Pumpkin Cake with Brown Sugar Icing

Pumpkin Cake with Brown Sugar Icing - originally made on 12.31.08

Since I dissed pumpkin for so many years, I feel the need to atone by blogging about some of the great pumpkin recipes I've discovered once I got over my mental block about pumpkin. This is a pumpkin cake with brown sugar icing - yeah, it's as rich as it sounds. This is from Fearless Baking by Elinor Klivans which is a recipe book I've really enjoyed trying recipes from. Elinor Klivans has some other books but I've found one of her cookie books to be pretty much all the same recipe with minor variations of the mix-ins you add to it. One recipe has the same ingredients except you add milk chocolate chips instead of semisweet or throw in white chocolate chips too and she seems to consider that 3 different recipes. (Read: ripoff if you buy the cookbook.) Not so with Fearless Baking. I've gotten some good recipes from it, including this one.

The cake itself is super easy to make. The only liberty I took with it is the recipe calls for adding the pecans on top once you have the batter in the pan. Previous experience has taught me that even if you add the nuts to the top, while baking, the nuts will sink into the cake anyway and once again we have that I-don't-like-nuts-in-cakes problem. So I waited until the cake was almost done then added the pecans to it so they would stay on top and not sink into the cake. It worked.

Pumpkin Cake
1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup canola or corn oil
2 large eggs
¾ cup pecan halves

Brown Sugar Icing
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
2/3 cup whipping cream
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar

1. Mix the cake: Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 325˚F. Butter or rub with oil the bottom and sides of a 9 x 9 x 2-inch or 11 x 7 x 2-inch pan.
2. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and ginger onto a piece of wax paper or into a medium bowl and set aside.
3. Put the pumpkin, granulated sugar, and oil in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the eggs one at a time, beating to blend each thoroughly into the mixture. The mixture looks smooth and shiny. Decrease the speed to low and add the flour mixture. The batter is ready when the flour is mixed completely into the batter. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the batter from the bowl and spread it evenly in the prepared pan. Scatter the pecans evenly over the top.
4. Bake the cake: Bake just until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 30 minutes. The cake can be iced when it is warm or has cooled, but let the cake cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before adding the icing. Use a small knife to loosen the cake from the sides of the pan before adding the icing.
5. Make the icing: Put the butter, cream, and brown sugar in a medium saucepan and cool over medium heat until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves, stirring often. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil. Boil for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla just to blend it into the mixture. Set aside to cool slightly for about 30 minutes. Sift the powdered sugar into a medium bowl. Pour the slightly cooled sauce over it and use a whisk or electric mixer to beat the icing smooth, about 1 minute or less. It will change from a brown to a light brown color. Immediately pour the icing over the cake in the pan. Use a metal spatula to spread it evenly, if necessary. If the cake is warm, the icing spreads by itself. Icing will drip down around the edges of the pan and thinly coat the sides of the cake. This is good. Cool the cake and icing thoroughly, about 3 hours, but mark the portions in the top of the icing as soon as it is firm enough to hold the mark. Cut the cake into 9 squares. A thin metal spatula and a pancake turner work well together to help lift the cake squares from the pan. Serve the cake cold or at room temperature.

Pumpkin Upside Down Cake

Pumpkin Upside Down Cake

It's October so we need to start talking about pumpkins. First, I never liked pumpkin when I was growing up. We didn't really eat it when I was growing up as you can imagine it's not a traditional Filipino food. Second, I based my dislike of pumpkin solely on pumpkin pie which is what I thought was the only thing you could do with pumpkin. It sounded good when you read about it in cozy Little House on the Prairie-type books. But the reality of it was different and I didn't (and still don't) like pumpkin pie - maybe because the first couple I tried weren't that good. I didn't like the texture and it seemed overspiced. But third and most importantly, I was wrong about pumpkin. You can do more with it than put it in a traditional pumpkin pie. And in the right recipe, it's fabulous.

