Thursday Things – A Mini Wee!

Posted on September 28, 2017 by wee eats

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For those of you who have noticed that it’s been a little quieter around here lately, let me introduce you to the reason why… Mr. Eat’s and I have baked up something super special – our very own Mini Wee! So it’s been a little crazy around here these past nine months, between all the fun pregnancy symptoms (hello nausea and migraines), preparing the house for her arrival, and now our new little smoosh’s debut, there hasn’t been a ton of time for recipe making.

muddy buddy krispy treats

Posted on September 1, 2017 by wee eats

Let’s all close our eyes for a moment and return to our childhood, shall we? Where we enjoyed easy-to-make desserts like rice krispy treats and muddy buddies.

Now imagine, if you will, that these two famous treats come together to form one mega-delicious ultra-dessert that is just as easy to make as either of the two on their own but so much greater than the sum of its parts.

This, my friends, is what we have here. Two childhood favorites – Muddy Buddies and Rice Krispy Treats – combined into one amazingly delicious, just-as-easy-to-make dessert.

You’re welcome.

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Momofuku Bagel Bombs

Posted on August 1, 2017 by wee eats

I have a confession to make, I’m a little bit in love with those little Bantam Bagel bites at Starbucks. I would probably eat them every day if I could.

These bagel bombs are not the Bantam Bagel bites, but they certainly suffice in a pinch, and they were a huge hit at Christmas brunch last year. They’re not as soft as the Starbucks version, they’ve got a bit more heft and chew to them which I think makes them more bagel-y. I tried boiling a batch of them like you would with a regular bagel recipe, but I was surprised to see it really didn’t make much of a difference. So I say skip the boil, it’s not worth it (and wasn’t part of the original recipe anyway). They also don’t brown very much, which can be a bit confusing when trying to judge doneness, so don’t be afraid if they still look a bit pale when you pull them out of the oven.

Made as written, this recipe will make a slider-size bagel bomb. I like to make smaller ones so I cut the dough into twice as many pieces so I can have more bite-sized bombs. This can, however, make filling them a bit more difficult. Just be careful not to over-fill them so that as much filling stays inside the bomb as possible. As for the ‘everything’ bagel topping, you should probably make double because you’re going to want to sprinkle that stuff on everything.

I made the Momofuku savory version, then a sweet version as well. The filling for the sweet version was tough to nail. I wanted it to be maple-flavored but as you can imagine, adding a bunch of maple syrup to cream cheese makes it a bit…. runny. In the end I settled on just a tiny bit of maple and threw in some cinnamon and brown sugar for good measure, with an extra sprinkle of cinnamon sugar on top.

Momofuku Bagel Bombs

For the bombs

½ recipe Mother Dough, proofed*
1 recipe cream cheese plugs, frozen (below)
1 egg
1 teaspoon water
1 recipe Everything Bagel Mix or cinnamon sugar (below)

Making the Bombs

Make desired cream cheese filling (below) and freeze until firm, at least four hours or up to one month.
Make mother dough (below, takes about 1 hour).
Make your egg wash by mixing the egg and water together until well-combined.
Preheat the oven to 325°F and line a baking sheet with parchment. *If you’re feeling brave, pop up the oven to 350, they never get as brown as I’d like at 325 but I don’t remember until it’s too late. Keep in mind you may bake them a bit shorter if you use a higher temperature.
Gently punch down the dough and turn out and divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. **Alternatively, you can divide the dough into 12 to 16 pieces, about 1.5 to 2 ounces each) They get pretty thin when you do the 1.5 ounce version, though.
Use your fingers to gently stretch each piece of dough out into a mini pizza between 2 to 3 inches wide.
Put a cream cheese plug in the center of each dough circle. **If using the log method, just cut the log into 1/2 to 1 inch pieces depending on how big of bombs you are making.
Bring up the edges of each round and pinch to seal so that the cream cheese plug is completely contained (I mean, it’ll probably leak out anyway, but at least you can say you tried your best).
Once pinched, gently roll the ball between the palms of your hands to make it into a round shape.
Arrange the bombs on your prepared baking sheet, leaving a few inches in between each one (they will grow).
Brush each bomb generously with the egg wash and sprinkle with a generous coating of everything bagel mix all over the savory bagel bombs. If doing sweet, cover with a generous sprinkle of cinnamon sugar.
Bake the bagel bombs for 20 to 30 minutes. They will probably leak a little bit but don’t worry, no one will know. Enjoy warm or allow to cool completely and store at room temperature for one day, in the fridge for a couple days, or wrap individually with foil and put into a large ziploc bag, freeze for up to a month.
Reheat by zapping for a few seconds in the microwave or, even better, in an oven or toaster oven. From room temp or fridge, just about 3 to 5 minutes at 375 will do it, from frozen reheat while still wrapped in foil, I put them in the oven while it’s preheating and then check them about 3 to 5 minutes after it comes to temperature.

