What Are You Baking?

[yfunk3]

I want to make chewy chocolate mint chip cookies (stocked up on the mint Nestle dark chocolate and mint chips last week), but am finding it hard to get a good, guaranteed chewy chocolate cookie recipe. I'm basically looking for a chewy sugar cookie, but chocolatey and with the mint chips mixed in (will also add a tiny bit of peppermint extract).

Does anyone know if I can just use a good, chewy sugar cookie, add lots of cocoa powder, and it will be fine? Or does someone have a good soft, chewy chocolate cookie (no crunchy, brownie-like top, please) that they are willing to divulge? I need to make something sweet tomorrow!

[KMango]

I want to make chewy chocolate mint chip cookies (stocked up on the mint Nestle dark chocolate and mint chips last week), but am finding it hard to get a good, guaranteed chewy chocolate cookie recipe. I'm basically looking for a chewy sugar cookie, but chocolatey and with the mint chips mixed in (will also add a tiny bit of peppermint extract).

Does anyone know if I can just use a good, chewy sugar cookie, add lots of cocoa powder, and it will be fine? Or does someone have a good soft, chewy chocolate cookie (no crunchy, brownie-like top, please) that they are willing to divulge? I need to make something sweet tomorrow!

I am hoping other kitchen-tested concoctions emerge for you, but, if not, here are some recipes I've been aiming to try.

An intepretation of Whole Foods chocolate chewies, which, if correct, would fit the bill most nicely:

http://recipes.spark...p?recipe=790010

Payard's (via the Smitten Kitchen) Flourless Chocolate-Walnut Cookies, adapted, might be a candidate:

http://smittenkitche...-dessert-ideas/

[Anna Blume]

Eating as it cools: banana cake/bread w cocoa nibs and chunks of chocolate, recipe adapted from David Lebovitz. Combo whole wheat and whole wheat pastry flour worked just fine. A Meyer lemon glaze would be nice, but plain's good, too.

[goodeats]

Sorry to be too late but ATK did an episode on this issue. The best I could find were these two substitutes, since ATK requires registration:

Serious Eats (which has the key notes and the video but not the recipe) and

The Apron Archives blog (this blogs take on the ATK + Cook's Illus. recipes)

[Anna Blume]

Sorry to be too late but ATK did an episode on this issue.

^The issue addressed by goodeats: How to make a really good, chewy chocolate chip cookie. Cf. Post 401 by yfunk3 above. Personally, I am a big fan of Alice Medrich's crisp cookie w bits of chocolate, recipe published in Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunch whose title promises much to meet your preferences vs. mine. I have yet to try David Leite's, but as published in the NYT, the recipe won awards. One way to develop flavor is to let the dough age in fridge overnight before baking which might be what DL recommends.

[TheMatt]

It's not really baking, but there isn't really a category for it. I'm making mosaic dessert bars, the lazy man's version of ye olde stained glass cake. In fact, I'm not even making that recipe. I'm using the sugar-free versions of the colored gelatins because, well, I don't need the sugar (and the condensed milk has enough).

ETA: Things I've learned so far: maybe let the milk gelatin cool a bit more. Or let the other gelatins cool more. Whatever, it looks like I'll now have a slightly reddish-pink mosaic bar rather than a pure-white bar. Powerful dyes in Jell-o. (Or maybe that's to do with the sugar-free v sugared Jell-os?)

Edited January 29, 2012 by TheMatt

[TheMatt]

One more update I forgot to post. It turns out that sugar-free Jell-o has a different density than sugar-ful Jell-o. After the final chill, all my sugar-free color blocks floated to the top of the dessert. So, instead of the cubes being distributed vertically, it was like a layer of color followed by a layer of white. Still tastes good!

Now I'm contemplating a "surprise" dessert like stained glass cake where it looks like a weird white Jell-o until you cut into it...

[lperry]

Coconut / date granola bars.

