Chocolate Chocolate Cookies

Today’s 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies recipe comes from Christina Tosi of Momofuku Milk Bar. I’ve heard lots of good things about her recipes and how they’re really creative but work with the most blue-collar ingredients like her compost cookies, which I had been hoping to make, and crack pie.

I was really excited to bake these cookies but after having done it, to be honest, I don’t think I will make them again. They weren’t as amazing as I hoped. They were too big, too crisp, too chocolaty (if that’s even possible), and too salty.

Or maybe I will try making them again but change things up a bit like cutting back (way, way, waaaaay back) on the salt in the recipe and bake them for a little less time since mine came out crisp rather than chewy. I would also make them smaller; I’m not sure if that would affect their texture but their current size is unreasonably large and it only takes about a quarter of a cookie to be fully satisfied in the chocolate department.

One thing I did like about the cookies was the chocolate crumb. It’s a nice change in texture to have that extra toothsome crunch compared your standard chocolate chip cookie which has lacks that variance of texture. I’d like to try making chocolate chip cookies with this crumb instead of chocolate chips. The crumb recipe is a keeper.

Anyway, if you’re interested in trying them out for yourself, I won’t stop you. If you like a big, crisp, chocolatey cookie with a hefty salt content then these are for you.

Chocolate-Chocolate Cookies

Makes 10 to 15 cookies
From Christina Tosi via Bon Appetit

Ingredients

1 cup butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ounces 55% chocolate, melted
1 1/4 cups flour
3/4 cup dark cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1-3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 recipe Chocolate Crumb (below)

Directions

Cream together butter, sugar, and corn syrup with a mixer on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla, and melted chocolate, and beat for 7 to 8 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix on low speed until the dough comes together, no longer than 1 minute (do not overmix).

Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and add the chocolate crumbs and mix on low speed just until incorporated, about 30 seconds.

Using a 1/3-cup measuring cup, portion out the dough onto a parchment-lined sheet pan, 4” apart. Pat the tops of the cookie dough domes flat. Wrap the sheet pan in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 1 week. Do not bake your cookies from room temperature–they will not bake properly.

Preheat the oven to 375F. Bake for 18 minutes. If after 18 minutes, the cookies still seem doughy in the center, give them another 1 minute in the oven, but not more.

Cool the cookies completely on the sheet pans before transferring to a plate or an airtight container for storage. At room temp, the cookies will keep fresh for 5 days; in the freezer, they will keep for 1 month.

Chocolate Crumb

Makes about 2 1/2 cups

Ingredients

2/3 cup flour
1 tsp cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup dark cocoa powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

Heat the oven to 300F.

Combine the flour, cornstarch, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in a bowl. Add the butter and stir until the mixture starts to come together in small clusters.

Spread the clusters on a parchment-lined sheet pan and bake for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The crumbs should still be slightly soft when taken out of the oven and they will crisp up as they cool. Let the crumbs cool completely before using in a recipe or eating. Stored in an airtight container, they will keep fresh for 1 week at room temperature or 1 month in the fridge or freezer.

Prior Posts:

Week 9: Flaky Butter Tarts
Week 8: Lime Curd Sablés
Week 7: Thomas Keller Chocolate Chip Cookies
Week 6: Macaroons
Week 5: Wildberry Dream Cookies
Week 4: Speculaas: Dutch Spice Cookies
Week 3: Poppy Seed Filling
Week 2: Cinnamon Bun Cookies
Week 1: Soft & Pillowy Coconut Frosted Cookies

Wildberry Dream Cookies

I’ve been feeling nostalgic for Norway lately.

I know I make it sound like I spent half my life there when really it was only a week vacation but I fell in love with Oslo and the beauty of Norway, even in the middle of winter.

The astronomical cost of everything there and long and cold winters are more than made up for by the friendly people, the beautiful scenery, and the very high quality of life.

I really do just want to run away there right now.

When Matt and I were staying in Geilo we stayed in an apartment there so we were able to cook our own meals. This proved to be extremely practical because the cost of food was through the roof.

One thing that we picked up on one of our many grocery store trips was, naturally, a box of cookies called Skogsbærdrøm Cookiene which roughly translates to Wild Berry Dream Cookies (according to google translate, of course).

