Xmas Cookie time!

Last Thursday I got together with 3 awesome friends to make 4 different kinds of cookies & a toffee/chocolate bark. The day started at noon with yummy lunch of homemade lentil & ham soup (thanks Mo!), right after that we got to work — our cookies to make: Sugar (double recipe), Chocolate-dipped Peanut Butter (double recipe), Gingersnaps & Linzer — a nice mix! We fist made all the batches of dough because they needed to chill for about 1 hr. 

B planned ahead and made the Linzer cookie dough at home, which was great coz they took a while to make. We started cutting them up, making sure we got even number for the tops and bottoms. As you can see the tops get cut on the inside too so the jam comes through. Bianca melted the blackberry jam a bit and topped the bottom cookies, in the meantime, I sprinkled the tops with lots powder sugar. Look how pretty these are!



Then we moved to the Gingersnaps, which where super easy to make. The only thing I did different was adding more sugar on top after they came out of the oven. These cookies are super crispy and taste like the holidays. 

Mo worked her magic on her toffee/choco bark. She learned how to make it at a class she took a few years ago. I just watched her make it — you have to move fast and make sure you have a candy thermometer!

Then was Peanut Butter time, which where also super easy, just had to scoop them, make balls and flat them out a bit. After they cooled I dipped half of each one in chocolate which makes them even more heavenly. 

Mo & B worked on the sugar cookies making them into tons of cute xmas shapes. By this time it was almost 6pm and I had to run, so I took some dough and made & decorated them the day after.
Overall it was a SUPER successful cookie day :) we got a lot done and all the cookies came out fabulous. Thanks to Mo for hosting, B for finding the amazing Linzer recipe and J for helping out and taking pictures. Oh, and of course thanks to little C for being such a good baby. Hope we do this every year!!

Dear Birthday Cake,

Dear Birthday Cake,

I love you SO much. I love making you for my birthday so you can be as decadent as I want you to be. This year you where good... really good. We had you every night for a week and I didn't feel one bit guilty about it. You where a delicious chocolate cake, with 2 layers of peanut butter-cream cheese frosting, topped with a deep, beautiful chocolate glaze. I miss you so much already. Good thing the hubby's birthday is tomorrow, which only means one thing: more birthday cake to make!

CHOCOLATE CAKE (adapted from alpineberry)

INGREDIENTS::

_ 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (1 cup white, 3/4 whole wheat)

_ 2 cups granulated sugar
_ 3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
_ 2 teaspoons baking soda
_ 1 teaspoon baking powder
_ 1 teaspoon kosher salt
_ 1/2 cup yogurt & 1/2 cup milk (recipe calls for 1 cup buttermilk)

_ 1/2 cup vegetable oil
_ 2 extra large eggs, at room temperature
_ 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
_ 1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee (or hot water)

DIRECTIONS::

_ Preheat oven to 350F. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans (I used only 1). Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.

_Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into bowl. Mix to combine the ingredients. In another bowl, gently whisk together the yogurt, milk, oil, eggs and vanilla extract. Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix to combine.
_Add the coffee and stir just to combine (carefully because it might splash). Scrape the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to make sure everything is well combined.
_Pour batter into prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a knife comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

_NOTE: This batter is really runny—but don't worry—it's supposed to be that way.

PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING (adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

INGREDIENTS::

_1 1/2 packages of cream cheese, at room temperature

_1 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature

_4-5 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted

_1 cup smooth peanut butter

DIRECTIONS::

_In a large bowl with an electric mixer, bean the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add the sugar, 1 cup at a time. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl often. Beat until light and fluffy, about 3 min. Add the peanut butter and bean until well blended (Makes about 5 cups).

CHOCOLATE CLAZE (adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

INGREDIENTS::

_8 oz semisweet chocolate chips

_3 tbsp smooth peanut butter

_2 tbsp light corn syrup

_1/2 cup half-and-alf

DIRECTIONS::

_In top of a bowl set over simmering water, combine chocolate, peanut butter and corn syrup. Whisk until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and whisk the half-and-half until smooth (Makes about 1.5 cups).

ASSEMBLING:

_I recommend making the cake the day before so it's cooled and ready to go.

_Layer the cake with a large serrated knife (I did 2 layers) and spread about 2/3 of the frosting on each layer.

_Crumb coat: I learned this at a cake decorating class I took. This means adding a thin layer of frosting all over your cake so the crumbs don't show at the end. I did this and placed the cake in the fridge for 30 min.

_Frost cake: Add the rest of the frosting to the top of the cake, then with you knife start spreading the frosting to the sides. Once you're done, put the cake in the fridge for another 15 min.

_Chocolate Glaze: Add ALL the glaze on the top of the cake, then slowly spread it to the edges of the cake, letting it fall nicely on the sides.

