Fall Dessert For Spring Break

So I have problems with seasons? Is that really that bad? I mean, it feels like summer right now, there's piles of snow on the ground, and grocery stores carry practically everything year round. How am I supposed to not be confused?

Apples are delicious. Especially when they aren't of the Red Delicious variety, but more tart, like a Granny Smith, or crisp, like a Braeburn. I'm happy now. And you should be, too. I'm updating, and sharing a sort of recipe for something quite tasty. But maybe, just maybe, you should wait for cooler weather come November to make this. Because right now, I think something along the lines of lemon cheesecake fits the weather better. But maybe not the season.

But instead, out of the oven comes what resembles an apple crumble or cobbler, minus the topping. Spooned into bowls and topped with a maple whipped cream, it was a tasty ending to my dad's delicious dinner, far too fancy to be eaten on the couch while watching the Academy Awards. But that's (sort of) just what we did.



And this is also a testament to the reason I shouldn't start posts and finish them a month later. I don't remember what I did to make that. I just remember it contains apples, cinnamon, and maple syrup, and maybe some salt baked in the oven. And that the whipped cream was heavy whipping cream that I attempted to use almond extract in, didn't like the results, and covered it up with maple syrup. And then topped it with almonds, that if I had the foresight, I would have toasted.

Just In Time For Valentine's Day

Raspberries. Chocolate. Two things my friend Ashleigh likes. Like I have in the past, I asked a few weeks ago for a flavor. She named strawberries. Next, I asked our friend who was going to help me for his idea. Brownies. But he just really likes brownies, so I wasn't too surprised.

Somehow the idea to make raspberry cheesecake brownies turned into deep dark raspberry brownies. Which is good. They're kind of like the raspberry brownies I used to get as a kid, a variation on the classic LMG brownies that so many people I know now miss. But that's okay, I've got them down. Sort of. The regular ones with the walnuts that is. It just takes a lot of strength to make a half sheet pan's worth of them.

But not to get carried away and completely off track, because those aren't the brownies we're talking about. Well, they are, but not quite. Because these rich, dense, fudgy morsels are not for the faint. Or for those who can't wield a heavy knife, because trying to cut these with a butter knife will lead to blisters. Trust me. They're also worth the blisters. And if you can find seedless jam, you might want to try it with that instead. Or straining your jam. But hey, I'm a lazy college student.

And while I made these as a birthday present, they're also the perfect Valentine's Day dessert. Unless you want to be boring and cliche and make a chocolate souffle.



Raspberry Dark Chocolate Brownies
adapted from The Professional Pastry Chef
makes an 8x8" pan of brownies, cut into desired size (about 30?)

9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
6 Tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup raspberry jam

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Grease an 8" square pan (for easier removal, line with two pieces of foil with a 1" overhang, grease the foil as well) and set aside.

In a double boiler or a large heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, melt together the chocolate and butter, stirring until smooth. Set aside to let cool a bit.

In a medium bowl beat together sugar, eggs, and vanilla until pale and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes.

If slightly cooled melted chocolate is not already in a large bowl, transfer it to a large bowl. Fold the egg mixture into the chocolate. Stir in the flour (it doesn't hurt to sift it, but it's not necessary.)

Pour most of batter into prepared pan. Spread raspberry jam over top. Add remaining batter and smooth top.

Bake in over for about 30 minutes or until top is dry to the touch and a toothpick comes out not looking like raw batter has completely attacked it, but not entirely clean either. If the toothpick comes out clean you've overbaked the brownies. They will continue to cook as they cool.

Let cool completely before cutting, unless you want a big mess on your hands.

Sometimes it helps to refrigerate or freeze them to cut the brownies cleanly.

"But, Everyday's My Birthday" Cake

I may not be the most observant person, but I'm not so blind as to not notice someone birthday when they've made a bit of a hullabaloo about it. Trying to convince me two months later that your birthday is two days away, well, I'm not going to buy that.

