An Accidental Original Recipe

So.  This OR is an accident, adapted from the Repressed Pastry Chef's Yellow Butter Cake and the Chocolate Buttercream Frosting from Passion for Parties.  Since I'm one of those people who doesn't have all the time in the world on their hands and I like to do multiple things at once, I started the cake and the frosting at the same time.  So I add a teaspoon of vanilla to the frosting, do some stuff, and add a teaspoon of vanilla to the cake batter... and then there's no more vanilla.  And the recipe calls for 2 teaspoons.  :O
Since I was making this cake for my dad's birthday, I asked him what other flavoring he wanted in the cake.  His reply was, "maple and rum."  Both.  In the same cake.  Sure thing, dad.
As reluctant as I was, I added maple and rum flavoring to make up for the lost teaspoon of vanilla, and the cake turned out fine... strange... but fine.  It's actually kind of an interesting taste - one that would have tasted much better if not for the chocolate frosting.
But, if you're adventurous and like interesting flavors, try my OR!

Maple-Rum Butter Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
REQUIRES SOFTENED BUTTER

Maple-Rum Butter Cake
3 1/2 cups cake flour
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened and diced
1 cup milk (divided use)
4 large eggs
2 large egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon maple flavoring
1/2 teaspoon rum extract

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
1/2 cup solid butter-flavored/vegetable shortening
1 stick butter, softened
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar
3-4 tablespoons milk

For the cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Coat two 8'' cake pans lightly with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Cream butter and 1/2 cup milk in large bowl.  Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into bowl and mix thoroughly.
3. In separate bowl, blend eggs, egg whites, remaining 1/2 cup milk, and flavorings.  Add to batter in 3 additions, mixing thoroughly after each addition.
4. Divide batter evenly between the two pans.  Bake 35-40 minutes, or until the centers spring back when lightly touched.
5. Cool completely in pans on wire racks.  Release sides and bottoms of layers with a plastic knife before turning out and frosting.

For the frosting:

1. Cream shortening and butter in a large bowl.  Add cocoa and vanilla.
2. Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time.  Mix thoroughly after each addition.
3. Add milk and beat until light and fluffy.  Makes 3 cups.  (Can be refrigerated in a stored container for up to 2 weeks - just re-whip before using.)

Now, breakin' it down:
Cream butter and milk in bowl.  Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into bowl...

...and mix.

In a separate bowl, blend eggs, egg whites, milk, and vanilla...

...and add to batter.  Divide batter between two pans...

...and bake for 35 minutes.

Cream shortening and butter...

Add cocoa and vanilla...

...and mix.

Add powdered sugar, a cup at a time...

...and mix well.

Add milk and beat until light and fluffy.

Now, flip out your cakes and frost the top of the first layer...

Then put the second layer on top and "seal-coat" the whole cake.  Be careful, as crumbs might want to stick to your frosting knife/spatula!  Then go ahead and frost the whole thing thoroughly - you should have just enough frosting!

So the OR turned out to be a success, despite the wacky flavors! :)  The cake was best the first day, but the frosting gets better with age.  The frosting also seemed too light for this incredibly buttery cake - next time I'll try something more thick and heavy.
And if you want the original recipes, you can find the cake one here and the frosting recipe here.  Tell me how it turns out! :)

-JJ

Almond/Cashew Winter Bark

Winter bark is a popular gift during the holiday season... which has passed us already.  But still.  This recipe is from Martha Stewart, and surprisingly, it isn't that hard!  I know, shocker!  But it's an adapted one.  If you want the real recipe, visit her site here or check it out in her December 2008 Martha Stewart Living magazine.

Almond or Cashew Winter Bark
REQUIRES CHILLING TIME (1 hour)

8 oz. white chocolate chips
12 oz. bittersweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups almonds or cashews

1. Melt white chocolate chips in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat.
2. Melt bittersweet chocolate chips in the same setup (obviously washed or in a new bowl), stirring occasionally.  Stir in nuts.
3. Spread bittersweet mixture on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet, spreading peanuts in a single layer.  Drop spoonfuls of white chocolate on top, and swirl chocolates with a skewer/fork/whatever.
4. Refrigerate until set, about 1 hour.  Break bark into large pieces.  Bark will keep, well-covered and refrigerated, for up to 2 weeks.  (Then it gets yucky.)

Although this isn't the sweetest winter bark, it's still pretty good - the more white chocolate, the better it is! ;)

It's good for giving away as a gift...

...if it lasts that long!

:)
-JJ

Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookies

For Christmas, I gave several family members each a box of Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookies, from Joanne Fluke's Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder.  Back to the classics, right? ;) You can visit her webstie here.

Here's the recipe:

Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookies

REQUIRES CHILL TIME (1 hour)

4 sticks melted butter (yes, it's okay to melt them! :D)

2 cups powdered sugar

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 teaspoon lemon zest (optional - but I used it and they tasted AWESOME)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cream of tartar (critical!)

1 teaspoon salt

4 1/4 cups flour

1/2 cup white sugar in a bowl

1. Do not preheat oven yet.
2. Melt butter.  Add sugars and mix.  Let cool to room temperature and mix in the eggs, one at a time.  Then add vanilla, lemon zest, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt.  Mix well.  Add flour in increments, mixing after each addition.
3. Chill dough for at least 1 hour.
4. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F., rack in middle position.
5. Roll dough in walnut-sized balls.  Roll dough balls in a bowl of white sugar.  Place on a greased cookie sheet, 12 to a standard sheet.  DO NOT FLATTEN DOUGH BALLS WITH GREASED SPATULA!*
6. Bake at 325 degrees F. for 10 to 15 minutes (mine took 15), or until they have a tinge of gold on the top.  Cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then remove to a rack to finish cooling.  Yield: 8-10 dozen.

