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So many of the things that I have made and shared here with you all have been shared with others in my life. I know better than to keep any baked goods in the house longer than a day.
So it’s only natural that life start to worm itself into this little blog.
We wedding’d over the weekend. Beautiful weather, beautiful friends, a beautiful couple…
And cookies. Black and white cookies to be exact.
They aren’t so popular in these parts – they are mostly a New York thing. But it is now my firm opinion that black and white cookies should have a coming out party on the Left Coast. Seriously though, who wouldn’t like a big cakey cookie frosted with both vanilla and chocolate icing?
They were a special request made by the bride for the rehearsal dinner, as they are the groom’s favorite type of cookie. Nothing thrills me more than to be given the opportunity to contribute to such a special weekend, especially for such close friends…
…with lots and lots of cookies…
Black and White Cookies
Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Cookies
I added lemon extract to the cookie batter as most of my research on these cookies found recipes that included lemon extract. I made several test batches, using different recipes, and these by far had the best texture and flavor. I also found that this recipe kept the best – the cookies were slightly cake-ier the day after, which is how a black and white cookie should be.
Since I was making these cookies for the rehearsal dinner, I made two quadruple batches which yielded about 95 cookies, 4 inches in diameter. Making just one batch (as measured below) will yield about 10-12 large cookies or 4 dozen miniature cookies.
For the cookies:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t coarse salt
6 T unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 t vanilla extract
1/4 t lemon extract
1/3 cup buttermilk
For the icing:
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 T plus 1 t light corn syrup
2 1/2 t fresh lemon juice
1/4 t vanilla extract
1 T water, plus more if needed
1 t unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
To make the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt.
Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, or about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and beat on medium until fluffy, about 3 more minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the flour mixture in batches, alternating with the buttermilk.
Using a cookie scooper (the largest one I had has 24 engraved on the inside of the scoop), scoop mounds of dough two inches on to parchment lined baking sheets. Pat the mounds of dough with lightly greased finger into even-ish rounds. Bake for 14 minutes. Let cool on sheets for 5-10 minutes and then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.
To make the icings, whisk the confectioners’ sugar, corn syrup, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and water together in a large bowl. Add more water as needed to achieve the right consistency. I had to add quite a bit more water to make it spreadable, but be careful not to make it too runny. Transfer half of the icing to another bowl and stir in cocoa powder, adding more water as needed.
Frosting the flat side of each cookie, spread half with white icing and let set for about 30 minutes. Once set, spread the other half with chocolate icing.
Store between layers of parchment or wax paper for up to three days.
One of the things that I love about the Bay Area is the great community of food minded people. There are endless resources, reviews, and communities on how to eat well in this diverse area of California. It’s very easy to achieve ‘foodie overload’ status, but it also means that you can find someone else who shares your love of cupcakes, Puerto Rican food, or charcuterie.
You all know that I’ve participated in a few of the Iron Cupcake challenges held in San Francisco. Well, I think I’ve become addicted to participating in these types of baking challenges. You see, I had the amazing opportunity to be one of 20 lucky competitors in the most recent SF Food Wars challenge – the Chocolate Cookie Situation.
Why a Situation, you ask? Well, this was none other than a baking challenge based on the Jersey Shore. Yes, you read that right. We had to create a chocolate cookie inspired by the infamous MTV show “The Jersey Shore”. That in and of itself guaranteed a good time in my book.
What is SF Food Wars? It’s a bi-monthly challenge that pits competitors against each other to bring their A-game in whatever the theme is that month. March’s challenge was chocolate cookies. It could be any type of chocolate cookie, as long as it was inspired by the Jersey Shore. My fist pumpin’ brownie-chunk cookie was lucky enough to make the cut to be one of the 20 competitors for this epic challenge.
The event was held at Mighty, a club fitting to be the scene of a mini-Jersey Shore in San Francisco on a Sunday afternoon. Competitors arrived early to set up their table in the best representation of the Jersey Shore and entice the over 200 (!) eaters lined up outside. And yes, I made 200 cookies for the event. That was a lot for my tiny kitchen to handle, but we worked it out. I’m giving it a break for a few days.
