Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Chocolate Malt Ice Cream Cup Pies


Last weekend my brother had us all over for a barbecue for the 24th of July. The 24th of July is a state holiday in Utah called Pioneer Day. It is similar to the 4th of July in that there are fireworks and barbecues. My contribution to this barbecue was dessert. I wanted to make something easy that didn't require utensils or even a plate. I came across a recipe in sunset magazine for a malted milk ball ice cream pie and decided this would be the perfect dessert to make for the barbecue, only in cup pie form to eliminate the needs for plates and forks. The cup pies were a huge success! Although I will say they are a but tricky to travel with and are best eaten as soon as they come out of the freezer so they don't have much of a chance to melt.


Chocolate Malt Ice Cream Cup Pies 
Crust
20 Lorna Doone Shortbread Cookies (if using another brand of shortbread cookie, use 5 ounces)
1 tablespoon Unsalted Butter, melted
1 cup Malted Milk Balls, crushed

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a standard 12 cup muffin tin with baking liners. Grind cookies into crumbs using a food processor, then stir in melted butter until combined. Distribute mixture evenly among cups. Press crumbs to form a crust in to bottom of each cup. Bake for 7 minutes. Once baked remove from oven and allow crusts to cool completely. When cooled, sprinkle a layer of crushed malted milk balls over the crusts. Reserve the leftover crushed malted milk balls to top cup pies.

Ice Cream 
2 1/2 cups Chocolate Ice Cream, slightly softened
2/3 cup Malted Milk Powder

Mix together the ice cream and malt powder until smooth. Pour ice cream into cups until they are 3/4 of the way full, then freeze for at least 3 hours. (Note: you will probably have some ice cream left over, which I would recommend eating while waiting for the cup pies to freeze :)

Ganache 
3 ounces Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1/4 cup Whipping Cream

Heat whipping cream to just a boil then pour over chocolate chips. Allow mixture to sit for two minutes, then stir until smooth. Allow ganache to cool. Pour the ganache over the tops of the frozen cup pies then return to the freezer to allow ganache to set, about 15 minutes.

Whipping Cream
1/2 cup Whipping Cream
1-2 teaspoons Granulated Sugar, depending on taste

Whip cream and sugar, then top cup pies with whipped cream and the remainder of the crushed malted milk balls. Serve immediately or freeze until ready to serve.

Recipe adapted from Sunset Magazine, June 2011

This post is linked with Everyday Sisters Sharing 





Wednesday, July 20, 2011

A Bowl Full of Lemons: Creamy Lemon Squares


The other day I bought a big bag of lemons from Costco. I love anything made with lemon so I was really excited to get home and start baking with them. First I made these bars. I had seen the recipe for them a while back and I have been meaning to try them ever since. Next I plan of making lemonade, then after that, if there are any left, I am going to make a lemon cake.

Creamy Lemon Squares 
1/2 cup Unsalted Butter, Softened, plus more for pan
1/2 cup Powdered Sugar, plus more for dusting
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Vanilla
1 cup All-Purpose Flour
4 Egg Yolks
1 (14 ounce) Can Sweetened Condensed Milk
3/4 cup Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice (3-4 lemons)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and line an 8 inch square baking dish with parchment paper, letting the paper hang over two of the sides, (this will make it easier to remove the lemon squares from the pan). In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat together the butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla until smooth. Beat in the flour until just combined. Press mixture into the prepared baking dish, poke pressed dough all over with a fork, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until slightly golden. While crust is baking prepare the filling. Whisk together the lemon juice, yolks, and the sweetened condensed milk until smooth and thoroughly combined. Pour mixture into baked crust and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until set. Allow to cool in pan then place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before cutting. Top with a dusting of powdered sugar.

Recipe slightly adapted from Martha Stewart





Monday, July 18, 2011

Pita Bread with White Bean and Rosemary Dip


I love cooking and baking with rosemary because the herb is so versatile. I have used it in cakes, breads, and now a dip, but it can also be used in lemonade, which I have yet to try but plan on making soon, chicken, fish, potatoes, cocktails, and much much more. Adding fresh rosemary to many dishes can really add a lot of depth and flavor. I have a little rosemary plant that has been flourishing lately so I wanted to use a few of its sprigs to make a dip that would go nicely with pita bread. I was quite happy with the results of the dip however, I did go a bit overboard with the salt so when making this dip be sure to taste it before adding too much salt and adjust according to taste.

