Sharing Old Fashioned Desserts and Comfort Food, come on over to see what's baking!

Sunday, April 6, 2014

SAMOA Brownies

It's Girl Scout Cookie time ~ what's your favorite kind?  Mine is the Samoa: vanilla cookies coated in caramel, sprinkled with toasted coconut and laced with chocolate stripes, so so good!  I thought they'd be so good baked into a rich chocolate brownie too.  So I used a box of Samoa cookies and crumbled them in a food processor and topped the brownies halfway through the cooking process ~ then they just became one, deliciously one 




Sprinkle Samoa cookie crumbs over brownie batter 1/2 way through the baking time, and gently press in, continue baking remainder of time
 
You can use your favorite brownie recipe or a store bought mix or this great recipe adapted  from "Baked-New Frontiers in Baking"
 
1 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsps dark unsweetened cocoa powder
11 oz bittersweet chocolate chips
8 oz unsalted butter
1 tsp instant espresso gransules
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
5 large eggs, at room temp
2 tsps pure vanilla extract
1 box of Samoa cookies, crumbled in a food processor, until desired size
 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 9 x 13 " pan with parchment paper and spray with baking spray.  In a med bowl whisk together the flour, salt and cocoa powder.  Put the chocolate, butter and espresso in a large heat safe metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water.  Stir occasionally, until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth.  Turn the heat off, but keep bowl over water and add the sugars.  Whisk until completely combined, then remove the bowl from the pan.  The mixture should be just about at room temp.  Add 3 eggs to the mixture and whisk until combined.  Add the remaining eggs and whisk until combined.  Add the vanilla and stir.  Sprinkle the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture, using a rubber spatula, fold the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture until no flour is visible.  Pout the batter into prepared pan and smooth the top.  Bake in center of oven for 15 mins, then remove from the oven and sprinkle crumbled Samoa cookies evenly over top, gently press in.  Rotate pan and return to oven and continue baking 15 more minutes.  Remove from oven and let completely cool on rack, then lift out of pan and cut into squares. 
An alternate delicious method is to reserve 12 cookies from the package for topping the brownies with halfway thru baking, the remaining of the pack crumble in a food processor and mix in the batter:
 

Enjoy!
 

Monday, January 27, 2014

Glazed Orange Pound Cake

This recipe is a definite keeper and may be my favorite pound cake of all time!  So tender and moist and full of bright citrus flavor from the fresh orange juice and zest.  When it's warm you poke holes throughout the top and brush it with a sweet orange glaze ~ moistening and flavoring the cake even more!
 
Lot's of fresh delicious orange juice and zest were squeezed and grated from these oranges to make this cake
 
 
Recipe
6 oz (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces and brought to room temperature
2 large naval oranges
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsps. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt, plus a pinch
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs at room temp
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups confectioner's sugar
Instructions
Spray a 9x5" loaf pan with baking spray, line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and spray with baking spray.  Grate zest from oranges to yield 2 Tbsps, and then squeeze the oranges to yield 1 cup juice.  Set aside 1/4 cup of this juice for the glaze.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and set rack in the center of the oven.
In a medium bowl sift the flour with the baking soda and 1/2 tsp salt.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on med-high until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition until incorporated, scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.  Add the vanilla and zest and beat until incorporated.  Add the flour and juice and beat on low until blended.  Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top, tap the pan on the countertop to pop any air pockets.  Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean 50 mins to 1 hour, rotating the pan several times throughout.
Let the cake cool in its pan for about 10 mins, then invert, remove parchment paper and invert again back to right side up on a piece of wax paper or parchment.  Using a toothpick, poke holes at 3/4 inch intervals in the top of the cake, going about 3/4's of the way down the cake.
In a medium bowl whisk the reserved 1/4 cup juice with the confectioner's sugar and the pinch of salt until smooth.  Brush the glaze repeatedly over the top and sides until you've used it all.  Let the cake cool completely before slicing and serving.  The cake can be stored at room temperature wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 3 days.
Recipe adapted from Fine Cooking

 
Enjoy!


Amazon Affiliate Link: