Week 6 (Cooking) - Pudim de Coco (Brazilian Coconut Pudding)

Week six of the cooking challenge is upon me and wouldn't you know it, this run of the mill white girl doesn't know a thing about Brazilian food. To the internet!

As per what seems to be a developing cookiecrumbles tradition, I had originally opted for a very different recipe. But, as luck would have it I could not get a proper translation of it at home. The recipe I had found for pao de queijo (Brazilian cheese rolls) translated fine at work, but when I pulled up the same recipe at home it kept telling me that I needed 4 cups of candy as the first ingredient; as exciting as that sounds, it just wasn't right. It turned out this was a magnificent misfortune as about 1/2 of the other 52weeksof participants seemed to have opted for the same dish and I like to stand safely outside the norm.

Pudim de Coco

Be sure to absolutely mangle the can while opening it.

• 1 can (13.5 oz coconut milk)
• 13.5 oz milk
• 6 tbsp sugar
• 3 tbsp corn starch
• 3 tbsp coconut flakes
• Additional coconut flakes for serving (optional)

Recipe comes from sonia-portuguese.com

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a medium size pot over medium heat.
   
   

   

   
   

2. Cook 10-15 minutes (I pulled mine right at 12), stirring regularly, until mixture becomes very thick. . Make sure you're scraping the bottom as you are stirring otherwise the coconut will settle to the bottom and burn.
   
   

   

   The pudding will bubble and boil so keep stirring.

3. Transfer to a pudding mold that has been rinsed in cold water. I don't own a pudding mold so I divided the pudding into 4 large muffin cups.
   
   

   

   No pudding mold? No problem! Muffin tins are close enough.

4. Allow to cool to room temperature.
5. Refrigerate until the pudding is somewhat solid and retains it's shape.
6. Unmold, plate, and sprinkle with coconut flakes.
   The unmolding didn't turn out quite as pretty as I would have liked - one transfered neatly onto the kitchen floor though - so I mashed it up a bit before sprinkling. No one will ever no. Unless, you know, you post it on the internet.
   
   

   

   No quite a perfect mold, but flavor has no shape.

   
   

I opted not to make the plum sauce listed in the original recipe not because I hate plums, but because I just didn't have any in the house and there was absolutely no way I was dragging myself to the store for them. The pudding was delicious without it, I can't imagine adding a sweet sauce over this dish.


Do you have any experience with Brazlian food? How'd I do?
Have a recipe you want to share with me/the rest of the world?
Questions? Leave a comment or email me at BakeMeUpButtercup@gmail.com

Week 6 (Baking) - Chocolate Stemware Cakes with Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

The theme for week six was elegant. Much like the previous weeks, I started the week off with good intentions, but as the daily stresses of my life weighed upon me, I found myself pressed for time and with even less patience. In addition to the problems that plagued my week, I couldn't find my digital camera so I got to take all of my photos with my tablet. I explain this as a slight off-handed apology for the lackluster quality of most of the pictures. But hey, at least there are pictures.

My original plan was to make beautiful individually portioned chocolate souffles. I found a suitable recipe, bought all of the ingredients, ... and dropped the ball. Perhaps sometime in the not too distant future I will get around to those and post my results accordingly, but for now I will offer up what I do have; chocolate mug stemware cakes.

Everything served in a any stemware is fancy.
True Story.

Mug cakes have always intrigued me, but I've never gotten around to attempting one; baking in the microwaves seemed a bit crude, for lack of a better term. But, I had gotten myself into a jam and wound up at 4pm on Sunday wondering how the hell I was going to make a souffle, pudim de coco, and get dinner on the table. I had a mini-breakdown followed by a moment of genius. Just because the challenge needed to be elegant didn't mean it had to be time consuming, and really, what's fancier than stemware? Thankfully I had whipped up a batch of homemade mint chocolate ice cream earlier this week to satiate a craving the BF had been having. I figured I could justify having baked my weekly submission in the microwave if I doused it in creamy delicious goodness. It worked.

