Toasted Coconut Shortbread

Toasted Coconut Shortbread - made September 11, 2012 from Cookies for Kids Cancer Best Bake Sale Cookbook by Gretchen Holt-Witt

I like making this kind of cookie because during a busy work week, you can split the making of it into two manageable stages.  The first is to simply make the dough which is super easy to do, given the short list of ingredients.  The dough is also very easy to work with and shape into logs since it's not too soft or sticky.  Simple roll it into logs, wrap in waxed paper, place in freezer bags and chill in the refrigerator overnight or put in the freezer until you're ready to bake it.  If you put it in the freezer, let it thaw for about 20-30 minutes first before you slice it or else the dough will be too hard and may not slice cleanly (I discovered that firsthand).

The important thing with shortbread is to bake it long enough.  For once I don't advocate underbaking.  You want to fully bake it so it'll have that nice snap when it's cool.  With such a high butter content, it's harder to overbake shortbread, although it certainly is possible.  I liked these cookies; they reminded me of Pepperidge Farm cookies with their buttery taste and crisp snap.  The coconut is a nice touch but it isn't a very strong coconut taste so even non-coconut lovers may enjoy this.

½ cup sweetened flaked coconut

2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, room temperature

¼ cup confectioners’ sugar

¼ cup granulated sugar

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

1.     Preheat the oven to 250°F.  Spread the coconut evenly on a cookie sheet, place in oven and bake until just golden, about 10 minutes.  Set aside to cool.

2.     Place the butter, coconut, and sugars in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle and beat until smooth and creamy.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the flour and salt, beat well and scrape again.  Form the dough into a 1 ½”-diameter log and cover with parchment paper.  Place the log in a resealable plastic bag and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 2 days or freeze up to 2 months.

3.     Preheat the oven to 325°F.  Line a  cookie sheet with parchment paper.

4.     With the tip of a very sharp knife, cut ¼” - ½” slices of the dough and place 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet.  Bake until the cookies are just beginning to brown on the edges, around 20 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Brownie Sundae

Classic Chewy Brownies - made September 10, 2012, recipe adapted from Cookies for Kids' Cancer Best Bake Sale Cookbook

When I blogged earlier this summer about Zoe, a blog poster let me know about a nonprofit org called Cookies for Kids' Cancer which raises funds for pediatric cancer research.  Since then, I've ordered cookies from their website to give as a birthday gift and I was delighted to discover they have a cookbook out.  Naturally I had to order it to show support for a good cause.  Several of my friends will also likely be getting it as part of their Christmas gift this year.  If you like baking books or need a gift for a baker friend, please consider giving this book for them and raising awareness for a good cause.

Earlier this week, we had some major org announcements at work that would impact me and my team.  Not necessarily in a bad way if you believe change creates opportunity but it was certainly enough for my boss to half-jokingly ask me if the changes were going to drive me to update my contacts on LinkedIn and start trolling through my network.  Ha.  No because I've worked in high tech long enough to know how to roll with the punches and also because my coping mechanism of choice was to head to my kitchen and do some comfort baking as soon as I got home from work.  Hence, the brownie sundae.

I pulled the brownie recipe from the Cookies for Kids Cancer Bake Sale cookbook as it seemed simple, easy and fudgy.  And it was all three of those things.  The only thing I changed from the original recipe was to bake it in a smaller pan rather than the 9 x 13" pan in the original directions.  Just from eyeballing the list of ingredients, it didn't seem to me that it would make that much batter so I made it in a 9 x 9" pan instead.  Which turned out to be the right  thing to do as the brownie in the smaller pan still wasn't overly thick and might've even been a bit on the thin side if you like your brownies thicker.  But this thickness made a good base for the ice cream.  If you do need enough brownies for a 9 x 13 pan, I would recommend doubling the recipe.

2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 ¾ cups granulated sugar

4 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

¾ cup all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

1 ½ cups walnuts or pecans, optional

1.     Preheat the oven to 325°F.  Line a 9 x 9” baking pan with foil and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray. 

2.     Place the butter and chocolate in the top half of a double boiler over hot water and melt, stirring until smooth.  Set aside to cool for 3-5 minutes.

3.     Combine the sugar, eggs and vanilla in a large mixing bowl and stir just until combined.  Add the cooled chocolate mixture and stir until just combined.  Add the flour and salt and stir until just combined.  Pour into the prepared pan and sprinkle with the nuts, if using.

