Rocky Ledge Bars

Man, it is good to be back in the kitchen baking again.  This is one of the first recipes I read after I returned to China and I made it shortly after I got back.  I picked out this Rocky Ledge Bar recipe from Martha Stewart's cookie book.  I love that book and you should buy it.  Seriously... Almost all of the recipes I have tried in the book thus far have been pretty good.  It is an excellent place to start in the world of baking if nothing else.  So enough with me selling the book, let's move on to baking! 
 

Ingredients
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon course salt
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup miniature marshmallows
1 cup semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup white chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup butterscotch chips
18 soft caramel-candy cubes, coarsely chopped

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 F,  Lightly butter a 8 by 13-inch baking pan.  Line with parchment, allowing a 2-inch overhang on the longer sides.  Brush parchment with butter (not the overhang).
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.  Using a wooden spoon, mix butter and brown sugar in a medium bowl until fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add eggs and vanilla; mix until well combined.  Fold in half of each of the marshmallows, chocolates, butterscotch chips, and caramel.
3. Spread batter in prepared pan.  Scatter remaining marshmallows, chocolates, butterscotch chips, and caramels on top.  Bake until top is golden brown and a cake tester inserted into center comes out clean,  about 35 minutes (I baked it about 30 minutes**) Let cool on a wire rack.  Lift out of pan, and transfer to a baking sheet.  Refrigerate until set, at least 30 minutes.
4. Remove parchment, and cut into about 16 triangles.  Bars can be stored in a airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.

The learning issue for this post is slightly random as usual.  However, I haven't used marshmallows in a while and all of sudden they are everywhere in my recipes.  I was wondering what makes a marshmallow and why is it so marshmallowy.

Marshmallows were originally named from the inclusion of marshmallow root in the recipe. Below is a picture of marshmallow root from spiceworld.uk.com. 

The root itself is said to be medicinal and it is said to sooth the throat.  So the original marshmallows made were actually throat lozenges.  What an awesome throat lozenge right?  Candy and no more sore throat= wow!  The use of the marshmallow dates all the way back to Egypt.  In modern times, the marshmallow root has been replaced by unflavored gelatin.  Other ingredients in marshmallows are: corn syrup, sugar, water, and vanilla.

So to evaluate this recipe now. These Rocky Ledge Bars get 4.0 stars out of 5 stars in my book.  The combo of marshmallows, chocolate, butterscotch and caramel are to die for.  Think ooey goey cookie that pull apart with caramel and marshmallow dripping at the sides.  The best part about these brownie type cookie is that it is incredibly easy to make.  It is one of those mix and go recipes.  I will definitely make these again.  I didn't rate these brownies higher though because the cookie itself could be more moist and the brownie itself leaves something to be desired.  If I were to make these again, I would possibly layer the caramel in a different place and possibly change the dough itself.  I would not change the mix in contents of these brownies.  Happy Baking!

Fudgy Pudgy Brownies

I lost a bet.  Big surprise, right?  I shouldn't EVER bet.  It is just not a good idea.  I almost ALWAYS lose whether it is nickel betting on dog races or betting who is going to win the Super bowl.  You can almost always bet against me and win your money.  Anyways, I was at the Rodeo watching the wagon races and I picked the wrong wagon.  My payment was Brownies.  I don't consider this much of a payment actually.  :)  I made these Fudgy Pudgy Brownies from Rose Levy Berbenbaum new cake book.  

