Feasting on Food Stories – Page 5

Bursting with Delight Cookies

Not only are these cookies bursting with delight, but I have been reflecting upon this notion as I await what the Christian world calls “Holy Week” or “Passion Week.” As my girls took their nap today, I was folding laundry listening to the song, ‘O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus.’ One of the lines says, “How he loveth, ever loveth, changeth never, nevermore…how for them he intercedeth.” I was struck by how great his love is for me. When I was a little girl I would stand up on mall benches and sing “Jesus Loves Me.” When people would ask me why I believed in Jesus, I would respond with, “why wouldn’t I (this at a very young age).”

I think it’s because I was drawn to Jesus’ incredible love. I knew he was good, but not just good as in the superhero fighting the villain, it was much deeper than that. And as my oldest is three understanding more concepts, listening to all the stories we tell her, taking initiative in conversations & thoughtfulness, I’m seeing how at such a young age–Jesus makes sense. I was reading to her some Bible stories, very simplistic in nature, and it came to the part where Jesus was being crucified (like I said, it was simplistic, not the Passion in full swing) where she had a sadness in her eye. I could identify with that sadness and conjure it up from when I was her age, because I like her, could see why it was so sad. It was sad & lonely, because this person who was so incredibly good & just was being robbed of life.

But the part in which I burst forth, as did she, was when we soon realized that wasn’t the end of the story, but Jesus overcame death, bursting forth from the tomb–leaving it empty. I could see the shadow of sadness quickly being replaced with joy & hope in my three year old’s eyes. And as I saw in this child illustrated Bible, feet on a cross, my eyes got misty connecting with the same mourning my daughter was feeling. But, unlike watching a fake romance movie Hollywood has portrayed giving us hope deferred & hope renewed–this is such a better love story. This is a love story even a three year old understands to be true & wholeheartedly genuine.

And even though we rarely think about feasting upon cookies during this season of Lent (most people giving them up), I do offer you a burst of delight upon your senses (not that I think these compare to the Easter story at all). I made these cookies for my mom getaway a couple weeks back and I find they have a wonderful marriage with sour, freshness of the lime, the creamy depth of the cream cheese, the buttery, saltiness of the caramel and the crunch & melding of it all with the macadamia nuts. I like how the flavors blend, some pack more of a punch, while others leave a nice undertone on in your mouth.

I think that’s why I find these cookies applicable with this post–it’s about awakening the senses. So as you might read the Passion story for the first time or the 70th time, notice how much of the story deals with smell, touch, taste, sight, & sound. How Jesus reached us with our senses. How the Lenten season is typically about denying the senses, yet as Jesus burst forth from the tomb on Easter morning–we burst forth in celebration with him to feast in a hope no longer deferred.

Burst Delights (printable recipe)

I used my Orange Cardamom Cookies as the base for these Lime-Cream Cheese-Macadamia Nut-Caramel Cookies.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons lime zest
1/4 cup macadamia nuts, measure out 1/4 cup and finely chop it up
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg yolk
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 lime for juice

Cream Cheese-Caramel Icing

1/3 – 1/2 cup whipped cream cheese
1/4 cup homemade caramel sauce (or store bought)
splash of lime oil essence (or extract)
2 teaspoons lime zest

Make dough:
Whisk together flour, zest, 3 Tb. finely ground macadamia nuts, and salt.

Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, then beat in yolk and cream. At low speed, mix in flour mixture in 3 batches just until a dough forms. Put the dough on parchment paper.

Mound the dough together and roll into a log. Once you get a basic log shape, position the dough in the middle of the parchment. Then, take the parchment that’s north of the dough and cover it over the dough. Take a bench scraper and push the edge of it at the base of the parchment covered dough, trying to make a concentric log. Roll the log so the parchment covers the whole thing and twist the edges. Refrigerate for 3 hours to overnight (if you want to speed the process, then place in freezer for about 30 minutes to 1 hour).

Cut and bake cookies:
Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.

Remove firm dough. Unroll the parchment so the dough is still sitting on top of the paper. Place on a cutting board. Cut the dough into 1/8 inch. Transfer cookies to a parchment-lined large baking sheet, arranging them 1 inch apart.

Bake until edges are golden-brown, 12-15 minutes. While the cookies are still warm, slice the zested lime in half and squeeze the juice over the cookies. The cookies will absorb the juice and give the cookies that great lime kick. Cool on baking sheet and arrange with below directions.

Make Icing:

Put the whipped cream cheese in a small bowl and add 1 Tb of caramel sauce at a time. Mixing to get a balance of caramel & cream cheese. Then add some lime essence, just a splash. You want to have a balance of the flavors. Not too much of the lime, but enough to have it stand out.

Putting them together:

With a spoon, put about 1/2 teaspoon icing on each cookie & swirl around. Drizzle caramel over the cookies with a fork or spoon. Sprinkle with remaining chopped macadamia nut & lime zest.

Dave Matthews Band Magic Brownies Cupcakes

I have been reading this cookbook, The Flavor Bible. It’s inspiring for anyone who takes their cooking or baking skills seriously. My copy is on loan from the library, but I would recommend this one to your home library archives. The author made a point how food is not only for sustenance, because if it were, we would eat the same thing 3 times a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks of the year. Rather, food is about the flavor profiles, which are the taste, mouth feel, aroma & X factor. All of these being great, but I think the X factor stood out the most. It is the stories, the total experience, the nostalgia, which comes to mind after eating a specific food.

