Whoopie! School’s Out!

June 1, 2015Leave a comment

This was the recipe that caught my eye the most as I flipped through the cookbook, Home Baked Comfort, and I thought, yes, of every recipe, I will make this one right this minute. And I did. And honestly, a whoopie pie can be a little dangerous at high altitude, because sometimes the cookie will spread too much and flatten, but this recipe performed beautifully. (Okay, it can also be dangerous when trying to lower sugar intake, but, well, that’s the kind-of danger I like.) I also took this cookie with me to my nephew’s all-cookie birthday party (how is that not the perfect party idea?). The filling didn’t do great in the hot weather, but I kind-of enjoyed watching them slowly slip and slide. Maybe not the perfect 90-degree-weather-outside-party cookie, but definitely the perfect cookie to welcome in summer! Wouldn’t be so bad at any other time of the year, either.

Salty Dulce de Leche Whoopie Pie

For the cookies:
6 T. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 c. firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 t. pure vanilla extract
3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. natural cocoa powder (like Hershey’s)
1/2 t. baking soda (reduce slightly for high altitude, like a little shake less, or 1/4 t. less if doubling)
1/4 t. salt

For the filling:
4 T. unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 c. confectioners’ sugar
2 T. heavy cream
1/4 to 1/2 t. kosher salt
1/3 c. dulce de leche (you can find this at Latin American Grocers or Trader Joe’s)

To make the cookies, in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until combined. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until blended. Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt into the bowl and beat just until blended. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough until firm, about 2 hours.

Space 2 racks evenly in the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.

With dampened hands, shape tablespoonfuls of the dough into balls [I used a tablespoon cookie scoop]. Place them firmly on the prepared pans, spacing them slightly apart and squishing them a little. You should have about 20 balls. Bake until the cookies are puffed and slightly firm, 8 to 10 minutes, rotating the pans about halfway through. Let the cookies cool on the pans for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

While the cookies are cooling, make the filling: In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and confectioners’ sugar on medium-high speed until lightened. Stir in the cream and salt, to taste, on low speed, then stir in the dulce de leche until the filling is smooth.

Spread the flat side of half the cookies with a big dollop of the filling. Top each with a second cookie, placing the flat side on the filling. (You’ll probably have a bit more filling than you need, but if you’re like us, you’ll find a good use for it and will sneak spoonfuls here and there.) Refrigerate until the filling is set, at least 1 hour. Whoopie! Makes 10 whoopie pies.

Chocolate Coconut Bread

May 22, 2015May 22, 20152 Comments

I know the title of this recipe sounds so ho-hum, but I think this recipe was given as a heavenly gift to us all. I have had to restrain myself from making it every single night (which is partly because of Katie Couric’s documentary about childhood obesity in America, Fed Up. Very good information. Glad I watched it. Can’t wait till my ten-day sugar fast is over, because I will be making this the first minute I can!) I usually stir this together right before bed and bake it in the morning (the weekend is a perfect time for this, of course), and then eat it all day long. My favorite story about this bread: I gave a loaf to my aunt, and she had a polite amount after dinner, and we left. Later that week, she told me she had woken up at 3:30 a.m. the next morning and thought, “is it irrational to get out of bed at this hour to go have another slice of this bread?” and decided it was. She went back to sleep, and then at 6:30 decided it was acceptable behavior to get out of bed. For bread. I love it. This recipe comes from Jim Lahey’s My Bread (thank you, thank you!).

Chocolate Coconut Bread

2 c. plus 2 T. (280 grams) bread flour
2 c., loosely packed (100 grams) large flake unsweetened coconut [I actually prefer the smallest shred possible. It disappears in the bread but gives it great chew.]
1 c. (150 grams) bittersweet chocolate chunks
3/4 t. (4 grams) salt
1/4 t. instant yeast or 1/2 c. sourdough starter
1 1/4 c. (280 grams) room temperature water

