Dulce Doll

Bodacious Brownies!

2010-11-16T16:19:00.000-08:00

My sweetheart made it crystal clear last night he was in need of a brownie fix, so I got up super early this morning to surprise him - until I knocked the cocoa canister all over the kitchen floor and had to vacuum, which of course woke him up and ruined my plan...

These brownies turned out moist and delicious, and were super quick and easy to throw together. I will definitely be making them again, and I think they would be super easy to doctor a little to make them even better! There was a recommended frosting recipe attached, which I will include, but I did not make it this time and they were great.

I doubled the recipe into a 9 x 13" pan, and added two packs of Starbucks' Columbia Roast VIA, but you could add instant espresso or nothing at all.

Brownies:

1/2 cup butter

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup AP flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. baking powder

Frosting:

3 tbsp. butter, softened

3 tbsp. cocoa powder

1 tbsp. honey

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour an 8-inch square pan.

In a large saucepan, melt butter. Remove from heat, and stir in sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk in dry ingredients. Spread batter into prepared pan.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

To make frosting: Combine all ingredients and frost brownies while they are still warm.

It's a Pizza Pie!

2010-11-02T10:06:00.000-07:00

I've made it no secret how much I adore Mark Bittman's recipes. So when I had a craving for pizza this week, it's no surprise that the dough recipe I went with came from his website.

The recipe itself is extremely minimalist, and guaranteed you are likely to have everything you need already in your kitchen.

Baking times will vary based on where you are and if you're using a pan or a stone. I used a pan and baked mine for 20+ minutes because I like a crispy crust.

You can use it same day (allow at least 2 hours rise time), or make ahead and freeze for when you need dinner fast. Also, the recipe calls to be mixed in a food processor but I didn't feel like cleaning it all up after so I just mixed it all by hand in a large bowl.

Mark Bittman's Pizza Dough

3 cups AP flour

2 tsp. instant yeast

2 tsp. salt

2 tbsp. olive oil

Combine flour, yeast and salt in a food processor. Turn the machine on and add olive oil and 1 cup water through the feed tube.

Process for about 30 seconds, adding more water, a little at a time, until the mixture forms a ball and is slightly sticky to the touch. If it is still dry, add another tablespoon or so of water and process for another 10 seconds. (In the event that the mixture is too sticky, add flour a tablespoon at a time.)

Turn the dough onto a floured work surface and knead by hand for a few seconds to form a smooth, round dough ball. Put the dough in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap; let rise until the dough doubles in size, 1 to 2 hours. (You can cut this rising time short if you’re in a hurry, or you can let the dough rise more slowly, in the refrigerator, for up to 6 or 8 hours.) Proceed to Step 4 or wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap or a zipper bag and freeze for up to a month. (Defrost in the bag or a covered bowl in the refrigerator or at room temperature; bring to room temperature before shaping.)

When the dough is ready, form it into a ball and divide it into 2 or more pieces if you like; roll each piece into a round ball. Put each ball on a lightly floured surface, sprinkle with flour, and cover with plastic wrap or a towel. Let rest until they puff slightly, about 20 minutes.

Bake at 425 degrees 15-20 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is bubbly.

Cupcakes in Calgary

2010-10-30T08:45:00.000-07:00

I've recently moved to a new city, Calgary Alberta. Shopping last weekend I made my favorite kind of find: a cupcake shop!

Bliss & Co. Cupcakes and Desserts. They're located at 108-3rd Ave. SW Unit 111, but I stumbled upon them at an outlet in gigantic Chinook Centre.

If you can stop by there, I highly recommend Chocolate Bliss and Island Dream. Also, and believe it or not, I LOVED their Lemon Cream cupcake! I am extremely discriminate of lemon cupcakes, the best ever of course at Trophy Cupcakes in Seattle, the other best out of MY kitchen... But their lemon was a close third (I maintain mine are better!!).

What a nice surprise on a chilly afternoon!

Here's a link to their website so you can check them out yourself: Bliss & Co, Cupcakes and Desserts

Bagels!!

2010-10-30T00:15:00.000-07:00

I was shopping today and craving bagels. Big, fresh, doughy, delicious bagels. The specialty bagel shop was already closed when I got there, and I won't purchase the supermarket alternatives, so I opted to make some myself!

Bagels are extremely simple and rewarding to make. Breads can be daunting to some, but I found a fantastic recipe that start to finish, takes less than an hour.

Their shelf life is not as long as their grocery store counterparts, but that's a good thing. The best thing about making your own bagels at home: you know what's in them! My boyfriend bought some recently at the grocery store that eight weeks later still appeared to be good - scary!

4 cups AP flour

1 tbsp. sugar

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. canola oil

2 tsp. instant yeast

1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups warm water

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. The dough should feel stiff, but add the extra water if it's really stiff or you are having trouble incorporating all the dry flour.

Drop the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead for about ten minutes, or until the dough is uniform and smooth.

Cut the dough into eight equal-sized balls, and let rest for 10-20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Take each of the dough balls and using two hands, roll into a little snake on the surface. When the snake is longer than the width of your two hands, wrap it around one of your hands. The dough rope should be wrapped so the overlapping ends are together at your palm, near the start of your fingers. Take the two overlapping ends, and use your palm to squish/roll the two ends together. Once the dough is fused, you should have a perfect circle.

Let the bagels rest on the counter for about 20 minutes, and meanwhile bring a large pot of water to boil, and line a baking sheet with parchment. Rub parchment with a splash of vegetable oil.

After 20 minutes have passed and dough has risen, add them to the pot, as many as will fit at a time without crowding them. Boil for about a minute, turn them over, and boil another minute. Take them out and let dry for a minute. Place them on prepared baking sheet. Repeat until all the bagels are boiled.

Bake bagels for 10 minutes, flip them over, and bake 5 to 10 minutes more until they are golden brown.

Let cool for 20 minutes and enjoy.

The BEST Chocolate Chip Cookie EVER!

2010-06-01T22:38:00.001-07:00

These cookies are my absolute favorite ever! I don't make them very often because the recipe calls for a full pound of butter, but for those rare occasions when you're feeling especially deserving of something bad for you, they fit the bill perfectly!

This is another Martha Stewart recipe, actually from her daughter, Alexis. They are big and flat and chewy and crispy? Sounds odd, but trust me, they're amazing!

Alexis's Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies

From Martha Stewart

1 lb. (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

3 cups packed light brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

4 large eggs

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

3 1/2 cups AP flour

1 1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment and set aside. Cream butter until smooth; add sugars and beat until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Into a large bowl, sift together dry ingredients. Slowly beat dry ingredients into wet mixture. Fold in chocolate chips.

Drop 2-3 tablespoons dough per cookie onto prepared baking sheets; space dough at least 2 inches apart to allow for spreading. Bake until golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove cookies from baking sheets, and allow to cool on racks.

Makes fifty 4-inch cookies.

Perfect Lemon Cupcakes

2010-04-14T19:19:00.000-07:00

My friend is celebrating her birthday tomorrow... She loves lemon, the color yellow, and stars, so I decided to make little lemon cupcakes with pretty yellow buttercream and super cute confetti star candies! It wasn't really a stretch for me, I do have an addiction to lemon anything...

You know when you go to a cupcake shop and try the lemon only to find out it tastes something like lemon household cleaner?? I recently had this bad experience and have decided to make it my crusade to come up with awesome natural lemon-flavored cakes.

Here it is - all my own creation! Makes 24.

Perfect Lemon Cupcakes

By Dulce Doll

1 cup butter, room temperature

2 cups granulated sugar

4 eggs

Zest of 3 lemons

Juice of 2 1/2 lemons

1 cup milk

1 tsp. lemon extract

3 cups AP flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat together butter and sugar in a stand mixer until smooth. Add in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add rind, milk, lemon juice and lemon extract. Beat well until completely combined.

Add flour, one cup at a time, beating well between each addition. Add baking powder and salt and beat until smooth.

Line 2 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake liners. Fill each cup with about 1/4-cup of batter.

Bake 18 to 22 minutes depending on your oven, rotating pans halfway through.

Lemon Buttercream

By Dulce Doll

1 cup butter, room temperature

Zest of 1 lemon

Juice of 1 1/2 lemons

4 1/2 cups confectioners sugar (may vary depending on desired consistency)

Yellow gel food coloring

Beat butter until creamy and smooth. Add lemon zest and juice and beat until incorporated.

Start adding sugar, one cup at a time, beating after each addition until you have desired consistency for piping or spreading.

Beat in a few drops of gel coloring until you get the color that you'd like.

Gateau au Citron

2010-03-21T11:33:00.000-07:00

On my Facebook group Bakealicious! I've implemented a monthly baking challenge to try to get everyone into their kitchens and trying new and yummy recipes. For March I chose a French-style yogurt cake from Orangette, which I made finally last night, and it turned out delicious! I'll definitely be making it again and again and with different citrus fruits.

It was super moist and tasty and had a tart lemon glaze, I highly recommend it. I made it all in the one bowl of my stand mixer, very little mess! I altered the original recipe slightly, adding a little more lemon zest than it called for because I LOVE lemon!

For the cake:
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups AP flour
2 tsp. baking powder
Grated lemon zest of two lemons
1/2 cup canola oil

For the glaze:
Juice from 2 lemons
1/2 jar powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, sugar, and eggs, stirring until well blended. Add the flour, baking powder, and zest, mixing to just combine. Add the oil and stir to incorporate. At first, it will look like a horrible, oily mess, but keep stirring, and it will come together into a smooth batter. Pour and scrape the batter into a parchment-lined 9-inch round cake pan.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the cake feels springy to the touch and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Do not overbake.

Cool cake on a rack for about 20 minutes; then turn it out of the pan to cool completely.

When the cake is thoroughly cooled, combine the lemon juice and powdered sugar in a small bowl and spoon it gently over the cake. The glaze will be thin and will soak in like a syrup.

Great Coffee In Vancouver

2010-03-17T15:06:00.001-07:00

I know I should probably NOT be advertising another coffee company's brand, but whenever I'm close to an Artigiano's location I make a point to stop in for a great Americano or French Press. I can't help it - hope you do the same sometime! Quaint, great service, welcoming atmosphere, appropriate food offerings, and delicious coffee!

More Olympics!

2010-03-16T21:20:00.000-07:00

Something I loved to do almost daily during the Olympics was visit the Cauldron down on the waterfront. I was very depressed the day they put it out.

Gold rings means Canadian gold medal!

One afternoon a friend and I decided to go for a walk through Stanley Park to visit the Olympic rings out on their barge in the harbor. Needless to say, it didn't look as far as it was and we ended up walking about ten kilometers round trip! Totally worth it, however, despite the gray weather and the threat of rain. It made for some great photos...

Downtown on Robson Street was chaos once the games were on!

Urban Fare

2010-03-15T16:50:00.000-07:00

When I was at the Olympics I did my shopping at this great market that I found in the new Shangri La building in Vancouver. It's the tallest building in the city now, home to celebrities, Burberry, and the Urban Fare Market.

It includes a full bakery/pastry department, deli, salad bar, and Thomas Haas Chocolaterie. It was just a really pretty store to shop in!

March Mac Attack Entry!

2010-03-10T13:57:00.001-08:00

Firstly, thank you again to Jamie and Deeba for facilitating this fun activity! The theme for Mac Tweets' Mac Attack 5 is "Spring Fling", and the inspiration is to be spring flowers. The first thing that always comes to mind for me when I think about spring/summer is lavender. I love everything about it. How something so simple can be so impactful is amazing to me.

I knew I wanted lavender macarons, but I got the idea to pair that flavor with fresh orange from Cannelle et Vanille.

Lavender Macarons

By Dulce Doll

1 cup plus 1 tbsp. confectioners sugar

1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. ground almonds

2 large egg whites, aged 24 hours

5 tbsp. granulated sugar

Grated zest of 1 orange

Blue or lavender gel food coloring

Dried lavender

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment, and have a pastry bag fitted with a plain 1/4-inch tip ready.

In a food processor, pulse together the powdered sugar, almonds, and cocoa, until a fine powder.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg whites until they begin to rise and hold their shape. While whipping, beat in the granulated sugar until very stiff and firm, about two minutes. Add orange zest and a very small amount of food coloring, only enough to very slightly tint the color. Whip again for a few seconds to incorporate zest and color.

