Have you looked to your right when you visit this blog? I was a Pilsbury Bake-off Contestant this year. The recipe that I made that qualified me to compete was the one in this post Mango Lemon-Drop Sunshine Puffs.
I know I usually post my recipe card from my recipe box, but I am going to post the one that Pilsbury made for me...because I can. :)
Here's the set up. I must have practiced making this recipe about a million times. I knew that when I would compete that I would only have 2' x 3' of counterspace. This part of my kitchen is exactly 2' x 3', and even though the competition is over, I still somehow gravitate toward making this recipe in this space. This picture is a bit misleading, too, because when I practiced (and competed), I used a hand mixer. I just love my pink Kitchenaid mixer, though, because it is pink :). I do love my ancient, circa 1980 hand mixer, too, but this pink Kitchenaid mixer is pink...and pink is important.
Step One: Zest two lemons, and then juice them, too. Zest them first. You can juice them first, but zesting is super messy that way.
I would just like to say that my microplane is MIA. I "zested" these with a little grater..that is for cheese...which is why my lemon zest looks weird...like cheese. Thank you for listening.
I would just like to say that my microplane is MIA. I "zested" these with a little grater..that is for cheese...which is why my lemon zest looks weird...like cheese. Thank you for listening.
Step Three: Add in lemon juice. Mix well.
If it is lumpy, that's ok. The coconut will cover that up/even that out.
If it is lumpy, that's ok. The coconut will cover that up/even that out.
Ok...I'm going to tell you what I do for this part, and I'm going to tell you why I do it... but feel free to dismiss this part :).
I take the crescent rolls out of the tube, and I leave them rolled up like this. I only work with one rectangle of crescents at a time. I learned from lots of practice runs that the crescents are easiest to work with when they are cold. I also learned that if the crescents are exposed to air for too long, they dry out a bit. And...I'm not sure if this is correct or not, but I think the colder the crescent dough is when they hit the oven heat, the butterier they smell and the puffier they puff. It may be my imagination, but I've made these a whole, whole bunch...and I am either an expert or completely dillusional...and I think I am ok with either one.
I take the crescent rolls out of the tube, and I leave them rolled up like this. I only work with one rectangle of crescents at a time. I learned from lots of practice runs that the crescents are easiest to work with when they are cold. I also learned that if the crescents are exposed to air for too long, they dry out a bit. And...I'm not sure if this is correct or not, but I think the colder the crescent dough is when they hit the oven heat, the butterier they smell and the puffier they puff. It may be my imagination, but I've made these a whole, whole bunch...and I am either an expert or completely dillusional...and I think I am ok with either one.
Step Five: For each rectangle, press the perforations together to seal. Here's how I do that:
...and then I lay the pinched part down zipper-style. I do not know if you can tell, but I push with my finger one way and then the other all the way down. Doesn't it kind of look like a zipper to you? You can do press perforations together any way you want...I just realized how weird my method sounds :).
Step Six: You can use a knife or a pizza cutter, but I like to use my kitchen shears for this part. Cut each rectangle in half lengthwise,...
...cut each strip in half, too,...
...and then cut each of those strips in half.
When you are through, each rectangle will yield eight squares. I start by doing this for two rectangles, and I arrange the squares on my baking sheet as I go.
When you are through, each rectangle will yield eight squares. I start by doing this for two rectangles, and I arrange the squares on my baking sheet as I go.
Step Seven: Put a rounded teaspoonful of the filling mixture in the middle of half the squares. This is a rounded teaspoonful. I use every bit of the filling. The rounded teaspoonfuls are just a good estimate.
All of these are ready to be topped off! I usually cut the rest of the crescent squares at this time. If the dough gets too dry, the dough won't stick together well.
Step Eight: Put another square of crescent dough on top so that there is a diamond shape on top of the square shape. It makes a sunshine shape. Cute, huh?
Step Nine: Bake for 9 - 14 minutes at 350 degrees.
Step Ten: While the puffs are in the oven, make the glaze. Put white chocolate chips and mango jam in a small saucepan.
Stir the white chocolate chips and jam together constantly over low heat until it all melts together. (Or if your oven is old like mine, stir over medium heat...because the "medium" setting now apparently means "low.")
(Yes, this is a different saucepan. This photo is actually from a different time that I made this recipe. This time I had actually doubled or tripled the batch which is why this batch of glaze looks like so much!) This is what it looks like when the glaze is all melted together. The warmer the glaze is, the easier it will be to spread.
I transferred the puffs to waxed paper just for photo's sake, but I usually just glaze the puffs right on the baking sheet.
Step Eleven: Coat the puffs with glaze. I just use the back of the spoon to spread the glaze. I'm from the South...we use what we've got :). I cover every crevice of the top of the puffs with this glaze.
Mango Lemon-Drop Sunshine Puffs
This recipe actually belongs to Pilsbury now. By entering my recipe into the contest, I gladly gave them the rights to it. To see the recipe and/or print it out, click here.
*Stay Tuned!* I will post some pictures from the contest in the next couple of days!
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