White | Baptism Cake

Over the holidays, we scheduled to have Broderick baptized but life had other plans and for various reasons we had to re-schedule it. I couldn’t let this pretty cake from Waldi at Cake and Candy Specialties in Sacramento go without photographing a few pictures of it first! After all, having an extra cake around the house is never a bad problem to have!

Sweet & Spicy Cookbook

The ladies at Ruche created a wonderful Thanksgiving Dessert Cookbook which I was honored to have my Red Velvet Brownie recipe featured in the magazine. For this and other yummy recipes, click on over to the cookbook — I can’t wait to try the chocolate chiperoos on page 23!

Recipe | Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

So, I will admit that chocolate chip cookies aren’t really my thing which surprises even me because I love just about any sweet you put in front of me, except chocolate that is.  I am not sure if this is a blessing or a curse, but nonetheless, I am not a chocolate lover.  Unfortunately for my husband, this means I often forget about his favorite cookie, the old fashioned chocolate chip cookie (I tell ya, he is a basic guy that is easy to please in the kitchen!).

So when I read about these chocolate chip cookies on Cupcakes and Cashmere’s blog, I knew I had to try them at least for his sake right? While the 24-36 hour wait time may be a bit discouraging, if you are anything like me and must eat one right away, the batter makes plenty to pop a few in immediately and honestly, I didn’t really notice the carmely difference the original recipe talks about. Lastly, if you don’t have the bread flour, cake flour, or patience to wait 24 hours for the batter to rest you can always try these which we made during our trip to Bodega Bay which were almost equally as good – I made Ry decide which he liked better 🙂 (Notes: For the Epicurious recipe, we did not melt the butter as stated in the recipe, only used 1 6oz bag of chocolate chips because they were $5 a bag at the general store, and cooked for 13 minutes at 375 degrees and they turned out excellent as well).

But, if you are up for the challenge of waiting, feel free to try these cookies and maybe you can have one happy husband like mine!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Published: July 9, 2008

Time: 45 minutes (for 1 6-cookie batch), plus at least 24 hours’ chilling

Ingredients

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (8 1/2 ounces) cake flour

1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt

2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract

1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves, at least 60 percent cacao content (see note)

Sea salt.

Directions

1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

2. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.

3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.

4. Scoop 6 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day. Eat warm, with a big napkin.

Yield: 1 1/2 dozen 5-inch cookies.

Popover, Do-Over

I was informed by a certain popover connoisseur that my popover post here was not a total success and the popovers were lacking…well, “pop”. I didn’t quite believe her at first because no. 1 they tasted good and no. 2 they more than doubled in size which seemed to be popped enough for me! But, since I was the annoying girl in class that always did the extra credit to ensure I got an A+, not an A, I had to go for the A+ and try them again. Miss Popover connoisseur is from Texas, so naturally she had endless comparisons to the “Neiman Marcus” popovers. Therefore, after a bit of research we decided I should try this Neiman Marcus popover recipe.

Success???

You be the judge, but I think I will give myself an A for this attempt! These definitely had more “pop”; however, they tasted a bit more floury than the Tyler Florence recipe. I decided I will try this recipe again using more butter and hope they keep their pop but the extra butter will add just a bit more flavor.

If anyone has a great popover recipe send it my way before I try these again for the A+!

xoxo

They’re baaaack…..and yummy as ever!

These macarons seem to be the fan favorite thus far! Annie Rigg says it best, “Salted caramel seems to be the flavor of the moment, and the combination works like a dream sandwiched in the middle of macarons.” Good thing the recipe only makes about 20 cookies because these things are dangerous to have around the house!

Salted Caramel Macaron
source: Annie Rigg’s, Macarons

For the macaron:

200g confectioners’ sugar

100g ground almond

120-125g egg whites {aged for at least 24 hours}

a pinch of salt

40g super fine sugar

a piping bag, fitted with a 1/2″ nozzle tip

2 baking sheets, lined with non-stick baking parchment

**********

To make the macaron:

Follow macaron directions from the original post.

