Chocolate Pot de Creme with Pistachio Shortbread

Around these parts, there's a grocery store that's famous for good food. Bi-Rite Market is a neighborhood institution known for its carefully chosen, locally-made, organic foods of all kinds, and I always walk out with a smile on my face and something absolutely delicious in my bag.

One of their awesome creations is particularly drool-worthy, though unassuming in its small plastic container, and seems to always work its way into my shopping basket. Chocolate Pot de Creme is somewhere between mousse, ganache and pudding and can be made into elegant individual desserts or saved for a late night pajama craving. Luckily for me (and you), Bi-Rite recently published a book called Eat Good Food, describing the best ways to shop, store and prepare your food, and it includes this recipe!

The ingredients aren't complicated, but make sure that you get good quality chocolate - no Hershey's here! For budget shoppers I suggest Trader Joe's pound plus bars, or if you want to splurge pick up some Scharffen-Berger or Tcho. Dark chocolate (70-75%) will make a sinfully rich and deep flavor, while milk chocolate (60-65%) will be significantly lighter and more pudding-like. I used 4-oz canning jars, but you can use tea cups, small bowls, even martini glasses as the mood strikes you!

And what's better to accompany your pot de creme than the light, buttery crunch of pistachio shortbread? They're the perfect sidekick with a contrasting texture and complementary flavor, and taste fantastic with your coffee the next morning. Elegant but simple, they're the best cookies I've made in a long time.

Chocolate Pot de Creme
From Bi-Rite Market's Eat Good Food
Makes 8 4-oz servings

6 oz semisweet or dark chocolate, chopped
2 C heavy whipping cream
3/4 C + 2 Tbsp half and half
1/8 tsp salt
6 Tbsp sugar
9 egg yolks (freeze the egg whites to use later!)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Fresh whipped cream and/or shaved chocolate for garnish

Directions: Place chopped chocolate in a large heatproof bowl and set aside. Combine egg yolks and 3 Tbsp sugar in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth, then set aside. Combine cream, half and half and 3 Tbsp sugar in a medium saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until just before it simmers (small bubbles appear around the edge of the pan).

Pour about a cup of the hot cream mixture into the egg yolks while whisking constantly, then pour yolk mixture back into the saucepan and whisk constantly until smooth. Put the pan back onto medium-high heat and cook, stirring constantly, for 2-3 minutes until the mixture has the texture of pureed soup.

Pour cream mixture over chocolate and let sit for 3-5 minutes. Slowly and gently stir with a whisk until smooth, being careful not to incorporate air. Add vanilla and stir to blend.

Pour mixture through a fine strainer into a measuring cup, then divide among containers. refrigerate, uncovered for 2 hours and then wrap tightly and refrigerate for at least another 4 hours before serving. Let the pots de creme sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving. To store longer, you can freeze the containers.

Pistachio Shortbread
From Bon Appetit, via Epicurious
Makes about 36 cookies

1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1/2 C + 2 Tbsp powdered sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 C (1 1/2 sticks) butter, chilled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 C roasted, unsalted pistachios
1 egg yolk
3/4 tsp vanilla extract

Directions: Chop pistachios in a food processor into a coarse meal. Set aside. Mix together flour, sugar and salt using the food processor. Add butter, pistachios, egg yolk and vanilla and pulse until ball of dough forms. Divide dough into two parts, and roll each into a log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours, or until firm. (At this point you can freeze the dough for later)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment. Slice logs into 1/4 inch thick pieces, re-rolling if necessary to reshape. Place on baking sheet about 1 inch apart and bake until lightly golden, about 18 minutes.

Cupcake mix two ways

In the midst of finals, I wasn't exactly swimming in free time to bake and decorate desserts for my dear boyfriend's birthday party. I knew there had to be some kind of shortcut to delicious cupcakes with that homemade taste, and with some research I discovered quite a few suggestions about how to hack the traditional boxed cake mix and turn it into something wonderful.

I ended up trying the simplest of all the recipes, which is to add buttermilk in place of the water when mixing the matter - and boy did it make a difference! Instead of airy sponges, the cupcakes emerged moist, dense and (almost) as good as from scratch. Of course, I always make my own buttermilk with low fat milk and white vinegar, so I never have to go spend extra money on premade - the ultimate shortcut!

While I've seen margarita and champagne cupcakes, I've yet to come across those inspired by our favorite bourbon cocktail - the Old Fashioned. The recipe for happiness is bourbon, Angostura bitters, simple syrup, maraschino cherry and a twist of orange. Excited yet? I tweaked a yellow cake mix with orange zest and juice, brushed on a bourbon simple syrup and topped with bitters buttercream and a maraschino cherry. Success!

To round out the lineup, I decided to honor Cinco de Mayo with some Mexican chocolate cupcakes. A little bit of spice and warmth from the cinnamon contrasted nicely with the sweetness of dulce de leche caramel. These were definitely a crowd pleaser with their indulgent flavors.

