Chocolate + Orange = Yum

Every time I looked out [someone else's] office window today, I got the urge to bake cookies. Delicious stormy weather. Virtually as soon as I got home and changed into dry clothes, I pulled out the ol' cookbooks and picked out a recipe. Although I waffled for a while between pumpkin spice and chocolate, Danny's vote went to chocolate and so I picked it.
The recipe (in my beloved Fannie Farmer Baking Book) called for chocolate chips, of which I had none, and for instant coffee, which I think is disgusting (although I recognize its value in baking, I just think it's too gross to have in my house.) A little improvising resulted in these nummy cookies:

Chocolate Orange Cookies
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1 stick butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cocoa powder
1 1/2 c white flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 dark chocolate orange, coarsely chopped- my pieces were about 1/4 inch chunks

Preheat oven to 350. Break chocolate into chunks and melt it in a glass or ceramic bowl in your microwave. Cream together butter and sugar; add eggs, vanilla and mix well. Stir in melted chocolate (make sure it's pretty cool, but not hardened.)
Throw in flour and baking soda, mix, and stir in chocolate orange chunks.
Drop in little lumps about 1/2- 1 inch in diameter on greased or non-stick cookie sheets and bake for 10 minutes. Even if they don't seem very done, take them out-- just make sure the tops aren't sticky.















Yep, that's my burner grate pulling double duty, along with some wax paper, as a baking rack.















See?

On food processors

Whew. It's been a while!
I've got a little backlog of projects to talk about, so I'll start with my most recent life-altering realization: food processors are amazing.
I know most of you have probably already heard that you can use a food processor instead of a pastry cutter or (gasp) your fingers to cut butter/shortening into flour. I've even had a food processor for a while, but I hadn't tried that trick before last week.
There are a few things I consistently ruin, namely, frosting, pie crust and biscuits. I just have trouble with them. That's okay with me.
Last week I finally got Danny to consent to having vegetable soup for dinner, and I decided
I'd sweeten the deal with some biscuits. So, I lugged out the food processor (it is sort of heavy) and threw in all the ingredients (pretty much.) With just the press of a button, I had the most amazing, smooth, supple dough I'd ever had the joy to touch. It was seriously a holy experience. The biscuits were flaky, crumbly, tender, mmmmmmmmm.

Since then, I've made shortbread cookie dough, pie dough, shortcakes, and another batch of biscuits. It's amazing! Here's the recipe I made tonight, based on the Fannie Farmer buttermilk biscuit recipe. (It calls for soy buttermilk, which is another invaluable secret I've learned recently.)

Whole Wheat & Cornmeal Biscuits with Garlic & Gruyère
2 cups flour (the whole wheat & cornmeal thing is a result of me being almost out of flour-- I used a Frankenstein mixture of red wheat, white wheat and cornmeal)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup shortening or butter
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp minced garlic or garlic powder
1/2 c Gruyère, shredded
1 c cheddar, shredded
2/3 c soy buttermilk (pour ~2 tsp mild vinegar-- I used rice vinegar-- into the measuring cup and fill to 2/3 c. Mix well and let it sit for a minute or two)


Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Place dry ingredients and butter in the food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles bread crumbs and is generally homogeneous. Dump in the Gruyère and about 1/4 of the cheddar and pulse again to mix. Slowly pour in the buttermilk while running-- the dough should clump into a fairly cohesive ball.

Extricate the dough from the food processor and knead about 4 times, folding it over on itself, on a floured surface (or on wax paper, if you've run out of flour!) Press the dough into a disk about 1" thick. Cut out biscuits with a round cookie cutter or glass and place them on a cookie sheet so that they almost touch (about 1/4" apart.) Brush the tops with water or soymilk and place a mound of cheddar on top of each. Press down to cover. Bake for about 10-15 minutes, until the edges are just browned. You don't even have to wash a bowl afterward!















Yes, they're pumpkins. Happy Halloween!

Non-baking Easter project

This one was inspired by Danny's account of some chocolate eggs Martha made on her show; she used white chocolate and blown egg shells, which seemed 1) gross, since white chocolate is made using no actual chocolate and tastes like sweetened butter and 2) way too difficult for a busy weekend. So, I improvised some using milk chocolate chips, caramel-apple-type caramels, and a Jell-O egg mold (free at the local Giant.)



I started by making the caramel centers. Unwrap three, hold them for a minute in your hand to soften them, then roll them together to form a ball. Shape it into an ovoid form if you like:


Next, make SURE you oil the molds with canola oil or similar. I used a paper towel to wipe the insides with a little oil, but I suppose you could also use cooking spray (yech.)

Melt the chocolate chips (I used 1 1/4 twelve-ounce bags) in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave. (A hint about microwave melting: chocolate chips don't have a high enough water content to be greatly affected by microwaves, which heat water molecules. So, the best way to get them to melt without burning is to heat them for a minute or so at a time, stirring in between. They'll do the actual melting outside of the microwave, from the heat of the bowl.)
Scoop/pour the chocolate into a pastry bag (my new favorite toy) equipped with a fine tip.

