miso chocolate chip cookies

miso chocolate chip cookies

4.24.2020

My new favorite thing is freezing cookie dough. In the last couple years, I've grown a little bit more of a sweet tooth... and the concept of having ready made frozen cookie dough is a very alluring concept. The first time that I did this was with the gluten free chocolate chip cookies.

I was scrolling away on Instagram and saw these miso chocolate chip cookies from A Cozy Kitchen. One, I loved them because they looked warm and chewy. Two, I loved them because they used up the rest of the miso in my fridge. Apparently miso has no real expiration date? I googled it last year. Thankfully when Google told me that miso didn't expire as fast as bananas, I got to take a break from putting miso in everything.

These chocolate chip cookies come together rather like many other varieties - just with a bonus dash of miso paste. Why miso paste? It is hard to describe the flavor profile that it adds. It's like asking me to describe what matcha tastes like :-) But, I've read it described as "savory and deep" which seems accurate. One thing? I needed to add a full stick of butter to my dough as opposed to just 5 tablespoons. The dough just was not coming together without that. Another thing? I only had red miso paste and semi-sweet chocolate chips on hand.... cookies are still delicious.

1. Add the unsalted butter, miso, sugars and vanilla extract to the bowl. Beat the ingredients together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
2. Crack in the egg and beat just until it’s combined. Add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix until well combined. and mix once more just until you no flour speckles appear. Add the chopped chocolate and mix one last time.
3. You can either use a large cookie scoop (that holds 3 tablespoons of cookie dough) or a medium cookie scoop (that holds 1 1/2 tablespoons cookie dough).
4. Scoop out balls of cookie dough onto a baking sheet and transfer to the fridge to chill for 1 hour. 
5. Preheat oven to 350. Bake cookies on parchment paper for about 10-14 minutes. Cookies will be done when the edges are lightly golden brown. 
6. Sprinkle with sea salt for maximum enjoyment

Shopping List
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons miso paste
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 cup chocolate chips

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gluten free chocolate chip cookies

gluten free chocolate chip cookies

4.14.2020

In the last couple years, I've become more of a dessert person - but not just any dessert. I'm still not choosing a piece of pie after my dinner but I'll rarely push away a piece of chocolate or cookie.

Given my lack of self-control, I have removed all of the Reese cups from my house for the last couple months. The seasonal shapes are my weak spot for sure.

With the recent shift to a quarantined lifestyle, I have been doing a fair amount of baking. A friend of mine dropped off some of the most amazing chocolate chip cookies of my life. These are not that :-) but they are still quite great and gluten free. So, if you are like myself and accidentally bought gluten free flour from Whole Foods delivery.... you can also make these cookies tonight. 

When I made these, I did freeze nearly 75% of the dough for another night. This worked quite swimmingly. I just put a ice cream scoops of cookie dough on a sheet and set them in the freezer to harden a bit before transferring to a plastic bag for storage.

Next time? I feel like this is a great base and you could easily add in other fun stuff like nuts, reese chips, heath chips... or whatever the spirit moves you to do. 

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, almond flour, baking soda and salt until evenly combined. Set aside.
2. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter is melted start to whisk constantly. First the butter will begin to foam, then after a couple of minutes it will begin to brown on the bottom of the saucepan. Turn off the heat as soon as the solids turn brown and the butter gives off a nutty aroma. Pour into a glass mixing bowl to prevent burning.
3. Add the milk, brown sugar and white sugar. Whisk to combine. Add the egg and vanilla and whisk until smooth and creamy.
4. Using a rubber spatula, mix in the dry ingredients until well combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
5. Cover the bowl and let sit for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350F. Scoop the cookie dough (about 2 Tablespoons of dough per cookie) and place a few inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden and the center is set.
6. Let cool 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling. Enjoy!

Shopping List

1/2 cup butter
1 tablespoon milk (regular or almond is fine)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/3 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour 
1/4 cup almond flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips
Sea salt for sprinkling

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very easy tuna cakes

very easy tuna cakes

4.08.2020

How many posts in a row can I reference quarantine cooking? The answer is probably a lot - and probably more for the next two months or so.

As we prepared to eat more out of our houses and with less trips to the grocery store, I impulse bought a couple cans of tuna fish one day at the local grocery store. It had probably been at least three years and maybe five since I last bought a can of tuna fish. Since then, I have probably crushed a can of tuna each week either in the form of a tuna melt... or these very tasty tuna cakes.

