For some unknown reason, or a moment of weakness, QC and I volunteered to help our community’s wine club with their July wine tasting event. Even worse, I offered to make brownies to pair with the dessert wine for each of the 168 attendees.
For practice (I always practice) I made an 11”x15” pan of brownies and cut them into one inch squares. (Do the math.)
To make them s’moresy I piped some Italian meringue on top, browned some with a blowtorch and topped some with a raspberry. The raspberry isn’t very s’moresy, but I like raspberries.
CHOCOLATE AND RASPBERRY BROWNIE BARS
INGREDIENTS
BROWNIES • 4 large eggs • 1 ¼ cups dark cocoa • 1 teaspoon salt • 1 teaspoon baking powder • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract • 2 ¼ cups sugar 1 cup • 1 cup unsalted butter, melted • 1 ½ cups All-Purpose Flour • 1 cup chocolate chips • 1 cup Raspberry Jammy Bits • 3 Tbl seedless raspberry jam • 1 tablespoon water ½ Tbl water CHOCOLATE GANACHE GLAZE • ½ cup heavy cream • ½tablespoons light corn syrup (20g) • 1 1/3 cups (200 g)) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped • ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 11″ x 15″ pan. To make very even bars, line the pan with aluminum foil before baking, leaving foil sticking up above the edges of the pan.
Crack the eggs into a bowl, and beat them with the cocoa, salt, baking powder, and vanilla until smooth.
Add the sugar and melted butter, stirring until smooth.
Add the flour, chips, and Jammy Bits, again stirring well. The batter will be very thick.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth.
Bake the brownies for about 30 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean (205 degrees,) or with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it. The brownies should feel set on the edges, and the center should look moist, but not uncooked. Do not over bake! Remove them from the oven.
Heat the seedless raspberry jam with the water and stir until smooth. (I use 2 tsp of apply jelly, mixed with 1 tsp water and heated to melt the jelly.) Brush over the warm brownies. Set aside to cool for an hour or longer before topping with the ganache.
To make the ganache, heat the cream and corn syrup until they begin to steam. Pour over the chopped chocolate in a bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes, add any flavorings, and whisk until smooth. Let cool for 15 minutes or so.
Pour ganache over the brownies while it’s still warm but has begun to thicken — reheat if it thickens too much as you work. Allow several hours for the ganache to set up fully. You may refrigerate the brownies to hasten the setting of the ganache.
Remove the brownies from the pan using the aluminum foil sling. Heat a knife in hot water, wipe dry and use to cut the brownies. Repeat with each cut.
Just before serving, garnish brownies with fresh raspberries and confectioners’ sugar, if desired.
ITALIAN MERINGUE
INGREDIENTS • 3 egg whites room temperature • 2/3 cup caster sugar • 1/4 cup water • 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
METHOD
Wipe down all tools with white vinegar.
Place sugar and water mixture over medium heat for 5 minutes. Do not stir it at all during this time. The mixture will look cloudy.
Gently stir the mixture for 1 minute. There should be little to no granules of sugar left at this point.
Once the mixture begins to bubble from the bottom, 3 to 5 minutes, place the digital thermometer in the pot and increase to medium-high heat. Do not stir it at all after this.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip the eggs whites on low speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar, increase the speed to medium, and beat until soft peaks form.
Allow the sugar mixture to come to a boil and watch carefully. Once it reaches 230 °F turn stand mixer on highest speed to whip egg whites to peaks.
Once the sugar syrup reaches 240 °F, remove from heat and remove the probe. This takes about 4- 6 minutes. Allow the boiling to come to a slow bubble before moving on.
Slowly pour sugar syrup (steady stream) into whisked egg whites. Avoid the whisk attachment or it will fling your mixture all over the bowl.
Allow mixture to whisk for another 3-5 minutes until the mixer bowl is cool/room temperature to the touch..
Storing and Make Ahead Information:
Italian Meringue can be made ahead of time and stored in a piping bag or covered bowl, in the refrigerator covered for up to five days or at room temperature covered for up to three days.
I saw these somewhere and had to make them. Good tart and tasty after golf bake. Maybe use a graham cracker base next time.
Salted Margarita Bars
INGREDIENTS CRUST • ½ cup/113 grams unsalted butter (1 stick), melted, plus more for greasing the pan • About 40 saltine crackers (from one 4-ounce/113-gram sleeve) • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar • 1 teaspoon kosher salt FILLING • 2 teaspoons lime zest plus ½ cup juice (from about 4 limes) • ¼ cup tequila (preferably blanco) • 2 tablespoons orange liqueur, such as Grand Marnier • Pinch of kosher salt • 5 large egg yolks • 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk • Flaky salt, for finishing
METHOD
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-inch square baking pan with butter. Line the buttered pan with parchment, leaving an overhang on two sides to help pull the bars out of the pan.