As soon as the eaters were let in the rest of the afternoon was a blur. People with plates piled high with other delicious looking cookies filed by to take one of my tiny creations. I don’t envy their position at all – the eaters had the tough task of voting for their favorite cookie and there were some pretty intense chocolate cookies in the running.
In the end, my cookie creation didn’t place but was one of the crowd favorites. But the experience itself was more than amazing. I met some pretty cool people who shared a love of baking, got to taste amazing chocolate cookies, and, most importantly, had the love and support of my family and friends there.
I can safely admit that I am addicted to baking competitions.
Check out coverage of SF Food Wars: The Chocolate Cookie Situation here and here.
Fist Pumpin’ Brownie Chunk Cookies
Adapted from Bon Appetit
Note: These cookies require a batch of brownies to be made the day before and refrigerated over night before incorporating into the cookies. I highly recommend refrigeration; it helps keep the brownie chunks intact when the are incorporated into the cookie batter.
For the brownies:
5 ounces unsweetened or bittersweet chocolate, chopped (if you use bittersweet, just cut down on the amount of sugar you add)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, diced
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large eggs, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all purpose flour
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prep a 9×13 pan by lining it with foil, leaving an overhang, and spraying lightly with cooking spray.
Combine the chocolate and butter in a heavy bowl set over a pot of simmering water until melted and smooth. Let cool for 15 minutes.
Once cooled, whisk in the sugar and vanilla until combined. Then add the salt and eggs. Sift the flour over the mixture and stir until just combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake about 20 minutes, until a tester inserted into the middle comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Cool in pan; cover and chill overnight.
For the cookies:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon espresso powder
1/2 recipe chilled brownies, cut into small cubes (in order to obtain optimal brownie chunks in the cookies, I used one full brownie recipe for one cookie recipe)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.
Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Using a stand mixer, beat butter and both sugars together until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until fully incorporated. Stir in the dry ingredients. Gently fold in the brownie chunks.
Using a 1 1/2 teaspoon cookie scoop, scoop balls of dough onto lined pans, spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake cookies for 12 minutes, rotating pans halfway through. Let cool on racks for five minutes then transfer to foil to cool completely.
Makes about 40 cookies.
I’m one day late in posting this…
Ask anyone what the most popular Italian dessert is and most people would probably answer with tiramisu. As popular and as well known as this dessert is, you would think that it has some great history behind it. Like being the only dessert that Italian dignitaries would allow to be served at state dinners. You know, something prestigious and austere like that.
But really most accounts of this dessert date it back to maybe the early eighties. Who knew it would only be as old as your truly?
Tiramisu is traditionally made with savoiardi, or lady fingers, dipped in espresso and layered with a rich marscapone and zabaglione cream that is almost like a custard. The literal translation of tirami su is “pick me up”, which is used in reference to the effect that the sugar and espresso in the dessert can have on people.
As famed as this Italian dessert is, I have only tried it maybe once in my life. I have never really enjoyed the taste of coffee so this was a dessert that I never really sought out. I still don’t really favor coffee, but my opinions of this dessert have changed.
As part of the challenge this month, we were required to make every component of this dessert, right down to the marscapone cheese. As a result, you have to put some serious planning and forethought into this dish, as certain parts require refrigeration overnight. But making every part of a dessert gives you a much better appreciation for the entire dish itself.
For example, taking the advice of our gracious hosts, I only dipped only one side of the savoiardi in espresso, so to avoid soggy cookies. As a result, the finished dish didn’t have a very strong espresso flavor. I definitely never thought I would want more espresso flavor in anything, but this time I did. But the flavor of the zabaglione shown through wonderfully and the savoiardi weren’t the least bit soggy.
