Homemade Oreos

Holy cow..is this really a new blog post? OMG it is! I think its been like what? A year since my last post..ugh my bad. To be quite honest, blogging is not my cup of tea, or box of chocolate to be more fitting. It's really hard for me to be consistent with my posts. I go on these runs where I'll post once or even twice a day...then hit a dry spell. Hence the moldy blog you see here. Well, hopefully I can put my mits back on for good this time and keep you a little more updated.

On to the reason your here, my baking! I was invited to a little Sunday get together last night; a little football, friends, and of course, good food. My buddy asked if I would make something delicious to bring. If you know me at all, you know I live for the instant gratification of baking, couldn't pass that up. I decided I wanted to make a couple different kinds of cookies; something to please everyone (or their taste buds anyway). I have been eyeballing this homemade Oreo recipe for far too long, it was the perfect opportunity. Yeowza! These things are unbelievable! Don't blame me for the 5lb increase on your scale, you were for-warned. These guys are really simple to make, and in my opinion, FAR better than a regular oreo! But, don't take my word for it, try them yourself!

Homemade Oreos
Adapted from My Baking Addiction

Ingredients
For the chocolate cookie:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa 
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) room-temperature, unsalted butter
1 large egg

For the filling:
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) room-temperature, unsalted butter
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Method
Preheat to 375°F.

In a bowl of an electric mixer, thoroughly mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder, salt, and sugar. While on low speed, add the butter, and then the egg. Continue mixing until dough comes together in a mass.

Take rounded tablespoons of batter and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet approximately two inches apart. Slightly flatten the dough. Bake for 9 minutes, rotating once for even baking. Set baking sheets on a rack to cool.

To make the cream, place butter and shortening in a mixing bowl, and at low speed, gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla. Turn the mixer on high and beat for 2 to 3 minutes until filling is light and fluffy.

To assemble the cookies, in a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch, round tip(you can use a zip lock bag as well, just cut a slit from one corner) pipe tablespoon-size blobs of cream into the center of one cookie. Place another cookie, equal in size to the first, on top of the cream. Lightly press, to work the filling evenly to the outsides of the cookie. If you find the cream isn't extending enough to the edges, work the cream with the back of a spoon towards the edges first, then "sandwich" cookies together and press.

Pair with a BIG glass of milk, and enjoy!

Florentines

I found my love for florentines in highschool when I worked for an Italian Cantinetta. I swear that was the best job; tasting and sampling new goodies everyday. It was a brand new restaurant/cafe so the chefs and pastry chef were experimenting in the kitchen all the time. I was lucky enough to be a guinea pig, mmmm. Of all the many delightful things I was able to nibble on each day, florentines were always my favorite. Something about the delicate crunch you get when you take that first bite, the brittleness of the almonds, the nuttiness of the butter, and tangy zest from the orange. I simply can't find enough words to describe what it is like to bite into one of these cookies. After the cafe closed, I cried, for weeks. Not really, but close. Anytime I had the opportunity to find one of these pastries and buy one it was done, in bulk. It didn't even cross my mind once I took up my nack for baking to try and make some. Until....the much mentioned foodgawker came into my life. I saw a post for a divine looking florentine and HAD to check it out. I was soon in shock, because the much beloved, insanely rich and decadent cookie, had mainly 6 ingredients, whoa. I almost cried, again, for the second time over these cookies, but tears of sweet joy! (literally) I had everything in my fridge and pantry already, I was ready to rock. I can't quite remember what happened next, from what I recall, I woke up in bed with a tummy ache, crumbs all over my face, and a half eaten cookie in hand...I apparently had passed out from eating the entire batch. Like the Blue Ridge Baker states, if you have yet to try one of these, put it at the top of your list! But be careful, there so good they may cause memory lapse. ;)

Florentines
original recipe here

adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

1 cup finely chopped almonds

1 tablespoon unbleached white flour

2 teaspoons orange zest

heaping 1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup sugar

4 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons heavy cream

1 tablespoon agave nectar

2 oz semisweet chocolate

Combine almonds, flour, zest and salt in medium-sized bowl and set aside. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, mix together sugar, butter, cream and agave and stir continually until mixture comes to a boil. Pour over almond mixture and stir to combine. Let cool for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, meanwhile, preheat oven to 350. When dough is cool enough to handle, place 6 tablespoon-sized mounds of dough on a parchment lined cookie sheet, and press them into relatively flat disks. These cookies spread a lot, so give them as much space as you can. Bake for 10-14 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are caramel in color and the centers are tinged with golden but still look a little moist. Cool on baking sheet for about 2 minutes, then transfer to rack to cool completely. In the meantime, melt chocolate in a heat-proof bowl placed over a pot of simmering water. Transfer cool cookies to paper towel and blot any butter residue from them. Drizzle melted chocolate over cookies, dip cookies in melted chocolate, spread chocolate on the backs of cookies and make them into sandwiches (or leave them as chocolate-backed single cookies). Go wild!

