Chocolate Chocolate Chip Donuts with a Marshmallow Glaze

So the glaze isn't as photogenic as I would have hoped. But it tastes like the most delicious marshmallowey-rice-crispy-treat-glue, so I got over it.

You may have guessed, by looking at these here donuts, that I bought a donut pan! So many other bloggers were raving about cakey baked donuts and how easy it is and blah blah and I was jealous. So I placed my order and 5 quick days later I was testing it out.

Except that my first try (see above) at a vanilla cake donut did not turn out as expected. Before I try out any recipe I peruse through the food blogosphere to see if others have tried it, how it turned out, etc. Anyway, this recipe seemed to be the go-to recipe for vanilla donuts. So maybe I messed something up? I don't know. The recipe called for only 2 tbsp of butter for about 12 donuts and that seemed wrong but I didn't question it. And guess what? They were super dry. Like needed to be dunked into milk for at least 15 seconds in order to be able to swallow.

But they were pretty, and fun to make glazes for. The chocolate one is a standard ganache with some added cocoa powder, and the other one is a maple cinnamon glaze (aka confectioner sugar mixed with maple syrup, some milk and cinnamon). But back to the chocolate donuts. They're deeply chocolatey with pockets of melted chocolate chips, and they stay good for at least two days. Not that they'll last that long..

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Donuts with a Marshmallow Glaze
adapted from Mama's Gotta Bake
(makes around 15 donuts)
Ingredients:
1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
2/3 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 c. milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. vinegar, white or apple cider
1 stick (8 tbsp.) butter, melted
1 c. mini marshmallows
2 tbsp. butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the donut pan, set aside.

In a medium sized bowl, combine the dry ingredients and the chocolate chips. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla, and vinegar. Slowly add the dry ingredients, along with the melted butter, to the wet. Mix to combine, but don't over-mix.

You can either spoon the batter into the pan, or put it into a ziplock bag, cut off the tip and pipe it in (this was easier for me, though since the batter is thick it's not much of a problem either way.) Fill each donut well around 3/4 of the way full.

Bake the donuts for around 13-15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Flip pan over and allow donuts to cool on a wire rack.

To make the marshmallow glaze, put marshmallows and butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook until marshmallows have melted and are a thick, liquid consistency. Spoon/drizzle over donuts. The glaze will become slightly tacky when cool, so plan on eating right away or wait to glaze the donuts until just before serving.

Homemade Pappardelle with Bolognese Sauce

Homemade pasta.

It's a lot easier than you think. I didn't even have a pasta machine. Or a rolling pin (we'll get to that later).

 What I did have was some fancy Italian flour from Fairway that my mother sent to me via my boyfriend, who came to visit just in time for Valentine's Day and homemade pasta. He's a lucky guy.

The first time I made pasta was almost exactly a year ago. Last Valentine's Day, while I was in Rome, I took a cooking class and we made tagliolini all'amatriciana. I haven't attempted to recreate the dish since then, so I figured it was time to try my hand at pasta-making without a very skilled Italian chef leading the way.

Except that I wanted pappardelle bolognese, like what I had when I was in Tuscany. Since I had never made pappardelle before, I followed Michael Chiarello's recipe. I halved it, since I was only cooking for my boyfriend and me, but I almost instantly regretted that because now I don't have a ready-to-shape ball of pasta dough in my freezer waiting for me. I would suggest making the full recipe.

This meal is super easy and doesn't nearly warrant as much praise as it receives. The bolognese is simple and hearty and can be made far in advance or just before (I made mine a couple of hours before serving so that the flavors had plenty of time to meld together).

Remember that rolling pin I told you I didn't have? Right. So I used a can of Pam Spray (except it's not even the brand name kind, that's too much of a splurge for a college budget). As per expected, this method of rolling pasta didn't yield quite as thin a sheet as I would have liked, but it was no less delicious.

I could have gotten all fancy and measured out the width of each individual noodle, but I chose to cut them freeform instead. Some were thinner and some were definitely thicker, but who cares when they're smothered in sauce and cheese?

Classic Bolognese
(makes 4 servings)
Ingredients:
1 lb meatloaf mix ground meat (trio of ground veal, pork, and beef)
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
1 stalk celery, diced (you can add more, I don't love celery)
1 c. chicken stock
1 c. red wine
1 28 oz. can crushed San Marzano tomatoes
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste

In a large sauce pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add diced vegetables and cook until tender. Add meat and begin to brown, making sure to break up the larger pieces.

