Black and White Creme Brulee

Black and White Creme Brulee - made February 27, 2012, chocolate mousse from Essence of Chocolate by John Scharffenberger and Robert Steinberg and creme brulee from Elegantly Easy Creme Brulee by Debbie Puente (book #198)

Still some "wet sugar" as it wasn't completely cool yet when I took the pic

We have a restaurant chain in my area called Piatti's.  I hardly ever go there but once, long ago, I remember having this dessert that was a two-layer creme brulee and chocolate mousse.  I've only had it once and it was years ago but you can imagine how much I liked that dessert since I still remember it to this day.  Sadly, the last time I went to Piatti's (also years ago), they no longer offered it.  I distinctly remember the chocolate mousse layer was on the bottom and the creme brulee layer was on top because part of the reason I enjoyed the dessert so much was the contrast of textures and temperatures: the crunchy yet warm caramelized top of the creme brulee juxtaposed against the chilly creaminess of the mousse and the vanilla custard.  When I once described this dessert to someone, they thought I must've remembered the order of the layers wrong, that the creme brulee custard was on the bottom and the chocolate mousse was on top.  Because how could you get the chilled mousse on the bottom when you had to bake the creme brulee custard on top?  The dessert was served in individual-sized ramekins and they were clearly made together.  But I absolutely knew the creme brulee was the top layer because it wasn't the mousse that was caramelized on top but the creme brulee.

The answer was obvious when I saw the recipe from Elegantly Easy Creme Brulee.  Traditional creme brulee is baked in ramekins, chilled then sugar is caramelized on top via broiler or handheld torch.  But this recipe calls for cooking the custard over a stovetop then chilling it once it was cooked, spreading it in whatever dessert dish you wanted it served in, then caramelizing the top.  Ha, problem solved.  I took the chocolate mousse recipe from Essence of Chocolate for what is essentially the same dessert I had in mind but I used the Elegantly Easy Creme Brulee recipe for the creme brulee so I could switch the order of the layers.

This endeavor started out easily enough.  The mousse was very easy to make.  Use the good chocolate (I used Valrhona).  I only let the chocolate-butter mixture cool for about 5 minutes before adding it to the yolks and it was fine.  Just keep whisking as you combine the two mixtures so they'll blend together smoothly.  Once I had the mousse, I spread it in 4 traditional creme brulee ramekins which are shallow and wide so you maximize the surface area of the bruleed top.  I covered each ramekin in plastic wrap and put them in the refrigerator to chill while I made the vanilla custard.  You want to give the mousse a head start in chilling since it'll be your base.

At first the vanilla custard was easy.  It's similar to making pastry cream or any other custard.  Heat the cream, let the vanilla bean (if using) steep in the hot cream to infuse the flavor into the cream.  Whisk the yolks, temper with the hot cream, put the cream mixture back to heat and cook gently until the mixture thickens.  Couldn't be simpler!  Except, I was trying to be true to the directions that called for cooking the mixture over the stove top for THIRTY minutes.  Boy, that was a mistake. And I wondered if it was a typo in the book. After less than 5 minutes, the mixture had thickened properly and I thought it should come off.  But I was still trying to follow the directions so I kept it on the heat.  Ugh.  Sure enough, the mixture "broke" and instead of a beautifully creamy mixture, I ended up with something that looked like really bad, grainy scrambled eggs.  I couldn't even salvage it by adding more cream to coax it back to life.  I had to scrap the whole thing and start over.  This time, I ignored the directions and went with my instincts.  The custard mixture thickened properly after less than 5 minutes so I took it off the heat, strained into a bowl, covered the custard directly with plastic wrap (to prevent a skin) and put it in the fridge to cool it from the initial heat.  Once the custard was no longer hot but wasn't chilled (I didn't time it exactly but I did a 35-minute workout while it was in the fridge so it was at least that long), I spread it over the chocolate mousse in the ramekins, covered them again, and put them to chill overnight.

