Tuesdays with Dorie: Dorie’s Best Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies
February 16, 2010 at 1:06 am | Posted in cookies & bars, groups, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 29 Comments
Frankly, I’m shocked that TWD has been at it for more than two years, and we are only now getting around to the recipe for Dorie’s Best Chocolate Chip Cookies (and that’s thanks to Kait of Kait’s Plate). I really thought that this would be one of the first to cross off the list… but finally here these cookies are, and let me tell you they are worth the wait!
It’s hard to argue with Dorie’s suggestion that chopped bar chocolate makes tastier cookies than chips, so I bought a couple of my favorite Theo 70% bars, and put my knife to work. I left out the nuts and added in espresso powder, as well as a teeny sprinkle of pink salt midway through baking. Some folks had issues with spreading cookies, but mine turned out to be not too flat (although my dough had been in the freezer for a couple days before I baked it). A little chew in the center and lots of gooey chocolate made these a gold medal winner in my books!
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read Kait’s Plate. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
Tuesdays with Dorie: Rick Katz’s Brownies for Julia
February 9, 2010 at 6:00 pm | Posted in cookies & bars, groups, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 27 Comments
For some reason, I’ve been having a hard time getting this post up. Writer’s block? I dunno…maybe it’s just that these brownies, chosen by Chocolatechic Tanya for TWD, were too good for words!
If you’ve made this recipe, or have even read through it, then you’ll have noticed something unusual…it requires a mixer to whip the heck out of the eggs and sugar! These are certainly fudgy brownies, but whereas the brownies I make at work are quite dense, you can feel what the whipped-in air does to these…they have a softer texutre and some chew. I read some reports of underbaked goo, so I baked my batch in a slightly larger pan than the recipe calls for, left them in the oven for a few extra insurance minutes and popped them in the fridge for half an hour before cutting into them. Perfect squares of deliciousness, with a paper-thin top crust.
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read Chocolatechic. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
Tuesdays with Dorie: Milk Chocolate Bundt Cake
February 2, 2010 at 10:45 am | Posted in bundt cakes, cakes & tortes, groups, simple cakes, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 41 Comments
Although Kristin of I’m Right About Everything chose Dorie’s Milk Chocolate Mini Bundts for TWD this week, here I present you not with multiple mini bundts, but with one mini-ish bundt. I do actually have a mini bundt pan, but it’s one of many, many things that have been boxed up in storage since we moved back from Australia. Our apartment is just not big enough for too many non-essentials, so I made do here by baking the full amount of batter in my 6-cup bundt tin. Still kinda mini, but really cute!
I don’t often bake with milk chocolate. It doesn’t give you that in-your-face chocolate flavor, but instead something more subtle and light. Sometimes that’s all I need, though, and much like when I made milk chocolate brownies, I found the flavor of this cake to be quite pleasant. I left out the nut swirl in the original recipe and used buttermilk instead of regular. My glaze started out a little wackadoo (something I think many of us experienced), but I smoothed it out with a couple spoonfuls of hot water. When I’m finally able to retrieve that mini bundt pan, and I make this again, I’ll try a ganache-style glaze instead.
I have to say that in terms of both looks and taste, this reminded me of a big fat chocolate cake doughnut, and I can’t say that I minded one bit! For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read I’m Right About Everything. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
Tuesdays with Dorie: Cocoa-Nana Bread
January 26, 2010 at 1:00 am | Posted in breakfast things, cakes & tortes, groups, muffins/quick breads, simple cakes, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 36 Comments
Wow–super-busy week at work. If I hadn’t made this Cocoa-Nana Bread, chosen for TWD by fellow Steph of Obsessed with Baking, early last week, it just wouldn’t have happened for me. The bakery I work for was featured in a segment on national TV a few days ago, and it sent mail orders for our brownies pouring in all weekend. Terrific for business, but the owners neglected to give the kitchen the heads-up that it was airing! Saying we we’ve been in the weeds would be an understatement, and my arms are about to fall off from so much brownie mixing. Anyway, back to matters at hand…
A healthy dose of cocoa powder makes this loaf pumpernickel-dark. And bananas make it moist. It’s really much more cocoa than nana….and also more loaf cake than bread. Dorie intends it to be for breakfast, but we thought it made a fine dessert. Leftovers are a yummy trifle base, BTW.
To all my Aussie friends–happy Australia Day! I’ll be celebrating here with homemade sausage rolls, a Cooper’s Sparkling and some good tennis!
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read Obsessed with Baking. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
Tuesdays with Dorie: Chocolate Oatmeal Almost-Candy Bars
January 19, 2010 at 1:04 am | Posted in cookies & bars, groups, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 30 Comments 
I am the type who is already daydreaming about Halloween in January, so Lillian’s choice of Chocolate Oatmeal Almost-Candy Bars for TWD was alright by me! Chocolatey, peanutty goo sandwiched between two layers of oatmeal chew make for a fine candy bar approximation, especially when cut into fun-size bars.
The original recipe yields a bit too much (actually a lot too much!) for just two people, so I made a third of it in a loaf pan. For me it was a little too heavy on the oat mixture. If I make it again, I’ll go with 1/4 of the oat mixture and 1/3 of the chocolate goo. A little extra chocolate is always a good thing! Also, I left out the raisins in the chocolate layer. Something about that was a little too reminiscent of a Chunky Bar…despite what Nestlé’s website says, that combo does not bring back fond memories. The peanuts alone were plenty tasty.
