Cinnamon Chocolate Graham Bars (and cookies!)

I’ve been toying for a while with the idea of taking the base of this recipe and morphing it into something else. And then I received my order of a bucket of goodies from King Arthur Flour and decided that there was no better time than the present to try something new! I considered perhaps something along the line of s’mores, but when it comes down to it, I’m not much of a marshmallow person (I may get shunned for that statement). Burnt over an open fire, YES…but otherwise notsomuch. I love the mild flavor from the graham cracker crumbs and chocolate and graham cracker are a winning combo, so thought it could work with a hefty dose of cinnamon and perhaps some of these.

So, into the 9X13 they went – following the same recipe with these exceptions: 1) replace butterscotch chips with dark chocolate chips, 2) add two heaping teaspoons of cinnamon, and 3) throw in a handful of the cinnamon bits. I let them sit for aabout 10 or 15 minutes on the counter, as the package said in some cases it would help to soften them (and unsoftened they are like little cinnamon rocks, though that didn’t stop me from eating the dough…shocking). I baked them for 20 minutes, and voila!

They are very chocolatey, chewy and gooey and downright yummy. I had some leftover dough, so I  made a handful of cookies too. I’d also consider adding some toasted pecans as well next time, but they are a nice twist on the standard chocolate chip blondie or cookie, for sure.

Happy Baking!

TWD: Sugar-Topped Molasses Spice Cookies

I love the fact that this month we can decide which of the November recipes to make each week – so fun and so flexible, especially around the holiday season. Thanks TWD!!

My grandmother’s recipe for gingersnaps is one of my very favorite holiday time cookies, and because I make those nearly every year, I haven’t tried too many other options that would fall into a similar category. These, however, may  have just changed that! Yummy and chewy with a crisp edge, and I just love the sugar on top. And not only were they super easy breezy, but they come out so perfectly round and crackled that tied up in little bags with some ribbon, these would make ideal gifts.

I only made a few teeny tiny tweaks – I generally like smaller cookies than the bigs ones that this recipe turns out, so I rolled mine into 1″ or maybe 1 1/4″ balls, and therefore made probably twice as many – for that reason, they also only took 10 minutes to bake. I also left out the allspice, and upped the cinnamon and ginger (my two favorite spices). These would be SO perfect with some pumpkin or dulce de leche ice cream sandwiched in the middle…mmmmm…

Thanks so much to Pamela for a great pick! Can I make these every week? Does that count?

TWD: Sweet Potato Biscuits

I have one word for this one: FLOP! But far be it for me not to post my failed baking attempts…I even tried this twice. And for some reason that makes me LAUGH. Even looking at my pictures makes me laugh. Oh well.

I was about to bake, and realized that I didn’t have canned sweet potatoes (I hadn’t looked at the recipe, but figured since I had whole ones that would cut it). Instead, when I saw that it called for canned sweet potatoes, I thought canned pumpkin might be a good stand in…which it probably could have been if I hadn’t added WAY too much. (I suppose it also would have helped to have actually read the intro to the recipe in Dorie’s book!) So, 18 minutes later, I had browned bottoms and gooey insides. HMPH.

SO, then I read the intro…and quickly nuked and mashed up a sweet potato to try this again. This time the dough looked much more like I would have expected, but 15 minutes later I opened the oven door to find something resembling hockey pucks. HMPH again. Not sure what I did, but I would venture to say I overworked the dough trying to incorporate the mashed sweet potoato.

Maybe if I sandwich them with some cream cheese frosting?

TWD: Allspice Crumb Muffins

After skipping out on the pudding (I generally stay away from the pudding-y, custard-y recipes), I was happy to see that Kayte of Grandma’s Kitchen Table chose Allspice Crumb Muffins as this week’s TWD recipe. It was a perfect way to welcome the sort of fall-ish weather that is creeping up on us in Northern Virginia. I say “sort of” and “fall-ish” because it was still 80 something last Friday, and this Friday we are headed for the 40’s. And that, in a nutshell, explains our typical fall weather.

I LOVE the fall and everything about it, even the crazy weather, but especially the colors and the smells and the fact that somehow it all makes me feel like baking. A lot. This is a lucky time of year for my co-workers.