Ingredients
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons walnut or pecan halves
12 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 ounces fine quality unsweetened chocolate, chopped
3 ounces fine quality white chocolate containing cocoa butter, chopped
3 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, preferably bleached
pinch of salt


Directions

Special Equipment: One 8-inch square baking pan, wrapped with a cake strip, coated with shortening, line with two pieces of crisscrossed parchment paper, attached to each other by a thin coating of shortening, the coated lightly with baking spray flour

Preheat the Oven: Twenty minutes or more before baking, set an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 325 F (300 if using a Pyrex or dark pan)

Toast and Chop the Nuts: Spread the nuts evenly on a baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes, to enhance their flavor.  Stir once or twice to ensure even toasting and avoid overbrowning.  If using walnuts, turn them out onto a clean dish towel and rub them in the towel to remove as much skin as possible.  Using a chef's knife, chop the walnuts or pecans in four batches so that they are no larger than 1/4 inch.  Discard any skin.  Note: To avoid creating excess nut dust, do not use the food processor.

Melt the Butter and Chocolates: In a double boiler oven hot, not simmering water, melt the butter, unsweetened chocolate, white chocolate, and cocoa, stirring often.  Scrape the melted chocolate mixture into a large mixing bowl.

Make the Batter: Whisk the sugar into the melted chocolate mixture until incorporated.  Whisk in the eggs and vanilla until the mixture becomes thick and glossy.  Add the flour and salt and stir only until the flour is moistened fully.  Stir in the nuts.  Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface evenly with an offset spatula.


Bake the Brownie: Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the batter has set up 1 inch from the edge and the toothpick inserted one inch from the edge comes out almost clean.  An instant read thermometer inserted in the center will register 190 F.

 These name of these brownies says it all.  The brownies are quite fudgy and will make you really pudgy upon massive consumption.  I love how moist these brownies are and how you can taste the chocolate melting out of them.  Overall, these brownies get 4 out of 5 stars in my opinion.  I think the brownies that I made in February were better than these, but these were still quite good and worth baking.  I made these brownies in March despite the date that they will be coming out on my blog.  I apologize for the delay in this post, but I have been out of the country in Asia.  I will try to post some information about my trip in upcoming posts.  I hope you enjoy making these brownies.

Supernatural Brownies

As you can tell, I have been baking a lot lately. It is almost a last ditch effort of a desperate attempt to have a semi-normal life before residency starts. I know... I still have months before July 1st, but I feel the day looming. My match information has to be turned in within the next two weeks, and I really need to take a moment between now and then to make my final list. It is a bit nerve racking and I am ready for the whole process to be over so that I can move on with my life. For now though, I will bake and I will bake like there is no tomorrow. I plan on taking these brownies to the clinic I am working in this month for the nursing staff. It is always good to try to get on people's good side with baked goods right? :) The recipe I discovered on the Brownie Project blog.

Supernatural Brownies - adapted from Nick Malgieri from the Brownie Project

2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter
8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
One 13×9x2-inch pan, buttered and lined with buttered parchment or foil

1. Set the rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.
2. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil and turn off heat. Combine butter and chocolate in a heat proof bowl and set over pan of water. Stir occasionally until melted.
3. Whisk eggs together in a large bowl, then whisk in the salt, sugars, and vanilla. Stir in the chocolate and butter mixture, then fold in the flour.
4. Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for about 45 minutes, until top has formed a shiny crust and batter is moderately firm. Cool in pan on a rack. Wrap pan in plastic wrap and keep at room temperature or refrigerated until the next day.
5. To cut brownies, unmold onto a cutting board, remove paper, and replace with another cutting board. Turn cake right side up and trim away edges. Cut brownies into 2-inch squares.

The baking learning issue for today is the double boiler. Now, I do not actually own a double boiler. So melting chocolate can often be a challenge but not impossible. When I first started baking, I steered clear of recipes with the elusive double boiler...thinking that I actually needed one to do the recipe. Ha! The double boiler itself is essentially two saucepans that fit into each other. The bottom saucepan aka the larger one is partially filled with water and you bring the water to a boil. Once boiling, the top saucepan is placed on the lower one and the substance you are melting or heating is placed inside. Chocolate sauces, custards and the wax from candles can be made in a double boiler. I always create a makeshaft double boiler in my kitchen. I pick a small sauce pan and a glass bowl to go atop the sauce pan. Finding the right size glass bowl for the sauce pan is the trick. You don't want your glass bowl to actually touch the bottom of the sauce pan, but you also don't want you glass bowl to float in the water. So the bowl has to be able to shimmy into the sauce pan with the top portion of the bowl larger than the sauce pan. Does that make sense? There is a nice picture on another blog: Double Boiler Picture. I fill the small sauce pan with water and I place the glass bowl atop. Wala...you have yourself a double boiler.

