Monthly Archives: March 2022

Not Very Thin Mint Cookies

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Spring is thin mint cookie season. At QC’s request. I made Not Very Thin Mint Cookies for her Mah Jongg group. This was not my first thin mint rodeo. The mint flavor was strong the first time, so this time I didn’t add mint extract to the chocolate coating and the hint ‘o mint was perfect.

I coated the cookies with milk chocolate (31% cacao) rather than the dark chocolate (first attempt) or the second attempt with semi-sweet chocolate coating. The dark (64%) and semi-sweet (46%.)

The dark chocolate did not add enough sweetness to counter the strong mint flavor. The semi-sweet was a big improvement, so why not go a little sweeter yet? I am not a big fan of milk chocolate and I felt the last attempt was past the mark. I remember back when I was a professional photographer—when printing photos always go past what you think the perfect exposure/contrast is… just to be sure. Semi-sweet is the winner.

The liquidity of the chocolate is inversely proportional to the sweetness. This means the thickness of the chocolate coating increases with sweetness, which if you are not a fan of milk chocolate, is not a plus.

Thin Mint Cookies

INGREDIENTS
• ½ cup butter
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 cup AP flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup special dark cocoa powder
• ½ teaspoon pure peppermint extract
Chocolate Coating:
• 8 ounces baking chocolate
• ¼ teaspoon vegetable oil
• ¼ teaspoon pure peppermint extract

METHOD

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder. Whisk until smooth.
  3. In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Mix in the egg and peppermint extract. Gradually mix in the dry ingredients until the dough comes together. Use your hands to form the dough into a ball.
  4. Place the ball of dough onto a sheet of parchment paper. Flatten it into a disk and put another piece of parchment paper on top.
  5. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to 1/4-inch thick. (I like to use chopsticks on either side of the dough to control the thickness.) Transfer the rolled dough, with the parchment paper, onto a baking sheet.
  6. Place the baking sheet in the freezer to chill for 10 minutes.
  7. Transfer the flattened dough to a countertop. Remove the top sheet of parchment paper and use it to line the baking sheet.
  8. Use a small, circular cookie cutter to cut out disks of dough. Transfer the cut disks onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving space in between. Because the dough is chilled, these cookies won’t spread while baking.
  9. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 11 minutes. Once baked, remove the cookies from the oven, then transfer the parchment paper and cookies to a cooling rack to fully cool.
  10. I temper chocolate using a sous vide. I find it is easier to control the temperature to modify the chocolate’s crystal structure. It is also easier to maintain the proper temper temperature while you dip and coat the cookies. Stir the chocolate until fully melted and stir in the peppermint extract.
  11. Use two forks to tip and flip the cookies. Once covered in chocolate, transfer each cookie back to the baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place the baking sheet in the fridge for 20 minutes to allow the chocolate to fully set and harden.

• Thin Mints are best enjoyed cold.
• Store in an airtight container in the freezer or fridge.
• Keep in the freezer for one to two months, or in the fridge for two weeks. This will also keep the chocolate coating at its best.
• Store in an airtight container for two days.

Rustic Italian Bread

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I ran across a four ingredient, no knead, no stretch and fold, Italian bread. I am on my third bake of this bread, each with minor tweaks.

Version 1 was as presented. Version 2 was as presented but baked in a Dutch oven (my preferred baking method.) Version 3 included Cake and Bread Enhancer (fifth ingredient) and was baked flat on a baking stone.

Version 1 was excellent. Version 2 was excellent. Version 3 was excellent. All three had great, crispy crusts and a soft tender crumb on the inside.

My current favorite is (was) my high hydration honey no-knead bread, but this may be my new go to. It’s even easier than the honey no-knead. Simply mix everything together the let it ferment for 2 hours. Gently pour out, (I do mean pour, it is high hydration, slack and sticky,) minimally shape and bake. All done!

My goal is to create larger holes in the bread. Version 2 (center) and 3 (right) were the best. I overworked the fermented dough a little too much in Version 1. Try, try, and try again!

Rustic Italian Bread

INGREDIENTS
• 380 g AP flour + more for dusting
• 20 g (3 Tbl) Bread Enhancer
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 350 g warm water
• 2 tsp active dry yeast

METHOD

  1. Add the flour, enhancer, salt and yeast to your stand mixer. Use the paddle attachment to mix and combine so no dry patches remain.
  2. Add the warm water and mix until everything is incorporated and a soft, wet dough forms. It will be a slack, sticky dough.
  3. Loosely cover the bowl with plastic and let the dough rise at room temperature (See tip below) for 2 to 3 hours or until doubled in size.
  4. Dust your kitchen counter with flour and scrape the very sticky dough out with a bowl scraper.
  5. With floured hands shape the dough into a ball (or batard,) deflating it as little as possible.
  6. Line a banneton with parchment paper. (See tip below)
  7. Place the ball of dough in the lined banneton smooth side up and let it rest while your oven heats up.
  8. Use a sharp knife or lame to lightly slash an X in the top of the loaf.
  9. Preheat your oven to 450 F with a dutch oven inside for about 45 minutes before baking the bread. Fill an oven proof bowl with 2 inches of water and place it on the bottom rack.
  10. Once hot, carefully transfer the bread loaf into the dutch oven using the parchment paper.
  11. Cover with the lid and bake for 30 minutes. Remove lid and bake another 5 minutes until golden brown on top. The internal temperature should be 205 F
  12. Remove the bread from the dutch oven and transfer to a cooling rack or it won’t stay crispy.

TIPS

  1. Lining a round banneton: Crumple parchment paper starting from the edges. You should end up with a ball which will smooth out to fill the round banneton
  2. Room temperature proofing: I like to put the bowl in an “off” oven with the light on. In the winter my kitchen tends to be cool (62-65 F) My “off” oven with the light on is 78o F.

From King Arthur Baking’s Cake and Bread Enhancer: A “miracle” ingredient for your cakes!

(From KAB) Our bakers have called this the “miracle” ingredient for many reasons: it makes cakes and other baked goods softer, moister, and helps them stay fresher longer. Our blend contains vegetable fats that act as emulsifiers, allowing the fats and liquids in your favorite recipe to combine more easily. The enhancer also acts as a stabilizer and texture enhancer. Cake enhancers are commonly used in professional bakeries to keep breads fresh and soft, and help cakes stay light and fluffy. It’s especially great for making soft sandwich loaves.