Muffin's Take 2 (Chocolate Chocolate Chip Almond)

Hi! It's been awhile. I'm sure you've been busy, I certainly have. Haven't really whipped up anything new recently (or anything tasty enough to post... heh...) BUT I was inspired last night to take a second stab at muffins. Found a great recipe on Cooking Light for some chocolate chip chocolate muffins and on my first attempt, I made a funny mistake - I forgot to add the cocoa powder... whoops! They look tasty though? The recipe is located here.

Sooooo I really wanted to chocolate ones but ran out of ingredients from the first batch and had to improvise. These suckers aren't as healthy for you but are really tasty so I guess that balances it out (right?)

One little tip - I ran out of muffin liners so parchment paper works super well, it's not as pretty but in a pinch it worked.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Almond Muffins
Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I always use this stuff. Love it!)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 stick of butter - melted
• 2/3 cup warm water (add a bit more if too dry)
• 1 container of plain greek yogurt (5.3 oz or 6 oz one would work too)
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• sprinkle of sugar (optional)
• Cooking spray

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 400degrees F.
2. Mix together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and soda, salt and sugar together so it's well incorporated.
3. Add in butter, water, yogurt, almond extract, egg and mix together until there are no dry bits. The mixture should be light and fluffy. Try not to over mix.
4. Add in the chocolate chips with a few mixes. Prep your muffin tin with the muffin liners, and spray with cooking spray to ensure its easy to get the muffin out.
5. Pour in your mixture evenly between the tins and top with a few extra chocolate chips and a sprinkle of sugar.
6. Bake for 15 minutes and check with a toothpick to ensure it's not wet in the middle. If so, pop them back in for another few minutes until the toothpick comes out dry.
7. Enjoy!

It's almost apple season!

I had a beautiful photo or two on my phone of a fantastic apple pie I made this weekend and was going to share... Alas, my phone has decided that it no longer wants to be in this world and took a long nose dive from my bag to the floor and did not survive. The photos went along with it. I do have one that I've popped on facebook so hopefully that will get the drooling started a little bit.

But let's take a moment to talk about one of my most favorite foods in the world - pie. I've tried so many ways to make the perfect apple pie. Some come out too juicy, some too dry, some too over baked and some are just plain bad.

I'd love to know some of your tips and tricks to making the perfect apple pie. I like mine juicy and moist on the inside, usually made with a mix of apples (honey crisp and cortlands are tasty) with a good cinnamon flavor. This time I tried to make a roux and then add the sugar and spices. It was ok... not enough butter.

I had 1/2 stick butter, 1/2 cup wheat flour, 1/2 cup sugar, a good share of cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and nutmeg, 4 cortlands and 2 honeycrisp apples.

The best tip I received when making a pie was from Bea Viera, to line crust for the first hour of baking with aluminum foil so it doesn't burn. Then remove it for the last 10 minutes or so.

Feel free to post a comment and share some of your great pie-baking and making tips! Doesn't have to be apple pie either. :-)

2 food competitions and 1 new business

I've got three great announcements to share with all my lovely readers out there - 2 awesome recipe competitions and 1 fantastic announcement from a friend. 

FLUFF CONTEST
Date: Sept 24th
Location: Union Square, Somerville Ma
Enter Here: http://wickedgoodtravel.com/2011/08/contest-giveaway-what-fluff-festival/

Are you a fan of Marshmallow Fluff? Does it remind you of childhood memories of having the perfect combination of a Fluffernutter, do you dream about it swirled into Nutella for a delectable, chocolate, “fluffy” delight? If you said ‘yes’ then you are in luck! On September 24th, Union Square Main Streets is holding their Sixth Annual “What the Fluff” festival to honor the creamy delight. They'll have food, games, entertainment, even a celebrity appearance by Susan Olsen, or 'Cindy', from the Brady Bunch. And there's still time to enter the Fluff cooking contest, which boasts some top prizes, including a tour of the factory (a rare treat)! To celebrate the local blog, Wicked Good Travel & Activities, is holding a giveaway contest. Just go over to Wicked Good Travel & Activities between August 31st and September 12th and leave a brief comment here  in the form of creative recipes, prose, poetry, and more- all expressing your love for Marshmallow Fluff. Two winners will be chosen, so give us your best! One will receive a Fluff tote bag and the other 1 will receive 2 free studio classes at The Training Room. All winners will also be featured on Wicked Good Travel & Activities, Somerville Patch, and Union Square Main Streets.

So, what the fluff are you waiting for? Enter the contest and SHOW US YOUR FLUFF!

