Bûche de Noël

Finally had the courage to make a Bûche de Noël. So happy with how it turned out, we almost didn’t let anyone eat it. The sponge and the cream filling are so light and delicious. Really makes it the most wonderful time of the year. 

The recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction is great, easy to follow and includes a very helpful video.

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

Further adventures in egregious diet violation: this simple loaf cake from Helen Goh and Yotam Ottolenghi’s book, Sweet, strikes the perfect balance between sweet tooth satisfaction and ultra-lemony zing not to mention glazey goodness. With coffee or espresso, it makes you happy to greet the morning. With a cup of earl gray tea, it glides you contentedly through the afternoon. I have a theory that the loaf actually explodes if you don’t finish it within 24 hours of pulling it from the oven. Fortunately, I’ve never even come close to putting that to the test.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• ¹/₂ cup sour cream
• 5 tablespoons  unsalted butter, cubed, plus extra for greasing
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
• Finely grated zest of 3 lemons (1 tablespoon)
• 1 ¹/₃ cups  all-purpose flour
• 1 ¹/₄ teaspoons baking powder
• ¹/₄ teaspoon salt
• ³/₄ cup  confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the oven to 325° F. Grease an 8 ½ x 4 ⅓” loaf pan with butter. If you use a metal pan, also line with parchment.
2. Whisk eggs and granulated sugar in an electric mixer on medium-high for about 2 minutes, until pale and frothy. Add the cream and continue to beat for about 2 minutes, until the mixture has combined. 
3. In the meantime, melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat, stir in the poppy seeds and lemon zest, and set aside.
4. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together into a bowl, then use a rubber spatula to fold this into the egg mixture before folding in the butter, poppy seeds, and zest.
5. Spoon the mixture into the loaf pan so that it rises three-quarters of the way up the sides. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Resist the urge to open the oven and check on it until the timer goes off.
6. To make the glaze, whisk the confectioners’ sugar with the lemon juice in a bowl. 
7. Pour the glaze over the top of the cake as soon as it comes out of the oven, spreading it over the top so that it sinks in and creates a nice coating. Cool for 30 minutes before removing from the pan.

Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

This is a recipe I adapted from an oatmeal cookie recipe on Weightwatchers.com.  Instead of the suggested raisins, I added dried cranberries and some orange zest.  They come together really fast and are easy to make  The best part is that you can eat two of them and only cost yourself 4 points!

NOTE: The recipe calls for softened butter.  If you’re like me the cookie-making urge strikes with little warning — certainly less than would be required for softening butter.  If you find yourself in this position, don’t melt the butter, it’ll completely change your cookies.  Just stick it in the microwave in a ramekin for about 15 seconds.

INGREDIENTS

• ¾ cup flour
• 1 ½ cups uncooked quick oats
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp ground cloves
• ½ cut butter, softened
• ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 large egg white
• ½ cup dried cranberries
• ½ tbsp fresh orange zest

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Whisk together flour, oats, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in a medium bowl. Place butter in a large bowl or in the bowl of a mixer and beat butter for a few seconds. Gradually add sugars and beat to combine.
3. Add egg white to butter mixture and beat to combine. Add dry ingredients and beat to combine.
4. Drop batter by tablespoonfuls onto 2 ungreased cookie sheets, leaving 2 inches between each cookie. Bake until set and golden, about 11 to 14 minutes. Remove cookies to wire racks to cool. Yields 2 cookies per serving.

White Peach and Blueberry Buckle

White Peach and Blueberry Buckle

In truth this comes out tasting very much like a coffee cake, but saying, “I’m making a buckle” is just so much more fun.

I adapted a recipe from Taste of Home to include white peaches and added a little more milk and vanilla to to the batter.

Served shortly after coming out of the oven with some vanilla ice cream, this is really tasty.

Ingredients

• ¼ cup butter, softened
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 egg
• ½ tsp vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¾ milk (maybe more as needed)
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 1 cup white peaches, peeled, and sliced into pieces

Topping

• ⅔ cup sugar
• ½ cup flour
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ⅓ cup cold butter, cubed

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°
2. In a small bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla.  Beat in egg, combine the flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition.  Fold in fruit, pour into greased 9-in square baking pan.
3. For topping, in a small bowl combine the sugar flour and cinnamon; cut in butter until crumbly.  Sprinkle over batter.
4. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Cool on a wire rack.

Approx. 9 servings

Weight Watchers Points: 5 (excluding ice cream)