CARAMEL CRUNCH ECLAIRS WITH BURNT CARAMEL PASTRY CREME

Can we just talk about these éclairs? I have been eating them for what feels for-evaaa. But its only been weeks.

The upside to that is after much testing and tinkering, I’ve perfected the recipe for you.

Let me start by saying that some pate choux recipes call for all water, while others use half milk, half water. Mine falls into the latter. And since my stomach isn’t always happy when I consume milk, I’m so glad to know a2 Milk® is now available to people like me.

Can we just talk about how excited I am that a2 Milk®is now widely available in California? It’s natural milk from specially selected cows that produce milk without the A1 beta-casein protein—the protein that may cause digestive discomfort for those us not clinically diagnosed as lactose intolerant. a2 Milk® is a great replacement to the overly processed alternatives like Lactaid or Fairlife. And, I especially love that not only are their cows not given hormones or rBST, but the cows are also fed a vegetarian diet.

Do you see why someone like me is crushing on these specially selected cows and their milk?

An added good thing for this recipe because the burnt caramel pastry cream that these éclairs are stuffed with is made with a milk base. Milk is a key component in this recipe so you will definitely want to grab some a2 Milk®

With that, lets talk pate choux for these éclairs. These are exactly on point with what you need – hollow insides (no heavy webbing) and minimal cracks on the top with a crispy exterior. If you follow me on Instagram than you saw the evolution of this recipe. If not, you can see the recipe side-by-side transformation here.

In fact, stay tuned because I’ll be making a short video that will include key techniques for how to make éclairs that are more polished in appearance—that is without cracks and with hollow insides.

For the finish on these éclairs, I went with my usual heavy-handed flair. Beyond the decorative factor, I piped some Swiss Meringue on top for a lighter textural contrast to the caramel pastry cream. Then I sprinkled it with chocolate covered almonds for some crunch and added gold leaf for a final visual punch. But feel free to keep it simple and and stick with a chocolate glaze.

However, you finish it, grab a glass of a2 Milk® and enjoy!

**This is a sponsored post in collaboration with a2 Milk Company™ All opinions are my own.

CHOCOLATE ECLAIRS WITH BURNT CARAMEL PASTRY CREME

YIELD: 28 4-inch eclairs

Ingredients:

Pate Choux (makes 28 4-inch eclair shells)

• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 6 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 1/4  teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup bread flour
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten

Burnt Caramel Creme (makes about 2 1/2 cups)

• 1 cup + 4 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 cups milk
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 4 large egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 teaspoons vanilla paste

Chocolate Glaze

• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Directions:

To make eclair shells:

Line two baking sheet with parchment paper. Fit pastry bag with 1/2 inch star tip (shells will crack less with a star tip vs round tip).

In a medium saucepan, stir and cook, milk, water, butter, sugar and salt over medium heat until well combined. Once butter is melted, bring mixture to a simmer. Once simmered, remove pan from heat and add flour all at once, using a sturdy spatula or wooden spoon, stir until streaks  of flour are no longer visible. Return pan to medium heat and start vigorously stirring the dough and smashing it against the side of pan. The idea is to cook the moisture out of the dough. Dough is ready when it starts to pull away from side and a visible film is on the bottom of pan, about 3-5 minutes.

Transfer mixture to a stand mixer bowl fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on low for 3 minutes to release the steam. Let stand for 10 minutes to cool. 

Turn oven onto 375 degrees F. In a small bowl, beat eggs until blended.

Turn mixer to medium and beat in half of egg mixture, making sure eggs are well blended into dough  before adding the remaining eggs. Dough is ready when it's  smooth and glossy and a tip forms when paddle is dipped and pulled out of dough and immediately falls on itself. 

Transfer dough to a pastry bag. Pipe 4 inch long shells onto prepared baking sheet, make sure to space each one 2 inches apart. Bake 3755 degrees F for 20 minutes, turn pan half way through. Remove shells from oven and working quickly, slit tops of eclair 1/2 an inch long. 

