Millionaire's Shortbread 10/13/2010
 I didn't mean to take the summer off -- but it turns out that's exactly what I did. I just jumped ship and swam out to sea. Actually, the truth of the matter is that I was busy. Very...very....very busy. I'm exhausted just thinking about it. As busy as it was, it was also very nice. We did a lot of fun things -- baseball games, swimming, vacation! Good times! But now the time has come to set my sights back on baking. I wanted to get back in the swing of things earlier but I really haven't made any recipes worth sharing. That is until now! And trust me, I am back in a BIG way!!! A couple of days ago, I realized that I was supposed to bring the snack for the board meeting (for which I have the privilege of being secretary) for Norah's preschool. I realized this the day of the meeting, of course. I figured I'd take something savory and something sweet. I scoured my pantry and came up with the savory. I scoured my recipes and came up with Millionaire's Shortbread. Surely these things are named, not because they are expensive to make, but because they are so rich and quite frankly they make you feel like a Queen (or King, as the case may be). They are incredibly easy to make and require no fancy ingredients. Just my kind of recipe...super simple and with a definite WOW factor! I have to say that my fellow board members were impressed just by looking at them (love that!). Everyone asked if I made them. I heard such comments as, "I wasn't going to have any, but since everyone says they are so good..." and "I am going to lick my plate." Really...what better compliment can a baker get? So if you want to feel like a millionaire and want some accolades to go along with it make these. Go on! I'll be here when you get back. Millionaire's Shortbread taken from The English Kitchen For the Shortbread: 9 ounces flour 3 ounces caster (superfine) sugar 6 ounces butter, cut into chunks For the Caramel: 4 ounces butter 4 ounces light brown sugar 2 cans of sweetened condensed milk For the Chocolate: 7 ounces good quality chocolate (dark, milk, white, or a mixture is up to you) Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 13 by 9 inch baking sheet (the kind with sides). Set aside. Weigh the flour, sugar and butter into a bowl. Cut the butter into the flour and sugar with your finger or a pastry blender until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Knead the mixture until it forms a dough. Press the dough into the prepared pan. Smooth out evenly. Prick all over with a fork. Bake for 20 minutes, until firm to the touch and very lightly browned. Remove from the oven and cool completely. To make the caramel, place all the caramel ingredients into a saucepan. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved, stirring constantly. Bring to the boil, still stirring. Reduce the heat to low and cook very gently for about 5 minutes or until the mixture thickens. Do not stop stirring as the mixture will catch and burn if you don't keep it moving (I don't know if this is true -- but why chance it?). Remove from the heat and pour over the cooled shortbread. Allow to cool completely. To make the chocolate topping, break the chocolate into pieces and place into a heatproof bowl. Bring a small amount of water in a saucepan to a simmer. Set the bowl on the top of the pan. Don't let the bowl to touch the water. Melt completely, stirring occasionally. Pour over the cold caramel and leave to set. Cut into squares or bars to serve. Note: These bars do not have a lot of ingredients so the ingredients that you do use are very important. Use the best that you can get. 1 Comment  Tom Cruise may have had Renee Zellweger at hello, but chocolate is all you need to capture my heart. Add cookie and cheesecake to the mix and you might as well get a net to catch me as I swoon. I'm not sure where there bars originated. I saw them on several different blogs so I thought I'd throw mine in the cyber mix too. Why not? These are just too good not to share. Even though there are three parts to this recipe, they are easy to make. Give them a try and I promise you will be thanking me! Just a note: These are really rich, so a little goes a long way! Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars Crust: 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs 5 Tablespoons butter, melted 2/3 cup miniature chocolate chips Cookie Dough: 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar 1/8 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips Cheesecake Filling: 10 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1 large egg, at room temperature 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter a 9″-square baking pan. Line pan with parchment paper, leaving enough to extend over the sides. Butter the parchment paper. (I just sprayed my pan with no trouble.) To prepare the crust combine graham cracker crumbs and butter until crumbs are moistened. Stir in the mini-chocolate chips. Press crust mixture into bottom of pan and 1 inch up sides. I forgot to go up the sides and it was just fine. Bake for 6 minutes. Set pan on wire rack to cool. Next Prepare the cookie dough. Using an electric mixer, mix butter, brown sugar, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract at medium speed until smooth. Decrease mixer speed to low and add flour To prepare the filling, using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar just until smooth. Add egg and vanilla extract, beating just until blended. Pour batter into baked crust. Drop cookie dough by teaspoonfuls over the top of the filling. Bake about 30 minutes, or until set. Transfer to wire rack. To decorate with drizzled chocolate, place chocolate in a sandwich bag on a microwave safe dish and microwave in 30 second intervals moving the chocolate around between. Using scissors, cut the very tip off the sandwich bag. The smaller your cut, the smalled the drizzle. I skipped this step...it didn't seem necessary. Okay, I was just being lazy. Using the edges of the parchment paper, remove bars from pan. Cut into bars and serve. A couple of things: 1. This recipe is easily doubled. 2. You can make the crust ahead of time. 3. You can make the cookie dough a head of time too. 4. I wouldn't recommend making the cheesecake part ahead of time because it would have to be refrigerated and you'll need it at room temperature to pour over the crust. Brownies...What Better Way to Start 11/15/2009
 I am so excited to finally be in my new home! To celebrate I have chosen five of my favorite baking recipes and two I hope become favorites to share this week. I can't think of a better way to start off than with chocolate! I don't think it is a secret that I like simple recipes. I don't think that good food needs to be fussy or difficult. I used to stay away from brownie recipes because they all seemed to require melting chocolate. Since then I have developed a love of standing at a warm stove, slightly flushed, stirring the slowing melting pools of shiny chocolate as its deep aroma wafts up. It's a very sensual experience that I didn't appreciate at the time so I was very happy to find this recipe from King Arthur's Flour. Not only are these moist chocolatey brownies outstanding, there is no melting required and they are simple to make. I have altered the preparation somewhat, but the ingredients are all the same. I once made these for a friend who had just had a baby. She said they were "to-die-for". I couldn't agree more. When I die just bury me with a batch of these and I'll be happy. The Best Brownies Ever (Seriously) 2 sticks unsalted butter 2 1/4 cups sugar (I like baker's sugar) 11/4 cups dutch-processed cocoa (I use regular cocoa most of the time) 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 tablespoon vanilla 4 eggs 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups chocolate chips Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch pan. In a large microwavable bowl, melt the butter. Once melted, stir in the sugar and put back into the microwave and heat for about one minute, until the sugar has dissolved a bit. Do not allow to boil. Mix together the cocoa, salt, and baking powder. Stir into the butter mixture. Mix together the vanilla and eggs. Stir into the butter-cocoa mixture. Stir in the flour and then fold in the chocolate chips. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 28-30 minutes. These brownies are very moist and it can sometimes be difficult to tell whether or not they are done. Watch them carefully so they don't over bake. |
