Chocolate Chunk Granola

Guys, it’s okay.

You guys! Don’t freak out. I know that granola sounds like a health food. I know you come to my blog looking for recipes with components like chocolate covered bacon, and you don’t want anything to do with these goddamn flax seeds.

I know. I empathize with that. But there are several reasons that I decided to post this recipe:

1. I invented it! Well, adapted it. But still!
2. Granola is part of a balanced breakfast. I eat it every morning with yogurt. It’s good for you!
3. This granola has chocolate in it.

See? Chocolate. Everything’s going to be fine.

I’m trying to eat healthier foods in general. It’s going well, but it has not been an easy road for me. I mean, I was one of those kids who would eat all the M&Ms out of her trail mix, and nothing else. So even though I started eating natural granola instead of highly processed cereals for breakfast, I still found myself opting for the varieties that contained chocolate. My personal favorite brand is Back to Nature, but it costs a lot of money for a little granola. So, after combing a couple blogs and cookbooks, I came up with a recipe that’s good(-ish) for me, and appeases my sweet tooth.  Here goes:

Chocolate Chunk Granola

6 c. oats (I used Quaker, but any old oats will do.  Just not instant.)

1 c. wheat germ

¼ c. flax seeds

¼ c. sesame seeds

¼ c. brown sugar

1 tbsp. cocoa powder (I, of course, used my favorite Black Onyx cocoa powder.)

½ tsp. cinnamon

¼ tsp. salt

½ c. honey

1/3 c. vegetable oil

½ tsp. vanilla extract

1 package of dark chocolate chips (dark chocolate is better for you than milk chocolate—I’ve read a lot of articles that say it may even be good for you in small qualities, but I’m no scientist, so please don’t take my word for it).

Preheat over to 300 degrees.

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl and stir well.  Transfer mixture into a large (9x13”) baking dish.

Heat honey, oil, and vanilla in a saucepan over medium-low heat until combined.  Then pour the honey mixture over the oat mixture and stir it with a rubber spatula.  Bake for an hour, thoroughly stirring every 10 minutes with a rubber spatula.

When the granola has turned dark brown (but not burnt), it is done.  Cool on a wire rack.  When it’s completely cool, you can add your chocolate chips!  If you are not a big chocolate fan, first of all, why are you reading this blog?  And second, feel free to omit the chocolate, or add a dried fruit of your choice at this stage.

And voila! tasty, crunchy, chocolaty granola.  It made my apartment smell amazing all morning, and I made enough of it to last me about two weeks.  It should keep in an airtight container for about a week, and in the freezer indefinitely (I really have no clue).

Also, according to my (very dubious) calculations, this granola cost me a little over 50 cents a serving.  Not bad!  But I bet I could get it cheaper…must investigate.

Enjoy!

Roxanne

P.S.  Here's how I enjoy my morning granola:

Chocolate Maple Bacon Cupcakes

Yes, you read that right.  Chocolate.  Maple.  BACON.  Cupcakes.  Lookie:

That thing on top?  That's chocolate covered bacon.  And that stuff in the icing?  That's chopped up bits of "bacon brittle."

Let me explain.  Last week my dad retired.  My mom threw him a big surprise party with all his friends from way back in the day.  I decided he needed some fantastic cupcakes, and since my dad is a man of class and taste, they needed to have bacon. And if you think bacon doesn't belong in a cupcake, then you are just wrong.  That's all.

For the chocolate cupcake, I once again used Chockylit's Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cupcake(which I used before for my Cookies 'n' Cream Cupcakes).  Since this post already has a lot of components, I'll advise you to either follow those links for a recipe, or use your own favorite chocolate cupcake.  Then, follow these simple steps:

Garnish: Chocolate-Covered Bacon

Chocolate-covered bacon is a magical treat I first discovered at Portland Chocolate Festival.  The contrast of sweetness and salt is absolutely mind-blowing.  Here's how you can make your own:

Ingredients:

2 packages of maple bacon

12 oz. dark chocolate (I used Hershey's Special Dark, but you could go fancier!)

