A TRIO OF BROWNIES

Posted in Cake by sallybr

I cannot pick a favorite. Ok, one is not technically a brownie, but a blondie. Tomatoes, tomahtoes… They are all delicious, luscious, satisfying, rich, borderline decadent.

BISCOFF BLONDIES

If you are a lover of Biscoff cookies, these will bring a huge smile to your face. The recipe comes from thebiteofthebakes.com but for some reason it is unavailable, so I will cut and paste it from the file I had previously saved. I linked to the main site, but for some reason it won’t work in Safari, only in Chrome.

BISCOFF BLONDIES
(from biteofthebakes)

170g butter
170g white chocolate
110g brown sugar
110g granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 egg yolk
30ml heavy cream
250g all-purpose flour
25g cornstarch
200g chocolate chips
150g chopped Biscoff cookies
200g Biscoff spread

Heat your oven to 350F. Line a 9×11″ rectangular baking dish with baking paper.

In a microwaveable bowl, melt together unsalted butter and white chocolate. Melt in short bursts stirring well each time until smooth. In a large bowl or stand mixer add your melted chocolate, butter and sugar and mix until combined.

Add the eggs, egg yolk and double cream and stir until combined, then add the flour, cornstarch, fold gently. Add the chocolate chips and Biscoff pieces. Pour the mixture into your lined baking tin and swirl on some melted biscoff spread and top with more biscoff biscuits.

Bake for 25-30 minutes. Once baked, let the blondies cool completely in the pan, then place the blondie (still in the tin) in the fridge for a few hours or overnight before slicing.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

RED VELVET OREO BROWNIES

RED VELVET OREO BROWNIES
(from cakemehometonight)

½ cup unsalted butter
½ cup light brown sugar
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs room temperature
1 large egg yolk room temperature
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp red gel food coloring
½ tsp white vinegar
1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ tsp salt
1 ½ cups roughly chopped Oreo cookies
8 Oreo cookies

Heat the oven to 350℉. Prepare a 9×9 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and cover with parchment paper.

In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the unsalted butter and brown sugar. Microwave for 90 seconds until the butter is melted, and then whisk until the mixture is well combined and smooth. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the granulated sugar, eggs, and egg yolk. Use an electric hand mixer to whip the eggs and sugar for 2 to 3 minutes until light and pale. While mixing on low speed, slowly drizzle in the brown sugar mixture to temper the egg mixture. Add in the vegetable oil, vanilla extract, red gel food coloring, and white vinegar and mix until well combined.

Add in the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, and salt, and mix on low speed until combined and smooth. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Fold in the roughly chopped Oreo cookies.

Pour the red velvet brownie batter into the prepared baking pan and spread evenly with an offset spatula. Add additional broken Oreo cookies to the top of the brownie batter. Bake the brownies for 24-26 minutes until set. An inserted toothpick in the center of the brownies should come out with moist crumbs. Remove the pan from the oven and cool the brownies to room temperature. Cut the brownies into 16 squares.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

S’MORES BROWNIES

S’MORES BROWNIES
(from Eric Kim, by New York Times)

½ cup/113 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature, divided
135 grams honey graham crackers (about 9 whole crackers)
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
113 grams semisweet chocolate, broken into pieces
½ cup (100 grams) packed dark brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
½ cup (60 grams) all-purpose flour
170 grams marshmallows

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Grease a 9-inch square metal baking pan with ½ tablespoon of the butter. Line the pan with parchment paper leaving an overhang to make it easier to remove the brownies after baking. Use another 1/2 tablespoon of butter to grease the paper.

Line the bottom of the pan with a single layer of graham crackers, breaking them as needed to fit, then crush the rest of the crackers over and sprinkle with the granulated sugar.

Melt the remaining 7 tablespoons butter and chocolate gently in the microwave at 50% power. Stir in the brown sugar and salt, then let the mixture cool slightly until the bowl is no longer hot to the touch. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla, then continue whisking until smooth and shiny, about 1 minute. Whisk in the flour until no white streaks remain. Pour the batter over the graham crackers lining the pan.

Top the brownie batter with the marshmallows in a single layer and bake until the top is toasted and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center of the brownie comes out smudged with a little chocolate, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool completely, then refrigerate in the pan until ready to serve.

