Chocolate

Quick Fall Party Mix

October 30, 2015 by Lynsey Leave a Comment

Happy Friday everyone! Can you believe tomorrow is Halloween? Are you all ready?

My little guy is beyond ready! We’ve painted pumpkins, visited the pumpkin patch, tonight we’re carving pumpkins and tomorrow he’ll transform into the Incredible Hulk and we’ll head to my brother and sister-in-law’s and hit the streets so the little man can trick-or-treat to his hearts content.

But, before those trick-or-treaters start knocking on your door I have an incredibly simple, yet oh-so-addictive snack mix to share with you. This party mix consists of Chex cereal, pretzels, M&M’s and candy corn. Because what’s a fall snack mix without candy corn?

This is pretty much the easiest fall snack recipe EVER. Dump the ingredients, melt the chocolate, pour and stir. Viola!

This would make a great snack while carving pumpkins or watching your favorite Halloween movies, or a nice addition to your Halloween party spread. It would also be cute gifts; fill jars and then tie with a ribbon. Don’t stop with Halloween, this would also be perfect at your Thanksgiving day festivities…great for people to grab a handful while waiting on the turkey and dressing to finish cooking.

Have a safe and Happy Halloween weekend!

Quick Fall Party Mix

Ingredients:

2 Cups Rice Chex cereal
2 Cups Corn Chex cereal
2 Cups Cinnamon Chex cereal
1 Cup candy corn
1 Cup small pretzels
1/2 Cup M&M’s
10 Oz almond bark (white chocolate)

Directions:

Line a flat working surface with parchment paper.

Combine rice cereal, 1 1/2 cups corn cereal, 1/2 cup of M&M’s, 1/2 Cup candy corn, and pretzels in a large bowl and toss to combine.

Place almond bark in a microwave safe container and melt, heating in 20 second intervals and stirring after each. Once the chocolate is melted and smooth, pour over the cereal pretzel mixture and gently, but quickly stir to coat.

Spread the mixture out, in an even layer, on the prepared work surface and allow to dry. Once the mixture is dry, pour into a large bowl or bag, add the cinnamon cereal, remaining candy corn and remaining M&M’s and toss to combine.

Serve immediately or store in an airtight container.

Recipe source: adapted from 100 Directions

Chocolate Stout Brownies

October 26, 2015 by Lynsey 12 Comments

It’s no mystery that one of my favorite desserts is a super chocolaty, fudgy, gooey brownie. Cut me a piece, pour me a glass of ice cold milk and I’ll be perfectly content.

So, when I was perusing GG’s blog, Glamorous Glutton, I found numerous recipes that had my mouth watering; easy tortilla chips, rhubarb cordial, mars bars blondies, and caramelized banana bread (which I will be making once I get rid of the boatload of sweets in my kitchen at the moment)…just to name a few. I loved reading over GG’s blog this month for our secret recipe club exchange, there were several recipes I wanted to make but all bets were off when I came across her Rebellion Beer Brownies.

The picture alone had my mouth watering. You could see the pure fudginess of these brownies just by looking at her picture. These weren’t just any brownie though, they were infused with a local brew made in the U.K. I knew I had to make these.

Since I knew I wouldn’t be able to put my hands on any of the Rebellion products across the pond, I adapted the recipe slightly, using a chocolate stout which ultimately ended up amping up that chocolate flavor just a bit. And that is not a problem in my book.

The beer is simmered and reduced to allow it to thicken slightly. It’s added to the brownie batter and baked. The magic doesn’t stop there, it’s then schmeared with a chocolate ganache like topping. GG added pepper flakes to hers, which I think would be amazing, but I omitted since I have a little chocoholic in my house.

The end result was amazing. Thick brownies, chewy, fudgy, gooey with a slight hint of the stout beer. Pour a glass of cold milk and indulge. Happy Monday!

Chocolate Stout Brownies

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup chocolate stout
3 Oz dark chocolate, roughly chopped
1 Stick butter
1 Cup sugar
3 Large eggs
1 Tsp vanilla
1 Cup + 1 Tbsp flour
Pinch salt

For the topping-

1 1/2 Oz dark chocolate, roughly chopped
2 1/2 Tbsp butter
Pinch salt
Pinch dried chilies, optional

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Line an 9×9 pan with parchment paper and set aside.