Carefully fold in the dry ingredients, in two batches, with a flexible rubber spatula. When the mixture is just smooth and there are no streaks of white, stop folding and scrape the batter into the pastry bag (standing the bag in a tall glass helps if you're alone).

Pipe the batter on the prepared baking sheets in 1-inch circles, evenly spaced one-inch apart. Sprinkle tops with dried lavender.

Rap the baking sheet a few times firmly on the counter top to flatten, then bake 8 to 12 minutes depending on your oven. Let cool completely, then remove from baking sheet.

Fresh Orange Buttercream

By Dulce Doll

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

Confectioners sugar

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Zest of 1 orange

Cream butter until smooth. Add vanilla and continue beating to incorporate. Start mixing in confectioners sugar, 1/4-cup at a time until you have desired consistency. Beat in orange zest.

My New Love

2010-03-09T16:07:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I've always been terrified of making crepes. I'm not sure why, but up until now, I haven't even attempted making them. I thought you had to have a special pan - not entirely true.

I've always liked crepes, usually sweet ones with lots of fruit and whipped cream. One time in Calgary, my BFF and I went to an eclectic little restaurant only serving crepes. We were very excited, Sunday morning, and then the waitress called them creeps. Ugh. We felt a little less classy at the time, but the joke still keeps on giving...

One of my almost daily staples in Vancouver is Cafe Crepe - they're all over the city, a walk-up crepe kiosk, if you will, with every yummy flavor you could want, savory or sweet.

Needless to say, I was ecstatic when one of my favorite bloggers, Christine, of Fresh Local and Best posted a very simple crepe recipe from her recent trip to France. I took it as a sign and what happened next is very dangerous. I now know how to make crepes. This recipe does not call for vanilla, but I will add it next time.

Basic Crepes

2 eggs

1 cup flour

1 cup milk

Pinch of salt

4 tbsp. melted butter

To make batter, whisk eggs in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk in flour until blended. Pour in milk, a quarter cup at a time, so that the batter is smooth. Add salt and 2 tablespoons of the melted butter. Whisk until smooth.

Place a frying pan over medium heat. When the pan is hot, brush melted butter onto the entire surface of the pan. When you are ready to ladle the batter onto the pan, pick up the pan, have it tilted at about a 30 degree angle. Ladle about a quarter of a cup of batter onto the tilted pan. Continue to tilt the pan in a circular motion to spread the batter evenly.

Allow the crepe to cook for roughly two minutes. Use a plastic spatula to loosen the edges of the crepe. When the crepe looks ready, peel it off the skillet and flip it over. Brown the second side for roughly a minute.

My very first crepe!!

I brushed melted butter and sprinkled with sweetened coconut flakes.

Strawberry jam - yum!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-03-08T21:04:00.000-08:00

I always love trying new chocolate chip cookie recipes because you never know if one might be just a little bit more perfect than the one you already think is perfect. I don't know, I can't take that chance. This recipe comes from my new cook book (the one pictured in my last post).

This recipe is great, the cookies baked really nice and evenly, were extremely easy to put together quickly, and tasted just right. Still, my all-time favorite chocolate chip cookie is still this one, but this one may have moved into second place, just based on the fact that they are chewy!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

From The Best of Chef at Home by Michael Smith

1 1/2 cups AP flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together. Set aside.

Using a stand mixer or food processor, cream the butter and sugar together until smooth. Add the egg and vanilla and continue beating until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and gradually add flour mixture, beating just until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Using a spoon, scoop out a ball of dough, roll in your hands to shape and then drop on parchment-lined baking sheet, allowing plenty of room for cookies to expand. Slightly flatten the tops.

For a soft, chewy cookie, bake for exactly 12 minutes. For a crispier cookie, bake for exactly 15 minutes.

* I made some cookies regular size, but I made some also that were giant, flattened them quite a bit before baking, and added some baking time. They were awesome!

New Book

2010-03-07T23:18:00.000-08:00

I bought this new book this week and I LOVE it! Lots of fabulous, tasty recipes by a chef who takes a fairly laid back approach to cooking. He's a Canadian chef, from Prince Edward Island with a background in fine dining. He's all about flavor and ease and that personal touch making the dish your own.

I made his chocolate chip cookies last night, huge hit at work this morning! Will post them tomorrow!

An Hour and Twenty Minutes for a Hot Dog!

2010-03-06T20:54:00.000-08:00

I don't know if you've heard about Japadog, but it's kind of a big deal in Vancouver! After a mention on the NBC Today Show during the Olympics they became an even bigger deal, and after promising my friend visiting Vancouver his first trip to Japadog, I stood in line for well over an hour for my dog.

Fortunately, these dogs are fantastic, unique because they're topped with traditional Japanese fixings, and suggested accompaniments that include edamame. I ordered one of my favorites, the Beef Terimayo, which is a beef smokie, Japanese mayo, teriyaki sauce, grilled onions, and nori.

I wish I had one now!

The Opening Ceremonies!

2010-03-05T16:37:00.000-08:00

Today I will share my photographs of my night at the Opening Ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympic games! Wow, what an incredible energy! Just walking up to BC Place was so exciting!

Please excuse the photo quality, some photos are from my iphone, some from my camera, but it was very dark inside, with constant movement and it was difficult to capture everything. I'm posting some of my favorite memories from the evening, including several photos of athletes, but really, it's all about them! I hope you enjoyed the show as much as I did.

Waiting to get through security (in the rain!).

My Dad waited for the clock to count down at the Art Gallery.

Mounties raising the Canadian flag to start the ceremonies.

The start of the athletes' arrival.

Finland

France

Great Britain

United States

Canada! The audience exploded with their arrival!

Northern Lights

Totem Poles

Rainforest

Rocky Mountains

K.D. Lang's breathtaking performance.

Finally the torch! Paralympic medalist Rick Hansen arrives.

The final hand-off to Wayne Greztky!

Ready to light the now famous malfunctioning cauldron.

So BEAUTIFUL!

Time to relax! Athletes starting to leave the building.

One of my favorites! US athletes making snow angels in the artificial snow!

This Canadian athlete (center) "flagged" down these two fans for a photo!

Cupcakes in Vancouver!

2010-03-04T18:00:00.001-08:00

The next time you're in the Vancouver area, be sure to check out Cupcakes by Heather and Lori. They have a few locations, which you can add to your travel plans, check out their website here to find a location convenient to your route.

I frequented the store on Robson and Thurlow downtown, and by frequented, I mean I went there everyday and ate cupcakes. My definite favorite had to be Diva, rich chocolate cake with hot pink vanilla buttercream and sprinkles. I also tried (and loved!) Mint Condition (chocolate cake with mint buttercream and mini chocolate chips), Versace (vanilla-chocolate marble cake with chocolate butterbream), and Snowball (coconut cake with cream cheese frosting and shredded coconut). I have to be honest and say I did not love Lemon Drop (lemon cake with lemon buttercream), which tasted to me a little like lemon candy, while I definitely prefer natural lemon flavor to artificial extract flavor.

With two Starbucks stores conveniently located kitty corner to each other in the same intersection, I had a serious problem on my hands!

Along with the obvious, cupcakes big (and I mean REALLY big!) and small, Cupcakes sells cute sustainable shopping bags, funky birthday candles, and cute charms for cupcake toppers. A really cool thing, hand sanitizer on the counter for their customers!

One kinda negative was that I absolutely received better service during the daytime hours than in the evenings, but a huge positive was that the cupcakes were fresh all hours of operation, they were obviously baking all day (yes, I said I went there A LOT).

Along with regular and miniature cupcakes, they do one called The Big One, which is huge, more like a mini cake. Fortunately I was able to resist purchasing one (I didn't see a Diva, however, or I may have been in trouble). They also do cakes to order!

Back To Reality - Post Olympics

2010-03-03T14:15:00.000-08:00

Sadly, my month at the Olympics has ended. I am immeasurably proud to be Canadian, wow! It will go down as one of the most exciting times of my life, an incredible once in a lifetime experience that I will keep forever with me in memory and photographs.

Unexpectedly, I was gifted a ticket to the opening ceremony on February 12, and I am so honored to have witnessed part of Olympic history! The highlight for me, aside from the incredible visual displays, talented dancers and actors, the buzz and energy from the athletes and 60,000 fellow spectators, was seeing the cauldron come to life. I am truly in awe of everything Olympics.

My favorite performance of the evening was K.D. Lang's performance of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah. Her version of that song always moves me to my core, so to see it live and at such an event was overwhelming and enchanting.

As a tribute to my time at the Olympics, I will leave a new post every day for the next several days, to update you all on some of the things I was able to see and do. As a side note, I have 500+ photos!

For my first posting, I will share the things I saw before the games kicked off, my findings from wandering around the city. And let me just start by saying, wow, we could not possibly have had better weather! Oh man, it was really hard to believe I was at the "winter" games...

One of my favorite things to look up and see (besides blue sky and sunshine!) was all the building art around the city. A beautiful and unique way to show pride for our country and support of our athletes:

Granville Street, which looks like a ghost town in some of these photos, housed arts, culture and performers all hours of the day and night:

I loved these lanterns, they were so much prettier at night:

The official clock counting down to the big day.

It's Official :(

2010-02-05T18:04:00.000-08:00

I am officially OUT OF TIME! I am heading for the Olympics on Monday and will be unable to complete not only the Mac Attack Valentine's Day Challenge (which deeply saddens me), but my first month of participating in the Daring Bakers' Challenge (also,*le sigh*). I was really jazzed about the February Daring Bakers' project, it's one that's been on my to-do list for a very long time.

When I return in March, I will absolutely complete the DB project, as well as heart-shaped macarons (if nothing, but for my own benefit!), and all photos and recipes will be posted.

I will try to get some Olympic photos posted while I am away, but no guarantees, I'm not sure what awaits me over the coming weeks. On down time I have absolutely mapped out fabulous bakeries and shops to visit (also, photos and info to come).

Thanks for bearing with me, hope you all have a fabulous February, good luck to the other Daring Bakers and Mac Attackers!

xoxo

Daring Bakers' Nanaimo Bars

2010-01-28T20:17:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure how I'm only just finding this now, but I've joined the Daring Bakers, which is a monthly challenge that starts every month on the 1st where each participant must follow the same recipe, same ingredients, etc. It's kept top secret, unless you're a challenger, and all entries are posted together on the 27th of each month precisely.

Check out this blog, it's one that I follow regularly. She always has beautiful photographs, and it definitely doesn't hurt that she's a professional pastry chef (le sigh!). I thought I'd add the link for all my fellow Nanaimo(-ites?)(-ans?), because the contest for January was Nanaimo Bars!

Stay tuned for my first entry!

xoxo

Chocolate Chip-A-Licious!

2010-01-28T13:53:00.000-08:00

I was visiting my parents this past weekend and my skinny mom gave me a Costco bag of chocolate chips, which she had purchased, planning to use for her Christmas baking, but didn't and now she wants them out of her house so they won't make her fat. Hilarious Little Mommy!

So now I'm on a mission to use the biggest bag of chocolate chips I've ever seen, and no time like the present to get started!

Remember those giant chocolate chocolate-chip muffins that come from places like supermarkets and Costco? I decided to make those, but obviously yummier and a more realistic size.

I'm also a huge believer in one-bowl-baking whenever possible. It's so much quicker and cleaner, and you can do something like bust out a large batch of impressive muffins to share with your co-workers the next morning with minimal effort. Sort of like those old Rice Krispy Square commercials where the Mom goes in the kitchen and throws some flour on herself...

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins

By Dulce Doll

1 3/4 cups AP flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

5 tbsp. best quality cocoa powder

1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup chocolate chips, plus more for sprinkling if desired

1 cup half and half

1/3 cup plus 2 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 egg

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine all the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients, one at a time, beating after each addition to blend well.

Fill muffin liners 3/4-full and sprinkle the tops with a few more chocolate chips. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until a tester comes out clean.

Makes 10 to 12 muffins.

MAC ATTACK!

2010-01-14T19:25:00.000-08:00

So, I found this other blog that is all about Macarons! How cool is that? They are spreading the mac passion by allowing others the opportunity to post their recipes, tips, photos, etc. on their site. I only just found this, but was able to scrape together a couple flavors before the January 15 cut-off.

