Stay sweet.

According to the Webster dictionary, a financier is someone who deals with money and investments on a large scale.  In French pastry terms, financiers are spongy tea cakes often made with almond flour.  Legend has it that financiers (the pastry) got their name because busy workers in the financial district wanted an afternoon snack they could easily eat on the go without a mess.  I've also heard that the name came from the molds they were originally made in, which resembled miniature bars of gold.  I sort of prefer the first story--it's a little funny to picture businessmen eating dainty little cakes for a snack.

I had hazelnut financiers when I was in Paris last year; they were brought out as the finishing touch to a wonderful (and satisfying) lunch.  But I was too stuffed to eat them, and my mom wrapped a few up and tucked them in her bag so we could eat them later while sight seeing.  Perhaps the snack story had some truth to it after all.

Regardless of how they got their name, these pastries seem to keep on giving.  I first made these for Thanksgiving last year, and since then, I've brought them to a few other dinners, because they presented well, sounded fancy, and were delicious.  I didn't have the mold traditionally used, but I baked them in a mini-cupcake tin and they looked cute anyway.  The recipe is from David Lebovitz's The Sweet Life in Paris (another successful recipe from the book!), but this last time making them, I gave it a little bit of a twist.  Chocolate and almond are perfect complements, and chocolate and orange is one of my favorite flavor combinations.  I decided to try adding the orange flavor to the mix, and I think I like them better this way.  To be a little festive, I put them in Valentine's Day cupcake boxes I found at Michael's.

Chocolate Orange Financiers
Makes approximately 18 mini cupcake financiers
Adapted from The Sweet Life in Paris by David Lebovitz  

Preheat the oven to 425F degrees.  Lightly butter the mini cupcake tin.

1.  Melt 6 T. of unsalted butter and set aside to reach room temperature.

2.  In a bowl, mix together with a wire whisk by hand:
- 3/4 cup almond meal
- 3 T. unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1 T. unbleached all purpose flour
- 1/8 t. salt
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar

3.  Add the following to the mixture from #2, and mix until combined:
- 3 egg whites
- 1/4 t. almond extract
- 1/4 t. orange extract

4.  Stir melted butter into the batter.

5.  Evenly distribute the batter into the mini cupcake tin, filling each about 3/4 full.

6.  Bake for approximately 11 minutes, until they are firm to the touch.  Remove from the oven and allow them to cool.

Chocolate cake.

David Lebovitz writes in The Sweet Life in Paris that every baker should have in his or her repertoire a tested chocolate cake recipe to call upon if caught in a bind.  We don't need to live in Paris, as David does, to know that chocolate is universally loved.  I know few who don't at least enjoy (if not love) chocolate--though I have one friend who says she doesn't like chocolate (imagine that, a woman who doesn't like chocolate), but when encountered with some pretty fabulous chocolate on a trip to Italy, even she returned to the shop for more.  I think good chocolate can make a fan out of any of us.

I started trying a few different chocolate dessert recipes to find one that was quick, forgiving, and delivered praise-worthy results--the point of keeping such a chocolate cake recipe in your back pocket.  But I also didn't want to rely on lava chocolate cakes, which, if I think about it too much, can sometimes feel like an underbaked chocolate cake (think undercooked eggs), and which doesn't share well once a knife is run through it because the batter oozes out into a puddle.  

I found the recipe below on epicurious.com, where most of my recipes come from.  David Lebovitz also has one in his book that requires a little more work (though not much), so I wanted to try this one first.  Given the few ingredients in the recipe, the chocolate is certainly the centerpiece and makes it imperative that quality chocolate is used.  Any chocolate dessert is going to be only as good as the quality of chocolate itself.  For this, I used 65% cocoa content semisweet chocolate chips (to bypass the chopping step), which produced a rich, flavorful cake.  There are some good quality chocolate chips available.  And now that we are in the holiday season in full force, with Thanksgiving dinner just behind us and Christmas a month away, this chocolate cake recipe could be a life-saver.

Bittersweet Chocolate and Almond Cake
Adapted from epicurious.com
Serves about 10


Preheat oven to 325F degrees, and butter and flour (or use a baking non-stick spray) a 9" spring form pan.


1.  Slowly melt in a heavy saucepan over low heat the following ingredients, and set aside:
- 12 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips (most chocolate chip bags come in this size)
- 1 cup of unsalted butter (2 sticks)


2.  Combine in a mixing bowl using a wire whisk:
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 3 T. cake flour
- 1/4 t. salt


3.  Mix together in a separate bowl:
- 5 large eggs
- 1-1/3 cups sugar
- 1/2 t. vanilla extract
- 1/2 t. almond extract


4.  Fold the flour mixture in #2 into the eggs mixture in #3, then fold in the chocolate.


5.  Pour batter into the spring form pan, and bake for about 55 minutes.  The cake is done when the cake tester comes out with moist crumbs.  Cool cake in pan, then remove and refrigerate.