Hmm, I would like to say the 2nd attempt worked.  But while it was better than the first attempt, it still wasn't quite right.  I think I undercooked it but then the texture was still slightly grainy which means it had gotten too hot or overcooked and was on its way to becoming scrambled eggs again if I hadn't taken it off the heat.  And when I bruleed the top after chilling for 24 hours, the custard nearly melted.  It definitely wasn't the smooth, creamy-firm texture of a good creme brulee.  More like a soft pudding.  I've made creme brulee successfully using the oven/water bath method but I don't think the stovetop method was a success.  I wonder if I just cooked it too fast or over too high a heat and 30 minutes MIGHT have been okay if my stove had been on the lowest possible setting.  But I didn't have it in me to make a third attempt, plus I'd run out of eggs and heavy cream by then so I gave up.  The only consolation was the mousse was good.  So if you want to try this recipe, you might find another creme brulee recipe or else bake the traditional way and pour over the mousse layer before it sets.  It might look a little jacked but it'll probably have better texture!

Chocolate Mousse from Essence of Chocolate
2 ½ ounces 70% bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
4 tablespoons (2 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into chunks
2 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

1. For the mousse: melt the chocolate and butter in the top of a double boiler set over gently simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove from the heat and let sit in a warm spot until tepid or barely warm. (If the chocolate is too hot when added to the yolks, the yolks could curdle; if chocolate is too cool, flakes of chocolate may form in the yolks.)
2. The mousse is best made with a whisk or with a hand mixer; a stand mixer may not be able to whisk such a small quantity. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks with 1 tablespoon of the sugar until a slowly dissolving ribbon forms when the whisk is lifted. Fold in the tepid chocolate. In a medium bowl, using a clean dry whisk or beaters, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar and continue beating until barely stiff peaks form. Gently fold half of the whites into the chocolate mixture, then fold in the remaining whites.
3. Spoon the chocolate mousse into lightly buttered ramekins, smoothing the top with a small offset spatula. Wipe the rim of the dish with a damp towel to remove any chocolate. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or preferably, overnight.
4. Make the creme brulee following the directions below.
5. When ready to serve, spoon the chilled custard over the chilled layer of chocolate mousse in the individual ramekins and smooth the tops into an even layer. Sprinkle about 2 teaspoons of sugar over each custard and caramelize.6. To caramelize the brulee: sprinkle the sugar in an even layer over the top of the mousse. If using a torch, work from one end of the dish to the other. Adjust the level of the torch as necessary to regulate the heat, moving the flame over the surface to caramelize the sugar. If using a broiler, place a rack on the highest level and preheat the broiler. Broil until the sugar is melted and caramelized, about 2 minutes. Watch carefully, and move or turn the dish as necessary for even caramelization.  Let caramelized sugar set for 1 minute then serve immediately.
 
Classic Crème Brulee, Stirred Method
Source: Elegantly Easy Crème Brulee by Debbie Puente

8 egg yolks
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or 1 whole vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
¼ cup granulated sugar (for the caramelized tops)

1. In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is thick and pale yellow. Set aside. Using a double boiler, bring the cream to a gentle simmer; do not boil. If using a vanilla bean, split in half, lengthwise, scrape the seeds from the inside with the dull edge of a knife and place seeds in cream.  Turn off stove, place vanilla bean skin in the hot cream and let steep for a minimum of 15 minutes.  Remove the cream from heat, and slowly pour into egg mixture. (If using vanilla extract, add here.)
2. Pour mixture into top of double boiler; the water should be simmering, not boiling. Cook, stirring frequently, until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, about 30 minutes (try cooking over very, very low heat). Remove from heat and strain into a large, clean bowl. The custard will thicken as it cools. Chill completely, at least 6 hours.

Serves 6 to 8

Orange Bundt Cake

Orange Bundt Cake - made February 26, 2012 from Let Them Eat Cake by Susan G. Purdy (book #197)

If you're ever looked at all the recipes I've posted, you'll realize I'm not much for nonfat/lowfat baking (really?? ha).  I believe it's better to have a small portion of the good stuff, full-fat, massive calories and all, than a lot more of the semi-it's-supposedly-better-for-you low-fat, low-calorie stuff.  I would rather exercise portion control and literally exercise than dismay my taste buds with something that's not low enough in calories or fat to make up for the taste or texture deficiencies of a frankenfood.  There are some low-calorie foods I genuinely like and prefer to the full-calorie-bomb version but not often.

