banana streusel cake

This banana cake is scrumptious.  In the midst dealing with a flat tire, trying to fix the TV volume that was (and still is) stuck on mute, and driving the kids to and from activities…I noticed that I had three very ripe bananas sitting on the counter and decided that I must use them today.  I wanted something different than my basic banana bread (that we do love) – was in the mood to try something new – but something just as simple to make since I was pressed for time.  Well, I found a good one!  I was able to prep the ingredients in between Triple A coming, rushing the car in for service (apparently I had only 10 minutes before the tire deflated again!), picking the car up 25 minutes later (I owe Jack’s Automotive some cake) and continued as I prepped dinner as well (it was a crock pot night which made things easier).  By the time dinner ended I had my mise en place and was ready to combine the measured ingredients and pop in the oven.  This is an incredibly long winded way of telling you that this is easy to make.  More importantly, it is yummy.  I made one with streusel on top and with out chocolate.  And I made one with the streusel and mini chips swirled a bit throughout.  I gave Greg the non-chocolate version in his lunch and as soon as he saw me after school he said, “what was that amazing thing in my lunch?”  Josh and Lauren loved the chippy version and Mike, Zach, Andy, Sylvie and Rob loved both.  This cake is light, delicate and more cake-y than the banana bread (which makes sense).  Anyway, the streusel topping is divine.  I love streusel.  Rambling now, but this in my little mug of ice cream…can’t wait! Enjoy-

banana streusel cake (with or without chocolate chips) only very slightly adapted from Flo Braker’s Baking For All Occasions:

streusel–
6 tablespoons all purpose flour
6 tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into little pieces
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

cake–
2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup mashed banana (2 medium or 3 small or 9 oz)
3 tablespoons whole milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 oz (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp
1 cup sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten, room temp
mini chocolate chips 2/3’s cup (or more or less to your taste)

streusel – in a medium bowl combine the flour, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon and salt.  Rub the mixture with your hands over and over again until the butter smooshes a bit and the dry ingredients start to look like slightly wet sand.  Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place oven rack in center.  Line the inside of a 9×9 pan with foil or parchment so that it comes up the sides of the pan.  Then you can pull whole cake out of oven using foil as an aide.  Look to baking tips to see photos of this with a cranberry cake.  You can also butter and parchment and flour traditionally – but it is trickier to invert from the pan – yet do-able for sure.  (These would be great in muffin shape as well!  Just adjust baking time – shorter.)

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.

Mush the bananas and stir in the milk and vanilla and set aside.

With the paddle attachment of the mixer – beat the butter and sugar for 3-4 minutes on medium speed.  Scrape down sides beat again for 30 seconds.  Add the egg and beat until incorporated.

Next add the banana mixture (it might look curdled that is ok) – and beat until combined.

On the lowest speed, add the flour in 2’s – and mix until just incorporated.  Finish folding by hand for best results.  If using mini chips you can fold in (some) now or you can wait and place on streusel or a little bit of both!

Spoon the batter into the pan, smooth and then cover evenly with the streusel.  And again, if using the chocolate chips, you can place some on top.  I swirled the chip batter with a knife but I actually prefer the crunch streusel on top vs inside the cake, but up to you.

Bake for about 42-50 minutes, but check often and before with a wooden toothpick.  Let cool for 10 minutes then remove from pan with the foil as aide – or invert if you buttered and floured the pan (carefully).

Let cool, and cut and enjoy!

This cake freezes well.  Wrap with plastic and then foil and freeze up to 2 weeks.

chocolate yogurt muffin cakes

These muffins are moist and delectable – and great for a brunch treat.  They are very easy to make and you probably have most of the ingredients on hand right now.  I happen to love muffins with a textured top and the added chips and sugar (placed on top before you bake them) gives them a pretty sheen and a delicious bite.  My whole family loves these.  Ali did too – she said they are definitely blog-worthy – she brought them to a playdate and they treated her like a queen!  They were a hit with Lauren and Zach too.  Andy especially loved these – he even tried one with white chocolate chips – which I still can’t believe.  The other day he was bummed that I forgot to cook the broccolini – today, white chips!  Crazy.  Anyway – mix in white chips, semi or milk  to your liking.  And enjoy-

chocolate yogurt muffin cakes (adapted from Florence Fabricants recipe from The Great Cooks’ Guide To Cakes):

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, softened room temp
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder (natural)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
semi-sweet chocolate chips, milk choc chips, and/or white chocolate chips – about 1-2 cups total (up to you how much you put in – I like a lot, no surprise oh, and save some for the tops)
sugar for sprinkling tops

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line muffin pans with paper.  This will make about 20 muffins I think (sorry we ate some of them too fast to count!)

