Pecan Cookies 8.15.13

Recipe from Baking Illustrated.  I think these came out pretty well, but I'm not sure if pecans are my favorite nut to use in the recipe.  I also really like the no nut version.

Here are the cookies after baked, but before they are rolled in powdered sugar.

After they are rolled in powdered sugar they look delectable!

1 c whole pecans, chopped fine (3.5 oz)

5 oz AP flour

3/8 t salt

4 oz butter

1.25 oz superfine sugar

¾ t vanilla

3 oz conf sugar for rolling

Bake 325 for 17-19 minutes (I baked 19-20 minutes)

Dentist Fare 8.15.13

Sugar free treats from the dentist.  Looks like there are a lot of strange ingredients in these candies.

Peanut butter cookies 8.1.13

Here is a conventional recipe for peanut butter cookies (from Baking Illustrated).  I shaped the dough into balls and flattened them on the cookie sheet.  Then I pressed a pinch of crushed peanuts into the top of each cookie.

After baked!

6.25 oz AP flour

¼ t soda

¼ t bak powder

½ t salt

4 oz butter

3.5 oz light brown sugar

3.5 oz sugar

½ c peanut butter (I used Teddy’s smooth unsalted)

1 large egg

1 t vanilla

½ c dry-roasted salted peanuts, ground

Bake 350 for 10-12 minutes until sides are brown, but not the tops

GF Peanut butter cookies 7.28.13

Gluten free peanut butter cookies.  The base recipe is from Gluten-free Baking by Richard Coppedge.

I used three kinds of milk chocolate (Hersheys (elliptical shaped) and two Whole Foods brand organic milk chocolate.)

4 oz butter

3.3 oz brown sugar

2.7 oz sugar

½ T salt

½ T baking soda

5 oz peanut butter

1 egg

1.66 oz peanuts, raw, roughly chopped

2 oz sorghum flour (original recipe uses white rice flour)

2.8083 oz potato starch

1.027083 oz tapioca starch (29 g)

0.15625 oz guar gum (4.4g or ½ t) I used xantham gum

0.4225 oz albumen (12g or 8.5 t)

Bake 350 for 14 minutes.

Quebrada Man Cake 7.28.13

Inspiration for a sculpted cake.  Can you imagine?!  It would be incredible.

Lakota Bakery 7.25.13

Lakota Bakery, 1375 Mass Ave, Arlington, MA

Delicious Lakota cookies  Cookies are $1.35 each.  These Florentines are amazing.  I love the cherry and the chocolate and the chewy caramel and nuts! The strawberry linzer is a nice change from the raspberry linzers I’ve been eating lately.

Strawberry Linzer!

Florentines! They are dipped in chocolate and dried upside down, as opposed to Quebrada's florentines which are dipped in chocolate and dried right side up.

New Hope Chia Chocolate Chip Cookies 6.13.13

These were very easy to mix, and tasty too, but I'm still looking for a bit more chewiness.

Shunpike Dairy 6.13.13

Shunpike Dairy, Millbrook, NY

Raw milk!  Finally getting the full nutrients from my milk.  This small farm was picturesque and wonderful.  It makes me want to live in the country and have access to farms and local foods.

Artigiani Bell Gelato 6.12.13

Artigiani Bell Gelato, 41 E Market St, Rhinebeck, NY

Chocolate and almond gelato here was pretty good.  Both flavors tasted good and very sweet.

Frozland 5.18.13

Frozland, 882 Massachusetts Ave, Arlington, MA 

Chocolate and hazelnut.   Flavor was only okay.  The texture was strange and the yogurt was very melty. Perhaps something wrong with the holding temperature?  I got sick after eating this.  I'm not sure what it would have been.

Sacher Birthday Cake 5.12.13

A version of Sachertorte.  Dense chocolate cake filled with apricot jam and frosted with chocolate ganache.

10 oz butter

10 oz sugar

12.5 oz sweet chocolate, melted

 10 oz egg yolks

2 t vanilla extract

15 oz egg whites

½ t salt

7.5 oz sugar

10 oz cake flour, sifted

Cream butter and sugar, add cooled chocolate.   Add the egg yolks and vanilla.  Whip the egg whites with the salt, then add sugar and whip to soft peaks.  Fold the egg whites in to the batter alternately with the flour.   Bake 324 45-60 minutes.

I don't have a picture of the inside of the cake, but it was two layers of chocolate cake with apricot filling in between.

Iskream 5.1.13

I picked this ice cream up at the Shaws in Porter Square.  It’s made with truvia!  It was similar to Philadelphia style ice cream or Breyers, very light and milky, not eggy.

Embassy Suites 4.30.13

Embassy Suites, 550 Winter St, Waltham, MA

I got chocolate and vanilla ice cream from the lounge area in the Embassy Suites in Waltham.  I think the server said it was Haagen Dazs. Yum

Lakota Bakery 4.25.13

Lakota Bakery, 1375 Mass Ave, Arlington, MA

I love using any excuse to stop at Lakota bakery.  I immediate swarm to the florentines, and tried a few other cookies too.

Ginger and orange chocolate chip.  The ginger was pretty good but dry on the edges.  I wasn't a fan of the orange chocolate combination, and I hated that the cookie was so dry.

The florentines are a masterpiece here.  The chocolate coating might be slightly thick, but I was in a chocolate mood today and couldn't get enough.

Triple sec bon bon (left) and rum ball (right).  I wasn't a fan of the rum ball.  The chocolate coating was okay, and the rum inside tasted so strong to me I felt like I was taking a shot.  Also the cake inside was so soaked with rum and reminded me of soggy tiramisu.