Add chicken stock and simmer for 10 minutes, or until most of the liquid has cooked off. Add wine and simmer until liquid has cooked off.

Add crushed tomatoes and let simmer for 20 minutes, until the sauce has thickened up. Add herbs, tomato paste and salt and pepper. Let sauce simmer for another 20 minutes. At this point it is ready to serve, though it'll only get better the longer it sits. I usually cover it and leave it on the stove, that way it's ready to warm up once the pasta is done.

*A quick note about Chiarello's pasta recipe: you cook the pasta for around 4 minutes, though taste it as it's cooking to make sure. I'm not sure why he doesn't include cooking instructions, since cooking fresh pasta is timed differently than dry pasta.

** Another note about these pictures! As you can see, my hands are elbow deep in pasta dough in most of them, which means that I was not the sole photographer. My best friend/very talented photograhpher Rachel took pictures 2, 3, and 4. My wonderfully helpful boyfriend Chris took pictures 5 and 6, and I photographed the rest.

Chubby Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ah, alliteration.

But really, look at them. They're totally chubby, and I will tell you from having eaten almost all of them at an astounding rate that they are indeed chewy. These cookies were the product of an impromptu sugar craving that swedish fish and sugar-free hot chocolate would not squelch (as a side note, those are not my go-to sugary snacks, they were just the only things to be had in my food-scarce apartment). Sometimes, nothing but fresh baked goods will suffice.

But seeing as I had no butter or white sugar on hand, these cookies stray a bit from the usual. I expected them to be totally flattened out and lackluster without the butter, but I was happily surprised. These cookies are puffy and light, with a gooey chocolatey center. Are they perfect? Definitely not (I'd prefer a crispy, buttery cookie any day). But if you're stuck in a butter-less predicament like I was, these are a respectable rendition.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
(makes 18 large, or 24 regular sized cookies)
Ingredients:
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/5 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.

Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl, set aside.

In a large bowl, combine brown sugar and oil, mixing well until no clumps remain. Add eggs, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Slowly incorporate dry ingredients, making sure not to over mix. Fold in chocolate chips (I used a mix of semi-sweet mini chips and regular sized chips, though next time I might use chocolate chunks or discs).

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until cookies are golden brown and puffed. Transfer to wire rack and allow to cool.

Lemon Squares

Just as I start to get into the swing of baking and photographing and blogging, I have to go back to school. The place where blogging (and motivation) go to die. It's not that I can't bake in my miniscule kitchen, it's just that I don't have all the ingredients. So I'll have to make a list, then go to the store, then lament over all the things that I need to buy because my house always seems to have flour/butter/sugar/vanilla/eggs and my apartment is oddly lacking all those things at any every given moment. Hence, I am easily deterred from baking. Which is OK (for now) because (hopefully) someday in the future I'll own my own bakery where baking will be a daily necessity.

Yes, I'm aware that's just a picture of (nicely stacked) lemons. But there aren't many things to photograph whilst making lemon squares (only the shortbread crust and the lemon mixture - which is just all the ingredients whisked together - and neither of those are wildly visually appealing). Anyway, these are the quintessential summer dessert. Except that my family clamors for them in every other season, too.

Be warned though, that while it is almost difficult to have two of these in one sitting because they have such a strong flavor (though I have managed to push through), these little squares will soon become smaller and smaller as the people in your household will very sneakily slice off the edges so that it doesn't actually look like they've had 5 whole squares in a single day.

Not that anyone in my family does that.. I'm just saying.

Lemon Squares
(makes one 9 x 13 inch pan)
Ingredients:
6 large eggs
2 1/2 c. sugar
2 tbsp lemon zest
1 c. lemon juice (about 5 lemons)
1 c. flour

For shortbread crust:
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. confectioners' sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 stick plus 1 tbsp (9 tbsp) very cold (or frozen) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 large egg yolk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Generously butter a 9 x 13 inch pan. Set aside.

In a food processor (or in a bowl, my food processor is temporarily broken so I've been making this without one - works just fine the old fashioned way), combine flour, confectioners' sugar and salt and pulse to mix.