We all have these. And quite honestly, it’s what makes certain foods disgusting to some, while to another their “last supper.” It’s no wonder Jesus chose to perform his first miracle at a wedding feast and through the fruit of the vine. He wove the spiritual with the senses, creating this amazing story of his complete love & provision.

So as I was making these souffle chocolate cupcakes yesterday, I didn’t have any idea what they would be like. Nor did I realize that they would stir the X factor up. You see, after my oldest was born and people graciously dropped off meals every night, one night someone dropped off a roasted chicken, salad, and a pint of Ben & Jerry’s Dave Matthews Band Magic Brownies Ice Cream. I personally am a ‘every but the..’ sort of girl. However, the melding of the brownie chunks, vanilla & raspberry swirled made for quite the addiction.

Oh so back to these cupcakes. Well, I have been salivating over these for a while. Not only that, but they are gluten-free, which made me think of my friend Tina (she works with Ben & I feel bad when I only bring in gluten treats). However, Tina loves raspberry & chocolate, so I changed it up a bit. Then, when I bit into one, it took me back to our old apartment with my week old baby and a still, quiet moment, that everything would be okay in my insane, postpartum state. I’m not promising that this will create quite the same X factor for you, but maybe you should make some for yourself and some new mother to create one for her.

Dave Matthews Band Magic Brownie Cupcakes

(printable recipe)

This recipe has been adapted from Smitten Kitchen’s Chocolate Souffle Cupcakes, which had a mint topping and used espresso powder instead of the actual espresso I used in mine. You should do as Deb over at Smitten Kitchen says, “eat at once,” because the coolness of the Raspberry Cream enhances the dessert.

Chocolate Soufflé Cupcakes
6 ounces (170 grams) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
6 tablespoons (86 grams) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 Tb fresh espresso
3 large eggs, separated
6 tablespoons (97 grams) sugar, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

White Chocolate Raspberry Cream
2 ounces (56 grams) white chocolate, finely chopped
3 ounces heavy whipping cream
2/3 cup (76 grams) frozen raspberries + 1 tsp water

Get the white chocolate cream ready for later: Put the white chocolate in a small bowl. Then, bring the cream to a simmer and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for a minute to melt the chocolate, then whisk well. Lay a piece of plastic wrap on the surface of the cream. Chill until very cold, about two hours.

Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 9 standard-size (3-ounce) muffin cups with paper liners. Put the butter, chocolate & espresso in a saucepan. Place over low heat, stirring occasionally until melted. Remove from heat. Cool to lukewarm, stirring occasionally.

Using electric mixer, beat egg yolks and 3 tablespoons sugar in medium bowl until mixture is very thick and pale, about 2 minutes. Briefly beat lukewarm chocolate mixture, then vanilla extract, into yolk mixture. Since I used my one Kitchenaid bowl for the whole process, I poured the chocolate-egg yolk contents into another bowl. Clean the bowl & use the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites, sugar & salt until medium-firm peaks form. Using a spatula, fold whites into chocolate mixture in 3 additions. Divide batter among prepared cups, filling each three-fourths of the way.

Bake cakes until tops are puffed and dry to the touch and a tester inserted into the centers comes out with some moist crumbs attached, about 15 to 20 minutes. Cool in pan on a cooling rack. Once they are cool, add the raspberry cream.

Make Raspberry Puree:Over low heat, add the frozen raspberries and 1 tsp water to a small saucepan. Allow the raspberries to slowly melt down into a mush. This will take about 5-7 minutes. Place a sieve above a small bowl, then dump the raspberry contents into the sieve. Take a spatula and begin to push the raspberries through the sieve (you are getting the puree while the sieve will catch the seeds). You will get about 2 Tbs of puree. Set aside to add to your white chocolate cream.

Putting it altogether: Beat white chocolate cream with electric beaters until medium peaks form. Slowly add the raspberry puree. The cream might curdle a bit, but don’t over beat. If you find that the cream isn’t the right consistency, then put the cream in a pastry bag or plastic sandwich bag and place in fridge for a bit. Cut the end and squeeze out about 1 Tb on top of each cupcake. Eat immediately to gain the full experience of the cold raspberry cream with the delicate crumb of the brownie.

Throw Nabisco Out with Homemade Oreos

There are some people who say they’ve never enjoyed Oreos. I, on the other hand, have always enjoyed them. In fact, in high school I spent pretty much every weekend of my junior year at my surrogate family’s house–the Carrillo’s. Veronica (then Carrillo) is (and has been) one of my dearest of friends since I was four years old. We are complete opposites, share a plethora of memories, and loyalty can always be found in her.

While being the adopted daughter, I would hear the question from Mrs. Carrillo, “Kamille, is there anything you want at the store?” To which she would hear, “I guess some double stuff Oreos?!” And come the next couple times around to making the grocery list, Mrs. Carrillo would instinctively have the double stuff on the list (or have them waiting for me). “But now I’m taking it back, I’m taking it all back.” Those Nabisco kind have nothing on these chocolatey mixed with white chocolate goodness.