Old Fashioned Cupcake
Makes about 16 cupcakes

Orange Zest Cake
1 box yellow cake mix
buttermilk (or add 1 Tbsp white vinegar for every 1 C milk, let sit for at least 5 min)
finely grated zest of one medium orange
1/4 C freshly squeezed orange juice

Directions: Follow directions on cake mix box, replacing water with the same volume of buttermilk. Beat in orange zest and juice with the rest of the batter.
Fill cupcake liners almost to the top, and bake until the top springs back to the touch. Let cool completely before frosting.

Bourbon Simple Syrup
1/4 C water
1/4 C granulated sugar
4 Tbsp bourbon or other whiskey

Directions: Mix water and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Let cool completely and then stir in bourbon. Using a pastry brush, brush a small amount of mixture on top of each cooled cupcake.

Bitters Buttercream
Adapted from Serious Eats
8 dashes Angostura bitters
2 Tbsp Bourbon or other whiskey
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
3-4 C powdered sugar, sifted

2-3 Tbsp milk

Directions: In an electric mixer, beat butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add powdered sugar, scraping down the bowl as necessary. Add milk and more powdered sugar until you reach the desired consistency. Add bitters and mix thoroughly.

Mexican Chocolate Cupcake
Makes about 16 cupcakes

Mexican Chocolate Cake
1 box milk chocolate cake mix

buttermilk (or add 1 Tbsp white vinegar for every 1 C milk, let sit for at least 5 min)
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions: Follow directions on cake mix box, replacing water with the same volume of buttermilk. Add cinnamon with dry ingredients.
Fill cupcake liners almost to the top, and bake until the top springs back to the touch. Let cool completely before frosting.

Dulce de Leche Buttercream
From Bakespace
3/4 can of dulce de leche

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
2-3 C powdered sugar, sifted
2-3 Tbsp milk

Directions: In an electric mixer, beat butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add powdered sugar, scraping down the bowl as necessary. Add dulce de leche and beat to combine. Add milk and more powdered sugar until you reach the desired consistency.

Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

Some people don't like the combination of peanut butter and chocolate, but for the other 99% I've got a pretty awesome new way to eat it.



What appears to be a regular old delicious brownie...

...has a peanut butter cookie dough core! Like a giant, ridiculously good peanut butter cup, this treat has the best of both flavors and a fantastic texture.

Step 1. Whip up a batch of peanut butter cookie dough. I used this recipe and it was (in my opinion) the perfect texture and flavor for regular cookies and to use in this brownie. Refrigerate overnight.


Step 2. Prepare brownie batter (from scratch or Ghirardelli's Double Chocolate mix - it's so easy and makes brownies better than most).
Prepare muffin tin with cupcake liners, and divide brownie batter evenly among the twelve cups. Form 12 small balls of cookie dough and press into the center of each cup. You may have to spoon some batter over the top of the cookie to completely cover them.


Step 3. Bake in a 325 degree oven for about 25-30 minutes, until the top of the brownies are cracked and the batter is set (just like normal brownies).

Step 4. Make 11 new best friends. Of course, one's for you.

Obviously, the leftover dough has to turn into cookies!

Back to the classics

Just like it's important to watch the original Star Wars, sometimes it's necessary to go back to the classics and make sure you've got the best recipe possible - one you can always rely on to deliver amazing results with a taste of nostalgia. Clearly, the first stop is chocolate chip cookies.

Say what you will, but a good chocolate chip cookie will always be the ultimate crowd-pleaser, bad day-fixer and good day-improver. Lucky for you, I've gone through a lot of mediocre (and downright bad) cookies on my way to the following recipe, and with my years of trial and error I think I can help you make the best chocolate chippers you've ever pulled out of the oven.













There are a couple of choices that you have to make when working through your ingredient list. Most importantly, chocolate can make or break the finished cookie. I tend to prefer a mix of milk and dark chocolate, which I buy in blocks and chop when needed (or just eat in large chunks). I think it gives more dimension and a sophisticated flavor, but everyone has their own preference - run with it!









Secondly, your choice of flour makes a big difference in flavor and texture. Traditional all-purpose white flour is the usual choice, but I think there's something to be said for tempering sweetness with a bit of the heartier, nuttier flavor of whole wheat. It only took once for me to learn never to bake with "whole wheat flour" - it actually tastes like wheat, and kind of has the texture of sand. Luckily Bob's Red Mill makes a "whole wheat pastry flour" which is much finer ground and lighter texture, and has performed swimmingly in many cookie recipes. It produces noticeably more substantial cookies, but I tend to use it regularly.

Thanks to research and my own experiments, I've determined the following essential steps for the ideal cookie texture and color. Ultimately, you want the dough and baking sheet to be very cold when you put them in the oven, which will prevent over-spreading of the dough and preserve a thick and fluffy cookie.

