Tiramisu

Fail.

Pretty, but fail.

The first time I made tiramisu, I used Giada's recipe. It was pretty good. My second attempt at tiramisu, I screwed up Debi Mazar's recipe from Extra Virgin.

Before I get to that, I tried half with the soft lady fingers from HEB and the other half with hard lady fingers (savoiardi) that I have to get from World Market. If you use the soft ones, you have to brush them with the coffee. They get mushy if you dip them in the bowl of coffee. They taste fine, but I do prefer the hard lady fingers because they are denser, so it tastes more authentic. 

Everything was going fine until I added my mascarpone to the mixture. It became clumpy and curdled. The more I mixed, the more it became cottage cheese. This did not happen to me before. Puzzled, I read online that tiramisu can "break" if your mascarpone is cold and and the egg mixture is warm. All ingredients need to  start at room temperature. I waited 30 minutes for it to come to room temperature, mixed it again, and added alittle flour, but it still didn't come together.  

In the end, it was not fluffy or creamy. I'll have to try it again some time, but now I'm tired of tiramisu.

New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies

Maryam sure can nag for some cookies. She found this recipe through pinterest, and now I have a new favorite baking website to check out for inspiration. I "finally" made them when Yusif and Naven came over yesterday. Baking is just more fun when you're going to share.

These cookies were fabulous because they are made with cake flour and bread flour. I highly recommend bread flour when making cookies. I added one cup of toffee bits just for that extra depth of flavor. If you do add toffee, use parchment paper on your pan, because as the cookies cool they can start to stick and it's harder to get them off in one piece.

I can't stress how important it is to "underbake" your cookies to get them chewy and soft on the inside. You should take them out of the oven when they still look like they need 2 more minutes to get golden brown. If they already look golden brown and perfect to eat, they will be overbaked. Because as they cool on the pan, they will still be cooking slightly.

The recipe says they need 48 hours to chill. I agree, if you want the best cookie, you have to wait. But you can speed the process by putting them in the freezer first and then the fridge.

This blogger's 8 secrets for baking the best cookie are all true. Very good read!

New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients
2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (8 1/2 ounces) cake flour
1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate chips
Sea salt 

Directions
Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.

Scoop 6 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day.

Pillsbury Lemon Raspberry Pie

I made this recipe for the first time yesterday for some lovely ladies so I'm glad it turned out ok! The custard was creamy and not too rich. The cream cheese whipped cream was my favorite part, and really elevates this to a cream pie and not a tart, so don't just substitute it for regular whipped cream! 

I completely overlooked the recipe and didn't notice I was suppose to sprinkle pecans to bake into the crust. It was still delicious without them and actually I probably would have omitted them anyway because I wanted this to be as creamy as possible, not crunchy. 

So here's what failure looks like! I have a bad habit of not paying close attention to recipes. I put the pan on the stove to preheat and started adding the ingredients one by one as I fetched them from the pantry and fridge. But you are supposed to mix them first when everything is cold and then put it on the stove, and mix constantly.

That way you don't overheat your ingredients when you add the eggs so they don't scramble and get all gummy. So I had to do it over again. At least they weren't expensive ingredients. Above is what it should look like!

For the cream cheese whipped cream, I adapted the recipe slightly. I used 8 oz. of cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon lemon extract, and no milk. I forgot the milk. But it came out with all the flavors balanced and the perfect texture. 

I didn't want to cover up all those beautiful raspberries with the cream like the recipe wanted to, so I spread half of the cream over the custard, layered the raspberries on top, and then piped the rest of the cream around the edges. 

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

I like to think these cupcakes were for you my little nephew, Ibrahim. 

You are 28 weeks today, and I got to show your sweet little face to your parents, aunties, grandma, and cousin this fourth of July. Thank you for looking at the camera!

I found this recipe on pinterest! The cake is delicious. I added two more tablespoons butter (just to use a whole stick) and only 1/4 cup milk in the batter. Hopefully I am done messing up cake batters by making them too liquidy. I notice recipes usually ask for a bit too much. Cake batter should be thick! And always end the mixing process with flour! I also used light brown sugar instead of dark. They came out moist and tasting like a chocolate chip cookie. I got 22 cupcakes with this recipe. Be careful not to overbake, they will become less moist. When you smell them, they are done, and when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. I baked them for 19 minutes at 350.

