Chocolate Hazelnut Ice Cream Sandwiches

The last time I posted on this blog, I was all about the chocolate and peanut combination. Well, now it’s time to talk about its more subtle, sophisticated cousin, the one I love most of all: chocolate and hazelnut.

My first introduction to this combo was the ferrero rocher chocolates my mom always bought for Christmas, and oh man did I fall hard for those. Then came nutella, that European chocolate hazelnut spread that puts peanut butter to shame. I still remember eating it in a giant crepe with bananas on the street in Paris. Perfection. But it’s also pretty good on toast or eaten by the spoonful out of the jar. Basically what I’m saying is that I would eat this stuff if it were spread on cardboard.

And now that you know of my undying love of all things chocolate and hazelnut, let’s talk about these ice cream sandwiches. I was given the recipe posted below by my older brother and forgot all about it for a couple of years until I recently cleaned out my recipe folder. I had some chocolate wafers left over from making an icebox cake and, as fate would have it, the same brother who asked me to make them in the first place had recently returned home from grad school in Switzerland and I figured he was due a “welcome home” treat.

So I made these ice cream sandwiches and fell head-over-heels in love. A stellar combination of barely sweet dark cookies, crunchy hazelnuts, smooth chocolate ice cream, and the aforementioned nutella, these chic little frozen treats are the dessert equivalent of those small, elegant cups of after-dinner espresso. They are also the ultimate example of the “quality over quantity” mantra, as one of these tiny sandwiches feels more indulgent and satisfying than a giant Fat Boy. But that’s not to say I’ll judge you for eating two. Heaven knows the terms “restraint” and “nutella” don’t really pair well in my world.

Chocolate Hazelnut Ice Cream Sandwiches (from Better Homes and Gardens, Sept. 2008)

When I made these I totally ignored the instructions and just spread the nutella to my liking, smeared the ice cream all willy-nilly between the cookies, and pretty much made a giant mess. The end result was good but inconsistent. You couldn't taste the nutella in some of the sandwiches, and the ice cream didn't look very pretty. I would suggest learning from my rebel ways and following the directions instead.

16 chocolate wafer cookies (I used nabisco brand but you can also make your own)
1/3 cup chocolate hazelnut spread (nutella)
1 pint premium chocolate ice cream (I used Haagen Dazs)
1/3 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts*

1) Spread flat side of each wafer with nutella; set aside.
2) Scoop 8 ice cream balls, about 3 tablespoons each, and keep in freezer until ready to assemble.
3) To assemble sandwiches, remove ice cream balls from freezer and allow to soften for one minute.
4) Place 1 ice cream ball on each wafer and top with remaining wafer; press gently together.
5) Sprinkle edges with nuts. Place sandwiches on baking sheet lined with wax paper and freeze for 3 hours, or until firm. To store, freeze up to 2 weeks in self-sealing plastic bags.

*To toast and skin hazelnuts, spread nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake at 350 for 5-10 minutes until skins crackle. Wrap hazelnuts in a clean towel and let steam for 5-10 minutes. Rub hazelnuts in towel until skins flake off.

Squirrel Bars

There are few combinations more universally popular than the pairing of chocolate and peanut butter. And there are few examples of this pairing that I love more than squirrel bars. A favorite of my family’s , these cheekily named bars are essentially a peanut butter blondie with swirls of melted semi-sweet chocolate running across the top. They are a perfect combination of salty and sweet and, though they are fairly rich, they impart a generous dose of chocolate and peanut butter flavor without evoking the mouth-filling heaviness of, say, a Reese’s peanut butter cup.

I actually can’t believe it’s taken me this long to post about these, since they are frequently my go-to recipe when someone asks me to bring a treat to a shower, open house, etc. Squirrel bars look a little fancier than your typical brownie or cookie, but are easy and quick to make. Perfect for when you want to change things up a bit but don’t have a lot of time to make anything elaborate. Just be careful serving them to children, since word on the street is that they all have deathly peanut allergies these days.

Squirrel Bars (from the Ivory Favorites cookbook)

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup softened butter
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

1) Cream together first four ingredients.
2) Add eggs and vanilla and beat until well blended.
3) Stir in flour and baking powder.
4) Spread dough in a greased 9x13 pan and sprinkle with chocolate chips.
5) Bake at 350 for 3 minutes, or until chocolate chips are nice and melted, like this:
6) Remove from oven and marbelize by dragging a butter knife or similar utensil (I use a chopstick) through the chocolate chips, like so:

Until they look like this:
7) Return the bars to the oven and bake for another 18-20 minutes, or until bars are a pale golden brown and set (mine usually don't take that long, so start checking after like 15 minutes).

*Don't be tempted to substitute milk chocolate chips- they don't impart enough chocolate flavor. Also, every time I have made these with chocolate chips that have been sitting in my pantry for quite some time, the end result isn't quite as pretty, since the chips don't melt enough to be marbelized. So if you're looking to achieve the result pictured above, use fresh chocolate chips (one sure sign that chocolate chips are old is if they are kind of white on the outside).

Black and White Cookies

I’m pretty bad when it comes to picking favorites. If you asked me to name my favorite food or favorite book, I would probably bombard you with an endless list of options that could all be considered my top choice. But there is one category in which I could easily pick a favorite, and that’s TV sitcoms. As far as I’m concerned, Seinfeld is by far the greatest sitcom ever made; it’s original, clever, and downright hilarious. Fellow Seinfeld fans may remember the episode in which Jerry and Elaine go to a bakery together and Jerry waxes philosophical about black and white cookies (“look to the cookie”) before eating one makes him sick. If you don’t remember this episode or haven’t seen it, you can catch the highlights here.

According to this New York Times article, Seinfeld solidified the black and white cookie’s status as one of New York’s trademark foods. I actually never encountered a black and white cookie in the times I visited The Big Apple (which is surprising, because I hit the city’s bakeries and I hit them hard) so my first encounter with this iconic pastry was a small, delicate version at a local bakery called Les Madelines that bore little resemblance to the black and white cookie of Seinfeld fame. I’m guessing it’s what black and white cookies would look like in France.

The first time I tasted a real black and white cookie ended up being when I baked them from a recipe found in my Gourmet cookbook last weekend. I could tell from the outset that the black and white would be my type of cookie: a soft, cakey base topped with a simple glaze that imparts a striking visual appeal without being too showy or cute. And while I’m usually a chocolate whore, I found myself enjoying the vanilla side equally (although the two flavors are really best when eaten in the same bite). These cookies may not hold the secret to racial harmony as Jerry claims, but they sure do wonders for a girl’s sweet tooth.

Black and White Cookies (adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook)


When I first made these, I followed the orginal recipe's specifications for cookie size and made them huge. The second time around I went for a medium version (pictured above), which I am more partial to simply because the large ones are a little much unless you're really committed to eating a cookie. But feel free to go with your own preference because I've included directions for both.