Scatter the pieces of butter over the dry ingredients and pulse until the butter is coarsely combined. The pieces of butter should be different sizes, some smaller and some larger.

Stir the egg yolk and add it to the mixture a little at a time, pulsing after each addition. When the egg is completely in, pulse for about 10 seconds at a time until the dough starts to come together and form clumps.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface and lightly knead just to incorporate any dry ingredients that didn't get mixed in. Gently press the dough evenly over the surface of the pan and slightly up the sides. (The dough should be about 1/2 inch thick). Freeze for at least 30 minutes before baking.

To partially bake the crust, butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil and press it, buttered side down, against the frozen crust. Put the pan on a baking sheet and bake the crust for 25 minutes. (If you want to fully bake the crust for another recipe, bake an extra 8 minutes).

Set the pan aside and lower the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine all the ingredients for the lemon squares. Whisk together and pour over fully-cooled crust. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until about 5 minutes after the bars are set. Let cool to room temperature, dust with confectioners' sugar and cut.

*A trick for getting the most juice out of citrus fruits: roll the fruit against a hard surface, applying pressure with your hand. Then, microwave the fruit for 20 seconds before slicing and squeezing.

Cherry Chocolate Chip Biscotti

I guess you could call these biscotti. Except they're not rock hard and dry like biscotti usually are. These are more like a cookie in the shape of a biscotti. A biscookie, one might say. They're chewy and slightly sweet, perfect with a cup of coffee (or tea, or water, or just by themselves). So if break-your-teeth biscotti are your kind of thing, then these are not for you.

I was sent this recipe after I interviewed and wrote a story about a chef for my internship last semester (he's one of the executive chefs for Safeway!). My dad loves anything with cherries so I figured I'd try them out. The night before Thanksgiving I made a batch and left them on the cooling rack while I went out to dinner (my mistake; one should never leave hot-from-the-oven sweets unguarded). My father called me while I was out, asking how many biscotti he was allowed to eat. When I came home, there were three left.

(Sorry dad, but you seriously ate the whole batch.)

I made a double batch the next day for Thanksgiving dessert and they flew off the table. They're now my go-to for gifts, impromptu gatherings, afternoon snacks and anything in between.

Cherry Chocolate Chip Biscotti
(makes around 15 pieces)
Ingredients:
6 tbsp butter, softened
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2/3 c. sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. dried cherries (sweet or sour)
1 c. chocolate chips (I used white for these)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a large baking sheet.

In a stand mixer (or a medium sized bowl), beat the butter, sugar, salt, vanilla, and baking powder until smooth. Add eggs and mix until just combined.

Lower the mixer speed and add the flour. Mix until smooth (but be careful not to over mix).

Add in cherries and chocolate chips. Mix until just combined, then turn out the dough onto the baking sheet and shape into a log (around 13 inches long, 3 inches wide and 3/4 inch thick).

Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes.

Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.

Slice the biscotti into 3/4 inch thick pieces. Do not lay each slice down on its side like traditional biscotti recipes, keep the whole log intact (this is what allows them to maintain their delicious chewy centers and not dry out).

Re-bake the biscotti another 20-25 minutes, or until the tops are just turning golden brown. Transfer individual slices to a rack to cool.

Grandma's (revised) Baklava

If you don't know what baklava is, here's a little history lesson for ya. It's a middle eastern/mediterranean dessert (popular in Greek restaurants, though my Turkish grandmother prepared it as part of her culture) that combines layers of fillo dough and chopped nuts that are smothered in a simple syrup that absorbs into the pastry, making it sticky and super-sweet. And if that doesn't entice you enough, here's a picture.

Not only is it one of the easiest desserts to make, but it's impossible to mess up. I'll post the recipe but it doesn't even really matter if you follow it. The first time I tried to make it I used way less fillo dough and more sugar, and it was great. The second time (that I photographed) I used more fillo and less sugar (as per my father's request), and it was still great.

I used walnuts and breadcrumbs for the filling (minimal breadcrumbs, supposedly my grandma used to use like 7 slices of bread but I thought that was a bit excessive, so I used a half a cup). But some recipes call for almonds or pistachios. I just like walnuts best (and sometimes have a slight allergy to almonds, best to stay away from them).