The peanut butter frosting was perfect for these. I used 1 cup powdered sugar and only 1/4 cup milk. 

I think chocolate sprinkles would have been so cute on top but I forgot to buy them!

Apple-Cream Cheese Bundt Cake

Another one from America's Best Recipes. I was very excited about the cream cheese part of this cake. But it actually wasn't very creamy. It came out tasting like the rest of the cake. And the cake tasted kind of like a muffin. It wasn't too sweet or incredibly moist but something you'd like to eat in the morning. I think it has too much flour, which makes it a bit too bready. The raw batter was very thick! The Gala apples were a good choice for it though.

The praline frosting adds some more sweetness but I didn't really care for it. I didn't even add all the powdered sugar (maybe only half) and it was way too thick, so I had to thin it out with more milk.

Sweet Potato Cobbler

For the first month in years I didn't bake anything!! Between several graduation parties, three weddings, my vacation, and all the other things keeping me busy on the weekends, I now have an empty archive for May. There goes my streak, but I do wish I could be back on that Cali beach right now.

This recipe is, of course, brought to you by Maryam. 

I bought this America's Best Recipes magazine and she naturally picked out healthy sweet potatoes to bake. 

I admit it was gooey and tasty with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. 

But remember, it's potatoes. Not chocolate. ;)

Macerated Strawberries

I didn't bake anything in April! Not one thing! I made these macerated strawberries about six or seven times though!

First, wash your strawberries very well, and even let them sit in water for 10 minutes to hydrate the skins.

Cut them into fourths and...

Sprinkle with granulated sugar until evenly coated. Optional: lightly squeeze a lemon to add a little juice.

Let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. The longer the better.

I like reddiwip more than cool whip. Or you can make delicious cream yourself!

The berries will become juicy, soft, and sweet!

I love berries!

Creme Brulee Cheesecake Bars

I haven't been in the kitchen this month! March has just been so pretty outside.

This was a perfect combination of creme brulee with that toasted sugary top and a creamy cheesecake filling. Loved every bit of it. The cookie crust was a great idea too. This recipe was just too simple and too easy that of course I had to do something to cause me frustration. I accidentally poured a box of lemon pudding mix into the sugar cookie mix. After carefully removing it from the mixture, I then snatched another yellow box of pudding mix from the pantry and dumped it in. Another scream. I had grabbed the vanilla box instead of french vanilla which was sitting right next to it. I was quite mad but I just used it. It was still delicious. I added extra vanilla extract to compensate.

Lemon Blueberry Marble Cake

This was a CONGRATULATIONS cake. Mabrook Yusif and Naven! <3 We are beyond excited to welcome a little one into the family.

This cake was a close winner. I would love to make it again because I think I know how to make it better. I was excited about using blueberries and lemon but it was not a crowd pleaser. It reminded everyone of a blueberry muffin. The problem could be solved if the lemon buttercream was sweeter which was unanimously unsweet and very buttery. My fault. But, if I made this again, I would love to do lemon and raspberry. You know it.

Lemon Blueberry Cake Notes:
The cake was soft at room temperature, a bit too dense when chilled. I have finally learned not to put too much milk in cake. They always make you put more than necessary. The batter should be thick - like when you make a boxed cake mix. Don’t water it down too much, it doesn’t need the milk for flavor.

I used 8-10 tablespoons of the blueberry jam for the batter. That's when I could actually taste it. And it was great.

Lemon Buttercream Notes:

I decided to make it into an italian meringue buttercream (only using egg whites) rather than a french buttercream (using the yolks) because I didn't want to get anyone sick. Turns out this cake probably needed that extra richness in the frosting (which the yolks would have provided) because the cake does taste much like a breakfast food rather than decadent dessert.

I overcooked my sugar and water the first time and threw it out to start over. It's important to reach soft ball stage (235 degrees) because any hotter will make the sugar rock hard as it cools. You can test for soft ball stage by tapping a drip drop of it into a bowl of cold water. If you can pick it up and shape into a softened ball, its perfect!

I love love love the texture, but again, it was not sweet at all. I even used one stick less butter just because it came together so fast in my kicthenaid. And it actually did what its supposed to- curdle and separate but then gracefully come back together into a fluffy frosting (credit that to the patience of softball stage).

