Bake with Bizzy

I can't believe, the week is halfway through and we are ready for Bake with Bizzy.  I see why those of you who have baking or dessert linkys enjoy them so much.  Have you looked at some of the photos from last week?  Have you tried any of the desserts?  I did and oh my ----- such good stuff.

I can't wait to see what you bring to the table, this week.

Last week, we had beautiful cupcakes - only one recipe from a blog:
                   

                                                                      Sprinkles Strawberry Cupcakes

Pink Bouquet              Raspberry Cupcakes

Cranberry Orange Cupcakes

 

Chocolate Mint Chip Turtle Cupcake

 . Cream Filled Chocolate Cupcakes     

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies - Ina's Garden

I have been excited about the Indian Summer choice for our theme, this week.  I was sure, I would make a light soup for this time of year.  Soon, it will be a full-fledged soup season but in between, I look for lighter soups.


As, I am sure you have noticed, there is no soup here.  Rather, there are some delicious cookies.  Since, I bake for the troops, as many months, as possible, the end of the month means cookie baking and that is first on my list.  I have baked about five different cookies so far.  I usually aim for a variety of 7 kinds.  I think, my last one will be snickerdoodles.  


When, I pulled out Ina's recipes, I shifted gears and looked for cookies instead of soup.  I found a delicious ginger cookie and these favorites.  I had to go with these,  They were easy to make and I have two tremendous plates filled with them.  I bet, there are about  72 cookies.  This morning, I made flourless chocolate brownie cookies which were the best cookie, so far but the recipe did not make as many and I keep looking at them, slapping my hand, not to take another one.  Now, I have two great cookies, calling my name.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies - Ina Garten

Ingredients: 1/2 pound margarine at room temperature 1-1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed 2/3 cup granulated sugar 2 extra-large eggs at room temperature 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 1 cup good smooth peanut butter 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 pound good semisweet chocolate chunks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time. Add the vanilla and peanut butter, and mix. 

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt and add to the batter, mixing only until combined. Fold in the chocolate chunks.

Drop the dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, using a teaspoon cookie scoop or a rounded teaspoon.. Dampen your hands, flatten the dough lightly, then press the tines of a wet fork in both directions. 

Bake for 12 minutes (the cookies will seem underdone??????). Do not overbake. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly on the pan, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.                

Meet your hostesses.

April of The 21^s Century Housewife and The 21^st Century Housewife’s Kitchen

Louanne of Louanne’s Kitchen

Mia of Bright Morning Star

Yummy Chunklet

Chaya of Bizzy Bakes and My Sweet and Savory

We welcome you to join us by linking up with any Ina Garten recipe and then you too can enter the INA'S GARDEN

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Over the years, I must have made about 40 different coleslaw recipes.  Tyler Florence made the best one, I have ever made.  I guess, I am not in love with it because I keep trying new recipes.  None have been better, as far as I am concerned, than Tyler's.


I came across this recipe which sounded good.  I like both fruit and nuts added to a traditional coleslaw recipe.  I have added apples and all kinds of nuts.  I have added raisins and cranberries and other dried fruit.  I have made it with and without mayo.


This recipe did not call for any mayo which I considered a positive until I tasted it and it was not rich enough.  I added just a little but it made a difference.  I would also add one apple, thin sliced, in the future.


The texture had the crispiness of the cabbage and the crunch of the almonds and the chewiness of the cranberries.  That worked well.

Cranberry-Almond Coleslaw

adapted  September 2011

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/8 cup mayonnaise (light)
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/8 cup canola oil
• 1 (10-oz.) package shredded coleslaw mix
• 1/2 cup chopped, almonds
• 1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1 celery rib, sliced

Method:

• Whisk together first 6 ingredients. Gradually add oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly until blended. Stir together coleslaw mix and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl; add vinegar mixture, tossing to coat.

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Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

We are listening to the thunder and the rain which comes down in torrents, when it does come down.  So far, so good and we are optimistic.


