Thick and Chewy Triple-Chocolate Cookies

Tags

chocolate, Cook's Illustrated, cookie

I love reading cookbooks. Especially dessert cookbooks! Whenever I get a new one, I sit on the couch reading over each recipe making a mental note of which recipes I want to try until I read over the book again, and again. When I was trying to decide which cookbook I wanted next, I was trying to decide if I should get Baking Illustrated, from Cook’s Illustrated/America’s Test Kitchen. I was browsing through the book in the bookstore and two recipes really jumped out at me. Chewy chocolate chip cookies, and these thick and chewy triple-chocolate cookies. I was so close to buying the book just so I could try these recipes, until I remembered seeing other bloggers referencing Cook’s Illustrated and their website. Instead of the book, I opted for a membership to the website and sure enough, both cookie recipes were there. Yay for me! And you… because now you can try these amazing cookies!

Melted chocolate, chocolate chips, and Dutch-processed cocoa powder make for a triple whammy of chocolatey goodness. Even after a couple of days, if they last that long, they’re still gooey in the middle! Amazingly chocolately, fudgy, and downright delicious. This cookie is any chocoholic’s dream come true!

Thick and Chewy Triple Chocolate Cookies

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (10 ounces)
½ cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon table salt
16 ounces semisweet chocolate (about 2⅔ cups)
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons instant coffee or espresso powder
10 tablespoons unsalted butter (1¼ sticks), softened
1½ cups packed light brown sugar (10½ ounces)
½ cup granulated sugar (3½ ounces)
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (about 2 cups)

Adjust oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl; set aside.

Melt chocolate in medium heatproof bowl set over pan of almost-simmering water, stirring once or twice, until smooth; remove from heat. Alternatively, to melt the chocolate in a microwave, heat at 50 percent power for 2 minutes, stir, then continue heating at 50 percent power for 1 more minute. If not completely melted, heat an additional 30 to 45 seconds at 50 percent power. In a small bowl, beat eggs and vanilla lightly with fork, sprinkle coffee powder over to dissolve, and set aside.

In bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter at medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 5 seconds. Beat in sugars until combined, about 45 seconds; mixture will look granular. Reduce speed to low and gradually beat in egg mixture until incorporated, about 45 seconds. Add melted chocolate in steady stream and beat until combined, about 40 seconds. Scrape bottom and sides of bowl with rubber spatula. With mixer at low speed, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not overbeat. Stir in the remaining 2 cups of chocolate chips. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until consistency is scoopable and dough is less sticky, up to 30 minutes. Scoop dough onto parchment-lined cookie sheets with 1¾-inch ice cream scoop, or shape dough into balls the size of golf balls. Leave about 1½ inches between each ball.

Bake, reversing position of the baking sheets halfway through baking (from top to bottom and front to back), until edges of cookies have just begun to set but centers are still very soft, about 10 minutes. Do not overbake; cookies will continue cooking as they cool. Cool cookies on sheets about 10 minutes, slide parchment with cookies onto wire racks, and cool to room temperature. Cover cooled baking sheets as needed with new piece of parchment paper. Scoop remaining dough onto parchment-lined sheet, bake, and cool as directed. Remove cooled cookies from parchment with wide metal spatula and serve.

Source: Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated, September 1999

Four-Cheese Stuffed Shells with Smoky Marinara

Tags

Asiago, cottage cheese, Parmesan, pasta, ricotta, spinach

It’s just the two of us, so I never have to cook for a crowd, but I am a big fan of leftovers or make ahead meals. That way, I have food ready when I get home after a long day, as does my husband, or I have leftovers for lunches at work. Gotta love simplicity during the work week, even if it means a little extra work on the weekend!

This meal makes enough to serve a big crowd, or freeze half of it for a later time. I use Newman’s Own Fire Roasted Tomato Sauce for a smoky flavor, but if you prefer, you can use any marinara sauce of your choice. And it’s cheesy pasta… the best kind of pasta there is!

