CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER MACARONS

Posted in macarons by sallybr

If you follow my cookie blog, maybe you’ve read a recent post in which I played with Chocolate Royal icing? I used fat-free cocoa powder (click here to get some) and they worked extremely well not only in icing but as I show today, to make cocoa-flavored macaron shells.

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER MACARONS
(adapted from this post)

For the shells:
200g Icing/powdered sugar
115 g ground almonds/almond meal
7g fat-free cocoa powder
115 g egg whites at room temperature (approx. 4 eggs)
1/8 tsp of cream of tartar (optional)
100 g granulated sugar
¼ tsp vanilla paste or extract
1 drop brown food gel
1 drop red food gel

Line 3 heavy baking sheets with parchment/baking paper or Silpat mats. Layer the powdered/icing sugar, ground almonds/almond meal, and cocoa powder in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture looks like fine meal, about 12 pulses. Pass through a sieve and transfer to a small bowl or to a sheet of parchment/baking paper. Set aside.

Place the egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Make sure that the bowl and the whisk are impeccably clean. Starting on medium speed, whip the whites with the cream of tartar until they look like light foam. The whites should not appear liquid. The foam will be light and should not have any structure.

Slowly rain in the granulated sugar in five additions, trying to aim the stream between the whisk and the side of the bowl. Turn the speed up to high. Continue to whip the meringue until it is soft and shiny. It should look like marshmallow creme (marshmallow fluff). Add the vanilla. Whip the egg whites until the mixture begins to dull and the lines of the whisk are visible on the surface of the meringue. Add the drops of food color and continue whisking. Check the peak. It should be firm. Transfer the whites to a medium bowl.

Fold in the ground almond/almond meal mixture in two increments. Paint the mixture halfway up the side of the bowl, using the flat side of a spatula. Scrape the mixture down to the center of the bowl. Repeat two or three times, then check to see if the mixture slides slowly down the side of the bowl. Put the mixture in a piping bag fitted with your choice of piping tip (round, ¼ or ½ inch in diameter or 6 – 12 mm). If you don’t have a macaron mat, draw circles on baking/parchment paper about 2inches/5cm in diameter & turn the paper over before placing on the baking sheets. Pipe shells, I like to count numbers in my head and use the same count for each shell so they end up similar in size.

I pipe inside the circles to about 1 ¾ inches/4.5cm but you can go to 1 ½ inches (3.8cm) & the macarons will spread & fill the circle while drying.

Slam each sheet hard four to six times on the counter/worktop. Let the unbaked macarons dry until they look dull but not overly dry. Drying time depends on humidity. In a dry climate, the macarons can dry in 15 to 20 minutes; in a humid climate, it can take 35 to 40 minutes.

While the macarons are drying, heat the oven to 300 F (150 C/130C Fan oven/Gas Mark 2). Bake one sheet at a time on the middle rack. Check in 11 minutes. If the tops slide or move (independently of the ‘feet’ when you gently twist the top), then bake for 2 to 3 more minutes. Check one or two. If they move when gently touched, put them back in the oven for 1 to 2 more minutes until they don’t move when touched. Let the macaroons cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan. The macarons should release without sticking.

Assemble the macarons: find two macarons similar in size and add a good amount of filling to the bottom of one of them. Place the other on top and squeeze gently to take the filling all the way to the edge. Store in the fridge for 24 hours for perfect texture.

PEANUT BUTTER BUTTERCREAM

65g smooth peanut butter (Jiffy is fine)
50g cream cheese, room temperature
30g butter, room temperature
250g powdered sugar
milk or heavy cream to adjust consistency, if needed

Place the peanut butter, cream cheese, and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Cream until light, about 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and whisk on low-speed. Once the powdered sugar is incorporated, increase the speed to medium-high and whisk until very creamy. Adjust the consistency if needed with powdered sugar or milk. Place in a piping bag fitted with your choice of tip, and use to fill macaron shells.

Optional decoration: drizzle of Chocolate Royal icing or melted chocolate plus sprinkles of your choice.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: In the past, more often than not I would get wavy shells when adding cocoa powder to the macaron batter. I was very pleasantly surprised by how smooth these turned out. And with a nice chocolate flavor. I did add a touch of brown and a touch of red because the amount of cocoa I added was not enough to darken the shells the way I wanted.

I thought it would be fun to couple the Chocolate Royal icing made with fat-free cocoa powder with the macarons made with the same product. I had some leftover from cookie decorating, so I just added a swirl, the a golden sequin type sprinkle, and while the icing was still soft, a dusting with gold.

