Quick Cookies

I have to admit, I have been quite slack on the Christmas and holiday baking this year. For the first time in over a decade, I just have not had the inclination. Perhaps it is a lack of space in my kitchen that leaves me bewildered as to where to prep. I kept delving into my brain to figure out why, as usually it brings me great joy and pleasure.

Typically, I sit down the day after Thanksgiving and start perusing my food magazines, reviewing old recipes, giving thought to favorites, but this year, meh. I just didn’t feel like it. I just wasn’t into it, and for a slight moment, I felt a pang of guilt, but I let it go.

I am only baking a few things (three to be exact this season), these #quickcookies that are chewy, crispy, tinged with cocoa and peppermint, fruitcake (yes, it is true, fruitcake, but not the traditional, hard as a brick kind) and stollen, one of my all time favorite holiday treats.

If you want a quick, simple, easy to please cookie, that packages up nicely as gifts; this one is for you.

PS- I am taking this recipe to the Ronald McDonald House tomorrow in Charleston, SC to bake treats for the families there. I think I can get my cookie mojo back, by giving back to the community! : )

Chocolate Peppermint Crackles

Pre-heat the oven to 350 Degrees. Line 2 cookies sheets with parchment paper.

1. 1 lb. powdered (confectioner’s) sugar
2. 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
3. 1/2 tsp. salt
4. 4 large egg whites
5. 1 scraping of vanilla bean
6. 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
7. 1/2 cup chopped dark (70 %) chocolate
8. 1 tsp. peppermint extract

In a large bowl, whisk the powdered sugar with the cocoa and salt. Add the egg whites, scraped vanilla bean and peppermint extract to the mixture and beat until smooth and well blended. Fold in the bittersweet chips and chopped chocolate.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto the parchment lined baking sheets. Bake 13-15 minutes or until slightly crackled. Cool slightly dust with powdered sugar and transfer to a wire cooling rack. Optional is to crush peppermint candies and sprinkle on top along with powdered sugar.

Content and Images Copyrighted by Shell Royster, 2016. May not be used without permission.

It’s not pumpkin, its chocolate! A chocolate tart.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the season of pumpkin. But after being inundated with everything from pumpkin lattes, to pumpkin pie, cookies, pumpkin flavored everything, by the time Thanksgiving rolls around, I am burned out.

So, this Thanksgiving, I am making a staple of my dessert repertoire, a bittersweet chocolate, cointreau tart, but with a gluten free crust. With all those carbs (mashed potatoes and stuffing), who needs more?

This crust is made with Bob’s Red Mill, organic, brown rice flour. I am a big fan of Bob’s and this flour bakes up well. Just be sure to grease your tart pan liner first.

Crust

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees

1. 1/2 cup ground almonds
2. 3/4 cup of Bob’s Red Mill, organic brown rice flour
3. 4 tablespoons of sugar
4. 6 tbs. unsalted butter
5. 1 large egg yolk
6. 3 tsps. Siggis vanilla yogurt

In a large bowl, combine ground almonds, rice flour and sugar. In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolk and yogurt and set aside.

Cut butter into flour mixture until it looks like coarse meal. Mix in egg yolk and yogurt and mix until well incorporated. Form a large round and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Remove dough from refrigerator and roll out. Grease tart pan and place rolled crust into tart pan, covering sides, pressing into the sides if necessary. Blind bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes, or until light golden brown. Set aside to cool.

Chocolate Mixture

1.  10 ounces of bittersweet chocolate
2. 7 tablespoons of unsalted butter
3. 2 tsp. cointreau liqueur
4. 6 large eggs

In a small sauce pan over a pan of a larger pan of simmering water, melt chocolate and butter, stir in cointreau; do not allow mixture to boil.

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs at medium speed until light and fluffy. Fold chocolate mixture into egg mixture and blend until well incorporated. Mixture will turn dark, like the color of chocolate.

Pour the mixture into pre-baked tart crust and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Center will look shiny and slightly wobbly. Allow to cool and top with orange zest or powdered sugar.

Ibakedishotiateit – all!

All images copyright Shell B Royster 2015 and may not be used without permission

 

Cinnamon Roll Heritage

Heritage, a word that evokes a tradition passed down from generation to generation. That is my Mom, Great Grandmother and Dad above. My Great Grandmother taught me to bake at her farm in Texas. My Mother is a master bread maker and my Dad, well, he loved to bake and cook, as well as eat!

I remember when I was in grade school, my Dad worked in a town called Yoder, Kansas. Yoder is an Amish town, filled with the old and new. You will see the juxtaposition of a horse drawn carriage next to an automobile. What I think of Yoder, cinnamon rolls come to mind; my Dad would bring back a dozen every Friday. I don’t know where he bought them from, but I do recall the doughy, cinnamon goodness and thick icing on top.

I have not baked a yeast based bread in a few years, so I decided in my Dad’s memory that I would bake a few and eat them in his honor, sit back and reflect on his life. The only difference here, is that I injected something new into the recipe, as I cannot ponder only the past, we have to evolve and move forward; this will be a new tradition.

Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Rolls

1. 4 cups of flour
2. 1 package of dry yeast
3. 1 cup of milk
4. 1/3 cup butter
5. 2/3 cup of sugar
6. 1/2 teaspoon salt
7. 2 eggs
8. 1/2 cup of chocolate chips
9. 3 tbs of unsalted butter
10. 1/2 cup sugar
11. 4 teaspoons cinnamon (combine with 1/2 cup of sugar and set aside)

In a large mixing bowl for a mixing stand, combine 2 cups of the flour and yeast.

In a medium saucepan heat the milk, 1/3 cup of butter and 1/3 cup of sugar until just warm and butter is melted. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and combine well. Add eggs and continue mixing about 3 minutes.

Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a floured surface. Knead in additional flour until dough is smooth and elastic. Shape into a ball and place in a large, buttered bowl. Cover and let rest for 1 hour.

Punch dough down, place on the floured surface and divide into two. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes longer. Roll the dough into two rectangles. Brush the melted butter over the flattened dough, sprinkle with half of the cinnamon sugar mix, sprinkle chocolate chips onto dough and roll into a log shape. Do the same with additional rectangle.

Cut logs into 1 inch thickness and place into 2, 9″ round pans, cover and set aside to rise again for 30 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes until golden on top. Cool slightly and ice with recipe below.

Powdered Sugar Icing

1. 1 cup of sifted powdered sugar
2. 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
3. 1-2 tablespoons of milk

Add all ingredients into a small bowl and whisk until smooth.

YUM!!!!

Gluten Free Chocolate Tart

I never jumped on the bandwagon of gluten free, I don’t have celiac disease and don’t have a problem with wheat. However, recently someone I know that does have gluten problems, prompted me to re-work this classic recipe, and to good result! I baked it using brown rice flour and the compliments were flowing, it was a huge hit at a birthday gathering and was eaten way before anyone even attempted to cut into the cake from Whole Foods. So here it is.

Gluten Free Crust

1. 2/3 cup of finely chopped walnuts or almonds
2. 1/4 cup of sugar
3. 8 tbs. unsalted, European butter
4. 1 cup of Bob’s Red Mill, brown rice flour (thanks Bob!)
5. 1 large egg yolk
6. 2 tbs. of heavy cream

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. In a blender or food processor, combine the sugar and nuts, and pulse until finely ground. Place the mixture in the bowl, cut in the butter until well blended and add flour until mixture is coarse and has small lumps. In a small bowl, add the egg yolk and cream and stir well. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and cut with a pastry cutter until incorporated. Knead lightly until the dough holds together, form a round and wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Transfer the dough between floured wax paper sheets or plastic wrap and roll gently into an 11 inch round for a 9 inch tart pan. Remove one side of the wax paper and invert the dough into the tart pan and remove top sheet of wrap. Press dough around edges of the pan. Top with parchment and add pie weights or dried beans to act as a weight.

Bake the crust for 5 minutes at 400 degrees, or until slightly puffed. Prick the crust with a fork and return to oven, at lower temperature of 375 and bake 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Chocolate Filling

1. 8 ounces of bittersweet chocolate, chopped, or chips
2. 8 tbs. unsalted European butter
3. 6 large eggs

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large, microwave proof bowl, microwave butter and chocolate until melted, if there are lumps stir the mixture by hand to incorporate and create a smooth texture.

In a large saucepan over simmering hot water, add the eggs and stir constantly until just warmed (do not allow to scorch or boil). Remove the eggs and using a hand mixer, beat the eggs on medium high until tripled in volume, 4-5 minutes.

Slowly fold egg mixture into chocolate mixture and continue blending bit by bit, ensuring there are no streaks.

Fold the mixture into the crust and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes. Serve with fresh whipped cream, ice cream or just straight up! Chocolate lovers will be obsessed!

 

Gluten Free Chocolate Tart

Coming this weekend, the recipe for the famous chocolate tart, photo posted @sbr2photography on instagram!

 

Fudgy, Chewy Brownies

I know this is sacrilege, but I do not love chocolate. I get gasps and disbelief when I tell people this, they stare at me incredulously; sorry chocolate lovers. I do however, enjoy an occasional piece of a fudgy brownie, loaded with walnuts.

So in honor of all things choco-rific, I decided to bake up these tried and true brownies today.

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees, line an 8 x 8 pan with parchment paper.

1. 1/2 cup of unsalted butter
2. 2 ounces of bittersweet chocolate
3. 2 eggs
4. 1 cup of sugar
5. 3/4 cup of flour
6. 1 cup of chopped walnuts

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and chocolate over low heat. Remove from the burner and whisk in the eggs and sugar until blended. With a spatula, stir in the flour and add chopped walnuts.

Spread the mixture into the parchment lined pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.

Eat up!

Texture is the key in a great brownie. Chewy in the middle with crunchy top and sides. Yes, please!