Chocolate Mint Cookies

Chocolate mint would be perfection.

Did you ever see that episode of Friends where Chandler is stuck in an ATM vestibule with Jill Goodacre? She asks if he would like some gum and after thinking about it, Chandler responds "Gum would be perfection".

Bwahaha! What a goober! And if you didn't watch Friends come find me because I got all ten seasons for Christmas and will do pretty much anything to have people watch that show with me (as long as you don't mind me quoting every line).

Anywhoo, I love the combo of mint and chocolate. Mint chocolate chip IS my favorite flavor of ice cream, after all. But this time its cookies. And delicious cookies, mind you. Spice doesn't like mint and chocolate together so I got the fortunate (unfortunate) pleasure of eating all of these. My midsection thanks her.

These are a great cookie. Very chocolatey and chewy, but slightly crunchy. And the mint on top is divoon. Good day.

Chocolate Mint Cookies from All Recipes

3/4 cup butter

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons water

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

2 eggs

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

36 chocolate mint wafer candies (like Andes)

In a large pan over low heat, cook butter, sugar and water until butter is melted. Add chocolate chips and stir until partially melted. Remove from heat and continue to stir until chocolate is completely melted. Pour into a large bowl and let stand 10 minutes to cool off slightly.

At high speed, beat in eggs, one at a time into chocolate mixture. Reduce speed to low and add dry ingredients, beating until blended. Chill dough about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Roll dough into balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake 8-10 minutes. While cookies are baking unwrap mints and divide each in half. When cookies are brought out of the oven, put 1/2 mint on top of each cookie. Let the mint sit for up to 5 minutes until melted, then spread the mint on top of the cookie.

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http://everythingnicebysugarandspice.com/

Mocha Cupcakes

Bananie informed me that she had to bring treats to class last weekend. Yes, she is in graduate school and not 5th grade and yes, they apparently still have snack time.

I decided this was the perfect opportunity to make one of my favorite flavors: coffee!! In cupcake form! My reasoning is that I wouldn't have to have it in the house and could send the cupcakes on their merry little way to class with Bananie.

The cupcakes met their doom, however. I packed these lovely little dudes in our handy cupcake carrier and set them out for Bananie to take with her.

Unfortunately, the cupcakes ended up in the bottom of a large bag and by the time Bananie had trecked the 10 blocks to the subway station, they were apparently in tatters. This post is full of unfortune because Bananie didn't save the cupcakes for us. (Mind you, Spice and I would have hovered over the smushed cupcakes with a fork.) She...THREW THEM AWAY! Nope, not sad at all over here.

Nonetheless, the cupcakes were great! With a big coffee flavor. I used Martha's seven minute frosting, basically meringue, which I had never used before. I think I prefer cream cheese frosting or buttercream, but it was great to experiment with a different recipe!

Mocha Cupcakes from Martha Stewart's Cupcake Book

For the cupcakes:
2 1/4 cups cake flour (not self-rising), sifted
2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
3/4 cup freshly brewed espresso
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder (not instant coffee)

For the frosting:
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2/3 cup water
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
6 large egg whites, room temperature
2 tablespoons pure coffee extract

Make the Cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Line standard muffin tins with paper liners.

Whisk together cake flour and cocoa. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter until smooth and light. Add the brown sugar and eggs; beat until fluffy, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add the vanilla, baking soda, and salt; beat to combine thoroughly.

Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of sour cream, and beating until just combined after each. Mix together brewed espresso and espresso powder; add to batter, and beat until smooth.

Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, about 22 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely be¬fore removing cupcakes.

Make the Frosting:

Combine 1 1/2 cups sugar with the water and corn syrup in a small saucepan; clip a candy thermometer to side of pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Continue boiling, without stirring, until syrup reaches 230°F (110°C).

Meanwhile, in the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk egg whites on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. With mixer running, add remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, beating to combine.

