Sugar & All The Fixins

Oatmeal Cookies with Cherries and Chocolate Chips

2012-01-02T16:13:00.000-08:00

As a thank you to some wonderful friends who hosted a New Year's party, I brought over a bag of oatmeal cookies that I changed a little by adding some dried cherries, dried cranberries, and chocolate chips; and substituted some of the brown sugar with date sugar. I was afraid oatmeal cookies may not have gone over well with everyone, but I was pleasantly surprised to see how much everyone enjoyed them!

Preheat oven to 350. Recipe makes roughly 30 cookies.

Ingredients

3/4 cups butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup date sugar
1 egg
4 tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 1/3 cup rolled oats
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
As many chocolate chips and dried cherries and cranberries as you can handle

Directions

Cream butter and sugar together; then beat in the egg, water, and vanilla extract until smooth
In a separate bowl, mix the oats, flour, salt and baking soda
Gradually stir the oat mixture into the butter mixture until thoroughly combined
Place dough by the tablespoons onto a greased cookie sheet
Bake 15 minutes or until golden brown

Enjoy!

Holiday Cake Pops!

2011-12-23T18:52:00.000-08:00

Cake pops may be mainstream now (guess I should have made jam), but what about holiday cake pops?! Part of the reason I love the holidays so much is because I get to make sweets and package them into dorky wannabe Martha Stewart/Paula Deen/Barefoot Contessa gifts to show people a little love. If I could, I would do this year-round, every day. Holiday cake pops may have been one of the most fun and festive treats I made all year (aside from the Valentine's day cookies). Since these were going to have to travel I omitted the stick; so technically they are not pops, but they taste just as good!

This was my first time making cake pops and I definitely learned that candy coating can either be your friend or your worst enemy. You would think melting chocolate would be easy, but no. Too hot or too cold, it is not happy. So my tip is, keep a watchful eye and keep some vegetable oil around in case of emergency. You'll see why as I explain below.
Ingredients:

The following makes about 35-45 cake balls

1 box of your favorite cake mix. You could make it from scratch of course, but I cannot guarantee the consistency will be correct. All the recipes I read called for cake mix (made my life easier!)
1 can of frosting
1 bag of candy coating chips. You can find them in most craft or baking supply stores.

Directions:

Bake the cake as directed (this is also where you would want to add any food coloring)
Once cool, crumble it with your hands. There should be no chunks, only fine crumbs. And just so you know, this part was kinda fun!
Mix in 3/4 of the frosting until smooth. No more than that or the cake balls will be too soft.
Roll mixture into balls and let cool in refrigerator for an hour or more, or the freezer for 15 minutes. The cake balls should not be frozen however.
Once you are ready to dip them, start microwaving the candy coating chips in 30 second intervals. Stir each time until smooth.*
Dip the cake balls one at a time using a spoon, place on a wax paper lined cookie sheet (use a toothpick to draw a line around the bottom of each cake ball), decorate immediately, and refrigerate or freeze until firm.

*Tip: You want the candy coating to be liquid-like. If you over cook it it will get hard. To smooth it out, add some vegetable oil one teaspoon at a time until you get the right consistency!

Happy holidays!

Banana Cream Pie

2011-11-07T21:39:00.000-08:00

My first attempt at banana cream pie turned out pretty well! It's pretty quick to whip up too. I was short on time and used pre-made crust (gasp!) buuuut, you can use the pie crust recipe here if you are up for it. It does taste better afterall!

As for the filling however, that you have to make yourself. And here's how:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar
2 tbs cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
3 egg yolks
2 cups milk (you'll use them in batches)
1 tbs butter
1 tsp vanilla
2 bananas

Directions

Mix together the sugar, cornstarch, salt, and beaten egg yolks in a bowl. After they are all well-blended, stir in 1/2 cup milk
In a large saucepan, over medium heat, heat remaining milk until it simmers. Remove from heat
Add half of the hot milk to the egg yolk mixture and return the entire egg mixture to the saucepan
Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring for 2 more minutes until it starts to thicken
Remove from heat, stir in the butter and vanilla, and let cool
Once cooled, spread into pie crust* (once the pie crust is cool too) and chill
Top with sliced bananas and whipped cream!

*Tip: For an extra touch, add a layer of Nutella to the bottom of the pie crust before you add the filling. Folks will enjoy the surprise :)

Nutella Stuffed Shortbread Cookies

2011-10-13T21:23:00.000-07:00

I lied. These cookies actually have a little more than just Nutella. I also added some Toffifay candies (as seen above.) I figured they went with the chocolate-hazelnut theme, and would add a nice extra crunch. I think I was right!

To make these cookies you can use this same shortbread recipe, just don't add any baker's cocoa or coffee! After the dough is chilled, to stuff the cookies take about 2 tbs of dough and flatten it. Top with about a tablespoon of Nutella (2 tbs if you think you have enough dough to cover it) and a Toffifay candy. Then wrap the cookie up, closing the edges at the top until it looks like a Hershey's Kiss or a cute little dumpling :) Make sure there is no Nutella seeping out and that it is closed up tight.

Pop them in the oven for about 14 minutes and you are all done!

Black and White Cookies

2011-09-29T20:21:00.000-07:00

I had another bake sale fundraiser at the office and tried out Black & White cookies, some call them Tuxedo cookies. I like the cake texture of the cookie a lot, and the fact that the cookie itself is not too sweet. The icing takes care of that!

Preheat oven to 350

Ingredients

Cookies

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup (5 1/3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg

Icings
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 to 2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup unsweetened unsweetened cocoa powder
I added some Black food coloring as well

Directions

Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Stir together buttermilk and vanilla in a cup.
Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes, then add egg, beating until combined well.
Mix in flour mixture and buttermilk mixture alternately in batches at low speed (scraping down side of bowl occasionally), beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix until smooth.
Spoon 1/4 cups of batter about 2 inches apart onto a buttered large baking sheet. Bake in middle of oven until tops are puffed and pale golden, and cookies spring back when touched, 15 to 17 minutes.
Transfer with a metal spatula to a rack and chill in refrigerator or freezer (to cool quickly), about 5 minutes.

You can make the Icing while the cookies chill:

Stir together confectioners sugar, corn syrup, lemon juice, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl until smooth.
Transfer half of icing to another bowl and stir in cocoa, adding more water, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, to thin to same consistency as white icing.

Ice cookies:

Turn cookies flat sides up, then spread white icing over half of each and chocolate over other half.

Enjoy!

Peanut Butter & Cracker Jack Cookies

2011-08-15T21:06:00.000-07:00

I really should just start calling this blog 'Peanut Butter & All The Fixins' because almost everything I post seems to have something to do with peanut butter. I was inspired by a local cookie bakery whose cookies always seem to end up at my office but...guess what? I can't remember the name of the place! Regardless, they made a peanut butter cookie with caramel popcorn and I was jealous they thought of it first (obviously why I can't remember their name well enough to give them credit here!) No, I joke. I only wish mine were as good as theirs.

Preheat oven to 350

Ingredients

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar (for those who care, I used Stevia this time and recommend "splurging" with white sugar. Let's be real, it just tastes better.)

2 eggs

1 cup chocolate chips

As much Cracker Jack as you can fit in the bowl of dough without overpowering the dough

Directions

Line the baking sheet(s) with parchment paper

Sift together the dry ingredients

In a separate bowl, mix the peanut butter and butter until smooth

Add sugars and mix, then mix in eggs

Gradually add the flour mixture

Mix in chocolate chips

Refrigerate dough for 15 minutes

Add the Cracker Jacks once you are ready to bake, or else they might get soggy sitting in the dough while it refrigerates

Roll dough into 1" balls and flatten slightly onto the sheet

Bake for about 13 minutes or until golden brown

Enjoy!

Rice Krispy Treats with Peanut Butter and Butterfinger

2011-07-12T19:42:00.001-07:00

The Rice Krispy treat is such an under-valued dessert. Not only is it the easiest thing ever to make, but you can customize! I layered mine and sandwiched some peanut butter and Butterfinger in between. Then, to make matters worse (read: better), I topped it off with even more Butterfinger. These things didn't last long at all!

Ingredients

1 bag of fun size Butterfinger candies
10 cups of Rice Krispies (5 per layer)
80 marshmallows/2 regular size bags of marshmallows (40 for each layer, and 40 should come in each bag)
1 stick of margarine (1/2 stick for each layer)
1 cup of peanut butter

Directions

I totally cheated and microwaved the marshmallows and margarine (about 2 minutes.) Once you have done that mix in the Rice Krispies and press into a 9x13" pan lined with greased tin foil. Or you can just grease the pan.
Let that cool in the fridge and spread the peanut butter over the first layer once it has hardened a bit so that the peanut butter is easier to spread.
Spread the peanut butter, add a layer of Butterfinger, and repeat (sans- peanut butter)

Easy-peezy!

Mocha Shortbread Cookies

2011-06-22T20:50:00.000-07:00

These are the Red Bull of cookies: A tasty chocolate shortbread cookie with the kick of coffee. I like them because they have great density but are also not too rich. The key to these cookies is to not roll them too thin, and don't go crazy with the coffee grinds or the bitter taste will take over. However, I do think more chocolate is fine ;)

You will want to refrigerate the dough for at least 45 minutes, but once you are ready to bake them you can preheat the oven at 325 degrees.

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2+ tsp coffee grounds (I probably used about 4tsp)
1/4 tsp salt
2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
3/4 cups + 2 tbs powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

Whisk together the flour, cocoa, coffee, and salt in a medium bowl.
Beat the butter with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Then add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and mix in the vanilla.
Reduce the speed of the mixer, and add the flour in three batches. Scrape the sides of the bowl with each addition.
Once well blended, the dough should start to get crumbly. This is when you will want to knead the dough together in the bowl.
Once this is done separate the dough into 4 equal batches, flatten, and cover in wax paper to refrigerate.
When you are ready to bake them, roll the dough out to about 1/4 inch thick (keep it in the wax paper so it doesn't stick to the rolling pin).
Cut into desired shape and place on a parchment lined baking sheet about 1 inch apart.
Bake for 7 minutes, let cool, and eat!

Chocolatey Peanut Bars

2011-05-13T21:53:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I end up baking only because I have the ingredients lying around, and figure "why not?" This was one of those occasions and I ended up making something similar to a chocolatey peanut bar.

I was perusing one of my favorite sites Brown Eyed Baker (wish I had thought of that name) and came across this recipe. Well, I tweaked it and turned it into something a little more of my own. I didn't have exactly everything I needed, but I did have some extra things I felt like throwing in there :)

My results came out a little more chocolatey than her version, and with a little more "fluff." To me they taste something along the lines of Hello Dolly bars, mixed with a peanut butter cookie, and a Mr. Goodbar; with some marshmallow and almond croissant mixed in. Is that enough for you?