Mint Chocolate Ice Cream

• 1 cups skim milk
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1.5-2 tsp vanilla extract 
• 1 tsp peppermint extract
• 1 1/4 c dark chocolate & mint baking chips

Recipe courtesy of Darryn Briggs from allrecipes.com

The original recipe called for 2 cups 2% milk and 2 cups heavy cream. I had plenty of heavy cream on hand that I needed to use up and we only skim milk in the fridge. So I changed things up to account for the lack of fats from the skim and to use up the last of the heavy cream. The first night while the ice cream was particularly soft, it tasted like a bowl of thick, minty whipped cream. A bit overwhelming for the BF, but I was more than happy to help down his share. However, after the ice cream set up overnight I think the texture was divine, perfectly silky and smooth with a rich minty finish.

As far as directions go, this one is fairly self explanatory provided you're using an ice cream maker; put all of the ingredients into the basin of your ice cream machine and follow the directions from there. My machine took about 40 minutes to whip this up, but it was a better consistency after sitting in the freezer overnight. No real surprises there as my machine is just the bare-bones essential to stir and chill the mixture. I have no real experience making ice cream by hand so YMMV if you go that route. If you do make ice creams by hand, I'd love to hear your results; successes and failures alike.

Chocolate Mug Stemware Cake

• 4 tbsp flour (cake flour if available)
• 4 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• Pinch salt
• Pinch baking powder
• 1 egg
• 3 tbsp milk
• 3 tbsp oil
• Few drops of vanilla extract
• Extra chocolate for drizzling (optional)

Yum.

1. Mix it all together in a mug or small bowl. Seriously, I didn't  even bother to separate wets & drys; when baking in the microwave, I think all formal baking techniques are out the window.
   
   

   

   
   

2. Divide the mix between two wine glasses.
   This part is important.  I originally thought that I would be making just one serving of mug cake (in case it didn't turn out so great) but the recipe had other plans. I didn't realize just how much this cake would expand while "baking" so about 40 seconds in I had to stop the microwave and divide the mixture into two glasses and finish cooking. This made the results a little less attractive than I would have liked, but there was no way around it, the cake was hitting the top of the microwave - which thankfully I had just cleaned, otherwise, ewww.
   
   

   

   40 seconds in the cake was HUGE!

   
   Also make sure the wine glasses fit in your microwave before you begin, mine just barely squeezed in there because I didn't think to check that first. 
3. "Bake" on normal power for 1:30. Cakes should be springy and cooked all the way through.
   
   

   

   
   

4. Allow to stand for one minute before removing from the microwave. Stemware gets hot!
5. Scoop ice cream on top of cakes.
   
   

   

   
   

6. Put chocolate (chips), - I used the leftovers from the mint chocolate ice cream - in the microwave on medium/defrost mode at 30 second increments, stirring after each round, until melted. Use a fork or spoon to drizzle across the the top of the ice cream.
   
   

   

   Drizzling is messy work, do it over a paper towel to save yourself the cleanup heartache.

   
   
7. Grab spoons and enjoy.
   If you're anything like us, it will be pre-dinner since I didn't know if this was going to be a success. Dessert can precede dinner when you're a grownup.
   
   

   

   This dessert was totally worth the effort. All 3 minutes of it. 

   
   

Do you have a go to dessert recipe when you need a sweets fix but don't want to put in a lot of effort?

Have a recipe you love and want to share with me/the world?

Questions? Leave a comment or email me at BakeMeUpButtercup@gmail.com

Week 5 (Baking) - Orange Mini-Chocolate Chip Muffins

The original plan for week five's breakfast baking challenge was scones. Then I got lazy/ran out of time/didn't have the ingredients I needed in the house. So I did the next best thing and worked on, and I'd say finally perfected, a muffin recipe I have been fretting over for some time.

I love muffins. What's not to love? It's like a sweet crumbly bread that tastes like dessert but is socially accepted as breakfast. However, every time I try to make muffins from scratch they just never come out quite as delicious as the store bought or box mix muffins I'm accustomed to. Some people will argue well that's because true baking blah blah blah... Whatever, I want soft delicious muffins, is that really a crime?

