{BwJ} Mocha Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies. I am always on a quest to find just the right recipe. And I have tried one or two or three. There was even a cookie with Espresso in it but I didn’t make those. Now that I am So Much More Sophistocated (Yeah, Right!) I have learned to use Espresso and like it. Especially in these!!

Mocha Chocolate Chip Cookies

Using Cadbury’s Dark Chocolate and regular Semi-Sweet chips I added just one 1 Tbl to half the recipe and ended up with 3 dozen cookies. I wish I had added just a tad more espresso. The chocolate seemed to drown out the taste and one was left with just a hint of a coffee aftertaste. But for me, that was okay because I really don’t care for coffee much. I made them more for the Hubs. I would make these again, however.

Peggy of Galettistais this week’s host and the recipe will be on her page.

And please visit the other members of Baking with Julia for their cookies. Maybe they will share!

 

Chocolate Caramel Muffins

I like making muffins. They are quick and easy and they don’t need frosting – much to The Hub’s chagrin. If I make muffins I make ones that have some kind of topping even if it isn’t frosting. So this week when he asked for muffins I found some that I liked and then changed the recipe – a little – to fit our tastes. They contained Nutella. And while I am a fan, The Hubs is not.

Chocolate Caramel Muffins

2 cups flour
1/3 cup finely shaved chocolate
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup caramel plus extra for decorating
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup yogurt
1 cup chopped pecans (Reserve 1/4 for decorating.)
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare your muffin tins (one 12-cup and one 6-cup) by spraying with non-stick spray or lining with muffin papers.
Combine your flour, shaved chocolate, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
In another smaller bowl, whisk together your egg, milk, yogurt, and butter.
Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ones and stop when it’s still quite dry looking.
Add in the caramel, pecans, coconut flakes and chocolate chips. Stir until just mixed.
Divide your batter between the 18 prepared muffin cups.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Allow to cool for a few minutes in the pans and then remove to continue cooling on a wire rack.
Once cool, drizzle the muffins with a small amount of the caramel and decorate with the rest of the pecans.

The Hubs liked these. The caramel was just the perfect topping with a few pecans on top. You could put some coconut on top, too, but we preferred them without.

The recipe was enough for 12 full sized muffins and 12 minis.

I liked the minis best – one little bite of sweetness.

Enjoy!

 

{TWD2} Chestnuts roasting on an open fire….

Jack Frost nipping on your nose,
Yuletide carols being sung by a choir,
And folks dressed up like Eskimos.

Okay!
First of all I bought the Chestnuts already roasted.
Jack Frost won’t be in the Deep South until about mid-January on a regular basis.
And if you dress up like an Eskimo now you will suffer from Heat Stroke.

But we are enjoying Chestnuts In Dorie’s…

Chocolate Caramel Chestnut Cake

This cake has been described as EPIC by some of my Twitter buddies. Luxurious! Interesting! Expensive! {Chestnuts are not cheap!!} But worth it. Here in Podunk one does not find chestnuts – of any kind – so I had to order. When I ordered, I ordered Chestnut Puree instead of Chestnut spread, but thanks to About.com French Food I was able to make my own. Whew!

The cake is a lovely triple layer cake with milk chocolate/bittersweet chocolate ganache for filling and a bittersweet chocolate glaze. Between the layers are chopped chestnuts. And many bakers followed Dorie’s suggestion and frosted the chestnuts on top with gold dust. I ended up using pecans rather than the Chestnuts I bought. They weren’t good. So I used chopped pecans between the layers.

This cake was wonderful. The chestnut flavor of the cake with the textures of the filling and ganache. The chopped pecans between the layers. KEEPER!!

This cake was chosen by Katya of Second Dinner for the bakers on Tuesday, November 3, 2009. and you can find the recipe on her blog.

NOW I am done with the TWD Catch-up!! Thanks, Dorie!!

And so I’m offering this simple phrase,
To kids from one to ninety-two,
Although its been said many times, many ways,
Merry Christmas to you
 

{TWD2} Thanks, Dorie, for a wonderful FIVE years!!

So, here I am. The last post for TWD, the first TWD which started in January 2008. It took me a full year to catch up and complete all the recipes I missed. 67 to be exact! And six of them in December. So here we go:

2 December 2008 Hosted by Noskos of Living the Life the bakers made:

Linzer Sables

I had never made sables before. They are a lovely butter cookie that is filled with a jam or other treat. I used Cherry jam and instead of almonds, walnuts, or hazelnuts, I used pecans. Lots of pecans here in the south. They were perfect with a nice subtle nutty taste. And the cherry jam fit well with the pecans. You can find the recipe on her blog or on page 134 of BFMHTY.

