Happy Holidays!

As we begin Christmas week, I wanted to take this opportunity to wish each and every one of you a very Happy Holiday.  We'll be taking a couple weeks off of our baking adventure to enjoy this time with family and friends.  We'll resume baking on January 5th. 

Here's to a happy, healthy, and nothing short of fabulous new year! 

Got Brownies?

Chocolate goodness that's salty, fudgy, and oh, so good!

 

John from MI

 

"The brownies were quite easy to make and I look forward to utilizing these when company drops by!" 

 

 

 

Maria from IL

 

"I really loved the simplicity of this recipe and using a Snickers bar really added to the texture of the brownie.  I love fudgy brownies and will probably make these over and over again - perhaps with a Milky Way bar or a Butterfinger bar.  YUM!"

 

Sue from NJ

 

"Easy!  So many possibilities in the future to change the candies, etc.  I will be making these again!"

Recipe Selection - Week 9 Perfect to Give or Keep!

This week, it's all about giving and who wouldn't love to receive a delicious gift of Salty Nougat Fudge Brownies?  It's our recipe selection for the week! 

For All the Marbles

 

Anne from MI

 

"They had me at bourbon!  I had a chance to make the Marble Pound Cake as cupcakes tonight.. Love them!"

 

 

 

John from MI

 

"The Marble Cake was quite easy to make.  I look forward to utilizing the recipe when company stops by!"

 

 

 

Maria from IL

 

"I found this was an interesting recipe, easy to do, but I found that maybe my bundt pan was a bit deep, but I felt using a bit less of the chocolate batter would have made the marbling effect better.  It was a great cake!  I love the addition of bourbon!"

 

Missy from MA

 

"We loved this pound cake!  My husband was happy to see it included chocolate AND booze.  Ha!  I topped it with some fresh whipped cream and candy cane crumble, of course!  We have transitioned to full Christmas mode over here." 

 

Sue from NJ

 

"Yum!  I will definitely make this again!  I loved the bourbon in the chocolate portion!"

 

Debbie from NY

 

"Since I had all the ingredients on hand for this marble pound cake from the Beekman 1802 Heirloom Dessert cookbook, I decided it was time use my new cookbook.  The cake was easy enough to bake as a weeknight treat.  We have been enjoying a slice after dinner with coffee.  I'm going to freeze the rest and experiment by serving it with a decadent chocolate ganache glaze and a small dollop of either clementine or peppermint ice cream during the holiday season."

Recipe Selection - Marble Pound Cake

We're still in "cake mode" but I think this one will be easier than the Yule Log.  Pound cake is a great dessert to have on hand should unexpected guests arrive.  Work your Beekman magic with this recipe selection!

Your Holiday Yule Log - Good Enough to Eat!

Nothing says 'traditional Christmas' more than a beautiful Yule Log dessert!  Here's what you created:

 

Maria from IL

 

"I did not make the mushroom meringues (perhaps later..), but it tasted good and turned out very interesting looking.  I love the way it looked and I think doing a full log (I did two mini logs this time) would make it that much more cool.  I will attempt this again another time!"

 

Bernie from GA

 

"The Yule log tastes great.  It took us mere minutes to eat the whole thing.  I followed the recipe exactly except I used fresh raspberries and drew upon my previous Yule log baking experience and tied the cake with ribbon rolled up in a towel so it would chill in a nice shape.  I skipped the mushrooms since I typically have bad luck baking them in rainy weather (it has been pouring nonstop here).  I served the log with rosewater macaroons I had made earlier.  I might also try rolling the log from the longer side next time to get a longer log."

 

Sue from NJ

 

"Everything tastes great!  All steps were easy to follow, but it does take time from start to finish. I tried to follow as closely as possible with ingredients and procedures.  My biggest challenge is rolling the cake back up with filling and not having it break (is there a secret I could learn)?  I had the most fun with the meringues!  I joined the blog to expand my experiences in baking, and these recipes do not disappoint!  Thanks!"