[monavano]

ANKB with rosemary and Parmesan

Blood Orange Pound Cake

[zoramargolis]

Not baking right this minute, but I'm chilling a meyer lemon cheesecake that I baked last night and just added a meyer lemon curd topping. It's based on Rose Levy Barenbaum's "cordon rose" cheesecake recipe--baked in a waterbath--very light and fluffy, not dense and heavy NY deli-style.

[Chocolatechipkt]

Vanilla bean sables ... simple but flavorful.

[zoramargolis]

my latest attempt at no-knead bread made with Pedro Pan's wild-yeast starter instead of commercial yeast. I'm sticking to Pedro Pan's method, but can't help tinkering with the recipe: I subbed freshly ground whole wheat flour made from Heinz Thomet's wheat berries for 1/2 cup of the white bread flour called for in the recipe. will have to tinker with the time/temperature for the final part of the baking, because the crust has gotten a bit too burned-y the first two times I've made it.

[DrXmus]

Salty Sweet Nutella Thumbprints. The recipe is from the Post's Food section. The recipe is super simple but the results are super delish.

[Sundae in the Park]

Salty Sweet Nutella Thumbprints. The recipe is from the Post's Food section. The recipe is super simple but the results are super delish.

Those look very tempting! We might have to give the recipe a try. Right now I have far more pedestrian-seeming soda bread in the oven.

[zoramargolis]

Wild mulberry marble/meyer lemon cheesecake

[monavano]

Just frosted a Duke's Mayo chocolate cake. Used Duncan Hines milk chocolate icing cuz it was in my pantry and I'm feeling a bit lazy. Tastes really good, actually.

[porcupine]

Peach-blueberry cobbler (biscuit type). Making a sauce of sweetened ricotta cheese and lightly whipped cream (and a touch of nutmeg) to go with.

[Sundae in the Park]

Banana bread and brownies. Got have sweets for the visitors!

[Xochitl10]

Four loaves of focaccia, plus a batch of meringues for a friend's annual 4th of July eating and fireworks extravaganza. Getting ready to start tempering chocolate for chocolate-dipped fruit.

[monavano]

Lemoncello marmalade and almond biscotti.

[monavano]

Bacon Candied Tomatoes-- going to top mac n cheese

[Anna Blume]

The Anglo-Italian rice pudding is finished and chilling in fridge (Venetian, stubby rice prepared British pudding style).

Apricots currently poaching in sweetened, lemon verbena tea, 350 F.

[porcupine]

Tellus more about the apricots?

[Anna Blume]

Tellus more about the apricots?

Trying as many recipes in Nigel Slater's Ripe as I can before my stock of apricots is depleted. Made a lemon v. tea w fresh, organic leaves from market. added a little sugar and vanilla. couldn't find the jar of star anise anywhere, so i guess i need more and that might have added something. After leaves seeped, discard them, sweeten tea (about 3 c) and pour over a pound of tightly packed together fruit in a gratin dish and bake for around 40 mins. good. delicate. still find roasting the fruit the best way to coax out and rev up the flavor of local, contemporary apricots.

[porcupine]

Peach pies. Just that, nothing fancy. (but there will be cinnamon pie crust cookies and cardamom pie crust cookies, too)

[goodeats]

Green tea cupcakes with marshmallow frosting. It was tasty.

[monavano]

Yesterday I made a Key Lime Cheesecake. I made it a bit healthier by using 1/3 less fat cream cheese and Lite Cool Whip for a topping. This one is so darn easy, especially because I use this

[Xochitl10]

In preparation for the storm, I made a focaccia heavily seasoned with black pepper on Sunday night. Yesterday, I made cinnamon rolls using the "Baking Illustrated" recipe and used up milk, butter, eggs, and sour cream that I figured I'd otherwise lose, being a Pepco customer and all. I didn't have cream cheese for the icing, so I swapped in sour cream instead and skipped the corn syrup. Also, I didn't have brown sugar (man, I'm a crappy baker), so I subbed granulated sugar with a healthy dose of dark rum for moistness and flavor. They're delightful.

