Belgian Blondies

I have been trying different bar cookie recipes recently.  Last week I had tried a recipe for Margarita Lime bars that had an error on the liquid ratio, so the edges set up fine but the center was just a pool. There was no saving it, I even tried to microwave it so the center would get done, but that did not work.

Anyhow, this particular recipe did turn out to be a success.  The bars are rich, buttery and full of delicious white chocolate.  The recipe instructions had a method in which to melt the chocolate.  However when I made these, there was a certain amount of chunks that did not melt, which makes them perfect for the person that loves white chocolate.

The rich flavor makes them perfect paired with black coffee.  Also, forget the shortbread and serve these squares with a bowl of strawberries.

Belgian Blondies
adapted from Tea with Bea

Ingredients
1 1/4 cup plus 2 tbs or 2 3/4 sticks of butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 lb white chocolate (chopped into pea sized pieces)
2 eggs
1 1/4 cup of sugar
1 3/4 cup of flour
a pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 340 degrees.  Grease an 8X12 inch baking pan and line bottom with parchment, leaving an overhang on 2 sides so the bars can be lifted out of the pan prior to cutting.

Melt the butter in a saucepan and let come to a boil.  Place the chocolate pieces in a heat proof bowl and pour in the melted butter.  Stir until most or all of the chocolate is melted.  Set aside.

In another bowl,  blend eggs, sugar and vanilla extract until smooth. Pour in the chocolate mixture and stir. In another bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.  Then fold dry ingredients into the chocolate batter until no dry streaks remain.

Spoon mixture into prepared pan and smooth the surface.  Place pan in oven and bake for 28-33 minutes.  The bars are done when golden brown on top but still retain a gooey center.

Remove pan from oven and place pan on cooling rack.  After 1 hour, place pan in the refrigerator for  2 hours to set up.  After two hours, remove pan from refrigerator and run a knife down between the pan and the blondies on the sides without parchment paper.  Then lift out blondies and cut into squares for serving.

Tips and notes:
1. You can use a 9X13 size pan, but watch on the baking time. Also with a bigger pan, the blondies will not have the same height.
2. Do not use baking chips.  They are a different blend than the actual white bar chocolate and will not work in this recipe.  Use good quality white chocolate bars.
3. For a smoother bar with no chunks of white chocolate, use a grater disc in a food processer to grind the chocolate to insure that all chocolate will be melted with the hot butter.
                                  **LAST YEAR:Butter Cupcakes**

Red Velvet Cake Roll

I have made many cakes but this would be the first time that I have actually made a cake roll.  My hesitation has always been that it would crack and the filling seep out.  However, when I read through this particular recipe, it stated that the compression of the roll would take care of the cracks- if any exisited.

Also, the blend of cake, fruit and cream quickly got my attention. In looking at my photo, I realize that the omission of the raspberries would have given it a more distinctive white swirl.  Since you cannot eat a perfect picture of food, I chose to include the raspberries and forgo the stunning picture.

There were a few methods/tips in the recipe that were new to me.  One was beating the egg before adding it to the batter.  The method of tenting the cake with foil while cooling is something I have never come across. It is a great way to keep the cake from drying out in the cooling process, so I will use this method on all layer cakes in the future.

Red Velvet Cake Roll
adapted from Baking for All Occassions

Ingredients/Cake

1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp apple cider or white vinegar
1 tbs liquid red food coloring
1/2 cup or 1 stick of butter plus 1 tbs, room temp
3/4 cup of sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup of flour
2 tbs cocoa powder
1/8 tsp salt

Ingredients/ Filling
1/3 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 cup red raspberries
1/2 tsp almond extract
8 oz cream cheese, room temp
1/4 cup or 1/2 stick of butter
5 oz melted white chocolate (see tip below)

Optional for decorating
powdered sugar
red raspberries

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  The spray non stick spray in the center of a jelly roll pan (15 1/2 X 10 1/2).  Line with foil creating a 2 inch overhang on the short sides.  Then melt one tbs of butter and brush all of the inside with the melted butter.  Dust with flour and tap out excess.

