#3.5 cups of flour (IT'S A LOT I KNOW)

[deerteatime]

In relation to the Ask Game:

Spicy Mayo and possibly Choccy Milk.

Spicy mayo - I appreciate the vibes you give off Choccy milk - we are baking cookies together and you don't have the option to say no

:D thank you nihi!!! also CHOCCY MILK SO TRUE!! MUTUALS GET IN HERE WE ARE MAKING COOKIES

[afoolandathief]

Something Wicked: Blood-based cuisine and feeding your vampire

Tips on keeping your vampires happy and fed this holiday season

(TWs for blood, food and some mentions of death, disease and cannibalism)

“What, you fill up too much on blodplättar to be able to fly, Caz?” Jade raised an eyebrow.

“Actually, tonight we experimented making xiě dòufǔ,” he said defensively. “Bit less filling.”

“We?”

“Oh God,” Violet rubbed her forehead. “He and my mother have been making a different dish with blood every night. Yesterday it was morcilla. Tonight it was blood curd.”

To keep your local vampire stimulated this time of year, it's encouraged to vary their diet beyond the medical blood bag or random stranger's carotid artery. Luckily, there are plenty of recipes* from around the world that use blood**.

Caz would already be familiar with his Polish babunia's czernina, the sângerete served in Romania during Christmastime, and his Hungarian neighbor's hagymás vér.

But not all of these recipes can be consumed by vampires. At least, not in the universe of Something Wicked. So what are the rules about a vamp's diet?

Vampires must occasionally kill and drain the blood and life force of a human. This can be as frequent as once a week to 18 months, although the effects of waiting that long can be ... problematic.

Vampires can also regularly consume animal blood, donated blood, and corpse blood (if it hasn't spoiled).

In limited amounts, vampires can also have bone meal and marrow, and some softer organs like hearts and eyeballs (I know, yikes).

Vampires can drink alcohol, and not just from someone's blood content. Liquor, especially clear liquors, can be tolerated; beer and wine and the like are no-go. A vampire's alcohol tolerance is much lower than a human's, however.

Spices and strong-smelling foods like garlic, onions or chili powder are far too strong for a vampire's sensitive nose or palate.

Vampires can consume most sugars, but, being predators meant to only consume large amounts of a protein slurry, risk going into hyperglycemic shock if they have more than a small amount.

Caz would also add animal blood and type AB blood*** upset his stomach, for whatever reason.

So, what can you make to keep your vamps full and happy this holiday season?

Blood meringues

Since blood contains the protein albumin, it can be used as an egg substitute in a lot of baking recipes. A reporter for Vice tried it out by making meringue cookies from his own blood. Which, like, I wouldn't try, but to each their own.

The recipe calls for:

150ml blood

60g sugar

60g powdered sugar

One tablespoon turmeric

Two pinches of salt

In Something Wicked, Violet and Marie make these without the tumeric and use stevia instead of sugar. The mixture is whipped together, piped onto a baking sheet, and cooked for an hour at 200℉.

Blood pancakes and bread

Several countries have recipes using blood as a base for flapjacks, including the Swedish blodplättar and Finnish asveriohukainen.

This recipe from thebestrecipefor.com calls for:

2 cups (5 dl) pork or beef blood

1 cup (2.5 dl) water (or more if the blood is really thick)

1 tbsp brown or white sugar

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp dried ginger

1 1/2 cups (3.5 dl) all-purpose flour

3 tbsp butter (for frying)

Everything but the butter is whisked into a batter and fried over a medium heat. In Something Wicked, the spices are removed, the sugar is replaced with stevia, and — because you really don't want to give a vampire gluten — the flour is replaced with bone meal.

In real life, I would advise you to please, please not do this. A cursory search online shows bone meal advertised as supplements (gelatin and bone broth are made by boiling bones, not grinding them), but the University of Rochester Medical Center warns bone meal is high in lead and may also have high mercury levels, as well as the potential to pass on mad cow disease.

I also honestly don't know if in real life this would work as a flour substitute. I got inspired by the story of starving Parisians in 1590 grinding human bones to make bread (which very possibly killed them). But numerous sources say there's no binding protein like gluten to hold it together.

If you want regular-ol' blood bread, my sibling sent me this video on Viking blood bread a while back.

Blood curd

Blood curd, tofu, jelly or pudding is made by coagulating blood into a solid and using it in various recipes. This recipe from cookingsensei.com shows how to prepare it.

A recipe for leek and pork blood curd soup from mychineserecipes.com calls for:

500g pork blood curd

80g leek

100g bean sprouts

2 ginger slices

salt

chicken powder

To prepare, bring water in a skillet to a boil. Cook the leeks, bean sprout, and ginger slices for 10 minutes. Add the blood curd, simmer over low heat until cooked, and add salt and chicken powder.

Of course, a vampire would have to stick with plain ol' blood curd, and not use any of the spices, unfortunately.

Blood sausage

Blood-based sausages can be found in kitchens all over the world, from morcilla to black pudding. I found a few Korean restaurants in Las Vegas serving soondae, which may be the closest to what a vampire could eat, if prepared without any spices or vegetables (let's just say Caz can eat a small amount of intestine casings and rice noodle filling with only minimal discomfort).

This recipe from Chowhound is a bit long, so I'm just leaving the link.

*FYI, most of these recipes were discovered by first visiting the "Blood as food" entry on Wikipedia and going from there.

**Keep in mind I'm a white person whose heritage could be best described as "Irish-American-ish," so if I presented a culture's recipe or cuisine wrong or in an offensive manner please let me know and I will remove or change that.

***It's unclear why type AB blood upsets Caz. It could be because of its unique platelets or because Caz had AB+ type blood when he was human (because he's a universal blood receiver, get it?).

[write-orflight]

Trouble: Chapter 3

*Gif not mine*

Pairings: HotchxReader

Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2

Rating: M

Words: 3.5 K (She thick)

Warnings: Kinda Nsfw language, witch shit. idk

Request: OPEN/CLOSED

Summary: After Haley’s passing, Aaron Hotchner has lost the light in his eyes. He seems to find it it the most unlikely of places, an occult themed coffee shop ran by a witch.

A.N: Tarot, wicca, and crystal information is very secondhand if you see any inaccuracies, no you don’t.

Chapter 3: Trouble on my left, Trouble on my right 

It’s been months since your late night rendezvous with Hotch and ever since the two of you have actually become good friends. 

He would often stop by the shop after work which was typically while you were closing up. You’d brew tea (because Hotch had made the mistake of telling you he was having trouble sleeping) while he helped you out and stacked the chairs on the table so you could sweep later on. You’d sit at the bar talking about your days, sometimes he’d be upset either about a case or just in general and those days you would just talk and he would listen. One day, you’re talking about going to the park with Artie that morning and he stops you. 

“How are you like this?” He asks.

“Like what, Gus?” 

“This…” he says, gesturing to you. “Carefree, naive, happy.” 

“I’m not naive.” You pout. 

Hotch levels you with a look. “Maybe not in some ways. But you really are naive to how the world is sometimes.” 

“I’d say I act the way I do because I’m aware of how the world is. I mean, am I more hyper-aware of serial killers now than I was before I started the shop here, yea. But you know, life is a gift, freedom is a gift, and love is a gift. So everyday I get to exercise those gifts is what makes me happy.” You smile, looking Aaron in his eye. He’s a lot closer than you thought he was. You notice his eyes drift to your mouth and back up to your eyes, but you don’t say anything. It still wasn’t the right time.   “I’m free to live how I choose and love how I choose, what’s not to be happy about?”

“A lot.” He says, bluntly turning away from you. You don’t know what took over your but you bring your hand under his chin, turning him so he’s facing you again. You then move your hand to cup the side of his face, thumb stroking his high cheek bone. He seems to lean into your touch. 

“I pray the goddess gifts you something to be happy about.” You say. Hotch, now being used to how you are, doesn’t look at you like you’re crazy. Just looks you in your eyes, intensely, somehow more intense than he’s ever looked at you. 

“I think she has.” 

-------------------------------------

You meet Jack some time after that. Aaron comes into the shop on a weekend day. Artie looks up from her coloring book.   

“Hi, Mr. Aaron!” She says, lisping as she had lost her front teeth a couple of days ago. You look up when she says that to see Aaron approaching the register, a small boy gripping his hand. You immediately smile.    

“Hey, Bean!” He says, as he approaches the register. You can’t help the way your heart swells. You don’t know when exactly Hotch started calling her Bean, everyone typically called her Artemis or Artie, per her request, you were the only one who got to call her Bean. But for some reason when he started also calling her Bean, Artie didn’t stop him.  

“Hey Grumpy.”  You say, softly. “And who is this?” you say, regarding the young boy next to him, squatting slightly so you could be eye level with him. You see Aaron nudge the quiet boy slightly.  

“I’m Jack.” He says, quietly. 

“Hi, Jack,  I’m Y/N.” You smile at him. 

“I like your hair.” He says. 

“You do?” You say, exaggeratingly flipping it, inducing a chuckle from the boy. 

“Yes, Green’s my favorite color.” 

You gasp. “Would you believe it’s mine too?” He smiles, and nods at you. “What can I get you, Jack?” 

He looks over at Aaron, who nods. “Can I have hot chocolate?” 

“You got it, little gus.” You wink before looking up at Aaron. “Usual?” he nods, before helping Jack into the stool next to Artie and sitting next to them. 

Artie looks over to the boy next to her and smiles widely. “Do you want to color? I have green.” She says. The boy silently nods fast and Artie hands him a paper and some of her color pencils. You and Hotch watch them for a second before turning to each other. 

“How’re you today, Aaron?” You ask, drawing on Jack's cup while Aaron’s coffee was brewing. 

“Better that I’m here.” He says, smiling at you. 

You flush. “My stars, Mr. Hotchner. If I didn’t know any better I’d say you were flirting with me.” 

“And if I am?” 

You clear your throat and turn away from him to focus on the coffee, positive your face was the same hue as a tomato. “So what’re the two of you doing with your day off?” 

“We’re going to the aquarium!” Jack says, excitedly. 

“Woah, the aquarium!” You say, matching his excitement. He nods, fastly. 

“Yea, I figured to stop for coffee along the way.” Aaron says. 

“Can we go to the aquarium, Mama?” Your child pipes, quietly behind you. Your heart breaks a little at her pouting face. 

“I’m sorry, beanie. Mama has to work, maybe we can next week.” You say, softly. She nods but you can tell she's still sad. “The aquarium’s her favorite, sorry.” you say handing Aaron the cups over the counter. 

“I can take her with us if you want. Her and Jack seem to get along and I don’t mind. Only if you’re comfortable with it though.” 

“Really?” You say, he nods. “Would you want to go with Jack and Mr. Aaron to the aquarium?” You ask your daughter who smiles widely nodding. “Ok pack up your backpack first.” She makes quick work stuffing her books and colored pencils in her bag. 

“Thanks again for this. I’ve been working so much we haven’t been able to do anything fun recently.” You say. “Let me give you money for her ticket.” Hotch immediately shakes his head at you. 

“Not necessary.” He says. 

“Let me pay you.” 

“No, plus this can just be repayment for all the free coffee you’ve been giving me.” He says, smiling at you. 

“Ok, but be careful. She’s a little con artist.” 

Aaron just chuckles at you. “You guys ready?” He’s met with loud cheers from the children. He grabs the cup before leading them towards the door. 

“Learn something, Artemis.” You call after your daughter. 

------------------------------------

“Mama!” You hear as you’re sweeping. You weren’t typically closed this early but you wanted to spend the night with your child. 

“Beanie!” You sway as the child comes bounding towards you, you sweep her up into a bear hug. You see Aaron lingering near the front of the shop watching the display. “Did you have fun?” 

“Yes! Did you know the blue whale is the loudest animal in the world?” 

“I did not know that.” You say. “Go thank Mr. Aaron and head upstairs, okay. I’ll be up in a second.” 

Artie nods before running to collide with Hotch’s legs. Hotch let’s out a tiny ‘oof’ before hugging the girl back. “Thank you, Mr. Aaron.” 

“No problem, bean. Goodnight.” He says watching her bound the stairs. 

“We live above the shop.” You explain. He nods. 

“I-uh got you this.” Aaron says, holding a turtle stuffed animal in front of him “Since you couldn’t come with us. Artie said they were your favorite animal.” 

You laugh, taking the plushie from him. “Thank you, Aaron, this is really sweet. But cows are my favorite animal.” You smile and he looks at you confused. “Turtles however… are Artie’s favorite. I told you she was a con artist.” 

You and Aaron laugh for a minute at how your six year old was able to pull one over on an FBI agent. “I’m sure she’ll love this though. How much do I owe you for this?” 

Aaron shakes his head. “Nothing, she got me fair and square.” 

“Aaron, you’ve gotta let me pay you back for some of this.” 

