Cola Cake - Cracker Barrel Style

Cola Cake: Cracker Barrel Style - made December 8, 2012 from Food.com

Slight underbaking problem again

We don't have a Cracker Barrel in my area (that I know of) so I've never eaten there but I've heard about them from friends and they seem to enjoy a lot of comfort food from there.  I found this recipe on pinterest and it looked fairly simple and what I needed to add to my holiday baking gifts since I like giving a variety of different baked goods in one gift pack.  This is similar in concept to the Root Beer Bundt Cake from Baked with the cocoa powder and the soda.  I think this came out a little sweet for me though.  The  texture was moist and fluffy which I like in my cakes but the addition of the cola frosting put the sweetness factor on the higher end.  I think this would be better with a darker chocolate frosting without the cola.

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup butter
1 cup cola, beverage
5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Frosting
1/2 cup butter
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
9 tablespoons cola, this should be the remaining cola left in a 12oz can
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups confectioners' sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.  Line a 9 x 13-inch pan with foil and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Combine flour, granulated sugar and baking soda in mixing bowl. 
3. In a small saucepan, heat 1 cup butter, 5 tablespoons cocoa and 1 cup cola beverage to boiling. (whisk together as it melts).   Pour over the flour mixture and whisk thoroughly. 
4. Add buttermilk, eggs and vanilla. Mix well.  Pour into prepared 9x13 pan. Bake for 40 minutes. 
5. During last 10 minutes of baking prepare frosting: place 4 cups confectioners' sugar in a mixing bowl.  In a small saucepan, combine 1/2 cup butter, 3 tablespoons cocoa powder and 9 tablespoons cola beverage. Whisk together. Heat to boiling. Remove from heat, stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla.  Pour over 4 cups confectioners' sugar.  Mix well with a whisk. 
6. Remove cake from oven.
7. Slowly pour warm coco-cola frosting over cake. Let cake cool for about an hour before cutting into it.

 

Mocha Cookies & Cream Brownies

Mocha Cookies & Cream Brownies - made December 8, 2012, recipe adapted from The Brownie Experience by Lisa Tanner

I needed brownies for some care packages so I dug this one out of my "Still Need to Make" file.  It's one of several from The Brownie Experience that I've had for years and I think I've made it long, long ago but I can't remember what it tasted like so it seemed like a good time to try it again.  I changed it slightly by leaving out the almonds the original recipe called for and adding Oreo chunks instead.

This wasn't super chocolaty and the coffee flavor wasn't too pronounced either.  The texture was moist but also not super fudgy.  So I'd consider this "okay" - remember I have very finicky taste buds, especially when it comes to brownies.  The Oreos were a good touch though and I'm glad I added them in.

5 ounces unsweetened chocolate

1 rounded tablespoon powdered instant coffee

1 cup butter, softened

1 ¾ cups brown sugar, packed

5 eggs

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla

1 cup flour

1 generous cup Oreos, chopped into rough chunks

1.     Preheat oven to 350˚F.  Butter a 13 x 9 x 2” pan.

2.     Melt chocolate over low heat; stir in coffee powder and let cool.  In a large bowl, with wire whisk, cream together butter and sugar.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each.  Blend in vanilla, then melted chocolate mixture.  Gradually stir in flour.  Fold in Oreo chunks.  Spread batter in pan.

3.     Bake 20-30 minutes, or until done.  Let cool in pan completely before cutting.

Linked to Crazy Sweet Tuesday
 

Samoa Thumbprints

Samoa Thumbprint Cookies - made December 8, 2012, recipe adapted from Great Cookies by Carole Walter

I've been traveling all week for work and stepped off a plane after an 11 1/2 hour flight to the news of what happened in Connecticut.  My thoughts and prayers go out to the adults and children killed in the tragedy and their families.  Hug your loved ones and do something kind for someone.  It's the only coping mechanism I've found against senseless violence.