[The night before you bake] In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, half of the coconut, the chocolate, salt, and yeast [If you use the smallest shred coconut, you can add it all at once, which I prefer]. Add the water and, using a wooden spoon or your hand, mix until you have a wet, sticky dough, about 30 seconds. Cover the bowl and let sit at room temperature until the surface is puffy and the dough is more than doubled in size, 12 to 18 hours.
When the first rise is complete, generously dust a work surface with flour. Use a bowl scraper or rubber spatula to scrape the dough out of the bowl in one piece. Using lightly floured hands or a bowl scraper or spatula, lift the edges of the dough in toward the center. Nudge and tuck in the edges of the dough to make it round.
Place a tea towel surface and generously dust it with wheat bran or flour. Gently place the dough on the towel, seam side down. If the dough is tacky, dust the top lightly with wheat bran, cornmeal or flour. Lightly sprinkle the surface with the remaining ½ cup coconut. Fold the ends of the tea towel loosely over the dough to cover it and place in a warm, draft-free spot to rise for 1 to 2 hours. The dough is ready when it is almost doubled. If you gently poke it with your finger, it should hold the impression. If it springs back, let it rise for another 15 minutes.
Half an hour before the end of the second rise, preheat the oven to 475 degrees F, with a rack in the lower third, and place a covered 4 ½ -to 5 ½ -quart heavy pot in the center of the rack.
Using pot holders, carefully remove the preheated pot from the oven and uncover it. Unfold the tea towel and quickly but gently invert the dough into the pot, seam side up. Cover the pot and bake for 40 minutes.
Remove the lid and continue baking until the bread is a deep chestnut color but not burnt, 20 to 25 minutes more.
Use a heatproof spatula or pot holders to carefully lift the bread out of the pot and place it on a rack to cool thoroughly.

Easy Energy Bar

May 5, 2015May 5, 2015Leave a comment

I’m loving all the energy bars I’m trying. Well, honestly, there are a lot of awful ones, but this one is simple and delicious, though admittedly not as kid-friendly (which just means my kids don’t devour them all in one afternoon. Maybe this is a good thing). I’ve found that these keep for a week, and are great for little snacks or even little meals, if needed. I’m trying to make something healthy and yummy like this every Monday, so that I have a supply when we’re on the run. So here’s something to consider for this week! I’ve changed this recipe from a recipe that’s on the blog citronlimette.

Seed & Nut Energy Bars

1 c. walnuts
1 c. almonds
1 c. pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds
6 dates
½ t. sea salt
1 t. vanilla
2 T. unsweetened finely shredded coconut (like Bob’s Red Mill) or coconut flour
½ c. agave
½ c. cocoa nibs (don’t substitute chocolate chips. Just leave out if you don’t have)
1 c. currants or chopped cherries

Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8″ x 8″ pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper.

Pulse walnuts, almonds and pumpkin seeds in a food processor until finely chopped. Add the dates and pulse the mixture few times, leaving some texture.Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl; add the other ingredients, and mix until combined. Spread mixture into prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes.

Cut into squares and serve. Bars will keep in an airtight container, in the fridge, for a week.

Chocolate Pecan Grahams

April 22, 2015April 22, 2015Leave a comment

On Mondays, I’ve been trying to bake something that I can use all week as a healthy-ish and filling after school snack, pairing it with cut fruit or vegetables or the like. So, I baked these this last Monday, I even baked a double batch, hoping I would have enough to last through the week. Well, we had enough to last through early-morning munchies on Tuesday. So, the bad news was I had to bake a new after school snack on Tuesday (which actually isn’t bad news to me! I have two new cookbooks I’m trying to bake through: Bouchon Bakery–which will take me a few years–and Payany’s Better Made at Home. So delightful!), and the good news was that we have another winner for after school snacks! I’ve adapted this recipe from one on King Arthur Flour (I’ve reduced the sugar and added pecans. The full sugar amount is delicious, but tastes more like a flat brownie than a cracker. Not that there’s anything wrong with that! Just wanting a little less sugar before dinner).

Note: these grahams are quite crumbly out of the oven, but firm up within an hour of cooling. Also, I scored them before they went into the oven, and then again right out of the oven. And thanks to Bouchon, I now want a bicycle for scoring. I think that’s what he calls it. Anyway. Big dreams. Another note: my kids had no idea these grahams had pecans in them (Lucie just reading over my shoulder commented on this!). Now, that’s success.

Chocolate Pecan Grahams

1/2 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. Dutch-process cocoa
1/2 c. confectioners’ sugar
1 t. baking powder
1/2 c. pecans, finely chopped or pulsed in a food processor till finely chopped
1/2 c. (1 stick, 4 ounces) unsalted butter
3-4 T. honey (I like more, plus I needed it for moisture)
2 T. cold milk
2 T. granulated sugar, for sprinkling

Preheat your oven to 325°F. Cut out two sheets of parchment as large as your cookie sheets.

