Tag Archives: baking

Drunken Cheesecake Brownies.

Posted on September 7, 2012 by Jey| 3 Comments

I have a confession to make – I much prefer box mix brownies to homemade ones.  GASP!  There, I’ve said it.  There’s just something about the predictability of the way they always turn out the same that I find very comforting.  Now that doesn’t mean that I didn’t enjoy these brownies, because I did, but they were just different from what I’m used to.

And while I’m making confessions, here’s another one – I’m currently 34.5 weeks pregnant!  While I’m sure many of you may have guessed due to my lack of ability in keeping this blog up and running, it came as a shock to me when a friend mentioned that I never shared this little tidbit here.  I’m due mid-October with a baby girl this time around.  The Husby, the Fruitaholic and I couldn’t be more excited to welcome a new member into our family and I hope you bear with me as I attempt to balance life with a newborn with this little hobby of mine.  To say we’ve been eating a lot of takeout is an understatement.  Lately it seems as though if we’re lucky, I might be making a home-cooked meal once or twice per week.  I’m really looking forward to having some sort of motivation to get back in the kitchen soon.

But anyway, back to the brownies.  I’ve had a major sweet tooth this pregnancy so when Sarah announced that this week’s swap theme was Dessert recipes, I was pretty thrilled.  As I’ve said before, I’m not much of a baker but I do enjoy whipping up the (very) occasional treat.  And when this one landed in my inbox, I couldn’t wait to get baking.

The original recipe called for Bailey’s but I didn’t have any and didn’t find it very appropriate for a hugely pregnant lady to be buying booze, so I substituted some Buffalo Trace Bourbon Cream that we already had in the house.  With only 4 Tbsp. of liquor in the whole recipe, I wasn’t too concerned about the alcohol content, but I did feel that the flavor didn’t come through as much as I was hoping it would.   But maybe that’s just because I haven’t been drinking for the past 8.5 months.

I also couldn’t find my 8×8 pan for the life of me so I attempted to make these in my muffin top pan.  I really liked the individual, precut portion size by baking this way and also that each brownie had a crispy edge and chewy center, but I was a bit disappointed that I wasn’t able to “swirl” the cream cheese as prettily as I was hoping to achieve.  Because I used this pan instead of the 8×8, I had to adjust the cooking time.  In the recipe instructions, I’ve provided cooking times for both.

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Drunken Cheesecake Brownies.

Ingredients

  • 6 oz. Cream Cheese, at room temperature
  • 3 Tbsp. Buffalo Trace Bourbon Cream (the original recipe calls for Bailey's Irish Cream)
  • 1 Cup Sugar
  • 1/2 Cup Flour
  • 1/3 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
  • 1/4 tsp. Baking Powder
  • 1/4 tsp. Salt
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1/2 Cup (1 Stick) Unsalted Butter
  • 1 tsp. Vanilla
  • 1 tsp. Buffalo Trace Bourbon Cream (or Bailey's Irish Cream)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350. If using an 8x8 pan, cut a sheet of parchment paper long enough to hang over the sides and place it into the pan. If using a muffin top pan, lightly spray each compartment with cooking spray.

In the bowl of the stand mixer with the wire whisk attached, cream together the cream cheese and the 3 Tbsp. bourbon cream until well combined. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Mix until combined, then add the eggs, butter, vanilla and remaining Tbsp. bourbon cream and stir until the batter is well mixed and free of lumps.

Pour the batter into the baking pan (or alternately, scoop about 1.5 Tbsp of batter into each compartment of the muffin top pan). Spread evenly.

Using a rubber spatula, spoon the cream cheese mixture on top and swirl into the batter.

Bake for 45 minutes (or 30 minutes in a muffin top pan).

Remove brownies from the oven, allow to cool 5-10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate brownies at least two hours before serving, and serve chilled.

Source -

Slightly adapted from The Cookaholic Wife

http://www.thejeyofcooking.com/drunken-cheesecake-brownies/



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Triple Coconut Cream Pie.

Posted on June 24, 2012 by Jey| 1 Comment

It’s hard to believe that it’s already been 3 weeks since I was in Seattle for BlogHer Food ’12.  It was such an incredible weekend.  Not only did I learn a lot about how to improve this little old blog….