And they went rather well with my mom get away weekend. I got away with some of my fellow mom friends, and it was beyond glorious. Being able to spend time to know and be known by these women I dearly love & respect was a glimpse of heaven bound. So, in terms of these cookies, I must say that the first bite of just the cookies left me a bit disappointed. I was expecting a little bit more depth of chocolate richness; but, in that first bite I felt it lacking. However, as the flavors began to meld and the salt kicked in–the chocolate popped, which made me want another bite. And that’s how these cookies work–you can’t just have one.

Homemade Oreos (printable recipe)

This recipe comes from The Essence of Chocolate. If you were wondering if you would go back to Oreos after tasting these, the answer is NO! You will want to make the dough when you’re ready to start rolling it out. Putting it in the fridge will make it too hard to roll and not necessary.

Ingredients

Filling:

1/2 cup heavy cream
8 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped

Cookies:

3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups plus 3 Tb all-purpose flour
3/4 cup plus 1 Tb unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
15 Tb (7 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 3/4-inch cubes, at room temperature

For the Filling:

In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a boil over medium heat. Remove the cream from the heat and add the white chocolate (making sure all of the chocolate is covered by the cream). Let stand for one minute then whisk to melt. It will take about 6 hours to let the filling to get to the right consistency.

For the Cookies:

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpats.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add all of the ingredients except for the butter and combine on low speed. With the mixer running, add the butter a few pieces at a time, until all of it has been added. The mixture will have a sandy texture at first and then will begin to form pebble-size pieces. As soon as the dough starts to come together, stop the mixer.

Transfer the dough to a board and use the heel of your hand to shape the dough into a block about 5 by 7 inches. Cut the block into 2 pieces.

One at a time, roll each block of dough between two pieces of lightly floured parchment paper until 1/8 inch thick. Use a 2-inch circular cookie cutter (I used a big pastry coupler). Place 1/2 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking. Remove from oven and put on a cooling rack leaving the cookies on the sheet for 2 to 5 minutes (the cookies will be too soft to remove initially). Then transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.

The dough trimmings can be pushed together once and rerolled to make more cookies (only re-roll twice).

To Assemble:

Place half of the cookies upside down on a work surface. Whip the filling lightly with a whisk just to aerate it a bit; it will lighten in color and fluff up. Do not overwhip, or the filling may begin to separate.

Transfer the filling to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch plain tip or use a disposable pastry bag and cut an opening at the tip of the bag. Pipe about 1 1/2 teaspoon of filling in the center of each cookie. Top with another cookie, right side up. Gently, using your fingertips, press the cookies together until the filling comes just to the edges.

The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Note: for the leftover dough you have rolled twice, I just put it on the baking sheet and baked it. Then, had that for the family to munch on.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Olympics

I remember sitting on my parents bed watching the opening ceremony of the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. I was eager in anticipation to watch the Women’s (really girls) gymnastic team. I would study their moves, watch with my jaw dropping at Dominque Dawes floor performance and wonder why my mom didn’t enlist me on my path toward gold medaldom (copyright Kamille) at age 2. However, once it hit the Atlanta Olympics, where the US Women clinched the gold title with Kerri Strug’s renowned performance on the vault, my interest in the Olympics had hit a standstill. Not only have they hit a standstill, but a divorce of the relationship. As I sat around a table of friends discussing how they couldn’t get enough of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver and how they’re a bit sleep deprived as a result, I hated to respond, because I was afraid of the obvious scorn. I piped in a bit sheepishly, “Yeah, well, I haven’t watched one ounce of Olympic coverage this year.” Looks were given. Them trying to be courteous without telling me of my ignorance.

So there you have it. I’m not an Olympic watcher. It honestly doesn’t interest me that much anymore. I understand why people get all excited about it (the various cultures & people represented, the nostalgia, etc, etc); but, really, it’s something I’m not crazy about. Instead, I have spent the past two days preparing for what I call the Chocolate Chip Cookie Olympics. Now this is something I get excited about. A chocolate chip cookie can bring people together or tear them apart. You understand. You walk into a coffee shop and they have those big chocolate chip cookies in the big glass container and you pause. You really want to eat one, but you wonder if they meet the criteria. You could possibly end up hashing out $1.50 – 2.00 on a waste of your daily caloric intake. I would wager to say that there is nothing quite as disappointing as biting into what looks like the promise land flowing of chocolate chips & butter to find a C.C.C. disguised as a dry sand-like substance floating around your mouth. We’ve all been there. So I set out to make three different chocolate chip cookie recipes, where I would present them to my tasters and they would judge & award gold, silver, & bronze.

Superlative Chocolate Chip Cookies (Cooks Illustrated)

I first made these Superlative Chocolate Chip Cookies from Cooks Illustrated in late summer (click on the above picture and it will take you there). These cookies probably have one of the most superb flavor profiles you’ll find. I chose this recipe, because it is my favorite chocolate chip recipe. The recipe calls for chocolate chips & toasted pecans. There are chocolate chip recipes masquerading as “chocolate chip cookies,” but they’re not true to the definition. The ones that include oats, dried fruit, nut butters, coconut, etc. They’re good for sure, but for the sake of all things being equal. I was on the search of a true chocolate chip cookie, no strings attached. So for this round, I took out the toasted pecans to make it equal among the other two candidates.

