Chocolate Chai Tea Cookies

I'm a bit behind with my updates. I've been baking and have the pictures to prove it! I'm hoping to catch up in the near future. Until then, I shall satiate you with this.

I've got a get-together tomorrow with Anne and Jacolyn the Vegan, and I normally bring some baked goods or other when we meet at someone's house. Was going to make peppermint mocha cookies, but after I looked at the ingredients, I realized I couldn't make them vegan since I didn't have any soy milk. I decided to make tea cookies instead.

I went through my cupboard and decided to use the cocoa chai tea for the cookies. Then I thought why not add cocoa to the recipe for the full chocolate flavor?

What I Used
1/2 cup wheat flour
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
6 tea bags of Good Earth's Cocoa Chai
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup soy margarine, cut into pieces

Pulse together all the dry ingredients in a food processor until the tea leaves are pulverized. Add the vanilla, 2 teaspoons of water, and the margarine. Pulse together until a dough is formed.

The dough has been formed into logs and are sitting in the fridge. Planning to bake them in the morning before meeting up with the ladies.

Hot topic for discussion: cupcake liners

I don't know about you, but it's only been recently that I decided using pretty cupcake liners was worth spending the extra money for it. Maybe it coincides with taking cake decorating classes? But I have to REALLY like the paper to buy it in the first place.

Before, I would use whatever was available at the grocery store. I believe I've always gone the Reynolds route. The pastel variety because at least there was some color involved. I once used the foil variety when I wanted to dress it up a bit. I wanted to give you my background to let you know where I'm coming from. The Reynolds cupcake liners are dependable. I never had a problem with the liner sticking to the cupcake or muffin, except for this one time when I made vegan muffins.

Last year, because they were on sale or on clearance, I bought some Wilton cupcake liners. Looking at their site now, I see that they're no long available. They were a bright green version of the Celebration Baking Cups. I also bought plain white Wilton baking cups too. And just before I started the cake decorating classes, I bought Wall-E ones that were on clearance.

So far, using the Reynolds and Wilton brands have yielded comparable results.

The last day of cake decorating class, I decided to buy a bunch of cute cupcake liners. Some were Wilton brand and the others were...??? Specifically, I'm referring to these polka-dot cupcake liners. I did get them from a local store, but they were generically packaged and didn't have a manufacturing label attached. The other polka-dot cupcake liners on Bake It Pretty are described as "high-quality Swedish greaseproof paper" which I would say applies to these as well. They do feel like a heavier stock of paper and they are certainly greaseproof. The other side effect? If you're not using it with a sticky batter, the papers peel off on their own.

I noticed this with the last few batches of cupcakes and muffins I've made. If the cake/muffin is especially moist and kept in an air-tight container, if the cupcake liner stuck on through the first day, they most certainly didn't stay stuck by the second day. This isn't a huge deal except 1) It's not visually pleasing, and 2) I don't want people to think that the cupcake/muffin was almost eaten by someone else (hence, the peeling of the paper) and then returned to inventory. This is something I think I'll have to play around with to figure out.

Those polka-dot liners were a lifesaver for the mint-filled  brownie cupcakes that I made the other day. The first batch of liners I used were the normal variety. I didn't think the batter would be sticky, but removing the cupcake liners was horrible. I ended up just removing the liners for the whole batch to make serving them easier (especially at work!). With the remaining batter, I decided to use the polka-dot liners to put their peeling abilities to the test. Sure enough, they peeled off easily.

I'll have to do a test with the cupcake liners that Michelle gave me, just to make I know which ones to use for what baked good I'm preparing.

Strawberry Daiquiri Cupcakes

My attempt at it anyway. After finally learning the quintessential cupcake swirl method for decorating with frosting, I'm a little obsessed with cupcakes right now. Michelle had given me the Honors Club kit for my birthday (thank you, Michelle!), which gives me many, MANY opportunities to make cupcakes. I guess I can make some muffins too. ;)

Not sure how pronounced the taste will be in the cupcake as I only used 1/4 cup of strawberry daiquiri mix. I adapted the Martha Stewart recipe for Sprinkles' Strawberry Cupcakes. The batter tasted great. The cupcakes are baking as I type, so hopefully they'll turn out well.