1. Do not pack the brown sugar while measuring it out - just treat it as normal sugar.
2. Use cold butter. Do not soften the butter before beating with sugar. Electric mixers are more than powerful enough to handle cold butter - apparently that part of most traditional recipes is a relic from pre-power mixer days.
3. Freeze dough in an airtight container for 24 - 48 hours before baking. This prevents excess spreading of the dough when baking. Just make sure you shape the dough into balls before you freeze them!
4. Use a silicone baking sheet or parchment paper. NEVER use a bare cookie sheet.
5. Never use a heated baking sheet for a new batch of cookies. If you're going to reuse the sheet, make sure it's cooled completely before putting dough on it.
6. Remove the cookies from the oven when lightly golden in color, and leave the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet. Don't move them to a wire rack.



Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies
Yields about 30 cookies
Adapted from Betty Crocker

1 C brown sugar (not packed)
1/2 C granulated sugar
1 C (2 sticks) butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
2 1/4 C all-purpose flour (or whole wheat pastry flour)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 C chocolate chips or chopped chocolate

 
Directions: Beat butter and sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer for several minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down bowl to make sure everything is incorporated. Add vanilla and egg and beat to combine. Gradually add flour, baking soda and salt. Add chocolate when there is still a little bit of flour left to incorporate, so everything comes together at the same time. Scrape down bowl as necessary to prevent pockets of dry ingredients. Don't overmix, as it activates the gluten and can make the dough tough.










Form dough into balls about one inch in diameter, then freeze for at least 24 hours in an airtight bag or plastic container.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. When oven is up to temperature, place a dozen frozen dough balls onto parchment or silicone sheet and place in oven. Bake for about 10-12 minutes, until top of cookies are a light golden brown. Remove from oven and let cookies cool on the baking sheet (if you can!)

Try and resist...

Caffeinated and happy

I think my love and devotion to coffee has been pretty well-established throughout the course of this blog. My aforementioned hot, intelligent and generally awesome barista boyfriend got the ball rolling about a year and a half ago, and now that we've moved to San Francisco there's no turning back! There's a long history and thriving culture of artisan coffee in the city, and people here are pretty serious about their morning (afternoon, evening) cup of joe. 

Ritual Roasters is a San Francisco institution, with a reputation for incredible coffee and baristas that has given it national press and a devoted following. Barista boyfriend proved his chops and landed a job with these folks, and so it goes without saying that Ritual is now a permanent fixture in our lives. I love learning about coffee - from the tree to the cup - and have relished immersing myself into the culture along with him. The free coffee and watching my man roll up his sleeves behind the espresso machine again definitely helps as well. 

A winning combination

So what's a perpetually happily caffeinated girl to do? Make a cup, pour some into baked goods, and then sit down and enjoy finished baked goods with coffee :) I wanted to experiment with the combination of spiced chocolate and coffee flavors, and decided to use Ibarra chocolate - a brand of Mexican table chocolate that is made with cocoa nibs, cinnamon and undissolved sugar. It's a funny texture because it's primarily meant to be dissolved in milk to make Mexican hot chocolate and not eaten plain. I broke up the tablets into small chunks and then ground them into powder with a food processor. 

I substituted the ground Ibarra for cocoa powder in a recipe for chocolate baked donuts. I wanted to see if I could make them without a donut pan - who has space for a donut pan? - and settled for making giant "donut holes" in muffin tins. While the finished product looked predictably like small muffins, they had the tender crumb and thicker texture of cake donuts. The Ibarra? Heavenly. 

While the donuts were in the oven, I brewed myself a cup of Concepcion Buena Vista, a Guatemalan coffee, and worked it into a glaze that I dipped the tops of the finished donuts into. The thin glaze laces the top of the donuts with the multi-dimensional tang of coffee that balances the sweetness perfectly. 

Warning: these donuts last about five seconds in front of anyone who encounters them. 

Ibarra Chocolate Baked Donuts with Coffee Glaze

Donut recipe adapted from Vanilla Sugar

Glaze adapted from 5 second rule

Makes about 16 donuts

Donuts

1 1/2 C cake flour OR 1 1/8 C all-purpose flour + 3 Tbsp cornstarch

2/3 C ground Ibarra chocolate

1/2 C granulated sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

3/4 C buttermilk, room temperature OR 3/4 C milk + 1 3/4 tsp white vinegar

2 eggs

Unglazed giant donut holes!

2 Tbsp butter, melted

1 tsp vanilla extract

Coffee Glaze

4 Tbsp butter, melted

1 1/2 - 2 C powdered sugar

1/2 C freshly brewed coffee

2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare muffin tins with nonstick spray. Mix flour, chocolate, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Add buttermilk, then butter, then eggs and vanilla, combining in between each addition. Fill the muffin tins about 1/3 full, then bake for 8-10 minutes until the tops of the donuts spring back to the touch. Let cool in the pan for a couple of minutes, then cool completely on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, whisk butter, coffee and vanilla together. Add powdered sugar until glaze reaches desired thickness. You can make it thick and opaque like icing, or thinner like I did so you get more of the coffee flavor and less overpowering sweetness. Let it cool a little bit before dipping the rounded tops of the donuts into the glaze. Let cool - glaze will sink in and make the tops shiny. Coat a second time and let cool completely.