The other two contestants were the classic N.Y. Times chocolate chip cookie & a recipe claimed as the best chocolate chip cookie from ‘Not Without Salt‘ blog. A word why these two were chosen. My friend Paige loves to bake equally as much and I would say enjoys food more than I do (that’s a compliment by the way). She has mentioned that these are her family’s chocolate chip cookie of choice. After I posted on the Superlative C.C.C., she commented that her & her husband Stephen still found their aged cookie to be better. I still never made them. Then, a couple days ago, a friend Julie emailed me about the best cookies she ever tasted with sea salt on top. Guess which cookie she was talking about? Yup! N.Y. Times C.C.C. So they were enlisted immediately. And the last cookie was enlisted because Ashley Rodriguez of Not Without Salt was the former Pastry Chef of Ciao Thyme in Bellingham. I trusted the head chef Matio Gillis’ opinion of Ashley, so when she said her’s were the best, I thought, “heck, I need to try them.” And so goes the C.C.C. Olympics.

I made each of the cookies warm to order, so all of the tasters ate them warm. I however, didn’t make them equal in using the same type of chocolate for each, which caused a bit of discrepancy in the final tasting (but I did take that into account for the final tallying). I will go through each cookie stating the Pros & Cons.

Cooks Illustrated Cookie

Pros: Tasters said these had the best flavor of the three. They noted, “buttery, salty, caramel & toffee, nutty…tastes like a blondie in cookie form…chewy, with crisp edges.” These cookies don’t need to sit in the fridge for 24 to 36 hours to get those flavors, like the N.Y. Times cookie. They don’t require a mixer, just a whisk.

Cons: Texture didn’t win as big on these. Although they were chewy, they lacked the combination of soft, chewy that one taster found she liked in the “Subway Chocolate Chip Cookie.” Upon sitting at room temperature, these cookies tend to dry out a bit faster. One taster said that he didn’t care for the chocolate in these cookies, compared to the N.Y.Times one. However, I did use different chocolate chips in both, so had I used the same kind, the outcome could have been different. Doesn’t make as many cookies as the other recipes.

Technique: The caramel, toffee, nutty taste comes from melting the butter and toasting it; rather, than the typical creaming method. By melting the butter, you’re taking out some of the liquid found in the solidified butter and lends to a chewier cookie. Also, by using one egg & one egg yolk, you create more chew and take away the protein found in the extra white, which cuts back the dryness factor. I chilled this dough for 12 hours in the fridge and measured all the ingredients; as well as, measuring each cookie to 3 1/2 ounces to bake.

NY Times Cookie

Pros: The tasters were unanimous about loving the texture on this cookie. As one taster mentioned sheepishly, “It tastes like, don’t judge me, but like the Subway cookies, a bit of chew, softness, chocolate chunk, and melds together well.” Another taster said, “as a chocolate chip cookie purist, this one wins for me. This is what I think of when you say Chocolate Chip Cookie.” For me, I did two tastings. One at 36 hours of aging the dough and another at 41 hours, and I would say that this cookie tasted better the second time. The first tasting I didn’t taste strong notes of toffee, caramel, or butterscotch like the article said it would have at 36 hours. However, I did taste it at the 41 hour mark. They still have softness after sitting on the counter (wrapped up) 24 hours later.

Cons: They take 36 hours in the fridge before they’re ready. And if you want more depth of flavor, leave them in there up to 72 hours (reminded me of how long a baby can stay in the womb once the mama’s water breaks–weird, huh?). The flavor wasn’t as stand out as the Cooks Illustrated.

Technique: What makes these cookies stand out is letting them sit in the fridge for up to 36 hours before baking them. And you sprinkle sea salt on top to let the flavors pop. By letting the dough age, you’re allowing the proteins in the flour meld with the butter, sugar & salt to create a broader flavor profile. You also use two different flours (cake flour & bread flour), which create a wonderful marriage in the chemistry arena of the baking process. Cake flour with low proteins doesn’t suck up liquid like bread flour; rather, cake flour’s low protein creates a softer, paler end product along with the protein creating steam with the liquids. Bread flour with it’s higher protein browns faster and sucks up the liquid. So if you only used cake flour, you would have a cakey cookie, lacking any chewiness or a bit of a crust. However, if you only used bread flour, you would end up with a very brown, crisp cookie. Hence the perfect marriage. I also used 60% & 70% cacao, along with some milk chocolate chunks in this dough.

Not Without Salt Cookie

Pros: This was the least loved. Tasters said it was fine, and a nice fall back option. The dough was a bit above average (C+). The sprinkling of sea salt added that pop flavor. I could note a bit uniqueness in the crust, which might be attributed to the use of Turbinado sugar. I had a bit of caramel tones.

Cons: Too much chocolate (the recipe called for quite a bit), lacked anything special about it. It was okay, but not the best.

Technique: I went ahead and let this one sit in the fridge for 36 hours too, but it never aged as well as the N.Y. Times cookie. If I were to make these again, I wouldn’t use as much chocolate as the recipe called for, because it ended up feeling like you were eating chocolate with some cookie, not the other way around. Sprinkling Fleur de Sal on top before baking lends something extraordinary to even the most ordinary chocolate chip doughs.