2 tsp. canola (or similar) oil

Once your cupcakes are in the oven, start frying bacon!  I used maple bacon because it's already got a little bit of sweetness, which I thought would go nicely with the cupcake.  I used 1 1/2 packages of bacon (about 12 strips).  It should be relatively crispy.

My sister, who cooked the bacon for me, insisted I take this picture

Let the bacon cool to room temperature.  Meanwhile, line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and set aside.  In a medium-sized bowl, break the chocolate into smallish chunks, add the canola oil, and microwave for 30 seconds.  Stir it, then microwave for 20 seconds.  Repeat until chocolate is mostly melted.

Cut or tear the bacon into 24 pieces roughly 2 inches long.  Balance a piece of bacon on the end of a fork and submerge it in the chocolate.  Allow the chocolate to drain off the bacon, lightly tapping the fork against the side of the bowl.  Transfer to the cookie sheet.

When all the bacon has been dipped, put the cookie sheet in the refrigerator for at east an hour.  I recommend leaving it there until just before you are ready to serve the cupcakes.

Maple Icing

I thought the maple icing would be a nice way to tie the bacon and chocolate flavors together.  Here’s a simple recipe from Your Homebased Mom.

Ingredients:

1 c. butter, softened

2 3/4 c. powdered sugar

2 tbsp. brown sugar

2 tbsp. maple syrup

Put the butter in a bowl and mix until whipped.

Mix in the powdered sugar and beat for about a minute.  Scrape down the sides and add the brown sugar and maple syrup.  Mix for another 2-3 minutes or until frosting is fluffy.

Bacon Brittle (Optional)

My inspiration for this was actually a Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavor that contains chocolate-covered potato chips.  The chocolate prevents the chips from getting soggy.  I hoped that it would have the same effect on the bacon.

Line another cookie sheet with aluminum foil.  Crumble up the remaining bacon and put it in a small bowl.  Pour enough of the melted chocolate into the bowl that the bacon is covered in a light layer of chocolate.  Use a spatula to spoon the mixture onto the cookie sheet and flatten it.

Put the cookie sheet in the freezer for about half an hour.  Take it out and cut the brittle into tiny pieces.  Stir the pieces it into your frosting! (Note: if vegetarians will be enjoying these cupcakes, it might be advisable to only put the brittle in half the batch, as I did).

And there you have it.  A gorgeous, savory-and-sweet dessert that’s pretty much a guaranteed crowd pleaser.

(Oh, and I hope you like the revamped Roxannosaurus!)

How to Elevate a Brownie (with help from Anna Bondoc)

This summer, I'm working as an intern for Anna Bondoc, a really swell artist (and my 6th grade English teacher) based in Los Angeles.  Yesterday I made some brownies, and Anna decorated the using a hand-cut paper stencil.  For a tutorial on how to make your own, check out her blog.

Normally you wouldn't serve brownies at a fancy event, but when they're this darling, who could object?

This will work with any favorite brownie recipe, but I used the opportunity as an excuse to try out a recipe I've been reading about: The Baked Brownie.  I already have a go-to brownie recipe, but when I read about this brownie on Brown Eyed Baker, it sounded irresistable.  Having made them, I can say that they ARE pretty special--thick and soft and fudge-y--but I dunno if they'll replace my old stand-by.

I'll let you be the judge: here's the recipe.

1¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons dark unsweetened cocoa powder
11 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1½ cups granulated sugar
½ cup packed light brown sugar
5 eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the sides and bottom of a 9×13-inch glass or light-colored baking pan. Line the pan with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and cocoa powder together.

Put the chocolate, butter and instant espresso powder in a large bowl and set it over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth. Turn off the heat, but keep the bowl over the water and add the sugars. Whisk until completely combined, then remove the bowl from the pan. The mixture should be room temperature.

Add 3 eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Add the remaining eggs and whisk until combined. Add the vanilla and stir until combined. Do not overbeat the batter at this stage or your brownies will be cakey.

