Twice Baked Parmesan Shortbread

I haven't made shortbread for a while. This recipe looked really good so I combined it with a parmesan shortbread recipe by adding 1/2 cup parmesan and extra salt and black pepper. They came out prety good but next time I want try it with chocolate shortbread. Mmmmmmm ....

Ingredients:

11 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and still warm
5 tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup parmesan

Method:

In a medium bowl, combine the melted butter, sugar vanilla and salt. Add the flour and cheese and mix until just incorporated. Pat the dough evenly into a foil-lined 8 inch square pan. Let it rest for at least 2 hours or overnight (no need to refrigerate).

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 300F. Bake the shortbread for 45 minutes.

Remove pan from oven, leaving the oven on. Let the shortbread cool for 10 minutes.

Remove shortbread from pan and cut it into oblong "fingers" or squares. Sprinkle with more parmesan cheese. Place the pieces slightly apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for another 15 minutes. Cool on a rack before storing.

Muffin Thursday: Lemon Thyme Date Muffins

These are really excellent muffins. The recipe was for a loaf cake but I didn't feel like waiting that long for them to bake so I made muffins instead. Plus they're easier to share this way. :-)

This recipe comes from The Dinner Vine. I changed the whole eggs to yolks and the original recipe called for blackberries but I used dates instead.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
6 egg yolks
3 tsp lemon zest
2 tsp chopped, FRESH thyme
2 cups chopped dates
1/4 cup 2% milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup extra virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and prepare muffin pan with papers.
In small bowl, combine dry ingredients: flour, soda, salt, set aside.
In another bowl combine eggs, lemon zest, and sugar, beating well.
Add vanilla.
Beat in milk.
Add oil, gradually, mixing until incorporated.
Add dry ingredients, only stirring lightly.
Now gently stir in dates and thyme until combined.
Bake in muffin pan for about 20 min or until they bounce back to the touch.

Red Velvet Cake a la The Cheesecake Factory

A friend asked me to make him a red velvet cake. Of course I started searching recipes on taste spotting and food gawker, looking for a recipe first based on the pictures of the cake and then the ease of the recipe and the availability of ingredients. But this weekend someone told me that the best red velvet cake they've ever had came from The Cheesecake Factory of all places. I've never even been there but I hear that it's pretty generic food and the menu is overwhelmingly large. The only thing I know about that place is that there is never less than a mile-long line at the one in the King of Prussia Mall and Chris Rock once said that his favorite sandwich is their shrimp and bacon sandwich. That sounds so gross. Anyway, I googled this cake and of course someone has broken it down for me and duplicated it.

I should have known that it is a red velvet cake with a cheesecake layer in the middle (duh- it's from The Cheesecake Factory). Then it gets a cream cheese icing and voila- Elias Grimm's own personal heaven. I decided to bake this before this Wed/Thurs 105 degree heat wave we're about to get when the oven will be shut down until further notice. Marie has declared- "cooktop and bbq cooking only- no oven Sam".

This recipe comes from Recipe Girl. I've never made a cheesecake before so this was new for me. Turns out they are incredibly easy. A little more expensive with all the cream cheese, heavy cream, and sour cream that I usually buy fresh for each recipe, but this is a special cake so I made an exception.

The only thing that I changed for this recipe was to use all egg yolks instead of whole eggs. However I left the original recipe alone and pasted it below with the whole eggs. I also used a gel food coloring instead of the bottled liquid kind listed below.



Cheesecake Layer Ingredients:

Two (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
2/3 cup granulated white sugar
pinch of salt
2 large eggs
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Red Velvet Cake Layer Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups granulated white sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups vegetable or canola oil
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup (two 1-ounce bottles) red food coloring
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons white vinegar

Cream Cheese Icing Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted lightly to remove any lumps
Two (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Method:

1. Prepare the cheesecake layer: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place a large roasting pan on the lower third rack of the oven. Place a kettle of water on the stove to boil. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick spray and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper. Wrap a double layer of foil around the bottom and up the sides of the pan (you want to seal it so the water from the water bath doesn't seep into the pan). In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to mix the cream cheese- blend until it is nice and smooth and creamy. Mix in sugar and salt and blend for 2 minutes, scraping down sides of the bowl as needed. Add eggs, one at a time, blending after each addition. Finally, mix in sour cream, whipping cream and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Set the pan into the roasting pan in the pre-heated oven. Carefully pour the hot water from your kettle into the roasting pan (it will fill the pan surrounding the cheesecake). Pour enough water so that there is about an inch of water coming up the foil along the sides of the cheesecake pan. Bake the cheesecake for 45 minutes. It should be set to the touch and not jiggly. Remove the cheesecake from the roasting pan and let it cool on a wire rack for at least an hour. When it has cooled, place the pan into the freezer and let the cheesecake freeze completely. This can be done in several hours- or overnight.