With the mold opened, fill the bottoms of each egg (the side without the little spout) about 3/4 of the way. Place a caramel ball gently in each egg (making sure not to press down through the layer of chocolate) and close the mold. Make sure that each egg is firmly snapped together by pushing down in the middle and around the edges. (I would have photos of this, but it's a tricky/messy process and my helper was busy.) Fill each mold, using the fine tip on the pastry bag. Chill in the fridge until cool.

When you're ready to get them out, use a thin-bladed knife inserted in the middle to pry the mold open. Take care when you open it not to scratch the eggs. Turn it upside-down over a bowl or plate and bang each egg mold with the handle of the knife, or something else heavy.
If you've oiled the molds, they should come out pretty easily. If you're very careful and have cold hands and a sharp knife, you can trim off those little tutus they get from the mold. Or, leave them on and have Saturn eggs.


Wrap them with foil or pretty paper if you're going to be transporting them gift-style, like I did.

Happy Birthday Alia! Chocolate Cupcakes

From a recipe I jotted down on the back of a previously used post-it note (probably from www.allrecipes.com,) this recipe is quintessential cake. Omit the cocoa powder and add almond extract for a light yellowy cake.

Preheat oven to 350.
Whisk together: 2 1/3 cups cake flour 1 tbsp baking powder 3/4 tsp salt 1 1/2 cups white sugar 1/3 cup cocoa powder
Cut in:
1/2 cup butter, softened
Add and mix in: 2 eggs 1 cup milk 1 tsp vanilla extract

Pour into paper baking cups and bake for about 20-30 minutes. Decorate. Voila!


I frosted mine with inferior canned stuff, since I was short on time and am not particularly good at frostings. However, here's a good recipe for fudgey icing (that even I can pull off) should you want to try it:

Melt in a saucepan over medium heat:
4 tbsp butter 1/2 cups brown sugar
When sugar is dissolved, add:
2 tbsp milk
Bring to a boil and remove from heat.
Sift together and mix in:
1 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
1 tbsp cocoa powder
Add:
1 tsp vanilla extract
This frosting sets up pretty quickly, so keep it over a very low heat if you work slowly, adding more milk if it gets too thick.

Yes, you can put that in a cookie.

Crumbly-tumbly peanut butter and jelly cookies, a la my mom (although I only get this information secondhand from Emily; I don't think she ever made them for me.) The recipe is straight from Joy of Cooking (coincedentally, probably the same copy she used to make them back in the '70s) but the jelly thumbprints are all momma's.

Preheat the oven to 375.
Cream together:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter
Beat in:
1 egg
1 cup peanut butter (softened in the microwave)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
Add and mix in:
1 1/2 cups flour (I used half whole wheat)
Add:
1/2 tsp vanilla
Roll the dough into small balls and place on a buttered cookie sheet. Flatten each a little, then make a well by pressing your thumb into the middle. Fill each thumbprint with strawberry jam and bake for about 10 minutes.



They really do taste like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (without any crusts.)

Take two

Okay, since I got rid of the last of my first batch yesterday (I really wasn't trying to pawn them off on you guys, Amber and Zack, I just thought you'd like some) I decided that today I'd try another batch. This time, I threw in a little olive oil for texture, some shredded coconut for taste, and instant oats instead of rolled oats for texture and taste. Also, I modified the raisin incorporation method. Here's the revised recipe, with new or changed items in bold:

1/4 c minus 1tbsp each brown sugar (packed) and white sugar
1/2 stick (1/4 lb) butter, softened
drizzle (about 2 tsp) non-virgin olive oil
1/2 c unsweetened applesauce
1 egg
3/4 c unsweetened shredded coconut
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 c instant oats
1 c whole wheat flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 c raisins

Preheat oven to 350 and oil two cookie sheets.
In a big bowl, cream together butter, oil, sugars, coconut, and applesauce. Add vanilla and egg and mix.
In a separate bowl, mix up the dry ingredients-- flour, oats, spices, leaveners, salt.
Combine with butter-sugar mixture.
Place in golf ball-sized balls on the cookie sheet and flatten slightly. Push 5 or 6 raisins into each cookie, fold it over, and re-shape into a flattened circle. This is a little tricky at first, but the idea is just to get the raisins inside the cookies. Wet your palms if the dough starts to stick too much.
Bake for about 10 to 15 minutes or until springy to the touch.