(Written before my travels): I liked how the Chocolate Turtle Thumbprints turned out so much that I started to obsess a bit on making other thumbprint combinations.  The most common one is probably peanut butter thumbprints filled with jam or jelly but I don't like jam or jelly so I started thinking about other flavor combinations.  I know I wanted to make a non-chocolate cookie and I still like caramel as the filling in the well of the cookie but I wanted something a little "more" than just a vanilla cookie/caramel combo. I also wanted to roll the cookie in something other than almonds or pecans.  Toasted coconut was the obvious choice and from there it was easy to leap to a samoa combination: a brown sugar cookie rolled in toasted coconut, filled with caramel and drizzled with chocolate.

I started out with Carole Walter's thumbprint cookie recipe but modified hers to include brown sugar for a more caramelized flavor.  I brushed the cookie dough balls with egg white then rolled them in toasted coconut.  Half the dough balls I used a 1/2 teaspoon measure to make an indentation and for the other half, I used the end of the handle of a wooden spoon.  The wooden spoon handle makes a narrower deeper indent.  Then I froze the dough at that point. These turned out pretty well.  They didn't spread much which is what I was most concerned about and the toasted coconut coating provided a nice texture contrast to the cookie and the caramel.  When using caramel bits (or caramels) melted with milk, go a little more generous with the milk to make sure the caramel stays soft even after it sets.  The last thing you want is your caramel to be too chewy at room temperature.

2 cups all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter, slightly firm

¼ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup dark brown sugar

2 large egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large egg whites for coating, beaten until frothy

Toasted coconut, crumbled and in a shallow bowl

Caramel (homemade or caramels melted with a little milk)

Melted milk or dark chocolate for piping

1.    In the large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter on medium-low speed until smooth.  Pour in the sugars and mix just until incorporated.  Add the egg yolks and vanilla, mixing only until blended.  Using a wooden spoon, stir in the flour and salt in two additions, mixing just to combine after each addition.

2.    Roll the dough into small balls.  Dip into frothy egg whites then roll in toasted coconut.  Using the handle end of a wooden spoon, make an indentation in the center of the dough ball.  Repeat with remaining dough.  Chill until firm, at least an hour, or place in freezer bags and freeze until needed.

3.    When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F.  Place cookies evenly apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper and bake until lightly golden, about 14-15 minutes.  Remove from oven.  If indentations are no longer as pronounced, gently re-impress them with the rounded side of a ½ teaspoon measure.

4.     Let cool completely.  When cookies are cooled, fill indentations with melted caramel.  Pipe thin lines of melted chocolate over cookie.  Sprinkle with additional toasted coconut if desired.

Chocolate Waffles

Chocolate Waffles - made December 7, 2012, recipe adapted from Better Homes & Gardens 2012 Chocolate edition

Whenever you see me post a breakfast recipe that I actually ate for breakfast, that's code for I didn't have any real food in the house, just baking ingredients.  So I make pancakes or waffles or something breakfast-y until I can go grocery shopping and stock up on protein ingredients.  It's just as well I didn't have real food on hand at the time I made these though or I might've missed out on a good chocolate waffle.  This isn't too chocolaty but it was good - light, crisp and flavored just chocolaty enough.  I only made a half batch of these and am stocked up for another 3-4 breakfasts.

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 egg yolks
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup butter, melted (the original recipe called for shortening but I prefer butter)
2 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled (I used Guittard chocolate buttons/wafers)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 egg whites

1. Melt butter and chocolate together in the top half of a double boiler set over hot, not simmering, water.  Whisk smooth.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Make a well in the center of flour mixture; set aside.
3. In another medium bowl, combine egg yolks, milk, butter-chocolate mixture and vanilla.  Add to flour mixture all at once.  Stir just until moistened (do not overmix).
4. In a small mixing bowl, beat egg whites with an electric mixer on medium to high speed until stiff peaks form.  Gently fold into chocolate mixture.  Do not overmix.
5. Pour 1 cup to 1 1/4 cups of batter onto the grids of a preheated, lightly greased waffle baker.  Close lid quickly; do not open until done.  Bake according to the manufacturer's directions.  When done, use a fork to lift the waffle off the grids.  Repeat with remaining batter.  Serve warm.

