bakekrazy

Last year I didn’t open the bakery because of several medical problems. Even though I run 5 miles every other day and work weight training sections every other day I still couldn’t stop the medical problems from rearing its ugly head. I was diagnose with Wolf Parkinson and had surgery to correct that, then I had a double hernia which became infected and I spent several days in the hospital for that.  Luckily the infection cleared up, however they discovered that I also had an enlarged Aorta. The doctor placed me on high blood pressure medication and suggested I lose 20 pounds. Of course all the time spent undergoing medical treatments caused me to stop working out and it caused me to gain weight. I decided to get back to exercising and go on the Keto diet. The Keto diet is low Carbs with a lot more fats, which is what I prefer to eat. Here is a pizza recipe I made yesterday.

1 1/2 cups of mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup of almond flour
4oz cream cheese
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and spray a 9″ spring form pan with vegetable spray then cut and line the pan with parchment paper.

Mix all the ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well with your hands until you form a dough like ball. Remove the dough and press into the prepared pan. Wet your hands from time to time which will help prevent the dough from sticking to you. Bake for 10 minutes and remove from the oven. Allow the pizza crust to cool and remove from the pan. Remove the parchment paper and place on a pizza pan or sheet pan. Add a sugar free pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, pepperoni (any other keto topping you like) Place back into the oven for an additional 10 minutes until the cheese has melted.

Enjoy
Chef Brian Klauss

This is a Scottish classic which we make from time to time. Shortbread should only vary in color slightly, however the bottom should be a slight golden brown when completely baked.

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees and line a half sheet pan with parchment paper

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup corn starch
11 tablespoons unsalted butter (soften)
4 oz of cream cheese
1/2 cup of sliced Almonds

Toasting Almonds; (heat your oven to 350 degrees, spread the almonds evenly on a half sheet pan and bake for 3-4 minutes. They should turn slightly brown. Allow to cool before adding to the batter)

Batter
In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment add the butter, cream cheese, sugar and whip until light and fluffy. Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in the flour and corn starch and toasted almonds mix until well blended. Remove from the bowl and knead until the dough comes together, flatten out to 1//2 to 3/4 inches. Cut with a shortbread cookie cutter or a cookie cutter of your choosing. Place onto the prepared cookie sheet sprinkle with sugar and refrigerate for at least hour. Bake for 30 – 40 minutes and allow to cool 10 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.

Enjoy
Chef Brian Klauss

Peanut Butter Cookies are one of the most popular cookies we make at the bakery. Just like any good cookie you have to start with the very best ingredients and you have to be consistent with the recipe, size and baking times and temperature. One way to control the size of your cookie is to use a small to medium ice cream scoop with a lever release. Your cookie batter will come out the exact size each time. You could also use a scale and measure the batter weight but I find that the scoop is much easier.

Ingredients:
1 cup good quality peanut butter
1 cup soften unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups of shelled peanuts (optional)

Pre Heat your oven to 375 degrees

In a stand mixer blend the butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla until fluffy. In a medium bowl add the flour, baking soda and baking powder and mix. Now add the eggs and flour mixture intermittently to the sugar mixture until well blended. Mix the peanuts in by hand. Place the batter by using an ice cream scoop approximately 1 1/2″ apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Using a fork press each cookie batter down slightly in a cross pattern. Place the cookie sheet in the refrigerator for approximately 30 minutes to allow the dough to stiffen slightly. Bake for 12 – 14 minutes until the edges are slightly brown, allow to cool 10 minutes and transfer to a cooling rack.

Enjoy
Chef Brian Klauss

There are many ways to make brownies and many flavors you can add to them but it always starts with a great chocolate base. Here I have taken the basic good  quality brownie recipe and added a little peppermint candy flavoring and sprinkled it with crushed peppermint candy. This is one for the holidays!

10oz dark chocolate (at least 50 percent cocoa solids) chopped
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (soften)
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon peppermint candy flavoring
10 crushed peppermint candies

Spray a 9″ x 13″ cake pan with vegetable spray then line with parchment paper then spray the parchment paper. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees

Place the chocolate and butter in a bowl over simmering water making sure the water does not come in contact with the chocolate. Melt until the chocolate and butter are smooth, then set aside and allow to cool to room temperature. Add in the sugar then the eggs one at a time and incorporate. Sift the flour and cocoa powder into the mixture and blend well making sure there are no lumps. Add in the peppermint flavoring, mix then pour into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the top with the crushed peppermint candy and bake for approximently 15 minutes until the top is solid to the touch. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Place in the freezer for 2-3 hours which will allow you to cut to your desired size easier. Remove from the pan and cut on a cutting board.