The other change I made in this recipe involve the icing, as I'm not too fond of lemon in my baked goods and I thought the process could be a little less hassle-free. I recommend making one of the icings first and frosting the cookies with it before making the other one so that neither one of the icings has a chance to solidify in the bowl.

cookies:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup (5 1/3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg

Vanilla icing:
3/4 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 to 2 tablespoons hot water

Chocolate icing:
3/4 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/8 teaspoon vanilla
1 to 2 tablespoons hot water
1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

1) Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Stir together buttermilk and vanilla in a cup.
2) Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes, then add egg, beating until combined well.
3) Mix in flour mixture and buttermilk mixture alternately in batches at low speed (scraping down side of bowl occasionally), beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix until smooth.
4) For large cookies: Spoon 1/4 cups of batter about 2 inches apart onto a buttered large baking sheet. Bake in middle of oven at 350 until tops are puffed and pale golden, and cookies spring back when touched, 15 to 17 minutes.
For medium cookies: Spoon about 2 tablespoons of batter 2 inches apart onto a buttered large baking sheet. Bake for about ten minutes, or until cookies spring back when touched.
5) Transfer with a metal spatula to a rack and chill (to cool quickly), about 5 minutes (or you could just let them cool at room temp before you frost them if you have the time).
6) When cool, turn cookies flat sides up, then spread white icing over half of each and chocolate over other half (recipe follows).
7) Once cookies are iced, let them sit at room temperature for an hour or so, or until the glaze has set. Store in an airtight container in between sheets of waxed paper.

Vanilla icing:
3/4 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 to 2 tablespoons hot water

Chocolate icing:
3/4 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/8 teaspoon vanilla
1 to 2 tablespoons hot water
1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

For vanilla icing: Stir together confectioners sugar, corn syrup, and 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl until smooth (you want it to be the consistency of thick Elmer's glue, so add more or less water accordingly).

For chocolate: Same process as vanilla, only add cocoa in as well and use more hot water to thin to the same consistency as the vanilla icing.

Some Simple Valentines Day Treats

I love Valentines Day. Always have. Even when I was single and didn't have anyone buying me flowers or taking me out to fancy restaurants. I just think that celebrating love in any of its forms is a good thing. Plus Valentines Day is a true chocoholic's dream, which is why I'm surprised that only one of the recipes below contains chocolate (and even then it's a humble rolo), but I guess that's because most of these treats were made with other people in mind. I think my own sweet tooth will be satisfied when I make my favorite chocolate covered strawberries this weekend.

Homemade Marshmallows (Gourmet, December 1998 via epicurious.com)

I mentioned these little guys in my previous post. Although I've never been too big on marshmallows, I have to say that I much prefer these to the store-bought version. They are light, fluffy, and perfectly sweet. Plus they were really fun to make, at least if your idea of fun is watching a sticky mess of gelatin and sugar syrup whip up into white fluffy deliciousness right before your very eyes. I cut these out with a small heart-shaped cookie cutter to make them festive, but if you really wanted to up the V-Day factor you could add a small amount of red food coloring to the marshmallow batter to make them pink. Oh, and I should probably tell you that these were fantastic dipped in chocolate (but really, what isn't?)

about 1 cup powdered sugar
3 1/2 envelopes (2 tablespoons plus 2 1/2 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup hot water (about 115°F.)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large egg whites*
1 teaspoon vanilla

1) Oil bottom and sides of a 13- by 9- by 2-inch rectangular metal baking pan and dust bottom and sides with some powdered sugar.
2) In bowl of a standing electric mixer or in a large bowl sprinkle gelatin over cold water and let stand to soften.
3) In a 3-quart heavy saucepan cook granulated sugar, corn syrup, hot water, and salt over low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to moderate and boil mixture, without stirring, until a candy or digital thermometer registers 240°F., about 12 minutes. Remove pan from heat and pour sugar mixture over gelatin mixture, stirring until gelatin is dissolved.
4) With standing or a hand-held electric mixer beat mixture on high speed until white, thick, and nearly tripled in volume, about 6 minutes if using standing mixer or about 10 minutes if using hand-held mixer.
5) In a large bowl with cleaned beaters beat whites (or reconstituted powdered whites) until they just hold stiff peaks. Beat whites and vanilla into sugar mixture until just combined.
6) Pour mixture into baking pan and sift 1/4 cup confectioners― sugar evenly over top. Chill marshmallow, uncovered, until firm, at least 3 hours, and up to 1 day.
7) Run a thin knife around edges of pan and invert pan onto a large cutting board. Lifting up 1 corner of inverted pan, with fingers loosen marshmallow and let drop onto cutting board. With a large knife trim edges of marshmallow and cut marshmallow into roughly 1-inch cubes.
8) Sift remaining confectioners' sugar into a large bowl and add marshmallows in batches, tossing to evenly coat.

Marshmallows keep in an airtight container at cool room temperature 1 week.


Red Velvet Cupcakes

I know that red velvet cake is probably the most overdone Valentines Day dessert out there but I can never resist it so I made these cupcakes for a friend's birthday this weekend. Well, I actually intended to make these whoopie pies but then the laziness factor kicked in so I considered making whoopie pies from cake mix instead but eventually ended up just baking a quick batch of cupcakes. Yes, I did stray from my "always bake from scratch" ethos on this one but I figure that most red velvet recipes call for about a full bottle of red food coloring anyway so using a cake mix isn't that big of a deal. I do, however, insist on homemade frosting. Frosting from a can is a sad, sad thing.

1 Red Velvet cake mix (Duncan Hines brand is best)
1 small box instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
4 eggs
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup water.

1) Using either a stand or hand-held electric mixer, mix all ingredients on medium speed for 3 minutes.
2) Spoon into paper-lined muffin tins (fill about 2/3 full) and bake at 350 for about twenty minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Frost with one of the following (I much prefer the cream cheese version- I only made the vanilla cause the birthday girl preferred it.)

Cream Cheese Frosting
1 stick butter, softened
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2-4 cups sifted powdered sugar (depending on how sweet and thick you want the frosting to be- taste as you go)
2 tsp. vanilla

1) Beat butter and cream cheese together
2) Add sugar and vanilla and beat until of spreading consistency.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
1 stick butter, softened
4 cups sifted powdered sugar (depending on how sweet and thick you want the frosting to be- taste as you go)
2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup milk

1) Cream butter, then add the sugar and beat for a minute or two.
2) Beat in milk and vanilla. Add more milk if necessary to achieve desired spreading consistency.

Pretzel/Rolo/Peanut Butter bites

I wasn't sure what to call these things. I considered "homemade Take 5", since their ingredients are essentially the same as the candy bar, but that didn't really fit. Neither does the term "pretzel turtle", which is what these are called should you choose to put a pecan in the middle instead of the M&M. Honestly, given their perfect blend of sweetness and salt I would say they should be called PMS lifesavers. But I don't think I'll refer to them by that name when I hand these out to co-workers on Monday.

Checkerboard pretzels
Rolos, unwrapped
Peanut butter M&Ms

1) Place pretzels on a baking sheet and put one unwrapped rolo on top.
2) Bake at 300 degrees for about 4 minutes, or until Rolo is fairly melted.
3) Remove from oven and let cool for 1 minute, then place M&M on top.
4) Let sit for about an hour, or until chocolate hardens.