“You could have dinner with me.” He says, bluntly. 

“What?” 

“Have dinner with me.” 

Your brain short circuits for a second. Here was a man you’ve had a thing for quite some time bluntly asking you on a date. “Do I at least get to pay for dinner?” 

“Of course not, is that a yes?” 

“Yes, Aaron.” You say. A wide smile adorns his face. Those were rare and you can’t help the way your heart swoons. “Goodnight.” 

“Goodnight, Y/N.” 

———————————————-

The following week you are paid a visit by Penelope. 

“Hey Penny, what can I do for you?” You smile. 

“I’m actually here on business but I will take a caramel mocha for my troubles.” 

“You got it.” you say, grabbing a cup. “Now, what business are you here on?” 

“I’m here to invite you to drink with us friday.”  She smiles. “We’re going to O’malley’s and so are you.” 

“Gee, I’d love to Pen, but I’ve got Artie and I’ve got to close up here so I don't know.”

“I’ll do that.” Silena adds in the corner. “I’ll help you close up early and then I’ll sit Artie. When’s the last time you went out?” 

You shrug, it has been a while since you’ve interacted with adults outside of work.” 

“Exactly. So go out with Penny and her friends. I’m assuming Aaron will be there?” Silena asks, Penelope nods excitedly. 

“Oh ok... I see what this is. You’re setting me up when I said not to.” You say throwing a pointed look at them. 

“I would never.” Silena says, incredulously, hand to her heart as if she was going to faint. “I just think you should go have fun. Drink, flirt, be merry. Frankly, I’m sick of seeing you always here.” 

You narrow your eyes still not believing them. “Fine, I’ll go.” 

The day of you and Silena are closing up shop. You finally take off your apron hanging it on the hook in the back of the cafe, blowing a breath. That last rush had kicked your butt and you almost wanted to take a nap but you had to take advantage of the free sitter time. 

“So…” Silena starts as the two of you clean up the baking area. “What’re you going to wear?” 

You look down at your clothes. “Uh… I was thinking of wearing this?” 

“Your work clothes?!” 

“What? It’s a t-shirt and pants. What’s wrong with it?” 

“It’s just so… bleh. God, just because you’re a mom now doesn’t mean you have to dress like one. Your body is still hot as fuck, Y/N! Why not show it?” 

“I don’t know, Sil. I’d just rather be comfortable.” You shrug. 

“Well, you can’t wear that. It has a giant flour stain on the back.” 

“What do you mean? What stai--” You’re cut off by Silena clapping you on the back, hand full of flour. You sputter over her loud laughs. “Silena this is my favorite shirt! And you’re cleaning that!” 

“Relax, dummy, it’ll come off in the wash. And now you’ll have to wear something else.” She smiles, mischievously. “Hey, do you still have that leather skirt from college?”  

“Jesus Sil, It’s a bar, not a frat party.” 

-----------------------------------------------

You checked your hair and makeup again in your rearview mirror. God, you looked and felt like a clown. Silena had dressed you, despite your best wishes. You were wearing an all black two piece type dress. The top was a short sleeve turtleneck crop top that was tight around your chest. The bottom was a high waisted long maxi shirt that had a large slit up the right leg, leaving your thigh and calf exposed. Your tattoos that adorned your arms, thighs and stomach for sure were very exposed as well. You knew for a fact you were overdressed but Sil wouldn’t let you change. 

You very hesitantly walked into the bar, clutching your bag. You look around for a familiar face until you hear your name. 

“Y/N?” You hear Penny saying over the crowd. You turn to look at her and smile walking towards the group. “Oh my god, you look hot! Is this what you look like when you’re not in the shop?” 

“Sometimes.” You smile. “Hi, everyone.” you say acknowledging the group, you're met with small greetings and wide smiles from everyone until your eyes go to Hotch. He doesn’t say anything just looks at you over the beer he’s sipping with a small smirk. You smile at him but he still doesn’t say anything just slowly looks your body up and down with dark eyes. When he meets you back at your eyes, you release the breath you didn’t know you were holding. You’ve never seen that look on him before, complete and utter want. You swallow for a second before sliding in the booth next to Spencer who regards you with that tight smile he sometimes seemed to have. 

“Have you met Derek, Y/N?” Garcia asked, a toned light-skinned man extended a hand towards you at that moment. 

“I’ve met his coffee order but not him.” You say, shaking his hand. “It’s nice to put a face to the white mocha.” 

“Honestly, when Garcia told me she had a friend who was a witch, you were definitely not what I was expecting.” He says. You don’t miss the obvious way he eyed you up and down but you choose to ignore it. You knew it wasn’t serious. 

“What? You were expecting Baba Yaga?” You ask, inducing a laugh from the group. “Nah, I’m just a glorified rock collector. Now if you all will excuse me, I’m going to get a drink so I can catch up.” 

You slide out the booth and walk up to the bar, probably swaying more than you needed to be. You knew Aaron’s eyes were on you. As you’re waiting for your drink, you notice a drunk man walk up way too close to you. 

“Hey beautiful.” He says, slurring slightly. His breath is a clear indicator he’d been drinking. “It’s just my luck I’ve got you here alone, huh.” 

“I’m good, actually.” You say, turning back to the bartender praying to the goddess he’d hurry up. 

“Don’t be like that sugar, you came out dressed like that for someone. I’m just hoping it was me.” The man says. 

Suddenly, you feel the heavy weight of an arm around your waist. You look up to see Hotch, who is pulling you closer into his side. “It wasn’t.” He says to the man, looking him directly in the eye as if daring him to challenge. 

The guy holds his hands up in mock surrender. “Sorry dude, don’t want any issues.” He says, before walking away. You get your drink shortly after that and Hotch is now standing close in front of you, leaning against the bar. 

“I had that handled.” You say, pouting slightly. 

“I’m sure you did.” He says, sipping his beer. You take that moment to drink your much needed adult drink. “You have more tattoos than I thought.” He says, hand moving up to trace a long one you had on your upper arm. 

You flush. “Oh, yea. Can’t really show them at work. Unprofessional and all.” 

He hums in agreement. “Do they all have meaning?” 

“Some do. Most are just things I found pretty at the time.” 

He nods. “There seems to be a lot I still can’t read about you.” 

“Please, you know plenty. Plus isn’t that your whole job? Reading people?” 

“Yea, but I try not to do that with people I’m close to.” 

You move closer to him, batting your eyes a little so it was obvious you were flirting with him now. “What if I want you to?” You say. “Read me, I mean.” 

He clears his throat, looking back at you. “Then I guess, I could.” He says. You look at him while you sip your drink, waiting. “You’re smarter than you let on, something tells me that your parents were sticklers about school which means you had good enough grades to go to a good school on scholarship. You say you and Silena were roommates all through college but the other day you said 6 years, which leads me to believe you have your master’s degree but you don’t like to tell anyone about that. You’re thinking about going back to complete your doctorate simply because you enjoy learning.” 

You hum. “Hmm, all true. I have my master’s degree in business. But that stuff’s easy to find out. What else do you know?” 

He clears his throat. “You grew up in a strict household, with a distant father and a cold mother who didn’t let you step out of line in anyway. That’s why you are the way you are now. Tattoos, piercings, green hair, wiccan. It’s everything you wanted to do that your parents would never allow, you want to be the complete opposite of what they raised. It’s also why you treat Artemis the way you do, you don’t push your ideals on her because you’re scared you’ll be like your parents in that way.” 

“Booo!” You say, Hotch looks at you shocked. “This is all stuff anyone can gather from seeing me for 10 seconds. You think anyone is looking at an adult woman with green hair like ‘I bet she has a great relationship with her parents’? NO! Come on, Mr. Hotchner, get to the juice!”          

“Alright.” He says, downing his beer before moving closer to you until he’s talking lowly, directly into your ear. “You like older men, always have and specifically men who are stronger than you.” His arm moves back around your waist and you try not to make the gasp that leaves your mouth obvious. “You like someone else to be in control in the bedroom simply because you’re always the one in control in every other aspect of your life. You want someone to be in complete control which is why sometimes, you let them tie you up.” Now he’s impossibly close to you, and you’re grateful that you’re out of the eyeshot of the group so they can’t see how unbelievably turned on you were right now. “You like being called Good girl more than being called a bad one. And while you never could bring yourself to call another man Daddy in the bedroom, you like regarding them with titles like Sir. Am I close?” 

You swallow. “Did you actually know all of that?” 

“Some of it, some were just what I was hoping.” 

“Let’s go outside.” you say, before Hotch is tugging you out the nearest door.

You barely have time to register the cold air of the alley before Hotch has you pinned against the nearest wall. His mouth is on yours instantly and you can’t help the moan that falls from your lips. Your hands instantly go to his jaw as his arms circle your waist. A gasp falls from your mouth as his lips move along your jaw, sucking a mark into the spot behind your earlobe that had your eyes rolling back. This was a lot and definitely way too fast. It wasn’t until he gripped your waist tighter and you felt a certain something poking at your side that you stopped him before it could go too far. 

“Aaron, stop.” You whisper. He pulls back immediately from you. 

“Did I do something wrong?” He says, in that low voice that almost makes you whimper. 

“No! Of course not, it’s just. This is really fast.” You say. “I mean, you haven’t even taken me out yet, I’d at least like dinner if I’m going to be an adult making out in an alley next to a dumpster like a college student.” You laugh, Aaron chuckles slightly moving away from you. 

“You’re right. It is fast, and I still have every intention of taking you out.” He sighs. “Do you wanna get out of here?” He asks, you give him a look. “Not like that, we can go to the shop if you want.” 

“Yea, sure.” 

-------------------------------------

You and Aaron head back to the shop not bothering to tell the group you’d gone. You were positive they had an idea of what was happening anyway. 

The two of you sit at a table instead of the usual bar top tonight, drinking tea. When you’re silent for a moment you notice Aaron staring at you. 

“What?” you say. 

“Nothing, It’s just you look beautiful tonight.” He shrugs. “I guess I should’ve said that before--”

“Shoving your tongue down my throat? Yea maybe.” You tease, smirking at the flush that comes across his face. “But thanks.” 

He then leans across the table to kiss you and you can’t help but lean back but the shop phone rings interrupting you. 

“That’s weird, who would be calling this late?” You say, getting up to answer you might as well, you were here anyway. 

“Hallowed Grounds, Y/N speaking.”  

“You thought you could hide forever didn’t you, dove? Cute shop, though. I know where it is. I know where you are. And you can’t keep me from my kid anymore.” 

The phone slips from your hand cracking on the tiled floor.         

Taglist: @megatrexus @roses-and-grasses​ @tittymuncher69​ @liaabsurd​ @ladyravenclaw​ @genevievedarcygrangerreading​ @softbibxtch​ @xxdisappearwithoutatracexx​ @crimeshowtrash​

[awheckery]

Would you mind sharing your brioche recipe?

I DO NOT MIND AT ALL

BUCKLE UP KIDS

GOOD DAMN GLUTEN-FREE BRIOCHE

250g (8.8 oz) cornstarch OR potato starch OR arrowroot starch

150g (5.3 oz) tapioca starch

100g (3.5 oz) brown rice flour

50g (1.8 oz) millet flour

50g (1.8 oz) sorghum flour

30g (1 oz) gluten-free oat flour

20g (.7 oz) teff flour

1 tbsp xanthan gum OR guar gum

1 tsp salt

-

20g (.7 oz) yeast

1 ½ tsp sugar

80 mL (2.7 oz or 1/3 c.) warm water

-

25g flaxmeal, preferably golden

80 mL (2.7 oz or 1/3 c.) hot water

-

40g (1.4 oz) honey

50g (1.8 oz) sugar

-

5 large eggs at room temperature

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

-

113g (4 oz or 1 stick) butter plus ~50g (2 oz or ½ stick) separate (it should be possible to substitute coconut or olive oil, but I have not tested this)

320 mL (10.8 oz or 1 1/3 c.) half and half OR high fat unsweetened dairy substitute

NOTE ON MEASUREMENTS: Gluten free baking involves more precision than most other baking, because the flours weigh and behave differently from wheat flours. You could try to convert to volumetric measures with Google but I can’t guarantee that’ll work. This has been tested a hundred times or more with consistent, predictable results. Weigh your ingredients.

-

Preheat your oven to 170 degrees F (or 75 degrees C).

Measure your flours, xanthan/guar gum and salt and whisk them together thoroughly in a mixing bowl and set to the side.

In a separate, large mixing bowl, combine yeast, 1 ½ tsp sugar and warm (NOT HOT, you will kill your yeast) water, and set in a warm space. Set aside and ignore it for five to ten minutes, or until it’s frothed up and doubled in size.

While the yeast is waking up, in a third small bowl (I know, we’re using all your bowls), combine your flaxmeal and the hot water until it turns into a goopy slurry.