I really liked these cookies. They had dried fruit in them as well as white and milk chocolate. They were loaded with deliciousness.

One morning while drinking tea with cookies and watching Norwegian news I was “reading” the side of the cookie package. A lot of Norwegian words are incredibly similar to English so it didn’t take me long to decipher that the recipe on the outside of the package was a recipe for the cookies was a recipe for the cookies inside!

My first instinct was “Sweet! Jackpot!” and I immediately ripped the side of the cookie package off and tucked it into my luggage. I would be making these at home for sure.

My second instinct was “Who the hell puts a recipe for their cookies on the cookie package??”

Norwegians do. They’re good people.

I typed up the recipe in Google Translate to make sure that I got everything right. Suprisingly, my own Norwegian to English translation was pretty much on the ball. I’ve held on to the recipe since March but hadn’t made this cookies until recently when my urge to go on vacation back to Norway was strong.

They were just as good as I remembered.

Related Norway Posts:

Norway in March
Norway Travel: The Food
Exploring Norway by Train, Boat, and Bus
Active Pursuits in Norway
Homecooked Meals

Skogsbærdrøm Cookiene

The recipe in Norwegian, for fun. Scroll Down for English.
(ca 20 store cookies)

4 dl hvetemel
1 dl havremel
150 g smor/margarin
1 1/2 dl sukker
50 ml farinsukker
1 1/2 ts bakepulver
1/2 ts salt
1/4 dl sirup
1/2 dl eplemos
1/2 dl vann
40 g torkede blåbær
40 g torkede tranebær
40 g rosiner
100 g hvit sjokolade
60 g lys sjokolade

1. Bland mel, smore, sukker, bakepolver, og salt slik at det blir som små brødsmuler. Tilsett så sirup, eplemos, vann, og rør til en deig. Bland til slutt inn bærene og sjokoladen.

2. Rull deigen forsiktig i en lang rull, ca 5-7 cm i diameter. Legg deigen i kjoleskapet i ca 30 min. Skjær deigen i skiver (ca 1 cm tykke) og legg skivene på en plate med bakepapir.

3. Forvarm ovnen til 400F senk så temperaturen til 350F og stek cookiene i 10-15 min – midt i ovnen. Avkjoles på rist.

Skogsbærdrøm Cookiene – Wild Berry Dream Cookies

(makes 20 large cookies)

These cookies are very sweet, slightly crispy, and loaded with chocolate and dried fruit. The recipe is a bit funny because the volume measurements are metric (and not even standard) but with a few tweaks you can figure it out.

400 ml flour
100 ml oatmeal
150 g butter
150 ml sugar
50 ml brown sugar
1- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
25 ml light corn syrup
50 ml apple sauce
50 ml of water
40 g dried blueberries (~1/2 c)
40 g dried cranberries (~1/2 c)
40 g raisins (~1/2 c)
100 g white chocolate (~1/2 c)
60 g milk chocolate (~1/4 c)

1. Combine flour, butter, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a food processor until you get small crumbs. Pour into a separate bowl and add the syrup, apple sauce, water. Stir to form a dough. Mix in the berries and chocolate at the end.

2. Roll the dough gently into a log, about 5-7 cm in diameter. Put the dough in the refrigerator for about 30 min. Cut dough into slices (about 1 cm thick) and place the slices on a plate with baking paper.

3. Preheat oven to 400F, then lower the temperature to 350F and bake cookies for 10-15minutes – in the middle of the oven. Cool on wire rack.

Prior Posts:

Week 4: Speculaas: Dutch Spice Cookies
Week 3: Poppy Seed Filling
Week 2: Cinnamon Bun Cookies
Week 1: Soft & Pillowy Coconut Frosted Cookies

Carrousel and Dad’s Birthday Weekend

It was one of those weekends when I had a million and a half things going on, I got nothing done around the house, and wished I had 2 more days off to just unwind.

Friday – Carrousel of Nations

One of my favourite times of year here in Windsor is the Carrousel of Nations which is a festival that different cultural groups in the city participate in over 2 weekends in June. Each cultural group showcases their cuisine, music, and dancing at different locations or “villages” all across the city.

Windsor is a really diverse city so there are lots of different ethnicities showcased at the Carrousel from Italian to Serbian to Chinese to Scottish but my favourite is, by far, the Greeks.

