Fall Archives | The Vanilla Bean Blog

Pecan Streusel Pear Tart

Sarah Kieffer — Wed, 09 Sep 2026 21:41:48 +0000

This is a tart I’ve been making since the early 2000’s; it was a recipe made at a coffeehouse I worked at in south Minneapolis, and brought along with me to another coffeehouse I baked for. The original recipe was based on a streusel tart from the Joy of Cooking, particularly the book All About Pies & Tarts. It’s a great little cookbook, and I recommend picking up a copy if you see one. I’ve tinkered with it over the last two decades, and made a few changes. I use my pat-in-the-pan crust for ease, added some lemon juice, vanilla, and nutmeg to the filling, and topped things off with my pecan streusel. It is a great dessert for Autumn, but also is delicious served at Thanksgiving or throughout the holiday season. My recipe testing notes: *I use Bartlett Pears here, and think they work best in this recipe. Other pears don’t always get as juicy. *This pat-in-the-pan crust is very forgiving, so if it tears a little bit you can patch it up and not worry about. *Blind baking is a must for this tart, or the crust will shrink and not be crisp enough. I love these silicon […]

The post Pecan Streusel Pear Tart appeared first on The Vanilla Bean Blog.

Apple Blondie Snack Cake

Sarah Kieffer — Mon, 16 Dec 2024 23:25:43 +0000

This snack cake started out as a cross between two of my recipes: blondies, and the Apple Brandy Bread from my 100 Morning Treats cookbook. I wanted something plump full of apple flavor, but also rich and winter-y. Using the blondie base (minus the coffee and chocolate) made for a moist, rich bar, but the added liquid from the apples made if feel almost underbaked, even though I had steamed them beforehand. I added streusel on the top to mimic the bread recipe, but that was too much extra sugar and butter. I started over, and this time I added another egg for structure and swapped the streusel for a cinnamon-sugar topping. After it baked, I was met with what I like to call an almost-cake: it was a perfect cross-between a blondie and a snack cake, with a moist, rich base and lots of flavor. My family voted that it was still closer to cake than a blondie so I have named it here accordingly, but my kids now refer to this dessert as “Apple Clondies”. Baking with Apples Apples take a long time to break down during baking, so often I like to give them a head start. […]

The post Apple Blondie Snack Cake appeared first on The Vanilla Bean Blog.

Double Apple Scones

Sarah Kieffer — Sun, 03 Nov 2024 21:18:03 +0000

I make scones for every possible occasion and in every possible flavor (like pumpkin, panettone, ginger chocolate, and sprinkle) and I especially love them around the holidays, as the can be shaped ahead of time and frozen, then pulled out and baked as needed. These apple scones are no exception, and they bake up flaky and tender. How I Make My Scones I have made many scones over the years, and have finally settled on this buttery scone base, with crème fraîche and an extra egg yolk for rich flavor and a tenderness, and gently folded layers to keep the scones flaky. This scone recipe includes folding the dough over several times to create multiple flaky layers. I take advantage of the folds: I spread a thin layer of apple butter across the surface and sprinkled the top with apples gently steamed in apple cider. The apple butter boosted flavor and helped the apples adhere, and the scones baked up tall and lofty. A drizzle of icing to the scones while still warm helps keep the scones stay tender for hours after baking. Baking with Apples Apples take a long time to break down during baking, so often I like to […]

The post Double Apple Scones appeared first on The Vanilla Bean Blog.

