Cookie Confessions

crack pie.

2011-04-28T12:07:00.005-04:00

I've had a baker's crush on Christina Tosi of Momofuku's Milk Bar for a while. Although I have not had the opportunity to try any of her desserts, I've heard + read a lot about them. Using inspiration found in reusable pantry items she creates desserts that are clever + uniquely different from the mainstream world of sweets. She makes cookies with corn + chips, cereal milk ice cream, deconstructed cakes and crack pie. Yes, crack pie.

Tosi has supplied Bon Appetit magazine with a variation of her famed creation known as crack pie + after I purchased a jumbo sized bag of dry milk powder (one of Tosi's favorite ingredients) I was ready make one of my own. It's buttery, gooey + loaded with sugar. Essentially it's a the best pecan pie ever, on an oatmeal cookie crust, without pecans.

It's sickly sweet, but truly addictive. I made this pie last night, went to take pictures of it this morning + found that half of it had already been eaten. I was the last one awake and up by 8 am and at some point during the night this crack pie had taken a hold of some of my roommates. Consider yourself warned.

Crack Pie

from Christina Tosi via Bon Appetit

Oat Cookie Crust

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
9 tablespoons (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
5 1/2 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar, divided
2 tablespoons sugar
1 large egg
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon (generous) salt

Filling

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1 tablespoon nonfat dry milk powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, cooled slightly
6 1/2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
4 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Powdered sugar (for dusting)

Oat Cookie Crust:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine 6 tablespoons butter, 4 tablespoons brown sugar, and 2 tablespoons sugar in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat mixture until light and fluffy, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl, about 2 minutes. Add egg; beat until pale and fluffy. Add oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and beat until well blended, about 1 minute. Turn oat mixture out silpat lined baking sheet; press out evenly onto pan. Bake until light golden on top, 17 to 18 minutes. Transfer baking pan to rack and cool cookie completely.
Using hands, crumble oat cookie into large bowl; add 3 tablespoons butter and 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar. Rub in with fingertips until mixture is moist enough to stick together. Transfer cookie crust mixture to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Using fingers, press mixture evenly onto bottom and up sides of pie dish. Place pie dish with crust on rimmed baking sheet.

Filling:

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Whisk both sugars, milk powder, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Add melted butter and whisk until blended. Add cream, then egg yolks and vanilla and whisk until well blended. Pour filling into crust. Bake pie 30 minutes (filling may begin to bubble). Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Continue to bake pie until filling is brown in spots and set around edges but center still moves slightly when pie dish is gently shaken, about 20 minutes longer. Cool pie 2 hours in pie dish on rack. Chill uncovered overnight. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover; keep chilled.
Sift powdered sugar lightly over top of pie. Cut pie into wedges and serve cold.

Baking for Japan

2011-04-04T17:13:00.004-04:00

"Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world" - Howard Zinn

Just a few short weeks ago the world watched as Japan was struck first by an earthquake, then a terrifying tsunami and are now left sorting through the wreckage with a looming nuclear crisis. Feeling a need to help in some way I did some research to see what I could do. I found information about a Bakesale for Japan that was to be held on April 2nd with all proceeds going to Peace Winds Japan. Organized by a local San Francisco pastry chef; bakers, both professional and amateur were asked to donate delicious and thoughtfully made goods.

The restaurant where I work generously offered to sponsor donations for the bakesale, so on Friday morning the pastry chef + I got to work making delicious maple cupcakes with bourbon buttercream topped with gingersnap crumbs and bags of caramel corn to donate.

It was a great event, many businesses participated including famous bakeries like Tartine and Citizen Cake and tons of home-bakers took time to create some beautiful products.

It was a great reminder that no act of kindness is too small. Enjoy a few photos from the event and a recipe for Maple cupcakes.

Our cupcakes have the cookie crumbles on them.

photo credit here.

Maple Cupcakes

from marthastewart.com

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup milk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla, and beat until combined. With the mixer still on medium speed, add the flour mixture in two parts, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the flour. Bake 18-20 minutes, rotating half way through.

Buttermilk Donuts

2011-03-15T16:49:00.011-04:00

I don't think I can use the old "woops a month has passed" again because it's actually been about 2 months of neglect here on CC. Believe me I have been baking, but it's been quite the busy start to 2011. I marked my 6 month anniversary in San Francisco, graduated from pastry school, drank wine in Napa with visiting family, drove to Los Angeles + back up the coast, took a quick vacation to Mexico with my Aunt + cousin, went oyster shucking, made a micro-blog for my resume + started a job as a pastry assistant at a new restaurant. whewwww, tough life, I know...

So back to the goods. These buttermilk donuts were made around 12 am on a Friday night. A recipe that requires no yeast, no resting time + lots of oil for frying - what could be a more perfect snack for that midnight hunger pain?

This is a great project to take on with helpers. I made these with 2 roommates. After making the dough + cutting the shapes one roommate was in charge of frying the donuts, once they came out of the hot oil I glazed them + set them on the cooling rack. My other roommate was responsible for taking the freshly glazed donuts off the rack + moving them onto a plate to give us more room to work. However, about halfway through our production line we found that no donuts were making it on the final plate as our roommate was instead eating each completed donut. Needless to say, we had an intervention.

Buttermilk Donuts

adapted from the Baked Explorations

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 large eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and slightly browned and cooled
Vegetable oil for frying

For the Chocolate Dip
4 ounces good quality dark chocolate (60-70%), coarsely chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Sprinkles to decorate (optional)

For the Vanilla Glaze
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla paste or 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Sprinkles to decorate (optional)

For the Cinnamon Sugar
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cinnamon

Make the doughnuts
Line one baking sheet with parchment paper and another baking sheet with two layers of paper towels.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour,sugar,baking soda,baking powder, salt,nutmeg, and cinnamon.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, buttermilk, and sour cream until combined. Add the melted,cooled butter and whisk again.

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour the liquid ingredients into the well. With a rubber spatula, slowly fold the flour into the liquid center until the mixture forms a sticky dough.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface lightly dusted with flour. Sprinkle the top of the dough with flour and pat it out until it is about 1/2 inch thick. Use two round cutters ( 3 1/4" and 1 1/2" for large doughnuts; 2 1/2" and 1 " for smaller doughnuts). Dip the large cutter in flour and press out the rounds. Dip the smaller cutter in the flour and cut out the center of each dough round. Arrange both doughnuts and doughnut holes on the parchment-lined baking sheet, pat the dough scraps back together, and use them to make as many more doughnuts and doughnut holes as possible. Chill the dough while you heat the oil.

Pour enough oil into a deep skillet to make a layer approximately 1 inch to 1 1/2 inches deep. Slowly heat the oil over medium -high heat until it is 365 to 370 degrees F.

While you are waiting for the oil to reach temperature, make the assorted toppings.

Make the Chocolate Glaze
Place the chopped chocolate in a medium wide-mouthed bowl. In a small saucepan, heat the cream until it is just about to boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate and wait 1 minute. Whisk until smooth. Whisk in the butter. Keep the mixture warm.

Make the Vanilla Glaze
In a medium wide-mouthed bowl, whisk together the sugar, the milk, and the vanilla paste.

Make the Cinnamon Sugar
In a medium wide-mouthed bowl, whisk together the sugar and cinnamon.

To Fry the Doughnuts
Once the oil reaches temperature, gently lift the large doughnuts off the baking sheet and place them in the hot oil. Do not crowd the skillet-make no more than 3 doughnuts at a time. Once they have browned on one side (this takes 2-3 minutes), turn them over with tongs or a slotted spoon and continue to cook for another minute or just until browned (they can overcook or burn rather quickly). Using a slotted spoon, transfer the doughnuts to the paper towel lined baking sheet and continue to fry the rest of the dough until finished. The doughnut holes will cook faster and can be made in two or three batches after the doughnuts are done.

Assemble the Doughnuts
Once you have finished frying, work quickly to dip the doughnuts in the chocolate or vanilla glaze, or the cinnamon sugar. If you like, decorate the chocolate or vanilla doughnuts with sprinkles. Serve immediately.

Caramel Apple-Pecan Pie (Yes, we're still baking)

2011-03-06T16:36:00.004-05:00

So, I'm sure a lot of you thought we had dropped off the face of the earth, or at least the Interwebs. Truthfully, we've all been really busy lately, but we shouldn't have neglected baking and blogging for so long. Krissy just graduated from pastry school, Katie's busy with her new job, and I just want to go on a diet.

I picked this pie because Ben's mom bought me a beautiful Emile Henri pie plate for Christmas, and I was dying to use it. And everyone loves an apple pie; I just wanted to make mine with a little flair. This one is definitely a crowd-pleaser, especially if you're looking for a way to spice up your apple pie.

Caramel Apple-Pecan Pie

Adapted from "Pie"

Single pie crust recipe of your choice

10 caramels, each cut into 4 pieces

Filling

7 cups peeled, cored, and sliced Golden Delicious apples

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 tbsp granulated sugar

1 tbsp cornstarch

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

Pecan Crumb Topping

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup pecan halves

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 tsp salt

6 tbsp (3/4 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

Caramel and Garnish

3 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 tbsp water

30 caramels

Large handful of pecan halves or pieces

1/2 chopped pecans

Prepare the single pie crust according to the recipe of your choice. Refrigerate until firm enough to roll, about 1 hour.

On a sheet of lightly floured waxed paper, roll the pastry into a 13-inch circle with a floured rolling pin. Invert the pastry over a 9 1/2-inch deep-dish pie pan, center, and peel off the paper. Tuck the pastry into the pan, without stretching it, and sculpt the edge into an upstanding ridge. Scatter the caramel pieces in the pie shell and place in the freezer while you make the filling. Preheat the over to 400 degrees.

Combine the apples, brown sugar and lemon juice in a large bowl. Mix well, then set aside for 5 to 10 minutes to juice. Mix the granulated sugar and cornstarch together in a small bowl. Stir the mixture into the fruit along with the cinnamon and vanilla. Scrape the filling into the chilled pie shell, smoothing the fruit with your hands leaving as little space as possible. (If the fruit mounds over the crust, that's ok because it will bake down). Put the pie on the center oven rack and back for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the crumb topping by combining the flour, pecans, granulated sugar and salt in a food processor. Pulse several times, copping the nuts coarsely. Scatter the butter over the dry mixture and pulse the machine again until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Transfer the crumbs to a bowl and rub the mixture between your fingers to make damp, gravelly crumbs. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Remove the pie from the oven and reduce the temperature to 375 degrees. Carefully dump the crumbs in the center of the pie, spreading them evenly over the surface with your hands. Push them down lightly in the apples. Return the pie to oven, placing it so that the part that faced the back of the oven now faces forward. Slide a large aluminum foil-lined sheet onto the rack below to catch any drips (seriously, don't skip this step). Bake until the juices bubble thickly around the edges, 30-40 minutes (mine went for a little longer). If necessary, cover the pie with loosely tented foil for the last 15 minutes to keep the top from getting too dark.

Transfer the pie to a wire rack and let cool for about 1 hour. While the pie is still warm - approaching the 1 hour mark - prepare the caramel. Combine the butter, water and caramels in the top of a double boiler (I don't have one of these so I just use a glass mixing bowl - works like a charm). Melt the caramels over, not in, barely simmering water. This may take 10 minutes or more. To facilitate the melting, press down on them as they start to soften and melt. When melted, whisk the mixture until is smooth, then drizzle the caramel over the entire surface of the pie. Immediately press the pecan halves into the caramel in a random fashion, then sprinkle the chopped pecans over the top as well. Let cool for another hour before serving.

a new year + brown butter shortbread

2011-01-05T01:37:00.009-05:00

Happy 2011! The holidays flew by as they usually do; after many parties, pastries, presents + some painfully cold weather I made my way back to San Francisco. The new year has me excited for changes that are soon to come + hopeful with plans for a successful + happy future.

I would like to take a moment to remind everyone not to cut sweets out of your life for a stupid New Year's resolution; chocolate, butter + sugar make people happy.

Enjoy these delicious + easy brown butter shortbread, another victory for brown butter.

Diet starts Monday.

Brown Butter Shortbread

adapted from Lottie + Doof

12 tbsp unsalted butter

1/2 cup lightly packed dark brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp flaked sea salt

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

sanding sugar for sprinkling

lightly grease 9 1/2 inch fluted tart pan.

In small sauce pan brown butter over medium heat. Be sure butter reaches dark color, should smell nutty. Be careful not to burn butter as milk solids separate from the fat.

In a medium bowl combine brown butter with brown sugar, vanilla + salt. Add the flour + mix until incorporated. Spread dough evenly into prepared tart pan. Allow dough to stand for 2 hours minimum, preferably overnight.

Bake at 300 degrees F for about 40 minutes. Remove from oven, allow to cool 10 minutes. Remove shortbread from pan, sprinkle with sanding sugar + cut into triangles. Place triangles on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Back for 8-10 minutes to lightly toast, be sure they are not becoming too brown, these are easily over-baked. Cool before eating.