Sprinkle the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture. Using a rubber spatula (not a whisk), fold the flour mixture into the chocolate until just a bit of the flour mixture is visible.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs sticking to it. Let the brownies cool completely, then lift them out of the pan using the parchment paper. Cut into squares and serve.

Store at room temperature in an airtight container or wrap with plastic wrap for up to 3 days.

Chocolate Chip Cookies That Make a Great Second Impression

So here’s a secret:

When I want to make chocolate chip cookies, do you know what recipe I use? I use the one on the back of Tollhouse chocolate chips. It is a solid recipe that has never steered me wrong in all my life.

But for some reason, when I saw this recipe from the New York Times, labeled “Thick-and-Gooey Chocolate-Chip Cookies,” I was overcome by the urge to try it.

The dough (yes, I eat raw cookie dough, salmonella be damned) was delicious, so I had high hopes when I pulled the first tray from the oven. But when I tasted one, I found it bland. Not bad, exactly; just average.

I was all prepared to go back to the good old Tollhouse recipe, but then the next morning…something happened. I ate another cookie, and it was incredible. It was the best second-day cookie I’d ever eaten. It was wonderfully soft, and the flavor was significantly better than it had been the night before. I can’t explain it, I can only say that those cookies were damn good.

Here’s my final verdict on the subject of chocolate chip cookies: if I were making cookies for a lot of people, and knew they were al going to get eaten the very first day, I would use the classic Tollhouse recipe. But if I knew these cookies were going to be sitting around for a couple days, this is the recipe I would use.

The recipe:
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. kosher salt
8 oz (two sticks) butter, softened
1 1/2 c. packed light brown sugar
1/4 c. sugar
3 eggs
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
3 c. chopped bittersweet chocolate (chunks and shavings)
2 c. chopped walnuts (optional; I of course chose to forgo the nuts)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat (we were out of parchment, so I did without. It didn’t seem to create any problems). Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a mixer fitted with a paddle, cream the butter and sugars until fluffy, 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla. Add the flour mixture all at once and blend until a dough forms. Fold in the chocolate and walnuts. Chill the dough.

Roll 1/4 -cup lumps of dough into balls (I prefer smaller cookies. Mine were a generous tablespoon, and I cooked them for about 11 minutes), then place on the baking sheet and flatten to 1/2 -inch-thick disks spaced 2 inches apart. Chill the dough between batches. Bake until the edges turn golden, 14 to 17 minutes. Let cool slightly on the baking sheet, then transfer to a baking rack.

 Oh, and here's a friendly tip: if you take two of these and put some ice cream in the middle, you've got yourself a killer ice cream sandwich.

Enjoy!

I've Missed You. Have a Cupcake.

Hello.

It's been a long time.

I've missed you.

I haven't had much time for cooking lately, and when I have, they just haven't turned out the way I wanted.  But today I had a free day, and I was inspired to create these Cookies 'n' Cream Cupcakes.

I was looking for a great chocolate cupcake recipe.  I've been looking for a while, but every cupcake I've tried is just not quite there.  This morning, I was looking around, and I found that a number of different blogs cited this recipe from Chockylit as the very best chocolate cupcake recipe.  I had to try it.

But, since I don't like coconut, I decided to use an Oreo-cream-cheese frosting instead.  OH MAN it is good.  Let's try it, shall we?


For cupcakes:
3/4 c. (1-1/2 sticks) butter
2 c. sugar
3 eggs
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 c. cocoa powdered
2 tbsp. instant espresso powder
1-1/2 c. milk
2 tsp. vanilla

1. Beat butter until softened. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
2. Add eggs, one at a time, beating 30 seconds after each addition.
3. Measure the flour, baking soda, salt, cocoa powder, and espresso powder into a medium sized bowl and whisk to combine.
4. Measure the milk and vanilla into a measuring thing.
5. Add about a third of the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar and beat to combine. Add about a half of the milk/vanilla and beat to combine. Continue adding, alternating between dry and wet and finishing with the dry.
6. Scoop batter into cupcake cups about 3/4′s full. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25-30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

For frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese
4 oz. butter
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 and 1/2 c. powdered sugar
4 Oreo (or similar) cookies, crushed

Beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together.  Gradually add the powdered sugar and beat until fluffy.  Just toss the crushed Oreos in right at the end.

