The Gourmet Cookbook's Ice Cream #6 {Chocolate Velvet Ice Cream}

 This week I thought I would change things up and do a decadent and rich Chocolate Velvet Ice Cream!

and, whoa buddy...this ice cream fits the bill! It has a wonderfully rich chocolate flavor from the addition of cocoa powder and 6 ounces of finely chopped semisweet chocolate! 

It is so velvety and smooth, almost like a frozen chocolate mousse! What makes this ice cream so velvety and smooth is that after the custard chills, you pour the mixture into a metal bowl and whip it up for 2-4 minutes with your mixer until you see soft peaks. Then, you add this whipped chocolate mousse-like mixture in the ice cream machine and it is thick and whipped and airy and chocolately and oh so delicious.

I have loved all the ice creams I've made so far, but this one could definitely win a gold medal. It is top of the list for sure and I can see myself making it over and over.

Chocolate Velvet Ice Cream

Adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook

by Ruth Reichl

Makes 1 quart

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 cups heavy cream

1 cup whole milk

3 large egg yolks

6 ounces good bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), finely chopped

Whisk together sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in a 2 to 3 quart heavy saucepan until combined, then whisk in cream and milk. Bring mixture just to a boil, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, beat yolks in a large metal bowl until smooth. Add hot cream mixture in a slow stream, whisk constantly, and pour back into pan. Cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until custard is thick enough to coat back of spoon and registers 170F on thermometer; do not let boil. Remove pan from heat and add chocolate, whisking until melted.

Pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve into cleaned metal bowl. Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally, then refrigerate, covered, until cold, at least 3 hours. (Custard will get very thick.)

Beat custard with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until it is thick and holds very soft peaks, 2 to 4 minutes. Freeze in ice cream maker. Transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden. 

Olympic Eats @ I Heart Cooking Clubs!
 

 

American Cookie #7 {Ruth Wakefield's 1930's Era Chocolate Crunch Cookies and The Origin of The Chocolate Chip Cookie!}

 Each week, I'm going to be highlighting a new American Cookie and sharing its history, as well as my results. This is the seventh week of baking with American Cookie by Anne Byrn, and I'm sharing Ruth Wakefield's Chocolate Crunch Cookies, which is essentially a chocolate chip cookie!

The History of Chocolate Crunch (Chip) Cookies: The history of the chocolate crunch, or chocolate chip cookie, starts with a woman named Ruth Graves Wakefield. Ruth worked at the Toll House Inn located in Whitman, Massachusetts. One day, Ruth ran out of cocoa for her chocolate jumble cookies and needed to make a substitution. It was the late 1930's, which was still the Depression Era, and cooks were making do with what they had on hand and frequently making substitutions.

Ruth found two chocolate bars which she chopped up and folded into her cookie dough. She thought the chocolate would melt as the cookies baked, but it didn't! And just like that, the Toll House Cookies we all know and love were born! Ruth didn't know it at the time, but this new recipe would turn the cookie world upside down! Nestle made a deal with Ruth, giving her a lifetime supply of chocolate if Ruth would let them put the recipe on the back of the chocolate bar. Before long the chocolate bar turned into chocolate chips and the cookies were renamed.

Here is the original recipe for the cookies the changed the world! It comes from the 1938 Ruth Wakefield's Toll House Tried and True Recipes book. Something different about this original recipe is that you dissolve the baking soda in hot water, which was how it was done in the Toll House Inn back in the 1930's.

My Results: These cookies are total perfection! I've said it before, and I'll say it again, but Anne Byrn's American Cookie cookbook produces cookies that are just complete perfection, time after time. This recipe has loads of chocolate, which we loved! I had never dissolved baking soda into hot water before when making cookies so I found it interesting. I'm not sure that it makes a difference, but it's an easy step which I was happy to try. These cookies are chewy and loaded with chocolate chips. I'm pretty sure this is my new favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe!

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars! Total perfection, tons of chocolate, and they really satisfy! I will definitely be making them again!

I'm going to be rating all the cookies with the five-star format, one-star being the lowest rating and five-star being the highest!

