Sea Salt Brown Butter M&M Cookies

Just look at those adorable mini M&M's.  Like multi-colored nuggets of photogenic cuteness.  They're so fun to take pictures of, I almost didn't want to eat them.  Almost. 

Whenever I see M&M's incorporated into baking, it always reminds me of the Rice Krispie Treats my Mom made for my birthday when I was a kid.  Remember when you brought the class treats on your own birthday?  That was weird.  Now I make people bring me treats.  I demand to be showered in treats!    

Well my Mom's Rice Krispies always had M&M's mixed in.  Then she'd form them into balls and stick a popsicle stick in it.  It was a sticky, time-consuming way to make Rice Krispies but they were worth it.    

So in first grade, I brought these to class and as I was about to pass them out, I realized my shirt was on backwards.  On my birthday, no less!  I was mortified.  Twenty years later, I still remember what the shirt looked like.  So I did what any normal kid would do, and I wore my shirt backwards all day long.   

So what I'm saying is, M&M's remind me of wearing my shirt backwards.  All day.  Don't worry, I haven't done it since.  Except last week when I wore my T-shirt backwards to bed.  Old habits die hard guys.      

But these cookies are a lot less sticky to make and don't hold any traumatizing memories.  Which is always what I want out of a cookie.  They're made with brown butter which adds a carmel-y nuttiness.  And they're lightly sprinkled with sea salt to give just a slight kick to every bite.  So take note, bring these on my birthday.  But maybe stick a popsicle stick in them, just for old time's sake.   

Here's the recipe!

Sea Salt Brown Butter M&M Cookies (yields 24 cookies)

Ingredients
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
14 Tbs unsalted butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp table salt
2 tsps vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 1/4 cups mini M&M's
sea salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat.  

1.  Whisk flour and baking soda together in a medium bowl and set aside. 
2.  Heat 10 tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium-high heat until melted (apprx 2 mins).  Continue cooking, swirling the pan constantly, until butter is dark golden brown and has a nutty aroma (apprx 1-3 mins).  Keep a close eye on this process.  The butter can go from brown to burned quickly.  Transfer brown butter to a large heatproof bowl and add remaining 4 tablespoons of butter to melt.
4.  To the butter, add sugars, salt and vanilla and whisk until fully incorporated.  Add egg and yolk and whisk 30 seconds until smooth.  Let the mixture stand for 3 minutes and stir another 30 seconds.  Repeat this process two more times so mixture becomes smooth and shiny.  
5.  Using rubber spatula or wooden spoon, incorporate flour mixture until just combined (about 1 minute).  Stir in M&M's.  
6.  Size dough into balls, apprx 2 tablespoons each.  I do this using a 1/4 cup ice cream scoop or measuring cup, scoop out dough and divide into two evenly sized balls.  Do this until all dough is portioned out evenly.  Arrange on prepared cookie sheet 2 inches apart and sprinkle dough with a little sea salt.
7.  Bake cookie trays one at a time, 10-12 minutes, rotating half-way thru baking.  Cookies will still appear soft in the center, and the edges will be golden brown and just begin to set.  Let cool on baking sheet additional 2 minutes and then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.  

Yum!         

Adapted from America's Test Kitchen

Cupcake Wars

There was a time in my life when I couldn't afford certain extravagances.  Let's call that time college.  And the 18 months following college.  I was what you might call.....broke.  Strapped for cash.  Living a hard knock life, if you will.  And being a rational person, I decided I needed to cut back on expenses so I would no longer be in a position where I needed to charge a box of Pops cereal to my MasterCard.  Naturally, extravagances like cable, internet, lattes, shopping at Jewel-Osco, and regular dental appointments (or any appointments with a medical provider for that matter) were slashed from my budget.

But now that I'm a semi-functioning adult member of society with a salary, such frugality isn't a necessity.  I have the internet, I buy lattes at alarming rates, and I've been to the dentist.  A lot actually.  As it turns out, it's not recommended to forgo dental checkups, as I have recently learned.  But one thing I never reinstated was cable.  I realized that while I certainly love a Toddler and Tiaras or Real Housewives marathon now and then, I just still can't justify paying for cable.  And Downton Abbey is on PBS people, that's all I need.   Besides, Netflix and Hulu are just enough to keep me entertained.

