Filed under Chocolate …

May 04 2012
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Chocolate, Cookies, Etc.

Kitchen Art and Cookies

It’s Friday!  Let’s celebrate with arts and crafts and cookies, OK?

I was on a mission last year to find a chalkboard that I could hang in the kitchen or the entryway, but it seemed as though they were a thing of the past.  Every art store, hardware store, craft store or big box store that I went to only sold dry-erase boards.  Pottery Barn seemed to be the only place still in the chalkboard game, but there was no way that I was going to pay a hundred bucks or more for a board to doodle on. What gives?  My lungs want to inhale chalk dust, not marker fumes.

After much disappointment, I pushed the chalkboard idea to the back of my mind.  I’m not sure what made me think of it again, but last weekend I was hanging out at Home Depot, and I realized that I could make my own chalkboard.  I bought a can of chalkboard spray paint for less than five dollars, and I knew that I had a gazillion old picture frames stashed away in the closet that would be perfect painting surfaces.

I had two large frames (I think 10.5×13.5 without the matting) that I thought would be the perfect size.   I started to disassemble them and realized that the glass was actually glued to the frame, so I had to dig out some razor blades to slowly slice away the dried glue until the glass came free.  The first attempt resulted in shattered glass, but I had much better luck with the second frame.  I headed out to the deck, sprayed a few coats of paint while the mailman stared me down from across the street (Is there some law against spray painting on decks that I am unaware of?), and left it to try.  Twenty-four hours later, I had a chalkboard!

I returned the glass to the frame, and it now resides on a wall in the kitchen.  And that is how you make a chalkboard for five dollars.  Take that, Pottery Barn.

In other news, I made Oatmeal Walnut Pecan Cocoa Nib Cookies from Joy the Baker this week, and you should make them this weekend.  They were well received in our house and in Matt’s office.  They make me think of butterscotch until I hit a big piece of chocolate, and then I think of chocolate.  Win-win.

Apr 12 2012
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Chocolate, Dessert

Sweet and Salty Brownies

What can I say about these brownies?  I made them almost two weeks ago, and every time I sit down in front of my computer, I struggle to find the right words to say that will do them the justice that they deserve.  The day after making them I wrapped up and froze about two-thirds of the pan because I didn’t want to be tempted by so many of them, nor did I want a single morsel to get stale and go to waste, which happens a little too frequently with baked goods in our house.  Two layers of fudgy brownie sandwich a layer of salted caramel to create something incredible.  They’re rich, they’re salty, they’re sweet, and they require a glass of cold milk for maximum enjoyment.  If I had to pick one brownie recipe to eat for the rest of my life, this would be it.

Recipe: Sweet & Salty Brownies from Baked Explorations.

Have you ever made caramel with sour cream in it?  I hadn’t.  Yum.

Dark chocolate and butter and sugar and eggs and vanilla and flour and cocoa powder and salt.  This is looking promising.

Plus salted caramel – even more promising.

When you pour the caramel layer, you’re supposed to keep it clear of the edges where the heat of the pan can cause it to burn, so if someone samples one little bite after you’ve been hyping these up for a week, make sure they get a non-edge piece so they can get the full experience.

Fully baked and topped with salt and sugar.

Gooey, fudgy, caramelly.

The brownies are so good that you’ll want to eat more than one, but they’re so rich that it’s not too difficult to hold back.  At least for a few hours.

Apr 10 2012
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31 in 2011, Candy, Chocolate, Dessert

Marshmallows

I made marshmallows! Big, fluffy, vanilla marshmallows.

I had several egg whites left over after making mango ice cream last week, so rather than dumping $0.75 down the drain, I decided that I’d make marshmallows.  After spending well over a year thinking about doing it, it took me about two minutes to find a recipe and start gathering ingredients. It’s funny how that works.

As with any new experience largely centered around beating egg whites and making a hot sugar syrup, there were a few tense moments (Am I doing this right?  The recipe said not to let the mixer splash syrup onto the sides of the bowl, but the bowl is now covered with beads of hardened syrup! I’m supposed to coat the pan with powdered sugar and cornstarch, but I don’t have cornstarch!), but in less than an hour I had a giant marshmallow cloud resting on a sheet pan.

I left the pan on the counter overnight, and in the morning I dusted the cloud with a generous layer of powdered sugar and used kitchen shears to cut it into squares.  I did have a problem with the bottoms being a little damp (according to the troubleshooting tips from the recipe it’s because I didn’t beat the final mixture long enough to cool it down), but I turned them over to let them dry out, and a few hours later I had a few dozen marshmallows ready for consumption.  Very exciting.

A few days later, inspired by chocolate-dipped Peeps, I melted some bittersweet chocolate chips and made a good thing even better.  I will also note that just like Peeps, homemade marshmallows are delicious when slightly stale.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with chocolate-dipped marshmallows, but I couldn’t resist adding sprinkles to a few of them.

Jan 11 2012
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Cheese, Chocolate

more cheese and chocolate

There will always be days like today, where half of a mug of hot coffee pours into your purse while you’re driving your car with a flat to the auto shop, a flat tire turns into a pricey investment in four new tires, and the potential of another investment lingers unless that bowl of arborio rice works its magic on your coffee-soaked iPod.

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Before the day ends, when there’s still a chance for salvation, get yourself some stinky cheese and a crusty baguette.  When you’ve had your fill of cheese, switch to Nutella.  Things will be better.

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