I’ve had a cookie pan similar to the one pictured below for a couple of years and used it only a few times. You can purchase it from Amazon by clicking on it. Today, I thought, what if I try to make madeleines in these molds? They’re about the same size as a madeleine pan. Since it’s Christmas, I’m in the mood for chocolate, so how about chocolate madeleines? I have combined several madeleine recipe sources to create this version. These are relatively simple and quick and make a great holiday gift.
I’ve been making Nestle® Toll House® Cookies for Christmas for 35 years. I’m almost 42, so you do the math. We always sprinkled colored sugar on top. There is no way I know how to improve on the Toll House recipe, except perhaps to add an extra dash of the vanilla extract. And of course, the quality of the chips matters. You can step up to Ghirardelli, or dare I say, Sharffen Berger, but when it comes down to it, Nestlé Semi Sweet Baking Chips really do the trick, and I bought a HUGE bag of them at Costco at the beginning of December, so we’re sticking to the old favorite.
What’s your favorite Christmas Cookie?
Nestlé Toll House Cookies
Nestle® Toll House® Chocolate Chip Cookies for Christmas
COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.
BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.
I baked these for the church bake sale and they were tender and rich. At first, I thought the dough was difficult to handle, but once I got it chilled enough, it was much easier to cut the shapes and transfer them to the baking sheet.
If you don’t have cream of tartar on hand, you can substitute baking powder. Baking powder is simply two parts cream of tartar with one part baking soda. It won’t be perfect, but you could use 1 tsp of baking powder instead of the baking soda and cream of tartar requirement.
In the bowl of a standup mixer, beat the butter, oil, and two sugars until well blended and fluffy. Mix in the egg and vanilla. Add flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt and mix it in. Form the dough into a large ball. It will be quite soft. You may need to add additional flour, but don't overdo it. Just chill it for an hour first and then check it.
Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Divide the dough into 2 large balls. On a floured board, roll out the dough until it is about ⅛" thick. Using cookie cutters, cut the dough into shapes and transfer them, using a spatula to help, to a non-stick cookie sheet. Scatter sprinkles on top. Bake for about 12-15 minutes or until starting to turn golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a couple of minutes before carefully transferring them to rack for further cooling.
I have a soft spot for Roy’s. I celebrated my first wedding anniversary there (in San Francisco) as a way to commemorate our wedding in Hawaii. I went again recently because my office was across the street for a couple of years. I don’t particularly associate chocolate with Roy’s because it’s a Hawaiian fusion restaurant. It’s their Ahi Poke I crave most. But I’m a sucker for molten chocolate cake, so I was thrilled to find that they make their recipe available publicly and that I could make it at home. Rather than making them in rings, I used ramekins. That way I didn’t have to worry about lifting off the ring at the end. If you don’t have the patience to let it refrigerate overnight, refrigerate it for a few hours and let me know how it turns out!
Roy's famous molten chocolate cake has only 5 ingredients.
Author: Roy's
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: Classic
Serves: 4
Ingredients
1 cup sugar
3 tbsp. cornstarch
4 eggs plus 4 egg yolks
12 tbsp. butter
8 oz. semisweet dark chocolate (make sure to use a good quality)
Instructions
In a mixing bowl, combine sugar and cornstarch. In a separate bowl, mix eggs and yolks together. In a saucepan, bring butter to a simmer, then add the chocolate. Mix until the chocolate is smooth and begins to simmer along the edges. Combine this chocolate mixture with the sugar and cornstarch and mix thoroughly. Add eggs and mix at low speed until sugar is dissolved and mixture is smooth. Refrigerate overnight in a bowl.
Preheat oven to 375º. Line 4 metal soufflé rings with parchment paper and coat with non-stick spray. On a baking sheet, place each ring on a square of parchment paper. Fill ⅔ of each ring with the filling. Bake for 28-30 minutes. Remove the baking sheet. While holding each mold with tongs, slide a metal spatula underneath and transfer to a plate. Gently lift the mold off, remove the paper and serve with ice cream.
Sometimes you just want the brownie you grew up with – but made with really good chocolate. December 8 is National Brownie Day, so why not celebrate by going out and purchasing a Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar and turning it into an 8×8″ pan of awesomeness? These classic brownies have Ghirardelli Chocolate Chips in them too.
I live near San Francisco, so I learned, shortly after moving here 13 years ago, that it’s pronounced with a gggg as in good. Not a g is in geez. It’s Good Ghirardelli. Now you can be in the know too!
I’m going to be selling them at the Church Christmas Bakesale tomorrow! Nothing like a little chocolate for Christmas. Happy Holidays!
4 oz. Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Baking Bar (1 bar)
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs
¾ cup + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
¼ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
⅓ cup Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chips
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour an 8-inch square baking pan.
