"Chocolate Covered Strawberry" Cookies

Chocolate covered strawberries are my favorite. I love them. I make them all the time in the summer when strawberries are in season. It's really fun to play around with dark and white chocolate and make different designs, too. I made a huge platter of them for a graduation party last summer.

Anyway, right now we are nearing the end of the semester! I am on a mission to use up every ingredient in my pantry and as a result I have been baking lots of cookies. I made these delicious cookies last weekend for the Boston Marathon. They are chocolate drop cookies with white chocolate chips and dried strawberries. The result is the cookie version of a chocolate covered strawberry!

These are super easy to make. I made sure to get a lot of different sized bits of strawberries in the dough, including what was basically strawberry powder. This made sure the strawberry flavor was throughout the entire cookie.

Have fun with these cookies! I think they'd be fun with some semisweet chocolate chips mixed in as well :).

"Chocolate Covered Strawberry" Cookies

Ingredients

2 1/4 cup AP flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

1 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)

1 cup brown sugar (packed)

3/4 cup sugar

1 t vanilla

2 eggs

1 cup white chocolate chips

1 cup freeze dried strawberries (broken into chocolate chip-sized pieces)

Instructions

1. Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
2. Cream the butter and sugars together until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy.
3. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Fold in white chocolate chips and strawberries
4. Form 2 tablespoons of dough into a ball and set on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat with the rest of the dough, making sure they are at least 2 inches apart.
5. Bake for 8-10 minutes at 350 or until puffed. Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes and then remove to wire racks.
6. Eat.

Hudg-Bread

"It's hawt. It is a sensual recreation of a timeless classic, sprinkled with love and care." -Nick Hudgins.
This bread came about as a result of Nick Hudgins, my cousin's boyfriend, needing a job in the kitchen. We threw some basic garlic bread ingredients at him, and he came up with this delicious recipe. The smoked mozzarella is an added bonus (we had leftover from making our Spaghetti and Meatballs) to an already great combination of flavors.

Hudg-Bread

Ingredients:
2 Ciabatta sandwich rolls
1 stick butter (softened)
3 cloves garlic
1 oz. smoked mozzarella
2 T parmesan (grated)
1 T fresh parsley
Salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Cut the ciabatta rolls in half lengthwise, then again crosswise, so you have 8 pieces.
2. Spread 1 tablespoon of the butter onto each piece of bread.
3. Mince the garlic and parsley, then sprinkle evenly over each piece of bread. 
4. Salt and pepper the bread, then sprinkle with the parmesan.
5. Thinly slice the mozzarella and divide evenly between the bread.
6. Place the bread slices on a cookie sheet, then bake at 350 for 5-10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and just barely starting to brown. Crank the heat up to 450 and bake for 1-2 minutes more so the bread is golden brown around the edges.
7. Eat.

Sugar Cookie Variations

So it's almost that time of year again: Christmas/Holiday cookie time! And because I had two days off in a row, I decided to do some experimenting on the sugar cookie front.
I have grown up using my Grama's sugar cookie recipe, which is absolutely delicious. However, because the dough isn't chilled, it spreads like crazy and all the pretty shapes that we cut out end up looking like they got run over by a bulldozer. If this isn't something that is important to you (like if you're just cutting out circles), then by all means use your old recipe. But I wanted something that would hold the sharp edges and maintain its shape.
So, I turned to Pinterest. Don't get me wrong, most of the recipes I use are from other sources or from my family. But in this case, I had been seeing this one recipe posted over and over again: no spread sugar cookies from Sweetopia. I gave it a try, and my mom has declared these her new favorite cookies. Ever. Out of all of the delicious, amazing, complicated cookies I've made, these are her new favorites.

And that's what's great about these cookies. They are simple, they are easy, and they hold their shape. But they are also pretty darn good. Especially if you use the fancy vanilla (you've read my rants about how much I love that stuff). This is THE recipe I will use from now on. And the best part is, there is a chocolate version!

So below I've written up these recipes for you, and I've included a separate (non-related) brown sugar spice roll-out cookie recipe that I tried today and loved.