Pour the beer in a small sauce pan and place over medium heat, allow the beer to simmer until it reduces by half, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

Place butter and chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and heat in 20 second intervals, stirring after each, until melted.

In a separate bowl combine eggs, vanilla and sugar and whisk to combine. Pour in the melted chocolate, while whisking continuously until ingredients are combined. Add the cooled (not cold) beer to the mixture and stir to incorporate. Add the flour and salt and mix well.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the brownies are baked through and toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool for about10 minutes. Remove from pan by carefully lifting the edges of the parchment paper.

Meanwhile, combine the chocolate, butter and salt in a microwave safe bowl. Heat in 20 second intervals, stirring after each, until completely melted. Stir vigorously until smooth. Add chilies, if desired, stir to combine.

Once the brownies are completely cooled, spread the topping over the brownies, place in the refrigerator and chill overnight.

Remove from fridge, cut into squares and enjoy. Store in an airtight container.

Recipe source: barely adapted from Glamorous Glutton

An InLinkz Link-up

S’mores Brownie Bites

September 18, 2015 by Lynsey Leave a Comment

It’s no news to any of you that have been reading the blog for any amount of time that I have a long running ~~obsession~~ love of s’mores. A slightly sweet, crunchy graham cracker topped with chocolate, a gooey, fire roasted marshmallow and another delicious graham cracker. I mean, what’s not to love?
While s’more in their classic form are probably, by far my favorite I do love making s’mores inspired creations in the comfort of my kitchen. Dreaming up different s’more concoctions never gets old.

Now I’ve made s’mores brownies in the past; a graham cracker crust, layer of brownies and topped with marshmallows. Those were good and were a huge hit, but I’d have to say those have nothing on these bites.

First off, everything is better in miniature form…or a mason jar. But we’re sticking with the mini’s in this case. And honestly, there’s nothing cuter, or better, than a bite size brownie. ….Until now. What about a bite size brownie with a crispy wafer bottom and topped with a creamy marshmallow buttercream?

Um, yes. I’d say that’s just pretty awesome.

These s’mores brownie bites consist of vanilla wafers, my favorite brownie recipe and a simple marshmallow buttercream. I’ve stepped up the wow factor in the presentation by adding a few marshmallows and torching them to give them that classic charred marshmallow taste we all know and love.

These little bites are fun, delicious and small making them perfect for parties or get together. Bring the love of s’mores in doors (or to any gathering) with these s’mores brownie bites.

S’mores Brownie Bites

Ingredients:

1 Stick (1/2 cup) butter
1 Oz bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped
2 Oz semi sweet chocolate, roughly chopped
1 Cup sugar
2 Eggs
1 Tsp vanilla
1 Tsp salt
1/3 Cup flour
1/2 Cup chocolate chips
36 Vanilla wafers

For the frosting-

2 Tbsp butter
3/4-1 Cup powdered sugar
1/4 Cup marshmallow cream
Milk, as needed

Optional toppings-
Mini marshmallows

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a mini muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

Place butter and chocolate in a large, microwave safe bowl and heat in 20-30 second intervals, stirring after each, until butter and chocolate is melted.

Add sugar and whisk to combine. Next add eggs and vanilla and mix until incorporated. Add flour and salt and whisk until the flour is completely combined in the mixture. Add chocolate chips and mix.

Place vanilla wafers in the prepared pan. Top each wafer with about a tablespoon of batter. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes, until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Remove and allow to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

For the frosting-
Place butter in a medium bowl and mix until smooth. Add 3/4 cup powdered sugar and the marshmallow cream and whisk on low until sugar is incorporated, increase to medium-high until incorporated and combined. If the mixture is still a little runny, add more powdered sugar, if it’s too thick add 1/4 teaspoon of milk at a time until desired consistency is reached.

Spread a thin layer of frosting on each brownie bite. Top with 3 mini marshmallows, if desired. To take the presentation up a notch and to give it that truly gooey marshmallow texture, break out that blow torch and lightly toast the mallows.