I wait every year to have my annual gyro (seriously, I only have a gyro once a year) at the Greek village because it is AMAZING.

They also sell saganaki, spanikopita, souvlaki, honey balls, Greek salad, and baklava. All of which I’ve tried and loved, but the my heart lies with the gyro.

Afterward we hit up the Caribbean Village which always has the best entertainment. They had a great Caribbean band playing on Friday night. Usually there are dancers and drummers at the Caribbean Village as well, but maybe they were scheduled on a different night.

Matt ordered a Chicken Roti which was delicious (and enormous, so he only ate half) and his brother got the Jerk Chicken. I nibbled on some fried plantains which I have to recreate at home. I love all the West Indian flavours.

I could have gone to a few more carrousels, but we decided to call it a night after the Caribbean Village.

Saturday – My Dad’s Birthday

Saturday I went to an early spin class that my sister Vicki was teaching. I haven’t been to spinning in a while but whenever Vicki comes home from Illinois and teaches a class then I try my best to attend. It was a great class and reminded me that I should go to spinning a bit more often. It’s so much more fun than other forms of gym cardio *cough* elliptical *cough*.

In the afternoon, my dad had a huge birthday party with about 60 friends and family at Spago on Erie Street. It was a big party to celebrate life. My dad was recently very sick and hospitalized for 2 months he has almost completely recovered. After all the stress of that ordeal it was a well deserved party for all of us.

Me and my Dad

The food there was phenomenal. We had calamari, beef, chicken, arancini, caprese salad, pizza, and desserts. And of course, vino.

The Fam – Me, Dad, Vicki, and Nonna

Afterward a group of us headed to The Keg downtown on Riverside Drive for more drinks and appetizers on the patio. The Keg has the greatest patio in Windsor by far with a beautiful view of the waterfront and the Detroit skyline.

Sunday – Early Morning: Coppens’ Birthday

After everyone left The Keg, Matt and I hung around downtown for a while waiting to meet my friend Coppens for her 26th birthday at the nightclub The Room.

We strolled along the waterfront and checked out SummerFest which is going on Downtown for the next few weeks and then wandered around the casino (because neither of us are big gamblers).

Then I got a text: “We’re at the club” and even though I was exhausted from the long day, Matt and I headed to The Room to meet Coppens and her friends and to get our groove on. It’s been a while since I’ve been out dancing – it was a great time! Happy Birthday girl

Me and Coppens

Sunday – Father’s Day

I got a wake up call from my sister Vicki at 9 this morning. I was exhausted so I slept in late in spite of the fact that all the blinds were drawn and the house was beaming with light. We planned to bake my dad a birthday cake in the morning and bring it to his place for lunch.

Vicki is a pretty expert cake baker. You may remember her amazing coconut cake and red velvet cake. She also made her sister-in-law’s wedding cake and phenomenal cupcakes for my own wedding. Anyway, she said we wouldn’t have enough time to make a cake for the afternoon between prepping it, baking it, letting it cool, and then frosting it. So we went with a chocolate espresso torte instead. My dad likes chocolate (who doesn’t?) and espresso, so it was a win-win.

Vicki looks innocent even when wielding a knife

The cake was flourless and neither of us has baked a flourless cake before so we weren’t quite sure how it would turn out. We had a bit of trouble folding the whipped egg whites into the chocolate batter because the batter was SO thick, but it ended up turning out okay.

I’m not exactly the greatest when it comes to decorating things which is why I stick with baking cookies and bread instead of cakes and cupcakes. Vicki almost pissed her pants laughing at my glaze-drizzling “skills” because the cake was clearly looking hideous. …nothing a little powdered sugar can’t fix, I guess.

Now I’m off to Amherstburg to have dinner with Matt’s parents for Father’s day. Yeesh! A girl can’t get 5 minutes of down time this weekend. I know I didn’t really post my food journal for the weekend but you can imagine that I ate A LOT. Especially desserts : / I could definitely go for something very green tonight!

Winning Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie

Tomorrow morning Matt is heading out to Tennessee (UTK) to coach his throwing team in a Track and Field meet. (Any Tennesseans in the house?)

Despite the fact that I’m jealous that he’ll be enjoying the Smoky Mountains and the 80*F weather I still decided to bake him some extra chewy, extra delicious chocolate chip cookies to take on the very long drive down south.

