Chocolate Love: A Wicked Good Brownie
04 Feb 2012 33 Comments
in Bake, Bloghop Love, Dessert, Gourmet, Sweet Tags: Brownie, donna hay #chocolatelove, penut butter
Jeff: you put peanut butter in my chocolate? Georgie: you put chocolate in my peanut butter?
I can honestly say, in an embarrassing kind of way… that I have been known to eat reese’s peanut butter cups at least once a week (sometimes more). I try to stay away from the stuff, well, because it makes a girls hips jiggle.
Chocolate Brownie Cookie & Peanut Butter Frosting
That being said…
I recently picked up a copy of the 10th birthday collector’s edition of Donna Hay magazine. Inside I found an entire section devoted to brownies, and one recipe in particular inspired me to get baking right away… brownie cookies with peanut butter frosting.
Brownie Cookie Mix
These are perfect for #chocolatelove bloghop and as a Valentines day treat. I decided to add another layer of flavor by making maple frosting brownie cookies as well… for those who don’t share in my love in peanut butter or have allergies. This way everyone gets some chocolate love.
Something Wicked Good Comes This Way... Brownie Cookies
All I can say is… hold on tight you’re about to crash into the most luscious, scrumptious wicked chocolate decadence.
Wicked Good Brownie
Here’s what you’ll need: parchment paper, baking sheet, makes 12 saucer cookies.
For the Brownie Cookies
12.5 ounces dark chocolate (chopped) I used milk chocolate 
2 – 3/4 tablespoons butter (40 grams)
2/3 cup of caster sugar (superfine)
1/4 cup all purpose flour (sifted)
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
For the Peanut Butter Frosting
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1 cup confectioners sugar (powder sugar)
5 – 3/4 tablespoons butter (80 grams)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup of heavy cream
For the Maple Frosting
1 cup confectioner’s sugar (powder sugar)
5 – 3/4 tablespoons butter (80 grams)
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
2 tablespoons of heavy cream
Preparing the Brownie Cookie
Baking Brownies
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
(Please use parchment paper these cookies spread out wide and burn quickly).
Place 8 ounces of chopped chocolate and butter in a saucepan on low heat, stir until smooth and melted. Set aside for later use.
Place eggs, sugar and vanilla in an electric mixer and whisk for 15 minutes until pale and creamy. Stir in the flour, baking powder, chocolate mixture and the remaining chocolate and let rest for 10 minutes.
Use a teaspoon – these cookies spread out like saucers. Scoop a teaspoonful of the brownie mixture onto parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until brownies are puffed and cracked on top. Remove from oven and allow to cool on trays.
Preparing the Peanut Butter Frosting
Place sugar, peanut butter, butter and vanilla in an electric mixer and beat for 6 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the cream and beat for another 2 minutes.
Preparing the Maple Frosting
Place sugar, butter, maple syrup and vanilla bean paste in an electric mixer and beat for 6 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the cream and beat for another 2 minutes.
Once the brownie cookies have cooled, spread a heaping scoop of frosting onto one cookie and sandwich with another. If you’re like me and love chocolate and peanut butter and maple then you’re gonna want to make a double batch… or hide some for later – they go really – really fast.
Maple & Peanut Butter Frosting Brownie Cookies
I’m part of bloghop, where the food blog community connects with other blogs to share recipes and spread the love. This month, February is #chocolatelove month!
You’re more than welcome to join us in #chocolatelove fun by simply adding your recipe at the end of this bloghop! Be sure to link back to this post, so that your readers know to stop by the #chocolatelove event! The twitter hashtag is #chocolatelove – have Fun!
Pistachio Orange Oatmeal Cookies
19 Jan 2012 5 Comments
in Bake, Bloghop Love, Cookie, Gourmet, Sweet Tags: Cookie, cookies, oatmeal, oatmeal cookie, orange, orange zest, pistachio
Here is the scrumptious Pistachio Orange Oatmeal Cookie recipe I promised to post. I served these with my Orange Peel Sweet of the Spoon dessert and a bowl of vanilla bean ice cream. These tasty little cookies are crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside, similar to a granola cookie. I hope you enjoy them!
