Almond Biscotti

When I saw the Dispensing Happiness post last week for 12 weeks of Christmas Cookies I couldn't believe how close to Christmas it is already! But I did go ahead and count weeks and they are right - we're T minus 12... So even though I missed the first week, I want to join the cookie challenge. I may not make "Christmas" cookies each week, but baking is stepping out of my comfort zone so it will be fun to look for various cookies to make each week for the next few months.

I started with a simple Almond Biscotti that I found in the Holiday Cookies: And Other Festive Treats cookbook. I went with this one because a) I love biscotti; and b) I don't know how to use a rolling pin. Why do so many cookies call for the use of a rolling pin? And cookie cutters? What a pain.

These are relatively easy to make. I did have a bit of a challenge with parchment paper because I never used it before and it kept rolling up, but it ended up being functional (meaning I got the dough on it and it didn't stick to anything) so that's all that matters.

I showed this recipe to a buddy of mine before I made it and he mentioned that he doesn't like cranberries, so I substituted for dried cherries that I chopped up. All I can say is - yum! And these go great with tea or coffee.


See more cookies at the roundup of 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies - Week 2 hosted by Abby Sweets.

Almond Biscotti Makes 24 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature 2/3 cup sugar 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature, beaten 2 cups all-purpose flour a good pinch of salt 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1 cup sweetened dried cranberries 1 cup blanched almonds, roughly chopped 2 baking sheets, lined with baking parchment

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Beat together the butter, sugar, and vanilla extract with an electric mixer or wooden spoon, until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs.

Stir the flour, slat, and baking powder into the bowl and work in with a wooden spoon. When almost combined, add the cranberries and almonds and mix thoroughly to make a soft dough.

Turn out the dough onto a floured work surface and divide into 2 equal portions. Using well floured hands, lift a portion of dough onto each prepared baking sheet and shape into a brick 10 x 3½ inches. Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes. Using a serrated bread knife, slice the logs (still on the sheets) on the diagonal about 1/3 inch thick. Put, cut-side down, on the sheets and return to the oven. Bake for 10 minutes until starting to color.

Remover the baking sheets from the oven, put on a wire rack, and let cool completely. Store in an airtight container and eat within 3 weeks.

Pineapple Muffins with Coconut Crumble

In honor of LiveSTRONG Day I wanted make something to participate in the Taste of Yellow event hosted by Winosandfoodies.com. The rules are to make some kind of yellow food and include a heart in the picture of the item. While I was thinking over what I could make, I found a heart shaped muffin tin that I had bought years ago, unused and in its original packaging. So I decided to make some type of yellow cupcakes or muffins. I'm not a big cupcake fan so I went with muffins. I turned to my trusty Cupcakes from the Cake Doctor cookbook and narrowed it down to either lemon or pineapple... pineapple won.

I have loved every recipe that I have ever made from Cupcakes from the Cake Doctor so I had high expectations. This recipe didn't let me down. It's really easy to whip up a batch of these and the coconut crumble which you top the muffins with really makes these special. And the smell of toasting coconut while the muffins bake makes the whole house smell great too.

Pineapple Muffins with Coconut Crumble Makes 12 muffins Vegetable oil spray for misting the pan Coconut Crumble ½ cup packed light brown sugar 2 tablespoons self-rising flour 1 tablespoon butter, at room temperature ½ sweetened flaked coconut Muffins 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature ½ cup granulated sugar 1 large egg 1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple, undrained ½ cup milk ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract 2 cups self-rising flour

Place the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Mist the bottom of 12 muffin cups with the vegetable oil spray. Set the pan aside.

Prepare the crumble: Place the sugar, flour, and butter in a small bowl. Work the butter into the mixture using a fork. Stir in the coconut and set the crumble aside.

Prepare the muffin batter: Place the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until the mixture is creamy, 30 seconds. Add the egg, pineapple and juice, milk, and vanilla and blend on low speed until just combined, 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Fold in the flour with a wooden spoon or the rubber spatula, 25 strokes. The batter will still be a little lumpy. Spoon or scoop 1/4 cup batter into each prepared muffin cup, filling it two thirds of the way full. Sprinkle a heaping teaspoon of crumble topping on each muffin and gently press the topping into the batter. Place the pan in the oven.