The challenge or theme was to try something you hadn't before with macarons, whether it be your first attempt or using a new ingredient or whatever. I decided to put a spin on something I've done before, and also create something completely different, which, if you've ever made macarons, you know that's a huge feat if you're successful (get it, feet?).

Click here to go to the Mac Tweets blog and hopefully my entry will be there for you to check out.

My friend in Japan sent me some matcha a few months ago and I haven't known what to do with it until now. I knew it would be something special, because it's only a very small package, and although it's potent stuff, I still want to stretch it out as far as I can. What could be a more perfect use for my precious gift?

The first of the two flavors I made is chocolate (naturally), following the same recipe I used before by David Lebovitz, because honestly, it's just so easy to work with, and my results last time were so successful. I decided to fill them with a tasty twist on buttercream in which I added ice wine and bittersweet chocolate. Yum!

Chocolate Macarons

By David Lebovitz

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup ground almonds

3 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

2 large egg whites, room temperature

5 tbsp. granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment, and have a pastry bag fitted with a plain 1/2-inch tip ready.

In a food processor, pulse together the powdered sugar, almonds, and cocoa, until a fine powder.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg whites until they begin to rise and hold their shape. While whipping, beat in the granulated sugar until very stiff and firm, about two minutes.

Pipe the batter on the prepared baking sheets in 1-inch circles (about 1 tablespoon each of batter), evenly spaced one-inch apart.

Rap the baking sheet a few times firmly on the counter top to flatten, then bake 15 to 18 minutes. Let cool completely, then remove from baking sheet.

Bittersweet Chocolate Ice Wine Buttercream

By Dulce Doll

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

2 to 3 cups powdered sugar

3 tbsp. ice wine

1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

2 oz. best quality bittersweet chocolate, melted

Beat butter until smooth. Add the ice wine and vanilla, beat until well-blended. Add melted chocolate and incorporate completely. Gradually add powdered sugar until consistency is right, beginning with 2 cups and working up as necessary.

Spoon or pipe buttercream onto one half of each pair of macarons and top with the other.

For the matcha macarons, I tried to think of flavors that would compliment this unique taste. I decided that fruit or berries would be best, chocolate again might work, but I didn't want to become redundant! I went through the pantry and found an unopened treasure - pinot noir infused raspberry preserves. Perfect! But I didn't want just jam on cookies, I wanted to stick with rich and impressive and color contrast. Royal icing!

For the macarons themselves, I used the same recipe again, but adapted it slightly. Follow the same directions with the following ingredients:

Matcha Macarons

By Dulce Doll

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. ground almonds

1 tbsp. pure matcha powder

2 large egg whites, room temperature

5 tbsp. granulated sugar

Royal Icing

By Dulce Doll

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 cup water

1 1/2 tbsp. light corn syrup

1/2 tsp. salt

2 egg whites, room temperature

1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

In a small saucepan, combine sugar, baking powder, water, corn syrup, salt, and vanilla. Cook over medium heat until sugar is completely dissolved.

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites on high speed until they begin to hold shape. Continue beating and slowly pour hot syrup into egg whites in a fine stream and whip about 5 minutes longer, or until frosting stands in stiff peaks.

This icing can be used on cookies, cakes, cupcakes, anything. It can be stored in the fridge, container covered with a damp towel to prevent drying.

To assemble macarons, on one half of the pair, generously spread with preserves, and on the other half give a large dollop of royal icing. Sandwich together and enjoy.

A Blonde Moment...

2010-01-12T20:35:00.000-08:00

So, I pretty much LOVE Blondies!! I'm hosting a get-together of friends on Friday night, and the theme is "afternoon tea", so I'm trying to come up with traditional, and also some unconventional tea party accompaniments. I also want to stick to small, cute, individual portion items so I baked individual Blondies in my little cups that I love so much ("nut and party cups" that I found at a restaurant supply store - extremely handy and very inexpensive).

Also, since I basically make Blondies the same way every time, I added a little secret ingredient that turned out to be delicious - coconut! Hmmm, coconut and butterscotch, I'm such a risk-taker, I know.

Blondies

By Dulce Doll

1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, room temperature

2 1/4 cups AP flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

2 cups packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

3 large eggs, room temperature

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 cup Chipits butterscotch chips

1 cup shredded sweeted coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine butter and both sugars and salt. Add eggs, one at a time, beating on medium-high speed until fluffy. Decrease speed to medium and add vanilla, beat until combined.

Decrease your speed to low. Add flour in two batches, and baking powder. Mix until thoroughly combined.

Distribute evenly among cups (about 2 tablespoons of batter per) or a 9 by 13-inch baking dish that has been prepared with butter and flour.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until cake tester inserted comes out clean. If you are using cups, they will be starting to pull away from the sides of the cups, as well.

Makes 24 individual cups or one tray and you determine the size of bars.

English Toffee

2010-01-11T20:54:00.000-08:00

I never realized how easy it would be to MAKE my own English Toffee! It's something I treat myself to at the chocolate shop sometimes, but I never think about how it's made. At Christmas, one of my co-workers bought in some homemade Almond Roca to share and it was so delicious, I knew I had to attempt this myself. Mine ended up tasting similar to a Skor bar, but WAY better - yum!

Now the next part, finding a recipe for it! Much easier said than done in this case for whatever reason, so I opted to doctor a couple and hope for the best (something I did twice today in the kitchen, more to come on that!). Fortunately, given my earlier experience making caramel for that fabulous Caramel Tart in an earlier post, my instincts were right, and I was successful!

Again, and I can not express how strongly I feel about using the BEST quality chocolate you can find. It's important to have the best (affordably) you can find of any ingredient, but chocolate is one that you just can't cheap out on! One of the recipes I found called for a bag of chocolate chips - imagine! Sorry, I'm such a chocolate snob!

English Toffee

By Dulce Doll

1 cup unsalted butter

2 cups granulated sugar

2 tbsp. water

1 tbsp. light corn syrup

Pinch of salt

7 oz. best quality chocolate

Prepare a baking sheet with parchment, set aside. Affix candy thermometer to the side of a deep, heavy-bottomed pot.

Over a separate pot with boiling water, set a heat-proof bowl with your chocolate inside. Simmer and allow chocolate to melt.

Melt butter over low temperature. Add sugar and increase heat to medium. Cook, stirring as needed until boiling. Add water and corn syrup and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until your thermometer reads 300 degrees, and candy becomes hard when dropped in cold water for a test.

Pour mixture out onto prepared baking sheet and spread by tipping pan until toffee reaches about 1/4-inch thickness. Allow to cool slightly and pour prepared melted chocolate over top, spreading to coat evenly with the back of a spatula.

Refrigerate until cooled completely and break into pieces. Store in an airtight container.

Enjoy!

Yay!!

2010-01-02T19:47:00.001-08:00

No big deal, but THIS:

Is what I got from Santa!!!!!

Happy Christmas!!

2009-12-25T09:17:00.000-08:00

Best Sugar Cookie Recipe Ever:

By Dulce Doll

2 cups flour

1 tsp. cream of tartar

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup melted butter

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

Line baking sheets with parchment, set aside.

Mix together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Combine sugar and butter until well-blended. Beat eggs, and add them and vanilla to butter mixture. Gradually add flour mixture, beating after each addition.

Wrap dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until it can be easily handled. Roll dough out on a floured surface to 1/4-inch thick and cut into desired shapes.

Bake at 350 degrees until done, firm to the touch and just starting to become golden around edges. Time will vary depending on the size of your cookies.

Cool completely one wire racks and frost with you favorite icing and decorate as you see fit!

Mine are decorated with a very simple icing sugar/milk frosting (add milk to icing

sugar until you reach the desiredconsistency). I used different sprinkles and coconut

flakes to decorate (the coconut ones are very good!).

Merry Christmas!

xoxo

Peppermint Kisses

2009-12-23T23:42:00.000-08:00

After I made the Marmalade Windows I had a bunch of egg whites left over so I made an omelette, and then I was full, but I still had more! I made a LOT of Marmalade Windows...

One of my favorite things that I don't eat enough of are meringues, so I decided to wing it and if it worked, great! And if it didn't, whatever.

Peppermint Kisses

By Dulce Doll

4 egg whites

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 tsp. pure peppermint extract

Preheat oven to 175 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment and set aside. Fit a large pastry bag with a star piping tip (Ateco 828), set aside.

Melt egg whites and sugar in a heat-proof bowl over a simmering pot of water. Stir constantly until dissolved and warm to the touch. Remove from heat.

With the whisk attachment, beat egg mixture on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Add peppermint extract.

Fill prepared piping bag with meringue and pipe star-shapes onto parchment. Bake until crisp, about 1 hour 45 minutes. Cool completely on wire racks.

Oh yeah. Then I dipped them in chocolate. Just sayin'!

Marmalade Windows

2009-12-23T22:11:00.001-08:00

My Dad NEVER asks for anything so when the Christmas baking started this year and he dug this recipe out of my Mom's Martha Stewart Holiday Cookies 2001 magazine, I decided to surprise him with them, after my mother promptly said "no" to his request. When it comes to the Christmas baking she totally has an agenda, and let's be honest, she's the boss!

These took a little time, but are well worth the little extra effort. They are crumbly and buttery and delish! I simplified them a little from what the original recipe directs, as far as shape. I used a couple of round cutters that I had to create the "window" effect, while in the magazine and on the website they did proper rectangles that included far too much precise rolling and rulers and measuring for the 23rd of December. Really, you could get the desired effect with any two shaped cutters the same but different in size.

The one thing that I didn't like about this recipe is that the dough is not very forgiving, so get as much mileage as you can from each roll, I could only roll it a couple times, maybe three if very lucky because it's super sticky dough so you really need to flour your work space and rolling pin, and then by adding all the extra flour, it dries it out so it's falling apart! Kind of irritating, but I'll know for next time.

I will attach the link to the website so you can check that out as well, but here's what I did:

Marmalade Windows

From Martha Stewart

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

3 large egg yolks

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tbsp. orange liqueur or cognac

2 1/2 cups AP flour, plus more for rolling

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

Pinch of salt

1/2 cup orange marmalade

1 tbsp. heavy cream

Have ready a baking sheet lined with parchment. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add 2 egg yolks, and beat until well combined, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in vanilla and liqueur. Add flour, baking powder, and salt; mix, beginning on low speed and increasing to medium, just until flour is incorporated.

Refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Flour your work surface. Roll out to 1/4-inch thick, dustin with flour to prevent sticking. Cut out "base" of cookie, and then enough corresponding "tops" to pair all your cookies. Spread about a teaspoon of marmalade on top of each "bottom" and then place a "top" on each.

In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining egg yolk and cream. Carefully brush (or I used my finger!) tops with egg wash. Bake until golden, about 19 minutes, rotating once, halfway through. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool.

UGLY, But Delicious, and the BEST Darn Quiche EVER

2009-12-20T15:38:00.000-08:00

I always thought that I would have officially reached adulthood when I owned a proper trifle bowl. That day happened two days ago, but I don't feel any different... Something I've always meant to purchase, but between "couldn't find one when I wanted to" and "not needing it when I saw one" I just never bought one until now.

I decided to host a small Christmas party for my friends and co-workers, a little wine and cheese gathering, to celebrate the holiday that is now bearing down on us. On the menu:

Goat Cheese-Stuffed Mushroom Caps

Curried Shrimp Hors d'Oeuvres

Baked Brie with Cranberry Compote (see horrific photo below)

Bruschetta

Cheese and Bacon Quiche (recipe below)

Assorted Meats and Cheeses

Roasted Garlic

Fruit Platter

Banana Pudding (recipe below)

While keeping track of my favorite radio host, Mario Bosquez on Martha Stewart (of course) Radio Sirius 112, I discovered what is sure to become a staple in my household! Magnolia Bakery's Banana Pudding. Simple and elegant, and downright perfect, this dessert is well worth the extra steps in preparation.