Mini Reindeer Cupcakes

2010-12-16T10:09:00.004-05:00

I made these cupcakes specifically for my coworker's son Mason and his class. Mason is four-years-old, so I wanted to make something fun, but not too sugary (I can't even imagine a class full of children on a chocolate high). Of course, all of the reindeers are Rudolph, because he's the most famous reindeer of all.

Mini Reindeer Cupcakes

24 mini vanilla cupcakes

Chocolate buttercream frosting

8 ounces milk chocolate

24 Red Hots (or cinnamon dots)

Make at least 24 mini vanilla cupcakes and a batch of chocolate buttercream frosting, using your favorite recipes. Cool the cupcakes and frost.

Spread parchment paper over a cookie sheet. Melt 8 ounces of milk chocolate and pour into a piping bag with a skinny tip (#2), or pour into a plastic ziploc bag and cut a small hole in one of the bottom corners of the bag. Pipe two chocolate dots for eyes onto each cupcake. Then, pipe the chocolate into pairs of antler shapes, but be sure to make extra because these guys are fragile! Put the baking sheet in the refrigerator or freezer to let the chocolate set. Once set, arrange the antlers on each cupcake. Then finish Rudolph by placing a cinnamon dot on each cupcake for a nose.

peppermint white chocolate cupcakes

2010-12-09T20:39:00.005-05:00

I reallllly don't like Starbucks. The coffee always tastes burnt + I do not appreciate the high cost for an espresso beverage. However, I do have a soft spot for one Starbucks product.... the peppermint white chocolate mocha complete with a gloriously red holiday cup. This decadent beverage warms my heart + is the perfect holiday treat. Although this drink sets you back about 400+ calories, its nice to indulge once in a while.

Inspired by my favorite holiday beverage I made some chocolate cupcakes with peppermint white chocolate frosting this past weekend for a friend's birthday; mini chocolate cakes swirled with white chocolate-pepperminty buttercream + topped with a candy garnish, they were a delight.

Enjoy.

White Chocolate Peppermint Frosting

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

12 ounce white chocolate, melted and cooled slightly

1-2 cup confectioners' sugar *

1 tsp peppermint extract

In a large bowl beat the butter at medium speed until creamy. Beat in the melted white chocolate. Add confectioners' sugar in stages + peppermint extract. Whip until light and fluffy.

* Add confectioners' sugar until reaches sweetness + consistency desired. May be more or less.

Peppermint Candy Garnish

Evenly space the circular red peppermint candy on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 300 degrees F for about 10-15 minutes. If left in the oven too long candy will turn yellow. After removing from the oven use a pizza cutter to make even (or uneven) cuts through the melted candy. Once hardened, the candy will break apart easily using the cuts as a guide.

Peppermint Oreos

2010-12-05T22:45:00.005-05:00

Reading directions is apparently not my thing today. I misread the directions for the cookies and started mixing the butter and egg before I realized I was supposed to mix the sugar and egg. In an attempt to salvage the butter, I rinsed off the egg in a colander. This was such a ghetto thing to do, but I didn't want to be late for a painting class that Ashley and I were on our way to this afternoon.

I also misread the directions for the icing and put in 3 1/2 teaspoons of milk, instead of the tablespoons the recipe called for. I realized something was up when the mixture was still solid and then compensated. The icing turns out as more of a cream/glaze than true icing.

I choose this recipe today because I've been in such the holiday spirit! I'm going to visit Katie and Julie in NYC tomorrow for work, and we are going to see the Rockettes. Our tree is decorated at the house, and even Bacci can't wait for Santa.

After all of the ridiculous screw-ups, these cookies turned out great! The chocolate wafers were crunchy and tasty and the icing provided just the right amount of peppermint. If you want to get creative, you could tint the frosting green or red or crush up some peppermints and rolls the sides of the cookies in them.

Peppermint Oreos

adapted from a Whole Foods recipe

For the cookies:

1 2/3 cups flour

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/4 teaspoon fine salt

1 cup sugar

1 egg

2 teaspooons vanilla extract

3/4 cup butter, softened

For the icing:

3 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar

3 1/2 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon butter, softened

1/2 teaspoon peppermint flavoring or extract

Pinch of fine salt

For the cookies:

Whisk together flour, cocoa and salt in a large bowl; set aside. In a second large bow, beat sugar and egg together with an electric mixer (I used the paddle attachment) until pale and thickened, about two minutes; beat in vanilla. Add butter and beat again until smooth, about one minute more (side note: here's where my batter wasn't as smooth as I thought it should be. I had some tiny beads of butter that just wouldn't disperse, probably because my butter was rinsed with water, and at the risk of overbeating, I let it go. If this happens to you, don't fret, the cookies still turned out fine). Add flour mixture in two parts and beat until combined. Shape dough into two logs that are uniformly round and about 8 inches long then wrap each snugly in parchment paper or saran wrap, twisting the sides of the paper/wrap. Chill for two hours.

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut dough crosswise into 1/4-inch thick slices and place on baking sheets about one inch apart. Bake until puffed and just cooked through, nine to ten minutes. Set aside to let cool completely.

For the icing:

Put sugar, milk, butter, peppermint flavoring and salt into a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer for one minute. Spread the flat side of half of the cookies with a dollop of icing, then sandwich with remaining cookies. Serve immediately or store cookies in an airtight container until ready to serve.

Yields about 40

Oops we missed November.

2010-12-01T20:52:00.011-05:00

November flew by without a post so here is a quick summary to catch up on the past month from the West Coast:

I wrapped up the bread portion of my program finishing off the 8 weeks with bagels, pretzels + flat breads. I've been covered in butter since starting + completing the 3 week Viennoisorie portion learning croissants, brioche, danish, cinnamon rolls, sticky buns, panettone, pan d'oro, and stollen...just to name a few.

I had family + friends visiting from New York City, Chicago, Miami, London + Portugal via Austin Texas. I went back to Chicago for Thanksgiving but the 20 degree weather reminded me how lucky I am to live in beautiful San Francisco.

It's now Decemeber + time for some holiday baking. Although this recipe is one I made a while ago they are perfect for this time of year. Roll in sugar + enjoy.

Chocolate Ginger Cookies

2 cups flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp ground ginger

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp cloves

3/4 cup butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 large egg

1/4 cup molasses

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp vanilla

1/3 cup semisweet chocolate, chopped or mini chips

additional sugar for rolling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt and all spices, set aside. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg, followed by molasses, vanilla and balsamic vinegar. Gradually stir in the sifted dry ingredients mixing until flour is incorporated. Stir in chocolate chunks. Scoop dough into balls and roll in sugar. Press lightly to flatten and bake for 10-12 minutes.

*You can also mix in crystallized ginger for added ginger flavor.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Bars

2010-10-25T00:14:00.008-04:00

San Francisco is a city that is often recognized for fostering a healthy lifestyle among its residents. Now that I live here I must embrace this healthy lifestyle and transfer it to my baking. I know that pumpkin has some wonderful health benefits so I figure that if I make a snickerdoodle cookie base, layer it with pumpkin pie-ish filling + top it with cinnamon sugar it must be good for you. Make these, eat a lot of them + you will have glowing skin, boosted immunity + balanced hormone levels.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Bars

Recipe from here

Snickerdoodle Layer

3 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 cups brown sugar, packed

1 cup butter, room temperature

2 eggs

1 tbsp vanilla

Pumpkin Pie Layer:

1 cup flour

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch pan.

Snickerdoodle layer: Sift together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. In large bowl, beat together butter, sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth. Stir in the flour mixture until well blended. Spread evenly in prepared pan.

Pumpkin Pie Layer: In a large bowl mix together butter and sugar. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until well combined. Pour over the snickerdoodle layer + smooth over the top. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake for 33-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan comes out clean. Allow the bars to cool completely. Enjoy!

apple cranberry crisp

2010-10-17T23:05:00.005-04:00

In keeping with the theme from my last post (which was in August... oops), I have been focusing on recipes that require very few ingredients and simple techniques- without sacrificing any flavor. Being that we are in the height of apple season, I ran out to the market this morning and picked up the freshest organic fruit I could find to make these easy yet delicious Apple Cranberry Crisps.

Ready in a mere 45 minutes and relatively healthy (until the ice cream gets placed on top, yum), these Apple Cranberry Crisps are a perfect five-spoonful treat for a Sunday evening curled up on the couch.

Apple Cranberry Crisp

adapted from here

Ingredients:

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup dark brown sugar (packed)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

dash salt

5 tablespoons unsalted butter (at room temperature)

1/2 cup chopped pecans

4 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2 inch diced pieces

1 cup fresh (or frozen) cranberries

1/2 cup sugar

zest and juice of 1 orange

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 8 inch pan or six 5 ounce ramekins and set aside.

2. For the topping, combine butter, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a bowl. Mash ingredients together well with hands until the mixture becomes crumbly. Add in pecans and set aside.

3. Toss apples, cranberries, sugar, zest and juice together in a bowl. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan(s). Sprinkle topping evenly over the fruit. Bake until bubbly and the apples and cranberries are tender (about 30 minutes).

4. Let the crisp cool slightly. Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream on top.

blondie. baking. bonding.

2010-10-12T22:56:00.012-04:00

Seven strangers picked to live in a house... this is what I walked into when I arrived in San Francisco. I moved into a mini Pacific Heights mansion with 6 people I (sort of) didn't know + although there are no cameras or Jersey Shore drama this place is pretty amazing. I've been baking a lot for my new roommates since I moved in; maybe maintaining a kitchen stocked with treats is my attempt at bribery to ensure that I "make" friends here in California, but that's besides the point.

Last night we had our first ever joint baking experience. We sat around watching TV, discussing the idea of doing a triathlon together + after searching for one unsuccessfully, we decided to bake something instead. My helpful sous chefs Jason + Stew made some freshly ground coffee, toasted + chopped peanuts + documented the experience with my camera. From fitness to fatness, at least we're all going down together.

Enjoy this recipe for peanut butter blondies with a kick of espresso, a suprisingly delicious combination. We collectively decided that they could have used even more coffee/espresso flavor, the recipe reflects these changes.

Peanut Espresso Blondies

1 cup + 2 tbsp browned butter*

2 1/2 cups brown sugar

3 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

2 -3 tbsp finely ground coffee or espresso**

2/3 cup toasted peanuts, chopped

1 cup crunchy peanut butter

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9 x 13 pan with foil + coat with non-stick spray. Brown butter in a sauce pan then pour into a large mixing bowl. Mix in brown sugar, vanilla + eggs. Once combined add dry ingredients + nuts, stir until incorporated. Pour mixture into pan + dollop peanut butter over the top. Using a knife marble the peanut butter into the batter. Bake for 25-30 minutes until blondies have turned golden in color + puffy in appearance.

Note:

*I'm obsessed with brown butter, I think it makes everything better but you can use plain melted butter if you prefer.

** I used 2 tbsp but would definitely use 3 tbsp if not more next time.

Bridal Shower Cupcakes

2010-10-03T20:19:00.006-04:00

Katie and all of the bridesmaids

I have been scared out of my mind for the past month, wondering if the bridal shower I was helping to plan would turn out how we all imagined. All of the bridesmaids helped to plan my best friend Katie's bridal shower, and I was in charge of the desserts (and the favors). At first I wanted to make petit fours, then I decided against it in favor of cupcakes. But then the search for the perfect bridal shower cupcake went into effect. I wanted something that Katie would love and would also tie in with the other food and decor. Katie loves red velvet, so I made a batch of red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. But I had to make another type of cupcake, so I went with lemon poppyseed cupcakes with vanilla buttercream and lemon zest. Sims came up with the great idea to use lemons as card-holders to designate what each item was, so everything went well together. I was so excited that everything turned out beautifully, and here's a few pictures of the brunch. We were so lucky that Michelle offered up her gorgeous home to host the shower, and Katie got so many great kitchen items that I think I'm going to have to start cooking at her house when they move in at the end of the month!

The spread

Parfaits

Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcakes

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter, room temperature

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

1/4 cup sour cream

Preheat your over to 350 degrees, and line cupcake or muffin pan with cupcake liners.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, poppy seeds, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat the sugar and butter together until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes on medium-high speed. Add the eggs, lemon zest and lemon extract, and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until just combined, about 1 minute. Add the sour cream and beat until just combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake liners, filling each about three-fourths full. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Transfer the cupcakes to the wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour. Frost with your favorite buttercream recipe and garnish with lemon zest.

pumpkin {baguette} bread pudding

2010-09-29T21:29:00.008-04:00

I'm drowning in bread. School started last week + we've only been making baguettes... lots + lots of baguettes. Everyday it's scale, mix, wait, scale, shape, wait, roll, wait, load, eat. Everyyyy single day. It's great practice but the magic of bringing home a brown bag FULL of bread has lost some of its romance by day 8. Not to mention our garbage can was filling up with all the old bread that steadily grew into a heaping mound. I was feeling a bit guilty about throwing away all the extra baguettes; I tried offering it to a homeless guy who declined the free bread + proceeded to ask for money or marijuana or both. So instead I opted to use the day old bread to make a perfectly fall dessert, pumpkin {baguette} bread pudding.