But before we get to the recipes, let me give you some hints for making these cookies as pretty as they can be:

1. Many cookie recipes call for whipping the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. This incorporates a lot of air into the dough, which causes the dough to spread when baked. Instead, I beat the butter and sugar together until just combined.
2. Both the plain sugar and the chocolate cookie recipes originally had baking powder, but I left it out (Sweetopia tells you to do this because the baking powder can cause the dough to spread), The brown sugar spice cookies originally had baking powder AND baking soda, but after some research, I left the soda out and reduced the baking powder by half. Turns out, baking soda causes the dough to spread and baking powder causes it to rise. 
3. CHILL YOUR DOUGH. I cannot stress this enough. Believe me, I have tried to take shortcuts with roll-out dough and it never ends well. It's harder to work with and they won't maintain their shape. Chill the dough for an hour before cutting out shapes, and then chill it for an hour afterwards. You won't regret it.
4. Bake cookies of the same size together so everything bakes evenly. I've also tried to take shortcuts here and ended up with unbaked cookies on the same pan as overdone ones. Now I only bake cookies of the same shape together.
5. Watch your cookies carefully, but open the oven door as little as possible. The more you open it, the more heat gets out, the slower your cookies will bake.
6. Sift your dry ingredients so you don't end up with a pocket of flour/cocoa powder/cinnamon in the middle of your cookies. Ick.
7. This last one isn't for appearances, but for taste: use quality ingredients. I know you hear it all over the place, but you really can taste the difference. If you use cheap imitation vanilla, it just won't taste the same as quality vanilla. And make sure everything is fresh.

Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups unsalted butter (room temperature)

2 cups sugar

2 large eggs

1 T vanilla

5 cups AP flour

1 t salt

Instructions:

1. Cream the butter and sugar together until thoroughly incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again for a few seconds more. Do not over mix the butter and sugar in this step, it will incorporate too much air into the dough. 
2. Add eggs and vanilla slowly and mix. Make sure to scrape down the bowl with your spatula.
3. Sift your dry ingredients together. Add all of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. It is extremely important to not over mix the dough.
4. Roll the dough out between 2 large pieces of parchment paper until it is 1/4" thick. Place on a baking sheet and into the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour.
5. Cut out cookie shapes and place on parchment paper or silpat-lined baking sheets. Re-roll scraps and repeat.
6. Put cookie dough shapes back into the fridge for 10 minutes to 1 hour to chill again.
7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
8. Bake cookies for 8-12 minutes or until the edges become golden brown. The baking time will depend on the size of your cookie.
9. Once out of the oven, leave cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack. Let cookies cool to room temperature and decorate!
10. Eat.

Source: Sweetopia

Chocolate Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups unsalted butter (room temperature)

2 cups sugar

2 large eggs

1 T vanilla

4 cups AP flour

1 1/2 cups cocoa powder

1 t salt

Instructions:

1. Cream the butter and sugar together until thoroughly incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again for a few seconds more. Do not over mix the butter and sugar in this step, it will incorporate too much air into the dough. 
2. Add eggs and vanilla slowly and mix. Make sure to scrape down the bowl with your spatula.
3. Sift your dry ingredients together. Add all of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. It is extremely important to not over mix the dough.
4. Roll the dough out between 2 large pieces of parchment paper until it is 1/4" thick. Place on a baking sheet and into the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour.
5. Cut out cookie shapes and place on parchment paper or silpat-lined baking sheets. Re-roll scraps and repeat.
6. Put cookie dough shapes back into the fridge for 10 minutes to 1 hour to chill again.
7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
8. Bake cookies for 8-12 minutes or until the center of the cookie no longer looks wet. The baking time will depend on the size of your cookie.
9. Once out of the oven, leave cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack. Let cookies cool to room temperature and decorate!
10. Eat.

Source: Sweetopia

Brown Sugar Spice Cookies

Ingredients:

2 3/4 cups AP flour

1/2 t baking powder
1 t cinnamon
1 t allspice
Pinch nutmeg

1/4 t salt

3/4 cup plus 2 T unsalted butter (room temperature)

1 cup dark brown sugar (firmly packed)

1 egg

1 T molasses

1 T heavy cream

Instructions:

1. Cream the butter and sugar together until thoroughly incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again for a few seconds more. Do not over mix the butter and sugar in this step, it will incorporate too much air into the dough. 
2. Add eggs and molasses slowly and mix. Make sure to scrape down the bowl with your spatula.
3. Sift your dry ingredients together. Add all of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. It is extremely important to not over mix the dough. Now add the cream and mix until incorporated.
4. Roll the dough out between 2 large pieces of parchment paper until it is 1/4" thick. Place on a baking sheet and into the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour.
5. Cut out cookie shapes and place on parchment paper or silpat-lined baking sheets. Re-roll scraps and repeat.
6. Put cookie dough shapes back into the fridge for 10 minutes to 1 hour to chill again.
7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
8. Bake cookies for 12-15 minutes or until the center of the cookie no longer looks wet. The baking time will depend on the size of your cookie.
9. Once out of the oven, leave cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack. Let cookies cool to room temperature and decorate!
10. Eat.

