Salted Caramels

Over the weekend, I made some caramel shortbread to bring to the Stockbridge Market. I mean, making shortbread, it seemed only natural to take it one step further and make caramel shortbread! Really, who doesn't love a rich, buttery piece of shortbread topped with gooey, chewy caramel and luscious chocolate?! Amen to that!

These caramels are deeeelish! Made with proper butter, cream, sugar and honey to give it that little bit extra special flavour. And what makes these even more divine, is the cracked sea salt that gets swirled inside and sprinkled on the outside. You know that salty sweet thing that makes your brain go...'wait...savoury? dessert?? I dont know!!!' Yeah, these are that awesome!













I wrap these dark golden gems up in parchment paper for that old fashioned look. I think there is something so satisfying about food wrapped in paper rather than neon coloured plastic. It almost makes food GOOD for you! Ha! I'm definitely living that mantra from now on. Food wrapped in paper = good for me. Yep, I'm implementing that asap!



I'm going to make these salted caramels a staple at the Market from now on, so make sure you come early and get yours! This past Sunday we sold out of them super quickly. I'll be making more for the Stockbridge Market coming up this weekend, March 25th. Be there or be without your salted caramels!!!

yuuuuumy!

Happy Baking!

xx

Mini Pinnies are the way forward!

As promised, here are the Mini Pinnies I made for market!!

These precious little smocks are the perfect way to get the little ones excited about being in the kitchen. Not only are they fun, they are comfortable (lined with super soft fleece), and they grow with the kids too! The arm holes are big enough to fit 1-3 year olds. How perfect it that!

I make these to order so if you want one made or have the fabric and want me to make it for you, just send me a note! I'd also love to hear what you think of these, so feel free to send me comments/criticism (constructive is best!!) in the comments section below. For everything else, you can email me at jennifer@pinniesandpoppyseeds.com!!                                                          

Happy Baking! xx

                                                                                       

   

Farmer's Market Fabulous!

What a great day! I did my first Farmer's Market on Sunday and, what can I say, I've caught the Market Bug! I had such a great time chatting to people, talking about shortbread and meeting all the great traders selling their amazing goods. The Market opened at 10, and it was jam packed with people ready to buy! I was dying to have a look around myself! But I very happily manned the stall to start giving out my little buttery delights :)

 Everyone was so gracious and lovely, and I got some really great feedback about the flavours and texture of the shortbread. I was surprised that so many people wanted to try the more exotic flavours! The stars of the show were (in no particular order, ehem):



All-Butter
Chocolate Chip
Cinnamon and Sugar
Coconut
Dark Chocolate and Orange
Cardamom and White Chocolate

This was my little set-up, using the picture frame blackboards to write out the flavours (it looked super cute!). I used soup cans wrapped in ribbon as cake stands and I think they really tied the table-scape (I owe that little nugget to Sandra Lee! my ahhhhhmazing sister, Kel) together. I should point out that I did owe that little 'table-scape' nugget to Sandra Lee (and if you don't know who she is, PLEASE look her up!! no words necessary!) but somebody....yeah....wanted a little shout out for their ribbon covered soup can situation. So, this one goes out to you Kel! I'm a grown woman and I can give credit where credit is due: Einstein level genius, right there.





These are the pinnies I made, one a traditional one piece, and the other a more vintage inspired piece. Because Mother's Day is approaching, I'll be making a few more for this weekend and I'll also be doing some Mini Pinnies, for the little ones!! I'll post some pics later this week. They are TO DIE for! The
                                                                                    perfect present for baking and cooking together in the
                                                                                    kitchen.





It was great to see so many people out! The weather was pretty kind to us all. A little blustery (think I'm still picking leaves out of my hair!).

So, thanks again for coming out over the weekend. If you didn't make it, I'll be at the Stockbridge Market again this weekend. Come out and show your support for local businesses. There will be lots of shortbread, pinnies and maybe a few other surprises!!




Happy Baking!

xx

The Countdown is ON!

I know I've been posting some pretty cool and carefree things lately...admit it, you're enthralled!  What I haven't done is make a peep about what's happening with Pinnies and Poppy Seeds the business. Well, the good news is that I've got all my ducks in a row! After loads of paperwork, phone calls, follow ups, filling, spreadsheeting and paying (the most annoying one!), Pinnies is finally an official business. I am a business OWNER! Woohoooo! And, aside from that (it has sort of come about in a very quick fashion) I will be at the Farmer's Market (where I've been dreaming of being) this weekend. So, in a bid to get myself prepared, I did a little trial run for cookies and presentation. I had a crafty week and decided to make some picture frame chalkboards to use as displays for the names of my shortbread. It was super fun and I think they came out A-dorable!

Once the panes of glass were completely dry, I rubbed the whole piece with chalk (to prep the surface to take chalk writing better) and  presto!!!

how cute is that?!









I'll be prepping today and tomorrow for the market on Sunday, so I'll be a very busy bee making tons- literally- of shortbread to feed the hopefully ravenous crowds. If you haven't been to it already, make sure you head down to the Stockbridge Market. It's all day, 10:00-5:00pm, and is a fantastic collection of local traders. Plus, I'll be there!! I am pleading to the weather gods that it doesn't snow or pour down...fingers crossed!!

Happy Baking!

xx

Bagels for Everyone!

Who doesn't love a good bagel? 

You won't see me turning my nose up at these!! I had a burst of bagel-ing inspiration a few weeks ago when I went into my local shop and saw the sad, meagre, spindly things called bagels staring up at me from the shelf. They looked so pathetic! 'How hard can it be to make a good bagel' I thought. So I came home totally revved up. When I looked online, there weren't too many different bagel recipes floating around. They were all pretty much a derivative of the same basic recipe. So I sheeped it and went with the crowd. 

I found this great recipe over at The Galley Gourmet and within a few hours, had these lovely little things!! If you love bagels and want a fun, quick and simple recipe, give these a go! There is seriously nothing more satisfying than taking your own, freshly baked bagels out of oven and smothering them in cream cheese!! This is what I did:

             
After you make the dough and let it rise, you shape the little rotund beauties and let them puff up again. Then, the fun part! You let them have a float in a bagel jacuzzi, for about 60 seconds on each side. Apparently, the longer they boil away, the chewier the crust becomes. That's just a special little tip I'm giving to you...we're pretty gosh darn nice here at Pinnies and Poppy Seeds :)








They don't take very long to bake. Obviously, ovens vary, and in my oven, 20 minutes was too long. I only needed about 15 minutes. But I recommend you just keep an eye on them and when they turn that beautiful eat-me-now golden brown, take em out! (And yes, that is a wok. Don't judge.)

Now go get yourself a good glob of shmear and have yourself a fabulous breakfast!

Happy Baking! 

xx