In baking, there are all sorts of ways to "cheat" and skip the fatty, high-calorie ingredients.  Applesauce has been used as a substitute for butter, for example. (Not usually by me, mind you, but other people do so.)  Egg whites are often used but  the poor yolks are deemed high in fat so they're left out.  There's also low-fat buttermilk, low-fat cream cheese, and low-fat sour cream to replace their fully-fat brethren.  I generally am leery of those kinds of substitutions.  Like I said, 9 times out of 10, you might save 1/3 of the calories of the real thing but oftentimes, the taste and/or texture is also 67% or less (many times less) so it's not worth it to me.  I'd rather eat 2/3 of a serving of the real thing than all of a 1/3-less-calories portion of something else.

So it's probably baffling that I even own this baking book since it's all about recipes that "taste like the real thing" but with a fraction less fat and calories.  Huh.  I must've gotten it either a) on sale or b) when I was "dieting".  But, true to my word, I am making a recipe from it as part of my baking challenge.  I did not cheat and substitute back in any of the "good" ingredients.  I faithfully used the applesauce and nonfat sour cream.  The canola oil isn't particularly low calorie but it is canola and there's only 1/3 cup of it.  Surprisingly, I thought this cake came out really well.  It's lighter than a pound cake and only slightly more dense than a chiffon cake.  Plus the orange flavor was really good.  The only mistake I made is I had to ice it while it was just a trifle too warm as I was taking it to my parents' and I couldn't wait any longer to pour the icing on because I had to leave for church and take the cake with me.  So the icing kind of melted/puddled around the cake rather than staying on top of it.  Other than that, it exceeded my expectations as a "low-cal" cake.  I still advocate portion control though since even low-cal things add up if you have too much of them :).

2 ¼ cups sifted cake flour

1 1/8 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon salt

3 large egg whites, at room temperature

1 ¼ cups granulated sugar, divided

1/3 cup canola oil

1 large egg

1/3 cup nonfat sour cream

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon orange extract

2 tablespoons packed grated orange zest

½ cup fresh orange juice

Orange Icing Glaze

1 ½ cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

3 tablespoons fresh orange juice

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (I didn't have lemons so I used all orange juice)

1.   Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350⁰F.  Generously coat one Bundt pan or two loaf pans with cooking spray, then dust with flour; tap out excess flour.

2.   In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.

3.   In a large, grease-free bowl with the electric mixer on medium speed, whip the egg whites until foamy.  Gradually add ¼ cup of the sugar, whipping until the whites are stiff but not dry.  Remove the bowl from the mixer, shake the beaters into the bowl, then return the beaters to the mixer without washing them.  Set the whites aside.

4.   Using the same beaters with another bowl, combine and beat together the oil, the remaining 1 cup of sugar, the whole egg, sour cream, applesauce, vanilla and orange extracts, grated orange zest, and orange juice.  Gradually beat in the flour mixture in several additions.  Scrape down the bowl and beaters.  Fold in the whipped whites.

5.   Turn the batter into the prepared pan(s).  Bake for the Bundt for 40 to 45 minutes, the loaf pans for 30 to 35 minutes, until the cake is golden brown and springy to the touch; there will be a shallow crack down the middle and a cake tester inserted in the center will come out dry.  Cool the cake(s) in the pan(s) on a wire rack for about 10 minutes, then remove cake(s) from pan(s) and cool completely on the rack.  Before serving, spread with icing glaze.

6.   To make the icing glaze: Whisk together confectioners’ sugar, orange zest, orange juice, and lemon juice.  Adjust for consistency and flavor, adding more liquid or sugar as needed.  Glaze should be runny, like heavy cream.

Chocolate Oatmeal Caramel Cookies

Chocolate Oatmeal Caramel Cookies - made February 25, 2012, recipe adapted from Cook's Country Chocolate Desserts 2011

Trying to catch up on blog posts from last weekend's baking.  It's been a busy week at work but we're coming up on Friday and that's always a good thing.

