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.

can’t get enough!

I have a confession…

I’ve made the September Daring Baker sugar cookies FOUR times since the challenge. I’m hooked.

I might need an intervention… but how cute are these Fall/Halloween themed cookies?

September Daring Baker Challenge and hope for an end to the hiatus

Ummm…. hi. It’s been a while, I know… longer, actually, than intended. Sorry about that. As if life wasn’t already hectic enough, then came the layoffs. Thankfully, I secured a new position within my same division quickly… and walked straight into a re-org that, luckily enough for me, fell right in the midst of one of our busiest times of year. So, after fourteen hour days and working six days a week, blogging  fell pretty far back on the priority list. A shame, really, because (I’ve discovered) the last thing one should do during a time of general upheaval is to stop doing the things you love. What can I say? Work-life balance has never really been my strong point.

So. The upheaval is FAR from over, but – with some encouragement from a friend – I’m doing my best to get back to the things that make me happy. Posts here may be shorter and a little further between than I’d like for a while longer, but it’s time to get back into the swing… to catch up with all of my wonderful food-blogging friends (you should see my blog reader – you’ve never seen someone so far behind)… and, of course, to get back on the Daring Baker bandwagon.

So… here we go!

The September 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Mandy of “What the Fruitcake?!” Mandy challenged everyone to make Decorated Sugar Cookies based on recipes from Peggy Porschen and The Joy of Baking.

This was a crazy easy recipe to throw together, though I was quite surprised to note that it didn’t call for any salt. After tasting a bit of the raw dough before throwing it into the fridge, it was pretty apparent that it needed something. So, I threw in a little salt and re-kneaded it a bit before separating it into two gallon-sized ziplocs, rolling the dough out to the desired thickness, and throwing the disks into the fridge to chill.

The dough holds together easily when cutting and I actually didn’t bother to re-chill it before baking. Everything held together just fine and they didn’t spread at all while in the oven.

Considering I waited until the eleventh hour again to make these (old habits die hard), I didn’t have what I needed to make a traditional royal icing so I opted for a glaze that I’m crazy-in-love with. End result? My September-themed sugar cookies — beautiful, orange maple leaves ready to welcome fall with open arms after a long and miserable summer. Thanks, Mandy, for a great challenge… and Happy Fall, y’all!

Salted Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies

Have a craving for something sweet and salty all at the same time? We’ve got just the thing for you at FGG! Salted Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies!

Happy Easter from Culinography!

Man do I miss you guys. I really need to come around more often. Seriously. Life since mid-February has been a little crazy and I’m having a hard time getting it all done. And so… the blog suffers. Sad, right?

There’s hope on the horizon, though. And since we’re headed straight into Easter weekend, I wanted to share this great little take on everyone’s old childhood favorite — haystacks!

The classic version of haystacks features lo mien noodles and butterscotch chips. This one (which I think actually originated in the Weight Watchers community) is actually a little better for you, incorporating Fiber One cereal in the place of the noodles (we could all use a little more fiber in our diets, right?) and chocolate chips in place of the butterscotch (you know what they say about an ounce of dark chocolate a day)… AND we add in peanut butter for an added protein kick! Is it a treat or is it health food?

On “normal” days I just spoon these out in little stacks. But with Easter just around the corner, I thought these would make such cute little bird nests. Drop onto wax paper as usual and then nestle in a couple of jordan almonds or egg-shaped candies and… viola!… cute little Easter nests. Adorable.

I used jordan almonds and Reese’s Pieces Eggs. I wanted to use Cadbury Mini Eggs (my all-time favorite), but… well… the Mini Eggs never made it that long. ::sigh:: Sometimes I just can’t help myself.

Fiber One Haystacks aka Bird Nests
12 ounces chocolate chips (I use half semi-sweet/half 60%)
3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
8.1 ounces (one sleeve) Fiber One Cereal

In a large bowl, heat chocolate chips in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until fully melted. Mix in peanut butter. Pour in cereal and gently mix until fully covered with chocolate.

Drop rounded tablespoons of mixture onto a cookie sheet lined with  wax paper. Refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes to set. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Makes 28-32 haystacks depending on final size.

it’s coming… World Nutella Day!

Every year I remember World Nutella Day right about the time all of the great Nutella-related posts start popping up everywhere around me. Always just a wee bit too late to join in on the fun… never enough time to get to the store to pick up a jar of Nutella (I can’t keep it in the house without devouring it spoonful by spoonful), come home and create something wonderful with it, and blog about it. It’s rough being me, people.

This year… my friends… I did it! Not only did I remember far enough in advance that I get to play along… I even have a double-whammy for you! Today, I present you with the first whammy — the Hazelnut Rugelach. Decadent, easy little pastries made with a fabulous cream cheese dough, these would be perfect for entertaining (how adorable would they be for a baby shower?!).  These are, in a word, amazing.

Check back on Friday (the official World Nutella Day!) for whammy number two! What’s that? You want a hint? Hmmm…. Just remember…. imitation is the best form of flattery!

Hazelnut Rugelach
(adapted from The Barefoot Contessa)
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2-pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4-1 cup Nutella or hazelnut spread, heated slightly
1/2 cup skinless, toasted hazelnuts, finely chopped
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk, for egg wash
sparkling sugar crystals for sprinkling

Cream the cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light. Add 1/4 cup granulated sugar, the salt, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour and mix until just combined. Dump the dough out onto a well-floured board and roll it into a ball. Cut the ball in quarters, wrap each piece in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

On a well-floured board, roll each ball of dough into a 9-inch circle. Spread the dough with 2-3 tablespoons of Nutella and a sprinkling of the chopped hazelnuts. Press the filling lightly into the dough. Cut the circle into 8 equal wedges—cutting the whole circle in quarters, then each quarter into halves. Starting with the wide edge, roll up each wedge. Place the cookies, points tucked under, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Brush each cookie with the egg wash and sprinkle with sparkling sugar. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack and let cool.

Mexican Chocolate Christmas Cookies

We’re on the final stretch in the countdown to Christmas… are you ready? I’m happy to report that, at our house, all presents have been purchased, the tree is up and decorated, the Christmas cards are in the mail, Drop In & Decorate was a great success, and the abbreviated version of Holibaking 2009 is complete. I’m ready!

This is my last Christmas cookie contribution for the season. It’s been a busy month and, though I had big, big baking plans (as usual), in the blink of an eye December had zipped by. So, with one egg left in the fridge… this was the perfect recipe for me.

I’ve paired cinnamon and red pepper with chocolate many times in the past. But it had never occurred to me to add a dash of pepper to the mix as well. What a great idea! Everyone loved these cookies and we have just enough left to share with Santa on Christmas Eve. I hope he enjoys them as much as we have!

Mexican Chocolate Christmas Cookies
(recipe courtesy of Cooking Light)
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 dash black pepper
1 dash ground red pepper
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place chocolate in a small glass bowl and microwave at 50% power in 30 second intervals until almost melted, stirring until smooth. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup and level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through red pepper) and stir with a whisk. Combine sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixture at medium speed until well blended (about 5 minutes). Add egg and beat well. Add cooled chocolate and vanilla and beat. Add flour mixture. Beat just until blended – do not overmix.

Drop bough by level tablespoons 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper or silpats. Bake for 10 minutes or until almost set. Do not overbake.

Remove pans from oven. Cool cookies on pans for 2 minutes or until set. Remove from pans and cool completely on a wire rack. Dust lightly with powdered sugar.

Yield: Approx 24-32 cookies