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December is a popular month for cookies. On December 16, 2008 we followed up with

Buttery Jam Cookies.

While the sables had the jam between the cookies these had the jam IN the cookie. And since I had the Cherry jam that is what I used in these tasty, biscuity cookies. There were little chunks of jam all through the cookie giving little surprises with every bite!

Thanks to Heather of Randomosity and the Girl for this sweet little treat. The recipe is on her blog. It’s also on page 80 of Dorie’s book.

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December also brought two tarts into the kitchen. On 6 December 2012 we made a

Honey-Almond Fig Tart It was delicious. A sweet honey-almond custard paired with ripe juicy figs. {From my friend’s tree!} I made the full recipe of custard but only two 6″ tarts. Usually I make less custard but past experience has taught me that more IS better! The tart was hosted by my friend, Kayte of Grandma’s Kitchen Table. The recipe is on her blog, or will be because Kayte is on hiatus right now and her blog is in hibernation. You can find it on page 373 of BFMHTY.

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The other tart (12 December 2011) was the…

Puffed Double Plum Tart

And please forgive the photography. There was no way this was going to be pretty. {Or at least mine wasn’t!!} I used a regular black plum slice and prunes that had been poached in black tea with cinnamon rather than wine, orange juice, zest and anise. And while not pretty it was definitely yummy! 1/8 of a recipe gave me one small tart just for me. I knew no one else would even touch it! This was chosen by Julie of Someones in the Kitchen (or page 378 of Dorie’s book).

{Hang in there, almost done. I have to do all six today because the next available Tuesday is Christmas!}

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We eat ice cream all year round. Which is a good thing because on December 13, 2011, TWD bakers pulled out their churns and made:

Unbelievably Good Chocolate Blueberry Ice Cream

I have to admit. I was a little iffy about this one. Chocolate and BLUEBERRIES!! No way that was going to be good. I. Was. Wrong! It was delicious. I know – Trust Dorie, Trust Dorie!! Story is, she didn’t care for the combo either when she was young, but like me, she has since come to her senses!! Yay! Dorie!!

Thanks to Lauri of Slush for hosting this week’s TWD choice.>

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Last (well almost) but not least –

REAL Butterscotch Pudding

And by real I mean REAL Scotch in the pudding! Really? Yes, Really! Unfortunately, I didn’t have any scotch. Fortunately, my VGF did! A tiny bottle of Chivas Regal in her Hub’s underware drawer (Yes, Really!) which she gifted me {Prolly to her Hub’s chagrin!} and there was just enough to make 6 little pudding treats.

One word – GOOD!! Topped with a little whipped cream infused with just a tad of Scotch! BETTER!! And Donna, of Spatulas, Corkscrews and Suitcases, our host for this week, made her pudding into a PIE! What a GREAT idea! Next time!! Now that I know how easy pudding is to make from scratch. The reicpe is on Donna’s site and on page 386 of BFMHTY!

Okay. That’s it, that’s all… Okay, not quite. I still have one more cake to make. It has been the hardest to find the ingredients for. But I found what I needed and so….. but that’s another post!!

Thanks TWD for a wonderful five years of baking, learning, eating, gifting, and friend gathering. I will never forget anything!!

 

{Modern Baker Challenge} Cinnamon Scented Chocolate Mousse Cake

Fudgy!
Decadent!

Dense!

Delicious!



Those four words describe this little cake to a T! It was liking eating a not-so-sweet fudge.And while the picture has whipped cream it definitely didn’t need it. But the cake is not photogenic on its own. And it wasn’t very cinnamony even though I added more than 1/2 of what was called for.



I made 1/2 of the recipe which fit well into a 5″ springform pan. A 1/6th wedge is more than enough to satisfy both your chocolate craving and your sweet tooth.

Recipe is on page 257 of Malgieri’s the Modern Baker. I also found it on Bon Appetit Hon. We are doing cakes through the end of the year. And now it’s December. Fortunately there are 5 Mondays in December. I might just get four more made!!!

Check out the MB Challenge on the website.

 

{BwJ} Best-Ever Brownies

I mean really! BEST-ever. Doesn’t every brownie claim that? BEST!

Oh! My!

Oh! Oh! My!
Oh! My! My!

Yes, indeed!

