TWD: Chunky Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Chocolate Chipsters

These cookies are great! Thanks to Stefany of Proceed with Caution for choosing these yummy cookies.

I need to finish this post but there's not much to say. The recipe for Chunky Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Chocolate Chipsters can be found on page 73 of Dorie's cookbook or at Stephany's blog.

I took most of these cookies to school. When I bring treats, I usually put them in the lounge when I get to school and they are often gone by the time I get back to the lounge before picking up my students. This time I got smart--I took them to the lounge when I went down for lunch. Everyone there at that time took a few and commented that these were the best cookies yet. I agree. Chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter, and oatmeal all together in one package. YUM!

Daring Bakers - Chocolate Éclairs by Pierre Hermé

Chocolate Éclairs by Pierre Hermé

I do love the Daring Bakers and their challenges. Luckily I have a great group of coworkers who eat everything I share...the eclairs were gobbled up before school started on the day I brought them in. My coworkers continuously thank me for joining the baking groups I have as they reap the benefits on a regular basis. Last month I said that a purpose of joining the Daring Bakers and Tuesdays groups is to stretch my skills and try new techniques in the kitchen. I have not yet started working on stretching my food photography or writing skills...I'm hoping that comes soon.

This month our challenge is hosted by Tony Tahhan and MeetaK . Check their blogs for great stories about the baking and for the eclair recipe.

I have made eclairs or close variations a few times this year. This time the pastry came out perfectly browned and airy. The chocolate sauce and pastry cream were delicious! I am a big fan of all dark chocolates and this was almost chocolate overload. I wish the glaze/sauce had spread a little better...it looked more glopped than glazed on most of the eclairs.

Thanks to Tony and Meeta for a great recipe.

TWD - Chocolate-Banded Ice Cream Torte

I refuse to admit defeat this week, but I can't claim success, either. I'm sure you can understand the importance of a freezer in this recipe, given the ice cream component. I do have a freezer. Somehow all the food already in it is completely frozen. This recipe did not ever freeze completely so I have some wavy bands of chocolate and ice cream. My freezer chose this week to begin gathering droplets of water on the ceiling, and then it dripped all over the (still completely frozen) food. I, of course, forgot to cover the torte during its last freeze cycle, so I ended up with a watery top layer.

Why no pictures of this fantastic (really, very good-tasting) dessert? Because between home and school, I have no idea where the camera charger is and the batteries are completely drained tonight. I promise to post pictures as soon as the camera is recharged.

Thank you to Amy of Food, Family and Fun for choosing the Chocolate-Banded Ice Cream Torte (on pages 288-289). It tasted great!

Now on to successfully complete next week's recipe!

Edited to add picture...after all the trouble making this recipe, I couldn't get a good picture of the final product. Here is my only picture. It tasted better than it looked.

TWD - Granola Grabbers

Yeah! I'm back. The neck pain is gone, school is in full swing, and I still have time to bake. This week's Tuesday recipe was Granola Grabbers, chosen by Michelle of Bad Girl Baking.

While I heard many people say these are good as after school snacks, I'm using mine bright and early in the morning. Actually, it's chilly and dark. I get up at 4:45 for my daily trip to the Y. Going that early is the only time I can have some quiet 'me time' each day. I've been eating a cookie or two (they are quite small) on my way downtown and they give me the boost I need to get my day started.

The cookies are packed with yummy things...granola, wheat germ, raisins, peanuts, almonds, and more.

Some of the cookies ended up a bit crumbly. I think the next time I make these (and there will definitely be a next time), I'll add a touch more liquid. I'll also play around with the combinations of fruit and nuts depending on what's in my cupboard...peanuts, almonds, walnuts, pecans, craisins, dried fruit...endless possibilities.

Thanks, Michelle, for a great recipe. This one will be a staple in my house.

TWD August 12

Well, the pinched nerve neck pain didn't start easing up until the weekend. That on top of the start of school today kept me overworked and not moving much and prevented me from making ice cream this week.

Have no fear (I'm telling myself)...I'll be back next week.

TWD August 5

I need to postpone this week's bread making fun.
I pinched a nerve in my neck last weekend and it laid me up for a few days and that caused me to get behind in the rest of my work.
With school starting in a few days and much to do at school, I haven't had time to bake the bread.
I have my bananas ready and waiting so hopefully some evening this week I will find time. Until then, catch other TWD news here: http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/

TWD - Summer Fruit Galette

I'm on vacation this week, but was able to complete our recipe. Michelle from Michelle in Colorado Springs selected Summer Fruit Galette, which can be found on pages 366-367 in our book. I didn't even get to taste the creation this time, but my family called it a big hit.

End notes:

• "Baking: From My Home to Yours" by Dorie Greenspan can be purchased here: Amazon
• Tuesdays With Dorie site is here: TWD

TWD - Rhubarb Cobbler

It's Tuesday again. I have a late post this week (still Tuesday, though) because I am on vacation. Yes, I have been on vacation all summer, but this week I finally drove up to Wisconsin to visit my family. It was a great week to do so because my parents have rhubarb in their back yard. Tonight when I was finally ready to make my cobbler, I just stepped out back and cut some stalks for myself.

