Ooey Gooey Turtle Brownies

Sometimes great things result from less than stellar beginnings.  Take, for example, these brownies.  I didn't intend to make them yesterday.  Sure, I've had my eye on them for a while but I wasn't planning to try them for a few weeks.  Rather, my intention had been to make baked sweet potato doughnuts yesterday afternoon.  I dedicated a fair amount of time to the recipe and everything seemed to be going well up until I tried to bake them.  Without boring you with the details, they didn't turn out and I had no idea why.  I'm alright with baking mistakes when I can pinpoint what went wrong but when a recipe fails and I'm confident I've followed the instructions to a T, I get pretty frustrated.  I moped about my failed doughnuts for a bit but I didn't want the day to end on that sour note so I got back into the kitchen.  If anything could make me feel better, it was chocolate and caramel!



These turtle brownies only require a bit more effort than regular brownies and they're so worth it!  The recipe starts with a caramel sauce, and while I typically fear caramel, the instructions here were so clear that it was almost impossible not to succeed.  Some of this caramel is combined with the brownie batter and swirled before going into the oven to bake.  The remainder of the caramel is poured over the fully baked and cooled brownies creating a rich, gooey and chewy topping.  Straight from the fridge the brownies were deliciously fudgy and chocolately, but I actually preferred them as they warmed to room temperature.  The brownie base softened just a bit as did the caramel and I was powerless against the combination.  In fact, I may or may not have had one for breakfast today...



I didn't realize it until Clara tweeted about it this morning, but today is National Chocolate Caramel Day - one of many food holidays no one really knows about :)  I can think of no better offering than these brownies!  Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Ultimate Turtle Brownies
from Cook's Illustrated

Caramel
1/4 cup heavy cream plus 2 additional tablespoons
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 1/4 cups sugar (8 3/4 ounces)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Brownies
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into 8 pieces
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
3/4 cup all-purpose flour (3 3/4 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup sugar (7 ounces)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2/3 cup chopped pecans (about 2 3/4 ounces) (I omitted)
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips (optional)

Optional Garnish
pecan halves, toasted

To make the caramel: Combine the cream and salt in a measuring cup; stir well to dissolve salt. Combine the water and corn syrup in a heavy-bottomed 2- to 3-quart saucepan.  Pour the sugar into the center of the pan, being careful not to let the sugar granules touch the sides of the pan.  Use a rubber spatula to very gently stir the mixture to moisten the sugar thoroughly.  Cover the pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cook, covered and without stirring, until the sugar is completely dissolved and the liquid is clear, about 3 to 5 minutes.  Uncover the pan and continue to cook the mixture, without stirring, until the bubbles have a faint golden color, 3 to 5 minutes more. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to cook (swirling occasionally) until the caramel is light amber and registers about 360 F on a candy thermometer, about 1 to 3 minutes longer.  Remove the saucepan from the heat and carefully add the cream to the center of the pan (the mixture will bubble vigorously); stir with a rubber spatula until the cream is fully incorporated and the bubbling subsides.  Stir in the butter and vanilla until combined.  Transfer the caramel to a large microwave-safe measuring cup and set aside.

To make the brownies: With a rack in the lower middle position, preheat oven to 325 F.  Spray a 9-inch-square baking pan with cooking spray.  Cut a piece of heavy-duty foil to a length of about 14 inches.  Fold the edges back to form an 8 1/2-inch width.  With the folded sides facing down, fit the foil securely into the bottom and up the sides of the prepared baking pan, allowing the excess to overhang the sides of the pan.  Spray the foil with cooking spray.

Place the butter, bittersweet and unsweetened chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl.  Microwave for 1 minute at 50% power.  Remove the bowl from the microwave and stir.  Continue to microwave for 30 second bursts until the butter and chocolates are melted and smooth.  Stir the mixture after each 30-second burst.  Set aside to cool slightly.  In a small bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder and set aside.  Whisk the eggs in a large bowl to combine, then add the sugar, salt and vanilla and whisk until incorporated.  When the chocolate has cooled slightly, add it to the egg mixture and whisk to combine.  Add the flour mixture and fold it in with a rubber spatula until almost combined. Add the chopped pecans and chocolate chips (if using); fold until incorporated and no flour streaks remain.

