The Baked Brownie

I needed a special brownie for a special occasion, and let me tell you: this is the brownie.

I don't think I've ever tasted a brownie so rich or so fudgy in my life. I'm a believer in the Baked Brownie!

But it definitely needs ice cream because this thing is RICH. Hmm. What's with the ice cream flavor?

Half Baked?

Here, is this more obvious?

This was taken at 20 weeks preggers, aka, when our little nugget was half baked. I'm 39(!!!) weeks at the time I'm actually typing this and have a much bigger basketball under my shirt now. :)

Exhibit A

We had our parents over for the big gender reveal (boy, by the way), and this was the dessert we served them. Whether it's a special occasion or a night in front of the TV, please consider making this your new go-to brownie! Thanks to Miss Menagerie for alerting me to it!

The Baked Brownie
makes 24 (but I prefer fewer (but larger) brownies at size "go big or go home")
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 t. salt
2 T. dark unsweetened cocoa powder
11 oz. dark chocolate (60 to 72%), coarsely chopped
1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 t. instant espresso powder
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. firmly packed light brown sugar
5 large eggs, at room temperature
2 t. vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the sides and bottom of a 9 x 13 glass or light-colored metal baking pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and cocoa powder together.

Put the chocolate, butter, and instant espresso powder in a large bowl and set it over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth. (Longtime blog readers will know that I prefer using a good nonstick saucepan on low, stirring constantly.) Turn off the heat, but keep the bowl over the water and add the sugars. Whisk until completely combined, then remove the bowl from the pan. The mixture should be room temperature.

Add 3 eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Add the remaining eggs and whisk until combined. Add the vanilla and stir until combined. Do not overbeat the batter at this stage or your brownies will be cakey. ("An even slightly overbaked brownie is not a Baked Brownie.")

Sprinkle the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture. Using a spatula (not a whisk), fold the flour mixture into the chocolate until just a bit of the flour mixture is visible.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs sticking to it. Let the brownies cool completely, then cut them into squares and serve.

Tightly covered with plastic wrap, the brownies keep at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Coconut Chocolate Chip Frozen Custard

In college, I was introduced to Serendipity. The movie first, then the ice cream shop. (It was Thanksgiving Day 2001 and two hungry piccolo players who just marched in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade were just trying to eat at ANYWHERE THAT WAS OPEN, but the wait at Serendipity was just too long. My Thanksgiving dinner ended up being cheesecake from some random diner and I don't even like cheesecake. But I digress.)

When I heard that a Serendipity was opening in DC, it was high on my list of places to visit and we ended up going on my birthday. I'll probably stick to the frrrrozen hot chocolate next time (the sundaes were 90% whipped cream, which is not my favorite), but two ginormous lunchtime sundaes sure was a funny sight to see!

Uhh, is there even any ice cream under there??

Anyway, years ago, my mom bought me the Serendipity book, but, without an ice cream maker, all I could do was drool on the pretty pictures. Well, fast forward 10 years and even with an ice cream maker, all I usually do is drool on the pretty pictures. :) But, if you like coconut cream pie and have an ice cream maker, I highly encourage you to MAKE THIS, adapted from that book. It tastes like summer and the guts of a coconut chess pie (which we were obsessed with while on our honeymoon even though it was possibly here that the waitress stole our credit card number then bought three airline tickets... small price to pay, right?). Mom already designated it as her requested birthday dessert for later this month!

Coconut Chocolate Chip Frozen Custard
Makes one generous quart
1 c. unsweetened coconut milk
1 c. milk (I used 2%)
3 large egg yolks
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. light cream
1 t. vanilla extract
3/4 c. sweetened flaked coconut
1/2 c. mini chocolate chips

Combine coconut milk and milk in a medium nonstick saucepan and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Remove from heat, cover, and set aside.

Combine yolks and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat until thick and pale yellow, 3 to 5 minutes. Set aside.