 Ruth Wakefield's Chocolate Crunch Cookies

Recipe adapted from American Cookie

by Anne Byrn

Makes 6 to 7 dozen 2" cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed*

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon hot water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 to 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts*

1 pound semisweet chocolate, chopped (or chocolate chips)

Note: I only had light brown sugar so I used that. In the notes of the cookbook it said you could use either dark brown or light brown sugar. My son is allergic to nuts, and I can't eat them, so I left them out of the recipe. I also didn't have chocolate bars on hand, but I did have chocolate chips so I used those. Either would be fine! It calls for 2 to 2-1/4 cups flour. I wasn't sure what to here so I split the difference and used 2-1/8 cups. Go with your gut and make it your own! In addition, I chilled my cookie dough for about an hour. I've learned while cooking from this book that I always pays to chill your cookie dough, even if the recipe doesn't call for it!

Place a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat the oven to 375F. Set aside 2 baking sheets, covered with parchment paper.

Place the soft butter and sugars in a large bowl and beat with a mixer on medium-high speed until creamy and light, 1 to 1-1/2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until just combined.

Place the baking soda in a small measuring cup and stir in the teaspoon of hot water to dissolve the soda. Spoon this into the butter and sugar mixture along with the vanilla. Beat on low speed until just combined, 15 seconds. Whisk together the flour and salt in a medium-size bowl, and add to the batter, beating on low speed until just combined. Turn off the mixer, and fold in the nuts (if using) and chocolate with the spatula until well distributed (I like to use a wooden spoon).

Drop the dough by teaspoons onto the baking sheets, (I like to use a small cookie scoop) spacing the dough about 2" apart (I baked about 6 cookies per sheet, but my cookies were a little bigger than the recipes calls for). Place 1 pan in the oven.

Bake the cookies until lightly golden brown, 7 to 9 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the cookies to wire racks. Repeat baking with the remaining dough, making sure you allow your sheet pans to cool down before adding the dough (a hot pan will melt the dough and make your cookies spread out and become too crisp). Store the cookies in an airtight container.

 

 

Ina Garten's Chocolate Pecan Scones

 When King Charles was coronated back in May, the Barefoot Contessa Facebook page just blew up with these scones. Everyone was making them to celebrate the coronation. And everyone was singing their praises.

I think Ina is trying to feed all of England with these scones because her recipe says it makes 14-16 scones, but my batch made more like 22 scones. Scones for everyone! Scones for the freezer, and for the neighbors, and for all the friends!

Too many scones is a really good problem to have because these suckers are delicious, especially warm straight out of the oven with a little butter!  I mean just look at the cross section of the scone with all the pecans and chocolate studded throughout. It's almost like having a cookie, but not quite. 

We really enjoyed this recipe and I would definitely make them again, EXCEPT next time I would halve the recipe for sure. Ten scones would be plenty, unless of course you really do need to feed an army, or all of England.

 

Chocolate Pecan Scones

Adapted from Cook Like A Pro

by Ina Garten

Makes 14-16 large scones

3 tablespoons plus 4 cups all-purpose flour, divided

1-1/2 cups medium-diced bittersweet chocolate, such as Lindt (8 ounces)

1 cup chopped pecans

2 tablespoons sugar, plus additional for sprinkling

2 tablespoons baking powder

4 teaspoons kosher salt

3/4 pound cold unsalted butter, 1/2" diced

1 cup cold heavy cream

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water or cream, for egg wash

Preheat the oven to 400F. Arrange two racks evenly spaced in the oven. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, combine the 3 tablespoons flour with the chocolate and pecans and set aside. 

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the 4 cups flour, the sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter and, with the mixer on low speed, blend until the butter is the size of peas. Measure the cream in a 2 cup glass measuring cup, add the eggs, and beat until combined. With the mixer still on low, pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and combine just until blended. Add the chocolate and pecan mixture and mix just until combined. The dough will be very sticky.

Dump the dough out onto a very well-floured surface and knead it a few times to be sure the chocolate and pecans are well distributed, adding a little flour so the dough doesn't stick to the board. Flour your hands and a rolling pin and roll the dough 3/4 to 1 inch thick. You should see lumps of butter in the dough. Cut the dough with a 3 inch plain round cutter and place the scones on the prepared sheet pans. Re-roll the scraps and cut out more scones. Brush the tops with the egg wash, sprinkle with sugar, and bake for 20 minutes, switching the pans halfway through, until the tops are lightly browned and the insides are fully baked. Serve warm or a room temperature.

Finger Foods @ I Heart Cooking Clubs

Ruth Reichl's Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies {One Of The Best Oatmeal Cookies Out There}

I am a self confessed cookie lover and oatmeal cookies are right at the top of the list. 