Pour half of the brownie batter in the prepared baking pan and use an offset spatula to spread it in an even layer covering the bottom of the pan.  Using a measured cup that has been sprayed with cooking spray, drizzle 1/4 cup of caramel over the batter.  Drop the remaining brownie batter over the caramel and spread evenly into the corners of the pan with your offset spatula.  Drizzle an additional scant 1/4 cup caramel over the top of the brownie batter.  Using the tip of a butter knife, swirl the caramel and brownie batter.  Bake the brownies until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool brownies in the pan on wire rack to room temperature, about 1 1/2 hours.

Heat the remaining caramel (you should have about 3/4 cup) in the microwave until warm and pourable but still thick (do not boil), about 45 to 60 seconds, stopping to stir once or twice.  Pour all of the caramel over the brownies.  Use a spatula to spread the caramel to cover the surface. Refrigerate brownies, uncovered, for at least 2 hours.

Using the foil sling, lift the brownies from the baking pan, loosening the sides with paring knife, if needed. Peel away and discard foil. Using a chef's knife, cut the brownies into 20 evenly sized squares. Press a pecan half onto surface of each brownie. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread

Happy St Patrick's Day!  It's going to be an absolutely gorgeous day here - sunny and 60! - hopefully spring weather is here to stay :)  We don't celebrate St Patrick's Day in a big way (no parades, parties, etc.) but I did whip up this Irish soda bread and tonight we'll have corned beef and cabbage for dinner.  Last year I made Irish soda bread for the first time and it was a big hit with my family so I wanted to try another recipe this year.  I came upon this recipe while browsing Cook's Illustrated and thought it would be interesting with its combination of all-purpose, whole wheat and cake flours as well as toasted wheat germ.



The best thing about Irish soda breads is how easy they are to whip up - the leavening is provided by the baking soda and buttermilk so there are no long rising times or kneads.  I took a few liberties with this recipe, mainly because I discovered I didn't have enough cream of tartar after I'd started to combine the dry ingredients.  A quick Google search indicated I could substitute 1/2 teaspoon of white vinegar for the cream of tartar so that's exactly what I did.  I was also using powdered buttermilk as I've found it always works in recipes and keeps much longer than the quarts I used to buy for baking.    The dough was quite sticky and looked very ragged when I put it in the cast iron skillet to bake (wish I'd taken a photo) so don't be concerned if you run into a similar situation.  Although the recipe calls for baking the bread in a cast iron skillet, you could also use a baking sheet but you may get a slightly less crunchy crust on the bread.  My baking time was only about 38 minutes so you probably want to check the bread earlier than the 40-45 minute suggested baking period.



I was surprised when I cut into this bread by its moist and soft texture; it was a wonderful contrast to the crisp crust.  I slathered a slice with butter and thought it was completely delicious - slightly nutty and hearty.  I passed most of my loaf onto my mom and step-dad and they gave it some of the most rave reviews I've heard and since I share a ton of my baked goods with them, that's saying something!  If you're looking for a last minute recipe this St Patrick's Day, this is definitely one worth considering!



Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread
adapted just slightly from Cook's Illustrated

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cake flour
1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk

Preheat oven to 400 F.   

Whisk together the flours, wheat germ, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter to the bowl and rub it into the flour using your fingers or a pastry cutter until it is completely incorporated and the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center and add the buttermilk. Using a fork, incorporate the buttermilk into the dry ingredients just until the dough comes together in large clumps.  Turn the dough onto a well-floured work surface and knead very briefly until any loose flour is just moistened - the dough will be very sticky so you might need to add a small amount of flour so you can handle it.  The dough will look scrappy and uneven.

Form the dough into a round about 6 to 7 inches in diameter and place in a cast iron skillet.  Use a knife to score a deep cross into the top of the loaf.  Bake until the bread is nicely browned and a tester comes out clean when inserted into the center of the loaf, about 40 to 45 minutes.  Cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.

TWD: Soft Chocolate Tart

 

This week's TWD was chosen by Rachelle of Mommy? I'm Hungry!: soft chocolate and raspberry tart.  I think the combination of chocolate and raspberries would have been amazing, but I couldn't justify the expense of the raspberries - I'll have to revisit the tart this summer when raspberries are in season!  None of the other substitutions Dorie suggested appealed to me, so the chocolate shines alone in my tart this week.


