Chocolate Apricot Biscotti

A simple and healthier version of chocolate biscotti with yummy morsels of dried apricot in every bite!

But I certainly won't hold it against you if you decide to sub in chocolate chips for the fruit! :-)

Chocolate Apricot Biscotti

(adapted from Cook Yourself Thin)

Ingredients

• 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder (unsweetened)
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 egg whites
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup finely chopped dried apricots

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Whisk together flour, almonds, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt
3. Beat egg whites and sugar in a small bowl and add the vanilla extract.
4. Slowly, add the dry ingredients to the wet.
5. Fold in the dried apricots.
6. Shape into a log and place on a greased baking sheet.
7. Bake for 25 minutes, then take out and let cool for 15 minutes. Cut the log into 12 pieces and return to sheet and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until dry and crisp.

Sorry for the lack of pictures- these went too quickly for me to snap a shot of them!

Happy Baking!

Jessica

Chocolate-Almond Biscotti

Today I went going to see my first baseball game ever! To help celebrate this fun event I wanted to make some cookies to to snack on during the game. Since I hadn't yet ventured into the land of double-baking cookies, aka biscotti, I decided it was time to try them.

And man am I glad I did! They were so much easier than I thought, and under Dorie's careful explanation and perfect timing, I didn't even work up a sweat making these! They're the perfect size to nibble on (so you can have a couple, or a couple dozen...) and everyone thought they were a big hit. :)

So much so, that when I got back from the game (Giants won against the Padres 3:2!!) I whipped up some more in a different flavor! But, more about those tomorrow. For now, here's the recipe for some crunchy and richly chocolatey-flavored biscotti.

Chocolate Almond Biscotti

(slightly adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Baking From My Home to Yours)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar (I used slightly less)
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 heaping tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup chopped sliced almonds
• 4 oz bittersweet (60% cocoa) chocolate, coarsely chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone baking mat.
2. Sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa, coffee powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
3. With a mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed for about 2 minutes until light. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the eggs and vanilla; beat for another 2 minutes. Decrease the speed to low and mix in the dry ingredients in 3 additions, mixing only until a dough forms. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix in the chopped nuts and chocolate.
4. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and knead a few times just to incorporate any dry ingredients that didn't get mixed in before. Divide into two portions; on the baking sheet, shape each portion into a 12 x 2 inch log. Bake for 25 minutes.
5. Remove the sheet from the oven and let it cool on a rack for 20 minutes. Then, with a very sharp knife, slice the logs into about 3/4 - 1 inch slices and lay the slices down on the baking sheet. Return to the oven for about 15 minutes.
6. Transfer biscotti to a rack to cool. Enjoy!

Happy Baking!

Jessica

Birthday Cake and Ratatouille's Ratatouille!

This is all Smitten Kitchen, I'm not allowed to take ANY credit whatsoever. Deb is such an amazing cook and simply looking at her pictures makes me so excited to get on home and bake or even cook, now that I've become slightly more adventurous.

We had my brother's girlfriend over for dinner last night for the first time, even though they've been dating for 4 months! So I wanted to make something special for her. Although my 2-layer cake didn't end up perfectly 2-layered, it was still a fun night and even the ratatouille which I struggled with a bit, due to my horrible time-planning and overly ambitious nature, was a success!

Here are a few pics from the evening, and since I really made no changes to these already fabulous recipes, here are the original posts. Yes, I know they are much more beautiful than mine. ;-)

Perfect Birthday Cake with this scrumptious Frosting and Ratatouille's Ratatouille

Happy Baking!

Jessica

Outraaageous Brownies!

NEED CHOCOLATE!

In kind of a bad way... But it's okay... These are for my brother! Not me, promise!

Well...I'll try some, you know, just to make sure they taste alright... And then I ate half the pan. :)

These were originally Ina Garten's Outrageous Brownies, but so

mehow ended up as a simplified variation, but it was oh so good.

Outrageous Brownies

(Adapted from Ina Garten)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 7 ounces chocolate chips
• 1.5 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• 1 egg
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/4 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Butter and flour a loaf pan.
3. Melt together the butter, chocolate chips, and the unsweetened chocolate in a medium bowl, in the microwave (40 seconds, stir, 50 seconds, stir well again). Allow to cool slightly.
4. In a large bowl, stir (do not beat) together the eggs, vanilla, and sugar. Stir the warm chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and allow to cool to room temperature.
5. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to the cooled chocolate mixture. Pour into the baking sheet.
6. Bake for 15 minutes, then rap the baking sheet against the oven shelf to force the air to escape from between the pan and the brownie dough. Bake for about 15 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Do not over-bake! Allow to cool thoroughly, refrigerate, and cut into 6 medium squares. (For my house, any more would be insanity!)

So go ahead and give them a try!

Happy Baking!

Jessica

Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Cupcakes!

Now that I've made one cupcake recipe, I'm feeling the urge to make more! Something is so exciting about the miniature and delicious little cakes they are! These may not officially qualify as cupcakes since they don't have frosting, but they are such a moist, chocolaty cake that I don't really think you'll mind. ;-)

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

(Originally from My Baking Addiction)

Yields 12 Cupcakes

Ingredients
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners.
2. Into a medium bowl, sift together cocoa, flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each, then beat in vanilla. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with sour cream and beginning and ending with flour. Gently fold in chocolate chips.
3. Pour batter into cups, filling each 3/4 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.
4. Cool in pan 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Happy Baking!

Jessica

Let him eat cake: Ultimate Double Chocolate Brownies

This morning I got up at 5 am. Yes, I know it's the summer. Yes, I know it's ridiculous. But hear me out. My brother had a golf tournament today about 2 hours away and since I've been gone at school all year I really haven't had the chance to see him play in a while, so I jumped at the opportunity. I got to watch him play most of his round, but unfortunately he didn't qet qualified to go on to the next level, so I knew I had to make his favorite dessert once we got home to make up for it.... just a little bit. And that's where these brownies come in. (Unfortunately, I got a little over-excited about them and started cutting before I could get a good picture in!) I discovered them over Memorial Day weekend when I came home and needed a chocolate fix and they've become his favorites- and have absolutely nothing to do with those boxed mixes he's been settling for, for years. Sorry, Betty Crocker!

So here you are, a decadent and chewy-on-the-inside and slightly-cakey-on-the-outside brownie, that's perfect after a long day of golfing in the hot sun. :)

Ultimate Double Chocolate Brownies

-BakeorBreak, originally Martha Stewart

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

6 oz coarsely chopped good-quality semisweet chocolate (I used Ghirardelli)

1/4 cup unsweeted cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)

3/4 cup all-purpose flour (I actually used whole wheat pastry flour- and no one noticed a difference!)

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a buttered 8-inch square baking pan with foil or parchment paper, allowing 2 inches to hang over sides. Butter lining (excluding overhang); set pan aside.
2. Put butter, chocolate and cocoa in a heatproof medium bowl and microwave for 1-2 minutes stirring every 30 seconds until butter and chocolate are melted. Let cool slightly.
3. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl; set aside.
4. Put sugar, eggs and canilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat on medium speed until pale, about 4 minutes. Add chocolate mixture; beat until combined. Add flour mixture; beat, scraping down sides of bowl, until well incorporated. (This will be a THICK mixture- do not worry that it's not as creamy as some other brownie batters)
5. Pour batter into prepared pan; smooth top with a rubber spatula. Bake until a cake tester inserted into brownies (avoid center and edges) comes out with a few crumbs but is not wet, about 35 minutes. Let cool slightly in pan, about 15 minutes. Life outbrownies; let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into squares.

Happy Baking!

Jessica