Spiked Chocolate Fudge Brownies

When I was younger, my friend Danyelle made me chocolate whoopie pies for my birthday. They were one of the best desserts I had ever had, and it was all because of her secret ingredient: coffee.

Coffee only enhances chocolate's flavor...especially in baked goods (and iced mochas, in my opinion). So, earlier this week when I was making some homemade chocolate brownies, I decided to add a splash of coffee to the mix. But I didn't just add any coffee: I added a [generous] splash of double espresso vodka.

Spiked Chocolate Fudge Brownies

Yields: 9 large brownies

Adapted from The Amateur Gourmet

-10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter

-1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

-3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 

-1/4 teaspoon salt

-1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

-Splash of espresso vodka (I used Van Gogh Double Espresso vodka)

-2 cold large eggs

-1/2 cup all-purpose flour 

-2/3 cups chopped walnuts (optional)

-Sea salt or fleur de sel, for sprinkling

Directions:

1.) Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Spray an 8 x 8 baking pan with cooking spray, then line it with parchment paper (or tin foil) so the parchment hangs over the sides (this way you can lift the brownies right out). Spray the parchment paper too.

2.) Combine the butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt in a medium heat-proof bowl and place the bowl on top of a pot of simmering water. Stir, watching the butter; if it’s not melting quickly enough, turn up the heat. Keep stirring until the butter’s all melted and you have a paste. Remove the bowl from the pot and allow it to cool slightly.

3.) Stir in the vanilla and vodka with a wooden spoon. Add the eggs, one at a time, stirring vigorously after each one. Add the flour and stir until it disappears, then beat vigorously with a wooden spoon. Stir in the nuts and spread evenly in your lined pan. Sprinkle the batter with a little bit of sea salt or fleur de sel.

4.) Bake until a toothpick in the center comes out mostly clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool on a rack before cutting into nine squares.

[Print this recipe]

The alcohol in the vodka bakes off, but the rich coffee flavor sticks around - and definitely helps to enhance the chocolate's flavor like it's supposed to. I loved how fudgy and rich these brownies are, but the sea salt and walnuts definitely helped to cut some of the richness (in a good way).

These would make a fun treat for any Easter gathering, or simply enjoy one (or two) of these with a cup of coffee, a glass of milk, or for an after-dinner treat. Or, if you're really daring, pair it with some double espresso vodka on the rocks. ;)

What's your favorite chocolate dessert?

Spiced Ginger Shortbread

For me, fall baking must include two essential ingredients: butter and garam masala. Butter is an obvious one, but garam masala is such a "warm" spice - it combines comforting spices like coriander, cardamom, cumin, cinnamon, and cloves, to name a few. It just works in baked goods (especially my Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars) this time of year.

Last week, on a particularly perfect fall day, I was in the mood to bake. For some reason, shortbread was calling my name, but I knew I wanted to put a fall twist on the classic recipe. And that's how these cookies were born.

Spiced Ginger Shortbread

Yields: 36 cookies

Adapted from Martha Stewart

-2 sticks plus 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature (plus more for pan)

-2/3 cup granulated sugar

-3/4 teaspoon salt

-2 teaspoons garam masala

-1 teaspoon ground ginger

-3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

-3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

Directions:
1.) Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Butter a 9 x 13 baking dish, and line bottom with parchment paper. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Add salt, garam masala, ginger, and vanilla, and beat to combine.
2.) Add flour, 1 cup at a time, beating on low speed until just combined.
3.) Press dough into prepared pan, leveling and smoothing the top. Using a dough scraper or knife, cut dough lengthwise into nine strips, each slightly less than 1-inch wide. Cut the strips crosswise into 36 3-inch bars. Sprinkle with granulated sugar.
4.) Bake shortbread until lightly golden, but not browned, 70 to 85 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool. Remove parchment, turn shortbread over, and break or cut with a serrated knife into bars. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 month.

[Print this recipe]

Buttery and full of my favorite fall flavors - ginger, cinnamon, cloves, even cumin - these are some dangerous cookies. Paired with a mug of hot coffee, they're addictive. They will definitely not last the entire month in our house!

What are your favorite fall flavors?

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Bites

On Sunday, Shannon hosted a blogger holiday cookie swap. While I unfortunately couldn't be in attendance, I was still eager to participate. I mean, what's better than baking and tasting homemade cookies this time of year? Or, any time of year for that matter?

For me, holiday baking starts with the red and green M&Ms (if you recall, these cookies defined my childhood Christmases). With a bag of those as my inspiration, I researched recipe ideas online and came across this one for Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Bites. I followed the recipe exactly, but swapped out the chocolate chips with holiday M&Ms. If you'd like to do the same, just to be sure to only use about 1/2 cup of M&Ms (because M&Ms are larger than chocolate chips, fewer work best).

