Mummy Babka Bread for Halloween

If anyone follows my IG you know that over the COVID quarantine I got a little obsessed with making babka bread.  What's babka?? It's a delicious swirled bread that normally has a lot of chocolate and/or other fillings inside.

Here are some of the various ones I've made (and there are more!)

You can find most on my Insta account if you search #babka

Well, I had to make another one and Halloween it up.  I mean it seemed right for a mummy costume since it's already swirled and lots of bread twists already.

Once you have your sweet bread dough ready, roll it out into a large rectangle. I used white chocolate, coconut cream, cardamom, and a hemp seed mixture to spread all over for the filling. 

You can use anything you like really - just leave a border around and roll up like a jelly roll. Cut down the middle and start wrapping the layers around each other. 

Put into a loaf pan and let rise in a warm spot for about 30-40 minutes. 

I used a little dough to add mummy eyes!

After rising it should look nice and puffy. 

Bake until internal temperature reaches 190 F. Cover with foil if the top starts to get too brown. 

I added extra white chocolate, coconut cream, cardamom mixture on top, and also drizzled some melted white chocolate for a more mummy look. 

Use some black food color to add detail to the eyes!  Then just cut and serve.

Fun for any Halloween party!

Babka Dough Recipe

1 package instant yeast

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil

1/8 cup honey

1 egg

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup warm water

Directions:

• Mix yeast and warm water together and let sit for 5-10 mins
• Mix vanilla, oil, honey, egg, and salt together
• Add flour to bowl and add yeast mixture and mix until incorporated
• Add the other ingredients and mix until incorporated
• Turn out onto the counter and kneed until soft and pliable
• Cover and let proof until doubled in size
• Roll out to to 11X14 rectangle (save small portion for mummy eyes)
• Add filling and roll lengthwise into jelly roll
• Cut down center and twist each length around each other
• Add 2 eyes (1 larger circle with 1 smaller circle in center)
• Add to loaf pan and let proof again for 30-40 minutes
• Bake at 350 degrees until internal temperature is 190 degrees (cover with foil if the top starts to brown)
• Once semi-cooled add any extra filling as glaze 
• Melt vanilla chips and drizzle on top
• See this video on how to roll out, cut, and shape babka dough

Filling

1 cup vanilla chips (melted)

2 tablespoons coconut cream

2 teaspoons cardamom

2 Tablespoons hemp seed

Directions: Mix all together into a paste; save some for a glaze on top once babka is baked.

 

Peach Shaped Cookies

I've been trying to actually make some of my saved pins lately.  Are you like me and have a million pins and pin boards but haven't tried a lot of them?  These peach shaped cookies have been on my to do list for ages so I finally tried to make them.

They look more complicated than they are so I suggest trying them out!

The cookie is kinda like a cake cookie and the dough was a bit more fluid than I was expecting but needed to make the round shape.  Roll the dough into a 1-2 inch ball and set on baking tray.

Once they bake and cool, scoop out some of the inside to make room for the filling.  Add the cookie insides to some peach jam.  I made mine from scratch but you can use store-bought peach preserve or jam to speed up the process.  Mix until its like a peachy paste and add some between to halves.

Then onto the fun part.  Add some yellow food color to some peach liquor (peach schnapps!) and some red food color to another small bowl of liquor.  Paint cookie half yellow and half red to make it look like the outside of a peach. You don't have to be super precise and messy actually works best.

Roll cookie in some granulated sugar which will give the cookie the peach fuzz look.  It's pretty neat on how simple but effective this is!

Add some mint leaves as stems.

Let fully dry before storing or sharing for the end of summer (boo!) with some friends and family.

Pretty neat how easy this process was to look like a real peach.  Also very tasty and as I said they are a bit like a cake-y cookie.  Hard to believe summer is over already so enjoy some "peaches" before moving on to all the pumpkin spice of the season!

 The recipe I used can be found here on Italian Food Forever and the directions are simple so head over if you want to make them on your own too!

Harry Potter Goblet of Fire Name Cookies

 

I always love a good HP marathon on regular TV.  I know I can watch them on some of our streaming services but finding them movies on one of our regular channels and showing the movies back to back always makes me keep them on.

