Celebrating 10 Years: The Urban Assembly New York Harbor School

March 7, 2013 Leave a Comment

Mason Made was honored to make the Thank You treats for the 10 Year Celebration Gala.

The Urban Assembly New York Harbor School opened its doors in September 2003 in Bushwick, Brooklyn. The school has since fulfilled a major goal and moved to its current location on Governors Island. This location is much more appropriate, as Maritime studies is the main focus of the school. This is a truly inspired place, led by visionaries, and attended by talented and motivated students.

Mason Made feels lucky to be involved and had a great time making and decorating 300 sailboat cookies for the event.

Hooray for the continued success of this school!

Game Winner: Gluten-free Chex Mix

February 3, 2013 Leave a Comment

Don’t fumble when it comes to gluten-free snacks. The all time classic favorite party snack, Chex Mix,  can be made gluten-free. This gluten-free version is sure to score a lot of points!

Gluten-Free Chex Mix
Ingredients:
9 C. gluten-free rice chex cereal (General Mills)
2 C. gluten-free pretzels (Glutino)
1 C. gluten-free bagel chips (Glutino Parmesan & Garlic)
1 cup nut (I used almonds and walnuts)
9 Tbs. olive oil
6 Tbs. gluten-free Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. onion powder
3 tsp. sea salt
Directions:
Preheat oven to 250°
Place rice chex cereal, pretzels, nuts, and bagel chips in a large bowl
In liquid measuring cup blend olive oil, Worcestershire sauce and seasonings
Pour seasoning mixture over cereal mix and stir thoroughly to coat the cereal mix with the seasoning
Spread coated mix on to a large baking sheet
Place in the oven, uncovered, and bake for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes

Keeping your New Year Resolution: Healthy Baking Substitutions

January 10, 2013 Leave a Comment

New Year Resolution 1: Eat Healthy

One week into the New Year, and already desperately trying to hold onto your resolutions? A few easy substitutions can assuage the guilt of having a little indulgence .

Fats play an important role in baking, and messing with them can have consequences. Butter, oh glorious sweet creamy butter, is responsible for the tenderness, moisture and richness in flavor of baked goods. However, eating too much also has consequences, and the holiday season often results in too much of a good thing, namely that glorious butter (combined with heaps of sugar). So if your new year plan involves looking to cut calories and  saturated fat, we have some suggestions of substitutes to help you achieve your goal and still enjoy delicious favorites. Find below 5 easy substitutions. Some work better than others depending on the recipe, and it may take a little experimenting.

 

Applesauce (unsweetened)
Can successfully be used as an alternative to both butter and oil.
Works best: in cake-like recipes or quick breads.
How to use: Replace half the amount of butter in your recipe with applesauce. If you don’t mind a more dense texture, replace the entire amount of butter with applesauce.
Example: If your recipe calls for 1 C. butter, use ½ C. butter and ½ C. applesauce instead.

 

Bananas (Mashed)
Can successfully be used in place of oil.
Works best: In quick breads and coffee cakes. Because bananas are dense, they are not ideal for baked goods intended to have a lighter texture.
How to use: For every 1 cup of oil, you can substitute it with ½ cup of mashed banana.Use a very ripe (yellow with dark brown spots) for sweetness or a green banana if you don’t want competing flavors.
Example: If your recipe calls for 1 C. Oil, use ½ C. mashed bananas instead

 

Greek yogurt (plain)
Can successfully be used in place of butter or oil
Works best: In cookie recipes (as a sub for butter), and muffins, brownies and cakes (as a sub for oil)
How to use: Replace half the amount of butter in your cookie recipes with ¼ the amount of full-fat plain Greek yogurt. Replace half the amount of oil in your recipe and substitute in ¾ C. Greek yogurt.
Example: if the recipe calls for 1C. butter, use ½ C. butter and  1/4  C. yogurt
Example: if the recipe calls for 1C. oil, use ½ C. oil and ¾ C. yogurt

 

Prune purée (or prune butter)
Can successfully be used in place of butter
Works best: In chocolate recipes or when using spices such as cinnamon.
How to use: Replace butter with equal ratio of prune puree
Example: If your recipe calls for 1 C. butter, replace with 1 C. prune puree

 

Pumpkin Puree (unsweetened)
Can successfully be used in place of butter
Works best: Similar to applesauce, this substitute works best in cakier baked  goods such as spice cake, quick breads, muffins, cakes, and even brownies
How to use: Replace half the amount of butter in your recipe with pumpkin puree .
Example: If your recipe calls for 1 C. butter, use ½ C. butter and ½ C. pumpkin puree instead.