The addition of cloves or pumpkin pie spice would give this bread pudding a warm spicy flavor-unfortunately I didn't have either. However, if it's bread that you've run out of please let me know, I have PLENTY.

Pumpkin Baguette Breading Pudding

1 1/2 cups heavy cream/milk (I used 1 cup cream 1/2 cup milk)

3/4 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup sugar

2 tbsp brown sugar (plus more for sprinkling)

2 eggs + 1 yolk

1 heaping tsp cinnamon (plus more for sprinkling)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ginger

5 cups cubed (1 inch) day-old baguette

6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter + toss with bread cubes in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl whisk together cream/milk, pumpkin, eggs, sugar + spices until well combined. Pour over bread cubes + toss until bread is thoroughly coated. Pour into an ungreased 8 x 8 inch baking dish. Sprinkle top with additional brown sugar + cinnamon. Bake for 25-30 minutes until custard has set.

Boston Creme Pie - Cake Wreck

2010-09-07T17:24:00.004-04:00

I've been eying this recipe for a few months now. The picture in the book looks absolutely mouthwatering, and while my treats never seem to turn out pretty enough, I thought I could at least come close on this one.

Baking in my new kitchen is now such a treat for me. I have plenty of counter space to work on and cabinets to store the ridiculous amounts of supplies I accumulate. My oven even works how it's supposed to and doesn't burn the edge of everything to a crisp while leaving the center completely raw. With all of these kitchen advantages, I still managed to completely ruin this recipe.

Instead of waiting for the creme patissiere to cool completely, I assembled the finished product to transport it to my parents' for dinner. I carefully braced the plate in a cake carrier, which I also braced in the trunk (to compensate for my erratic driving). When I got there, the plate and the carrier hadn't moved - but the cake slid off the top and all of the filling had oozed out. Shocking, right?

We ended up just standing around the cake wreck and eating it. The flavors were great, but this recipe is obviously not meant to travel! I'll share the recipe next time I actually manage to make a proper Boston Creme Pie.

Cookie Crazy

2010-08-26T09:57:00.006-04:00

Lately I have been cookie obsessed. I've been trying to create a buttery, caramely, brown sugary cookie base for the perfect chocolate chip cookie. I've tried many recipes including Cook's Illustrated "The Perfect Chocolate Chip", Alton Brown's "The Chewy" and variations of the "The Puffy". I've changed and doctored the classic Toll House recipe, gave the Baked NYC cookie a whirl and tried the New York Times Chocolate Chip by Jacque Torres. I agree that good things come to those who wait, but waiting 24 hours to eat a cookie that you wanted yesterday is too much.

After many hours of baking, lot's of dough scooping, cookie eating + constructive feedback I finally made my perfect chocolate chip. My family, friends + co-workers have all approved. Not only have I used the batter for chocolate chips but I tried white chocolate chips, cookies + cream (with crushed oreos) and a cookie with pretzels and toffee. Although I can't share this new secret recipe (in hopes that it will be a top seller in a non-existent future business) but I will provide a few helpful ideas for your own cookie adaptations.

1. Brown the butter, this makes for a rich, caramel-like flavor

2. Use bread flour, not only bread flour but a combination with all-purpose flour.

3. Use dark brown sugar + lots of it. I increased the amount of brown sugar in my recipe over granulated, it provides a better texture + flavor.

4. Add both milk chocolate + semi-sweet chocolate chips.

5. Salt, use it. As Dorie Greenspan said, "You can't underestimate the importance of salt in sweet baked goods."

6. Always, always use parchment or a silpat. Nobody likes a cookie scraped off a pan leaving behind melty chocolate delight.

Lemon Bars

2010-08-14T10:15:00.007-04:00

Sweltering heat + terrible humidity = unhappy chicagoans. I'm hating this ridiculously hot weather. I don't have a pool, so I decided to make lemon bars; cool + refreshing. Lemon bars are the perfect combination of tart+ sweet, although heavy with their custard-like base, it's hard to eat just one. Enjoy this recipe if you too find yourself melting, beach anyone?

Lemon Bars

adapted from Classic Star Desserts by Emily Luchetti via Foodgal

For crust:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
12 tablespoons cold unsalted, butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
For filling:
6 large eggs
3 cups granulated sugar
1 cup + 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup flour
To make the crust: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine flour and confectioners’ sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on low speed until mixed. Add butter and continue to mix until butter is the size of small peas, about 30 seconds. The mixture will be very dry. Gently press mixture evenly onto the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan.
Bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.
To make filling: In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and granulated sugar until smooth. Stir in lemon juice and then the flour. Pour filling on top of crust.
Bake until lemon filling is set, about 30-40 minutes. Let cool to room temperature and then put in the refrigerator for 1 hour or keep at room temperature for 3 hours before cutting. Cut into squares measuring about 2 1/4 inches and dust the tops with confectioners’ sugar.

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes + San Francisco

2010-08-05T07:00:00.001-04:00

I spent the past weekend exploring + eating my way through the city of San Francisco. I'm embarrassed to admit that I gained 3-5 lbs in just a few days by eating delicious meals that I immediately followed with some form of delicious sweet treat. And I mean every meal. Breakfast was followed by lemon-almond tea loaf at Tartine, lunch was followed by cream puffs at Thorough Bread + Pastry and dinner was finished with moscato-marinated strawberry mascarpone tart AND chocolate gelato with amaretti. I'm leaving out the details of each fabulous meal and all the snacks that shamefully snuck in there as well because, frankly if you read how much I actually consumed you would be shocked or amazed, or both.

For those who don't know, this September I am making a cross-country move from Chicago to San Fran to attend a professional bread + pastry program at the San Francisco Baking Institute. After checking out my new city, I could not be more excited! Upon my arrival home I had a request for a cupcake order. So here I share the recipe for fabulous vanilla bean cupcakes + rich chocolate frosting. The richness of the frosting is cut by the not-too-sweet vanilla cake. Enjoy!

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes

from Annie's Eats

3 cups cake flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
16 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
5 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/4 cups buttermilk, room temperature
1 tbsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk together and set aside. Add the butter to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Scrape the vanilla bean seeds into the bowl of the mixer with the butter and discard the pod (or reserve for another use.) Beat on medium-high speed for 3 minutes, until light and creamy in color. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat for one more minute.

Add the sugar to the butter mixture, 1/4 cup at a time, beating 1 minute after each addition. Mix in the eggs one at a time until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Combine the buttermilk and the vanilla extract in a liquid measuring cup. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients alternately with the wet ingredients, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients and mixing just until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for 15 seconds longer.

Divide the batter between the prepared paper liners, filling each about 2/3 of the way full (you will likely have batter left over after filling 24 wells.) Bake 18-22 minutes**, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pans 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Replace paper liners and bake remaining batter if desired. Frost cooled cupcakes as desired.

**I made mini cupcakes, baked to perfection in 13 minutes.

Rich Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

1 stick salted butter, softened

1 cup shortening

1 tbsp vanilla

2 lbs powdered sugar

4-6 tbsp milk

12 oz. good qualitysemi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled

3-4 heaping tbsp cocoa powder

2-3 tbsp Kahlua

Whip together butter and shortening until smooth. Add in vanilla. Whip in confectioners sugar 1/4 at a time until it's all added. Pour cooled chocolate and cocoa in and mix until combined. Add milk one table spoon at a time until it reaches desired consistency. Mix in Kahlua and whip until light and fluffy.

Torta di Mele

2010-08-01T23:00:00.001-04:00

I was fortunate enough to study in Sesto Fiorentino, Italy (a town right outside of Florence) for a semester during college. I loved absolutely everything about my time there: the history, the fashion, the art and the views. But if I had to pick only one thing that defined my time there, I most definitely have to say it was the food.

We had our own chef in the villa I lived and studied in, an adorable old man named Nino. Day after day, he would go to the market to pick up fresh ingredients in order to prepare us our daily lunch, dinner and dessert. The ingredients came from within miles of where we lived and were purchased every morning; words cannot express the true freshness that was contained in every meal we ate. (Well, there was a lot of butter in there too, which would explain why everyone on the program gained about 10 pounds...)

But the most amazing part about what Nino cooked for us every day was the actual simplicity of his dishes. He could create true masterpieces with the use of only a few simple ingredients, something that few people can do with their cooking and baking.

While unpacking a box this week, I stumbled on some crumpled pieces of paper. As I unfolded them, I realized I had just found gold: my copies of recipes from the Villa Corsi-Salviati kitchen. While most of them are pasta dishes (including the best pesto recipe ever), there are a few dessert recipes as well, one of which I am sharing in this post.

This Torta di Mele is extremely simple to make, requiring only 9 ingredients and a few minutes in the kitchen. If you make sure to use the freshest milk, apples and lemons in this torta, you will not be disappointed with the result. You may even feel like you are on a quick trip to Italy.

Torta di Mele

from the Villa Corsi-Salviati kitchen

3 Granny Smith apples

juice of one lemon

2 eggs

1 1/4 cups sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

7 tablespoons melted butter

a little over 3/4 cups sifted flour

2 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder

1/2 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Peel the apples and cut them into thin slices. Place them in a bowl and sprinkle with the lemon juice. In a separate bowl, mix all other ingredients until it becomes a semi-liquid batter. Add in the apple slices to the mixture and stir until coated and thoroughly mixed in.

Pour mixture into a round pan and place in the oven for about 45 minutes. The torta should be golden brown on top. Once removed from the oven and slightly cooled, sprinkle with powdered sugar. Buon appetito!

S'more bars

2010-07-25T07:16:00.001-04:00

When I think about summer quite a few things come to mind; sun, street festivals, poolside cocktails + s'mores. I really like s'mores, unfortunately I don't have the best track record around open fire. I've had quite a few instances where flaming marshmallows or other burning particles have wound up stuck on my body, clothing or hair. I even lit my sleeve on fire once while enjoying table-side s'mores at the supposedly safe Cosi restaurant.

These are a great alternative for those of us who are prone to catching fire. They taste just like a s'more only better. Instead of a plain old graham cracker the marshmallow + chocolate is nestled between an almost brownie like consistency of graham cracker delight. They are best eaten when they are still a bit warm, while the chocolate + marshmallow is still gooey. Enjoy!

S'more bars

adapted from Cooking with my Kid

1/2 cup butter, room temp

1/4 brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

2 king sized milk chocolate bars (I used milk chocolate chips instead)

1 large egg

1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme/fluff

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/3 cups flour

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan. Use an electric mixer to cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Set aside. Meanwhile,whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Slowly add flour mixture to the creamed butter mixture until combined. Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips over the dough, enough to create an even layer of chocolate. Spread marshmallow fluff over chocolate (I heated the fluff for easier spreading). Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff (roll out the dough in flat pieces and lay over the fluff, it's ok if its not perfectly even). Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned. Be sure to cool completely before cutting into bars.

Monster Cookies

2010-07-22T05:30:00.000-04:00

Monster cookies seemed appropriate for my new monster kitchen. Ok, well maybe it's not monstrous, but it's definitely a huge upgrade from my last kitchen. It's bright, with big windows, a functioning stove and an inordinate amount of cabinetry. I even have a pantry! (Can you tell I'm excited?) Either way, these cookies were the perfect experiment to learn my way around my new kitchen. Also, apologies for my lack of posting, as Krissy has reminded me, over the last seven weeks. But now I'm all settled in, ready to bake.

These cookies are adapted from the illustrious Paula Deen, and they combine everyone's favorite parts about standard cookies: chocolate and peanut butter. These are super easy to make (I never even broke out the mixer) and are sure to please everyone.

Monster Cookies

Adapted from here

3 eggs

1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar (light or dark both work fine)

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

12 ounces creamy peanut butter

1 stick butter, softened

1/2 cup M&Ms

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/4 cup raisins (optional, I omitted these)

2 teaspoons baking soda

4 1/2 cups quick oats (NOT instant)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or your handy Silpat (which I love and comes in real handy if you just want to keep using the same cookie sheet for baking each batch. Krissy - best birthday present ever!).

In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs and sugars (Confession: I mixed everything by hand with a wooden spoon and it turned out great. No need to dirty beaters for this recipe). Mix well. Add the salt, vanilla, peanut butter and butter. Mix well. Stir in the baking soda. Mix well. Then add the M&Ms, chocolate chips, raisins (if using) and oats. Mix until oats are completely covered.

Drop by heaping tablespoons onto cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. These cookies will spread out. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes (I would err on the side of 10 minutes), but do not overbake. Let cookies rest for 3 minutes on cookie sheet before transferring them to a wire rack.

Makes about 5 dozen.

Classic Birthday Cake

2010-07-20T22:04:00.006-04:00

Summer is the hardest time of year to bake. After walking around in 90 degree weather all day, the absolute last thing anyone wants to do is hang out in a 100 degree kitchen. That being said, it takes a lot for me to actually bake during the months of June, July and August (which explains my recent lack of posts).

Anyway, with yesterday being Dan's 26th birthday, I decided to brave the heat and make him a birthday cake from scratch. My apartment only has one tiny window air conditioner in it, so when I say my blood, sweat and tears went into this cake, I mean it... with a big emphasis on the sweat.