Results: The tasters were not unanimous in their decisions. One said her favorite was the Cooks Illustrated. Three other tasters said the N.Y. Times one was their favorite. And as one taster said, “Although the flavor of the C.I. cookie is superior to the N.Y. Times one, the N.Y. Times has great texture and slightly inferior flavor, but makes it a better cookie since it meets both standards–regardless if the flavor isn’t as superior.”

So if you have time on your hand (41 hours to 72 hours), make the N.Y. Times cookies. However, if you want warm cookies right now, make the Cooks Illustrated. The comparison between the two reminds me of Michael Phelp’s Miracle finish. So you be the judge and make both–let me know what you think.

Overall Scores:

Gold to N.Y. Times

Silver to Cooks Illustrated

Bronze to Not Without Salt

Update (2/28/2010): I did not use the feves talked about in the N.Y. Times recipe. Instead, I bought a pound of chocolate from Trader Joe’s (70%) and cut it into smaller chunks with a serrated knife. I did the same with some milk chocolate I have in bulk. You could use packaged chocolate chunks as well. I feel like the chocolate chip texture doesn’t hit the spot as well as chunk form.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

When I was in junior high, our church youth group would have overnighters occasionally on the Sunday nights when we didn’t have school on Monday. There were those kids who would never come to the overnighter, because they are the ones who “couldn’t cut it (Ben would have been one of those).” In retrospect, they were the smart ones who knew at a young age what their body could and couldn’t take. However, in our juvenile setback, we saw it not only as our duty, but our obligation to stick it to the man by experiencing the world from dusk to dawn.

Our ammunition was nothing less than your basic food groups–High Fructose Corn Syrup disguised as Dr. Pepper, Monosodium Glutamate disguised as Nacho Cheese Doritos, transfats disguised as Grease cloying Pizza & Unrefined sugar disguised as any & all candy. And what happens when you eat those basic food groups over the course of 10 hours? You crash and burn my friend, crash and burn. It wasn’t until we were driving home at 6:00 am with the Arizona sun burning a hole in my retinas, that I began to wonder if a night-time of no sleep, crap food, and a bit more crap food was worth it? My stomach was hungry for real food, but my body was beyond tired. I felt like a two-year old at the one o’clock hour being pushed around the mall with my mom saying, “one more store honey.” That morning my body trumped my stomach and slowly walked down the hall, with random clothes & stuff dropping the floor like Hansel & Gretel walking toward their candy house ecstasy.

It wasn’t until around 12:30 when I arose from my zombie induced coma to meander towards the wafting smell of the kitchen. My mom was making some food for the potluck that evening and all I can say is that I’ve never tasted anything as good as chili mac at a moment like that, nor the chocolate cookie with peanut butter chips. I ate a bit to rid my stomach from eating itself and went back to bed. When I finally woke up for the day, I came back to the kitchen to find that the cookies weren’t just an illusion, but were actually really good cookies that I later ate a couple more. And as I tasted these chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting, I can’t help but think of those cookies on the Memorial day back in the 90s. I remember grabbing a glass of cold milk to compliment the obvious marriage of chocolate & peanut butter. And for these cupcakes, I recommend the same. Just leave the overnighters to those crazy middle & high schoolers.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting (printable recipe)

This recipe is adapted from Barefoot Contessa at Home. One thing about Ina Garten’s recipes is she always uses extra-large eggs, which no one ever has in their home. So I always use large. I used two large as an equal exchange in this recipe. However, if there were three or more extra-large, then I would increase the large eggs to equal it out. And you should definitely have a glass of milk when eating these cupcakes.

Ingredients

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk, shaken, at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
2 tablespoons instant espresso (follow directions) or brewed coffee
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup good cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Kathleen’s Peanut Butter Icing, recipe follows

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and 2 sugars on high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes. Lower the speed to medium, add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, and instant espresso. In another bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. On low-speed, add the buttermilk mixture and the flour mixture alternately in thirds to the mixer bowl, beginning with the buttermilk mixture and ending with the flour mixture. Mix only until blended. Fold the batter with a rubber spatula to be sure it’s completely blended.

Divide the batter among the cupcake pans (1 rounded standard ice cream scoop per cup is the right amount). Bake in the middle of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, remove from the pans, and allow to cool completely before frosting.

Frost each cupcake with Peanut Butter Icing. Sprinkle with some sea salt.

Kathleen’s Peanut Butter Icing:

1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup heavy cream

Place the confectioners’ sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.

Homemade Graham Cracker Sandwich Cookies

I feel like there are definitely those that fall under the LOVE graham cracker category. I’m in the other camp, the “meh” camp. I can recall old roommates getting their sugar craving quenched by putting frosting on graham crackers. If there are graham crackers in our home, Ben will spread peanut butter on them. As for me, I would rather have nothing. The boxed graham crackers tend to have that mass produced taste and lacking in the honey factor (even though the box says ‘Honey Graham’).

So if you’re in the “LOVE” category, you need to make these and your admiration will increase exponentially, making you wonder what you were doing having a love affair with such second rate calories. If you’re in the “Meh” category, then this might be the start to a “beautiful friendship.” When you bite into these gems, you taste honey, then cinnamon, then a bit of nuttiness from the whole wheat, the richness of the butter with the bit of salt tying it altogether. That’s the graham without the frosting, so by adding the frosting it sends you over the top. Wow your family or guests with these nostalgic childhood snacks and I guarantee that in this instance–simplicity wins out.

