August signals the end of summer and, depending on where you land in weather preference, you are either celebrating with a PSL or spending every possible minute absorbing the last warm rays of vitamin D. In Minnesota, August is also celebrated as state fair season. Our state fair is number one in the country on almost every poll, every year. Sorry, Texas. Its with good reason though as between attendance numbers, the annual stomach boggling list of new foods and activities that range from a Weird Al concert to watching cats get spayed, there is literally something for everyone. Ok, maybe those two activities are actually for the same audience.

If you plan on attending this year, or are looking for a reason to attend, I have several opportunities for you to come see me in action while resting your feet a bit- perhaps the biggest selling point to any state fair activity. There is always a chance for something to be added last minute but currently, I have a full day of appearances on Tuesday, September 1st and would absolutely love to see you!

Baking Demonstrations

I am thrilled to to have been asked back by the Minnesota Star Tribune to perform not one, but TWO demos on the Cambria Kitchen Stage inside the Creative Activities building. This year they are having a full day of demos from 10am-5pm and while I don’t know the full lineup yet, I do know that my friend Sarah from Vintage Dish and Tell will be on immediately after my demonstrations and I am so excited to see her work her magic and talk about her debut cookbook.

At 10:00am: I will be demonstrating a recipe for hazelnut and blackberry scones, topped with mascarpone cheese and chokecherry jelly. I went to my Instagram to ask for input on what people wanted to see and a surprisingly popular answer was scones. Many also wanted a foraging element included (twist my arm!) so this is where I landed. We are in a severe drought this year, which means I may be leaning on store bought ingredients during the demo but I am excited to share this recipe and a glimpse into my life in the woods while encouraging you to explore outside your own front door.

At 11:00am: Yep, we’re going back to back baby! I will be doing a cookie decorating demonstration using my blue ribbon winning sugar cookie and royal icing recipes. I am still finalizing details as I decide what is both feasible and informative in the time we are allotted but I plan to discuss icing consistencies, different decorating techniques and as many tips as I can cram into 50 minutes to help you create beautiful cookies at home.

MyTalk 107.1

One of the best things to have come from my time on The Great American Baking Show is my friendship with Bradley & Dawn from Mytalk 107.1. They are both extremely talented bakers in their own right and fans of the bake off universe so we never tire of things to chat about. I’m always grateful and excited when they ask me to join their show and for the third year in a row, I’ll be joining them LIVE from the fair at their booth which is located on Underwood Street, just south of Randall Avenue. I will be with them from 1:45- 2:15pm. Who knows what we’ll talk about but it’s always a blast! Plus, they have a fantastic SHADED seating area that I love taking advantage of and know you will too. If you can’t make it in person, you can always listen live on the radio, their website or their app.

Baking Competitions

It’s no secret that the baking competitions are my favorite part of the Minnesota State Fair. They have given me community and every year, entry day and the first day of the fair feel like a family reunion. As always, I plan on participating in both the Creative Activities and Bee & Honey competitions. I won’t divulge what I am making just yet, as I like to keep it secret and I’m also not sure if I’ll have time to enter one or all seven of the classes that I signed up for. If this is your first year competing and you’re feeling overwhelmed, I wrote a guide last year that lays everything out and provides tips, tales and things to keep in mind. You can find that here.

The Info Booth Ladies Podcast

This interview is from 2024 but remains one of my favorites I’ve ever done. If you have not listened to it or are unfamiliar with the podcast, they are a fount of Minnesota State Fair information and every episode is an absolute joy to listen to. Unfortunately one of the hosts, Kathy Riewe, passed away earlier this year. It’s a truly tragic and great loss but listening to old episodes and hearing her joy as she talks about her fair family is a reminder why this annual event is so special. I’m honored to have shared just a little bit of that joy with Kathy and to have been welcomed as part of her fair family.

It’s shaping up to be another special year at the great Minnesota get together!

Hope to see you there,

Nicole

This was the text I sent my mom on January 23rd. I had finally decided to acknowledge that my family may have a point when telling me, thanks to a lifelong companionship with perfectionism, my proposal was better than I realized and that I will never be satisfied. So, I stopped tinkering, winced and submitted my query letter. On March 18th, I officially accepted an offer of representation from Sally Ekus.

As a quiet pessimist realist who prefers to keep her dreams and goals largely to herself until they have already moved into a tangible existence, my announcement of signing with Sally probably comes with a cocked head. Hints were dropped along the way, but I chose to do what I do best- work quietly and let the result tell the story. So, when Minnesota dove into its annual seven-month stretch of winter last October, I dove into creating a cookbook proposal; finally turning the dozens of hard to decipher half thoughts and recipe lists filling my phone into a semi-designed 50-page document.

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Crafting my proposal

Are you familiar with the slow craft movement? As someone who makes leather bound journals for a living, this philosophy is ingrained in me. It’s the belief that there is greater value in crafting a product with time, intention and your own two hands than doing something quickly and shoddily to take advantage of a trend or earn money quickly. My proposal was crafted much like my books are. One page at a time, slowly stitching together a seemingly random collection of objects and ideas until something complete and usable sat before me.

While I’ve been making books professionally for nearly 20 years, and can do it without thinking, crafting a cookbook proposal brought back all the joys and frustrations of learning how to do something for the first time. If I had a dollar for every time I uttered some version of the phrase “is this even close to what it should look like?” I wouldn’t have to make books anymore. There are different approaches to writing a proposal for the first time. Some hire writers and designers; others take classes that walk you through the process. For a resourceful, self-employed artist there is Substack, Google and the Everything Cookbooks podcast.

My process was a dance between intense writing and designing days and days of information absorption. On writing and designing days, I jumped between my proposal documents, Sally’s proposal guidelines and a million different internet tabs filled with posts about the cookbook process by those who have walked the path before me. On days I had to work in my studio making and fulfilling journal orders, I’d pick an episode from the Everything Cookbooks podcast that spoke to whatever I was dealing with in the writing process and hit play. Then usually replay. I’d come back to my documents, armed with new information, to decide if the urge to completely tear everything apart and start over was warranted or if just a few tweaks here and there would solve what I had convinced myself was a crisis. This routine carried on until there was less tearing and more tweaking.

As a visual person and full time creative, I found that by printing off my entire proposal and laying it out across the floor was the best way to prove to myself that progress was indeed being made. It also allowed me to see if the overall look and flow properly illustrated my concept and visualize what my book may look like. At night, I’d take those physical copies and read through them, furiously marking them up with edits and correcting the typos that always manage to escape my digital read throughs.

Finally, at the end of January, I declared my proposal “good enough!”

To query or not to query

I did not go into this planning to come out the other side with an agent. It’s not that I believed myself or my work weren’t worthy of representation. I had confidence in my abilities to create a beautiful, informative book which to me didn’t necessarily require being represented by a literary agent. I also have friends that have created incredible cookbooks and writing careers without an agent. Deciding to query came when I had the realization that I could do it on my own, but that I didn’t want to. Pursuing this is about more than just a single book and partnering with an agent is what I wanted for this part of my career. I’ve always navigated my leather journal business solo; I didn’t have to for cookbooks.

Right, not rushed. If you are familiar with Sally Ekus’s work, you know this is one of her main pieces of advice to those creating a proposal. As someone who lives in the slow craft movement, it spoke to me from the beginning and became a phrase I said to myself anytime I started to worry about an arbitrary deadline I created. There are many reasons why Sally was the only agent I queried but this was always at the core of feeling like she would be the right fit for me.

I have been offered representation in my leather journal business numerous times through the years and have always turned it down. None of the agents offering promises of grandeur sat well with me so going into my meeting with Sally I wanted to make sure that it felt right for both of us. Her belief in my project, her understanding of my career path and her grounded approach only reinforced my sense that she was the right fit. By the end of our meeting, I found myself praying inwardly that she was feeling the same as I was about working together. Much to my immense delight, she was.

This is great and all, but what does it mean?

Welp, now that I’ve signed with a literary agent, I’m going to run off into the sunset with piles of cookbooks and buckets of money! I truly think this is what pops into some people’s heads when you tell them you have an agent and hope to be writing a cookbook soon. A quick Google search of “average cookbook advance” brings things back to reality quickly.

For me, becoming a cookbook author is about pursuing a passion and sharing information that is encouraging and inspiring to others. That is always what my recipes and stories have been about and this is simply a formalization of the work I’ve already been doing and will allow me to do more of it. I want to build something meaningful and sustainable, not chase trends. I’ve made a career out of making leather journals in the age of digital for goodness sake. Speaking of, my leather journal business isn’t going anywhere; my other artistic pursuits aren’t going anywhere. While they will largely exist separately from my work in the food space, everything I create is an extension of myself and therefore related. Things may shift and look differently over time but I will always consider myself a professional creative, not just an artist or an author. I already have some exciting plans to bring more of my artistic skills into my work with food and create a bigger world around it.

For now, though, I hope this answers the question of why I was quieter over the long winter and gives you something to look forward to as I dive into the next steps of the cookbook process. Or perhaps this provides encouragement if you are also in the trenches of writing your first book proposal. There is power in working quietly and taking the time to craft something with purpose that is true to yourself. I’m grateful for the long Minnesota winter for giving me the time and showing that the slow, quiet moments are necessary to build the groundwork for new and exciting opportunities to grow.

As always, thanks for being a part of this community. Your support and enthusiasm for what I share never goes unnoticed.

Cheers,

Nicole

(On Instagram I said the recipe for my honey halva cookies would be in my next newsletter but it felt weird to just tack it on to the end of this. I have a piece in the works about the joys of rural grocery stores where I believe it will be much more fitting so stay tuned for that.)

February holds some of the best and hardest days of winter. For me, it always begins with the celebration of my birthday. This year was a milestone one which I go back and forth on how I feel about the matter. Grateful for the privilege to age, happy to only see three grey hairs. This year we skipped the January thaw, going for a February one instead which felt particularly cruel. I, like so many others thought this could mean an early Spring. I even had the audacity to walk around a nearby pond, admiring the local beaver’s hard work and scanning the exposed ground for any signs of green. Then last week came and we got 8” of snow and our nights are back into the below 0 range. Fools Spring caught this fool once again!

We are deep in the waiting period my friends. The holiday excitement is well over and the anticipation for Spring seems too much to bear at times but these slow days of February are just as important as the bustling ones of July. It’s a time to rest and sit in our feelings, quietly work on the things we always say “if I just had the time” and prepare for when the pace of warmer days beckons us to jump back into it. Easier said than done, believe me. For the last several months, or perhaps it was as far back as September, I have felt this waiting and anticipation deeply. It took a while but the busyness from being on The Great American Baking Show has finally slowed to a pace that allowed me to breathe and think about what could be next. Dangerous territory for a chronic over thinking creative with a strong type A personality. Do I quiet down and keep my baking to myself for awhile or do I pursue what has been gnawing at me for years, taking bigger and bigger bites of my daily thoughts. If you have been paying attention, you’ll think it was the former but if you truly listen, you’ll know it has been the latter. I mentioned it on an episode of Aftermath: Life After Reality TV. I still don’t know where it will lead but there is movement and right now, that’s enough.

To keep my mind busy during the waiting days of February, I have started a new sourdough starter. I brought my old one with when we moved but it was beyond hoochy and now that we have well water rather than city water, I decided it was the perfect time to start anew. Sunrise Flour Mill recently sent me a bag of their wholewheat Bread Blend as well as a sourdough guide which included a packet a dried starter. After making some adjustments to create a strong starter for my home environment, I am back on the sourdough bread train which of course also means frequent stops at discard junction. I have a handful of favorite ways to use up discard, including my recipe for malted sourdough pancakes but with this current itching for warmer days, I decided to create a recipe that includes some of my dried ramps (thank you May 2025 Nicole!) Since we are also still squarely in soup season, I decided to go with my guilty pleasure for any bowl of warm comforting soup— beer bread. Nothing compares to the thick, golden crust on fresh beer bread. That first bite shoots me right back to my family’s kitchen in the late 90’s when my mom would bring home boxes of Tastefully Simple’s beer bread mix from her latest friend to fall victim to the deliciously nostalgic MLM scheme.

Below you will find my take on this craggy classic. I chose ramps because even just opening the jar makes me feel the fresh air and warmth from that day last May when I found a patch for the very first time. Any of your favorite summer herbs will work wonderfully though. This bread is about providing comfort in the final days of winter with each bite reminding you of what’s to come.

Happy baking from the land of 10,000 bakes,

Nicole

Summer Herb Sourdough Beer Bread

Ingredients

• 195 grams all purpose flour

• 130 grams whole wheat bread flour or whole wheat flour (I used Sunrise Flour Mill Whole Wheat Bread Blend)

• 1 tablespoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt

• 1 heaping tablespoon dried summer herbs (I used dried ramps that I foraged but feel free to use any combination of dried herbs you enjoy)

• 227 grams sourdough discard, room temperature

• 75 grams wildflower honey

• 227 grams of beer, room temperature (I used Surly Furious but any ipa or light lager will do)

• 57 grams salted butter, melted

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350° and have an 8x4 bread pan at the ready.

2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together both flours, baking powder, salt and dried herbs until thoroughly combined. Set aside.

3. Pour your sourdough starter and wildflower honey into a medium mixing bowl and whisk together until they are fully combined. Don’t spare the elbow grease on this step as it helps loosen the starter, making it easier to combine with the beer.

4. Slowly pour the beer into your discard and honey mixture, whisking as you pour. Continue to whisk until you have a homogeneous mixture as leaving strands of starter or pockets and beer will lead to an uneven texture in your bread.

5. Dump your starter mixture into your dry ingredients and use a spoon or stiff spatula to stir everything together. The thickness of the batter will depend on how old your sourdough discard was. Mine was fresh making for a very thick, almost dough-like batter so don’t freak out if you are in the same boat.

6. Prepare your bread pan by pouring half of the melted butter into the bottom and use a pastry brush to brush it across the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Add your beer bread batter and spread evenly in the pan. Drizzle the remaining butter across the top.

7. Bake for 50-55 minutes, until the crust is a deep golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 190°. Testing with a cake tester or toothpick will not work here, so relying on the internal temperature is key to knowing when your bread is done.

8. Allow bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack to cool completely. Serve with soup, a slab of butter or both!

This particular newsletter is very outside my norm and my comfort zone. I’m not a loud, politically minded voice and perhaps my strongest Minnesotan trait is the avoidance of any and all conflict. Keep that in mind, as it is not polished nor particularly well written. I hope you can forgive that.

Oh, Minnesota…

I am so sorry that this is how the world is finding out how amazing you and the people who call you home are. They thought we would be an easy target. That our Minnesota nice meant we wouldn’t stand up for ourselves. We’re flyover country. The ones who sound like the movie Fargo, are weirdly obsessed with lakes and sometimes soak our fish in lye. We’re used to being overlooked but the entire world is looking now.

It takes strength to live somewhere that can get to 30 or even 50 degrees below zero. The world saw that on January 23rd. A crowd like that doesn’t exist here outside of the Minnesota State Fair- “The Great Minnesota Get Together” as we call it. That’s what this was too. A sea of people who care deeply about this state and all who live here. As proud as I am of sights like this, it’s unfortunate it has taken these circumstances for the world to see what we have always known.

I have seen a lot of comments about Minnesota once again making the news for something bad. Well, being a good neighbor is hardly newsworthy, is it? Caring deeply for the pristine lakes and woods we have here is hardly newsworthy, is it? It’s not newsworthy until these things we hold dear are being ripped from us and we are forced to show the world how it’s done when you love the people and the place you call home. And make no mistake, they are being ripped away. I have family and friends I worry about every day. Not because they aren’t legal citizens or because they have a criminal record but because they aren’t white. If this was ever about finding the “worst of the worst”, that idea died when the first BIPOC person was stopped by ICE and asked for their papers and now our citizens are dying too.

This is not all that has been thrown at us. Along the northern border of Minnesota, closer to where I live these days, is an area known as the boundary waters or Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness if we’re being proper. It’s entirely possible you have never heard of it but it’s a federally designated wilderness area. Free of roads and structures, it’s an official international dark sky sanctuary and one of the largest and most pristine freshwater wilderness areas in North America. For many Minnesotans and those around the world, this land is sacred and going here is akin to a holy pilgrimage. Last week, the house voted to overturn a mining ban on federal land adjacent to this wilderness area and soon the senate will have their vote. If approved, this area and all that these waters nourish will be under threat from the risks associated with copper-nickel mining.

So if Minnesotans seem to be particularly impassioned for Midwesterners, it’s because we are being pulled from top to bottom and worry not only for ourselves and our state but also for whoever will be next. I don’t share these things to scare, to cause stress or to be yet another baker with a sudden political voice. Trust me, if there was anyone who wanted to be here “just for the baking” and understands the importance of escapism in dealing with anxiety, it’s me but that is not an option right now. And before you make assumptions about my personal or political beliefs, know that two of my favorite books are “The Irresistible Revolution” and “Jesus for President” by Shane Claiborne so I guarantee whatever your assumptions are, they’re probably wrong. Besides, this isn’t about politics; it’s about people and the land we call home and doing everything we can to make sure both of these things remain long after we’re gone.

If you are from here, you’ve probably been bombarded with places asking for help and already know where to go. If not and you want to do something tangible, Stand With Minnesota is full of resources and places to donate whether you are an animal lover and want to help the pets left behind when their owners are taken into custody or you want to help feed the families who are scared to leave their home for groceries. If you care about protecting our national parks and wilderness, call your representatives. At the very least, believe what people from here are saying and showing you.

Since this is a baking Substack, here are a few books from some of my friends and fellow Minnesotans that I recommend. They are filled with recipes and stories that will nourish your body and soul from the people that make up Minnesota:

The Good Berry Cookbook - a cookbook celebrating manoomin (wild rice) and other Indigenous wild foods, blending Anishinaabe culture, natural history, and science with over 75 recipes from various Indigenous cooks.

Kitchens of Hope - features over 50 recipes and personal stories from immigrants to the U.S., highlighting themes of resilience, community, and cultural heritage.

Land of 10,000 Plates - a cookbook by Patrice M. Johnson that explores Minnesota's culinary culture, including traditional dishes and local food rituals like fish frys and meat raffles.

True North Cabin Cookbook Vol. 1 & 2 - a collection of recipes and personal stories inspired by Stephanie Hansen’s family lakeside cabin in northern Minnesota, focusing on seasonal, hearty, and comforting North Woods cuisine.

Dish & Tell - upcoming cookbook from Sarah Peterson filled with recipes and stories from herself and other passionate home cooks who opened their kitchens to share their own tried-and-true recipes.

Now, I do have a recipe to share for those that are here for the baking. It’s for Piernik which is a Polish gingerbread cake. Traditionally made around the holidays, I had plans to share it closer to the start of the new year but then everything happened here and between work as well as some behind the scenes writing, I didn’t have the energy to expend. This is a cake that celebrates the Polish portion of my heritage while using honey from my mom’s beehives and wild plum jam from the woods nearby. This cake represents all that anybody wants- to be able to freely make and share the food and stories from where they came from and where they call home.

I hope you will make this cake and that it warms your home and belly as we enter the long stretch of winter and that you think of Minnesota. It is no longer just my Minnesota but your Minnesota now too.

Take care,

Nicole

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Piernik

This Polish gingerbread is filled with warm spices, sweetened with honey and like any traditional dish, there are as many variations as there are families who make it. To be honest, I don’t know if my family made it before coming to America but it’s intrigued me for a while so consider this my family’s version. I used wildflower honey from my mom’s beehives and wild plum jam that she made from plums she foraged late last summer. While plum is the most common jam used, it can be filled with any variety you enjoy. Feel free to play with spices as well as I have seen recipes that use cardamom and allspice or forgo the black pepper. I baked my cake in a Minnesota shaped pan for obvious reasons but the recipe also works in a 9x13.

