Challenge, Part 1

Phase one of our recent renovations was our master bathroom. Instead of going with the same contractor who was going to work on our kitchen, we chose a smaller company that we have used in the past for handy-man-type work. We know the guys quite well, and trust them to not only do a thorough job, but to honestly critique new recipes that I spring on them. They expected our bathroom to take about two weeks, and I set myself a challenge: bake something for them every day that they were here. I got to try out a few new recipes, tweak some old ones, and get honest feedback, and they got fresh treats and coffee daily and felt appreciated. It was a win-win situation for all of us.

In no particular order, here are the first four days' efforts:

Peach Pocket Pies

Adapted from Rose Levy Beranbaum's Pie & Pastry Bible

Individual hand-held peach pies. Ok, but not great. I think peaches are best eaten fresh. The crust did turn out nicely though, as Rose's always do.

Schrafft's Butterscotch Cookies

Very subtle flavor. I don't know that I would even go so far as to call it 'butterscotch'. I found that to be misleading, as people were expecting a much bigger flavor once they heard the name. They were tasty, but I think they need something else to bolster them. They'd be great as the base for an ice cream sandwich.

Good old peanut butter cookies, by request.

I did half the batch with milk chocolate kisses, and folded dark chocolate chunks into the other half. I liked the dark chocolate better. The guys were divided: half for classic with kisses, half for dark chocolate.

Raspberry Bars

Adapted from Favorite Brand Name Baking

A shortbread-like base, filled with jam, and topped with crumbles of the same base dough. Simple, delicious, and always a hit.

Strawberry Bars

Adapted from Favorite Brand Name Baking

Varying the temperature of the butter will change the texture of the cookie. Keeping it on the chilly side with give you more of a crisp shortbread, and room temperature will make it more like a slightly crumbly butter cookie. Both are delicious. The quality of the jam you use will directly affect the flavor of the bar, so get one that you really love. I've used almonds in the crust before, and they work very well but have a much milder flavor than the pecans. You can, of course, also use a preserve other than strawberry. I used raspberry in the photo above.

2 C all-purpose flour

1 C granulated sugar

1 C butter, softened or still slightly cold

Heavy pinch of salt

3/4 C pecans (or almonds) coarsely chopped

1 egg

10 oz strawberry preserves (or flavor of your choice)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease an 8" or 9" square pan with butter or cooking spray.

Combine the flour, sugar, butter, salt, nuts, and egg in a large bowl and mix until combined. If you use colder butter the mixture will be crumbly, which is fine. Scoop 1 cup of this dough out of the bowl and set it aside for the topping. Pour the remaining dough into the prepared square pan and use your fingers to press it evenly into the bottom of the pan. Spread the preserves on top, keeping a 1/2" border around the edge free of preserves, if possible. (Preserves at the edge bake onto the pan, making the bars harder to remove.) Crumble (or dollop) the reserved 1 cup of dough over the top of the preserves and bake for about 45 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned. Cool completely in the pan, then cut into bars.

The Ubiquitous Cookies

These cookies are everywhere. It seems like everyone in the food-blog-iverse has tried out these cookies recently, and with good reason. David Leite basically proclaimed them to be THE definitive chocolate chip cookie in The New York Times. That's a pretty big statement. True, he did go through a fair amount of trial and error, research and tasting, and he called in some big star-power to help him out (Jacques Torres, French confectionary god), but that's still a pretty big statement. People everywhere have taken the bait and tried his cookie. Who am I to fight the tide? 

Four things of note in this recipe: It calls for 24-36 hours of chilling time, to allow flavors to develop in the dough. It lists two types of flour, neither of which is all-purpose. It also calls for sea salt to be sprinkled on top of the cookie before baking. As a big fan of sweet/salty combos, I'm fine with that. Lastly, it requires bittersweet chocolate feves to be used. Feves are (expensive) oval disks of high-quality chocolate. They can be difficult to find, and for many, a lot more than you might want to spend to make a cookie. 

I made the dough on a Tuesday afternoon, and decided to do a little research of my own. I would bake off a few cookies after the dough had sat for 3 hours, then a few more 24 hours after that, and the rest after the full 36 hours. I also varied the timing of the salt topping. All in all, I discovered that while delicious soon after making the dough, it does benefit from the chilling time specified in the recipe. The freshly made dough is a little salty, before the sea salt even gets sprinkled on, and the rest time allows that saltiness to disperse and round out the other flavors. I also found that I preferred sprinkling the cookies with sea salt about 3/4 of the way through the cooking process, instead of on the dough before it goes into the oven. 

