Gourmet Cookie Bouquets Recipe Blog

Archive for May, 2008

Our usual recipes include cookies, trifles, bars, and many meal time recipes. This particular recipe is going to teach you how to make braided sesame ring. Mmmm!

Ingredients:

• 7 to 8 cups all-purpose flour

• 2 packages active dry yeast

• ¼ cup sugar

• 1 tsp. salt

• 1 ½ cups hot water (120 to 130 degrees)

• ½ cup mayonnaise

• 4 eggs

• 2 tbsp. sesame seeds

In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of the flour, the yeast, sugar and salt. Gradually beat in water until smooth. Add 2 more cups of flour, mayonnaise and 3 of the eggs; beat well. Stir in enough of the remaining flour to make dough easy to handle. Turn out onto lightly floured surface. Knead for 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic, adding as much remaining flour as needed to prevent sticking. Shape dough into a ball. Place in a large, greased bowl; turn dough once to grease surface. Cover with towel; let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down; divide into three equal pieces. Cover; let rest for 10 minutes. Roll each piece into 24 inch rope. Place side by side on a large greased baking sheet; loosely braid the ropes. Shape braid into circle, pinching the ends together to seal. Cover; let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 ½ hours. In a small bowl, beat remaining egg; brush over surface of the dough. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 40 minutes or until loaf is browned and sounds hollow when tapped. Remove to wire rack to cool.

If you liked making this treat, you'll love trying this recipe for homemade Bread Dough.

If you enjoy gourmet desserts with your cup of coffee, then you'll certainly enjoy this recipe for coffee cake. With a splash of apricot, you really can't go wrong!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup warm milk (105 to 115 degrees)

• 2 packages active dry yeast

• 1 cup butter, softened

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 2 eggs, slightly beaten

• 1 tsp. salt

• 1 tsp. ground cardamom

• 5 to 5 1/2 cups all purpose flour

• 1 cup prepared apricot filling

• 1/2 cup chopped dates

• 2 cups sifted powdered sugar

• 3 tbsp. light cream or half and half

• 1/2 tsp. vanilla

• 1/4 tsp. almond extract

In a large bowl, combine the milk and yeast; stir to dissolve yeast. Stir in butter, granulated sugar, eggs, salt, cardamom and 2 cups of the flour; beat until smooth. Stir in enough of the remaining flour to make the dough easy to handle. Turn out onto lightly floured surface. Knead for 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic, adding as much remaining flour as needed to prevent sticking. Shape dough into a ball. Place in a large, buttered bowl; turn dough once to butter surface. Cover with waxed paper; let rise in a warm place (85 degrees) until doubled, about 1 ½ hours. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine apricot filling and dates; set aside.

Pinch dough down; divide into 3 equal pieces. Roll out one third dough on lightly floured surface into 12 x 10 inch rectangle. Spoon one third of apricot mixture down the center third of dough. Fold all 4 sides over so that they meet at the center of filling; pinch to seal. Place dough seam side down on a buttered baking sheet. With scissors, snip 1 inch wide strips on its side to expose filling. Cover; let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for about 18 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool completely. In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar, cream, vanilla and almond extract; mix well. Drizzle over the coffee cakes.

For more coffee cake options, try:

• Chocolate Streusel Coffee Cake
• Cream Cheese Swirl Coffee Cake
• Cranberry Apple Streusel Coffee Cake
• Ladder Coffee Cakes

Gourmet desserts are sometimes hard to make, but in this case it's extremely easy!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs. chestnut
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp. powdered ginger
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup blanched chopped almonds

Make a crisscross cut on the top of each chestnut. Cook in boiling water 20 minutes. Drain, cool, and peel. Mash the chestnuts very smooth; blend in the sugar, ginger, and cinnamon. Shape into walnut sized balls. Dip in the honey and roll in the nuts.

For more chestnut recipes, try:

• Chestnut Balls
• Chestnut Dessert - You-Raan
• Glazed Chestnuts - Kuri Natto

Sometimes homemade bread is delicious to add to your meal, other times you might be making a meal to give to someone in need. In this case, homemade bread is a great idea to add to any complete meal gift.

Ingredients:

• 3 lb. all-purpose flour

• 1 tbsp. salt

• 1 oz. yeast

• 1 tsp. sugar

• 3 cups warm water

• 1 tbsp. corn oil

Put 2 tbsp. of the flour into a large bowl, preferably wooden, and add the salt (a little more or less depending on the taste). Mix the yeast and the sugar to a smooth paste. Add the warm water and gradually add a little of the reserved flour until it becomes a thick batter. Lightly sprinkle the top with flour. Make a well in the middle of the flour in the bowl and pour the batter into this.

Cover the batter with a cloth and leave the dough in a warm place until it doubles its bulk. Add the remaining flour and knead the dough until it becomes silky and elastic. Knead for 10 to 15 minutes or until dough leaves the side of the bowl clean. Rub the top of the dough with the oil, cover it with a slightly damp cloth and let the dough rise for 1 hour to again double it’s bulk.

Turn the dough onto a well floured surface and divide into three pieces. Knead each piece again for a few minutes and make into compact shapes to two-thirds fill your loaf pans. Grease the pans with a little oil, add the shaped loaves (the top slightly raised and rounded), cover again and leave the dough in a warm place to rise to the top of the pans.

Bake in a preheated 450 degree oven for 15 minutes (mark 8), then lower the heat to 400 degrees (mark 6), and continue baking for 35 to 40 minutes or until the loaves are well browned and shrink slightly from the sides of the pan. Turn the loaves from the pans, tap the bottoms and if they sound hollow the bread is done. Cool on a rack.

For more bread recipe ideas, you might try some of the following:

• Banana Nut Bread
• Onion Herb Baked Bread
• Savoury Bubbly Cheese Bread
• Golden Apple Boston Brown Bread

This isn't a recipe for cookie bouquets, or anything sweet. No, it's a recipe for a scrumptious dinner idea that is sure to delight your taste buds, kind of like cookies.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups warm milk (105 to 115 degrees)

• 2 packages active dry yeast

• 3 tbsp. sugar

• 1 tbsp. butter

• 1/2 tsp. salt

• 4 1/2 cups all purpose flour

• 6 oz. Cheddar cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

In a large bowl, combine milk and yeast; stir into dissolve yeast. Add sugar, butter and salt; stir until butter is melted. Stir in 3 cups of the flour; beat until smooth. Stir in the remaining flour and cheese; mix well. Pour batter into a well buttered 1 1/2 quart round casserole. Cover with waxed paper; let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Remove waxed paper. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 50 to 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in dish on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Loosen edge; remove from dish. Cool slightly on a wire rack; serve warm with butter.

For more tasty bread, try these recipes:

• Banana Nut Bread
• Onion Herb Baked Bread
• Savoury Bubbly Cheese Bread
• Golden Apple Boston Brown Bread