Bake the muffins until they are lightly golden and just spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edges of the muffins, lift them up from the bottoms of the cuts using the end of the knife, and pick them out of the cups carefully with your fingertips. Place them on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes. The muffins are ready to serve.

Irish Cream Tiramisu

Ever think about making Tiramisu with Bailey's Irish Cream? When I saw this recipe for Irish Cream Tiramisu in Nigella Express I was definitely intrigued because I thought Bailey's would be really great in Tiramisu. And I was correct. You can usually depend on Nigella Lawson to come up with tasty recipes which are simple to prepare as she does with this one.

Irish Cream Tiramisu Serves 12 1 1/2 cups espresso coffee, made with 1 1/2 cups water and 9 teaspoons instant espresso powder 1 cup Baileys Irish Cream liqueur 2 7.05-oz packages Savoiardi (Italian ladyfingers) cookies or other ladyfingers 2 eggs 1/3 cup sugar 1 lb/2 cups mascarpone cheese 2 1/2 teaspoons cocoa

Make the coffee and let it cool (the espresso powder does mix fairly well in room temperature water).

Mix the coffee and 3/4 cup of the Baileys together in a shallow bowl.

Dip the ladyfingers into this liquid; let them soak on each side enough to become damp but not soggy. Line the bottom of an 8 1/2-inch square glass dish with a layer of ladyfingers.

Separate the eggs, but keep only one of the whites. Whisk the two yolks and sugar together until thick and a paler yellow, then fold in the remaining quarter cup of Baileys and the mascarpone to make a moussey mixture.

Whisk the single egg white until thick and frothy; you can do this by hand with such a little amount. Fold the egg white into the yolky mascarpone, and then spread half of this mixture on top of the layer of ladyfingers.

Repeat with another layer of soaked ladyfingers, and then top with the remaining mascarpone mixture.

Cover the dish with plastic wrap and leave in the fridge overnight. When you are ready to serve, push the cocoa through a small fine-mesh sieve to dust the top of the tiramisu.

Blueberry-Coconut Pound Cake Muffins

Lately I've been making cupcakes for my co-workers. We are all working a lot of hours in preparation for our project launch on September 17th. One of the guys I work closely with prefers muffins over cupcakes. He also really loves coconut. I discovered this recipe for Individual Blueberry-Coconut Pound Cake Muffins from Sara's Secrets while looking for something he may like. The only problem is that this recipe only makes seven muffins so I have to multiply it by 6 to make enough muffins for my entire team.

These went over very well. In fact a few people told me they are the best muffins they have ever had. And I have to agree. Some team members don't like muffins (I can't imagine) but they tried them anyways and gave me a big thumbs up. Even my family liked them and they told me not to lose the recipe because they are so amazing.

I really like that they are kind of like a pound cake because they are heavier. There is alot of cocount so if you don't like coconut you might not like these muffins. But if you do like it, you'll fall in love.

Individual Blueberry-Coconut Pound Cake Muffins
Serves 7

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons freshly grated lime zest
2 large eggs
5 tablespoons heavy cream
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons sweetened flaked coconut
1/2 cup blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and butter and flour 7 (1/2-cup) muffin cups (just butter if nonstick).

Beat together butter, sugar, and zest until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in cream, then flour and salt, on low speed until just combined. Stir in 1/2 cup coconut and gently stir in blueberries.

Spoon batter into cups, filling the cups, and smooth tops. Sprinkle tops with remaining 3 tablespoons of coconut.

Bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out clean and edges are golden brown, about 25 minutes. Invert onto a rack and cool.

Black Forest Cupcakes

One of my co-workers is getting married! Today is his last day in the office before he heads back to India for the wedding. I wanted to make him something special and when I asked him about his favorite cake he said that he likes Black Forest Cake. So I found this recipe for Black Forest Stuffed Cupcakes.

I was no too excited to make these because I'm not big on the whole chocolate / cherry / cream combo. Luckily this recipe is super easy so it didn't take much time. I was pleasantly surprised at the outcome. My co-workers raved about them and I thought it was really neat that the cupcakes were stuffed with yummy filling. And what can be easier that simply topping cupcakes with cool whip instead of making frosting!