HOME SWEET HOME BAKING COMPETITION
Date: Sept 12th for entry
Location: Cambridge, Ma
Enter here: http://how2heroes.com/home-sweet-home

Here’s your chance to compete in the First Home Sweet Home Amateur Bake-Off Contest, sponsored by the Cambridge Housing Assistance Fund (www.CHAFund.org), how2heroes and the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts. This contest is for non-professional chefs (please refer to the complete rules, details, and entry form a (www.how2heroes.com). Our Celebrity Judges include: Lee Napoli (owner of Chocolee Chocolates and founder of New England's first and only association for pastry professionals), Clara Silverstein (author of three cookbooks including The Boston Chefs Table, The New England Soup Factory and A White House Garden Cookbook, and a long-time food writer in the Boston area) and Lynne Viera (President & CEO, how2heroes). The top ten desserts in each of the food categories will be invited to a preliminary judging by a separate tasting committee of Boston area food bloggers (INCLUDING ME!!!) to be held at the how2heroes offices in Cambridge, MA on September 20th, 2011. The top three finalists per category will prepare their entries for the Celebrity Judge tasting at the Home Sweet Home Event on October 22nd, 2011 at the Cambridge Hyatt Regency. Prizes to be announced on the how2heroes website. The Grand Prize for Judge's Choice is a pastry class with Master Pastry Chef Delphin Gomes, New England’s only French master pastry chef at The Cambridge School of Culinary Arts (CSCA) and being featured in a how2heroes video. Other prizes will be awarded to the top three finalists in each category.

What are you waiting for? Start searching for your winning dessert recipe!

HOLISTIC HEALTH NEW BIZ IN RHODE ISLAND

And lastly a friend of mine at Two Blue Lemons blog has started her own holistic health practice. Woo hoo! If you have a free moment - check it out: http://sarahwaldmanwellness.com/http://sarahwaldmanwellness.com/

Homemade Oreos

I did it. I made them. Yep. Sure Did. They were tasty but if I didn't have the patience of a 5 year old kid they could have been better. Oh well. Next time. Right? But maybe you can learn from my experience... needless to say, I'm not a baker but these were pretty easy.

I saw in Fine Cooking that they had posted Joanne Chang's (from Flour Bakery in Boston) recipe here... so I knowing there was a snow storm, I was motivated to bake. I've been taking photos with my phone as I've been cooking - it's much faster and easier but I warn you the photos aren't as delicious looking - so the steps photos are from the phone but the final product photos are not.

Here we go.



Oreo Cookies - from Joanne Chang
Recipe from Fine Cooking

For the cookies

• 1 cup (2 sticks/228 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup (200 grams) semisweet chocolate chips, melted and cooled slightly
• 1 egg
• 1-1/2 cups (210 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup (90 grams) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp.baking soda

For the vanilla cream filling

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1-2/3 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 Tbs. milk
• Pinch of kosher salt

---

Got all my ingredients ready to go!!!!

In a medium bowl, whisk together the butter and granulated sugar until well combined. Whisk in the vanilla and chocolate. Add the egg and whisk until thoroughly incorporated.

In another medium bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda until well mixed.

Using a wooden spoon, stir the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture. The dough will start to seem too floury, and you will find it easiest to switch to mixing it with your hands until it comes together. It will have the consistency of Play-Doh. Let the dough sit at room temperature for about 1 hour to firm up.

YUM... yeah, I stuck my finger there while I was mixing it all together. Wouldn't you? It just looks so tasty!

Transfer the dough to a 15-inch square sheet of parchment or waxed paper. Using your hands, shape the dough into a rough log about 10 inches long and 2-1/2 inches in diameter. Place the log at the edge of the sheet of parchment paper, and roll the parchment around the log. With the log fully encased in parchment, roll it into a smoother log, keeping it at 2-1/2 inches in diameter.

NOTE: I did this but I shorten the time frames and you probably shouldn't do that. The harder the dough is (or colder) the easier it is to work with. I promise. When I make these again, I'm going to make a smaller log - thinner - so the cookies are smaller as well. More cookie to frosting ratio that way. :-)

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until firm. The log may settle and sink a bit in the fridge, so reroll it every 15 minutes or so to maintain a nice round log, if you like. If not, your cookies will be more oblong than round, which is not a bad thing taste-wise, though they won’t look like the famous packaged cookie. (At this point, the dough log can be well wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 1 month. If the dough is frozen, thaw overnight in the refrigerator before proceeding.)

Position a rack in the center of the oven, and heat the oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or butter it.

Cut the dough log into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Place the slices about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the cookies are firm to the touch. Check them frequently after 16 or 17 minutes, poking them in the middle. As soon as they feel firm to the touch, remove them from the oven. You can’t judge by color because they start out black. Let cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack to warm or room temperature. They don’t have to cool completely before you fill them, but you can’t fill them while they are hot.

While the cookies are cooling, make the frosting. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a handheld mixer), beat the butter on low speed for about 30 seconds, or until completely smooth and soft. Add the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla and beat until the mixture is perfectly smooth. Add the milk and salt and again beat until smooth. It will look like white spackle and feel about the same—like putty. You can also mix this frosting by hand. Make sure the butter is very soft, and use your hands to mix and knead the confectioners’ sugar into the butter. You should have about 1 cup. (The filling can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Bring to room temperature before using.)