I have a true appreciation for tiramisu now and will gladly add this to my list of show-stopper desserts. And I will most surely order tiramisu the next time I see it on a menu, if just to savor and appreciate all of the components of this wonderful dessert one more time.
The February 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen and Deeba of Passionate About Baking. They chose Tiramisu as the challenge for the month. Their challenge recipe is based on recipes from The Washington Post, Cordon Bleu at Home and Baking Obsession.
TIRAMISU
(Recipe source: Carminantonio’s Tiramisu from The Washington Post, July 11 2007 )
This recipe makes 6 servings
Ingredients:
For the zabaglione:
2 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons sugar/50gms
1/4 cup/60ml Marsala wine (or port or coffee)
1/4 teaspoon/ 1.25ml vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
For the vanilla pastry cream:
1/4 cup/55gms sugar
1 tablespoon/8gms all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon/ 2.5ml vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk
3/4 cup/175ml whole milk
For the whipped cream:
1 cup/235ml chilled heavy cream (we used 25%)
1/4 cup/55gms sugar
1/2 teaspoon/ 2.5ml vanilla extract
To assemble the tiramisu:
2 cups/470ml brewed espresso, warmed
1 teaspoon/5ml rum extract (optional)
1/2 cup/110gms sugar
1/3 cup/75gms mascarpone cheese
36 savoiardi/ ladyfinger biscuits (you may use less)
2 tablespoons/30gms unsweetened cocoa powder
Method:
For the zabaglione:
Heat water in a double boiler. If you don’t have a double boiler, place a pot with about an inch of water in it on the stove. Place a heat-proof bowl in the pot making sure the bottom does not touch the water.
In a large mixing bowl (or stainless steel mixing bowl), mix together the egg yolks, sugar, the Marsala (or espresso/ coffee), vanilla extract and lemon zest. Whisk together until the yolks are fully blended and the mixture looks smooth.
Transfer the mixture to the top of a double boiler or place your bowl over the pan/ pot with simmering water. Cook the egg mixture over low heat, stirring constantly, for about 8 minutes or until it resembles thick custard. It may bubble a bit as it reaches that consistency.
Let cool to room temperature and transfer the zabaglione to a bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.
For the pastry cream:
Mix together the sugar, flour, lemon zest and vanilla extract in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. To this add the egg yolk and half the milk. Whisk until smooth.
Now place the saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring constantly to prevent the mixture from curdling.
Add the remaining milk a little at a time, still stirring constantly. After about 12 minutes the mixture will be thick, free of lumps and beginning to bubble. (If you have a few lumps, don’t worry. You can push the cream through a fine-mesh strainer.)
Transfer the pastry cream to a bowl and cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic film and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.
For the whipped cream:
Combine the cream, sugar and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Beat with an electric hand mixer or immersion blender until the mixture holds stiff peaks. Set aside.
To assemble the tiramisu:
Have ready a rectangular serving dish (about 8″ by 8″ should do) or one of your choice.
Mix together the warm espresso, rum extract and sugar in a shallow dish, whisking to mix well. Set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, beat the mascarpone cheese with a spoon to break down the lumps and make it smooth. This will make it easier to fold. Add the prepared and chilled zabaglione and pastry cream, blending until just combined. Gently fold in the whipped cream. Set this cream mixture aside.
Now to start assembling the tiramisu.
Workings quickly, dip 12 of the ladyfingers in the sweetened espresso, about 1 second per side. They should be moist but not soggy. Immediately transfer each ladyfinger to the platter, placing them side by side in a single row. You may break a lady finger into two, if necessary, to ensure the base of your dish is completely covered.
Spoon one-third of the cream mixture on top of the ladyfingers, then use a rubber spatula or spreading knife to cover the top evenly, all the way to the edges.
Repeat to create 2 more layers, using 12 ladyfingers and the cream mixture for each layer. Clean any spilled cream mixture; cover carefully with plastic wrap and refrigerate the tiramisu overnight.