If you're looking for a more sophisticated Valentines Day treat, might I suggest these cupcakes? And these molten chocolate babycakes would be a perfect ending to a romantic dinner for two.

Hope all of you have a happy Valentine's Day!

A roundup of Thanksgiving desserts

OK, I know I probably should have gotten around to posting this sooner, before it was almost Christmas and you all still had Thanksgiving on the brain, but I am nothing if not the queen of procrastination. I am also the queen of stealing good ideas, so after years of hearing about people having pie parties the night before Thanksgiving in order to more fully enjoy the dessert portion of the holiday meal, I finally got my act together this year and had one of my own.

I’m not too big on pies, and I figured that most people would get their fill of them after Thanksgiving dinner, so instead I called my function a dessert party, and it was really just an excuse for me to bust out all the autumnal baked goods recipes that I’d had bookmarked for months but never made.

The party itself turned out to be quite fun, and, in my opinion, a perfect way to spend the night before Thanksgiving. It consisted of an assortment of friends and family dropping by to eat and mingle, with the Jazz game and baby Anna providing ample entertainment. On a cold, snowy night, our house felt warm and cozy as it was packed with people. This gathering might just have to become a tradition.

Of course I failed to take a single photo that night, including one of the dessert table. Luckily I found all of the recipes I made that night on the internet, so I’ve posted the links to the recipes (along with beautifully styled food photography that you sure won’t find on this site) and included my opinion of them, along with any changes/adjustments I made.

Pumpkin Brownies (via Smitten Kitchen and marthastewart.com)
I found this recipe on Smitten Kitchen, but the original can be found on Martha Stewart’s site. The Smitten Kitchen version reduces the amount of sugar in the recipe, which I’m thinking is a mistake. As much as I normally like my desserts on the subtle side, this one could have used a little more sweetness.

Overall, though, these were very good. Moist, dense, and a great take on the pumpkin/chocolate combination. I did make them in a 9X13 pan instead of the recommended 9x9 (which I would suggest doing unless you like your brownies really thick) and if I were to make them again I would probably drop the final pumpkin layer onto the chocolate batter in big spoonfuls, then swirl in with a butter knife, rather than just pouring it on. I’m thinking I would get a better marbleized effect this way.

Pumpkin Bread Pudding (via foodnetwork.com)
Thing is, I love the flavor of pumpkin but hate the smooth, gooey texture of pumpkin pie. When I saw this dessert on an episode of Throwdown with Bobby Flay I knew it would be a perfect nontraditional take on the flavor of the season. It turned out delicious.

I skipped the caramel apple sauce on this one, and, due to a stove burner that likes to lie about its temperature, curdled the freaking crème anglaise. After losing my mind a little over the fact that I had just wasted a ton of egg yolks and a pricey vanilla bean, I set about googling ways to remedy the situation. I read through a bunch of complex solutions that would have been impossible given the temperamental state of the aforementioned stove before coming across a suggestion to just throw the sauce in a blender. Miraculously enough, it worked. A few whirls in the blender turned a curdled mess into a sauce as silky and creamy as any crème anglaise I’ve ever had. Thank goodness for the internet.

Other changes: left the bread out to dry the night before instead of toasting it, omitted the bourbon.

Pumpkin Cheesecake (via Smitten Kitchen)
Ah, the dessert that took 5 years off my life. After baking this cheesecake for ten minutes longer than the recommended time, the thing still jiggled like crazy. I gave it ten minutes more, then spent the next few hours obsessing over whether or not it would set. Luckily it did, and ended up looking exactly like the photos on the website. Crisis averted.

This cheesecake was good in terms of flavor, but I think I would like the filling to be a little more dense. Or maybe I did just underbake the thing. Who knows. I left the bourbon out of this recipe as well.

Rustic Apple Tart (via marthastewart.com)
I’m always looking for new apple desserts and this one seemed like a good variation on the traditional pie. I actually never got to taste this tart, as it was gone before I had a chance to, but everyone that tried it said it was good. However, if I had found it earlier I think I would have tried the Pioneer Woman’s approach to this dessert, as it seems infinitely easier and results in no pieces being left without those delicious puffed edges. Leave it to Martha to make things complicated.

Pecan Chocolate Pie (via She Wears Many Hats)
This was a “filler” dessert that I quickly threw together because I had all the ingredients and wanted to add something more traditional to the spread. I’m not a huge fan of pecan pie, but those that are said this one was great. Although the recipe doesn’t state this, I would recommend covering the edges of the pie crust in tin foil for all but the last twenty or so minutes of baking time. Oh, and in case you haven’t noticed a pattern already, my version of this pie was bourbon-free.

Baked Brie with Red Pepper Jelly (via Our Best Bites)
Ok, so I know this isn’t a dessert but I wanted to provide something not completely sugary in case people weren’t in the mood for sweets. So I served this baked brie and a mound of blue cheese drizzled with honey (sounds weird but is so good) alongside some sliced fruit and crackers. My only complaint about baked brie is that, unless you keep it warm somehow, it congeals fairly quickly, so I might not serve it next time I have a party like this. But I did love the combination of brie and red pepper jelly, especially when eaten with pear slices.

Toffee Apple Dip

I have kind of a complex about people coming over to my house. When we have guests over I don’t really care if the house is spotless or if my spaz of a dog is under control, but what I do freak out over is ---no surprise here--food. I need to feed people, plain and simple. So when Mike called me last week to tell me that friends were coming over for a Jazz game at 5:00 that night, my mind immediately went into panic mode thinking that I had no time to make anything for dinner.

Mike quickly reassured me that, since it was an early game, we could all go to dinner afterward and not worry about eating at our house. That seemed reasonable to me, so I went about my day fully planning on providing our guests only with a space to socialize and enjoy each other’s company without plying them with food the way I usually do.

However, the moment I walked in the door from work this sensible plan flew right out of my head, and was replaced by my characteristically dramatic stream of crazy thoughts: “What if people are hungry? What if they come straight over from work and need a snack? What if they don’t feel comfortable enough to ask for something to eat so they spend the game starving and never want to come back to our house again? What if we become known as the people that never feed anyone and everyone hates us?!” So I made this apple dip.

This dip is a funny thing to watch people eat for the first time. They usually take a bite and immediately say “what is this?” then marvel at the fact that something that is essentially just cream cheese and sugar could taste this good. Definitely a crowd-pleaser. And yet I still worried that there might be someone without a sweet tooth present so I went ahead and made nachos at half-time. Did I mention I have issues?

Toffee Apple Dip (from the Ivory Favorites cookbook)

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
About half of an 11 oz. bag of Heath or Skor bits (just add to your liking)

1) Beat cream cheese and sugar until fluffy.
2) Stir in vanilla and toffee bits.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

The fall baking craze continues! I gave you all a bit of a break with the healthy beans and rice recipe I posted last week, but now I'm back with a delicious and sinful recipe for pumpkin cinnamon rolls. Tell your waistline I'm very sorry.

