baking « DinnerCakes

Guinness Beer Brownies And [photos of] Babes

February 9th, 2009

by Heather (Ghost Baker)

As Edwin mentioned on Friday, we were both out of town this weekend for a mutual friend’s birthday party (we had a good time – we went out for a great dinner and then later I beat Edwin in a sit-up contest!). This friend happens to enjoy his chocolate with a side of chocolate, so Edwin and I separately embarked on a mission to create some sinfully decadent chocolate treats for the birthday boy.

I decided to make Guinness Brownies, thinking that the Guinness would add extra chocolately richness, making them even more intense. I found a surprising number of recipes for Guinness Brownies, right now I have four of them printed out in front of me from websites like Cookie Madness, Godiva and more.

When I began comparing them all they seemed fairly similar. I considered using agave nectar in place of sugar (as a slightly healthier alternative). I also bought some Wilton’s fondant in an attempt to make fondant Miis. But then I remembered a cardinal baking rule that I always violate and usually pay for – never try something new on short notice, especially when you’re making it for someone else.

So instead I made minor baking changes and finished the brownies off with silly decorations as a gag for my friend. I used half whole wheat flour and half all-purpose white flour, and I amplified the chocolate. I used very dark Ghirardelli chocolate bars and unsweetened cocoa powder.

In place of dark bittersweet chocolate I used 7 ounces of Ghirardelli “Twilight Delight,” which is 72% cacao. Just listen to this description:

Highly aromatic, this bar has mocha, blackberry and dark cherry notes with an intense chocolate flavor and silky smooth texture. This sensuous chocolate has a long finish and a delightful, lingering flavor.

I also used 1 ounce of Ghirardelli “Midnight Reverie,” with 86% cacao. Both of these are seriously dark chocolates, but I wanted to work with the heavy taste of the Guinness. The sugar, white chocolate chips and semi-sweet chocolate chips sweetened the brownies and kept them from being bitter, but the very dark chocolate and Guiness kept them distinctive.

I sifted confectioners’ sugar over the brownies when done. This was listed as an optional component in the recipes I found, but I would suggest that it’s mandatory, especially if you’re using super dark chocolate.

I recommend this brownie if you’re looking to intrigue the chocolate lover who thinks they have tasted it all before. You can’t really make out the Guinness, but the taste is definitely dark. The texture is also very different from a typical brownie – the batter tasted exactly like chocolate mousse, and they came out of the oven very fluffy and light instead of tough or dense.

And, don’t underestimate the power of silly toothpick photo decorations. I printed a few of my friend’s favorite things (yes, mostly this means women on tv that he finds attractive), attached the photos to toothpicks, popped them in the brownies before serving, and we all had a good laugh!

Guinness Stout Brownies
from Cookie Madness

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup unsweetened Ghirardelli cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
7 ounces Ghirardelli “Twilight Delight” chocolate, chopped
1 ounce Ghirardelli “Midnight Reverie” chocolate, chopped
3/4 white chocolate chips (I just used Tollhouse)
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup plus 1/4 cup Guinness Stout beer at room temperature (also be sure before you pour it into the batter that you spoon off the foam)
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (for sprinkled on top at the end)
Confectioners’ sugar for sifting over the brownies before serving

Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a 9×13 baking pan with parchment paper (with enough hanging out so that you can grab it to remove the brownies). Spray sides with non-stick cooking spray where parchment paper does not cover.

In a medium bowl, whisk flour, cocoa powder and salt. Set aside.

Cut butter into cubes. In a microwave safe bowl, microwave Twilight Delight, Midnight Reverie and white chocolate chips (all chopped) with butter for 20 seconds at a time. Stir between 20 second intervals to avoid burning your chocolate.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl with a regular mixer), beat eggs and sugar on high for 3 minutes. Gradually add melted chocolate mixture. Beat until fully combined. Gradually add flour mixture.

Spoon foam off of Guinness and gently whisk the beer into the batter, then add vanilla. (The Cookie Madness instructions say that the batter will seem thin, but my batter was thick although fluffy like mousse). Pour batter in your baking pan and level with a spatula. Bake approximately 28-30 minutes in the center rack of your oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean. The top of the brownies should be set.