To serve, lift the brownie out of the pan and slice into squares or bars. Enjoy chilled, or at room temperature.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

I hope you try one or two or all of these recipes, because they are absolutely wonderful,
I guarantee it!

ONE YEAR AGO: A Typical Dinner at The Bewitching Kitchen

TWO YEARS AGO: Rolled Buttercream

THREE YEARS AGO: Miso-Ginger Turkey Meatballs with Cabbage “Noodles”

FOUR YEARS AGO: Smoked Shrimp Tacos with Roasted Jalapeño Salsa

FIVE YEARS AGO: Corn Fritters

SIX YEARS AGO: Minnie Macarons

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Air-Fried Mexican Meatloaf

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Mimi’s Sticky Chicken, a Call from my Past

NINE YEARS AGO: Perfect Soy-Grilled Steak

TEN YEARS AGO: The Devil’s Bread

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Heart of Palm Salad Skewers

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Potluck Frittata and Lavoisier

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Home-made Corn Tortillas

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO: Whole-Wheat Spaghetti with Peanut Sauce

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: Brigadeiros: A Brazilian Party!

SIXTEEN YEARS AGO: Lemony Asparagus

18Jul2025

SALMON AND BABY BOK CHOY OVER SUSHI RICE

Posted in Seafood by sallybr

I am often inspired by Molly Yeh and her fun show Girl Meets Farm on FoodTV Network. This is dinner in a single pan, filling and nutritious. I made the salmon in two different ways, as the husband prefers a simpler seasoning for his fish. See the comments for what I would change next time.

SALMON AND BABY BOK CHOY OVER SUSHI RICE
(adapted from Molly Yeh’s recipe)

1 + 1/2 cups sushi rice
4 small heads of baby bok choy, halved
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
1 limes, zested and halved
2 teaspoons kosher salt plus more for seasoning the salmon
2 + 3/4 cups water
2 tablespoons light miso paste
2 tablespoons Japanese mayonnaise
4 skinless center cut salmon fillets
Sriracha, for drizzling

Heat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Put the rice in a fine strainer and rinse until the water runs clear. Drain well and spread in a braiser. Lay the bok choy in an even layer over top. Drizzle with the neutral oil, sesame oil, ginger, lime zest, and salt. Drizzle the water into the braiser. Bring to a boil.

Cover tightly with a lid and bake for 15 minutes.

While the rice and bok choy bakes, stir together the miso and Japanese mayonnaise. Season the salmon lightly with salt and brush with the miso sauce.
After 15 minutes, carefully uncover the braiser and lay the salmon pieces over the rice and bok choy. Cover again and continue to bake until the rice is tender and the salmon is just cooked through, about 15 minutes more.

Uncover the braiser and broil on the top rack just until the top of the salmon is nicely glazed, about 1 minute. Squeeze the halved lime over top. Serve with a drizzle of Sriracha.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: First things first, I really loved the Japanese mayo-based topping for the filets. It is salty, a tad sweet, super flavorful. But the husband was happier with the more austere version I made for him, just olive oil, lemon juice, salt and Herbes de Provence. Do what suits you best. The rice was perfectly cooked using the timing suggested by Molly. Now, comes the full disclosure: the bok-choy disappointed us. It turned mushy and not at all the type of veggie we enjoy as a side dish. It is a nice idea to have everything in a single pan, but next time I will keep just the rice and salmon, and cook whatever veggie separately. Sautéed, air-fried, roasted. Anything to give it better texture.

We enjoyed it with air-fried carrots, so in the end it was a super nice meal for a Saturday night…

ONE YEAR AGO: The Pizzsalad

TWO YEARS AGO: Prosciutto-Wrapped Chicken Breasts with Pickled Jalapeños

THREE YEARS AGO: Dressing Up the Roll Cakes

FOUR YEARS AGO: Roasted Carrot and Barley Salad

FIVE YEARS AGO: Ode to Halva

SIX YEARS AGO: Brazilian Pao de Queijo (re-blogged)

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Apricot Linzer Torte

EIGHT YEARS AGO: A Trio of Air-Fried Goodies

NINE YEARS AGO: Focaccia with Grapes, Roquefort and Truffled Honey

TEN YEARS AGO: Moroccan Carrot Dip Over Cucumber Slices

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Cilantro-Jalapeno “Hummus”

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO:A Moving Odyssey

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO:Hoegaarden Beer Bread

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: Ancho-Chile Marinade: Pleased to Meat you!