Now, add the sugar and honey to the yeast bowl, along with the flax slurry, apple cider vinegar and four of the eggs. Mix well, then add a half cup or so of your flour mixture. If you’ve baked any sort of bread before, you know that we are making a sponge! This is the part where, if you’ve never made gluten-free bread before, things begin to look a little weird. It's gonna look kind of like thin, foamy cake batter, and that’s normal. Set aside until it’s just about doubled in size.

You don’t wanna let it over-rise because these gums and flax make great substitutes, but they don’t trap the gases from the yeast quite as effectively as gluten. In yet another (microwave safe) bowl, melt the first stick of butter. Stir in the half and half and microwave for thirty to forty-five seconds, or until warm-ish.

Now, mix in the rest of your flour blend to the sponge, adding in alternating increments with the butter/half-and-half mixture. If you’ve made gluten-having bread before, here is where things start to be very distressing, because this is not the sort of dough you can knead. In point of fact, this isn’t the kind of dough you can just throw on a stone in a nice ball; you need a pan. (No, seriously, pan not optional). This recipe makes either two small loaves, or a bunch of rolls, or a small loaf and rolls.

With a flourless cooking spray, liberally spray the interior of your pan(s) and transfer the dough so the pans are approximately 2/3 full. I recommend a spatula, and also spraying your hand with the cooking spray to assist said spatula, because this stuff is STICKY, like soda bread from hell. Smooth the tops of the dough as best you can, and slot your pans into your low-temp oven, because unbeknownst to you, you’ve constructed a no-budget proofer box! Set a timer for fifteen minutes and use the time to wash up, because by now your kitchen is a small disaster area.

Once your timer goes off, take your bread out to continue to relax and breathe in a cozy place in your kitchen and raise your oven temp to 375 degrees F (190 C). While the oven’s heating up, crack your last egg, whisk it, and brush it over the top of your dough with a pastry brush. Once your oven’s preheated, take a very sharp knife and gently saw some slashes in the top of your dough. (You want the slashes because they’re a.) necessary for rising and b.) attractive.)

For rolls, set your timer for fifteen to twenty minutes (loaves need closer to thirty or forty), but keep an eye on the oven. You want a golden brown top and ovens tend to vary on how they hold temp, but you’ll know they’re done when you jab them with a thermometer and they’re 190 degrees F (85-ish degrees C) in the center. Melt the final half stick of butter and give your bread a glaze while they’re still warm.

That’s a lot of very specific words, and maybe you don’t trust like that. Maybe you want visual proof that this isn’t a fool’s errand. Okay. Here’s a roll:

Huh. Whaddaya know, that looks pretty bread-like. But what about the interiors? You tell me.

That thar appears to be… hmm. What’s the word I’m looking for… ah yes. BREAD. IT’S BREAD. IT’S HELLA BREAD. IT IS IN FACT A BRIOCHE.

When it’s warm, it’s light and fluffy like some kind of miraculous cloud. When it’s cooled, it’s dense and hearty rib-sticking peasant bread. It freezes well. It thaws fine. Toast it, use it for sandwiches, crumble it up for breadcrumbs to make meatballs, drag it around a soup bowl to sop up the broth. LIVE YOUR TRUTH.

It makes bread pudding so good you see see god and french toast that’ll make your knees go out, no lie.

I KNOW WHAT I’M ABOUT.

[chelliebella]

It's Dia de Los Muertos! 💀🌹🕸

This is the first year I've tried making vegan pan de muerto and it honestly turned out much better than any traditional recipe I've tried in the past.

They're sweet, fluffy, and the dough rose so well!

Recipe:

- 3.5 TBSP active dry yeast (it is quite a bit of yeast, but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ for reference, a packet of yeast has 2.25 tsp in it, so you need 4 packets plus 1/2 tbsp of another packet)

- 1/2 cup warm water

//

- 4 tbsp flaxseed meal + 1/2 cup warm water

- 1/2 cup vegan butter, softened

- 1/2 cup almond milk (or plant milk of your choice) slightly warmed up

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- zest of an orange, or 1 tsp orange extract

//

- 500 grams flour (4 cups if you don't have a scale, but it can be off a few tbsp, just work with the dough and let it tell you what it needs)

- 3/4 cup brown sugar

- 1 tsp salt

//

- 1/4 cup vegan butter, melted

- 1/8 tsp orange extract

- 1 cup sugar

- 1/4 tsp cinnamon

In a large bowl stir together your yeast and warm water. Let it bloom (this takes about ten minutes) and will be ready when it's super foamy looking. Side note, if your yeast doesn't do this (like it didn't when I was making vegan cinnamon rolls last week :/) it's because your yeast is expired. Buy more and make sure you keep it in an airtight container in the dark.

Meanwhile, stir together the flaxseed meal and water in a cup and let it do it's thing. You know what thing if you've ever used flax eggs for baking.

In a smaller bowl sift the flour, brown sugar, and salt. If you're using zest, you can add it here.

Heat up your plant milk and stir in the extracts. Cut your butter into tiny cubes.

Once your yeast has bloomed, stir in the wet ingredients (flax eggs and milk mixture). Add dry ingredients and butter and stir until a dough starts to form, then use your hands to really knead the butter into it. (Please use softened butter. It will be very difficult to knead hard butter into such a soft dough and if you melt it, it will only make your dough runnier and not soft in the end). If the dough is too sticky, add a little flour at a time, just until it doesn't stick to your fingers.

Grease your large bowl, cover in plastic wrap, and keep it in a warm place for 3 hours. I turned the heater on in the bedroom and kept the door closed while it rose, and cleaned up the kitchen.

When the dough has tripled in size, it's time to shape! Put the dough on a floured surface and cut it into 8 pieces. You're going to turn 7 of those into bun shapes, which you'll then flatten out. If the roll is too tight, they can't rise any more than that so your crumb ends up being very small (the bubble consistency in the bread) and it ends up hard and chewy. If it's more of a loose disk, it'll rise better and have a bigger crumb aka fluffy bread. Place them on greased trays with plenty of room for them to spread.

Use the 8th cut of dough to form the criss crossing "bones" (you might have to look up how to do this if you've never done it before) and let them rise for another hour.

Bake them at 350* for about ten minutes, until their nice and browned. You don't have to test the inside. Yeast bread is done inside when the outside is browned, unless you're making brioche and your oven is too hot.

Let them cool on a rack.

Meanwhile, melt your butter and add the extract and stir the cinnamon into your sugar. Once your breads are cool, brush them with butter, coat them with sugar, and you are done!

Super soft, super good, and super not full of animal products! Make sure you store them in Ziploc bags or airtight containers so they remain soft overnight.

Give them to your friends, your family, and most especially, your loved ones who will be visiting you tonight at the alter you made for them and remember that Dia de Los Muertos is about the celebration of one's life. I've just recently lost a friend, last week actually, to cancer and I haven't been able to stop feeling sad about it. But she was hurting a lot and she's resting now, pain-free, and without a doubt feeling better. She's been cremated, so I don't know if that means she's free to walk tonight (does anyone know) but I will still be setting a place at the offrenda for her, right alongside my tia concha and papa valle

[whysperingwoods]

hi so i have a question !! do you know of any spells on protecting a relationship from external forces and negative energies ? if not fo you have any suggestions on what to use or do to create one ? thank u sm !!

I don’t normally answer spell requests, but I figured this might be a good opportunity to show how you can use a pre-made spell and deconstruct it if you need to adapt anything or make substitutions. So this post is about:

Deconstructing spells and making well-informed substitutions (and a love spell I guess)

The basic steps I’ll be walking you through are: reading through the spell as it appears in the book or online, identifying the purpose for each item or action, finding equivalent or more powerful items or actions as needed, performing the spell and knowing whether or not it worked. 

If you just want the fish then I guess you can read the first part and go home, but I’m giving you the “learn to fish” option (better deal, imo). 

(This spell is mine btw, so please don’t repost it anywhere. This also means it’s based on French Canadian folk magic, which might differ from your personal practice.)

The intent of this spell is: “These individuals are happy together and prosper, and are protected from hindering forces/energies.”

The spell:

- Two apples- One knife- One pack dry yeast (they’re usually about 7g)- 1.5 tablespoons of white sugar- 1.25 (one and a quarter) cups of warm water- 0.5 tablespoons (half) or 1.5 (one and a half) teaspoons- 1 tablespoon of oil- 3 to 3.5 (three and a half) cups of flour - enough twine or string to wrap around the apple, 100% cotton NOT synthetic (butcher’s twine for example)- Baking tray or bread mold- Oven

1. Before you start any kind of ritual, you want to cut both apples in half top down (vertical through the core). Don’t worry about perfection, it doesn’t matter, but you need to have this step done before you cast any kind of circle if that’s something you do. 2. If you have any kind of “pre-spell” activities such as casting a circle or cleansing your space, go ahead and do that. 3. Bring one half from each apple into the ritual space (”ritual space” as in wherever you do your thing, does not have to be an altar or anything of that nature… I do mine wherever is practical, in this case the kitchen counter) as well as the twine. Put the two halves together, wrap the twine around them three times and tie a knot. If you like to say something during your spells such as a mantra or a sentence setting your intent, to this while wrapping the apple and tying the knot. If short, repeat it three times. French Canadian folk magic often has short rhymes repeated during spells.4. You’re gonna bake some bread. You can use a different recipe than the one linked, and change the list of ingredients accordingly. When kneading, focus on your intent and the two people the spell is involving. There will be long pauses while you let the dough rise: what you do during that time doesn’t matter for the spell. The second time you let the dough rise, you need to put the apple into the center of the dough FIRST (so it is enclosed completely) and let the bread rise around it. Don’t worry if the bread rises funny or caves in the middle.5. Bake the bread with the apple in the center. Ideally you should use a bread mold, but you can just shape it roughly round and put it on a baking tray if you don’t have one. 6. Score a cross shape into the bread using your knife (straight sharp blades work best).7. Once the bread has baked and cooled, each party the apple halves are representing must eat a piece of the bread. Depending on the environment you’re in and the apple you used, you’ll have varying levels of edible bread. If your loaf looks roughly normal, you should be able to each eat from one extremity. The closer you get to the apple, the more chances there are that it’s gooey, undercooked, or mushy from the juices. It’s not bad for you, just kinda gross tasting. Feel free to eat it if you want. The more weird your bread looks, the more your center is sketchy. Wonky bread isn’t a bad omen and won’t affect your spell, it’s just physics and stuff. 8. Enjoy your magically enhanced relationship, and don’t forget that no amount of magic can help if there are too many mundane issues left unresolved. 

The rest of this is below the cut because this is already long af. The counter-spell is also under the cut, all the way at the bottom. Please forgive typos, I’m a very tired gay. 

Link to the upcoming giveaway, on the offhand chance you like free stuff.

Interlude:

Before you deconstruct a spell, it’s important that you determine whether or not the spell should be deconstructed. If you’re using a random spell you don’t know the source of, or something written by someone on the internet (like this one), you can usually make a significant number of (logical) changes and substitutions. 

However, in the case of spells that have centuries of history, such as spells found in old arcane texts and grimoires, the more you change the more likely you are to get an unpredictable result. Spells that have been passed down survive because they work as written, and every change will decrease it’s likelihood of success. Ideally, you want as many checks in the “keeping as is” column as possible, and very few checks in the “changes” column. Sometimes there are things you just have to modify because life has changed since the 1700s, and that’s fine, just make sure you’re changing only when necessary and using sensible substitutions. More importantly, be prepared to deal with any consequences that may arise. 

Deconstruction:

Here I’m going to give you the purpose and meaning behind each element of the spell. The next section will show you how to come up with substitutions.

• Apple: In French Canadian folk magic, it’s a symbol of love and unity. Each full apple represents the person as a whole, and we put the two halves together so they can come together. You want to avoid using only one halved apple, as that implies that each person is incomplete until they are paired with the other half, which can create codependency or abusive relationships. One tradition is to use a half with a stem to represent the male in the relationship, and a half without the stem to represent the female. This is obviously heteronormative and might not work for your situation, so in the substitutions section I’ll list some other options. You can also just ignore the stem situation completely, and just determine in your mind which is which. 

• Twine or string: The twine is representative of the relationship itself, keeping the two halves together. It’s all the good things in the relationship, such as communication, honesty, common traits, etc. We wrap the twine around the apple three times because the number 3 in French Canadian folk magic is used to “strengthen” a spell or intent. 

• Flour: Flour represents prosperity in the home. It does not represent excess. It is having enough to eat, to stay warm, to live happily and comfortably. The type of flour doesn’t matter.

• Other ingredients: Everything else is used as part of the bread making process, and has no significant meaning otherwise. 