Preheat over to 350

Ingredients

Cookie Base:

1½ cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup light brown sugar
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 tbs crunchy peanut butter
2 egg yolks
1 cup shredded coconut

Topping:

2/3 cup light corn syrup
¼ cup unsalted butter
2 teaspoons almond extract
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup marshmallow Fluff
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
2 cups honey roasted peanuts

Directions

Combine the ingredients for the base in an electric mixer
Pat the above mixture firmly into an ungreased 9x13" pan
Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown
Once that is done let it cool and while cooling, start making the topping
The topping is pretty simple. Melt everything but the Fluff, peanuts, and peanut butter in a sauce pan until the chocolate chips are completely melted
Remove from the heat once melted and stir in the peanuts
Spread the above chocolate mix over the cooled base
Quickly (you don't want the chocolate chip mixture to harden while you do this ) microwave the Fluff and peanut butter and stir well
Swirl it into the chocolate mix you have spread on the cookie base
Refrigerate for 45 minutes

Enjoy!

Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-05-05T20:42:00.000-07:00

I did it. I made the Oreo stuffed chocolate chip cookies! Sure, I feel like a glutton but what a fantastic concept! I just ate a warm and chewy one straight out of the oven and, oh my goodness... they're amaaaazing!

You must must must make these. They take less than an hour of your time and I promise you it's worth it.

Preheat oven to 350

Ingredients

2 sticks softened butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tbs vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups sifted flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
1 package of Double Stuffed Oreos*

*Note: The recipe technically makes about 25 cookies so make sure you get enough Oreos. I made the rookie mistake of using too much dough to wrap the cookie and ended up with only 18 cookies. If you want 25, I suggest using roughly 1 tbs of dough for each side. This will make more sense in the directions :)

Directions

Cream the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar in a bowl
Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well
Sift the flour, salt, and baking soda together and add it in rounds to the above butter mixture
Add the chocolate chips
Scoop about 1 tbs of dough, flatten it a little, and top it with an Oreo. Add another tablespoon of dough to the top of that Oreo and wrap the cookie with the chocolate chip dough. If you use any more than 1 tbs you will end up with HUGE cookies like I did. Which is fine, but I am just giving you a heads up :)
Once you have wrapped the Oreos, place them on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 13 minutes or until golden brown

I have to say, this just makes me wonder what else I can wrap in chocolate chip cookie dough.

Lemon Muffins

2011-04-17T18:20:00.000-07:00

I love muffins. I think they are a perfect side to a good cup of tea or coffee, and I think they are best when they are homemade. I rarely indulge in buying myself a muffin because I just don't trust all the ingredients (preservatives and too much sugar) the store-bought ones have to offer. Unless it is from a local bakery I trust and love, chances are I'd rather make it myself :)

If you're looking for a healthier option to your morning pastry, you might like these. I made them for a recent Baha'i' Feast we hosted at breakfast time and people really liked them. Apparently it was the texture (likely from the yogurt) and the "sweet but not too sweet" taste.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Ingredients

1/4 cup margarine
3/4 cup white sugar (I used some Stevia as a substitute but just eye-balled it)
2 eggs
3/4 cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt (you could also use lemon flavored yogurt)
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
1 1/3 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground sweet nutmeg
Confectioner's sugar for sprinkling the tops (Side note: I actually made the pleasant mistake of sprinkling the confectioner's sugar on top before they had cooled completely and while the majority of it remained light and powdery, the bottom layer added a nice sugary crunch when it melted!)

Directions

Cream the butter and sugar
Add the lemon juice and lemon zest, eggs, and yogurt to the above mixture and mix well
Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl
Mix the dry ingredients into the lemon mixture
Spoon the batter into prepared muffin tins (lined or greased)
Bake 15-18 minutes
Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar once they have cooled

Enjoy this breakfast, brunch, or afternoon tea treat!

Chocolate Chip Cookies With A Twist

2011-04-13T20:54:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows Momofuku's Milk Bar knows that these cookies are not really an original. Let's just say I was inspired by their compost cookie. I took a regular chocolate chip cookie recipe and added half of a full-size bag of crushed Ruffles potato chips and about 4 tablespoons of Nutella. If you like the taste of salty and sweet these are the cookie for you!

Preheat oven to 375

Ingredients

2 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups chocolate chip cookies
4 tbs Nutella
1/2 of a large bag of Ruffles potato chips, crushed

Directions

Cream the butter and sugar, then add the eggs one at a time
Add vanilla extract and Nutella
Mix flour, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl
Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter and sugar mixture
Once everything is mixed add the potato chips until well combined
Add by the tablespoon to a parchment lined cookie sheet
Bake 9-11 minutes

Let them cool and enjoy!

Cheesecake Cookies With Oreo And Nutter Butter!!

2011-04-02T10:48:00.000-07:00

If you love cheesecake, and love Oreos and Nutter Butter cookies as much as I do, then I think it is pretty safe to say you will love these! Based on the comments and traffic from my last junk food experiment I noticed that naturally we all seem to love what is worst for us (in the best way possible) and what better way to indulge than treating yourself to bite-size morsels of cheesecake topped with your favorite cookie?

When I found a recipe for cheesecake cookies my first thought was "How can I make these even better?" and the answer was... junk food!! So if you have 30 minutes to spare and feel like treating yourself to something you know you shouldn't (or should you...?) I encourage you to try these out. Very easy and fun.

The recipe below will make roughly one dozen cookies but I doubled everything for more.

Preheat oven to 375

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter
3 ounces cream cheese
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
3 tbs smooth peanut butter
1 cup Oreo crumbs
1 cup Nutter Butter Crumbs

Directions

In a mixing bowl cream together the butter and cream cheese until smooth.
Add the sugar and vanilla and mix until smooth. Then add the flour and mix until smooth.
Split the above mixture between two bowls. One bowl will be for your Oreo cookies and the other for your Nutter Butter cookies.
Once you have split the two, add mini chocolate chips to the Oreo mix and add the peanut butter to the Nutter Butter mix.
Make the cookie crumbs in a food processor and place them in their own separate bowls (unless you want a mix, which I also encourage).
Scoop the cookie batter into about 1 1/2" balls and roll each in their respective cookie crumbs.
Place on a parchment lines baking sheet and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the edges are a little golden brown and the top is slightly puffed up.

Hope you enjoy, and I would love to hear what creations you come up with yourselves!

Caramel Apple Nut Cheesecake

2011-03-21T20:11:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately I didn't get the chance to take many good pictures of this caramel apple nut cheesecake. I made it for a Naw Ruz (Baha'i' and Persian New Year) potluck on the last day of the 19 day Baha'i' Fast and, well, it was devoured. That's what happens when you get over a hundred people who have been fasting in one room!

Fasting or not however, I am sure if you made this it would be devoured just as quickly. It's a Magnolia cheesecake recipe after all! My favorite part about this cheesecake is the crust. It is really rich and nutty. Not your regular graham cracker crust.

Preheat oven to 350

Ingredients:

Crust

1 cup cake flour (not self-rising)
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup chopped, toasted, pecans. To toast them, just place them in the oven for 15 minutes at 350

Filling

2 lbs (four 8 oz packages) of softened cream cheese
1 1/4 cup sugar
5 large eggs
2 tbs heavy cream
1 tbs vanilla extract

Apple Topping

2 1/2 cups of thinly slices tart apples
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbs unsalted butter

Directions

Crust

Mix together the flour and sugar in a large bowl
Cut the butter into the above mixture using a pastry blender
Mix until it looks crumbly
Add the pecans
Press on the bottom of a greased 10 inch springform pan
Bake for 20 minutes. When it is done allow it to cool and lower the oven temperature to 325

Filling

Use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese in a large bowl until it is smooth
Gradually add the sugar and eggs one at a time, and mix well with each addition
Stir in the cream and vanilla
Mix until no lumps remain
Pour the batter into the pie crust, place the filled springform pan on a baking sheet (it will leak!) and bake for one hour
When the hour is up, turn the oven off and use a wooden spoon to keep the oven door slightly ajar while the cake sits in there for another hour
Cover and refrigerate overnight (or at least 12 hours)

Apple Topping:

Toss the apple slices in cinnamon and sugar and cook with butter in a pan until you can easily pierce the apples with a fork
When ready, remove them from the pan and let them cool for 45 minutes

Once the cake and topping are cooled and complete you can start working on the topping. Lay the apples over the cake however you like, cover with walnuts and/or pecans, and drizzle with caramel. Now you are done and ready to serve a delicious dessert!

Heart and Linzer Cookies

2011-02-20T22:41:00.000-08:00

I know Valentine's day is over, but unfortunately I didn't have time to post these in time for the holiday. Hopefully heart shaped cookies are not only for Valentine's day though and you all can get some use out of these. If anything, they are just darn cute to look at :)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups butter softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
Jelly for the Linzer filling

Directions

Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl, then beat in eggs and vanilla
Stir the dry ingredients into above mixture
Split dough so that you can mix half of it with red food coloring
Let dough chill in the refrigerator covered for at least one hour, or overnight
Once chilled roll the dough onto a floured surface and cut into desired shapes. For the Linzer cookies, use a mini cookie cutter to cut little hearts into the top layer. Be sure to have an even number of tops with the heart cut-outs and regular heart shaped bottoms!
Bake for 6-8 minutes
Once cool, brush the red ones and regular ones with a powder sugar glaze (mix powdered sugar and water until it is like glue) and then dip them in sprinkles. For the Linzer cookies you just sandwich them with jelly.

A Junk Food Experiment

2011-02-14T21:27:00.000-08:00

There's really no other way to describe this other than a junk food experiment. Inspired by awesomely bad county fair foods, thisiswhyyourfat.com, and pure genius we took the following junk food items, wrapped them in Pillsbury crescent dough, and baked them at 375 degrees for 14 minutes:

Twix: This was my favorite one.
Dark chocolate Reese's: Coworkers got to it before I did so I'll just assume this was a good one! :)
Caramello: This one was up there with Twix. Perhaps comparable to a real low-quality chocolate croissant with caramel.
Kit Kats
Twinkies: Second favorite.
Hostess cupcakes: Least favorite.

The most disturbing results of this experiment were:

I realized I'll eat almost anything with sugar and butter, preferably lots of butter (assuming Pillsbury uses real butter).
Hostess cupcakes and Twinkies are indestructible!! I mean it. We baked the Hostess cupcake at 375 degrees and nothing melted! Not to mention neither the Twinkie nor the Hostess cupcake had an expiration date. Only a month and a day...no year? I'm telling you, something is not right!
These thing were GOOD, and I'd make them again.