**********

For the salted caramel filling:

75g caster/superfine sugar

2 tbsp water

75g light brown sugar

50g {1/4 cup} unsalted butter

100ml {1/2 cup} heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon sea salt flakes

**********

To make the caramel filling:

To make the filling, put the caster/superfine sugar and 2 tablespoons water in a small saucepan over low heat and let sugar dissolve completely. Bring to a boil, then cook until the syrup turns to an amber-colored caramel. Remove from the heat and add the brown sugar, butter, and cream (all at room temperature). Stir to dissolve, then return to the low heat and simmer for 3-4 minutes, until the caramel has thickened and will coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat, add the salt, pour into a bowl and leave until completely cold and thick.

Spread or pipe the filling in over half the macaron shells and sandwich with the other half.

Recipe | Popovers

Several months ago, I enjoyed these yummy treats at chef, Tyler Florence’s restaurant, Wayfare Tavern, in San Francisco. And let me tell you, they were one of the most memorable parts of the meal – the buttery, golden rolls with a crispy outside and easy to pull apart inside left me wanting more! So when my best friend emailed me the link to his recipe, I knew I had to try re-creating that magic at home.  This weekend, I finally purchased myself a popover pan {although not needed, as most say a muffin pan will do} and began my quest.

This is my view as I eagerly camped out in front of the oven with my fingers crossed hoping that they will rise enough to be considered a popover.

While at Sur La Table purchasing my popover pan, I came across a mini heart cookie cutter which I used to cut out pads of butter. I can’t wait to implement this idea with more shapes.

As you can see these were a success and the best part is that they are made with things that you likely have on hand already: eggs, flour, milk, and salt!  Again, here is the link to the recipe.

xoxo

Recipe | English Toffee

I now have a new favorite dessert to make going into the holiday season and I couldn’t be happier! Despite not being a “chocolate” person, I have always been a fan of toffee – more specifically, I have always been a fan of stealing my Mom’s Almond Roca hoping she wouldn’t notice. {Bad news about having so many siblings in the house is that when everyone takes 1 or 2 the jar disappears quickly}. This toffee is just like I hoped it would be: buttery, crunchy, a soft touch of chocolate, and coated with yummy almonds.

English Toffee
source: adapted from Paula Dean & Melissa Scheffel

Ingredients:
1 cup almonds
1 cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp cold water
1 tsp vanilla extract
6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

To make the roasted ground almonds:

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Grind 1 cup of whole raw almonds using food processor with ninja slice attachment. Spread almonds on cookie sheet and place into oven for 5 minutes. Rotate and shift almonds halfway through baking. Remove from oven and set aside.

To make the toffee:

Line 9×13 pan with foil. Lightly butter foil to insure easy removal. Put butter, sugar, and water in a heavy pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Bring to a bubbling boil, stirring constantly with spoon. The mixture should feel like whipped marshmallows and will start to darken and turn the color of carmel. This should take approximately 10 minutes. Add vanilla and remove from heat.

Evenly spread into foil lined pan. Sprinkle lightly with a few ground almonds. Let cool for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and after 5 minutes spread the chocolate around. Sprinkle with remaining roasted almonds and press lightly. Refrigerate until firm. Cool completely and break into pieces. Store in an airtight container.

Tips:

Because not everything turns out as planned, my first batch was a disaster and the sugar separated from the butter! Now what I thought?! Despite googling several tips, I was unable to bring the mixture back to a marshmallow state and had to scrap it. However, I picked up a few tips which I implemented in my next attempt and I am happy to report that my second try turned out marvelously.

* Do not change heat drastically, if at all. In my first try, I was turning the heat up, down trying to get to a perfect medium-high. Whatever you deem medium-high to start, just keep with that for the entire cooking process.

* Continuously stir, don’t let toffee mixture sit – not even for a few seconds.

* Do not over cook. Take off once the mixture has turned the color of carmel.

* Use a spoon that can handle high heat. I used a wooden salad serving spoon the first time. The coating on the spoon blistered up.

* This stuff is HOT, so be careful.

Recipe | Blueberry Crumb Bars & Friday | Picture of the Week | Week 31

This is what happens when blueberries are $2.50 for 16oz at the grocery store!

With over two pounds of blueberries I was hit with decision paralysis….do I make blueberry cobbler or blueberry crumb bars? Naturally, I asked Ryan what he would prefer and without hesitation he said blueberry crumb bars. And with that, a decision was made.

These crumb bars are flavorful without being loaded with a sugary sweet taste. It allows the natural blueberry flavor to shine through. After all, I should know, I ate three in one day (oops)!

