Though I am lactose intolerant, I admit that I have no clue how hard it is to have constricting food allergies because there has never been a slice of pizza or scoop of ice cream I have not shoved in my face for fear consequences. At the most, I experience a little discomfort... as does my husband, but that's about it.
I am ashamed to say I use to scoff at gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free eaters, writing their allergies off as a psychological issue or as their way to buy into a new trend without the recompense of looking like a band wagoner. Kinda harsh, huh? Well I apologize. And as my apology I offer to all of you (not just the special diet readers) a delicious recipe for Fleur De Sel Brownies completely free of any gluten, refined sugar or dairy! And I must say, they are pretty freakin' good brownies, not just pretty freakin' good gluten, dairy, refined sugar-free brownies!
I mean it when I say every kind of eater will enjoy these.
Oh, and sorry vegans, there are eggs in this recipe. I haven't quite bought into your convictions yet.
Allergy Free Fluer De Sel Brownies
Ingredients 1/3 cup + 1.5 tbsp cocoa powder 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp organic coconut oil 1 cup light brown sugar (not packed) 1/2 cup almond meal (you can find this at Trader Joe's) 1/4 cup rice flour (you can find this at any Asian Market) 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 2 organic free-range eggs, beaten 1 tablespoon bourbon vanilla fleur de sel for topping
Directions 1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line an 8x6 (or 8x8 if you don't have an 8x6) -inch square baking pan with foil and lightly grease the bottom.
2. In a mixing bowl whisk together the cocoa powder, brown sugar, almond meal, rice flour, salt and baking soda.
3. Melt the coconut oil in a saucepan over low heat, gently stirring. (Or melt in a microwave safe measuring cup.)
4. Make a well in the center and add the beaten eggs, vanilla extract and melted coconut oil. Whisk for two minutes, until the batter begins to come together. If the coconut oil solidfies again, heat the whole mixture over LOW heat until it melts again and everything is incorporated.
5. Transfer the batter to your prepared baking dish and sprinkle the top with sea salt.
6. Bake for 22-27 minutes, or until the brownies are set. The top will crack, like a flourless chocolate cake.
7. Cool on a wire rack; and remove the cooled brownies from the pan by gripping the foil edges and lifting the brownies out as a whole. Chill for 30 minute before cutting. (Though warm and gooey is really divine, if you don't mind them falling apart.) Serve at room temp.
Chantilly Cream is sort of like chocolate mousse. Smooth, light and sinfully rich. The crazy thing is, there is only two ingredients necessary to make this dessert: chocolate and water.
Now, you may have heard that chocolate and water are mortal enemies, the water causing the chocolate to sieze up and become grainy when in contact with it...
but that is not always true. Watch this super informative video and find out why.
Pretty cool huh? Now you can pass chemistry, I think.
Another great thing about this dessert is the room it leaves for the quality of the chocolate to speak for itself. The deliciousness of this dessert will depend greatly on the quality of chocolate you are using. It will taste really good with average chocolate, but out-of-this-world with top notch chocolate.
This Chocolate Chantilly also leaves room for creativity! You could add a number of things to accent the chocolate flavor. Just make sure if you're adding any sort of liquid flavoring, you are subtracting an equal amount of water from the recipe. I added some Cointreau and orange zest, but you could add chili powder, cinnamon, Chartreuse.... the possibilities are endless! Also, you can eat it by itself or use it as a filling for a cake; it is super versatile.
So I have hit on the dessert and science aspect of this post, but what's this about a workout? Well, if you whisk by hand you are bound to end up with some pretty toned triceps because it takes A LOT of whisking! However, it is kinda rewarding to watch it progress in thickness until it reaches the perfect consistency. Which, by the way, should look something like this.
Here is the recipe! Enjoy!
Chocolate Chantilly
Recipe adapted from Herve This & Heston Blumenthal, viacafefernando
Place a large mixing bowl on top of another slightly smaller one, filled with ice and cold water (the bottom of the large bowl should touch the ice). Set aside.
Put chocolate and water (also liquor or spice if you’re using) in a medium-sized pan and melt the chocolate over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Pour the melted chocolate into the mixing bowl sitting on top of ice and water, and start whisking with a wire whisk (or an electrical hand-held mixer) until thick. Watch the texture as you whip and make sure not to over-whip as it will make the mousse grainy. If the mousse becomes grainy (which is possible at your first try), transfer it back into the pan, reheat until half of it is melted, pour it back to the mixing bowl and whisk again briefly.
Divide into four serving cups and serve immediately or refrigerate overnight to serve the next day.
Inspired by Momofoku's Milk Bar cereal milk dessert phenomenon, I bring you Cocoa Krispie Mousse. It tastes just like the milk you get after you polish off a bowl of this chocolate crispy crack, which if you've had it you know is delicious.
It's a pretty simple recipe too, though there are multiple steps. Give it a shot!
