Category: Breakfast

Blueberry Ricotta Cake

On By sarafillmerIn Breakfast, DessertLeave a comment

Blueberry-Ricotta-Cake-4We had some ricotta in the fridge that we needed to use up so of course I immediately started looking for baking recipes that used it. I found this blueberry ricotta cake with lemon drizzle on Pinterest and was really pleased with the result. It would make a great Easter brunch cake, but I do recommend making it the day before because the flavor really stood out the second day. If you don’t have sour cream you can sub greek yogurt, which is what I did!

Cake:

  • 4 large eggs room temperature
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 8 Tbsp unsalted butter melted (not hot)
  • 15 oz ricotta cheese (about 2 cups)
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 Tbsp lemon zest from 1 large lemon
  • 8 oz blueberries (1 1/2 cups), fresh or frozen

Lemon Glaze:

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 Tbsp lemon juice freshly squeezed

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Grease a 9” springform pan and line the bottom with a ring of parchment. Whisk together flour, salt and baking powder and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat together eggs and sugar on high speed for 2 minutes until frothy. Blend in melted butter until smooth. Add the ricotta, sour cream, vanilla extract and lemon zest and beat on medium speed for 1 minute or just until blended. Add flour mixture and beat on low speed just until incorporated. Pour batter into prepared pan and sprinkle the blueberries evenly over the top. Bake in the center of oven at 350˚F for 60-65 min or until edges are lightly browned and cake appears set. It will still have a slight jiggle in the center. (My cake was done around 55 minutes but every oven is different so just keep a close eye on it towards the end.) Remove from oven and cool 20 minutes in the pan then transfer to a cake platter. Once cake is on the cake platter, you should be able to easily slide out the parchment from under the cake. To make the glaze, stir together the powdered sugar and lemon juice, adding more juice or sugar to get the consistency you want. Drizzle over the warm cake. At this point the original recipe said serve, but I would let it cool completely and store in the fridge to serve the next day.

Belgian Waffles

On By sarafillmerIn BreakfastLeave a comment

perfect-buttermilk-waffle-recipe-ohsweetbasil.com-2KI gave my younger son a waffle maker for Christmas and started researching waffle recipes, I was surprised to learn that the key to making fluffy waffles is to separate your eggs and whip the whites.  The extra effort is truly worth it, I promise. Recipe and photo courtesy of ohsweetbasil.com

  • 1 3/4 cup flour
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted and cooled slightly

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cornstarch, sugar and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk and heavy cream. Using a wooden spoon, stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until a few streaks of flour remain, but the batter is almost mixed together. Add the butter and stir until just combined. Important!! Allow to rest for 15-30 minutes. Heat a waffle iron. Brush butter on both sides of the waffle iron. Pour about 1/3 cup onto the iron and cook per instructions.

Cranberry White Chocolate Scones

On By sarafillmerIn Bread, BreakfastLeave a comment

IMG_20200522_095558_01I found this recipe in a Taste of Home magazine and decided to challenge myself. I’ve had scones at Starbucks before but never attempted to make them myself. It turns out that my husband loves scones, which neither of us would’ve guessed before now. This is one of the few things I’ve made that he ate til they were gone, so they are definitely a keeper.

  • 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons white sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 cup white chocolate chips/chunks
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries; frozen won’t leak as much into the batter
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream (you may need 1-2 tablespoons more depending on how the dough comes together)
  • additional white sugar for sprinkling on top of the scones
  • 2-3 oz additional white chocolate melted, optional

Preheat your oven to 400° and line a baking tray with a baking mat or parchment paper. Place flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and cubes of butter into a large bowl and rub the butter into the flour with your fingers until you have a coarse breadcrumb texture. Some pea sized lumps of butter is fine. (I was using frozen butter so I grated mine with a cheese grater.) Add the white chocolate chips and cranberries and stir very briefly to evenly distribute. Place the eggs and 1/2 cup heavy cream into a bowl and beat lightly with a fork. Add the egg mixture into your flour mix and stir gently, until a soft, crumbly dough forms. You want it to hold if you press the dough together, but not be sticky and wet. If the mixture is still too crumble, add in the extra cream, 1 tablespoon at a time. (I live at altitude and added 2 tablespoons and probably could’ve added one more.)  Tip the dough onto your prepared baking tray and press into a large disc, around half an inch thick. Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut the disc of dough into 6-8 wedges. At this stage you can leave the scones cut but together, or use a spatula to spread the scones around the baking tray with a 2 inch gap in between each one. Sprinkle some white sugar onto the top of each scones and then place in the oven for 13-17 minutes. (I left mine in a round for about 14 minutes because my mixture was pretty crumbly, then I separated them and baked for about 5 more minutes. You’ll know they are done when they are risen, golden around the edges and sound light when you tap on the top.

