Chocolate Chip Biscotti.

Note: My apologies for not posting last week. I was celebrating thanksgiving in a small town with no internet, and was unable to upload. Thanks for sticking with me!

Biscotti are lovely little cookies that go great with coffee, tea, milk, or any other drink you usually like dunk cookies in. They have an aura about them that makes them seem much more complex than they actually are, and hardly anyone even thinks of baking them at home. They're one of those cookies you buy at the store, no questions asked. Today, I'm going to de-mystify them for you. Impress your friends, your relatives, and anyone else you meet at the holiday party circuit this season. Enjoy!

First we'll start with the basic recipe, which you can add any ingredients to if you want. Pistachios, dried fruit, nuts, and various baking chips all work extremely well. You can even change the extract flavoring for a different taste if you want!

Biscotti

How to Cook Everything, by Mark Bittman

Ingredients:

4 T butter, unsalted, plus more for greasing the pans

3/4 c. sugar

3 eggs

1 t. vanilla or almond extract (I used vanilla)

2 c. all-purpose flour, plus more for the baking sheets

1 t. baking powder

pinch salt

1 or 2 T milk if necessary (was NOT necessary for me.)

Directions:

Heat the oven to 375°F. Use an electric mixer to cream together the butter and sugar till light and fluffy; add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until well blended, then add the extract.

Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the dough a little at a time, beating until just incorporated and adding a little milk if needed to bring the dough together. (Note: I had to add extra flour to mine. The dough should be workable, and not super sticky, when you're ready to shape it. If it's sticking to your hands more than itself, add flour, a little at a time, till it's closer to normal cookie dough consistency.)

Butter two baking sheets and dust them with flour; invert the sheets and tap them to remove excess flour. Divide the dough in half and shape heach half into a 2-in. wide log. Put each log onto a baking sheet.

Bake until the loaves are golden and beginning to crack on top, about 30 minutes; cool the logs on the sheets for a few minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 250°F.

When the loaves are cool enough to handle, use a serrated knife to cut each on a diagonal into 1/2 in. thick slices. Put the slices on the sheets, return them to the oven, and leave them there, turning once, until they dry out, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on wire racks. These will keep in an airtight container for several days.

Chocolate Chip Biscotti.

one recipe biscotti, plus:

1/2 to 3/4 c. mini chocolate chips

8 oz. semisweet chocolate

3 T. unsalted butter

Directions:

Add the mini chocolate chips to the biscotti dough just before shaping into logs, mix in well.

After baking according to above directions, melt semisweet chocolate and butter together and dip one side of the biscotti in once cool. Let cool. Enjoy!

One final note: My apologies on the lack of pictures on this post. While they did not turn out, the cookies did! 

Honey-Spice Cake.

It's been awhile since we've had dessert here at Karen's Kitchen, so I thought I'd pass along this lovely fall recipe your way.  It's definitely a departure from the average white box cake, almost closer to pumpkin or banana bread in consistency rather than cake. That's alright though. The bold, rich flavors are perfect for a snack with afternoon tea or after-dinner coffee.  I've found that I prefer this served warm, whether you eat it soon after it comes out of the oven or you reheat slices as needed.  If you double this recipe, you can make a bundt cake, but I recommend making the loaf first, as small slices are so full of flavor that this cake serves many. Enjoy!

Honey-Spice Cake

Recipe from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, by Mark Bittman

Ingredients:

1 T butter, plus butter for the pan

1 T grated or finely minced orange zest

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 c. rye or whole wheat flour (I used rye)

1 t baking soda

1/2 t ground cinnamon

pinch salt

pinch each ground allspice, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger

2 eggs

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. honey

1/2 c. freshly brewed coffee

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x5 in. loaf pan, or if you double the recipe, a tube pan. Combine the 2 T. butter and the zest in a small saucepan over medium heat; cook until the butter sizzles, then turn off the heat. Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

Beat the eggs and sugar together until the mixture is light and thick; beat in the honey and coffee, followed by the butter/zest mixture.  Add the dry ingredients by hand, stirring just to combine; do not beat. Pour into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.  Let the cake rest in the pan for 5 minutes before inverting it onto a rack.  Remove the pan, then turn the cake right side up.  Let cool before slicing.

