Chocolate and Cherry Granola

Chocolate and Cherry Granola

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A bowl full of this chocolate-y morning treat is sure to provide you with a healthy dose of antioxidants. Serve the granola with milk

Ingredients
3 1/2 cups (312g) old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup (28g) stabilized wheat germ
2 tablespoons (11g) unsweetened cocoa, Dutch-process or natural
1 cup (99g) almonds, sliced
1/2 cup (71g) sunflower seeds, raw or toasted
1/4 cup (50g) vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (170g) honey
1/2 teaspoon almond extract, optional*
1 cup (170g) semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/4 cups (142g) dried cherries
*Optional Instant Coffee
*Substitute 1/4 to 1/8 teaspoon almond oil, to taste. 

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 250°F. Lightly grease a baking sheet, or line it with parchment.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, wheat germ, cocoa, almonds, and sunflower seeds. Mix well.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, salt, and honey. Pour over the dry mixture in the bowl, stirring and tossing until everything is very well combined.

Spread the granola on the prepared baking sheet. Bake the granola for 90 minutes, stirring the mixture with a heatproof spatula or spoon every 15 minutes or so.

Remove the granola from the oven once it's darkened slightly. Allow it to rest until it's cooled a bit, but is still warm to the touch.

Transfer the granola to a large bowl, and mix in the chocolate chunks or chips. Allow the granola to sit for another 10 minutes, then toss again — the chocolate will have melted slightly and will produce an even coating on the granola.

When the granola has cooled completely, mix in the cherries.

Store the granola in a tightly closed container at room temperature for several weeks.

Lemon Cornmeal Biscuits

Lemon Cornmeal Biscuits 

Ingredients
1 3/4 cups (206g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour *
3/4 cup (106g) cornmeal*
1/3 cup (67g) sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (113g) unsalted butter, cold
2 tablespoons grated lemon rind (zest)
2 tablespoons (28g) fresh lemon juice
2 large eggs
1/4 to 1/3 cup (57g to 74g) milk
white sparkling sugar, for sprinkling,, optional

Directions:

Line a baking sheet with parchment.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

Work in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

Add the lemon zest, juice, eggs, and 1/4 cup of the milk, mixing until the dough is cohesive. If the mixture is still dry add more milk, a tablespoon at a time, until it comes together.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured piece of parchment and use the parchment to fold the dough in thirds. Pat or roll the dough about 1" thick. Freeze the dough for 20 minutes while you preheat the oven to 400°F.

Remove the dough from the freezer and cut it into rounds with a 2 1/2" biscuit cutter. Gather, stack, and recut the scraps as needed.

Brush the tops of the biscuits with milk and sprinkle with the optional sparkling sugar.

Bake the biscuits or 20 to 22 minutes, until the tops and edges are golden brown. Remove them from the oven and serve warm.

Store biscuits, well wrapped, at room temperature for two days; freeze for up to one month.

Tips from our Bakers
This recipe was developed using our whole-grain cornmeal. If using boxed cornmeal from the grocery store, increase the amount of all-purpose flour to 2 cups.

Lemon Braid With Lemon Curd

Lemon Braid

Ingredients: 
Sponge
3/4 cup (170g) water, lukewarm
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon instant yeast
1/2 cup (57g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

Dough
all of the sponge
3/4 cup (170g) plain or vanilla yogurt, at room temperature
8 tablespoons (113g) unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs, at room temperature, beaten
1/2 cup (99g) granulated sugar
2 teaspoons (12g) salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
5 cups (600g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

Filling
6 ounces (170g) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup (50g) sugar
1/4 cup (57g) sour cream, at room temperature
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup (28g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
3/4 cup (203g) prepared lemon curd*
*See "tips," below.

Topping
1 large egg beaten with 2 teaspoons water and a pinch of salt
pearl sugar or coarse sparkling sugar

Directions:

To make the sponge: In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, stir together the sponge ingredients. Cover loosely with plastic wrap, and set aside to proof for 10 to 15 minutes.
To make the dough: In the same bowl, combine the sponge with the yogurt, butter, eggs, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Add 4 1/2 cups (540g) of the flour and mix with the paddle attachment until the dough is a rough, shaggy mass.