In fact, Cupcake Wars, a Food Network show, streams episodes on Hulu.  The premise is absolutely as ridiculous as the name would indicate.  Four bakers go head to head (to head to head) in an elimination-style competition.  Each episode has a theme, like an event at the Hard Rock Hotel or AFI's Young Hollywood party, and cupcakes are centered around that theme.  The two finalists eventually face off in a 1,000 cupcake display challenge that in no way proves their skills as a baker.  I just really hate it and love it at the same time, is what I'm saying.

First off, the host attempts to pepper the show with puns.  And he needs to go easy on that seasoning, if you ask me.  Do you see what I did there?  I made a pun about his use of puns (Inception).  But in all seriousness, as someone who really appreciates the value of a well constructed pun, the host offends me with his blatant overuse.  And his delivery is always so smug.  He's so proud of his brazen pun over-usage.  I don't even know his name and I refuse to look it up because that's how much I don't like him.  That guy is not out to make any friends.

The judges are only mildly more tolerable but they did make a genius choice of choosing a French pastry chef as one of the judges.  Like it or not, when French people offer criticism it's as painful as being teased by a popular kid at school.  They just know they're better than you.  And I happen to work with a few French people occasionally and they scare the living daylights out of me.  So obviously the choice of this judge makes for good entertainment.

Are you sold on the show now that I've said the premise, host and judges are all unlikeable?  I bet you're dying to tune in.  But stay with me.  Obviously, this comes down to one thing:  cupcakes!  It's 60 minutes dedicated to making, filming, decorating, and discussing cupcakes!  They always use interesting ingredients, the decorations are sometimes phenomenal and it truly gives me ideas of flavor combinations and cupcakes that I never would have thought of before.  So if you can ignore everything I've just written, then I suggest you tune in too.  Cupcake Wars really takes the cake.  Sorry I'm not sorry about that pun.

Cupcake Wars can be found on Hulu and on the Food Network but I don't know when because I still don't have cable.      

Jam and Oatmeal Bars

So every Saturday in spring and summer, I go to the Farmer's Market down the block.  It's my "thing."  I get cranky if I can't go.  It's just such a perfect way to start a weekend.  I browse the beautiful produce, handmade soups and lotions, and cool jewelry.  Then I grab a latte and The Onion and everything is right in the world and my possibilities are endless.  

But what I don't tell people is that I don't actually buy any of the produce or lotions or soaps.  I go there for one thing and one thing only.  Pastries.  PASTRIES.  The same vendor is there every week and they sell the best scones and cinnamon rolls and breads.  So I let my heart decide which pastry speaks to me that morning and then I pretend that I'm not about to consume 1,000 calories in the form of a mixed berry scone.  It's fine.    

So this last week I decided to get a blueberry danish.  And it was just terrible.  NOT.  It was heavenly.  My life would be easier if it was terrible.  Then I wouldn't eat danishes and I'd have the abs of an athlete and I'd run marathons.  But I guess SOMEONE has to eat the danishes of the world, right?  You're welcome Denmark.  

But if you're not in the mood for a 1,000 calorie breakfast and a food coma, these Jam and Oatmeal bars are a nice alternative.  There's some buttery goodness and some fruity sweetness.  Plus, and don't freak out, these are major shortcut bars.  With cake mix, jarred  jam, and butter, they're a breeze to whip up.  Sorry Denmark.  

Jam and Oatmeal Bars

Ingredients:
1 (18.25 oz) package yellow cake mix
2 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
1 cup butter, melted
1 cup jam (any flavor)
1 Tbsp water (if needed)

1.  Preheat oven to 375 F and grease a 9"x13" pan.  
2.  In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, oatmeal and butter so there is no dry mix left.  Press about half the dough into the pan to form the crust. 
3.  If your jam is thick, mix with tablespoon of water to thin.  Then spread evenly over crust.  Sprinkle remaining dough over the top by dropping clumps to evenly coat.
4.  Bake in preheated oven for 18-22 minutes or until top is lightly browned.  Cool completely before cutting into bars.  

Enjoy!

Baking Soda vs. Baking Powder

Are you ready to be riveted by the wonders of baking soda and baking powder?! You might want to take a seat for this. Actually, it would be a bit weird if you were reading this blog while standing anyway.

So back to exciting stuff. Guys, I never knew the difference between baking soda and powder for years. I just added what the recipe said and didn't ask questions. Who am I to question a recipe? I'm nothing if not diligent in following directions. But as I've begun to tinker with developing my own recipes or even just tweaking recipes that I find on the Interwebs or in a cookbook, I've realized how important it is to understand what role each ingredient plays. First on my list was discovering the difference between baking powder and baking soda and learning what exactly they do in a recipe. So let's start with the basics:

Baking Soda: Also called "bi-carb" if you're Nigella Lawson (and who doesn't want to be Nigella Lawson?), it's a chemical leavening agent that reacts when it comes in contact with acidic ingredients (like sour cream, vinegar, or buttermilk). Basically, the alkaline baking soda reacts with the acid and forms little bubbles that lift your batter or dough.