Four-Cheese Stuffed Shells with Smoky Marinara

1 pound jumbo shell pasta (40 shells)
Cooking spray
1 (16-ounce) carton 1% low-fat cottage cheese
1 (15-ounce) carton ricotta cheese
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Asiago cheese
3/4 cup (3 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
4 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
Dash of nutmeg
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
6 cups (or 2 jars) fire-roasted or smoky marinara
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat 2 (13 x 9-inch) baking dishes with cooking spray; set aside.

Place cottage cheese and ricotta cheese in a food processor; process until smooth. Combine cottage cheese mixture, Asiago, Parmesan, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and spinach.

Spoon or pipe about 1 to 1½ tablespoons cheese mixture into each shell. Arrange half of stuffed shells, seam sides up, in one prepared dish. Pour 3 cups, or one jar, marinara over stuffed shells. Sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella. Repeat procedure with remaining stuffed shells, marinara, and mozzarella in remaining prepared dish.

Cover with foil. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated and cheese is melted.

To freeze unbaked casserole: Prepare the shells in the pans, then cover with plastic wrap, pressing to remove as much air as possible. Wrap with heavy-duty foil. Store in freezer for up to 2 months.

To prepare frozen unbaked casserole: Preheat oven to 375º. Remove foil; reserve foil. Remove plastic wrap; discard wrap. Cover frozen casserole with reserved foil; bake at 375º for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until the shells are thoroughly heated.

Source: Adapted from Cooking Light

Morning Harvest Muffins

Tags

apple, carrot, cinnamon, muffin, pineapple, zucchini

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there! How about some muffins to add to your Mother’s Day brunch, or breakfast in bed to show Mom you love her.

I love breakfast, but I don’t like eating it in the morning when I’m supposed to. It seems like so much effort when it’s so early in the morning. That’s why I love easy to grab things like muffins! The perfectly portable breakfast, or a tasty mid-morning snack. I prefer the sweet and fruity instead of savory muffins. As much as bacon is a breakfast item, I just can’t wrap my mind around it being in a muffin (or in a cupcake). Hence I stick to the sweets, loading my muffins with fruits, mild vegetables, and spices.Morning Glory muffins always seemed appealing in name and appearance, but due to my pickiness, I don’t eat half the ingredients in the muffins. No coconut, no nuts, no raisins… The best solution seemed to create my own muffin, combining different aspects from muffins and quick breads that I love. Thus was born the Morning Harvest muffin! Zucchini bread meets carrot cake meets apple muffins. If you prefer, you can dice the apples instead of shredding them.

Pressing most of the juices out of the fruits and vegetables helps to reduce some moisture in the muffins, preventing sogginess but still keeping them moist

Morning Harvest Muffins
Note: If you wish to make them a little bit healthier with more fiber, use 1½ cups all-purpose flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour

2½ cups all purpose flour
½ cup old-fashioned oats
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground clove
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
2 eggs
⅔ cup oil
¾ cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup carrot, peeled and shredded (about 2 carrots)
1 cup Granny Smith apple; cored, peeled and shredded (about 1 apple)
1 cup zucchini, shredded (about 1-2 zucchinis)
½ cup crushed pineapple

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tins with paper liners. In a large bowl combine the flours, oats, baking soda, baking powder, spices, and salt. Set aside.

Place the shredded apples, zucchini, and crushed pineapple in a fine mesh strainer and press until most of the juice is extracted. Transfer to the bowl of dry ingredients and add the shredded carrot. Toss to coat the fruits and vegetables with flour, then make a well in the middle of the mixture.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugars, eggs, oil, buttermilk, and vanilla extract. Pour into the well in the dry ingredient mixture. Stir until just combined; do not overmix.

Scoop into prepared tins, filling most of the way with batter. Bake for 16-20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool for a couple minutes in the tins, then move to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Spaghetti with Olive Oil and Lemon

Tags

Cook's Illustrated, lemon, pasta

More lemon! As spring intensifies, I’m craving even more lemon and citrus. The light, fresh flavors of citrus just scream spring and sunshine, both of which are plentiful right now. I’m on a big lemon kick right now, adding it to whatever I can while I have a fresh and abundant supply. So when I came across this recipe on Cook’s Illustrated, I knew it was something I was going to have to try. Lemon and pasta… My type of dish!
This pasta was so good that I made it twice within a few weeks, and I normally don’t repeat meals that often. It was mildly creamy, but oh so lemony. And the more lemon flavor you want, the more lemon juice you can add to adjust it to your liking. As for the basil, it adds a nice splash of color, and it’s nice to use if you have it on hand, but I didn’t feel it added much to the flavor.

