Easter Brownie Treats

I have been so busy lately, I barely have time for anything!  Still, I had to do a fun Easter treat for my guys and I needed to do something fast.  My hubby loves chocolate, so what could be better than brownies?  I decided to take a regular batch of brownies and use my Easter cookie cutters to cut out Easter shapes.  Then I made a batch of ganache and coated the brownies.  Of course, I had to decorate them, too.  They turned out really cute and are a great alternative to cut-out cookies (less work, too).

I used the brownie recipe from my culinary school textbook (the link to the left is the new edition, I assume the same brownie recipe is in there), but you can use any brownie recipe.  I used a 9x13 pan, as the recipe called for. You could also use a half-sheet pan or 2 9x13 pans for thinner brownies (if you have small cutters, definitely bake the thinner brownies). I made fudgey brownies for this project--the cake-like brownies won't work as well.

There are a couple things to keep in mind for great brownies. As always, have the ingredients at room temperature (warm the eggs up, let the melted chocolate and butter mixture cool).  Also, don't overmix the batter when you add the eggs and chocolate to the flour.  You don't want to over-develop the gluten or you'll have tough brownies.

Grease your pan and make sure to line it with parchment paper.  Bake the brownies as per the recipe.  When the brownies are completely cool, use a spatula to loosen the edges and flip them out of the pan onto another piece of parchment paper.  Peel back the parchment and cut out shapes using cookie cutters.  I also used a small round cutter on the scraps to make little petite fours.

Now you need to make your ganache (I've included the recipe for Chocolate Ganache I in the recipe section).  I learned a great trick at a pastry seminar a few years ago that I'll share with you.  When making ganache, let the hot cream sit on the chocolate for a few minutes and then whisk only the center together until perfectly smooth, then whisk the rest together.  You'll get a perfectly smooth, creamy mixture with less arm work.

Set up a "glazing station" by placing a cooling rack on top of a clean sheet pan.  Place your shapes on the rack and pour the ganache over each one, using a small angled spatula to make sure the sides are coated.  You can reuse the ganache that falls into the sheet pan (if it gets too thick, just reheat over a double boiler).  Leave sit as is or refrigerate until ganache sets. 

Make a flat icing with 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon softened butter, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and just enough milk to make the consistency you desire (you want it thin enough to pipe with, but thick enough so it won't run together). Divide into separate bowls and dye to pretty Easter colors. Cut parchment paper into triangles.  Take one triangle and make a cone by bringing the corners together.  Fill with icing about 1/2 full and fold over the top to close.  Cut the tip off to create a very small hole (make your cuts small--if the hole isn't big enough, you can always cut more, but if it's too small, you have to start over with a new cone).  You can also use a decorating bag with a coupler and tip.  Decorate the brownies as you wish.  I did bunnies and eggs, but I have a really cute tulip cutter that would be fun to do, too. 

Easter Brownie Treats-Rich, chocolatey, and yummy!

I also love doing this treat at Halloween.  I bake the thin brownies (I use a half-sheet pan) and cut out bats, witches, etc.


This is a quick and easy treat that ANY chocolate lover will devour.  My husband and I are really enjoying these.  I don't think they'll last until Sunday, though!!

Very Berry Custard Pie--YUM!

A couple of weeks ago, I picked up a bag of frozen organic mixed berries at Whole Foods because I thought mixed berry something sounded kinda good.  I saw them sitting in my freezer, just waiting for me to do something with them, and I thought, mmmm mixed berries on top of vanilla pastry cream in a pie shell.  Oh, and top it with Creme Chantilly (vanilla whipped cream).

Yum Yum--This pie was fantastic!

The only thing I would change for next time is the crust.  Don't get me wrong--the pie was pretty amazing with a regular pie dough crust.  But I think it would have been even more amazing with a graham cracker or vanilla wafer crust--that would have added just a little more dimension.  Here's the recipe:

1 pie crust, baked
1x recipe pastry cream
1 lb bag of frozen mixed berries, thawed (with the juice)
1-3 Tbsp sugar (depending on how sweet you want it, I used 1Tbsp)
1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cardamom
1x recipe Creme Chantilly
extra whipping cream to thin custard, if desired.