I had trouble finding "instant" pudding mix at all three of the stores I went to, it was all marked "cooked", so I thought that possibly it was being called something different now. I brought the box home and followed the first "night before" steps of mixing the pudding mix with condensed milk and water. This of course did not look promising still after a few hours in the fridge. I was lucky enough to email and get a quick response back from Mario, who had just changed his facebook status to "Making Magnolia's EVIL Banana Pudding...", so perfect timing. He got back to me right away with the advice that he, too had challenges finding the instant pudding, but that it was pretty much necessary to get the proper consistency. I was gutted that I would potentially be dumping all my ingredients down the drain, so I took a chance and added the liquid to a medium-sized pot and cooked it. Worked perfectly! The pudding thickened almost immediately by following the original cooking instructions off the Jell-O box. I love it when a plan comes together...

Also, I used bananas that were not yet too ripe, and am I ever glad I did! There is quite a bit left over from last night, and I just had another serving and the bananas held up overnight in the fridge great. Not too soggy, just starting to get really sweet and ripe, and of course everything is better the next day - flavors merged. Yum!

Magnolia's Famous Banana Pudding

From More From Magnolia

1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

1 1/2 cups ice cold water

1 3.4-ounce package instant vanilla pudding mix (preferable Jell-O brand)

3 cups heavy cream

1 12-ounce box Nabisco Nilla Wafers

4 cups sliced ripe bananas

In a small bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat together the sweetened condensed milk and water until well combined, about 1 minute. Add the pudding mix and beat well, about 2 minutes more. Cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or overnight, before continuing. It is very important to allow the proper amount of time for the pudding mixture to set.

In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the pudding mixture into the whipped cream until well blended and no streaks of pudding remain.

To assemble the dessert, select a large, wide bowl (preferably glass) with a 4-5-quart capacity. Arrange one-third of the wafers to cover the bottom of the bowl, overlapping if necessary, then one-third of the bananas, and one-third of the pudding. Repeat the layering twice more. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours, or up to 8 hours, but no longer before serving.

*Note: I did not cover with plastic wrap because it would have squished the top and it set just fine, no drying out, it was flawless.

See how pretty it is before serving??

I LOVE this quiche recipe. It's my old stand-by from the Fannie Farmer Cookbook.

Cheese and Bacon Quiche

10 slices bacon, fried crisp and crumbled

1 partially baked Tart Pastry, without sugar (recipe below)

4 eggs

2 cups light cream (half and half)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1 1/4 cups grated Swiss cheese

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Sprinkle bacon over the bottom of the tart shell. Combine eggs, cream, salt, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper in a bowl and beat to mix thoroughly. Sprinkle the cheese over the bacon and ladle the custard over all. Bake for 15 minutes at 425 degrees, then lower the heat to 350 degrees and bake for 30 minutes more, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve hot or cold.

Tart Pastry

You may sweeten this recipe if you wish, by adding 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar to the flour. This pastry will not get tough if you have to handle it a lot and you can mix it in a food processor.

1 cup AP flour

1/4 tsp. salt

6 tbsp. cold butter, in small pieces

1 egg yolk

Mix the flour and salt in the bowl of food processor until it resembles coarse meal or tiny peas. Whisk together the egg yolk and 2 tablespoons water together in another bowl, add to flour mixture, and pulse until the pastry is smooth and will hold together in a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.

Roll out and place in whatever type of pan you wish, prick the bottom with a fork and pre-bake at 425 degrees, unfilled, for about 12 minutes.

And P.S., I'm eating my second helping of pudding today. Mario was right. EVIL.

Shortbread Part Deux

2009-12-08T17:24:00.000-08:00

I featured this shortbread recipe in an earlier post, but I made it again, so here it is again! This time it's green, and piped as trees. I have to say again, I cannot believe I didn't buy a cookie press until recently. It makes fast, impressive work of your favorite shortbread or butter cookie recipe.

Here's a link to the original post, but for your convenience, here's the recipe again. So easy, so buttery, so perfect for Christmas giving and enjoying.

This time, clearly, I tinted them green and sprinkled them with red sanding sugar prior to baking.

Ingredients:

2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup powdered sugar

3 1/2 cups flour

Directions:

In a large bowl, beat butter with sugar until blended. Add flour in batches.

When completely incorporated, bake at 350 degrees until done, about 11 minutes.

And The Christmas Baking Begins!

2009-12-08T16:42:00.000-08:00

I kicked off my Christmas baking with my obligation to my work cookie exchange. I wanted to make something that would really wow the others participants!

Every year I make these cookies. I LOVE them. They are chewy and chocolatey, rich and moist. They are spicy and extravagant, with bold ingredients such as cloves, nutmeg, as well as powdered ginger paired with freshly grated ginger. Like always, use the very best quality chocolate you can find. They are a lot less work and less mess than you would expect for the sophisticated result.

This recipe comes straight from Martha's website. I originally found it in the magazine back in 1997, and it's been printed and reprinted in several publications and cookie books since.

If you like spice, like I do, go a little heavier on the grated ginger to experience a full flavor.

Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread

From Martha Stewart

7 oz. best-quality semisweet chocolate

1 1/2 cups AP flour

1 1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 tbsp. cocoa powder

1/4 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 tbsp. freshly grated ginger

1/2 cup dark-brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup unsulfured molasses

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 cup granulated sugar

Line two baking sheets with parchment. Chop chocolate into 1/4-inch chunks; set aside. In a medium bowl, sit together flour, grounds ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cocoa.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and grated ginger until whitened, about 4 minutes. Add brown sugar; beat until combined. Add molasses; beat until combined.

In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in 1 1/2 teaspoons boiling water. Beat half of flour mixture into butter mixture. Beat in baking soda mixture, then remaining half of flour mixture.

Mix in chocolate; turn out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, 2 hours or overnight.

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Roll dough into 1 1/2-inch balls; roll in granulated sugar. Place balls 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets, and bake until the surfaces crack slightly, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes; transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Enjoy!

Lazy Sunday

2009-11-15T16:50:00.000-08:00

Chocolate cake in a pinch. Sounds too good to be true, but this one is straight-up the simplest chocolate cake recipe ever! I guarantee you already have most of the ingredients in your kitchen, and the mess is minimal, as you mix everything together in the pan that you bake it in.

The idea for this recipe came from Everyday Food. I altered it slightly, adding more cocoa, less salt, and omitting the cold water, instead adding a cup of cold coffee, because coffee adds more depth and flavor to chocolate cake. Plus, it gave me another opportunity to use my favorite new kitchen helper, Starbucks VIA. I plan to revisit this again, and try to improve it even more.

It popped out of the pan very nicely, without leaving anything behind, which was a plus, however, it lacked that deep fudgy chocolatey flavor that I love. It was great for the amount of time and effort it took, still, miles better than a box cake, but stay tuned, I'll be working on it.

Here's how I did it:

Lazy Sunday Chocolate Cake

by Dulce Doll

1 1/2 cups AP flour

1 cup sugar

4 tbsp. best quality cocoa powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

6 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 tbsp. white vinegar

1 packet Starbucks VIA dissolved in 1 cup cold water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a 9-inch square baking dish, whisk together all the dry ingredients. Make a well in the center and add the wet ingredients. Whisk together until well combined, making sure to check right to the bottom of the pan for dry ingredients stuck in corners.

Bake 35 minutes or until a cake tester inserted comes out clean. Let cool completely before removing from pan.

Frost with your choice of icing, or just eat it right out of the pan! I used some leftover Coffee Buttercream that I had in the freezer. Enjoy!

Makes about 8 (or 1) servings.

* To follow up, I was too quick to judge this cake! It was totally fudgy and moist the next day.

A Little Late, But Still...

2009-11-04T13:46:00.000-08:00

So, since I was making Christmas cupcakes at Halloween (see earlier post), I decided to post the super-cute spider cupcakes I made last year for Halloween. I used mini cupcake pans and made LOTS of them! And they were such a hit, I used Ina Garten's coconut cake recipe that I found on marthastewart.com.

Please excuse the shoddy photography, I wasn't blogging at that point, and I took the pictures just for fun. Not to say that I think that my more recent photos could be considered amazing by any stretch, but I think an improvement on last year's, for sure.

I added black gel food coloring to both the cake batter, and the frosting, enough to make it really black, and then dipped the tops into black sprinkles to give them a sparkly finish. For the legs, I used black licorice wheels which I pulled apart and cut to size. For the scary little red eyes, I used mini cinnamon hearts, which I cut in half.

These were a lot of fun to make, and they were very well received at the party I took them to (not to mention, how moist and delicious they were!). I've provided the recipe as I used it for these cupcakes, but also the link the the original recipe, because it is slightly different and I would recommend using these cupcakes any time, not just Halloween.

Ina's Coconut Cupcakes:

3 cups cake flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

5 large eggs

3/4 lb. (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 tsp. almond extract

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 lb. sweetened flake coconut

Black gel coloring

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Sift the dry ingredients together into a medium mixing bowl, and set aside. Break eggs into a small bowl, and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. With the mixer running, carefully pour in eggs and vanilla and almond extracts.

Mix in the flour mixture and buttermilk by alternating between 1 cup flour and 1/2 cup buttermilk; be sure to start and end with the flour mixture. Add the coconut, and mix until incorporated. Add enough black gel coloring to turn the batter very black.

Line a cupcake tin with paper liners. Fill each cup with batter using an ice cream scoop with a 1/4-cup capacity; the batter should nearly reach the tops of the cups. Bake until a cake tester inserted comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.

Remove cupcakes from the oven, and allow them to cool briefly in the tin before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely, about 45 minutes.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

8 tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature

1 cup confectioners' sugar

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Black gel coloring

Place cream cheese in a medium mixing bowl. Using a rubber spatula, soften cream cheese. Gradually add butter, and continue beating until smooth and well blended. Sift in sugar, and continue beating until smooth. Add vanilla and enough black gel coloring to tint completely, and stir to combine.

Decorating instructions are pretty self-explanatory from the pictures. Have fun!

Ready for their legs!

This was just a fraction of what the recipe actually made.

Chocolate Cupcakes

2009-10-28T16:44:00.000-07:00

Happy holidays! Okay, a little early, I know, but where I work, Santa's coming on Monday night.

Okay, so remember the time I said I was taking a break from baking in an attempt at cleansing, and cutting back on the sugar in my diet? Because it's quite clear to me that I have zero resistance to the things I bake. Yeah, so about the detox - didn't really work so well. I think it lasted for maybe 24 hours, and then, let's be honest, I got way to busy to keep up with all the prep! Soon though...

Needless to say, I'm back! Tomorrow night is my store's holiday roll-out meeting, so in the spirit of Christmas (two months early!), I made cute Christmasy cupcakes for my staff.

This time I made my Grandmother's chocolate cake recipe, and piped Magnolia Bakery's vanilla buttercream on top. Perfect combination! As much as I love the Trophy Cupcake chocolate cake recipe, this one is my absolute all-time, moistest, most delicious cake recipe. Whenever a recipe calls for coffee, I always fire up my espresso machine and make an americano to get the best quality, we all know instant coffee is awful. Again, however, with the recent launch of their new product, I was able to use Starbucks VIA ready-brew with this cake, and it was such a help. It's also a very helpful product for this cake because the recipe calls for both hot and cold coffee, and VIA is totally soluble in hot or cold water. And I can't get enough of this buttercream! So simple to make and pipe.

I used a large round #808 piping tip this time and squeezed a small amount on each top, pulling it up at the end to form kind of a Hershey Kiss shape.

To get a perfectly rounded cupcake, I used exactly 1/4 cup of batter in a large-size cupcake paper.

Here it is (Top Secret!):

Perfect Chocolate Cake

By Dulce Doll

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup butter, room temperature

4 eggs, beaten

2 cup brown sugar

1 cup cocoa

1 cup hot coffee (1 package Starbucks VIA Italian Roast)

2 tsp. baking soda, dissolved in a little hot coffee

2 1/2 cups AP flour

1 cup cold coffee (1 package Starbucks VIA Italian Roast)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream granulated sugar and butter together. Pour eggs on top, but do not stir yet.

Add brown sugar, cocoa, and hot coffee. Beat until well blended.

Finally, beat in baking soda, flour (in a couple additions), and cold coffee. When smooth, divide evenly among lined muffin tins. Will make approximately 36 cupcakes or 4 9-inch cake layers.

Bake for 17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely .

Vanilla Buttercream:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

6 to 8 cups confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup milk

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Combine butter, 4 cups sugar, milk, and vanilla. Beat until smooth and creamy. Gradually add remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, until icing reaches desired consistency; you may not need to add all the sugar. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Sad But True...