For the Mother Dough (Full recipe)

3½ cups (550g) flour
1 tablespoon (12g) kosher salt
½ packet or (1 generous teaspoon / 3.5g) active dry yeast
1¾ cups water, at room temperature
grapeseed (or other neutral) oil

Make the Mother Dough

*The book calls for a half recipe of the mother dough, this will make 8 large or 12-16 small bombs. Math can be hard so if you want to make the full recipe of dough, there’s nothing wrong with having extra bombs on hand (your future self will thank you). Alternatively, you can wrap half tightly in plastic wrap and drop it into a freezer bag and stash it in the freezer for a couple weeks. When ready to use, thaw overnight in the fridge then set on the counter (1 to 2 hours) to come to room temp.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together the flour, salt, and yeast until combined.
Using a silicone spatula, add the water and stir, mixing until the mixture has come together into a shaggy mass.
Using the dough hook attachment, mix the dough on the lowest speed for 3 minutes, or until the dough forms a smooth ball. Continue kneading for another 4 or 5 minutes on the lowest speed. The dough should look like a wet ball and should bounce back when gently poked.
Brush a large bowl with oil and add the dough, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let the proof at room temperature for 45 minutes. (If you want to hit the “pause” button, throw the bowl in the fridge overnight. Be sure to take it out about an hour or two ahead of time when you’re ready to continue the next day).

Bacon, Scallion, Cream Cheese Plugs

4 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled or finely chopped
8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
2 scallions (greens only), thinly sliced
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
½ teaspoon kosher salt

Line a quarter sheet pan with plastic wrap and set aside.
Put the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until it is soft and creamy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and add the chopped bacon, scallions, sugar, and salt and paddle briefly to incorporate.
Scoop the cream cheese mixture onto prepared pan in 8 even lump. Freeze until rock hard, 1 to 3 hours. Alternatively, you can scrape it out onto the plastic wrap then use the plastic wrap to roll it into a log about 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick (depending on if you plan to make larger or smaller bombs)
*Once the plugs are frozen solid, they are ready to be used, or they can be stored in an ziploc bag in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Maple Cinnamon Cream Cheese Plugs

8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 tablespoon maple syrup
2 tablespoons brown sugar (dark brown is best)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Powdered sugar, if needed

Put the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until it is soft and creamy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and add the maple, brown sugar, and cinnamon. If it looks too runny, throw in a teaspoon or two of powdered sugar to thicken it up. Taste and adjust as needed to your preference, I make mine a little less sweet (since the bombs will be dusted with cinnamon sugar) but you could use more or less brown sugar to your preference.
Scoop the cream cheese mixture onto prepared pan in 8 even lump. Freeze until rock hard, 1 to 3 hours. Alternatively, you can scrape it out onto the plastic wrap then use the plastic wrap to roll it into a log about 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick (depending on if you plan to make larger or smaller bombs)
*Once the plugs are frozen solid, they are ready to be used, or they can be stored in an ziploc bag in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Everything Bagel Mix

¾ teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon white sesame seeds
2 teaspoons black sesame seeds
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
1 tablespoon dried onions
½ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon garlic powder

Mix together the salt, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dried onions, onion powder, and garlic powder in an airtight container. The mix keeps forever in the pantry, but it is best used within 6 months.
Note: You can now buy pre-mixed everything bagel mix at your local Trader Joes 🙂 Amazon also it (for a higher price tag) as well as a few options if you don’t feel like buying 6 different jars of spices.

