recipe: double chocolate brownies.

These are the best brownies ever.  Fact.  Not only do they have two kind of chocolate, they also have chewy centres and crispy tops.  To me, all those things combined equal brownie perfection!  They take a teensy bit longer than some other brownie recipes, but they are 100% worth it.

If it's warm enough for an afternoon in the park where you are then these would be a perfect treat to pack.  Or, if you live where I do and you are currently spending your evenings staring out your window willing the snow banks to melt then these are the perfect reward for having to put up with winter for six months.  Whatever situation you happen to be in.  I totally wish I was having a picnic right now.

double chocolate brownies.  adapted from martha stewart.  because martha is the best.

3/4 C. butter
12 oz. coarsely chopped semisweet baking chocolate.
1/2 C. cocoa powder.
1 1/2 C. flour.
1/2 tsp. baking powder.
1 1/2 C. sugar.  (i like really rich chocolately brownies, if you aren't so much into dark chocolate ,add 2 cups of sugar)
4 eggs
4 teaspoons vanilla extract.

makes one 9"x13" pan.  this recipe can easily be halved.

In a double boiler melt the baking chocolate and butter, once melted sift in the cocoa powder and mix to combine.  Sift together the flour and baking powder, set aside.  In a mixer beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla until pale and frothy, approximately 5 minutes.  Add chocolate mixture and mix until combined.  Add flour mixture and mix until combined, scraping down the sides as needed.  Grease and flour your baking pan (or line it with parchment) and pour your batter, smoothing the top with an offset spatula. bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out with a few moist crumbs..(think less cooked than a cake, but you don't want the toothpick coming out with liquid batter stuck to it)  let cool, cut into squares and keep willing the snow to melt..

Have a wonderful day!  xo, T.

eat me:. mini chocolate pumpkin whoopie pies {& happy thanksgiving!}

Happy thanksgiving everyone, I hope y'all had a wonderful day.  I've had a lovely weekend getting to spend time with family, playing a million rounds of Dutch Blitz and getting to drink tea and watch movies while outside is a little cloudy and grey.

As mentioned last post, one of my most favourite parts of fall is getting to pick pumpkins, roast them and then make as many pumpkin flavoured things as possible.  Last year I made this cake which turned out amazing.  I was tempted to make again for this thanksgiving, but I decided to mix it up and try something a little bit different.  Namely, whoopie pies.  Whoopie pies have intrigued me for a while now, kind of like a bite-sized cake in the form of a sandwich cookie and absolutely nothing like pie, they seemed like the perfect treat for when you want something sweet and small.  And they are.  I was a little unsure about pumpkin frosting, but it is DELICIOUS and I would make it again in a heartbeat to frost any number of fall-flavoured cakes.

mini chocolate pumpkin whoopie pies. recipe adapted from martha stewart.

chocolate cookies.
1 3/4 C. flour.
3/4 C. cocoa powder.
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda.
1 tbsp. butter.
1/4 C. vegetable shortening.
1/4 C. sugar.
1/2 C. brown sugar.
1 egg.
1 C. milk.
1 tsp. vanilla.

in a mixer cream butter, shortening and sugars until pale and fluffy. add egg and beat for another few minutes.  sift together cocoa powder, flour, and baking soda.  mix together milk and vanilla.  starting and ending with the flour mixture, alternate between adding dry and wet ingredients to the sugar mixture.  mixing until just incorporated.  spoon two teaspoons at a time onto a greased or parchment lined baking sheet, spacing about two inches apart. bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until bottoms are darker brown but not burnt and tops spring back when touched.  let cool on a cooling rack before frosting.  makes about 40 cookies, enough for 20 finished whoopie pies.

pumpkin frosting.
1/2 C. cream cheese.
1/2 C. butter.
1/2 C. powdered sugar.
1/2 C. flour.
1/4 C. pumpkin puree.
a pinch of nutmeg.
a pinch of cinnamon.

in a mixer cream butter and cream cheese until fluffy, about five minutes.  add powdered sugar, flour and spices, mix. add pumpkin.  using an offset spatula or a piping bag spread the flat side of one cookie with frosting and place second cookie, flat side facing in, on top.

I hope you have a wonderful week full of things that bring you happiness. xo, T.