I love plain oatmeal cookies, oatmeal raisin, oatmeal chocolate chip, oatmeal trail mix, and ice oatmeal cookies. You get the picture. I haven't met an oatmeal cookie I haven't liked.

The oatmeal gives the cookie some heft and chew. It makes the cookie more substantial. It makes it mor healthy, right?

Yes, oatmeal cookies are healthy. And, since oatmeal is breakfast food, we can eat oatmeal cookies for breakfast, right?

Now there are many different types of oatmeal cookies, but Ruth Reichl's recipe from The Gourmet Cookbook is heavy on the oatmeal. In fact it was a little difficult to get the dough to come together and I found that I had to mix the dough more than I usually would. 

Ruth said I could add chocolate chips, but I wanted to add chocolate chunks so I cut up a 4 ounce bar of semisweet chocolate. This was just the right amount of chocolate for a chocolate lover. If you want just a little bit of chocolate, use less.

Believe it or not, I am rather impatient and can't be bothered to stand in front of a stove turning out batches upon batches of cookies until I make 2 dozen. Instead, I got a 1/4 cup measure and made 12 big cookies in two batches. I baked them 6 minutes on the bottom rack and then 6 minutes on the top rack, and let them cool on the pan for 5 minutes.

If you love oatmeal cookies, these are total perfection! And I mean that. We inhaled them. They are literally the best! They are my new go-to oatmeal cookie recipes! In fact, I'm going to try making them again with the gluten free flour for my son! 

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook

by Ruth Reichl

Makes about 2 dozen

1-3/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon*

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1-1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) butter, softened

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 to 1 cup chocolate chips and or chocolate cut from a bar

*NOTE: I omitted the cinnamon since I added the chocolate!

Put racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 375F. Butter two large baking sheets. 

Stir together oats, flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.

Beat together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla and beat until well combined. Add oat mixture and chocolate and beat until just combined.

Drop heaping tablespoons of dough about 2 inches apart onto buttered baking sheets and flatten mounds slightly with moistened fingers. Bake cookies, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until golden, about 12 minutes total. Transfer cookies to racks to cool.

 Spring Is In The Air @ IHCC

 

Dorie Greenspan's Salted-Chocolate Hot Fudge Sundaes

Well, we have arrived back home from a whirlwind vacation to New Orleans where we ate everything, drank everything, and did everything we could for 5 days straight. We had the time of a lifetime, but we are exhausted and in need of another week off....just to rest! No such luck though...

We are cooking (and baking) the recipes of Dorie Greenspan for the next six months, so I was looking through my Everyday Dorie cookbook when this recipe for Salted-Chocolate Hot Fudge Sundaes caught my eye. I mean...who doesn't love a good hot fudge sundae made with homemade salted chocolate bits, toasted slivered almonds, homemade fudge, and homemade whipped cream? Layer all those goodies up and you have a recipe for success!

Those little salted chocolate bits are like chocolate heaven! Smooth and creamy with a hint of salt, it really hits the spot alongside the toasted slivered almonds and the fudge sauce.

Dorie serves all these homemade goodies over coffee and vanilla ice cream, but we are not big coffee fans so we just used two scoops of plain-ol' vanilla ice cream and it was sooooo good! I'm convinced you could bottle up all these components and sell these sundaes for big money! You could make all the components for this ahead of time and keep it on hand and you could MOST DEFINITELY make the components ahead of time and serve this at a dinner party or any type of event where you're entertaining. 

This is an incredible recipe! Cool, creamy, crunchy, sweet, rich, and a hint of salty...it will hands down be one of my favorite recipes this year and I will definitely be making it again and again! Dorie and I have cooked and baked together years ago when I participated briefly in Fridays with Dorie, but I am really excited to get back in the kitchen with her and try more of her recipes! We are certainly off to a promising start!