2009-10-16T20:08:00.000-07:00

You won't be seeing the Dulce Doll for a while (or at least you better not). I'm trying a two week detox and cutting sugar out of my diet! Check back around Halloween...

Chocolate Caramel Tart

2009-10-10T20:29:00.001-07:00

This was probably by far the most time consuming dessert I've made. It really was relatively simple, but took a looooong time, lots of steps, cooling, heating, cooling again, etc.

It won't take quite as long next time; I made three tarts tonight, and made the caramel twice, feeling it out the first time, just in case. I bought a new candy thermometer, and still, it was ready about 15 degrees before what the recipe calls for.

This is the second time I've made caramel, and it turned out great. Very smooth and buttery! The crust was so easy, a chocolatey cookie-like dough that released very easily from the pans.

This is a VERY rich dessert. Definitely needs to be paired with an espresso macchiato or a giant glass of ice cold milk!

This recipe was originally the cover picture of Saveur's April 2009 issue. It was so impressive looking I knew I'd have to make it sooner or later. It was featured in the article "Restaurants That Matter", and comes from Marlow & Sons Restaurant in Brooklyn.

For the Crust:

1 1/2 cups flour

1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

10 tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed and softened

1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. confectioners' sugar

2 egg yolks, room temperature

1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

For the Caramel:

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 tbsp. light corn syrup

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

6 tbsp. unsalted butter

6 tbsp. geavy cream

1 tbsp. * creme fraiche

For the Ganache:

1/2 cup heavy cream

4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

Make the crust: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, cocoa powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. Using a handheld mixer, cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl until mixture is pale and fluffy; mix in yolks, and vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients. Transfer dough to a 9" fluted tart pan with a removable bottom and press dough evenly in bottom and sides of pan. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Prick the shell all over with a fork and bake until cooked through, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack and cool.

Make the caramel: In a 1-qt. saucepan, whisk together sugar, corn syrup, salt, and 6 tbsp. water and bring to a boil. Cook, without stirring, until a candy thermometer inserted reads 365 degrees.

Remove pan from heat and whisk in butter, cream, and creme fraiche (the mixture wil bubble up) until smooth. Pour caramel into cooled tart shell and let cool slightly; refrigerate until firm, 4 to 5 hours.

Make the ganache: Bring cream to a boil in a 1-qt. saucepan over medium heat. Put chocolate into a medium bowl and pour in hot cream; let sit for 1 minute, then stir slowly with a rubber spatula until smooth.

Pour ganache evenly over tart and refrigerate until set, 4 to 5 hours. Sprinkle tart with sea salt if desired, slice, and serve chilled.

* Creme fraiche can be made simply by whisking equal parts sour cream and heavy cream. Use immediately or let sit at room temperature to sour.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

2009-10-03T20:18:00.000-07:00

And here is yet another fool-proof recipe from the Martha Stewart website. I know. Enough already. There's a lot of Martha haters out there.

This recipe was extremely simple. It was actually my first cheesecake, which I was anxious about, I've always thought cheesecake could be one of those things you could really screw up. Alas, I was successful! And it'll be a great alternative to pumpkin pie with Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner...

It killed me to not open the door while it was sitting (unfortunately I'm one of those who always needs to do what I'm told not to), but I didn't, and I think this is what prevented the top from cracking.

The pumpkin taste was subtle and the texture was perfect.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

From Martha Stewart

For the Crust:

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 10 whole crackers)

1/4 cup sugar

4 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

For the Filling:

4 packages (8 oz. each) bar cream cheese, very soft

1 1/4 cups sugar

3 tbsp. AP flour

1 cup pumpkin puree

2 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. salt

4 large eggs, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with rack in center. Assmble a 9-inch nonstick springform pan, with the raised side of the bottom part facing up.

Make the crust: In a medium bowl, mix graham crumbs, sugar, and butter until moistened; press firmly into the bottom of pan. Bake until golden around edges, 10 to 12 minutes.

Make the filling: With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar on low speed until smooth; mix in flour (do not overmix). Add pumpkin puree, pie spice, vanilla, and salt; mix just until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, mixing until each is incorporated before adding the next.

Place springform pan on a rimmed baking sheet. Pour filling into springform, and gently smooth top. Transfer to oven; reduce oven heat to 300 degrees. Bake 45 minutes. Turn off oven; let cheesecake stay in oven 2 hours more (without opening).

Remove from oven; cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate until firm, at least 4 hours. Unmold before serving.

Mocha Cupcakes

2009-09-27T15:35:00.000-07:00

Starbucks is getting ready to launch their new product, VIA Ready Brew Coffee all across North America, so I took it as the perfect opportunity to make some coffee-based treats.

Mocha Cupcakes and Coffee Buttercream. They are really delicious, a little too much coffee flavor for my liking, so I didn't eat a whole one. But coffee lovers will love them!

Again, used my little cups, which I'm really starting to love. I saw another blog that has a step by step on how to get the cupcake out of the cup, by pulling open all the pleats and they just pop right out. Easy.

My first complaint about a MS recipe: this is not the moistest cake, and all I did to alter it was change regular espresso to Starbucks VIA. No offense Martha.

Mocha Cupcakes

Adapted From Martha Stewart Cupcakes

2 1/4 cups cake flour, sifted

2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar

2 eggs, room temperature

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup sour cream

4 packets Starbucks Italian Roast VIA Ready Brew dissolved in 3/4 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Whisk together cake flour and cocoa. Cream butter until smooth. Add the brown sugar and eggs; beat until fluffy. Add vanilla, baking soda, and salt; beat to combine thoroughly.

Add flour mixture to wet ingredients in three batches, alternating with sour cream, and beating until just combined after each. Add coffee to batter and beat until smooth.

Divide batter evenly among regular cupcake paper-lined muffin tins, or paper cups.

Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted comes out clean, about 22 minutes. Cool completely.

Coffee Buttercream

By Dulce Doll

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup heavy cream

4 packets Starbucks Columbia VIA Ready Brew dissolved in 2 tbsp. boiling water

4 to 6 cups confectioners sugar

Cream butter and 2 cups sugar together. Add cream, coffee, and 2 more cups sugar. Keep stirring and adding sugar until you have a workable consistency.

PB and J

2009-09-26T18:44:00.000-07:00

Here's a new twist on a classic flavor pairing. I picked up my October Martha Stewart Living today and this recipe was the last one featured in the book.

They worked out pretty well, and I was able to use the Blackberry Jam I made and blogged about in this post. The recipe calls for raspberry jam, but mmmmm blackberry. And don't worry, it is my jam, but in an old Traverso's jam jar that I love (plus, I had more jam than I did jars at the time!).

Also, I changed the recipe a little, it calls for the jam to be added to the cookies after they're cooled, and I added it part way through baking, I like jam after it's been in the oven a bit and caramelized some.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Thumbprints

From Martha Stewart Living

1 1/4 cups AP flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 cup smooth peanut butter

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/3 cup packed light-brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus more for rolling

1 large egg

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup raspberry jam

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat peanut butter and butter until smooth. Add sugars and beat until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, and beat until incorporated. Add dry ingredients, and mix until combined.

Scoop level tablespoons of dough and form into balls. Roll each ball in granulated sugar, and transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing about 2-inches apart.

Bake until cookies are puffy, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and make indentations in centers by pressing with the handle end of a wooden spoon.

Scoop a small amount of jam into each indentation and return cookies to oven and bake until edges are golden, 6 to 7 minutes more.

Transfer cookies to wire racks and cool completely.

Cookies can be stored for up to 1 week.

Makes about 40 cookies.

Like Buttuh

2009-09-25T19:40:00.000-07:00

I made butter! Gone are the days of churning and shaking, now that we have modern appliances.

Okay, so this is totally easy. There are a few methods to making butter that I found while I was researching how I would do it. 1) in the Kitchenaid 2) by shaking it in a jar - could you imagine? and 3) in the food processor. Obviously the Kitchenaid and food processor methods are very similar.

Here's what I did:

All you need is whipping cream (I used a full liter) and about 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional). Add these ingredients to the bowl of your food processor, fitted with the chopping blade.

Start to blend and you will see the cream pass through several stages. At first, from sloshy soft whipped cream, firm whipped cream to coarse whipped cream.

Suddenly the cream will start to seize, the shape will collapse, and the whirring will change to sloshing.

The butter is now fine bits of butter in buttermilk (and it actually is buttermilk, you can save it and use it). Within a few seconds, the yellowish butter will separate from the buttermilk.

Drain very well. I pulsed it a few more times and drained it over and over, then wrapped it in cheesecloth and squeezed out as much moisture as I could.

At this point you can also 'wash' the butter, a process with ice water and further blending to help it store better. I didn't do that this time because I'm going to be using the butter quite quickly.

I portioned into 1/2-cup rations to store, wrapped in plastic wrap.

My 1 liter of whipping cream made about 2 1/2 cups of butter.

Welcome Fall!

2009-09-24T17:04:00.000-07:00

Fall is definitely one of my favorite seasons. There's something so special about the changing colors and gradually changing temperatures. I am fortunate that I live in a place where the summer generally hangs on and on, today was 27 degrees! However nice the days are, the nights are getting colder and the days are getting shorter. Fall is homey and comforting.

I've started to really love pumpkin, which I'm happy about, because I feel like it's one of those things that I 'should' like. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin muffins, and now even Starbucks' pumpkin spice lattes. Seriously, first year ever that I've been able to drink one. However, maybe that's a bad thing, because now I can't stop drinking them!

I've adapted this recipe from two different ones that I've been looking at, trying to get the taste just the way I like it. I've been playing with spice combinations so they would taste like pumpkin pie, by using, you guessed it, pumpkin pie spice. A favorite spice combination of mine, that I don't get to use nearly enough. The cookie is light and fluffy, with almost a cake-like texture. And they are BIG and FAT!

With pumpkin as the base for the wet ingredients, I don't think they're too bad as far as calories. Maybe I'll have an easier time justifying these than the lattes.

Pumpkin Spice Cookies

By Dulce Doll

2 cups AP flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp. powdered ginger

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup canola oil

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 tsp. vanilla extract

5 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped roughly

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice, ginger, and cinnamon. Whisk to blend.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until smooth. Add the oil, pumpkin, and vanilla, beating well between each addition.

Add flour to wet ingredients in batches, mixing well to incorporate after each addition. Mix in the chocolate chunks.

Using a 1/4-cup measuring spoon, drop spoonfuls of dough onto prepared baking sheets. Bake until cookie tops feel firm and a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

Remove cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

My First Facebook Giveaway!

2009-09-23T17:50:00.000-07:00

At a friend's urging, I started a Facebook group to share recipes and tips and I'm nearing a hundred members, so I challenged my group to raise it to two hundred, with a reward of a draw for Martha Stewart's Cupcakes. I don't think it's going to take long to get there!

The group is called Bakealicious! and it's really starting to take off. It's an open group and anyone can join, so please feel free to do so - and maybe you'll win a great book!

Banana (Nut Optional) Muffins

2009-09-22T15:58:00.000-07:00

Less fat but not less flavor. I am sooooo glad I found this recipe! Super moist and really just taste like fresh bananas. The recipe calls for nuts, but, since I'm not the biggest fan of nuts in my baked stuff, I omitted them like I usually do, maybe one day...

This recipe has oats in it and they're great because they add a little crunch, and it calls for AP flour, which I regret using because duh, I always use whole wheat flour when I make banana bread, so why would this be any different? It would have made them just a little bit better.

Healthy Banana Nut Muffins

From Kitchen M

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups AP flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup rolled oats

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

3 very ripe bananas, mashed

1 moderately ripe banana, sliced

1/2 cup milk

1 large egg

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

2 tsp. lemon juice

1 1/2 cups walnuts, chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease muffin tins with vegetable oil.

Combine flour, sugar, oats, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl, whisk gently to combine.

Place mashed bananas in a large bowl. Stir in milk, egg, oil, and lemon juice. Mix in dry ingredients and walnuts. Mix until dry ingredients are just incorporated. Avoid over-mixing.

Scoop batter into muffin tins evenly (I used 1/4-cup measuring scoop and it was perfect). Place sliced bananas 2 to 3 pieces on top of each muffin batter. Bake muffins until golden brown and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean or about 20 minutes.

