Dozen Flours

Chicago Cubs Red, White, and Blue Celebration Cupcakes

ilovecookiemonster@gmail.com (Julia from Dozen Flours) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 02:31:00 +0000

Guess what?! This is my 150th post, woo hoo! Boy that's a lot, huh? Sometimes I look at this blog and I can hardly believe that it's mine. Speaking of which, have no noticed how little I've been posting lately? Well, I think I the baking blahs. Maybe it's just the warm days of summer? Who knows! I am not saying that I'm going to stop blogging, but I think I just need a little break from it for a while so don't be alarmed if you don't see anything new from me between now and the beginning of August. My hope is that with a nice long break, I'll come back ready and raring to go. Knowing me, I'll probably be back to posting well before then.
In the mean time I wanted to post these red, white, and blue cupcakes in anticipation of the big holiday month of July. Not only is it Independence Day here in the USA, but it's Canada Day (just red and white, of course) on the 1st and Bastille Day in France on July 14th. All three holidays can benefit from the theme. I made these cuppies for a friend at work as gift for her friend's 27th birthday (that's where the idea for the jersey came from). Since she asked me to come up with something that a Chicago Cubs fan would love, I thought it would be fun to try to do a swirly red, white, and blue "tie-dye" theme along with some fun decorative Cub logos I made out of fondant and gum paste. They came out so good I decided to use the same technique on Emma's Beachy Keen Cupcakes.
I used Martha Stewart's Versicle Yellow Cake recipe for these cupcakes. I'm totally in love with this cake and it worked well for this recipe as well. I have to say those that because of the extra moisture from the food coloring gel, the cupcakes tend to shrink after they bake, but they still taste really yummy!

Red, White, and Blue Cupcakes
adapted from Martha Stewart

3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs plus 5 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract (or lemon if you prefer a lemony cupcake)
1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk

Your choice of Food Coloring Gel (America Color Red-Red and America color Navy Blue are the colors I used)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pan with white cupcake liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. With mixer on low, beat in eggs and yolks, one at a time. Beat in vanilla. Alternately beat in flour mixture and buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix just until combined. (Beware! The batter is super yummy! Try not to eat it all!)

Divide the batter between three bowls. Set one aside. Using gel based food coloring, add drops of red food coloring gel until you reach the desired color. Be prepared to add a lot of color to get really vibrant colors, especially with the red. Be sure to mix really well with a small fork or spoon and to scrape the bottom of the bowl too to look for any pockets of white batter. Repeat with the second bowl of batter using the blue food coloring gel.

Using a normal everyday tablespoon, take your time and fill the cupcakes with a layer of batter in each of the three colors (or how ever number of colors that you're using). There's really no wrong way to do this -- just have fun! Just use small blobs and try to focus their placement towards the edges of the paper, instead of the middle, but be sure to put some in the middle too. Fill the cup until they are a little more than 2/3rds the way filled. Using a toothpick, gently swirl the cupcakes, being careful not to touch the cupcake paper. This isn't a totally necessary step, but it does make the cuppies look really pretty!

Bake the cupcakes for 18-22 minutes, until the centers come out clean. Remove from the oven and let the cupcakes sit for about 5 minutes before removing them. NOTE: The cupcakes will look big and glorious after you take them out of the oven. However, the will shrink like a shrinky dink! Don't worry though -- they will still look and taste good.

Let them cool completely before frosting them.

Yield: around 30-33 cupcakes
Would I Make This Again?Yes! Although next time I want to try making it with powered food coloring to see if that effects the whole shrinky-dink factor.

Two Cakes for the Road: Mountain Biking and Liverpool Soccer Club

ilovecookiemonster@gmail.com (Julia from Dozen Flours) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 00:17:00 +0000

I really wish I could have recorded the moment when my friend arrived to pick up her cake order, because it was one of the most precious memories I'll have for a long time! You see, Stephanie had ordered two cakes to celebrate two birthdays: one for her husband Roger that was decorated with a mountain biking theme, and a second one for their friend Gavin who is a die hard Liverpool Soccer Club fan. Stephanie was trying to keep it a surprise but eventually had to spill the beans.

Stephanie, her husband, and their new baby Conner arrived at my house late on an overcast Friday morning to pick up the cake as they were leaving to go to Cannon Beach for the weekend. At first Roger didn't know why they had to stop by my house but the moment he got out of their truck, he had this big grin on his face and said, "Ohh! Am I getting a Julia cake?!" and then proceeded to jump up and down like a little kid. So adorable!!

I had the cake covered in a box but he couldn't wait to see it. With Stephanie's permission I opened the lid to show it to them and the look on his face was absolutely priceless. He loved it! I gave them a moment alone while I went in search of a better carrier; and when I returned, Roger and Stephanie were hugging. He was thanking her for his birthday cake, it was a very sweet and genuine moment. It was something very special; I was so excited to be a part of it, and it will be something I won't soon forget. For the design of Roger's cake I used a combination of designs that I found on the Earth Design Website (which is a really cool site, check it out!): a sprocket wind chime and a Kokopelli guy doing a wheelie. I decorated the base of the cake using chocolate rocks that I found at my local grocery store's bulk food department. For the cake itself, it was a very deep chocolate that was filled and frosted with Oreo frosting. I had made way too much filling and decided to use it to frost the cake, which in the end was a good thing because it replicated the look of mud! Just one of those happy accidents. This chocolate cake recipe is one that I use a lot but this time decided to try something different and replace the sour cream with Oikos Greek Yogurt. The good folks at Stonyfield farms sent me some coupons to try their yogurt for free, and it was excellent! According to Stephanie and Roger, the cake was really moist and a little tangy (in a rich, dark chocolate sort of way).

Perfect Chocolate Party Cake
adapted from Elisa Strauss

2 2/3 cups (12 ounces) All-purpose unbleached flour
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder, best quality you can find (I prefer Droste)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup Stonybrook Farms Oikas Greek yogurt (you'll need 2 5.3 ounce containers)
1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoons almond extract
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 eggs, at room temperature
10 ounces strong coffee, at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 350F. Brush the bottoms and sides of the pans with melted butter and line the bottoms with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, coco powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine the yogurt, vanilla, and almond extract. Set aside.
In the bowl of a standing mixer fitter with a paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar and beat on medium speed until smooth.

Set the mixer to low speed and add the eggs, one at a time, scraping thoroughly between each addition.

Alternately add the flour and sour cream mixtures to the butter mixture in two batches, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Scrape down the bowl after each addition.

Gradually pour in the coffee. Scrape down the bowl and beat until thoroughly
combined.

Divide the batter evenly between the cake pans. For 9-inch cake pans, bake 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean; for half-sheet pans, bake 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean; for cupcakes, bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until they spring back after being touched.

Allow the cakes to cool for 20 minutes. Once the cake is cool, release it from its pan by running a metal spatula or knife along the sides of the pan. Flip the cake over onto another pan or cake board and peel away the layer of parchment.

Oreo Cake Frosting
adapted from EasyCakeIdeas.com

1 pound bag of powdered sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 sticks butter, cut into ½ inch slices, that's at room temperature
1/2 cup plain shortening
1 cup crushed Oreos

Using the whisk attachment on your electric mixer, mix the powdered sugar, salt, vanilla and milk at low speed until smooth.

Add butter, one slice at a time, until incorporated

Add shortening and whip at highest speed 10-12 minutes, until volume increases by at least 50%.

Add crushed Oreos, beat on high speed until it's well combined.

Yield:The cake recipe makes four 6" chocolate cakes or three 9" cakes, 24 cupcakes, or one half-sheet cake. The recipe for the filling made a lot of frosting, enough to fill both 6" cakes, frost them, and have quite a bit left over. My guess is that there was about 3-4 cups of frosting.
Would I Make This Again? Yes! This is my go-to chocolate cake recipe and now that I've tried it with Greek yogurt, I don't think I'll ever go back to using sour cream again. The buttercream frosting base is my new go-to recipe for frosting, especially for cupcakes. It's very smooth and thick, and the texture is just perfect.

Emma's Beachy Keen Cuppies

ilovecookiemonster@gmail.com (Julia from Dozen Flours) — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 03:37:00 +0000

Tomorrow is Emma's 9th birthday and these cupcakes were made to celebrate her last year of being in the single digits. I made these last night and instead of spending a bunch of time writing a long blog post, I've decided to just hurry up and share these with you. I have a bunch more posts coming so stay tuned for the recipes. I just couldn't wait! (If you want to see a full screen version of the slideshow, click here.)

A Cake For The Books

ilovecookiemonster@gmail.com (Julia from Dozen Flours) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 02:55:00 +0000

Boy am I behind! I usually try to post more often but lately it's been really hard for me to blog. Part of it has been due to the amazingly beautiful weather that Seattle has been fortunate to receive the last few weeks but the other reason has been because I've just been really busy! (So to all my fellow bloggers, I'm really sorry for not commenting more on your posts... I'm trying!)Anywho, here's a cake I made last weekend for my neighbor Liz. Her son was graduating from high school and she wanted a cake that incorporated a bunch of things: his high school graduation, the fact that he was a goal keeper on his soccer team and his acceptance to college. That's a tall order! I thought about making a soccer field but just couldn't "see" it with everything else she wanted on the cake. Then one morning during a brutal run, it came to me: a book! I presented my idea to Liz and she loved the concept. Filling the pages was a bit harder than I anticipated and wished I could have thought of some more things to decorate the "college" side, but my creative bone was just dry! I used a big art book I picked up at a rummage sale a few years ago (Paintings of the Musée d'Orsay) as my muse. I really wanted to try and accurately capture the way the book looked open, with the gaping spine and arched headband (yes, I admit it, I'm a nerd for knowing what this part of a book is called.) Carving it was tricky, but I took my time and went really slow. Boy did I make a big mess though(check out the slide show below for photos)!
I used a bit of a tromp d'oeil technique to give the impression that one side of the book was smaller than the other (the left side) and was really tickled with how well I was able to illustrate that.Overall I was very pleased with how the cake came out. Oh, and in case you're curious, the cake consisted of 2 layers of devil's food and one of vanilla bean cake, with dark chocolate ganache filling and crumb coated with vanilla Italian buttercream.

Here's a little slideshow of the cake's progression to being completed.

Adele's Peppermint Heart Cookies

ilovecookiemonster@gmail.com (Julia from Dozen Flours) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 23:04:00 +0000

One Christmas season many, many years ago, I was invited to bake cookies with my friend Adele and her family. It was an annual tradition for them, something I found to be completely foreign. The only things I recall my mother ever baking were a lackluster lemon meringue pies at Thanksgiving and drop-biscuits that were super dry and literally tasted the way Bisquick smells. My mom could cook like no body's business, but baking was never her forte.

I remember arriving to a kitchen that smelled heavenly, full of the aromas of cinnamon and browned butter. Freshly baked cookies and pastries sat cooling on racks while Adele, her mom, and sister busily toiled away on their own individual creations, yet seemingly working together. Various baking supplies peppered the kitchen counters: newly opened bags of flour, big black bottles of pure vanilla extract, and sticks of unsalted butter softening on the counter.

At Adele's request, I had come prepared with a recipe in hand. The night before I flipped through my mom's big plastic container of laminated recipe cards, each one boasting a full-color photograph. It didn't take me long to find the recipe I wanted to make: Peppermint Heart Cookies. Peppermint seemed perfectly appropriate for a holiday cookie and for some unknown reason the fact that they were pink and heart shaped didn't seem to matter one bit.
I remember being nervous, but really excited. I followed the recipe very carefully, being sure to take my time to not make any mistakes. The rest of the day is a bit of a blur; I don't remember much except listening to Manheim Steamroller, cracking jokes about the Whisper 2000, and watching the lights on their magnificent Christmas tree twinkle.

