Lemon Basil Dimply Peach Cake (TWD)

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) recipe was chosen by Michelle of Fool for Food: Dimply Plum Cake. I was at home with my parents these past few days, so I had to work with what was on hand. They didn't have any plums, but they did have plenty of peaches so I went with Dorie's suggestion to adapt the recipe into a Lemon Basil Dimply Peach Cake instead.


I also didn't have any vanilla extract, so I used a vanilla bean instead. Look at those beautiful flecks of vanilla bean seeds and lemon zest! :)


This cake was just okay for me. I'm not sure why, because it seems like all the other TWD bakers loved it. The flavors of the lemon and basil in this cake were wonderful, but I found the cake itself to be very dry. Perhaps I overbaked it? I used a 9-inch pan instead of an 8-inch pan and still baked it for the full 40 minutes, but I tried to check it early and it did not test done at 30 minutes. I probably should have tested it again at 35 minutes. Or maybe it was because I used unbleached flour? If you have any ideas, let me know.

I've included the adapted recipe below, as I made it. If you would like the original recipe, you can find it here (with recipe tips here). Make sure you visit the TWD Blog Roll to see how everyone else enjoyed this dimply little treat.

Sorry this post is a bit shorter than usual, but I've been out of town for a few days to attend my grandmother's funeral and barely had the chance to get this done. It's still hard to believe that she's gone, even though we knew her time left with us was short (she had liver cancer). It was only by God's grace that she passed away without any pain or suffering. We find solace knowing that she is in a better place now.

Lemon Basil Dimply Peach Cake
adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt (alternatively, you can use unsalted butter and 1/4 tsp salt)
5 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/3 cup flavorless oil, such as canola or sunflower
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise and seeded - learn how here (or 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract)
2 large peaches, halved and pitted
3 basil leaves, finely chopped


Getting ready:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan, dust the inside with flour, tap out the excess and put the pan on a baking sheet. (I used a 9-inch pan so my cake was thinner - consequently, I had to slice off the bottoms of my peaches so they wouldn't be popping up over the cake. My peaches were about 1-inch thick/tall after I sliced them.)

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Working with a mixer, beat the butter at medium speed until it’s soft and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the sugar and beat for another 3 minutes, then add the eggs, one at a time, and beat for a minute after each egg goes in. Still working on medium speed, beat in the oil, zest and vanilla bean seeds—the batter will look smooth and creamy, almost satiny. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they are incorporated.

Add the chopped basil and run a spatula around the bowl and under the batter, mixing just to make sure there are no dry spots, then scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Arrange the peaches cut side up in the batter and jiggle the peaches a tad just so they settle comfortably into the batter.

Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the top is honey brown and puffed around the plums and a thin knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a rack and cool for 15 minutes—during which time the plums’ juices will seep back into the cake—then run a knife around the sides of the pan and unmold the cake. Invert and cool right side up.

Storing: You can wrap the cake and keep it at room temperature for up to 2 days, during which time it will get softer and moister.

Yield: 8 servings

Baked Brie with Homemade Crackers

I was first introduced to Baked Brie several years ago by my friend Kari. She brought it for a potluck and I instantly fell in love with it. Even more so when I found out just how easy it is to make! It's the perfect appetizer to bring to a party when you don't have much time on your hands because it only takes about thirty minutes for both the prep and baking!


I recently found myself craving some baked brie. I had everything I needed, except the crackers to go with them. Usually I love to serve baked brie with wheat thins, as I like how their salty, grainy flavor complements the sweet and smooth flavor of the brie. I was too lazy to put on a change of clothes and run to the store, though, so I found myself flipping through The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion for a cracker recipe.

I never thought I'd ever make my own crackers - or choose to make them from scratch instead of running to the store to get them. Once you realize how much better homemade stuff is, compared to the store bought prepackaged stuff you can get, you're much more motivated to making things yourself though. Making homemade pita bread was definitely a testament to that. So with that experience in mind, I forged ahead with this cracker recipe.


I was surprised at how easy it was to make these crackers - the method was very similar to making biscuits, except you roll the doll out into a super thin layer and then cut them into rectangles. These crackers are called "Thin Wheat Crackers" and I thought they might taste like Wheat Thins, but they didn't really taste like those at all. The sesame seeds were definitely a nice touch, and these crackers were really good... but I wouldn't call them Wheat Thins. They sort of remind me of the little sesame crackers you get in those Asian snack mixes. If you're not a big fan of sesame seeds, just omit them from the recipe.