 Salted-Chocolate Hot Fudge Sundaes

Adapted for Everyday Dorie

by Dorie Greenspan

Serves 4-6 

For The Salted-Chocolate Bits

1/2 pound (227 grams) bittersweet chocolate, not chips (finely chopped)

3/4 teaspoons fleur de sel or 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

For The Hot Fudge Sauce

6 ounces (170 grams) bittersweet chocolate (not chips), finely chopped

3/4 cup heavy cream

3 tablespoons light corn syrup

2 tablespoons sugar

For The Sundaes

About 3/4 cup toasted slivered almonds

About 1 pint coffee ice cream

About 1 pint vanilla ice cream

Lightly sweetened whipped cream

To Make The Bits: Line a pie plate with plastic wrap or parchment paper. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or on low power in a microwave. Add the salt and stir to blend, then, using an offset spatula or a table knife, spread chocolate in the pie pan, making a layer that's 1/8" thick (shape doesn't matter). Press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface and freeze for at least 45 minutes. When the chocolate is solid, chop it into bits. Keep frozen until needed. (You can do this up to 2 weeks in advance.)

To Make The Sauce: Put the chocolate, cream, corn syrup, and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the chocolate melts and the mixture comes to a light simmer, about 5 minutes. Still stirring, let it burble for a minute or two more, then scrape it into a heatproof container. Use now or cover and refrigerate until needed. (The sauce will keep for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator).

To Make The Sundaes: If necessary, warm the fudge sauce in a double boiler or microwave on low. For each sundae, sprinkle some salted chocolate bits and almonds into the bottom of a bowl, snifter or sundae glass. Top with a scoop or two of coffee ice cream and some hot fudge sauce, almonds, and bits. Finish with a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream and more fudge sauce, whipped cream, almonds, and chocolate bits. Serve immediately.

 

 

 

Welcome, Dorie @ I Heart Cooking Clubs

Ina Garten's Brownie Pudding

 

I remember the episode way back when when Ina first shares her Brownie Pudding. It was at least ten years ago. There are some contractors restoring the old town windmill and Ina brings them lunch along with this rich dense brownie pudding that looks delectable. I feel like I can even remember her saying that it is a big hit with men! Right along with her infamous line, "how good does that look?"

It makes for a good episode, but I'm curious how many of you have taken food to contractors or had as many parties as Mrs. Garten? It has value for the show and I appreciate that, but it just never seems like real life.

Well, I don't have any contractors or publishers coming to my house for a party. I also have to laugh because most of us are in the throes of the pandemic and haven't had people to our house in ages. HOWEVER...we have to treat ourselves occasionally, especially with the Superbowl and Valentine's Day following so close together, SO....

I finally got around to making Mrs. Ina's famous Brownie Pudding. It is quite simply 10 years in the making! I have always been drawn to this recipe because the ingredients are so pantry-friendly and it feels like this recipe is just waiting to be whipped up.

In short, all you need are butter, eggs, cocoa powder, sugar, vanilla, and very small amount of flour. One of my New Year's goals was to use the gluten free flour more so that my son (who has celiac's disease) can enjoy foods alongside us. It is pricey, but I have found that I like the King Arthur Measure for Measure Gluten Free Flour. 

Since the recipes is so rich, and calls for only 1/2 cup flour, I felt this was a good recipe to sub the gluten free flour as it wouldn't change the overall texture of the dish.The gluten free flour worked well and if you're looking for a gluten free option, I would say this recipe is a good one to adapt!

This Brownie Pudding is very much like a Chocolate Lava Cake...with a crunchy coating on the top! If you are a serious chocolate lover then you will absolutely love this. It is very rich and decadent and definitely screams for vanilla ice cream. Ina says it serves 6. I say it is SO RICH that it could serve 12, or more. My family loves rich foods and even at that, we could only eat a small portion. While this was not our favorite dessert, it was a good solid dessert, especially considering it came together really quickly with pantry based ingredients that everyone has on hand. 

Brownie Pudding

Adapted from Food Network

by Ina Garten 

Serves 6

1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, plus extra for buttering the dish

4 extra large eggs, at room temp

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup good cocoa powder

1/2 cup all-purpose flour*

seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean (or vanilla bean paste)

1 tablespoon framboise liqueur, optional*

vanilla ice cream, for serving

Note: I used King Arthur Measure For Measure Gluten Free Flour with great results. I didn't have the Framboise Liqueur so I subbed extra vanilla instead.

Preheat the oven to 325F. Lightly butter a 2-quart (9x12-inch) baking dish. Melt the 1/2 pound of butter and set aside to cool.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs and sugar on medium-high speed for 5 to 10 minutes, until very thick and light yellow. Meanwhile, soft the cocoa powder and flour together and set aside.

When the egg and sugar mixture is ready, reduce the speed to low and add the vanilla seeds or paste, framboise, if using, and the cocoa powder and flour mixture. Mix only until combined. With mixer still on low, slowly pour in the cooled butter and mix again just until combined.