As for this recipe, I give it 3 out of 5 stars. The brownies were decent but you can do better. The pro's to this recipe was the fact that these brownies are incredibly simple to make. It is hard to screw them up. This is a lot coming from me...queen of incorrectly reading recipes. In addition, I liked how moist these brownies were in the center and the color of the brownies was ideal. The cons to this recipe was that the brownies were a bit overdone on the outsides after 45 minutes (which is my fault because I forgot how much brownies continue to cook after you take them out of the oven.) Second, where's the extra punch...what is making these special??? Where is the chocolatey goodness oozing out of the brownies? I leave you with this. If you have any recommendations on recipes for me to try, please send them my way. I am in the mood to bake. Bring it!

White Chocolate Brownies

Once a month, I go to an meeting for an organization called Dining For Women. I am a member of the Houston chapter. The group essentially eats a potluck style dinner and uses the money that they would have used to go out to eat on a particular Women's cause of the month. For example, this month's cause was to raise money for the organization Love146 (http://www.love146.org) that is involved in preventing sex trade. For this month's meeting, I decided to bring White Chocolate Brownies from the book Perfect Desserts.



Ingredients:
8 oz white chocolate
3 oz or 3/4 cup walnut pieces
4 oz unsalted butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup soft brown sugar
2/3 cup self-rising flour

Directions:
1) Coarsely chop 6 oz of white chocolate and all of the walnuts. Put the remaining chocolate and the butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of gently simmering water. When melted, stir together, then set aside to cool slightly.

2) Whisk the eggs and sugar together, then beat in the cooled cholate mixture until well mixed. Fold in the flour, chopped chocolate, and the walnuts. Turn the mixture into a lightly greased 7 inch pan and smooth the surface.

3) Transfer the pan to a preheated oven set a 350 F and bake for 30 minutes or until just set. The mixture should still be a little soft in the center. Remove from the oven and let cool n the pan, then cut into squares.

Recipe from: Perfect Desserts

These brownies were really well received and I only had one brownie left to take home! I got compliments from everyone. Overall, I give them 4 out of 5 stars. They were really buttery tasting and moist. I used pecans instead of walnuts this time in the recipe because that is what I had. I don't think this really effected the overall taste of the recipe. If I ever made this recipe again, I think I would try to make a slightly healthier version of it.

Cream Cheese Brownies

So I was in the mood to make brownies while I was studying for the internal medicine board. So I took this Cooking Light Cream Cheese Brownie recipe over to my friend's apartment to be used as a study break. Here are our results. : )




Brownies:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large egg whites
1 large egg
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup fat free milk
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Topping:
1 (8 ounce) block 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (14 ounce) can fat-free sweetened condensed milk
1 large egg

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. To prepare brownies, coat bottom of a 13 x 9 inch baking pan with cooking spray (do not coat sides)
3. Place butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until fluffy. Add sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla; beat until well blended (about 5 minutes). Add egg whites and 1 egg, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add cocoa and 1/2 cup milk; beat well (mixture will appear curdled). Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; stir with a whisk. Add to cocoa mixture; beat at low speed just until blended. Spoon batter into prepared pan.
4. To prepare topping, place cream cheese in a large bowl and beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Gradually add cornstarch and remaining 3 ingredients; beat until smooth. Spread evenly over batter. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes or until set. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 36 bars. Yield: 3 dozen (serving size: 1 brownie)

Calories: 131 (29% from fat)