Yogurt Coffee Cake with Cinnamon streusel

This coffee cake is so delicious. It is light and not too sweet with a perfect crunchy crust. Enjoy:)

Ande’s Yogurt Coffee Cake 

2.5 cups cake flour 

3/4 tsp baking powder 

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1.5 cups granulated sugar 

approximately 1 cup melted unsalted butter *

2 eggs 

1 cup full fat plain yogurt 

1/2 tsp almond extract 

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

streusel filling 

3 tablespoon packed light brown sugar 

1/3 cup granulated sugar 

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 tsp ginger 

1/4 tsp cloves 

3 tbs cake flour 

2 tablespoon melted butter *

* NOTE The total amount of butter in this recipe is 2 sticks. Start by melting both sticks. You will use two tablespoons of this for the streusel and the rest for the cake.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a bundt pan with non-stick spray.

for the streusel: combine all ingredients in a bowl and set aside. it will look rough and lumpy. thats fine, just make sure its all evenly combined- sometimes its best to use your hands.

for the cake: In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Add the melted butter to the flour mixture until combined. In a separate bowl whisk the yogurt, extract and eggs. add the egg mixture in two parts into the batter. Make sure batter is evenly mixed. Scrape down between additions. Pour half the batter into the pan. top with the streusel and then top that with the rest of the batter. Bake 25-30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Wait 10 minutes for the cake to cool before flipping in out onto a wire rack. 

Apple Cupcakes with Honey Buttercream

Shana Tova! Happy New Year!

I am a day late. I hope I am forgiven. My this year be sweet for you all. Blessings to you and your loved ones. 

Ande’s Apple cupcakes 

Ingredients 

2 cups all purpose flour 

1 tablespoon baking powder 

2 tsp cinnamon

1 cup of butter softened 

1.5 cups granulated sugar 

3 eggs 

1 tablespoon vanilla

2 peeled cored cortland apple chopped in to small squares (1cm)

Preheat the oven to 350 and fill a cupcake tray with baking cups. I usually spray the top of the tray with non stick spray. In the bowl of the electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment whip the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time until  combined. Then add the vanilla. Next add the baking powder and cinnamon until all combined and mixed and light. 

Add the flour all at once and mix until just combined- do not over mix. If you want you can fold it in by hand. Fold in the apples. Divide up into the baking cups and bake about 12-15 minutes or until a knife comes out clean. Let them cool before frosting.

note: this recipe also works great in an 8” cake pan as a single layer apple cake. Once cooled just dust with powdered sugar and serve! simple and perfect!

Ande’s honey swiss meringue buttercream

1/4 cup egg whites 

1/2 cup sugar 

1 cup butter cut into cubes and cold 

3/4 cup of honey

in the bowl of an electric mixer combine the egg whites and sugar. Whisk the mixture over a hot water bath until it becomes thin and is hot to the touch. remove from the hot water bath and whip (with the whisk attachment) on high with the electric mixer until it is white shiny and cool to the touch. Add the cold butter all at once whipping on high until a smooth shiny beautiful butter cream appears. Add the honey and whip until combined. 

Strawberry Basil Thumbprint Cookies

These are so addicting it's hard to eat just one. I love their versatility. You can switch out the strawberry jam with any flavor and the basil with any herb. For the fall I plan on making apple ginger thumbprints. Happy baking (and eating)

Ande's Strawberry Jam

1 lb ripe fresh strawberries whole with stems removed 

1 cup sugar 

1 tablespoon cornstarch

fresh squeezed juice from one lemon

Mix all ingredients together in a pot so that berries are completely coated. Bring to a boil. reduce to a simmer and stir occasionally to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pot. cook for an hour or until the mixture has darkened in color and is vicious and the strawberries have broken down. Cool before using and store covered in refrigerator for up to 1 week. 

