Peanut Butter Fudge Brownies

My camera charger has been MIA for over a week now, so I haven’t been able to post/photograph the limited amount of baking and cooking I’ve done recently. I don’t know what Johnny’s excuse is, except that he’s a busy boy. I’m a busy gal too, but I don’t spend my extra time playing video games. What can I say, I’m just the dedicated LAFS poster.

Anyways…

I got the recipe for these off of Anna’s site, and made them for a party on Friday night. I made a few minor changes to make due with what I had on hand, and more importantly because I don’t like nuts getting in the way of my brownies. I don’t like nuts getting in the way of my chocolate, for that matter. I also used reduced fat peanut butter, which means these officially qualify as diet food. I’ll post the recipe as I made it. Next time I think I might throw about a 1/2c of peanut butter chips into the brownie portion, just to make the peanut butter flavor more pronounced. Then again, if you used the peanuts that I didn’t have in my house, they would probably make the flavor stronger.

For the brownie base:
3/4 cup unsalted butter
7 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1 cup all purpose flour

For the frosting and ganache:
1 cup Reduced Fat Jif creamy peanut butter (do not use natural or old-fashioned)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided, room temperature
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon whole milk (I used skim and it seemed totally fine to me)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

7 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped*

Preparation
For brownies:
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 325°F. Line 13×9x2-inch metal baking pan with foil, leaving more overhang than I did. Butter or spray with cooking spray.

Place 3/4 cup butter in heavy large saucepan. Add both chocolates; stir over low heat until smooth. Remove from heat. Whisk in sugar, vanilla, and salt, then eggs, 1 at a time. Fold in flour. Spread in prepared pan. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 30 minutes. Place pan on rack; cool.

For frosting and ganache:
Using electric mixer, beat peanut butter and 1/4 cup butter in medium bowl to blend. Beat in powdered sugar, and salt, then milk and vanilla. Spread frosting over brownies.

Look in your pantry for semi-sweet chocolate, only to find one ounce left. Grab 3 ounces of unsweetened chocolate, 3 ounces of Baker’s “German Sweet Chocolate”, and the ounce of semi-sweet and say a little prayer. Chop. Drop half an ounce of semi sweet onto the floor, say a swear word or two, then throw in a big handful of semi-sweet chocolate chips and call it even.*

Melt chocolate assortment and 1/4 cup butter in heavy small saucepan over low heat until smooth. Drop ganache all over frosting; spread to cover. Chill until set, about 1 1/2 hours. Cover and keep chilled until about 2 hours before you want to serve.

Using foil as aid, transfer brownie cake to work surface; cut into squares. Bring to room temperature; serve.

*The ganache turned out just great this way. :).

I suggest cutting these small, as they’re very dense and rich. Plus, once you have one you will immediately reach for another one..then another one…and then another one. This may cause tummy aches.

-Mel

Late Night Done Right

In this world, there is a small group of food that is considered to be holy. One of these foods is none other than Cinnamelts. Not to be confused with cinnamon rolls (or buns, mind you), Cinnamelts are delicious puffs of goodness all connected to one another in a cluster of diety proportions. See for yourself:

These gods of late night snackery have proved themselves to be a contender in the ring of “craving foods”.

I’m a believer.

-Johnny

Ps. These may or may not be found at McDonald’s - sshhh.

Cookie Cake Recipe

I promised this recipe many days ago, but the second time I made the recipe it was a little..off? So I’ve been doing some experimenting and tweaking, and this is the best I’ve come up with so far!

Classic Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

1/2 c butter

1/2c granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar (tightly packed)

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 c all-purpose flour

1/4tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt (omit if using salted butter, which I wouldn’t recommend)

3/4 c semi-sweet mini chips (use 1/2 c if you’re not chocolate obsessed)

Preheat oven to 350F. Coat cookie cake pan (9×13)* with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars, then add the egg and vanilla and mix well.

In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Gradually add to the butter and sugar mixture, mixing until just combined.

Stir in the chocolate chips.

Spread dough into prepared pan with spatula. (or, more likely, your hand. It speeds the process up)

Bake 15-18mins, or until lightly golden brown. (My oven runs hot, if yours doesn’t I could see it taking u to 20 minutes if you like a harder cookie)

Cool on rack for at least 10 minutes, then remove from pan.

*My cookie cake pan is heart shaped, but said it holds any recipe that would fit a 9×13 inch baking pan.

Let cool completely, then decorate as you please.

Enjoy! If anyone makes the recipe, get back to me with results! I’m still playing around with it.

