Oatmeal Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Published
by
jillian
on October 21, 2009
in Cookies and Recipes
. 9 Comments

It may sound like a lot of flavors for one cookie, but this is such a good combination.  I hadn’t made these in awhile even though J kept requesting them.  I usually make chocolate chip cookies because I am rarely tempted to eat them.  These cookies, however, I love.  I am trying to eat oatmeal everyday, and I think it still counts if it is in cookie form.  The coconut gets slightly toasted as these bake giving them a pleasant nutty flavor and a slightly chewy texture.

Oatmeal Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from this Joy of Baking Recipe

3/4 cup room temperature unsalted butter

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

1 large egg

2 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut, packed tightly

1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Beat the softened butter and brown sugar until well combined, add the vanilla and egg. Sift the baking soda, flour, cinnamon and salt and add slowly to the butter and sugar. Stir in the oats. When combined add the coconut and chocolate chips.  Line cookie trays with parchment paper.  Use a heaping tablespoon full of dough gently form a ball, place on the cookie sheet and flatten slightly.  This will make about 24 cookies.  Bake for about 12 to 15 minutes until lightly browned.

Cinnamon Rolls

Published
by
jillian
on October 16, 2009
in Breakfast, Dessert and Recipes
. 5 Comments

I have a stack of magazines and filed recipes that I have every intention of trying one day.  Most have been clipped from Bon Appetit and the now defunct Gourmet magazine.  Even though I have this stack or recipes, I almost always search online before making something I have never made before.  I settled on this recipe for Cinnamon Rolls and realized it was the exact same one from Molly Wizenberg of Orangette that I had in my files.  Let me start by saying that this is a really good recipe.  The steps are simple, but I had to adjust the amount of sugar to keep it from being too sweet for our tastes.  I also didn’t think it needed the cream cheese icing.  I just used a simple vanilla confectioners sugar glaze.  These freeze amazingly well after they are baked and can be defrosted in a minute in the microwave.  I am thinking that these might make nice Christmas Eve gifts.

Cinnamon Rolls
From Bon Appetit by Molly Wizenberg with my notes indicated in parentheses
Ingredients
Dough
1 cup whole milk (I used low-fat)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 1/2 cups (or more) unbleached all purpose flour, divided
1/2 cup sugar (I used 1/3 cup)
1 large egg
2 1/4 teaspoons rapid-rise yeast (from 2 envelopes yeast)
1 teaspoon salt
Nonstick vegetable oil spray

Filling:
3/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar (I used 1/2 cup of dark brown sugar)
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

I omitted the Cream Cheese Glaze and instead used a sparing amount of the following: 1/2 cup confectioners sugar, 1/4 tsp vanilla extract and 1 tbsp of milk.

For dough:
Combine milk and butter in glass measuring cup. Microwave on high until butter melts and mixture is just warmed to 120°F to 130°F, 30 to 45 seconds. Pour into bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add 1 cup flour, sugar, egg, yeast, and salt. Beat on low speed 3 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl. Add 21/2 cups flour. Beat on low until flour is absorbed and dough is sticky, scraping down sides of bowl. If dough is very sticky, add more flour by tablespoonfuls until dough begins to form ball and pulls away from sides of bowl. Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, adding more flour if sticky, about 8 minutes. Form into ball.

Lightly oil large bowl with nonstick spray. Transfer dough to bowl, turning to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 2 hours.

For filling:
Mix brown sugar and cinnamon in medium bowl.

Punch down dough. Transfer to floured work surface. Roll out to 15×11-inch rectangle. Spread butter over dough, leaving 1/2-inch border. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar evenly over butter. Starting at 1 long side, roll dough into log, pinching gently to keep it rolled up. With seam side down, cut dough crosswise with thin sharp knife into 18 equal slices (each about 1/2 to 3/4 inch wide).

Spray two 9-inch square glass baking dishes with nonstick spray. Divide rolls between baking dishes, arranging cut side up (there will be almost no space between rolls). Cover baking dishes with plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until almost doubled in volume, 40 to 45 minutes.

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. Bake rolls until tops are golden, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and invert immediately onto rack. Cool 10 minutes. Turn rolls right side up. (I forgot to do this step the second time I made these and they were still fine.)