Recipe source: A Lynsey Original

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Protein Shake

July 30, 2015 by Lynsey Leave a Comment

So, we all know I have a ~~slight~~ obsession with cookie dough. I mean it’s to the point that when I whip up a batch of dough I literally debate on whether or not to even bother turning on the oven. My conscience typically gets the better of me and I end up firing up the oven to actually bake some cookies, but it’s not a decision that’s made halfheartedly!

Then there are times where I don’t even want to wait on the butter to warm up to room temperature. Or, then the ultimate problem arises from time to time where the craving for cookie dough hits…in the morning.

While I sometimes let myself splurge, having a big ol’ scoop of cookie dough in the morning is something I can’t even do without guilt.

So, what to do, oh what to do when that craving hits.

Well, the next best thing. Take a classic breakfast option and infuse those beloved cookie dough flavors in it to make it perfectly acceptable to have cookie dough for breakfast. And folks, that’s just what’s been done here.

This shake is thick, creamy and tastes just like cookie dough, complete with bits of chocolate in each sip. This is so deliciously indulgent that you’ll forget it’s actually a protein shake and a perfectly acceptable option for breakfast.

So go ahead, sip away on this awesome chocolate chip cookie dough protein shake!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Protein Shake

Ingredients:

1-2 Scoops vanilla protein powder
Pinch salt
3/4 Cup milk
1/4 Cup uncooked oats
1/8 Tsp baking soda
3 Tbsp chocolate chips, plus more for garnish if desired
1/2 Cup Ice
1-2 Tsp maple syrup

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and all ingredients are incorporated. Pour in a glass, garnish with chocolate chips and oats if desired.

Recipe source: Adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie

Peanut Butter Brownie Milkshake

July 29, 2015 by Lynsey Leave a Comment

“My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard….”

You know that song was going through your head when you read the word “milkshake”. I honestly can’t think of a milkshake without those lyrics running through my head.

Anywho, now that’s out of my system let me tell you about this milkshake. This takes one of my favorite flavor duos and brings them together in one cool, creamy dessert. What could possibly be better than sweet and salty peanut butter combined with fudgy, chocolaty brownies?

Um, practically nothing. Unless you add ice cream to the mix and then, well that would just be the cherry on top!

This milkshake combines peanut butter, brownies, milk and ice cream to create one amazing, thick and delicious milkshake. You could also amp up that peanut butter flavor by using peanut butter ice cream if you’re so inclined.

This shake comes together in minutes…once you have made the brownies. And, it’s also a great way to use up that last piece or two of brownie that may be left sitting around. We typically don’t have a problem with uneaten brownies, but if you do this is a great way to use them up!

So go ahead, whip up this milkshake and all the boys…and girls will be running to your yard for this shake!

Peanut Butter Brownie Milkshake

Ingredients:

1/3 Cup brownie chunks, plus more for garnish
1 Heaping Tbsp peanut butter
2 Tbsp milk
1 1/2 Scoops vanilla ice cream

Directions:

Combine ice cream, milk and peanut butter in a blender and mix until almost completely incorporated. Add the brown chunks and pulse for a few seconds. Pour in a glass, top with whipped cream and brownie chunks and enjoy!

Recipe source: A Lynsey Original

SRC: Frozen Nutella Hot Chocolate

June 22, 2015 by Lynsey 15 Comments

During the winter months a tall cup of rich, thick hot cocoa is a necessity. It’s good for the soul and truly does help cure that frost bite.

Sometimes a hankering for that smooth, chocolate goodness arises in the summer. But when it’s 90 degrees pushing 1000 the last thing anyone wants to do is sip on some steaming cocoa. Gosh, just the thought of that makes me miserable.

So, what do we do when we’re in that predicament? The predicament of wanting silky, rich hot chocolate when it’s extremely hot outside. Well, put it on ice, of course!

See, this month for Secret Recipe Club I was purusing Dorothy’s blog, Shockingly Delicious and I was intrigued by oh, all of her recipes. I mean, I didn’t get through the first page without drooling. Which, I should have been ready for since the happens every time I peruse her blog. But, I scrolled through page after page of mouthwatering recipes, and when one of the pages popped up I saw a recipe for Nutella Hot Chocolate. I went on and looked through other recipes, even referred to some of the ones I’ve bookmarked over time. But the damage had already been done. I was craving nutella hot chocolate, and something bad.

