Oreo Chocolate Chip Cookie Caramel Brownies OMG! It's been awile since I made something new and especially a cake from scratch. It's also been awhile since I've raved about a dessert. This pound cake is AMAZING! Seriously...so good! I've never made pound cake before. Pound cake recipe from taste of home 2-Minute Chocolate Chip Cookie For One & Recipe & Zoom Yummy This is one of those ‘I-need-a-cookie-right-now-or-I-die’ recipes that can be prepared in almost no time.We all know that kind of situation, don’t we? I definitely do, I confess.And you know what? This impressive cookie not only takes less than 5 minutes to prepare, it tastes really delicious. First you need this stuff. 1. 2. 3. 4. Save a few for the top, if you wish to.5. Ta-dah! 6.
A brownie by any other name… Love brownies. Love their shiny, flaky top that shatters into micro-thin shards that shower onto your fingers as you eat. Love their dark, gooey center. Sometimes can’t deal with the bake, wait to cool, cutting into squares messiness and fuss of brownies. Every time I make these cookies (which, truth be told, is quite often), I think of a former colleague, Ana, who left King Arthur last year in order to be a full-time mom to her 2-year-old twins. The test kitchen bakers loved Ana. Ana still visits occasionally, 2-year-olds in tow. And when she does, she’ll invariably nose out any chocolate, and treat us to her classic reaction: “Perfect! These cookies are basically brownies: flat, round, 2 ½” brownies. First task: Combine the chocolate and butter. Melt in the microwave till softened… …then stir till smooth. Stir the chocolate into eggs and sugar, which you’ve beaten together. Add the remaining ingredients–including chocolate chips, for an over-the-top chocolate experience. Buy vs.
Homemade Rainbow Chip Cake Intro It’s become tradition. Each year for Gabe’s birthday I make him a boxed cake. Rainbow chip. It’s his favorite. A couple years ago I made the horrible mistake of buying Funfetti. Not the same. The following year we went to several different grocery stores until we found Rainbow Chip. The lure of this cake is in the frosting. I have to admit. But the baker in me dies just a little each year when I rip into that box of powdery mix. It’s in the name of love. This year I decided to say no to the box mix while still saying yes to rainbow chip. I knew I needed to start testing early. I am happy to report that this cake has been given the Gabe seal of approval. A few tips on cake baking and frosting * Always finish mixing the batter by hand. * Go by feel, not by time. * A cake turntable is a wonderful tool and makes frosting so much easier, but if you don’t have one simply invert a bowl and place a plate on top of that. *I finally started a NWS facebook page. Rainbow Chip Cake 1 teaspoon salt
Two Minute Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake This, friends, is where procrastination gets me. I was staring at the computer, mired in writers’ block. I clicked on that Stumble button I installed in my toolbar but never use. The chocolate:peanut butter ratio wasn’t quite right, and so I made the cake chocolate with a spoonful of cocoa. Chocolate chips are a must – they turn into gooey pockets of melted chocolate in the finished product. Butter or spray a ramekin, or do it right in a mug. It took mine a minute to cook, rather than 30 seconds. Note to self: pick up some vanilla ice cream. Two Minute Chocolate Peanut Butter Cakewith thanks to Cassie of Back to Her Roots! Peanut butter AND portable? Tomato Basil Pizza The other day, I was looking at the overload of tomatoes that I bought as the season was winding down as the end of summer nears. But I realized that I was being gradually shoved out of my small kitchen by them, so I oven-roasted the louts with garlic and herbs to reclaim a few precious inches back of kitchen counter space. Yet when they were finished, I looked in my refrigerator, and there wasn’t any room in there either. So I was left holding a bowl of roasted tomatoes that needed to get used up. Coincidentally, I also had a round of yeasted dough in my refrigerator from a batch of recipe testing that hadn’t found its meaning as something else yet—as experimental leftovers are want to do. So I took it out, which made room for the tomatoes – but then I realized that was defeating the purpose, so I decide to use both of them. I’ve oven-roasted plenty of tomatoes in my lifetime, especially when I need to pull and extract as much flavor as I can from less-than-exemplary specimens. Pesto
Make-Ahead Muffin Melts This is another recipe from my mother’s recipe collection. It’s a make-ahead concoction meant to be spread on English muffins and broiled. And it’s just…it’s just… It’s divine. And here’s what you need. Hard boiled eggs, shredded cheddar, fried bacon, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, and Worcestershire. Sorry about the excessive bokeh. Start by peeling all the eggs… Then give ‘em a rough chop. Throw the bacon on a cutting board, trying not to eat it all in the process… Then chop it up into bits…trying not to eat it all in the process. Throw the eggs in a bowl… Then throw in the shredded cheddar. I’ve been grating cheese in my food processor lately and I have to say, I’ve never been happier in my life. Then comes the bacon and a cup of mayo. Now hear this! A good, heaping tablespoon of Dijon. Do not skip this ingredient or your life will spiral downward into a series of unfortunate events. I’m not even kidding. Next comes some garlic powder. You think I’m kidding, but I’m not. *Burp* Sorry.
Baked Eggs with Bacon and Spinach Do y’all remember the scene in Runaway Bride (that’s an Oscar contender if I’ve ever seen one…) where Julia Roberts realizes that she doesn’t know how she likes her eggs? You know, because she’s always turning herself into the girl that the guy she’s marrying wants to be with? Yeah. That’s not me. I know how I like my eggs, although I will say that it depends on the day. Hey, I’m an independent woman…throw your hands up at me. Now that we’ve established my egg-eating habits, though, I have to say – baked eggs are kind of amazing, an unexpected new love in my egg-eating life. Serves 2, but this can be split in half easily to make them in small individual ramekins. 4 whole eggs3-4 slices thick-cut bacon, cooked and chopped1/2 cup loosely packed spinach2 Tbsp cream2 Tbsp butter, meltedsalt and pepper to taste1/4 tsp thyme Preheat oven to 375. So now it’s your turn – egg fan?
WhipperDish: Chocolate Ganache Blocks I admit it…I am a chocolate LOVER!! I will take it in all forms, but I especially love this recipe. It’s perfect on its own, but lovely when added to some warm milk to make the most heavenly hot chocolate! Add some homemade marshmallows and you’re all set for a cozy winter night! Chocolate Ganache Blocks {Click here to print the recipe} 1/2 cup of heavy cream 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk 3 cups of semisweet chocolate chips 1 teaspoon vanilla {or any other flavoring that you would like, e.g. hazelnut, peppermint, coffee, or whatever would be good with chocolate} Using a double boiler, (I use a heat-safe bowl on top of a sauce pan) place 2-3 inches of water in the sauce pan. Heat the cream and the sweetened condensed milk in the bowl of the double boiler. Once warm add the chocolate and gently melt. After about 10 minutes, whisk mixture until thick and smooth. Whisk in the flavoring and pour into a parchment or foil lined 8x8 in. dish.