I ate.

I shopped.

I kissed a fish.

I met The Pioneer Woman.

I made lots of new friends and had the chance to finally meet some old friends in person.

During one of our many delicious meals, we discovered the most incredible pie ever made.  It was so good that those of us who ordered something different were sad that we only had a couple of bites and none of us could stop talking about (or dreaming about, or drooling over) the pie once we returned home.  It was definitely the food highlight of the trip so I decided to take a chance and try to find the recipe online.  I didn’t have the highest of hopes since it comes from one of Seattle’s greatest restaurateurs, Tom Douglas (it’s served at 12 of his 13 restaurants), but lo and behold, I found the recipe.

I immediately popped over to our forum and excitedly posted the link.  We all decided we would each make the pie and post about it on the same day, so make sure to pop over to the other blogs and see their interpretations!

I decided to try to make the for Father’s Day since my dad is the pie man in our family.  It is quite the time-consuming dessert so unfortunately Dad didn’t have a chance to try it, but it’s definitely worth taking the time to make.  I admittedly had quite a bit of trouble with the dough.  Every time I tried to roll it out, it would crack and crumble.  I ended up re-chilling it a few times before it became pliable enough to work with.  And even then it was still finicky.

Despite the fact that my pie turned out more, er, rustic looking than the one Tom Douglas has had years upon years to perfect, the heavenly taste was what just what I remember it being.  The coconut-flecked crust followed by a thin layer of coconut cream filling, topped with a fluffy pillow of vanilla pastry cream and sprinkled with a layer of toasted coconut and white chocolate curls melted in my mouth, and I may have had more than one serving in one sitting.  Luckily (and grudgingly) I shared the pie with friends so I wouldn’t be tempted to finish the whole thing at once.

It was a great reminder of a fabulous trip, but I’m already dreaming about going back to Seattle for a slice of the real thing!

Print
Triple Coconut Cream Pie.

Ingredients

    For the Crust:
  • 1 Cup plus 2 Tbsp. Flour
  • 1/2 Cup Sweetened Shredded Coconut
  • 1 Stick Cold Unsalted Butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
  • 2 tsp. Sugar
  • 1/4 tsp. Salt
  • 1/3 Cup Ice Water, as needed
    • For the Pastry Cream:
  • 2 Cups Milk
  • 2 Cups Sweetened Shredded Coconut
  • 1 Vanilla Bean, split in half lengthwise
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1/2 Cup plus 2 Tbsp. Sugar
  • 3 Tbsp. Flour
  • 1/2 Stick Unsalted Butter, softened
    • For the Pie Topping:
  • 2 1/2 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream, chilled
  • 1/3 Cup Sugar (I used Coconut Palm Sugar)
  • 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
  • 2 oz. Unsweetened Coconut "Chips" (I found large-shred flakes at Whole Foods)
  • 2 oz. White Chocolate Curls (Use a vegetable peeler to make curls)

Instructions

For the Crust:

Add the flour, coconut, butter cubes, sugar and salt to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until coarse crumbs form, adding the water a tablespoon at a time until the dough just sticks together (I used about 4 Tbsp.).

Transfer the dough to a sheet of plastic wrap. Pull the wrap around the dough and slightly flatten it into a rough circle. Chill for one hour.

Unwrap the dough and transfer to a floured work surface. Dust a rolling pin and your hands with flour. Roll the dough into a 1/8 inch thick circle, adding more flour as necessary to prevent sticking.

Ease the rolled dough round onto a 9-inch pie pan. Trim any excess, leaving a 1 to 1 1/2 inch overhang to account for shrinkage during baking.

Return the unbaked crust to the refrigerator and chill for one hour.

Preheat oven to 400.

Place a sheet of aluminum foil over the pie crust and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until edges are golden, 20-25 minutes.

Remove crust from the oven and remove the foil and beans. Return to the oven and bake an additional 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool.