Cream the butter and sugar with paddle attachment or beaters – until light and fluffy – about 4-5 minutes.

Beat in the eggs, one at a time.  Add the vanilla and scrape, and beat again.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt and add to the batter in thirds, alternating with the yogurt (in halves).  Mix on lowest speed or by hand and until just incorporated.

I divided my batter into three.  Then added about 1/2 cup of semisweet chips to some, about 1/2 white chips to some, and 1/2 cup milk.  Of course do what you want here – do all semi, or all white or milk.  Or mix them up in one if you choose.

Spoon into muffin liners about 3/4’s full.  Place a few chips on top of the batter and then sprinkle with a little bit of sugar (granulated).

Bake muffins for about 20-25 minutes.  But as usual check often and before – these are really good but not so great if overbaked.

Enjoy-

white chocolate cherry oatmeal cookies

I happen to really like white chocolate.  Sometimes I have to whisper that when there are serious dark chocolate eaters around (but I really like dark chocolate too).  I like it all.  I know I’m not alone – my friends Wendy and Jessie always search for white chocolate goodies in my pantry.  The combination of oatmeal, dried cherries and white chocolate spoke to me when I read this recipe in Amy Scherber and Toy Kim Dupree’s book  The Sweeter Side of Amy’s Bread.  I added nuts and a sprinkling of sea salt to the recipe to yet again provide another overdose of ingredients.  But they are yummy!!  Crisp on the edges and soft in the middle…mmm.  Good white chocolate is vital.  Please don’t skimp here – I think that most people believe they don’t like white chocolate because they’ve never had the good stuff.  As usual, feel free to save some of the batter to freeze – roll into a log as directed at the bottom of the oatmeal raisin post.  Warm cookies on the fly…enjoy!

white chocolate cherry oatmeal cookies (adapted from The Sweeter Side of Amy’s Bread by Amy Scherber and Toy Kim Dupree):

1 2/3 cup all purpose flour
2 cups old fashioned oats
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/3  teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs, room temp
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup (2 sticks butter) – slightly softened at room temp
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
2/3 cup sugar (minus 1 tablespoon)
3/4  cup dried tart cherries
3/4  cup chopped white chocolate
1/2 cup pecans or macadamia nuts (lightly chopped and toasted if you have time) – optional
kosher or fine salt for sprinkling

Toast the pecans or macadamia nuts in a 325 degree oven for 6-10 minutes – until fragrant (optional toasting… but worth it!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line sheet pan with parchment.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.  In a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs with the vanilla.

With the paddle attachment on medium high speed, cream  together the butter and sugars until lighter and fluffy – about 4-6  minutes.  Scrape and mix again.

On medium speed, add the egg mixture and scrape down the bowl and mix again for a minute.  With the mixer on the lowest speed, add the dry ingredients.  Mix until just almost incorporated.  Add the cherries, white chocolate and toasted nuts and mix in very briefly – you can also do this by hand so as not to over mix.

Scoop by rounded tablespoons or whatever size you like onto sheet pan and sprinkle very lightly with the kosher or sea salt.

Bake from 13-18 minutes.  These should turn a nice golden color with crisp edges and they will spread a bit.  These should be soft but not under baked or they may fall apart.  Remember to switch racks and turn in the oven.

Cool, and enjoy!

(very moist) orange cake

100 percent happiness – we all LOVED this orange flavored cake.  Really a new favorite in our house!  As I nibbled and watched my family enjoying… sighing, smiling, making mmm noises, and Sylvie licking the crumbs off her plate…well, life seemed very good and simple that moment.  When I saw that this cake featured olive oil, I was curious but also slightly worried that it wouldn’t be “blog-worthy” or that the olive oil would overwhelm the flavor.  But no worries, the oil added an amazing dimention –  it was so tasty and so incredibly moist.  My family and neighbors Ali and Jonathan had no idea that there was olive oil in the cake (although I tasted it – and enjoyed it!)  The orange syrup finished the cake with even more orange flavor.  Not much more to say, save that it is nice there is no butter in this recipe, it is fairly easy to make and you will most likely have most of the ingredients on hand.  This is perfect for everyday and company too.  I mean it.  Try it.

