Chocolate

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.

dan lepard’s sweet potato brownies

October 7, 2011

I’ve had this recipe for sweet potato brownies bookmarked for weeks, just waiting for the weather to cool off ever so slightly so that I’d feel like baking something so autumnal sounding.

Do you know who Dan Lepard is? He’s the man behind a zillion and one inspiring sweet recipes on The Guardian, a writer, photographer and champion bread baker.

I love reading Dan’s recipes; he uses such interesting ingredients to produce attainable, wholesome, down to earth sweet treats. Some recent examples: rye and oat blinis, wholewheat plum tart with sherry cream, spelt and corn batch rolls.

As Dan points out, lowering the fat and sugar content in a dessert while still keeping the texture right is a pretty complicated affair. I’m not really one for low-fat desserts myself – what drew me to these was pure intrigue. Using baked sweet potato as a binder? Crazy talk. I had to try for myself.

The secret to the question of texture when reducing fat and sugar is to add some cooked starch – the soft baked flesh binds the mixture while at the same time adding moistness to it.

And you know what? It works like a dream – the texture is pretty much spot on.

The flavour is full impact dark chocolate; a really rich, intense cocoa. Chunks of pecans and more dark chocolate add a welcome additional layer of texture. Whether you’re after a less fattening brownie or just intrigued with this kind of fun experimentation: try ’em. You won’t be disappointed.

For the full recipe, visit The Guardian.

peanut butter cup bars

July 22, 2011

When I originally moved to America, it wasn’t to my beloved Minneapolis, but actually to Austin, TX. I stepped off the plane onto American soil for the very first time, half expecting cacti and sand, and instead finding the hottest of heats and one of the most exciting cities I’d ever been to.

Austin was everything I wanted for my year of studying abroad. Wild, carefree, adventurous, full of sun, water, laughter, and new friends. That’s before we even get to the tacos and bbq.

One hot evening soon after arriving I visited a Walmart for the very first time (a CRAZY experience for a non-American, let me tell you) where under the supervision of a new friend I picked up a large bag of Reese’s pieces – the miniature version of those sugar bomb peanut butter “cups”. That bag lasted me through a first semester of crazy, adventurous, emotional roller-coasting, and fun.

And so you see, that these little beauties evoke special memories for me of arriving in a hot city with an unfamiliar feel.

Their presence in my little desk drawer (and the frequency with which they came out of said drawer and into my mouth) meant that they stud my memories of time spent in that room, writing essays, emailing home, sitting with new friends, enjoying that notable, intense sugar rush every time I popped one in my mouth.

They’re American as can be and extraordinarily rich so that a tiny little nugget is all you need to satisfy a craving. If you don’t have an intensely sweet tooth like I do then you might think about adding a graham cracker/digestive biscuit base to balance out the richness. To me, they’re perfect just as they are.

Peanut Butter Cup Bars
from Eat Live Run

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 1/3 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 7 ounces milk chocolate
  • 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
  • 1 tbsp butter

Directions

  1. Blend together the brown sugar, powdered sugar, butter and peanut butter until it reaches a smooth paste-like consistency. Press into the bottom of a nine by thirteen inch pan.
  2. Melt the chocolate with the tablespoon of butter over very low heat (or in a microwave). Pour melted chocolate over the peanut butter crust and stick in the fridge for an hour to harden.
  3. Cut into little squares or rectangles and serve. Makes about 48 small bars.

Note: If you’re making these in the summertime heat, keep ’em refrigerated for a delicious chocolate crunch.

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