4.     Bake 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with moist crumbs.  Cool completely before cutting and serving.  Top with ice cream, hot fudge sauce and sprinkle with toasted chopped almonds if desired.

Peanut Butter Crispy Bars

Peanut Butter Crispy Bars - made September 6, 2012 from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito

When you look at this recipe, it instantly seems like Rice Krispie treats for grownups.  It's got a caramelized rice krispie layer, followed by a creamy milk chocolate peanut butter layer, topped with a dark chocolate ganache.  It sounded mouthwatering so I made it.  I discovered 1 thing and remembered 2 things.  I remembered I'm not a huge peanut butter fan.  I discovered "caramelized rice krispies" was really more "crunchy rice krispies".  I discovered I prefer the normal rice krispies treat over crunchy rice krispies.  So, almost needless to say, I don't know that I was a fan of this recipe.  I think it sounded better in theory than it tasted in reality.  Peanut Butter and chocolate lovers might like it though so don't let me stop you from trying it out.  For now, I will stick to the pure, simple taste of traditional Rice Krispie treats.

Crust

1 ¾ cups crisped rice cereal

¼ cup water

¼ cup sugar

3 tablespoons light corn syrup

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Layer

5 ounces milk chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 cup creamy peanut butter

Chocolate Icing

3 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped

½ teaspoon light corn syrup

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1.     Make the crust: Line an 8-inch square pan with foil and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.

2.     Put the cereal in a large bowl and set aside.

3.     Pour ¼ cup water into a small saucepan.  Gently add the sugar and corn syrup without letting them get on the sides of the pan.  Use a small wooden spoon to stir the mixture until just combined.  Put a candy thermometer in the saucepan.  Cook over medium-high heat and bring to a boil; cook until the mixture reaches the soft ball stage, 235⁰F.

4.     Remove from the heat, stir in the butter, and pour the mixture over the cereal.  Working quickly, stir until the cereal is thoroughly coated, then pour it into the prepared pan.  Using your hands or a spatula, press the mixture into the bottom of the pan (do not press up the sides).  Let the crust cool to room temperature. 

5.     Make the milk chocolate peanut butter layer: Melt the milk chocolate and peanut butter together in the top half of a double boiler set over hot water, stirring until completely melted and smooth. Remove the top half from the bottom half of the pan and stir for 30 seconds to cool slightly.  Pour the mixture over the cooled crust.  Put the pan in the refrigerator for 1 hour, or until the top layer hardens.

6.     Make the chocolate icing: In a large nonreactive bowl, combine the chocolate, corn syrup and butter.

7.     In the top half of a double boiler, set over hot water, melt together and stir until smooth.  Remove the pan from the heat and stir for 30 seconds to cool slightly.  Pour the mixture over the chilled milk chocolate peanut butter layer and spread into an even layer.  Put the pan in the refrigerator for 1 hour or until the topping hardens.  When firm, cut into small squares and serve.

     

Never Forget

And remember our troops as well.  I met a mother a couple of weeks ago whose son is in the Navy and deployed overseas.  I offered to send a care package to her son and, as well as snacks he can share with his unit, I also asked friends to write letters I can include in the package so our military personnel can hear from folks "back home" and know they're not forgotten and their service is appreciated.

If you've thought about sending care packages to our troops, go for it!  I wrote a blog post last year on some tips and possible things to include if you need ideas here.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Toffee Cookies

Grandma's Cookie Jar Oatmeal Cookies - made September 5, 2012 from Land O Lakes Cookies

Life's just been a wee bit busy and I feel like I'm always playing catch up.  But in looking back over this past summer, I realize in the past 8 weeks, I've been in 3 countries, 4 states and 7 cities.  No wonder I'm as behind as my laundry.  It might be a minor miracle I haven't let my blog go completely dark but it probably tells you something about how baking-obsessed I am when I've still managed to fit baking into my crazy schedule.  Sleeping?  Not so much.

I was meeting friends for lunch last Friday before I took off for another mini-weekend away and more friends for dinner at my weekend destination so I needed a cookie for the masses.  Since I'd already done 2 chocolate chip cookies, I switched gears to oatmeal cookies to try out this recipe.  This was a nice, basic oatmeal cookie.  If you bake it just right (not too long), the edges are crispy and the middles are chewy.  If you bake it a little longer, almost the whole cookie has a crunch and even that is pretty good.  The toffee bits got a bit lost in the chewy crunch of the oatmeal so they weren't as pronounced as I expected.  You could leave them out and likely still get a similar result as having them in there.