6.  Serve in slices, topped with whipped cream and toasted almond slices (I like to add berries, too).

Pure gold.

As I'm typing this, I'm planted on my sofa in front of the TV. I am an Olympics junky. There is something about the triumphs and spills of competition at the Olympics, and getting caught up in the stories behind the athletes who train for years for a singular moment that determines their place in the world. It never ceases to amaze me all the sacrifices these athletes make and the injuries and adversity some of them overcome to get to this point, all to have the chance to be crowned number one in their sport. It reminds me just how resilient the human spirit can be, that come what may, people have the ability to grow from hardship and not only survive but also excel.

Sadly, watching the Olympics can also make me wonder what I'm doing with my own life and consider what I have "accomplished" so far.


But at the same time, I do wonder what person I would become if I were "great" at something the way these athletes are. Would I be able to maintain any sort of humility and remember that all my abilities are really not my own but a gift? Knowing myself, there is a pretty good chance that I would forget all that and revel in my achievements. (I already forget and I don't even think I've accomplished that much.) Maybe what's truly admirable are those who stay humble when they have done so much.

NBC is showing the half pipe competition, and I'm waiting to see Shaun White *throw it down* (as the announcer would say) for the finals in the hopes of back to back gold medals. As you can imagine, with all this time in front of the TV, there isn't a whole lot of time to be baking (or doing much else), so I have no new recipe today. Instead I'm posting photos of cupcakes I made for a recent dinner, using the same recipe from my very first post, which has always proven to be a winner. (I really think it's the ganache that does it). I think I'll go back to enjoying watching the games now and just appreciating the amazing things these athletes can do.

Surprise.

It's hard to believe that after about five months from my last post, I'm finally back here. I've probably lost all my readers by now, so anything I write now could be going into some void or jumbled with all the other distractions the internet has to offer. Just a collection of random thoughts (pretending I can write) and experiments with baking, and hoping that there would be others out there who could find a little amusement in my deliberations and pretty pictures (if anyone bothers to read more than the recipe).

At some point, I lost any inspiration and motivation to continue, and started to think about what this was really for, especially since I didn't have too many readers. There were a few somewhat significant events (some really cool, some not as much) that diverted my attention, but I think I fell off the wagon on a few things, not just this blog. For example, I used to be a little bit of a runner, and ran a 10K last year--I might've written about it (I can't remember, it feels so long ago). And then the latter part of last year, one week off turned into two weeks, then a month, and then it was the holidays--and no running or working out ever occurs during that time of the year. But it appears last week was my week to get back on it. There was no particular reason, it was just a choice--kind of like when you feel unhappy, but if you make yourself smile even when you don't feel like it (though that can be very hard), you might feel a little happier after all. I baked up some cookies, started running again, even felt a little bit of renewed vigor at work, and knew it was time to channel some creative energy back into this site.

So here I am, back in the saddle at the beginning of a new year--hopefully for a while. I'm not much of a New Year's resolution type of a person, but I do have a few thoughts for the upcoming year that I hope to live by: (1) give more--Nicholas Kristof recently wrote in the New York Times that helping others really ends up helping ourselves (and I wouldn't mind a little help); (2) pray more--prayer in and of itself may not solve problems, but prayer to a God who loves us infinitely can give us the strength to endure; and (3) no regrets--I'd like to be able to say that I did everything I could in any given situation or circumstance. I'm sure I won't live up to these, but there is a goal to work towards. Oh, and what is this blog really for? I guess I decided it was enough to blog for no real reason at all.

On that note, here's a recipe for what is now my favorite oatmeal cookie EVER. Hope you try it because it's pretty awesome.

Chocolate [Chip] Oatmeal Coconut Cookies
Adapted from epicurious.com
Makes about 36 2-1/2" cookies

Preheat the oven to 375F degrees.
Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

1. Cream together with an electric mixer:
- 2 sticks unsalted butter
- 1-1/4 cup brown sugar

2. Mix in the following, one at a time, on medium-low speed:
- 2 large eggs
- 1-1/2 t. vanilla
- 1/2 t. baking soda
- 1/2 t. salt
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

3. Stir in by hand:
- 2-1/4 cups oats
- 1-1/2 cups shredded coconut (unsweetened)
- 12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup chopped pecans

4. Roll balls of cookie dough around 1-1/2" in diameter and arrange on the baking sheet about 2" apart. Press down on each lightly to about 1/2" thickness. Bake for about 11 minutes, until lightly brown. Cool cookies on the sheet for about a minute, then transfer to racks.

