Eat The Love

Dark Chocolate Texas Sheet Cake

Tue, 16 May 2023 17:00:00 +0200

This dark chocolate Texas sheet cake is rich and moist and is big enough to feed a crowd, making it ideal for large gatherings.

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Right out of college I worked at a small non-profit art museum that ran on a shoe-string budget. We were all overworked and underpaid, but we were a tight-knit group of folks as we had to do the equivalent of three jobs, constantly helping each other out. Deb, the woman in charge of development and fundraising, was a huge foodie, a phrase I had never heard before (this was the early 90s). For the first company potluck picnic I was invited to, she dictated the menu to everyone. I was assigned Texas Sheet Cake, which I also had never heard of. But once I got a recipe from her, I was sold! I’ve made and shared variations of the popular dessert, in the form of Texas Mexican chocolate (Tex-Mex) sheet cake and Texas peppermint sheet cake. But after sharing my original recipe in the book Feed Your People (<- affiliate link), edited by Leslie Jonath a few years ago, I thought I’d finally get around to sharing it here!

What is Texas sheet cake?

Texas sheet cake is a large chocolate cake that is baked in a large-rimmed baking sheet. It’s thin, dense and a little bit fudgy, as if a regular chocolate sheet cake and brownies had a love child. It is topped with a layer of fudgy chocolate icing that is spread while the cake is still warm. This allows it to melt into the cake, giving it more fudgy texture. Finally, traditional Texas sheet cake has pecans sprinkled on top, though walnuts are sometimes used instead.

Because it’s baked on a large half-sheet pan, it’s a popular dessert to bring to potlucks, pitch-ins and large parties because it can serve a crowd. Folks can cut small or large pieces from the sheet cake, stretching it out for more people.

How do you make Texas sheet cake

Making Texas sheet cake is easy, which is why it’s such a popular dessert. Combine the dry ingredients of flour, brown sugar, white sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Combine eggs, egg yolk, sour cream, and vanilla in a different bowl. Finally place chopped dark chocolate, in a large saucepan with oil, hot coffee, cocoa powder and butter. Heat until the chocolate and butter has melted, stirring constantly to make a smooth chocolate sauce.

Mix the chocolate sauce into the dry ingredients, mix in the egg and sour cream mixture into the batter. Pour and spread the batter int a prepared 12 x 17-inch half sheet pan and bake in a preheated oven for 17 to 19 minutes.

While the cake is baking, toast some pecan halves in a dry skillet until fragrant and set aside. Then make the icing by combining butter, cream, cocoa, salt, and corn syrup in a saucepan, stirring until the butter has melted. Add powdered sugar and vanilla to the frosting, stirring until smooth.

Once the cake is baked, while it is still hot, pour the icing over the cake and spread it evenly all over. Sprinkle the toasted pecans over the warm icing, gently pressing them into the icing. Let the cake cool to room temperature before serving from the pan.

What makes this recipe different from other Texas sheet cake?

This is a classic sheet cake but there are a few differences compared to other recipes you’ll find out there. I use extra egg yolks in the batter, which gives a rich moisture to the cake crumb, brewed coffee, which boosts the chocolate flavor, and Dutch-processed cocoa which gives the cake a darker deeper color and mellower nostalgic chocolate flavor. I also use a generous amount of melted dark chocolate in this cake, making this dark chocolate Texas sheet cake ideal for a true chocolate lover.

What sort of pan do you use?

A Texas sheet cake is thinner than a regular typical chocolate sheet cake which is often baked in a 9 x 13 x 2-inch pan (the sort that you bake brownies in). Texas sheet cake requires a 12 x 17 pan, which is often called a “half sheet” pan. Half sheet pans are one of my favorite and most versatile baking pan, one that easily fits in most ovens and allows me to bake everything from my favorite baker-style chocolate chip cookies to soft rye pretzels on them. I actually reviewed half sheet pans for Serious Eats (both regular sheet pans and non-stick sheet pans). My favorite regular sheet pan was by Chicago Metallic and Nordic Ware (<- affiliate links) and my favorite nonstick is by Chicago Metallic (<- also affiliate link). But any half sheet pan will work for this recipe.

What sort of cocoa do you use?

This recipe uses Dutch-processed cocoa, which is a darker colored cocoa that has been alkalized. This means the natural acidity of the cocoa has been altered, creating a smoother, mellow and deeper flavor. Dutch-processed cocoa is also what Oreo cookies are made from. Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa, Droste, Guittard’s Rouge (in the red canister) and Ghiradelli’s are popular brands of Dutch-processed cocoa and can be found in well stocked grocery stores or online.

If you can’t find Dutch-processed cocoa, or don’t feel like buying it, you can swap out an equal amount of natural cocoa powder. Just add an additional 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder to the batter. Realize that substituting natural cocoa powder will alter the flavor and look of the Texas sheet cake and may result in a lighter colored cake that is slightly drier, as natural cocoa powder typically has less cacao butter in it. Higher quality natural cocoa powder retains a higher percentage of cacao butter and will help keep the cake moist.

How do you store it?

This cake stores well. Once completely cooled, cover it with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and store it in the fridge for up to 3 or 4 days. Bring the cake to room temperature before serving. You can also freeze the cake. Just store slices in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw on the countertop before serving. Keep in mind freezing and thawing will create condensation and the icing might be affected.

Can you swap out nuts?

Yes! Pecans are the traditional topping for Texas sheet cake but some folks prefer to use walnuts on top. Just toast the same amount of chopped walnuts like you would pecans and use that on top of the cake. Or swap out a different nut like pistachios, cashews, chopped brazil nuts, or macadamia nuts if you’d like.

Feel free to omit the chopped nut topping if you are allergic to nuts or don’t like them. Or try using the same amount of roasted cacao nibs, which can be found online or at well stocked grocery and health food stores for a nutty texture that is nut free and adds a bonus chocolate intensity.

If you like this Texas Sheet Cake, here are some other chocolate dessert recipes you might like:

Dark Chocolate Texas Sheet Cake

This classic chocolate dessert is something that is often brought to picnics and potlucks in Texas, as well as the south and Midwest. It’s neatly fits in the middle of the venn diagram of a chocolate sheet cake and a cakey brownie. Because it’s baked in a large 12 x 17 half sheet rimmed baking pan, you can serve large crowds, with folks cutting out smaller servings if they wish. Make sure to prepare the fudgy frosting while the cake bakes. You want to be able to pour and spread the frosting on the cake right when it comes out of the oven, when it’s warm. This allows the frosting to seep into the cake a bit, making it super moist and fudgy.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, midwest, southern

Keyword bundt cake, chocolate, donuts, pecans, sheet cake

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 30

Servings

Calories 377kcal

Author Irvin

Ingredients

Cake batter

2 cups all-purpose flour 280 g
1 1/2 cups white granulated sugar 300 g
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar 55 g
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1/4 cup sour cream
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 oz dark bittersweet chocolate chopped into 1/4 inch chunks, 225 g
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa, sifted 65 g
4 tablespoons unsalted butter 57 g or 1/2 stick

To assemble

1 cup 115 g pecan halves

Icing

1/2 cup unsalted butter 115 g or 1 stick
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa, sifted 65 g
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
3 cups powdered sugar sifted, 345 g
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Make the cake by preheating the oven to 350°F. Spray a 12 x 17-inch rimmed baking sheet with cooking oil.
Place the flour, white sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Using a balloon whisk, vigorously stir the dry ingredients together until they are blended together.
Place eggs, egg yolks, sour cream and vanilla extract in a small bowl and beat together with a fork until smooth and well blended.
Place the chopped chocolate, oil, coffee, cocoa powder, and butter together in a medium saucepan. Cook on medium low heat for about 3 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth.
Pour the chocolate into the dry ingredients bowl and mix with a large silicon spatula to incorporate. Add the sour cream mixture to the bowl and mix to incorporate.
Pour the batter into the prepared rimmed baking sheet and spread the batter to the edges of the pan, smoothing it out. Bake for 17 to 19 minutes or until a toothpick in the middle of the pan comes out clean. Don’t overbake.
While the cake is baking, toast the pecans by placing them in a dry skillet and heating the skillet on the stove to medium heat. Cook and toast the pecans, stirring constantly, until they are fragrant and slightly darker in color, about 2 minutes. Set aside.
Then make the icing by placing the butter, cream, cocoa, sea salt and corn syrup in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the butter has melted and the mixture is smooth. Turn the heat off and stir in the sifted confectioners’ sugar and vanilla extract.
Once the cake has come out of the oven, while it is still hot, immediately pour the icing over the cake and spread it evenly with a small offset spatula (or butter knife) to the edges of the cake, evenly frosting the cake. Sprinkle the pecans over the still warm icing, and gently press down on them to set them in the icing. Let the cake cool to room temperature, about an hour, on a wire rack. Once the icing has set, you can cover it with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and keep it in the fridge for up to three or four days, but it’s best served in the first couple of days.

Notes

Note 1: Slightly adapted from my recipe featured in the cookbook Feed Your People (<- affiliate link).

Note 2: When you use the two egg yolks for the recipe, you can reserve and use the egg whites for another use like my Eton Mess. Or just freeze them by placing the egg whites individually in ice cube trays. Once frozen, just pop out of the tray and place in a heavy duty freezer bag for storage. Thaw in the fridge overnight before using as normal.

Nutrition

The post Dark Chocolate Texas Sheet Cake appeared first on Eat The Love.

10-Ingredients Caramel Peach Upside Down Cake

Tue, 09 May 2023 17:30:00 +0200

This luscious caramel peach upside-down cake take only 10 basic ingredients and yields a delightfully buttery and moist coffee cake.

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True story: when I see peaches appear in the store, I tend to grab bags of them. HUGE bags. However, peaches typically sold in the store are underripe, as they are less fragile to pick and ship (if you can find tree-ripened peaches at a farmers’ market, GRAB THEM). But this means I impatiently wait around as they ripen up. And when they do, I end up with a lot of peaches that need to be used fast. Beyond eating them right out of hand, I start whipping up sweet treats like my peach slab pie; peach and prosecco bellini cobbler with strawberry biscuits; sugar roasted peach and blueberry bacon buckle; and vanilla peach graham cracker ice cream. One recipe I haven’t shared yet is this 10-ingredient caramel peach upside down cake, which is an ideal pairing of complex caramel, honey sweet peach, and buttery moist cake, all made with pantry staple ingredients!

How to make caramel peach upside-down cake

Making caramel peach upside down cake isn’t as difficult as it seems. But you do need to peel the peaches and make the caramel!

I have a section on peeling peaches, as well as a more extensive blog post on how to peel a peach. Once they’re peeled, slice and arrange them in a cake pan. Then cook some sugar until it turns to caramel. Pour the caramel over the peaches. The caramel will harden but don’t worry, it will dissolve again when the cake is baked.

Make the cake batter by creaming butter, white and brown sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt. Add eggs, and then flour. Pour the batter over the peaches and caramel, spreading it out to cover, then bake! Once done, let it rest for 5 minutes, then invert on a cake stand or serving plate.

How do you peel the peaches?

Peeling peaches isn’t difficult, but it is an extra step that is required for this recipe, as the fuzzy peach skin is a little tough to eat in the cake. There are two ways to do it. You can either peel them using a serrated peeling knife, which helps cut through the tough skin. Or you can poach them briefly in hot water and then peel them. This is my preferred method.

First boil a large pot of water. Fill a large bowl with ice water. While the water comes to a boil, cut an “x” on the bottom of the peach with a sharp knife. When the water comes to a boil, place the peaches in the water for 60 seconds. Then remove them and “shock” them by placing them in the ice water. Once they are cooled enough to handle, you should be able to peel the peaches with your fingers, with the skins sliding off. You can see more detailed instructions on peeling the peaches on my blog post How to Peel a Peach.

Tips on making caramel

If you’ve never made caramel before, here are a few tips on making it!

Use a light-colored pan: if you never made caramel, I totally recommend using a light colored pan. That way you can tell how dark the caramel gets. Nonstick dark colored pans are great for cleanup, but it’s much harder to tell how dark the caramel is with them. Use a light colored or stainless steel pan to watch the color. Clean up isn’t difficult with a regular stainless steel pan. Just soak the pan in water, or boil some water in the pan afterwards, to dissolve any stuck on caramel.
Use low heat: Though it’s easy to get impatient and crank up the heat, if you are unfamiliar with making caramel, use a lower heat and just wait a bit. Caramel can go from golden brown to acrid black pretty fast. Using a lower heat allows you to adjust, stir and remove the caramel from the heat before it reaches the point of no return. The caramel will definitely get there eventually. Just have some patience. If you are short on time, you can speed it up a bit by turn the heat on high, and once the sugar starts to melt and turn color, lower the heat immediately.
Remove from off heat early: Like the trick of using low heat, if you notice the sugar turning golden brown, you can remove the pan from the burner or turn off the heat. Allow the residual heat of the pan to continue to cook the sugar, darkening it a bit. If the caramel isn’t turning the right color, or isn’t as dark as you like, you can always return it to the heat to nudge it a little bit darker. But letting the residual heat of the pan cook the sugar darker is a good habit to have.
Ice Water Bowl: This is being extra cautious, but I do like to have a bowl of ice water next to the stove in case any of the caramel splashes of gets on me. You can immediately dunk your hand in the ice water to stop the burn. Honestly I’ve never had to use that bowl of ice water before, but better safe than sorry!

Can I use frozen or canned peaches?

If peaches aren’t in season, you can easily use frozen or canned peaches. There’s no need to defrost the peaches if you use it, but you might need to increase the bake time by 5 minutes to compensate for the cold peaches. Keep in mind the frozen peaches shed more moisture, so your cake might be a little more moist. Be sure to drain the peaches if you do use canned peaches.

How do I store the cake?

Store this cake at room temperature under a cake dome for up to 2 days. Or you can freeze the cake. Just freeze the entire cake, or cake slices, on a baking sheet for 2 hours, or until frozen solid. Then wrapped the cake or cake slices in plastic wrap and place it in a resealable Ziploc bag for storage. Thaw the cake to room temperature (about 2 to 3 hours on the counter) before serving. Frozen cake can keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.

If you like this caramel peach upside down cake, check out these other peach recipes:

And check out these other casual coffee cakes

10-Ingredients Caramel Peach Upside Down Cake

This 10-ingredient caramel peach upside down cake (not counting salt) uses typical pantry staples. It produces a delightfully homey comforting cake that works well for coffee or for dessert. And because it’s served upside down, you don’t have to worry about frosting it or any sort of special decoration. I have tips above in my section on how to peel the peach, as well as tips on how to make caramel if you have never made it before.

Course coffee time, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword bundt cake, caramel, peaches

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Servings

Calories 344kcal

Author Irvin

Ingredients

Topping

3 ripe peaches about 1 to 1/4 pounds
3/4 cup white sugar 150 g
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Cake

1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature 1 stick or 115 g
1/2 cup white sugar 100 g
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar 55 g
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract optional
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 large eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour 140 g

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking oil.
Peel the peaches and cut them into 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch slices. Arrange the peaches on the bottom of the pan, in a circular pattern. Place the pan on a heatproof surface.
Place the sugar in a medium-sized skillet, one with a silver bottom if you have ever made caramel before. Heat the skillet on the stove on high, until the edge of the sugar starts to melt. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Continue to cook the sugar, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until all the sugar has melted and the has turned golden brown. Sprinkle and stir in the salt.
Immediately drizzle the caramel over the peaches. The caramel will harden, but don’t worry, it will dissolve when the cake is baked.
Place the butter, white sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, almond extract (if using), baking powder, nutmeg and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Cream the mixture together, until fluffy, light in color, and clings to the side of the bowl.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating each in and scraping down the sides of the bowl between additions. Don’t worry if the batter looks “broken” or grainy. It will come together with the flour.
Add the flour and mix slowly until the flour is absorbed.
Carefully pour the cake batter over the peaches, making sure not to disturb their pattern. Use a butter knife or small offset spatula and spread the batter out to the edge of the pan.
Bake the cake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean, the edges of the cake start to pull away from the pan.
Let the cake rest and cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Gently run a thin butter knife around the edge of the cake. Then invert a serving plate or cake stand upside down on to the pan. Then flip over the plate or cake stand over, with the pan on it, inverting the cake. The cake should release onto the plate or cake stand upside down.
Let cool for 30 to 45 minutes and serve warm or at room temperature.

Nutrition

The post 10-Ingredients Caramel Peach Upside Down Cake appeared first on Eat The Love.

Black Bottom Caramel Pots de Crème

Tue, 02 May 2023 17:40:00 +0200

These black bottom caramel pots de crème is a fancy looking layered chocolate and caramel custard dessert that is surprisingly easy to make.

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Pots de crème is a surprisingly easy dessert to make for a dinner party or just as simple treat. I’ve share recipes for mocha pots de creme, salted caramel pots de crème ,and chocolate pots de crème with olive oil and candied kumquat. But I’ve never shared this layered black bottom caramel pots de crème, which always impresses people. They’re easier to make than it looks, with just one or two extra more steps, but they look like you bought them at a fancy pastry shop or ordered them from a fine dining restaurant. Make them for your next dinner party, special occasion, or just for a fun dessert anytime.

What is a pot de crème?

A pot de crème is basically a loose baked custard, similar to a pudding. However, most puddings are made with a starch to help thicken it, while the pot de crème is made just with egg yolks, resulting in a more rich dessert. Often pots de crème are smaller servings, because they are so rich, with just a few spoonfuls the ideal amount of dessert.

How do you make these?

Making these black bottom pot de crème starts with making a caramel. First heat cream and milk together in a small saucepan. Then melt and caramelize the white sugar until it’s a brownish red. Drizzle and pour the heated dairy into the caramel, stirring with a whisk to incorporate.

Drizzle the hot caramel into a bowl with egg yolks, whisking the entire time with a balloon whisk. You want to incorporate the hot caramel slowly into the egg yolks to prevent the egg yolks from cooking and scrambling. Whisk in the vanilla and salt.

Pour part of the custard into a glass measuring cup, and then add chopped chocolate to the remaining warm caramel, stirring until the chocolate has melted. Divide the chocolate custard into six different glass or jars, then carefully spoon the reserve caramel custard over the chocolate.

Bake in a water bath and then chill in the oven overnight to set and serve with some flaky sea salt on top.

Tips on making caramel

Making caramel can be a daunting task. But here are a few tips and tricks to help you.

