Almond Walnut Cookies

These cookies were continuation of my attempt to branch out from traditional dessert flavours.  Yes, I know that they're cookies and dipped in chocolate, but they have walnuts!  Which, while still fairly dessert-y, was a new thing for me.  I also haven't baked cookies in AGES, sometime that's totally strange for me, considering my childhood specialty was cookies of the peanut butter chocolate chip variety. 

The original recipe said these were to make four dozen cookies, two teaspoons of dough each, but I ended up with about twenty good sized cookies.  It original recipe also called to bake them on parchment paper, which I didn't have, so I reduced the heat and upped the cooking time to stop the bottoms from burning.  If you ever have any problems with burnt-bottom cookies, though, the best solution is to let them cool, then run the bottoms over a cheese grater a few times.  This will grate off the black, bad tasting burnt part and leave you with just delicious, delicious cookie.

Preheat oven to 325. 


In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Using an electric mixer, beat together the butter, brown sugar and vanilla until pale and fluffy.  This took me a LONG time and was very stressful. Light and fluffy? What did that mean? Oh god, what if I beat it too long? In the end it ended up taking me about ten minutes, and I beat it until it achieved a consistency like thick whipping cream.  Don't forget to scrape down the sides so you don't waste any dough.

Add the flour mixture at low speed, then stir in the walnuts.  After this, I realized the beater wasn't doing the dough any favours in terms of getting it to stick together, so once everything was mixed I used my hands to form it into a big ball.

Grease a baking sheet and form the dough into egg-shapes.  You could definitely fit more onto a pan than I have here, they don't spread at all. Bake for about 7 minutes then check them, then bake in 3-4 minute intervals until set.  It's a really dry dough so they don't need much, just enough so the top is set and the bottom is lightly browned. If in doubt, take them out, I would say. They'll firm up as they cool.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler until smooth.  Remove from heat and dip half of each cookie, one cooled,  into the chocolate.  Place on a tinfoil or parchment paper lined baking sheet.  Sprinkle walnuts over the chocolate covered half of the cookie.  Place cookies in the fridge to allow chocolate to set, around 15 minutes.

Almond Walnut Cookies

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup finely chopped walnuts (4 ounces)

For Decoration:

• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted
• 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts (2 ounces)

Adapted from:  Erza Pound Cake

Pineapple Cake

Pineapple caaaaaaaake! I've been trying to branch out from the traditional dessert flavors of chocolate, peanut butter and cheesecake (NOT that there's anything wrong with any of those!) and this cake was the result.  I was kind of skeptical at first but the icing really made the cake - it ended up gooey delicious because of the holes poked in it before the icing is applied. I know it seems like a lot of liquid to pour on a hot cake, but trust me, it's worth it.

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 9x13 pan.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add eggs, pineapple and vanilla. Beat at medium speed until combined.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 30 min or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

In a saucepan, combine icing ingredients Bring to boil over med heat; boil for 2 min, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

 

Poke 1/2-in holes in the cake with the end of a mixing spoon at 1-in intervals. Pour icing over hot cake. Sprinkle with chopped pecans and coconut. 

Pineapple Cake

2 c flour
2 c sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 8-oz cans crushed pineapple, undrained
1 tsp vanilla extract
Coconut icing
1 c chopped pecans
1 c sweetened flake coconut

Icing:
1 c butter
1 5-oz can evap milk
1 1/2 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla

adapted from:  Perry's Plate

Brownie Mosaic Cheesecake

this cheesecake has a surprise!

...and that surprise is brownies! Yes, that's right, there are brownies right in there with the cheesecake, creating a 'mosaic' of brownie chunks within the cake.  I've never baked a proper cheesecake before, and I was really happy with how this one came out.  The top cracked, but once it was covered by the ganache you couldn't tell. I would have also liked my ganache to be smoother along the top, since the top of the cake was uneven it didn't quite happen.  It was still delicious though, and surprisingly easy for a very impressive cake.



To make the brownies, preheat the oven to 350°. Line a 9×13” baking pan with foil, leaving the ends of the foil overhanging the sides of the pan. Grease the foil and set aside. Microwave chocolate and butter in a large microwave-safe bowl on high for 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until the butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in sugar. Blend in eggs and vanilla. Add salt and flour; mix well. Spread into prepared pan.