 

Carrie from OR

 

"This recipe put me in the "Christmas Spirit" today.  I have been baking for over 30 years and never made one of these because I thought it was so hard to do.  This recipe was easy and everything came together so quick.  I used a whipped cream icing inside my Yule Log and used rosemary to look like pine branches, with cranberries and a sprinkling of powdered sugar as snow, giving it a festive look!"

Week 7 Recipe Selection - Yule Log

As our attention turns to the December holidays, it seemed fitting to kick off the month with a Yule Log.  This traditional buche de Noel is perfect for your holiday entertaining. 

A Special Message from Brent and Josh!

 

We are so thankful for everyone who bakes with us, shares with us, chats with us.  Every single day it's like you've all joined us at the table to create new memories. 

 

Beekman people are special people, and that's why we made you this

 



From every living thing at Beekman 1802.... we thank you. 

Have a wonderful holiday. 

Brent and Josh

Your Choice - Your Creations!

This week, we asked 'Bake Like a Beekman' members to make a recipe selection of their choice and share it here.

 

Sue from NJ
Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake 

 

"Easy to bake!  Moist! Yum!  My son and I were looking through the book and we saw the Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake.  My son said, "mayonnaise in a cake??"  Yes!  We all loved the cake.  Excellent!"

 

Missy from MA

 

"The Cranberry Apple Custard Pie was "amazing, my favorite recipe so far" according to my husband and three year old son.  They loved it!  It was easy to make and is quite pretty once all put together.  I will say this pie crust recipe is simply delicious and perfect.  I will never use my grannies pie crust recipe again.  The crust smelled like shortbread when it was cooking and it really tasted like it too.  Very crispy, flaky, buttery, all those good things a great pie crust should be.  I think I may have found a mistake in this recipe though, and I'll be curious if anyone else notices it.  Under the 'filing' ingredients, listed is 1 Tbsp unsalted butter, but in the 'to make the filling' directions there is no mention of the addition of butter as an ingredient.  I did add the butter right along with the other filing ingredients and proceeded to cook it.  I decided to strain the cooked filing mixture after adding the vanilla just to ensure the mixture was lump free (free of any bits of egg).  The slightly tart cranberry apple topping perfectly offset the creamy rich filling of this pie.  A great combination, indeed."

 

John from MI

 

"Here is the Steamed Persimmon Pudding with a lemon sauce I simply love!  I got turned on to this wonderful dessert after hearing Sandy talk about this, and persimmons in general on the radio a few years back.  Having never tried a persimmon, naturally, I had to give it a run! It's really good, especially served with Martha's lemon sacue.  I will be making this for Thanksgiving as well as Christmas!" 

 

Julie from UT

 

"As this week was our choice and was to be something I would want to make as my dessert on Thanksgiving, I had to go with the Pumpkin Jelly Roll.  Thanksgiving screams pumpkin to me and I bake with this flavor almost exclusively during the month of November.  Plus, I hadn't made a jelly roll in many years and thought it would be fun!  I decided to not tweak the recipe too much.  I'm a traditionalist in that I like to follow a recipe to the letter the first time around and experiment later.  For this recipe, I opted to omit the fresh ground ginger and went with the already ground variety.  I also decided to use cooking spray on the pan rather than all the butter and flour.  It worked great.  I found the recipe very easy to prepare, both the cake and the filling.

 

The cake turned out perfectly.  It was moist and sponge-like.  The filling had a great creamy texture.  The Greek yogurt perfectly balanced out the cream cheese flavor.  I shared it with my family and everyone loved it!  Guess I'll be making it again in a few days!"