Anyhoo, I really enjoyed these muffins, not to mentioned they smelled heavenly. The only swaps I made were to use 2% milk, and then instead of actually using allspice, I used a hefty (as in more than double the called for amount!) combination of cinnamon and ginger, along with orange zest.

Looking forward to some more fall flavors next week!

New Ingredient of the Week: Fondant

Okay, okay, so fondant isn’t necessarily an ingredient so to speak…I mean, I suppose you could consider it an ingredient of a cake? But either way, I have never worked with before so I’m counting it as the new thing I’ve never used before that I used today.

My dear friend Peg’s little boy Rush turned 1 this week, and his party was on Saturday. She emailed me this picture and a few questions about where to go to get all the things she might need to make the cake (the theme for the party - a play on his name – is Rush Hour). I answered her and then in the form of a question that may have seemed like an optional offer, basically told her I was coming to help.

She had actually made the fondant from scratch the night before I went over to help (quite ambitious I thought, but definitely a way to make sure it tastes fresh), so when I arrived we tackled the task of coloring and rolling the fondant out. A few lessons learned: 1) Wear gloves when you are coloring…and the method that seemed to work the best was to pull fist-sized pieces off and incorporate the color by folding and tucking the fondant in itself (sort of like making bread). 2) Use LOTS of cornstarch. TONS. You’ll see in the pictures that follow why this is important! Also, you can wipe it right off when you are done just with a dry paper towel. 3) Don’t be afraid of the boxed cake mixes. In fact, go right ahead and embrace them. Especially if you are trying to do all this in your “free” time while working a full time job. Betty Crocker knows what she is doing, and the wow factor is really in seeing the finished product anyway!

And the fondant rolling begins...while the lucky little man does his best to help out.

Looks perfect, right?

NOT so perfect, in fact a completely sticky disaster. This was where the cornstarch lesson came from!

But once we got the hang of it, it was smooth sailing. Or rolling.

The top layer.

Top, bottom, and decorations waiting to be applied.

Waiting for the final piece!

The final piece, courtesy of some mini loaf pans, colored frosting and Oreos. Need to wait to put it on until the big day!

Viola!

And an extra car just for the Baby Cake!

We weren't too sure how to cut into it...but it sure looked pretty when we did! Of course, the pieces were enormous and in the end we had to chop them into smaller ones that looked less perfect.

My First Customer!

I am pretty sure that in the world of food bloggers, I am not alone in keeping a small part of my dream world reserved for that bakery that I’ll open someday. It’s a lovely thing to think about – turning something you really love and are passionate about into a full time career? Pure bliss. So although it may be a long ways off for me (or, um, destined to remain in my dream world, which is totally fine too!), I’d be lying if I didn’t feel just a little giddy when my neighbor – who has been the recipient of my baking “overflow” before – asked if I ever got commissioned to bake! GASP. It was a simple request – a dozen cupcakes for her mother’s birthday, and a hanful of extras for her to hold on to. Chocolate cupcakes, white frosting, some kind of decoration.

Needless to say, I spent WAY too many hours obsessing about which recipe to use as I am not a big cupcake maker, and didn’t have a standard. Well, the cupcake recipe itself turned out to be the easy part – I went with Cooks Illustrated Dark Chocolate Cupcakes. The frosting, on the other hand…ohhhhh the frosting. I tried four recipes: King Arthur Flour’s Easy Vanilla Frosting (easy and piped nicely, but way to sugary for me), a 7-Minute Frosting from Pillsbury, my oldest cookbook in the cabinet (a lovely white, shiny frosting and good taste, sort of marshmallow-y though), a “true” Swiss Meringue Buttercream (which really just tasted like butter), and FINALLY what I have dubbed as the Nirvana of Cupcake Frosting, a White Chocolate Cream Cheese frosting from here. And for those of you who are wondering, yes, I probably gained five pounds in the process.

Anyhoo, I think they came out great and I will file those recipes away as tried and (definitely) tested keepers, for the next batch I need to make – for money, or WAY more likely, just for fun. This was never about the money anyway. I would have done it for free. Shhh.

TWD: Cottage Cheese Pufflets

I think the Dough Gods must be out to get me – two TWD recipes in row requiring me to refrigerate, roll out and inevitably fight with dough. Sigh. But I did it anyway!