To prove to you I am cool, I have just baked two cakes, on a cream cheese coffee cake and the other a Mango Nut Yogurt Cake.  Made them both gluten-free for hubby but I will be sharing this.  They are still baking and if possible, I will get a photo up, tonight. In the meanwhile, here is the recipe for the Cream Cheese Coffee Cake.  I plan to put the Mango cake on My Sweet and Savory.

 Cream Cheese Coffee Cake


 Ingredients:


1/2 cup butter, softened

• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (gluten-free brown rice blend)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sour cream
• 
  
• FILLING:
• 2 (3 ounce) packages cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 
  
• CINNAMON-NUT TOPPING:
• 1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
• • 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Method:

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream. Set batter aside.

In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Spoon half of the batter into a greased and floured 10-in. tube pan. Top with filling and remaining batter. Combine topping ingredients; sprinkle over batter.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to wire rack.

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Chocolate Chubbies Should Evacuate

I wrote something in My Sweet and Savory about the evacuation but since then, there have been changes.  We are now in a mandatory evacuation area but our block is holding strong and not leaving yet.  Everyone is supposed to leave by tomorrow afternoon.  We are anticipating power outages so I am leaving you with two delicious recipes, the Chocolate Marshmallow marbled Mouse which is the post before this and Sarabeth's Chocolate Chubbies.

The cookies were what got Sarabeth started with her bakery.  I can see why.  These are amazing cookies.  I don't make big cookies but when she said the best size is an ice cream scoop size, I listened to her.  I did make the next batch a little smaller but still much bigger than my usual cookies.  These are saturated with chocolate flavor and chopped pecans and walnuts and little flour.  Like a potato chip, I am not sure, you can have only one.

Chocolate Chubbies  (adapted)

Recipe from Sarabeth’s Bakery by Sarabeth Levin 

Makes about 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

·        8 tablespoons (1 stick) maragarine, cut into ½-inch cubes

·        9 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (no more than 62 percent cacao), finely

·              chopped

·        3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped

·        ½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour

·        ½ teaspoon baking powder

·        ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

·        3 large eggs, at room temperature

·        1 ¼ cups superfine sugar

·        2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

·        2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

·        1 ½ cups (5 ½ ounces) coarsely chopped pecans

·        1 ¼ cups (4 ½ ounces) coarsely chopped walnuts (I was a half cup short on the walnuts so I subbed in, more pecans.)

1. Position racks in the center and top third of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Line two half-sheet pans with parchment paper.

2. Bring 1 inch of water to a simmer in a medium saucepan over low heat. Put the butter in a wide, heatproof bowl, and melt the butter over the hot water in the saucepan. Add the semisweet and unsweetened chocolate, stirring often, until melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove the bowl from the heat and let stand, stirring occasionally, until cooled slightly but still warm, about 5 minutes.

3. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl. Whip the eggs in the bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on medium-high speed until the eggs are foamy and lightly thickened, about 30 seconds. Increase the speed to high and gradually add the sugar, then the vanilla. Whip until the eggs are very thick and pale yellow, about 3 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and beat in the tepid chocolate, making sure it is completely incorporated. Change to the paddle attachment and reduce the mixer speed to low. Gradually add the flour mixture. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the chocolate chips, pecans, and walnuts, making sure the chunky ingredients are evenly distributed at the bottom of the bowl.The dough will be somewhat soft.

4. Using a 2-inch ice-cream scoop, portion the batter onto the prepared pans, placing the cookies about 1 ½ inches apart. Bake the cookies immediately-if you wait, they won't be shiny after baking. Bake, switching the position of the pans from top to bottom and front to back about halfway through baking, until the cookies are set around the edges (if you lift a cookie from the pan, the edges should release easily, even if the center of the cookie seems underdone), 17 to 20 minutes. Do not overbake. Cool completely on the baking pans. (The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature, with the layers separated by parchment paper, for up to 3 days.) 

