By Jeanne, on December 9th, 2011
Take a long look at this picture. Allow your eyes to drift in and out of focus. Let the thoughts and stresses of the day drain from your mind. Introduce your brain to this whoopie pie and let the words flow through like a river. Cookie…cake…pie…filling…peanut butter…chocolate…ganache…sandwich. Acknowledge each word as it appears on your mind’s screen, briefly consider how it might describe this confection, then let it go. Take a minute to relax and just breathe. When you’re ready, remove yourself from your sweet reverie. I invite you to share your whoopie pie epiphanies in the comments below.
Continue reading “Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies: A Pictorial Meditation” »
By Jeanne, on December 4th, 2011
One plate piled high with 30 chocolate truffle cookies didn’t stand a chance against 30 hungry permaculture design students, who had been deprived of chocolate for 13 days. These were gone in seconds.
The Boyfriend earned his Permaculture Design Certificate and made 29 new friends during his 14 days living out of a tent and off the grid. He came away inspired to transform our yard into a sustainable, efficient, and productive plot of land, starting with an herb spiral in our front yard. These cookies were a small reward for the knowledge and inspiration of those 30 new permaculture designers, but they were certainly most appreciated.
Continue reading “Chocolate Truffle Cookies With Sea Salt” »
By Jeanne, on November 27th, 2011
Catherine of Munchie Musings was our November Daring Bakers’ host and she challenged us to make a traditional Filipino dessert – the delicious Sans Rival cake! And for those of us who wanted to try an additional Filipino dessert, Catherine also gave us a bonus recipe for Bibingka which comes from her friend Jun of Jun-blog.
It may be ambitious to title a cake “Sans Rival”, meaning “without rival”. But with four layers of gluten-free dacquoise (nut meringue) cake, slathered in French buttercream, there aren’t very many cakes that come close to this one in decadence and taste. The Sans Rival cake is a popular dessert in the Philippines though its origin is French. The many Filipinos who went abroad to study in the early 20th century brought back the French cooking techniques that would make this cake a Filipino favorite.
Continue reading “Daring Bakers Challenge: Chocolate Sans Rival Cake” »
By Jeanne, on August 27th, 2011
The August 2011 Daring Bakers’ Challenge was hosted by Lisa of Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drive and Mandy of What the Fruitcake?!. These two sugar mavens challenged us to make sinfully delicious candies! This was a special challenge for the Daring Bakers because the good folks at http://www.chocoley.com offered an amazing prize for the winner of the most creative and delicious candy!
You win some, you lose some. The old adage holds just as true in the kitchen as it does on the sports field. In a two-part challenge this month, my record was 1-1. That may not be a winning record but as batting averages go, .500 is nothing to sniff at. And in the kitchen, there’s always the luxury of going back for a do-over. At least I now know what DOESN’T work.
Continue reading “Daring Bakers Challenge: Peanut Butter Cups” »
By Jeanne, on August 9th, 2011
This weekend, we celebrated two milestones: a birthday and the continued world travels of Simple Math Bakery’s cookies. The Boyfriend’s birthday was last week (one of the big ones – it ends in a “0″). What better way to celebrate than with a giant cookie (cake)? As for my cookies, they have now officially been consumed by fish and humans 61 feet underwater in the Mediterranean Sea. My friend Susannah travels the world as an underwater archaeology photographer. Someday I hope to accompany her on expedition as her official Personal Baker, but until then I send cookie care packages across the Atlantic Ocean.
Continue reading “Birthday Cake for a Sandwich Cookie Lover” »
By Jeanne, on June 22nd, 2011
“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.”
-Charles M. Schulz
I made these muffins for my dear friend Monet. This incredible woman is surrounded by a loving network of family and friends, a darling housecat, and quite a fan base of fellow bloggers. She’s an extremely talented baker, so we all crowd around her blog eagerly awaiting the next recipe from her Austin kitchen, and the accompanying story or treasured memory that is inevitably woven into the prose. Even with such a large web of love and support, a strong soul can find itself worn down and weary in the face of tragedy. And for that, I prescribe double chocolate muffins and a large virtual hug, sent from my kitchen to Monet’s.
Continue reading “Double Chocolate Muffins” »
By Jeanne, on May 27th, 2011
The May 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Emma of CookCraftGrow and Jenny of Purple House Dirt. They chose to challenge everyone to make a Chocolate Marquise. The inspiration for this recipe comes from a dessert they prepared at a restaurant in Seattle.
I love a good baking challenge, but my favorites are the challenges that lend themselves to creative shapes. For these challenges, my mind is able to wander through mathematical equations, searching for an appropriate symbol or pattern to re-create in edible form. This month it’s one of my favorites: Pi.
As excited as I was to mold the marquise into a shape of mathematical significance, when the dishes had piled up and the dessert was finally plated, I discovered an irrationally fabulous combination of flavors.
Continue reading “Daring Bakers Challenge: Marquise On Meringue” »
By Jeanne, on February 27th, 2011
The February 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Mallory from A Sofa in the Kitchen. She chose to challenge everyone to make Panna Cotta from a Giada De Laurentiis recipe and Nestle Florentine Cookies.
I have good news and bad news. Shall we start with the good news? These florentine cookies manage to achieve both chewy and crunchy cookie status in the same bite. And as an added bonus, the dough is basically a big sweet bowl of oatmeal with tons of butter in it. Definitely good news.
Continue reading “Daring Bakers Challenge: Panna Cotta and Florentine Cookies” »
By Jeanne, on January 27th, 2011
The January 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Astheroshe of the blog accro. She chose to challenge everyone to make a Biscuit Joconde Imprime to wrap around an Entremets dessert.
The purpose of this challenge was to create a beautifully molded dessert with a pattern baked into the side – which it is, in this picture. So, technically, I completed the challenge. However, upon cutting the cake it all fell apart – literally.
Continue reading “Daring Bakers Challenge: Biscuit Joconde Imprime/Entremet” »
By Jeanne, on December 27th, 2010
The 2010 December Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Penny of Sweet Sadie’s Baking. She chose to challenge Daring Bakers’ to make Stollen. She adapted a friend’s family recipe and combined it with information from friends, techniques from Peter Reinhart’s book………and Martha Stewart’s demonstration.
Welcome to the Daring Bakers challenge, Monochrome Monday edition! Capturing the challenge on black and white film was a bit daunting at first but I am pleased to present the results of this month’s challenge in the context of my weekly photography project.
Developing film is not that much different from baking. The ingredients must be carefully measured, then mixed in the correct proportions. The mixture goes into a tank with the roll of film. Developing time is dependent on temperature, among other factors. And if the film is left in the tank for too long, it will be ruined! Much like a loaf of bread.
Continue reading “Monochrome Monday & Daring Bakers Challenge: Stollen” »
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