ice cream has become my old stand-by in the kitchen. it has never failed me and being homemade, is always impressive yet simple. for me, ice cream is a classic.

i have many dependable go-to’s when i can’t decide what i want… red nail polish when i want to feel pretty everyday, my green and gold BCBG dress for when i want pretty to be special and jeans with converse and a hoodie when i don’t. rocky votolato when i can’t stand to hear anything else and vanilla iced coffee when the choices are too overwhelming. this ice cream is a nod to all of those comforts.

vanilla bean ice cream with espresso
this is only lightly flavored with espresso, add more if you like. i also used instant espresso powder, which i don’t drink but i think is fine here.

4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups half and half
1 vanilla bean split and seeded
1 tsp instant espresso powder

heat half and half in a medium saucepan with vanilla bean and seeds until just before boiling. turn off heat and cover, allowing vanilla to steep for about 15 minutes. whisk egg yolks and sugar until pale and thick. stir expresso powder into half and half and reheat if needed. slowly add hot half and half to egg yolks to temper. strain through a fine mesh sieve (discard or rinse and save vanilla bean pod) back into saucepan and heat over low, stirring constantly until the custard thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon and does not run when a finger is run across it. pour into a heat proof container and cool completely before churning according to manufacturers instructions.

i’ve had a lot of disappointments in the kitchen these days. the carbomb cupcakes, exploding yeast waffle batter that coated me and the refrigerator door, a lost cause vanilla butter cake… no big disasters, just nothing i can really be proud of, which is (so, so so!) frustrating. i have been thinking about this months shf , expertly picked by fanny at foodbeam, since it was announced, so to pull me out of my sad mood i decided it was time to tackle the cupcake before it was too late.

i love, love autumn and all of the flavors, smells, and holidays that come with it. so in my exictement of the new season i wanted to make something warm and scented with spices and vanilla. i decided on a coffee cake cupcake, cream cheese buttercream, with almond streusel sprinkles. the scent of them baking was delicious and the crumb was tender and moist. i was wary of the results in wake of my most recent experiences in the kitchen. i am pretty sure i let out a literal sigh of relief when i was through.

i brought almost all of the cupcakes to work (baked goods in my home=danger) and they were gone by the time i took my break. which was relieving since i didn’t have to take any back home and since i can assume that they were well received.

almond streusel

1 cup almonds
1/4 flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar
5 tbsp butter cut into pieces

preheat oven to 375 F.

pulse almonds in food processor until coarsely chopped. add other ingredients and pulse until almonds are ground and the mixture looks like coarse sand. turn out onto a baking sheet in a thin layer and bake for about 10 minutes, making sure the almonds do not burn.

vanilla and spice cupcake
adapted from use real butter. the cake calls for sour cream, but i used cottage cheese, since that is what i had, and a bit of light oil since it is so dry here. you could probably also use plain yogurt.

1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 vanilla bean seeded (optional)
1 cup sugar
1 cup cottage cheese
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp each cardamom and nutmeg

preheat oven to 350 F.

cream together butter and sugar until fluffy and pale. add eggs and vanilla (both types) mix until just incorporated. mix in cottage cheese. whisk together flour, soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom in a seperate bowl. add to wet ingredients and beat just to combine. i like to fold in the last bit of dry mixture with a spatula to ensure tenderness. divide batter into cupcake molds and bake 15-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

cream cheese buttercream
adapted from sky high: irresistable triple-layer cakes by alice huntsman and peter wynnet
this buttercream is so, so good. the best of both cream cheese and buttercream frostings, but it does take a few steps…so be aware.

12 oz. slightly chilled cream cheese
1 stick plus 6 tbsp butter, room temp
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp amaretto liquer or 1 tsp almond extract
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
3 egg whites

place cream cheese in a mixer bowl and beat on medium until fluffy and smooth, add butter a few tablespoons at a time, mixing until smooth. add powdered sugar and amaretto and mix until fluffy. set aside at room temp and prepare buttercream.

combine sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil to make a syrup. once sugar is dissolved cook, without stirring, until it reaches soft-ball stage, 238 F on a candy thermometer.

put eggs in clean mixer bowl. when syrup is ready turn mixer on to medium-low and begin mixing egg whites. slowly add syrup to mixing whites, careful not to splash hot syrup. when all of the syrup is incorporated turn up speed and beat until mixture has cooled to body temp and a stiff meringue forms.

