TWD: Almost-Fudge Gâteau

The word gâteau always brings me back to my years of learning French throughout all of middle school and high school and evokes such fond memories of my stays in France with my family's close friends, who happen to have started out as my host family when I did an exchange program at the tender age of 10. May will mark the 20 year mark since that first trip and the beginning of a wonderful friendship between two completely random families who would never have otherwise met if it hadn't been for this program.


My French tongue has faded some since my last visit in 2000 but that doesn't mean that I don't have the desire to continue to learn all that is French. I read blogs of expatriots who live in France and I still yearn to be strolling the streets of Paris, ducking into a sidewalk café for a crossaint and a demi-tasse, browsing artists' works in Montparnasse or Montmartre, lunching on a baguette and brie with a glass of wine in Jardin des Tuileries, or of course perusing through one of the hundreds of French bakeries that make France so famous for it's baked goodies. This weeks' Dorie recipe was chosen by Nikki of Crazy Delicious and comes from Hélène Samuel, a French restauranteur, who used to sit in front of the oven (her very first oven while living in Paris) and watch this cake bake as her source of entertainment. Le gâteau itself, as Dorie describes is "plain looking but profoundly flavorful, moist, pleasantly dense, and definitively chocolate..."; a description that perfectly matches how this cake itself turned out.

I'll admit that I didn't run out and buy a 9" springform pan for this recipe so I'm not entirely sure if the cake turned out as "puffy" as it should have (with 5 egg white folded into the batter) while using a regular ol' 9" cake pan. Since this was another TWD recipe without a picture to guide me, I guess I'll have to wait and see how everyone else's cakes turned out. Regardless of how it looked, it tasted FANTASTIC. And fudgy it was! I used 60% bittersweet chocolate and was slightly worried about the bitter-factor but it was the right decision for me and I would use the same percentage should I make the cake again, which I'm sure I will. The top cracked, just as Dorie said it would and because I used a cake pan, my cake resembled more of an oversized molten lava cake than a pretty, smooth-sided cake turned out of a springform pan.

As for the glaze however, I didn't have such great luck. I'm not really sure what happened but after I added the corn syrup, the melted chocolate-cream mixture separated from the syrup like oil and water. It was very strange and I couldn't bear to ruin a perfectly good cake with a mixture that resembled more of an sloppy chocolate mess than a chocolate glaze; powdered sugar and whipped cream worked just fine for me.

In spite of the glaze issue, I thoroughly enjoyed this cake; both making it and eating...and yes, I had a piece for breakfast yesterday morning. Hats off to Nikki for a great choice this week! You can see how the over 30 other members of our growing TWD group did this week by visiting their blogs here.

Almost-Fudge Gâteau

source: Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours

• 5 large eggs
• 9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used Ghirardelli 60% bittersweet cacao chips)
• 1 cup of sugar
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks
• 2 tablespoons coffee or water
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• Pinch of salt

For the Glaze (optional)

• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons light corn syrup

Getting Ready:

1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan (I used a 9" cake pan), line the bottom with parchment paper, butter the paper, dust the inside of the pan with flour and tap out the excess. Place the pan on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.
2. Separate the eggs, putting the whites in a mixer bowl or other large bowl and the yolks in a small bowl.
3. Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and add the chocolate, sugar butter and coffee. Stir occasionally until the chocolate and butter are melted; the sugar may still be grainy, and that's fine. Transfer the bowl to the counter and let the mixture sit for 3 minutes.
4. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the yolks one by one, then fold in the flour.
5. Working with the whisk attachment of the mixer or a hand mixer, beat the egg whites with the pinch of salt until they hold firm, but glossy peaks. Using the spatula, stir about one quarter of the beaten whites into the batter, then gently fold in the rest. Scrape the butter into the pan and jiggle the pan from side to side a couple of times to even the batter.
6. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes (35 minutes was perfect for my oven), or until the cake has risen evenly (it might rise around the edges and you'll think it's done, but give it a few minutes more, and the center will puff too) and the top has firmed (it will probably be cracked) and doesn't shimmy when tapped; a thin knife inserted into the center should come out just slightly streaked with chocolate. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and let the cake rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
7. Run a blunt knife gently around the edges of the cake and remove the sides of the pan. Carefully turn the cake over onto a rack and remove the pan bottom and the parchment paper. Invert the cake onto another rack and cool to room temperature right side up. As the cake cools, it may sink.