Temper the eggs by adding half the milk mixture to the egg yolk mixture and quickly whisk until blended. Whisk the egg yolk mixture into the remaining milk mixture in the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, 5 to 10 minutes. Be extremely careful not to overheat, as it is very easy to curdle egg yolks—the correct consistency will be ruined.

Remove the pan from the heat and immediately add the cream. Pour the mixture into a clean bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, add the vanilla extract and freeze the mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Five minutes before ice cream is finished churning, add coconut and mini chocolate chips. Remove the ice cream with a spatula and eat immediately or store in a plastic container in the freezer. (If ice cream is too soft, store in a plastic container in the freezer for 1 to 2 hours before serving.)

Farewell, summer!

Brownie Pudding

I'm here. Nothing is wrong with your Google Reader. I haven't had time for baking let alone blogging, but this recipe is worth the wait—promise.

What I love about it is simple: the ingredients will be in your cupboard already, you throw it together in minutes, it feeds a crowd (or two adults... I'll say it took four nights to polish off, though only we know the truth...), and it's molten goo. It's perfect for Valentine's Day, but here are a few other suggestions to share with your sweetie.

Brownie Pudding
adapted from Ina Garten via Annie's Eats
- 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter—use the wrappers to grease the dish
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 c. sugar
- 3/4 c. cocoa powder
- 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
- 1 t. vanilla extract
- 1 T liqueur of your choosing, optional (chocolate, Irish cream, hazelnut, etc., would all be divine)
- Ice cream, for serving (mint chocolate chip went very well, but I'd otherwise choose vanilla)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly butter a 2-quart oval baking dish. In a small bowl, melt the 2 sticks of butter in the microwave and set aside to cool.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs and sugar on medium-high speed until thick and light yellow in color, 5 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, sift or whisk the cocoa and flour together in a medium bowl and set aside.

When the egg/sugar mixture is ready, reduce the speed to low and add the vanilla, liqueur (if using), and the cocoa/flour mixture. Mix only until just combined. With the mixer still on low, slowly pour in the cooled butter and mix again until just combined.

Pour the mixture into the prepared dish. (Next time, I'll throw caution to the wind and not use a water bath... just stick it in the oven as usual.) Place it in a larger roasting or baking pan. Add enough very hot tap water to the pan to come halfway up the side of the dish and bake for 1 hour. The center will appear underbaked, but that's exactly how it's meant to be.

Serve with ice cream—I chose to serve it warm right out of the oven, but it's pretty dangerous cold straight out of the fridge for breakfast too. (Just being honest here.)

Buckeyes

Many, many moons ago, I was first introduced to this candy by my friend Jackie. I remember standing in her kitchen as her mom handed me my first one, always a part of her Christmas baking repertoire. I was probably 11 or 12, but a peanut butter chocoholic knows when her life has changed.

So tell me, if it's so memorable, why have I never made them?

I was recently inspired to finally try my hand at making them because of this beautiful post over at SK, but the thought of cream cheese diluting them made me sad inside (and to be perfectly honest, I could not handle yet another grocery store trip). So off to the Internet I went! While most buckeyes have gobs of powdered sugar involved, this recipe seemed to have a more reasonable amount; I just tweaked it to bittersweet chocolate and also tempered it per SK's instructions to have the perfect shiny result.

I won't lie—I had a bear of a time dipping them. The peanut butter "eye" was never perfectly round (more like a pentagon) and I could never properly cover the toothpick hole, and I may have even had a temper tantrum* when they wouldn't turn out perfectly and after finding my candy thermometer shattered in the drawer (and running to BB&B at 11:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve Eve only to find thermometers that started at 100 degrees when I needed 80s for tempering), but I promise you, this will soon be a favorite recipe. Next time, I'll freeze the peanut butter balls rather than refrigerate and I will also dip them in smaller batches, keeping enough in the fridge/freezer so they don't warm up too much before their chocolate bath.

Buckeyes
makes 2–3 dozen, depending on size
1/2 stick (4 T.) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2.5 c. powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla
1 c. smooth peanut butter
1/2 t. salt
1 c. bittersweet chocolate, chopped

In a mixing bowl, combine the softened butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, peanut butter, and salt.