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flours, salt, cocoa, sugar, and baking powder. With a pastry blender, two knives, or your fingertips, cut the butter into the flour mixture until evenly crumbly. In a separate bowl, combine the honey and milk, stirring until the honey dissolves. Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and toss lightly with a fork until the dough comes together. Add additional milk, if necessary.

[Alternately, place the dry ingredients in a food processor, pulse 5 times, add the pecans, pulse 2-3 times. Then, add the butter, and pulse until mixture looks like sand, then add the wet ingredients and pulse until the mixture comes together, adding more milk or honey if needed. ]

Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and fold it over gently 10 to 12 times, until smooth. Divide the dough in half. Work with half the dough at a time, keeping the remaining dough covered.

Transfer one piece of dough to a piece of parchment. Roll it into a rectangle a bit larger than 10 x 14 inches; the dough will be about 1/16-inch thick. Trim the edges and prick the dough evenly with a dough docker or fork. Sprinkle with a tablespoon of sugar. Repeat with the remaining dough and parchment. Place the rolled-out dough pieces, on their parchment, onto baking sheets.

Bake the crackers for 15 minutes, or until you begin to smell chocolate. Remove them from the oven, and immediately cut them into rectangles with a pizza wheel or knife. Transfer them to a rack to cool. Store the cooled crackers tightly wrapped. Yield: thirty-two 3 1/2 x 2 1/2-inch crackers.

Best Granola Bars I’ve Ever Had/Made

April 2, 2015April 2, 2015Leave a comment

Well, I’m sure almost anyone who has googled “energy bar recipe” like I did has seen this bar, since it comes from the first hit, but it’s time for me to publish how much I like them! After making them the first time, I went to the store the next morning to buy all the ingredients to make them again, in case my kids finished them off after school. They are so good, I’m a little embarrassed I’ve ever purchased a granola bar. And though I’m sure I’ll buy granola bars again, I will always wish I had taken time to make these instead. Soooo good. So Good. This recipe comes from beardandbonnet.com, but I’ve altered it a bit for our taste.

Sweet Pine Nut and Puffed Rice Bars

1 c. pecans, chopped
1 c. oats
⅓ c. pine nuts
¼ c. flax seeds
⅔ c. light brown sugar
½ c. honey
4 T. unsalted butter
½ t. salt
2 t. vanilla extract
4 c. puffed brown rice cereal (also could mix in puffed Kamut or Millet)
1/4 c. water

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the pecans, oats, pine nuts, and flax seeds on the sheet and bake about 8 minutes or until fragrant. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
In a saucepan, bring the sugar, honey, butter, water, and salt to a boil over medium heat, making sure that the sugar dissolves before the mixture boils. Simmer until a light brown caramel forms, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.
Pour the caramel over the nut and oat mixture. Stir in the brown rice cereal until evenly coated.
Line an 11×17 inch baking pan with parchment paper, extend the paper over the sides of the pan to use as a handle later. Pour the cereal mixture into the baking dish and spread out into an even layer. Cover the pan with a second piece of parchment and press down to compress the bars. Let the mixture stand for about 2 hours until firm.
Discard the top piece of parchment and use the “handles” from the second piece of parchment to gently remove the cereal square from the pan then cut into bars and serve.

GIngerbread Castle

March 12, 2015March 12, 2015Leave a comment

When my oldest son had to make a castle for school, he had the brilliant idea of making it out of gingerbread. So, we now have proof that he did get some of my genes! Luckily, someone had pioneered this adventure before, and I found a lovely blogger who really mapped out the whole project for us. And, I found an amazing gingerbread recipe. It reminds me of a gingery graham cracker, and it is chewy and almost tastes like honey. So good.

This whole castle, after taken to school and graded, went down in a matter of minutes by a crowd of six-graders and siblings. It was delightful to watch, and incredibly messy to clean up! This recipe comes from alipyper.blogspot, who also gives a template for the castle, if you have need! But we will make this again soon, just for snacking.

Gingerbread House Recipe
Makes one large gingerbread house or one sheet of gingerbread for snacking!

