Salted Caramel-Filled Brownies

I never would have thought to bake brownies in the form of a cupcake but I was easily convinced to give it a try when I saw these Salted Caramel-Filled Brownies featured on the cover of Cook's Country's Feb/Mar 2021 issue.  The combination of sweet caramel and sea salt is always a winner in my book.  The recipe features variations of the filling, like chocolate ganache and peanut butter ganache, which sounded delicious too. 

The trick with this recipe is to make sure you use parchment paper cupcake liners which are different from the paper liners you'd find at the supermarket.  I bought these ones from Amazon and I heard some Target stores also carry it.  If you don't use the parchment liners you run the risk of the brownies sticking to the liner.  Not pretty!

Millionaire's Shortbread

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

If you've never made Millionaire's Shortbread before, no better time than the present to give it a try!  Trust me, you won't regret it.  While Scottish in origin, millionaire's shortbread is basically a delicious homemade Twix bar with it's crispy shortbread cookie base, soft and chewy caramel filling all topped with rich chocolate.    

I'd seen recipes for this treat before on various UK-based sites and actually attempted making them in early 2016 with less than stellar results.  That all changed when I saw the version from Cook's Illustrated in the November issue of the magazine.   They've never failed me before and this time was no different. 

The instructions couldn't be easier to follow and I was delighted with the final cookie.   I veered a bit from the original recipe and sprinkled Malden flakes on top of the caramel layer to add a nice salty/sweet contrast.  I have to admit that my one trepidation with this recipe was in slicing the bars but in the end my concerns were unfounded.  When you're dealing with chocolate it can be a bit finicky but the method CI used to temper the chocolate worked out fantastic and I had no issues whatsoever in portioning the bars.   

I gifted the millionaire's shortbread to some friends for the holidays and they were immediately devoured.  While I do prefer bittersweet chocolate I think the next time I make these cookies I'll switch it up and use some semisweet or milk chocolate.

Monkey Bread

This is my last post of 2015 and I think I'm ending the year on a really high note.  I don't exaggerate when I proclaim this Monkey Bread is absolutely A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!  I'm kicking myself for never trying to make it before.  Dare I say I may even prefer it over cinnamon rolls because it's so simple to make and so fun to eat.   

I've seen versions that use store bought bread dough but it's so much more delicious when you make it from scratch yourself.  This recipe from Cook's Country is easy to follow and would be great for the little ones to help with.

The yeasted dough is divided in to small pieces, rolled in melted butter, tossed in brown sugar and cinnamon and finally baked in a bundt pan.  The brown sugar and butter melts in to a yummy, gooey caramel that perfectly coats the bread.   How perfect would it be for breakfast or brunch?  

For those of you who want a smaller bread you can easily cut the recipe in half and bake in a small bundt pan.  That's what I did for the monkey bread in these pictures.  

Wishing everyone a wonderful new year!  Happy 2016!!!!

Kouign Amann 2.0

My first attempt at making Kouign Amann was five years ago and unfortunately I didn't have much success.  You can see my first blog post about them here.  At the time I just couldn't get the laminated dough right which resulted in squat and dense pastries.  C'est pas bon. 

But now I'm very happy to report that after all this time I finally found a recipe that REALLY works!!!  And the hero of this story is none other than Paul Hollywood, celebrity baker from England and a judge on my favorite baking show The Great British Bake Off.  These Breton beauties were the featured technical challenge in the "Pastries" episode of Season 5.

Little did I know that the key to success was to only add sugar to the very last turn of the laminated dough.  My problem in previous attempts was that I was putting sugar in every turn which ended up melting in between the dough/butter layers.  

The pastry rose and puffed up beautifully in the oven and the sugar melted to a lovely caramel.  I admit I baked them a bit too long (notice the burnt looking bits) and they got darker than I would like so next time I'll take them out about 3-5 minutes earlier.   

This recipe may not be for everyone, but anyone who wants to learn more about laminated dough should give it a go.  Find the link to the kouign amann recipe on BBC's website here.

Chocolate-Caramel Layer Cake

Pardon my absence from the blog but I was away in Europe for the last two months, working and spending time with my friends.  To say that my time there was great would be an injustice - it was f'ing amazing!  But if I missed anything about home, other than proper Asian and Mexican food, it was my kitchen.  Baking, as many of you know, is my jam and as soon I landed in SF I was anxious to get back to my happy place.

I was absolutely delighted to see this recipe for Chocolate-Caramel Layer Cake in the Sep/Oct 2015 issue of my favorite cooking magazine, Cook's Illustrated.   There are a few steps but they couldn't be more straightforward and this is a recipe that doesn't require a stand mixer.  

The chocolate cake and frosting couldn't be simpler to make but I'm always a bit apprehensive when it comes to homemade caramel.  The key to success is using a really good instant read thermometer.   [I have  this one from Thermapen and it's also recommended by the Test Kitchen.]  After frosting the cake, all that was left was a nice sprinkling of Maldon sea salt that I brought back from London.  

It's great to be home!

Alfajores

I'll start off by saying these alfajores aren't the most authentic but they are quite delicious nonetheless. I had my first encounter with these cookies many years ago when I visited Buenos Aires.  One taste of the little sandwich filled with dulce de leche and I was hooked.  

My alfajores use shortbread but the true version that you'll find in Argentina uses a softer cookie made with cornstarch.  The real star though, in my opinion, is the delicious dulce de leche.  Sure, you can make your own milk jam but since I had a jar in my fridge I took the easy route. 