What I Used
1 cup whole pureed fresh strawberries
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup skim milk, room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
4 tsp meringue powder
1/4 cup TGI Friday's On the Rocks strawberry daiquiri

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners; set aside.

2. Place strawberries in a small food processor; process until pureed. Set aside.

[I hulled a 1-lb. container of strawberries and snacked on a few of them while hulling; the rest went into the food processor. I used this much since I had seen reviews stating that the strawberry taste wasn't very pronounced using the original recipe's amount, which is 1/3 cup.]

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter until light and fluffy.

5. Gradually add sugar and continue to beat until well combined and fluffy.

6. Add egg until just blended.

7. Add meringue powder until just blended.

8. Slowly add the puree and the strawberry daiquiri liquid until just blended.

9. Slowly add half the flour mixture; mix until just blended.

10. Add the milk and the vanilla; mix until just blended.

11. Slowly add remaining flour mixture, scraping down sides of the bowl with a spatula, as necessary, until just blended.



12. Fill each cup about 3/4 full.

[I broke my usual 2/3 cup full because I didn't want a lot of extra batter left. I had enough batter for 3.5 more cupcakes. Also, the cupcakes didn't dome at all, so it's all good.]

13. Transfer muffin tin to oven and bake until tops are just dry to the touch, 22 to 25 minutes.

14. Transfer muffin tin to a wire rack and let cupcakes cool completely in tin before icing.



Verdict: super moist and delicious. Yes, I ate one cupcake to make sure. Didn't taste very boozy, but it has a pronounced strawberry flavor like I wanted.

I didn't use the frosting that went with the recipe. I made frosting flavored using the strawberry daiquiri liquid.

Apple Muffins with Maple Drizzle

So the meeting I had this morning was cancelled and is now rescheduled for tomorrow morning. Since it's at 10:00 AM, I decided to go with muffins yet again. I had three apples in the fridge that I was going to use for coffee cake but then never got around to it, so I decided to use them for this recipe.

Again, I adapted it ever so slightly. Instead of melted butter, I used canola oil. It also called for maple syrup in the muffins, but I used agave instead.

For the Muffins

1 1/3 cups AP flour 1 cup quick-cooking oats 2/3 cup granulated sugar 1 tbsp baking powder 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 cup milk 1/3 cup canola oil 1/4 cup agave 1 1arge egg, slightly beaten 2 cups chopped, peeled apples (This is about 2 apples, but I used all 3 that I had.)

For the Glaze 1/3 cup powdered sugar 2 tablespoons maple syrup

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a muffin pan with liners.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.


[pre-whisked]

3. In a small bowl, mix milk, oil, agave and egg; stir into dry ingredients and mix until just moistened.


[before]


[after]

4. Fold in apples.


[before]


[after]

5. Fill each cup about 2/3 full.

6. Bake 18-20 minutes or until muffins test done.

7. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to wire rack to cool completely.

8. For glaze, mix sugar and syrup; drizzle over muffins.

Banana Espresso Chocolate Chip Muffins

I was supposed to have a training session this morning with one of the departments at work. (It was cancelled at the last minute.) I was trying to figure what to make for the meeting since it was scheduled from 11:00 to noon, and I didn't want anyone to get grumbly for lunch. I decided to make this recipe, which is from the book Baked.

Baked was an impulse clearance purchase. This was the first thing I've made from it, but I think I'll like this book. There are intriguing recipes, certainly ones that I would definitely try at least once (root beer cake served with vanilla ice cream? check). Also, I've decided that Renato Poliafito (pictured on the left, below) is my new baker crush.

I ended up making it this morning, and it didn't take very long at all. I adapted the recipe a bit, using canola oil instead of melted butter and skim milk instead of whole milk. (Who has whole milk in their fridge if they don't have little kids?)

What You Need 

1.5 cups mashed, very ripe bananas (about 4 medium bananas) 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar 1/2 cup canola oil 1/4 cup skim milk 1 large egg

1.5 cups AP flour 1 tsp instant espresso powder 1.5 tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a muffin pan with liners.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together bananas, sugars, oil, milk, and egg.