Tres bien.

I don't know what it is about the French, but have you noticed that everything in French sounds so much better? For example, Chocolate and Zucchini has wonderful recipes, but it is the French slant (including her periodic lessons on French idioms relating to food), that gives it a certain, well, dare I say, je ne sais quoi. Or think of the word souffle, and one can only respond with a monosyllabic "oooh" in awe. The French have kind of mystified food, and even their most basic dishes can seem humble yet refined at the same time. Movies are made about French food (Ratatouille, Julie and Julia...), with the message that French food is attainable yet underscores just how enlightened their cuisine really is.

This was brought to mind recently when some friends and I had an excursion to the city this past weekend and had dinner at a quaint French place called Cafe Claude. It's tucked away in an alley, and the average passerby would easily pass by it. Once inside, we were transported away from the city bustle, and it wouldn't take too much imagination to think we were in Paris--if it weren't for our entertaining, yet French-accent deprived, waiter. I can't remember what my dish was called, but I remember the taste vividly--the melding of the rare tuna steak with an onion and bacon infused cream sauce, that left me extolling its qualities and completely satisfied. Bacon (and butter) really does make everything better.

In honor of my French food experience, I'm going to share the chocolate souffle a friend and I made (having two people make this the first time really helps to make it less intimidating). With the exception of one or two that were slightly amiss, they came out rather fetching, and tasted the way you would imagine a souffle should--a little dreamy. I've actually been waiting to make this again before posting it here, since some of the souffles did fall and I had only my iPhone with me to take pictures, but I decided to go ahead and post this anyway. I think Julia Child would approve.


Chocolate Souffle
Adapted from Sherry Yard's The Secrets of Baking Makes 6 8-oz. ramekins

Coating the ramekins:

- 2 T. unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup sugar
Lightly brush the ramekins with the melted butter, and coat completely with sugar. Set aside.

Souffles:
Preheat oven to 425F, with rack in the middle.

- 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 3 large egg yolks, room temperature
- 2 T. corn starch (though Sherry Yard suggests potato flour)
- 8 large egg whites, room temperature
- pinch of cream of tartar
- 1/4 cup sugar
- powdered sugar

1. Chop the chocolate into 1/4 in. pieces, and place in a medium heatproof bowl.

2. Heat the heavy cream until boiling, and pour over the chocolate. After about 1 minute, stir the chocolate and cream until all of the chocolate is melted. Set aside.

3. Whisk egg yolks with corn starch in a small bowl, and set aside.

4. Using an electric mixer, whip egg whites until large bubbles form. Add the pinch of cream of tartar. Continue to whip until soft peaks form (egg whites begin to cling to the beater). Slowly add in sugar, while whipping. Stop whipping once the egg whites can stand up (medium peak stage).

5. Stir the egg yolk mixture into the chocolate mixture from #2 using a spatula.

6. Gently fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the combined mixture from #5, then fold in the rest. Be careful to not deflate the egg whites.

7. Fill each of the ramekins to the rim with the batter. Run a knife around the inside wall of the ramekin to create a pocket of air, which will help the souffle rise straight (we forgot this step!).

8. Place filled ramekins on a baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes. The sides should be dry. Gently (and quietly!) remove the souffles from the oven, dust with powdered sugar and serve immediately.

(the sunken souffle!)

Edible nostalgia.

I stole that title from Williams-Sonoma. Ever since I came across this article in the New York Times about whoopie pies, I have been intrigued and excited to try the recipe out--though for whatever reason it took me a little while to get to it. I don't know what it was about whoopie pies that drew me in, perhaps the idea of going back to something simpler or being reminded of other frosting-filled chocolate cake snacks from childhood (Ding-dongs? Ho Hos?). But these are nice, round mounds of chocolate cake with a marshmallowy filling, and with a history that some say dates back to the Great Depression.

However they came about, they seem to be making a comeback in some circles, and they are a cute and uncomplicated alternative to the ubiquitous cupcake--maybe a little less extravagant (appropriate for these tough times) and certainly just as tasty.

I recently had a friend over for dinner to catch up on what's been going on her life, and she wanted to bake something chocolaty. I took up the opportunity to try out the recipe, and it provided for the perfect bonding experience. Baking with a friend (or even someone who's not yet a friend?) always makes for a great experience to share--there's something about creating something together.


