Black and White Cookies!

So, when I get nervous, I start freaking out. When I freak out I bake. It's an involuntary reaction, much like randomly screaming i love you when James is being exceptionally nice. Anyways, back to the baking. My best friend Sonja has had a really bad couple of weeks, and nothing says I love you more than a fresh batch of black and white cookies. I even got Cuddles to try one (although, he shoved it in his mouth before he could actually taste it). These cookies are amazing. Half chocolate, half sweet vanilla, they are like a tasty juxtaposition. They're proof that you can have it all.



These cookies are slightly dangerous to make, though. Let's just say a two hour workout was required after I finished all of the vanilla glaze. Thankfully, I found a way to step up my workouts in addition to making them much more fun. In fact, I plan to incorporate an additional hour into my regular routine.
Just more proof of these cookies magical powers.
So, go make them. Now.



See how absolutely tempting they are? Sonja and I couldn't wait to cram them into our mouths


Black and White Cookies:
adapted from Joy the Baker

Ingredients:
2 1/4 Cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla (I used sweet vanilla extract that my mommy brought back from mexico!)
3/4 cups butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 large eggs

Make the cookies:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F

1. Whisk together flour, salt and Baking powder
2. Cream Butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about four minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg to make sure they are evenly incorporated.
3. Beat in flour mixture on medium speed until evenly distributed. Mix in vanilla extract. Take a taste of dough. It's so worth it.
4. Roll cookie dough into 2-2 1/2 inch diameter balls and place them 2 inches apart on a buttered cookie sheet.
5. Bake cookies in the middle of the oven for 14-16 minutes, until cookies are puffed and firm. Transfer to cookie rack when they're done until they're completely cool.
6. TIME TO GLAZEEE!

Glaze Ingredients:

Chocolate Glaze:
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
Four tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons light corn syrup
3 Tablespoons Hot milk
around 3 Tablespoons powdered sugar (I eyeballed this and have no concept of mind-measuring!)

Vanilla Glaze:
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 Tablespoon Light corn syrup
1 cup Powdered sugar
Milk until glaze reaches desired consistency

1. Melt semi-sweet chocolate in microwave for around 1 minute.
2. Melt butter in separate bowl and mix in with chocolate. Mix in corn syrup
3. heat up milk in microwave until it's hot but not boiling. Mix into glaze mixture and stir in powdered sugar. There's your chocolate glaze!

1. Put 1 cup of powdered sugar in clean bowl.
2. Mix in corn syrup and vanilla extract
3. Stir in milk until it reaches desired consistency.
Vanilla glaze is like heaven on earth. Eat any leftovers.

GLAZE COOKIES AND EAT (okay, put in the refrigerator until glaze sets, thennn eat)
Lumi.

chocolate caramel torte (A dessert dedicated to the addicting game of Bloons Super Monkey)

Today was a completely hectic day. I was lucky enough to have Cuddles pick me up for school, so the morning was obviously the sunniest part of my day. James was also being especially bright and cheerful today, which made me want to show him exactly how much I love him when he's nice. But we can skip those details and move to the real action of the day.
I was eating brownies that cuddles baked me (judging by the lack of height I'm guessing he decided to omit the baking powder for some reason), and offered my friend Sara a couple. We went our separate ways after lunch was over, and I was quickly absorbed in my physics work for a period. Suddenly, a security guard appeared in my class looking for me. He escorted me to the nurses office where I found Sara sitting and being comforted by a blond-haired snob that shot me a quick dirty glance. Apparently Sara zoned out during class, and then panicked after several people convinced her she was high. So the last two periods of school were spent trying to convince three nurses, a drug counselor and my dean that my boyfriend was not trying to illicitly drug me. The worst part of this little fiasco? My brownies got confiscated and subjected to highly humiliating drug tests. Just because they looked a little suspicious. So, the lesson of the day is: don't judge a book by it's cover because it could be the most delicious book you've ever tasted. Or something like that...
Now, Having said that, this torte is something you most definitely should judge by it's cover. It's perfect shiny gloss of chocolate ganache binding conceals an even more heavenly middle of caramel and macadamia nut filling. This sits upon a sweet, doughy crust that has the faint resemblance of a sugar cookie. So, if you were to follow one piece of advice from this post only, it would be this. Drop what you are doing and go make this torte. Because there is nothing that could possibly be more important than chocolate and caramel.



Chocolate Caramel Torte
Adapted from: Fine cooking

Ingredients:

Crust:
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
3 Tbs. Granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
8 Tbs. Unsalted butter
2 Tbs. Heavy cream
1 Large egg yolk

Caramel Filling:
1/3- 1/2 cup chopped, roasted macadamia nuts
1 Cup Sugar
1/3 Cup and 1 tablespoon Water
1/3 cup Whipping cream or milk
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 Teaspoon vanilla Extract
pinch of salt

Chocolate Ganache:
3/4 Cup of Whole milk
7 ounces of 70% Fine Quality Bittersweet Chocolate
3 Tablespoons Salted Butter

Directions:
Preheat Oven to 375 degrees F

Make the Crust:
1. Combine the flour, sugar, salt and butter in a bowl and mix with an electric mixer on medium speed until the butter is evenly incorporated with the dry ingredients. Mix the cream and yolk together in a small bowl. Pour the cream mixture into the flower mixture, beating on low speed until it is evenly mixed in. Do not over mix.
2. Transfer the dough to a work surface and knead it together with your hands. Roll the dough out with a rolling pin until it's around 11 inches in diameter. Place it in a 9 inch heavily greased pie pan and use the extra dough to shape the crust around the pan. Put in the refrigerator and chill for an hour.