This cake simply amazing. It takes some time to make but it's worth it. The actual cake is super moist and has a great deep chocolate flavor but it's not overly sweet. The peanut butter frosting is delicious, definitely going to make it again. The glaze totally takes the cake to another level and it makes the cake look even more beautiful.

Shower time!

Last Saturday Bianca, Petra and I had the pleasure of throwing our friend Mariah's baby shower. It took a lot of planing, research and time, but it was a lot of fun! B and I made the beautiful "Diaper Cake" you see here. It's a "cake" made out of rolled up diapers, decorated with pretty ribbons and cute baby things.

We all made different simple & delicious dishes: a veggie plate with my a super yummy cream cheese dip, cheese and crackers, mini quiches, Petras' meatballs and my mini biscuits. I decided to make mini biscuits because it's one of Mariah's favorites. I made 1" round biscuits (use your favorite recipe or a box mix) and added some fresh rosemary for extra flavor.  After I baked them, I cut them in half and brushed them with melted butter. I filled each one with a tiny piece of bacon and cheddar cheese. Then I warmed them up a bit so the cheese would melt. I thought they came out super cute and delicious.

We also made some really yummy cupcakes. Petra made the vanilla ones (her favorite glutten-free recipe) and I made the chocolate ones and decorated them with this super decadent white chocolate frosting. 

The afternoon was a lot of fun and I think Mariah enjoyed herself. I also have to say that B and I had a great time making the diaper cake and would love to make more, so please send the word out!

Photos taken by my super talented friend Amy Hall of Amy Hall Photography. Thanks girl... if only you could take all the pictures for my blog!

Coconut Dreamin'

By now you should know that I LOVE coconut. My husband is a coconut addict too and would eat anything that tastes coconutty :) 

Lately we've been LOVING these Dream bars, these are the most delicious chocolate & coconut bars you've ever had. I've made them a few times because we are addicted to them — I even made a batch for our road trip and they where life savers!

They are super easy but are not the healthiest thing in the world, but it's ok, you "only" need a little piece. I've adapted a recipe I found on Martha.com to make them as healthy as possible. I promise you they'll be a big hit!

INGREDIENTS::

_ CRUST

_ 20  big graham crackers  (I get the Honey Maid Grahams Low Fat)

_ 1.5 sticks of butter, melted (I've tried reducing this amount but you really do need this much)

_ pinch of salt

_TOPPING

_ 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

_ 2 cups of flaked coconut (I get organic unsweetened)

_ 1/2 cup of walnuts or pecans

_ 1.5 cans of sweetened fat free condensed milk

DIRECTIONS::

_ Preheat oven to 350. Make sure rack is in the center.

_ Line a 9x13" with parchment paper. It might get a bit messy and it will not look perfect so don't worry about it.

_ Make crust: In food processor grind the crackers, add salt and melted butter. Pulse a bit more. Pour this into the pan and press into the bottom with your fingers, make sure you get all the corners.

_ Add the coconut all over, again, make sure you get the corners.

_ Add the coco chips and the nuts on top of the coconut.

_ Pour the condensed milk evenly over everything covering them all. 

_ Bake for about 15 min, rotate pan and cook for about 15 min more. You want a little brown around the edges but the middle nice and creamy.

_ Transfer pan to wire rack and LET COOL. I know you'll be tempted to eat it now. After it cools carefully lift the parchment paper, place it on your cutting board and cut into squares.

The original recipe says you must wrap each bar with plastic wrap and keep them refrigerated. What I do is put them in a tupperware container but I add a layer of parchment paper between the bars. And I don't like to eat them cold so I nook them for about 6 seconds... dreamy!!

happy yummy birthday!

Last Monday was my hubby's birthday and as always he rather have a delicious home made meal than going out to a restaurant... which is great for me because I usually try to cook something new. This time, a suggested a Beef Stew because I recently watched the video at how2heroes and seemed totally doable. Plus, this one is made with beer (instead of wine) and I knew he'll like that.

It was my first time making a stew and I have to say I really liked it. It actually tastes better the days after you make it which is a plus cos you're gonna end up eating tons of it all week. I recommend having all your ingredients laid out and chopping all the veggies you'll need before hand so when you start it'll be extra easy.

You start with browning the meat, after it browns you add some flour and stir for a bit. After that you add some garlic and shallots, stir, then the all the veggies. Then the beef stock and after a few minutes, the potatoes... and that's it! Just let it simmer for a total of about 1.5 hrs, making sure you add the beer about half way. Also be sure to use fresh herbs for this, they make such a difference!

Here is the link to the recipe: Stout Beef Stew.

Oh, and If you're wondering about that cake... I made it the same day and it's SO much work! It's called CocoChoco and it's inspired by a cake my hubby and I had while on a vacation trip on Margarita island, Venezuela. It's a layer of Chocolate Cake covered by a layer of Chocolate Mouse followed by a layer of Coconut Mouse. It's creamy, airy, chocolatey and delicious, but i can't share the recipe just yet!