Let brownies cool in pan for 10-20 minutes, then carefully lift brownies out of the pan by holding parchment paper. Allow brownies to cool completely on wire rack. Dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving.

Comments Off on Guinness Beer Brownies And [photos of] Babes

Operation Muffin Drop, Destination: Harrisonburg

January 26th, 2009

by Heather (Ghost Baker)

On Saturday my husband and I made our first trek down to visit his sister at college. Lindsey is a freshman at James Madison University, and we had a great time visiting with her. So much had changed since I’d last been there, 6 or 7 years ago. Her dorm was bright, sunny and even moderately spacious!

We went to a cool little co-op type restaurant off campus for lunch called The Little Grill Collective; be sure to check it out if you’re in the area. We also explored a new library, some campus buildings, and the surrounding area.

Of course I was dying to bake her something she could share with friends, but Lindsey isn’t wild about sweets (she’s lucky, I have no concept of this). After debating the possibilities with Edwin, he helped me decide on MUFFINS!

My original idea was to make one batter, divide it between three bowls, and fold in any extra ingredients like blueberries, apples or cranberries. That would be the smart thing anyway, right? I wound up making three separate batters because I couldn’t figure out a way to combine the different recipes I wanted to try and I wanted variety.

I made Oatmeal Blueberry Applesauce Muffins, Whole Wheat Apple Muffins and Banana Nut Muffins. I halved all the recipes (making about 7 each), and the Banana Nut recipe is the only one that I adapted from the original. If you follow our DINNERCAKES Twitter updates, then you may have heard I was having a difficult time locating a trustworthy Banana Nut muffin recipe. You’d think this is a standard and popular muffin, so I can’t figure out why!

I used a recipe for plain Banana muffins from Martha Stewart, and I adapted it to add coarsely chopped walnuts to the batter and as a topping. I also added some cinnamon, nutmeg and sprinkled a bit of light brown sugar on top before adding the nuts.

I’m really happy I brought Lindsey muffins instead of cookies or brownies. Something about baking muffins, smelling them in the oven (stealing one fresh out of the oven) and giving them as a gift is pretty great. I may have liked the Whole Wheat Apple muffins the best, and next time I make the Oatmeal Blueberry Applesauce Muffins I think I’ll add more sugar. Really, I think I’ll be revisiting and experimenting with muffins again soon!

Banana Nut Muffins (makes 8 regular size)
adapted from Martha Stewart

2 ripe bananas
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed (with some extra to sprinkle on top)
1/4 cup oil (I used Smart Balance oil)
1/2 large egg (I cracked an egg, beat it lightly, and divided half for this recipe and half for another kind of muffin I made)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup low fat sour cream
1/2 tablespoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 375 F. Peel bananas and place in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. If you do not have a stand mixer, use a potato masher or large fork to mash.

In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients: brown sugar, flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Whisk lightly.

In a medium bowl, combine wet ingredients: mashed bananas, oil, egg, sour cream and vanilla. Whisk lightly.

Make a little space in the middle of your dry ingredients to pour in the wet ingredients. Stir very gently, combining only until moist. Gently fold in 3/4 of the nuts. Be careful not to over mix!

Drop spoonfuls of batter into a well-greased muffin/cupcake pan (I greased the cups and top with butter, lightly floured and then lightly sprayed over that. I had no problems with sticking; I think a little greasing the pan overkill is a good thing!). Fill the cups about 3/4 full. If you like big muffin tops, then fill the cups up to the top but make sure you grease the area around the cups as well. Important: If you have a large muffin pan and won’t be using all the cups, fill the unused cups halfway with water so that everything bakes evenly and doesn’t burn.

When done, sprinkle the tops with light brown sugar and the rest of your coarsely chopped walnuts.

Bake for about 16-18 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan. To safely remove them, insert a knife, toothpick, or cake tester carefully between the pan and the muffin to loosen the sides. Tilt the pan on its side and use the same tool to pop the muffins out individually into your hand.

4 Comments »

Edible Art – Rainbow Cake!

January 21st, 2009

by Chef Edwin

As Heather mentioned yesterday, we’re going to be adding some new kinds of content to the site. There are other aspects of the cooking/baking/food that we love and we want to share that with you. One of the new sections is food photography, where we share some awesome beauty in edible form.

