Some Experimenting: Gluten-free Carrot Cake, Tartine Brownies and Chocolate Chip Cookies

So I tried some things. I tried to do a little gluten-free baking, tried a new brownie recipe (one of the peculiar dislikes of mine) and I tried a variation of good old fashioned chocolate chip cookies. Out of the three, I would only make one again.

For the Gluten-free carrot cake, there was a major problem. It came out super dry. It tasted delicious, but the consistency was all wrong. When I made a trip to target and was browsing through the cookbooks, I looked at a few gluten-free recipes and they had a lot more wet ingredients in their recipes than the one I used. (Goes to show internet doesn't know everything). So I won't post the recipe until I tweek it a bit. It did look pretty though:

Next I made brownies, from Divine Baking. Now, you all should know that I do not like brownies. I am picky (as seen from my dislike of oatmeal and peanut butter cookies and brownies). BUT, but, these are delicioussss. I won't say anymore, just that you must make these the next time you think about making brownies:

Tartine Brownies Recipe

Adapted From Tartine

3/4 cup butter
1 pound bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 large eggs (the original recipe calls for five eggs, but I don't like tall brownies)
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups nuts, optional for topping

Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate. If the heat from the butter does not fully melt the chocolate, put the pan back over the heat for 10 seconds and stir until melted. Set aside to cool.

Sift the flour into a small mixing bowl. Set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Using a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat on high speed until the mixture thickens and becomes pale in color and falls from the beater in a wide ribbon that folds back on itself and slowly dissolves on the surface, 4 to 5 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, fold the cooled chocolate into the egg mixture. Add the flour and fold it in quickly but gently with the rubber spatula so that you don’t deflate the air that’s been incorporated into the eggs.

Pour the batter into the prepared dish and smooth the top with a spatula. If you are using nuts, evenly distribute them across the batter. Bake until the top looks slightly cracked and feels soft to the touch, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

Using a sharp knife, cut into 12 squares, or size desired. The brownies will keep in an airtight container in a cool place for up to 1 week.

*I also added some instant espresso to enhance the chocolate!

Then I made chocolate chip cookies. Instead of the normal cookies, I whipped the butter. This made them a little but more cakey. I don't like cakey cookies, cause they can't be doughy and cakey. But if you like cakey cookies, definitely whip the butter and then follow the original recipe.

But enough of that, I'm returning to my roots and makin some fluffy buttermilk biscuits and gravy! Check back for more recipes!

Oatmeal Mania

I've gone a little crazy. For oatmeal. I have made oatmeal for breakfast 5 days in a row, and I made oatmeal cookies. Oatmeal cookies...

So, as most everyone knows, I love cookies. But what most don't know until it comes up, I don't like oatmeal or peanut butter cookies. Now oatmeal, I never really liked that much to begin with, so it was understandable, but now I'm having an oatmeal phase, which I will get to later. Now peanut butter. Peanut butter is a different story. I absolutely cannot live without peanut butter. I have always loved it, ever since I was little and I can kill a whole 16 oz. jar in one sitting (try me, I'll beat you in a contest any time) and I have a somewhat unhealthy relationship with peanut butter, having it around all the time would put me in grave danger of having clogged arteries and lead to a heart attack. But back to the point, I don't like peanut butter cookies, and I didn't like oatmeal cookies until now. I think I have found the one; the recipe that is the perfect recipe for oatmeal cookies. So here it is adapted from Day Dreamers Desserts:

President Clinton’s Oatmeal Cookies

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

7 ounces (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg

3/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 large eggs, at room temperature

3 cups rolled oats

1 1/2 raisins

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flour with baking soda and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer beat butter until fluffy and light yellow. Add sugar and beat until combined. Add eggs, cinnamon and nutmeg and mix until just combined. Then mix in oats and raisins. Roll into log on parchment paper and chill until firm. Cut into 1/2 pieces, or however thick you'd like and bake for 8 minutes, rotate the tray and cook for 2 more minutes. Remove from oven and move immediately off of the cookie tray to cooling rack.

Jalapeno Lime Chicken and Sea Salted Honey Caramel

Jalapeno Lime Chicken with Pomegranate relish and Spiced Yogurt sauce

(Adapted from We Are Not Martha and Confections of a Foodie Bride)

For the chicken:

4 large boneless-skinless chicken breasts

¼ cup orange juice

juice and zest of 2 limes

juice and zest of 1 lemon

1 jalapeno, seeded and diced finely

1 jumbo clove of garlic (or whatever amount you desire)

olive oil

2 tbps melted butter

salt and pepper

Place chicken in a glass dish, placing chicken in the dish. Mix the remaining ingredients and pour over chicken, flipping the chicken to make sure it is coated. Marinate for 2-5 hours. While the chicken marinates make the yogurt sauce and pomegranate relish.