Let's see those cucapes again, huh?

 

 Yum.  Yum yum.  Are you thinking, I wish she'd show another picture of those cupcakes but with more dramatic lighting?  Well, here you go.

Are you thinking, Now, how about one with a kitten in it?

Sweet.

Happy caking!

Happy Halloween from Roxannosaurus

Well I have to admit that these cupcakes are made from a box.

Sorry.

But that's not the point!  The point is the cuteness!  I made that pretty orange frosting (recipe to follow), and the sprinkles were a gift from my wonderful mother.  I literally received an envelope full of sprinkles.  And I was most pleased.

The muffins cups and skull-toppers are from Sur La Table.  I couldn't resist getting them.  Here is the problem with Portland: at one intersection, three of the four corners have stores where I spend horrible amounts of money: Powell's books, Anthropology, and Sur La Table.  If I have to go buy something at one of those stores, I will inevitably end up shopping at all of them.  It is a serious problem because I have no money.

So naturally a few weeks ago, when I needed to pick up a book from Powell's, I ended up actually buying three books, and well as some oven mitts shaped like cats, a spatula, and these adorable Halloween cupcake decorations.  Actually not as bad as it could have been.

So I made these cupcakes for my residents, and they were pretty well-received.  Here's the amazing delicious recipe I used for the icing:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1-2 tbsp. heavy whipping cream

Beat the butter and sugar on low speed until well blended, then beat on medium speed for another three minutes.  Add vanilla and cream and beat on medium for another minute.

Happy Halloween, all!

More from Magnolia: Double Chocolate Chip Heath Bar Cookies

Today was the last day before our four-day Fall Break, and I had only one class.  To celebrate I made these deliciously evil cookies, adapted from the Magnolia Bakery cookbook.  But before I tell you about these cookies, let me introduce you to my workspace here at school:

So here's the kitchen in my dorm.  Keep in mind that this is the "good" kitchen on my floor.  The one on the other side of the hall is basically made up of a closet with a sink in it and an alcove containing a small refrigerator with a microwave on top of it.

Maybe that picture didn't really illustrate how narrow the space is, so:

Oh yeah.  The width of the room is approximately that of a door (or, one human and one trash can).  Did I mention that this kitchen is shared by sixteen people?

If I'm in there baking cookies and Corey needs to come in and heat up some taquitos, I have to glue myself to the wall to let him get to the microwave.  There's barely even room for my disgruntled cat timer!

No fancy gadgets, no counter space, and other people's dishes everywhere.  It's quite the challenge.  But we make it work!

Now, on to the recipe...

The recipe calls for pecans, but man, do I not like pecans.  So instead of pecans, I put in EXTRA chocolate chips.  If you are weird and you don't hate pecans, you should put in 1 1/2 c. pecans instead of 1 1/2 c. milk chocolate chips.

2 1/4 c. flour
2/3 c. unsweetened cocoa powder (I used 1/3 c. regular cocoa powder and 1/3 c. black onyx cocoa powder)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 1/3 c. (2 2/3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 c. packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
3 tbsp. milk
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. MILK CHOCOLATE CHIPS (not damn pecans)
1/2 c. white chocolate chips
4 coarsely chopped Heath Bars or similar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl; set aside.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars.  Beat in eggs.  Beat in milk and vanilla.  Beat in flour mixture and mix thoroughly.  Stir in the chocolate chips and Heath Bars (oh, fine, add the pecans too).

Drop in teaspoon-sized balls onto ungreased cookie sheet; bake 10-12 minutes.