 
I've been on a baking marathon the past few days.  I love all of my baking groups, but when the three of them fall in a 3-day span in one month, it's a lot.  If I weren't such a procrastinator I'd make some of the desserts ahead of time, but that didn't happen this month.  Since I'd already made carrot cake and lemon meringue cupcakes over the weekend, I definitely considered making a mini tart.  I made mini tarts last week though, so instead I decided to take the opportunity to finally use my rectangular tart pan for the first time! 



I wasn't sure how a recipe intended for a circular tart pan would work in my rectangular pan and I didn't take the time to do the math to figure it out.  I made the full recipe for the tart dough, and wound up with just a tiny bit of extra dough.  I also made the full chocolate filling recipe and it was the perfect amount of filling.  If I'd used raspberries in the bottom of my tart, I'd probably have had enough filling to make a second small mini tart.  The recipe reminded me of making brownies a bit, even through the baking period as the tart puffed a bit in the shell.  I had to bake the tart about 7 minutes longer than Dorie instructed; at 30 minutes, my filling was still pretty gooey and my knife was definitely not "streaky." 



My mom dropped by to bring me eggs from her chickens yesterday so I gave this tart to her to bring home but not before I cut a sliver to try and to photograph.  It was quite good - but very, very rich!  I had about 3 bites and that was plenty for me.  I loved the look of the rectangular tart but it was a little tricky to remove from the pan and fragile to move around.  Next time I'll definitely have to find a rectangular platter of the same size to put it on.  Thanks to Rachelle for hosting this week!  You can find the recipe on her blog or on page 354 of Baking: From My Home to Yours.

MSC: Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

Last fall I tried a recipe for lemon curd ice cream that had come highly recommended by a few of my blogging buddies.  It blew me away and probably ranks among the top 5 things I've ever made in my kitchen!  It also started my obsession with all things lemon.  I don't recall being a huge fan of lemon desserts prior to that ice cream, but since then, almost any recipe that incorporates this wonderful citrus flavor goes directly onto my "to-make" list.  I can't walk by lemons in the grocery store without thinking I should buy 3 or 4 just in case, even if I've already got several in the fridge at home.  My favorite candle is Yankee Candle's lemon zest, which sadly has been discontinued, and lemon-scented hand soap has a permanent spot beside my kitchen sink.  If my yard wasn't a frozen tundra 4 - 5 months of the year I'd probably try to talk Shane into planting a lemon tree :)



So, suffice it to say that this month's selection for the Martha Stewart Cupcakes Club - lemon meringue cupcakes - thrilled me!  A big thank you to Megan of My Baking Adventures for selecting this recipe and hosting this month.



The cupcakes have several components - a yellow cake base which is topped with lemon curd and then finished with a meringue frosting.  I made 1/4 of the cupcake recipe, which yielded 6 cupcakes.  I wanted to make the entire lemon curd recipe but I didn't have enough eggs in the house (it calls for 8 yolks!) so I went with half of the recipe.  The lemon curd was made in a double boiler, a technique I really enjoyed as it lessened some of the stress over scrambling the eggs for me.  It took almost 15 minutes for the mixture to thicken enough to coat the back of a spoon but it turned out perfectly.  It's probably for the best that I only made half of the lemon curd recipe as it was dangerously good!!  Give me a bowl of this lemon curd and a spoon and I'd be a happy girl.  The recipe only called for topping the cupcakes with a bit of the lemon curd, but I wound up scooping out a little cone from the top of each cupcake to fill with the curd.  It was definitely a case of more of a good thing is an even better thing.  I skipped the meringue topping because I would have had to scale the recipe way back and it was just easier to make whipped cream.  Besides, whipped cream is more tasty in my opinion.   



Between the delicious lemon curd and the whipped cream, a huge weakness of mine, the cake part of this recipe sort of got overshadowed for me.  The cupcakes were very moist with a tight crumb and they baked up nicely.  I did try the cake by itself (I ate the cones I cut from the tops of them) and it was good, but definitely not the star of the show.  The thing I'm most excited about is that I get to use the leftover lemon curd to make ice cream again - I can't wait!!  Thanks again Megan for your selection this week!  You can find the recipe for these cupcakes on page 142 of Martha Stewart's Cupcakes Book.

SMS: Carrot Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

This week's SMS was chosen by Julie of A Little bit of Everything: carrot cake with orange cream cheese frosting!  I love carrot cake (as well as cream cheese frosting) and it's been quite a while since I've baked one, so I was looking forward to this recipe.  Unfortunately, when I made it yesterday, my baking mojo was nowhere to be found.  Generally, I'm pretty methodical when I'm baking - you sort of have to be, right? - but I managed to screw this recipe up two separate times before all was said and done.  More on that later...