Ingredients

For the cake

• 180 grams whole wheat pastry flour

• 200 grams all purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 tablespoon ground ginger

• 2 teaspoons cinnamon (I prefer Saigon)

• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

• 1/4 teaspoon cloves

• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt

• 113 grams unsalted butter

• 320 grams wildflower honey

• 200 grams dark brown sugar

• 250 grams whole milk

• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 3 large eggs, room temperature

For the filling

• 350 grams plum jam or jam of your choosing (approximately 1.5 cups)

For the topping

• 227 grams dark chocolate, finely chopped

• 227 grams heavy cream

• 28 grams unsalted butter, softened

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 80 grams hazelnuts, toasted and roughly chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Prepare your chosen baking pan by greasing and coating with cocoa powder or lining with a parchment paper sling.

2. Heat brown sugar, honey and butter in medium sauce pan over medium/low heat, stirring constantly until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved. Be careful not to bring it to a boil. Take off heat and slowly whisk in milk and vanilla. Then while the mixture is still warm but not above 130°, add the eggs one at a time and whisk vigorously until fully combined.

3. Slowly pour the liquid ingredients into the dry, whisking and scraping the bowl to combine as you pour. Once all of the liquid has been added, whisk until fully combined and no dry bits of flour remain- about two minutes.

4. Pour the batter into your prepared baking pan and wiggle the pan to even out the batter. Place in the oven and immediately lower the temp to 325 degrees. Bake your cake for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick comes out with only a few moist crumbs.

5. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before running a knife along the edge of the pan and turning out the cake onto a cooling rack.

6. Allow cake to cool completely or wrap in plastic wrap while still warm and chill overnight before filling and assembling.

7. Slice your cake in half horizontally and spread the jam across the lower layer, leaving a 1/4” border around the edge. Place in the refrigerator to chill while you make your ganache.

8. Start with putting the chopped chocolate in a heat proof bowl and set aside.

9. In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream over medium heat until it just starts to simmer. Pour the cream overly the chocolate, add the butter and let it sit for two minutes before slowly whisking to combine. Add the vanilla and whisk again.

10. Immediately pour and spread the ganache over the top of the cake, allowing it to drip down the sides as it pleases. Once the ganache has settled, sprinkle the chopped hazelnuts across the top.

11. This cake improves after sitting for a day so if you can wait, I’d recommend it. Store at room temperate for up to four days or wrap and freeze for longer storage.

It seems this need to dictate what is and isn’t a holiday cookie comes from the belief that cookies baked this time of year need to fit within arbitrary standards to be deemed worthy of our ovens. Whether that comes from the ingredients and techniques used or limiting the time of year they are made to this two month window- to which I say maybe the real problem is we should just be making spritz year around. While I agree that a holiday cookie should be special, I think what is missing in the calculations of the anti-CCC crowd, is the realization that a cookie can be special simply because of who made it and also that for some, this may be the only time of year they enjoy cookies. Even if it is the humble chocolate chip cookie.

Food is the memories we can see, taste and smell. Perhaps no greater example of this exists than during the holidays. Many of my fondest memories revolve around baking Christmas cookies with my mom and brother in our little 1990’s eat-in kitchen in rural Minnesota. The counters lined with waxed paper and covered in peanut butter blossoms, corn flake wreaths and decorated sugar cookies that let you know at exactly what point in the decorating process we had all given up the hope of creating aesthetically pleasing snowflakes and Santas. The kitchen filled with laughter so strong, we still remember some of the cookies that came out of those moments where our artistic visions died.

On Tuesday, I spent the day with my mom, baking the three ingredient Bisquick based peanut butter blossoms from my childhood and Russian tea cakes in honor of my mom’s sister, Margie, who passed away last Spring. I rolled the soft dough between my hands, doing my best to make 1” balls, as I allowed my mind to wander and think about Christmases past and how these simple cookies are capable of creating connections across timelines. A way to still make a place at the table for my grandma and Margie. While you may know me for my more artistic bakes, it’s these moments in the kitchen that hold the true importance of baking, not necessarily the bake itself. Something that I admittedly didn’t always understand.

It was a couple Christmases ago, that my dad asked for M&M cookies to be part of our Christmas cookie lineup. At first, my mom and I laughed at the idea of M&M cookies being considered a Christmas cookie but for my dad, those were one of the few cookies his mom, who admittedly hated being in the kitchen, would make during the holidays. A cookie that many in the modern baking community deem unworthy, hold some of my dad’s fondest Christmas memories. Those red and green M&M cookies have been a staple in our cookie lineup ever since.

This is what I mean when I say Christmas, or holiday cookies, are the cookies you make during the holidays. I have friends whose greatest joy comes from planning elaborate cookie boxes filled with flavors and cookies I’m barely familiar with. Here in Minnesota, many know the holidays have officially begun when they spend an entire day making lefsa in a kitchen crowded with generations of family bakers. Others have fond holiday memories wrapped up in going to grandma’s and seeing the shiny blue butter cookie tins and a pile of classic chocolate chip cookies. Each of these bakes and the people behind them are worthy of the holiday memories they create.

Not everyone’s cookie tray will look like yours and not to sound too much like a Charlie Brown special but that’s what Christmas and the holidays are all about. Celebrating traditions, creating new ones and keeping a place at the table for those you’ve lost, those you miss and those you have yet to meet.

This year, on a personal baking level, I have felt burned out in every sense of the word. I worked long days and nights with the plan to give myself two weeks for Christmas cookies but when the time came, I had zero physical or creative energy left. So I turned to my food processor and favorite genre of cookie- the shortbread. Below you will find recipes for two easy, buttery, last minute cookies to add to your holiday baking lineup. These recipes rely on being able to pull ingredients straight from the fridge and can be made one right after the other as they use the same tools, process and baking temperature. It’s crunch time and these cookies understand the assignment.

Happy Baking and Happy Holidays,

Nicole

Cranberry Pecan Holiday Shortbread

Makes 24-26 cookies

This shortbread is filled with the earthy flavor of pecan mixed with the brightness of cranberry and orange before being dipped in dark chocolate. It makes for a cookie that is not-too-sweet and dare I say almost bitter- but in a welcome way? Especially at a time when our plates may be loaded with cookies that are sweet on sweet on sweet. I made a version of these on the Great American Baking Show and Prue Leith could not stop eating them. These are those cookies if they owned a festive holiday sweater.

Ingredients

• 125 grams pecan halves, toasted

• 100 grams light brown sugar

• 30 grams powdered sugar

• 213 grams all purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

• 170 grams unsalted butter, chilled and cubed

• 65 grams dried cranberries, finely chopped

• zest of one large orange

• 1 large egg yolk, from the fridge

• 226 grams dark chocolate- for dipping

Instructions

1. In a large food processor, combine pecans, brown sugar and powdered sugar. Process until the pecans are finely ground, about 2 minutes.

2. Add the flour and salt and process on low until combined. This will take about a minute and the bowl may need to be scraped around the edge.

3. Add the cubed butter and process the mixture until it resembles wet sand and starts to clump together.

4. Add the cranberries and orange zest and process for 30 seconds. Add the egg yolk and process again for a final 30 seconds.

5. Dump the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper and form into a flattened round. Lay another piece of parchment paper on top and use a rolling pin to roll it until its about 1/4” thick. Place the dough on a baking sheet and into the fridge to chill for at least an hour.

6. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove your dough from the fridge. Use your chosen cookie cutter- I used a 1”x3” rectangle- to cut out your cookies. You can gather your scraps and re-roll if you like without the texture suffering too much. Divide the cookies between the two baking sheets, then use a fork to prick to parallel lines from top to bottom on each cookie. Place the baking sheets into the fridge or freezer until ready to bake.

7. Bake your cookies, one sheet at a time, for 15-18 minutes until cookies are set and there is just a hint of browning at the edges. Allow to cool on the sheet for five minutes before moving to a rack to cool completely.

8. Finish the cookies by dipping one half of each cookie in melted dark chocolate. You can temper it if you want but I melted mine in the microwave because if you know me, you know tempering and I don’t get along.

9. Shortbread has a long shelf life so these cookies can be stored in an air tight container for up to two weeks or frozen for longer storage.

Pistachio Creme Shortbread

Quantity depends on cutter used but I made 24 sandwiches using a 1.5”x2” pine tree cutter.

Since I am still working my way through the hoard of pistachio creme I bought last month, I decided to make another perfectly nutty and not-too-sweet cookie for my Christmas cookie platter. Are we seeing the theme now? These cookies combine an incredibly short and buttery toasted pistachio shortbread with a thin layer of my beloved pistachio creme. I made them small because I like cute little things and being able to eat four in one sitting. Using a small pine tree cutter is an easy way to make these already naturally green cookies a festive addition to your plate.

Ingredients

• 100 grams toasted pistachios, shelled and unsalted

• 85 grams granulated sugar

• 255 grams all purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

• 179 grams unsalted butter, chilled and cubed

• 2 large egg yolks, from the fridge

• 150 grams pistachio cream

• powdered sugar - amount depends on the brand of pistachio creme you use as they can vary in sweetness and consistency but generally speaking, you’ll need less than a cup.

Instructions

1. In a large food processor, combine pistachios and granulated sugar. Process until the pistachios are finely ground, about 2 minutes.

2. Add the flour and salt and process on low until combined. This will take about a minute and the bowl may need to be scraped around the edge.

3. Add the cubed butter and process the mixture until it resembles wet sand and starts to clump together. Add the egg yolks and process for 30 seconds, until combined.

4. Dump the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper and form into a flattened round. Lay another piece of parchment paper on top and use a rolling pin to roll it until its about 1/4” thick. Place the dough on a baking sheet and into the fridge to chill for at least an hour.

5. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove your dough from the fridge. Use your chosen cookie cutter- I used a 1.5” x 2” pine tree- to cut out your cookies. You can gather your scraps and re-roll if you like without the texture suffering too much. Divide the cookies between the two baking sheets and place the baking sheets into the fridge or freezer until ready to bake.

6. Bake your cookies, one sheet at a time, for 14-16 minutes until cookies are set and there is just a hint of browning at the edges. Allow to cool on the sheet for five minutes before moving to a rack to cool completely.

7. In a medium mixing bowl combine pistachio paste with just enough powdered sugar to make it thick enough that it won’t run out from the cookie with filled and pressed together.

8. Fill a piping bag or ziploc bag with the pistachio filling and cut the tip so there is about a 1/4” hole. Pipe a thin layer of the cream onto a cookie and top with another to make your sandwiches.

9. Shortbread has a long shelf life so these cookies can be stored in an air tight container for up to two weeks or frozen for longer storage.

Paul Hollywood’s hand has been polished and packed away for another year and Prue Leith is back to being able to freely say double entendres and being none the wiser as this season of The Great British Bake Off ( Baking Show for those us in America, but I’ll be calling it Bake Off from here on out) has officially crowned a new champion.

While Bake Off is no stranger to controversies, this year seemed to be particularly polarizing. You didn’t have to look very hard to see that viewers had plenty of hot takes, myself included and for a second season, I found myself sharing some of those takes with Bradley & Dawn on myTalk 107.1. As someone who has been in the famous white tent and stared into the eyes of Paul Hollywood, it can be tricky to share your genuine thoughts on a show that’s so beloved, especially when it may not be what people want to hear. It may not have been evident from the sometimes chaotic banter but each of my Bake Off recaps had several hours of work behind them as I would watch each episode multiple times, compare challenges to past seasons, my own season and sometimes do a little baking research to make sure that opinions were not knee jerk and the information was accurate. My hope was that, if you listened, you came away with a better understanding why some of these controversies were being so widely discussed and either nodded along or screamed at me through your radio, like I screamed at my TV screen this season.

No matter how you felt about this season, it’s always sad when it’s over as we’re now left staring into the beginning of winter with our favorite heartwarming show already over. If you’re like me and have a Bake Off itch that needs constant scratching, here is a list of even more Bake Off and Bake Off adjacent carbo-loaded viewings for you:

The Great American Baking Show

It comes as a bit of surprise but there are many of you who follow my baking adventures that still haven’t watched my season of The Great American Baking Show or the other two that are available here on The Roku Channel. Our accents may be different but I swear we are just as charming as the British. Well, for the most part.

The Great American Baking Show: Holiday Edition

As we enter the holiday season, you can find the 2019 and 2020 seasons of the holiday version of the American spinoff on Hulu. This is also why you will see some of us who have done the latest iteration of the show call our seasons by two different numbers (mine is 2/7). I enjoy both of these seasons and the bakers I’ve gotten to know from it are really lovely so it feels weird to not acknowledge their seasons when numbering our own. This is what I watched when applying to be on the show to see if it was something I wanted to be a part of and clearly it convinced me so I think you’ll enjoy it as well.

The Great British Baking Show: Holidays

Tomorrow, November 20th, two new episodes of the holiday specials will be released on Netflix and I cannot wait to watch! There is an all Scots episode which, thanks to my VPN, I can tell you is an absolute delight! We’ll see Norman, the man not the beaver, return to the tent and with it come some of the most heart warming reactions I’ve seen from Paul. The holiday specials are my favorite and even though we get them a year after their British release, they are no less enjoyable for it.

The Great American Baking Show: Celebrity Specials

If you are into the holiday specials like I am, then you will thoroughly enjoy those from The Great American Baking Show which you can find on The Roku Channel. There are special celebrity episodes for everything from Halloween to Holidays to the Super Bowl. My all time favorite will always be the first holiday special where Marshawn Lynch called Prue “baby” and, in another delightful moment, she fed him by hand. Nobody loves professional athletes like Prue. If you’re looking for a place to start your post Bake Off viewing, I highly suggest you start here.

The OG years of Bake Off

If you’re wondering where the first seven seasons of Bake Off went, they also now live on The Roku Channel. It’s a fascinating watch to see how far the show has come from the days where the tent traveled the English countryside and the star baker accolade and Hollywood handshake didn’t yet exist.

The Great Canadian Baking Show

One more from The Roku Channel! Hear me out. It’s a hard enough sell to get people to watch the show I was on so I understand the hesitancy to try yet another country’s take on our beloved baking show but I have recently fallen in love with this iteration. After avoiding it for years, I decided to give it a try and watched three seasons in a week. In some ways it’s very different as both the hosts and judges are different from the British version but the bakers are so sweet and Canadian that at times I enjoy it even more than the British and American versions. I love the technicals and theme weeks of this version as they are far more diverse and these judges are far more open to and knowledgeable about bakes and flavors from around the world.

There are plenty more I could mention but hopefully this little list has given you a great starting point for curing the bake off blues!

Cheers and happy baking,

Nicole

Aufder-hour Cannolis

Makes 10 cannolis

If the name has you scratching your head then go here and catch yourself up immediately. These chocolate and pistachio puff pastry cannoli things, as I so eloquently called them, were made as a thank you to Bradley, Dawn and Stormer for having me on their show to recap another season of The Great British Baking Show. I had zero intentions of even sharing a photo of the pastries online but after leaving the studio and hearing an entire segment dedicated to them eating my pastries and making noises that probably should have never made their way across the air waves, I decided I should at least do an Instagram post. Those complimentary and slightly inappropriate sounds brought a lot of new followers and subscribers my way who were curious if I had a recipe to share. Thankfully, I did write down the bare essentials as I created them- something I’m admittedly not always great at doing when first developing a recipe. Unfortunately though, I did not take photos of the process as I genuinely didn’t think I’d need to be sharing my recipe with the world quite so soon. So all that being said, if you’d like to give these a go, they are a bit of a weekend project and without process photos may be difficult for a less experienced baker. In lieu of photos though, I will do my best to thoroughly explain the steps in a way that will allow you to create something delicious and hand shake worthy!

One more quick note about this recipe, it makes a lot of creme mousseline, probably nearly double what you need to fill the shells. Since I am working to get this recipe to you in a timely manner, I haven’t tested a half version to see if it works/ is enough so I am giving you full amounts. The creme is amazing though so consider spooning the leftovers into little dishes, chilling and enjoying as a stand alone treat. Or, make two batches of puff pastry and feed a crowd!

Ingredients

For the chocolate rough puff pastry

• 260 grams all purpose flour

• 40 grams dutch processed cocoa powder

• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

• 1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt

• 254 grams unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/2” cubes

• 12-14 tablespoons ice water

• 1 large egg + 1 teaspoon water for an egg wash when baking

For the vanilla pastry cream

• 400 milliliters whole milk

• 4 large egg yolks, room temperature

• 100 grams granulated sugar

• 30 grams cornstarch

• 4 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 42 grams unsalted butter

For the pistachio creme mousseline

• pastry cream from above, allowed to sit at room temperature until it reaches between 50-60 degrees

• 227 grams unsalted butter, room temperature

• 400 grams pistachio cream (I used the Peppertux Turkish Pistachio Cream from Costco)

• finely ground pistachios (amount used will be what is left from the amount listed below for decorating)

For coating and decorating the pastry shells

• 227 grams dark chocolate, melted

• 200 grams raw, shelled, unsalted pistachios

Instructions

When making these, I find it best to break up the components between two days. Day one I will make my rough puff pastry, pastry cream and toast the pistachios. Day two I will bake the pastry shells, make the creme mousseline and then decorate and fill the shells.

Day 1

Make the chocolate rough puff pastry

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar and salt until fully combined and no cocoa clumps remain.

2. Toss the cubed butter with the flour mixture until coated. Then use your thumb and forefinger to press each butter cube into large flattened chunks.

3. Add ice water a couple tablespoons at time and toss the mixture with a fork. Since cocoa powder is hydrophobic, the mixture will continue to look dry as you add water so be sure to add no more than the 12-14 tablespoons I’ve listed. Even if it looks dry and pale initially, it will continue to fully absorb the water and darken as it chills in the fridge after mixing. You’ll know your mixture is ready when it just holds together when squeezed.

4. Once you’ve added your water, knead the mixture together a couple times to bring it together slightly. As with any pastry, it’s important not to overwork it. This pastry will look rough and wild until we start performing turns so don’t fret over its initial appearance. Wrap pastry in plastic wrap and chill for an hour.

5. After chilling, it’s time to perform the first turn. Turns involve rolling, folding, rotating and repeating the steps in order to create layers in your pastry. Typically, you perform 6 turns for full puff pastry. I found for this version, it’s best to perform only 4 turns. Roll out your chilled pastry on a flour dusted surface into a 20x10 rectangle. Fold your pastry into thirds from left to right, like a letter, by bringing one third of the dough over the center to the 2/3 mark. Dust off any excess flour, then fold the remaining third on top. Chill your pastry for 30-60 minutes before performing your next turn. This is where experience comes in handy as it’s important to know when your pastry is at the right temperature for rolling. Too warm and the butter will melt into the flour layers taking away your lamination, too cold and it will break the butter up making your layers scattered and undefined.

6. Perform the second turn on your pastry by rotating it 90 degrees from where you ended up so the longer letter fold sides are now top and bottom and the shorter open edges are right and left. Roll and fold as described above.

7. Repeat these steps two more times until you have completed four turns. Chill the pastry at least several hours or as I suggest, until the next day.

Make the pastry cream

1. In a medium sauce pan, heat the milk over medium heat until it just begins to simmer.

2. Meanwhile, in a medium heat proof bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until thickened and light in color. Whisk in the cornstarch and vanilla.

3. Once the milk is heated, slowly pour it into the egg mixture in a small steady stream while whisking constantly to properly temper the eggs.

4. Pour the custard mixture back into the saucepan and heat gently over low heat, whisking constantly until mixture is thick. This will take 4-6 minutes. Remove from heat, add the butter and whisk to combine once melted. Pour pastry cream into a container, press plastic wrap over top to prevent a skin from forming and chill for at least several hours or overnight.

Toast your pistachios

1. In a 350 degree oven, bake pistachios for 10-12 minutes. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Day 2

Make the puff pastry cannoli shells

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees, line two baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly grease 10 metal cannoli forms. I find the best way to grease them is to lightly spray with Original Pam and use a paper towel to wipe off any excess while spreading it around to make sure the outside of the form is fully covered.