• The joining of the apples step is explained pretty well already in the apples info, so I’m going to move on to the bread baking. Kneading the dough and preparing the bread are all symbolic of the time and work it takes to maintain a good relationship with someone, and are important steps if you’re able to do them. During kneading, you should be focusing on your intent for the spell. 

• Placing the apple in the center of the bread is to bind the symbol of the couple (the apple) with the symbol of prosperity and happiness (the bread). The water from both will mix, and water is like the “and” in your spell if it were a sentence. You’re saying “These individuals are happy together AND prosper”. 

• Scoring the bread with the cross is your symbol of protection from outside forces. Since French Canadian folk magic is heavily entwined with catholicism, the cross is a protective symbol. 

• Eating the bread can be considered both the activating of the spell, as well as the closing element. It is enforcing the properties as it is ingested by the people involved, and is symbolic that they have accepted the intent of the sorcier or witch. 

Substitutions: 

I obviously can’t possibly cover every single option here, but I’m going to do my best to give you a lot of suggestions that should give you a pretty good idea of what kind of changes you can make and how to adapt the spell to your abilities, correspondences, and what you have available to you. 

• The apples and twine can be substituted for anything else that would represent the individuals and a loving relationship. If your local folk magic has a symbol that is different from apples, you can absolutely use that instead. Likewise if you have a personal correspondence that is stronger to you, or tag locks for the individuals in question (just remember it’s going in bread, so hair might not be your best option here). 

• The stem situation, as I mentioned in the deconstruction section, is not a mandatory part of the spell. Nonetheless, I wanted to provide some alternate options. You can of course you two stemmed apples, two unstemmed apples, you can cut the apple into more than two pieces (so long as you can roughly fit them together, and you would use a corresponding number of apples), etc. Keep in mind that the stems don’t need to represent anything at all, and they can be unrelated to gender (for example, stem representing the taller person and no stem being the shorter one). You can make it whatever you want. If you would like the stems to represent gender, non-binary genders can be a bent stem, a half stem, an additional stem (just stick it in, don’t put glue on it please), whatever you want. Again, you can completely disregard the stems if it causes any kind of anxiety for you or if you’re like me and massively despise the binary implications of it. 

• If you can’t find cotton twine or don’t have cotton string, you can use anything else that would tie the two halves together. The important thing to keep in mind here is that it is going inside the bread, so you definitely don’t want to use synthetic fibers as they could melt in the oven and go into the bread (don’t eat that). The important thing is that there be something going around the apple holding the halves together. You could even use a long strip of dough from what you’ve kneaded. Another important thing is that you don’t do something that will go through the apples to keep them together, such as using toothpicks, as this has a different meaning and will change the intent of the spell. 

• The bread baking is a step that might be problematic for individuals who are not open about their practice, or who are physically incapable of making the bread because of the kneading, or multiple other reasons. If the issue is the kneading, you can use this no knead recipe instead.  If you’re dealing with any other issue for the bread step, you just need to find a substitute that would represent the same thing for you or for your culture. Some examples: using rice in place of bread, writing your intent to fill up an entire page of paper (or typing it and printing it out) and wrapping it around the apple, burying the apple outside, etc. If visualization is your only option, go for it. 

• Eating the bread is your activation step. If someone is allergic to gluten or has a dietary restriction, you can change the type of flour you use accordingly without changing the intent of the spell. If you didn’t bake bread, any alternative that feels to you like the intent of “the individuals involved accept the intent of this spell” will work. It can be as simple as them both holding the apple and reciting a line if you wrote one, or simply reciting the intent of the spell, etc. This step is going to be dependent on what you’ve already changed if anything. Ultimately, there should be an overall impression of completion afterwards. 

Counter-spell: 

You should always, always have a way to undo any spell that you’ve performed. I personally keep the twine somewhere safe, and will cut the twine in half or burn it if I need to reverse the spell. Alternative options would be to have a set of words as your counter-spell, or some other symbolic means of reversing the spell. Be careful that this information is only available to those involved with the spell, so no one wishing ill on the relationship can do any damage.

[bldgrelationshipwgod]

Snow Cake Recipe (From Scotland)

Ingredients

Short Crust Pastry

9 oz flour

6 oz butter, cold

2 oz sugar

1 egg yolk

(about 6 to 8 oz raspberry jam to cover the pastry)

Cake

150g (5 oz) good quality butter, unsalted and at room temperature (if you only have salted butter, omit the salt)

150g (5 oz) superfine or Baker’s sugar (caster sugar in the UK)

3 eggs, beaten

150g (5 oz) self-rising flour, or all purpose flour with 1 tsp baking powder, SIFTED

a pinch of salt

Topping

about 4 oz confectioner's/powdered sugar

a little milk or water

finely shredded, unsweetened coconut to sprinkle on top

Instructions

Oven temp 375˚F (190˚C) for pastry.

Make the Pastry Base

Using two knives of a pastry cutter, cut the butter finely into the sugar, but do not cream.

Add the egg yolk and stir to combine.

Add the flour. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until it has a breadcrumb texture.

Press the mixture into the bottom of a 9"x13" cake pan, pressing firmly.

Bake for about 10 minutes. Don't let it start to brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool, while making the cake batter.

Lower the oven temperature to 350° F (180°C)Make the Cake

In a stand mixer or using a handheld mixer, cream the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy. It will begin to pale in color, too.

Add about one third of the beaten eggs, and mix well at medium speed.

Then add about a third of the sifted flour. Repeat this step. Add the rest of the eggs and mix well, then turn the mixer to low and add the final flour and just mix until well combined.

Prepare to Cake for Baking

Spoon the jam evenly onto the pastry base taking care not to let it reach the side of the pan.

Place dollops of cake batter all over the jam to make it easier to spread. (Try not to let the jam get mixed into the batter.)

Spread the batter evenly all over the jam and pastry.

Pop the cake into the oven for approximately 30 minutes. Do not open the oven until you start to smell the cake and it looks well risen (through the glass). Gently insert a cake tester or skewer into the center of the cake to check that it's completely cooked before removing from the oven. Allow to cool completely in the pan.

Decorate the Snow Cake.

Run a knife around the cake, down to the pastry, then shake the pan. You should feel that the cake is loose in the pan before decorating it.

Put the confectioner's sugar in a bowl and slowly add the milk or water a little at a time (1/2 tsp) until a thick, but runny consistency is reached. Adjust with more sugar or liquid if you see the icing isn't spreading nicely. Cover the cake with this icing.

Before the icing begins to dry, sprinkle generously with finely shredded, unsweetened coconut.

Allow the icing to dry and set completely which will take a few hours. Once it's set, use a serrated knife to cut the cake into squares (cutting into 18 pieces is a good size). Alternatively, you can cut the Scottish Snow Cake into fingers or even diamond shapes. Keep covered at room temperature.

Coconut Tartlets (Scottish Coconut and Raspberry Jam Tarts)

Coconut tartlets, or coconut and raspberry jam tarts are a big thing in Scotland. To be honest, they’re usually just called coconut tarts. If you grew up in Scotland, you’d know and love these little coconut treats which are sold in many bakeries, or made by many Scottish grannies.

If you’re a coconut lover, add these little beauties to your baking list.

They may not look very special, but as you noticed above, there’s a little raspberry jam hidden inside that gives these coconut tarts a special touch

Ingredients

2 eggs

1/2 cup (4 oz) sugar

1/4 cup (2 oz) melted butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups (8 oz) unsweetened, shredded coconut

raspberry jam

24 unbaked tartlet shells

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375F (190C)

Beat the eggs. Then add the sugar, melted butter, vanilla, and coconut.

Place the unbaked tartlet shells in their tins on a baking sheet.

Put a little raspberry jam in the bottom of each shell. Fill about about 3/4 full with the coconut filling (they will rise).

Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes until top is lightly golden brown. When cool, remove from tins.

Nutrition Information: [Yield: 24] Serving Size: 1 tartlet

Amount Per Serving: Total Fat: 16g  |  Carbohydrates: 23g  |  Protein: 3g

Scottish Snowballs | Recipe

Scottish Snowballs are a classic raspberry & coconut biscuit (cookie) treat from Scotland. I grew up with them and think it’s time they made an appearance here in the US, especially for the holidays!

You may have seen my Snow Cookies which are similar. They are made with raspberry jam sandwiched biscuits, have the same icing and just a bit of coconut, based on a classic Scottish snow cake.  I just received a comment on the recipe yesterday from a reader named Amber who told me she won a very competitive cookie contest with my Snow Cookies! That now makes three contests that these cookies have won.

Romanian Lemon Cake (Snow White)

This lemon buttercream cake is one of my favorite Romanian cakes! I like lots of them, of course, but the Snow White cake has a special place in my heart.

Ingredients

Lemon buttercream:

150 g/ 5.3 oz/ ¾ cups sugar

2 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons corn starch

350 ml/ 11.8 fl.oz/ 1 ½ cups milk

about 10 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste (Note 1)

200 g/ 7 oz/ ¾ cup + 1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, soft

icing sugar

Crust:

60 g/ 2.1 oz/ 1/3 cup sugar

2 eggs

100 g/ 3.5 oz/ 1/3 cup + 1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, soft

1 tablespoon baker's ammonia (Note 2)

3 tablespoons milk

300 g/ 10.6 oz/ 2 ½ cups flour

zest of 1 organic lemon

Instructions

Use a kitchen scale, it guarantees for best results.

The layered lemon cake with lemon buttercream should be made one day in advance, it needs to spend the night in the fridge in order to become really tender and develop the flavor.

Lemon buttercream:

Place the flour, starch, and sugar into a bowl and mix with so much of the measured milk to obtain a thick yet runny paste.

Place the remaining milk into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Slowly add the flour-sugar paste while whisking all the time. Continue whisking until the mixture thickens and comes to a boil again, that will happen very quickly.

Let bubble for a few seconds while whisking, and remove from the heat. Transfer to a bowl and place a piece of cling film directly on top of the pudding to prevent it from getting skin and let it cool completely.

When cool add the freshly squeezed lemon juice and stir well. Taste after adding about 8 tablespoons and continue adding until it is as tart as you like it.

To make the buttercream, both butter and pudding have to have the same temperature, which is room temperature, otherwise, the buttercream might curdle.

In another bowl beat the butter until pale and fluffy. Slowly start adding the lemon pudding to the butter, one tablespoon at a time. Beat until incorporated.

Taste the buttercream again and add more lemon juice if you like it.

Cake layers:

While the pudding for the buttercream cools, make the cake layers.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius/ 360 degrees Fahrenheit.

Beat together the soft butter and the sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs and mix well.

Mix together the baker's ammonia and the milk and incorporate that into the egg mixture.

In another bowl mix together the flour and the grated lemon zest. Incorporate into the egg mixture. You will now have a rather oily looking dough that should not stick to your hands at all. You may add one tablespoon of extra flour if you feel it necessary, it depends on the size of your eggs if you need that extra tablespoon or not.

Roll and bake:

Divide the dough into four equal parts. Wrap the three dough balls that still have to wait in cling film to prevent them from drying out and set them aside in a cooler place, not the fridge but also not that close to the oven.

You will only need to butter the tin before you bake the first layer of crust.

Roll the first dough ball into a rough rectangle on a lightly floured surface, place it on the buttered baking tin, and roll again until the dough layer is as large as the baking tin: 32x22 cm/12x9 inches approximately (or similar size, it doesn't have to be so exact). And don't stress too much about having perfectly straight edges, you will cut those away before slicing and serving the cake.

Bake for about 10 minutes or until slightly golden around the edges. Take out of the oven and while holding one side of the tin with a gloved hand, run the blade of a long knife underneath the crust. Let it slide carefully and slowly onto a cooling rack.

Repeat with the remaining dough balls.

Keep in mind that the tin is now very hot, don't touch it when rolling the dough on top, and use gloves when you transfer it to the oven.

When the crust layers are baked, you can carefully staple them one on top of the other, they will not stick. Let them cool completely.

Assemble:

Divide the filling into three portions. Reserve the best looking crust for the top of the cake.

Place one crust on a serving plate and top it evenly with one portion of the buttercream.

Place the second crust layer on top, press gently then cover it with the second buttercream portion.

Repeat one more time.

Place the reserved crust layer on top, press gently again, and cover the cake with cling film.

Place in the fridge for several hours or better overnight.

Cut the rough edges (and eat them), then cut the cake into small rectangles. Dust with icing sugar shortly before serving.

Notes

I used about 10 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice for the buttercream, that would be the juice of 2-4 lemons, depending on their size. I like the buttercream to be really tart, that strong lemon flavor is the best thing, but you should start tasting after adding about 8 tablespoons and decide yourself if you want more or not.

Baker's ammonia or ammonium bicarbonate should not be confused with cleaning ammonia, which is poisonous.

Steps and tips for making lemon buttercream

Start with making that delicious lemon buttercream as the pudding will need time to get completely cool before you add the butter and the lemon juice.