[bettyjoan]

Just finished a batch of super-sized ginger chewies, now working on a round of salted caramel brownies. Was going to give the cranberry swirl cheesecake another go, but I have been sick in bed for the past three days, so I decided to go with the lower-maintenance baked goods. I may bring the cheesecake ingredients to Thanksgiving and attempt it if I am feeling better (and if we have plowed through the other desserts...).

[zoramargolis]

roasted butternut squash pie, pecan tart (John Thorne recipe with Lyon's Golden Syrup) for tomorrow; pear streusel tart for tonight

[Anna Blume]

My first butternut squash (vs. pumpkin) pie. Over 3 more lbs. left to go on a very large squash from Tree & Leaf with Mannerist neck. Haunted by Porcupine's breakfast which is a favorite.

Potato bread in some time later today.

[Xochitl10]

Making a variation on Ann Amernick's cookie plate for a retirement party later this week: gingersnaps, orange sables, and either Brussels or Vanilla Nuts. I'm also craving a Japanese-style Christmas cake (sponge cake filled with whipped cream and strawberries, iced with either chocolate icing or whipped cream and decorated with sugar holiday things), so I may make one for the office holiday party.

[thistle]

I have a recipe for triple ginger cookies (fresh, dry, & candied) that is great & I've purchased lots of dark/bittersweet chocolate chips (Hershey's/Ghirardelli) hoping that my daughter will handle baking choc chip cookies. We'll also bake some poundcakes (because we can knock those out in our sleep)-when I'm not baking, I like Nonni's salted caramel biscotti, small packages so you can't overindulge, & you feel guilty for not baking them yourself...

[weezy]

Last night I made some oatmeal raisin pecan cookies using a new for me recipe out of the Cook's Illustrated "500 Best Recipes" cookbook. Solid winner all the way. A large, tall, bumpy, chewy cookie with a crisp bottom with a pronounced oat flavor. Very easy to whip up and the dough can be easily rolled up into balls and frozen for later baking.

[monavano]

Apricot and raspberry rugelach.

[Pat]

A cranberry - pecan pie (that's really a cobbler sort of cake) based on a Laurie Colwin recipe. It just came out of the oven and smells and looks gorgeous.

[TinaWDC]

Apple pie from scratch. All butter crust. The butter was from South Mountain Creamery in MD that I picked up from Seasonal Pantry. Used only granny smith apples, uncooked. For the flour, I used King Arthur's Perfect Pastry Blend.

The filling came out a bit soupy, not sure if I should have waited longer before serving or will try to add a thickner next time. But, I thought apple pies usually don't need a thickner because of all the natural pectin from the apples. Will continue to experiment. The crust came out better than expected, crisp and flaky, with a rich butter flavor. I did not blind bake the crust. Also applied an egg wash and sugar to crust before baking.

[zoramargolis]

The filling came out a bit soupy, not sure if I should have waited longer before serving or will try to add a thickner next time. But, I thought apple pies usually don't need a thickner because of all the natural pectin from the apples. Will continue to experiment. The crust came out better than expected, crisp and flaky, with a rich butter flavor. I did not blind bake the crust. Also applied an egg wash and sugar to crust before baking.

A method I heard about from some baking experts is to saute the fruit on top of the stove to reduce the water content prior to filling the crust. Also there are very few fruit pie fillings that don't need some starch (cornstarch, wheat flour, potato starch, tapioca or arrowroot) to thicken them if you don't pre-cook the fruit before filling the crust.

[TinaWDC]

A method I heard about from some baking experts is to saute the fruit on top of the stove to reduce the water content prior to filling the crust. Also there are very few fruit pie fillings that don't need some starch (cornstarch, wheat flour, potato starch, tapioca or arrowroot) to thicken them if you don't pre-cook the fruit before filling the crust.