Pour the brownie mixture into the prepared dish and place it in a larger baking pan. Add enough of the hottest tap water to the pan to come halfway up the side of the dish and bake for exactly 1 hour. A cake tester inserted 2 inches from the side will come out 3/4 clean. The center will appear very under-baked; this dessert is between a brownie and a pudding.

Allow to cool and serve with vanilla ice cream.

Soul-Soothing Dishes @ IHCC

Jamie Oliver's Peanut Butter & Jelly Brownies {A Perfect Treat For Back To School}!

I've been bit by the baking bug pretty hard lately. I wanna make all the baked goods right now, but I'm especially craving anything with peanut butter. When I saw Jamie's Peanut Butter & Jelly Brownies I fell in love at first sight. Not only does it look like the dessert of my dreams, but I also love the peanut butter and jelly theme because....IT'S BACK TO SCHOOL TIME!

We are going back to school the middle of next week and I can hardly believe it. The summer has  flown by. Seeing as how this is the tail end of summer, I thought a decadent treat like this was perfect!

Can I just tell you right now...these fudgy ooey-gooey brownies have a decadent peanut butter custard swirled into them? Yes, you heard me right. A creamy, dreamy, obsession-worthy peanut butter custard. Then you tuck pockets of raspberry jam into the peanut butter custard before garnishing with some beautiful fresh raspberries. It is a thing of beauty. It is dessert perfection. 

And it is a sad, sad story when you can only have one, because you're gonna want another, and another. In fact, I ate one. My husband ate two. We each saved one. Then I packed the rest up and delivered them to a friend to get them out of my sight because I knew I'd be tempted! 

YOU NEED THESE IN YOUR LIFE!!

Peanut Butter & Jelly Brownies

Adapted from Comfort Food

by Jamie Oliver

Serves 15

Custard

1 cup milk

1 vanilla bean OR 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 large egg yolks

1/4 cup sugar

1 heaping tablespoon cornstarch

1-1/2 tablespoons butter (at room temperature)

2 heaping tablespoons smooth peanut butter

Brownies

1 cup butter, plus extra for greasing

8 ounces quality dark chocolate (I used semisweet)*

1 cup, plus 2 tablespoons sugar

4 large eggs

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons raspberry jam

2-1/2 ounces fresh raspberries

Notes: I used semisweet chocolate because we like it better than dark chocolate, but the recipe calls for 70% dark chocolate. I also used two kinds of jam, strawberry and grape because we wanted to try some of each and because it's what I had on hand. My brownies had to bake for about 30 minutes, 5 minutes over the suggested time.

 To make the custard, put the milk into a saucepan, halve the vanilla bean lengthwise, and scrape out the seeds, then add both bean and seeds to the pan and lightly simmer on the stove (or use vanilla extract), stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, in a bowl, use a balloon whisk to combine the egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and soft butter. Whisking constantly, gradually pour the hot milk into the bowl, until combined. Return the custard mixture to the pan, place over a low heat, and stir gently for 2 to 3 minutes, or until thickened. Stir in the peanut butter, then leave the custard to cool completely.

Preheat the oven to 350F. For the brownies, grease and line (use parchment) a deep baking pan (8x12 inches). Melt the butter in a non-stick saucepan on a very low heat, the snap up and add the chocolate. Stir regularly with a spatula until melted and combined, then remove from the heat and stir in the sugar. Leave to cool slightly, then whisk in the eggs, one at a time, until silky. Sift in the flour and mix well.

Pour the brownie mix into the prepared baking pan, then swirl through the chilled nutty custard (discarding the vanilla bean, if using). Erratically distribute little spoonfuls of jam over the surface, then poke in the fresh raspberries (or any other fresh seasonal berries that correspond with the jam you're using). Bake for around 25 minutes, or until cooked on the outside but still a bit gooey in the middle. Leave to cool for 1 hour if you can bear it, then cut into portions and serve.

Peanut Butter & Jelly Week @ IHCC

Ina Garten's Hot Chocolate {Perfect for Snowmageddon 2021}

As I write this, I'm listening to the sound of icicles fall from the roof and plunge to the ground. It's not a sound I'm used to hearing around these parts. We're coming off of a pretty huge winter storm for Kentucky, several inches of snow and ice. Enough to close the schools for two weeks!

