SUZIE SWEET TOOTH

Cakes, Treats, and Everything Sweet

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    • Chewy Toffee Chunk Cookies

      Some people like their cookies thick. Some like them thin. Some like them chewy. I like mine chewy. I like to think of these cookies as chewy chewy. You get the chew of the cookie itself and then the chew of the toffee pieces in the cookie. There is a couple of things that contribute to a good chew in a cookie; melted butter is one, and another is more brown sugar than white sugar. A key into getting a good chew is also allowing the dough to chill for a while in the fridge. The chilling allows the butter in the dough to become saturated with the flour; which helps the dough become really emulsified which contributes to the chew that we so like.  Something  magical happens when toffee is baked into a cookie; the toffee melts slightly but remains hard that yields to a soft chew and it creates this amazing chew factor. The key is the keep the toffee pieces somewhat big when you chop the toffee. You can also swap out the toffee and stir in chocolate chips and you would have an amazing chocolate chip cookie.

      Chewy Toffee Chunk Cookies

      yield: ~ 12-13 large cookies

      2 Cups + 2 Tbsp. bread flour

      1/2 tsp. baking soda

      1/2 tsp. salt

      3/4 Cup (1  1/2 sticks) unsalted butter; melted and cooled but still warm

      1 Cup packed dark brown sugar

      1/2 Cup granulated sugar

      1 large egg, room temp

      1 large egg yolk, room temp

      2 tsp. vanilla extract

      1  1/2  Cup dark chocolate almond toffee,  chopped (in large 1/2 inch pieces) (or you can swap in 1 1/2 Cups chocolate chips if you prefer)

      1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

      2. In a mixer bowl, on medium speed; blend together the butter and both sugars until combined; about 2 minutes. Add whole egg and stir until well incorporated (do not beat). Stir in egg yolk. Add the vanilla extract and stir until blended. The batter should not look curdled; stir on low-speed until it looks smooth.

      3. Add flour mixture to the butter mixture all at once and stir on low-speed until just combined. By hand add the toffee chunks and fold them into the dough until evenly incorporated. Do not over-mix. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly over the surface of the dough in the bowl and refrigerate for 2-3 hours. Do not skip this step. Chilling mainly allows the butter to firm up so that it doesn’t melt too quickly in the oven.

      4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

      5. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a 1/4 Cup measuring cup; scoop the cookie dough and tap out the dough puck and place onto the cookie sheet. Flatten out the dough puck so it is about 3/4 inch thick.  Bake until golden brown around the edges but still soft in the middle, about 12-13  minutes. Do not over-bake (they will set up as they cool).

      6. Let cookies settle on the baking sheet for about  10 minutes before carefully transferring them to cool completely on a wire rack.

    • Blueberry Mini Pies

      Have you noticed that dessert wise, mini is it? Mini is super fun. Mini cupcakes, macarons, cake pops, mini scones. We like mini. I like mini. Frankly I’m kind of mini dessert obsessed. With mini you can enjoy with no guilt. Just don’t eat 14 minis. One great thing about mini desserts is, there is no cutting. This is really handy when you are entertaining, everyone can help themselves. We are coming up on the season of family gatherings. Family reunions, graduations, backyard barbeques. Mini is your friend when entertaining.  Caterers have known this for years. Now, don’t get me wrong, I still love the look of a beautiful full size pie and they have their own glory. Bringing someone a full size pie as a gift is a beautiful thing. For years commercial food marketing dominated super size. Super size fries, Big Mac, Big Gulp as an example. I know we are talking dessert here, but I think as consumers now we’ve gone to the other extreme and we figured out that when it comes to mini; mini is it. Having mini desserts at weddings is very in. Cruise around the internet and search among wedding blogs and you will find dessert tables with mini treats are really en vogue.  Mini is here to stay. Get in touch with your inner mini and bake up some minis…

      See my recipe for All Butter Pie Crust

      Blueberry Mini Pies

      yield: ~ 8-10 mini pies

      recipe adapted from “Mini Pies” by Christy Beaver and Morgan Greenseth

      One recipe of my All Butter Pie Crust (see above)

      Blueberry Filling:

      3 Cups blueberries

      1/4 sugar, plus more for sprinkling

      1 Tbsp.  flour

      1/4 tsp. cinnamon

      2 tsp. culinary rose water (optional) (if you don’t like rose; just replace with water)

      1 tsp. lemon zest

      1 Tbsp. lemon juice

      milk for brushing pie crusts

      1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Generously grease a 12 cup standard size muffin tin with butter or cooking spray. 