The peanut butter filling was perfect for my taste. Using cream cheese cuts a little bit the sweetest, and the natural saltiness of the peanut butter takes it into a salted caramel territory I love. I highly recommend this recipe.

ONE YEAR AGO: Torta di Zucchini, a flash-back

TWO YEARS AGO: Woodland Creatures Cookies

THREE YEARS AGO: Incredibly Simple… Crunchy Asparagus

FOUR YEARS AGO: A Sourdough Quartet

FIVE YEARS AGO: When bad things happen to good people

SIX YEARS AGO: Sweet Potato “Hummus”

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EIGHT YEARS AGO: Silky Rutabaga Puree

NINE YEARS AGO: Bon Bon Chicken: Light and Spectacular

TEN YEARS AGO: Red Wine Sourdough Bread with Cranberries

ELEVE YEARS AGO: Award-Winning Sourdough Baguettes

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Country Rye (Tartine)

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Penne a la Vechia Bettola

27Sep2022

DOG COOKIES

Posted in Cookies by sallybr

This is a very simple recipe based on peanut butter and pumpkin puree, super easy to put together, and it will receive two-paws up by the most discriminating canine palates out there. Woof, woof!

DOG COOKIES
(from this site)

1 Cup Pumpkin Puree
1/3 Cup Peanut Butter, smooth
2 large Eggs
2 + 1/2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
¾ Teaspoon Cinnamon

Heat the oven to 350° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In the bowl of a mixer use the paddle attachment to combine the pumpkin, peanut butter, and eggs at medium-high speed. Add in the flour and cinnamon and mix until a stiff dough has formed. Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface and roll out to ¼ inch thick. Use cookie cutters to cut your desired shapes.

Bake for about 20-25 minutes, until the edges begin to turn golden brown. Cool on a rack.

(paws were painted with Sugarprism after baking)

Share the pup love with cookies!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Make sure to use peanut butter that contains only peanuts and salt, no additives. Xylitol, which is present in some brands, is very toxic for dogs, so do not use it. The classic shapes are obviously bones and paws, but you can cut in squares, even using a knife or bench scraper and it will be even easier and faster. Pups won’t mind!

ONE YEAR AGO: Sugarprism Watercolor Macarons

TWO YEARS AGO: Dutch Macarons and a cookbook review

THREE YEARS AGO: Yogurt Tart

FOUR YEARS AGO: Grilled Lamb-Stuffed Pita Bread

FIVE YEARS AGO: Elderflower Macarons

SIX YEARS AGO: A Duet of Sorbets

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Sobering Peach Sorbet

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Spiralizer Fun

NINE YEARS AGO: Beer-Marinated Grilled Skirt Steak

TEN YEARS AGO: Secret Recipe Club: Corn Chowda

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Page-A-Day Calendar (Pits and Chief 5 minutes of fame…)

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Home Sweet Home (our beloved Pits in one of his last photos)

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Marbled Rye

3Aug2021

OMG PEANUT BUTTER BARS

Posted in Desserts, Desserts, Sweets by sallybr

I cannot stand the texture of peanut butter and its ability to glue to gums and teeth. The idea of grabbing a spoon of peanut butter and licking it leaves me paralyzed with terror. These peanut bars? Seriously addictive. In her original post, Lauren called them “World’s Best Peanut Butter Bars.” I have not tried that many – full disclosure, this is my second – so I share the recipe with you, and if you are a peanut butter bar connoisseur, let me know what you think.

PEANUT BUTTER BARS
(from Tastes Better from Scratch)

for the bars:
3/4 cup butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (plus more for spreading over baked bars)
2 + 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 + 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

for the chocolate frosting:
1/4 cup butter
1 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 + 1/2 Tablespoons milk
1 + 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter with both types of sugar. Add the eggs, vanilla, and peanut butter and mix well.

In a separate bowl mix together the dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to creamy mixture.

Press firmly into a greased 9×13” pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 17-20 minutes. It will look just barely set in the center, and will harden as it cools. Allow to cool completely, then spread a thin layer of peanut butter over the bars.

To make the chocolate frosting: Add butter to a small skillet over medium heat. Once melted, stir in cocoa. Remove from heat and add milk, powdered sugar and vanilla. Whisk until smooth, using electric beaters to get out any lumps, if needed. .

Spread chocolate frosting over the top of the bars. Cut into squares once the topping is fully set. Using a knife moistened with very hot water from the faucet helps to get neat slices.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: These bars were donated, but I “sampled” a little of the trimmings. It’s a good thing I had planned to donate them, because just like a certain cauliflower of my recent past, portion control with this baby would require Herculean efforts. If you make it, consider cutting in even smaller squares if you can, because they are rich. Decadent. I love the inclusion of oats in the base. I am thinking of incorporating oats in sugar cookies in the near future.