The cakes turned out delicious, though they weren't quite perfect round mounds, and most came out as kind of deformed blobs of chocolate cake (my pictures tend to focus on the prettier ones). Instead of making the traditional marshmallow fluff filling, we made a basic buttercream frosting which was still gratifying. I've tried making it again, in hopes of making them nice and round, but yet again, to no avail--in addition to over-whipping the egg whites for the filling only to have it deflate later. I think I'm resigning myself to imperfection on this one in terms of "looks", but I'd like to think the imperfection adds to its old world charm.


Whoopie Pies
Adapted from the New York Times
Makes about 6 pies

For the cakes:

Preheat the oven to 350F degress and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

1. Cream together in a mixing bowl:
- 1/2 cup (or 1 stick) of butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup brown sugar

2. Add to the butter mixture, mixing on medium:
- 1 large egg
- 1 t. vanilla extract

3. Whisk together in another bowl:
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa
- 1-1/4 t. baking soda
- 1 t. sea salt

4. Add to the butter mixture, alternating in 3 parts, combining well:
- flour mixture from #2
- 1 cup buttermilk

5. Create 12 mounds of batter on the baking sheets, each about 1/4 cup of batter, using a spoon or ice cream scoop. Each mound should be about 4 to 5 inches apart.

6. Bake on the middle rack for about 14 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

For the filling:

1. Temper the following by filling a saucepan with about 2 inches of water brought to a simmer, and whisking the following in a bowl of a stand mixer (or metal mixing bowl) over the the simmering water until the sugar is dissolved (or temperature reaches 180 degrees)--the mixing bowl should not touch the water:
- 3 large egg whites
- 3/4 cup sugar

2. Remove the mixing bowl from the simmering water, and whisk the egg white mixture on high until it increase in volume and becomes thick and glossy.

3. Reduce mixing speed to medium and add the following:
- 2 sticks butter, at room temperature; adding 1 T. at a time
- 3/4 t. vanilla
- 1/4 t. sea salt

4. Continue mixing until smooth, then increase mixing speed to high for one minute.

To assemble the pies, spread about 1/4 cup of filling on the flat side of one cake mound and place another mound on top, flat side down.

Hidden treasures.

Even though I really enjoy looking at other people's blogs and seeing their creativity, I am terrible at following them consistently. For that reason, it makes me really appreciate when people leave comments or tell me they love reading my blog--I know that it takes time to do something like that. And it's knowing that people read this that helps keep me going. So for today, I'd like to spotlight one of my readers, who has played a part in helping me keep my endeavor up. I'll refer to her as "Bikegal", the alias she uses in her comments, and I've asked her to be a guest blogger on this site to share a recipe that she discovered recently. I hope you enjoy it! Thanks so much Bikegal--they look yummy!


Cookies are a mystery to me. You can do everything right from the perfect dough to the ideal convection oven, it can still come out flat as a pancake. Just as I had nearly given up my search for the perfect cookie recipe, life presented me with an opportunity to redeem myself; road trip and the Better Homes and Gardens Biggest Book of Cookies! That's right, a road trip means many hours in a car which means a need to snack. The Better Homes and Gardens Biggest Book of Cookies that has gotten lost in my kitchen cabinet has over 475 recipes so the odds are definitely in my favor. I wanted cocoa for its health values and almond butter because I like the taste. BHG didn't let me down and I was able to find this cookie recipe which turned out to be a real jewel!

The original recipe is peanut butter filled chocolate cookie but since I loved almond butter, I simply switched the main ingredient. I was a little nervous how this would alter the consistency and taste but it didn't seem to be an issue.


Almond Butter-Filled Chocolate Cookies
Adapted from the Better Homes and Gardens Biggest Book of Cookies recipe

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup almond butter
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup sifted powdered sugar (I skipped the sifting)
1/2 cup almond butter

1. In a medium bowl combine flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda; set aside. In a large mixing bowl beat butter, the 1/2 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, and the 1/4 cup almond butter with an electric mixer until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg, milk, and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour mixture as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour mixture with a wooden spoon. Shape dough into 1 1/4 inch balls (should have 32) set aside. I ended up with 24 since I made bigger cookies.

2. For almond butter filling, in a medium bowl stir together powdered sugar and the 1/2 cup almond butter until smooth. Shape mixture into 1/4 inch balls. (should have 32). * I didn't bother to shape it into a balls but just generally mixed it together and it was just in a large clump.

3. On a work surface, or in your hands, slightly flatten each chocolate dough ball and top with an almond butter ball. * I just peeled off a small clump from the bigger clump. Roll dough into balls.