2. Make an egg wash by whisking together one large egg and 1 teaspoon of water. Set aside until needed.

3. On a floured surface, roll out your puff pastry into an 11” x 21” rectangle. Trim off the outside 1/2” from all four sides to create a clean rectangle. Then, using a ruler and a sharp knife, measure and cut into 10, 1” x 20” strips.

4. Take a cannoli form and one of the strips, Brush the end of the strip with a bit of egg wash and starting about 1” from one end of the form, wrap the pastry around it, overlapping each layer by 1/4” as you work your way towards the other end. Brush the final end with a bit of egg wash to help “glue” it in place. Place the cannoli onto the baking sheet and press down slightly to flatten the bottom to help prevent rolling during baking. Repeat this step with the remaining forms. Place your two baking sheets in the fridge for 15 minutes. It’s important to have a fully chilled pastry in order to create layers while baking.

5. Bake your cannoli shells, one pan at a time. Right before placing in the oven, brush the tops of the pastry with egg wash. Be sure to avoid the edges as that seals them and prevents the pastry from properly puffing in the oven. Bake the shells 15-20 minutes. It can be difficult to tell when chocolate puff pastry is done as it’s already brown. I tend to go by how much sound it is making in the oven, which is something learned through experience. I suggest baking them at least 18 of the possible 20 minutes, which is how long it took in my oven, but because some ovens do run hot, I’m going down to 15 minutes for a minimum in case your oven is one of the hotties.

6. When done baking, allow your shells to cool for 10 minutes before carefully removing from the form. Remove them by gently holding the pastry in place as you pull and rotate the form out from the shell. Set the shells on a baking rack to fully cool. Trim off any wild ends carefully with a knife.

Coat and decorate cannoli shells

1. In a food processor, process toasted pistachios until finely chopped.

2. Melt chocolate in a microwave safe bowl by heating it at 50% power for 20 second bursts, stirring between each burst until mostly melted. Remove from microwave and stir until remaining chunks are fully melted.

3. Use a pastry brush to coat the inside of each shell with the melted chocolate. This helps keep the pastry from getting soggy as well as adding a bit of chocolate flavor since the pastry itself does not have a strong chocolate taste.

4. Allow to cool and harden then repeat to create a solid inside shell.

5. Dip the ends of each shell into the chocolate and then into the chopped pistachios to coat. Allow to cool and harden completely.

Make the pistachio creme mousseline

1. Return remaining pistachios to the food processor and process on high until very finely ground but stop before the oils release and turn it into a paste. Set aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter on medium for five minutes, until very light and fluffy. Add the pistachio paste and beat another minute until fully combined.

3. With your mixture running on low, add your pastry cream a couple spoonfuls at a time, waiting a few seconds between each addition. Once all of your pastry cream has been added, pour in the finely ground pistachios and beat for 10 seconds to combine.

4. Switch to a whisk attachment and whisk on medium until mousseline is light and fluffy, approximately 2 minutes. If your mousseline seems especially soft, you can put it in the fridge to chill slightly, 15-20 minutes, before proceeding to the next step. Be sure not to fully chill it or you will not be able to pipe it.

5. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip ( I use a Wilton 6B) with the pistachio creme mousseline. Take a cannoli shell, and begin filling from one end. I find it helps to keep a finger at the other end to prevent the filling from shooting straight through. Flip the shell and fill it the rest of the way from the other end.

6. Serve immediately or place in the fridge to enjoy later. These can be stored in the fridge for up to three days after making them. I find they are best when enjoyed after letting the cannoli sit at room temperature for 30-60 minutes. Enjoy!

It was sad to say goodbye to the little yellow house we’ve called home since moving to northern Minnesota but it was a rental and we desperately wanted to have a place that was truly our own. After four years of searching in a particularly difficult housing market, we found our dream home- a tiny little cabin in the woods. It wouldn’t be perfect for everyone and we’ve had to adjust our own way of living but I wake up every morning and go to bed in disbelief that such a place exists and that we are fortunate enough to call it home.

The best part of owning a house is finally having a kitchen that far better suits my needs and style. Plus the oven is from this century and the floor isn’t crooked, so my bakes will hopefully come out far more even in color and shape!

Minnesota State Fair

Before we moved, I had one final baking marathon as I got ready for the Minnesota State Fair baking competition and prepared for my first ever baking demo. This year’s fair truly was one for the memory book or in my case, the old M&S shortbread tin I keep all of my state fair baking ribbons in.

After sharing my Recipe for Blue Ribbon Baking, I had fears that this would be a ribbon-less year and everyone would call me a fraud. Thankfully, my anxiety was for nothing as I had one of my most successful years with five out of six of my entries earning ribbons, three of them being blue.

Two of my blue ribbon winning bakes from this year are actually recipes I have previously shared with you. My peanut butter honey cookies and a honey version of my mixed berry crumble bar took home blue ribbons in the Bee & Honey contest. The final blue ribbon was earned by my decorated cupcakes in Creative Activities. It was my first time entering this category and I was a bit nervous as it’s now officially open to everyone, including professionals. At the end of the day though, my tiny apiary cupcakes were awarded top prize.

During the fair, I also performed my very first baking demo and while it was quite outside my comfort zone, it was also something I had always dreamed of doing. So when the Star Tribune asked me to be one of their featured cooks/bakers, the answer was an obvious “yes!”

On the second Thursday of the fair, the Star Tribune sponsored a day at the Cambria Kitchen inside the Creative Activities building featuring 8 celebrated cooks, cookbook authors and somehow myself. For my demo, I made state fair pie pops to highlight the fun and flavors of the fair while also giving me a chance to show what I enjoy making the most- pastry!

I was shocked by how many people came to my demo. It was a packed house and I saw so many friends, family and other familiar faces which simultaneously elevated and calmed my nerves. If you joined me, I hope that you at least had a nice break from the busyness of the fair and at the end of this newsletter you will find the promised recipe for the pie pops I made.

Julia Child at the Minnesota History Center

In September I took a break from baking but that didn’t mean that I wasn’t still living a food focused life. I was invited by the Minnesota History Center to preview their new exhibit, Julia Child: A Recipe for Life. As someone who loves history and grew up watching Julia Child and Jacques Pepin duke it out on PBS, this invite was a dream come true.

Perhaps my favorite part though was the Minnesota Cooks: Small Bites from the Collections which was an annex to the Julie Child exhibit that featured vintage cookbooks and stories from Minnesota cooks past and present. There is also a wall featuring cookbooks by the many talented cooks and bakers we have here in Minnesota, including my friends Stephanie Hansen and Patrice Johnson.

This truly inspirational exhibit is now open and runs through May 31st, 2026. I can’t recommend it enough and plan on going back to take my time digging into it.

Cake Picnic

While no baking happened in September, October started out with a bang as the viral cake picnic tour came to Minneapolis for the first time where the main rule is- no cake, no entry! I have been following Elisa Sunga, the picnic’s creator, for awhile so when she announced that the picnic would be coming here, I knew I had to go and do everything I could to encourage my fellow bakers to join. Elisa had told me that she hoped to get 200 cakes and I told her “trust me, that’s not going to be a problem.” Sure enough, Minnesota bakers spread the word and showed up with nearly 650 cakes gracing the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden on an unseasonably 90 degree day. I had dreams of creating a beautiful layered mousse cake with a decorative jaconde collar but the heat meant I had to shift gears and create something that could handle the 3 1/2 drive and the heat it would eventually sit in.

I ended up creating a multi-tiered chocolate and tart cherry cake with a Betty Crocker theme as the event was in partnership with the “queen of baking". For my cake, a tart cherry jam and chocolate ganache were sandwiched between layers of rich chocolate cake. Everything was then covered in Italian meringue buttercream which I hand piped to look like the artwork on the classic Betty Crocker Picture Cookbook. The familial tremors and arthritis in my hands has been particularly bad lately so the piping had a uniquely shaky look to it but I’ll never not be grateful that I can still try to decorate things nicely. I then topped it off with a Bundt cake as a nod to Minnesota also being the home of Nordic Ware and the final “icing on the cake” was a Betty red spoon and mini Bundt cake I molded from gum paste which was inspired by the iconic Spoonbridge and Cherry sculpture that was near the picnic grounds.

Cake Picnic truly is an experience like no other. I went by myself but saw so many of my friends and even made some new ones. The beauty of this type of event is that it’s just purely for fun and for the love of cake so you’re surrounded by hundreds of lovely people who all love baking. Yes our picnic was hot and yes the actual part when you go up to get cake was far too chaotic, pushy and messy for my liking but I would go again without a second thought just for the joy and community it created.

Talking Bake Off on myTalk

The Great British Bake Off ( Baking Show for those of us in America) is back and so too are my weekly chats with Bradley and Dawn on myTalk 107.1. My opinions on this season have been a bit strong and probably controversial at times, but I like to think that they are backed up by my own experience baking in the tent on The Great American Baking Show.

Chatting with Bradley and Dawn is truly the highlight of my week. We first met at last year’s state fair and recapping bake off with them feels like talking with old friends. I think that’s what makes our little segment so fun and so special. All three of us love to bake, have our own expertise in the area and we all genuinely love The Great British Baking Show. You can listen from wherever you are through the myTalk app or on their website every Monday at 1:30pm CST until the bake off finale. The best part is that if you miss our segment, you can check it out later on the podcast version of their show.

Other than that, my life lately has been primarily about unpacking, organizing and learning my new-to-me oven. Once I fully figure it out as well as the lighting situation in this cabin for photography purposes, I’ll get back to sharing more recipes with you. Until then, I’m glad we were finally able to catch up even if this did read a bit like a Christmas card letter. I can’t wait to get back into sharing more bakes as we dip into the long cool months ahead!

Happy Baking from the Land of 10,000 Bakes,

Nicole

Minnesota State Fair Pie Pops

This is the recipe for the pie pops I demoed at the fair this year. They are inspired by all things that make fair food so wonderful! It starts with a cornmeal frangipane as a nod to corn dogs and pronto pups. Next is a layer of mixed berry jam because two of my favorite fair foods are berry hand pies from two different vendors (what can I say? I’m a sucker for pie wherever I am). The fillings are enclosed in my incredibly flaky and tender pie dough which is then sprinkled with a hefty coating of cinnamon and sugar as a nod to the classic Tom Thumb mini donuts. Of course, to make it a truly classic fair food, I serve these on a stick! Not a necessity but in my opinion, it’s the best way to enjoy these mini pies!

Ingredients

For the Crust

• 520 grams all purpose flour

• 3 teaspoons fine sea salt

• 130 grams shortening

• 226 grams unsalted butter, chilled and cubed

• 12-14 tablespoons ice water

• 2 egg yolks + 1 tablespoon water (for egg wash)

• 60 grams granulated sugar (for topping)

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon (for topping)

For the Mixed Berry Filling

• 450 grams blackberries (fresh or frozen)

• 350 grams blueberries (fresh or frozen)

• 250 grams wildflower honey

• Zest of 1 lemon

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• 110 grams water, divided

• 35 grams cornstarch

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

For the Cornmeal Frangipane

• 85 grams unsalted butter, room temperature

• 85 grams wildflower honey

• 50 grams almond flour

• 80 grams cornmeal

• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 egg, room temperature

Instructions

Make the crust

1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Add shortening and using the tips of your fingers, work it into the flour until it looks like coarse crumbs. This is what will make your crust tender.

2. Next, add the cubed butter and use your fingers to flatten the cubes. Do not work it into the flour mixture. This is what creates your layers.

3. Sprinkle the water in, 3 tablespoons at a time. Toss with a fork after each addition. Stop when you mixture just holds together when squeezed.

4. Knead and press dough into a rough disc, Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least two hours.

Make the mixed berry filling

1. In a large sauce pan, combine the berries, honey, zest, juice and 55 grams of the water. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture begins to boil. Turn heat to low and allow to simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Meanwhile, whisk the remaining water into the cornstarch to form a slurry.

3. After the 10 minutes, slowly pour the slurry into the berry filling, stirring constantly. Cook over low heat for two more minutes while continuing to stir constantly. Mixture will thicken.

4. Turn off the heat, add the butter and mix in once melted. Cover and refrigerate until fully chilled.

Make the corn frangipane

1. In a medium mixing bowl, beat together butter and honey until light and fluffy. Add almond flour and cornmeal and beat until combined, about 30 seconds.

2. Add the salt and vanilla and beat until combined. Add the egg and beat until, you guessed it- combined!

3. Cover and chill until everything else is ready.

Make and bake your pie pops

1. Set your oven to 400 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a small bowl whisk together the egg yolks and water to make an egg wash. Set aside. In another small bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon for the topping and set aside.

3. Rolls out your pie dough until it is approxiately 10”x20”. Fold it into quarters and then roll it out again until it’s about 1/8” of an inch thick. This roll-fold-roll method is key to creating layers. You can work with only 1/2 the dough at a time if space it tight- I also recommend doing this if it’s an especially warm day.

4. Using a 3.5” round cookie cutter, cut out 12-28 rounds (depending on if you’re working with a 1/2 or full batch of dough). Place half of the discs on your baking sheets and place popsicle sticks on top.

5. Using piping bags fitted with large round tips, or spoons, layer your corn frangipane on top of the dough and popsicle stick, then your berry filling.

6. Brush the edges with the egg wash. Use a small cookie cutter to cut out a shape from the center of the remaining discs before placing on top of your pie pops. Gently press the edges together then use a fork to fully press and seal the edges. Place the cutout piece back in the center. Brush the entire top with egg wash and sprinkle liberally with the cinnamon- sugar mix.

7. Bake one sheet at a time, placing the other in the refrigerator, for 20-24 minutes until puffed, lightly golden brown and you can hear the filling bubble.

8. Serve warm or allow to cool completely before serving. Store in an air tight container for up to 4 days.

Living in northern Minnesota means the joys of being able to grow your own food is sometimes hard to come by. Have you ever had tomatoes finally start to ripen in September only for an early frost to come and steal that joy? Sometimes I wonder why we grow anything other than potatoes and garlic here. There is one thing this corner of the world does well though and that’s berries.

Right now, backyards, ditches and forest floors are an embarrassment of riches when it comes to these delightfully tart little jewels and I have spent the better part of the last few weeks taking advantage of my personal favorite being in season- blueberries! Battling ticks and deer flies with a can of bear spray at my side and a green Menards bucket in my hand, I have been walking hunched over through the woods, gathering blueberries like a feral little forest gnome. It’s well worth the back problems and bug bites though as wild blueberries are far superior to anything you will find at a farm or in a grocery store. Although often smaller in size, their flavor is unmatched thanks to the natural habitat they’ve found here in the northwoods.

The rockier and more acidic the better when it comes to blueberries soil preferences and if you’ve ever been to Palisade Head on the northshore of Lake Superior, you know first hand what I mean. Wild blueberry patches can be found all throughout northern Minnesota and to hunt for your own, start by looking for pine forests and rocky or sandy soil. There is nothing wild blueberries love more than a bed of fallen pine needles as their acidity helps the plant absorb necessary nutrients and fend of diseases. This year appeared to be a particularly good year for them as the plants were incredibly healthy and the berries unending.

Where I live we have a variety of wild blueberries as well as some similar plants such as bilberries and huckleberries. The need for distinction between them is merely a matter of curiosity as the flavors and uses for them are more or less the same but I still get excited every time I’m able to successfully identify a new to me plant variety. Be it huckleberry, bilberry or black highbush blueberry, my favorite berries are the ones that are so dark they are almost black. The fruit is softer but the flavor is exactly how you dream a blueberry tastes, like it’s been plucked straight from a blueberry pie.

While blueberries were the main focus this month, I also found raspberries, pin cherries and serviceberries that were in season as well as chokecherries, tea berries and juniper berries that will soon be ready to gather. With so much abundance from floor to canopy, it’s easy to see why this is my favorite time of year in the woods!

From the Kitchen

While it may be my favorite time of year in the woods, it’s my least favorite in the kitchen. It’s always fun to use the food you forage immediately but I am also a big proponent of not making your life miserable in order to do so. Living in an older rental house with no central A/C and full sun exposure during the hottest part of the day, means that much of what I am gathering right now is washed and frozen to be processed when cooler days arrive. It’s better to do that than waste food just because you feel like you shouldn’t freeze something fresh and wild.

I did take advantage of my fresh raspberries and serviceberries though by making a batch of my mixed berry crumble bars, as I didn’t gather enough to justify freezing them. Many crumble bars use the same mixture for the crust and the topping but I prefer bars with a shortbread base and an oat crumble on top. The work load isn’t much more to get the benefits of having a buttery shortbread and a hearty topping as both are made in the food processor. These bars come together easily and are a perfect way to use up a glut of random berries which is why I’m sharing the recipe for them this week.

I also made a blueberry tiramisu and while I loved the textures, I want to rework it to make the blueberry flavor the star it should be. If I can get it to where I want it to be, I’ll be sharing that recipe next. For now though, take advantage of berry season by making my mixed berry crumble bars. They’re perfect with coffee for breakfast or served with a scoop of ice cream after dinner.

Happy baking from the land of 10,000 bakes,

Nicole

Mixed Berry Crumble Bars

Everyone needs a basic berry crumble bar recipe to take advantage of what’s in season and this is mine. These bars start out with an impossibly short and buttery shortbread crust that is topped with plenty of fresh berries to make sure “berry” is the standout word in this recipe. The oat crumble topping is an obvious must to any crumble bar and these are piled high enough that nobody will notice if you sneak a few large buttery chunks straight out of the oven.

Ingredients

For the shortbread crust

• 260 grams all purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

• 100 grams granulated sugar

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

• 226 grams unsalted butter, straight from the fridge and cut into 1/2” cubes

• 2 egg yolks, straight from the fridge

For the filling

• 1000 grams mixed berries (I used blueberries, raspberries and serviceberries that

  I foraged. If you choose to use strawberries, be sure to thoroughly pat them dry.)

• 150 grams granulated sugar

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (can use extract instead)

• 40 grams cornstarch

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

For the oat crumble topping

• 195 grams all purpose flour

• 50 grams granulated sugar

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt

• 100 grams old fashioned oats

• 170 grams unsalted butter, melted

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper.

2. In a food processor, pulse together the flour, salt, sugar and cornstarch 3 or 4 times for the shortbread crust. Add the cubed butter and pulse together until mixture looks like wet crumbs. Then add the egg yolks and run on low speed until mixture starts to form clumps.

3. Evenly press the shortbread dough into the bottom of the 9x13 pan, dock all over with a fork and bake for 15 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, stir together all of the mixed berry filling ingredients until everything is well combined and no pockets of dry cornstarch remain. Set aside

5. In the food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt and oats 3 or 4 times until combined. Pour in the melted butter and pulse until mixture just starts to form clumps.

6. Unless you are far quicker than I am in the kitchen, the crust should be out of the oven by now and been sitting for a few minutes. You don’t want to add the berries and crumble to your shortbread immediately out of the oven as the top is too fragile at this point. Once it’s had at least five minutes out of the oven, move onto step 7.

7. Pour the berry mixture onto the shortbread and spread it evenly across. Then add the crumble topping. You can leave it large chunks or break it apart for a more even coverage. I personally love making sure I have enough large chunks so people won’t notice when I sneak a few off the top immediately after it’s done baking.

8. Bake your bars at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes until golden on top and the berry filling is bubbling. You can also take the temperature of the blueberry layer, which should be between 200-210 degrees, to make sure it’s to the point needed for them to be fully set when cooled.

9. Allow bars to fully cool before removing from the pan and cutting and serving. Although, I won’t tell anyone if you cut into them early because let’s face it, a warm crumble bar and vanilla ice cream truly are the perfect pairing!

10. Your mixed berry crumble bars can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days in the fridge for up to 7 days.

