Extra Schmaltz!

I found this recipe partly by experimentation, partly by accident. Baking while distracted, I accidentally added too much flour, which gave the cookies more body and kept them from spreading out too much. I intentionally used part shortening to further prevent spreading, and some corn syrup to keep them moist. I drizzled them with leftover chocolate glaze from Chocolate Meringue Gondolas . If you click to enlarge this picture the cookies look more delicious. Preheat oven to 375° and place parchment paper on two baking sheets. 1 lb. all-purpose flour 1 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. salt 4 oz. unsalted butter, softened (1 stick) 4 oz. shortening, softened 3/4 c. white sugar 1/2 c. brown sugar 1/4 c. light corn syrup 2 eggs 1 tsp. vanilla extract 12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used half white chocolate) 1/2 c. roasted walnuts, finely chopped Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, beat the butter and shortening until they ar...

This recipe is from Great Cookies by Carole Walters. The results are light, delectable, and wheat-free. Great for after a heavy meal when you want a touch of sweetness, and perfect for Passover. Preheat oven to 275°, with racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Meringues 2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, broken into pieces 4 large egg whites at room temp 1/8 tsp. salt 1 c. superfine sugar, divided 1/2 tsp. vanilla For the meringues, chop the unsweetened chocolate in the food processor until fine. I found putting the chocolate in the freezer for 15 minutes helped keep it cool. Place the egg whites in a large bowl and beat at medium until frothy. Add the salt, increase the speed, and beat until it forms firm peaks. Add 2/3 c. sugar, 1 Tbsp. at a time. Add the vanilla and beat 1 minute more until it forms stiff peaks. Fold in the remaining 1/3 cup sugar in four additions, then fold in the chopped chocolate. Form 'quenel...

I remember getting this bread, or something like it, at Turtle Bread. It was absolutely fabulously delicious, especially when schmeared with mascarpone. The recipes ( here and here ) I derived this from are pretty complex, and give the measurements in weight and traditional cups/tbsps. I prefer the latter, so that's what I'll use primarily. If you want weights, feel free to look at those links. The Night Before: You need to mix "biga naturales" which are a form of starter. I think they recipe would be fine without this, but you might want to increase the yeast later: 1/4c. flour 1/8c. water pinch of yeast Mix, and then let sit covered at least 8 hours (or overnight). Day Of: Biga Naturales, cut into small pieces 3 c. flour 1 1/8c. water 1/4 c. honey 1 Tbsp. vanilla 1/4 c. cocoa powder 1/2 tsp. yeast 1 Tbsp salt 1/4-1/2 c. chocolate chips Mix all ingredients, then knead for 5-8 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes. Knead in chocolate chips. Let rest until doubled in covered li...

Made these for cards night and covered them in melted chocolate. The melted chocolate part didn't go 100% right so I won't post that part. The brownies themselves are delish, though. This is the Hershey's fudgey brownie recipe. 1 4 oz. bar unsweetened baking chocolate 3/4 c. (1 1/2 sticks) butter 2 c. sugar 3 eggs 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 1 c. flour Heat oven to 350. Grease a 13x9 or 8x8 brownie pan. Gently melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler or in the microwave using short bursts at 50% power. When the chocolate and butter are melted and smooth, stir in the sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Add flour and stir until combined. Fold in chocolate chips or nuts, if desired. Pour into pan and bake for ~35 minutes, until the center is just set and a knife.toothpick comes out of the middle almost clean (it will set up more as it cools, and it's supposed to be gooey anyway).

For Valentines, I whipped up a nice batch of chocolate covered strawberries. The original recipe I saw called for you to "drizzle white chocolate over the top with a fork" but it turns out the white chocolate I had wasn't terribly drizzleable. We ended up putting it in a plastic bag with a hole cut out of one corner, frosting style, and distributing it that way. It's hot - watch your fingers. Chocolate covered strawberries: 6 oz semi-sweet chocolate 1-2 Tbsp butter 1 # strawberries, washed and dried well 2-4 oz white chocolate (optional) 1-2 Tbsp butter Heat the dark chocolate double boiler style with 1-2 Tbsp butter - I put it in a ceramic bowl over a saucepan of water. When the chocolate is liquidy enough, dip in and rotate the strawberries one by one until each is properly covered. Place on a cookie sheet with wax paper. When you're done with the dark chocolate, you can heat the white chocolate (with or without butter) and drizzle however seems best. Place in f...

Alex writes from Austin, "Mom, do you know any particularly good chocolate cake recipes?" What better time to post this beauty: Texas Sheet Cake. It is easy and quick and tastes just plain yummy. Ingredients: 2 cups flour 2 cups sugar 1 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt 1 cup butter (so far it sounds pretty good, right?) 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 2 eggs 1/2 cup buttermilk or sour milk 1 1/2 tsp vanilla Grease a rectangular baking pan, set aside. In large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and sale. set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup butter, 1/3 cup cocoa, and 1 cup water. Bring to boil stirring constantly (yes, Alex, you can do this while talking on the phone). Remove from heat. Beat cholocate mixture into the dry mixture until thoroughly blended. Add eggs, buttermilk, an dvanilla. Stir or beat until batter is thin (about 1 minute.) Pour into prepared pan. Bake at 350 about 25 - 35 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Err on...

There are countless recipes for banana bread, and I consulted four cookbooks to come up with my own version. This one is primarily based on the recipe in The Melting Pot, but has a few variations. To be extra decadent, I added dark chocolate chips instead of walnuts--everyone knows that nuts in dessert are revolting, so use chocolate instead! If you are low on bananas, you can substitute applesauce, and I hear that Alex has had good luck with using applesauce entirely. Banana bread is very accommodating of whole grain flour, which you can substitute for up to 50% of the flour. To be honest, I'm not sure why you add the milk and vanilla at the end, but why tempt fate by changing the steps around? Preheat your oven to 350. 1/2 c. shortening at room temp 2 eggs, beaten 1 c. sugar 2-3 mashed bananas to make 1 c. 2 c. flour 1 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt 3 Tbsp. sour milk, buttermilk, or yogurt 1 tsp. vanilla 1/2 c. chopped nuts or 3/4 c. dark chocolate chips B...

Forget about the dang pancakes already! This is something you have to taste - The recipe is taken, shamelessly and without editing, from the Joy of Gardening Cookbook with frosting from Grandma Gwen's recipe box. It is so incredibly delicious and if I am doing my arithmetic right, it is about 75% zucchini. (Just don't tell anyone that claims they don't like squash in any form). ZUCCHINI CHOCOLATE CAKE 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature 2 cups sugar 3 eggs, beaten 1 TBSP vanilla (yes, TBSP!) 2 cups flour 1/3 cup cocoa 2 tsp. baking soda 2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. salt 1/3 cup buttermilk or sour cream 3 cups coarsely grated zucchini (I left out the nuts, but you can certainly add some) Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour two 9" round pans. Melt the chocolate and oil in a small saucepan over very low heat. Cream the butter until light; add the sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Beat well. Add the melted chocolate and mix we...