So basically you just layer the ingredients to your liking. Mine goes like this: 2 slices fillo, brush with melted butter, two slices fillo, brush with butter, one slice fillo, top with half the nut mixture, two slices fillo, butter, two slices fillo, butter, two slices fillo, butter, two slices fillo, rest of the nut mixture, two slices fillo, butter, one slice fillo.

But I swear it's easy.

Now, sorry to backtrack but it's important, while you're layering and brushing and all that, get a small pot on the stove with two cups of sugar and two cups of water. Let this come to a boil (until the sugar is entirely dissolved) and then simmer for around 15 minutes, or until the mixture starts to thicken. Then when you're done layering, cut the baklava into pieces (it's way too messy to try and cut it after it's baked) and spoon about 1/4 cup of the sugar syrup over the baklava. This helps to keep the top layer of fillo in place (I didn't do this the first time and while it doesn't change the taste at all, it prevents the fillo from drying and curling; it's all about looking pretty).

Traditional Baklava
Ingredients:
16 oz walnuts (amounts to around 3 cups when crushed)
1/2 c. breadcrumbs (I used a slice of stale white bread)
1/2 stick butter, melted
package frozen fillo dough
2 1/3 c. sugar, divided
2 c. water

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Crush or food process the walnuts to a grainy mixture (should be partially powder but still have small chunks of walnuts). In a medium bowl, combine walnuts, breadcrumbs and 1/3 cup sugar. Set aside.

To make the simple syrup, combine water and 2 cups sugar in a small pot and bring to a boil. Once the sugar is completely dissolved, simmer for around 15 minutes (or until the liquid thickens slightly). Remove from heat.

Generously butter a 9 x 13 inch pan and layer two pieces of fillo dough (if the dough doesn't fit the pan, feel free to trim the edges). Using a basting brush, brush the top of the second sheet with the melted butter. Add two more layers of fillo, brush with butter. Add one more layer and then top with half the nut mixture. Top that with two layers of fillo, brush with butter, and repeat this process until there's eight layers of fillo on top of the nut mixture. Top with the rest of the nuts, then two layers of fillo, brush with butter, and one final layer of fillo.

Score the top of the baklava with a very sharp knife (cut into as many squares as you want) and drizzle 1/4 cup simple syrup over the top.

Bake for 50 minutes, or until the top of the baklava is golden brown. If it seems to be browning too fast, feel free to cover with a piece of tin foil.

Once the baklava is out of the oven, pour the rest of the simple syrup over the top. It might seem like a lot, but it absorbs into the fillo dough. Let the baklava rest out on counter (uncovered) for AT LEAST four hours. This is the hardest part, but try to resist the temptation to cut a square as soon as it's out of the oven. The syrup is the most important part and if it's not entirely absorbed the baklava will be dry.

**Fillo dough dries out really quickly, so make sure to cover the sheets with plastic wrap and a damp cloth while you're working.

New Year, New Start

Something huge has happened since I last posted. So huge that I'm even making all the pictures bigger, just to emphasize the importance.

Can you tell I'm excited?

I've never wanted anything so much as I've wanted a KitchenAid stand mixer. And my saint of a boyfriend got it for me for Hanukkah. He even got it in the sweetest ice blue color to match my ice cream machine (see here). And so now there's a whole new world of delicious recipes I can make, like cinnamon rolls, breads, pretzels, homemade pizza dough, and challah.

Mmm, challah.

I had never made challah before. Well, that's sort of a lie, I made it in preschool once and ate the entire loaf before I got home. I meant to share it with everyone. Whoops. So 18 long years later, I was ready to tackle the recipe (with the help of my new mixer, of course).

It was a process. From letting the yeast bubble to making the dough, then letting that rise and then making the loaves and then letting those rise and then baking to the perfect golden brown... it might have been more than I bargained for. Except that when the two glossy braided loaves came out of the oven and the whole house smelled like fresh bread, it was worth it.

For my first attempt, I followed this recipe from The Challah Blog to a tee. Next time I might try playing around with how many eggs I use because my family's used to a lighter challah. This recipe yields a thicker, more dense loaf. It's perfect for french toast or bread pudding, or just for toasting up with some butter.

Oh and on a complete side note, my picture quality will be drastically improving because I just purchased a Nikon D5100. No more blurry/grainy/overall bad photos for me!