To make burnt caramel creme: In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup sugar and water, bring to a boil over medium heat. Brush down sides of pan with water as needed to prevent crystals from forming. Continue to boil for 8-10 minutes or until mixture turns a deep amber and just starts to smoke (the deeper the color, the more flavor). Remove pan from heat and immediately stir in milk (mixture will bubble and steam wildly, so be careful not to burn yourself). Return pan to low heat, cook and stir until smooth. Increase heat to medium. Let simmer about 1-2 minutes, remove from heat; set aside.

In the meantime and in a large bowl, whisk together 4 tablespoons sugar and cornstarch. Add in egg yolks and whisk to combine. Add about 5 tablespoon, 1 tablespoon at a time, of hot caramel mixture into yolk mixture while stirring constantly (this will temper the eggs and prevent it from curdling.) Once eggs are tempered pour in remaining caramel mixture. Return mixture to pot, cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and comes just to a boil, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat, strain mixture. Stir in butter and vanilla paste. Let cool slightly and place plastic wrap directly on surface. The Burnt Caramel Creme can be made up to 2 days in advance. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Bring to room temperature on counter tip when ready to use. 

To make chocolate glaze: In a small saucepan, bring the cream ot just a boil over medium heat. Pour cream over chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Set aside and keep warm. The glaze can be made up to 2 days in advance. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Rewarm in a microwave when ready to use.

Assembly: Fill eclair shells with burnt caramel creme. Dip filled eclairs in chocolate. Finished as desired. To finish like the picture, pipe swiss meringue buttercream on top and layer with sliced chocolate covered almonds.  

http://www.bakersroyale.com/chocolate-eclairs-with-burnt-caramel-pastry-creme/

CHOCOLATE SHEET CAKE RECIPE

Memorial Day is just around the corner and I can’t wait. Not only is it my birthday weekend, but it always ushers in summer fun.

HERSHEY’S #HelloHappy Moment(s) didn’t stop with National Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day – I’m going to be creating moments of joy all summer long. The idea behind #HelloHappy is to choose happiness anywhere and at any time in life’s little moments, whether it be a backyard cookout or at dinner with the family after a long day.

So this chocolate sprinkle sheet cake — doesn’t it scream happiness! I’m going to be sharing this cake with my neighbors. Yep, I’m making this sheet cake to share with them for no reason other than to say “Thank You” for being great.

I’m fortunate enough to have the kind of neighbors that makes our neighborhood feel like a big family. With that, I know how busy everyone is, so I can’t wait to have them over for a #HelloHappy moment to have some cake and catch up. And since this cake is so easy to make, I’ll be making one for them to take home and share with their family and friends this Memorial Day—it’s like #HelloHappy moment paid forward.

Thankfully this chocolate sheet cake holds up well to any weather, so even if turns hot this weekend, I won’t have to worry about any melting buttercream or it drying it if I make it a day or two ahead. Want to know the secret to this great cake, can you guess?

Let me tell you . . . HERSHEY’S Cocoa and HERSHEY’S Spreads in Chocolate.

The cocoa gives the cake the needed warm chocolate-y flavor and the chocolate spread makes the icing rich and creamy.

Now that you are in the know with how easy this cake is— go find your happiness, make this cake and share a #HelloHappy Moment with someone you want to make smile!

**This post is in collaboration with Hershey’s.

CHOCOLATE SHEET CAKE RECIPE

YIELD: Serves 12-14

Ingredients:

Cake

• 2 cups flour
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1/2 cup HERSHEY’S Cocoa
• 3/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons instant coffee

Icing

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup milk
• 4 tablespoons HERSHEY’S Cocoa
• 1/2 cup HERSHEY’S Spreads in Chocolate
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted

Topping

• 1 cup sprinkles

Directions:

To make cake: Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly butter half sheet pan.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, both sugars, baking soda and salt; set aside. In a second bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk and vanilla extract; aside.

In a small saucepan, add butter, oil, HERSHEY’S Cocoa, water and instant coffee. Heat and stir over medium heat until mixture comes together and just starts to boil. Pour chocolate mixture over flour mixture, stir until no white streaks remain. Add buttermilk mixture and stir to combine.