Moist Yellow Cake with Bittersweet Chocolate Frosting

adapted from here and here

For the cake:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (12 tablespoons)

1 3/4 cups granulated sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 large egg yolks

3 large eggs

1 cup whole milk

Heat the oven to 350 degrees and place the rack in the middle.

Combine flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a small bowl and whisk to get ready of any lumps or chunks.

Place butter into a bowl and mix on a medium or high speed until fluffy and light in color. Add in sugar and vanilla, and beat until thoroughly creamed and mixed in. Add egg yolks one at a time, letting each egg yolk mix fully in before adding the next. Add the whole eggs one at a time as well, allowing 1 minute of mixing between additions. The mixture should be very pale in color at this point.

Add 1/3 of the dry ingredient mixture and mix until incorporated. Add in half of the milk and mix until incorporated. Continue to alternate adding in the dry ingredient mixture and milk until all ingredients are thoroghly mixed in and the batter is smooth.

Divide the batter between two 8- or 9-inch round cake pans. Be sure to butter them thoroughly before filling with batter! Bake until the cake edges slightly pull away from the pans and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out dry with just a few crumbs, about 35 to 40 minutes.

Remove the pans from the overn and let cool on a wire rack for about 15 minutes. Turn the cakes out onto the rack to cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting:

3 sticks of unsalted butter at room temperature

2 2/3 cups of powdered sugar, sifted (VERY IMPORTANT!)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and slightly cooled

Beat the butter with a mixer at medium-high speed until light and fluffy.

Stop the mixer and add the powdered sugar in stages until it is fully incorporated. Add in the vanilla and chocolate and beat on a medium high sped until the frosting is light and airy.

To frost:

Make sure the cake is thoroughly cooled before frosting. The frosting should be at room temperature for frosting, but don't let it get too soft or else it will become runny and won't hold on the cake.

I assume most of you know how to frost a cake, but if you don't, click THIS fantastic link for a video tutorial.

decorating tutorials + mint buttercream

2010-07-12T00:05:00.005-04:00

Cake decorating is an art. Some people have a wonderful ability to create beautiful (and delicious) cakes with fancy decorations and designs. I'm slightly challenged in the decoration department but my Aunt Kathy is a natural. We have all seen her showpieces from the Girard Family Cake-Off, but this weekend we in Chicago had an opportunity to watch the master at work.

She worked quickly, eh... not exactly quick but diligently. She confidently frosted the layer cake like an old pro sharing tips + tricks with her captive audience along the way. After perusing the food coloring options + piping tips she choose to decorate the cake in a ~~beautiful~~ rose petal pink. I always have fun with Aunt Kathy, we laughed a lot. Enjoy the photos.

{she showed us how to use a decorating triangle}

{A closer look at the final product + intricate details}

Lastly, I made a few cupcake varieties with the left over cake batter. Here is a recipe for mint buttercream. It's delicious on a chocolate cupcake served cold with a glass of milk.

Mint Buttercream Frosting

1 cup butter
4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/4 cup milk
1/8 teaspoon mint extract
green food coloring

Beat butter until creamy. Gradually add the sifted powdered sugar, milk, and peppermint extract, beat until combined. Add green food coloring until frosting reaches desired color.

Chouquettes Aux Pepites de Chocolat

2010-07-06T16:59:00.004-04:00

As I was sitting outside enjoying a day in the sun something about the warm breeze + smell of summer reminded me of Europe. I miss the beautiful beaches, amazing architecture, delicious food + wonderful people I met. Wishing I could magically teleport myself to a cafe in France where I could sit + read while enjoying a delicious pastry I decided to bake something so I could at least pretend.

A while back I read David Lebovitz's The Sweet Life in Paris and marked a recipe for Chouquettes aux pepites de chocolat or chocolate chip cream puffs. These seemed like the perfect recipe for my afternoon activity.

They were super easy to make + truly deee-licious. Enjoy these little guys outside, close your eyes + pretend you are in France.

Chouquettes Aux Pepites de Chocolat

From David Lebovitz's The Sweet Life in Paris

1 cup water

1/2 tsp coarse salt

2 tsp sugar

6 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into cubes

1 cup flour

4 large eggs, room temperature

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup pearl sugar*

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. In a small saucepan heat water, salt, sugar and butter until butter is melted and water starts to boil. Remove from heat and add to flour. Stir rapidly until the mixture is smooth and pulls away from the bowl. Allow the dough to cool for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally to release the heat. Briskly beat in eggs one at a time until the paste is smooth and shiny. Let cool completely to room temperature, then stir in chocolate chips. Drop mounds of dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper about 2 teaspoons each. Sprinkle each generously with the pearl sugar. (David recommends using a lot + really pressing into each pastry). Bake for about 20 minutes or until puffed and well browned.**

*I bought my pearl sugar at Fox and Obel in

Chicago, I also hear it can be purchased at some Ikea stores. It's great.

**Note: the original recipe says bake for 35 minutes but mine were brown + ready to go around 20 minutes in.

Key Lime Pie.

2010-07-02T13:14:00.006-04:00

Wow. It's July 2nd already. Summer is really flying by (as it usually does). We decided to take a month off from Cookie Confessions as we have all been extremely busy with work + various summer-time activities. Both Katie + Nikki have recently moved so we can look forward to their contributions from their new kitchens.

It's hot in Chicago. I've been having some trouble coming up with summery sweets to try because as I've said before, I always want chocolate. Trying to steer away from chocolate I made a Key Lime Pie a couple weeks ago. I used a recipe from Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump's private club in Palm Beach FL. I saw this recipe on Oprah a while back, I'm glad I tried it- it's reallllly delicious. I'm not usually a huge fan of Key Lime Pie but it was cool + tart, exactly what you need on a hot summer night. Enjoy.

Key Lime Pie

Mar-a-Lago via Oprah.com

Gramham Cracker Crust:

3/4 pound graham crackers

4 tbsp. sugar

2 sticks butter, melted

1/4 tsp sea salt

Filling:

4 egg yolks

1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz)

2/3 cup fresh Key lime juice

1 lime, grated zest

Topping:

1 cup heavy or whipping cream, chilled

2 tbsp confectioners' sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Directions:
To make graham cracker crust: Preheat the oven to 325°.

Break up the graham crackers, place in a food processor and process to crumbs. Add the melted butter, sugar and salt and pulse until combined. Press the mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan, forming an even layer on the bottom, sides and edge. Bake the crust for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the crust to cool.

To make filling: While the crust is resting, in an electric mixer with the wire whisk attachment, whip the egg yolks and lime zest at high speed until fluffy, or 5 to 6 minutes. Gradually add the condensed milk and continue to whip until thick, 3 to 4 minutes longer. Lower the mixer speed and slowly add the lime juice until incorporated.

Pour the mixture into the crust and bake for 15 minutes, or until the filling has just set. Cool on a wire rack, and then refrigerate for 20 minutes.

To make topping: Whip the cream, confectioners' sugar and vanilla until nearly stiff. Evenly spread the whipped cream on top of the pie, and place in the freezer for 20 minutes prior to serving.

The Girard Cake Challenge

2010-06-02T10:33:00.004-04:00

As some of you know, I was interested in taking a cake decorating class to improve my much-lacking skills in this area. My mom was kind enough to take the class with me, so I wouldn't have to go it alone. When my dad, the artist, got wind of this class, he went into put up or shut up mode and challenged us that his decorations would be far and away better than ours. So, that's how all three of us ended up in a store in the middle of the ghetto in Atlanta for four Monday nights, taking a cake decorating class.

While all of the other students were busy concentrating, we were the class clowns in the back, laughing at each others' heinous decorations and poor technique. Somehow, though, they let us graduate (we even have diplomas!), and we proudly present to you our final assignment for your judging pleasure. We were required to have the following elements: at least one rose, stems, sweet pea flowers, leaves, a bow, and a shell border.

I won't tell you which cake is which, but please comment and leave your vote for the best Girard family cake! Some voted earlier this weekend while we were in Kansas City for Mary Beth's graduation (congrats MB, go K State!), so I can tell you that my dad's cake is in the lead right now by three votes. There will be some sort of yet to be determined prize for the winner.

Vote early, vote often.

Cake #1

Cake #2

Cake #3

Marbled Peanut Butter + Chocolate Cookies

2010-05-28T14:25:00.006-04:00

There is a cookie company out of Highland Park, IL called Carol's Cookies. If you haven't had the pleasure of enjoying one of their massive 1/2 lb cookies yet don't waste any time running to your nearest whole foods. I had a really delicious peanut butter chocolate combo cookie the other day, it was rich with peanut butter taste and had chocolate swirls throughout. I wanted to try and recreate this cookie so I decided to use my go-to peanut butter cookie with the additio of oatmeal. I then planned to marble in a chocolate cookie dough. It definitely was not like Carol's (I can't figure out her secret) but they were good. Next time I think I will try to marble in some sweet ground chocolate instead of a chocolate cookie dough... I will report back.

Here is the recipe I used for the chocolate cookie part. Click here for my peanut butter cookie recipe. To marble the cookies, throw in pieces of the chocolate dough into the peanut butter. Lightly combine the doughs using a mixer. Do not over combine.

Cocoa Cookies:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

2/3 brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 large eggs

Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a small bown. Beat butter, sugars and vanilla in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, beat well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes

Chocolate Chip and Cinnamon Brioche

2010-05-19T20:00:00.000-04:00

I had my first foray into bread-making this week when I made these mini Chocolate Chip and Cinnamon Brioche. While they aren't bread proper, the brioche definitely required me to be patient while baking them. I had to let the little guys sit and rise not once, but twice before I could place them into the oven.

If you know me, you know that I am always on the go, so this "waiting" concept proved a bit challenging. But patience is a virtue- and thanks to the act of making little treats, I think I am slowly beginning to embody this virtue. Well, sort of.

Chocolate Chip and Cinnamon Brioche

adapted from 500 Cupcakes by Fergal Connolly

1/2 tbp. active dry yeast

1/2 cup warm water

1 tsp. sugar

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

4 eggs

1/4 cup superfine sugar

pinch of salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) sweet butter, softened

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 beaten egg

Combine the yeast, water and teaspoon of sugar in a large, warmed bowl. Stir well and leave in a warm place for 10 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup of the flour until the mixture becomes a smooth paste. Beat the eggs and add them to the yeast mixture. Add the sugar and salt. Stir in the remaining flour and the cinnamon, and mix until the dough is soft and slightly sticky. Leave in a warm place (covered with plastic wrap) for about 45 minutes or until the batter has doubled in bulk.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 12 mini brioche or muffin molds. Beat in butter and chocolate chips. Fill the molds halfway. Leave in a warm place to rise for about 20 minutes, or until the dough has risen to fill about 2/3 of each mold.

Brush each brioche with a little of the beaten egg and bake for 20 minutes. Cool in the molds for five minutes, remove and cool on a rack.

Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Sunday Fun Day

2010-05-16T21:50:00.005-04:00

What a great day, Sunday fun day. I baked for most of the day, then went to the boys' house for dinner. Pete whipped up his famous pizzas, and I provided dessert. My only direction was that it include chocolate, so I did a little digging on Smitten Kitchen. These cookies looked delicious and easy, and they were! Everyone loved them.

Photo credits go to Mr. Ryan Anderson, who has been trying to help me take better pictures to post on the blog. He even sent me an article with tips on how to take pictures of food. Hopefully these turned out better than the usual!

Pete Zambri, "the cookie monster"

Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

2 egg whites, room temperature

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup sugar

6 ounces chocolate chips or any diced chocolate of your choosing

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, try toasting them first

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Beat egg whites until foamy. Add salt, cream of tartar and vanilla and beat until it holds soft peaks. Add the sugar, gradually, beating the batter until stiff. Fold in the nuts and chocolate chips. Spoon batter onto parchment paper-lined baking sheet. (Note: the batter doesn't spread while cooking, so you can play around with the size of your batter to increase or decrease the yield.) Bake for 25 minutes. Underside of cookie should be golden or lightly tanned. Yields approximately two dozen.

Birthday Cakes

2010-05-16T13:22:00.006-04:00

Any sort of family gathering is not complete without some kind of injury, crying, yelling + lots of eating. Last Thursday we celebrated Potchie’s (our grandpa) 89^th birthday and I was in charge of making the cake. He was very specific about what he wanted; yellow cake, fresh strawberry filling and whipped cream frosting. However, in order to please the rest of the family we had to have a buttercream frosted cake as well. I left work early on Thursday to go home and whip up 2 cakes in about 2 hours.

Potchie’s cake came out beautifully, moist yellow cake layers, lightly sweetened vanilla whipped cream and ripe red strawberries. After I frosted the cake I shaved white chocolate chips (also accidentally shaving the tips of my fingers) and dusted it over the top.

I also made a mini white cake with buttercream frosting. I colored some of the frosting blue so I could attempt to pipe a birthday message on the top. After practicing for too long the frosting became really warm and mushy and started shooting out all over the cake. The final product resembled something a 3 year old would have been capable of, woops. Regardless of its aesthetic, the cake was delicious and was quickly eaten.

No new recipes to post just pictures to share, but click here for the vanilla whipped cream recipe + here for buttercream + yellow cake.

