Espresso Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

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Well if you didn’t know Christmas was in the air…you need to get your nostrils checked.

It’s here people!

Trees has been trimmed, cards have been addressed, gifts have been purchased (ok just a few…) and cookies are a baking (ok a lot)!

Since I was out of commission for a couple of days due to some seriously lame oral surgery, I decided to spend my days baking. Espresso Chocolate Crinkle Cookies? Def one of my faves. Baking in pajamas? My fave of all faves.

If you do not have instant espresso in your house, please go get some now. Not to actually make coffee with (ew.) but to add to any baking recipe with chocolate. It brings out  all of the chocolaty goodness in chocolate and (minus this recipe where you are supposed to taste the espresso) you do not taste a lick of coffee. Ina Garten’s Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes are the perfect example! Just a teaspoon does the trick.

Back to cookies. These Espresso Chocolate Crinkle Cookies make a lovely gift. Wrap in cellophane with a big red bow and pair with a bottle of red wine or 1lb of your favorite coffee!

Let’s get to baking.

Start with some semisweet chocolate. I had a few chocolate chunks leftover so I added them into the mix.

Place it on a double boiler, stir frequently (do not leave unattended) and you’ll end up with this…

Set aside to cool.

Sift flour, unsweetened cocoa, instant espresso, baking powder and salt and set aside.

Cream together butter and brown sugar. And add cooled chocolate.

Add dry into wet. Mix well. Then add just a touch of milk

Now roll out a sheet of plastic wrap and place dough in the center. Roll into something that resembles a “disc”.

Chill in the freezer until firm. Roll chilled dough into 1-inch (or so…) balls and coat with sugar.

Be sure to roll in loooots of sugar.

Bake. Once cooled, stack ‘em up and enjoy!

Slightly adapted from Martha Stewart’s Chocolate-Espresso Snowcaps

What you need:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 tablespoons instant espresso

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

2/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1 large egg

4 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled

1 tablespoon milk

Confectioners’ sugar

What to do:

Mix together flour, cocoa, instant espresso, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Beat in one egg, until well combined. Mix in cooled chocolate (chocolate must be cooled as to not curdle the egg). Turn your mixer on low, and add flour mixture in three parts. Beat in milk.

Flatten dough into a disk (or square in my case), wrap in plastic and freeze for about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment. Roll dough into 1-inch balls and set aside on plastic wrap. Put confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl and roll each ball in sugar. Be sure to cover all surfaces (roll them twice if needed).

Place on lined baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake for about 12 minutes (cookies will have spread and will still feel soft to the touch). Cool cookies on wire wrack.

Chocolate Banana Muffins

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With Thanksgiving under our belts (literally…! My jeans are still a bit tight…!) onwards to Christmas! I like to start trying out some recipes early on in December so I can make sure I’m making the best of the best for my family and friends during the holidays.

What’s better than having delicious muffins ready for a quick and super yum breakfast in the morning? Hmm? Yeah, I can’t think of anything either.

Let’s get to mushin’…

…the bananas! Mush away.

Set aside.

Gather the dry ingredients…

Sift together.

Set bowl aside. Now for the butter. In a large bowl, beat the butter until creamy.

Add the sugar, sugar.

Add two eggs, one at a time. And beat on medium.

Add those smooshed bananas.

Now add the dry into the wet. You know the drill!

Add the milk and blend just until combined. Batter will be smooth and silky.

Now time for the goodies. Add the chocolate and the nuts and mix with a wooden spoon.

Scoop into prepared muffin tin.

Pop in the oven and cool on rack once baked.

Adding bananas to chocolate totally makes for an acceptable breakfast…dive in!

Adapted from Joy the Baker’s Chocolate Chocolate Banana Bread

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 stick unsalted butter, room temp

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 ripe bananas, mashed

3/4 cup milk

2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chunks or chips

1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

What to do:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Butter or spray two standard muffin tins (or just one in my case and reuse once cooled/ cleaned).

Sift four, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt and baking soda.