Pita Bread
2 1/2 cup Bread Flour
2 teaspoons Salt
1 tablespoon Sugar
2 teaspoons Active Dry Yeast
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 cup Warm Water (about 110 degrees F)

Whisk together 1 cup bread flour, salt, sugar, and yeast in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the water and the oil, then mix briskly for a few minutes, mixture will be thin. Once mixed stir in the rest of the flour, 1/2 cup at a time. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes adding a little more flour as dough becomes sticky. Form dough into a ball and divide into 8 even pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. Then cover dough balls with a clean and slightly damp dish towel. Allow dough to rest for 30 minutes. While dough is resting preheat the oven to 500 degrees F and prepare the dip, if making. Once dough has rested roll each ball out into a flat circle. Line baking sheet with foil and place 2-3 of the flattened dough rounds onto the lined pan. Bake for 6-7 minutes or until slightly browned.

Makes 8 Pitas

Recipe from Farmgirl Fare where it was adapted from Bernard Clayton





White Bean and Rosemary Dip
1 15 ounce can Cannellini Bean
1/2 cup Olive Oil
1 tablespoon Fresh Rosemary, chopped
1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt (you may want to add a bit more depending on taste, but I'd start with this amount then build up from there)

Heat beans a in medium sized saucepan until warmed through, then drain. Pour beans into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment and add the rosemary and salt. Blend bean mixture and pour olive oil through the top while blending. Taste and add a little more salt if needed. Enjoy with pita bread.



Thursday, July 14, 2011

Cheddar-Corn Spoon Bread


A few weeks ago I bought a few ears corn from a little farm stand near my house. I threw two of the ears on the barbecue, cut one up for a summer pasta salad, and then used the rest to make cheddar-corn spoon  
bread. I must say this bread was the best thing I made with that corn. This spoon bread has a similar texture to quiche, although it is a bit more dense, I really like it as a summer side dish, and it is perfect to bring along to a potluck or barbecue. This bread tastes best when eaten the same day it is made.

Cheddar-Corn Spoon Bread 
1 tablespoon Unsalted Butter, plus more for dish
2 cups Milk
1 1/2 cups Fresh Corn (2-3 ears) 
2/3 cup Corn Meal 
1 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated 
4 Eggs, separated 
Coarse Salt (I used Kosher)
Pinch of Cayenne Pepper

Butter a 2-quart baking dish and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bring the butter, milk, corn, corn meal, 1 teaspoon salt, and cayenne pepper to a boil over medium high heat. Once mixture has come to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until mixture thickens slightly, stirring constantly. Remove from heat then stir in the cheese. Allow mixture to cool at room temperature for 15-20 minutes, then stir in egg yolks. While you are waiting for the mixture to cool prepare your egg whites. Beat egg whites along with a pinch of salt in an electric mixer until soft peaks form, then fold egg whites into the batter, 1/3 at a time. Pour batter into prepared baking dish and reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and a little loose in the middle. Allow bread to cool slightly before serving. 



Tuesday, July 5, 2011

A Piece of Cake


A few weeks ago I came across a picture of this cake on Weekly Bite. I had never heard of putting cola in a cake before and I was intrigued. D and I are not big on soda, we rarely drink the stuff, not that we don't have other vices obviously considering I write a baking blog and have discussed my love of coffee, wine, and desserts all of which I would consider my vices, but somehow we have managed to steer clear of soda. I decided to make this cake for an upcoming 4th of July BBQ that D and I had been invited to. I am not the sort of person who tries out a recipe to make sure it works and tastes good before I bring it to a party. I came to this realization the night I presented this cake to our friends and a group of strangers and a small wave of panic came over me. I thought to myself what if this cake is not good or even worse what if it is gross after all it is made with Coke and cocoa and maybe this was a bad idea. At this point it was too late turn back, this cake was being served. Luckily the cake was delicious and everyone enjoyed it. I will say however this cake tastes best when eaten the same day it is made and while it's still warm. I would like to say I learned my lesson and that next time I decide to make something I am unfamiliar with I will test it out before I bring it to a party and serve it to friends and strangers, but I'm sure I won't, it's just not how I roll :)

