marion house brownie

I loved these brownies!  And I need an excuse to make them again to make sure they've knocked these out of top place.

Brownies
via the marion house book
adapted from nigella lawson

375g soft unsalted butter
375g best quality dark chocolate
6 large eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
500g caster sugar
225g all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
150g - 300g chopped chopped chocolate (i used 150g of TJ's pound plus bittersweet)

Preheat oven to 350F. Line your brownie pan (approx. 33 x 23 x 5 cm) with foil or parchment.
Melt the butter and chocolate together in a large pan. In a bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar and vanilla. Measure the flour into another bowl and add the salt.

When the chocolate mixture has melted, let it cool a bit before beating in the eggs and sugar, and then the chocolate and flour. Beat to combine smoothly and then scrape into the lined pan.

Bake for about 25 minutes. When it’s ready, the top should be dried to a paler brown speckle, but with the middle still dark and dense and gooey. And even with such a big batch you do need to keep alert keep checking: the difference between gungy brownies and dry brownies is only a few minutes; remember that they will continue to cook as they cool.

buttermilk berry muffins

These weren't my favorite but i still liked them...good way to use up some buttermilk that was sitting in the fridge along with a bag of frozen raspberries.  The cinnamon sugar topping was appreciated by those who consumed them.

Buttermilk Berry Muffins
via 101 cookbooks

1 1/4 cups / 5 1/2 oz / 160 g whole wheat pastry flour
2 1/4 cups / 10 1/2 oz / 295 g unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup / 3 1/2 oz / 100 g firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
5 1/2 oz mashed, ripe banana (~2 med.)
240 ml buttermilk
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup / 4 oz / 115 g unsalted butter, barely melted
1 cup / 4.5 oz / 125 g berries, plus more for topping
rose cinnamon sugar*

Preheat the oven to 400F / 205C, with a rack in the center. Line a muffin tin with papers. I used baking cups here, with those you can skip the tin.
In a large bowl, combine the flours, sugar, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.
In another bowl combine the banana, buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, and butter. Stir until blended and uniform.
Gently stir the berries into the dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients over dry, and mix until just combined. For tender muffins, do your best to avoid over-blending.
Fill the muffin tins 2/3 full (maybe a bit more than that), sprinkle with more berries and a generous dusting of cinnamon rose sugar.
Bake for 25-40 minutes (larger muffins on the long side), or until golden-topped, and a tester/toothpick comes out just clean.

Makes 1 - 1 1/2 dozen, depending on size.
*Make rose cinnamon sugar by combining 3 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon crushed, dried rose petals.   

happy birthday baby girl

love baking with my girl!  a recipe she spotted and we made for this day.

hippie crispie treats

The title totally explains i think.  These are pretty addictive little treats.  I ommitted the almonds in the topping and I don't think it was missed.

Hippie Crispie Treats
via Food52

The bars:

• 1/2cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup brown rice syrup
• 1/2cup almond butter
• 1/2cup chopped bittersweet (70%) chocolate
• 2tablespoons extra-virgin coconut oil
• 1/4teaspoon fine sea salt
• 4cups crisp rice cereal

The topping:

• 2tablespoons extra-virgin coconut oil
• 1/2cup chopped bittersweet (70%) chocolate
• 1/4cup toasted sliced almonds
• 1/4teaspoon flaky salt (such as Maldon)

1. Line an 8x8 square pan with a sling of parchment paper. In a large saucepan, bring the maple and rice syrups to a rolling boil for 1 minute, stirring frequently with a heatproof spatula or wooden spoon (be careful not to let it boil over). Remove from the heat and stir in the nut butter, 1/2 cup chocolate, 2 tablespoons coconut oil, and 1/4 teaspoon fine salt until everything is smooth and the chocolate is melted. Fold in the rice cereal and pack the mixture firmly and evenly into the lined pan               
2. In a small saucepan  melt the remaining 1/2 cup of chocolate and 2 tablespoons coconut oil together over very low heat, stirring constantly just until melted  Pour the chocolate mixture over the rice mixture, spreading it smooth. Sprinkle the nuts and flaky salt over the top.
3. Let the bars set at cool room temperature (about 2 hours) or in the refrigerator (about 1 hour) until firm. Lift the sling out of the pan, trim away the edges if you like, and cut into 16 squares.
4. These treats are best the day they are made. They will keep at room temperature for several days, though the cereal will soften slightly.

peanut butter chocolate chip cookie

Horrible picture but great cookie!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie
via Orangette

240 grams (2 cups plus 1 tsp.) pastry flour
5 grams (1 tsp.) baking soda
12 grams (1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp.) kosher salt
275 grams (2 sticks plus 3.5 Tbsp.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
200 grams (about 1 ¼ cup, packed) dark brown sugar
170 grams (¾ cup plus 2.5 Tbsp.) sugar
2 large eggs
400 grams (1 ½ cup) natural salted creamy peanut butter
2 tsp. vanilla extract
170 grams chopped milk chocolate

Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a bowl, combine the pastry flour, baking soda, and salt, and whisk well.

In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter with the sugars until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs one at a time, beating between each addition. Add the peanut butter and vanilla, and beat on medium-low speed to blend. Add the dry ingredients in three batches, mixing on low speed until incorporated and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the chocolate, and beat briefly on low speed, just until evenly incorporated.

Using an ice cream scoop to scoop the batter onto the prepared sheet pan, taking care to leave plenty of space between cookies.Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the cookies are puffed and pale golden around the edges, but their tops have no color.   Transfer the pan to a rack, and cool the cookies completely on the sheet pan. They will firm up as they cool.

chocolate chip oatmeal cookie

These are possibly my new favorite cookie.  Has everything I desire but doesn't leave me feeling heavy and full of regret.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie
slightly adapted from My Father's Daughter

3/4 cup pecans

1 cup whole rolled oats, divided

1 1/4 cup spelt flour

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/3 cup grapeseed oil

1/3 cup real maple syrup (preferably grabe b)

1/3 cup brown rice syrup

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup chocolate chips

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

Finely grind the pecans and 1/2 cup of the oats in a small food processor. Combine the mixture with the remaining dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mix the wet ingredients in a separate bowl and then add them to the dry ingredients. Stir to combine. Add the chocolate chips and fold them into the batter. Spoon batter onto baking sheets. Bake for 13-15 minutes until browned. Let cool. Makes about 18 cookies.

olive oil shortbread

I really enjoyed these!  They remind me of something I would get at a little Italian market, it must be the combination of fennel, orange and the olive oil.

Olive Oil Shortbread
via Nourish

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
Zest of 1 orange
1/4 cup clear sanding sugar

Whisk flour, powdered sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat butter in a large bowl until creamy. With mixer running, slowly pour in olive oil; mix well, then gradually add sugar and vanilla extract. Mix well. Stir in fennel and orange zest. Slowly stir in flour mixture until just blended. Form dough into a ball and divide in half. Roll each half into a 6"-long log, making sure log is square-edged rather than rounded. Wrap logs in plastic and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Arrange racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat to 325°. Unwrap dough logs. Spread out sanding sugar on a piece of parchment paper and roll each log in sugar until sides are well coated. Cut each log into 1/3"-thick rounds. Place rounds about 1/2" apart on baking sheets. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until golden brown, 18–20 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks and let cool.