I've been looking for a good oatmeal cookie recipe.  The ones I like best for flavor are closer to a chocolate chip cookie but I wanted something with the satisfying chewiness of an oatmeal cookie.  I think I found it in this recipe.  You not only grind oatmeal to add like flour to the dough (remember the $250 Neiman Marcus cookie fable?) but you also add oatmeal as is to the dough, hence it qualifies for oatmeal cookie status.  And you melt chocolate before adding to the dough to make a subtly flavored chocolate oatmeal cookie.  Genius.  For added chewiness, I also took the liberty of adding some caramel bits to the dough, similar to the Milk Chocolate Caramel Cookies recipe from Milk & Cookies.  Turned out to also be a brilliant idea.  Just make sure you embed the caramel bits into the dough.  A little peeking through is okay but if they're stuck on the outside of the dough, they'll "run" when you bake them and spread into a puddle so you may end up with a misshapen cookie.

What made this cookie a winner beside great flavor is the texture.  Cooled to just barely lukewarm, the edges are crisp and the middle is nice and gooey.  Even when it's fully cooled to room temperature, it's satisfyingly chewy.  Remember not to overbake it.

1 ¾ cups (5 ¼ ounces) old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup (5 ounces) all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed (7 ounces) light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 ounces milk chocolate, melted and cooled
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup caramel bits

1. Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Place 1 cup oats in food processor or blender and process until well ground, about 30 seconds. Transfer to large bowl and stir in flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
2. Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat butter and brown sugar together on medium high speed until well blended and lumps are gone, about 1 minute. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add egg and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy, about 30 seconds. Add melted chocolate and beat until incorporated, about 20 seconds. Add flour mixture and beat on low speed until just incorporated, about 15 seconds. Add remaining ¾ cup oats, chocolate chips, and caramel bits and beat on low speed until evenly distributed, about 10 seconds.
3. Working with 2 tablespoons of dough at a time, roll into balls and space 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Bake, rotating pans halfway through baking, until cookies are cracked on top but look moist within cracks, 14 to 18 minutes. Let cookies cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes, transfer to wire rack and let cool completely before serving.  Alternatively, you can make the cookie into dough balls, place in freezer bags and freeze; bake when cookie fix is needed.

Crispy (Oven) Fried Chicken

Crispy (Oven) Fried Chicken - made February 24, 2012 from rummaging in my freezer, fridge and pantry

Every once in awhile, I like to throw in a post on "real food" just to confuse people.  "But this is a baking blog" you might say.  Well, yeah, but there are occasions where I actually cook.  Just to break up the monotony of take out or microwaving meals.  This is a super simple recipe that I made up, mostly inspired by the fact that I wanted to use up the last of my buttermilk and since the panko crumbs on the banana fritters were so good, I thought they'd be good on oven-fried chicken too.  Many versions of this use crushed cornflakes but I didn't have cornflakes and I did have panko crumbs left over so it was a no-brainer to substitute.  It also had the added advantage that I didn't have to crush cornflakes into crumbs since panko crumbs are already..... well, crumbs.

Because it's cooking, I felt free to not measure like I do with baking so you'll have to bear with the loosy-goosy directions.  Thanks to the panko crumbs, these had a crispy coating without the mess and calories of frying.

Combine for the initial coating (makes enough for at least 4-6 pieces of chicken)

1 cup bread flour (you can also use all-purpose flour, I just used bread flour because I had some)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon all-spice
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
(feel free to substitute in any other spices - I just used these because they were what I had)
Roll chicken pieces in flour mixture until evenly coated.  Dip in 1 cup of buttermilk in a shallow bowl.  In another shallow bowl, roll to coat in panko crumbs (use as much as needed to cover chicken completely). Place in shallow baking pan and bake in a 350 degree oven until done and outside is golden brown and crisp (30-40 minutes).