(very moist) orange cake (slightly adapted from The Modern Baker by Nick Malgieri):
4 navel oranges
3 large eggs (room temp)
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups olive oil (I used extra virgin, but you can also use pure olive oil – use an olive oil that you like, that is high in quality)
1 1/2 cups milk (pull to room temp if you can)
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (look to baking tips and measuring flour so that you don’t add too much)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt

syrup–
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
6 tablespoons sugar

Rub 2, 9 inch cake pans with a little bit of canola oil.  Line bottom of pans with parchment rounds.  (These might be nice in a muffin shape too.  Just adjust baking time.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place rack in middle of oven.

Wash the oranges.  Grate the zest from the oranges – being careful to grate only the orange part of the orange – do not grate the pith (the white bitter part).  You can segment the oranges with a grapefruit knife and eat for a snack :))

Juice enough of the oranges to reserve 1/4 cup for the syrup.  Set aside zest and juice (separately).

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the eggs and orange zest.  Whisk in 1 cup of the sugar and whisk for about a minute.  I did this by hand – vigorously. Then once lighter, whisk in oil and milk.

In a small bowl, stir together the remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Whisk the dry mixture into the egg mixture in three additions — whisking until smooth.  But don’t over mix.

Divide and pour batter into prepared pans.  Bake the cakes until they are a golden, and firm when you press in the center.  It should take from 50-55 minutes.

Cool the cake for 5 minutes, then run a knife around the edges (if needed), invert, and un-mold.  Then turn right side up again.  Repeat with other cake.

Make the syrup while the cake is cooling.  Bring the 1/4 cup juice and sugar to a boil.  And simmer for a minute or so.

Once cake is inverted poke little holes all over the cakes with a toothpick.  Then brush the warm syrup all over the cakes and repeat until you have used it all.

Let cool.  Delicious.  Once cool, you can wrap and freeze the cake as well.

Enjoy-

cranberry orange tea bread

This is one of my favorites from childhood.  I loved this tea bread.  Mmmm… filled with walnuts, cranberries, orange zest and juice it is packed with flavor and texture.  It was on my camp visiting day “request list” for years.  That and chicken soup (that day my mom would bring me anything!)  My mom used to toast it for me and then spread a little butter or cream cheese on it (at home, not at camp).  So delicious.  Greg’s friend Zach loved it – his mom Jodi reporting, “he woofed it down saying, this is good!”  Sylvie loved it too.  I quickly gave the rest of this one away for a Gilda’s club event (I couldn’t trust myself to not eat the whole thing) – so no one else got to try.  Next time.  This is good anytime of day, a breakfast treat, an afternoon tea break or even in the evening with ice cream (in a little mug for me).  The cakey bread looks festive – which might be really nice for the holidays – especially if you have family coming in.  It is dense like a fruitcake, but tastes nothing like a fruitcake (sorry if you love fruitcake!)  Enjoy-

cranberry orange tea bread:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup sugar
1 cup chopped walnuts
2 cups fresh (or frozen) cranberries (not dried), coarsely chopped
grated zest and juice from 1 large naval orange
1/4 cup melted butter
1 egg, well beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a large loaf pan – or one medium and one small (I did this – I wanted to give a little one away), or a bunch of little loaf pans with butter and place parchment on the bottom, and butter again.  Lightly flour and tap out excess.

In a large bowl, combine and stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, sugar, walnuts and cranberries.

In a liquid measuring cup, combine the orange zest, and melted butter.  Add enough orange juice so that your have 3/4 cup liquid (and zest) in total.  If you have extra juice, take a shot.  If you don’t have enough juice to reach 3/4 of a cup, add water so that you reach 3/4 cup.  Add the beaten egg to this mixture.

Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and mix to just incorporate.  It will be a very dense and thick batter.  Spoon into prepared pans, and bake until done.

My medium sized loaf pan took 1 hour.  My little one took 35 minutes.  The cake will get nicely browned and the top will feel slightly firm to touch.  You can use a toothpick too – to check.  Try not to over bake (as usual) or the cake will dry out.  (Although if you do – you can always slice, toast and spread a little butter on it to remedy!)

