It all started in Latin America. Chocolate’s 4,000-year history began in ancient Mesoamerica, present day Mexico. It’s here that the first cacao plants were found. The Olmec, one of the earliest civilizations in Latin America, were the first to turn the cacao plant into chocolate.
In a large bowl, add the butter and sugar and cream together with a hand mixer. Add the eggs and vanilla extract to the creamed mixture and mix until combined. In a medium bowl, mix the cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients and continue mixing until incorporated.
Roll the dough into 2 logs that are about 2-inches high and 1-foot long. Wrap them in waxed paper and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Once thoroughly chilled, slice the cookies into 1/2-inch thick rounds and cover with sanding sugar. Place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
Crumb cake was brought to New York City by German immigrants, and quickly became an iconic breakfast treat across the city, though it’s not often served outside the East Coast. It’s known for its contrast in texture: a base of moist yellow cake with a dense, dry cinnamon-crumb topping.
grease a 9×13 inch baking pan or line with parchment paper. Set pan aside.
Crumb Topping
Mix the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt together in a medium bowl. Stir in the melted butter, then gently mix the flour using a fork. Keep the mixture as large crumbles, do not over-mix. If over-mixed, this will turn into a thick paste. Set aside.
Making the Cake
Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside.
Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and granulated sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the eggs, sour cream, and the vanilla. Beat on medium-high speed until combined. The mixture may look curdled; that’s ok. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, mix in the dry ingredients until smooth. Do not over-mix. The batter will be thick, creamy, and sticky.
Spread the batter evenly into prepared baking pan. Top with crumb topping. Using a rubber spatula or the back of a large spoon, press the crumb topping tightly down into the cake so it sticks.
Bake for 45-55 minutes. Baking times vary, so keep an eye on yours and begin checking at 45 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If you find the top or edges of the cake is/are browning too quickly in the oven, loosely cover it with aluminum foil.
Remove the cake from the oven and set on a wire rack. Allow to slightly cool for at least 30-45 minutes before cutting.
Notes
You can optionally dust the top of the cake with powdered sugar before serving.
Butter cookies (or butter biscuits), also known as Danish biscuits, are cookies originating in Denmark consisting of butter, flour, and sugar. They are similar to shortbread cookies. The butter cookie is often categorized as a “crisp cookie” due to its texture, caused in part by the quantity of butter and sugar.
Vanilla Custard Cream Squares – While this dessert is a little tricky to eat without making a complete mess, it rivals any decadent layer cake out there.
Custards baked in pastry (custard tarts) were very popular in the Middle Ages, and are the origin of the English word ‘custard’: the French term croustade
Preheat oven to 350°F. Place each puff pastry sheet on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, until golden brown. Set aside to cool.
Add three cups of milk to a sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium heat.
Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the flour, vanilla, rum (if using), and remaining 1 cup of the milk.
When milk has come to a boil, fold egg yolk mixture into boiling milk and slowly stir until thickened. Remove from heat.
In a large bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form, and slowly fold into the custard mixture.
Place one of the puff pastry sheets on the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish. Spread custard evenly over the top. Place in refrigerator to chill until cool and stiff, 1-2 hours.
When custard has chilled, beat whipping cream and 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar with an electric mixer until stiff. Spread evenly on top of custard.
Cut second pastry sheet into 15 squares and place over whipped cream. Return to refrigerator to chill for 2 more hours.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
A note on the rum: we find it cuts through any lingering egginess in the custard, but it’s absolutely optional, so feel free to leave it out if you prefer.
Georgia Peach Cobbler – I have a soft spot for southern food. This is TRULY the most amazing, most delicious and seriously the easiest peach cobbler recipe you will EVER stumble upon!
Peach cobbler is a popular dessert in the southern United States. American settlers invented peach cobbler because they didn’t have the proper ingredients and tools to make peach pie. The Georgia Peach Festival created National Peach Cobbler Day in the 1950s to promote the sale of canned peaches.
Now living in Georgia, We have a soft spot for southern food. This is TRULY the most amazing, most delicious and seriously the easiest peach cobbler recipe you will EVER stumble upon!
Pour melted butter into center of 9×13-inch baking dish, do not spread butter around pan.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, 1 cup sugar, salt, and baking powder. Slowly pour in milk and vanilla extract,and stir to combine. Pour batter over butter, but do not stir.
Add brown sugar, peach slices, and lemon juice to a saucepan on high heat. Stir frequently until sugar is completely melted and peaches have released their juices.
Pour peaches over top of batter. Do not stir.
Bake for 40-45 minutes or until top of cobbler is a golden in color.
Serve warm or cold, or with a scoop of ice cream. Enjoy
Inspired by the speedy preparation of fresh and hot biscuits, General Mills executive Carl Smith is credited with pitching the idea for Bisquick. Smith was traveling by train in 1930 and had a hankering for biscuits. While the dining car and finished serving dinner, the cook quickly sent out the baked good.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Grease a circular baking pan or line with parchment paper.
Combine baking mix, milk, softened butter, and sugar in a bowl. Mix until a dough forms.
Transfer dough to a surface floured with baking mix. Knead dough 10 times. Roll dough out using a lightly floured rolling pin until it is 1/4-inch thick.
Combine sugar, melted butter, and cinnamon in a bowl and mix until dark brown. Spoon filling onto rolled dough, spreading evenly to all edges. Roll dough inward; cut ends off and cut spiral into 12 pieces.
Place rolls into the prepared circular baking pan so that rolls touch.
Bake in the preheated oven until golden, 11 to 15 minutes. Let cool for 1 minute before transferring to a plate to cool completely.
While rolls are cooling, mix confectioners' sugar and milk together in a bowl until smooth. Spoon glaze over cooled cinnamon rolls.