Pour mixture into prepared pan and bake until cake tester comes out free of wet batter when inserted in center of pan, about 20-23 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack.

In the meantime, make the icing by placing butter, milk, HERSHEY’S Cocoa and HERSHEY'S Spreads in Chocolate over medium heat. Gently stir until mixture is smooth and well combined. Do not let it come to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract and powdered sugar. Pour icing over cake and use an offset spatula to spread over top of cake. Sprinkle toppings onto icing layer. Cut and serve.

http://www.bakersroyale.com/chocolate-sheet-cake-recipe/

VANILLA FRAPPE MACARONS

Let’s see mornings in a new light with Nespresso VertuoLine Breakfast Coffees, Solelio and Giornio and some breakfast cookies.

A-yup. Breakfast cookies by way of French Toast Macarons and Vanilla Frappe Macarons.

Admittedly, most days I will hurriedly down a few scrambled eggs and then it’s off to start a day of rushed madness. But lately, I’m seeing mornings in a new light. To help me along with that are these breakfast dessert macarons and Nespresso VertuoLine Breakfast Coffees, Solelio and Giornio to go with them.

I’ve decided waking up and thinking about all one-hundred and elevent-y! things that need to be complete before 4pm while sipping my coffee is completely non-sensical. Not only that, it gets me reeling down the path of wanting to ignore emails because after that one-hundred and elevent-y to-do list is probably another few dozen emails of missed deadlines inquiries. That, friends, is the awful truth of it.

Thank gawd for the little pleasures in life like morning coffee and cookies. If you are a regular reader around here, then you know I’ve been a long time fan and partner of Nespresso. Their new VertuoLine Breakfast Coffees, Solelio and Giornio are my new go-to blends. The Solelio has red fruity notes, while Giornio has white floral notes—both are light and medium in roast.

What really makes this coffee shine is that Nespresso’s coffees and espressos are topped with a silky and generous layer of naturally-formed crema—a sign of superior, high quality coffee. And if you are a coffee and espresso drinker like me, then you will love how the VertuoLine Evoluo machine brews both large-cup coffee and authentic espresso with one easy touch of a button. But foam—where is the foam to this at-home barista machine you ask? No worries there, because Nespresso has you covered with its Aeroccino4 milk frother, which helps you turn hot or cold milk into barista-worthy foam.

Look at how airy and tight that foam is.

Beyond that, Nespresso makes it easy to recycle the 100% aluminum capsules with a pre-paid Nespresso UPS bag, so go ahead and indulge in some Nespresso and don’t forget the breakfast cookies to go with it!

**This post was created in connection with my appointment as a Nespresso participant.

Ingredients:

Macaron Shells

• 60g almond meal
• 120g confectioner's sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla powder
• 20g granulated sugar
• 60g egg whites (about 2 eggs)
• 2 tablespoons vanilla seed powder (optional)

Filling

• 55g white chocolate
• 90g butter room temperature.
• 30g confectioner's sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste

Directions:

Preparation: Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Process almond meal, powdered sugar and vanilla powder in a food processor; sift and discard any large chunks.

Place egg whites and sugar in a stand mixer bowl, fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat on medium low speed until egg whites start to form loose translucent bubbles. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat until meringue turns foamy and white and starts to resemble well lathered shampoo, about 2 minutes. Increase mixer to high and beat until meringue holds glossy stiff peaks, about another 2-3 minutes.

Add dry ingredients to meringue. Using a sturdy spatula fold and smash dry mixture into meringue against side of bowl for about 20-25 folds. Don’t worry about being gentle the idea is to knock the air out of it. The batter should hold its shape when spooned on itself and start to slowly flatten out after about 15-20 seconds. Start checking the batter after 20 folds for readiness. Transfer batter to pastry bag and let rest for 20 minutes before piping.