*Sorry, Jo, but these cookies spread out too much and crumble when you pre-flatten them.  They'll spread out on their own in the oven.

Now, before we break it down, I only made a half-recipe.  It was Christmas Eve (oh, yes, this is a verrrry late post XD) and I was making another buche.  Buche = busy = not much time for cookies.

Now, breakin' it down:
Melt butter...

And sugars and mix.

Add eggs and mix.

Add vanilla, lemon zest, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt...

 ...and mix.

Add flour...

 ...and mix well..

Chill for 1 hour.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Roll in walnut-sized balls and dip in sugar...

 and bake for 15 minutes ROLLED.  Like this:

NOT this:

Because if you bake like this, your cookies will NOT thank you for it:

So.  Bake your dough balls...

and bake for 15 minutes at 325 degrees F.  Your good cookies will come out like this:

You can decorate these any way you want.  Me, I glazed mine in a milk-and-powdered sugar glaze - which was easily dyed pastel green and red with food coloring.  Of course, now that my lazy self has gotten around to posting this after Christmas, holiday colors may not be the best idea now.  Still, these cookies are really, really good, so make them anyway!

Bon appetit!
-JJ

Best Brownies I've Made So Far!

I'm a HUGE brownie fan.  But the brownies that I've made from scratch always turn out a little... odd.  These brownies were the best I've ever made - and tasted!  The frosting is good too, but in my opinion, it doesn't quite work with these brownies. If I find a better one, I'll post it.
I found the recipe here, but of course I'll just post it over again.

Frosted Fudge Brownies
REQUIRES SOFTENED BUTTER

Brownies
  1 cup plus 3 tablespoons butter, cubed
  3/4 cup baking cocoa
  4 eggs
  2 cups sugar
  1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  1 teaspoon baking powder
  1 teaspoon salt
  1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Melt butter in a saucepan.  Remove from heat; stir in cocoa.
3. In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar.
4. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt; gradually add to the egg mixture.
5. Stir in vanilla and cooled chocolate mixture until well blended.
6. Spread into a greased 13x19 inch pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25-28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean (do not overbake).  Cool on a wire rack.

Frosting
  6 tablespoons butter, softened
  2 2/3 cup powdered sugar
  1/2 cup baking cocoa
  1 teaspoon vanilla
  1/4 to 1/3 cup milk

1. In a large bowl, cream butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Beat in cocoa and vanilla.
3. Add enough milk so that the frosting is spreadable.  (You may end up using more than 1/3 cup milk.)
4. Spread over brownies once cool.  Cut brownies into bars.

Now, to break it down:

Melt butter...

...and stir in cocoa.  In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar...

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt...

...and add to egg mixture.  Stir in vanilla and chocolate mixture...

 

Bake for 25-28 minutes at 350 degrees.

 Cool on a wire rack.  For frosting, cream butter and powdered sugar...

Beat in cocoa and vanilla...

...and add milk until it reaches a frosting-like consistency.

Spread on brownies (and I added powdered sugar)...

(Sorry for the terrible pic! :P)  And ta-da, you poor thing, you're left with really good brownies! :D

nom

Don't Arrest Me!

The name of this candy-cookie recipe is a little startling at first.  It's called Chocolate Crack, from Joanne Fluke's Apple Turnover Murder.  (Check out her website here.)  This is NOT a drug!  It's called "crack" because you have to crack the sheet of candy-cookies to make smaller, easier-to-eat pieces. But... you may become addicted to this if you're a toffee-lover! :D

Chocolate Crack
REQUIRES CHILLING TIME

1 box graham crackers
2 sticks SALTED butter, cubed
1 cup brown sugar
12-oz. bag semisweet chocolate chips (2 cups)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
2. Line 10x15-inch jellyroll pan with heavy-duty foil.  Spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
3. Line pan completely with single layer of graham crackers.  Be sure to cover the whole bottom.
4. Melt butter in saucepan.  Add brown sugar and combine.  Bring to full boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.  Boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.  Then pour hot toffee mixture over graham crackers, covering the layer as evenly as you can.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 10 minutes.
6. Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over toffee.  Wait two minute and then spread chocolate chips out with a heat-resistant spatula, wooden spoon, or frosting knife.  (Spatulas work best!)
7. Chill in refrigerator until fully hardened.
8. Peel foil from cookies and break (or "crack") into random-sized pieces.

Now, before we break it down, here's a warning: I made two batches of these.  So no, this isn't what yours should look like unless you plan on making two batches.  Here we go:

Line foil-lined pan with graham crackers...

(copy the layout of the graham crackers above - it worked!)  Note: if you're making a double batch, you'll end up using the whole box instead of half a box.  Combine brown sugar and butter in saucepan...

Boil for 5 minutes.  Pour over graham cracker layer... (sorry, you'll have to twist sideways)

Bake for 10 minutes.  Sprinkle with chocolate chips...

Wait two minutes and spread...

Chill.  Crack into random-sized pieces... and you're done! :)

Don't get too addicted! XD