2. Prepare the cake layers: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round metal baking pans (or spray with nonstick baking spray with flour). In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Add eggs, oil, buttermilk, food coloring, vanilla and vinegar to the flour mixture. Using an electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat for 1 minute, until blended. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pans, dividing equally. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Let cool in pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pans, then invert cakes onto a rack to cool completely.

3. Prepare the frosting: In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat powdered sugar, cream cheese, butter and vanilla until it is smooth and creamy (do not overbeat).

4. Assemble the cake: Place one cake layer into the center of a cake plate or platter. Remove the cheesecake from the freezer, take off the sides of the pan, and slide a knife under the parchment to remove the cheesecake from the pan. Peel off the parchment. Measure your cheesecake layer against the cake layers. If the cheesecake layer turns out to be a slightly larger round than your cake, move it to a cutting board and gently shave off some of the exterior of the cheesecake to get it to the same size as your cake layers. Place the cheesecake layer on top of the first cake layer. Place the 2nd cake layer on top of the cheesecake.

5. Frost the cake: Apply a crumb coat layer to the cake- use a long, thin spatula to cover the cake completely with a thin and even layer of frosting. Be sure to wipe off your spatula each time you are about to dip it back into the bowl to get more frosting (this way you won't be transferring any red crumbs into the bowl of frosting). Don't worry at this point about the crumbs being visible in the frosting on the cake. When your cake has a thin layer of frosting all over it, place it into the refrigerator for 30 minutes to "set" the frosting. Once the first layer of frosting is set, apply the 2nd layer. Start by adding a large scoop of frosting onto the top of the cake. Use a long, thin spatula to spread the frosting evenly across the top and then spread it down the sides of the cake too. Because you applied a crumb-coat layer, you shouldn't have any red crumbs floating around in the final frosting layer. Decorate, as desired.

*A little chocolate ganache drizzled around the edge never hurt!!*

Denver Brownies

For Father's Day dinner with the fam: David Leibovits's absolutely best brownie recipe with cream cheese icing and then chocolate ganache on top. My mom used to make these brownies at the bakery and she called them Denver Brownies. The flavor combo is pretty distinct and completely amazing.

My Dad likes just a little bit of chocolate for dessert so this was the perfect father's day treat for him. I got the brownie recipe from Thyme For Cooking.

I changed the recipe a little by using all yolks instead of whole eggs and I left my walnuts raw instead of toasting them.

Brownie Ingredients:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 egg yolks
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup walnuts

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 and prepare an 8x8 baking pan with tin foil and cooking spray.
Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the chocolate, stir until melted and then remove from the heat, don't burn the chocolate.
Add the sugar and vanilla and stir them in.
Add the egg and stir for 30 secs.
Add the flour and stir like crazy for one minute until batter gets smooth and shiny.
Add walnuts and stir to combine.
Pour into pan and flatten down with spatula.
Bake for about 30 minutes, a few crumbs will still stick to a knife inserted in the center. It will set at it cools.
Once the brownies have cooled completely you can spread a layer of Cream Cheese Icing and then a layer of Chocolate Ganache on top.

Cream Cheese Icing Recipe

Chocolate Ganache Recipe

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes

Sunday morning pancakes!! This recipe comes from The Little Red House.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons sugar
3 egg yolks
1 cup milk
1/2 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup ground flax seed
1/8 cup wheat germ
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of salt

Water to thin batter

Method:

Mix all dry ingredients (2nd paragraph), set aside.
Mix all wet ingredients (1st paragraph).
Add dry to wet and mix just to combine.
Add water enough to thin the batter to thick soup consistency.
Heat and butter pancake griddle and ladle out your tester pancake, once it really starts to cook you can ladle the rest.

Potato Chip Cookies

I actually got this recipe from the Martha Stewart Living magazine but you can find it on her website as well. I forgot to put the nuts in and I didn't buy a big enough bag of chips so I had to use some tortilla chips as well.

Ingredients:

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt

4 cups coarsely crushed salted potato chips (about 10 ounces), divided

Method:

Preheat the oven to 375.
Mix flour, b soda, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
Cream the butter and sugars in the mixer for about 2 minutes then add vanilla and eggs one at a time until just mixed.
Add the flour mix to the butter in 2 additions while mixer is off and get ready for flour to spray everywhere.
Add about half of the chips and mix just til combined.
Take tablespoon-sized balls of dough and roll them in the other half of the crushed potato chips and spread them between 3 baking sheets.
Bake for 12 to 14 minutes until brown.