 Bake the crust and cool completely.  If you're using pie dough, make sure you dock (stab the dough with a fork in several places to allow air flow) the crust and fill the crust with pie weights (dry beans work really well). Make your pastry cream and chill.  Strain the juice from the berries into a saucepan.  Add the sugar and cornstarch and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Boil one minute (the mixture will be very thick) then add the berries and spices, mixing well.  Transfer to a shallow pan or bowl and cover with plastic wrap or waxed paper (tight to the mixture to prevent a skin from forming).  Refrigerate until chilled through.  While the custard and the berry mix are chilling, make the Creme Chantilly. 
To assemble:
Whip the custard until smooth (if it's thicker than you want, add just a little whipping cream and whip).  Fill the pie shell with custard.  Spread the berry mixture onto the custard.  Top with Creme Chantilly (you can either pipe it on with a large star tip or just spread it over the top).

A few tips...
Dock the crust before baking to prevent bubbles and use pie weights (they'll help control shrinkage).
Carefully follow the recipe for the pastry cream.  Make sure you stir the custard constantly when you return it to the heat--it's very easy to overcook the custard if you don't stir it.  If you overcook it, your custard will take on a very egg-y taste.
Whip the cooled custard until perfectly smooth before filling the pie shell (I was lazy and used my electric mixer with the whip attachment). 

I really enjoyed this pie.  The tartness of the berries really complemented the sweetness of the custard.  It was everything I expected when I dreamed up this concoction (even though I think the graham cracker or vanilla wafer crust would be even better).  I highly recommend trying this pie!

Well, I need to wake someone up from his nap soon...
So long for now and stay obsessed with sweets!

Simple and Sweet Chocolate Chip Cookies

Making cookies is way more fun with an assistant (my son, Gabe)

I don't think there is another dessert or snack that takes us back to our childhood like chocolate chip cookies can.  They're simple, delicious, and comforting--and addicting.  I love whipping up a quick batch of cookies, and it's fun to have my son "help" me.

I just use the basic recipe from the bag of Hershey's or Nestle Toll House chocolate chips, but I use pastry flour instead of all-purpose flour.  Pastry flour has less gluten (the protein found in wheat flour) than all-purpose flour, so the cookies are more tender. I use my own, homemade vanilla extract (and I double the amount listed in the recipe).   I also found some AMAZING chocolate chips at the Willy St. Coop (Middleton, WI location--in the bulk section).  They are a really nice dark, bittersweet chocolate and totally took my cookies to the next level of deliciousness. 

Here are a few tips to making excellent cookies.  First of all, and probably most important (besides using quality ingredients) is to scale all ingredients accurately and have the ingredients at room temperature.  If the butter and eggs are too cold, (especially the butter), you'll probably incur one of the most common cookie faults: spreading (you know, cookies that melt into each other on the pan and are super flat).  If the butter is too cold, you're more likely over-mix the butter and sugar because you'll have to use the mixer to soften the butter. This adds too much air into the batter, which leads to cookies spreading too much.  The same thing goes for the eggs being too cold.  You'll have to beat the mixture longer in order to incorporate the eggs and you'll add too much air.

If you use pastry flour like I do, you  need to scale the flour by weight because the pastry flour weighs less per cup than all purpose flour.  One cup of all purpose flour weighs about 4.5 oz and one cup of pastry flour weighs just under 4.25 oz.  If you don't have a kitchen scale, you'll need about 1 Tablespoon (just slightly under, actually) extra pastry flour per cup.  If your recipe calls for 2.25 cups of all-purpose flour, you'll use the 2.25 cups plus an additional 2 Tablespoons and about 1 teaspoon of pastry flour.  It doesn't seem like a huge difference in weight, but by converting to volume, you can see that it could make a difference in your end result if you leave it out of your recipe.