Ginger Peach Skillet Pie

Published
by
jillian
on September 5, 2009
in Dessert and Recipes
. 14 Comments

I recently saw a pie baked in a cast iron skillet at the King Arthur Flour Blog.  This sounded like a pretty fantastic idea and I vowed to try it.  The cast iron helped the base layer of the pie bake evenly and warded off any sogginess.  It also looked pretty cool and rustic.  I felt like the edges on this would be pretty likely to burn because this pie bakes at a high temperature.   I just tucked the edges of the top crust under to seal it.  The fresh local peaches that I had ranged from pretty good to lackluster in flavor.  I decided to give them a boost with some fresh ginger and brown sugar.  This pie really needs to sit for a while for the juices to cool before you slice it.  It is best served with vanilla ice cream of course.

Ginger Peach Pie
Ingredients
Pate Brisse divided into 2 crusts ( I replaced 2 tbsp of the butter with shortening because of the high temperature this bakes at)
6-8 peaches peeled and sliced
1 tbsp all purpose flour
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1/4 cup brown sugar (you may need more if the peaches are especially tart)
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 egg, beaten lightly with a tbsp of water for egg wash

Preheat the oven to 425

Roll one half of the dough to fit the pan.  Mix the peaches with the spices, lemon juice and flour and place in the pan.  Roll the other dough to fit the top and seal the sides. Cut steam holes in the top of the pie and brush with  egg wash and top with a sprinkle of sugar.
Bake for 15 minutes at 425 and lower to 350 and bake for about 50 minutes covering the outside crust if necessary.   Allow the pie to cool for several hours at room temperature.

Daring Bakers: Dobos Torte

Published
by
jillian
on August 28, 2009
in Dessert and Recipes
. 22 Comments

The August 2009 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Angela of A Spoonful
of Sugar and Lorraine of Not Quite Nigella. They chose the spectacular Dobos
Torte based on a recipe from Rick Rodgers’ cookbook Kaffeehaus: Exquisite
Desserts from the Classic Caffés of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague.

There are many birthdays in our families over the summer, and I decided to make this torte for my Mother and brother in law’s birthday, which happens to be the same day.  I don’t have any photos yet of the cake sliced because the party is tonight,  and I thought they might notice a slice missing :) .   I will add some this weekend. I tried especially hard to get reasonably even layers of cake and frosting.  Hopefully, it worked out.  I can say that I really liked the buttercream frosting.  It was a softer buttercream than I am used to but it was really smooth and creamy.  I thought there was just enough chocolate.  I know that my mother in law isn’t crazy about caramel so I opted not do the traditional top layer.  Instead, I played around with some sugar creations until I made one I liked for the top.

Thanks to Lorraine of Not Quite Nigella and Angela of A Spoonful of Sugar for hosting this month! I was so happy it was a cake!  You can check out the other Daring Bakers’ Dobos Tortes here.

ETA: Here is a photo of the caked sliced.  The cake went over really well the party. The layers weren’t perfectly even, but I was pretty happy with the result when it was sliced.  Have I mentioned I loved this frosting? :)

Continue reading ‘Daring Bakers: Dobos Torte’

Banana Bread

Published
by
jillian
on July 28, 2009
in Breakfast, Dessert and Recipes
. 26 Comments

This banana bread recipe was one of the first things I learned to bake on my own way back in high school.  My mom kept a yellowed handwritten recipe of my grandmother’s tacked to her bulletin board in the kitchen.  I was instructed not to lose it.  Only later did I realize it was one of the few things she had left in my grandmother’s handwriting.  The original recipe was actually my great grandmother’s.  She wasn’t known for her skills in the kitchen, and this is the only recipe that seems to have been passed down.  It is a simple recipe that just works reliably well. More than a decade later , I still make this it all the time (with my additions of vanilla and cinnamon).  I like that there is no butter in it making it reasonably healthy. This also allows me to justify slathering a slice with butter when it is still warm from the oven.

Banana Bread
Ingredients
3 (over) ripe bananas
1/2- 3/4 cups sugar (the less ripe the bananas, the more sugar you will need)
2 eggs
2 cups all purpose flour (I often replace one of the cups with whole wheat flour)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Mash the bananas in a large bowl and add the sugar. The sugar will help liquefy the mixture.  Whisk in the eggs, and then sift in the dry ingredients. Still until evenly combined. Bake in a greased a floured loaf pan at 325 for about 1 hour or until a cake tester comes out clean. Allow to stand and cool for 15 minutes before removing from the pan.