When I first saw the amount of spices in this recipe I was a bit nervous that I'd end up with something that tasted too strong, but these rolls actually ended up being quite lovely. They have just enough spice and pumpkin flavor to set them apart from regular cinnamon rolls without hitting you over the head with nutmeg or ginger. The cream cheese frosting really completes them, as it does most pumpkin goods. Make and enjoy, my friends.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls (adapted ever-so-slightly from goodlifeeats.com)


Dough:
1/4 cup warm water (not hot, about 110 degrees)
1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
1/3 cup warm milk
1 large egg, beaten
3/4 cup pumpkin puree, either fresh or canned
1 tablespoon melted butter
2 cups (approximately) All-Purpose Flour
1 1 /4 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom


Filling:
1 stick butter
2/3 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cloves

Directions:
1) In a large bowl, stir yeast into water to soften. Let rest for 5 minutes before stirring.
2) Add milk, eggs, pumpkin, butter, 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cardamom to yeast mixture. Beat vigorously for 2 minutes.
3) Gradually add remaining flour (all purpose), a little at a time, until you have a dough stiff enough to knead. Start with about 1 1/2 cups and increase if necessary.
4) Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead, adding flour as necessary, until you have a smooth, elastic dough.*
5) Put dough into an oiled bowl. Turn once to coat entire ball of dough with oil. Cover with a towel and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
6) Combine the white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves in a small bowl, set aside.
7) Transfer the risen dough to a lightly greased work surface, and pat or roll it into a 16" x 12" rectangle.
8) Spread softened butter over dough and then sprinkle with the sugar mixture.
9) Roll the dough into a log the long way; it'll stretch to about 20" long as you roll. Using a very sharp knife, slice the log into 15 slices. In order to cut down on drag, it helps to rinse the blade in hot water, and wipe it off, between slices.
10) Place slices in a greased 9x13 inch baking pan (or in two 8 or 9 inch round cake or pie pans). 11) Cover with a towel and let rise until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.
12) Bake at 375 for 20-30 minutes, until rolls are brown around the edges and beginning to turn golden brown across the center.

*I had to knead in quite a bit of flour to keep the dough from being a sticky mess, so if you're nervous about using a lot, don't be.



Cream Cheese Frosting
4 ounces cream cheese
1 stick (4 ounces) butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-3 cups powdered sugar

1) Combine cream cheese, butter, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat until smooth and combined.
2) Add sugar to cream cheese mixture 1/2 cup at a time and mix until desired consistency is reached (I used about 2 1/2 cups).
3) Spread liberally on warm cinnamon rolls.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

There are many things to love about autumn: the beautiful leaves, crisp air, football season, the return of sweaters and boots into your wardrobe, etc. Mike pointed out another one a few nights ago when, as I was taking yet another tray of cookies out of the oven, he breathed a sigh of contentment and said “I’m so glad it’s baking season again.” Apparently at my house fall has come to be known as “baking season.”

The amount of baking I do in the summer tends to be minimal. Probably because I’d rather spend any free time doing other non-indoor activities, and frozen yogurt or a snow cone always sounds like a better cure for a sweet tooth in the hot summer months than a rich cookie or brownie. However, the moment the thermostat drops and the sun starts to set long before bedtime, you will often find me in the kitchen looking for an excuse to transform butter, sugar, and flour into something tasty. Luckily fall happens to be my favorite time of year to go running, otherwise it might also become known as the Season in Which I Buy Bigger Pants.

Usually my token fall pumpkin recipe is this bread, but last weekend I decided to try these cookies after my sister recommended the recipe. Prior to making these I had never tasted a pumpkin chocolate chip cookie that I truly loved. Most were too bland, some were too dry, others were ridiculously over-spiced. This recipe struck the perfect balance, and my goldilocks-like search for the perfect pumpkin chocolate chip cookie came to an end. I’ll probably make them a few more times before Thanksgiving comes around. After all, it is baking season.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies


1 ½ cups canned pumpkin
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
½ cup vegetable oil
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 ½ cups sugar
½ tsp. salt
2 ½ cups flour
¾ cup chocolate chips (you can use milk or semi-sweet, I used a mixture of both. And I probably used about a cup, maybe a little more)

1) In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except flour and chocolate chips. Mix well.
2) Add flour and mix to combine.
3) Stir in chocolate chips.
4) Drop by spoonful onto greased cookie sheets.
5) Bake at 350 for about 15-17 minutes.*

*When it comes to cookies, I am usually paranoid about overbaking. Nothing worse than a dry, crunchy cookie, right? Well in this case I would actually be more worried about underbaking, as these cookies will be pretty gooey if you don’t bake them long enough and, because they are so moist, it’s hard to overbake them. I left mine in for about 17 minutes as opposed to the 15 the recipe called for and that worked perfectly.

Apple Pie

If you visit my parents’ house anytime during the months of August through October, you will most likely find their back patio lined with boxes of peaches, plums, tomatoes, nectarines, and other farm-grown delights typical of this time of year. My parents have always been big on eating lots of fruit and vegetables, so to supplement what their garden produces my dad makes a weekly trek to the Murray farmer’s market.

Those of you that know my dad as a calm, softspoken person really need to see him in action at the farmer’s market. He bounces from stand to stand examining peaches, haggling over the price of bell peppers, chatting with the farmers he has come to know on a first-name basis, and looking more like a buyer for a high-end department store than a guy buying tomatoes for his family. To my dad, the farmer’s market is serious business. I should know: one time he and my mom were going to be out of town for the weekend so he asked me to fill in for him as the produce purchaser for the family. I was given a wad of twenty dollar bills and a hand-drawn map of the market detailing which farmer sold the best corn, where I could get the best price on plums, the name of the stand that sells my dad’s favorite cranberry walnut bread, etc. I was overwhelmed to say the least.

The upside of my dad’s obsession is that every time I go to my parents’ house I leave with my arms full of delicious fresh produce. My parents practically force the stuff on me and I am more than happy to accept. Right around the end of September my haul starts including apples. Lots and lots of apples. I devour my favorite varieties—honeycrisp and jonagold—almost instantly, but a few no-name apples inevitably wind up forgotten at the bottom of the produce drawer. A little too soft or unsightly to be eaten straight-up, these apples are the ones that find new life as apple pies.

I don’t care how stellar an apple pie recipe claims to be, the secret of a great apple pie is the apples. If the apples taste good, so will the pie. And don’t judge by appearance here- I’ve found that the ugly misshapen apples my dad brings home from the market taste a million times better than the perfectly-shaped, waxed ones you find at the grocery store. I usually like to use a mix of sweet and tart apples in my pies, and will taste the apples as I peel and slice to make sure I like them. The recipe below is very much a bare bones take on apple pie, so if the only apples you have at your disposal are lacking in flavor, I would recommend using a more complex recipe. Otherwise, go right ahead and bake this pie. And please serve it warm with vanilla ice cream. Otherwise I might be inclined to think that your mama didn’t raise you right.

