ALMOND BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Posted in Cookies, Desserts, Sweets by sallybr

I am not very fond of peanut butter. Its sticky, gooey nature manages to turn me off. I like to cook savory dishes with it, but I shy away from desserts that call for it as an ingredient. Until now, I had placed almond butter in the same category. But, truth be told, I never bothered to try it. Then, I read Lynda’s post about Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. A quote about this nut spread made me re-evaluate my position. Here’s what she had to say about it:

It’s not as pronounced in flavor as peanut butter which can overwhelm a cookie. Almond butter is mellower with notes of deeply roasted nuts, adding a subtle, golden background to the dough.

It was worth a try… 😉

ALMOND BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
(from Taste Food)

makes 36 cookies

1 + 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup unsalted creamy almond butter (not raw)
1 cup dark chocolate chips or chunks

Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl; set aside. Cream the butter and both sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer for a couple of minutes or until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla. Mix well. Mix in the almond butter until smooth. Add the flour and mix to combine, then stir in the chocolate. Refrigerate the batter for at least one hour, or up to 24 hours.
Heat oven to 350 F. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough on baking sheets lined with parchment. Bake until light golden, about 14 minutes.

Optional: Sprinkle a few flakes of sea salt on the cookies before baking.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I am so glad I did not allow prejudice to prevent me from trying this recipe! Lynda was absolutely right, the almond butter gives these cookies a very unique flavor. You won’t quite know what it is, they just taste rich and intense. I omitted the sprinkle of salt on top. However, I think the flavor of the salt added to the dough was assertive enough for us. Now, for the best part… I fell in love with almond butter! It is creamier, has a much more pleasant texture and mouth feel. All of a sudden, a new favorite concoction in my life: Toasted Ezekiel Sprouted Grain bread + Almond butter + Banana Slices. It has it all, the crunch of the bread, the sweetness of the fruit, and the rich almond butter to tie them together…

Lynda, once again your blog pointed me in a tasty direction! Thank you!

ONE YEAR AGO: Dan Dan Noodles

TWO YEARS AGO: Sophie Grigson’s Parmesan Cake

THREE YEARS AGO: Antibiotics and Food

1Feb2013

BRAN MUFFINS, TAKE TWO

Posted in Breakfast & Brunch, Desserts, Sweets by sallybr

Bran muffins make Phil very very happy, so I tried a new recipe for his favorite morning treat. On a whim, I went with the “back of the bag” recipe in the Bob’s Red Mill Wheat Bran product. I reasoned that they probably tested and re-tested the recipe to make sure whoever baked a batch would love it and buy another bag. 😉 I also thought that using applesauce in the batter would make it moist and flavorful. I was right.

MOLASSES BRAN MUFFINS
(from Bob’s Red Mill)

1 cup wheat bran
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup raisins
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup milk
1/2 cup molasses (or honey)
3/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (toasted is best)
2 Tbsp. oil
2 eggs, beaten

Heat the oven to 400°F. Combine wheat bran, flour, baking soda and baking powder. Stir in nuts and raisins. In a separate bowl, blend applesauce, milk, molasses, oil and egg. Add to dry ingredients and stir just until moistened. Spoon into a muffin pan lined with paper muffin cups) and bake for 20 minutes. Makes 12 regular-size muffins.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Between these bran muffins and the first one I blogged about, I think I prefer this batch because of the prominent apple taste that mellows the “hippie factor” of the wheat bran. Did I hit the jackpot with them? And by jackpot I mean bran muffins that match the ones of Phil’s past. Not quite yet there. However, after almost 13 years of marriage, I finally got a hint on one of the issues: size. The muffins he loved so much were bigger. Size does matter after all! A shocking realization. But, here is the tricky part, in those days they did not make them gigantic. They were just slightly bigger. So, now I am on a mission to find a pan that will make a muffin somewhere between “regular” and “jumbo”. As to taste, I am on the right track. Raisins and walnuts, yes. But next time, less apple, and honey instead of molasses.

