Brownie Mix Bliss Cookbook

This is one of my favorite cookbooks to have handy when you need a delicious chocolate dessert in a hurry.  Most of us have at least one box of brownie mix in our pantry at any given time.  Anyone who bakes from scratch would have to admit that they have made brownies from a mix simply because they can’t be beat.  How would you like to take that brownie mix and turn it into something other than fudgy, chewy, gooey brownies?  It can be done using the recipes provided by Camilla V. Saulsbury.

Along with her recipes to transform a simple brownie mix into the best brownie you ever tasted, Camilla offers such decadent treats as Coffee Toffee Chocolate Biscotti, Cashew Butter Brickle Brownie Cookies, Bananas Foster Chocolate Upside Down Cake, Boston Brownie Cream Pie, Brownie Baked Alaska, Chocolate Chip Brownie Trifle, and Brownie Bottomed Crème Brulee.  If that’s not enough, there are several recipes for frostings and glazes to adorn your chocolate masterpieces. 

Camilla offers her successful baking tips with each and every recipe.  Her personalized stories about each recipe will bring you back to your childhood.  She gives you ideas on how to vary her recipes.  For all of you recipe contest foodies, this is how you learn to create your own original recipes!   I have followed Camilla’s culinary adventures for years.  I first saw her competing on the National Chicken Cook Off.  She has had many recipes published in food magazines, and continues to write her own food blog.

Here is one of the recipes from Brownie Mix Bliss:

Chocolate-Dipped Brownie “Truffles”

1 - 19.5oz to 19.8oz package of brownie mix

½ cup of vegetable oil

¼ cup of water

2 large eggs

1 – 8oz box of semisweet baking chocolate squares, coarsely chopped

1 – 14oz can of sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 Tablespoon of unsalted butter

Decorations: chopped nuts, candy sprinkles, white chocolate, or confectioner’s (edible) glitter (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (325 for dark coated metal pans).  Position a rack in the lower third of the oven.  Spray the bottom only of a 13 x 9” baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.

In a medium mixing bowl, mix the brownie mix, oil, water and eggs with a wooden spoon until just blended and all the dry ingredients are moistened.  Spread batter into prepared pan.

Bake 28-30 minutes until just set at center (do not over-bake).  Transfer brownies to a wire rack and immediately cut into 48 pieces.  Working quickly, roll each piece into a ball; place on wire racks and cool completely.

In a heavy saucepan or double boiler over low heat, melt chocolate with condensed milk, stirring until smooth.  Turn heat to lowest possible setting; stir in vanilla and butter.

Place one brownie ball at a time on a fork; dip into chocolate and coat thoroughly.  Place on rack for excess chocolate to drip off.  If desired, sprinkle truffles with nuts, white chocolate or decorative candies.  Refrigerate at least 1 hour to set the chocolate.  Store in the refrigerator.  Makes 48 truffles.

I know you will love this cookbook.  It’s sure to be one of those that gets a lot of use.  With more than 175 recipes, there’s something for everyone!

Enjoy more recipes from Camilla at her food blog “Enlightened Cooking.”  You can find it at enlightenedcooking.blogspot.com

Happy Baking,

Pam

Setting Up with Unflavored Gelatin

I wanted to talk a little bit about using unflavored or plain gelatin in molded desserts.   How many of you have tried to make a dessert using gelatin and were thoroughly disappointed with the outcome?  You ended up with a bowl of soup rather than a jellied dessert.  I would first like to share with you what exactly plain gelatin is, and all of the different ways it can be used.

Unflavored gelatin is an odorless, colorless and tasteless protein (about 85% to be exact) used as a thickening agent.  It can be used for jelling molded desserts or salads and thickening soups or pies.   Gelatin is derived from the bones and connective tissues from animals.  Most commercial gelatin today is a by-product of pig skin.   This explains why my daughter’s vegan friend would never eat any Jell-O when I served it to her!  Other alternative thickening agents for vegans would be carrageen or agar, which are derived from seaweed.   Pectin is acceptable as it is derived naturally from fruits and veggies.

In order for gelatin to set up it needs to first be dissolved in cold water, slightly heated and then chilled.  How hard can that be?  If you don’t follow all of these steps you will be disappointed.  The biggest mistake made is letting the liquid come to a boil or get too hot.  Once gelatin starts to boil it will begin to lose its thickening properties.  Another reason for failure could be from using too much sugar in the recipe.  This can cause the gelatin to stay too soft and not properly set up.