But that doesn't mean I won't bake a cake. I'll take any excuse to bake something. All you've got to do is ask. And then give me some time to get my act together and find my go-to recipe (that I usually use for ice cream cakes... but oh well).

So this time, I baked the cake (I wasn't supposed to do it alone, but I didn't realize that...) and then other people decorated it, after realizing what I was doing and getting all excited. I brought a pastry bag and a couple tips with me, and decorating is not really my thing, so I was more than happy to oblige.

It was kind of crazy, and corresponded with Lost starting up again, so the floor was quite quiet. And the person the cake was for disappeared right after we gave it to him. I wonder what happened to the cake. It was just sitting on the table last time I looked.



Moist and Devilish Chocolate Cake (aka my go to Chocolate Layer Cake Base)
from Tish Boyle's The Cake Book
Makes 1 9-inch cake

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup natural cocoa powder
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup neutral oil
2 large eggs
1/3 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 325ºF. Grease and flour a 9x3" round cake pan.

Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Whisk in sugar, followed by oil.

In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and vanilla extract. Stir into the flour mixture. Gradually whisk in boiling water until smooth.

Pour into prepared pan (if your pan is smaller, pour 2/3 way up the sides and use remaining batter to make cupcakes.)

Bake 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached and the top springs back when lightly touched.

Another Buttercream Frosting
adapted from somwhere, I need to stop scribbling recipes onto scraps of paper

1 stick (4 oz) butter, softened
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 t. salt
4-5 teaspoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat butter in a medium-large bowl until fluffy, about 30 seconds. Beat in sugar, salt, milk, and vanilla until no lumps remain and the frosting is fluffy!

Use as desired. Spread on with a knife or spatula, pipe on with a bag, or do whatever else it is you do with buttercream frosting.

making waffles in a waffle iron, what a novel idea!

This morning my friend made pancakes and I made waffles. Her pancakes were fun, but not without their mishaps. There was the overheated pan, the overly reduced and cooked raspberry sauce, and some burnt butter involved... but none of that stopped it from being fun and tasty. Seven people in a tiny kitchen, random people walking in to use the microwave and looking at us like we're crazy, messes, pancakes in a mug... So, pretty much, an amazing Saturday morning.


Followed by a semi-productive evening that was derailed by my refusal to go to the library and study and the noise across the hall. Everyone just left to go bowling, informed me I'm lame for staying in, and I'm updating this. Next up: sleep. Then I'll read some more about Thomas Jefferson. But I'm already starting to wish I'd gone bowling. Oh well.


Banana Waffles
This was originally a pancake recipe from a book called Pancakes and Waffles, I think. I don't have the book with me, my mom e-mailed me the recipe last night. We made them as pancakes with sliced bananas last Saturday, and they were tasty that way as well. I used rice flour instead of oat flour, like was called for, and 1/2 cup yogurt. I would probably use more milk in them if making pancakes though, which is why I decided it would make a good waffle batter. I'm currently wondering if I could use 1 1/3 cups ap flour instead of an alternative, but I don't know much about flours.
Makes 8-10 waffles

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup oat flour
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup (6 oz) yogurt
2 small bananas, mashed

In a large bowl mix together flours, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt. In a small bowl whisk together egg, milk, yogurt, and bananas. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients until combined.

Cook in waffle iron according to manufacturer's directions. Or make pancakes. See note above.

Breakfast On The Floor

The dorm floor that is. And not the actual floor as in where you walk, but as in the level of the building. And it was in the common room, and made in the mini kitchen off of the common room. Only the microwave was broken in there. It was interesting.

Maybe I should back up a little. I'm back at school! And this time, I brought my waffle iron with me. I don't think it's allowed, so shh... I won't start a fire. Or use it in my room, though that would be one awfully nice air freshener. And instead of waffles, well, I made french toast. Only it looks like waffles. I made breakfast that's confused about it's identity.