Pipe 1 1/2 inch circles onto parchment lined baking sheet. Take hold of pan and give it a quick hard tap against the counter, turn the pan 90 degrees and give it another quick hard tap. This will deflate any bubbles and will help to prevent cracked shells. *Sprinkle on vanilla seed powder if you are using

Bake macarons at 300 degrees F, until macarons easily lift away from paper, about 20 minutes.

To make filling: Add all ingredients into a stand mixer bowl fitted with a whisk attachment. Mix on low speed until all ingredients are combined, then gradually increase mixer speed from medium to high and beat for 30-60 seconds on high until icing is thick and fluffy. Add more powdered sugar to thicken consistency as needed or heavy cream (1 tablespoon at a time) to loosen consistency as needed.

Assembly: Pipe filling on one shell. Place second shell on top.

http://www.bakersroyale.com/19515-2/

NO-BAKE NUTELLA CHEESECAKE

Happy 4th of July, everyone! I’m going with a simple no-bake Nutella Cheesecake for today’s holiday dessert. I know, it’s not red, white and blue. I didn’t have time to make a 4th of July dessert, because my days as of late have  been crushed with the manuscript.  

But big news—I’m done! I finally submitted it to my editor. I can breathe again – for a little a bit at least. 

So if you get overwhelmingly, busy and you aren’t able to make layered cakes like this, this, this or this, it’s always a good thing to have a few easy to-make, no-bake cakes like this.

And in keeping with today’s holiday vibe, I’m keeping this short so I can be outside with the family. Have a great holiday everyone! See you Wednesday.

NO-BAKE NUTELLA CHEESECAKE

YIELD: Makes 16 servings

Ingredients:

Recipe adapted from here.

No-Bake Nutella Cheesecake

• 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
• 3/4 cup fat-free milk
• 2 8 ounce packages reduced-fat cream cheese (Neufchatel), softened
• 1 8 ounce package fat-free cream cheese, softened
• 1 8 ounce carton fat-free sour cream
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 4 ounces Nutella

 Chocolate Whipped Cream

• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

Topping (optional)

• 10-12 marschino cherries
• 2 tablespoons sprinkles

Directions:

Line bottom fo 8 inch springform pan with parchment paper.

In a small saucepan sprinkle gelatin over milk; let stand for 5 minutes. Heat and stir over low heat just until gelatin is dissolved. Remove from heat. Cool for 15 minutes.

In a large bowl beat cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Beat in sour cream, sugar, and vanilla until well mixed; gradually beat in gelatin mixture. Divide mixture in half. Gradually stir Nutella into half of the mixture.

Spoon half of the chocolate mixture into pan; spread evenly. Carefully spoon half of the white mixture in small mounds over chocolate mixture. Using a narrow, thin-bladed metal spatula or a table knife, swirl chocolate and white mixtures. Top with the remaining chocolate mixture, spreading evenly; spoon the remaining white mixture in small mounds over chocolate mixture and swirl again. Cover and chill about 6 hours or until set.

To make whipped cream: In a small chilled mixing bowl combine whipping cream, sugar, and unsweetened cocoa powder. Beat mixture with chilled beaters of an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks  form. Do not overbeat (makes 2 cups). Transfer whipped cream to a pastry bag fitted with a start tip.

Remove cake from pan. Pipe whipped cream along bottom and top of cake. Garnish with sprinkles and maraschino cherries.

**Recipe adapted from Better Homes and Garden. 

http://www.bakersroyale.com/no-bake-nutella-cheesecake/

BUNNY BARK

Here’s my thing: Saturday mornings are for being lazy, slow starts and easy everything. That’s our routine.  I don’t want complicated breakfasts, no crazy morning rushes and we stay in pajamas until we need to leave the house.

It’s also one of the reasons it’s my boys favorite morning of the week. We have breakfast unhurried and together—sometimes at the table, sometimes not. Sometimes eating on the sofa watching their favorite cartoon and, most recently, eating our new favorite cereal from Annie’s.