I actually got the idea for these from watching an episode of British Home Chef on Hulu. The essential idea of the show is XYZ. In one of the final episodes of season 2, the "rustle up challenge" was to create a meal based on a can of tuna fish. Nearly everyone failed but thankfully the hosts commentary gave good ideas ... and tuna cakes was one of them.

Tuna cakes will come together in probably 15 minutes max - including all prep and cooking. It's a simple case of opening a can of tuna, mixing some stuff into it, making little patties and then eating them. My preferred method was over some chopped romaine with a lemon champagne vinaigrette - but I did also mix one into some pasta with red sauce. Like I said, I've eaten these almost weekly recently. 

Here's my favorite way to eat them. 

1. make tuna cakes
2. cut up your preferred greens. I have been opted for romaine recently. It lasts a really long time in the fridge.
3. Plate tuna cakes on top of the greens. Sprinkle with cheese of choice (feta, goat cheese, etc).
4. Drizzle a combo of champagne vinegar, olive oil, smidge of honey, and kosher salt.

How to make tuna cakes? It's very easy. 

1. mix all the ingredients in a bowl except the bread crumbs.
2. Add the bread crumbs in small increments until you get the mixture to the right consistency. you want to be able to form a ball. But not too many breadcrumbs because then you won't taste all the other good stuff you added.
3. heat a skillet to medium high with a drizzle of olive oil. gently press your patty into the pan. 
4. cook for maybe 2-3 minutes on each side. adjust the heat as needed. remember you don't need to cook any of these ingredients, so you are just heating them to get color on the patties and secure the shape.
5. All done!

Shopping List

1 can of tuna fish

2 tbsp of mayo

1 egg

1/4 cup diced onion

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 to 1/2 cup bread crumbs (or panko flakes)

bonus ingredients?

capers

red onion

chopped parsley

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sourdough pancakes

sourdough pancakes

4.05.2020

I've been making pancakes on Sunday evenings for probably 2 months now... or perhaps more honestly.

Sometimes figuring out what to eat for dinner every night can be a lot, so knowing that Sunday is for pancakes makes life a bit easier. Plus it normally means bacon is also on the menu. 

Given that I recently adopted a sourdough starter, I've been looking for ways to use it that aren't bread. I love the bread, it's delicious. But it's also addicting. One slice always leads to three slices. 

A quick google search lead to a sourdough pancake recipe from Tastes of Lizzy that used all my extra sourdough starter. I tweaked the recipe a bit to be a little sweeter and saltier - my favorite things. I have never seen such fluffy tall pancakes in all my life. They are perfect for your favorite mix-ins: chocolate chips, blueberries, sprinkles... whatever makes you happy.

Here's how it goes.

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and soda, sugar and salt.
2. Add the sourdough starter, milk, egg and butter. Mix well just until combined.
3. Make pancakes like normal!

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3.5 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup sourdough starter
1 1/2 cups milk
1 large egg beaten
2 tablespoons melted butter

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buttermilk cinnamon peanut butter donuts

buttermilk cinnamon peanut butter donuts

Yes, that is a really loaded name for these small donuts... but it is all the truth.

Donuts were not on my list of things to make during this quarantine but I had some fresh buttermilk... and I'm trying very hard to reduce my waste.

Why the fresh buttermilk? Well, I obviously had to make fresh butter because the store was out of butter and toast without butter is lunacy. Last week I made my mom a batch of butter and split it between three flavors: cinnamon sugar, salted honey, garlic thyme. She has not complained about any of them.

The original call for this recipe (from Nourished Endeavors) was just a simple dip in cinnamon sugar. That was nice. It tasted fine - but then I had a flash of brilliance to do a simple glaze of peanut butter... and then sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top. HOME RUN. The creamy peanut butter gives the otherwise cake donut a silkiness and amps up the heavenly level. I'm really pleased with it. 

For the peanut butter topping, here are some special notes:

• This is all about you and what you prefer. You can't mess up peanut butter and the donuts are already cooked :-)
• Start with the melted butter and add the peanut butter to it. Just a tablespoon at a time. Mix it up. Work up to the consistency that you like. I went with just a little more loose than normal peanut butter.
• Give it a little taste. Do you like it sweeter? Add a tiny bit of powdered sugar (1 tsp) to sweeten it up.
• If the mixture gets too firm for you, just add a DROP or two of liquid. Yes, I meant to use the capitals. You will only need a very little bit.