      2. Combine the berries, sugar, flour, cinnamon, rose water, lemon zest and lemon juice in a large bowl. 

      3. Roll out the pie crust to a thickness of 1/8 inch. Using a 4 inch round or scalloped edge cutter, cut 12 crusts. Re-form and re-roll dough as necessary. 

      4. Carefully shape the crusts into the wells of the muffin tin, crimping the edges with your fingers. 

      5. Fill each mini pie to the brim with the blueberry mixture, about 3 tablespoons for each pie. Top each pie with a decorative mini cut out if desired. 

      6. With a pastry brush, lightly brush the pie crusts with milk and then sprinkle with sugar. 

      7. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the crusts are golden brown. Allow to cool for a few minutes in the muffin tin, then carefully remove the pies from the pan and place on a wire rack to finish cooling. To remove, first try to spin the pies in the muffin wells. If they need a little extra help, run a butter knife along the edge of the crusts to pop them out of the tin. I like to pop the cooled pies into pretty paper muffin liners- it makes it handy to have something to eat out of helps protect the pies from cracking. Since the pies shrink a little during baking they fit nicely into paper lines without any problem.

      8. Serve, or store in an airtight container at room temp for up to 2 days. 

      http://www.mycitycuisine.org/wiki/Special:AddExlink?pg=3877

      Blueberry Pie

    • Carmelita Bars

      I’m at it again. For some reason I have caramel obsession on the brain lately. I’ve actually been wanting to make these for some time. Last summer we went to our local San Francisco “Off The Grid” which is a local food truck gathering. There I was with The Husband, child and dog in tow and we were each perusing around the “grid” each buying various food items to share and tracking each other down after our hunt and kill was done. I had done savory. The Husband had done spicy. The child had done messy. I was after something sweet. A serious sweet tooth nagging at my noggin. I wish I could remember the name of the food truck I visited because I would love to give them their props for having the best freaking carmelita bar I’ve ever had. It had a bit of crunch to it on the bottom part of the crust. The caramel was butter rich, the oats were perfectly chewy but not too mushy. Upon my quick dissection of that caramel puppy I discovered it had a thin layer of sliced almonds. Freak yeah! I made a mental note right there. I said, self- you need to come up with a carmelita with a bit of crunch. I love gooey, but I love texture too; especially when the two are combined. You know how it is when you are enjoying some great street food and time almost seems to stand still? Everything is swirling around you, noise, people, commotion but you are able to focus on your personal food nirvana? Yeah, this was one of those moments, except I literally stood still. I mean, I seriously stopped dead in my tracks- frustrated Mothers with double wide strollers were strategically edging around me. Once I took a bite of that carmelita- I literally stopped in the middle of the grid and closed my eyes and finished off that caramel booger in about 4 bites. The Husband found me and said, ”Hey, I thought you were going to get something sweet” ? I looked at him like a naughty cat trying to hide my discovery. “Huh, me? naw, I changed my mind.” Some things you just have to keep to yourself. Meeowww!

      Carmelita Bars

      Filling

      One 14 oz. bag Kraft caramels; unwrapped

      1/2 Cup + 2 Tbsp. heavy cream

      pinch salt

      1 Cup rolled “old fashioned” oats (not quick oats)

      1 Cup flour

      1 tsp. baking soda

      pinch of salt

      2/3 Cup packed dark brown sugar

      1  1/2 sticks (3/4 Cup) unsalted butter; melted

      1/2 Cup sliced almonds

      1/4 Cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

      1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a 9 inch square pan by lining with a parchment sling to cover each side so that a few inches hangs over on each side. Spray the lined pan with non-stick spray.

      2. In a non-stick saucepan, over medium-high; heat the caramels and cream until the caramels melt and the mixture is smooth; let boil for about 30 seconds. Turn off the heat and set aside while you make the oat mixture for the crust.

