Heaven in a pan: Salted Caramel Brownies.

07. July 2011 · 24 comments · Categories: Baking, cooking, Dessert, food, recipes · Tags: , ,

When I visited my friends in Cleveland and was planning the menu I’d make for the evening, I knew a dessert had to be on the list.

I asked Sarah what she’d like, hoping for something fruity or fresh for summer…but Sarah was very specific: brownies :) Her dad was visiting also and she said that brownies are one of his favorite desserts.

However, being me, I couldn’t bear to make plain brownies. I’d been eyeing a lot of recipes on the web lately, and stumbled upon one for a Sweet and Salty Brownie from Brown-Eyed Baker.

I dunno if you’ve heard, but salted caramel is all the rage these days. From chocolate bars to desserts, people can’t seem to get enough.  And while I don’t typically like to follow trends, I figured just this one time wouldn’t hurt anyone.

I don’t really know by looking at a recipe if a brownie will be the consistency I like. For this purpose, I rely on the photos. And Brown-Eyed Baker had lovely photos indeed. Fudgy, rich, amazing.

I didn’t feel like going all out and making a homemade caramel (although I know that would have been even tastier), so I went the semi-homemade route by buying caramel ice cream topping as a substitute. I was hoping for one of those gourmet brands that’s super thick, but all the supermarket had was the syrupy Smuckers brand. So that’s what I used.

The result was very gooey, and very delicious. We ate these warm in a bowl, topped with vanilla ice cream. Now if you’re looking for brownies that are portable and able to be eaten with your hands, this isn’t the recipe for you. But if you have access to a bowl and spoon, dig in!


Salted Caramel Brownies
Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

Print this recipe!

Makes 24 large brownies

1¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons dark unsweetened cocoa powder
11 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
1½ cups granulated sugar
½ cup light brown sugar
5 eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 small jar caramel topping (about 1 cup)

For the Topping:
1½ teaspoons fleur de sel
1 teaspoon coarse sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Butter the sides and bottom of a glass or light-colored metal 9×13-inch pan. Butter/spray the pan well.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and cocoa powder.

4. Place the chocolate and butter in the bowl of a double boiler set over a pan of simmering water, and stir occasionally until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and combined. Turn off the heat, but keep the bowl over the water of the double boiler, and add both sugars. Whisk until completely combined and remove the bowl from the pan. The mixture should be at room temperature.

5. Add three eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until just combined. Add the remaining eggs and whisk until just combined. Add the vanilla and stir until combined. Do not overbeat the batter at this stage, or your brownies will be cakey.

6. Sprinkle the flour mixture over the chocolate. Using a spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until there is just a trace amount of the flour mixture still visible.

7. Assemble the brownies: Pour half of the brownie mixture into the pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Drizzle about ¾ cup-1 cup of the caramel sauce over the brownie layer in a zigzag pattern, making sure the caramel doesn’t come in contact with the edges oft he pan or it will burn. Use an offset spatula to spread the caramel evenly across the brownie layer, leaving about a ½-inch border around the edges. In heaping spoonfuls, scoop the rest of the brownie batter over the caramel layer. Smooth the brownie batter gently to cover the caramel layer.

7. Bake the brownies for 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, and check to make sure the brownies are completely done by sticking a toothpick into the center of the pan. The brownies are done when the toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.

9. Remove the brownies from the oven and sprinkle with the fleur de sel and coarse sugar.

10. Cool the brownies completely before cutting and serving.

11. The brownies can be stored, tight wrapped at room temperature, for up to 4 days. Best served warm with vanilla ice cream!

Easy Grilled Bbq Chicken…impossible to mess up.

28. June 2011 · 30 comments · Categories: Baking, cooking, Dinner, food, recipes, Savory · Tags: , , , ,

I went to Cleveland this past weekend to visit two of my oldest friends, Mike and Sarah, who happen to be married to each other.

I’ve known them since nursery and kindergarten! And now they have the most adorable baby boy.

Here, you can see some pics of us all over the years.

Sarah and her brother used to come stay with my family in Martha’s Vineyard for a week in the summer since we had a house there. Her brother was also in the same grade as my brother. Here are Sarah and me on my dad’s boat :)

Here’s Sarah and Erica (remember her from my bday cake post a month ago?) and me at Sarah’s bachelorette party:

I can’t believe we forgot to take a pice of all of us while I was visiting! I had such a good time with Sarah and Mike, and got the bonus surprise of having her parents visit too, so we had some good catching up :)

Anyway, since Mike typically has to work crazy hours and they’re both busy taking care of the baby, I figured I’d take the opportunity to make them a yummy dinner. Sarah suggested that I take advantage of their grill since I don’t have one in nyc, and that’s exactly what I did.

The weather was so nice. It was perfect for being out on the deck grilling.

Now I have to tell you that I’m not much of a griller. That was always the men’s job in my household (although my mom is pretty good at it). I guess no one ever really showed me how. I can never tell when the meat is cooked.