Use a silver/light colored pan: If you have never made caramel before, using a silver bottomed or light-colored pan will help you judge the color of the caramel. Watch the sugar change color and remove it off the heat once the color starts to darken
Use a large pan: Once you add the warmed dairy, the caramel will sizzle, sputter, and bubble up. Make sure to use a large enough pan so the caramel won’t sputter jump up and spill on to the stove or onto your hand
Take off heat early: If you are concerned about burning the caramel, remove the caramel while it is fairly light in color, and let the residual heat continue to cook the caramel. Make sure to watch the caramel once it starts changing color, as it can go from golden brown to burnt black quickly.
Use a low heat: If you are nervous about burning the caramel, or have never made caramel before, just use a low heat. It will take longer to make the caramel, but the caramel will eventually brown, it just takes longer. A low heat gives you more control over the caramel. You can always use a medium or high heat in the beginning and then reduce the heat to low as the sugar starts to brown. But also feel free to use patience and use a low heat for the entire time.
Ice Water Bowl: Finally, just in case, have a bowl of ice water next to the stove. If any caramel sputters up or gets on you, you can use the bowl of ice water to stick your hand into it, helping to mitigate any burns. Remember, caramel is hot and will stick to you. So just use common sense and be cautious around the molten sugar.

Make ahead and storage

You can make these pot de crème up to 2 days ahead of time. Just store covered, in the refrigerator. Remove from the fridge about an hour before serving to let the custard warm up slightly for optimum flavor.

If you like these Black Bottom Pots de Créme, check out these other caramel and chocolate recipes:

Black Bottom Caramel Pot de Crème

This rich layered chocolate and caramel custard cup dessert is easier to make than they look. Just make sure to use a light or silver colored pan to make the caramel if you are unfamiliar with making caramel. I have more tips and tricks on making caramel in the section above. I also recommend using flaky finishing salt like Maldon for a finishing touch. If you don’t have that, you can use kosher salt or sea salt works fine as well. If all you have is iodized table salt, just skip the salt, as iodized salt has slight metallic flavor that will clash with the flavor of this pots de crème.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, European, French

Keyword caramel, chocolate, custard, pots de creme

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Chill time 4 hours

Servings

Calories 429kcal

Author Irvin

Ingredients

Custard

1 1/2 cups heavy cream 370 g
1/2 cup whole milk 113 g
1 1/4 cups white sugar 250 g
6 large egg yolks 105 g
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
4 oz dark chocolate chopped

To finish

Maldon sea salt or another flaky sea salt (optional, but recommended)

Instructions

Preheat an oven to 325°F. Boil some water on the stove or in a kettle, then cover and set aside.
Combine the cream and milk in a small saucepan and heat until bubbles form on the side of the pan, but don’t let it come to a boil. Cover and remove pan from heat.
Place sugar in a large pan, skillet or Dutch oven. Cook on medium low heat, until the sugar melts and starts to darken. Stir with a wooden spoon or spatula, until the sugar has turned a deep golden brown color, about the color of an old copper penny.
Remove pan from heat and slowly drizzle a little bit of the still warm dairy into the caramelized sugar. The caramel will steam and bubble vigorously. Continue to drizzle and stir the dairy into the caramel, drizzling and whisking a little bit at a time until all the cream has been added. Resist the temptation to pour all the dairy into the pan at once, as the caramel will seize up and form into a huge solid chunk.
Once all the cream has been added, if there are solid clumps of sugar in the sauce, gently warm the caramel on the stove over medium heat, stirring until the solid caramel pieces have dissolved.
Place the egg yolks in a large heatproof bowl. Using a balloon whisk, drizzle the still warm caramel sauce into the egg yolks, whisking the yolks as you pour the caramel. A second set of hands might be useful to whisk or pour the caramel if you aren’t super coordinated. Drizzle and whisk the caramel into the yolks, until all the caramel is incorporated. Do this slowly helps prevent the egg yolks from curdling or cooking.
Once all the caramel is added, stir in the vanilla and salt. Pour about 2/3 of the caramel custard (about 2 cups or 500 grams worth) into a glass measuring cup with a spout. Then add the chopped chocolate to the remaining 1/3 custard, stirring until the chocolate has melted.
Spoon or pour the chocolate custard evenly into 6 small heat proof jars or ramekins. Then carefully spoon or pour the reserve plain caramel custard over the chocolate custard evenly.
Place the jars in a baking pan (the kind you bake brownies in) and place in the hot oven. Then carefully pour the boiling water into the pan until it goes about halfway up the side of the ramekins or jars, making sure not to get any water into the custard jars.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the center of each ramekin or jar just barely jiggles. Remove from oven, let cool to room temperature, cover with plastic wrap, then refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
To serve, remove the pot de crème from the fridge and let sit at room temperature to take some of the chill off. This will improve the flavor of the pots de crème. Sprinkle with a pinch of Maldon sea salt or other sea salt over it or use a dollop of whipped cream on top before serving.

Nutrition

The post Black Bottom Caramel Pots de Crème appeared first on Eat The Love.

British Eton Mess

Thu, 13 Apr 2023 17:27:00 +0200

This classic British Eton Mess is a simple-to-make, delightful dessert that is great to serve when strawberries are in season.

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My obsession with strawberries is well documented here on the blog. I use them in my strawberry rhubarb pie, chocolate strawberry scones, easy strawberry cake, sparkling strawberry lemonade, and of course, just eating them straight from the carton in abundance. But one of my favorite super easy strawberry recipes is for British Eton Mess. It’s basically whipped cream, meringue cookies, and strawberries layered together like a parfait. It’s not only easy to make but so very pretty as well! I use a touch of balsamic in the strawberries to bring out the juiciness, and you can either use homemade meringue drops, or just buy a package of meringue from the store to make it!

What is Eton Mess

Eton mess is a classic British dessert, where whipped cream, meringue and strawberries are layered and served together in a glorious beautifully delicious mess. It has long been associated with Eton College, a public school in Berkshire England, where it is served in the annual cricket match against their rivals Harrow School, who serve their own version of the dessert called Harrow Mess. Other schools have their own version, including the Banana Mess, served at Lancing College, built with whipped cream, meringue, and of course bananas.

How do you make Eton Mess

If you have store bought meringue cookies, the British Eton Mess can be made incredibly fast. But even if you don’t have meringue cookies, you can make them one day and use them the next to make the Eton Mess.

To make plain meringue cookies, just whip a couple of egg whites until soft peaks form. Then sprinkle in sugar until it is dissolved and stiff peaks form. Using a spoon or a piping bag, make dollops of the meringue on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and then bake in the oven at 200°F until the meringues are crispy, about 60 to 90 minutes depending on how large you make the dollops.

(Note: the meringues in the picture are strawberry malted meringue cookies from a recipe I developed for All Recipes magazine.)

Once the meringues are baked and crisp, crush some strawberries with sugar and balsamic vinegar and let them sit to macerate. Whip some heavy cream with powdered sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form. Then fold in crushed meringues into the whipped cream.

Layer the whipped cream with the strawberry sauce, adding in a few sliced fresh strawberries for texture. Garnish with a whole meringue cookies and serve.

Customize it

Though the classic Eton Mess is made with strawberries here are a few ideas on customizing the Eton Mess to make it your own

Berry swap: Strawberries are great but you can easily substitute some or all of the strawberries with another berry like raspberries, blackberries, or blueberries.
Fruit swap: Try swapping the strawberries for a summer stone fruit like pitted cherries; chopped peaches or nectarines; or chopped plums or pluots. You can even roast a pound of chopped rhubarb with 3 tablespoons of sugar for 10 to 15 minutes in a 350°F oven on a rimmed baking sheet until tender, and use that for a rhubarb mess.
Tropical fruit swap: Substitute some or all of the strawberries for tropical fruit like chopped pineapple, passionfruit, sliced bananas, or sliced kiwis.
Spices and herbs: When making the whipped cream, add in a little ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground allspice, or fresh ground pepper. For a little more punch, add in a tablespoon of chopped crystallized ginger. Or add a few leaves of fresh mint, some fresh tarragon or fresh lemon thyme to give an herbal touch to the Eton Mess.
Nutty texture: Though it’s totally non-traditionally, but you can add some texture to the Eton mess by sprinkling a little bit of chopped nuts like pistachios, macadamia nuts, walnuts, pecans or almonds over the top to give a little nutty texture. Or, if you want to go with a deeper flavor or are allergic to nuts, try roasted cacao nibs which add a nutty chocolate note to the Eton Mess.

Can you make Eton Mess ahead of time?

Eton Mess should be served right away. But since assembly is relatively fast, you can make all the components ahead of time. Make the meringues up to two weeks in advance, just keep them in an airtight container or heavy-duty Ziploc freezer bag. Make the strawberry sauce up to a day ahead of time, but whip the cream and use it right away, otherwise it might deflate.

If you like this British Eton Mess recipe, check out these other berry recipes:

British Eton Mess

This easy traditional British dessert has three main components, a macerated strawberries sauce, whipped cream, and meringue cookies. I also add in some fresh cut strawberries to give the Eton Mess a little more texture, along with the macerated strawberry sauce. This recipe gives instructions on making the meringue cookies but feel free to just use store bought meringue cookies as an easy shortcut.

Course Dessert

Cuisine British

Keyword meringue, strawberries, whipped cream

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Servings

Calories 256kcal

Author Irvin

Ingredients

Meringue cookies

2 large egg whites
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 cup white sugar 100 g

Strawberry Sauce

1/2 pound strawberries 227 g
2 tablespoons white sugar or more if the strawberries aren’t very sweet
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Whipped cream

2 cup cold heavy cream 1 pint
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

To assemble

1/2 pound strawberries hulled and sliced, 227 g

Instructions

Make the meringue cookies by first preheating the oven to 200°F and lining a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the egg whites and cream of tartar in a stand mixer fitted with a wire whisk attachment and whip the whites on medium fast speed until soft peaks form. Reduce the mixer to medium speed and slowly sprinkle in the sugar until it is incorporated, and the meringue is shiny and reaches stiff peaks.
Spoon the meringue into 1-inch wide dollops on the parchment paper, or place the meringue in a piping bag fitted with a plain tip and pipe the meringue into 1-inch dollops. Bake in the oven for 60 to 75 minutes, or until the meringue cookies are dry and crispy. Set aside to cool.
Alternatively use 5-ounces of store-bought meringue cookies instead of making your own.
Make the strawberry sauce by first cutting the greens off the strawberries and discarding them. Then quarter or dice the strawberries. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the sugar over the mashed strawberries and add the balsamic vinegar. Taste and if the strawberries aren’t sweet enough for your preference, add a tablespoon more of sugar. Keep in mind that meringue will add sweetness to the final dessert.
Make the whipped cream by placing the cream, powdered sugar and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the wire whisk. Whisk on medium fast speed until soft peaks form.
Set aside 6 nice looking meringue cookies to use as garnish. Then lightly crush the other meringue cookies and fold in about 2/3 of the crushed meringue into the whipped cream.
(Note: I used strawberry flavored meringues in the photo, which is why they look pink. But plain meringues are just as good.)
Assemble the Eton Mess by layering the whipped cream, strawberry sauce, sliced strawberries and the rest of the crushed meringues bits together, repeating as necessary in a glass bowl or a double old-fashioned glass, creating layers of the whipped cream and the strawberries. Garnish each Eton Mess with the reserved meringue cookies and serve immediately.

Nutrition

The post British Eton Mess appeared first on Eat The Love.

Sheet Pan Miso-Glazed Salmon with Spring Vegetables [Sponsored Post]

Tue, 21 Mar 2023 21:29:15 +0200

This easy sheet pan miso-glazed salmon meal with asparagus, radishes, and carrots can be prepared, cooked and on the table in under an hour.

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This post was sponsored by California Wines a part of their “California Wines Down to Earth Month” campaign. I was compensated for this post and for developing the recipe. However, all opinions below are completely my own.

What’s for dinner is probably one of those dreaded questions that every head of the household has to deal with. And though I don’t have a family, I do have partner with a more traditional day job, which often leaves me as the one to figure out what to make. And though I have plenty of options for carryout here in San Francisco, making an easy sheet pan miso salmon dinner is ideal because it means I can have a homemade meal prepped and ready to eat in under an hour. The salmon is paired with seasonal vegetables like asparagus, radishes and rainbow carrots and the miso sauce is not only made with California chardonnay, but also pairs well with the same glass of chardonnay, making it a great way to relax at home, with minimal making dinner stress.

How to Make Sheet Pan Salmon

Start by preheating the oven to 425°F. Then make the miso sauce by combining chardonnay, red miso, honey, sesame oil, minced garlic and some salt and pepper.

Peel and chop some carrots. I like to use rainbow carrots but regular orange carrots work just as well. You can even do a quick cheat and just use baby carrots if you like! Toss the carrots with oil and a tablespoon of the miso sauce and then roast in the oven for 10 minutes.

While the carrots are roasting (they need a little head start with cooking, because they are a denser vegetable that takes longer to cook), prep the asparagus and radishes by trimming the ends off the asparagus and cutting the radishes in half. I used Easter Egg radishes, which are simply a variety of colorful different radishes bundled together but you can use English Breakfast, Watermelon, or regular red radishes if you’d like. Toss the vegetables with more oil and more miso sauce.

Then, once the carrots have cooked partially, remove the pan from the oven and switch the oven to high broil. Place the rest of the vegetables on the pan, then make a space in the center for the salmon. Don’t worry if they vegetables overlap. Place the salmon, skin side down, on the pan, then generously brush it with the miso sauce. Drizzle the remaining sauce over the vegetables if you have any left.

Then return the pan to the oven to broil for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the salmon is cooked and flakey. Serve with glasses of chardonnay, or a light pinot noir if you prefer red.

What wine to pick and pair for this dish

Salmon is a fish, which traditionally pairs well with white wine. Salmon is a firm fleshed fish with a rich and slightly oily texture that holds up well to the deep salty umami rich miso sauce. I like to pair it with a slightly oaky or neutral California certified sustainable Chardonnay (which is what I also use in the sauce). The Chardonnay has a bit of acidity that can cut through the richness of the fish and sauce. If you aren’t a big white wine drinker, you can also reach for a light Pinot Noir, perhaps something from the California Russian River region.

California is the 4^th largest wine producer in the world, and, like the entire state of California, the California wine industry leads the charge in sustainability. Over 80% of California wines are made in a certified sustainable winery. Sustainable wine making includes water and energy efficiency, which help maintain health soil and protect air and water quality, which in turns creates better grapes and wine, as well as making sure all their employees are healthy, safe and satisfied.

Sustainable California wineries also contribute to local economic, culture and small businesses throughout California. You can find California wines grown in 49 of the 58 counties of California. And the California’s 4200 wineries produce over 80% of all U.S. wines. You can learn more about sustainable certification as well as find a list of wineries that are certified on the California Sustainable Wine website.

Variations and substitutions

Fish: You can easily swap out the fish for a different sustainably caught fish fillet like Pacific cod, Mahi Mahi or Artic char. Be sure to adjust the cook time for each type of fish you use.
Longer cooking vegetables: If you don’t like carrots you can easily omit them or swap them for a different longer cooking vegetables. Parsnips, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli all take a little longer to cook in the oven but are excellent vegetables that pair well with this dish.
Short cooking vegetables: If you’re not a fan of asparagus or radishes, feel free to omit them or use a different quicker cooking vegetable. Bok choy (cut lengthwise), broccolini/baby broccoli, green beans, and bell peppers would all be great quick cooking vegetables to swap in for the asparagus or radishes.
Miso: I use red miso because I like the robust flavor that it imparts. But you can easily substitute it for yellow or white miso as well. Just keep in mind that the deep salty umami flavor you get from the red miso will be milder with yellow or white miso.

Make ahead

This dish takes very little time to cook and doesn’t really heat up well because the salmon dries up and can overcook. So, it’s not recommended that you make it ahead of time. However, you can easily prep the ingredients the night before you with, peeling and chopping the vegetables, and making the miso wine sauce for the next day.

On the day you wish to serve it, all you need to do is roast the carrots for the time recommended, then broil the salmon with the other vegetables, making cooking even easier and quick.

If you like this recipe, check out these other recipes that feature vegetables:

Sheet Pan Miso-Glazed Salmon with Spring Vegetables

This easy-to-make sheet pan meal will have you prepping and cooking start to finish in under an hour. I use wild-caught salmon fillets, and brush on a miso chardonnay glaze sauce over the fish, as well as toss the asparagus, carrots and radishes with the same glaze, making it a simple prep. I serve the dish with the remaining chardonnay, but you can also serve it with a light pinot noir if you prefer red. Feel free to prep the ingredients the night before, which will cut the meal prep time significantly, getting the hot food onto the table in under 20 minutes.

Course dinner, lunch, Main Course

Cuisine American, asian, California-cuisine, Japanese-American

Keyword asparagus, broiling, carrots, radishes, roasted, root vegetables, salmon, sheet pan

Prep Time 5 hours 20 minutes

Cook Time 16 minutes

Calories 513kcal

Author Irvin

Ingredients

Miso sauce

1/2 cup Chardonnay or other white wine
3 tablespoons red miso paste
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 medium-sized garlic cloves minced
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Salmon and Vegetables

1 pound carrots
3 tablespoon olive oil divided
1 pound asparagus
1 pound radishes about 2 bunches
4 6- ounce salmon fillet

Garnish

1 tablespoon sesame seeds
2 green onions sliced diagonally

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Make the miso sauce by combining the wine, miso, honey, sesame oil, minced garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl or glass measuring cup.
Prep the carrots by peeling them and chopping them into 2-inch pieces. Drizzle 1 tablespoon over the carrots, along with 1 tablespoon of the miso sauce and toss to coat. Place the carrots on the baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes in the oven.
While the carrots are cooking, prep the asparagus by trimming the woody ends off, and cutting the radishes in half, reserving the greens for another use if you wish. If the radishes are very large, quarter them. Toss the asparagus and radish halves with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the miso sauce.
Once the carrots are done cooking, remove the pan from the oven and switch it to high broil, making sure the rack is 6 inches from the broiler. Add the vegetables to the pan, tossing them together to flip the carrots.
Push the vegetables to the sides, making a space in the center for the fish. Don’t worry if the vegetables are overlapping.
Add the fish, skin side down, to the center of the pan, and then generously brush each fish two or three times with the miso sauce. Drizzle any remaining sauce onto the vegetables.
Place the pan under the broiler, and broil for an additional 6 to 8 minutes, or until the fish is fully cooked and flaky. Garnish the dish with sesame seeds and sliced green onions. Serve with the remaining Chardonnay or a glass of light Pinot Noir if you prefer.

Nutrition

The post Sheet Pan Miso-Glazed Salmon with Spring Vegetables [Sponsored Post] appeared first on Eat The Love.