I’ve been dying to make the recipe for Erika’s Chunky Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies that the Top Chef Just Desserts judges raved about in episode 3.

And they’re worth raving about. I think this is my new Go-To Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe.

The recipe on the Bravo website isn’t very specific, so here’s my version:

Chunky Chocolate Chip Hazelnut Cookie

(makes 18-24 depending on how much cookie dough you eat)

INGREDIENTS

• ¾ c sugar
• ¾ c dark brown sugar
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ lb salted butter
• 2 ½ c AP flour
• 2 eggs
• ½ tsp vanilla
• 1 ½ c semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 c chopped hazelnuts

DIRECTIONS

Melt the butter and allow to cool.

Cream the butter and sugars together with a whisk (or beaters if you’re the type with fancy kitchen appliances). Whisk in the vanilla, eggs (one at a time), and the baking soda.

Scrape the sides of the bowl and add in the baking powder and flour (Note: For the most accurate measurement of the flour, lightly spoon it from the container into the measuring cup and level off the flour even with the top edge of the measuring cup using the back of a knife. Don’t use the measuring cup to scoop the flour out of the container.)

Mix till incorporated – the dough will be wet and sticky—then add the hazelnuts and chocolate chips just until mixed.

Scoop cookie dough and form into a ball about the size of a golf ball. Place onto a parchment lined baking sheet and press down on the balls slightly with your fingers.

Bake at 350*F for 10 minutes or until light golden brown. The cookies should still be very soft and look underbaked. Let them cool on a rack before eating.

Bikini Eating:

Nothing but leftovers today. I’m slowly eating my way through the fridge.

1618 cal: 44% fat/ 47% carbs/ 9% protein

I made a soy latte AGAIN for breakfast today! I’m on a roll.

Bikini Fitness:

In spite of getting a blister the size of Tokyo on my baby toe that almost made we cop out early, I still finished 8 miles today (dreadmill. the weather was not in my favour). Hell yeah!

I think the combination of caffeine, a new music playlist, and all my training kept me going at lightning speed (…Because lightning travels at 6.2 miles per hour right? No? Excuse me, it’s been a while since I’ve taken a science class.)

(Training Schedule)

Bikini Confidence:

My body is pretty damn awesome because I can run 8 miles and not even consider that a long run

Matt’s Birthday

Yesterday was Matt’s birthday so I made him a fantastic dinner for two when he got home from work. I don’t cook meat very often but I will definitely make an exception for Matt’s birthday. Last year, I made him Boeuf en Croute (or Beef Wellington). This year I made Stuffed Cornish Game Hens with Leek Stew and Vanilla Maple Gastrique.

The recipe is from Tom Colicchio on Martha Stewart (you can see it here). The meal was delicious. I must admit that I picked this recipe because I thought the gastrique sounded really fancy and I was hoping to impress Matt on his b-day. It wasn’t really impressive at all though. I found it to be way to sweet for the dish. I think the recipe would’ve been even better without the Maple Vanilla Gastrique.

Oh, and if you do decide to make this recipe and include the gastrique, don’t take Tom’s advice to “keep it warm until ready to serve”. I kept it on the lowest setting on the stove and it ended up turning into maple candy! I had to make a second batch that would be ready exactly when the birds came out of the oven.

One happy birthday boy!

My favourite part of the recipe was the stuffing. I’m pretty positive it’s the best stuffing I’ve ever eaten in my life. But, then again, I’m used to my family’s stuffing which everyone raves about at the holidays but I can’t stomach because it’s too greasy and much to heavy on the parsley. Tom’s stuffing is perfect: onion, apple, bacon, bread (homemade bread, in my case). What’s not to love?

The leek stew was topped with candied pecans which, by Tom’s suggestion, I made in advance. Great idea to save time, but I ended up eating half the batch before Monday evening rolled around (luckily the recipe for the pecans makes 4 times more than you actually need for the recipe. Good thinking, Tom, good thinking.)

We capped the night off with one of my favourite cakes: Sourdough Chocolate Cake! I’ve made this before and even though it looks hideous (entirely the fault of the baker, that being me) it tastes phenomenal. Like a chocolate doughnut. Yummm…

I quartered the recipe and used my mini loaf pan to make two mini loaf sized cakes oozing with espresso frosting.

