BAKING WITH THE HEART – FEBRUARY 2025

Posted in Breads, Cake, Cookies by sallybr

A few bakes for the season

CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES with RASPBERRY BUTTERCREAM
(decoration inspired by @cookingclassy)

CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES WITH RASPBERRY BUTTERCREAM
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

for the cupcakes (makes 10):

100g all-purpose flour
150g granulated sugar
20g cocoa powder (Dutch-processed)
45g unsalted butter
1/8 tsp salt
120ml milk at room temperature
1 large egg, room temperature
1 + 1/2 tsp baking powder

Heat oven to 350F.

Place flour, cocoa powder, salt, butter and sugar in the bowl of a KitchenAid type mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until the mixture resembles coarse sand.

In a small bowl, whisk milk and egg. Pour half this mixture into the dry ingredients, and mix on medium speed. Scrape the bowl, continue mixing and pour the other half of the milk-egg. Mix on low speed until combined, then increase the speed to high for a few seconds.

Fill cupcake tins a little over half the volume, and bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting.

RASPBERRY BUTTERCREAM

113g (1/2 cup) butter, softened
1/4 cup raspberry jam, seedless
pinch of salt
3 cups powdered sugar
super tiny amount of pink food gel color

Cut the butter into cubes and place in a mixing bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix butter until smooth, for about 4 minutes. Add jam, the pinch of salt and mix again until well mixed with butter, a couple of minutes. Add the pink gel color.

With the mixer on low speed, add powdered sugar one cup at a time, mixing until fully combined and free of lumps. Once it is all incorporated, turn the speed to high and mix for 2 minutes. That will give you a smooth buttercream that you can use immediately to frost the cooled cupcakes.

Decorate with a fresh raspberry and hearts made with tempered chocolate (or compound chocolate) melted and piped into parchment paper or acetate.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Normally I donate all the sweets I bake, but because it was Valentine’s Day, I saved one cupcake to enjoy with the hubby after our meal. OMG! Words of the husband: “Good thing we only had one to share because if we had more I could not stop eating them”. Moist, delicious, and the buttercream frosting absolutely perfect, bringing a little sharp flavor to the party. Make them. Just make them if you want a wonderful treat.

MOVING ON…

VANILLA CAKE WITH HIBISCUS GLAZE
(recipe published in the past, click here)

SUGAR COOKIES WITH RUFFLES AND ROSES
(after @sweetambs)

CHOCOLATE-CHIPOTLE COOKIES WITH CUTOUT HEARTS

OWLS IN LOVE
(after Haniela)

CHOCOLATE-COVERED OREOS

LADY-GREY MACARONS
(from the past, click here)

POLKA-DOT LOVE SOURDOUGH
(from the past, click here)

IF YOUR HEART IS NOT IN IT, EXCELLENCE IS NOT POSSIBLE

ONE YEAR AGO: Baking with the Heart

TWO YEARS AGO: Roasted Cauliflower with Chickpeas and Quinoa

THREE YEARS AGO: A Savory Phyllo Pie

FOUR YEARS AGO: Nut-Free Lady Grey Macarons

FIVE YEARS AGO: Mini-Heart Cakes for your Valentine

SIX YEARS AGO: Blue Moon Milk

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Slow-Cooked Chicken Meatballs

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Zesty Flourless Chocolate Cake

NINE YEARS AGO: Maple Pumpkin Pecan Snacking Cake

TEN YEARS AGO: Silky Gingered Zucchini Soup

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Sweet Fifteen!

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Sesame and Flaxseed Sourdough

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Green Beans with Miso and Almonds

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO: Saturday Morning Scones

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: White Bread

10Jun2024

CHOCOLATE-COVERED OREOS STRIKE AGAIN

Posted in Chocolate Bonbons, Cookies by sallybr

My last round up was back in February (check them out clicking here), so it is time to share the designs I’ve made since the last post. Without further ado, here they are…

One of my favorite ways to decorate is adding discs of chocolate decorated with transfer sheets. It is quite convenient because normally I have some leftover melted chocolate after filing the molds, so I use that to spread a thin layer over the transfer sheet, let it set in the fridge and then cut circles. Those last forever at room temperature, so normally I make them and save them to use the following week.

FLOWERS ON WHITE

FLOWERS ON PINK

STRIPES ON TURQUOISE

SWIRLS ON BROWN

This series had a new technique, I used textured parchment paper to spread the chocolate and after setting, cut circles. I need more practice, it was hard to avoid bubbles, but I got a few to work ok. The background used the tie-dye technique I shared in my previous post about Oreos (link in first paragraph).