CRUST: In a food processor, pulse the saltines until ground like coarse sand. It’s OK if there are a few larger pieces. Add the melted butter, sugar and salt, and pulse a few more times until all the crumbs are evenly saturated. Pour the mixture into the lined pan, press into an even layer and freeze for about 15 minutes.
After the crust has chilled, bake it until fragrant and golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes.
FILLING: As the crust is chilling, in a liquid measuring cup or small bowl, combine the lime zest, lime juice, tequila, orange liqueur and salt.
In a medium bowl whisk together the yolks and sweetened condensed milk. Add the tequila-lime mixture to the yolk mixture, whisk to combine, then pour into the prepared crust. (It’s OK if the crust is not yet completely cool.) You may be tempted to prepare the curd earlier, but don’t do so more than 10 minutes before baking, as the lime juice will start to thicken it, which could affect the bake.
Bake 15 to 17 minutes until the curd is set around the edges and slightly jiggly in the center.
Transfer to a rack to cool slightly, then freeze for at least 2 hours.
After freezing, remove the bars from the pan using the parchment paper overhang and transfer to a cutting board. Sprinkle with flaky salt, cut into 16 bars and serve right away. Store leftovers in the freezer. Cheers!
I am always pleased when asked to prepare some items for a party, large or small. Tonight is our annual temple baseball themed gala with an expected attendance of 100 people. I started this tradition in 2018, but missed a couple of years due to Covid etc.
Tonight Dede’ Bakery and Confectionary is serving chocolate/raspberry baseball field brownies, gluten free raspberry mousse tarts with baseball decorated cookies and key lime profiteroles with no baseball association whatsoever. (I just like them.)
GLUTEN FREE TARTS INGREDIENTS • 100 g cold butter cut into small cubes • 60 g icing sugar • 200 g Kim’s Bread flour blend • ½ tsp vanilla • ¼ tsp salt • 2 eggs – 1 for the dough and the other 1 reserved for an egg wash
METHOD
Mix dry Ingredients.
Lightly beat egg then add the melted butter.
Add wet to dry ingredients. Form into a dough ball.
Wrap the dough ball in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Roll to a 1/8” thick sheet between two pieces of parchment paper or plastic.
Cut rounds of the dough about an inch larger than the tart pans
Gently press the dough circles into the tart pans pressing into any flutes
Patch any breaks with extra dough
Dock the bottom of the crust. Wrap and keep in freezer at least 30 minutes.
Pre-bake the tart crust 8 to 10 minutes in preheated oven at 350 deg.
Depending on recipe, you may want to protect the crust of the tart with foil
Cool to room temperature
Fill with raspberry mousse.
Top with a raspberry and white sugar cookies with red baseball seams.
Combine raspberries and 2 Tbl confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl and add to a food processor and pulse until berries are reduced
Sieve the mixture allowing enough time for most of the raspberry juice to drip into a bowl, (enough to make 200ml (2/3 c) puree)
Add 1 Tbl vanilla pudding, softened cream cheese and 1/4 cup sweetener, raspberry powder and ouzo and beat until well combined (3-4 minutes on high.) Mix in red food coloring in 2 or 3 aliquots until desired color is attained.
In a large bowl, whip the heavy cream, vanilla pudding mix and confectioners sugar.
Add red food coloring (in several small amounts until desired color is attained) and whip to firm peaks.
Fold the raspberry mixture into the whipped cream until combined. Divide the mousse among 6 dessert cups, cover, or fill a piping bag and chill until set, about 1 hour.
KIM’S GLUTEN FREE BREAD FLOUR BLEND Yield: 700g (5 c) INGREDIENTS • 285g Bob’s Red Mill potato starch • 250g superfine white rice flour (DON’T use regular rice flour, ie Bob’s Red Mill) • 75g Tapioca flour • 75g Whey protein isolate or egg white protein. • 15g Xanthan gum METHOD
Weigh all ingredients and add to a stand mixer bowl
Mix on low, with bowl covered for 30 seconds
CHOCOLATE AND RASPBERRY BROWNIE BARS I made a 1 ½ recipe and used an 11×15 pan.
