North Homecroft: Eatery & Bakeshop

Eats and sweets from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

[northhomecroft]

Banana Cream Pie

1 large box of vanilla instant pudding

2.5 cups of milk

1 soft brick of cream cheese

2 bananas

1 9” graham cracker crust

Beat pudding mix and milk together for about 5 minutes until thick. Whip cream cheese up in separate bowl until very smooth. Combine both and whip until very smooth. Layer bananas on the bottom of the crust. Pour filling in and level off. Refrigerate and serve.

[northhomecroft]

Perfect Pie Crust

2.5 cups flour

A pinch of salt

1 tablespoon of sugar

A stick and half of salted butter (ice cold, cubed)

1/4 Crisco (ice cold)

4-8 tablespoons of ice cold water

Put 1.5 cups of flour in a large bowl with salt and sugar. Mix together. Sprinkle cubed butter and Crisco over the flour mixture and blend with pastry cutter until thoroughly encorporated resembling fresh bread crumbs. Sprinkle 4 tablespoons of ice water over dough. Mix with spatula to combine until pressing together. Add more ice water if needed to thoroughly encorporate. Knead a few times to get everything well mixed. Divide dough into 2 discs (2 crusts) and pop in the fridge for at least an hour. After an hour, roll out dough with floured rolling pin, lightly floured surface and top of dough. Roll thin enough to cover pie tin with plenty of extra. Crust will shrink about 1” during the baking process to account for this. Fit dough to pie tin, crimp and pop in freezer for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Make fork imprints all over the surface of the pie dough to prevent bubbling. Bake until golden brown. Don’t hesitate to take a fork to any bubbles blowing up during the baking process to eliminate bubbles. Cool on the countertop. Fill when completely cooled.

[northhomecroft]

Chewy Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups salted butter 2 cups sugar 2 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 cups flour 3/4 cup cocoa powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1-2 tablespoons milk 1 bag of chips of your choice (chocolate, peanut butter, mint - the choice is yours!)

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well. Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Mix dry ingredients with the wet ingredients. If dough seems too stiff, add 1-2 tablespoons of milk to thin out enough to be able to scoop dough. Stir in chips. 

Use small ice cream scoop to proportion cookies (about 1 inch sized balls). Bake at 350F degrees for 8-9 minutes. Cookies will appear undone. Remove from oven, gently remove from sheet tray and let cool to firm up. Cookies will stay chewy and moist. 

[northhomecroft]

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 teaspoon baking soda 3 eggs 2 cups white sugar 1 cup vegetable oil 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 cups grated zucchini 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips Directions: 

Preheat oven at 350F degrees. Grease (2) 9 by 5-inch loaf pans. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, spices and baking soda.

In a large bowl, beat eggs until light and fluffy. Add sugar, and continue beating until well blended. Stir in oil, vanilla, zucchini, and chocolate chips. Stir in sifted ingredients. Pour into prepared loaf pans.

Bake for 50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove loaves from pans and cool. Cool before slicing. 

[northhomecroft]

Chocolate Cake & Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups sugar ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder 2 teaspoons baking powder 1½ teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup milk ½ cup vegetable or canola oil 2 eggs 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 cup boiling water

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350º F. Prepare two 9-inch cake pans or one large 9 x 13 cake pan by spraying with baking spray OR buttering and lightly flouring.   

Add flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk thoroughly and combine well.         

Add milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla to flour mixture and mix together on medium speed until well combined. Reduce speed and carefully add boiling water to the cake batter. Beat on high speed for about 1 minute to add air to the batter. The batter will appear thin and very runny - this is correct!

Distribute cake batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans or completely into one large cake pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, remove from the pan and cool completely.

Frost cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting. (See below for recipe)

Ingredients

1½ cups salted butter (3 sticks), softened 1 cup unsweetened cocoa 5 cups confectioner’s sugar ½ cup milk 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions:

Add cocoa to a large bowl or bowl of stand mixer. Whisk through to remove any lumps.

Cream together butter and cocoa powder until well-combined.

Add sugar and milk to cocoa mixture by adding 1 cup of sugar followed by about a tablespoon of milk. After each addition has been combined, turn mixer onto a high speed for about a minute. Repeat until all sugar and milk have been added.