3/4 c. unsalted butter, room temperature
1 c. sugar
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/4 c. dark molasses
2 c. flour
1/2 t. salt
1 T. ground ginger
1 t. ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350º F.

Cream butter and sugar. Add slightly beaten egg and dark molasses. Mix well. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Cookie dough should pull away from the edges of the bowl, but should not be too dry (If you are rolling out the dough for cut out gingerbread cookies, add a bit more flour so that the dough is stiffer). Turn out dough onto an ungreased 18″ x 13″ x 1″ cookie sheet [I parchment for precaution] and flatten dough, completely covering the bottom of the pan. Smooth it, then lay out gingerbread house pieces and score the pattern with a sharp paring knife.

Bake for 12 – 14 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Gingerbread is done when the top is golden brown. As soon as you remove the cookie sheet from the oven score the pattern pieces again. Allow cookie sheet to cool 15 minutes. Carefully remove the excess gingerbread pieces, then using a metal spatula carefully remove the gingerbread house pieces to a cooling rack and cool completely.

Perfect Vanilla Pudding

March 3, 20152 Comments

So, I actually prefer vanilla flavors over chocolate, but it seems like chocolate usually dominates, and it is also admittedly tricky to find really great vanilla flavors that don’t rely heavily on processed-typed additives. So, I actually haven’t ever found a vanilla pudding that I loved, even though I have many chocolate or butterscotch recipes that are terrific. Needless to say, I was thrilled to try and love this recipe from a sweet Chronicle cookbook called Puddin’ by Clio Goodman, based on a cafe of sorts (i’m guessing) in NYC. This is a great recipe, and yes, we did put salted caramel sauce on top of it!

Vanilla Pudding

2 1/2 c. whole milk
2 1/2 c. heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped out and reserved
1 c. sugar
6 T. cornstarch
6 egg yolks (for something to do with the whites, try macarons!)
1/4 t. salt
2 t. vanilla extract

In a medium saucepan, heat the milk, cream, and vanilla bean and seeds until steaming but not boiling. Remove from heat and allow to steep 30 minutes. Chill completely in fridge, 1-2 hours. (I skipped the fridge part, being impatient.)

Add sugar, cornstarch, egg yolks, and salt to saucepan and whisk vigorously.

Place pot over medium-high heat and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture begins to thicken, 5-6 minutes. (Once you can lift the whisk from the pudding and it leaves a faint shadow, it’s done. Pudding will seem fairly loose, but it will thicken up further as it chills.)

Strain the pudding through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing pudding through sieve with a silicone spatula. Whisk in vanilla extract.

Cool at room temperature for 10 minutes, press a layer of plastic wrap onto the surface of the pudding, and chill completely in fridge, 2 hours.

Peanut Butter Toffee Cookies

February 23, 20151 Comment

This is another of Alice Medrich’s terrific cookies in her Chewy, Gooey, Crispy, Crunchy cookie book that I’m so fond of. I made these at Christmastime, and loved them, though they are admittedly not the most usual cookie for holiday treats. All that aside, I’m very glad to have discovered this recipe, and my sons are very glad that I started buying toffee peanuts. With or without the cookies.

A small note: these cookies look picture-perfect out of the oven, but are quite prone to crumbling, especially when stacked. For best appearance, keep them stored in an airtight container, just one layer deep, if it actually comes to that!

Peanut Butter Toffee Cookies
Yield 15-18 Cookies

8 T. (113 grams) unsalted butter, melted and warm
1/2 c. (100 grams) light or dark brown sugar
1/2 c. (100 grams) granulated sugar
1 c. (255 grams) natural (the kind that is unsweetened and requires stirring) chunky peanut butter, well-stirred to blend in the oil before measuring
3/4 t. salt
1/2 t. baking soda
1 t. pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 1/3 c. (170 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/4 c. (140 grams) purchased coconut toffee peanuts or toffee peanuts, coarsely chopped
Flaky sea salt for sprinkling (optional)

In a large bowl, combine the melted butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, peanut butter, salt, baking soda, vanilla, and egg. Whisk until thoroughly blended. Add the flour and mix with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon just until evenly incorporated.

Cover the dough and refrigerate for an hour or two, or up to 2 days.