with mixer on low begin adding cream cheese and butter mixture by the spoonful. when everything is incorporated raise speed and mix until frosting is smooth and fluffy.

i only have one decent picture of this cake because we ate it all. it didn’t stand a chance. i intended to make this into a small cake and a few cupcakes for shf, but the cupcakes were very stubbornly stuck to the pan. i scrapped that idea after trying to salvage the cupcake remnants and just went with the 6 inch round layer cake. i found the recipe for the guinness chocolate cake over at smitten kitchen. the frosting was a irish cream swiss buttercream (also at sk) and the filling a whiskey caramel. the flavors were supposed to mimic a carbomb. the caramel ended up soaking into the layers…which ended up making the cake very moist and ultra decadent. it was the perfect end to a simple meal shared with friends.

whiskey caramel sauce
adapted from simplyrecipes

1 cup sugar
6 tbsp butter cut into pieces
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp whiskey
pinch sea salt

heat sugar in a large, heavy bottomed saucepan until liquid–swirling or stirring–and dark amber in color. whisk in butter completely and remove from heat. add heavy cream and whisk, it will bubble (a lot), stir in whiskey and salt. allow to cool a few minutes before pouring into a heatproof container and cool completely.

some might say that these are their perfect cookie. well, my friend miss brooke did say that. she loves oatmeal, but not spice and chocolate, but not chips. the rest was fair game. these cookies are made with cocoa, oatmeal, toffee bits and walnuts. they are pleasently chewy, yet crisp on the edges with crunchy little bits throughout. perfect for a lunch bag. i don’t like oatmeal raisin cookies only because i have a (some say unfair) bias toward raisins. i just am not a fan, but i do love oatmeal in my cookies so i thought i would come up with my own version. i brought half of the batch to work and they were gone by noon. i don’t even arrive until 10. i think people just really like cookies.

next time i am going to try to up the cocoa, use whole wheat flour and swap the walnuts for hazelnuts. i really liked my first attempt at this cookie and i am thinking it is a nice varietal of the oatmeal cookie classic.

cocoa oatmeal cookies with toffee and walnuts
this recipe is adapted from an oatmeal raisin cookie from martha stewart. i switched out and added a few ingredients. i also pulsed the oatmeal in the food processor for a bit so that some of it was finely ground and there were still some larger pieces.

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (pulsed in food processor or not)
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup toffee bits
1 cup chopped walnuts

preheat oven to 350 F.

whisk together oatmeal, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. in the bowl of stand mixer cream butter and sugars until pale and fluffy (5 mins) and add eggs and vanilla until just combined. add oat mixture and mix until just combined. stir in walnuts and toffee.

scoop onto a parchement lined baking sheet. bake, time will vary depending on size. i used a cookie scoop and baked for 12 minutes. martha’s recipe calls for an ice cream scoop (1 1/2 inches) and bake time of 14 minutes. let cookies cool on sheet for five minutes and transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

i am not much for pancakes. i find that often they fall apart into a soggy mess that is less than appetizing. sean however is a pancake fiend. sometimes he wants to make them for us, but i would rather just have my morning coffee than choke down the syrup-soaked disks. often this is discouraging for him and he usually mopes at the table with his cereal. so, i set out to find a pancake we could agree on, thus uniting us in weekend breakfast contentment. i have seen many recipes for ricotta pancakes and figured they might be something i would like. i mean, cheese in the batter? yes please. the egg whites are whipped and folded into the batter, this step might seem annoying and unnecessary, but trust me it is well worth it. these pancakes are perfectly light, they don’t fall apart when topped with syrup…or the amaretto peaches i made…and most importantly they were a pancake sean and i could agree on.

amaretto peaches

3 ripe peaches
1/4 cup amaretto liqueur
3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice

put all ingredients into a medium saucepan and cook over med-low heat–allowing peaches to release their juices and create a syrup. simmer until desired thickness is reached.

ricotta pancakes
makes about 12 small pancakes
adapted from this recipe over at smitten kitchen. i didn’t have lemon zest and i added some half and half since i had it and wanted a slightly looser batter.