Blueberry Crumb Bars
Source: Adapted from SmittenKitchen

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 sticks cold, unsalted butter cut into cubes (1 cup)
• 1 egg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond flavoring
• Zest and juice of one lemon
• 4 cups fresh blueberries
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 4 teaspoons cornstarch

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 9×13 inch pan.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together 3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 3 cups flour, and baking powder. Mix in salt and lemon zest. Add the butter, egg, vanilla, and almond to bowl and use a fork or pastry cutter (or my personnel favorite, my hands) to mix together. Dough will be crumbly. Pat half of dough into the prepared pan.
3. In another bowl, stir together the 1/2 cup sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice. Gently mix in the blueberries to sugar mixture. Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over the berry layer.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. Cool completely before cutting into squares.
5. If eating warm out of the oven, serve with vanilla ice cream!

xoxo

Recipe | Red Velvet Brownies

Please say Hello! to my new favorite dessert — Red Velvet Brownies!

I love these brownies because they are not super chocolaty and they are a welcome deviation from my standard vanilla that I usually adore so much. Not to mention, they are soft and chewy and topped with the yummiest of frosting!

Red Velvet Brownies with White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
source: adapted from How Sweet It Is

For the brownies:
1/2 cup (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 oz red food coloring or 2 teaspoons if you are using the gel kind
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt

For the white chocolate buttercream frosting:

1/2 cup (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
4 oz good-quality white chocolate (not chips), melted
1 – 2 tbsp heavy cream
1/2 cup cream cheese

To make the brownies:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter and flour an 8″x8″ baking pan.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes (mine looked like puffy snow).  Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, then stir in 2 teaspoons of vanilla.  With the mixer off, add in the sifted cocoa (to avoid any lumps that sometimes happens with cocoa) and food coloring, then turn the mixer to medium and beat the two mixtures together until they are one uniform color.  Slowly add in the flour and salt and mix on medium-low speed, just until combined.  Do not overmix.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir up the batter with a rubber spatula once or twice just to ensure all of the flour has incorporated from the sides of the bowl and there isn’t anything stuck on the bottom of the bowl.  You’ll want one uniformly colored (red) batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the brownies.  Allow brownies to completely cool in the pan on a baking rack, about 45-60 minutes.  For prettier brownies, remove the entire batch from the pan to a cutting board, cut into 12 bars, THEN frost, and serve.

To make the frosting:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter until soft and fluffy then beat in the vanilla.  With the mixer on low speed, slowly add in powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time; allow the sugar to mix in before adding the next 1/2 cup. Once all of the sugar has been added, beat on medium speed for 30 seconds and scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Add in the melted white chocolate and cream cheese and beat on medium speed until incorporated.  (The original recipe did not include cream cheese, but it just wasn’t red velvet to me without the cream cheese frosting). With the mixer on low, add in heavy cream 1 tbsp at a time and beat at medium speed until the frosting has reached your desired consistency.

{Note: This makes a lot of frosting – I might try halving the frosting recipe next time}

xoxo

Recipe | Blueberry Muffins

Blueberry Streusel Muffins
From Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics
Makes 20 muffins

Note: Wash blueberries in a strainer under running water and pick out any stems and leaves.

• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 cups buttermilk, shaken
• 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
• 2 extra-large eggs
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 cups fresh blueberries (2 half pints)

For the Streusel Topping (I double this because I looooove a good crumb topping!):

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners.

Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl and blend with your hands. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, butter, lemon zest, eggs and almond. Stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture with a fork, mixing just until blended. Fold the blueberries into the batter. Don’t overmix! With a standard (2 1/4-inch) ice-cream scoop or large spoon, scoop the batter into the prepared cups, filling them almost full.

For the topping, place all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse until the butter is in very small pieces. Pour into a bowl and rub with your fingers until crumbly. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the streusel on top of each muffin. Bake the muffins for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown.

Note: These muffin expand quite a bit in the oven so tips on two things:

1. Don’t overfill your muffin pan.

2. Reapply more topping half way through baking. Once the muffin expands, the streusel topping no longer covers the entire “muffin top”. So half way through the baking, I opened the oven and applied more topping so that the entire top was covered. (Told you I like my crumb toppings)!