A few other tips for cookies...
Make sure your oven is at the temperature specified in your recipe.  If the temperature is too low, your cookies will spread too much.  If it's too high, you'll over bake them. 

Unless the recipe specifies otherwise, remove the cookies from the pan to a cooling rack within a minute or so of removing them from the oven.  Leaving them to cool on the pan will cause the bottoms to continue to bake and you'll get dark bottoms.


If you can find high-quality, dark chocolate chips, your cookies will take on a more sophisticated flavor.


I hope you enjoy your cookies!  I know my family enjoyed this batch...As usual, they didn't last long!


So long for now and stay obsessed with sweets!

Creamy, Dreamy and Delicious...

I have to talk about my favorite dessert... Is there anything better than a cold, creamy, luscious custard?  Well, top that custard with crunchy caramelized sugar and I think you have it!  Creme brulee is a simple dessert--no complicated or exotic ingredients, just egg yolks, cream, sugar and vanilla--yet it is heaven in a ramekin.  It's also pretty easy to make--you just need to be careful with your oven temperature and timing (you definitely don't want to over-bake it).

You should start out by warming your eggs up to room temperature.  You can do this by setting them out for a couple of hours, or just fill a bowl with warm, not hot, water and let them warm up while you measure the rest of your ingredients.  Heat your cream and vanilla until it just starts to boil.  Remove from the heat, but keep it covered to infuse the deliciousness of the vanilla into the cream.  Separate your eggs (save the whites for angelfood cake, egg white omelets, etc) and mix the sugar and egg yolks.  Slowly add the cream to the yolks/sugar mixture.  It helps to have a non-skid bowl (silicone bottom) or wet a towel and roll it into a ring to hold your bowl in place while you whisk in the cream.  Strain the custard into a pitcher using a chinois or a mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth.  Place ramekins on a sheet pan with sides (make sure they are not touching each other or the sides of the pan to allow air to flow around them). Pour your custard into the ramekins (I usually fill mine about 2/3 full). Place the sheet on the center oven rack (oven should be 325deg F). Pour hot water to make a water bath for the custard (water should reach about 1/2 the level of the custard). 

Bake until the custard is set, about 30-35 minutes.  Custard should have a little movement but should not ripple like liquid.  Remove the ramekins from the water bath and cool at least 15 minutes before refrigerating.  Refrigerate at least 4 hours before topping.  

Give yourself plenty of time to cool the custard after topping and before serving--it's not as amazing if the custard is warm.  To top: cover the top of the custard with a little sugar (you should be able to just barely see the custard through the sugar). Use a torch to "burn" the sugar (creme brulee translates to "burned cream").  Start on one side, near the edge and caramelize the sugar, working slowly around the ramekin until all of the sugar is caramelized.  Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving and get ready for a cool, creamy, deliciousness that is the perfect ending to any meal (or even just a great snack)!

Creme brulee: YUMM-O!

My husband and I polished off the entire batch in 3 days (I couldn't resist adding a dessert course to my lunch, too!!).   I'm actually kind of surprised it lasted that long--I was rockin' the will power for that!  When we made creme brulee in culinary school, I think I ate 4 of them in one day!

I've posted this recipe on the recipe page or just click here for the creme brulee recipe.  I'm not sure what my next project will be--I'm going to see what I'm hungry for in the next couple of days...

So long for now and stay obsessed with sweets!

Getting Started with Baking...

Like any project, you need to have the right supplies before you get started with baking.  You don' t want to get started on a recipe and then find out you don't have the right tools. There are a few tools (besides the obvious measuring cups, mixer, etc) that are great to have--you can probably get by without a few of these tools, but having them will make a huge difference.  A good kitchen scale (digital is the easiest to use) will help you immensely.  It is always more accurate to weigh your ingredients rather than measure by volume.  Another tool that is vital to your success is an oven thermometer.  You can get one for less than $10 and it is worth every penny.  You need to make sure your oven temperature is accurate, especially when you're baking a delicate custard.