To use, lightly sprinkle one packet of dry gelatin over ¼ cup of cold water in a saucepan and let it soften for 5 minutes.  You want to carefully sprinkle the gelatin so as not to form any clumps.  This step helps the gelatin to swell up which makes it easier to dissolve.  Heat slowly on medium low heat and stir until dissolved and the liquid looks clear.  Do not let the mixture boil!  Test the temperature with your finger to make sure it does not get too hot.  The gelatin is now ready to use in your recipe.    One ¼ ounce packet will jell about 2 cups of liquid. 

The chilling time for 2 cups of liquid is about two hours.  When doubling a recipe use only 3 ¾ cups of liquid.  To maintain the gelatinous state always keep your jellied dessert in the refrigerator.  To keep it from forming a rubbery skin on top, cover it tightly with a lid or plastic wrap.

One thing you should know about adding fruit to your molded dessert is that some tropical fruits like fresh pineapple, papaya, fresh figs, kiwi and even gingerroot contain an enzyme called bromelain which can break down the thickening properties of gelatin.   When these tropical fruits are cooked, the enzyme is deactivated.  So using canned pineapple for example would be okay. 

 If you are using a mold to form your dessert, first spray it with cooking spray before filling to help the dessert release easily.   Another way to release it is to dip the chilled mold into a bowl of warm water for 10 seconds or so, loosen the edges with a knife, then unmold onto a serving dish.  Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.   

I hope this information about unflavored gelatin is helpful to you.  You can learn more about gelatin at homecooking.about.com

Happy Baking,

Pam   

Chocolate Chip Yogurt Cookies - Review



Photo by Shannon's Kitchen Creations

One way that I choose a recipe for review is to go through all of the ingredients and see if any of them catch my eye.  This recipe uses white whole wheat flour which I have been loving a lot lately.  Yes, there is such a thing as “white” whole wheat.  It’s not as heavy as regular whole wheat flour, and has more nutrition than plain all-purpose or white flour.  I like the lighter texture you get from using it.

This recipe contains no eggs, but does add plain, non-fat yogurt.  Other than that, you should have all of the rest of the ingredients in your well-stocked pantry.

To start with, I noticed that Shannon preheats the oven to 375 degrees.  Those of you who know me well, also know that I like to bake all of my cookies at 325 degrees.  I figured that I could just add a few extra minutes to the baking time.  My reason for baking at 325 degrees is because I never want to over-bake my cookies.  I’m one of those who loves a soft and chewy cookie, rather than a hard and crispy one.  By the looks of Shannon’s baked cookies, I think she likes them soft, too.

The recipe does not specify what type of brown sugar to use, so I used light brown sugar.  The reason I chose the light version is because there is more moisture in dark brown sugar.   Also, she did not mention what type of butter to use, so I used unsalted and let it come up to room temperature for easy blending.  If you don’t have time to wait for the butter to soften, you can always set the microwave to defrost and run only for a few seconds at a time until it softens.  Be careful not to let it melt.  The brand of yogurt I had on hand was Kalona Super Natural Organic.

Lastly, I did not have any semi-sweet chocolate chips so I used dark chocolate chips.  I believe that Shannon’s recipe works great with any flavor of chocolate chips you like.  When you use dark or bittersweet chocolate it helps to cut through the sweetness a bit, giving your taste buds a little sweet and bitter at the same time.  Not to mention the health benefits of dark chocolate…

Shannon’s recipe wants you to drop the dough by rounded Tablespoons for each cookie.  My greediness got the best of me, and I had to make them just a bit bigger.  I used my 1 ½” metal cookie scoop for each cookie.  I baked them at 325 degrees for 14-15 minutes, just until the middle set.  I then let them cool a few minutes on the baking sheet before removing them to a cooling rack.  Using my scoop I got 24 cookies.  Here’s a photo of how my cookies turned out.

Photo by Cordial Crumb

Are you ready?  THESE COOKIES WERE AWESOME!!  They were everything I love in a good chocolate chip cookie.   The cookies were all gone within 24 hours.   I made them a second time for a gathering of friends.  All of the comments were positive.  Everyone loved them!  I highly recommend this recipe if you need to bring something for a pot luck.  Make a second batch for yourself, because there won’t be any leftovers! 

Here is Shannon's recipe:

• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup plain nonfat Chobani Greek yogurt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup white whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

          Makes 36 cookies

     Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Stir in yogurt and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until incorporated, then mix in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded tablespoons, 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets. ( I use this handy dandy scooper, so they are perfectly portioned!!)
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until the edges begin to brown. Cool for a minute on the cookie tray before removing.

