amyBITES

14/5/2009

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Triple Chocolate Brownies

I realized the other day when my friend Andy was bugging me to make brownies that I’ve never posted a real brownie recipe on here…which is strange, because I love brownies. There are so many brownie recipes out there that yield such different results, so I don’t have one on file that I automatically rely on.

I found this recipe via the Food Network (where else?) from Nigella Lawson, one of my favorite FN chefs. She really knows how to make sweets simple and delicious. I was really pleased with this recipe because it’s pretty easy, but it yields some fantastic results. It’s a classic, rich, moist, decadent brownie in no time at all. These brownies were a huge crowd-pleaser!

Triple Chocolate Brownies

3 sticks plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
12 ounces best-quality bittersweet chocolate
6 eggs
1 3/4 cups superfine sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white chocolate buttons, chips, or morsels
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate buttons, chips or morsels
Approximately 2 teaspoons confectioners’ sugar, for garnish
Special equipment: Baking tin (approximately 11 1/4 inches by 9 inches by 2 inches), sides and base lined with baking parchment.

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Melt the butter and dark chocolate together in a large heavy based pan over a low heat.

In a bowl or large measuring jug, beat the eggs together with the superfine sugar and vanilla extract.

Allow the chocolate mixture to cool a little, then add the egg and sugar mixture and beat well. Fold in the flour and salt. Then stir in the white chocolate buttons or chips, and the semisweet chocolate buttons or chips. Beat to combine then scrape and pour the brownie mixture into the prepared tin.

Bake for about 25 minutes. You can see when the brownies are ready because the top dries to a slightly paler brown speckle, while the middle remains dark, dense and gooey. Even with such a big batch you do need to keep checking on it: the difference between gooey brownies and dry ones is only a few minutes. Remember, too, that they will continue to cook as they cool.

Sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar to serve.

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Your cast of characters:

Start melting your chocolate. Use very low heat and stir often. You can start the other steps while doing this. When it’s smooth and pretty lump-free, take it off the heat.

Eggs, sugar, and vanilla, beaten together thoroughly.

Definitely make sure your chocolate is cooled at least a little before adding it to the egg mixture or it will cook your eggs, and you don’t want that.

Add your flour and salt and fold it all together. Then stir in your chips and you’re good to go.

Pour it in your baking dish and bake for approximately 25 minutes. I used a different sized baking dish than what is mentioned, so I needed about 35-40 minutes.

Cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar, and serve. Yum!

These are really fantastic. They’re super moist and rich, and pretty darn easy to make. If you like, add some walnuts or other nuts. I definitely would have added walnuts if I didn’t have some very picky boys (who refuse to eat brownies with nuts in them) waiting to devour these. This will definitely be my go-to brownie recipe from now on! Unless, of course, I magically find a better one. Any recommendations?

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08/5/2009

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Lasagna

Again, I failed to post last week. I have a good excuse, I promise. I was moving. It’s all very exciting. Our new place has beautiful new appliances and a much awesomer and more manageable kitchen than the last one, and the whole situation is much better. I vowed that I would make this week’s post extra-awesome due to my failure to post anything last week, so I guarantee that this is one of the best real food (i.e., not baked goods) recipes I have posted to date.

Lasagna! Everyone loves it, right? Actually, I don’t. I’m really not a huge fan of most lasagnas because I’m very picky about what I want in a lasagna. I honestly only made this because I promised my friend Andy (a big lasagna fan) that I’d make it for him. A lasagna has to be heavily cheese-based for me to enjoy it. I’m a cheese fiend. Especially when it comes to Italian cheeses like parmesan, mozarella, and ricotta—all of which this recipe uses in full force. So if you like a good, cheesy lasagna—and yes, there is beef in there too—you’ve come to the right place.

I generally look to the Food Network when I’m looking for a good recipe, and I found one via the Neelys on FoodNetwork.com. It was pretty simple (important for a first-time lasagna-maker) and didn’t use a ton of expensive ingredients (important for a cash-poor college student). However, there were some elements of which I was not a fan. They used cottage cheese instead of ricotta (WHAT?! No thank you!) and cheddar cheese (again, WHAT?!). So, I made some modifications and pressed on. It came out wonderfully and I am now officially a lasagna lover. Well, a lover of this lasagna anyway.

I’m trying this new thing where I post the recipe in full first, then the step-by-step pictures. I figure it will make the recipes easier to print out without all the filler text and photos I add in. Bear with me.