Thanks for the tips! Best thing about experimenting with pies is that imperfect pies are still tasty!!!

[monavano]

Double chocolate biscotti with almonds, hazelnuts, citron, dates and a big shot of dark rum.

[porcupine]

Angel food cake, nephew #1's favorite, for his going away party later today. He's heading out for his third deployment in a few days. Afghanistan this time. How long has this war been going on now? I just needed to say that somewhere. Thanks, Don.

[Night Owl]

Mexican dark chocolate wafers with dulce de leche sandwiched inside. Made some for Christmas, went over well, so now making for friends for New Year's Eve...

Both components are ridiculously easy to make, a very yummy combo, don't know why I haven't made these before this year.

[bettyjoan]

I made the Post's Salty Chocolate Nutella Thumbprints, but since I used a Ziploc bag instead of a piping bag, my results don't look nearly as pretty as Dr. Xmus's above. They are mighty tasty, though, and pretty simple to put together. To add an extra salty kick, I sprinkled a little bit of coarse sea salt on top of the Nutella. Husband has declared them a success, though not as good as my ginger chewies, which I also made (this must be batch number 12 for the season).

[thistle]

This sounds delicious, as do the chocolate wafers/dulce de leche & the chocolate biscotti w/rum, I wish you all were baking for me, I'm eating leftover Xmas cookies (chocolate chip, sugar, & Mexican wedding)....

[Barbara]

I made the Guinness Stout Ginger Cake today. I used a Wilton not-Bundt pan and it was done in just 40 minutes. Hope it's not too done. We'll see tomorrow. And, yes, it would have been a lot easier if I had just gotten the mixer out, rather than trying to whisk all that by hand.

[PollyG]

We just concluded our first annual Feast of the Seven Knishes. Fillings were: standard mashed potatoes, with lots of sweet onion bits; wasabi mashed potatoes; kim chi potatoes, yams, mushrooms (essentially duxelles, with a little bit of mashed potato to keep it sticky), spinach, and kasha. The crowd included a lot of my neighbors who are fairly white bread people (although with good taste in wine and beer) and the kim chi variant was the surprise hit.

[TinaWDC]

another test with apple pie (less soupy this time) and my first blueberry pie.

blueberry on the left and apple on the right.

all butter crusts. also experimented with using food processor to blend the crust (apple) versus doing it all by hand (blueberry). both were refrigerated for an hour before rolling.

the food processor crust dough was easier to rollout after refrigeration. the hand blended crust dough did not roll out as nicely and was a lot harder to work with. taste-wise, there wasn't a noticeable difference.

[PollyG]

all butter crusts. also experimented with using food processor to blend the crust (apple) versus doing it all by hand (blueberry). both were refrigerated for an hour before rolling.

the food processor crust dough was easier to rollout after refrigeration. the hand blended crust dough did not roll out as nicely and was a lot harder to work with. taste-wise, there wasn't a noticeable difference.

I've found that my Cuisinart's dough blade is really fabulous at cutting butter into flour.

[zoramargolis]

We just concluded our first annual Feast of the Seven Knishes. Fillings were: standard mashed potatoes, with lots of sweet onion bits; wasabi mashed potatoes; kim chi potatoes, yams, mushrooms (essentially duxelles, with a little bit of mashed potato to keep it sticky), spinach, and kasha. The crowd included a lot of my neighbors who are fairly white bread people (although with good taste in wine and beer) and the kim chi variant was the surprise hit.

Great idea--right up there with the pascal yam on the vegetarian seder plate. A thought: next year why not do one sweet knish? My mother used to make a really tasty dessert knish with a farmer cheese and pineapple filling.

[Anna Blume]

Nigel Slater's cauliflower cheese as Part II of a very large cauliflower. Were I not felled by a cold and short on energy, I would have tried this wonderful Tunisian dish instead. Anyone else leafing through the British author's Tender?