Indulgent Chocolate Chip Cookies

             

 


Ingredients

3 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
¾ cup + 4 teaspoons brown sugar
½ cup granulated white sugar
2 eggs, cold, lightly beaten in a separate bowl
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ cups dark chocolate chips

Method

1. Line your baking tray with baking paper and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.
3. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until it comes together in one cohesive mass, about 1 minute. Add both sugars and continue to beat for another 1 to 2 minutes, until all of the sugar has been incorporated into the butter. Gradually add the eggs and vanilla and continue beating on medium speed until mixed, scraping the sides of bowl once (the batter will appear lumpy). Reduce the speed to medium-low and gradually add the flour mixture until just a little bit of flour still remains. Add in the chocolate chips using your clean hands as it allows the choc chips to incorporate well into the mixture.
4. Divide the dough into 12 even pieces, just grabbing it by the handful and roughly shaping it into a ball (it does not need to be a smooth ball. Place them (evenly spaced) on the prepared baking sheet. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 160 degrees. Bake for 18 to 24 minutes, or until light golden brown on top. Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the baking tray, then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Delectable Chocolate Mousse Tart

Ingredients 

(For the crust)

• 18 sugar cones, coarsely crushed (6 ounces total)
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

(For the topping and filling)

• 1/3 cup strawberries
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 3/4 cups heavy cream
• 5 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

Method

1. Make crust: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a food processor, combine cones, salt, and sugar; process until fine crumbs form. With machine running, slowly pour butter through feed tube and process until mixture resembles wet sand. Press crumbs in bottom and up side of a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Bake until crust is golden brown and set, 25 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
2. Make filling: In a medium saucepan, bring 3/4 cup cream to a simmer; remove from heat and add chocolate. Let stand 5 minutes; whisk to combine, then let cool to room temperature. In a large bowl, whip 1 cup cream with confectioners' sugar until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in chocolate mixture until combined. Pour filling into cooled crust and refrigerate until chilled and completely set, about 1 1/2 hours (or wrap tightly with plastic and refrigerate, up to 2 days). To serve, top tart with strawberries and dust with icing sugar.  

(recipe adapted from here)

Perfect Espresso Chocolate Cupcake with Nutella Buttercream

The key to making magic in the kitchen is to work with ingredients and produce that are in season. It's safe to say these "Perfect Espresso Chocolate Cupcakes with Nutella Buttercream" turned out several times better than what I had envisioned beforehand. 

        

            

Notes:

• In order to substitute buttermilk you can simply add tsp of white vinegar to 1 cup of normal everyday use milk and let it sit for 5 minutes so that it slightly froths from the top.
• To make the coffee as required by the recipe, simply add 1 tbsp of Nestle instant coffee granules to 1 cup of hot boiling water and stir.

Ingredients:

Makes 12 cupcakes.

(Espresso Chocolate Cupcakes)

75 grams butter

½ tsp vanilla powder

3dl flour

1dl cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

2 ½ dl white sugar

1 large egg

1 dl hot strong coffee

1 ½ dl buttermilk

(Nutella Buttercream)

1 1/2 cups butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup Nutella

Method:

1.        Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius. Line a cupcake tin with 12 cupcake liners.

2.        Melt the butter, add the vanilla essence and let it cool.

3.        Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and baking powder and sugar into a large bowl.

4.       Light whip the egg together with the buttermilk.

5.        Mix the coffee with the butter.

6.       Add all liquid ingredients to dry ingredients until a smooth, liquid-like batter forms.

7.        Divide mixture between the cupcake liners and make sure to fill only up to 2/3 in each liner.

8.       Bake for 18-20 minute or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the centre of any cupcake. Let the cupcakes cool for a good 2-3 hours before frosting.

9.       In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter until it is light and fluffy.

10.     Gradually add the powdered sugar and salt, beating until smooth.

11.      Add vanilla and beat until combined. Add Nutella and beat until light and fluffy.

12.     Frost cooled cupcakes using a Wilton 1M piping tip with a top-sided swirl, add a sliced strawberry and dust with icing sugar to complete the look.