First up, rainbow cake! This has got to be one of the coolest looking cakes I’ve ever made. More to come on this in the future but I wanted to give you all something to look forward to. 😉

As always, we welcome your feedback. Tell us what you think of the new features and let us know if there’s something you’d like to see.

UPDATE: We got a flurry of interest in this cake and decided to run a RAINBOW WEEK theme. You can check out it out by clicking here for tips on how to make your own cake as well as other ideas you can do with the rainbow theme. Enjoy!

We’ve had a couple readers who were following our twitter posts already try it out themselves. If you do the same, be sure to share it with us!
– Kelly took great shots during the various stages of the process.
– Stephanie rocked this as well.

7 Comments »

From Brownie Hell to Brownie Heaven – Mocha Fudge Brownies with Peanut Butter Frosting

January 8th, 2009

by Heather (Ghost Baker)

If you heard a scream on Monday evening at around 10:40 PM, it may have been me.

You see, my husband and I were invited to a birthday dinner on Tuesday night, so on Monday I decided that I would bake something for the birthday girl. I’d been dying to make 101 Cookbooks’ Amazing Black Bean Brownie Recipe for a long time, but you know how my husband felt about that idea. Monday night, I hoped, was my chance.

I ran to the grocery store after work to get the ingredients, and I finished dinner just in time to start baking during the first new episode of The Bachelor (yes, I watch The Bachelor and I like it!). I also made peanut butter frosting from the Peanut Butter and Chocolate Triple Layer Cake that Edwin and I made in November to frost the brownies. What could go wrong when you have peanut butter and chocolate?

Fast forward to over an hour and a half later, and I had a freshly cooked and cooled black bean brownie in my hand. They smelled a little beany, but since I was assured these brownies had no beany taste to them I didn’t worry. I took the first bite and……. BEAN CITY!

Wow, I thought, maybe I just have an uncultured palate? I ate another one and it was still a black bean extravaganza; I couldn’t believe it. I slumped on the couch and furiously typed away to Edwin, whining that I didn’t know what could have gone wrong. Then, as my eyes scrolled down the ingredient list, I finally caught the problem… the enormous, outrageous, glaring problem. It is with great embarrassment that I admit to you, DinnerCakes readers, that my tired, pre-occupied-with-The-Bachelor eyes mistook 2 cups of black beans for 2 cans of black beans. Yes, I doubled the amount of black beans.

If anyone would like to try some, they are still in my fridge. I can’t bear to throw them out.

So at 10:40 PM on Monday night I could go to bed, forget the whole thing and hope that a simple birthday card would suffice, or I could try, try, try again. I decided to press on.

I found a simple brownie recipe, and I made some changes to include the things I’d hoped to accomplish with the black bean brownies (without the black beans this time). I used bittersweet and semi-sweet chocolate only, both granulated and light brown sugar, margarine instead of butter (I know it’s a “no-no,” but at this point I’d run out of unsalted butter), peanut butter chips and Taster’s Choice instant coffee. I also added cream cheese to the batter to make the brownies a little more like fudge.

I didn’t even try the brownies when I took them out of the oven. I was scared, worn out and very late for bed! But when I finally did frost and try them the next day before the birthday dinner, they were amazing! Hallelujah!

Somehow, I’d made it from brownie hell to brownie heaven.

These brownies are excellent. They are dense, rich and fudge-like. The peanut butter frosting and instant coffee are a great combination that give these babies some kick. I may never make brownies without adding some instant coffee again. Say goodbye to dry, “ho-hum” brownies. And please, let’s never talk about black beans.

Mocha Fudge Brownies with Peanut Butter Frosting
adapted from Bon Appetit

5 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli for both chocolates)
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup margarine
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup instant coffee (I used Taster’s Choice)
1/2 cup cream cheese

Preheat your oven to 350 F and line a 13×9 inch baking pan with parchment paper (leaving some extra on the sides so that you can carefully lift the brownies out when cooled).

Combine semi-sweet and bittersweet chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl with the margarine. Microwave on high for 15 seconds at a time, stirring between intervals until melted. When melted, stir in instant coffee.