With a month to go until drop off day for the Creative Activities baking competition and only two weeks until the registration deadline, amateur bakers from across Minnesota are gearing up for another year of creating showstopping bakes in the hunt for a blue ribbon. I’m right there with them, narrowing down my list of potential entries while also keeping a surprise up my sleeve that may limit the amount I can actually get done. It’s just so hard to be realistic when the excitement is so palpable. Fair warning, pun intended, this post is as niche as it gets but it’s a topic that is at the heart of my baking life, so I hope you’ll either forgive it or read on and learn more about me. I’m also working on a post about wild blueberries so don’t despair if this is not the content you’re here for.

When my season of The Great American Baking Show aired last spring, my passion for the Minnesota State Fair baking competitions was showcased in the finale. From that, I received a lot of questions from fellow home bakers looking for the same community I had found through my decade plus time in the world of state fair baking. While I am far from a competitive baking expert, and there are many people who are far more accomplished in this arena than I am, it’s always been my goal to share my experiences and lessons learned in order to encourage others looking to become a part of this community. To me, that is what amateur baking contests should be about and thanks to The Great American Baking Show, I have gained a tiny little platform to share even more about this community I love so much. I hope that if you are interested in the world of competitive baking, that you find this guide and the stories within it useful and encouraging. Or at least, semi-amusing.

My State Fair Baking Origin Story

Like many Minnesotans, I grew up going to the state fair to the point that walking through the gate for the first time each August, feels like coming home. As a kid, my favorite thing to do was gaze in wonder at all the winning entries in the Horticulture Building. I always knew I was bound for blue ribbon glory, it’s just that I thought it would be for having the largest carrot in the state of Minnesota and not for making things like 3D french fry containers out of sugar cookies.

The signs were there though, as one of my earliest state fair baking memories comes from helping my step grandma, Betty, prepare her own entries for the Minnesota State Fair. Betty was a character, to put it politely. She was deep in the world of canning and baking competitions, winning countless ribbons over her lifetime. A feat that is still quite baffling as Betty was not known in our family for her culinary prowess. Visiting her and my grandpa in August meant that every surface would be covered in cookies as she baked hundreds in search of the perfect four to submit for judging. One time she even asked me to help and oh the excitement! I thoughtfully hovered over each cookie before proudly announcing which four she should submit. She then proceeded to tell me, in no uncertain terms, just how wrong I was. My seven year old heart was crushed but that was Betty for you. She was a woman who gave letter grades to our Christmas presents, regularly gave us food poisoning but also taught me the foundations for creating award winning baked goods.

In 2014, I took what I learned growing up, combined it with my own baking skills and entered my baked goods in the Minnesota State Fair for the first time. I only submitted three things and didn’t expect much so imagine my shock when I sheepishly walked up to the display cases on opening day to find that all three of my entries had ribboned- two seconds and a fifth place! That’s it, I was hooked.

Since then, I have won nearly 30 awards for everything from rustic seeded bread to intricately decorated cookies on-a-stick. Each one holds a story and a special place in my heart but last year was maybe the most memorable when I finally won my first sweepstakes ribbon for my honey cream puffs. Beating out over 1,000 entries, they were crowned the best honey based food product at the fair. The thrill of a ribbon, be it sweepstakes or fifth place, never gets old and is why myself and thousands of my baking friends keep on coming back year after year!

Preparing For Competition

Creative Activities vs. Bee & Honey

The first step in preparing for competition, is deciding which ones you want to enter and at the Minnesota State Fair there are two main baking contests, with each one having their merits and their drawbacks.

Creative Activities

• Considered the main competition, it brings in around 3,000 entries every year with more than twice the class offerings of Bee & Honey

• Wide variety of contests from cake decorating to sourdough to special contests hosted by the Blue Ribbon Group

• Each ribbon has a point value applied to it and each year they award “Supreme Baker” to the home baker who scores the most points

• You cannot compete if you are a registered cottage food producer or earn money from your baking, even if you are not selling full time. Read my thoughts on this year’s updated language here.

• Does not allow items that require refrigeration (unless otherwise noted)

Bee & Honey

• Can be a great place to start competing due to its smaller size

• Use of honey is required and typically must make up 50%-100% of the sweetener used

• Has a different drop off day than Creative Activities

• Food professionals and cottage food producers are allowed to compete

• Includes contests for refrigerated items such as cheesecake and pecan pie

Premium books for each competition can be found at the links above and contain all the necessary information such as entry deadlines, rules and regulations and of course all of the contest classes. You will also find a list of last year’s winners which can be helpful when deciding what categories to enter. Fair warning, pun intended again, the wording in the premium books can baffle the best of us so if questions arise either reach out to a fellow baker like myself or the competition department as they are always happy to help.

What should I enter?

Deciding which classes to enter is obviously a personal decision but here are some things to consider when you’re just starting out:

• Avoid the family recipe pitfall- Winning a ribbon with a family recipe is a momentous occasion and one I have been lucky enough to experience. Keep in mind though that the judging is blind and they don’t know your beloved grandma. Critiques can sometimes feel a bit harsh and you may find out the love for a bake doesn’t extend beyond the family potluck.

• Easy bakes means more competition- Everyone has their favorite chocolate chip cookie or banana bread recipe so that may seem like an easy first time class to enter but as I just said, EVERYONE has their favorite. These two classes regularly reach triple digit entry numbers, making for stiff competition.

• Think small to win big- If you are on the hunt for blue ribbon glory, look for contests that have less entries. Some regularly have less than 10, making your chances at winning a ribbon exponentially greater than in the CCC class.

• New to competing? Stick to what you know- This can be a great place to try new things and get feedback on new recipes but if you’re just starting out, I would suggest growing your confidence by first baking things you are familiar with. It will save you a lot of time and frustration as drop-off day draws near.

• But also, switch it up- While some bakers like to enter the same thing every year, I like to mix it up. Whether it’s moving away from something that just isn’t breaking through in judging or it’s ribboned enough times and you want to move on; switching up what you enter is a great way to grow as a baker. Who knows, you may even discover a new baking strength such as I did when I entered baklava having never made it before the fair and won second place!

Blue Ribbon Tip:

One of my annual traditions is to take photos of all the display cases, paying special attention to any categories I had questions about or if I notice a pattern for what the judges like within a certain category. This way, when I forget everything I saw last August, I can simply search through my photos to remind myself where exactly the line is drawn between light drop and dark drop cookies and what new categories I may want to try.

Baking Your Entries

One of the first lessons I learned from Betty is that in the world of state fair baking, looks come first. At the Minnesota State Fair, when a class has over 25 entries, the first step is whittling them down by appearance. This means you can have the most amazing tasting cookies but if they don’t look good, they may never even get tasted. The tips below can help bring your hard work to the judges’ mouths.

• Uniformity is king- In categories that require multiple baked goods for a single entry, such as four cookies or six muffins, it is of utmost importance that your items be uniform. It’s not just that they generally look the same, you want them to have the exact same size, shape, color, distribution of any add-ins, cracks or markings- whatever characteristics define what you are submitting. Keep this in mind as you go about shaping, rolling, filling and decorating your bakes.

• 200 to get 4- Keeping the above note in mind, be prepared to bake far more than you think you’ll need in order to find the perfect set of whatever it is that you are baking. I can only think of one occasion where I was able to get four perfect cookies with baking just one batch.

• Practice- I can guarantee that once you are looking at your creations from the perspective of a competitor and not just someone who’s excited to eat cake, you’ll realize there is always something to clean up and work on with your baking. I typically start doing practice bakes a month or two before drop-off day to allow plenty of time for any necessary adjustments to my recipes and techniques.

• Have a plan- Come up with a baking plan, write it down and stick to it. Mine includes everything from what days I go to certain grocery stores, which bakes I am doing each day and an itinerary for the day before and day of competition drop off. Having a plan is especially important for the times that a bake is giving you trouble as it helps refocus your energy. When I’m deep in the weeds, I’ll stop, check my plan and usually realize I need to move on to the next thing and can come back to the problem bake if I have time.

• Get creative- Something that has given me a competitive edge over the years is my creativity. You’ll notice this with a lot of the bakers that consistently win ribbons. Whether it’s how you decorate a bake or the flavor combos you use, creativity can really set you apart when the judges are staring at 25 of the same type of sugar cookie.

Blue Ribbon Tip:

If you have a deep freeze, USE IT! This piece of advice is always met with judgement but I continue to share it because it’s saved me more than once and is a tip that most longtime contestants and those who enter more than just a few things agree with. While ideally we would all be baking our entries fresh the night before drop-off, that’s just not possible for some. My first year I had signed up to make gingersnaps and woke up early the morning of drop-off with plans to bake my winning batch. Unfortunately, mother nature had other plans as it was hot and humid and my cookies baked up like spicy puddles. I immediately broke down in tears but my dad asked “didn’t you freeze your practice cookies?” I had but that was three weeks ago and I was mortified at the thought of handing the judges three week old freezer cookies for my first ever entry. Left with no other options though, I submitted my freezer cookies and guess what? I won second place.

Preparing Your Entries

If you are like me and love to second guess every decision you make, this is easily the worst part of the competition process but also the most important so grab your ruler, a step stool, your best Chinet plate and let’s start analyzing!

• Remember: uniformity is king- Submitting baked goods that are uniform is the most basic way to craft a winning entry. My process for picking out cookies involves laying out all of the cookies I made of a single type across my kitchen table. I then stand on a step stool with ruler in hand, scanning them from above to find those with the correct size and shape. I also spend a lot of time flipping the cookies over and back again like an obsessive game of memory to help find matching sets and remove any that aren’t up to my standards. Next I create groups of cookies that have the exact same size, shape, thickness, pattern on top and coloring on the bottom. Once I have my groups put together I pick out my best one and package them up.

• Follow instructions regarding containers- I learned early on that a plain, white disposable plate and a clear Ziploc bag is the way to go as it creates a clean look that judges tend to prefer. For larger entries, I either hit up my local craft store or the bakery department of a grocery store to get clear plastic containers and white cardboard boxes. No matter what, never use a container you hope to get back. It won’t happen and may even result in a docked score or disqualification.

• Read the rules. Then read them again- Even though I have been entering for a number of years now, I always triple check the premium books to make sure I have followed all of the instructions and my entries meets the requirements- this means recipe card if needed, correct packaging, correct size or number of items required for the class, etc.

• Pack it up- Drop off day is a day full of nerves and excitement which means you may not always be thinking clearly. To help prevent any last minute disasters, I like to have all of my entries packed up the night before along with the required paperwork to enter the fairgrounds and if it’s Bee & Honey- my class cards. By doing this, on the morning of drop off, I can do a quick scan to make sure everything is there and then pack up and head out to join my fellow bakers.

Blue Ribbon Tip:

Always bring extras! Whenever possible, I make sure to have full backups for each of my entries. I have seen and heard horror stories from those who have lost their baked goods to tripping and bad weather without having replacements ready to go. In my second year of competing, I made granola bars that had chocolate chips on top. Due to the temperature fluctuations going from my home to the car to the hot and humid Minnesota summer, the chocolate bloomed. I didn’t know what to do at first but then remembered that I had backups. I almost didn’t bring them with because they didn’t have chocolate chips on top but in the end that’s what made them the perfect replacement. Switching them out proved to be the right call as these humble granola bars earned me my first blue ribbon.

Drop Off Day

This is one of the best parts of the competition experience, even better than winning a ribbon if you ask me. It’s a time filled with excitement and anticipation and gives you a chance to meet fellow home bakers from all over the state. Swapping stories of blue ribbon glory and baking disasters form instant friendships. There are people in my life who I will only see this one time each year but I consider them dear friends and look forward to our paths crossing in the long and winding line. That line can be a ton of fun but also takes a bit of planning to make sure you have the best experience possible and after some less than fun experiences, I’ve learned how to navigate drop off day smoothly.

• Consider the weather- No matter how you slice it, you will be waiting in line on drop off day so plan accordingly both for yourself and your baked goods! If you have things that are sensitive to heat, consider transporting them in a cooler or at least in a large plastic tote to protect them from the sun. A tote is also a good choice if it’s going to be rainy. There was only one time where the rain was bad enough that they brought the line inside, otherwise I’ve always had to wait outside rain or shine.

• Give yourself plenty of time- It is surprisingly busy on the fairgrounds before the fair with semi trucks and food vendors bringing in and setting up the things we love. Going through security takes time and it takes even longer to find a parking spot. Before I moved up north, I always liked to be near the front of the line. This meant I had to arrive on the fairgrounds about an hour and a half before drop off started. If you have somewhere to be that day and want to be at the front of the line- get there early!

• Transporting the goods- Too many times I have seen first time competitors struggle to transport their baked goods to and through the line once they realize you aren’t able to just drive up to the door and drop off your entries. If you don’t have anybody with you, and are entering more than what you can hold with your hands, think about how you can best transport what you are entering. There has been everything from laundry baskets, to Radio Flyer wagons to professional bakery racks rolling rolling down the line on drop off day. It doesn’t have to be fancy, it just has to make your life easier.

• People watch- The line for drop-off day is one of my favorite things about competing in the fair. It’s a lesson in human behavior and a great people watching opportunity, even if you’re the one being watched. From elderly women with entourages carrying laundry baskets to a man who was recovering from addiction and using baking as a part of his therapy, I have truly met every type of home baker. You might think that this competition is only for a certain type of person but sit back and watch that line go by and you’ll see all of what makes Minnesota great.

• Patience- This should go without saying considering everything I have just told you, but it’s important enough for it’s own bullet point. Some years are busier than others, but last year there were state fair employees sticking their head out of the Creative Activities building in shock at how many people were in line. If you don’t have the patience to deal with the process, you might be better off admiring the display cases than contributing to them.

• Intake roller coaster- The intake process is incredibly high stress and the only part of the process where I have ever come close to losing my cool. I have had many wonderful experiences, including several occasions where the people working the intake table were so excited over my entries that they took pictures and showed them off to the people around them. Unfortunately, I have also had negative experiences including one of my Bundt cakes getting broken in half and decorated cookies getting the royal icing chipped off because the person working intake was not careful. My advice to you is always treat the people working intake with kindness and patience as it is a tough, fast paced job but also be sure to stand up for yourself and speak up if you notice that your baked goods are being mishandled.

Blue Ribbon Tip:

Make friends! Yes, this a competition but the easiest way to become part of the community, is to chat with those around you in line. The great thing about this competition is that we are all passionate about the same thing so no matter what, you instantly have something to bond over. My very first year, I was by myself and a group of older women in front of me had formed a circle with their camping chairs. One brought coffee and each brought some of their extra baked goods to share. When they saw I was by myself they invited me to join them. There are so many stories like this that make the experience so special.

The Moment of Truth

It’s the first day of the fair and it’s time to see if you’ll be earning a ribbon or wondering how the judges could be so wrong. While my time in the competition world is short compared to many, I have experienced every outcome you can imagine so if you feel like you’re alone in your experiences I can guarantee you that others have been there.

• Don’t peek- Generally speaking, the Minnesota State Fair publishes the list of winners online before the buildings are open. I know it can be tempting to peek but there is nothing like being able to experience in person that moment of finding out there is a ribbon next to your entry. Obviously not everyone can be there opening day but if you are, resist the temptation to go online. Oh, and bonus tip- don’t look at your phone. I once had a relative text me “congratulations” before the buildings opened because they had looked online.

• Celebrate yourself and your friends- We all get excited when its our name that is next to a ribbon and I have screamed and jumped and given high fives to random strangers in those moments. However, not every bake can be a winner and something that has helped lessen the sting of a loss is to go and scan the cases for my friends entries and celebrate their wins. This is a competition but it’s also a community and having other people to cheer for keeps the experience fun no matter what.

• Keep your comments to yourself- Every year there are head scratching bakes. I will never forget the year when the blue ribbon winning chocolate chip cookies with nuts only had a single nut in each cookie. It was bizarre to say the least but because you never know who is nearby, it’s always best to keep your thoughts to yourself. Judging is subjective and even if you don’t understand it, that bake was awarded a ribbon for a reason.

• Which place did I get?- There are rare occasions when the online results and what’s in the display case don’t agree. One year, my sugar cookies had a second place ribbon next to them but online it said that they won third place. I wasn’t sure which was correct so I reached out to the competition department and asked. The next day they switched the ribbons. It was disappointing but it was the right thing to do and maybe karma exists because the next year my cookies won second place outright. If you ever notice a discrepancy between what’s in the case and what’s online, reach out to the competition department and they’ll work to figure out what the correct results are.

• Snubbed- Almost everyone who has competed at the fair has been there. You work so hard crafting what are surely this year’s blue ribbon winners only to find out that you won’t be taking home a single ribbon. My snub year came in 2019 and it’s embarrassing to admit it but I was shocked. I had won multiple ribbons every year up until then so to suddenly have nothing ribbon in Creative Activities or Bee & Honey was a gut punch. As pathetic as it may sound, I cried outside the Creative Activities building and ate my feelings on-a-stick that day. I wasn’t alone though as a number of friends were also snubbed that year when they typically always ribbon. It’s a year none of us want to remember but it’s an important reminder that it happens to us all.

Blue Ribbon Tip:

Stand back and listen! In recent years, I’ve come to enjoy standing and listening to what people say as they look at the cases filled with baked goods. It’s fascinating to hear what they think of the judges decisions and hear their own stories of when they won a ribbon 10 years ago or how their great aunt was a sweepstakes pie maker. Last year, my friend Jenn from The Great American Baking Show came with me to the fair. As we looked at one of the cake cases, two women next to us were judging the cakes from the perspective of Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith. It was highly entertaining as they awarded Hollywood Handshakes to some and called others stodgy. They had no idea they were standing next to a star baker and a finalist who had just been in the tent with Paul and Prue but we never revealed ourselves. It was much more fun to keep it our little secret.

Be Proud, Ribbon or Not

It takes a lot of work and even more courage to enter your baked goods into a competition and it may feel like winning a ribbon is the only favorable outcome but I assure you, it’s so much more than that. It’s learning new skills, making friends who also nerd out about baking and truly being a part of the great Minnesota get together that make this an experience to be proud of. Hopefully you found the tips and stories revealed in this guide helpful, especially if you are competing for the first time. To those that have been there and done that, may it serve as a good reminder and make you excited for another year of competition! I can’t wait to see you at the drop off line- our own little state fair family reunion!

Good Luck from The Land of 10,000 Bakes,

Nicole

My First Blue Ribbon Bake

If you’ve been following me for awhile, you are well aware of my Marjorie Johnson story. If not, you can find it on my Instagram or better yet, listen to it on the Info Booth Ladies podcast where last year I talked all things state fair baking including the moment thee blue ribbon baker questioned me about my granola bar recipe. Did you know though that this was also my first blue ribbon winning bake? I had entered these humble bars my first year competing in Creative Activities before I knew what I was doing. I submitted them in the fruit and nut bar class which I learned upon looking at the case was meant more for shortbread based layer bars. Even so, I won second place so I knew they were good. The following year, I discovered that Bee & Honey had a granola bar class so I threw them into that ring and much to my delight they won first place! They are extremely simple but incredibly addicting, winning multiple ribbons and getting Marjorie Johnson’s stamp of approval.

Dark Chocolate and Cranberry Granola Bars

These come together quickly and easily, making them perfect for anyone to make and enjoy! And yes, this recipe uses cup measurements. I wrote it over 10 years ago before I even owned a scale so calm down scale police. They’re just granola bars.

Ingredients

• 2 cups old fashioned oats

• 1/4 cup sliced almonds

• 2 tablespoons flax meal

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar

• 1/2 cup wildflower honey

• 2 tablespoons peanut butter

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/4 cup dried cranberries, chopped

• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line an 8x8 inch baking pan with foil and spray it with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, combine the oats, almonds, flax meal, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.

3. In a medium sauce pan, melt together the honey, brown sugar, peanut butter, butter and vanilla over medium heat. Stirring occasionally until everything is melted and thoroughly combined.

4. Pour the honey mixture over the oat mixture and stir until well combined. Allow mixture to cool to room temperature, then stir in the cranberries and dark chocolate chips.

5. Pour the mixture into the baking pan and press evenly into the bottom.

6. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the edges are golden brown.

7. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before removing them from the pan and cutting into bars.

8. Store at room temperature, in an air tight container for up to five days or freeze for longer storage.

“There really is nothing like that Midwest work ethic,” my brother marveled last week, during his summer visit from New Orleans. He had just spent the afternoon witnessing cleanup efforts in Bemidji and helping my parents with their own cleanup after a storm had brought category 3 hurricane strength winds into the heart of cabin country. Summer storms are a midwest staple so spending a sticky summer night in the basement is an oddly fond childhood memory for me. However, that Friday night felt different before the storms even hit. There was an oppressive stillness in the air and we went to bed knowing we’d probably have to head to the basement before the night was up.

Sure enough, around midnight, the sirens began and Paul, our cat Turmeric and myself were huddled in our basement in Walker as I texted my mom to make sure her and my dad were safe. At one point, I sent a screenshot of the weather app on my phone and said I had never seen so many overlapping tornado warnings in my life. Shortly after, the skies roared, our house began to shake and the power went out. I looked out a basement window to see the tree line across the street and the sky behind it move in ways I didn’t know were possible. It was in the middle of the night though so once the sirens stopped, we went to bed and tried to get some sleep before daylight revealed what had happened in the dark.

When I awoke Saturday morning I expected to hear the buzzing of chainsaws with trees down everywhere but, aside from both our cell service and power being knocked out, our little town was left relatively unscathed. I still don’t understand how that was possible when far lesser storms have left trees laying on our garage. Unfortunately, the same could not be said of the town my parents live in. Thankfully, their property made it through with relatively minor damage but it didn’t take long to realize the miracle they had just experienced.

The town of Bemidji and much of the surrounding area is forever changed. A land known for its 100-200 year old pine trees is now torn apart and flattened in many areas with logs of these northwoods giants piled high, lining the streets waiting to be picked up by tree services and those helping with clean up. Buildings had windows blown out, roofed ripped off and those that were lucky to not be fully collapsed from the storm still have tress laying on top of them. There have been countless videos and photos shared online but nothing can make you grasp the level of destruction unless you experience it in person.

My brother is right though, there is nothing like that Midwest work ethic and just days into recovery efforts, it’s a force that is perhaps is even stronger than the storm that required it. A visit into town will leave you speechless at the damage but all around it is constant movement. People chainsawing fallen trees, piling up debris on the side of the road and a constant parade of truck and trailers hauling the debris to the various dump sites almost makes you forget just how monumental this task will be. It’s sad to think what this area will look like once everything is revealed but, there is hope and comfort in the resilience of the people here and knowing that how a place heals is by continuing to move forward.

I share this news because this storm was unlike anything this area has ever experienced and is truly devastating for those that live here. While northern Minnesota is known as cabin country and is often viewed as the wealthy’s summer playground, the full-time residents who keep this beautiful part of Minnesota going often have a vastly different life experience. The poverty level is one of the highest in the state and even the nation and while there is no shortage of people chipping in and we love to be self reliant, the truth is that this will take a very long time to recover from and require funds that many just don’t have. The United Way of Bemidji Area has been and will continue to be a great resource for those impacted by the storm. If you have ever had the pleasure of enjoying what the northwoods has to offer and understand what a vital role this area and the people who call it home is to life in Minnesota, please consider making a donation.

From The Kitchen

Onto lighter things, as summer storm season also coincides with strawberry season and that’s what I have been celebrating in the kitchen this past week. Unfortunately, I had to shift from my original plans, as the extensive power outage we experienced from the storm, required me to throw away all of the spruce tips I had saved in the freezer. Strawberries and spruce tips are a natural pairing and I had a list of baking ideas I wanted to develop.

With the loss of my lovely spruce tips, my strawberry bakes were far more pedestrian but no less delicious. I made a strawberry and rhubarb pie that is perhaps my favorite pie to date but it also turned the bottom of my oven black and filled my house with smoke from the overflow of strawberry juice so I’ll hold off on sharing that recipe until I can reign in the filling a bit.

Over the weekend, I also made strawberry jam, strawberry ice cream and strawberry shortcake using strawberry scones which is the recipe I’ll be sharing with you today. Strawberry shortcake is a great beginner bake. You can make it using angel food cake, pound cake or with sweetened biscuits; all three are very easy bakes to do well. Mine is similar to that of the biscuit version as I layer a honey, thyme and strawberry scone with lightly sweetened whipped cream and macerated strawberries creating a summery but not-to-sweet dessert.

Scones are a topic all their own so I won’t go too deep into it. There are two main varieties- the british scone and the american scone. The British scone is closer to what Americans consider a biscuit in both texture and level of sweetness and is meant to be enjoyed with jam and cream spread across it. The American scone, on the other hand, often has a more tender and crumbly interior with various add-ins and a sweetness level that makes them something many enjoy as a stand alone treat. I find that I prefer a scone with the texture of America’s version but with the sweetness level of a British scone so that is what I created.

For this scone, I started with whole wheat pastry flour from Sunrise Flour Mill because it would allow me to create an especially tender scone with the earthiness of whole wheat. I also chose to only use honey as my sweetener because I knew that would provide just a hint of sweetness plus the science of honey meant that these scones would stay softer longer. My biggest issue with scones is that they have a tendency to turn tough after the first day. You won’t have that issue with these thanks to the hygroscopic characteristic of honey! The scone is also flavored with fresh thyme and strawberries and while the strawberries are an obvious choice, thyme actually pairs beautifully with them and adds just enough flavor complexity to this simple treat to keep it interesting.

Top the whole thing off with whipped cream and more fresh strawberries and voila- you have a summer dessert (or even breakfast, no judgement here!) in just over an hour!

Happy Strawberry Season from The Land of 10,000 Bakes,

Nicole

Strawberry, Thyme and Honey Scones

Makes 8 large scones

Ingredients

180 grams fresh strawberries

3 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped

200 grams plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk, chilled

80 grams plus 3 tablespoons wildflower honey

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (I love using Vanilla Bean Project)

360 grams whole wheat pastry flour (If you don’t have this on hand, you can substitute by using 180 grams cake flour, 100 grams all purpose flour and 80 grams whole wheat flour. The texture will be different but it works in a pinch.)

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

145 grams unsalted butter, cubed and chilled

Instructions

1. Clean, hull and chop your strawberries into 1/2” pieces. Press the pieces between a few layers of paper towels to remove some of the moisture. Then combine your strawberries with the fresh thyme in a bowl and set aside to let them marinade a bit while you prepare your dough.

2. In a large liquid measuring cup, whisk together 200 grams of buttermilk, 80 grams of wild flower honey and the vanilla bean paste until the honey has completely dissolved. Place in the fridge until ready to use.

3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add your butter and using your hands, press the butter into the mixture until it’s broken down into small pea sized pieces.

4. Grab your buttermilk mixture from the fridge and pour it into your flour mixture. Using a spoon or stiff rubber scraper fold the liquid ingredients into the dry, until just combined. They do not need to be fully mixed at this point. Scones are a lot like pie dough or biscuits in that overmixing will result in tough scones so a lighter hand is key.

5. Add your strawberries and thyme and fold them into the dough to fully incorporate. Once everything is combined, toss the dough onto a lightly floured surface and press into a 1” circle.

6. Cut the circle pie style into 8 triangles and place them onto two parchment lined baking sheets. Place the baking sheets in the fridge while the oven heats up.

7. Heat your oven to 400 degrees. Meanwhile pour the remaining 2 tablespoons of buttermilk into a small prep bowl.

8. Once the oven is heated, you’ll bake one pan of scones at a time. Brush the tops with buttermilk before placing in the oven. Bake for 15-18 minutes until lightly golden brown and firm to the touch.

9. Remove your scones from the oven and brush immediately with the remaining 3 tablespoons of honey. Transfer them to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before serving. This style of scone is not a classic American scone and therefore is meant to be enjoyed with toppings such as butter and jam or as a dessert like strawberry shortcake.

If using them to make strawberry shortcake:

I don’t have measurements to provide for this step because this is part of the process that I honestly just always wing and personal preference plays a large part in how much of each ingredient you want to use. So don’t stress out about it.

1. Stir together fresh sliced strawberries with either a bit of honey or a sprinkling of sugar, mash slightly and allow to sit for at least 10 minutes.

2. Right before serving, combine whipped cream with a bit of honey or sugar in a medium mixing bowl and whip until stiff peaks form.

3. Slice scones in half. Dollop whipped cream on the bottom half and top with the macerated strawberries. Place the top of the scone on the strawberries and top with additional whipped cream and a whole strawberry, if desired.

4. Enjoy!

It was barely two weeks ago that I was in a misty pine forest on a 38 degree morning gathering spruce tips and now here I am, sprawled across our couch, trying to convince myself that the 80’s is enjoyable. I am a northern girl through and through and if it wasn’t for my penchant for eating random things I find in the woods, I’d be perfectly happy to always exist in winter.

In this recent summer like heat, things have certainly exploded here in northern Minnesota. From the forest floor to our little two stoplight downtown, everything is bustling. I, myself, have been very busy with some exciting baking and non-baking activities that I’m a bit too superstitious to share about just yet so for now, let’s go back to that cool misty morning.

As a lover of gin, spruce tips are something that I always had a hunch I would enjoy but until recently I had never tried them beyond what they impart in a G&T. They are one of the most accessible forages in colder climates, yet it never occurred to me that I didn’t need to live somewhere like a national forest to gather them. Thankfully I never had to get smart enough to figure that one out as I now live in the middle of the Chippewa National Forest.

What are spruce tips? To put it simply, they are the new growth of a spruce tree— that’s it! You’ll notice them in spring time as the small bright green clumps shooting out from the ends of spruce branches. Now, when it comes to identifying different type of trees, I am no horticulturist. I tend to know just enough to not make myself the next Alexander Supertramp. Spruce and fir trees commonly grow together and while all spruce are edible, not at all fir trees are so being able to tell them apart is usually the main area of concern when I’m out in the woods. The easiest differences to spot between spruce and fir trees in early spring lie in the needles. Spruce needles are sharp, stiff and can roll between your fingers whereas fir trees are soft, flat and won’t roll. They also have differences in the bark (smooth for fir, scraggly for spruce), the directions the pine cones point (up for fir, down for spruce) and the way the branches hang (straight for fir, droopy for spruce) but these tells can be harder to distinguish unless you are looking at more mature trees so sticking to the needles is what I find to be the easiest.

Once you can identify them, spruce tips are an incredibly easy forage and from there it’s just about finding the varieties you like. The easiest way to figure that out is to simply start trying them. I learned that balsam firs- so not a “spruce” tip, but a fir I know to still be edible- are like chewing on a Christmas candle while white spruce have a delightfully strong citrus start and finish off with some earthy notes and a slight tannin. Spruce tips are typically available April through the first half of June, depending on where you live. There are online options for purchasing but until you know which tree you like, I wouldn’t spend the money as they can be expensive.

When foraging for spruce tips, you’re looking for tips that are just coming out of their brown papery husks as this is when they are most tender and taste the least like you’re eating a clump of pine needles; even though that is technically what you are doing. Also, keep in mind that spruce tips are the new growth of a tree, so it’s very important to avoid picking from younger trees and to never take the top tips off of a tree. I look for old white spruce trees with droopy bows, covered in lichen as the tips are plentiful and they have the best flavor.

Once you find the spruce you most enjoy, it’s easy to harvest these delicate buds. Simply pick off where they meet the branch and be sure to move around and from tree to tree to prevent harming any one tree.

From the Kitchen

Once you have your spruce tips gathered, cleaning them is incredibly easy. Simply place them in a colander, rinse with water and then remove the paper husks and any debris before placing them on a towel to dry. While I have read that spruce tips have a long fridge life, I personally did not find that to be the case and had to freeze mine within a few days of harvesting. Luckily, they freeze very well so if you don’t have plans to use them within those first few days, placing them in an air tight container in the freezer would be my storage suggestion.

Since this is my first time working with spruce tips I am doing a lot of reading, experimenting, and learning. I have discovered that while fresh off the branch their flavor is almost overpowering, once brought into the kitchen and cooked or processed, spruce tips mellow and change depending on the application. My first spruce based bake were piped shortbread cookies. I included lime in the dough as I knew that would pair well with the citrus notes of spruce tips and while they were indeed a delicious and delicate lime shortbread, I failed to taste any notes of spruce. Is it because the spruce paired so perfectly with the lime? Perhaps. But since I am not 100% sure, I’m going to hold off sharing that recipe until I know the spruce is indeed making an impact.

The other spruce experiment I am working on is spruce tip syrup using fully crystallized honey as it’s base sweetener. The traditional method of creating spruce tip syrup involves burying it in the ground for 7-12 months but since we are in the middle of house hunting, I don’t want to leave a random jar of spruce tips buried for the next renters to discover. My approach, while researched, still feels largely experimental as my honey knowledge is leading me to take a slightly different approach from what others have done. It seems to be progressing well though as almost all of the sugar crystals have dissolved and the two times I opened the jar to add more honey or spruce tips, I was met with a lovely gin and tonic meets wildflower honey aroma. If this syrup does indeed turn out, I will be sharing my process and a recipe to go with it.

The third spruce tip food experiment, which I will be sharing the recipe for today involved making a spruce tip custard. Since my shortbread seemed overpowered by the lime, I decided to make this a pure celebration of spruce. Even if the risk meant that the celebration could immediately end up in the garbage. Thankfully though, my kitchen and plant knowledge didn’t let me down and after a long overnight soak in half and half before being strained out, the spruce tips were allowed to shine without subjecting the eater to chewing on little needles in the smooth custard. What resulted was a refreshing, almost minty, slightly earthy custard that when lightened up with a bit of whipped cream and poured into a pistachio crust, created a truly unique and tasty tart. Even my mom who had spit out and said “Nope! Not for me!” when I made her try a spruce tip right off the tree, was delighted by how well the flavors worked together in a tart.

I know spruce tip season may have already past for most but keep this newsletter in your back pocket for next spring! Next up is berry season so expect far more “normal” bakes from here in the northwoods.

Happy Baking from The Land of 10,000 Bakes,

Nicole

Spruce Tip Chiffon Tart

This tart takes a couple days from start to finish as you will be infusing half and half overnight and then will need another lengthy stretch of time to allow the filling to fully set before serving. It’s worth it though as the techniques used in this tart create a light and refreshing filling that is then paired with a salty pistachio crust creating the perfect bite.

Ingredients

For the Filling:

• 160 grams spruce tips

• 500 grams half and half

• 2 large eggs

• 150 grams granulated sugar

• 30 grams cornstarch

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 40 grams unsalted butter

• 3 teaspoons powdered gelatin, divided

• 5 tablespoons cold water, divided

• 230 grams heavy whipping cream

For the Crust:

• 400 grams roasted and salted pistachios (I use these because they are easier to obtain where I live and more affordable, plus the high salt content is something I actually enjoy in this crust)

• 50 grams granulated sugar

• 70 grams melted butter

• 2 egg whites

• 1 egg white for brushing inside the crust during baking

*Plus additional whipped cream and spruce tip needles for serving, if desired

Instructions

We are going to start this recipe out the night before by infusing our spruce tips into the cream, creating the best spruce tip flavor. To do this, combine the spruce tips and half and half in a glass or ceramic mixing bowl, giving it a good stir. Cover and place in the refrigerator overnight, at least 12 hours to allow the spruce flavors to fully infuse into the half and half.

Make the Crust

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Lightly spray a 10” tart pan with cooking spray and set aside.

2. In a food processor, combine roasted and salted pistachios and sugar. Process on high until nuts are finely ground. Avoid over processing which will release the oil in the pistachios and send you on your way to making pistachio butter.

3. Add the melted butter and process on low for 10 seconds. Add the egg whites and process for another 10 seconds.

4. Press your crust into the sides and bottoms of the pan until it’s evenly covered. Line the crust with a crumpled up piece of parchment paper and add pie weights (I just use dried beans).

5. Bake Crust with pie weights for 20 minutes. Remove the weights and bake for another 5-8 minutes until crust looks dried, lightly browned and has pulled away from the sides of the pan.

   Note: This crust will go soft once the filling is added which I honestly prefer in this bake but if you want it to stay crispy, create a moisture barrier by brushing on the additional egg white at the 5 minute mark after the weights are removed and bake for the final 3 minutes.

6. Remove the crust from the oven, leave it in the pan and allow to cool completely before filling.

Make the custard

1. Bloom your gelatin in a small bowl by sprinkling two teaspoons of the powdered gelatin over three tablespoons of cold water. Set aside.

2. Line a fine mesh strainer with cheesecloth and place it over a large sauce pan. Pour the half and half into the cheesecloth, allowing for just the half and half to go through into the bowl. Then gather the cheesecloth which is now filled with the spruce tips and squeeze it over the bowl to get out as much half and half as possible. Discard spruce tips.

3. Heat the half and half over medium low heat. Due to the acidity that the spruce tips have now imparted into the half and half, it’s important to heat the half and half gently as it will want to curdle.

4. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs and sugar together until light in color and slightly thickened. Then whisk in the vanilla and cornstarch until combined.

5. Once your half and half is just starting to simmer, or even just shy of simmering as it will start to curdle almost immediately upon simmering and we want to avoid that at all costs, take if off heat and pour into the egg mixture slowly while whisking the mixture constantly. Pouring slowly while whisking constantly will help prevent the eggs from curdling. We’re always on curdle watch when making custard.

6. Pour the mixture back into the sauce pan. Heat the custard over low heat while whisking constantly until mixture thickens enough that when you draw a line through it with the whisk, it stays briefly before filling back in. This will take about 5-7 minutes.

7. Once the custard has thickened, take it off heat and whisk in the butter until fully melted and incorporated. Then whisk in your bloomed gelatin until fully combined. Set aside and allow to cool to room temperature. Do not chill yet as the gelatin will set.

   Once your custard and crust have both cooled to room temperature it’s time to make your stabilized whipped cream which you will fold into your custard.

1. Bloom your remaining gelatin in a small microwaveable bowl by sprinkling one teaspoon of powdered gelatin over two tablespoons of cold water. Allow it to sit for five minutes. Then, microwave in 10 second bursts until gelatin is fully dissolved and hot to the touch but not boiling.

2. Using an electric hand mixer, beat cream until it’s thickened but hasn’t reached peak stage.

3. Take a tablespoon (doesn’t have to be exact) worth of your cream and stir it into the gelatin. Then, with the mixer running, slowly pour the gelatin and cream mixture into your cream. Beat until soft peaks form. It’s important to not over-beat as this will make it difficult to fold into your custard.

4. Gently fold your cream into the spruce tip custard a third at a time. Once all of the cream has been added and everything is fully combined, pour mixture into your tart shell. Chill in the fridge for at least 6 hours before serving.

5. Remove your tart from the tart pan and top with additional whipped cream and a sprinkle of spruce tip needles before serving, if desired. Enjoy!

Every forager has their dream forage. The plant they desperately seek out yet always eludes them. For me, that plant is ramps— also known as wild garlic or wild leeks. I live in an area where they should be abundant in almost every forest I step foot in, yet year after year, I’ve failed to find them.

Then, last week I had the pleasure of meeting a woman who answered my wild food prayers. She emerged out of the woods barefoot and wearing light linen clothes. She was soft spoken with wispy hair and even though she was just the woman who lived next door to the cabin we were staying at, her telling me of a patch of ramps not too far up the road made me feel like I was in some strange dream and about to wake up disappointed.

I tried to play it cool but drove to the location as soon as I was able. Sure enough, just like she told me, was a patch of ramps and after a brief walk down a narrow and muddy path, I found a forest floor covered in them. Finally. Finally, I had found these pungent, leafy, divisive greens. I teared up from the excitement of seeing this woodsy delight. Now I just had to hope that I liked them and that this wasn’t going to be another rose hip situation. Thankfully, after picking a leaf and giving it a quick sniff, I knew that I was in love.