1. Switch to the dough hook and knead on speed 2 until a soft, smooth dough forms, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add more flour, if necessary, to achieve the correct consistency.

2. Place the kneaded dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow it to rise until it's quite puffy and nearly doubled, about 60 to 90 minutes. While the dough is rising, prepare the filling.

3. To prepare the filling: Combine all the filling ingredients (except the lemon curd) in a small bowl, mixing until smooth and lump-free. Reserve the filling and lemon curd until ready to fill the braids.

4. Gently deflate the dough and divide it in half. Cover half with plastic wrap and set it aside as you roll the first piece into a 10" x 15" rectangle. Rolling on parchment paper makes moving the bread to the baking sheet much easier.

5. Lightly press two lines down the dough lengthwise, to visually divide it into three equal sections. Spread half the cream cheese filling down the center section and top with half the lemon curd, leaving 1" bare of filling at each end of the dough.  

6. To shape the braid: Begin by using your bench knife, a pair of scissors, or a sharp knife to cut and remove a 1” rectangle from each of the dough's four corners. This “notching” will make the ends of the finished braid neater.  

7. Next, fold the resulting dough "tab" over the edge of the filling on one end. Starting at that same end, cut 1" crosswise strips down the length of the outside sections, making sure you have the same number of strips on each side.

8. Beginning on the left, lift the top dough strip and gently bring it across the filling diagonally. Repeat on the other side with the top dough strip, so that the two strips crisscross each other. Continue down the entire braid, alternating strips to form the loaf. When there are just two strips remaining (one on each side), fold the remaining "tab" over the filling, then crisscross the final two strips. 

9. Repeat the rolling, filling, and braiding steps for the second piece of dough, using the remaining cream cheese filling and lemon curd. Set both loaves aside, lightly covered, to rise until quite puffy, 45 to 50 minutes.

10. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Brush the loaves with the beaten egg, and sprinkle with pearl sugar or coarse sparkling sugar.

11. To bake the braids: Uncover the braids and bake them for 25 to 30 minutes, or until they're golden brown. Remove them from the oven and cool for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

12. Store any leftovers, well wrapped, in the refrigerator for a couple of days; freeze for longer storage. Reheat (or thaw and reheat) briefly before enjoying

    Tips from our Bakers

    Use homemade or store-bought lemon curd, your choice. If making your own curd, try our Easy Microwave Lemon Curd or more traditional stovetop Lemon Curd, both of which yield a delicious result. Either recipe makes more than enough filling for this braid; refrigerate the extra and enjoy

    Change the filling in this recipe by substituting your favorite jam or preserves for the lemon curd. Raspberry jam, strawberry preserves, and apricot jam are all delicious; feel free to choose your own special favorite, though.

    Lemon Curd

    

Ingredients

1 cup (227g) freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup (198g) sugar
8 tablespoons (113g) butter, melted
2 large eggs

Directions:
Combine all of the ingredients in a large microwave-safe bowl. To avoid bubble-overs, the contents should fill no more than 1/4 of the bowl; an 8-cup measure works well here.

Microwave the ingredients in 1-minute increments, removing from the oven and stirring to combine after each minute.

When curd starts to thicken; coats the back of a spoon; and starts to mound a bit as you stir, it's done. This will take anywhere from 4 to 10 minutes, depending on the strength/power of your microwave. The curd's temperature should have reached at least 185°F.

Stir the curd one more time. If you see any small bits of cooked egg white, pass the curd through a fine-mesh strainer to remove them.
Perfect your technique

Spoon the curd into a storage container, and refrigerate until firm.

Keep curd refrigerated for up to 3 weeks; freeze for longer storage.

Tips from our Bakers

Lemon Curd
Four large, juicy lemons should be enough to yield 1 cup of juice.
For more intense flavor in your curd, grate the rind of 2 to 4 of the lemons, combine it with the sugar in a food processor, and process until rind is finely ground. Proceed with the recipe as directed.

