Cauliflower Wings – Must Try!

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baking, cauliflower, cauliflower wings, cooking, delicious, easy dinners, eat, food, fresh, garden, quick cooking, simple entertaining, summer, summertime, tacos, wings

So Pure Kitchen just opened up in Kanata and now I eat, sleep and dream about their cauliflower wings.

And as much as I would love to eat there every single day, I needed to come up with my own recipe for making cauliflower wings in the oven.

These were pretty delicious I must admit they will curb my craving for the PK version. They are great as a appetizer, on tacos, in a wrap instead of meat or on top of a salad.

Here’s what you need:

(Preheat your oven to 425 degrees)

• 1 Head cauliflower cut into bite sized “wings”
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 tsp garlic and onion powder
• 1/4 tsp chipotle powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup water
• A good squeeze of sriracha
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 tablespoon sriracha
• 2 tablespoons Mirin or 1 tablespoon maple syrup

Steps:

1. Cut up the cauliflower
2. Make batter with the flour, garlic and onion powder, water and sriracha
3. Toss wings in batter with your hands. Make sure they are all covered
4. Lay out on a parchment paper covered baking sheet
5. Bake in oven for 25 mins
6. Remove from oven and toss wings with melted butter, mirin and sriracha mix
7. Put back in oven for 15 mins
8. Devoir
9. As much as I would like to say this is 1 serving, it is not. It is 4 servings. But you don’t need to share with anyone. 😉

Drop me a note and let me know how you liked them!

Enjoy

Www.monicaskitchen.com

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Bakery Style Buttermilk chocolate chip muffins

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bakery, baking, butter, buttermilk, chocolate, dessert, eat, entertaining, food, kid friendly, kids, kids baking, mini muffins, muffins, simple entertaining, sugar, summer, summertime, treats

First let me start by giving credit where credit is due, this recipe was given to me by a friend who found it on Pinterest these have got to be some of the best chocolate chip muffins I have ever eaten. I have tweaked the original recipe a bit, so here is my version. 

Chloe makes them at least every 10 days or so, they freeze incredibly well all you need to do is take a muffin out of the freezer put it in the lunch bag and by snacktime it’s thawed, Voila! These are a winner winner.

 INGREDIENTS:

1 1/4 cups buttermilk
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup granulated sugar or vanilla bean sugar 

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 larges eggs beaten 

1 tbsp vanilla bean paste or the best extract you can find 
1 1/2 cups miniature chocolate chips

sanding sugar for sprinkling on top – makes all the difference. 

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 425ºF. Use muffin liners or Grease a 12-cup muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. This recipe makes 12 large and 12 mini muffins.
In a larger bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Add the butter, eggs, vanilla, and the buttermilk. Stir JUST until a batter with lumps forms.

Fold in the chocolate chips.

Fill each cup in the muffin tin to be completely full (about a heaping 1/4 cup).

Bake at 425ºF for 5 minutes. Then decrease the heat to 375ºF and bake for another 13 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 2 minutes before removing from the tin and serving.

Enjoy! 

http://www.monicaskitchen.com (new website coming soon!) 

The BEST salted chocolate chip cookies in the world

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baking, butter, chocolate, chocolate chip cookies, cookies, salted, sugar

I have been searching and searching for the best salted cookie recipe and I have created one. Hands down the best. It is chewy on the inside and crunchy on the outside. I honestly could eat 6 in one sitting.

Do yourself a favour and make these as soon as possible.

The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Salted Cookies

Ingredients

3/4 cup granulated sugar (I used vanilla bean sugar)
3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 package (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips (2 cups)

Flaked maldon sea salt

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375ºF.

2. Mix sugars, butter, vanilla and egg in large bowl. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt (dough will be stiff). Stir in chocolate chips.

3. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten them out a bit and sprinkle lightly with a few sea salt flakes.

4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light brown (centers will be soft). Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet. Pace back and worth until they are cool. Mine took exactly 9 minutes to bake.

Devour !

Christmas Baking 101

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baking, butter, buttertart bars, chocolate, christmas, cookies, holiday, holiday baking, shortbread, sugar

You need a cookie ✔️

Something with chocolate ✔️

A bar of some kind ✔️

Feel free to mix it up but a sure fire way to have a successful Christmas dessert buffet is shortbread cookies, Christmas crack and butter tart bars. 