Ande's Strawberry Basil Thumbprint Cookies 

Cookie dough

2 1/3 cup All purpose flour

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon baking powder 

2 egg yolks

1 cup brown sugar 

2 sticks unsalted butter (softened)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest

1 cup strawberry jam

Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silpat. In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment whip the butter on high until light in color. Add the brown sugar and mix until fluffy. add the egg yolks, vanilla and lemon zest. In a medium sized bowl mix the flour, basil and baking powder together and add to the butter mixture to form a soft dough. using a cookie scooper, scoop balls and place them 1.5 inches apart on the baking sheet. with your thumb press small round holes in the center of each cookie and fill them with jam. Do not over fill or the jam will bubble over. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. In a small dish mix 1/2 cup white sugar with 1 tsp dried basil Once the cookies have cooled, sprinkle the basil sugar on the top of the jam. 

Bourbon Peach Crisp

This is a perfect crisp recipe for any kind of fruit. Apples in the fall, pears in the winter, strawberries in the spring, peaches in the summer. You can leave out the bourbon if you chose, if so, just reduce the flour in the filling to 1 tablespoon. I happen to love bourbon and peach together. This decadent crisp is perfect with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Make this dessert and your summer evening just got a lot better. 

Ande's Bourbon Peach Crisp

Ingredients:

Topping 

• ½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• ½ cup old-fashioned oats (do not use instant)
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 stick (4 oz) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• ½ cup sweetened dried coconut (optional) 
• 
  

Filling 

• 5-7 med ripe peaches pealed and sliced into 1 inch chunks
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• 1 tbsp cornstarch 
• ¼ cup all purpose flour 
• 2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ¼ cup bourbon

Place the flour, oats, brown sugar, coconut and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix till blended. Add the cold butter pieces and mix on low for 3 to 4 minutes until it forms clumps about the size of peas. Place the bowl in the refrigerator to keep the butter cold.




Filling 
Preheat the oven to 350°F and position an oven rack in the center.
In the large bowl, mix the peaches, brown sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch and bourbon until all the fruit is coated evenly. Scrape into a baking dish and spread in an even layer. Sprinkle the topping in an even layer over the fruit (do not press down).
Bake and serve the crisp for 45 to 55 minutes, until the topping is nicely browned and the fruit is bubbling and soft. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream. 

Toasty Coconut Macaroons

When I was a kid I hated coconut. I remember my great grandmother who we called Gigi, used to always have coconut macaroons in her house. They were Kosher from the deli down the street and they were dry and tasteless. They were the only cookies in her pantry so I’d force myself to eat them hoping each time to like them, but alas, they just weren't good.

It wasn't until years later that I tried a coconut macaroon at my college’s dining hall and much to my surprise it was soft, chewy, sweet, gooey, toasty  perfection. Nothing like dear Gigi’s dry store bought rock hard nuggets. I was impressed. These  cookies were so good I had to ask the head of food services what his recipe was. The secret to their yumminess? Sweetened condensed milk! 

So, over the years, I developed my own recipe with the help of Ina Garten and Joan Nathan. I tweaked the process a bit and the measurements. All in all, this is a darn good coconut macaroon. Sweet, chewy, toasty, gooey, moist, and loaded with juicy coconut flavor.

Ande’s Toasty Coconut Macaroons

Ingredients

1 large (14 oz) bag sweetened shredded coconut

14 ounces (small can) sweetened condensed milk

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3 extra-large egg whites at room temperature

1/4 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl mix the coconut, condensed milk, and vanilla. Whip the egg whites and salt on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until they make thick peaks. switch to the paddle attachment and add the coconut mixture to the egg whites and mix vigorously until completely mixed. scrape down the bowl as needed and continue mixing until the batter is cohesive.

Use an mini scoop to form rounded balls of batter and using your hands roll them into the most perfect ball you can. bake them on sheet pans lined with parchment paper or a silpat. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and serve.