Another year

Time flies, and I really can't believe it's been another year. To think about how much has changed since the last time I made myself a birthday cake is pretty exciting - worked for almost a year at the most amazing restaurant (with the greatest coworkers ever), graduated from college, moved to a new city with this super awesome and very attractive barista, started my graduate program... and those are just the big ones! But at the risk of sounding very young, turning 22 is pretty anticlimactic and the only thing big change will be fewer "Awww, really? You're a baby!" comments and pats on the head from pretty much everyone who learns my age. I'm just grateful for another year surrounded by the people who make my life so much better, and have given me more love and support than I could have ever asked for.

But let's not get too nostalgic - there are things to bake and cakes to eat! I'd been thinking about my 22nd birthday cake for a while, and I was a bit more ambitious with the design than I have ever been before. I was very pleasantly surprised with the result, and would probably rank this as my favorite cake I've ever (gasp) made. The layers of white cake flavored with pistachio are light and fresh, and when refrigerated with layers of pastry cream in between take on an even more moist and tender crumb with a hint of vanilla flavor. The hardened ganache spread on top and dripped down the sides not only gives it extra decadence and effortless "cool" factor, but is a great complementary texture to the cake. If you want, you can make these into beautiful little cupcakes as well - just dollop cream on top and drizzle with ganache and you're ready to go!

I also made pastry cream (the custard-y filling in eclairs) for the first time for this recipe, and it's definitely not as intimidating as it seems. As long as you're hovering over the stove and don't let anything get too hot/boil/curdle, this recipe works very well! Make sure you make the pastry cream the day before you assemble the cake, as it needs time to completely set up.

Quick tip: If you don't have a long, sharp serrated knife, it's going to be hard to cut your cake layers in half without messing one up. Either do your best and make do with uneven layers (like me) or use two/three cake pans and make thicker cake layers. Because one of mine got split on the edge, it splayed out a bit when I stacked them. I remedied this by tightly wrapping plastic wrap around the finished product to hold it in place until it got cold enough to hold together itself. 

Pistachio and Vanilla Cream Layer Cake

Here's the rundown...

1. Make vanilla pastry cream, chill overnight 

2. Bake two 8" round pistachio cakes, let cool completely

3. Slice each cake round in half width-wise to make four thin round layers

4. Layer cake rounds with about 1/2" thick layers of pastry cream, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set

5. Make dark chocolate ganache and drizzle over top of cake, refrigerate until you serve

6. Swoon

Vanilla Pastry Cream

from Baked Explorations

3 C half and half

6 egg yolks (reserve 3 egg whites for cake batter!)

1/2 C granulated sugar

3 Tbsp cornstarch

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions: In a medium sized saucepan, bring half and half to a simmer. Whisk together egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch and salt in another bowl, until the mixture is pale (about 1 minute). Whisk half of the heated half and half into the egg mixture, then pour the egg mixture back into the sauce pan with the remaining half and half. Continue to cook over medium heat for about 6-8 minutes, whisking constantly. The cream is done when the mixture thickens and starts to boil a little (when some bubbles pop to the surface). Remove from heat and pour into a heat-safe bowl, then press a layer of plastic wrap onto the surface of the cream (to prevent a skin from forming). Refrigerate overnight or at least for a few hours.

Pistachio Cake

(aka Aunt Sassy Cake) from Baked Explorations

1 1/3 C shelled pistachios

2 1/2 C cake flour3/4 C all-purpose flour

If you don't have cake flour, add 2 3/4 C all-purpose flour and 5 Tbsp cornstarch 

1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 C (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 C granulated sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 egg
3 egg whites, at room temperature
1 1/2 C ice cold water
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar (or 1/4 tsp white vinegar if your cupboard is bare)

Directions: Preheat oven to 325 degrees and prepare 8" round cake pans with parchment or nonstick spray, and line cupcake tins with liners if desired. In a food processor, pulse pistachios until coarsely chopped. Reserve about 1/4 C of these for decorating, then continue pulsing until finely ground (but not powdery). Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt together and then combine with pistachios. 

Beat butter on med-high speed until light and creamy (about 3 min), then add sugar and cream the mixture until fluffy. Add the whole egg and beat to combine. Add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the ice water (start and end with flour). Beat on low-medium between each addition, just to combine.

This recipe also makes beautiful cupcakes!

In another bowl (totally dry and clean!), beat egg whites and cream of tartar (or vinegar) at high speed until soft peaks form.

Gently fold egg whites into batter, being careful to maintain the air in the mixture.

Divide batter into pans or cupcake tins, and bake until the top of the cake springs back to the touch. The cupcakes take about 20 minutes, and the 8" cakes take about 30, but check them every few minutes or so after 15 minutes because you don't want to overbake! 

Let cool for 20 minutes on a wire rack before turning them out to cool completely. Trim the top of cake rounds with a long, sharp serrated knife. so they are level and not domed. Cut the layers in half by width if you'd like. 