Make a passion fruit version by using passion fruit purée or concentrate in place of the lemon juice.

Looking for a more traditional version of this recipe? Try our Lemon Curd, which is cooked on the stovetop and thickens more slowly. No microwave needed!

Cornbread

Cornbread

Ingredients
1 3/4 cups (206g) Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 cup (156g) cornmeal
1/4 cup (50g) sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon salt, to taste
1 1/4 cups (283g) lukewarm milk
4 tablespoons (57g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/4 cup (50g) vegetable oil
1 large egg

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9" square or round pan (a cast-iron skillet will work fine, too), shallow 1 1/2 quart casserole dish, or 12 muffin cups.

Weigh your flour and cornmeal; or measure each by gently spooning into a cup, then sweeping off any excess. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In another bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the milk, melted butter, vegetable oil, and egg.

Pour the liquid all at once into the flour mixture, stirring quickly and gently until just combined. Don't over mix: stir the batter just enough to bring it together and evenly moisten the ingredients.
Take it a step further

Spread the batter into the prepared pan, or scoop into the muffin tin.

Bake the bread for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges just begin to pull away from the pan and a cake tester or paring knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove the bread from the oven and cool it on a rack for 5 minutes before cutting; serve warm.

Store any leftovers, well wrapped, at cool room temperature for a few days; freeze for longer storage.

Tips from our Bakers
If you like a crispier crust on your cornbread, grease a cast-iron pan and place it in the oven for 10 minutes to heat. Scoop the batter into the hot pan and return it to the oven to bake as directed. Check on the cornbread after 15 minutes.


Want to make mini loaves? Use three 3 1/4" x 5 3/4" x 2 1/4" mini loaf pans. Use 1/3 (1 cup) of the batter per pan. Bake in a preheated 375°F oven for 23 to 28 minutes. When done, the loaves will be golden brown on top, firm to the touch, and a tester inserted in the middle will come out clean.


Cornbread isn't just an accompaniment to chili anymore. It can be dressed up to go with almost any dish. Add any of the following ingredients, or experiment with some of your own. Stir “extras” into the batter just before pouring it into the pan, and add 3 to 5 minutes to the suggested baking time.

Corn and scallion
1/2 cup (57g) fresh/cooked or frozen/thawed corn kernels
1/2 cup (about 43g) chopped scallions (3 or 4 scallions, white and green part)

Bacon, cheddar, and chive
1/2 cup (57g) cooked, crumbled bacon
3/4 cup (85g) grated cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons snipped fresh chives

Cranberry-walnut
1/2 cup (71g) dried cranberries
1/2 cup (57g) chopped walnuts

Department Store (Jordon Marsh) Blueberry Muffins

Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients
8 tablespoons (113g) butter, at room temperature
1 cup (198g) sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups (241g)  All-Purpose Flour
1/2 cup (113g) milk
2 1/2 cups (354g) blueberries, fresh preferred
1/4 cup (50g) sugar, for topping

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a standard 12-cup muffin tin; or line the tin with papers, and grease the papers.

In a medium-sized bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until well combined.

Add the eggs one at a time, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl and beating well after each addition.

Beat in the baking powder, salt, and vanilla.

Add the flour alternately with the milk, beating gently just to combine. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.

Mash 1/2 cup of the blueberries. Add the mashed and whole berries to the batter, stirring just to combine and distribute.

Scoop the batter by the heaping 1/4-cupful into the prepared muffin pan; a muffin scoop works well here.

Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon granulated sugar atop each muffin, if desired. It's traditional — go for it!

Bake the muffins for about 30 minutes, until they're light golden brown on top, and a toothpick inserted into the middle of one of the center muffins comes out clean.

Remove the muffins from the oven, loosen their edges from the pan, and after about 5 minutes transfer them to a rack to cool.  

Yield 12 muffins

Tips from our Bakers
Can you use coarse white sparkling sugar instead of granulated sugar on top of the muffins? Sure; but they won't be "true" Jordan Marsh muffins.