My eyes - and taste buds - were first opened when I attended a Sur La Table cooking class in Los Gatos, CA where Emily Luchetti, the former pastry chef of Stars, gave a cooking demonstration of recipes from her then-newly published cookbook, A Passion for Desserts. She made this recipe for Pumpkin Upside Down Cake that was simply delicious. You make a caramel sauce, pour it in the bottom of the baking pan, add toasted pecans and cranberries, cover it all with a pumpkin cake batter, bake it then flip it over when you take it out of the oven. Delicious. Note the exception here from my previously stated bias about nuts. I don't normally like nuts with cakes unless they're baked on top and don't get into the cake itself. Technically these are baked on the bottom but they end up on top. Regardless, toast the nuts first to bring out their flavor. Ironically, the caramel, which is a liquid that you'd think would soften the nuts, actually help them retain a somewhat crisp texture when the cake is cooled. And that makes everything okay.

My other bias is against using fruit or berries in desserts. I don't even normally like cranberries and you won't find jellied cranberries on my plate at Thanksgiving. But cranberries are perfect with this cake as they provide a tart contrast to the sweetness of the caramel and the cake. Use raw ones and they'll soften and cook just right when the cake is baked. I may have a lot of odd or rigid preferences in certain things when it comes to baking but I'm happy to find recipes that prove to be the exception. It makes me believe I could probably like many things, if I could just find the right combination for them in baking.

Pumpkin Upside Down Cake

8 ounces (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 cups cranberries
4 ounces (1 cup) coarsely chopped pecans, toasted
2 large eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line the bottom of a 9-inch square pan with parchment paper.
2. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and whisk until smooth. Pour the brown sugar mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the cranberries and pecans. Place them in the pan over the brown sugar mixture.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin puree, and oil. In another bowl, sift together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Stir the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture. Carefully spread the batter over the cranberry pecan topping.
5. Bake the cake until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack. Place a large plate or platter on top of the cake. Invert the cake and plate together, then remove the pan. Carefully peel off the parchment paper.
6. Let cool completely before serving.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunkers

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunkers - October 6, 2009

I've said a few times that I'm not wild about peanut butter so it might seem odd that I seem to bake so much with it. Well, it's not that odd because I like peanut butter in almost anything but its natural form. I especially like it paired with chocolate. Peanuts are also the only nut I'll voluntarily add in a peanut butter cookie, mostly if I use chunky peanut butter but I also like to sprinkle chopped peanuts on top of the cookie. That's more preferably than having it baked in it. I also tend to buy the big jars of peanut butter at Costco so I feel compelled to bake with peanut butter to use it up. Later on, I'll blog about the peanut butter brownies I've made as some of those are really good.

This recipe is for Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunkers from Nancy Baggett's All-American Cookie Book. It's a pretty simple, straightforward recipe for peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. I don't like the traditional peanut butter cookie that's crisp. I like my cookies to be more like the texture of a regular chocolate chip cookie but with a peanut butter flavor. These cookies are like that. The only disappointing thing about them is they spread and I've already made my preference about thick, chunky cookies quite clear. And because they spread, when the recipe calls for dipping the dough balls into chopped peanuts and chocolate chips, I don't see the point because the cookies spread so much that the chocolate chip/nut bits space out on the cookie anyway.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunkers

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups smooth or crunchy peanut butter
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened
1 ½ cups packed light brown sugar
2/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
10 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped (divided)

About ½ cup (2 ¼ ounces) chopped unsalted peanuts, for topping

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease several baking sheets or coat with nonstick spray.
2. In a medium bowl, thoroughly stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat together the peanut butter, butter, brown sugar, and sugar until very well blended and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, corn syrup, and vanilla and beat until well blended. Beat or stir in the flour mixture until evenly incorporated. Stir in 1 cup of the chopped chocolate. Let the dough stand for 5 minutes, or until firmed up slightly.
3. Shape portion of the dough into 1 ¾” balls with lightly greased hands. In a small bowl, stir together the remaining chocolate and the peanuts. Dip one half of each ball into the chocolate-peanut mixture until some bits are embedded. Place the balls, coated side up, on the baking sheets, spacing about 2 ¾” apart. Pat down the tops of the balls just slightly.
4. Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, in the upper third of the oven for 13 to 16 minutes, or until lightly browned all over, slightly darker at the edges, and slightly soft when pressed in the centers. Reverse the sheet from front to back halfway through baking to ensure even browning.
5. Transfer the sheet to a wire rack and let stand until the cookies firm up slightly, 1 to 2 minutes. Using a spatula, transfer the cookies to wire racks. Let stand until completely cooled.

Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 1 ½ months.

Lowney's Brownies

Lowney's Brownies - October 3, 2009

This is a standard brownie recipe from Nancy Baggett's All-American Cookie book. Quick and easy to make, it comes out fine but to me, having baked dozens upon dozens, if not hundreds, of brownie recipes, this is nothing special. Even baked in an 8" pan, it still comes out pretty thin and the taste isn't exceptional. I substituted chocolate chips for the nuts which was fine but this isn't a standout recipe. People at work liked it just fine and I got some compliments on it but to my overly critical taste buds, I don't think they warranted that much praise. They were just okay.

But that's part of trying out new recipes - some will be fabulous, some will flop and others are in that wide gray area in the middle of okay but nothing special. My baking quest is about the ones above average and tremendously special. Luckily, it's often easier to find good brownie recipes than average ones. I have so many different varieties that now I look for brownie recipes that are just a little bit different. I'll start posting a few so you can see what I mean.

Lowney's Brownies

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, broken up or coarsely chopped
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, slightly softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup (2 ounces) chopped walnuts or pecans
¼ teaspoon salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Lightly grease an 8-inch square baking pan or coat with nonstick spray. Line the pan with aluminum foil, letting the foil overhang two opposing sides of the pan by about 2 inches. Grease the foil or coat with nonstick spray.
2. In a small, microwave-safe bowl, microwave the chocolate on 50% power for 1 minute. Stir well. Continue microwaving on 50% power, stirring at 30-second intervals. Stop microwaving before the chocolate completely melts and let the residual heat finish the job. (Alternatively, in a small, heavy saucepan, melt the chocolate over lowest heat, stirring frequently; be very careful not to burn. Immediately remove from the heat.) Let cool to warm.
3. In a medium bowl, with a wooden spoon, mix together the butter and sugar until well blended and smooth. Stir in the chocolate until evenly incorporated. Stir in the eggs, then the flour, walnuts or pecans, and salt, until evenly incorporated. Turn out the batter into the baking pan, spreading to the edges.
4. Bake in the middle of the oven for 19 to 23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let stand until the brownie is completely cooled. Refrigerate until chilled.
5. Using the overhanging foil as handles, transfer the brownie to a cutting board. Carefully peel off and discard the foil. Using a large, sharp knife, cut the brownie into 16 squares; wipe the knife clean between cuts.

Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days or freeze up to 1 month. If freezing, leave the brownie slab whole, then cut into squares when partially thawed.

Chocolate Sour Cream Pound Cake

Chocolate Sour Cream Pound Cake - October 3, 2009

I also made this recipe last weekend. I tend to go on baking sprees when I have large chunks of time on a weekend, typically during the day on Saturday if I don't have social plans. The great thing about pound cakes is they're not only easy to make but most of them freeze really well. When I bring baked goods into work, they always marvel at how I have "time to bake". Uh, newsflash, I don't have time but because I like doing it, I make the time. And usually I can only make time on the weekends so I'll bake a lot on Saturdays or Sunday evenings and wrap the stuff up to store in the freezer until I'm ready to bring them in. Typically, my freezer is most full by Sunday night and practically empty by Friday morning as I will have brought the weekend's baking bounty in by then.

Cookie doughs get portioned out in dough balls and put in ziploc freezer bags to be baked off the night before I need them. I don't believe in freezing cookies that are already baked - the thawing will affect their texture and baked cookies are more susceptible to absorbing odors of the things around them and freezer burns. Besides, it's much better to have a cookie freshly baked the night before than one baked much earlier and just thawed (shudder) before you consume it. Remember, if you have to have the calories, make them the best calories they can be.

Anyway, pound cakes get baked and wrapped up tight in foil then put in freezer bags. I don't believe in letting them sit in the freezer too long. Just because they actually can last long doesn't mean they should. I'm a stickler for freshness so nothing I bring into work has been in my freezer for longer than a few days to at most a week.