Guinness Chocolate Bundt Cake with Irish Whiskey Ganache Glaze

Tue, 14 Mar 2023 17:54:00 +0200

This deep, dark, rich, and moist Guinness chocolate bundt cake has an Irish whiskey chocolate ganache glaze and is surprisingly easy to make!

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When Patrick’s Day comes around, I’m always thrilled to make some Irish-inspired food, like my Irish meatballs with whiskey BBQ sauce, my Guinness beef stew, and my lamb shepherd’s pie. And this year, as March came around, I found myself spontaneously buying a six pack of Guinness Stout beer. I use it a lot to make desserts like my Irish Drunken Cake or my holiday Gingerbread Stout Cake. But this Spring I decided I wanted to make a more easy streamlined Guinness Chocolate Bundt Cake with an Irish Whiskey Ganache Glaze. I’d say this is the perfect dessert for St. Patrick’s day, but why limited yourself to once a year? This is a year-round dessert!

How do you make this cake

This is a fairly easy cake to make but it does require you to let it cool completely before you glaze it so plan accordingly.

First whisk together brown sugar, white sugar, melted butter, cooking oil, sour cream, vanilla, eggs, salt, baking powder, baking soda, espresso powder, and a bottle of Guinness in a bowl.

Fold in flour and cocoa powder then fold in chopped chocolate.

Butter and flour a bundt pan, then pour the batter into the pan. Bake in the oven, let it cool slightly when done, and then unmold on a wire rack to cool to room temperature.

Once the cake is completely cool, make the ganache by heating up chopped chocolate in a microwave until melted. Add heavy cream and Irish whiskey. Stir until a fluid ganache forms. Drizzle over the cooled cake and serve.

Substitutions and Variations

Guinness Beer: Guinness is an Irish dry stout beer that has a dark malty flavor. You don’t really taste the beer in the resulting cake but it lends a malty flavor that really accentuates the chocolate, creating a deeper and richer flavor and texture. You can easily swap another stout beer if you’d like but I wouldn’t recommend any type of beer for this recipe. If you’re looking to make this nonalcoholic, you can use non-alcoholic Guinness or try nitro coffee, which has the same texture as Guinness. Just omit the espresso powder, as the nitro coffee supplies plenty of coffee flavor.

Irish Whiskey: I use Irish whiskey in the glaze but you can swap that out for an American whiskey, a rye whiskey or bourbon if you’d like. You can even swap out a dark rum for the whiskey. You can also use Irish cream, like Bailey’s if you’d like. Just increase the Irish cream to 4 tablespoons instead of 3. If you want something nonalcoholic, just omit the whiskey and add in an additional 2 tablespoons of heavy cream.

Chocolate: I use chopped dark chocolate to help bring the chocolate flavor more forward, but if you don’t like chocolate chunks in a cake, feel free to omit it. You can also swap out various types of chocolate, from white, milk or super dark chocolate if you wish. Feel free to use chocolate chips instead of chopped chocolate if that is what you have on hand.

Nuts: If you like nuts in your cake, feel free add in up to 1 cup of chopped walnuts, pecans, pistachios, hazelnuts or almonds into this cake. If you want a nutty texture, but are allergic to nuts, try roasted cacao nibs! They have a crunchy texture like nuts, but are made from cacao beans, which makes chocolate. The resulting cake will even more chocolate flavor.

Tips and tricks for bundt pans

A bundt pan is a large pan with a hole in the middle, shaped similar to a giant donut. The traditional bundt pan has decorative indentions, but there are a myriad of variations of bundt pans, some that have more intricate designed than others. They are also notorious for being difficult for the cake to release, with the cake sometimes sticking to the pan. Here are a few tips to help you release the cake.

Choose the best pan: I prefer a thick heavy metal pan, one with a nonstick coating, to help with release. The thicker metal helps retain heat, which means the outside of the cake browns a little more, making it easier to release. I don’t really like silicone pans, as they never seem to brown evenly. And I also tend to replace my bundt pans once they start sticking or have seen some use. Battle scarred bundt pans that have been around the block tend to stick more than newer ones, with their pristine nonstick coating. My favorite pans are made by Nordicware (<- affiliate link).
Grease thoroughly: I melt shortening, coconut oil or ghee, then brush it on to the pan to make sure every single crevice and corner gets covered. I’ve used regular butter before as well but I’ve had better luck with shortening, coconut oil or ghee. But if butter is all you have, no worries! Just make sure to use plenty of it.
Choose the right coating: I have had good luck using regular plain flour to coat my bundt pans, but a lot of folks swear by bread crumbs, nut flour (like almond flour) or granulated sugar. If you use granulated sugar however, you should release the pan fairly soon after you take it out of the oven, which doesn’t work for delicate cakes. So keep that in mind.
Release at the right time: I like to let the cake cool a bit in my pan. This allows it to set and firm up. But I never let the cake completely cool, as it tends to solidify and stick more often. I wait anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes to release the cake, about the amount of time that it takes for you to be able to pick up the pan with your hands. It should still be warm, but not so hot that it will burn your hands. Invert onto a rack, remove pan. However, if you use granulated sugar as your coating, let the cake cool for 5 minutes, then invert it onto a wire rack and let cool for an additional 5 minutes. Then release. The granulated sugar should still be semi-fluid and should release nicely. If you let the cake cool too long, it will stick.
Use a thin knife: If the cake is sticking, gently slide a thin knife around the sides, trying to help nudge the cake out.
Last resort tricks: Finally, if your cake sticks and has some small blemishes, don’t stress. Just use a thick glaze to help cover up anything not ideal. However, if your cake has large chunks missing, you might need to start over. But save the broken cake for another purpose, like a trifle or an ice cream sundae base. Or slice the cake and serve the slices individually!

How do I store it?

This moist and dense cake stores well. Just keep it at room temperature, under a cake dome or in an airtight container for 3 to 5 days. You can also freeze the cake, either whole or individual slices. Freeze individual slices on a sheet pan, then once frozen solid, store in an airtight container or in a heavy-duty resealable Ziploc bag. I do recommend freezing the cake without the ganache if possible, as the ganache tends to freeze and shrink, breaking off the cake.

If you like this Guinness Chocolate Bundt Cake, check out these other chocolate recipes:

Guinness Chocolate Bundt Cake with Irish Whiskey Ganache Glaze

Don’t be scared off by the longer list of ingredients in this recipe as it’s super easy to make, all in one bowl. The deep, rich, and super moist chocolate bundt cake gets an underlying earthy malty flavor from Guinness stout beer. It’s also a great sophisticated cake to serve for St. Patrick’s Day but it’s also amazing all year round. I use a touch of Irish Whiskey in the ganache glaze as well, as it goes so well with chocolate and Guinness. Keep in mind that the bundt cake does need to cool completely before glazing, so plan accordingly.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, Irish-American

Keyword beer, bundt cake, cake, chocolate, ganache, guinness beer, whiskey

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Servings

Calories 500kcal

Author Irvin

Ingredients

Cake batter

1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar 330 g
1/2 cup white sugar 100 g
1 cup melted unsalted butter 2 sticks or 227 g
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup sour cream 200 g
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon espresso powder or instant coffee optional but recommended
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
12 ounces Guinness Stout Beer 1 bottle
1 3/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups all-purpose flour 280 g
3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder 85 g
1 cup chopped chocolate chunks 210 g

For pan

2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Glaze

1 cup chopped chocolate chunks 210 g
1/2 cup heavy cream 105 g
3 tablespoons Irish whiskey

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Whisk together the brown sugar, white sugar, melted butter, oil, sour cream, eggs, vanilla, instant espresso (if using), and salt in a large bowl using a balloon whisk. Stir in Guinness beer, then stir in the baking soda and baking powder.
Add the flour and cocoa and fold together with a large spatula. Fold in the chopped chocolate.
Take the melted butter and brush it all over the inside of a 10 or 12-cup bundt pan, making sure to get all the crevices. Dust with flour. Pour the cake batter into the pan
Bake cake for 65 to 75 minutes, or until the middle of the cake is firm and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. The sides of the cake should have pulled away slightly from the cake pan. If you have an instant read thermometer, the cake should read 200°F to 205°F.
Let the cake cool for 30 minutes, then invert the still warm cake onto a wire rack and release it. Let the cake cool completely to room temperature, about 2 to 3 hours.
Once cooled, make the ganache by placing the chocolate into a microwave safe bowl and cooking it in the microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring in-between each cook cycle, until melted. Add the heavy cream and Irish whiskey, stirring until a smooth melted ganache forms. If the ganache seems too thick, microwave in 15 second increments, stirring until fluid and pourable. If the ganache seems too thin, let it sit on the counter for 5 minutes and stir again, checking consistency. You want it the thickness of honey.
Place the cake (on the wire rack) over a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle and pour the ganache over cake, letting any excess ganache fall under the cake into the baking sheet. Let the ganache cool and harden, then move the cake to a serving plate or cake stand.

Nutrition

The post Guinness Chocolate Bundt Cake with Irish Whiskey Ganache Glaze appeared first on Eat The Love.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies [Sponsored Post]

Thu, 02 Mar 2023 18:00:00 +0200

These easy-to-make extra virgin olive oil chocolate chip cookies are a sophisticated upgrade made with vibrant extra virgin olive oil!

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This post was sponsored by California Olive Oil Council. I was compensated for this post and for developing the recipe. However, all opinions below are completely my own.

Though this blog has no shortage of chocolate chip cookies. I’ve made bakery-style chocolate chip cookies,chunky shortbread chocolate chip cookies, sourdough chocolate chip cookie, and crispy chocolate chip cookies, not to mention a variety of different flavored chocolate chips cookies. But one chocolate chip cookie missing is the extra virgin olive oil chocolate chip cookies!

Extra virgin olive oil is a pretty robust flavored fat that is more often used in cooking than baking, but it also works really well in desserts and baked goods. It adds its own amazing flavor profile, one that really complements chocolate with its peppery, nutty and fruity undertones and lends a richness and moist texture that you can’t get from butter. If you’re looking for a sophisticated twist on the classic chocolate chip cookie, these cookies are for you!

How do you make this cookie?

This extra virgin olive oil chocolate chip cookie is easy to make, easier than a more traditional chocolate chip cookie, as you don’t have to wait for the butter to soften or need to cream it into the sugar.

Place brown sugar, white sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix together. Then whisk together the extra virgin olive oil with vanilla, fresh ground pepper, an egg and an egg yolk. Add the liquid and flour in batches, alternating, until a dough forms.

Stir in chopped chocolate, make balls of dough, sprinkle some flaky sea salt on top of each ball of dough and bake!

What sort of extra virgin olive oil should you use?

Taking a look at a typical grocery store, and you’ll see an overwhelming number of olive oil choices. Though most folks are familiar with the grading of “extra virgin olive oil” which is an important denotation that the oil has met the highest international standards, I highly recommend looking for extra virgin olive oil with the California Olive Oil Council (COOC) label.

The COOC seal of certification means the oil is not only truly extra virgin olive oil (counterfeit extra virgin olive oil is totally a thing!) but that the extra virgin olive oil meets a mandatory stringent chemical and sensory analysis of the oil that is HIGHER than the international standard. In fact, it’s the highest standard in the world. And all extra virgin olive oil that has the COOC seal must pass this testing for each individual annual harvest to be allowed to use the seal. You can find a list of companies that have this label on the COOC website.

Beyond looking for the COOC seal, pick an olive oil that has a great flavor, one that you love. Extra virgin olive oils can vary in flavor depending on the olive used, the terrain it was grown on, and the date it was harvested. Flavors can range from mellow buttery to robust peppery, with notes of grassy, fruity, or citrusy. I like to use an extra virgin olive oil with a medium level of flavor, nothing too sharp, nor too mild, but with notes of pepper in it. I accentuate this pepperiness by adding a touch of fresh ground pepper into the dough but that’s completely optional. Be sure to use extra virgin olive oil within 3 to 6 months of opening the bottle or tin, as the oil will start to oxidize the minute you open the bottle. Store the bottle or tin in a cool dry place, away from light, as light can shorten the shelf life of the oil.

Customize

These cookies are a super versatile cookie that can be adapted in a multitude of ways. Here are some ideas on how to put your own spin on them:

Coffee: Add in a teaspoon of instant coffee or espresso powder to the olive oil and egg mixture, to give an underlying coffee flavor and boost the chocolate flavor more in the cookies
Nuts: Swap 1 cup of the chocolate with chopped nuts of your choice. Pecans, walnuts, pistachios and almonds would all be awesome additions to this cookie.
Spices: Try 1/2 teaspoon (or more) of a warm wintry spice like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cardamom or allspice to the olive oil and egg mixture along with or in place of the ground pepper.
Chocolate: use a variety of chocolate, from dark, milk to white chocolate. Or stick with dark chocolate, but use different types, from a super bitter 85% chocolate to a more mild, sweeter 54% dark chocolate. Mixing a couple of chocolates will give a little more complexity to the cookie. Or, if you’re feeling like taking a shortcut, just use chocolate chips instead of the chopped chocolate.
Citrus: If you want to give these cookies a citrus twist, accentuating the citrus notes of extra virgin olive oil, omit the black pepper and add the zest of an orange, Meyer lemon or regular lemon in the extra virgin olive oil instead.

Storage

These cookies store well. Keep them in an airtight container or under a cake dome on a plate for up to 5 days at room temperature. You can also freeze them, though keep in mind the salt flakes on top will dissolve when you freeze and thaw them out. To freeze them, place them in a resealable freezer Ziploc bag and then freeze for up to 3 months.

If you like these chocolate chip cookies, check out these other chocolate chip cookies recipes

Extra Virgin Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies

These chocolate chip cookies are super easy to make and don’t require any chilling beforehand. Use a high-quality extra virgin olive oil with some nice peppery notes will accentuate the chocolate in the cookies. I use chopped chocolate in the cookie, making sure to add in the chocolate “dust” that comes from chopping the chocolate, as that distributes throughout the cookie giving it “freckles” of chocolate confetti throughout. But feel free to use chocolate chips if you don’t feel like chopping chocolate.

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword chocolate, chocolate chip, chocolate chip cookie, cookies, olive oil

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Servings

Calories 318kcal

Author Irvin

Ingredients

1 cup packed dark brown sugar 220 g
1/2 cup white sugar 100 g
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 150 g
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper optional but recommended
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 cups all-purpose flour 280 g
2 cups chopped chocolate chunks 340 g or 12 ounces (or substitute same amount of chocolate chips)

To finish

Flaky sea salt like Maldon optional but recommended

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place the brown sugar, white sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda in the bowl of stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed to break up the brown sugar and blend the dry ingredients together.
Place the extra virgin olive oil, vanilla, and black pepper (if using), egg and egg yolk in a glass measuring cup and whisk together.
Drizzle half the egg oil liquid into the sugar mixture and mix until absorbed. Add 1 cup of the flour and mix. Repeat with the remaining egg oil liquid and the remaining flour. Mix until a dough forms.
Add the chopped chocolate, reserving and setting aside about 1/2 cup of the chocolate for later. Stir the dough until the chocolate is thoroughly distributed.
Make generous golf ball-sized dough balls, squeezing with your hand to make sure the dough sticks together. It will seem greasy but that’s normal. If you have a scale, the dough should be roughly 70 grams. Place them on the baking sheet, keeping them about 2 inches apart.
Once the baking sheet is filled, take a few pieces of the reserve chocolate and place them on top of each ball of dough. Sprinkle the dough with the flaky salt (if using) and bake in the oven 10 to 13 minutes, or until the edges of the cookie start turning golden brown. Let cool on the baking pan for 4 to 5 minutes before moving to a wire cooling rack.

Notes

Note 1: Pick a high-quality extra virgin olive oil with pepper notes. I always look for the COOC label on the extra virgin olive oil bottle, as I know I’m getting quality extra virgin olive oil that has been grown in California and has the passed the highest standards in the world.

Note 2: You’ll notice I save some chocolate and tell you to stick it on top of the cookie dough before baking. But you can save some of the extra chocolate until AFTER the cookies have baked and stick a couple of chunks into the cookie where it’s missing chocolate on top once the cookies are pulled out of the oven. The chocolate will melt from the heat of the cookie and meld into the cookie as if it was baked into it.

Nutrition

The post Extra Virgin Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies [Sponsored Post] appeared first on Eat The Love.

Walnut Banana Bread

Mon, 13 Feb 2023 18:00:00 +0200

This easy-to-make one bowl banana bread uses walnut oil and almond extract to make it the best walnut banana bread recipe!

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Banana bread often seems like a last resort recipe, the one that you make when you don’t want those freckled brown bananas to go to waste. But lately in our household, banana bread hasn’t been an afterthought. I’ve been doing batch after batch of banana bread, including my chocolate banana bread, sourdough banana bread, and my Kahlua mocha marble banana bread because they’re all so tasty. But when I found some walnuts in the back of my pantry, I knew I had to make some walnut banana bread, upgraded just slightly because that’s what I do!

How do you make this banana bread

This banana bread is super easy to make and can be made in one bowl! Mash 2 to 3 bananas in a mixing bowl until you have a puree. Then mix in 1 egg, some vanilla, almond extract, and spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. Add melted butter, a little bit of walnut oil, packed brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and all-purpose flour.

Fold in toasted walnut pieces and bake! One bowl, one pan, super easy.

How ripe should the banana be?

Common wisdom says bananas should be super overripe to the point of being black. I disagree. I find ripened black bananas to taste…well overripe to the point of tasting rotten. Instead, I go for bananas that are mostly dark, with freckling, but still a little bit of yellow showing through. If the bananas are too dark, I compost them.

But if the bananas aren’t quite ripe enough for me, I sometimes try to ripen them faster. Bananas produce ethylene gas as they ripen. I place them in a paper bag, to help trap this gas, which encourages the bananas to ripen faster. Or if you really are in a hurry, use the tip I learned from Stella Parks, and mash and mix the banana with the egg and let it sit for 30 to 60 minutes before proceeding with the recipe. The enzymes in the egg yolk will help ripen the banana quickly.

What makes this walnut banana bread different

Though this recipe is super easy, I do have a few tips on how give this banana bread an extra robust walnut flavor. I first toast the walnuts in a skillet, to bring out the nuttiness. Toasting nuts takes an extra two or three minutes, but the results amp up the flavor remarkably. But if you don’t feel like toasting the walnuts, just skip that step. It’s totally optional.

I also use walnut oil in the loaf to give it an extra boost of nutty flavor. Walnut oil is exactly what it sounds like, oil pressed from a walnut. You can find walnut oil at well-stocked grocery stores. It’s a lovely oil that is excellent in salad dressing as well as in baked goods.