3 cups quick cooking oats
2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups chocolate chips
1 cup toffee bits 

1.     Heat oven to 375˚F.  In large mixer bowl combine all ingredients except flour, chocolate chips and toffee bits.  Beat at low speed, scraping bowl often, until well mixed (1 to 2 minutes).  Add flour; continue beating until well mixed (1 to 2 minutes).  By hand, stir in chocolate chips and toffee bits.  Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto greased cookie sheets.  Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.

Yield: 4 dozen cookies

Biscoff-Stuffed White Chocolate Chunk Lava Cookies

Biscoff-Stuffed White Chocolate Chunk Lava Cookies - made August 29, 2012

Remember the Nutella-Stuffed Chocolate Chip Lava Cookies?  I enjoyed those so much I had to come up with an excuse to make them again.  Or at least another version of it.  When a friend came over for our Fantasy Football draft last week, I had the perfect excuse.  But since I'd rather experiment than make the same thing over again, this time, instead of nutella, I used biscoff spread for the lava part.  I also swapped out the milk chocolate chunks for white chocolate chunks, using the only block of white chocolate I had bought in Europe for just such an occasion.

Let me set modesty aside for a sec.  Because really, who are we kidding?  This thing rocks.  I mean,  serious goodness.  As in, yeah, I'll go run a half marathon so I can eat this kind of stuff. Or, er, maybe a 5K.  Don't make me choose between this version or the nutella version though.  They were both good.

To make this version, start with the cookie recipe in the link for the Nutella-Stuffed chocolate chip lava cookies above, substitute white chocolate chunks or chips for the milk chocolate and use biscoff spread instead of nutella.  Trader Joe's Speculoos Cookie Butter Spread is a good alternative if you don't have biscoff spread.  For lava cookies, I'd recommend baking this in ramekins - line the bottom third of the ramekin with the cookie dough, drop a spoonful of biscoff spread in the middle, and cover completely with more cookie dough, filling the ramekin up to 3/4 full.  Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes (if you can last that long) then bake at 350 degrees until golden brown on top, about 10-12 minutes.

 

Wickedly Rich Double Fudge Brownies

Wickedly Rich Double Fudge Brownies - made August 30, 2012 from Chocolatier magazine, September 1992 issue

Whenever you have the words "wickedly rich", "fudge" and "brownies" coupled together in a recipe title, you know it has to be good (another rule of the Baking Gods).  Other good buzz words to couple with "chocolate" and "brownie" include "obsession", "death by", "decadent", "over the top", "unbelievable" and so on.

Last weekend I was in the Colorado Rockies meeting a group affiliated with my church.  Some were old friends from years past and some were friends I had yet to make.  For both sets of people, I always like to show up with something homemade, preferably chocolate.  I was so busy last week though that I only ended up baking one batch of brownies and that was late on my last night before I left.  So I had to make it count.  I went with this recipe from Chocolatier magazine that I've had for literally 20 years but hadn't tried yet.  The original recipe called for frosting it with a mocha fudge frosting but as you can tell from the picture, I nutella-crunch-ized it instead because, well, just because.  Turned out rich, moist and fudgy - always the goal when it comes to brownies.

Brownies
5 ounces unsweetened chocolate (Scharffenberger works well)
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Nutella Crunch Topping
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup Nutella
1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup crispy rice cereal

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F.  Line a 9-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray.  
2. In the top of a double boiler set over hot, not simmering, water, melt the chocolate with the butter, stirring frequently until smooth.  Let cool for about 10 minutes.
3. Add the sugar and salt to the cooled chocolate mixture and beat until blended.  Beat in the corn syrup and vanilla.
4. One at a time, add the eggs, beating after each addition.  Stir in the flour, mixing only until just incorporated.  Mix until batter is smooth but do not overmix.  Scrape the batter into the pan and spread it evenly.  Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with moist crumbs, not raw batter.
5. Make the Nutella Crunch Topping: melt chocolate chips in the top half of a double boiler set over hot, not simmering, water.  Add butter and nutella and stir until smooth and blended.  Add crispy rice cereal, stirring to coat thoroughly.  Pour over warm brownie and smooth.
6. Let brownie cool completely before cutting.