Rick Katz did not lie when he called these Best-Ever!!

Unless you don’t LIKE OOEY GOOEY, crispy-on-the-outside, not your granny’s brownies. But if you do — back away cause these are MY Best-Ever Brownies.

Even after making a major mistake they came out perfectly. Recipe says to mix just 1/2 of the sugar with the melted chocolate and then beat the other cup with the eggs into a mixer and beat until thick and pale. Nope, didn’t read the instructions and poured both cups of sugar into the melted chocolate. I was worried they would fail, but they came out PERFECTLY DELICIOUS!

Monica of A Beautiful Mess is hosting this week so the recipe will be on her lovely blog.

Rick’s Best-Ever Brownies are on page 231 of Dorie’s Baking with Julia.

You are welcome to join in on the fun. Just grab a copy of the book and bake with us twice a month.

The recipes are always listed on the website.

 

{FFwD} top-secret chocolate mousse

I like simple desserts that can also be elegant. This one fits the bill perfectly.

Using only 3 ingredients Dorie has created a light chocolate dessert suitable for every day and for special occassions. Everyday served plain. Elegant with slightly sweetened whipped cream and chocolate shavings. Best of both worlds. One of Dorie’s suggestions was to add a flavor. I love the combo of chocolae and almond so I added 1 tsp of Almond to the mousse. Perfect!

You can find the three ingredients and their amounts can be found on page 421 of Dorie’s around my french table.

Other lovely mousse desserts can be found ->

 

{TWD2} Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate, and …. Figs!!

I think I am almost done BAKING all of the recipes from Dorie’s Baking From My Home to Yours. I haven’t blogged them all yet, but I am real close to finishing my commitment to complete all the recipes. Even though it has taken me almost a year after the group finished the same 350+ recipes. And since I am trying to finish before the holiday season you will be seeing several more treats than usual in each post.

OCTOBER

10/7/2008

First up we have….

Caramel-Peanut Pecan-Topped Brownie Cake

October must be a good month for Chocolate. Of the four recipes this month, three had Chocolate. Keep in mind, however, that they were not all from the same year!!

Dorie described this cake as scrumptious. THAT is an understatement. You have to understand that I am one of several million chocolate lovers in the US. I am also one of the many lovers of caramel. You put those two together and you have, IMO, AMAZING!! Now add in some PECANS and you have PERFECTION!! This was supposed to be topped in peanuts but I knew deep down inside that it would be MUCH better with pecans. Sweeter!! I was right. At least for us, anyway!!

1/3 recipe was too much for the 5″ springform pan I used so some overflowed, which meant I got to sample the cake BEFORE it was finished!! YUM!!

This pick was from Tammy of Wee Treats by Tammy and you can find the recipe there. In BFMHTY it is on page 264.

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10/29/2009

And for our Second Chocolate Treat….

Cherry-Fudge Brownie Torte

The first thing I had to do to make this Torte was find some Cherry Preserves. They are not part of my usual jam/jelly collection. I don’t know why because they are delicious, which I found out making this chocolate treat. Mixed with some cherries flamed with Rum {recipe called for Kirsh but I didn’t have any.} and both cocoa powder and semi-sweet chocolate it started in Dorie’s imagination as a Black Forest Cake. But rather than layers of whipped cream, cake, and cherries she puts the cherries in the cake and tops the torte with a sweet silky Mascarpone Mousse. And then, because I could, I drizzled just a smidgen, okay, more than a smidgen, of chocolate syrup over the top. And yes, it was OVER THE TOP!! As if this delightful treat needed more chocolate!!! The fudgy cake was dark, dense, delicious. I loved the mousse on top. Mascarpone – where have you been all my life!!

1/4 of the recipe resulted in a 5″ mini torte.

This pick was from short = rose by April and you can find the recipe on her blog. And on page 284 of Dorie’s BFMHTY

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10/25/2011
Had enough chocolate yet. Okay, lets switch over to…..

A Fig Cake for Fall

Lucky for me I have a small fig tree. Unfortunately the birds beat me to the 6 or 7 figs we actually had this year. Lucky for me I have a friend with a HUGE fig tree. So I made this cake during fig season. One half of the recipe called for only 8 – 10 figs. That meant I had plenty left over to make the …well, that’s not until December!!

Dorie used figs poached in ruby port. Since that is not usually something I have on hand I poached mine in Honey and Cinnamon. And they were so very good! The cake was very good. The texture was not as cake-y since the batter contained cornmeal. That was a definite plus and a nice play against the soft figs. And the honey-cinnamon sauce. AMAZING!!

