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Chewy Fudgy Homemade Brownies

July 10, 2015

I’m still on the “Brownie Quest,” searching for the perfect brownie. These may be that perfect brownie. Besides the eight ounces of melted chocolate, there’s a cup of chocolate chips stirred into the batter. As the brownies bake, the little chocolate nuggets melt perfectly and become pure decadence in every bite.

The recipe comes from Sally’s blog. I love the idea of a somewhat chewy brownie. The baking time is a bit forgiving, due to all the chocolate in the recipe. If you take the pan out of the oven just as soon as the brownies are set, you’ll have softer brownies (above) but leave them in for a few more minutes, they’ll become a bit chewier (below). Either way, they are so delicious.

Chewy Fudgy Homemade Brownies

Adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction

Makes 16 – 20 brownies

Ingredients

1/2 cup Earth Balance Buttery Sticks (or salted butter)

8 ounces (228g) coarsely chopped bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate

3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar

1/4 cup (50g) packed light brown sugar

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (80g) all-purpose flour (measure accurately)

2 tablespoons (11g) unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup (180g) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preparation

Melt the Buttery Stick and chopped chocolate in a medium saucepan on medium-low heat, stirring constantly, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, pour into a large mixing bowl and allow to cool slightly for 10 minutes.

Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position and preheat oven to 350°F. Line the bottom and sides of a 9×9 inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving an overhang on all sides. Butter the foil.

Whisk the granulated and brown sugars into the cooled chocolate/butter mixture. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition. Whisk in the vanilla. Gently fold in the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35 – 40 minutes or until the brownies begin to pull away from the edges of the pan. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out with a few moist crumbs when the brownies are done. As oven temperatures vary, check for doneness at the 35 minute mark. If the brownies need more time, continue to bake and check every few minutes.

Allow the brownies to cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack. Once cooled, lift the foil out of the pan using the overhang on the sides and cut into squares using a sharp knife. (Wipe the knife clean after each cut). Brownies freeze beautifully.

Dessert, Lactose Free, Recipes

Best Carrot Cake

June 23, 2015

“The New Basics Cookbook” published 16 years ago, is still one that I turn to for reliable, delicious food. Authors Julee Rosso and Shelia Lukins are also the authors of the well-known Silver Palate Cookbook. With 849 pages it’s a treasure trove of recipes. This carrot cake recipe was created by Sheila’s mother Berta, and it’s now one of my favorite desserts. You can prepare it a few days in advance which means it’s perfect for a party or potluck gathering. It seems everyone loves carrot cake.

Instead of using raw, grated carrots, the recipe instructs you to cook the carrots and purée them before adding them to the batter. Worth the extra step, it brings out the carrot’s natural sweetness and ensures the cake is going to be moist and delicious. To me, there is nothing more luscious than Berta’s carrot cake.

Drain the cooked carrots and with quick pulses finely mince the carrots. I don’t process the carrots to a fine purée as I prefer to keep a little texture to them.

A cup of shredded coconut is called for in the original recipe. I use a lesser amount, but go ahead and use a cup if you want to. The recipe doesn’t state whether to use unsweetened or sweetened coconut. I use the sweetened type. As you’ll notice in the photo above, the coconut I had on hand has some fairly long strips. I used my kitchen scissors and snipped the coconut into small, even pieces. Instead of adding the cup of chopped walnuts to the batter, I left them out but toasted some coarsely chopped pecans and sprinkled them over the frosting.

Best Carrot Cake

Adapted from The New Basics Cookbook

Serves 12

Ingredients

Cake:

1 1/3 cups finely minced cooked carrots (about 3 medium carrots, 14 ounces)

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 cups granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup canola oil

3 eggs, lightly beaten

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/3 cup shredded sweetened coconut

1 8 ounce can crushed pineapple in 100% pineapple juice (not heavy syrup), drained well

1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans, toasted (optional, for sprinkling over the frosting)

Cream Cheese Frosting:

4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature (I used Green Valley lactose free cream cheese)

3 tablespoons butter, at room temperature (I used Earth Balance Buttery Sticks)

2 cups + powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

juice from 1/4 lemon

Preparation

Cake:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch cake pan with parchment paper, and grease the paper and sides of pan.