Apple Pie

I wish I had a crust recipe to share with you on this one, but I am a bit of a pie crust slut and have never used the same recipe twice. I’ve tried everything from the recipe on the back of the Crisco can to Smitten Kitchen’s all-butter crust and have yet to declare a favorite. They’ve all been good, though, and when I am ready to give up my pie crust promiscuity and commit to one favorite recipe, you all will be the first to know.

1 nine-inch double-crust pie pastry
5-7 apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
¾-1 cup sugar (depending on how sweet or tart your apples are)
¼ tsp. nutmeg
1-2 tsp. cinnamon (just add to your liking- I usually use the lesser quantity)
2 Tbsp. flour
2 Tbsp. butter
1 egg, beaten with 1 Tbsp water (for egg wash)

1) Place apples in a bowl with sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and flour. Stir to coat all the apples.
2) Place bottom pie crust in a 9-inch pie plate and mound apple mixture on top.
3) Cut butter into small pieces and dot the apple mixture with it.
4) Top with the second crust and crimp edges to seal.
5) Brush top crust with egg wash and cut a few slits in it (I do about 6 I think).
6) Bake pie at 450 for ten minutes, then turn the oven down to 350 and bake for an additional 40 minutes, or until apples are soft.

Cinnamon Rolls

It seems like Mormon culture dictates that a lavish breakfast be eaten during the Sunday morning session of General Conference. Some people make egg casseroles, others prepare German pancakes or french toast, but cinnamon rolls seem to be the most popular option when the time for “church in your pajamas” rolls around. Growing up I never had the standard Utah conference viewing experience because my parents interpreted the talks into Russian, so us kids were hauled downtown along with them when we were younger and left home to fend for ourselves as soon as we were old enough. This year's conference actually marked the first time that neither one of my parents had to interpret the Sunday morning session, so we celebrated this newfound normalcy by gathering the family together for some conference viewing and a breakfast of—you guessed it—cinnamon rolls.

Making homemade cinnamon rolls might sound like an unnecessary pain in the butt to some, my dear husband being among them (“why don’t you just buy the Pillsbury ones?”) but the finished product is well worth the extra effort. This is mostly because the homemade rolls taste a lot better, but also because you don’t have to worry about strange chemicals and preservatives creeping in. Plus I find the whole roll-making process, as long as you don’t feel the need to rush through it, to be very zen. There’s something soothing about rolling the dough out and feeling it under your hands as you shape it. Kind of like play-doh for adults. I’m already looking forward to making a batch on a snowy afternoon while listening to Christmas carols.

There seem to be many methods of making cinnamon rolls. Some produce a flaky, buttery roll topped with thick cream cheese frosting, while the opposite end of the spectrum yields hearty whole wheat specimens filled with raisins and nuts. The recipe listed below is my favorite take on the cinnamon roll: a soft, white yeast dough filled with plenty of cinnamon sugar and topped with a thin frosting that seeps into the warm rolls and acts like more of a glaze. Delicious.

Cinnamon Rolls (Adapted from The Pioneer Woman)
Do you read the pioneer woman’s blog? If not, you should. She is delightful. And her recipes, although not really my style of everyday food, are terrific. Besides her cinnamon rolls I’ve also made her pot roast, brisket, and chocolate sheet cake. All of which are fabulous.

I’ve scaled down the quantities of PW’s recipe and changed the ingredients around a bit for the filling and frosting, but you can find her original post here. It includes beautiful step-by-step photographs of the entire process (which you should know you won’t find around these parts) so use it as a guide when making these for the first time.

The Pioneer Woman also created a “Notes on Cinnamon Rolls” post to address some questions about this popular recipe. I would recommend checking that one out as well. And now, without further ado, a yellowish, low-quality photo of one these cinnamon rolls taken with my cell phone. Enjoy:
Oh, and the recipe (yields about 2 dozen rolls):

Dough:
2 cups Whole Milk
1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
1/2 cup Sugar
1 package Active Dry Yeast (2 ¼ tsp.)
4 1/2 cups All-purpose Flour, divided
1/2 teaspoon (heaping) Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon (scant) Baking Soda
1/2 Tablespoon (heaping) Salt

Filling:
1 cup softened butter
1 cup brown sugar
Generous Sprinkling of Cinnamon

1) Mix the milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a pan. Scald the mixture (heat until just before the boiling point). Turn off heat and leave to cool 45 minutes to 1 hour.
2) When the mixture is lukewarm to warm, but NOT hot, sprinkle in yeast. Let this sit for a minute. Then add 4 cups of all-purpose flour. Stir mixture together. Cover and let rise for at least an hour.
3) After rising for at least an hour, add 1/2 cup of flour, the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir mixture together. (At this point, you could cover the dough and put it in the fridge until you need it – overnight or even a day or two, if necessary. Just keep your eye on it and if it starts to overflow out of the pan, just punch it down).
4) When ready to prepare rolls: Sprinkle rolling surface generously with flour. Take half the dough and form a rough rectangle. Then roll the dough thin (mine was probably about a ½ inch, maybe a little thinner), maintaining a general rectangular shape.
5) Spread about ½ cup (1 stick) softened butter over the dough. Then sprinkle 1/2 cup of sugar over the butter, followed by a generous sprinkling of cinnamon. (These quantities are all approximate- just add them to your liking).
6) Roll the dough in a neat line toward you. Keep the roll relatively tight as you go. Pinch the seam of the roll to seal it.
7) Cut the rolls approximately ¾ to 1 inch thick and lay them in buttered pans (I’ve found a dozen rolls fit perfectly in a rectangular 9x13 pan).
8) Repeat this process with the other half of the dough. Let the rolls rise for 20 to 30 minutes.
9) Bake at 375 degrees until light golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes.

Frosting
1 lb. Powdered Sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 Tablespoons melted butter
Enough milk to achieve desired consistency (about 1/3 cup)

Mix together all ingredients and whisk until smooth. It should be thick but pourable. Taste and adjust as needed. Generously drizzle over the warm rolls.

Raspberry Cheesecake Trifle

A while back I was reading an article in a goofy women’s magazine entitled “How to Maintain Your Weight During the Holidays” or something to that effect. What was unusual about it, however, is that I still remember the author’s clever intro to the article. Of course I can’t quote it directly, but she said something like “I always hear people saying to eat before you go to a party, but then I think ‘what’s the point of going if you don’t eat?’ Oh, people. Right.”

I love to socialize as much as the next person, but I’d have to say that I’m with the aforementioned author when it comes to my party priorities. Case in point: I threw a bridal shower for my best friend last month. The shower involved no cutesy decorations or elaborate games. It consisted only of friends gathering in my living room to chat and munch on Mediterranean pasta, green salad, pita triangles and hummus, cantaloupe with fresh mint, a platter of chocolate chip cookies, and raspberry cheesecake trifle.

When it comes to desserts, trifle is a definite showstopper. True, it starts looking downright sad and messy once people dig in, but before that first spoon is sunk into the trifle those pristine layers of custard and fruit are definitely worth all the oohs and aahs that escape people’s mouths when they see them shining through a glass bowl. This trifle in particular is quite the beauty— juicy red raspberries juxtaposed with pale layers of creamy, cake-y goodness. And its pretty appearance is matched only by this trifle’s delicious flavor. Plus it is a cinch to make and is assembled in advance, which makes it perfect for entertaining. So next time you find yourself hosting a gathering, don’t stress over decorations or party favors. Make this trifle instead.