In a large bowl, combine sugars, eggs, cream cheese and vanilla extract for about 5 minutes. Beat in flour and salt, then add chocolate mixture. Stir in peanut butter chips. Carefully pour into prepared pan.

Bake brownies for 30 minutes. Note that a toothpick inserted in the center will not come out totally clean, as these are fudgey. Transfer your pan to a wire rack and cool completely. When cool, remove brownies by lifting parchment paper. Do not cut and frost until your ready to serve, and cut over a cutting board for the cleanest edges.

To make the frosting, see the Peanut Butter and Chocolate Triple Layer Cake from November. Remember to halve the recipe; if you make it as shown for the cake you will have quite a bit extra.

3 Comments »

Walkin' In A (Cupcake) Winter Wonderland

January 7th, 2009

by Chef Edwin

Back in December, Baking Bites was running a holiday cupcake contest that got me excited. Photography has been a side hobby of mine that I’ve really enjoyed exploring with the cooking for DinnerCakes, so this seemed right up my alley. I had also recently constructed a home-made light box so it felt like the planets were in alignment for me. Surely, this was destiny.

But alas, I was quite unhappy with the results and decided not to even bother submitting it. However, my father (a former quasi-professional photographer) had been harassing me recently about a lack of updates on my personal flickr site, so I decided to throw up the least-sucky of all the shots from that shoot.

Apparently the ladies over at Cupcakes Take The Cake came across my photo and thought it was nice enough to post on their site. It was an honor and nice surprise to find this out. If you love cupcakes and decorative design, then check out Cupcakes Take The Cake. I know I will.

1 Comment »

Pumpkin Oatmeal Bites, My Favorite Christmas Cookie

December 30th, 2008

by Heather (Ghost Baker)

Well, my co-contributor Chef Edwin is going to smack his forehead when he sees this post, but I can’t let that stand in my way, right? I’m still stuck on Christmas, and I have the leftover Christmas cookies and constantly expanding waistline to prove it!

It seemed to me like more people than ever were baking for Christmas this year, and I had no qualms about sampling everything that came my way. From leftover Bake-A-Thon 2008 treats, to sweet, melt-in-your-mouth Baklava from a friend at my mom’s office, to moist spice cake from a new significant other on my husband’s side of the family… my Christmas holiday consisted of enjoying delectable new desserts. Thank you, everyone!

I’d like to share with you a recipe that I brought to Bake-A-Thon 2008 this year, but I also made it again on Christmas Eve with my mom. It has been a favorite of mine for years. My mom originally found it in a Better Homes cookbook; I have adapted it to include more pumpkin and more chocolate chips which I think makes them even more moist.

Readers, I know you may be tempted to think that I’d love any recipe that includes pumpkin, regardless of how it tastes – and I can see why you would think that based on my history here. But truly, this recipe has everything you could want:

1)You only need two bowls to make these cookies.
2) You do not need any fancy tools, appliances or decorating devices.
3) They’re not overly sweet.
4) Because of the pumpkin, they stay incredibly moist after several days. They’re also great for mailing (which I tested this year).
5) If you use high quality chocolate chips (I like Ghirardelli), the chocolate adds a perfect amount of sweetness.
6) It makes 120 cookies. 120! Let’s face it, when you’re baking Christmas cookies you’re probably looking to make more than one dozen.
7) They contain 3 cups of oats and pumpkin is a super food, so you can pretend that you’re eating healthy.

This is the last time I’ll say it for the rest of the year, I promise – give pumpkin a chance!

Edwin and I would love to know what kinds of Christmas cookies you baked this year, and which ones were well received. Please share your favorites with us!

Pumpkin Oatmeal Bites
Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens, Cookies for Christmas (1985)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup butter, softened
1 ½ cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
3 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (Ghirardelli)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Set aside.

In a large bowl with a mixer beat butter until softened. Beat in brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs, then pumpkin.

Add flour mixture and beat until combined. Stir in oats and chocolate chips (use a thick, sturdy spoon. I’ve broken flimsy wooden spoons while stirring in all the oats before!).

