Bready or Not

Bready or Not recipe blog

Bready or Not Original: Custard/Pudding Powder Chocolate Chip Cookies Redux

Posted by on Mar 13, 2024 in Blog, Bready or Not, chicken, cookies | 0 comments

These Custard/Powder Chocolate Chip Cookie are made with a recipe I first featured back in 2015. It’s time to revisit it!

Bready or Not Original: Custard/Pudding Powder Chocolate Chip Cookies Redux

Custard powder isn’t common in the States. It’s very much a British/Canadian thing. Bird’s Custard Powder, in particular, is an important kitchen item. However, if you don’t have a canister of Bird’s available–or it’s prohibitively expensive–you can buy good ol’ instant vanilla pudding powder and use it instead.

Bready or Not Original: Custard/Pudding Powder Chocolate Chip Cookies Redux

This recipe makes a huge batch of cookies–about 80, if using a small scoop. Therefore, I find this recipe is a good opportunity to divide the dough and freeze half for later.

Bready or Not Original: Custard/Pudding Powder Chocolate Chip Cookies Redux

Whatever your pudding powder of choice, give these a try. Live deliciously.

Bready or Not Original: Custard/Pudding Powder Chocolate Chip Cookies Redux

Custard powder or pudding powder in the dough creates a vanilla-rich cookie that will make your taste buds sing. A Bready or Not Original.
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: British, Canadian
Keyword: chocolate, cookies, custard powder
Servings: 80 cookies
Author: Beth Cato

Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) room temperature
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1 cup brown sugar packed
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 6 Tablespoons custard powder or instant vanilla pudding powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 11 ounces chocolate chips 1 bag

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • In a large bowl, cream together the butter and both sugars. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla extract.
  • In another bowl, stir together the flour, custard/pudding powder, baking soda, and salt. Slowly blend the dry ingredients with the butter mix. Add the chocolate chips.
  • Use a large cookie scoop or spoon to place dough onto cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool on sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely.
  • Store in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

OM NOM NOM!

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    Bready or Not: Berry Butter Cake

    Posted by on Mar 6, 2024 in Blog, Bready or Not, breakfast, cake | 0 comments

    Cake is good. This Berry Butter Cake, loaded with fruit, is very good.

    Bready or Not: Berry Butter Cake

    This cake features a tender, moist crumb that provides a delicious cushion for things like strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries. It’s not fancy.

    Bready or Not: Berry Butter Cake

    I modified this a lot from Bake from Scratch Magazine, adjusting some ingredients and other directions. The bake time was way too long, for starters. I was also perturbed that they call for vanilla extract in the glaze, but obviously used clear vanilla extract for their picture, because using regular extract muddies the glaze.

    Bready or Not: Berry Butter Cake

    This cake is great to freeze and thaw later, even weeks later. It stores beautifully sealed up in the fridge or at room temperature.

    Bready or Not: Berry Butter Cake

    This buttery-fresh is a single layer loaded with berries of your choice, fresh or frozen! Greatly modified from Bake from Scratch July/August 2023.
    Author: Beth Cato

    Equipment

    • 9-inch springform pan
    • parchment paper
    • nonstick spray

    Ingredients

    Cake:

    • 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened
    • 1 cup white sugar
    • 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
    • 2 large eggs room temperature
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
    • 2 cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
    • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
    • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
    • 3/4 cup buttermilk or soured milk, see note

    Fruit:

    • 1 3/4 cups fresh or frozen berries such as raspberries, strawberries, or blueberries (210 grams)
    • 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

    Vanilla Glaze:

    • 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar plus more if needed
    • 1 Tablespoon milk or half & half, plus more if needed
    • 1/2 teaspoon clear vanilla extract