We sang, we ate, we laughed.

We sustained injuries.

Happy Birthday Potchie!

Mother's Day Brunch

2010-05-09T20:24:00.006-04:00

For Mother's Day in Chicago, Katie flew in from NYC to spend the weekend with our Momma. We planned a light brunch to celebrate the lovely ladies in our lives. We made banana bread waffles + plain waffles served with peach or blueberry compote and fresh vanilla whipped cream. We also had scrambled eggs, bacon, fresh fruit, blueberry scones, Intelligentsia coffee + mimosas. For dessert (because we can never miss an opportunity to eat dessert) we enjoyed a yellow layer cake with raspberry frosting. This frosting is delicious and is especially great on chocolate cake. My Aunt Judy once told me that doilies can make anything look good, so... I displayed my cake on top of my new reusable doilies from Ikea.

Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms out there! I'm lucky to have such amazing women in my life!

Raspberry Frosting:

1/2 cup margarine

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

3 1/2- 4 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1-2 tbsp milk or cream

1-2 tbsp raspberry preserves

Whip all the ingredients together, adding the raspberry preserves in last. Add as much or as little of the preserves as you would like until it reaches the taste and color you desire.

Shout out to Julia for her superb waffle iron skills!

Cranberry Orange Scones

2010-05-04T20:18:00.006-04:00

Spring is not necessarily my favorite time of year for baking. It might be directly related to the fact that my apartment does not have air conditioning, and therefore the apartment's temperature rises significantly with every treat that is baked in my tiny kitchen's oven. While the sweet aromas of a baked good may be enough to win some people over, I find that not being sweaty takes priority over a homemade cookie at times.

This Saturday was different, though. Although the temperature in NYC rose to a boiling 90 degrees, I still decided to bake some scones to bring along to my day in the park. Yes, the apartment was heated to 100 degrees, but it was worth every bite of these tasty little treats. Hope my roommates agreed. ;)

Cranberry Orange Scones

adapted from here

2 1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp orange zest

6 tbsp unsalted butter

1 1/4 cup dried cranberries

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1 cup heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and orange zest and set aside. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles course meal (I used my hands) and then stir in the cranberries.

In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg and egg yolk, then stir in the cream. Slowly add into the flour mixture and mix it until it's just combined.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and press it into a 1 inch thick square about 8 inches in diameter. Cut out 15 to 20 triangles with a sharp knife and transfer them to the prepared baking sheet with an inch of space between them. Be sure to line the baking sheet with parchment paper.

Bake the scones for 15 to 20 minutes or until they turn a light golden brown. Transfer them to a cooling rack and let them sit for 5 to 10 minutes before enjoying.

Supernatural Brownies - the search begins.

2010-05-03T23:41:00.004-04:00

Brownies are a classic American dessert; they can be fudgy or cakey, served plain, with nuts, frosting or powdered sugar, ice cream or whipped cream. The possibilities for making and enjoying a brownie are endless. I've decided that I need to find the BEST brownie recipe, one that is perfectly fudgy, glossy on top, with a bit of crunch and loaded with chocolate flavor.

Starting this endeavour I've realized quite quickly that there a million + 1 brownie recipes; some use melted chocolate others use cocoa powder, some include brown sugar others do not. Sifting through the various recipes I chose Nick Malgieri's "Supernatural brownies" as the first recipe.

These brownies were very good, definitely dense and fudgy. The top had a glossy look that aesthetically makes a brownie. However, I thought they lacked the perfect deep chocolate flavor that I'm looking for. Many recipes to try, the search will continue.

Lastly a little brownie history: rumor has it that the brownie originated at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago in 1893. Bertha Palmer requested that the chef create a dessert that was smaller than a piece of cake and easily eaten from a boxed lunch. The Palmer House brownie contained walnuts and was topped with an apricot glaze. An interesting combination and supposedly this brownie is still on their menu today.

Supernatural Brownies

adapted from Nick Malgieri via David Lebovitz

2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter

8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

4 large eggs

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup sugar

1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed

2 tsp vanilla

1 cup all-purpose flour

Butter and line a 13x9x2 inch pan, set aside.

1. Set the rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.

2. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil and turn off heat. Combine butter and chocolate in a heat proof bowl and set over pan of water. Stir occasionally until melted.

3. Whisk eggs together in a large bowl, then whisk in the salt, sugars and vanilla. Stir in the chocolate and butter mixture, then fold in the flour.

4. Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for about 45 minutes, until top has formed a shiny crust and batter is moderately firm. Cool in pan on a rack. Wrap pan in plastic wrap and keep at room temperature or refrigerated until the next day.

5. Cut away edges and cut into 2 inch squares.

Angel Food Cake - A 90th Birthday Celebration

2010-04-26T07:52:00.001-04:00

We'd like to take this moment, we have one thing to say, the best of health and happiness on this important day! Hey!

As many of you know, those are the words to my family's version of "Happy Birthday." We celebrated Grandma Wanda's 90th birthday this past Sunday. Instead of a gift, she wanted me to bake her a cake, and she picked angel food. (Of course, I got her another gift too. What kind of grandchild would I be?!)

The cake is designed to be light and fluffy, and it definitely was. This is a great recipe for those of you who love angel food cake but think that there are better versions out there than the grocery store bakery or boxed mixes. I've got to give some credit to Ben Allen, who graciously played sous chef. Bake this for anyone you want to impress with a homebaked treat.

Angel Food Cake

From Baking Illustrated

1 cup sifted plain cake flour

1 1/2 cups sifted sugar

12 large egg whites, at room temperature

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Adjust an oven rack tot he lower-middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Have ready an ungreased large tube pan ( 9-inch diameter, 16-cup capacity), preferably with a removable bottom. If the pan bottom is not removable, line it with parchment paper or waxed paper.

Sift both the cake flour and sugar before measuring to eliminate any lumps and ensure the lightest possible texture. Whisk the flour and 3/4 cup of the sugar in a small bowl. Place the remaining 3/4 cup sugar in another small bowl next to the mixer.

Beat the egg whites in the bowl of a standing mixer at low speed until just broken up and beginning to froth. Add the cream of tartar and salt and beat at medium speed until the whites form very soft, billowy mounds. With the mixer still at medium speed, beat in the remaining 3/4 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until all the sugar is added and the whites are shiny and form soft peaks. Add the vanilla, lemon juice, and almond extract and beat until just blended.

Place the flour-sugar mixture in a sifter set over waxed paper. Sift the flour-sugar mixture over the whites, about 3 tablespoons at a time, and gently fold in, using a large rubber spatula. Sift any of the mixture that falls onto the paper back into the bowl with the whites. (Tip: be sure to fold all the way down to the bottom of the bowl, or you might end up with dry ingredients not incorporated into the mixture).

Gently scrape the batter into the pan, smooth the top with a spatula, and give the pan a couple of raps on the counter to release any large air bubbles. Bake until the cake is golden brown and the top springs back when pressed firmly, about 50 to 60 minutes.

If the cake pan has prongs around the rim for elevating the cake, invert the pan onto them. If the pan doesn't have prongs, invert the pan onto the neck of a bottle or funnel. Let the cake cool completely, 2 to 3 hours. To unmold, run a knife around the edges of the pan, being careful not to separate the golden crust from the cake. Slide the cake out of the pan and cut the same way around the removable bottom to release or peel off the parchment paper. Place the cake, bottom-side up on a platter. (Tip: The cake may appear as though it is a little wet still, but just leave it out to dry a little. Don't worry, the cake is fully cooked.) Cut slices by sawing gently with a large, serrated knife. Serve the cake the day it is made; we like serving ours with homemade whipped cream and strawberries.

Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars + Baker's Block

2010-04-22T00:11:00.005-04:00

I have been experiencing a serious case of baker's block in the past couple of weeks. My pictures are uninspired + my baked goods have been boringggg. You would think with the great weather + sunshine we've been having that I would be happily fluttering around the kitchen... wrong. I've been tired + crabby (if you haven't noticed already). Luckily my "feeling sorry for myself" period has recently passed + I received some beyond exciting news yesterday (which I will share very soon). Here is a recipe for Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars that I made a while ago. They were good, tasted just like a soft sugar cookie + they take almost no time at all.

I know they are ugly. I know the purple color of the frosting is not appetizing. Let's just say these bars represent my recent period of wallowing + baker's block. Lastly, thanks to my new photo light box for not working at all. I'm super glad I spent time + money ordering you from ebay. (wonk, wonk debbie downer strikes again)

I promise there will be better posts coming soon.

Sugar Cookie Bars

Adapted from The Repressed Pastry Chef

Makes 24 bars

1 cup butter, at room temperature

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

5 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 13 x 18 inch sheet pan and line with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking soda and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixture, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes on medium high. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each. Add the vanilla. Add the flour mixture in 2 addition, mixing until just combined.

Press the cookie dough into the sheet pan, using a greased spatula or parchment paper to spread it evenly. Bake for 10-15 minutes until lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool completely.

Click here for a buttercream recipe.

Blueberry Boy Bait - A Cake Wreck

2010-04-19T07:27:00.003-04:00

Thinking I was being cute and clever, I wanted to whip up dessert for a date. He was making dinner, and I was going to bring the baked goods. All was going according to plan: the batter was poured into the pan, pan safely in the oven, and me cleaning up the kitchen. I sat down to finish up watching American Idol, when my mom noticed the smell of scorching sugar wafting in from the kitchen. I was horrified to find that I had accidentally bumped the oven up to 500 degrees while I was cleaning, a stark difference from the 325 degrees it is supposed to bake at.

Once I scraped/cut off all the burnt parts, it tasted like normal, but I'm not going to post the recipe until I can successfully make these again.

Princess Cake

2010-04-05T20:53:00.005-04:00

Once upon a time, in a neighborhood not too far away from Piedmont Park, there was a girl under the impression that baking was glamorous. That she would be able to whip up the most delectable dessert in under an hour. I know you're surprised to learn that I am this girl and that I was seriously mistaken. Even with this realization, I am still in love with baking. I even had my first paid gig the same weekend Krissy had hers.

I was so worried that I would embarrass myself with a horrific-looking birthday cake, that I made a practice cake for my coworkers to criticize (and also for my coworker, Dita, who ordered the cake, to approve).I spent hours toiling at something that probably should have looked a whole lot better, but since this was my first attempt at such a grand undertaking, I think it turned out pretty well. When I delivered the cake, the birthday girl, Aaleyah, seemed very pleased so that was good enough for me. Her only instructions on what she wanted was that it be pink. Behold a pink velvet cake with princess pink frosting, the fairest cake in all the land.

easter cupcakes + tales of a terrible bunny.

2010-04-03T17:48:00.013-04:00

I have fond memories of Easter- waking up and searching the house to find where the Easter Bunny had left my basket, always filled with chocolate eggs and silly putty. When I was in high school I volunteered to be Easter Bunny's wife at the local easter egg hunt. I was provided with a wonky looking costume that was too short and small that exposed my ankles (hidden by white tube socks) and the back of my neck. The mask was scary with crooked whiskers and a face that almost looked demonic. To make a long story short, I mayyyybe tripped a few kids on accident causing them to spill their eggs, ultimately ending up with many, many crying children. Needless to say, I was never asked back.

I made these cupcakes to bring for Easter Brunch tomorrow, they are yellow cake with assorted pastel buttercream and sparkling sugar. I've also included a picture of me dressed as the Easter Bunny's Wife. (It was probably also traumatic for children to see that Mrs. Bunny had lost her foot cover and was wearing adidas sandals. woops)

Hoppy Easter, enjoy the weekend!

(this really is me, I promise.)

oh my banana cream pie...

2010-03-29T19:36:00.005-04:00

I think its safe to say that Spring has finally sprung. The sun is shining, the monotonous brown is starting to change (slowly) back to shades of green and the temperature is mild and enjoyable with a warming forecast. The city of Chicago waits for this time of year, its almost a celebration when one can spend an afternoon outside without having to thaw out their face and fingers afterwards.

Happy to be outside today, I made my way to the grocery store and picked up the ingredients to what has become one of my top 5 BEST desserts. I spent the afternoon whipping up a banana cream pie. BUT, this was not your average banana cream pie; this magically delicious treat started with a graham cracker crust, layered with dulce de leche, bananas, more dulce de leche, more bananas and finally topped with vanilla whipped cream. ohhhh my.

Banana Cream Pie

graham cracker crust:

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

mix together all the ingredients and press into 9 inch pie or tart pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes until golden brown.

filling:

dulce de leche*

3-4 ripe bananas, sliced

vanilla whipped cream

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/2 tbsp confectioners sugar

Once the graham cracker crust has cooled spread a layer of dulce de leche over it. Layer it with half the sliced bananas , spread another layer of dulce de leche and top with the remaining bananas. In a stand mixer whip the cream until a soft peak forms. Stir in confectioners sugar and vanilla, once incorporated spread over the top of the pie. Chill for at least one hour.

*dulce de leche recipe found here.