TEXTURED CIRCLES ON TIE-DYE BACKGROUND

Moving on, some designs relied on Royal Icing…

GOLD BRUSH EMBROIDERY

MINIMALIST BLACK ON WHITE

LITTLE FONDANT FLOWER

As I always say, making Chocolate-Covered Oreos can be addictive. I am always thinking about the next batch, as I try to make them every single week… I hope you enjoyed this series, and stay tuned for more soon!

ONE YEAR AGO: Sesame-Miso Yakitori

TWO YEARS AGO: Marinated Chickpeas with Slow-Roasted Red Peppers

THREE YEARS AGO: Mini-Pullman Sourdough Bread

FOUR YEARS AGO: Gibassier

FIVE YEARS AGO: Sundried Tomato Twist Bread

SIX YEAR AGO: And now for something completely different….

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Parsnip, Coconut, and Lemongrass Soup

EIGHT YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, October 2016

NINE YEARS AGO: Paleo Moussaka

TEN YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, October 2014

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, October 2013

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Crimson and Cream Turkey Chili

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Taking a break from the nano-kitchen

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO: Chocolate Chip Cookies

24May2024

CHOCOLATE & WAX SEAL STAMPS

Posted in Chocolate Bonbons by sallybr

I am beyond excited about this! Wax seal stamps are made to add charm and elegance to documents, love letters, envelopes. They are designed to use with special types of wax, often dyed bright red. But, guess what? They work with chocolate – both real and compound – and although there is a little bit of a learning curve to negotiate, it is totally worth it! I’ve made a few different designs and used to decorate chocolate covered Oreos. First thing you need are of course the stamps. Many available, look on etsy or amazon. These are the ones I used on my first time.

I also have this slightly larger one…

To work with chocolate, they must be frozen, so I store mine in the freezer inside a plastic bag. Then you need to work fast. Melt the chocolate and add small puddles over parchment paper. I had better luck with that instead of acetate. Since the bottom part won’t show, it does not need to be shiny, so parchment is totally fine. Once you add the melted chocolate, immediately set your frozen stamp over it, and allow it to sit for a few seconds, maybe 10 or so. Of course, it is dependent on many factors and you need to try to move the stamp gently to see if it releases ok. When the chocolate is set, it will release nicely. Once you get the gist of it, you might be able to make three designs before the stamp gets too warm. Yes, a labor of patience and love…

I need more practice, but so far I’ve been quite happy with my productions! I used white compound chocolate for these, with a very small amount of oil-soluble pink dye.

Then it is all a matter of placing them over chocolate covered Oreos, or anything your imagination comes up with. I want to use to decorate cookies, maybe cupcakes also. Stay tuned!

It is really a lot of fun to make them, and a little diamond dust can add sparkle…

I hope you’ll give this technique a try…

ONE YEAR AGO: A Star is Born!

TWO YEARS AGO: Turkey Taco Salad Bowl

THREE YEARS AGO: Turkey Jalapeño Meatballs

FOUR YEARS AGO: Whole Chicken Sous-Vide

FIVE YEARS AGO: Incredibly Simple Times Four, May 2019

SIX YEAR AGO: French Style Baguettes

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Sad Times

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Slow-Cooker Carnitas Lettuce Wraps and Paleo Planet Review

NINE YEARS AGO: The Making of a Nobel Reception

TEN YEARS AGO: Fennel Soup with Almonds and Mint

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Green Curry Pork Tenderloin

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Farfalle with Zucchini and Ricotta

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Slow-baked Salmon with Lemon and Thyme

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO: Hoisin Explosion Chicken

21Feb2024

CHOCOLATE-COVERED OREOS

Posted in Chocolate Bonbons, Cookies by sallybr

I make them weekly because they are very popular with the homeless dinner, and as you might imagine, I don’t like to repeat designs. I love variety. These can be decorated in countless ways, some easier than others. In fact, I have tried a few things that quickly went into the “Never Again Folder”… For previous collections, click here and here. Without further ado, here are some of the designs I made in the past couple of months, starting with perhaps my very favorite!

.
THE JAPANESE-MODERN

To make this design, all you need is some different colors of luster powder and a bit of vodka. Make a suspension and add small blotches on the surface of the mold. Let it dry for a few minutes and pour the melted compound chocolate. They will look good just with the colors, or you gild the lily with a small disc of chocolate decorated with a transfer sheet, in this case I used a cherry blossom pattern.

The same exact method works with white chocolate… In this case I added some fondant sunflowers I had from last year’s cookie projects. I have quite a few ideas for color combinations in the near future, so stay tuned!

