Cream Cheese Brownies

Here's a recipe for awesome cream cheese brownies!

2/3 cup All-Purpose Flour
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
2 oz. Unsweetened Chocolate
4 oz. Bittersweet or Semisweet Chocolate
8 oz. (1 stick) Unsalted Butter, cut into quarters
1 cup Granulated Sugar
2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
3 Large Eggs

Filling
8 oz. Cream Cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 Egg Yolk

Preheat oven to 325°F. Spray an 8-inch square pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line pan with 2 layers of foil, with some overhang to make it easier to remove the brownies from the pan. Spray sheets with nonstick cooking spray.

Whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder in a small bowl; set aside

Gently melt chocolate and butter together being careful to not scorch the chocolate. Whisk in the sugar and vanilla; cool slightly. Whisk in the eggs, 1 at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Continue whisking until the mixture is completely smooth. Add dry ingredients; whisk until just incorporated.

Filling: In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese with the sugar, vanilla and egg yolk until evenly blended.

Assembly: Pour half of the brownie batter into the prepared pan. By spoonfuls, drop half of the cream cheese mixture over batter. Repeat, layering the remaining brownie batter and cream cheese filling. Use the blade of a table knife to gently swirl the brownie batter and cream cheese filling, creating a marbled effect.

Back until the edges of the brownies have puffed slightly, the center feels not quite firm when touched lightly, and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center come out with several moist, fudgy crumbs adhering to it, 50-60 minutes.

Cool the brownies on a wire rack until they are down to room temperature. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 3 hours, before cutting. These are pretty tall, so you can get away with cutting them into fairly small pieces.

A new go-to recipe for chocolate cake

I tried this recipe for chocolate cake this weekend, and think it is quite similar to Magleby's chocolate cake. I made it as a 9x13" single-layer cake, but it would work well as two 8" or 9" rounds.

It is definitely my new go-to recipe. The texture is terrific, and the cake very moist. Once we cut into it, I could not stop slicing off little bits every time I walked past. It goes together pretty quickly and only took me 10-12 minutes to get it into the oven once I started pulling out ingredients. The batter was thinner than the usual cake batter, but don't let that worry you. I did find that I needed to bake mine several minutes longer than the 30 minutes indicated.

The frosting is also quite nice and goes together quickly. While it does develop a slight crust after sitting out, it stays soft underneath, which is exactly what I was hoping for.

Thanks to the Paysonites for a great dinner to go with the cake! I probably shouldn't admit this, but the Paysonite parents and I sampled the cake during the pre-dinner card playing - probably not surprising to anyone who knows us, since we instigated the "pie before dinner" Thanksgiving tradition!

It's definitely a dessert extravaganza here tonight -- there is buttermilk ice cream churning as I type, as well as a key lime pie in the fridge. And of course, more chocolate cake. I need a glass of milk just thinking about it!

I need to try this...

Here's what I want to try the next time I make a chocolate cake. Wow. Just need a reason...

Productivity

It's 5AM and I've already made 2 batches of toffee today. That's what happens when you wake up just before 4 and your brain engages and tells you, "If you get up right now, you can get the toffee done before you have to leave for the gym".

I even have enough time to clean the kitchen a bit. And believe me, after a weekend of candy-making, it needs it. Sigh.

shhh...don't tell

Shh...don't tell anyone...but I just made my morning oatmeal with hot chocolate instead of hot water...

It looks a little strange, but it tastes great!

Happy Wednesday!

Hmmm...round 1 of the experimental technique did not go well

So here's my plan -- if I can use the shell molding method of chocolate making, I might get a better seal on my cherry chocolates.

So, I followed the instructions in my awesome candy book by the CIA (Culinary Institute of America) to polish my chocolate molds and fill them with tempered chocolate. I then deviated slightly from the instructions and turned them over to drain on cooling racks (instead of a bowl). I must have waited just a bit too long to drain them, because the chocolate did not really drip down through the cooling rack grid very well and more chocolate than I anticipated remained in the cavities of the mold.

I persevered anyway, hoping to identify other challenges with my plan. With the extra thickness of the chocolate in the cavities, there wasn't room for the extra-large maraschino cherries I have on hand. I cut them in half and dropped them in. I then piped in some fondant (there wasn't room for much) and sealed with chocolate.

This batch won't be beautiful, but here's what I learned:
1. I need smaller cherries (I might have to go to Gygi's on Saturday and see if they have some smaller ones)
2. I need deeper molds that are more rigid than the ones I have. I'm thinking about investing in one of these.
3. I need a better scraper. (I'm thinking a wide rigid putty knife)

I will first try another round in my existing molds and see if a thinner wall of chocolate might work better. But not tonight. If you have any ideas, send them my way!

Halloween is over...time to start dipping chocolates for Christmas!