Chop the 4 ounces of semi sweet chocolate bars into 1" pieces. In the top of a double boiler or in a heatproof bowl over barely simmering water, melt the 4 chopped chocolate and butter, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Stir the brown sugar and vanilla into the chocolate mixture. Add the eggs and mix well. In a bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Slowly fold the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture, mixing well until blended. Stir in the chocolate chips and pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until a tester comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting into 2-inch squares.
In October 2012, Family Circle Magazine conducted its 6th cookie bakeoff between candidates for first lady. As in most years, the winner of the cookie contest also won the White House. It was close. Michelle only won by 287 votes. Luckily, her husband’s margin was wider.
For the contest, Michelle Obama submitted a recipe authored by Eleanor ‘Mama Kaye’ Wilson, the godmother of her two children. Interestingly, this recipe has an extra stick of crisco as compared to the traditional Nestle Tollhouse recipe. An extra stick! Michelle has set aside her usual approach to food with this indulgent cookie. But hey, that’s fine once in a while, right?
The best part about these cookies, is the subtle hint of mint chocolate brought in by the crushed Andes Creme De Menthe Thins. Since I couldn’t include the nuts in this recipe (I work at a nut-free school), I increased the overall chip content leaning in favor of the semi-sweet chips and playing down the other two slightly. It was great.
Make these for your next Holiday Cookie Party. Just sprinkle some red and green sprinkles on top and you’ll be in business.
Mama Kaye’s White and Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes 5 dozen cookies Prep: 15 minutes Bake at 375° for 12 minutes per batch
Ingredients
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsaltedbutter, softened
1 stick Crisco butter-flavored solid vegetable shortening
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup each white chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips and mint chocolate chips (or Andes mint pieces)
2 cups chopped walnuts
Method
1. Heat oven to 375°.
2. Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream butter, vegetable shortening, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract.
3. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. On low speed, beat in flour mixture. By hand, stir in white and milk chocolate chips, mint chips and walnuts.
5. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto un-greased baking sheets.
6. Bake at 375° for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.
I have been having so much fun baking with yeast this month. Today is no exception. I decided I wanted to make a coffee cake type pastry with icing and filling that would feature fall pumpkin flavors. I grew up with Entenmann’s pastries from the grocery store, and I was looking to emulate their various Danish rings with this recipe.
I ended up constructing this wreath in two ways. One way was a traditional circle. For the other, I cut little slits all the way around before baking it, and the wring came out a little more decorative – though less tidy. Totally up to you for how to make yours, but the recipe does make 2 loaves, so play with it!
Pumpkin WreathWithout SlitsPumpkin Wreath Sliced Open
The recipe calls for 2 rises. One for the dough and then another one once the dough is stuffed. If you want to refrigerate your dough after stuffing it, you can refrigerate it overnight, then pull it out, let it come to room temperature, rise and then bake it so it comes out of the oven warm just in time for brunch.
I kept this dish nut free because of allergy concerns, but sliced almonds or pecans are a great addition to the topping.
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Filling
5.0 from 2 reviews
Pumpkin Coffee Cake Wreath with Pumpkin-Spiced Cream Cheese Filling
Fall pumpkin flavors infuse this danish ring with yumminess
Author: Amy Wilson
Recipe type: Dessert, Brunch Pastry
Serves: 20
Ingredients
1 package dry yeast (2¼ tsp)
¼ cup warm water
3½ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cups canned pure pumpkin
½ cup milk
¼ cup butter, melted
1 Tbsp sugar
1¼ tsp salt
½ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground cloves
---
2 8oz packages cream cheese
½ cup canned pure pumpkin
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp butter softened
1 tsp cinnamon
---
1 Tbsp butter, melted
¼ cup sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
---
1 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp milk
¼ tsp vanilla
Instructions
Dissolve the yeast in warm water in a mug and cover with a plate. Set aside for 5 minutes. When you lift the plate, it should be foamy. If it's not foamy, it means that the yeast is no longer active and you'll have to start over with new yeast.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the dough hook, combine 3 cups of the flour, the pumpkin, milk, melted butter, sugar, salt, nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon and cloves. Once it has taken on a crumbly texture, add the water and yeast mixture and continue mixing with the dough hook until a ball forms. Scrape the sides as necessary to ensure complete mixing. If the dough is sticky and not well-formed, add a Tbsp or so of flour and continue kneading with the dough hook. Knead for 3 minutes on medium speed, adding flour to ensure a springy, well-formed ball.
Add a tsp of oil to the bowl and knead for 30 seconds. Remove bowl and cover with towel. Set in a warm place and let rise for 45 minutes to an hour until doubled.
After the dough has risen, punch it down and turn it out onto a floured cutting board. Let rest for 5 minutes, then cut in half.