I am in no way complaining. I grew up in northeast Ohio, in the snow belt, and I really miss a good snow like this. Plus, I was perfectly warm and safe in my home for the duration. The people of Texas weren't as lucky. God Bless Texas!

A month or so ago, Deb and I chose Hot Chocolate Celebration for this week's theme at our cooking club, I Heart Cooking Clubs. Innocently enough, we thought it would be a good time to enjoy hot cocoa simply because it's always so cold in February. Little did we know that Snowmageddon 2021 was coming! It ended up being the perfect time for a warm and comforting cup of hot chocolate.

Ina's hot chocolate is delicious. I mean I knew it would be. Of course, I altered the recipe somewhat because in typical Ina fashion it was a little over the top. Ina uses whole milk and half and half and two kinds of chocolate: bittersweet and milk chocolate. She flavors the hot chocolate with vanilla extract, sugar, coffee, and then garnishes the hot cocoa with a vanilla bean and/or a cinnamon stick.

I was okay with the whole milk and half and half since this is my one and only splurge for the week. I was okay with the two chocolates and the vanilla extract. In truth, I was okay with all of it except the coffee, because truthfully I don't care for coffee and never have. But then I added the vanilla beans to my cart and realized they were $9.99 a piece! Nope, not okay with a $10+ cup of hot chocolate. Sorry, Ina.

So, I changed the recipe to suit my needs and it basically amounts to whole milk, half and half, bittersweet chocolate, milk chocolate, sugar and vanilla extract. You know what? It was thick and creamy and oh so delicious. I didn't even miss the $10 vanilla bean garnish. I ended up garnishing it with a healthy dose of whipped cream and grated chocolate, which I think is a much better garnish than a vanilla bean.

Of course, I had to drink my hot chocolate in my one and only coffee mug that I inherited from my Aunt Jenny, my mom's sister. Aunt Jenny was my idol and funny enough, she never swore, always saying "oh sugar" when something went wrong or she got upset. I'm not entirely sure how she ended up with this mug, but I do love it.

 

Hot Chocolate

Adapted from Food Network

Recipe by Ina Garten

Serves 4

2-1/2 cups whole milk

2 cups half and half

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

4 ounces milk chocolate, chopped

1 tablespoon sugar

1teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon instant espresso or coffee powder*

4 to 5 vanilla beans or cinnamon sticks, for garnish* 

Heat the milk and half and half in a saucepan on medium heat to just below the simmering point. Remove the pan from the heat and add both chocolates. When the chocolates are melted, add the sugar, vanilla extract, and espresso and whisk vigorously. Reheat gently and serve immediately. Use a vanilla bean or cinnamon stick to garnish each serving.

Ina's Chocolate Peanut Butter Globs

Some people might think a world like "glob" doesn't sound appetizing. But, if we say Chocolate Peanut Butter Globs it instantly changes things! Right? I mean there are very few things that chocolate and peanut butter don't improve.

When I see the words Chocolate Peanut Butter Globs I think of complete and utter indulgence. After all, if I'm hungry for chocolate and peanut butter I do want globs and globs of it! 

This cookie is packed with tons of goodness: melted chocolate, chocolate chips, whole pecans, whole walnuts, and peanut butter chips and it's all nestled in a chocolate brownie-esque type batter that bakes up into one delicious glob. 

Also, I couldn't resist. It is 2020 and when asked what kind of cookies I'm making for the holiday I couldn't resist to answer with a simple "globs." It does seem rather fitting, doesn't it?

 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Globs

Adapted from Barefoot Contessa Foolproof

by Ina Garten

Makes 20-22 cookies

6 tablespoons butter

12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, divided

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate

2 extra-large eggs

1 tablespoon instant espresso powder, such as Medaglia d'Oro*

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup whole walnut halves 

1 cup whole pecan halves

2/3 cup peanut butter chips, such as Reese's

Note: I didn't add the espresso powder because we don't drink coffee and we don't care for the taste of it.

Preheat the oven to 324 degrees. Line a few sheet pans with parchment paper.

In a bowl set over simmering water, melt the butter, 6 ounces of the chocolate chips, and the unsweetened chocolate, stirring occasionally, until just melted. Remove from the heat and cool for 15 minutes.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddles attachment, beat the eggs, espresso powder, and vanilla until combined. Add the sugar, raise the speed to medium-high, and beat for 2 minutes, until the batter is thick and falls back on itself in a ribbon. Set aside.