 

XOXO

Recipe | Vanilla Ganache French Macaron

Finally, after several attempts documented here, I feel confident to post the  recipe for french macarons from the Annie Rigg recipe book! I made these for the first time in a must-come-out-perfect situation (for my sister-in-law’s bridal shower) and I have to say, I performed better than the Laker’s did in this playoff series (PS I just got husband bonus points for thinking of the Lakers and extra credit for actually mentioning their name in a post)!! 

  Back to the macrons, I had to transport them on a 7 hr drive up north so I decided to make the cookies and ganache on Thursday night and package the cookies and ganache separately which I would then assemble once at my destination. I am not sure how others handle traveling with these pain-in-the butt delicate treats but this worked well for me.

Ingredients

200g confectioners’ sugar

100g ground almond

120-125g egg whites (aged for at least 24 hours)

a pinch of salt

40g super fine sugar

a piping bag, fitted with a 1/2″ nozzle tip

2 baking sheets, lined with non-stick baking parchment

 

Directions

0. Measure all ingredients.

1. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and prepare piping bag with tip (I use Ateco tip #807)

2. Sift confectioners’ sugar and ground almond together into a bowl.

3. Place egg whites into a spotlessly clean and dry mixing bowl. Add the salt and, using an electric handheld whisk, beat until they will hold a stiff peak.

4. Continue to whisk at medium speed while adding the regular sugar a teaspoonful at a time. The mixture should be thick, white glossy (like shaving cream).  You should be able to hold the bowl of whisked egg whites over your head. Do not overbeat your meringue or it will be too dry (Sorry, but no tricks for telling if you overbeat them). 

5. Using a spatula, fold the confectioners sugar and almond flour, into the egg white mixture. Continue folding until egg white mergine, almond flour, and confectioners sugar resemble molten lava (no more than 50 strokes – AND THIS IS IMPORTANT). Over mixing will result in running batter, so stop yourself at 50 strokes!

6. Fill the pastry bag with mixture and pipe evenly sized rounds about 1.5″ onto the prepared baking sheets.

7. Tap the bottom of the baking sheets sharply one, on the work surface to expec any large air bubbles.

8. Leave macarons for at least 40-60 minutes until they have “set” and formed a dry shell. They should not be sticky, tacky, or wet when tested with your fingertip.

9. Pre-heat oven to 325F.

10. Bake the macarons one sheet at a time for 11-12 minutes. Remove from oven and leave to cool on baking sheet.

 

White Chocolate Ganache

150g really good white chocolate, finely chopped

5 tablespoons heavy cream (I prefer this to Whipping Cream; Trader Joes sells regular heavy cream)

1 vanilla bean (seeds)

 

Put the cream and vanilla extract in a small saucepan and head until the cream has come to a boil. Place chopped white chocolate in saucepan along with vanilla bean seeds. Stir until smooth then leave to cool. Cover and refrigerate until thickened (can take up to 24 hours).

 

 

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Royal Wedding Fever?? I HAVE it! & Picture of the Week | Week 17

Tivo set for 1am recording? Check.

Will & Kate mug? Check.

Scones in the oven? Check.

5:30am wake up call? Check.

I have been so excited for this wedding and I can’t believe it’s finally here! My wonderful sister brought home this celebratory mug for me from England! With mug in hand, scones in the oven, and my tivo set I was ready to begin my morning entranced by the beautiful bride! Um, seriously stunning! And the trees in the church? Why didn’t I think of that! 

While I may have lost the prediction on her train, (i guessed 13 ft), I couldn’t be happier for this day to finally be here….anyone want to take the day off to enjoy the rest of the coverage??!

Thanks to Cupcakes & Cashmere for the reminder on the scones….Recipe for the Orange Cranberry scones can be found here

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Recipe | Key Lime Pie

I have not had many key lime pies in my life, but I have to say this one is yummy, refreshing, and doesn’t involve many ingredients….key limes, graham crackers, sugar and whipping cream. Ms. Ina Garten says it all, “Fabulous flavor, from simple ingredients.” The added bonus to making this…the arm work out you get from zesting and squeezing all of those limes! Hello, Giselle arms (I mean, lets be serious here, we all know she obtains that body from eating zesting limes for pies).

Ingredients

For the CRUST:

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (10 crackers)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:

• 6 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 tablespoons grated lime zest
• 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (20-ish key limes)

For the decoration:

• 2 cup (1 pint) cold heavy cream
• 1/2cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Thin lime wedges

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the crust, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter in a bowl. Press into a 9-inch pyrex pie pan, making sure the sides and the bottom are an even thickness. Bake for 10 minutes until firm and golden. Allow to cool completely.