Mix on medium speed for 1–2 minutes, until very smooth and well combined.

Using a teaspoon, form mixture into balls the size of a quarter. Place balls on cookie sheet covered with foil or parchment and chill in refrigerator (or perhaps I'll try the freezer next time) for 30 minutes.

While balls are chilling, melt the chocolate. Temper the chocolate if you desire. (The link above at Smitten Kitchen has perfect instructions.)

Once balls are firm, they can be dipped. Using a toothpick, skewer a ball and dip it halfway into the melted chocolate. You want to leave at least a dime-sized circle of undipped candy on top of the ball. *Or, you know, get so upset at your imperfect buckeyes that you angrily poke a hole in one. And then, shucks, I'll have to eat that deformity.

Don't do this.

Drag it along the lip of the bowl to remove excess chocolate, and place it back on the cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining peanut butter balls. Work in shifts so that not too many peanut butter balls are out of the fridge/freezer at once. They warm very quickly, which poses huge problems when dipping.

Return balls to fridge to set the chocolate. Serve once candies are firm. Or give as gifts—your friends and family will love you for it.

Retro Desserts: Cream-filled Chocolate Cupcakes

My friend M and I decided to take a class at our local Sur La Table recently. The title was "Retro Desserts" and the menu included cream-filled chocolate cupcakes (think Hostess cupcakes), chocolate whoopie pies, baked doughnuts, and strawberry chiffon pies. The hands-down favorites were the cupcakes and the whoopie pies (recipe to come at a later date!).

I was never a huge fan of the Hostess cupcake growing up, but I certainly had it in my lunch from time to time. I guess you could say that although I wanted processed lunches like every other elementary schooler, I was likely a dessert snob from day one. These cupcakes are a great update on a "classic"... can you see vanilla bean flecks (I adore this vanilla bean paste) in the original? Don't think so.

Also? They were fun to make, even if it does include a large chunk of time for cooling/filling/frosting/decorating... and dishes. It was only my second attempt at a filled cupcake (using the cone method), but the results were impressive. I'm making several dozen to bring into work this week (update: it was a huge, huge success)! Check back later too. The cake recipe was so incredibly moist and delicious that I turned this cupcake recipe into a triple-layer cake for my husband's 30th birthday. Details to come!

Cream-filled Chocolate Cupcakes
makes 24
1/2 c. unsalted butter, room temperature
2 c. sugar
3 large eggs
3/4 c. sour cream (low-fat or regular will do)
1 t. vanilla extract
2 c. flour
2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/4 c. cocoa powder
2 oz. dark chocolate (I used 1/3 c. bittersweet morsels)
1 cup water, boiling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line two 12-cup muffin tins (or one muffin tin in two batches!).

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in eggs one at a time, followed by about half of the sour cream and all of the vanilla.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on, add about half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, followed by the remaining sour cream, followed by the remainder of the flour mixture, mixing well between additions. Mix just until no streaks of flour remain (overmixing flour = tough cupcakes).

Measure out 1 c. water in a glass measuring cup and microwave until boiling. Whisk cocoa powder and dark chocolate into the boiling water until well combined. Gradually pour "chocolate water" into the batter and stir (by hand—it will splatter if you use the mixer!) until uniform in color.

Evenly distribute batter into prepared baking cups. Bake for 15–17 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean and the cakes spring back slightly when lightly pressed. Turn cupcakes out onto a wire rack to cool completely before filling or frosting.

Vanilla Cream Filling:
3 T. flour
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. unsalted butter
1/2 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla extract (or 1/2 scraped vanilla bean, etc.)

Whisk together the flour and milk and cook in a small saucepan over medium heat until thick. This will only take a few minutes. Stir continuously to avoid clumping and do not bring all the way to a boil. When thickened (consistency of a thin pudding), strain with a mesh strainer into a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let cool completely to room temperature.