When my husband saw me baking these, he asked me what I was making. I informed him that I was making crackers from scratch, at which point he laughed at me and then walked away. After these came out of the oven, he could not keep his hands off of them. I told him he should never doubt me again! ;)


Baked Brie

1 Puff Pastry Sheet, thawed
1 round of Brie (I like to remove the white "skin" from my brie using a vegetable peeler but that is optional)
12 ounces fruit preserves (my favorite is cherry)

Preheat oven to 350F

Unfold the puff pastry into a single layer on a baking sheet. Spread the fruit preserves over the center. Place the brie on top of the fruit preserves.


Fold the pastry dough over the top of the brie and press the edges together to seal tightly.

You can bake the brie as is on the baking sheet, but I prefer to invert it into an oven safe bowl so the seams are on the bottom, and any juices that leak will stay in the bowl.

Bake for 25 minutes. Let cool for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Serve with your favorite crackers or some sliced apples.



Thin Wheat Crackers
from The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion

1 cup (4.25 ounces) unbleached pastry flour or unbleached all purpose flour (I used bleached all purpose flour)
1 cup (5 ounces) whole wheat flour or white whole wheat flour
1/4 cup (1.25 ounces) sesame seeds
1/4 cup (1.75 ounces) granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
4 tbsp (1/2 stick, 2 ounces) butter
scant 1/2 cup (3.75 ounces) milk (I used skim)
Coarse salt (optional)

Preheat oven to 325F.

In a large bowl, combine the flours, sesame seeds, sugar and salt. Cut in the butter (use a pastry blender or two knives), then stir in the milk, adding just enough milk to form a workable dough.

Divide the dough into three pieces and roll it out ultra-thin, one piece at a time- 1/16 inch, if you can manage it (the thinner they are, the better; the thicker ones don't taste as good). Sprinkle with a bit of coarse salt, if desired, and use the rolling pin to press the salt into the dough.

Cut the dough into 1 x 2-inch rectangles. Transfer the crackers to baking sheets and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until they begin to brown. Cool on a rack.

Yield: About 8 Dozen Crackers

Chocolate Chunkers (TWD)

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) recipe was chosen by Claudia of Fool for Food: Chocolate Chunkers. I already said last week that I'm not a big fan of chocolate cookies, but Dorie proved me wrong with her Chocolate Malted Whopper Drops, so I went into this with an open mind.


These definitely earn their name of "Chunkers" as they're chock full of chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, nuts, and raisins. There are actually more add-ins with this cookie than dough! I made some changes to the recipe, by decreasing the amount of nuts and increasing the amount of dried fruit. I hate nuts and usually omit them from all recipes, but I thought that I might not notice the nuts in these since they have so much going on with them. So I tried them with the nuts, just less of them.


I thought these cookies were okay. I'm just not a chocolate cookie fan. I didn't care for the nuts at all and wish I had just omitted them, and added more chocolate and dried fruit instead. I'm probably in the minority, though, because these seemed to be a really big hit among most of the other TWD bakers.

I've included the adapted recipe below, as I made them. If you would like the original recipe, you can find it here (with recipe tips here). Make sure you visit the TWD Blog Roll to see how everyone else enjoyed these chunky treats.

Chocolate Chunkers
adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan

1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking powder
3/8 tsp salt (alternatively, you can use 3 tbsp unsalted butter with 1/2 tsp salt)
3 tbsp salted butter, cut into 3 pieces
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, divided
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
6 ounces white chocolate chips
1 cup toasted pecans, coarsely chopped (I would omit these next time)
1 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup finely chopped moist, plump dried apricots (I would add 1 cup next time to make up for the volume lost by omitting the nuts)


Center the rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.

Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Add the butter, 6 ounces of semisweet chocolate chips and unsweetened chocolate and heat, stirring occasionally, just until melted--the chocolate and and butter should be smooth and shiny but not so hot that the butter separates. Remove the bowl from the heat and set it on the counter to cool.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar together on medium speed for about 2 minutes, until they are pale and foamy. Beat in the vanilla extract, then scrape down the bowl. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the melted butter and chocolate, mixing only until incorporated. With a rubber spatula, scrape down the bowl, then, on low speed, add the dry ingredients. Mix just until the dry ingredients disappear in the dough, which will be thick, smooth and shiny. Scrape down the bowl and, using the rubber spatula, mix in the rest of the semisweet chocolate chips (6 ounces), white chocolate chips, nuts, and dried fruit--you'll have more crunchies than dough at this point. (The dough can be wrapped in plastic and kept refrigerated for up to 3 days).

