Hottie Biscotti » Chocolate

Daring Bakers: Swiss Swirl Ice Cream Bombe

CarrieZ — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 06:00:29 +0000

So many components to this dessert! Two ice creams, hot fudge sauce, chocolate cake, whipped cream…and then there’s the assembly process. Whew! When I told Ben all the things I had to do, he said “Can you imagine having to do this when you were still teaching?” Yes, I can imagine that. I would have freaked out. Probably like this scene from Julie & Julia.

Thankfully I saved myself, and Ben, from this potential freak out by spreading everything out over 5 days and having this thing ready to enjoy 3 days before the Daring Bakers reveal. Having a lot of free time is such a luxury.

The July 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Sunita of Sunita’s world – life and food. Sunita challenged everyone to make an ice-cream filled Swiss roll that’s then used to make a bombe with hot fudge. Her recipe is based on an ice cream cake recipe from Taste of Home.

I must confess right now that I cannot attest to how good this ice cream treat is at present. I haven’t yet cut into this impressive dessert and tasted it. It is sitting in my freezer just waiting for me…calling to me, really. I’m saving it for our 4th anniversary this Thursday. I’ll make sure to amend this post once I get to try a slice as we celebrate 4 years of marital bliss!

Day 1 and 2:

I made the vanilla ice cream first. On day two I made the chocolate ice cream. These were completed first and spent a few days in the freezer.

Day 3:

I made the chocolate cakes and filling and rolled them up. I stored these in the fridge overnight.

Day 4:

I made the fudge sauce and assembled the cake. I highly recommend taking the time in between layers to let everything set fully. It will make life easier for you. Also, your ice cream needs to be soft and pliable so let it sit out for a while before trying to spread it.

Day 5:

When you go to un-mold the cake, wrapping a warm, wet towel around the bowl for a few seconds really helps.

I can’t say how the slicing is going to go, but a warm sharp knife is key to any frozen dessert. Dipping it in warm water and drying it quickly between slices is also a nice trick.

Since there are SO many recipes, here is the link to the PDF with all of them. This is an much easier way to read the recipes than my cut and paste jobs!

All the components are delicious separately. I had some leftover fudge sauce and whipped cream that I used to make one of the best simple sundaes I have ever had. I had to sample the ice creams as well, and they were both quite tasty. I cannot wait to try all of these together! Thanks for a great challenge.

Daring Bakers: Chocolate Pavlovas with White Chocolate Mousse and Strawberries

CarrieZ — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 12:00:23 +0000

The June 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Dawn of Doable and Delicious. Dawn challenged the Daring Bakers’ to make Chocolate Pavlovas and Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse. The challenge recipe is based on a recipe from the book Chocolate Epiphany by Francois Payard.

Originally, this recipe didn’t sound summery enough to me. Chocolate upon chocolate just seemed a bit heavy and rich to serve in June. However, the chocolate pavlovas are wonderful and light. I made white chocolate mousse and served it with sliced strawberries. I was very pleased with the results and found this to be a lovely dessert.

Take the time to make the mascarpone cream. It tastes divine drizzled on the desserts, and it also delicious eaten like soup…soup that tastes like melted ice cream. Yum.

This could be done in a day, but I opted for the two day option just to make like a little less hectic.

Day 1: Make pavlovas and creme anglaise. Store the pavlovas in an airtight container and let the creme cool in the fridge.

Day 2: Make the chocolate mousse, and use your reserved creme anglaise to make the mascarpone cream. Then assemble your desserts.

Once assembled and ready to serve, this is quite an impressive dessert. It has a few components, but they are all worth the time and effort. I brought this to a friends for a little dinner party, and so I had to have everything prepped and ready about 3 hours before we actually ate the desserts. I was a little worried about how the mousse and cream would hold up in the fridge. Thankfully, everything was perfect and the mousse was easier to scoop after being chilled.

The combination of the crunchy pavlovas, creamy and rich white chocolate mousse, sweet, fresh strawberries and indescribable mascarpone cream makes for quite a dessert.

Make the Pavlova Batter

Pipe and Bake the Pavlovas

Make the Creme Anglaise (photo courtesy of Daring Bakers)

Make the White Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse

Make the Mascarpone Cream (photo courtesy of Daring Bakers)

Assemble and Enjoy

Here are the recipes.