And if you don’t have walnut oil or don’t feel like buying for this recipe, just swap out the same amount of melted butter (1/4 cup) or vegetable oil in its place. Your bread will still taste fantastic.

Finally, I add just a touch of almond extract to the bread. Not enough to notice, just a smidge 1/4 teaspoon. But the almond extract brings out more of the nutty flavor, making this an even better walnut banana bread than most recipes.

Customize this banana bread

This walnut banana bread is a great jumping off point to customize. Here are a few suggestions:

Swap nuts: If walnuts aren’t your thing, just swap out the same amount of walnuts for another nut like pecans, pistachios, hazelnuts, brazil nuts or macadamia nuts. Or do a mix of nuts if you’d like. You can even swap out the nuts for cacao nibs, which is ideal for those folks who still want a nutty crunch but are allergic to nuts. Of course, if you are allergic to nuts, remember to swap out the walnut oil for regular vegetable oil or melted butter!
Swap flours: Swap out 1/2 cup of the all-purpose flour for almond flour if you want to amp up the nutty flavor even more. Swap out 1 cup of all-purpose flour for whole wheat flour which will give a slightly more dense loaf. Or use all bread flour instead of all-purpose for a chewier “bread-like” loaf.
Swap spices: I use cinnamon and nutmeg in this bread. But feel free to play around with other warm spices like cardamom, cloves, ground ginger, or mace.
Add chocolate or dried fruit: Though I have a chocolate banana bread, feel free to swap half the walnuts for chocolate chips in this recipe. Or swap out half the walnuts for dried fruit like dried cranberries, dried blueberries, or dried cherries.

How to store this banana bread

You can store this banana bread on the counter, under a cake dome or in an airtight container for up to 3 days. If you notice any mold, throw the banana bread away immediately.

You can also freeze this banana bread for up to a three or four months. Just freeze it in an airtight container or Ziploc bag. I like to slice my banana bread before freezing, so I can take out individual slices to thaw and eat. Just make sure to place parchment paper or wax paper between slices, otherwise the moist bread will thaw into one large frozen chunk.

If you like this Walnut Banana Bread, check out these out these other quick breads:

Walnut Banana Bread

This walnut banana bread is a nutty banana bread muffin in loaf form. Easy to make, it’s packed with banana flavor, with just a smidge of cinnamon and nutmeg spice, enough to bring out the banana flavor without being overpowering. Feel free to swap out the walnuts with another chopped nut like pecans, pistachios, or hazelnuts. I have a section above on other substitutions and customizations.

Course bread, Breakfast, brunch, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword banana, nuts, quick bread, walnuts

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes

Servings

Calories 424kcal

Author Irvin

Ingredients

1 cup chopped walnut pieces 100 g
3 medium ripe bananas about 350 to 400 g after peeling
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract optional but recommended
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup unsalted butter melted
1/4 cup walnut oil or vegetable oil
3/4 cup packed brown sugar 165 g
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups all-purpose flour 280 g

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a large 9 x 5-in loaf pan with cooking oil. Line the pan with parchment paper, making sure there is 1-inch of paper overhanging the edges.
Place the walnut pieces in a dry skillet and toast them on the stovetop, on medium heat. Stir them frequently while they toast, until they have darkened slightly and smell nutty and fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Once cool enough to handle, chop them into 1/2-inch chunks.
Place the bananas in a large bowl and mash them with a fork until smooth. Add the egg and mix in with the fork. Stir in the vanilla, almond extract (if using), cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Whisk in the melted butter and oil to the bowl, then mix in the brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the flour and gently mix it in, until most of it has been absorbed, but there are a few dry spots in the batter.
Add the walnut pieces to the batter and mix until they are evenly distributed.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and then smooth out the top so it’s even. Bake in the oven for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a toothpick or skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. If you have an instant read thermometer, the center should read 200°F to 205°F.
Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan set on a wire cooling rack. Then lift the bread up using the overhanging parchment paper and move it directly to the wire cooling rack. Cool completely before cutting into it.

Nutrition

The post Walnut Banana Bread appeared first on Eat The Love.

Chocolate and Strawberry Scones

Mon, 06 Feb 2023 17:00:00 +0200

These chocolate and strawberry scones are an easy-to-make, tender, and sweet addition to your breakfast, brunch or coffee/tea time break.

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One of total misconceptions of scones is their dry crumb and tough texture. But I’m a huge fan of homemade scones, especially this particular strawberry and chocolate scones, which are tender and flaky. The secret, much like making homemade southern-style biscuits, is to use a light hand, not overwork the ingredients, and let the dough chill in the fridge. The technique is similar to my fig and hazelnut scones, or my eggnog scones, but these cream scones are packed with fresh strawberries and dark chocolate chips, making them a delightful treat for a special occasion breakfast, a weekend brunch, or really anytime of the year.

How do make these scones

Making scones isn’t difficult. First prep the strawberries by slicing them and then tossing with a little bit of balsamic vinegar. Set aside for the vinegar to absorb.

Combine flour, a little bit of sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a medium-sized bowl. Then grate some cold butter into the dry ingredients. Toss to coat the butter. Drizzle some heavy cream over the ingredients, tossing with a fork until a dough starts to form. Add the strawberries and the chocolate chips, fold the dough gently, add a little more cream, then fold more until fruit and chocolate is incorporated.

Divide the dough in half and form round disks. Wrap in plastic and chill in the fridge. Preheat the oven, divide the dough into scone triangles, brush the top of the scones with a little bit extra cream, and sprinkle with sparkling sugar. Bake until done.

Tips on making the best strawberry chocolate scones

Toss strawberries in balsamic vinegar: Cut the strawberries in half or quarters (if they are large, then toss the fruit with balsamic vinegar. The sweet syrup acidic vinegar will bring out the sweetness and juiciness of the fruit itself. If you don’t have balsamic vinegar, substitute with fresh lemon juice. Do not substitute with another vinegar, as other vinegars are too harsh.
Use cold butter and cream: Cold ingredients help relax the gluten in the flour. Gluten is a protein that forms when flour reacts with water and is knead or manipulated. It gives baked goods stretchy chew. For some baked goods, like bread, you want to develop gluten. But for scones, you want to prevent too much gluten from form, as it will lead to a tough scone. Cold ingredients like cold butter and cream will help prevent the gluten from forming, as will chilling the dough.
Chill the dough: Gluten creation is inevitable when making the dough. But you can also help relax the gluten by chilling the dough after you make. Just let the dough chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or longer, up to overnight, to help make the scones tender. Chilling also helps solidify the butter, which will lead to flakiness in the scones
Grate the butter: You can incorporate the butter by using your fingers or using a pastry blender, which is how I make my Earl Grey and dried cherry scones and my British-style honey and thyme scones. But for these scones, I like to grate the butter into the dough. This gives small shards of butter in the dough, which will lead to a flaky scone. Be sure to dip the butter stick into the flour to coat it. This will help prevent the butter from melting from your hands. Keep dipping the butter stick back in the flour as you grate the butter, whenever the butter starts to melt.
Use quality ingredients: Most recipes benefit from quality ingredients. But because there are so few ingredients in this recipe, quality butter, strawberries, and chocolate make a difference. If you have it, European-style butter, which has a higher percentage of butterfat, gives a richer and flakier scone. Ripe in-season strawberries are best in the scone but even out of season strawberries are pretty decent in this scone because of the balsamic vinegar added. However, I don’t recommend frozen strawberries for this recipe, as they shed too much liquid, making a soggy scone, fresh are the best. Finally, pick a chocolate that you like to eat out of hand. Quality chocolate chips or your favorite chopped chocolate are awesome for these scones.

Make the dough ahead

You can make the dough for these scones a day ahead of time, letting it rest in the fridge overnight. This will lead to a flakier and more tender scone, as the butter will have solidified, and the gluten in the flour will have relaxed. Just take the dough out and bake as directed.

How to store scones

Store scones at room temperature for up to 2 days in an airtight container or resealable Ziploc bag. You can also freeze scones in a heavy-duty freezer resealable bag for up to 2 months. Keep in mind that sugar on top of the scones will most likely dissolve when you store the scones. Thaw the scones on the countertop or table to room temperature, then refresh them in a toaster oven or regular oven at 300°F, for 10 minutes or until warm.

If you like these Chocolate and Strawberry Scones, check out these other baked breakfast treats:

Chocolate and Strawberry Scones

These chocolate and strawberry scones are a special treat for breakfast, brunch or just as a side item for coffee or tea time. Use the best quality ingredients and make sure to chill the dough before baking them. The chill time ensure that butter has solidified and the gluten in the flour has relaxed, leading to a tender and flaky scone.

Calories 229kcal

Author Irvin

Ingredients

1 1/2 to 2 cups strawberries 8 ounces
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar or lemon juice
2 cups all-purpose flour 280 g
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter 85 g
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup chocolate chips 85 g

To finish

2 tablespoons cream
1 tablespoon sparkling sugar or white sugar

Instructions

Cut the strawberries in half, or quarters (if the strawberries are large) and place them in a medium sized bowl. Drizzle the balsamic vinegar (or lemon juice) over the strawberries, toss to coat, and set aside.
Place the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Using a balloon whisk, vigorously stir the dry ingredients together so they are well blended.
Dip the butter into the dry ingredients to coat, then use a box grater and grate the butter through the big holes. If the butter starts to melt or stick to your fingers, just dip and roll the butter back in the dry ingredients to coat.
Once the butter is grated, toss the ingredients together so the butter shards are coated. Then drizzle half the cream over the dry ingredients, tossing/mixing with a fork, until the cream has been absorbed.
Add the strawberries, along with any juices that have accumulated on the bottom of the bowl, and the chocolate chips. Toss to evenly distribute. Then add the remaining cream and continue to mix until the dough forms.
Divide the dough in half, roughly 475 g each (if you have a scale), and pat the dough into 2 disks, about 6-inches wide and 1-inch thick. Wrap each dough disk in plastic wrap, and then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes up to overnight.
Once the dough has chilled, preheat the oven 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat. Take the chilled dough disks out and cut each disk into 6 even wedges. Place the wedges on the baking sheet, about 1 inch apart.
Brush the top of each scone with cream, then sprinkle a little sparkling sugar over the top of each scone.
Bake the scones for 16 to 18 minutes, until the scones are golden brown around the edges of the scone. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Nutrition

The post Chocolate and Strawberry Scones appeared first on Eat The Love.

Miso Caramel Soy Sauce Brownies

Wed, 01 Feb 2023 17:00:00 +0200

These deep, dark, fudge brownies have two secret ingredients that give them more dimension and depth – soy sauce and a miso caramel layer!

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Last year there was a recipe bouncing around the internet for soy sauce brownies by the lovely Hettie McKinnon that got a lot of folks excited. The idea of adding earthy umami packed salty soy sauce into brownies made sense to me. In truth, I’m a little jealous I hadn’t thought of it first! But then I realized that I could swap out in the salt and espresso powder in my favorite fudge brownie recipe with soy sauce AND also add in a layer of miso caramel into the brownies to pump up the funky salt factor, much like I did with my miso peanut butter chip cookies and my pistachio cranberry cookies.

The result is a super-rich, complex-flavored brownie that is absolutely next level. The minute I served it to friends, they couldn’t place the special secret ingredients in the brownie, but they wanted seconds and third helpings, and immediately asked for the recipe. So here it is finally, that double secret ingredient brownie recipe that everyone who loves brownies needs to try immediately!

How to make these brownies

These brownies are similar to my classic easy fudge brownies that have the shiny meringue topping. But I also add in a layer of miso caramel and swap out the salt and espresso powder for soy sauce. First make the caramel by cooking the white sugar in a large skillet, then whisking in butter and miso. Set aside the caramel to cool.

Then make the brownie batter by combining eggs, vanilla and soy sauce, then whisk in cocoa. Add in melted butter and sugar, then fold in flour, baking powder and then the chocolate chips. Pour half of the brownie batter into a prepared pan, add the miso caramel, and spoon on the rest of the brownie batter on top. Then bake!

Tips on making caramel

Caramel is one of those daunting items to make for a lot of folks. But as long as you take a few precautions, it’s nothing to be scared of! Here are a few tips to help you out, if you’ve never made caramel before.

Use a silver bottom pan: If you are not familiar with making caramel, use a light -colored pan, one that is silver or white on the bottom, so you can watch the color of the sugar. If you have tons of experience with making caramel, feel free to use a dark colored pan if you’d like for easy clean up. But even though I make caramel fairly often, I pretty much always reach for a silver bottom pan just so I can monitor the sugar color.
Place a bowl of ice water nearby: If you are super concerned about burning yourself, keep a bowl of ice water nearby to splash on your hand or arms if molten sugar touches your skin. I’ve never had to use my bowl of ice water, but it’s always nice to know it’s nearby if I need it.
Use a low heat: Low heat is best for those who are not familiar with how sugar caramelizes. It takes much longer, so I usually recommend first initially cooking the sugar with a hot heat, until the sugar starts to melt, then lowering the heat. But if you’re not familiar with making caramel, just use a low heat the entire time and a little more patience. Keep in mind that sugar can go from a beautiful golden brown to a burnt black quickly, so try not to get distracted near the end of the caramel making process.
Keep kids and pets away: Finally, if you have children, pets or chatty spouses/roommates, tell them to give you a break while you make caramel. You don’t want to get distracted while you make it, as the caramel is easy to burn. Plus the molten sugar is crazy hot and can burn you (or your loved ones) so best to make the caramel alone.

What type of cocoa to use

I used Dutch-processed cocoa in these brownies because it is really dark colored cocoa that has a rich mellow flavor that pairs well with the soy sauce and the miso caramel. It’s fairly easy to find at a well-stocked grocery store. Popular and common Dutch-processed cocoa include Hershey’s Special Dark, Guittard’s Cocoa Rouge, Ghiradelli’s 100% Cocoa Dutch Process, Rodelle’s Baking cocoa, and Droste Cocoa. You can buy it online as well if you can’t source it at a local store. But be sure to buy unsweetened cocoa, and not cocoa meant for hot chocolate. That stuff has sugar already added.

If you don’t have Dutch-processed cocoa, you can use the same amount of regular natural cocoa powder in this recipe but omit the baking powder and use 1/4 teaspoon baking soda in its place. The resulting brownie will be a little less fudgy in texture and lighter in color.

What type of miso and soy sauce to use and their role in the brownies

Both miso and soy sauce add a touch of saltiness which compliments the fudgy sweetness in the brownies, as well as an earthy nutty umami layer that gives the brownie an extra level of dimension and depth.

I used a regular or normal soy sauce in this recipe. You can also use low sodium or light soy sauce if that’s what you have. Do not use sweet soy sauce or dark soy sauce, as they both are stronger in flavor.

Miso comes in a few different varieties. I use red miso, which is the strongest miso flavor. But you can use yellow or white miso if that’s what you have on hand. Just increase the miso amount to 3 tablespoons instead of two. If you don’t have miso on hand, or wish to skip the miso, you can add 2 or 3 tablespoons of peanut butter instead. It will give a nutty richness to the caramel that is a closer proximity to the miso than if you just omitted it.

How to store these brownies

These brownies keep well, improving in texture as they sit around! I like to eat them the day after they are baked. But you can eat them day of. Keep them at room temperature for up to 3 days under a cake dome or in an airtight container. You can keep them for up to 5 days in the fridge in an airtight container.

If you like these miso caramel soy sauce brownies, check out these other brownies and chocolate desserts

Miso Caramel Soy Sauce Brownies

The addition of miso and soy sauce sounds odd but the salty umami punch of flavor with the deep earthy chocolate creates brownie with added depth and dimension that chocolate lover will adore. Don’t worry that the brownies taste too much like either ingredient. The miso gives a salty nutty flavor to the caramel and the soy sauce is very subtle, a background player bringing out the sweetness in the bittersweet chocolate. The additions of these secret ingredients make the brownie a step above others, and your friends and family will be asking you for the recipe!

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American, asian

Keyword brownie, caramel, chocolate, chocolate chip, miso, soy sauce

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Servings

Calories 205kcal

Author Irvin

Ingredients

Miso caramel

1 cup white sugar 200 g
7 tablespoons butter unsalted
2 tablespoon red miso or 3 tablespoons white or yellow miso

Brownie batter

4 large eggs refrigerator cold
4 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup Dutch-process cocoa 110 g
1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks or 225 g
2 cups white sugar 400 g
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 175
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups chocolate chips or chopped chocolate 340 g

Instructions

Make the miso caramel by placing the sugar in a large skillet or sauté pan. Cook on high heat, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until the sugar starts to melt. Reduce heat to medium low and continue to cook until the sugar has all turned golden caramel brown.
Once the sugar has turned to caramel, remove from heat. Whisk in the butter and caramel. The caramel will steam, bubble and sputter as you add it, so use caution. If the caramel seizes up and hardens, just place it back on the stove and gently heat it until the harden parts dissolve. Then set the caramel aside to cool.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray or brush a 9 x 13 x 2-inch pan with cooking oil. Line it with parchment paper.
Make the brownie batter by placing the eggs, soy sauce, vanilla, and eggs, in a bowl and mixing thoroughly with a whisk until uniform in color.
Add the cocoa powder to the egg mixture and mix together to form a paste.
Melt butter in a glass bowl in the microwave until liquid, then stir in sugar. You can also heat and melt the butter on the stove if you don’t have a microwave or don’t wish to use it.
Stir in the butter sugar mixture to the cocoa egg mixture. Add the flour and baking powder, folding it in until there are just a few streaks of dry ingredients left.
Add the chocolate chips and continue to mix and fold them in, until evenly distributed and all the flour is absorbed.
Spread about 1/2 of the brownie batter into the prepared pan.
Add the miso caramel over the brownie batter, spread it so it reaches the edges.
Then spoon the remaining brownie batter over the caramel and spread it carefully over the caramel.
Let it sit for 1 or 2 minutes, or until the top of the brownie batter has a glossy sheen to it. Then place in the oven and bake for 23 to 27 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle in few places comes out clean (you want to check a few places in case your toothpick hits a chocolate chip). Try not to overbake the pan.
Let rest in the pan until cool completely – preferably overnight if you can wait that long. Then carefully cut and serve. The brownies improve in flavor and texture if you let them sit overnight, but they’re still great the day of.

Notes

These brownies are rich, so I cut them into smaller 1 x 2-inch pieces, making 36 individual smaller brownies. But feel free to cut them larger if you wish.

Nutrition

The post Miso Caramel Soy Sauce Brownies appeared first on Eat The Love.

Swedish Tea Ring

Thu, 22 Dec 2022 18:00:00 +0200

This beautiful, yeasted coffee cake is similar to a cinnamon roll, but less sweet and perfect for breakfast or with coffee or tea.