Caramello

Hostess cupcake

Twinkie

The indestructible duo

Reese's
Kit Kat

Twix

So next time you're feeling like you need a guilty pleasure, treat yourself to these. They're obviously easy to make and they take no time at all!

Italian Polenta Cookies

2011-02-09T20:28:00.000-08:00

I figured it was time to start representing my Italian roots on here (you're welcome mom) and what better way then through Italian cookies?! I'll admit that the polenta in these cookies threw some people off. I think it was an unexpected extra crunch for some and a pleasant surprise for others :) Personally, I think they are good. They are crisp, light, and unique cookies. Perfect for a snack and similar to a tea cookie. Just think of them as a light sugar cookie with cornmeal and you'll know what to expect.

Preheat oven to 350

Note: You'll need a piping bag and a star tip (e.g. Ateco #825)

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups flour
1 cup polenta (or coarse cornmeal will do)
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2/3 cups white sugar
1 tbs lemon zest
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

Whisk together flour, polenta, and salt in a bowl
Beat butter, sugar, and lemon zest in an electric mixer until pale and fluffy for about 2 minutes
Add egg and egg yolk one at a time, mixing after each addition
Mix in vanilla
Gradually add flour mixture
Add batter to the piping bag
Pipe into 'S' shapes, or whatever shape you like. Have fun with it! Shapes should be about 3" long and spaced 1" apart on a parchment lined baking sheet
Place the shapes in the freezer (on the baking sheet) for about 30 minutes
Once they have been in the freezer to hold their shape a little better, bake them for 15-18 minutes until golden brown; rotating half way through

And there you go. Italian cookies completo!

Chocolate Cookie Bites for Valentine's Day!

2011-02-04T20:06:00.000-08:00

Haters gon hate, but I love Valentine's day! I always have. Hallmark holiday or not I think the cards, candies, and colors are just delightful. I made these chocolate cookie bites for some little Valentine's day packages I plan to send out and if you are looking for something to make for your loved ones this Valentine's day I suggest these. They are cute and easy to make!

I used the Cook's Illustrated chocolate chip cookie recipe and changed it a little by adding a bunch of baker's cocoa, baking them in a mini-cupcake pan, and adding cute candy! Unfortunately I just eye-balled the baker's cocoa so I can't give you exact measurements, but I say add as much as you need depending on how chocolatey you want them.

Preheat oven to 375

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 3/4 sticks unsalted butter (14 tbs)
1/2 cup white sugar
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 1/4 cup chocolate chips
Brach's Valentine nougat, or any Valentine candy of your choosing that would fit in the cookie bite

Directions

Melt the butter
Add the melted butter to the sugar and egg and mix together. The directions say to mix for 30 seconds, let the mixture stand for about 3 minutes, and then repeat about 1 or 2 more times until the mixture is smooth
Add the vanilla
Add all the dry ingredients and mix until there are no flour lumps
Add the mixture by the tablespoon full to a greased mini cupcake pan
Bake for 10 minutes
When the bites are right out of the oven, squish the candies on top
Place the cookies in the refrigerator for about 5-10 minutes until they are cooled enough that you can pull them out of the pan

Then pass them out and wish folks a happy Valentine's day!

Lemon-Cardamom Bars

2011-01-30T19:18:00.000-08:00

My friend Nina came over with some wonderful organic lemons from work and we made some lemon bars. Being Persian, I thought it would be a nice touch to add some cardamom. Personally I think it was the perfect idea! A little different but you still pretty much get the standard lemon bar you are looking for :)

Here's how you make them:

Preheat oven to 350

Ingredients

Shortbread Base:

1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

Lemon Topping:

4 large eggs

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

3/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 tsp cardamom

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

Directions

Shortbread:

Cut butter into 1/2-inch pieces.
In a food processor process all ingredients until mixture begins to form small lumps.
Sprinkle mixture into a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan and with a metal spatula press evenly onto bottom.
Bake shortbread in middle of oven until golden, about 20 minutes. While shortbread is baking, you can prepare the topping!

Lemon Filling:

Whisk together eggs and granulated sugar until well combined
Add lemon juice and flour
Add 1/4 tsp of cardamom
Pour lemon fixture over hot shortbread
Reduce the oven temperature to 300
Bake for 30 minutes

When they are all done you can let them chill to solidify a little, or you can just eat them right-away!

Chocolate Tart

2011-01-19T20:17:00.000-08:00

To what few fans and followers I have, I am sorry for taking forever to post! The holidays were busy and I have been catching up with everything in this new year. Hopefully this first post of 2011 will serve you all well though.

As I post this and eat my Bi-Rite Mexican Chocolate with Salted Peanuts ice cream, I realize I have been on a chocolate kick lately. If you are on one too you will love this chocolate tart. For one, it's French, and who knows delicious pastries and desserts better than them? And if that isn't convincing enough, it is rich and not too sweet. It's actually quite bittersweet which is great if you are not too into the really sweet stuff. I on the other hand eat everything of course!

Preheat oven to 350

Ingredients

Crust:

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup toasted walnuts
3/4 cups flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter

Filling:

14 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
1 cup heavy whipping cream
6 tbs unsalted butter
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Crust:

Process the sugar and walnuts in a food processor until finely ground
Add the flour, cocoa, and salt and pulse in the food processor until blended
Add the butter and pulse until it all starts to come together. A good test is to pinch it and if it clumps together you are set. Don't over-process it! It should not start to form a ball in the food processor.
Press the dough on the bottom, and along the sides, of a greased tart pan
Bake for 15-18 minutes until the crust begins to pull away from the sides of the pan, then let it cool once it's all baked

In the meantime, you can make the filling.

Filling:

Melt the chocolate with the cream in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of boiling water, whisking until smooth
Remove the bowl from the heat once it is all melted and whisk in the eggs and sugar until well blended
Whisk in the vanilla and transfer the filling to the warm crust

Bake the tart for 12-15 minutes until the filling is set around the edges but still a little jiggly in the center. When it is done let it cool completely, for at least 1 1/2 hours. Then say a "oui oui" and a "hon hon" and a "bon appetit!" and enjoy :)

Gingerbread Man Time of Year!

2010-12-15T21:37:00.001-08:00

It has been a while since I have made gingerbread men, and come to think of it this may have been the first time. I came across a recipe by Liz Prueitt (yea, all you Tartine Bakery fans will like these) and I think they are my new favorite gingerbread man recipe! Not too spicy, not too sweet, and on the softer side with just the right amount of snap.

When you are ready to bake them you will need to preheat the oven to 350. But keep in mind the dough will need to be refrigerated overnight.

Ingredients:

Gingerbread:

3 3/4 cups flour
1 tbs cocoa powder
4 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cups and 2 tbs white sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup molasses
2 tbs corn syrup

Glaze:

1 cup of powdered sugar
2 tbs water

Directions:

Combine dry ingredients (except sugar) in a large bowl and set aside.
Beat butter on medium speed until it is creamy. Slowly add the sugar and keep mixing until smooth.
Add the egg to the butter mixture, followed by the molasses and corn syrup.
Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat on low speed until well-mixed.
Flatten the dough to about an inch thickness, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.
When you are ready cut them out into gingerbread man shapes (I had some gingerbread women shapes too) and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Bake for 7-15 minutes, but this also depends on the size of the cookie.
Let them cool and brush the glaze over them. More on the glaze can be found below.

Glaze:

All you do is mix the ingredients until there are no clumps and it looks like a glaze fit for a cookie :)

And I leave you with a scene Becky and I created. She interpreted it as a nice gingerbread couple sharing a strawberry. I thought one might be mugging the other for its strawberry. She blames my urban upbringing, ha!

Scones For An Afternoon Tea

2010-12-12T20:29:00.000-08:00

Today my family hosted the Baha'i' Nineteen Day Feast at our home and we decided to do it a little differently. We began with an afternoon tea and as you can see from the pictures at the bottom of this post, my mom did a lovely job. I get 3% of the credit (her words, not mine...gotta love her) for the scones; everything else was all her.

The scones turned out really nice. If you like butter, you will like these! They are best served with some creme fraiche (or clotted cream if you can find it) and jam.

Preheat oven to 350

Ingredients:

3 cups flour
2 tbs white sugar
2 tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 pound (1 cup) unsalted butter, cold and diced
1 1/2 cups half and half (I used heavy cream)
1 tbs vanilla extract

Directions:

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl
With a pastry blender or knives, cut the cold butter into the flour mixture until it is in small pea sized shapes
Add the cream/half and half and the vanilla extract
Mix the dough and, with floured hands, pat it down onto a floured surface until it is about an inch thick
Cut the dough into your desired scone shape and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper
Brush with scone wash (milk mixed with sugar and cinnamon)
Bake for 18-25 minutes and serve

p.s. This is basically my dream table set-up. Great colors and treats! I love British style teas.

Cranberry Apple Pie

2010-11-23T20:20:00.000-08:00

Looking for the perfect Thanksgiving pie? Make this one! I am sure there will be enough pumpkin pie wherever you go for the holidays, so change it up and offer your friends something a little different this year :)

I made this pie for a Thanksgiving potluck we had at work and it was such a nice change for me. I love my chocolate and butter overload just as much as the next baker, but the natural colors from the fruit in this pie just came together so beautifully! And, I was reintroduced to the goodness of natural sugar! Okay...there was a little bit of refined sugar too.

If you have the time I really encourage you to do this all from scratch. That means no store bought pie crust (I know you can do it!) I promise it will taste so much better and whoever you feed this too will say "wow!" Just keep in mind you need to refrigerate the dough for at least an hour; even better overnight. So, plan accordingly. I don't want any Thanksgiving day freak-outs.

Preheat the oven to 375

Ingredients

Crust:

2 1/2 cups flour
2 sticks of unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1/2 inch squares
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
6-8 tbs ice cold water

Pie Filling:

1 1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups of cranberries
5 apples, cored and sliced
1/4 cup maple syrup

I also added a bit of streusel topping before covering the pie with the top crust (seen below.) I just eye-balled it and mixed flour, brown sugar, and melted butter until it reached the crumbly consistency I wanted. Then I just sprinkled it over the fruit filling:

Directions:

Pie Crust:

Place the butter squares in the freezer for about 10 minutes.
Once the butter is cold enough, combine the dry ingredients in a food processor and add the butter, pulsing about 6-8 times until they mixture gets crumbly.
Add the water 1 tbs at a time until the mixture starts to clump together. You will know it is ready if you pinch it and the mixture sticks together. If it doesn't, just add water until it does.
Separate the dough into two and form into discs on a lightly floured surface.
Cover each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate one hour, or overnight.
When it is ready, roll out the discs with a rolling pin and place one on the bottom of a greased 9" pie pan to create the pie shell. You'll then roll out the other disc to cover the pie once the filling is in there.