Beat butter with a hand or stand mixer, on medium, for about 1 minute. Add both sugars and beat for a couple more minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for about a minute per egg. Slow the mixer to low and mix in mashed bananas. Add dry ingredients, a little at a time. Add in milk and mix until incorporated. Stir in choclate chunks/ chips and walnuts.

Add batter into prepared muffin tin and bake for 16-18 minutes.

Mushroom and Spinach Barley Risotto

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With the chilly, drizzly weather we had on Sunday…and the walk home I had from the grocery store during the heaviest rain of the day (you know those huge plops of constant, hard rain…yeah that’s the one) I was in need of a big healthy bowl of comfort. Queue…barely risotto.

I’m a big fan of traditional risotto and all, but…there’s that ” I just ate a ginormous bowl of carbs for dinner with no real nutritional value” feeling that one shouldn’t be experiencing all that often. Right?

Barely risotto is the perfect solution. A nutritious grain, mixed with vitamin-packed mushrooms and spinach with lots of thyme…yes, perfect solution.

Pearled barley should be available at your local grocery store (generally close to the dried beans).

Feel free, of course, to add whatever veg you have on hand. Or add some cooked chicken to the mix for a boost of protein.

This dish also makes for a perfect vegetarian dish for Thanksgiving. Just be sure to use veggie stock in place of chicken to make it 100% veg.

Let’s get started.

Grab an onion, thyme and some mushrooms.

Heat olive oil, butter and toss in onions. Cook a bit. Then add thyme.

Time to add the barley.

Add them to the pot and stir. Toasting the barley releases even more yummy, nutty flavor.

After a minute or two, add the wine. And pour yourself a glass while you’re at it.

Now slowly add the stock a bit at a time. Allowing the barley to drink up the liquid before adding more.

In a separate pan, cook mushrooms down with a couple cloves of garlic. Add a splash of wine here too if you’re feeling saucy.

Once all is cooked through, add the mushrooms to the risotto.

Add a couple handfuls of spinach to the mix. Stir and let wilt.

Next, toss in a couple of palm-fulls of grated parmesan. Freshly grated is best, of course.

Serve up in a pretty bowl and top with a sprinkle more of cheese.

Talk about a big bowl of yum. Cheers!

Mushroom and Spinach Barley Risotto

Adapted from Epicurious

Ingredients: 

4 1/2 – 5 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable stock

2 teaspoons organic butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 cup pearled barley

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped or 1 teaspoon dried

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 lb assorted mushrooms, sliced (I used 8 ounce crimini mushrooms + 1 bag dried wild mushrooms, rehydrated*)

1-2 garlic clove, minced

3 cups fresh baby spinach

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

salt and pepper

What to do:

Bring chicken stock to a low simmer, and reduce heat to low to keep warm

In a large, deep pot or dutch oven, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened, about 6 minutes. Add thyme and a bit of pepper and stir. Cook about a minute or two. Add barley, stir for about 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook, stirring occasionally, until wine is almost all absorbed. Add 1 cup of stock. And stir. Once nearly absorbed add 1/2 cup stock. Stir. Continue adding 1/2 cup stock at a time, until cooked through. Barley risotto will be a creamy texture and grain should still have a bit of a bite to it.

While risotto is cooking, heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add mushrooms and saute. After about 5 minutes, mushrooms will be browned. Add garlic. Reduce heat to medium and cook until mushrooms are tender. Be sure to stir occasionally. Add a touch of white wine here too if you’re feeling up for it.

Add cooked mushrooms to risotto, along with fresh spinach leaves. Stir until spinach is wilted. Add parmesan cheese and stir once again. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve immediately. Top with extra parmesan cheese on top.

*Note: Be sure to rinse dried mushrooms well with cold water before rehydrating. Once rinse, place mushrooms in hot water  or stock and cook for 15 minutes at a very slight simmer.

Roasted Fall Vegetable Panzanella Salad

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Don’t you just love fall? That feeling you get walking down the street with a chill in the air and crunchy golden leaves under your feet…I just adore this time of year.