INGREDIENTS Brownies • 4 large eggs • 1 ¼ c dark cocoa • 1 tsp salt • 1 tsp baking powder • 2 tsp vanilla extract • 2 ¼ c sugar • 1 c unsalted butter, melted • 1 ½ c All-Purpose Flour • 1 c chocolate chips • 1 c Raspberry Jammy Bits • 3 Tbl seedless raspberry jam • 1 Tbl water Chocolate Ganache Glaze • 1 Tbl cup heavy cream • 1 Tbl light corn syrup (20g) • 2 ⅔ c (400g) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped • 1 Tbl vanilla extract
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9″ x 13″ pan. To make very even bars, line the pan with aluminum foil before baking, leaving foil sticking up above the edges of the pan.
Crack the 4 eggs into a bowl, and beat them with the cocoa, salt, baking powder, and vanilla until smooth.
Add the sugar and melted butter, stirring until smooth.
Add the flour, chips, and Jammy Bits, again stirring well. The batter will be very thick.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth.
Bake the brownies for about 30 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean (205 degrees,) or with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it. The brownies should feel set on the edges, and the center should look moist, but not uncooked. Do not over bake! Remove them from the oven.
Heat the seedless raspberry jam with the water and stir until smooth. (I use 2 tsp of apple jelly, mixed with 1 tsp water and heated to melt the jelly.) Brush over the warm brownies. Set aside to cool for an hour or longer before topping with the ganache.
To make the ganache, heat the cream and corn syrup until they begin to steam. Pour over the chopped chocolate in a bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes, add any flavorings, and whisk until smooth. Let cool for 15 minutes or so.
Pour ganache over the brownies while it’s still warm but has begun to thicken — reheat if it thickens too much as you work. Allow several hours for the ganache to set up fully. You may refrigerate the brownies to hasten the setting of the ganache.
Remove the brownies from the pan using the aluminum foil sling. Heat a knife in hot water, wipe dry and use to cut the brownies. Repeat with each cut.
KEY LIME PROFITEROLES INGREDIENTS Whipped Cream Key Lime Curd: • ½ c white sugar • 2 Tbl cornstarch • ¼ tsp kosher salt • 1 large egg, plus 2 large egg yolks • 2 tsp lime zest • ⅔ c key lime juice • ⅔ c sweetened condensed milk • 2 Tbl butter • ¾ c heavy whipping
Choux Pastry: • ½ c (65 grams) AP flour • ½ tsp granulated white sugar • ¼ tsp salt • 4 tbsp (55 grams) unsalted butter, cut into pieces • ½ c (120 ml) water • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten White Chocolate Raspberry Ganache • 150 g confectioner’s sugar • 50 g heavy cream • 1 Tbl freeze-dried raspberry powder • Red food coloring • Coarse decorating sugar
METHOD
Preheat oven to 400° F (200° C) and place rack in center of oven.
In a bowl whisk the flour with the sugar and salt.
Place the butter and water in a saucepan over medium high heat and bring to a boil.
Remove from heat and, with a wooden spoon, add the flour mixture, all at once, and stir until combined. It will look like mashed potatoes. Return saucepan to the heat and stir constantly until the dough comes away from the sides of the pan and forms a thick smooth ball (about 1-2 minutes). The dough will film the bottom and sides of the saucepan and make cleaning a pain.
Transfer the dough to an electric mixer and beat on low speed to release the steam from the dough (about 1 minute).
Once the dough is lukewarm start adding the lightly beaten eggs (dough will separate and then come together) and continue to mix until you have a smooth thick paste (dough will fall from a spoon in a thick ribbon).
Place the dough in a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip and pipe oblongs of dough (about 3/4 inch (2 cm) wide) onto the parchment lined baking sheet. (When piping hold the bag at a 45-degree angle.) If desired, with a pastry brush, gently brush the tops of the dough with the lightly beaten egg.
Bake for 15 minutes and then reduce the oven temperature to 350o F (180o C).
Remove from oven, pierce an end of each éclair with a small skewer to release the interior steam.
Continue to bake for a further 25 minutes or until the shells are a nice amber color and when split, are almost dry inside. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
Warm white chocolate to soften (30 seconds in a 1000W microwave)
Heat whipping cream to steam, but not boil and pour over the softened white chocolate
Let sit 3-4 minutes then add freeze dried raspberry, red food coloring and beat with a spoon until the mixture is smooth
After filling the profiteroles with the key lime curd dip the top into the warm ganache and sprinkle with decoration sugar. ROYAL ICING Makes ~3 cups of royal icing, (¼ recipe decorated 48 1” diameter cookies) INGREDIENTS • 4 cups (480g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted • 3 Tablespoons meringue powder (not plain egg white powder) • 9–10 Tablespoons room temperature water METHOD
Sift confectioners’ sugar and meringue powder, into a large bowl and add 9 Tablespoons of water. Add half the water after sifting 2 cups of sugar. Add the remaining water or more, checking flow consistency of the icing is what you want for piping etc.
Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat icing ingredients together on high speed for 1.5 – 2 minutes.
When lifting the whisk up off the icing, the icing should drizzle down and smooth out within 5-10 seconds. If it’s too thick, beat in more water 1 Tablespoon at a time. I usually need 10 Tablespoons but on particularly dry days, I use up to 12-14 Tablespoons. Keep in mind that the longer you beat the royal icing, the thicker it becomes. If your royal icing is too thin, just keep beating it to introduce more air OR you can add more confectioners’ sugar.
When applied to cookies or confections in a thin layer, icing completely dries in about 2 hours at room temperature. If icing consistency is too thin and runny, it will take longer to dry. If the icing is applied very thick on cookies, it will also take longer to dry. If you’re layering royal icing onto cookies for specific designs and need it to set quickly, place cookies in the refrigerator to help speed it up.
We are going to a gala at our temple next month and our administrator asked if I would make some desserts for the baseball themed event. At this point my providing pastries and other baked goods is more or less a tradition.
These tartlets are the first of three types of pastries I am making. In deference to a gluten intolerant friend these tartlets are gluten free, but you could not tell from the taste and texture. They are wonderful. (No brag, just fact, for anyone old enough to remember that TV line.)
For gluten free pastries I mix a specialty flour from an online baker named Kim. (Search Kim’s Artisan Bread Flour for more info.) It is an exceptional gluten free flour.
New design after QC’s brilliant suggestion!
A couple of weeks ago my uphill neighbors gave me a bag of oranges and I have been concocting ways of processing and returning them. These tartlets have a layer of fresh orange mousse, covered with a layer of dark chocolate mousse. The entire tartlet is topped with a gluten free sugar cookie striped with royal icing to give the impression of a baseball. Whew!
(If I tell you the cookie topping is supposed to be a baseball would that help?)
Key Lime Tartlets Using Kim’s Bread Flour
INGREDIENTS • 100 g cold butter cut into small cubes • 60 g icing sugar • 200 g Kim’s Bread flour • ½ tsp vanilla • ¼ tsp salt • 2 eggs – 1 for the dough and the other 1 reserved for an egg wash
METHOD
Mix butter with sugar until well incorporated 3-5 min
Add salt then vanilla.
Add egg and mix 3-5 min
Stir in flour. Mix by hand until incorporated and forms a thick smooth(ish) sticky dough
Cover with plastic and refrigerate for 30 min.
Butter or lightly spray tartlet pans or use non-stick pans.
Roll dough between parchment paper to about ⅛” thick
Refrigerate rolled dough still between parchment paper until firm: 20 – 30 minutes
Remove from fridge and while still firm, cut dough to rounds about 1” larger diameter than the mold. Cut all the rounds at once while still firm. If necessary, return to the fridge to firm up. Again, if necessary, use an offset spatula to remove the circles from the parchment paper. Keep the spatula clean.
Lay tart dough circles over molds. This allows the dough to thaw slightly, then gently press into the molds and fill all crevices.
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
Return to fridge for 15 – 20 min to firm up the shell
Prick holes in bottom of formed dough
Place a mini cupcake paper in each tart and fill with with pastry weights (or beans)
Paint edges of the tartlet with an egg-white wash. (Whisk one egg white with 1 Tbl water)
Bake in preheated oven 350 deg F (175 C) for 8 min until edges are dry
Remove pastry weights and bake an additional 4-6 minutes to dry the bottoms. Bake until the edges begin to turn light brown and the bottom is nearly dry. (I find it easier to dump the weights into a bowl then remove the cupcake papers.)
Immediately remove from pans and cool on a wire rack
Dark Chocolate Mousse
INGREDIENTS • ½ c chopped chocolate (72 percent) • 1 c heavy cream • 4 large egg yolks • ⅓ c sugar • Whipped cream, for serving • Chocolate shavings, for garnish
METHOD
Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a water bath, making sure the water is not boiling. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream to soft peaks.
Place the egg yolks in a small bowl and set over the same water bath to slightly heat while beating them with a whisk.
Add the sugar to the yolks and then transfer the mixture to a stand mixer set up with the whisk attachment. Beat until the sugar is completely dissolved and the yolks double in size, about 5 minutes.
Carefully fold the chocolate into the yolks.
Lastly, fold in the whipped cream.
Store the mousse in an unopened piping bag until ready to fill the tartlets.