Enjoy-

yummy yellow cake

This cake is sooo very good, ridiculously easy to make, and has no butter!  It is Greg’s absolute favorite but we all love it.  I was talking to my old and dear friend Michelle yesterday about the blog.  She said she’s been baking so much, loving it, and what to make next?  I told her that the yogurt cake is delicious.  A good sweet for her and her three little girls – oh and her husband too who happens to like vanilla if I’m remembering right.  I mentioned that I fear people are scared of the name – or that “yogurt cake” it turns them off.  Michelle said, “it’s true, the name is killing me and I can’t get past it.”  She said, re-post it and call it something like “yummy yellow cake.”  So here it is again with Michelle’s new title.  I’m normally not this insistent – but really, try it.  You can dress it up with some confectioners’ sugar – or make a winter sauce of figs, wine and prunes (my childhood friend Jenny’s mom Fern did that – and wrote and raved to me about it).  You can eat it plain and I’m telling you…good cake.  Just two bowls and a spoon is all you need (no mixer or beater) – and I bet you have the ingredients on hand right now.  I decided to make it in a cupcake form as well – just to see what happened.  Of course, delicious with a crispy top that both Sylvie and I especially love.  Greg – he likes his cake soft and with out the added crunch but luckily for him, I made both (I’m also more than happy to eat his top!)  So here it is again.  Enjoy-

yummy yellow cake (adapted from Cake Keeper Cakes by Laura Chattman):

2 cups flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 (scant) teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup plain low-fat yogurt (or whole-milk)
1/3 cup canola oil
2 large eggs (room temp)
2 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
mixed raspberries, blueberries or blackberries – frozen (do not thaw) or fresh – amount to your liking (fruit totally optional)
confectioners’ sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and butter or grease the bottom and sides of a 9 inch round cake pan.  Place a parchment round in the buttered pan, and then lightly flour – knocking out any excess.  If making cupcake shape, line with paper and you might want to grease the top of the muffin pan so that the tops don’t get stuck.

Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.  In another bowl, mix the yogurt, oil, eggs and vanilla extract.

Pour the wet mixture into the dry and mix until flour is just incorporated.  If using berries, add now.  Pour into prepped pan and bake for about 40-45 (for plain), about 50  minutes (for berries), and about 20 minutes for the cupcakes (if adding fruit check it might take a little more time).  As usual though, check often and before to avoid over baking this cake.

Let the cake sit for 5-10 minutes, then run a knife around the edges and invert onto a rack and let cool.  Dust with the confectioners’ sugar (if you’d like) and enjoy!

cocoa brownies (w/chewy shiny top)

Another brownie – I know…but they are all so good and different.  I promise.  These brownies were a HUGE hit with kids.  (Great for a Hanukkah party if you’re celebrating.)  All who tried absolutely loved them.  Zach and Lauren were fighting over the edges, Will and  Hanna  loved them too as well as Greg and Sylvie.  Andy said these brownies were his all time favorite!  And me, yes, a small one in my little mug with peppermint ice cream (post soon to come) – after dinner watching Glee – verrry happy.  I didn’t share with my adult friends since I have a bunch of charity events over the next two weeks and decided to save.  I’ll take a poll then…but I can assure you – these brownies are great.  The whole top layer is a sweet shiny chewy crust.  Mmmm…so very good.  Enjoy!

(Good quality natural cocoa is best here – makes for a complex brownie.  I used Valrhona and they came out dark and delightful.  Scharfenberger would be another good choice as well as many others. You can also use a Dutch processed cocoa which will lend to a more basic and old fashioned flavor.  I bet good as well.  Next time!)

cocoa brownies w/chewy shiny top (just a teeny tiny bit adapted from Bittersweet by Alice Medrich – she is a genius):

10 tablespoons (1 1/4 stick) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cold large eggs
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 and place baking rack in lower third of the oven.  Line the bottom and sides of an 8 inch square pan with parchment or foil – making sure there is an overhang so you can pull the brownies out at the end using the overhang as an aid.  (Look to baking tips and pan prep for more information and photos.)

In a medium heatproof bowl, place the butter, sugar, cocoa and salt.  Place the bowl over a large pot of barely simmering water.  Stir the mixture from time to time and continue to heat until the butter has melted and the mixture gets hot.  Remove the bowl and set aside to cool to warm (vs hot).