As soon as sugar syrup reaches 230°F (110°C), remove from the heat. With mixer on medium-low speed, pour syrup down side of bowl in a slow, steady stream. Raise speed to medium-high; whisk until mixture is completely cool (test by touching the bottom of the bowl) and stiff (but not dry) peaks form, about 7 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons coffee extract, whisking to combine. Use immediately.

New York, New York

Bagels

Warm and Delicious

Crispy Outside Warm Middle

Get in my Belly!

I hope you all enjoyed my haiku, poetry has never been my strong point. But there really isn't a better way to describe my love for all that is Bagel. Having grown up in New York (upstate still counts people!) I like to consider myself a connoisseur of all things bagel. I love them in every flavor, with every topping, at any time of the day. So when I got to Bagels in BBA I couldn't wait to try them out! I made plain, poppy seed, and get this... Chocolate Chip (at Sugar's request of course).  These do take some time, but I tell you they are worth every second.  So grab the baking soda kids, its time to make yummies...

Bagels

Sponge:

1 tsp instant yeast

18 ounces unbleached bread flour

20 ounces water at room temp

 

Dough:

1/2 tsp instant yeast

17 ounces unbleached bread flour

2 ¾ tsp salt

1 tbsp honey

 

Finishers:

1 tbsp baking soda

cornmeal

 

Day 1: Make sponge; stir yeast and flour in your mixer bowl. Add water and stir until smooth and sticky. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temp for 2 hours, it should be very foamy and slightly bigger once done.

In the same bowl add the additional yeast and stir. Add 3 cups of flour, the salt, and honey. Stir on low speed with dough hook until a ball forms, slowly work in the rest (3/4 cup) of flour to stiffen the dough

Mix on medium for 6 minutes until dough is firm but still pliable and smooth, not tacky.

Divide dough into 4.5 ounce balls. Cover with damp towel and let rest for 20 minutes

Line 2 sheet pans with parchment and mist with spray.

To shape take each ball and poke your thumb through the center. Gently stretch dough, by rotating your thumb to widen the hole to about 2.5 inchs in diamiter. Place the shaped pieces on the pans, l mist with spray, cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 20 minutes. After this time place in fridge overnight.

 

Day 2: Preheat over to 500 depgrees with two racks set in the middle. Bring a large pot of water to boil, and then add baking soda have your slotted spoon nearby.

Remove bagels from fridge and drop 2 or 3 (dpending on the size of your pan) into the boiling water (they should float within 10 seconds). After 2 minutes flip bagels and boil for an additional 2 minutes on the other side. While the bagels are boils sprinkle your parchment with cornmeal, use a good amount these bad boys love to stick. Remove bagels from water and place on the sheet (this would be the time to top if you want to ).

 

Once all bagels are boiled place pans in the oven and bake for 7 minutes, then rotate pans 180 degrees and switch racks. After rotation lower oven to 450 and continue baking for 7 to 10 minutes until golden brown.

Let bagels cool for 15 minutes and serve

 

Ganache Covered Red Velvet Hearts

This is what I made for Valentine's Day for my friend Kali and I. We had an enjoyable evening on the couch watching Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman. I can hear you laughing at us. Stop now. Or I wont show you the delicious dessert I made. And it's a doozy. It kind of blew my mind.

Ok, I don't care if you're laughing, I just have to show you this!

So first I made red velvet cake. Actually I made red velvet brownies, but if I do this again I will use cake. This is a good recipe. Bake it in a 9 by 13 inch baking dish. When cooled completely, invert cake onto a cutting board and, using a heart shaped cookie cutter, cut hearts out of the cake.

Cut each heart in half and spread a heapingly large amount of cream cheese frosting in it. This is the recipe I used and its pretty delicious if I do say so myself.

Next, make a chocolate ganache glaze. Continuing with my Martha theme, I used Martha's ganache glaze. Pour it over the red velvet hearts (which I suggest placing on a parchment-lined baking sheet), and make sure it covers all of the cake. Let the ganache harden a bit before sprinkling with red sanding sugar.

Next step: devour. We sure didn't have a problem in this area. Thank heavens!