Tag Archives: baking

President Lincoln’s Favorites . . .

Cookies, Wine and Unwind January 18, 2025 Leave a comment

I’ve just received a communiqué from our Backstage Baker, currently in San Diego at the La Jolla Playhouse stage managing the WORLD-PREMIERE of a new musical. Please enjoy the following delicious recipe that he featured at his first rehearsal Wine and Unwind:

I am doing a show called “3 Summers of Lincoln” about Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War.

It is well-known that Lincoln had a sweet tooth and that he loved gingerbread. Since he is on the penny. I thought this cookie would be perfect for our first Wine and Unwind. (And the two tablespoons of ground ginger IS correct. These are very flavorful cookies!!!)

Ivan Hernandez stars as Abraham Lincoln – here he is sampling one of the cookies

Ginger Pennies

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), at room temperature
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/3 cup molasses
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
Zest of one lemon
3 tablespoons candied ginger, finely chopped
3/4 cup turbinado sugar, for dipping

Method:

1. Mix the dry ingredients: In a bowl, whisk the flour, ginger, cloves, baking soda, and salt together.

2. Make the dough: In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on medium-low speed, beat the butter and brown sugar together for about 3 minutes, or until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed. With the mixer still on medium to low speed, add the molasses, egg, vanilla, lemon zest, and candied ginger, beating until well combined, about 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add the dry ingredients, mixing on low speed until the dough comes together and is well combined. Scrape down the bowl as necessary.

3. Form the logs: Spread a 14- to 16-inch piece of plastic wrap on a work surface. Spoon about one-third of the dough in a 12-inch-long line on top that is roughly 1 1/4 inch thick, leaving space at each end to wrap the plastic. Encase the dough in the plastic wrap and roll it back and forth to form it into a roll. Repeat with the remaining dough. Place the logs on a baking sheet or tray that will fit in your freezer, and chill for 1 to 2 hours, or overnight. The dough will keep in the freezer for 3 months or longer.

4. Preheat the oven: Once the dough has chilled, preheat the oven 350°F. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper.

5. Slice the cookies and coat them in sugar:  Pour the sugar into a shallow bowl. Slice the rolls into 1/4-inch-thick cookies and press both sides of each cookie into the sugar. Place them on the baking sheets, about 1-inch apart

6. Bake the cookies: Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the bottoms of the cookie are lightly browned. Cool on the baking sheet. They will keep for at least two weeks in a tightly closed cookie tin.

The “3 Summers of Lincoln” company enjoying their Ginger Pennies

Pear Bread — an Autumnal Delight!

Bread, Brunch, Cakes, Wine and Unwind October 9, 2024 Leave a comment
Cheers!

I’ve just received a communiqué from our Backstage Baker – he is currently at Arena Stage in Washington, DC, stage managing John Leguizamo’s “The Other Americans.” [It’s a limited run, only 10/18 – 11/24/2024, so get your tickets soon! Link here.]

He writes: “When autumn arrives and pears are at the Farmer’s Markets, I always love to make Pear Bread. Since we started and ended early on Sunday, Wine and Unwind was brunch-inspired with the Pear Bread and a Sparkling Rose Cava.”

Pear Bread

(adapted from Allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

2 cups white sugar

2 cups peeled, grated pears

1 cup chopped pecans

3 eggs

3/4 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degree F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease and flour two 8×5-inch loaf pans. 

2. Combine flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a large mixing bowl; make a well in the center.

3. Combine grated pears, sugar, pecans, eggs, oil, and vanilla in a separate bowl until well blended; pour into well of dry ingredients and stir until just moistened. Spoon batter into prepared loaf pans.

4. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack before removing from the loaf pans.

Emmett Otter and Nutella Brownies

Chocolate, Holiday, Wine and Unwind December 17, 2023 Leave a comment
Nutella the Squirrel about to bite into a brownie
(and, it seems, to enjoy a glass of Menage a Trois red.)

Our Backstage Baker is in Chicago for this holiday season, with “Emmet Otter’s Jug Band Christmas.”

With Jim Henson puppets, music by Paul Williams, direction/choreography by Tony Award-winner Christopher Gatelli, and host of other top drawer Broadway talent, if you’re in Chicago, this is a don’t-miss holiday treat!!  

Get your tickets here – “Emmet Otter’s Jug Band Christmas” only runs through December 31, 2023.

(Confession here:  I’d never HEARD of Emmet Otter nor his Jug Band Christmas, but my husband immediately began singing songs from it when James told us of this project.  Chalk it up to my deprived childhood, where I was only taken to the Met Opera, Shakespeare at the Delacorte, and any and all plays by Eugene O’Neill.)

This recipe is particularly appropriate to the show, since one of the characters is named Nutella.  (I also understand there’s a song called “Barbeque” in the show, so expect some sort of BBQ sauce-flavored dessert coming up.  If anyone can make something toothsome out of BBQ sauce, it’s our Backstage Baker.)

So please to enjoy this hazelnut and chocolate spread-based delight – it’s probably one of the simplest brownie recipes you’ll ever find. 

And if you can’t make it to Chicago this season, here’s a video of a video off a television with 1977-technology of the original television show for your holiday enjoyment.  

Nutella Brownies (courtesy of New York Times Cooking)

Ingredients

  • Non-stick cooking spray
  • 1 1/2 cups/442 grams chocolate hazelnut spread (such as Nutella)
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
  • 1/3 cup/43 grams all-purpose flour

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan, preferably metal (see Tip), with non-stick cooking spray and line with a long sheet of parchment paper that extends over two opposite sides of the pan.

2. Whisk the Nutella, eggs and salt in a large bowl until smooth. Gently fold in the flour with a flexible spatula, just until the last streak disappears.

3. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 22 to 25 minutes, rotating at the halfway point, until crackly-topped and slightly puffed. A wooden skewer or cake tester inserted in the center should come out just clean. Try not to overbake, as these brownies dry out quickly.

4. Let cool to room temperature before lifting the brownies from the pan with the paper overhang, slicing into 9 squares and serving. Brownies will keep tightly wrapped at room temperature for up to 3 days and in the freezer for up to a month.

TIP

Glass does not conduct heat as well as metal, so it can cause baked goods to cook unevenly and requires an increase in cook time. If using a glass pan, increase the bake time to 37 to 40 minutes, and expect some variation in texture.

Anney Ozar, the human behind the puppet