Black Forest Stuffed Cupcakes
makes 24 cupcakes

1 pkg. (2-layer size) chocolate cake mix
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1 egg
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 can (20 oz.) cherry pie filling, divided
1-1/2 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Prepare cake batter as directed on package; set aside. Mix cream cheese, egg and sugar until well blended.

REMOVE 3/4 cup of the pie filling for garnish; set aside. Spoon 2 Tbsp. of the cake batter into each of 24 paper-lined medium muffin cups. Top each with 1 Tbsp. each of the cream cheese mixture and remaining pie filling. Cover evenly with remaining cake batter.

BAKE 20 to 25 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool 5 min.; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Top cupcakes with whipped topping and remaining pie filling just before serving.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

I've made this version of Red Velvet Cupcakes from Cupcakes from the Cake Mix Doctor a few times and I always marvel at it's simplicity. Using the cake mix, pudding mix and sour cream seems so random! And adding the semi-sweet chocolate chips is a hidden surprise. Anyways, it was "Red Shirt Day" today at work (something made up for the hell of it) and I decided to make cupcakes to make it more festive.

These are CRAZY sweet! I like the touch of homemade frosting but personally I am not a big fan of mint. If you feel the same way, you can just omit the peppermint extract and you'll get a more traditional topping for red velvet cake.

Red Velvet Cupcakes 24 paper liners for cupcake pans (2 1/2-inch size) 1 package (18.25 ounce) plain German chocolate cake mix 1 package (3.4 ounces) vanilla instant pudding mix 1 cup sour cream 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1 bottle (1 ounce) red food coloring 3 large eggs 1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips White Chocolate Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting

1. Place rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 cupcake cups with paper liners. Set the pans aside.

2. Place the cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, water, oil, food coloring, and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides again if needed. The batter should look thick and well combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. Spoon or scoop 1/3 cup batter into each lined cupcake cup, filling it three quarters of the way full. (You will get between 22 and 24 cupcakes; remove the empty liners, if any.) Place the pans in the oven.

3. Bake the cupcakes until they spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edges of the cupcake liners, lift the cupcakes up from the bottoms of the cups using the end of the knife, and pick them out of the cups carefully with your fingertips. Place them on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes before frosting.

4. Meanhwile, prepare the White Chocolate Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting.


White Chocolate Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting
6 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped (i used white chocolate chips so I didn't have to bother chopping chocolate)
4 ounces (half an 8-ounce package) reduced-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 to 2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

1. Place the white chocoalte in a small glass bowl in the microwave oven on high power for 1 minute. Remove the bowl from the oven and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until it is smooth. Set the chocoalte aside to cool.

2. Place the cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until well combined, 30 seconds. Stop the machine. Add the melted white chocolate and blend on low speed until just combined, 30 seconds. Add the peppermint extract and 2 cups of the confectioners' sugar and blend on low speed until the sugar is incorporated, 30 seconds more. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until the frosting is fluffy, 1 minute more, adding up to 1/2 cup more sugar if needed to make a spreadable consistency.

Blackbird's Kalamata Olive Cake

I had one of the most unique desserts at Blackbird. Even though it has been around for a while, Blackbird is still a really well known restaurant in Chicago and it is even listed on Food & Wine Magazine's 2008 Go List. With unique food such as the Kalmata Olive Cake I had for dessert, you can see why!

The full name of the dessert is "kalamata olive cake with rhubarb, toffee and buttermilk ice cream". I don't know what was more unique, making cake with kalmata olives or making little balls out of the cake!

Chocolate-Mayonnaise Cupcakes with Butterscotch Buttercream Frosting

Tonight I had a sweet tooth so I decided to make these amazing Chocolate-Mayonnaise Cupcakes with Butterscotch Buttercream Frosting. I found the recipe in Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey and it is the first thing I have made from this book.

These are real cupcakes made from scratch. Consequently, they are not quick to make. The "mayonnaise" in these cupcakes might put some people off because it might seem unappealing. But it makes the cupcakes creamier in a way so don't be afraid to try it. It took even longer to make the frosting than the actual cupcakes themselves! But they are incredibly tasty. The frosting is both light and rich at the same time which is interesting. I made the frosting recipe as written but I only used about 1/3rd of it so I suggest halving it - why waste all the butter!

