Monster Cookies

Monster Cookies - made dough June 14, 2013 from Mrs. Schwartz's Kitchen

One of the things I like about my company is its emphasis on philanthropy and giving back to our local communities.  To that end, every year, each employee is provided with volunteer opportunities as well as one paid day off to do a group volunteer project sponsored by the company and arranged with our community partners and another paid day off to do a personal volunteer day with any charity we choose.

Last year, my team partnered with another group and volunteered with March of Dimes to set up for their fundraising walk.  This year, we partnered again and are volunteering at RAFT (Resource Area for Teachers).  We included more groups in our volunteer plans and I (rashly) offered to bake goodie bags for all of the volunteers.  Last year, there were 9 of us.  This year, 19.  I hadn’t expected quite so many but I love a challenge.  Whenever I need that many goodie bags, I always plan to make a variety of baked goods, partly to cover a gamut of tastes and partly because, well, I just love to bake.  Did that even need to be said?

This year’s bake-a-thon posed a challenge since the volunteer event was on a Friday.  That meant I had to do most of the baking the night before since I still had a day job to do and I am obsessed about freshness so I have to bake almost everything at the last minute.  No one is ever getting “day old” cookies from me.  Hours old maybe but not more than 24 hours if I can help it.  Baking for 19 on one night is a little tricky but doable as long as I planned ahead.  Which is what I did for the week leading up to the event.  It’s actually not as hard as it sounds.  Brownies are easily made ahead and frozen; when thawed, they’re as good as new/fresh.  Cookies are the easiest because I can make the dough ahead of time, put them in the freezer and bake them off at the last minute.  So Cookie Palooza began.

First out of the gate was this recipe for Monster Cookies.  It doesn’t make very many but that was okay because I wanted to be able to make a bunch of different kinds of cookies.  There are no rules that everyone has to get the same exact things in all the goodie bags, right?  As long as they get the same amount at least - "fair" does not mean "the exact same".  What I liked about these cookies is they hardly spread at all and stayed obligingly thick.  They're essentially a peanut butter cookie studded with M&MS and a stray oat here and there.  Despite their thickness, they did seem a bit fragile though so I wouldn't recommend mailing them in care packages.

1/2 cup or 1 stick of butter (at room temperature)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup quick cooking oats

3/4 cup m&ms

1/4 cup chocolate chips

1/4 peanut butter chips 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  
2. Start by combining the butter, brown and white sugars in a large bowl using a hand/stand mixer.  Add the peanut butter and mix to combine.  Add the egg and vanilla, mixing to blend. 
3. Measure in the baking soda and flour and stir just until combined.  Stir in the oats, m&ms, chocolate chips and peanut butter chips.  
4. Scoop using a cookie scoop or two teaspoons measuring about 2 tablespoons onto a cookie sheet lined with a Silpat mat or parchment paper.  Press down gently as they do not spread on their own.  
5. Bake for 9-10 minutes but no longer.  You want these to stay soft.  Remove from the oven and let cool on the cookie sheet for 2-3 minutes then move to a cooling rack. 

Texas White Sheet Cake

Texas White Sheet Cake - made June 14, 2013, recipe modified from Chef in Training

I was so enamored of the Texas Vanilla Cake I’d made earlier that I wanted to make it again.  But, being me, I decided to try a different recipe for it.  This time, this was true vanilla all the way in both the cake and the frosting.  Ironically though, this seemed more like a yellow cake, primarily because of the color of the cake.  Similar to the earlier version I had made, this was really good cake, moist and fluffy.  And I think I’ve solved my underbaking problem.  When I absolutely really, really want to take a cake out because I think it’s done (although with my penchant for underbaking, it probably isn’t), I turn the oven off and let the cake sit in the still-hot oven for a few more minutes.  It calms my twitchy baking nerves about overbaking a cake that the oven is turned off but the cake continues baking a little longer and gets a fighting chance that it’ll actually be baked properly instead of underbaked by too much.  That trick seemed to have worked with both of the Texas vanilla cakes I’ve made recently because the texture has come out perfectly for each one: not too dense from being underbaked and not dry because of overbaking.  Instead it’s fluffy yet moist.  