 

eat me: homemade dark chocolate ice cream.

So.  It's September now and I realized two things: a) I don't have to go back to school today - for the first time since I was two and b)  I haven't made ice cream yet this summer.  And yes, it is still summer, technically we have 15 more days and I am going to cling to the sunny weather and the joy of being able to be barefoot for as long as I possibly can.

Clearly now is the best time to make ice cream - before outside becomes colder than the temperature of my freezer.  If you live in the prairies you should definitely make the most of the sunshine we've had lately and make this ice cream.  If you're not in the prairies you still need to make this.  This ice cream is amazing.  You will love it, especially if you like chocolate.  Thanks to Safeway now carrying 85% godiva chocolate bars this ice cream is super dark and super rich.  And super wonderful.  It is also super easy to make, even if you don't have an ice cream maker!

Homemade dark chocolate ice cream.  recipe and instructions adapted from brown eyed baker.

2 C. heavy cream.
4 tbsp. dutch - processed cocoa powder.  (add less if you don't want the flavour as intense.)
5 oz. dark chocolate chopped into small pieces.  I used 85% and loved it.  use what percentage feels right to you.
1 C. milk.
3/4 C. white sugar.
5 egg yolks.
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract.

in a sauce pan bring 1 cup of cream and cocoa powder to a boil, whisking constantly, simmer for a few moments and then pour into a heatproof bowl and add second cup of cream and chopped chocolate, mixing until smooth.  place a strainer on top of bowl.  in the same saucepan warm the milk and sugar.  while that is warming lightly beat yolks, adding in the warmed milk mixture, stirring constantly. pour back into saucepan and heat over medium, stirring constantly until 170 degrees has been reached and mixture has thickened.  make sure you are stirring constantly to prevent scrambled eggs are forming!  pour through strainer and combine with other mixture.  chill in an ice water bath.  freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions or follow these awesome steps to make it without an ice cream maker, it takes some more time but is super simple if you have a hand mixer or even a fork!

Enjoy along with our last few really warm days! xo, T.

eat me:. chocolate beet cake.

Last week I got together with two of my lovely friends to bake a chocolate beet cake.  It may sound a little weird, but after watching this video we were convinced we needed to try it.  And it was delicious, or at least we thought so, I did get an odd look from aunt when I told her about it.  Still, it was a yummy way to use some of the beets I had gotten at this summer's farmer's market!

One of my lovely friends is a super talented photographer, you can find her blog here, she took the loveliest photos while we were baking, and these are some of my favourites!  Make sure you take a peek at her blog, it's full of beautiful images!

chocolate beet cake.  adapted from Tiger in a jar video.

2 C. flour.
2 tsp. baking soda.
1 1/2 C. brown sugar.
1 C. butter.
1/2 C. cocoa powder. or 4 oz. semi sweet baking chocolate.
1 tsp. vanilla.
2 C. beets.  roasted, peeled and mashed.
3 eggs.
1/2 C. milk.

beat sugar and butter on high speed unitl fluffy, five minutes or so.  add eggs and vanilla. sift together flour, baking soda nd cocoa powder.  alternating between milk and dry ingredients, mix everything together.  you may need to add a bit more milk, you want the batter to be thick but still liquidy and pourable.  stir in beets.  pour into two prepared nine inch baking pans and bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.

cream cheese frosting.  because we decided cake is not complete without frosting. a family recipe.

1/4 C. cream cheese.
1/4 C. butter.
3 C. icing sugar.
1/2 C. flour.
2 tsp. vanilla.
milk.

cream butter and cream cheese in a mixer until fluffy.  add flour and icing sugar and mix. add vanilla. add milk slowly until desired consistency is reached, thick, but spreadable.  frost your lovely cake with an offset spatula.

I hope you all have the most wonderful week! xo, T.

peanut butter oatmeal chocolate squares.

So Winnipeg is hot.  Like really, really, really hot.  Like I contemplated standing in the flower cooler the other day when the air conditioning wouldn't kick in.  So hot, in fact that even I didn't want to turn on the oven, and I'm always cold.  And always up for baking.   But I still really wanted some kind of treat.  How are you supposed to make it through the week without something sweet and delicious?!  Luckily, I discovered this no-bake recipe.