If you use frozen berries, don't crush any of them. Rinse several times in cold water, then pat dry with paper towels before using; this will help prevent the muffins from baking up blue-green.

Room-temperature butter is easier to work with than ice-cold butter when preparing muffin batter. If possible, remove butter from the fridge an hour or so before starting the recipe.

King Arthur's Cake-Pan Cake

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa or natural cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon espresso powder, optional
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon vinegar, cider or white
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup cold water

*

Tips from our bakers:
While the original, non-dairy version of this recipe calls for water as the liquid, feel free to substitute milk, for a slightly richer cake. Or try cold coffee, for a mocha version; or even 3/4 cup water mixed with 1/4 cup rum, for an "adults only" cake!
Baking gluten-free? Try our recipe for Gluten-Free Cake-Pan Cake.
Note that the picture above shows the cake cut into 9 servings, instead of the 16 servings noted in the nutritional information. We thought it simply looked better cut that way; but we encourage you to serve it in 2" squares, which yields 16 servings.

*

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 8" square or 9" round pan that's at least 2" deep. If you don't have a 2"-deep pan in either of those sizes, use a 9" square pan.

Traditional method: Measure all the dry ingredients into the prepared pan. Blend the ingredients together thoroughly with a fork or whisk and scoop out three holes, or indentations. Pour the vanilla into the first hole, the vinegar into the second, and the vegetable oil into the third. Take the cup of water and pour it directly over everything in the pan. Stir all the ingredients together with your fork until well blended.

Updated method: Whisk the dry ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk the vanilla, vinegar, vegetable oil, and water in a separate bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients, stirring until thoroughly combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake the cake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs clinging to it.

Serve the cake right from the pan; warm from the oven, it's wonderful with a big glass of milk.


Or, once cool, frost the cake with this simple chocolate frosting: Heat 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips with 1/2 cup half and half until the chips melt. Stir until smooth, and pour/spread over the cake. For a non-dairy icing, substitute 1/3 cup cold brewed coffee (or water) for the half and half.

Yield: about 16 servings.

Pot O' Gold Scones

Pot o' Gold Scones

Ingredients:
Dough
2 1/4 cups (7 5/8 ounces) King Arthur white whole wheat flour, organic preferred
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (1 7/8 ounces) brown sugar, firmly packed
1/3 cup (2 5/8 ounces) butter
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) golden raisins
2/3 cup (2 5/8 ounces) diced walnuts or pecans
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) cold orange juice
1/3 cup (2 3/4 ounce) cold milk or half and half
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs

*

Topping
coarse white (sparkling) sugar, optional
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease an 8-wedge scone pan, or line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

To prepare the dough: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Cut the butter into pats, and work it into the dry ingredients to make an unevenly crumbly mixture. Stir in the fruit/nuts.

In a medium-sized measuring cup, whisk together the orange juice, milk or half and half, vanilla, and eggs. Reserve out 1 tablespoon of the mixture, then add the remainder to the dry ingredients all at once, mixing just until the dough comes together.

Press the dough into the cups of the scone pan, filling them all the way. Or, using a muffin scoop or spoon, drop the dough by 1/4-cupfuls onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 1 1/2 inches between the scones. Brush with the reserved 1 tablespoon of the milk mixture, and sprinkle the tops with coarse white sugar.

To bake the scones: Bake the scones for 20 to 22 minutes, until they're starting to brown on top. Remove them from the oven, and serve warm, with jam and butter; or with fruit curd and English clotted cream or double Devon cream. To serve later, reheat scones, wrapped loosely in aluminum foil, for 8 to 10 minutes in a 350°F oven. Yield: 8 wedge-shaped scones from a scone pan, or 12 round drop scones.


Note: Golden raisins are the featured fruit in these tender, tasty scones, made with good-for-you white whole wheat. Substitute the dried fruit of your choice, for the raisins and/or the nuts; use a generous 2 cups of whatever fruit/nut combination you choose.