Easy Peasy Cinnamon Rolls

On By sarafillmerIn Bread, BreakfastLeave a comment

cinnamonrolls-16Shelly, from the website cookiesandcups.com, has become by go-to for easy, delicious recipes. This cinnamon roll recipe is so so good, and because it uses rapid rise yeast, it takes the intimidation factor out of making yeasted breads/rolls. Just mix all the ingredients in the bowl and let rise for an hour (it really is that easy even though the instructions look long)! I will definitely be making this recipe Christmas morning. Recipe and photo courtesy of cookiesandcups.com.

For the Dough:

  • 5-6 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 (1/4 oz) packets Rapid Rise yeast
  • 1 teaspoon kosher sale
  • 1 cups water
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 6 tablespoons, cubed
  • 1 large egg

For the Filling:

  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 6 tablespoons butter, very soft

For the Frosting:

  • 3/4 cup butter, room temperature
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

In the bowl, of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment mix together 2 cups of flour, sugar, yeast, and salt on low speed until combined. Place the water, milk, and butter in a microwave safe bowl and heat in 25 second increments until the temperature reaches between 120°-130°F. Butter might not be melted, completely, which is fine. Add this to the flour mixture along with the egg and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add 2 more cups of flour to the mixture, and mix on high speed for 2 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl if necessary. Turn mixer to low and add in just enough remaining flour until the dough will form a ball. Lightly flour a clean surface knead the dough for 6-8 minutes, adding a little more flour as necessary while you are kneading until the dough is smooth, elastic and springs back when lightly pressed with 2 fingers. Alternately, you can do this step in your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Cover the dough with a towel and let it rest for 10 minutes. In a medium bowl mix together the sugar and cinnamon for the filling. Set aside. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a 15×10- inch rectangle using a rolling pin. This doesn’t have to be exact. Spread the soft butter onto the rolled out dough evenly. Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar mixture. Starting the with long sides, tightly roll up the dough, pinching the seams to seal. Using a knife, slice into 12 equal pieces. Line a 9×13 baking dish with parchment paper and coat with nonstick spray. Place the cinnamon rolls evenly into the pan, cover with a towel and allow to rise for 1 hour in a warm place, until doubled in size. Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake cinnamon rolls for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes. Prepare frosting in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix the butter and powdered sugar together for 1 minute on medium speed. Add in the milk and vanilla and mix for another minute until creamy and smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Spread frosting onto rolls.

Blueberry Cinnamon Coffee Cake

On By sarafillmerIn Breakfast, DessertLeave a comment

Blueberry Coffeecake Cinnamon Swirl Brown Sugar Crumb (6 of 1)Recently my husband asked me for a blueberry dessert and then coffee cake so I found this recipe for the best of both worlds! This recipe is so delicious and would be a wonderful item to serve on a Sunday morning. Recipe and photo courtesy of serenabakessimplyfromscratch.com.

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Crumb Topping:

  • 1 3/4 cups brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 6 tablespoons cold butter, cubed

Blueberry Cake

  • 3/4 cup cold butter
  • 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoons sea salt
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 1/2 cups sour cream
  • 2 cups blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9″x13″ and line with parchment paper, butter parchment paper. For the crumb topping, mix together brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in using a pastry cutter or mix in using a mixer 6 tablespoons cubed butter until crumbly. Set aside. For the cake, add 3/4 cup cold butter to mixing bowl and beat until smooth and creamy. Slowly add sugar while beating at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time beating well between each addition. Scrape sides of bowl between each egg. Then add vanilla and mix well. Batter should look light and fluffy. Add baking soda, baking powder and sea salt. Beat on medium-high speed until well combined. Scrape sides of bowl. Stir in flour 1 cup at a time alternating with 1/2 cup sour cream mixing on low speed until just combined being careful not to over mix. Continue until all of flour and sour cream is added. Hand stir in blueberries until evenly distributed. Spread half of the cake batter into the bottom of prepared pan and spread to the edge. Swirl cinnamon crumb topping with a knife into cake batter. Spread 1/3 of of the Brown Sugar Cinnamon Crumb over the batter and cover with remaining blueberry cake batter. Press brown sugar crumb topping between fingers to form crumbs and distribute evenly over the top of the cake. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of cake comes out clean. Allow cake to cool before serving.

Banana Pecan Bread

On By sarafillmerIn Bread, Breakfast, Dessert

This. Bread. I can say with the utmost certainty that this banana bread is the best I have ever tasted. It is the right amount of sweetness with a hint of crunch from the pecans and the perfect balance of banana flavor. I have tried many many different banana bread recipes and this one takes the prize. While the recipe called for 1 9×5 loaf, I split mine into two 8×4 loaves, which allowed them to cook all the way through, without overcooking the exterior. Recipe and photo courtesy of myfrugaladventures.com

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1⅛ cup sugar
  • ½ cup vegetable or canola oil
  • 2 tablespoons buttermilk or milk
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • 3 bananas mashed very well
  • ½ cup chopped pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Add flour, baking soda and salt to a small bowl and set aside. Mix egg, sugar and oil and stir until well combined Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir well. The mixture will be thick and dry. Next add milk, vanilla and bananas and stir until incorporated. Mix in walnuts and pour into a loaf pan or pans depending on what size you want. Cook 50-75 minutes, checking regularly until a knife comes out clean.