For the filling, beat the egg yolks and sugar on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment for 5 minutes, until thick. With the mixer on medium speed, add the condensed milk, lime zest, and lime juice. Pour into the baked pie shell and freeze (preferably overnight).

For the decoration, beat the heavy cream on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and vanilla and beat until firm. Spoon or pipe decoratively onto the pie and decorate with lime. Serve immediately (the way I like it) or put back in freezer to freeze whipped cream.

Tips:

– Make sure to zest the limes prior to squeezing the lime juice

– Leave enough time (at least 12 hours) to freeze the filling before adding the whipped cream decoration

– This whipped cream recipe has been doubled from the original because I loooove whipped cream and never want to skimp on that, so you may have a bit extra leftover.

– Recipe calls for refreezing the whipped cream once placed on top, but I prefer to serve it right after I place whipped cream on top (but if serving at dinner party you can place finished pie (whipped cream and all) in the freezer until ready to serve).

– Once frozen, pie filling will melt quickly like ice cream

– I have made it once with key limes and once with regular limes and I don’t think I could tell a difference (Note: Ina used regular limes)

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Recipe | Cranberry Pecan Oatmeal Cookies

I have my wonderful hairdresser, Danielle owner of Dia Salon, to thank for this recipe because what better way to end a hair appointment than with a homemade cookie!  On Saturday afternoon after finishing with my hair, Danielle offered me a yummy cookie. So I did what any girl would do, I took two – one for me and…..another one for me (j/k one for Ryan).  After eating my cookie, I was forced to drive back home in LA traffic with this cookie staring at me. I swear the cookie grew eyes and was begging me to eat it.  I knew this little cookie would make my husbands face fill with a smile when presented to him, so I held off and yes, made it home without even as much as a nibble. Even though I did not eat Ry’s cookie, I couldn’t get it out of my head and only wanted more.

So, Sunday afternoon after our walk, I made Barefoot Contessa’s Oatmeal Cookie recipe and substituted dried cranberries for the raisins and used a bit less sugar than the recipe recommends, just as Danielle had done . Now these cookies aren’t very sweet, which make them perfect to consume with my morning coffee.

Cranberry Pecan Oatmeal Cookies

(Makes 15 to 17 Cookies)

Ingredients

3/4 cup pecans
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2  dark brown sugar, lightly packed
1/3 granulated sugar
1 extra-large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon orange zest (optional)

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2   teaspoon kosher salt  + a big pinch
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
1/2 cups dried cranberries (i used Cransins)

SPACE

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

Place the pecans on a sheet pan and bake for 5 minutes, until crisp. Set aside to cool. Chop very coarsely.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low, add the eggs, orange zest, and the vanilla.

Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together into a medium bowl. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Add the oats, dried cranberries, and pecans and mix just until combined.

Using a small ice-cream scoop or a tablespoon, drop 2.5-inch mounds of dough onto sheet pans lined with parchment paper. Flatten slightly with a damp hand. Bake for 13 minutes, until lightly browned. Transfer the cookies to a baking rack and cool completely.

Tips:

1. According to my Barefoot Back to Basic’s Cookbook, roasting the pecans in the oven first brings out their flavor.

2. The cookies don’t spread much, if at all, so make sure you really flatten them out if you want more of a cookie rather than mound.

3. This is a “half” recipe, meaning it only makes 15-17 3-inch cookies. The original recipe makes 30-35 cookies which is way to many for the two of us, so this recipe only makes 15-17 cookies.

4. I decreased the granulated sugar from a 1/2 cup to a 1/3 cup and increased the salt a bit (i.e “+ the big pinch”). This makes them less sugary, but feel free to stick with the original recipe of 1/2 cup of granulated sugar.

4. For chewier cookies: Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheet.

Macarons | Nutella, Raspberry & Lemon, Vanilla

Ohhhh Valentines Day, good-bye to the days of going to the store and selecting a box of Valentines to pass out to your classmates and gone are the days of $1 roses available for sale from the high school student body.  Those giddy Valentines Day memories that form your childhood are priceless, but gosh sometimes, oh so silly!  So now, in the spirit of silly fun, here are my celebratory Valentines Day macarons made with extra love!