Pumpkin Caramel Pull-Apart Bread

Sarah Kieffer — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 13:47:33 +0000

A lot of you have been making my Apple Cider Pull-Apart Bread, so I decided to come up with a pumpkin flavored one since we have now moved into November. I use a Pumpkin Caramel recipe from my book, 100 Morning Treats, which is incredible paired with the fluffy, soft bread that’s also fun to eat, pulling apart each delicious slice. The sugar filling for the dough has cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg giving it warm flavor throughout. Easy Pumpkin Caramel This caramel topping for the pull-apart bread is easy to make, and there is no thermometer involved! Most of the ingredients are combined together and cooked on the stovetop, including the pumpkin (which is in the caramel, not the dough). I think this caramel tastes best with a nice splash of bourbon, but if you don’t want to use alcohol you can omit it. How To Make Pull-Apart Bread: Although this bread is a little time consuming to make, it is always worth the effort. What can I do to make this recipe ahead? For overnight Pull-Apart bread: Assemble the pull-apart bread in the Pullman pan, but do not let it rise at room temperature. Cover the pan loosely with […]

The post Pumpkin Caramel Pull-Apart Bread appeared first on The Vanilla Bean Blog.

Pumpkin Doughnut Bundt Cake

Sarah Kieffer — Thu, 05 Oct 2023 12:39:32 +0000

I have been a fan of Bundt cakes for decades, as their elegant shape and endless flavor possibilities have always been intriguing to me. The first Bundt cake I ever made was at The Blue Heron Coffeehouse in Winona, MN; I was working an evening shift and it was painfully slow, so I bopped into the kitchen and decided to get a jump-start on the morning baking. Bundt cakes had always been a big seller in the morning hours, and the fact that they often tasted better the next day made them a good place to start. Two hours and one flip later, my Bundt cake was out of the oven, and even though part of it stuck to the pan (the fault of an inexperienced Bundt-cake-maker) I was enamored with my beautiful creation. I have been making them ever since. I often associate Bundt cakes with breakfast, as I have spent many early mornings nibbling on them (they do, of course, also taste delicious in the afternoon and evening hours.) It may be the result of working in coffeehouses for years, but a sweet treat in the morning, paired with coffee in any form, is my preferred breakfast of […]

The post Pumpkin Doughnut Bundt Cake appeared first on The Vanilla Bean Blog.

Apple Morning Buns

Sarah Kieffer — Thu, 21 Sep 2023 13:24:04 +0000

These buns are (of course) inspired by the famous morning buns created at Tartine. On my only visit to San Francisco, I was able to try one of these perfect buns – orange and cinnamon and sugar and butter all wrapped up in flaky dough. I’ve tried to re-create something similar; in my book 100 Morning Treats, I have the classic version of this bun using my Cheater Croissant Dough. Here I have an apple version, perfect for both chilly Autumn mornings and afternoons. One thing to note: The recipe for the Morning Buns in 100 Morning Treats has a typo in it (but the same recipe in Baking For the Holidays does not). The recipe calls for 1 cup [200 g] of granulated sugar, which is correct, but the sugar needs to be divided. The filling for the Morning Buns uses 1/2 cup [100 g], not the 1 cup stated, and the remaining 1/2 cup [100 g] is used to toss the warm buns in. I am so sorry for the mistake! Baking with Apples Apples take a long time to break down during baking, so often I like to give them a head start. I found steaming the […]

The post Apple Morning Buns appeared first on The Vanilla Bean Blog.

Creamy Pumpkin Streusel Coffee Cakes

Sarah Kieffer — Fri, 15 Sep 2023 14:59:26 +0000

After making my Creamy Jammy Coffee Cakes for quite some time, I decided to experiment with pumpkin for fall-themed miniature cakes. These little streusel cakes are made with the base of my Pumpkin Bars; they bake up moist and flavorful, and pair beautifully with the cream cheese and pecan streusel. I definitely love that combination, as I have a much loved recipe for Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins with Streusel, too. I must admit I do prefer them in this larger form: there is a significant cream cheese layer, and the streusel stays put much better. I use 4 inch [5 cm] springform pans to make these mini cakes, so they bake up with perfect edges, and release easily. They’re the perfect individual serving. You can also this recipe in a 9×13 inch pan if you’d like, it works great just as written. However, I’m always up for a more substantial cream cheese layer as you see in the photo below this paragraph. So for the filling I used 12 oz [340 g] cream cheese and 1/3 cup [65 g] granulated sugar, along with the 1 large egg. You’ll see the full notes for baking in this size of pan in […]

The post Creamy Pumpkin Streusel Coffee Cakes appeared first on The Vanilla Bean Blog.

Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars

Sarah Kieffer — Wed, 30 Nov 2022 14:12:35 +0000

When I asked what kind of pie is on your holiday tables in December, you had so many delicious suggestions. Chocolate and pecan, in their many different variations, were the most mentioned. So that’s where I found inspiration for these bars, which are easy to make and everything you love about pecan pie, with the addition of a rich chocolate layer, and sweetened condensed milk (no corn syrup) poured over the top before baking. The simple pat-in-the-pan crust has pecans in it as well for depth of flavor, and lard makes it very flaky. I find pie bars to be less intimidating than making pie, and the results are just as delicious. I decided to streamline a typical pecan pie by making a pat-in-the-pan pie crust, using sweetened condensed milk for rich flavor, and adding a single egg to help bind the filling and slightly lightening the rich condensed milk. Bourbon is optional, but also helps cut the sweetness and adds great flavor. Additionally, these bars pack well for holiday cookie boxes. Lard Makes Great Pie Crusts Lard has a lot of advantages in pastry making. It’s ideal for pie crusts (sweet or savory), as it makes a great non-hydrogenated alternative […]

The post Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars appeared first on The Vanilla Bean Blog.

Apple Cider Pull-Apart Bread

Sarah Kieffer — Sun, 06 Nov 2022 22:35:15 +0000

This fluffy, soft pull-apart bread is just as the name suggests; you simply pull it apart to eat a slice! Infused with apple cider and cinnamon, it’s a variation on my Apple Cider Cinnamon Rolls. You’ll also find a Lemon Pull-Apart Bread in my Baking for the Holidays cookbook. I’ve used apple cider in both the dough and the icing for this bread, rather than apple chunks or bits or shreds. I find the pieces very distracting in my breads or buns; they tend to just fall out on the plate and need to be eaten with a fork at a later time. Apple cider takes care of this problem nicely. The apple flavor is light but bright, and does shine through especially with a hit of apple brandy in the icing. It’s as fun to eat as it is delicious, and makes a great Autumn weekend breakfast, especially if you’ve just been to the apple orchard and came home with cider. How to Make Pull-Apart Bread: Although this bread is a little time consuming to make, it is always worth the effort. Make the sweet dough. It will have a rise time of 2 hours. It is recommended to […]

The post Apple Cider Pull-Apart Bread appeared first on The Vanilla Bean Blog.

New-Fashioned Chocolate Meringue Pie

Sarah Kieffer — Wed, 12 Oct 2022 16:59:31 +0000

I have been a pie connoisseur since my early years, although I will admit my tastes have changed dramatically. My Grandma Ethel was known for her incredible pies and her extra flaky crusts, which were always made with lard. She made every classic kind imaginable: apple, peach, blueberry, cherry, and always my dad’s favorite, lemon meringue. I will admit to never enjoying meringue as a child; it was either baked into the pie (which always tasted too eggy to me) or else looked very similar to giant, beautiful piles of whipped cream. I was always fooled. The overly-sweet, sort of bubbly meringue I was served instead was often disappointing. That was until I discovered Swiss Meringue, an incredible light, smooth, balanced meringue that I am now smitten with. It pairs beautifully with chocolate mousse and a flaky crust, making for an incredible bite of dessert. I have used the base of my Black-bottom Chocolate Pie here, but added even more chocolate, and a flaky, forgiving, pat-in-the-pan lard crust that adds clean flavor. Topping this pie with piles of meringue or meringue ghosts is decadent, but delicious. Lard Makes an Incredibly Flaky Pie Crust Lard has a lot of advantages in […]

The post New-Fashioned Chocolate Meringue Pie appeared first on The Vanilla Bean Blog.