When the milk mixture is cool, cream the butter and sugar together in a medium bowl until light. Add in the milk/flour mixture and the vanilla and beat at high speed with an electric mixer for 7 minutes, until light and very fluffy. Scrape into a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip (or a large zip-top plastic bag with the corner cut off) and set aside until ready to fill your cupcakes.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:
1/2 c. unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 c. cocoa powder
2–3 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. milk
1 t. vanilla extract

Cream butter well with an electric mixer. Add cocoa and powdered sugar alternately with milk. Add vanilla. Beat to smooth, thick (but still spreadable) consistency—add more milk a little at a time if needed. Taste often!

Assembly
Take a completely cooled cupcake and, using a small paring knife, cut a cone of cake (1 inch across by 1 inch deep) out of the top. Trim off pointy end of cone (you can eat that!), leaving a flat circle of cake. Set to the side and continue process for all cupcakes.

Take the cream filling and squeeze a tablespoon or so into each cupcake cavity. Top off with the flat circle of cake to plug up the hole and keep the filling in place.

Using a small offset spatula, frost each cupcake with a layer of chocolate buttercream. Spread from the center to the sides to evenly cover the cake plug and help prevent tearing/crumbs.

If you have leftover vanilla cream filling, transfer it to a fresh zip-top bag, cut off a very small opening in one corner of the bag, and pipe a decorative swirl down the center of each cupcake. Store cupcakes in an airtight container.

Here are Miss M's cute swirls!

Check back at another time for the other recipes (and by "other recipes" I mean the chocolate ones... so whoopie pies!).

Texas Sheet Cake

Sorry for the blogging hiatus, but I have a bunch of exciting, super chocolatey recipes waiting in the wings!

I've never been to Texas, but I do love this cake (and that show; hooray, it's back!). I'm no authority on the subject, but from what I've read, this is an old-fashioned, simple, traditional potluck dessert in the South—which was exactly what I needed for an event this weekend. Oh, and it's freaking delicious.

The recipe that inspired me to try it was this one (and I'm grateful to her for the frosting recipe), but I ended up going with an oldie but goodie: a recipe posted in the Washington Post on May 30, 1974 (Thanks, Google)! While almost all recipes were virtually identical, why this one? Sour cream. I'm a sucker for cakes made with sour cream/yogurt/mayo. So moist! But, have a glass of milk ready for this one. It's a stick-to-the-roof-of-your-mouth cake. But who said that's a bad thing?

I'm in a retro mood after a cooking class I took this weekend (details and recipes to come), and what's more, this cake is all beaten by hand with a spoon. No mixer needed!

Texas Sheet Cake
adapted from the Washington Post
1 c. (2 sticks) butter (I used unsalted)
4 T. cocoa
1 c. water
2 c. flour
2 c. sugar
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. baking soda
2 eggs, fork beaten
1/2 c. sour cream (but milk will do if you don't have it on hand)
1 t. vanilla

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter and flour* a 13x9-inch pan (called for metal but I only have glass). (*To "flour" a pan when the cake is chocolate, use cocoa so the flour won't show, though it likely won't matter all that much.)

In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, cocoa, and water and bring to a boil.

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

Pour the hot ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir well with a wooden spoon or spatula.

Add the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla and stir until batter is very smooth.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. While the cake is baking, prepare the frosting (it's frosted when warm).

Remove the cake from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool. Immediately pour the frosting over the warm cake and spread evenly. Let the cake cool completely before cutting.

Frosting
1/4 c. (1/2 stick) butter
3 T. milk
2 T. cocoa
dash of salt
1 t. vanilla
2 c. powdered sugar

In a medium saucepan, combine butter, milk, cocoa, salt, and vanilla. Bring to a boil.

Place the powdered sugar in a large bowl and pour the hot ingredients over the powdered sugar and mix with a wooden spoon until the frosting is very smooth. Add chopped walnuts if desired. Frost cake as indicated above.

Compost Cookies (aka Pregnancy Craving Cookies)

These are fun cookies. Created by a woman who eats pie for breakfast and ice cream for dinner, these cookies are from Momofuku Milk Bar, a concept that could only work in New York, I think. I haven't had the pleasure of trying the cookies from the actual bakery yet (too much food, too little time), but considering two of my friends individually sent me this recipe, I knew I had to give it a try.