To Make the Optional Glaze: First, turn the cooled cake over onto another rack so you'll be glazing the flat bottom, and place the rack over a baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper to catch any drips.

Put the chocolate in a small heatproof bowl.

Melt the chocolate over a pan of simmering water or in a microwave oven – the chocolate should be just melted and only warm, not hot. Meanwhile, bring the cream to a boil in a small sauce pan. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and stir very gently with a rubber spatula until the mixture is smooth and shiny. Stir in the corn syrup.

Pour the glaze over the cake and smooth the top with a long metal icing spatula. Don't worry if the glaze drips unevenly down the sides of the cake – it will just add to its charms. Allow the glaze to set at room temperature or, if you're impatient, slip the cake into the refrigerator for about 20 minutes. If the glaze dulls in the fridge, just give it a little gentle heat from a hairdryer.

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 35 minutes

Yields: 12-16 slices

Some Outrageous Brownies

ahh Ina...seriously, you found the right profession when buying Barefoot Contessa all those years ago. I haven't yet made a recipe of yours that isn't fantastic!

OK, so I know she can't hear me, but sometimes I just need to get the voices out of my head..... :)

After 5 years of knowing about the existence of these brownies and hearing all the raves on my cooking board, I only JUST made them for the first time a couple of weeks ago (yes, I'm slow to post recently). The only thing that was stopping me from making them was the fact that I don't ever have instant coffee powder in the house. But nonetheless, I finally decided to forego the powder and make the brownies without it.

WOW!! They turned out just half a notch below outrageous for me but still were out of this world. I know that half a notch was the missing coffee powder and now I'm bound and determined to buy some before I get the hankering to make them again. I made the full recipe, fully knowing how many brownies this would yield, and brought half of them to work where I knew sweet treats are always very much appreciated. As it turns out, my office was having a week from hell and these brownies were the exact "pick-me-up" that everyone needed. I have a few other homemade brownie recipes I want to try before I go and say that this will be the only one that I use but for now, it's right at the top of my list.

Ina's Outrageous Brownies

source: The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

This was adapted from a recipe for chocolate globs in the Soho Charcuterie Cookbook

• 1 pound unsalted butter
• 1 pound plus 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, divided
• 6 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• 6 extra-large eggs
• 3 tablespoons instant coffee powder
• 2 tablespoons real vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 1/4 cups flour, divided - 1 cup for batter and 1/4 cup in the chips and nuts
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 cups diced walnut pieces (I omitted)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 13 by 18 by 1 1/2-inch sheet pan.
2. Melt together the butter, 1 pound chocolate chips, and bitter chocolate on top of a double boiler. Cool slightly. Stir together the eggs, instant coffee, vanilla and sugar. Stir in the warm chocolate mixture and cool to room temperature.
3. Stir together 1 cup of the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to cooled chocolate mixture. Toss the walnuts and chocolate chips with 1/4 cup flour to coat. Then add to the chocolate batter. Pour into prepared pan.
4. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until tester just comes out clean. Halfway through the baking, rap the pan against the oven shelf to allow air to escape from between the pan and the brownie dough. Do not overbake! Cool thoroughly, refrigerate well and cut into squares.

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Yields: 20 large or 48 human-size brownies

Chocolate Dipped Orange Heaven

I'm not sure if others have had similar experiences during childhood, but I must share this experience with you...

My brother and I were not allowed, under ANY circumstances, to eat mom's Pepperidge Farm Milano Cookies. She only bought them for two reasons: 1.) we were taking a long car trip, or 2.) they were on sale and she had a coupon. No matter the reason though, these precious little commodities were not for kids. They were kept hidden, sometimes even in mom's purse, and if we ever came across them in our searches for a snack, we knew she had the cookies counted so if one was missing, she would know.