4. Place balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

5. Bake in a 350 degree about 8 minutes or until just set and surface is slightly cracked. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool. * In a convection oven, the cookie sheet placed closed to top of oven was done in 8 minutes but sheets on the lower shelf took an extra 5 minutes.

A bite into the almond butter inside the cookie was like finding the hidden treasure that is the ultimate flat proof cookie recipe!

Not Martha.

The nice thing about blogging is that the reader will never really know how something tastes. Pictures may look fabulous but for all we know, it could be like taking a bite out of a styrofoam cake--you know, the kind that's decorated so intricately and beautifully for bakery windows. I sometimes sort of take comfort in knowing that when I take pictures of my food, no one will ever know that the reward of sinking your teeth into it is nowhere close to what it looks like. Readers will just have to take my word for it. But when it comes down to it, I'm a terrible liar, and I could not with a clear conscious proclaim to you how wonderful something I've made is when it's nothing like that at all. So, yet again, such was the case for my latest attempt.

I recently received the June issue of Martha Stewart's Living and the magazine just exuded summer. A refreshing photo of blueberries resting on top of an ice cream and sorbet sundae graced the cover...mmm.... And of course, one of the headlines declared "20 Sensational Desserts"! I'm all over this one. Martha knows how to draw me in.

Flipping through the magazine, she's got all the usual crafty features--cool ideas that I could probably never replicate--and 10 variations on the classic pound cake! The basic recipe called for only 6 ingredients, and variations were simply add-ins. This looked like something that would not be too laborious, especially since I was making this on a weeknight after work. I halved the recipe (as best I could, since the original proportions did not divide perfectly) to make one loaf instead of two, and after baking it up and cutting a slice, I knew it was not going to be like Martha's at all. It did not have the same height that Martha's achieved, and it was dry and dense instead of "airy and rich". Martha does say that the recipe is "finicky" and to follow the instructions carefully, which I could very well have not done. I'll try to rewrite the recipe here with the original proportions (I didn't see this recipe on her website and the recipe there is different from what was in the magazine), and if you try it out, I hope you have better results than I did. At least the pictures don't look too bad.


Chocolate Chip Pound Cake
Makes 2 5in. x 9in. cakes

Preheat the oven to 325F degrees, with the rack in the center. Butter or grease the loaf pans.

1. Mix together by hand using a wire whisk:
- 3-1/4 cups of all-purpose flour
- 1 T. salt (I used kosher)

2. In a separate bowl, cream together on high for about 8 minutes:
- 2 cups (or 4 sticks) unsalted butter
- 2 cups sugar

3. Add in the following and mix in on medium:
- 1 t. vanilla extract

4. Beat separately then add into the butter mixture in 4 additions:
- 9 large eggs, room temperature

5. On low, add in the flour mixture in 4 additions, mixing until just incorporated after each addition. Fold in:
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

6. Pour the batter evenly into the pans, baking for about 65 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans on a wire rack for about 30 minutes, then invert the pans to remove the cakes, and cool on the wire rack completely.

Good company.

About two weeks ago I hosted my first dinner at my not-so-new apartment for a group of friends. It was the first time I formally had people over, so this was pretty exciting! I saw something in the New York Times about making your own pizza dough from scratch, which inspired me to make this dinner get-together more interactive than just sitting around a table. It was a pizza-making party--I would prepare the dough ahead of time, provide basic toppings, and everyone else would bring their favorite toppings to create their own pizzas.

I don't know why I do this, but I tend to get inspired to make something I've never done before and invite people over to eat an untested recipe because I always think it'll turn out the way it's supposed to. This time, using a recipe from The New Best Recipe and never having made pizza dough ever before, I prepared the pizza dough, and I must have messed up something along the way because the dough did not rise the way it was supposed to. Actually, I don't think it rose at all. The recipe requires mixing the yeast with water of a certain temperature, and since I couldn't tell what temperature the water was, there was probably a good chance I killed the yeast altogether (can you kill yeast?). Regardless, even though the crust baked up flat, and it was certainly no New York-style pizza crust, the taste was good, and all our creations with the different toppings my friends brought were delicious.

Perhaps a take-away from that meal was that sometimes, regardless of how the food turns out, with good company, any meal can be memorable. In all the activity of making the pizzas with my friends, I forgot to take pictures so I could show you! But I did manage to remember to take pictures before dinner of the chocolate zucchini bundt cake I served for dessert, so I'll share that recipe today instead. Maybe when I perfect my pizza dough and get it to rise another time, I'll post that recipe.