Source: The Art of the Cookie

Walnut Baklava

So the other day my mom and I got take out Afghani food, and they had baklava on the menu. If you don't know what baklava is, it's a Mediterranean dessert made with many layers of phyllo dough and pistachios* and a lemony honey syrup. As you may have noticed, I haven't been posting as many recipes recently because I have been wayyy too lazy to just recopy the recipes I use, but in this case, I combined two recipes and I need to write down what I did so I can remember!
The recipes I combined were Michael Symon's Baklava and The Kitchn's Baklava. I was originally going to use Michael Symon's, but when I was at the grocery store, I could not find the Zwieback crackers it called for. I decided to just use the alternate bread crumbs, but when I got home, I discovered that all I had were Italian seasoned breadcrumbs. My mom stopped me from using panko (probably not a good idea) and told me that her baklava recipe didn't use breadcrumbs. Sure enough, most of the baklava recipes I could find did not.
So, I turned to the Kitchn. I used their recipe for the most part, but changed the layering order and added lemon to the syrup. I also cut the baklava into the diamond shape from Symon's recipe. The end result was delicious and beautiful, and my family can't stop eating it.
Tips for using the phyllo dough:

• Defrost it completely in the fridge overnight. I was impatient and unrolled it as it was defrosting on the countertop, and it cracked.
• Cover the phyllo dough with a damp towel while you are not using it. Remove one sheet at a time and then recover it with the towel.
• Rips and tears are okay; they're just more difficult to work with!

*I used walnuts because I could not find unsalted pistachios at Safeway and I didn't want to go through the trouble of shelling them.

Amanda's Walnut Baklava

 Ingredients:

16 oz walnuts (coarsely ground)

1/4 cup sugar

1 t cinnamon

3 sticks unsalted butter

1 package 16 sheets frozen phyllo dough (thawed)

For the syrup:

3/4 cup honey

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup water

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together the walnuts, sugar, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Set aside 1/4 cup of the mixture.
2. Melt the butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. When the butter is mostly melted, remove it from the stove and let the residual heat finish melting it.
3. Carefully unroll the thawed phyllo dough, leaving the plastic sheet underneath the phyllo sheets. Cut the sheets in half lengthwise (make sure the phyllo matches the dimensions of your pan). Cover the sheets with a damp tea towel (not too wet!)
4. Using the pastry brush, brush a thin layer of butter all over a 13x9x2" pan. Make sure to get all of the bottom and the sides. Fold back the tea towel, carefully remove one sheet of phyllo dough and place it on the bottom of the pan. Butter the top of the phyllo lightly, making sure you are going out all the way to the edges. Repeat with layering 9 more sheets to total 10 sheets of phyllo, buttering the top of each sheet of phyllo before placing the next. Be sure to re-cover the remaining phyllo with the tea towel each time you remove a sheet.
5. Sprinkle a quarter of the nut mixture over the dough. Layer 4 pieces of phyllo on top, brushing each with butter before adding the next; sprinkle with another quarter of the nut mixture. Add 4 more phyllo pieces on top, brushing each with butter, then add another quarter of the nut mixture, 4 more pieces of phyllo with butter, and the remaining nuts.  
6. Place a phyllo sheet on top of the nuts and brush lightly with butter. Repeat, layering 9 more sheets of phyllo, with butter between each layer, to total 10 sheets.
7. Cut into the baklava to make strips, about 1 1/2 inches wide. Then make diagonal slices, about 1 1/2 inches apart, to create a diamond pattern.
8. Bake the baklava for 45 minutes or until golden brown. Rotate the pan once while baking to ensure even browning.
9.  Remove the baklava from the oven to cool and recut the squares to make sure they are cut all the way through.
10. To make the syrup, combine the water, sugar, and honey in a sauce pan and stir to combine. Boil for 10 minutes and then add the lemon juice. Boil for two more minutes and remove from heat. Carefully pour over the baklava, making sure to coat each piece.
11. Sprinkle some of the reserved walnuts on each piece. Cover the baklava and let it sit for several hours or overnight at room temperature.
12. Eat.