Years have past, friendships have been made and forgotten, and many miles have separated us, but Adele and I have remained friends. Our paths may have taken us in completely separate directions in life but when she writes, calls, or I am lucky enough to actually see her, we pick up like right where we left off.

A few weekends ago Adele was in town for a conference and even though it had been more than four years since I had last seen her, I couldn't wait to spend the day catching up. And of course I couldn't greet her empty handed! I arrived with a big tin of these cookies as a belated birthday gift which she dove into almost immediately, which I loved. I think that these are the perfect cookie to celebrate an important friendship in your life and it doesn't even have to Christmas to make them.

Peppermint Heart Shaped Cookies
Cookies

1 cup of sugar
1 cup of unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
1 eggs, at room temperature
3 cups of all purpose, unbleached flour
1 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt

Cream the butter and sugar. Add vanilla and eggs. In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients together. With the mixer on low/medium speed, slowly add dry ingredients to the wet, being sure to scrape down the bowl frequently. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Form the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Separate the dough ball into 2 balls and place between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll the ball out to about 1/4 inch thick being sure to keep all the dough between the sheets of paper. Transfer to a cookie sheet and store in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or until firm (you can also cheat by putting them in the freezer).

Preheat oven to 350F. Cut out desired shapes (I used a big heart shaped cookie cutter plus a slightly smaller one to create a heart shaped frame) and place onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat mat. Bake for 8-12 min. Keep a careful watch on your first batch so you can establish the correct cooking time. After 6 minutes, keep checking them every minute until they are firm to the touch and just the slightest bit brown. Cookies will continue to bake as your remove them from the oven. Let them sit for a minute, remove the cookies from the baking sheet with a spatula big enough to support the entire surface of the cookie (or they may break) and cool on a wire rack.

Repeat steps with left over cookie dough.

When they are completely cool, store them in an airtight container or a big zip-lock bag. You can even freeze them and save them until later.
Peppermint Buttercream Frosting
adapted from More From Magnolias Bakery

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3 to 4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup cold milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon peppermint extract (if you don't like peppermint, use vanilla)
pink food coloring gel (optional)
4-5 red peppermint candies or one candy cane, crushed but not pulverized (optional)

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add 1 cup of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar or you may find you need to add more milk. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly until you get your desired color. (Use and store the icing at room temperature because icing will set if chilled.) Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Assembly
Carefully spread each heart-shaped cookie with a generous dollop of pink frosting. Top with a heart shaped cookie frame (if desired) and sprinkle a little crushed peppermint candy in the center.

Yield: About 16-20 sandwich cookies (it really depends on how much dough you eat. It's yummy!)
Would I Make This Again? Yes and I always will!

these cupcakes bug me, but in a good way

ilovecookiemonster@gmail.com (Julia from Dozen Flours) — Sun, 24 May 2009 03:36:00 +0000

Remember when I made the Pinkalicious cupcakes? Well, these cute little bug cupcakes were part of that order too (just in case the little boys that were invited didn't want a pink cupcake!). I almost forgot to share them with you! Since I only needed to make a dozen, I went on a mission to make twelve unique designs.I think I might have been channeling the Yip Yips when I made this little guy. Remember those funny aliens from Sesame Street? (If you're ever in need of a belly-laugh, watch a few of the Yip Yip videos -- guaranteed to make you feel better!)

Here are the rest of the little guys...

Jay's Gluten-Free Dark Chocolate Chunk Chestnut Muffin-top Cookies

ilovecookiemonster@gmail.com (Julia from Dozen Flours) — Wed, 20 May 2009 03:38:00 +0000

This cookie is so good, it's actually smiling! Do you see the face?

For a while now, my blog's name has worried me a bit. Not because I don't like the name, but because I've never really pushed myself to try baking with flour other than wheat, almond, or oatmeal, as the name might suggest. But today I'm proud to announce that all that has changed! I'm going to make an effort to regularly bake with a different flour at least once a month. And to kick things off, I decided to look for the most unusual one I could find: chestnut flour!
This past Sunday my family and I celebrated Mother's Day, or as I like to call it, "Let's Spoil The Heck Out Of Mom Day". Seriously, my hubby and son treated me like a queen! Not only did I have breakfast made for me, get showered with some awesome gifts, get to go out to one of my favorite restaurants for lunch, AND get to go to Trophy Cupcake for a dessert, I was also treated to a day in downtown Seattle and a stroll around Pike Place Market. This always means a stop at DeLaurenti's which I happen to think is the best Italian grocery store in Seattle. I got a little carried away and bought a bunch of baking supplies. This included "00" flour, some arrack extract (no idea what it is but it smells great!), candied citron, some really authentic extra virgin olive oil, and a pound of chestnut flour. Now I'll admit that I've never even had a chestnut before but I thought it would be fun to see what I could make with it.
As soon as I got home I started my quest to find a recipe. During my research I found out that chestnut flour is very low calories, fat, and carbohydrates! And, to my delight, I found out that it is also gluten-free. This worked out perfectly because just a few days before one of my coworkers, Jay, confided that he's can never indulged in my treats due to his sensitivity to gluten. The moment he said that I knew I had to make him something special. Isn't it funny how things fall into place sometimes? :)It didn't take me very long to find Sara's blog and this insanely yummy recipe. Originally I had wanted to follow it to the letter and make muffins but they fell apart in the pan. However, the tops of the muffins stayed completely intact so I decided to just make cookies instead. Honestly I think they were better than any muffin could have ever been.
The best part about making these was seeing the look on Jay's face when he came into the office. He was beyond thrilled and later on that night he sent me the following message that I just have to share:

Thanks *so* much for showing me that its possible to have delicious baked goods once again... your gluten-free dark chocolate coconut/chestnut cookies made me remember how wonderful desserts were. It really made my week! (I'm really at a loss for words...) Please continue to share your love with so many people. They truly are sincere acts of sweetness!

Soft Chestnut Chocolate Chunk Cookies
adapted from Ms. Adventurers in Italy

2 cups or 200g chestnut flour
1 cup or 60g unsweetened medium or finely shredded coconut flour
3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 stick plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cups of whipping cream
1/2 cups of milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup semisweet (60% or more) chocolate, chunked into small pieces
1/2 cup of milk chocolate chips (I used mini chips)

Preheat oven to 375F. Prepare a cookie sheet with a Silpat mat or line with parchment paper.

Whisk the chestnut flour, coconut flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda together in a bowl. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the softened butter for two minutes until light and smooth. Add the brown sugar at high speed for 2 minutes until light brown and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time and mix for 30 seconds each. Add the vanilla last and mix again on medium speed for 30 seconds.

Add half of the chestnut flour mix and very slowly and mix, pulsing at firs. Add the cream and mix for about 30 seconds until all the cream is absorbed. Add the milk until all the milk is absorbed. Scrape the bowl and the beater blade. Add the remainder of the dry ingredients until well distributed. Add the chocolate and mix until everything is well combined, about 20 or so seconds.

Drop dough using a one or two-tablespoon cookie scoop 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 9-13 minutes or just until the tops spring back slightly when you touch it.

Yield:about 24-27 2-tablespoon sized cookies.
Would I Make This Again? Def-in-ate-ly! They have this unexpected taste that is so unique! It's only been a day and I've been craving them like crazy!

Very Berry Trifle

ilovecookiemonster@gmail.com (Julia from Dozen Flours) — Thu, 14 May 2009 22:28:00 +0000

Even after everything that I've made in the history of my blog, this is my most favorite. It has everything I love in a great dessert: thick buttery pound cake, lovely sweet berry flavor, a glorious vanilla pastry cream, and dreamy whipped cream. This is my idea of comfort food.

Many years ago I threw a baby shower for my friend Laura. It was my first big party and I wanted to make it extra special, so I went all out. This was years before I had ever had any confidence as a baker so I ordered a trifle from this little old lady that I met during a Curves class (ahh... Curves!). I was dead set on a cake but she suggested it because it would be cheaper to make and it would feed a lot of people too and it was perfect for a girly baby shower. She wasn't kidding that it would feed a lot of people; even after serving it to over 30 people, my family and I was still eating it a full week after the party. (I don't have pictures of that trifle available but the pictures at the top and bottom of the page are of one very large trifle I made for a baby shower a few years ago. That's double the size of the recipe listed in this post.)

Although I never asked the lady for the recipe, I came up with what I think is a very close approximation. I dare say it might even be a little better. I've made this several times: for BBQs, baby showers, birthdays, and it's always a sure fire hit. If you're looking for a good Sara Lee Pound Cake copycat recipe, you will LOVE the one I included below. I learned about it from my friend Emily who made it one day at work and I couldn't believe how good it tasted. The secret is Vanilla Butter Nut Extract, which can be a little hard to find depending on where you live.

You'll notice that the recipe is really long but don't be frightened. I just like to give lots of detailed instructions. I urge you to try this for your next big group event and have copies of the recipe ready.... or maybe you'll just keep this one to yourself. :)

Very Berry Trifle
15 cup trifle bowl or large glass bowl with high sides (like a bunch bowl)
2 piping bags or large zip lock bag (Why use a bag? I prefer using a bag because it gives you better control over the pastry and whipped creams as you're adding it to the bowl. In the end gives a prettier, more even and consistent layer. If you're not concerned about the look of your layers, or you're using a bowl that textured or opaque, then you can skip this step and just use a spoon/spatula.)

Make 24 Hours Ahead:
1 1/2 Sour Cream Pound Cakes (1 large and 1 small sized store bought pound cakes
Vanilla Pastry Cream
Macerated Berries

Make the day of, right before you're ready to assemble:
Whipped cream
Fresh Fruit Layer - This is optional. It provides a colorful layer of fresh fruit for your trifle that brings a bit of visual interest to the look of the dessert. If you're using a textured bowl or one that is opaque in color, then this step is not necessary. If you want to include this then you will need a pint each of any fruit fresh fruit that you're using in the trifle. Typically and depending on the availability of the produce, I like to use strawberries and blueberries because they look the best. Raspberries and Blackberries tend to be too soft and get mushy looking against the glass of the trifle bowl.
Getting Ready
Inspect the bowl that you're going to use, inside and out, being sure to remove any fingerprints that may appear on the surface of the glass.

If you're including a fresh fruit layer, clean and rinse the strawberries and any other fruit you might be using. For the strawberries, slice up a few lengthwise and reserve the larger, red center pieces that have good color. Keep all the ones that are of similar color, shape, and size. Lay each slice on a layer of paper towel. Dry the blueberries or other berry on paper towels too. How much will you need? It's hard to tell you how many slices you'll need because it depends on how thick you slice them, the circumference of the bowl, and how far a part you want to space them. For a 15 cup trifle bowl, I used about 10-14 slices of strawberry and the same amount of blueberries.

Put the pastry cream in a pastry bag -- no need for a tip.

Put the whipped cream in a pastry bag with a star tip of your choice.

Remove the outermost layers of the pound cake and save in a separate bowl. Cut 1/2 inch slices from the cake.

Mix up the berries and carefully cut up any big strawberries with the side of a spoon.

Assembling the Trifle
This trifles is three layers deep. Each layer consists of cake, berries, pastry cream, and whipped cream, in that order.

