A Biscoff break

I think that most people who have spent time in western Europe (and definitely France) have discovered the amazingly delicious little spice cookies that accompany coffee or tea and just seem to pop up everywhere. Many know them by their brand name, Biscoff, but these crisp cookies called speculaas originated in Belgium as treats to be served around Christmas time. They traditionally have images of the story of St. Nicholas stamped on them, and although I've never seen them, there are apparently pans made especially for them!

Speculaas spice is a mouth-watering, heart-warming combination of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, cardamom and coriander. This magical blend is sharp but not too overwhelmingly spicy, and when you smell these cookies baking it will make you feel all kinds of holiday nostalgia. Almost makes me wish it were cold and raining! Almost.

For me, there's an experience of a coffee or tea break that begs a side dish. A square of dark chocolate, a cakey donut or a crisp cookie are essential when I'm starting or taking a break from my day. I was feeling a little homesick for a Parisian sidewalk cafe, and decided to see if this recipe was easy enough to whip up on a regular basis. Good news! - it's so easy :)

It's not identical to the texture of Biscoff, but this recipe captures the flavors perfectly and something about homemade makes it even better. You can make the cookies in varying thicknesses, but I like a balance between crisp and chewy and rolled out the dough to a little over 1/8" thick.

A note about the recipe - it specifies weight instead of volume of the flour and sugar, so the volume approximations are not precise. I used a food scale for a more accurate result.

Speculaas
Spice blend from Seitan is My Motor
Cookie recipe from Tasty Kitchen
Makes about 20 cookies (about 2.5" diameter)


Speculaas spice blend
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/8 tsp ground coriander
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

Cookies
8 oz all-purpose flour (or ~2 1/4 C)
5 oz dark brown sugar (or ~3/4 C)
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp speculaas spice blend
5 oz cold butter, cut into small pieces
4 Tbsp milk

Directions: Combine dry ingredients and then add butter and milk. Blend with an electric beater or cut in with pastry cutter (much more labor intensive, be warned!) until dough is formed. Refrigerate in a disk for at least a few hours.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out on plastic wrap or a lightly floured surface to about 1/8" thick and then cut with cookie cutters. Place on prepared baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes, until fragrant and lightly browned on the edges. Let cool for a minute and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Going into the oven!

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.

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!

Black and white

I have a bottle of Bailey's sitting on my countertop that stares at me every day, begging to be put to good use. It truly is the best liqueur to use in baking, but the flavor is so distinct that it can't be combined with just anything. Chocolate is the obvious choice, but what about Irish coffee? Throw a splash of Bailey's and whiskey in your coffee and you have an extra delicious combination - and inspiration for this cookie!


Checkerboard cookies are super simple but look complicated and snazzy when they're finished. They're also "icebox" cookies, which means you can make them over the course of two days if you need to. It's the perfect busy-day cookie, and also goes well with that third cup of coffee to keep you going! These cookies are basically shortbreads, made with no egg and just a lot of butter. Slightly crumbly, very tender and all kinds of delicious as the coffee/chocolate and Irish Cream flavors melt in your mouth!

Irish Cream Checkerboard Cookies
Adapted from Martha Stewart
Makes about 18 cookies

1 C unsalted butter, softened
1/2 C sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 C all-purpose flour, sifted
2 tsp Bailey's Irish Cream
3 Tbsp cocoa powder
2 tsp finely ground coffee
1 egg

Directions: Cream butter and sugar in an electric mixer until well-blended. Add salt and flour gradually. Separate dough in half, placing one half in a separate bowl. Add Bailey's to one half, and mix slowly until just combined. Clean out bowl and mix other half of the dough, cocoa and coffee in it until just combined. Place each half of the dough in between two sheets of plastic wrap and roll into 7" squares about 3/8" thick. Using a sharp knife and a ruler, slice each square into 9 strips, about 3/4 inch wide. It doesn't matter all that much how wide the strips are, as long as they are the same width!

Whisk together egg and 1 Tbsp water. On a sheet of plastic wrap, place three strips of dough next to each other, alternating light and dark. Brush tops and sides of each strip with the egg wash, and gently press them together. Repeat with a second and third layer, alternating colors to create a checkerboard. Wrap log in plastic. Repeat to form a second log, switching the color pattern. Refrigerate logs for at least 30 minutes or freeze for 15.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment or silicone. Slice each log according to how thick you'd like your cookies. The original recipe recommends 1/4" thick, while I liked a doughier cookie and made about 1/2" slices. Bake until lightly golden and firm, about 10-12 minutes.

Another birthday, another cupcake!

It's technically not Ian's birthday until the 28th, but he leaves tomorrow for Oregon and we decided to take him out to dinner for his birthday this week! Obviously I had to start the celebration with the gift of a dessert, and we all definitely enjoyed the concoction I developed. On his request I found a recipe for mocha cupcakes, and put together a Kahlua frosting with dark chocolate ganache underneath. I must say that the end result was one of the prettiest if not most delicious cupcake I've ever made - light, fluffy and sophisticated in flavor.