It's become all too common lately for me to make cupcakes when a layer cake recipe is chosen for one of my baking groups, and I was determined not to go that route this time.  My friend Margot suggested a mini layer cake and it was the perfect idea!  I made 1/4 of the recipe and had just enough batter to fill two of my 4.5-inch mini springform pans.  This is also the point where I should mention my first mistake - not greasing the pans before I poured the batter into them!  In fact, I didn't even realize I hadn't greased them until I pulled the cakes out of the oven when they finished baking.  The only saving grace was that I had put a round of parchment in the bottom of each pan.  So, luckily, I was able to get the cakes out of the pans in one piece.  The baking time for my mini cakes was almost 30 minutes.  My other change to the recipe was to omit the nuts and substitute an equal amount of crushed pineapple. 



In making the frosting, I ran into my second problem.  I added the first three ingredients to the mixer bowl - sugar, orange zest and cream cheese - and started to beat them together.  A minute later I noticed the untouched bag of confectioners' sugar on the counter and realized I'd accidentally incorporated granulated sugar instead.  I'm not sure how the recipe would have turned out had I kept going because I played it safe and started over.  The cream cheese frosting from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes book is my absolute favorite go-to recipe but this one was pretty tasty.  My main complaint about this one - it wasn't completely smooth.  I'm not sure why I had lumps (I sifted the sugar) but I added some toasted, shredded coconut to the top of my cake to mask the unattractive frosting.  I did like the specks of orange zest and the added flavor.  I made 1/4 of the frosting recipe and had plenty to cover my mini layer cake.  



I really enjoyed this cake.  It was moist and flavorful and complemented perfectly by the orange cream cheese frosting.  In fact, this may be in my top 3 recipes we've made so far in the group!  Thanks, Julie, for a great pick this week!  You can find the recipe on her blog or in the Sweet Melissa Baking Book.

Candied Bacon-Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've mentioned here several times that I give away most of the treats I bake.  Shane's coworkers are some of my favorite people to share with - they're open to lots of things and always very appreciative!  One of Shane's buddies is leaving the company and today is his last day so I knew I needed to bake something special for him.  I asked what he'd like and he said "anything with chocolate, bacon, or both."  Ok, I figured could handle that, especially since I remembered that Susan from Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy had just posted candied bacon-chocolate chunk cookies a few weeks ago!  Like Susan, I'm not crazy about the idea of sticking bacon in desserts but I do really love the combination of sweet and salty foods (popcorn or pretzels and chocolate - YUM!) so I thought I might actually like these cookies.  I guess it didn't really matter what I thought though since the cookies weren't for me; I ran the idea by Shane and he gave it a thumbs-up so I got to work. 



I made the candied bacon first, which was as easy as topping slices of bacon with brown sugar and baking until caramelized.  Of course I sampled it before chopping it up for the cookies and oh my word, was it ever good!  If it hadn't been earmarked for another purpose, I could have eaten a ton!  It took longer than the recipe indicated for my bacon to achieve the dark, rich color I wanted, in part because of how much fat was rendered I think.  Next time I'll put the bacon on a wire rack above the baking sheet before popping it in the oven.



Once the bacon was ready, I set out to make the cookies.  Interestingly, the recipe called for cold butter, as opposed to room temperature or melted.  Since the butter was cut into small pieces, it still creamed fairly easily for me.  The cookies, once baked, were speckled with the candied bacon and chocolate chips and looked lovely.  They were, however, quite thin.  Shane and I both agreed that we'd prefer a slightly thicker cookie next time.  The bacon isn't overpowering in the cookies.  In fact, if you didn't know there was bacon in them, you probably wouldn't guess - you'd just think there was something slightly different about these cookies.  The flavors were wonderful - salty and sweet all in one just as I'd hoped!  Most importantly, these cookies got a thumbs-up from Shane's coworker who declared them an "epic choice for a last day treat." 

Candied Bacon-Chocolate Chip Cookies
from Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy (who adapted the idea from David Lebovitz)

Candied Bacon

8 strips bacon
1/2 cup light brown sugar

Preheat oven to 400 F.  Lay the strips of bacon on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, shiny side down (or on a wire rack placed on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil).  Sprinkle half of the brown sugar evenly over each strip of bacon.