When ready to assemble the tartlets pipe about ¼” of chocolate mousse on top of the orange mousse. Store in a refrigerator to keep cold.
Orange Mousse
INGREDIENTS • ½ c orange juice • ¼ c plus 1 tablespoons sugar • 1/8 tsp salt • 2 egg yolks • 2 tbl unsalted butter, at room temperature • ¼ tsp orange zest (from ¼ orange) • ½ c heavy cream • ¼ tsp vanilla extract • Orange gel food coloring (optional)
METHOD
In a small saucepan set over medium heat, bring the orange juice to a boil and cook until reduced by half, about 4 minutes.
Meanwhile in a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup of the sugar, the salt and yolks until smooth. Whisking constantly, add half of the reduced orange juice to the yolk mixture to temper.
When it is all incorporated, return the tempered yolk mixture to the pan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula to prevent the eggs from scrambling, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 7 minutes.
Strain the mixture into a clean bowl and whisk in the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, and the zest. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the mixture and refrigerate until chilled through, at least 5 hours.
Pour the heavy cream into a medium bowl and add the vanilla and the remaining tablespoon sugar. Using an electric mixer, beat the cream on medium speed just until stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes, being careful avoid over-beating.
Using a rubber spatula, gently fold half of the whipped cream into the chilled orange mixture. Pour that mixture into the remaining whipped cream and continue to fold until completely incorporated.
Transfer the mixture to an unopened piping bag, close the end and refrigerate until ready to use.
When ready to assemble the tartlets pipe about ¼” of orange mousse into the bottom of refrigerated tartlet shells. Store in a refrigerator to keep cold.
Kim’s Gluten Free Bread Flour Blend
Yield: 700g (5 c) INGREDIENTS
285g Bob’s Red Mill potato starch
250g superfine white rice flour (DON’T use regular rice flour, ie Bob’s Red Mill)
75g Tapioca flour
75g Whey protein isolate or egg white protein.
15g Xanthan gum
METHOD
Mix all ingredients, place in an air tight container and shake well to mix everything together.
I saw an article rating (in the author’s opinion) the best chocolate chip cookie recipes and this was #1. It’s actually a toffee/chocolate chip cookie, but with the seriously heavy density of chocolate I felt it really deserved to be in this category.
These cookies require significantly more work and time than a “standard” cookie, but if you are looking for something outside the norm give these a try.
I followed the directions on the first browned butter try. After they went up in a cloud of not very pleasant burnt sugar, I “binned” them. (Binned is a GBBO term.) In the second attempt, I lowered the heat from medium high to low. I realize these terms are relative and individual results may vary.
The resultant cookies were about 3” diameter and a good thickness. The texture was excellent and the predominant flavor was chocolate with overtones of brown sugar and toffee. Were they the “best ever”? I guess I will have to keep trying.
Below is the modified recipe.
Browned Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies
INGREDIENTS • 2 sticks (227 g) unsalted butter • ½ (100 g) cup granulated sugar • 1 cup (200 g) lightly packed dark brown sugar • 1 ½ cups (190 g) all-purpose flour • 1 cup (127 g) bread flour • 1 tsp baking soda • 1 tsp fine sea salt • 1 tsp instant espresso powder, optional • ½ tsp baking powder • 2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature • 2 tsp vanilla • 10 ounces (283 grams) semisweet chocolate, chopped • 1 cup toffee bits, homemade or Heath • Flaky sea salt, for finishing
METHOD
In a medium stainless pan set over low heat, melt the butter. Swirling the pan occasionally, it should become foamy as the water boils off. Once the mixture quiets, stir until the butter develops a nutty aroma and brown bits start to form at the bottom. When the bits turn amber, immediately remove from heat and pour into the bowl of a stand mixer or it will burn. Be sure to include the brown bits at the bottom of the pan.
Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar to the hot butter, stirring to combine. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
In a medium bowl, combine the flours, baking soda, salt, espresso powder, and baking powder.
Whisk in the eggs, yolk, and vanilla into the cooled butter mixture until combined. Gradually stir in the flour mixture with a rubber spatula. Stir in the chocolate chunks and toffee bits. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 24 hours but no more than 72 hours.
Let dough sit at room temperature just until it is soft enough to scoop, about 1 hour. (In my kitchen the block of dough was still too hard to scoop so I used a knife to cut the dough into 50g portions, rolled them into balls with my hands and placed on a parchment lined baking sheet.)
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
At this point, you can portion the dough, place it on a baking sheet, and freeze just until solid. Remove frozen balls of dough to an airtight container and store for up to 6 weeks.