This week’s TWD recipe was chosen by Jacque of Daisy Lane Cakes (whose pufflets look fabulous). I halved the recipe, and then once again ended up eeking out only a handful before rolling up the dough back into a ball and throwing in the towel! I will say that they were very good though – the dough itself was actually quite yummy, and I would definitely eat them again if someone more skilled than I am prepared them for me.

New Ingredient of the Week: Wheat Berries

I’ve decided to start a  new little game for myself – every week, I am going to try (*TRY*) to make something with an ingredient I haven’t ever cooked or baked with before. So welcome to Week #1!

My ingredient for this week is Wheat Berries. According to Wikipedia: The term wheatberry or wheat berry refers to the entire wheat kernel (except for the hull), comprising the bran, germ, and endosperm. Wheatberries have a tan to reddish brown color and are available as either a hard or soft processed grain. They are often added to salads or baked into bread to add a crunchy texture; as a whole grain, they also provide nutritional benefits since they are an excellent source of dietary fiber.

I have a thing for couscous and love all things quinoa, so this seemed like a logical extension – and I found a yummy looking recipe as I was cleaning and clipping through old volumes of Cooking Light. I modified it slightly based on my own tastes, but it turned out really well. I like the texture of the wheat berries, and loved the lemon tang and the creamy goat cheese. A great light dinner, and makes enough to bring for lunch for a day or two!

Wheat Berry and Goat Cheese Salad (adapted from Cooking Light)

1 1/4 cups wheat berries
2 1/2 cups chopped English cucumber
2/3 cup thinly sliced green onions
2  cups loosely packed chopped arugula
1 handful of fresh basil, sliced thinly
1 pint grape tomatoes, quartered
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 cup (3 ounces) crumbled herbed goat cheese

1. Place wheat berries in a medium bowl; cover with water to 2 inches above wheat berries. Cover and let stand 8 hours. Drain.

2. Place wheat berries in a medium saucepan; cover with water to 2 inches above wheat berries. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cook, uncovered, 1 hour or until tender. Drain and rinse with cold water; drain well. Place wheat berries in a large bowl; add cucumber and next 4 ingredients (through tomatoes).

3. Combine zest and next 4 ingredients (through sugar) in a bowl; gradually add oil, stirring constantly with a whisk. Drizzle dressing over salad; toss well to coat.  Let stand at least 30 minutes; serve at room temperature. Add cheese to individual dishes when ready to serve (I don’t think it will sit well in there overnight and hold it’s consistency!)

TWD: Flaky Apple Turnovers

I’ve been home from my fabulous trip to Africa for exactly one week and two days, plenty of time  to get my head back in the game, right? But ugh, it’s such a struggle. I am definitely making progress – last week I sat staring for long periods of time (gosh, I hope no one from my office reads this), alternating between my computer screen and the lovely Marriott outside the window. Thankfully, I haven’t quite caught up with everybody yet, so usuallyonce a day I get to recount the utter loveliness of our lodges, the surreal wildlife encounters, and the complete perfection of the middle-of-the-day period of time, where I sat on a comfy chair writing in my journal, listening to the crazy sounds of the hippos in the river in front of me, seeing the warthogs and kudu coming to drink from the river, and periodically having to get up to go inside as some of the elephants wandered by my tent. Sigh.

How easily I digress! Back to business. I AM happy to be back to baking, and was delighted by this week’s recipe picked by Julie from Someone’s in the Kitchen. I am generally pretty lousy at the whole roll out and cut thing – I stay away from most things that require me to do this, as I clearly can’t find the right balance between just cold enough dough and gooey sticky disaster. And I’d be lying if I didn’t, for just a moment, entertain the idea of using puff pastry. But YUM, I am so glad I didn’t!

 

I halved the recipe, still struggled with my sticky dough and managed to squeeze 7 not-so-cute looking turnovers into the oven last night. Looks aside, these were the bomb. The pastry crust was SO good, and they actually browned and puffed up much nicer than I thought. I will definitely bookmark this, and would even consider Round 2 of Dough vs. Lynne. Someday.

Why I’ve Been Gone

I feel like it has been forever since I posted…well, there’s a good reason for that. I was in Zambia using my fabulous new camera to take pictures of some of the most incredible sights I’ve ever seen. But alas, I am back, and trying desperately to get my head back in the game at work and my pans back in the oven at home…until I do, thought I would pick out .3% of my photos to post. YES, I have that many!