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Chocolate Marshmallow Marbled Mousse

Some recipes do not have to be explained and this is one of them.  I saw the name and knew it was mine.  How could I walk away from a Chocolate Marshmallow Marble Mousse?  Fortunately, I didn't have to.

Chocolate Marshmallow Marbled Mousse  (this recipe is adapted from a forgotten place.  If you find it online, please let me know.

INGREDIENTS 7 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped 1 cup Rice Milk 1 cup marshmallow fluff or creme 2 cups cold whipping cream 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS Microwave the chocolate in a microwave safe container until it melts.  (I check every 20 seconds.) Remove the chocolate from the microwave oven as soon as it is melted and stir it smooth. Have ready a serving bowl with a 2- to 2 1/2-quart capacity. Add the marshmallow creme  to the chocolate and cook, stirring constantly, until the marshmallow creme is mixed in.  Pour the mixture into a large mixing bowl. Put the bowl in the freezer until the mixture is cool, thick, and syrupy, about 10 minutes. Stir the mixture once to ensure that it cools evenly. The mixture should not set firm. While the  mixture is chilling, put the cream and vanilla in the large bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until firm peaks form. Whisk the cooled coffee mixture smooth and fold it into the whipped cream. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the melted chocolate and transfer the remaining melted chocolate to a large bowl. Add 1 cup of the  cream mixture to the chocolate and whisk it smooth. Use a large rubber spatula to fold 1 cup of the cream mixture into the chocolate mixture. Pour the remaining cream mixture over the chocolate mixture. Use the rubber spatula to swirl the mixtures together slightly to marbleize them. Pour the mousse into the serving bowl. The mousse is ready to serve or it can be frozen. (I froze it and it was close to the consistency of ice cream.) Sweet Tooth Friday

Bake with Bizzy

When we think there is nothing new under the sun, you wonderful foodies come up with new ideas in baking.  I have been adding to my personal repertoire because of your ideas.

I have always thought the fun of baking is how we use our own creativity. For me, something as simple as adding nuts to a recipe, makes my husband happy.  While that does not sound, very creative, think about it.  My husband might not have liked the cake without the nuts.  Now, I have come up with a way for him to like almost anything other than chocolate.

On the other hand, you guys have mixed and matched and come up with some brand new cookies, cakes, pies, muffins and any baked product.  Let's see what you come up with this week.

The recipes that got the most "look at views" from last week are:
Smores Truffles 

One Minute Peanut Butter Cake  I can't find any link that gets me to this blog and I have forgotten who shared this.  Please let me know.


Mini Bundts with Chocolate Ganache

  

Apple Cranberry Crisp

Since, we have discovered gluten-free oats, I flex my muscles and look for recipes to make.  I used to make this with nuts rather than the oats.  This time, I did it like the recipe said, with oats.  I forgot to take a photo and when I remembered there was a messy scrap left.  I included it despite its condition.

Apple Cranberry Crisp  adapted from Eating Well

INGREDIENTS For the Filling: 5 apples, peeled, 2/3 cup dried cranberries 1/2 cup apple   2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 2 tablespoons brown rice gluten-free flour mixture 1 teaspoon cinnamon For the Topping: 1-1/2 cups gluten-free oats 1/2 cup gluten-free brown rice flour mixture 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup melted margarine 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8 by 8-inch baking dish. In a medium mixing bowl, combine all the filling ingredients. Pour into the baking dish. In a second medium mixing bowl, combine all the topping ingredients. Cover the filling with the oat mixture. Bake for 40 minutes or until the topping is lightly browned and the apples are tender. Linked to Gluten-Free Wednesdays (if you are looking for fantastic GF  recipes, to visit Linda.    http://wearethatfamily.com/2011/08/wfmw-kids-clothes-swap/  A blog of inspiration.... Cast Party Wednesday This Chick Cooks Pennywise Platter  Lets Do Brunch Creative Share Wednesday  What’s on your Plate Wednesday Wonka Wednesday Traditional Tuesdays