My friend is expecting a little Sprout in July and a few of us decided to throw her a surprise "un-baby shower" (i.e., a party in her honor but without cheesy games that make some moms-to-be uncomfortable), and since these cookies are loaded with, well, junk, I decided to rename them Pregnancy Craving Cookies for the occasion. :)

These are so versatile; you could really add just about anything. I tried to keep it as close to the original as possible (which is apparently potato chips, pretzels, coffee grounds, chocolate chips, oats, and butterscotch chips), but other fun options include Fritos, raisins, Raisinettes, Cocoa Krispies, coconut, peanut butter chips, goldfish, Ritz...

Be sure you allow the dough to cool in the fridge for at least an hour before baking. (Reading the recipe all the way through before starting is always a good thing to do so you can be prepared!) If you like these, you might also like Martha's Cowboy Cookies.

Compost Cookies (from Momofuku Milk Bar, NYC)
1 c. butter, room temperature
1 c. sugar
3/4 c. light brown sugar
1 T. light corn syrup
1 t. vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 3/4 c. flour
2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
2 t. salt (I used about 1.5 t.)
1 1/2 c. your favorite baking ingredients! (I used chocolate chips and butterscotch chips)
1 1/2 c. your favorite snack foods! (I used ridged potato chips and pretzel sticks, broken into pieces)

In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter, sugars, and corn syrup on medium high for 2–3 minutes until fluffy and pale yellow.

On a lower speed, add eggs and vanilla. Increase mixing speed to medium-high and start a timer for 10 minutes. During this time, the sugar will fully dissolve, the mixture will become an almost pale white color, and the creamed mixture will double in size.

When time is up, on a lower speed, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix 45–60 seconds just until the dough comes together and there are no streaks of dry ingredients. Do not overmix the dough.

On low speed, add in your favorite baking ingredients and mix for 30–45 seconds until they evenly mix into the dough. Add in your favorite snack foods last, mixing again on low speed until they are just incorporated. (You may need to mix these in by hand a little bit!)

(If junk food in cookies is wrong, I don't want to be right.)

Using an ice cream scoop, portion cookie dough onto a parchment or wax paper lined cookie sheet. (You will not bake on this parchment. It's for refrigerating the dough only; hence, I just used cheap wax paper.)

Wrap scooped cookie dough tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour or up to 1 week. DO NOT BAKE your cookies from room temperature or they will not hold their shape.

After the hour is up, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Arrange your chilled cookie dough balls on a parchment or Silpat-lined sheetpan a minimum of 4" apart in any direction. Bake 9–11 minutes (I needed the full 11) or until browned on the edges and just beginning to brown towards the center. While in the oven, the cookies will puff, crackle, and spread. Cool the cookies on the cookie sheet for several minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container or tin.

And this photo I shall call parchment (left) vs. Silpat (right). On a Silpat, the cookies kept their shape... just sayin'. I will always prefer the Silpat!!!

Happy Un-Shower!

Passover/Easter: Flourless Chocolate Torte II

This is a belated post, for which I apologize. Who knew that April was a busy month for those who work at accounting firms? Anyway, I have three or four flourless chocolate cake recipes that are taking up space in my dessert binders. (Yes, binders.) This, however, is the one I should have made last year. (a) It has a ganache glaze, (b) it's from Bon Appétit, (c) it has a French name :), and (d) it translates to "The Black Beast." Well, hello there.

You'll want to use bittersweet, not semisweet, chocolate because of the addition of a simple syrup. Semisweet + sugar = too sweet for this sophisticated dessert. This is not your typical fallen flourless chocolate cake; in fact, it's somewhat similar to the chocolate pavé, which would have also been suitable for Passover.