Salted Caramels and a Giveaway

My holiday candy making has pretty much been limited to cashew toffee, a well loved favorite among my family and friends.   Ironically, for me not so much.  I guess after all these years of making it I've become immune to the crunchy, buttery candy and was actually on the lookout for new inspiration.  

Lucky for me the very kind folks at America's Test Kitchen sent over a copy of one of their latest publications, DIY Cookbook.   Score!  I'm one of those people who's all about giving homemade food gifts for the holidays.  What better way to show you care than with something from your own kitchen?  I immediately headed to the sweets chapter and gravitated towards the Salted Caramels.  

There's nothing I love more than a sweet/salty combination and these candies fit the bill perfectly.  As with all of ATK's recipes this one was easy to follow and the results were fantastic.  I think my friends and family will definitely welcome to new addition to my candy repertoire.

Now to the giveaway....

One lucky blog reader can win their own ATK DIY Cookbook.  (Special thanks to  ATK for sponsoring the giveaway!)

Here's how to enter:

Just leave a comment to this post, as well as your email address, by 12PM PST Thur Dec 20 11:59 PM PST Thur Dec 20.  IMPORTANT: You must leave an email address, otherwise  there's no way I can contact you!  (Only open to residents of the US...sorry!)

Good luck and happy cooking!!!

UPDATE: The winner of the DIY Cookbook is #22 - tdlzing@gmail.com.  I'll be contacting you directly with instructions on how to claim your prize.  Thanks to everyone who entered!!  

TWD Pecan Sticky Buns

Caveat comedentis: this week's TWD recipe, Pecan Sticky Buns, should probably be saved for special occasions.  Regular consumption of this much butter and sugar will have your doctor prescribing Lipitor and insulin to you in a heart beat, trust me. 

The sticky buns start with a rich, egg-y brioche dough that is laminated with butter.  (Laminate - just a fancy schmancy pastry term for creating layers in the dough with butter.) The dough was a dream to work with and super easy to roll out.  But with its 15 minutes of non-stop kneading I have to tell you it really did test the strength of my Kitchen-Aid professional stand mixer.  I'm happy to report that in the battle of dough versus machine, the machine prevailed.  A true workhorse, I tell you!

Rather than baking the buns on the same day I ended up freezing the cinnamon and nut filled brioche logs to finish at a later time.  Unfortunately I found that postponing the baking inhibited the dough's ability to proof and rise in a timely manner.   It took over 24 hours for the buns to expand enough to fill the entire 9-inch cake pan.

Once baked all was right with the world - the buns puffed and browned beautifully.  Sadly, I found the topping disappointing.  The butter and brown sugar separated and didn't meld in to the thick and gooey caramel that I was expecting.  Next time I think I'll reduce the butter used from 8 tablespoons to 6 tablespoons (per cake pan), substitute dark brown sugar for light and pre-cook it before pouring in the the cake pan.  This recipe wasn't necessarily a home run for me, more like a work in progress.

Head on over to Eat Drink Man Woman Dogs Cat and Cookies on Friday if you'd like to try the recipe for yourself.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

In honor of my Dad's birthday I made his favorite cake - pineapple upside-down - an oldie but definitely a goodie.  Personally I love anything pineapple; it's my all-time favorite fruit.  Fresh, frozen, canned, in rings, crushed or sliced, I'll eat it in any and all forms. 

The cake recipe comes from Cook's Illustrated and was super easy to pull together.  I liked the fact that the fresh pineapple is cooked with the brown sugar so that the caramel topping is infused with more fruit flavor.   

The cake part was a little dense for my taste so next time I might use cake flour instead of all-purpose and whip the egg white to lighten the batter.   I think Dad will give his approval for the cake regardless of the technique used.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!

Caramel-Peanut Corn

Here's a recipe for caramel-peanut corn I was planning on making during the holidays, to give away as gifts, but unfortunately never got around to.  After making what seemed like tons of cashew toffee the thought of dealing with another pot of bubbling, boiling molten sugar didn't seem so appealing.

But the Super Bowl is tomorrow, which also happens to be my nephew's third birthday, and my brother is hosting a party for his beloved NY Giants.  Me, I'm no football fan, so munching on this caramel corn will keep me occupied while the game is on. 

The recipe is from epicurious.com but I first saw it on Alexis Stewart's blog.  I had a few challenges with getting the caramel to evenly coat the popcorn and peanuts before it started to harden.   Guess I'll just have to worker quicker next time. 

Dulce de Leche Ice Cream

Whenever I travel somewhere I inevitably end up at the local supermarkets.  It's always a must-see for me and luckily a habit my friends have gotten used to, and graciously put up with!

Even when I was a kid I loved going to the grocery store.  I  remember passing up going to the movies with my sisters so I could go food shopping with my mom.   Supermarkets are such a great place to discover new foods and unusual souvenirs. 

It was on one of these jaunts when I was visiting Buenos Aires a few years ago that I discovered dulce de leche.  Dulce de leche: one of Latin America's greatest gifts to the culinary world.  Jars of the sweet, creamy milk caramel were stacked sky high on the supermarket shelves.  So many different brands and varieties.  One taste and I was hooked.

This ice cream pays homage to that wonderful concoction. Lately I've been obsessed with Haagen-Dazs' dulce de leche ice cream and I think my version comes pretty close.  The only thing missing are the swirls of dulce de leche mixed in with the ice cream.  Too bad  those jars I brought back with me from Argentina are long gone.