When I worked at Second Cup a few summers ago we had these peanut butter oat squares with chocolate on top.  They were awesome.  And when I went searching for a similar recipe not only did I find a lovely tasting one, but also one that only involves a stove element.  Way less hot than an oven.  And cooking is not baking.  Even if you are cooking sugar.  So there.  No bake.

I love peanut butter and chocolate together, and adding the oats cuts the richness and sweetness and adds a nice texture.  And allows me to pretend they are kind of healthy.

Peanut butter oatmeal chocolate squares. adapted from gingerbread bagels.
3/4 C. butter.
1/3 C. brown sugar.
3C. quick rolled oats.
1 C. semi sweet chocolate chips.
2/3 C. smooth peanut butter.

in a small saucepan over medium heat melt the sugar and butter together.  add rolled oats and cook on medium-low for four minutes.  while oats are cooking melt chocolate chips and peanut butter together in another small saucepan over medium low heat, stirring constantly until smooth.
grease a 9" square baking pan and press in 3/4 of the oat mixture.  pour in chocolate mixture, spreading evenly with a spatula.  lastly, crumble remaining oats over the chocolate and refrigerate for three hours.  cut into 16 squares, they're pretty small but trust me, these are rich!

Have a happy week! xo, T.

eat me: chocolate peanut butter cupcakes.

These cupcakes have been on my mind a lot lately, mainly because they are delicous.  Which is why you need to make them.  Chocolate cupcakes with half an inch of peanut butter - cream cheese frosting, topped with chocolate peanut butter glaze and chocolate chips - these cupcakes are rich, but so worth the multiple calories they probably contain.  Just like, maybe go for a walk while eating one, it'll kind of balance out, right? And then you can go home and eat the leftover peanut butter frosting with a spoon [something I may or may not have done the other night..]  I should probably warn you that these cupcakes have weight from adding all those layers of goodness, so like, be prepared.
If that above paragraph didn't convince you to make these right now I don't know what will.  I love them because they are rich and delicious but not super sweet.  The original recipe from Smitten Kitchen makes it as a super lovely cake - I feel like they are a tad bit more managable as cupcakes!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes. slightly modified from Smitten Kitchen.

1 C. flour.
1 C. sugar.
1 tsp. baking soda.
1/2 C. cocoa powder.
3/4 C. warm water.
1/2 C. sour cream or plain yogurt.
1/2 C. oil.
1 egg.
1 tsp. vanilla.
1 tbsp. white distilled vinegar.

Sift together dry ingredients. Add oil, then sour cream, then water, then egg, vanilla and vinegar, beating after each addition.  Pour into a prepared muffin tin and bake for 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees until a knife comes out clean.

Let cool then frost and glaze.

Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting.

1 brick cream cheese.
1/3 C. peanut butter.
2 C. icing sugar.
1/2 C. flour.

Beat cream cheese for a few minutes until fluffy. Add peanut butter, beat for 3-4 minutes then add dry ingredients.  If it is too stiff add a tablespoon of milk to thin it out a bit.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Glaze.

1/2 C. chocolate chips.
2 tbsp. peanut butter.
1/4 C. milk.

In a double boiler/a heat proof bowl over a pot of boiling water melt the chocolate and peanut butter over low heat.  Once melted and smooth slowly add milk, stirring constantly until it has incorporated and the glaze is smooth again - it will go kind of lumpy when you first add the milk.  Use immeadiately by spooning over frosted cupcakes.

This is probably the longest recipe I have ever posted.  But it is so totally worth it - make them!  Have a lovely week, xo. T.

coconut whole wheat brownies.

These lovely quinoa coconut brownies at food coma blog had been tempting me for a while, they looked so fudgey and delicious.  So I decided that the best possible after work adventure would be to make some!  However, my hunt to find quinoa in flour form failed a little bit so I replaced it with whole wheat and they were still super delicious and a little bit healthy! They remind me a lot of the cakes we had in Brazil, having coconut and chocolate cake for breakfast everyday.