La Bête Noire
1 c. water
3/4 c. sugar
9 T. unsalted butter, diced
18 oz. bittersweet chocolate (approx. 3 c. bittersweet Ghirardelli chips for me)
6 eggs, fork beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 10-inch-diameter springform pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment round (you can trace the bottom part that pops out); butter parchment as well. Wrap heavy-duty aluminum foil around outside of pan, bringing foil to top of rim (this is to protect the torte from the water so nothing seeps in).

Combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Fill a large tea kettle with water and bring to a simmer. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Add chocolate and whisk until smooth and glossy. Whisk the sugar syrup into the chocolate; cool slightly (to prevent scrambled eggs!). Add eggs to chocolate mixture and whisk until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan. Place cake pan in large roasting pan. Place in the oven and add enough hot water from the tea kettle to the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the cake pan. (You might need to refill the tea kettle a few times depending on the size of your roasting pan. As long as the water is hot, you'll be fine.)

Bake cake until center no longer moves when pan is gently shaken, about 50 minutes. Remove from water bath; transfer to cooling rack. Cool completely in pan.

For the ganache:
1 c. heavy whipping cream
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Bring whipping cream to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and whisk until smooth. Pour over top of cake still in pan. Gently shake pan to distribute ganache evenly over top of cake. Refrigerate cake in pan until ganache is set, about 2 hours. (Can be assembled two days ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.)

Run knife around pan to loosen cake; release sides. Cut cake into wedges and serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Perfection

Passover: Toffee-Chocolate Matzah

I've been meaning to make this recipe for the past few years, especially since I've already tasted the same recipe but with either Saltines or graham crackers and can attest to its deliciousness. A sprinkle of salt on top is key—aim for either sea salt or kosher salt. It rounds out the other flavors so well!

Toffee-Chocolate Matzah
4 sheets unsalted non-egg matzah (or Saltines, or graham crackers)
1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 c. packed brown sugar
2 c. semisweet chocolate chips
sea salt (or other toppings like nuts)

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper (less cleanup!). Arrange matzah in an even layer on baking sheets and set aside.

(These pictured matzahs don't even know how lucky they're about to become...)

Melt butter in saucepan on medium-low heat. Once melted, add brown sugar and cook, stirring, until the sugar has completely dissolved, it starts to bubble, and the mixture is pourable—about 5 minutes. Drizzle toffee evenly over matzah and spread with a spatula.

Transfer to the oven and bake until toffee has a rich sheen, 10 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Tent matzah with aluminum foil and let stand 20 to 30 minutes.

Remove foil tent and spread melted chocolate over matzah to cover; sprinkle with sea salt. Transfer matzah to refrigerator and let chill at least 2 hours.

Break chilled matzah into pieces. Matzah will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 4 days, but you may have to keep it in the refrigerator if your kitchen is always hot like ours is!

Survival Chocolate Pots de Crème

I had a whole post written out about the Snowpocalypse and SNOMG! and Snowverkill and every other cutesy term coined this February as a result of more than two feet of snow here in the metro DC area that descended upon us the week before Valentine's Day, and I hunkered down for a weekend of great baking. On my list: Fran Bigelow's Chocolate Pots de Crème.

Unfortunately, I didn't have as much time to blog and bake as expected since my employer didn't consider metro closures, week-long school closures, an unprecedented four-day closure of the federal government, and absolutely treacherous roads to be reason enough to close the office.

But the title of this post isn't extremely bitter chocolate pots de crème. :) Fortunately, I looked forward to making these beauties all week. Even a 3.5-hour one-way commute on Friday couldn't stop me from the excitement of this dessert. Score another perfect 10 for Fran!

Any time I make a dessert that is time-sensitive or that requires a lot of equipment or care, I make sure everything is ready well before I turn on the burner. For this, I recommend you have the eggs separated and ready to go, a teapot on the boil (it can simmer until you're ready for it), the ingredients measured, chocolate chopped, and the strainer, baking dish, and ramekins ready. It is not, however, a difficult recipe. Promise.

Trust me when I say that you'll want to save this one for a special occasion—but sometimes just surviving the week is reason enough.