Cinnamon Sugar Sprinkle

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Stir together ingredients until thoroughly combined.

Notes

If you do not plan to use your mother dough the day you make it, you can store it in an airtight container at least twice its size (or in its bowl, covered securely with plastic wrap) in the fridge for up to 3 days. Take it out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature 30 to 45 minutes before using.
If you’re making both fillings, split each recipe in half and fill half of the bombs with the savory cream cheese and the other half with the sweet cream cheese.
Reheat by zapping for a few seconds in the microwave or, even better, in an oven or toaster oven. From room temp or fridge, just about 3 to 5 minutes at 375 will do it, from frozen reheat while still wrapped in foil, I put them in the oven while it’s preheating and then check them about 3 to 5 minutes after it comes to temperature.

babka rolls

Posted on July 1, 2017 by wee eats

Babka has been on my to-do list for a long time now. So when King Arthur Flour featured their babka recipe as their Bakealong Challenge back in April, I Jumped on the opportunity to finally make my own.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with babka, it’s like cinnamon swirl bread but on crack. Often filled with chocolate or cinnamon and nuts, then topped with a sweet, crunchy streusel topping – this stuff is irresistible.

Though it looks very intimidating, having finally made it I can honestly say it’s not nearly as scary or daunting as I thought it would be. It’s a lot like making cinnamon rolls except you don’t have to cut the log into individual pieces, although once I made these all I wanted to do was turn them into rolls… which is why my April post turned into a July post (oops?).

However you decide to shape it, your babka will start with a simple sweet yeast dough. Once properly kneaded, you let it rise, shape it, let it rise again, then bake it off in the oven.

I know what you’re thinking… You’re looking at all those twisties and and saying to yourself that clearly this is some kind of trick. It must be harder than expected because just LOOK at how beautiful these babies are. I assure you, it’s no trick. Though time consuming (as all yeast breads are), these are not actually “difficult”. I made these three ways so you can choose your favorite and run with it.

The original recipe provided by King Arthur Flour gave enough for two loaves, so I’ve halved the recipe assuming you will only want to make one loaf (or 12 rolls). If you want to make two loaves (or two batches of rolls), feel free to double the recipe and divide it into two pieces after its first rise to work one loaf at a time. I did NOT halve the filling or the topping, you will use all the filling in the rolls and you’ll have leftover topping but that stuff is good on everything so feel free to stash it in your fridge or freezer for the next time you want to jazz something up with a bit of streusel on top.

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thursday things

Posted on April 13, 2017 by wee eats

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It’s Thursday and you know what that means – time for Thursday Things!

I found these “Reese’s Crunchers” at CVS and they are amazing. It’s sort of like a ‘no bake cookie’ with crispies in it. It’s amazing. You must find them.

If you have the slightest bit of OCD, this cake cutting video will surely put you over the edge.

Amazon Prime has added a “Surprise Sweets” button to their line of Dash buttons, which order products on demand at the press of a button. For $18 you’ll receive a specially-curated box of sweets to enjoy!

New York’s favorite Big Gay Ice Cream will soon be available at stores nation-wide! Sadly, their crazy soft-serve concoctions aren’t an option.

Does picking out your eggs at the grocery store seem more than complicated? Learn what all the gibberish on those labels really means.

In the latest “everything you do is killing you” news, apparently we are poisoning ourselves with rice.

A new Reese’s flavor is coming next month and it combines my two loves in life: Reese’s & Oreos – it’s like a dream come true!

With Easter on the way, this post couldn’t possibly be complete without an Easter Brunch round up!

Savory, eggy, and cakey all at once – Ottolenghi’s Cauliflower Cake would be great as an appetizer, side, or main dish

Or hop on the bandwagon with some super trendy avocado toast

Sleep in and make this overnight cinnamon roll casserole

No brunch is complete at our house without good old-fahsioned Monkey Bread

Or go savory with a fancy-pants crustless quiche

Or maybe keep it a little lighter with some coconut almond cluster granola

Once I found out how to heat ham in the slow cooker I didn’t know how I ever managed to live any other way. Make your own glaze or pick up a HoneyBaked – either way the crockpot is the way to go!