coffee panna cotta

That coffee post that I mentioned in yesterday’s coffee post? Yeah… this is it. Buckle up, friends… you’re gonna love this one! I found this recipe while surfing the web (which, in spite of my neverending cookbook addiction, is how I stumble onto most of the recipes I try) and I knew… this would be the dessert of the weekend. My husband was pleased with this idea.

I knew that something about this recipe seemed familiar and, after scrolling back up to read the whole post, I realized why… this is an old Daring Bakers Challenge (from just over a year ago). You can see my first take on panna cotta from that same challenge ::here::!

This is a coffee lovers dream. Smooth, creamy and rich… full of coffee flavor and topped with a creamy ganache glaze. I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again here… this dessert LOOKS high-maintenance, but it really is VERY easy. The hardest part is waiting for the panna cotta to set up in the fridge!

Coffee Panna Cotta with Mocha Sauce
(recipe from Life’s A Feast)
1 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon unflavored powdered gelatin
3 cups whipping cream (whole fat heavy cream)
1/3 cup honey
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder or more to taste

Prepare 6 to 8 ramekins or individual bowls or demitasse cups. If you want to be able to turn the Panna Cotta out of the bowl or ramekin, run the bowl under cold running water, pour and shake the water out but do not dry.

Pour the milk into a medium-sized saucepan and sprinkle the gelatin over the milk. Whisk quickly and lightly just so it is all wet and then allow to sit for 5 minutes. This softens the gelatin. Place the saucepan over medium heat and, whisking gently, allow the milk to heat until it is hot but not boiling, 5 more minutes. The yellow shiny splotches of gelatin floating on the surface will disappear when the gelatin is completely melted/dissolved.

Add the cream, honey, sugar, pinch of salt and 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder to the hot milk and continue to heat, stirring, until the honey, sugar and espresso have dissolved. Taste and add more espresso powder if you desire a stronger coffee flavor.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow to cool for several minutes. Whisk to combine well before pouring into the glasses, bowls, cups or ramekins. I always find it much easier to pour the liquid into a glass or Pyrex measuring cup with a spout and pour from that instead of directly from the saucepan.

Cover each bowl or ramekin with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or, ideally, overnight.

A half hour or so before serving, prepare the Mocha Sauce. Once the sauce has been made and chilled, serve the panna cotta, each drizzled with the sauce.

Mocha Sauce
2 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, or more to taste
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
1 tablespoon to 1/4 cup granulated sugar to taste

Coarsely chop the chocolate and place it in a small saucepan with the heavy cream, the espresso powder and 1 tablespoon sugar. Heat very gently over medium-low heat, whisking or stirring, until the chocolate, sugar and espresso have all melted and dissolved. Taste, adding sugar until desired sweetness. Remove from the heat, allow to cool for a few minutes, stir again and pour into a glass measuring cup, bowl or jar and refrigerate until just cool enough to serve over the chilled panna cotta.

cheery cherries

I’d fully intended to get this post up BEFORE Valentine’s Day, but… hey… life happens, right? So, consider this your post-Valentine’s Day/Valentine’s Week treat! (And I hope yours was fille with lots of LOVE!)

These cherry-cheesecake brownies are utterly decadent and a bite or two goes a long, long way. They’re melt-in-your mouth fudgy and OH so good. I’ve mixed them up a bit by incorporating a bit of goat cheese into the cheesecake topping – leaving just a little tang to offset the sweet of the cherries and the richness of the brownie base. If goat cheese isn’t your thing, sub in some more cream cheese for the goat cheese for a more classic flavor.

Cherry Cheesecake Brownies
(adapted from Just Best Recipes)
Cheesecake Topping
12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
4 ounces goat cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 21-ounce can cherry pie filling
Brownie Base
1 cup unsalted butter
6 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
2 cups sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Heat oven to 350°. Line a 13 x 9″ baking pan with foil, letting ends extend a bit over sides. Lightly coat the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

Prepare the topping by beating together all topping ingredients except pie filling in a medium mixing bowl until blended and smooth. Set aside.

