Category Archives: Baked Goods

I’m sure you’ve met the notorious online grump, spreading bad will to message boards, blogs, and food sites all over the internet.  I imagine his creased forehead connected to his furrowed brows, and lips shaped into the start of a dis-satisfied “harrumph.”  He wears oscar-the-grouch-colored trousers, to match his stinky attitude and unpleasant demeanor.  If there were an online dating site for bad commenters, I could totally see Mr. “Shame on you for posting such a recipe” getting along with Ms. “I substituted this for that, and I changed the cooking method, and I’m so disappointed that it didn’t turn out!”.  Thoughtful, constructive criticism is one thing, but Mr. Grump’s comment almost made me miss out on one of my favorite new ways to make chocolate chip cookies!

First, he chastized Food and Wine for tagging these cookie bars a staff favorite:  “Did anyone on your staff even try these?”  Then, he moved on to describe the dry texture. I half expected them to taste like sawdust.  He ended with “Usually I try to figure out how to improve a recipe but in this case, I wouldn’t be bothered.”  Sometimes, I heed the caution of others, not making a recipe that seems flawed.  This time, I was just too tempted by the prospect of a cookie made with whole wheat pastry flour, and plenty of chocolate and toasted pecans.  I chuckled at the passion at which the reviewer opposed an innocent pan of chocolate chip pecan cookie bars, then broke out the Kitchen Aid mixer.

These were easy to put together, and pretty darn tasty right out of the oven.  The pecans turned sweet and almost buttery when toasted.  I would have expected a denser texture from a cookie bar made using whole wheat flour, but the only telltale sign that the bars were made with whole wheat pastry flour was a more nutty aroma and flavor.  I enjoyed the texture on the day that I baked them–crisp around the edges, and tender on the inside, with pools of dark chocolate wrapped around the toasted pecans.  I thought that I had proved Mr. Grump completely wrong.  To be fair, they were a little drier than I would have liked on the second day. I would make them again exactly as written if I wanted a more crisp cookie, say, to dip into coffee, but for an after dinner chewy cookie treat, I’d have to make a couple changes.  So…the reviewer was neither wrong nor right, but still snarky and disagreeable.

I spent a Sunday afternoon on a mission to add a little more moisture to the dough, because I like my cookie bars to stay chewy for at least long enough for me to eat them all (and share with others!).  On my first try, I added a banana for moisture, and a little extra flour (because I thought the dough was too wet).  Not bad–kind of like a cake-y chocolate chip banana bread cookie, but not quite what I was after.  I added two extra tablespoons of butter to the original recipe on my second try.  When I brought a stack of them to my friends in the teachers’ lounge two days later, they were still nutty, moist and chewy in the center.  Just what I look for in a chocolate chip cookie.

I’m sorry I was so hard on you Mr. Grump.  Would you like a cookie bar?

Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Makes 16 cookie bars

Adapted from Food and Wine

• 1 cup pecans
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, (plus extra for greasing sides of pan)
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips (or chunks)

1. Preheat the oven to 350° and line the bottom of a 8-by-11-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Butter the sides of the pan to prevent sticking.
2. Spread the pecans on a cookie sheet and toast for about 8 minutes, until golden. Allow to cool slightly, then chop and set aside.
3. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, beat the butter and oil with the granulated sugar and brown sugar until creamy. Beat in the egg and vanilla until smooth. In a small bowl, whisk the flour with the baking soda and salt; beat the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients gradually on low speed. Add the chocolate chips and pecans.  Mix just until incorporated.
4. Transfer the dough to the prepared baking pan and press into an even layer. Bake for about 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Let cool completely, then run a knife around the edges.  Cut and serve.

Have you ever been betrayed by taste-bud trust?  You know, following a recipe step-by- step only to wish you had just trusted your gut and added that extra clove of garlic, or pinch of salt?  You think to yourself, “Mr. Celebrity Chef should know what’s going on, right?”, and so you throw your instincts to the wind.  You level your teaspoons, measure your tablespoons, and hope for the best.