Last week I received a fun surprise in the mail — my Mom had bought me Annie Rigg’s book on Macarons available from Anthropolgie. For my previous attempts at making these cookies, I used the instruction listed on Tartlette’s blog which kept resulting in a “hollow” macaron. So this time, I followed the exact recipe from Annie Rigg’s book and it was total success!!!  I am not sure if it was the additional 20 g of egg white, the higher baking temperature, the fact that I didn’t use any food coloring (on the white Vanilla with Nutella frosting filling ones), or just pure luck but I had a real macaron even Ladurée would be proud of (ok, that might be taking it a bit too far!).  I can’t wait to explore the book more and try out the different combinations.

Flavors: Vanilla with Vanilla Ganache, Vanilla with Nutella Froasting, and Raspberry Lemon

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Recipe | Molten Mocha Cakes

My dear friend Melissa asked me if I have ever made a chocolate souffle. While the answer to that is NO,  it did reminded me of a chocolate molten cake I made a few years ago for Valentines Day using this Martha Stewart recipe.   I thought this was a perfect time to share this recipe because it is yummy, easy to make, and it only serves two which is perfect for a Valentines dinner at home!   I have even made it with a peanut butter version because my husband, like most men, looooove their peanut butter. Next time I make I will have to get a picture of the middle of the cake because it is full of warm, chocolate lava.

 

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Ingredients

Serves 2

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for ramekins
• 1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar, plus more for ramekins and serving
• 2 ounces semisweet chocolate, broken into pieces
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon espresso powder
• Pinch salt
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter two 6-ounce ramekins, then dust with sugar. Place butter and chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high in 20-second increments, stirring after each, until melted. Let cool slightly.
2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together egg, egg yolk, sugar, espresso powder, and salt. Add chocolate mixture; whisk to combine. Add flour, and whisk just until combined (do not overmix). Pour batter into prepared ramekins. (Recipe can be made ahead up to this point.)
3. Bake until a toothpick inserted 1/2 inch from edge of ramekins comes out clean, and a toothpick inserted in center comes out wet, 10 to 12 minutes (do not overbake). Cool 10 minutes on a wire rack. Run a knife around inside of ramekins to loosen. Invert cakes onto serving plates. Dust with sugar; serve immediately.

 

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Friday | Picture of the Week | Week 4

So I might be slightly obsessed at this point, but I was just so proud of myself – yes I said it! So my picture of the week is dedicated to my likely lucky kitchen success!

Recipe | French Macaron | #2

THEY WORKED! RY – RY – I think THEY WORKED!!! That was me about 18 hours ago, when I saw my first batch of macarons sitting in the oven with two minutes remaining on the timer!

I took the lessons learned from my first attempt documented here and started off the process with the proper equipment — a food scale which was so kindly loaned to me and a newly purchased sifter!

I started by sifting the powered sugar and almond flour twice – Ryan even got in a little of the sifting action! Ryan decided to come photograph a few “action” shots. I really like the one of the left of me in action sifting! As for the picture on the right, my batter was rather runny and when I filled the bag it leaked out the bottom and created……well, you can see….it created quite messy hands! (When I watch Barefoot Contessa use a pastry bag, I marvel at her ability to maintain hands so clean even the Queen would approve!)

This is me peaking at them through the glass door getting soooo excited because they resemble something like a macaron I would actually buy!!!! This was a far cry from last week’s! It turns out that they may have looked perfect, but those at Ladurée, one of the elite places to purcahse macaron in Paris, would not have been proud! My macarons had a air between the shell and the cookie. I believe this was caused by my poor meringue or over mixing. BUT, I had a cookie that I could fill!!!

Now that I had a cookie I could actually fill, it was off to the store to pick up heavy whipping cream and white chocolate. I attempted three different white chocolate ganache recipes: vanilla, amaretto, and strawberry. After spending $8 for chocolate and heavy cream, I was disappointed when all three turned out way to runny. I guess I didn’t use enough chocolate, so the ganache never truly firmed up.

Feeling disappointed, I tried one more mini ganache recipe this time it called for butter and less heavy cream. Again, thinking the filling was too runny, I let it sit in the pot as I began cleaning up. I decided to fill a few cookies with Nutella that I had on hand. As I was cleaning up, I went to clean the pot thinking the ganache was ruined, but really it had set to a consistency that wouldn’t spill over the sides – it was perfect!!