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Prepare springform pan by cutting a piece of parchment paper to fit inside. Use nonstick spray on interior of pan, then place cut parchment inside and spray again.
    • Beat together butter and both sugars until they are light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla.
    • In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter bowl alternatively with the buttermilk/soured milk. Scrape the bottom of the bowl a few times.
    • In another bowl, stir the flour into the fruit to coat it. Reserving 1/4 cup of fruit, fold most of it into the batter. Spread batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle the reserved fruit over the top.
    • Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, until the cake looks golden brown and the middle passes the toothpick test. Let it cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then pop open the springform ring to remove it. Let cake cool completely on rack.
    • Combine glaze ingredients in a bowl until they are smooth. Add more confectioners’ sugar or milk, if necessary, to achieve a thick but good consistency for drizzling. Immediately drizzle across the top of the cake. Let set at least 20 minutes before slicing in.
    • Cake keeps well in sealed container at room temperature for up to 3 days. It can also be frozen in individual slices for weeks or kept in fridge.

    OM NOM NOM!

      Notes

      Make soured milk by pouring about a Tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar in a liquid measuring cup, then add milk or half & half to reach the 3/4 cup line required by this recipe. Let it sit about 10 minutes. It should start to thicken and curdle. Add all of that acidic goodness to the batter.
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      Bready or Not Original: Air Fryer Maple Roasted Nuts

      Posted by on Feb 28, 2024 in Blog, Bready or Not, gluten-free, maple, nutty | 0 comments

      Pardon me, have you heard that air fryers are awesome? Yeah, yeah, I won’t go for the hard sell, but I do love my air fryer, and it sure makes these Maple Roasted Nuts quick and convenient.

      Bready or Not Original: Air Fryer Maple Roasted Nuts

      This is a good recipe if you want to prepare nuts for a sports game or any kind of gathering–or if, like me, you enjoy having some lightly-sweet nuts along with cheese.

      Bready or Not Original: Air Fryer Maple Roasted Nuts

      If you’d like, substitute honey for the maple syrup. I imagine something like agave syrup might work, too, but I haven’t tried that. I know maple sugar can be expensive or hard to find offline, but fortunately brown sugar makes for a good substitute for that, too.

      Bready or Not Original: Air Fryer Maple Roasted Nuts

      These roasted nuts are easy to make in the air fryer. They are lightly sweet and perfect. Use any kind of whole nuts you want, just make the amount equal 2 cups.
      Course: Appetizer
      Keyword: cashews, maple, pecans
      Author: Beth Cato

      Equipment

      • air fryer
      • parchment paper

      Ingredients

      • 1 cup whole pecans
      • 1 cup whole cashews
      • 1 Tablespoon butter melted
      • 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
      • 1/2 teaspoon salt
      • 1 Tablespoon maple sugar or brown sugar

      Instructions

      • Line the air fryer tray with parchment paper cut to fit, then place tray on top.
      • Place the nuts in a large bowl. Pour the butter over the top, followed by the maple syrup and salt. Stir the nuts to coat. Place them spread out on the mesh tray.
      • Air fry at 325-degrees for about 5 to 6 minutes or until they begin to smell toasted, stirring one halfway through. They should look browned at the end.
      • While they are cooking, pull out another small cookie sheet or plate, putting more parchment on it if desired; this will be a surface on which the nuts will cool.
      • When the nuts are done, pull them from the air fryer and carefully transfer them to the fresh cookie sheet. Let them cool for about 10 minutes, then sprinkle maple sugar on top, stirring to coat. Enjoy immediately, or place in a sealed container at room temperature to eat over the next month.

      OM NOM NOM!

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        Bready or Not Original: Berry Scones

        Posted by on Feb 21, 2024 in Blog, Bready or Not, breakfast, british, chocolate | 0 comments

        These Berry Scones are a delicious way to use fresh or frozen fruit to create a batch of baked goods for breakfast.

        Bready or Not: Berry Scones

        I love scones but I hadn’t made this recipe in over 10 years. Arizona is not a good place to get locally grown fresh fruit like strawberries and raspberries. Soon after we moved to Minnesota, fresh strawberries came into season AND I won a gallon-sized bag of frozen raspberries in my first horticultural club meeting.