The photo in the cookbook that accompanies the recipe shows the frosting pipped on top of the cupcakes so that they look fancier. I just spread the frosting on and it still tastes as good to me!

Chocolate-Mayonnaise Cupcakes with Butterscotch Buttercream Frosting Makes 24 standard cupcakes 2 cups bleached all-purpose flour 3/4 cup natural cocoa powder 1 tsp. baking soda 1/4 tsp. salt 2 cups sugar 2 large eggs 1 cup mayonnaise (not low-fat) 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract 1 1/3 cups boiling water

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Line two standard 12-cup muffin tins with paper cupcake liners.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In another bowl, combine the sugar and eggs and beat with an electric mixer set at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the mayonnaise and vanilla just until combined. Reduce the speed to medium and beat in half of the flour mixture just until combined. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add half of the boiling water and beat at very low speed just until the batter is smooth, 5 to 10 seconds. Add the remaining flour mixture and beat just until combined, 5 to 10 seconds longer. Beat in the remaining water. The batter will be somewhat thin.

Divide the batter among the prepared cupcake cups, filling them about two-thirds full. Bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 18 to 22 minutes. Transfer to wire racks and let cool completely. When the cupcakes are completely cool, frost them with the Butterscotch Buttercream Frosting and serve.

Butterscotch Buttercream Frosting 6 large eggs 1 1/2 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract 1/4 tsp. salt 1 1/2 pounds (6 sticks) cold unsalted butter 2 Tbsp. bourbon

Combine the eggs and brown sugar in a the metal bowl of a standing mixer. (Alternatively, use a metal mixing bowl and a handheld electric mixer, but be prepared for a workout.)

Fill a large saute pan or frying pan with water and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Place the mixing bowl in the simmering water and whisk the eggs and sugar constantly until the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture is thick and fluffy and very hot, 3 to 4 minutes. Use an instant-read thermometer to check the temperature; it should be anywhere between 120 and 140 degrees.

Remove the bowl from the simmering water and, using the whisk attachment, beat the eggs at medium-high speed until they are tripled in volume and form soft peaks and the bottom of the bowl is completely cool to the touch, about 10 minutes. Beat in the vanilla and salt.

While the eggs are mixing, unwrap the individual sticks of butter and rewrap them loosely in plastic wrap. pound the butter 5 or 6 times with a rolling pin, or until the butter is soft and malleable but still cool.

With the mixer speed still on medium-high, add the butter, approximately 2 tablespoons at a time, to the egg mixture, beating in each addition until it is incorporated. When all the butter has been incorporated, slowly dribble in the bourbon. Don't start to panic if the buttercream seems to liquidly or looks curdled as you beat in the butter. It will magically emulsify into a smooth, creamy frosting by the time the last little bit of butter is mixed in. Have faith; it's worth it. Frosting is ready with the buttercream is smooth and glossy.

Tres Leches: Three Milk Cake

My mother discovered Tres Leches Cake at a restaurant in Park Ridge, IL called Piano Piano. They did not custom make it, they bought it from a bakery. My aunt later tracked down the bakery and bought the cake for a party. The bakery told her it was very easy to make so she went online and found a recipe that starts with a box mix. What is better than that.

Tres Leches Cake is made with three different types of milk: evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and heavy cream. There are poured over the cake after it is completely cooked. This adds a unique moisture to the cake. Surprisingly, the cake lasts for several days - if you can hold off from eating it all!


Tres Leches: Three Milk Cake

1 yellow cake mix (with pudding) baked as directed in 13 by 9-inch pan

For topping mixture:
1 can evaporated milk
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 pint heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup rum (or to taste)

To finish:
Whipped cream, to cover cake
5 ounces sweetened coconut

Poke holes in the cake with a fork all over. Pour topping mixture over cake. Let mixture absorb completely in refrigerator.

Cover with whipped cream or cool whip and sprinkle sweetened coconut over top of cake.

OPTIONAL: Add macadamia nuts, cherries and/or pineapple.

#83: Feta Cheesecake

This Feta Cheesecake always seemed to be one of the most interesting items on Food and Wine's 100 tastes to try in 2007. Coming in at #83, for deserts using pungent cheese, I went so far as to order French feta online while I lived in Florida. Something happened - maybe that was when my back went out - that caused me to not be able to make the cake.