First Layer
Arrange cake slices into the bottom of the trifle bowl, placing them right up against the edge of the bowl. Cut small pieces to fit in empty spaces until the bottom is close to being one solid layer of cake. Remember that no one is really going to see this so it doesn't matter how it looks. Just try to keep each layer about the same height. Using a spoon, collect a little of the juice and saturate the cake a bit to get it a little soggy. The, with a slotted spoon add about a third of just the berries directly on top of the cake, staying about 1/2 inch away from the edges of the glass bowl. Then spoon several large spoonfuls of just the juice over the cake. Maybe 1/2 cup or so. When the cake looks about 80 juice-stained you're done. :)

Carefully pipe a layer of pastry cream around the edges of the bowl, working in a spiral to the center. The most important part of the spiral is the outermost edge; the rest of your spiral doesn't have to look perfect.

Carefully piper a layer of the whipped cream around the edges of the bowl, working in a spiral to the center. The most important part of the spiral is the outermost edge; the rest of your spiral doesn't have to look perfect.

Second Layer
Gently arrange a second layer of cake slices into the top of the first full layer, being careful not to pack them too solidly. Cut small pieces to fit in empty spaces until the bottom is close to being one solid layer of cake.
Add your fresh fruit layer. I like to start with the strawberries and place them one at a time, across from each other, working my way around the bowl. I find this works better than placing them side by side because I always end up with a space that's too big or too small for another whole strawberry slice. Once you place a strawberry slice against the glass of the bowl, you really don't want to remove it. If you do it will leave a little footprint behind and you'll need to wipe the glass off before you can continue. To the right you'll find a little diagram that helps you to understand the method I use. The red circles with the numbers are the strawberries in the order that I add them and the little blue circles are the blueberries. The bottoms of the strawberries should just be touching the top of the last layer of pound cake.

Using a slotted spoon, add about a third of just the berries directly on top of the cake, staying about 1/2 inch away from the edges of the glass bowl. Then spoon several large spoonfuls of just the juice over the cake. Maybe 1/2 cup or so. When the cake looks about 80 juice-stained you're done. :)

Add a layer of pastry cream and pipe it behind the fresh fruit that's stuck against the side of the bowl. Continue the spiral to the center.

Carefully piper a layer of the whipped cream around the edges of the bowl, working in a spiral to the center. The most important part of the spiral is the outermost edge; the rest of your spiral doesn't have to look perfect.

Third (Final) Layer
Add a final layer of cake just as you did with the previous two layers.

Add the berries and be a little more generous with the juice and the berries. You don't want to add too much more, but just enough that it causes a nice trickle-down effect down through the other layers of the dessert. Carefully pipe a layer of pastry cream around the edges of the bowl, working in a spiral to the center. The most important part of the spiral is the outermost edge; the rest of your spiral doesn't have to look perfect.

Finally, pipe the top with whipped cream. You can spoon it on and then smooth it out with a spatula or you can pipe little stars of whipped cream all around the top in concentric circles until you get to the center.

Cover and store in the refrigerator for at least 8 to 24 hours - the longer the better. Seriously, don't try to cheat and only refrigerate it for 2 hours and expect the magic to happen. Decorate the top with edible flowers or pieces of fresh fruit.

Recipes
Sour Cream Pound Cake
adapted from McCormick.com

2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2/3 cup full-fat sour cream
4 eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon McCormick® Imitation Vanilla Butter & Nut Flavor or vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of kosher salt

Preheat oven to 325F. Grease and flour 9x5-inch loaf pan or spray with Pam with Flour; set aside.

In a small bowl, sift the flour, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside

Beat butter, sugar and sour cream in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy - about 5 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating 1 full minute after each addition. Add extract and mix for 30 seconds. Gradually beat in flour mixture until no traces of flour appear in the batter (about 1 minute or so). Pour into prepared pan and smooth out the top.

Place the pan on a thin cookie sheet and bake 1 hour and 10 minutes (maybe as long as 30 minutes) or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar, if desired.

Note: This is best made two days in advance. For the trifle, store uncovered and unwrapped so that it gets a little stale. If you're making this for something other than the trifle, wrap it in plastic or store in a covered container.

Vanilla Pastry Cream
2 cups half and half
1 1/2 cup sugar
3 large eggs (at room temperature)
2 large egg yolk (at room temperature)
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
3 teaspoons vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste (all the specks looks so lovely)

Bring half and half to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. While the milk is warming up, whisk sugar, eggs, egg yolk and flour in medium bowl to blend. Once the milk is hot (but not boiling) very gradually, whisk in half of the hot half and half, whisking quickly so as not to scramble the eggs. Transfer to saucepan. Whisk over medium heat until mixture thickens and comes to boil, about 5 minutes. Boil 1 minute. Pour into medium bowl. Stir in vanilla. Optional step: Pour the pastry cream through a wire mesh filter to ensure a smooth texture. Press plastic onto surface of pastry cream. Cover; chill until cold, about 4 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled. Try not to eat the whole bowl :-))

Macerated Berries
1 16 oz bag of frozen mixed berries (raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries from Trader Joe's is my favorite) or 4 pints of fresh berries of your choice
1 16 oz bag of frozen strawberries or 4 pints of fresh strawberries of your choice
1/2 cup of sugar

A day or two before you want to assemble the trifle, dump the frozen berries into a large bowl. Pour the sugar over the berries, add 1/2 cup of water, mix it up, cover, and stick it in the fridge. Every 12 hours or so, mix well.

Whipped Cream
3 cups very cold whipping cream
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Beat cream, powdered sugar and vanilla in large bowl until stiff peaks form. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover and chill.)

Have Leftover Ingredients?
This recipe isn't one that's measured out perfectly and you'll more than likely have cake, pastry cream, berries, and whipped cream left over. And since I typically make this for some big event, I rarely get any. So, if you're in the same boat or have a neighbor or friend you'd like to treat, do what I do. Take some of the cake cuttings that I have left over, break them up into smaller pieces. Combine it with any left over pastry cream and any left over berries, juice and all. Mix it up well and squish it down into a small bowl so it's about 2-4 inches high. Spread any left over whipped cream on top and stick it in the fridge overnight. It won't be as pretty as your trifle but it will be super yummy!

Yield: The big trifle with the flowers on it fed *a lot* of people; I'd say roughly 30-40 servings, depending on the portion size. The smaller one feeds about 15-20 servings.
Would I Make This Again? Without a doubt! This is one of my "go to" recipes that I will make in a pinch because it's always a big hit no matter how large the crowd.

Did you say Powerlifting a Ballet Dancer?

ilovecookiemonster@gmail.com (Julia from Dozen Flours) — Sun, 10 May 2009 02:15:00 +0000

Did the title grab your attention? I was just teasing you (sort of!). Truth is, I spent the last day making powerlifting and ballet themed cupcakes for the same birthday party. Why would someone want both of these? Well, let me explain why. Last week one of the trainers at my gym asked me if I would be interested in making her boyfriend cupcakes for a little birthday party she was organizing. He's pretty big into powerlifting and she knew making gym equipment into something edible would be right up my alley. I was psyched! But then, yesterday afternoon she called me with a little dilemma: there was to be another person at the party who was celebrating a birthday too! Not wanting to leave them out, she had hoped I could include a few ballet themed cuppies in with her order. I couldn't imagine ever having the opportunity to create such two diametrically opposite themes, so how could I possibly say no?
For the cupcakes I decided to make a chocolate and peanut butter combination - with two toppings: a simple peanut butter glaze and a fluffy fudge frosting. The cake in this recipe was unique in that it was a cross between cake and a brownie so I've decided to call it a Crownie! :)
The frosting was a bit of an issue. I followed the recipe exactly as it was written but when I was ready to pipe, it was the consistency of fudge! It was so thick, in fact, that I was not able to get it to even come out of the tip. So to lighten it, I added some soften cream cheese, a bit more vanilla, and a little more powdered sugar. The result was much more frosting-like and according to my husband, added a lot to the overall texture.

As you can see, I got a little carried away...but I had SO much fun making them! And just in case you're curious, this apparent talent I have for making random things out of fondant and gum paste is new. While I've always appreciated the arts and can doodle with the best of them, I had no idea I could do this! So to all those people out there who doubt their ability to make things out of fondant, I dare you to give it a try. I bet you'll surprise yourself with what you can do. :)

Peanut Butter and Chocolate "Crownie" Cupcakes with Whipped Cocoa Fudge Frosting
adapted from All Recipes

Chocolate Cupcrownies
1 cup unsalted margarine
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup water
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
2 cups white sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)

Peanut Butter Glaze
1 cup peanut butter (creamy or crunchy, it's up to you)
1 tablespoon peanut oil (or other vegetable oil)
1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Whipped Cocoa Fudge Frosting
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup butter
6 tablespoons buttermilk
Pinch of kosher salt
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
4 oz (half a package) full fat sour cream, at room temperature

Preheat oven to 350F. Line 2 muffin tins with 18 cupcake liners. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the sifted flour, sugar and baking soda. Set aside. Make a well in the center and pour in chocolate mixture. Add vanilla and beat until smooth. Spread batter into prepared pan.

In a saucepan, combine 1 cup margarine, 1/4 cup cocoa, water, and 1/2 cup buttermilk in a saucepan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until it bubbles. Remove from heat and set aside.

Remove 1 cup of the hot liquid and very slowly, maybe a tablespoon or two at a time, whisk it into the beaten eggs. Continue adding the chocolate liquid to the egg mixture until you've mixed it all together. Pour the chocolate/egg mixture very slowly into the saucepan, whisking the entire time. Turn the heat back up to medium and continue whisking several minutes until the mixture just starts to come to a boil. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Pour in chocolate mixture into the flour mixture and mix until well blended and no dry ingredients appear. Add vanilla and beat until smooth - about 1 to 2 minutes. Don't be alarmed at how liquidy the batter looks.) Fill each cupcake tin 2/3rds of the way. Sprinkle a few mini chocolate chips over the top of each cupcake. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the top is set and a toothpick entered into the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the pan and continue to cool.
While the cupcakes are cooling, mix the peanut butter and oil together until the oil is absorbed. Add the powdered sugar and the vanilla. Spread a little over the top of each cake.

In a saucepan, combine 1/4 cup cocoa, 1/2 cup margarine, salt, and 6 tablespoons buttermilk. Heat just until it starts to boil. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Place confectioners' sugar in a large bowl and beat in chocolate mixture. Continue mixing until smooth. Add the cream cheese and mix until combined. If the frosting seems a little thin, continue to add more powdered sugar until it's at the consistency you want. Spread or pipe on each cupcake.

Yield: 19 cupcakes, er...cupcrownies. :)
Would I Make This Again? My husband said they were really good and I liked how dense they were. I'd like to make this in a 9x13 pan and see how it compares.

Oh! Nuts Giveaway Winner!

ilovecookiemonster@gmail.com (Julia from Dozen Flours) — Fri, 08 May 2009 17:25:00 +0000

Congratulations to Mel a.k.a "Short Person's Mom" of Stories of Short Person! You're the lucky winner of the Oh! Nuts Giveaway.

Thank you to everyone that entered! Based on the popularity of this giveaway, I plan to do it again very soon.

Erin's Pinkalicious Cupcakes

ilovecookiemonster@gmail.com (Julia from Dozen Flours) — Wed, 06 May 2009 05:08:00 +0000

Considering the fact that I have a thirteen year old son, it shouldn't seem too odd that I had never heard of the book, Pinkalicious. However, that all changed when I volunteered to make cupcakes for my friend's daughter's third birthday party, as I became a bit of a subject matter expert on the story. The book is about a little girl who eats so many pink cupcakes that she turns pink! Erin just loves it and asks her mom to read it to her just about everyday. And who could blame her? This book so so cute and girly, with it's unique illustrations and silly, albeit moralistic plot.At first glance, the cupcakes seem simple enough, but it was much more than a little pink icing, some sprinkles, and a cherry. The part I found most challenging was the frosting and getting the tall, rounded shape perfected. After a bit of research, I was able to achieve this by adding just a little flour to the frosting, which was the perfect stabilizer. Admittedly, the frosting looked a little on the dry side, but it had to be to support the domed shape, hold on to the fuchsia swag border, and the cherry on top. Perhaps someday I'll come up with a smoother, more visually appealing recipe, but I think in the end it worked out really well.
These cupcakes were challenging but so much fun to make! I actually squealed with delight when I was done making them because I felt they looked just like the cupcakes that were in the book. The best part was that Erin did too; she really thought her cupcake was Pinkalious!