Well, I’m stuffed to the brim! Happy Birthday, husband.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

My hubby Matt likes to cook, but he’s not much of a baker.

Don’t be fooled, he didn’t bake this rosemary sourdough bread he’s holding.

That’s not to say that he never bakes. He does. And when he does, it’s glorious.

The first year that we were dating I mentioned that no woman can resist a man with a cake. On our first Christmas together he surprised me with an Oreo Cheesecake that he baked all by himself and I was totally smitten.

Matt solidified his place in the hearts of my family by bringing a homemade Chocolate Cheesecake to our family thanksgiving party. It was such a hit that they requested another one the following year— this time Apple Cinnamon.

With my weakness of anything cheese or cake in mind, Matt hasn’t been baking many cheesecakes since those days. It’s for the best. Truly.

A couple of years ago he did stumble upon a recipe that turned him from the “cheesecake guy” into the “cookie bar” guy with two gays to thank:

Steven & Chris.

(source)

Right after our wedding Matt moved to Toronto, where I was working at the time. He was unemployed and settling into his role as house husband by playing video games, cooking, and watching daytime talk shows on one of 2 TV channels that we had. Steven & Chris fast became his favourite (It really is a good show) and when he saw a recipe for fudgy cookie bars he made them that day.

I am not a fan of this Sandra Lee style of baking (I really do hate Sandra Lee—tablescapes? really?) but even I have to admit that these bars are dangerously addictive.

I asked Matt last week what kind of cookie bar he wanted me to bake for him and he decided that none of my options were good enough. It had to be THE cookie bars.

This is his peanutty twist on the original which uses another layer of cookie dough on top instead of peanuts. There are lots of ways to alter the recipe, which makes it a really foolproof and versatile cookie bar. Hell, you could even make the cookie dough yourself if you want!

Matt’s Fudgy Chocolate Chunk Cookie Bars

(adapted from Steven & Chris)

Ingredients:
1 roll, store-bought chocolate chunk cookie dough
1 small can, sweetened condensed milk
1 bar of Lindt Excellence 90% Cocoa chocolate
1 c. unsalted peanuts, toasted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease an 8×8 baking dish. Warm the condensed milk in a sauce pan, add the chocolate, stir until all is melted and combined.

Break up the cookie dough into big chunks, gently press into bottom of the dish to cover evenly. Pour the chocolate/milk mixture on top of cookie dough base. Top with toasted peanuts.

Bake until the cookie dough turns slightly brown (15 – 20 minutes) and the bottom is fully cooked.

Let cool completely and refrigerate for a few hours until the filling is set before cutting into bars.

Thanks Matt!

Week 10: Mulled Pecans
Week 9: Chocolate Peanut Butter Dates
Week 8: Peppermint Bark
Week 7: Lebanese Walnut Cookies
Week 6: Oatmeal Reese Cookies
Week 5: Candy Corn Cookies
Week 4: Apple Pie Squares (Vegan)
Week 3: Superhero Balls (Raw & Vegan)
Week 2: Chewy Spiced Ginger Cookies (Vegan)
Week 1: Double Chocolate Biscotti

Peppermint bark

Christmas season officially begins when peppermint bark hits store shelves. When I first saw it at Bulk Barn last week I came home and excitedly relayed the news to Matt (who enjoys peppermint bark equally as much as I do).

I recall December of 2008. My first Christmas with Matt after we got married .We were will living downtown Toronto at the time. Oh, I miss Christmas in Toronto dearly. On weekends Matt and I would bundle ourselves up and head out to window shop on Bloor Street for my two favourite things: the spectacular Christmas window displays at Holt Renfrew (the Bay on Queen St also always has an impressive window display) and the free samples at Williams Sonoma.

Matt and I kiss under mistletoe in the Distillery District, 2008

I knew all the best places to get free samples in downtown Toronto: St. Lawrence Market, Laura Secord and Rocky Mountain Chocolate at the Eaton’s Centre, the food court at The Bay store on Queen. And someone was always handing out free something at the corner of Yonge and Dundas. But Christmas time at the Bloor St Williams Sonoma was the best for samples. Hot chocolate, mulled cider, gingerbread cookies, fruitcake, and our favourite peppermint bark.