Coconut whole wheat brownies.  adapted from food coma blog.
3/4 C. unbleached flour.
3/4 C. whole wheat flour.
2 tsp. baking powder.
1 C. butter.
8 oz. (1 C.) chopped, unsweetened baking chocolate.
1 1/2 C. sugar. (this is way less than the original recipe, so add a bit more if you like things sweet!)
1 tsp. vanilla extract.
5 eggs.
2/3 C. unsweetened, shredded coconut.

sift together flours and baking powder, set aside.  In a double boiler (bring a medium/small pot of water to boil then place a heat proof metal or glass bowl on top, large enough so it doesn't fall into the pot.  This allows the chocolate to melt gently without burning.) melt the chocolate and butter together in the bowl, over medium heat, until smooth.  mix into flour and add sugar and vanilla.  mix and then add eggs one at a time.  pour into a prepared 9 x13" baking pan and sprinkle with shredded coconut.  bake at 350 degrees (or 325 degrees if using a glass pan) for 25-30 minutes, or until a knife or toothpick comes out clean, with a few crumbs stuck to it.  let cool and cut.  store in the fridge to keep them cool and moist.

These are incredibly chocolately and delicious and even more amazing when you leave them in the fridge for a day!  I'm still curious about what these would taste like with quinoa flour, I'm going to hunt down some quinoa flour and try it out soon!  Let me know if you make it with quinoa!

 xo.  Have a lovely week!

chocolate apricot oatmeal cookies.

And now for the real, non-hair-related, midweek post.

So, Friday.  It was super sunny all day and amazing.  Until I decided to go home,at which point it the weather decided that a torrential down pour would be way more fun.  The only thing that made me somewhat okay with this was that I could bake when I got home without the house overheating.  I decided that I really wanted oatmeal cookies, I don't know why, but I haven't had them in forever and I wanted them.  But I didn't want raisins, so I switched them for apricots and it was the best decision ever.  They're still chewy and moist and the apricots go really well with oatmeal and dark chocolate.  Make these!

chocolate apricot oatmeal cookies.

1/3 C. brown sugar.

1/3 C. white sugar.

1/2 C. butter.

1 egg.

1 tsp. vanilla.

1 tbsp. milk.

1 C. flour.

1/2 tsp. baking soda.

1/2 tsp. baking powder.

1 C. rolled oats.

3/4 C. chocolate chips.

1/2 C. dried apricots, chopped.

Cream butter and sugars. In a separate bowl mix egg, vanilla and milk and add to butter mixture.  Sift dry ingredients together and add to above mixture.  Beat until smooth and then add rolled oats, apricots and chocolate chips.  Mix and then drop spoonfuls (approximately 1 1/2" balls) onto a cookie sheet, flatten and bake for 10 minutes at 325 degrees until golden brown.  Makes 2 dozen.

Have a lovely day! xo.

chocolate pear cake.

So it happens to be the end of reading week, fundamentally different from spring break because it isn't actually a break.  No classes, yes, but 8000 assignments due the minute you get back. 

However, since we actually have multiple days off it's rather easy to get lured into thinking you can only do fun things all day.  This was one of those days, sleep in, then go to school for like five hours...and then decide that that is enough work for one day and you should probably spend the evening baking a cake.  Best decision ever.

I had been eyeing this recipe at Smitten Kitchen for a while and decided it was finally time to go for it, brown butter, pears and chocolate. Do you need any other reason to make this?  I don't particularly think so.

I chose to make it with whole wheat flour, so it didn't rise as high but it was still delicious, I would totally make it with whole wheat again!

chocolate and pear cake.

slightly modified from smitten kitchen

1/2  cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon baking powder
3 eggs

1/2 cup unsalted butter

3/4 cup sugar
3 pears, in a small dice

3/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chunks or chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and dust with flour.

Sift the flour and baking powder together, set aside.

Using a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the eggs on high speed until pale and very thick. (like 10 minutes.)

While the eggs are whipping, brown the butter. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan (because it will foam a lot) and cook it until the butter browns and smells nutty (about 6 to 8 minutes). It helps to frequently scrape the solids off the bottom of the pan in the last couple minutes to ensure even browning. Remove from the heat but keep in a warm spot.

Add the sugar to the eggs and whip a few minutes more.