(I did want to mention that I know I've been slow in posting and visiting some of your sites lately. My internet has been spotty for most of last week (again!) and has not been working continuously long enough for me to finish a post until tonight--very frustrating. Thank you for still following along!)

Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Adapted from Marcy Goldman's A Passion for Baking
Serves about 12

This is a lower guilt (but not guilt-free) recipe because it has zucchini! Marcy's original recipe includes orange zest, which I omitted only because I didn't have any oranges, but if you have some, adding it would make for a nice touch, I think.

Preheat the oven to 350F, and grease a 12 cup bundt pan.

1. Cream together the following in a bowl using a mixer:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups of sugar

2. Add each of the following ingredients, mixing on low to medium:
- 4 large eggs, one at a time
- 3 ounces of semisweet chocolate, melted
- 2 t. vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup milk

3. Stir in:
- 2 cups shredded zucchini

4. Mix on low (or fold in) the following, until completely combined (but don't over mix):
- 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2-1/2 t. baking powder
- 1 t. baking soda
- 1/4 t. salt
- 1 t. cinnamon

5. Pour into the bundt pan and bake for about an hour or until a cake tester comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes then invert it onto a serving platter or dish.

6. For the glaze, heat over low heat:
- 3 oz. semisweet chocolate
- 1 T. unsalted butter
Once combined and smooth, spoon glaze over the cooled cake.

The sweetest thing.

I admit it, I ripped this post title off of the U2 song. I was listening to my iTunes as I started writing this, and I thought it'd be the perfect title. Valentine's Day is Saturday, and it seems to either evoke disdain or anticipation. I get the sense that it's a little more fashionable to just not care about it. It's a commercial enterprise they say, a way for jewelry stores and restaurants to prey on couples by creating high expectations that need to be fulfilled (usually, it's the women with the high expectations, I would expect--and I can say this, being one myself).

In spite of what people say (and I do agree that Valentine's Day is commercial) I don't mind the concept really--to give a little more love to a special someone, because we probably don't always do it the other 364 days of the year. I think it's rather sweet. And I've always found that it's the little things that count, like washing the dishes left on the kitchen counter or making someone a cup of tea. Maybe Valentine's Day also doesn't have to be about a romantic interest, and maybe it could include anyone we loved--a dear friend, a supportive brother,...an estranged relative? We'd probably do well to give a little more love all around.

I was flipping through Marcy Goldman's A Passion For Baking this past Sunday, looking for something to make for an informal dinner gathering at a friend's house. We were having homemade pizza(!), and what better dessert to go with pizza than some rich, chewy and chocolatey brownies? Marcy Goldman includes a recipe for a fudge brownie mix that can be packaged in a jar as gifts, and I thought that would be so cute (and inexpensive!) to give to friends! Seldom have I met a person who did not at least like chocolate. And isn't chocolate anything the universal gift that says "I love you"?

I thought it would be a good idea to test the "brownie mix in a jar" recipe before I started giving them out, so I made them for the pizza dinner. I sprinkled chocolate chips on top after spreading the batter into the pan, and lightly pressed them down with a spatula. I cut the brownies before they cooled completely, so it was a little sloppy with the melted chocolate chips, but it certainly didn't affect the taste! I had another brownie the day after, and they were even better. I would be more than happy if someone gave me this "brownie mix in a jar"! And after baking them up, I would make sure the person who gave it to me got a corner piece, because that's my favorite.

Fudge Brownies
Adapted from Marcy Goldman's A Passion For Baking
Makes about 24 brownies

Dry ingredients (these can go into into a jar or other air-tight container as a gift*):
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup good-quality unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 t. baking soda
1/8 t. salt
2-1/2 cups sugar

Wet ingredients:
1-1/2 stick of butter (or 3/4 cup), melted
4 large eggs

Optional add-ins:
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup nuts, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Grease a 13"x9" pan.

In a mixing bowl, mix the melted butter with all the dry ingredients, then add eggs and mix until combined. Spread the batter evenly into the pan. Bake on the middle rack for approximately 25 minutes, then allow the pan to cool completely, at least 30 minutes.

*The nuts can be added to the jar, if you're giving it as a gift. Keeping the ingredients in layers makes for a prettier presentation, too. Print out instructions on a card and attach the card to the jar with a ribbon for the perfect gift.

'Tis the season.