This particular recipe is from the Doughmakers Cookbook and while it bills itself as a pound cake, its texture and crumb was lighter than most pound cakes so I would consider this more cakey than your typical pound cake. I could tell it would turn out that way too because the batter was more liquidy than your average pound cake batter. Still, whatever you want to call it, it tasted pretty good. You never want to overbake anything, but especially not cakes as they dry easily. I took this out when the toothpick still had a few moist crumbs clinging to it to ensure it wasn't overbaked. I'll be repetitive on this topic but I can't abide dry cakes.

Chocolate Sour Cream Pound Cake

1 cup boiling water
Two 1-ounce squares unsweetened chocolate, chopped into small pieces
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ pound (1 stick) butter, softened
1 ¾ cups firmly packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup sour cream

Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

1. Preheat the oven to 325˚F. Grease and flour an 8 ½ x 4 ½” loaf pan.
2. In a small bowl, pour the boiling water over the chocolate and stir to melt it. Allow to cool.
3. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda. In another large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla, continuing to beat as you add each ingredient.
4. Add half of the flour mixture to the butter-sugar mixture and beat thoroughly. Add the sour cream and continue beating. Add the remaining flour mixture and beat until combined. Add the chocolate mixture and beat until just blended.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a thin knife around the edge of the cake and remove from the pan. Continue cooling the cake on the wire rack. Dust with confectioners’ sugar before slicing.

Banana Layer Cake

October 3, 2009 - Banana Layer Cake with Tangy Vanilla Frosting

My favorite banana cake is from Icing on the Cake in Los Gatos - every time I try a new banana cake recipe, I compare it to that. This recipe is from Abigail Johnson Dodge's Weekend Baker and, appropriately enough, I made it last weekend. The cake turned out fairly well - had a good texture that was nice and cakey, not too heavy like a pound cake and not too light like a sponge cake. It was similar to Icing on the Cake's but not quite the same so my quest to find the perfect banana cake recipe continues.

I made 2 novice baker mistakes with this cake. One, contrary to my previous posting on the use of bananas, I didn't let my bananas get ripe enough before I used them for the cake. The bananas I had were too ripe to eat but still not at that almost-completely blackened skin stage which would make them the most flavorful. But this weekend was the only time I had to make a layer cake so I was willing to risk it. The cake still turned out okay but would probably have been a smidge more flavorful if the bananas had ripened even further.

The second mistake is probably common to most cake bakers - I didn't let the layers get completely cool before I frosted them. Usually I have more patience but I was on a schedule and needed to get going so I let them mostly cool but frosted them while they were still just a tiny bit lukewarm in the center. It didn't matter too much except the frosting did get a bit moist/melty and I had to let it set in the fridge after I frosted the layers. That's one thing in baking that I've learned through the years - oftentimes, you can't really hide your mistakes. You can see my 2nd mistake clearly by looking at the layers - you can't see the frosting layer in between them. That's because not only did I use a thin layer of frosting (since I'm more of a cake girl, not a frosting chick) but what frosting there was between the two layers melted into them. It didn't affect the taste at all and the taste was actually quite good but from a presentation standpoint, I wouldn't follow my example on this one.

The original recipe has this frosted with chocolate frosting but for a banana cake, I prefer a more neutral flavor pairing. Vanilla (or cream cheese) showcases the banana flavor, chocolate competes with it. Whichever you choose is more of a personal preference.

Banana Layer Cake with Tangy Vanilla Frosting
For the cake
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
16 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
3 medium very, very ripe bananas (about 14 ounces including peels), peeled
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs
½ cup buttermilk
¾ cup (3 ounces) chopped, toasted walnuts, optional

For the fudgy frosting
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 2 pieces
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon table salt