I cut too many stalks, of course, so I'll have to make jam tomorrow...too bad ;)

For this week's baking delight, Amanda from Like Sprinkles on a Cupcake selected …. Cherry Rhubarb Cobbler, which can be found on page 415 of your Dorie cookbook.

Did I mention I got fresh rhubarb from the back yard? I'm excited!

This is the first Dorie recipe I have had to make some adjustments to. I am not a cherry person and we have raspberries growing next to the rhubarb so I used those instead. I did not have whole wheat flour or ginger available, and ... OH NO ... there was no butter in the house. I had to use margarine. A trip to the store for proper ingredients was not possible today so I had to do a "make do recipe." I think it still turned out pretty good.

I liked the dough balls topping concept of this cobbler. They soaked up lots of the raspberry juice as the cobbler was baking. I would like to try this recipe again using whole wheat flour and real butter to see how the texture changes.

End notes:

• Next time I need to add more cornstarch or another thickening agent as the raspberries are JUICY
• "Baking: From My Home to Yours" by Dorie Greenspan can be purchased here: Amazon
• Tuesdays With Dorie site is here: TWD
• I'm having technical difficulties working with a camera and computer that are not mine. I will attempt to reformat the pictures and update the writing on this blog when I return to my own computer.

TWD: Chocolate Pudding

I've found my new favorite dessert. Yes, I must say that every week. I think I should say that I've found my new favorite cookbook as I have loved every recipe I've made.

Chocolate pudding has always been such a simple, sweet treat.

Melissa from Its Melissas Kitchen chose this week's TWD recipe. It was almost as easy as making pudding from a box, but it tasted so much better.

Like Dorie, I grew up on boxed pudding (made with skim milk). I did know it could be made from scratch, but that is one recipe that was discouraged at my house. I now know why. I could probably make this each week and not grow tired of it.

This is a cornstarch-thickened pudding. I mixed it in the food processor and as Dorie explained, that ensured a lump-free pudding and incorporated some air. I used dark cocoa powder and whole milk in my recipe and got the smoothest, best-tasting pudding I have ever eaten.

After a quick taste test, I still have 5 servings left. I think I will try layering one serving with a granola mix for a crunchy/salty/sweet treat. I'll also mix up some fresh whipped cream to top my next serving.

Thanks Melissa for a great recipe.

• "Baking: From My Home to Yours" by Dorie Greenspan can be purchased here: Amazon
• Tuesdays With Dorie site is here: TWD

Tuesdays With Dorie - Double Crusted Blueberry Pie

It's Tuesday again and that means another Dorie recipe!

This week Amy of South in Your Mouth selected Double Crusted Blueberry Pie as the recipe of choice. I've loved every recipe so far, but WOW this one was great. I'm not a huge blueberry fan so I was apprehensive about making and then eating the pie. I took it to my aunt's house so we could have first tastes together and was glad I was able to leave the pie with her family--I would have eaten the whole thing myself. I am now a blueberry lover.

My pie is not round this week. When I went to get my pie pan I remembered I had dropped and broken my only pan earlier this year. Not wanting to borrow dishes from a neighbor, I took the next best dish--my bread pan. A rectangle pie tastes just as good as a round one.

The construction of the pie was similar to all other pies I've made...no special skills needed this week. I did learn one trick, though. To keep the blueberry juices from seeping into the bottom crust, we sprinkled bread crumbs on the crust before adding the filling. Two days later when we cut pieces of pie, the crust was still white and was not soggy from juice. The crust was magnificent. I used the recipe for a single crust since I was working with a small pan. I wish I had made just a bit more dough as I couldn't quite seal the edges all the way around. It was crisp and flaky and turned a beautiful brown color.

Happy eating, everyone!

Tuesdays With Dorie - Apple Cheddar Scones

A very quick post this week...

This week's recipe was Apple Cheddar Scones, chosen by Karina of The Floured Apron. At first, I was not very excited to see this recipe--for the simple fact that my friend Martha is the scone baker in my world and I didn't want to have something better than her.

Although I ended up not seeing Martha this week and was unable to share my creation with her, I think she would be proud. I made the recipe on Thursday evening and it became my dinner that night as well as my breakfast the next day. So I wouldn't devour every scone, I took the rest to the Habitat build where everyone who tried one said they were great!

The only change I made to the recipe was the apples. I was unable to find dried apples at my stores this week so I used fresh apples. After chopping them, I placed them on a paper towel for a few minutes to help drain some of the excess liquid.

The scones were wonderful. The apple and cheddar were a wonderful, bright combination. They were not too dry, even after sitting out on the counter for a day.

End notes:

• Fresh apples are good, but I will try this recipe again and use dried apples.
• I think I will cut the scones in triangles next time. The 12 squares the recipe said to make made HUGE servings.
• Apple and cheddar are a great combination. If you haven't tried it, go for it!