Flashforward to the present...

Since moving out of my parents' house years ago, I'm not sure if mom is still as compulsive about her Milanos as she once was but I do know that Pepperidge Farm has struck gold after releasing new flavors of their oh so simple and delicious original Milanos and they now boast 11 different flavors!! No, I certainly haven't tried them all but I definitely have tested out the orange Milanos and was not at all let down. In fact, they are so good that I was inspired to copycat them at home.

Thanks to the help of the butter cookie recipe I was given from Nestie Katie102006 during the WC Recipe Exchange (all recipes are desserts) that she organized, I was able to recreate the orange Milanos for Christmas this year. I realize making the connection between butter cookie and chocolate dipped orange heaven might be a stretch, but part of the fun of this exchange is that we can modify the recipe to our liking. Why a recipe exchange rather than a cookie swap, you ask? Well, Katie and I are part of an online community message board (called What's Cooking, hence WC) on theNest.com where there is a whole slew of other young mostly married women who exchange recipes, stories, thoughts, jokes, and many many questions throughout the day, all day, 7 days a week. And since we're located all over the world, it's slightly impractical to mail a box of cookies to someone during the rush of the Christmas season with the expectation that they will arrive on time and not in a million pieces. So the idea of the WC Recipe Exchange was born. Now, I still don't know who's recipe this is because guessing who the owner of the recipe is is part of the exchange and we will find out after the cut-off date of December 22nd...but whoever you are, THANK YOU!!! This is a wonderful butter cookie recipe that not only stands beautifully on it's own, but also is the perfect base recipe to modify and is seriously one of the easiest cookie recipes I've come across in a while. Please see my modifications in italics below.

I'm also submitting this recipe to Susan (over at Food Blogga) for her Christmas Cookies from Around the World 2007 event as I think these little pieces of heaven will be a nice addition the huge array of cookies Susan is bringing in.

Butter Cookies

• 1 cup butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp almond extract (I used 1 tsp pure vanilla extract and 1/2 tsp pure orange extract)
• 2 1/3 cups flour
• 3 tbsp course sugar
• 2 oz bittersweet choclate
• 2 oz semi-sweet choclate

1. Cream butter. Gradually add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla extract. Gradually blend in flour.
2. Separate the dough in half, leaving one half of the dough in the bowl. To this dough, add 1/2 tsp pure orange extract. Using a spatula work extract into dough so that it is evenly distributed.
3. This recipe is meant for a cookie press, but I can never get my cookie press to work. So what I do is use a small cookie scoop and flatten the dough into discs. I think this dough could be rolled out and cut with cookie cutters as well. I rolled the dough into logs about 2 inches in diameter, wrapped them in clear plastic wrap and refrigerated for 4 hours. I sliced them with a sharp knife into 1/4" x 2" discs.
4. Place cookies on ungreased baking sheet. Decorate with colored sugar, rainbow nonpareils, or press a thumbrint into the cookies and fill with jam. Also can be baked plain and iced with frosting when cooled. I used coarse sugar.
5. Bake in 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes. Remove immediately to wire rack to cool.
6. While cookies cool, heat chocolate in a double boiler. After cooling, dip the orange cookies in the melted chocolate and place on parchment paper to cool.

Active prep time: 20 minutes

Inactive prep time: 4 hours

Cook time: 8-10 minutes

Chocolate Chip Sour Cream Cake

Who do I think I am coming up with a post like this? Smitten Kitchen? Yeah, I wish! Deb's blog (aka Smitten Kitchen) is seriously one of the most fantastic food blogs I've ever come across. And I'm not entirely sure how I stumbled upon it (although I know it was by accident about 6 or 7 months ago), but Kyle sure is thankful that I did - almost as thankful that I've found solice in so many of Giada's recipes. Deb's blog is incredibly well-written and witty, and of course it features some of the most drool-worthy food porn out there in the blog-o-sphere. (Like my attention to jargon there?) You'll be hard-pressed to find a better food blog...at least I've yet to find one (although, Culinary Concoctions by Peabody ranks right up there).

