cake in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve. 

Homemade Vanilla Extract

Buying good quality vanilla extract can be outrageously expensive. Every time I walk through the baking aisle of the grocery store I stop at the vanilla shelf in hopes of finding some on sale. Do they ever put it on sale?! Looking down at my already full cart and knowing I'm probably over budget forces me to grab that cheap little bottle of imitation vanilla. No. Thank. You. So, while I was in Costa Rica I bought some incredibly vibrant smelling vanilla beans so that I could make homemade vanilla extract which is not only EASY... but it also cuts the cost down majorly. 

Recipe:

5 vanilla beans (at least 6 inches in length)

1 bottle good quality vodka*

With a sharp knife split the beans open from the top and leave about 1/2 inch together at the bottom. Place split beans in bottle (I used a 1 liter bottle) and pour vodka over beans to fill the bottle. Place bottle in cool, dark place. Let sit for at least 8 weeks. Every week give the bottle a good shake. 

Whenever you use some vanilla you can replace what you used with more vodka. 

*Don't go too cheap when buying the vodka. It will taste too much like alcohol. The higher the quality of vodka the smoother and better it will turn out. I went with a middle-ground quality since I didn't want to spend too much.

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Tart

I have a little obsession with dark chocolate. If you love dark chocolate then you will die over this divine dark chocolate tart with a creamy ganache filled center and topped with plump raspberries and powdered sugar. It is not only heavenly to your taste buds but also very fun to put together and an aesthetically pleasing finished product sure to "wow" your friends!

Recipe:

Crust-

1/2 cup softened butter (unsalted)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 egg yolk

1 cup all purpose flour

3 T. dark cocoa powder

Filling-

1/2 cup raspberry jam (preferably home made)

1 cup any type of chocolate chips (I used dark)

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

6 oz. fresh raspberries

confectioners sugar for sprinkling

Beat butter and sugar on medium speed for 3 minutes (until fluffy) pausing every 30 seconds to scrape sides of bowl. Add egg yolk. Beat well also scraping sides to make sure egg is completely mixed in. Add flour and cocoa. Mix by hand just until incorporated. Do not over mix or the gluten in the flour will develop too much and your crust will be tough.

Press mixture into a 9 in. tart pan. Trim top edge to make a perfectly shaped tart. Chill for 30 minutes. 

Bake at 350º F for 12 minutes. Use the back of a spoon to press dough back down in the tart pan. Bake for an additional 8-10 minutes until crust is baked all the way through. Cool on cooling rack.

Remove frame of tart pan and place cooled tart on serving plate. Spread jam all over the inside of the tart. 

Heat cream in heavy saucepan until it begins to boil. Remove from heat, add chocolate and whisk until smooth. Pour over jam and chill until firm- about 1 hour. 

Arrange raspberries on top of the tart. Just before serving dust with confectioners sugar.