Tuesdays With Dorie - Mixed Berry Cobbler

Beth of Our Sweet Life chose Mixed Berry Cobbler as our recipe of the week. I was excited to see this recipe as I had just gotten fresh raspberries and blackberries at the fruit market, but I do have mixed reviews about the results. As others noted in the Q-and-A section of TWD, there were issues with the topping.

I chose to make the cobbler in individual ramekins. I used the raspberries and blackberries and mixed them with a bit of sugar and a splash of lemon juice. I piled the fruit into the ramekins, knowing that it would all bake down in the oven.


To make the topping I mixed flour, sugar, butter, and milk until it was "soft and sticky." I tested the mixture and it tasted pretty good at this point. I rough-rolled it into circles to cover the ramekins and laid each on top of the fruit.


The cobblers were baked for 30 minutes at 375 and came out bubbly and spilling over the edges a bit--perfect!



Jacki came over and helped me taste the creations. Her first reaction was that the topping tasted like raisin bran. I'm not sure that's exactly what I would say, but the dry part of the topping did taste plain. Digging into the dishes, however, we found topping that had started to sop up the berry juice. That part was wonderful...pink/purple, hot, juicy...just what a cobbler should be like.

End Notes:

• I will definitely be making this recipe again...with a few changes
  --almond or vanilla flavor in the topping
  --sugar sprinkled on top
  --lots of strawberries--the juice will soak into the topping
• "Baking: From My Home to Yours" by Dorie Greenspan can be purchased here: Amazon
• Tuesdays With Dorie site is here: TWD

Each time I go into the kitchen to bake something, Joey comes in and wants to be near me. Since my hands are usually full and my attention is on the baking activities, he had resorted to jumping on the only available place--my back. I have some nice scars to show where he has dug his claws in. I recently moved a stool to the middle of the kitchen so he can safely watch the activities without hurting me. Here he is on his stool waiting for me to finish the day's work.

Tuesdays With Dorie - Peppermint Cream Puff Ring

Here we go...my first TWD.

I've been looking forward to baking since I came across TWD entries on other blogs and now it's my turn to join in the fun. This week's recipe, Peppermint Cream Puff Ring) was chosen by Caroline of A Consuming Passion. I still have not received my book so I scrounged up a recipe on epicurious.com. (Edited to add -- The book arrived in the mail today. It's wonderful.)

I originally planned to just watch the action this week and start the action next week since I don't have the cookbook yet, but excitement got the better of me and Saturday night found me at Kroger buying the ingredients I didn't have on hand.



Ingredients needed:

Pastry

• water
• whole milk
• unsalted butter
• sugar
• salt
• flour
• eggs

Peppermint cream

• heavy whipping cream
• fresh mint leaves
• chilled crème fraîche or sour cream
• sugar
• peppermint extract (optional)

Glaze

• bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
• whipping cream
• light corn syrup
• sliced almonds, toasted
• additional fresh mint leaves

I began by starting the peppermint cream. I boiled and steeped the cream and mint leaves and then chilled it overnight. In the morning, I strained the cream and whipped it. Then I folded in a mixture of sour cream (no crème fraîche at my Kroger) and sugar. The pale green tint from the mint leaves was a great color.

Instead of making the pastry in a ring shape, I chose to make individual puffs. I had a brunch to attend on Sunday morning and the puffs were easier to serve at the location of the party. To make the pastry I mixed the water, milk, butter, sugar, and salt and brought it to a boil. I then added the flour and stirred, continuing to cook the mixture for 2-3 minutes...long enough to dry it out a bit. Next, I put the mixture in my stand mixture and turned that on the lowest setting to stir for a few minutes (tip received from steph (whisk/spoon) and others at TWD). This allowed the steam to escape before I added the eggs. I always have a fear of adding eggs to hot mixtures and the tip to let steam out was a great one.



When all the eggs were mixed in, the dough was "silky and shiny." I used a piping bag to make the individual puffs on parchment paper and then baked them for about 15 minutes. When done, I turned off the oven, leaving the puffs inside. This helped them dry out completely and not be too eggy-tasting.

After filling each puff with the peppermint filling, I made chocolate glaze with bittersweet chocolate, corn syrup, and more cream. I drizzled this over half of my puffs, leaving some plain for the crazy people who don't like chocolate.



End notes:

• Thank you to all the TWD people for the great welcome and inspiring blogs. I'm glad to be here with you.
• The cream puffs were well-received at the brunch.
• I would like to flavor the filling with raspberry, strawberry, or orange next time.
• This was a fun recipe to make. I hadn't made cream puffs in a long time even though they are pretty simple.
• I need to remember to take more pictures...and work on my photo techniques. The light in my kitchen is not favorable to good pictures.
• "Baking: From My Home to Yours" by Dorie Greenspan can be purchased here: Amazon
• Tuesdays With Dorie site is here: TWD

Tuesdays With Dorie

I joined Tuesdays with Dorie this week. This group is baking through the book "Baking: From My Home to Yours" and sharing the results on our blogs. I'm eagerly awaiting the arrival of my newest baking book...any day now. I'm hoping to not only bake more, but also increase my photo-taking and writing skills at the same time.


You can see the book here: Amazon