To make the pudding, you will need some flour, cornstarch, sugar, and milk. The procedure is the same as when making a regular pudding. You mix the flour, cornstarch, and sugar with enough milk to obtain a thick yet pourable paste.

In the meantime, bring the remaining milk to a boil. Slowly start pouring in the flour mixture while whisking continuously to avoid the formation of clumps.

Let the pudding bubble for about 20 seconds while stirring, transfer to a bowl. Cover the pudding with a piece of cling film directly over the surface, this will prevent the pudding from forming a skin.

While the pudding is cooling, take the butter out of the refrigerator and let it come at room temperature.

It is very important that both the pudding and the butter have the same temperature (room temperature) when you start mixing them. Otherwise, the buttercream will curdle.

Also, make sure that you don’t taste the lemon buttercream while mixing it, the spit from your fingers will also cause the buttercream to curdle.

So, once the pudding and the butter have reached room temperature, beat the soft butter until pale and fluffy.

Mix the pudding with the freshly squeezed lemon juice. Start with about 8 tablespoons and add the remaining juice to taste. I always add all the 10 tablespoons, I love the buttercream to be really lemony.

Slowly start adding the pudding, one tablespoon at a time, to the butter while beating all the time. Mix well.

How to make the pastry layers?

This Romanian lemon cake consists of four layers of crust held together by the creamiest, most delicious lemon buttercream filling.

The idea of baking four layers of crust might sound difficult or time-consuming, but it is really not the case.

The dough is rather oily and that makes it really easy to roll and it only needs about 10 minutes in the oven, a total time of 40 minutes which is really more or less about the time you will need when baking a regular cake base as well.

You should make the cake layers while waiting for the pudding to cool. The cake layers will also need some time to cool, but not as long as the pudding.

Using baker’s ammonia

When first publishing the layered lemon cake recipe I used baking soda to make the crusts. I wasn’t bothered by the light baking soda after taste, but I had readers saying that the after taste was too domineering.

I suggested the use of baker’s ammonia, although I had never used that when making this particular layered lemon cake. But I knew for a fact that baker’s ammonia is very popular in Romania and that my aunt uses it a lot when making cakes.

What is baker’s ammonia?

The most important thing you have to know is that you should never mistake baker’s ammonia with cleaning ammonia. Cleaning ammonia is poisonous!!!

Baker’s ammonia or ammonium bicarbonate is what bakers used to take before the discovery of baking soda and baking powder. Those two quickly replaced the baker’s ammonia in baking due to one reason: baker’s ammonia stinks!! Really badly!

That is why it is best to use the baker’s ammonia for making “only low-moisture baked goods like crisp cookies and crackers that thoroughly dry out during baking, lest the ammonia linger”.  

Once the cake layers are baked, there will absolutely no lingering smell anymore. Nothing at all! And most importantly there will also be no soapy-tasting after taste of baking soda or baking powder.

Bake and assemble

You will have to bake the four cake layers or cake crusts on the back of a baking tin. This is a very often used technique in Romania, there are lots of layered cakes being baked this way.

However, you can also bake the layers on a regular tray lined with baking paper, you just have to pay more attention, the layers should all have roughly the same size.

You will only need to butter the back of the tin before baking the first layer. When baking the following layers, make sure you use oven gloves as the tin will be extremely hot.

Roll the layers on a lightly floured surface in rectangles about the size of the tin. Transfer them to the back of the tin and roll or press the dough around to make it fit the back of the tin.

The edges do not have to be perfect, you will cut them away anyway before slicing the cake.

To remove the cake crust from the back of the tin, hold the tin firmly with a gloved hand and run a long knife underneath the cake layer. It works very easily, you will not have to worry about the crust getting stuck to the tin or breaking.

Place the ready baked cake layers on top of each other and let them cool completely. They will not stick to each other if stored this way.

Divide the lemon buttercream into 3 equal portions and cover 3 cake layers with the buttercream. Use the nicest looking layer to place on top of the cake.

Cover the cake with cling film, place in the fridge, and let it set overnight. The lemon buttercream cake needs time to become really tender and develop the flavor.

I also recommend using European style unsalted butter, it has a higher fat content and less water and it tastes better when making buttercream.

I used about 10 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice for the buttercream, that would be the juice of 2-4 lemons, depending on their size.

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Recipe 4: Miso Ramen with Ginger Pork and Roasted Vegetables (Naomi Imatome-Yun and Robin Donovan’s Ramen Obsession)

A big ol’ bowl of salty soupy goodness!

We eat a lot of soup in our house, particularly of the noodle or dumpling variety. Ramen is probably Matt’s favorite thing to put in his face and he will do so at any opportunity. While I’ve made quite a few variations on ramen from cooking magazines and YouTube videos, I had never really approached it from a by-the-book “authentic” process and then I received three ramen cookbooks for Christmas. The gauntlet had been thrown down and I dove into reading up on the history and techniques to approaching “real” ramen. While there are many recipes out there ranging from “fast and easy” to “extremely involved” I chose to go through the whole process of cooking everything from scratch for my first foray into Ramen Obsession, a charming and straightforward guide to building the perfect bowl. Because of what I had on hand, I started with Miso Ramen with Ginger Pork and Vegetables. I, unfortunately, don’t have a quick link to the specific recipe as I usually do. The whole premise of the cookbook is providing a selection of broths, tares, and toppings to make any number of ramen styles. I definitely do encourage you to get this book if you are interested in learning how to make ramen at home!

SKILL RATING: PITA Recipe

Full disclosure . . . I chose to make this a cooking project so that I could learn what’s involved in making everything from scratch. Nothing about the process is particularly difficult, but it does take time and planning. It is perfectly possible to take short cuts and still have a delicious bowl of ramen by using pre-made noodles or stock, for example. One of the truly wonderful parts of ramen is the flexibility, it’s meant to be regional and to use ingredients that are easy for you to get wherever you happen to live. Make it more or less spicy! Make it vegetarian or vegan! You do you with ramen! You’re never going to be sad while slurping down a big bowl of noodles.

Anyway, part of the self-imposed PITA qualities of this recipe was simply the time involved. It takes time to cook down a chicken to make broth. It takes time to knead the dough and let it rest for the noodles. It takes time to prep and roast the vegetables. It takes time to cook the pork. And it takes time to drive all over town to find the one store that sells “00 flour” for the recipe in the first place. It also takes a number of stock pots, prep dishes, mixers, whisks, and a pasta roller meaning a commitment to some kitchen chaos and lots of clean-up. Once you have all these elements, however, the ramen itself comes together in a snap.

The other thing to note is that the elements can be made and stored to future ramen endeavors. My miso tare made about 1 1/2 cups while each bowl only needed about a tablespoon and even though I cut the noodle recipe in half, I still have two portions left waiting in the freezer. I’m really looking forward to further experiments with this book and all the ramen possibilities it holds within its well-organized pages.

TASTE RATING: 3.5/5

This particular recipe was okay, but not blow-your-mind amazing for how involved it was to make. The homemade noodles were very good, fresh with a springy texture and the roasted vegetables were very flavorful. We were both a little disappointed with the clear chicken broth/miso tare combo in this case. Granted they were good, but not great. Part of this is just our own taste and preference for spicier food.

That said, I really recommend getting this book for all the various recipe combinations. I’m really looking forward to the likes of Miso-Ginger Ramen with Spinach and Seared Salmon and Tonkatsu Ramen with Kimchee, Fried Eggs, and Spam. The possibilities are endless and having done it once, I know I can approach the process with more confidence and greater efficiency.

Read my “Cook With Me This Year” post for background on my little kitchen project.

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Everything You Wonder About Weight Gain During Pregnancy!

After you learn that you will have a baby, you start to research everything with great curiosity and you are looking for answers to your questions about weight in pregnancy . You wonder many questions such as what is the ideal weight range during pregnancy, what month should I gain, what will happen if I gain excess weight, can I be fed without weight? We have written them all for you, here is the weight gain in pregnancy in 10 questions ! How many kilos did you forget without forgetting? Be sure to write to us and the mothers in the comments.

1- How Much Should Ideal Weight Gain During Pregnancy Be?

There is no such thing as ideal weight gain during pregnancy, the correct weight. Weight gain of the mother during pregnancy varies for each woman, depending on the weight at the beginning of pregnancy. The weight target is calculated based on the body mass index before pregnancy, that is, the ratio to the height of the neck. So how is the body mass index calculated? You can get your weight by dividing it by the square of your height in meters. For example, 55 kilos and 1.60 meters in height. You can calculate with 55 / 1.60x1.60 operation. When we divide 55 by 1.60 squared, the result is 21. 21 suggests that she was pregnant with an average weight and could gain between 11 and 16 pounds during her pregnancy. You can determine your own target by comparing the number calculated by calculating according to your own measurements with the values ​​below, with the suggestion of your doctor. If the body mass index is less than 18.5; you are pregnant with low weight. That's why you should gain an average of 13 to 18 pounds during your pregnancy.If your body mass index is between 18.5 and 26, you are pregnant with an average weight. That's why you can gain an average of 11 to 16 pounds during your pregnancy.If your body mass index is between 26 and 29, you are overweight. That is why it is appropriate to gain weight from 7 to 11 pounds during pregnancy.If your body mass index is greater than 29, you are overweight. That's why you may need to get at least 6.8 pounds during your pregnancy. For the upper limit, you should consult your doctor. What should I do to avoid uncontrolled weight gain during pregnancy? How Should I Interpret These Numbers? You should see these numbers as general goals. Determining ideal numbers may not be realistic. Setting goals for prepaid weight during pregnancy helps you to monitor whether you are healthy in terms of nutrition during pregnancy and to notice this when you need to change your eating habits. The extra energy required during pregnancy is approximately 300 calories per day for a woman whose weight is normal. It is equivalent to 300 calories, 3 bananas, 1 cup of dried beans, 2 eggs with cheese or 30 grams of curd. So there is no need to exaggerate about food because you are 2 alive. An overweight woman has extra energy already stored. So he doesn't normally need to get that much extra calories on what he eats. A woman with a low weight should add more calories to her daily diet and increase food intake.

2- What Should I Pay Attention While Gaining Weight?

Do not forget about the golden rule of gaining weight during pregnancy: heavy and steady progress wins! Slowly gaining weight is best for your body as well as your baby. So your weight gain speed is at least as important as how many kilos you will gain. So why should we gain weight slowly, what are the benefits of this? It needs a steady flow of nutrients and energy throughout the period of the baby's stay in the womb. When it starts to grow, intermittent and irregular food flow will not be efficient for it.Gradually gaining weight gives the body time to get used to its new weight. Thus, pain and pains associated with pregnancy and sudden weight gain become more bearable.The slow increase in weight causes your skin to gradually stretch and less crack.Heavy and steady weight is given more easily after birth.

3- How Should Weight Gain Be During Months During Pregnancy?

How many kilos should I gain in trimester? In the first 3 months, the baby is still as poppy seed. So you don't need to eat more than usual while feeding two lives. This means very little weight gain. It may be appropriate to aim to gain 1 or 2 kilos for weight gain in the first months of pregnancy . But most women lose weight at this time, and even lose a few kilos due to nausea and vomiting. Many also gain a little more weight. The reason for this is that foods that are good for nausea are always starchy and multi-calorie foods. There is nothing wrong with this. How many kilos should I gain in the 2nd trimester? The second 3-month period is when the baby starts growing rapidly. Therefore , if you are wondering when weight gain starts during pregnancy, we can say that it starts exactly in the 2nd trimester. Because you need to catch up with your baby's growth rate and start gaining weight and energizing it. Your weight gain should increase to an average of 450 to 700 grams per week at 4, 5 and 6 months. In other words, a total of 5.5 - 6 kilos can be gained for the second trimester. How many kilos should I gain in the 3rd trimester? In the last 3 months, baby's weight gain will accelerate, but yours can drop to around 450 grams per week. You can gain a total of 3.5 to 4.5 pounds in the last 3 months. Some women find that they stay at the same weight at 9 months, or even lose 1 kilo, because there is no more room in the abdomen.How Much Weight Should I Gain During Pregnancy?

4- Is Weight Control Possible During Pregnancy?

Now let's come to the question of how much can we apply this weight gain formula, can we keep it under control… To be realistic, your appetite will peak in some weeks, your self-control will knock, and the path to the goal of weight will turn up. In some weeks, eating will become very difficult due to stomach and indigestion problems. Don't worry as long as you meet the total weight gain goal and fit the average model at the rate of weight gain. Don't go up to 250 grams this week, 1 kilogram a week, 500 grams next week. You're still on the right track. Because of all this, don't forget to weigh for weight control. Not knowing your weight may drop you too far from your target. Always weigh once a week at the same time of the day, with the same weight and the same amount of clothing.