Yep candy fans...I'm working on a batch of chocolate-covered cherries tonight. I'm experimenting with a different technique to see if I can resolve the issues I've had with the cherry juice oozing through weak spots in the chocolate covering. More later..

Éclair Cake

I was reminded last night that I promised a friend that I would post the recipe for Eclair cake. Well, it's 4:30 in the morning and I can't get back to sleep, so I decided to work on my blog. This recipe came to me from Silly Girl's grandma.

Éclair Cake

1/2 cup Butter
1 cup Water
1 cup Flour
4 Eggs
8 oz pkg. Cream Cheese (room temp)
3 cups Milk
2 sm. pkg. Vanilla pudding
1 pint Whipping Cream
Chocolate Syrup (I use Hershey's)

Preheat oven to 400F.
Melt butter in water until boiling. Add flour. Add eggs one at a time. Spread in greased 11x15 pan. Bake for 25 minutes.

Blend cream cheese; slowly add milk. Add pudding mix. Spread over cooled crust.

Whip cream and spread over pudding layer. Drizzle with chocolate syrup.

After years of making this in my 11x15" pan (like the Pampered Chef Bar pan), I discovered that Silly Girl's family uses a 9x13" pan. Feel free to try that. I've found that I prefer the thinner crust.

This one works quite well with sugar free pudding, and if you do that, the dessert is sugar free provided you leave off the chocolate syrup. There are some sugar-free chocolate syrups out there, but I've not tried any of them.

Molten Chocolate Cakes (also called "Lava Cakes")

Last night I entertained two young ladies from my neighborhood while their mother nursed a cold and their dad was out of town. They were quite excited when I suggested we might make Lava cakes for a treat, so we whipped them up and wolfed them down while we watched the Nancy Drew movie. I'd also made them on Sunday for lunch guests, who were equally pleased with them. Two home runs made me think maybe I should share the recipe here. Every time I take these somewhere, someone exclaims over the individual ramekins and wishes they had some. (One person (male) just thought the word "ramekin" was cool...)

Molten Chocolate Cakes (or Lava cakes)

4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
1/2 cup Butter
1 cup Powdered Sugar
2 Eggs
2 Egg yolks
6 Tbsp. Flour

Preheat over to 425 F. Butter 4 (3/4 Cup [6 oz]) custard cups or ramekins. Place on baking sheet. (I just coat the ramekins with vegetable oil spray)

Microwave chocolate and butter in a bowl at 50% power until butter is melted. Stir with whisk until chocolate is completely melted. Add sugar and stir until blended. Whisk in eggs and egg yolks. Stir in flour. Divide batter between prepared custard cups.

Bake 11-13 minutes until sides are firm but centers are soft. Let stand 1 minute. Run a small knife around cakes to loosen and invert cakes on plates.

Serve immediately with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

By the way, I thought the movie was great!

Custard (or, what to do when you have lots of egg yolks)

Here is the promised custard recipe. It is intended to be used as pie filling, so it is quite firm. If you want a softer consistency, reduce the amount of cornstarch or add more milk. Just a "heads up", this one is very rich.

Chocolate Custard
5 ounces fine-quality Bittersweet (Dark) Chocolate
4 ounces Unsweetened Chocolate
1 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Cornstarch
3/4 tsp. Salt
6 large Egg Yolks
4 1/2 cups Milk
3 tablespoons unsalted Butter, cut into bits and softened
1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla

In a microwave-safe bowl or measuring cup (I prefer the 4-cup pyrex measuring cup), melt the chocolate using 50% power. Start with 2 minutes, and then check the chocolate by trying to stir it. If it is still pretty hard, go for 1 more minute (still at 50% power) and check it again. Repeat until it is soft enough to stir. There is a fine line between melting and scorching, and you don't want to cross it. Chocolate doesn't really lose its shape when melting, but it does get soft enough that when you start to stir it, the shape collapses into a melty pool of chocolate. Keep stirring until it is all melted and smooth.

In a heavy saucepan (about 3 quarts) whisk together sugar, cornstarch, salt, and egg yolks until combined well and add milk in a stream, whisking. While whisking, bring milk mixture to a boil over moderate heat. Allow to simmer (keep whisking!) until thick, about 1 minute. Force custard through a fine sieve into a bowl and whisk in melted chocolate, butter, and vanilla until smooth. Cover surface of filling with plastic wrap and cool completely (unless you like the skin on top. I do!)