With the mixer on low, slowly add the chocolate mixture to the egg mixture. Combine the 1/3 cup of flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl and fold it into the chocolate mixture with a rubber spatula.In another bowl, combine the walnuts, pecans, peanut butter chips, the remaining 6 ounces of chocolate chips, and the tablespoon of flour and fold it into the chocolate mixture. With 2 soup spoons, drop rounded mounds of batter 1 inch apart onto the prepared sheet pans. Bake for 15 minutes exactly. Cool on the baking sheets.

Ina Garten's Chocolate Dipped Shortbread Cookies

Shortbread can be a tricky thing. The dough tends to be a crumbly mess and takes quite a bit of finesse. I've tried my hand at shortbread half a dozen times with various results.

This time around I read up on some tips. Proper shortbread is a few simple ingredients: butter, flour, sugar, salt, and maybe vanilla. The first ingredient, butter, is the most prominent ingredient and it holds a fair amount of moisture. One of the secrets to achieving the desired crumbly texture and sweet flavor is to allow the dough to dry out, or rest. Chilling, or resting, the dough allows the moisture from the butter to evaporate, and with less water in the dough, the sugar concentrates. Since the dough is comprised of only three essential ingredients, this is a crucial step to ensure that all the flavors stand out.

Also, I didn't want to overwork the dough and have tough, hard cookies so I took a slightly different approach than Ina. I didn't use my stand mixer because I feel like I tend to overmix with it. Instead, I used my hand mixer until the dough started to come together and then I used my hands to warm up the butter in the dough and help everything come together.  This was a successful approach and the dough came together quickly with the warmth from my hands. Our hands are our best tools, and since the first recorded recipe for shortbread was printed in Scotland in 1736, I'm positive this is the way to go.

Ina calls for you to shape the freshly mixed dough into a flat disk and chill. For the life of me, I can't understand this step. First, it's entirely unnecessary and second, it has you kneading the tar out of the dough, essentially overworking it. Why not shape the dough into a rectangular log so that when you remove the chilled dough you can simply slice it and bake it? So I did it my way.

When I went to slice the dough  I was worried that it would crumble apart. It did not. It sliced like a dream and baked up the most beautiful shortbread cookies I've ever made! This is a fabulous recipe! The cookies themselves are GINORMOUS, but have the perfect texture and flavor, especially with the added chocolate. This is going to be my new go-to shortbread recipe. The only thing I might do differently next time is experiment with making them smaller. These cookies as written are about 2 inches wide and one inch thick. Too big, even for a sweets lover.

Chocolate Dipped Shortbread Cookies

Adapted from Food Network

Recipe by Ina Garten

Makes 20-24

3/4 pounds butter, at room temperature (3 sticks butter)

1 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

6-7 ounces very good semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 350F. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer as I did), mix together the butter and 1 cup of sugar until they are just combined. Add the vanilla. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter and sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat dish (or skip a step and shape the dough into a rectangular shaped log so that you can immediately slice the cookies once the dough has chilled). Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes. 

Roll the dough 1/2" thick and cut with a 3 by 1-inch finger-shaped cutter (or do things much simpler by following my directions above, making a log with the dough and slicing the dough into cookies once chilled). Place the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet (I used parchment) and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes (mine were done in 20 minutes), until the edges begin to brown. You do not want to overcook these cookies so check frequently and pay close attention! Allow the cookies to cool to room temperature.

When the cookies are cool, place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Put 3ounces of the chocolate in a glass bowl and microwave for 30 seconds, stir with a wooden spoon. Continue to heat and stir in 30-second increments until the chocolate is just melted. Add the remaining chocolate and allow it to sit at room temperature, stirring often, until it is completely smooth. Stir vigorously until the chocolate is smooth and slightly cooled; stirring makes it glossier.

Dunk the cookies or drizzle the cookies as you wish, with as much chocolate as you like. I was afraid the cookies would crumble when I dunked mine (my chocolate was quite thick) so I used a spoon to coat the cookies. This is where you can be creative and put a small amount of chocolate or coat them entirely in chocolate. Have fun with it! Make it your own!

Ruth Reichl's Tiny Chocolate Chip Cookies {Plus Another Dear Ruth Letter}

Dear Ruth,

It's fitting that Deb and I elected Cabin Fever to be this week's theme at I Heart Cooking Clubs. Two words: polar vortex. This polar vortex brought record-breaking low temps and granted us three glorious days off school. Some people get cabin fever. Not me. I love snow days. I love being trapped inside.