Ramps are a forage that is not without its controversies. They are an extremely slow growing plant that take up to a year to germinate and then another seven years before they are fully mature and begin to flower. The combination of their highly desirable flavor profile and slow growth rate means that they are easily over-harvested. This is one of the reasons people are hesitant to share their foragin spots with others and why many say you shouldn’t pick them at all. I personally think the issues around foraging for ramps lies largely in how they are harvested and that as always, if you are responsible, there is no reason why you can’t enjoy wild food.

Forming a bulb just under the ground, ramps come up year after year once established. If you harvest the plant fully, bulb and all, that plant is gone forever. However, if you only harvest the leaves, it will continue to grow and flower in the coming years, creating new plants. I accidentally picked a couple plants from the bulb up and I fully believe there is no benefit to picking the bulb. The flavor and color of them comes from the leaves and stems. If you want a bulb that tastes like garlic, just go buy regular garlic from the grocery store.

If you would like to look for ramps in the wild, they are often friends with ferns and like similar environments. They tend to grow on deciduous forest floors in lower land areas, often not far from bodies of water. They come up in early spring, the same time as ferns, but die back as the ferns and trees leaf out and the shade overtakes them. All parts of the plant are edible and impart that familiar garlic flavor but again, please stay away from harvesting the bulbs. Grocery stores will also sometimes carry ramps but I would be hesitant to purchase unless you know the source and know that it’s being harvested ethically.

From the Kitchen

Once you have your ramps, whether from the woods or the grocery store, they are quite easy to clean and prep. I like to give mine a five minute soak in a bowl of water before giving them a final rinse to remove any dirt or slimy parts at the base of the stem. Some sources say you should blanch them to preserve their color but I find this step unnecessary and harmful to the flavor as heating the ramps will weaken the flavor. The ramp pesto I made is already a week old and still as beautifully green as when I first made it.

Today I’m sharing two recipes that will help get you started on your ramp journey- a ramp pesto recipe and a bread recipe that will then put your pesto to good use. Ramp pesto is my favorite variety of pesto as it’s really just a garlic spread. It’s quite pungent but like anything garlicky, eat it with friends and nobody will know. So far I have used mine to make a compound butter, served it with pasta, made an enriched bread couronne and tonight I will be making pizza with it. It’s probably one of the most versatile wild food products, which is why ramps are so highly sought after.

I know I promised spruce tips and dandelions as my next share but this wild garlic took me by surprise and needed to be shared. I am currently working on some spruce tip recipes so if you foraged some, sit tight. Thankfully spruce tips have a longer fridge life and can also be easily frozen.

Happy Baking from the Land of 10,000 Bakes,

Nicole

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Wild Garlic Pesto

Makes approximately 1 1/4 cups

This pesto has a brightness from the lemon that lifts up the strong garlic flavor, and helps preserve the bright green color.

Ingredients

• 198 grams (approximately 6 cups, lightly packed) ramps, roughly chopped

• 57 grams (3/4 cup) freshly grated Parmesan cheese

• 57 grams (1/2 cup) walnuts, toasted

• Zest of one lemon

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 100 grams (1/2 cup) olive oil— this amount produces a thicker spread like consistency. Add more if you want a sauce like consistency.

Instructions

1. Add ramps, parmesan and walnuts to the bowl of a food processor. Process on high for 30-60 seconds until ingredients appear finely chopped.

2. Add lemon zest, lemon juice and salt. Pulse together a few times.

3. With the food processor on low, slowly drizzle in oil. Turn up to high and process until you have a mostly smooth consistency. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to two weeks or freeze for longer storage.

Bonus Tip: Leave a couple tablespoons of pesto in your food processor and add a stick of unsalted butter. Process to make an easy and delicious compound butter.

Wild Garlic Couronne

This bread combines the punchiness of wild garlic pesto with the softness of enriched bread dough to create a flavorful and beautiful loaf of bread worthy of being the centerpiece at your next gathering.

Ingredients

For the dough

• 390 grams bread flour

• 30 grams nonfat dry milk powder

• 40 grams honey

• 8 grams salt

• 10 grams instant yeast

• 2 large eggs, room temperature

• 113 grams unsalted butter, softened

• 87 grams water, room temperature

For the filling

• 180 grams wild garlic pesto

• 50 grams freshly grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine all of the ingredients. Mix and knead on medium speed for 15 minutes until you have a soft and springy dough. Cover and let rise for 1 1/2 hours, or until it’s increased in size by about 50%.

2. After the first rise, turn your dough onto a clean surface and roll out to a 22” x 12” rectangle.

3. Spread your pesto on the dough, leaving a 1/2'“ edge all around the rectangle. Sprinkle cheese over the pesto.

   

4. Roll up your dough lengthwise and press the edge to seal. Use a knife to cut it in halfwise, lengthwise, leaving the final two inches uncut.

5. Twist the two halves together keeping the cut layers visible as you twist. Bring the ends together to form a circle, or a couronne, shape. Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet and reshape as necessary.

   

6. Cover and let rise until puffy. You can tell it’s ready when you press into the dough and the bread slightly and slowly springs back. This will take 1 1/2-2 hours.

7. Towards the end of your rise time, heat your oven to 350 degrees.

8. When your bread and the oven are ready, bake for 25-30 minutes until the bread is golden brown and internal temp is 190-195 degrees.

9. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before transferring the bread to a cooling rack.

10. If you’ve made pesto butter, I highly recommend rubbing 1-2 tablespoons across the top of the bread allowing it to melt over the bread. This adds a bit of shine and extra flavor.

    

11. Serve warm or allow to cool before serving for easier slicing. Eat as is, spread with pesto butter or serve alongside pasta.

12. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to three days. Wrap tightly and freeze for longer storage.

From the Northwoods

Nothing will put panic into a foragers heart like getting a text letting you know that not only have the ferns emerged, but that they may already be too tall to pick. Last week, I was in the middle of a very intense Mother’s Day bake when I got that very text from my mom. I had been so busy with my baking project that I hadn’t left the house in days. Surely Mother Nature wouldn’t dare do what she does without giving me a chance to gather my long awaited fiddleheads!

The next morning I grabbed whatever clean container I had available and hurriedly- but safely- drove to the woods to see if I could find any ferns that had yet to unfurl. Thankfully as I walked around my patch, I discovered plenty of tight green curls, ready to be picked. I knew Mother Nature wouldn’t let me down.

While the world of ferns is vast, picking fiddleheads is a great starting point for those interested in foraging as they’re easy to spot, fairly easy to prep and taste delicious! Hardwood forests are their preferred home, often being the most prolific along the edges and in marshy areas but can grow throughout, creating a beautiful Jurassic like appearance as summer goes on.

Ferns are known to be quick growing so it’s best to identify their beds the fall before you plan to forage them, looking for brown dried fern leaves covering the ground. You can also do this in early Spring but again, because they move so quickly once they get growing, you’ll want a general idea where they are. Now, there are varied opinions on which ferns you can eat, and it largely depends on the type of ferns you have in your area. Some say they are all edible when properly prepared. I personally only forage Ostrich ferns, as they are the biggest and easiest to clean. So going forward, that’s the type of fern I will be discussing and using.

The number one rule when it comes to foraging is to only take what you will use, leave enough for nature and don’t decimate a plant so that it can continue to grow and come back year after year. The thrill of the pick makes it easy to bring home more than you know what to do with, leading to food waste, so I like to go into it with recipes already in mind that way I know how much I should gather. It also helps to remember that for us this is a hobby while for animals, this may be their main source of food. I typically stick to taking no more than 20%-30% of what I find. For example, when foraging fiddleheads, I will only take one or two fiddleheads at most from a fern plant. Ostrich ferns typically have 5-6 fronds so taking that many still leaves plenty for nature and for the plant to continue to grow.

Ostrich ferns emerge as large, shiny, darn green fiddleheads and are easily identified by the brown papery “skin” that covers them when they first come up from the ground. When picking, you are looking for fiddleheads that are no more than 6” tall and still tightly curled. Use your fingers to pinch them cleanly about 1” from the base and place them into a hard sided container so that you don’t damage the delicate fiddleheads as you pick. Once you have gathered what you need, it’s time to clean and prep so you can enjoy your wild food!

From the Kitchen

Cleaning and prepping wild foods can often be tedious but food safety is always the highest concern so it’s important to always be thorough.

The first step to cleaning fiddleheads is to soak them in cold water for 5-10 minutes. I’ve never found any bugs in my fiddleheads but it’s always a possibility when foraging, so soaking will help remove them as well as some of the dirt and papery coverings.

After they have soaked, drain the water and clean each fiddlehead by removing any remaining brown papery bits, any leaves on the stem that have unfurled and then this is a matter of personal preference but I like to remove some of the outter leaves on the coil so you can see the coiled stem more clearly. I then run each fiddlehead under water to remove any dirt in the groove along the stem and leafy bits I don’t want before setting aside to dry. Once all of your fiddlheads have been cleaned, you can either store them in the fridge for a couple days or you can go immediately to blanching them.

Blanching is a necessary step before cooking and consuming fiddleheads to make them food safe and help remove bitterness. To blanch your fiddleheads, bring a pot of water to a boil, add the fiddleheads and cook for 1-2 minutes. Immediately remove them from the pot and put into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process and to help maintain their color. At this point you can either go straight to cooking them or store them in the fridge for 2-3 days. Before you cook them, always trim the stems to remove any browning as well as to get them to your desired size.

An important note about consuming fiddleheads— while they are safe to eat when properly prepped, consuming large amounts can still cause stomach upset. This is why I prefer to consume them as a component to a dish rather than as a stand alone side. If you’re feeling particularly adventurous though, you can enjoy them sauteed with a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper. Just consider yourself warned! Below you’ll find my two favorite ways to use fiddleheads.

I hope as I delve into sharing the world of foraging, you feel encouraged to get outside and discover what is growing in the world around you! I find foraging to be such a calming and inspiring hobby and love encouraging others to give it a try. Even if you have no plans to pick and use wild food, it’s still fun to make note of what plants you find. Next up are spruce tips and dandelions— at least that’s the hope!

Happy Baking from the Land of 10,000 Bakes,

Nicole

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Cheesey Fiddlehead Tarts

Makes 14 Mini Tarts

This recipe is my latest fiddlehead fern creation. Layers of rough puff style pastry holds a soft and cheesy center, topped with lightly seasoned fiddleheads. I finish them off with a bit of fresh lemon zest to lift and brighten the rich, garlicky filling. Their small handheld size make them the perfect Spring appetizer. Another favorite, one that is perfect for weekend brunch, is my fiddlehead quiche. I encourage you to try both of these recipes as they are not only delicious but have plenty of room for customization.

I will also note that fiddleheads are often compared as a cross between asparagus and green beans so if you don’t have access to fiddleheads, asparagus makes a great substitute in either of my recipes.

Ingredients

For the Pastry

• 390 grams all purpose flour

• 292 grams unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/2” cubes

• 2 teaspoons fine sea salt

• 10-14 tablespoons ice water

• 1 large egg yolk + 1 teaspoon milk for egg wash

For the Filling

• 227 grams whole milk ricotta

• 1 large egg

• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

• Small handful of chives, finely chopped

• 1 clove of garlic, finely grated

• 114 grams freshly grated parmesan

• 56 fiddleheads

• 2 teaspoons olive oil

• pinch of fine sea salt

• pinch of ground pepper

• 1 lemon for zesting

Instructions

Make the Pastry (you can also use store bought puff pastry if you prefer)

This is best done a day or two before you will be baking your tarts as it is a slow process in order to properly make your pastry.

1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Add your butter cubes and using your fingers press the cubes into flattened shards. You don’t want to work the butter into the flour much at all as we want to end up with lots of layers in our pastry which comes from the butter steaming as it bakes.

2. Add the water, a couple tablespoons at a time and toss with a fork after each addition. I found I needed to use the full amount of water but the humidity and protein percentage of your flour, may mean you need less or even a bit more. The pastry is supposed to barely hold and look a bit dry so don’t overdo it on the water.

3. Knead the pastry together for a couple minutes until a rough dough forms. Wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours, until it is fully chilled and stiff feeling.

4. Now its time to create the layers in our pastry which you will do by performing a series of rolls and folds, called turns. We’ll be completing six turns, which is standard for puff pastry. We’re creating a rough puff style pastry because it’s easier and just as delicious but again, completing these folds will help give us our layers.

5. On a lightly floured surface, roll your pastry into an 8” x 20” rectangle. Fold the pastry like a letter, bringing one side 2/3 of the way over and then folding the last third over that. Rotate your pastry 90 degrees and repeat the process. This is considered two turns. Return your pastry to the fridge for at least an hour to chill.

6. You will repeat this rolling, folding and chilling process two more times to get the six turns we need. Now you can see why it is best to do this process a day or two before you bake your tarts.

Make the Filling

1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the ricotta cheese and egg. Whisk until combined. Switch to a rubber spatula and stir in the pepper, chives and garlic.

2. Lastly, gently stir in the grated parmesan. Chill the filling while you roll and cut out your tarts.

   

Make and Bake Tarts

1. Heat your oven to 425 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Place your fiddleheads into a bowl and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Set aside. In a small prep bowl, whisk together egg yolk and milk for your egg wash. Set aside.

3. On a floured surface, roll your pastry out into a 14” x 20” rectangle. Using a 4” round cookie cutter, cut out 14 pastry discs. Place seven on each parchment lined baking sheet.

4. Gently press a 3 1/2” round cookie cutter into the center of each pastry round to “score” your discs. This lets you know how far to spread the filling and helps the sides rise around the filling.

5. Brush the edges of your pastry discs with the egg wash.

6. Place a heaped tablespoon in the center of each pastry disc. Gently spread filling out to the score line. Top each disc with four fiddleheads. Refrigerate for at least 5-10 minutes before baking to reset the pastry.

7. Bake your tarts, one pan at a time, for 22-26 minutes. They’re done when puffed, the edges have browned and you can hear the center bubbling.

8. Remove from the oven, top with a bit of fresh lemon zest and let sit for five minutes before serving. Can be stored in the fridge for 1-2 days after baking and reheated in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. Enjoy!

If you thought that the biggest drama in the baking world right now is the discussion around recipe theft involving Brooki Bakehouse and RecipeTin Eats, then clearly you’re not a Minnesota baker.

Even though we are still several months away from the Minnesota State Fair, preparation for the baking competition has officially begun! The premium book was released May 1st and so to was a good dose of drama. I shared a quick story on my Instagram about the new language in the rules and consequential category changes and I don’t think my DMs have ever filled up so fast. That night I was up past 2:00am discussing the rules and sharing some of my opinions on it. The following is an expansion of those opinions which I know some may not agree with but I think it’s an important topic to discuss so let’s go!

A Growing Problem

As you know, I am no stranger to amateur baking contests and am very passionate about encouraging other bakers to join this close knit and supportive community. However, within this community an issue has been growing to the point where it is now being recognized in certain competitions, such as at the Minnesota State Fair— are cottage food bakers professionals or amateurs? You will get about as many opinions as there are people and most bring up fair points making it an extremely full but often polarizing conversation. While I do think lines have to be drawn, I struggle with saying where that line is because many of my friends are CFPs and I truly enjoy seeing them at contests and bonding over the thrills and disappointments of competitive baking. Some I have watched go from occasionally selling cakes to friends on the weekend to turning their love of baking into a full time CFP business. To me there is a huge difference between the one off for friends and family CFP and the full time CFP business, but my general stance is that CFPs are not amateurs. It seems that, as controversial as that stance is, the Minnesota State Fair agrees.

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Out With the Old, In With the Old

The rules for entering everything from baked goods to knitwear to canoes in the creative activities competitions have always stated that the “exhibit represents a recreational hobby and is not used as any means of livelihood, directly or indirectly.” This is not new, it’s just been ignored by some and misunderstood by most.

The new language for the baking competition now reads:

“Exhibitors are NOT eligible if they have any form of store - online or otherwise - that promotes selling baked goods for any monetary value. The spirit of State Fair competition is to promote home baking and to showcase the abilities of amateur bakers. Ineligible activities include bakeries; published cookbooks for sale that feature exhibitor’s recipes; cottage licenses; promoting and selling via Facebook, Instagram or other online platforms; participation at farmers markets or similar; and other forms of market distribution or presence. If an exhibitor is found in violation of eligibility, the exhibitor will be removed without notice from competition results at the discretion of Minnesota State Fair staff. The decision of staff is final. As part of the competition registration process, exhibitors agree to abide by these rules and accept the eligibility decisions of staff.”

The rule remains the same, if you are making money from what you create, you are not an amateur in the eyes of the state fair. This isn’t a rule change, just a thorough explanation.

Why Was This Needed?

While I do know what event pushed the fair into deciding to provide a further explanation of rules and change in categories for the baking competition, I will not go into specific detail on it. I respect all of the bakers involved and don’t want to single anybody out as it is a not a singular event or person that necessitated this. It has been a long time coming and a discussion I’ve had many times with many friends about all types of amateur baking contests. Professionals entering their creations into creative activities has always been an issue and honestly, will continue to be one but hopefully this new clarification will curb some of it. It’s truly impossible to fully vet every entry as baking alone has nearly 4,000 entries each year. It’s a system that has and will still rely on honesty. Reporting fellow competitors is another option when one knows of rule violations but that’s a very touchy subject and I have mixed feelings on it. While I do think there are absolutely egregious cases of professionals entering things, many simply and truly do not consider themselves professionals.

Drawing the Line Between Amateur and Professional

Where is that line between amateur and professional or between, as the fair states, something that is a “means of livelihood directly or indirectly” and something that “represents a recreational hobby?” Given my opening, we already know I have an opinion that may ruffle some feathers, I feel though that I have a unique perspective and hopefully it will bring a realization to others who sell their creations, that they simply haven’t been giving themselves the credit they deserve.

I have been a self employed artist for over 15 years. I make leather goods and leather bound journals, am self taught and sell out of my house. Creative Activities has both book making and leather-working categories but I have never entered my work in the fair because this is how I make my livelihood. Even when I had a separate full time job for a few years, it was still a source of income that provided for my livelihood as a whole. Many people feel that because they work out of their home or because it isn’t their full time job that it doesn’t make them a professional or count as a source of income. This is where it’s pretty black and white for me, if you are making money from it and reporting it on your taxes— as you should be, it’s now a source of income for you and provides for your livelihood. It doesn’t matter if you are self taught, work out of your home or do something else that you consider to be your full time job. If you are making and selling something you now have an advantage over those that do things strictly as a hobby, even if you do not consider yourself a professional. Selling your creations means that you are dedicating more time to something and more than likely more money because it’s helping you earn money which then allows you to spend more time dedicated to this creative pursuit, and the cycle continues to grow. You also more than likely will be creating a few items over and over again, leading you to become highly specialized and skilled compared to those who are just doing it for fun.

Please understand that I think it’s a great thing if you are selling your creations and enjoying it! As someone who makes a living with her own two hands, I know the excitement and pride that comes from selling something you have made. You should feel proud and you should feel comfortable realizing that you are, at least on some level, a professional and should be giving yourself the full credit you deserve. It can be hard to accept that what you are doing is above amateur status, especially when so many fail to see what you are doing as a viable source of income, but have confidence in your abilities.

It just, unfortunately, means you aren’t a hobbyist anymore and can’t enter those categories in the fair.

Hustle Culture Comes to the State Fair

So why has this suddenly become such a strong issue specifically within the baking competition? Well, as someone who has been entering for over ten years I have watched the line on entry day go from primarily people over 50 to now primarily people under 50. I accredit this change to the increase of hustle culture.

The pressure to monetize ones hobbies is something that many people in their 20’s and 30’s have dealt with. Once you become even halfway decent at something, it’s almost an expectation that you should try to sell it. I have watched the expression on countless people’s faces when they tell me that I should sell my baked goods and I tell them “ oh no, I have no desire to do that” go from one of impressed to disappointment. Like not monetizing something I love and am admittedly good at makes me suddenly less skilled and knowledgeable or that I’m wasting my abilities. I think it’s this encouragement and expectation that has led so many home bakers to pursue a path of cottage food producer.