But we’re experiencing weather in the 90’s where it feels like the 100’s right now. The last thing I want to do is sip on hot chocolate. So, I put it over ice and blended it. Now I’m positive the original hot chocolate version is amazing, but this frozen version is downright awesome.

Now, Dorothy says her recipe for Nutella hot chocolate is a “d’oh recipe”, but nonetheless it’s a recipes and it rocks! So, Dorothy, I hope you don’t mind that I modified it a bit to quench my craving for this awesomeness during these warmer months.

Folks, milk is warmed to allow the Nutella to melt when it’s added. I added another tablespoon of dark chocolate just to amp up that chocolate flavor. Because, in my book you can never have too much chocolate. Once it had a chance to cool for just a moment, I poured it over ice and blended until smooth. Top with whipped cream, a drizzle of chocolate and pop a straw in that bad boy and you are on your way to pure and utter bliss!

Frozen Nutella Hot Chocolate

Ingredients:

1 1/4 Cup milk
1 1/2-2 Tbsp Nutella
1 Tbsp dark chocolate chunks
1 1/2 Cups ice

For garnish-
More chocolate chunks
Whipped cream
Chocolate syrup

Directions:

Place milk in a small saucepan and place over medium heat. Once the milk is warmed through and begins to steam, remove from heat and add Nutella and chocolate and stir to combine.

Allow to cool slightly.

Place nutella mixture and ice in a blender, turn on high until well blended. Pour into a glass, garnish and enjoy.

Recipe source: barely adapted from Shockingly Delicious

An InLinkz Link-up

Salted Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bars

June 19, 2015 by Lynsey Leave a Comment

Raise your hand if you’re one of those people who could care less about cranking up the oven when you’ve got a bowl of cookie dough in your grips. Because instead of wanting to scoop, bake, cool, remove and repeat, you just want to dive in that bowl, face first and indulge in the awesomeness that is cookie dough.

Um, right now my hands are waving frantically in the air. So, yes, I’m definitely one of those people. And proud of it!

So, when I was given the request to create “something with cookie dough” from one of the members of the KARK4 morning crew I gladly rose to the occasion. Challenge accepted!

I thought of and tested several different cookie dough recipes, but it wasn’t until I made these bars that I knew I had a winner. I mean, just when you thought it couldn’t get any better than eating that cookie dough out of the bowl by the spoonfuls, it does. How? With these bars.

These bars make it perfectly acceptable to eat raw cookie dough. It also doesn’t require the use of utensils. And it’s got a sugar cookie crust, which is the perfect mode of transportation for that cookie dough to make it in your mouth! Oh, but it doesn’t stop there! The cookie dough…eggless cookie dough…is then topped with a mixture of melted dark and semi-sweet chocolate and sprinkled with salt.

That chocolate coating hardens which forms the best possible “crust” you could ever think about sinking your teeth into.

You’ve got a soft, sugar cookie crust, topped with that amazing cookie dough and topped with that perfectly balanced, not too sweet chocolate layer with just a hint of salt. Yes, folks we have a winner!

These bars are what cookie dough lovers’ dreams are made of. Yes, they’re that good.

You’re welcome!

Salted Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bars

Ingredients:

2 Cups sugar cookie dough, homemade or store bought

For the cookie dough-
1/2 Cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 Cup brown sugar
1/4 Cup granulated sugar
1 Tsp vanilla
1 3/4 Cup flour
1 Tsp salt
1 1/4 Cups mini chocolate chips
1 Can condensed milk

For the chocolate topping-
1/4 Cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 Cups dark chocolate chips
3 Tbsp heavy cream
1/2 Tsp Kosher salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Line an 8×8 or 9×9 pan with parchment paper.

Press the cookie dough in an even layer in the bottom of the prepared pan. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 25-35 minutes, until the edges begin to turn golden-brown. Be sure not to over bake. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

For the cookie dough-
Place the butter in a large bowl and beat on high until creamy, about 1 minute. Add both sugars and beat on high for 3-5 minutes. Add vanilla and mix to combine. Add the condensed milk and mix until incorporated. Lastly add the flour and salt and mix until just incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Spread the cookie dough in an even layer over the cooled sugar cookie.