I also put chocolate chips on one of the trays just to see how that would taste. Next time I want to put sea salt in the chips that you roll the dough in to make them extra salty.

Whole Wheat Honey Cinnamon Cornbread

I'm still trying to use up my Masa flour. This recipe used 3/4 cup and came out really well so I will be adding fruit to it in the future in order to use up the rest of the bag. Blueberries are the obvious choice. This recipe could also have a little bit more honey or sugar in it and be a nice cake. I would double the recipe and put whipped cream in between and fresh berries or something.

This recipe comes from Edible Perspective.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup fine-medium ground cornmeal
3/4 cup masa harina
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup low-fat buttermilk
5 Tbsp honey
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp oil

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 and grease a 9x9 square pan.
Combine all dry ingredients in one bowl, set aside.
Combine wet ingredients in another bowl.
Add dry to wet and mix just til combined.
Pour batter into pan.
At this point I sprinkled some oats and more cinnamon on top just for fun but blueberries would be nice sprinkled on top as well.
Bake for around 20 to 25 minutes or until a knife comes out clean from the center.

Mocha Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yes it is so hot outside that Philly public schools are getting out early and what am I doing besides online job-hunting? Heating my oven to a cool 350 degrees. That's just how I roll- sweaty and smelling like cinnamon.

This recipe comes from Annie's Eats.

Ingredients:

3½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. sea salt
2 tbsp. instant coffee

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tbsp. vanilla extract

1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup shredded coconut



Method:

Preheat oven to 350.
Mix all dry ingredients in bowl and set aside.
Cream room temp butter and sugars in mixer until light and fluffy.
Add eggs one at a time and mix in between.
Add vanilla and mix.
Add flour to mixer in a few additions and beat just til combined.
Add chocolate chips and coconut and mix just til combined.
Spread tablespoon-sized balls of batter onto 4 cookie sheets and bake for 14 to 16 minutes until brown on the edges.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Fresh Whipped Cream and Chocolate Ganache

That's a mouthful. This recipe comes from Plump Me Up. A perfect cake for a BBQ to share with friend and neighbors.

Cake Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon

4 eggs
3/4 cup canola oil
3/4 cup apple sauce

3 cups grated zucchini
1 cup chocolate chips

Whipped Cream Ingredients:

2 cups heavy cream
3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Chocolate Ganache Ingredients:

1 cup heavy cream
4 tsp instant coffee
16 oz (2 1/2 cups) semisweet chocolate chips



Method:

Let's start with the cake shall we? No mixer required here! Preheat oven to 350. Combine all dry ingredients into one bowl and eggs, oil, and apple sauce in another bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until almost combined. Add the zucchini and the chocolate chips to the batter and mix to combine. Pour into two greased and floured 9 inch round cake pans and bake for 50 minutes or until a knife comes out almost completely clean from the cake. It's ok if there are still some moist crumbs on the knife because zucchini is a little wet any way. You want this cake to stay nice and moist, right Molly? (We like a moist cake around here) Let the cakes cool for a bit in the pan and then run a knife around the edges to remove them from the pan. Once they are room temp you can cut them each into two layers giving you a total of four layers.

While the cake is in the oven you can make the ganache by heating the cream until little bubbles form, but don't let it boil, then stir in the coffee until it is combined and then add in the chocolate chips and remove from the heat. Stir in the chocolate chips until you have a smooth ganache. Yum.

Right before you are ready to assemble the cake (once the cake layers are cool so the whip doesn't melt) make your whipped cream. With the whisk attachment of your electric mixer whip cream, sugar, and vanilla until it looks like whipped cream, duh.

Assemble the cake by layering cake then whipped cream, using all four pieces of cake with whip between layers. On the top pour ganache and spread it with an off-set knife until it drips over the sides. Put a strawberry on top and you're done!

Whole Wheat Blueberry Cornmeal Pancakes

It's Sunday morning, let's make pancakes!! The party's not over the day after a BBQ. I have to make pancakes for the neighbors and my mom and sister.

Ingredients:

1 1/ 4c whole wheat flour
1/2 c cornmeal
1 tsp salt
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 c buttermilk
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla

water to thin batter

blueberries

Method:

Mix all dry ingredients in one bowl and then all wet in another bowl, pour the dry into the wet and then thin the batter to thick soup consistency with a little water.
Heat pancake pan and melt a little butter on there to grease it.
After you pour out the pancakes onto the pan add a few blueberries to each one, then flip them.