Thank you, Alvarosa, for this fig cake. You can find the recipe on her blog – Cookie Rookie BTW she started baking for the first time when she started with TWD!! The cake is also on page 198 of Dorie’s BFMHTY

{To poach the figs bring the water, honey and cinnamon to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the figs and cook another 15 minutes. Remove the figs and put the sauce aside.}

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10/18/2011

NOW!! Let’s end on a high note….

Ginger-Jazzed Brownies

Brownies are a favorite in this house. When in doubt, make brownies. But I would never have thought of putting ginger in the brownies. Thank you, Dorie!!! Over the course of 4 years the TWD group made 12 different kinds of brownies!! Some were…okay… Some were fantastic. These are in the ‘between’ group. Good, but not a fav. With both ground ginger and minced fresh ginger these brownies had some KICK!! Ginger is spicy!! I topped them with a ginger infused whipped cream. Just enough! 1/3 of the recipe resulted in TWO brownies {2 1/2″ x 4″} I knew we aren’t BIG ginger fans so just two was just perfect!!

Hindy of Bubie’s Little Baker chose these. The recipe is on her blog and on pae 101 of BFMHTY.

I hope you enjoyed all the OCTOBER TWD treats. We did!! Now, just November and December left.

 

{Modern Baker Challenge} Devil’s Food Cake

THIS is not the first time I have made a devil’s food cake. I made one Dorie’s Devil’s Food Cake back in February 2009. Didn’t turn out well.

Then I made Nick’s Devil’s food Bombe from Bake! last June. Didn’t turn out too well.

Now, I have made….

Devil’s Food Cake with Fluffy White Icing

…and it came out pretty well. The layers rose like they were supposed to (even with my old wonkey oven!) and the frosting was outstanding – SWEET – but outstanding.

All in all – pretty good cake!!

You can find Nick’s recipe for Devil’s Food Cake on page 253 of the Modern Baker

We are on the last section of the Modern Baker Challenge, but join in and bake along with us.

 

{Sunday Sweets} Sweet Potato Praline Brownies

Earlier this summer I subscribed to a new magazine. A cooking magazine of course. Louisiana Cookin’. While it is not a new magazine I just found out about it. When the October 2012 issue arrived I scanned through it and was immediately drawn to a brownie recipe. No ordinary recipe. The brownies were one of the winners of the magazine’s annual Sweet Rewards Recipe Contest. And it wasn’t really the sweet potatoes in the brownies that caught my eye, it was the topping – Pecan Praline. WOWZA!! How could I pass that up?

Sweet Potato Praline Brownies {submitted by Dana Territa}

1 large sweet potato
5 large egg whites
1 cup softened unsalted butter, divided
1 cup sugar
l/2 cup (hopped pecans, divided
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

Prick sweet potato allover with a fork. Wrap in a wet paper towel, and microwave on high heat for 5 minutes. Continue to microwave in 2-minute intervals until soft. Set aside to cool. Once potato is cool, peel, mash, and reserve pulp.

Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease an 8-inch square baking pan.
In a large bowl, beat egg whites at high speed with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine 1/2 cup butter and
sugar. Using the paddle attachment, beat at medium speed until combined.
Add cocoa powder, baking powder, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Gently fold in egg whites to combine. Stir in 1/2 cup pecans and sweet potato. Transfer to prepared pan, and bake 25 to 30 minutes or until center is firm.

In a heavy saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter over medium heat. And brown sugar and salt, and bring to a boil. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and slowly whisk in evaporated milk. Return saucepan to stove and bring mixture to a boil again. Boil, stirring constantly, until mixture reaches 230° on a candy thermometer (soft ball stage). Remove from heat, and stir for 2 minutes; let cool to lukewarm. Add remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla and confectioners’ sugar. Stir until combined. Pour mixture over warm brownies, and top with remaining 1 cup pecans.

Let cool to room temperature before cutting.

I made these exactly as the recipe listed except I made up my own evaporated milk. I don’t know if that was a good idea or not. The brownies NEVER got solid enough to slice. I had to chill them before I could slice them and even then they could only be eaten with a fork. I have no idea why this happened.

These were so completely delicious. You could not really taste the sweet potato in the brownies. Or at least I couldn’t. But THAT TOPPING!! O My Word!! I might use the topping on my favorite brownies. And maybe add in the sweet potatoes.

Okay, one more look!!