In a large microwavable mixing bowl, melt butter and chocolate on medium power for about 2 minutes, stopping to stir every 45 seconds. Heat until chocolate is melted and smooth.

Stir in sugar, vanilla and salt into melted chocolate mixture. Add eggs, one at a time, stirring briskly after each egg until well-blended. Stir in flour until evenly incorporated.

Spoon brownie mixture into prepared baking pan and smooth out using a knife of offset spatula. Scatter alternating heaping tablespoons of cheesecake topping mixture and cherry pie filling on top of brownie batter. Run the tip of a clean knife through topping and pie filling to create a marbelized look.

Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes or until brownie edges begin to pull away from sides and edges of cream cheese are slightly brown. Note: the center will still “jiggle” when shaken even when the brownies are done.

Cool brownies in pan on wire rack. When cooled, chill for at least 4 hours before cutting.

After chilling, lift brownies from pan using the foil that lines the pan. Place on cutting board and cut into squares.

World Nutella Day – 5 ingredient Nutella Brownies

Oh, by the way… Happy World Nutella Day! It’s late, and there are brownies to eat, but I wanted to be sure that I shared these with you… five little ingredients that magically transform into yummy Nutella goodness. Just be sure not to overcook them or they’ll dry out!

5 Ingredient Nutella Brownies
(adapted from Desserts 4 Today by way of Wenderly)
1/2 cup Nutella spread
1 large egg
5 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350º

In a medium bowl, whisk Nutella and egg until smooth. Add flour and whisk until completely incorporated.

Spoon batter into a mini muffin tin lined with paper or foil liners, fill about 3/4 full. Sprinkle each generously with chopped hazelnuts and chocolate chips.

Bake for 11 to 12 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with moist/wet crumbs stuck to it (you’ll want these nice and fudgy). Cool completely on cooling rack. Serve immediately or store for up to 3 days in a sealed container at room temperature.

Big Birthday Month 2011 – and so it begins…

I think I’ve mentioned this before, but September is a HUGE birthday month among my family and friends…

We kicked it off right with my husband’s birthday… a giant Better-Than-Hostess Cupcake.

This one started out as kind of a lark. I asked David what kind of birthday cake he wanted and he – somewhat jokingly – said “I want a giant Hostess Cupcake.”

Always be careful of what you ask for in this house. It was, in a word, ah-mazing!

Better-Than-Hostess Cupcake Cake
(modified ever so slightly from this recipe by Deb @ Smitten Kitchen)
Chocolate Cake Layers
3 ounces fine-quality semisweet chocolate
1 1/2 cups hot brewed coffee
3 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
1 tablespoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 300°F. and grease pans. Line bottoms of 3 9-inch round cake pans with wax paper and grease paper.

Finely chop chocolate and in a bowl combine with hot coffee. Let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.

Into a large bowl sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another large bowl with an electric mixer beat eggs until thickened slightly and lemon colored (about 3 minutes with a standing mixer or 5 minutes with a hand-held mixer). Slowly add oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture to eggs, beating until combined well. Add sugar mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined well.

Divide batter evenly between pans and bake in middle of oven until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 50-60 minutes.

Cool layers completely in pans on racks. Run a thin knife around edges of pans and invert layers onto racks. Carefully remove wax paper and cool layers completely. (Cake layers may be made 1 day ahead and kept, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at room temperature.)

Marshmallow Frosting
2 large egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Combine frosting ingredients with a pinch of salt in a metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and beat with a handheld electric mixer at high speed until frosting is thick and fluffy, 6 to 7 minutes. Remove bowl from heat and continue to beat until slightly cooled. Use frosting the day it is made.

