Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Best Chocolate Chip/White Chocolate Cappuccino Cookies

Adapted from: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/09/dining/091crex.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=chocholate%20chip%20cookies&st=cse
and
http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/2011/02/cappuccino-cookies-with-espresso-and-white-chocolate/

Yield: 34 4 inch (2 oz) cookies

17 oz AP flour (can use half cake, half bread if on hand)

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoons coarse salt

2.5 Tbsp instant espresso powder

2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter at room temp (30 mins after chopping)

1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar

2 large eggs at room temp

2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract

1 pound chocolate (half white choc chunks, half chopped choc covered espresso beans)

Sea salt.

1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder, instant espresso, and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

2. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24.

3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.

4. Scoop 6 2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Bake until they puff up and still have moist streaks (will continue to cook as they rest) for about 15 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Eat warm, with a big napkin.

Notes:

  • Can make smaller--1.75 oz
  • BEST cookie recipe

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Alton Brown Chocolate Chip Cookies

Source: http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/2008/07/the-chocolate-chip-cookie-debate-part-1/
Notes:
  • Melted butter in cookie
  • Looks pretty but bakes up DRY (tried 2x)
  • Do NOT make again

Monday, June 6, 2011

Best Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Source: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/oatmeal-cookies-recipe

  • 2 ounces (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
  • 1/4 c vegetable shortening
  • 3 3/4 ounces light brown sugar
  • 1 3/4 ounces granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cider or white vinegar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3 ounces King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
  • 5 ounces quick-cooking rolled oats
  • 5 ounces golden raisins, optional

1) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets, light-colored preferred.

2) Beat together the butter, shortening, sugars, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and vinegar till fairly smooth; a few tiny bits of butter may still show.

3) Beat in the egg, again beating till smooth.

4) Add the baking soda and flour, beating till well incorporated.

5) Add the oats (and raisins), stirring to combine.

6) Drop the dough in 1 1/4" balls onto the prepared baking sheets; if you're measuring, this is about 2 level tablespoons (using a tablespoon measure, not a dinner spoon). Space the cookies 2" apart; they'll spread

7) Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes, reversing the pans halfway through (top rack to bottom, bottom to top). For softer cookies, bake the lesser amount of time; for crunchier, the longer amount. At 12 minutes, a few of the cookies on the edge should just barely be showing a pale brown around their edges. At 14 minutes, they should be starting to color all over.

8) Remove the cookies from the oven, and let them cool right on the pan.


Notes:

  • Really excellent recipe, great spiciness
  • Sub in whole wheat pastry flour
  • Slightly increase number of raisins
  • Chill/freeze batter so that the cookies will be more thick and chewy instead of spreading
  • Made 22 cookies
  • Tops may crack slightly in cookies that spread (chill!)

Sunday, May 8, 2011

ATK Make Ahead Chocolate Souffle

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into half inch sticks
1/3 cup (2 1/3 ounces) granulated sugar
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/8 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon orange liqueur , preferably Grand Marnier
6 large egg yolks
8 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar


Instructions

1.Coat eight 1-cup ramekins with 1 tablespoon butter, then coat inside of dish evenly with the 1 tablespoon sugar; refrigerate until ready to use.

2. Melt chocolate and remaining butter in medium bowl set over pan of simmering water. Turn off heat, stir in salt, vanilla/espresso mixture, and liqueur; set aside.

3. Bring the 1/3 cup of sugar and 2 tablespoons water to boil in small saucepan, then simmer until sugar dissolves. With mixer running, slowly add this sugar syrup to egg yolks; beat until mixture triples in volume, about 3 minutes. Fold into chocolate mixture. Clean beaters.

4. Beat egg whites until frothy; add cream of tartar and beat to soft peaks; add confectioners’ sugar; continue beating to stiff peaks. (Mixture should just hold the weight of a raw egg in the shell when the egg is placed on top.)

5. Vigorously stir one-quarter of whipped whites into chocolate mixture. Gently fold remaining whites into mixture until just incorporated. Fill each ramekin almost to rim, wiping excess filling from rim with wet paper towel. Run your finger around the edge of each ramekin; this will help the souffle to rise more evenly. Cover and freeze until firm, at least 3 hours, but for up to 2 days (you can freeze them longer than two days but may not achieve the same lift upon baking).

6. Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Bake until fully risen, about 16 to 18 minutes. (Soufflé is done when fragrant and fully risen. Top should be firm but center should still be jiggly. Use two large spoons to pull open the top and peek inside. If not yet done, place back in oven.) Serve immediately.


Notes:
  • Made with Charles on 5/8/2011
  • In small oven set at 400 degrees, baked quickly (were ready in <10 minutes, WATCH THE OVEN)
  • Serve with a creme anglaise
  • Flavor the creme anglaise next time (infuse the cream with orange?)
  • Makes ~10 souffles

Monday, March 7, 2011

Macaron Notes

http://www.tarteletteblog.com/2009/08/recipe-coffee-chicory-macarons.html
  • Pipe smaller (about 1"), as these are more stable
  • Add 1.5 tsp coffee instead of 1