Sylvia’s Raspberry Cheesecake Trifle

This recipe was given to me by a friend of the family, who made this trifle for my sister’s bridal shower. It easily feeds up to twelve people, and is perfect for those springtime occasions when you want a fruity dessert but nothing is really in season yet. My family has kind of made it our traditional Easter dessert. In fact, I think the photos below were randomly taken while transporting the trifle from my house to my parents.’ Classy. But at least you get an idea of what it’s supposed to look like, right?

2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened*
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
½ tsp. almond extract
1 cup sour cream
1 cup whipping cream (measure one cup liquid cream- then whip it)
2 bags frozen raspberries
1 prepared angel food cake

1) Combine first six ingredients (I use the whisk attachment on my KitchenAid to get rip of any lumps)
2) Cut angel food cake into bite-size cubes and fold into cream cheese mixture
3) Layer cake mixture and raspberries in a large bowl, beginning with the cake and ending with the raspberries.
4) Cover and refrigerate overnight, or until raspberries are thoroughly thawed.

*I have messed this recipe up by not letting the cream cheese thoroughly soften. I ended up with little lumps of cream cheese in the cake mixture and it was not a pretty sight. So make sure your cream cheese is soft and smooth- I find Philadelphia brand works best.

Buttermilk Pound Cake

Whenever I ask someone what they would like me to bring to a function, my hope is that their answer will be “dessert” or “a treat.” This is partly because I love to bake but also really love to eat, so making a pan of brownies or a batch of cookies for just Mike and I is bad news. I’m also what my friend Marianne calls a “feeder”, meaning that I love nothing more than to cook for people, and while a good salad might be appreciated, that combination of sweetness and fat we call dessert seems to be where people really feel the love.

This cake was first made in response to my Mother-In-Law’s request that I bring dessert to a Father’s Day barbecue. Strawberries were in the peak of their season so I wanted to incorporate them in a dessert but didn’t feel like going the angel food route (too sweet) or making a traditional shortcake (not sweet enough). This pound cake turned out to be a perfect compromise. It is sweet but not overly so, and has some substance and density to it without tasting excessively rich or buttery like most pound cakes. In fact, I think the term pound cake is a little misleading here, as the cake this recipe produces is more of a really moist loaf cake.

But what’s in a name? The bottom line here is that, if you are a feeder like myself, you should make this cake the next time your cooking skills are called upon. Serve it with some fresh berries and whipped cream, or even just a scoop of good ice cream. Jazz it up with different flavorings or glazes if you’re feeling adventurous. And rejoice in the fact that, if your friends and family are anything like mine, you’re making them very, very happy.

Buttermilk Pound Cake

(I would like to tell you that one day this site will contain beautifully styled food photography, but I'm afraid these hastily taken phone shots are as good as it's gonna get).

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs at room temperature*
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons flavoring of your choice (I used vanilla)

1. Cream butter, gradually add sugar, beating at medium-high speed of an electric mixer until well blended (about 5 minutes).
2. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.
3. Combine flour, soda, and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture ( I keep my mixer on low when I do this).
4. Stir in flavorings.
5. Pour into greased and floured 10-inch tube pan (I used my bundt pan).**
6. Bake at 325 degrees F (163 degrees C) for 1 hour, or until inserted tester comes out clean.

*I used to ignore this instruction but I've found that room temp. eggs really do make my cakes better. If you've forgotten to take the eggs out of the fridge prior to starting your recipe, just put them in a bowl of barely warm water (not too warm or you'll cook the poor things) for about five minutes. That should do the trick.
**I think this cake would actually be better baked in two loaf pans, asthetically speaking. If you go this route, watch the bake time. I'm guessing it will be about 40 minutes or so.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

Prior to making this recipe, I had never had a pineapple upside-down cake. To me they’ve always seemed sort of old school—the kind of thing made by a grandmother who keeps dishes of butterscotch hard candy on her coffee table and collectible porcelain figurines on her bookshelves. Yet somehow I got it into my head that this would be the perfect dessert to take to a LOST finale party last weekend, probably because it is vaguely tropical and as ‘70s as the Dharma initiative itself.

Now that I have made a pineapple upside-down cake, I’m kind of wondering where it’s been all my life. A perfectly moist vanilla cake topped with a layer of caramelized fruit—what’s not to love? I found the recipe, appropriately enough, not on some swanky food blog or website but in my copy of The Joy of Cooking, that classic American cookbook that so much resembles an antique I find it hard to believe the recipes still work. Consider my mind changed on that one.

This recipe calls for maraschino cherries, pecan halves, or prunes as fillers for the holes in the pineapple rings. If you want to go full-out retro, then by all means use the cherries. I used blackberries because they were what I had in my fridge and maraschino cherries make me want to barf. Also because I like to think that the presence of fresh berries helps downplay the kitsch factor and brings pineapple upside down cake—in all its golden, buttery glory—into the 21st century.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake


7 slices canned unsweetened pineapple rings
9 tablespoons butter, divided
Scant ¾ cup packed brown sugar
Maraschino cherries, pecan halves, prunes, or fresh berries
2 large eggs
8 tablespoons buttermilk, divided
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
¾ cup sugar
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt

1) Drain pineapple and place on paper towel to absorb the excess juice.
2) Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a 9 inch cake pan (either in the oven or on the stovetop).
3) When the butter is melted, tilt the pan so that the melted butter coats all sides. The excess will settle in the bottom.
4) Sprinkle brown sugar evenly in the bottom of the pan.
5) Top with pineapple rings and “filler” of choice (if using).
6) Whisk together eggs, 2 tablespoons buttermilk, and vanilla.
7) Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer for a few seconds to combine.
8) Add 6 tablespoons softened butter and 6 tablespoons buttermilk and beat on low just until flour is moistened.
9) Increase speed to medium (or high if using a hand-held mixer) and beat for 1 ½ minutes.
10) Add egg mixture a third at a time, beating for 20 seconds and scraping the bowl after each addition.
11) Pour batter over pineapple in pan and bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean.
12) Shake the cake lightly to loosen sides from the pan (I just went around the edges with a butter knife). Let cake cool for at least five minutes before inverting onto serving plate. Serve with loosely whipped, lightly sweetened cream.

My favorite chocolate cake

This cake is known by many names. I believe the technical term for it is gâteau au chocolat fondant, but in Molly Wizenburg’s book A Homemade Life (which is where I found this recipe), she refers to it simply as “Winning Hearts and Minds Cake.” When I first made this cake for a birthday luncheon, my siblings gave it a less flattering moniker: Ugly Cake.