Here's how it goes.

1. Preheat oven to 325F. Generously grease a standard donut pan.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, add and whisk together the egg, brown sugar, buttermilk, melted butter and vanilla extract.
3. In a separate mixing bowl, add the flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder and soda into a medium mixing bowl. Whisk to combine and then fold into the wet bowl. Take care not to over mix batter. (Honestly, I used only one bowl... I just put everything in one and it came out fine... but if you are a perfectionist... use two)
4. Transfer donut batter into a large pastry bag or Ziplock bag, cut off about a 1/4” of the tip of bag and pipe batter into prepared donut pan.
5. Bake donuts for 5-10 minutes. Donuts are ready when a toothpick inserted into one comes out clean. My mini donuts were done in 4-5 minutes and the bigger ones about 10.
6. Allow donuts to rest in pan for 5 minutes before taking out of the pan.

For the coating and topping

1. Place melted butter in a small dish. Set aside. 
2. Add tablespoons of peanut butter one by one to the butter to get the consistency you like. See above for notes.
3. In a separate small mixing bowl/container, add sugar and cinnamon and whisk to combine. 
4. Just spread the peanut butter on the donut and then sprinkle with the sugar... done!

Shopping List
1 Cup Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
3/4 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
1/4 Teaspoon Sea Salt
1 Large Egg, Room Temperature
1/4 Cup + 2 Tablespoons Buttermilk, Room Temperature
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar, Light or Dark
2 Tablespoons Melted Butter
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Coating
1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
2 Tablespoon Melted Butter

3 Tablespoon peanut butter

1 Tablespoon powdered sugar

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grapefruit white chocolate macaron

grapefruit white chocolate macaron

2.25.2020

So, I am continuing to experiment with macarons... and this might have been my best batch to date. They were great for so many reasons. One, the flavoring was very solid. Two, the consistency and shell structures were real good.

What did I do differently? I finally bought a scale. I always thought using scales would be more work than I wanted to spend... but boy was I wrong. I love using a scale now. It is so easy and making cooking cleaner some how. For example, it was really clear to me that 120 grams of egg whites was significantly more than 3 eggs worth. It ended up being close to 4 eggs. The other difference was that I added a little bit of granulated sugar to the whipped egg whites. This is the website that I used as a guide. Although not a video, there are a lot of detailed pictures to show progress.

I made these babes for a Galentine's Day dinner with family ladies. They were rather perfect and it was hard to not keep eating them. I think the next time I make macarons, I might try for some itty bitty ones. Then I could eat 3 and not feel bad about it.

1. Place the confectioners’ sugar and almond flour in a food processor or blender and pulse or blend for 30 seconds until thoroughly combined and fine in texture. Set aside.
2. In a completely dry and grease-free bowl, beat the egg whites and salt together on medium speed for 1 minute. Switch to high speed and beat *just* until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. Do NOT overbeat. Using a metal spoon or rubber spatula, gently fold in the sifted granulated sugar, 1 Tablespoon at a time.
3. On low speed, beat in any flavor or color at this point. Do not overmix.
4. Fold in the confectioners’ sugar/almond flour mixture until combined. Be very gentle and light-handed while doing so. Once completely combined, the mixture will be smooth, sticky, and glossy.
5. Let the batter sit uncovered at room temperature for 10-30 minutes. Meanwhile, fit your piping bag with the piping tip. Line 2-3 baking sheets with silicone baking mats.
6. Fill the piping bag with the batter and pipe evenly sized rounds onto the baking sheets. Gently tap the bottom of the baking sheets on your counter to rid any large air bubbles. You can lightly sprinkle a few sprinkles or any edible decorations onto the wet round shells at this point.
7. Let the piped rounds sit for at least 45 minutes and up to 1 hour. This is crucial to making macarons! The air will will help the rounds set and form a dry shell. They should not be sticky going into the oven.
8. Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Bake the macarons for 10 minutes, one baking sheet at a time. Rotate the pan at the 5 minute mark. The tops should be crisp and the macarons should have formed their signature crinkly “feet.” Allow to cool completely on the baking sheet before filling.
9. Fill with buttercream and sandwich two shells together!

