Passing the Torch

Oh boy ... I do love me some No-Bake Cookies and when I saw my bestie from college pin a recipe I got the hankering again. A quick glance at the recipe she pinned revealed that it was identical to the one I grew up with. Kind of nice that some recipes just stay as we remember and don't get "adapted" via via. Yep, I am fairly certain this recipe was penned into my little grey cookbook during one of those phone calls home after I had set up my own pad.

I made multiple batches of these cookies this week and gave them away as fast as I could. Axel doesn't like them (that peanut butter problem of his) and I can / could only eat so many. But ugh ... I seriously overdosed. Which probably explains why it's been three years since I made them (I know for certain I have not made them since we moved into this house).

So now it's your turn ... at least for the next three years. I think I'm good for awhile.

No-Bake Cookies

In a medium-size pan bring the following ingredients to the boil and allow to boil gently for ONE minute:

• 1/2 cup butter (one stick)
• 2 cups sugar*
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla

Meanwhile measure these things out so they're handy when that one minute is up:

• 3 cups oats (yes, this is one time I think instant are better than rolled) 
• 4Tbsp cocoa powder on top.
• 3/4 cup peanut butter* (I like Adams chunky for this - trust me you do not want peanut butter that has sugar added .. these cookies are sweet enough on their own)

- I don't think my mom ever added coconut and it might be good but coconut is grated to a fine dust here so I've never bother trying.

When your timer has gone off (yes set it. I don't have one and if you go over the minute you risk the mixture getting crumbly ... they still taste good but the texture of the cookies is not as good), pull the pan away from the heat and quickly stir in the peanut butter until it's mostly combined. A few lumps are ok ... in fact sometimes it's a nice surprise ... almost like a Reece's hiding in your no-bake.

Then pour in the oats and cocoa powder and mix until combined.

Working as quickly as you can drop spoonfuls onto a baking sheet. I don't bother lining my baking sheet with aluminum foil or baking paper - it's just more waste. Instead, after they are cool, I use a twisting action to release the cookies from the pan.

DO NOT MAKE A DOUBLE BATCH ... unless you have double the hands to help you drop the cookies. The batter will cool, stiffen up and become crumbly. It's just not worth it.

* A word on sugar. Yes, whenever possible I try to reduce the amount of sugar in most recipes. This is one occasion where I have never tried. I just don't know what it would do to that boiled stuff you need to bind these cookies. But I do insist that my PB is sugar free. I borrowed some from my neighbour for the 3rd batch last week. Uck - waaaaayyy to sweet for this girl. But let me know if you have any tips / hints here.

Enjoy!

Chewy Brownie Cookies

You know the best part of a brownie - that chewy yummy bit around the edges of the pan? Well, here you have it - in a cookie! No more fighting, there's enough for everyone.

I first got turned onto this recipe on Pinterest ... it was pinned from Divine Baking but it turned out she "adapted" the recipe from Epicurous. Yep - it's nearly identical ... so I'll compare what they did to what I did ... I don't think I can really call it an adaptation because the basis for the recipe is the same ... I just changed a few things.

Epicurous	My Changes or Comments
Nonstick vegetable oil spray	I keep a stick of butter in the fridge door and just use that to grease pans (mom's trick)
1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips (about 9 ounces), divided	I used 200g chocolate which is only 7-1/2 oz. That's the size of baking chocolate here so it's easy and it was plenty. The bars are usually divided into 8 squares so I break 4 apart to melt and chop the other 4 for putting into the dough as chunks.
3 large egg whites, at room temp	no change
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar	I found 1-3/4 cups is plenty (1 cup goes in the eggs first and the other 3/4 cups gets mixed with the cocoa powder)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder	Get the best European cocoa powder  you can - trust me - avoid Hershey's ... if you need some I'll mail it to you ... it's worth it!
1 tablespoon cornstarch	no change
1/4 teaspoon salt	no change

Preheat oven to  175°C / 350°F. Spray 2 large baking sheets with nonstick spray or use a stick of butter.