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Lately I’ve had this vague obsession with the Nordic culture and cuisine even though I’ve never visited any of the countries over in that region of the world. And yes, I have been planning (for some time) to road trip all over that area when my husband and I get back to international travel. But in the meantime, I’ve been doing culinary travel but making dishes from that area. This includes making semlas, Swedish blueberry tosca cake, and cardamom buns, as well as making my Swedish meatballs stroganoff for dinner. And though I shared a cranberry spiral bread that was inspired by the Swedish tea ring a few years ago, I thought I’d share a more traditional Swedish Tea Ring! It is something that is made during the holiday season, but I think it’s a lovely yeasted coffee cake that is wonderful all year round, or at the very least, all fall and winter long.

What is a Swedish tea ring?

A Swedish tea ring is a yeasted coffee cake that is made in the shape of a ring. Think of it like a pull apart cinnamon roll shaped in a wreath like ring.

Traditionally a Swedish tea ring is filled with cardamom or other wintery spices like cinnamon, nutmeg or cloves. But, like a cinnamon roll, it can often be fill it with whatever you wish. I use a combination of brown sugar, cardamom, cinnamon, pistachios and lemon zest in my filling. But I’ve listed a few options below for variations of a tea ring fillings. You want to use roughly 3/4 to 1 cup of filling in the ring.

How do you make a Swedish tea ring?

A tea ring starts off with an enriched yeasted dough, similar to a cinnamon roll dough. Enriched doughs have fat in them, with the addition of egg and butter in the dough itself, creating a richer and softer bread.

Once the dough is made and risen, it is rolled out, again like a cinnamon roll, and then the filling is spread on the dough. Roll the dough up into a cylinder but instead of cutting the dough into slices, like you would for cinnamon rolls, you wrap the log around into a circle shape. Let circle rise, then cut the cylinder partially with a sharp knife or kitchen scissors and twist the pieces to spread them a bit and showcase the spiral inside.

Let the ring rise, brush with an egg wash, sprinkle with Swedish pearl sugar and bake. You can also bake it without the sugar and use a drizzle of glaze like I do with my cranberry spiral bread.

What is Swedish Pearl Sugar?

Swedish pearl sugar is an opaque white sugar that is often sprinkled on top of baked goods. It doesn’t dissolve in liquid easily, making it an ideal decoration for baked goods. It lends a sweet crunch to the baked good and because it doesn’t dissolve, looks pretty as well. You can find Swedish pearl sugar online or at specialty stores.

If you don’t have access to Swedish pearl sugar, or don’t feel like ordering a specialty item, you can substitute another coarse turbinado sugar, sparkling sugar, or crushed sugar cubes. Even regular granulated sugar will work, though it will partially melt and dissolve creating a different look and texture when you sprinkle it over the wet egg wash glaze.

Or skip the sugar topping and just make a simple glaze like the one I use in the cranberry spiral bread. I have instructions on how to make the glaze in my notes below the recipe for the Swedish tea ring.

Don’t confuse Belgian pearl sugar with Swedish pearl sugar. Belgian pearl sugar is much larger in size and I often used in Liege waffles. If you do have Belgian pearl sugar, you’ll have to crush them into smaller pieces to use on top of the Swedish tea ring.

What fillings can you put in it?

I used a combination of brown sugar, cardamom, cinnamon, crushed pistachios and lemon zest in my cinnamon rolls. But you can adapt and make the Swedish tea ring however you want! Just use roughly 3/4 to 1 cup of filling. Here are a few suggestions on making the tea ring your own.

Brown sugar with cinnamon
Cream cheese and a berry jam like raspberry or blueberry
Light brown sugar with orange zest and dried cranberries
Chopped or crushed nuts
Chopped dried fruit
Cocoa powder, sugar, and chopped chocolate
Almond paste or marzipan with sliced almonds and raisins
Nutella or a hazelnut spread
Chocolate chips, cinnamon chips or butterscotch chips with pumpkin spice
Chopped and cooked apples with sugar, cinnamon and vanilla

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you use instant yeast or rapid rise yeast?

Yes. Use the same amount of either yeast but keep an eye on the rise of the dough. This recipe is designed using regular active dry yeast. Both instant and rapid rise yeast work faster. Just check the dough (roughly halfway through the recommended time) and roll the dough out when it is double in size. Bake the bread when it is puffy and double in size as well.

Can you knead this by hand?

If you don’t have a stand mixer you can still make this bread! Just follow the instructions, proofing the yeast, then combining the dry ingredients with the yeasty liquid. Mix with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms. Then dump the ingredients onto a clean surface and knead the dough together until it is smooth and elastic, about 6 to 7 minutes. Proceed with the recipes as instructed.

How do you store it?

The tea ring is best eaten the day it is baked. But store leftovers under a cake dome or in an airtight container at room temperature. You can refresh the cake in a toaster oven or regular oven at 300°F for 10 minutes though the heating up of the cake will melt the glaze if you use it.

The tea ring will last about 2 days, though each day it sits out, it will progressively get more stale.

Can you freeze this tea ring?

Yes. If you have glazed the tea ring, keep in mind the icing will melt in the freezer. So I recommend use pearl sugar or glazing the bread after thaw it, and before serving.

To freeze the tea ring, just wrap the bread in plastic wrap, then slip it an extra large 2 gallon resealable freezer bag. The frozen bread will keep for up to 2 months. Thaw it at room temperature for a few hours before serving.

If you like this Swedish Tea Ring, check out some of these other yeasted sweet breads

Swedish Tea Ring

This decorative ring is a beautiful, yeasted coffee cake, perfect for breakfast or with coffee or tea. It does require two rises, so keep that in mind if you plan on making it. If you want, you can make and form the ring the night before, and let it rest overnight in the fridge for a slow rise. Just bring the ring to room temperature (roughly 90 minutes on the countertop, depending on how warm or cold your kitchen is) before baking it.

Course bread, Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American, Swedish

Keyword bread, cardamom, cinnamon, coffee cake, pistachios, tea cake, yeast

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 25 minutes

Rise Time 2 hours

Servings

Calories 239kcal

Author Irvin

Ingredients

Dough

1/2 cup milk whole preferred but any percentage will work
6 tablespoons water
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar 75 g, divided
2 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast 7 g or 1 package
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 490 g
2 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

Filling

2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
1/4 cup packed brown sugar 65 g
1/2 cup chopped or crushed pistachios 80 g
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 tablespoons ground cardamom
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

To finish

1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons Swedish pearl sugar or sparkling sugar

Instructions

Make the dough by first warming the milk and water in a small saucepan until lukewarm, about 100°F. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon of the brown sugar. Sprinkle the yeast over the liquid stir to dissolve. Set aside for about 5 minutes or so, until you see the top of the liquid start to bubble.
Place the flour, remaining brown sugar, melted butter, egg, salt, and cardamom in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on slow speed to combine.
Drizzle the yeasty liquid into the bowl with the mixer still turned on to slow. Continue adding the liquid until completely added. Mix until a dough forms. Change from the paddle attachment to the dough hook attachment. Knead with the dough hook for 5 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and uniform.
Spray a bowl with cooking oil, then take the dough and stretch it out so it is a smooth ball. Place the rough side of the ball of dough into the bottom of the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and put in a warm area to rise. Let the dough rise until double in size, about 60 to 90 minutes.
While the dough is rising, make the filling. Mix the melted butter with the brown sugar, the combine with the pistachios, lemon zest, cardamom and cinnamon. Set aside while the dough rises.
Once the dough has risen, assemble the bread ring by dumping the dough onto a clean surface and rolling it out into a 12 x 15 inch rectangle.
Brush the melted butter over the dough. Then sprinkle the filling over the dough, leaving an inch of plain dough on one of the long sides of the rectangle. Roll out the dough into a log from the long side, creating a 15-inch long log.
Place a silicon baking mat or a piece of parchment paper on a rimmed baking sheet. If using parchment paper, lightly spray it with cooking oil. Move the dough onto the baking sheet and form a circle with the log. Brush the ends of the log with water and then pinch the ends of the log together to form a full circle.
Using a pair of kitchen scissors, make a cut in the ring about 2/3 through, leaving 1/3 of the center part of the ring untouched. Make another cut about 1 inch apart, repeating all the way around the ring. Twist and turn each cut out piece slightly so it lays flat on the baking sheet to reveal some of the spiral. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise again for about 30 to 45 minutes or until double in size and puffy.
While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 350°F. One the dough has risen, remove the plastic wrap. Beat the egg yolk with the water and brush over the top of the bread. Sprinkle the Swedish pearl sugar over the top of the bread. Bake in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until the top of the bread is a deep golden brown. If you have an instant read thermometer, the dough internal temperature should read 190°F.
Let the dough rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then slide it onto a wire cooling rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

You can skip the Swedish pearl sugar topping and make a glaze instead like I do on my Cranberry spiral bread. Just combine 2 cups of sifted confectioner’s sugar (powdered sugar) with 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and 3 to 5 tablespoons of milk until a thick glaze forms. Drizzle it over the baked tea ring.

Nutrition

The post Swedish Tea Ring appeared first on Eat The Love.

Eggnog French Toast Casserole

Thu, 15 Dec 2022 18:45:00 +0200

This easy-to-make eggnog French toast casserole is the best holiday breakfast or brunch dish. It can even be made ahead of time if you want!

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My love of eggnog is pretty obvious if you start diving into my archives. I’ve made mini eggnog scones, eggnog cinnamon rolls, eggnog cheesecake, eggnog pancakes , and added eggnog biscuits on top of my apple and fig cobber. But every year, when the holidays roll around, I get excited and think to myself, what else can I do with that carton of eggnog (beside drink it)? This year’s solution is this eggnog French toast casserole, which has all the best flavors of French toast and eggnog, with minimal effort involved, making it a great Christmas or holiday breakfast for brunch.

How do you make eggnog French toast casserole?

Making this casserole is super easy. Cut the crusty bread into 1-inch cubes, then whisk together eggs, eggnog, rum (or bourbon), vanilla extract, nutmeg, and salt. Pour the custard over the bread crumbs and add the dried cranberries. Toss to coat and let sit while you assemble the crumb topping.

Make the crumb topping by combining flour, sugar, maple syrup, turbinado sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and melted butter. Then sprinkle the topping over the soaked bread. Bake and serve.

What sort of eggnog should you use?

You can use whatever eggnog you have on hand or like to drink. You can use store-bought or homemade eggnog as well. If you find the eggnog you have is especially sweet, you might want to reduce the sugar in the crumb topping down to 2 tablespoons of white sugar.

What’s the best bread for this French toast casserole?

I recommend a hearty, crusty French bread for this casserole, though you can also use a baguette or sourdough. Avoid white or wheat sandwich bread, as it’s a little too soft and will disintegrate when it soaked in the custard.

Can you make it ahead of time?

This casserole is a great make-ahead dish. You can either assemble it ahead of time and then refrigerate the casserole and the bake it the day you want to serve it. Or you can bake it ahead of time and then warm it up.

I like to assemble it, and then let the custard soak overnight in the fridge. This allows the bread to truly absorb the custard and evenly distribute the flavor. Assemble the filling, then cover and let sit in the fridge overnight. When you bake it, remove the cover, add the crumb topping, then place in a cold oven. Turn the oven on and let it come to the appropriate temperature, then bake for the recommended time plus an additional 10 minutes to accommodate the cold temperature.

If you bake it ahead of time and store in the fridge, take it out of the oven and reheat it in a 350°F for 15 minutes to warm it up and re-crisp the top.

How do you store it?

Store leftover in the fridge for up to 5 days, covered tightly. Make sure to let the leftovers cool completely before storing. Reheat the casserole in a 350°F oven for 15 to 20 minutes to warm it up and re-crisp the top before serving again.

Customize it

This eggnog French toast casserole is super flexibles and customizable. Here are few ideas on making it your own.

Dried fruit swap: don’t like dried cranberries or don’t have any on hand? Swap them out with golden raisins, regular raisins, dried blueberries or dried figs. Or just omit the dried fruit if you’re not feeling them!
Fresh fruit: Add in a 1/2 cup of fresh berries like cranberries, blueberries or blackberries. Or add 1/2 cup of diced 1/2-inch apples chunks to the casserole!
Nuts: Try adding in 1/4 cup of chopped pecans, walnuts, pistachios or almonds to the crumb topping for a little nutty crunch.
Chocolate: if you’re a chocolate find, add in 1/4 cup of chocolate chips or chopped chocolate instead of the dried cranberries. Beat in 2 tablespoons of Dutch-processed cocoa to the eggnog to make it a chocolate eggnog custard. Or drizzle some melted chocolate on top of the casserole once it’s out of the oven. You can even add in 2 or 3 tablespoons of roasted cacao nibs to the crumb topping if you want to give it more nutty chocolate crunch and texture.

What to serve with this casserole

Serve this eggnog casserole by itself, dusted with powdered sugar, or with a dollop of whipped cream. You can also add fresh fruit like blueberries, or strawberries to your serving. Or just drizzle a little more maple syrup on top if you’d like!

If you like this Eggnog French Toast Casserole, check out these other holiday and winter recipes:

Eggnog French Toast Casserole

This holiday eggnog French toast casserole is a great way to start off a holiday breakfast or brunch! You can assemble the dish ahead of time and let the bread soak up the custard in the fridge overnight, before baking it in the morning. Or you can make it all in the morning, as it’s a quick and easy dish to serve to a crowd. Use any eggnog you have on hand, store-bought or homemade.

Course Breakfast, brunch, Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword breakfast, brunch, christmas, eggnog, french toast, holiday

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Servings

Calories 345kcal

Author Irvin

Ingredients

French Toast Filling

8 ounces crusty bread 225 g
1/4 cup dried cranberries 35 g
4 large eggs
1 3/4 cup eggnog store-bought or homemade
2 tablespoon dark rum or bourbon skip or use 1 teaspoon rum extract for non-alcoholic option
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Crumb topping

3/4 cup all-purpose flour 105 g
1/4 cup white sugar 50 g
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar or dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter melted
2 tablespoon maple syrup

Instructions

If baking same day, preheat the oven to 350° and lightly spray an 8 x 8 or 8 x 8 casserole dish with cooking oil.
Cut the crusty bread into 1-inch cubes and place it in the casserole dish. Sprinkle the dried cranberries over the bread.
Whisk together the eggs, eggnog, rum, vanilla, nutmeg and salt in a large bowl.
Pour the custard over the bowl bread and cranberries. Dunk and press down with a rubber spatula or spoon to make sure all the bread cubes are soaked with the custard.
At this point you can cover and refrigerate the casserole dish if you want, to bake the next day. Or just proceed to the next step.
Make the crumb topping by whisking together the flour, sugar, turbinado (or brown) sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Combine the melted butter and maple syrup together in a glass measuring cup with a spout. Drizzle the melted butter and maple syrup over the ingredients, tossing ingredients together with a fork until they start to clump into a topping.
Sprinkle the crumb topping over the custard-soaked bread.
If baking the day of making the casserole, bake in the oven for 45 to 55 minutes, or until the custard in the middle has set and a butter knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.
If baking from an overnight refrigerated casserole, place casserole dish (uncovered) in a cold oven, then turn it on to 350°F. Once the oven temperature has hit 350°F, bake for 65 to 75 minutes.
The internal temperature of the casserole should be 160°F if you have a quick read thermometer. If you find the top of the casserole is browning too fast, cover it with aluminum foil and continue to bake until done.
Let cool for 10 or 15 minutes before serving.

Nutrition

The post Eggnog French Toast Casserole appeared first on Eat The Love.

Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies

Sun, 11 Dec 2022 02:24:45 +0200

These chewy ginger molasses cookies have a complex flavor, and a little bit of a spicy ginger kick, because of the fresh ginger in them!

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Back when this blog was VERY young, I shared a recipe for ginger molasses spice cookies, which my sister made for her wedding. It’s a solid recipe but it’s also something I’ve been wanting to revisit and rework for a while. The classic ginger molasses flavor combination is one of my favorites, and I felt like I could make the cookie a little more complex in flavor. I adore the flavor combination of ginger molasses as evident by my gingerbread stout cake, gingerbread Christmas tree cookies, hermit cookies, triple layer holiday spice cake, Dutch Speculaas cookies, which have a similar profile to gingersnaps, and gingerbread toaster pastries with pear bourbon filling. I even have a gluten free gingersnap cookie recipe that is pretty close these cookies. So, it was high time I went back and visited those chewy ginger molasses cookies, reworking the recipe from the ground up.

What makes these ginger molasses cookie different than other recipes?

Most ginger molasses cookies use just ground ginger in them with an added dose of cinnamon to give it a little more dimension. These ginger molasses cookies use a combination of ground ginger, fresh grated ginger, and crystallized ginger to give them a spicier and punchier ginger profile.

Beyond the triple ginger addition and the requisite cinnamon, I’ve also added layers of different warm wintery spices like nutmeg, cloves, black pepper, and cardamom. There are also a few unusual additions, including a touch of coriander and paprika which give just enough interest and depth to the cookie, taking it to the next level.

How do you make these cookies?

This cookies super easy to make, and unlike other ginger molasses cookies, and there’s no need to chill the dough. Mix together butter with dark brown sugar, molasses, fresh grated ginger, vanilla, baking soda, and a blend of spices like cinnamon, ground ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, coriander, paprika, black pepper, cloves and salt. Then mix in flour until absorbed.

Form the balls of dough, roll them in white sugar or turbinado sugar, then bake.

Can I skip some of the spices?

If you don’t have all the spices, just omit them, or substitute with the same amount of cinnamon, ground ginger, or another warm wintry spice of your choice. I do highly recommend that you use fresh ground ginger in the recipe though. It has a vibrant potency that ground ginger just won’t give. But if you find the cookie has a little too much “kick” to it, you can dial it down by just adding in 1 tablespoon of fresh ginger instead of 2.

What sort of molasses should I use?

Molasses comes in a few different variety and flavors. You can use the mild or light flavor or the strong, dark, or robust flavor for these cookies. The mild or light flavored molasses will yield a slightly sweeter cookie, while the strong or robust flavored molasses will give a slight bitter, more assertive molasses flavor.

Avoid using blackstrap, sorghum or pomegranate molasses. Blackstrap molasses has a strong bitter flavor that will overpower the cookie spices. Sorghum and pomegranate molasses are not the same things a standard sugarcane molasses, with sorghum molasses made from sorghum grain and pomegranate molasses made from pomegranate juice that has been reduced into a syrup. Neither will give you the traditional ginger molasses cookie flavor you are looking for.

How do you store these cookies?