Shopping List

200g confectioners’ sugar (close to 2 cups)
100g almond flour (close to 1 cup)
120g room temperature egg whites (around 3 large egg whites)*
1/8 teaspoon salt
40g sifted granulated sugar or caster sugar (3 Tablespoons)
flavoring or color* --> I used like 1 tbsp of grated grapefruit zest
your desired filling* --> I used a standard buttercream but flavored with coconut extract and grapefruit zest

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bagel egg bake

bagel egg bake

2.09.2020

Let me introduce you to a very easy and impressive brunch recipe. I honestly have no idea what to call it - but perhaps a "bagel egg bake"? 

I've attempted several different brunch casseroles over the years and this is one of the best. It is also one of the easiest. There are only 6 ingredients! I ended up making a slightly larger batch than the recipe called for... which necessitated in getting some emergency eggs from my neighbor.

This made for a great accompaniment to the brunch. It was not too eggy and the green onions made a great addition. I also made a blood orange cardamom cake to go with it... and some other nice ladies brought a fruit salad and tasty pink donuts. The best and worst part about hosting brunch is that I'll be eating all these leftovers for two more days. 

A few notes:

• prepare the dig the night before for ultimate ease
• I bought fresh bagels from Trader Joes... but this would be a great opportunity to get a bargain on some day old bagels
• i swapped out regular bacon for turkey bacon... frankly, I didn't even notice the difference and I love bacon. You could also swap in pancetta or anything salty.

1. Arrange bagels in 2- to 2 1/2-qt. baking dish. 
2. In large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, cheese, bacon, 4 sliced green onions, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. 
3. Pour over bagels, pressing down slightly to submerge. 
4. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour or up to overnight. 
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Uncover dish and bake 45 to 55 minutes until set. 
6. Let cool 15 minutes before serving; garnish with green onion.

Shopping list
4 "everything" bagels, toasted and chopped 

6 large eggs 

2 c. milk 

4 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded 

4 slices cooked turkey bacon

4 green onions, sliced, plus more for garnish

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blood orange cardamom cake

blood orange cardamom cake

Hello there beautiful. That is what you can say to this cake once you flip it out of the pan. 

I was looking for something a little bit red and a little bit fun to make for a galentine's brunch this weekend. It was incredibly easy to make and a bit of a shocker to me honestly. I am probably now going to see what other fruits I can put in cake pans and flip upside down.

A few takeaways:

• amount of fruit? I saw some versions of this cake with a ton of overlapping oranges... and then a lot less. I think somewhere around my amount was correct. Perhaps a little bit more so you are guaranteed some in each slice
• crazy moist? I accidentally left this cake out on the counter overnight... and you'd never know.
• rind on the fruit? I left mine on because I liked how it looked on a baked cake. The rind completely bakes down and is very easy to cut through. The internet says that sometimes it could be a bit bitter, but I didn't notice.
• the original recipe from "The Broken Bread" had the steps in a slightly different order... but I rearranged them to make a little more sense. 

Here's how it goes.

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease the edges of a 9″ spring form pan with nonstick spray or butter.
2. In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, cardamom, baking powder, and salt together until combined.
3. In another bowl, whisk eggs, ricotta, vanilla, and orange juice until smooth. Once combined fold the ricotta mixture into the dry ingredients with a spatula until just blended. Then, gently fold in melted butter.
4. Place 3 tablespoons butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan and cook on low heat just until the butter melts. Whisk the mixture a few times until smooth and pour into the cake pan, making sure that it evenly coats the bottom; set aside.
5. Place orange slices on the bottom of the cake pan, arranging the slices to fit. Carefully pour in the cake batter over the top of the oranges and place in the oven and bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. 
6. Allow the cake to cool for 15-20 minutes before removing from the pan. Invert the cake onto a plate and serve once completely cooled.

Shopping List (original recipe)

1 1/2 Cup (180g) All-Purpose Flour
1 Cup (200g) Evaporated Cane Sugar
1 1/4 Teaspoon Cardamom
2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
3 Large Eggs
1 1/2 Cup Ricotta Cheese
1Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 Tablespoons Fresh Orange Juice
1 Stick Butter, melted

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