So, yes, I've been reading Smitten Kitchen, almost on a daily basis for a few months now (love Google reader!), and was so excited to read recently that Deb and her beloved blog were being featured in the Boston Globe - pretty big honors for a woman who creates some pretty big food out of her pretty tiny Brooklyn, NY apartment kitchen. It was reading the Globe article online where I found this recipe of Deb's that had been filed away in her blog archives and probably wouldn't have been found had it not been for the article (as much as I love Smitten Kitchen, I just don't have the time to peruse nearly 18 months of blog posts). So after wiping the drool off my keyboard, I printed out the recipe and immediately decided to make this for my parents while I was down to visit them on good 'ol Long Island (actually, not too far from where Smitten Kitchen makes it's home).

I took full advantage of my mom's new double-oven that weekend, but didn't dare ask to use the brand-spankin' new holy grail of kitchen appliances (aka the Kitchenaid Artisan Stand Mixer in Onyx) that I had given her the evening before for her birthday. As much as it killed me to restrain myself from asking to use it, I knew that the only person who should break-in the holy grail is its rightful owner. So I used a hand-mixer - no big deal. :)

It's difficult to explain how incredible this recipe turned out without, again, wiping the drool off my keyboard. The coffee cake was exactly how I hoped it would be - dense and flavorful but not crumbly...and it yielded a bonus of a mouthful of chocolate cinnamon flavor in every bite. Can you really get any better than that?? I have to admit that I made the mistake of not cutting the servings small enough (what???) because this cake really is filling. My cake yielded 24 pieces but 32 or even 36 pieces probably would yielded a more appropriate serving size. But nonetheless, neither I nor my parents (nor Kyle after I brought the leftovers home to him in CT) had any regrets about my making this cake. It's perfect for any occasion - brunch, dessert, or an afternoon coffee break - and I will without a doubt make this again.

Chocolate Chip Sour Cream Cake
source: Smitten Kitchen blog

• 1 stick butter, at room temperature
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 3 eggs, separated
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• 16 ounces sour cream
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
  
• 12 ounces chocolate chips (which I tossed lightly in flour before adding to cake to prevent the chips from sinking to the bottom)
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, cream butter and 1½ cups sugar, then mix in the egg yolks and vanilla. Sift flour, baking soda and baking powder together into a separate bowl. Alternately add sour cream and then dry ingredients into butter mixture. Beat eggs whites until stiff, then fold into batter.
3. Mix last ½ cup sugar and cinnamon together in a separate, small dish.
4. In a greased 9″x13″ pan, pour in half of the cake batter. Sprinkle the top with half of the cinnamon-sugar mixture and half of the chocolate chips. Pour remaining batter on top, sprinkling the top with the remaining cinnamon-sugar and chocolate chips.
5. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.
   

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 40-50 minutes

Yields: 24-36 pieces

Pumpkin-Spice Cheesecake Brownies

The pumpkin frenzy has hit my house with avengence and I'm honestly going to have a tough time letting it go at the end of the autumn. I seem to come across at least one new pumpkin recipe that peaks my interest everyday and I'm starting to have a difficult time narrowing down the recipes to make. I can't possibly make them all for fear of blowing my healthy eating resolution. Thankfully, I've implemented a couple of adjustments to the recipes I do make so that I can try to feel less guilty about eating the mouthwatering pumpkiny results.

Tonight, I broke out Cara's (aka Pumpkin Queen) pumpkin-spice cheesecake brownies. Oh yeah. You read that right...that's brownies. with cheesecake. and pumpkin...all in one dessert!! I did end up using 1/2 cup applesauce (and 1/4 cup butter) and low-fat cream cheese to attempt at making these a little more figure-friendly...attempt being the optimal word there.

They turned out beautifully and so delicious!! Let me tell you...they are going FAST! I've only had the chance to indulge in a couple of them as Kyle is plowing through them at some unGodly rate. This one is definitely a keeper and will most likely make a reappearance sometime this fall. Thanks Cara!!!