Use a teaspoon measure to scoop onto parchment-lined cookie sheets, spacing about 1 inch apart. Bake for 12 minutes. Cool for 1-2 minutes, then move to a wire rack. Cookies will cool quickly. Makes about 120.

4 Comments »

Blackberry & Apricot Thumbprint Cookies, a White Elephant Gift Surprise

December 16th, 2008

by Heather (Ghost Baker)

On Monday my office had a white elephant gift exchange, something like Secret Santa except the gifts are meant to be inexpensive and sometimes humorous. I’ve never participated in one of these before, so I was pretty excited and a little nervous. I heard that in our office the gifts were usually a mix of gags and real gifts, so I opted for a something in the middle.

I acquired a wonderfully tacky Christmas cookie jar from my mother-in-law. Imagine a very shiny and bright red, green and gold round Christmas tree ornament, except enlarged about five times. I thought this would be a perfect white elephant gift, remembering the quote, “One man’s trash is another’s treasure.” But I was nervous that maybe this was TOO silly.

So to “sweeten” the deal, I scoured my cookbooks for a Christmas cookie recipe to fill the cookie jar with, something classic that would appeal to multiple people, but something that I wasn’t already planning on baking. I settled on a great, versatile recipe found in one of my old Kraft Food magazines.

I’ve mentioned before that Kraft has some very useful recipes, especially for people strapped for time or those trying to get into cooking and baking but aren’t sure how. This particular cookie recipe can make four variations of cookies, all using the same basic dough recipe but with minor variations. I chose to only make one kind this time – Thumbprints Cookies.

Because I still fear the scale, I substituted fat free cream cheese in place of regular. This probably wasn’t the best decision because, well, fat tastes good! If you’re making food for others you want it to shine, and I broke one of my cardinal rules by substituting. To make up for this and sweeten the dough a bit without adding more sugar, I added a teaspoon of ground anise seed. Anise seed is expensive, but I’m always willing to blow my budget a bit when holiday food is involved. The anise seed was very aromatic and added a distinctive, but not overpowering, sweetness.

For future confections, I need to make a rule that I will never post about baked goods the same day I make them – I always enjoy them more the next day! I’m glad I reserved judgment on these cookies. My husband really loved them right out of the oven, but I think they got even better after they set. It’s rare when I find a cookie my husband really gets excited about; these are a keeper!

Blackberry & Apricot Thumbprint Cookies
adapted from Kraft Foods Magazine

1 package cream cheese (8 0z, I used fat free)
1 1/2 sticks butter, softened (3/4 cup)
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1 tsp. anise seed, ground
blackberry and apricot jam (or jam of your choice, but the apricot is excellent)

Beat cream cheese, butter, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl until well blended. Add flour and baking soda gradually. Mix well. Stir in pecans and anise seed (you can grind the anise seed by putting it in a bag and hitting it with a tenderizer). Make sure it’s well-blended. Cover and refrigerate dough for 30 minutes (make sure you do this so that the butter doesn’t get to soft; you don’t want your cookies to fall flat in the oven).

Preheat oven to 350 F. Using a 1/2 tablespoon measure, scoop dough in 1 inch balls, rounding dough into balls. Place on parchment lined baking sheet about 1 1/2 inches apart. Indent the dough using your thumb. Bake for 10 minutes.

Remove from oven. The indentations may have risen in the oven, just push it down as needed and carefully fill eat cookie with jam. Continue baking for 8-10 minutes.

Makes about 5 dozen cookies.

3 Comments »

Crispy Chocolate Chunk Cookies, Good Luck on Game Day

December 9th, 2008

by Heather (Ghost Baker)

Two of my good friends recently purchased and moved in to their first home. They invited my husband and I over on Sunday to watch the Steelers vs. Cowboys game and get our first glimpse of their new home. It was very exciting, and also time to crank up the oven for an edible housewarming/game day treat.

I keep the recipes I’m looking forward to making in an archived folder online, I have a binder where I print recipes and tear others out of magazines to hold for later, and of course, I have lots of cookbooks. But sometimes you just want to be a little impulsive with what you make!

I received a Great American Recipes preview pack of recipe cards a couple months ago; on Sunday I was cleaning out my recipe binder and I found them again. One of the cards was a simple chocolate chunk cookies recipe and I figured, “why not!”