Depending on the cake, the toothpick test doesn’t always work.  Sometimes a toothpick that comes out “clean” still isn’t done in the middle.  I usually poke a toothpick in the corner of the cake then another one in the center.  Even if they both come out clean, you can usually tell if the middle isn’t quite done because it doesn’t go in as easily as the corner toothpick and it might come out with a barely discernible wet film coating it.  But the corner toothpick clearly indicates at least that part of the cake is done and further baking might dry it out.  That’s when I usually turn the oven off and give the cake a few more minutes.  A truly expert baker can tell if a cake is done by pressing lightly on the top of the cake and gauging the “spring” of the cake but I don’t make cakes (especially not the same cakes) often enough to trust my judgment on that.  Toothpicks and instinct based on the cake’s appearance usually work for me.  And if those fail, well, it’s “just a cake” and can always be made again later and the mistake learned from.

1 cup butter

1 cup water

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, optional

Frosting

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup milk

4 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a 9 x 13 pan with foil and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Bring butter and water to a boil in a saucepan.
3. Remove from heat and whisk in flour, baking soda, salt, sugar, eggs, sour cream and vanilla extract until smooth.
4. Pour into prepared pan.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes.
5. While cake is cooling, make frosting.
6. Combine butter and milk in a saucepan; cook over low heat until butter melts. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
7. Remove from heat and add powdered sugar and vanilla extract; beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until spreading consistency.
8. Spread frosting on top of cake.

Cookie Butter Brown Sugar Streusel Bars

Cookie Butter Brown Sugar Streusel Bars - made June 11, 2013 from Averie Cooks

Since I’d been surfing Averie’s blog recently, it reminded me that I had pinned another recipe of hers awhile back that I hadn’t made yet.  I still had cookie butter from Trader Joe’s so it seemed like a good time to try out this recipe.  It was simple and straightforward to make, albeit my piping skills leave something to be desired.  Because of the cookie butter in the base, this was almost like a sweeter version of a Biscoff cookie and in chewy bar form.  It’s a good option if you need something a little different from the traditional blondie.

The only thing I really changed from her recipe was to have the butter in the streusel topping be chilled, not softened.  It's easier to cut into the dry ingredients for the streusel when it's cold as opposed to soft.

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted)
1 large egg
1 cup brown sugar, packe
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons cinnamon
heaping 1/3 cup smooth Cookie Butter
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
pinch salt, optional and to taste

For the Streusel Topping
1/4 cup unsalted butter (half of one stick), chilled
1/2 cup whole rolled old-fashioned oats (not quick cook or instant)
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1+ teaspoon cinnamon, to taste (I used 2 teaspoons, add to taste)
2 tablespoons Cookie Butter, melted for final drizzle after baking

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-by-8-inch pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside. 
2. In a large microwave safe bowl, melt 1/2 cup butter, about 1 minute. Cool slightly.
3. Add the egg, 1 cup brown sugar, vanilla, and 2 teaspoons cinnamon.  Whisk or stir until smooth. Add the heaping 1/3 cup Cookie Butter, and stir to incorporate. 
4. Add the flour, optional salt, and stir until just combined; don't overmix. Pour batter into prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula; set pan aside.

For the Streusel Topping

1. In a medium bowl, add all the streusel ingredients except the 2 tablespoons cookie butter for final drizzle post-baking, and work the mixture with a spoon, a pastry cutter, or your hands until small pebbles form. Sprinkle topping evenly over base layer.
2. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until center is set and not jiggly; and the edges are set and have pulled away slightly from sides of pan.
3. After bars emerge from the oven, heat 2 tablespoons of Cookie Butter in the microwave to melt, about 15 seconds. Immediately and evenly drizzle Cookie Butter over the top. Allow bars to cool in pan for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving. Store bars in an airtight container for up to 1 week at room temperature, or up to 3 months in the freezer.