Pie Filling:

Mix the sugar, flour, and salt in a large saucepan.
Stir in the cranberries and maple syrup.
Cook over high heat and make sure to stir it constantly.
Once the mixture comes to a boil lower the heat and let it simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir in the apples (covered in the nutmeg and cinnamon) and continue to cook for 5 minutes.

Once the filling is done you can remove it from the heat and pour it into pie shell. Covering it with the streusel is optional, but a nice touch. Then cover the pie with the second disc of dough you rolled out for the top. And don't forget to fold over the sides to lock it all in, and poke some holes in the top with a fork.

If you made the crust from scratch you will want to bake this for about 45-55minutes, and 30 minutes if you bought the crust. Keep and eye on it though. If it starts to turn golden brown it is almost done!

This was really really good and I hope at least one reader gets to make this as part of their Thanksgiving feast. If not, there is always an occasion for pie. Serve it warm, and make folks feel cozy.

Happy holidays!

Mustache Cookies

2010-11-18T22:17:00.000-08:00

You may think this is just a hipster baking experiment, but no, it is much more than that. I am raising money for Movember people! The office is having a bake sale to raise funds and I was asked to bake, and then handed a mustache shaped cookie cutter. How fun!

I just used a simple sugar cookie recipe, but gave them some pizazz with food coloring and sprinkles. Manly like a mustache? No, but who cares :)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups butter softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Directions

Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl, then beat in eggs and vanilla
Stir the dry ingredients into above mixture
Let dough chill in the refrigerator covered for at least one hour, or overnight
Once chilled roll the dough onto a floured surface and cut into desired shapes
Bake for 6-8 minutes

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Scones with Candied Ginger

2010-11-08T21:48:00.000-08:00

I figured it was time to spice up the pumpkin. Chocolate dipped pumpkin biscotti is sweet and all, but time for a little more zing! I found that ginger adds the perfect spice; and when you cover it with sugar it is even better.

I highly recommend that you eat these straight out of the oven. But first, let's bake them.

Preheat oven to 425

Ingredients:

3 cups flour
1 tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp curry powder (don't be alarmed, you'll hardly taste it)
5 tbs white sugar
1 stick of butter or margarine, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup of pumpkin puree
1 cup of sour cream (you could use yogurt or buttermilk as well but I really think sour cream makes baked goods more moist and delicious!)
1/2 cup of chopped candied ginger

Directions:

Whisk together the dry ingredients, including the ginger
Add the butter pieces and use your hands, an electric mixer, or a pastry blender to mix the ingredients until they turn into coarse crumbs
In a separate bowl mix the pumpkin and sour cream
Add the pumpkin mix to the dry ingredients
Roll or pat the dough onto a lightly floured surface, spreading it into a rough 10" square about a half-inch thick
Cut the dough into triangular shapes
Place the triangles onto a parchment paper-lined/greased baking sheet
Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown

A word of advice: Eat a couple before you given them away. If you don't, you might regret it later (too good!) Oh, and don't skimp on the ginger ;)

Halloween Birthday Cake

2010-10-31T20:33:00.000-07:00

This cake was made for a birthday so technically it is a birthday cake, but seeing as it was also Halloween weekend and the San Francisco Giants are playing, we could also say it is a "Happy Birthday Halloween Go Giants" cake. The colors are right, the timing is right, it's just right.

I had fun with this one because I got to use a new mold to create a design inside the cake (which I hadn't done before) and I obviously have a peanut butter weakness because I loaded it with Reese's Pieces both inside and out, in between the layers and on top. Too much? Uh, no.

Preheat oven to 325

Ingredients:

3 oz semi-sweet chocolate

4 cups sifted cake flour

3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened

2 cups of sugar

4 eggs

1 tbs vanilla

1 1/3 cup milk

Reeses's Pieces!!!!
Directions:

In a small bowl combine the sifted flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Then add the vanilla.

Add the milk and flour to the butter mixture, alternating between the two until the batter is smooth.

Beat at medium to high speed for 30 seconds.

I then divided the batter in half, added Orange and Black food coloring to each batch respectively. And baked them for 25 minutes.

The results were sweet and festive. I really liked this cake because it came out light and fluffy like a lot of those packaged cake mixes, but so much better and not too sweet like a lot of packaged stuff is. Not that I don't eat the cake from a box mix, but nothing beats homemade!

If the Giants win, I suggest you make one! Or you can always wait until next Halloween :)

P.S. Special little surprise guest: Mini Halloween Swirl cupcake!!

Angel Food Cupcakes with Raspberry Filling

2010-10-24T10:00:00.000-07:00

I made these yesterday for a Nicholas Cage movie marathon. You're probably wondering "Why Angel Food?" Well I figured it out last night as we perused the extensive Cage movie list Chris and Shara compiled. Cage was in 'City of Angels' and apparently at the end of 'Gone in 60 Seconds' they reference Angel Food cake. So other than the fact that they were yummy, they were fitting too!

As I was making these I noticed a red or pink cutesy theme in my cupcakes. But I can't really take all the credit for these ones since the cupcake liners I got in Japantown (which read: "Whoever loves me loves my dog") were so random and cute that they just added the cuteness for me.

This was my first time attempting Angel Food, but I got the approval of a culinary school student that was at the movie event. So...if I can do it, so can you!

Preheat oven to 325

Ingredients

Filling

3 cups of raspberries
1/4 cup & 2 tbsp sugar
4 tsp of cornstarch, dissolved in 4 tsp water

Cupcakes

1 cup cake flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
10 egg whites
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cream of tartar
3/4 cup sugar

Glaze

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 tbsp melted butter
1 1/2 tbsp water
pinch of salt

Directions

Filling

In a saucepan, cook 2 1/2 cups of the raspberries with granulated sugar. Crush the berries as you cook them over moderately high heat
Strain the above puree and return it to the pan with the rest of the berries, and the cornstarch mixture
Bring it to a boil until it is thickened
Refrigerate until firm

Cupcakes

Combine cake flour and powdered sugar in one bowl. In another bowl mix the eggs whites, salt, and cream of tartar
Beat the egg whites mix on high speed until peaks form, then beat in the granulated sugar
Sift the flour and powdered sugar over the egg whites and fold gently
Spoon the batter into muffin tins and bake for 13-15 minutes, until cakes are springy and golden
Once they are cool poke a hole in them and pipe in the filling

Glaze

Stir the ingredients and cover the cupcakes with the glaze however you like

Chocolate Dipped Pumpkin Biscotti

2010-10-06T20:24:00.000-07:00

The nice thing about making cookies is that you can make one batch that feeds many. So I brought some to my parents and grandparents, sent some back east, and brought some to the office. By now my office is used to me bringing baked goods in, but these were by far the quickest to go of anything. I sent out an email and I kid you not, within 30 seconds there was a swarm of coworkers. And like that, poof! Biscottis GONE.

Tis the season for pumpkin, so try them out. This was a bit of my own concoction but people seemed to like them!

Preheat oven to 350

Ingredients:

Chocolate for dipping:

12 oz Milk Chocolate Chips
Butter (as needed)

Biscotti

1/2 can of pumpkin
1/2 cup chopped almonds
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs
3/4 tsp coarse salt
1 tsp vanilla
3 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp coriander

Directions:

Put the oil, sugar, eggs, salt, and vanilla in an electric mixer and mix at low speed
Sift together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Add to above mixture and blend well
Stir in the nuts, pumpkin, and spices
Divide the dough into 3 equal parts and shape into a long log (3" wide and 1" high)
Space them 4" apart on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper
Bake about 35 minutes, until golden and firm
After 35 minutes take them out, let them cool, and cut them into slices
Set them back on the lined cookie sheet on their side and bake for another 10-15 minutes

While the cookies are baking melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave (yea, I was feeling lazy. This is what happens when you bake at 10:00pm on a work night!) Dip the cookies on their side into the melted chocolate, let cool, and you're done!

Enjoy the pumpkin treat!

Milk Bar's Crack Pie

2010-09-07T22:36:00.000-07:00

It's not what you think, well, maybe it is. Once you have one bite it is likely you'll just keep going for more which is why I assume they call it Crack Pie! Last time I was in NYC I went to the famous Milk Bar with some friends and we each got something on the menu to share. After about two bites of each I felt a bit sick (that doesn't mean I stopped), and I have to say the Crack Pie stuck out in my mind most.

It is everything you could want in a pie, without all the stuff you don't really need (like fruit, ha!) Mr.Jones and I took a stab at it this past weekend for a picnic with some friends and were happy with the habit forming results of butter, cream, sugar, more sugar, and some other supporting ingredients. Friends seemed to like it, and I think it's safe to say this pie lives up to it's name ;)

Here's how you make it:

Ingredients:

Oat Cookie Crust:

9 tbs unsalted butter
5 1/2 tbs golden brown sugar
2 tbs white sugar
1 large egg
3/4 cups & 2 tbs old fashion oats
1/2 cup flour
1/8 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Filling:

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tbs nonfat dry milk powder (I didn't have any and it turned out just as good)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled slightly
6 1/2 tbs heavy whipping cream
4 large egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Oat Cookie Crust:

Preheat oven to 350 and line a 13 x 9 x 2 baking pan with greased parchment paper

Combine 6 tbs butter, 4 tbs brown sugar, and 2 tbs sugar and beat until light and fluffy with an electric mixer
Add egg, and continue beating
Add dry ingredients and mix
Pour mixture onto pan and spread
Bake 17 minutes until golden brown
Once that is done baking let it cool and then crumble it and mix it with 3 tbs butter and 1 1/2 tbs brown sugar.
Pack it into a 9" pie pan to form crust, and fill with the following filling

Filling:

Whisk sugars and salt together, and add melted butter. Mix until well blended
Add cream, egg yolks, and vanilla and whisk until well blended

Pour the filling into the above crust and bake 30 minutes. Then reduce temperature to 325 and bake for about another 20 minutes (maybe less, so best to keep an eye on it).

You'll need to cool the pie about 2 hours and it is best to make it at least one night before. When you are ready to serve it dust it with some powdered sugar and you are all set!

What's puffy and fluffy and tasty?

2010-08-27T23:48:00.000-07:00

A creme puff! Ms. Amy Shelley had the wonderful idea to make these. Neither of us had made them before, but we did good! They came out better than we had hoped and now that we know how simple they are I have a feeling we'll each be making them more often. You can make them too:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees

Ingredients:

1/2 cup shortening
1 cup boiling water
1 cup flour
4 eggs
1 box of custard or pudding

The directions are pretty simple. Just melt the shortening in a sauce pan, add the boiling water, and add the flour. Mix it all until the flour becomes a big ball. Take it off the heat and add the eggs one at a time, mixing in between each one.

