raspberries Archives | The Vanilla Bean Blog

Flaky Raspberry Scones

Sarah Kieffer — Sun, 04 Aug 2024 15:04:46 +0000

Over the years I have made hundreds upon hundreds of scones, and have slowly evolved my working recipe. I have settled on a buttery scone, with crème fraiche and an extra egg yolk for rich flavor and a tender base, and gently folded layers to keep the scones flaky. However, as much as I love adding fresh fruit to my dough, especially in these summer months, the extra juice can sometimes cause problems when baking.

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Crème Fraîche Cake With Roasted Berries and White Chocolate Buttercream

Sarah Kieffer — Tue, 13 Jun 2017 12:52:50 +0000

My children are curious ones, often on tip-toe or climbing up onto kitchen stools, trying to figure out what I’m always doing in the kitchen. Sometimes they jump in and help: throwing on their little aprons and grabbing spatulas and whisks, and other times they are content with just peeking into bowls and moving on. I find their interest in that space constantly ebbs and flows, and the days I’m in a hurry and don’t need help are the days they seem to want to offer it, and the occasions I’m dying to bake with them and teach them new things, well, those are the days they’d rather be doing anything else. Every once in awhile we land on the same page. My daughter is more eager than my son; he wants to sneak cookie dough, she wants to shape and bake cookies. I’ve watched her come a long way in the kitchen, and enjoy the moments when we make something together. I’ve discovered that while she’s come a long way, I, however, still have some needed areas of growth. Basically, I can be a control freak. I find myself hovering and managing. I want to pre-measure the ingredients, and […]

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Crème Fraîche Scones

Sarah Kieffer — Thu, 17 Apr 2014 16:20:41 +0000

“How can I find the words? Poets have taken them all and left me with nothing to say or do.”“Except to teach me for the first time what they meant.”-Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane, Dorothy Sayers: A Busman’s Honeymoon I’m not one for using expletives much in my day-to-day, but I must admit this past Monday a very loud one flew out of my mouth as my twitter notifications lit up my phone. Somehow, I had won the Reader’s Choice portion of the Saveur Food Blog Awards for Baking and Desserts. I’m not going to lie to you, I’m still pinching myself. It’s a huge honor, a dream come true, and I have you to thank. All you wonderful, lovely readers who took the time to cast a vote my way, thank you so much. I share the category with the amazing Izy from Top With Cinnamon (who won Editor’s Choice), and I am excited that in just over a month I get to meet her, along with so many other favorite bloggers. But in the meantime, Crème Fraîche Scones! These breakfast treats are made with mixed berries and crème fraîche, and they might be my favorite scones to […]

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whole wheat drop biscuits with mixed berries and frangelico

Sarah Kieffer — Fri, 13 Sep 2013 06:00:48 +0000

Usually when the school buses start making their way down my street, summer gives way and makes room for the next season. Fall has always been my favorite time of year, bringing with it the expectancy of change. This year, however, it’s as if Jacob is at the bottom of that heavenly ladder, wrestling fiercely with the angels. Summer is refusing to give up residency, and we have had week after week of sweat and fake air. Jacob wrestled the angel, and the angel was overcome*. Here’s hoping. So since I’m here in limbo, with a foot in each season, I came up with a dessert that could be, too. Warm, whole wheat drop biscuits speak to me of cozy sweaters and thick blankets, while mixed berries and Frangelico sing of beach waves and late nights on the patio. Whipped cream, of course, works no matter what the weather. This sponsored post is a collaboration with Frangelico. All opinions are my own (and I honestly enjoy baking and cooking with it). You can check out Frangelico online or on Facebook. *a line from Bullet the Blue Sky, sung by U2 Whole Wheat Drop Biscuits with Mixed Berries and Frangelico Drop […]

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raspberry-rhubarb yogurt jars

Sarah Kieffer — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 06:00:46 +0000

I spent this past weekend in a lovely stupor: warmer weather has arrived! finally! I was barefoot in the backyard, spending every waking moment basking in the warm sun. There were sassy coffee drinks to sip with good friends, dinner dates and long walks, spring cleaning and windows wide open all through the night. I even got to spend some time with Mr. Hemingway on our front porch; his well-known words lived out among us: we ate well and cheaply and drank well and cheaply and slept well and warm together and loved each other. He left me with a notebook scrawled with quotes and too many unfinished thoughts. But, they will just have to wait, for there is lettuce to plant and bikes to ride and ice cream stops to make and hands to hold on a perfect spring day. You expected to be sad in the fall. Part of you died each year when the leaves fell from the trees and their branches were bare against the wind and the cold, wintry light. But you knew there would always be the spring, as you knew the river would flow again after it was frozen. When the cold rains […]

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raspberry cacao nib sugar buns

Sarah Kieffer — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 02:44:44 +0000

Hello! I come to you today with raspberry cacao nib sugar buns and a giveaway, both of which I’m terribly excited about. I’ve been baking up a storm lately; this extended winter Minneapolis refuses to let go of is making us all stir-crazy, literally. So we’ve been kneading and rolling and folding and repeating too often for this little family of four. But! these tasty raspberry circles were worth our time, and after enjoying a few, we gladly passed them out to our neighbors. Raspberry Cacao Nib Sugar Buns These little sugar buns are inspired by the lovely Seven Spoons, and while I’ve posted about them before, I couldn’t resist adding raspberry and cacao nibs to them. I also made this version with puff pastry (the original uses a Danish dough), and I think either would be delicious here. Originally I intended to use a cinnamon roll dough, but with the icing it all was a bit too sweet. If you do decide to go that route instead (in which case you may want to double the filling), I highly recommend The Smitten’s version of cinnamon roll dough and icing. I did include almond paste in the filling, but if […]

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chocolate heart cake with raspberry buttercream

Sarah Kieffer — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 03:33:00 +0000

My daughter has been dreaming of a Valentine’s cake for weeks, after seeing a heart-shaped cake in this little cookbook she received for Christmas. It was sort of a last minute affair regardless of all her planning and sketching; I was up late last night baking the cake, and there was a quick trip to the co-op this morning to get forgotten frosting ingredients. Also, Ms. [W] was insistent on red flowers. She was convinced the last little bouquet at the market was full of roses, and I let her believe it. We all agreed that the best part of this special treat was the raspberry buttercream, hands down. It is from The Smitten’s new cookbook, and while I added a splash of vanilla and a pinch of salt [I couldn’t help myself], I found it to be absolutely perfect. The berry flavor is light, but just right with the chocolate. And the chocolate cake is always a winner in our house. Happy Valentine’s Day! Chocolate Heart Cake with Buttercream Frosting We used our favorite chocolate cake recipe for the base of this cake. Instead of baking it in two 8 inch round cake pans, I baked it in one […]

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