Cut peeled carrots into 1 1/2 inch pieces. Place in pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, turn down heat and cook carrots until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and cool carrots. Once carrots have cooled slightly, place them in a food processor and with quick pulses (about 17 pulses), finely mince the carrots scraping down the sides of the bowl now and then.

Sift the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt into a large bowl. Add the granulated sugar and stir to combine. Add the oil, eggs, and vanilla, mixing well. Fold in the carrots, coconut and pineapple.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Place it on the middle rack of the oven and bake until the edges have pulled away slightly from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. If it needs more time, bake a little longer, checking every few minutes to ensure it does not over bake.

Transfer cake pan to a cooling rack. Let cool completely. At this point, you may cover the pan tightly and refrigerate the cake until you are ready to frost it. When the cake is completely cool, transfer to a cake platter. I find it easiest to line a cutting board or other flat tray with aluminum foil, place over the cake pan, invert the cake on to the foil and discard the parchment paper. I then place my cake platter over the bottom of the cake, and invert right side up. Do this right away as the cake has a tendency to stick to the foil. Now you’re ready to frost the cake.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

Cream the cream cheese and butter together in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer. Do not over beat. Slowly sift in the confectioners’ sugar, and continue beating until frosting is smooth. Stir in the vanilla and a teaspoon of the lemon juice at a time. Adjust consistency by adding more powdered sugar or lemon juice. The frosting should not be runny or it will not set properly. Frost top and sides of carrot cake. Sprinkle toasted pecans over the frosting if using. If you are not serving the cake right away, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Breakfast, Dessert, Lactose Free, Recipes

Cranberry Orange Scones

June 8, 2015

I’ve been searching for a “perfect scone.” After trying numerous recipes, I’ve concluded that there is no single “perfect scone.” There are a number of them! I discovered this delicious recipe on Nicole’s blog, Pinch My Salt. She has come up with a streamlined recipe for these little treats. Freshly baked scones in under 30 minutes? With that thought in mind, I’ll be making them very often.

Dried cranberries, sweet and tart, are perfect in this recipe. Sometimes I swap out the cranberries for dried, tart cherries.

The dough is quite sticky so be sure to flour the countertop and your hands. Handle the dough as little as possible for tender scones.

Cranberry Scones

Adapted from Nicole’s recipe

Makes 10 – 12 medium scones

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (1/2 teaspoon if using unsalted butter)

1/3 cup sugar

1 large egg

scant 1/2 cup half and half (I used Organic Valley lactose free half and half)

zest of 1 orange, divided

1/2 cup Earth Balance Buttery Sticks or unsalted butter (cut into small pieces and well chilled)

1/2 cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped

Glaze

1 cup sifted powdered sugar

2 tablespoons orange juice

1/2 teaspoon orange zest (reserved from above)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt , and sugar.

In a separate small bowl, whisk together egg, half and half, and most of the orange zest (reserving 1/2 teaspoon for glaze). Set aside.

Using a pastry blender, cut butter into flour mixture until it resembles course crumbs. Alternatively, you may use two butter knives or rub cold butter pieces into the flour with your fingertips. Stir in the chopped cranberries.

Add egg mixture to the flour mixture all at once and stir until the mixture clumps together. Dump mixture onto a floured countertop and, with floured hands, gather into a ball and knead once or twice to combine everything. The dough will be quite sticky. Sprinkle a little extra flour on the counter and on top of the dough to keep it from sticking (not too much or the dough will be dry). Pat dough into a circle about 3/4 – 1 inch thick. Cut 10 – 12 circles using a 2 1/2 – 3 inch biscuit cutter. Arrange scones on the parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake for 12 – 13 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to a cooling rack and let cool completely.

While scones are cooling, make the glaze. Combine sifted powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons orange juice and the reserved orange zest. Whisk until smooth, adding more orange juice or powdered sugar to reach the desired consistency. Glaze scones using a small silicone pastry brush or dip scones directly into the glaze.

The scones freeze beautifully so go ahead and make a double batch.