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read Confectiona’s Realm. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
Tuesdays with Dorie: Tarte Tatin
January 5, 2010 at 1:01 am | Posted in groups, pies & tarts, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 39 Comments
Happy anniversary! You may be wondering, “What anniversary?” Why, it’s TWD‘s second anniversary! The group’s throwing a big celebration…you’ll see that some of us are bringing cake and others, like me, are bringing Tarte Tatin. (I’ll have to get to that cake soon myself…sounds like good stuff!)
Tarte Tatin is a dessert that’s very familiar to me. If my mum says she’s making an apple pie, she’s not talking about the traditional American kind…she’s talking about a tarte Tatin. In fact, when my brother was staying with us in Sydney, I made a double-crusted apple pie, and he griped that it wasn’t like our mum’s! But, hey– big chunks of apple that have been cooked down in buttery caramel– who can blame him?? You can use a regular pie crust as your base (or top) if you want, but I just love caramel-soaked puff pastry.
There are a couple of things about tatins that can make people a little nervous. First, you have to let the caramel and apples go for awhile…don’t be afraid to let the caramel turn a pretty deep amber. And pack those apples in, because they shrink while they cook. Flipping the Tatin out of the pan might sound a little scary (you, know it bakes upside-down, right?), but if you wear good oven mitts and flip with confidence, all should fall into place.
Whew, two years and over one hundred recipes from Baking: From My Home to Yours…just thinking about that makes me want slip into something elastic-waisted! But seriously, big hugs and lots of thanks go to both Laurie and Dorie. I’m so looking forward to the next year of baking!!
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan. It’s also here on NPR, along with an audio link to the radio story. As always, don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
Tuesdays with Dorie (on Friday!): Low and Lush Chocolate Cheesecake
January 1, 2010 at 3:24 pm | Posted in cakes & tortes, cheesecakes, groups, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 22 Comments
Happy New Year, my friends! Here’s to a 2010 full of sweetness and happiness!
So, how did you ring in the new year? There was a time when I’d stay out all night, but I can’t toss ’em back quite like I used to, so these days I like to keep it low-key…make a nice dinner and drink champagne cocktails at home. Part of last night’s celebration involved Dorie’s Low and Lush Chocolate Chessecake. I added my own chocolate and sour cream topping, mainly so I’d have a nice shiny surface on which to place the edible gold stars I found not long ago. Pretty cute, but I did have to go through the tiresome task of applying each one individually with tweezers.
This cheesecake was made my favorite way (which is also the easiest way to lump-free batter, if you ask me)– in the food processor. It baked up creamy and smooth and pretty, but I have to say that I prefer the bright freshness of fruit, rather than chocolate, with my cheesecake. For that reason, I probably wouldn’t make this one again just for us, but if I had a guest coming over that simply adored chocolate cheesecake, I certainly wouldn’t hesitate.
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan or read Tea and Scones, as it was the Tea Lady’s choice for TWD this week. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
Tuesdays with Dorie (on Saturday!): Dorie’s Favorite Pecan Pie
December 26, 2009 at 6:33 pm | Posted in groups, pies & tarts, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 12 Comments
Pecan pie is certainly one of my favorites, so I thought I’d give Dorie’s version a go for Christmas dinner. Dorie’s Favorite Pecan Pie has a couple of unusual twists– chocolate, cinnamon and espresso powder. (My one twist was to use golden syrup in place of the corn syrup.) This was a big hit, especially with a little bit (or a lot, as the case may be) of whipped cream. Not too sweet, and not too gloppy either, if you know what I mean. Next time I think I’ll experiment with leaving out the chocolate, keeping the cinnamon and espresso, and see what I think about that.
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan or read Someone’s in the Kitchen with Brina, as it was Beth’s choice for TWD this week. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
Tuesdays with Dorie: Café Volcano Cookies
December 15, 2009 at 1:01 am | Posted in cookies & bars, groups, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 26 Comments
Would you like to come over for coffee? We can chat…we can gossip…I’d really love to meet you. And, yes, of course there will be cookies. It’s no problem at all…these little Café Volcano Cookies that MacDuff of the always entertaining The Lonely Sidecar picked for TWD are ridiculously easy to whip up.
Just a few ingredients (egg whites, sugar, espresso powder, walnuts and almonds) stirred together by hand produce these sweet and crispy little treats. Not quite the same as a traditional meringue, they’re like coffee air held together by nuts.
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan (it’s also here on The Splendid Table), or read The Lonely Sidecar. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
Tuesdays with Dorie: Parmesan and Thyme Sablés
December 8, 2009 at 1:11 am | Posted in BCM, groups, other savory, savory things, tuesdays with dorie | 46 Comments
I was thrilled to see that Bungalow Barbara chose a recipe for TWD that can swing sweet or savory– Sablés. Between all the junk I munch on at the bakery, and all the desserts I make at home, these days I need a salt fix more often than a sugar fix. I went with a parmesan cheese sablé, and since I had heaps of fresh herbs left from Thanksgiving, I threw some thyme in there, too. Cheesy, buttery and salty…with that perfect crumbly texture– exactly what I wanted with a glass of white wine.
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan (it’s also here), or read Bungalow Barbara. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
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