I've had a hard time getting into the Christmas spirit so far this year. Maybe it's the influx of news about the state of the economy or just being caught up in the everyday distractions that life brings (like having car troubles, which happened to me on Tuesday). Our household also doesn't have a Christmas tree or anything--not that having a tree is what Christmas is all about, but it's always a nice touch. On Wednesday, though, my coworker gave me a snowman cookie jar. Well, actually, she made an "unfortunate" pick in a white elephant gift exchange and she didn't like it, so she gave it away to anyone who would take it--and I was that person. It's not the cutest cookie jar (I saw one today at Target that was much cuter), but for some reason, it kind of makes me happy thinking we now have a little snowman in our living room.

Of course, a cookie jar requires cookies. How perfect it is that this is the season for cookies! If you go to Foodnetwork.com, they have a special "Twelve Days of Cookies" (of which yesterday was the last day!), and the cover of the December issue of Martha Stewart Living is an assortment of holiday cookies. (Yes, I admit that I have a subscription to her magazine! You can't argue that she does some pretty amazing stuff, though.) I noticed that the chocolate chip cookie doesn't seem to rank among the holiday cookies. I'm not sure why that is--maybe they're not special or pretty enough?

Instead of making one of the fancy holiday cookies, I decided to pull out a chocolate chip cookie recipe, adapted from Jacques Torres, the chocolate-master himself, that was published in the New York Times over the summer. I'd like to think it's a pretty special chocolate chip cookie recipe. Two components that make it stand out include the requirement to chill the dough at least 24 hours, which gives it a deeper flavor and a more "handsome" color (that's what the New York Times said). The second thing that makes this recipe unique is the emphasis on salt. Instead of being incorporated into the batter, sea salt is sprinkled on top as a finishing touch, which accents the other flavors.

The recipe calls for cake flour and bread flour. I didn't have either, so I used unbleached all-purpose flour. Jacques Torres also recommends using Valrhona feves (chocolate disks), which can be found at Whole Foods. Valrhona is very good quality chocolate, and some famous bakeries (like Tartine--I went there last week! More about that another time, though...) use their chocolate. I'm a believer in using good quality chocolate when I can, but I kind of didn't feel like going to Whole Foods to get them, so I used my trustworthy standby: semi-sweet chocolate chips from Trader Joe's. The cookies still turned out pretty special to me. And if you look close enough, they kind of sparkle, too.

(Oh, before I get into the recipe, I wanted to tell you that I set up my own Amazon store this week! You'll find the link to it on the left hand column. I thought it'd be fun to hand pick some things that I like (mostly related to baking and cooking, but also other items) and share them with you. I hope you'll check it out; I'll be updating it from time to time.)

Chocolate Chip Cookies
(adapted from the New York Times' adaptation of the recipe from Jacques Torres)
Makes about 18 cookies, each about five inches

3-1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1-1/4 t. baking soda
1-1/2 t. baking powder

1-1/4 cup (or 2-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1-1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 t. vanilla

1-1/4 lbs. chocolate chips (or Valrhona feves, as suggested)
sea salt

Sift the dry ingredients, except for the sugar, together in a bowl, and set aside. (Actually, when I did this the other day, I mixed the dry ingredients together with a wire whisk. Still turned out great.).

In another bowl, using a mixer, cream the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together. Once creamed, add one egg at a time, beating on medium-low speed, until incorporated well. Then add the vanilla. Slowly mix in the dry ingredient mixture on low until the dough comes together and pulls away from the side of the bowl. Add in the chocolate chips and mix until the chocolate chips are evenly distributed. (If using the chocolate disks, be careful not to break the disks. I usually do this step by hand, even when using regular chocolate chips--gives my arms a good work out, too.) Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 24 hours (up to 72 hours).

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Take the cookie dough out of the refrigerator and let it stand for about 15 minutes. During that time, grease the baking sheets or line them parchment paper (or Silpat, if you prefer to use that). Shape clumps of dough into balls about two inches in diameter. Space each cookie dough ball about three to four inches apart, and sprinkle each with sea salt.

If using two baking sheets, bake on the top two racks in the oven for about 18-20 minutes, switching baking sheets on the racks about 10 minutes into baking. Keep a close eye on the cookies toward the end of the baking time, since it's very easy to overbake them! They should be done when the dough has spread and they are slightly browning. The cookies seem to brown a little more while cooling. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a cookie rack to cool completely.

The beginning.

I am probably one of the most unlikely people to ever start a blog. My exposure to posting anything on-line has been limited to writing on someone's wall on Facebook, which I've only recently gotten used to, and rarely do I read other people's blogs. But I've always loved writing, and once contemplated writing a novel, only to find that my lack of creativity was an insurmountable roadblock. But there is one thing I can probably write about: food, mainly baked goods and making them.