Stir in the vanilla and then the eggs, one at a time, stirring well after each one.  When the batter looks shiny and cohesive, add the flour and stir well – until you cannot see any more flour.  Then beat this batter vigorously for a minute or so with a wooden spoon.  Stir in the chocolate chips.

Spread into pan and and bake until a toothpick comes out slightly moist with batter.  Anywhere from 20-28 minutes.  Let cool completely.

Once cool, remove brownies by the overhang of foil or parchment and place on cutting board.  Cut into squares and eat!

(very) chocolate chippy crumb cake

When I started this blog I figured I’d finally attack the more difficult desserts that I never make time for.  But I’ve found that it is just as fulfilling to make something simple that my family and friends love.  Well, this little cake is just that.  Simple and filled with tons of mini chocolate chips and a nutty crumb topping that is ridiculously addictive.  I’m a fairly small person and usually have pretty good restraint when it comes to my dessert eating habits.  I usually wait until after dinner and have a very small serving of whatever it is that I want – often something I’ve baked, mixed with …yes, vanilla ice cream.  Anyway the evening that I made this cake – I went back into the kitchen 3 times!  3 times to refill my little little mug full of goodness.  Well, that’s telling you something.  Something good (the cake is yummy), and not so good (all 5 feet one inch of me can’t take that much dessert!)  Anyway, this was a hit with the kids, Alisa, and my neighbors too.  My friend Dani said “YUMMY” and her son Collin (Greg’s friend) said “buttery, chocolate goodness!”  I didn’t share it with much more of the world because we are enjoying it so much.  It is not too sweet – which is nice change as well.  I’ve held onto this recipe (from the 1998 November issue of Chocolatier) for over 10 years.  I’m glad I finally made it.  Enjoy-

(Since I posted this – there has been a lot of feedback in that some had trouble determining baking time – and also some thought baked too long and dry.  So use caution.  I may re-test soon.)

(very) chocolate chippy crumb cake:

chocolate chip streusel–
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup chopped walnuts (I like them chopped fairly small here)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
11 tablespoons (1 stick plus 3 tablespoons) unsalted butter cut into pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

chocolate chip batter–
2 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup unsifted cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened at room temp
3/4 sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs (bring to room temp)
1 cup buttermilk (bring to room temp)
2 cups mini chocolate chips (semisweet)

confectioners sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter a 9×13 pan.

For the streusel – combine the flour, brown sugar, sugar, salt, chunks of butter and the vanilla, and with your paddle attachment, mix on the lowest speed until the butter becomes incorporated into the sugars.  It should become cohesive and moist.  You can also do this by hand by picking up the sandy mixture and rubbing your hands together so that the butter becomes incorporated.

Add the chopped walnuts and mini chips and mix until combined.  Set aside.

For the cake – whisk together the flour, cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set aside.

Cream the butter with the paddle attachment on medium high speed for a minute or two and then add the sugar and continue to beat until lighter and fluffy.  3-5 minutes.  Add the brown sugar and mix for another minute or so.

Add the vanilla extract and then add the eggs, one at a time beating well after each addition.  Scrape down the bowl, mix and scrape again.

On the lowest speed, alternately add the flour mixture in 3 additions with the buttermilk in 2 additions- beginning and ending with the flour.   Mix until just incorporated.

Add the chocolate chips and then pour the patter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.  Next, take the reserved streusel and scatter all over the batter – use it all and make sure you hit the edges too!

Bake the cake for about 47-53 minutes.  The cake will pull away slightly from the sides of the pan when done.

Let cool and if you choose you can sprinkle with confectioners sugar.

The cake is best fresh but keep in an airtight container to keep it moist as the week goes on.

Enjoy!

triple chocolate macadamia nut cookie bark

I saw this recipe and immediately thought of a platter filled with both these cookies and the rocky road cookie bark.  One dark, one light, both free form cookies.  Success!  These are more chewy and dense than a regular cookie and the macadamia nuts really make them pop with flavor and texture.  (Although they are good with out the nuts too.)  I knew these would be especially good with vanilla ice cream (as usual) and I was so eager to try I actually had a little teeny tiny afternoon snack bite (I usually wait until after dinner…just like I tell my kids).  But I couldn’t resist… and yum!  These cookies are not too sweet – which is a nice change from the blondies which are very sweet (which I also love – I do like it all).  I froze and brought a batch of these to our families for Thanksgiving and wow…my niece Alex ate them up sooo fast.  Loved them and wanted the recipe.  At 16 I’m happy to do anything to hold onto that love.  And my niece Emily – who has a severe nut allergy was verrry happy on Thanksgiving with her nutless bark.  She too asked for the recipe and was all smiles.  So next time you need a pretty cookie platter make both these and the rocky road.  Your friends and families will be in for a real treat!   Enjoy-