Rosemary Pear Muffins

 These are my favorite muffins to make. I became obsessed with rosemary from the chocolate hazelnut rosemary cookies I used to eat from my days working at Bakeri, the best bakery in Brooklyn. I liked these cookies so much that I began experimenting with rosemary in baking at home and I invented these delights. While pears are more suited to the fall and winter since thats their season, today is rainy and chilly here so it's got me in the mood. Apples can be substituted for the pears but there is something about sweet pear with aromatic rosemary that makes a really delicious combination. I use Bosc pears but any kind works great. I love using herbs with fruit. The contrast of flavors makes this muffin both savory and sweet. They are delicious served with a hearty jam as well as a simple goat cheese spread.   

Ande's Rosemary Pear Muffins 

3 ripe pears pealed/ sliced into bite size cubes tossed lightly in flour

9 oz all purpose flour 

1 tablespoon baking powder 

3 ounces sugar 

pinch of salt 

8 oz of milk

4 oz melted unsalted butter 

 2 eggs 

1 tsp vanilla extract 

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary roughly chopped 

sugar in the raw or white sugar for sprinkling on top

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Combine all the dry ingredients. In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment mix all the liquid ingredients. Pour the dry into the wet all at once. Add the pears and 1/2 of the rosemary. mix until just blended. Scoop into prepared muffin pans- paper lined and sprayed with pam. mix Sprinkle tops with sugar and remaining rosemary. Bake until well risen, set and golden. 

Ultimate Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are the best chocolate chip cookies you will ever bake and eat. I spend years perfecting this recipe. Chocolate chip cookies are a personal thing. Everyone has a different style cookie that they like. I have a friend named Robin who is on a constant mission to find the best chocolate chip cookie. I think the perfect cookie should have the following requirements:  They must be chewy crunchy soft fudgy and gooey. Well, i have nailed it and I hope these would make Robin proud! The secret is the 1/2 cup of sugar added at the end to create a crust that caramelizes in the oven. They are so so so yummy. 

Ande's Ultimate Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients 

2 sticks unsalted butter softened 

2 cups brown sugar

2 eggs 

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2.5 cups flour 

1 tsp salt 

1tsp baking soda 

1 tsp baking powder 

1/2 cup white sugar 

1 bag of high quality semi sweet chocolate chips (I like ghiradeli)

Preheat oven to 350. line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat. In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment mix the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and eggs one at at time scraping down the bowl between each.  

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl except the white sugar- that gets added at the very end. Add the dry ingredients to the butter egg mixture all at once. Then add the chocolate chips. THEN add the white sugar. Form the dough into balls ( i use a scoop so they are all the same size) and refrigerate for half hour or more. Space the balls about 3 inches apart on the baking sheet and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Cheddar Chive Biscuits

This is my original recipe. One of the many jobs I've held included a pastry chef gig at a restaurant in Williamsburg Brooklyn in 2010. The head chef Blake decided that we needed a really good biscuit with gravy dish on the brunch menu. The task was left up to me. Because he was southern, he was the perfect biscuit critic and so it forced me to get this recipe perfect. I tweaked it until it met his approval. The key to this recipe is keeping the dough cold so the butter doesn't melt. This way you get soft fluffy layers and a

crunchy top.

Below is the original recipe I had posted in the kitchen for the crew on my day off so they would know what to do. I saved it but the proportions have changed so don't worry, I've scaled it down for the at home baker- see below.

Ande's Cheddar Chive Biscuits:

Ingredients:

1.5 stick of unsalted butter cubed and frozen

1 cup cold whole milk/buttermilk or cream

2 cups of self rising flour 

1.5 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt 

1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (Gruyere and Parmesan work deliciously too)

1/4 cup fresh chopped chives (you can use rosemary, sage or any other kind of herb you desire) 

Preheat oven to 400. In a large bowl whisk together all the dry ingredients. Using your hands break up the cold butter chunks into the flour mixture until they are about the size of small peas. Place the entire bowl in the freezer for 15 minutes. Add milk all at once and form a dough. Add a touch more flour if you need to and kneed it out on a smooth dry surface. Once you have your desired dough, cut biscuits 1.5 inch thick and place on a parchment lined and pammed/silpat covered baking sheet. Brush tops with cream or egg wash. Bake for about 15-20 mins or until golden brown.