Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove Cookbook (10 page)

1.
Preheat oven to 400°F; set oven rack to middle position. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

2.
In food processor, pulse flour, sugar, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt until blended. Add butter pieces; process until mixture resembles coarse meal. Transfer mixture to large bowl.

3.
Make a well in the center of mixture; whisk honey into milk and pour milk into well. Stir to form a soft dough. Add walnuts and stir briefly to blend. Turn dough onto a floured countertop. (Dough will be wet.)

4.
Using floured hands, press dough into a ½-inch thick round. Using a sharp knife, cut round into 8 wedges. Gently place wedges on prepared sheet. Bake 15 minutes, until scones are lightly browned around the edges. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

TIP

Scones don’t keep well. Either eat these the day they are baked, or wrap tightly and freeze.

1.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In large bowl with electric mixer at high speed, beat butter, peanut butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Gently fold in flour mixture until just incorporated.

3.
Roll a rounded tablespoon of dough between your hands to make a ball. Place balls onto prepared sheets. Dip a fork in additional granulated sugar; press each dough ball to make crisscross pattern. Bake 14 minutes, until lightly brown around the edges. Cool on baking sheet 5 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

4.
For filling: Beat all ingredients together until creamy. Spread about 1 tablespoon filling between 2 cooled cookies.

TIP

Line the baking sheet with parchment for even browning and to guard against burning.

1.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Set rack to upper third of oven. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with a large sheet of foil, pressing foil so that it fits into the pan. Lightly butter foil.

2.
In large bowl with electric mixer on high speed, beat eggs, sugar and vanilla 10 minutes, until blended. Meanwhile, in a glass measuring cup, microwave butter and chocolate until almost melted. Stir in espresso powder until combined.

3.
Reduce mixer speed to low; add chocolate mixture until blended. Mix in flour and salt until just combined.

4.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 25 minutes, until top is shiny and slightly cracked along the edges. Brownies will still be soft and gooey in the middle. Do not overbake. Transfer to wire rack to cool. When completely cool, use foil edges to lift brownies out of pan. Cover and let sit at least 4 hours before cutting.

TIP

Lining the pan with foil makes for easy cleanup. Just lift the entire cooled brownie block out of the pan, then cut into individual brownies.

1.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners. In large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt until combined. With pastry blender or two knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs.

2.
In a small bowl, whisk egg, milk, lemon zest and vanilla until blended. Fold egg mixture into flour mixture gently, just until flour is moistened (batter will be lumpy). Carefully fold in blueberries.

3.
Spoon batter evenly into muffin cups. Bake 20 to 25 minutes until golden and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove muffins from pan. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

TIP

Remember to fold the wet ingredients into the dry only until moistened. This makes the most tender muffin.

1.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.

2.
For filling: In food processor, combine sugars, flour and cinnamon. Remove ¾ cup of this mixture for the filling. Add butter and pecans to the sugar mixture remaining in the processor; pulse until blended. Transfer this mixture to a bowl for the topping.

3.
For muffins: In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, sour cream and vanilla until blended. In same food processor (no need to wash), pulse flour, sugar, baking powder and salt until combined. Add egg mixture; pulse until just combined. Do not overmix.

4.
Drop a heaping tablespoon of batter into each muffin cup; press batter into cup. Top with about 1 tablespoon filling. Fill cups with remaining batter, then mound streusel over batter. Very lightly press streusel into batter to make it stick.

5.
Bake 22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let muffins cool in pan for 20 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

TIP

Always cool muffins completely before storing them. If enclosed in an airtight container while still hot, the muffins will get soggy.