I did all of the above AND decided that homemade ricotta whipping cream would be great paired with these. I was right. 

Cupcakes for a Fireman's Birthday!

Ooh boy this was a fun one! I had a request from a friend for birthday cupcakes for her husband! I always get so excited when they tell me to "be creative." Basically she wanted something super delicious, and matching her theme of red, black, & white. Her husband is a fireman so I figured I'd try and tie something in along those lines. I had SO much fun making these! I love walking through the over packed isles of Michael's and searching for inspiration and cute ideas. I've yet to leave that store empty handed. I found these cute little styrofoam fireman cut out's - adorable! They looked a little elementary but it was for a guy, you know how they are; really could care less. Since she left it up to me on flavor of the cupcake I wanted it to be something simple but undeniably delicious. I chose to do a classic yellow buttermilk cake with the BEST chocolate buttercream. The end result: whimsical red, white, and black cuppies that tasted GREAT!

Martha Stewart's Buttermilk Cupcakes
From Martha Stewart's Cupcakes


egg yolks 6
Milk 1 cup
Vanilla Essence 2 tsp
Flour 3 cups
Caster sugar 1 1/2 cups [original recipe used granulated but i could feel granules of sugar on top so next time I use caster]
Baking Powder 1 tbsp + 1 tsp
Salt 3/4 tsp
Butter 12 tbsp

Method
1. This method is also called one bowl method as opposed to cream method which calls for creaming butter and sugar first.
2. Lightly beat egg yolks, 1/4 cup milk and vanilla.
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat all dry ingredients on low speed.
4. Add in butter and remaining milk and mix until all combined on a low speed for about 2 minutes.
5. Add in egg yolks mixture in three steps beating for 30 seconds after each addition.
6. Scoop into muffin tray about 1/2 full.
7. Bake in a pre-heated oven at gas mark 4 for about 20 minutes until golden brown.
8. Cool completely before frosting.


Chocolate Buttercream
original recipe here

Shortening 1/2 cup
Butter 1/2 cup
Icing sugar 4 cups
Cocoa Powder 3/4 cup
Vanilla 1 tsp
Milk 3-4 tbsp

Method
1. Cream shortening and butter.
2. Add in vanilla and cocoa powder.
3. Add icing sugar, one cup at a time.
4. Continue beating, adding 1 tbsp milk.
5. Beat until mixture is light and creamy.
6. Pipe swirls with 1M tip on cooled cupcakes.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

I debated what dessert I wanted to make for  Easter dinner with my boyfriend's family for a couple days. I'll whip up whatever I feel like when I'm baking or cooking for myself, no real thought process needed. When I know more than Harley and I will be eating what I bake,  a little more effort goes into the mix. So, I explored online for hours, ogling at all the drool worthy pictures on foodgawker. For some reason everything  peanut butter was hinting to me. Through all the different cupcakes, tarts, tortes, cakes, you name it, peanut butter kept whispering sinfully convincing words into my ear. So it was finalized; I was going to make SOMETHING with peanut butter...now what do I make? I saw what looked like an amazing recipe for a chocolate cake with peanut butter filling and peanut butter buttercream,  but hesitated. That was a lot to make in 4 hours time. I decided on a peanut butter pie. I studied a couple different recipes, some with cream cheese, some without.  Why is it that anyone who makes a peanut butter tart without cream cheese has so much animosity for those people who do? Anyone? Anyway, I had a block of cream cheese in my fridge I needed to use so I opted fort this recipe I found that called for it...DON'T HATE you non-cream cheese peanut butter pie-ers! I promise I'll try a recipe without it, and let you know how it goes. :) I'm usually not the biggest fan of peanut butter..."GASP!" I know, crazy as it is, I prefer chocolate or berries, or almost anything else. Regardless, I know how much men LOVE it...who else prefers a P.B. & J. sandwich to a 5star meal in their 30's? (grown men.) All in all I actually liked the tart more that I thought I would. Everyone else almost died and went to P.B. heaven when they tried it,I guess that makes this recipe a "keeper." This is truly a decadent dessert, you only need a TINY slice to satisfy your sweet tooth. The rich ganache brings this tart together with it's  salty-sweet combination. If you like peanut butter (which is probably about 99.9% of you) you really have to try this.  


Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie
adapted from Once Upon A Chef
Serves 10


Ingredients
Chocolate Crust
4 ounces semisweet chocolate (I use Callebaut semisweet discs) ;)
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
8 ounces (2 cups) chocolate graham crackers (the original recipe calls for chocolate wafers which would be delicious but I haven't been able to find them anywhere, this substitution works great)
1/2 cup toasted coconut
2 tbsp. cocoa powder

Peanut Butter Filling
8 ounces cream cheese, softened (1 small tub)
1 cup peanut butter (I used Skippy chunky but creamy would be a lovely choice as well)
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup well-chilled heavy cream

Chocolate Topping with Peanuts
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
½ cup heavy cream
1 tsp. salt
¼ cup salted roasted peanuts, chopped (optional- I obviously didn't use them)

Directions
Make the chocolate crust: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Process crackers, coconut, & cocoa powder in a food processor until crumbly. In a medium glass bowl, combine the chocolate and butter and microwave at high power in 20-second intervals until the chocolate is just melted. Stir well, then stir in the cookie crumb mixture. Press the cookie crumbs evenly over the bottom and up the rim of a 10-inch tart pan with removable bottom.* (Be sure not to make the crust too thick in any one spot, especially around the rim. Keep it thin throughout, otherwise it will come out too hard.) Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then cool on rack. 

Meanwhile, make the peanut butter filling: In a large bowl, using a hand-held electric mixer, beat the cream cheese with the peanut butter, sugar and vanilla extract until blended. In another large bowl, using an electric mixer, whip the chilled cream until firm. Fold one-third of the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture to loosen it, then fold in the remaining whipped cream. Spoon the filling into the crust, smoothing the surface. Refrigerate uncovered for about 1 hour.

Make the chocolate topping: In a medium glass bowl, combine the chocolate with the heavy cream and salt and microwave at high power in 20-second intervals until the chocolate is just melted and the cream is hot. Stir the chocolate topping until blended, then let cool to barely warm, stirring occasionally. Spread the chocolate topping over the chilled peanut butter filling and sprinkle the chopped peanuts around the edge of the pie. Chill uncovered in refrigerator for 3 more hours.

To serve: Carefully remove the rim from the pan by gently pressing upwards on the bottom while holding the rim in place. (If using a springform pan, run a thin knife around the crust to loosen it, then remove the springform ring.) Use a sharp knife to cut the pie into wedges. Run the knife under hot water and dry it between each cut. Serve chilled or slightly cooler than room temperature.

Chili's Paradise Pie..Cake

Sound too good to be true? That's because it was. This was a request for a birthday last summer. It was for a birthday BBQ for a guy who is OBSESSED with the Chocolate Chip Paradise Pie from Chili's. Don't know what that is? Check it out here. Basically to sum it up its a delicious mess of walnuts, coconut, and chocolate with a graham cracker base. This was definitely not your average birthday cake. I was pretty hesitant at first because I really wasn't sure how a cookie would slice as a cake. In the end, it was a bit messy, but non-the-less absolutely sinful. It was basically like biting into a giant gooey cookie covered in chocolate ganache and caramel. Really fun to make (and eat!) and a good idea if your looking for something a little different to bring to the table this time. For all you cookie lovers out there, this one's for you!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
I used the tollhouse chocolate chip cookie recipe for one layer, and a blondie recipe for the other.

For the cookie crust:
1 box (16 oz.) graham crackers
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup shredded coconut
2 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 tbsp. flour
1/4 cup butter melted (more if needed)

Combine all ingredients except the melted butter in a food processor and process until crumbly. Slowly add melted butter and process until combined. Crust should be able to "hold" together when pressed between your fingers (if this is not the case add more butter). Divide mixture in half and add to 2 9' springform or cake pans lined with parchment paper. Press down firmly with back of spoon or palm.

For the blondie:
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
pinch salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup (3 oz.) coarsely chopped walnuts
3/4 cup (4 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl. Cut the butter into chunks and melt in a saucepan over a gentle heat. Remove from heat and stir in brown sugar. Beat in the egg and vanilla, then stir in the flour mixture, walnuts, and chocolate chips. Poor batter on top of the cookie crust in your springform or cake pans.