Here's an extreme close up of a cookie with a very shallow depth of field.  Isn't it a freaking delicious-looking cookie?  Because it's freaking delicious.  I think I ate at least one from every batch I made, and I made about six batches.  Yikes.

Make some cookies now!

Molten Lava Chocolate Souffle Cakes (with guest chefs Sophie and Claire!)

We had some house guests staying with us last week, and all we did was cook and eat and cook and eat.  Not a bad deal.  The girls and I wanted to make dessert, and Sophie said "I'm thinking of something chocolate with, like, pudding in the middle."  Her wish is my command.

I've made this recipe before, and it is very easy, very delicious, and probably very deadly.  But you should expect no less from me.  The recipe is from The All-American Dessert Book by Nancy Baggett.  Here goes:

12 oz. bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, broken up or coarsely chopped
2 sticks butter, cut into chunks
5 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk
3/4 c. granulated sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
Pinch of salt (can be omitted if using salted butter)
2/3 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. powdered sugar
2 tbsp. unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder (of course we used my favorite Black Onyx)

Grease six 3/4 c. ramekins or souffle dishes.  In a double boiler (or a pot in another pot that has water in the bottom), warm the chocolate and butter over low heat, stirring frequently, until partially melted.  Remove from heat and set aside, stirring until completely melted and slightly cooled).

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and yolk until blended.  Add the granulated sugar, vanilla, and salt and whisk until incorporated.  Whisk in the chocolate mixture.  Add flour, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder and whisk until incorporated.  Divide the batter equally among prepared dishes.

This is a good point at which to cover the cakes and put them in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook them.  They will keep up to 48 hours.

When you're ready to bake, position a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 400 degrees.  Place the dishes on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes (may take longer if the cakes are cold).  The cakes should look a little undercooked in the middle.  Run a knife around the edges of the cakes to loosen them and allow them to cool about 6 minutes.

To serve, position a dessert plate over the top of a ramekin and (using oven mitts because they will be hot) quickly flip the ramekin over.  I had to shake mine a bit.  Top them with whipped cream or ice cream and enjoy!

Still on a quest for perfect chocolate cupcakes

HOW cute are those monkey cupcake wrapper thingies?

Here is a secret: I don't like cupcakes very much.  I don't really like making them, I don't really like eating them.  But somehow they became kind of a specialty of mine.  So I keep making them.  And now I'm on the search for the perfect chocolate cupcake.

To me, the perfect chocolate cupcake is dark (obviously) and sweet (again, obviously), but the most important thing is the texture.  It needs to be light and fluffy and actually pretty much fall apart in your hand so you do that awkward "ahh" laugh as you get crumbs down your shirt (maybe that's not a problem for someone more graceful than I).  I though I'd found that cupcake in this recipe from Cook's Illustrated.

I was wrong.  I don't mean the recipe isn't fantastic.  The cupcakes were a huge hit despite the fact that my frosting looked like mustard, and several people mentioned that I was clearly my own worst critic.  But they weren't perfect.  They were just a little too heavy, and really kind of bitter (though my buttercream frosting disguised that for the most part).

I would make them again if I needed a dozen chocolate cupcakes RIGHT NOW, but I think I'm going to try and tweak the recipe a little until I get it really right.  For the time being, here is the recipe, and be prepared for a lot of whisking:

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup (1 1/2 oz) Dutch-processed cocoa
3/4 cup (3 3/4 oz) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 large eggs
3/4 cup (5 1/4 oz) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 cup (4 oz) sour cream


Preheat oven to 350 degrees (with the oven rack in the lower middle position).  Line a muffin tin.

In a double boiler (or a little pot over a slightly larger pot), combine butter, chocolate and cocoa.  Heat mixture until butter and chocolate are melted and whisk until smooth and fully combined. Set aside to cool until just warm to touch.  Meanwhile, whisk flour, baking soda and baking powder in small bowl to combine.