Chocolate Cola Cake 
For the Cake
2 cups All-Purpose Flour
2 cups Granulated Sugar
1/2 teaspoon of Salt
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 cup Unsalted Butter
1/4 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 cup Coca-Cola
1/2 cup Buttermilk
2 Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 inch pan, then set aside until needed. In a medium sized mixing bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and cinnamon, set aside until needed. In a sauce pan over medium high heat bring the butter, cocoa powder, cola, and buttermilk to a boil, stirring constantly. Once mixture has boiled pour it into the flour mixture and stir until smooth. Whisk the eggs and vanilla together in a small bowl then pour them into the batter and stir until well combined. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.

For the Glaze
1/2 cup Unsalted Butter
1/4 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1/2 cup Coca-Cola
4 cups Powdered Sugar

In a sauce pan over medium high heat bring the butter, cocoa powder, and cola to a boil, stirring constantly. Once mixture comes to a boil remove from heat and stir in the powdered sugar a little at a time until smooth. Once cake is baked, pour the glaze on top. Allow glaze to set up before cutting, at least 30 minutes. Enjoy cake on its own or with a side of your favorite ice cream.

Recipe from Confessions of a Chocoholic

Friday, July 1, 2011

Chocolate and Salted Caramel Pudding Pops


Lately my posts have been few and far between because I recently started a new job. Can you guess what my new job is? If you guessed baker you get a gold star. I started this new job a few weeks ago and I am absolutely loving it! While it is a bit of a learning curve for me, seeing as how I am still a student and I haven't even taking my first baking class yet, I am learning so much and I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity to learn to bake in a professional environment. But with this new opportunity comes less time I have to bake at home on my own and write about it here. So while I am trying to balance my blog, a new job, and come August, school again my posts will be a little less frequent.
Now on the the fun stuff, pudding pops. Do your remember pudding pops? You know the kind that were made by Jello and Bill Cosby did the commercials in the 80's? Yep those are ones, they were my favorite, why they stopped making them I have no idea. So when I came across this recipe for Chocolate and Salted Caramel Pudding Pops on Endless Simmer, I just had to make them. I used all the same ingredients as called for in the recipe, but I used a different method to make the pudding. Rather than using a double boiler for the pudding I used a saucepan, which worked out just fine for me.

Chocolate and Salted Caramel Pudding Pops 
Chocolate Pudding
1/3 cup Corn Starch
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
Pinch of Salt
3 cups Whole Milk
3/4 cup Dark Chocolate Chips
1 tablespoon Vanilla

In a medium sauce pan whisk together the corn starch, sugar, and salt. Gradually pour in milk and whisk over medium to medium-high heat until mixture comes to a boil. Allow mixture to boil for a minute whisking constantly. Once mixture has thickened remove from heat and stir in the chocolate chips until all the chocolate has melted and is combined, then stir in the vanilla.

Salted Caramel Pudding
1/3 cup Corn Starch
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
Pinch of Salt
3 cups Whole Milk
1/2 cup Salted Caramel Sauce, recipe below
1 tablespoon Vanilla

In a medium sized sauce pan whisk together all of the dry ingredients. Gradually pour in the milk and whisk over medium to medium-high heat until mixture comes to a boil. Allow mixture to boil for a minute whisking constantly. Once mixture has thickened remove from heat and stir in the salted caramel sauce and the vanilla.

Salted Caramel Sauce
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
2 tablespoons Water
2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
6 tablespoons Heavy Cream
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt

Stir together the water and sugar in medium sized sauce pan over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves then increase the heat to high. Do not stir. Once mixture begins to darken whisk in the butter and cream until combined. Then stir in the salt and remove from heat.

Assemble pops by alternating between chocolate and caramel puddings. I used ice pop molds I found at Target, but you could just as easily use little Dixie cups as used on Endless Simmer. Once assembled freeze for at least three hours.  If you use an ice pop mold, once the pops are done you can dip the mold in hot tap water to help release the pops from the mold.

Recipe from Endless Simmer