3. In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour, espresso, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients.

4. Pour the wet ingredients into the well and stir until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.

5. Fill each cup about 2/3 full. (You can fill it 3/4 full; I only fill it 2/3 full because I don't like a huge dome on my muffins or cupcakes.)

6. Bake in the center of the oven for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

7. Move the muffin pan to a cooling rack and let cool for 15 minutes, then remove the muffins from the pan and let them finish cooling on the cooling rack.

Weekend of Baking Extravaganza, Day 2: Sour Cream Pound Cake

The original recipe appears in All Cakes Considered. In lieu of using the vanilla, orange, and lemon extracts, I wanted to try Princess Cake & Cookie emulsion.

What You Need
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups sugar
5 large eggs, room temperature
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sour cream
3 tsp Princess Cake & Cookie emulsion

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

2. Prepare a 12-cup bundt pan or a 10-inch tube pan.

3. Cream the butter and sugar.

4. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing to incorporate the egg into the batter before adding the next one.

5. Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl.

6. Alternately add the flour mixture and the sour cream.

7. Add the emulsion.

8. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

9. Bake for 90 minutes.

10. Cool in the pan for 30 minutes then remove from the pan.

Weekend of Baking Extravaganza, Day 2: Simple Cookie Glaze

I decided to try a different cookie icing. I decided to try the simple cookie glaze from King Arthur Flour.

What You Need
2 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
2 tbsp agave
1 1/2 - 2 tbsp + 1 tsp milk

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar, corn syrup, and 1 1/2 tablespoons of the milk until smooth.



2. Spread one cookie with glaze, using a table knife or offset spatula. If it doesn't smooth out after 1 minute, dribble in additional milk, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, until the glaze reaches the right consistency.

Weekend of Baking Extravaganza, Day 2: Beer Bread

This really can't be any easier. There are many ways to make this to your taste.

What You Need
1.5 cups all-purpose flour
1.5 cups white wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar
4.5 tsp baking powder
1.5 tsp salt
12 oz beer

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. Whisk the dry ingredients together.



3. Add the beer and stir until thoroughly mixed.





4. Pour into a lightly greased 9-inch loaf pan.

5. To make it extra yummy, I melt 2 tablespoons of butter and pour over the batter and sprinkle the top with some salt. You can also use olive oil instead of melted butter.



6. Bake for 55 minutes. Make sure to test in the center that it's cooked all the way through.

Weekend of Baking Extravaganza, Day 2: Raspberry Truffle Brownie Bars

I've made this once before using the recipe online. This time I used the recipe in the King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion: The All-Purpose Baking Cookbook, which is slightly different.

For the Bars 2 sticks butter, melted 3/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa     1 3/4 cups sugar 1/2 tsp salt 2/3 cup raspberry jam 1 cup all-purpose flour 4 large eggs

For the Glaze 1/4 cup raspberry jam 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips 2 tbsp agave 2 tbsp butter

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

2. Whisk together the melted butter, cocoa, sugar, salt, and jam.



3. Stir in the flour and eggs.

4. Pour the batter into a lightly greased 9 x 13-inch pan.

5. Bake for 35 minutes until a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean.

6. Cool them for 1 hour before glazing.

7. To make the glaze, combine all the ingredients and cook over low heat (or in the microwave) until the chocolate and butter are melted.

8. Stir until smooth and spread over the cooled bars.

Weekend of Baking Extravaganza, Day 1: Zingerman's funky chunky dark chocolate cookies

Monday is my 6-year anniversary at work. Last year, I set the bar by making 5 different treats for every year I was there. I didn't know what to do for this year, so I decided to make 6 different treats this year. Not very original, but I couldn't come up with anything else.

So, I'm making beer bread, sugar cookie cutouts, Zingerman's funky chunky dark chocolate cookies, sour cream pound cake and the best chocolate sheet cake, ever. The recipe for the sugar cookie cutouts and best chocolate sheet cake ever have already been posted here already. The only variation I did for the sugar cookie cutouts this time was I used fiori di sicilia and the cookie dough was so friggin' good! Tasted like a creamsicle! The dough is chilling in the fridge and as soon as I finish typing here, I'll roll and bake.