Daring Bakers: Milano Cookies

Published
by
jillian
on July 27, 2009
in Cookies, Dessert and Recipes
. 19 Comments

 

The July Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Nicole at Sweet Tooth. She chose Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies and Milan Cookies from pastry chef Gale Gand of the Food Network.

I chose to do just one of the two cookie recipes for this month’s challenge.  I have always wanted to play around with making homemade marshmallow, but it wasn’t meant to be this month.  I did enjoy making the Milans.  They came together very quickly.  These are really my kind of cookies-light and crisp with a hint of lemon.  I found the batches that browned quite a bit around the edges had the best flavor.  I made some bite-sized mini round cookies and a few modeled after the Pepperidge Farm version.

Hopefully, I will get around to making some homemade marshmallow for s’mores before the end of the summer.  All the other Mallows and Milans can be seen here.  Thanks to Nicole for hosting this challenge!

Milan Cookies
Recipe courtesy Gale Gand, from Food Network.

Prep Time: 20 min
Inactive Prep Time: 0 min
Cook Time: 1 hr 0 min
Serves: about 3 dozen cookies
• 12 tablespoons (170grams/ 6 oz) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 1/2 cups (312.5 grams/ 11.02 oz) powdered sugar
• 7/8 cup egg whites (from about 6 eggs)
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons lemon extract
• 1 1/2 cups (187.5grams/ 6.61 oz) all purpose flour
• Cookie filling, recipe follows
Cookie filling:
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 orange, zested
1. In a mixer with paddle attachment cream the butter and the sugar.
2. Add the egg whites gradually and then mix in the vanilla and lemon extracts.
3. Add the flour and mix until just well mixed.
4. With a small (1/4-inch) plain tip, pipe 1-inch sections of batter onto a parchment-lined sheet pan, spacing them 2 inches apart as they spread.
5. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes or until light golden brown around the edges. Let cool on the pan.
6. While waiting for the cookies to cool, in a small saucepan over medium flame, scald cream.
7. Pour hot cream over chocolate in a bowl, whisk to melt chocolate, add zest and blend well.
8. Set aside to cool (the mixture will thicken as it cools).
9. Spread a thin amount of the filling onto the flat side of a cookie while the filling is still soft and press the flat side of a second cookie on top.
10. Repeat with the remainder of the cookies.

Plum Cake Tatin

Published
by
jillian
on July 26, 2009
in Dessert and Recipes
. 4 Comments

When I saw Ina Garten on Barefoot Contessa pour molten hot sugar syrup over bubbling plums for this cake, I knew I was going to have to make it.  Keeping a vigilant watch on my candy thermometer while a pot of sugar syrup boils always makes me feel a little like a mad scientist.  I think it helps that I almost always bake late at night.  I did make some changes to the recipe as this is a more sugar heavy dessert that I usually make.  I imagine this would be really good with the traditional apple base.  I used the most tart plums I could find to balance the sweetness of the caramelized sugar.  This cake is best served warm, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream doesn’t hurt.

Plum Cake “Tatin”
Adapted from Barefoot in Paris by Ina Garten
Ingredients
6 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing the dish
3 plums sliced into ½ inch slices
1 ½ cups granulated sugar, divided
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1/3 cup reduced fat sour cream
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup plus 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch glass pie dish and arrange the slices of plums in a circle covering the whole bottom of the dish
Combine 1 cup of the granulated sugar and 1/3 cup water in a small saucepan and cook over high heat until it turns a warm amber color, about 360 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Swirl the pan but don’t stir. Pour evenly over the plums.
Cream the 6 tablespoons of butter and the remaining 1/2 cup of granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, until light and fluffy. Lower the speed and beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the sour cream, zest, and vanilla and mix until combined. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt and, with the mixer on low speed, add it to the butter mixture. Mix only until combined.
Pour the cake batter evenly over the plums and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes, then invert the cake onto a flat plate. If a plum sticks, ease it out and replace it in the design on top of the cake. Serve warm.