I have shared the crack and bars before and will again but today I will share my secret 100 year old shortbread recipe. 

Shortbread Cookies

INGREDIENTS

1 1/4 cup butter, softened

1⁄2 cup superfine sugar

2 1⁄2 cups flour

4 tbls of corn starch

Preheat oven to 300°.

Cream butter and sugar together.

Add flour and mix till texture is like clay.

Press dough into ungreased 9 x 13 inch pan, prick all over with a fork, and sprinkle with sugar (tilt pan to cover the top evenly, then shake excess sugar back into the sugar canister).

Bake for about 40-45 minutes (till very lightly browned–just golden around the edges).

Let stand for 2 minutes, then cut into 2 inch strips while warm… You should get 4 dozen per 9 by 13 pan. 

Leave in pan to cool thoroughly. (Shortbread will not be crisp until cool.).

Butter tart bars

Christmas crack

Enjoy!!!!!!

http://www.monicaskitchen.com

Vanilla Bean Sugar

Tags

baking, sugar, vanilla, vanilla beans

Vanilla bean sugar is super easy to make and super easy to use. 

All it takes is whole vanilla beans and granulated sugar. I used 5 vanilla beans for 1 1/2 kilos of sugar. Slice the vanilla bean in half and then scrape the inside of vanilla bean out. Drop it into the granulated sugar. DON’T THROW OUT THE VANILLA PODS! Put them in the mason jars and they keep perfuming the sugar. 

I use a food processor to make it and then store it in large mason jars. Store in a sealed jar and in a dark place. It stores for months.

I use it in making fresh strawberry jam, baking cakes and cookies and muffins.

It also makes amazing teachers gifts for end of school. 

Try it today! 

These Blueberry Muffins Are To. Die. For

Tags

30 minute muffins, baking, blueberries, blueberry muffins, fruit, kids baking, muffins

Hands down these are are best blueberry muffins out there! The recipe makes 12 regular sized muffins or 6 extra large ones.  

  
I used frozen blueberries which is why in these pictures the muffins are really blue… If you use fresh ones the muffins will be more white :). 

Ingredients1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup white sugar 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

2 teaspoons baking powder 

Pinch of cinnamon 

1/3 cup vegetable oil 

1 egg 

1/3 cup milk (approx)

1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract 

1 to 1 1/2 cups of blueberries (fresh or frozen) – this time I used wild frozen blueberries

Demerara sugar for topping

Instructions: 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). I used convection bake so my oven was set to 375 convect. Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.

Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt, pinch of cinnamon and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup liquid measuring cup; add the egg and vanilla and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with demerara sugar or course sugar. 

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done. Mine took exactly 24 minutes. 

  
Cool on a rack and watch these babies disappear! Delish!

http://www.monicaskitchen.com

Get Ready To Eat The Best Chocolate Cheesecake Ever. I’m Serious. Ever.

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bailey's, baking, callebaut, cheesecake, chocolate, ghirardelli, www.monicaskitchen.com

I’m not sure where to begin. I was looking for a really good cheesecake recipe to since I was entertaining guests and I stumbled upon this recipe. I of course made tweaks here and there and everywhere and the end results was O.M.G. I had people eating this cheesecake that “hate cheesecake”.

The keys to this dessert is to use quality ingredients, a food processor and bake it in a water bath.

Ingredients

Crust:

2 cups Oreo cookies smashed
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Cheesecake filling:

3 (8 ounce) packages softened cream cheese
1 cup white sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
3 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup Bailey’s (or other Irish cream liqueuor)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Chocolate Ganache:

1/2 cup heavy cream
4 ounces dark chocolate (Ghirardelli or Callebaut)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Begin to bring a large pot of water to boil. Place the spring form pan in the middle of two large pieces of heavy duty aluminum foil. Bring the foil up the sides of the pan. Crimp the pieces together around the pan. Make sure it is tight and secure so no water gets in during the baking process. Combine smashed Oreo cookies and butter together in a bowl. Press into the bottom of the prepared spring form pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.

While the crust is cooling, use a food processor* and cream together soft cream cheese and sugar. Add in the eggs one at a time, being sure to scrape down the sides after adding each egg. Add in flour and cocoa powder. Add in the Bailey’s, sour cream and vanilla extract. Continue mixing until smooth and silky. Pour over cooled crust.