Pistachio Orange Oatmeal Cookies
Here’s what you’ll need…
Makes 20 to 30 cookies
4 tbsp salted butter, melted
1/2 cup pistachios, chopped
1/2 cup oats, chopped
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoon orange juice
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 tablespoons corn syrup ( I used Lyle’s Golden Syrup)
dash of salt
Preheat oven to 425
Melt the butter in a saucepan, set aside. In a food processor, pulse the pistachios and raw oats into tiny pieces. Combine all ingredients – the butter, sugar, oats, flour, baking powder, orange juice, orange zest, corn syrup and salt into a bowl, mixing until all ingredients are incorporated.
Orange Pistachio Oatmeal Cookie
Using a measuring teaspoon, scoop a spoonful onto a baking sheet, be sure to space several inches apart. Bake for 6-8 minutes (each oven varies, so keep an eye on them – they bake fast), or until the cookies begin to brown around the edges. Let them cool on a baking sheet.
Pistachio Orange Oatmeal Cookies & Greek Coffee
Serve with a glass of milk, ice cream or a nice cup of Greek coffee – the way I ate them.
Citrus Love with Orange Peel ‘Sweet of the Spoon’
07 Jan 2012 36 Comments
in Bloghop Love, Canning, Dessert, Gourmet, Greek Dishes, Sweet Tags: #citruslove, bloghop, bloghop love, citrus, citrus love, Gliko Koutaliou Portokali, Greek dessert, γλυκο του κουταλιου, sppon dessert, sweet of the spoon
As a child I would watch my mother baking in the kitchen, all the while waiting for her to call me over – her “little helper”. How I loved to watch my mother bake, I was amazed as she created works of art. One of my favorite desserts she would make was a sweet of the spoon, in Greece called “γλυκο του κουταλιου”, where she simmered assorted fruit peels into a delectable dessert.
Citrus Love
As a Greek tradition, it is customary to offer this luscious spoon sweet to your guest upon arriving, served alongside water and Greek coffee. My mother carried this tradition well into my adulthood. Today for #citruslove I am inviting you into my kitchen and passing along this beautiful tradition, serving you “Gliko Koutaliou Portokali” also known as “Orange Peel Sweet of the Spoon”.
Greek Sweet of the Spoon
Here’s what you’ll need…
Makes 2 – 12 ounce mason jars of sweet preserves
8 navel oranges
2 cups of sugar
1 1/2 cups of water
2 teaspoons of lemon juice
Preparing the orange peel:
Clean by washing and brushing your oranges. Slice and remove the peel in strips, removing all of the oranges external rind using a knife or a peeler. There’s no need to remove all the pith, keeping some of the pith adds to the flavor. Continue to cut the orange peel rind into 1/2 inch thin strips – julienne style. (save the inside of the orange for eating, smoothie or juicing).
Preparing Orange Peels
Note: Traditionally in Greece when preserving large strips of fruit peels, like oranges, grapefruits and watermelons, it’s routine to sew and thread the fruit rinds into a circle, similar to the photo below. I also used a skewer to speed up the process, though this leaves large holes in your fruit.
Threading Orange Peels
Place the peels in a large saucepan with enough cold water, be sure to cover about 2 inches. The peels will naturally want to float to the top so I placed a dish atop to fully submerge them in the water. Let soak for 12 hours or overnight. You will need to pour the water out, rinse the orange peels and refill saucepan with cold water. Repeat this process approximately every 4 hours.
Drying the Orange Peels
After the peels have soaked, pour out the water, rinse the peels and refill saucepan with water. Place saucepan on stove at medium high heat and bring to a boil, cooking for 5 minutes from when water begins to boil. Drain and rinse the peels with cold water. Repeat boiling and rinsing process two additional times for three minutes each time. Rinse the orange peels and strain in colander removing excess water.
In order to remove excess moisture, place orange peels on a flat surface atop of a towel to dry anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 hours.