4 large eggs, separated
2 tbsp half and half
1 1/3 cups ricotta
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Melted butter for brushing the griddle

preheat oven to 200 F.

separate eggs, setting aside whites. whisk together yolks, half and half, ricotta, and sugar until well combined. stir in flour until just combined. whip egg whites with mixer (or by hand if you are feeling ambitious) with salt until stiff, but not dry, peaks are formed. fold whites into batter until just combined. heat a nonstick skillet brushed with melted butter over medium heat (too high and that butter will burn!). pour batter by desired measurements (i do about a 1/4 cup, i like small pancakes) and cook on one side until bubble form and flip–cooking an additional minute. keep pancakes warm in oven until ready to serve.

i’ve been a little indulgent with my posts lately, so i thought i’d try something simpler and possibly (not really) healthier. i am not the biggest granola fan. all i really want are the nuts, so i usually just stick with that instead. sean however loves his granola. i needed to find a happy medium. so…i decided to go with peanut butter and jelly granola with some peanuts for added crunchiness and goodness. i love pb&j. it is one of my favorite things in the whole world. so ultimately comforting and perfect on toast for breakfast.

this granola was super easy to make. the texture is both crunchy and a little bit chewy. although you can’t really see the jelly (or jam in this case) the flavor is there. i have been taking little bags of this to work to snack on throughout the day and it is perfect by the handful or on yogurt.

pb&j granola
i used regular (not natural) peanut butter and raspberry jam. i borrowed this recipe as my starting point.

1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup jam or jelly
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 cups oatmeal (not instant)
1 cup dry roasted peanuts

heat oven to 300 F.

heat peanut butter, jam, and brown sugar in a saucepan until everything is combined and sugar is disolved. put oatmeal and peanuts into a large bowl and add pb&j mixture. stir to combine. turn out onto a parchement lined baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15-20 minutes. allow to cool and break up into pieces.

i want to call this mexican hot chocolate pudding, but i don’t know that it is very authentic in any way. the flavors (sans cayenne) are reminiscent of the hot chocolate my spanish teacher in high school used to make for us. the chocolate is darker and the cinnamon more prominent…and well, there’s the cayenne. it adds a really nice heat in the back of the throat. so, so good. last year for sean’s birthday i bought his cake from the baker (whose name i forgot! sorry…) at se7en and sup. it had a chai-chocolate cake base, chocolate mousse, ganache, and somewhere in there quite a bit of heat. i close my eyes and dream of that cake. seriously.

back to the pudding. growing up we did not eat pudding. in large part because my mom is not the biggest fan of pudding (or cheese or beans, wtf?!) and another being that i thought the texture was weird. sometimes during the holidays my grandma would make chocolate pie with homemade chocolate pudding…my brothers favorite. recently sean told me he doesn’t love pudding either. well, when sean says he doesn’t like a certain food, i ususally try to prove him wrong. i do this for a few reasons, but number one being that usually if i make it he loves it. part ego boost, part i-told-you-so. this pudding is the pudding of my dreams. as homey and comforting as pudding may seem, this is lusicous and decadent. a beautiful pudding fit for any occasion. i dressed it up by layering it (snack pack style) with some unsweetened whipped cream in shot glasses and i sprinkled some hazelnut streusel over the top. it was so good that i am sad there is none left. this pudding has opened my eyes to pudding possibilities that i could have never imagined.

chocolate hazelnut streusel

1/2 cup hazelnuts
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate, chopped or chips
1 tbsp cocoa powder, unsweetened
1/4 cup flour
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
5 tbsp butter

heat oven to 350 F.

pulse hazelnuts in food processor for a few seconds to break up. add all ingredients except for butter and pulse to combine. add butter, pulsing, until the texture of coarse sand is reached. turn out mixture onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes. cool completely and break up with a fork.

(mexican) chocolate pudding
adapted from Baking: from my home to yours…by dorie greenspan

2 1/4 cups whole milk
1 vanilla bean, scraped
6 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg and 2 large yolks
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and still warm
2 tbsp unsalted butter cut into pieces, at room temp

have six ramekins ready (or a mixture of vessels) for finished pudding.

bring 2 cups of milk and scraped vanilla to a boil with 3 tablespoons of sugar in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan.

whisk together cocoa, cornstarch , cayenne, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. set aside. in a food processor put remaining sugar, egg and yolks and blend for 1 minute. scrape down sides and add remaining 1/4 cup milk–blend–and then add dry ingredients and blend to combine. with the machine running very slowly add heated milk and process to combine for a few seconds. pour everything back into the sauce pan and heat, stirring constantly over medium heat until the pudding thickens and a few bubble appear–do not boil! Scrape everything back into food processor and add butter and melted chocolate and pulse to combine. pour into dishes and chill.