Strawberry Sunrise Scones

(Pict is from the blog where I found the recipe - link below)

Scones

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup butter, cold

6-oz (1 container) orange-flavored yogurt
(I have used whatever yogurt I have on hand. Dora and Trix yogurt tastes especially yummy in them! LOL!)

1 cup strawberries, fresh or frozen

Drizzle 1 cup confectioners’ sugar 2 tbsp [fresh] orange juice

Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a food processor. Pulse for 5 seconds to combine. Cut butter into 4 or 5 pieces and add to food processor with flour mixture. Process for 10-15 seconds until no large pieces of butter remain.
(I don't have a food processor so I just use a fork to mix the dough and a spoon for the rest.)

Add yogurt and frozen strawberries to food processor. Pulse for 10-15 seconds until mixture comes together into a ball. Divide dough in half and shape into two balls. Place the balls on the baking sheet and press down until dough is 1-1½ inches thick. With a knife, cut a cross into the dough so that each disk is divided into 4 pieces. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until scones are lightly browned. Let the scones cool on the sheet for 5-10 minutes. Divide the scones along the lines you cut before baking and remove to a wire rack to cool.

While scones cool, prepare the glaze. Combine powdered sugar and orange juice in a small bowl. Stir until smooth. When scones are cool enough to touch (it’s ok if they’re still a little warm, especially if you still want to serve them warm), drizzle glaze onto scones with a fork.

Makes 8 scones.

http://bakingbites.com/2008/04/strawberry-sunrise-scones/

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

INGREDIENTS:

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3 tablespoons brown sugar 4 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 5 tablespoons white sugar 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 3 tablespoons butter 3 tablespoons chopped pecans

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups white sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 eggs 1 1/3 cups canned pumpkin 1/3 cup olive oil 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease and flour 18 muffin cups, or use paper liners.
2.	To make the filling: In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese until soft. Add egg, vanilla and brown sugar. Beat until smooth, then set aside.
3.	For the streusel topping: In a medium bowl, mix flour, sugar, cinnamon and pecans. Add butter and cut it in with a fork until crumbly. Set aside.
4.	For the muffin batter: In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Make a well in the center of flour mixture and add eggs, pumpkin, olive oil and vanilla. Beat together until smooth.
5.	Place pumpkin mixture in muffin cups about 1/2 full. Then add one tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture right in the middle of the batter. Try to keep cream cheese from touching the paper cup. Sprinkle on the streusel topping.
6.	Bake at 375 degrees F (195 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes.

Jody Ferlaak's Baked Caramel French Toast

The beauty of this yummy french toast, besides being totally easy, is that you make it the night before! : ) I got the recipe from Jody recently and while it says to bake it in a 9 x 13, next time I'll try it in a jelly roll pan--there was plenty of caramel sauce and not enough toast to feed a family.

Baked Caramel French Toast

Ingredients:

***Topping*** (which actually goes in the pan and is the bottom at first)

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/3 cup whipping cream or milk or whatever you have on hand

6 tablespoons butter or marg.

1 tablespoon corn syrup

Mix these ingredients in a saucepan over med/low heat until melted. DO NOT BRING TO A BOIL. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan.

***French Toast*** (I would have needed to make double of the egg mixture to cover an entire loaf of french bread)

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup milk

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 loaf of french bread- sliced into 1/2" pieces

Mix eggs, vanilla, milk and salt in a bowl. Dip slices of french bread into egg mixture, coating them well. Place them onto the mixture in your 9x13 pan- squeeze in as many slices as you can fit.

Cover pan and refrigerate overnight or at least 3 hours.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Don't overbake!

Serve the french toast with the caramel side up. Sift a little powdered sugar over the top.

Drizzle syrup on top if you like. (We did not add syrup...it was sweet enough!)

Add fruit if desired. Jody told me that in the fall she makes what I would call fried apples to go on top. I peel, core & slice apples and throw them in a skillet with butter and brown sugar. Cook on medium heat until the apples are soft. Top with a sprinkle of cinnamon. If you're doing the apples on top of this french toast, I'd probably just cook them with a little butter and that's it...seriously, it's sweet enough!

Super easy and yummmmmmmMy!

: )