To serve, carefully remove the plastic wrap and sprinkle the tiramisu with cocoa powder using a fine-mesh strainer or decorate as you please. Cut into individual portions and serve.
MASCARPONE CHEESE
(Source: Vera’s Recipe for Homemade Mascarpone Cheese)
This recipe makes 12oz/ 340gm of mascarpone cheese
Ingredients:
474ml (approx. 500ml)/ 2 cups whipping (36 %) pasteurized (not ultra-pasteurized), preferably organic cream (between 25% to 36% cream will do)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Method:
Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a wide skillet. Reduce the heat to medium-low so the water is barely simmering. Pour the cream into a medium heat-resistant bowl, then place the bowl into the skillet. Heat the cream, stirring often, to 190 F. If you do not have a thermometer, wait until small bubbles keep trying to push up to the surface.
It will take about 15 minutes of delicate heating. Add the lemon juice and continue heating the mixture, stirring gently, until the cream curdles. Do not expect the same action as you see during ricotta cheese making. All that the whipping cream will do is become thicker, like a well-done crème anglaise. It will cover a back of your wooden spoon thickly. You will see just a few clear whey streaks when you stir.
Remove the bowl from the water and let cool for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, line a sieve with four layers of dampened cheesecloth and set it over a bowl. Transfer the mixture into the lined sieve. Do not squeeze the cheese in the cheesecloth or press on its surface (be patient, it will firm up after refrigeration time). Once cooled completely, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate (in the sieve) overnight or up to 24 hours.
[Vera’s notes: The first time I made mascarpone I had all doubts if it’d been cooked enough, because of its custard-like texture. Have no fear, it will firm up beautifully in the fridge, and will yet remain lusciously creamy.]
Keep mascarpone refrigerated and use within 3 to 4 days.
LADYFINGERS/ SAVOIARDI BISCUITS
(Source: Recipe from Cordon Bleu At Home)
This recipe makes approximately 24 big ladyfingers or 45 small (2 1/2″ to 3″ long) ladyfingers.
Ingredients:
3 eggs, separated
6 tablespoons /75gms granulated sugar
3/4 cup/95gms cake flour, sifted (or 3/4 cup all purpose flour + 2 tbsp corn starch)
6 tablespoons /50gms confectioner’s sugar
Method:
Preheat your oven to 350 F (175 C) degrees, then lightly brush 2 baking sheets with oil or softened butter and line with parchment paper.
Beat the egg whites using a hand held electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Gradually add granulate sugar and continue beating until the egg whites become stiff again, glossy and smooth.
In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks lightly with a fork and fold them into the meringue, using a wooden spoon. Sift the flour over this mixture and fold gently until just mixed. It is important to fold very gently and not overdo the folding. Otherwise the batter would deflate and lose volume resulting in ladyfingers which are flat and not spongy.
Fit a pastry bag with a plain tip (or just snip the end off; you could also use a Ziploc bag) and fill with the batter. Pipe the batter into 5″ long and 3/4″ wide strips leaving about 1″ space in between the strips.
Sprinkle half the confectioner’s sugar over the ladyfingers and wait for 5 minutes. The sugar will pearl or look wet and glisten. Now sprinkle the remaining sugar. This helps to give the ladyfingers their characteristic crispness.
Hold the parchment paper in place with your thumb and lift one side of the baking sheet and gently tap it on the work surface to remove excess sprinkled sugar.
Bake the ladyfingers for 10 minutes, then rotate the sheets and bake for another 5 minutes or so until the puff up, turn lightly golden brown and are still soft.
Allow them to cool slightly on the sheets for about 5 minutes and then remove the ladyfingers from the baking sheet with a metal spatula while still hot, and cool on a rack.
Store them in an airtight container till required. They should keep for 2 to 3 weeks.
How would you end that sentence? I’m sure you would get very different answers depending on the day. Like one day last week. Well, I won’t tell you how I would have ended that sentence this one particular day last week because I’m not sure if even the biggest cookie in the world would have made all the sins of the day go away.