Lasagna
Based on the Neelys’ “Mama’s Lasagna” recipe and modified

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for pan
1 pound ground beef or turkey (I’m sure you could also use sausage for more kick)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (14.5-ounce) can stewed tomatoes, chopped
1 (8-ounce) jar tomato sauce
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1 (8-ounce) box no-boil lasagna noodles
2 large eggs
2 cups ricotta cheese (low-fat is totally fine, that’s what I used)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
2 teaspoons freshly chopped parsley leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
1 (8-ounce) bag shredded mozzarella
1 (8-ounce) bag shredded Parmesan

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly oil the bottom of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish.

In a large saute pan, over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon oil and saute meat, onion, and garlic until meat is browned, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon. Drain pan of fat and add stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, then mix in ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, parsley, salt, pepper, and seasoning salt.

Spread a little of the meat sauce in the bottom of the prepared pan. Lay half the noodles in the bottom of the baking dish, overlapping by 1/2-inch. Spread half the egg and ricotta cheese mixture evenly on top. Sprinkle half the mozzarella and shredded Parmesan evenly over the ricotta cheese mixture. Pour half the meat sauce on top. Repeat layering in same order. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup grated Parmesan on top. Bake in center of oven 30 to 35 minutes until sauce is bubbling around the edges. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

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Your cast of characters:

Your meat mixture should look about like this before you drain it:

Mmm, saucy!

Your ricotta/parmesan/egg/parsley mixture. This is totally the best part of the lasagna. In my humble opinion, anyway.

I didn’t take a photo of every step of the assembly, but it’s pretty self-explanatory. It’s fun building a lasagna, no? This is layer 4. It goes sauce, noodles, ricotta mixture, shredded cheeses. Repeat.

And this is what it should look like before it goes in the oven.

…aaand after it comes out. Perfect!

Definitely let it sit for those 10 minutes, they are crucial. I used that time to heat up some frozen garlic bread. If you’re feeling ambitious, a Caesar salad would be a nice addition.

Not a great picture (I was in a hurry to eat), but you get the idea. This lasagna is awesome. It’s super cheesy but not overwhelmingly so, and all the other flavors are readily apparent as well. It’s a great first-timer’s lasagna, so if you’ve never made it before (like me), don’t be intimidated. This recipe is super simple and totally worth it. You’ll have yummy leftovers for days!

Enjoy!

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23/4/2009

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Peanut Butter Brownies

This is another recipe from the wonderful Smitten Kitchen. This was one of those recipes where, when I first saw it, I thought, “Why are these not in my oven RIGHT NOW?!” If you’ve ever read this blog before, you know that I am kind of obsessed with the combination of peanut butter and chocolate. Naturally, I had to make these.

Peanut Butter Brownies

For brownies
2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 large eggs plus 1 large yolk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (9 ounces)

For ganache
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (9 ounces)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

Make brownies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F with rack in middle. Butter a 13- by 9- by 2-inch baking pan, then line bottom of pan with parchment paper and butter parchment.

Beat together butter and sugar with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until mixture is light and fluffy, then add peanut butter and beat until incorporated. Beat in whole eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla. Reduce mixer sped to low, then mix in flour until just combined.

Mix in chocolate chips (1 1/2 cups) then spread batter in baking pan, smoothing top. (It will be thick, almost like cookie batter.)

Bake until brownies are deep golden, puffed on top and a wooden pick inserted in center come out with some crumbs adhering, 40 to 45 minutes. NOTE: Make sure to watch these. I put mine in for 40 minutes and ran upstairs to get some things done before the brownies were finished cooking. When the timer went off, they were way too close to being burned for my taste—still fine, but just darker than I’d like. If your oven isn’t the greatest (like mine), don’t leave them unattended for the last 10-15 minutes or so.

Cool completely in pan on a rack, about 1 1/2 hours.

Make ganache: Put chocolate chips (1 1/2 cups) in a heatproof bowl.

Bring cream to a boil in a small saucepan, then pour over chocolate chips and let mixture stand for one minute.

Gently whisk in butter until it is incorporated, chocolate is melted, and a smooth mixture forms.

Spread ganache on cooled brownies and let stand until set, about 15 minutes.

I apologize for not having photos of this process, but it all happens rather quickly. It’s ridiculously easy though, so don’t worry.