Survival Chocolate Pots de Crème
1 whole egg
5 egg yolks
2 T. plus 1 t. sugar
pinch of salt
1 c. heavy cream
1 c. whole milk
8 oz. semisweet chocolate (60% preferred), finely chopped

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Set a tea kettle filled with water on the stovetop to boil. Have ready six 5-ounce pot de crème cups or ramekins.

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg and egg yolks with 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon sugar and a pinch of salt. Whisk until smooth and the sugar begins to dissolve. Set aside.

In a heavy saucepan, heat the cream, milk, and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar until it comes to just a simmer. Remove from heat and stir in the chopped chocolate. Gently stir until the chocolate is completely melted (be patient!) and smooth (you'll thank me later).

Pour about a third (just eyeball it) of the chocolate mixture into the eggs and immediately stir to combine. Then add the remaining chocolate mixture, gently stirring until smooth without incorporating too much air or too many bubbles. (This will help the texture later.)

Using a rubber spatula to help, strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a large measuring cup. You should have about 24 fluid ounces.

Pour about 4 ounces into each pot de crème cup or ramekin until 1/2 inch from the top. Tap the base of each cup on the counter to remove any bubbles.

If using pot de crème cups, place their hats (lids... whatever) on them—or individually and tightly cover each ramekin with plastic wrap to prevent a skin. With the tip of a sharp knife, punch a small slit in the surface of the plastic wrap so that steam can escape during cooking.

When your tea kettle comes to a boil, arrange the custard cups in a rimmed baking dish or roasting pan and place in the oven. Pour boiling water into the roasting pan around the custard cups to a depth of about an inch to create a bain-marie (a fancy term for a water bath, which ensures even, gentle cooking). If using ramekins, loosely cover the pan with foil.

Bake for 35 minutes (perfect amount of time for my oven), or until the custard is set. If the center moves independently when gently shaken, continue baking.

Serve warm or at room temperature. Refrigerate any portion not devoured.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Other inkpadchocolate V-day recommendations:
Chocolate Soufflés
Aunt Louise's Famous Chocolate Mousse
Chocolate Pavé
Flourless Chocolate Torte

Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies

I had a bag of chocolate toffee pieces that I wasn't sure what to do with (other than the obvious thing: eat them straight from the bag...) and happened to come across the following recipe in a cookbook I got for Christmas. The cookies were even featured on the cover, so they must be good, right?

I really had no idea that we would like them as much as we did! For basically being just a chocolate chip cookie with some toffee thrown in, these were darn tasty. The toffee added this buttery, salty flavor that really took them up a notch. And a sprinkle of my secret ingredient*, sea salt, on top before baking really rounded them out. M asked if I could make a batch every day. He was serious.

*I'm no good at keeping secrets. ;)

Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies
makes about 42
3/4 c. brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 c. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 t. vanilla extract
1 egg, at room temperature
1 1/4 c. flour
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1 c. semisweet chocolate chips
1 c. chocolate-covered toffee candy bar bits (or several bars, such as Heath, chopped)
sprinkle of sea salt, optional

Preheat oven to 375.

In a large bowl, mix together brown sugar, butter, and vanilla with an electric mixer on high until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in batches and mix on low just until blended. Stir in the chocolate chips and chopped chocolate toffee bits by hand with a wooden spoon until incorporated. Drop the dough in heaping teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets (lined with a Silpat, if you have one), spacing the cookies about two inches apart. For an extra hit of flavor, sprinkle lightly with sea salt.

Bake 10 minutes, until golden. Leave them on the cookie sheet for about two minutes then transfer baked cookies to wire racks to cool.

See the toffee oozing out on the left? YUM.

Easiest chocolate cupcakes with glossy chocolate glaze

First, I am alive and well. I just have a gazillion pumpkin recipes that will be ready to post next fall that I never got around to posting before Thanksgiving (i.e., the last day I want to see or eat pumpkin until September 1, 2010).

Switching gears to Christmas, the season of chocolate, I have so many recipes I look forward to sharing and only a few days to do it. Whoops. But let me start with this one.