Blueberry Lemon Jam Notes:

I used frozen blueberries, and began to puree in the blender as instructed. That did not even work. So, I put them in the pan over medium heat, just like I make raspberry sauce. They begin to break down, mash out the juices from them, and strain. Return to heat and add other ingredients. I even added some cornstarch mixed with some cold water just to thicken it slightly so I didn't have to cook it for so long. I wouldn't call this jam, it was sauce. It may look like jam in my pictures, but it was liquidy sauce that just seeps into the cake. I would add 1/4 cup more sugar next time (counteract the breakfast food flavor).

Lemon Blueberry Marble Cake from Sky High

Blueberry Lemon Jam

• 3 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
• ¾ cup sugar (I suggest 1 cup)
• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1½ tsp grated lemon zest

Puree the blueberries with any juices that have exuded in a blender. Pass the puree through a coarse strainer to remove the skins. (I suggest to skip this altogether, and just strain the skins from pan in next step)

In a heavy medium saucepan, combine the blueberry puree with the sugar, lemon juice, zest and ginger (if using). Bring to a gentle boil over a medium heat, stirring often for 20 minutes, or until the preserves have thickened and are reduced to 1 cup.

To check the proper thickness place a small amount of a saucer and put in the freezer until cold. Drag your finger through it. If a clear path is made through the preserve then it is ready. Let the preserves cool before using. (Can be made up to 5 days in advance).

Lemon Blueberry Marble Cake

• 2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 tsp grated lemon zest
• 1½ tsp lemon extract
• 7 egg whites
• 3 cups cake flour
• 4 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1¼ cups milk (or less, I used ¾ cup)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of three 8 inch round cake pans. Line the bottom of each pan with a round of parchment or waxed paper and butter the paper.

In a mixer, cream together the butter, sugar, lemon zest and lemon extract until light and fluffy. Gradually add the egg whites 2 or 3 at a time, beating well between additions and stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt, whisk gently to blend. In 2 or 3 alternating additions, beat the dry ingredients and milk into the butter mixture, scraping down the sides of the bowl several times. Beat on medium-high speed for about 1 minute to smooth out any lumps and aerate the batter.

Scoop 1 cup of the batter into a small bowl. Divide the remaining batter equally among the 3 prepared pans, smoothing the tops with a spatula. This gives you a smooth surface to work with. Add 2½ tbsp (I used 8-10 tbsp) of the lemon blueberry jam to the reserved batter and blend well. Drizzle heaping teaspoons of this blueberry mixture over the batter in the pans. Use a skewer to swirl the blueberry mixture in short strokes to drag it down through the lemon batter without mixing it in.

Bake for about 25 minutes or until a cake tester or skewer stuck in the center comes out clean and the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan. Let the layers cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack, peeling off the paper and leaving to cool completely.

Lemon Buttercream

• 1 cup sugar
• ¼ cup water
• 2 eggs
• 3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Bring to the boil over a medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Continue to boil without stirring, occasionally washing down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush until the syrup reaches the soft-ball stage, 238 (I take it off the heat at 235) degrees F on a candy thermometer. Immediately remove from the heat.

In a large mixer bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the eggs briefly. Slowly add the hot syrup in a thin stream, pouring it down the sides of the bowl; be careful to avoid hitting the beaters or the syrup may splatter. When all the syrup has been added, raise the speed to medium-high and beat until the mixture is very fluffy and cooled to body temperature. This can take 15-20 minutes.

Reduce the mixer speed to medium-low and gradually add the softened butter 2 to 3 tablespoons at a time, beating well between additions. As you’re adding the last few tablespoons of butter, the frosting will appear to break, then suddenly come together like whipped butter.

Beat in the lemon juice and zest (if using), and the frosting is ready to use.

Rolo Pretzel Pecan Chocolate Turtles

Sweet Peggy has brought these to the office and even gave me some for my birthday last month. My sister LOVES them so she bought the stuff and made it herself! They weren’t as good as yours Peggy, because we didn’t take the time to toast the pecans in butter like you do. That really adds extra flavor. We over baked them too, the rolos should be softened but not melted so they can set back up again.

Don't use a dark metal sheet pan, they cook things more. Also, heat the oven to 250 degrees, and cook the chocolate for only about 3 minutes. It should hold its shape when it comes out but then should sink in when you press the pecan into it.

Here's a good way to toast pecans in the oven. Don't over toast! As soon as you smell them, they are done.