Pumpkin-Spice Cheesecake Brownies
source: Cara at Cara's Cravings

Brownie Batter

• 3/4 cup butter, melted (I used 1/4 cup butter, 1/2 cup applesauce)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon

Cheesecake Batter

• 6 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp each ground ginger and ground cloves

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8x8" square metal baking pan.
2. Beat together melted butter, sugar, and vanilla, then beat in eggs one at a time. Combine dry ingredients and then gradually stir into butter mixture with a wooden spoon. In separate bowl, beat together cheesecake batter ingredients.
3. Spread about 2/3 of chocolate batter into prepared pan, and spoon cheesecake batter over. Dollop remaining brownie batter over cheesecake batter. Swirl the batters together by running a butter knife (or toothpick) back and forth through the pan.
4. Bake for 40 minutes (I baked for 35 minutes), or until center is set. Cool completely on wire rack and chill before cutting and serving.

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 35 - 40 minutes

Yields: 12 - 16 brownies

Here is how I dolloped the batter and how the brownies looked just out of the oven:

Brownies with a caramel touch

After a dinner of spicy garlic lime pasta and fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil, my dessert called for a little bit of sweetness (or a lot of sweetness). I needed something to make that was quick and easy to end a weeknight dinner with a guest. Everybody loves brownies but I wasn't feeling up to a pan of brownies - I was thinking something a little special. Yes, my brownies came from a mix (Hershey's Triple Chocolate Chunk which can be found at your local supermarket or at BJ's Wholesale where you can buy a box of 4 packets) but I made them my own by baking them in mini-muffin pans and then pressing a caramel Hershey's kiss in the center after immediately after baking. Not hard but SO good!

I sprayed the mini-muffin tins with Pam for Baking, filled the cups about 1/2 to 2/3 full, then cooked them for about 18 minutes at 300 degrees F. (check with a toothpick for doneness)

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 18-20 minutes

Yields: 36 individual mini brownies

Heavenly Birthday Cake!!

I'll be the first to admit that chocolate cake with chocolate icing is not my favorite type of cake. I've requested a marble cake with sweet butter icing every year since before I could remember but this year would be different because my mom's oven is broken and baking a cake in a toaster oven might prove difficult. So I asked Kyle to take care of my cake this year and we'd bring it to Long Island where we'd celebrate with my family, as we do every year.

My only request was that he call the baker who made our wedding cake last year and ask her to bake a small cake - the flavor and icing were his choice - but no chocolate/chocolate. I guess a million things happened between that request and week of my birthday (8/19 in case anyone is wondering ;) ) and the call to the baker never happened. Needless to say, Kyle felt really bad and offered to make the cake himself. Wow. What a nice suggestion. And to be honest, I wasn't at all worried about how it would turn out because he's actually very adept in the kitchen. All he needed was a recipe and for me to be around if he needed help.

What recipe did I choose? Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake with Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Icing. Yes, that's right...a chocolate/chocolate cake. Funny indeed. I had heard wonderful reviews about this cake and hadn't yet gotten the chance to make it so I figured this would be as good of a time as ever (and I wouldn't have to do any work to enjoy it!).

The result? Absolute chocolate perfection. The cake was perfect. The icing was perfect. EVERYONE raved about it and couldn't believe that Kyle made this cake - and their jaws literally dropped when I told them that he made it from scratch! My brother, who I seriously don't think has ever eaten a whole piece of birthday cake in his life had SECONDS! He even requested that Kyle make his birthday cake in November. (Sorry Mom!!)

I'm not going to post the recipe because my iterations in this post have gotten away from me but let me say a couple of things: Kyle made the cake and icing the night before we ate it. We wrapped the cake in SaranWrap, refrigerated it overnight, and put the two in a cooler for our 2 hr drive. The cake arrived without incident (no cracks) and it was iced right before birthday candles were added. He also made 1 and a half of the icing recipe but we agreed that it probably should have been doubled.

DON'T hesitate to make this cake - it's totally worth it!!!

(And go ahead and add the perfect complement: vanilla ice cream!)