If you’re lucky, Mr. Celebrity Chef was on his game when he wrote the recipe (or his recipe-writer was on her game).  If not, you’re left wanting more.

When I follow a recipe as-is, I often think, “Well, this is all fine and good, but it needs more ________.” Or, “This would be so much better with fresh _______.” As much as I love to tinker with recipes, it’s nice to find a recipe where the flavors lock into place without any drastic changes.

Twice recently, I have eaten at up-scale restaurants and been left hanging.  One dish, a beautiful seared halibut filet surrounded by freshly shelled english peas and topped with a coriander foam was only missing one thing.  The same culprit was missing from the king salmon with crème fraîche mashed potatoes and a corn and fennel salad…SALT!  Both dishes were woefully under-seasoned.

My favorite part about cooking at home is that I get to make food just as I like it, every time.  I’m never left with the decision of whether to ask the waiter to bring out a salt shaker (and risk insulting the chef).

Taste-bud trust is a rare bestowal, only given to my tried and true cookbook authors, food bloggers, and restaurant chefs.  Madhur Jaffrey, the ambassador and mother of Indian cooking has earned a regular invitation to my table.  Her raitas, chutneys and perfectly spiced vegetable dishes are frequent dinner guests.

On nights when I want a sure bet for a good meal, I entrust my taste buds to none other than the cooks at my favorite hole-in-the-wall Middle Eastern joint, Jerusalem Restaurant.  Oh, what I would do to learn how they make their incredibly creamy hummus.

In the food blogging world, Deb of Smitten kitchen is my go-to girl.  I know I’m stumped when I can’t think of a single ingredient I would add to her Summer Succotash.  She is a shameless recipe changer, as am I.  She searches out good recipes, jacks them up, and makes them better.  I owe my addiction to these Gluten-Free Chocolate Financiers to Deb (who gushed over them after finding them on Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef’s blog).

These little two-bite treats come out of the oven hot and springy.  When you break them open, you’re met with a moist center with an almond aroma.  Not too rich or heavy, these financiers are perfect for times when you crave chocolate, but don’t want a molten-chocolate cake attack.  I most recently made them for my mom’s birthday, so I fancied them up with powdered sugar and raspberries.  They were perfect end to our our picnic and outdoor concert at Hudson Gardens last week.

On a completely different note, I have been meaning to share something with you for a while now.  My fabulous friend Kim owns the fabulous Element One Photography Studio in Old Downtown Littleton, Colorado.  Well, she came over to my house this Summer with equipment in tow for a little photo shoot.  Okay, a big photo shoot actually.

She made my kitchen look amazing (ah, the magic of photography!)

I got lost in a sea of cookbooks!

We frolicked in the garden,

And played with our food.

I had a blast, despite feeling a little camera-shy at the beginning.  Thank you Kim!  I’ll re-pay you someday with a healthy dose of financiers.

I feel like I’m just introducing my online self…So, hello readers!  It’s nice to meet you.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Financiers

Adapted and only changed a fraction of a smidgen from Gluten-Free Girl, via Smitten Kitchen

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 cup almond flour (or, grind blanched almond slivers to a powder in a coffee grinder or food processor)
• 4 tablespoons Dutch-process unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup egg whites (from approximately two large eggs)
• 1/8 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
• butter or oil for greasing the mini-muffin tin
• granulated sugar to coat muffin cups

Preheat the oven to 400˚f.  Lightly grease the muffin cups with butter or oil.  Coat muffin cups with granulated sugar, and tap out the excess.

Whisk the almond flour, cocoa powder, salt and powdered sugar together in a medium bowl.  Add the egg whites, vanilla extract, and almond extract, stirring until smooth and combined.  Add the melted butter and stir until incorporated.

Spoon the batter into the muffin tins, filling them three-quarters full.  Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until slightly puffed and springy to the touch.  Allow to cool completely in the pan, before removing.  (They can be easily removed from the pan by twisting the top of each financier before pulling from the mold).

Once cooled, financiers can be stored in an air-tight container for up to one week.

These financiers are perfectly delightful as-is, but if you’re feeling fancy, they can be dusted with powdered sugar and topped with raspberries.