Pinkalicious Cupcakes
Note: The following recipe is one that I put together and is no way endorsed by the publisher or authors. If you'd like to use their recipe, they have one available on their site.

Supplies You'll Need Ready
- Solid purple cupcake liners (Save 10% by entering code PC0050)
- Gel Food Coloring in both Pink and Purple (Please, do not use liquid or water based coloring. I used the CK brand that comes in the tube in Bright Red and Purple)
- Wilton White-White Food
- Pastry/Icing Bags
- Icing Tip ( I used a Ateco #15)
White Non-parallel sprinkles (should be available in your grocery store)
- 24 Maraschino Cherries, with stems

Cherries
Before you start baking, remove the cherries from the jar and let drain on a few folded paper towels. Discard any cherries that aren’t in good shape (those you get to eat!) After about an hour, flip the cherries over. Cover lightly and set aside.

Pink Cupcakes
adapted from Martha Stewart
Note: This recipe makes exactly 24 cupcakes.

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs plus 3 large egg yolks, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup full-fat sour cream
Pink Gel food coloring (I used CK Food Color Gel in Bright Red)
Optional: Wilton's White-White Icing Color

Preheat oven to 350F. Line two cupcake tins with 24 cupcake liners. Set aside.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Mix 2 tablespoons of the sour cream with just a pin sized amount of the food coloring gel. Be sure to mix it together really well, breaking up any globs. Keep adding more food coloring until the color is the right shade of pink – you want it a little bit brighter than what you envision the end product to be. Add a little at a time until you get the desired shade. Add this to the larger bowl of sour cream and mix well. If the color is too light, remove a tablespoon of the sour cream and repeat the process again. Set aside.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With mixer on low, beat in eggs and yolks, one at a time, mixing one minute for each one. Beat in vanilla. Alternately beat in flour mixture and buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix just until combined. If the color of the batter is not the color you had envisioned, remove a tablespoon of batter to a little bowl, add more color, mix well, and then add it to the big bowl of batter. Mix well. Repeat this as necessary.

Fill the cupcakes about 2/3 way full and smooth the tops as best you can. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes until a toothpick put into the center of the cupcake comes out clean (a few crumbs are okay). Be careful not to over bake - you don't want brownish pink cupcakes!

Let cool 10 minutes on a wire rack. Remove from pan and let cool completely. When they are totally cool, store them in a covered container. Pink Frosting
1 cups white vegetable shortening
1 cups unsalted butter
2 teaspoons clear vanilla extract
8 cups sifted powdered sugar
2 teaspoons all purpose flour
Pinch of kosher salt
4 tablespoons milk
Pink Food Coloring Gel
Optional: Wilton's White-White Icing Color

In a small bowl, mix together the milk and a very small amount of food coloring gel – and I mean a very little bit. You want to achieve only a pale pink.

In a separate bowl, sift together the powdered sugar and flour. Set aside.

In large bowl, cream shortening and butter with electric mixer. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use.

Note: If you find that after you add the pink milk mixture to your frosting that the frosting is too pink, you can use Wilton’s White-White icing color to mute it. It works wonders!

Reserve about 1 1/2 to 2 cups of the frosting and cover it to keep from drying out.
Fushia Frosting
Reserved 1 1/2 to 2 cups of pink frosting
Pink Food Coloring Gel
Purple Food Coloring Gel

In a clean bowl of stand mixture, mix the frosting for about 30 seconds just to warm it up. In very small quantities, add a blob of pink/bright red food coloring gel. Mix until it’s well combined. You want the color to be saturated and very bright pink. When you’re there, add just the tiniest bit of purple to the mixture so that it deepens the pink to the point that it’s about to go purple. Unfortunately there’s no good way for me to precisely measure the amount of food coloring I used. You just have to go slow and be patient. Make sure you have a reference point for the color you’re trying to achieve near by to keep you calibrated.

Get your piping bag ready with the Ateco 15 tip and add the frosting to the bag.
Assembly
Pour the white non-pariels into a small rounded bowl and have a small spoon at the ready. Set aside.

Have a little cup of water ready. Set aside.
Pipe a generous amount of frosting on the top of each cupcake, doing your best to create a domed shape. Don’t worry about it looking perfect and pretty at this point just try to go for height. Using a small off-set spatula, gently coax the icing into a somewhat smooth domed cap of frosting. You may need more frosting so add it if you need to.
Loosely Cover the top of the cupcake with piece of plastic wrap – one that is large enough to completely cover the cupcake. Cup one of your hands and gently use it to gently push against the plastic wrap, forming the surface of the cupcake into a rounded surface. Continue to press and mold until you get a smooth (or close to it) cupcake surface free of dents. This sounds a bit difficult, but believe me, when you’re in the moment, it will make sense.

While the frosting is still damp, turn the cupcake upside down and drip the top of it into the bowl of sprinkles. Use the spoon if you need it to direct the sprinkles around the cupcake and/or to tamp them down. Now, if you find that the non-pariels are not sticking to the surface it just means that the frosting is too dry. Using your finger, gently dampen the surface of the cupcake (just a teeny tiny amount of water works wonders) and try again.

Using a bit of pressure, slowly pipe a continuous “w” shape on the sides of each cupcake. It really helps to have a cake stand that turns to do this, but if you don’t, just pipe with one hand while you slowly turn each cupcake with the other.

The key here is the placement of the frosting-swag. If your cupcake has a good sized dome, you should have a nice horizontal surface to work with.

Top each cupcake with a cherry and tap it down just a bit to hold it in place.

Keep the cupcakes covered until you’re ready to eat them.

Enjoy!!

Yield 24 cupcakes and probably more than enough frosting
Would I Make This Again? I would, but I have to admit that these were not easy, but now that I have made them, they'd be easier next time.

Malted Mint Brownies & a Giveaway!

ilovecookiemonster@gmail.com (Julia from Dozen Flours) — Fri, 01 May 2009 04:35:00 +0000

Back in March, the good people from Oh Nuts! graciously offered to let me sample anything I wanted from their website. Was this a dream?! Yipee! After spending a lot of time combing through their enormous selection, I eventually settled upon Turkish Antep Pistachios and dried red sour cherries. I had lofty plans for them, but they were both so incredibly delicious I ended up just enjoying them right out of the bag, in all their naked glory.

And if free Pistachios and cherries weren't enough, Oh Nuts! included a one-pound bonus bag of Mint Cookie Malted Milk Balls which can be best described as a hybrid between Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookie and a Whoopers candy - or otherwise known as the world's most best candy ever. Seriously!
One recent afternoon when I was looking for a cupcake recipe on Epicurious, this mint brownie recipe got my attention. I wondered if I could swap out the nuts for chopped malted mint ball and figured I just had to give it a shot. I also figured if I was going to go for mint brownies I had to go all out; I doubled the amount of peppermint extract. I was a little concerned that I might have overdone it but was instead rewarded with one of the most delightful brownies I've ever concocted. It might sound a tad ridiculous, but if glitter was edible, that's what these brownies would taste like! Bright and jazzy, fun and full of sparkly texture. I made these as a birthday dessert at work and everyone who had one went bonkers over them! And just when you thought this post coudn't get any better, Oh Nuts! has agreed to give one of my beloved readers a free item of their choosing (everything except items in their gift section). All you have to do pick the one item you'd love to sink your teeth into and tell me about it via a comment (please remember to include an email address or link to your blog/website). All comments must be received by midnight (PST) on Thursday, May 8th. In the mean time, you can save 5% off your order if you enter the coupon code "Pass09" at checkout (code expires 5/10/09).

Malted Mint Brownies
brownie recipe adapted from Epicurious

Brownies
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
4 ounces unsweetened high quality chocolate, chopped (please don't use Baker's brand, it's terrible!)
4 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
2 cups sugar
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons peppermint extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon of salt
2 cups Mint Cookie Malted Milk Balls, cut and quartered*
Topping
1/2 cup of white chocolate chips or white Candy Melts
1 teaspoon of shortening
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
green food coloring gel (not the water based type), optional
6 Mint Cookie Malted Milk Balls, finely chopped

Brownies
Melt butter and chocolate in small saucepan over low heat until smooth. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9"x12" baking pan with parchment or foil, being sure to leave some excess hanging over the sides (this makes it easier to the brownies out of the pan later.) Lightly butter the surface of the paper. Set aside.

Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Slowly add cooled chocolate mixture, flour, peppermint and vanilla extracts and salt; stir until just blended (don't over mix!). Add the chopped mint cookie malt balls and mix until they are evenly distributed throughout the batter.

Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 25 minutes. Bang the pan on the counter to force them to fall. Cool pan on a wire rack.

Topping
Melt chocolate in a zip lock bag (or in a small bowl) on low power in the microwave until the chocolate is fully melted. Add the shortening and mix until well combined and the chocolate is a bit runny. Add the extract and green food coloring gel (you can decide how much color you want to add) and mix well.

Cut one of the bottom corners off the zip-lock bag (small cut) and use it to quickly drizzle the chocolate over the brownies (if you're using a small bowl, use a fork to drizzle the chocolate). Scatter the reserved 2 tablespoons of chopped mint cookie malted milk balls, if desired.

Let the brownies get cold in the refrigerator, at least 2 full hours and best overnight. Remove the brownies from the pan using the parchment paper and cut into squares.

Note: These brownies taste good when they are warm but they taste 10 times better after they have cooled completely.

* You can buy them from Oh! Nuts (a one-pound bag would make enough for two recipes with some left over. Alternatively you could try using 2/3 cup mint chips/Andes Candies, 1/3 cup roughly crushed Nabisco Famous Wafers, and 1 cup of Whoppers (Note: I haven't personally tried this substitution but I think it should work just fine. I'll try to get around to testing this soon.)

Yield: I cut these on the small side and was able to get about 36 servings.
Would I Make This Again? Without a doubt, yes! I was pretty much powerless around these brownies. They were so minty and had a great texture and had the right amount of chocolate.