It all worked out for the best though because I got to make it for a family dinner. It really did take about 5 hours from start to finish as I spent most of the day on it. This time I was lucky to find FRESH French Feta at my local Whole Foods Market. It is such a fabulous cheese I will buy it in the future just to munch on.

As you can see by the online recipe, it is not a traditional cheesecake. Instead, you stack a 3-inch square of cheese cake in between two layers of baked phyllo dough. It adds a wonderful flavor and crunch. Top it off with your desired amount of wine-poached date sauce and you are in for a fabulous dessert.

#100: Bruleed Key Lime Tarts

My mom LOVES key lime pie. So she was nervously excited that I was going to make this recipe for Bruleed Key Lime Tarts which is listed as #100 on Food & Wine's 100 Tastes to Try in 2007. Nervous because it was not a traditional key lime pie and she like it. Excited because I was going to use the new tart pans and blow torch I just bought from Sur La Table. The recipe claims to take 3.5 hours to complete, even though only 25 minutes of that is working time. But it still takes half a day before you can eat it!

I thought that key limes and kaffir lime leaves would be hard to find, but luckily my local whole foods carries them both! I could take a bath in the kaffir lime leaves - they smell so good. Almost like citronella - VERY clean smelling.

I had never "bruleed" anything before so it wasn't until about the 3rd one that I figured out how to melt the sugar with the blowtorch. But the flavors of the oreo crust, rich key lime and crispy sugar were amazing! And the whole thing was fun to make. They are very impressive and would be great for company. These are big and rich so actually two people can share one.

Food & Wine claims that this is a cocktail friendly dessert and that one should pair this with an Elderflower Martini. Do you know what that is because I don't!

Chocolate Banana Bread

I love banana bread so was excited to see a recipe for Chocolate Banana Bread in Tyler's Ultimate cookbook. And I thought it would be a perfect entry for this month's Waiter, There's Something in My . . . Bread hosted by Andrew at Spitoon Extra. I just had to sit around for a week waiting for the bananas to ripen enough to use for the recipe.

Chocolate Banana Bread Ingredients: 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for the pan 2 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup cocoa powder 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon kosher salt 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted 2 large eggs 3 very ripe bananas 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan. Mix together th flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt ina large bowl. IN another bowl, cream the butter until lightened, then beat in the chocolate, eggs, bananas, and vanilla. Stir in the dry ingredients just until combined; do not overbeat.

Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake until a toothpick stuck into the center of the bread comes out almost clean, 50 to 60 minutes. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for at least 15 minutes before unmolding.

Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love chocolate chip cookies. But I'm not a big baker so I have not made them in years. For a while I got into those cookie dough packs that have the cookie all prepared and all you have to do is heat it up. But they are just not the same. And I usually end up eating more of the dough than making cookies.

The April 2007 issue of Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine has a recipe for Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookies that I just had to try. Mostly because they looked good in the picture, but also because I bought a pack of Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate Chips! Those made the cookies even extra special.

I found it funny to back up a batch of cookies and there being only 12 cookies total. When my mom makes them it seems like she gets 50 cookies or something like that. But I find a big cookie satisfying - it's like Mrs. Fields. But I was nice and didn't hoard them all. I kept 4 for myself and brought the rest to work. Everyone raved about them.

Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookies (makes one dozen cookies) Ingredients: 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, chilled 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 large egg 1 1/4 cups flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup chocolate chips

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter with the granulated and brown sugars until just combines and sandy (do not cream). Mix in the egg until just combined, about 3 seconds. Add the flour, baking soda and salt and mix until just incorporated. Mix in the chocolate chips.

On a large ungreased cookie sheet, drop heaping tablespoonfuls of dough a few inches apart. Bake until just golden around the edges, about 20 minutes. Transfer the cookie sheet to a rack to cool completely.

Pineapple-Cashew Salad

This recipe for Pineapple-Cashew Salad is a dessert, not a light meal. Soaking it in the wine actually ends up quite a strong alcohol taste, almost like one of those chocolate candies filled with rum. I don't usually like that in my desserts, but for the people who do, this is really a unique dessert that would be fabulous to serve at a dinner party.