Dark Chocolate Ganache

4 oz dark chocolate (I use Trader Joe's 72%)

1/3 C butter, at room temperature and cut into cubes

Directions: Melt chocolate and butter in a double boiler over medium-high heat. Stir until melted and smooth, making sure that no water gets in the mixture (it will curdle!)

Pour melted mixture over top of assembled and refrigerated cake, using a spatula to spread it over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides. Sprinkle with reserved chopped pistachios and refrigerate until serving!

Classy

A very dear friend and very classy lady recently celebrated her birthday, and I found myself at a loss of what to make that would be ship-able, yummy, fun yet classic. I remembered that I had some whole vanilla beans in my cupboard, and decided that this would be the perfect time to make and use vanilla sugar. Super simple, but you can't do it unless you have a food processor. Don't fret, these cookies taste are pretty delicious made with vanilla extract!

You can pick any chocolate to dip these in, but of course I always prefer dark (60-70%). Make sure you go through the tempering process, which will avoid the matte colored chocolate coating that melts when you touch it. A little extra effort and a few dollars on a candy thermometer will make a huge difference in the finished product :)

Enjoy these striking, classic and classy cookies!

Vanilla Sugar
Chop 1 vanilla bean into small pieces, then process with 1 C granulated sugar until bean is only seen as small black flecks in the sugar.

Vanilla Sugar Cookies
From allrecipes.com
Makes about 15 cookies


1/4 C + 2 Tbsp butter, room temperature
1/2 C granulated sugar (vanilla sugar if desired)
1 egg
1/4 tsp vanilla extract (omit if using vanilla sugar)
1 1/4 C all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

~6 oz chocolate of your choice (chopped)

Directions: Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add egg and vanilla extract (if using) and beat until combined. Gradually add in flour, baking powder and salt and beat until just combined. Form into a log about 3-4 inches in diameter and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Freeze or refrigerate until solid.


Preheat oven to 400 degrees and prepare baking sheet with parchment. Slice cookie log, forming cookies that are the thickness you desire. I like thick, chewy cookies so I sliced them about 1/2 inch thick. Place on baking sheet, sprinkle with more vanilla sugar, and bake 6-8 minutes until slightly golden around the edges. Let cookies cool completely on a wire rack.

When cookies are cooled, melt about 4 oz of the chocolate in a double boiler until the temperature reaches 110 degrees F. Add the unmelted remaining chocolate and stir to melt it. Once the temperature has reached 90 degrees, dip the ends of the cookies in the chocolate and place back on the rack or waxed paper to cool and harden. Voila!

Also, you should probably grab everything in the house
and dip those in chocolate too...

DIY

I'll concede to the fact that when you're in the grocery store and hungry for a cold treat (RIGHT. NOW.) the aisles of pre-made ice cream sandwiches are pretty darn appealing - and practical. But if you're willing to delay gratification a teensy bit, this upcoming recipe and method for making your very own ice cream sandwiches is well worth the wait and extra effort!

A note about the method: It's easy to just slap some ice cream between two cookies, but taking the extra step to make ice cream "pucks" will ensure an even distribution of ice cream throughout the cookie, a neater outside edge and reduce the tragic breakage of cookies from pressing down too hard.

I've become enamored with the combination of chocolate, toffee and coffee, and this treat really solidifies it for me. Rich chocolate gets a sweet kick from toffee and depth from coffee, and the contrast of textures is really spectacular. While I advocate this particular combination, feel free to experiment with any kind of mix-ins or exchange the chocolate cookie for a regular butter flavor. You won't be disappointed! Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and then in a baggie or plastic container and they'll keep for a long time. Or as long as it takes for you to devour them...

Chocolate Toffee Coffee Ice Cream Sandwiches
Cookie recipe slightly adapted from Bon Appetit Desserts by Barbara Fairchild

1/2 C (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 C plus 2 Tbsp sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 C all-purpose flour (I used whole wheat pastry flour)
1/2 C unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 C dark chocolate chips
1/2 C toffee chips or crushed toffee bars

Coffee ice cream (I used Lucerne's Coffee Caramel Swirl from Safeway - it's local and delicious!)

Directions: In an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat until well blended. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt together, then add gradually to butter mixture until well blended (careful not to over-mix). Mix in toffee and chocolate chips. Chill dough until firm. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare baking sheet with parchment while you're waiting.

Roll dough into rounded tablespoonfuls (bigger if you'd like bigger sandwiches). Bake until they puff and crack on top but are still soft, about 11 minutes. Let them cool on baking sheet for 1 minute and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.


While the cookies are baking and cooling, take your ice cream out to soften slightly. Spoon into muffin tins and make a (relatively) smooth and even "puck" that's about 1 inch thick. Put tray in freezer for about a half an hour. When the pucks are re-frozen, remove from muffin tins by running a knife around the outside edge. Place puck in the center of two (fully cooled) cookies - enjoy now or wrap tightly and freeze for the next hot day!

There's nothing better on a sunny Fourth of July afternoon!