 

Bernie from GA

 

"My pick for this week is the steamed persimmon pudding.  I picked this recipe for a couple of reasons.  I had a few very ripe persimmons I picked from my tree that needed to be used and it was an excuse to utilize my pudding mold.  The persimmons I used were the 'Fuyu' variety and they worked nicely.  The only other substitution I made was using plain Greek yogurt instead of the buttermilk.  This pudding came together quickly.  The hardest part was waiting for it to finish steaming.  The aromas wafting from the pot were delicious and comforting.  I really love the taste and texture of this pudding.  I will most likely make another for Thanksgiving next week and planning to make this pudding again for Christmas, maybe spiking it with some brandy.  Happy Thanksgiving!" 

 

Carrie from OR

 

"I was so excited to pick anything in the cookbook this week.  I just finished cooking six pie pumpkins for the pumpkin puree for next weeks Thanksgiving pie and keep some out to make this great pumpkin roll recipe.  The cake baked beautifully and came out of the pan perfect.  I made the filling which was rich and creamy.  I might have got too excited and filled before the cake was completely cooled.  This is a great recipe for the holiday!" 

Recipe Selection Week 6: Your Choice!

We're going to do something a little different this week.  The recipe selection is your choice!  Here are the stipulations:  Find a recipe that you would want to make for your dessert on Thanksgiving.  Make it and share it here on the blog and on Facebook!  Your selection may just inspire others as they plan their Thanksgiving meal!

Speaking of Thanksgiving - there will not be a recipe selection for next week (the week of Thanksgiving).  Due to the hustle and bustle of holiday preparations, we'll take the week off to share with our family.  There will certainly be enough cooking going on!

Strudel Anyone?

 

John from MI

 

"My Mother really loved the Apple Strudel.  She did think the ginger was a tad overwhelming and would have loved it with cinnamon.  I loved making my own puff pastry and still have some left.  Hmmm.. what to do with it?"

 

 

 

Anne from MI

 

"My strudel!  It came out of the oven 15 minutes before the power went out here in Michigan!  A lovely snack on a cold winter's night!"

 

 

 

Barbara from MA

 

"This was a pretty easy chore!  I love the addition of the ginger.  Nice treat on a fall day!"

 

 

 

Bernie from GA

 

"This was a fun recipe that came together quickly.  I could not find "all butter" puff pastry and did not have time to make my own, so I went with what was the only brand available at the local supermarket.  I had a bunch of apples (various varieties, some a little old) that needed to be used up so went ahead and doubled the recipe.  I used regular breadcrumbs instead of Panko.  I assembled my strudel right on the baking sheet, trying the assembly technique suggested by Missy and it was not too hard.  The strudel did however take over an hour finally brown properly and also leaked lots of juices onto the pan.  I'm glad I doubled the recipe since it is delicious.  Apple and ginger is definitely a winning combination."

 

Missy from MA

 

"Loved this recipe.  Simple and delicious.  I thought the candied ginger added a real nice note.  I used Granny Smith apples in this recipe to keep the sweetness level down, though I did add an extra couple of tablespoons of sugar to the filling.  Next time I would use Braeburn, Fiji, or Honey Crisp apples though for a more distinct apple flavor.  When I was shopping for puff pastry, I discovered my store had only one box left of the "all butter" variety and boy am I glad I was able to get it.  What a really delicious and easy product to work with.  The brand that I bought was "Goodwives" and they are local here out of MA.  I've seen this pastry braid technique on Pinterest several times so I just had to try it. It was easy and I think it makes for a lovely presentation." 

 

Minka from MA

 

"My Mom used to make her own dough and I have great memories of her stretching it out over the entire kitchen table.  I especially loved it when she made cherry strudel.  Maria from IL, your dough looks so think, almost as though you had made it from scratch.  I couldn't find the all butter type at my store, perhaps that's the difference.  Nevertheless, it was very good and didn't last very long.  Doubling the batch would be a good idea.  I would also try a firmer apple next time, roll the dough out as thin as possible and add some cinnamon." 

 

 

 

Maria from IL

 

"Although this was a simple recipe, the whole rolling it like a jelly-roll was kinda like rolling a Chipotle burrito.  It was really full of apples!  Suffice to say, it looks like it worked though and I think I may have to work on making it look prettier.  I still have more apples to use up!"

