Key Lime Meltaways

It's (basically) summertime, so I thought I'd share with you some of the things that remind me of summer. 

Summer reminds me of:

• Running through the sprinkler on a hot afternoon
• Humidity levels of over 100%
• Summer league swim meets and having a mean one-piece swimsuit tan line
• Swimming at my friend's house between morning and afternoon swim practice (and getting an even meaner swimsuit tan line)
• Staying up late with my mom in her bed and laying under her cold sheets
• Catching fireflies in a mason jar
• Living off of these
• Spending memorial day at the lake
• Reading myself into an afternoon nap on our porch
• Watching our small town's 4th of July firework show
• And especially key lime pie.

Having a mom who is from Miami means one very important thing: she knows how to make a darn good key lime pie. It might have been the first dessert I learned to bake. It's a family tradition, and I can't tell you how many times I've eaten it. The strong, citrusy flavor from the key limes packs a punch that is unforgettable.

Key lime pie also happens to be in my top 5 favorite desserts. So I thought I would like these key lime cookies. I did.   

These are buttery, sweet, and full of key lime flavor. Oh and they are also covered in powdered sugar..yum. Make not only these cookies this summer, but also make sweet memories of your own that will remind you of why we all love summertime.

Key Lime Meltaways: 

From: Smitten Kitchen 

Ingredients:

- 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- Grated zest of 4 tiny or 2 large key limes
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour (a.k.a. 2 cups  minus 2 tablespoons)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Add butter and 1/3 cup of the sugar to stand mixer with paddle attachemnt and cream. Add zest, juice, and vanilla and beat until fluffy

2. Mix flour, salt, and cornstarch together. Add to butter mixture and beat on low speed. 

3. In plastic wrap, roll dough into two 1 1/4-inch-diameter logs. Chill at least 1 hour.

4. Heat oven to 350 F. Slice dough into 1/4-inch thick logs. And place on baking sheet.

5. Bake until barley golden, about 15 minutes. Let cookies cool slightly on wire cooling rack and then toss in powdered sugar while they are still warm. 

6. Eat.

Spring Has Sprung!

Dark Chocolate Espresso Cake

Seems like spring always brings big change. 

Last spring we made this Lemon Poppy Seed Cake and met this angel for the first time. 

This spring, we made this Dark Chocolate Espresso Cake and that angel is our favorite kitchen helper!

    

But seriously y'all, this cake.

Cake Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cup hot, dark coffee
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups full fat, sour cream
• 1 cup + 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil

Icing Ingredients:

• 200 grams dark chocolate*
• 1 1/3 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tsbp espresso
• 1/2 tsp vanilla powder

*The best quality chocolate you can find! I used 100 grams unsweetened and 100 grams bittersweet.

Cake Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 3 x 6-inch or 3 x 8-inch cake pans.
2. Whisk the coffee and cocoa powder in a mixing bowl until no lumps remain. Set aside. 
3. In another bowl, sift together the dry ingredients (flour, salt and baking soda)
4. In electric mixer, beat the sugar and eggs together until smooth and pale yellow in color (I use level 6 on my Kitchen Aide for a good 6 minutes). Stir in the sour cream, followed by the coconut oil. Add the flour mixture all at once and stir until combined. Stir in the cocoa mixture and mix until smooth.
5. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25-35 minutes. 
6. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes - This is vital unless you want the bottoms to stick! Then remove and place on a wire rack to cool.

Icing Directions:

1. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler then remove from heat and let cool.
2. Whip butter until light and fluffy (Again,I use level 6 on my Kitchen Aide but this time for a7 or 8 minutes).
3. Gradually add sifted powdered sugar and cocoa powder until smooth.
4. Add the melted chocolate and whip until incorporated. 
5. Add espresso and vanilla and mix until the icing is smooth and super fluffy.

Assembly:

1. Take a spoonful of icing and put it centered on your cake plate. 
2. While cake is barely warm, place the first cake down and make sure it is firmly placed on the plate. Ice the top and sides. Followed by remaining cakes and ice the full cake with a thin layer of frosting.
3. Refrigerate until icing is set.
4. Remove cake from fridge and use remaining icing to frost the whole cake smoothly.
5. Refrigerate until icing is set.
6. Eat chilled!

It's That Time of Year

It's that time of year when the world falls in love... And so do the Reynolds family with a new favorite Christmas cookie. Christmas time is all about making some tried and true family recipes, but why not try something new this Christmas. We're glad we ventured out with this classic Rugelach recipe. Rugelach is a traditional holiday treat made with a buttery, flakey crust and filled with a sweet pecan-walnut filling. They were a big hit with the Reynolds boys especially. Simply make the dough, add the filling, and roll 'em up to create a Christmas present that your tongue will be thrilled to open up. 

Make these a new Christmas tradition. We have. 

Nut-Filled Rugelach

Dough:
2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 package (8 ounces) cold cream cheese, cubed
2 sticks (1 cup) cold unsalted butter, cubed
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg yolk
1 batch filling (see ideas below)
Powdered sugar

Nut Filling:
2 cups walnuts and/or pecans (any combination)
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cu honey
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tspn vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Combine the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse several times to mix.

2. Scatter the cubes of cream cheese and butter over the flour. Pulse 10 to 12 times until coarse crumbs form.

3. Whisk together the vanilla and yolk in a bowl, and the pour them over the butter-flour mixture. Run the processor continuously until the dough starts to clump together and form large curdlike pieces.

4. Turn the dough out onto the counter and gather the pieces into a ball. Divide into four portions and flatten each into 1-inch thick disks.

5. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate the dough at least 2 hours or up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months (thaw in the refrigerator before using).

6. When you are ready to bake the rugelach, preheat oven to 375 degrees and prepare filling (below)

7. Sprinkle your work surface generously with powdered sugar. Take one disk of dough from the refrigerator and let it warm on the counter for 1-2 minutes. Sprinkle the surface of the dough and the rolling pin with more powdered sugar. Roll the dough from the center out into a circle about 1/8-inch thick. Don't worry if a few cracks form near the edges. Use more powdered sugar as needed to prevent sticking.

8. Spread the filling in a thin layer evenly over the surface of the dough. Make sure it goes right up to the edge of the dough.

9. Slice the dough into 16 wedges, like a pizza, using a pizza cutter or sharp knife. Roll up each wedge, beginning at the wide outer edge and moving inward. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Make sure the tip is tucked underneath.

10. Refrigerate cookies on the baking sheet, 20 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare remaining batches.

11. Bake the first tray of cookies until golden-brown, 20-25 minutes. Cool on the sheet, 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack. Bake the remaining cookies.

Filling Directions:
In a food processor, grind 1 cup walnuts and 1 cup pecans until they break into tiny crumbs, 30 to 40 pulses. (Be careful of over-processing and making nut-butter.) Combine the ground nuts in a bowl with 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) melted butter, 1/4 cup honey, 1/4 cup granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla.

Oh and this is our adorable sister singing in church!