Peaches and Cream Cake

Published
by
jillian
on July 22, 2009
in Dessert and Recipes
. 16 Comments

When I was growing up, my mom would make us peach cakes with whipped cream for our birthdays.  They were my favorite cakes (that weren’t made out of ice cream).  My brothers and I would wait patiently to lick the beaters from the whipped cream and steal slices of when she wasn’t looking.  I think that was always the best part.  I recently made this cake for J’s birthday.  I had some really great fresh peaches to use…and I had some that were just okay.  I decided to chopped up the sub par peaches and heat them with a bit of sugar, water and peach schnapps.  I used the puree between the layers of the cake and on top under the whipped cream.  It really bumped up the peach flavor, and was pretty good on its own.  The yellow cake is sturdy enough to not get mushy with the peach puree and fresh peach slices.  I covered it with a thin layer of whipped cream.  I really liked how you can see the outlines of each layer.  I only had a few minutes to chill this cake before we served it, but it held together really nicely.

Happy Birthday J!

Ingredients
Two 9 inch Basic Yellow Cakes
1 cup heavy cream
3 tbsp confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
6 peaches
2 tbsp water
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp peach schnapps

Chop three of the peaches and combine with water and sugar over low heat.  Bring to a simmer and blend until smooth with an immersion blender, stir in the schnapps and allow to cool slightly.  Slice the very top off each cake leaving an even and flat layer.  Spoon a generous amount of the mixture over each cake.  The peach puree will soak into the cake.  Slice the remaining three peaches and place a layer on top of one of the cakes.  Put the other layer on top and chill while the whipped cream is prepared.  Whip the cream, confectioners sugar and vanilla.  Top the cake with an even layer and use reserved peaches for the top of the cake.  Keep the cake in the refrigerated prior to serving.

Cherry Almond Crisp

Published
by
jillian
on July 13, 2009
in Dessert and Recipes
. 5 Comments

Cherries and almonds go together so well when baked.  This simple dessert only takes a few minutes to make… if you have a cherry pitter.  I made this just for the two of us, but the ratios of this could easily be increased to serve more.  This doesn’t need to bake for too long.  The cherries keep their shape while the top gets crisp and toasty. We had this after homemade pizza on Sunday while we watched True Blood, and it was such a nice way to end the weekend.


Ingredients
1 cup of cherries
2 tbsp oatmeal
1 tbsp flour
2 tbsp sliced almonds
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tbsp salted butter
1/4 tsp almond extract

Pit the cherries and divide into ramekins, they should fit snugly.  In a bowl, mix the dry ingredients.  Crumble in the butter with the almond extract.  Top each ramekin with half of the mixture. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven until the top is lightly browned, about 20 to 25 minutes.  Allow to stand for about 10 minutes before serving. Serve with additional almonds.

Open-Faced Blueberry Pie

Published
by
jillian
on July 5, 2009
in Dessert and Recipes
. 13 Comments

This pie is a really nice combination between a fruit tart and a traditional pie.  When I saw the photo of this on Chemist in the Kitchen, I knew I had to make it for the Fourth of July.  Part of the fruit is cooked down, and mixed with the fresh blueberries giving this a great texture.  My husband is a berry pie aficionado and often complains that most blueberry pie are too sweet.  Keeping most of the berries whole allowed them to keep some of their natural tartness.  This was a great recipe, and would be perfect for any summer weekend, especially served with vanilla ice cream.

Open-Faced Blueberry Pie
Adapted from Chemist in the Kitchen and Epicurious

1 9 inch pie crust, I used a basic pate brisee
1 tbsp egg white
4 1/2 cups blueberries
1/2 cup water and two tablespoons water, divided
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp lemon zest
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and roll out the pie crust. Shape to fit pie plate and chill for 5 minutes before baking. Bake for 20 minutes lined with foil and filled with pie weights or dried beans. Remove the foil and poke wholes in the bottom with a form. Bake additional 5-10 minutes until golden. When slightly cooled brush the bottom with egg white.

For the filling: boil 1 cup of the blueberries and 1/2 cup of water until the blueberries burst. Add the lemon zest, sugar and simmer. Dissolve the cornstarch in water and stir in along with the lemon juice. Return to a simmer.  Remove from the heat and fold in the additional 3 1/2 cups of blueberries coating them in the mixture. Pour into the pie crust and allow to set for a few hours before serving.