To prepare the filling, go back to your stand mixer (wash that bowl), but this time you will use the wire whisk to beat at high speed, the cream cheese, pumpkin, sugar, butter, and cinnamon. Beat for 2 minutes until fluffy.
Now roll out one ball of dough into a flat rectangle that is about 10x12 inches in size. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the dough leaving space around the edges. The cream cheese will be about ¼ inch thick. Now roll the long side of the dough up to make a tube. Bend the tube into a circle and press the ends together firmly. If you'd like to try cutting slits in the wreath, go ahead and do so. Repeat with the other ball of dough. You will have left over cream cheese mixture. It can be refrigerated for up to 3 days and used as icing on cupcakes.
Transfer the rings to a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan sprayed lightly with cooking spray. Cover with a cloth and set in a warm place. Allow them to rise for 45 minutes. (Alternatively, you could cover them in plastic and refrigerate them over night before allowing them to come to room temperature and to rise the next morning)
Preheat the oven to 375˚F.
Using a spoon, spread melted butter over the tops of both rings. Use the back of the spoon to coat them evenly. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top of each ring. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool on the baking sheet before transferring them to platters.
Once the rings are cooled, make the icing by stirring together the sugar, milk and vanilla in a bowl with a fork or a wire whisk. If the icing is not going to hold the shape of its drizzle, add more sugar to thicken. Drizzle onto the rings and allow the icing to set for 5-10 minutes before serving.
The basis for these Pumpkin Pull-Apart Cinnamon Buns comes from a recipe I did during an earlier Pumpkin recipe marathon, when I featured Pumpkin Yeast Rolls. For this recipe, you start by making the dough for the Pumpkin Yeast Rolls and then form smaller balls to dip in melted butter and a sugary cinnamon mixture. Then you mush them into a bundt cake pan for baking. It’s a day’s project, but no one part of the recipe is that difficult, particularly if you have a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer, which does most of the work. These are truly to-die-for. I took them into work and everyone went crazy for them! The pumpkin flavor in the rolls is subtle, so you could make them this way all year long.
In a coffee cup, mix the brown sugar, yeast and warm milk. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes white becomes foamy and you prepare the flour.
In the mixing bowl of your stand mixer with the wire whip attached, add 5 cups of the flour and the salt. Set the mixer on Level 2 and add the pieces of butter, one at a time, mixing all the time. Mix until the flour becomes course.
Add the egg and continue mixing until well blended.
Change the attachment to the flat beater and add the pumpkin and spices, mixing gently until incorporated.
Change the attachment again, now to the dough hook. Dump in the cup full of yeast, milk, and brown sugar. Kneading on Level 2 for about 8 minutes, watch as a ball of dough forms. Have a cup of flour at the ready to add 1-2 Tbsp at a time until dough takes on a smooth, springy form that's not sticky. After you've added enough of the flour, let the dough hook continue kneading until the 8 minutes is done.
Spray a large bowl with nonstick cooking spray. From the dough into a big ball and place in the bowl. Brush melted butter over the ball of the dough. Cover with a dish towel and let rise for about an hour. The dough should double in size.
In the meantime, make your cinnamon-sugar dip by mixing together in a medium bowl, the sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Preheat the oven to 350˚F and spray a Bundt cake pan with cooking spray.
Melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl and set aside.
Turn the dough out onto a large cutting board and cut the big ball in half. Continue cutting the balls in half until you get down to a size that is about the size of a golf ball. Roll the dough between your fingers so that it forms a little perfect ball. Dip into the melted butter, then roll in the sugar mixture and place in the bottom of a bundt cake pan. Continue rolling, dipping and dredging until all of the little sugar-coated balls of dough are pressed into the bundt cake pan.
Bake at 350˚F for about 35 minutes.
Allow to cool for about 10-15 minutes before turning the bundt cake out onto your serving plate.
With a fork, mix together the confectioner's sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth. Keep adding sugar until mixture coats the back of a spoon and just drips down slowly. Drizzle over the top of the sticky buns and allows to drip down the sides.
It’s the 4th anniversary of StreamingGourmet today! Celebrate by watching some classic pumpkin and Halloween videos in StreamingGourmet’s video collections.
It’s time for another pumpkin blogging binge at StreamingGourmet. You see, I’m a little pumpkin obsessed and even more, Halloween obsessed, so this won’t be the first time I publish a slew of pumpkin recipes in October. There’s always something new to try with pumpkin, so check back often over the next few weeks for pumpkin recipes that are sweet, savory and everything in between.
This time, I’m starting with pumpkin bars. There is a pumpkin bar recipe that has truly made the internet rounds, usually with pecans. I’ve done some tweaking here to make these my own, including swapping in hazelnuts for pecans. You might also like them with a dolup of whipped cream on top or perhaps with a serving of ice cream. The trick to getting these right is to make sure you give the bars time to set before sprinkling the nut mixture on top. Otherwise, the nuts will just sink to the bottom.