Conclusions? These are great cookies. They have crisp buttery edges, but maintain a soft chewy center. Hubband thinks they should replace the standard recipe in my repertoire. Mom loves them, including the salt topping, which is a little surprising considering she doesn't eat much salt. And my niece? Well, let's just say these cookies are:

"Blogger tested, niece approved."

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adapted from The New York Times, David Leite, and Jacques Torres 

The original recipe calls for cake flour and bread flour. I actually had cake flour, but not bread. Bread flour has a higher protein content than all-purpose flour, and thus makes things a little chewier. I think it would be worth trying the bread flour another time, but I didn't feel like making a trip to the store just for that. I used all-purpose instead, and the texture was still very nice. I also didn't want to go looking for chocolate feves, so I used some dark Ghiradelli chips I had on hand. 

8.5 oz cake flour (2 C minus 2 Tb)

8.5 oz all-purpose flour (1 2/3 C)

1 1/4 Tsp baking soda

1 1/2 Tsp baking powder

1 1/2 Tsp kosher salt 

2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

10 oz light brown sugar (1 1/4 C)

8 oz granulated sugar (1 C + 2 Tb)

2 large eggs

2 Tsp pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 lbs dark chocolate chips or chunks

Combine dry ingredients (flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt) in a bowl, mix, and set aside. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars together, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until it is lighter in color and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract. Scrape down the bowl with a spatula, add dry ingredients, and mix on low until just combined. Add the chocolate, and mix just until incorporated. Press plastic wrap on the surface of the dough and refrigerate as long as you can resist the oven's siren call, hopefully 24-36 hours. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and remove the bowl of dough from the fridge to slightly soften. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or some parchment paper. I used an ice cream scoop to portion the dough; mine holds about 2.5 Tb. Scoop 6 balls of dough onto the baking sheet, evenly spacing them. Roll between your hands for a smoother looking cookie. Bake for about 15 minutes, then sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake for 4 more minutes, or until golden brown but still soft. Let sit on the baking sheet for a few minutes to firm up, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Repeat with remaining dough. 

For the Man With Everything

It's a classic question: What to get for the man who has everything? 

My humbly submitted answer: A little bit of your time, energy, and chocolate supply.

Father's Day is coming, and my dad is hard to shop for. If your dad is as hard to shop for as mine is, you have my deep sympathy. I never know what to get him, and there's nothing he really needs, so I fell back on my old standby: cookies. I made two varieties, a classic peanut butter topped with a chocolate kiss, and a triple chocolate sandwiched with sweetened peanut butter. The first is a sentimental favorite of his from when I was very young, and the second is one that I introduced him to early this year as sort of an inverted form of the old favorite. 

I found the recipe in a cookbook I received last Christmas (Thank you Mom-and Dad-in-law!) and at first tried making it exactly as specified. It was tasty, but even with the three types of chocolate I found that the flavor, while satisfyingly chocolate-y, lacked some depth. I played around a little and found that with the addition of two little flavor enhancers, the chocolate really sang. They may raise an eyebrow when you read them, but your tongue won't pick out those two distinct flavors of salt and coffee. You'll only taste rich, deep chocolate. Besides, who can argue with a plate of these? 

Triple Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

adapted from Trish Deseine

These cookies are very rich, and better if made small. 

4 ounces very good quality dark chocolate

1/2 cup butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 eggs

scant 1 cup all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup quality natural cocoa powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp instant coffee granules

4 ounces milk chocolate, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

2/3 cup peanut butter

7 tbsp confectioners' sugar

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Melt the dark chocolate and the butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Let it cool for a few minutes, then stir in the sugar. Add the eggs and mix. Add flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, salt, and coffee granules and mix well. Stir in the milk chocolate pieces. Take a teaspoonful of the mixture at a time and place it on a parchment-lined baking sheet. If you want very regular cookies, roll the dough into a ball with your hands before placing it on the sheet. Personally, I don't mind the rustic look. That's up to you. Repeat for the rest of the mixture, leaving about 1 1/2 inches between the cookies on the sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes, cool on the sheet for 2 minutes, then gently move to a wire rack to finish cooling. 

While the cookies bake, mix together the peanut butter and confectioners' sugar. Spread a little on one cooled cookie, top with another, and press together lightly. Repeat, and eat. 

The cookies are baked, carefully packed, and mailed. I hope you enjoy them Dad, and have a great Father's Day.