Despite being a confused french toast waffle, it was quite tasty. And I think a hit. Or people are too nice and just don't want to hurt my feelings. I thought it was yummy, not spectacular, but quite tasty topped with bananas and honey.

Does anyone have a waffle recipe they swear by? If so, let me know. I want to try some out. I mean, that's what a waffle iron is usually for, isn't it? Not that I don't suggest you try to make french toast in one... it just takes a bit longer than it would on the stovetop, but it's more fun this way.

French Toast Waffles
idea and recipe from TracyFood

2 eggs, at room temperature
1/2 stick melted butter, cooled
1 1/2 cups milk, at room temperature
2/3 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 loaf challah (or other bread of choice), sliced into 1/2"-1" thick slices depending on the size of your waffle iron
syrup, honey, bananas, or other foods for serving

In a bowl (or if you want one less dish to clean, in a shallow baking dish), whisk together the eggs, butter, and milk until smooth. Stir in the flour, sugar, cinammon, and salt. Transfer to a shallow baking dish (I used an 8" square dish).

Right before placing on the waffle iron, dip a slice of challah into

Heat waffle iron according to manufacturer's instructions. Dip each piece of challah into the batter. Let sit for 15-20 seconds, flip over. Let excess batter drip off before placing on waffle iron. Cook like a waffle according to waffle iron's settings.

Repeat with remaining bread and batter.

Serve. And enjoy.

Merry Christmas, Almost

As I prepare to write my letter to leave Santa, I feel like there's something else I should write down.
And that would be the recipe for the new cookie I tried this week: pistachio meringues!

I wasn't planning on making meringues, but this morning, I suddenly realized it was Christmas Eve and I still hadn't finished my cookie tins to deliver to the neighbors. I never bought pistachios or dried cranberries to make Pistachio Cranberry Icebox Cookies. The tassies and grasshopper squares looked lonely by themselves, and even though I made ginger crackles last week, they look out of place with the other cookies.

I looked up and noticed I had Delicious Living open to a hazelnut meringue recipe. Well, I didn't have any hazelnuts around, but I did have some ground up pistachios from when I made Pistachio White Chocolate Cookies. And meringues aren't that hard to make... my mind was set. As the last batch of tassies was cooling, I set out on these cookies, and awed my grandmother, though they were a little too sweet for her tastes.


Pistachio Meringues
based on this recipe
Makes about 30 small meringues

2 large egg whites
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup ground pistachios

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and preheat oven to 275ºF.

Bring water to a simmer in a pot that a metal bowl will fit over. Whisk together egg whites in sugar in bowl over the simmering water until the sugar is dissolved, about three minutes. Remove from heat. With an electric mixer, beat eggs and sugar, with cream of tartar, until still glossy peaks form, about 5 minutes.

With a spatula fold in vanilla extract and pistachios. Spoon onto prepared baking sheet, or transfer to pastry bag fitted with plain round tip and form 1" circles on baking mat. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until meringues are firm and dry to the touch and almost entirely dry on inside. Let cool on sheets for five minutes, then remove and let cool completely.

First Homemade Meal...

A sandwich. And by me. Wait, that's a lie. My dad made tasty eggs for breakfast Sunday morning. So this is the second home cooked meal since I've been home. And I'm the one who made it...

I need to learn my way around the kitchen again. This was a lot harder than it should have been.

I showed up at the grocery store after Christmas shopping with no idea what I wanted to make. It hadn't been a particularly eventful day. I ran an errand for my dad, then for my mom, ended up at the mall alone, people watched, bought a few presents, got stuck in traffic, failed to merge at the right time and passed up Target, sang my lungs out to extremely summery songs with the windows rolled up, and talked on the phone.

It's amazing I'm still alive. And made it to the grocery store. And walked around the grocery store. And put things in my basket; took things out of my basket. Changed my mind. Stared at the seafood case. Grabbed some tortillas. Picked up chocolate chips. Put back the tortillas. Paced back and forth.