Chocolate Meringue (for the chocolate Pavlova):

Ingredients

3 large egg whites
½ cup plus 1 tbsp (110 grams) white granulated sugar
¼ cup (30 grams) confectioner’s (icing) sugar
1/3 cup (30 grams) Dutch processed cocoa powder

Directions

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 200º F (95º C) degrees. Line two baking sheets with silpat or parchment and set aside.
Put the egg whites in a bowl and whip until soft peaks form. Increase speed to high and gradually add granulated sugar about 1 tbsp at a time until stiff peaks form. (The whites should be firm but moist.)
Sift the confectioner’s sugar and cocoa powder over the egg whites and fold the dry ingredients into the white. (This looks like it will not happen. Fold gently and it will eventually come together.)
Fill a pastry bag with the meringue. Pipe the meringue into whatever shapes you desire. Alternatively, you could just free form your shapes and level them a bit with the back of a spoon.
Bake for 2-3 hours until the meringues become dry and crisp. Cool and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

White Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse

Ingredients

1 ½ cups (355 mls) heavy cream (cream with a milk fat content of between 36 and 40 percent)
grated zest of 1 average sized lemon
9 ounces (255 grams) white chocolate, chopped
1 2/3 cups (390 mls) mascarpone
pinch of nutmeg
2 tbsp (30 mls) Grand Marnier (optional)

Directions

Put ½ cup (120 mls) of the heavy cream and the lemon zest in a saucepan over medium high heat. Once warm, add the chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and let sit at room temperature until cool.
Place the mascarpone, the remaining cup of cream and nutmeg in a bowl. Whip on low for a minute until the mascarpone is loose. Add the Grand Marnier and whip on medium speed until it holds soft peaks. (DO NOT OVERBEAT AS THE MASCARPONE WILL BREAK.)
Mix about ¼ of the mascarpone mixture into the chocolate to lighten. Fold in the remaining mascarpone until well incorporated. Fill a pastry bag with the mousse. Again, you could just free form mousse on top of the pavlova.

Creme Angliase

Ingredients

1 cup (235 mls) whole milk
1 cup (235 mls) heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split or 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
6 large egg yolks
6 tbsp (75 grams) sugar

Directions

In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until the mixture turns pale yellow.
Combine the milk, cream and vanilla in a saucepan over medium high heat, bringing the mixture to a boil. Take off the heat.
Pour about ½ cup of the hot liquid into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly to keep from making scrambled eggs. Pour the yolk mixture into the pan with the remaining cream mixture and put the heat back on medium. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens enough to lightly coat the back of a wooden spoon. DO NOT OVERCOOK.
Remove the mixture from the heat and strain it through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl. Cover and refrigerate until the mixture is thoroughly chilled, about 2 hours or overnight.

Mascarpone Cream

Ingredients

1 recipe crème anglaise
½ cup (120 mls) mascarpone
2 tbsp (30 mls) Sambucca (optional)
½ cup (120 mls) heavy cream

Directions

Prepare the crème anglaise. Slowly whisk in the mascarpone and the Sambucca and let the mixture cool. Put the cream in a bowl and beat with electric mixer until very soft peaks are formed.
Fold the cream into the mascarpone mixture until smooth.

Assembly

Pipe or scoop the mousse onto the pavlovas.
Top with fruit is desired.
Drizzle the mascarpone cream over the top.
Dust with confectioner’s sugar if desired.

Peanut Butter Cheesecake Toffee Brownies

CarrieZ — Sat, 01 May 2010 16:33:28 +0000

A few weeks ago I caught the end of Oprah while on the treadmill at the gym. Her guests were the contestants of the 2010 Pillsbury Bake-Off, and at the end of the show they revealed the winner of the $1,000,000 grand prize. This was the winning recipe, Mini Ice Cream Cookie Cups.

These little treats look delicious! And I know they must taste good as well. How could they not? The ingredients have no option but to create perfect sugary wonder! Sugar cookie dough made into cups, dipped in chocolate and nuts, a spoonful of fruit jam in the bottom, topped with ice cream and fresh raspberries on top. My problem with this is that it won $1,000,000 dollars. They are somewhat creative I guess, but very little of this recipe is homemade or imaginative.