Dulce de Leche Snickers Brownies

Dulce de Leche Snickers Brownies - made February 25, 2012, original recipe (Fudgy Brownies) adapted from The Essence of Chocolate by John Scharffenberger and Robert Steinberg (book #196)

Sick of brownie recipes yet?  If you are, skip this post.  But if you do, you're going to miss out.  I love dulce de leche and I like Snickers.  I don't know why I've never put them together in a brownie before when I think I've made just about every combination I like already.  But I have rectified that oversight with this brownie.  I did modify the recipe slightly and my changes are reflected below.  I took these pictures when the brownie was just barely cool so they look a bit gooey.  They did firm up when they cooled to a nice chewy consistency.  I used Valrhona 90% dark chocolate so these were a walk on the dark side.  You can make them a little less dark by using a 60-70% semisweet chocolate but since I was adding dulce de leche, I went with the darker chocolate to offset the sweetness.

The dulce de leche wasn't as pronounced as I would've liked but I think that's because I couldn't use as much as I had intended because there wasn't much batter, even for an 8-inch pan.  I think this concept would work better with a larger brownie recipe.  But hey, the Snickers rocked.

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes
7.5 ounces 70% bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Dulce de leche, in dollops, to taste
½ cup – 1 cup Snickers, chopped, to taste

1. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Line an 8 x 8 x 2” baking pan with foil and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Melt the butter and chocolate together in the top half of a double boiler over gently simmering water and stir until melted and smooth. Remove from heat.
3. With a large rubber spatula or wooden spoon, beat the sugar and salt into the chocolate mixture. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the flour and mix vigorously until the batter is very glossy and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
4. Spread half the batter into the prepared pan. Drop dollops of dulce de leche randomly over batter and cover with remaining half of the batter. Bake for 30 – 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with moist crumbs. 5 minutes before brownies are done, sprinkle remaining chopped Snickers over the top and let soften over the brownie in the heat of the oven.
5. Remove from oven and let cool. Remove the brownies from the pan and let cool completely before cutting into 2-inch squares.

Banana Fritters

Banana Fritters - made February 24, 2012 from Sweet Seasons by Richard Leach (book #195)

I've had this book for so long I can't remember when or how I got it, whether I bought it or whether it was a gift.  It's also gone through 2 house moves with me, staying intact and nicely pristine in its plastic shrinkwrap the entire time.  I finally broke open the shrinkwrap to thumb through its pages looking for a recipe to include in my baking challenge.  Only then did I finally realize that 90% of the recipes are "too fancy" for me to use a lot.  Not unless I throw a lot of uppity dinner parties, which is unlikely because neither my friends or I are all that uppity. I do have uppity taste buds but they can be satisfied more by how something tastes than how fancifully it's presented on a dessert plate.  However, I did manage to find this recipe in with all the fancy.  I love fried bananas and I liked the concept of using Panko crumbs instead of regular bread crumbs.  Plus, honestly, anything deep-fried, eaten warm and served with ice cream?  Can you really go wrong?

And yes, that was a rhetorical question because these were awesome.  I love bananas in their wholesome healthy state and I love them fried.  The coating batter was light and the panko crumbs gave these a really nice crunch.  This is a super simple dessert to make for guests; these fry up in no time and should be served within minutes of frying.  For added decadence, serve with a side of warm hot fudge sauce. It would be like taking an upscale version of a banana split to a whole new level.

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 cup cold water

4 bananas, peeled and cut into 1-inch lengths

1 cup Panko bread crumbs                    

Vegetable oil for deep frying

Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

1.   Heat oil to 350⁰F. 

2.   Combine flour, sugar, and baking powder in a mixing bowl.  Whisk in cold water until smooth.  Place bananas in the fritter batter, coating lightly.  Roll in the bread crumbs.  Deep fry until golden brown, 5 minutes.  Dust lightly with confectioners’ sugar.

Oreo-Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownies

Oreo-Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownies - recipe adapted from The Essential Chocolate Chip Cookbook by Elinor Klivans and Chocolate Ecstasy by Christine France (book #194)

A friend sent me a link to a blog that showed a triple layer brownie: chocolate chip cookie crust on the bottom, Oreos in the middle and a brownie layer on top.  It was a great concept but both the bottom and top layers were made from (shudder) box mixes.  You know how I feel about mixes.  My snobby baking soul can't handle them except on rare occasions and only if enough other ingredients are mixed into the base mix so that you can't taste the mix-iness of the finished product.  But, regardless, the brownie was a great concept so I decided to recreate it my way: from scratch.