Bake for about 7-8 minutes then flip the bacon strips over and drag them through the dark, syrupy liquid that’s collected on the baking sheet.  Sprinkle the rest of the brown sugar over the other side of the bacon strips and continue to bake until they're a deep mahogany color, about 7-8 minutes more (I let mine go a few extra minutes).  Remove from oven and cool the strips on a wire rack.

Once cooled, chop the bacon into little pieces, about the size of grains of rice.  (Candied bacon bits can be stored in an airtight container and chilled for a day or so, or stored in the freezer a few weeks ahead.)

Chocolate Chip Cookies
 
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup finely chopped candied bacon

Preheat oven to 325 F.  Line three baking sheets with parchment paper.

Beat the sugars and butter together until smooth.  Mix in the egg, vanilla, and baking soda.  Whisk together the flour and salt, then add them to the batter.  Stir in the chocolate chips and candied bacon.

Using a tablespoon-sized cookie scoop, scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets.  Place the balls about 2 inches apart - I fit 8 per baking sheet.  Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until pale golden brown.  Rotate the baking sheets from front to back and top to bottom halfway through if necessary to ensure even baking.  Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

The cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for 3-4 days.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Barbecue Portobello Quesadillas

When it comes to preparing meals, lunch stumps me far more than either breakfast or dinner.  Breakfast is no problem - usually something quick and easy, like oatmeal, cereal or even fruit and yogurt.  I never struggle for dinner ideas either (though motivation is sometimes a problem), plus we have quite a few go-to recipes I can turn to if all else fails.  But lunch...  I guess you could say I'm picky and a lot of the traditional lunch ideas (think soups, sandwiches, salads, etc.) don't appeal to me at all.  I do enjoy grilled cheese quite a bit but over time I've convinced myself that it's not the healthiest thing to eat for lunch on a daily basis.  So, needless to say, I'm always on the lookout for new ideas, anything that will make my mid-day meal less of a struggle.



I came upon these quesadillas in an issue of Eating Well I borrowed from the library recently and what a find they've been!  I love quesadillas so I'm not sure why the idea of making them at home never crossed my mind previously.  Mushrooms and onions are one of my favorite combinations - they're my pizza toppings of choice - so it wasn't too surprising that I really enjoyed these quesadillas.  I made them earlier this week and enjoyed them so much I made them for lunch again the next day.  I found myself at the store yesterday picking up a few things, including more mushrooms so I could yet again have quesadillas!  I'm sure the novelty will wear off, but for now they're the perfect lunch - quick and easy, substantial enough to hold me over for quite a while and sooo delicious!



The first day I made this recipe I followed it almost exactly.  The only change I made was to reduce the amount of barbecue sauce (the amount listed below is the reduced amount I used, not the original) based on some of the reviews of the recipe on Eating Well's site.  When I cut the mushrooms up, it seemed like there were way too many, but they cook down quite a bit so don't be concerned.  Also, I didn't measure the cheese - I just spread it over the tortilla until I had a layer that covered one half.  I used two tortillas as the recipe suggested, but my toppings were spilling out of the sides so I think you could even stretch your filling to make three (or use slightly larger tortillas to make two).  The second day I made quesadillas, I used crimini mushrooms, more red onion and skipped the barbecue sauce mixture.  They were still terrific and the best part is there are a ton of other flavor combinations to try so hopefully I won't get sick of this lunch for a while!

Barbecue Portobello Quesadillas
adapted from Eating Well (as seen here)

2-3 tablespoons prepared barbecue sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons tomato paste
1 1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1/2 chipotle chile in adobo sauce
1 tablespoon canola oil, divided
1/2 pound portobello mushroom caps, (about 2 1/2 medium), gills removed (a spoon works well), diced
1/2 medium red onion, finely diced
2 8-inch whole-wheat tortillas
6 tablespoons shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Combine barbecue sauce, tomato paste, vinegar and chipotle in a medium bowl.

Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add onion and cook, stirring, until the onion and mushrooms are beginning to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to the bowl with the barbecue sauce; stir to combine. Wipe out the pan.

Place the tortillas on a work surface. Spread 3 tablespoons of cheese on half of each tortilla and top with half of the filling. Fold tortillas in half, pressing gently to flatten.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in the pan over medium heat. Add the quesadillas and cook, turning once, until golden on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes total. Cut each quesadilla into wedges (a pizza cutter does the job nicely) and serve.