Were there no better recipes than this in the contest? Seriously? Who judges this contest? A 10 year old who just LOVES ice cream sundaes? Am I being harsh?

I got on the Pillsbury website and decided to go on a mission to look at other recipes that were contenders in the 2010 Bake Off. These brownies were among the finalists, and while they do use a brownie mix, there is more to these brownies than just a dressed up mix topped with ice cream. On top of the brownie layer is spread a layer of sweet cream cheese and peanut butter goodness. To finish things off, a layer of melted chocolate is spread over the brownies and then sprinkled with toffee pieces.

Without having made the cookie cups, I can’t say for sure that these are better or more worthy of the prize, but they are very tasty. Enjoy in small portions with a glass of milk because they are rich and quite chocolate-y.

Peanut Butter Cheesecake Toffee Brownies

Courtesy of Pamela Shank

Ingredients

1 box (19.5 oz) Brownie Mix
½ cup Vegetable Oil
¼ cup water
2 eggs
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 can (14 oz) Sweetened Condensed Milk
½ cup Peanut Butter
1 bag (8 oz) toffee bits
1 cup milk chocolate chips
3 tablespoons whipping cream

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray 13×9-inch pan with cooking spray.

2. In medium bowl, stir brownie mix, oil, water and eggs 50 strokes with spoon until smooth. Spread batter in pan; set aside.

3. In large bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Add milk and peanut butter; beat until smooth. Stir in 1 cup of the toffee bits. Spoon mixture over batter; spread evenly.

4. Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until cheesecake layer is set and edges are light golden brown. Cool on cooling rack 30 minutes. Refrigerate 40 minutes.

5. In small microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips and cream uncovered on High 40 to 60 seconds or until chips are melted; stir until smooth. Spread over cheesecake layer. Sprinkle with remaining toffee bits. Cool completely, about 1 hour. For brownies, cut into 6 rows by 6 rows. Store covered in refrigerator.

Chocoflan Cake

CarrieZ — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 02:28:54 +0000

My mom sent this recipe to me. I discovered in talking with her today that the reason she sent it to me is because she was too scared to try it out herself. I have become the recipe guinea pig, and I am totally OK with that.

There’s always a little bit of uncertainty when trying a new recipe and it helps to know that someone else has tried it with good results. It really helps to know that someone you know and trust has tried it. I am often skeptical of some online reviews because I don’t know if the people writing the reviews are clueless in the kitchen and totally botched a perfectly good recipe, OR if the person likes anything they eat because they lack good taste and taste buds. So, send me your iffy recipes and I will try them and give you my honest opinion…if that means anything.

This cake is half chocolate cake and half flan. Well, more like 60% chocolate cake and 40% flan. Regardless, chocolate cake + flan = crazy delicious. A bundt pan is filled with a thin layer of cajeta, topped with a chocolate cake batter and finished off with a flan type mixture that makes it way down to the bottom of the pan during the baking process. This creates the layer of creamy flan on top of the cake which when inverted is topped with the sweet and decadent cajeta.

I topped the finished cake with toasted pecans. It could be served with some sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. This cake was a hit at the small group we had at our house last night. It was such a hit that we had a mere slice left over.

Things you should know:

It took more than the hour baking time for the top to become firm. I would recommend 1 hour and 15 minutes, then let it sit at room temperature for about an hour. Un-mold the cake and refrigerate it for at least an hour before serving. Giving the cake time to set is imperative. Your patience will be rewarded. Swear.

Chocoflan

Ingredients

12-cup capacity Bundt pan
Softened butter, to coat pan
1/4 cup cajeta or caramel sauce

For the cake:

10 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups buttermilk

For the flan:

1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
3 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

For garnish:

1/4 cup cajeta or caramel sauce
1/4 cup chopped pecans

Directions

Put an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
Coat a Bundt pan with a little butter, then coat the bottom with 1/4 cup cajeta and put it in a large roasting pan. (The roasting pan will serve as a water bath during baking.)
For the cake: Add the butter and sugar to a bowl and using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer, beat until light and fluffy, then beat in the egg. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cocoa in a medium bowl. Beat 1/3 of the flour mixture, and 1/2 of the buttermilk into the egg mixture. Repeat, ending with the flour mixture. Blend until well incorporated.
For the flan: In a blender or with a whisk, combine the evaporated milk, condensed milk, cream cheese, eggs and vanilla. Blend on high for 30 seconds.
Scoop the cake batter into the prepared Bundt pan and spreading evenly. Slowly pour the flan mixture over the cake batter. Cover with foil and add about 1-inch of hot water to the roasting pan.
Carefully slide the pan into the oven, and bake 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the surface of the cake is firm to the touch, or an inserted toothpick comes out clean. When cake is done, remove from the water bath and cool completely to room temperature, about 1 hour.
Invert a large, rimmed serving platter over the Bundt pan, grasp tightly together, giggle a little and flip over. Remove the pan and scrape any remaining cajeta from the pan onto the cake, garnish with chopped pecans and serve!
Cook’s Notes: The batters may appear to mix when you pour them into the pan, but they completely separate while baking, with the flan ending up on the bottom when it’s inverted. I like eating it warm, but traditionally, it is chilled 24 hours before serving.

Superbowl Cookies

CarrieZ — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:44:45 +0000

Our good friends Tim and Jackie had us over for the Saints v. Colts game Sunday night. There was so much food! The spread included black bean chili, queso, chips & salsa, veggies, layered Tex Mex salad, hot wings, and cookies. This is one of the main reasons I love the Superbowl.

I brought the yummy layered salad and these cookies. I made plain sugar cookies using left over sugar cookie dough that I’d stashed in the freezer, and some chocolate sugar cookies. Both recipes come from the Joyofbaking.com.

The chocolate dough was easy to prepare and easy to cut out. They baked up pretty evenly and tasted good. I did find them a bit drier than the plain sugar cookie, but still tasty. I made sugar cookie helmets honoring both teams, and chocolate cookie footballs.

I use Wilton gel colors for my icing. There may be something better out there, but these have always served me well. I HATE black icing. It’s hard to achieve, and it makes a mess on my hands and underneath my fingernails. So I used the blue for my fleur-de-lis instead of black, which Ben gave me a hard time for, but I was just too stubborn and lazy to color more icing and give everyone a blue tongue and lips from eating the black icing. You know what I’m talking about.

Here are some very rough instructions on how to decorate sugar cookies. I promise to write better instructions one of these days!

Decorating Cookies

1. Outline the cookies

First, mix up powdered sugar and water until smooth, and stiff, but still a consistency that you can pipe through a pastry bag. I have not measured the sugar or water before. I will try to get those measurements on here soon!
Use a pastry bag with a plain tip to outline the cookie close to the edges. Be sure to make a closed outline so that you can fill the cookie without any glaze escaping.
Let the outline dry completely before filling.

2. Fill the cookies

I use this recipe from Toba Garrett. The recipe can be found here or at the bottom of this post.
Once your glaze is prepared, use an offset spatula to drop some glaze in the center of the cookie. Tip: Use less than you need because you can always add more.
Holding the cookie in your hand gently push the glaze to the edges, being careful not to break the outline. Don’t worry about making it completely smooth. The glaze is thin enough that will even out on its own.
Let this harden for a few hours before continuing with any other details.

I will be honest, this takes practice and patience. In the near future I will take some step-by-step photos because it isn’t easy to explain all the little nuances with words alone.

Chocolate Sugar Cookies

Ingredients

2 3/4 cups (355 grams) all purpose flour
3/4 cup (75 grams) unsweetened Dutch processed cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon (4 grams)baking powder
1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 3/4 cups (350 grams) granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder.
In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 to 4 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture and beat until you have a smooth dough.
Divide the dough in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about one hour or until firm enough to roll.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in the center of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Remove one half of the chilled dough from the refrigerator and, on a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/4 inch (1 cm). (Keep turning the dough as you roll, making sure the dough does not stick to the counter.) Cut out desired shapes using a lightly floured cookie cutter and transfer cookies to the prepared baking sheet. Place the baking sheets with the unbaked cookies in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes to chill the dough which prevents the cookies from spreading and losing their shape while baking.
Note: If you are not going to frost the baked cookies, you may want to sprinkle the unbaked cookies with crystal or sparkling sugar.
Bake cookies for about 10 – 12 minutes (depending on size) or until they are firm around the edges. Remove from oven and let cookies cool on baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling. Frost with royal icing, if desired. Be sure that the frosting on the cookies dries completely before storing. (This may take several hours.) Frosted cookies will keep several days in an airtight container. Store between layers of parchment paper or wax paper.