Baking pyrotechnics

Well, almost. While visions of impressive, show-stopping flames jumping out of my cupcakes danced through my head when I first read this recipe, the result was more of a subtle, often hilarious experiment in lighting things on fire.
I must say that the recipes for chocolate cupcakes and buttercream are DIVINE, and especially the cupcake is probably the best chocolate one I have ever made (and the easiest)! The recipe calls for cutting strawberries in half and filling them with a strong liquor (over 80 proof), then lighting the wells of alcohol on fire. Megan and I were skeptical about the idea of using a lighter as the recipe suggested, as we thought the butane would "flavor" the strawberry, but our attempts at using matches yielded strawberries that tasted like, well, like licking an ashtray. Moral of the story: save some strawberries to eat on the side and toss the burned out ones as soon as you can. Gross. But we did have a fun few minutes playing with matches, and turning off the lights and watching our cupcakes flame was pretty darn cool. Try this recipe out the next time you're bored and hungry - it provides entertainment and SUPER yummy cupcakes to boot!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream and Flaming Strawberries
From Sprinkle Bakes
Yields about 20 cupcakes

Cupcakes
3/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1 1/2 C sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
3/4 C hot water
3/4 C heavy cream
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract

Frosting
2 sticks butter, softened
4 C powdered sugar
4 Tbsp sifted cocoa powder

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare muffin tins with liners or nonstick spray. Sift together cocoa, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until smooth. Divide batter between muffin tins, filling a little over half full. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the top of the cupcakes spring back to the touch. Let cool completely before frosting.

Using an electric mixer with a whisk attachment, cream together all frosting ingredients - begin with low speed and move to high speed. Beat until fluffy and light, then pipe or spread onto the tops of the cupcakes.

Wash and hull strawberries carefully, so you don't have holes for the alcohol to leak out. Press each strawberry into the frosting with the hollow end up, then fill with a small amount of 80+ proof liquor (apparently Bacardi 151 is the best) just before lighting. Use a grill lighter or matches to light the flame! Turn off the lights and prepare for the oohs and aahs :)

I brought sustenance!

Ever since I first saw Legally Blonde, I have not been able to look at muffins without reciting that line in my head (with appropriately perky voice, of course). Although muffins are terribly unhealthy, they are quite good for the soul and will forever be the first thing I turn to when baking care packages.

A friend of recently graduated and returned home to Japan, clearly necessitating the above-mentioned sustenance on that long and arduous plane ride! I was having a banana bread itch, but wanted to make something a little more unique this time. When I stumbled upon Joy the Baker's recipe for chocolate chocolate chip banana bread, I knew I'd found it! Joy's recipes are fantastic, and I rarely find anything that I'd want to change; this time is no exception, and the only things that are different are substituting whole wheat pastry flour and only adding a few pecans on top (not incorporated in the batter). I find that of any baked good, banana bread is the best way to sneak in whole wheat flour without affecting the texture and taste too much. In fact, I often think that it adds a great nutty flavor that you miss with white flour.

I also made this bread in muffin form, to make it a bit more portable and individually sized. Either a loaf or muffins work well, just make sure you adjust the baking time accordingly. Also, feel free to substitute chopped dark chocolate or white chocolate chips, or walnuts or pecans according to your taste!

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Adapted slightly from Joy the Baker

1/2 C toasted pecans, coarsely chopped (omit or reserve for topping if you desire)
1 3/4 C whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder
1 C granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 C chocolate chips
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 C unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 lb very ripe bananas (about 3 large bananas mashed well)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Raw sugar for dusting on top

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray loaf pan or muffin tin with nonstick spray.

Combine mashed bananas, vanilla, eggs and melted butter in a medium bowl and combine well. Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients until just combined - the batter should be chunky. Fold in nuts and chocolate.

Pour batter into prepared pans, topping with raw sugar and/or nuts if desired. Bake for 20-30 minutes if making muffins and 55-65 minutes if making a loaf - bread is done when toothpick comes out clean. Place on a wire rack to cool completely. Freeze if you'd like to keep it for a later time!

Sinful...

There comes a time to throw caution (and moderation) to the wind and embrace pleasures in life - skipping class on a beautiful day, splurging a little bit on a nice dinner, treating yourself to those ridiculously cute suede pumps... or baking something with chocolate and bacon.

The finished product!

I have heard many rumors of the genius combination of bacon and chocolate, but was always skeptical. How could it possibly be that much more delicious? I used to think that bacon was only reserved for special occasions, as in my childhood where the family indulged in the crackling, fatty goodness only once a year on Christmas morning. I stand corrected.

Salty. Sweet. Fatty. Gooey. Crispy.

I followed this fantastic recipe to the letter, except for baking the brownies in cupcake liners to make it easier to handle the caramel inside and adding some candied bacon crumbles on top. While I think I have found brownie recipes I like a little bit better, I would absolutely hold onto the bacon caramel recipe that's swirled in it. The bacon on top was an easy little decoration to whip up, and it advertises the flavors inside! Candied bacon is also a lovely little snack by itself...

So here we are - a little indulgence for those days when you throw caution to the wind.