Kyle's #1 Sweets Request

New dessert recipes (especially cookies) are tough to come by in my house because of the undying love that Kyle has for the Nestle's Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. I made the allrecipes.com famous chocolate chip cookie recipe (fondly nicknamed BFCCC) and he almost had a heart attack because I was trying a new recipe. I wasn't trying to replace his favorite - I merely wanted to try something new. It didn't fly and all I got was a turned up nose to both the raw dough (which Kyle prefers) and the cooked cookie.

So back to the original recipe I go, and I do have to admit that I love it more than any other chocolate chip cookie recipe I've come across as well (so far!). These pictures makes them look hard and crunchy, but by making them bigger (with an ice cream scoop), they turn out soft and gooey. When I make them like this, I cook them an additional 6-9 minutes while carefully watching them towards the end.

Goin' to the fair

It's summer fair time in Connecticut and although Kyle and I don't usually frequent the "fair circuit" until the harvest fairs in September, our church's annual fair is today. In addition to helping to set up tables during the week, I thought I'd pitch in this year and do a little baking. Pies and baked goods were needed and although I'd never actually made a fruit pie before, I figured, what the heck! I've been making apple crisp for years but have always had some strange aversion to putting the apples between two pieces of dough. Well, the aversion is still present because I decided to make an apple pie with crisp topping, rather than dough - more like an apple crumble pie but slightly different. I used Martha Stewart's apple pie recipe and my old-time favorite apple crisp topping that I've modified from my ancient Women's Day cookbooks (both are below). Modifications have *s and are below the recipes. The full Martha recipe can be found through the link above - I've modified it here.

I also made a double batch (4 dozen) of Paula Deen's Double Chocolate Gooey Butter Cakes that have been made and raved about by a number of ladies on the cooking board I frequent. I've made peanut butter version a few months ago which were very good, but I wanted to make something a little more "allergy-safe" since they would be sold at the church fair (I omitted the nuts that the original recipes calls for). The recipe and photos are below the pie.

Apple Crisp Pie
For the Apple Filling:

• 1/4 cup (spooned and leveled) all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling dough
• 1 recipe (2 disks) basic pie dough*
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, (from 1 lemon)
• 4 pounds (8 to 10) apples, such as Empire, Granny Smith, Gala, Cortland, Winesap, or a mix*
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces*
• 1 egg*

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. with a rack set in second-to-lowest position. Remove first circle of dough from refrigerator and carefully unroll over a 9-inch pie plate. Gently lift edges and lower dough into the pie plate so it hugs bottom and sides. Avoid stretching the dough, which will make it shrink during baking. Refrigerate.
2. Place lemon juice in a large bowl. Peel, core, and cut apples into 1/4-inch-thick slices; halve crosswise, and add to lemon juice (to keep them from turning brown) as you work. Add sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt; toss to combine.
3. Remove dough-lined pie plate from refrigerator. Fill with apple mixture, gently packing apples and mounding slightly in center.
4. With floured fingers, fold overhang under itself to form a thick rim; pinch between thumb and forefinger to form a uniform edge around the rim of the pie plate.
   To crimp edges: With thumb and index finger of one hand, gently press dough against knuckle of other hand (see photo through the Martha link above); continue around pie. (Deep indentations anchor dough on rim and prevent it from sliding down sides of pie plate during baking.)
5. Place pie plate on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Brush dough edges with eggwash. Bake 20 minutes; reduce heat to 375 degrees. and bake until crust is golden and juices are bubbling, 50 minutes more. If edges brown too quickly, cover with aluminum foil*. Cool completely, at least 6 hours, before serving.

For the Apple Crisp Topping:

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup cold butter

1. Combine sugars, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl. Cut in butter using a pastry cutter or two knives until butter becomes pea-sized.
2. Carefully spoon mixture over apples.
3. Sprinkle topping with a little more cinnamon.