Topping Ingredients 1/2 cup heavy cream 100g dark chocolate, chopped into small pieces Extra Cocoa Krispies to top off
Directions Preheat the oven to 275°. On a lined baking tray, toast the cereal for 5 minutes. Set aside to cool. In a sealable container, combine the toasted cereal and milk. Let steep for 20 minutes, then strain into a measuring cup; the mixture should yield about 1 cup of 'cereal milk'.
Place 1/2 cup cereal milk in a medium bowl. Sprinkle powdered gelatin on top. In a small saucepan, scald 1/2 cup cereal milk with the salt and sugar. Whisk hot milk into the cool milk until the gelatine is dissolved. Chill until almost set (about 20 min or so, if it gets lumpy just whisk it).
Whip the cream to stiff peaks and fold it into the almost-set gelatine mixture. Pour mixture into 6 small serving glasses. Chill in the fridge while preparing the topping.
Put chopped chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Place 100ml cream in a small saucepan on medium-low heat and just bring to the boil. Pour hot cream over the chocolate and leave to sit for a minute to allow chocolate to melt. Use a whisk to mix, ensuring that it is smooth and all the chocolate has melted.
Leave to cool for about 5 minutes. Carefully pour a thin layer of the chocolate mixture over the top of each mousse glass. Sprinkle a layer of cocoa pops over the top. Chill until set, at least 2 hours. Best served on the same day to ensure cereal layer is still crunchy.
Frozen Yogurt, cupcakes, bacon, designer doughnuts, lavender, cake pops... dessert trends have taken a fun yet frivolous tour through the mountains and valleys of our taste buds. I can not deny that I have enjoyed every one of these trends at one point in my life, and in fact still enjoy most, but I feel as if I have had a coming of age moment in my dessert journey: I want the classics back!
And not just any old classic desserts, classic desserts done extremely well! Like a phenomenal and full creme brulee, a perfectly risen souffle, and a flakey, well balanced Napoleon. No frills, just taking what has always worked and making it the best!
Luck for me, I believe with the huge swing dessert trends have taken to the left with unconventional ingredients (ie. bacon)and throw-away fashion food ideology, the pendulum is bound to swing far back to the right any day now. In fact, I can almost feel it in my bones. Classic desserts will be back in restaurants and bakeries alike with the new creative twists restricted tastefully and respectfully to sophisticated accompaniments.
I thought I would kick off this revived passion for perfected classics myself with my own birthday cake. (Yes, I made my own birthday cake, does that make me a loser?) So I decided to make one of my favorite classic desserts, Chocolate Flourless Cake with the addition of an Orange Cointreau Anglaise.
The trick to making this dessert, and any classic dessert, really delicious is quality ingredients and care. Therefore, I choose high quality bittersweet chocolate for my cake and took much heart and attention in its preparation.
It was so delicious. The rich, full body of the cake balanced nicely with the refreshing citrusy light anglaise. Perfect for a classy 26 year old birthday girl like me ;) And frankly, it felt good to eat something not overly complicated for once. It didn't matter that Chocolate Flourless Cake had been around the block 3 or 400 times, because when it's done top tier it delights your palate like no double bacon cardamom mini donut ever could.
So give it a try and stay classy.
Chocolate Orbit Cake
via Room for Dessert by David Lebovitz
makes one 9" cake
Ingredients
1/2 pound butter, in small chunks
12 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup sugar
6 eggs
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line the bottom of a 9" round pan with parchment paper and butter the bottom and sides.
3. Combine the butter and chocolate in a double boiler. Cook until melted.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar and the eggs.
5. Whisk in the melted chocolate to the sugar and eggs.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan, and place this cake pan into a water bath, with warm water reaching about half-way up the sides.
7. Cover tightly with foil.
8. Bake in the oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the cake appears set and your finger comes away clean when you touch the center. Check it at 45 min, it could bake quicker like mine.
9. Remove from oven and water bath and let cool completely.
1. Pour the milk into a medium saucepan and add the sugar and salt.
2. Grate the zest of the oranges directly into the milk. Warm gently, then remove from heat, cover, and let steep for one hour.
3. When ready to cook the custard, make an ice bath by putting ice cubes and a small amount of cold water into a large bowl and resting a smaller metal or glass bowl in the ice. Set a fine mesh strainer over the top.
4. Whisk the yolks in a separate small bowl.
5. Gently rewarm the milk, then slowly pour it into the egg yolks, whisking constantly as you pour. Scrape the mixture back into the saucepan and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula, until the custard begins to thicken and coats the spatula.
6. Immediately strain the custard into the bowl set over ice, pressing the zest in the strainer to extract as much flavor as possible, then discard.
7. Stir the custard until cool. When the crème anglaise is cooling, grate a few swipes of fresh orange zest into the custard, which looks nice and adds a touch more orange flavor. If you’d like, add a spoonful of orange-flavored liqueur, such as Cointreau or Grand Marnier, or a few drops of orange extract, to augment the flavor. Serve cold pooled under the cake.
The words "Chocolate Chip Cookie" have a Pavlov effect on me. I can't help but salivate at even the thought of one, or seven. And though I have messed around with different recipes and landed on one that I really do love, I have been haunted by a single 'untried' recipe for years. The illustrious NY Times Chocolate Chip Cookie.