I waited 15 minutes and my ganache wasn’t set yet (it’s pretty hot and humid here today, so that probably had something to do with it) but I had to slice them and dig in anyway.

Oh man, these were tasty! I wish the peanut butter flavor was more apparent, though. That’s one thing I would have changed if I had known ahead of time. Also, this isn’t exactly a Weight Watchers recipe, so feel free to substitute margarine instead of butter and low-fat peanut butter instead of full-fat, like I did. Every little bit helps, right? There’s no subsitute for heavy cream though, so just grin and bear it. Just don’t drink a gallon of it, though. :)

These are basically slightly peanut-buttery blonde brownies with ganache topping, and they’re fantastic. If you prefer a stronger peanut butter flavor (like me), feel free to experiment and play around with it! They’ll be delicious, I promise.

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09/4/2009

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Thai Chicken

This recipe is from She Simmers via The Crepes of Wrath. I’ve been really busy with school and overall just burnt out lately, so cooking is more of a nuisance than a treat for me. Therefore, I’ve been eating poorly and surviving on Lean Pockets and cereal, which is not good at all. When I read this recipe, I realized I had all the ingredients already and it was so simple that I pretty much had no excuse not to make it. So I did—and it was good!

Khao Na Gai or Thai Chicken in Brown Sauce Over Rice

2 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 tablespoons oyster sauce
4 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons Chinese rice wine
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1/2 cup water
ground black pepper, to taste
2 cups cooked rice, for serving

1. Mix all the ingredients, except the chicken and vegetable oil, together in a bowl. Begin to cook your rice according to instructions.

This is everything but the water. Looks tasty, right? Haha. It will be, I promise!

All mixed up and ready to go!

2. Heat the vegetable oil over medium heat in a medium nonstick pan or wok. Saute the chicken until almost cooked through.

Pour the sauce mixture into the skillet and stir. Continue to cook until the chicken is completely cooked and the sauce has thickened. If the sauce is too thick, add a little more water, a tablespoon at a time.

3. Pour the warm chicken and its sauce over steamed rice.

This is a really hearty, savory dish with a nice garlicky kick. It’s super filling, too! I wouldn’t suggest going out and buying all the ingredients (if you don’t already have them) unless you intend to do a lot of Asian-inspired cuisine, but if you love Oriental dishes, go for it! This dish was super easy to make and really satisfying. Enjoy!

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02/4/2009

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Chocolate and Peanut Butter Spreads

I’ve had a busy week. It’s been nonstop homework for the past seven days, and today I just wanted to make something quick, tasty, and sweet to start off my weekend. It’s also been raining nonstop all day and for me, rainy days are perfect days for baking. I was browsing The Pioneer Woman Cooks a long while back and bookmarked this recipe, but didn’t remember it until now. And ohhh man, I’m glad I did.

These “cookies”—which are probably more accurately described as cookie bars—are just stupid easy. You probably couldn’t mess them up if you tried. Probably the best thing about this recipe is it requires one bowl. You don’t even need a mixer! How amazing is that?! Also, they’re just plain yummy.

Now, the topping on these cookies is made from semi-sweet chocolate chips in the recipe. Halfway through baking, I realized I didn’t have any chocolate chips (I always have chocolate chips!). So, I improvised, and I think my solution tasted better than just straight chocolate chips (if I do say so myself).

I used about a cup of whipped chocolate frosting mixed with about 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter. I love the combination of chocolate and peanut butter, so it tastes heavenly! You could also use 6 oz. of chocolate chips and 2 oz. of peanut butter chips, or any combination of chocolate and peanut butter. Posted below is my modified recipe.

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Spreads

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup margarine
1 egg
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup whipped chocolate frosting
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
(OR 6 to 8 ounces chocolate chips to make the original version)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together brown sugar and margarine.

Make sure it’s nice and soft or you won’t be able to mix it with the brown sugar.

Add egg and mix together.

Add flour, salt, and vanilla, and mix together well.

Spread dough onto cookie sheet to a thickness of 1/4 to 1/2-inch.

Make it look like something vaguely rectangular. I won’t lie, this step was super fun.

It should be about that thickness, and as even as possible.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until slightly brown.

For my version, mix your frosting and peanut butter together with a fork, then just spread it on evenly. Make sure you do this when it’s right out of the oven, it makes it get all soft and melty and easy to spread.

(Chocolate chip instructions: Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over the top. Return to oven for 1 minute. Remove and spread melted chips over the top.)