Eventually, I ended up in the checkout line. With a baguette, a bunch of kale, portabella mushrooms, a jar of red peppers, celery, and a bag of chocolate chips. The chocolate chips were unrelated to the rest of the stuff. And the celery was to go with the spinach dip in the fridge.

Bet you didn't think that those ingredients were going to turn themselves into a sandwich. Except they didn't. I softened the cream cheese, put it into the food processor, and then spent ten minutes unsuccessfully trying to get the jar of roasted red peppers open. I tried hot water, towels, t-shirts, paper towels, phone calls. Nothing worked. So much for the roasted red pepper spread.

But you know what, it was okay without. My mom was hesitant sitting down to eat, looking at her sandwich and soup (courtesy of the fridge and available at Jewel), but was pleasantly surprised. I guess kale, cream cheese, and portabellas do make a tasty sandwich.

recipe coming soon.

I don't remember what I did.

National Cupcake Day

So apparently yesterday was National Cupcake Day. There's a crazy list of food holidays here. I'm not quite sure what it means, but who doesn't want an excuse to bake cupcakes?

The semester is winding down to a close. Well, not winding. It's more in your face than that, with exams and all, but it's different. In a few short hours, I will have finished my first semester of college, and most likely be freaking out at the state of my dorm room and inability to fit everything in my suitcase. I need my baking stuff! And clothes and my cameras and shoes and...
I need to learn to live more simply.

My roommate had some ripe bananas, so I took her bananas, the butter from the fridge (still working on it from the last post), went to the grocery store and picked up some sour cream and eggs, and got to work. A couple hours later, there was less food in the fridge than before, and 15 frosted cupcakes that quickly disappeared. I didn't even get a chance to get a picture of them all!



I ended up making a second batch, that was frosted significantly less liberally, even though I was considering making peanut butter frosting. Except I'm not sure I've ever had frosting that trumps this cream cheese frosting. It wasn't too sweet or too thick. It was just right. And of course, I didn't measure the sugar. It was a little lumpy, but that's what happens to powdered sugar when it sits on a shelf all semester.

Neil had 4 cupcakes, without frosting. I think that's a testament to the cupcakes themselves, frosted or not.


Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
adapted from a chocolate banana cupcake on a blog, but I scribbled it on a notecard and can't find the site now
makes 17 (or maybe 18?)

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
3/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup mashed banana (about 2-3 bananas)
1/4 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Prepare 18 muffin cups. In a small bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.

In a larger bowl, cream butter and brown sugar together until fluffy and smooth. Beat in egg, followed by banana and sour cream, and then the vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture

Spoon a scant 1/4 cup batter into each muffin cup. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until the tops spring back when lightly touched. Remove from pans to cool completely on wire racks. Then frost as desired.

Cream Cheese Frosting
can frost just 17, or a few more

8 ounces (1 package) cream cheese, softened
4 ounces (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup powder sugar, or to taste

Beat together cream cheese and butter until smooth and fluffy. Beat in salt and vanilla extract. Slowly add powdered sugar and beat to incorporate.

Butterful Blondies

When I got back from class there was a checklist taped to all the doors along the hallway. It was a checklist for winter break, and what we had to do in our room before we left. I read the fourth line: "unplug everything." Which makes sense, because of standby power, and it's why my power strip has a switch on it, except, there's a tiny problem. And that is that our fridge and freezer are not empty. While my roommate's stuff is complete meals, I had seven sticks of butter, a package of cream cheese, melted chocolate, peanut butter, and a frozen overripe banana. In other words, the cast for a baking extravaganza. And less than two weeks to do it in. And I make things very slowly.

So I decided last night was as good a time as any to start. I was going to go to my roommate's dance theater performance, but I'm going tonight instead, and it's not like I'm getting any studying for that Psych exam anyway... Might as well procrastinate in a useful manner. And use up three-quarters of a pound of butter while I'm at it. (I got some eggs with my meal points... they cost more than my dinner.) My parents sounded a bit disappointed when I called them in response to a text of "What's up?" and told them I was alone and washing dishes. But it was all worth it!