        Bready or Not: Berry Scones

        I needed ways to utilize my new bounty. I reworked this old recipe, reducing the fruit amount and adding white chocolate chips. That extra sweet kick really elevates the fruit!

        Bready or Not: Berry Scones

        Bready or Not Original: Berry Scones

        These Berry Scones are a perfect breakfast, delicious at room temperature or warmed in the microwave. They can be frozen after baking, making this is a convenient make-ahead recipe. Don’t thaw the fruit if it’s frozen or it’ll be mushy and juicy. Use only fresh or frozen fruit.
        Course: Breakfast
        Cuisine: British
        Keyword: chocolate, raspberries, scones, strawberries
        Author: Beth Cato

        Equipment

        • cookie sheet or scone pan
        • nonstick spray

        Ingredients

        Scones:

        • 1/2 cup strawberries or raspberries (fresh or frozen) about 3oz
        • 3 Tablespoons white sugar separated
        • 2 cups all-purpose flour
        • 2 teaspoons baking powder
        • 1/4 teaspoon salt
        • 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
        • 2/3 cup milk or almond milk
        • 1/2 cup white chocolate chips

        Topping:

        • 1 Tablespoon coarse or white sugar optional

        Instructions

        • Preheat oven at 400 degrees. Lightly grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper, or use a scone pan.
        • Use kitchen shears or a knife to cut the fruit into bite-sized pieces. Sprinkle fruit with 1/2 tablespoon sugar; set aside to macerate.
        • Combine remaining sugar with flour, baking powder and salt. Add butter, using a pastry cutter or a fork to cut it in. Don’t completely mix in butter, but leave some pea-sized pieces throughout. Stir in milk. Fold in the white chocolate chips followed by the berries.
        • Flour hands to coat. Gently knead and turn the dough to incorporate the dry bits from the bottom of the bowl. Sprinkle dough with extra flour if it’s too sticky to work with.
        • If using a cookie sheet for baking, pat the dough into a circle 3/4 inch thick. If any berries peek out, push them into dough. Cut circle into 6-8 wedges (or smaller), then transfer wedges to the cookie sheet, leaving at least 1/2 inch of space between them; they will spread. Alternatively, press handfuls of dough into a scone pan, filling each empty space to the end to create even pieces. Sprinkle the tops with coarse or white sugar, if desired.
        • Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until the tops are beginning to brown. Remove them from pan. Scones can be eaten immediately, or will keep in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Freeze them to enjoy later.

        OM NOM NOM!

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          Bready or Not: Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie

          Posted by on Feb 14, 2024 in Blog, Bready or Not, chocolate, cookies | 0 comments

          If you’re in need of a small-scale dessert for just a couple of people (hey, it is Valentine’s Day as I post this), this Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie is perfect.

          Bready or Not: Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie

          You’ll need a 6-inch cast iron skillet or cake pan for this recipe. I have the former.

          Bready or Not: Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie

          This is a treat best enjoyed while it’s warm. Therefore, let the big cookie cool enough so you won’t get burned, and then dig in. If you want to make this even more luxurious, add some scoops of ice cream in the middle and eat everything with spoons!

          Bready or Not: Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie

          Modified from Bake from Scratch July/August 2023.

          Bready or Not: Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie

          This small-scale treat is perfect as a sweet treat for a small family or as a date night dessert for two adults. This is the kind of dish where you don’t expect to have leftovers–but if you do, they are best served warmed. Modified from Bake from Scratch July/August 2023.
          Course: Dessert
          Cuisine: American
          Keyword: chocolate, cookies
          Servings: 2
          Author: Beth Cato

          Equipment

          • 6-inch cast iron skillet or 6-inch cake pan
          • nonstick spray
          • small saucepan

          Ingredients

          • 1/4 cup unsalted butter
          • 2 Tablespoons white sugar
          • 2 Tablespoons brown sugar packed
          • 1 large egg yolk
          • 1 Tablespoon milk or half& half
          • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
          • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
          • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
          • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
          • 1/2 cup chocolate chips whatever kind you want
          • flaked sea salt and coarse sugar for optional topping