Paul's 50th Birthday Red Sox Cake

ilovecookiemonster@gmail.com (Julia from Dozen Flours) — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 14:49:00 +0000

A apparently Paul is the consummate Red Sox fan. His sister Nora told me as little kids, the highlight of their summer would be to go to Fenway Park to watch a game with their dad. Since then, Paul just loves the game and the team and thought a Red Sox cake would be perfect for his big 50th birthday celebration. Originally she had asked me if I could do a red Red Sox jersey with a "50" on it; but after some discussion, she gave me free reign to do whatever I wanted as long as it conveyed a Red Sox theme. :)

Here are a few things that I learned while making this cake:

1. Delivering the cake to the customer is my favorite part. Nora's family had their entire house decorated in a baseball theme. Everyone was wearing the most delightful homemade costumes; even the dog had on a Boston Red Sox shirt! But the best part for me was watching the reaction on everyone's face as I came through the door. I actually got a bit teary eyed! It just felt really special to be a part of such a big celebration, to know my little cake will live on in pictures and memories long after it's been consumed. 2. White chocolate candy-melts can be melted and used as a paint-like medium. On the pennants and jersey, after struggling to cut out the little letters of fondant to no avail, I decided it would be easier to just paint the lettering directly onto the surface. I had anticipated this and had bought triple-zero sized paint brushes just in case. I had to add a little shortening to the chocolate, but the candy-melts worked out okay. I wished they would have set up a bit more smooth, but considering the alternative, it worked great. Next time I think I'll try white food coloring gel instead.3. Making royal blue fondant takes a lot of work. It took me about an hour to get a pound of fondant to go from white to dark blue. I eventually used black fondant to make a dark gray and then added the royal blue food coloring gel to that to get a very dark blue color. Does anyone know of a better way?
4. I truly enjoy doing detail work. I spent hours working on the various symbols, banners, and logos for this cake. I would sit at my kitchen table late at night, listening to Radio Paradise (best radio station EVER), with a palette of fondant, an Exact-o knife and cutting mat, a few print-outs of the images I want to make, and just go to town. I get lost in the details of most things in life so this really isn't a surprise. But when it comes to cakes like this, it's the details that really make it special and unique.
5. Always plan for two hours more time than I think I'll need. Even though I got up early and worked late on the cake the night before, I was still rushing to finish on time. So much so that one of the pennants I made ended up just sitting at the top, leaning against the flag poles. I had planned to add more details to the cake but just ran out of time. Everything always takes more time than I think it will.
6. I still have so much to learn! Covering a cake in fondant is not my forte. I need to take a class desperately. I know what you're thinking: the cake looks fine. But believe me when I say that I need lessons. It's so incredibly frustrating because I've read and watched (on the net and TV) people covering cakes with fondant and I think I'm doing everything they are. I'm not defeated though; I'll get there, eventually.

All in all, aside from the mistakes (I can't help but see them all), it was another successful delivery. And it was a vast improvement from my very first fondant covered cake, which just happened to be Red Sox themed too. :)

If you like this cake, here are a few other posts I think you'll enjoy:

Annika's Baby Block Cake

A Whale of a Cupcake

Nacho Cheese Dispenser Cake

Pecan Peach Amish Friendship Bread

ilovecookiemonster@gmail.com (Julia from Dozen Flours) — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 21:49:00 +0000

Normally I'm not one to fall prey to those "send this email to seven people or you'll have bad luck for seven years" hoxes, but when my friend Mandy sent me an email asking me if I wanted a bag of Amish Friendship Bread Starter, I couldn't resist. It had been something I'd always wanted to try but never had the opportunity.

If you're new to the whole idea to chain-mail baking, allow me to enlighten you: Basically Amish Friendship Bread is a made with a sourdough starter that takes ten days to make, from start to finish. At the end of the ten-day period, you'll be left with approximately 6 cups of starter, four cups of which are to be given away and two for you to make something yummy. There are a limitless treats you can make the starter, everything from a basic cinnamon bread to muffins, cookies, cakes, even pancakes and waffles!
I'm not exactly sure why this is called Amish Friendship Bread. Although I've never actually spent time in an Amish household, I'm pretty sure that they'd shun the idea of boxed instant pudding mix. So in an effort to stay more true to the recipe's namesake, I left it out and opted to use canned peaches and pecans instead. I had reserved the juice from the can of peaches with the intention of making it into a glaze to pour over my finished bread, but after my family and I tasted the it, we decided that it didn't need it. It was pretty flavorful all by itself!

If you decide you'd like to try it, you can find instructions for making the starter on Allrecipes.com. Please note: On days six through nine, be sure to let the air out at least once or twice a day. My bag of starter literally inflated to the point where it looked like a pillow sitting on my kitchen counter. I've read some horror stories about how it can explode and ooze sticky, smelly batter all over your kitchen if you don't take the time to squeeze the air out of the bag. Oh and apparently dogs like the way it smells too! I gave one of my four bags of starter to my friend Nicole and her dog got into it and lapped up the batter.
The recipe I've included below is my variation for Amish Friendship bread - I didn't do anything too crazy or different, I just added a few more instructions to help take the guesswork out of making it. If you're curious what the basic recipe is, or need a printable version of the instructions to include with your bags of starter, you can download it here.

Pecan Peach Amish Friendship Bread

1/2 cup of sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 325F. Mix together the sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.

Grease 2 large loaf pans with shortening or Pam with Flour spray. Dust the greased pans with half of cinnamon sugar mixture.

About 2 cups of starter (or whatever you have left after you've measured out 4 cups to share)
3 eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce, at room temperature
1/2 cup milk (full, 2%, or skim will all work okay), at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups all-purpose flour (I prefer to use unbleached)
1 cup of toasted and chopped pecans
1 15 oz can of sliced peaches in light syrup, thoroughly drained and diced

In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs, oil, applesauce, milk, and vanilla until well combined (you can use a hand mixture for this step) and add it to the starter. Using a hand mixer or spoon, mix until all the ingredients are well incorporated.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, and flour. Add it to the starter batter and continue to mix on medium speed until it's well combined and no pockets of dry ingredients are visible.

Mix in the pecans and peaches with a wooden spoon until they are well distributed.

Pour the batter evenly into the 2 pans and sprinkle with the remaining sugar mixture over the top.

Bake both pans together in the oven 60 to 75 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of bread comes out clean. Cool until bread loosens from pan evenly (about 10 minutes). Remove from the pan and either eat it while it's warm or let it cool on a wire rack.

Yield: Each loaf yielded about 15 slices or so.
Would I Make This Again? Maybe. The bread was pretty good and had a unique sour dough taste. Everyone who had some seemed to really enjoy it, but I'm not sure it would be something I'd crave. If I had to rate this on a 1 to 5 scale, I'd give it a 2 1/2 star. Defiantly worth trying out once.

Jake's Oreo Cake with Fluffy Chocolate Frosting

ilovecookiemonster@gmail.com (Julia from Dozen Flours) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 02:15:00 +0000

My son's thirteenth birthday was back in January but I completely forgot to post about his cake! Jake went totally bonkers over it and said it was the best birthday cake I have ever made for him. Sometimes it's the simple recipes that make the biggest impression.

It's a fairly easy cake to make, both kid and adult friendly, and, because it's cake mix based, it's doesn't take very long to prepare. To save a little money and to keep from having a big package of Oreos in the house (big temptation for me), I used one 8oz package of Mini Oreos instead of 18 full size cookies. The little cookies also came in handy for decorating the cake too. The frosting was almost too good to be true; super creamy, chocolaty but not too much, and complimented the flavor of the Oreos perfectly.

Oreo Cake with Chocolate Pan Frosting
adapted from Cake Mix Doctor

Cake
18 full-sized Oreos or one 8oz package of mini Oreos or 2 1/4 cups of chocolate cookie crumbs
1 package (18oz) of white cake mix WITH pudding in the mix
1 cup water (room temperature)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs, at room temperature

Frosting
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
6 tablespoons boiling water (plus additional, if needed)
1 stick of unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted (plus additional, if needed)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
pinch of kosher salt

Cake
Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray two 9" cake pans with Pam for baking or grease with shortening and dust evenly with flour, tapping out the excess. Set the pans aside.

Grind the cookies in a food processor and process them until you have a fine crumb. If you don't have a food processor, you can put the cookies in a zip-lock style bag, squeeze all the air out, and crush them using the bottom of pot or a rolling pin. You'll need 2 1/4 cups of crumbs total. If you have more than this, set them aside to use to decorate the cake (if desired). Set aside.

Place the cake mix, water, eggs, and oil in a large mixing bowl and mix on low speed for 1 minute and scrape the bowl and blade. Increase the speed to medium and mix for another 2 minutes and scrape the bowl and blade. The batter should look evenly colored. Add the cookie crumbs and mix on low for 15 seconds or so until all the crumbs look evenly distributed.

Pour the batter evenly between the two pans and smooth the tops. Bake both pans in the oven, side by side, and bake about 25-30 minutes until a cake tester in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove the cakes from the oven and cool on wire racks for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pans and invert onto the rack. Then invert each cake again so they continue to cool right-side-up. Allow to cook completely 30 minutes more.

Frosting
Place the cocoa powder in the mixing bowl of your stand mixer and pour the boiling water over it. Stir the cocoa and water with wooden spoon or rubber spatula until it comes together to create a soft mass. Add the butter and blend on low with the paddle attachment on low speed until the mixture is smooth and well combined, about 30 seconds. Add the vanilla and salt and mix for 30 more seconds. Scrape the bowl and blade.

Add 1 cup of powdered sugar and beat on low speed until all the sugar is incorporated. Repeat with the other 2 cups. Scape bowl and blade. Increase the speed to medium and beat until the frosting has lightened in color and is fluffy, about 2 minutes more. Add more boiling water, a teaspoon at a time, or more powdered sugar, a tablespoon at a time, if the frosting is too thick or too thin.

Assembly
Slice each cake horizontally (if desired) so you have 4 layers of cake (I like to do this using a long piece of unflavored dental floss). Place a little bit of frosting on the bottom of your cake plate (this will act like glue and hold the cake in place). Place one of the cake slices cut side up on the plate. Top with some frosting and smooth to about 1/2 from the edge. Repeat the process with the remaining 3 layers. Then frost the top and side of the cake. Decorate the cake with reserved cookies, cookie crumbs, and cake crumbs or any way you wish.

Cut and serve right away or let it sit at room temperature until you're ready to eat.

Yield: 8 slices (or more depending on how you slice it)
Would I Make This Again? Yes, I think this would be a good dessert to bring to a cookout or family function because everyone would be sure to love it.

P.S. For those of you that use the Blogger platform and have had issues getting your blog to print correctly in Firefox, I figured out a workaround. For some reason it was only printing the first three pages. If you'd like to know how I did it, please send me an email and I'll send you the instructions.

Fun Kitchen Finds

ilovecookiemonster@gmail.com (Julia from Dozen Flours) — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 23:35:00 +0000

Mother's Day is less than a month away (May 10th people!) and I decided that now would be a great time to put together a list of some interesting kitchen finds that I thought was worth sharing:

How wonderful would it be to have your very own dwarf Meyer Lemon, Clementine, Yuzu, or Key Lime Tree in your kitchen? Since growing citrus trees in the Pacific Northwest isn't exactly an option, I think one of these would be the next best thing.

I'm not a huge collector of kitch, but this set of little cookbooks comes with its own paper oven. Adorable!

This is one of the prettiest Bundt pans I've ever seen.

Every refrigerator could use a set of whimsical magnets, and these monster themed ones are especially cute.

I looked high and low for dark brown paper cupcake liners and not only did I find them, but several other colors too!