It's definitely up to you how much coffee and chocolate flavor you want to add to the cake and the frosting. I think the frosting could have had some melted dark chocolate added to it in order to enhance its richness, but the buttercream with just cocoa powder and Kahlua was still excellent.

Also, I put a thin layer of dark chocolate ganache on top of the cupcakes before frosting them, and decided that it would have been even better with a thicker layer. This requires the ganache to be pretty cooled, so in general try to cool the bowl in the fridge before using (but obviously don't cool it too much)!

To assemble these amazing little creations, make the cupcakes, let them cool, then top with a thick layer of ganache and let that cool. Finally, frost with Kahlua frosting and top with shaved dark chocolate!

Dark Chocolate Mocha Cake
From Evil Shenanigans
Makes about 9 cupcakes

3/4 C all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 C sugar
1/3 C cocoa powder
4 Tbsp butter, melted
1/3 C buttermilk
1 egg
1 egg white
1 tsp vanilla
3 Tbsp strong coffee (I used freshly brewed espresso)

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare cupcake pan with liners or nonstick spray. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder. Whisk together with sugar. In a separate bowl, beat together butter, buttermilk, eggs, vanilla and coffee. Gradually add in dry ingredients and beat until well blended. Pour into pan and bake for about 20 minutes, or until cake springs back when lightly touched and tester comes out clean.


Dark Chocolate Ganache
Makes enough to top 12 cupcakes (plus some extra - great to reheat and serve over ice cream!)

1/4 lb butter
1/2 C dark chocolate, chopped


Directions: Put butter and chocolate in a bowl and microwave for 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until mixture is melted. Use a spoon or whisk to blend together until well combined. Refrigerate until ganache is stiff enough to spread thickly on top of cupcake but not hard.

Kahlua Frosting
From 30 Chocolate Treat Recipes
Makes enough for 12 cupcakes

3 Tbsp butter, softened
1/2 lb powdered sugar (1/2 box)
1 1/2 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 1/2 Tbsp Kahlua
2 Tbsp hot coffee (I used espresso)

Directions: Cream butter with electric mixer. Add powdered sugar and cocoa, then gradually beat in Kahlua and coffee. Store in refrigerator if needed.

Coffee snob tour of California

Jose is a self-confessed coffee snob, and I'll admit I'm probably turning into one too. While I still frequent Starbucks (the horror!) if I'm feeling desperate, I'm definitely beginning to see the light in terms of truly well-roasted and well-brewed coffee. There are no gourmet coffee shops in Los Altos, which is tragic, but I think Red Rock in Mountain View is probably worth a try.A great part about these shops, though, is that you can buy their beans to brew at home.
Please enjoy these photos from my recent pilgrimages with Jose to notable coffee roasters in Northern California and the LA area!

Barefoot Coffee Bar

5237 Stevens Creek Blvd, Santa Clara, CA

Perks at UCSD brews this coffee, and it's AMAZING! Fun atmosphere, yummy pastries and not too far from Los Altos.

Verve Coffee Roasters

816 41st Ave, Santa Cruz, CA

Our favorite cafe of all of the places we visited, definitely a great place to relax and caffeinate. It was also my favorite espresso of all, and the best part is they roast the beans right next door to the cafe! Their employees and baristas are chill (it is Santa Cruz after all) and it was a fantastic stop. 

Samovar Tea Lounge

3 locations - we visited 297 Page Street, San Francisco, CA

 Ok you caught me, this isn't coffee. But it deserves a spot in this blog because of its ridiculous selection of specialty loose leaf teas. It has everything from black to white to herbal to oolong. Not cheap by any means, but a fun destination for a little snack and more caffeine. By this point in the day, we were definitely buzzing...

Element Coffee 

2364 Ventura Blvd, Camarillo, CA

Our daily breakfast stop while in Oxnard, which brews Intelligentsia coffee beans. It's a relaxed, open atmosphere with a comfy couch (a big plus for me) and yummy pastries. Element was probably my favorite place we visited in the area, and it's Jose's hangout spot when he's at home. Try their vanilla latte sweetened with agave syrup - AMAZING!

Intelligentsia Coffee

5 coffee bars across the country - 

we went to 1331 Abbott Kinney Blvd, Venice, CA

Coffee at its most pretentious... I can't say I loved the "experience" of my coffee here, it was too rushed, a little crowded, and not comfortable to sit for any period of time. The baristas were snobby, but I guess with all of their awards, they're entitled to a little pride. However, there's no denying that their coffee is fantastic and the blackberry thyme muffin we shared was pretty foodgasmic. Worth a trip, but don't plan on bringing a book or making friends with the baristas!