Preparing the sweet of the spoon:
Place sugar and water in a saucepan and stir until sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook for 5 minutes. Add orange peels and allow to simmer on a low boil for 20 minutes until a syrup begins to form and thickens slightly. My mother wanted me to tell you – it should be thick like honey, enough to coat your spoon, hence sweet of the spoon. Once you’ve reached the desired consistency, add the 2 teaspoons of lemon juice, stir until combined.
The Orange Peel Sweet of the Spoon
Allow to cool completely before storing in sterilized jars. Since I was serving this for a dinner party and gave some as party favors in small 4 ounce jars, I bypassed the canning process.
There are so many ways to serve this luscious sweet syrupy dessert – with a scone, on toast or simply by the spoonful. Do as the Greeks do and serve it as your first course at a dinner party. But… this Greek got adventurous and served dessert last, graciously set atop a heaping scoop of vanilla bean ice cream with a pistachio orange oatmeal cookie – (recipe soon to follow). I wanted my guests blabbering sweet nothings at their departure.
Ice Cream Orange Peel Topping
I’m part of bloghop, where the food blog community connects with other blogs to share recipes and spread the love. This month, January is #citruslove month!
You’re more than welcome to join us in #citruslove fun by simply adding your recipe at the end of this bloghop! Be sure to link back to this post, so that your readers know to stop by the #citruslove event! The twitter hashtag is #citruslove – have Fun & OPA!
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Cookie Love: Cranberry Turtle Bars
03 Dec 2011 27 Comments
in Bake, Bloghop Love, Cookie, Dessert, Gourmet, Holiday, Sweet Tags: #cookielove, bloghop, bloghop love, chocolate, Cookie, cranberry, cranberry turtle bars, pecan
Who doesn’t love chocolate pecan turtles? They’re my go to candy bar when I’m craving chocolate, especially when I’m visiting our local chocolatier at Chocopologie Cafe. This month’s bloghop “Cookie Love” got me thinking about my favorite candy “pecan turtles” and one of my favorite cookies “shortbread”. I remembered reading a cookie recipe from Gourmet magazine and thought these would be perfect for bloghop cookie love and perfect as holiday gifts.
Bloghop #Cookielove
Cranberry Turtle Bars: (Recipe adapted from Gourmet Live Blog)
Cranberry Turtle Bars
Here’s what you’ll need: Candy thermometer, 10 x 15 baking pan – makes 24 to 36 bars (based on cut size)
For the crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 – 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
For the topping:
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 – 2/3 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup (I used Lyle’s golden syrup)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup dried cranberries, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups pecans, coarsely chopped
1 cup chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place rack in the middle to bake.
For the crust:
Line a 10 x 15-inch shallow baking pan with foil, butter all 4 sides, except the bottom.
Blend the flour, brown sugar, and salt into a food processor, add butter and pulse until mixture resembles cornmeal. Layer into baking pan, pressing down firmly with a metal spatula to form an even sheet.
Place in oven and bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until golden in color. Remove and let cool on a wire rack.
For the topping:
Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stir in sugar, corn syrup, and salt and bring to a boil. Stirring occasionally, until caramel registers 245 degrees on a candy thermometer, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, add the cranberries, coating them entirely in caramel sauce. Return to stove and boil until caramel cranberry mixture reaches 245 degrees.
Remove from heat, stir in vanilla mixing well, add the pecans stirring into caramel mixture coating well. Quickly, pour the caramel topping onto the cookie shortbread base, gently spread pecans and berries evenly. For the final layer, sprinkle chocolate chips throughout to cover.
Cool completely, it’s important to allow the topping to set. Once completely cooled, cut the bars into equal pieces and serve. Now only if I could keep from eating them all.
I’m part of bloghop, where the food blog community connects with other blogs to share recipes and spread the love. This month, December is #cookielove month!
You’re more than welcome to join us in #cookielove fun by simply adding your recipe at the end of this bloghop! Be sure to link back to this post, so that your readers know to stop by the #cookielove event! The twitter hashtag is #cookielove
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SquashLove: Acorn Squash Gnocchi, meet Candied Walnut Pesto
05 Nov 2011 57 Comments
in Bloghop Love, Gourmet Tags: BlogLove
The first time I ate gnocchi, I fell in love. I remember it as though it were yesterday. Jeff and I had just begun dating and this was our first fancy dress up dinner date. It was such a memorable evening that I’m still feeling the intoxicating effects today.