To prepare the crust, combine all crust ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir until well combined. Press onto the bottom and one inch up the side of a 9-inch springform pan. Fill right away or chill for up to 2 hours.

mmmm...cheesecake

For the cheesecake, preheat the oven to 350°. Beat the cream cheese in an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating on low speed, scraping down the bowl between additions. Add vanilla and sugar and beat until well combined.

Pour enough cheesecake batter onto crust to cover the bottom.

Gently place brownie squares on top of cheesecake batter, leaving about an inch or so between pieces.

Add enough cheesecake batter to cover brownies and add more brownies on top of that.

Bake in the middle of the oven for 45 minutes or until cake is set 3 inches from edge but center is still slightly wobbly when pan is gently shaken. Allow to cool completely.

To make the ganache, put the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Bring the cream to a boil, the pour hot cream over the chocolate and let sit for 30 seconds. Working with a rubber spatula, gently stir the chocolate and cream together in small circles, starting at the center of the bowl and working your way out in increasingly larger concentric circles. When the ganache is smooth and shiny, stir in the butter piece by piece. Don’t stir the ganache any more than you must to blend the ingredients – the less you work it, the darker, smoother and shinier it will be. Let sit until it thickens to desired consistency. Then pour on top of cooled cheesecake and spread evenly. Chill to set.

Brownie Mosaic Cheesecake

For the brownies:
 4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
¾ cup butter

1 ¾ cups sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

½ tsp. salt

1 cup flour

For the crust:

1 ½ cups finely ground graham crackers

5 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

1/3 cup sugar
1/8 tsp. salt

For the cheesecake:
3 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
4 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup sugar

For the ganache:
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
½ cup plus 1 tbsp. heavy cream
2 tbsp. butter, cut into two pieces


Adapted from: Amanda's Cooking 

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Mini Cupcakes

These had just the right amount of pumpkin and were a huge hit.  The size was awesome too, just a bite or two and they're gone! I particularly like mini cupcakes for when you're not sure how many people are going to be at a party - it's much easier for people to have more mini cupcakes than it is to split bigger ones. Just don't do what I did, and forget to add the sugar until you've already put your first batch into the muffin tin.

Cake

• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup pumpkin purée (canned pumpkin)
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, or 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon plus 1/4 teaspoon each ground ginger and nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/4 cups flour

Icing

• 1/2 cup cream cheese
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 3/4 cups icing sugar
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Chocolate sprinkles

Cake

• 2 3/8 ounces vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 7 ounces sugar
• 8 ounces pumpkin purée (canned pumpkin)
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, or 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon plus 1/4 teaspoon each ground ginger and nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 5 1/4 ounces King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

Icing

• 4 ounces cream cheese
• 1 1/2 ounces butter
• 7 ounces confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/8 ounces finely diced crystallized ginger

Directions

Makes ~ 2 1/2 dozen mini cupcakes

1) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a mini cupcake pan.

2) Beat together the oil, eggs, sugar, pumpkin, spices, salt, and baking powder till smooth.

3) Add the flour, stirring just until smooth.

4) Fill the wells of the mini cupcake pan about 3/4 full; use a scant 1/4 cup of batter in each well.

5) Bake the mini cakes for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean.

6) Remove the cupcakes from the oven, and allow to cool. Remove the mini cakes from the pan after about 5 minutes, transferring them to a rack to cool.

8) While the cakes are cooling, prepare the icing. If the butter and cream cheese are cold, warm them very briefly in the microwave, just till they feel soft but haven't begun to melt.

9) Beat together the cream cheese, butter, sugar, and vanilla till smooth.

10) Spread the soft frosting atop the cooled cake(s).

11) Sprinkle with the chocolate sprinkles. Adapted from: King Arthur Flour

Krembos!

Krembo are an Israeli dessert, typically made with fish gelatin and egg whites to keep it kosher.  I and lots of people I know are vegetarians, and fish gelatin is gross, so I found a recipe that uses white cream and white chocolate instead.  The krembo is a Rice Krispie, Nutella and chocolate base, topped with white chocolate whipping cream and then dipped in a chocolate coating,  While this is a fairly simple recipe, it does take some time to make because of the 4+ hours of refrigeration required between steps.

the pre-chocolate stage

Base:
1c bitter sweet chocolate
1\2 cup nutella
6 1\2 cups puffed rice


Cream:
500 ml heavy cream (divided to two times 250 ml)
1 1/2 cups white chocoalte

Coating:
3 cups dark chocolate
3 tbsp neutral oil (canola, etc.)