I varied the recipe for Zingerman's funky chunky dark chocolate cookies a bit for a variety of reasons:

• I thought I had dark chocolate chips and I didn't.
• I didn't toast the walnuts because I didn't want to.
• I used light brown sugar instead of dark brown sugar because I couldn't remember where I put it (I have since located it, when I looked for the walnuts).
• I changed the sugar ratio to finish the bag of light brown sugar off.
• I used vanilla bean paste instead of vanilla beans to see if the cookies would be just as good.

Without further ado, the recipe.

What I Used
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp vanilla bean paste
1 stick of butter
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar + 2 tbsp
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
8 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
4 oz chopped walnuts

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl.

3. Cream the butter and vanilla bean paste.

4. Add the sugars and the egg to the butter mixture.

5. Gradually add the flour mixture into the butter mixture.

6. When thoroughly combined, add the chocolate chips and nuts.



7. Chill the dough for 10 minutes in the fridge.

8. Scoop out dough (I used a tablespoon scoop) and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

9. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute, then transfer to a rack.



Lessons learned:
The vanilla flavor wasn't as pronounced as when I made these cookies with vanilla beans. The next time I make these, I plan to add more vanilla bean paste. Scraping out the beans is a pain in the butt and also more expensive than using the paste, so I'll have to play with the ratio to achieve the desired taste.

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

I sometimes forget how good these are. I had made them for the hospice the other day and have been craving them ever since. Finally broke down and made them when RJ stopped by on the way home from a bachelor party. Original recipe can be found here.

What I Used
1 1/2 cups white wheat flour
1 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising), sifted
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups milk

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a muffin pan with liners.

2. Sift together both flours, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.

3. Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.

4. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.

5. Beat in vanilla.

6. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of milk, and beating until combined after each.



7. Divide batter evenly among lined cups. I sprinkle the tops with cinnamon sugar instead of making the frosting that is paired with the recipe.



8. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

9. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes.

Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes w/ Irish Cream Frosting

For years, I have been making this cake using the recipe that my friend Dennis had generously provided me. Not that there was anything wrong with his recipe, I just wanted to know for myself why there was a great number of recipes out for for Chocolate Stout Cake. And so I have made it a point to try different ones to see which are better. I've also used other stouts as well, especially when I'm making a vegan version.

When I saw that King Arthur had their own Chocolate Stout Cake recipe, I had to give it a whirl.

What You Need
2 cups stout or dark beer, such as Guinness
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups Dutch-process cocoa
4 cups AP flour
4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 large eggs
3/4 cup sour cream

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line your muffin pan(s).

[I unfortunately only have one muffin pan. :(]

2. Place the stout and butter in a large, heavy saucepan, and heat until the butter melts. Remove the pan from the heat, and add the cocoa powder.

3. Whisk until the mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

4. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl; set aside.

5. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the eggs and sour cream.

6. Add the stout-cocoa mixture, mixing to combine.

7. Add the flour mixture and mix together at slow speed. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, and mix again for 1 minute.

8. Divide the batter equally among the muffin cups and bake for 20-25 minutes.

9. Remove the muffin pan from the oven and cool on a rack for 10 minutes before you remove the cupcakes from the pan and let them finish cooling on the cooling rack before frosting.

I unfortunately don't remember what recipe I used for the butter cream, specifically. I used one stick of room temperature unsalted butter and a bunch of powdered sugar (sorry, I usually don't measure, I just add a bit until I get the consistency I like) and then intermittently add some Irish cream until I get the consistency and flavor I like.



BTW, this made a LOT of cupcakes, which is good to know. Like, at least 4 dozen cupcakes. I gave some to my stylist since she was coming in on her day off to give me a haircut, I brought a bunch to work, and I also brought a bunch home to my family in IL. My sister-in-law and nephews were visiting for spring break then.

Also, this is my current favorite recipe for Guinness Chocolate Cake.