* So some of you maybe asking why a food processor? The why is because you do not want to add any air bubbles into your cheesecake. In order to get a smooth and silky cheesecake you need to keep the air out of the cheesecake mixture.

Place cheesecake into a roasting pan. Place in the oven and pour the boiling water into the roasting pan, quickly close the door. Bake for 45 – 55 minutes or until the cheesecake is set. The middle will still be jiggly. Turn off oven, keep oven door closed and allow cheesecake to cool 1 hour in oven. It will finish cooking during this time. This will also stop your cheesecake from cracking.

Remove cheesecake from oven, carefully remove it from the water bath. Remove the aluminum foil, being careful of any water that may have worked its way in.

Chill cheesecake in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, use a knife to gently loosen the cheesecake. Remove the sides of the pan.

To prepare the ganache, place the chocolate in a bowl. Then heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until it is almost boiling. Remove from heat, and pour over the chocolate chips and let sit for 30 seconds. (same way you make truffles) Then stir until the chocolate chips have melted and are mixed in well. Pour over the top of the cheesecake. Put back in the fridge and in 30 mins it is ready to serve!

Get ready to eat the best cheesecake ever!

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I am a girl who loves food. I grew up with a Mom who was an excellent cook. She wrote a cookbook when I was a child, and as they say, the rest is history. Started a catering business in 2005 and haven’t looked back. I am a mom to 2 beautiful girls and I want them to love food as much as I do. In the meantime, I love life and love my job @ http://www.monicaskitchen.com

Who wants crack?

Tags

baking, christmas baking, crhistmas crack, holiday, holiday baking, hostess gifts

I do! I do! Christmas Crack is the most addictive holiday treat you can make. It keeps for weeks in the fridge and makes excellent gifts for hosts and teachers. 4 ingredients is all you need. Here is what you need.

Ingredients

35 to 40 saltine crackers
2 sticks (1 cup) butter
1 cup light brown sugar
8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (about 1 1/3 cups)
Parchment paper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Line 1 large baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the saltines salt-side down in a single layer. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar together and boil until it turns a caramel color, a few minutes. Remove from the heat and pour over the crackers, covering them evenly.

Put the baking pan into the oven and bake for 3 to 5 minutes, or until just bubbly, watching carefully. Remove from the oven and pour the chocolate chips over the crackers. When the chips melt a bit, spread them over the crackers with an offset spatula.

Cool. They will form one big sheet. Break up into pieces. Store in an airtight container.

Make them today ! They are a hit!
Trust me. www.monicaskitchen.com

The world’s best butter tart bars

Tags

baking, butter, butter tart, dessert, eating, food

It’s hard to beat a good butter tart, but these bars have all the gooey goodness and the rich buttery taste without having to fiddle with a pastry. Just pat the shortbread crust in a 9 by 13 deep pan and spoon the filling over top. What could be easier? The hardest part about this recipe is waiting to eat them!

Once you make these bars they will become your new favorite treat. These are the world’s best butter tart bars.

Ingredients: Base:

• 2 cups of all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (I use vanilla sugar)
• 1 cup of butter

Topping:

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 cups packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup corn syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups golden raisins
• 1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 by 13 inch deep pan with parchment paper.

To make the base, combine flour and sugar in a large bowl. Using two knives or a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture is the texture of a coarse meal. Press firmly into the baking pan, going slightly up the sides of the pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes until just slightly golden. Remove from oven.

To make the topping, in a large bowl, stir together melted and cooled butter and eggs. Add sugar, flour, corn syrup, baking powder, vanilla and salt; stir until combined. Fold in raisins and pecans. Pour over base and bake for an additional ~25 minutes, or until the top doesn’t jiggle and or it springs back when touched.

Let cool on a rack. When cool, cover and refrigerate overnight before cutting into squares. This is the hardest part.. the waiting… but it is very important, as you need these bars to fully set before you cut them and eat them. They will keep for a few weeks in the fridge in a sealed container, but they wont last that long.

This recipe can be easily doubled – to do so you will need to use a 12 by 16 in baking sheet. You will have a little filling leftover but that is OK as it doesn’t not affect the outcome at all.

Enjoy!