I usually lean towards soft, chewy cookies, and the recipe said these would be soft and chewy, but I thought they actually came out on the crispy side (I know many people prefer crispy cookies, so I didn’t stress). I combined semi-sweet, bittersweet, and white chocolate in the cookies, but I think they would be better with bigger chunks of just one type of chocolate. I also added chopped walnuts to half the batch.

Everyone should have a reliable cookie recipe; I don’t think this one will be mine, though they were pretty good. What is your go-to cookie recipe?

Crispy Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Adapted from Great American Recipes

1 stick (1/2 cup) softened butter
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
½ tsp. vanilla extract
¾ cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ cup rolled oats
1 ¼ cups chocolate chunks (I combined semi-sweet, bittersweet, and white chocolate – I would add more to make it at least 1 ½ cups)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Combine softened butter and both sugars in a large bowl. Beat until creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract; set aside.

Sift the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda into a small bowl. Gradually add this mixture to the butter mixture and beat continuously. Carefully fold in oats and chocolate chunks.

Spoon tablespoonfuls of dough, two inches apart, onto the baking sheets (these cookies will spread). Bake until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Cool on pan for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

This makes about 2 dozen cookies.

4 Comments »

Packed Peanut Butter Cookies, More Sophisticated than Eating Your Peanut Butter Right Out of the Jar

December 5th, 2008

by Heather (Ghost Baker)

At the Arlington Farmers’ Market in Northern Virginia on Saturdays you can find a woman that makes the most amazing cookies. She simply goes by “The Cookie Lady” at her stand, and she pulls you in by offering free samples of any of her cookies.

They’re twice the size of a regular cookie, thick, dense and they taste like cookies on steroids. Imagine enjoying a delicious peanut butter cookie – now imagine eating a jar of peanut butter. There is not a lot of subtlety to her flavors, they’re just completely packed and insanely delicious.

To attempt to recreate these cookies but in a smaller, more manageable form, I was thinking about The Cookie Lady’s peanut butter cookies and also looking at some recipes from Cookie Madness and Smitten Kitchen. Instead of using peanut butter chips, I doubled the amount of smooth peanut butter. I also added 1/2 tablespoon of milk. Half the batch I kept as pure, unadulterated peanut butter cookies, and the other half I experimented by adding semi-sweet chocolate chips, bittersweet chips, or white chocolate chips.

I think these came out really well. They’re still not quite at the level of The Cookie Lady, but they are packed with peanut butter. I liked the plain peanut butter cookies without chips the best, but if you’d like to add something to the batter the white chocolate chips were also a nice touch.

Packed Peanut Butter Cookies
inspired by The Cookie Lady, Cookie Madness and Smitten Kitchen

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter (I used Jif Reduced Fat Creamy – it’s my favorite)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cups sifted flour
1/2 tablespoon milk
1/2 cup white chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two ungreased cookie sheets with parchment paper. Combine softened butter, dark brown sugar and granulated sugar. Beat in the peanut butter and egg. Beat in the salt, baking soda, vanilla and milk until fully incorporated. Add sifted flour last and stir until blended. If you wish to add white chocolate chips, you can add them now.

Place dough on cookie sheets by 1/2 tablespoon. Gently flatten the dough balls using a fork, making a light criss cross pattern. Bake for approximately 10 minutes until done. Cool on pan for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. You may also like to decorate the top with some extra sugar.

This recipe makes about 30 cookies.

Comments Off on Packed Peanut Butter Cookies, More Sophisticated than Eating Your Peanut Butter Right Out of the Jar

My Six Pie Party, a Thanksgiving Day Wrap-Up

November 30th, 2008

by Heather (Ghost Baker)

I hope that you enjoyed your Thanksgiving holiday! Mine went well, and you can be sure that after enjoying three full Thanksgiving dinners, I will not be stepping on a scale anytime soon.

I also hope to focus more on the dinner side of DINNERCAKES after my baking blitz on Wednesday resulted in 6 pies and 3 loaves. Yes, I am a crazy person.