SIXTEEN YEARS AGO: Shrimp Moqueca

13Jul2025

MEXICAN CONCHAS

Posted in Breads by sallybr

This recipe has been waiting for a long time in that list of “To Make Soon”. Better late than never, I actually made it twice, because I wasn’t totally happy with my first attempt. This is a classic Mexican sweet bread, with a colorful coating that is sweet and addictive…

for the concha press I used, click here

MEXICAN CONCHAS
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

makes 8 large conchas

4 cups (550g) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (100g) sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp instant yeast
1/4 tsp salt
6 tbsp (85g) butter at room temperature
3 eggs at room temperature
1 tbsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup warm milk

Topping
1 1/2 cups (185g) all purpose flour
1 1/2 cup (180g) powdered sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp coco powder
1 tsp freeze dried strawberries, ground
Food coloring (optional)

In the bowl of a KitchenAid type mixer, add the flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt, yeast, and butter cut into pieces. Using the hook, mix for a few minutes until the butter is fully incorporated. Add one egg at a time, mixing for a minute after addition. Slowly add the milk, and once the mixture is smooth, knead it for a full 15 minutes, until the dough is super smooth and elastic.

Transfer to a buttered bowl, and let it rise until doubled. About 2 hours.

Make the topping by kneading (by hand is fine) flour, powdered sugar and butter until a dough is formed. Divide it in four pieces, add cocoa powder to one of them fourths, strawberry powder to the second half, vanilla to the remaining pieces. Add food color of your choice, if so desired. You can leave one of the vanilla pieces plain. Place in the fridge to set while the dough rises.

Punch the risen dough down, divide in 8 pieces and form little balls. Place them over parchment paper, four per baking sheet. Divide the colored dough into two, so you have a total of 8 pieces, 2 of each color. Use a tortilla press to roll them out, placing parchment paper squares on top and bottom to make it easy to move the dough around. Place the dough over the little rolls, and cut around to make it neat. Use the concha press to make the design on top. Cover, let them rise for 30 minutes and bake at 350F for about 25 minutes. Add a baking sheet with ice at the bottom of the oven to generate steam. You can also spray some water lightly over the dough after 2 minutes during baking.

Cool on a rack before eating.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Talk about a fun baking project, this is definitely it! When I made it the first time, I did not cover the breads fully with the colored dough, and later learned that the traditional way covers them fully. They get a more polished look that way. Below you see my first attempt, I used a heavier hand with the colors also…

When I make them again, I will either make half the recipe and form 6 little breads, or make the full recipe and shape 12 because I think these turned out slightly too big. Also, I think it would be fun to gather the different colors of topping and knead them slightly together to make a fun marbled topping. I just love the look of the bread as it goes through the final proofing.

I donated the whole batch, but of course had to ‘test taste” one. Love the cinnamon flavor, the bread is soft, tender, moist. And the topping, yes, addictive!

ONE YEAR AGO: Red Velvet Sugar Cookies, Three Ways

TWO YEARS AGO: Lemon Macarons

THREE YEARS AGO: Thai Chicken with Peanut Sauce

FOUR YEARS AGO: Baharat Flower Sourdough

FIVE YEARS AGO: Biscoitinhos de Canela

SIX YEARS AGO: Salmon Tacos

SEVEN YEARS AGO: The Chignon

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Rack of Lamb Sous-Vide with Couscous Salad

NINE YEARS AGO: Focaccia with Grapes, Roquefort and Truffled Honey

TEN YEARS AGO: Moroccan Carrot Dip over Cucumber Slices

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Cilantro-Jalapeno “Hummus”

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO:A Moving Odyssey

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO:Hoegaarden Beer Bread

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: Ancho-Chile Marinade: Pleased to Meat you!