I find myself daydreaming about new recipes I want to try out even more this time of year. It’s the perfect opportunity…before the big holiday rush…to try out some recipes you’ve been meaning to make or get creative and revamp your tried and true favorites.

I decided to take a summer fave…Panzanella Salad (softened, crouton-like bread, sun-rippened local tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, basil and the best extra-virgin olive oil you can get your hands on…) and put a delicious fall twist on it. This version calls for roasted and caramelized root vegetables (with butternut squash being the star!), tangy kalamata olives, nutty parmesan cheese and a good amount of fresh thyme. Roasting root vegetables brings out the natural sugars from the veggies and creates a beautiful and delicious caramelization.

With Thanksgiving around the corner (did you know it’s ONE week away??), you may want to think about swapping out your regular stuffing recipe and use this Roasted Fall Veggie Panzanella Salad instead. Just sayin’.

And we’re off…!

Begin by prepping your veggies. We’ll start with butternut squash, as it is my favorite fall veg! Cut off both ends. Then cut the squash in half — cutting right where the skinny part of the “neck” and the bulb start to divide. This will make for an easier time getting the skin off (ie. you can cut straight down…you’ll see!). Please be sure squash is dried fully from washing and is on a stable surface as to avoid a roll-away squash.

And for heaven’s sake, keep those fingers tucked in!

After cutting the squash in half, it’s time to get that stubborn skin off. Start with a sharp knife at the top of the edge of one of the halves. Carefully slice downwards, taking the skin right off. Once again…watch those digits!

You’ll end up with something like this…

Get those pesky peel pieces out of the way. Now time to gut the bulb end of the squash. Cut the bulb in half, and scrape out the pulp and seeds with a spoon

Now slice up all of the squash…

…into 1-inch cubes.

Phew…glad that’s all done. My promise to you…that is by far the hardest part of the recipe!

Onwards.

Slice shallots and red onion. Be sure to keep them in larger chunks to aid in proper and even roasting.

Peel parsnips and slice into 1-inch pieces as well.

Place all cubed veggies into a big bowl. Top with olive oil, a bit of agave, salt, pepper and fresh thyme.

Place on a baking sheet (lined for easy clean up, if desired). Pop these bad boys in the oven for about 20 minutes.

While veggies are roasting, cube up loaf of bread. I decided to use a wheat, sunflower seed bread from Trader Joe’s. Makes for a prettier dish, plus an extra hint of earthiness.

Heat a large pot or dutch oven with olive oil and a few cloves of chopped garlic. Add the bread into the pot and toss with olive oil. Cook for about 10-15 minutes, tossing every few minutes or so. Add more olive oil if need be.

Take vegetables out of the oven and add add kalamata olives.

Toss/ flip veggies and add a sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese. Roast for an additional 15-20 more minutes.

Toss bread cubes, roasted vegetables and simple vinaigrette together in a large bowl and serve with a sprinkle of parmesan and a few slices of avocado if you so desire.

Enjoy!

Now go step on some crunchy leaves and enjoy the lovely fall air!

Roasted Fall Vegetable Panzenella Salad:

Ingredients:

1 butternut squash, cut into 1-inch cubes

3 shallots, diced into 1/2 inch slices

1 small red onion (or half of a large one in my case), sliced into 1-inch pieces

2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme

3/4-cup extra virgin olive oil, divided into 3 uses

1/3-cup kalamata olives, slice in half

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese + more for garnish (I used shaved to garnish, as I had it on hand)

1-loaf of day old bread (ciabatta, whole grain, french..whatever you prefer), cut into 1-inch cubes

2 cloves of garlic

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Salt and pepper

Optional garnish: sliced avocado

Preparation: 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place cubed butternut squash, parsnips, shallots, red onion in a large bow. Top with thyme, salt and pepper and 3 tablespoons of olive oil (or more if needed, eyeball it) – and mix until veggies are well-coated. Place vegetables on a baking sheet in a single layer (lined with foil or parchment for easy clean up). Do not crowd the vegetables. If in doubt, use two baking sheets.