Cookies, Dessert, Recipes

Salted Chocolate Rye Cookies

May 23, 2015

Tartine Book No. 3 is devoted primarily to rustic naturally leavened whole grain bread. It is one of John’s two “bread bibles.” However, tucked away in the back of the book are a few delightful dessert recipes including these unusual “Salted Chocolate Rye Cookies.” Rye as a dessert flour doesn’t immediately come to mind, but we were intrigued. There’s just three words that best describes these cookies. To die for. With a pound of chocolate, this recipe produces rich, fudge brownie-like cookies. To top it off, a sprinkling of flaky sea salt? A perfect combination.

The recipe calls for Muscovado sugar which I found at Mana Foods. Muscovado sugar is unrefined which gives this sugar a rich, molasses flavor. Brown sugar is refined sugar with molasses added to it. In a pinch, you could substitute brown sugar in the recipe however reading other comments about Muscovado sugar, well it seems its superior flavor makes it a bakers dream come true. So go ahead and seek it out. It’s readily available on-line.

For chocolate lovers….

Salted Chocolate Rye Cookies

Tartine Book No. 3

Makes about 4 dozen small cookies

Ingredients

454g (four 4-ounce bars) chopped, bittersweet chocolate (70%)

57g (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter (I used Earth Balance Buttery Sticks, lactose free and reduced the salt to 1/4 teaspoon)

85g (3/4 cup) whole-grain dark rye flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

200g eggs (4 large) at room temperature

340g (2 cups very tightly packed) Muscovado sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

good quality sea salt such as Maldon or flaky fleur de sel, for topping

Preparation

Note: I strongly recommend weighing your ingredients for this particular recipe for the best results. The book has an apparent error in the sugar amount. The gram measurement in the book is correct, however, the cup measurement is incorrect. It should be 2 very tightly packed cups to more or less equal the gram measurement.

Place a saucepan filled with 1 inch of water over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Set a heatproof bowl over simmering water (make sure the bottom of the bowl is not touching the water). Melt together the chocolate and butter, stirring occasionally. Remove bowl from heat and let cool slightly.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.

Place the eggs in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip on medium high-speed, adding the sugar a bit at a time. Turn the mixer to high and whip until the egg mixture has nearly tripled in volume, about 6 minutes.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the melted chocolate butter mixture and the vanilla. Mix to combine, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, then mix in the flour mixture just until combined. At this point the dough will be very soft which is normal. It will firm up as it chills.

Refrigerate the dough in the mixing bowl until it is just firm to the touch, about 30 minutes (the longer you chill the dough, the harder it is to scoop).

Preheat oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and scoop with a rounded tablespoon onto the baking sheets, spacing the balls of dough about 1 1/2 inches apart. Top each mound of dough with a few flakes of sea salt, pressing gently so it adheres. Bake for 8 – 10 minutes until the cookies have completely puffed up and have a smooth bottom and rounded top.

Remove the baking sheets from the oven and let cool slightly, then transfer to a wire rack and let cook completely. The cookies will keep up to 3 days in an airtight container. They can also be frozen for longer storage.

Breakfast, Dessert, Fruit, Lactose Free, Recipes

The Best Glazed Mixed Berry Scones

May 5, 2015

I’m delighted that there are more lactose free products available these days. The markets where I shop now carry lactose free milk, sour cream, yogurt, cream cheese and half & half. All these items are good to have on hand for that day when one feels like baking. This scone recipe from Averie Cooks is one of the best I found. Averie uses sour cream to moisten the dough. It works beautifully. Thanks to Green Valley Organics, I was able to make these treats using their lactose free sour cream.

These frozen berries are perfect for this recipe. Keep them in the freezer until you’re ready to mix them in the dough otherwise they will start to defrost very quickly.

Bursting with lots of juicy berries, these scones are delectable with a little pat of butter on top (Earth Balance Buttery Spread in my case). Sometimes I split and toast them if I’m in the mood for a warm and crispy scone.

Scones are easy and quick to make and they freeze well. Choose your favorite shape. Wedges, squares, rounds. Drizzle the tops with a light lemon glaze or sparkling sugar, or nothing at all. Either way, you will be rewarded. Thanks Averie, for the wonderful recipe.