Once everything is mixed place the dough by heaping tablespoons on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes at 450, and then another 10 minutes at 425. Once they are cooled, cut them open (half way), and fill them.

Voila, you have le puff de creme!

Chocolate Truffles!

2010-08-22T19:09:00.001-07:00

I took a chocolate making class this past weekend and it was so much fun! I have a new appreciation for expensive chocolates. There is so much time and precision that goes into making chocolate, and you have to be very detail oriented. Time, measurements, temperature (you'll need a thermometer), you have to pay careful attention to all of it if you want perfect chocolate truffles. Well, in my case, close to perfect ;)

The truffles have a ganache center, a chocolate coating, and then you can cover them with whatever you like. We chose cocoa powder, powdered sugar, milk chocolate shavings, and white chocolate shavings. Here is how you make them:

Ingredients:

5 oz chopped darked chocolate (68-72%)
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tsp light corn syrup
1 tbs unsalted butter, at room temperature
1lb of tempered chocolate (we'll get to that later on)

Directions:

Ganache

Place chopped chocolate in a medium size bowl and set aside
Bring cream and corn syrup to a boil while stirring
Pour over chopped chocolate and allow to sit for 2 minutes
Stir slowly with a whisk, until well mixed and emulsified
When the ganache reaches 95F mix in the softened butter, and stir well
Let the ganache cool at room temperature for about an hour, or until it has cooled to below 74F
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and scoop out small balls of ganache
Set aside to dry overnight at room temperature, uncovered

Dipping, and *Tempering Chocolate

Roll the ganache into smooth balls
Dip in tempered chocolate and roll in desired toppings
Allow chocolate to set before storing at cool room temperature

*Tempering is the process of melting and cooling the chocolate, which you'll then use for dipping. You'll need to chop the chocolate into small pieces to facilitate the melting. Then melt the chocolate over warm water (not boiling) or in the microwave (at low power.) For dark chocolate you'll want to get it to 115-120F, milk chocolate 100-110F, and white chocolate 100-105F.

Once the melting temperature has been reached, you'll need to add more chocolate to lower the temperature to 93-94F. Just add chocolate in dosages until you get there. Dark chocolate should reach 88-91F, milk chocolate should reach 85-89F, and 84-88 F for white chocolate. It is very important that you keep stirring the chocolate throughout the process. If you ever need to adjust the temperature you can hold the bowl over the stove for about 10-15 seconds until you reach the temperature range you need.

And there you go. Now you can make chocolate truffles!

Devil's Food Cake

2010-08-15T10:36:00.000-07:00

I made this one for a misty, foggy, typical San Francisco picnic. I was a little concerned it would not brave the elements, but it held up just fine! It's another Magnolia Bakery recipe. The more goodies I make of theirs, the more I like them. They definitely live up to the hype!

It's a great double-layer cake. The frosting is thick and similar to marshmallow or meringue, and the cake is chocolatey, moist, and delicious. Then I just added some raspberries and sugary pearl decor for an extra touch. I need to figure out how to make it perfect like the pictures, but overall I was pleased with it.

Here's how you make it:

Preheat the oven to 350

Ingredients:

Cake

3 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
3 eggs, separated (you'll be using the yolks and the whites at different moments, so be sure to keep both)
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
8 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted
2 cups milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Frosting:

3 egg whites
2 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup cold water
1 1/2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/8 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Cake:

Melt the chocolate over a double boiler for 5-10 minutes. You can just put a metal bowl over a pot of boiling water, works fine.
Remove it from the heat and let it cool.
In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set it aside.
Lightly beat the yolks until lemon colored
In a large bowl beat together the butter and sugar until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolks until well combined.
Add the chocolate until well mixed
Add the dry ingredients to the above butter mixture, in thirds. Alternate with the milk and vanilla.
Beat the egg whites on the high speed of an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gently fold into the batter.
Divide the batter between two 9", greased, pans and bake 40-45 minutes

Frosting:

Combine egg whites, sugar, water, syrup, and salt in a metal bowl over boiling water
On the high speed of an electric mixer, beat constantly for 6-8 minutes, or until the icing stands in soft peaks
Remove from the heat, add the vanilla, and beat for another minute until you get the right consistency for spreading
Use immediately

Enjoy!

Who You Callin a Tart?

2010-08-03T21:19:00.001-07:00

I finally made a tart! I think I was always intimidated by their beauty and assumed they were going to be hard to make, but now that I have succeeded I am no longer afraid! I love them because they are versatile, colorful, refined, and delicious. Next time you have a party (tea party perhaps?) to attend you can make one too.

First off, it's suggested that you make the curd (filling) and tart dough beforehand. I made mine the night before. When you are ready to bake it though you will want to preheat the oven to 350.

Ingredients:

Lemon curd:

3 eggs
3 egg yolks
1 cup of white sugar
3/4 cup lemon juice
6 tbs unsalted butter

Tart Crust:

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup of white sugar
1 egg yolk
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
a pinch of salt

Topping:

Fruit assortment of your choosing :)
Warmed jam to brush on top of the fruit and make it look glossy!

Directions:

Curd:

You'll want to set aside a strainer, over a large bowl. Then you can start whisking the eggs, egg yolks, and sugar together in another metal bowl.
Whisk in the lime juice to above mixture and set the bowl over a simmering pot of water (but don't let the bowl touch the water).
Whisk constantly over the boiling water until the curd thickens (about 6 minutes).
Immediately pour the curd through the strainer.
Add butter to the curd and let it sit for a minute before you mix it in.
Refrigerate the curd, covering it with plastic wrap. Make sure the plastic is covering/touching the top of the curd.

Tart Crust:

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar in a medium bowl for about 2 minutes until it looks well blended.
Add the egg yolk.
Add flour and salt, and mix on low speed until the mixture resembles large peas.
Knead the dough together with your hands and transfer to a greased 9" tart pan. (Tip: The best are the ones with the removable bottom so that you can easily slide the tart up and out when it is done baking and cooled).
Press the dough evenly across the pan and up the edges to form the crust.
Cover and chill one hour, to one day.

When you are ready to bake it place the crust in the oven (no curd, in case that is not clear) for about 35 minutes until golden brown. Let it cool in the pan and then spread the curd onto the cooled crust. Follow that up with some fruit, let it refrigerate to firm up, and you are set!

Hope you get to impress some guests with this one :)

I Made French Macaroons!

2010-07-24T22:31:00.000-07:00

I can't take all the credit for this one, I did have one great sous-chef! These were a lot harder to make then expected. The ingredients are simple, but everyone warned me that they are harder than they look. Now I know! It took a couple tries and there is still some perfecting to be done, but I have to say I am pretty darn happy with the results.

They are the perfect little cookie. Bite size, pretty, great as a gift, and you can color them and flavor them however you like. I chose rose flavored, pink, macaroons with a cinnamon butter creme center. Oh-so-delightful! Here is how you make them:

Ingredients:

Macaroon batter:

2/3 cup ground almonds (or almond flour, which is what I used)
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
3 egg whites (at room temperature)
5 tbs granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp rose water

Butter cream filling:

7 tbs unsalted butter
3 tbs water
3 tbs granulated sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375

Macaroon cookie:

Mix together the almond flour (or ground almonds) and powdered sugar (this is also where you would add the rose water)
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites on high until they are thick and foamy and create stiff peaks. Gradually add the granulated sugar to the egg whites as you are beating them
Add vanilla and food coloring to above mixture
Once the meringue has a glossy texture, it is done
Stir in half of the flour mixture, folding from the bottom. Then add the second half and stir lightly. Be sure not to over mix this as you want to keep the consistency of the meringue!
Place the batter in a pastry bag and squeeze them onto a cookie sheet in little circles about an inch in diameter.
Let them dry out for 15-30 mins. You'll know they are ready to be baked if you can lightly touch the top of one and it does not stick to your finger.
Bake for 15 minutes (tip: Add a second baking sheet underneath so that the macaroons don't burn)

Butter cream:

Stir the water and sugar in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for about 2-3 minutes
Beat the above syrup mixture with an egg
Add the butter and mix at medium speed until it is creamy
Add cinnamon

Once the macaroons are done baking let them cool, add the butter cream center, and you are finito!

Lemon Blueberry Streusel-Topped Muffins

2010-07-10T21:50:00.000-07:00

I have a list of fancy pretty things I want to bake but I don't have any events or occasions to bake them for, how unfortunate. So I'm left with the more practical, useful, baked goods like muffins. I can get my baking fix and have breakfast for the next couple of days. Perfecto.

I bought a very heavy cookbook from Sur La Table and decided to make use of it with this muffin recipe. I just substituted the fruit and flour types to make em the way I want em ;)

Preheat oven to 400

Ingredients:

For the muffin:

2 cups whole wheat flour (original recipe calls for white flour)
2/3 cup white sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
3/4 stick butter
finely grated zest of one lemon
2/3 cup milk (original recipe calls for buttermilk)
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup frozen blueberries (equivalent of 6oz, fresh)
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

For the Streusel topping:

Whisk together

1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbs melted butter

Mix with a spoon and crumble over muffins before you put them in the oven

Directions:

Mix the dry ingredients together in a medium size bowl
In a small skillet, melt the butter with the lemon zest. Apparently it helps bring the flavor out of the zest
Turn off the heat and add the milk to the lemon butter mixture. Let cool.
Pour the butter mixture into a bowl, and mix with eggs and vanilla until well blended
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and mix in the wet ingredients
Fold in the berries and stir everything together
Pour batter into lined muffin tins. If you want the big fluffy muffin tops (who doesn't?), fill the tin/cupcake liners to the top!
Crumble 1 tbs of streusel atop each muffin
Bake for 18 minutes

Enjoy!

Classic Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip

2010-07-06T21:54:00.001-07:00

Nothing fancy about these guys, they're just tasty. I'm sure everyone has made an oatmeal cookie at some point in their life, but I'll post the recipe anyway.

Preheat oven to 350

Ingredients:

2 sticks of butter (I used 1 stick butter and 1 stick margarine so they come out softer)
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups oatmeal
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

With an electric mixer, beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla
Add eggs, and mix
Add oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt
Mix all of it together, then add the raisins and chocolate
Add to a lined baking sheet by tablespoons and bake for 10-13 minutes

And there you go, cookies!