Now for the baking times; if you were baking normal cookies on a cookie sheet the recipe calls for about 25 minutes, but because were obviously not doing that, the time has to be adjusted. I just winged it here keeping an eye on how done the "cakes" were about every 5-10 minutes after the first 25. I believe overall it took about 35-40 minutes to cook each one. They were slightly gooey in the center. You'll just have to keep an eye on your cakes and pull them out when you think there done. :)

Once both cakes are out of the oven, cool completely on a wire rack. Now you can start making the caramel & chocolate ganache.

Chocolate Ganache
1 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp. light corn syrup
8 oz. semisweet chocolate chopped (or 1/2 semisweet 1/2 dark)
dash salt

Directions:
In a small saucepan heat cream, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Remove from the heat and add chopped chocolate, let stand for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir mixture until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is smooth. Let cool to room temperature and use right away.
(can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Soften glaze with a double broiler.)


Caramel Sauce 
1/2 c butter
1c brown sugar
1/3-2/3c heavy cream
1tsp. vanilla


Melt butter, add brown sugar whisk 2 min, add cream whisk 2 min, mix in vanilla. (Make sure you test the consistancy and be sure the sugars are completely dissolved, otherwise you can end up with a grainy caramel. )


Assembly:
Put one layer of cake onto a cake board or platter. Poor enough caramel to fill the "crater" on the top of the cookie (when the cookie cools it will drop about 1/2 a cm. in the center). Add second layer of cake on top. Poor more caramel over top of cakes with the addition of the chocolate ganache as well. I added some toasted shredded coconut around the edges and on top, optional. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream and pig out! :)

Deep Chocolate Ganache Cake

I did an order for a birthday party a few months back and this was one of the 4 cakes I made. It was a fun job because I basically got to pick what I wanted to make, the buyer just told me she wanted 4 cakes that would feed about 60 people. I knew I wanted at least one chocolate. This was actually the first chocolate cake I had ever made. I had done plenty of variations of chocolate cupcakes before, but never a cake. I knew it had to be layered because it would have to feed a good amount of people. Paula Deen's chocolate mousse instantly came to mind. I had made it plenty of times before and knew it would taste great layered in between cake. I really wanted this cake to explode with chocolate flavor. I feel like too many times I try chocolate cake from a restaurant or bakery and it's really bland. This was not going to be the case here! I debated on what to use as the "frosting," and came to the decision that a dark chocolate ganache would be preferred over a more traditional buttercream or frosting. Now all I needed was the cake recipe. I scoured and searched for hours online trying to find the best looking chocolate cake recipe, and ended up using bits and pieces of multiple recipes with my added touches here and there. The end result of it all in one cake? I have no idea. I didn't actually get to try the cake, it would look pretty funny if I delivered it with a slice missing.:) But the look of it was absolutely sexy. Hand carved flakes of dark chocolate adorning the top of dual layers of silky chocolate cake covered in deep chocolate gancahe. That's a mouthful. Hopefully it was a yummy mouthful :)

Here's the recipe. I will definitely have to make this again for a family event or maybe even for easter so I can let you know how it tastes. Or you can make it and let me know! Enjoy.

Chocolate Cake
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cups cocoa
1 tsp. instant coffee powder (or espresso powder)
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp.salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tbsp. Kahlua
2/3-3/4 cups boiling water

Directions:
Sift together dry ingredients and add to a medium sized bowl fitted to a paddle attachment, stir. Add eggs one at a time until mixed well. Add milk, oil, and vanilla, and Kahlua and beat on medium for 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water. Divide in half and pour into 2-8 inch round cake pans that have been buttered and floured. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. While cakes are still hot, use a pastry brush to brush tops with additional Kahlua. Cool.

Paula Deen's Chocolate Mousse
Original recipe here.

6 (4 oz.) bars bittersweet chocolate chopped ( I've used both bittersweet and dark, either work great)
2/3 cups extra strong black coffee (you can use instant espresso powder as well or if you don't drink coffee try using a dark hot chocolate powder mix)
4 large eggs
1 cup sugar + 1/2 cup
2 cups heavy cream

Directions:
Melt chocolate over a double broiler. When close to being melted add coffee and stir together. In a separate bowl beat 3 egg yolks and 1 cup sugar mixing well. Add mixture to melted chocolate and cook over heat. Stir well until sugar is fully dissolved. Remove from heat, cool. Using hand held mixer beat 4 egg whites until stiff peaks. Fold into chocolate mixture.