Cut into squares with a knife or pizza cutter and enjoy!

These are the easiest, fastest, most delicious cookies ever. They taste like a peanut butter chocolate chip cookie, but in a soft, moist bar form. The crunchier edges are great too—more like an actual cookie. You probably have all the ingredients already, so go make these!

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26/3/2009

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Cheesy Baked Tortellini

Today, while eating lunch before class, I turned on the Food Network. “Everyday Italian” was on, and Giada was making this amazing-looking baked pasta dish. I only caught the tail end, but I had to know what she was making. I went to FoodNetwork.com and searched for it, and lo and behold, I found this recipe for Cheesy Baked Tortellini.

I stopped by the store after class to get the ingredients and it was so worth it. Do be aware that this isn’t a cheap recipe—good cheese is pricy, and this recipe uses quite a bit of good cheese. So maybe this is a special-occasion-type recipe. No matter what, though, it’s incredibly delicious and it’s pretty easy too. I will definitely be making this again, especially since I have a lot of leftover cheese!

Cheesy Baked Tortellini

Olive oil
2 cups marinara sauce
1/3 cup mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley leaves
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 pound purchased cheese tortellini
2 ounces thinly sliced smoked mozzarella
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil an 8 by 8 by 2-inch baking dish.

Whisk the sauce, mascarpone cheese, parsley and thyme in a large bowl to blend.

Mascarpone comes in a little tub like this—it’s a really great creamy cheese, sort of like ricotta but a lot creamier and with a little sweetness. It’s also great for using in Italian cheesecake.

Pretty, right? I couldn’t find fresh thyme and I didn’t feel like buying ground thyme when I know I would barely use it, so I used oregano, which I love. Oregano is a great substitute for thyme if you aren’t a fan of it. When using dried, ground herbs instead of fresh ones, use a little less because the flavor is more concentrated. I only used about a teaspoon of oregano. Use fresh herbs if you got ‘em though!

Whisk to combine as much as you can, but don’t worry about those little chunks of mascarpone cheese. They’ll melt when you add in the hot tortellini.

Cook the tortellini in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 2 minutes. Drain. Add the tortellini to the sauce and toss to coat.

In case you’re completely grocery-store-layout-inept like me, you can find these things in the refrigerated section by the milk and cheese (it’s right with the ricotta cheese). There, I just saved you 10 minutes of searching…10 minutes that I can’t get back… :( Also, these came in 9-oz. packages, but there are 16 oz. in a pound (the recipe amount)…so I just took a scant handful out of one package, put it in a Ziploc baggie, and saved it for later.

Transfer the tortellini mixture to the prepared baking dish. Top the mixture with the smoked mozzarella (cut into thin slices) and Parmesan.

The smoked mozarrella may require a little searching. It was buried in my grocery store’s GIANT cheese island, and it was the last package of the stuff they had. It really makes the dish though, so definitely don’t substitute regular mozzarella! I loved the smoky flavor it had while still maintaining the creaminess of regular mozarrella.

Don’t be skimpy with the cheese. You paid good money for it, after all. The smoked mozzarella slices should be a little less than a quarter-inch thick, I’d say. They create a delicious, melty, smoky crust on top. Mmm.

Cover and bake until the sauce bubbles and the cheeses on top melt, about 30 minutes.

Top with some grated parmesan and serve!

The great thing about this dish is that it’s versatile. You can use whatever kind of stuffed pasta you want, really. If you’re a meat fan, used some sausage-stuffed tortellini. You can use some spinach-stuffed tortellini, ravioli, whatever. You can also use your favorite tomato sauce—if you want to use a meat-based one, go for it. If you want to make your own, go for it. You can change up the herbs, the cheeses, anything—go crazy!

Let me tell you, people—this stuff was so freakin’ good. With the four college kids in our house, it was gone within minutes. Double the recipe for some great leftovers! Enjoy!

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19/3/2009

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Ice Cream Sandwich Cookies

I found this recipe on Smitten Kitchen while I was looking for a recipe to make today. She calls them brownie roll-out cookies, but mentions in passing that they’d be good for ice cream sandwiches. As soon as I read that, there was no stopping me. I had to make them! Surprise—I did. And they are awesome.

Ice Cream Sandwich Cookies

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup margarine or butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Whisk dry flour, salt and baking powder in bowl and set aside.

Mix butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla and cocoa in mixer.