Melt 1/2 the chocolate in glass bowl in microwave - I set the timer 30 seconds at a time, taking it out and stirring it each time until it's smooth. Cool slightly.

Using electric mixer, beat whites in large bowl to soft peaks. Gradually beat in 1 cup sugar. Continue beating until mixture resembles soft marshmallow creme.

Use a fork to combine 3/4 cup sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt in medium bowl. On low speed, stir dry ingredients into meringue.

Stir in lukewarm chocolate and the remaining chocolate cut into chunks. The recipe says the batter will be very stiff. Mine never has been but if your kitchen is warm I would recommend refrigerating the dough for at least a half hour.

Then you're supposed to roll the dough into balls - yuck! It's sticky and sometimes not stiff enough. So I just drop it by teaspoonfuls directly onto the baking sheet. And they turn out just as pretty and round without all the hassle but be sure to leave enough space between because they will spread.

Instead of rolling the balls in powdered sugar I just sift it generously over the top - perfect and a lot less messy! (In the pictures I wasn't generous enough ... will remember to use more next time. I was also reading the comments on Epicurous ... oh my goodness, there are a ton of comments about adding things like cinnamon to the dusting sugar, or chopped jalopenos, ginger or almonds to the batter. Hehe, this is obviously for me ... not the hubby except maybe the almonds.

Bake for 10 minutes until the tops are cracked. Cool on the sheets (on a rack) for 10 minutes then transfer to a rack and allow to cool.

Epicurous says this quantity makes about 24 cookies. Diving baking says it makes 18. Yikes, I don't know what size there cookies are but mine made 32 and they were plenty big enough - a tad bigger than my camera lens cap - so definitely big enough.

Roll 1 rounded tablespoon dough into ball; roll in sugar, coating thickly. Place on prepared sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until puffed and tops crack, about 10 minutes. Cool on sheets on rack 10 minutes. Transfer to rack and allow to cool.

the best ever chocolate cake

I first saw / read about this cake here.  Man it looked good, my mouth started watering and I began wishing it was my birthday.  And yes, I need a picture .. a pretty picture just like her's.  Next time I bake, have fresh strawberries, my counter is clean and the camera is working, ok?  I promise!

Yes, it's true, it's based on a Hershey's ~gasp~ Chocolate recipe, but first Alice made changes and then I made a few more ...  do you do that too?  Follow a recipe to the T or do you make your own changes, additions, omissions?

Oh ... um ... I guess I should explain the gasp ... the truth is I'm a snob.  A real chocolate snob.  It began slowly when I met my husband and has blossomed into a full-blown, read every label, it has to be real before I eat it snob.  Plus, I live in Belgium now - 'nuf said :)

deep dark Chocolate Cake

1-1/2 cups * 330g sugar  (original recipe is for 2 cups, next time I'm going to try it with just 1 cup)
1-3/4 cups * 220g all-purpose flour
3/4 cup * 85g cocoa powder
1-1/2 teaspoons * 6g baking powder

1-1/2 teaspoons * 8g baking soda

1 teaspoon * __g salt
2 eggs
1 cup * 235ml milk
1/2 cup *120ml vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup * 235 ml steaming hot coffee (original recipe calls for boiling water, Alice uses half water / half coffee - I went whole hog and just used coffee, yumm!)

1. Heat oven to 350F / 175C. Grease* and flour two 9" round or one 9" x 13" rectangle pan.

2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in large bowl. Don't skip this step ... and blend well to prevent white "specks" in your cake where the flour hasn't mixed in thoroughly into the batter.

3. Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla; beat on medium speed of electric mixer for 2 minutes. 

4. Carefully stir in hot coffee - yes, the batter will be very thin. Pour batter into prepared pans.

5. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks and cool completely.

*These days I usually skip the grease step and just line the bottom of my pan with baking paper.  Makes removal from pan a no-brainer.