Take a small bowl and whisk together the vanilla extract, milk and vinegar (or cider-whichever you are using).  Set aside.  Then lay out a sheet of wax paper and sift cocoa, flour, salt and baking soda onto the wax paper.

Fill the bowl of a stand mixer with the remaining 1/2 cup butter.  Beat for one minute until smooth and then increase the speed to medium.  As the mixer is running, slowly pour in the sugar.  Beat for about two minutes, scraping down the sides every 30 seconds.  Continue to beat and add the egg slowly.

On low speed, beat in 1/3 of the sifted ingredients, then 1/2 of the milk mixture.  Repeat the process and end with the last 1/3 of the flour mixture, occasionally scraping down sides of the bowl.  Then continue to beat and add the food coloring.  Once all is an even hue, spread batter into the prepared pan.

Bake until cake springs back when lightly touched, this should take about 10 minutes.  Place pan on a rack and run a knife around the two long sides if needed.  Then take out of the pan using the excess foil on the sides and place on rack. Let cool for 45 minutes before assembly.

While the cake is cooling, prepare the filling.  Place the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until smooth and creamy.  Then add 1/2 of the white chocolate and beat for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides and then add the rest and beat for another 30 seconds.  Add the butter,  powdered sugar and almond extract and continue to beat until it has a smooth and creamy consistency.

The  length of the cake should run from the left to the right.Using a small offset spatula or a knife,  smooth 1 cup and 2 tbs (you will have a small amount remaining) of the filling over the cake.  Leave a half inch border on the top edge of the length of the cake. 

Then place raspberries randomly along the length of the cake.  Take the edge of the cake closest to you and roll it over.  Using the aid of the foil (the cake will stick to your hands) roll the cake into a log.  Then place it on the bottom third of a 24 inch long piece of parchment paper.  Fold the paper over the top of the roll and use a baking sheet at a 45 degree angle over the top.  Pull on the parchment and push down with the baking sheet.  This will help compress the cake and also get rid of any cracks that may have formed. 

Then lift the aluminum covered cake log and place it, seam down, on a clean sheet of wax paper. Place on baking sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour before serving.  Lift out of foil and if using, sprinkle with powdered sugar.  Cut into 1/2 inch thick slices and serve with raspberries on the side.

Tips and notes:
1. Use good quality white chocolate and be careful when melting. The water in the double boiler should not exceed 110 degrees or the chocolate will seize and form lumps.  The smaller you chop the chocolate the easier it should melt.  Let the chocolate start to melt on its own without stirring.  Then remove from bottom double boiler pan and stir, the residual heat will help finish the melting process.  If your chocolate seizes, there is no recovery.

2. I have found that chilling the cake for 2 hours creates a more stable filling.

3. Using whole raspberries does give quite a juicy pop to the cake when you bite into it, however, halving them may help your rolling process go smoother. 
                               **LAST YEAR: Banana Crunch Cookies***

Ivory Castle Cakes

There are so many different kinds of poppy flowering plants out there.  One of them is an ivory color, called Ivory Castle.

This particular cupcake has a vanilla and poppy seed batter and is filled with lemon curd.  On top is a white chocolate ganache with poppy seeds.  The cupcake was an experiment in the use of cornstarch in a baked good.  It does give the cake part a unique texture, however, I found that you need to be exacting in certain areas or you will not attain the proper texture.

The lemon curd filling as well as the icing is what makes these extra special.  The white chocolate and the filling do add some extra notes of flavor as well as sweetness.  The cupcake by itself is not very sweet at all.

I am still working on my white chocolate topping recipe, so I have provided you with another recipe that was not used when I made these. That recipe may not be the same consistency, so your cupcakes may not look like the above when completed. However, it does have the same flavor.  This particular recipe yields about 2 1/2 dozen cupcakes.

As a side note, I am behind in thanking my blogger friends for bestowing me with some awards.  Based on that, I will make note of two every Wednesday in my blog until I am done.

