OVEN PROOF MEASURING CUP RECIPES

Steps:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine 1/2 cup of the water with the yeast and sugar. Stir to combine.
• Let the yeast mixture sit until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If it doesn’t foam, the yeast has expired and you’ll need to try again with a fresh batch.)
• Add the milk, butter, salt, and malt powder to the yeast mixture and stir to combine.
• With the mixer on medium speed, gradually mix in the flour.
• Continue to knead the dough until it is smooth, 5 minutes. Form the dough into a ball, then return to the mixer bowl.
• Transfer to the oven and let proof until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
• Weigh the dough and divide into 8 equal portions. For me, the portions weighed 72 grams each.
• Roll each portion of dough into long snakes. With each snake, form an upside-down U shape, and then cross one end over the other, leaving about 2 inches of tail.
• Cross the tails over each other once more to form a twist.
• Bring the twisted portion up to the top of the U shape and let tails hang over. Pull at the open sides to shape into a rounded pretzel. Repeat with the remaining dough.
• Place the pretzels on a sheet pan lined with parchment or a silicone baking mat. You should be able to fit 4 pretzels per sheet pan.
• Place the racks in the 2nd and 5th position.
• Whisk together the remaining 4 cups warm water with the baking soda in a large bowl or measuring cup. Gently submerge each pretzel in the bath and then return to the baking sheet.
• Sprinkle pretzel salt over each pretzel.
• Transfer to the oven to steam for 7 minutes.
• Leave the pretzels in the oven as it adjusts to bake mode. Continue to bake until the exterior is golden brown and the interior is fluffy, 12 to 15 minutes after the stage begins. You may want to crack open the oven at the beginning of this stage to help the steam escape.
• Serve with spicy mustard or cinnamon-sugar butter.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325°F. Grease and flour a 4-cup and a 2-cup oven-proof measuring cup. Place paper baking cup in each of 7 regular-size muffin cups.
• Make cake mix as directed on box using water, oil and eggs. Add almond extract and enough green food color to make light green batter; blend well. Fill 4-cup measuring cup with 2 cups batter. Fill 2-cup measuring cup with 1 cup batter. Divide remaining batter into muffin cups.
• Bake cupcakes 20 to 25 minutes, 2-cup measuring cup 30 to 35 minutes and 4-cup measuring cup 35 to 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove cupcakes from pan and cakes from measuring cups to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, in large bowl, beat butter and powdered sugar with electric mixer on low speed until blended. Mix in 3/4 cup milk, vanilla and enough green food color to make desired green colored frosting. If frosting is too thick, beat in more milk, a few drops at a time.
• Assemble and Decorate: Using serrated knife cut rounded tops off cakes baked in measuring cups to make a level surface. Place large cake, wider end down, on cake plate. Spread 1/4 cup frosting on top. Put small cake on top of large cake, wider end down. Spread 2 tablespoons frosting on top. Remove paper liner from 1 cupcake. Trim off rounded top of cupcake to flatten. Place cut side down on top of small cake. Spread 1 tablespoon frosting on top. Insert skewer through center of all cakes to secure tree. Break off pieces of one waffle cone to make top of cone even. Place cone, top side down, to form top of tree.
• Place frosting in resealable food storage bag or decorating bag. Cut 1/2 inch off corner of bag for tip of decorating bag. Starting at the base of the tree, pipe about a 1 inch dot of frosting. Use back of teaspoon, spread frosting vertically upward. Continue piping dots and spreading frosting around base of tree. Pipe another row of dots overlapping dots from previous row; spread vertically upward. Continue making and spreading dots to tip of cone. Place dot of frosting in tip of cone. Decorate tree with candy coated chocolate balls.
• To assemble and frost 6 mini trees, remove paper liners from remaining 6 cupcakes. If necessary, trim off rounded tops to flatten. Place cut side down on doilies or small individual plates. Break off pieces of 6 waffle cones to make tops of cones even. Place top side down to cover cupcakes, using frosting to secure cones on cupcakes. Using frosting in bag, pipe 1-inch dots around base of tree and use to teaspoon to spread frosting vertically. Continue making rows of dots and spreading them vertically upward to top of cone. Place dot of frosting on tip of cone. Repeat for remaining trees. Decorate trees with candy-coated chocolate balls.