Jennifer Moorman's Blog, page 5

Lavender Cookies

Have you ever eaten Lavender Cookies?! These are inspired by my book THE NECESSITY OF LAVENDER TEA, and the book includes this recipe!

The shortbread-type cookie compliments the light lavender flavor ❤️ and they don’t taste like soap

Lavender Cookies

These light, buttery cookies have a subtle floral aroma. One bite will settle any restless heart and open the door for peace and calm. Paired with a cup of tea, these are perfect for a cozy day.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Baking Time: 10 minutes

Chilling Time: 30 minutes

Total: 1 hour

Yield: 20 cookies

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, cold

½ cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried food-grade lavender buds

Instructions

Crush the dried lavender into smaller bits. In the bowl of stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the sugar and butter until pale and fluffy, about two minutes. Add the crushed lavender and salt and mix for another minute. Sift the flour into the butter-sugar mixture. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of ice-cold water, and mix on low until just incorporated. Turn out dough onto parchment paper, and knead for just a few seconds to combine all the crumbles into the dough. The dough should be soft but not sticky. If the dough seems too sticky, add 1 tablespoon flour at a time until it just starts to come together. Transfer the dough to a piece of plastic wrap. Shape the dough into a log about 2 inches in diameter and 8 inches long. Wrap up the log in plastic wrap, and put it into the freezer for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper, and preheat the oven to 325°F. Remove the dough from freezer and unwrap. Using a sharp knife, slice thin rounds off the log, and place them on the baking sheet, spacing the cookies 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Watch the cookies closely while baking so they don’t overbake. It’s okay if the cookies look soft and underbaked. They continue to cook as they cool. Let cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 10 to 15 minutes or until they are set enough to be handled. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack, and cool completely.

Quick and Easy Cream Cheese Danish

Super easy and delicious treat!

Inspired by THE NECESSITY OF LAVENDER TEA, these Quick and Easy Cream Cheese Danish topped with fruit are perfect for beginning bakers and kids (also great for everyone else)!

Another great thing about these danish is that the fruit can be changed out seasonally. In spring, berries are a delicious addition. In the fall, try stone fruit, pears, and apples.

Quick and Easy Cream Cheese Danish

Serves 8

Ingredients

1 (8-oz) package cream cheese, room temp

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon grated lemon zest

3 tablespoons fruit jelly

½ teaspoon warm water, if needed

1 (17.3-oz) package frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed

All-purpose flour, for surface

2 (6-oz) packages fresh raspberries or blackberries

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Stir together cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest until smooth.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk jelly until smooth, adding ½ teaspoon warm water, if needed.

4. Unfold 1 puff pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll into a 10 x 11-inch rectangle. Cut into quarters. Place pastry rectangles ½-inch apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

5. Prick centers of dough rectangles with a fork several times, leaving a ½-inch border. Spread half of the cream cheese mixture within the border (about 2 tablespoons per rectangle).

6. Arrange half of your desired fruit over the cream cheese. Spoon half the jelly over fruit. Brush pastry edges with beaten egg.

7. Bake until edges and bottoms are golden brown, about 22–30 minutes, covering loosely with foil during last 5 minutes if needed to prevent overbrowning. Repeat with the remaining puff pastry sheet. Enjoy!

Hunka Burnin' Love Cake

CHOCOLATE for the win!!!

This Hunka Burnin Love Cake is inspired by THE BAKER’S MAN Decadent chocolate cake, rich ganache, and espresso chocolate buttercream gives you THE richest, softest cake

QOTD: What’s your favorite cake flavor?

Hunka Burnin’ Love Cake

Difficulty: Average

Yields: 10–12 slices

Prep time: 1 hour

Baking & Finishing time: ~2 hours

Ingredients

For the Cake

2 cups sugar

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

¾ cup dark cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

2 teaspoon espresso powder in 1 cup hot water or 1 cup dark hot coffee

½ cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For Dark Chocolate Ganache

1 cup heavy cream

8 ounces dark chocolate chips

For the Chocolate Frosting

6 ounces good semisweet chocolate

½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 large egg yolk, at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 ¼ cups sifted confectioners' sugar

1 tablespoon instant coffee powder

Directions

1. For the Cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 8-inch x 2-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.

2. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

3. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 30–35 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely. Remove from pans and cool on wire rack.

4. For the Ganache: Heat cream in microwave safe bowl for 3 minutes. Pour hot cream over bowl of chocolate chips. Let sit for 2 minutes.