(recipe adapted from here) 

Dessert Pizza with a Crunch

The pizza is made up by a soft and slightly chewy pizza crust, that eventually becomes smothered in Nutella and then sprinkled with milk, and white chocolates and then finished with toasted marshmallows, drizzle of Hershey's chocolate sauce and a sprinkle of the secret ‘crunch’.  This dessert pizza is definitely not for the faint of heart so take heed in my caution. Also the pizza is best enjoyed straight out of the oven whilst the marshmallows are still gooey and the chocolate in rich, liquid form. 

Serves: 12-13inch round pizza

Ingredients:

(Pizza Dough)

1¾ to 2¼cups plain flour

¼ cup milk powder

1 1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar

1¼ teaspoon instant yeast*

¾ teaspoon salt

3 tablespoon vegetable oil

¾ warm water

2 teaspoons butter, melted

(Toppings)

⅓ cup Nutella

Hershey’s Chocolate Sauce

⅓ cup semisweet chocolate chips (or finely chopped semisweet chocolate bar)

⅓ cup white chocolate chips (melted)

⅓ cup Kellogs Corn Flakes/Crunchy Nut (crushed into tiny pieces)

1 cup mini marshmallows (or regular marshmallows cut into eighths)

Directions:

1.        In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment (or a large bowl if kneading by hand), place 1¾ cups of the flour, the milk powder, sugar, yeast*, salt and whisk together with a hand whisk or fork. Add in the oil and whisk together until thoroughly mixed.

2.        With the mixer on low speed, gradually pour in the warm water. Knead together until smooth and uniform dough starts to form.

3.        Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, and turn it over to get it all covered with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm place. Let it rise until doubled in bulk, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

4.       During the last 15 minutes of rising, place the oven rack to the lowest position and turn the oven to 220 degrees Celsius

5.        Spray a 12inch or 13 inch round pan or a rectangular baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.

6.       Turn the risen dough onto the pan or baking sheet and spread it evenly with your hand into a 12/13inch circle.

7.        Using the palm of your hand, push the dough to the sides of the pan to create a thicker edge. Using your fingers, make indentation all over the dough, except for the edges.

8.       Brush the dough with the melted butter.

9.       Bake the dough until slightly crisp and pale golden brown, about 10-12 minutes.

10.     Immediately, spread the Nutella over the pizza (leaving the edges bare), then place marshmallows all over the pizza at a distance from each other and finishing it off with a sprinkle of crushed corn flakes.

11.      Place back in the oven, and bake just until the chocolate starts to melt and the marshmallows takes on a golden brown colour, 2-3 minutes. Do not bake for too long or the chocolate will harden and marshmallows will turn brown.

12.     Take out of the oven and drizzle both the white chocolate melt sauce and Hershey’s chocolate sauce all over the pizza and finish with a drizzle of corn flakes.

13.     Cut the pizza into wedges and enjoy right away.

14.     As with all pizzas, it is best served warm out of the oven while the chocolate is still in liquid form. Chocolate will harden over time, especially in cooler environments. Leftover slices can be warmed up in the microwave.

Idea inspired by Max Brenner's Bad Boy Chocolate Pizza.

(recipe adapted from here)

Banana and Choc-Chip Bread

Naturally I came across this particular recipe again from Pinterest whilst scrolling through my feed as per my morning routine. I find that Pinterest has become my recipe bible, in the sense I come across 99 percent of my baking/cooking inspirations from this particular app. If you're not already on Pinterest then you might as well be living under a rock. Previously I was an avid and religious follower of Martha Stewart recipes however I found with time that they just became either too bland or too boring and so it was time to delve into the unknown abyss of the "blogosphere" and give other versions of the renown "Banana Bread" with a chocolaty twist a go. The overall response from the several taste testers (i.e. my family)  in regards to the taste was overwhelmingly positive as a result making this recipe a keeper for life.