Bake for 40 minutes. Half way through roasting time, give vegetables a toss, and add olives and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

In the meantime, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil and garlic over medium-low heat (careful not to burn). Add cubed bread and a big pinch of salt and toss to coat. Cook for about 10-15 minutes, tossing every few minutes.

While bread is cooking, whisk together remaining olive oil, red wine vinegar and salt and pepper.

Toss bread, roasted vegetables and vinaigrette together. Let sit for about 10 minutes to allow ingredients to marry. Top with a couple of slices of avocado (optional).

Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days. For best results, place mixture on a baking sheet to reheat.

How to Freeze Chocolate Chunk Cookie Dough

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I have company coming on Wednesday and want to seem like the perfect hostess…! Only problem is, this week is going to be C.R.A.Z.Y! And I don’t have time to be baking super crispy and chewy chocolate chunk cookies.

Or, do I!?

The solution? Make said delicious cookies and freeze until needed.

I know what you’re thinking, frozen cookies? Ehh…

Did you know that freezing fresh cookie dough makes the end product even better? Freezing the dough allows the butter and all things delicious to set into the flour. Making them even more delicious and making YOU an even more fabulous hostess!

Here’s how to make this happen…

Make Deb’s from Smitten Kitchen’s lovely Chocolate Chip Cookies…but with chocolate chunks! Please don’t judge me on the immense amount of chocolate chunks I add to my cookies…

Start by sifting together flour, baking soda and salt.

If you don’t have a fancy sifter feel free to use a colander (like me) and sift sideways if need be. Please do not skip this step. Sifted flour measures differently than unsifted flour.

Set aside.

Take some butter.

Melt it and cream with brown and white sugar.

Add 1 egg + 1 yolk and vanilla extract.

And beat together.

Mix in dry, sifted ingredients…a little at a time to avoid a mess.

And you’ll end up with something like…

…this:

Now for the fun part. Time to add the chocolate.

Using a wooden spoon, stir in chocolate chunk pieces. I’m a big fan of chocolate chips and all. But chocolate chunk pieces add more chocolate to each bite (what’s not to love?).

And stir…and stir…

Now. Take a teaspoon and roll up some cookies. I don’t like rolling mine too perfectly…I think rugged cookie dough makes for a more natural, home-baked looking cookie. Place on cookie sheet.

You don’t necessarily need to put down parchment paper, but it makes for easier clean up. Pop the whole cookie sheet into the freezer. No need to cover.

Allow to harden, about 1 hour. Remove from the freezer and place in a plastic storage bag (preferably one specified for freezing, but use what you have on hand).

Remember to write the date, bake temp and time on the bag. And place back into the freezer until chewy chocolate chunk cookies are needed! Allow to sit at room temperature for just a bit while preheating the oven and bake the specified time.

Here is Deb’s from Smitten Kitchen’s full recipe (with chocolate chips swapped for chocolate chunk pieces):

Crispy, Chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 egg + 1 yolk

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chunk pieces

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper

Sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended.

Beat in the vanilla, egg and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in sifted ingredients until well blended.

Stir in chocolate chunk pieces by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough onto prepared cookie sheet. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.

Bake about 12-14 minutes, depending on size of cookies. Let cool on wire rack and enjoy.

Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins

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Pumpkin doughnut muffins…say what!?

Oh yes…you read that right. Pumpkin. Doughnut. Muffins.

On the eve before Halloween, what better way to spend the night then making yummy muffins filled with pumpkin deliciousness for your loved ones? And yes…please count yourself as one of those loved ones because these bad boys are divine and you’re going to want to sample of few.

These muffins are BIG and have a cakey inside (hence the “doughnut” in the tile). No frying necessary. Just a bit of butter, sugar and spice to coat the outside.

Let’s get started. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Butter and flour muffin tin.

Now for the batter…

You will need three bowls. Small, medium and a large one.

In your medium bowl, mix together flour…

Baking soda and powder…

Pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and salt…

And whisk together.

Set aside.

In your small bowl, mix together pumpkin puree…

Buttermilk…

And vanilla extract and mix together with a spoon.