If you like peanut butter and chocolate together, then you will love these. They were super easy to make, too, and they kind of reminded me of Munchkins - meaning, you can have four or five without feeling guilty (because five Munchkins = a whole doughnut, basically). I've never been great at math, but that logic makes sense to me!

I'm off to spend my morning with this little cutie. Have a great Thursday!

[Holiday] Treats on Washington

A few weeks ago, chefs/owners of Treats on Washington, Dana Briley and Jessica Brown, invited an intimate group of bloggers to their Brighton location. The small event was geared toward tasting some of their treats while getting into the holiday spirit. Briley and Brown had their tiny bakery decorated beautifully for this event, with samples of some of their favorite sweets on display for us bloggers to try. They even had some festive libations for us to wash our treats down with, including homemade egg nog and champagne. 

Chocolate Peppermint Macarons.

Since this event was right after work, Briley and Brown also had some savory dishes for us to sample, including their Curried Lentil soup and their Garden Vegetable Sandwich, pictured below (the Garden Vegetable Sandwich is made with roasted red peppers, roasted yellow squash and zucchini, marinated green beans, shaved fennel, and hummus on a focaccia roll).

Some of my favorite samples from the evening were the Chocolate Peppermint Macarons, the Panettone (Italian holiday bread), and the homemade marshmallows, complete with a crushed peppermint rim. Briley and Brown clearly put a lot of time and effort into making this event festive, which really helped kickstart the holiday season for me. I'm also a big fan of smaller, more intimate blogger events like this one because it allows you to actually meet the folks behind the food (in addition to other bloggers). 

Other items on the Treats on Washington menu that caught my eye were the Roasted Vegetable Braided Bread, the Egg Nog Latte (seasonal), and the Cranberry Gingerbread Muffin (also seasonal). I definitely plan to go back soon to try some of their other creations!

Have you ever been to Treats on Washington? What's your review?

Cherry Hand Pies

My Dad loves pie. Like…loves pie. Growing up, we almost always had a pie in the house, whether it was homemade (by my Mom) or bought at a nearby bakery. Chocolate cream, strawberry-rhubarb, blueberry…he loves them all. But his absolute favorite is cherry pie. So, for Father’s Day, I brought out my shiny red KitchenAid mixer and made my Pops some cherry hand pies…from scratch.

This was my first attempt at making homemade pastry dough, and I used this recipe (I used this same recipe for the filling, too…and included the almond extract). Let’s just say pastry dough is insanely easy to make. It was almost amusing, considering how intimidated I was before beginning the process. I may never buy store-bought pastry dough again!

As a bonus, my Dad loved these hand pies (the scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side didn’t hurt, either).

Have you ever made pastry dough from scratch before?

Cookies of Christmas Past

My Aunt Susie always made the holidays feel special. Her house would be over-the-top decorated with hokey Christmas decorations; every candy dish would be filled with green and red M&Ms; and every gift she gave to my siblings and me was beautifully wrapped, and topped with a bow. The best part about celebrating Christmas with my Aunt Susie, however, was her giant, chocolate-chip-and-M&M Christmas cookies. These suckers were HUGE, perfectly cooked in the middle, and insanely sweet. As a kid, my siblings and I lived for them.

Over the last few years, we stopped hearing from my Aunt Susie. To be honest, she basically fell off the face of the earth - no one can get in contact with her.

I miss her most at Christmas time. And her cookies. The size-of-your-head, candy-filled cookies just made Christmas. So, this year, I tried to recreate them - and failed miserably.

I mean, they came out decent enough. They taste great, but they ended up coming out more like M&M biscuits than the flat cookies my Aunt Susie used to make. Despite not being close to the original, one bite of these cookies still caused me to reminisce about Christmases celebrated with my aunt. That alone was worth the effort of baking them. I'll try again next year to get them perfect. 

Do you have a dish/recipe/etc. that just "makes" your holiday? If so, what is it, and why is it special?

ButterGirl Baking Co. in Somerville

It doesn't get much more local than this.

Last week, I had the pleasure of attending a private tasting at the home of ButterGirl Baking Co., located in Somerville. Melissa was kind enough to invite me, and other bloggers in attendance included Molly and Rachel.

Laurelyn, the mastermind behind ButterGirl Baking Co., runs her baking business out of her quaint apartment in Somerville. With a simple passion for everything sweet, it was clear that this baker knows what she is doing - based off the wide variety of cookies, brownies, bars and pastries on her circular dining room table. Laurelyn even served us wine.