triple chocolate macadamia nut cookie bark (adapted from The Good Cookie by Tish Boyle):
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled a bit
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg
2 ounces good quality white chocolate, cut up into small pieces
2 ounces good quality milk chocolate chips or cut into pieces
3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips or cut into pieces
3/4 cup toasted (if you can) and coarsely chopped unsalted macadamia nuts (if you can only find salted, just rinse with water and dry thoroughly)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment.

Now is a good time to toast your nuts…I often do them in my toaster oven.  325 degrees on foil for 4-6 minutes.  This really brings out their flavor.

Melt the butter and set aside to cool a bit.

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

With the paddle attachment in your mixer, beat together the melted butter, the white sugar and brown sugar.  Mix well – for a minute or two on medium high speed.  Mix until incorporated.  Add the vanilla and the egg and mix well again.

On the lowest speed, add the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated.  Then with a spoon, mix in the 3 types of chocolates and the cooled macadamia nuts.

Spread the dough onto the pan and flatten with a knife or your hands.  Try to get the batter as thin as you can  (This is messy).

Tish Boyle said to bake from 15-18 minutes, but my cookies took a lot longer.  This might be because I had two sheet pans (I doubled the recipe) in the oven.  I switched racks and turned often.  And then I forgot to check the time when I pulled out!  Sorry.  So…check at 15 minutes…but if no where near ready, give it more time.  Much more time.  The bark should turn a nice light golden brown color and should still be quite soft to the touch.  Try not to over bake as the cookie will firm up nicely as it cools.

Break bark by hand or cut erratically with a knife (this is what I did).

And enjoy!

blondies

I just love love love blondies.  And they make everyone in my family happy.  Greg will eat them because they are not too chocolaty, Andy likes them because there is chocolate in them (although he is really developing a palate for other flavors :)), Sylvie who really likes it all (like me), Rob too enjoys a good blondie as long as it doesn’t have white chocolate or butterscotch in it and Alisa our au pair too.  She just loves the nuts in these.  I’ve tried many blondie recipes over the years, and I’ve often bought blondies to try when out and about but I’m usually disappointed.  But…I’m done searching.  I tried and found these sweet blondies in Alice Medrich’s Cookies and Brownies book.  Forever done.  I hope you like them as much as we do.  And of course, yes, so yummy with vanilla ice cream!blondie-tray

Oh and btw – I often multiply this recipe by 4!  Yes, a lot I know…but they freeze really well.  I bake in my half sheet pan lined with parchment and save some for unexpected company, for charity or for gifts.  But the recipe below is for one 8×8 inch pan.

blondies (very slightly adapted from Cookies and Brownies by Alice Medrich):
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons dark rum (optional)
2/3 cup chopped walnuts or walnut pieces (divided)
3/4 – cup semisweet chocolate chips (more if you want)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line an 8×8 inch pan with parchment or foil so that it comes up all the sides of the pan.  That way, when cooked, you can pull the blondies from the pan – holding onto the foil/parchment – in one quick and easy effort.  Then smooth down the sides of the foil, and easily cut and serve.  If you don’t care about appearance, then just butter the bottom of the pan – and you can dig them out later.  Up to you.  (Look to pan prep in baking tips to see a photo of this pan prep with cranberry cake.)

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.

In a saucepan, melt the butter and remove from heat.  Add the brown sugar and mix well.  Add the egg, vanilla, rum (if using) and mix well.

Gently stir in the flour mixture and half of the walnuts and 1/4 cup of the chocolate chips.  Pour batter into prepared pan and then top with the rest of the walnuts (other half) and remaining 1/2 cup of chocolate chips.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the nuts look toasted and golden and the edges have pulled away from the pan a bit.  Let cool.

Lift the edges of the parchment or foil and pull the blondies out and onto a cutting board.  Fold down the edges of the foil and cut as desired.  These are rich – I recommend cutting them in fairly small squares – but then try not to eat two!