There is just something about cereal and Saturday mornings that go hand-in-hand. I think it’s the nostalgic feeling it evokes for both Matt and me. And now as parents, we are always trying to create those special memories for our own kids. The bunny bark is one of them. The boys always have a hand in making it. Once it’s set and we break it up, it’s a free all—we stand around the kitchen counter with a glass of milk and enjoy it until we can’t eat anymore.

We are big fans of Annie’s Organic Cereal and I can feel good about feeding my family a fun breakfast that’s delicious and made without artificial flavors, synthetic colors, preservatives and artificial sweeteners like high fructose corn syrup. In fact, all of their cereals contain whole grain oats as the first ingredient. These are alsothe reasons why I don’t mind it when my boys eat this cereal by the handfuls or in my fun new recipe for Bunny Bark.

Bunny Bark is a fun snack I love making with kids because it’s so easy—just a few ingredients, minimal work and the payoff is huge! The boys go crazy for it. Of course they love the chocolate, but the other part is the little bunny shapes that are so fun for them to play with. I tried to convince the kids to do a bark with Annie’s Organic Frosted Oat Flakes too, but apparently when the time to came to do so, someone had eaten the majority of the box . . .. ahem Matt.

Annie’s has three Organic Cereal varieties and each of my boys have a favorite: Cole, my fruitarian, loves the Berry Bunnies. He especially loves the strawberries, so he will cherry pick his way through the box sometimes just to get and handful of the naturally flavored pink ones. It’s works though, because I will happily snack on the blueberry ones. Of course there’s my dessert loving toddler, Connor, who would happily eat the Cocoa Bunnies for breakfast, lunch and dinner if I let him. And if he could reach the caramel, I’m sure he would drizzle it over his cocoa bunnies as a topping. As for Matt and me, we reach for the Frosted Oat Flakes it has all the flavor from one the classic cereals we loved as kids but we can feel good about it because Annie’s is made with 23g whole grain. Yay, to tasty cereal that’s made with better!

I’d love to hear what you and your family Saturday morning routine is, so be sure to share it in the comment section below, or on social using #cerealstory.

BUNNY BARK

YIELD: Makes 2 13x9 slabs

Ingredients:

Mixed Berry Bunny Bark

• 9 oz. dark chocolate
• 9 oz. white chocolate
• 1 cup Annie’s Organic Berry Bunnies

Peanut Butter Cocoa Bunny Bark 9 oz. dark chocolate

• 9 oz. white chocolate
• 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
• 1 cup Annie’s Organic Cocoa Bunnies

Directions:

Preparation: Line 2 baking sheets (per flavor) with parchment paper. 

To Mixed Berry Bunny Bark: Melt dark chocolate on stovetop in a small saucepan over low heat, while stirring continuously. Alternately, melt chocolate in a microwave save bowl at 50% in 5-7 second bursts, stirring in between each bursts until chocolate is fully melted. Repeat with white chocolate. 

Pour dark chocolate onto parchment paper and drizzle white chocolate on top. Use a knife and drag it through both chocolates to create a marbled effect. 

Sprinkle Annie’s Organic Berry Bunnies on top. Transfer pan to a refrigerator to chill and set for 30 minutes. Remove from refrigerator. Use a knife and break up bark. Store bark in a sealed container and place in refrigerator until ready to eat.

To make Peanut Butter Cocoa Bunny Bark: Melt dark chocolate on stovetop in a small saucepan over low heat, while stirring continuously. Alternately, melt chocolate in a microwave save bowl at 50% in 5-7 second bursts, stirring in between each bursts until chocolate is fully melted. Repeat with white chocolate. Stir peanut butter into white chocolate (for a darker shade, stir in a little dark chocolate to the mixture).

Pour dark chocolate onto parchment paper and drizzle white chocolate mixture on top. Use a knife and drag it through both chocolates to create a marbled effect.

Sprinkle Annie’s Organic Cocoa Bunnies on top. Transfer pan to a refrigerator to chill and set for 30 minutes. Remove from refrigerator. Use a knife and break up bark. Store bark in a sealed container and place in refrigerator until ready to eat.

http://www.bakersroyale.com/bunnybark/