Cookbooks

Baking Through Fika: Chocolate Jitterbugs

I’m continuing my Baking Through Fika project!  My mom and I sat together, looked through the cookbook and marked a few recipes that she and I plan to bake together.  Tackling a daunting project seems less daunting when someone is going to do it with you (the Prinsesstårta is the one I am fearing the most!) so I am looking forward to making some of these recipes with my sweet mom!

When deciding which recipe to make next I looked through Fika and chose the recipe that I had all of the ingredients for and one with a short list of instructions!  I know I’m going to get myself into trouble if I continue on this path, saving all the tougher recipes for the end, so next time I’ll try something a little more complicated.  But this time I went with an easy one.  Chocolate jitterbug cookies!

Chocolate Jitterbugs

I’d never heard of these before seeing them in this cookbook.  Jitterbugs are made by taking a shortbread cookie dough which is rolled out, spread with meringue, rolled up jelly roll style, then sliced and baked.  I’m not sure if these chocolate ones are typical, but in doing a little searching I found them made more often with a plain shortbread cookie dough.  I will have to try them that way sometime…

These aren’t too chocolate-y, and are not terribly sweet.  They are light in texture and pair well with a cup of afternoon coffee or a glass of cold milk.  The cookie is soft and the meringue is slightly crunchy, a great combination.  I brought them to a family weekend and they were finished off quickly.

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Here are a few tips not included in the recipe if you decide to make these!

  • When mixing up the chocolate dough you will probably need to use your hands to bring the dough together, it is pretty crumbly.
  • When rolling everything up the chocolate dough might crack, so be as careful as you can be!
  • When rolling the meringue might ooze out, and that’s just fine.
  • When slicing use a serrated knife, and work quickly, but don’t stress about making things perfect.  There will be mess, and that is fine.  After the cookies bake it won’t matter that they looked messy.
  • The ends of the roll (unless you perfectly rolled your dough!) might be uneven and not make the prettiest cookies.  I tossed the ends into the trash, but you can bake them if you’d like!

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Chocolate Jitterbugs

From Fika

Ingredients

Cookie Dough

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • pinch of salt
  • 3 1/2 ounces (100 grams) butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 egg yolk

Filling

  • 1 egg white
  • 1/2 cup sugar

Directions

  1. Sift together the flour and cocoa powder.  Whisk in a pinch of salt.
  2. With a hand mixer combine butter, sugar and egg yolk and beat together.  Add in the flour mixture and beat until it comes together.  Bring together with your hands, then wrap in plastic wrap and refigerate for an hour.
  3. Right before you remove the dough from the fridge, beat the egg white until it is foamy.  Stream in the sugar and continue to beat until very creamy and thick, 3-4 minutes.
  4. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with a non-stick mat or parchment paper.
  5. Roll out the dough between parchment to roughly 8×12 inches.  Spread the meringue onto the dough, then carefully roll up, starting at a long side.  Place on a cutting board and chill for 15 minutes.
  6. Use a serrated knife to slice the log into pieces 1/3-1/2 inch thick.  Place on the baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes.

Baking Through Fika: Strawberry Rulltårta

It has been a solid 2 months since I last posted anything here.  Not because of anything in particular, just because of life in general.  I have taken two trips this summer, but I’ve also been home a lot, enough to have been blogging at least a little.  But I didn’t.  It amazes me sometimes when I look back on the blog and see that I posted frequently during an especially busy time and now, when things aren’t really that busy, it takes me this long to post and I miss June and July Daring Bakers after not missing a challenge for over a year, during which time I had a baby.  How did I have the time then?!  Hopefully this new project will give me some incentive to blog more regularly.  I’m pretty excited about it!  These posts will also be featured on Alpaka Van!  Something else I am pretty excited about.

If you’ve been to IKEA and you’re in to food, then there is a good chance you’ve noticed this cookbook before.  I bought it because it was a cookbook, of course, but it was also very visually pleasing.  Every recipe includes a photo of the ingredients similar to this one.  Isn’t is great?

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The title, Fika, is a Swedish tradition which kind of translates to “to have coffee”.  It’s a time when you gather in the afternoon and enjoy coffee (or tea) and sweet treats, typically with company.  I had the pleasure of enjoying fika in Sweden when I visited with my mom and sisters 8 years ago.  I am in full support of bringing the tradition home.