No.

Good.

I've had some version of this recipe around for a while and I've been slowly refining, tweaking, and adapting it to better suit my desires. Hold onto your hats folks, because this is it! This is the mother of all muffin recipes! Your search is over! Other such sentiments to show extreme excitement and joy! I am a bit overwhelmed with my happiness, you'll have to excuse me.

Orange Mini-Chocolate Chip Muffins

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4-1 c mini-chocolate chips (optional)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp orange extract OR 1 tbsp orange zest (optional)
• 1/2 c milk
• 1/2 c orange juice (optional)
  If not making orange muffins use 1 cup milk and no orange juice
• 2 tbsp sour cream OR unflavored greek yogurt
• 1/4 c oil
• 1/2 c sugar

1. Preheat your oven to 375°
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
3. Stir in all but a small handful of the mini-chocolate chips (if using.)
4. Mix the eggs, vanilla, orange extract/zest (if using) milk, orange juice (if using), sour cream, and oil.
   
   

   

   Mmm, doesn't think look tasty?

5. Add the sugar to the egg mix and stir just until combined. Do not beat/whip, just stir.
   
   

   

   
   

   
   
6. Pour the egg mixture into the dry ingrdients.
   
   

   

   
   

7. Using a fork gently stir just until combined, do not over mix here!
8. Spray with cooking spray/line either:
          * 12 standard muffin cups
          * 6 large muffin cups
   
   

   

   I love giant muffins!

   
   
9. Spoon mixture into each cup, filling each 2/3s full.
   
   

   

   I was solo this weekend, so I figured a 1/2 batch was more than enough for  just me.

   
   
10. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chip muffins across the tops of each muffin.
11. Place on the center rack in the oven for 25-30 minutes. 
12. Muffins are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean of crumbs. Melted chocolate is okay.

The magic of this recipe is that is can be tweaked and adjusted endlessly to customize to your palate.
Don't like orange? Don't use the extract or juice.
Want blueberry muffins? Add a cup of blueberries, cut out the chocolate chips and orange juice...

I hope you love these as much as I do. 

Tell me what you think:

Do you have a favorite muffin? What is it?

Have a recipe you love? Feel free to share it!
Questions? Leave a comment or email me at BakeMeUpButtercup@gmail.com

Week 4 (Baking) - Boston Cream Cupcakes

This week's theme was frosting/filling, but of course I couldn't pick just one.

If it's said that I have a weakness in the face of sweet treats, that doubles in the face of doughnuts. My favorite by far being Boston creams. However, my love affair with sweets has a counter balance called I-don't-want-to-weigh-500 lbs so I try to find healthy(ish) versions of things whenever possible. Doughnuts, in all their delicious glory, are traditionally fried, and fried means fat, so I thought perhaps I'd try out this delicious baked doughnut recipe I'd been holding on to.

This was not a good idea.

The doughnuts, were more like doughrocks. Though still interestingly tasty, they were nothing like the light fluffy yeast glory that I needed to provide a shell of perfection for my creamy custard.

These are unbaked doughrocks. I forgot to photograph the end results.
You're not missing much.

So, um, doughrocks, that's not food. To the birds they go!

I had already made my tasty - and somewhat low(ish) calorie - custard so I had to devise a new plan. Hrmm, I had heard of Boston Cream Pies/Cakes so I thought I'd give that a whirl; except in cupcake form so that I could still maintain some semblance of the hand-held treat I was hoping for. I grabbed a recipe from allrecipes and worked it into the delights below.

The original cake recipe only yielded 12 cupcakes. 12 average size, not even remotely overfilled, cupcakes. I can't imagine stretching this recipe across two 9in rounds as the original instructions suggested. Those would be very small flat cakes, in my opinion. So now I have a bunch of custard leftover; I see a round two of these on my horizon. There would have been a small amount of ganache leftover as well, but I double - or maybe triple - dipped my cupcake as I was eating it in the kitchen so I cleaned that up nicely.