-Mel

Feeling Festive: Cookie Cake

One of Johnny and my favorite, less than gourmet desserts, is cookie cake. We’ve been known to, more than once, indulge ourselves in entire personal sized Great American Cookies cake’s for special occasions, even if that occasion had already included a meal and even a previous dessert. So, when our 16 month anniversary and Valentine’s Day coincided, it seemed only natural to celebrate with a homemade cookie cake.

The cookie cake came out of the oven moist, perfectly cooked, soft and delicious looking.

Unfortunately, then I moved it in an effort to find the perfect decorating surface, then I moved it again, and then it broke. It broke on more than one side. The break might have ended up for the best, as it took any stress from trying to frost the cake perfectly away, making the process more fun, and making the cake that much easier to tear apart and dig in to…the evening before the occasion which was supposed to be celebrated.

It was gone in less than 24 hours. Alls well that ends well.

-Mel

Apple Crisp (Cont.)

Johnny mentioned the apple crisp we made in our last entry; however, I thought I’d go in to a bit more detail for anyone interested in the recipe.

We started by following a recipe, but after making many changes (some on purpose, some…not) we ended up with a very delicious end product, and our own great recipe. This crisp really needs to be served warm with a topping of vanilla ice cream, but it’s certainly good on it’s own.

Apple Crisp
6 medium braeburn apples, peeled and sliced
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (plus extra to taste)
Vanilla ice cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F.
Arrange apple slices evenly over the bottom of a 9×9 inch baking dish.
Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in egg and melted butter. Use your fingers to drop batter in small clumps over the top of the apples. Sprinkle evenly with ground cinnamon.
Bake for 30-40 minutes, until apple slices are tender when pierced with a fork. Topping will be lightly browned.
Top with more cinnamon to taste. (This is certainly optional, we both really dig cinnamon)
Allow to cool 15-20 minutes before serving.
Serve warm, topped with vanilla ice cream.
Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.

*Johnny and I later said we should have sprinkled the apples with a bit of cinnamon sugar before baking, and he did so the next time he made it

-Mel

Tomato & Sausage Risotto with Warm Apple Crisp

On today’s menu we have a Tomato and Hot Italian Sausage Risotto followed by a Warm Apple Crisp a la mode. Mel and I teamed up to make both dishes.

The Risotto includes onions, garlic, diced tomatoes, hot Italian sausage, and wilted spinach. We topped it with fresh grated Parmesan Reggiano.

The warm apple crisp was super easy to make. We peeled 6 Braeburn apples and layered them on the bottom of a baking dish and topped that with our crust mixture. Then we just popped it in the oven for about 30 minutes and voila! Warm Apple Crisp a la mode.

I love the smell of apple crisp. Both dishes were great!

-Johnny

Pumpkin Pie

I have a confession to make: until about 2 weeks ago, I’d never had pumpkin pie. Since all the females in my family are chocolate obsessed, all our holiday desserts are generally chocolate based. When Johnny found this out, his jaw dropped, and then he proceeded to bring one to a Halloween party we attended so I could try some. And boy, oh boy did I love it.

In fact, I liked the taste so much, the next day I knew I had to make one. I kept reading rave reviews about the simple recipe on the back of the Libby’s 100% Pure Pumpkin can, so I decided to give it a shot. The only changes I made were to use nutmeg instead of cloves, and I used fat-free evaporated milk (which is probably good, considering I bought the 28 oz can of pumpkin by mistake, so clearly I had to make two pies). The result was an unbelievably delicious, low fat dessert. Granted, I immediately ruined the “low fat” part by making a fresh batch of whipped cream to go on top. What can you do.

LIBBY’S® Famous Light Pumpkin Pie

adapted from the back of the Libbys 100% Pure Pumpkin can

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg*
• 2 large eggs
• 1 can (15 oz.) Libby’s 100% Pure Pumpkin
• 1 can (12 fl. oz) fat free evaporated milk
• 1 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shell
• Whipped cream (optional)

Directions:
Mix sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk.

Pour into pie shell.

Bake the pie in a preheated 425° F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° F; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Top with whipped cream before serving.

*The original recipe uses cloves, I just personally like nutmeg better

I think I may have found a suitable substitute for chocolate desserts; who’d have thunk it!

-Mel

P.S. Someone send me new plates, please.

Feeling Festive: Halloween Nutella Smooches

Johnny reminded me of my lack of updating. I apologize, I’ve just been quite drained of energy recently.

These cookies quickly fixed that problem. I’ll be on a sugar high for at least a week due to overconsumption of these addicting little morsels.