Makes exactly 12 regular sized muffins.

My First Contest!

2009-09-22T14:52:00.000-07:00

I just entered a photo into the September "Does My Blog Look Good In This?" food photography event. I saw it on the second to last day that I could enter, and on a whim, thought, WHATEVER! and went for it. I have zero photography training and even less kitchen training.

Here's the pic I used:

It had to be from a blog entry in August, and I thought it was kind of a cool photo. I'm not sure what the prize is for winning, or if there even is one, maybe it's just the glory.....

Here's the link if you want to check out the competition (and there are some really beautiful photos check out the Chocolate Dobos Torte - OMG!):

http://picasaweb.google.com/Michelle.BrownEyedBaker/DMBLGITSeptember2009Edition#

Send good luck my way!

As For My Jealousy...

2009-09-21T21:59:00.000-07:00

There's one more you should look at:

http://freshlocalandbest.blogspot.com/

I check this blog daily, if not for the beautiful photographs, then for the hope that she will have posted more stories of my favorite, most fabulous, New York City. I will be eternally jealous of this blogger for where she gets to live - and I haven't even been there yet! My trip is booked for June and I will soon be counting down the sleeps!

Just Found This

2009-09-21T15:21:00.000-07:00

I just found the best blog! No offense to any of the others I'm following...

She's a pastry chef (which, of course, is my dream), and she's got gorgeous photos and mouth watering recipes, but breaks them down in a way that looks sooooo simple!

Please take some time and add this to your favorites list too!

http://www.pastrypal.com/

For the Love of Lemon

2009-09-20T18:43:00.000-07:00

I don't think I could say this enough. I love luv lurve lemon! Making good on my goals to a) use my Martha Stewart Cookies book and b) start picking away at my list of 50 recipes I want to try (see the right column down the side of my blog for the complete list).

So technically, these are bars in the cook book, but I decided to make it in my flan pan with the removable bottom to make it prettier. Did I mention I love lemon? This recipe was extremely simple and again, like so many of Martha's recipes, I already had everything in my kitchen.

Here's the recipe as it is printed, I did everything the same, but of course, used a different pan.

Lemon Squares

From Martha Stewart Cookies/Martha Stewart Online

For the Crust:

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, frozen, plus more for dish

1 3/4 cups AP flour

3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

3/4 tsp. coarse salt

For the Filling:

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/3 cups granulated sugar

3 tbsp. AP flour

1/4 tsp. coarse salt

3/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup whole milk

Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish, and line with parchment paper.

Make crust: Grate butter on a cheese grater with large holes; set aside. Whisk together flour, confectioners' sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add butter, and stir with a wooden spoon until combined and mixture looks crumbly.

Transfer mixture to prepared dish; press evenly onto bottom with your hands.

You can see the butter speckled throughout, mixture begins quite dry and

comes together during baking.

Freeze crust 15 minutes. Bake until lightly golden, 16 to 18 minutes. Leave oven on.

Meanwhile, make the filling: Whisk together eggs, granulated sugar, flour, and salt in a bowl until smooth.

Can you tell the difference? See *note below.

Stir in lemon juice and milk. Pour over hot crust.

Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees, and bake until filling is set and edges are slightly golden brown, about 18 minutes. Let cool slightly on a wire rack. Lift out; let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into 2-inch squares. Dust with confectioners' sugar.

Lemon squares can be refrigerated in airtight containers up to 2 days.

Makes about 2 dozen (or one tart!).

* Note: The store was out of organic free range eggs and I had to buy free run instead. Three of these eggs are organic free range and one is free run. The only way to be sure that the birds are being ethically treated and living a normal life of exercise and socializing, free of hormones, which are harmful not only to the animal, but to us as consumers as well, is if the eggs are certified organic free range.

On Order

2009-09-20T12:28:00.000-07:00

Very much looking forward to this book! I have it pre-ordered, it's available November 15, and is claiming to be a beginner's guide to making macaron at home. My macaron hiatus will continue until then. Unless I cave and I need the chocolate ones again.

Poodles for the Poodle

2009-09-19T16:26:00.001-07:00

I've been doing a lot of baking lately, but all for humans, so I decided today I would bake some for my little one and his friends.

It's obviously very important that you use the very best ingredients possible. Extra virgin olive oil, peanut butter free of salt, sugar or any other preservatives (the only ingredient should be peanuts), etc.

Use fun cookie cutters if you have them. Most of the ones I've seen are bone-shaped, but I happen to have a poodle cutter that I picked up at Sur la Table.

Peanut Butter Dog Treats

From Baked By Anna

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup rolled oats

1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 cup water

1/3 cup peanut butter

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together until well-blended. It will seem very dry. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Working with half the dough at a time, knead until smooth on a floured board, and roll to 1/8-inch thick. The thinner the dough, the crispier the cookie.

Cut into desired shapes, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until crisp. Cool, and store in an airtight container.

Happiness really is a warm puppy.

Almond Biscotti

2009-09-19T13:45:00.000-07:00

I had heard over and over how simple biscotti is to make. I am totally in agreement since I started making it. This is the recipe that I've made many times, it's easy and delicious, and you are likely to have most of the ingredient in you kitchen right now. It comes from MS Everyday Foods.

The recipe calls for crystallized ginger and sprinkling the top of the biscotti with sugar, both of which I omitted. Also, I always make them wider than 3 inches, more like 5 inches, more like a biscotti you would get in a coffee shop.

Biscotti are interesting and durable, easy to package. They're a great gift as they are, and even better if you dip an end in melted semisweet chocolate.

Ingredients:

2 cups Ap flour, plus more for dusting

3/4 cup sugar, plus 1 tsp. for dusting

2 tsp. baking powder

2 tbsp. grated lemon zest (about 2 lemons)

1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger (optional)

3 large eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder, lemon zest, and salt. Stir in almonds and ginger.

In a small bowl, whisk together eggs and vanilla; stir into flour mixture. (Dough will appear very dry but will come together when kneaded.)

Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth. Divide dough in half; shape into two logs, each about 1 inch high and 3 inches wide. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet; sprinkle with remaining sugar.

Bake until logs are puffed and outside is firm (the tops may crack), about 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely, about 2 hours.

Using a serrated knife, thinly slice the logs crosswise, 1/4 inch thick. Lay slices on two parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until crisp and lightly golden, rotating pans and turning biscotti over halfway through, 20 minutes total. Cool completely before serving or storing.

Chocolate Graham Cracker Cupcakes with Toasted Marshmallow

2009-09-19T12:57:00.000-07:00

These were challenging and fun. I think that the next time I try them I will have more success. I made them last spring for a Sex and the City movie party (hence the hot pink table covering and gold star confetti), for friends and they were a huge hit. They were delicious and not too sweet.

I first saw them on Martha Stewart's show when Jennifer Shea, the owner of Trophy Cupcakes in Seattle (see this post). Then, my parents stopped there and picked some up and they were amazing. I found the recipe on the MS website and decided to give it a shot.

The cake was extremely easy to make, I've made it since for other cupcakes, but substituted the boiling water for coffee and it was awesome.

Before I attempt them again I will own a butane kitchen torch so I can do a better job of browning them. This time I put them under the broiler and watched them very carefully. And also, I think if the egg whites for the frosting were room temperature, and I had whipped the topping until it was a bit thicker it may have piped better.

Here's Trophy Cupcakes' cupcake (obviously put mine to shame):

Cupcake Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups plus 2 tbsp. sugar

1 3/4 cups AP flour

3/4 cup plus 1 tbsp. cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 large eggs

1 cup whole milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 cup boiling water

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (from about 20 squares)

1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted

9 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

Marshmallow Frosting

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 standard muffin tins with cupcake liners; set aside.

Sift 2 cups plus 2 tbsp. sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer. Using the paddle attachment, mix ingredients together on low speed.

In a large bowl, mix together eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla. Add flour mixture and beat on medium speed for 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl and continue mixing on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add boiling water and stir to combine; set cake batter aside.

Place graham cracker crumbs, remaining 1/4 cup sugar, and melted butter in a large bowl; stir until well combined.

Place 1 tbsp. graham cracker mixture into the bottom of each prepared muffin cup. Use the bottom of a small glass to pack crumbs into the bottom of each cup liner. Reserve remaining graham cracker mixture for topping.

Place 2 tsp. chocolate in each muffin cup. Transfer muffin tins to oven and bake until edges of the graham cracker mixture is golden, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven and fill each cup 3/4-full with cake batter. Sprinkle each with remaining chocolate and graham cracker mixture. Return to oven and bake, rotating pans halfway through baking, until tops are firm and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer muffin tins to a wire rack and let cupcakes cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan and let cool completely.

Transfer frosting to a large pastry bag fitted with a large plain round or French tip (such as Ateco #867 or Ateco #809). Pipe frosting in a spiral motion on each cupcake.

Transfer cupcakes to a baking sheet. Using a kitchen torch, lightly brown the frosting, taking care not to burn the cupcake liners. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container, up to 2 days.

Marshmallow Frosting Ingredients:

8 large egg whites

2 cups sugar

1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Place egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer. Set over a saucepan with simmering water. Whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved and egg whites are warm to the touch, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Transfer bowl to electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat, starting on low speed, gradually increasing to high, until stiff, glossy peaks form, 5 to 7 minutes. Add vanilla, and mix until combined. Use immediately.

Makes 24 cupcakes.

Unprofessional!

NYTimes Blueberry Muffins

2009-09-19T12:32:00.001-07:00

These muffins were fantastic. Moist and delish and big! These would be great if you had an over-sized muffin tin because of the way that they rose and came up over the edges.

The recipe is different that any others I've used because part of the blueberries are crushed and part are whole, creating a super moist result.

I got the recipe from this article in the New York Times, be sure to check it out as well.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1 1/4 cups sugar, plus more for topping

2 eggs

2 cups AP flour

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 cup milk

2 cups blueberries, washed and picked over

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream the butter and 1 1/4 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder, and add to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk.

Crush 1/2 cup blueberries with a fork, and mix into the batter. Fold in the remaining whole berries.

Grease 12 large muffin cups, and fill with batter. Sprinkle the tops with more sugar, and bake for 30 minutes.

Cool for 30 minutes before removing from tin. Store, uncovered, or the muffins will be too mushy.

Makes exactly 12 muffins.

Rocky Road Overload!

2009-09-19T11:11:00.000-07:00

A little while ago I wanted to wow my staff with a rich and delicious treat, and I just happenedto have an entire day to put something together. This was a very time-consuming project for me, mainly because it was my first attempt at making my own marshmallows (but so worth it!). I actually ruined the first batch and had to start over a second time - something that happens every once in a while just to humble me.

You can use any standard brownie recipe for a base, I used this one. I doubled it so I'd have lots, plus the marshmallow recipe makes more than enough for a double batch of brownies, plus hot chocolate later, plus snacks the next day...

While your brownies are cooling, lightly toast enough whole almonds to cover. I used lots because I love almonds, but you can go lighter than I did. When they are toasted and cooled, store them in an airtight container until you're ready to use them.

Start your marshmallows. The recipe I used is from Martha's website (of course), because I've had so much success with all of the recipes I've ever used from there. Please note, if you're making them for the first time like I was, I didn't have a candy thermometer, which is fine, because another way to judge whether they're to temperature is by the consistency of the mixture. But really, do yourself a favor and buy a candy thermometer if you're at all concerned about making a mess. 'Firm-ball stage' is what you're looking for, when the mixture has really come together and has formed a round, more solid, obvious ball, and when you get there, take it off the heat immediately, don't second guess yourself, because directly after 'firm-ball stage' is black smoking mess. Just saying.

To prepare the pan I used, I lined it with parchment that I cut to fit exactly (I had a bad feeling about getting the marshmallow out of the pan), and then dusted it heavily with confectioners' sugar - very important, the more you use, the easier it is to handle.

The instructions call for you to cut the finished marshmallows with a dry hot knife. This is very important. You need a very sharp knife, and literally between each slice, run the blade under hot water and dry with a towel. You could also use a cookie cutter to create fun shapes (snowflakes, hearts, whatever).

Once you've cut the marshmallows out, have a bowl of confectioners' sugar set aside to toss them in so that all sides are covered and won't stick together once you pack them up for storage.