 

IHOP Pancakes

IHOP Pancakes - made November 30, 2012 from Cookin' Up North

I had made an IHOP pancakes knock off recipe long ago and I thought I had it on my blog but it seems I don't.  So I tried this one from Cookin' Up North's blog as I think it's the same recipe I tried before.  It's a nice basic pancake recipe, not as fluffy as the Orange Cinnamon Roll Pancakes but still a good option if you need to use up buttermilk and don't have anything but baking ingredients in your house.....again.

1 1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. Baking soda
pinch of salt
1 egg, beaten
1 1/4 c. buttermilk
2 Tbsp. melted butter
1/4 c. sugar

Stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder,and salt. Mix the egg with the buttermilk and add to the flour mixture, stirring only until smooth. Add the melted butter and sugar. Fry on a greased griddle. Serves 4.

Chocolate Chips and Chunks Cookies

Chocolate Chips and Chunk Cookies - made November 29, 2012 from Averie Cooks

I know 'tis the season of fancy or traditional holiday cookies and the iconic chocolate chip cookie might normally take a backseat in holiday baking but not for me.  For one thing, I was still drooling over the pictures on Averie's blog and her chocolate chip cookie pictures with their thick chunky chip-ness sucked me right in.  I've rarely met a chocolate chip cookie recipe I wouldn't try.  Similar to Alton Brown's recipe, she advocates using bread flour for more chewiness.  I actually keep bread flour on hand more for cookies than bread so fortunately I had some available in my pantry for this recipe.  I didn't have a slab of chocolate to cut into chunks though so I had to default to a mixture of milk chocolate chips (Guittard) and mini Hershey kisses.  I was originally going to use the regular Hershey kisses and cut them up but I didn't have that kind of time so I went with ready-made chips.

Look at how beautifully chunky these turned out - yum.  I baked them a few minutes longer than she said to but it was only because the middles still looked raw after 8 minutes.  So I went closer to 11-12.  They still came out pretty well, I think.  Gotta love a good chocolate chip cookie, at any time of the year.

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup bread flour (all-purpose flour may be substituted and used exclusively in place of bread flour)

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt, optional and to taste

6 ounces (3/4 cup) semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips

6 ounces bittersweet or dark baking chocolate, chopped into bite-sized chunks

1. To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on low speed until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. 
2. Add the sugars and beat on medium-high speed until creamed and well combined, about 3 minutes. Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the egg, vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. 
3. Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the flours (solely using all-purpose flour will work, but the cookies will not be as chewy), corn starch, baking soda, salt, and mix until just combined, about 1 minute. Add the chocolate chips and chunks, and either fold in by hand or beat for a few seconds on low speed. Transfer dough to an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, up to 5 days (although chilling the dough is theoretically not necessary; in reality cookies spread less with chilled dough).
4. Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a 2-ounce cookie scoop or a 1/4 cup measuring cup, form heaping mounds  and place them on the baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until barely golden brown around the edges, even if slightly undercooked in the center, noting the tops will not be browned and will be pale. Do not cook longer than ten minutes as cookies will darken and firm up as they cool. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing and transferring to a rack to finish cooling. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.  Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired. 

Linked to Crazy Sweet Tuesday

 

Sugar Doodle Vanilla Cookies

Sugar Doodle Vanilla Cookies - made dough November 28, 2012 from Averie Cooks

I recently discovered Averie's blog through one of the link parties I participate in and I'm so glad I did.  Her write ups are entertaining and provide a lot of baking insights, I love her recipes and her dessert pictures make me drool in a pretty undignified manner.  Considering how jaded my taste buds are when it comes to sweets, that's quite a feat.  Click on one of the links to go to her blog and tell me I don't lie.

This is a great vanilla cookie if you like snickerdoodle-type cookies without the cinnamon sugar coating or if you prefer vanilla over chocolate (ahem, Vanilla King, I'm talking 'bout you).  It doesn't spread too much and is chewy and all things good and right with vanilla.  I like it baked just until the edges are golden and the middles are barely not raw.  Then at room temperature, it's moist and good.