The next time you have a bunch of treats and no one to share them with, invite a few friends over and play Foodie Fight. Finally a game I could actually win! :)

Triple-decker Chocolate, Coffee, and Toffee Cheesecake

ilovecookiemonster@gmail.com (Julia from Dozen Flours) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 01:47:00 +0000

The next time the occasion arises where want to impress your friends, need a raise, or want to otherwise make people temporarily worship you, this is the cheesecake for the task. This year my mother-in-law made Easter brunch and I was responsible for the dessert. At any family event where my mother-in-law will be present, I always make something that involves chocolate because it's her absolute favorite. So after some thought, I decided to try and make a cheesecake that featured several layers, one of which would be a chocolate. This would help make it more palatable to those family members that aren't chocolate fanatics. After a lot of research, I found a great article written back in 2000 by Eleanor Klinvas, specially about making multilayer cheesecakes. Score! I knew the Triple Decker one would be perfect!
Since I've never attempted to make a cheesecake that has more than one layer before, I have to say it was a lot easier than I thought it would be. The key to making this cake successful is using really good quality ingredients and giving yourself a lot of time to complete each step. The only problem I had with this recipe is that I waited to late in the evening to start baking. Since this cake required two additional hours of attention before I could put it in the refrigerator, I ended up sleeping on the couch for the last two post-baking steps! Seriously though, after seeing everyone's reaction to this cake (especially my mother-in-law), it was totally worth the slight sleep deprivation. :)

Triple-Decker Chocolate, Coffee and Toffee Cheesecake
adapted from Eleanor Klivans

Chocolate crumb crust
Butter for pan
2 cups chocolate wafer cookie crumbs (I use Nabisco Famous Wafers and crush them in a food processor)
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Filling
2 pounds full-fat cream cheese, softened 3 to 4 hours at room temperature
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla bean paste or extract
2 tablespoons whipping cream, at room temperature
2 teaspoons instant coffee dissolved in 1 tablespoon whipping cream
2/3 cup (2, 1.4 ounce bars) crushed toffee, such as Skor or Heath Bars
6 ounces good quality semisweet chocolate such as Lindt, Schaffenburger, or Guittard, chopped (please, avoid Baker's if you can, its flavor is just terrible)*

Prepare the crust
Preheat the oven to 325F. Butter 9-inch springform pan with sides at least 2 3/4 inches high. Mix cookie crumbs and melted butter, combining well. Press crumb mixture evenly over bottom and 1 inch up side of pan. Wrap outside of pan with 1 large piece of heavy foil, making a water tight seal.

Make for 6 minutes. Set aside and cool completely.

Water Bath
Before you start the cheesecake batter, you should get everything ready for the water bath. You'll need a roasting pan that's big enough to hold the spring form pan in both width and height.

While you're preparing the cheesecake, boil a large kettle or pot full of water. Preheat the oven to 325F.

Prepare filling
In a standing mixture, cream the cream cheese in large bowl on low speed until smooth for 1 minute. Add sugar and mix until smooth, about 2 minutes. Scape bowl and beater.

Mix in flour and mix just until the flour disappears. Add eggs, 2 at time, mixing until batter is smooth and no traces of egg can be seen, about 1 minute. Mix in vanilla and cream for about 30 seconds.

Get 2 medium sized bowls, preferably ones that have a pouring spout. Pour 2 cups batter into each of bowl. Stir dissolved coffee into mixture in one of the medium bowls and stir well, until the mixture is an even color. Set aside. Mix the crushed toffee into batter in second medium bowl, mix well, and set aside.

Mix melted chocolate into the batter that's left in the mixing bowl, stirring just until chocolate is incorporated and no white batter shows. Pour chocolate batter into chocolate crust in prepared pan.

Place cheesecake in large baking pan with at least 2-inch high sides and place in oven. Pour hot water into large pan to reach 1-inch up sides of springform pan. Bake 20 minutes.
Carefully slide oven rack out several inches. Pour reserved coffee batter all around inside edge of pan. Batter will flow evenly to cover top of cake. Bake 20 minutes.

Pour reserved toffee batter all around inside edge of pan. Batter will flow evenly to cover top of cake. Bake 30-60 minutes. You'll know it's done when you can give the cheesecake a gentle shake and top doesn't move and looks firm. (FYI: Eleanor's instructions said that the cake should be done after the last 20 minutes, but mine was far from done. I baked it for an additional 45 minutes! Part of this extra time may have been because I was using an 8.5" pan instead of the 9", I'm not exactly sure. Whatever the cause, don't panic. Just be patient, keep the water level consistent, and wait for the top of the cake to get firm.)

Very carefully, remove everything from the pan (roasting pan, water, and cheesecake). Note: If you have a bad back, don't be a hero and ask for help because it's heavy and the water is going to be near boiling. Cool cheesecake in water bath 1 hour on a heat proof surface, covered loosely with paper towel.

Carefully remove cheesecake from water bath. Remove paper towel and cool 1 hour more on a wire rack. Cheesecake should feel cool to touch. Gently run a thin-bladed knife around the edge of the cheesecake. Unhinge the latch on the spring form pan and gently remove the ring. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.

Serve the cake with whipped cream and chocolate shavings or just plain. When slicing the cake, be sure to clean the knife after each cut. This will ensure prettier slices.

Leftover cheesecake can be covered and refrigerated up to 1 week (not that it will last that long! :)

Yield: 16 servings.
Would I Make This Again? Without a doubt! My husband said that this cheesecake was the best one he's ever had! Plus, I'm excited to try this recipe with other flavor combination.

Abi's Cupcakes in the 'Hood(ie)

ilovecookiemonster@gmail.com (Julia from Dozen Flours) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 20:56:00 +0000

I made these cupcakes in only a few hours after work one night. They were a birthday gift for one of the trainers at the gym with whom I've only had the opportunity to train with a handful of times. She's a hardcore athlete, a hell of a trainer, and is super cool to boot. Jesse, the trainer who told me it was her birthday, mentioned that she's really into t-shirts, namely making them for special events or for people she knows. After I made a few t-shirts, I decided to make a few hoodies, which are both made out of fondant, just for fun.

For the cupcakes, Abi said she wasn't a big time chocolate fan, but still wanted something that had chocolate in it. I suggested chocolate chocolate-chip and she loved the idea. I have to say that this cupcake recipe is not for those who want serious makes-one-weak-in-the-knees-over-the-top chocolate-fudge decadence. No, this cupcake is more hot-chocolate than a chocolate truffle, if that makes sense. It's based on a Martha Stewart recipe that I tweaked just a tiny bit. And for the frosting, I kept it light and mellow: just a simple white chocolate buttercream bespeckled with vanilla beans. Yum!

Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Cupcakes with White Chocolate Vanilla-Bean Ganache
adapted from MarthaStewart.com

Cupcakes
2 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
3/4 cup cocoa
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
7 ounces (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk (I used non-fat, but any type would do)
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
5 large egg whites, at room temperature
2 cups mini semisweet chocolate chips

Ganache
8 ounces good quality white chocolate, finely chopped
3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup milk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, softened slightly
Pinch of salt

Cupcakes
Beat egg whites to stiff peaks. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350F.

Line standard muffin pans with paper liners. Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl and whisk to make sure the dry ingredients are all the same color.

Cream butter and sugar with a mixer for 3 minutes, until white, light, and fluffy.

Reduce speed to low. Mix milk and vanilla in the bowl. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture and mix for 30 seconds. Scrape the bowl and the blade. Add half the milk and mix for 30 seconds. Repeat with the flour, then the milk, and ending with the flour. After all last of the dry ingredients are added, mix together for an additional full-minute. (Tip: When you're adding the flour or milk to the sugar mixture, pulse the mixer just a few times or use a wooden spoon or spatula to slightly mix the ingredients together. Otherwise you'll end up with a pile of cocoa flour and milk all over your counter and you!)

Slowly and gently fold in the egg whites in two or three batches, until all the clumps of egg white have disappeared. Fold in chocolate chips.

Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full. Bake cupcakes about 15 to 18 minutes until the tops of the cupcakes are firm to to the touch and testers inserted into centers come out almost clean. You'll probably hit a few chocolate chips as you test for doneness so you might see some chocolate sticking to your tester. Let cool in tins on wire racks until they are cool enough to touch and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store covered at room temperature or in the fridge until you're ready to frost them.

Frosting
Melt the white chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan of water that is not quite simmering. Make sure the bottom of the bowl rests several inches above the surface of the water. Stir chocolate until smooth and let cool to room temperature on the counter top.

Sift the powdered sugar into a medium-sized bowl. Using a whisk, stir in the milk until all of the sugar has dissolved and mixture is smooth. Add the vanilla and mix to combine. Add butter and salt and continue to beat until smooth and shiny. On the lowest speed or with a rubber spatula, slowly stir in the cooled white chocolate.

Cool the frosting in the refrigerator until it gets firm, about 30 minutes, and frost the cupcakes.

Yield: 36-40 cupcakes
Would I Make This Again? Yep! You know a recipe is really a keeper when your son mistakes the batter on the beater for frosting. This recipe is really yummy!

Allison's Key Lime Pie Fudge

ilovecookiemonster@gmail.com (Julia from Dozen Flours) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 18:37:00 +0000

Last Fall, back when it was Allison's birthday, I made two beautiful Key lime pies to celebrate her special day. As I was leaving for work that morning, it occurred to me that I forgot to take photos of it and figured I'd just take some once I arrived at work. Well, those plans came to a screeching halt right after both pies slid off the tray and landed bottom-side-down onto the asphalt. Luckily, they were still edible but the jolt of being smacked to the ground caused them to crack and all my airy whipped cream deflated. I felt so terrible presenting such an ugly dessert, but Allison didn’t care one bit, nor did anyone else that devoured them. So when I recently learned that Allison would be leaving our team and moving to South Carolina to be closer to her fiancé, I knew right away that it would be my chance to make her another, more blog-worthy Key Lime Pie. However, my plans were foiled a few days later while I was enjoying my daily Tastespotting sashay over lunch. I became charmed by a recipe for Lime Fudge with Macadamia Nuts at Technicolor Kitchen. I knew instantly I had to make this for her instead. While I loved the idea of using normal, everyday Persian limes, I suspected it would work just as well with fresh Key lime zest and juice. I couldn't stop there, could I? I mean, what would Key lime Pie fudge be without graham cracker crust? It would be pretty good too, true, but I knew that including it would really make this fudge extraordinary. (BTW: Do you see the faint smiley face in the photo of the fudge above? :) ) This recipe could not have come out any better, if I do say so myself! Its texture was really smooth and silky, which is directly related to the fact that I used Lindt, which was the best quality of white chocolate I could find in the store. The flavor was great too, just the right amount of tang that was quickly mellowed by the crust. It was pure ecstasy! It was such a huge hit, I was actually a little blindsided how popular it was. People raved! A little words of caution though, it's a bit addictive. So much so my boss said I could call it Key Lime Crack!

Key Lime Pie Fudge
adapted from Technicolor Kitchen

Graham Cracker Crust
Note: The crust is optional. The fudge will still taste great without it.

1/3 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup sugar
1-1/4 cups finely crushed graham crackers

Fudge
3 cups or 4 4-oz bars of good quality white chocolate, finely chopped (
14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon finely grated Key lime zest, about 5-6 Key limes*
3 tablespoons lime juice – freshly squeezed is better

Line a square 8"x8 baking pan with foil or parchment paper, extending it up and over pan (this helps you get it out of the pan later). Butter sides and bottom of the pan, especially the corners. Set aside.

If you're making the crust: Preheat oven to 375. In a medium sized bowl, melt butter in them microwave. Stir in sugar with a fork, braking up any lumps. Add crushed graham crackers and toss to mix well. Spread evenly into the baking pan and bake for 4 to 5 minutes or until edge is lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.

Stir white chocolate and sweetened condensed milk in a large heavy saucepan over low heat just until chocolate is melted and all the lumps are gone. Remove from heat and stir in zest and juice. Spread mixture evenly into the prepared pan.

Cover and chill for two hours or overnight. Lift the fudge from pan using edges of foil. Peel off foil and use a heavy non-serrated knife to cut the fudge into one-inch pieces. (Tip: Keep a damp kitchen towel handy to clean off the knife after each cut. This will keep give your fudge a cleaner appearance.)

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.

* Zesting the limes - Be sure to wash the limes in hot, soapy water before zesting them. I like to scrub mine with a wet terry cloth towel to get all the wax off. Be sure they are totally dry before zesting. Also, Key limes are really small and their zest is thin. Go very slowly when zesting each lime as you'll be at the pith (white part) after just one or two passes. I highly recommend using a Microplane Grater/Zester which makes short work of the task.