To use as pie filling, pour custard into a 10-inch prepared crust and chill pie, covered, at least 6 hours or overnight. Top with whipped cream just before serving (if desired)

Variation: Coconut Custard
Omit chocolate. Toast 1 cup coconut in a dry skillet over low heat, shaking constantly. Do this before making the custard so that the coconut has time to cool before being stirred into the custard (add with vanilla)

Angel Food Cake

When I was a young baker, my mother taught me that Angel Food Cake should be make with a box mix because it was too tricky to make one from scratch. For a beginning baker, this is very true. However, for an intermediate-to-experienced baker, making one from scratch is, well, a piece of cake! Especially with this recipe:

Angel Food Cake
1 1/2 cups Sugar, divided
1 cup Cake Flour, sifted (not All-Purpose flour)
9 Egg Whites (I recommend separating the eggs when they are cold, then allowing the white to warm up to room temperature. They seem to whip up higher at room temp)
1/4 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Cream of Tartar
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp. Almond Extract

Preheat oven to 325F.

Sift 1/2 cup sugar and flour twice. Beat egg whites until foamy. Add salt and cream of tartar and continue to beat until they hold soft peaks. Beat in extracts and remaining sugar until peaks become a little stiffer. Using a rubber spatula or your hand, gently fold flour mixture into eggs white mixture.

Turn batter into an ungreased tube pan (not a bundt pan). Bake 45-60 minutes until cake is firm, resilient to touch, and nicely brown. Invert cake for an hour. Remove carefully.

Cuts best with a serrated knife or pair of forks.

Best on the day it is made. Strawberry mousse makes a great filling/topping.

Chocolate Angel Food Cake Variation: Substitute 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder for 1/4 flour.

I made one of these last week as a birthday treat for a co-worker. Someone else on the team, when he found out it was an angel food cake, asked "What's all that brown stuff on the outside?" (It was the crusty bits). Turns out, he'd only ever had angel food cake that was purchased from the store already baked, which I guess doesn't have the brown crumbs on the outside. At least not on the top.

I love this homemade version, though you are left with lots of egg yolks. I usually make custard or pudding with them.

I'll post a custard recipe tomorrow!

Chocolate Chelsea Buns

After my post last week about making rolls with chocolate milk instead of regular milk, a friend emailed me a recipe she recommends for chocolate cinnamon rolls, or, as the recipe calls them, Chocolate Chelsea Buns.

I couldn't resist, so tried them out on Sunday to take as my dessert offering for Sunday dinner. They were mmm-mmm-good! Here is the recipe:

Chocolate Chelsea Buns

1 cup Milk
1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
1 1/2 tsp active dry Yeast
1 Egg
1/4 cup Butter, melted
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Vanilla
3 cups (approx) All Purpose Flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Cocoa powder, sifted

Filling:
1 cup Chocolate Chips (I used half semi-sweet, half milk choc)
1/2 cup packed Brown Sugar
1/4 cup chopped Pecans (optional)(I did some both ways and liked both)
1/2 tsp Cinnamon (I will put in a bit more next time)

Scald the milk, let it sit for a few moments, then remove the skin off the top. Allow it to cool a bit before proceeding (at this point is it too hot for the yeast)

Dissolve 1 tsp of sugar into the warm milk. Sprinkle with yeast and stir. Let stand until frothy.

Whisk in egg, butter, remaining sugar, salt and vanilla. Gradually whisk in 1 cup of the flour. With a wooden spoon, beat in the cocoa and enough of the remaining flour to make a stiff dough. Turn dough out onto floured surface and kneed about 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. (Umm...I did this all in my Bosch)

Place in greased bowl turning to grease all over. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in bulk (about an hour).

Melt chocolate chips. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon together. Punch the dough down, turn out onto lightly floured surface. Roll out to 14 x 12 inch rectangle.

Spread the melted chocolate on the dough, leaving a 1-inch border uncovered. Sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon mixture over chocolate. Starting at the long side, roll up tightly, pinching seam to seal. Cut into 16 slices. Place in a greased 9x13" pan, like you would cinnamon rolls (swirly side up). Let rise until double in bulk again.

Bake at 350 for 20 to 30 minutes until firm to the touch.

Option: If you don't want to melt the chocolate chips, spread 1/4 softened butter on dough before sprinkling with brown sugar and cinnamon mixture. Spread sugar over, then chips, then roll up.

Drizzle with a glaze icing if you like... eat them warm.

That's it!

My friend and I IM'd about these today, and tossed around some possible variations. She thinks white chocolate chips would be good. I tossed in the suggestions of a mixture of chocolate and butterscotch or chocolate and peanut butter chips. My friend also brought up the possibility of a peanut butter glaze or frosting. Last night when they were served up in Lehi, my dinner hosts tried Hersey's chocolate syrup and caramel sauce on some of them (not both on the same bun, but I suppose you could). In the end, we decided that this is a good base recipe that will be fun to play with.

If you try it, let me know! I think I might have to make these the next time I take fund-raising treats to KBYU-FM. Maybe I'll even remember to take a picture of them. :-)