A Hungry Bear

homemade oreos

Yes, it has been months since my last post.  And no, the bear hasn’t starved…  I have been busy moving from Atlanta to San Francisco, starting an exciting new job, and planning for my family’s visit in April!  I’ll apologize for the long absence without a new recipe by sharing one of my favorites - a classic Martha Stewart recipe for homemade oreo’s.

Ingredients: (for cookies) 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 3/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 5 Tablespoons melted butter, 2/3 cup packed light-brown sugar, 1 large egg; (for filling) 4 Tablespoons (1/2 stick) room temperature butter, 1.5 cups powdered sugar, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. (more…)

chocolate almond toffee

Growing up, my dad would always bring home a tin of the most delicious toffee in the week before Christmas, I think it was a gift from a vendor. At the time I thought it was a sign of how important my dad must be at work - they were kissing up to him, with the best tasting dessert in the world! I was really excited to see a recipe for something similar in the December 2009 Food & Wine. I made a double batch of it to give to friends, family, and of course dear-old-dad, this holiday season.

Ingredients (for a single batch, makes 2 pounds): 2 sticks butter, 1.5 cups sugar, 2 Tablespoons water, 1 cup slivered almonds, 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract, 1.5 teaspoons coarse sea salt, 1/2 pound bittersweet chocolate pieces. (more…)

chocolate stout cupcakes with bailey’s cream cheese frosting

I’ve had this recipe bookmarked since I saw it back in March on one of my favorite food blogs, Closet Cooking. I like the way this blogger picks a theme or single ingredient and then makes several different things back to back with it. In this case he was doing a lot of St. Patrick’s Day-related recipes, and he modified a few recipes to create a Guinness cake with Bailey’s icing. I adapted his recipe even further by substituting a chocolate stout for the Guinness, and by dividing the batter into cupcakes instead of a single cake. (I also doubled the icing to have enough for 24 cupcakes.) These were every bit as good as I imagined they would be, and ridiculously easy to make too.

Ingredients: (for the cupcakes) 2 sticks unsalted butter, 1 cup chocolate stout beer (or Guinness), 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 cups flour, 2 cups sugar, 1.5 teaspoons baking soda, 3/4 teaspoons salt, 2 eggs, 2/3 cup sour cream; (for the icing) 1 8-ounce package cream cheese softened to room temperature, 3 tablespoons butter softened to room temperature, 2 cups powdered sugar, 4-6 Tablespoons Bailey’s Irish. (more…)

oreo puffs

Our dear friend Talia brought these little chocolately puffs of heaven to our super bowl party. They were so good, maybe they helped align the stars so the Steelers could win their 6th “world championship of the world” (A’s designation)? We were obsessed - between the two of us, A and I probably ate about 20 of these things during the game. Ever since, A has frequently asked me if I’d gotten the recipe from Talia, and could I maybe try them out “for the blog”? I was surprised when she told me how easy they were to make: just a blend of crushed oreos and cream cheese, dipped in chocolate. So, if you need an even easier-to-consume and possibly-even-more-addicting way to consume oreo cookies, try this recipe immediately if not sooner. I know I’ll be making them for every Steelers game next season at least. (more…)

red velvet cupcakes

I would have made a great 1950’s housewife. It makes me obscenely happy to bake desserts for A - so much so that I can get in trouble for it. At first he loved it, coming home to have a chocolate kahlua cheesecake baked for him for no apparent reason. Then, maybe 10 pounds later, I could tell he was feigning excitement just a little when I presented him with the second pie of the week. So what do I do? Stop baking “just because” cakes and “Tuesdays are special too” pies? Of course not. It’s all about portion control. I’ll only bake *cupcakes* because I can make just 12 of them, and A isn’t staring down a 3 tier cake. I’m considerate like that. This recipe was adapted (halved, actually) from one of my favorite food blogs, Pinch My Salt. The original is here; I’ve included the half-batch amounts in this post.
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gift this: best ever nut brittle

Like a lot of people, I’m going to try and cut back on Christmas gift spending this year. One of the best ways to show people you love them without spending a fortune is to cook treats for them (you know, you don’t really love someone unless you fatten them up a little - one more proof point that I’m of Italian descent). My dad used to bring home the best nut brittle about a week before Christmas, from some vendor who gave out tins of it to all their clients. This stuff was like eating a heath bar - if you hadn’t seen food in a week. I’ll work on a chocolate-sided version next time, but for now, my research led me to this recipe by Tina Ujlaki (adapted from famous pastry chef Karen DeMasco). I adapted it further by trying a combination of almonds and pine nuts. I knew it was a winner when my dad said he’d gladly eat 2 pounds of it in one sitting. (more…)

chocolate pudding with espresso whipped cream

I never thought pudding was something you can actually make at home; I guess that proves how powerful the brand association Jello has created (either that, or simply proof of my ignorance). This recipe from the November 2008 issue of Bon Appetit only took a few ingredients, things I keep in on hand anyway. The espresso powder is so simple but adds a “grown up” twist. (more…)

5 pounds of chocolate cupcakes

I found this recipe in the most unlikely of places - by talking to a startup software executive at a conference. I immediately like people when it’s apparent they have a love of food that rivals mine, and this woman was awesome. She had just moved back from Spain, and instead of talking about what I imagine most business people would (glad to be back to burgers or family or familiarity?), she talked about the olive oil, the bread, the markets, learning first the spanish words for basil and garlic… Wow. And then she tells me about this cake, her go-to, never-fails-to-disappoint cake made with “at least 5 pounds of chocolate” (her words). I prod a little deeper, and it turns out the recipe she uses comes from Orangette - the lovely blog I read on a daily basis - posted over 4 years ago. She sent me the recipe, which I immediately set to making. The only problem was my own impatience - not waiting for the cupcakes to cool enough before removing them = not nearly as photogenic as Orangette’s, but by far the most delicious chocolate cake I’ve ever tried. Find someone who’s birthday is near, or any other excuse possible, and make this cake. You can find the Orangette original here. (more…)

peach & blackberry cobbler

This isn’t my Gramma’s recipe, but I still think she’d approve of this well-researched version from The New Best Recipe cookbook. The biscuit topping is made with yogurt, which I’ve never tried before. This gives it a chewy texture, less crumbly and, well, biscuit-y, than I’m used to. I love mixing in a handful of blackberries to keep the peaches from being too sweet. (more…)

cream cheese brownies

Another weekend, another request for homemade dessert… A finally got his hands on my copy of “The New Best Recipe” (from Cook’s Illustrated), and started reading the dessert section. As an engineer, he was impressed with the thorough, scientific approach, which was all he needed to be convinced that their brownie recipes must be the best in the world. I had all the ingredients on hand, so we were digging in to hot gooey layered brownies about an hour later. (more…)