For the chocolate topping-
Place the chocolate chips and cream in a microwave safe bowl and heat in 20 second intervals until melted, stirring after each heating period. Once the chocolate is melted and smooth, stir once more, pour over the cookie dough and spread into an even layer. Sprinkle the salt over the chocolate. Place the bars in the refrigerator at least 1 hour, until the chocolate is set.

Remove and slice when ready to serve.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Recipe source: A Lynsey original

S’mores Cheesecake Bars

June 16, 2015 by Lynsey Leave a Comment

So, I’ve never met a dessert I didn’t like.

I’ve never met a s’more I didn’t like.

And lastly, I’ve never met a cheesecake I didn’t like.

So it’s safe to say that I love sweets. If it’s dessert, sweet and involves sugar I’ll probably, most definitely eat it!

This specific recipe is a dessert, involves s’mores and cheesecake. But before we talk about the recipe at hand, I want to talk about cheesecake for a second.

Cheesecake. I love it. But what’s not to love? A crunchy crust that’s the base to a perfectly tangy,
creamy, silky cheesecake. Um, yum! Drooling over them. Eating them. Well, that’s the easy part. What’s not easy about cheesecake? Well, the baking and resting part.

See, there’s an art when it comes to making cheesecakes. Full fat cream cheese, it’s a must. And it has to be at room temperature. Another must, a water bath. This allows the cheesecake to bake evenly and reduces the chance of splitting. Baking and no peeking. Then, the last crucial element is removing the cheesecake from the oven, placing it on a cooling rack and letting it sit for several hours and no touching allowed.

All pretty tedious work, but the outcome is so worth it.

But, what if you don’t have time. Don’t have the patience. Or are just downright intimidated? Well, you make cheesecake bars. Everything you love and want in a cheesecake; but half the work, half the time and truly none of the frustration.

Cheesecake bars give you everything you love in half the time and no frustration. A few simple ingredients and about an hour is all you need to make a deliciously addicting dessert with all the flavors of cheesecake with a fraction of the work.

This week leads up to Father’s Day. When KARK4 asked some people to share what some of the amazing dads in their lives favorite treats were we got a great response. One of the responses was cheesecake…of any kind. So, I decided to take that and run with it.

Since Father’s Day can be a busy time of travel and entertaining I wanted to make a dessert that was delicious and wowing without being stressful and time consuming. So, I decided on bars. Bars are a great alternative when you need something delicious but don’t have a lot of time.

Another thing you can’t go wrong with is marshmallows and chocolate. So, without further adieu I present you with s’mores cheesecake bars. A delicious brown sugar graham cracker crust, cream cheese marshmallow cheesecake filling that’s studded with chocolate chips and then topped with a few bits of that graham crust and some roasted marshmallows.

Um, wow. 2 amazing and addicting desserts come together in these bars. And probably one of the best things about this dessert is it can be made ahead of time, leaving you more time to spend with those special guys in your life.

If you really wanted to up the presentation, you could leave the marshmallows off until right before serving. When ready to serve, sprinkle some marshmallows over the top, break out that kitchen torch and toast away!

Now you can have s’mores without even starting a fire or breaking out that roasting stick!

S’mores Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients:

For the crust-
1/2 Cup butter, room temperature
3/4 Cup flour
3/4 Cup graham cracker crumbs*
1/3 Cup brown sugar

For the filling-
1 (8oz) Block cream cheese
1/4 Cup marshmallow cream
1/4 Cup sugar
1/4 Cup heavy cream
1 Tsp vanilla
1/2 Cup mini chocolate chips

2/3 Cup mini marshmallows

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Line a 8×8 pan with parchment paper. Set aside.

For the crust-
Place the butter in a large bowl and beat on high for about 1 minutes, until creamy. Add the sugar and mix to combine. Add the flour and graham cracker crumbs and mix until incorporated.

Remove about 1/2 cup of the crust mixture and set aside.

Pour the remaining crust in the prepared pan and press into an even layer. Place in the preheated oven and bake for about 12-15 minutes.