Lemon Tea Cookies

Lemon Tea Cookies - made June 8, 2013 from My Madison Bistro

This was the second cookie I brought to the bridal shower I attended last week and might've been more popular than the peanut butter fudge cookies.  As the father of the bride explained to me, these "were addictive and easy to keep eating".

This is a simple lemon shortbread cookie, easy to make ahead of time to chill as dough logs in the freezer, then take out, slice and bake whenever you need them.  I advise taking the dough out of the freezer and letting them thaw for 5-10 minutes before you try slicing them.  Otherwise the dough is too hard and can crumble if you try cutting directly from the freezer.  And slice them thick!  These aren't meant to be delicate little cookies but a tea cookie with some substance.  The frosting provides a perfect tartness/sweetness to the cookie and fancies it up a little.  It's a nice "summer" cookie that's not too rich or too heavy.  You just have to be careful of the frosting in very hot temps as it won't set if it's too hot.

¾ cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 ¼ cups flour
½ cup cornstarch
1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar

for the frosting
¾ cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
¼ cup unsalted cold butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon lemon juice

1. Cream butter, lemon zest and juice until fluffy. In separate bowl, sift dry ingredients and mix into butter on low speed.
2. Divide in half. Shape each half into an 8×1 inch log and roll in plastic wrap. Refrigerate or freeze for at least 2 hours.
3. Cut into ¼ inch rounds. Bake at 350 F for 12 minutes. Cool and frost.

for the frosting

1. On low speed, mix the cold butter with electric mixer (use paddle attachment for a stand mixer) until smooth. Slowly add confectioners’ sugar until blended. Beat in the lemon zest and juice.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies (yes, they're gluten free)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies - made dough June 7, 2013 from Averie Cooks

So....confession time.  I know gluten-free is all the rage, especially with so many people having issues with wheat digestion.  Not me.  Iron stomach and all (er, not to be confused with "rock hard abs" - still working on those), I have no problems with wheat, dairy or sugar.  Subsequently, I always give recipes that proclaim to be gluten-free or vegan the side eye, thinking they can't possibly be as good as a "regular" recipe.  No flour, no white sugar, no dairy?  No point.  I know, I know, how politically incorrect and insensitive of me.  But I pass them up all the same.  Except for this one.  I've made recipes from Averie's blog before and they've been pretty fabulous.  Her pictures suck me in first.  Spend 5 minutes looking at her blog and you'll be drooling too.  The pictures of these cookies convinced me I needed to get over my gluten-loving prejudices and give them a try.  They do contain 1 egg so they're not vegan but they are gluten free.

I was going to a bridal shower last weekend and wanted to bring a cookie plate as part of my shower gift so I thought it would be a good time to include this cookie as part of the offering in case any of the guests ate gluten-free.  Plus, if they didn't turn out, I would have other cookies to fall back on so it seemed like minimal risk.

This recipe was actually harder than it looks to make.  The first time I made them, I used Scharffenberger unsweetened cocoa powder but the cookies turned out a little bitter.  So I made a second batch and this time - one of the rare times you'll see me do this - I used half Scharffenberger and half Hershey's cocoa.  It helped alleviate the bitterness factor since the Hersheys is more bland.  I also beat the peanut butter and brown sugar longer as Averie's blog says to but I ended up with a much more crumbly mixture the second time around rather than the moist mixture that I had achieved with the first batch when I didn't beat it as much.  I ended up using more peanut butter in the second batch and even then, the mixture was crumbly in the mixing bowl.  However, when I gathered handfuls of it to shape into dough balls, the mixture held up just fine. This makes for a rich cookie so you may want to make them small; think of it as a flourless peanut butter chocolate cookie or, as I like to view it, as baked peanut butter fudge.

I took the second batch to the bridal shower but I didn't want the first batch to go to waste so I baked those for work the next day.  To offset the bitterness of the cookie, I fancied it up by sprinkling chopped up Reese's peanut butter cups and peanuts on top of the hot cookies as soon as they came out of the oven and drizzling them with warm chocolate peanut butter.  I didn't try the fancy cookies since I already knew what the base cookie tasted like but they went pretty fast from the communal kitchen at work when I brought them in so I assume they tasted okay.

