Puff PastryBakers Royale

Chocolate and Toffee Pecan Pinwheel Cookies

I’m on a puff pastry kick. This latest recipe is a spin on the traditional pinwheel cookie recipe using puff pastry. It’s fast and easy and the puff pastry along with the salted pecans gives this updated classic cookie a sweet and salty combo. Alongside the pecans are some toffee chips and mini chocolate chips all tossed in brown sugar and cinnamon.

There you have it your weekend ease in less than 30 minutes. Go ahead and serve it for breakfast. I mean seriously isn’t the flakiness of that pinwheel cookie begging to be consumed with your weekend breakfast cup of coffee.

Continue reading Chocolate and Toffee Pecan Pinwheel Cookies

Nutella Pastry Pockets

Nutella Pastry Pockets ~ Here’s a fast and easy Easter Brunch pastry that you can throw together in just 20 minutes.

Let me say these are incredible tasting! Hit the jump to Endless Simmer for my recipe write up on this easy Easter Brunch idea and to see who is sharing space with Nutella inside the light airy layers of the puff pastry.

Croquembouche Cupcakes

Croquembouche Cupcakes ~ Cream filled profiteroles mounted into the shape of a pyramid, known as Piece Montée, which literally means “mounted piece” or more widely known as a Croquembouche.

This was my first challenge for the Daring Bakers and my first time making a Croquembouche. I decided to side step the traditional form for a miniaturize cupcake version.

Okay, so how hard is it to make this? It’s not, but for some reason I really struggled with it.

Yesterday was like a kitchen explosion of baking gone bad. At one point I slammed my coffee to re-calibrate my brain, but to no avail. This was of course after ruining the second run of the cream patisserie. Word to all: Don’t take pictures (unless someone else can do it for you) at a pivotal part of the recipe, i.e. the whisking of the eggs into hot liquids, lest you want curdled crap!

Finally after getting the cream to the right consistency, I screwed up the pate choux twice as well. Somehow my baking hands and brain was set on “I’ll take two of everything” mode.

After all that, I was thankful to sustain only one burn on my finger, albeit it is the size of Florida from the spun sugar portion. Continue reading Croquembouche Cupcakes