Bake for 10 – 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and sprinkle flaky sea salt on top of the cookies, if desired. Let cookies cool for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Homemade Toffee Bits
INGREDIENTS • 1 stick (113 grams) unsalted American butter • 1 cup (200 grams) light brown sugar • 1 teaspoon fine salt
METHOD
Line a small rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
In a heavy-bottomed small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the sugar and salt and whisk vigorously for one minute until combined. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture looks like melted peanut butter and a candy thermometer reaches 295 to 305°F, about 10 minutes.
If the mixture separates at all, remove from heat and whisk vigorously until recombined. Return to heat and continue cooking.
Immediately and carefully pour the hot toffee onto the prepared baking pan, allowing it to spread into an even layer. Let cool and harden for about 20 minutes.
Place the sheet of toffee on a cutting board or in a zip top bag. Use a mallet, rolling pin, or heavy object to crack it into small pieces. You can also cut into bits with a sharp serrated knife. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
I was given a dozen miniature lemons from a friend. I decided to return them to her after some “processing.” She is also off processed sugar, so I substituted honey for the granulated sugar.
This morning’s batch was good, but slightly over-baked. The tops didn’t look quite brown enough, but after removing them from the pan I discovered they were indeed over-baked. This recipe was adapted from Ricardo Cuisine.
I reduced the baking time by 2 minutes for this evening’s batch (a different recipe from this morning. This recipe was adapted from Baker By Nature.) For the final batch tomorrow I’ll reduce the time by another minute. I would like the fluted side to be a nice golden brown. If you try this recipe I would suggest adding a few tablespoons of lemon juice.
Some needed to be “naked” as they were destined for someone who was off processed sugar.
INGREDIENTS • 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, melted until browned • 2 tsp vanilla extract • 3 tsp lemon zest, finely grated. • 1 c all-purpose flour • 1 ¼ tsp baking powder • ¼ tsp salt • 3 large eggs, at room temperature • 3/4 c granulated sugar (optional 125 g honey) • ½ c confectioners sugar, sifted, (optional)
METHOD
Cut the butter in tablespoons and place them in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, reduce the heat to low and continue cooking, until the solids sink to the bottom of the pan and turn golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and pour the browned butter into a small bowl. Stir the vanilla and lemon zest into the butter, then set aside to cool.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside until needed.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs at medium speed while gradually adding the sugar. Once all of the sugar has been added, increase the speed to medium-high and continue whipping the mixture until it’s very thick and pale in color, about 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the mixer off and, using a silicon spatula, fold in the flour mixture in three additions, stirring just until combined. Fold in the butter mixture.
Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, and up to 2 days.
30 minutes before you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees (F). Generously brush the molds of your madeleine pan (even if they are non-stick) with butter.
Spoon teaspoons full of the batter into the center of each mold. You don’t need to spread the batter.
Bake for 10-11 minutes, or until the “bellies” have risen and their tops are a very light golden.
Cool madeleines in the pan placed on a cooling rack for a minute or two, then gently loosen them from the molds. If they stick, carefully run a small knife around the edge of the cakes until they release.
Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve warm, with coffee or tea.
I received a personalized email from King Arthur Baking (along with probably a million other customers) proclaiming their selection of the recipe of the year for 2024. How could I resist.?
There were two interesting techniques that I never used in cookies. The first was making brown butter. This adds a rich caramel taste. The other was tangzhong, which is used in many Japanese breads to provide a soft, fluffy texture.
I never made brown butter before (but will again) and was an unsure when it was “done.” The recipe states it will foam near the end, but it also foams near the beginning. The second foam is very fine and if you stir the butter and you can see the browned butter with some bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.
I also formed the dough into balls before refrigerating overnight. It seemed like s sensible step.
All the ingredients are readySecond “fine” foamIt looks lumpy bit thats okAn ice cream scoop was about right to make 90g balls of dough. They can be close together until ready to bake.Balls need to be well spaced or they will meld together.Well, they were not spaced out enough!Soft and chewy as claimed, great flavor with hints of caramel.
Chocolate Chip Cookies – Supersized, Super Soft from KAB
PREP-45 mins: BAKE-15 to 22 mins: TOTAL-1 day 1 hr: YIELD-16 to 17 large (4″) cookies or 28 medium (3″) cookies
INGREDIENTS • 2 cups (426g) light brown sugar, packed • 2 teaspoons table salt • 16 tablespoons (226g) unsalted butter, cut into 1″ pieces • 1/2 cup (113g) milk, whole preferred • 2 3/4 cups (330g) King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour, divided • 2 large eggs, cold from the refrigerator • 1 tablespoon King Arthur Pure Vanilla Extract • 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda • 2 cups (340g) semisweet chocolate, preferably 60% to 65% cocoa content* *Use chopped wafers or bars for best results; if using chocolate chips, chop them roughly before incorporating. (My chocolate chips were small so I didn’t chop them.)
