Peanut Butter Cookies

Peanut Butter Cookies

What you need

1 1/4 c all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c unsalted butter @ room temperature
1/2 c creamy peanut butter
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla



0. Preheat oven to 375 F
1. Stir flour, baking soda, salt & set aside.

2. Beat butter for 30 seconds. Add peanut butter and both sugars, beat well. Add egg, vanilla and beat well.

3. Add dry ingredients on low and beat until mixed. Don't pour all the dry ingredients in at once - divide into 2-3 batches, pour & mix and then pour some more, etc. It'll save your arms some trouble.

4. Shape into 1 inch balls. If you like, you can roll these in granualted sugar and you'll get pretty sugar crystals on top of the cookies, but this sugar is additional to the 1/2 c in this recipe.

 

5. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Make criss-crosses with a fork. Don't push too hard or your cookies will spread thin. Use the tip of the fork to get the mark with minimum pressure.

6. Bake @ 375 for 10 minutes. Cool 1 minute before removing from pan and continue to cool on rack - if they last that long.

Crazy Good Brownies

Crazy Good Brownies
Adapted from Food & Wine July 2010

What you need

1 Lb unsalted butter

1.5 Lb chopped semisweet chocolate (equivalent to six 4oz bars)
1 c all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

6 large eggs

2 1/2 c sugar

2 Tbsp pure vanilla extract

2 Tbsp strong brewed espresso

1 c semisweet chocolate chips

1 c chopped walnuts

1. Melt butter and chopped chocolate over low heat in a double boiler. This takes slightly longer than expected, maybe because I don't have a real double boiler and was improvising with a bowl over simmering hot water. Keep in mind that it's a LOT of butter and chocolate so it should be a LARGE bowl. If you're improvising like me, your bowl should NOT be touching the water but just perched above it. Give it a few stirs to speeden the process. Soft lumps are okay because you will be beating this later.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. You can do this while the chocolate melts.

3. Preheat oven to 350 F and spray a 9 x 13 baking pan with cooking spray. You can do this while the chocolate melts, too. You'll have plenty of time.

4. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar at medium-high speed until thick and pale approximately 4 minutes. Add vanilla and espresso, and then add the flour mixture until just incorporated. I was using a handheld mixer which was okay up to this point, but considering the next step, a stand mixer is highly recommended. Also be sure NOT to omit the espresso - it really makes a difference in bringing out a deep chocolate flavor - even if you have to use extra-strong instant coffee.

5. Beat in the melted chocolate mixture. The bowl at this point was super hot so I ladled the mixture. Whether you're pouring straight from the bowl or ladling, it's almost impossible to do this and mix with a handheld at the same time unless you have a trustworthy sous-chef, which probably doesn't apply to my 3-year-old. Of course, I guess if you have a real double boiler with a long heatproof handle, then it might be possible.

6. Mix in the chocolate chips and walnuts with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula. I used the spatula because you need it to scrape the batter in the next step- just one less thing to wash.

7. Scrape into the pan and bake for about 1 hour in a glass/ceramic pan, 50-55 minutes in a dark pan. Bake until tops are shiny and edges beginning to set (moving away from the pan). The center will still feel undone (don't rely on the toothpick test). Cool completely, cut, and enjoy. If you use the toothpick test, your brownies will be overdone (the sides will be burnt). If you don't cool completely, the brownie will fall apart. Cool completely - even after 3 hours, it was a little soft - but after letting it set overnight, it was really fudgy and dense.


I tried using baking mixes - the usual suspects (e.g., Betty Crocker) and even a Ghiradelli Double Chocolate (this one has chocolate chips in the mix) to compare. I mean, is this recipe worth the trouble  -double boiler, ladling chocolate, etc. etc.? The answer is absolutely YES. Although you can add espresso to the box mixes to get a deeper flavor, you can't match the fudginess of this recipe. Nor the size.

Sedona Tortilla Soup

Sedona Tortilla Soup

Adapted from the California Pizza Kitchen Cookbook

What you need

3 Tbsp olive oil

2 corn tortillas, cut into 1" squares

2 Tbsp minced garlic

2 Tbsp minced white onion

1 1/2 tsp minced japalapeno

2 cans of white corn (Shoepeg)

1 can diced tomatoes

1/3 c tomato paste

2 1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 Tbsp Kosher salt

1/4 tsp white pepper

1/2 tsp chili powder

1 1/2 c water

1 can chicken stock

1 can vegetable stock

1. Over medium heat, fry tortilla in olive oil until crisp.
2. Add garlic, onions, jalapeno and cook until onions are translucent.

3. Add 1 can of corn and everything else. Save 1 can of corn for later. I know, it doesn't look too appealing now, but it'll get there. Have faith. Bring to a low boil and boil for 5 minutes.

4. Remove from heat and process in batches in a blender or in the pot with a handheld propeller blade. Hopefully you have a handheld because now my blender top is stained a beautiful light orange. I learned my lesson and am buying one of those handhelds soon.

5. Return mixture to the pot and add remaining corn. Bring to boil while stirring constantly to avoid scorching the bottom of the pot.

6. Garnish with cheese or tortilla chips. Sorry, I had a few spoonfuls before I got around to taking the picture, but it's really really yummy and good alone or as a side to any panini. It keeps for at least a week in the fridge.

The original recipe calls for 1 quart of vegetable stock but I thought the chicken stock would give it more flavor. And I've increased some of the spices (e.g., garlic and pepper) because... well, that's how I like my food. Of course, the original recipe also calls for real corn and jalapenos, but when am I going to sit and shuck 1.5 Lbs of fresh corn? Canned corn worked fine, and I used 3 pieces of bottled jalapeno circles (which actually might be more than 1.5 tsp), but it all tasted fine and all of us, toddler included, loved it.