Blueberry Scone

I tried scones for the first time following this recipe. I skipped the topping, used fresh blueberry. They were buttery fluffy delight with juicy burst of blueberry. 

Ingredients

All-purpose flour - 2 cups, plus more for hands and work surface
Granulated sugar - 1/2 cup
Baking powder - 2 and 1/2 tsp
Ground cinnamon - 1 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Unsalted butter - 1/2 cup, frozen
Heavy cream - 1/2 cup, plus 2 TBSP for brushing
Egg - 1 large (used egg replacer)
Pure vanilla extract - 1 and 1/2 tsp
Fresh or frozen blueberries (do not thaw) - 1 heaping cup
Optional topping: coarse sugar and vanilla icing

Steps

1. Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together in a large bowl. 

2. Grate the frozen butter using a box grater. Add it to the flour mixture and combine with a pastry cutter, two forks, or your fingers until the mixture comes together in pea-sized crumbs. Place in the refrigerator or freezer as you mix the wet ingredients together.
3. Whisk heavy cream, egg, and vanilla extract together in a small bowl. Drizzle over the flour mixture, add the blueberries, then mix together until everything appears moistened.
4. Pour onto the counter and, with floured hands, work dough into a ball as best you can. Dough will be sticky. If it’s too sticky, add a little more flour. If it seems too dry, add 1-2 more Tablespoons heavy cream. Press into an 8-inch disc and, with a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut into 8 wedges.

5. Brush scones with remaining heavy cream and for extra crunch, sprinkle with coarse sugar. (You can do this before or after refrigerating in the next step.)
6. Place scones on a plate or lined baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes. (I left it in the fridge overnight so that I can bake it fresh in the morning)
7. Preheat oven to 400°F.
8. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. After refrigerating, arrange scones 2-3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet(s).

9. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until golden brown around the edges and lightly browned on top. Remove from the oven and cool for a few minutes before topping with vanilla icing.

Leftover iced or un-iced scones keep well at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for 5 days.

Notes

• Freeze Before Baking: Freeze scone dough wedges on a plate or baking sheet for 1 hour. Once relatively frozen, you can layer them in a freezer-friendly bag or container. Bake from frozen, adding a few minutes to the bake time. Or thaw overnight, then bake as directed.
• Freeze After Baking: Freeze the baked and cooled scones before topping with icing. I usually freeze in a freezer-friendly bag or container. To thaw, leave out on the counter for a few hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Warm in the microwave for 30 seconds or on a baking sheet in a 300°F (149°C) oven for 10 minutes.
• Overnight Instructions: Prepare scones through step 4. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Continue with the recipe the following day.
• Over-spreading: Start with very cold scone dough. Expect some spread, but if the scones are over-spreading as they bake, remove from the oven and press back into its triangle shape (or whatever shape) using a rubber spatula.

Easy Cinnamon Rolls

Followed this easy cinnamon roll recipe to make this for breakfast. I made the dough to step 5 and covered with plastic wrap  to let rest in the refrigerator overnight. The next morning, removed from the refrigerator and allow to rise in a warm environment, about 1 hour. Then continue to step 7.

Ingredients

Rolls
All-purpose flour - 2 and 3/4 cups
Granulated sugar - 1/4 cup
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Active dry yeast - 2 and 1/4 tsp
Whole milk - 1/2 cup
Water - 1/4 cup
Unsalted butter - 3 TBSP
Egg - 1 large (used egg replacer)
Filling
Unsalted butter - 3 TBSP, at room temperature
Ground cinnamon - 1 TBSP
Granulated sugar or packed light or dark brown sugar - 1/4 cup
Icing
Confectioners’ sugar - 1 cup
Pure vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp
Strong brewed coffee or milk - 2–3 TBSP

Steps

1. Whisk the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast together in a large bowl. Set aside.
2. Combine the milk, water, and butter together in a heatproof bowl. Microwave until the butter is melted and the mixture is warm to touch (about 110°F). Pour into the dry ingredients, add the egg, and stir until it forms a soft dough or use your mixer.

3. On a lightly floured surface using floured hands, knead the dough for 3 minutes. Place in a lightly greased bowl, cover loosely, and let rest for about 10 minutes.
4. Roll the dough out in a 14×8 inch rectangle. Spread the softened butter on top. Mix together the cinnamon and sugar. Sprinkle it all over the dough.

5. Roll up the dough tightly to make a 14 inch log. Cut into 10-12 even rolls and arrange in a lightly greased 9-inch round cake pan or pie dish.

6. Tightly cover the rolls with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm, draft-free environment for 60-90 minutes.