Bloghop Love
Our dinner date was at Cafe Vico, where upon arrival we were promptly greeted by chef and owner Marco Vico, who gently held my hand, kissed it and called me “Bella”, I remember blushing. Marco lead us to a romantic cozy alcove, where we were served warm crusty bread with an herb and garlic infused olive oil, soon followed by a savory zuppa di porcini and crispy fried calamari. Once the main course arrived in huge serving plates, I immediately coddled my handmade gnocchi resting in a creamy pesto sauce, while Jeff consumed chicken marsala set upon succulent layers of perfectly sauteed baby bella mushrooms.
Our dinner ended with a rich deep roast espresso and a dreamy fluffy tiramisu. The dining experience left me reminiscing the evening’s tasty morsels… great food, excellent service, a beautiful setting and the finest of company… it was all very exquisite. The magic continues today for both my deep love for Jeff and gnocchi.
Gnocchi Love
Why am I gushing about love?
Well, I’ll tell ya!
I’m part of this month’s blogHop, where the food blog community connects with other blogs to share recipes and spread the love. This months bloghop is focusing on the wonderful Autumn harvest with the incredible lovable squash.
So for today…for this month’s bloghop we’re uniting in the name of #squashlove… Acorn Squash Gnocchi meet Candied Walnut Pesto
You are cordially invited to dinner…
Here’s what you’ll need
Squash Gnocchi
1 1/2 pounds acorn squash
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (additional for rolling out gnocchi)
2 large eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
4 tablespoons butter
2 garlic gloves, minced
salt & pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese, finely grated for topping
Candied Walnut Pesto
1 cup candied walnuts
1 cup arugula
6 sage leaves
3/4 cup olive oil
2 garlic gloves
2 tablespoons of acorn squash ( I added squash to blend the flavors with my homemade gnocchi)
For the Gnocchi
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Cut the acorn squash in half, scoop out seeds. Using a 1 tablespoon of butter, dollop into the center of squash, place on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and place in oven. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until tender when pierced with a fork. Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 6 hours or overnight. Reserve 2 tablespoons for pesto. (make ahead).
Squash Love
In a small sauce pan, heat the remaining butter, add minced garlic and chopped fresh sage, cook until golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Place on a paper towel to drain excess oil. Set aside until ready to use.
For the Pesto
In a food processor, combine arugula, sage leaves, squash, candied walnuts, olive oil, garlic cloves and blend until a rich thick paste has been reached. Remove and place in airtight container, refrigerate until ready to use. (make ahead).
Candied Walnut Pesto
Preparing Gnocchi
Peel and puree the acorn squash, place in food processor, add the sauteed sage and garlic, mixing well. Add the eggs, salt and pepper, mix well. Add the flour, a little at a time, stirring to combine all the ingredients. The gnocchi should be soft but not sticky, if sticky add a tablespoon of flour at a time until a soft consistency is reached.
Mixing the Gnocchi
Transfer to a work surface and knead briefly until smooth. Keep your work surface, tools, hands and dough lightly floured as you work. Roll 1 portion of dough into a 1/2 inch thick rope and sprinkle lightly with flour. Using a knife, cut the rope into 1/2 inch pieces. Layer Gnocchi on a lightly floured parchment-lined baking tray. Finish making the remaining Gnocchi. Freeze remaining gnocchi in layers on wax or parchment-lined freezer tray. Gnocchi may be frozen for a month. Cook from freezer—do not thaw.
Rolling out the Gnocchi
In a large pot of boiling salted water, preparing in 2 batches, cook the gnocchi for 15 to 17 minutes or until gnocchi floats to the surface.
Acorn Squash Gnocchi with Candied Walnut Pesto
Drain the cooked gnocchi and add them to the pan with the candied walnut pesto. Toss gently to coat. Serve warm and top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. (Gnocchi recipe adapted from Mario Batali)
You’re more than welcome to join us by simply adding your recipe at the end of this bloghop!
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