 

 

 

Justin from MD

 

"I love the way this turned out.  Never made anything like it before, will definitely make this again!"

 

 

 

Sue from NJ

 

"Why make one when you can make two?  This was my first time attempting to crystalize ginger.  First time making strudel.  My house smells great and I expect the strudel to be great too!"

Week 5 Recipe Selection

Sour Cream Cutout Cookies - The Results!

 

This recipe is getting mixed reviews.  Read through the experiences others have had and if you have any suggestions, feel free to leave a comment. 

 

 

Carrie from OR

 

"I substituted the nutmeg with pumpkin pie spice and sprinkled the top with sugar mixed with the pumpkin pie spice also."

 

Justin from MD

 

"I found this recipe easy to follow, but I was not wowed with the outcome or the flavor." 

 

  

 

Maria from IL

 

"I found these cookies very simple to make and roll out.  I experimented with baking times since I had seen some people having "hockey pucks" come out after 9-11 minutes.  I tried 8 minutes, but found that too little time.   I did a few things to the recipe:  1.  I used plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream.  2.  I baked mine for 10-11 minutes.  3.  I cut them out with 2.5-3" heart-shaped cookie cutters and 4.  I rolled them out to about 1/4" or even a little thicker.  My kids loved them!  I think next time I will dip them in dark chocolate or dust them with chocolate shavings."



 

 

John from MI

 

"Love these cookies.  Simple and tasty!  Here are cut out acorns and rounds adorned with stars and flower shapes.  I'm going to try making these using Greek yogurt as well, as I read others have done, and yes, another 'midnight' baking! Do you think this dough would go thru a cookie press or possibly it's too soft?  I may try on the next run!" 

 

Missy from MA

 

"Oh boy, I hate to say it but, not so much of a fan of these cookies.  Darn.  Well, as the saying goes, you can't please everyone all of the time.  Anyway, I found this dough quite difficult to work with.  I thought these cookies would be more like a really flavorful sugar cookie (with the addition of the brown sugar, fresh nutmeg, vanilla, and almond flavoring), but they fell a bit flat on taste for me.  I hadn't expected this dough to puff so much while baking either, which it did.  Because the dough did rise while baking my decision to  use more intricate cookie cutter shapes (maple leaf and acorn) proved a bad choice.  These cookies lost their definition once baked.  We did eat them, we just weren't wowed.  If I were to make them again, I would stick to simple shapes and I would dress them up with frosting or a beautiful powdered sugar/cinnamon dusting." 

 

 

 

Minka from MA

 

"Delightfully delicate with a cup of tea"

 

Sue from NJ

 

"Very easy from start to finish, and tastes great too!  My only regret is making only one batch!"

 

 

 

Amy in MA

 

"These turned out to be a bear for me.  I followed the recipe exactly and after baking the cookies for their allotted 9-10 minutes at 400 degrees, it looked like the cookies had been cooked on top of Mt. Vesuvius.  First tray that came out, Useless.  I determined that the heat wasn't right at all.  So I put id down to 375.  Also, if you don't cut them out at exactly 1/2 inch, even at the lower temp, they were hard as a rock.  I couldn't figure out for the life of me what went wrong.  By the third tray I had them right, but I wasn't a real fan of the flavor either, so I will have to pass on trying these a second time.  What I do well is royal icing and decorating.  I made a meringue royal icing and blinged the cookies out with silver and gold sugar.  Now I'm happy with my results!" 

 

 

Bernie in GA

 

"These cookies are highly addictive.  I used Greek yogurt instead of sour cream.  I really like the nutmeg in these.  The cookies remind me of old fashioned tea cakes.  I decorated the cookies using a paper doily as a stencil for the powdered sugar.  They were a nice accompaniment to extra dark hot chocolate." 