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (1 stick)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 large egg

2 tablespoons cream or milk

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup bread flour (all-purpose flour may be substituted and used exclusively; bread flour yields chewier cookies and is recommended)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt, optional and to taste

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on low speed until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the sugars and beat on medium-high speed until creamed and well combined, 2 to 3 minutes. Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the egg, cream, vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. 
2. Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the flours, baking soda, salt, and mix until just combined, about 1 minute. Transfer dough to an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, up to 5 days.
3. Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a 2-ounce cookie scoop, form heaping mounds weighing 2 1/4-ounces each (weighed on a scale, which is approximately a scant 1/4-cup measure) and place them on the baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until pale golden and edges have just set, even if slightly undercooked in the center, as cookies will firm up as they cool. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before removing. 
4. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired. 

Posted to Sweet Treats and Swanky Stuff
 

Sausage and Cheese Pinwheels

Sausage and Cheese Pinwheels - test run on November 17, 2012

I was testing out a couple of savories ahead of time to make for my dessert party to offset all the sugar.  Normally I would buy some mini quiches (which I did end up doing on party day as I ran out of time!) and other pre-made appetizers and call it a day but I thought I would try the "semi-homemade" approach.  I got the idea for this from pinterest but the original recipe called for making the bread part from scratch.  I knew I wouldn't have that kind of time (and I was right) so I defaulted to crescent roll dough.  Of course I didn't measure anything (I reserve exactness for baking) so below are just the general guidelines.  This is one of those so-easy-even-I-can-make things.  You don't even really need a recipe.  Of course, mine didn't come out as neatly pinwheeled as all the other pictures I've seen.  It's hard to keep that crescent roll dough uniform when you cut it.  But, hey, it still tastes the same.  So if you need a quick appetizer for a holiday gathering, it's hard to go wrong with this one.

1 tube of crescent roll dough
8 ounces ground pork, cooked, drained and cooled, crumbled into bits
1 cup of shredded Cheddar cheese

Roll out crescent roll dough and sprinkle evenly with the crumbled pork.  Sprinkle with Cheddar cheese.  Roll up dough, jelly-roll style, and slice into 1/2" slices.  Bake according to crescent roll dough package directions.  Serve warm.

Ferrero Rocher Brownies Bites with Nutella Buttercream Frosting

Ferrero Rocher Brownie Bites with Nutella Frosting - made November 30, 2012 from a Tastebook recipe

Back to another new dessert I made for my dessert party last week.....

I love Ferrero Rocher.  As in I love it so much I rarely buy a box because I will eat it.  All of it.  I think it's the soft chocolate center inside the crispy shell that sucks me in.  So when I saw this recipe on pinterest that has a Ferrero Rocher atop a brownie base and covered in caramel icing, my first thought was inevitably, "genius!  pure genius!"  I modified the recipe to avert those blasphemous words "brownie mix" and subbed in a from-scratch brownie recipe I wanted to try.  Instead of caramel sauce, I used nutella to flavor the frosting.  I was making this for my dessert party so I didn't have time to make homemade caramel or risk it failing if I didn't make it correctly and I thought nutella frosting would be appropriate for a candy with a hazelnut in the middle.

The original recipe calls for making these in muffin tins but I used my mini cheesecake pans with the removable bottoms because they were the perfect size for the Ferrero Rocher (not too big or too little) and the removable bottoms meant I could easily remove them from the pans.  If you have one, I highly recommend using it for this recipe.  The brownie recipe below does make for slightly delicate brownies and at first I wasn't going to include the recipe here since it did give me a little grief because they were fragile, especially when warm.  But I admit they tasted really good with the candy and frosting once they cooled so I've added it below.  However, feel free to use your own brownie recipe.  You want one that's fudgy as opposed to cakey and a dark chocolate brownie is preferable since the frosting is sweet.  This was probably one of the most inspired concoctions I made for my dessert party and another keeper for future years.  One of my guests said it was her favorite ever.  Yay - a hit!