7. After the rolls have doubled in size, preheat the oven to 375°F. Bake for 25-28 minutes until lightly browned. If you notice the tops are getting too brown too quickly, loosely cover the rolls with aluminum foil and continue baking.

8. Whisk the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, and coffee/milk together. Drizzle or spread over warm rolls.

Cover leftover frosted or unfrosted rolls tightly and store for up to 3 days at room temperature or up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

Egg-Free Chocolate Chip Cookie

This Ultimate Egg-Free Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe uses cream cheese to replace eggs. I baked large size cookies and they ended up lightly crispy around the edges and moist in the middle.

Ingredients

All-purpose flour - 2 1/4 cups 
Baking soda - 1 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp 

Butter - 1 cup, at room temperature
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Brown sugar - 3/4 cup, packed
Cream cheese - 1 pack (8 oz.), at room temperature

Vanilla extract - 2 tsp
Semi-sweet chocolate chips - 2 cups
Yield 18 large cookies (ice cream scoop size)

Steps

1. Sift together flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. 

2. In large mixer bowl, cream together butter, sugar, brown sugar, cream cheese, and vanilla extract. Gradually blend dry mixture into butter/sugar mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. 

3. Use cookie scoop or ice cream scoop (about 4TBSP size) to shape into round dough. Put in freezer to chill for at least one hour. 

4. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350ºF. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Place 6 balls per sheet and bake for 20 min, or until golden brown around the edges. (it will be shorter if your ball of cookie dough is smaller)

5. Allow to cool for 15 to 20 minutes before serving. You can store them in the fridge for up to 2 weeks in a airtight container and in the freezer for 1 to 2 months. I prefer to store the unbaked balls of cookie doughs in freezer. Nothing beat the smell of freshly baked cookies. 

Soccer Ball Cookies

I made these cookies for soccer team. The dough is the same recipe from the egg free sugar cookies. I made two batches of dough, one white, and one brown. To make the brown dough, replace 1/4 all purpose flour in the recipe with 1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder.

I used hexagon shape cookie cutter to cut out small white and brown hexagons, then arranged them into soccer ball patterns, finally use a round cutter to cut out the ball shape. 

Lemon Raspberry Bundt Cake

We tried this recipe using egg replacer instead egg. It became my daughter's instant favorite. 

Ingredients

For the Bundt Cake

Cake flour - 2 and 1/2 cups (10 and 1/4 ounces)

Baking powder - 1 tsp

Baking soda - 1/2 tsp

Salt - 1/2 tsp 

Unsalted butter - 8 oz. at room temperature 

Cream cheese - 8 oz. at room temperature 

Granulated sugar - 2 cups

Finely grated lemon zest - 1 TBSP 

Eggs - 5 large, at room temperature (used equivalent egg replacer)

Fresh raspberries - 2 cups (or 8 oz)

All-purpose flour - 3 TBSP

For the Cream Cheese Frosting

Cream cheese -  4 ounces, room temperature 

Unsalted butter - 2 ounces, room temperature 

Confectioners' sugar - 2 and 1/2 cups , sifted, more if needed 

Salt - 1/8 tsp

lemon extract - 1/2 teaspoon (replaced with 1/2 tsp lemon zest)

Lemon juice - 1 TBSP

For Decoration

Fresh raspberries 

Lemon slices 

Lemon zest 

Steps

For the Bundt Cake

1. Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Generously grease a 10-inch (12-cup) bundt pan, being sure to coat all of the nooks and crannies. 

2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; whisk well to combine then set aside until needed. 

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese at medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. 

4. Gradually add in the sugar, then increase the speed to medium-high and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. 

5. Beat in the lemon zest. Reduce the speed back to medium, then add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. 

6. Reduce the speed to low and add in the flour mixture, mixing just until combined.

7. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the Raspberries and flour and toss well to coat. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the raspberries into the batter until just combined. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. 

8. Bake for 65 to 75 minutes, or until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. 

9. Allow the cake to cool in the pan, set on a wire rack, for 20 minutes. Then invert the cake onto the rack and cool completely. 

For the Cream Cheese Frosting

10. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter on medium-speed until completely smooth. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add in the confectioners' sugar, beating until all of the sugar is completely combined. 

11. Add in the salt, lemon extract, and lemon juice and beat smooth. Once all of the ingredients have been incorporated, increase the speed to medium-high and beat for a minute. 

For Decoration

12. Spread frosting on the top and sides of the cooled cake. Top with fresh raspberries, lemon slices, and lemon zest. Slice and serve, or store in an airtight container in the fridge, for up to 5 days.