Drop the dough by generously heaping tablespoonfuls on to the baking sheets, leaving about an inch of space between the mounds of dough. (These cookies do not spread very much - you may want to press them down a little with the bottom of a glass before baking.)

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 10 to 12 minutes. The tops of the cookies will look a little dry but the interiors should still be soft. Let the cookies rest for 2 to 3 minutes before using a wide metal spatula to transfer them to the racks to cool to room temperature.

Repeat with the remaining dough, cooling the baking sheets between batches.

If, when the cookies are cooled, the chocolate is still gooey and you'd like it to be a bit firmer, just pop the cookies into the fridge for about 10 minutes.

Peanut Buttercups with Peanut-Penuche Icing

I don't bake cupcakes very often; I'm not really sure why. Probably because I only have one muffin pan and I'm too lazy to bake them in batches. I also don't see what the big deal is about Sprinkles Cupcakes. Sure, they have a lot of flavor combinations, but they don't taste that good. Plus I've seen much better cupcakes created by all the wonderful bakers who participate in Cupcake Hero every month.


I came across this recipe when I was craving something sweet, made with peanut butter. It's a peanut butter cupcake filled with chocolate, then topped off with a peanut-penuche icing. Penuche is a fudge-like candy made by boiling brown sugar, milk, and butter. My free sample of "chocolately" TCHO chocolate (courtesty of Blake Makes) was perfect in this recipe.


My only problem was that I misread the recipe instructions and thought I was supposed to place the chocolate in the middle of the batter. Turns out you're supposed to fill the muffin pan half way, add the chocolate, then fill it three-quarters of the way to the top (placing the chocolate in the top third of the batter). This mistake caused my chocolate to be pretty close to the bottom of the cupcakes by the time they were finished baking, instead of closer to the middle.


This recipe is supposed to yield twelve "Texas-size" cupcakes. I'm not sure how big a "Texas-size" muffin pan is supposed to be, but I used my molten cake pan for these and got six super big cupcakes and then four "regular" sized ones with the remaining batter. (Next time I'll just make the regular sized ones - the others ones were huge.)


Sometimes I'll bake something, turn around, and find that it's almost all gone, consumed by my husband before even I realize what has happened! One of the perks of making baked goods with peanut butter is that my husband hates peanut butter in anything except for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. So I learned early on in the relationship that if I wanted to keep him out of my sweets, all I had to do was bake with peanut butter :)

Well, I failed miserably this time. I gave him one bite of my cupcake and he immediately came back, claiming the rest of mine! Now if that doesn't say anything about how good these are, I don't know what does!


The cake itself is incredibly moist, but it's the icing that makes these special. It's a sweet, fudgey, peanut buttery icing. I iced my cupcakes while the icing was still a bit warm, so instead of sitting nicely atop the cupcakes, it oozed over the edges. Still totally edible and incredibly delicious, but a little messy - so if you want cupcakes that don't require a fork for consumption, I'd recommend letting the icing cool for a few minutes first.

If you like peanut butter, you have to try these. (Even if you don't, you might still like them - look at my husband). I even had one coworker ask me if I would make these again for her birthday. I happily agreed, then asked her when her birthday is. She replied, "March." I laughed. They must be good if I'm getting a request over six months in advance :)

This is also my submission to the September Tasty Tools event, featuring bakeware.

Peanut Buttercups with Peanut-Penuche Icing
from The Pastry Queen, by Rebecca Rather

Cupcakes
1-3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1-1/4 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
6 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup peanut butter, smooth or chunky (I used smooth)
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
3.5 ounce bar bittersweet chocolate, cut into 12 squares (I used TCHO "chocolatey" chocolate; you can also substitute chocolate chips if needed)

Peanut-Penuche Filling
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup peanut butter, smooth or chunky (I used smooth)
1/4 cup milk (I used skim)
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup powdered sugar

To Make the Cupcakes:
Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly coat 6 Texas-size muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray or Baker's Joy. Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a large bowl on medium speed for about 30 seconds. (Don't worry if there are a few sugar lumps.) Add the butter, peanut butter, milk, and vanilla. Mix for 1 minute on medium-low speed. Add the eggs and beat for 1-1/2 minutes on medium-high speed. Fill the prepared muffin cups with batter halfway to the top. Place 2 squares of chocolate in the middle of the batter and add more batter to fill the muffin cups three-quarters of the way to the top.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes (mine were ready at 28 minutes), until the tops of the muffins are light brown and a toothpick stuck into the middle comes out with no crumbs clinging to it. (A bit of melted chocolate from the center may show, but that doesn't count.)