These cookies keep well, as they don’t have any egg in them. Store them at room temperature, in an airtight container, for up to 5 days. You can also freeze them, for up to 3 months, by storing them the freezer in a heavy-duty Ziploc bag.

Can I make these into jumbo-sized ginger molasses cookies?

Yes! To make this jumbo size, just double the size of the cookie dough, using 2 tablespoons of dough or 50 grams each, then squish them down to 2 1/2-inch wide disks that are 1/2-inch thick. Roll and bake for 14 to 16 minutes. Makes 12 jumbo-sized cookies.

If you like these chewy ginger molasses cookies, check out these other cookie recipes, suitable for the holidays:

Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies

These chewy ginger molasses cookies are super easy to make and have an unusually spicy ginger kick to them because of the fresh grated ginger, ground ginger and crystallized ginger included. They also have a nice dose of other spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and black pepper to give them dimension and depth. The addition of coriander and paprika sounds unorthodox, but they do add an extra complexity without anyone noticing them. Free skip or reduce the amount if wish.

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword christmas, cookies, ginger, gingerbread, holidays, molasses

Prep Time 15 minutes

Servings

Calories 100kcal

Author Irvin

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature, 115 g
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar 110 g
1/3 cup molasses light or dark molasses, not blackstrap, 100 g
2 tablespoons fresh grated ginger about a 2-inch piece
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1/8 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 210 g
1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger 50 g

To finish

1/2 cup Turbinado sugar or white sugar, 135 g

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
Place the butter, brown sugar, molasses, fresh grated ginger, vanilla, ground ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, coriander, nutmeg, cloves, paprika, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment.
Mix the butter together with the sugar, molasses and spices until the mixture is well blended, uniform in color, and clinging to the side of the bowl as a paste. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl halfway through, to make sure everything is incorporated and blended.
Add the flour and slowly mix, until the flour is absorbed and a dough forms. Make sure to scrape down the side and bottom of the bowl again halfway through.
Add the crystalized ginger and stir until mixed in and evenly distributed throughout the dough.
Place the Turbinado (or white) sugar in a medium bowl, then scoop out 1 tablespoon of cookie dough (about 25 g each) and roll it into a ball. Roll it in the Turbinado (or white) sugar and then place it on the baking sheet. Repeat the process, placing the balls of dough about 2 inches apart.
Press down with your fingers or the palm of your hand to flatten each ball into about a 1 1/2-inch wide disk that is 1/2-inch thick. Bake in the oven for 9 to 11 minutes, or until the top of the dough starts to crack a little. Try not to overbake the cookies, you want them soft and chewy.
Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes to cool and firm up, then move them to a wire cooling rack. Repeat the process with the remaining dough.

Notes

To make this jumbo size, just double the size of the cookie dough, using 2 tablespoons of dough or 50 grams each, then squish them down to 2 1/2-inch wide disks that are 1/2-inch thick. Roll and bake for 14 to 16 minutes. Makes 12 jumbo-sized cookies.

Nutrition

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Holiday Charcuterie Board [ Sponsored Post]

Tue, 06 Dec 2022 00:52:32 +0200

Learn how to make a holiday charcuterie board, the perfect grazing board to entertain, or as an easy, no-cook meal at home.

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This post was sponsored by Safeway. I was compensated for this post and for developing the recipe. However, all opinions below are completely my own.

It’s the holidays and I’m excited to be teaming up with Safeway and Boar’s Head to make a holiday charcuterie board! One of the best things about charcuterie boards is how easy they are to make, and how impressive they are for folks. I’m a huge fan of Boar’s Head products because they’re super fresh and only use the highest quality ingredients. Boar’s Head wants to simplify making charcuterie boards even more, because sometimes looking at all the options for a charcuterie board can be intimidating. They suggest doing a two-two-two formula, of two cheeses, two charcuterie meats, and two other items to round it out. Simple right?

My favorite thing about doing a grazing or charcuterie board is how customizable they are. If you’re serving the charcuterie board as part of a larger meal or entertaining with a spread of other items, the two-two-two formula is awesome. It simplifies entertaining and allows you to spend more time on other dishes or entrees, or just socializing. It’s also a great formula if you just want to make a simple dinner at home with no cooking for a couple or a small family. Assemble the board and dinner is served!

For a bigger crowd or if the charcuterie board is all you’re serving as the meal, feel free to max it out though! I tend to be a maximizer. The more the better for me! So, I start adding on more stuff to graze, including fruits, vegetables, dips and even cookies (I mean, it IS a holiday charcuterie board, cookies seem like a good idea). Here’s some suggestions on making your own grazing board for the season.

Cheeses

If you’re sticking to two cheeses, I recommend going with crowd pleasing popular ones. A soft cheese like French Brie is always a popular one and is appreciated on all charcuterie boards. I can’t imagine a charcuterie board without it!

From there I try to pair the soft cheese with a hard cheese. Cheddar cheese is one of my favorites. Cheddar comes in a variety of versions, ranging from mild to sharp, with various origins and makes, including Irish, Wisconsin, Vermont and Canadian. You can even go with a smoked version if you want to add in a wild card. They all have their own flavor profiles and it’s always fun to try.

Beyond Cheddar, cheeses like Colby Jack, Havarti, Gouda, Gruyere, Swiss, and Monterey Jack are all great ones to have on a cheese board or charcuterie plate. If you go beyond two cheese, consider a goat cheese, a hard cheese like Parmigiana Reggiano, a blue cheese or a flavored cheese like a Havarti with Dill or a Monterey Jack with caramelized onions to mix it up.

Charcuterie

With meats on a charcuterie board, there’s no rules! You can pick up a few variety packs, which make life easy, or you can pick the cured meat you like ala carte. I usually go with a salami whole sausage to slice up, as well as pre-sliced prosciutto.

If you opt to go beyond the two charcuterie meats, consider a peppered salame or a spicy sopressata to give the charcuterie a little bit more kick. I like to buy thinner cut charcuterie meat, along with the uncut sausages that I can cut thicker, to give a little bit of variety, as well as intrigue and texture on the board.

The Other Two

Feel free to pick and choose from any of these other two categories if you are simplifying your charcuterie board. Or maximize and pick a bunch!

Bread and Crackers

Though I can TOTALLY eat my cheese and cured meat by themselves, most folks aren’t animals like me and want a vehicle to place the cheese and meat on. I usually provide a softer bread, as well as a hard one like a cracker or pretzel, on my board. A couple of types of bread are always fun to provide, like a sourdough bagette or a whole wheat baguette.

Crackers come in a variety of flavors. You can make your own or just pick one from the store. I tend to veer toward more neutral flavored ones like sesame or salt but if you are feeling adventurous or know your friends will love a stronger flavored cracker, experiment. If you have room, buy two or three crackers to match the flavors of the cheese and charcuterie.

If you have friends with dietary restrictions, consider providing gluten free crackers, bread or thin jicama slices for them to use, and make sure to separate out those crackers on their own plate or board to avoid cross-contamination.

Fruits and Vegetables
For the holiday season, I try to use seasonal fruits that make the board look festive. Consider pomegranates, apples, pears, or mandarin orange segments for a holiday board. Dried fruit like figs, apricots, cranberries, or oranges are also fun to add in.

I also often include some vegetables to round out the board. Carrots, radishes, endive, bell peppers, celery are all great additions to a holiday charcuterie board. Salty cured vegetables like olives, gherkins, or other pickled vegetables can also be a great addition.

Dips
I’m a fan of adding a dip or spread to the board as well. It rounds out the spread and makes it feel more like a party. I’ve used Boar’s Head hummus (they make a variety of versions like the roasted red pepper version that I used in this board), as well tzatziki, French onion dip, Spinach dip (all of which Boar’s head also makes) or made my own dip like my Turkish carrot dip to add to the board. Pick a flavor that matches and goes with your theme. Hummus is fairly neutral but can be jazzed up with various flavors. Tzatizki and French onion dip are more specific in flavor. I might add in tzatziki if I’m serving up feta on my board, while I might choose French onion dip if I’m going with a more American cheddar cheese.

I also sometimes add in condiments like honey, mustards and jams. Fig and quince jams in particular are a great spread for a holiday party. They go well with cheeses. And if you add in pretzels or pretzel crisps to your board, you might want to also consider adding a mustard, which pairs well with them.

Nuts and Sweet

Finally, I often will add a bowl of nuts, whether it’s mixed nuts or candied pecans. Dark chocolate is also a classic sweet to add into a charcuterie board. Just makes sure to use squares or cut up chunks to make them into edible bite size bits.

And because this is a holiday, I’ll add in a holiday cookie. Ginger molasses is always a great cookie to have a grazing board because the strong ginger flavor can cut through the fatty charcuterie and cheese. But chocolate crackle cookies, pistachio and cranberry cookies or eggnog cookies are a great addition to have on a board.

Holiday Charcuterie Board

Making a holiday charcuterie board is easy and infinitely customizable. Pick two (or more) cheese, charcuterie and additional items for the board, and then serve. Add in smaller extra items like fruit and nuts to the board, to fill in gaps to give the sense of bounty and plentifulness. This is my go-to recipe for a charcuterie board, but feel free to mix it up. I have more suggestions and hints in the sections above.

Course Appetizer, dinner, lunch, Main Course, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine American, European

Keyword charcuterie, cheese, dip, fruit, vegetable

Servings

Author Irvin

Ingredients

1/2 pound Boar’s Head French Brie
1/2 pound Boar’s Head Cheddar any kind
1/2 pound additional Boar’s Head cheese like Gouda, Swiss, Blue Cheese,
6 ounces thinly sliced cured meat like Boar Head’s Prosciutto
7 ounces cured whole sausage like Boar Head’s Uncured Bianco D’Oro Italian Dry Salame
7 ounces additional cured meat like Boar Head’s Pepper Salame, Sopressata or Capocollo
1 apple sliced
1 pomegranate cut open
1 bunch grapes
1/2 pound carrots peeled and cut into sticks
1 bell pepper cut into sticks
8 ounces crackers
8 ounces baguette bread
1/2 cup olives
1/2 cup jam or honey
8 ounces Boar’s Head hummus I used roasted red pepper hummus but use your favorite
Cookies or chocolate

Instructions

Take a wooden, ceramic, or slate charcuterie board and add the cheese and cured meat to the board. Slice the cheese and/or charcuterie if necessary or desired.
Add apples, pomegranates, and grapes to the board, filling in the gaps and holes in the board.
Add a small bowl of olives, jam and hummus to the board. If there isn’t room, place them next to the board. Add cookies or chocolate to the board as well.
Serve within two hours.

The post Holiday Charcuterie Board [ Sponsored Post] appeared first on Eat The Love.

Roasted Delicata Squash and Brussels Sprouts with Pomegranate Agrodolce [Sponsored Post]

Wed, 23 Nov 2022 19:00:00 +0200

This roasted Delicata squash and Brussels sprouts dish has a pomegranate sweet and sour agrodolce making it an easy, sophisticated side dish.

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This post was sponsored by California Grown. I was compensated for this post and developing this recipe. However, all opinions below are my own.

Back in October, I was lucky to go on a tour with California Grown of California’s San Joaquin Valley, an agriculturally rich area that grows over 250 different crops. We visited kiwi farms, watched fresh figs get packaged, rode a modified grape harvester to harvests dried-on-the-vine raisins, visited a winery and picked pumpkins at a pumpkin farm. And we ate SO. MUCH. FOOD.

Our trip coincided with California Farmer and Farmerworker month and after watching the workers working the fields, I can 100% say, they deserve to be celebrated all year round! The food they harvested is distributed throughout the country but after a day of hanging out in the pumpkin field picking pumpkin squash and decorating gourds, we were lucky enough to dine on some local grown food at Trelio in Clovis, California. At dinner I had some amazing food, including some eggplant with agrodolce and a shaved fennel salad with pomegranate vinaigrette. Taking all that as inspiration, I created this roasted Delicata squash and Brussels sprout dish with pomegranate agrodolce, the perfect fall and winter side dish for your holiday table (or really any time of year).

How to make this dish

This recipe is surprisingly easy to make. Prep the Delicata squash by cutting it lengthwise and scooping out the seeds. Then cut the squash into half moon crescents. Cut the Brussels sprouts in half. Toss both with olive oil, salt and pepper. Then roast in the oven.

Halfway through the roasting, flip the Delicata squash, toss the Brussels sprouts, and add in some red onion slices also tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper. While the vegetables are roasting, make the agrodolce by combining red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, pomegranate molasses, maple syrup, some fresh thyme, and a piece of orange zest in a small pot. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Once the vegetables are done, move them to a serving plate and drizzle with the agrodolce. Sprinkle with some fresh pomegranate seeds and serve.

What is agrodolce?

Agrodolce is an Italian sweet and sour sauce. The word “agro” means sour and the word “dolce” means sweet. Often it is made by reducing vinegar and sugar together, but it’s a super versatile condiment, with the sour acidity varying from white wine vinegar, sherry vinegar, apple cider vinegar or even citrus juice. Sweeteners can be honey, sugar, maple syrup, or brown sugar. And you can add in dried fruit or spicy peppers to give it a kick.

What is Delicata squash

Delicata squash is my favorite winter squash because it requires very little prep work. A lot of winter squashes require you to peel or remove the rind of the squash, or they are very large and require a lot of time to cook. But the Delicata squash skin is thin and edible, and the orange interior is sweet and creamy, similar to a butternut squash.

It also tends to be easier to work with, as it has a long oblong shape, not too big, and isn’t too unwieldy on the cutting board. It’s a good source of fiber and potassium, though it doesn’t have a lot of beta-carotene like other squashes do. And yes, the seeds are also edible, toast them up just like pumpkin seeds, then turn the roasted seeds into candied pumpkin seeds if you want!

How do you seed a pomegranate

You can buy pre-seeded pomegranates at the store, but seeding whole pomegranates, is easier than it looks. Just do a shallow cut around the top of the pomegranate and peel off the top.

Then slice down the sides of the pomegranate into the skin (it’s a shallow cut, not too deep) with a knife. Cut on the “boxy” edges of the pomegranate, using them as as a guide. These boxy edges should also line up with the white member inside the pomegranate.

Once you’ve sliced down the sides, just pull apart the pomegranate, then gently push the seeds out into a bowl. Stored pomegranate seeds in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Can you make this ahead of time?

Yes! The roasted vegetables can totally be made ahead of time. Let them cool completely and don’t add the agrodolce. Right before serving, heat them up again in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes, or in the microwave. Then drizzle the agrodolce over them, and sprinkle with the pomegranate seeds.

Leftovers can keep in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container.

About the farm tour

California’s San Joaquin Valley is one of the most prolific agricultural areas in the world. I was lucky enough to visit the area in the Autumn time to learn more about where my food came from. Here’s some of the places and things I learned

Sweet Thistle Farms was a family-owned flower and pumpkin farm, where I picked a Long Cheese pumpkin off the vine (it looks like a wheel of cheese, but it has a buttery orange flesh like a regular pumpkin). The farms shares land with Rocky Oaks Goat Creamery, and we got to sample the fantastic goat cheese as we decorated mini pumpkins.

Quady Winery specializes in sweet dessert wines and vermouths. We did an extensive tasting and then saw them crush some of the last grapes of the season.

Catania Worldwide showed us how they grew kiwis, which grew like grapes on a trellis. I actually didn’t even know that kiwis grew in California! Afterwards we went to the packaging plant and saw the kiwis being packaged which was fascinating. Those workers work fast!

Our final famer tour was at River Ranch Raisins which had us actually climbing onto a modified grape harvester and going up and down the rows of grape vines, where the raisins were dried on the vine (DOV). The Selma Pete Raisins dry and the sugars caramelize slightly in the sun, making them super sweet, plump and juicy. Riding the harvester was surprisingly fun, watching the farmers carefully make sure they were driving between the rows, as the combine shakes the grapes and then lifts them up in a conveyor belt, then drops them into a separate tractor with giant bins. I’m still obsessed with those raisins and I think once pomegranate season is over, I might try adding some of the raisins into the agrodolce while it cooks down.

If you like this vegetable side dish, check out some other vegetable side dishes featuring California grown produce:

Roasted Delicata Squash and Brussel Sprouts with Pomegranate Agrodolce

This easy vegetable side dish requires very little work, as the vegetables roast in the hot oven. Make sure to cut the Delicata squash into the same size pieces so they cook evenly. Try to find medium to large Brussels sprouts for this dish and cut them in half. If you have smaller ones, just leave them whole. If the Brussels are too small, they’ll overcook. You want them nicely charred but not black.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Servings servings

Calories 185kcal

Author Irvin

Ingredients

Roasted Vegetables

2 pounds Delicata squash about 2 medium-size
1 pound Brussels sprouts halved if they are large
3 tablespoons olive oil divided
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt divided
3/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper divided
1 medium red onion

Agrodolce

1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
1/4 cup maple syrup
3 thyme sprigs
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper or red pepper flakes (optional)
3- inch piece of orange zest optional

To serve

3 tablespoons pomegranate seeds

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425°F and lightly spray a large, rimmed baking sheet with cooking oil.
Cut the ends of the Delicata squash off, then cut the squash lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and discard or save them another purpose. Cut the squash into 1/2-inch thick half-moon pieces. Place the squash and Brussels sprouts in a large bowl and drizzle with 2 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, then toss to coat.
If they won't all fit in one bowl, toss and coat the squash first with 1 tablespoon of oil, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, then repeat with the Brussels sprouts.
Carefully spread evenly onto the baking sheet. If the sheet is too crowded, you can spread it onto two baking sheets. You want to give them a little space to breathe, so they roast and not steam. The vegetables will shrink down though, as you roast them.
Roast the vegetables for 15 minutes. Meanwhile peel the onion, then cut off the ends, and cut the onions into 1-inch wide slices, root to tip. Toss the onion pieces with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, salt and pepper (I used the same bowl, no need to wash it). Once the vegetables have roasted for 15 minutes, remove from oven, flip the squash and Brussels, then add the red onions to the pan. Return to the oven and roast for an additional 15 minutes.
While the vegetables are cooking, make the agrodolce by placing the red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, pomegranate molasses, maple syrup, thyme sprigs, salt, Aleppo pepper (if using) and orange zest (if using) in a small pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat so simmering. Simmer for 10 minutes uncovered, stirring occasionally. Once cooked, remove from heat.
Once the vegetables are done roasting, move them to a serving plate or bowl. Drizzle the agrodolce over the vegetables and sprinkle with the fresh pomegranate seeds. Serve immediately.

Nutrition

The post Roasted Delicata Squash and Brussels Sprouts with Pomegranate Agrodolce [Sponsored Post] appeared first on Eat The Love.