The Best Glazed Mixed Berry Scones

Adapted from Avery Cooks blog

Makes 8 large or 12 medium scones

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour + more for your work surface

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 cup Earth Balance Buttery Sticks (Or unsalted butter + pinch of salt. Buttery Sticks or butter should be very cold)

1 large egg

1/2 cup sour cream (I used Green Valley Organics lactose free sour cream)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 heaping cup frozen mixed berries (keep frozen until the last minute so berries do not get soft)

Glaze

1 cup confectioners sugar

2 tablespoons lemon or orange juice

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl, add 2 cups flour, granulated sugar, baking powder. Whisk to combine. Slice butter into small cubes and add to flour mixture. Using a pastry cutter or two forks, cut butter into flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Some larger pea-sized clumps are OK. Set aside.

In a small bowl, add the egg, sour cream, vanilla, and whisk until smooth.

Pour wet mixture over dry, and fold until just combined with a spatula. Don’t over mix or the scones will be tough. The dough will be wet and shaggy. Fold in the berries.

Sprinkle a few tablespoons of flour over a clean work surface and lightly coat hands. Turn dough onto surface and knead into an 8-inch round (approximately). Sprinkle a little more flour over the dough and on your hands if the dough is too wet to come together. Try not to add too much flour or the dough will be dry.

With a large knife, slice round into 8 equal-sized wedges. Using a thin spatula, transfer wedges to prepared baking sheet and space about 2 inches apart. Try not to have too many exposed berries touching the baking pan. They have a tendency to burn. If you prefer square-shaped scones, pat dough into a rectangle and cut into 12 equal-sized pieces. If you are using sparkling sugar, sprinkle it on before baking the scones.

Bake for about 15 minutes, or until scones are very lightly golden and cooked through and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.

Allow scones to cool on baking tray for 5 minutes before removing and transferring to a rack to cool completely. If you are using a glaze, make the glaze while the scones cool.

Combine the confectioners sugar and citrus juice. Whisk together until smooth. You may need to adjust the consistency of the glaze by adding more sugar or citrus juice. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled scones.

Dessert, Lactose Free, Recipes

Maple Squares with Walnuts

April 20, 2015

I still have lots of pure maple syrup in my cupboard (gifts from “snowbirds”) so I thought I’d give this recipe a try. If you have a sweet tooth, you’ll love the chewy, gooey, texture and the rich sweetness of pure maple syrup. Copious amounts of walnuts add to the scrumptiousness. You’ll only need a little slice (with a mini scoop of vanilla ice cream) to satisfy that sweet tooth.

I bought the maple sugar at Mana Foods market not knowing what I would use it for. It sat in the cupboard for a while, until I saw this recipe. Maple syrup plus maple sugar? What’s not to like?!

Saveur magazine mentions that these dessert squares are known as Carré Érable et Noix in Quebec, where they pour fresh cream over the top before serving. Simply decadent!

Maple Squares with Walnuts

Saveur Magazine

Serves 8 – 10

Ingredients

8 tablespoons (1 stick) Earth Balance Buttery Sticks (or unsalted butter), cubed and chilled, plus more for the pan

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour, plus more for the pan

1/4 cup plus 2/3 cup maple sugar

1 cup pure maple syrup

1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt (1/4 teaspoon if using unsalted butter)

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Preparation

Heat oven to 350°. Butter and flour an 8-inch square baking pan; set aside.

In a food processor, process butter, 1 cup flour, and 1/4 cup maple sugar until combined; transfer to pan and press evenly into bottom. Bake until lightly browned, about 18 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes while you prepare the filling.

Whisk remaining flour and maple sugar with maple syrup, walnuts, salt, and eggs in a bowl. Pour over baked crust. Bake until filling is golden brown and set, about 30 – 35 minutes. Let cool completely before serving.

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Chewy Fudgy Homemade Brownies

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Best Carrot Cake

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Cranberry Orange Scones

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Salted Chocolate Rye Cookies

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The Best Glazed Mixed Berry Scones

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Maple Squares with Walnuts

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