One of my favs is Goblet of Fire.  These cookies have all the names of those thrown into the goblet for the Triwizard tournament!

I had some left over sugar cookie dough which was a perfect amount for these cookies.  

I hand cut out the shapes based on a google search of what the scraps of paper with the names looked like:

Bake them up and let cool. You can even go a little darker on edges.

I added food color gel to some alcohol to dilute.   I used peach schnapps but you can use anything you like the alcohol dries and doesn't leave much flavor.

Mix colors as needed.  I added some back around the edges for the "burned" look.  I even held the cookies over some flame for an even more burnt effect. 

Add the names with either royal icing or I used black melted candies.

I love the way they came out!

Until the next Harry Potter marathon!  What's your fav HP movie? (if you can pick one!)

Marvel's Loki God of Mischief Cookies

Disney+ definitely has it right with their series list and schedule. Between Star Wars and Marvel shows they have a captive audience every week.    The next Marvel series coming out this June is Loki! 

 

You know Loki, Thor's brother, the God of Mischief.  We can't really tell if he's truly Good or Evil (probably both) or Alive or Dead (probably both!).  He flips back and forth in these statuses throughout the movies so I can't wait to see what the 6 series show has in store.

Made some cookies in anticipation.

Used my favorite sugar cookie dough that holds its shape.  I always use this recipe from In Katrina's Kitchen which works great every time I make 3D'ish cookies.  Just tint the dough and you use it like play-doh.  Definitely do not refrigerate the dough.  I did for some and they didn't bake up as nicely.

I put Loki in his gold helmet and also gave him his scepter.

Also added in the logo from the new series and worked on some buttons from some of the show screenshots.

Kawaii Loki is super cute!

I might also be on board for "Loki for President" but will see what the series has in store for us.

Some other character cookies you may like:

Star Wars Cookie - Princess Leia, Ahsoka, Hera, Loth cats, and Baby Yoda

Marvel's Wanda Vision Character Cookies

Star Wars The Bad Batch Madeleine Cookies

 

I am loving the Disney+ release schedule because between Marvel and Star Wars me and my oldest are set for years!

The latest Star Wars animated series continues the Clone Wars saga and gives some new perspective.  My oldest kiddo has loved the clones since they came out in the Attack of the Clones so this new Bad Batch Force 99 is right up his alley.

Used my madeleine pan again (yay!)  to make some red velvet ones

And then decorated with candy melts in shades of white, grey, black, and red.

I *think* they kinda look like the Bad Batch trooper helmets but may not? And in case you're not familiar that's Crosshair, Tech, Hunter, and Wrecker

Regardless they were red velvet tastiness and great to chomp on while watching the series!

Happy Friday and Can't wait until the next Marvel series, Loki!

Marvel's WandaVision Character Cookies

 

I'm so glad Marvel Studios made some alternate plans for show series since we're all stuck at home.  Our family has been watching WandaVision and we're hooked! 

It started out way different with Scarlet Witch and Vision in some old TV sitcom series but it has really taken off now and I'm curious to see how they pull this all together.  I can't even really give you a plot or who is good versus who is bad.  Just watch it for yourself!

Of course I had to make some treats to celebrate the show!  I went with no spread cookies in some of the show's characters. 

 This is my favorite no spread cookie dough recipe by In Katrina's Kitchen. It works great everytime!

Mix in edible food gels (or you can also go with natural food colors) and then just shape your cookies.

It's a little like using play-doh and really fun.

I used some of the new WandaVision emojis from Twitter when you hashtag some of the WandaVision keywords. They are super cute!

#Wanda and  #TheVision or #WandaVision

I also had to do the twins from other pics

Some of the supporting characters are my favs!

Agnes the neighbor - although there is more to her than meets the eye!

Wanda's brother Pietro (or is he?!)

Darcy - love her from the Thor movies and she brings the same to WandaVision

And

Monica Rambeau - I'm sure she's got a back story to tell too!

I love them all together!

Can't wait to see how this series wraps up

I totally agree WandaVision! Looking forward to the next episode tomorrow!