Week 4 Recipe Selection

We're shifting gears just a little bit and trying some cookies!  You'll find the recipe on page 242.

Cinnamon Bun Bundt Cake

It didn't take long for our "Beekman Bakers" to embrace our week three recipe selection! 

 

Allison from MA

 

"My first Beekman Heirloom dessert!  I don't have a stand mixer but was able to do some mixing with the hand mixer, then the rest by hand.  The kitchen smells delicious!  We will enjoy it for breakfast in the morning!"

 

Carrie from OR

 

"I decided to add a "Fresh from Oregon" taste to the Cinnamon Bundt cake.  I added 1/2 cup of finely chopped hazelnuts and 1/2 cup of chopped dried cranberries to the filling.  I needed to add an extra tablespoon of melted butter too.  I made a confectioners' sugar glaze and sprinkled some hazelnuts and dried cranberries on top.  This recipe will make a great addition to my Thanksgiving morning brunch." 

 

Justin from MD

 

"This was a fun recipe to make.  I never used a bundt pan before.  I am happy with the way it turned out!  We bought the retro cake stand at a thrift shop (for $5) in Sharon Springs this year at the Harvest Festival.  We also met the fabulous Beekman Boys!" 

 

John from MI

 

"Perfect, I think.  Simply made per the recipe and finished this at 1am!  It's going to make a fabulous breakfast treat!"

 

Maria from IL

 

"I really liked this recipe.  It was very easy to follow and the dough was easy to work with.  I used more brown sugar to get more of a gooey-factor, but I had technical difficulties with my oven, so I think it did not achieve gooeyness.  I put my own twist on this recipe by making a cream cheese glaze and slathered my cake with it.  I bet it taste just like a cinnabon!  Though, my house smelled like a Cinnabon store and it was hard to not drool!  I think next time I make this I will add in some chopped apples.  Wonderful dessert!"

 

 

 

Missy from MA

 

"What a lovely, traditional cinnamon roll recipe.  Who doesn't love cinnamon rolls?!  Layering them in the bundt cake pan really elevated the presentation factor.  I must say, because I recognized this recipe as the quintessential cinnamon roll recipe, I felt compelled to kick it up a bit.  My family are huge fans of orange cinnamon rolls.  However, usually they are the cheap, unhealthy, fairly low quality treat bought in the refrigerated section at the supermarket.  To make these rolls "mine" I first added orange zest to the brown sugar and cinnamon filling.  Then, I glazed the finished cake with a simple confectioner's sugar glaze made of powdered sugar, freshly squeezed orange juice and orange zest.  They were amazing!"

 

Kenn from MI

 

"I've never been much of a 'yeast dough' baker - but this was easy!  I loved the scent in the kitchen as this baked...perfect for a Halloween night.  I was inspired by Anne from MI and decided to add a light glaze/icing.  I added a half tsp. of cinnamon to the confectioner sugar.. outstanding!"

 

Amy from MA

 

"This was TO DIE FOR!  I followed it to the letter and actually had to leave for a couple hours so it was extra puffy at the second rise.  I recommend letting them go longer that 45 minutes while in the pan for the second rise.  They will double a second time making the cake very light.. about an hour and a half."

 

Bernie from GA

 

"The wonderful aroma of this bundt perfumed the entire house today.  I discovered my buttermilk had gone bad and decided to take a chance and use Greek yogurt instead.  It worked beautifully.  I started the dough in the stand mixer and then switched to the dough hook and let the mixer do the kneading.  My cake does not look as pretty as the one in the book, but it sure was gobbled up quickly.  We enjoyed it with a fresh pot of coffee.  I might try a glaze on it the next time I make it." 

 

Minka from MA

 

"So soft and doughy and yummy right out of the oven!" 

 

Anne in MI

 

"These are so good that Dan (husband) took "two to go" and flew them to Dallas with him for his work week!  I added an icing drizzle of powdered sugar / hot water." 

 

Sue in NJ

 

"I can't wait to make it again!"