You can use almost any chocolate chip cookie recipe for the bottom layer but go for the ones that spread or aren't too cakey.  I chose this one as it was part of a recipe that uses the chocolate chip cookie as a crust for a tart.  I adapted the brownie recipe from Chocolate Ecstasy: that recipe called for oil but I substituted in butter for better flavor and increased the flour from 2/3 cup to 3/4 cup for slightly more substance.

I liked how this brownie turned out.  I originally baked the chocolate chip layer for only 10 minutes since I was afraid of overbaking it once I layered the Oreos and brownie batter on top but it probably would've been better to bake a few minutes longer to just barely past the wet dough stage.  Still, it was pretty good.  The base was buttery and moist and the brownie layer was all chocolate glory with the flavor being fortified by a good-quality dark cocoa (I always use Pernigotti).  And I don't have to rhapsodize about Oreos in anything - they speak for themselves.

This was the last thing I made during my nieces' visit last weekend and I packed them up for them to take back to their respective schools and friends.  They gave it the highest accolade in their collegiate vocabulary: "these are bomb".  The brownies were also classified as "sick" which apparently doesn't mean what my generation thinks it means but is actually also a positive accolade.  I really must keep up with the latest lingo.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Crust

Source: The Essential Chocolate Chip Cookbook by Elinor Klivans

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

½ cup light brown sugar

6 tablespoons sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1.   Preheat the oven to 350⁰F.  Line a 9-inch square baking pan and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray.

2.   Sift the flour, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.

3.   In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until smoothly blended, about 1 minute.  Add the egg and vanilla and mix until blended, about 1 minute.  On low speed, add the flour mixture, mixing just until incorporated.  Stir in the chocolate chips.

4.   Layer evenly in the prepared baking pan and bake for 12-15 minutes.

5.   Line top with Oreos, making an even layer.

6.   While crust is baking, make brownies as directed below.  Pour brownie mixture and return pan to oven.

Brownies

Source: Chocolate Ecstasy by Christine France

5 ounces unsweetened chocolate

½ cup butter

1 ¼ cups light brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¾ cup all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

1.  Melt the chocolate and butter together and cool slightly.

2.  Beat eggs, sugar and vanilla extract together.  Stir in melted chocolate-butter mixture.  Beat until evenly mixed.

3.  Sift flour and cocoa powder into the bowl and fold in thoroughly.  Do not overmix.

4.  Pour brownie batter over Oreo layer, covering them completely.  Bake 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center of the brownie comes out with moist crumbs.

Peanut Butter Cookies with Nutella

Peanut Butter Cookies with Nutella - made February 19, 2012 , recipe adapted from Milk & Cookies by Tina Casaceli

Both my nieces were visiting last weekend which was a rare treat since one of them goes to school further away and we don't get to see her as often.  Being the doting aunt, I asked her what she wanted me to make for her visit and to bring back to school for her friends.  One of her requests was for peanut butter cookies.  So I made this cookie using the "base" peanut butter cookie recipe from Milk & Cookies.  I also added my own twist by dropping small dollops of nutella into the cookie dough as I was scooping it into dough balls.

The taste of the cookie itself was pretty good.  I was a bit concerned when I was making it though because it called for an awful lot of butter.  I bake with butter all the time and rarely blink at how much I use but 1 1/2 cups seemed like too much for a normal batch of cookie dough and I even wondered if it was a typo.  But I soldiered on and stuck to the original recipe just to try it.  The dough came out pretty soft and sticky so that told me this would likely spread, even if frozen first and even baked on the convection setting.  I was right.  The cookies were also pretty fragile, definitely not good candidates for a care package so I'm glad my nieces were here in person to eat them.  I had to pack them carefully for their respective trips home.  If you try this recipe, you might want to cut the butter down to 1 cup and see how that works.  I advocate doing the nutella dollops too as that turned out pretty well.