Creme Brulee

Creme brulee (sorry yes I know that it's supposed to have a bunch of accents and whatever but I don't know how to type those) was the dessert part of my New Year's Eve extravaganza. It's my dad's favorite dessert, and although it seems complicated, it just takes a little bit of care and other than that it's simple and fun. You will need ramekins, a large casserole pan, and a torch.
My mom bought the torch we have for my dad years ago, but we never actually used it until I made creme brulee. You need butane gas for it, so don't forget that! The torch is for caramelizing the sugar on top of the creme brulee, which gives it a nice hard "shell" or "crust". I've been able to do the same thing with the broiler in my oven, but it's much fussier and it heats up the custard, so you have to cool it back down again. The torch is much easier.
As for the ramekins, make them all the same size. I didn't, and while most turned out okay, the medium sized ones didn't bake correctly and remained mostly liquid. I took the smallest ones out first and left the rest in for a little while longer, which worked for most of them. You'll notice that I didn't have enough ramekins, so I used some small glass bowls. The smaller one turned out well, but the medium ones (about the same size as the medium ramekins) had the same liquid fate.

Keep in mind that these have to chill for about 3 hours, so make sure to leave plenty of time in advance of when you need them. The cooked custards can be kept in the fridge for up to three days after you bake them, and just caramelized as needed.
One of my favorite sounds in the world is the sound of a spoon cracking the burned sugar top of a creme brulee.

Also PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE use high quality vanilla for this. I used my Madagascar vanilla and my mother, who doesn't normally like creme brulee, loved it. It really showcases the vanilla so the better vanilla you use, the better it will turn out. And save the egg whites to make an angel food cake!

Creme Brulee

Ingredients

4 cups heavy cream

1 T vanilla

10 egg yolks

3/4 cup sugar

1 T sugar for each ramekin (for the top)

Instructions

1. Pour the cream and the vanilla into a sauce pan and simmer over medium-low heat.
2. Whip the egg yolks with the sugar until pale yellow and thick.
3. Whip yolks while you very slowly drizzle in one cup of the warm cream. Once the first cup is added, slowly add the remaining cream.
4. Place ramekins into a large casserole pan. Pour custard mixture into ramekins (I poured the mixture into a large measuring cup for this). Pour water into the bottom of the casserole until it comes halfway up the ramekins. Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until just set. Do not allow to get brown (I generally find it easier to take out the ramekins individually rather than trying to remove the whole pan. Leave the pan in the oven as it cools so that the water cools down and it becomes safer to handle).
5. Cool ramekins on countertop, then chill for at least 2-3 hours, covered in plastic wrap.
6. To serve, sprinkle 1 T of sugar over each ramekin of custard. Use a torch to quickly and carefully brown the sugar. There should be a thin, crisp surface of burned sugar on the top.
7. Eat.

Source: The Pioneer Woman

Lemon Shortbread

My mom has been keeping a Google drive folder full of recipes that she has been wanting me to make when I'm home, and since I got home she's asked me several times to make this recipe for lemon shortbread. Finally I made it while I was on another baking spree (another angel food cake, some box mix scones, pizza dough). And oh my goodness, these are good.
It's a simple recipe, although it did break my stand mixer (I accidentally tried to cream frozen butter and the poor thing died). The original recipe called for lemon sugar, which I guess is some sort of lemon infused turbinado sugar. I just used some raw cane sugar because I didn't want to go find that specific ingredient. You can do either.
My mom was telling me that when she was little she used to get shortbread at a bakery nearby, and that she hadn't had shortbread with the same texture until she had these cookies. They're flaky and crumbly and light.
It'd be interesting to try these with other citrus zests.... lime sounds good!

Lemon Shortbread

Ingredients:

1 2/3 cup flour

1/3 cup corn starch

1/4 t salt

1 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 t vanilla

1 T lemon zest

Turbinado sugar (for sprinkling)

Instructions:

1. Sift together the flour, corn starch, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
2. With an electric mixer, beat together the butter and the sugar until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Beat in the vanilla extract and the lemon zest until just combined. 
3. With the mixer on lowest speed, gradually add the flour and mix until just combined. Do not overmix.
4. Remove the dough from the bowl and form it into a flattened disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. 
5. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4". Cut shapes out with the cookie cutter of your choice. Place cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet at least 1" apart.
6. Bake the cookies at 375 degrees for 14-16 minutes or until very lightly browned.
7. Allow cookies to cool on the pan for 1 minute before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
8. Eat.