Husband forget to tell you about his office holiday party where he signed up to bring cupcakes?* Need a quick recipe to wow your family that is descending on you for the holidays? Feeling unstable and need a supremely fudgy treat?

With the exception of the Baker's unsweetened chocolate, you are likely to have all of these ingredients in your pantry! (And, if you're an avid baker, you will have it all.) When does that ever happen?! You don't even need more than a whisk, a bowl, and a saucepan.

This recipe is from one of my favorite blogs. She even provides a link so you can print it all pretty!

*Purely hypothetical :) He was good this year. ;)

Easiest chocolate cupcakes with glossy chocolate glaze
Cupcakes
1 c. flour
1/2 c. cocoa powder
1 c. sugar
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
3/4 c. hot water
1/2 c. canola (or vegetable) oil
1 1/2 t. vanilla extract
1 egg

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 12 muffin cups with liners.

2. Whisk together flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Pour in hot water, oil, and vanilla extract. Add the egg, whisking until well blended.

3. Pour into prepared muffin cups. Bake about 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack. Frost when completely cooled.

Glaze
1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 T. cornstarch
1 1-oz. square unsweetened Baker's chocolate, grated or chopped very finely
dash of salt
1/2 c. boiling water
1 1/2 T. butter
1/2 t. vanilla extract

1. In a medium saucepan, whisk together sugar, cornstarch, grated/chopped chocolate, and salt. Add boiling water and cook over medium heat until mixture thickens and begins to bubble, whisking so it will be smooth.

2. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Stir until smooth.

3. While frosting is still hot, dip the cooled cupcake tops into the glaze one at a time. Top with sprinkles and set on a cooling rack. Devour, with milk. You'll need it!

Peabody's Chocolate Pecan Triangles

For Mother's Day this year, M and I hosted our moms for a tea. Unlike with most guests, our moms fortunately share our chocolate obsession—we didn't have to worry about providing less decadent options like we sometimes do with other dinner guests. ;) Also, we didn't even bother with anything savory... my kind of tea party!

Lately I have been following the blog Culinary Concoctions by Peabody. I really like her material because unlike some of my other favorite dessert blogs, Peabody makes things that, while totally creative and one of a kind, are still easy enough for a moderately experienced baker to handle, without being too over the top. Warning, her pictures will totally make you drool.

I had been eyeing her Chocolate Pecan Diamonds for a long time, and this seemed the perfect opportunity to take the plunge. Not only did the moms LOVE them, so did the dads (they got goodie bags)—and so did I. This recipe totally won me over. It's like super rich and chewy fudge on top of a crunchy, buttery crust. Makes me happy. Thanks, Peabody!

Please click the link above for her original recipe, but I did make a few changes and would like to make a few notes.

1. "Pecan dough" and "pecan filling" section: To toast the pecans, scatter them on an ungreased cookie sheet in a single layer and cook them in a preheated 325 degree oven for 10 or so minutes, tossing them a few times during cooking. This really releases the flavors and aroma of the nuts, but if this is just an extra step for you, you don't *have* to do it. But I do agree that it adds a lot of flavor and texture.

2. "Pecan filling" section: I used 2 cups of semisweet chocolate chips rather than milk chocolate chips, but that's also because I buy semisweet chips in bulk at Costco. ;)

3. "Pecan filling" section: I used 10 oz. of milk chocolate chips rather than a milk chocolate bar that I chopped—mostly to save time and not have to clean another cutting board/knife. ;)

4. "To make the filling" section: When she says to "Remove the pan from oven, and use a spatula to smooth the chocolate. I choose to make a marbled effect since the chocolates were different shades of brown."—this was a disaster for me. When I tried to marble it, the milk chocolate chips would pull up the already baked chocolate beneath it and there was no way it would end prettily. Next time, I'll leave visible chips on top.

5. Finally, I couldn't follow the instructions to make diamonds. M had to rip the ruler out of my hands because the moms were arriving in less than five minutes. So, triangles it is!!

I really hope you try this recipe. It's really a great one. I filed it under favorites and everything. :)