I adapted this recipe from Giada De Laurentis’ Chocolate-Hazelnut Smooches. The original recipe produces a thin, crunchy cookie, and I personally prefer those of the thick and chewy nature. So, by “adapted” I mean I cut the amount of baking soda in half, added an extra heaping spoonful of Nutella, and shaved a few minutes off the baking time.

This would be a fun recipe to let your rugrats help with, and even more fun to partake in.

Chocolate-Hazelnut Smooches
adapted from Giada De Laurentis’ Everday Italian

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chocolate hazelnut spread + an extra tablespoon-ish
1/2 cup butter, softened (1 stick)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup orange sprinkles, or orange sugar
1 (9-ounce) package of chocolate candy kisses, unwrapped

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In another medium bowl, place the chocolate hazelnut spread, butter, and both sugars. Using a hand mixer, cream the ingredients together, about 3 minutes. Add the
egg and vanilla and blend until incorporated. Stir in the dry ingredients, just until incorporated.

Shape the cookie dough into walnut-sized balls. Rolls the balls in the orange sprinkles or orange sugar, pressing to adhere. Place the cookies on a heavy cookie sheet about 4 inches apart. Bake for 7 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven. Quickly place a chocolate kiss in the middle of each cookie. Return the cookies to the oven and bake for another 2-3 minutes. Cool the cookies on a wire rack.

Happy Halloween!

-Mel

Feeling Festive: Caramel Apples

This is what happens when I try to embrace my inner Martha Stewert:

Maybe I should stick to insider trading! These look like they were made by a 6 year old girl. Caramel gets cold really fast apparently. Perhaps I wasn’t speedy enough.

Regardless, here they are!

Happy Ghetto Halloween!

-Johnny

A Week in Cakes

The past week at my house has been filled with birthdays, and birthdays bring cake. Lots and lots of cake.

As you may have already read, Thursday was Johnny’s birthday and I took it upon myself to make his favorite: German Chocolate cake. Being that I’m a chocolate addict (and apparently a bit selfish), I wanted to include a chocolate ganache in the recipe. The result after searching, experimenting, combining , and burning (my finger, more than once) was a 4 layer “Inside Out” German Chocolate Cake. It was a lot of work folks, but the cake turned out great!

However, as surprisingly good as the German chocolate cake turned out, the real star of “Cake Week” came into being two days after Johnny’s birthday. My aunt Melanie and her daughter came to visit for my aunt’s birthday. Needless to say, the chocolate addiction gene is shared among the Melanie’s, and she requested a chocolate on chocolate cake to celebrate. I settled on “That Chocolate Cake” from The Essence of Chocolate.

The description described it as “the quintessential chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, rich and moist, completely satisfying, glorious without being the least bit formal.” They weren’t joking.

The picture, as well as the decoration, is terrible. I’m sorry. No one in my family was even remotely as interested in looking at it or letting me take pictures as they were in digging in. This really is the moistest cake I’ve ever encountered, the frosting is perfect, and the whole thing absolutely melts in your mouth. Even as rich as it is, you can’t help but take another slice. And then another. And then probably another.

That Chocolate Cake
from The Essence of Chocolate

Frosting
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup heavy cream
5 ounces 99% unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2inch pieces

Cake
Unsalted butter and flour for the pans
2 cups granulated sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup whole milk
1 cup boiling water

For the frosting:
In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and cream and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat and simmer for 6 minutes. Add the chocolate and butter and stir until melted. Pour into a bowl and stir in the vanilla.

For the cake:
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly butter the bottom of two 9-inch round cake pans. Line the bottom with parchment paper, then butter and flour the parchment and the sides of the pans.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder, and baking soda, mixing on low speed. Mix in the eggs, oil, and milk.

Increase the speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes, Reduce the speed to low and mix in the water. The batter will be soupy.

Divide the batter evenly between the cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and cool on a cooling rack for 5 minutes, then turn the layers out onto the rack and cool completely.

When the cakes have cooled, check the frosting. It should have the consistency of mayonnaise. If it is still too thin, allow it to cool longer.

To frost the cake:
Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread the frosting with a hot palette knife or icing spatula to give the frosting a beautiful shine. Run the knife under hot tap water and dry with a towel. Spread about 3/4 cup of frosting over the top of the first layer. Top with the second layer. Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake, heating the knife again as necessary.

Serves 8 to 10.

Make it. Seriously.

On a side note- I love and am missing my Johnny. A whole, whole lot.

-Mel