Source: That Winsome Girl

Triple Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies

When I discovered that my giant tin of oatmeal was expiring on New Year's Eve, the first thing I thought to make was oatmeal cookies. Not with raisins, which I hate, but with chocolate chips. I found a recipe and I was all set to start baking, when I realized that I had no chocolate chips. Luckily, my family has a lot of chocolate around the house leftover from Christmas (and also because we lovveeee chocolate), so I decided to get creative. I chopped up three kinds of chocolate: Hershey's kisses, a Ghirardelli semisweet baking bar, and a Trader Joe's Belgian dark chocolate bar. The cookies turned out amazingly. They are LOADED with chocolate, and of course are best straight out of the oven.

Seeing as this is my last post this year, I just wanted to say happy New Year to everyone! I can't wait for all the new recipes that 2014 will bring.

Triple Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies

Makes about 36 cookies

Ingredients

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 t vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

3 cups uncooked oatmeal

1/2 cup chopped milk chocolate

1/2 cup chopped semisweet chocolate

1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate

Instructions

1. Beat together butter and sugars until well combined. Add egg and vanilla and beat until combined.
2. In a separate bowl stir together flour, baking soda, and salt, and then add to wet ingredients in 2 batches, mixing until just combined before adding the next batch. Add oats and chocolate then mix until just combined.
3. Drop 2 tablespoons worth of dough onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper then flatten slightly and bake at 350 degrees for 8-12 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges and set on top. Let cool for at least 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
4. Eat.

Source: Iowa Girl Eats

Cheddar Cheese Soup with Irish Soda Bread

Here is another favorite from my College Vegetarian Cooking book: Cheddar Cheese Soup with Irish Soda Bread. The soup is more like a chowder because it's thick and creamy, and it's especially good when you dip the soda bread into the soup. Both the soup and the bread can be made in about an hour. It's great for a chilly winter's day (although California really doesn't have those!). The photo makes the soup look a little weird... don't worry. It's much more orange in person and less... icky looking.

My brother isn't a big fan of this soup because he doesn't like onions, but the rest of my family loves it. My mom especially likes the soda bread, which is flaky and soft. Here's a tip for the soda bread: use a stand mixer with a dough hook. It will save you time and frustration. I've made it a few times by hand and I always had to have my mom come help me mix it together, because it's a sticky dough and hard to work with. The stand mixer fixed that completely. I was worried that it would overmix the dough and cause it to be tough, but that was not the case. It turned out perfectly.

When I made this (a few days ago), I discovered that our tin of oats would be expiring on New Year's Eve, so that leads into my next recipe... Triple Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies. Oh yeah.
I've also made this recipe with white cheddar and it was fantastic, so you can decide which one you want to use. Or try using both!

Cheddar Cheese Soup

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

2 onions

1/4 cup butter

1/3 cup flour

2 1/2 cups vegetable broth

2 1/2 cups milk

Salt and pepper

2 cups Cheddar cheese (grated)

Instructions

1. Peel the onions and cut into thin slices.
2. Melt the butter in a large sauce pan, add the onions, and cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat for 15-20 minutes, or until the onions are translucent.
3. Add the flour and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute. 
4. Stir in the broth and milk and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper and simmer over low heat, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes.
5. Remove from heat, add the cheese, and stir until completely melted.
6. Eat.

Irish Soda Bread

Ingredients

Oil or cooking spray

3 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup uncooked oatmeal

1 t salt

1 t baking powder

1 t baking soda

8 oz. sour cream

3/4 cup milk

3 T sugar

5 T butter (melted)

Instructions

1. Lightly coat a baking sheet with oil or cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Combine the flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl.
3. Combine the sour cream, milk, and sugar in another bowl. Add the sour cream mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until just blended.
4. Stir in 4 tablespoons of the melted butter. Turn the dough out onto the prepared baking sheet and shape into a mounded circle about 8 inches in diameter. Brush the top with the remaining butter.
5. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until browned.
6. Eat.

Source: College Vegetarian Cooking

Angel Food Cake

So I am WAY behind on posts, but tonight I'm posting a few more! A few days ago I made an angel food cake. I had a ton of egg whites left over from when I made the ice cream for Christmas, so what better to use them for than an angel food cake?
If you don't know what an angel food cake is, it's a white cake baked in a tube pan, and since it only has egg whites, no yolks or butter or oil, it's fat free! It's also super light and fluffy because you beat the egg whites. I had never made an angel food cake from scratch before, but it turned out beautifully. It was gone within 24 hours.

Angel food cake is great on its own, but I've also had it with chocolate sauce or fruit. The recipe I used called for using an almond glaze, but I left it plain. It was still fantastic.