Homemade Graham Cracker Sandwich Cookies

(printable recipe)

This recipe is adapted from the cookbook, The Grand Central Baking Book, which is a bakery located in Seattle, WA & Portland, OR. The recipe calls to bake 15-20 minutes, but I found that a 15 minute baking time produces a softer graham (not as golden, but still wonderful). So start at 15 and add more time if you want them more crispy.

Graham Cracker Ingredients

2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour, unbleached
1/2 cup (2.5 ounces) whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup (8 ounces, or 2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup (1.75 ounces) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (1.75 ounces) packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup (3 ounces) honey

Frosting Ingredients

1/2 cup (4 ounces or 1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups (8 ounces) powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tb heavy cream, 1/2 & 1/2, or whole milk

Directions

Combine the dry ingredients: Measure the flours, baking soda, salt & cinnamon into a bowl and whisk to combine.
Cream the butter, sugar, and honey: Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, both sugars & honey on medium speed for 3 – 5 minutes until light in color and fluffy. Stop the mixer and scrap the sides and bottom of bowl.
Add the dry ingredients and chill the dough: With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour or up to 3 days.
Shape the cookies: Preheat the oven to 350. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Lightly dust a work surface with flour and coat a rolling pin with additional flour. Roll out the dough to 1/8 inch thickness, then use a sharp chef’s knife to cut the dough into rectangles (however large or small you of rectangles you would like, I varied mine between 3×5 and 2×3). Prick the dough with a fork. Place the rectangles about 1 inch apart on the parchment lined baking sheet.
Bake: Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time. The cookies should be dry, firm to the touch, and deep golden brown. Let them cool completely on the baking sheets.
Make the frosting: Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, mix the butter and powdered sugar on low speed until well blended, then increase to medium speed and beat for 3 minutes. Add the vanilla and 2 Tb cream, and continue to beat on medium speed for 1 minute.
Fill & assemble the sandwich cookies: Find matching size graham crackers and using an offset spatula (or butter knife) to spread a layer of frosting on the inverted graham cracker. Put enough frosting to fill the middle and place the other graham cracker on top squeezing slightly until the frosting spreads to the edges.

Cinnamon-Almond Danish Rolls

The summer I got engaged I got hired to work in a bakery. I was one Math class short of getting my A.A. degree, which seem to be taking much longer than intended. But it’s because my major path kept changing and I wasn’t going to go into debt taking university classes aimlessly. And since I had thought about going into catering or do something with the Patisserie world, what better way to find out than get a job in the field–right?

I wholeheartedly encourage getting a job in the field before spending the money. It helped me in my pathway of self-discovery, work ethic and respect for the doughnut maker. That’s right, the “time to make the doughnuts” guy or gal. In non-specialized bakeries (ones that do just about everything), when you apply for a job without any work experience you will start at the bottom. In this instance, it’s the doughnuts. This means getting to work at 2:00 am, sluggishly weighing the flour, heating up the dispiscable vat of oil, taking the yeast doughnuts out of the proof box…all the while standing in the far back, next to 500 degree ovens, where the only person you converse with from 2am-9am is…YOURSELF. By day two on the job, I no longer judged the people my manager spoke of during the interview who quit in the middle of their shift (I never became one of them though).

However, the day before my first day of ‘Time to make the doughnuts,’ I had already committed myself to providing breakfast goods for a college student conference. I was a bit stressed thinking about starting my job, getting my body adjusted to a weird sleep schedule, moving out of my house that week, and being the perfectionist I am about what I produce in the kitchen. Luckily, Ben reassured me that he could take care of the cinnamon rolls I was making. I went over how long they needed to be in there a couple times and all the other steps. I was a bit nervous, but went to bed at 7:00 pm on a Washington summer day (meaning the sun doesn’t set till 9:00pm). I awoke around 10:30 a bit disoriented, wondering if it was time to get ready. Not only was I confused about the time, but I had a bad dream about my cinnamon rolls and hurried downstairs.

When I got downstairs I began to panic. The table was empty. The counter was empty. The top of the fridge was empty. The fridge was empty. My cinnamon rolls were no where to be found. I was worried, enraged, baffled and about 1/4 awake. And let it be known, I am NOT, in any way, shape, or form the person you want to wake in the middle of the night or too early in the morning. I need my space and as my good friend Hilary said to another roommate, “No, Kamille’s not mad at you…just don’t talk to her in the morning when she first wakes up.” Well, as I’m searching on the main floor for some answers, I notice some people are in the living room watching a movie. I slide open the gigantic door to find eaten cinnamon rolls. I flip. I absolutely flip and am ready to attack. I don’t quite remember what I said, but I do remember hearing from Ben what Hilary said, “Ben…Kamille woke up, started rambling, had death in her eye, and–she was SCARY!”

I went back to bed and started my first day with ease. But what I learned later was my cinnamon rolls got burnt in the oven, so Ben took care of it (like he said he would). He went and got bagels & cream cheese (the next time I made scones for the college students) while I was the night of living dead towards my friends. He offered the cinnamon rolls to be eaten for anyone who enjoyed black bottom cinnamon rolls.