Gourmet S'mores

2010-03-28T21:24:00.013-04:00

S'mores, the good old campfire standby. Who can pass up on the perfect combination of chocolate, marshmallows and graham crackers? While I usually take delight in Nabisco graham crackers, Hershey's chocolate, and Campfire marshmallows, I decided to glam the classic up by adding a little oomph to the ingredients.

The main upgrade to the combination was homemade graham crackers, a simple recipe. The grahams taste more like cookies than crackers, but they still have the delicious cinnamon and honey flavors that give graham crackers their distinct taste. After I made the graham crackers, I added in some warm marshmallows and a bit of dark chocolate Ghiradelli pieces and- viola!- a delicious, mature version of a S'more. I am still liking the mallow off of my fingers...

Homemade Graham Crackers

adapted from here, a recipe taken from Miette Patisserie in San Francisco

2 cups flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
Turbinado sugar, for sprinkling (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk together flour, wheat flour, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Cream together the butter and brown sugar for about 2 minutes in a bowl. Scrape down the bowl and beat in the honey. Stir in dry ingredients on low speed. NOTE: the dough is very crumbly, so ball it up to make sure it all sticks together. Scrape the dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap and pat it into a disc, wrap well. Refrigerate until firm but still pliable, about one hour.

Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll it out very thinly, about an 1/8-inch thick. Cut out cookies with a cookie cutter and place on the baking sheets. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar if you like. Chill the cut cookies on the sheets for at least 15 minutes before baking. Bake 14 to 16 minutes until golden. Let the cookies set for a minute before transferring them to a rack to cool completely.

success.

2010-03-27T16:37:00.003-04:00

raspberry shortbread bars. caramel crumb bars. chocolate sables with sea salt. carrot cake. mini white cupcakes with vanilla bean buttercream.

I spent all of Thursday morning prepping and baking for my big job. It was hectic trying to finish everything with minimal baking supplies - having to wash and rewash the same bowls over and over was NOT my idea of fun. Half way through baking my cupcakes I ran out of liners and had to go back to the store for a second time. A few glitches, but all in all it was an absolute success. The caterer even asked where the desserts came from and complimented me on my work!

Carrot Cake with Vanilla Mascarpone Frosting

2010-03-22T18:04:00.004-04:00

So this is a very exciting week for me, I have my first ever PAID baking gig. I will be preparing all the desserts for my Uncle's open house this coming Thursday. I am making a variety of mini desserts including cupcakes, bars + cookies. I have never made carrot cake at home and they are part of Thursday's dessert menu so I thought I would use my day off to try out a recipe. I found a highly rated recipe on allrecipes.com and then used the added suggestions from the various reviews. They turned out moist and full of flavor and I paired them a vanilla mascarpone frosting instead of regular cream cheese, it was perfect!

Enjoy.

Mini Carrot Cake

4 eggs

1 1/4 c oil

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

3 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

8 oz. crushed pineapple

3 cups grated carrots

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Beat together eggs, oil and sugars. Mix in dry ingredients until just combined. Stir in pineapple and carrots. Bake (mini) 15-18 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.

Vanilla Mascarpone Frosting

3 oz. cream cheese, softened

6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

1/3 c mascarpone cheese, softened

1 tsp vanilla

2-3 cups confectioners sugar

Mix cream cheese, butter, mascarpone cheese and vanilla together until creamy. Gradually add in confectioner's sugar and whip until light and fluffy.

bake. chicago.

2010-03-15T21:10:00.005-04:00

I have a new boyfriend, his name is Alex. He is ADORABLE with perfect dimples + dark hair at the ripe old age of 2. I met him a new(ish) bakery I've been wanting to try called Bake, located on North Ave. in the cutest little store front space. We went in late on Sunday afternoon each ordered a coffee and drooled over what was left in the cases, finally settling on a Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcake. As we went to sit down we were approached by the owner's son who was carrying his blanket and a sippy cup of apple juice. Alex happily showed us where his chair was and gave us both our assigned seats. I was told to sit in the chair across from him and my mom was left at a table by herself.

our chocolate peanut butter cupcake. delicious.

We soon dove into our cupcake and as we finished it Alex asked us where it had gone. I explained to him that we had eaten it all and with that Alex took off muttering "cupcake" over and over again. We assumed he was just bored of us but then we looked behind the counter to see a mini set of hands prying open the cold case. Alex was soon inside the case pulling out a white cupcake that was almost as big as his head (sadly I did not get a picture of this). He carried it all the way back to the table and put it directly on my plate where the wrapper of the first cupcake remained. This is when I was certain our future together would be a happy one. That little nugget sure knows the way to a girl's heart. I will definitely go back to bake and not just because I met my future husband + was given a free cupcake.

Check out bake here - it's a great space with wonderful sweets! FYI Alex is there on Sundays.

Semolina Butter Cookies

2010-03-13T14:16:00.007-05:00

Sometimes the best baked goods can be whipped up from ingredients that are already in your kitchen. Feeling much too lazy to leave my apartment this weekend, I wanted to bake a delicious treat that could be made from what was already stocked in my cabinets.

These brown sugar butter cookies have a truly unique taste that basically consists of salt and butter. It may sound plain, but trust me, they taste wonderful. And in case you don't know what semolina flour is, it's a course, Italian-style flour that gives the cookies a gritty (but enjoyable) texture.

Enjoy!

Brown Sugar Semolina Cookies with Sea Salt
Adapted from here

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 egg yolk
1 cup semolina flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Coarse sea salt for sprinkling.

Cream the butter and sugar with a mixer on low until well combined. Add the egg yolk, then both of the flours, and then the salt as you continue to beat until the mixture just starts to hold together.

Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and roll it into a log. Wrap with plastic wrap (not tin foil- it's too sticky!) and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, until the dough is well chilled and firm enough to be cut into slices.

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Grease a cookie sheet or cover in parchment paper. Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Using a sharp knife, the slice the dough into 1/4" slices, and put them on the cookie sheet with a couple of inches room between them. Definitely try to cut them as thin as possible; this will keep the cookies light and crispy when baked. Sprinkle the cookies with a little bit of sea salt, but not too much, as the salt flavor can easily overtake the cookie taste.

Bake until the cookies are firm but not browning, about 15-20 minutes. Let the cookies rest on the sheets for a moment before you remove them to cooling wracks.

Blueberry Banana Snack Cakes

2010-03-10T06:00:00.001-05:00

Vacation is just lovely, especially when you spend it baking in the sun. Until, of course, you realize you're 26 years old and still can't manage to apply enough sunscreen to avoid a wicked sunburn. God help my future offspring.

It's been a relaxing few days in Florida. It went from freezing to beautiful while I've been here. When I woke up this morning, I figured it was my day to bake because Nani Bird had cut out a recipe and left all the ingredients and utensils on the counter for me.

The cakes turned out really moist, and I think that they would also turn out really well as mini loaves. While I could not live without my KitchenAid stand mixer, I think that this recipe is probably best made with a hand mixer. While they look just like the blueberry muffins that Katie made, they really do taste more like banana bread with a dash of blueberry.

Blueberry Banana Snack Cake

1 1/4 cups sugar

2/3 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup buttermilk

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 medium ripe bananas, mashed

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teapoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (thawed)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In large mixing bowl, combine sugar, butter, buttermilk, eggs and vanilla. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy (1 to 2 minutes). Add bananas; continue beating until well mixed (1 minute). Add flour, baking soda and salt. Beat at low speed until moistened (1 to 2 minutes). By hand, stir in blueberries. Fill paper-lined cups about 3/4 full. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.

"blood" orange scented olive oil cake.

2010-03-09T00:39:00.005-05:00

As I was perusing through the grocery store today I was delighted to see blood oranges in the produce section. A sucker for anything blood orange I decided to buy some to use for an olive oil cake. These blood oranges even had "product of Italy" stickers on them so obviously I assumed they were going to be awesome.

However, it was a sad, sad disappointment when I sliced one open and saw no "blood" colored insides. I cut into the next one and the next one and finally the last one and NONE of them had any red coloring. I think I was scammed and I'm not happy about it.

Luckily, the cake was still delicious. It was wonderfully fragrant, moist and very quick to make (no mixer required). It did not have a strong olive oil flavor, if you are looking for a more prominent taste use pure olive oil.

If anyone finds some nice bloody oranges please let me know where!

orange scented olive oil cake

by Nick Malgieri: The Modern Baker

3 oranges (the recipes uses navel)

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups olive oil

1 1/2 cups milk

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9-inch round pans and set aside. Zest oranges in a large bowl. Add eggs to the zest and whisk together. Gradually add the sugar and whisk until the mixture is light, about 1 minute. Whisk in olive oil, followed by the milk. In a small bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix the dry ingredients into the olive oil mixture in three parts. Once combined pour into the prepared 9-inch pans. Bake for 50-55 minutes. Allow to cool before removing from pan.

If you have actual blood oranges serving this cake with a blood orange meringue or blood orange mousse would be amazing. We had to settle for whipped cream. wonk wonk.

Classic Peanut Butter Cookies

2010-03-01T14:01:00.009-05:00

It was brought to my attention that I should try to master and perfect 5 "classic" cookies; what's considered classic may vary but I think chocolate chip, sugar, peanut butter and oatmeal raisin are definitely four traditional cookies found in almost every bakery. Accepting the challenge I spent two days this weekend testing out a recipe for old fashioned peanut butter cookies.

The first batch was good, the recipe I used had the perfect peanut butter flavor I was looking for and the right consistency, being crunchy but soft. The only problem was that I had made the cookies a little too small. I brought this batch to work and they were well received by everyone, one of my co-workers even proposed marriage as a result.

I made a second batch of these on Saturday. I doubled the size of the cookies this time using two scoops of dough and pressing them together. They came out absolutely perfect.

One cookie down, four more to go.

Peanut Butter Cookies

Adapted from Bon Appetit

3 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 cup unsalted butter, room temp

1 cup chunky peanut butter (using chunky PB is the trick to adding the perfect crunch)

2 tsp vanilla

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix together flour, baking powder and salt in medium bowl and set aside. Using an electric mixer fit with a paddle attachment beat together butter, peanut butter and vanilla until well blended. Beat in both sugars, add eggs one at a time, scraping down sides of the bowl after each addition. Gradually mix the dry ingredients and beat until just combined.

Using a dough scoop place dough 2 1/2 inches apart on baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silpat. Using the back of a fork flatten the dough and form a crosshatch design on top of each cookie. Bake until cookies are golden brown on the bottom, 12-14 minutes. Cool completely and enjoy.

Blueberry Muffins

2010-02-21T15:19:00.007-05:00

Classics are called classics for a reason. They are those go-to recipes that always come out just right, resulting in a baked good that can please just about every palette out there, from the pickiest to the most refined eaters.

My last baking attempt was vegan chocolate chip cookie sandwiches, as I tried to bake outside of the "classic" category. I went out and bought fancy ingredients (Xantham gum?) and spent hours concocting the dairyless baked goods, debuting them at my friend's Super Bowl party. Every time I watched someone take a bite, I could tell that they had to try very hard to chew and swallow the treats, forcing out an "Mmm, so good!" to make me feel good about myself. A little advice, friends: Next time, be honest with me. I am a big girl. I can take it. :o)

This week I decided to bake something I knew would taste perfect. These little blueberry muffins are perfect for a Sunday morning! Or a Sunday afternoon snack. Or a Sunday evening dessert. Or a Monday morning breakfast... Enjoy!

Blueberry Muffins

adapted from here

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 cups blueberries, fresh or defrosted frozen
1 tbs. flour
3 tbs. sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line muffin tin with paper liner and grease rims with butter. I used silicone muffin cups, so no greasing was required.

Cream butter and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Sift dry ingredients and add alternately with yogurt. Mash 1/2 cup blueberries and mix into batter. Toss remaining blueberries with 1 tbs. flour and fold into batter by hand. Fill muffin cups to top. Sprinkle the top of the muffins with brown sugar before placing into oven. Bake 20-25 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 30 minutes.

A Farewell to Chocolate.

2010-02-17T23:42:00.005-05:00

As the Lenten season begins I've made the choice to give up chocolate for the next forty days. Yes it will be difficult, yes I'm already feeling a sense of emptiness and regret... and yes it is only day one. Uhhh, this might be harder then I thought.

Although I'm not giving up all sweets, chocolate is near and dear to my heart. When I bake I pretty much always want to make something with chocolate. I ~~want~~ need chocolate every day. It's a real problem.

However, I see this chocolate free period as a great opportunity to work on baking those healthy-ish treats I've been talking about for some time now. While chocolate has been in the picture I've had no reason to cheapen my baking experience with healthy alternatives.

We enjoyed this deliciously creamy cheesecake on Valentine's day. I definitely redeemed myself after the red-velvet fiasco.

Super Creamy Cheesecake

Adapted from this highly rated recipe on Allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

15 graham crackers, crushed
2 tablespoons butter, melted

4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup milk
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 inch springform pan.
In a medium bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs with melted butter. Press onto bottom of springform pan.
In a large bowl, mix cream cheese with sugar until smooth. Blend in milk, and then mix in the eggs one at a time, mixing just enough to incorporate. Mix in sour cream, vanilla and flour until smooth. Pour filling into prepared crust. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour. Turn the oven off, and let cake cool in oven with the door closed for 5 to 6 hours; this prevents cracking. Chill in refrigerator until serving.