Luster powder can also be used to paint the surface of the chocolate after it sets, as I did for the set below… It does not go into the “Never Again Folder”, but it is a bit time-consuming.

Another great way to decorate is Royal icing… For the ones below I made straight lines in black and before they set I glued a little sprinkle heart in the crossed section. I love their minimalist look.

You can also pipe thicker lines of Royal icing coupled with a little sanding sugar… For added contrast, I dyed the white chocolate poured into the mold with fat-soluble sky blue dye. These were a good match for some macarons I made in that same week (see post here).

Even easier is just making a random drizzle with icing, fast and straightforward..

Sharing perhaps my second favorite of this set: Royal icing in circular piping plus a disc of chocolate decorated with transfer sheet, also saved from a project last year. The Royal icing was dyed with Americolor Gold. And once all was set, I sprayed some gold dust all over because.. why not?

Finally, the method that I don’t recommend and it truly drove me crazy: spread the Royal icing with a stencil. It was very very tricky to hold the stencil over the small surface, I had to scrape it all and start all over many times, as it would smear and end up quite messy. I managed to get three reasonably good ones, but as I said before…. never again!

BEWARE: Making chocolate-covered Oreos can be addictive!

ONE YEAR AGO: Zucchini-Chickpea Baked Bites

TWO YEARS AGO: Slow-Cooker Hoisin Pulled Pork

THREE YEARS AGO: I Will Cracker you Up

FOUR YEARS AGO: Pickling Ribbons

FIVE YEARS AGO: Green Beans and Carrots with Spicy Almonds

SIX YEARS AGO: Quiche 101

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Persian Butternut Squash Soup

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Walnut Cranberry Sourdough Bread

NINE YEARS AGO: Ottolenghi in Brazil?

TEN YEARS AGO: Roasted Winter Vegetables with Miso-Lime Dressing

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: 2012 Fitness Report: P90X2

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Caramelized Bananas

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Roasted Lemon Vinaigrette

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO: Whole Wheat Bread

16Dec2023

OREOS DRESSED FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON

Posted in Chocolate Bonbons, Cookies, Desserts, Sweets by sallybr

Yes, the Bewitching Kitchen is in full festive mode! Today the Oreo cookie, brought home from a humble shelf in the grocery store, gets dressed up for major party time… Several ideas for you, but I will start with maybe my favorite, as it gives me a chance to talk about a new product I recently tried.

All my Oreos are made the same way, with compound chocolate (Wilton melting wafers, or other brands available at the grocery store or online). I also have very good luck with Almond Bark, which tends to dry super shiny. If you have issues melting the compound chocolate smoothly, just add a teaspoon or two of oil (refined coconut works great and has no coconut taste). Pour some in the Oreo mold, add the cookie, and cover with melted chocolate. But the possibilities to decorate are endless. For the red ones, I started dividing the white chocolate in two, leaving one portion white and one portion dyed with red fat-soluble color. I poured the two colors in a measuring cup and did not mix them completely, to try to get a marbled effect.

Once the chocolate set, I used this new trick, that turns any gel color into a fat-soluble product, so that all the big collection of gel dyes you own can be used to color chocolate. Isn’t that cool? It is a product by Americolor called FLO-COAT. You can find it here. Just a small amount, maybe 1/4 tsp and a couple of drops of your gel color, mix well and add to the melted chocolate.

That is how I made the green used for the details, then added sprinkles.

A few more ideas for you…

For those I used dark chocolate to make the molds, then drizzled white chocolate with a piping bag, and glued small gold confetti sprinkles on some of the intersecting lines.

The metallic effect was luster power mixed with vodka, applied with a fan brush…

Finally, a few more designs relying on chocolate transfer sheets. You just cut circles, add to the bottom of the mold and pour the melted chocolate. Remember to peel off the plastic once you un-mold them!

There you have it, many ideas to make the Oreo cookie shine! Keep in mind that you can use golden oreos (lemon flavor), or red velvet to make the cookie complement better the surrounding shell. Have fun with it!

ONE YEAR AGO: Peppermint Wreath Macarons

TWO YEARSAGO: Cornish Hens with Yogurt-Mace Marinade

THREE YEARS AGO: Cookies for the Holidays – Gingerbread

FOUR YEARS AGO: Incredibly Simple Times Four

FIVE YEARS AGO: White Chocolate and Raspberry Mousse Cake

SIX YEAR AGO: Panettone Time!

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Pistachio Creme Brulee

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Fast and Furious Bison Chili

NINE YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, December 2014

TEN YEARS AGO: Braised Fennel with Saffron and Tomato

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Revenge of the Two Derelicts

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Grilling Ribbons

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Peppery Cashew Crunch