Toba Garrett’s Sugar Cookie Glaze

Ingredients

1 pound (454 g) powdered sugar
3/8 cup (90 ml) whole milk
3/8 cup (4.5 oz or 126 g) light corn syrup
Flavor Options: 1 tsp concentrated extract, I Tbsp alcohol or liqueur, or 2 to 3 drops concentrated candy oil

Directions

In a mixing bowl, thoroughly mix the sugar and the milk first. The icing should be very soft and have a heavy-cream texture before you add the corn syrup. Add the corn syrup and mix just until combined.
Divide the icing into several bowls. Flavor each bowl with extracts, alcohol or candy oils. Color each bowl of icing as desired. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap to prevent drying until you’re ready to use it.

Daring Bakers: Nanaimo Bars

CarrieZ — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 03:24:25 +0000

First thing’s first…I cheated. I did not make the graham wafers. I am a terrible person. I promise to make them another time, pinky promise! I just did not have the time. Well, that is only partially true. I could have had the time if I’d actually looked at my January commitments and planned ahead. This last week of January finds me in San Diego for 3 days for a conference for work, two days at home in Amarillo and then I head to Austin for 4 days for my sister’s baby shower and grandpa’s 90th birthday celebration. AND I have to somehow fit in the baking of a few dozen cut-out bird cookies for the shower. When it rains it pours, people.

The January 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Lauren of Celiac Teen. Lauren chose Gluten-Free Graham Wafers and Nanaimo Bars as the challenge for the month. The sources she based her recipe on are 101 Cookbooks and www.nanaimo.ca.

Now you’re thinking, “She’s a double cheater!” You’re right. I didn’t even consider trying to make anything gluten free. Again, the lack of time and my laziness got the better of me! Also, I think I like gluten. It sounds like glutton…

I had to make the bars before I left for sunny (sorta) San Diego in order to get them done before the craziness began. When you’re a cheater like me and you use store-bought graham crackers these bars come together very quickly. You have to give them some time in the fridge before enjoying them, but other than that they are quick and simple.

After chilling in the fridge they have a beautiful hard chocolate-y layer which innocently hides the sweet soft vanilla layer beneath it. I was not thinking about this HARD chocolate layer when I took a knife to these bars. All, or almost all, of the chocolate cracked and popped off the top of the bars. I should have waited a few minutes after taking them from the fridge to let the chocolate soften a bit and adhere to the creamy layer. You live, you learn.

Even with the shattered chocolate layer, which I managed to somehow replace on a few pieces, these were very delicious. I will be making these again. Delicious.

Nanaimo Bars

Ingredients:

Bottom Layer

1/2 cup (115 g) (4 ounces) Unsalted Butter
1/4 cup (50 g) (1.8 ounces) Granulated Sugar
5 tablespoons (75 mL) Unsweetened Cocoa
1 Large Egg, Beaten
1 1/4 cups (300 mL) (160 g) (5.6 ounces) Gluten Free Graham Wafer Crumbs
1/2 cup (55 g) (1.9 ounces) Almonds (Any type, Finely chopped)
1 cup (130 g) (4.5 ounces) Coconut (Shredded, sweetened or unsweetened)

Middle Layer

1/2 cup (115 g) (4 ounces) Unsalted Butter
2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons (40 mL) Heavy Cream
2 tablespoons (30 mL) Vanilla Custard Powder (Such as Bird’s. Vanilla pudding mix may be substituted.)
2 cups (254 g) (8.9 ounces) Icing Sugar

Top Layer

4 ounces (115 g) Semi-sweet chocolate
2 tablespoons (28 g) (1 ounce) Unsalted Butter

Directions

1. For bottom Layer: Melt unsalted butter, sugar and cocoa in top of a double boiler. Add egg and stir to cook and thicken. Remove from heat. Stir in crumbs, nuts and coconut. Press firmly into an ungreased 8 by 8 inch pan.
2. For Middle Layer: Cream butter, cream, custard powder, and icing sugar together well. Beat until light in colour. Spread over bottom layer.
3. For Top Layer: Melt chocolate and unsalted butter over low heat. Cool. Once cool, pour over middle layer and chill.