Vegan Whole Wheat Oatmeal Cookies

I had a BBQ last night. Very fun. I made these cookies for my vegan friend Ben and everyone else ate them all!! They are so easy to make and you know I love that there is no mixer required. I guess that's the upside to not using butter, it's the same method as making muffins- mix dry together, mix wet together, combine them. This is also the first time that I have used a flax egg in a cookie. I have tried it in muffins before but not in a cookie- I think it worked well, the cookies are crispy on the outside and a bit chewy on the inside from the honey.

The recipe is from What Would Cathy Eat? I did change it a little: honey instead of molasses and walnuts instead of toasted pecans.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon ground flax seed mixed with 3 tablespoons water

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 ¼ cup rolled oats (old fashioned, not quick)
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Scant ½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

½ cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons unsulphured molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup organic canola oil

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350.
Make your flax seed egg by mixing the flax seed with the water and microwaving for 30 seconds, set aside.
Combine all dry ingredients and walnuts in a small bowl (2nd paragraph), set aside.
Combine all wet ingredients in a larger bowl (3rd paragraph).
Add dry to wet and stir to combine.
Spread cookies (about 1 tbsp balls) on 2 cookies sheets and then squish them down a little flat because they don't spread and melt quite like regular cookies.
Bake about 15 minutes or until they are set and crisp on the edges.

Molly, why did you show me this picture?

Ok so I never do this, I NEVER DO THIS, but it has to be done. I'm doing it... I'm reposting a picture from the internet that has been circulating recently and was one of the top hits when I did a google image search for "cute pig". My friend Molly AKA Mole whipped this picture out of nowhere one day and I was speechless. I am rarely speechless. This picture embodies cute like banana and chocolate embodies delicious, like the Mona Lisa embodies art, and like wearing sweatpants with high heels (Noo Noo Burger reference) embodies New Jersey housewives.

I am not sure who to credit this photo to. I don't know who took it and I'm not sure I could ever find out because it has been reposted over and over again on a million different sites. However, to the photographer I say thank you for the cuteness and also damn you for etching it into my brain for all eternity.

Your welcome people.

Extra Banana Marbled Cocoa Banana Bread

I made a healthy banana bread with no added sugar and the flavor punch of 6 bananas. The recipe comes from Amandeleine. I changed the butter to canola oil and then marbled it with some cocoa powder.

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup canola oil
2 eggs, beaten
6 mashed medium overripe banana
1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons cocoa
2 tablespoons boiling water

Method:

Preheat oven to 375.
Spray one loaf pan or 2 mini loaf pans lik I did, set aside.
Mix all dry ingredients in one bowl, set aside.
Mix all wet ingredients in another bowl, set aside.
Boil water and mix with cocoa powder until combined into a paste.
Mix flour into banana mixture and stop mixing before it is totally combined.
Pour about half of the mixture into another bowl and mix the cocoa paste into it, try not to over-mix it.
Finish mixing the un-cocoaed batter until combined.
Pour half of each batter into separate ends of the loaf pan and then drag a butter knife back and forth in the middle to get a marbled effect.
Bake for about 25 mins for mini loaf pans and 45 mins to an hour for the single large loaf pan.

White Chocolate Chip Mocha Cookies

Doesn't that sound good? Coffee and white chocolate in one cookie! White Chocolate is a funny thing isn't it? Not really chocolate, just oil and sugar right? But they are on sale at Acme right now so I got an opportunity to play with them.

This recipe comes from Bake Girl. I made a few changes: I subbed in a little whole wheat flour, bumped up the instant coffee, used all white sugar and a little molasses instead of brown sugar, aaaaaaaand for the first time ever I used chocolate extract that I bought a million years ago from Whole Foods.

I also finally stopped using my phone to take pictures of my food. It broke. So now I am using a real life digital camera and I think it is quite an improvement.



Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
4 tablespoons instant coffee granules
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar plus 2 tbsp molasses
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon chocolate extract extract

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup white chocolate chips

Method:

Preheat oven to 375.
Mix all dry ingredients in bowl and set aside (1st paragraph of ingredients)
Cream butter, sugar, and molasses in stand mixer until light and fluffy.
Add eggs and beat in between.
Add choc extract and beat.
Add dry ingredients in a couple of additions, it will fly everywhere because of the cocoa so add it when the mixer is off and pot a towel over it when you turn it on.
Add choc and white choc chips and combine.
Divide between 3 baking sheets and bake for about 15 mins, I like mine more well done so if you like them soft take them out sooner.