Recipes from Baby Cakes Bakery

Lemon Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup sugar
1 cup finely shredded unpeeled zucchini (don’t squeeze or
dry)
¼ cup cooking oil
1 egg
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons lemon zest
 
For the glaze (optional, but why wouldn’t you?)
½ cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
 
Directions
1. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium-sized mixing bowl and set aside.
2. Combine sugar, zucchini, cooking oil, egg, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a separate bowl and mix.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the zucchini mixture and stir until just combined.
4. Pour batter into a greased loaf pan.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45–50 minutes or until golden brown.
6. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes, and then remove from the pan and cool completely.
 
Optional
7. Combine ingredients for glaze and drizzle over bread. If the bread isn’t cool, the glaze will soak into the bread and be even more lemony.

Apple Turnovers
Ingredients
1 lb. puff pastry (2 sheets) thawed according to package instructions
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (for dusting)
1¼ pounds Granny Smith apples (3 medium) peeled, cored,
and diced, ⅓ inch thick
¼ cup lightly packed brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
1 egg and 1 tablespoon water for egg wash
 
For the glaze
½ cup powdered sugar
1-2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
 
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Remove puff pastry from freezer and thaw.
2. Melt butter over medium heat in a medium pot. Add diced apples and cook, stirring occasionally until softened (5 minutes).
3. Reduce heat to low and stir in the brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Simmer until apples are soft and caramelized, and then remove from heat and cool.
4. Sprinkle the flour to prevent the dough from sticking and, using a rolling pin, roll the first sheet of thawed pastry to 11 inches square. Use a pizza cutter to cut into 4 equal squares.
5. Place cooled apple mixture in center of each square, leaving at least a ½-inch border.
6. Beat egg and water. Brush egg wash over edges of the pastry. Bring the edges together and crimp tightly along the edges with a fork to seal and cut 3 slits into top to allow pastries to vent.
7. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet, keeping the pastries at least 1 inch apart.
8. Place in the fridge for 20 minutes.
9. Remove the pastries from the fridge and brush the tops with the remaining egg wash and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown and puffed.
10. Combine the powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream and stir. If the glaze is too thick, add more heavy whipping cream until you get the desired consistency and drizzle glaze over the turnovers.

Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
1 cup softened butter
½ cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (absolutely no imitation)
¼ teaspoon salt
2½ cups flour
⅔ cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans
 
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together. Add the vanilla and salt. Slowly add the flour and mix until the dough comes together. It will be dry (don’t panic). Add the nuts and mix until combined.
3. Roll a small piece of the dough in your palms until it is about 1 inch in diameter.
4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the balls on the sheet, leaving an inch between each ball.
 
Variations—you can make three different types of cookies with this dough
1. Option 1: Russian Tea Cookies—bake for 10–12 minutes. When they are done, roll the cookies in powdered sugar.
2. Option 2: Press your thumb in the middle of the balls before baking. Bake for 10–12 minutes. Cool and then fill with jam (e.g., raspberry, apricot, strawberry).
3. Option 3: Press your thumb in the middle of the balls and bake 10–12 minutes. While the cookies are cooling, make icing.
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1½ teaspoons almond extract
Food coloring (optional, if you’re feeling really fancy)
1. Combine the powdered sugar, milk, and almond extract in a small bowl and mix well. If the mixture is too thick and dry, add a splash more milk. If using food coloring, separate the icing into separate bowls and place a drop of color into each.
2. Put a dollop of the icing in the centers of each cookie.