But that’s what’s perfect about this chicken. You bake it first til it’s fully cooked, so there’s no chance of undercooking it on the grill. The grilling part is basically just used to caramelize the sauce on it and heat it back up. Also, because you bake it ahead of time, you can make it mostly the day ahead and just heat it on the grill the day you’re ready to barbecue. Easy peasy.

Note that I took the pics before flipping the chicken. Yours should have grill marks and crispy skin on both sides when it’s ready.

Come back on Thursday for that salsa recipe I’ve been promising you, just in time for the 4th of July!

Important notes about the recipe:

You have to use skin on, bone-in chicken pieces or it will dry out. If you don’t like the skin, take it off when you’re ready to eat it, not before it’s cooked completely. It holds the moisture in. For this weekend, I used 4 breast pieces and a pack of chicken thighs. The breasts took maybe 10 extra minutes in the oven. You know they’re done when you prick it with a fork and the juices that come out are clear. If you’re worried with the big pieces, you can make a small incision in the thickest part and check that it’s not pink. If it’s a little pink it shouldn’t be a problem since they do end up cooking a bit more while on the grill.


Easy Grilled BBQ Chicken
Recipe from mom

Print this recipe!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 lbs chicken pieces, bone-in, skin on
Seasoning: salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, etc
Equal parts of your favorite bbq sauce and Saucy Susan or other Sweet and Sour sauce (found in the ethnic aisle of supermarkets)

Preparation:

Bring chicken to room temperature. Liberally season chicken on both sides. Bake chicken, skin side up, at 350 for 30 min or until juices run clear when pierced with fork. Chicken should be completely, or almost completely cooked.

Cool chicken, or refrigerate overnight. Bring to room temp before grilling.

Mix equal parts of your favorite brand of barbecue sauce and sweet and sour sauce. The amount you use depends on how sauce you like your chicken, but I used about 1/2 small bottle of bbq sauce and had enough left for dipping.

Brush underside of chicken with bbq sauce mixture and place on grill. Grill 5-10 minutes or until grill marks form and sauce is caramelized.

Brush tops of chicken pieces and flip over, grilling skin side. Leave 5-10 min or until other side is crispy. Remove from grill and enjoy!

Remember, the chicken is fully cooked before grilling, so this step is really just to get that lovely caramelization.

Boxes and baked beans…and more boxes

20. June 2011 · 18 comments · Categories: Baking, food, recipes, Savory, Side dishes · Tags: ,

If you couldn’t figure it out, I’m currently up to my ears in boxes.

I was going to use this post to show you pictures of our new apartment and cop out from baking something and posting about it. You see, my apartment is currently in shambles. Boxes are covering 87.5% of my floor space and there’s barely even room to walk, no less bake.

But then I remembered I baked my family’s favorite baked bean recipe a month ago and didn’t post it because the pictures weren’t much to look at.

But since the 4th of July is fast approaching, I thought this recipe would actually be quite appropriate. Please don’t judge the taste of the recipe by the pictures. Beans just don’t photograph well. I promise you this is the best baked bean recipe you’ll ever have.

This recipe has no annoying overnight bean soaking. No hours spent over the stove stirring. This recipe is so simple, you won’t believe how it could result in such a delectable product.

I hope that this will be an addition to your summer barbeques this year!

And now, I’ll leave you with a picture of Nate thoroughly excited about our new living room…I can’t wait til we’re all moved in!


Minnesota Style Baked Beans
Recipe from a family friend

Print this recipe!

Serves 8

3 cans (16-20 oz. size) beans: lima, butter beans, red kidney, etc., drained
1 can (28 oz.) navy beans, with pork
3 large onions, chopped
½ lb. bacon in 1” squares (plus ½ lb. cooked ham or sausage
if for main dish)
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1/3 ketchup
¾ c. brown sugar
2 tbsp. spicy mustard

1. In heavy skillet, brown bacon on medium flame, stirring constantly. Add additional meat if used. When all meat is browned, push to one side and pour off all fat but glaze at bottom of pan.

2. Saute onions in fat on low heat until soft, about 10 min. Add vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar and mustard. Stir well and simmer.

3. Add about ¼ of beans to a slow cooker or heavy dutch oven. Add ¼ of meat, alternating until beans and meat used up. Stir well. Cover and bake for 1-2 hours at 300. Add more ketchup if dry.

The best cookie I ever ate…

06. June 2011 · 25 comments · Categories: Baking, cooking, Dessert, food, recipes · Tags: , , , , ,

…I know that’s a bold claim. And perhaps it’s just because these fresh, citrusy cookies were just what I was in the mood for, but I still think I’d venture to say that these cookies are without a doubt AMAZING.

I guess it really depends on what kind of cookies you like. These are chewy, crispy, sweet, tangy, buttery and delicious. I think that includes an adjective for everyone’s tastes :)

I first decided to make these cookies because we ran out of desserts in my apt, and Nate MUST have a dessert after dinner each night. I wanted to make a cookie, but didn’t want to buy any new ingredients because a) I was lazy and b) we’re moving soon and I’m trying to purge my pantry/fridge/freezer.