Chocolate Cherry Crumb Bars

2010-06-29T21:17:00.000-07:00

They're called Chocolate Cherry Crumb Bars but I'd prefer to call them "Chewy Chocolate Cherry Chunks", because that has a ring to it! Regardless, very yummy. So yummy in fact that my friend could not stop eating them once she had one bite. They basically taste like rich chocolate shortbread, stuffed with cherry goodness.

To start, preheat oven to 325 and coat a 9-inch square baking pan with cooking spray. Line with parchment paper and cover that with cooking spray as well. It makes it a lot easier to get the bars out of the pan once they are baked and cooled :)

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups dried cherries, chopped
2 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter
1 cup of sugar
2/3 cup water
1/2 cup baker's cocoa
1 tsp coarse salt
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup unsweetened, shredded, coconut
2 cups (+ 7 1/2 tsp) all-purpose flour
1 egg
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate

Directions:

Bring cherries, 2 tbs butter, water, and 1/4 cup sugar to a simmer in a pan on low heat. Stir and simmer until liquid has been absorbed.
Remove cherries from heat and mix with 1/4 cup sugar. Let cool on the side.
Whisk together cocoa powder, salt, brown sugar, coconut, and 2 cups of flour in a bowl.
Blend in remaining 2 1/4 sticks butter with a pastry blender, or your fingertips, until mixture is mixed and coarse.
Press 3 cups of the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes.
Put egg, remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar in a bowl and mix with an electric mixer.
Fold in cherry mixture and 7 1/2 tsp of flour.
Stir in chocolate.
Spread the mixture over the bottom crust, which you have by now have taken out of the oven.
Sprinkle with remaining cocoa dough mixture.
Bake for 5o minutes and when it is done lift it out of the pan using the parchment paper

Enjoy!

Martha Stewart is Totally My Favorite Ex-Con

2010-06-14T22:25:00.001-07:00

I know I need to start challenging myself more with cakes, and tarts, and puff pastries; but lately I just don't have the time and energy, yet I still have the will to bake! And if Martha made the time to come up with hundreds of cookie recipes while incarcerated (okay, maybe she didn't write this book in prison...) then I think it is only right that I make the time to bake her yummy Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies!

I bought the book but you don't have to, because here is how you make them:

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups + 1tbs all purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1tbs freshly grated, peeled, ginger (I just grated some candied ginger)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 unsulfured molasses
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp boiling water
About a cup of chocolate chips
1/4 granulated sugar (to roll the dough in before baking)

Directions:

Sift together the flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cocoa
In a separate bowl beat together the butter and fresh ginger (or candied ginger) with an electric mixer
Add brown sugar to butter mixture, and mix well
Add molasses to above butter mixture, and mix well
In a small bowl, dissolve the baking soda in the hot water
Beat half the flour mixture into the butter mixture, then add the baking soda mix, and then add the remainder of the flour mixture
Mix in the chocolate chips
Roll into a log and cover in plastic wrap to be chilled for 2 hours, or even overnight

When you are ready to bake them, preheat the oven to 325 degrees and roll pieces of the dough into 1 1/2 inch balls. Then roll the dough balls in granulated sugar and place on baking sheets lined with parchment paper (about 2" apart.) Bake for 10-12 minutes, let them cool, and thank Martha.

Hello Dolly Bars

2010-06-02T17:49:00.000-07:00

These were another hit from my Magnolia Bakery cookbook. I've had them at different places, under different names, but they always taste just as good! I brought them to a BBQ hosted by culinary school students, and people still enjoyed them. So that must say something, right? ;)

Hello Dolly bars are by far the easiest thing I have made. Here's how you make them:

Preheat oven to 325

Ingredients:

2 cups crumbled graham crackers
2 cups chopped pecans
2 cups sweetened, and shredded, coconut
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 14oz cans of condensed milk

Directions:

Mix everything but the condensed milk together and pat it all down into a greased 13x9 baking pan. Once it's all in there pour the condensed milk over the mixture and spread evenly. Bake for 30-35 minutes, cut them up into bars, and you are set!

Cream Cheese + 1lb of Chocolate= Super Chocolate Cheesecake

2010-05-22T13:50:00.000-07:00

Ms. May Allen had a wonderful dessert night packed with friends and sugar, my favorites! These events of course always make me happy since they give me an excuse to bake and try new things. I just bought 'Luscious Chocolate Desserts' and decided the Killer Chocolate Cheesecake needed to be made. This thing is massive and delicious. Not only does it contain a pound of chocolate, but sugar and butter galore...MMMM. Between the batter and multiple doses of the actual cake the next day I want to say I am cheesecaked-out, but let's be real...is there such a thing as too much cheesecake?!

It is easy to make, but here are a couple things you will need:

A 9" springform pan

A roasting dish, or something deep enough to fill with about an inch of water

Tin foil to wrap the springform pan in

Ingredients:

Crust (I'll be short with this one. It is just that simple):

9oz of chocolate graham crackers, ground up in a food processor (or you can just crush them up with your hands if you don't mind chunkiness)

6tbs unsalted butter, melted

Mix them up and pack them on the bottom of the 9" springform pan, and then bake the crust for about 9 minutes. Take it out and let it cool while you make the best part, the filling.

Filling:

1lb semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 stick unsalted butter

2tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
Three 8oz packages of cream cheese

1 cup of sugar

4 eggs

Pinch of salt

1 1/2 cups sour cream

2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Melt the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan with boiling water

Whisk in the cocoa powder

Remove from heat and let it cool while you mix the other ingredients...

Beat the cream cheese and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy

Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition

Beat in salt

Beat in the chocolate mixture until smooth

Add sour cream and vanilla, and mix everything until smooth

Pour the filling into the springform pan

Set the pan in the roasting pan, and fill with about an inch of boiling water (You will need to wrap the cake pan in tin foil as well so the water doesn't get in!)

Bake for 45mins
Let the springform pan cool in the water dish for 15mins

Remove cake from the roasting pan and remove the tin foil to refrigerate in the springform pan for at least 12 hours

Eat cake, and not just batter :)

Oh, and a special guest...DD! He was the only guy to make something from scratch, and although he had some competition we were all impressed with his Banana Pudding:

Red Velvet Cupcakes for Kimia's Bridal Shower

2010-05-18T20:54:00.000-07:00

May 2010 has been full of bridal showers (with more to come!) and I had the pleasure of making dessert for my friend Kimia's bridal shower this past weekend. I decided to test out some Red Velvet cupcakes! I have been wanting to make some, and according to Hallmark red is the color of love ...so it just seemed appropriate :) They were fun to decorate, and they just come out in such a pretty shade of red. Here is how you make them:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Ingredients (makes 12 cupcakes):

1 1/4 cups cake flour

2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup buttermilk

1tsp vanilla extract

4 drops of red food coloring

3/4 cups sugar

4 tbsp unsalted butter

1 egg

Directions:

Sift together the dry ingredients

In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, vanilla, egg, and food coloring

In another bowl, using an eletric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy

Add the flour mixture to the butter and sugar, alternating with the buttermilk mixture

Mix it all up until it is smooth

Divide evenly among cupcake tins, filling each "cup" about 3/4 full

Bake 20-22mins

Make someone's day, like Princess Alia...

Congratulations Kimia and Kenny!!!

Magnolia Bakery's Apple Walnut Cake with Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting

2010-05-05T19:45:00.000-07:00

Every time I go to NYC I tell myself I am going to try a Magnolia Bakery cupcake but it never happens! Part of the problem is that there are just too many great places to try in New York, and somehow Magnolia just seems to fall behind. I'm probably a little afraid of the potential let down too if I find out it was not worth the hype or the wait. But Tsehay is a good friend, and she bought me 'The Complete Magnolia Bakery Cookbook' for my birthday...so now Magnolia comes to me (and maybe you)!

My friend Annie had a house warming/dinner party with some of my favorite Googlers, and I was of course in charge of dessert. I made this cake from the Magnolia cookbook and everyone said it was the best thing I have ever made. That either says something about the possible progression of my baking skills (hmmmm), or it is a testament to the deliciousness of this cake! I also brought some of what was left to work and it was gone in about 20 minutes. Overall it seems to be quite the crowd pleaser.

I should warn you that the only thing healthy about this cake is the apples (and maybe the omega-3s you get from the walnuts.) Everything else will go straight to your happy gut :) Here's how you make it:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Ingredients:

The Cake:

2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups of sugar
3 eggs
3 Golden Delicious apples, cut into 1" pieces
1 cup of chopped walnuts

The Icing:

2 eight-ounce packages of cream cheese, softened and cut into pieces
1 stick of unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces
1 cup of cold caramel
Gold sugar (if you are feelin sassy)

As you can see above, very healthy.

Directions:
The Cake:

With an electric mixer, beat the oil with the sugar until smooth
Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition until smooth
Add the dry ingredients in thirds, beating after each addition
Once you have a thick batter stir in the apple chunks and walnuts
Divide the batter between two greased 9x2-inch round cake pans
Bake 45-55minutes

In the meantime, you can make the icing.

The Icing:

With an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and the butter until smooth
Add the caramel and mix well

Let the cakes cool, and then spread a layer of icing on top of the one you want as the base to the layer cake. Layer the cakes and cover the whole thing with the icing. I added some extra caramel and sugar on top for decoration.

Enjoy!

Chocolate and Vanilla Rose Cupcakes

2010-05-01T22:57:00.000-07:00

I made these cupcakes for a Ridvan celebration in SF. They are basic chocolate and vanilla cupcakes, but I added a good amount of rose water to the batter and the frosting. It's definitely an acquired taste and may be unique to some, but if you are used to Persian desserts and up for trying something a little different these can be fun.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup flour (I actually used cake flour and I think they came out lighter than usual)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 large eggs
1/2 cup of milk
A few tablespoons of rose water (I guess it depends how "rosie" you want them!)

Directions:

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
In another bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the sugar and butter for about 2 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy.
Add rose water and eggs, one at a time, to the above mixture and keep mixing.
Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the milk, and mix well.
Pour the batter into lined cupcake tins and bake 15-18 minutes.

Hope you like!

Cranberry Almond Muffins

2010-04-25T18:04:00.000-07:00

I've decided there is no point in buying muffins if I can make them myself. I recently made some cranberry almond muffins to get me through my weekday mornings. Here is how you make them:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
5 tbs maple syrup
2 eggs
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
3 tbs flax seed meal
Handful of cranberries
1/3 cup ground almonds (I used cinnamon sugar ones)

Directions:

Cream the butter and syrup together
Beat eggs into above mixture
Add dry ingredients and mix together
Add cranberries and almonds
Bake for 12-15 mins

Enjoy!