Wine AND baked goods? I knew I was in for a treat.

Laurelyn chatted with us about how she's always loved to bake, and how some of her family's recipes have ended up in her baking business (i.e. her Brown Sugar Shortbread cookies). Other varieties we tried included Double Chocolate Heart cookies...

Brown Sugar Shortbread and Double Chocolate Hearts.

Oatmeal Almond Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies...

Pictured with Flourless Peanut Butter cookies.

Pecan Squares...

And my favorite of the evening: The rich, decadent Peanut Butter Chocolate Fudge Brownies.

Everything we sampled was clearly made with "real" ingredients, and, as cheesy as it sounds - a whole lot of love. Even Laurelyn's Chocolate Chip Cookies were outstanding - they were thick, slightly chewy and chocked full of mini chocolate chips (they're also available with walnuts).

The best part? You can enjoy ButterGirl's creations, too, by simply clicking here. Orders cost anywhere from $15 to $45, on average. And because Laurelyn and I know how much you all like to save a buck (or two) - she is being generous enough to let EE readers take an extra 20% off their first ButterGirl order. To apply the discount, simply use coupon code "foodies" at checkout, and enjoy 20% off these indulgent, homemade treats. 

If you could try any treat from ButterGirl Baking Co., which treat would it be and why?

Desserts Discovered in Somerville

Boston's next best thing - when it comes to desserts - is hiding in Somerville.

Last week, Melissa invited me to a dessert tasting at her friend's home. Her friend, Mariela, currently runs a baking business out of her home called Canela and Azucar (translation: "Sugar and Spice"). For our small, intimate tasting, Mariela made some of her most popular baked goods, and served them to us with our choice of tea, coffee or water. Also in attendance: Molly and Rachel.

Throughout the tasting, Mariela, who is originally from Mexico, told us many stories about her childhood, the culinary traditions of her country, and the background of each and every one of the desserts she served that evening. Here's just a sampling of some of the delightful pastries we tasted:

Vanilla Butter Puffs (with a touch of homemade apple jam and pecans):

Pecan Rounds:

Lemon Zingers, Medallions, and Empanadas filled with homemade apple jam:

Three Milk Cake:

Mariela cutting the cake.

The Three Milk Cake was insanely moist and shockingly light, while all of the miniature pastries we tasted were delicious without being overly sweet (which I love). The highlight of my evening, however, was when Mariela cut into the Impossible Cake - a dense, chocolate cake topped with a thick layer of flan and caramel.

This gem was insanely decadent and indulgent. If I could choose my last meal right now, I'd have Mariela make me an Impossible Cake, and I'd go to town on the bunt pan with a fork. It was that good.

It was so wonderful to meet Mariela and hear the story behind her food. Thank you again, Melissa, for the invite!

What great food finds have you discovered lately?

Savoring the taste of fall with sweet potato Cool Whip

I'm not a big dessert person - I used to have a sweet tooth larger than Bazooka Joe's, but somewhere along the way, things changed. When I'm hungry, I crave salt. As a result, my dessert-making abilities have fallen to the wayside. However, tonight I felt like a fall-inspired dessert, and I didn't want pumpkin pie (I'll be eating enough of that on Thanksgiving). I decided to research some recipes using sweet potatoes, and found complex recipes for sweet potato bread pudding, sweet potato bread, and sweet potato cookies - I just wanted something simple. After standing in the baking aisle at my local grocery store for a solid 20 minutes, I got it: sweet potato whipped cream with store-bought pound cake. Don't ask me how that lightbulb went off; I think it was a mix between a craving for fall flavors and simplicity. So, here it is: my recipe for very easy sweet potato Cool Whip ($2, Stop & Shop) which I served atop freshly-made pound cake ($3.99, Stop & Shop) and chopped pecan halves ($1.89, Hannaford). This dessert was seasonal, and had just the right amount of sweet potato and nutmeg/cinnamon flavor, without overpowering the delicious taste of Cool Whip.

Sweet Potato Cool Whip
Serves: 25

-3/4 of a 15 oz. can cut sweet potatoes, in syrup - mashed ($0.99, Hannaford brand)
-8 oz. tub of Cool Whip
-1/4 tsp.ground nutmeg
-1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
-Pinch of ground ginger

Directions: Drain sweet potatoes, and rinse quickly with water. Mash in a blender, or with a potato masher. In a separate bowl, fold into Cool Whip. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Mix well, and let sit in refrigerator for at least 20 minutes to allow flavors to mesh. Serve over pound cake, with crushed pecans (I just bought a small bag of pecan halves, and broke them up into pieces).

How do you easily incorporate the taste of fall into your desserts?