5. Stir until completely combined. Let cool for 10 minutes.

6. For the Chocolate Frosting: Chop the chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until just melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature.

7. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

8. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating for 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, gradually add the confectioners' sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy.

9. Dissolve the coffee powder in 2 teaspoons of the hottest tap water. On low speed, add the chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended. Don't whip!

10. Create a "dam" or line of frosting around the inside of the bottom cake round. Fill the center with the ganache. Place on top cake round, and cover the top and sides of cake with frosting. Best eaten immediately.

Mudslide Cookies

This brownie cookie recipe is all of the good parts of a brownie—crackly crust, fudgy middles, chewy edges and intense chocolate flavor—packed into one glorious cookie! When life feels as clear as mud, eat one of these rich cookies to invite a deep breath and watch how the path becomes clear.

Inspired by my novel, The Baker's Man, if you love brownies and cookies, you must bake these!

Mudslide Cookies

Prep time: 45 minutes

Chill time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 12 minutes

Total time: 1 hour 27 minutes

Servings: 16 large cookies or 32 medium-size cookies

Ingredients

8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips (60-70% cacao)

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon canola oil

3 large eggs, room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

¼ cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¾ teaspoon baking powder

¾ teaspoon salt

¾ cup + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

½ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Melt 8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips and butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly until melted and well-combined.

2. Remove from heat, and set aside.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the eggs, sugars, vanilla, baking powder, oil, and salt on high speed 5 minutes, or until the batter is thick and creamy. Make sure to beat the mixture for the full 5 minutes.

4. Reduce the speed to low, and mix in the melted chocolate until well-combined.

5. Fold in flour and cocoa powder just until combined.

6. Add mini chocolate chips. Fold to combine. The batter should be the consistency of a thick brownie batter.

7. Cover the batter, and chill for 30 minutes.

8. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

9. Using a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop, drop batter onto the prepared cookie sheets about 2 inches apart.

10. Bake cookies 8–12 minutes. The cookies will look puffed and cracked and set at the edges but still look a bit underdone in the center. Don’t overbake, or the cookies won’t be crackly and fudgy. The shiny, crackly crust will develop as the cookies cool on the baking sheet.

11. Let cool completely. Cookies are best the day of baking but will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Refrigerate for up to 1 week.

Key Lime Donuts

Key Lime Donuts! Lots of zesty, zingy lime flavor and topped with more zest and crushed graham crackers. If you can't find key limes, use regular limes!QOTD: What is your favorite summer flavor?

Key Lime Donuts

For the Key Lime Donuts:

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon salt

½ cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons fresh lime zest

¼ cup buttermilk, room temp

1 large egg, room temp

3 tablespoons fresh key lime juice

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

For the Key Lime Glaze:

1 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar

2 tablespoons key lime juice

Green & yellow food coloring

Garnish: graham cracker crumbs, lime zest

For the Key Lime Coconut Donuts:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Generously grease a donut pan; set aside.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

3. In a large bowl combine, sugar and lime zest until zest is evenly distributed in the sugar. Add in buttermilk, egg, lime juice, and oil and whisk.

4. Add in the dry ingredients and gently fold the mixture together using a rubber spatula, stirring only until mixture is evenly combined.

5. Divide the thick batter evenly among the molds of your prepared pan, filling each mold 2/3 full. Bake for 8–10 minutes, or until firm and lightly golden on the tops.

6. Remove pan from oven and allow donuts to cool for at least 10 minutes in the tray before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

7. Make the Glaze: In a small bowl, combine juice and sugar, and whisk to combine. If the glaze appears too thick, add a little more lime juice until desired consistency is achieved; if glaze appears too thin, add a little more confectioners’ sugar.

8. Dip cooled donuts in the glaze. Garnish with graham cracker crumbs and lime zest. Let rest for 5 minutes, then enjoy!

Koshari

This koshari recipe is inspired by THE ANTIQUITY AFFAIR by authors @leeykelly and @jennmariethorne !

Koshari is an Egyptian comfort food dish, and it's delicious—made with lentils, rice, pasta, chickpeas, a spiced tomato sauce, and topped with crispy onions.

I absolutely loved The Antiquity Affair! It's women-centered nod to the beloved Indiana Jones stories, a high-stakes, trans-Atlantic thrill ride, with the page-turning excitement and romance of classic adventure novels and a poignant story of sisterhood at its core.

An exciting turn-of-the-century adventure Stand-alone novel Book length: 100,000 words Perfect for fans of Deanna Raybourn, Laurie King, Clive Cussler, and Indiana Jones Includes discussion questions for book clubs

Grab your copy today!