1 cup + 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter (i.e. one heaping cup - plain or crunchy may be used; do not use natural or homemade peanut butter)

1 cup light brown sugar, packed (dark brown may be substituted)
1 large egg
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder (Dutch-process may be substituted)
1 teaspoon baking soda

1. To the mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine peanut butter, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until well-combined and the sugar is fully incorporated and is mixture is no longer gritty or granular, about 5 minutes. Stop to scrape down the bowl as necessary.
2. Add the cocoa powder, baking soda, and beat to incorporate, 1 to 2 minutes. Dough may be a bit crumbly in pieces, but pieces should all stick together forming a large mound when pinched, squeezed, and pushed together. If your dough seems dry, adding 1 to 2 additional tablespoons of peanut butter will help it combine.
3. Using a 2-inch medium cookie scoop (about 2 heaping tablespoons of dough or 1.80 ounces by weight), form dough mounds or roll dough into balls. Recipe makes 13 cookies; dividing dough into 13 equal portions is another way to do this. Place dough on a large plate and flatten each mound with a fork, making a criss-cross pattern on top. Slightly flattening the mounds before baking ensures they don't stay too domed and puffed while baking because this dough, when properly chilled, doesn't spread much; just don't over-flatten. Cover plate with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 5 days, before baking. Do not bake with warm dough.
4. Preheat oven to 350F, line 2 baking sheets with parchment parchment; set aside. Space dough 2 inches apart (8 to 10 per tray) and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until edges are set and tops are barely set, even if slightly underbaked in the center. It's tricky to discern if they're done or not because they're so dark, but watch them very closely after 7 minutes. I recommend the lower end of the baking range. Cookies firm up as they cool, and baking too long will result in cookies that set up too crisp and hard.
5. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 to 10 minutes before removing and transferring to a rack to finish cooling. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, 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.

Top Favorite: Chocolate Pan Cake with Fudge Frosting

Chocolate Pan Cake with Fudge Frosting - made June 4, 2013 from A Country Baking Treasury by Lisa Yockelson

This is one of my favorite renditions of chocolate cake with fudge frosting spread over the warm cake to melt into it and later cool and set.  The cake texture is fluffy and the sweetness of the frosting goes perfectly with the not-too-rich chocolate goodness of the cake.  There's nothing easier to make on a weeknight after work because it's a simple matter of mixing up the cake batter and while the cake is baking in the oven, you can wash up, eat dinner and prepare the frosting, ready for spreading as soon as the cake comes out of the oven.  I made this for a couple of coworkers visiting from our Florida office because of the time factor and ease of preparation.  Not to mention, it's really good.  I think what I like best about it is the texture: not too dense, not too light but perfectly cakey.

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into rough chunks
4 tablespoons unsifted unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup water
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups unsifted cake flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup buttermilk, blended with 1 teaspoon baking soda, at room temperature
2 extra-large eggs at room temperature
1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Chocolate Fudge Frosting
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into chunks
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
5 tablespoons milk, at room temperature
1 tablespoon light cream, at room temperature
1 box (1 pound) confectioners’ sugar, sifted (you can use less if you prefer it less sweet)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1 cup chopped pecans, optional

1. Line a 9 x 13 x 2-inch cake pan with foil and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray; set aside. Preheat the oven to 400˚F.
2. For the cake, place the butter, cocoa, and water in a large saucepan, set over moderately high heat, and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat. Sift together the sugar, flour and salt into the large bowl of an electric mixer. Whisk together the buttermilk, eggs and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Pour the hot butter-cocoa-water mixture over the sifted dry mixture and beat on moderate speed until thoroughly blended. Add the whisked egg mixture and continue beating on low speed until the batter is a uniform color, about 1 ½ minutes. Pour and scrape the batter into the prepared pan.
3. Bake the cake on the lower-third-level rack of the preheated oven for 20 to 22 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean and dry and the cake shrinks slightly away from the edges of the pan.
4. About 10 minutes before the cake is done, make the fudge frosting. Place the butter, chocolate, milk and cream in a large saucepan, set over low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate has melted down completely. Remove from the heat and beat in the sugar by cupfuls with the vanilla and salt. Blend in the pecans, if using.
5. As soon as the cake is done, remove it from the oven to a wire cooling rack. Immediately spread the frosting evenly over the top with a flexible palette knife. Let the cake cool in the pan.

