Coffee Chocolate Chip Blondies

 

Ingredients

1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) salted butter

1/2 cup maple syrup (real maple syrup)

1 cup brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 tablespoons vanilla extract (I use double vanilla from TheSpice House)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 tablespoons instant espresso (from King Arthur Flour)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

flaky sea salt (optional)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a 9×13 inch metal baking pan with tin foil.

Add the butter to a medium pot set over medium heat. Allow the butter to brown, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the brown sugar and maple syrup. Let cool 5 minutes.

Whisk in the eggs and vanilla. Add the flour, baking powder, espresso powder, and salt. Mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Spread the dough out into the pan. Bake for 18-22 minutes, until just set in the center. Sprinkle with sea salt. Cut into bars (you decide the size)

New Cookbook for me

 The Bundt Collection was calling my name.

First cake I made from this cookbook was a HUGE hit at my office.

Black Cocoa Bundt Cake

Ingredients:

 1 1/4 c unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into chunks

2 1/2 c white sugar

4 large eggs

1 1/2 t vanilla (I use this vanilla) 

1 1/2 c all purpose flour

2/3 c black cocoa

2 1/2 t espresso powder

1 t kosher salt

3/4 t baking powder

3/4 c buttermilk, room temperature

DO NOT PREHEAT OVEN

Generously spray a 10 cup bundt pan with Pam with Flour.

In a bowl of a mixer, add butter and sugar and mix for 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape the sides. Add eggs one at a time while beating, and then add vanilla.

In a separate bowl, put the flour, cocoa, espresso powder, salt and baking powder together.

To the mixer, add 1/3 of the flour and 1/2 of the buttermilk. Stir. Then add 1/3 of flour and the rest of the buttermilk while mixing; and then add the remaining of the flour. 

Pour batter into pan and put in cold oven and bake at 325 for 50-55 minutes. Test by using a toothpick.

Flip onto wire rack with cake in pan but cake on pan. Remove pan after 15 minutes. Let cool.

Vanilla Bean Glaze

1 c confectionary sugar

3 T whipping cream

1/2 t double vanilla

1/2 t kosher salt

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Put on the cake when cool.\

Ultra Butterscotch Brownies

 Super Easy.

No mixer needed

Ingredients

1 stick of unsalted butter 

2 cups brown sugar

1 t baking powder

2 t vanilla extract

1 1/2 c all-purpose flour

3 large eggs

9 oz butterscotch chips

1 1/2 c chopped walnuts

Directions

Preheat oven to 350.

Spray a 9 x 13 inch metal pan with PAM.

Melt butter in pot.

Pour into large bowl. Add brown sugar, salt, baking powder and vanilla. Stir. Add flour. Then eggs. Stir. Stir in 1 cup of chips and 1 cup of nuts. Put batter in pan. Sprinkle with remaining chips and nuts.

Bake 30-35 minutes just until top is shiny and set. DO NOT OVERBAKE.

Cool on wire rack before slicing.

Another amazing cake

 My co-workers were delighted with this cake!

Coffee and Cream Marbled Coffee Cake – Adapted from Bake Magazine

Makes one nine inch cake

Ingredients

1 ½ c (284 grams) unsalted butter, softened

2 ¼ cups (450 grams) sugar

5 large eggs, room temperature

1 T vanilla extract

3 cups (375 grams) all purpose flour

2 ½ t baking powder

1 t kosher salt

¾ c (180 grams) sour cream

3 ounces (85 grams) bittersweet chocolate, melted

3 T instant espresso powder

Instructions

·         Preheat oven to 350 degrees

·         In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium until fluffy – about three minutes. Stop to scrape the sides.

·         Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each egg. Beat in vanilla

·         Stop the mixer.

·         In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

·         With mixer on low, add 1/3 of the flour with about half of the sour cream; mix; add 1/3 of the flour; mix; add remaining sour cream; mix; add remaining flour.

·         Divide batter in half (approx. 3 cups or 780 grams)

·         In a small bowl, stir melted chocolate and espresso powder. Add to half the batter.

·         In 9 or 10 cup bundt pan, which you have sprayed with PAM, alternate scooping the vanilla batter with the chocolate batter into the pan. Fill the pan.

·         Using a butter knife, swirl the batters together. Tap the pan.

·         Bake until a toothpick is inserted and comes out clean, about an hour.

·         Cool in pan for 15 minutes on a wire rack.

·         Remove from pan and let cool on rack.

 

Mae's Chocolate Pie

 When I was growing up, my parents were friendly with two sisters, Mae and Diane. Both were amazing cooks, and Christmas was a FEAST. Diane would host. Mae would bring dessert. Diane made baked ziti for an appetizer! There were cannolis for dessert. Mae often made the cover of Bon Appetit, including this one. It was amazing.

However this chocolate pie is much easier to make!