For the Pastry Cream:

Combine the milk and coconut in a medium saucepan. Using a knife, scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add to the milk mixture along with the pod. Place the saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally until tiny bubbles form along the edges of the pan (do not allow the mixture to boil). Remove pan from the heat.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar and flour. While still whisking, pour 1/3 cup of the milk mixture to the coconut mixture to temper the eggs. Add the warmed egg mixture to the saucepan. Return the pan to medium-high heat and whisk until the mixture becomes very thick, about 4-5 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and stir in the butter until melted. Discard the vanilla bean pod.

Set a medium bowl over a larger bowl filled with ice water. Transfer the pastry cream to the bowl and stir occasionally until cool (this took me about 25 minutes).

Once cool, place a piece of plastic wrap onto the surface of the pastry cream and refrigerate until cold, about an hour. *You can also prepare this step a day ahead of time.

To Finish the Pie:

Preheat oven to 350. Spread the coconut chips in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 7-8 minutes until lightly browned. Stir once or twice during the toasting process, watching carefully to make sure the coconut doesn't burn.

In a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla on medium speed. Gradually increase the speed to high until firm peaks that hold their shape form.

Add the pastry cream to the pre-baked pie crust and spoon the whipped cream topping over it. Sprinkle the toasted coconut and white chocolate shavings over the top of the entire pie just before serving. Keep refrigerated.

Source -

Adapted from Tom Douglas via VIA Magazine

http://www.thejeyofcooking.com/triple-coconut-cream-pie/

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Yeasted Banana Sandwich Bread.

Posted on April 28, 2012 by Jey| 4 Comments

I haven’t been able to participate in What’s Baking the past couple of months so when this month rolled around, I was ready to go!  And then, when I saw our host Lindsay, of Peace, Love and French Fries, chose the theme “Bake with Yeast?”  I was over the moon.

You may remember that yeast and I have a bit of a rocky relationship.  Typically, I have to scratch the first batch that never rose properly and try again before whatever it is I’m making turns out.  But this time?  This one was a breeze.  The dough rose like a dream, and the finished product?  Well, I just might be in love with it.

I was pretty excited when I found this recipe.  I had a full bunch of bananas sitting on my counter that were just screaming that they needed to be used.  And what’s the first thing anyone thinks of when they have bananas that are super ripe?  Banana bread!

But this isn’t your typical banana bread.  It’s a sandwich bread with just a hint of sweetness that’s almost reminiscent of Hawaiian bread.  I’ll admit that I shoveled 3 fresh out of the oven slices topped with butter and jam into my mouth immediately, but I’m most looking forward to making some incredible grilled cheese or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and some french toast!

Yeasted Banana Sandwich Bread – slightly adapted from King Arthur Flour

  • 1 Cup Warm Milk (~110 degrees)
  • 2 1/4 tsp. Active Dry Yeast (1 Packet)
  • 2 Tbsp. Agave Nectar (or Honey)
  • 3 – 3 1/2 Cups Bread Flour
  • 2 Tbsp. Butter, at room temperature
  • 1 tsp. Salt
  • 2 Ripe Bananas, cut into chunks

Add the warm milk and honey to the bowl of a stand mixer.  Stir, then add the yeast.  Set aside to proof for 10-15 minutes.

Add the 3 cups flour, butter, salt and bananas to the yeast mixture and mix, using the paddle attachment, until all ingredients are combined and a shaggy dough has formed.  Remove the paddle and attach the dough hook.  Knead for 5 minutes, until smooth.  If the dough is too wet, add up to 1/2 cup additional flour.  Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with a damp cloth and allow to rise for 1 hour.

Lightly grease a loaf pan.  Remove the dough from the bowl and shape into a log.  Place the dough into the loaf pan and cover with lightly greased plastic wrap.  Allow to rise for 1 hour, until the dough is full and rounded.

Towards the end of the second rise, preheat the oven to 350.  Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the bread is cooked through and the top is golden brown.

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Blue Moon Bread.

Posted on April 4, 2012 by Jey| 1 Comment

My friend Kim over at Feeeeed Me Seymour is celebrating National Beer Week, and I was thrilled when she asked me to guest post.  Beer bread is one of my favorite treats to accompany a warm meal, and this one, featuring one of my favorite beers, is a real treat.

For the recipe and more beery goodness, head on over to Feeeeed Me Seymour!

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