I want to thank Shannon’s Kitchen Creations for sharing this recipe.  To see more of Shannon’s creations, go to www.shannonskitchencreations.com

Happy Baking,

Pam



Chocolate Mousse Cups with Strawberries





With Valentine's Day just around the corner, I thought I would share an idea I had several years ago.  This one is so easy that you don't even need a recipe.  One component you need is some prepared chocolate mousse.  Because there are zillions of recipes for chocolate mousse, use your all-time favorite, or purchase some already made.

Now for the fun part.  The diamond-shaped chocolate cups really make this treat special.  I am not a fan of silicone baking pans, but I do like the silicone baking cups for molding the chocolate.  They come in several different shapes.  I happened to have the diamond shaped ones in my cupboard.  Just melt some of your favorite chocolate.  I used dark chocolate, but feel free to try milk or even white chocolate if you like.  You will need a small paint brush, clean and unused.  Working quickly, paint the insides of the molds with the melted chocolate.  Set them on a tray and refrigerate to help set the chocolate faster.  Once they are firm, carefully peel back the molds.  The chocolate cups should come out effortlessly.  Here is a picture of the silicone molds from the Sweet Baking Supply Company:

Now you can fill or pipe the chocolate mousse into the molded cups.  Garnish with fresh whipped cream and strawberry slices.  For fun you can make chocolate butterfly wings to garnish the top.  Fill a piping bag with some melted chocolate. Use a writing tip to make wing shapes on a piece of waxed paper.  Let the wings firm up before using.  I also lightly dusted the plate with cocoa powder for a nice touch.

I hope you will serve this easy, but impressive dessert to your loved ones on Valentine's Day.  It's a nice change of pace from the usual boxed chocolates.  (which by the way, I would not pass up either!!)

Happy Baking,

Pam

Strawberry Amaretto Donut Bread Pudding

Years ago I created this recipe from some leftover cake donuts.  I love a good bread pudding and wanted to make one with some of my favorite flavor combinations.  This recipe can be served for dessert or a Sunday brunch.  I would even go out on a limb and say that it would be perfect for a bridal or baby shower. 

6  plain cake donuts from bakery, approximately 3oz. each

½ lb. fresh, hulled strawberries

3 large eggs

1 – 6oz. container of original French vanilla yogurt

1 cup of amaretto flavored liquid coffee creamer

½ cup of half ‘n half

1 ½ teaspoons of pure almond extract

Garnish:

12 large dollops of whipped cream topping from can

12 – ½” slices of fresh strawberries

12 Tablespoons of strawberry pancake syrup

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly spray a 9” x 13” light gray baking pan with non-stick cooking spray with flour added.  Set aside.

With a 3” paring knife, cut each of the 6 cake donuts in half.  Cut each half into quarters.  Place all of the donut pieces into the prepared baking pan, fitting them into one layer on the bottom.  Cut ½ lb. of fresh, hulled strawberries into ½” slices.  Cut each slice into quarters.  Sprinkle all of the strawberry pieces evenly over the donut pieces, covering entire area.  Set aside.

In a 5-cup electric blender, combine 3 large eggs, 1 – 6oz. container of original French vanilla yogurt, 1 cup of amaretto flavored liquid coffee creamer, ½ cup of half ‘n half, and 1 ½ teaspoons of pure almond extract.  Blend on low speed for approximately 10 seconds, or until well blended.  Pour the custard mixture evenly over the donut and strawberry pieces.  With a large spoon, carefully press down over the mixture to make sure all of the donuts are saturated with some of the custard.  Bake in a 350 degree oven on the middle rack for 40-45 minutes, or until mixture is slightly puffed, lightly browned, and a knife inserted in the center comes out moist but clean.  Cool on a large cooling rack for 15-20 minutes before cutting.  Tastes best when slightly warm.

To serve, use a medium knife to cut the bread puddidng into 3” x 3 ¼” squares. You should get approximately 12 pieces.  For each serving, place one square of pudding on a 6” square white dessert plate.  Squirt one large dollop of whipped cream topping over the top.  Place one ½” strawberry slice in the middle of the whipped cream topping.  Drizzle one Tablespoon of strawberry pancake syrup evenly over the pudding and the plate.  Repeat steps to make 11 more servings.  Serve immediately.  Refrigerate any leftovers.

Makes 12 servings.