Angel Food Cake

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups egg whites (about 12)

1 1/2 t cream of tartar

1/4 t salt

1 1/2 t vanilla

1/2 t almond extract

1 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup flour

Instructions

1. Place the egg whites, cream of tartar, salt, vanilla, and almond extract in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on high speed for 3-4 minutes, or until soft peaks form (when the beaters are lifted out of the egg whites, they form peaks that fold over when the beaters pull away.)
2. Add the sugar a little at a time and beat until stiff peaks form.
3. Gently fold the flour into the egg whites, 1/4 cup at a time, until just blended. Pour the batter into an ungreased tube pan. Cut through the batter with a knife to remove any air bubbles.
4. Bake for 40-50 minutes at 375 degrees or until golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven and invert onto the neck of a bottle to cool completely. (I didn't have a bottle that worked, so I turned it upside down on a cooling rack. It worked just fine)
5. Once the cake is cooled, run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen it, then remove it from the pan.
6. Eat.

Source: Teens Cook Dessert

Fresh Ginger Cake

If you read my pumpkin ice cream post, then you know the story of the ginger cake, and you can skip the next paragraph.
One of my family's favorite restaurants is Chow, and my mom's favorite dessert is a ginger cake with pumpkin ice cream, caramel sauce, and whipped cream. For Christmas this year, I was in charge of side dishes and the dessert, so I decided to recreate the ginger cake.
I found two recipes that seemed similar to the cake at Chow, so I decided to try them both and see which one I liked better. One of them was a bundt cake made with butter and only fresh ginger, no other spices. The one we liked better was this cake, made with oil and spices in addition to the fresh ginger. When we made it for my family on Christmas, we multiplied the amount of each of the spices by 1.5, and my mom thinks we should maybe even do more, but I think it's delicious just the way it is.
The original recipe called for using a 9 1/2 inch springform pan, but my springform pan is 10 1/2 inches, so I just baked it for a little less time. It still turned out beautifully. You can also make this recipe in a mini loaf pan, just bake until a toothpick comes out clean.

If you're willing to put in the extra time, this cake goes wonderfully with the pumpkin ice cream and some caramel sauce, but it's still great on its own. My mom has been eating it for breakfast. It's like a muffin... right?

Fresh Ginger Cake

Ingredients

4 oz fresh ginger

1 cup mild molasses

1 cup sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

2 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 t ground cinnamon

3/4 t ground cloves

3/4 t ground black pepper

1 cup water

2 t baking soda

2 eggs

Instructions

1. Line a 9 by 3 inch round cake pan or a 9 1/2 inch springform pan with a circle of parchment paper.
2. Peel, slice, and chop the ginger very fine (I used my food processor for this). Mix together the molasses, sugar, and oil in a bowl. In another bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, cloves, and black pepper.
3. Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan and stir in the baking soda. Add the hot water to the molasses mixture and stir to combine. Stir in the ginger.
4. Gradually whisk the dry ingredients into the batter. Add the eggs, and continue mixing until everything is thoroughly combined. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the top of the cake springs back when lightly pressed.
5. Cool the cake for at least 30 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the cake to loosen it from the pan, and then remove the cake from the pan and remove the parchment paper.
6. Eat.

Source: David Lebovitz

Nutella Chocolate Cookies

I AM HOME.
I came home for Thankgiving, and I have never been so happy to be in my kitchen. I decided to make my two favorite cookie recipes: the chocolate crinkle cookies and the Nutella cookies. Now, I have said this before, and I'll say it again: I do not like nutella. I don't like peanut butter, and Nutella has the same texture, which is off-putting. But these cookies are magical. They don't even taste that much like Nutella. They are fluffy and chocolatey and perfect, and a breeze to make.

First, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda. You may have to sift it, like I did, to get all the lumps out of the cocoa.

Next, beat the butter and Nutella together.

Add brown sugar and regular sugar.

And eggs, water, and vanilla. Make sure everything is smooth.

Gradually beat in the flour mixture until it is almost combined, and then fold in the rest by hand. Make tablespoon-sized balls and drop them on a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Currently the only oven that works at my house is the little one, so I have to use cake pans.

Bake for 8 minutes if you want soft cookies, and 10 minutes if you want crispy cookies. I did 10, and they're still pretty soft.

Next, whisk together powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla to make the icing, and add food coloring. I chose my two favorite colors, yellow and purple, but in the past I did red and white for Christmas. Put the icing into plastic bags. I find it's easiest to do this if you put the bags into a glass and fold the tops over the edge.