Make the tart:
1. Line the bottom of the crust with coffee filters and pile coffee beans on top of the filters. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Take the crust out of the oven and remove the coffee filters and beans. Return to oven for another 15 minutes or until it is golden brown. If air bubble appears, press it down with a spoon (i did this multiple times haha, the crust was still fantastic. Also, I opted for a slightly less cooked crust, giving it more of a sugar cookie consistency. Yum!). Cool completely out of the oven.
2. While the crust is in the oven, place your macadamia nuts and spread them out on a cookie sheet. Place sheet in over for 10-12 minutes, or until delicious nutty aroma emits from the oven. Take them out and chop them up!

Caramel:
1. Stir the sugar and water in a saucepan over low heat, until sugar dissolves completely. Medium heat works fine too. Let's face it, who has the patience to wait for caramel? Increase heat and boil until liquid turns a heavy amber color, or, the color of caramel!
2. Swirl the pan around occasionally and stir so the heat is evenly distributed and the mixture doesn't begin to crystalize.
3. Remove from heat and add the cream, butter, vanilla and salt, stirring until everything is melted nice and consistently throughout your caramel.
4. Return to heat and stir under low heat until color deepens further, about 5 minutes. Refrigerate until mixture cools off, making sure it doesn't harden.
5. pour warm (not hot!) caramel into baked torte crust. Sprinkle nuts over caramel, making sure they are evenly distributed around the crust, and letting them sink into the caramel. Refrigerate until caramel sets and firms up.

Ganache:
1. Place Chocolate in a bowl, broken into smaller pieces.
2. Bring whole milk or cream to a boil in a small saucepan. (Yes, I used skim milk, yes I heated it up in a microwave. Guess what? I'm not a chocolate ganache snob, as long as it's dark, rich and strong, i'll take it ;)
3. Pour boiling milk/cream over dark chocolate and stir until it is completely melted. Stir in butter. If the mixture is too cold to melt the butter, simply heat it in the microwave for a couple seconds. I prefer salted butter, however you could always just add a pinch of salt at the end.
4. Spread chocolate ganache evenly over the firm caramel and return to refrigerator for 3-4 hours or overnight.
5. Serve to amazed friends with a dollop of whipped cream and expect to be conspicuously worshipped.

:D

White Chocolate Cupcakes

This week. I can't even describe this week in words. After a blissful and relaxing easter Sunday (which ended in a car with a boyfriend, a back seat, and two i love yous), Monday morning came with a rude BANG. School, Lacrosse, Homework and even better, a flurry of hormones to add to the insane stress.
So, when the weekend finally rolled around, I couldn't wait to fully take advantage of the magnificent weather (a sunny 70 degrees in evanston in April? I'll take it!). Unfortunately, being grounded has prevented any light-hearted laughs with friends and cuddlecakes. Instead, after a non-stop action LAX tournament, the reward is sitting quietly on my couch and fantasizing about joining the mile-high club.
After much deep thought, I finally decided to get off of my lazy butt and whip up something yummy and tantalizing. White chocolate has always been a symbol of luxury to me, and what better way to showcase luxury than in a mini cupcake? And is there any better way to pair white chocolate and cupcakes than with raspberries? No, the answer came to me automatically.
So, without any further delay, I present:
WHITE CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES WITH RASPBERRY CREAM CHEESE FROSTING.
luxurious. sophisticated. These cupcakes make their own statement.



White Chocolate Cupcakes:

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:
3/4 Cup Butter
1 1/2 Cups Sugar
2 eggs
1 Tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp Baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup milk
8 ounces white chocolate; melted and cooled

1. Preheat Oven to 350
2. Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy; add eggs one at a time beating well after each egg.
3. Add Vanilla extract
4. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, salt and baking powder.
5. Add flour mixture and milk to butter mixture slowly, alternating between the two.
6. Mix in yogurt and white chocolate.
7. Line cupcake tin with liners, then pour batter into cupcake liners, filling them 3/4 of the way full.
8. Put in preheated oven for 14-18 minutes, or until inserted toothpick comes out clean and edges are golden brown.
9. Take out of oven and let cool COMPLETELY before frosting (believe me, I was as eager as you are to taste your creation- frosting hot cupcakes= sticky, runny (albeit delicious) mess)

Frosting:
8 ounces Cream Cheese
1/4 cup butter
2 Cups Powdered sugar
1/4 Cup seedless Raspberry jam (okay, I have a confession. we were out of this so I used cherry. Results? Pretty fantastic!)

1, Cream butter and cream cheese together
2. Add powdered sugar slowly until thoroughly combined with no cream cheese lumps.
3. Mix in raspberry jam
4. make alterations until desired consistency is reached.
5. refrigerate for 1 hour (also very important- it adds a firmer texture to this delicate frosting)
Note*** If you are like me and prefer less sweet frosting, add less powdered sugar and more cream cheese. make sure the cream cheese is cold though, or frosting will turn runny!

Frost Cupcakes and ENJOYYY!
Makes 36 mini cupcakes. I'm guessing that would be around 16 normal ones?
Abundance of frosting is unavoidable. Shamelessly lick bowl clean, then quickly hide the evidence.
Also, I know fruity frostings aren't for everyone (especially not our extremely "macho" boyfriends). Dark chocolate cream cheese frosting also is a magical pair with these cupcakes- simply exchange 8 ounces melted chocolate or 1/4 cup cocoa powder for the raspberry jam.