Miso Butter Glazed Green Beans

Fri, 18 Nov 2022 02:33:55 +0200

This miso butter green beans with corn and fried shallots is an easy side dish with the not-so-secret miso as an umami flavor booster!

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The cooler weather has me turning up the heat, grabbing a cozy sweater and baking up a storm. But dinner still have to make its way onto the table, and that means I’m making comfort food like easy chili, shepherd’s pie, easy baked ziti, and Moroccan lamb tagine. But along with all those main dishes, I often want to serve a green vegetable side. And green beans are one of my quick easy dishes, with their snappy nutty flavor and their quick preparation. I’ve made green beans with shallots and thyme and I’ve roasted green beans and tossed them dried cranberries. But my current favorite way to prepare them is this miso butter glazed green beans with corn and fried shallots!

How do make miso butter glazed green beans

Making these green beans are super easy. First bring a large pot of water to boil, then blanch the green beans. Then drain and run them under cold water.

Then soften the butter and stir in the miso. This step is key, because if you just toss the miso into the pan, it runs the risk of burning and becoming acrid. Blending it with butter helps dilute and distribute the miso throughout the dish better.

Add a little oil the empty pot that you boiled the green beans in and add back the green beans, chopped garlic and shallots. Then cook until the aromatics have softened a bit. Add sake and cook until it mostly evaporates which helps cook the green beans a little more. Then add the corn and the miso butter cook until a glaze forms. Sprinkle with fried shallots and serve.

What is miso and what sort of miso should be used?

Miso is a fermented soybean paste that is common in Japanese cuisine. It is a salty paste that is packed full of savory umami flavor. Umami is the same underlying savoriness flavor you find in tomatoes, parmesan cheese and anchovies.

Miso often comes in different varieties, with the most common being white, yellow and red. Usually the darker the color, the more intense the flavor, with white being mild, yellow being medium strength, and red has the most intensity. I opt for red miso, as I like its assertive quality in this recipe, but you can use whatever miso you have. Just keep in mind the miso flavor will be more mild with white and yellow miso and if you want a stronger flavor, to increase the amount (perhaps an additional teaspoon or two).

You can miso in Asian grocery stores, as well as upscale and well-stocked grocery stores. Look in the refrigerated section, where you might find tofu.

Can you skip the sake?

If you don’t have sake, you can use soju (a Korean rice wine), Chinese rice wine, sherry, vermouth or white wine in its place, though each of those have a slightly different flavor profile, and the resulting dish will taste slightly different.

Though the alcohol will burn off in the cooking, if you don’t like cooking with alcohol, you can easily swap out chicken broth, vegetable broth or just plain water in place of the sake. Again, keep in mind that resulting dish will taste slightly different.

Can you make this ahead?

These green beans are best eaten right when they are done but if you want to prep and make the dish ahead of time, you can store them in the refrigerator and then rewarm them using the microwave or on the stovetop. Be sure to sprinkle the fried shallots on top right before serving them though. If you add them and then store the dish, the shallots will lose their crispness.

These green beans will keep in the fridge up to 2 days.

If you like this green bean recipe, check out these other vegetable side dishes

Miso Butter Glazed Green Beans with Corn and Fried Shallots

This easy-to-make green bean side uses umami-rich miso mixed with butter and a splash of sake to bring out the earthy nuttiness of green beans. Add a little bit of sweet corn and the crunch of the fried shallots, to make it a quick, excellent side dish for the holidays or really any time of year!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American, Japanese

Keyword green beans, side dish, vegetable, vegetarian

Prep Time 6 hours 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Servings

Calories 305kcal

Author Irvin

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds green beans trimmed, 680 g
1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
2 tablespoons red miso see note above info on different miso
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped shallots about 2 medium
1 tablespoon chopped garlic cloves about 3 medium
1/2 cup sake see note above for how to substitute sake
1 cup corn kernels freshly cooked, frozen or canned
Salt and pepper to taste

To serve

1/4 cup fried shallots

Instructions

Bring a large pot of salty water to a boil. The water should taste like ocean or sea water, so salt aggressively. Once the water is boiling, add the trimmed green beans and cook for 60 to 90 seconds. The green beans should turn bright green. Immediately drain and run under cold water from the faucet until the green beans are no longer hot (warm is still ok).
Combine the softened butter and miso together to form a paste.
Add the oil to the large pot you used to boil the green beans, then add back the green beans, chopped shallots and garlic. There’s no need to clean the pot. Just make sure you drained all the water out of it.
Cook the vegetables for 1 minutes on medium heat, stirring constantly, then add the sake. Cook until most of the sake has evaporated, about 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the corn and the miso butter. Cook until the butter has melted and a glaze has formed. Taste and add additional salt and pepper to your taste.
Move to a serving bowl or plate, sprinkle with the fried shallots. Serve immediately.

Nutrition

The post Miso Butter Glazed Green Beans appeared first on Eat The Love.

Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake

Tue, 08 Nov 2022 01:25:42 +0200

This classic cinnamon streusel coffee cake is rich and buttery, with a ribbon of cinnamon sugar filling in the middle.

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Though my husband is much more of a cookie and brownie person, he does have a weakness for coffee cake. It might be because he drinks so much coffee! And though I’ve shared my recipe for pumpkin coffee cake, Swedish blueberry cake, Mexican chocolate and corn coffee cake, and my Earl Grey infused blueberry coffee cake, I somehow have not shared my go-to cinnamon streusel coffee cake recipe. This is the buttery, rich, and moist coffee cake that you find at a coffee shop, but SO. MUCH. BETTER. Topped with the perfect amount of cinnamon streusel crumb topping, this is the coffee cake that you want to serve with coffee, tea, or pretty much any hot beverage of your choice, for breakfast, tea time, or as dessert.

How do you make this Coffee Cake?

For me, a proper coffee needs a crumb or streusel topping. This coffee cake is no exception. Start by mixing together flour, sugar, brown sugar, a heavy dose of cinnamon, and a little salt in a medium-sized bowl. Drizzle in melted butter and toss until everything starts to clump together. Then refrigerate while you make the rest of the cake!

I like to give my coffee cake a little middle swirl of extra brown sugar and cinnamon. Just blend it all together in a small bowl and set side. But you can totally skip this if you want to simplify the recipe a bit.

Then the cake batter! Cream together butter, white and brown sugar, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together until light, fluffy and the mixture clings to the side of the bowl. Add eggs, one at a time. Add some flour, then sour cream (or Greek yogurt) and milk, them more flour.

Spread half the batter into a 9 x 13 x 2-inch baking pan. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar filling on top of it. Then spread the remaining batter on top of the filling. Take the refrigerator cold crumb topping and sprinkle it all over the top of the cake, breaking up any big chunks into small pebble sized pieces. Bake, cool and serve!

Can you make this cake ahead of time? How do you store it?

This cake can be made ahead and stays nice and moist for 2 to 3 days. Cool it completely, then make sure to store it in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature on your counter or table.

Can you freeze this cake?

Yes! This cake freezes well. You can freeze the entire cake as is by letting it cool completely, then wrapping it in plastic wrap and placing it in a very large resealable freezer Ziploc bag. But I like to cut up the cake into individual slices and freeze those, as then I can just take a slice out for myself when I want a treat. Place cake slices on a baking sheet in the freezer for 2 hours, or until frozen solid. Then place in a large resealable freezer Ziploc bag or air-tight container for storage. Cake will keep for up to 2 months frozen. To defrost, leave at room temperature at 2 hours before serving.

Make it your own

If you want to play around with this coffee cake, here are a few suggestions:

Nuts: try adding 1/3 cup chopped pecans, walnuts or pistachios to the topping. Or add 1/4 cup chopped nuts to the cinnamon filling in the middle of the cake.
Cacao Nibs: Allergic or don’t like nuts, but still want a crunchy nutty texture? Use 1/3 cup crushed cacao nibs in the topping or 1/4 cup crushed cacao nibs in the filling.
Spices: try playing around with the spices, swapping out some or all of the cinnamon with cardamom, ginger, all spice or another warm wintry spice.
Citrus: Add the zest of fresh lemon, lime or orange juice to the butter and sugar creaming stage of the recipe, then add 2 tablespoons of the juice to the milk and reduce the milk by 2 tablespoons.
Glaze it: I don’t make a glaze for this coffee cake as I feel like it’s gilding the lily, with the sugary crunchy streusel topping, but if you want to truly mimic a classic coffee shop coffee cake, make a simple glaze by mixing 1/2 cup of sifted powdered sugar with 2 or 3 teaspoons of milk or citrus juice. Add in 2 teaspoons first, then add in a little more liquid if you need it. Once the cake is cooled, drizzle the glaze over the crumb topping in a zig-zag or criss-cross pattern. Let the glaze dry before slicing and serving.

If you like this coffee cake, check out these other coffee cake recipes:

Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake

This cinnamon streusel coffee cake is a buttery and moist coffee shop classic! It has a cinnamon-forward crumb topping, as well as a layer of cinnamon brown sugar filling in the middle of the cake. Feel free to play around with the amount of cinnamon, reducing it if you feel like the suggested amount is too aggressive for your taste.

Course Breakfast, brunch, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword cake, cinnamon, crumb topping, streusel

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes

Servings

Calories 572kcal

Author Irvin

Ingredients

Cinnamon streusel topping

1 cup all-purpose flour 140 g
1/2 cup white sugar 100 g
1/4 packed brown sugar (dark or light) 65 g
2 tablespoons Turbinado sugar sometimes labeled Sugar in the Raw (optional)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
6 tablespoon unsalted butter melted

Cinnamon filling

1/2 packed cup brown sugar (dark or light), 110 g
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon cocoa powder optional (for dark coloring)
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Cake batter

3/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature 1 1/2 stick or 170 g
1 1/2 cups white sugar 300 g
1/4 cup packed brown sugar dark or light, 65 g
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 large eggs
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour divided 490 g
1 1/4 cup milk any kind, 305 g
3/4 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt, 200 g

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9 x 13 x 2-inch baking pan with cooking oil.
Make the streusel topping by placing the flour, sugar, brown sugar, Turbinado sugar (if using), salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium-sized bowl. Mix together with a fork or a balloon whisk until blended and uniform in color. Drizzle the melted butter over the mixture, until all the butter is absorbed, and clumps start to form. Refrigerate (uncovered is fine) until use.
Make the cinnamon filling by mixing together the brown sugar, cinnamon, cocoa powder (if using), and nutmeg together with a fork in a small bowl.
Make the cake batter by placing the butter, white sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed, until the mixture is light in color, creamy in appearance, and clings to the side of the bowl.
Add the eggs, one a time, and mix until each is incorporated before adding the next one. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl between each addition.
Add 2 cups of flour the bowl and slow mix to incorporate. Once the flour is absorbed, add the milk and sour cream (or Greek yogurt) to the bowl. Mix until incorporated. Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of flour and mix until absorbed and a batter has formed. Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl between additions.
Pour and spread about half the batter into the prepared pan (about 825 g if you have a scale) and spread evenly over the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the cinnamon filling over the entire top of the batter.
Carefully spoon the remaining batter over the cinnamon filling. Spread it gently to cover the filling.
Get the cold streusel topping from the refrigerator. Sprinkle it over the top of the cake batter. Break up the really large chunks, but leave some chunks together, as that’s what makes the streusel topping so great! Be sure to cover the entire top of the cake.
Bake in the oven 55 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the cake. Let cool on a wire rack before serving.

Nutrition

The post Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake appeared first on Eat The Love.

Green Shakshuka with Green and Black Ripe Olives [sponsored post]

Mon, 24 Oct 2022 17:00:00 +0200

This easy-to-make green shakshuka recipe is packed with leafy greens, as well as green and black ripe olives, and feta cheese.

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This post was sponsored by California Grown. I was compensated for this post and developing this recipe. However, all opinions below are my own.

If you’ve followed my blog at all, you know I absolutely love olives. They’re one of my secret ingredients that I try to sneak into a lot of dishes because the salty briny flavor gives dishes extra punch. The earthy, umami-packed flavor works well in my olive tomato hand pies, a quick chop makes an excellent herb dressing for asparagus, and olives are fantastic paired with charred, smokey eggplant. So, when California Grown asked me to partner together in October, which is California Farmer and Farmworker Month, I was excited to bring you my take on a green shakshuka, a leafy green version of the classic shakshuka dish, made with green and black California ripe olives.

What is shakshuka?

Shakshuka, occasionally spelled shakshouka or chakchouka, is a Northwestern African egg dish, with multiple countries like Tunisia, Turkey, and Morocco laying claim to its origins. Its popularity has spread throughout the Mediterranean and across the world and is also closely associated with Israeli cuisine.

It’s a popular breakfast or brunch dish that is typically made with a tomato base, cooked with spices, vegetables, cheese and occasionally meat. Once the base is made, eggs are cracked and poached in the sauce, and then served.

Similar dishes to shakshuka include menemen, a Turkish dish that uses scrambled eggs instead of poached eggs, eggs-in-purgatory which is a similar egg poached in tomato Italian dish with Italian spices, and Huevos rancheros which is a Mexican dish with eggs and tomato salsa.

Shakshuka is a very versatile dish. I’ve even made a pretzel shakshuka dish! Green shakshuka is a version of the more common tomato-based shakshuka, using green leafy vegetables as a base.

How do you make green shakshuka?

Green shakshuka is an easy-to-make dish that uses leafy green vegetables, cooked down into a stew, as a base for the eggs. First toast some cumin seeds and then crush them in a mortar and pestle. You can skip this step and just use ground cumin if you’d like, though the spice flavor won’t be quite as assertive or robust.

Cook chopped garlic, leeks and chard stems in a large pan, then wilt down chard leaves and spinach. Add in green and black ripe olives, along with feta cheese, fresh herbs like oregano and flat-leaf parsley and Aleppo pepper. Once everything stews down, make a “well” in five spots in the pan and crack eggs into them. Cover and cook until the eggs are done to your liking. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with toasted bread.

What do you serve with shakshuka?

I like to serve the green shakshuka with toasted crusty bread to help “sop up” any egg yolk. But you can eat the shakshuka all by itself, or with toasted pita bread or crackers. I also sometimes serve my green shakshuka with lime wedges, as the acidity really helps amp up the flavor of the greens. You can also serve it with a light salad or a side of hummus, falafel or more olives if you’d like.

How to customize this recipe:

Like traditional tomato-based shakshuka, green shakshuka is very versatile, allowing you to make it your own. Here’s a few suggestions to play around with

Different greens: I use a mix of chard and spinach in my green shakshuka. The chard has a little more substance, while the spinach wilts down and creates a silky background. But feel free to swap out the greens with kale, collard, arugula, beet greens or a box of baby mixed greens if you’d like. I recommend using 1 pound of greens for this dish, which sounds like a lot, but it reduces down when wilted. Keep in mind that some greens (like collard or kale) might not shed as much water when cooked, while spinach and beet greens will shed more water. If you’re using greens that don’t produce as much liquid when cooked, compensate by adding 1/4 cup of water or vegetable stock to the pan to help cook the eggs.
Different alliums: I use leeks and garlic for my aromatic vegetables but feel free to use a yellow or red onion or shallots instead, or in addition to the leeks and garlic.
Add vegetables: I don’t add a lot of vegetables to my green shakshuka, as I want the leafy greens and the olives to shine. But feel free to customize by adding in other vegetables like cubed zucchini, shaved brussels sprouts, sliced asparagus, green or yellow bell peppers, or artichoke hearts to this dish. Make sure to add the vegetables in with the garlic and alliums as they need more time to cook. You can even sprinkle some avocado to the top of the dish after it’s cooked for a little buttery green richness.
Give it more umami: Umami that allusive “meaty” flavor that Parmesan cheese, tomatoes, olives, and mushrooms have. You can add sauteed mushrooms to this dish to punch up the umami, along with more olives. Or, if you’d like, add some cooked sausage like merguez or chorizo to the dish.
Add acidity: If you find the dish is lacking a bit of complexity, I might suggest trying to add a little lime or lemon juice to the dish. The acidity is a nice addition to the leaf green and briny olives.
Different cheeses: I use feta cheese in this recipe but feel free to swap it out with a crumbly cheese cotija, a rich cheese like dollops of ricotta or hard cheese like parmesan.
Swap out spices: I used toasted and ground cumin seeds in this recipe along with Aleppo pepper, but you can play around with spices, using toasted and ground coriander, caraway seeds, and red pepper flakes. If you want to amp up the spicy heat, you can add cayenne to the dish, slice up and saute some serrano or jalapeno peppers to the vegetables, or add a few spoonfuls of harissa sauce.
Swap out herbs: This recipe uses fresh oregano and flat-leaf parsley as the herb, but you can easily swap or add other fresh herbs to this dish. Try fresh dill, cilantro, or thyme as a substitute or replacement. I always recommend using fresh herbs though, as green shakshuka cooks quickly and dry herbs work better in stews and longer cooked dishes.

If you like this green shakshuka recipe, check out these other vegetable forward dishes:

Green Shakshuka with California Ripe Olives

This leafy green version of the traditional shakshuka skips the tomatoes and uses Swiss chard and spinach as a base. I added in black and green ripe olives, along with feta cheese and some spices like cumin and Aleppo pepper. But I have a section above on how to customize this shakshuka and make it your own! Feel free to play around with it, as it’s a very versatile dish.

Course Breakfast, brunch, lunch, Main Course

Cuisine African, Jewish, Maghreb, Mediterranean, tunisian

Keyword eggs, feta cheese, leafy greens, olives, vegetarian

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Servings

Calories 318kcal

Author Irvin

Ingredients

1 teaspoon cumin seeds or 1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 pound Swiss chard
3 tablespoon olive oil
1 large leek cleaned and sliced into half moons
5 large garlic cloves chopped
1/2 pound spinach
1 tablespoon oregano leaves or 1 teaspoon dried oregano
3 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley sometimes called Italian parsley
1/2 cup California ripe black olives sliced in half
1/2 cup California ripe green olives sliced in half
1/2 cup feta cheese diced or crumbled
5 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon Aleppo peppers or more if desired (sub red pepper flakes if you want)
Salt and pepper to taste

To serve

Slices of toast optional
Lime wedges optional

Instructions

If using, toast the cumin seeds by placing them in a large 12-inch skillet and heating it, shaking or stirring the seeds until they are fragrant and have darkened slightly, about 1 minutes on medium heat.
Pour the cumin seeds into a mortar and pestle and then lightly crush them. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, let the cumin seeds cool, then place them in a freezer Ziploc bag and crush them with a rolling pin.
Trim and remove the Swiss chard stems from the leaves. Cut the stems into 1/2-inch pieces. Slice the chard leaves into 1-inch ribbons.
Place the oil, sliced leeks, garlic cloves and chopped chard stems into the 12-inch skillet used to toast the cumin. Cook on medium heat, stirring frequently, until the leeks have softened, about 3 minutes. Do not let the garlic brown or caramelize.
Add the chard leaves, spinach, oregano leaves, and 2 tablespoons of the chopped parsley, along with the crushed cumin. If all the chard and spinach doesn’t fit, cook it in batches, adding half the greens, and then adding the other half after the first batch has wilted down. Continue to cook until all the greens have wilted down.
Sprinkle the black olives, green olives and feta cheese over the top of the greens, then make a well in 5 different spots in the greens.
Crack an egg into each well. Cover with a lid and let cook on medium low heat for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the eggs are cooked to your liking.
Remove and sprinkle with remaining parsley, Aleppo pepper (or red pepper flakes), salt and pepper to taste. Serve with slices of toast and lime wedges if you’d like.