Cool the muffins for 10 minutes before removing them from the pan. Let them cool on racks at least 5 minutes longer before frosting.

To Make the Icing:
Combine the butter, peanut butter, milk, brown sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a low boil and cook for 1-1/2 minutes without stirring. Take the pan off the burnder and cool about 30 minutes (do not let it sit longer than 30 minutes or the icing will not mix smoothly). Add the vanilla and powdered sugar. Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat on medium speed until the icing is creamy and of spreading consistency, about 1 minutes. Ice the cooled cupcakes immediately. (If you let it cool for a bit first, it's less runny and easier to spread across the top.)

Tightly wrapped, the cupcakes will keep for 2 days at room temperature and up to 3 weeks frozen.

Tip: Dealing with peanut butter or other sticky ingredients such as honey or corn syrup can be a royal pain, especially when moving them from measuring cup to batter. A light coating of cooking spray on the inside of the measuring cup will allow peanut butter or any other sticky ingredient to slide out much more easily.

Yield: 12 Cupcakes

Chocolate Malted Whopper Drops (TWD)

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) recipe was chosen by Rachel of Confessions of a Tangerine Tart: Chocolate Malted Whopper Drops. They're cocoa cookies studded with chocolate chips and chunks of chocolate covered malted milk balls.


It's funny because I grew up eating Whoppers. They were my favorite candy to snack on at the movies. Yet when I told my coworkers what was in these cookies, no one knew what I was talking about. One person even asked, "You mean like at McDonald's?" Ha! First of all, those whoppers are found at Burger King, not McDonald's. Secondly, why would I put a burger in my cookies?!



Let me just start by stating that I do not like chocolate cookies. I love cookies with chocolate chips or chocolate chunks in them, but I do not like chocolate based cookies. So I wasn't sure if I would like these.


Boy did Dorie surprise me with this one! I loved these and simply could not get enough of them! I'll be pretty surprised if I ever come across another chocolate cookie that I like as much. Some of the Whopper candies kind of melt and caramelize in the oven, so some bites are crunchy and others a bit more gooey. I was worried about the candy pieces being too big, so I quartered most of them, with some pieces being even smaller. I think the smaller pieces were the ones that caramelized. I think next time I make these (and trust me, there will be a next time!), I will just halve them.


There is actually an error of omission in this particular recipe. Dorie fails to note at what temperature to bake the cookies! I baked mine at 350F and they were done in 13 minutes, just as Dorie notes.


Thanks Rachel, for choosing this recipe. I've finally found a chocolate cookie that I not only like, but love! If you would like the recipe for these cookies, you can find it here on Rachel's blog. Make sure you visit the TWD Blog Roll to see how everyone else enjoyed this chocolately treat.

*A few additional notes about this recipe:
- I could not find malted milk powder so I used chocolate Ovaltine
- I used 7.5 ounces of whoppers instead of 6 ounces
- I used semisweet chocolate chips instead of bittersweet chocolate

*Update (9/12/08) - I just made these again and discovered the following things:
- The whoppers are not better when chopped in half - they were hard and unpleasant to bite into after being baked; if you make these, at least chop them into quarters (or smaller).
- The cookies flattened out more when I tried making larger cookies; for the best results, use a small or medium cookie scoop.
- I think the next time I make these, I will increase the whoppers to 10 ounces and decrease the chocolate chips to 1/2-3/4 cups.
- For more recipe tips, click here.

Before ending this post, I also need to take a moment to wish my dear husband Happy Anniversary! Today marks 3 years since we said 'I do' :) Here are a few photos to help commemorate the occasion.

Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad

Chipotles are actually smoke-dried jalapeño peppers. Not sure why they need a different name instead of just "dried jalapeños." Guess it's kind of like how we call dried plums prunes :) Chipotles come in many forms (dried, powder, etc.) but the most common form I've seen used in recipes are the canned chipotles in adobo sauce. If you use just the chipotle chiles in this salad, it's only mildly spicy. If you particularly enjoy a lot of heat (like I do) you can add extra chipotle chiles and a teaspoon or two of the adobo sauce.