Gradually add flour mixture, and mix until smooth. NOTE: My mixer isn’t the best for heavy doughs, so I had to incorporate the last bit of the flour mixture by hand. Use wet or floured hands if you do this. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least one hour.

Roll out cookie dough on floured surface. Cut into desired shapes, brushing extra deposits of flour off the top. NOTE: Use larger cookie cutters! Small ones will make your cookies tiny and crunchy, and that’s no fun. Mine were probably 3.5ish inches in diameter. Use any shapes you like. Also, don’t worry if your dough’s surface is a little floury going into the oven, because it will most likely bake off. I found that I didn’t need a whole lot of flour though—but I was rolling on a cloth surface.

This is about the thickness you want—between 1/8 and 1/4 inch. It’ll make for really yummy, chewy cookies. If you want crunchy cookies, go thinner.

At this point, I also sprinkled the tops with granulated sugar just for kicks. You could also do this with turbinado sugar if you have some to make them really pretty.

Bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 8 to 11 minutes (the former for 1/8-inch thick cookies, the latter for 1/4-inch cookies) until the edges are firm and the centers are slightly soft and puffed. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

These cookies are awesome. Soft, chewy, and chocolatey. They’re perfect all on their own.

But you know what makes them even better?

Ice cream! But isn’t that true of most things? Use a cookie scoop to put a dollop of vanilla ice cream on the underside of one cookie, then smush it down with a knife and top it with the other cookie. They don’t have to be perfect, because it won’t be sitting on your plate for more than a few seconds before you gobble it up!

Make sure your ice cream isn’t rock hard before doing this! Mine was, so I heated it up in the microwave for about five seconds. But then I lollygagged for too long and it got melty, but that was just fine by me. Still delicious.

If you want to make these in advance for a party or guests, just make the cookies and put them aside. When you’re ready to serve, top with ice cream. So simple and so good!

Enjoy!

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17/3/2009

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Irish Cream Cake

Happy St. Patty’s Day, everyone! Yesterday, I made a cake to celebrate the occasion. It’s a Bailey’s Irish Cream cake. It came out wonderfully and it was and continues to be delicious. Thing is—my battery in my good camera wasn’t charged, and I had to take pictures with my less-awesome camera…which is fine, but that camera has some serious issues with dim lighting and does not offer you the option to change the settings to remedy that. To make a long story short, the pictures came out horribly, so I won’t be posting them.

However, I don’t want you guys to miss out on this awesome cake. Therefore, I’m directing you to this post at Noble Pig, a wonderful food blog which you should already be reading anyway. When I saw the recipe posted there the other day, I just had to make it. Also, she has some fantastic pictures of the process and finished product for you to enjoy. So head on over!

About the cake: The Bailey’s flavor is subtle, but just right. I pretty much hate the taste of alcohol and therefore avoid using it in recipes, but I had a feeling I would love this cake, and I did. The pecans aren’t a make-or-break deal, so don’t add them if you don’t like ‘em or if you’re allergic or whatever. However, they add a beautiful toasty, crunchy contrast to the sweet cake, and I’d highly recommend adding them if possible. The cake is really simple to put together (it uses a cake mix and boxed Jell-O!), but it looks really impressive, so it’s a great dessert for guests and such. Now go get bakin’!

P.S. I will also try to make a post at the regular time, on Thursday, with adequate pictures. I just had to share this cake with you on St. Patrick’s Day!

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12/3/2009

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Baked Mac N' Cheese

I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who doesn’t like mac n’ cheese. Whether it’s from a box or a casserole dish, it always hits the spot—at least for me. I am kind of a cheese fanatic. The strange thing is, I realized the other day that I’ve never made mac n’ cheese from scratch. I love baked mac n’ cheese but I’ve never made it myself. Huh. So, I scoured all my favorite cooking blogs for the best-looking recipe I could find, and I happened upon it at Smitten Kitchen (one of my favorite blogs EVER). It’s Martha Stewart’s recipe, and it just looked and sounded so amazing that I just had to make it. And oh man, was it worth it.

Before you get all excited, you should probably know that this is kind of a pricy recipe to make (for mac n’ cheese, anyway). You’ll probably spend at least $10 on the cheese alone (gruyere and sharp white cheddar), depending on the quality of the cheese. So, if you’re broke or a poor college student, you’d probably better stick to Kraft for now and spend your money on your gas bill so you can continue to use the stove.