 

Strawberry Sour Cream Streusel Muffins

On By sarafillmerIn Breakfast, Dessert

I had some strawberries that I needed to use in my fridge, and what better way than in a yummy muffin.  The addition of the sour cream helped make these super moist and delicious. Recipe and photo courtesy of thelittlesouschef.com.

  • 2 cups flour
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 6 Tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1 ¼ cups sour cream
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups diced fresh strawberries, divided

For the Streusel topping:

  • 3 Tablespoons butter, softened
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup flour

Preheat the oven to 375.  Line muffin tins with 18 liners. Dice strawberries into small pieces.  Pour flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon into a medium bowl. Whisk together.  Pour melted butter, sour cream and vanilla into a small bowl, then add the eggs. Whisk together until smooth.  Pour sour cream mixture into the flour mixture.  Stir together until combined. Add 1 1/2 cups diced strawberries and stir until combined.  Divide batter into the muffin cups.  Evenly sprinkle the 1/2 cup remaining strawberries over the tops of the muffins.  For the streusel, soften butter in a small bowl, add remaining ingredients  and stir until mixture comes together, then sprinkle over the muffins.  Reduce oven temperature to 350 and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Sausage Gravy and Biscuits

On By sarafillmerIn Breakfast

I love, love, love this recipe.  It is so easy, and it is great to serve to a crowd.  One of the best things about Pioneer Woman’s recipes is that they make even the most daunting tasks (making gravy) very doable.  If it’s just my family of four I make a 1/2 batch of biscuits, but a full batch of gravy so I can freeze half of it to have later on down the road. Recipe and photo courtesy of The Pioneer Woman.

Biscuits:

  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) cold butter, cubed
  • 1 1/4 cup buttermilk

Sausage Gravy

  • 1 lb breakfast sausage, hot or mild
  • 1/3 cup all purpose flour
  • 4 cups milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
  • 1/2-2 teaspoons black pepper (to taste)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Add flour, baking powder, and salt to the bowl of a food processor (or a large bowl.) Add butter pieces and pulse until butter is completely cut into the flour mixture (or use a pastry cutter if using a bowl.) While pulsing (or stirring) drizzle in the buttermilk until dough just comes together and is no longer crumbly. Drop in clumps on two baking sheets, then bake for 15-17 minutes, or until golden brown. (Optional: Brush with melted butter when biscuits first come out of the oven.)

With your finger, tear small pieces of sausage and add them in a single layer to a large heavy skillet. Brown the sausage over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Sprinkle on half the flour and stir so that the sausage soaks it all up, then add a little more until just before the sausage looks too dry. Stir it around and cook it for another minute or so, then pour in the milk, stirring constantly. Cook the gravy, stirring frequently, until it thickens. (This may take a good 10-12 minutes.) Sprinkle in the seasoned salt and pepper and continue cooking until very thick and luscious. If it gets too thick too soon, just splash in 1/2 cup of milk or more if needed. Taste and adjust seasonings. Spoon sausage gravy over warm biscuits and serve immediately!

Homemade Pancakes

On By sarafillmerIn Breakfast

This recipe is super simple and makes perfect pancakes.  The most important thing I’ve learned when it comes to fluffy pancakes is not to over-mix the batter.  Stir it just long enough to get rid of the major lumps and you should be good to go. Feel free to add blueberries, or substitute buttermilk for the milk. Recipe and photo courtesy of pocketchangegourmet.com.

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup milk (use more or less depending on how thin you want your batter to be)
  • 2 tablespoons cooking oil (can be vegetable, canola, or coconut)
  • 1 egg

Whisk together the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl or large measuring cup.  Add the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Heat a griddle to medium heat and grease with butter or non-stick cooking spray.  Spoon out generous portions, cooking for 2-3 minutes per side.  Makes approximately 6 medium pancakes.  These freeze really well, so if you have extra, put them in a baggie in the freezer, and just microwave for 30 seconds when reheating.

Strawberry Cheesecake Muffin

On By sarafillmerIn Breakfast, DessertLeave a comment

I do not have enough good things to say about this muffin. It is amazing.  Although it is a little more complicated than scooping batter into a muffin tin, it is well worth it.  Recipe and photo courtesy of raininghotcoupons.com.

Muffin:

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 cups chopped strawberries

Filling:

  • 4 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 beaten egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Topping:

  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 3 tablespoons cold butter

Preheat the oven to 400.  Grease or line twelve cup muffin pan.  Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside. Beat together the milk, oil, egg, and vanilla in another bowl.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until just combined.  Do not over mix.  Next, cream together the cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth.  Then cut the butter into the dry ingredients until crumbly.  To assemble the muffins, first put 1 tablepoon of batter on bottom, then couple pieces of strawberry, then 1/2 a tablespoon of filling, then 1/2 a tablespoon of topping. Put more batter on top, then another strawberry and a sprinkling of topping.  I had extra batter so I used 3 ramekins for the rest of the recipe, layering just like before.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.