Spaghetti with Olive Oil and Lemon (al Limone)

Table salt
1 pound spaghetti
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil , plus more for serving
¼ cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons finely grated zest
¼ to ⅓cup juice (from 3 lemons)
1 ounce finely grated Parmesan cheese (about ½ cup), plus more for serving
Ground black pepper
2 tablespoons shredded fresh basil leaves (optional)

Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large Dutch oven over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta to boiling water; cook, stirring frequently, until al dente. Reserve 1¾ cups cooking water, drain pasta into colander, and set aside.

Heat oil, cream, lemon zest, lemon juice, and 1 cup pasta water in now-empty Dutch oven over medium heat and bring to simmer; cook for 2 minutes. Remove pot from heat, return pasta, and stir until coated. Stir in ½ cup more pasta water, and remaining lemon juice if you want more lemon flavor. Add the cheese and pepper and toss until the cheese is evenly distrubuted.

Cover and let pasta stand 2 minutes, tossing frequently and adjusting consistency with remaining ¼ cup reserved pasta water if necessary. Stir in basil, if using, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, drizzling individual portions with oil and sprinkling with more cheese.

Source: Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated, January 2011

Carrot Cupcakes

Tags

carrot, cinnamon, cream cheese, cupcake, pineapple

A little late for Easter, and a little early for Mother’s Day, but perfect for either holiday or anytime the craving for sweets with carrots and cream cheese hits. I made these for Easter as a last minute treat. Easter, Easter Bunny, carrots, carrot cake. It’s a logical thought process, if I do say so myself!

Carrot cupcakes are healthier than your standard cupcake… carrots make things healthy, right? The addition of oil instead of butter also helps them remain moist, even after being refrigerated with the cream cheese frosting.

These cupcakes are phenomenal. Everyone who tried them loved them, even people who aren’t big fans of carrot cake. Perfectly spiced, extremely moist without being soggy, and delicious cream cheese frosting. There may be an excess of frosting after frosting the cupcakes, but it should be the perfect amount for icing a cake and decorating. Besides, any extra can be saved for a later use… or eaten as a snack… your choice!

Carrot Cupcakes
Of course, anything that can be made into cupcakes can also be made into cakes. To make carrot cake, grease two 9-inch cake tins, split the batter evenly between the two tins, and bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cupcakes:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground ginger
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon salt
3 eggs
¾ cup vegetable oil
¾ cup buttermilk
1½ cups white sugar
½ cup brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 pound carrots, peeled
¾ cup crushed pineapple
1 cup raisins (optional)

Frosting:
1 pound cream cheese, room temperature
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
6 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

To make the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake tins with paper baking liners for 30 cupcakes. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and salt; set aside.

In a food processor fitted with the shredding disk, shred the carrots. You should have about 3 cups. Transfer the carrots to a medium bowl. Place the pineapples in a colander and press to release the majority of the juices. Add to the bowl with the carrots and add raisins, if using. Wipe the food processor bowl clean. Using the metal blade, blend the eggs and sugars until frothy. With the food processor running, add the oil, buttermilk, and vanilla extract through the feed tube in a slow and steady stream until fully incorporated. Slowly add to the bowl of dry ingredients. Mix well then add the carrot mixture. Mix until well blended and no more flour is visible.

Scoop into the prepared cupcake tins, filling ¾ full of batter. Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool in the tins for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.

To make the frosting: Use the paddle attachment on a stand mixer and beat the butter and cream cheese on medium-high speed until soft and creamy. Reduce the speed to medium-low and gradually add the sifted powdered sugar, beating until the sugar is fully incorporated. Add the vanilla extract, beating for an additional minute. Frost cupcakes as desired; to thicken the frosting for more detailed decorations, place in the refrigerator until desired consistency is reached. Store iced cupcakes in the refrigerator.