I’ve decided to bake my way through Fika.  I love the simple recipes and the clean and creative images of the ingredients.  Another reason I was drawn to bake through this book is that my sisters and I have grand plans to open up a shop together (one day…*sigh*) and my role would be to do the baking, so I have to get some practice with Scandinavian style baked goods.

Starting with a simple rulltårta or jelly roll seemed like a good choice.  I’d never made a jelly roll before, but how hard could it be?  Turns out that it can be tricky.  The first time I used a non-stick silpat…but it stuck terribly.  The next time I used parchment which, while much better, still did not release the cake cleanly.  Any tips?

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Before turning the cake out onto a clean dish towel you sprinkle it with sugar, which makes for a beautiful and sweet exterior.

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I filled the cake with strawberry jam, Bonne Maman is my go-to.  I thought about other jams, and even a nice spread of Nutella, but in the end strawberry just seemed right.  It really needs nothing more, but a dollop of whipped cream never hurt a soul…

The cake is light and sweet, and the tart jam is a good contrast.  The slight crunch of the sugar is also a nice contrast against the soft cake and filling.

This is best made and served the same day, but can be kept in the fridge for a few days and still taste wonderful.  It just starts to get a little soggy as the cake absorbs the jam.

I am so looking forward to this project and can’t wait to try another recipe from Fika!

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Strawberry Rulltårta

From Fika

Ingredients

  • 3 eggs
  • 3/4 cup sugar + extra for dusting the cake
  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
  • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
  • 3/4 cup strawberry jam or fruit puree

Directions

  1. Heat the oven to 475°F.  Line a large baking pan with parchment and move oven rack to the bottom third.
  2. Beat the eggs and sugar on high for 4-5 minutes, until light and fluffy.
  3. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl.  Add in to the egg mixture, gently fold a couple times, then add the milk and extracts.  Continue to gently fold together until combined, but not overly mixed.
  4. Spread the batter evenly onto the prepared pan.  Bake for 4-5 minutes.
  5. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the cake with sugar.  Place a large, clean dish towel over the cake and carefully but quickly invert it.  Peel off the parchment carefully.
  6. Spread the jam over the warm cake, then roll it up and place seam side down on a cutting board.  Let sit for a few minutes, then slice and serve.

 

 

 

Cornflake, Marshmallow and Chocolate Chip Momofuku Milk Bar Cookies

My sister gave me the Momofuku Milk Bar cookbook for Christmas and once we got home and unpacked everything I started browsing through it.  I’ve never actually been to Milk Bar, but have heard about their legendary cereal milk soft serve, compost cookies and crack pie.  My husband and I have grand plans to make a trip (maybe child-free!) up to New York City sometime in the next year to visit my sister and her family.  If we really do make it, then Milk Bar will be one of the places we have to go.

The cookbook is totally accessible with recipes for yummy things like confetti cookies, cinnamon bun pie, and brownie pie and ingredients you can buy at the grocery store like ritz crackers, corn flakes, fruity pebbles and ovaltine.  But it is intimidating in some ways.  Pretty much every recipe calls for a component that you have to make separately.  This almost always makes me steer away from a recipe.  But this time I found one that seemed doable, even with the extra steps.  These cornflake, chocolate chip, marshmallow cookies are worth every second of time they take to make.

Cornflake, Marshmallow and Chocolate Chip Momofuku Milk Bar Cookies | Hottie Biscotti Cornflake, Marshmallow and Chocolate Chip Momofuku Milk Bar Cookies | Hottie Biscotti

The component you have to make before you make the cookies is cornflake crunch.  It’s simple, really.  Crushed cornflakes, sugar, butter, milk powder and salt.  Mix it all together and toast it in a low oven.  Other crunches in the book include fruity pebble, pretzel and ritz, all similar to the cornflake crunch.  With my new found love of the cornflake crunch I see a day in my future where I make big batches of the stuff and store it all in my freezer so I can add them to all of my cookies.