Ingredients:

1 frozen pie crust

1 1/2 c sugar

6 oz semi sweet chocolate

4 eggs

2 sticks butter

2 tsp vanilla

Directions:

Bake pie crust and let cool

Melt chocolate and butter together. Put in mixer, and add sugar. Mix. Add four eggs and vanilla and have the stand mixer mix for 5 minutes (I use the whisk attachment). Pour into crust. Put in fridge.

 

Cardamom Chickpea Cookies

 Another great recipe from the cookbook, Persian Food from the Non Persian Bride.

Ingredients:

2 cups chickpea flour

2 T all purpose flour

1 1/4 c powdered sugar

1 T cardamom

1 1/2 sticks of butter (or parve butter)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put a silpat on a sheet pan.
• Combine everything but the butter
• Melt the butter (on the stovetop or in the microwave)
• Mix melted butter into the dry ingredients. It will be VERY dry.
• Press the dough together and flatten to about an inch thick. Use a small cookie cutter (about an inch big) to cut out cookies and place an inch apart on the sheet pan.
• Bake 15 minutes; cool on wire racks. Cookies are very delicate and crumble easily.

Spiced Chocolate Torte Wrapped in Chocolate Ribbons - a baking story

My parents had a family friend that was an amazing cook and baker when I was growing up.  I knew I liked to bake back then, but one Christmas she brought the most amazing looking cake.  I have never forgotten the look of the cake or the taste of the cake.  Decades have passed since that Christmas.

When my kids were younger I found the cake on the internet and made it for family friends.

Here is the cake recipe.

Typically I read the recipe and make sure I have all the ingredients, including the correct type of bittersweet chocolate and run.

And I started to make the cake and the buttercream and things were going well until the recipe said to freeze for two hours. . . . fine.

I did.

And I was back in the kitchen making the chocolate glaze.  Things were going well until I started the chocolate ribbons.

I was in the middle of making it and then it said to turn pasta machine to widest setting. . . . . what????  Pasta machine???  I don't have one of those!  I read the remaining recipe, and it turns out that my cake was going to be missing the ribbons.

Cake still looked good but wasn't perfect.

I presented the cake after dinner and cut into the chocolate spice cake, and my guests were silent.  They loved the cake.

And then I put the recipe away and pulled it out on New Years Eve 2019.

This time I knew my cake would be missing the ribbons, but boy did it taste amazing.

Cherry Biscuit Cobbler from Bon Appetit

INGREDIENTS

Biscuits

¼ cup granulated sugar

1 Tbsp. baking powder

2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest

1 tsp. kosher salt

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface

½ cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1⅓ cups chilled heavy cream

Filling and Assembly

2 lb. fresh (or frozen) sweet cherries, pitted

½ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

3 Tbsp. cornstarch

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. vanilla extract

¼ tsp. almond extract

¼ tsp. kosher salt

3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted, slightly cooled

2 Tbsp. raw sugar

Vanilla ice cream or softly whipped cream (for serving)

Special Equipment

A 1½"-diameter cookie cutter

Biscuits

Whisk granulated sugar, baking powder, lemon zest, salt, and 2 cups flour in a medium bowl. Add butter and toss to coat. Quickly smash butter into flour mixture with your fingers, working until the largest pieces are about the size of a pea.

Gradually stream cream into bowl, tossing flour mixture constantly with a fork to distribute. Using a flexible bench scraper or a hard plastic spatula, fold dough over and onto itself several times, scraping bottom and sides of the bowl, to bring together into a mass (dough will feel very wet and sticky).

Turn out dough onto a generously floured surface. Pat into a ¾"-thick rectangle or square with floured hands, using bench scraper or spatula to lift up dough and dust underneath with more flour as needed to prevent sticking. Dust surface with more flour, then cut dough into 4 equal pieces and stack on top of each other. Dust with flour and press down on stack with a rolling pin to flatten to a workable height. Roll out to ½" thick, dusting with more flour as needed.

Use cutter to punch out biscuits as closely as possible, dipping cutter in flour often. Transfer biscuits to a plate. You should have about 40. Gather up dough scraps, reroll, and punch out more biscuits if needed. Chill until ready to use.

Filling and Assembly

Place a rack in middle of oven and preheat to 400°. Mix cherries, granulated sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch, cinnamon, vanilla extract, almond extract, and salt in a large bowl. Scrape filling into a 2-qt. baking dish or 9"-diameter cake pan with 2" sides and press down on it firmly to compact. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet.

Arrange chilled biscuits over filling, fitting snugly so they’re touching with only a few gaps. Brush generously with butter; sprinkle with raw sugar.

Bake cobbler 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350° and continue to bake until biscuits are golden brown and juices are bubbling, 50–65 minutes more. Let cool slightly. Serve cobbler with ice cream.

Do Ahead: Cobbler can be baked 1 day ahead; store tightly covered at room temperature.

Nothing Bundt Cakes - Lemon Cake

This store was in San Diego when we visited many moons again, and I have never forgotten it.  Recently one opened in Newton Highlands!  I still love the Lemon Cake, but I found a similar recipe online here and I thought I would share!

Made it for my co-workers!