Ganache Frosting
1/2 pound fine-quality semisweet chocolate
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/4 stick (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter

Finely chop chocolate. In a 1 1/2- to 2-quart saucepan bring cream, sugar, and corn syrup to a boil over moderately low heat, whisking until sugar is dissolved. Remove pan from heat and add chocolate, whisking until chocolate is melted. Cut butter into pieces and add to frosting, whisking until smooth.

Transfer frosting to a bowl and cool, stirring occasionally, until spreadable (depending on chocolate used, it may be necessary to chill frosting to spreadable consistency). I found that stirring this over a bowl of ice water did a great job of cooling it off quickly and evenly.

Assembly
Place the first cake layer onto a cake plate. Place the second cake layer on top of the first and carefully cut a large hole out of the center of the second layer only, about 6-inches across — remove and save for a snack later. Fill the entire cut-out area with frosting, leaving a half cup aside if you wish to pipe the signature loops or a message across the top. Lay the third layer on top of this, sealing the filling in. Spread a fairly thin coating of the ganache coating over top and sides of cake. Place the cake in the fridge to chill for a few minutes, then use the remaining ganache to create a thicker layer only on the top of the cake to replicate the chocolate frosting on the top of the cupcake. Return the cake to the fridge to firm up completely (approximately 30 minutes). Once ganache is firm and chilled, decorate with the signature swirly pattern (use a piping bag or a makeshift one, a sandwich bag with the corner snipped off).

bunny peep treats!

Looking for a last-minute treat to whip up for Easter? I have JUST the thing… Bunny Peep Treats!

Your classic Rice Krispie Treat topped with peanut butter-chocolate ganache and Peep bunnies. Perfect for kids and kids at heart… and they only take a few minutes to throw together! Go ahead… you still have time!

Bunny Peep Treats
(modified from The Family Kitchen)
6 cups crispy rice cereal
3 tablespoons butter
4 cups miniature marshmallows or 10 oz. regular marshmallows
5 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup creamy peanut butter
12 PEEPS® marshmallow bunnies

In a medium saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat, add cereal and stir until well coated.

Evenly press the mixture into 13” x 9” cake pan.

In a small saucepan, combine chocolate chips and peanut butter over low heat, stirring until completely smooth. Remove from heat, pour over treats and smooth as needed. Then press the PEEPS® Marshmallow Bunnies into the ganache.

Let cool completely before cutting into squares. Makes 12.

DB Meringue Coffee Cake

Time check! It’s 10:30 p.m. on posting day and here I am… taking it all to a whole new level of procrastination! I started this challenge just after 5:00 p.m. this evening after waffling back and forth about whether or not I should just skip this month for much of the afternoon. Had I just pried myself off the couch a few hours earlier, I could be in bed by now… but at least I have a yummy dessert to keep me company as I write and edit.

The March 2011 Daring Baker’s Challenge was hosted by Ria of Ria’s Collection and Jamie of Life’s a Feast. Ria and Jamie challenged The Daring Bakers to bake a yeasted Meringue Coffee Cake.

Naturally, when you start later than late, you’re prone to make some snap decisions. I decided I wasn’t much interested in making a ringed coffee cake because I have such challenges finding ways to plate and store them. The original plan, then, was to make two pans of coffee cake rolls in the spirit of cinnamon rolls. However, after trying to cut the first pan with meringue oozing out ALL over the place, I decided to switch gears halfway through and make the second half of the roll into a loaf.

I also took the two end pieces and threw them into a ramekin… for testing right out of the oven!

Oh my goodness, oh my goodness… I’m so, so happy I sucked it up and made these. They’re unbelievable. I topped both the rolls and the loaf with a coffee cream cheese glaze that took these to a whole other level.

I like to think my photos this time around lend to the feel of this post – considering I took most of them well after dark (and, let’s be honest, couldn’t be bothered to drag out my good light to combat the darkness).

Do you see this? How in the world am I going to have enough willpower to stay away from these things? I mean, really. Chocolatey, moist, light… mmmm. Thank you, thank you to our hosts this month for rocking out another amazing Daring Baker Challenge!

springtime!