These cookies were perfect on all accounts. I just about used up my sugar and flour, and in addition, I got rid of two lemons on the verge of going bad, and a lime I happened to have laying around.

Although I don’t recommend doubling the recipe, as I did (it made so many cookies I was rolling little cookie balls and taking pans in/out of the oven for over an hour!), these are super easy. These are perfect to make and take along to your next cookout.


Chewy Lemon Lime Sugar Cookies
Adapted from My Baking Addiction

Print this recipe!

makes 24-30 cookies

Ingredients:
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Zest of one large lemon (or 2-3 limes, or a combo), finely minced
4 tbsp fresh lemon juice (or 1/2 lime juice)
1/2 cup sugar for rolling cookies

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Using a mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until smooth and very fluffy.

Beat in egg, vanilla extract, juice and zest.

Gradually blend in the dry ingredients. Refrigerate until stiff.

Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and roll in sugar. Place on lined cookie sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly browned.

Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.

Baking with an old friend :)

02. June 2011 · 14 comments · Categories: Baking, Cake, cooking, Dessert, food, recipes · Tags: , , ,

Have I told you how much I love long weekends? :) Nate and I took the 3-day weekend opportunity and headed down to PA to visit his mom and get some R&R.

One of the nice parts about vising Nate’s mom is that my childhood friend, Nicole, lives only about an hour drive from her. So when we get a long weekend, I can take half a day and go spend time with her, her husband and her new ADORABLE baby boy, Luc. He is a seriously cute baby.

Nicole loves to cook but told me that she hasn’t had that much experience with baking and was hoping to bake something with me. She’s been asking me this for a while but the last couple times I visited, we just didn’t have time.

But this time we prepared ahead of time. She wanted to bake a big cake for her hubby. She said he loves dark chocolate and caramel, so I scoured the internet for some cakes that made use of this flavor combo and came across this recipe from the blog Sugar Pies.

I copied the recipe below exactly from their site. It was good…not the best cake I ever had. But I think it could get there with the following changes:

  1. Triple or quadruple the amount of Caramel Cream Frosting. It didn’t even make enough to go between the layers and on top and sides of cake. I think this is because it was supersweet and it would have been overkill with the ganache.
  2. Third or halve the Chocolate Ganache, and don’t spread it but simply allow it to cover the top and drip down the sides of the cake.
  3. Definitely pop the cakes in the freezer before icing them, and again before pouring on the ganache.
  4. Serve the cake at room temperature.

Personally, I think it would be perfect with the cake completely frosted with the Caramel Cream Frosting and then with a thin layer of ganache on the top and dripping down the sides.

I’ll give it this, though- it’s quite impressive/massive looking. I think it could look even more impressive with the changes I made with the ganache dripping down the sides :)

Caramel Cream Cake
Adapted from Sugar Pies Food

Print this recipe!

Makes one 9″ 3-layer cake

Caramel Cream Cake

1/2 pound unsalted butter, softened
2 1/2 cups sugar
5 large eggs, separated
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
4 tsp. cocoa powder
1 cup buttermilk
5 tsp. strong coffee
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°. Cut parchment paper circles to fit bottoms of 3 9-inch round cake pans. Grease and flour bottoms and sides of pans.

In mixer fitted with whisk attachment beat the butter on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the sugar and egg yolks and beat until incorporated. Sift together the dry ingredients and add to the mixture alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Add the coffee and vanilla and beat well.

In a clean bowl and with a clean whisk, beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Gently fold into batter. (Note: If you have only one bowl for your mixer, beat the egg whites first and transfer them to another bowl while you mix the batter.)

Divide the batter evenly among the 3 pans and bake for 30 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes then remove from pans and allow to cool completely on wire racks. When completely cool, ice with Caramel Cream Frosting.

Caramel Cream Frosting

1 pound confectioner’s sugar
2 tsp. cocoa powder
1 egg yolk
8 tbs. unsalted butter, softened
1 tbs. strong coffee (liquid)
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Sift together sugar and cocoa. In a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg yolk until pale on low speed. Add the butter and beat well. Add the liquids and the sugar/cocoa mixture and beat until light and fluffy.

Spread frosting between layers of cake and on top and sides. Place cake in refrigerator or freezer to chill thoroughly and allow frosting to set.


Whipped Chocolate Ganache

2 cups heavy cream
16 oz. good bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 tsp. instant coffee crystals

Place chopped chocolate and coffee in large heat proof bowl.

Heat heavy cream in saucepan until it begins to simmer. Pour over chocolate and allow to sit about 10 minutes to melt the chocolate. Stir with rubber spatula and then whisk chocolate until it is smooth.

Set bowl over another bowl filled with ice water and beat chocolate with electric mixture until about the consistency of sour cream (about 3-10 minutes depending on temperature). Be sure not to over beat the chocolate. You just want it nice and spreadable but not too liquid.

Remove cake from refrigerator and place on wire rack set over baking sheet. Pour chocolate over cake and using offset spatula spread the chocolate over top and sides of cake.

Return cake to refrigerator or freezer to allow the chocolate to set up then allow cake to come to room temperature to serve.

« Older articles
Newer articles »