Modifications:

1. I made two pies so I doubled everything. There was some filling and topping leftover (I didn't want to overfill the pies) and I put them in a separate oven-safe bowl covered with aluminum foil and baked for 30 minutes on 350. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 30 minutes.
2. I used Pillsbury pre-made dough rounds.
3. The filling recipe calls for 8-10 apples for one pie but because I didn't use a top dough, I reduced the apples to 5 (and still had a little left over - see #1). I used Empire apples.
4. I didn't add any butter to the filling because there is more than enough in the crisp topping.
5. Egg is not part of the original recipe - I used it as an egg-wash on the dough edges before baking.
6. I covered the pies with aluminum foil for the first 30 minutes, then kept the edges covered with foil for the remaining 40 minutes.

Double Chocolate Gooey Butter Cakes

• Butter, for greasing pan, plus 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) butter, melted
• 1 (18.25 ounce) package chocolate cake mix
• 1 egg, plus 2 eggs
• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 3 to 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 (16-ounce) box powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 13 by 9-inch baking pan. In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, 1 egg, and 8 tablespoons (1 stick) melted butter, and stir until well blended. Pat mixture into prepared pan and set aside.
2. In a stand mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the remaining 2 eggs, and the cocoa powder. Lower the speed of the mixer, and add the powdered sugar. Continue beating until ingredients are well mixed. Slowly add the remaining 8 tablespoons (1 stick) of melted butter, and the vanilla, continuing to beat the mixture until smooth. Spread filling over cake mixture in pan.
3. Bake for 40 to 43 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the cake; the center should still be a little gooey when finished baking. Let cake partially cool on a wire rack before cutting into pieces.

Modification:

As mentioned above, I doubled the recipe and used two 13"x9" pans. I cut the cakes into 24 pieces each and put each piece inside a round paper muffin cup for easy transport of individual servings.

This is who I caught pigging out while I was making my pies!

Indescrible Goodness!

Oh sweet divine combination of chocolate and peanut butter! How could anyone not love you?! It's as if the heavens above sent down these two perfect foods for the sole purpose of them being eaten together...

OK, enough drooling from The Cooking Fiend...I came across this recipe while watching the Pillsbury Bake-Off on Food Network over a year ago and HAD to try it out. I've made these pieces of heaven a few times since and every time, I get the same reaction: "OH MY GOD. THESE ARE INCREDIBLE." I know, I know, I think to myself as the treat melts all over my tastebuds. How could they NOT be incredible? They did, afterall, win the original baker $10,000!!

I made these for Father's Day yesterday for my dad and to bring to my brother's house where we were going for dinner. After brunch, my parents' eyes practically rolled back in their heads after tasting them and Kyle was annoyed because I didn't give him one - I was trying to bring as many as possible to dinner later in the day!

The concept is simple: a chocolate chip cookie filled with a layer of melted white chocolate and peanut butter followed by a layer of milk chocolate (or dark or semi-sweet) then topped with whatever you want - toffee crumbles, crumbled crunchy granola bars, or drizzed with more chocolate, like what I did this time around. Overall, the recipe is a wee-bit time consuming, but TOTALLY worth the effort. Below is the original recipe but I've made a number of modifications and notes (see *s) that better suit my tastes and availability of some products. Be sure to read these before you buy the ingredients!

Beware: One you start, it will be hard to stop!

Choco-Peanut Butter Cups

• 1 (16.5 ounce) roll Pillsbury(R) Create 'n Bake refrigerated peanut butter cookies*
• 1 cup white vanilla baking chips*
• 1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips*
• 4 Nature Valley oats 'n honey crunchy granola bars, crushed*

Directions:

1. Break cookie dough into pre-divided pieces, separating them on the back of the wrapper or a piece of parchment paper and allow to come to room temperature.*
2. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 24 mini muffin cups with cooking spray or shortening. Cut cookie dough into 24 slices.* With floured fingers, press 1 slice in bottom and up side of each mini muffin cup, forming 1/4-inch rim above top of cup.*
3. Bake 10 to 15* minutes or until edges are deep golden brown. Cool in pans on cooling racks 5 minutes. With tip of handle of wooden spoon, press dough down in center of each cup to make room for 2 tablespoons filling.
4. Meanwhile, in 2-quart saucepan*, melt vanilla baking chips and 3/4 cup of the peanut butter over low heat, stirring constantly. Divide mixture evenly into cookie cups (about 1 tablespoon each*). Refrigerate 10 minutes.
5. In same 2-quart saucepan*, melt chocolate chips and remaining 3/4 cup peanut butter over low heat, stirring constantly. Divide chocolate mixture evenly on top of peanut butter mixture in each cup (about 1 tablespoon each*).
6. Sprinkle crushed granola bars over top of each. Refrigerate until set, about 1 hour. Remove from muffin cups before serving*.