Enjoy
Chef Brian Klauss

A Crepe is described as a thin pancake filled with either a sweet or savory filling. One of the places where we always have a great crepe is in Las Vegas Nevada at the La Creperie which is located in the Paris Hotel and Casino. They make both a savory and dessert crepes, the wait can be long at times but well worth it. While my son was growing up he always wanted me to make him crepes for breakfast. I would fill them with eggs, bacon and cheese or fill them with an apple pie filling and top them with whip cream. So, I decided to purchase a commercial crepe maker this week and I started to work on perfecting a crepe. Here is a basic recipe
Batter
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup all purpose flour3 tablespoons melted butter
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
Filling
2 cup of cleaned and quartered strawberries
6 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons milk
Heat the crepe maker to 400 degrees and coat lightly with butter

In a stand mixer add the milk, butter, vanilla and egg and blend. Add in the sugar, salt and slowly add in the flour until well incorporated and lumps have disappeared.

In a medium bowl mix the cream cheese, powered sugar and milk. Blend well until smooth and creamy. Hand mix 1 cup of the quartered strawberries into the cream cheese mixture and set aside.

Place a 1/4 cup of batter into the center of the crepe maker and either swirl the crepe maker to allow the batter to make a 12″ circle or by use a batter spreader tool to assist you.  The batter should be thin at approximately 1/16″ thick. Cook and flip until each side has a slight golden color, using a thin spatula remove quickly and place a desire amount of strawberry cream to the center, then fold or roll. Garnish with strawberries and enjoy.

enjoy
chef Brian Klauss

Every Wednesday Jean and I travel to the Volusia County Flea Market in Florida in search of whatever treasures cross our mind that day. This particular day we came across a waffle maker that appeared to be from the early days of waffle makers. It was very heavy and had a cord on it that made you question whether it was even safe to plug in. But for $5.00 how could I go wrong. I decided to try it out making a waffle cookie and what do you know, not only did it work but much better than the new fangled ones.

BATTER
1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla
1 Cup Unsalted Butter (soften)
4 Eggs
3 Cups All Purpose Flour

Heat your waffle maker

In a stand mixer blend together the butter, vanilla and sugars until fluffy. Then add in the eggs one at a time until completely mixed. Add the flour slowly about one cup at a time. For my waffle maker I placed the batter into a pastry bag and ran the batter along the groves until filled. (you may want to experiment to get the right format with your maker). Cook for 45 seconds to a minute until golden brown, carefully remove the waffle using a frosting spatula and a fork and place onto a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely. Eat them as they are or fill them with your favorite cream to make a cookie sandwich. (my waffle maker dose not have a non-stick surface so I had to spray with vegetable spray before using)  Try a small amount on your waffle maker, you may need a small amount of coating also.

Enjoy
Chef Brian Klauss

If you are looking to have something sweet with your morning cup of coffee what’s better than a great slice of coffee cake.

Spray a 9″ spring form pan and line with parchment paper and add additional spray after lining. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees

CAKE
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
6 tablespoons unsalted butter (soften)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons Vanilla

FILLING
1 cup walnuts
1/2 cup quick oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons unsalted butter (soften)
4 apples (Granny Smith) peeled, cored and sliced

CAKE
In a stand mixer add the butter, oil and sugar and mix at medium speed until fluffy. Add one egg at a time until incorporated, add the vanilla, salt, cinnamon and blend. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder. Add the flour mixture alternately with the sour cream at a slow speed into the butter and egg mixture until everything is incorporated.

FILLING
In a food processor add the the walnuts, oats, sugar, flour and cinnamon and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add the butter and blend.

Add 3/4 of the batter to the prepared pan and level with the back of a spoon. Mix 3/4 of the filling with the remaining batter. Arrange the apple slices on top of the batter and spoon the batter/filling mixture over them. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 filling over the finished  product. Bake for approximately 45-55 minutes. allow to cool slightly and remove the cake from the spring form pan.

Enjoy
Chef Brian Klauss