Blondies are supposedly the non-chocolate alternative to brownies, but let’s face it: they’re basically a chocolate chip cookie in bar form, and you get to cut them into bars without having to portion individual balls of cookie dough. I’ve been using a lightly adapted version […]
One of the tropes of the food blog is the home cook who reviews a recipe despite completely changing the recipe with “improvements.” Well, today is the day that I present to you a recipe that I have, in fact, completely changed — although as […]
When I was in college, I used to open my door during final exams and find a box of cookies underfoot. This meant that Jessica had been hard at work, somehow baking off hundreds of cookies in between studying for and taking exams. For the record, getting a surprise box of cookies delivered to your door is kind of like getting asked to prom, or winning the lottery – I never knew why I made the list, or what made me a good enough friend to deserve cookies. I was just happy to find them – there’s nothing quite like starting your day with cookies that someone else made for you. Jessica’s cookies were all handed down from her German grandmother, and were so good that I would begrudgingly share them with my family, lest they miss out on truly excellent cookies. This brings me to the truism of cookies: they’re meant for sharing. (more…)
Here’s another cake that’s delicious when unadorned with any accoutrements. This is a cake made with almond paste, which I’ve found makes a cake with a moist but firm crumb. This cake bakes for a long time (as did the other almond paste cake […]
If you have leftover buttermilk, as I did, you should make this cake. This cake is a little lighter than a traditional pound cake, with a bit of tang from the buttermilk. It still has the tight and tender crumb of a pound cake, […]
I am invariably disappointed by brownies from the store, be they artisanal or made from a box (the sole exception being the gluten-free King Arthur brownie mix). As you know, I already have a favorite brownie recipe, which is more akin to brownie-flavored fudge than anything else. However, the activation energy required to make those brownies, while admittedly lower than what’s required to make, say, a layer cake, is high enough from the chore of chopping chocolate. Then you have to let the brownies cool for hours, and there you have it – desire to make brownies plummets.
Here to step into that breach is this recipe, which has a very low activation energy because it will require one bowl, a spoon, and things that are all in your pantry – they just need to be measured out. Alice Medrich – whose chocolate wafers have also found a home in my heart – is a wizard with all things chocolate, and she does not disappoint here. These brownies are reminiscent of an upscale version of a box brownie (likely also because they contain no chocolate). They’re more dark than sweet, so you may want to add a few tablespoons more sugar if you prefer your brownies sweet, or add a frosting or glaze on top. They’re intense and fudgy, without making you feel like you’re eating an entire week’s calories. Best of all, they manage to have a slightly crunchy top to add a bit of textural contrast (make sure you stir in the eggs with verve – that’s where the crunch comes from!). Cut these into small squares and eat with a glass of milk on hand. (more…)
I made a bunch of cake for my birthday back at the end of January, and to my mind, the winner was the bananas foster pound cake – a banana bundt cake with rum in both the cake and the glaze. Since then, I’ve […]
This will be shocking to you, but I don’t always seek out the most complicated recipes I can get my hands on! Sometimes I like to get something in the oven as fast as I can, and this recipe is one that fits the bill. […]
Having mentioned my favorite chocolate wafer recipe, I figured that I should also put it up! Of all of the chocolate-and-fruit pairings, I love chocolate and lemon the best – the richness of the chocolate pairs well with the acidity and floral flavor of the lemon. It’s a pairing that is less sweet than chocolate and raspberry, and more unexpected than chocolate and orange. I also find that the lemon stands up to the chocolate, whereas raspberry and orange are meeker pairings. For those of you who don’t want your chocolate adulterated with fruit, well, I’ll just tell you that you’re missing out. All of this, however, is just a preamble to say that I make these chocolate wafers primarily to make icebox cakes.
Specifically, an icebox cake made from layers of wafers and lemon mascarpone cream. The lemon mascarpone cream is something I’ve used in the past to both fill and frost a cake, so if you’re looking for a cake frosting, this one is excellent. It has a bit more body from the mascarpone cream, which helps it keep its shape better than a whipped cream frosting (the healthy dose of gelatin also helps). I made it for a cake that I brought to work a while back, and only used about half of it; the rest of it got made into icebox cake with Anna’s brand gingersnaps (my favorite for making cheesecake crusts). The wonder of icebox cakes is osmosis: you take something very dry, combine it with something relatively wet, and you end up with something that tastes like a cross between cake and pudding. Many icebox cakes are made with storebought wafers and whipped cream, and are popular in the summer, when turning on the oven is anathema. (more…)
I’ve seen a lot of recipes for oreos over the past year or so, as it has become increasingly trendy to make classic American treats at home (twinkies, hostess cupcakes, oreos, ketchup, etc). I usually pass them by, thinking that while homemade hostess cupcakes […]