Pineapple-Cashew Salad (4 servings) 1/2 cup sweet white wine, such as Riesling or ice wine 1/4 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 golden pineapple, peeled, cored and diced (about 1 1/2 cups) 1/2 cup roasted cashews 4 mint leaves, finely shredded

Pour the wine into a medium bowl and add the sugar, stirring until it is dissolved. Add the pineapple cubes. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

To serve, stir the cashews into the pineapple. Divide among serving bowls and sprinkle with the mint.

#90: Malt Ball Cupcakes

When I first read Food & Wine's 100 Tastes to Try in 2007 I was intrigued by #90 Malt Ball Cake. I LOVE Whoppers so I thought the concept of a cake that tastes like Whoppers sounded awesome. I searched online quite a bit for a recipe with no luck. But finally, with their March 2007 issue, Food & Wine published the recipe from Brooklyn’s Baked. The recipe is for a three-layer cake. I don't have three cake pans and I'd rather eat cupcakes than cake so I decided to modify the recipe. I made the full cake batter recipe and didn't even use half of it with the 24 cupcakes I made. I decided that I would not need all of the frosting so I halved the recipe. But it ended up that I still had a ton left over. I think I only used a third of it.

I was able to find most of the ingredients for this recipe in my local grocery store. The bittersweet chocolate called for is for over 70% cocoa but I purchased the Ghirardelli Bittersweet Chips which are over 60%. I also could not find "cake" flour. So three cups total of all-purpose flour. I am not sure how the cake is supposed to end up, but I seemed a little dense to me. I brought them all into work and everyone raved about them. But I thought the fresh nutmeg added a strong flavor that was a bit unpleasant to me. But I'm glad I made these because they ended up being interesting. And I realized that I am NOT much of a baker!

You can find the recipe online at the Food & Wine website.

Mini Strawberry Trifles

It's strawberry season! At least it is in Florida anyways. So how does strawberries with pound cake, vanilla pudding and fresh whipped cream sound? Sounds yummy to me! These Mini Strawberry Trifles are from Cupcakes! From the Cake Doctor - a book that is becoming quite handy for quick and easy but really elegant desserts.


This month's Fruit of the Month is Strawberries! Look for the A Fruit A Month roundup hosted by the Beyond The Usual blog at the end of the month.

Mini Strawberry Trifles 1 package (3.4 ounces) instant vanilla pudding mix 2 cups cold milk 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1/2 cup heavy (whipping) cream 2 teaspoons confectioners' sugar 8 foil liners for cupcake pans (2 1/2-inch size) 1 small (10.75 ounces) loaf frozen pound cake 2 tablespoons cream sherry 1/2 cup chopped fresh ripe strawberries 8 whole medium-size ripe strawberries, for garnish

Prepare the instant pudding according to the package directions, adding the cold milk as directed. Stir in the vanilla. Immediately place the pudding int he refrigerator to chill until it is needed.

Meanwhile, place a medium-size mixing bowl in the freezer for 1 minute. Pour the cream into the chilled bowl and mix on high speed until the cream has thickened, 1 1/2 minutes. Add the sugar. Beat on high speed until stiff peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes more. Place the whipped cream in the refrigerator to chill.

Place the foil liners on a serving platter and set aside.

Place the frozen cake on a cutting board. Slice the cake thinly into 16 slices that are about 1/4-inch thick. Cut a 2-inch round out of each slice, yielding 16 rounds. Generously brush one side of each round with the sherry.

Place 8 rounds, sherry-side up, in the foil liners. Dollop 1 tablespoon of pudding on top of each cake round. Place 1 tablespoon of chopped strawberries on top of the pudding. Then, dollop with 1 tablespoon more pudding. Place the remaining 8 cake rounds on the top of pudding, sherry-side down. Cover the platter with plastic wrap and chill the cakes until time to serve.

Just before serving, slice the whole strawberries. Top each trifle with a heaping tablespoon of whipped cream and garnish with 2 or 3 of the nicest strawberry slices.

* Stores these "cupcakes," covered in plastic wrap or in a cake saver, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Profiteroles for World Nutella Day!