In this recipe, you’ll need to chop hazelnuts. I found my little mini-prep Cuisinart to be a champ. Click through to find it on Amazon:
Combine flour, oats, and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Cut in the butter and mix until crumbly. Press into the bottom of an ungreased 13 x 9-inch baking pan.
Bake for 15 minutes.
In the bowl of a standup mixer, beat together the granulated sugar, pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs and spices. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes until frothy. Pour over crust.
Bake for 25 minutes. While the bars are baking, toast the hazelnuts in a dry sauté pan over medium heat until they start to turn dark brown. Toss them around to ensure they are toasted on all sides. Chop hazelnuts in a small food processor. Combine chopped hazelnuts and brown sugar in small bowl. Cut in the butter and mix until crumbly. Sprinkle hazelnut topping over filling. Continue baking for 15 to 25 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars.
A few weeks ago, a company called Full Circle reached out and offered me the opportunity to experience their CSA box delivery program free of charge for a brief period of time. They recently expanded into the Bay Area from Washington State and Idaho, and they wanted to give bloggers like me a chance to sample their new service. There was no requirement to review or purchase the product, but it is such a great service, I am happy to write about it here. In this week’s box, there were Santa Rosa Plums. I knew it was time to make Plum Clafoutis. More about that later. First, let me tell you about Full Circle Farms and invite you to enter a drawing to win one free farm box delivery from them! Details below.
Full Circle delivers a weekly box of local & organic fruits and veggies right to your doorstep. You can pick items from their artisan grocery list too – dairy, breads, pastas, grass-fed meats, coffee, jams and more. They started as an organic farm 15 years ago in North Bend, WA. Now, they’re CSA program has grown to serve thousands in the Northwest, Alaska and most recently, the Bay Area. They work with a bunch of the best organic and family farms on the West Coast. When I check my front step on Wednesdays, it feels like Christmas morning.
Santa Rosa Plums
If you’d like to have fresh, organic produce delivered to your doorstep too, enter “STREAMINGGOURMET’S 1 FREE FARM BOX FROM FULL CIRCLE GIVEAWAY” Entries could include: a TWEET, a FB share, a PIN, a Google+, or a BLOG POST. All entries must link back to this post. LEAVE A COMMENT at the bottom detailing your entries and you will be entered into the drawing. The DEADLINE is Sunday, August 12 at midnight PDT. To win, you must reside within one of Full Circle’s Delivery Areas.
If you are the winner, you will be contacted by email, and given a coupon code to enter during the registration process on the Full Circle website. We will also announce the winner on FB and Twitter. You will be under no obligation to purchase any items from Full Circle. (Credit card required at signup. Membership required through online registration, automatic renewal unless cancelled.) So starting sharing and comment below to enter! The more ways you share, the better your chances of winning.
And when you get your box, if plums are still in season, you just might want to make this classic French dessert, Plum Clafoutis. It’s like a custardy cake. Or is it a cakey custard? I like mine particularly eggy, so this one is more like a cakey custard. For extra oomph, you could do what Julia Child would do and soak your plums in cognac first, or I like the idea of soaking them in Cointreau, a French liqueur with orange overtones. I didn’t have any Cointreau on hand, so I went without and it still tasted great. Make sure you eat the clafoutis soon after it leaves the oven. Because it has certain soufflée qualities, it’s just not the same the next day.
The classic French dessert, not too sweet and just right for a summer's CSA box full of plums.
Author: Amy Wilson
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 8
Ingredients
6-8 Santa Rosa plums (or any variety of plum or stone fruit)
1 Tbsp of sugar
1-2 Tbsp butter
5 large eggs + 1 egg yolk
¼ cup of sugar
1½ cups milk (I used 2%)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
Powdered sugar
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Spray a 9x12 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Slice the plums in half and remove the pits. Place the plums in the pan with the skin side down. Sprinkle with the sugar and dot with a little butter on each one.
In a stand-up mixer, beat the eggs for about 2 minutes until they start to get stiff. Add the sugar and beat until sugar is nearly dissolved. Add the milk and vanilla and whisk to combine. Add the sifted flour and whisk to combine. Do not overmix.
Pour the batter over the plums. Bake in the oven for about an hour. The batter will puff up and then start to brown. When it is golden brown on top, it's done.
After the clafoutis has cooled a bit, dust it with the powdered sugar and serve. Clafoutis is best eaten right out of the oven! Serve with vanilla ice cream for a extra punch.
. Since I couldn’t include the nuts in this recipe (I work at a nut-free school), I increased the overall chip content leaning in favor of the semi-sweet chips and playing down the other two slightly. It was great.