5- What Causes Overweight Gain During Pregnancy?

Gaining too much weight can cause problems during pregnancy. Here are some of them: Excessive thickening of the fat layers can make examinations and measurements related to the baby difficult.Excess weight can increase the discomfort associated with pregnancy from low back and back pain to varicose veins, weakness and stomach problems.Giving birth prematurely may increase the risk of getting glucose or high blood pressure.It can cause having a baby too big to give birth normally.It may cause complications after cesarean.It is also difficult to lose these extra pounds after birth. Many women who gain a lot of weight while pregnant are at high risk of staying with them.

6- Can pregnant women diet?

Can pregnant women diet?

7- What Causes Low Weight Gain During Pregnancy?

Gaining too little weight is also undesirable during pregnancy. Sometimes it can be more dangerous than gaining too much weight. Mothers who have gained less than 9 pounds in their pregnancy have higher risks in their babies, such as being born prematurely, being smaller than the date of pregnancy and restricting their development in the uterus.

8- Can There Be Nutrition During Pregnancy Without Gaining Weight?

Weight gain is an indication that the body provides proper nutrition for the development of the baby and promotes the growth of the baby. There is no such thing as not gaining weight during pregnancy. There is no need to gain unnecessary weight. If you are wondering what to do in order not to gain weight during pregnancy , the path should be the following: You should ensure weight gain not with high-calorie but poor quality and unhealthy foods that are useful for gaining weight, but with foods that are high in nutritional value and will feed your baby. If you have a balanced and high-quality diet, exercise enough, choose healthy foods and get the extra 300 calories necessary for your baby, you have already found the formula for nutrition without taking unnecessary weight.��Here are 9 tips for feeding without getting unnecessary weight during pregnancy: Eat 3 small main meals and healthy snacks between meals. 2- Never skip a main or snack to restrict calories. Regular meals keep blood sugar in balance. Since you eat a little but frequently, you need to get very hungry and overeat. 3- Make reasonable portions of your food, ask for half portions in restaurants. Eating out as much as possible. Eating out is always more calorie than home cooking. 4- Allow yourself time to eat slowly and digest food. 5- Always start with a small portion and wait five to ten minutes to find out if you need the second portion. 6- Avoid foods containing added sugar, salt, refined flour, fat and fried foods. These “energy-intensive foods contain a lot of calories, even in small quantities. 7- Load on fruits and vegetables with plenty of water and fiber to keep you satiated for longer with fewer calories. 8- To prevent you from eating junk food, always have milk, yogurt, fruit and nuts at hand. 9- Avoid beverages such as sweetened and acidic beverages and canned juices. We are not even talking about creamy and syrupy coffees!

9- Is There Really Craving During Pregnancy?

Is There Really Craving During Pregnancy?

10- Where are these pounds going?

Yes, I have been gaining so much weight for 9 months, but we seem to hear that I say to myself. You wonder where these weights go? Let's get the curiosity right away. Let's look at approximately where all the weight of a mother who gained an average of 14 kilos during pregnancy is distributed. Of course in average numbers! BabyPlacentaAmniotic fluidUterusBreast TissueBlood VolumeLiquidOil TanksTotal3,5 kg0.5 kg1 kg1 kg1 kg2 kg2 kg3 kg14 kg Read the full article

[arplis]

Arplis - News: Daily rhythms and a surprise...

When I suggested the other day that we all look through those long forgotten UFO projects my mind had been fixed on the fabric and thread kind, but as I was cleaning up my sewing room yesterday it was yarn which caught my eye, most especially a crochet rug I began last autumn but did not get far along with. So here we are in another Australian autumn and I'm rather toying with the idea of returning to this project and seeing it through to completion before winter's end. Staying home for many months should work in my favour with regards to that plan, but I'm also considering a basket of leftover yarn from last year's Sweet Pea blanket (Attic 24 pattern) which I made for Rafaella... I did in fact begin a new blanket with them but my cast on row was too tight (I did not think to use a larger hook for that part) and the more rows I crocheted the more obvious that curved cast on row became so I just packed it away rather disappointed and too busy to start over.  But it's been a long time between hooked stitches so I'm going to unravel it this weekend, perhaps whilst watching one of my favourite Jane Austen's, "Persuasion", and then start over.  Two blankets to play with, but which one first?  I'm rather partial to colour you know, and the sweet pea palette is more 'me' than the sandy seashore tones of the other UFO. Have you found something to work on or finish from your UFO bundle? In the kitchen I've made a return to breadmaking, something I did a lot of before we moved here. Through 2015-2018 most our our bread was home made and though there's been the odd spurt of home-baked loaves since then, it's the exception rather than the rule...but life is fast changing for many of us and trips to the grocery store will be few and far between now, so the rhythm of making three loaves a week is back...and it makes me happy. Mr E is rather chuffed too. The first loaf this past week was a light rye, lovely and moist and wonderfully delicious. I also baked an Apricot Shortcake that day, equally as yummy. My husband and I grew up in an era when bread was always on the table alongside the evening meal and though I can go without it these days, he truly loves to have a thick slice or two beside his dinner plate.  The Apricot Shortcake was an experiment, the base and top made using the same recipe as my Strawberry Shortcake (with a teaspoon of vanilla extract added) but I switched the centre layer ingredients to apricot jam and a large tin of drained apricot halves. Wow...we love apricots in our family and this is sure to be made over and over, so I thought you might like the recipe... APRICOT SHORTCAKE RECIPE 125g butter (we use vegan butter) 110g caster sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Beat all of these together until light and fluffy. Fold through - 110g plain white flour 110g white self-raising flour Spread HALF of the dough across the base of a greased and lined round springform cake pan. Warm 3/4 cup of apricot jam and spread it over the dough. Spread the drained apricot halves over the jam (I used an 800g can - that would be a 28oz can for the US). Spread the remaining half of the dough across the apricots - I dropped spoonfuls all over and then gently pressed down with floured hands once all the dough was in place. Sprinkle a teaspoon of sugar across the top of the dough. Bake in a 180C (375F) oven for around 50 minutes. A couple of weeks ago Blossom had gifted me a bowl of her homemade vegan chocolate mousse, which turned out to be more of a very rich fudge - truly scrumptious, but it needed something 'tart' to balance the sweetness. I made a crumb base in my food processor from walnuts, almonds, macadamias and dates which I pressed into four ramekins. Then I spread the fudgy mousse over the base.... ...before topping with my homemade lemon curd. This lemon curd is very tart and ovo-vegan (we use our own hen's eggs), which gave this dessert the kick it needed to impress my husband. I had to try it before I offered some to my husband, right? So good. Just so good. LEMON CURD RECIPE 3 large free-range eggs 1 tablespoon (20ml) of lemon zest 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 1/4 cup honey 4 tablespoons of coconut oil (80ml) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 tablespoon cacao butter (around 9 discs) - this is optional but totally worth it Gather all the ingredients before you begin as once this begins coming together its quick. Whisk together eggs, lemon zest and honey in a saucepan, then place on the stove over a medium heat. Immediately begin whisking in the lemon juice, coconut oil, vanilla and cacao butter. Continue to whisk until everything melts and the mixture begins to thicken.  Remove from heat and pour into a container to cool, and store in refrigerator.  In the fridge this will last for around 10 days. Our hens are back in their coop now that the worst of the wet season is over, although as I write this there is steady rain falling outside. They have really missed this area while contained up back in the pool enclosure for more than two months, and having them back in their home has eased a bit of the stress here (they kept escaping from the pool enclosure) as well as brought a small sense of normality to daily rhythms. Our girls lay 12-14 eggs every week, which is more than we use, so my elderly next door neighbour excitedly accepts 2 or 4 at a time.  The yard is a mess, I have to tell you. After the extreme heat of our tropical summer and early autumn combined with the wet season, there's been nothing but weed control and bugs...yet despite that I allowed a few of our basil plants to go to seed and they have produced scores of new plants just in time for the best growing season of our North Queensland year. We use a lot of basil, oregano, parsley, rosemary and thyme, and though some of the herbs have struggled to get by our basil and oregano have flourished. Now I'm waiting to see if the oregano will go to seed as well. It survived the sweltering weather due to sitting in shade under the large Ixora bush all summer. As I said the other day, it's been really difficult not having Blossom, Cully May and Rafaella visit each week, or for me to visit them. How my heart leapt yesterday when Mr E and I received drawings from the girls! They made me cry and then smile with delight because now we have them on the front of the refrigerator. I cannot wait to hug them close again when all this has passed. NEWS - the surprise! Blossom has just allowed me to give you a peek at her almost ready to launch online baby wear shop. My girl has been honing her dressmaking skills for the past 3.5 years, and being homeschooled she knows well how to research, learn, practice, test and then repeat the whole process until she is fully satisfied.  Of course, she may not admit this, but she's actually never fully satisfied and for the next 'however' long years of dressmaking there is ahead of her she'll continue learning and honing her craft because that's just how God made her to be. The sweet little outfits are gorgeous, and so very well made...there's even a bit of vintage Tilda I see! The label for her baby and toddler wear was inspired by her two girls, Cully May and Rafaella Lucy... As soon as the online shop is open I will let you know. May God bless the work of her hands. It sounds as though the rain has settled now so I'd best be away to play in the garden with my man. He has a wheelbarrow full of mature compost ready for me to plant seeds and there's nothing better than soft wet soil to pull weeds, plants seeds and seedlings, and to enjoy the earth beneath your feet. I'll leave you with this beautiful photo I took yesterday. Butterflies are everywhere in the garden at the moment but they do love colour and mostly I find them on flowering bushes or here enjoying a vibrant potted plant waiting to be planted out. Bless each and every one of you, loving hugs #Recipes2020 #Garden2020 #Blossom-LucyAndMay #TheHomemakersHeart #SneakPeeks2020

Arplis - News source https://arplis.com/blogs/news/daily-rhythms-and-a-surprise-1

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Easy No-Yeast Pizza Dough Recipe

$0.92 recipe / $0.23 serving

Home » Recipe Archives » Pizza » No-Yeast Pizza Dough

Desperate times call for desperate measures. There’s nothing quite like a perfectly light, chewy, and crispy traditional pizza crust made with yeast, but right now we have to make do with what we’ve got and for many, yeast is hard to come by! And I don’t know about you, but I’m definitely not going to give up my beloved pizza just because I can’t find any yeast at the store.

So for the time being I’m making this super fast and easy No-Yeast Pizza Dough to get my fix. Make sure you scroll down and read about the differences between yeast and no-yeast dough to get a better idea if this type of dough will work for you!

Homemade Pizza Dough with No Yeast

What is No Yeast Pizza Dough Like?

It’s important to understand that no-yeast pizza dough is not exactly like a traditional pizza dough made with yeast. No-yeast pizza dough does not go through a lot of kneading and rising, so it has a softer, fluffier, less chewy, and more bread-like texture. It’s not super crispy, it does not make those big delicate bubbles on the edges, and it doesn’t get very brown. It kind of reminds me of the old-school Dominos crust before they revamped their recipe, or some of the thicker-crust frozen pizzas. So, if you are a fan of either of those types of crusts, you might like this one as well!

Looking for a more traditional pizza dough recipe? Check out my classic Homemade Pizza Dough or Thin & Crispy Pizza Crust.

How Does No Yeast Pizza Dough Rise?

Instead of gas bubbles produced by live yeast, this pizza dough rises through gas bubbles produced by baking powder. Baking powder requires both water and heat to react, so you won’t see this dough rising as it sits at room temperature. That’s one of the great benefits of this no-yeast pizza dough—there’s no need to sit and wait for it to rise. Once it goes into the hot oven, then it springs into action!

Should I Hand Stretch or Roll Out the Dough?

As with most pizza doughs, using a rolling pin is a little easier, but it does create a flatter, more dense baked crust. If you gently stretch the dough by hand, more of the air bubbles are preserved in the dough and you’ll get a slightly more airy crust. So, take your pick based on your preferences!

What Kind of Pan Should I Use?

I baked the pizza below on a sheet pan lined with parchment because on this day I was favoring convenience over texture. A parchment lined sheet pan produces a softer bottom crust, but makes cleanup super easy. If you bake on a perforated pizza pan or a pre-heated pizza stone, you’ll get a crispier bottom crust, but you’ll need to take extra care to prevent the dough from sticking (a good dusting of flour or cornmeal under the dough). 

Want some pizza topping ideas? Try my White Pizza with Parsley Pesto Drizzle, Eggs Florentine Breakfast Pizza, or Garlicky Kale and Ricotta Pizza.

  No-Yeast Pizza Dough

This quick and easy no-yeast pizza dough only takes 15 minutes to make and is a great substitute for the classic when ingredients are in short supply.