Hot Chocolate Layer Cake

CarrieZ — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 01:55:02 +0000

A while back I lost my Canon camera in a horrific flood. A water bottle mysteriously opened in my purse, drowning and destroying my camera. Anyway, for a while I took pictures with my iPhone. Not spectacular, but sufficient photos. Then, Ben bought me a Sony camera that has served me well for the last 4 months. Two days ago the screen went bright white resulting in a visit to Best Buy where they told me there was nothing they could do, and that I would have to send it in for repair.

I can still take pictures, but just can’t see what the pictures looks like until I load them onto my computer. The photo below is the result of such a photo session. Two usable photos out of about 25 total taken. Not a great ratio. I could not tell what was in the shot, how the lighting was, if I needed flash, if the zoom was too much, or how the focus turned out. This is just not a way to take pictures!

Despite my camera woes, this cake was fun to make, not too terribly complicated, a great presentation cake, and quite delicious. The marshmallows dusted with cocoa make the cake look like an actual mug of hot chocolate.

I absolutely love Fine Cooking magazine. I have yet to make something from it that I haven’t liked. This cake is on the cover of the current issue, and I could not resist its rich chocolate-y layers and fluffy white marshmallows. I made it for Christmas dinner. Here is the link to the recipe.

The cake is moist, the frosting is rich and creamy, and the marshmallows are heavenly, ooey-gooey goodness. This is a rich and decadent cake.

The marshmallows are the most time consuming aspect of this dessert, but well worth the time and effort. I considered buying pre-packaged mallows, but my wise mother-in-law convinced me to make the real thing. It does make a difference, and the marshmallows are a lovely contrast to the rich chocolate cake and frosting.

Hot Chocolate Layer Cake

(courtesy of Fine Cooking magazine and Rebecca Rather)

For the cake

6 oz. (3/4 cup) unsalted butter; more for the pans
13-1/2 oz. (3 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour; more for the pans
3/4 cup canola oil
4-1/2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
3 cups granulated sugar
2-1/4 oz. (3/4 cup) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
3 large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
2 Tbs. pure vanilla extract
2-1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. kosher salt

For the frosting

2-1/2 cups heavy cream
3 oz. (6 Tbs.) unsalted butter
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped out
6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 cups granulated sugar
6 oz. (2 cups) natural unsweetened cocoa powder; more for decorating
1/2 cup Lyle’s Golden Syrup
1/4 tsp. kosher salt

For the marshmallows

Three 1/4-oz. envelopes unflavored powdered gelatin
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup plus 2 Tbs. confectioners’ sugar; more as needed

Make the cake

Position racks in the bottom and top thirds of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Butter three 9×2-inch round cake pans and line each with a parchment round. Butter the parchment, then dust with flour and knock out the excess.
In a 3-quart saucepan, combine the butter, oil, chopped chocolate, and 1 cup water. Heat over medium heat until melted.
In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, and cocoa powder. Pour the hot chocolate mixture into the sugar mixture and whisk until combined.
Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, then whisk in the buttermilk, vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans.
Set two pans on the top rack and the third on the lower rack. Stagger the pans on the oven racks so that no pan is directly over another. Bake, swapping and rotating the pans’ positions after 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool on racks for 10 minutes. Invert the cakes onto the racks, remove the parchment, and cool completely.

Make the frosting

In a 4-quart saucepan over low heat, combine the cream, butter, and vanilla bean and seeds and stir until the butter is melted.
Remove the vanilla bean and whisk in the chopped chocolate until melted.
Whisk in the sugar, cocoa powder, syrup, and salt until smooth—be sure the cocoa powder dissolves completely.
Pour into a 9×13-inch pan and freeze until firm, about 2 hours, or refrigerate overnight.