1 ½ cups (6 ounces) all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup (7 ounces) light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup (8 ounces) smooth peanut butter
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. Set aside.
2. Put the butter in the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the paddle. Begin beating on low speed. Add the brown sugar, increase the speed to medium, and beat for about 4 minutes or until light and creamy. Add the peanut butter and beat to incorporate; then, beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.
3. With the motor running, gradually add the flour mixture, beating just to blend. While the dough is still streaky, remove the bowl from the mixer and scrape the paddle clean.
4. Lightly flour a clean, flat work surface.
5. Scrape the dough onto the floured surface. Lightly flour your hands and finish mixing the dough by using a gentle kneading motion, working until the dough is just blended. Do not overwork the dough, you want to be certain that all of the ingredients are just blended together.
6. Scoop the dough into dough balls and refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap, for at least an hour.
7. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325°F.
8. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
9. Remove the dough balls from the refrigerator and unwrap.
10. Place the balls, about 2 inches apart, on the prepared baking sheets. Using your palm, gently flatten the top of each cookie slightly. If you want to make the traditional cross hatches of a peanut butter cookie, press the surface with the tines of a fork.
11. Bake cookies for about 8 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges.
12. Remove from the oven, let sit on cookie sheets for 1 minute then transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool. Store airtight, at room temperature, for up to a week.

Linked to Sweet Treats Thursday

Cocoa Waffles

Cocoa Waffles - made February 18, 2012 from Baking Style by Lisa Yockelson (book #193)

My homemade version

It's National Pancake Day and normally I would pay homage to one of my favorite breakfast foods with a pancake recipe but today I am bucking the trend in favor of another breakfast-but-I-eat-it-for-dinner favorite: waffles!  I love waffles.  I love the traditional waffles smothered in butter or syrup (for some reason I don't like to mix both, it's one or the other for me, usually syrup for waffles, butter for pancakes).  And when we went out for my mom's birthday dinner a few weeks ago, I also loved the chocolate waffles we had for dessert at Outback Steakhouse.  So much so that I decided I had to make them myself.

This is the version from Outback Steakhouse - truly decadent and so good.  Four of us split this and it was perfect for sharing.

But first, uh, you might remember that I've been on my baking challenge for well over a year now.  The goal was to make at least one recipe from every cookbook I own and the "prize" at  the end of it was I would allow myself to buy Baking Style by Lisa Yockelson, one of my favorite cookbook authors.  When I started on this challenge, Baking Style hadn't even been published yet and it seemed easy enough at the time to swear off buying any new cookbooks until I was done with the challenge.  After all, I had so many cookbooks that I was afraid to count them.  All I knew is I have somewhere around 200 cookbooks and the only reason I didn't know the exact number is when I started actually counting them, when I hit 200 and there were still more, I stopped counting because I didn't want to know.  Tallying the count as I made a recipe from each book was the official way to count them because then I've ensured I've used them.

I broke the challenge a few months ago when, in a moment of weakness, I ended up buying Baking Style because it was on sale and I had a gift card.  Honestly, I just couldn't be expected to pass it up at a bargain, now could I?  So then I promised I would still continue with the challenge and not make anything from the book until I was done.  Um, yeah, I broke that promise too with this recipe.  In my defense, it was the only book out of several dozen that I checked that actually had a chocolate waffle recipe.  And I wanted chocolate waffles.  Plus I can justify almost anything when it comes to making sweets.  I'm still going to continue with my baking challenge, mostly because I actually am close to finishing by now and I always finish what I start.....most of the time.