1. Make the base by melting the nutella and chocolate together in a double boiler.  Once they are smooth, pour them over the rice krispies in a mixing bowl.  Mix and roll out using a rolling pin between two sheets of parchment paper until it is roughly 1cm thick.  Place in freezer for 20 minutes. 

2. Using a round cookie cutter, cut krembo base into circles.  The leftover base can be microwaved and re-rolled to make more krembos.  If you're having a hard time getting the re-rolled base to stick together, add more melted chocolate. 

3. In a small saucepan, heat the first 250ml of cream just until it starts to boil. remove from heat and pour into a mixing bowl. Add white chocolate and stir until smooth. Cover and place in fridge for at least four hours, preferably over night. 

4. Remove cream and chocolate mixture from the fridge.  Add other half of cream and mix with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form.  Put this mixture in a ziploc bag and cut off one corner to form a 1-2cm hole.  Pipe mixture onto bases in a spiral pattern.  Place in freezer for at least four hours, preferably over night. 

5.  Melt chocolate for the coating in a double boiler. Once chocolate is melted, remove from heat and add oil. Pour chocolate into a deep container, like a glass or deep bowl.  This will make it easier to dip the krembo.  Take each kremo and dip it in the chocolate, covering as much of the cream and base as possible.  Allow to sit in freezer for at least an hour before serving. 

Recipe adapted from: Purple Cookie

Cherry Pie Squares

Cherry! Pie! Om nom nom.  These were actually supposed to be a lot thinner and flakier than they turned out, as they were supposed to be in a 10x15 inch pan, but I didn't have one of those handy.  Instead they ended up being more cake-like, which I think was actually better.  The chocolate glaze was delicious, I expected it to be overpowering but it actually went with the cherries quite well.  If you're not a fan of chocolate, this would probably taste good with either vanilla or cream cheese icing as well.

1 3/4 cups sugar

1 cup butter

4 eggs

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

3 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

21 ounces cherry pie filling

GLAZE

3/4 cups powdered sugar

1/5 cup cocoa

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

3 tablespoons milk

Cream sugar and butter in mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. Add the almond extract and beat well. Whisk together flour and baking powder. Turn mixer speed down to lowest setting and slowly add flour mixture until completely combined.

Spread half of mixture onto an greased 9x13 pan. Spread pie filling over the top of the batter. Drop remaining batter onto the pie filling layer by spoonfuls.

Bake for 45 minutes at 350 or until golden brown. Do not under bake. Remove to a wire rack.

Combine powdered sugar, cocoa, melted margarine and milk and drizzle over warm bars.

Allow to cool completely before cutting into squares.

Adapted from:  Amanda's Cooking

Turkey Cupcakes!

I made these cute little guys last year, and they were so fun to make I just had to do it again.  These can be made with any cake or cupcake recipe, so I'm just going to give a tutorial on how to frost and decorate them.  They may look like a lot of work, but really it's very simple.  All the steps CAN be done in a row (without the noted refrigeration times) but allowing the icing to cool down and become more solid makes the cupcake easier to work.

24 chocolate cupcakes
1 tub of chocolate icing
Roughly 170 pieces of candy corn.
2 tubes of decorating chocolate icing (the kind that comes in squeeze tubes)

1. Frost cold cupcakes with chocolate frosting from the tub.  Don't make this layer too thick, no matter how much you love icing, because it will make the rest of the turkey unstable.  Put cupcakes in fridge from 10-12 minutes.

2. Using squeeze tube icing,  pipe the head onto each cupcake using a spiral motion.  This icing is usually a lot more sold than the tub icing and will hold the form of the head better, and the tube makes it easier to get the shape of the head right.  Allow heads to firm up in the fridge for 10-12 minutes.

3. Poke two rows of candy corn, pointy side down, into the side of the cupcake opposite the head.  I usually do one row of four in the back and then one row of two in front of it.  You can add more or less depending on how you want it to look (or how much you like candy corn).

4.  Push the fat end of a piece of candy corn into the head of each bird, forming its beak.