I do not go down without a fight, my friends! One day, I will bake the bran muffin of his dreams…

ONE YEAR AGO: Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

TWO YEARS AGO: Breville Sourdough

THREE YEARS AGO: Vienna Bread

28Jan2013

THE SECRET RECIPE CLUB: PUMPKIN BOLO DE FUBA’ CREMOSO

Posted in Desserts, Sweets, Secret Recipe Club by sallybr

The Secret Recipe Club took a break in the month of December, but now we are back! For those who don’t know, the SRC is a fun blogging event in which you are paired (in secret) with another blogger, and on reveal day post a recipe chosen from that blog. Everyone in the same group posts at the exact same time, even if you are blogging from Japan. 😉 This month I was paired with Shirley, from the blog Enriching your Kid. Shirley is a clinical psychologist who, after having kids, opted for working very hard at home taking care of them and paying particular attention to a healthy nutrition. She cooks a lot of Indian food, so at first I had my mind set on one of her many paratha recipes, but then I spotted a very familiar Portuguese name – “bolo de fuba’ cremoso” – and that was it. I knew it would be my choice for the first SRC post of 2013. She added a nice twist to the classic, by incorporating pumpkin in the cake. Check out her post about it here.

PUMPKIN BOLO DE FUBA’ CREMOSO
(adapted from Enriching your Kid)

1 cup masa harina (corn flour)
3/4 cup pumpkin puree’
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups milk
2 eggs
pinch of salt
1 cup grated cheese
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1 tsp grated nutmeg
lemon zest

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Place all of the ingredients (up to the salt) in a blender or a food processor and mix for 4 minutes or until the mixture is smooth (it will be very liquid). If your processor or blender is very large, you can add the rest of the ingredients. Otherwise, transfer the mixture to a bowl and add the cheese, baking powder, nutmeg and lemon zest, mixing well with a whisk. Pour into a buttered and floured pan (8 x 8 inches).

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the top of the cake is golden. Cool the cake before cutting it into slices.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: First, a little bit on language, as Shirley was puzzled about the gender issue in Portuguese. All nouns have a gender, and for the most part words that end with “a” are feminine. Words that end with “o” are masculine. However, there are exceptions. Fuba’, for instance, the term that describes a particular type of corn flour, ends with “a“, but it is masculine. Therefore, the adjective that goes along with it, “cremoso” (creamy) must agree with the gender, and end with “o“. Let’s suppose we were talking about a coconut concoction called “cocada“. Cocada ends with an “a“, and it is indeed feminine. In this case, creamy coconut would be described as “cocada cremosa“. Clear as mud? Well, mud is feminine: A lama. Earth is feminine: A Terra. Love is masculine: O amor (gotcha there! Amor ends with “r” to confuse non-native speakers ;-)).

Now, to the recipe: I made a few small modifications, using cooked pumpkin instead of raw. I absolutely had to put my beloved pumpkin puree to use, and that was a perfect opportunity. I also reduced the sugar slightly. If you are Brazilian and grew up enjoying bolo de fuba’, this version seems like a different sweet, mainly because of the nutmeg. If you are not too fond of nutmeg, or if you want something closer to the Brazilian version, reduce the amount or omit it. Pumpkin was a great addition to bolo de fuba’, I loved what its subtle taste brought to the cake.

Shirley, I will definitely be cooking other recipes from your blog, as Indian cuisine is fascinating and I don’t have enough experience with it. I hope you are having a great reveal day… 😉

For my readers: if you want to see what the crowd from SRC Group D came up with in this first posting of the year, click on the happy frog and a new page will open with plenty of great posts.

ONE YEAR AGO: Citrus-crusted Tilapia Filets

TWO YEARS AGO: Bran Muffins, not just for Hippies

THREE YEARS AGO: Flourless Chocolate Cake

4Jan2013

A FESTIVE POMEGRANATE DESSERT

Posted in Desserts, Sweets by sallybr

If you are looking for a dessert that is elegant, feels quite special, but is surprisingly light, you must try this one. I saw it over at Chucrute com Salsicha, hosted by Fer, the Brazilian blogger who lives in California and was my main inspiration to start the Bewitching. Anyway, after following her blog for so many years, it is clear that when she raves about a recipe, I better get to work. She served this pomegranate gelee’ for her Christmas dinner, and I immediately decided to make it for our New Year’s Eve dessert, closing the year in a very festive mood! 😉

POMEGRANATE GELEÉ WITH SAFFRON-YOGURT CREAM
(adapted from Deborah Madison, via Culinate)

for the gelee:
2 cups pure pomegranate juice
1 package gelatin
1 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp rose-water

for the yogurt cream:
2 Tbsp milk
small pinch of saffron threads
½ cup Greek-yogurt
1 Tbsp honey

for garnish:
2 Tbs pistachio nuts, finely chopped
fresh pomegranate seeds

Pour ½ cup of the pomegranate juice into a bowl, sprinkle the gelatin on top, and let stand for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, heat half the remaining juice (¾ cup) just to the boiling point. Stir it into the gelatin, add the sugar, and stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Gradually stir in the rest of the juice, then add the orange-flower water. Divide among 4 to 6 small glasses and refrigerate until set, allowing at least 6 hours or overnight.