With that said, if you’ve got some spare cash and you want some really, really good comfort food, make this recipe.

I halved the recipe below because there’s only 2 of us, and we’ll still have enough for at least one more serving each. I also used margarine and 2% milk and it turned out just fine, so don’t be afraid to try to make this recipe a smidgen healthier…but this ain’t no Weight Watchers recipe.

Baked Mac N’ Cheese
From The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook via Smitten Kitchen

Serves 12

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for casserole
6 slices white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4- to l/2-inch pieces
5 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons coarse salt, plus more for water
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 1/2 cups (about 18 ounces) grated sharp white cheddar cheese
2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated Gruyere or 1 1/4 cups (about 5 ounces) grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1 pound elbow macaroni

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside. Place the bread in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Pour the melted butter into the bowl with the bread, and toss. Set the breadcrumbs aside.

2. Warm the milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Melt the remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When the butter bubbles, add the flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute.

3. While whisking, slowly pour in the hot milk a little at a time to keep mixture smooth. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick, 8 to 12 minutes.

4. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar cheese, and 1 1/2 cups Gruyere (or 1 cup Pecorino Romano); set the cheese sauce aside.

5. Cover a large pot of salted water, and bring to a boil. Cook the macaroni until the outside of pasta is cooked and the inside is underdone, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Stir the macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce.

6. Pour the mixture into the prepared dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup Gruyere (or 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano), and the breadcrumbs over the top. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes (though we needed a bit more time to get it brown, but your oven may vary). Transfer the dish to a wire rack for 5 minutes; serve.

This stuff is so delicious. I wanted mine really browned on top, so the bread crumbs are a little too crispy, but it tasted just fine. Also they looked a lot less crispy in real life. I will definitely make this again sometime in the future, but I have to work on digesting the first round first. ;)

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05/3/2009

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Peanut Butter Filled Chocolate Cookies

I found this recipe on The Adventures of SuperWife (which is a great blog and you should all read it) and she got it from somewhere else from somewhere else and so on. These cookies were really yummy. SuperWife used a vegan recipe, and while I’m all for veganism, I did not have the vegan ingredients on hand, so I substituted regular ingredients (margarine and eggs instead of Earth Balance and egg substitute). Shame on me, I know. But I had such a hankerin’ for these cookies the moment I saw them, I had to make them right away and a trip to the store was NOT in the cards!

As you may have deduced, I love chocolate and I love peanut butter, and I really love chocolate and peanut butter together. Thus, these cookies are a godsend!

Peanut Butter Filled Chocolate Cookies

Cookie Dough:

1-1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup margarine or Earth Balance, softened
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Eggs or egg replacer equal to two eggs

Cookie Filling:

3/4 cup peanut butter
3/4 confectioners sugar

In a small bowl combine flour, cocoa, and baking soda; blend well.

In large bowl, beat sugar, brown sugar, margarine, and 1/4 cup peanut butter until light and fluffy. Add vanilla extract and eggs; beat well.

Stir in flour mixture until blended and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine filling ingredients and blend well. Roll into one-inch balls.

NOTE: As you can see below, my peanut butter filling turned out rather crumbly. I don’t know whether it was because I was using reduced-fat peanut butter or if it was the fault of my mixer—you’d probably be better off just using a wooden spoon and your hands to mix. Even though mine came out crumbly, it came together really nicely in ball form. Didn’t spread at ALL in the oven though, which is a shame but doesn’t harm anything except the appearance of the cookies.

For each cookie, with floured hands, shape about 1 tablespoon cookie dough around one peanut butter ball, covering completely. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Try to flatten each cookie slightly with the flat bottom of a glass, but not too much! Bake at 375 degrees for 7-9 minutes or until set and slightly cracked. Cool on wire racks.

For aesthetic purposes, my hand is not floured in this photo. Immediately after I felt how sticky the dough was, though, I dunked my hand in a bag o’ flour. Without it, I would have made SUCH a mess. As you’ll see below, some of your cookies may get a floury appearance. That is just fine, and it won’t show after you bake them!

I had enough peanut butter filling for 16 cookies, and enough chocolate batter for about 18. I was pretty generous with the chocolate batter around each peanut butter ball, and pretty stingy with the peanut butter balls themselves, too. Next time I make these I might make about 1/4 cup more peanut butter filling. I made 16 fairly big cookies.