Position the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 325° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Pour the chopped nuts into a shallow bowl. Scoop about 2 level teaspoons of dough for each cookie, shape into a 1-inch ball or a fat little log, and coat the top and sides heavily with the chopped nuts, pressing in any pieces that fall off so that there are no bald spots. Place 2 inches apart on the lined baking sheets. If you like, sprinkle each cookie with a very tiny pinch of crushed flaky sea salt.

Bake the cookies until they are lightly colored on top (and underneath), 15 to 18 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking. The cookies will seem very soft to the touch, but they will firm up as they cool. Set the baking sheets on a rack to cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for at least 2 weeks.

A New Fave: My Ginger Cookie

February 13, 2015February 13, 20153 Comments

I could probably attach the title “new fave” to almost every cookie in Alice Medrich’s Chewy, Gooey, Crispy and Crunchy book, because everything I have tried is simply fantastic. But this ginger cookie is terrific, and has a different place in my reportoire than the Best Recipe’s, though I love that one too (see Molasses Spice Cookies). After a conversation I had tonight with my friend Rachel, I realized I had never posted this recipe, and it was high time! especially since winter is feeling close to over here in the Rocky Mountains and these cookies just epitomize an afternoon with a cold chill in the air. These are also a favorite (surprisingly to me!) of, I think, two of my kids, Henry and Peter. Incidentally, this recipe works fantastically at high altitudes, too.

My Ginger Cookies

2 c. (9 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
2 t. baking soda
2 t. ground ginger
1 ½ t. ground cinnamon
½ t. ground allspice
¼ t. salt
8 T. (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and still warm
¼ c. unsulfured mild or full-flavored molasses (not Blackstrap)
½ c. (3.5 ounces) granulated sugar
1/3 c. (2.33 ounces) packed brown sugar or light muscovado sugar
2 T. finely minced fresh ginger (I omit this; it’s too much for my little ones!)
1 large egg
¾ c. (4 ounces) ginger chips or crystallized ginger, cut into ¼ -inch dice
About ½ c. (3.5 ounces) Demerara or turbinado sugar or ¼ c. (1.75 ounces) granulated sugar for rolling

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven.

Combine the flour, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and salt in a medium bowl and mix thoroughly with a whisk.

Combine the warm butter, molasses, sugars, fresh ginger, and egg in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Add the flour mixture and ginger chips and stir until incorporated. The dough will be soft.

Form the dough into 1-inch balls (0.5 ounce dough for each). Roll the balls in the Demerara sugar and place them 2 inches apart on the lined or ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies puff up and crack on the surface and then begin to deflate in the oven. Rotate the sheets from top to bottom and from back to front halfway through the baking time to ensure even baking. For chewier cookies, remove them from the oven when at least half or more of the cookies have begun to deflate; for crunchier edges with chewy centers, bake for a minute or so longer.

Candied Orange Peel

February 2, 20152 Comments

I’ve tried a few recipes for candied orange peel, and this is the one I like the best. It’s simple and it’s consistently good, though I have to admit I slightly botched it this last time, which is unfortunate since the photo is of this time. You’ll note the extra sugar on the orange peels–I let it go a second too long, and I must have had some sugar in the pot that hadn’t dissolved, hence my small problem. Luckily, it still tastes fine. This recipe comes from a great little book called Brittles, Barks, and Bonbons. Some more reasons I love making candied orange peel: you’re making something out of a product you would otherwise throw away, it can be stored for a long, long time in your fridge, and then I can make my favorite chocolate bark (see my last post). Win win, win.

Candied Orange Peel

5 medium navel oranges, preferably organic (you might also want to try a mix of grapefruit and lemon peels, too)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups water

1. Scrub the oranges. Slice the stem end off the orange and place the cut end on a cutting board. Make vertical cuts, about 1 inch apart, all the way through the peel. Carefully peel off the scored sections of rind. With a sharp paring knife, trim away as much of the white pith from the peel as you can. Cut each portion of peel lengthwise into 1/4-inch-wide strips.

2. Place the orange peels in a small pan and add enough cold water to cover. Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Drain the peels and set aside.

3. Place the pan over medium-low heat and add the 1 1/2 cups each sugar and water. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the orange peels to the simple syrup and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until they are soft and translucent, about 40 minutes.

4. Place a wire cooling rack over a rimmed baking sheet lined with wax paper. Use a slotted spoon or tongs to transfer the peels to the rack. Let stand until still slightly tacky but almost dry, about 1 hour.