So, since the original recipe was all out of sorts. I've adjusted the instructions below to yield approximately the right amount of cake/custard/ganache to make 24 cupcakes. Because seriously, who makes only 12 cupcakes?

Cupcakes

• 3/4 c butter, softened
• 1 1/2 c white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 c all purpose flour
• 3 c cake flour
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1c milk

1. Preheat the oven to 350°
2. Spray the cups of 2 muffins pans - 24 holes total - evenly with cooking spray, set aside 
3. Cream the butter & sugar until fluffy.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing fully after each addition.
5. Add the vanilla and mix again.
6. Combine the flours, baking powder & salt.
7. Alternate adding the milk and the flour mixture in the separate turns (milk then flour, milk then flour, milk then flour), mixing completely after each addition.
   
   

   

   
   

   
   
8. Batter should be very smooth and creamy.
9. Divide batter evenly into the 24 cupcake slots (I never know what the heck to call these)
   
   

   

   
   

   
   
10. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Cupcakes will have large crowns and appear very light at the tops of the crowns.
    The tops do not seem to brown at all, so watch these closely.
    A toothpick when inserted into the center of a cupcake should come out clean.
    
11. Remove from cupcake slots and cool on a wire rack until room temperature.

Custard

• 1/2 c (skim) milk - divided
• 1/2 c half & half (coffee cream)
• 1/4 c white sugar
• Pinch Salt
• 4 tsp cornstarch
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Custard is best prepped in advance. I made mine a full two days prior; it was only supposed to be one day early, but since my doughnuts didn't turn out I didn't have time to come back to this until the following day. The custard set up a lot so it was very very thick. My best guess is that this would be ideally prepped a few hours in advance to give it time to cool down, but not so much time as it becomes a thick gloopy mess. My, doesn't that sound appealing?

The custard was actually delicious but my mother, one of my many test subjects, suggested that it would be better thinner. Another alternate route being to just add less cornstarch, but I haven't experimented with that one yet. An final option would be to completely ignore anyone who tells you that your custard is too thick. I haven't ruled that option out yet. ;)

1. Combine 1/4 c milk and the 1/2 c half & half and cook in a sauce pan over medium heat until it begins to bubble around the outer edges.
2. Immediately add the 1/4 c sugar and pinch of salt, stir to combine.
3. Remove from heat.
4. In a separate bowl combine the cornstarch & 1/4c milk, whisk until there are no lumps from the cornstarch.
5. Whisk in the two eggs.
   
   

   

   
   

   
   
6. Add the hot mixture into the milk/cream, pouring in a quick, steady stream.
   
   

   

   
   

   
   
7. Whisk until fully incorporated.
8. Transfer back to the sauce pan and bring to a boil over low-medium heat whisking constantly until custard begins to thicken, 3-5 minutes.
   
   

   

   
   

   
   
9. Remove from heat.
10. Add the tsp of vanilla, and stir until fully incorporated.
11. Allow to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until ready to use.

Ganache

• 7 oz semi-sweet chocolate - chopped if using large bars of chocolate
• 1/4 c butter
• 1/2 c half & half (coffee cream)
• 1 c confectioners' sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

You'll want to wait to make the ganache until you are completely done with everything else. The ganache starts to set up pretty quickly, so if it's made too far in advance it begins to form a crust and makes dipping difficult.

• Combine the chocolate & butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
• Stir constantly until melted.
• Remove from heat and add the half & half, stir in completely.
• When mixture is smooth and the confectioners' sugar, stir until smooth.
• Add the vanilla extract and stir until completely incorporated.
  

Putting it all together

1. Prepare a decorating bag fitted with a bismarck tip, (# 230 from Wilton.)
2. Squeeze the bag until a small amount of custard comes out, and assure that there are no air bubbles in the bag.
3. Be certain the cupcakes are cooled, and are sitting on a solid flat surface.
4. Insert the tip roughly 2/3s of the way into the cupcake. 
5. Squeeze with a steady firm pressure, slowly pulling out of the cake as you squeeze.
   