Chocolate Ganache


1 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp. light corn syrup
8 oz. semisweet chocolate chopped (or 1/2 semisweet 1/2 dark)
dash salt

Directions:
In a small saucepan heat cream, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Remove from the heat and add chopped chocolate, let stand for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir mixture until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is smooth. Let cool to room temperature and use right away.
(can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Soften glaze with a double broiler.)


Assembling:
Place one cake (top side down) on a cake decorator or baking sheet. Grab a heaping spoonful of chocolate mousse and place in center of cake. Using a cake spatula or back of spoon, spread mousse evenly starting in the center and working your way outwards until mousse almost touches edges (leave about 1 cm.) Carve the top off of the 2nd cake to make sure you have a smooth surface. Place on top of 1st layer. Using the same technique, spoon chocolate ganache on top and on sides until your cake is fully covered and you have worked out any "blemishes."

For the Chocolate Flakes:
Using whatever chocolate you would like, melt over double broiler. (You will need about 8 oz.) Pour melted chocolate onto a large baking sheet and smooth over with the back of a spatula or spoon. Place in fridge or freezer to harden, about 10-15 minutes. Using a large and very sharp kitchen knife, pull on the chocolate until you reach the desired chocolate flake (or curl) size. To be more specific: one hand is holding the knife handle and the other is gripping the top of the non cutting edge of the knife. You are pulling towards your body so you have to be very careful, the knife could slip. If chocolate becomes temperamental, stick back in freezer for a few minutes to harden again.

Paula Deen's Chocolate Mousse

Oh my, this post is dedicated to all you uber chocolate fans out there! Whew-eeee this mousse is INTENSELY chocolatey...in the best way possible. This is the extreme degree of decadence. The first bite I took from the first batch I made had me addicted immediately, and the rest was history (the rest of the batch anyway :p). Seriously good eats here people. And how could it not be? It's made by the one and only Paula Dean! She is a saint in the kitchen with her down home country style cookin' and bakin', gotta love her, and her rich, decadent, chocolate mousse recipe! That's all. :)

Cooking with Paula Deen

Pizza & Peanut Butter Cups!

Last night a few of us celebrated a friend's birthday with a homemade PIZZA night! Wow, every peice that came out of the oven was unbelievable! Every inch of the kitchen counters were covered with a variety of fresh ingredients like artichoke hearts, sundried tomatos, figs, prosciutto, italian salame, and delicious cheeses like parmigiani reggiano, fresh mozz, and goat cheese. We bought dough from a local pizza joint, Nicolitalia Pizzeria and went to town with ingredients, throwin together and making some of the most fabulous tasting pizzas. My favorite among the many (i think we made a total of like 7!) was my all time favorite pizza in general: tomato sauce, mozzerella, prosciutto, goat cheese, and arugula. The combination of fresh ingrendients, friends, and the pizza stone made every last bite utterly sensational.

Unfortunately I haven't been able to get ahold of the pictures of pizza from that night but because it's been a week since my last post, I'm gonna go ahead and publish this now, with the absence of those pictures! As soon as I get them I'll 'fill in the blanks' ;) enjoy!
(oooh delicious picture of pizza here)

We actually used a homemade dough for a couple of the pizzas as well, it wasn't actually a pizza dough, but turned out fabulous anyway. Look at how much it rose in the oven!

(huge-mongous pizza with homemade dough pic here)
Of course I had to contribute, not only with my rediculously amazing pizza tossing skills.. :P but with DESSERT. The main course if you ask me. I actually didn't have too much time to throw something together because I ended up having to work late, so I decided to make homemade Peanut Butter Cups! They were a lot of fun to make, and even more fun to eat :) These are a great (and easy) last minute dessert or anytime dessert, and so versatile, the filling possibilities are endless! I made 4 different "fillings": chunky peanut butter, peanut butter & caramel, caramel, & my favorite; caramel & pecans!

Adapted from The Hungry Mouse

Homemade Peanut Butter Cups

For the candy shells: 3-4 cups chocolate chips (4 if you like em' texas size big like me)
For the peanut butter filling: 1 cup peanut butter1/2 cup powdered sugar1 tsp. vanilla extract

I used my normal caramel sauce recipe just because I didn't have time to research a more "chewy" caramel recipe. The outcome was a delicious ooey-gooey caramel consistancy when chilled. A more solid caramel recipe would be great here (and less messy) as well.