ONE YEAR AGO: Kansas Sunflower Seed and Black Walnut Macarons

TWO YEARS AGO: Curry Turmeric Sourdough

THREE YEARS AGO: Black Olive Tapenade and Deviled Eggs

FOUR YEARS AGO: Blueberry Crumble Coffee Cake

FIVE YEARS AGO: Fresh Strawberry Yogurt Bundt Cake

SIX YEAR AGO: Quinoa Salad with Red Grapes and Avocado

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Strawberry Coffee Cake

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Lemon-Poppy Seed Muffins

NINE YEARS AGO: Mascarpone Brownies

TEN YEARS AGO: Salmon Tacos

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Cinnamon Turban Bread

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Summertime Gratin

6Mar2019

AFRICAN PEANUT STEW WITH SMOKED TURKEY

Posted in Poultry by sallybr

Fact: I’ve had this recipe waiting since 2005 when a friend raved about it. I know that for sure because I was cleaning files in my computer and stumbled on this folder of “must make recipes.” with a date of May 2005. Fourteen years. Talk about taking my sweet time. To make things even more interesting, I did not include the recipe, but something that at the time seemed enough for me to retrieve it. Mean Chef’s Favorite Chicken Peanut Stew. Anyway, to make a long story short, I have no idea which recipe he was referring to, but found a bunch of possibilities online and from that I came up with this version that turned out absolutely blog-worthy. I used turkey breast that we smoked ourselves, but you can go with the more authentic version that calls for chicken thighs.

AFRICAN PEANUT STEW WITH SMOKED TURKEY
(from the Bewitching Kitchen, adapted from several sources)

1/2 turkey breast, smoked (or 4 chicken thighs, bone-in, skinless)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 small fennel bulb, thinly sliced
1 piece of ginger, minced (about 2 tsp)
salt and pepper
2 sweet potatoes, cut in large pieces
3 cups chicken stock
1 can small diced tomatoes (I used Muir Glen, about 15 ounces)
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup roasted peanuts
2 tsp ground coriander

Heat the olive oil in a large pan. If using chicken thighs, brown them well on all sides, seasoning with salt and pepper as you go, and adding more oil if needed. Remove the chicken to a bowl as you work with the other ingredients.

Add the fennel pieces and the ginger to the pan, a touch more of salt and pepper, saute until fragrant. Add the sweet potatoes, stir a few times, then add the chicken stock, stirring the contents to release any bits stuck to the pan.

Add the tomatoes, peanut butter, peanuts, and coriander, mix well to combine. If using chicken thighs, add them now. Cover the pan and cook for about one hour at gentle heat, until chicken is cooked through. If using smoked turkey (or any type of pre-cooked poultry), cook the sweet potatoes until tender, then add the pieces of meat and simmer everything together for 10 minutes or so.

If using chicken thighs, when they are tender, remove the pieces, shred the meat, discard the bones. Add the meat back to the stew and simmer it all together for 10 minutes. Adjust seasoning, add cilantro right before serving.
.

SMOKED TURKEY BREAST

1 turkey breast, bone-in
1 (64-oz.) bottle apple cider
3/4 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 rosemary sprigs
10 fresh sage leaves
1 hickory wood chunk
1 black walnut wood chunk

Make the brine in advance to give it time to cool completely. Bring cider all ingredients up to wood chunks to a boil in a large stockpot. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until salt and sugar are fully dissolved. Cool completely.

Place turkey in brine; cover and chill for 12 hours.

Heat smoker to 250 F. Place wood chunks receptacle. Remove turkey from brine, and dry with paper towels. Smoke turkey, maintaining temperature inside smoker between 225° and 250°, for around 4 hours or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion registers 165°.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I know most people do not have an electric smoker, but please don’t let that prevent you from trying this recipe, go for chicken thighs and it will be equally delicious. I must say, however, that the stuff that we smoke at home is so much better than anything bought at the store, that it makes the investment worth it. Salmon is the best example, but turkey comes a close second. I would not dream of making this stew using store-bought smoke turkey. It is way too harsh and intense, with a very dry texture. In this dish we can detect some hint of smoke in the background but it is subtle and delicate.

We both thought that this would be a perfect recipe for Thanksgiving for two or four people. You know, when roasting the whole bird seems like unnecessary trouble. It has the perfect combination of flavors. Add some sage instead – or in addition to – coriander, and you will be all set with a great meal for that special holiday of November. I intend to remind my readers about it when the time comes… but first, there is a lot of Spring and Summer to enjoy and I CANNOT WAIT.