Koshari

Total Time: 1 hours 22 minutes

Yield: 4–6 servings

Ingredients

For the Crispy Onion Topping

1 large onion, sliced into thin rings

Salt

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

½ cup cooking oil

For Tomato Sauce

Cooking oil

1 small onion, grated

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon ground coriander

½–1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 can 28-oz tomato sauce

Salt and pepper

1–2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar

For Koshari

1 ½ cups brown lentils, picked over and well-rinsed

1 ½ cups medium-grain rice, rinsed, soaked in water for 15 minutes, drained

½ teaspoon

½ teaspoon pepper

½ teaspoon coriander

2 cups elbow pasta

Cooking oil

Water

1 15-oz can chickpeas, rinsed, drained and warmed

Directions

1. Make the crispy onion topping: Sprinkle the onion rings with salt, then toss them in the flour to coat. Shake off excess flour.

2. In a large skillet, heat the cooking oil over medium-high heat, cook the onion rings, stirring often, until they turn a nice caramelized brown. Onions must be crispy, but not burned (15-20 minutes).

3. Make the Tomato Sauce: In a saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon cooking oil. Add the grated onion, and cook on medium-high until the onion turns a translucent gold (do not brown). Add the garlic, coriander, and red pepper flakes, and sauté briefly until fragrant (30–45 seconds more).

4. Stir in tomato sauce and pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sauce thickens (15 minutes or so).

5. Stir in the distilled white vinegar, and turn the heat to low. Cover and keep warm until ready to serve.

6. Make the Koshari: Cook the lentils. Bring lentils and 4 cups of water to a boil in a medium pot over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, and cook until lentils are just tender (15–17 minutes). Drain from water and season with a little salt. Note: when the lentils are ready, they should only be par-cooked and still have a bite to them as they need to finish cooking with the rice.

7. Make the rice: Drain the rice from its soaking water. Combine the par-cooked lentils and the rice in the saucepan over medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon cooking oil, salt, pepper, and coriander. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring regularly. Add warm water to cover the rice and lentil mixture. (You'll probably use about 3 cups of water.) Bring to a boil; the water should reduce a bit. Cover and cook until all the liquid has been absorbed and both the rice and lentils are well cooked through (about 20 minutes). Keep covered and undisturbed for 5 minutes.

8. Make the pasta: While the rice and lentils are cooking, make the pasta according to package instructions by adding the pasta to boiling water with a dash of salt and a little oil. Cook until the pasta is al dente. Drain.

9. Cover the chickpeas and warm in the microwave briefly before serving.

10. To serve, fluff the rice and lentils with a fork and transfer to a serving platter. Top with the elbow pasta and ½ of the tomato sauce, then the chickpeas, and finally ½ of the crispy onions for garnish. Serve with the remaining sauce and crispy onions.

Strawberry Donuts

Summer Fun Strawberry Donuts! What makes donuts better? Making them into critters!I created the claws and eyes with red coating chocolate, melted and piped onto parchment. I used edible googly eyes I bought at the craft store.QOTD: What donut critter would you like to make?

Strawberry Donuts

Yields: 10

Ingredients

Donuts:

1 cup flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup milk

1 egg

1 tablespoon melted butter

10 medium to large strawberries (between 1/2 and 3/4 cup depending on size), puréed with 2 teaspoons seedless strawberry jam

1 tablespoon pure maple syrup

Glaze:

1–2 cups powdered sugar

3–4 strawberries, diced

1 tablespoon strawberry jam

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Grease a 6-doughnut pan with baking spray.

2. To make donuts combine dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk together. Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add in milk, egg, butter, and maple syrup. Stir until well combined. Stir in strawberry mixture, starting with 1/2 of it and adding more only if needed.

3. Batter should be wet, but not runny. Put dough into a pastry bag or plastic bag and snip approximately 1-inch off end. Pipe batter into each well, reserving extra batter.

4. Bake for 7-9 minutes until doughnuts spring back when touched. Let cool five minutes and turn onto a cooling rack to cool completely. While donuts are cooling make glaze.

5. To make glaze, puree the diced strawberries with the jam. Then stir all ingredients together until smooth. When donuts are cooled dip each into glaze and place back on cooling rack to let glaze set. When glaze has set enjoy!

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A baker inherits 3 things from her grandmother: a small-town Southern bakery, culinary superpowers, and the recipe to create the perfect man. What happens when you create a man out of dough?

“A charming recipe of magic, romance, and friendship.”

