Adaptable Recipes, Holiday Food, Makeover Monday Meals, Weekend Baking Warrior

Monday Makeover Meal Bonus- Puff Pastry

As a divorced mother of two, transitioning from full-time parent to empty-nester was an adjustment while my sons were in college. I didn’t have to cook as much while college was in session, but it was business as usual during their breaks and after they finished grad school.

I’ve embraced life as an empty nester but as someone who likes to be in the kitchen, I had to learn how to scale down my meals and recipes. That’s when I happened up Dessert For Two. Blogger Christine is the author of four cookbooks and has scaled down many recipes for smaller servings, which was right up my alley. I love to bake and puff pastry is one of my favorite things to make and keep in the fridge or freezer.  Christine’s recipe is perfectly sized, fast, and accessible.  I adapted the recipe for dietary restrictions so everyone can make it.

 

Puff Pastry for Two by Dessert For Two adapted by Still A Chick Lit

Ingredients

1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour (gluten-free all-purpose flour, 1 to 1 gluten-free baking blend, white rice, brown rice, or sorghum flour with 1 tablespoon of xanthan gum)

1/4 teaspoon fine salt

10 tablespoons high-quality unsalted butter (5 ounces), cold (unsalted vegan butter)

1/3 cup ice-cold water

Instructions

In a medium bowl, add the flour and salt. Stir to mix.

Next, cube the butter and then add it to the flour bowl. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut the butter into the dough. It will be very crumbly, and you’re done when the butter is in uniform pieces all about the size of peas.

Next, make a hole in the center of the dough and pour in all of the water. Using a fork, stir to combine the dough.

Flour a cutting board and add the dough. Pat it into a rough square. You will still see chunks of butter and it will seem too dry, but do not add extra water. The dough will come together with each roll.

Flour the rolling pin and roll the dough out in front of you into a rectangle about 10″ long. No need to be too precise here.

Fold the bottom third of the dough over the middle of the dough. Fold the upper third of the dough on top of the middle too. Rotate the dough one-quarter turn, and repeat. Use additional flour as needed to prevent the dough from sticking.

Roll out, fold, and turn the dough at least 6 or 7 times.

When done, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least one hour, or overnight. Dough may be frozen, too.

Roll out with flour for desired puff pastry use.

Note: Although the recipe is easily doubled, Christine advises against tripling the recipe. If you do double the recipe, be sure to divide it in half before you begin your rolling sessions.

If at any time during the rolling process it seems the butter is getting too soft, pop the dough into the fridge for ten minutes or put it in the freezer for five minutes.  It’s critical that the butter remains chilled in order to achieve the flakey texture puff pastry is known for.

Puff pastry can be used for both sweet and savory appetizers and desserts.

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Adaptable Recipes, Dessert, Weekend Baking Warrior

Weekend Baking Project Chocolate Cupcakes

 

There’s nothing in the world like cupcakes. It packs a lot of taste into every bite.  Nevertheless, there are times when a dozen is just too much temptation especially when it comes to chocolate. This is the beauty of small-batch recipes. This one comes from Just So Tasty

This makes 6 standard-size cupcakes or 4 jumbo-size cupcakes.

 

This recipe has been adapted by Still A Chick Lit

Small Batch Chocolate Cupcake original recipe by Just So Tasty

Ingredients

Chocolate Cupcakes

  • ½ cup all-purpose flour (gluten-free all-purpose flour, 1 to 1 gluten-free baking blend, brown rice, white rice, or sorghum flour)
  • ¼ cup cocoa powder (unsweetened)
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil or canola
  • ½ cup white sugar (Swerve Sweetener, Splenda granulated, coconut, raw cane, or turbinado sugar, finely pulsed)
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg(3 tablespoons of Aquafaba, 1/4 cup silken tofu pureed with 1/8 teaspoon baking soda, vegan egg replacer = 1 egg, liquid vegan egg replacer = 1 egg)
  •  cup buttermilk (dairy: low-fat, light, or whole-fat buttermilk)
  • (Non-dairy buttermilk 1/3 cup of unsweetened almond, soy, rice, or light coconut milk mixed with 1/2 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, let stand for at least five minutes)

Chocolate Frosting*

  • ½ cup unsalted butter softened (unsalted vegan butter)
  • 1 ½ – 2 cups powdered sugar (Swerve confectioner’s sugar substitute, organic powdered sugar, vegan powdered sugar)
  • ¼ cup cocoa powder (unsweetened)
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 12 tablespoons milk or whipping cream (Dairy: heavy or light cream) (Non-dairy 1-2 tablespoons of full-fat coconut milk or almond milk)

Instructions

Chocolate Cupcakes

  • Preheat the oven to 350F (180C) degrees and line a muffin tin with muffin papers. You’ll end up with 6 or 7 cupcakes in total. I always use the middle 6 muffin cavities because I find the cupcakes cook more evenly.
  • In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
  • In a separate medium bowl whisk together the oil, sugar, vanilla extract, and egg. Then whisk in the buttermilk.
  • Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until no lumps remain.
  • Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling each about ½ – ⅔ full. You should end up with 6 or 7 cupcakes total. Be sure not to fill the cupcake liners to the top.
  • Bake in the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Chocolate Frosting*

  • In a medium bowl, beat the butter until soft.
  • Beat in 1 cup powdered sugar. If it’s lumpy, be sure to sift it first.
  • Add in the cocoa powder (again, sifting if lumpy), vanilla extract, and salt and beat until combined.
  • Mix in the rest of the powdered sugar about ½ cup at a time, alternating with a tablespoon of milk/cream until the desired sweetness and thickness is reached.
  • Frost the cooled cupcakes with a knife, or transfer the frosting to a piping bag and frost. I used a piping bag and a Wilton 1M piping tip.