I can't remember the first time I had Nutella. I know it wasn't until I was in my mid-20s. I think it might have been at a grocery store as a sample because all I ever knew to do with it was spread it on toast. When Sara from Ms. Adventures in Italy and Shelly from A Home in Rome declared World Nutella Day to be February 6, 2007, they challenged us all to come up with creative ways to eat this wonderful "chocolaty hazelnut spread".


I had never even thought of using Nutella in a recipe. Since I am not the "make my own recipe" kind of gal, I did a search online. I really wanted to make a Nutella and banana sandwich, but I figured I would go with something more challenging and make the sandwich with whatever is left in the jar. Aren't I crafty?

Giada De Laurentiis has several recipes listed on the Food Network site which use hazelnut spread. I settled on making Profiteroles with Ricotta Mascarpone because they looked so elegant. I'm not much of a baker, so if I am going to bake I want to make something really neat.

I was surprised how nicely the Profiteroles turned out. Light and perfect looking. And those came from me? From my little bowl and oven? I do suggest serving these the same day that you cook them. I knew I wouldn't eat all 12 so I made everything the night before and then brought it into work and assembled it there the next day. I had stored the Profiteroles in an air-tight freezer bag but I noticed they had considerable more moisture in them the next day. They seems to have a nicer crispness to them the evening before.

Profiteroles with Ricotta Mascarpone
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons plus 3 tablespoons sugar
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup all purpose flour
3 large eggs
1 (8-ounce) container mascarpone cheese
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate-hazelnut spread (such as Nutella)
1/4 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted, husked, chopped

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Line a heavy large baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper. Combine the water, butter, 1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar, and salt in a heavy medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring until the butter melts. Add the flour and stir over medium heat for 1 minute. Cool 5 minutes.

Crack 2 eggs into a measuring cup. Use a wooden spoon to beat the eggs into the dough, 1 at a time. Spoon 10 or 12 (1 1/2-inch) mounds of dough onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart. Beat the remaining egg in a small bowl to blend. Gently brush the egg over the dough mounds (do not drip the egg onto the baking sheet).

Bake the pastries until they are amber brown, about 50 minutes. Allow the pastries to cool completely.

Mix the mascarpone, ricotta, vanilla, and remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar in a medium bowl. Refrigerate until cold. Using a serrated knife, cut the tops off the pastry and set aside. Spoon the mascarpone mixture into the pastries and top with its lid.

Combine the chocolate-hazelnut spread and cream in a small bowl. Heat in the microwave for about 30 seconds until warm. Stir the mixture. Spoon the chocolate-hazelnut sauce atop the pastries. Sprinkle with the hazelnuts and serve.

The Cupcake Challenge

24 cupcakes are just too much for one gal to eat. Well, 24 of the same type of cupcakes anyways. So my co-workers got really lucky today when I brought in a whole bunch of Cappuccino Chip Cupcakes with Mocha Buttercream.

When Cupcake Bakeshop by Chockylit and Vanilla Garlic issued a challenge to create a cupcake, I was trying to come up with some unique tastes. I was inspired by the Wattleseed Ice Cream I tried recently from Vosges Haute-Chocolate. I ordered some aboriginal wattleseed and went in search of a recipe I could use as a base and then modify with the wattleseed. It was a great opportunity to crack open Cupcakes from the Cake Mix Doctor which I purchased from a school charity a few months ago. Anne Byrn, the author and self titled Cake Mix Doctor, specializes in using cake mixes as a base and making amazing cupcakes. Her secret is to add other ingredients such as pudding, yogurt, spices, fruits and nuts to give them a twist. It didn't work out for me though, I ran into problems though when I tried to customize it myself and use the wattleseed. I tried several things but realized that I should have bought the wattleseed extract instead of the grounds.

After messing around for an hour or two with no success, I was still determined to get some edible cupcakes! So I made the recipe I was going to customize just as it was originally written, straight out of the book. And they turned out great! I got a bunch of compliments on them and I learned a whole lot. I'm not much of a baker and this book offered lots of good tips on the art of cupcakes.