Make the marshmallows

Pour 3/4 cup cold water into the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle the gelatin over the water. Attach the bowl to the mixer and fit it with the whisk attachment.
Clip a candy thermometer to a 3-quart saucepan; don’t let the tip of the thermometer touch the bottom of the pan. In the saucepan, boil the sugar, corn syrup, salt, and 3/4 cup water over medium heat without stirring until it reaches 234°F to 235°F, about 10 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, pour the hot sugar mixture into the gelatin in a slow, thin stream.
Add the vanilla, carefully increase the speed to high, and beat until the mixture has thickened and cooled, about 5 minutes (the bottom of the bowl should be just warm to the touch). Line a 9×13-inch pan with foil, leaving an overhang on 2 sides. Sift 1 Tbs. of the confectioners’ sugar into the bottom of the pan, then pour the marshmallow mixture into the pan and sift another 1 Tbs. confectioners’ sugar on top. Let sit at room temperature until set, at least 2 hours.

Assemble the cake

Remove the frosting from the freezer or refrigerator. Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes to soften. Change to a whisk attachment and beat at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Put a cake layer on a flat serving platter or a cake stand lined with strips of waxed paper to keep it clean while icing. Top the layer with 1-1/2 cups of the frosting, spreading it evenly with an offset spatula to the cake’s edge. Repeat with another cake layer and 1-1/2 cups frosting. Top with the last cake layer.
Put 1-1/2 cups of the frosting in a small bowl. With an offset spatula, spread this frosting in a thin layer over the top and sides of the cake. Refrigerate the cake until the frosting firms enough to seal in the crumbs, 20 to 30 minutes.
Spread the remaining frosting in a smooth layer over the top and sides of the cake. If necessary, you can rewhip the remaining frosting to loosen and lighten it. Remove the waxed paper strips.
Use the foil overhang to lift the marshmallow from the pan. Using a knife that has been dipped in cold water, cut along the edge of the marshmallow to release it from the foil. Transfer to a cutting board and remove the foil.
Put the remaining 1 cup confectioners’ sugar in a medium bowl.
Cut the marshmallow into cubes of different sizes, from 1/4 to 3/4 inch (you will need to continue to dip the knife in cold water as you cut the marshmallows). The marshmallows will be very sticky—dip the cut edges in the confectioners’ sugar to make them easier to handle. As you work, toss a few cubes at a time in the sugar to coat, then shake in a strainer to remove the excess.
Mound the marshmallows on top of the cake (you’ll need only a third to half of them). Sift some cocoa powder over the marshmallows.

Peanut Butter Marshmallow Bites

CarrieZ — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 19:04:10 +0000

These little, unassuming bite-size goodies made quite an impression last weekend. I brought them to a Christmas party where they were completely devoured and raved about. I saw one of the party guests 2 days later and she asked me for the recipe. I hadn’t had such a great response to a dessert in, well…ever! I wish I could say they were my own creation, but alas, they were not. I got the recipe in my 12 Days of Cookies email from the Food Network. This was Day 10: Sunny’s Crunchy Peanut Butter S’more Bites.

If you go to the Food Network site and read the review on these cookies, you will wonder why I made them. Bad reviews on taste and preparation. What was I thinking? Well, I wasn’t. However, with a few modifications to the recipe, they taste yummy (still very sweet of course) but still make quite a mess of your kitchen. Sometimes you have to take the bad with the good!

Here are the changes I made, and some I would make in the future:

Add powdered sugar a little at a time to the butter and peanut butter mixture, just until it is sturdy enough to hold its shape. This should be 3-4 cups…not the 5 cups called for in the recipe.
Let the coins sit in the fridge for at least 1 hour or overnight, or put them in the freezer. When you’re dipping them in the melted chocolate, they get very soft and will start to fall apart if they are not properly chilled.
Melt more chocolate than called for. I did not have enough to coat all my little peanut butter coins. I also added a little shortening to make the chocolate a little thinner and easier to coat the bites.
Let the graham cracker coated bites sit in the fridge again to firm up before filling them with the marshmallow cream. I would recommend buying two containers of the cream, as I also ran out of that.
When sandwiching the cookies, make sure to use a very flat cookie as your base. If it is not flat enough, then if will topple over and sticky marshmallow cream will spill out the sides.

If you can make it through the preparation and assembly of these cookies, you will loved by the people who you choose to bless with these little bites of peanut buttery, marshmallowy heaven. Give yourself a good 2 days to get these done. If you try to complete them after work one day, you will be sad and sorry.