This increase in monetizing hobbies has also given many the confidence to finally enter the state fair. Yes, believe it or not, I’ve heard from many that entering baked goods in the state fair is viewed as a higher bar to reach than selling their baked goods out of their house or at markets.

You combine this increase of cottage food producers and placing the state fair baking competition on a pedestal higher than it perhaps should be, and you have an influx of people making money from, specializing in and consequently winning ribbons for their baking.

Problems of a Hard Drawn Line

Now, here is where I feel this black and white language is problematic. In creative activities, you will occasionally see a professional jewelry maker entering beaded necklaces or a woodworker entering hand turned wooden vessels and know that should be an immediate disqualification. To me, it gets more nuanced with baking due to the sheer volume and variety of categories as well as the different levels that people sell their baked goods at. I have good baker friends who are registered CFPs and have been entering for years baked goods that they don’t sell. To me, this is very different from the cookiers and cake decorators that have been dominating the decorating categories in recent years. So too is the difference between someone who occasionally takes money for cakes they make for friends but registered as a CFP to be by the book, compared to those who have managed to turn it into a full time job. It makes me truly sad to think that because someone sells cookies, I won’t see them in line entering their grandpa’s coffee cake or trying their hand at bread for the first time. I wish there was a way to allow for these variances but short of requiring people to provide financial information, which to be clear would be absurd, a hard drawn line like this seems to be the best way to go about it.

Will This Effect Entry Numbers

While I think it’s likely we will see a decrease in entries, I could also see a world where those who have been turned off from competing after being defeated year after year by those who sell their baked goods, could return to the competition. Whatever happens, you know I’ll be there crunching numbers on day 1 of the fair and sharing those totals with all of you.

Is There a Place Left for CFPs

With this new expansion of language, comes new rules and new categories. This year, they have created three new categories specifically for those who make money from their baking including creative cookie, creative cake and creative bread. It’s barely a drop in the bucket but still gives CFPs a chance to compete at the state fair. Professionals are also still allowed to compete in the decorating contests. I will admit that I am slightly disappointed at this as these were the categories that had the biggest issues with rules being broken but with the rule change, that’s now just a personal grievance. So, it’s not perfect by any means but it’s a start and I believe that if these new categories prove a success there may be more room made for both the hobbyist and the home baking business at the fair so everyone can showcase their skills.

Plus, as I always say, there is plenty of room for you to come and join the dark side over at Bee & Honey! It’s my favorite of the two competitions because baking with honey provides a chance to challenge my skills and baking knowledge. Plus, they allow everyone to compete, from the Majorie Johnsons of the world to the Nicole Aufderhars of the northwoods.

So what do you think of this new language and further explanation of the rule and the new categories? I’d love to hear your thoughts and how it might change your plans for the Minnesota State Fair this year!

Happy Baking from The Land of 10,000 Bakes,

Nicole

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Peanut Butter Honey Cookies

This is an updated version of my 4th place winning peanut butter honey cookies from the Bee & Honey competition at the Minnesota State Fair. I created the original recipe eight years ago but didn’t understand enough about baking at the time to fully understand what would happen when I tweaked a recipe. They always came out too soft and cakey and left me frustrated. I finally created a version that won 4th place, four years ago and I hadn’t baked them since. The other day though, they popped into my head when our household had a peanut butter cookie craving. I realized that a few simple adjustments would give me the cookie I had long been wanting. Exchanging egg yolks for whole eggs, granulated for brown sugar and a few quantity tweaks here and there created a soft and chewy peanut butter cookie with crisp edges and lots of honey flavor. These are so good, I may give them another go at the state fair this year.

Makes 20, large cookies

Ingredients

• 350 grams all purpose flour (I used Sunrise Flour Mill Heritage White)

• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 250 grams creamy peanut butter (I’m a Jif girl)

• 226 grams unsalted butter, softened

• 225 grams wildflower honey (I find a thicker, slightly crystallized honey creates the best texture)

• 200 grams granulated sugar

• 2 large egg yolks, room temperature

• 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste (I use vanilla bean project)

Method

1. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Set bowl aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, add peanut butter and unsalted butter and mix on medium for 30 seconds until combined.

3. Add honey and sugar and mix on medium speed until very light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Scrape the bowl down occasionally to make sure everything gets included.

4. Once your butters and sugars are beautifully light and fluffy, add your eggs yolks and vanilla bean paste. Mix on medium for 30 seconds to properly incorporate.

5. Mixing on low and scraping the bowl after each addition, slowly add your flour in three separate additions. Give your bowl a final scrape by hand with a rubber scraper.

6. Cover bowl and chill the dough for at least two hours. This is a very soft dough and you want it to be cold and stiffened up to prevent spreading while baking and to be easier to work with when rolling and stamping.

7. Once your dough is thoroughly chilled, heat oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

8. Working with three tablespoons of dough at a time, roll your dough into balls, placing six balls of dough onto a baking sheet. Use a fork or flour dusted cookie stamp to press the dough balls until flattened to about 1/4”-1/3” thick. Place the baking sheet in the fridge to chill for 5-10 minutes.

9. Working with one baking sheet at a time, bake your cookies for 12-14 minutes until edges are lightly browned and centers are puffed.

10. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for five minutes before removing them and allowing them to fully cool on a rack. Store fully cooled cookies in an air tight container for up to five days or freeze for longer storage.

While there isn’t much to report on from the past few weeks- always a good way to start a newsletter, yesterday the trees and grasses of the northwoods finally received what they had long been craving- a day full of life giving rain. It wasn’t just the greenery celebrating though as I love a good thunderstorm, and yesterday’s left me happily tucked away in my studio, finishing up several orders of my handmade leather journals. While our yard is still brown and dead thanks to life under the cover of several large pine trees, waking up to see the other lawns in the neighborhood greening up gave me my own little boost of life. Even though it is a brisk feels like temperature of 21 degrees outside this morning, the robins are giving reassuring chirps that indeed, Spring is finally here in the Minnesota northwoods. It won’t be long now until the fiddleheads and spruce tips are ready to be picked!

From the Kitchen

I recently went down a baking rabbit hole I’ve long had on my to-do list- making and baking with wild rice flour. Living in an area where manoomin, or wild rice, grows and is harvested means I have access to many variations of this popular Minnesota ingredient. Some stores sell the flour itself, but I decided to try my hand at making it at home using cultivated wild rice from the Red Lake Nation.

This process, while extremely gratifying and relatively easy, is not for the faint of heart. Unless you are lucky enough to own a home mill, you will be relying on a high powered blender or food processor and unless you want to have irritated eyes for a couple days after making your flour, I highly suggest wearing eye protection. I’ve only used it in a couple recipes so far, but I absolutely love the subtle earthiness and nuttiness it brings to a bake in even small quantities. So while I want to be realistic about the process, hopefully I haven’t scared you off.

How to make wild rice flour:

To make wild rice flour at home, if you don’t own a mill, place 1/2-1 cup of uncooked wild rice at a time in either a high powered blender or food processor. Process the rice on high for a minute at a time, scraping around the edges and bottom between each minute. This can easily take 10-15 minutes so be patient and keep at it. Eventually you will end up with a lovely fine and fluffy flour. Once it appears to be fully processed, sift out remaining chunks through a fine mess strainer and store in an air tight container.

How to make puffed wild rice:

Another technique I like to use when working with wild rice, and something that will also be used in the recipe below, is making puffed wild rice. To do this, I heat about 2” of oil in a small pot to 400-415 degrees. Then, I place about 2 tablespoons of uncooked wild rice into a fine mesh strainer and lower it into the oil. It only take 5-10 seconds for the rice to puff up so be ready to work quickly. Once puffed, lift the strainer out of the oil and turn rice out onto a paper towel lined plate to cool. Store in an airtight container.

Now, let’s combine these two techniques to make the cookies below!

Happy Baking from The Land of 10,000 Bakes,

Nicole

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Blueberry Wild Rice Shortbread

As cliche as it is to say, these cookies truly are a symphony of textures and flavors. The buttery and sandy shortbread is studded with crisp puffed wild rice that gives a toasty, almost popcorn like flavor that is further enhanced by the use of wild rice flour. The blueberries lend bright a fruity notes to this earthy cookie as well as a bit of chew and crispness, depending on the bite. These cookies were devoured by my family and I hope you love them too!

Ingredients

• 50 grams wild rice flour

• 260 grams all purpose flour (I use sunrise flour heritage white flour)

• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

• 226 grams unsalted butter, room temperature

• 165 grams light brown sugar

• 60 grams powdered sugar

• 1 large egg yolk, room temperate

• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (I use vanilla bean project because it’s simply amazing and a Minnesota company)

• 30 grams puffed wild rice

• 55 grams freeze dried blueberries, crushed

Method

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the wild rice flour, all purpose flour and salt until combined. Set aside

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and both sugars on medium speed until light in color and fluffy, scraping bowl occasionally. This will take 3-4 minutes.

3. Add the egg yolk and vanilla bean paste. Beat on medium speed for 30 seconds and scrape the bowl when finished.

4. Slowly add the flour mixture and mix on low until just combined. Add the puffed wild rice and blueberries, mixing on low until combined and no dry flour pockets remain.

5. Divide your dough into two portions. Form each portion into a log shape appoximately 1.5” in diameter and 10” long. Wrap in tightly in plastic wrap and chill the logs of dough for at least two hours or overnight.

6. When your dough is well chilled, heat your oven to 350 degrees.

7. Using a sharp knife, cut your cookies into 1/4” slices and place on a parchment lined baking sheet approximately 2” apart.

8. Bake your cookies one sheet at a time for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are slightly browned.

9. Cool on the cookie sheet for five minutes before removing the cookies and placing them on a rack to cool completely. Store cookies in an art tight container for up to a week or freeze for longer storage.

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From The Northwoods

April is here! While much of my social media feed is filled with photos of tulips emerging from their winter slumber and fruit trees filled with tiny white blossoms, here in northern Minnesota, April arrived in a slightly different way.

In an April Fools’ joke only a Minnesotan could appreciate, this month greeted us by dropping 8”-12” of wet, heavy Spring snow. Up here our two favorite phrases are, “at least it’s pretty” and “we needed the moisture” but I also can’t help but be slightly envious of those already enjoying warm days in the woods foraging wild garlic.

I am so desperate to start sharing that side of my life with you! It will have to wait though as we continue to enjoy the quietness and solitude of a slow Minnesota winter, even if the calendar has moved on. Times like this help remind me how important it is to enjoy this time of year, especially living in the heart of cabin country. Soon the tourists and summer residents will return and I’ll be itching for these slow, snow filled days to return. Living seasonally means embracing all seasons, even when one lasts six months out of the year.

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From The Kitchen

In the spirit of embracing the quiet calmness of winter, I recently revived my very neglected starter after a six month timeout in the back of my fridge. I could probably write an entire post about how far one can go in starter neglect and the possible benefits of it. Today is not that day though as we are here to celebrate the fact that my starter has yet again survived my questionable bread practices. Although, I am wondering- has anybody else ever accidentally baked their starter? No? Just me? Ok, cool.

With the joy of a freshly revived starter comes loads of crusty sourdough bread but it also comes with loads of sourdough discard. There are two camps of sourdough bakers, those that have no problem doing exactly what the name calls for and discarding it and then there are the rest of us. My discard jar is kept in my fridge and dwarfs my starter jar. Even though I keep a tiny starter, I just can’t bear to part with the 40 grams I have left after each feeding. When I first started sourdough baking, I figured there would be plenty of great ways to use up a a bunch of it at a time. It wasn’t long though before I realized that many recipes don’t give discard the credit it deserves and often only call for you to toss in 50 or 100 grams here and there. Now, don’t get me wrong. I love a good sourdough CCC but the discard in many of these recipes is really just there to be trendy and not actually showcase the benefits of this ingredient.

Even though it’s just flour and water, sourdough discard truly is an ingredient in and of itself that continues to morph as it sits in your fridge. Using it early on makes it an excellent binder for things like granola. If you let your discard sit for longer though, it will start to thin out as it breaks down making it a great replacement for buttermilk as they are both acidic, fermented ingredients. It’s an ingredient that I enjoy playing around with, dare I say, even more than I enjoy making sourdough bread.

Most recently, after making a pan of my favorite butter swim biscuits, it occurred to me that I could probably create a sourdough version that would use up a large quantity of discard. While you can replace the flour and water 1:1 with discard in certain recipes, I knew I would need to add a bit more flour for both texture and as a way to help incorporate the sugar, salt and baking powder. My first version was good, especially when cut in half the next day and toasted, but I felt like it was missing something. Buttermilk provides a bit of richness that sourdough discard just doesn’t have so to solve that problem, I tried stirring a bit of melted butter into the batter. Ah-ha! Biscuit magic!

I know sourdough is not everyone’s jam here and I’ve been sharing a lot of sourdough recipes lately but I was so excited about these that I had to share them. They come together so easily and make the perfect companion to any breakfast that you can enjoy with jam, as a base for breakfast sandwiches or my favorite way- slathered with butter and honey!

Happy Baking from The Land of 10,000 Bakes,

Nicole

Sourdough Butter Swim Biscuits

This recipe makes 9 tall and fluffy biscuits. The sourdough discard gives them a perfectly tender and chewy inside while the butter bath creates a crispy golden crust.

Ingredients

• 140 grams all purpose flour

• 1 tablespoon (12g) granulated sugar

• 2 teaspoons (10g) fine sea salt

• 4 teaspoons (18g) baking powder

• 750 grams sourdough discard

• 42 grams unsalted butter, melted

• 113 grams salted butter, melted

Method

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt and baking powder.

2. To the flour mixture, add your sourdough discard. Use a spoon to stir the discard into the flour until no dry flour remains. Add the melted unsalted butter and stir until thoroughly combined.

3. Pour the melted salted butter into an 8”x8” baking pan. Rotate the pan so the butter is coating the bottom completely.

4. Pour your biscuit batter into the pan and use your hands or a spoon to press and spread the batter into the pan evenly. Using a non-metal cutting tool such as a plastic bench scraper, cut your biscuit batter into 9 biscuits.

   

5. Bake the biscuits for 22-26 minutes until golden brown on the tops and sides. Remove from the oven and carefully cut biscuits along the score lines. Serve immediately with your favorite toppings- I personally love a generous smear of butter and drizzle of honey.

6. Biscuits can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days but should be reheated before enjoying for best taste and texture. Slice and toast leftover biscuits for an easy weekday breakfast!

   

It’s time for mathletes and pie enthusiasts to rejoice - Pi Day is finally here!

If I was forced to pick only one baked goods staple to enjoy the rest of my life, I’d be perfectly fine never seeing another cake or cookie again as long as I still got to enjoy a slice of flaky perfection whenever I please. From mountains of fruit to layers of savory fillings, pie is perhaps the only baked good that you can have a slice of for every meal and still end up with a fairly balanced diet. This year I made a blueberry almond pie on a bit of whim and ended up with one of my favorite pies I’ve ever made. I’ll be sharing the recipe for it at the end of this post. First up though, a little history about this infinitely delicious day.

The assumption I often see is that Pi Day existed as a strictly math focused holiday until bakers got their flaky hands involved and turned it into the pastry centered day many of us know and love. If you do a little digging though, you’ll learn that the first Pi Day celebration was organized by Larry Shaw- who, with boombox in hand, led staff and members of the public in a rousing Pi Day celebration that included marching in circles at the museum he worked at and consuming an array of fruit pies. - A Slice of Pi Day History

I love this photo of Larry Shaw. He’s exactly what you would want in a man many affectionately called the Pi Day Prince- someone with a slighty mad scientist appearance, a cheeky little grin and a shirt that let us know he not only appreciated science but a good time as well. Even better if that good time came in the form of a slice of pie. Staying true to the origins of the Pi Day celebration, I decided to make a fruit pie for my own celebration utilizing ingredients I’ve been meaning to use up.

This time of year, I am anticipating the start of Spring foraging. Where I live, it may very well be another two months before I can uncover anything worth gathering but that doesn’t dampen my excitement. To prepare for this year’s foraged goods, I am starting to bake through my cupboards and freezers. Ridding myself of ingredients that once felt too precious to use in the moment so I stashed them away for a special occasion, until they were buried and forgotten. For this bake I pulled wild blueberries, almond flour and wildflower honey from my freezer and cupboards to create a pie that is truly a step up from your average blueberry pie.

My blueberry almond pie features a layer of luscious almond cream, otherwise known as frangipane. Think, almond croissant. It’s nutty flavor and creamy, almost fudge like consistency plays beautifully with the bright wild blueberry jam layer that sits above it. Everything is then wrapped up in a hearty and nutty wholewheat crust. This is my first foray into the world of whole wheat pie crust and honestly, I may never go back. This crust is made using whole wheat and white all purpose flour from Sunrise Flour Mill. I am a huge fan of their flours and wanted to highlight them in this bake. Full disclosure - I am an affiliate with them but I promise not to turn this newsletter into HSN. I just truly love their flour and am excited they trusted me enough to give me a link to save new customers a little bit of money.

Ok, back to the pie! I have a penchant for decorating bakes in a way that hints at the flavors within so I finished it off by making a cute little blueberry branch out of honey marzipan as a nod to the almond, blueberry and honey flavors within.

This pie started as a way to clear the cupboards and ended with a beautiful bake that I am so incredibly proud of. I hope you consider adding it to table for your next pie centered celebration!

Happy Pi Day and Happy Baking from The Land of 10,000 Bakes,

Nicole

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Blueberry Almond Pie with Flaky Whole Wheat Crust

Ingredients

For the Crust

• 260g whole wheat flour

• 260g all purpose flour

• 3t salt

• 130g vegetable shortening

• 226g unsalted butter

• 8-12T ice water

• For the egg wash: 1 large egg yolk and 1t water

• Demerara sugar to top

For the Blueberry Filling

• 750g frozen wild blueberries

• 250g wildflower honey

• 2t lemon zest

• 1T lemon juice

• 110g water, divided

• 35g cornstarch

• 43g unsalted butter

For the Almond Cream

• 85g unsalted butter, room temperature

• 85g wildflower honey

• 114g almond flour

• 1t almond extract

• 25g all purpose flour

• 1 large egg, room temperature

For the Marzipan Decorations

• 80g almond flour

• 3T honey

• Desired gel food colors

Instructions

Make the crust

1. In a large bowl, whisk together both flours and salt. Add vegetable shortening and using your fingertips, work it into the flour until most of it has been worked into coarse crumbs. Working the shortening in helps create a tender and easy to work with crust.

2. Add your butter in 1/2” chunks. Press the chunks into large flattened shards. Leaving the butter in large, relatively untouched pieces is what will help create layers in your crust.

3. Add the ice water a few tablespoons at a time, tossing after each addition, until mixture just holds together when squeezed in your hand.

4. Turn your dough onto a clean surface and gather and knead it a couple times until it comes together, making sure not to overwork it. We’re making pie crust, not bread!

5. Divide dough into two equal sized discs, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Make the blueberry jam filling

1. In a large sauce pan, add frozen blueberries, honey, lemon zest, lemon juice and 55g of water.

2. Heat oven medium high heat, occasionally giving it a gentle stir until mixture begins to boil. Turn heat down to low and allow it to simmer for 15 minutes, gently stirring every few minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together the other 55g of water and cornstarch to form a slurry.

3. After 15 minutes, add the cornstarch slurry and stir constantly for an additional 1-2 minutes until mixture has thickened. Take off heat, add the butter and stir to combine.

4. Place the blueberry jam in the refrigerator until completely chilled.

Make the almond cream

1. In a medium mixing bowl, use an electric beater to cream together the butter and honey until light and fluffy.

2. Add the almond flour and beat until combine. Then add almond extract, flour and egg. Beat until combined then refrigerate until ready to use.