      3. Combine the oats, flour, baking soda, salt, sugar, and melted butter until combined.  Divide the mixture in half. If you have OCD tendencies like me that is about 9 oz. for each half. Press half of the mixture into the bottom of the pan and sprinkle the almonds over the oat mixture to cover completely; being careful to press into the crust firmly. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven; (the crust will look puffy-that’s okay), let cool about 5 minutes then sprinkle the mini chocolate chips over the crust. Pour the melted caramel mixture over the crust and smooth it evenly. Take the remaining half of oat mixture and sprinkle like big crumbs over the caramel, pressing in slightly. Bake for 15 minutes. DO NOT OVER BAKE; THE FILLING WILL BE VERY, VERY LOOSE and the edges of the oat mixture will be golden brown. The filling will solidify once cool. If you over bake it will become too hard. Let the pan cool on a wire rack until cool enough to park in the fridge until completely cool.

      4. Cut the bars while they are cold. (I let them sit in the frige overnight).  Let come to room temperature to enjoy. Store any leftovers at room temperature.

    • French Apple Tart

      You may have noticed a lapse in my blogging. I was knocked down with some evil virus this past week and it hit me hard. I lost all energy and motivation-for anything. Baking, as much as I love; took a back seat. I’m happy to report I am back on the mend but not exactly high on motivation yet. To ease back into my bakingdom I knew it would have to be something easy. French apple tart to the rescue. I even have a pastry crust product I like to buy [French Picnic] that comes all stamped out into a perfect round. You don’t even have to unfold anything or coax out any annoying folds on the pastry. I usually make my own pie crust but I am feeling uber lazy. You just slide out that puppy from the box and thaw and you are good to go. Good quality applesauce, fresh apples, butter and sugar and that’s pretty much it. Bon appetit!

      French Apple Tart

      9 inch pastry crust ;unbaked

      2-3 Tablespoons applesauce

      4-5 golden delicious apples; sliced thin

      soft butter

      granulated sugar

      This is not so much a recipe, but a process. You could take any size of crust depending on how large a tart you want to make. Start by removing the peels from the apples and cut off the “cheeks” from the apples and slice into thin slices about 1/4 inch thick. Toss the apples in bowl with a little lemon juice or “fruit fresh”.  (You can usually find it by the canning products in the grocery store). I personally like fruit fresh powder as it does not add any moisture to the apples. Just sprinkle a little fruit fresh and toss your apples to coat. It prevents the apples from oxidizing while you prepare your tart.

      Spread a thin layer of applesauce over the tart crust and then shingle the apple slices; to create a decorative patter. Brush the apples with soft butter and then sprinkle generously with sugar. Bake the tart at 400 degrees F until the apples are slightly brown around the edges and the apples are soft; about 30 minutes. Cool the tart on a wire rack.

    • Caramel Macarons, Macaron Ice Cream Sandwiches

      I can’t stay away from caramel. Not necessarily eating it, but baking with it. Okay, yes, I eat it too. I’ve said it before but it bears repeating;one of the most fascinating things about baking is how you can literally take a few ingredients and come up with something amazing. Caramel is one of those examples. If you have never made homemade caramel you must give it a try. Try my salted caramel recipe.  Sugar, water and cream and you have caramel. You may have noticed I have  a lot of posts with caramel. I could write a cookbook just with caramel recipes alone. Hmmm, might have to think about that….Anyway, here is yet another caramelicious post. I wanted to make extra-large caramel macarons to use for ice cream sandwiches. I’m planning on filling these with heath bar ice cream. Pralines and cream ice cream would be good too. You could also make regular size macarons and fill with salted caramel, caramel buttercream or vanilla buttercream.

                                                                                                    Caramel Shards waiting to be turned into powder

                                                                                                                               Caramel Powder

      Caramel Macarons

      (yield: ~ 24 large macarons)
      200 gms almond flour, sifted

      200 gms confectioners sugar, sifted

      2 Tbsp. “caramel powder” see recipe below*

      75 gms egg whites

      200 gms granulated sugar

      50 gms water

      75 gms egg whites (room temp)

      pinch of cream of tartar

      *Caramel Powder: Line a sheet tray with either Silpat or lightly greased tin foil.  In a 2 quart saucepan place 1/4 Cup granulated sugar and 2 tablespoons water. Swirl the pan to combine while the sugar melts. Bring to a boil without stirring over high heat; swirl the pan every so often until the caramel reaches a medium-deep amber. If the caramel starts to smoke slightly it is done; pour out onto prepared sheet and let cool completely. The “caramel” will be clear. Once cool, break the caramel into shards and blend into a powder using a mortar and pestle or a food processor.

