Showing posts with label Baking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Baking. Show all posts

Monday, November 25, 2013

S'mores cookies


I entered these cookies into a baking contest at my company's picnic this summer and while they didn't win, they were a clear favorite with the younger picnickers. It's a very simple recipe, with only about eight main ingredients: graham crackers, butter, sugar, an egg, flour, marshmallows, and Hershey's kisses. 

This great recipe came from http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/. 

S'mores Cookies Recipe:
(Makes 2 dozen cookies)

Ingredients:
1 c. graham cracker crumbs
1-1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c. unsalted butter (room temp)
1/2 c. light brown sugar
1/3 c. granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
20 large marshmallows, cut in half
Approx. 40 chocolate kisses

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  
2. In a large bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, flour, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside. 
3. In another bowl, beat the butter and sugars together until creamy and smooth. 
4. Add in the egg and vanilla extract and mix until combined.  
5. Add the dry ingredients slowly and mix until just combined.  
6. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto a baking sheet, 1-2" apart. 
7. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until edges are just getting golden brown. 
8. Remove from oven and gently press a half marshmallow, sticky side down, onto each cookie.  Let cool completely.  
9. When all cookies are cooled down, preheat broiler.  Place cookies back on baking sheets and broil for 1-2 minutes, keeping a close eye on them so they don't char. 
10. When marshmallows are golden brown, remove from the broiler and place a chocolate kiss on top of each cookie.

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Making "Chocolate Pots de Crème"

Dash wanted to make "chocolate cream," but none of us could figure out what exactly he meant. His description was, "I want to heat up some chocolate and then drink it." Since he wasn't talking about hot cocoa, we discussed a few different recipes that came close before deciding to go for Julia Child and Jacques Pepin's "Chocolate Pots de Crème" from their co-authored Cooking at Home book. 

Here are the ingredients (not too intimidating, right?): 



We started out by separating out four egg yolks and whisking in 1/3 cup sugar. 



Dash tried some of the whisking, but it eventually got too thick for him to whisk. We heated up a pint of heavy cream to a simmer, then gradually poured the hot cream into the egg-sugar mix (careful to temper the eggs! didn't want a scramble).

We poured the custard through a sieve over the broken chocolate pieces (Dash smashed them with the butt of a knife through plastic wrap), then added 1.5 teaspoons of vanilla. We realized immediately that we should have done this over a double boiler, because the chocolate wasn't melting. Lucky for me, Monk already had one ready to go!

After the chocolate melted, I poured the mixture into ramekins (recipe called for six 1/2-cup ramekins, but I only had two 1/2-cup and three 3/4-cup ones) using a ladle.



The ramekins needed to sit in a baking pan with hot water poured in to fill halfway up the sides of the ramekins. 

I baked them at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Here's how they looked right out of the oven:



They need to cool for at least four hours in the refrigerator, so I'll have to wait to taste them! I'll update when it's time.

UPDATE:
Verdict = delicious!



 
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