The recipe doesn't say how long you can keep them, but I kept mine in an airtight container, refrigerated for nearly two weeks and they were just fine.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 tbsp. unflavored gelatin

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

1/4 tsp. salt

2 tbsp. vanilla extract

Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions:

Combine gelatin and 1/2 cup cold water in the bowl of an electric mixer with whisk attachment. Let stand 30 minutes.

Combine granulated sugar, corn syrup, salt and 1/2 cup water in a heavy saucepan; place over low heat, and stir until sugar has dissolved. Wash down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush to dissolve sugar crystals.

Not quite 'firm ball' stage.

Clip on a candy thermometer; raise heat to high. Cook syrup without stirring until it reaches 224 degrees (firm-ball stage). Immediately remove pan from heat.

With mixer on low speed, slowly and carefully pour syrup into the softened gelatin. Increase speed to high; beat until mixture is very thick and white and has almost tripled in volume, about 15 minutes. Add vanilla; beat to incorporate.

Generously dust an 8-by-12-inch glass baking pan with confectioners' sugar. Pour marshmallow mixture into the pan. Dust top with confectioners' sugar; wet your hands and pat it down to smooth. Dust with more confectioners' sugar; let stand overnight, uncovered, to dry out.

Turn out onto a board; cut marshmallows with a dry hot knife into 1 1/2-inch squares, and dust with more confectioners' sugar.

To assemble your brownies:

Chop toasted almonds roughly. Place marshmallows on top of brownie and then sprinkle with prepared almonds.

Melt semisweet chocolate in the top of a double boiler and pour generously over top to coat. I used Callebaut chocolate, it's very important to use the best quality that you can find.

I let them harden before I cut them into individual portions, but next time I will cut them while they are still soft, on a couple of them, the chocolate cracked. It all tastes the same, but when giving them it's nice if they can be uniform and look perfect.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

2009-09-15T20:59:00.000-07:00

This is the first time I've made Red Velvet anything, and I've never been a fan of Red Velvet until I had a cupcake at Trophy Cupcakes in Seattle. I tried my best to find a recipe I could tweak to get it as close to theirs as I could.

I used my little cups again, which are cute, but I really think they shouldn't be filled more than halfway to make a perfectly shaped cupcake. Most of them came out okay, but a couple were definitely a miss. This batter really rises well, so even with regular cupcake liners, don't fill them any more than 1/2 to 2/3 full.

I wanted a cake that would be truly red, many that I've tasted are more like a chocolate cake with a slight red tint. Here's what I came up with:

Red Velvet Cupcakes

By Dulce Doll

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups AP flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. cocoa powder

1 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

2 eggs, room temperature

1 tsp. white vinegar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 oz. red gel food coloring

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Combine buttermilk, oil, and eggs on medium speed. Add vinegar, vanilla, and red food coloring. Mix until smooth. Add sugar.

Sift flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder together. Add dry ingredients to wet in batches, beating well between each addition.

Fill cupcake liners 1/2 to 2/3 full and bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, rotating pan halfway through to ensure even baking.

Cream Cheese Frosting

By Dulce Doll

Ingredients:

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

1/4 cup butter, room temperature

1/4 cup milk

6 to 8 cups icing sugar

Directions:

Cream the cream cheese and butter together. Add 1 cup of icing sugar and beat in. Add milk and another cup of icing sugar. Continue adding sugar 1/2 cup at a time until you have the desired consistency for piping.

Makes 24 cupcakes or one three layer cake.

S'mores Cookies

2009-09-12T18:15:00.000-07:00

It's not a secret that I love Martha Stewart or her monthly Everyday Food publication. There are seriously countless recipes that I've taken from that handy little book and each time, with great success. They are designed to be helpful, and simple, generally using ingredients that you've already got in your kitchen.

These cookies are no different. My sister made them first and had such a great time making them for a work potluck, where they earned her rave reviews. She's since made them a second time, and now I'm giving them a shot too.

I'm making them this time with store-bought marshmallows, I don't have time this weekend to make my own, which sucks, because homemade ones are soooo much better!

Also, the recipe calls for semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, but my sister and I both used milk chocolate so they'd be just like real s'mores.

Next time I will make them smaller. I got 27, but I think it should be cookie, chocolate and marshmallow in each bite, for me these were too much cookie.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

1 cup AP flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1 large egg

8 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, cut into 30 squares

15 large marshmallows, halved horizontally

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, pulse oats until finely ground. Add flours, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt; pulse to combine. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, scraping down sides of bowl. With the mixer on low, beat in flour mixture just until combined.

Drop by tablespoons, 1 inch apart onto two baking sheets. Top each with a chocolate square.

Bake until lightly golden, 11 to 13 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Remove sheets from oven; heat broiler. Top each cookie with a marshmallow. One sheet at a time, broil until marshmallows are lightly browned, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool.

Makes about 30 cookies.

Rainbow Confetti Cupcakes

2009-09-10T16:12:00.000-07:00

These cupcakes were super fun and cute too. They'd be great for a birthday party or for a project with kids. You could use any basic white cake or vanilla cake recipe and just mix in colored sprinkles at the end..

I was really excited to try out my new cups like I saw on this blog. Definitely don't fill the cups any more than 2/3-full or they'll spill over and make a mess, mine came dangerously close. Check out the website, she has some amazing recipes and photos.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups AP flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 cup sugar

6 tbsp. butter, room temperature

1 egg plus 1 egg white, room temperature

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup milk

2 tbsp. colored sprinkles

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pan with papers.

In a large bowl, sift flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat sugar and butter until well combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add vanilla.

Add flour mixture into wet ingredients in three additions, alternating with milk, beginning and ending with flour. Fold in sprinkles.

Fill cupcake liners 2/3-full. Bake for 17 to 20 minutes, or until tester inserted comes out clean. Remove from pan and cool completely before frosting.

I chose my old stand-by chocolate buttercream for icing. I tried piping it, but my bag broke. There isn't really a recipe I follow, I start with about 1/8 cup softened unsalted butter, 1 1/2 cups icing sugar, 1/2 cup cocoa powder and start creaming. Once butter is incorporated, add milk, 1 tbsp. at a time until you have the right consistency. To make a bigger bowl, add more icing sugar, cocoa and milk. You can also add extra cocoa to make it really chocolatey, I always do.

Chocolate Mint Drop Cookies

2009-09-09T15:13:00.000-07:00

Yum. I LOVE chocolate and mint together so obviously when I found this recipe I had to try it. Plus, I had everything I needed right in my kitchen, and that's always a bonus.

It's drop cookies, so simple and one bowl, very little mess. These are great for everyday, will be even better at Christmas when baking projects can get out of hand complicated and you need to pull something out that just takes a few minutes.

Ingredients:

4 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate

1/2 cup butter

1 cup lightly packed brown sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup whipping cream

1 tsp. peppermint extract

1 3/4 cups AP flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

Pinch of salt

Directions:

Chop butter into small pieces and melt it together with the chocolate in a bowl over simmering water.

Beat together sugar and the egg until well combined. Add the whipping cream and the peppermint extract and mix well. Slowly add the butter/chocolate mixture, stirring constantly.

Add flour, baking powder, and salt, and mix until just combined.

Drop dough by heaping spoonful about two inches apart onto parchment-lined baking sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 16 to 18 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool.

Makes about 16 cookies.

Blackberry Jam

2009-08-31T22:40:00.001-07:00

It's been a million year since I did any kind of preserving, but there are giant blackberry bushes very close to my house so I've been wandering down every few days throughout August and collecting berries. Now I have a freezer full and decided today was the day to do something with them. Or some of them, at least.

Coincidentally, blackberry is one of my favorite flavors of jam, so not only will I enjoy giving it away to others, but I will enjoy some myself!

Ingredients:

4 cups blackberries, washed and picked through

4 cups granulated sugar

Sterilize your jars and lids and set aside.

Start a large pot of water to boil (for processing the jars).

Crush berries and strain out seeds, if desired. Combine berries and sugar in a medium-sized pot over medium heat, and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture reads 220 degrees on thermometer, or has thickened.

Pour into prepared jars and top with lids. Immerse in boiling water and process for several minutes. Let cool and store.

Not Great...

2009-08-30T21:49:00.001-07:00

Kind of disappointed today with the kitchen. Totally having an off day, dropped everything, spilled everything, twice, ruined an entire tray of lemon macaroons (I knew from the time I put them in the oven they weren't right). The only thing that worked was my lemon curd.

My great success yesterday with the chocolate macaroons diluted my thinking to the point where I assumed I could bust out two batches tonight, no problem. Wrong. I am instantly humbled.

I made some vanilla ones that turned out alright, not great, though. I think I might skip this recipe in the future. Or maybe I will try it once more, but not anytime soon.

Ingredients:

1 cup slivered almonds

2 cups powdered sugar

4 egg whites

5 tbsp. granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment and set aside.

Process almonds in food processor until finely ground, about 1 minute. Add the powdered sugar and process until very fine. Sift mixture into a bowl.

Beat egg whites on medium-low speed until frothy, increase speed to medium-high and beat until whites form medium-stiff peaks, about 2 minutes. Gradually add granulated sugar, whisking constantly until stiff, glossy peaks form. Stir in vanilla.

Transfer whites to a large bowl. Fold in almond mixture in two batches. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a plain 1/2-inch piping tip. Pipe 1-inch rounds about 1/2-inch apart on baking sheets. Set aside for 10 to 15 minutes.

Bake until puffed and lightly colored, 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside to cool completely before peeling off parchment.

They tasted okay, a little sweet for my liking, even with the tart curd.

I am on hiatus from macaroons...

Saturday Cookie Day!

2009-08-29T20:56:00.000-07:00

Since I was already in the kitchen waiting for the macarons to cool, I decided to make a quick batch of shortbread to take to my staff on Monday.

I bought my first cookie press from Sur la Table when I was in Seattle last month and haven't tried it out yet. I searched and searched for a recipes to try with it, and then in the end, I decided to use my mother's Whipped Shortbread recipe. I was pretty sure it would work in the press and I was right.

There are literally 3 ingredients involved, and it's such a versatile cookie. I usually only use it at Christmas, rolled into balls and then flattened, decorated with colored sugar crystals, or as a thumbprint cookie with homemade raspberry jam in the center. I even filled some last year with some leftover lemon curd I had in the fridge. They were awesome.

I didn't have a lot of time, so the press worked out perfectly. Since it's summer, I used one of the flower patterns and then some pink sprinkles for some color.

As far as baking time, it took a lot less time to bake the cookie press cookies, only 11 minutes per batch, and when I roll and press them, they take about 16 minutes.

Ingredients:

2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup powdered sugar

3 1/2 cups flour

Directions:

In a large bowl, beat butter with sugar until blended. Add flour in batches.

When completely incorporated, bake at 350 degrees until done.

Macaron? Oui!

2009-08-29T19:44:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I've been putting off making these for as long as I can remember because I was afraid of the outcome. I've heard too many horror stories to not be apprehensive.

Then I found David Lebovitz's website and he quite frankly recounted his experiences baking macarons, both hit and miss. He was also kind enough to post his tried and true recipe for Chocolate Macarons.

It was surprisingly simple, they turned out fantastic, with the perfect 'foot', with a beautifully crispy shell and a fabulous, soft center. His were paired with a prune filling, but I opted for a classic chocolate ganache, to which I added peppermint extract, and they were phenomenal.

I am definitely making these again. Soon. And also, I am now empowered to try other flavors, lemon, raspberry, lime, pistachio... The possibilities are really endless!

One tip that I read while researching other recipes, but Mr. Lebovitz prefers matching up the shapes, is to trace a series of perfect circles to pipe your batter into. I decided to go that route, and I'm happy I did, the result was perfectly round meringues all very close to the same size.

Ingredients:

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup powdered almonds

3 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

2 large egg whites, at room temperature

5 tbsp. granulated sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Line two baking sheets with parchment and have a pastry bag with a plain 1/2-inch round tip ready.

Grind together the powdered sugar with the almond powder and cocoa so there are no lumps, use a food processor.

Beat the egg whites until they begin to rise and hold their shape. While whipping, beat in the granulated sugar until very stiff and firm, about 2 minutes.

Carefully fold the dry ingredients, in two batches, into the beaten egg whites with a flexible rubber spatula. When the mixture is just smooth and there are no streaks of egg white, stop folding and scrape the batter into the pastry bag (standing the bag in a tall glass helps if you're working alone).