To buy a box was far too expensive for our budget so we tried to re-create the peppermint bark that year in our little apartment kitchen with some good dark chocolate and peppermint extract. It was a complete failure. Somehow the peppermint extract prevented the chocolate from actually melting and the whole thing had the consistency of cookie dough. We settled on buying a less expensive box of bark from Valu-mart instead.

I gave peppermint bark another go this week, and it turned out to be more successful than the last attempt. But it’s missing the atmosphere. Somehow eating this bark at home is just not the same as nibbling on small pieces of it in a kitchen store mecca surrounded by excited Christmas shoppers and smiling at the clerk who serves you, pretending it’s the first time you’ve tried it. No. It’s just not the same. But I do have my memories.

Peppermint Bark

Ingredients

1 lb quality semi-sweet chocolate bar*
1 lb quality white chocolate bar*
1 c. crushed peppermint candies

Directions

Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a double boiler melt the dark chocolate completely. Spread it evenly on the parchment using an offset spatula. Place the the refrigerator to cool completely.

Meanwhile  melt the white chocolate in a double broiler. Once it is melted spread it evenly with an offset spatula over the hardened layer of semi-sweet chocolate.

While the white chocolate is still soft, sprinkle the crushed peppermint candies over top. Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator to cool completely.

Once hardened, remove the bark from the refrigerator, break into jagged pieces, and enjoy (preferably in the company of eager kitchenware shoppers).

*Tip: Don’t use chocolate chips which have additives that allow them to retain their shape at higher temperatures so they will not melt properly.

This recipe is part of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies being hosted by Abby Sweets.

Week 7: |Lebanese Walnut Cookies
Week 6: Oatmeal Reese Cookies
Week 5: Candy Corn Cookies
Week 4: Apple Pie Squares (Vegan)
Week 3: Superhero Balls (Raw & Vegan)
Week 2: Chewy Spiced Ginger Cookies (Vegan)
Week 1: Double Chocolate Biscotti

Superhero Balls

My fridge is broken. Well, only partially. Everything in the crispers freezes but the rest of the fridge is just not cold enough to keep food for extended periods of time. It’s getting kind of annoying. The inventory of my fridge is currently some thanksgiving leftovers, a lemon, a pound of butter and half a dozen eggs (both frozen solid in the crisper), a several bottles of lukewarm beer and icewine, and an uncountable number of condiments.

When I caught Matt in the kitchen eating sweet relish from the jar I knew that I needed to make something for us to snack on. I settled on one of my favourite non-guilty pleasure recipes from Meghan Telpner. She calls them Superhero Balls, and I call them delicious. These raw vegan truffles are rich in nutty flavour with just enough sweet to satisfy, but the best part is that they are loaded with goodness: complete protein from hemp and chia seeds, fibre from wheat bran and flax meal, antioxidants from cacao, vitamin E from almonds, and minerals from molasses. (Meghan puts spirulina in hers, but I was fresh out).

I decided to include these as week 3 in the 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies because I think they would be perfect for a Christmas cookie tray. I challenge you to make them for Christmas. No one will even know they are healthful, but you’ll tell them of course because this is a recipe that’s meant to be shared

SuperHero’s Balls

(adapted from Making Love in the Kitchen)

Ingredients

2 0z. cacao nibs
1/2 c. whole almonds (or 1/4 c. almond meal)
1/4 c. hemp seeds
2 T coconut oil
2 T molasses
1 T maple syrup
1 T Wheat Bran
1 T flax meal
1 T Chia Seeds
1 t cinnamon
pinch of ground clove
pinch of sea salt
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

• Grind the cacao in a spice grinder until it is still somewhat course.

• Then grind the almonds in the spice grinder if you are using whole almonds
• Mix all ingredients together thoroughly until they are able to come together to form balls. Add additional coconut oil as necessary to keep the mixture together.

Dry Ingredients

• Roll roughly 1 Tbs worth of mixture in balls
• Freeze for 15-20 minutes and enjoy!

The 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies is being hosted by Abby Sweets.