Baking Powder: Ok here's the shocker. Baking powder is just baking soda with two additional acidic ingredients. It's a self-contained leavener! How sneaky. So in this case, both alkaline and acid are present in the powder itself and they produce the "lift" in the presence of liquid and heat.

A note about baking powder: Unlike baking soda, baking powder actually has a somewhat limited shelf life. If stored in a cool dry place, it generally lasts about 12-18 months. But the real indicator is how your baked goods look. If cakes or muffins start to look a bit sunken or just don't have the rise you want, try getting some new baking powder.

But it gets so much more exciting (I will keep exaggerating until you get excited). Baking soda also assists in browning. A perfect example of this is the Cinnamon Sugar Donuts I made. Notice how pale they are? That recipe didn't have baking soda, only baking powder. So in a recipe WITH baking soda, it creates an alkaline environment which is ripe for browning! In science talk, amino acids react with sugar in an alkaline environment to create browning. And browning means flavaahhhh.

I know, you are now astounded by these ingredients. I've amazed you. But don't thank me, thank science.

Whopper Blondie Bars

Hey, remember the last time you ate some Whoppers? Yeah, me either. No one does. Nobody at all. So when I saw this recipe for the first time, I thought to myself, "Yeah but where's the peanut butter? Or caramel? Or peanut butter?" And I think that's how most people feel about Whoopers too. Who cares about malt and where's the good stuff?!

It turns out, the good stuff happens when you put some Whoppers in the oven with some flour, sugar, and butter. It's magical. The malted center lends to a wonderful....maltiness? The bars take on an almost toffee-like flavor with a slightly chewy texture. The lowly Whopper finally has its day!

The original recipe for these bars calls for malted milk powder, which I didn't have on hand. And when I say "didn't have on hand" I mean "I have no idea where to find that and I'm kinda lazy." I decided to give it a try without the powder because life is all about taking risks guys. I definitely loved these bars even without the malted milk powder but I would imagine the powder would add even more malty depth and caramel-y flavor. Mmmmm... depth.

Do Whoppers a favor and make these beauties. Here's the recipe:

Whopper Blondie Bars (yields 18-24 bars)

Ingredients

2 1/3 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsps baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 sticks (14 Tbsps) unsalted butter, room temperature, and cut into cubes

1 3/4 cups packed dark brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsps vanilla extract

1 cup of Whoppers, coarsely chopped

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

2 Tbsps malted milk powder (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Grease a 9"x13" pan with cooking spray.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk your dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt and (optional) malted milk powder

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium until combined. Scrape the bowl and add eggs and vanilla and beat again until completely combined.

4. On low speed, slowly add the flour mixture and beat until combined. Add in the Whooper and chocolate chips and mix on low until evenly incorporated. The batter is thick and somewhat sticky.

5. Turn batter into the prepared pan and press evenly into the pan. It helps to dip your fingertips in water combat the stickiness.

6. Bake 25-30 mins or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

7. Let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting and serving.

Yum!

recipe adapted from Smells Like Home

Bytes of the Week 4/8/12!

I absolutely loooooove spending a quiet morning clicking though my favorite baking blogs, pinning recipes, and looking at the beautiful pictures. So, what's better than to share some great recipes I've found with my millions of fans? I present, Bytes of the Week!

Cookies and Cups: Homemade Nutter Butters

First off, who doesn't love Nutter Butters? No one. No one doesn't love them. These look delightful and so easy! I really love that you don't even need a cookie cutter for these cookies. Just pinch and that's it!

Sprinkle Bakes: No Bake Strawberry Milk Cheesecake

I would eat this cheesecake for the crust alone. Sprinkles in the crust, guys. It just makes sense. And it never hurts to have a great no-bake recipe in your arsenal.

Pink Parsley: Goat Cheese Potato Gratin

If a dish has goat cheese in it, it's the greatest dish ever created. And this dish has goat cheese AND potato. So much delicious dairy and carbs. You just can't go wrong.

The Pioneer Woman: Oatmeal Whoopie Pies

Oh man. These immediately reminded me of Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies. I would be frightened to estimate how many of them I consumed from the ages 8 to 14. Let's not talk about it. But let's talk a lot about these! I want them right now. Wonderfully chewy oatmeal cookies with little clouds of heavenly Fluff. I should write poetry.