But back to the important stuff. I think it would depend on the type of cookie you are being given.
How about a thick, chewy, almost cake-like chocolate chip cookie with giant bittersweet chocolate chips?
That is just the type of chocolate chip cookie that I have been craving for almost two weeks now. I finally reached the tipping point said day last week after a particularly stressful day at work. These cookies had to be made and they had to be made now.
In the great debate of the perfect chocolate chip cookie, I, for one, prefer the thick, chewy type over the thin, crisp variety. In all the recipes that I have looked at it really comes down to two things: using melted butter and letting the dough chill for an extended period of time before baking. Not necessarily what you want to hear, especially when a hot out of the oven chocolate chip cookie will make all the hardships of the day disappear. But good things come to those who wait.
Now, it would be nice if I could apply that same patience with my current situation at work. But then, we would probably live in a perfect world where I could bake every day and eat said baked items that I make with reckless abandon and never gain a single pound.
A girl can dream, right?
So in the end…how would I end that sentence?
If you give a girl a cookie, today she would be happy. No more, no less.
Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from Baking Illustrated
Note: I like to add a teaspoon of espresso powder to my chocolate chip cookies. It gives them some extra oomph.
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (10 5/8 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm
1 cup (7 ounces) dark brown sugar
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 yolk.
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon espresso powder
1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips
Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and espresso powder. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, thoroughly blend together the sugars and butter. Add the egg and yolk and vanilla and beat until combined. Slowly add the flour mixture until just incorporated. Mix in the chocolate chips by hand.
Chill dough for at least 4 hours or up to 36 hours.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll a scant 1/4 cup of dough into a ball. Tear the dough in half and rotate the two halves 90 degrees so the jagged edges are facing up. Smoosh the two halves back together and place on the baking sheet 2 inches apart.
Bake cookies for 15-18 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Place sheets on wire racks and let cool.
Tea is a regular part of my day. My morning ritual when I get into work involves a cup of green tea. I usually have another cup for an afternoon pick-me-up and then I’ll finish my day with a cup of herbal tea. Tea and I are not strangers.
However, I hope that my cups of tea don’t mind a new member to our group. Madeleines and I are recent acquaintances but we have quickly become good friends. Like little pillows, these new friends of mine are spongy and light with a subtle honey flavor.
Not one to intrude, I would not have discovered madeleines had Jennifer over at Daydreams of Baking had not suggested the recipe. To help me work my way through My 100, she and I decided to ‘bake along together’ this month. I chose madeleines and she chose the recipe. It was great motivation to try out a new recipe as well as have someone to talk through any bumps that were encountered. Please hop on over to her blog and check out how her madeleines turned out. Thanks Jennifer for baking along with me this month!
I’m now off to have a date with a cup of tea and a madeleine.
Madeleines
Adapted from Field Guide to Cookies by Anita Chu
Ingredients:
4 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/ 4 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1. In a stand mixer, combine the eggs, sugar, honey, and vanilla together with the whisk attachment until the mixture is thick and foamy.
2. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt over the egg mixture and carefully fold in with a rubber spatula.
3. Add the melted butter and fold in gently. Cover the batter and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. This will help the madeleines form their distinctive “bump”.
4. Preheat the oven to 400°. If you don’t have a non-stick madeleine tray, butter your trays well. Spoon the batter into each mold about 3/4 full.
5. Bake for about 5 to 7 mintues, until the madeleines are golden brown. Cool on a wire rack for a few minutes, then unmold the cookies and let them finish cooling.
Storage: Madeleines are best served the same day, but you can store them in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Refresh them by placing in a 300° oven for a couple of minutes.
Since I’m a fan of resolutions, I’m currently doing a 4-day detox that involves lots of juices and smoothies. That obviously means no baked goods. Thus, I have not started in on my 2010 baking.
But that leaves me the opportunity to tell you about one last holiday recipe. And I’m so glad to have this opportunity because the afternoon I spent making kiflis this holiday season was one of my favorite memories all year.