Finally, the macarons sitting in their new home!!! And the picture on the right is of the too runny vanilla ganache! I am so excited these things turned out (relatively well) and I can’t wait to start experimenting more with colors and flavors!!!!

Recipe | French Macaron | Trial #1

As I mentioned previously, one of my goals this year is to learn how to make a french macaron!!!!  Notice I did not say macaroon, those would be the toasted sugar and coconut mounds – a far cry from the delicate french macaron.

I will start by letting you know that this baking attempt was a total failure, but not to fret, I was not expecting to succeed.  I have read that you often have to make these finicky little devils 4-5 times before you get something resembling a macaron, so I had to go forth with my first attempt!

I used the recipe from the macaron tutorial found on  Tartlette’s blog, which appeared to be a pretty standard macaron recipe consisting of aged egg whites, sugar, powdered sugar, and almond flour.

I should have known this was going to be a failure when this happened on Step 1:

Shan: Hey Ry, can you please open this vanilla bean?

Ryan: What? Open this? Yeah.

5 seconds later – vanilla bean container shattered in Ryan’s hand (I promise he can break just about anything – thanks though honey)

Thankfully, the glass did not cut Ry, so after I cleaned up the glass and removed the vanilla bean, I laid out my ingredients.

I was too worried during the mixing processes to take any pictures, so here is one of the cookies right before they went into the oven – yes, I can still use a little work on piping the batter onto the sheet in a more precise manner. You can see I tried making a few pink, thinking it would bump up their appeal in the beauty category – but I think it just made it worse!

I put them in the oven at 280 degrees and watched them through the oven door.  20 minutes later, I see this:

Hmmmmmm……this looks NOTHING like the perfectly shaped cookie I eat at Bottega Louie.  So what happened???

Problem: Macaron mixture was too dry which may have caused the extreme puffyness and sliding effect. The recipe called for 100 grams (or 3) aged egg whites. I set my three egg whites out, but during the aging process I believe too much evaporated and left me with less than 100 grams.

Solution: I plan to buy a food scale so I can accurately measure the proper amounts before making.

SPACE

Problem: Lumps in the top shell of the cookie. This was caused because I did not sift my dry ingredients (almond flour and sugar).

Solution: I will buy a sifter before I make these again.

Once I buy the new kitchen tools, scale and sifter, I will attempt to make these again! The next time I try making I am not counting on them being perfect, I am just hoping for something that looks a little bit more like a cookie so I can attempt to layer them with a buttercream or ganache filling!  Until then, I will be relying on Bottega Louie!

Recipe | Cranberry Soda Bread

I do not consider myself a chef, nor do I consider myself a cook. Rather, I think of myself as someone with a fantastic husband, who will eat anything I put on the table and praises me as a God when I do so – seriously lucky I know!

However, bread is something I have yet to have ANY success at making. I tried making this coconut chocolate bread a few months ago and I ended up with an incredibly hard disk of pure gross. I think it weighed close to five pounds but felt more like ten. I am not sure what happened, but it definitely scared me from attempting any sort of bread again.

I am happy to report my first bread success with this Irish Soda Bread (I even watched Ina make it in the video provided to pick up on any tips)! Because I could not find currants at the store, I used cranberries instead. I love almond flavoring, so I decided to add 1/4 teaspoon each of almond and vanilla extract for a little extra flavoring.

Adapted from Ina Garten Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for currants
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 3/4 cups cold buttermilk, shaken
• 1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 cup dried cranberries

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is mixed into the flour.

With a fork, lightly beat the buttermilk, egg, orange zest, vanilla, and almond together in a measuring cup. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture. Combine the cranberries with 1 tablespoon of flour and mix into the dough. It will be very wet. Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and knead it a few times into a round loaf.

Place the loaf on the prepared sheet pan and lightly cut an X into the top of the bread with a serrated knife. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. When you tap the loaf, it will have a hollow sound.

Cool on a baking rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Recipe | Kelsey’s Brownie Pie

This Thanksgiving, I was looking for something to make that was a little non-traditional, quick, and easy. I flipped through my cookbooks and decided on Kelsey’s Brownie Pie (similar to this recipe). I have been eating this dessert for many, many years, but I think I have only made it myself one time before! And in case you are wondering, Kelsey was the first to make this recipe so therefore she holds the right to name it!