These cookies are sweet, salty, rich and buttery.  They are crunchy on the edges and soft and chewy in the center.  I usually prefer a puffier cookie, but these are flat and have earned a spot as some of the best cookies ever to come out of my oven.  They are HUGE.  Like the size of your face.  And amazing.  These are so amazing.

Cornflake, Marshmallow and Chocolate Chip Momofuku Milk Bar Cookies | Hottie Biscotti

The cornflake crunch really makes these cookies special and unlike any cookie I’ve made.  I am a believer in the momofuku crunch.  And in milk powder.  It’s magical stuff.

I’ve tried to add marshmallows to cookies before, but they’ve never quite acted like the marshmallows in these cookies.  They provide a sweet, sugary, gooey, chewiness but you don’t get too much marshmallow since they kind of melt into the cookie and join with everything else is perfect baked good harmony.

Mini chocolate chips are the way to go here.  Larger ones would be too overwhelming both in appearance in the cookie and in taste.  Stick with the minis.

Cornflake, Marshmallow and Chocolate Chip Momofuku Milk Bar Cookies | Hottie Biscotti

I am so excited to try more recipes in this cookbook!  Now that I know how worthwhile it is to make the special ingredients, I’ll be much more likely to make that incredible looking birthday cake on page 104.  Drool.

Cornflake, Marshmallow and Chocolate Chip Cookies

From Momofuku Milk Bar Cookbook

Cornflake Crunch

Ingredients

  • 5 cups cornflakes
  • 1/2 cup milk powder
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 9 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 275°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat.
  2. In a large bowl crush cornflakes with clean hands then mix in milk powder, sugar and salt.  Toss to combine.
  3. Add in the melted butter and toss to coat evenly.
  4. Spread out onto the prepared sheet and bake for 20 minutes, let cool.

Cookies

Ingredients

  • 2 sticks of butter, room temperature
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 cups cornflake crunch
  • 2/3 cup mini chocolate chips
  • 1 1/4 cups mini marshmallows

Directions

  1. Beat butter and sugars on medium high for 2-3 minutes.  Scrape down the bowl and add the egg and vanilla.  Beat for 7-8 minutes.  Scrape down the bowl.
  2. Whisk together the flour, powder, soda and salt, then add to the butter mixture.  Mix on low until just combined, no longer than 1 minute.
  3. Mix in the cornflake crunch and chocolate chips on low speed just to combine, 30-45 seconds.  Then mix in the marshmallows just to combine.
  4. Using a large cookie/ice cream scoop or a 1/4 measuring cup scoop out dough into balls and place on a parchment or silpat lined cookie sheet.  You should have between 15 and 20 cookies.  No need to spread the dough balls out on this sheet.  Place the sheet into the fridge for at least 1 hour.  If you plan to refrigerate them for more than a couple hours, cover the sheet with plastic wrap.
  5. Preheat oven to 375°F.
  6. Arrange dough balls on a parchment or silpat lined cookie sheet (4 or 5 cookies per sheet) with 3-4 inches room for spreading.  Bake for 15-18 minutes until edges are beginning to brown and centers are just set.
  7. Let cool for a few minutes on the sheet, then move to a cooling rack.  Cool completely.

What I Want Wednesday

When I heard that Borders was closing all of its stores I became really sad about the whole thing.  Empty stores left in shopping centers.  It’s depressing.  But I’ve seen the signs.  iPad, Kindle, Nook, etc.  Books are dying.  I’m pretty sure that at some point kids will no longer check out books from a school library, but download them instead.  This makes me a little sad.  But I’m contributing to this paperless future by getting a lot of my recipes online.  Cookbooks are lovely, and I have too many.  I’ve lamented about this problem before.

So, today I’m wanting this cookbook from Baked in Brooklyn.

Baked: New Frontiers in Baking.

My sister lives in Brooklyn, so I was able to get some goodies from Baked last summer on my visit.  The bakery is cool.  Their sweet offerings make you weak in the knees.  I want to go there right now for breakfast.

My sister turned me on to this blog, Crepes of Wrath, who has made a few of the recipes from the Baked cookbook. Every time she posts one I start to salivate and my tummy rumbles.

In an effort to keep the book alive, I want to add this cookbook to my collection even though I’m not sure where I’ll put it…