Creepy Cookies

The first baked good of any semester must have a story behind it.

This one starts with stories about creeping people out, knocking on doors in the middle of the night and scaring them as they sit alone in their apartment at night. The best part comes when you see someone coming down the path whom you've never encountered before, you watch them go into a previously empty apartment and set down bags of luggage. Now those are the best "victims."

Unaware (ok... not all of them, only the ones who haven't heard of me and my oddball ways), they ask "who is it?" and I respond in a perky voice. Clearly, something is off. The best part is when the door opens and a puzzled face peers from behind the door. =D

I know... perhaps I take too much pleasure in it. But the best time to bake is the midnight hour. And anyone who is awake at that hour deserves a treat, no questions asked. =)

So, to ring in a new semester and welcome the newest members of our Regency family, here's a creepy chocolate cookie for late nights.
Salted Double Chocolate Cookies

8 oz. semisweet chocolate
4 tbs unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp fleur de sel (sea salt)
2 eggs
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips or chunks

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two pans with parchment or foil.

In a double boiler, melt the 8 oz of chocolate and butter together until smooth. If you don't have a double boiler, place a heatproof bowl over about an inch of simmering water, making sure the bottom doesn't touch the water.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, fleur de sel and baking powder. Mix until incorporated. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar and vanilla until thoroughly mixed. Once the chocolate and butter has melted, quickly incorporate the egg mixture into the chocolate mix. Stir to combine and add the dry ingredients. Mix until no more streaks of flour remain.

Stir in the chocolate morsels.Drop tablespoons of dough onto the cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the top is crackly but the cookie is still soft.

It's like a decadent brownie in cookie form. Nom nom nom.

Bliss in a Bite

Heaven and hell meet in this delectable treat of rich ganache, crumbly crust and pure melt in your mouth goodness. What are calories when the pleasure of spooning melted chocolate overrides any other desire or feeling of guilt?

Perhaps this isn't the best recipe for one's waistline, but in all seriousness, what does it matter when sitting in a lecture hall for 8+ hours a day isn't particularly flattering either? o.O Exactly. So just sit, take a spoon into your hand, watch the light slowly die from the shuttered blinds and immerse yourself in a little you time. ;)

Ganache Tart

Walnut Crust
2 - 6 oz. bags (approx. 3 cups) of walnuts, or any other nut you like
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 stick (8 tbs) unsalted butter

Chocolate Ganache
1 cup whipping cream
16 oz (2 2/3 cups) semi-sweet chocolate chips
4 tbs unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla (or almond extract, whiskey, irish cream, something to give it a little extra flavor)
Preparation

Walnut Crust
Using a food processor (or blender, like I did), pulse the walnuts into a fine grind. This is the basis of the crust and yields a nutty, crumbly crust without much trouble. Placing the ground walnuts into a bowl, add the sugar, mixing a bit. Melt the butter in the microwave and pour into the walnut mixture, mixing until all of the nuts are coated in butter. Taking a tart shell (or aluminum dish - anything oven safe), pat the mixture into an even layer, going up the sides to create a crust for the ganache filling. (I had enough to make one large tart and 4 individual muffin tin sized tarts)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and bake for 10 minutes or until the tart shell is slightly brown on the edges. Remove and let cool.

Ganache
Heat the cream and butter together in a small pot until the butter is melted and cream is warmed through. Turn off the stove, take the cream mixture off the heat and pour in the chocolate. Let sit for 5-10 minutes as the heat of the cream softens and melts the chocolate. Stir until completely incorporated and smooth. Add in the vanilla at the end.

*You may use other combinations of chocolate, such as dark, white. milk chocolate. However, the ratio of cream to chocolate will change slightly due to the water and fat content in the different types of chocolate. This is where I stop paying attention to measurements and add cream/chocolate depending upon the texture of the ganache mixture.

Assembly
Pour the ganache mixture into the tart shell. Tap on the counter lightly to even out the chocolate. Decorate with slivered almonds or extra chocolate chips placed at evenly spaced intervals along the circumference of the tart.Cool in the fridge for 1-2 hours or until the ganache has set up. Slice with a knife dipped into warm water to prevent the ganache from sticking. If the ganache begins to get too soft, cool in the fridge for a few minutes before resuming slicing.

Vegetative Bodies

Vegetation may not be good on heart valves, but in buns, I think they sound extraordinarily good. If I were a piece of rising dough possessing a heart, I don't think I would mind getting Libman-Sacks endocarditis and covering my valves with a mixture of celery, carrots, mushrooms, ham and garlic.

After making Phenomenon's 1 Bowl 1 Hour Dinner Rolls for our weekly Regency Sunday dinner, I couldn't help but think of variations, of fillings, of making it sweet and perhaps chocolatey.

The base of these filled rolls is an amazingly easy yeasted bread. The amount of active yeast doesn't add a strong flavor but allows the rise to occur quickly and fast enough for a last minute addition to any meal when you're strapped for time and can't wait 2+ hours for the proper rise to occur. The filling is not overwhelming, a simple mix of sauteed veggies, pretty much anything you have on hand, although I think next time, a bit more garlic would make for an amazing filling.
1 Bowl 1 Hour Dinner Rolls with Veggie Filling

Dough
1 1/2 cups of warm water (110 degrees F - slightly warm to the touch out of the tap)
1 tbsp instant yeast
2 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp salt
4 cups flour (I used all purpose)

Filling
2 cups of any minced, sauteed vegetables you have on hand
I used (minced, finely):
A handful of baby carrots
1 stalk of celery
3 white button mushrooms
Cured Virginia ham
garlic, salt, pepper to taste

Topping
3 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp dry or fresh parsley
3 tbsp olive oilIn a measuring cup or small bowl, mix together warm water, sugar and yeast. Allow to stand for about 5-10 minutes until frothy.

In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Make a well in the middle and add yeast mixture and oil. Mix until combined. Then turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until soft and shiny. Form dough into a ball, placed in a lightly oiled bowl and allow to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes or until doubled in size. I preheated my oven to 200 degrees F, turned it off and let the dough rise in the warm oven.

While the dough is making its first rise, mince all of the vegetables and saute in a little oil until soft. Let cool until ready for filling. Also saute minced garlic, parsley, and oil and set aside to brush on top of the buns.When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and shape into an 8x12 rectangle. Cut into 24 pieces. I found it easier to separate each piece of dough as I cut it so that they wouldn't stick back together and become a giant ball again.

To form a bun, take one of the pieces of dough, flatten into a 3-4 inch circle, place a tablespoon of the filling in the center and pinch the sides together to seal the bun closed. Repeat until all 24 buns are formed.Lightly oiling a 9x13 pan, place the buns in rows of 4x6 to rise a second time. Drizzle garlic/oil/parsley over the top of the buns. While they rise for another 20 min or until doubled in size, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake for 13-15 minutes at 400 F (I baked them for 13 minutes, then again, it's naturally hot in the Caribbean without the addition of an oven).Devour when ready. =D