Smaller is always better – Cinnamon brioche bites

Posted on June 24, 2014 by petitedecadence

Cinnamon brioche bites

Most bakers love bite-sized things. They’re just irresistible to make. There’s something about seeing a small army of pastries, all properly lined up on baking sheets waiting for their time in the oven. And when dressing, rolling, cutting or stuffing, there’s a strange pleasure to be found in doing the same thing for each one of the small baked goods, trying to get them as even as possible. (Or maybe I’m slightly obsessive and find this satisfying…). But who can deny the appeal of a basket filled with bite-sized treats? No one. And I’ll tell you why; if you had a basket of regular-sized croissants sitting on your breakfast table, the most you could grab in one sitting, without losing face in front of your breakfasting companions, is one lonely piece. And pushing it, you could eat half of this piece with one topping and the other with a different one. But if you have a basket full of mini-croissants… the possibilities are endless! Because no one will judge you if you spread nutella on one, take another one and smear some butter and marmalade on it, take a third one and dip it in your milk, or even if you take a fourth one to accompany a little bit of ham and cheese you had left over on your plate. That’s the beauty of bite sized. Small pastries just keep telling you to eat them because they know they’re so small that what could be the harm in just one more? And they’re absolutely right. Such is the case with these fluffy, buttery, cinnamon stuffed mini-brioches. It’s like just eating the center of a brioche-a-tete several times over. Because once you have one you will have to have a second one and quite possibly a third one. And that’s ok. No one will judge you.
Read more for the recipe!
Continue reading →

Quick Treats – Baked cinnamon donuts

Posted on November 19, 2013 by petitedecadence

If you’re a foodie like me you might relate to the both terrible and awesome experience that is visiting a cooking/gourmet store. Endless shelves of stuff that you dream of having in endless supply, molds to bake any cookie or cake imaginable, all sorts of decorations, appliances that keep you from crying as you dice onions (Ok that one doesn’t exist, but what are you waiting for inventors??) shiny new knives, bowls of every size, and every kind of spice under the sun. It’s sheer torture. The truth is you’d need a kitchen the size of a soccer stadium and a wallet the size of Bill Gates’ to be fully satisfied at such a place… but still, every time I walk out of there with even just a little bag, I feel like a kid with a brand new toy. And that’s exactly what I got, a brand new toy for making baked donuts, which are way better than regular donuts….only because they’re not fried. Its strange, but I’ve never been a fan of donuts. I think they’re just too oily, or maybe too thick…or something else entirely which I can’t exactly pinpoint. But what’s great about my new toy is that it makes medium sized donuts that don’t require tons of oil… and baked donut recipes abound in the blog-pinterest-foodgawkersphere! So the very next day from getting my toy, I found this awesome recipe at The Chic life, which will give you freshly baked donuts in under half an hour. Yup, that’s right. You can bake them pre-breakfast! Because nothing compares to having a just baked, quick, easy delicious treat to accompany your morning coffee. Read more for the recipe! Continue reading →

Your cup of tea – Pear-cinnamon muffins

Posted on August 28, 2013 by petitedecadence

It’s rainy season (or hurricane season if you count the last three days) around here. Which means it’s tea time with a book season. Which in turn means it’s muffin, pound cake, cookies, crumpets and any other pastry you like to have with your tea season. (I’m actually lying. Cookie season is year round) And when you add to the weather tons of gifts of fruit because your friends who own fruit trees have way too much of it, you end up with muffins everyday. Assorted, too. Apple, banana, figs, or in this case, pears. This recipe will give you a simple, homey, spice-y and full of pear little cake. Made all the better by a creamy vanilla glaze, which has become my favorite when glazing fluffy baked goods. (like here) So, if you’re feeling like a quick treat to accompany you rainy afternoon, go and read more for the recipe!

Continue reading →

Peace and quiet – Apple cinnamon pound cake

Posted on October 29, 2012 by petitedecadence

I can’t remember when I was little and I came home tired from school to find that delicious smell of apple pie in the oven and finding my mom in an apron with a tall glass of cold milk and a big smile on her face. Mainly because my mom never baked apple pie, doesn’t like milk and she was rarely around when I came home from school (she did wear aprons though, and she cooked a lot, hence the me). So whenever I have apple pie-cake/chocolate cookies/glasses of cold milk, I pretend I do have that nonexistent memory, simply because it appears to be something that everyone has in spite of rarely anyone actually having a mom who did any such things. And pretending that makes me find so much peace and comfort in those classic flavors. Because even though it’s not something I learned when I was little, there’s something undeniable warm and homey about apple baked goods. I don’t know what it is, maybe it’s embedded somewhere in our unconscious, but there’s something about that smell, fresh from the oven, that makes me feel like I live right next to the orchard where those apples where lovingly hand picked and placed in an immaculate wicker basket, covered with a red and white checkered cloth and then brought inside, waiting eagerly to become a cake. It’s a pleasant image, and one not to hard to keep in mind as you munch away on your cake. This pound cake isn’t too sweet, so you can have it with your morning coffee or as mid-afternoon treat, and you won’t feel like you’re over-indulging. It’s not the kind of cake that will disappear in an instant but that will see you through three-four days, just sitting on your pantry, homey, familiar and warm. Ready to help you feel that comfort of fake memories, or if you’re lucky, real ones. Read more for the recipe. Continue reading →

The classics – whole wheat banana and cream crumble

Posted on April 19, 2012 by petitedecadence

After an eon of not posting anything (and I do have stuff to post! like pan seared artichokes and honey mustard glazed salmon with a wilted spinach and goat cheese salad…I just haven’t had the time to get to the actual posting part) I’m coming back with one of the absolute classics in my sweet stuff repertoire. And it’s just as good as it sounds in the title….. Yep. Just what you read. Bananas in sweet caramelised cream with a topping of crumble that melts in your mouth and golden sliced almonds. And no, I am not talking about something you can only try in heaven. Oh no…this dessert (or breakfast, or lunch, or dinner, or snack) is as easy to make as it is to commit sin. You’ll bake it in 5 minutes and watch as it disappears in 2.

I’m not exaggerating. In fact, I even doubted posting this recipe for the sake of everyone’s health. But hey, when have I ever concerned myself with that? (ok…..I have…but this is whole wheat, and brown sugar! I know…I know) But enough with singing it praises, go make it!

Continue reading →