Week 2: Chewy Spiced Ginger Cookies (Vegan)
Week 1: Double Chocolate Biscotti

Twice Baked

There’s something about me that gives people the impression that I’m a stoner. I can’t quite peg it. Maybe it’s because I’m not a stoner so I don’t know what to look for. I consider myself intelligent and active. I can be laid back when it comes to some things, but usually I’m uptight. I would never use these qualities to describe a typical pothead, but nonetheless people have implied that I look like a stoner, I have been told flat out “you must smoke pot”, and I’ve been the only person in a group offered mj from total strangers.

Does this look like the face of someone who’s baked all the time?

Okay, maybe.

But honestly, I’m not.

These cookies on the other hand are baked. Twice. Duuuuuude….

Usually I prefer a really soft, chewy, under-baked cookie– something that will just melt in my mouth. But then there are times when I want to dunk it and that’s when I need a biscotti. Any other cookie will crumble under pressure, but a biscotti can really take the heat.

The first time they’re baked is as a log. Then they are sliced and baked again to get the chunky, crunchy texture that can stand up to the hottest latte.

Here’s a recipe for the crispest, most delicious, twice baked cookie I’ve ever made. They are rich and chocolaty and make a great companion to a cup of coffee or warm milk.

Double Chocolate Chunk Biscotti

Ingredients

1/3 c. butter
2/3 c. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
2 eggs
1/4 c. Dutch process cocoa powder
1-3/4c. all purpose flour
4 oz. white chocolate, chopped
4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 375F

Beat butter in large mixing bowl with sugar and baking powder until combined.
Beat in the eggs.
Stir in the cocoa powder and the flour by hand.
Stir in the chocolates.

Divide the dough in half  and shape each portion into a 9″ log.
Place on a cookie sheet, 4″ apart.
Flatten the logs slightly until they are about 2″ wide.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Cool completely on a wire rack.

Reduce the oven temperature to 325deg.
Slice the logs diagonally into 1/2″ thick slices.
Lay the slices on a cookie sheet and bake for 8 minutes.
Turnover and bake for another 8 minutes.
Cool completely on a wire rack.

Enjoy!

day 158: binge weekend

I might have gained 10lbs this weekend with all the amazing eats I had. I don’t know for sure because my scale and I broke up, but by Sunday night I was undoing the button of my pants. THAT’s saying something.

It was a bad weekend… but oh so good!

Between celebrating my cousin’s wedding shower, my dad’s birthday, and Father’s Day with both my dad and my father-in-law I was stuffed silly!

I don’t have a lot of pictures because, frankly, I devoured most of the food. Oh the gluttony! On to the food:

I skipped the cake at the bridal shower to binge on the delicious Lebanese desserts that I only get to have a couple of times a year. My cousin’s aunt makes some awesome desserts and cookies that I always look forward to eating.

Case in point:

These are like mini-pancakes stuffed with clotted cream and they are served with a sugar syrup. It’s funny because I was craving these after Joumana just recently posted a recipe for them. I love Lebanese desserts because they are so light and refreshing.

Saturday night we hit up the annual Carrousel of Nations which is a festival scattered throughout Windsor that showcases the food, music, and dance of several local diasporas.

I wait all year for the Greek village. Souvlaki? Devoured. Not a trace of evidence left behind.

Sunday we celebrated my dad’s birthday and Father’s day (he always gets shafted like that). I decided that I was going to make a cake for him.

Just to be clear, I don’t bake cakes. I bake bread.

This is my sister. She bakes the cakes. And decorates them. (She’s ambitious)

…Anyway, I stumbled upon a recipe for Sourdough Chocolate Cake and with my recent sourdough bonanza I figured it was a good bridge between bread baking and cake baking. (Plus my sourdough starter was starting to feel lonely and neglected in the fridge all week)

Okay, so I’ll be the first to admit that this cake looks hideous but it tasted so good. It was super moist and perfectly dense—my sister said it actually tasted a bit like a Tim Hortons chocolate doughnut. The recipe is definitely a keeper (although the frosting ended up turning out like a glaze that I spread on the inside of the cake. I used an alternate frosting recipe for the top).

I ate a big piece (and then snuck another one when no one was looking :S )

Weekends are just another one of my downfalls! I’m really going to need to watch what I eat this week, since I’m getting dangerously close to my Bikini Birthday!

P.S. Check out the Glass Dharma Straw giveaway @ Making Love in the Kitchen