          Instructions

          • Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Prepare the pan by using nonstick spray or some extra butter to coat.
          • In a small saucepan, melt the butter on medium heat, stirring often. The butter will foam and then turn brown after 6 to 8 minutes. Set aside to cool for at least 10 minutes.
          • In a mixing bowl, combine browned butter, both sugars, egg yolk, milk, and vanilla. Add the flour, baking powder, and kosher salt. Fold in the chocolate chips. If desired, add a sprinkle of flaked sea salt and coarse sugar on top.
          • Bake until the edges are brown and the middle is no longer gooey, about 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool for 15 to 20 minutes before digging in, but it is ideally eaten while it's still warm.

          OM NOM NOM!

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            Bready or Not: Lemonade-Like Cookies

            Posted by on Feb 7, 2024 in Blog, Bready or Not, cookies, lemon | 0 comments

            It’s February (how did that happen?), but these brightly-flavored Lemon-Lake Cookies will add some sunshine to your day, no matter when you make them.

            Bready or Not: Lemonade-Like Cookies

            These are not fancy cookies. They are fairly straightforward to make. The only real “extra” bit is etching the lemon effect onto the cookies. I found it annoying that the example picture in Allrecipes Magazine, where I found the original recipe, showed the cookies when they were unglazed, hence the lemon effect is quite bold.

            Bready or Not: Lemonade-Like Cookies

            The reality is that the glaze fills in many of the lines and holes, making the etching much more subtle. It is still visible, though (if you impress the lines and dots enough).

            Bready or Not: Lemonade-Like Cookies

            Bready or Not: Lemonade-Like Cookies

            These shaped cookies contain a refreshing lemon flavor to brighten your day, no matter what time of year you make them! The etched pattern will be subtle once the glaze is on, but is still worthwhile. Modified from Allrecipes Magazine.
            Course: Dessert
            Keyword: cookies, lemon
            Author: Beth Cato

            Equipment

            • zester
            • juicer
            • parchment paper
            • Rolling Pin
            • plastic wrap
            • 2-inch cookie cutter
            • skewer or chopstick
            • pastry brush

            Ingredients

            Dough

            • 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) cut into thin slices
            • 1/2 cup white sugar
            • 1 lemon
            • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
            • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
            • 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
            • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour plus more for surface

            Glaze

            • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
            • 2 to 3 Tablespoons lemon juice

            Instructions

            • Zest the lemon. Cut lemon in half and squeeze out juice. Set aside zest and juice.
            • Preheat oven at 300-degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
            • Place butter, white sugar, lemon zest, salt, and vanilla in a bowl, stirring together until the butter starts to soften and the ingredients come together. Add flour, mixing until buttery crumbs form. Use hands to press dough together into a ball.
            • Lightly flour a flat work surface. Set the dough there and press it into a 1/2-inch thick disk. Place a long stretch of plastic wrap on top and roll the dough to about 1/4-inch thickness. Cut dough with cookie cutter, placing rounds slightly spaced out on prepared sheet. Reroll dough scraps cut out more rounds until it’s all basically shaped.
            • If desired, etch a lemon-like effect. Use a sharp knife to form decorative lines atop cookies, pressing in the blade to form 8 triangular wedges on each; make sure to only press into the top of the dough, not all the way through. Use a skewer or chopstick to add decorative holes near the tip of each wedge, creating an effect like a lemon seed.
            • Bake cookies until they are light brown around the wedges, 22 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely, but reserve the parchment and pan for the glazing.
            • Return cookies to cooled pan. Mix together the confectioners’ sugar and 2 tablespoons lemon juice, adding more if needed to form a thick but spreadable glaze. Use a pastry brush to apply a layer of glaze to each cookie, adding an extra layer, if desired, with any leftover glaze after the initial coat. Let cookies stand for 30 minutes to an hour, until glaze is set. Pack cookies into a sealed container. Store at room temperature.

            OM NOM NOM!

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