Yield: 64 1-inch squares, although it really depends on how you cut it.
Would I Make This Again? Without a doubt! This was the most popular recipe I've brought into work in a long, long time. A real crowd pleaser!

Get printable version of this recipe

Better Than Starbucks Lemon Pound Cake

ilovecookiemonster@gmail.com (Julia from Dozen Flours) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 21:51:00 +0000

Several weeks ago, I had a bit of a baking dry spell and really felt the need to bake. Since my friend Scott just sits over the wall from me, I asked him for a baking assignment. He thought for a moment and then explained how he's really been into Starbucks Lemon loaf and suggested that I try to recreate it.

I steered clear of any copy-cat recipes that were already on the web because I was committed to making a lemon pound cake that didn't use any extracts. I realize that Starbuck's recipe wasn't likely to be as sincere, but I was really curious to see if I could achieve a super lemony cake using only fresh lemons.
In my research, I uncovered two potential winning recipes and after much debate about which one I would use, I decided to wing it and use elements from both. The first recipe was created by Bill Yosses who is the Executive Pastry Chef at the White House. I loved that Mr. Yosses's recipe not only avoided the use of any extracts, but it used almost every part of the lemon. Bill explains that he likes to use small segments of lemon in the batter because as the cake bakes, the juice evaporates and leaves behind little powerful pockets of lemon goodness. I was all for that! The second recipe was one I found on Epicurious that had several good reviews. It was a bit more simple that Bill Yosses's and I loved that it too didn't rely on extracts either. I figured between the two of them and a few little tricks of my own, I'd have a solid contender.
After all was said and done, this cake was almost what I wanted. It scored big points in the flavor department as many testers loved it's bright, yet not over the top, lemon flavor. The only place where I think I missed the mark, was the crumb. While it was a beautiful cake, I felt it just wasn't the dense, super tight-crumbed pound cake I had hoped for. No one noticed this but me, though. As a matter of fact, the one comment I kept hearing from everyone was that this cake was way better than Starbucks! I think I might try this challenge again to get the tight crumb that I wanted, but for now I'm pretty satisfied. :)

Better Than Starbucks Lemon Pound Cake
adapted from Bill Yosses and Epicurious

Cake
4 lemons, organic if you can find them
3 cups cake flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, that is completely softened*
3 cups superfine, Baker's or caster sugar*
6 eggs, warmed for 10 minutes in hot tap water before using
1 cup full-fat sour cream, at room temperature

Glaze
2 lemons
2 cups powdered-sugar*, sifted

Preheat oven to 325F. Grease a 16-cup tube pan and dust with cake flour; tap out any excess. Be sure to grease and flour the center column too. You can also use Pam with Flour (I do).

Scrub the lemons with hot soapy water. Rinse really well and dry completely. Zest four of the lemons, being careful to avoid the pith (the white part that live right below the yellow part of the lemon). With a very sharp paring knife, cut the tops and bottoms off of each lemon. With one cut side down on the cutting board, trim the pith off the lemon, vertically, going all the way around each lemon, exposing the flesh of the lemon. (About.com has a great little tutorial how to do this. They illustrate the technique with an orange but it translates to any citrus fruit). Over a bowl, cut segments from membranes, letting fruit and juice fall into the bowl, being sure to discard the seeds and the remaining membranes. With a fork, break segments into 1-inch pieces.
In a separate bowl, combine the sugar and the lemon zest. Work the sugar and zest together between your fingers until the sugar is moist, grainy and very aromatic. Set aside.
Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.

Beat the butter for 2 minutes at medium speed in the electric mixer. Add half the sugar and mix for 2 more minutes, then add the rest of the butter and mix again for 4 minutes, stopping once to scrape down the bowl and the beater blade.

Remove the eggs from the water and dry them. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating just until combined after each addition (about 30 minutes). On the lowest setting, mix in the dry ingredients, then the sour cream. Lastly, gently fold in the lemon juice and segments. Transfer batter to prepared pan.

Bake cake until tester inserted near center comes out clean, about an hour and a half. Let the cake cool in the pan on a rack for 15 minutes. Cut around the cake in the pan, turn out the cake. Carefully turn cake right side up on rack.

While the cake is cooling, juice the remaining 2 lemons. In a small bowl, slowly add the powdered sugar to the and stir until smooth. It should look thick, opaque, and should be thin enough to it should be pourable. If it's too thin, add more powdered sugar. If it's too thick, add more lemon juice. Poke small holes all over the top of the cake using a fork or toothpick. Carefully pour about 1/2 the glaze over the tops and the sizes of the cake. Let the glaze harden for about 2 hours or overnight. Cover the remaining glaze and keep at room temperature. About a half hour before you're ready to serve, pour the remaining glaze over the cake.

Store in a covered container, either in the fridge or at room temperature.

Ingredient Notes:

* Butter - A butter knife dropped on a stick of butter should slide completely through the butter to its center. This means the butter needs to be at 70-72F.

* Superfine/Castor Sugar - You can make this by putting granulated sugar into the food processor and whizzing it around several times for a minute or two.

* Powdered Sugar - If you have an old, half-opened bag of powdered sugar sitting in your pantry, I'd strongly encourage you to throw it away! It's been my experience that powdered sugar that's been opened and not properly resealed starts to oxidize very quickly. It can give the sugar a metallic taste that will impart an "off" flavor into your dessert, especially glaze.

Yield: Many, many slices! This fed about 24 people, and then some who only wanted a "small slice"
Would I Make This Again? Yes! I loved everything about this cake, especially the wonderful compliments it received.

Annika's baby block cake

ilovecookiemonster@gmail.com (Julia from Dozen Flours) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 03:23:00 +0000

Sometimes I get an idea for a cake design that just takes on a life of its own. I imagine it's similar to what a writer might go through when they have a story that's itching to be written down. I came up with the idea of this cake when my CrossFit instructor, Deidra asked me to make a cake for her close friend who had just given birth to her first child. She wanted a cake that was just for the new mom and dad -- something they could share between just the two of them to celebrate the wonderful event. Such a sweet idea! I had just received a new cake book (Cakes to Inspire and Desire) a few days before and remembered that it had instructions for what it called a "nursery christening brick" cake. I thought it would be a good challenge so I suggested making three small baby blocks and put the baby's initials on the front, "a", "m", "c" for Annika Marie Cramer. Deidra loved the idea and gave me carte blanche to do whatever else I wanted. Instead of using additional graphics for the backs of the blocks, I used Annika's birth date, which made it all the more special. This also helped keep the baby block theme since so many of them include both numbers and letters, as well as pictures. I got a little carried away with the detail of the blocks. I had so much fun making the little pictures, especially the xylophone and the tree. I especially loved making the mallet for the xylophone because I was able to give its surface a little texture and make it three-dimensional too. I made all the pictures, letters, and numbers out of fondant. The blocks were made from three layers of dark chocolate cake with chocolate Swiss buttercream. The images came from a family of graphics that I found on iStockphoto.com that used as stencils. I am pretty delighted with out the cake came out. I loved the bright colors, the playful graphics, and its small stature. I only wished that I had been able to create a better cube shaped cake with sharper, better defined edges, but I don't think I did too bad for this being my first square cake. It was good practice.

Pistachio, Cranberry, and Chocolate Chip Biscotti

ilovecookiemonster@gmail.com (Julia from Dozen Flours) — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 22:51:00 +0000

Even though I'm usually thinking about baking the majority of my time, I do have a day job that's about as far away from baking as one can get. I work in the world of technology as a business analyst and one of the interesting things about my job and the company I work for is that each time I'm assigned to work on a project, I get to work with a different group of other IT professionals. These include functional analysts, developers, testers, product management professionals, designers, and information architects, among others. The majority of my teammates work in the same building as I do in Washington state, but several work in other branches as far away as Georgia and Texas.

Over the past few months I have been working hard on a little project with a tight-nit group. Several times a week we used to get together on conference calls to discuss things and the subject of my baking would usually come up. Now if you're a frequent reader of this blog, you'll know that I've been a bit busy making all sorts of crazy treats the last few months. It seemed like each time we talked, everyone was enjoying something I brought in to share. Unfortunately it's been a bit of a tease for those that can only see my baked goods via my blog. One afternoon a few weeks ago, I had a chat with Josh (one of our very talented information architects who is based in Atlanta) who told me about his upcoming birthday plans to go to France and Italy for a few weeks. I took this off-hand comment as the perfect opportunity to stop teasing him and instead treat him to something special. He graciously accepted my offer and sent me his mailing address. Josh told me that one of his favorite desserts is chocolate and pistachio cake. Since a cake wouldn't ship very well, I thought that biscotti would be a good compromise. I made the biscotti over the weekend and brought some one to share. At first I was a little worried that I had done something wrong with the recipe because the cookies weren't as notoriously dry as most biscotti tends to be. Now, don't get me wrong, these cookies were very dry when compared to just about any other cookie I've ever made. It was just that they had a little bit of give to them that made them easier to eat. To my surprise, I received several comments from coworkers that really enjoyed the cookies because of their added moisture. A few even commented that they didn't even like biscotti until they tried these. So I'm not sure if I did something wrong or if that's just what really fresh biscotti is supposed to taste, but whatever it is, it's a good thing (especially when dipped into hot coffee or tea).

Happy Birthday Josh! We appreciate all the hard work you do and hope you have an wonderful vacation!

Pistachio, Cranberry, and Chocolate Chip Biscotti
adapted from Dolce Italiano: Desserts from the Babbo Kitchen

1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large whole eggs, at room temperature
1 large egg, separated, at room temperature
1 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract or paste
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup sweetened cranberries, chopped
1 cup unsalted pistachios, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon of sugar

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Beat the eggs, one egg yolk, and the sugar on medium speed until pale and thick, about 2 minutes. Beat in the vanilla, followed by the flour mixture. Scrape down the bowl and add the chocolate, cranberries, and pistachios until thoroughly mixed. Don’t be alarmed if the dough looks dry. Do not be tempted to add additional moisture!

Preheat the oven to 325F. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat mat or with parchment paper.

Using floured hands (the dough will be very sticky!), divide the dough into two or three equal portions (I recommend using a scale to make sure my potions were the same but you can eye-ball it too). On a lightly floured surface, shape each log so that it’s about 1 1/2 inches wide. If you're making two logs, they each be about 12 1/2 inches long. If you’re making 3 logs, they should each be about 8 inches long. Take care in making sure that the width is consistently 1 1/2 inches wide from the top to the bottom of the log. This will ensure consistent baking.

Place the logs on the baking sheet about 3 inches apart. In a small bowl, beat the reserved egg-white with a folk until frothy. With a pastry brush, glaze each log with the egg white and sprinkle with the reserved 1 teaspoon full of sugar (don’t feel pressure to use all the sugar, only what you need to get an even coating).

Bake the logs for 15 minutes and rotate the pan 180 degrees to ensure even browning. Bake for 10 more minutes and check to see if they are lightly golden brown, form to the touch (especially in the center) and just beginning to crack. If they are not, continue baking checking every 5 minutes.

Turn off the oven, remove the pan, and let it cool on a baking rack until they are cool enough to touch – about 40 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200F. With a sharp, serrated knife (I highly recommend using an an offset serrated knife if you have one), slice each biscotti (on the bias if you want) into 1/4 inch slices. Julia’s Tip: The handle of most wooden spoons just happens to be about 1/4 inch wide. This helped me to consistently measure each slice.