Peanut Butter Marshmallow Bites

Adapted from Sunny Anderson, Food Network

Ingredients

2 cups crunchy peanut butter
1 1/2 sticks butter
3-4 cups powdered sugar
24 ounces (4 cups) milk chocolate chips, melted
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 cup marshmallow fluff

Directions

In a large bowl, beat the peanut butter and butter until smooth.
Add in powdered sugar, ½ cup at a time until the mixture is sturdy.
Using a tablespoon measure, scoop the mixture and form into balls, then press into a coin shape the diameter of a quarter. Refrigerate to set up dough cookies, at least 1 hour.
To make bites, dip peanut butter coins in melted chocolate then toss in graham cracker crumbs until coated.
Arrange the coated coins on a wire rack or wax paper and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to set.
Add the marshmallow fluff to a pastry bag or plastic bag and cut the tip.
Remove the coins from the refrigerator and squeeze about 1 teaspoon of marshmallow fluff into the center of half of the coins.
Then top each half with another coin to make a sandwich and place return to the refrigerator to set, about 1 hour.

Witch Hat Cookies

CarrieZ — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 15:44:43 +0000

Happy Halloween! I made these cookies for the trick-or-treaters at Ben’s office. I thought they would be more fun than little bags of candy, and too cute for words. I also thought they would be quick and easy. Cute, yes. Quick and easy, kinda.

This Halloween treat can be made in a day, but I spread the preparation out over 3 days.

Day 1: Bake chocolate sugar cookies.

Day 2: Brush ice cream cones with chocolate and let set.

Day 3: Assemble & decorate hats.

My original plan was to make royal icing to decorate the hats, but as the deadline approached and a stack of about 100 papers needed grading, I broke down and bought tubes of Wilton icing in orange, black, green and purple. As I completed the last hat I was very thankful that I’d made this adjustment. Sometimes you just have to take shortcuts.

The Wilton icing tubes are pretty great. You simply attach Wilton decorating tips and get creative. It’s easy to switch out tips and the colors are nice and vibrant. It’s often hard to achieve really vibrant color when you color your own icing, so this saves time and the stress of making the perfect color you’re looking for.

Witch Hat Cookies

24 chocolate sugar cookies
24 sugar ice cream cones
1 package chocolate candy coating
2 large bags M&M’s
Various icings, sprinkles, decorations, etc.

Melt chocolate coating according to package instructions.
Use a pastry brush to coat all the cones with chocolate. I found it easiest to place a few fingers in the cone to hold it while I brushed on the chocolate. Stand up on parchment paper and let set.
Fill the ice cream cone with your choice of candies. Candy corn, M&M’s, Skittles, whatever.
Use some of the frosting to pipe around the base of the ice cream cone. Top with the cookie and flip over to set.
Decorate as desired.

These are a fun treat and would make a fun party favor. Happy Halloween!

Chocolate Sugar Cookies

CarrieZ — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 01:15:30 +0000

There is something very special in store for the trick-or-treaters at BMWB this Friday! To prepare for this treat, I had to make some chocolate sugar cookies. These cookies were easy to put together, did not require any chilling, or rolling, and tasted sweet, crunchy and rich. They will also be the perfect shape and texture for my Halloween treats.

This recipe originally came from my dear friend, Martha Stewart. I found it on How to Eat a Cupcake. I doubled the recipe to make these cookies and ended up with about 45 medium sized cookies.

I only needed 30 for my Halloween goodies, so I had some dough left over. I thought about freezing it and using it later, but then I found a roll of Rolos hiding in my cabinet leftover from my candy bar blondies. Maybe, just maybe, I could wrap the dough around a rolo and bake it to create a cookie with a nice caramel surprise inside. Genius!

These cookies turned out to be quite delicious. I think that there are a lot of candies that could be hidden inside this cookie dough. The dough is sturdy and not too sticky, so would probably be a good dough to experiment with. I will definitely make these cookies again. Easy, chewy, delicious and versatile.

Chocolate Sugar Cookies (Courtesy of Martha Stewart and How to Eat a Cupcake)

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup vegetable shortening, melted and cooled
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375F. Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
Put butter and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Mix in melted shortening (or butter). Add egg and vanilla; mix until creamy. Reduce speed to low. Gradually add flour mixture, and mix until just combined.
Using a 1 inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake until edges are firm, 10-13 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 days.