METHOD
In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar and salt. Set aside.
To brown the butter: In a saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. After several minutes, the butter will sizzle and may spatter. Continue to cook the butter, swirling the pan regularly, for about 5 to 7 minutes, until it’s a dark golden brown color and brown bits start collecting at the bottom of the pan; the butter will have stopped sizzling and may also have a layer of foam on the surface.
Once the butter is browned, immediately pour it over the sugar mixture (be sure to scrape out the brown bits at the bottom) and whisk vigorously to combine; this helps dissolve the sugar slightly and creates the shiny surface of the baked cookies. (The mixture will stay lumpy and won’t become smooth at this point.) Set the empty saucepan aside to cool slightly.
To make the tangzhong: In the same saucepan used to brown the butter, combine the milk with 3 tablespoons (23g) of the bread flour and whisk until no lumps remain.
Place the saucepan over low heat and cook the mixture, stirring regularly with a whisk and then a flexible spatula, until it’s thickened, paste-like, and starts to come together into one mass, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Remove from the heat and transfer directly to the bowl with the butter and sugar. Whisk until mostly smooth; some lumps of the tangzhong mixture are OK.
Add the eggs and vanilla and continue whisking until smooth.
Weigh or measure the remaining 2 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon (307g) bread flour by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess. Add the bread flour to the bowl with the butter and sugar, then add the baking powder and baking soda. Using a whisk or flexible spatula, stir until well combined and no dry spots remain.
Place the bowl, uncovered, in the refrigerator and allow it to cool for 10 to 15 minutes.
While the batter is cooling, use a serrated knife to roughly chop the chocolate into coarse pieces. Avoid chopping the chocolate too fine, as small pieces will melt when mixed into the dough.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and fold in the chopped chocolate. (Dough weighs 1440g. This will make sixteen 90g cookies before baking.)
Return the dough to the refrigerator for 1 – 2 hours.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and form the dough into 85g to 90g balls, (50g for small cookies,) flatten slightly with the palm of your hand to about 3” diameter circles, cover and return to the refrigerator for 24 to 72 hours to allow the flavors to intensify.
To bake the cookies: When you’re ready to bake, remove the chilled cookie dough from the refrigerator and let it rest at room temperature for about 10 to 15 minutes to allow it to warm up slightly. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the center.
Arrange the cookie dough balls on parchment-lined baking sheets, them 3″ to 4″ apart. (Five dough balls fit perfectly on a half-sheet pan. The 90g cookies can be arranged in a 2-1-2 pattern; the 50g cookies can be arranged in a slightly staggered 4 x 2 pattern.) For consistently shaped cookies, roll each piece of dough into a smooth ball before baking.
Bake the large (90g) chocolate chip cookies for 18 to 22 minutes or the smaller (50g) cookies for 15 to 18 minutes, until the edges are set and the cookies are browned, rotating the pan halfway through baking to ensure even browning. (For best results, bake one pan of cookies at a time.) Remove the cookies from the oven and let them rest on the baking sheets until cool enough to handle, at least 15 minutes.
Storage information: Store leftover chocolate chip cookies, covered, for up to 5 days; their slightly crispy edges will soften and the cookies will maintain a soft texture. Freeze baked cookies for longer storage.
This week was our son, Neil’s, birthday. He is a coffee Q Grader, cat owner and competitive pin ball player. This cake was in honor of one of his many accomplishments?
It’s based on my extreme chocolate cake, shortbread cookies and added a new meringue buttercream frosting. It was a relatively small cake so the decorations were somewhat oversized, but overall it was acceptable.
The red and white is royal icing. The black and yellow is fondant.
Swiss Meringue Buttercream – From Sally’s Baking Addiction
INGREDIENTS • 6 large egg whites (approximately 230g) • 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar • 1 and 1/2 cups (3 sticks; 350g) unsalted butter, softened but still cool (60°F and firm) and cut into Tbsp size pieces • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract • 1/8 teaspoon salt
METHOD
Make sure all the tools you are using are completely cleaned, dried, and grease-free. A quick wipe with a little lemon juice or white vinegar is very helpful.
Separate the eggs 1 at a time into a small bowl, then transfer to the metal stand mixer bowl. Repeat with the remaining egg whites. This way, if a yolk breaks in one of them, you don’t waste the whole batch.