Whisk eggs in second medium bowl to combine; add sugar, vanilla and salt and whisk until fully incorporated. Add cooled chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Pour about one-third of flour mixture over chocolate mixture and whisk until combined (the recipe says sift but I never sift anything ever); whisk in sour cream until combined.  Add remaining flour mixture and whisk batter until it is homogeneous and thick.

Divide batter evenly among muffin pan cups. Bake until skewer inserted into center of cupcakes comes out clean, 18-20 minutes.  Cool cupcakes in muffin pan on wire rack until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Carefully lift each cupcake from muffin pan and set on wire rack. Cool to room temperature before icing, about 30 minutes.

Death by Chocolate Brownies

This is the reason I make food.  Look at these things.  They are pure evil, but oh, they are a magical and irresistible treat.  MAGICAL I SAY.

Also, I'm already almost completely out of that cocoa powder.  But it has been put towards noble efforts.

Anyhow, Hannah and I made these for dessert yesterday.  Hannah likes a nutty brownie, while I prefer mine plain.  So we made two small batches.  I should mention that I've made this recipe from Buns in My Oven several times, and that I've somehow only managed to make it "right" (i.e. actually following the recipe) twice, and even the mess-ups are unbelievably good.

That said, a recipe:
1 c. (2 sticks) butter
2 1/4 c. sugar
1 1/4 c. [dark chocolate] cocoa powder
4 eggs
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. espresso powder
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. flour
2 c. chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and butter a 9x13 baking dish (since we wanted some with nuts and some without, we used two smaller pans, but we noticed the baking time didn't change much).

Melt putter over low heat in a saucepan.  Once the butter is melted, add the sugar and stir for about 1 minute.

Pour the butter mixture into a mixer (or, if you're ghetto like me at college, a bowl with a wooden spoon).  Beat in the cocoa powder, eggs, salt, baking powder, espresso powder and vanilla.  Mix until well combined.  It will look all sexy and rich and dark, like my ideal man.  Wait, what?

OOooooh.  Hannah goes "Can I touch it?"  Why yes, you can.

Mix in the flour and chocolate chips.  If you're making a batch with nuts, add those now too.

Pour the batter into the pan and bake for about 30 minutes, until the outside looks set but the inside is still slightly gooey.

Hannah made a little happy pecan man.

Hannah swears these tasted magical as well, but I hate pecans so I didn't even bother.

Double Chocolate Coal Cookies

Do you know what this is?

This is Black Onyx Unsweetened Cocoa Power from Culinary District.

I bought it today at Surfas, a wonderful restaurant supply store in Culver City.  And it makes my life amazing.  For example, observe its effect on these Double Chocolate "Coal" Cookies, the recipe for which I adapted from Peace of Cake.

Take a look at those babies.  Mmm, mm-mm-mmmm.  I TOLD you dark chocolate cocoa powder was important.  So if you want to make these delicious cookies (and why wouldn't you?) just follow along.
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. dark cocoa powder
1 1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. espresso powder
1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 c. sugar
2/3 c. light brown sugar (packed)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs
12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

Heat your oven to 375 degrees.  Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda and espresso powder.  In a separate bowl, beat the butter until fluffy, about 1 minute.  Add sugars and beat again, about 2 minutes.  Beat in vanilla, then eggs (one at a time, beating for about a minute after each egg).

Mixing at a low speed, add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients until just incorporated.  Mix in the chocolate chips.  Here's a picture of the sexy, sexy batter:

Mmmmmmmm.  Oh baby.

Ahem.  Drop the batter in tablespoons on a cookie sheet (I don't line or grease mine, but it wouldn't hurt).

There are my tablespoonfuls, and some Bad Romance in the background for good measure.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until gooey on the inside but crunchy around the edges.

And now you have cookies that resemble coal in appearance but not in taste!  The best of both worlds!

Chocolate Cream Cheese Muffins

Okay first of all, I want some Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa Powder.  Why does it seem not to exist in Los Angeles?  It makes brownie batter look like tar and it is WONDERFUL.  Sadly, I didn’t have any when I made these muffins, but they came out deliciously nevertheless.  They just could’ve been better, is all.