Notes

This post was sponsored by California Grown. I was compensated for this post and developing this recipe. However, all opinions below are my own.

Nutrition

The post Green Shakshuka with Green and Black Ripe Olives [sponsored post] appeared first on Eat The Love.

Tarte Tatin (French Apple Tart)

Thu, 20 Oct 2022 00:45:31 +0200

How to make a picture-perfect Tarte Tatin, the classic upside-down French caramel apple tart, with step-by-step photos and instructions!

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Fall is here, and that means ALL the apple desserts! Like my apple slab pie, my apple pandowdy with blackberries, my apple fritters, my fried apple pie, and my apple cider donuts. But somehow I’ve not shared with you my recipe for the classic French tarte tatin.

I’ve been making a variant of the tarte tatin dessert, the classic French upside-down caramel apple tart, for years. I bring it to dinner parties. I serve it as a dessert for special occasions. And I make it randomly when I’m just feeling a little bit fancy. But, true story, it’s not a fancy dessert. It’s surprisingly easy to make. And it never fails to impress. Maybe it’s because it has a French name, or because it has those beautiful glistening apple mounds nestled in a flaky crust, but numerous folks seem intimidated by making it. Fear not! Here’s how to make a picture-perfect looking tarte tatin with minimal effort, complete with step-by-step instructions and photos.

What is a Tarte Tatin

A Tarte Tatin is a classic French apple dessert, where a caramel is made in a pan, then apples are cooked in the caramel. A pie crust or puff pastry crust is placed on top, then the entire pan is placed in the oven. Once baked, the tart is inverted, leaving the crust on the bottom and apples on the top.

It’s a signature dish of the Hôtel Tatin, a hotel about 100 miles south of Paris, France. The hotel, run by the Tatin sisters, has origins from the 1880s, with various stories about how Stéphanie Tatin originally made the dish by accident. That said, there are references to a similar dish as early as 1840 in cookbooks. The tarte tatin is traditionally made with apples but you can make it with different fruit, like pears, quinces, peaches and even savory versions exist made with onions.

How do you make a Tarte Tatin

The traditional method of making a tarte tatin has you cooking sugar in a pan to make a caramel, adding butter to it, then adding the apples, cooking it until the apples have softened slightly. Then you place the crust on top and bake the pan.

I deviated from this classic method because I have found that trying to cook all the apples in the same pan you bake it is difficult because apples shrink so much. To get the picture-perfect classic apple tarte tatin look, you need to cook the caramel and apples in a separate pan, then arrange them in a small pan, overlapping and shingling them so when they shrink, it still produces a full looking tart.

Make the caramel in a large 12-skillet by cooking sugar until is turns golden brown. Add the butter to cool it. Stir in vanilla and salt. Add the apples and cook until they start to soften and the edges of the apples look translucent. Then arrange the apples in a smaller 9-inch, 10-inch or 11-inch pan, overlapping them as you fit them all in. Pour the caramel all over the apples. Then roll out the pie crust, fit it over the apples and bake. Let cool until warm, then flip onto a serving platter.

Tricks on making the perfect looking Tarte Tatin

Use baking apples: To get the best looking Tarte Tatin, make sure to use apples that will hold up baking and heat. My favorite baking apples include Braeburn, Cortland, Gala, Jonagold, and Pink Lady/Cripps Pink. The popular Honeycrisp apples also hold their shape well when baked, but they tend to be more juicy, so expect more caramel juice to flow and pool when you invert the tart. Make sure your serving plate has a lip to catch the juice. If you have access to heirloom apples like Arkansas Black or Gravenstein, they are excellent apples for baking. I avoid Red Delicious apples in baking, as they fall apart into mush when heated.
Use two pans: I mentioned above that the traditional method of making a tarte tatin has you cooking the caramel and apples in one pan and then trying to arrange and bake it in the same pan. If you want a picture perfect tarte tatin, use one large pan (I recommend a 12-inch skillet) to cook the caramel and apples, then arrange the apples in a smaller pan (9 to 11-inch skillet) overlapping them to accommodate with shrinking then pour the caramel over the apples. The overlapping apples and the ability to carefully arrange the apples in the new smaller pan will lead to a better looking tarte tatin.
Have cold butter ready: Caramel goes from the ideal translucent golden brown to acrid black fast. Have cold butter ready to add to the pan to stop the cooking! Make sure to place the butter in a small bowl or have it next to you cut up, so you can use it when it’s needed.
Use a large 12-inch skillet with a silver bottom: If you’ve never made caramel before, I highly recommend using a large skillet with a silver bottom. The light colored bottom will help you judge the color of the caramel. Dark non-stick pans are great for clean up but the dark color makes it hard to see what color the caramel is.
Wait for the tart to cool slightly before inverting: Most recipes have you invert the tart fairly quickly. Not only is the pan and tart super hot (which is dangerous) but the caramel is often very liquidy and will run all over the place. Let the pan cool for 30 minutes makes it much more easier to manage when flipping over. It also gives it time for the caramel to settle and thicken. If any apple stick to the pan, just carefully remove it from the pan and replace it onto the tart. This is much easier to do when the apples and pan aren’t scalding hot!

Short cut

If you want to skip making the pie crust, feel free to use store bought pie crust or store bought puff pastry. I personally prefer a pie crust over a puff pastry crust for a tarte tatin, but either works!

How do you store a Tarte Tatin

Store tarte tatin in the refrigerator, in an airtight container, for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature and serve or warm it up gently in a 300°F or toaster oven for 10 minutes if you’d like.

If you like this Tarte Tatin, check out these other Fall desserts and baked goods:

Tarte Tatin

This classic French upside-down caramel apple tart is easier to make than it looks. The trick is to cook the caramel and apples in a larger 12-inch skillet or pan and then carefully arrange the apples into a smaller 9, 10 or 11-inch pan before baking it. The large skillet or pan allows you to cook more apples, which shrink down and create a picture-perfect Tarte Tatin that will have all your friends and loved ones super impressed.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, French

Keyword apple, caramel, tart

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Rest Time 30 minutes

Servings

Calories 343kcal

Author Irvin

Ingredients

Pie crust

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 175 g
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter 115 g or 1 stick
5 to 7 tablespoons ice cold water

Filling

3 1/4 to 3 1/2 pounds apples roughly 8 to 10-medium sized ones
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter 57 g
3/4 cup white sugar 150 g
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

Make the Pie Crust

Make the pie crust by placing the flour and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Cut the butter into 1/2-inch cubes and sprinkle them over the flour. Toss the butter with your hands to coat them with flour, then use your fingers to smash the butter into flat small pieces, roughly the size of peas.
Drizzle 5 tablespoons of water over the mixture and toss with a fork. Use your hand to massage the dough, until all the water is absorbed and evenly distributed, and a cohesive dough has formed. Add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if the dough seems too dry and isn’t forming properly. Gather the dough into a single ball, then flatten it into a 1-inch thick disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Make the Caramel and Apple Filling

Make the filling by peeling an apple and then cutting it into 3 wedges, discarding the core. The larger size chunks of apples will look best for the tarte tatin. Repeat with the remaining apple, placing the pieces in a large bowl. Sprinkle with apple cider vinegar and toss to prevent them from browning.
Cut the cold butter into 1/2-inch chunks and set next to the stove. Sprinkle the sugar into a large 12-inch skillet (preferably one with a silver or light-colored bottom if you have never cooked caramel before). Cook the sugar on high heat, until it starts to melt, then reduce the heat to medium low. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until all the sugar has melted and started to turn golden brown.
Once the sugar is a golden brown, remove from heat and add the cold butter carefully. It will steam and sputter, and the caramel might seize up and harden. Don’t worry about this. Just stir the butter into the hot caramel as much as you can.
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Move the pan back to the burner. Add the apples to the pan and cook them on medium low heat, stirring as best you can. The caramel will be hard and chunky but as the apples start to exude liquid as the pan heats up again, the caramel will loosen and dissolve back into a liquid. Continue to cook the apples until they have started to soften slightly, the edges of the apples have turned slightly translucent, and the caramel has liquified again, about 10 minutes or so. Remember, the apples will continue to cook in the oven so no need to cook completely on the stove. Remove the pan from the heat.

Arrange the Tart and Bake

Take a 9, 10 or 11-inch oven-proof skillet or pie pan and carefully arrange the apples, round side down in concentric circles. I like to pick the biggest apple slices and use those around the edge of the pan, working my way in with smaller apple slices.
“Shingle” the apples so they overlap about 1/3 of the way if you can. This allows you to fit in more apples into the pan, as well as accommodates for when the apples shrink more in the baking.
Use as many apples as you can fit in, but don’t stress too much if you can’t use all the apples. Save the remaining caramelized apples for another use, like topping on yogurt or ice cream, or just snacking on them.
Whisk in the vanilla and salt into the remaining caramel in the large 12-inch skillet that you cooked the apples in. Then scrape and pour the caramel over the apples.
Take the chilled dough from the fridge and roll it out on a clean, lightly floured surface into a 10 to 12-inch circle. Roll it out roughly an inch larger than the skillet pan you are using.
Fold the pie crust in half, then in half again, making it look like a quarter pie wedge. Place the crust over the apples and unfold.
Tuck the edges of the pie crust into into the side of the pan.
Cut a few steam vents into to the crust. Place the pan on a rimmed baking sheet (to catch any spillage and to help move the pan in and out of the oven) and bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until the crust looks golden brown and juices are bubbling out of the steam vents. A smaller 9-inch skillet will be closer to 25 to 30 minutes, while a larger 10-inch skillet will be closer to 30 to 35 minutes.
Let the tarte tatin rest and cool on a wire rack for 30 to 45 minutes. Then place a serving platter or cake stand upside down on it and carefully invert the pan. The tarte tatin should easily release onto the platter. If any apples stick to the pan, just carefully loosen and replace them back onto the tarte tatin.
Serve warm as is, or with ice cream or whipped cream if desired.

Nutrition

The post Tarte Tatin (French Apple Tart) appeared first on Eat The Love.

Easy Fudge Brownies

Wed, 05 Oct 2022 17:00:00 +0200

These easy fudge brownies are made in one bowl and come together quickly. They are chewy, fudgy and intensely chocolatey!

Jump to Recipe

Ahhh brownies. I realized that I have shared quite a few brownie recipes, like my Neapolitan cheesecake brownies, my rye brownies with caramel, my peppermint cheesecake brownies, and my pumpkin cheesecake brownies here on this blog. But one thing I haven’t ever shared is a straightforward fudge brownie recipe. Which is a shame because that’s one of those classic recipes that everyone needs.

And though I’ve tried tons of fudge brownie recipes, it took me a LONG time to really develop a recipe that I adored and wanted to share. So, I started making batch after batch of brownies. It’s a tough gig! ButI really wanted to dive in deep, tweaking the recipe to make it the best fudge brownie recipe ever. A brownie that was deeply rich and chocolate-packed, worthy of the name “fudge brownie.” I wanted it dense but not gummy, chewy and fudgy, and almost sensual in texture. Finally, I developed this easy fudge brownie recipe that you can make in one bowl!

How to make fudge brownies

These fudge brownies are super easy to make and only require one bowl or a large pot. First place butter, sugar and cocoa in a large microwave safe bowl. Cook in the microwave until the butter is melted and the sugar and cocoa are dissolved. Stir in the vanilla, salt, instant coffee, and baking powder.

Add the eggs, one at a time. Fold in the flour and then the chocolate chips. Pour into a prepared pan and bake!

How do you get that shiny brownie top?

Everyone seems to love the shiny brownie top you get from a box mix. But not every homemade brownie has it. This recipe is designed to have that coveted shiny topping, which is a chocolate meringue that sits on top of the brownie after it bakes. Here’s how I achieved it.

Melt the butter: Unlike cakes or cookies that often have you mixing sugar with solid butter to get a creamy mixture, melted butter in this brownie batter helps dissolve the sugar. Make sure the butter is warm enough to dissolve the sugar a much as possible. Warmer butter dissolves sugar easier than cool butter.
Dissolve the sugar: Adding the sugar and cocoa together and dissolving them in the melted butter helps create the meringue topping.
Mix in the eggs one at time: Make sure to really beat and mix in each egg before adding the next egg. Ideally you want your batter to be smooth and not grainy. The more dissolved the sugar, the more you’ll get the meringue topping.
Add the chocolate chips: Solid chocolate chips helps encourage the meringue to form on top.
Resting for 1 or 2 minutes: Let the pan of brownie batter rest for a minute or two before placing it in the oven. You’ll notice that the batter settles a bit and the top of it starts to look glossy. A shiny gloss batter makes a shiny gloss top!
Use a quart-sheet pan: I tested this recipe using a conventional baking pan, with higher 2-inch sides, as well as a shorter quarter sheet pan. I found the quarter sheet pan, which is only 1-inch deep, gave a more even shiny top over the conventional baking pan. The brownies were delicious from both pans so don’t worry if you don’t have a quarter sheet pan. But if you do, I suggest you try baking these brownies in them!

Can I use regular cocoa and not Dutch-process cocoa?

This recipe is designed for Dutch-process cocoa. This is cocoa powder that has been alkalinized to remove some of the natural acidity found in cocoa beans. The alkalizing process darkens the cocoa and also makes it easier to dissolve in liquid.

If you only have regular cocoa, you can use the same amount, just swap out the 1/2 teaspoon baking powder with 1/4 teaspoon baking soda. The acidity in the regular cocoa will react with the baking soda and give rise to the brownies. Expect the brownies made with regular cocoa powder to slightly more cakey, less rich tasting, and lighter in color than the brownies made with Dutch-process cocoa.

Customize these brownies

These brownies can be adapted to your own taste. Here are few suggestions:

Use your favorite chocolate chips: Though I strongly suggest adding the chocolate chips to help with the shiny crackly top, feel free to use dark bittersweet chocolate chips, semi-sweet chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips or even white chocolate chips. Or try using a different flavored chip like butterscotch, peanut butter or mint chip. You can also use a mix of chocolate chips if you want. Or omit the chocolate chips all together!
Use chocolate chunks: Try chopping chocolate instead of using chocolate chips. You can often get higher quality chocolate in bars instead of as chips, so pick one that you really enjoy eating out of hand.
Add nuts: Add in 1 cup of chopped nuts like walnuts, pecans, pistachios, macadamia nuts or hazelnuts to these brownies.
Add cacao nibs: If you are allergic to nuts but still want the crunch and texture of nuts, try adding 1 cup of roasted cacao nibs. They add a nutty texture, as well as more chocolate flavor to the brownies.
Brown the butter: To give these brownies an extra layer of caramelized flavor, brown the butter by melting 1 cup and 1 tablespoons of butter in a skillet, cooking until the milk fats have turned golden brown. Pour into a heatproof bowl, making sure to scrape out and add in all the golden-brown milky bits, and proceed with the recipe, stirring the sugar and cocao powder into the hot butter. Continue to stir until the butter has cooled down a bit before adding the eggs, otherwise you’ll end up with cooked scrambled eggs in your brownies.

How to store these brownies

These brownies improve with age, becoming more rich and fudgy in a day or so. Store the brownies in an airtight container or under a cake dome at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also store the brownies in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days. You can eat the brownies directly from the fridge if you’d like. They are even more dense and fudgy! Or leave them on the counter for an hour to warm up to room temperature.

If you like these easy fudge brownies, try these other chocolate recipes:

Easy Fudge Brownies

These chewy easy fudge brownies are a deep, dense, chocolate-packed brownies, the sort of brownie that every chocolate lover craves. They have that coveted shiny meringue top and come together easily in one bowl or pot. I like to make my brownies in a shallow quart sheet pan that is 1-inch thick. But they bake up just fine in a more conventional 2-inch deep baking pan. Just don’t expect the shiny meringue top to go all the way to the edge of the deeper 2-inch pan. The shorter 1-inch pan helps the meringue form across the brownie top.

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword brownies, chocolate

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Servings

Calories 384kcal

Author Irvin

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks or 225 g
2 cups white sugar 400 g
1 cup Dutch-process cocoa 110 g
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon espresso powder or instant coffee optional but recommended
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
4 large eggs refrigerator cold
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 175
2 cups chocolate chips or chopped chocolate 340 g

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9 x 13 x 1-inch quarter sheet pan with cooking oil, then line the bottom and sides with parchment paper. You can also use a more conventional 9 x 13 x 2-inch pan, spraying with cooking oil and lining with parchment paper in a similar manner. See the headnote above for the difference in baking between the two.
Place the butter, sugar and cocoa powder in a large microwave safe bowl. Cook the mixture for 1 minutes, then stir. Cook in 30 seconds bursts, stirring between each cook cycle, until the butter is completely melted and warm. Stir vigorously once the butter is melted, to dissolve the sugar and cocoa powder as much as possible. The mixture might look a little pasty or grainy. That’s ok.
You can also heat and cook the butter, sugar and cocoa powder in a large pot on the stove if you don’t have a microwave or don’t wish to use it.
Add the vanilla, salt, espresso powder (if using) and baking powder to the bowl and stir to incorporate. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing thoroughly to incorporate. Try to get the mixture nice and shiny and glossy.
Add the flour and fold it in until there are just a few streaks of flour left. Add the chocolate chips and continue to mix and fold them in, until evenly distributed and all the flour is absorbed.
Scrape the brownie batter into the prepared pan. Let it sit for 1 or 2 minutes, or until the top of the brownie batter has a glossy sheen to it. Then place in the oven and bake for 23 to 27 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle in few places comes out clean (you want to check a few places in case your toothpick hits a chocolate chip). Try not to overbake the brownies.
Let rest in the pan until cool enough to touch, about 20 minutes. Then grab the edges of the parchment paper and move the entire brownie to a wire cooling rack. Cool completely, remove parchment paper, cut and serve.

Nutrition

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