The verdict:
The most obvious improvement is the switch to instant oats. It solved my dilemma about the oats being too big, and they cooked all the way through this time, since instant oats are already a little bit cooked (maybe? Is that how they do it?) Anyway, they're definitely what to use for a tender, smooth-textured cookie. There are still enough visible and tangible oat flakes to make them seem like oatmeal cookies and not just like whole wheat. Also, I think the extra little bit of olive oil smoothed out the consistency-- or maybe I just didn't cook them too long this time. They didn't seem to suffer from the omission of that extra bit of sugar, maybe because of the coconut. The jury is still out on that extra add-in. I don't like the way it sticks in my teeth, and although it tasted really good in the uncooked dough (you really have to taste at all stages of production) I'm not as impressed with the finished taste. It's just as well, since I don't usually have coconut lying around. I really like the way the raisins taste this time. They're more like a filling than anything else, and they're so plump and soft. I had meant to soak them in orange juice, but between the macaroons, Guinness-marinated pork chops, and mashed potatoes I was working on, I just plum forgot. I'm not so sure the raising filling is something Sofi would like; maybe in the next batch, I'll try to come up with another strategy. I really want to get some raisins in there.

Rating: 4 glasses of milk

P.S. I checked out the possibility of dried dates instead of raisins. I like the idea of them, but I can't find them cheap enough to make them an all-the-time ingredient. I'll keep looking, though.

Not cookies

Bundt cake! The symbol of domestic bliss. I was lucky enough to pick up a teflon-coated springform bund cake pan at IKEA a few weeks ago for two fitty in the "As-Is" room and, of course, had to take it for a spin. This was a Saturday evening project last weekend, and the cake that I have left is still moist, with no wrapping, sitting on my microwave. I'm not sure whether I should feel proud or uneasy about that. Anyway, here's the recipe as well as I can remember it (sorry there's no photo, but I forgot to butter then pan and I was sort of shredded on top, so maybe that's just as well):

2 small apples, peeled, cored, diced (this is a fun part to do while watching a movie with your sweetie.)
1 1/2 cups sugar-- I prefer to mix brown and white, but I'm sure white would be fine alone
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 pinch ginger
3 cups all-purpose flour-- I used 2 cups white and 2 cups wheat, you can decide
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup oil-- I used 1/2 olive (non-virgin) and 1/2 canola, again, your choice
1/2 cup orange juice
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs

Sift together flour, baking powder, spices and salt.

In another bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients-- sugars, oils, juice, eggs, vanilla.

Combine the two parts and add the chopped apples. Stir only until well combined.

Pour into a buttered (or oiled) bundt pan (I suppose you could also bake this in a cake or loaf pan, if you're boorish enough to not have a bundt pan) and bake for about an hour in a 325 degree oven. Baking time will differ if you use a different kind of pan. The cake is done when springy to the touch and a knife inserted comes out with only a few sticky crumbs. If any poofed out the top, cut it off and enjoy with a friend (it'll be chewy and slightly caramelized.) I made a glaze of powdered sugar and more orange juice, but I didn't like the sugary flavor it gave the cake.

Good luck!

Genesis

I'm on a quest to find the perfect balance between healthiness and tastiness. My niece (and contender for Coolest Person Ever) has developed a fanatacism for cookies, but none of us wants to see her lose her girlish figure. Wouldn't it be great to have health food cookies? I think so. I instantly gravitated toward oatmeal cookies as the best basic form. What's better for you than oatmeal?

I began by modifying the "Wholesome Oatmeal Cookies" recipe from the inarguably fabulous Moosewood Restaurant New Classics. I used less than half the total sugar (slightly less than 1/4 cup each brown and white) and half the butter, replaced with 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce. I also threw in an extra pinch of baking soda to counteract what I expected to be added denseness from the applesauce.

My version:
50 ml (1/4 c minus a teaspoon) each brown sugar (packed) and white sugar
1/2 stick (1/4 lb) butter, softened
1/2 c unsweetened applesauce
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 c rolled oats
1 1/2 c whole wheat flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 c raisins

Preheat oven to 350 and butter two cookie sheets.
In a big bowl, cream together butter, sugars, and applesauce. Add vanilla and egg and mix.
In a separate bowl, mix up the dry ingredients-- flour, oats, spices, leaveners, salt.
Combine with butter-sugar mixture and stir in raisins.
Place in golf ball-sized balls on the cookie sheet. They won't spread much at all when cooking, so push them flat-ish with a wet palm or bottom of a glass.
Bake for about 10 to 15 minutes or until not mooshy to the touch. (The recipe referenced a "golden" color, which messed me up a little since I used whole wheat flour instead of white. They were already golden!)




The verdict:
They're okay. I was mostly disappointed with the consitency. Not only does the oatmeal not seemed cooked all the way through (it's a little bit unpleasantly tough) the cookie itself is dry and tough. I'm afraid that by cutting the butter in half I've reduced the fat content too much, and ended up with a dough that dries out in the oven. Less baking soda and a shorter cooking time might help re-infuse some gooeyness in the next batch. Also, I've remembered why I used to omit the raisins (which I love): the ones that touch the pan burn and taste bad. Danny, upon eating one that had fallen off, said "it's like a little clump of ash in my mouth!" Next time, I'll press them into the cookies after they're on the pan. More work, but I think it'll be worth it.
On the plus side, they're definitely sweet enough without all the extra sugar. Maybe next time I'll cut even more of it with applesauce. Also, the extra spices that I added (nutmeg, allspice) gave them a nice zing.

Rating: 3 glasses of milk.