These blondies are rich, delicious, and chewy. They have the approval of everyone who has tried them... though my roommate had to cut them herself, because I was too busy playing DDR.

Now I just need to use up that remaining pound of butter and half pound of cream cheese.

Classic Blondies
from Bruce Weinstein's The Ultimate Brownie Book p.118
Note: the recipe called for 2 Tablespoons of vanilla extract. I can't read, and with the chocolate chips, it's okay. If you choose to omit the chocolate chips, it would make for a very rich tasty blondie.


3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 sticks (3/4 lb) unsalted butter, softened
1 2/3 cups sugar
1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup (6 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate

Position rack in lower third of oven. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Butter a 9X13 inch baking pan.

In a medium bowl, wisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a large bowl, cream the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar with an electric mixer (stand mixer works better here, my hand mixer started to groan) at medium speed; continue beating until pale brown and thick, about 7 minutes, Add eggs one at a time, mixing well before each addition. Scrape down sides of bowls as necessary. Beat in fourth egg for about a minute; beat in vanilla.

With a spatula, stir in the chocolate chips, and then the flour. (If you do it the other way, nothing bad will happen, it just won't be as tender.) Do not beat up the batter, it will be very thick though, like cookie dough. Spoon into prepared pan, and gently spread to corners

Bake for 45 minutes, or until top is light brown and a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Set the pan on a rack to cool for at least 30 minutes, otherwise you'll end up with a mess on your hands.

Cut brownies into desired number of pieces while still in the pan. Carefully remove. Serve, or let cool completely before covering. Eat within 3 days, or freeze them for a couple months.

Look. Pretty Leaves. And Cake!

I'm not very good at being a college student. I'm not productive late at night, though I am awake with the idea that maybe I'll actually get some work done, I don't sleep until noon on the weekends, and if I had a fake ID, I'd use it to buy some brandy to make the icing suggested for this cake. But the cake does not need a brandied brown butter icing, it holds its own just fine. It also has miraculously lasted three days, in part because I haven't been doing the best job of publicizing it.

This cake was the cake I mentioned before, with the turkey sandwiches. Only I wasn't expecting it to be a cake, I was expecting it to be more like a bar cookie, so I was a bit surprised when I got a nice tender cake with a muffin-like crumb. But it was a good surprise, because the flavors shine much more, and it is a lot less cloying, with its cakey lightness. It's just a little less picnic friendly than bar cookies would be.

This cake was easy to make, makes a lot of cake, and while I haven't yet done the math to figure out how much it cost to make, I don't think it was TOO expensive either. And did I mention tasty? My RA doesn't understand how I can just combine things and they taste good, but I don't just combine things and they taste good, I follow recipes, sort of.

So if you're in need of a tasty snack cake that has the tastiness of banana bread without the wholesome sounding name, and the yummy sweetness of toffee and milk chocolate, I'd highly recommend making this. Or asking someone to make it for you.

Banana Toffee Snack Cake
adapted from Better Homes & Gardens Biggest Book of Cookies
Makes a half-sheet of cake

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3/4 cup mashed ripe banana (2-3 medium bananas)
3/4 cup (6 oz) plain yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups chopped toffee bits (such as 1 bag Heath Toffee Pieces)

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a half-sheet pan. set aside.

Beat butter in mixing bowl with electric mixer on high for about 30 seconds, or until fluffy.
Beat in sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until combined, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally.
Beat in egg, mashed banana, yogurt, and vanilla extract until combined.
Stir in flour until just incorporated. Stir in 1 cup toffee bits.

Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle remaining toffee bits over top. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out free of batter. Or when you press lightly, the indentation does not remain. Remove from oven and cool in pan on wire rack.

Cut into desired number of squares. (I think it makes about 48 2x2" squares, but I didn't cut them in a systematic manner.)