I meant to share this with you all before St. Patrick’s Day rolled around. Sadly, I never quite got a round to it. So, forget that they’re minty and focus on the fact that they’re still a totally cute springtime treat!

I love, love, love the green filling contrasting against the dark, chocolatey brownie. Not into mint? Sub in regular Oreo’s. Equally tasty! (They’d probably also probably be with the “spring” themed Oreo’s with yellow creme filling!)

You can halve this recipe and bake it in a 9×9 pan as originally written. But, I promise you, you’ll wish you’d have gone ahead and made the big daddy. These are terribly addictive!

Oreo Mint Brownies
(adapted from Babble’s Family Kitchen)
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour
1 package (approx. 24) Mint Oreo’s
1 cup chocolate chips (I use half semisweet and half dark chocolate)
In a large bowl, beat together the oil, sugar, vanilla, eggs, baking powder, cocoa powder, salt, and flour until well mixed.

Spray a 10.5×14.75 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Line the bottom of the baking dish with Oreo’s.  Spread the batter on top of the Oreo’s, then sprinkle with chocolate chips.

Bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees for 30-35  minutes, or until the brownies spring back when touched lightly with your finger. Cool completely before cutting and serving.

DB Panna Cotta & Florentines

Apparently I’ll never NOT procrastinate my way through the majority of our DB challenges. I’d like to say I work best under pressure, but in actuality it mostly makes me cranky. Sadly (as I told my dear husband the other day), whatever pain I inflict upon myself in procrastinating on these things is apparently not painful enough for me to change my behavior. So, here I am again on posting day… rushing around the kitchen trying to get it all done while there’s still a little good light to be had for photos. I tried to pass it off as great planning for Oscar night, but really it’s just a little bit of insanity.

The February 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Mallory from A Sofa in the Kitchen. She chose to challenge everyone to make Panna Cotta from a Giada De Laurentiis recipe and Nestle Florentine Cookies.

Luckily for me, panna cotta – an eggless custard desert – LOOKS fussy but is surprisingly anything but. (And to think that all of these years I’d steered away from it thinking it was complicated!) I used two of the recipes provided (the vanilla and the chocolate, of course) and both came out beautifully without a single glitch (I love it when that happens) – and set up very nicely in just a few hours rather than the recommended eight to overnight. Both also halve nicely, just in case you were wondering – but you’ll be sad that you did because they’re so yummy.

My florentines, on the other hand, didn’t spread as much as they should have leaving me with thicker/softer cookies rather than thin/crisp. More than likely user error, of course. (This is what happens when you hurry, Michelle!) They were also just a bit sweet for my taste, though my husband thought them quite tasty (and, hey, anything sandwiched with chocolate deserves at least a moment of glory in my book).

The next time I’m looking for an impressive dessert that doesn’t take a tremendous amount of effort, I know where I’m turning! Check out the DB blogroll for some really amazing panna cotta/florentine photos – seriously, these people are crazy-talented! Thank you, Mallory, for a wonderful challenge and another recipe in my arsenal! (See Mallory’s write-up for the florentine recipe.)

Panna Cotta
(recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis)
Ingredients
1 cup (240 ml) whole milk
1 tablespoon (one packet) (15 ml) (7 gm) (¼ oz) unflavored powdered gelatin
3 cups (720 ml) whipping cream (30+% butterfat)
1/3 cup (80 ml) honey
1 tablespoon (15 ml) (15 gm) (½ oz) granulated sugar
pinch of salt

Pour the milk into a bowl or pot and sprinkle gelatin evenly and thinly over the milk (make sure the bowl/pot is cold by placing the bowl/pot in the refrigerator for a few minutes before you start making the Panna Cotta). Let stand for 5 minutes to soften the gelatin.

Pour the milk into the saucepan/pot and place over medium heat on the stove. Heat this mixture until it is hot, but not boiling, about five minutes. (I whisk it a few times at this stage).