Caramel Sauce

1/2 c butter

1c brown sugar
1/3-2/3c heavy cream

1tsp. vanilla

Melt butter, add brown sugar whisk 2 min, add cream whisk 2 min, mix in vanilla. (Make sure you test the consistancy and be sure the sugars are completely dissolved, otherwise you can end up with a grainy caramel. )


Melt your chocolate:
Grab your chocolate chips. Set a pot with an inch of water on the stove over high heat. Bring the water up to a boil, then drop the heat to low. Set a large, heat-proof bowl on top of the pot.
Add your chocolate to the bowl. It should immediately start to melt. Stir with spatula until completely melted, remove from heat, set aside.

Make your peanut butter filling:

Put ingredients into a bowl fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix together until combined. (I did this for about 5 minutes so the consistancy of the peanut butter was more fluffy, you can also use a different flavor extract here if your imagination says so :)

Make the chocolate cups:
Grab your cupcake liners. I put mine in the actual mufin pan to help with stability but you definitely can do it without. Use a big spoon and poor into bottom of cup, use 2 big spoonfulls for thick cups. Use the back of your spoon to push or spread chocolate up onto sides on cupcake liners. Once all done, place in freezer or fridge to chill.


Add your filling:
Spoon your filling into chilled chocolate cups and press down with finger (if using peanut butter) until even. (if your using caramel, be sure it has cooled to atleast room temperature so it does not disturb the chilled chocolate or peanut butter. Poor over filling.) I would set the cups in the fridge for another couple minutes if your filling is still hot that way when you top it off the chcocolate is not disturbed. Spoon enough chocolate over the top of the filling to create a "seal". Once all done, chill for atleast 20min to make sure the chocolate has set.
Wallah! Delicious homemade peanut butter cups, a great ending to a truly delicious night

 

I did the MAC.

MACorons that is. For the longest time I was so confused looking into bakery windows at the word 'Macaron' and wondering where all the coconut was? Any one else been in the same boat as me? Anyway after must frustration I decided to google the word, and sure enough, Macaron and Macarooooooons are 2 different desserts. And boy am I glad I made this distinguishment because Macarons are absolutely devine. The possibilities are endless with these french desserts and since googling, I have been obsessed at the many pictures of these beautiful delicate treats on foodgawker. I decided to try to make some of these babies after a trip I took to SanFrancisco- trying 4 diferent flavors at one of the best french bakeries I've ever laid...teeth into, Patisserie Philippe. Wow, each mac was bursting with its specific flavor, passion fruit, hazelnut, pistachio, rosewater...oh I was in love.

When I returned home I thought, "how hard can these be?" Haha to my surprise, VERY. I think it's more technique than anything else when making these, I definitely did not have mine down to a T the first time, but I'm destined to try, try again until I reach mac perfection. So with all else said here is my first attempt doin the MAC.

Chocolate Macarons
Makes about fifteen cookies

Adapted from The Sweet Life in Paris (Broadway) by David Lebovitz

Macaron Batter1 cup (100 gr) powdered sugar

½ cup powdered almonds (about 2 ounces, 50 gr, sliced almonds, pulverized)

3 tablespoons (25 gr) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

2 large egg whites, at room temperature

5 tablespoons (65 gr) granulated sugar

Chocolate Filling

½ cup (125 ml) heavy cream

2 teaspoons light corn syrup

4 ounces (120 gr) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

1 tablespoon (15 gr) butter, cut into small pieces

(I used a peanut butter whip for the filling this time because I actually ran out of chocolate, if I thought the filling was good enough to share, I would.) :)

Preheat oven to 350º F (180º C).
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and have a pastry bag with a plain tip (about 1/2-inch, 2 cm) ready.
Grind together the powdered sugar with the almond powder and cocoa so there are no lumps; use a blender or food processor since almond meal that you buy isn't quite fine enough.
In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, beat the egg whites until they begin to rise and hold their shape. While whipping, beat in the granulated sugar until very stiff and firm, about 2 minutes.
Carefully fold the dry ingredients, in two batches, into the beaten egg whites with a flexible rubber spatula. When the mixture is just smooth and there are no streaks of egg white, stop folding and scrape the batter into the pastry bag (standing the bag in a tall glass helps if you're alone).
Pipe the batter on the parchment-lined baking sheets in 1-inch (3 cm) circles (about 1 tablespoon each of batter), evenly spaced one-inch (3 cm) apart.
Rap the baking sheet a few times firmly on the counter top to flatten the macarons, then bake them for 15-18 minutes. Let cool completely then remove from baking sheet.