   
   
   

   

   
   

   
   
   If cupcake tops begin to split you're using a bit too much custard; ease off the pressure for the next one.
   If a small amount of custard works its way up and out of the cupcake, which is highly likely, just remove using the back of a spatula.
   Repeat for the next 23 cupcakes.
6. Once the cupcakes are all filled, be sure there isn't any excess custard or loose crumbs on the tops of the cupcakes.
7. Dip the crown of each cupcake into the ganache and swirl to assure coverage across the entire crown.
8. Pull out of the ganache slowly, allowing most of the excess to drip off. 
9. Set on a cooling grid placed over wax paper to dry.
   
   

   

   
   

   
   
   Repeat for the other 23 cupcakes.
10. Allow to set until ganache is no longer dripping and shiny.
11. Either eat now, or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Sadly, I over-baked the cupcakes a wee bit, so the edges were a tad hard. Still tasty, but they definitely could have done with a little less time in the oven. I thought I was pulling them out prematurely because the crowns were still white, but once I popped the cakes from their individual homes, I discovered that the sides were golden brown. Extra golden brown. And a little crispy.

Whoops. 

Still tasty though, I'm counting this one as a success.

Week 3 (Baking) - White Chocolate Cranberry Blondies

Week 3's baking theme was white chocolate. I knew right away I was going to do something with cranberries because I love the combination of these two. I've done white chocolate cranberry cookies in the past, so I was looking for something fresh and new when I stumbled across this recipe from Taste of Home; it sounded simply too scrumptious to pass up.

I've attempted blondies on only one other occasion and the results were less than stellar. However, unlike  my previous attempts, this was easy-peasey and I was more than pleas(ey)ed with the results. These bars are easy to keep out of sight, but it's a futile effort to put them out of your mind.

For the Base

• 3/4 c butter, cubed & melted
• 1 1/2 c packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 c flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• Pinch ground cinnamon
• 1/2 c dried cranberries
• 6 oz white chocolate, coarsely chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 350°.
2. Line a 9x13 (or what we call in my house a frog pan, long story...) with tin foil or parchment paper.
   
   
   -----
   I have this amazing springform 9x13 pan and I cannot tell you how happy it makes me. In addition to just being awesome, tt also makes lining the bottom of the pan a breeze. Just smooth the foil across the base, slide on the top, smooth any creases this creates, and lock in place. A-MA-ZING!
   
   
   
    -----
3. Grease sides & lined bottom of pan with cooking spray.
   Set aside while combining ingredients.
4. Combine the melted butter & brown sugar. Allow to cool to room temperature before moving on.
   
   
   
   
   
5. Beat in the eggs & vanilla extract.
6. Combine the "drys" (flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon) and slowly mix into butter batter. - Isn't that fun to say? - butter batter -
   
   
   
   
   
7. Fold in the cranberries & white chocolate chunks. - I always prefer to do these things by hand -
   
   
   
   
   
8. Press dough firmly and evenly into the prepared pan.
   
   
   
   
   
9. Bake for 18-21 minutes - or so the original recipe says - Mine took about 25 minutes, but they were perfect golden brown and not even remotely overcooked.
   
   
   
   
   
10. Allow to cool completely before frosting. You can whip up the frosting while the blondies finish cooling. 

For the Frosting

• 8 oz neufchatel or cream cheese, softened
• 1 c powdered sugar
• 6 oz white chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 c dried cranberries, chopped

1. Melt the white chocolate.
   
   
   -----
   
   
   I use the microwave on defrost setting in burst of 30 seconds, but go with whatever frosts your cupcake - Get it...instead of floats your boat, frosts your cupcake...no? Seriously though, take note: frosts your cupcake, it's going to be a thing.
   
   
   -----
2. Whip the neufchatel until fluffy.
   
   
   
   
   
3. Mix in the powdered sugar and stir until fully blended.
4. Add in 1/2 the melted chocolate, stir to combine.
   
   
   -----
   If using a springform, take the blondies out of the pan to frost, if not, you can frost/cut/etc in the pan. I personally hate doing that. Hence, springform.
   