Whisk sugar into the egg whites, then set the bowl over a saucepan filled with two inches of simmering water over medium heat assuring the bottom of the egg whites bowl don’t touch the water.
Whisk the whites and sugar constantly until sugar is dissolved and mixture has thinned out, about 4 minutes. The mixture will be thick and tacky at first, then thin out and be frothy white on top. To test that it’s ready, you can use your finger, or an instant read thermometer. Lightly and quickly dip your finger (it’s very hot, be careful) and rub the mixture between your thumb and finger. You shouldn’t feel any sugar granules. If using a thermometer, the temperature should read 160°F (71°C).
Don’t let it cool down to start this next step– it’s important to begin mixing while it is still warm. On medium-high speed, beat the mixture until stiff glossy peaks form and the meringue is no longer warm to the touch, at least 10-15 minutes. On particularly humid days, this has taken me up to 17-18 minutes. If it’s still not reaching stiff peaks, stop the mixer, place the bowl–uncovered–in the refrigerator for 10 minutes, then return to the mixer and continue beating until stiff peaks form.
If the bowl and meringue still feel warm, wait until both cool to room temperature (around 70°F (21°C)) before adding the butter in the next step. Feel free to place it in the refrigerator. A warm bowl and meringue will melt the butter.
Switch the stand mixer to the paddle attachment. On medium-high speed, add the butter 1 Tablespoon at a time. Wait for the butter to fully mix in before adding the next Tablespoon. After all the butter has been added, turn the mixer down to medium speed and fully beat in the vanilla and salt, about 30 seconds.
Add any color the beat until uniform. (Gel food coloring only.)
Your Swiss meringue buttercream should be thick, creamy, and silky smooth.
Notes Too Thick or Too Thin:
If your meringue has separated, curdled, or is too thick at any point after you mix in all of the butter, place the mixture in your heat-proof bowl back over a pot of 2 inches of simmering water.
Without stirring, let the edges of the meringue warm up and become liquid (the center of the meringue will still be solid), about 1-2 minutes.
Remove from heat and return to the mixer. Beat meringue on low speed for 30 seconds, then switch to medium-high speed and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. Works every time.
If your mixture has become too thin and soupy after you add the butter, place the entire bowl in the refrigerator (covered or uncovered, doesn’t matter) for 20 minutes to cool down, then return it to the mixer and beat on medium-high speed until thickened. Any longer than this will solidify the butter, so only refrigerate in 20 minute spurts. If it’s still soupy, place back in the refrigerator for longer before re-whipping again.
The second day of Mah Jongg at our house provided the opportunity to bake these black chocolate cookies again. (Follow the link for recipe and method.)
These are delicious cookies with the bitterness of the Dutch process cocoa offset by the sparkling sugar sprinkled on the top. Previously I flooded them with royal icing, (but this coarse sugar is easier.)
Thanks to my friend Beth here is a new chocolate chip cookie recipe. I can’t even tell you how long Beth and I have been friends. Our parents were life long friends before us and we simply continued the relationship.
This recipe has slightly different ingredient ratios than my “go-to” recipe. Plus it doesn’t use light brown sugar but substitutes turbinado sugar for the white granulated sugar, which adds a light caramel flavor. The author did not specify what kind of sugar to use, but the video showed a non-white sugar. The turbinado would add some of he flavor removed by not using the light brown sugar. (Full disclosure, I didn’t have any turbinado but did have some demarara which is similar to turbinado but a little darker and coarser.)
This author (Emojoie) only made 4 cookies (mine were 123g each) whereas next time I will make a dozen (~40g each) or so.
Chocolate Chip Cookies Best Ever from YouTube
INGREDIENTS • 100g butter, softened. • 80g Demerara or turbinado sugar • 1g salt • 50 g (1 large egg) • ½ tsp vanilla extract • 160g all-purpose flour • 3g baking soda • 100 g (3/4 c) chocolate chips • 50g hazelnuts (optional)
METHOD
Preheat oven to 375° F.
Beat by hand: butter, sugar and salt in large bowl until creamy. (Don’t over beat.)
Fork whip the egg and add in two additions mixing to incorporate after each addition
Add vanilla and mix well
Gradually add flour mixture mixing by hand. (Again, don’t over beat.) it should form one large ball between wet and dry dough.
Stir in morsels and optional hazelnuts and mix by hand.
Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Divide the dough into 135 g portions
Form into balls with hands and add more chocolate to the top
Bake for 13 – 14 minutes or until golden brown. Do NOT overbake!
Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.
aBatteredOldSuitcase 