The Versatile Blogger Award was given to me by:
Mary Kay at Just For Cooking- While some of us are blogging hoping to get discovered, this person came to the blogging world after already having her recipes published. In reviewing her blog, I noticed that she does explore various cuisines, but has the most filed under "comfort food".  After finding such gems as Chicken Paprikash and Cuban style Surf and Turf, I would say dinner at her table would make for a delicious evening.

Missy at Mrs Maki Cooks- this girl is one busy bee.  As a catering director and hosting a food talk radio show, she still manages to find time to share her talent by food blogging.  She started blogging in October of 2011. The blog has recipes that are great go to dishes for the every day cook or baker.  Pumpkin spice cookies and simple healthy fried rice are a few winners I found. Also her writing style does convey her warm friendly personality.

If you have not heard of these two, then it is time to hook up-so pop on over and introduce yourself.  Also, thanks again you two for passing along the awards to me.

Now, on to the recipe.... 

Ivory Castle Cakes
by Flourtrader

Ingredients/Cake
1/4 cup poppy seeds
1/2 tsp ground vanilla beans (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
1 tbs baking powder
1 cup cornstarch
2 1/3 cups cake flour
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter
2 tsp oil
5 eggs
1/2 cup milk
11 oz jar of lemon curd (I purchased but you can make your own)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease top edge cavities of muffin tins and line with cupcake papers.

Sift together cornstarch, flour, salt, baking powder and ground vanilla beans (if using).  Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, preferably from a stand mixer, add butter,sugar and oil.  Beat for 5 minutes at medium speed.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally during the beating process.

Then add one egg and beat for 30 seconds.  Continue this process until all the eggs are beaten into the batter.  Then, if using, stir in the vanilla extract.

Add 1/3 of the sifted ingredients and fold into the batter.  Pour in 1/4 cup of milk and stir until all is blended.  Then fold in 2 tbs of poppy seeds.  Repeat this whole process of adding and stirring, ending with the last 1/3 of the sifted ingredients.

Using an ice cream scoop or a spoon, fill each of the liners 2/3 full with the batter.  Then dampen your fingertips and smooth the top of the batter in each cavity.  Place in oven and bake until tester comes out clean, about 10-15 minutes.  Remove pan and let rest for 1 minute, then transfer cupcakes to a cooling rack.  Let cool completely before filling and frosting.

Ingredients/White Chocolate Ganache (makes 1 cup)
by Dorie Greenspan
2/3 cup of heavy cream
10 oz premium white chocolate (finely chopped)
1 1/2 tbs unsalted butter, cubed

poppy seeds for sprinkling  on top(optional)

Place the white chocolate in a large, heatproof bowl.  Then take a saucepan and fill it with cream and bring it to a boil.  Remove and pour over the white chocolate.  Let sit for about 30 seconds and then whisk together.  Whisk from the center in small circles, slowing moving your way to the outer edge.  Once all is smooth, add one cube of butter and stir until melted and blended.  Follow that same process with all the cubes.

Then let the ganache sit until it reaches the consistency you want.  You can speed up the process by placing it in the fridge, but check often so it does not get too thick.

To assemble, take a ziplock bag and cut off a small piece of the corner.  Set aside.  Using a paring knife or a cupcake corer, cut  a small circular piece from the center out of each cupcake.  Then you will have a small cone.  Cut off the top slice and reserve it keeping it by the proper cupcake.

Take the ziplock bag and fill with the lemon curd.  Holding bag over the cupcake hole, squeeze until hole is filled.  Then place the reserved cap over the hole.  Continue with this process for each
cupcake until all are filled and capped.

Then frost as desired with white chocolate ganache.  Also, if you prefer you can sprinkle a stripe of poppy seeds down the center.

