Tag Archives: baking

Happy Ultimate Pi Day!

14 Mar

Happy 3/14/15 at 9:26:53 (or thereabouts)

Today is a number nerd’s paradise.  (Note: I am a number nerd)

So in celebration, here are my favorite Pi(e) Recipes:

Drunk ‘n Nutty Pie

Pie Variation #1 (Apple, with detailed instructions on making pie crust)

Pie Variation #2 (Cranberry Apple Pie- Prepared Crust)


Another Apple Pie Variation


Key Lime Pie


Grandma’s Plum Torte (nearly a pie)


Peach and Pear Crumble
(kind of a pie)


And don’t forget about… WHOOPIE Pies!

HAPPY PI DAY! 

I will leave you with a ridiculous pie video that, for some odd reason, always makes me laugh:

Recipe: Nutella + Caramel Stuffed and Salted Chocolate Cookies

14 Apr

As soon as I heard “Nutella Caramel Salted Chocolate Cookies” from an old coworker, I knew I needed the recipe.  She kindly pointed me to this blog: http://www.topwithcinnamon.com/2013/09/twc-feat-sorted-video-salted-caramel-nutella-stuffed-double-chocolate-chip-cookies.html

Now all I needed was a good excuse to bake them.  Superbowl seemed like as good an excuse as any! So these guys I shaped into footballs and used a simple icing to draw on the laces (simple icing = powdered sugar and water!)

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I couldn’t find the right candy, so I went with Cadbury Dairy Milk Caramel (not my first choice, and I would probably look for Rolos or regular ol’ caramels if I did it again).

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They baked up oh so ooey gooey inside

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Another ooey gooey picture just for fun.

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GREAT recipe!  Though next time I’d go with a regular caramel rather than a piece of chocolate covered caramel. There were just too many competing chocolates in here.

The dough itself was fantastic, and can probably be used simply on its own to make a delicious salted chocolate cookie. Check out the original post to see a video on how to make them (great video!)

Nutella + Caramel Stuffed and Salted Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup (110g) butter
  • 1 1/2 cups (350g) light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup (55g) cocoa powder
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 3/4 tsp baking powder
  • 2 cups (260g) all-purpose flour
  • 3.5 oz (100g) milk or dark chocolate chips
  • Flaky salt/ fleur de sel/ maldon salt, for sprinkling
  • Approx. 1/2 cup (8 tbsp) Nutella
  • 15-16 caramel-filled chocolates (or regular salted caramels)

Instructions

  1. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
  2. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C)
  3. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Take off the heat and stir in the brown sugar and eggs
  4. Add the cocoa, salt and baking powder and stir until well combined
  5. Add the flour and stir until no floury patches are left
  6. Stir in the chocolate chips
  7. Take 1 heaped tbsp of dough, use your finger make a large indentation the centre of the dough
  8. Fill the indentation with a small blob of nutella (~ 1/2 tsp)
  9. Top it with a caramel-filled chocolate or caramel
  10. Top with a flattened tablespoon of dough, and seal the edges
  11. Sprinkle with fleur de sel and bake for 8-10 minutes
  12. For the video and original recipe, check this link: http://www.topwithcinnamon.com/2013/09/twc-feat-sorted-video-salted-caramel-nutella-stuffed-double-chocolate-chip-cookies.html
http://nycnomnom.com/2014/04/14/recipe-nutella-caramel-salted-chocolate-cookies/

A Happy St. Patrick’s Day with Fairway Market Beer Bread

17 Mar

Fairway now has me on their PR distribution list after we enjoyed a great lamb demo there a few weeks ago, which I certainly appreciate and enjoy.

This past week I received an email offering me the opportunity to try a loaf of their new Beer Bread, which is baked with Blue Point Brewing Co. Hoptical Illusion IPA.

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I swung by to pick up my loaf at the Chelsea location and they had a very nice selection of delicious smelling bread.

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The loaf was about the size of a cantaloupe.

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And it was quite dense, but with nice airy pockets and a satisfying crust.

I first just took a slice and nibbled away. It tasted decidedly like beer in bread.  A great combo.

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I decided it would make for great French Toast, so I went with it.  It was actually so dense that I should have cut it thinner to soak all the way through, but even after a full 30 minute soak, it was still totally in tact and nicely held up to the eggy mixture with almond milk.

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So I toasted it up with a side of sage sausage….

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Then realized we were completely out of maple syrup, so I went for the next best thing… bourbon salted caramel.  It was absolutely scrumptious.

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But I had to leave enough for us to make a delicious bread salad (the Zuni recipe) to go with our roast chicken (also Zuni recipe) on Sunday.  It toasted up perfectly.

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I absolutely love bread salad (also called panzanella salad), though I’ve only ever had this version (in the restaurant and then the many iterations we’ve made since then).

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The bread toasted up perfectly and held up nicely to the dressing and salad.  The beer taste got a bit washed in the salad, but it was a really great flavor overall and the best texture of bread for the job.

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Fairway Beer Bread gets an A+ in my book.

Note: While I was given this loaf for free, I was not required to nor even encouraged to write about it.  But I really enjoyed it.  Here was their write up:

Fairway introduces House Baked Beer Bread Just in Time for St. Patrick’s Day

Introducing Fairway’s own house-baked Beer Bread made with local Blue Point Brewing Co. Hoptical Illusion IPA and love from Fairway’s talented bakers. Fairway’s Beer Bread is a combination of wheat, rye and sourdough with the strong essence and smell of hops and can be included in any type of meal of the day including with a few poached eggs for breakfast, as the base of a pastrami sandwich for lunch or served besides any plate for dinner! Will go great with Corned Beef and Cabbage, stew and just perfect for dipping or enjoying with cheese.

Fairway’s newest product is sold $3.99 a loaf at all Fairway Market locations.