Bacon Caramel Brownies
From Steph's Bite by Bite

For the candied bacon
2 slices cooked bacon
1/8 C brown sugar

For the bacon caramel

2 slices cooked bacon

1/2 C heavy cream

1 C sugar

6 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Directions: Cook bacon (6 slices total for the whole recipe) in a skillet over medium heat until brown but still slightly flexible. Remove bacon and place on paper towel to absorb extra fat. Pour out about half of the fat remaining in the pan and reserve the rest for the bacon caramel. Add cream to hot pan and let cool.

Place two slices of drained bacon in a smaller skillet and sprinkle with brown sugar to cover completely. Cook over low heat, turning occasionally, until sugar is dissolved, caramelized and coats the bacon (about 8-10 minutes). Transfer to paper towel again to cool.

Meanwhile, heat sugar in a large saucepan over high heat until the sugar dissolves into a dark amber colored liquid (do not stir). Add butter and cooled bacon cream all at once and stir until butter is melted. Add 2 slices of chopped cooked bacon and stir in. Let cool completely.



For the brownies
8 Tbsp unsalted butter
6 oz dark or semisweet chocolate
1/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder
3 eggs
1 C sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 C all-purpose flour
2 slices cooked bacon, chopped

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare muffin tin with liners or spray an 8-inch square pan with nonstick spray.

Pre-baking

Melt chocolate and butter together in a microwave-safe bowl, heating for 30 seconds at a time and stirring in between. Add cocoa powder and whisk until smooth, then add eggs one at a time. Whisk in sugar, vanilla and flour, stirring until just combined.

Spoon batter into muffin tins to fill halfway, or scrape half of the batter into square pan. Dollop caramel into muffins or pour about 1/3 of it on top of the batter in the square pan. Distribute remaining batter on top of the caramel, topping with a bit more caramel and swirling it in.

Chop up candied bacon and sprinkle on top for garnish.

Bake for about 25 minutes if making cupcakes, and 35-40 if making a square sheet. Underdone is better, so you can keep it gooey!

Crunchy gooey goodness

Every once in a while, I get the urge to combine as many delicious things as possible and see if they are even more delicious together. Most of the time, it's a very successful experiment.

This time around, I focused on cookies, caramel and chocolate. I've recently been hankering for graham crackers, and wondered if it would be possible to recreate these childhood favorites from scratch. The recipe I found doesn't make perfect replicas of HoneyMaid, but I might venture that these are even better! They're a little bit denser and crunchier, and have an even more distinctive brown sugar taste. Plain out of the oven, these would be an amazing accompaniment to breakfast coffee and would probably be very nice when dunked :)

As for the second layer, I zeroed in on salted butter caramel. Ever since my time in France, I have been awakened to the beauty of salted butter caramel. Sweet, a little salty, and overall the most creamy and buttery thing you will ever consume. I get a little nervous working with sugar over high heat, but this recipe was surprisingly simple and only has a few ingredients. Whether or not you use the caramel to make the final cookies, it's a ridiculously delicious dipping sauce for pretzels, nuts, chocolate, and pretty much anything else you can find in your house.

Chocolate is chocolate, but there is a way to temper it that prevents that matte finish on your coating that melts in your hands. You need a candy thermometer, but it's a worthwhile $6 investment.
So, here goes. It's a multi-step process that will take a couple of days, but I can tell you that the finished product is well worth the wait. Indulge, my friends!

Caramel Chocolate Grahams

For the graham crackers

From Smitten Kitchen

1 C whole wheat pastry flour

1 1/2 C all-purpose flour

1 C dark brown sugar, packed

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

7 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen

1/3 C mild honey (like clover honey)

5 Tbsp milk

2 Tbsp vanilla extract

For the caramel
From Drizzle and Dip
400 g sugar
165 g butter
250 mL cream
salt to taste

8 oz dark chocolate

Directions:
For the graham crackers
Combine flour, brown sugar, baking soda and salt in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add butter and pulse until the mixture is a coarse meal. If you don't have a food processor, use a pastry cutter by hand. Whisk together honey, milk and vanilla in a separate bowl, then add to the dry ingredients and pulse until the dough barely comes together. Turn dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap, and dust lightly with flour or powdered sugar to keep from sticking. Shape into a rectangle and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Roll refrigerated dough out onto a floured surface to 1/8" thick (I rolled it between two floured sheets of parchment). Cut into the desired shape, then place onto a parchment or silicone-lined baking sheet. Chill for another 20 minutes in the freezer while you preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Decorate crackers with any perforations or dots. Bake crackers for 15-25 minutes or until lightly browned and slightly firm to the touch.  Cool completely on a wire rack.


For the caramel
Heat sugar without stirring in a large heavy-bottom saucepan over medium-high heat. Once sugar has dissolved completely, remove the pot from the heat and whisk in butter in small pieces while continuously whisking. Return pot to heat and add cream while still whisking vigorously. When the sauce becomes smooth and combined, remove from heat and add a sprinkle of salt. Allow it to cool completely and stir in another good sprinkle of salt.