I frosted this cake with mocha glaze, also from the HTCE Veg. cookbook. I halved the original recipe, and I still had about three times as much as I needed. In retrospect, I think this would have been a great cake to top with simple homemade whipped cream. However, this is a great glaze for a chocolate cake, or even your basic white cake, so here's the recipe anyway.

Mocha Glaze

Recipe from How to Cook Everything, by Mark Bittman

(This is the full recipe. Half a recipe was more than enough for a loaf cake, but it may not be enough for a 13x9 cake.)

Ingredients:

1/2 c. coffee

1/2 t. vanilla extract (optional, I used it)

3 cups confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar) plus more as needed

1 oz. melted semisweet or bittersweet chocolate 

-or-

3 T cocoa powder

(I used the cocoa powder, and wish I'd used the melted chocolate instead. It turns out better with the chocolate, I think.)

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients and beat until combined and smooth; it should be about the consistency of thick maple syrup-just pourable. Adjust the consistency by adding a little more liquid or a little more sugar. Use immediately or store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Note: I've been stirring a small spoonful of the leftovers into my oatmeal in the morning. Delicious!

Graduation Hat Pops.

Ok, I know these are overdue, but before we get back into recipes, here are some shots of the graduation hat pops I made for my little sister's high school graduation. (Congratulations Michelle! I love you, and I'm so proud of you!) You can get the tutorial on how to make these here. Thanks Bakerella!

Please ignore the ugly green foam. I forgot to buy styrofoam!

And closer...

And one all by its lonesome...

These were a lot of fun to make. My cousin Heather helped me to assemble them, and by the time we were done, she was better at making them than I was!

Red Velvet Cake.

Unfortunately, as I sat down to blog about oatmeal tonight, I realized I was on a time limit.  Consequently, I will type up the oatmeal post tonight when I get home from a previous engagement, and you all will see it in the morning.  Sorry about that!  In the meantime, have some cake!

When I made this, I edited the recipe a bit, (edits are in place here), and I loved the cake.  The icing, however, turned out terribly.  I was impatiant, and didn't let the butter get to room temp before blending it, and so the icing never fully mixed, and had bits of butter throughout.  NOT good.  Next time I'll do cream cheese frosting, as is traditional with red velvet cake anyway.  All in all, I'll definitely make this cake again and again, but the icing is not a keeper.

Red Velvet Cake

Ingredients:
3-4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
 2 ounces red food coloring
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup oil
2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon white vinegar

Directions:
Grease two 9 inch round pans. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Make a paste of cocoa and food coloring. Set aside.
Combine the buttermilk, salt and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the oil and 2 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the cocoa mixture. Beat in the buttermilk mixture alternately with the flour, mixing just until incorporated. Stir together baking soda and vinegar, then gently fold into the cake batter.
Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Custard Cups.

I had some leftover pumpkin from a pumpkin creme roll cake I made this weekend for friends, (which I unfortunately forgot to photograph), and so Hubby and I decided to make this classic-with-a-twist that his mom makes nearly every year for thanksgiving.  This recipe is easily adjusted to your tastes, as you can take the same idea and use your own recipe if you wish!  The idea is that you make pumpkin pie, but without the crust, and pour the filling into ramekins instead.  Delicious, especially with whipped cream!

Pumpkin Custard Cups

Ingredients:

1 15 oz. can pumpkin

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 t. pumpkin pie spice

2 eggs, lightly beaten

3/4 c. half-and-half, light cream, or evaporated milk (I used half-and-half)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

In a large bowl stir together pumpkin, sugar, and pumpkin pie spice.  Add eggs; beat lightly with a fork until combined.  Gradually add half-and-half.  Stir with a fork until just combined.  Pour filling into ramekins.

Place ramekins on jelly roll pan, (or any pan with a good edge to it,) and fill the pan half way with lukewarm water.  Carefully place the pan into the oven and bake for approximately 35-55 minutes. (Mine took 45 minutes.  At the 35 minute mark, you just have to check, and watch them closely.)  Done when a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool on a wire rack for to 2 hours.  Cover and chill to store.  

Enjoy!