But, I learned some very important lessons about baking:

If you’re planning on baking 6 pies, invest in more than one pie dish. The pie tins at the grocery store just don’t cut it, it’s still flimsy even after you double up with two tins per pie and it increases your cook time. Next time I will enlist the help of some reasonably priced Pyrex pie dishes.
Making pie dough from scratch doesn’t have to be a harrowing experience. I used Martha Stewart’s Pate Brisee recipe, refrigerated the dough overnight, let it sit out for 10 minutes before working with it, and then just rolled it out to make crust.
If 4 out of your 6 pies require graham cracker crust, just buy a box of graham cracker crumbs instead of using a meat tenderizer to demolish whole crackers. This saves time and sanity.
Any marks left in your pumpkin pie after inserting a knife to make sure it’s fully cooked can be easily disguised with a leaf or heart shape made using extra dough.
Do not open a bottle of champagne until you’re done.

My pie extravaganza included: Heavenly Pie from 101 Cookbooks, Triple-Chocolate Pumpkin Pie from Martha Stewart, Crunch Top Apple Pie from Paula Deen, my favorite Classic Pumpkin Pie from Libby’s, and two Million Dollar Pies adapted from Cooks.com.

The Heavenly Pie is the only one that disappointed me. It’s a chocolate pie with tofu and cream cheese. I know it sounds odd, but it tastes like a delicious chocolate mousse. Unfortunately I can never seem to get the consistency right. This may be because I don’t have the assistance of a food processor, so if you have tried this recipe using one please let me know how it works for you. I can never get it to be completely smooth, I’m always left with little tofu granules. No matter how good it tastes, I don’t like the grainy presentation.

I first saw the Triple-Chocolate Pumpkin Pie in my Martha Stewart Living magazine (yes, I subscribe). I’m usually a purist with pumpkin pie – you know I love pumpkin, and my Libby’s recipe has never failed me. I’m so glad I tried this, though. This pie is absolutely packed with spices and it’s incredibly creamy. The layer of bittersweet chocolate spread over the crust before adding the filling gives it a nice kick, and when it’s cut it’s also very attractive. I did not drizzle milk chocolate over the top simply because I didn’t want to make a mess in someone else’s kitchen (so my pie was more of a double-chocolate pumpkin pie instead of a triple). I’m glad I skipped that part because it is a very rich pie, which isn’t always the best idea after Thanksgiving dinner. This recipe also made a lot more filling than what would fit in the pie dish. I put the extra into some corningware to bake separately, and what I did pour into the crust spilled over a bit. Be careful!

The Crunch Top Apple Pie from Paula Deen turned out very well. I liked that this pie didn’t need more pie dough for a top – because this was my first time making pie dough completely unsupervised, I didn’t want to take too many risks. I used Martha Stewart’s Pate Brisee pie dough recipe instead of Paula Deen’s. I also packed in an extra cup of apples and I thinly sliced them instead of chopping. The top wasn’t “crunchy,” so I’m not sure about Paula’s naming of this pie, but it was very tart and tasty.

My brother first had Million Dollar Pie at a restaurant called Fisherman’s Wharf in Wanchese, NC. I believe he got the waitress to give him the recipe, but who knows where it is now. I used the Cooks.com recipe to recreate this pie for him. It’s not necessarily a Thanksgiving pie, but it does provide a nice, light alternative to many of the heavy pies usually featured on Thanksgiving. It’s also incredibly easy, and you can add more or less of whatever you do or do not like.

I used Martha’s Pate Brisee dough for the regular Pumpkin Pie and the Crunch Top Apple Pie, and I made graham cracker crust for the others. The Triple-Chocolate Pumpkin Pie had a special recipe for graham cracker crust, which was certainly very good. To make a simple graham cracker crust
, combine about 2 cups of graham cracker crumbs with 6 tablespoons of butter. Press the crumbs into your pie dish to form the crust. Bake for about 8-10 minutes in a 350 degree oven until it’s hard (without filling).

Edwin and I would love to hear what you made for Thanksgiving and how it turned out; please comment below to share it with us. Also, thank you for all the kind and encouraging words from friends, family and new visitors in support of DINNERCAKES – we appreciate it!

Comments Off on My Six Pie Party, a Thanksgiving Day Wrap-Up