Now drizzle the icing over the cookies! They're so pretty! Although in the future I probably won't do yellow again because when it hardens it doesn't look that good.

So there you have it! I'm so happy to be home and have my kitchen back. These cookies are the perfect way to celebrate.

Here's the recipe:

Nutella Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

1 stick unsalted butter (softened)

3/4 cup Nutella

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 egg

2 T water

1 t vanilla

Icing (recipe below)

Instructions:

1. Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Make sure there are no lumps. You may need to sift it.
2. In a separate bowl, beat together the butter and Nutella until creamy. Beat in the sugar and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg, water, and vanilla extract.
3. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture. Mix until the dough just begins to come together and the flour is almost incorporated, and then fold in the rest by hand.
4. Make balls the size of a tablespoon and place them a few inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 8-10 minutes (8 for soft cookies, 10 for crispier cookies) at 375 degrees.
5. Let cool for 5 minutes on the pan and then transfer to a cooling rack and let them cool all the way.
6. Put the icing into a plastic bag and snip off a very tiny part of the corner. Drizzle icing over cookies. Let the icing dry.
7. Eat.

Icing

Ingredients:

1 cup powdered sugar

2 T milk or water

1/2 t vanilla

Food coloring, if desired

Instructions:

1. Whisk ingredients together until smooth.
2. Use to decorate as desired.

Source: The Kitchn

Chocolate Dipped Shortbread

Remember my friend who gave me the whoopie pie recipe book? Well today is her birthday :). March is a big month for birthdays with my friends, so I get to do a lot of baking. Anyway, I made some yummy shortbread cookies for Alyssa, with a twist! They're dipped in chocolate. If you don't want to dip them in chocolate, I also included instructions for how to make them the original way. I used a different recipe from the chocolate chip shortbread cookies I made a few weeks ago, because those were meant to be chocolate chip. This recipe is simple and delicious shortbread. Shortbread has so few ingredients, but it's so delicious. I'll never get tired of it.
First, beat the butter until creamy.

Next, beat in the powdered sugar and sugar until no longer gritty when rubbed between your fingers. This is crucial for the proper texture.

Mix in the vanilla. Sift together the flour and the salt in a separate bowl, and then gradually beat it into the butter mixture. Do not overmix.

Press the dough into a pan lined with parchment paper with your fingers until relatively flat and smooth.

Use a fork to make holes in the dough, in uniform lines. This makes it look fancy :).

Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour, or until the edges are golden.

Remove from the oven and immediately use a thin, sharp knife to cut the shortbread into strips 3x1 inches. My mom and I used a ruler to make sure the strips were even.

Let them cool for a little while (I did 30 minutes) and then carefully remove them. Place them on a wire rack to cool completely. When you are ready to start dipping them, chop up your chocolate and put it on a double boiler over hot (not boiling) water.

Stir until completely melted and smooth.

Now dip the shortbread into the chocolate, scrape the chocolate off of the bottom using the edge of the pan, and then set on a sheet of waxed paper. I poured my chocolate into a smaller container so that it would be deeper and thus easier to dip. Let sit for a little while so the chocolate hardens.

YUMMY. This is probably my favorite cookie recipe. The shortbread is perfect: buttery, flaky, and oh-so-good. You won't be able to eat just one. If you don't want to dip the cookies in chocolate, then before baking, sprinkle the dough with a tablespoon of sugar, and bake according to instructions.

Here's the recipe:

Chocolate Dipped Shortbread

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup sugar

2 t vanilla

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 t salt

8 oz. semi sweet chocolate

Instructions:

1. Beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Next, beat in the powdered sugar and sugar until the mixture is no longer gritty when rubbed between your fingers. Mix in the vanilla.
2. Sift together the flour and salt onto a sheet of waxed paper, and then gradually beat it into the dough until just combined.
3. Press the dough into a 9x9 inch pan lined with parchment paper until the dough is flat and smooth. Use a fork or a toothpick to give the shortbread a pattern of dots.
4. Bake for one hour, or until golden brown around the edges, at 300 degrees. Remove from the oven and immediately use a sharp, thin knife to cut the shortbread into bars 3"x1". Let cool for 30 more minutes in the pan, and then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
5. Chop up the chocolate and melt over a double broiler with hot (not boiling) water. When the chocolate is completely melted and smooth, dip the cookies halfway into the chocolate. Scrape the chocolate off the bottom of the cookie using the edge of the pan, and then set on a piece of waxed paper to harden.
6. Eat.