8Jul2025

PAN DE CRISTAL

Posted in Breads by sallybr

For a long time I’ve fllirted with the idea of working with a sourdough at 100% hydration. What’s the big deal, you might ask? First of all, in bread lingo, the hydration level reflects the amount of water in relation to total flour. Total flour then becomes the amount considered as 100%, and all ingredients are listed in proportion to that amount. If a bread calls for 500g of flour and 250g of water, it is at 50% hydration. Usually, if you look at recipes for sourdough bread, that level sits at 65% to 70%. If you want to see what increasing the level of water from 65% to 100% does to a dough, simply mix 100g of flour with 65g water and play with it. Now do the same with 100g flour + 100g water. It is a totally different reality… Anyway, without further ado, this is my first adventure with a sourdough bread containing 100% water. The famous “Pan de Cristal”.

PAN DE CRISTAL
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

makes four loaves

400g strong flour
400g water (divided in 350g + 50g)
10g olive oil
10g salt
100g starter (at 100% hydration)

Mix the flour with 350g of water in a bowl. Use a dough whisk or your hand to mix it until no dry bits of flour remain. Let that sit for 45 minutes at room temperature. Mix the salt with the 50g water and reserve.

Add the sourdough starter, incorporate by kneading into the flour/water mixture. Add the remaining water/salt in 3 additions spaced by 10 minutes, mixing with your hand. After the last amount of water is added, wait 10 minutes and add the olive oil .

The dough is ready for bulk proofing. Place it in a square pyrex dish sprayed with olive oil. Perform coil folds every 45 minutes. You should do five to six cycles of folding, as shown in the video. Transfer the dough to the fridge overnight

Next morning, place parchment paper over your countertop, and flour the surface of the dough, as well as the parchment paper. Flip the dough onto the floured paper, then divide it with a bench scraper in four pieces. Each piece should go into a separate piece of floured parchment paper for easy moving into the oven. Cover the pieces and let them proof at room temperature for 45 minutes.

Heat your oven to 450C with a baking stone over the rack. Bake the bread with steam for 10 minutes, the reduce the temperature to 425F and bake for 20 minutes more.

Let it cool completely over a rack before slicing.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Below you can watch a video of the last cycle of “folding” before placing the dough in the fridge for its overnight beauty sleep.

It was quite a challenging dough to work with, but I am pretty happy with the outcome. Make sure to flour the surface quite a bit before diving the dough into four pieces.

The crumb was very open and airy, the bread is delicious and was perfect for pulled pork sandwiches on the 4th of July… If you like to have a little bread baking challenge, I highly recommend this recipe!

ONE YEAR AGO: Raspberry Vovo and Savour Online Classes

TWO YEARS AGO: Egyptian Goulash

THREE YEARS AGO: Steamed Chicken with Black Bean Sauce

FOUR YEARS AGO: Ginger-Dill Salmon

FIVE YEARS AGO: Eleven Years, Time for Goodbye

SIX YEARS AGO: Salmon Tacos

SEVEN YEARS AGO: A Dream that did not come true

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Kaleidoscopic Macarons

NINE YEARS AGO: Zucchini Noodles with Sun-dried Tomato Pesto

TEN YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, July 2015

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Sous-vide Pork Chops with Roasted Poblano Butter

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Roasted Strawberry-Buttermilk Sherbet

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Amazing Ribs for the 4th of July!

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO: Baby Back Ribs on the 4th of July

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: Blueberry Muffins

SIXTEEN YEARS AGO: A Pie for your 4th of July

1Jul2025

IN MY KITCHEN, SUMMER 2025

Posted in In My Kitchen by sallybr

In My Kitchen posts are hosted by Sherry, from Sherry’s Pickings. Please visit her site to see what everybody else is sharing this month. I join four times each year, on the first day of January, April, July and October. If you are a food blogger, consider taking part of this fun event. It is a chance to share those little things you bought or received as gifts and that make your life in the kitchen easier. I open this post with one amazing shot taken by my beloved, when he was at the golf course. The world is a beautiful place and I wish humans would work harder to keep it that way.

In our kitchen…

It is not very easy to find raw pistachios unsalted at the grocery store. This product was recommended by a cookbook author and I decided to give it a try. They are indeed excellent and I think you will be very happy by ordering from this company.

In our kitchen…

This is a very interesting cooking oil that I heard about recently and decided to try (available here). It is very low in saturated fat and has a super high smoking point so it is perfect to sear meat on top of the stove or use it in any kind of recipe that calls for sauteing in high heat. It has absolutely no after taste. Interestingly enough a couple of weeks after I bought them I saw Jeffrey Zakarian recommending it on the Food TV show The Kitchen.