I'm always looking for quick and easy weeknight dinner ideas and this definitely fit the bill. Plus it's pretty healthy, so even better. I love tex mex dishes with black beans and corn. Top it off with some avocado and I'm sold :) This salad really comes together in just minutes. You can prepare the dressing and cook the chicken the night before. Or, save even more time buy using a store bought/precooked rotisserie chicken. For a little extra crunch in your salad, add some deep fried tortilla strips or crushed tortilla chips.

Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad
from Cooking Light

Dressing:
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2/3 cup light sour cream
1 tablespoon minced chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce (I used about 1.5 tbsp mince chipotles + 2 tsp adobo sauce)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
4 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt

Salad:
4 cups shredded romaine lettuce
2 cups chopped roasted skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 2 breasts) (I seasoned some chicken with salt and pepper, then grilled it on the George Foreman Grill)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup diced peeled avocado
1/3 cup thinly vertically sliced red onion
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (8 3/4-ounce) can no-salt-added whole-kernel corn, rinsed and drained

To prepare dressing, combine first 7 ingredients, stirring well.

To prepare salad, combine lettuce and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle dressing over salad; toss gently to coat. Serve immediately.

Tip: Add a spoonful of adobo sauce for a spicier salad. Kidney or pinto beans also taste great in this dish.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 1/2 cups)

Chunky Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Chocolate Chipsters (TWD) and My Blogiversary!

Blogiversary... blogoversary... blogversary... I'm not sure what the proper term is, given that it's a totally made up word, anyway. I find it hard to believe, but exactly one year ago today, I started this blog. It's come a long way since then :)

I've met so many kind, witty, generous, and talented foodie friends and discovered a plethora of wonderful blogs along the way (in fact, there are so many, I don't have enough time to visit them all as often as I'd like!).

I've learned the importance of good lighting in food photography and drive my husband crazy on a regular basis while I photograph the food before allowing him to dig in. I'm still working on getting better props and a nice light box, but for now I've at least learned how to adjust the settings on my camera to get better pictures when I am forced to shoot with indoor/fluorescent lighting. I think I've learned to take pretty decent photos for an amateur using a point and shoot camera (Canon Powershot SD1000).

I've joined two baking groups that challenge me on a regular basis to learn new techniques and perfect my baking skills - The Daring Bakers and Tuesdays with Dorie. I can't tell you how much I have grown in the kitchen thanks to these groups.

With the evolution of my blog, I'm working on redesigning its look and giving it a makeover, but for now you'll have to settle for a new, easier to remember URL - www.goodeatsblog.com (the old URL will automatically redirect to this site).

Surprisingly, I have found that I've developed a pretty decent following - so to my loyal readers, I thank you! I am eager for what the next year holds and hope you'll continue to come along for the ride. Now on to the cookies...


This week's Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) recipe was chosen by Stefany of Proceed with Caution: Chunky Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Chocolate Chipsters. What a wonderful trio - it's like a chocolate chip cookie collided with an oatmeal cookie and peanut butter cookie.



The cookies are best if the dough is chilled for at least 2 hours before baking, so this isn't the best cookie recipe to make on a whim. Dorie states that chilling the dough will yield more evenly shaped cookies. A lot of bakers, myself included, decided to make the cookie dough and then refrigerate overnight. There were a few reports that the dough became so hard after chilling overnight that it broke a few cookie scoops! So if you do decide to chill the dough overnight, make sure you let it sit on the counter for a few minutes before you start scooping it :)


These were nice and crisp around the edges, and chewy in the middle. The cinnamon spice is noteable, but not overwhelming. Betweeen all the peanut butter and chocolate, these were pretty rich, so I found that they were best enjoyed with a cold glass of milk.


There were several comments that the peanut butter flavor was quite subtle, and even the peanut butter haters among us enjoyed this cookie, but I thought the peanut butter flavor was quite pronounced. I have a feeling that it probably has something to do with the type of peanut butter you use in this recipe (I used Jif Extra Crunchy).



Thanks Stefany, for choosing the Chunky Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Chocolate Chipsters. If you would like the recipe for these cookies, you can find it here on Stefany's blog. Make sure you visit the TWD Blog Roll to see how everyone else enjoyed this great after school treat.

*Note: I only made one change to this recipe - I used semisweet chocolate instead of bittersweet. For recipe tips, click here.