Modifications and Notes:

1. I have a tough time finding pre-packaged peanut butter cookie dough so I use break-and-bake chocolate chip cookies (Nestle - 24 per package). I've found that the chocolate chunk do not work as well so I opt for the regular chocolate chip.
2. Buy the best white chocolate chips you can find; I use Ghiradelli - I've tried Nestle and wasn't at all thrilled with the result. If you can't find white chocolate chips, find a good quality white chocolate bar and break it up (i.e., Ghiradelli, Lintz, etc).
3. Ditto for the chocolate chips. I subbed out the semi-sweet chips for milk chocolate and am very happy that I did so.
4. The recipe calls for crushed crunchy granola bars to sprinkle on top before the top layer sets. I had trouble crushing them up so small so I don't use them anymore. I've used Heath toffee bits and have drizzled chocolate and might consider some chopped fresh strawberries next time I make them.
5. Number 1 of the directions is my addition. Since I use the break-and-bake cookies, I've found that breaking the dough into its pre-determined pieces and allowing them to soften to room temperature really helps getting them into the muffin cups. When they are soft enough, flatten them down into a circle then place them into a very well-greased mini-muffin pan (one 24 cup or two 12 cup). Grease the cups and the top. You won't need to make a 1/4 inch rim with the dough because it will rise enough on its own; just make sure the dough comes to the top of the muffin cups.
6. Cooking them for 10-12 minutes will suffice - more than 12 minutes will overcook the cookies.
7. Use a double boiler or a heat-safe bowl over a couple inches of boiling water to melt the chocolate. Don't attempt to melt in the microwave - I've learned that the hard way. There will probably be leftover white chocolate mixture - either save it or ditch it. Then repeat the process with the chocolate chips and peanut butter.
8. One tablespoon of each filling is too much. A heaping teaspoon (use an actual teaspoon - what you would use to stir your coffee with - not a measuring spoon) of each filling is plenty. When you're finished filling the 2nd layer, you'll know if you need to add a little more.
9. Refrigerate for 15 minutes, then remove from mini-muffin tin to avoid sticking (been there, done that). Place them in a sealed container, and return them to the fridge. Store in fridge for up to 2 days, but I doubt they will last that long. :)

Active prep time: 35 minutes

Inactive prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 10-12 minutes

Serves: 24

YUM YUM!!

Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies...Not So Gooey Great...

After having made Paula Deen's Peanut Butter Gooey Butter Cakes a few weeks ago, I came across this recipe recently that I had printed over a year ago (I'm assuming it got lost in the shuffle, which is why I hadn't made them sooner.) and i figured that since the PBGBC came out SOOO incredible, that these cookies must be a "shoo-in" as well. Well...they were a big fat disappointment, which I suppose is better than being a big fat success, which inevitably would mean "unwanted" added calories.

I've added the recipe to the blog in case anyone could figure out a way to make them better. They were not at all sweet enough and I don't want to attempt to make them better by adding a much needed 1/2 to 1 cup of sugar.

Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies

• 1 (8-ounce) brick cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 stick butter, at room temperature
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 (18-ounce) box moist chocolate cake mix
• Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in the egg. Then beat in the vanilla extract. Beat in the cake mix. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours to firm up so that you can roll the batter into balls. Roll the chilled batter into tablespoon sized balls and then roll them in confectioner's sugar. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake 12 minutes. The cookies will remain soft and "gooey." Cool completely and sprinkle with more confectioners' sugar, if desired.