 

A Holiday Classic: Sugar Cookie Stars

December 22, 2012 Leave a Comment

Growing up my family lived next to the Zarlings. Max and Florence were a wonderfully sweet elderly couple, and as kids, my sister and I thought of our neighbors somewhat like an extra set of grandparents. On warm days we would sit with them in their yard on strange old metal chairs, and Florence would bring us lemonade. In early fall, Max would pay us 1 penny each for every walnut we picked up out of his yard, and it seemed there was a never ending supply. No matter what time of year, there were always sugar cookies. The smell would waft from their house to ours and my sister and I would beg to go make a visit. We would politely knock on the screen door, and always be invited in. Florence usually made heart shaped cookies that were perfectly tender and perfectly crumby and required no frosting.The frosting adds some holiday flare, but this gluten-free version is also delicious without.

A Holiday Classic Cookie: Linzer Cookie

December 19, 2012 Leave a Comment

The jewel of holiday cookies; elegant, rich & buttery, accentuated with almonds and cinnamon, the Linzer Cookie is another holiday classic.

The larger, Linzer Torte is actually the oldest-known (meaning recorded in a specific place of origin in the late 1600’s) cake in the world originating in the City of Linz, Austria.

The Linzer Cookie is a sandwich, with the top cookie cut-out with a smaller shape so that the jam gleams through the center. My favorite is made with raspberry jam, and they look about as festive as it gets!

Health & happiness

Sarah

 

Linzer Cookie Recipe

Ingredients:

1 ¾ Sticks (14 Tbs.) unsalted butter

¾ C. Sugar 1 Egg (large)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 C. brown rice flour

¾ C. sorghum flour

¾ C. tapioca starch

¼ C. sweet rice flour

1 ½ tsp. xanthan gum

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. baking powder

1 C. Raspberry Jam (the good stuff)

Directions:

  1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare cookie sheet with Silpat baking mat or parchment paper.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until soft and fluffy. Add vanilla extract, and egg and beat until smooth. 
  3. In a separate bowl, combine flours, xanthan gum, salt, and baking powder. Add flour mix 1 cup at a time and beat to incorporate.
  4. Chill dough for 30 minutes.
  5. Between 2 sheets of plastic wrap, roll out dough to ¼ inch thickness. Cut out cookie shape (traditionally circles) with cookie cutters. With a smaller cookie cutter (circle or star) cut centers out of half the cookies . Combine dough scraps and roll out again. Chill dough if it gets too soft.
  6. Place cut out cookies on prepared baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Chill cookie shapes for 15 minutes.
  7. Bake for 12 minutes or until slightly browned on the edges.
  8. Heat Jam on the stovetop (in a very small pan) until slightly softened.
  9. To assemble, place whole cookies, bottom side up on a sheet of parchment paper. Spread a small layer of jam on bottom cookies .and top with a center-cut cookie. Spoon any remaining jam into center cut. Let cool until set .
  10. Store in airtight container for 1-2days or in the fridge for 5. Also freeze well.

A Holiday Classic Cookie: Swedish Tea Cakes (and many other names too)

December 12, 2012 Leave a Comment

Swedish Tea Cakes by any other name such as Russian Tea Cakes, Mexican Wedding Cookies, Viennese Sugar Balls, Greek Christmas Balls, Polvorones, and Snowball are, bite size, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth, covered in powdered sugar, cookies…

and my version of heaven!

These are the ultimate celebration cookie, and connected to the tradition of saving the most rich and expensive food, such as creamy butter, fine sugar, and choice nuts, for special occasions.

These cookies remind me of a fairytale like days baking with my grandmother in her warm kitchen. The deep snow drifts of a Minnesota winter piling up outside as we made these special delights and rolled them in white powder.

I have been trying for years to replicate the gluten-free version of the perfect disappearing crumb texture and the rich nutty, buttery, vanilla taste. This is it- a Christmas miracle. I can’t wait to head home for the holidays and make these again with my grandmother.

Health & happiness,

Sarah

Swedish Tea Cake Recipe

Ingredients:

1 ¾ Sticks (14 Tbs.) unsalted butter

¾ C. Sugar1 Egg (large)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. almond extract

1 C. brown rice flour

¾ C. sorghum flour

¾ C. tapioca starch

¼ C. sweet rice flour

⅔ C. almond flour (toasted)

1 ½ tsp. xanthan gum

½ tsp. salt1 tsp. baking

powderpowdered sugar for coating

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 325 and spread almond flour in a thin layer on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper. Toast until fragrant and lightly brown. Set aside.
  2. Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees. Prepare cookie sheet with Silpat baking mat or parchment paper.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until soft and fluffy. Add vanilla extract, almond extract, and egg and beat until smooth.
  4. In a separate bowl, combine flours, xanthan gum, salt, and baking powder. Add flour mix 1 cup at a time and beat to incorporate. Save the toasted ⅔ C. almond flour to add last.
  5. Chill dough for 30 minutes.
  6. Shape dough into tiny balls (2 tsp.) and place 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheet.
  7. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until slightly browned and firm to the touch.
  8. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Roll cookies in powdered sugar.
  9. Let cool completely and roll again in powdered sugar.
  10. Store in airtight container for 2-3 days (if they last that long)
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