In our kitchen…

This little cupcake stands were a surprise find at our Marshall Store. Of course, I put them to use very quickly once I brought them home.

In our kitchen…

I am totally in love with this one! A product just launched by Evil Cake Genius, it cuts 2” circles that are perfect to use in molds to make Chocolate Covered Oreos. No more cutting the chocolate transfer sheets by hand, a tedious process that is also not easy to turn into a perfect circle. Ordering info here.

In our kitchen…

Another lucky find at Marshalls which I HAD to bring home… It now hosts some of my food safe pens and I always smile when I grab the box to play.

In our kitchen…

We saw this basket for berries and fruits at my brother-in-law’s home. I had to get one for us, as it is perfect for storage in the fridge after washing them. Available at amazon.com.
A note about washing berries: the husband is the official fruit handler in the house. He makes a 3% salt solution (about 1/8 cup salt in a quart of water, if you don’t have a scale), and soaks the fruits for 5 minutes. Then he rinses in cold water to remove the salt. This gets rids of impurities and also deals with any pesticide residue present. Below you see the color of the water after soaking.

In our kitchen…

This is such a cool ingredient! It is great drizzled over cheese, used in salad dressings, not too hot, just deliciously spicy. Available here.

In our kitchen…

What are the odds on that? Should we play the lotto? TWO double-yolk eggs on a single pan! Those were for our lunch on a Saturday, so definitely made the weekend start on a great note…

In our kitchen…

I love scented candles (although I am very picky about their scent) and light them almost every evening. On the other hand, I absolutely despise grocery store matches like the infamous Diamond brand. They come in a box of 300, but after match #20 you can’t make a single one light on your first attempt. These are a pleasure to use, and the boxes are little works of art… (different styles available here).

In our kitchen…

Sometimes, serendipity happens… and the outfit of the baker matches the bake!
.

And now, for something completely different….

Apparently some four-legged friends are anxious to bark their piece, so without further ado, let’s welcome them to this edition of In My Kitchen…

Prince Freckles of Tatarrax is the resident countertop surfer. Osky is too short and too feeble, Star does not seem to be interested in standing on her back legs to inspect the surroundings. Prince misses absolutely nothing. On the back you see braided chews that are too big and too hard, so we soak them for a few hours in warm water, untwist them, and cut in small pieces. The three pups get one small piece every evening while we watch TV, but Prince seems to think that he can make them levitate into his mouth if he stares at them long enough. He will stare, turn around and look at us, stare some more. Can you say adorable?

Please, spare me. Nothing adorable about that. He is being silly, immature, and endlessly annoying.

Star, on the other hand, could not care less about Osky’s opinion on the brother. She tends to keep herself busy, by taking power naps around the Kingdom.

and yes, sometimes the power nap will take place in the middle of a ball game…

Oscar is quick to point out that Star’s approach to handling a ball – to put it mildly – SUCKS. That is how it is done! And while you are at it, FIX your ear, it is not a dignified look.

The Black Spotted Heroes in fact know very well how to play…

.
And things can get quite intense…. much more intense than Osky could handle!

Obviously, after so much activity, they do need to take it easy, preferably enjoying the scent of one of their favorite humans….

So all was going well with the year 2025,
but dark clouds accumulated on the horizon. Very fast.

DID WE HEAR THE K-WORD??????

Yes, unfortunately they were forced to spend some time in the kennel, It is not fun for anyone, we hate to leave them behind, but sometimes there is no other way…. At least they get to ride in the pickup truck in style!

Before you accuse us of playing favorites, Osky has never enjoyed car rides, he gets the shakes, hates every minute of it. Prince and Star go with us to the grocery store, run a few errands, and we imagine it is pretty cool for anyone driving behind us to see the license plate and two Dalmatian heads sticking out of the window.

True, I could not care less about their fancy rides. “I” am the only one to get professionally groomed, which is the true mark of being special…

BUT BACK TO WHAT MATTERS! The pups have a hard time believing we struggled with being away. Yeah, that’s what they say… But does it look like they are struggling? Zenless even got to cheat on us with other pups! THE NERVE!