Sharpening steel, serrated knives, chef's knife, and paring knife

Good, sharp knives are also absolutely vital.  You'll need at least a paring knife; a long, serrated knife (like a bread knife), and a chef's knife are absolute necessities in any kitchen.  You should also keep a sharpening steel or other sharpener around so you can care for your blades on a regular basis.  Please Please Please do not work with dull knives.  Dull knives are dangerous--you're much more likely to slip while using one and can severely injure yourself.  You should be able to slice a piece of paper you're holding in front of you.  If you can't, you need to sharpen your knife.
Other items you may need include a Microplane(c) grater, chinois strainer (or substitute any mesh strainer lined with a few layers of cheesecloth), a candy thermometer, and a kitchen timer.
 If you plan on decorating cakes, you'll need a turntable, several different spatulas, decorating tips and bags,  and icing colors.   I use a professional-style turntable that raises the cake a few inches off the counter.  You can find them at most craft stores or cake decorating supply stores.  I will go into more detail when I do cake projects.
This is a general list and in no way a complete list of the tools you'll need.  As I go through recipes or projects, I will include a complete list of supplies needed for that project. 

A note about ingredients...
I always use fresh, high-quality ingredients in my recipes.  Real flavorings are ALWAYS better than imitation/artificial flavorings.  They may cost a little more, but the flavor is definitely worth the money.  I make my own vanilla extract or use vanilla beans in my recipes.  My recipe for vanilla extract can be found on the Recipes page.
It is important to measure/scale all of your ingredients prior to starting any recipe.  It's also important to have your ingredients at room temperature, unless otherwise noted in the recipe.

Well, that's all for today.  My next post will be creamy, dreamy, delicious creme brulee--my favorite dessert!
So long for now and stay obsessed with sweets!

Introduction

I want to start by talking a little about my background and interests.  My journey with sweets has been going on most of my life.  I have loved to bake as long as I can remember, and of course, I've always loved to eat sweets!  I attended the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and graduated with a bachelor's degree in biochemistry in 2004.  I had planned on going to pharmacy school, but after working in both retail and hospital pharmacies, decided that a career in pharmacy was not for me.  I kind of stumbled across culinary school through a "sponsored result" on a Google search.  I ended up attending Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts-Minneapolis/St Paul and graduated in 2007 with an Associate of Applied Science degree in Patisserie and Baking.  I worked at a bakery in one of the Twin Cities suburbs while in school.  I completed an internship at a hotel in Madison, WI and currently work at a bakery in the Madison, WI area as a cake artist (I went part time after my son was born last year).  I enjoy competition and have competed in several cake decorating competitions and have won several medals. 

Upper Midwest Baking Convention 2008, Gold Medal Wedding Cakes (Both Scored in Gold Category)

Upper Midwest Baking Convention 2009, Gold Medal Novelty Cake "The Frog Prince"

I love to bake just about anything from scratch and I love to have my son "help" (he's only 13 months, so his "helping" isn't really much help yet).  I pride myself on using fresh, quality ingredients in everything I make. I especially love to sculpt cakes.  Some of my favorite sculpted cakes are the replica T-bird I did for my husband's 30th and my son's first birthday cake (Winnie the Pooh and Tigger standing up doing a "touchdown dance" for the NFC championship in January 2011).  I won't post a picture of that one until I'm sure about licensing/copyright issues.  I also really enjoy sculpting purses and stuffed animals.

My favorite sweets to eat are creme brulee and cheesecake, but I pretty much like any dessert or pastry made with real butter, sugar, and fresh ingredients--add heavy cream to the mix, even better!
I'll be including pictures, recipes, techniques, and other instructions in this blog.  As I go forward, please comment on the layout, as I'm still tweaking things. 
This is all for today, I have to check on the Key Lime Cheesecake in the oven (I'll include a recipe when I finish perfecting it) and wake my son up from his nap. 
So long for now and stay obsessed with sweets!