Take a look at all these whimsical confections from our talented bakers!
a sweet journey through baked: frontiers | explorations | elements | occasions
by susan
Take a look at all these whimsical confections from our talented bakers!
by susan
How did everyone like these fun cookies?
PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE WHIRLIGIGS
Yield: 25 cookies
For the Peanut Butter Dough
2 1⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
3⁄4 teaspoon baking powder
1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
6 ounces (11⁄2 sticks) unsalted butter, cool but not cold
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1⁄2 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons vegetable oil (preferably canola)
3⁄4 cup smooth peanut butter (see page 26)
1 large egg, plus 1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
For the Chocolate Filling
12 ounces good-quality dark chocolate
(60 to 72%), coarsely chopped
1⁄2 teaspoon light corn syrup
Make the Peanut Butter Dough
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugars, oil, and peanut butter on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla, beating until incorporated. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and add half of the flour mixture. Beat until just incorporated; do not overmix. Add the remaining flour mixture and beat until just incorporated.
Transfer the dough to a cool, lightly floured work surface and shape into a disk. Wrap the dough in parchment paper, then in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until the dough is firm, about 3 hours. The dough can be made a day ahead and refrigerated for up to
24 hours.
Flour a rolling pin. Line a work surface with a piece of parchment paper about 14 inches long, dust the parchment with a sprinkling of flour, divide the disk of dough in half, and roll out one half directly on the parchment into a rectangle about 9 1⁄2 inches long by 71⁄2 inches wide and just under 1⁄2 inch thick. If the dough is too thin, it will be extremely difficult to roll up. Transfer the dough, keeping it on the parchment, to the refrigerator to firm up. Repeat the rolling process for the second half of the disk and refrigerate.
Make the Chocolate filling
While the dough is chilling, melt the chocolate and corn syrup in a microwave or double boiler. Whisk until smooth, then set aside to cool for a few minutes.
Assemble the roll
Remove 1 sheet of dough from the refrigerator. Dip a pastry brush in the chocolate and brush the top surface of the dough almost to the edge. Make sure the chocolate coverage is good and hearty, but leave a 1⁄2-inch strip with no chocolate on one of the long
sides of the rectangle and double up the chocolate on the opposite long side—this will be the center of the cookie. (Alternatively, drizzle some of the chocolate mixture on the dough and use the back of a spoon to spread into an even layer.) Using the parchment
paper to help you, slowly roll the dough into a log, starting from the long side of the rectangle that has double chocolate. (The paper should not be inside the log but used as a tool to help create the log.) Once the dough is rolled, keep it wrapped in the paper,
then wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate. Repeat this process with the second sheet of dough.
Chill the logs for at least 3 hours, or up to 24 hours, until the logs feel very solid; if they do not feel solid, they probably need to be refrigerated for a few hours longer.
Make the cookies
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Unwrap the logs and place on a cutting surface. Dip a knife in very hot water and cut the log into individual cookies, 1⁄2 to 3⁄4 inch thick, and place on the prepared baking
sheets. If they get a tiny bit disfigured in the cutting process, you can use your fingers to reshape the cookies slightly; if the chocolate breaks or spills out, you can gently push it back in place.
Bake for 11 to 13 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway through the baking time. Do not overbake these cookies—remove them from the oven the second they start to brown.
Place the baking sheets on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes. Then use a spatula to transfer the cookies to the racks to cool completely.
Whirligigs can be stored at room temperature, tightly covered, for up to 2 days.
Excerpted from Baked Elements: Our 10 Favorite Ingredients by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. Copyright © 2012 by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. Excerpted by permission of Stewart, Tabori & Chang, an imprint of Abrams. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
How did everyone like the Bale Bars?
by Sheri
Posting date is February 2!
Yield: 24 bars
1 1⁄2 ounces (3 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1⁄3 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1⁄3 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon fleur de sel, divided
8 ounces good-quality white chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon plus 1 1⁄2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, divided
3⁄4 cup crunchy peanut butter (see page 26)
3⁄4 cup (about 4 ounces) salted peanuts, coarsely chopped
3 cups (about 81⁄2 ounces) salted thin pretzel sticks, crushed into small pieces
Lightly spray a 9-by-13-by-2-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and line it with parchment paper, allowing the parchment to overhang on two sides.
In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Stir in the sugar, cream, and 1⁄2 teaspoon fleur de sel. Increase the heat to medium and bring the mixture to a low boil for about 4 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and add the white chocolate and 1 tablespoon of the vanilla. Stir until the mixture is smooth and the chocolate is melted. Add the remaining 1⁄2 teaspoon fleur de sel, remaining 1 1⁄2 teaspoons vanilla, and the peanut butter and stir until the mixture is completely smooth and uniform.
Place the peanuts and pretzels in a large bowl and use your hands to toss together until mixed well. Pour the white chocolate mixture over the peanut mixture and stir to coat all of the pieces. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan, then, using lightly oiled hands, press the mixture into an even layer. Refrigerate until hard, about 90 minutes.
Lift the bars out of the pan using the parchment paper overhang and cut them into squares. Bars can be served at room temperature, though we like them best directly from the refrigerator (or even the freezer). The bars can be stored in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for up to 3 days.
Excerpted from Baked Elements: Our 10 Favorite Ingredients by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. Copyright © 2012 by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. Excerpted by permission of Stewart, Tabori & Chang, an imprint of Abrams. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
by susan
by susan
How did you like these chewy crunchy bars?
by Sheri
Hello, sunshine…. posting date is November 10!
Good Morning Sunshine Bars
Yield: 24 bars
6 cups crunchy, plain cereal (Rice Chex or something similar works best)
1 1⁄4 cups salted peanuts, coarsely chopped
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup smooth peanut butter (see page 26)
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt
6 ounces good-quality milk chocolate, chopped
Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13- inch baking pan. Line the pan with parch- ment paper so that the paper overhangs the pan on two sides. Butter the parchment.
Place the cereal and peanuts in a large bowl and use your hands to toss together until mixed well.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, stir together the sugar and corn syrup. Bring the mixture to a boil for one full minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the peanut butter, vanilla, and salt. Stir until the mixture is combined.
Pour the sugar mixture over the cereal mixture and use a spoon or well-greased hands (be careful as the liquid may still be very hot) to toss until the cereal is completely coated with the sugar mixture.
Turn the mixture out into the prepared pan. Grease your hands and press the mixture into the bottom of the pan, being careful not to crush the cereal. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature (if you wish to speed this process, you may place the entire pan in the refrigerator for 15 to 20 minutes).
Melt the chocolate in a microwave or double boiler. Use a spoon or piping bag to decorate the tops of the bars in a stripe or zigzag pattern. Allow the chocolate to set.
Lift the bars out of the pan using the parchment paper overhang, cut them into approximately 3-by-11⁄2-inch rectangles (i.e., candy bars).
The bars can be stored at room temperature, in an airtight container, for up to 3 days. If the weather is hot and humid, you might want to keep them in the refrigerator instead.
Excerpted from Baked Elements: Our 10 Favorite Ingredients by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. Copyright © 2012 by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. Excerpted by permission of Stewart, Tabori & Chang, an imprint of Abrams. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
by susan
Take a look at all this chocolate peanut butter goodness!