Helpful tips:
-do not pack the cornstarch when measuring, use a soup spoon to scoop and fill the one cup cavity
-do not over bake, cupcakes should not have brown edges but edges should be the same hue as the rest of the cupcake when done
-Fold dry ingredients into batter lightly.
-do not use white chocolate chips in ganache, the recipe requires good quality bar chocolate to work per Dorie.
                            **LAST YEAR: Blueberry Hand Pies***

Brazilian Bourbon Blondies

Some days you are really reminded that food bloggers are such a unique niche of people out there.  When talking about my blog, there are 2 responses I sometimes get.  One is that wierd look-you know- the ones that say I have no clue of what you are talking about, but I do not want to ask.  The other one is "Now what is this blog thing??".

Not all of us dive into the social media or even concern ourselves about it.  Funny, my mom said that my uncle has a computer and all he has on it is the game of solitare.  Oh, he spends time using it, but he also spends time sleeping in front of it.

I am not sure what I would do without having the computer and all my blogger friends that share a comment interest of food.

Anyhow, on to the recipe.  The recipe below is reflective of the changes I made from the original recipe.  The sugars called for were in measurements of 3/4 of a cup.  Due to the sweetness of the white chocolate, I changed it to 1/2.  The other thing is that it took longer to bake than the recipe stated.

The bars are moist and chewy, not cake-like.  I my opinion, the flavor blend kind of reminds me of a cinnamon praline.  The white chocolate gives it the chewy texture while the brown sugar and bourbon is the height of the flavor along with the cinnamon spice.


Brazilian Bourbon Blondies
adapted from Sophisticated Cookie

Ingredients
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar (packed)
1 cup chopped unsalted Brazil nuts (boil for a few minutes if salted to remove salt)
1/2 cup white choc chips
3 tbs bourbon

Grease an 8 inch square baking pan and line the bottom and two sides with parchment, leaving an overhang on each side to use as handles.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Sift together flour and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.  Beat together butter and two types of sugars until light and fluffy.  Set is aside also.

Melt white chocolate in a double boiler.  The recipe states to let cool for 5 minutes, but my chocolate set up too fast.  I did not let cool.  Pour melted chocolate into butter/sugar mixture and beat until completely blended.  Then, with a wooden spoon, blend eggs and bourbon into the batter.

Fold the flour mixture into the batter until no dry streaks remain.  Lastly, mix in the chopped brazil nuts.

Spoon the batter nto the pan and smooth the top so all is even.  Place pan in oven and bake for 20-35 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched.  The recipe said 20-25 minutes but mine took about 33 minutes.

Remove and cool in pan before cutting. Then lift out by the parchment handles.  Cut and it is ready to serve.

The cookbook states that complete cooling is required in order for the chocolate in the bars to set up.  Also, there is a note about many blondies are cakes masquerading as blondies because eggs are used to create the texture.  I guess the author feels that "real" blondies as well as brownies require chocolate.  That is probably how some baked goods got the name of bars instead of blondies.
                       **LAST YEAR: Frangelico Ice Cream**

Showstopper Cookies

I still had a lot of white chocolate left after making those Lucid Dream Bars.  Since I am scheduled to make a cookie donation, I decided I would need to find a good cookie recipe using the white chocolate.

I found a recipe that I had kept from last year.  It is one in which the chef/blogger coerced the recipe from a local catering company.  After reading that information and looking at the list of ingredients, I knew that this was a winning recipe.

In addition to the white chocolate, these cookies are packed with toasted walnuts and toffee. The add ins to the cookie dough makes them extra special. The sweet "crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside" texture was just right.

I know you are thinking, last years recipe and now I am just getting around to making them.  What can I say but too many recipes and not enough time!  Most of you food bloggers can relate.  I would love to say that I am am now making the last recipe I have in my collection so I will need more, but not the case.  Anyhow-- on to the recipe, which makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Showstopper Cookies
courtesy of Oui Chef Network

2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tbs vanilla extract
1 cup or 2 sticks of softened butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
12 oz of toffee bits
12 oz white chocolate, chopped
3 cups chopped, toasted walnuts
1 tbs kosher salt
1 tsp baking powder
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and both sugars together until light and fluffy.  Then beat in the eggs, this should take about 30 seconds.  On low speed, mix in the vanilla extract until all is blended into the batter.