Kiflis are a popular Hungarian pastry made traditionally during the Christmas season. Legend has it that this pastry was created when Ottoman Turks invaded a Hungarian city. The local bakers, who were up early in the day, alerted the city of the imminent attack and thus helped to fend off the invaders. To symbolize their victory, the bakers created a pastry in the shape of a crescent moon, the emblem of the Turkish empire.
I had never heard of kiflis until I started dating my husband back in college. But it was until we were married and we spent our first Christmas holiday away from his family, and consequently his mother’s kiflis, that I tried making them on my own.
Kifli making is a very labor intensive process and takes two days. A full batch of kiflis can make between 100-120 and rolling out each individual ball of dough is not for the faint of heart.
But it is exactly that process that makes these cookies so good. Sure, you could make an entire recipe of kiflis on your own, but that wouldn’t be very fun. The enjoyment of making this recipe is the time that you get to spend in the kitchen with family.
We spent this holiday season with my husband’s family. When we arrived at his mom’s house, about 80 balls of kifli dough were awaiting me and honestly, I couldn’t think of a better way to unwind from a six-hour car ride. We spent four hours in the kitchen that afternoon, me rolling out dough, Matt filling and rolling each cookie, and his mom and step-dad catching us up on anything and everything. It was the best way to spend an afternoon during the holiday season.
Hungarian Kiflis
Adapted from my mother-in-law’s recipe
For the dough:
1 pound butter, room temperature
1 pound all-purpose flour (4 to 4 1/2 cups)
12 egg yolks
2 tablespoons sour cream (take from the pint you have for the filling)
For the filling:
12 egg whites
1 1/2 pounds ground walnuts
2 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 pint sour cream (less the 2 tablespoons used for the dough)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
To make the dough, cut the softened butter into the flour in a large bowl. In another bowl, mix together the egg yolks and sour cream. Note: save the egg whites and refrigerate them in a bowl overnight. They will be used for the filling.
Add the egg yolk/sour cream mixture to the flour and butter and mix thoroughly until all ingredients are just incorporated. You should be able to form a ball.
Pinch off a piece of dough, roughly the size of a walnut, and roll it into a ball. Continue rolling walnut sized balls until you have used all the dough. Place balls of dough in a bowl and refrigerate overnight.
When you are ready to roll out the dough, make the filling. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the cold egg whites until they form stiff peaks. You can add a little cream of tartar to help them fluff up. Fold in the walnuts, sugar, vanilla and sour cream.
Taking a few balls of dough from the refrigerator at time, roll each ball as this as possible (so you can see the shadow of your hand through the dough). Put 1 tablespoon of filling toward the top third of the rolled out dough. Roll dough and shape into a crescent moon and pinch or tuck under ends. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 12 to 15 minutes.
This recipe can make anywhere between 80 and 120 kiflis, depending on how large or small you make the balls.
Folks, there is a legitimate pumpkin shortage this year. Blame it on the weather, blame it on poor crops. Blame it on the powers that may be if it’ll make you feel better. There is no going around it that the very sanctity of Thanksgivings in America could be threatened this year.
Is that a little extreme? Yeah…ok…probably.
I think I let my fear of not being able to enjoy all things pumpkin this year lead to me yell into the phone “Get two cans!” while poor Matt was doing a quick grocery store run. In my head I knew “Get two cans!” meant “Get two 15 ounce cans!”. I guess our psychic married powers were on the fritz that day because I was greeted by two 30 ounce cans of pumpkin when I got home that night.
I saw this as a challenge. How many recipes could I get out of 60 ounces of pumpkin? Just typing that out I am amazed at how much pumpkin I have gone through in the past few weeks. That is 3 3/4 pounds of pumpkin!