For the filling-
Meanwhile, place the cream cheese in a large bowl and beat until smooth. Add the sugar and mix on high until incorporated, about 2 minutes. Add the marshmallow cream, cream, and vanilla and mix until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Pour the filling into the partially baked crust and spread into an even layer. Drop bits of the reserved crust mixture evenly over the filling. Return to oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, until filling is set and crust on the top is golden.

Remove from oven and sprinkle the marshmallows over the top. Place under broiler or use a kitchen torch to toast the marshmallows.

Allow the bars to completely cool, but into squares and store at room temperature.

Recipe source: A Lynsey Original

Super Chewy Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

June 13, 2015 by Lynsey Leave a Comment

Folks, I have to apologize. It seems like the past few weeks have been pure craziness; complete with late nights, running around like a chicken with my head cut of, and just complete and utter chaos. In the midst of everything that has been going on, LL’s has unfortunately taken a back seat. I feel so bad and I’m kind of disappointed because I’ve got so any recipes that I’m so excited to share with you all and I haven’t been able to get them to you.

Things seem to be settling down a bit. This next week is going to be a little busy, but hopefully nothing like the past few weeks. I’ve been able to carve out a little time and I was able to dedicate it to a few posts for you guys. Hopefully things will be back on a regular schedule within the next week or so.

Since I’m not back into a normal routine yet I had to make the hard decision of just which recipe to share with you. A beverage? Appetizer. Main dish. Or dessert. Well, it was a hard decision but I finally came to the conclusion that y’all needed theses cookies. And you needed them now.

I can’t count just how many times I’ve made the cookies in the past month. Honestly, it’s probably a good thing that I haven’t kept track because then I would probably just be ashamed. But, just know that they are so good that they have been requested pretty much on a weekly basis, sometimes multiple times a week.

We all have that “go to” chocolate chip cookie recipe. That recipe we know by memory and can have whipped up in a matter of minutes. And, although, we have “that one” I’m a firm believer that you can never have too many chocolate chip cookie recipes.

I’d have to say, of all the chocolate chip cookies I’ve made this one seems to be the hub’s favorite. He’s one of those that loves the chocolate chip cookies, but without the chocolate chips. I, on the other hand, am in the group that believes the more chocolate chips the better. But, Spencer loves these.

The dough itself isn’t as sweet as most recipes, and that’s because the flour to sugar ratio differs just a bit. Typically there are equal amounts of flour and sugar, but this recipe only has 1 3/4 cups of sugar and almost 3 cups of flour. This gives the dough some sweetness but doesn’t make it overly sweet, and in turn it allows the hubs to enjoy some chocolate chips in the cookie without giving him a sugar overload. The extra flour also helps yield a slightly thicker cookie. And you can’t go wrong with a thick chocolate chip cookie.

This particular recipe also calls for brown butter. And by now, you all know my feelings for brown butter. It truly does make everything better. To this recipe it lends a nuttiness, which also mutes some of the sweetness. Along with the brown butter there are a mix of semi-sweet and dark chocolate chips, also helping balance the amount of sweetness in this cookie.

There are a lot of different tweaks in this recipe; the flour to sugar ratio, brown butter, addition of cornstarch and the mix of chocolates. But all these different little changes make a cookie that is perfectly thick, chewy, gooey and the perfect balance of sweet and chocolate. All of these helped produce the hub’s favorite chocolate chip cookie.

So, whether you’re still searching for your go to recipe, just looking to make an incredible batch of cookies that differs from your recipe, or looking to add another chocolate chip cookie recipe to your stash, try these out. But use caution, because they are addicting!

Super Chewy Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1 Cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/2 Cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 Cup brown sugar
2 Large eggs
1 Egg yolk
1 1/2 Tsp vanilla
1/2 Tsp salt
1 Tsp baking soda
2 Tbsp cornstarch
2 1/2 Cups + 2 Tbsp flour
1 Cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 Cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:

Place butter in a saucepan and place over medium-low heat. The butter will begin to crackle and foam as it melts. Once the crackling subsides the butter will begin to brown. Swirl the butter around the pan as it browns. Watch the butter closely as it can go from brown to burned quickly. Once the butter is browned, remove from heat and allow to cool.

Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or spray with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

Combine salt, baking soda, cornstarch and flour in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.

Pour the cooled butter in a large mixing bowl, being sure to scrap the bottom and edges of the saucepan to get all those brown bits. Add the sugars, turn mixer on low allowing the ingredients to incorporate. Once the butter and sugars are combined, increase the mixing speed to high and mix for 2 minutes. Add the eggs and egg yolk and beat another 3-4 minutes on high, until ingredients are incorporated and the butter begins to get light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and mix to combine. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until combined.

Add chocolate chips and stir to combine.

Roll pieces of dough into 1 1/2 inch balls and place 2-3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Gently press the dough, using the palm of your hand to flatten slightly. Place in the oven for 8-11 minutes, the cookies should be lightly golden and set. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes on the pan, transfer to cooling racks and allow to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Recipe source: A Lynsey original

DB: Lamingtons

May 29, 2015 by Lynsey Leave a Comment

For the May challenge Marcellina from Marcellina in Cucina dared us to make Lamingtons. An Australian delicacy that is as tasty as it is elegant.

At first glance, the Lamington reminds me of what we in the states call petit fours. That square caked, coated in frosting and sometimes decorated to fit whatever occasion is being celebrated. However, the Lamington differs slightly. It’s a moist sponge cake that is dipped in chocolate then coated in coconut. The coconut coating was originally put on the chocolate coating to help avoid messy, melty chocolate fingers.

Here’s a little snippet of the backstory via Wikipedia-
“Most accounts of the creation of the lamington agree that it was named after Lord Lamington, who served as Governor of Queensland from 1896 to 1901, although it might have been named for his wife, Lady Lamington.
Lamington’s chef at Queensland’s Government House, French-born Armand Galland, was called upon at short notice to provide something to feed unexpected guests during the busy period leading up to Federation in 1901. According to the Melbourne newspaper The Age, Galland cut up some left-over French vanilla sponge cakebaked the day before, dipped the slices in chocolate and set them in coconut. Coconut was not widely used in European cooking at that time, but was known to Galland whose wife was from Tahiti where coconut was a common ingredient. Lady Lamington’s guests then asked for the recipe.”
Source: Wikipedia

We were given creative freedom, but since I’ve never had nor made Lamingtons I opted for the classic recipe! I thoroughly enjoyed making these little cakes. The chocolate coating may…or may not have been my favorite part!

Lamingtons

Ingredients:

For the sponge-
5 Large eggs, room temperature
1 Cup sugar
Pinch salt
1 Tsp vanilla
1 1/4 Cups cornstarch (also called cornflour)
1 1/2 Tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp butter, melted
2 3/4 Cups unsweetened shredded coconut

For the chocolate icing-
3 1/4 Cups powdered sugar
1/3 Cup cocoa powder
1 Tbsp butter, melted
1/2-3/4 Cup milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl sift cornstarch and baking powder together, 3 times. Set aside.

Combine eggs, sugar and salt in a large bowl and beat on high for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes add the vanilla and beat on high for an additional 5 minutes. The mixture should be light in color, foamy and tripled in volume.

Sift the flour mixture over the egg mixture. Gently fold the flour into the egg mixture. Fold the butter in the mixture.

Pour the mixture in the prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 22-25 minutes. The sponge will rise quite a bit through the process and then settle. Do not open the oven during the baking process.

Once the sponge has finished baking, remove from oven and immediately remove from pan and transfer on a wire rack, parchment paper and all. Allow to cool completely. Store overnight.

For the chocolate icing-

In a large, heatproof bowl sift the powdered sugar and cocoa powder together. Stir in butter and 1/2 cup milk. Set the bowl over a pan of hot water, and stir until icing is smooth. Add more milk to the the icing, if needed.

To assemble-
Cut the sponge cake into 24 rectangular pieces. Trim the crusts, if desired.

Place the coconut in a shallow dish.

Keep icing over hot water while dipping the cake to ensure the chocolate stays melted.

Dip and submerge the cake into the chocolate icing, tap gently to allow excess to drip off. Dip and coat in coconut and place on a wire rack to set, about 2 hours.

Recipe source: Marcellina in Cucina

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