True, this cake is no beauty queen. Next to the one my sister made--a fluffy white thing covered in clouds of whipped cream and fresh fruit--it did indeed look too brown, flat, and, well, ugly. But then we tasted it. And discovered that underneath that rustic, crackled exterior was a damp, fudgy cake whose texture I can only describe as a mix between a brownie and a souffle. With no icing or frosting to sweeten it up excessively, it tasted only of pure, rich chocolate. I can’t speak for the rest of the family, but for a chocoholic like myself it was pure heaven.

I recently made this cake again for yet another family function. This time around my siblings and I realized it needed a different name--one that conveyed all the deliciousness trapped in that plain package. Here’s what we came up with:

Inner Beauty Cake



7 oz. good quality bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (look for at least 60% cocoa content)
1 3/4 sticks (7 oz.) unsalted butter, cubed
1 c. sugar
5 large eggs
1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1. Preheat the oven to 375F and butter an 8" round cake pan (I used a 9" and it turned out just fine). Line the bottom with parchment paper and butter it as well.
2. Put the chocolate and butter in a microwave safe bowl and melt it in 30 second bursts, stirring often, until smooth (you could also use the double boiler method if you’re more comfortable with that).
3. Once smooth, add the sugar and stir well to incorporate.
4. Set the batter aside to cool for 5 minutes.
5. Once cool, add the eggs one by one, stirring well after each egg ( I find this step easier if the eggs are at room temperature).
6. Add the flour and stir. The batter should be dark and silky.
7. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25 minutes, or until the top is crackley, the edges are puffed and the center jiggles only slightly or not at all.
8. Remove the cake from the oven & cool in the pan for 15 minutes. To remove, place a dinner plate over the cake pan & flip it over. The cake will be upside down at this point. Remove the parchment paper, then put another plate on the "top" (which will ultimately be the bottom) of the cake & flip it once more so the “crackled” side is showing.
9. Serve with a dollop of loosely-whipped cream.

My kind of cupcakes

Unlike most people I know, I’m not a huge fan of cupcakes. I definitely have a sweet tooth, but I prefer the richness of cookies or brownies to light cakes topped with tooth-aching frosting. Nor am I much for the whole “food as a craft project” notion (it’s pretty safe to say that I’m the anti-Bakerella), so the thought of baking cupcakes for the sake of decorating them doesn’t hold much appeal, either.

I know the recipe listed below has the term “cupcakes” in the title but you can safely leave behind all notions of buttermilk cake and creamy swirls of powdered sugar-based frosting. A variation of Nigella Lawson’s equally delicious chocolate loaf cake from her cookbook How To Be A Domestic Goddess, these cupcakes are not so much cute and sugary as they are subtly intense and aromatic. They are also ridiculously easy to make (perfect for those as impatient and messy as myself), as the icing is nothing more than a simple ganache spread on top of the cakes and left to set. No pastry bags or sprinkles required.

Chocolate Cupcakes

2 ounces best bittersweet chocolate, melted
½ cup butter, softened
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 large egg
½ tsp. vanilla
½ cup boiling water
½ cup flour
½ tsp. baking powder

1) Cream the butter and sugar
2) Add egg and vanilla and beat well
3) Fold in the melted and slightly cooled chocolate. Careful not to overmix- you want the chocolate incorporated, you don’t want a light airy mass.
4) Gently add the flour (to which you’ve added the baking powder), alternately spoon by spoon with the boiling water until you have a smooth, fairly liquid batter.
5) Pour batter into 12 lined muffin tins (each will be about 2/3 full).
6) Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

Let cupcakes cool completely, then frost with the following:

1 ½ ounces milk chocolate
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate (I used about 2 ounces semisweet, 1 ounce bittersweet)
¼ teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons cream
(Sorry the measurements are a bit screwy, I cut the original recipe in half after discovering that it made enough ganache for an army of cupcakes)

1) Place all ingredients in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly until the chocolate is melted.
2) Remove from heat and whisk until the mixture is of spreading consistency (it will still be pretty runny compared to regular frosting)
3) Spread onto cupcakes with the back of a spoon
4) Leave to set somewhere cool, although preferably not the fridge.
5) Decorate as you wish (I took Nigella’s suggestion and simply placed one brown M&M in the center of each cake).

Note: If you can, make these the day before and store in an airtight container. They moisten up beautifully and the chocolate flavor really wakes up.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

Next week is Thanksgiving, which means that autumn is officially drawing to a close. What better way to see it out than by baking some aromatic pumpkin bread? I guess you really could make pumpkin bread at any time of year, but to me it's very much a "fall" thing.

I don't like my pumpkin bread particularly spicy, so I cut down on the original quantities of nutmeg and cinnamon called for in this recipe. If you like yours to have more spice to it up the quantities a little, and maybe even get crazy and add some allspice or ground cloves.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

2 1/2 cups white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3 cups sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. salt
16 oz. cooked or canned pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
1 c. oil
4 eggs, beaten lightly
2/3 c. water
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips (I usually use more- just add to your liking)

1) Mix dry ingredients together (first 7 ingredients on the list)
2) Mix wet ingredients (pumpkin, water, oil, eggs) separately then stir into the dry ingredients.
3) Stir in chocolate chips
4) Pour batter into two greased 9x5 loaf pans (I used one 8x4 pan and about 5 mini loaf pans- not sure of their exact dimensions)
5) Bake at 350 for 60-70 minutes (less time if you're using smaller pans- my mini ones took about a half hour), or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

One Cake, Three Ways (For Ashlee)

Most of the cake I truly love tends to fall into the non-traditional camp. I like rich flourless cakes (more of a brownie feel) or banana bread-type loaf cakes more than I do the layers-with-frosting kind of thing. That said, there are times when only a traditional cake will do. When those occasions arise, I immediately reach for this recipe. It was given to me by my best friend’s mom, who is a bona fide domestic diva and a second mother to me in many ways.

Yes, this cake is ridiculously fattening. Yes, it uses ultra-processed ingredients. Both of these things might have stopped me from making it had I not tasted the finished product first, but I’m glad I did because this cake is delicious. Moist, flavorful, and everything a cake should be; none of that dry, crumbly texture that so many cakes fall prey to.

This recipe started life as a chocolate cake, but the method outlined in it can be used to create many different flavors and types of cake. I’ve listed 2 variations below the chocolate one, and I’m sure there are many more that you could try.

DeAnn’s Chocolate Cake

1 Devil’s Food cake mix (Duncan Hines brand is best)
1 small box instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
4 eggs
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup water

1. Using either a stand or hand-held electric mixer, mix all ingredients on medium speed for 3 minutes
2. Pour batter into two 8'' or 9” greased pans
3. Bake at 350 for about 27 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean
4. When completely cooled, frost with chocolate frosting (recipe below)

Frosting:
4 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1 stick butter, at room temperature
enough milk or cream to make spreading consistency

Beat all ingredients except milk on low speed until combined, then keep beating and add milk slowly until desired spreading consistency is achieved.

Almond Poppy Seed Bundt Cake


Same ingredients as chocolate cake except:
-Use yellow cake mix instead of devil’s food
-Use french vanilla pudding instead of chocolate
-Add 2 tablespoons each of poppy seeds and pure almond extract to the batter.