There were three other things I learned from that experience. One is “let it go” (enough said). Two, I’m still great friends with Hilary and this is a picture of loyalty & love. And three, my outlook on doughnuts has forever been tainted (Apple fritters go in at 3 oz each and come out of the vat of grease at 6 oz) and that’s not a bad thing. However, my view on danishes & cinnamon rolls have not. So why not combine the two and indulge in flaky, buttery goodness. But make them when you’ve volunteered to bake for say…24 people.

Cinnamon-Almond Danish Rolls (printable recipe)

The recipe is adapted from The Great Scandinavian Baking Book. The author offers two Danish dough recipes to choose from, so I chose the quick method. You don’t have to fold in the butter using this method, but a food processor instead. And the dough had the flakiness I was desiring in a Danish dough. This is also a two part recipe.

Quick Method Danish Pastry (printable recipe)

Ingredients

3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch slices (think a pat of butter)
2 packages active dry yeast (4 1/2 teaspoons)
1/2 cup warm water, 105 F to 115 F
1/2 cup heavy cream or undiluted evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground cardamom (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt (in baking always use table salt, unless otherwise indicated)
2 eggs, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar

Measure 3 1/2 cups flour into a food processor with a steel blade. Add the 1/4 inch slices of butter to the flour. Process the mixture until the butter is about the size of kidney beans.

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Let stand 5 minutes. Stir in the cream or milk, cardamom (if using), salt, eggs, and sugar. Turn the flour-butter mixture into the wet mixture, and with a rubber spatula, mix carefully just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Cover and refrigerate 4 hours, overnight, or up to 4 days.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured board or surface; dust with flour. Pound and flatten to make a 16-to 20-inch square. Fold dough into thirds, which will make 3 layers. Turn dough around and roll out again. Fold from the short sides into thirds. This should make a square (If not, don’t worry too much about it). Repeat folding and rolling again if you’d like (which I did). Wrap and chill the dough 30 minutes or as long as overnight.

Cinnamon-Almond Danish Rolls

Ingredients

One batch of Quick Method Danish Pastry

Filling

1/2 cup softened butter
1 cup light or dark brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup sliced almonds (the original called for 1 cup chopped pecans)
1-2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 slightly beaten egg

Icing

1 cup powdered sugar
3-4 tablespoons hot coffee

Place paper cupcake liners in 24 muffin cups. Roll pastry out on a lightly floured surface to make a 20-inch square. Spread with the butter. Sprinkle with the brown sugar, almonds, cinnamon & cardamom.

Roll up jelly-roll fashion (remembering to roll tight enough so the ending circle will fit inside muffin tin). Cut into 24 slices. Place slices with the cut side up in each muffin cup.

Let rise in a cool place for 30 to 45 minutes, or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Brush pastries with beaten egg. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until puffed and golden. Mix the powdered sugar with coffee. Drizzle the icing over the hot pastries. Serve warm.

Gingerbread Man Pancakes

This morning as I was nursing my youngest in bed, I heard my oldest tell Ben, “Pancakes?! Eat pancakes for breakfast?” There are so many reasons why pancakes were a bad idea. One we’re leaving today to stay the night in Seattle to fly out tomorrow to Arizona. Two there was still packing to be done. Three I have a house to clean up. Four, well, four is that pancakes take more time than say cold cereal. But, yes there’s a but, I haven’t made pancakes in a while and doing something a bit special on such a unroutinized day would balance our life out a bit. Plus, a day of traveling typically means eating food that isn’t the most appetizing.

I was determined to make some pancakes for these adorable monkeys, but NO BUTTERMILK. We have pre-vacation fridge, also known as post-vacation fridge. It’s that fridge where you don’t buy any perishables the week before you leave, so they don’t go bad while you’re gone. Hence, welcoming you to the same fridge upon your arrival. So, I wasn’t about to buy buttermilk last weekend when I didn’t have a need for it on my menu…only the basics. But now on pancake morning, there is no buttermilk. Sure, you’re saying, “Kamille, just mix some lemon juice or vinegar with whole milk,” but that didn’t sound too appealing and then I would have to wait for it to thicken.

So after perusing the Gourmet Cookbook I found this Gingerbread Pancake recipe. It required no buttermilk, but sour cream (which I had). They were a bit more fluffy & thick than your typical buttermilk pancakes, but delicious all the same. I recommend plopping them on the hot griddle, then spraying your spatula and pressing them down a bit. Then, once you flip them, press down again. By themselves, they don’t pop; however, once you add maple syrup & butter…let’s just say everything Christmas morning magic in your mouth. Well, I’m off as I need to finish the last details of packing and to 60 degree weather we go. Merry Christmas!

Gingerbread Pancakes (printable version)

This recipe comes from Gourmet cookbook. My oldest woke up saying she wanted pancakes and I needed to make something without buttermilk, since we didn’t have any on hand. I think these were the perfect pre-Christmas compromise.

Dry Ingredients:

1 cup unbleached flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Wet Ingredients:

3 tablespoons molasses (not blackstrap or strong flavored kind)

1 cup sour cream

1 egg

2 tablespoons whole milk

2 tablespoons melted butter, plus more for brushing the griddle

Preparation

Heat your griddle or skillet, brush with butter or spray.

