A bit to catch up - Cherry Almond Biscotti and Chocolate Eclairs!

In my post-work excitement, I have to admit I've been really flaky about posting on time. So today, since I FINALLY feel like I have a few minutes to really catch up, here are all my recipes and creations from the past 3 days and today. I made a few things I've made before and a couple twists on old recipes.

So without further ado, here are some treats that I hope will make your last couple weeks of August just a little bit sweeter. :-)

Double Chocolate Brownies (for the wonderful John Mayer concert I saw with my friend, P)

and a loaf of Baguette (for my amazing friend M)

Dried Cherry and Almond Biscotti

(adapted from Choose Cherries)

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon orange juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup dried chopped tart cherries

Directions:

1. Combine 3/4 cup sugar and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer atmedium speed, scraping bowl often, 2 to 3 minutes, or until thick and pale yellow in color.
2. Add oil, orange juice, and vanilla; beat 1 to 2 minutes, or until well mixed. Combine flour, almonds, baking powder and salt; gradually add to egg mixture. Mix on low speed for 1 to 2 minutes, or until well mixed.
3. Stir in cherries by hand. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface (dough will be soft and sticky). Lightly sprinkle with additional flour; knead flour into dough. With floured hands, shape into 2 logs. Place 3 to 4 inches apart on a greased baking sheet; flatten tops slightly. Combine egg white and water; brush on logs. Sprinkle with granulated sugar.Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven 25 to 30 minutes, or until light brown or firm to thetouch. Let cool on baking sheet 15 minutes.
4. Maintain oven temperature. Cut logs diagonally into 1/2 inch slices with a serrated knife;arrange slices, standing up, on baking sheet. Bake slices an additional 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire rack and let cool completely.

*Another nice option would be to substitute the sliced almonds for chopped bittersweet chocolate*

And Chocolate Eclairs!

But, since I used a borrowed recipe ALL the WAY, here's the link to delicious and really SIMPLE Chocolate Eclairs. Yes, it is a super easy and basically-written recipe but it is so worth the effort. :)

Happy Baking!

Jessica

Brownie-Cupcakes m-m-mmm!

Since Zach had another golf tournament today, I knew it would be a chocolate day. After all, what's better (for a non-fruit lover, of course) than a dense, warm, chewy and decadent cupcake brownie after a long day on the course in the heat of Concord? I don't know, but hopefully nothing!

After a bit of scavenging, I found the a combination I thought would work perfectly and made a few tweaks to perfect the dessert for my taste-buds. Today, the recipe is an homage to the wonderful Swiss student we have staying with us, with nearly all the measurements done in grams. :)

Individual Brownie-Cupcakes

(yields 6 servings)

Ingredients:

• 88 g. unsalted butter
• 60 g. chopped bittersweet chocolate
• 60 g. granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 70 g. cake flour
• 25 grams unsweetened cocoa
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and line a muffin tin with 6 muffin liners.
2. In medium, microwaveable bowl, combine chocolate and butter. Melt in microwave (about 1 minute, then stir, then another 30 seconds and stir again).
3. Add sugar while chocolate mixture is still warm to combine.
4. Add the vanilla extract and eggs, stirring until silky and smooth.
5. In another medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt.
6. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and using a spatula, gently fold together.
7. With the spatula, scrape the batter into the muffin tins, to about 2/3 full.
8. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until you can stick a wooden skewer in the center of each cupcake and it comes out clean but still moist.
9. Transfer pan to a rack to cool.

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

S'Mores Brownies: get your napkins ready!

This post goes out to my best friend, Ka, and his absurd sweet tooth! I don't think I know a lot of people that would be able to stomach all the sugary baked goods I force-feed him ;-) And, the great thing about Ka is that he's really honest in his feedback about my concoctions. So, when I landed on this insane recipe, (after LONG searches to replicate my friend Danielle's fantastic version) I knew no one but him would be able to full appreciate the sugar overload.

These are S'More Brownies. Otherwise known as Crack Brownies. Part marshmallow, part brownie and part buttery graham cracker crust. Yes, these are legal in the United States, despite being lethal to a healthy diet. :)

S'More Brownies

(from Laura at Tastebook.com)

Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/2 ups graham cracker crumbs
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• Pinch fine salt

Brownie

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 4 ounces unsweetened chopped chocolate
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 4 large cold eggs
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 cups large marshmallows

Directions:

1. Position a rackk in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Line an 8x8 inch square baking pan with foil (or parchment paper) so it hangs over the edges by about 1 inch.
2. For the crust: Lightly butter the foil with some of the melted butter. Stir the rest of the butter together with the crumbs, sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Press the crumb mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, make the brownie. Put the butter and chocolate in a medium microwaveable bowl. Melt in the microwave on 75% power for 2 minutes. Stir, and microwave again until completely melted, about 2 minutes more (You could also use the double-boiler method if you prefer). Stir the sugars, vanilla and salt into the melted chocolate. Add the eggs and beat vigorously to make a thick and glossy batter. Add the flour and stir until just incorporated.
4. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the top is crispy and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out mostly clean, with a few crumbs, about 40 to 45 minutes.
5. Remove from the oven and carefully position a rack about 6 inches from the broiler and preheat on low. Layer marshmallows across the top and toast under the broiler until golden, about 2 minutes (Keep an eye on it, they go REALLY quick!). Cool on a rack, gently removing the brownies from the pan using the aluminum flaps. Carefully separate any marshmallow from the foil and fold away. Cut into 12 (2-inch) squares. Take your time, these are pretty messy!

So go ahead, (if you feel up to the challenge of controlling yourself from eating them all!) and give these a try. Make them for someone special in your life, and I guarantee they will feel the love. :-)

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