Nikki Did It - Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

2010-02-14T22:06:00.005-05:00

Typically, when the phrase "Nikki did it" is uttered, it's because someone has done something wrong, and I'm getting blamed for it. The practice of blaming me for everything started on a trip to Minnesota one summer and has been holding strong ever since. I, in fact, get blamed for things that go wrong even when I'm in another state.

But tonight, I'm going to say Nikki did it because I made some pretty fantastic red velvet whoopie pies. These babies were pictured in the trash in Krissy's last post, "Love Stinks." Me and my friend Ashley decided to make these today because love does stink, and we thought that these would make it a little more palatable. I couldn't have made these work without her; she did an awesome job piping these into the heart-shaped pattern. One tip: the batter doesn't spread, so pipe to the very edge of your stencil. We started out leaving some room for expansion, but the cookies that were bigger were much tastier. Also, once you pipe the batter, take a knife and try to evenly spread the batter, otherwise they will look like they've been piped and resemble an organ that will remain unnamed. Of course, my pictures are never as good as Krissy's and pretty blurry, but that's all I've got.

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

Adapted from Annie's Eats

Cookies:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons cocoa powder, unsweetened

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons butter, unsalted, room temperature

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature

1 ounce red food coloring

Frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese

5 tablespoons butter, room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups confectioners' sugar

Preheat the over to 375 degrees. Create a heart template, and trace evenly spaced hearts onto pieces of parchment paper about one inch apart. Make enough for two cookie sheets. Place the parchment on the cookies sheets so that the side you have drawn is facing down, and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about two minutes. Beat in the egg until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Blend in the vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, beat in about third of the dry ingredients, followed by half of the buttermilk, beating each addition just until incorporated. Repeat so that all the buttermilk has been added and then mix in the final third of the dry ingredients. Do not overbeat. Blend in the food coloring.

Transfer the batter to the pastry bag fitted with a large plain round tip. Pipe the batter onto the parchment paper using the heart tracings as a guide. Bake 8-9 minutes or until the tops are set, rotating the baking sheets halfway through. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets at least 10 minutes and transfer to a cooling rack. Repeat with any remaining batter. Allow cookies to cool completely before frosting.

To make the frosting, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed until well combined and smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Mix in the vanilla extract. Gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar until totally incorporated, increase the speed and beat until smooth.

Spread frosting over the bottom of one cookie, then sandwich another cookie on top (we overfilled ours because you can never have too much cream cheese frosting). To store, refrigerate in an airtight container.

In Loving Memory - Lemon Meringue Pie

2010-02-12T19:47:00.011-05:00

The past two weeks have been extremely emotional for me and my parents. Last week, we lost Billy "B" Miret, one of my parent's best friends. B was a best friend to so many, and I've always looked up to him. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to say goodbye to him and let him know how much I loved him, even though he wasn't able to respond back. That night I told him that I know that his love and support made me into the person I am today. He watched me grow up, and it's hard to imagine life without him. That being said, B would never want us to be sad; in fact, he'd only want us to remember all of the great times that we had together (having a bad time just wasn't possible if he was around).

Since baking clears my head, I tried to bake something the day after B passed. B and his lovely wife George Ann (whom I consider my "other mother") have spent almost every Thanksgiving with us since we've lived in Georgia. Grandma Wanda makes B's favorite dessert each year - Lemon Meringue Pie. So, just for B, I made the pie. I'll admit I was scared that it would fall, weep, not set, etc., just like Grandma Wanda warns that it could. While I was making the pie though, I had a great sense of calm; if it didn't turn out, I would just toss it. No big deal. But I didn't have to throw it out. It was a perfect pie. The lemon was perfectly sweet yet tart, the meringue whipped into perfectly browned peaks. My only explanation is that B was looking over my shoulder helping me bake the pie. I think he would have been proud of it. He may not have been great at making pie, but he sure was great at eating it.

I'll miss you, B.

Lemon Meringue Pie

Adapted from Baking Illustrated

Lemon Filling:

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups cold water

6 large egg yolks

1 tablespoon grated zest and 1/2 cup lemon juice (I actually used 2 parts lemon juice, 1 part lime juice)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Meringue:

1 tablespoon cornstartch

1/3 cup water

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar 1/2 cup sugar

4 large egg whites

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 pie crust recipe, baked for ten minutes and cooled (Let me suggest Grandma Wanda's recipe, or Pillsbury Pie Crust, which you can find in the refrigerated section near the biscuits/rolls)

For the Filling: Mix the sugar, cornstarch, salt and water in a large, nonreactive saucepan. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, whisking occasionally at the beginning of the process and more frequently as the mixture begins to thicken. When the mixture starts to simmer and turns translucent, whisk in the egg yolks, two at a time. Whisk in the zest, then the lemon juice, and finally the butter. Bring the mixture to a good simmer, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat; place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the filling to keep it hot and prevent a skin from forming.

For the Meringue: Mix the cornstarch with the water in a small saucepan; bring to a simmer, whisking occasionally at the beginning and more frequently as the mixture thickens. When the mixture starts to simmer and turns translucent, remove form the heat.

Adjust an over rack tot he middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Mix the cream of tartar and sugar together. Beat the egg whites and vanilla until frothy. Beat in the sugar mixture, one tablespoon at a time, until the sugar is incorporated and the mixture forms soft peaks. Add the cornstarch mixture one tablespoon at a time; continue to beat the meringue to stiff peaks. Remove the plastic from the lemon filling and return to very low heat during last minute or so of beating the meringue (to ensure that the filling is hot).

Pour the hot filling in to the pie shell. Using a rubber spatula, immediately distribute the meringue evenly around the edge and then push to the center of the pie to keep it from sinking into the filling. Make sure to push the meringue to the edges of the piecrust to prevent shrinking. Use the back of a spoon to create peaks all over the meringue. Bake the pie until the meringue is golden brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool to room temperature.

Love Stinks.

2010-02-10T22:55:00.006-05:00

Valentine's Day is approaching so I decided to be cutesy and make some Red Velvet Whoopie Pies. Who wouldn't like a delightfully red heart-shaped treat? Working my way through the simple recipe I sampled the red batter that I managed to splatter all over including my face, the counter tops, my white shirt, and on the fridge (i'm not quite sure how it made its way over there?). I wasn't thrilled with the taste but I hoped it would improve after baking. Eh... not so much. Although the idea is absolutely adorable these whoopie pies were a sad disappointment. My night of baking left me with nothing but red hands and a garbage full of broken hearts.

One last thing, I'd like to say a huge THANK YOU to Nick our wonderful cousin; thanks to him we are now www.cookieconfessions.com !!

How NOT to Be a Domestic Goddess

2010-02-01T15:23:00.005-05:00

Every time I bake, it makes me feel differently. Sometimes I bake when I’m angry, and it helps to calm me down. Sometimes I bake when I have a special occasion coming up, and I feel a sense of accomplishment when I’m finished. There are those select times, however, that baking leaves me with a sense of utter frustration and failure – much like what I experienced last week.

This was a cake wreck by all accounts. I carefully read the recipe (or so I thought) before heading to the store to pick up the ingredients I was lacking. I was attempting to make Night and Day Cupcakes from what is quickly becoming my favorite cookbook, “How to Be a Domestic Goddess.” It seemed simple enough: a chocolate cupcake with cream cheese-ish frosting. Well, that’s where I was wrong. Not only did I manage to leave out an ingredient altogether (I’m blaming this on my sous chef, who clearly wasn’t paying attention), but I also didn’t read the recipe carefully enough. It called for SELF-RISING cake flour, and I just had the all-purpose variety on hand. In order to counteract the lack of leavener, I added about a teaspoon of baking powder. There wasn’t even enough batter to pour into a whole cupcake sheet.

When I took them out of the oven, the cupcakes had risen only slightly, and that’s when I also realized that we had left out the vanilla. I tried to cover up my mistake by making some delicious frosting, but it was too late; the cupcakes were already a disaster. I find myself to be a complete failure after this debacle, but I’m going to put that behind me and bake something even better this week (because quite frankly, I can only go up from here)! No pictures this time around - they just weren't worth it.

Night and Day Cupcakes

Courtesy of Nigella Lawson - How to Be a Domestic Goddess

Cupcakes:

2 tablespoons cocoa powder (scant)0

2 tablespoons boiling water

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup dark brown sugar (scant)

3/4 cup self-rising cake flour

2 large eggs

1/2 cup very soft unsalted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon milk

12-cup muffin pan with paper baking cups

Frosting:

1 1/3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

4 ounces cream cheese

Juice of ½ lime or tablespoon of lemon juice

Baking the cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix the cocoa to a paste with the boiling water and set aside while you make the cupcake mixture.

This couldn’t be easier (that’s a little encouragement from Nigella, not me): Just put the sugars, flour, eggs, butter and vanilla in a food processor and blitz to combine smoothly. Scrape the mixture from the sides and then pulse while you add the cocoa past and milk down the funnel. You should have a batter with a soft dropping consistency. If not, add a little more milk.

Dollop into the paper baking cups in the pan (about 1/2 to 3/4 full) and bake for 20 minutes, until an inserted cake tester comes out clean. Leave in the pan for five minutes, then remove, in the paper baking cups to a wire rack.

Making the frosting:

When the cupcakes are cool, make the frosting by beating together the sifted confectioners’ sugar and cream cheese until soft. Add lime or lemon juice to taste and then spread roughly over the waiting cupcakes. Stud each one with a chocolate-coated coffee bean or shave over some bittersweet chocolate.

Dorie Greenspan's World Peace Cookies

2010-01-28T11:54:00.005-05:00

This recipe has always interested me. Being renamed "world peace cookies" for their delicious taste and assumed ability to create world peace through their daily enjoyment. I've read about them on almost all of my favorite food blogs so it was definitely time to see if they live up to their legend. And no big surprise, they were amazzzzing. I now understand the name and plan to make these next time I get myself in trouble with someone...

These cookies are chocolate sables, the french version of shortbread. But, what makes these so good is the amount of chocolate and sea salt that leaves you wanting more.

World Peace Cookies

Baking: From My Home to Yours, Dorie Greenspan

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 stick plus 3 tablespoons (11 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel or 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chips, or a generous 3/4 cup store-bought mini chocolate chips

Makes about 36 cookies.

Sift the flour, cocoa and baking soda together.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy. Add both sugars, the salt and vanilla extract and beat for 2 minutes more.

Turn off the mixer. Pour in the flour, drape a kitchen towel over the stand mixer to protect yourself and your kitchen from flying flour and pulse the mixer at low speed about 5 times, a second or two each time. Take a peek — if there is still a lot of flour on the surface of the dough, pulse a couple of times more; if not, remove the towel. Continuing at low speed, mix for about 30 seconds more, just until the flour disappears into the dough — for the best texture, work the dough as little as possible once the flour is added, and don’t be concerned if the dough looks a little crumbly. Toss in the chocolate pieces and mix only to incorporate.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface, gather it together and divide it in half. Working with one half at a time, shape the dough into logs that are 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate them for at least 3 hours. (The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months. If you’ve frozen the dough, you needn’t defrost it before baking — just slice the logs into cookies and bake the cookies 1 minute longer.)

GETTING READY TO BAKE: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

Working with a sharp thin knife, slice the logs into rounds that are 1/2 inch thick. (The rounds are likely to crack as you’re cutting them — don’t be concerned, just squeeze the bits back onto each cookie.) Arrange the rounds on the baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch between them.

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 12 minutes — they won’t look done, nor will they be firm, but that’s just the way they should be. Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and let the cookies rest until they are only just warm, at which point you can serve them or let them reach room temperature.

SERVING: The cookies can be eaten when they are warm or at room temperature — I prefer them at room temperature, when the textural difference between the crumbly cookie and the chocolate bits is greatest — and are best suited to cold milk or hot coffee.

STORING: Packed airtight, cookies will keep at room temperature for up to 3 days; they can be frozen for up to 2 months.

Lemon Lemon Loaf

2010-01-27T00:35:00.006-05:00

I just spent a lovely week in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. I enjoyed the sun, beach, and Mexican delicacies like tacos and tequila. After eating and drinking my way through the entire week I vowed upon my return that I would detox from the sugar and carbohydrate overload. I also decided I was going to dig up a recipe for some kind of "healthy-ish" treat.

Well, that whole plan went right out the window. Instead, I made the most delicious lemon lemon loaf from the Baked: New Frontiers in Baking cookbook. It's moist, tart, perfectly sweet and full of artery clogging goodness.

Enjoy.

Did I mention that this recipe uses

8 whole eggs, a pound of butter AND sour cream?

Lemon Lemon Loaf

adapted from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking

For the Lemon Cake:
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 cups sugar
8 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup grated lemon zest (from about 4 lemons)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the Lemon Syrup:
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup sugar

For the Lemon Glaze:
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted, or more if needed
4 to 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Make the Lemon Cakes:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray the sides and bottom of two 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper and spray the paper.