If heaven had a flavor, I think it would be Peanut Butter

2010-04-19T22:13:00.000-07:00

I promise I did not make cookies two nights in a row. Yesterday's post was delayed, but I did bake these deeeelish Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip cookies tonight. I love peanut butter so maybe I am just bias, but these are yummerz.

I made these as part of a care package for a friend, and the new office has been expecting some baked goods from me, so really I just had no excuse not to bake!

Preheat your oven to 375 and get cookin:

Ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter & 1 stick of margarine
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
Peanuts (I chopped them up in a food processor)
Chocolate chips

Directions:

Mix the peanut butter, butter, margarine, and eggs
Mix the dry ingredients together
Mix everything and add the peanuts and chocolate chips
Roll the dough into spoonfuls, place on a greased baking sheet, and bake for 10 minutes
Enter peanut butter heaven

Classic Chocolate Chip & Walnut Cookies

2010-04-18T21:34:00.001-07:00

Who doesn't like chocolate chip cookies? Not much of an introduction needed for this post. Just felt like making some cookies, and it helps that I have a new office to share them with :)

Preheat oven to 375

Ingredients:

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 stick of butter and 1 stick of margarine.
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate chips and walnuts used at your discretion

Directions:

Place them by the spoonful on a greased cookie sheet
Bake for 8-10 minutes
EAT

Chocolate Caramel Blondies

2010-04-01T18:09:00.001-07:00

Butter, sugar, flour, and a little bit of chocolate caramel just can't go wrong. These are quick and super easy to make. In my opinion the Blondie is an underrated dessert that deserves to be made a little more often, so give it a shot ;)

Preheat oven to 375

Ingredients:

3/4 stick butter (6 tbs)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
3/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
I added chunks of chocolate covered caramel for a little extra treat

Directions:

Melt the butter and sugar in a sauce pan on medium heat until bubbly
Remove from the stove and let sit 3 minutes
Stir in the vanilla
Whisk in the eggs (you'll want to do this quickly so that the mix doesn't curdle)
Stir in the flour and baking powder until you get a thick batter
Pour into a greased 8 inch square baking pan and bake for 20-25 minutes until the edges are golden brown, and the center is firm

Eat up!

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

2010-03-29T21:24:00.000-07:00

This is my last week at Google and tomorrow we have a little get together to celebrate the end of Q1. Since this is the last time I'll get to bake anything for the Googlers I decided to make the banana bread they seem to love so much. The best part about banana bread is that it is so simple to make and always a hit, so I encourage you to make some yourself :)

Preheat your oven to 350 and get bakin!

Ingredients:

3 ripe bananas
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
a pinch of salt
All the chocolate and walnuts you can handle!

Directions:

Mash up the bananas
Cream the butter and sugar
Add the eggs and banana to the butter and sugar
Blend the dry ingredients into the above
Pour into a greased loaf pan and cook for 1 hour

Mmmm...deliciousness...

Rocky Road Cookies

2010-03-14T15:59:00.000-07:00

I'm about half way through the Fast and for some reason I decided to bake cookies today, while the sun was out, and torture myself :) I wanted to see what I could do with marshmallows so I made some Rocky Road cookies. I just threw some Rocky Road ingredients together with a basic sugar cookie recipe, and with

approximately 3 hours left before the sun sets I am definitely looking forward to some taste testing!

Preheat oven to 375, and get started...

Ingredients:

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup butter, softened (I used 1 stick of butter and 1 stick of margarine. The margarine makes them come out softer.)
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tbs baker's cocoa
Chopped walnuts
As many marshmallows as you want! (I recommend chopping them up a little before placing them in the dough)

Bake for 6 minutes and you're done!

Birthday Cupcakes Too!

2010-02-24T19:02:00.000-08:00

I also made some cupcakes for Elham's birthday using the same cake recipe below. Unfortunately you can't see the box, but it is covered in cupcakes! A nice, useful, Target purchase :)

Birthday Cake!

2010-02-23T17:48:00.000-08:00

I made a cake for my Sherry joon's birthday. I had to twist her arm to let me make her a cake (she taroffed like crazy "NO cake, No celebration!") So instead of the usual awkward office-wide singalong to Happy Birthday, we had a small getogether with this cake, and NO singing.

It's a basic white cake recipe; I just added some pizazz with a whole lotta food coloring, a dash of rasberry flavoring, and some "accessories." I think it was a crowd pleaser. Here's how you make it!

Preheat over to 325

Ingredients:

Red food coloring (optional)
Rasberry flavoring (optional)
6 tbs unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cup white sugar
3 cups sifted white flour (and really make sure you sift or else you run the risk of flour bits in your cake)
2 tsp vanilla
1 tbs baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup of milk
6 egg whites

Directions:

Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer, and mix in vanilla.
Combine the sifted flour, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl.
Add milk to the flour mixture.
In a separate bowl beat the egg whites until stiff, and then add them to the flour & milk mixture.
You can then divide this batter between two 9" cake pans and bake for 25-30 minutes OR you can do what I did and use a 3"x6" cake pan (shorter in width, taller in height, and looks kind of like a munchkin cake!) and cook it for 45minutes to an hour. Just keep checking it towards the end to make sure you're not overcooking it.

Happy birthday to you! (And aunt Deb if you are reading this xoxo)

Feelin a Little Healthy!

2010-02-21T21:19:00.001-08:00

I love me some sweet, no good for you, muffins but generally in the morning I like to have something a little healthier and light on the sugar. Unless it's the weekend, or I'm on vacation...then anything goes. Pastries especially. But I digress!

Today was a dreary rainy day in San Francisco. Most are probably sad when it is rainy, but I use this as an excuse to bake! And so today I made some hearty oat & date muffins. If you need a little pick-me-up in the morning (or any time) I suggest you make these.

Preheat oven to 425 degress

Ingredients:

1 cup of milk
1 cup of oats (I used Trader Joe's steel cut Irish oatmeal)
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup whole wheat flour
3 tbs Agave nectar (I used this to replace 1/4 cup white sugar)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbs ground flax seed meal
A handful of chopped dates

Directions:

In a small bowl, soak the oats in the milk for about 15 minutes.
Mix wet ingredients together in another bowl.
Sift dry ingredients together.
Pour dry mix into wet mixture, add oats and milk, and stir well.
Add flax seed and dates.
Fill greased/lined muffins tins about 2/3.
Bake for 20 minutes.

May you find the hippie within you while enjoying these muffins...

Je T'aime, Madeleine

2010-02-07T21:06:00.000-08:00

My friend Juliet was nice enough to get me a subscription to Bon Appetit magazine for Christmas, and I have to say I am having a lot of fun with it. I tried out the following recipe for Madeleines, and added some cranberries and apricots for good measure ;)

Ingredients:

9 tbs unsalted butter
4 large eggs whites
1 1/3 cup powdered sugar
6 tbs all purpose flour (I used 8 actually)
1/4 ground almonds (aka Almond Flour, or Almond Meal)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Melt butter in skillet until it starts to turn golden brown.
Beat everything but the butter together.
Add the butter to mixture.
Pour into buttered Madeleine mold/pan.
Bake 12 minutes

Lollie Cake

2010-02-07T20:36:00.001-08:00

A friend of mine asked me to bring back a new baking recipe from my trip to the South Pacific. I'll admit that no baking was involved in the making of this Lollie Cake, but it IS something unique to New Zealand! My friend introduced me to it when I was visiting, and I have to say it is unlike anything I've had here in the US. The concept reminds me a bit of a NZ version of the Rice Krispy treat though. It's very very sweet, with a malty flavor, and lots more cute esthetic value than a Rice Krispy. Here's how you make it:

Ingredients:

A little over a 1/2 cup of butter (i.e. a little more than a stick)
1 1/4 cup of ground up malt cookies
A bunch of Eskimos! You might have a hard time finding these ones, but I think Circus Peanuts or marshmallows will work just fine too. Eskimos just have more bright colors for effect ;)
1/2 tin of condensed milk
Some coconut for coating (optional)

Directions:

Melt the butter and condensed milk in the microwave.
Mix with ground malt cookies.
Cut up the Eskimos and mix them into above mixture.
Roll ingredients (you can add the coconut as coating here if you like) into a log and refrigerate for about 4 hours.
Cut up and serve!

*You can also roll them into little balls and refrigerate them.

Fondant Class with Dad!

2010-01-24T22:10:00.000-08:00

Forgive me for the low quality pictures. I took these using my camera today in another Baking Arts class. This time I chose a fondant class, and my dad came too! His is on the left and mine is on the right (and on top.) We named them Herman and Beatrice, respectively. Fondant is fun!

Cinnamon Palmiers

2010-01-24T21:08:00.000-08:00

French Palmiers always remind me of my Persian grandfather. When I was little he would take me out at least once a week for some treats and fun. Sometimes it was to a magic shop I liked, and sometimes to a local donut shop that was on Chestnut street. Neither of them are still around but I remember going to these places as a little girl with him. The people there knew us, and probably even expected us.

Another place we frequented was a French bakery by my grandparents home. We went there so much that the people probably knew us there too. Without a doubt I would always look forward to a buttery, sugar tainted, Palmier which was probably larger than my face. And my grandfather would always remind me of an important saying he learned in one of his French classes as a youth in Iran: "Il faut manger pour vivre, non vivre pour manger." Which translates to: "One must eat to live, not live to eat." To be honest I can't say that I've managed to live by this lesson of his, but I can say that the words stuck with me.

And with this, I give you a French Palmier recipe I recently picked up from a class at Baking Arts in San Francisco. The recipe is very easy, and I hope it creates some fond Palmier memories for you too!

Preheat oven to 425, and start by making the following puff pastry (prepare for a lot of folding, and grab a rolling pin).

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

9 ounces unsalted butter (divided)

1.5 tsp kosher salt or 1 tsp table salt

1/2 cup water (ice cold.) And keep some extra handy.

*Note: It is important you keep the butter well chilled; and if the dough starts to feel too warm, soft, or oily, cover it in seran wrap and pop it in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes.

Directions for puff pastry dough:

Dice 8 oz of the butter into 1/4 inch pieces and refrigerate until needed.

Mix the salt and flour in a large bowl.

Add remaining 1 oz (2 tbs) of the butter and rub thoroughly into the flour until no lumps of the butter remain. The mixture should look sandy.

Drizzle the cold water in 4 additions while gently tossing the flour mixture with a fork. When it starts to mass together, dump it out onto your work surface and using a rolling pin, pat and roll it into a rectangle about 18"x6".

Fold the dough into thirds so you have a square. Your first turn is now complete.

Next, turn the dough a quarter turn and repeat rolling the dough to an approximate 18"x6" rectangle.

Fold in thirds again. Turn the dough a quarter turn and repeat the rolling process until three turns have been completed.