So here are your ingredients.  The recipe is adapted from Inn Cuisine.

2 c. flour

1 c. granulated sugar

6 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder (I’m telling you, go for the Special Dark!)

4 tsp. baking powder

1½ tsp. espresso powder

1 tsp. salt

1 c. chocolate chips

2 large eggs

1½ c. milk

2/3 c. canola oil

filling:

12 oz. cream cheese

3 tbsp. powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder, salt and chocolate chips in a medium bowl and set aside.  Beat together the cream cheese and powdered sugar until fluffy, and set aside.  In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and oil.

Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients.  Fold in until incorporated.  Spray or line muffin trays (I made 20 muffins, but depending on how big you make them you could get 18-24).  Fill muffin cups with about a tablespoon of batter.  Add a dollop of the cream cheese mixture.  Fill the cups the remainder of the way with batter, covering the cream cheese, almost to the tops of the cups.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Now I discovered that the cream cheese starts to cave in after a while, which looks like this:

I'm not sure there's anything we can do about this, but I assure you that they are no less delicious for it.

Also, if you made a filling of peanut butter and white chocolate, this would make a delicious peanut-butter-cup muffin!

Homemade Ice Cream! Chocolate Double-Malted Milk

It’s summer, and even though I don’t need an excuse to eat ice cream (I would sit inside watching it snow outside and still be chowing down some coffee ice cream) I now have an excuse to make it.  Also my dear seester just bought an ice-cream maker and suggested we make stuff “together” but actually on opposite sides of the country.

So, I made two ice cream flavors that I found in this book:

I love this book.  I bought it for like $3 and the recipes are great.  Plus it gives you fun historical facts: for example, I learned that Thomas Jefferson loved vanilla frozen custard, and that he was frustrated by the unavailability of vanilla “sticks” in America.  The other thing you need to make these recipes is an ice cream maker.  Here’s mine:

Pretty old school.  We’ve had it since I was very small.  Something to note before you get started:  you need to plan in advance!  You will probably need to freeze part of your ice cream maker for at least 24 hours, and the mixtures themselves need to chill for at least 4 hours (and up to 24 hours).  This is undoubtedly heartbreaking news for my sister, who is not a planner.

We’ll start with the Chocolate Double-Malted Milk ice cream.  Here are your ingredients:

1 tsp. unflavored gelatin

2 tbsp. cold water

(scant) 2/3 c. sugar

3 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

pinch of salt

1½ c. heavy cream

1 c. plain malted milk powder (NOT chocolate, although I’m interested to test what that would taste like.  Mmm, super-chocolate)

1 ½ c. half-and-half or light cream

2 tsp vanilla extract

½-¾ c. chopped malted milk balls, frozen (to taste)

In a small bowl, stir the gelatin into the water.  Let stand, stirring one or twice, until the gelatin softens (5 min.)  In a 2-quart saucepan, stir together the sugar, cocoa, and salt.  Slowly whisk in the heavy cream and gelatin mixture.  Heat the mixture over medium-high heat, whisking until the gelatin dissolves (your mixture will start out pretty thick and then turn pretty smooth—that’s how you know).  Remove from heat.

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the malted milk powder into the half-and-half until the mixture is completely smooth.  Stir the half-and-half mixture and vanilla into the cocoa mixture until smooth.  Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until hot.  Remove from heat and let cool slightly.  Cover and refrigerate until very cold, at least 4½ hours and up to 24 hours (I did mine for about 6, just FYI).

Once the mixture is cold, pour it into the ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.  When the ice cream is pretty solid, add the chopped malt balls.  Freeze the ice cream in a Tupperware for at least an hour before serving.

 And voila!  Homemade ice cream.  Delicious.  And it stays good for about 2 weeks, but I have a feeling ours won’t last that long.  Stay tuned for Strawberry-Banana Cheesecake Ice Cream!!