Cappuccino Chip Cupcakes
24 paper lines for cupcake pans (2 1/2-inch size)
1/3 cup water
4 teaspoons instant coffee granules
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain yellow cake mix
1 package (3.4 ounces) vanilla instant pudding mix
3/4 cup whole milk
3/4 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips,
Mocha Buttercream Frosting
1/3 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips or cracked roasted cocoa beans for garnish

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 cupcake cups with paper liners. Set the pans aside.

Place the water and instant coffee in a small glass liquid measuring cup and microwave on high power for 40 seconds. Remove and stir until the coffee is dissolved. Set it aside to cool for 5 minutes.

Place the cake mix, pudding mix, milk, oil, eggs, and coffee in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low for 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides again if needed. The batter should look thick and well combined. Fold in 1 cup of the chocolate chips. Spoon or scoop 1/3 cup batter into each lined cupcake cup, filling it three quarters of the way full. Place the pans in the oven.

Bake the cupcakes until they spring back when lightly pressed with your finger. 18 to 20 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edges of the cupcake liners, lift the cupcakes up from the bottom of the cups using the end of the knife, and pick them out of the cups carefully with your fingertips. Place them on a wine rack to cool for 15 minutes before frosting.

Meanwhile, prepare the Mocha Buttercream Frosting (see below).

Place a heaping tablespoon of frosting on each cupcake and swirl to spread it out with a short metal spatula or the back of the spoon, taking care to cover the tops completely. Garnish with the remaining 1/3 cup chocolate chips or roasted cracked cocoa beans. The cupcakes are ready to serve.


Mocha Buttercream Frosting
1/4 cup milk
1 heaping teaspoon instant coffee granules
8 Tablespoons (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
2 ounces (1/2 bar) German's sweet chocolate, grated
3 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted
1 Tablespoon water, if needed

Place the milk and instant coffee in a small glass liquid measuring cup. Plan in the microwave oven on high power until the milk is hot enough to dissolve the instant coffee, 30 to 40 seconds. Remove and stir until the coffee is dissolved. Set aside to cool.

Place the butter in the large mixing bowl and add the coffee and grated chocolate. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed until the mixture has softened, 30 seconds. Stop the machine and add the confectioners' sugar. Blend with the mixer on low speed until the sugar is incorporated, 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, 1 minute more. Blend in up to 1 tablespoon water if the frosting seems too stiff.

Use to frost the cupcakes of your choice.

Stuffed Roasted Strawberries

They taste better than they look! I first saw these Stuffed Roasted Strawberries on 30 Minute Meals. I had the Food Network on one day while I was doing things and I happened to catch Rachael Ray putting strawberries into the oven. I was intrigued by that. When I started to pay attention I noticed that the strawberries were being filled with chocolate! At that point I knew I wanted to try them to use as my entry for Sugar High Friday #27: Chocolate By Brand hosted by David Lebovitz. Strawberry season is just starting down here in Florida. This is a perfect way to eat more fresh strawberries!

As is typical for me, my strawberries ended up looking nothing like hers. Even though I cut off the bottoms so that they were level, over half of them tipped over while roasting. I filled my strawberries with some chopped Lindt Lindor Dark Chocolate Truffle pieces which I received as a Christmas gift. The result is like a warm inside-out dipped strawberry. It is a fun dessert because it is light and unusual. All my friends know that Lindt is my favorite chocolate so I received a whole bunch of yummy Lindt chocolate. Ah, the simple pleasures . . .


Stuffed Roasted Strawberries
Serves 4

Ingredients
12 extra-large strawberries (the bigger the better!)
1 to 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon sugar, optional
Spray whipping cream (the real kind in the can in the dairy section)
Cocoa powder, for garnishing

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Slice the tops of the berries off just below the stem. Cut the tips off (about 1/4-inch), so that the berries will sit upright. Next, use a small spoon or a melon ball scoop to hollow out the strawberries, working from their tops, in order to create a cavity in each one. Stuff some chocolate into the cavity of each strawberry and place them upright in a baking dish. Lightly sprinkle the berries with sugar, if using. Roast the berries until soft and the chocolate is melted, about 10 to 12 minutes.

To serve, place 3 strawberries on a dessert plate in a triangle. If the berries have given off liquid in the baking dish, spoon it over them. Spray a small mound of cream in the center of the berries, and top each berry with a rosette of cream. Sift a little cocoa powder over the plate, and serve!