Roll out your pie crust and bake pie

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. On a lightly floured surface, take one of the discs of dough and roll it out until it forms a 12” square, then fold into quarters and roll again until a little less than 1/8” thick. Rolling and folding and rolling again will create lots of flaky layers in your crust.

3. Transfer the crust to your pie plate, lifting and allowing it to fall into place. Trim excess dough so you have approximately 1” of overhang off the edge of your pie plate.

4. Roll out your second disc of dough using the same method. You can then either create a lattice like I have done by cutting your crust into 1” strips and weaving them together or leave it whole. If creating a lattice, weave it on a piece of parchment paper and then place in the freezer until you’re ready to top your pie. This will make it easier to transfer.

5. Fill your pie starting with the almond cream. Give it a stir, spoon it into your pie and then smooth it out using a spoon or small offset spatula. Then add the blueberry jam and smooth it out.

6. Lift or carefully slide your top crust and gently place it on top of your pie. Trim, fold and crimp as desired. If you are creating a design such as I have, you will need to trim your lattice. Then fold the bottom crust edge over the lattice and press, crimping the edges as desired. If you have left your top crust whole- don’t forget to cut some steam vents in the top of your crust.

7. Make an egg wash by combining egg yolk and water in a small bowl. Brush top crust and edges with egg wash and sprinkle with demerara sugar.

8. Bake pie for 20 minutes at 425 degrees. Then lower oven to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 50-60 minutes, until the blueberry filling starts to bubble up. If edges get dark long before your pie is done, wrap the edges with tinfoil. Keep in mind though that a crust made with wholewheat will be darker than your average pie crust.

9. Once the blueberry is bubbling through, remove the pie from the oven and allow it to cool completely. Meanwhile make your marzipan decorations if desired.

10. In a small mixing bowl, use a spoon and your hands to stir and knead together the almond flour and honey. Mixture will be slightly sticky but if it’s too sticky to work with you made need to add a little bit of additional almond flour. Color and mold as desired. Then decorate your pie!

11. Serve and enjoy!

    

Happy Pancake Day to all who celebrate!

When trying to land on a pancake day topic, I struggled a bit. I know- pancakes. The great creative roadblock! I read articles on the history of Shrove Tuesday and the maple syrup crisis. As well as countless pancake recipes that made me wonder if it was even necessary for me to throw yet another into the mix. There is a surprising amount of history and issues currently surrounding what is arguably, a very simple food.

And so I decided, that maybe it’s OK for me to let pancakes just be simple. To not overthink the role they play in my day to day life. I could sit down with one of my dinner plate sized pancakes, drowning in maple syrup all the way to it’s crispy butter fried edges and ask for a year’s worth of sins to be forgiven. Or, I could grab a bite here and there while playing with my cat, asking Paul how his day was and just be thankful that dinner has been taken care of with relatively few dishes to wash up. Pancakes, for me, have always played the role of being an easy way to create joy in busy or stressful times. Now in a time when many need a little comfort and familiarity, I find myself embracing and making this familiar food more than ever.

Growing up, pancakes were a weekend highlight that occasionally crossed over into the childhood wonders of having breakfast for dinner. What was simply a way for my parents to make ends meet when it was the end of the month, bills were due and my mom needed to figure out how to feed our family of four, is undoubtedly a core memory for me. There is nothing like being handed a golden, butter dredged pancake on a Tuesday night. It feels like you are breaking all the rules. I still recall the kid level excitement my brother and I had looking at each other across our rambler’s living room when I asked my mom what’s for dinner and she replied with “pancakes!” That is, as long as the word “pancakes” wasn’t prefaced with the word “oatmeal.” The one version I still haven’t grown up enough yet to enjoy.

Throughout the years though, my mom made many different versions of pancakes that I did love and still make to this day. In high school, I learned that eating crepes was not a common childhood experience for most in my small rural Minnesota town but, came in handy when we had to make them in french class one day. I might not be able to recall much of the french language beyond ordering steak or complaining about a headache, but I fondly remember the day I got to show off my crepe skills. In fact, if you’re into sourdough and need a way to use up a lot of discard, I have a really simple and wonderful recipe for sourdough crepes on my website.

Another childhood favorite was the Dutch baby or, as we called them in my house, pannenkoekens. In the world of pancakes, these are certainly the king of low effort-high reward as a hot pan and a thin egg based batter work together to create a breakfast spectacle. In the fall, I especially love making my cinnamon apple version that I top with homemade apple cider syrup. You can find that recipe on my Instagram.

No matter how you choose to celebrate this glorious day, and yes it is glorious; I hope it is filled with crispy edged, golden, comforting carbs! And, if you are a lover of the classic American style pancakes, I have one final recipe for you- my malted sourdough pancakes, which you can find below.

This recipe features a hefty amount of sourdough discard, malted milk powder and mini chocolate chips making for an incredibly fluffy and flavorful stack of pancakes. So often sourdough discard pancake recipes either only use just enough discard to be able to use the trendy “sourdough discard” recipe tag or, they are so dense and gummy they could survive a game of frisbee golf. I put a lot of work into my sourdough discard recipes making sure they always use enough discard to make a difference but are also pleasant to eat. This one is no exception.

These are a weekend staple in our household and hopefully they’ll become one in yours as well!

Happy Baking from The Land of 10,000 Bakes,

Nicole

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Malted Sourdough Pancakes

The amount of pancakes this recipe makes depends on the size of your scoop but I typically use a 2/3c measuring cup making six pancakes total.

Ingredients

• 260g all purpose flour (2 cups)

• 12g granulated sugar (1 tablespoon)

• 25g malted milk powder (3 tablespoons)

• 8g fine sea salt (1 1/2 teaspoons)

• 15g baking powder (3 teaspoons)

• 6g baking soda (1 teaspoon)

• 170g mini chocolate chips (1 rounded cup)

• 250g sourdough discard (1 cup)

• 325g milk (1 1/4c)

• 2 large eggs

• 5g vanilla extract (1 teaspoon)

• 57g unsalted butter, melted (1/4 cup)

• salted butter and syrup (or topping of choice) for cooking and serving

* While having ingredients at room temperature always helps to create a better rise in baked goods, or in this case pancakes, I have tested this recipe both with ingredients at room temperature and straight from the fridge. If you’re like me, you don’t always want to wait for things to warm up in the morning before making breakfast. I am happy to say that both approaches created great results!

Method

1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, malted milk powder, salt, baking powder, baking soda and mini chocolate chips. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together sourdough discard, milk, eggs and vanilla until thoroughly combined. It takes a little time and elbow grease for the discard to be fully incorporated but it’s important to make sure that it is for best flavor and texture.

3. Once your discard mixture is thoroughly combined, whisk in the melted butter.

4. Pour your sourdough mixture into your dry ingredients and whisk or stir gently. You want to be left with a thick, lumpy batter so take care of all the dry pockets but DO NOT over do it. Leaving your batter lumpy is what creates a tall and fluffy pancake.

5. Let your batter sit for 10-15 minutes before cooking. This short but important rest gives time for the baking powder to do its thing as well as allows the flavor of the malted milk and sourdough to fully develop. Your batter will become bubbly and expand slightly during this time.

6. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once heated, add a small pat of salted butter, turn heat down to medium low and add your batter. Use your measuring cup or a spoon to spread it out slightly.

7. Cook on medium low heat until edges are set and bubbles come to the surface and pop across the pancake. You can lift the edges with your spatula to see how golden the cooked side is but this typically takes 2-3 minutes.

8. Flip your pancake and cook an additional 1-2 minutes until it’s lightly golden and the center is fully cooked. Serve pancakes immediately with butter and maple syrup or whatever toppings you desire!

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You never know what can come from a chance meeting but after crossing paths with Stephanie Hansen on the hottest day of the year at the Minnesota State Fair, I found myself on one of the coldest days of the year, loading up my stand mixer, a tub of ingredients, and three Bundt cakes to drive three and a half hours for my second adventure into baking on camera. When I was asked to be a guest on “Taste Buds with Stephanie,” there was no scenario or polar vortex in this world that would keep me from answering her invite with an eager “absolutely!”

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This episode was all about chocolate which, if you know me, is a little ironic since I am not the biggest chocolate person in the world but again, I was excited and set my own taste buds aside for the opportunity. When Stephanie said it should be something that a home cook could easily create, I immediately landed on a Bundt cake. With Nordic Ware’s USA headquarters based in Minnesota, Bundt cakes are a staple here and despite cakes notoriously not being my thing, I do love a good Bundt cake.

For this cake, I wanted to use ingredients to help boost that chocolate flavor. Coffee is a very common way to do this but another way is by using red wine. To further enhance those chocolate notes, I chose to use blackberry wine from a winery local to me in LaPorte, MN called Forestedge Winery. I have participated in their annual art fair in recent years and knew their blackberry wine would help bring out those bright berry notes found in dark chocolate. Wine also provides an acidity to this cake which helps in both flavor as well as creating a tender and moist crumb.

I will admit that this cake is a bit involved for a Bundt cake but I promise it’s worth the extra effort. It is topped off with a silky ganache that Stephanie praised for it’s mouth feel. I always like to add a bit of butter to my ganache when using it to top a cake like this and I even added a splash of raspberry liqueur to again enhance those berry notes found in chocolate. If you’ve been looking for a new chocolate cake recipe, I hope you’ll give this one a try!

Happy baking from the land of ten thousand bakes,

- Nicole

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Chocolate and Blackberry Bundt Cake

While I often use a scale for my baking, I find when talking with most home bakers, that is still far away from being the standard. So for this recipe, having been created with home cooks/bakers in mind, I have used volume measurements.

Ingredients

For The Cake:

• 1 3/4c all purpose flour

• 1 1/2t baking soda

• 1t salt

• 1/2c blackberry wine, room temperature

• 1/2c sour cream, room temperature

• 2T raspberry liqueur, room temperature

• 4oz unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped

• 1/4c dutched cocoa powder

• 1/2c hot water

• 1 1/4c + 1/2c granulated sugar, divided

• 4 large eggs + 2 egg yolks, room temperature

• 3/4c unsalted butter, cut into chunks and softened

For Dusting the pan:

• 2T vegetable shortening, melted

• cocoa powder for dusting

For the ganache:

• 8oz dark chocolate, finely chopped

• 1c heavy cream

• 3T unsalted butter, cubed and softened

• 1T raspberry liqueur

• 1t vanilla extract

• 1 pint of blackberries for topping

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees farenheit. Prepare Bundt pan by brushing the inside with melted shortening and dusting with cocoa powder. Make sure pan inside incompletely coated for a clean release. In a medium pot, heat 1” of water until simmering.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a liquid measuring cup, combine wine, sour cream and raspberry liqueur. Set aside.

3. When your water has begun simmering, combine chopped chocolate, cocoa powder and hot water in a heat proof bowl. Place bowl on top of the pot of simmering water, turn the heat down to low and using a rubber spatula, constantly stir chocolate mixture until melted and combined. It will resemble a thick frosting when it is ready. Remove bowl from heat and stir in 1/2c sugar until mixture is smooth and glossy.

4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add your eggs and egg yolks. Whisk on low for 30 seconds until combined. Add remaining 1 1/4c sugar and whisk on high until light and fluffy and tripled in volume. This will take 2-3 minutes.

5. Switch to a paddle attachment and pour in your chocolate mixture. Mix on medium until well combined, about 1 minute, scrape down the bowl. With the mixer on medium speed, add your butter a chunk at a time, allowing 10 seconds between each addition. Once all the butter has been added, scrape down the bowl and make sure there are no visible butter chunks. Mix on medium for another 30 seconds. Mixture will be lighter in color and texture.

6. Add your flour mixture in three separate additions, rotating with two additions of the wine mixture. Beat on medium speed and scrape down the bowl after each addition of flour. After your final flour addition, mix on medium for 30 seconds. Give the bowl a final stir by hand.

7. Spoon your batter into the prepared Bundt pan, giving it a couple taps and smoothing out the top. Bake for 40-45 minutes until a tester comes out with only a few loose crumbs.

8. Let your Bundt cool for 15 minutes before turning it out of the pan. Allow Bundt to cool completely before topping with ganache and berries.

9. Once your cake is cool, make your ganache by placing your chocolate in a heat proof bowl. In a small pan, heat your heavy cream over medium heat until bubbles form all around the edge of the pan. Pour hot cream over chocolate. Add your butter and let everything sit for 2 minutes. It is important to let ingredients sit before stirring to help prevent splitting.

10. Combine your mixture by taking a whisk and starting at the center, slowly whisk until mixture the begins to combine then slowly work to the edge of the bowl. Once the ganache is combined and smooth, gently whisk in your liqueur and vanilla. Allow mixture to cool to desired consistency before pouring/spreading onto cake.

11. Using a spoon or pastry bag, drizzle or pipe your ganache on top of your cake. Top with fresh blackberries and enjoy!

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With the match-up being a repeat from two years ago and one of the teams going for a three-peat, I think this year’s Super Bowl has most of us simply cheering for the food. Team pizza and mozzarella sticks over here - basically I just want as much melted cheese as it will take in order for me to forget my sports fan woes.

It might surprise some of you but I have a lifelong love of football and the disenchanted Vikings fan mentality to prove it. The flashbacks of the 1998 season when ‘he who shall not be named’ went wide left will never leave my mind. Picture if you can, 12 year old Nicole running out of the house in the middle of January, screaming like she would never feel hope again. Which, as a Vikings fan, I probably won’t.

My team’s perennial disappointment is your gain though, as someone who has never gotten to experience the bliss of cheering for their team in the nation’s biggest sporting event, I have had a lifetime to perfect an array of Super Bowl foods. Today I’m going to share with you my pizza dough recipe and techniques for crafting artisan pizzas at home that will impress and delight every Swiftie, Eagles parolee, and fried food enthusiast.

My pizza dough incorporates several different techniques and ingredients that work together to give you a crisp, chewy and open crumb crust whether you use a home oven or an outdoor pizza oven. The use of two different flours is what gives you that signature artisan pizza texture as 00 flour creates a crisp exterior while bread flour creates a wonderfully chewy pizza crust interior. The open crumb comes from using a high hydration dough and at just over 70% this one sits between what you expect for a neopolitan (typically 60%-65%) and a detroit style pizza (typically over 70%). High hydration doughs can be intimidating at first but with my tips for handling, you’ll find that its actually a very easy dough to work with. Plus, this recipe is easily adaptable for either an overnight or same day rise.

Sidenote— If you watched me bake my way through The Great American Baking Show, you may remember that during bread week our technical was to make two 12” margherita pizzas. My pizza habit paid off with this challenge as I was able to secure the second of my three technical wins. Here is a clip of me rolling two balls of dough that my story producer worked his butt off to fill with innuendos but, sadly to many and to the relief of someone whose family watched, the American version almost always cuts them out.

Artisan Pizza

Makes 2 12”-14” pizzas or 3 10”-12” pizzas

I will be posting some reels on my Instagram if you would like some video visuals for any of my methods.

Ingredients

• 230g 00 flour

• 260g bread flour

• 1/4t - 1/2t yeast - If you want to do an overnight rise that will take 14-20 hours, use 1/4t. If you are mixing this up in the morning to rise while you are at work or do other things, use 1/2t. If I’m doing same day rise, I usually want to allow for at least 6 hours of rise time, preferably 8-10.

• 1t granulated sugar

• 2 1/2t salt

• 350 grams lukewarm water

• all purpose flour and semolina for dusting

• Desired sauce and toppings

Method

Mixing the dough:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together both flours, sugar, yeast and salt. Add water and stir together with a spoon until a shaggy dough forms.

2. Using your hands, continue mixing the dough for a few minutes until all of the flour is thoroughly incorporated. This is a wet dough so you’ll get messy but using your hands is key to feel for flour pockets. Stretch and knead the dough in the bowl as your mix. This is technically a no-knead recipe but adding a few stretch and folds while you’re mixing never hurt anything.

3. Cover and let dough rise at room temperature until it has at least doubled in size and air bubbles and pockets are clearly visible all across the top. Follow the timeline according to the amount of yeast you used.

Dividing and shaping the dough:

1. Flour your work surface, turn the dough out of the bowl and using a knife or a bench scraper, divide your dough into desired portioned. If you want to make two larger pizzas, divide it into two 420g portions. If you want to make three smaller pizzas then divide into three 280g portions. I typically like to meet in the middle by making a round of cheesy bread to start with using a 240g portion of dough and then two pizzas using two 300g portions of dough. It’s really up to you how you’d like to divide your dough!

2. Now it’s time to shape your dough into balls. First, bring the edges of the dough into the center and press. Repeat until your dough roughly looks like a ball. Then, on a floured work surface, use the palm of your hand and fingers to gently roll the ball in a circular motion while simultaneously pulling it towards you. This motion helps create tension on the surface of your dough for structure while forming it into a ball shape.

3. Once you have created a nice little ball of dough, set it aside and cover gently with plastic wrap. Repeat with each ball of dough. Allow them to rest and rise, covered for 30-60 minutes as your oven heats up.

4. Now is the time to start your oven to allow it properly heat up.

   1. If you are using an outdoor pizza oven, you probably already have a way you bake pizzas and don’t need me telling you how to do it. However, I will still share my approach here just incase you have struggled using a pizza oven. Since my pizza oven is a smaller Ooni, I heat it up to 725-750 degrees on medium/high heat and then turn it down to low before launching my pizzas and while baking to prevent them from catching on fire.

   2. If using a regular home oven, place your oven rack on the lower third of your oven. Put a pizza stone on the rack and set the oven to 500 degrees. Using a pizza stone in the lower portion of your oven combined with the high heat will help create a crisp and airy artisan style crust.

5. Also use this time to prep all of your toppings. Precook any raw meats as they won’t be in the oven long enough to cook.

Shape your crusts: It is important to only shape one crust at a time and to do it immediately before topping and baking.

1. High hydration dough can be handled multiple ways depending on your comfort level. I’ll go over each method and over time, I believe you’ll find yourself tossing dough in the air like you run your own pizzeria.

   1. Beginner: Flour your work surface and gently press and stretch your dough starting in the center and working towards the edge. Add flour as necessary to both your surface and hands to prevent sticking. Continue pressing and gently stretching until it reaches desired size.

   2. Intermediate: Dust the outside of your dough with flour. Then pick it up and working quickly, hold it near the center with your fingertips. Working quickly, rotate it with your finger tips working towards the edge as it stretches. This method used primarily the weight of the dough to stretch it out. You can also tent it over the backs of your hands and slowly pull your hands apart to stretch the dough out as you rotate it. Dust with more flour as needed.

   3. Advanced: Dust the outside of your dough with flour. Then drape the dough over the back side of your hands and fingers and using a quick rotating and flicking motion, toss your dough into the air. Repeat this process and as your dough stretches out, you may need to use your other hand to help support the dough when tossing. While option b is usually my go-to method, this one always impresses guests.

2. Once your crust is shaped and stretched, dust your work surface with semolina and press and rotate the bottom of your crust onto the semolina to lightly coat. Then, dust more semolina on either your pizza peel (if baking in an outdoor pizza oven) or on parchment paper that is laid on top of a pizza peel (if baking in a home oven) and carefully transfer your crust.

Top and bake your pizzas

1. Work quickly to top your pizza as the longer the dough sits on the peel, the greater chance it has to stick to the peel when trying to launch. If baking in an outdoor oven, use a lighter hand when saucing and topping your pizzas. Indoor ovens can handle more so keep that in mind while creating your pizzas.

2. Baking in a pizza oven: launch your pizza into your oven and keep an eye on it the entire time. Rotate it 180 degrees after the first 45-60 seconds. Continue rotating every 20-30 seconds until your crust is puffed, slightly blistered and the cheese is melty and bubbly. Remove from oven and serve immediately.

3. Baking in a home oven: keep your pizza on the parchment and slide the parchment onto the baking stone. Bake your pizza for 10-12 minutes until crust is puffed, lightly browned or blistered in spots and cheese is bubbling and melty. Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Happy baking from the land of ten thousand bakes!

-Nicole