1 recipe of homemade brownies (recipe below or use your favorite fudgy brownie recipe)
24 Ferrero Rocher candies
4 tablespoons butter, softened
2-3 tablespoons nutella
1 cup confectioners sugar
1-2 tablespoons milk, if needed, to achieve the right consistency

1. Remove all wrappers from the candies.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. 
2. Prepare brownie batter (recipe below or use your own). Grease a mini-muffin tin (or mini cheesecake pan with removable bottoms) with cooking spray and fill each cup approximately 1/2 full with batter. Bake for 12-15 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove from oven and immediately press a candy into the center of each brownie bite, embedding halfway in.
3. Cool for a few minutes in the tin then carefully remove the brownie bites from the pan to a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely.
4. To make the frosting, use the paddle attachment on a stand mixer and beat the butter and powdered sugar together until smooth. Add the nutella and just enough milk to achieve desired consistency. Using a pastry or plastic bag with a piping tip, pipe the frosting onto the top of each brownie bite (or alternatively, you can frost by hand with a small metal spatula). Best served the same day they're made.

Fudge Brownies, recipe adapted from Indulge by Claire Clark
5 ounces 70% dark chocolate

7 ounces unsalted butter
3 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

10 ounces dark brown sugar

2 ¾ ounces all-purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

Pinch of salt

1.     Preheat the oven to 325⁰F.  Place butter and chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water to melt.  Once melted, remove the bowl from the pan.  

2.     Whisk the eggs, vanilla and sugar with an electric mixer until pale and doubled in volume.  Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt and fold them in.  Combine the warm melted chocolate and butter and fold them in too. 

3.     Spoon into prepared pans, filling slightly less than halfway.  Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.  Do not overbake.  After removing from the oven, place an unwrapped Ferrero Rocher into the center of each brownie round and embed halfway in. Cool slightly in the pan then gently lift out and cool completely before frosting.

     

Salted Caramel Kiss Cookies

Salted Caramel Kiss Cookies - made dough November 25, 2012 from Cookies and Cups blog

Since December 4 is National Cookie Day, I'm going to blog slightly out of order to put up another new holiday cookie I've discovered this year and that's the Salted Caramel Kiss Cookies I found on Cookies and Cups' blog.  They're similar to one of the staples I make for my bi-annual holiday dessert party, the Peanut Butter & Milk Chocolate Kiss Cookies.  This cookie is along the same lines but it's a caramel kiss on top of a brown sugar cookie so they're a good alternative if you need something for guests with peanut allergies.  I made the dough last week and had it in my freezer ready to be baked off on the day of my dessert party.  Stocking up on cookie dough gradually and before you need it is a time-saving life-line.  I ended up not baking these for my dessert party as I figured I already had enough options when the time came.  So I baked them off for friends I was seeing over the following two days instead.  And they were a hit!

I love the brown sugar/caramelized flavor of this cookie.  The sprinkles of fleur de sel was a nice contrast to the sweetness of the cookie and you can't go wrong with caramel kisses with their liquid caramel center.  These did spread more than I expected (a common occurrence, hmmm) even though, like with the Chocolate Turtle Cookies, I baked from frozen dough in a convection oven.  The original pic from Cookies and Cups' blog looks more like how I would've wanted mine to look so I may play around with this recipe as well to get less spread.  But I wouldn't want to sacrifice the flavor as it was really good. 

14 tablespoons butter
1 3/4 cups light brown sugar
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 light brown sugar
approx 24 chocolate caramel candies, such as Caramel Kisses or Rolos, unwrapped
flaked sea salt or fleur de sel for sprinkling

1. Preheat oven to 350° and line baking sheet with parchment paper (unless you're going to freeze the dough first).
2. Heat butter in medium skillet over medium heat until melted. When butter melts slowly swirl the pan and continue to cook the butter until it becomes a nice, brown-caramel color. The swirling helps it from burning. Let cool for 15 minutes.
3. Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl and set aside.
4. When butter is cool, mix 1 3/4 cups light brown sugar and browned butter with electric mixer until no lumps remain, about 30 seconds.
5. Add egg, yolk and vanilla and mix for another 30 seconds, until smooth.
6. Slowly add in flour mixture and mix on medium-low until incorporated.
7. Combine remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup granulated sugar in a small bowl.
8. Roll cookie dough into 2 inch balls (a heaping tablespoon) and then roll in sugar mixture.
9. Place on lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
10. Bake approx 12 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Do not overbake.
11. As soon as the cookies come out of the oven press a caramel chocolate candy into the center of each.
12. Sprinkle each with a pinch of flaked sea salt/fleur de sel and transfer to wire rack to continue cooling.