Then sift the baking powder, baking soda and salt into the batter.  Beat for 30 seconds on medium speed.  Lower the speed and add 1 cup of the flour and run mixer until no more dry streaks remain.  Repeat the process with the the remaining 1 1/2 cups of flour.

Using a large wooden spoon or clean hands, fold the toffee bits, chopped chocolate and walnuts into the batter, making sure it is evenly distributed.  Divide the dough into 4 equal parts and place 1 part in a small bowl and put the rest in the refrigerator.

Divide the 1/4 section of the batter into 12 pieces and drop onto baking sheet about 1 1/2-2  inches apart (I only could fit 9 on a sheet at one time).  Lightly flatten the top of the cookies. Place cookies in oven to bake for about 10-12 minutes.  Cookies are done when they turn a golden brown on the edges.

When you remove the cookies, they will be very puffy and will flatten out upon cooling.

Remove pan from oven and place on rack to cool for about 5 minutes.  Then transfer cookies to rack to finish cooling.  Repeat process with the remaining cookie dough.

Lucid Dream Bars

Have you ever had a dream and in the dream you realize it is a dream?  Experts on the subject will tell you that if this happens very often you can start to control exactly what happens in your dream.  I am not aware that I have had a lucid dream, but sometimes my thoughts prior to going to sleep may have had some influence.

The other night I was toying around with the idea of creating a recipe that had strawberry in it that had a strong enough flavor to work well with white chocolate. I did not want to use extract. As you know, white chocolate is quite sweet.   Anyhow, after falling asleep, waking up and then falling asleep again it came to me-canned strawberries in light syrup.

That is how this recipe came about.  It is very rich, having both white chocolate and cream cheese layers in it. Then to make it even better, it is filled with crushed canned strawberries and nuts.  Without the strawberries and nuts, the texture can best be described as a cross between white chocolate blondies and cheesecake.  The filling just adds another dimension of flavor.

You know some people say that dreamers are just people that can't face reality. To make sure you are not labeled as such, I have provided the recipe below so you can make these bars a reality in your own kitchen! :)

Lucid Dream Bars
by flourtrader

Ingredients
1 15 oz can of strawberries in light syrup
1 cup roasted chopped pecans
1 8 oz package of cream cheese (softened)
1/2 cup or 1 stick of butter
5 eggs
3 tsp vanilla extract
12 oz chopped white chocolate
2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/3 cups flour

First, drain the can of strawberries and reserve 2 tbs of juice in a small bowl.  Using a fork or your fingers, crush the strawberries into smaller pieces and place pieces in a measuring cup of 1 cup capacity.  All you will need is one cup, if there is any strawberries left in the can, use them up as an ice cream topping. Cover both the strawberries and juice.  Place in fridge until needed.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare a 9X13 cake pan by greasing the bottom. Then line with parchment paper, covering the bottom and leaving some to overhang on the long sides.  Grease the face up side of the parchment on the bottom of the pan.

Set up a double boiler and melt white chocolate chips together with the butter.  Once all is melted, pour into a large heat proof bowl. Beat in the additional ingredients of 1 1/2 cups sugar, 4 eggs, 1 tsp vanilla extract. 

In a smaller bowl, sift together baking powder, salt and flour.  Then fold into chocolate mixture and set aside.

Place the softened cream cheese, remaining 2 tsp of vanilla, remaining egg and remaining 1/2 cup of sugar in another bowl.  Beat until smooth.

To make the layers, pour half of the chocolate batter into the prepared pan.  Then sprinkle half of the pecans over the layer and drop 1/2 cup of  strawberry chunks evenly over layer.  Then drop the cream cheese on top by spoonfuls and use a knife to smooth it out evenly as best you can.  The cream cheese should cover the strawberries.

For the last layer, mix the nuts, strawberries and reserved 2 tbs of juice into the chocolate batter and pour it over the top.

Bake in oven for 35-40 minutes or until done. When done, you will see the toasted edges are starting to pull away from the pan and the whole surface should have a light crust.  Remove pan and place on rack to cool.  Once completely cool, lift out of pan and cut into squares.