The original intended purpose of the pumpkin was to make some pumpkin bread for two potlucks my mom was going to. I made two loaves of Martha’s pumpkin, sage, and browned-butter quick bread at first, but as the loaves were already assigned to events which I was not attending, I wasn’t able to taste them. And I always hate when that happens. But I wasn’t worried…I still had 46 ounces of pumkin left! So I whipped up another loaf (this is really one of the simplest quick bread recipes) and was able to savor the sweet yet savory combination of the pumpkin and sage. The browned-butter added another dimension to the bread that you wouldn’t necessarily expect from a quick bread. Another win for Martha.
At that point I was down to 38 ounces of pumpkin. My brother made a request for pumpkin whoopies pies, complete with a link the recipe and a snarky remark on my Facebook page about wanting a shout out. But I probably wouldn’t have been attracted to make these on my own so I’m glad he requested them. Thanks baby brother!
The cookie part of the pies was more like a spiced pumpkin cookie cake and the marshmallow cream filling, while alone was too buttery in my opinion, sandwiched in between two pumpkin cookie cakes lend the perfect amount of sweet. These were some darn good whoopie pies.
Three loaves of pupmkin bread and 20 pumpkin whoppie pies. I’m kind of tired just reading that. But what to do with the remaining 23 ounces of pumkin?
The pumpkin whoopie pie recipe can be found here.
Pumpkin, Sage, and Browned-Butter Quick Bread
Adapted from the November 2009 issue of Martha Stewart
This recipe can make one 9 x 5 inch loaf or eight 2 1/2 x 4 inch loaves.
6 ounces unsalted butter
1/4 cup fresh sage, cut into thin strips
1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup solid-pack pumpkin (from one 15 ounce can)
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
Preheat the oven to 350 degress and spray the loaf pan with non-stick spray.
Melt the butter over medium-high heat in a medium saucepan. Add the stips of sage to the melted butter and cook until the butter has turned a golden brown, or 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
In one bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt.
In another bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, sugar, eggs and browned butter with sage.
Add the flour mixture to the liquid mixture and whisk until combined. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for about one hour, until a tester instered into the center comes out clean.
Let cool in pan for about half and hour and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
The July Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Nicole at Sweet Tooth. She chose Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies and Milan Cookies from pastry chef Gale Gand of the Food Network.
Hi, I’m Allison and I love marshmallows. There, I said it. There is something about their squishy yet fluffy texture that just intrigues me. I love them burnt to a crisp when it comes to smores, my favorite holiday fudge recipe that my mom has made since I can remember calls for marshmallow cream, and I have a slightly borderline crazy obsession with Peeps. I even have a little purple stuffed chick Peep that my mom found at Target sitting on my desk at work.
But I like to think that good things have come from this extreme love of marshmallows. It has inspired me to go beyond the bags of Jet Puffed marshmallows and actually make marshmallows. My first foray into marshmallow making was when I came across Martha’s Smores Bar recipe in her Original Classics cookbook. These marshmallows were g o o d but I didn’t stop there. I was drawn to the idea of making the marshmallow cream to use in my mom’s holiday fudge recipe. That idea didn’t quite work the way I expected but I have learned from my mistakes. I like to think that I am wiser in my ways now and quite frankly, I like to brag that I have made marshmallows.
I have not dabbled in marshmallow making since the fudge experiement so I was thrilled to see marshmallows as one of the components of this month’s Daring Bakers. Considering my love of marshmallows, I was kind of appalled at the fact that I don’t think I have ever had a store-bought mallow cookie. Blasphemy, I know. I had a moment of weakness last week and almost purchased a box, for comparison purposes of course, but decided that no matter how good they tasted, the recipe I was about to make would not only taste way better but also be healthier in terms of no preservatives and chemicals and junk.
The recipe was easy to follow but I think the estimated servings were a little off. The recipe states about 2 dozen cookies. I blew that estimate out of the water…I ended up with almost 140 cookies! I brought cookies into the office two days in a row and still had a whole tupperware left that I ended up bringing over to my parents. They were delicious though. I substituted mint extract for the vanilla called for in the recipe. I might put a little more than the 1/4 teaspoon called for next time. The flavoring got a little lost once the cookies were all assembled. The process of making the cookies was fun in a methodical kind of way. It was easy to get lost in a trance while staring at a tabletop full of litte cookies with piped marshmallow domes. All in all, this was a fun challenge to make and another excuse for me to get to make marshmallows.