Just as the egg-sugar mixture is starting to loose volume, turn the mixture down to stir, and add the flour mixture and brown butter. Add one third of the flour mixture, then half of the butter, a third of the flour, the remaining butter, and the rest of flour. Whisk until just barely combined — no more than a minute from when the flour is first added — and then use a spatula to gently fold the batter until the ingredients are combined. It is very important not to over-whisk or fold the batter or it will lose volume.
Pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle the pear and chocolate chunks over the top, and bake until the cake is golden brown and springs back to the touch, about 40 to 50 minutes or a tester comes out clean.

This was the best afternoon snack.  Enjoy! xo.

oh and some fun things from this week.  Mainly pyrex bowls and wearing three colours at once...

mint chocolate cupcakes and wooden skies.



mint chocolate cupcakes, with my absolutely favourite frosting.

 This week has been a very "little suzy homemaker" week.

Tuesday was spiced apple muffins from smitten kitchen, and as I type this homemade pizza, inspired by one of my lovely Anna magazines is in the oven.  These were Wednesday's adventure.

Although muffins are delicious and a most delightful snack they are not dessert, and will never be dessert.  Dessert has to involve copious amounts of frosting, chocolate and adorable plates and the first two were very much lacking.  I decided to fix this problem by baking my absolute favourite thing: cupcakes.  Perhaps it is the lovely swirls of frosting, the adorable petite size of them or more likely, the large quantities of delicious buttercream, but I absolutely adore them.

I have been waiting for a while to bake these, the peppermint extract that I made is finally ready, and my mint plant is somewhat selfishly taking over its allotted space in my garden.  So obviously this was the first logical thing to do! 

The last time I made these was the past fall, during a somewhat terrible week turned wonderful when The Wooden Sky happened to be playing in the city.  That week became wonderful mostly due to the fact that I adore both cupcakes and The Wooden Sky and the combination is even more fantastic.

Enjoy!

the mint extract! the mint extract! hanging out
with our lovely bunny cookie cutter that just happened to be around.

the dry ingredients.  Martha Stewart would be ashamed I didn't sift the cocoa powder.

add all the wet ingredients and mix until it looks chocolately and delicious.

fill baking cups approximately 2/3 full.  (note that they are way more full, this is a reoccurring issue.)

beautiful and awaiting their lovely frosted tops!

the much used, much loved frosting recipe. 



the lovely garden mint gets folded into the buttercream.

This recipe was adapted from Martha Stewart, who I shameless admit was my childhood role model.  I realize other children probably had Barbie, the Spice Girls and/or a variety of superheros but I had Martha.  That probably explains a lot.

Chocolate Mint Cupcakes
modified from the much adored martha stewart

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder (I love the Dutch!)

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

3/4 cup buttermilk (if you happen be like me and enjoy baking on a whim with a very empty kitchen you can make your own buttermilk by adding between 1-2 tablespoons of vinegar to some milk and letting it sit for a minute to thicken!)

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

3/4 cup warm water

2 teaspoons pure peppermint extract

Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder (sift this first to make extra-smooth batter!), sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Add in eggs, one at a time, making sure they are thoroughly incorporated before adding the oil and water.  Add in the peppermint last.  This creates a very liquidy batter, don't be frightened, it will bake into beautiful, moist cupcakes soon!

Taste the batter.  If it isn't minty enough add a bit more extract.

Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners and fill 2/3 of the way full.  Place in a 350 degree oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.  Let cool while whipping up your gorgeous buttercream!  Makes 15 or so, again I tend to fill the cupcakes a bit higher than directed.

Mint Buttercream

my most favourite frosting recipe.

1 1/2 cups icing sugar

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup butter, room temperature

1/4 milk

1/4 mint leaves, finely chopped

Whisk together dry ingredients.  Add the butter.  Pour in the milk a bit at a time and beat until fluffy and a bit shiny, about 3-5 minutes in a stand mixer.  Sprinkle in the finely chopped mint and carefully fold in.

Frost cupcakes to your heart's content with an offset spatula!  If you would like to create whimsical swirls of piped icing, I suggest doubling the recipe above, otherwise you will have very small swirls.

delectable looking cupcakes waiting innocently to be devoured.

Arrange on your loveliest little cake stand and eat while nostalgically wishing The Wooden Sky would come back to the city and being very glad that you still have a decent chunk of time until you have to start thinking about school.