      1. In a large bowl combine the almond flour, confectioners sugar and caramel powder. Add the 75 gms of egg whites and stir to combine. Set aside.

      2. In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment combine 75 gms of egg whites and the cream of tartar and begin whipping them on medium-high speed.

      At the same time combine the 200 gms of granulated sugar and water in a small saucepan on high heat; bring to 240° without stirring while whipping the egg whites on your mixer simultaneously. You want the cooking sugar syrup to reach 240 degrees at the same time your whites reach stiff peaks. To time this; keep the stand mixer next to the stove so you can peek at the whites while still watching your cooking syrup. If you notice the whites starting to get too stiff before the sugar is done; slow down the mixer to low speed.

      3. Once the syrup is at 240 degrees, stop/take off the heat and start pouring the syrup down the side of the mixer bowl slowly with the mixer running on slow-medium at the same time; careful not to let the syrup hit the whisk to prevent hard syrup forming. Once all the syrup is in, crank up the mixer and whip the whites until very glossy and stiff.

      4. Take the whipped meringue and place on top of the almond mixture and start to  fold gently until all of the meringue is incorporated; careful not to deflate the mixture. You are looking for a thick consistency like lava. Fill a piping bag fitted with a 1/2 inch round tip and pipe the cookies on parchment lined sheet trays; leaving at least an inch space between cookies. Take the trays and rap them hard on the counter to release any air bubbles. Let the trays sit out anywhere from 30-60 minutes; as long as it takes until when you touch the top of the cookies they are dry and no longer tacky to the touch.

      5. Bake the cookies double panned (placing one empty tray underneath the piped cookies) one tray at a time in a 325° oven for about 16-18 minutes until the cookies are no longer wet on the bottom and appear dry. Sacrifice one if you have to test. Let the cookies cool. Sandwich with the filling of your choice. If you are using a filling other than ice cream, store the cookies in the fridge covered loosely for 8 hours or overnight; this helps the cookies become even more chewy as the moisture from the filling helps the texture of the cookie.

    • Blackberry Cobbler

      For weeks it’s been raining in San Francisco. Finally we hit a break this week and the weather yesterday was so amazing. The Husband spent some time cleaning up the garden and spiffing up the backyard. I swear the grill was whispering my name. Calling me, beckoning me to grill a hunk of meat. It just so happens I had a nice seasoned tri tip in the freezer (pssst: Guy Fieri tri tip at Costco is the bomb!) so I took it out last night to defrost. Here’s the menu: Santa Maria tri tip, roasted vegetable ratatouille and rice. I am the grill master in my house. The Husband does not have the grilling gene. It’s okay by me though, he does a good job of clean up once the meal is over.  This special meal deserved a good dessert. I wanted something rustic, simple and tasty. Blackberry cobbler seemed to fit with the menu. I had some frozen blackberries in the freezer so it worked out perfect. You can certainly use fresh in this recipe.  This is the type of dessert you throw on the table and scoop it out into bowls along with vanilla ice cream. Bring on summer…

       

      Blackberry Cobbler

      (serves 4)

      one (16 oz.) bag frozen blackberries, thawed

      1/4 Cup sugar

      1 Tbsp. cornstarch

      1 tsp. lemon juice

      1 tsp. lemon zest

      1/4 tsp. cinnamon

      Topping:

      1  1/4 Cup Bisquick baking mix

      1 tsp. lemon zest

      1/2  Cup cold milk

      1 Tbsp. melted butter

      1 Tbsp. sugar

      1/8  tsp. cinnamon

      1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. butter a 2.5 quart casserole dish or an 8 inch cake pan.  Toss berries and all juices obtained while thawing, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, lemon zest, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Bake for 15 minutes.

      2. Meanwhile in a medium bowl; combine bisquick mix, lemon zest and milk. Drop spoonfuls of dough onto baked berries. Brush with the melted butter. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mix and return to oven to bake for about 25 minutes longer or until a toothpick comes out clean once biscuit portion is pierced. Serve warm with ice cream.