So on to the waffle recipe.  I screwed up the first time I made this.  My nieces were visiting and I was making this at my parents' house for our dessert.  I mixed together all the dry ingredients at my place and had the liquid ingredients separate but measured out, ready to go for putting together at the last minute.  Which worked out great except I forgot the butter I had ready to go in my fridge.  As in I really forgot they were supposed to have butter in them when I was mixing the batter at my parents'.  The waffles still turned out pretty well despite being butter-less but they were more cakey and soft than waffly-crisp.  So I made a second attempt, making the batter properly the next day in my own kitchen.  This time there was more crisp around the edges although they were still somewhat soft.  I was afraid to cook them too much in my waffle iron because I didn't want to burn them.  But I figured out a good way to deliver on the texture - if you want them crisp, reheat them later by toasting them in the toaster oven.  Don't burn them though.  Just toast them enough to get the outside crisp but the inside should still be soft and chewy.  Flavor-wise, this was really good with an enhanced chocolate flavor fortified by both the cocoa powder and the unsweetened chocolate.  Use a dark cocoa for the full chocolate flavor.  And don't forget the vanilla ice cream on top of the warm chocolate waffle.  For super decadence, serve with hot fudge sauce and some chopped-up Oreos.

2 cups unsifted bleached all-purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened alkalized cocoa powder
1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups plus 3 tablespoons superfine sugar
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled to tepid
4 large eggs
2 cups buttermilk
1/3 cup heavy cream
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups miniature semisweet chocolate chips
Confectioners’ sugar, for sprinkling on finished waffles

1. Preheat a 2-grid deep-dish (Belgian-style) waffle iron (each grid measuring about 4 ½ by 4 ½ inches).
2. For the batter, sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and superfine sugar into a large mixing bowl. In a medium-size mixing bowl, whisk the melted butter, melted unsweetened chocolate, eggs, buttermilk, heavy cream and vanilla extract. Pour the buttermilk mixture over the sifted ingredients and stir to form a batter, using a wooden spoon or flat wooden paddle. Mix in the chocolate chips. The batter will be moderately thick.
3. Spoon a generous 1/3 cup batter into each grid, cover the iron, and cook until baked through (at the medium heat setting, if you waffler has one), following the directions supplied by the appliance’s manufacturer. Lift up the waffle squares onto individual plates, dredge with confectioners’ sugar, and serve immediately.

Toffee Buttermilk Scones

Toffee Buttermilk Scones - made February 12, 2012, recipe adapted from Tartine by Elizabeth Prueitt and Chad Robertson (book #192)

I modified this recipe from Tartine.  The original recipe called for using currants but I'm not a fan of currants so I substituted toffee bits instead.  This made a lot of scones (almost 2 dozen) so if you don't need that many, you can easily make only half the recipe.

This was easy to make but, similar to biscuits and pie crust, you want to handle the dough as little as possible so gluten doesn't develop and so the texture is more tender than chewy.  I think I was only marginally successful as they weren't super flaky-tender as some other scones I've made but still, they came out fairly well.  I think what helped was that the crunch from the coarse sugar on top provided a nice contrast and some sweetness to the scone itself.  I used vanilla sugar I had gotten for Christmas (I love getting good ingredients as presents) to sprinkle on top of the scones and it was a nice touch.  The toffee bits were good too but to have more of a butterscotch flavor, next time I think I'd add chopped up butterscotch chips and perhaps substitute some of the granulated sugar for brown sugar.

4 ¾ (24 ounces) cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

¾ teaspoon baking soda

½ cup granulated sugar

1 ¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup + 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, very cold

1 ½ cups buttermilk

½ cup Heath bar toffee bits

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Large crystal sugar or granulated sugar for sprinkling

1.   Preheat the oven to 400⁰F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2.   Sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda into a food processor.  Add the sugar and salt and pulse briefly to mix.  Cut the butter into ½” cubes and scatter the cubes over the dry ingredients.  Pulse on and off so that you don’t break down the butter too much.  You want to end with a coarse mixture with pea-sized lumps of butter visible.

3.   Add the buttermilk all at once along with the toffee bits and mix gently with a wooden spoon or pulse briefly to mix.  If the mixture seems dry, add a little more buttermilk. 

4.   Dust your work surface with flour and turn the dough out onto it.  Using your hands, pat the dough into a rectangle about 18” x 5” x 1 ½”.  Brush the top with the melted butter and then sprinkle with the sugar.  Using a chef’s knife, cut the dough into 12 triangles.  Transfer the triangles to the prepared baking sheet.

5.   Bake the scones until the tops are lightly browned, 25 to 35 minutes.  Remove from the oven and serve immediately.