Susan and Gracie's Amazing Butter Cookies

My nephews were going to be in the Midwest for their spring break and I wanted to make some treats for them while they were going to be around. Since I had the whole sugar cookie thing down, I wanted to see how different butter cookies were as far as taste and texture.

I also really wanted to make something from Amy Sedaris' I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence which also happened to have a butter cookie recipe as well. I had a couple of other recipes to choose from, but this one seemed the easiest.

What I Used
1 1/3 cup unsalted butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
8 tsp milk
4 cups wheat flour
3 tsp baking powder

1. Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate overnight.



2. When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

3. Roll out the dough and use cookie cutters to make your shapes.

4. Place on a cookie sheet (I used parchment paper too) and bake for 6-8 minutes.

5. After cookies were cooled, I refrigerated them. Frosting them took place as a group activity at my mom's house. My sister was pretty stoked about decorating them, especially because she just saw an episode of Martha Stewart where they were decorating sugar cookies.



Something to note: cookies remained soft without frosting on them, unlike sugar cookies.

Decorator's Dream Cookies

I liked the sugar cookies I made last week, but I decided to try a different recipe this time. I found that the dough I made with the Martha Stewart recipe wasn't as uniform as I'd like. That may be due to slight user error, but just in case it had more to do with the recipe, I thought I'd try another one. This one is from the King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion. This recipe has its variations, but the following is what I did for this round.

What You Need
1 cup unsalted butter
2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tbsp light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten w/ 2 tbsp water
3.5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1. Cream the butter, sugar, and corn syrup until light and fluffy.

2. Add in the extract and salt.

3. Add the egg and 2 tablespoons of water.

4. Add the flour and beat until smooth.



5. Divide the dough in half, wrap them up in plastic, and flatten each slightly. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

6. When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

7. Take one piece of dough and roll it out as thin or thick as you like. I like my cookies on the thicker side, since I don't like crispy cookies.

8. Cut out shapes with a cookie cutter and transfer them to cookie sheets lined with parchment paper.

9. Bake the cookies until they're slightly brown around the edges, around 12 minutes (less if they're thinner).

10. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheets for several minutes and then transfer them to a rack to cool completely.

11. Repeat steps 7-10 with the remaining dough.

For the icing, I didn't make my own. I used Wilton's white cookie icing.

Banana Muffins w/ Chocolate Chips

This is one of my favorite recipes and it's from Nigella Express. The original recipe calls for butterscotch chips and it's divine! However, in a pinch, chocolate chips can be substituted, and it's good, but not as good as butterscotch chips. Butterscotch chips is not something I usually have stocked though, I only buy them to make these muffins. I didn't have any when I went to make these. :(

What I Used
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 2/3 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 cups mashed bananas (2-3 ripe bananas)
1 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and spray a 12-cup muffin pan.

2. Measure the oil into a large measuring cup and beat in the eggs.



3. Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda into a large bowl.



4. Mix the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients.



5. Fold in the chocolate chips.



6. Divide the batter equally and bake for 20 minutes.

Sugar Cookie Cutouts

I was organizing a baby shower at work for Stephen and I decided to make onesie sugar cookies as the treats. Since the chocolate cookie cutouts were such a success, I decided to try this recipe.

What You Need
4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract


1. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl.



2. Put butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy.



3. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Gradually mix in flour mixture.



4. Divide dough in half; flatten each half into a disk. Wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight.



5. Preheat oven to 325 degrees with racks in upper and lower thirds. Let one disk of dough stand at room temperature just until soft enough to roll, about 10 minutes.

6. Roll out dough between two pieces of plastic wrap to 1/4 inch thick. Remove top layer of plastic wrap. Cut out cookies with a 4-inch one-piece-shaped cookie cutter. 

7. Transfer cookie dough on plastic wrap to a baking sheet. Transfer baking sheet to freezer, freeze until very firm, about 15 minutes. Remove baking sheet from freezer and transfer shapes to baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

8. Roll out scraps, and repeat. Repeat with remaining disk of dough.

9. Bake, switching positions of sheets and rotating halfway through, until edges turn golden, 15 to 18 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.