Total Cost: $0.92 recipe / $0.23 serving

Author: Beth – Budget Bytes

Servings: 4 ¼ pizza

2 cups all-purpose flour ($0.61)

1 Tbsp baking powder ($0.12)

3/4 tsp salt ($0.03)

1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.16)

1 cup water ($0.00)

Preheat the oven to 425ºF. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Add the olive oil to the water, then pour them both into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Stir until a shaggy ball of dough forms and no more dry flour remains on the bottom of the bowl. If the dough does not come together in one piece or there is still dry flour in the bowl, add a small amount of water (1 Tbsp at a time) until the dough comes together.

Turn the dough out onto a clean, lightly floured surface and knead just a few times, or until the dough feels evenly mixed (no hard or dry pieces). Let the dough rest for about 5 minutes to relax the gluten.

Stretch or roll the dough out into your desired shape, making sure not to stretch it to less than ¼-inch thick.

Place the dough on your preferred pan (prepared with either parchment or a good dusting of cornmeal or flour), then top the pizza with your favorite sauce and toppings. Bake the pizza for about 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and slightly browned on top. Slice and serve immediately.

*Prices and nutrition data for the pizza crust only.

Serving: 0.25pizza ・ Calories: 252.2kcal ・ Carbohydrates: 46g ・ Protein: 6g ・ Fat: 3.5g ・ Sodium: 652.5mg ・ Fiber: 1g

Nutritional values are estimates only. See our full nutrition disclosure here.

The equipment section above contains affiliate links to products we use and love!

Scroll down for the step by step photos!

I thought you might like an inside look at the texture of this no-yeast pizza!

How to Make Pizza Dough Without Yeast – Step by Step Photos

Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Add 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 Tbsp baking powder, and ¾ tsp salt to a large bowl. Stir until these ingredients are well combined.

Add 1 Tbsp olive oil to 1 cup water, then pour them into the bowl of dry ingredients.

Stir the ingredients together until they form a shaggy ball of dough and no more dry flour remains on the bottom of the bowl. If the dough is too dry and does not come together in one piece or there is a lot of flour left on the bottom of the bowl, add a little more water (1 Tbsp at a time), until the dough comes together.

Turn the dough out onto a clean, lightly floured surface and knead just a few times until the dough feels evenly mixed (no hard or dry pieces). Let the dough rest for about 5 minutes so the gluten relaxes, which makes it easier to roll or stretch out.

Roll or stretch your dough out to the desired shape or size, making sure not to stretch it to less than ¼-inch thick. Remember, while rolling is easier, it produces a flatter slightly more dense dough. Stretching makes a slightly lighter, fluffier crust. I rolled my dough about half way, then hand stretched the rest of the way.

Transfer your dough to your preferred type of pan (notes on the results you’ll get from different pans is above the recipe). I used a parchment lined sheet pan, which will result in a softer bottom crust, but is waaaaay easier to clean up. (This is a splatterware sheet pan from Rove & Swig)

Add your preferred sauce and toppings (Homemade Pizza Sauce, fresh mozzarella, pepperoni, dried oregano, and crushed red pepper in photo above).

Bake your pizza for about 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and slightly browned on top.

Slice and serve immediately!

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Tags: Dough, Easy, NoYeast, pizza, Recipe

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[laurenketoholic]

I have ONE more keto recipe for you Ketoholics 🥬 on this Saturday night!

I always crave pie 🥧SO I decided to post this low-carb Apple Pie 🥧recipe!!!

Just to let you guys know, this recipe has a lot of steps!!

This pie 🥧takes 1 hour and 35 minutes to make!

Ingredients

Apple Pie Filling

- 1/2 a cup of butter, salted.

- 1/4 a cup of Besti Powdered Monk Fruit Erythritol Blend.

- 6 tablespoons of lemon juice, divided.

- 2 teaspoons of cinnamon.

- 1 teaspoon of nutmeg.

- 1/2 a teaspoon of cardamom.

- 1 tablespoon of unflavored gelatin powder.

- 5 medium yellow squash, sliced and diced into 1/2 inch pieces OR zucchini.

- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (optional).

- 1/2 a teaspoon of maple extract (optional).

Apple Pie Crust

- 3 3/4 cup of blanched almond flour.

- 1/3 a cup of Besti Powdered Monk Fruit Erythritol Blend.

- 1/2 a teaspoon of sea salt.

- 1/2 a cup of butter, unsalted.

- 1 large egg.

- 1/2 a teaspoon of vanilla extract (optional).

- 1 tablespoon of unflavored gelatin powder.

- 2 tablespoons of water.

- 1/4 a cup of ghee.

(This dessert makes 12 pieces of pie)

Instructions

Apple Pie Filling

Step One: In a small pinch bowl, whisk the gelatin powder with 3 tablespoons (44 mL) of lemon juice. Set aside to bloom.

Step Two: In a large 3.5-quart (3.3 liters) saucepan, melt the butter over medium-heat. Stir in the powdered sweetener, the remaining 3 tablespoons (44 mL) of lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom. When the gelatin mixture has thickened, whisk it into the pan, until dissolved.

Step Three: Add the diced squash to the pan. Bring to a simmer. Simmer over medium-heat for about 30 to 40 minutes, until the squash is very soft and the mixture has thickened, similar to apple pie filling.

Step Four: Stir in the maple extract.

Step Five: Set the filling aside to cool until no hotter than cool, so at least 20 minutes.

Apple Pie Crust

Step One: Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 degrees Celsius).

Step Two: To make the pie crust dough, you need to line the bottom of a 9 inch (23 cm) round pie pan with parchment paper or grease the pan well.

Step Three: In a large bowl, mix the almond flour, erythritol (if using), and sea salt.

Step Four: Stir in the melted ghee and egg. Add the gelatin powder and water, and use a hand mixer to combine. (If using vanilla extract, stir that into the melted ghee before adding to the dry ingredients). The “dough” will be dry and crumbly. Just keep mixing, pressing, and stirring until it’s consistent and until there is no almond flour powder left.

Step Five: Divide the dough in half. Press half of the dough into the lined pie pan, including the bottom and going up the sides. Set the 2nd half of the dough aside.

Step Six: Bake the crust in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, until it’s lightly golden.

Step Seven: When done, set aside to cool for at least 10 minutes before adding the filling.

Step Eight: Meanwhile, place the remaining half of the dough between two lightly oiled pieces of parchment paper. Use a rolling pin over the parchment paper to roll out to a circle slightly larger than the top of the pie pan, for the top crust.

Apple Pie Assemble

Step One: Preheat the oven again to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 degrees Celsius), if it has cooled. Make sure the filling and bottom crust are both cooled to no hotter than cool before assembling.

Step Two: Gently transfer the cooled filling to the cooled bottom crust.

Step Three: Lift the top piece of parchment paper off the rolled out top crust. Using the bottom piece of the parchment paper, carefully and rapidly flip the top crust over onto the pie, then gently peel off the parchment paper. Use a knife to cut any excess top crust off the edges, making sure it still completely covers the bottom crust. Use your fingers to press the edges down to seal. Cut 4 slits in the top of the pie.

Step Four: Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges are brown. Cover the edges of the pie with foil and bake for an additional 5 to 15 minutes, until the top crust is light golden and semi-firm to the touch. It will not fully firm up until after cooling.

Step Five: Remove the pie from the oven and cool completely before cutting or removing from the pan. Serve and enjoy!

Serving Size = 1 slice of pie

Net Carbs = 8 grams

[elliotazca299-blog]

BEST EVER VEGAN SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE WITH PECAN CRUMBLE

Thanksgiving is ONE week away! So much yes. Growing up it was my second favorite holidays (Christmas being first of course). I always woke up early to set the table (always my job that I took very seriously) and help my mom out in the kitchen. Pure bliss. My favorite dish then and now (besides dessert) was/is the sweet potato casserole. Back then we used candied yams, lots of butter, sugar, brown sugar and marshmallows. It’s no wonder why it was my favorite! It basically was a dessert in itself.

With that being said, I wanted to create a grown up, vegan version of my beloved childhood favorite dish. Trust me when I say….I created my new favorite thanksgiving dish. The best ever vegan sweet potato casserole with pecan crumble. I cannot wait to serve this up to my family next week. I know they are absolutely going to devour it. If you’re looking for a sweet potato casserole recipe, look no more. This is it my friend!

The best ever vegan sweet potato casserole with pecan crumble. Super easy to make, naturally sweetened with a delicious creamy base and a sweet & easy vegan food crunchy toasted topping. The perfect dish for the holidays! The base is made with peeled & boiled sweet potatoes which are pureed in the kitchenaide (or food processor/blender in batches). This creates perfectly creamy sweet potatoes. A must with sweet potato casserole! A little vegan butter, maple syrup, coconut sugar, vanilla and almond milk are added to elevate the creaminess and necessary sweetness we all know and love.

But seriously just look at the creaminess!

This vegan sweet potato casserole comes together in around an hour and requires just 10 ingredients! Most of which you probably already have on hand. Plus you can even make the dish a day ahead of time. Make your base, place in casserole dish and cover in the fridge. You can either do the same with the crumble (make sure they’re separate until baking) or make that on Thanksgiving since it only takes a few minutes. Talk about easy preparation.

This is a perfect & easy dish for Thanksgiving. The holiday just wouldn’t be the same without a sweet potato casserole. Your family and friends will be super satisfied and licking their plates at the end of dinner (I know I will be!).

The best ever vegan sweet potato casserole with pecan crumble. Super easy to make, naturally sweetened with a delicious creamy base and a sweet & crunchy toasted topping. The perfect dish for the holidays! 5 reasons you should make this vegan sweet potato casserole:

It’s absolutely perfect for the holidays

Vegans and non vegans will absolutely love it

The prep work and ingredient list is minimal

The crumble on top is sweet, crunchy and heaven in your mouth

Leftovers are insanely delicious

THE EASIEST VEGAN SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE WITH PECAN CRUMBLE

PREP TIME

30 mins

COOK TIME

30 mins

TOTAL TIME

1 hour

The best ever vegan sweet potato casserole with pecan crumble. Super easy to make, naturally sweetened with a delicious creamy base and a sweet & crunchy toasted topping. The perfect dish for the holidays!

Author: Nutritional Foodie

Recipe type: vegan

Cuisine: Side dish

Serves: 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

3.5 pounds sweet potatoes (about 10 cups or 4 large sweet potatoes)

2 Tbsp vegan butter (or normal butter if not vegan)

¼ cup maple syrup

¼ cup unsweetened almond milk

3 Tbsp coconut sugar

½ tsp vanilla

Pinch of sea salt & cinnamon (optional)

Topping

1 cup pecans

⅓ cup AP flour (or flour of choice)

½ cup coconut sugar

4.5 Tbsp melted coconut oil

Pinch of sea salt cinnamon (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Peel and chop your sweet potatoes into fast amazing vegan recipes medium size chunks.

Place in a large pot with water and a healthy pinch of sea salt.

Bring pot to a boil then lower to medium/high and boil until sweet potatoes are fork tender (about 15 minutes).

In the meantime prepare your crumble. Add all crumble ingredients to a food processor and pulse a until combined (or you can do by hand just make sure you use pecan pieces). It took me only 5 or 6 pulses. You still want chunks! Set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Once potatoes are done, drain and place in your kitchen-aide mixing bowl along with 2 Tbsp butter. Using your paddle attachment mix until smooth. Next add in the maple syrup, almond milk, coconut sugar, vanilla, sea salt & cinnamon. Mix until smooth & creamy. (alternatively you can mash/mix by hand or use a blender/food processor in batches). I recommend using a device if you can because it creates the extra creamy consistency.

Place your sweet potato mixture into a casserole dish and smooth out. Add your crumble topping so it's evenly distributed. Optional-add a handful of extra chopped pecans on top.

Place in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes or until top is golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes and serve!

NOTES

* You can make this a day ahead of time. Keep sweet potato mixture and crumble separate. Heat up sweet potato mixture in the oven for 20 minutes or until heated through (since it will be cool from being in the fridge) and then add your crumble and cook until golden brown.

[birdshirt1-blog]

extra-billowy dutch baby pancake

[Welcome back to ✨ Newer, Better Month ✨ on Smitten Kitchen, when I get update a few SK classics with new knowledge, new techniques, and with real-life time constraints in mind. Previously: Perfect Spaghetti and Meatballs and Extra-Flaky Pie Crust.]

Sometimes “newer, betters” emerge because the original recipe wasn’t as good as it could be. But most of them — like this — come from real life. Like, when you’re really tired on a Saturday morning and you look at a recipe that you swore by at some time in your life when nobody dragged you out of bed at 7am on a Saturday [and then, instead of handing you a cup of coffee for your troubles, as you’d once daydreamed they’d be trained to do by now, demanded pancakes] and say “WHUT.” A blender? No, I am definitely not getting the blender out right now. Wait, why am I turning on the stove and the oven? Do I really need this much butter? Why are there lumps in the batter? Why isn’t this as puffy as I thought it would be? Can I go back to bed yet? I mean, just for a random example that’s definitely not going down in my kitchen as we speak.