Next, add the cream, honey, sugar, and pinch of salt. Making sure the mixture doesn’t boil, continue to heat and stir occasionally until the sugar and honey have dissolved 5-7 minutes.

Remove from heat, allow it to sit for a few minutes to cool slightly. Then pour into the glass or ramekin. Refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight. Add garnishes and serve.

Chocolate Panna Cotta
(adapted from Bon Appétit)
1 cup (240 ml) whole milk
1 tablespoon (15 ml) (7 gm) (¼ oz) unflavored powdered gelatin
2 cups (480 ml) whipping cream (30+% butterfat)
½ cup (115 gm) (4 oz) sugar
¾ cup (145 gm)(5 oz) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
½ teaspoon (2½ ml) vanilla extract

Pour milk into a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over the top, set aside for 2-5 minutes.

Place a medium saucepan over medium heat, stir in cream, sugar and vanilla. Bring to a low boil. Add chocolate and whisk until melted. Whisk the milk/gelatin mixture into chocolate cream mixture. Whisk until gelatin has dissolved.

Transfer to ramekins, or nice glasses for serving. Cover and chill at least 8 hours, or overnight

Be My Valentine

Ahhh… Valentine’s Day. Here you are again. How is it that you always manage to sneak up on me when I’m not paying attention?

Oh, that’s right. You show up while I’m distracted… while I’m busily ignoring all of those New Years resolutions that I made six weeks ago. (Confession: I’ve only stuck to two so far.)

So, here we are just a couple of days prior to your arrival and I’m struck with the urge to do a little baking and share a little love. Eying the yummy heart-shaped chocolates that arrived in our house about a week ago, I had an idea: take the classic Peanut Butter Blossom and re-purpose it slightly to accommodate a love theme.

These cookies are one of my hubby’s favorites, so I was pretty excited to make them for him (and also my parents, my co-workers, and our awesome veterinarian office).

Deflating the cookies by pressing chocolate into them is great fun. We used milk and dark chocolates as well as peanut butter-filled. The key is to have the herculean strength to NOT TOUCH the cookies until the chocolate has fully cooled and re-hardened.

I wanted nothing more than to devour these while the chocolate was all gooey and melty from the heat of the cookie. I held strong though… okay, I actually had to leave the kitchen. It was all just too tempting.

Adorable little cookies perfect for sharing. Who wouldn’t want to get a few of these on Valentine’s Day? You’ve still got time to whip up a batch! Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Valentines
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter (I don’t recommend natural PB for this)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
36 Dove hearts or Reese’s hearts, unwrapped
sugar for rolling (approx. 1/3 cup)

Preheat oven to 375 F. Beat butter and sugars in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add egg, milk, and vanilla and blend until combined. Combine the dry ingredients and gradually add them to the wet ingredients until fully incorporated.

Shape the dough into 1.5″ balls. Roll in sugar and place approximately 2″ apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 9-11 minutes, until cookies are lightly browned. Remove from oven and immediately press one kiss into the middle of each cookie (edges will crack). Cool 2-3 minutes on the cookie sheet and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. (Kisses will remain soft and gooey for some time. Be sure they’re fully set before packing them up or stacking them.)

my weakness

Milk chocolate and peanut butter… undeniably one of my most favorite flavor combinations. Oh, yes.

These blondies are an easier version of a cookie I’ve been making for years. In fact, I sent a tin of them to my husband for Valentine’s Day many moons ago when he was just my boyfriend (it might just be true that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach… here we are some nine years later).

Double Peanut Butter and Chocolate Blondies
(adapted slightly from Hershey’s Kitchens)
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup peanut butter chips
1 cup milk chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350F. Grease a 13x9x2-inch baking pan.

Beat butter and peanut butter in large bowl. Add sugar and brown sugar; beat well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in vanilla.

Stir together flour, baking powder and salt; mix into peanut butter mixture, blending well. Stir in peanut butter chips and chocolate chips. Spread batter into prepared pan.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into squares. Makes about 36 brownies.