   
   -----
5. Frost the blondies.
   
   
   
   
   
6. Sprinkle the chopped cranberries across the frosting. Press down gently with your hand to secure them in the frosting.
   *Note I said press, not flatten/push/hulk-smash... just gentle pressure please.
   
   
   
7. Drizzle with the remaining white chocolate.
   
   Drizzling makes everything look fancy. Just look at it!
   
   
   
   
   
8. Cut however you see fit.
   I got 24 servings out of mine, the original recipe claims 30. I call BS. ;)
9. Serve & Enjoy.
   
   
   
   
   

Store these bad boys in the refrigerator when not in use. Don't worry about how long they keep, people will scarf these down long before you have to worry about that one. 

Big Bang Bars

Big Bang Bars (noun) - Cookie bars which contain the ingredients from which all other cookies are derived.

I wish I could claim credit for the name of these delicious beasts, but in fact the name came from a fellow redditor (kanthropology) who came to the rescue when I was looking to replace the name Garbage cookies, with something a bit more appetizing. To reward her efforts I shipped her a batch of these yummy newly named treats. The name is perfect because it's nerdy - much like their maker - and because these delectable treats do provide a BIG BANG with each bite.

Not pictured: Coconut

When I was a kid my father cooked precisely 3 things: chili that was way too spicy for consumption by children, mac n' cheese, and these cookies. He always called them garbage cookies and made them from whatever garbage was sitting in the cabinets that looked appealing at the time. Each batch come out a little different because you never knew what he was going to throw in them. They also are always made in bar form because he was far too lazy to be bothered with drop cookies.

These have always been my favorite cookies because they have a little bit of everything, all mixed into one. I have taken my father's not so scientific approach to cookie making and refined the process down to a simple recipe that can be shared and re-created. Perhaps some of the magic is lost now that the recipe is committed in written form, but I like to think the memory lingers and perhaps gains momentum now that others can share in the joy.

I know that "everything" cookies aren't anything unique or original for most families, but I choose to believe there's something unique here. If for no other reason than the small memory of childhood that comes rushing back when the warm gooey joy hits my lips.

So readers I give to you: Garbage Cookies 2.0 → Big Bang Bites

Ingredients

• 1 stick of butter, softened
• 3/4 c brown sugar
• 1/2 granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/4 c peanut butter
• 1 cup coconut
• 1 1/2 c flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup/6 oz/ 1/2 bag chocolate chips
• 1 c raisins
• 3 cups uncooked oatmeal
  
  

I make a note, for posterity's sake of mixing these cookies by hand. The only reason I do this is because we didn't own a mixer when I was a kid, so I feel like I'm cheating the memory by bustin' out the Kitchenaid.

The Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 350°.
2. Line a 9x9 pan with aluminum foil (optional).
3. Spray pan/aluminum foil with non-stick cooking spray.
4. Combine the butter & sugars and mix until creamy.
5. Add the egg and vanilla, mix until incorporated.
   
   
6. Add in the peanut butter, stirring again until fully incorporated.
7. Add in the coconut, stir, incorporate, etc.
8. Add the baking soda & flour and mix well.
9. Fold in the chocolate chips & raisins.
   
   
10. Add the oatmeal slowly, mixing completely with each addition.
11. Press the dough into the greased pan.
    
    
12. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Bars should appear mostly cooked but slightly soft in the center.
    A tooth pick should come out clean, but doesn't always if you end up hitting a cash of chocolate chips. I always hit chocolate chips.
    The bars are slightly drier than normal cookies, but that's part of their charm in my opinion. You can always play with the recipe and find out what works best for your tastes. 
13. Remove from oven, allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before cutting.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    

Optional Drizzle

• 1 cup chocolate
• 1/4 c shortening

1. Melt the chocolate.
2. Stir in shortening, mix until completely smooth.
3. Drizzle over bars.
   
   

...and there you have it. I hope people try this recipe and enjoy these cookies as much as I do. I'd love to hear what other variations people add into their everything cookies.

Happy noming.