2. Sift both flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl.

3. Put the sugar, eggs, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a food processor and pulse until combined. With the motor running, drizzle the butter in through the feed tube. Add the sour cream and vanilla and pulse until combined. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.

4. Sprinkle the flour mixture, one third at a time, folding gently after each addition until just combined. Do not overmix.

5. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake in the center of the oven for 20 minutes, rotate the pans, reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F., and bake for another 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

6. Let cool in the pans for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the Lemon Syrup:
1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat the lemon juice and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved. Once dissolved, continue to cook for 3 more minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

2. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper or Silpat and invert the loaves onto the pan. Use a toothpick to poke holes in the tops and sides of the loaves.

3. Brush the tops and sides of the loaves with the lemon syrup. Let the syrup soak into the cake and brush again. Let the cakes cool completely, at least 30 minutes.

The soaked but unglazed loaves will keep, wrapped in two layers of plastic wrap and frozen, for up to 6 weeks.

Make the Lemon Glaze:
1. In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar and 4 tablespoons of the lemon juice. The mixture should be thick but pourable. If the mixture is too stiff, add up to another 2 tablespoons lemon juice and whisk again, adding small amounts of lemon juice and/or confectioners' sugar until you get the right consistency. Pour the lemon glaze over the top of each loaf and let it drip down the sides. Let the lemon glaze harden, about 15 minutes, before serving.

Brooklyn Rose Cupcakes

2010-01-23T14:53:00.008-05:00

It's about time someone posted something on this blog! I know I've been extremely busy with work, Nikki has been extremely busy with work, and Krissy has been extremely busy... working on her tan in Mexico. Ha. All in all, a rough couple of weeks for the Cookie Confessions girls.

I actually had enough downtime today for some quality kitchen time. I volunteered myself earlier this week to bake cupcakes for Julia and Kristen's birthday, so I made sure to keep my schedule clear today so I could fully embrace my baking responsibility.

What did I decide to bake for the occasion? Mini Red Velvet Cupcakes- from scratch. This was my first attempt at Red Velvet Cupcakes, and while they tasted delicious, they actually looked more like Brown Velvet Cupcakes. That's because I didn't read the recipe close enough and missed the part about them being an adaptation of a Mocha Cake. Oops.

And it turns out that my frosting technique is quite unique. For some reason, when I swiped the frosting across the cupcake tops, they all ended up looking like roses. So I named these creations Brooklyn Rose Cupcakes. And there you have it.

Here's the entire time-consuming recipe for those who feel inclined. Enjoy!

Red Velvet Cake (adapted from here)

1 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup white sugar

3/4 cup butter, softened

2 eggs

2 cups cake flour

1/2 cup + 2 tbsp cocoa

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 cup buttermilk

1 tbsp red food colouring

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp white vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 2 9″ baking pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Set aside.

2. Beat butter until fluffy, add sugar and beat until incorporated.

3. Add eggs one at a time, scraping down sides of bowl until fully incorporated.

4. In large bowl, mix together flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In separate bowl, mix together buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla and food coloring.

5. Add half of dry ingredients to butter/egg mix, then half of wet. Repeat process until all is mixed together.

6. Pour into lined baking sheets and bake for 22-25 minutes.

7. Remove from oven and allow to cool on baking rack in pans for 5-10 minutes. Remove from pans by inverting onto cooling rack and allow to cool completely before decorating.

Cream Cheese Frosting (adapted from here)

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

8 ounces of Philadelphia cream cheese (1 package) at room temperature

2-3 cups of powdered sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1. With an electric mixer, mix the butter and cream cheese toegther, about 3 minutes on medium speed until very smooth. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure even mixing.

2. Add the vanilla extract and mix. Slowly add the powdered sugar. Keep adding until you get to desired sweetness.

3. Spread on with a blunt knife or spatula.

Baking for My Life - Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

2010-01-12T20:41:00.009-05:00

Apologies for the terrible picture quality, but apparently my camera, kitchen and life in general prevent me from taking decent pictures.

I made up my mind to bake tonight for a couple reasons. 1) I was threatened by Katie and Krissy that if I didn't post this week, I would be kicked off the blog for good. My face would be blacked out, and Atlanta would be stricken from the site. 2) One of our favorite partners is visiting from the DC office and residing on our hall for the week. Hopefully these treats will continue to endear him to us.

Due to the aforementioned reasons, I paged through one of the cookbooks I got for Christmas (which I love) and tried to find a recipe that I had most of the ingredients for. Brownies won the battle as I was only missing one egg and an ounce of chocolate. As I was making them, I remembered my last visit to NYC during Katie's first stint living there. We went to Fat Witch Brownies in some market that I can't remember the name of. They were some of the tastiest brownies I've ever had, and I spent the majority of my time crossing my fingers that these brownies would turn out even half as good. Turns out they are at least half as good. Bake these simple to make treats if you want to impress your friends with something that didn't come from a box.

Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

Adapted from How To Be A Domestic Goddess

1 2/3 cups unsalted butter, softened

13 ounces best bittersweet chocolate

6 large eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 2/3 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 bag mini peanut butter cups (you can add more depending on your taste)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13x9 pan with foil or parchment. Melt the butter and chocolate together in a large pan. In a bowl, beat eggs, vanilla and sugar. Measure the flour into another bowl and add the salt.

When the chocolate mixture has melted, let it cool a bit before beating it into the eggs and sugar. Add flour in parts and beat until smooth. Coarse chop the mini peanut butter cups and fold into the batter. Pour into the lined pan.

Bake for about 25 minutes. When it's ready, the top should be dried to a paler brown speckle, but the middle still dark and dense and gooey. You may think they're not done yet, but they'll continue to cook as they cool. And who doesn't like brownies that might not be completely cooked? Makes a maximum of 48.

Paris in Park Slope

2010-01-10T11:45:00.007-05:00

Ham and Cheese Croissant

I am not one to make New Year's resolutions, but this year I am going to give it a try. In 2010, I am going to deeply explore the borough in which I live: Brooklyn. Most of my days and nights are spent in Manhattan, causing me to miss out on many of the great bakeries, restaurants, bars and stores that are right outside my door. So this year, I am going to try and undertake frequent local explorations.

I ventured out into the 20 degree weather this morning in search of a delicious pastry. After about a 10 minute walk, I stumbled upon Colson Patisserie, a delightful French bakery in Park Slope.

The pastries were very authentic. I ordered a Morning Roll, a light, sweet and flaky roll that paired perfectly with my cup of morning coffee. Dan ordered a ham and cheese croissant. While I don't particularly like savory pastries, I have to admit that the croissant was delicious! And although I didn't have a chance to try one on my first visit, Colson Patisserie is apparently famous for their Financiers, the little French cookie cakes. I will definitely be back for some of those!

Morning Roll

Some more goodies at Colson Patisserie

What is your favorite local spot to grab a morning pastry?

Lessons in Waiting

2010-01-05T23:59:00.006-05:00

Good things come to those who wait.

Well... that is not always the case. I recently lost out on a great opportunity because I waited too long. Shocking because I am not a person who likes to wait. I had finally made the decision to go to pastry school, I was so excited and sure of my decision, but unfortunately because I waited (literally) until the last minute the program was full.

Today however, trying to practice my pastry patience, a skill I'm trying to develop- I enjoyed the slow process of making chocolate croissants. Timing is of the essence with pastry; waiting for the dough to rise, chill, rise again and rise once more, the process was long but the results were tasty.

For now my pastry school adventure will be put on hold, in the meantime I will try to learn and practice patience... a new years resolution perhaps?

Chocolate Croissants

From The Modern Baker by Nick Malgieri

Uhh, no one is going to take the time to make these... the recipe is super long. I will type it up, but at a later date. (see... my patience really does need work)

A New Year

2010-01-03T23:30:00.005-05:00

Happy New Year to all!

Photo credit from here

Couldn't be happier that 2010 has arrived.

We have a lot of exciting things planned for Cookie Confessions this year- starting with a much needed site re-design! Enjoy the new page, and we'll post some fresh news and baked goods this week. Until then, enjoy our new look.

Cookie Eleven: Matzo Toffee Brittle

2009-12-25T14:04:00.000-05:00

So here we are on Christmas Day and posting cookie number... eleven? It appears that we have failed at reaching our goal of posting 12 delicious, easy-to-make baked goods before the holidays. While the intentions were true, it seems the holidays got the best of us- and kept us out of the kitchen. From flying cross-country, to dashing to the mall for gifts, to assisting mothers and aunts with holiday party preparations, there were more than enough distractions to keep us from hitting that wonderful number 12. Okay, well Nikki baked all of her cookies. Some people are just a little more organized than us Mack girls. :o)

Enjoy this last cookie! And more than anything else, enjoy the holidays! Spend some quality time with your family and friends, and take a moment to relax.

Cookie Confessions will be back in 2010... stay tuned!

xoxo,
Katie, Krissy and Nikki

Matzo Toffee Brittle (adapted from here)

-3 1/2 sheets unsalted matzos
-1cup unsalted butter
-1cup firmly packed light brown sugar
-1cup semisweet chocolate morsels
-1/3cup finely chopped toasted slivered almonds

1. Line a 15- x 10-inch jelly-roll pan with nonstick aluminum foil. Arrange matzos in prepared pan, breaking as necessary to fit and completely cover bottom of pan.

2. Bring butter and brown sugar to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Boil, stirring constantly, 3 minutes. Carefully pour mixture evenly over matzos in pan, and spread over matzos.

3. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes. (Mixture will start to bubble at about 10 minutes. Continue to bake to 15 minutes.) Carefully remove pan from oven to a wire rack. (Mixture will still be bubbly.) Let stand 1 minute at room temperature or until no longer bubbly. Sprinkle top evenly with morsels; let stand 1 minute or until morsels soften. Spread morsels over brittle. Sprinkle with almonds; let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Place pan in refrigerator; chill 30 minutes or until chocolate is firm. Break into about 20 pieces. Store in an airtight container up to 1 week in refrigerator.

Cookie Nine and Ten: Peanut Butter Kisses and Peanut Butter Thumbprints

2009-12-23T00:37:00.005-05:00

I came up with our idea to do the "12 cookies of christmas" and I will be the first to admit that it did not go as planned. I have been completely overwhelmed in the past couple of weeks with work, holiday parties, a wedding and entertaining some visiting friends. Tonight, I needed to make two more cookies before Christmas so I decided on a quick but tasty holiday cookie - the peanut butter kiss. This cookie is nothing fancy but its a no-fail recipe, straight off the Hershey Kiss bag. I ended up running out of chocolate kisses and decided to fill the rest of the cookies with jam to make a sort of pb&j cookie. It turned out to be quite the time saver, one dough for two deeelicious cookies. Holiday cookies in a flash...

Peanut Butter Kiss/ Jam Thumbprints
From Hershey's.com

1/2 cup butter, softened (the original recipe uses shortening)
3/4 cup creamy Peanut Butter (I used jif)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
2 tbsp milk
1 tap vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Beat together butter and peanut butter. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl and set aside. Add sugars to peanut butter mixture and beat until fluffy. Mix in the egg, milk and vanilla, beat well. Stir in the flour mixture. Scoop dough into 1-inch balls and roll into granulated sugar. Bake for 8 minutes. Immediately after removing from the oven press a Hershey kiss into the center, let cool.

For the thumbprints:
Scoop the dough into 1-inch balls and place on cookie sheet. Using your thumb gently press into the center of each cookie to make a small indentation. Bake for 8 minutes. Once the cookies have cooled pipe or spoon jam into the center.

Cookie Eight: Fried Crullers

2009-12-21T08:44:00.009-05:00

Watching Grandma Wanda in the kitchen is like watching an artist. Even though she thinks she's lost her touch, she's mistaken. She moves through the kitchen like she's been doing this every day of her life. The technique for her is second nature, and I was truly grateful to learn this old family recipe from her. After some debate, my dad and I decided that the recipe was a family secret, but we also wanted to share it with others. Our compromise was that I would only post what was written on the recipe card. I'm convinced that you couldn't follow the recipe and come out with the same finished product because most of the technique is absent. For instance, Grandma Wanda uses a 70-year-old cast iron skillet that I'm positive produces the most delicious Crullers on the planet. Any other pan just won't do. If you can produce an equally amazing Cruller by just following the recipe, please let me know. I'll have to send you a prize.

Fried Crullers
From the kitchen of Wanda Girard

1/2 tsp salt
3 egg whites
1 whole egg
1/4 cup sugar
Pinch of mace
1/4 cup butter
1 tbsp cream
2 cups sifted flour
Powdered sugar for topping

Add salt to eggs & beat lightly. Stir in sugar, mace and butter. Add cream and flour, then mix until smooth. Knead dough on floured surface until dough no longer sticks to your hands. Chill thoroughly. Separate dough in half. Roll to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut in 7x1 inch strips, cutting ends diagonally. Make a lengthwise slit in center of each strip and pull one end through slit.

Fry in lard at 370 degrees F until delicately brown.

Drain on absorbent paper.

Sprinkle with sifted powdered sugar after cooled and serve. Makes about 45 Crullers.