Tag Archives: dessert

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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Cookies and Cream Ice Cream.

Posted on May 18, 2012 by Jey| 7 Comments

I still can’t believe that it’s already May.  This year is seriously flying by!  While we had a bout of nice weather back in February, it seems we’re finally turning the corner as it’s continuing to get warmer and warmer.  Therefore, this week’s swap theme, Warm Weather/BBQ Food, came at just the right time.

I was swapped with my friend Melissa’s blog, I Was Born to Cook.  Melissa sent along two recipes in case whomever received her blog didn’t have an ice cream maker.  And while her Pesto Pasta Salad with Grilled Chicken sounded amazing (I plan to make it at a later date), it was her ice cream recipe that ultimately won out.

The final product was sweet, rich and creamy – everything you could ask for in a frozen treat.  The only thing I would change for next time would be to add more cookies to really give it that chocolate punch.  I also would use a coarser crumb in order to incorporate bigger chunks of cookie into the mix.

Cookies and Cream Ice Cream – slightly adapted from I Was Born to Cook

  • 2 Cups Whole Milk
  • 2 Cups Heavy Cream
  • 1 Cup Sugar, divided
  • Pinch of Salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla
  • 5 Egg Yolks
  • 12 Oreos

Whisk together the milk, cream, 1/2 cup sugar, salt and vanilla in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat.  Bring the mixture just to a boil.

While the mixture is heating, add the egg yolk and remaining 1/2 cup sugar to a medium bowl.  Whisk together until the mixture is pale and thick.

Whisking constantly, add about 1/3 of the hot mixture to the yolk/sugar mixture.  Repeat with another 1/3, then returned the combined base to the saucepan.

Stir constantly with a wooden spoon over low heat until it coats the back of the spoon.  Be careful not to boil or the yolks will overcook.  It should only take a few minutes.  Remove from heat and bring to room temperature.  Cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours, or overnight.

When you are ready to make the ice cream, pulse the Oreos in a food processor until you achieve your desired crumb size.  Process and freeze the ice cream base according to the manufacturer’s instructions.  Add the cookie crumbs 5 minutes before finishing.

Transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and place in freezer until your desired consistency is reached.

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Homemade Oreos.

Posted on March 12, 2012 by Jey| 27 Comments

Did y’all know that 2012 celebrates 100 years of everyone’s favorite dunkable treat?  That’s right, Oreos have been around for a full century, and I’m sure most of us couldn’t imagine life without them.  Each of us has our own favorite way to eat them, whether you twist and lick or dunk and devour.  It is, after all, milk’s favorite cookie.

My Secret Recipe Club blog for this month was Big Fat Baker.  We get our blog assignments about a month in advance, and I spent the entire time drooling over all of her amazing confections.  I typically end up choosing savory dishes for my SRC reveals but it was kind of nice to change things up a bit and add a sweet note to my repertoire.  So when I came across the recipe for homemade Oreos, I knew it was the one.

I ended making two batches of these – large cookies for the Husby and bite-sized ones for the Fruitaholic and I.  Both versions were delicious, although we all preferred the smaller cookies since they were more easily dunkable, and more reminiscent of the original.  They were simple to throw together and I can definitely see myself making these again many times in the future.  No matter which size you end up baking, be sure to serve them with a cold glass of milk!

Homemade Oreos – slightly adapted from Big Fat Baker

For the Cookies:

  • 1 1/4 Cups Flour
  • 1/2 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
  • 1 tsp. Baking Soda
  • 1/4 tsp. Baking Powder
  • 1/4 tsp. Salt
  • 1 Cup Sugar
  • 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
  • 1 Egg

For the Filling:

  • 1/4 Cup Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
  • 1/4 Cup Vegetable Shortening
  • 2 Cups Powdered Sugar
  • 2 tsp. Vanilla

Preheat oven to 375.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl), combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt and sugar.  Add the butter, stir, then add the egg.  Mix until a dough forms.

Using a cookie scoop (I used a 1 1/2 Tbsp. for the large cookies and a 1 tsp. for the small), scoop out the dough.  Roll into a ball then flatten slightly between your palms.  Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough, making sure you have an even number of cookies.

Bake for 8-12 minutes (the small cookies were done after about 8 minutes and the large ones after about 11), until cookies are set.

While the cookies are baking, cream together the butter and shortening.  Gradually add the powdered sugar and mix until smooth.  Stir in the vanilla and beat until light and fluffy.

When the cookies have cooled, frost one cookie then sandwich with another similar sized cookie (bottom to bottom).  Repeat until all cookies have been sandwiched together.



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