My foray into baking as a pastime really began only about two years ago (I'm not counting making cake from a box mix), when a good friend gave me a cookbook--a cupcake cookbook--for my birthday. Most of my time spent in the kitchen had been to fry eggs for dinner (!) or to heat up leftovers in a microwave. I might try making a dish or dessert here and there, but I never fully appreciated the comfort that creating a pastry has to offer. That was until I tried making my first cupcake.


I have to admit, I only first became a fan of cupcakes because, well, they were popular in New York City—and if you know me, I love all things New York. On a trip to New York City, I tried a cupcake from a famous bakery which I will refrain from naming, and was just a little disappointed and disenchanted. They were good but not great. Maybe I had high expectations, and I wanted to love cupcakes. As the cupcake fever finally began hitting the West Coast, some of my friends made them for my birthday--a really nice treat! I thought I'd try my own hand at making them, especially since I now had this cookbook, and following my first attempt, I became a true believer—not in cupcakes alone, but the thought that maybe I could really do this. It was rewarding to be able to create something that others could enjoy, almost therapeutic, and it didn’t hurt that cupcakes were so cute. Ever since, I've been baking (not always cupcakes) for fun and for friends.

As you can tell, I’m hardly a seasoned professional or even an experienced homemaker, but I love to experiment and hope you’ll come with me for the ride as I try out new things.

My first cupcake recipe was the chocolate cupcake from Dede Wilson's A Bakers’ Field Guide to Cupcakes. I made them for an Easter brunch, and they turned out to be such a crowd-pleaser (I was pretty proud of myself, too), I've been asked to make these again for birthdays and showers. I believe what made them so good had much to do with the type of cocoa I used. I bought a canister of Italian cocoa from Williams Sonoma on a whim, and the cupcakes had a very rich, deep, unique—almost sharp, chocolate flavor. Sadly, I think Williams Sonoma no longer carries it (I went there today to check again, but it was nowhere to be found). I have used Droste, which you can find at Whole Foods and some supermarkets—the results were still very good, but just not the same.

Here is my adaptation of the recipe that started it all:

Chocolate Cupcakes

Makes about 18 regular-sized cupcakes

- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (butter should be a little cold and slightly firm, but not soft like a spread)
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 t. vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup good quality Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 1 t. baking soda
- 1 cup 2% lowfat milk, at room temperature (using lower fat milk—but not nonfat—produces results almost indistinguishable from full-fat milk)

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees, and line cupcake pans with cupcake liners.

1. Mix together the dry ingredients except sugar (i.e. flour, cocoa, baking soda) with a whisk in a bowl.
2. Cream the butter in a mixing bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed for a couple of minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add sugar, and cream the sugar and butter until "fluffy" (the butter should look a little more voluminous). Beating the butter on high may make the butter too soft, which renders it unable to incorporate enough air. I check on readiness based on visual cues, but this step usually takes another few minutes.
3. Beat one egg in at a time on low until just combined, scraping down the bowl after each egg. Add the vanilla extract.
4. Beat in the flour mixture and milk on low, alternating between the flour mixture and milk, but always starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined each time the flour mixture or milk is added and try not to over beat (over beating the batter results in a dense texture), and scrape down the sides along the way.
5. Fill the cupcake pan with the finished batter; each well should be about 3/4 full. (I used to use a regular spoon to do this, but discovered that an ice cream scoop really sped things up.)
6. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for about 20-25 minutes. They're done when the cake has risen into a slight dome, and an inserted toothpick comes out mostly clean with slightly moist crumbs. Remove cupcake pans from the oven to cool on cooling racks. Wait until the cupcakes have cooled a little before taking them out of the pan so you don't burn your fingers (I can be kind of overeager and forget to wait for the cupcakes to cool a little!).

Cupcakes should be frosted after they’ve completely cooled—melted frosting on a cupcake is a little messy and unsightly. My favorite frosting on these is a chocolate ganache, which adds the right amount of richness. I like to keep things simple, so to make the ganache, I use the following:

Chocolate Ganache

- 3/4 of a 12 oz. bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips (Trader Joe's chocolate chips are a great economical option)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream (you can vary this depending on the consistency you desire)

1. Pour chocolate chips into a heatproof bowl.
2. Heat the heavy cream in small pot until boiling.
3. Upon reaching boiling, pour the heavy cream over the chocolate chips and stir until the chocolate is melted.
4. At this point, you can take a cupcake and turn it upside down to dip the top into the ganache. I've also spooned the ganache on to the cupcake and used the back of the spoon to spread the dollop of ganache over the cupcake top. Once the ganache cools, I pipe a little pink-tinted whipped cream on top just for fun.