Spiced yogurt sauce:

½ cup pepitas

1/8 cup sesame seeds

3 tsp sesame oil

3 tsp olive oil

cumin

cinnamon

nutmeg

coriander

juice of 1 lemon (add more or less as needed)

juice of lime (add more or less as needed)

½ cup greek yogurt

1 garlic clove

mint, chopped

In a food processor mix pepitas and sesame seeds until almost a meal, then add the oils. Add equal parts cumin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and coriander (as much as you desire), lemon and lime juices and garlic clove. Mix and until well blended and a uniform texture. Finally add greek yogurt and blend until well incorporated. Mix in chopped mint leaves by hand. Set aside if using soon, otherwise refrigerate until you use it.

For the pomegranate relish:

1 cup pomegranate seeds

¼ cup pistachios

parsley, roughly chopped

mint leaves, roughly chopped

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp lime juice

2 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients in a bowl.

Once the relish and yogurt are made, grill chicken on high heat for about 10 minutes on each side.

Assembling the whole thing:

Place the chicken on plate and smear a few tablespoons of yogurt sauce over the chicken. Spoon relish over chicken and enjoy!

Sea Salted Honey Caramel

(from Live Love Pasta)

Ingredients:

Yield: Makes 2½ pounds of caramel (enough for 16 2-inch squares or 64 1-inch squares)
1 cup light corn syrup
1/3 cup honey
2 1/3 cups sugar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
PAM cooking spray, for baking dish & knife
Fleur de Sel, to taste

Cut parchment paper to line an 8x8x2 inch square baking dish. Allow enough paper to extend over all four sides. Lightly spray the parchment-lined dish with PAM cooking spray. Dab it with a paper towel to remove any excess oil.

TIP: Before adding honey and corn syrup to your measuring cup, spray cup very lightly with cooking spray. This makes removal easy.

In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, combine the corn syrup, honey, sugar, salt, heavy cream, and butter.

Cook, stirring continuously (using heat resistant spatula), until the mixture reaches 250 degrees F (firm-ball stage). Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.

Pour caramel into the prepared pan and sprinkle with Fleur de Sel. Set aside, uncovered, in a cool place to firm up. When firm, loosen the edges of the pan with an oiled knife. Turn out onto a clean work surface and, using a lightly oiled knife, cut into strips, then into squares. Wrap each square in parchment paper, twisting the ends. The caramels keep in an airtight container in a cool dry place for 2 weeks.

The chicken was delicious! I will definitely make it many more times! The caramels were very good too, but make sure that you put enough sea salt on them. I found that without the sea salt they were a little plain jane, so don't be afraid when using the salt!

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is one of my go to cookie recipes that I acquired I want to say 8 or 9 years ago, but I can't be sure. A friend of my aunts had come to California for skin cancer treatment and we offered her a place to stay for the weekend for her consultation.

During her visit she told us stories of herself as a kid visiting family in Greece, of her two young boys at home, and about her delicious double chocolate chip cookies. Unfortunately, the medical treatment was not helpful and Helen passed away shortly after her visit to California. Every time I make these cookies, I think of her and what she taught me about cooking that day. Here is a recipe for some of the best cookies you'll eat:

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cup flour

1 teas baking soda

1/4 teas salt

2/3 cup cocoa powder

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teas vanilla

1 12-oz bag of chocolate chunks (if you can find them, but you can use chocolate chips as well)

Directions:

preheat at 350 degrees

In a medium bowl sift together flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla. With the mixer on low, gradually add the flour mixture until just combined. Add chocolate chunks or chips, and mix until evenly distributed in dough. Plop on greased cookies sheets, (I make them pretty big) and bake for *8 minutes.

*The original recipe says to bake for 9-11 minutes, but I prefer my cookies doughy.

Making these cookies reminds me of home and the comfort of my silver stand mixer and (almost) unlimited supplies. Make and enjoy!

I'm Back With Thumbprint Cookies

As I finish my second year of college, study for finals, figure out the details of my living situation for next semester, apply for the study abroad program, apply to jobs (bakeries!) and prepare to say goodbye to Chicago for a couple of months, I have realized that it has been way too long since I have posted an entry. With all the goings on of the second semester I have been so caught up in all the new experiences, good, bad and weird, that I have done some baking, but not nearly as much as I usually do.

I have found a new outlook from all my many mistakes, successes, relationships and schoolwork I have been so enveloped with. To say the least, the semester was trying and has left me in uncertainty. I am now 20, half way through college, time wizzing over my head,and I have a pestering omnipresent thought that I have to out myself in the "real world" and actually do something with my life. So I have researched and am applying to numerous bakeries for a summer job (something I have been planning to do for a while, but am just getting to now).

Being finals week I don't think much baking will happen, but I have some coconut, raspberry jam and LOTS of BUTTER, so I might have to make some thumbprint cookies. One of my favorite foodnetwork stars, Ina Garten, has a delicious recipe for thumbprint cookies. The cookies are moist, have a crunchy shell and have the soft center that I find necessary for a cookie to be considered an actual cookie.