To make the cake
1. Position an oven rack on the middle rung. Heat the oven to 350˚F. Grease and flour the bottom and sides of two 9 by 2-inch round cake pans, tapping out the excess flour.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Whisk until well blended. In a large bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer (stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or handheld mixer) on medium-high until smooth. Add the sugar and beat until well combined. Add the bananas and vanilla and beat until well blended and only small bits of banana remain. Add the eggs two at a time, beating well after each addition. The mixture will look curdled and a bit lumpy. Don’t worry, it will all come together. Add half of the flour mixture and mix on low speed just until blended. Add the buttermilk and mix just until blended. Add the remaining flour mixture and mix just until blended. Stir in the walnuts, if using. Scrape the batter into the prepared pans, dividing it evenly.
3. Bake until the tops are light brown and a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center of 1 layer comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Transfer the pans to racks and let cool for about 15 minutes. Run a thin knife around the sides of each pan to loosen the cake. Invert the layers onto the racks, lift off the pans, and let cool completely.
To make the fudgy frosting
4. While the cake is baking, make the fudgy frosting. Melt the unsweetened chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave. Meanwhile, combine the sugar, evaporated milk, butter, vanilla and salt in a blender; there’s no need to blend at this point. When the chocolate is melted, remove it from the heat or the microwave and give it a stir. Scrape the hot melted chocolate into the blender. Cover with the lid and blend on high speed until the mixture darkens and is very thick, about 2 minutes. Scrape the frosting into a clean bowl and set aside at room temperature. When the frosting is cool, cover the bowl with plastic wrap until the cake is completely cool and ready to frost.
5. Frost the cake


Tangy Vanilla Frosting
16 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon table salt
1/3 cup sour cream

1. In a large bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer (stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment) on medium-high speed until very smooth and creamy. Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, salt and beat until blended and fluffy. Add the sour cream and, using a rubber spatula, gently stir just until blended. Cover and set aside at room temperature until the layers are completely cool and ready to be frosted.

Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies - Test batch 3

I have 2 favorite chocolate chip cookie recipes. One is the more traditional, chewy, sweet cookie and the other is less sweet and more cakey. Both are thicker than the normal Toll House variety which is why they made the favorites list. I'm currently on a kick to try and combine the best of both cookie recipes into one.

Must have for my perfect chocolate chip cookies:

1. Milk chocolate chips - preferably the big Guittard chips or milk chocolate chunks (yeah, I know you semisweet lovers are baffled but hey, it's my sweet tooth).

2. Thick - remember thin is a bad word when it comes to most baked goods, see earlier blog post. So I need a cookie that doesn't spread much when baked in a regular oven. Convection ovens are great because they'll often bake the cookie before it's had time to spread very much. But I don't have a convection oven so I have to adjust the recipes to work in my normal oven.

3. Need a perfect combination between chewy and cakey - this is the toughest thing for me to nail so far. I don't like cakey cookies or crisp cookies (as a rule but there are some exceptions) or cookies grainy from too much sugar or greasy from too much butter.

4. You can get chewy cookies by underbaking but I don't like them so underbaked that they're still cookie dough. Again, the cookie dough lovers will be baffled by this but I'm that rare cookie baker who never eats cookie dough when making cookies. It's raw dough. Ewwww. I've had many an argument with cookie dough lovers over this but the most they can do is shake their heads and look at me in pity. Doesn't work. I still won't eat cookie dough. My friend Annie loves cookie dough and her tag line is her cookies are for people who love cookie dough more than cookies. But I like Annie's cookies so I don't think that's the definition of cookie dough I'm talking about. I mean the stuff that's still in the mixing bowl and doesn't make it onto a cookie sheet that goes into the oven.

5. Crisp edges when eaten 10 minutes out of the oven but the middle is still soft and chewy. When it cools, it's okay for some of the crispness to be gone but still would be good for it not to be too soft around the edge. That's what you need to offer a different texture contrast from the middle.

This is my 3rd test batch of starting from the chewy cookie dough recipe and modifying it to be closer to the cakey one. I think I overshot towards the cakey and not enough on the chewy. What's the difference? The cakey one is what it sounds like - more like a little blob of a dense cake. The chewy, well, it just tastes like a chocolate chip cookie. I did like how these turned out in size and thickness though. The taste was pretty good too. But I still have to work on the texture to be more cookie-like rather than cake-like.

Brownies!

Brownies are a busy baker's best friend. They can be mixed in one bowl, poured into a pan and baked in no time at all. Given both the hours I work and the amount of time I have to bake, brownies are a crucial part of my baking therapy. You can fit them in almost any time.

Unlike many other sweets that require being exact in ingredients, brownies are a little more forgiving about "add in" ingredients. I've been known to add chocolate liqueur in lieu of or in addition to vanilla as well as chocolate extract, Kahlua, etc. You can also dress up a plain brownie with chopped up candy bars, chunks of chocolate, M&Ms, Rolos, Snickers - you name it, it can probably be added. Don't go wild though as the beauty of the brownie is its simplicity and you don't want to lose its richness by adding too much other stuff. I added plain M&Ms to this recipe. Peanut M&Ms would've been too big and the softness of the texture of these brownies would've been overwhelmed by anything bigger than the plain M&Ms.