Bytes of the Week, brought to you by someone drooling over their laptop.

Send me flours

So this is the part of my blog where I pretend to know what I'm talking about. Like, science and ingredients and stuff. But I really don't know what I'm talking about so we'll learn together! Let's start with basics. "We'll begin at the beginning and go on until we come to the end: then stop." Name that movie (hint: rhymes with Shmalice in Shwonderland).

But anyway, back to learning. Flour: let's talk about it! If you never baked in your life I would tell you that flour is a powder that is made from ground grains and seeds, and in some form or another, flour has been around sorta forever. The creation of flour made otherwise indigestible seeds digestible. It's nourished the masses, people!! But we've made many advancements in the flour department in recent years. What a world we live in now.

When it comes to baking, knowing the protein content of your flour is key. The more protein flour has, the more gluten it will produce. Ergo (I use sophisticated words), flour with high protein content can be used to make hearty crusty breads and on the other end of the spectrum, flour with a low protein content can be used to make light cakes with a delicate crumb. Here's the gist:

All Purpose Flour: 10-11.7% protein and generally true to it's name. It's great for most home baked good with the exception of a few rustic breads or super tender cakes

Whole Wheat Flour: 11-14% protein and uses all three parts of the wheat kernel (as opposed to one part of the kernel in AP Flour). It generally creates a heavier, heartier texture. While I've seen plenty of recipes that use 100% whole wheat flour, it's best to use a combination of both AP and whole wheat flours in a recipe to avoid overly dense and heavy baked goods

Cake Flour: 6-8% protein content and makes for a very light and delicate cake. The lower protein leads to less gluten development. And less gluten means a finer crumb.

Bread Flour: 12-14% protein. The high protein (along with kneading) means a lot of gluten development and results in a chewy, hearty bread.

Of course there are other flours (like pastry flour or self rising flour) but for a home cook, I think these flours do the trick.

So are you still with me? Or have I managed to bore you beyond imagination talking about gluten and flour? Well this is important stuff guys, ok? One day, knowing the protein content of cake flour just may save your life (it won't). So you're welcome. You owe me.

Information gathered from the one and only America's Test Kitchen and the other Interwebs sources.

Baked Cinnamon Sugar Donuts

Oh hey. Hello Internet. My name is Annie. Aaanndd, I live in a city. And I like to bake in my city kitchen. Any questions? Just ask!

But let's talk about food. Maybe some Cinnamon Sugar Donuts? If you're anything like me, then you sound pretty great but it also means dipping something in butter and then rolling it in Cinnamon Sugar really brightens your day. So good news! You can do that with these donuts!

Or you can cover them in a chocolate ganache. And sprinkles. Or crushed peanuts. Or toasted coconut. Think of them as a blank canvas. The good news is- they're baked! Not fried. So they're practically health food. You can run a 5k after one of these babies (I don't recommend it). But you will need one important thing to make these.

This adorable donut pan! Your kitchen shouldn't be without one. Ya know, for emergency donut reasons.

So eat one (or three) and then deliver these lovelies to friends. They'll carry you atop their shoulders and sing your praises. Or just give you a high five and say "Thanks, I'm gonna go run a 5k now."

Here's the recipe!

Baked Cinnamon Sugar Donuts (yields 10-12 donuts)

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

3/4 cup buttermilk

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 Tbsp melted butter, cooled slightly

Topping

6 Tbsp butter, melted

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 Tbsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and lightly spray your pan. Remember to re-spray the pan after each use.

1. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Whisk until blended.

2. In a separate bowl, combine buttermilk, eggs, vanilla extract and melted butter until well blended.

3. Slowly combine the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, being careful not to overmix. The batter will be lumpy.

4. Fill donut pans about 3/4 full and bake 8-10 minutes, rotating the pan half-way through baking. Donuts will remain pale (see picture above) and spring back when touched. A toothpick test should produce a few crumbs.

5. Allow donuts to cool 1-2 minutes in the pan before removing. While cooling, put 6 Tbsp melted butter in one bowl and your cinnamon sugar mixture in another. Then thoroughly coat each donut in melted butter (I dunked it in the bowl) and then directly in the cinnamon sugar (dunked again). Do this to achieve as much or as little cinnamon and sugar as you'd like.

6. Allow to rest a few minutes on a rack and then dig in!

Recipe adapted from All Recipes .