Lightly heat the milk with the saffron threads and let cool. Stir the yogurt and honey together. Blend the saffron-milk mixture into the yogurt. Refrigerate until needed.

To serve, spoon the yogurt cream over each glass of pomegranate jelly. Garnish with the pistachio nuts and pomegranate seeds.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: One of the things I love the most about Fer, is that she is not afraid of improvisation in the kitchen. If she doesn’t have an ingredient, she comes up with a substitution, and moves on, always with a happy ending! She is also a wizard with her ice cream machine, often designing her own recipes, all quite creative and unique. This dessert gave me opportunity to improvise too: it originally called for orange flower water, which I did not have, and also had no idea where to get it in town. Plus, there’s no way this Brazilian would drive around the Little Apple with snow everywhere.

I had a bottle of rose-water, acquired months ago, and decided to try it in this recipe. It seemed to me that pomegranate and rose-water could not end in litigious divorce. To be on the safe side, I reduced the amount, using one teaspoon instead of two. Worked like a charm! If you don’t divulge what’s in the gelee, your guests won’t be able to detect the rose flavor, but once you know it’s there, the palate gets a subtle awareness of it, quite wonderful…

I used non-fat yogurt because again that’s what I had in the house, but go full-fat if you prefer. This dessert had everything I enjoy: a light and refreshing feel, a luscious creamy topping, and the crunch of pistachios mixed with the slightly softer crunch of the pomegranate seeds. Heaven, my friends, heaven!

Fer, thanks for another gem of a recipe, this one will be on our menu again and again!

ONE YEAR AGO: My First Award!

TWO YEARS AGO: A Message from WordPress

THREE YEARS AGO: Turkish Chicken Kebabs

21Dec2012

PUMPKIN ESPRESSO LOAF

Posted in Breakfast & Brunch, Desserts, Sweets by sallybr

Baker Street strikes again! For the most part, I want to make everything she blogs about, but my frantic life gets in the way. One of the things that happens as you accumulate more experience in the kitchen, is a certain “feeling” for a recipe. I usually spot a winner just by reading the ingredients, and this pumpkin espresso loaf, covered with crushed hazelnuts made me dream. I knew we would love it. It is quite simple to prepare, and it smells AMAZING (all caps required) as it bakes. It is moist, not too sweet, the coffee flavor quite subtle, and the crumb topping gives that contrast of texture which is always a nice touch on this type of loaf.

PUMPKIN ESPRESSO BREAD
(from Baker Street)

for the loaf:
¾ cup (150 grams) brown sugar, packed
1 cup (245 grams) canned pumpkin puree
½ cup (118 ml) vegetable oil
¼ cup (59 ml) milk
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ cups (188 grams) all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon espresso powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon salt

for the topping:
½ cup hazelnut, chopped roughly
3 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
½ teaspoon espresso powder
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Heat oven to 350F and generously grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.

Prepare the topping by combining all ingredients in a small bowl, and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, espresso powder, spices, and salt. Reserve. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, pumpkin puree, oil, milk, eggs, and vanilla extract. Gently fold in the flour mixture and spread the batter evenly into prepared pan.

Sprinkle the espresso topping evenly over the pumpkin batter. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool before cutting and serving.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

This was SUCH a delicious bread, loaf, whatever you want to call it. With a cup of cappuccino in the morning, it starts your day on a perfectly warm note. After the loaf was in the oven, I said to myself that some cardamon could be a good addition. Phil, on the other hand, thinks that mini-chocolate chips would take this loaf to unprecedented levels of decadence. Interestingly enough, that is exactly the variation recommended over at Baker Street. Keep that in mind if you make this loaf. And I hope you do! 😉

ONE YEAR AGO: Caramelized Carrot Soup

TWO YEARS AGO: Miso-Grilled Shrimp

THREE YEARS AGO: A Special Holiday Fruitcake