Most brownie recipes call for nuts to be added to the batter. As previously stated, I am diametrically opposed to nuts in my brownies and other baked goods. If they're layered on top, they might be okay but inside the batter? That's just wrong. Brownies tend to have a higher proportion of chocolate so it's crucial to use good quality chocolate. Your brownies are only as good as the ingredients you put in.

The most common mistake people make with brownies is they bake them too long. They wait until the toothpick comes out "clean". No, no, no. Did I mention "no"? By the time your toothpick comes out clean, your brownie is likely overbaked and possibly dry. Since most brownies have a high proportion of chocolate compared to the rest of the ingredients, it's okay to err on the side of underbaking them. The chocolate will "set" as it cools. Some people like their brownies fudgy, others like them cakey. I belong in the fudgy camp. If I wanted cakey brownies, I'd make a chocolate cake. Some people mistake my brownies for fudge. I'm okay with that. There's a fine line between the two anyway.

Lots of people like the brownie edges and they even make an Edge pan for those who only like the edges http://www.amazon.com/Bakers-Edge-Nonstick-Brownie-Pan/dp/B000MMK448/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1254363324&sr=8-1
That would NOT be for me. I like the middles. They're generally more moist and chocolatey. I give the edges to other people.

I tried a new recipe last night - Bittersweet Brownies from Dorie Greenspan's Baking From My Home to Yours. It's a fantastic book and I highly recommend it for even the most novice bakers. So far all the recipes I've tried from it have turned out pretty well. The original recipe called for the brownies to be thin and baked in a 9 x 13 pan. I'm almost as opposed to thin brownies as I am to nuts in brownies. Thin brownies? Are you kidding? Thin should only be applied to my weight loss goals. Thin doesn't belong with brownies. I compensated by baking them in a smaller pan so, while they weren't really thick, at least they weren't thin. Some brownies are so rich that you probably don't want them too thick. In that case, just cut them smaller. But don't make them thin.

I brought these into work today for a few meetings and I passed out the leftovers amongst some of my coworker friends. Ran into one of them, Rick, after I'd passed out the last brownie and I had to confess they were gone. That earned me a searing look and the declaration from Rick of "You're dead to me!" LOL. Guess Rick likes brownies too. Fortunately for him, Albie saved the day and shared one of the ones I had given her. Maybe next time, Rick, I'll bring you your own. Maybe.

Peanut Butter Fudge Cookies

I am not a huge fan of peanut butter - at least not by itself. Never had a peanut butter & jelly sandwich in my life (don't even get me started on not liking jelly). However, I don't mind peanut butter combined with other flavors, especially chocolate. Or peanut butter baked into cakes, brownies or cookies. Just don't like the stuff straight out of the jar.

While I like peanut butter cookies for the most part, I don't like the traditional flat peanut butter cookie that's a bit crisp. Crisp in a cookie often translates into "dry". I like my cookies rounded, thick and moist. Crisp also often signifies the use of shortening in a recipe and I much prefer butter.

I like this recipe for Peanut Butter Fudge Cookies because it holds its shape well and is a nice combination of peanut butter and chocolate. It's moist, fudgy and not too overwhelmingly peanut butter-y. Watch the baking time on this one. It bakes for 10 minutes in my oven. When in doubt, err on the side of underbaking rather than overbaking. This is from Nancy Baggett's All-American Cookie Book.