In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients and set aside. In a small bowl, combine all wet ingredients. Add wet ingredients into the large bowl with dry ingredients. Stir until just combined.

If you want to make gingerbread man pancakes, spray or grease inside of cookie cutter before you put the batter inside (or you’ll have one sticky mess). Put the greased cookie cutter onto griddle and add some batter trying to smooth it evenly, so none of the griddle is visible. Cook for about 1 minute and then take your spatula and flip the pancake (with cookie cutter still attached) over. Gently push the batter down, in order to ensure cooking on the bottom.

Using a kitchen towel (since the cookie cutter is hot) jiggle the cookie cutter off the gingerbread man pancake and cook for a bit longer.

These pancakes by themselves aren’t very sweet at all, but definitely flavorful. So when you add the butter & maple syrup (because isn’t that what pancakes are about?) they’re a knock out. Plus, you can change up the cookie cutters and little people will love them.

Cardamom Orange Cookies

The other day I heard these words from my very imaginative daughter’s mouth, “Put in some nutmeg, then cinnamon & CarDAmom in the crisp!” She was playing with her kitchen stuff, while replaying the time we made the P.A.C. Crisp together. It was a proud moment as a mama & lover of all things culinary…my almost three year old remembering the key ingredients to make a crisp “pop.”

Not only does she remember these sorts of things, but her delight in food is music to the ears. After baking the Cardamom Orange Cookies with her help, she eagerly awaited their arrival out of the oven (don’t you love how kids are really saying & doing what we as adults restrain). Once it was cool enough to handle, I put some of the citrus glaze on top and asked, “Is there any little girls who would like a Cardamom cookie?” She ran up & volunteered herself for the feat. Upon the cookie entering her mouth (as she is with most food she enjoys), the sounds of satisfaction like, “MMM…OH MY…(another)MMM, this is DElicious!” And so forth.

She has never been shy vocalizing her love for good food. When she nursed she let out big “MMM’s” and her first tastes of solids are equated with Bob Wiley eating Faye’s handschuked corn. I love this about her, which makes baking with her all the more enjoyable. I also love that she knows what cardamom is & how orange zest pairs well with it. So, in honor of cardamom and all things that go, “MMM,” I hope you’ll make these over the holidays to share (but don’t feel too bad if you eat more than you give away).

Cardamom Orange Cookies (printable version)

This recipe is adapted from Epicurious. I chose to take out the roll & cut method and simply rolled them into a log & cut slices from them instead. YUMMY!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons grated orange zest
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom (I used a mortar & pestle to grind the cardamom from the pod)
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg yolk
2 tablespoons heavy cream

Citrus Glaze

juice of one orange
2 cups powdered sugar
splash of orange oil essence (or extract)
2 teaspoons orange zest

Make dough:
Whisk together flour, zest, cardamom, and salt.

Cut and bake cookies:
Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.

Bake until edges are golden-brown, 12-15 minutes. Cool on baking sheet 5 minutes, then slide cookies, still on parchment, onto a rack to cool completely.

Make Icing:

Combine powdered sugar, juice orange, orange zest & splash of orange oil (or orange extract). Glaze atop cookies.

Grandma’s No Bakes

I can recall Christmas time in AZ as a little girl typically wishing I was someplace in the movies where snow wasn’t a foreign concept. But, despite my lack of cold powdery stuff anywhere within my perimeter, one of my fondest memories entailed a box awaiting my departure from the school bus.

My parents owned a mattress/bedding store growing up. I would ride the bus home, or shall I say, ride the bus to the store everyday. I was in the first grade, walking to the store anticipating the coming Christmas break (I was a huge daydreamer, so not being in a routinized setting meant the world to me). Upon my arrival, there was a package waiting for all of us to open. It was a big cardboard box from Oregon, which meant it was from Grandma Cox.

My grandma was one of those iconic grandmother types. She embodied everything grandmotherly (i.e. warm hugs, cards sent for every holiday, and that aura). I loved her more than just for what she gave us, but how she loved. She loved with an unconditional love. If she didn’t like someone, you would never know it, because she loved them immensely. So, whenever we received anything in the mail from her, it was as if we were getting a bit of her there with us.

And on that December day, when I walked through the store’s back door and scrounged through that box with my brother, the round tin was our golden ticket. My mom trying to enforce some constraint on our behalf, but I can still recall the chocolate peanut butter no bakes. I feel like these are the quintessential Christmas nostalgia cookie for me, because of my grandma.

Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bakes (printable recipe)

I used gluten-free oats, in order for my gluten intolerant friend to eat them. However, I did notice these had a bit of a chew to them. I think it’s because they were Bob’s Red Mill Oats. They were still wonderful and reminiscent of Grandma’s. This recipe is adapted from here.

Ingredients:

2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter

4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

1/2 cup whole milk

1 cup crunchy peanut butter

1 tablespoon vanilla

3 cups oats (I used gluten-free)

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, butter, cocoa & milk and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cook until mixture begins to boil. Allow it to boil without stirring for 2-2 1/2 minutes. Then, add the peanut butter, vanilla & oats, stirring it all together. Remove from heat and continue to stir to allow the mixture to coat thoroughly. Using a teaspoon or tablespoon (depending on what size you want), drop mixture onto wax paper. Allow to sit and firm up. Eat & drink with milk.