Scoop about 1 rounded tablespoon of the filling onto the bottom of 1 cookie. Top with a second cookie, bottom side down, then press the cookies together to spread the filling toward the edges. Repeat until all of the cookies are filled.

THEN EAT!

yeeeehaw!

YEEHAW! Great great great event coming up on August 29th! how2heroes and Smolak Farms present the 2010 Hoedown!

http://how2heroes.com/hoedown

Buy your tickets today!

There is also a baking contest - win good stuff from King Arthur Flour! Yummo!

Oh Yes.

Oh yes. Best cookie ever. Yum.

Vanilla Cupcakes with Lemon Ricotta Frosting (Cannoli Cupcakes)

Yes! I did it! I had the BEST cannoli I've had in a long time last weekend and have been OBESSED with making a cupcake filled with the frosting. Tonight - I did it!

But... it gets better... try making it with these



Pretty epic if you ask me. I believe that is the smallest cupcake pan I've ever seen! And seriously - who really has one of those egg beaters? Honestly! I looked and looked but my uncle doesn't have one anywhere in sight. So I figured - we'll make it work!

The cake recipe is from www.how2heroes.com, it's call Basic Hot Milk Sponge Cake so you'll have to go there to check it out.

The frosting recipe is a combination of a few different recipes I've found online and some genius ideas out of my own head.

Frosting Ingredients:
1 tub of whole milk ricotta
1 cup of powered sugar
1 tablespoon lemon zest (about two lemon's worth)
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
Pinch of coco for garnish

Other item's you'll need
- cheese cloth
- strainer
- arm muscles if you're using an old school beater!



Step 1:
Grab a bowl, the cheese cloth and a strainer. You're going to want to strain the water out of the ricotta. Grab the strainer and put it on top of the bowl, then line the strainer with the cheese cloth. Put the ricotta into the cheese cloth, cover with plastic, then a towel, then with a few cans to keep the pressure up. Put the whole mess into the fridge and let it site for a few hours (or however long you can wait - for me it was about two hours.)

Step 2:
Make the cake! The Basic Hot Milk Sponge Cake recipe that's featured on www.how2heroes.com really is awesome so please check it out.

The key to the cake is that it's a bit thicker so it's a nice compliment to the frosting.

The one thing i'll note is that I made the cake WITH THE EGG BEATER! Oh yes! My arm's will be nice and sore tomorrow! Also, having to cook in a kitchen with out ANYTHING made for cooking, I of course couldn't locate the potholder... Mittens come in very handy for this. Crazy, i know, but hey! I didn't burn myself!



The cupcakes came out great using that old school pan - I wish I had filled them a little higher but it all worked out. I cooked them for about 15 min - a few minutes less than listed in the recipe.



Step 3:
FROSTING TIME! (the ingredients are excited too, see the smiley face?)
After waiting for about 2 hours for some of the water to drain out. You want to pop the ricotta in a big bowl.

You want to prep the lemon and the sugar so they are ready to go. Mix up the ricotta so it's a bit smoother - then add the lemon zest and vanilla. Mix these well. Then add the sugar a bit at a time. I would add about 1/4 of a cup at a time because you don't want to over sweeten it. Make sure you taste it while you're mixing. After all the ingredients have been incorporated - you want to MIX MIX MIX!



Now it's time to assemble the cupcake!

Step 4:
Here's why it's important to have a bit of a thicker, firmer cake - you want to carve out a little section through the middle of the cake so you can put the frosting! Kinda like a cannoli...

Save the little top section you cut out because you'll want to then pop that back on top and frost the whole thing.



Step 5:
Garnish - I just used a little coco powder (yeah, I love chocolate) and just some of the lemon zest.

Fun times in my Uncle's kitchen - mittens and old school egg beaters. Love it.

Making it work

Let me tell you a little story.

There was a girl who had to move out. She needed to move quickly and decided that her uncle's house was the best option. Little did she know that things were about to get interesting...

Guess what? I'm the girl! HA!

I love to cook. I love food. Most of all, I love to eat. So I've been at my uncle's for about two weeks now and it was time to start doing some cooking. I was missing it and I was over the awkward stage of living in someone else's house. Sooooo I entered the kitchen. My first dish was going to be some cupcakes. Simple right? Flour, sugar, etc. Except that my uncle doesn't bake so finding the right tools to help me out was going to be fun.

Having my entire apartment packed in storage I had two options for finding the tools.
1. I could either purchase all new stuff
2. Use what was around and make it work.

Making it work - it's like I'm channeling my own Tim Gunn!
I think I'm going to try to make it work... this is going to be fun.