Source: Williams Sonoma

Cinnamon Swirl Cake

This is one of my favorite cakes. It's made with cream cheese, so it's really moist and yummy. It also freezes really well, so I'll slice it into slivers and have it for breakfast for a few weeks. My mom asked me to make it for her to bring to her school, so I decided to make two recipes: one in the traditional bundt cake pan, and the other in a muffin pan.
First, make the filling. Place the filling ingredients in a bowl and mix with a fork or your fingers until completely combined and crumbly. I used a food processor for this.

Set that aside. Now, beat together the sugar, butter, and cream cheese in a large bowl.

Add eggs and vanilla.

And some milk.

Next, add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until completely combined. Don't forget to scrape the sides!

Unfortunately I forgot to take pictures for this step, so bear with me. Pour one third of the cake batter into a greased bundt or tube pan, and sprinkle with half of the filling. Pour another third of the cake batter into the pan and sprinkle with the remaining filling. Pour the remaining batter into the pan, and bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Invert onto a serving platter.

Yummmyyyy! I do not have a picture of a cross section, because my mom is bringing it to work and I cannot cut into it yet. But on the inside it's all swirly and lovely.
Here's the recipe:

Cinnamon Swirl Cake

Ingredients:

Filling:

1/4 cup butter

3/4 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 T cinnamon

Cake:

1/2 cup butter (room temperature)

8 oz. cream cheese

1 1/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 t vanilla

1/2 cup milk

2 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

1/2 t baking soda

2 cups all purpose flour

Instructions:

1. Place the filling ingredients in a bowl and mix with a fork or your fingers until the mixture is completely combined and crumbly. You could also place the ingredients into a food processor and pulse until combined. Set aside.
2. Place the butter, cream cheese, and sugar in a large bowl and mix with an electric mixer on low speed until combined. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix on medium speed until creamy. Mix in the milk until smooth. Add the baking powder, salt, baking soda, and the flour and mix until completely combined.
3. Pour one third of the cake batter into a greased tube or bundt pan, and sprinkle with half of the filling. Pour another third of batter into the pan and sprinkle with the remaining filling. Pour the remaining batter into the pan and bake for 50-60 minutes at 350 degrees, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool slightly and invert onto a serving platter.
4. Eat.

Source: Teens Cook Dessert

Mocha Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yesterday was my friend's birthday! Happy birthday, Mina!
Anyway, for Mina's birthday, I decided to make her the best birthday gift imaginable: cookies. And not just any cookies, chocolate chip cookies. And not just any chocolate chip cookies, mocha chocolate chip cookies.
These cookies are YUMMY. I made extra, and I've been grabbing one every time I pass the plate in the kitchen. I must have had at least six today. I need to stop.
Another great thing about this recipe? There are no eggs involved. So, feel free to lick the spoon without worrying (I do this anyway... oops).
First, whisk together your flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt.

Next, beat the butter and coffee powder together until combined.

Add the powdered sugar and brown sugar and beat until combined.

Mix in the flour mixture about 1/2 cup at a time, and then stir in the chocolate chips.

Put the regular sugar in a small, shallow bowl. Scoop out one level T of dough and flatten it into a disk.

Dip one side into the sugar and then set the disk, sugar side up, on a baking sheet.

Repeat with the remaining dough, spacing the disks about 2 inches apart.

Bake for 12 minutes, or until the edges begin to darken.

Let cool for 1-2 minutes, then transfer to racks lined with paper towels. This absorbs some of the extra grease from the cookies.

Yummy! The coffee flavor is strong, but it's not bitter at all. Everything comes together quite nicely. I initially thought these cookies were going to be crunchy, but they became quite chewy and nice. I'm a bigger fan of chewy chocolate chip cookies.
Here's the recipe:

Mocha Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes about 5 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 t baking powder

3/4 t cinnamon

1/4 t salt

2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (room temperature)

3 T instant espresso powder, or 1/4 cup instant coffee granules (crushed)

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup sugar

Instructions:

1. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and coffee on medium speed until combined. Add the powdered sugar and brown sugar and beat until combined.
3. Stir in the flour mixture about 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the chocolate chips.
4. Put the sugar in a small, shallow bowl. Scoop out 1 T dough and flatten it slightly into a disk. Dip one side into the sugar and then set the disk, sugar side up, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat with the remaining dough, spacing the disks about 2 inches apart.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes, or until the edges begin to darken.
6. Let the cookies cool for 1-2 minutes on the baking sheets. Transfer them to cooling racks lined with paper towels to cool completely.
7. Eat.

Source: Fine Cooking