1) Mix on medium speed for 3 minutes
2) Pour into a well-greased bundt pan
3) Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes, or until tester comes out clean.
4) When completely cooled, glaze with the following:

Glaze:
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1-2 teaspoons pure almond extract

1) Whisk powdered sugar and milk together until smooth and of pouring consistency.
2) Add 1 tsp. almond extract and mix well.
3) If glaze is too thick, thin using small amounts of milk until correct consistency is achieved.
4) Taste and add more almond extract if needed for flavor.

Red Velvet Cake
-Same ingredients and directions as chocolate cake except instead of devil’s food use red velvet cake mix
-I have made this both as a layer cake and a bundt cake, so follow the baking times for whichever method you like to use.
-If making a bundt, I like to stir a handful or two of semi-sweet chocolate chips into the batter
-I always frost this cake with cream cheese frosting:

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 stick butter, softened
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2-4 cups sifted powdered sugar (depending on how sweet and thick you want the frosting to be- taste as you go)
2 tsp. vanilla

1) Beat butter and cream cheese together
2) Add sugar and vanilla and beat until of spreading consistency

If you are making a layer cake, frost as usual, but if you are making a bundt I suggest putting the frosting in a ziploc bag (or legit pastry bag if you have one) and letting it firm up in the fridge for a while, then cutting the tip off the ziploc bag and piping the frosting on the sides of the bundt.

Peach Cobbler

I have mixed feelings about fruit desserts. I love fruit pies, crisps, cobblers and the like, but I just can't bring myself to make them most of the time. Fresh fruit(when it's in season) is so good on its own that adding the extra sugar and fat seems downright wasteful. In my book, the more mediocre and readily-available fruits like apples are fine to tamper with, but when it comes to sweet, delicate specimens such as peaches, nectarines, berries, etc. my policy has always been to leave well enough alone.

As you can tell from the title of this post, I strayed from that policy a couple of weeks ago by baking peach cobbler. My excuse is that my in-laws have a peach tree and were kind enough to give us a case of them one evening. Mike and I feasted on fresh peaches for the next few days, but it soon became apparent that we weren't going to finish them before they spoiled: a perfect reason to try out a peach cobbler recipe.

This cobbler is a very traditional one- a sweet biscuit-like topping with fresh peaches bubbling in their juices underneath. Mike prefers the made-with-a-cake-mix-and-sprite take on peach cobbler that is usually made in a dutch oven, but I find it to be way too sweet and overpowering for my taste. This version is more complex and lets the peaches dominate the flavor of the dessert.

Peach Cobbler

Ingredients:
8 large peaches* (I think I only used about 5 or 6)
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking powder

1)Grease 8'' square baking pan
2)Peel and slice peaches into pan
3)Combine remaining ingredients to make a dough (I used the paddle attachment on my Kitchen Aid, but you could use a hand mixer or even just a spoon)
4) Crumble dough on top of peaches
5) Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes (mine took a little longer- more like 40 or 45 minutes- but that might be because my oven is a piece of crap).

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

*If your peaches aren't terribly sweet (mine weren't) toss them with a tablespoon or two of sugar before putting the dough on top.

Molten Chocolate Babycakes (Re-Post)

This is a recipe I randomly posted to my regular blog, but I thought I would put it over here as well, since I like to think of this blog as an online recipe file of sorts.

This recipe comes from the cookbook How to be a Domestic Goddess: Baking and the Art of Comfort Cooking by Nigella Lawson, and, as the name implies, produces individually portioned chocolate cakes that are runny in the middle. Ice cream on the side is an absolute necessity.

Molten Chocolate Babycakes


scant 1/4 cup soft unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
12 ounces best bittersweet chocolate (I stock up when ghirardelli is on sale)
1/2 cup sugar
4 large eggs, beaten with a pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
6 individual 6-ounce custard cups
baking parchment

1) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Put in a baking sheet at the same time.
2) Lay 3 of the custard cups on a sheet of doubled baking parchment. Trace around them, then cut out the discs as marked and press into the base of the greased cups.
3) Melt the chocolate and let it cool slightly.
4) Cream together the butter and sugar, then gradually beat in the eggs and salt, then the vanilla.
5) Add the flour, and when it is all blended add the melted chocolate and blend to a smooth batter.
6) Divide the batter among the 6 cups and place them on the baking sheet in the oven.
7) Bake for 10-12 minutes (12 minutes if you make the batter up ahead of time and refrigerate it in the cups).
8) Tip each babycake out onto a small plate or shallow bowl. Add a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. Serve immediately.

Note: You can make this batter up ahead of time and refrigerate it in the custard cups. I have even made them up a day or so in advance and they came out just fine. Also, if you don’t need to make all six, the recipe works just fine when halved.

Chocolate Icebox Cake

Last fall for my little sister’s birthday I baked a decadent flourless chocolate hazelnut cake. In order to make it I had to peel and grind fresh hazelnuts, dirty every mixing bowl I own, and resist the urge to scarf down the jar of nutella the recipe called for. In short, it was a royal pain in the butt.

I also had a few late-autumn apples going bad in my fridge that day, so I decided to throw together an apple pie for some variety. And, sure enough, the time-consuming labor of love chocolate cake was largely ignored by my family, who instead devoured the apple pie like it was their last meal on earth.

I like to pride myself on learning from my mistakes, so when I was asked to make dessert for my dad’s birthday luncheon on Sunday I kept it simple and made apple pie the star of the show. Only I have never been one to resist the urge to experiment, so I also took this as an opportunity to make a scaled-down version of the Chocolate Icebox Cake found on the Smitten Kitchen site.

Guess which one my family went nuts for? Yep, once again the “afterthought” recipe stole the show. Only this time around I was not bitter, since I was also overjoyed at discovering such an easy recipe. This cake requires no baking, and would therefore be perfect for those hot summer days when you want a decadent dessert but the thought of turning on the oven sounds about as appealing as climbing into a hot tub.

When I was making this recipe, I really wasn’t sure what the final outcome was going to be. I could tell what both the wafers and whipped cream tasted like individually, but didn’t know what a night together in the fridge would do for them. The result was better than I had even imagined. The cream softened up the wafers quite nicely and made them almost cakelike, with barely-there layers of sweet cold cream in the middle. It was like eating a classed-up version of an oreo; not distinctly chocolatey or overly sweet, but downright delicious.

Here is the recipe (I halved the ingredients when I made it, and used the method described below to create six layers instead of eleven).

Chocolate Icebox Cake:

3 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 (9-ounce) packages Nabisco chocolate wafer cookies
Unsweetened cocoa (or chocolate shavings)

1) In a large bowl, beat cream, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form.
2) On a flat serving plate, arrange 7 cookies side by side in a circle, keeping 1 cookie in the center.
3) Spread with 1/2 cup whipped cream, making a 7-inch circle. Repeat with remaining cookies and cream, making 11 layers of cookies and ending with a layer of cream (there will be a few cookies left over). Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

To serve, dust top lightly with cocoa powder or chocolate shavings.

(Image courtesy of Smitten Kitchen).