Although the recipe calls for Cool Whip, I decided to make my own whipping cream instead and I have to say it turned out fantastic!

Kelsey’s Brownie Pie

1 package (19-21oz) Ghirardelli‘s Brownie Mix

1 Cup Cold Milk

1 Package (4 servings size) Chocolate Instant Pudding

1 Tub (8oz) Cool Whip or Homemade Whipping Cream*

 

1. Prepare brownie mix as directed on package.

2. Put in 9″ pie plate and bake at 325 about 40 minutes or until done. Cool completely.

3. Scoop out center of brownie with a spoon, leaving 1″ crust around edge and thin layer of brownie on bottom. Reserve brownie scraps.

4. Pour milk into medium bowl. Add pudding mix.

5. Beat with wire wisk until blended.

6. Gently stir in half of the whipping cream and all but a few brownie scraps (to sprinkle on top later).

7. Spoon pudding/whipped cream/brownie mixture into center of crust.

8. Top with remaining whipping cream.

9. Sprinkle with remaining brownie scraps.

10. Refrigerate 3 hours until ready to serve.

* for homemade whipping cream (1 pint cold heavy whipping cream, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract. Beat together until peaks form).

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macaron smiles.

Yesterday, my entire day was filled with french macaron chatter. My mom and I ooh and ahh’d  over the Ladurée Sucré cookbook and how we must have a french themed bridal shower for one of my sisters so that we can decorate with macarons. Then we couldn’t figure out why we didn’t see Ladurée when we were in Milan years ago.  I told her I bought almond flour over the weekend in hopes of attempting these difficult little cookies. I promise, every 15 minutes discussion about those delectable little treats would surface.

All of that talk  left me craving for french macarons, so much I was almost out of the office and on my way to Bottega Louie to pick some up. I chatted Ryan, as I often do, to let him know I was heading out early. He asked if I wanted to meet for a “treat” which I assumed was a kiss and maybe a piece of a homemade, brownie that he swiped from the office kitchen.

I met him on the corner in between our buildings and I got my kiss, but no treat. Hmmmm.

I asked, “No treat?”

He said, “Yeah, the kiss.”

Ok, I thought, well that was pretty good, but I know he must have a treat somewhere. So, I reached around his back pocket and found it!!!!  I found a  purple Bottega Louie box filled with four yummy french macarons!!!!! How did he know that my Mom and I had been talking about these all day and I was dying for a little bite of one?? Seriously, nuts – but happiness at last!

I am always so shocked how fabulously happy a little treat can make me, and a kiss too! Thanks Ry for both of my treats!!!

UPDATE: Yes, I actually spelled something right and it is macaron with 1 “o” not two. According to Wikipedia (totally authoritative), “Since the English word macaroon can also refer to the Coconut macaroon, many have adopted the French spelling of macaron to distinguish the two items in the English language. However, this has caused confusion over the correct spelling of the cookie. Some recipes exclude the use of macaroon to refer to this French confection while others think that they are synonyms.”

DIY Cookbook.

While I have lots of different cookbooks, there is one that is filled with more love and comfort than any of the others – and that is the homemade family cookbook. This cookbook began as a gift from my Mom during my college years, in which she filled it with all of the favorite family recipes, including the recipe for my favorite home cooked meal, spaghetti!

Since then, I have added clippings from Rachel Ray magazine or recipes from Better Homes and Garden.  I laugh because the dessert section is by far the biggest with over 20 recipes!!!

It finally came time to give this treasured book a cover that it deserved. So here is my 100% free homemade cookbook.

PSAC

I used a 1.5″  black 3-ring binder and Avery top-loading clear sheet protectors for the labels and recipes. For the labels, I used Avery’s 8-tab dividers with printable labels. You will notice that if you place the tabs directly in the binder they will be the same width  as your recipes (so you will not be able to see them). To solve this problem, I inserted the entire white tab divider into the clear sheet protectors and cut a little slit in the sheet protector so that the tab would poke through. This allowed the tabs to be seen on the outside of the recipes. Sorry, I do not have a picture of this step.
PSAC

We’ve created a free template of our cookbook and spine that you can download and customize with your own name on the cover and spine. Please note that you must have Photoshop to open the PSD and edit the type layers. You also may need to download the font that we used right here (it’s also free).

xoxo