Jam Thumbprint Cookies from Ina Garten

3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
7 ounces sweetened flaked coconut
Raspberry and/or apricot jam

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until they are just combined and then add the vanilla. Separately, sift together the flour and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the creamed butter and sugar. Mix until the dough starts to come together. Dump on a floured board and roll together into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.

Roll the dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. (If you have a scale they should each weigh 1 ounce.) Dip each ball into the egg wash and then roll it in coconut. Place the balls on an ungreased cookie sheet and press a light indentation into the top of each with your finger. Drop 1/4 teaspoon of jam into each indentation. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the coconut is a golden brown. Cool and serve.

On another note, though I haven't kept the usual baking quota these past few months, I have been scouring countless food blogs and have saved A LOT (988 to be exact, not counting) of recipes to try when I get back into the swing of things. But more about those later a little of what I have baked (recipes to come later):


My Nana's chocolate bunt cake that was published (an altered version) to boston.com. It was delicious! I hope that I got all of her baking genes!


The bunny cake I made for a adorable little girl's first birthday. She ended up being sick so, her party was cancelled, but I hope she got a little piece of it. This is also the most MASSIVE cake I have ever made. I used the Primrose Bakery frosting and cake recipes.

And of course my staple cookie recipes (double chocolate chip, original and espresso cinnamon chocolate chip) have been baked (or cookie dough eaten) several times.

Must return to my studies, be ready for baked goods galore!

Only Option

Photo by Russell Lee via stumbleupon

Sometimes all you can do is laugh at yourself and forget about it. There are more important things like feeding people at a picnic like this.

Back From the Abyss

The HUGE chocolate cake I made for one of the Christmas desserts. I have to say it was one of my favorite chocolate cake recipes. I'll have to find it in my bookmarks again!!
I'm sorry to whoever is reading! I have been gone a long, long time. Life has been kind of hectic. My Last post was about Halloween, so I'll try to recap everything I have done since then. I finished those paintings that I had started for the project. I went home for Thanksgiving and made fudge, pumpkin cinnamon rolls, the classic pecan pie, a chocolate tart with gingersnap crust and a very deceiving berry pie. For the main meal we had our usual turkey, stuffing, brussel sprouts, potatoes au gratin, pearl onions, sweet potato casserole and popovers. Mmmm. yummy. I didn't really have time to make anything in between Thanksgiving and Christmas break because of finals.



For Christmas I made a massive and delicious (if I do say so myself) chocolate cake, a pumpkin pie on request from my siblings, and our famous coconut cake. This year my mom's parents, known as Grandmama and Grandaddy, came to celebrate with us. With all the LaLa Daly family back under one roof and some g-parentals to boot, it was a full house. I have to admit, I think I get a little bit more insane every time we are all together but I don't know what I would do if I couldn't go home.I wish I could remember, but shortly before or after Christmas I made red velvet whoopie pies from Ina Garten's book, How Easy is That? I love her. She is so funny and dorky and knows the key know-hows to make anything taste good. These whoopie pies were crazy delicious. They were super moist and the cream cheese frosting wasn't overwhelmingly sweet. day my mom, grandmama, Tara and I went to lunch at the cafe in Neiman Marcus, Mariposa. (no words). Instead of rolls, they bring crispy and tasty popovers. Then we had some truffle oil fries, which were undeniable. I got butternut squash lobster bisque, grandmama and Tara split a salad and sandwich and my mom got another salad for us all to share. It was easily one of the best lunches I have had. We also invested in some unbelievable cheeses from the Beverly Hills Cheese Store. They are pretty expensive but worth every penny. The employees are funny and they also sell chocolate, various oils (we invested in some truffle oil), salts and breads. Also, everyone needs some cheese in their life. So if you're in the area it's a must! New Years Whoopie Pies I made for my parents get together. Chocolate with vanilla frosting and chocolate ganache in the middle.



With the rest of my break I went to visit my best friend Amanda at school in San Diego. Then took a mini get-away with my best friend Brittany and friend Kirsten to Palm Springs where we mostly rode our bikes and ate. All in all, my winter break was both busy and relaxing, a nice change from the cold weather to irregularly warm weather (I actually have some pigmentation to my skin as a souvenir).
Now back in Chicago it's often in the single digits and I even witnessed one of the biggest snow storms in history. Actually is was a sad day, because it started on my birthday and my mom had ordered cupcakes to be delivered. Long story short, Lake Shore Drive was closed and I didn't get my cupcakes until late thursday night. They were delicious though! Crumbs is the best cupcake place I've tasted so far. My second favorite cupcake place would probably be Magnolia Bakery in New York. Super moist and delicious frosting. And they have really beautiful cakes and super delicious cookies (and I'm pretty picky about my cookies) so it's fun to just go look at all the goodies.
So I have been baking occasionally since I've been back, but I haven't been taken pictures. Ooops! I will soon though!