Happy Baking,

Pam

Taste of Home Baking Book

I thought I would share with you one of my new baking cookbooks.  The Taste of Home Baking Book was created from one of the top cooking magazines in the country.  All of the recipes in this book come from trusted home cooks.  You should not be intimidated by the 725+ recipes as they have been tried and tested by Taste of Home’s own home economists.  Whether you are just learning to bake at home or are an experienced home baker looking for reliable recipes, you will want to keep this cookbook at your fingertips.

I don’t know about you, but I simply won’t buy a new cookbook unless there are photographs of the finished product.   Taste of Home’s Baking Book contains over 675 color photos to help you along the way.  Not only do they share photos of the finished product, they also illustrate mixing and baking techniques.  I also appreciate the easy to read, step-by-step directions that help you achieve success every time.

Taste of Home is always encouraging people to share their timeless family recipes with them.  There are a number of recipe contests ongoing where you can even win prizes for sharing your original recipe.  Your favorite cake or cookie recipe could be showcased in the next edition of the Taste of Home Baking Book!

One of the recipes that I am going to share with you today is from the Dessert index of the book.  It’s called Banana Split Cream Puffs (photo comes from the book). The prep time for this recipe is 30 minutes, with another 30-35 minutes for baking.

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 eggs
• 12 scoops vanilla ice cream
• 1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
• 1 large or 2 medium bananas, thinly sliced
• 3/4 cup pineapple tidbits, drained
• 1/2 cup hot fudge sauce

Directions

In a large saucepan, bring the water, butter and salt to a boil over medium heat.  Add flour all at once and stir until a smooth ball forms.  Remove from the heat; let stand for 5 minutes.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Continue beating until mixture is smooth and shiny.

Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 3 in. apart onto a greased baking sheet.  Bake at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove to a wire rack.  Immediately cut a slit in each to allow steam to escape; cool.  Split puffs open; remove tops and set aside.  Discard soft dough from inside.

Fill each puff with a scoop of ice cream and top with fruit.  Drizzle with hot fudge topping; replace tops.  Serve immediately.

I hope you add this cookbook to your collection.  Your family will love that you take the time to bake from scratch!

Happy baking,

Pam

 

Awesome Granola Recipe!

Every now and then, I get a hankerin' for some home made granola!  With the new year underway, I also wanted to try and eat more whole foods like grains, fruits and nuts.  Don't be put off by the number of ingredients.  Most of them can be found in your pantry at any given time.  If not, make a trip to the store and stock up on them.  That way, you can make granola as often as you like.  One nice thing about making your own is that you can add only what you like.  It's easy to swap out one ingredient for another. 

After I made this granola for the first time, I found out that two of my ingredients made it on the "new trends for 2012" list.  Barley flour and chia seeds are popping up in a lot of recipes now.  Look for them in the healthy foods area of your grocery store.  I found my bag of chia seeds at Costco.  I keep it in the freezer to stay fresh.  Chia seeds are a great source of Omega 3's. 

My granola recipe makes a great after-school snack for the kids, too.  I hope you will give it a try.

Dry Ingredients:

1 cup of quick cooking oats

¼ cup of wheat bran

¼ cup of barley flour

2 Tablespoons of powdered milk

¼ cup of white sesame seeds

¼ cup of chia seeds

¼ cup of unsweetened coconut flakes

1 cup of nuts (I used ½ c. chopped pecans and ½ c. sliced almonds)

1 ½ cups of dried fruit (I used ½ cup each of dried figs, dried tart cherries and dried papaya)

Wet Ingredients:

½ cup of natural almond butter

¼ cup of canola oil

¼ cup of agave syrup

1 ½ teaspoons of butter vanilla

Heat the oven to 300 degrees.  Line a 12 ½” x 17 ½” baking sheet with non-stick foil or a silicone baking mat.  Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients.  Mix until well combined.  In a large sauté pan, combine all of the wet ingredients.  Stir on low heat for 2-3 minutes, or just until the almond butter has melted.   Pour the warmed mixture over the dry ingredients and mix until well coated.  Pour the granola onto the prepared baking sheet.  With a large spoon, spread it out evenly without packing it down too much.  Bake at 300 degrees for approximately 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.  Remove from the oven and let it dry and cool completely.  Break the granola up and store it in an airtight container.

NOTE:  The butter vanilla in this recipe is a product I buy from a cake decorating supply store.   It is a bakery emulsion flavoring.  Emulsions have a more potent flavor than regular extracts, and won’t “bake out” when exposed to heat.   If you don’t have it, you can substitute with pure vanilla extract, or even pure almond extract.

Happy Baking,

Pam