Peanut Butter Fudge Cookies

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, broken up or coarsely chopped
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
1 ½ cups packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened American-style cocoa powder
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup (6 ounces) milk chocolate morsels, finely chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Grease several baking sheets or coat with nonstick spray.
2. In a small, microwave-safe bowl, microwave the unsweetened chocolate on 50% power for 1 minute. Stir well. Continue microwaving on 50% power, stirring at 30-second intervals. Stop microwaving before the chocolate completely melts and let the residual heat finish the job. (Alternatively, in a small, heavy saucepan, melt the chocolate over lowest heat, stirring frequently; be very careful not to burn. Immediately remove from the heat.)
3. In a medium bowl, thoroughly stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on low, then medium, speed, beat together the melted chocolate, peanut butter, brown sugar, sugar, and cocoa powder until very well blended. Add the butter and beat until very well blended and smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until fluffy and well blended, about 2 minutes. Beat or stir in the flour mixture, then the chocolate morsels, just until evenly incorporated. Refrigerate the dough for 15 minutes, or until it firms up slightly.
4. Divide the dough into quarters, forming each into a flat disk. Divide each portion into quarters, then eighths. Shape the portions into balls with lightly greased hands. Place on the baking sheets, spacing about 2 ½ inches apart. Lightly oil the tines of a fork. Using the fork tines, firmly press down each ball horizontally and then vertically until the ball is about ½” thick.
5. Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, in the upper third of the oven for 8 to 11 minutes, or until not quite firm when pressed in the centers; be careful not to overbake. Transfer the sheet to a wire rack and let stand until the cookies firm up slightly, 1 to 2 minutes. Using a spatula, transfer the cookies to wire racks. Let stand until completely cooled.

Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 1 ½ months.

Lemon Cream-Filled Cookies

These are nice, simple cookies, perfect for serving at a tea or brunch. They take a little more time than drop cookies but are fairly straightforward and simple to make. My niece Lauren made these for my dad's birthday party last weekend, using my recipe below. She made the dough herself, rolled out the dough, cut out the shapes, baked them, cooled them, made the filling and she and Shyla put them together.

Usually I don't have the time to make sandwich cookies. The chilling, rolling out, baking, cooling and sandwiching together are great for a weekend project but not so much during the week when I get home late from work. The thing with any kind of sandwich cookies is the importance of uniformity. The dough has to be rolled out to just the right thickness. Too thick and you'll get a bulky cookie when you sandwich the halves together. Too thin and they'll break apart easily, not to mention they brown too fast when you bake them. You can't have a thin half and a thick half either - looks weird. Plus each one has to be the same size and shape in order to put together neatly. If you like the homey touch, then it doesn't really matter if the cookie halves are mismatched. But (you guessed it), I'm a bit anal about stuff like that so I prefer to use a cookie cutter to get uniform shapes and sizes for my sandwich cookies.

The filling is important too. If it's too liquidy, the filling will run out the sides of the sandwich cookie or leak out when you bite into it, making a mess. If it's too hard, it ruins the texture contrast with the cookie halves or won't be soft enough to hold the two sandwich halves together.

This recipe is from a Mrs. Fields cookie book. You can use any size and shape cookie cutter to cut the cookies. I like to use small ones for more dainty-looking cookies. Normally I use a scallop-shaped cookie cutter to make these prettier but I had Lauren use a plain circle this time around just to keep things simple.

Cookies
¾ cup salted butter, softened
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons pure lemon extract
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup cornstarch

Filling
¼ cup salted butter, softened
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon heavy cream
juice of 1 freshly squeezed lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
grated zest of 1 lemon (2-3 teaspoons)

To make the cookie dough
1. In a medium bowl, cream butter with an electric mixer set at medium speed. Add sugar, and beat until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
2. Add lemon extract, and beat until light and fluffy. Then add flour and cornstarch; blend at low speed until thoroughly combined.
3. Gather dough into 2 balls of equal size and flatten into disks. Wrap the disks tightly in plastic wrap or a plastic bag. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
To make the filling:
4. In a small bowl, beat butter with mixer until fluffy. Gradually add sugar while continuing to beat. Add cream, lemon juice and lemon zest. Mix until thoroughly blended and set aside. To harden filling quickly, refrigerate for 15-20 minutes.
5. At this point, preheat oven to 325˚F.
6. Using a floured rolling pin, roll the chilled cookie dough on a floured board to a ¼” thickness. Cut circles of dough on ungreased cookie sheets, ½” apart. Continue rolling out and cutting dough scraps until all dough is used.
7. Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until edges begin to brown. Immediately transfer cookies with a spatula to a cool, flat surface.
8. When cookies are completely cool, spread a cookie with 1 teaspoon of the lemon cream. Place another cookie on top of the filling to make a sandwich. Complete entire batch.