Pipe the batter on the parchment-lined baking sheets in 1-inch circles (about 1 tbsp. each of batter), evenly spaced one-inch apart.

Rap the baking sheet a few times firmly on the counter top to flatten the macarons, then bake them for 15-18 minutes. Let cool completely then remove from baking sheet.

Chocolate Mint Ganache

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tsp. light corn syrup

4 ounces best quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1/2 tsp. peppermint extract

Heat cream in a small saucepan with corn syrup. When the cream just starts to boil around the edges, remove from heat and add the chocolate. Stir until smooth, then stir in peppermint. Let cool completely before using.

I applied the ganache with an offset spatula, it could also be piped.

Makes 10 to 15 cookies depending on size.

Of course I could barely wait to get them together before I had to have one! I paired it with an espresso and it was amazing. Don't be afraid to try something new, you might be pleasantly surprised.

NYTimes Brownies

2009-08-27T19:45:00.000-07:00

I love all things I can make with chocolate. I only use the very best quality chocolate that I can buy and it makes such a difference. Same rule goes for fresh baking powder and baking soda, pure vanilla extract, organic free range eggs, etc.

When Mark Bittman posted a new brownie recipe to his Bitten Blog in the New York Times last May, I saved it away and decided today was the day to put it to good use. What appealed to me in the first place about this recipe specifically was that it didn't call for any nuts. I guess if you like them, you could probably add some, but I think brownies are way better fudgy and not tampered with!

Not only are these brownies delicious, they were so easy to make. I double the recipe and used a bigger pan. It calls for unsweetened chocolate, but I used bittersweet and it was fine; I just used a little less sugar.

Ingredients:

3 ounces unsweetened chocolate

8 tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup flour

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract, optional

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine chocolate and butter in a small saucepan over very low heat, stirring occasionally. When chocolate is just about melted, remove from heat, and continue to stir until mixture is smooth. Meanwhile, butter and line an 8-inch square pan.

Transfer mixture to a bowl, and stir in sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add flour and vanilla if you are using it, and stir to incorporate. Stop stirring when no traces of flour remain.

Pour into pan, and bake 20 to 30 minutes, or until set and barely firm in the middle. Cool on a rack before cutting.

Nom Nom Nom

2009-08-26T22:35:00.000-07:00

I went down to Seattle for a long weekend last month and did some serious eating. For breakfast everyday we walked down for Top Pot doughnuts. You have not eaten a doughnut until you've had Top Pot. Promise. On the first day we each had a cake doughnut and they are super heavy, so every day after that we opted for yeast doughnuts. They're amazing, almost the size of your head! I am still craving their lemon-filled...

Top: Raspberry Bullseye Bottom: Lemon-Filled Ovaltine Lattes

It was really hard to try to get a shot of ALL the doughnuts from my spot in the lineup!

View from the street.

I saw Trophy Cupcakes featured on Martha Stewart's show last year and have been dying to check it out ever since. I think we went there three of the four days that we were down, and ate cupcakes to the ridiculous point.

Clockwise from top left: Cafe au Lait, Lemon, Red Velvet, Triple Chocolate.

We sat down with a pot of tea and actually ate ALL of them in one sitting. We cut them each in half and shared and we were doing pretty good until we were left with the chocolate one, but we still went for it. OMG - big mistake! Know your limits!

They feature different flavors on different days of the week. Their website has all the information you need so you don't miss out on your favorite flavor!

Really cute shop. We went to the location in Wallingford.

Low Fat Blueberry Muffins

2009-08-26T12:50:00.000-07:00

Bottom to Top: LowFat Bluberry Muffins, Zucchini Muffins, leftover Vanilla Cupcakes.

I love blueberries. I love them fresh, in scones, in crumbles, in smoothies, pretty much any way I can get 'em! But my most favorite thing to do with them is turn them into muffins. There are so many different recipes out there, and I love trying new ones to see how they're different. My old stand-by is my Mom's recipe which is delicious, but not exactly the healthiest.

Going through my collection, I found a "low fat" recipe. I'm always super skeptical about "low fat" anything when it comes to baking, it's been my experience that I should just suck it up and use full fat whatever is called for.

That said, there are some great tricks and substitutes that work great without compromising flavor, like soy milk (but not light, I always use Silk brand plain and it works quite well wherever you would use milk because it doesn't have a strong taste and it's got a pretty creamy consistency), applesauce in place of eggs (doesn't work all the time, but great for loaf cakes where there's generally a pretty dominant flavor ingredient like bananas), or sour cream instead of butter (but still, I always use full fat sour cream, and again, it doesn't work in every recipe).

However, I was pleasantly surprised by how these muffins turned out. They are very moist and fluffy, I haven't yet been disappointed by a blueberry muffin!

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup non-fat milk (I used soy)

2 tbsp. canola oil

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 to 1 1/4 cups blueberries (I always go a little heavy on the berries)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin or line with papers.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together milk, oil, and the egg.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add wet ingredients. Stir just until blended. Fold in blueberries. Batter will be lumpy.

Fill muffing cups 2/3 full and bake 18 to 20 minutes, until golden. Cool on a wire rack.

Makes 12 muffins.

Hmmmm... What To Do With A Giant Zucchini?

2009-08-26T12:12:00.000-07:00

Ah, summer! A friend gave me a huge zucchini earlier this week (it's bigger than my dog!), and I've been trying my best to use it in as many different ways possible. Something that clearly should have been picked long before it was, has actually turned out to be quite a fun project for me. So far I've made fritters (twice, they were awesome), stirfry, oven roasted with tomatoes, and finally muffins.

It took me a while to find the right recipe to bake with, they all ask for a barrage of spices, chocolate, nuts, etc. I'm not crazy about some nuts and almost everything I found called for walnuts or pecans. I was looking for something a lot simpler, so as not to stray too far away from the main ingredient. I ended up choosing one that has the spice flavor I love - cinnamon! - and adapted it a little to my own preferences.

They turned out light and moist, with lots of flavor, perfect for breakfast or a tea snack.

Ingredients:

1 cup flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 cup canola oil

3/4 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 tsp. pure vanilla

1 cup shredded zucchini

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray or line with papers a 12-muffin tin.

In a small bowl, beat together the oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until light and thick, about 3 minutes. Stir in the zucchini.

Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined, do not overwork.

Fill cups about 2/3 full and bake 18 to 22 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted comes out clean.

Makes exactly 12 muffins.

The Black and White

2009-08-25T21:37:00.000-07:00

When I make Black and White Cookies, I don't mess around. I make enough to fill my freezer so that in a moment of weakness (which incidentally is often), I have no stress in knowing I have a secret stash! I wrap them individually with plastic wrap. Black and White Cookies are a New York City trademark. They're highly publicized, talked about, and advertised by characters on shows like Seinfeld and Sex and the City.

The perfect Black and White Cookie is moist, cake-like, and not too sweet. I think that's why I love them so much. They're iced but the recipe I like the best calls for real chocolate instead of cocoa powder, and I use the very best 72% bittersweet chocolate I can find so the icing comes out very rich and glossy.

I have tried many recipes for these cookies from many sources and the one I find the closest to an authentic NYC Black and White is the recipe from Glaser's Bakeshop on 87th Street.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

4 large eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. lemon extract

2 1/2 cups cake flour

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

4 cups confectioners' sugar

1/3 to 1/2 cup boiling water

1 ounce bittersweet chocolate

1 tsp. light corn syrup

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar and butter. Mix by machine or by hand until fluffy. Add eggs, milk, and vanilla and lemon extracts until smooth.

In a medium bowl, combine both flours, baking powder and salt. Stir until blended. Add dry mixture to the wet in batches, stirring well after each addition. Using a soup spoon, place heaping spoonfuls of dough 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake until edges begin to brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Cool completely.

Place confectioners' sugar in large mixing bowl. Gradually stir in enough boiling water to the sugar to make a thick, spreadable mixture.

Put half the frosting in the top half of a double-boiler. Add the chocolate and corn syrup, and set over simmering water. Warm the mixture, stirring, until chocolate is melted and frosting is smooth. Turn off the heat, but leave chocolate frosting over hot water to keep it spreadable. With an offset spatula, ice half of each cookie with the chocolate frosting, and the other half with white frosting. Let dry, and store in an airtight container.

Makes about 2 dozen large cookies.

Geroy's Birthday

2009-08-25T19:21:00.000-07:00

Silly, I know. A friend decided at the last minute to celebrate her puppy's first birthday. She asked me along with my little dog, and it was a great afternoon with friends and too many snacks. It also gave me an excuse to do some baking! I decided on trying the Magnolia Bakery's Vanilla Cupcakes. I found the little bears at a craft store, they're very cute.

Most of Magnolia Bakery's cupcakes are frosted with an offset spatula, but I took the opportunity to test out my new Ateco #828 piping tip. I had to search high and low to find one, and I've been itching to use it.

The icing is white, so it would be a great opportunity to get creative with colors!

The buttercream in particular is extremely easy to work with, sometimes they can be challenging.

The recipe is also available online at marthastewart.com.

For the Cake:

1 1/2 cups self-rising flour

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup milk

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners; set aside. In a small bowl, combine flours; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth and creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until fluffy, about three minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla, and scraping down sides of bowl in between each addition; beat until ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat.

Divide batter evenly among liners, filling about three-quarters full. Bake, rotating halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool in tins for 15 minutes. Remove cupcakes from tins, and cool completely on rack. Once cupcakes have cooled, frost the tops by using a small offset spatula.

For the Vanilla Buttercream:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

6 to 8 cups confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup milk

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Directions:

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine butter, 4 cups sugar, milk, and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy, 3 to 5 minutes. Gradually add remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating for about 2 minutes after each addition, until icing reaches desired consistency; you may not need to add all the sugar. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Lemon Curd

2009-07-03T20:17:00.000-07:00

Not quite baked, but definitely sweet!

It doesn't really get much better than fresh lemon, and I just found a fantastic recipe on the Saveur website for curd that is as delicious as it is easy to make. I made only a small amount this first time, I'm going to make it again later this week and try to incorporate it into a cake or pie. There is seriously nothing I love more than a lemon dessert, and this recipe will be so versatile for so many other things in the future.

Here's what you need to do:

In a heatproof bowl, whisk together 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice, 1/2 tsp. lemon rind (I used way more than that and it was awesome), 6 tbsp. sugar, 2 egg yolks, and 1 whole egg until well combined.

Set the bowl over a pot of simmering water over medium-low heat and whisk constantly until it has thickened, about 8 to 10 minutes. It should be able to coat the back of a wooden spoon.

Whisk in 5 tbsp. cold butter, cut into small pieces, a few pieces at a time until smooth.

Transfer to a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap so a skin doesn't form on the surface, and set aside to cool.

Can be refrigerated for up to two weeks, but I doubt it will last that long! This recipe makes about 1 1/4 cups.

Savoy Scones

2009-06-15T13:37:00.000-07:00

A friend recently hosted an afternoon tea-themed garden party, so naturally my contribution was a classic scone. I had previously found the recipe for the scones served at tea at the Savoy in London, and finally had a reason to try them.

Here's what you need for about 8 scones (I doubled it, and it made way more than 16, so be hungry!):

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour, plus more for rolling

4 tbsp. baking powder

5 tbsp. unsalted butter

5 tbsp. sugar

1/2 cup dried currants

Scant 2/3 cup milk (I always use full fat milk when baking)

1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten, for glaze

Clotted cream, for serving

Ready for the oven.

What to do:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment. Sift flour and baking powder together in a medium bowl. Rub butter and sugar into flour until you have a fine crumble - I used my hands. Make a well in the center, and add the milk and currants. Knead together gently, being very careful not to overmix - your dough will be sticky.

On a generously floured surface, roll dough to 3/4-inch thickness. Stamp out 2 1/2-inch rounds with a plain circular pastry cutter. Transfer to your prepared pan, and brush tops with egg yolk (this step ensures your scones will be nice and shiny when they are done). Allow to rest for 15 minutes.

Bake until risen and tops are lightly golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove to a rack until cool. Serve with cream and jam - strawberry is classic.

Another friend brought the Devonshire cream and some homemade blackberry jam, they were perfect!