Winter

white chocolate & cranberry biscuits

December 12, 2011

I feel like I blinked and suddenly Christmas is in matter of moments. I can’t tell you how in the mood for it I am this year though.

We’ve been gone for the holidays the last three years in a row (Nicaragua, Vancouver, and Thailand. I know, jet-setters.) and I am just ready to be at home, cosying up and getting in the spirit.

We bought our tree the first weekend in December and I am officially obsessed. I’ve been shopping for gifts, writing cards, listening to Christmas tunes, day dreaming about mulled wine and sausage rolls…. I just can’t stop.

So, yes, I am unabashedly excited about Christmas. Are you?

These cookies seem especially festive to me. I think it’s the red and white combo that does it. They’re another Ottolenghi creation – the man never ceases to hit the nail squarely on the head.

This recipe is from Ottolenghi: The Cookbook and yes, before there is an outbreak of confusion, biscuits are what we Brits call cookies. Usually I opt for the word “cookie” but this is Ottolenghi’s recipe and residing in the U.K. he goes with biscuits. So there.

They’re thin, crispy and buttery beyond belief. Dan inhaled five of them within minutes of me bringing them out of the oven. So…yeah. I’m more of a soft, fluffy cookie girl but these really hit the spot. Chewy cranberries and oats and melty oh-so-sweet white chocolate chips. Your friends would probably keep you a little closer if you brought a batch of these over.

White Chocolate and Cranberry Biscuits
from Ottolenghi: The Cookbook

British measurements are listed first with American adaptations second. If you don’t own a measuring scale I highly recommend buying a cheap digital one so that you can weigh ingredients accurately for baking. Most have the option for grams and ounces. Here’s a reasonably priced option. Also, the argument for using a scale :)

Ingredients

  •  90g plain flour/ 3.7 oz all purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda/ baking soda
  • 100g/ 3.52 oz unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence
  • 110g/ 3.8 oz soft brown sugar
  • 25g/ 2 tbsp caster sugar
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 80g/ 2.82 oz whole rolled oats (not the instant kind)
  • 60g/ 2.1 oz white chocolate, chopped into chocolate chip sized pieces (or just use white chocolate chips)
  • 75g/ 2.64 oz dried cranberries

Directions

  1. Preheat your oven to 170C/350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat.
  2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl add the butter, vanilla, and sugars and beat with a wooden spoon until combined. Gradually add the egg, combining thoroughly after each addition.
  4. Add the flour mixture and the oats, then the chocolate and cranberries. Mix to combine but be careful not to over-mix once the ingredients are blended together.
  5. Chill the mixture in the fridge for about 15-30 minutes to help you shape the biscuits. Scoop up a bit of the mixture and shape it into a ball somewhere between the size of an olive and a walnut. Press the balls lightly onto the baking tray. Be sure to space them a good distance apart as they’ll spread quite a bit during baking.
  6. Place in the oven and bake for about 10 minutes, until they’re brown in colour. Remove from the oven and cool on trays before serving.

white hot chocolate {for one}

April 1, 2011

I don’t know about you but oooeee it’s been cupcake after cupcake after bacon cookie for me recently. I just cannot wait for the farmers’ markets to open and the fresh produce and salads to start flowing.

Let’s get real though: I live in Minnesota. Spring is not here (in spirit), the weather is not warm, and the snow has not melted.  All of these factors lead me to conclude that it’s hot chocolate weather. Can I get a hell yes?

After those delightful White Chocolate Spiced Cupcakes I made last week I had some leftover white chocolate sitting on hand. I don’t really bake with it much and so this hot chocolate was born. Perfect when you’re in the mood for something sweet but also lighter.

In the grand scheme of hot chocolates, this one is pretty light. I’m considering it a halfway-to-spring hot choc. Clearly, I am by no means advocating this as a health food – but! – it’s so much lighter than the average cup (laden with heavy cream, whole milk, and whipped cream garnish) so you can sip away safe in the knowledge that you took the healthier route. ::Pat on back:: Well done you.

White Hot Chocolate {for one}
adapted from Martha Stewart

Ingredients

  • 1/2 ounce milk chocolate, for garnish
  • 3 ounces good-quality white chocolate, coarsely chopped
  • 2 1/2 cups milk (I used skim)
  • 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

  1. Using a vegetable peeler, shave milk chocolate into curls; set aside.
  2. Place white chocolate in a medium heat-proof bowl; set aside. Place milk in a medium saucepan set over medium heat until bubbles begin to form around edges of pan, about 4 minutes. Immediately pour mixture over white chocolate. When chocolate begins to melt, stir to combine. Whisk in vanilla. Continue whisking until a light foam forms.
  3. Serve immediately garnished with chocolate curls.
  4. Yield: 2 cups.

Note: If you have no interest in going light then sub whole milk where I used skim, and sub 1/2 cup of that milk with heavy cream. Whipped cream to top. Yum).

white chocolate spiced cupcakes

March 21, 2011

I’m calling these “Farewell to Winter” cupcakes. Didn’t you hear? It’s Spring now. Yesterday, when I baked these, it was entirely my kind of Spring day. Rainy, grey, drizzly. That probably doesn’t sound too great to most of you but where I come from this time of year things get… damp. Of course I love sunny Spring days too – the ones when you can smell Summer coming – but the rain and cool (not freezing) temperature feels like home.

I baked these late in the afternoon after a wonderful time at a soup party. You heard. Our friends threw the party to thank friends for helping out/being friends as they’ve welcomed their daughter into the world the past couple months. I thought it was such a lovely idea. We ate so many kinds of soup and everyone brought bread and fixings to share. Perfect rainy day stuff.

I’ll never be sad to say goodbye to Winter (I’m such a Spring/Summer person) but I admit that I’ll miss some of Winter’s flavours. All that butternut squash to make bread with; all those soups were pretty neat too. And spices? Woo, Winter is the season of spiced lattes, spiced cookies, and now spiced cupcakes too.

Enjoy these cupcakes as a last Winter hoorah. They’re spiced with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and ginger. Molasses gives them that earthy, almost malty taste and the frosting is just the touch to sweeten them up.

White Chocolate Spice Cupcakes
from Candace Nelson via The New York Times

Ingredients

Spice Cupcakes:

  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/8 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup unsulfured molasses
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 stick of butter
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs

White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • 4 ounces (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, still firm but not cold
  • 8 ounces cold cream cheese
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 pound plus 2 teaspoons powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 ounces white chocolate, melted plus more for shavings

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line cupcake pan with 12 cupcake liners.

2. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, spices and salt. In another bowl, combine molasses and milk.

3. Cream the butter for 3 to 5 minutes. Gradually add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy in texture. Beat in the eggs, one at a time.

5. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture alternately with the molasses mixture, beating thoroughly after each addition and ending with dry ingredients.

6. Divide batter among the cupcake liners and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until top of cupcakes spring back when lightly touched. Cool thoroughly before frosting.

7. Prepare the frosting. Mix together butter, cream cheese and salt on for 3 to 5 minutes. Gradually add powdered sugar until incorporated. Gradually add vanilla and melted white chocolate until just blended. Do not overwhip the frosting; the consistency should be creamy and dense, like ice cream.

8. Frost cupcakes and grate white chocolate shavings over top.

Yield: 1 dozen cupcakes.

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