— USA Today bestselling author Heather Webber

⁠“Combine four parts love, two parts excitement, a dash of humor, and a pinch of magic.”

— USA Today bestselling author Lauren K. Denton⁠“A teaspoon of love, a dash of magic, and a whole heaping cup of Southern charm.”

— Bestselling author Aimie K. Runyan⁠⁠https://www.jennifermoorman.com/thebakersman

In the Southern town of Mystic Water, magic is always in the wind—and in the ovens.

Anna O’Brien inherited several gifts from her late Grandma Bea: culinary superpowers, a bakery in a charming Southern town, and a mysterious box with a note:

Open the box only when you need to. You’ll know exactly when you do, and you’ll know what to do with it. I love you.

The night her presumed fiancé crushes her dreams, Anna opens the box and finds “magic sugar” inside, along with a recipe to bake “the perfect man.” Encouraged by her best friend Lily (and maybe a wee bit too much rum), a heartbroken Anna sets out to do what she always does when she’s feeling blue: bake.

She hardly believes her eyes the next morning when a man—a breathing and rather handsome man—is in her bakery and seems to know all her likes and dislikes, her quirks and preferences. Elijah is everything Anna dreamed and nothing she expected. Where did he come from? Is he real? And when he fashions his own ideas about what makes a good life, can she let him go?

Escape into this whimsical and enchanting tale of magical realism and the spellbinding power of following your dreams as Anna discovers the sweetest side of life.

Poison Kiss

The poison you don't want to keep to yourself—it's dangerous and delicious.

This Poison Kiss recipe is inspired by THE CASTLE KEEPERS by Aimie K. Runyan, J'Nell Ciesielski, and Rachel McMillan.

Leedswick Castle has housed the Alnwick family in the English countryside for generations, despite a family curse determined to destroy their legacy and erase them from history.

This stunning historical fiction is available now from Harper Muse!

Give this recipe a try . . . if you dare! As for me, I double-dog dare you :)

Poison Kiss

Serves 1–2

Ingredients

2 oz lemon vodka

2 oz pomegranate juice

2 oz dark cherry juice

Lemon-lime soda to top off

Directions

Place vodka and juices in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake for 10 seconds to mix and chill. Strain into glass of choice.

Note: For a sweeter cocktail: Replace lemon vodka with pineapple vodka. Add a splash of peach schnapps. Replace lemon-lime soda with ginger ale. Garnish with mint.

Basil Buttermilk Scones with Strawberries

These basil buttermilk scones are a delicious summer treat! Originally featured in the summer edition of This Inspired Life Magazine, don't miss out on this fresh and easy recipe!

It's best to serve your basil buttermilk scones with macerated ripe strawberries and dollops of lightly whipped cream, which creates the perfect summer treat for high tea or an afternoon snack with your best friend. They're travel-friendly, so take them on your next picnic or road trip.

With their soft, light, and crumbly texture, the scones are elevated by the herbaceous hint of basil and the sweet taste of summer-ripe strawberries

Basil Buttermilk Scones with Macerated Strawberries

Serves 9–10

Ingredients

2 ⅓ cups self-rising flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided

½ cup cold unsalted butter, cubed

½ cup cold buttermilk

1 large egg, beaten

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract, divided

4 tablespoons large fresh basil, sliced into thin strips

Dash of salt

¾ pound fresh strawberries, hulled, quartered

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream, divided

2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

Garnish: fresh baby basil leaves

Directions

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Add ¼ cup sugar, stirring until combined.

2. Add cold butter, tossing to coat. Using your fingertips, rub butter into flour mixture until mixture resembles coarse sand but there are still larger bits of butter.

3. Make a well in center, and add cold buttermilk, egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and sliced basil. Using a spoon, folk mixture until just combined.

4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Using lightly floured hands, knead dough until it just comes together, 2 or 3 times. Pat dough into ¼-inch thickness, and using a 2 2 ½-inch round cutter, cut into circles, and place on prepared pan with dough touching. Freeze for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 375°F.

5. In a medium bowl, toss together cut strawberries, vanilla bean paste, and remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar until combined. Let stand for 30 minutes.

6. Brush tops of scones with heavy cream. Bake until set and tops are golden brown, 15–18 minutes. Let cool completely.

7. In a stand mixer using the whisk attachment, whisk heavy cream until just combined and soft. Add confectioners’ sugar and vanilla, and whip until soft peaks form. Refrigerate until ready to use.

8. Slice scones in half. Spoon whipped cream and bottom halves, and distribute macerate strawberries over top. Garnish with fresh basil leaves.