Add vanilla extract and combine well.

If frosting appears too dry, add more milk, a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the right consistency. If it appears to wet and does not hold its form, add more confectioner’s sugar, a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the right consistency.

Frost on cool cake for best results. 

[northhomecroft]

Mini-Monster Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, softened to room temperature 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar 1/4 cup white sugar 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter 1 large egg 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 and 1/4 cups all purpose flour (sifted) 1/2 cup quick oats 3/4 cup mini M&Ms 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, using a hand-held mixer cream the butter and sugars together on medium speed until smooth. Mix in the peanut butter, egg, and vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Slowly mix in the baking soda and flour. Do not overmix. Fold in the quick oats, M&Ms, and chocolate chips. If the dough is very soft and unmanageable by hand, chill the dough for 30 minutes before rolling.

Rolls balls of dough, about 2 tablespoons of dough per ball, onto prepared baking sheet.  Bake for 9-10 minutes - do not bake past 10 minutes. The cookies will appear undone.Slightly press down the baked cookies with the back of a spoon, since the cookies only slightly spread in the oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Cookies will firm up as they cool. Store cookies covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.

[northhomecroft]

Red Velvet Cake & Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon cocoa powder 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature (or, 1 cup regular milk, with 3 tablespoons of white distilled vinegar added - let sit for 5 minutes before using) 2 large eggs, room temperature 2 tablespoons red food coloring 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar  1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. 

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. 

In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.

Divide the batter evenly among (2) 8 or 9 inch cake pans OR cupcake tins. For cupcake tins, fill until about 2/3 filled. Bake in oven for about 20 to 22 minutes, turning the pans once, half way through. Test the cake with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 pound cream cheese, softened 2 sticks butter, softened 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy. Use piping tip or uneven spatula to frost cake/cupcakes. 

[northhomecroft]

Jumbo Cinnamon Rolls & Cream Cheese Frosting

Dough:

1/2 cup warm water 2 packets active dry yeast 2 tablespoons sugar 1 (3.5 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding 2 cups milk 1 stick unsalted butter, melted 2 large eggs, beaten 1 teaspoon salt 8 cups all-purpose flour 

Filling:

2 sticks unsalted butter, melted 2 cups brown sugar 2 tablespoons cinnamon

Directions:   In a small bowl, combine water, yeast and sugar. Stir well until dissolved. Set aside.   In a separate large bowl, mix pudding and milk with a wire whisk. Add in 1 stick of melted butter, eggs and salt. Mix well then add in the yeast mixture. Gradually add in the flour, 1 cup at a time, and knead until smooth.   Place in another large bowl that has been well-greased. Cover bowl with plastic wrap or clean, damp towel and let rise in a warm place until double in size. Punch down and let rise again.   Roll dough out on a very large floured surface. Dough should roll out to a long rectangle, about 34 x 21 inches in size. Take the 2 sticks of melted butter and spread over entire surface, using a pastry brush (or I use my clean hands!).   In a small bowl, mix brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over top of the buttered dough. Thoroughly rub into dough/butter. Starting on the long end, roll up like a jelly roll. Maintain how taught the dough is - this is important for a consistent cinnamon roll.    Using a serrated knife, measure dough every 2 inches and slice. If need be, take each roll into the palm of your hand and gently pack the roll to keep it from coming apart during baking.   Place each roll into a buttered baking pan and allow to rise again in a warm place for about 20 minutes. I like to use a cake pan - to encourage lift without crusty/hard edges, because the rolls will bake against each other, creating a soft texture all around.  Bake in preheated oven at 350° for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and frost with cream cheese frosting (recipe below) while still warm.

Cream Cheese Frosting  Ingredients: 1 (8 ounce) brick of cream cheese, softened to room temperature 1 stick unsalted butter, softened to room temperature 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 3 cups powdered sugar 2-4 tablespoons milk Directions:   With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla until creamy. Slowly add in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time. Mix well. After all of the powdered sugar has been mixed in, add the milk, 1 tablespoon at a time to thin out. Blend on low until smooth. Spread on warm cinnamon rolls.