*If the dough ever loses it's chill wrap it up and refrigerate it 20-30 minutes. If you don't plan on using it immediately you can refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour or overnight. You can keep the dough refrigerated 2-3 days, or well wrapped in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Directions for making the Palmiers:

*Use 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of cinnamon. And remember, if the dough ever starts to feel soft or warm, cover it and put it in the fridge.

Heavily sprinkle your work surface and top of the pastry with the cinnamon sugar.

Roll out the puff pastry to a 12"x16" rectangle (about 1/8 inch thick).

Trim the edges of the dough evenly and fold the opposite sides of the dough by 1/4th.

Fold each side in one more time so the two sides meed in the middle.

Sprinkle with sugar and fold in half. Press gently to seal it, and you should have a sort of log with a swirly looking center. You'll want to see 4 lines of cinnamon. Then you know you're good.

Cover the dough in seran wrap and chill it until it is firm.

Slice the log into 1/4 inch this slices.

Arrange them about 1" apart on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Cook for 6-9 minutes until they are puffed and golden around the edges.

Remove them from the oven, turn them over, and bake for another 5 minutes or so until the sugar looks caramelized.

A few words of caution...

I did not have parchment paper so I buttered the pan and my Palmiers turned out a little greasier than desired. Still good, but parchment is best if you want them at their most crisp and light.

The other thing is that you want to keep a good eye on them! They are very sensitive, so you may even want to bake them for less time than recommended depending on your oven.

Hope you enjoy them. Bon appétit!

Orange Chocolate Chunk Scones

2010-01-16T18:42:00.000-08:00

While vacationing in Wellington, New Zealand I had some amazing baked goods. The fresh scones at Deluxe cafe reminded me how much I love scones, and inspired me to make some of my own. So, after returning home with about 5 bars of New Zealand's famous Whitaker's chocolates I decided to put them to good use in these scones. I encourage you to make some yourself!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup white sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup sour cream
Chunks of orange-chocolate if you can find it. If not just use regular chocolate.
A good amount of Orange zest (basically just grate some Oranges down to the white area, but be sure not to include that bitter white part!)

Directions:

Sift all the dry ingredients together.
Chop up the butter and add it to the dry ingredients (or rub it into pea size amounts using your hands) and drop into dry ingredients.
Mix the milk and sour cream together and add to the above mixture.
Add the Orange and chocolate.
Roll them into balls and bake on a baking sheet for 10-12 minutes until gold brown.

Once you do all that you should end up with something muy tasty like this:

Persimmon Bread

2009-12-20T21:17:00.000-08:00

When life hands you yummy persimmons from your aunt's yard, you make persimmon bread! I used the following recipe and it turned out to be a nice fall treat.

Ingredients:

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used 1 cup flour, and 1/2 cup wheat flour)
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup persimmon pulp
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup raisins

Mix the ingredients and cook for 75 mins at 325 degrees, and you should come out with a nice loaf:

Chocolate Chip Candy Cane Cookies

2009-12-16T18:38:00.000-08:00

Super easy. Take a basic sugar cookie recipe (like the one from the last post), grind up some candy canes in the food processor, mix in some chocolate chips, and bake for about 10 mins at 375 degrees. Perfect Christmas treat!

Sorta Like Trail Mix cookie

2009-12-09T21:33:00.000-08:00

Now, you may be asking yourself: "Does Shirin have a life? Why so much baking?" The answer: Sometimes. And this week I had a lot to bake for! Plus, I just like experimenting and sharing through this blog.

One of the things I am baking for is a Google SF cookie contest which my friend at work asked me to participate in. (Part of a fundraiser for Family Giving Tree .)I'm generally not very competitive at all, but I still hope I win! hehe

In my quest for excellence I came up with what I call a Sorta Like Trail Mix Cookie. A variation of the unhealthy kind with chocolate in it, in cookie form. Even better! I took the simple sugar cookie recipe below and added some dried cranberries, milk chocolate chips, and cinnamon & sugar almonds from my man Trader Joe. If you ever need to go on a hike, I suggest these cookies. Here is how you make em:

Preheat oven to 375

Ingredients:

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup butter, softened (I used 1 stick of butter and 1 stick of margarine. The margarine makes them come out softer.)
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
As much cranberry, chocolate, and almonds as your heart desires!

Roll them up into little balls, bake for 8-10 mins, and voila! Tasty snack size cookie.

Vegan Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Cookies

2009-12-07T20:30:00.000-08:00

I got this recipe from my friend Maryam. She claims not to eat sugar anymore, but I don't know how that is possible with roommates who bake cookies like these! I have never met this roommate of hers, but these vegan cookies were divine...even for a meat eater like me. Try em for yourself and see!

Preheat the oven to 350

Ingredients:

1 cup margarine
1 1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp molasses
1/4 cup soymilk
2 1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup baker's cocoa
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup chocolate chips (I had to use mint chips because I was out of chocolate chips, doh! But they still taste good).

How to make them:

Cream all the wet ingredients together
Mix in the dry ingredients until it becomes doughy
Blend in the chocolate chips until, and I quote the words of Maryam's roomie, "it be ridiculous"!
Form dough into balls about an inch in diameter

Bake for about 9 minutes and gobble them up. If the cookies come out soft and gooey, don't worry, they are meant to be that way!

Pumpkin Cookies

2009-11-28T17:06:00.000-08:00

Tis the season for pumpkin! I had some leftover pumpkin and decided to see what I could do with it in cookie form. I came up with the following variation of a shortbread cookie.

Prep time: 30 mins or less

Bake time: 8-10 mins

Makes about 3o lil cookie balls.

Preheat oven to 350.

Topping:

I ground up some walnut, powdered sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
2/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 stick of butter
1/2 cup & 3 tbs canned pumpkin
Mix in some cinnamon and nutmeg for good measure. These are what will make them taste more like pumpkin pie ;)

Mix up the ingredients, flour up your hands, and roll up the dough into bite size balls. Stick them in the oven for 8-10mins. If they come out to soft leave them in a couple more mins but keep in mind they'll harden as they cool and you want them a little soft and warm out of the oven so that the above nut 'n sugar topping sticks!

Chocolate Coconut Macaroons

2009-11-26T10:47:00.000-08:00

I made these for last night's holy day celebration of The Day of The Covenant, and they were a

big hit. I still have not figured out why my cookies come out flat (tips appreciated...I'm still Googling for answers!) but at least they taste good. Here's how to make them:

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees and then mix the following ingredients:

2 egg whites
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp Almond extract
1 cup fine macaroon coconut (if you use bigger coconut shavings they will just come out chunkier)
3/4 cup chocolate chips, melted and cooled

Directions:

Beat eggs whites and salt until they are almost stiff.
Add the sugar slowly, until the egg whites stand in peaks.
Add Almond extract.
Fold in the coconut.
Stir in the melted chocolate.
Drop by teaspoonfuls on a greased cookie sheet.
Cook for 12-15mins, depending on how chewy or crispy you want them.

Eat up!

Not So Krispy Mint-Chocolate Chip Rice Krispy Treats

2009-11-23T21:49:00.000-08:00

I plan to keep myself honest with this blog, and share my baking boo-boos too. I'm still learning!

I had a few hours to myself Sunday and decided I would try something new. So I went for some chocolate ganache, and added some chopped up Andes mint chocolates to make it a little different. I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do with the ganache and thought I could try pouring them on some rice krispy treats I made. It did not turn out as planned...everything tasted like I wanted it to, but the "krispy" treats turned out soggy! But I learned that ganache doesn't work on rice krispy treats (I think I may have just poured too much), and it is really best to use melted chocolate alone. I did however learn how to make a nice mint-chocolaty fudge...with some rice krispy cereal ;)

If you want to go for the ganache though, it is super easy and tasty (best part is licking the spoon haha...oh why not, clean out the bowl too.) I made the ganache seen below as follows. I say go for it, just use it on something more solid.

Ganache Ingredients:

8 ounces chocolate
3/4 cup cream or milk
2 tbs butter
1/2 cup-1 cup chopped Andes candies (depends how minty you want it!)

Directions:

Place the chopped chocolate (Andes optional) in a medium sized stainless steel bowl. Set aside.
Heat the cream and butter in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil.
Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for 5 minutes.
Stir with a whisk until smooth.

If you happen to have rice krispy treats too, you could always dip them in the ganache. Mmmm.

Mexican hot chocolate shortbread cookies

2009-11-21T00:07:00.001-08:00

This is just a variation of shortbread I tested out. People at work ate them and seemed to like them. I think they could use more of the chocolate and less of the butter (I rarely say that), but here you go:

Prep: 15 mins (+30mins to chill dough)

Cook: 12 mins

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1 grated block of Ibarra Mexican hot chocolate (I'm sure you could use some baker's cocoa, sugar, and cinnamon as a substitute too).

*For something totally different, replace the chocolate with Earl Grey tea. I got the idea from the Food Network :)

Prepping and baking:

Place the dough on some plastic wrap and roll it up into a log.
Wrap the dough up tightly in the plastic and chill in the refrigerator for 30mins.
After it is chilled, slice the dough into disks about 1/3-inch thick.
Place on lined/greased baking sheet and bake 10-12mins.

Serve to your friends with some tea and you are good to go!

A healthy fruit pie...and it's yummy!

2009-11-20T23:17:00.000-08:00

Well my friends, I think it is about time I start blogging my baking experiences. I'm hoping I can use this blog as a space to share recipes I've tried and altered, and receive new ideas from my friends who also like to bake!

Last night I cooked this pie below. I'll admit, I did not have high hopes for this one. I tore it out of a health and fitness magazine which raved about "low calories" and "low sugar" baking recipes. Now, to me, this just doesn't sound right. Dessert is supposed to be bad for you! (Right?) But alas, this one proved me wrong. It was so easy to make, and my friends loved it! And sure, okay, you don't have to feel guilty eating it either :)

Here's how it is made:

Prep: 20 mins

Cook: 50 mins

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Dough

1cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/8 tsp baking powder
1/4tsp sugar
5tbs butter
3tbs cream cheese
2tbs very cold water
2tsp lemon juice

Roll it up into a ball, flatten it, and cover it up in plastic wrap to chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Filling

Fruit (I chose Apples, pears, and blueberries).
3tbs of flour
1tbs lemon juice
1/4tsp nutmeg
1/4tsp salt

*I added apple-cinnamon spice I had lying around, and some brown sugar!

Bake it

Add filling to dough (which by now you should have taken out of the fridge, rolled out with a floured rolling pin, and placed onto a 9inch glass pie pan) and bake at 375 for 50 mins.

If you wanna make it extra snazzy, brush the crust with egg whites and sprinkle it with some sugar before placing it in the oven...mmm...sugar.