The rocky road to finals - made a little sweeter!

I am one of the lucky few this quarter who don't seem to have a midterm or paper due every week. However, I can certainly empathize and it gives me that extra motivation to create something delicious for those hungry brains...
I tried this Nutella biscotti recipe before and fell in love, so I thought I'd try making it rocky road (which is Jose's favorite ice cream flavor). I'm not sure how successful the marshmallows were because they tend to melt and basically vaporize when you bake them, so I think I'd leave those out in the future. Just the chocolate chunks are all you really need, but add the sliced almonds for a little extra crunch (and healthy monounsaturated fats). I'm a little obsessed with biscotti these days because they're just so darn sophisticated and yummy and perfect with a cup of coffee or tea. So... bon appetit mes amis!

Nutella Rocky Road Biscotti
Adapted from Tracey's Culinary Adventures

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2/3 C sugar
1/2 C (6 oz) Nutella, room temperature
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 3/4 C all-purpose flour (or 1 3/4 C whole wheat flour and 1 C AP flour)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
~1 C dark chocolate chips (NOT optional)
~1/2 C toasted slivered almonds (optional)
~1/2 C mini marshmallows (optional)


Directions: Preheat oven to 350 F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until smooth, about 2-3 minutes.  Add the Nutella and beat to blend.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating well and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
Add flour, baking powder and salt and beat on low speed just until combined. 
Add the chocolate and mix on low speed until just blended.

Divide the dough in half and place on parchment-lined baking sheet, shaping each half into a 13-inch log.  Press down on the logs to flatten them slightly until they are about 2 inches across.  Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the logs are firm to the touch.  Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and let the logs cool completely.

Turn the oven down to 275 F. Use a serrated knife to cut the logs on the diagonal into 3/8-inch thick slices.  Place the cookies, cut side down, on parchment-lined baking sheets.  Bake for 30-40 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through, until the cookies are dry.  Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Feeling snappy

Sometimes (and this may sound blasphemous), a girl needs something other than chocolate. Cue gasp - but it's true! I saw this recipe and thought it sounded just wonderful. I'm a big fan of gingersnaps, but in a different way than chocolate chip cookies. They're a little more sophisticated and kind of have a bite to them that makes it dificult to scarf down a ton. But paired with a steaming cup of tea, these little guys are pretty divine. 
Because I'm me and have trouble remembering really important ingredients, I completely left out the powdered sugar from the filling. It's yummy still, but I think the sugar would have been a nice balance to the tang of the ginger and lemon. Leave it to me to completely omit essential ingredients... but I have faith that you can remember :) 

Gingersnaps with Lemon Cream Filling
Adapted from Une Gamine dans la Cuisine

Cookies
2 C all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
1 C of sugar (divided in half)
1/2 C packed brown sugar
1/8 C molasses
1/8 C honey
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Filling

4 oz (1/4 cup) cream cheese, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 tsp lemon zest
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 C powdered sugar (+ more if needed)

Directions: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter, 1/2 C granulated sugar and all the brown sugar - beat on medium until fluffy. Add the molasses, honey, egg, and vanilla and beat on medium-high speed until well incorporated. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture. Mix until thoroughly combined. Cover well and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line cookies sheets with parchment paper. Place the remaining 1/2 cup of granulated sugar into a wide, shallow bowl. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and shape into balls about 1-inch in diameter. Roll the balls into the sugar until well-coated. Place the cookies about 2-inches apart on the cookie sheets (they will get larger). Wet the bottom of a glass (a shot glass is the perfect size) and gently press down on each of the balls until they are about 1/4 of an inch thick. Bake for 10-13 minutes or until they are just firm. Remove them from the oven and immediately transfer them to a cooling rack. Cool completely before filling.

For the filling: In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese until soft and creamy. Add the vanilla extract, lemon zest, lemon juice, and ground ginger. Beat to incorporate. Slowly add the powdered sugar. Don't add it all at once or it will end up on the ceiling. Beat until you have a creamy, yet spreadable consistency. If it's too thin add a little bit more confectioners sugar. Place a rounded teaspoon on half the cookies. Cover with the remaining cookies and gently press down to form a sandwich.

The top of the top

I don't believe in eating muffin bottoms. I don't know why they exist, it's kind of hard to compete with the sheer unbeatable texture of the muffin top. So, when I saw that some genius had designed a "muffin top pan," I knew I had to have one (or two). 

What do I believe in? Coffee and chocolate. So what better recipe to try for muffin tops but with this recipe? 

This attempt at flavoring with espresso worked out much better when I used espresso powder instead of brewed espresso. The taste isn't overpowering but still very noticeable and blends very nicely with the slight sweetness of the chocolate. There isn't much sugar at all in the recipe, so be prepared for something a little less cakey and more bready. The original recipe called for wheat germ and all-purpose flour, but I took out the wheat germ and changed to whole wheat flour. To make it less heavy, you could use only AP flour.

Summary? Yum yum. Great with a cup of coffee and a nice little pick me up in the morning :)

Chocolate Chip Espresso Muffins
Adapted from The Taste Traveller
Yields 12 muffins (or 9 large muffin tops)

2 C whole wheat flour
1 C rolled oats
2 Tbsp espresso powder
1/4 C packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 C (1 stick) butter OR 1/4 C vegetable oil
1 C milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1/2 C chocolate chips

Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line muffin tins or spray with non-stick spray.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, oats, espresso powder, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. In another bowl, whisk together milk, egg, oil or butter and vanilla. If you're using butter, I'd recommend melting it completely before adding. Add wet mixture to dry ingredients and mix until just moistened. Add chocolate chips and stir to mix. Spoon into muffin pan or cups, filling 3/4 full. Bake in the center of the oven until firm to the touch, about 10 minutes.

Birthdays and Sunflowers!

It was the lovely Ellen's birthday last week (yes I know, I've been lagging on my posts but my frog ECG lab was calling...) and I wanted to try out the silicone baking molds that Julia got me for Christmas! They're super cute and sunflower shaped, but they only really work for cakes and not brownies or cookies like I often make. 
It was lab report week so my cupboard was rather bare; I ran out of white flour and only had whole wheat, so I did my best to work with it. While I took the time to sift it and try to keep it from getting too heavy, it was definitely not the best consistency and actually ended up making the cake taste like cornbread...? Anyways, I think this would be a great recipe if you used white flour and made sure to load up on the chocolate chips. I didn't frost the finished product, just dusted it with some powdered sugar so you could admire the sunflowers on top! Happy birthday (again) Ellen :)
 


Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Cake
Adapted from allrecipes.com

1/2 C butter, softened
1 C white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 C sour cream
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 C all-purpose flour (sifted)
1 C chocolate chips

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9 inch pan or lightly spray a silicone mold with nonstick spray. In a small bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and chocolate chips. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light. Add eggs and mix thoroughly. Add sour cream and mix well. Add flour mixture and mix thoroughly. Pour batter into for 30 minutes or until golden brown and springy on the top (less time for cupcakes or smaller pans).