Recipe can be found here.
Baked goods are most often brought out during times of celebration – holidays, birthdays, family reunions. They are events that have warm, comforting feelings already built ino to the celebration and the sweet is just an added bonus.
But baked goods can be the source of those feelings and memories in times of pain and sorrow. They can remind you of Chirstmas’ past spent with loved ones, of summer BBQs, of childhood birthday parties. In this way, baked goods can weild a lot of power.
One of the reasons why I enjoy baking so much is because it is a way that I can help and support loved ones during difficult times. Knowing the immense comfort that a warm batch of cookies can provide can help settle me as well as the recipients. I saw it as only fitting to bake a batch of Dorie Greenspan’s world peace cookies for family memebers coping with a difficult time.
I can only hope these cookies were able to provide a little glimpse of peace during a very turbulent time.
World Peace Cookies
Adapted from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking From My Home to Yours
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 stick plus 3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
Sift flour, cocoa and baking soda together.
Beat the butter on medium speed in an electric mixer with the paddle attachment until it is soft and creamy. Add both sugars, salt and vanilla and beat for two more minutes.
Turn off mixer and add dry ingredients. Pluse until incorporated and then mix on low speed until the flour disappears. Work the dough as little as possible once the flour is added to ensure the best texture. Add the chocolate pieces and mix until just incorporated.
Turn the dough out onto a work surface and divide into two. Shape each half into a log that is one inch thick, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours (but can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen up to two months).
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325 degrees. LIne two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats. Slice the logs into rounds 1/2 inch thick. If the dough crumbles, squish the pieces back in…its ok.
Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 12 minutes. The cookies won’t look or feel done, but take them out after the alloted time and transfer the sheet to a cooling rack and let them rest until warm. They can be served warm or at room temperature.
When I was younger I considered snickerdoodles to be my signature dish. Whenever I had the opportunity to bake, I chose to bake snickerdoodles. So I felt that it was only fitting to make them for my first Sugar High Fridays post.
I don’t remember how I came to love them so much. Maybe it is the funny name or the fact that they are just good cookies or the warm, home-y smell of cinnamon and sugar baking in the oven. I remember making these after school with our sitter. I would add all the ingredients and would mix until my arms got tired and then she would take over. I would roll out misshapen balls, roll them in cinnamon and sugar, place them on the cookie sheets, and into the oven they would go. Ten minutes later warm, puffy cookies would come out of the over and I would have wait patiently for them to cool before I could take my first bite.
It had been so long since I made snickerdoodles that I had to seek out a recipe and surprisingly only one of my cookbooks contained one. I remember using a lot of shortening when I made these back in the day and was happy to find that the recipe in Baking Illustrated used only ¼ cup of shortening and made up the difference with butter. But, these cookies were a little greasy and I like to use no shortening in recipes if possible. I was in luck! Food Network came through with a snickerdoodle recipe that used no shortening. It also didn’t call for cream of tartar and replaced it with both baking power and baking soda. Back then, I had no clue what cream of tartar was but it was the most exotic spice in my spice cabinet. Now, at my wizened old age of 27, I know that it is the main ingredient in baking powder and can be substituted in some cases. Just like back then, watching the cookies puff up in the oven reminded me of the deliciousness that I was about to enjoy. The result was a thin cookie, crisp around the edges and soft in the middle. Just like I remember.
I guess I wasn’t the only member of my family who has such fond memories of snickerdoodles. I brought some over to my parent’s house the other night and when my brother got wind that I had made snickerdoodles, he proceeded to eat half the box! And the batch that I brought into my office today had disappeared by the end of the day. So maybe it’s not just me that has fond childhood memories of these cookies.
Bake Your Heart Out 