You see, on these days, everything becomes ultimately quiet and peaceful. As the snow falls, and the frigid temperatures move in, people become scarce. No one is outside. The kids don't knock on the door. My kids cuddle with blankets and watch shows in their room. A hush falls over the house and it delivers absolute peace. Precious peace and quiet. I crave these days. I need them.I wait all year for them.

On this particular snow day, I was lounging on my couch with the dog while I was thumbing through your Gourmet cookbook. Looking for something sweet, and chocolatey, I found your recipe for Tiny Chocolate Chip Cookies. Having never made tiny cookies I decided to give this recipe a go.

Scooping tiny cookies did give me pause, but I was feeling especially patient since I was well-rested and totally at peace.

Perhaps I gave myself too much credit, Ruth. For I was about to learn that I am not patient under any circumstances. You see, you required me to scoop rounded 1/2 teaspoons of dough for these cookies, Ruth. I don't know if math is your strong suit, Ruth. It's certainly not mine, but that is about 150 cookies. Do you know how small 1/2 teaspoons is, Ruth? I mean, really, and truly. The chocolate chip itself is about 1/2 teaspoon. I can't believe you wanted me to do this 150 times! This is surely a form of torture, Ruth.

I feel I have to be honest here. I did cuss you while I was making these cookies, Ruth. It wasn't ladylike, I know. People would be shocked at how undone I came while scooping the dough. Truly shocked.

You ought to have seen my face when I pulled the first batch out of the oven and noticed that the cookies spread out and became flat and thin. Thin and crispy chocolate chip cookies? How dare you, Ruth! If there is anything that I can't stand it's a thin and crispy chocolate chip cookie.

Getting ready to blow a gasket, I slung the cookie sheet down and went out the back door huffing and puffing. Scooping all those cookies was too hard, and tried my patience far too much, for the cookies to turn out thin and crispy, Ruth. What about my pictures, Ruth? Thin, crispy cookies DO NOT make good pictures, Ruth. Now I was fuming mad. I had to just walk away.

It was 20 below outside and even the frigid temperature couldn't cool me down. Compelled to make it work, I went back in and tasted a cookie. Then another, and another, and maybe even another. Why did I keep eating your cookies, Ruth? I don't like thin crispy cookies. Except....

I literally couldn't quit eating them. I tried to go over and scoop more dough so I could finish baking, but I wanted another tiny, thin, crispy cookie.Yes, they were crispy and crumbly, but they were also salty and chocolately. Something about them was quite addictive.

I could not quit eating them. My daughter came downstairs and said "What's up with these cookies? They look so thin and crispy." Then she tried one and she said, "Wow, these are salty and delicious." Together, we ate one whole tray of tiny cookies. To be fair, this is okay because the cookies are tiny and eating 10 is really only like eating one or two regular cookies, right Ruth?

So, I apologize Ruth, for cussing you. I don't know that I would ever shape 150 cookies into 1/2 teaspoon rounds again, but these cookies were delicious, everyone loved them, and they were exceedingly fun to eat, so I do forgive you. I hope you'll forgive me too.

Yours Truly,
Kim

Tiny Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook

by Ruth Reichl

Makes a little over 12 dozen

1-1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) butter, softened

2/3 cup packed light brown sugar

3/4 teaspoonsalt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1-1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Put a rack in middle of oven and preheat oven to 400F.

Beat together butter, sugar, salt, and baking soda in a medium-sized bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add flour and mix at low speed until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

Drop barely rounded 1/2 teaspoons of dough about 1-1/2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake in batches until golden brown, 6 to 7 minutes per batch. Transfer cookies to racks to cool.

Notes: I normally chill my cookie dough because I like thick and chewy cookies, so I chilled my dough for at least an hour.I used the same cookie sheet that I always use. I did question cooking the cookies at 400, since most cookies cook at 350. My first batch turned out darker than I like and I did think they spread out way too flat, so I lowered the temperature to 350 and chilled my dough some more. It really didn't matter what I did with the dough, what cookie sheet I used, or what temperature I set the oven to. These cookies all came out thin and crispy. These are not my favorite chocolate chip cookie, but they are delicious in their own right. If you are patient, and like thin and crispy cookies, then this may be the recipe for you!

Cabin Fever @ IHCC