Vanilla Cinnamon Sugar and Buttermilk Doughnuts

Vanilla Cinnamon Sugar and Buttermilk Doughnuts - made June 2, 2013 from Channeling Contessa

So apparently, last Friday, June 7, was National Doughnut Day.  I didn't know that so my timing is off with these doughnuts because I made them before June 7 and didn't blog them until after.  I should pay more attention to the food calendar but I'm usually indifferent to doughnuts.  I mean, I'll eat it if there's one in front of me and it's fresh (nothing worse than a stale doughnut), if I'm at the airport abominably early in the morning and Dunkin' Donuts is the only one open at that hour, or if I'm in a Vegas casino and happen to pass by a Krispy Kreme and my sweet tooth gives it the beady eye.  But I don't love them enough to go out of my way for one and I don't crave them.  Nothing wrong with a good doughnut but they're not high on my list of diet-breakers.

But for some reason, I did have a hankering for a doughnut last week.  I think it's because I wanted to buy a doughnut pan rather than I actually wanted a doughnut.  Let's face it, it would've been easier to buy a doughnut than to go hunting for a doughnut pan. Yet, it's been awhile since I bought a baking gadget and that just felt....unnatural. I was actually trying not to buy more gadgets but, well, you know.  Sometimes you just have to give in and tell yourself, "it's just a doughnut pan.  Buy it and stop spending all that time and energy wishing you had one." So I did.  I checked that shopping enabler known as amazon but it turns out I could get the same thing cheaper at Michaels by using that week's 50% off coupon.  I don't mind paying for what I want but I'm cheap thrifty enough to get a deal when I can.  And, no, don't ask me why, when I'm not a doughnut person, I want a doughnut pan.  Because it's there.

There were two baked doughnut recipes I found on pinterest that I wanted to try.  First up was this one from Channeling Contessa.  It seemed like a safe bet to start out with because there are very few things that wouldn't taste good rolled in cinnamon sugar.  When I do buy a doughnut from a doughnut shop, I either get the glazed yeasted doughnut (Krispy Kreme), a cinnamon twist (Dunkin' Donuts at the airport) or an apple fritter (calorie bomb from anywhere).  So I had to adjust my tastebuds' expectations because a baked doughnut is more like a cake doughnut than a yeasted, fried doughnut.  This was lighter than the typical cake doughnut but not as light as a yeasted doughnut.  It was pretty good, thanks to the cinnamon sugar, although I admit I didn't go into raptures over it.  I think that was due more to not being a doughnut person though than the actual recipe itself.  It was easy to make and my spanking new doughnut pan worked beautifully to release them intact when I pulled them out of the oven and turned them onto a wire cooling rack.  The first picture has a darker coating because that's the side I dunked in melted butter before dipping in cinnamon sugar.  The picture below is the underside of the doughnut that didn't get the melted butter treatment.  The cinnamon sugar adhered to it just fine though, albeit a little lighter looking in color.

 

2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 large egg, beaten
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the topping
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
seeds scraped from one vanilla bean (optional if you don't have a vanilla bean)

1. Preheat your oven to 350°. Spray the doughnut pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Sift together the dry ingredients for the doughnut batter. In a separate bowl whisk together the wet ingredients. Pour the wet into the dry and mix until just combined. 
3. Fill the wells of the doughnut pan 3/4 of the way with batter. Bake for 17 minutes until golden brown and a tooth pick or cake tester comes out clean. Let rest in pan for another 5 minutes and loosen them from the pan.
4. Set up a bowl for your melted butter, and another for your sugar mixture. For the sugar mixture, combine the sugar and cinnamon first. Then work in the vanilla seeds with the back of a fork. Dip the donut first in the butter on both sides, and then in the cinnamon sugar.