In the early days of this site, I told you about what my mom’s 1970s blender recipe insert called German Pancakes, confusing many German friends and readers, who had never heard of them. We better know these as Dutch babies — equally confusing, and said to have been coined by a corruption of the German deutsch — or David Eyre’s Pancakes, but they’re closer to popovers or Yorkshire puddings than anything else in batter. Because dramatic, rumpled crepe-like pancakes will always be more exciting than undramatic, unrumpled crepes, I’ve made a lot of versions over the years: buckwheat, cherry-almond and chocolate on the site; gingerbread (in The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook) and a parmesan dutch baby with creamed mushrooms (in Smitten Kitchen Every Day). It was when I was working on the chocolate Dutch baby that took a closer look at dutch baby formulas I’d been using and found through trial but mostly error one that I preferred.

I found that an eggier batter led to a more billowy pancake. I found a little less flour and milk also increased rumples. I found that by adding the flour first, a lumpy batter was fully avoidable. I also realized that a lot of what makes a Dutch baby “work” — i.e. have a dramatic and Instagram-worthy finish — making sure you have the right amount of batter for you pan and, often, cooking it a minute or two further than merely cooked through. An extra couple minutes helps the shape of the waves set, and provides a nice crispy edge underneath.

On sleepy Saturday mornings, I did away with the blender and sometimes even the whisk, the stove, and even the requirement of an ovenproof skillet. I also realized that you don’t even need to choose a sweet vs. savory angle (read: break up any arguments from children who didn’t agree on flavors) before you bake the pancake. You can shower it with anything you choose after it exits the oven — sugar, lemon, fruit, or chocolate for sweet tooths; cheese, herbs, sauteed vegetables, and/or ham or bacon for savory cravings. You could make it right now; believe me, I already am.

Previously

One year ago: Melting Potatoes Two years ago: Easiest French Fries and Peanut Butter Swirled Brownies Three years ago: Nolita-Style Avocado Toast and Chocolate Peanut Butter Tart Four years ago: Black-Bottom Oatmeal Pie and Potatoes with Soft Eggs and Bacon Vinaigrette Five years ago: Double-Chocolate Banana Bread and Sizzling Chicken Fajitas Six years ago: Coconut Bread and Chocolate-Hazelnut Macaroon Torte Seven years ago: Carrot Cake Pancakes Eight years ago: Oat and Maple Syrup Scones Nine years ago: Baked Rigatoni with Tiny Meatballs, St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake, Breakfast Pizza Ten years ago: Pita Bread, Layer Cake Tips + The Biggest Birthday Cake, Yet and Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Cornbread Eleven years ago: Hazelnut Brown Butter Cake, Chard and White Bean Stew, Pasta with Cauliflower, Walnuts, and Feta Twelve years ago: Skillet Irish Soda Bread and Lighter-Than-Air Chocolate Cake

And for the other side of the world: Six Months Ago: Breakfast Burritos 1.5 Years Ago: Pizza Beans 2.5 Years Ago: Piri Piri Chicken and Chocolate Pavlova 3.5 Years Ago: Oat and Wheat Sandwich Bread 4.5 Years Ago: Herbed Tomato and Roasted Garlic Tart and Cauliflower Slaw

Extra-Billowy Dutch Baby Pancake

Servings: 2 to 4

Time: 30 minutes

Source: Smitten Kitchen

Print

The two key things to keep in mind when aiming for Peak Billows in your puffy oven pancake are 1. Baking it long enough that the center sets too, getting a chance to slightly rumple, although it may not always. This usually involves setting the timer for the suggested time and checking back every 1 to 2 minutes after until it’s just right. 2. Having the right size pan for the batter yield. If there’s too little, the pancake will not have the same dramatic heights. The yield here is intended for one 12-inch round ovenproof skillet, two 9-inch round ovenproof skillets, the equivalent sized baking dishes, or even a 9×13-inch pan. If you pan is smaller, simply scale the recipe down. For the 2-quart oval casserole dish shown up top, I used 3/4 of this batter, i.e. 3 eggs, 6 tablespoons each flour and milk. Finally, I know people often balk at the amount of butter, and this uses less than some recipes, but it’s essential that there’s enough in the pan that the pancake can slide around and rumple over it; if there’s any even slight sticking, it will not.

2 to 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 large eggs

1/2 cup (65 grams) all-purpose flour

1/2 cup milk (ideally whole milk but most varieties will work)

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

If savory: Freshly ground black pepper, wilted spinach or sauteed greens, bacon or ham cheese, herbs or comte, herbs (shown here with ham, gruyere, and chives)

If sweet: Powdered sugar, lemon juice, syrup, fresh berries, shaved chocolate or chocolate sauce

1 tablespoon sugar both optional)

Heat oven to 425 degrees F with one 12-inch round ovenproof skillet, two 9-inch round ovenproof skillets, the equivalent sized baking dishes inside.

In a large bowl, beat eggs thoroughly with a whisk or fork. Add salt and flour, whisk until lumps disappear. Add milk, whisking until smooth. If you know you’d like your pancake to end up sweet, you can add 1 tablespoon granulated sugar to the batter; if you know you’d like it to be savory, you can add freshly ground black pepper. But, you can also choose your own adventure when it comes out.

When oven and baking vessel are fully heated, wearing potholders, carefully remove skillet(s) or baking dish(es) from the oven. Melt butter inside and roll it around so it goes up the sides, too. If using one large dish, two-ish tablespoons is often sufficient; it’s best to use three tablespoons between two dishes, however.

Pour batter into buttered dish(es) and return it to the oven. Bake for 12 to 13 minutes to start, and then in additional 1 to 2 minute increments until the edges are deeply golden brown and the centers are just beginning to color. Have your finishes ready to go. Transfer to a cooling back or trivet. I finish sweet pancakes with lemon juice and a good coating of powdered sugar, and savory pancakes with grated cheese, vegetables and/or ham or bacon, and fresh herbs. Eat immediately; these pancakes are best hot from the oven.

Source: https://smittenkitchen.com/2019/03/extra-billowy-dutch-baby-pancake/

[middletuna7-blog]

cherry streusel cheesecake bars

The first draft for #weeknightbakingbook is officially turned in and I am equal parts relieved, proud, and generally exhausted. Because I spent so much time on recipe testing and development, I felt like I rushed through the actual writing of the book itself — all I can say is that my editor has a whale of a task ahead of her, that's for sure. I was literally down to the wire, translating my manuscript from Google Docs to Microsoft Word* the midnight before my contractual deadline. I also can't relax just quite yet since I'm spending the rest of the month styling and shooting photos for the book. I still have about 70 shoots to get through before I can fully rest and relax, eeep.

*Also, if you missed it, I was doing some High Quality Content Creation at 12:30AM this past Monday, complaining about formatting my manuscript from Google Docs to Microsoft Word — on a whim, I did a quick poll and found that many of you guys still use Microsoft Word. What gives?!

Although I'll be pretty heads down for the rest of the month, I'm still making an effort to carve out some time for myself here and there. For 4th of July, we celebrated with a hot pot feast at my friends Sze Wa and Jeremy's place, before walking over to Broadway Bridge to catch the paltriest view of Portland's fireworks. It was also Erlend's 30th birthday this past weekend; Erlend's parents drove down from their summer cabin in Mount Hood to take us to dinner at Zilla Sake. We then feasted on the clafoutis that Erlend made me make for his birthday (instead of, you know, the layer cakes I usually like to make, eyeroll), for which he insisted that I leave the cherries unpitted since it's the traditional French way and apparently the pits impart an almond flavor? *whisper* I honestly couldn't tell, but not pitting cherries definitely saved me a ton of time so there's that. *endwhisper*

Speaking of cherries, we've been going through POUNDS of them ever since Northwest Cherry Growers sent me a huge box of Skeena cherries from Pasco, Washington. They're a beautiful deep red, and are incredibly juicy, ripe, and delicious. We've been mostly eating them fresh while saving the rest for #weeknightbakingbook pies, but occasionally I'll cheat and make another dessert like these cherry streusel cheesecake bars. These bars were inspired by this sour cherry streusel cake from last year, and a variation of the cheesecake bar recipe from my upcoming cookbook. The bars are incredibly creamy with a bit of tang from sour cream, and lots of flavor and crunch from the cherries, streusel, and Speculoos cookie crumbs. Enjoy!

A big thank you to Northwest Cherry Growers for the big box of cherries! Be sure to check out their website to find out more about different cherry varieties, recipes, and other fun facts and trivia about cherries.

also featured:

tray || mini plates || flatware

Some baker's notes:

Because this is a multi-component recipe, it can be a bit time consuming to make — there are some tips and tricks that you can take in order to cut down on how long you're working. Streusel can be made up to 1 week in advance; just keep it in the fridge in an airtight container until you're ready to use. Cherries can be prepped overnight in an airtight container; the juice will darken a little bit to a weird, unattractive brownish red, but it'll come out a beautiful maroon in the oven. There's also no need to wait for the cookie crust to cool completely before filling, so go hog wild.

Speculoos cookies are available at Trader Joe's or online for a premium via Amazon; in a pinch, you can substitute with graham crackers or even Oreo cookies. 

Cream cheese can be a little tricky to work with — if you use it while it's too cold, you'll end up with a lumpy batter. Be sure that both the cream cheese, sour cream, and eggs are at room temperature for the smoothest possible cheesecake filling. 

Cherry Streusel Cheesecake Bars

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Ingredients

For the Streusel:

(makes enough for an 8 x 8-inch pan)

1/4 cup (2.25 ounces) all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons (1 ounce) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

a pinch of kosher salt

For the Speculoos Cookie Crust: (makes enough for an 8 x 8-inch pan)

1 1/2 cups (5.25 ounces) finely-processed Speculoos cookie crumbs (see baker's notes for substitutions) 

3 tablespoons (1.5 ounces) melted unsalted butter

a pinch of kosher salt

For the Cherry Cheesecake Filling: (makes enough for an 8 x 8-inch pan)

1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 cup (3.5 ounces) granulated sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1/2 cup (4 ounces) sour cream, at room temperature

"heaping" 1 1/2 cups (8.5 ounces) ripe cherries, stemmed, pitted, and halved

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Recipe

For the Streusel: 

Combine 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, and a pinch of kosher salt in a medium bowl. Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is well combined and crumbly, with both lima bean- and pea-sized clumps. Place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

For the Speculoos Cookie Crust:

Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350 (F). Prepare an 8 x 8-inch pan by lining the bottom and sides of the pan with a sheet of aluminum foil, leaving at least a 2-inch overhang on two opposite sides. Layer a second sheet of aluminum foil on top of this sheet, leaving a 2-inch overhang on the uncovered opposite sides of the pan. Set aside. 

In a medium bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups Speculoos cookie crumbs, 3 tablespoons melted butter, and a pinch of kosher salt. Toss to combine until the mixture has the feel and texture of wet sand. 

Transfer to the prepared pan and use a tart tamper or your hands to press the crumbs together evenly across the surface of the pan. You want to apply a decent amount of pressure here so that the crust holds its shape after being pressed together; you can even use the bottom of a coffee mug or heavy glass to pound the crumbs in place.

Transfer to the oven and bake. Bake for 10 minutes until the crust is set but not completely brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly while preparing the cherry cheesecake filling. Leave the oven on for the next steps. 

For the Cherry Cheesecake Filling:

Reduce the oven heat to 325 (F). 

In the bowl of a freestanding electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat 1 1/2 cups cream cheese on medium-low speed until soft, about 1 minute. Add 1/2 cup sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy, about another minute. Turn the mixer down to its slowest setting and add 2 eggs, one at a time, only adding the next egg until the previous one is fully incorporated. Once the eggs are incorporated, turn off the mixer and scrape down the paddle and the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Turn the mixer back on to its slowest setting and add 1/2 cup sour cream all at once. Turn the mixer to medium and beat for about 1 minute, or until the sour cream is fully incorporated and the mixture is pale and thick, with a slight shine.

Scrape the mixture on top of the parbaked Speculoos cookie crust, using an offset spatula to spread it evenly across the pan. Scatter 1 1/2 cups stemmed, pitted, and halved cherries across the surface of the cheesecake filling. Sprinkle streusel over the cherries and filling. Transfer to the preheated oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the edges are set but the center still wobbles slightly — don’t worry about this wobble, it’ll continue to set after you pull it out of the oven. Transfer to a wire rack to cool to 30 minutes, before transferring to the refrigerator to chill uncovered for about 4 hours, preferably overnight.

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Source: https://www.hummingbirdhigh.com/2018/07/cherry-streusel-cheesecake-bars.html