For the chocolate coating
Melt chocolate (minus about 1 oz) in a double boiler over medium-high heat. Make sure the mixture reaches at least 105 F, then add in "seed" chocolate of 1 oz remaining room temperature chocolate. Remove from heat and stir to reduce the temperature. Maintain the temperature between 88-90F before using it.

To assemble cookies
Place cookies on a wire rack over wax paper. Spread a thin layer of room temperature caramel over the top of each cookie, then pour a layer of chocolate over the cookie, coating the top completely. Let cool completely - enjoy!

Tie-dye muffins

I've never been a huge fan of Valentine's Day, even though I celebrated this year with a special meal and a fantastic guy. There is one part of the holiday that I can't resist, though, and that's pretty food. Normally I don't advocate the use of food coloring because I'm a bit skeptical of eating a chemical substance that will dye your hands for a week, but there are certain times in life where pink and red food is absolutely called for.

A Valentine's breakfast is always a bit better when you add chocolate. This muffin recipe is made with lots of dark chocolate, so it's not overpoweringly sweet and great with your morning coffee. My little twist is a swirl of pink cheesecake filling, adding a bit of tang and some color. I added about a tablespoon of cheesecake to each muffin, which is probably the minimum I'd recommend. If you'd like to make the cheesecake more obvious, you can easily double that amount. Just make sure that the cheesecake is not all on the top, so it doesn't bubble up and brown. Not as pretty as a soft pink center!

Pink Cheesecake Chocolate Muffins
Adapted from Susi's Kochen Und Backen Adventures

Chocolate Chunk Muffin
6 Tbsp (3/4 C) unsalted butter
6 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 C all-purpose flour
1 C whole wheat pastry flour
2/3 C granulated sugar
1/3 C unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 C buttermilk
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Pink cheesecake filling

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/3 C granulated sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Red food coloring (optional)

Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees, and line muffin tins with paper liners or nonstick spray.

Beat together all ingredients for cheesecake filling using an electric mixer. Add red food coloring one drop at a time until the mixture is a light pink. Set aside.

Melt the butter and half of the chocolate in a double boiler over low heat, then remove from heat. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk together buttermilk, egg and vanilla in another bowl. Pour the liquid ingredients and melted chocolate into the dry ingredients, and fold in gently and quickly using a spatula. Stir in remaining chopped chocolate.

Place alternating spoonfuls of muffin batter and cheesecake into the muffin tins, starting and ending with muffin batter and filling almost to the top of the well. Trace a spiral into the batter with a knife to swirl the two mixtures. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the top of the muffin springs back when lightly touched.

All gone!

Christmas granola

In years past, Christmas has always meant a solid week of flour-covered countertops, chocolate under my nails and an oven permanently heated to 375 degrees. In other words, cookie baking. However, in this first year of grown up, working girl life split between northern and southern California, I had to figure out a less time-consuming way to spread holiday cheer. The solution? Granola.

The beauty of granola is that it is so darn versatile. Snack on it out of the bag, eat with milk like cereal, sprinkle on top of yogurt, use as an ice cream topping... you get the idea. You can also put just about anything in it, which makes it perfect for anyone's tastes. I decided on maple-pecan-cranberry and chocolate gingerbread granola for my gift giving this year, but I'm excited to see what other fantastic combinations I can develop.

Once you've decided what to put in it, granola is super easy to make. Mix everything dry together and mix everything liquid together - then combine those two and bake! Done. If you like super chunky granola like me, then don't stir too much during baking. If you like little pieces, stir away to break up the mixture.

Note: The recipe I have posted for the chocolate gingerbread granola is very spicy - just like eating intense gingerbread! I loved to put it on top of vanilla ice cream with some chocolate sauce... But if you're in the mood for something milder, cut the spice quantities in half.

Chocolate Gingerbread Granola
Adapted from How Sweet It Is

2 C rolled oats
1/3 C shredded coconut
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 C honey
1/3 C molasses
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 C chocolate chips, chopped

Directions: Preheat 375 degrees and line baking sheet with parchment.

Combine cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg in a small bowl. Combine oats, coconut, chocolate and salt in a large bowl, then stir in spice mixture. Combine vanilla, honey and molasses in a small bowl and pour over dry mixture. Stir until totally moistened - add honey 1 tsp at a time if needed.
Spread uncooked granola onto the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so. The chocolate will melt and spread over the granola pieces as it cooks. The granola is done when it is golden and toasty - don't let it burn!



Pecan Cranberry Granola
From Healthy Food For Living

1 1/2 C rolled oats
1 1/2 C puffed rice cereal
6 Tbsp unsweetened applesauce
1/4 C pure maple syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 C chopped pecans
1/2 C dried cranberries

Directions: Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line baking sheet with parchment.

Whisk together applesauce, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl. Stir together rolled oats and rice cereal in a large bowl, and pour liquid mixture over. Stir to moisten completely, then spread onto prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 30 minutes, then add chopped pecans and stir to combine. Bake for another 10-15 minutes until granola is golden and crunchy. Stir in dried cranberries and let cool completely.

Happy holidays!