Now for that large bowl. Add brown sugar and butter.

And cream together using an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

Add two eggs. One at a time.

Time to combine our three bowls together! Add a bit of the dry ingredients…

…then half of the pumpkin mixture..then a bit more dry, then the rest of the pumpkin mixture and FINALLY the rest of the dry. And you’ll end up with something like this…

The batter will be thick. (This is what makes them so doughnut-ty!)

Spoon about 1/3 cup of batter into each muffin cup.

And bake for about 28 minutes. Your kitchen will smell lovely and oh-so fall-y.

Let muffins cool in pan on wire rack for just a bit.

Now for the fun part. Mix together sugar and cinnamon in one bowl. And melt butter in another.

Brush each muffin with some butter then coat in the sugar mixture.

And ENJOY!

Have one for breakfast, or for a snack, or for dessert. Or for all three..I won’t tell.

Happy, Happy Halloween!

Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins

Adapted from Martha Stewart

Ingredients:

For the Batter–

10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan

3 cups all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more for pan

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon coarse salt

1 teaspoon pumpkin spice

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/3 cup buttermilk (I used low-fat, just what I had on hand)

1 1/4 cups pure pumpkin puree (from 15-ounce can)

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large organic eggs

For the Sugar Coating –

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter & flour 12-inch standard muffin cups. For batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pumpkin spice and cinnamon. Set aside. In a small bowl, using an electric mizer, beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. With mixer on low, add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with two additions pumpkin mixture and beat to combine.

Spoon 1/3 cup batter into each muffin cup and bake until toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean, about 28 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine granulated sugar and cinnamon. Let muffins cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Remove muffins from pan, brush all over with butter, then toss to coat in sugar mixture. Let muffins cool completely on a wire rack and store at room temp in an airtight container.

Homemade Vanilla Extract

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Making homemade vanilla extract is something I’ve been wanting to do for quite sometime. It’s so easy to do…and all you need is a little love, vodka and vanilla beans. Really…it’s that simple. Oh and a couple of months to let it steep. But that’s the easy part.

Mmmm can you smell the vanilla….

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves…!

Why make homemade vanilla extract? First off, it’s expensive to buy in the stores and if you bake a lot, you’ll find yourself with a $8 bottle on your grocery bill every few months. Second, you can impress your friends and family at Christmas with a homemade gift! Just add a cute label and a grosgrain ribbon and you’re set.

The beauty about making your own vanilla extract is that once you make it…you’ll have it forever. Just add more vodka when you’re running low. You may need to add a few fresh beans down the road if the bottle is losing it’s potency…but you can handle that, right? Right!

Sit tight…and let’s get started!

I ordered my beans from Beanilla. You can order a variety — Madagascar, Bourbon…pick one or a few and make a variety of vanilla extracts. Making a variety would be fun for gift giving. If you buy in bulk, you can save a bit.

Beanilla also sell Boston bottles on their site as well, but I ordered mine from Amazon. I’m using 4 ounce, brown bottles for this batch. The brown tint keeps the light out which is all around better for the extract, but not a deal breaker. You can also make one big batch in a large canning jar…or even straight in the vodka bottle if you would prefer.

Start by sterilizing the bottles. You can boil them (about 15-20 mins), pop them in the dishwasher (if you’re lucky enough to have one!) or wash them in hot, soapy water. Be sure to allow your bottles to dry and cool completely.

Cut your vanilla beans down the middle, leaving the tip in tact. You will find vanilla bean “caviar” inside…yum! Then cut your them in half.

Place 3 halves in each bottle.

Fill with unflavored vodka of choice. Any mid-ranged vodka will do. No need to splurge here.

Tighten cap. Let sit for 3 months (preferably) or at least 2.

Be sure to shake, shake, shake the bottles a few times a week for the first 1 – 2 weeks or so. And then every now and again over the next 2 months.

You can order labels online or make your own. Since it’s only October, I’ve yet to make mine. But I’ll keep you posted of course!

Next step? Relax. You just got a jump start on Christmas and pumpkin season is just getting started!

Happy Baking.