Arrange the cookies back on the baking sheet (using the same parchment or Silpat mat) in a single layer. Return them to the oven and cook for 20-25 minutes, or until they are toasted and slightly crisp. Cool the cookies completely on the cookie sheets, then store them in an airtight container, at room temperature, for up to 2 weeks.

Note: I do not recommend doubling this recipe unless you have a KitchenAid Artisan 5-Quart Stand Mixers or KitchenAid Professional 600 Series 6-Quart Stand Mixers. If you have a KitchenAid Classic Plus White Stand Mixer like I do, it really struggles to mix all the ingredients together.

Yield:You could get about 35 to 40 cookies out of this recipe.
Would I Make This Again?I would! It's a great basic recipe to play with and I look forward to swapping out the ingredients to try different flavor combinations like dried apricot, white chocolate, and cashew or maybe dates, walnuts, and dark chocolate...yuummm!Oh, one last thing to add: I sent a box of these cookies to my sister in North Carolina. She told me that she gave one to my four year old nephew, in spite of the fact that she wasn't sure that he'd like it. She told him that they are called biscotti and after taking one bite, he looked at her and said, "Hey, these biscotti should be called cookies!" This gave me quite the belly laugh!

Baked Walnut Stuffed Figs & Dates

ilovecookiemonster@gmail.com (Julia from Dozen Flours) — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 01:24:00 +0000

When I go grocery shopping, I tend to go to a few different stores, sometimes as many as four! I know, I'm nuts but it's just something I do because I'm picky about the food I buy, especially when it comes to produce and baking supplies. There is one grocery store that I shop at because they have a great assortment of bulk foods and spices. For those of you in the Seattle area that are curious, it's Central Market.

While I was there getting a few things a few weeks ago, I was looking through all the bins for nothing in particular and stumbled upon Medjool dates. I had only had dates a few times in my life and had never been much of a fan as they were always dry and grainy. However these dates were plump, shiny, and looked to be bursting with flavor. I decided to be brave and try one and boy was I glad I did. They are SO good!

Not only are dates delicious, they are really good for you too. Dates are low in calories (around 24 in each one) and have more potassium than a banana. They are also high in fiber and have no sodium or cholesterol.

I've been so coo-coo for Medjool dates that when I found a recipe that called for Calimyrna figs, I subconsciously substituted them for dates. I even wrote down "Calimyrna Figs" on my grocery list and it wasn't until I was standing in front of the Medjool date bin at the store did I realize my error. The idea of not using the dates made me a little sad (I had my heart set on it!) so I decided I'd make the recipe with both. It worked out perfectly. I made this for an apartment-warming party and everyone liked them a lot. I only wished I had made them with Agave or maple syrup so that the vegans in attendance could have enjoyed them too. For some reason I can never remember that honey isn't vegan!

Baked Walnut Stuffed Figs & Dates
adapted from Dolce Italiano: Desserts from the Babbo Kitchen by Gina DePalma

12-18 small Calimyrna figs
12 pump Medjool dates (look for these in your bulk food department)
3/4 to 1 cup of walnut halves
2 cups of 100% white grape juice (I use the Santa Cruz brand which I think has the best flavor)
2 tablespoons of honey, maple, or agave syrup
2 or 3 3 to 4 inch strips of orange zest from 1 organic orange that's been well scrubbed

Pour the grape juice into a small sauce pan and simmer on a low boil for about 1/2 hour, until it reduces by half.

While the grape juice is reducing, preheat the oven to 325F and position the wrack in the center.

Before I explain the steps for preparing the fruit, keep in mind the goal is to make a pocket to hold the nuts. Be careful not to cut through the fig or date or to cut the pouches too big. You can always make it bigger when it's time to stuff it with a nut.

Remove the stems from the dates and with a sharp paring knife, along one side, cut a slit from the top to the bottom of the date, until you reach the center. Remove the pit and set the date aside. Repeat with all of the dates. Set aside.

Remove the stems from the figs. Hold the fig so the bottom is down on the cutting board. With a sharp paring knife, make a vertical slit along the top and down through the side, but be careful not to cut it all the way through. Set aside.

Insert one or two walnut halves into the fruit. You can use your finger to hollow out the inside of the date, if needed. Be careful not to puncture the skin on the opposite side of the fruit. Close the slit over the nuts, if you can.

To stuff the figs, use 3 or 4 walnut halves to stuff the larger ones and one or a few broken pieces to stuff the smaller ones. There's really no right or wrong way to do it. The main goal with both fruits is to avoid over stuffing them so that the break. If that happens, just put them fruit-side-up in the baking dish.

Place the fruit in a smallish sized baking dish, nut side up, leaving a little room in between each piece. Pour the reduced grape juice over the fruit and drizzle the honey over the top of the fruit. Add the orange zest to the pan.

Bake the figs uncovered for 20 minutes. Turn them once and bast them with the juices. Return them to the oven and bake them for 15 minutes and baste. Bake for an additional 15 minutes. Remove the figs from the oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

When they have cooled you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. They can also be served warm out of the oven.

Serving tip: They go great when paired with salty cheese like aged provolone or feta.

Yield:Several! 10 to 20? Its one of those thing you just nosh on.
Would I Make This Again?Yes! These were so incredibly delicious, I had to put them in the trunk on the way to the party so I wouldn't be tempted to eat any.

My apologies for the craptastic photos lately. My camera has jumped the shark, me thinks.

Snickerdoodle Bundt Cake

ilovecookiemonster@gmail.com (Julia from Dozen Flours) — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 05:22:00 +0000

For the last few days I've been wracking my brain trying to figure out what I could bring to a little Ladies Only PJ Party I was invited to. I wanted to make something that would appeal to crowd, but needed to be easy to whip together after work. I was leaning toward a Bundt cake because I knew it would be speedy and usually tastes good warm (I knew I'd be dashing to the party the moment the cake was done), but other than that, I was at a loss.

I started digging around AllRecipes.com and came across Honey's Butter Cake. After reading the recipe and several of the comments, it occurred to me that the cake was a bit similar to my Snickerdoodle Blondie recipe. That's when the light-bulb went on! I could tweak the recipe in just a few places and I'd have myself a Snickerdoodle cake. So that's exactly what I did. I added a sugar crust, swapped a cup of white sugar for light-brown, and upped the vanilla flavor. I was a little nervous about the crust of the cake as I knew it had to be spot-on to be able give it the Snickerdoodle name.

(Isn't this the coolest picture of the cake's crust?)

I'm happy to report that this cake was a success! The outside of the cake had the crispy shell I had hoped for and the inside was moist and snickerdoodly! As an added bonus, this cake makes the whole house smell like a big snickerdoodle cookie while it's baking. Yummmm!

Snickerdoodle Bundt Cake

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup white sugar

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup white sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
3 eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup full-fat sour cream, at room temperature

In a small bowl, combine 1 cup of sugar and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon. Mix together really well and set aside.

Preheat oven to 325F. Here's the exact way I made the crust: Using a spray product like Pam with Flour (I LOVE this stuff -- seriously its changed my life!), generously spray a 9 inch Bundt pan, being careful to cover all the nooks and cranies, as well as the center tube. (Note: If you don't want to use Pam with Flour, you can just grease the pan with shortening.) Gently dust the entire inside of the pan with the sugar and cinnamon mixture. You should only need about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of sugar, but you want to try and evenly coat the inside surface of the pan, including the tube. Save the remaining sugar and cinnamon mixture and set everything aside.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Beat just the butter on medium speed for one full minute. Add the white sugar and mix for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl and blade and add the brown sugar.

Mix for 2 minutes until the mixture looks light brown and uniform in color. Add the eggs one at a time, beating each for 1 full minute. Stir in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternately with the sour cream; beat well.

Spread half of the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup of the cinnamon sugar mixture over top the cake. Spread the rest of the batter into the pan and sprinkle any remaining sugar mixture over the top. (If you run out of cinnamon sugar, you can mix just 1/4 cup of sugar + 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon together for the top of the cake. It should be more than enough.)

Bake in the preheated oven for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Yield: It really depends on how big you cut the slices. Traditionally a 9" Bundt should serve about 12, but if you cut the slices smaller, you can feed about 18 to 24.
Would I Make This Again? Definitely! Since I didn't save a piece for my hubby, he's been moping around the house. I think I'll make one for him to take to work next week. :)

If you like this recipe, please be sure to try my Snickerdoodle Blondies or my Pumpkin Pie Snickerdoodle Bars.

Peanut Butter and Fudge Brownies with Salted Peanuts

ilovecookiemonster@gmail.com (Julia from Dozen Flours) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 02:22:00 +0000

If you're a fan of peanut butter and chocolate, and I mean really a fan, you will absolutely fall head over heals in love with this brownie! It starts with a super fudgey brownie that's studded with chopped salted peanuts, that's topped with a luscious layer of peanut butter frosting, and finished with a generous layer of rich semisweet chocolate ganache. What's not to love?

I made these brownies for my colleague Jim in honor of his birthday. He brought them to our Monday meeting and passed them around during the last five minutes. From the moment Jim took the lid off the container, everyone could smell the rich peanut buttery goodness wafting through the room.

The hardest part of this recipe was removing the skins from the Spanish peanuts I bought from the bulk food section. It took a while, but it was worth it. The smaller peanuts were softer and complimented the brownie texture perfectly. Plus Spanish peanuts have a slightly higher fat content which helps make the brownie that much more fudgey.

You'll notice that there's nutmeg in the peanut butter frosting. I thought it would be odd and was going to leave it out, but after reading some of the feedback on Epicurious, I decided I'd keep it. I'm glad I did too because it did a great job of amplifying the peanut butter's flavor -- it really added a little something extra.

Peanut Butter and Fudge Brownies with Salted Peanuts
adapted from Dorie Greenspan

Brownies
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
7 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup roasted salted peanuts* with skins removed, coarsely chopped (optional)

Frosting
1 1/2 cups or chunky or creamy peanut butter (do not use natural or old-fashioned as the frosting will separate)
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature (very soft)
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon whole milk,
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste

Ganache
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (very soft)
7 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

For brownies:
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 325F. Line 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan with foil, leaving long overhang; butter foil (don't use wax paper as it will stick).

Place 3/4 cup butter in heavy large saucepan. Add both chocolates; stir over low heat until smooth. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Whisk in sugar, vanilla, and salt, then eggs, 1 at a time. Take the time to fully incorporate the egg before adding the next one. Fold in flour, then add the nuts. Spread in prepared pan. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 30 minutes. Place pan on rack; cool for half and hour. When the pan is cool enough to touch the bottom, put it in the fridge for half an hour.

For frosting and ganache:
Using electric mixer, beat peanut butter and 1/4 cup butter in medium bowl to blend for 3 minutes. Beat in powdered sugar, salt, and nutmeg, then milk and vanilla. Spread frosting over brownies. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or longer. (If you can't wait to chill the brownies, you can go ahead and move on to the next step, however chilling the peanut butter frosting firms it up. This will keep it from interfering with your ability to spread the ganache.)

Stir chocolate and 1/4 cup butter in heavy small saucepan over low heat until smooth. Drop ganache all over frosting; spread to cover. Chill until set, about 1 1/2 hours. Do ahead: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and keep chilled.

Using foil as aid, transfer brownie cake to work surface; cut into squares, cleaning off the knife after each slice.

* You can omit these and use peanut butter chips instead. However if you do use peanuts, try to find a Spanish peanuts as they are smaller and softer. You can usually find them in the bulk isle. If you can't find them, go ahead and use what ever you can find; they will still taste great.

Yield: I cut about 40 bars, but they were on the small side.
Would I Make This Again? Sure! If you're looking for a peanut lover's perfect treat, you've found it! :)