If you read any dessert blogs you know this recipe is the 'ish'. But I have always had a sort of aversion to it because they have been done so many times before and when do I do what everyone else does?
Well, the answer was a couple days ago when I could take it no longer. If these cookies were that delectable, I had to have them in my mouth. And let me tell you, my mouth was very happy that my stubborn streak had ended because they were soooo good!
First off they are huge, 3.5 ounces to be exact. Second, They are soft in the middle and crunchy on the outside, the perfect cookie consistency Third, they are densely populated with huge chunks of chocolate. Fourth, they have fleur de sel on top, salt/sweet nuff said. And fourth, I ate them all ooey-gooey-warm-out of-the-oven, only the best way to eat a cookie ever!
So the rumors are true. Make these, and they will change your cookie life. Just make sure you follow the directions exactly.
Yes the chocolate chunks should be this big.
I just bought 2 bars of the Trader Joe's Pound Plus Chocolate and chopped 1.5 lbs of chunks out of them and it worked great. But really the better the chocolate, the better the cookies, so go wild.
And yes, the must rest at least 24 hours in the fridge. Don't get anxious and jump the gun, as tempting as it might be, it will result in a less than ideal consistency.
And yes, make the balls of dough 3.5 ounces! I know they look huge.
I was tempted to stop at 2.75 thinking they would be big enough, but I heard a voice say, "Follow the recipe exactly." So I did, and I was so happy.
Also, I had a ton of leftover dough after making just five for a dinner party, so I got resourceful with it. I rolled the leftover dough into balls and froze them on a cookie sheet until hard. After they were frozen, I Ziploced them up and put them back in the freezer for later use. The only thing you have to remember when baking this frozen dough is: don't forget the fleur de sel on top before baking and you may need to add a little extra baking time since you are baking from frozen and not refrigerated.
Birthday's come but once a year, and for my Dad it came last week on July 26th. Now I wasn't here for his actual birthday, but luckily my Mom held back the celebration till Saturday so Josh and I could be there. I am glad she did because it was a great day with great endings. Two great endings to be exact...
Ending 1: After an amazing dinner of beef tenderloin made by my mama, we dug into this...
A multi-layer Campfire Delight Cake. One of the best cakes I have ever made. Picture this and salivate: 3 moist and light, yet substantial layers of delicious chocolate cake with two thick layers of toasted marshmallow creme in between covered with thick delicious malted chocolate buttercream.
It's the kinda cake that you eat the night of the birthday party and then the next night and the night after that until it's all gone. Oh, and it is extra delicious with a scoop of french vanilla ice cream on top!
Ending 2: After dinner and dessert we got a show. My brother Bryan bought my Dad a roman candle for his birthday. A roman candle? Yes, a roman candle. In and of itself, weird, I know. But when used for the purposes my brother intended for it to be used, an awesome gift.
So the deal was my dad would stand on one side of the yard and my younger brother PJ would stand on the other and my dad would get to shoot the roman candle at him. Initially I was ecstatic to watch this family spectacle until I became apart of it. After two near misses directed at my brother, Pj bolted and my Dad turned his fire onto the crowd of which I was apart of. We all scattered as sparks flew in between us. It was seriously like the last battle in Harry Potter. My dad might as well of been yelling Avada Kedavra.
Chocolate Cake Ingredients 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup strong black coffee (can be hot)
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Prepare 3 x 8″ round cake pans with butter and flour or parchment paper.
2. In a bowl of electric mixer, sift all the dry ingredients. Add all the remaining ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and with paddle attachment on the mixer, mix for 2 minutes on medium speed. (You may need the plastic splashguard that comes with mixer.) Batter will be liquidy.
3. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans and bake for 20-30 minutes rotating the pans halfway through the baking time. Cakes are done when a toothpick comes out clean or almost clean. Do not over-bake.
4. Cool on wire racks for 20 minutes then gently invert the cakes onto the racks until completely cool, then wrap them in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours before building the cake. It is easiest to bake the cake part the day before and refrigerate over night. Working with cold cake is just a lot easier with layer cakes.
Malted Chocolate Frosting Ingredients 1 lb butter (4 sticks or 2 cups) at room temperature
4 cups powdered sugar
3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup Ovaltine Classic (brown in color)
8 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped and melted
1/2 cup whipping cream
Directions
1. In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the icing sugar and butter and beat on low speed for about 1 minute.
2. Add vanilla and malt powder, and beat on low until well combined.
3. Add the melted chocolate and beat on medium speed until smooth (about 2 minutes).
4. Add whipping cream and beat on med-high speed for another minute.
5. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator while you make the toasted marshmallow creme.
Toasted-Marshmallow Creme Ingredients
16 large white marshmallows
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 lb butter (2 sticks, or 1 cup) at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
7 oz of Kraft Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Cream (or Marshmallow Fluff)
Directions
1. Preheat the broiler. Place marshmallows on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
2. While the oven is pre-heating, combine the butter and powdered sugar in an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on low until blended (about 1 minute). Add vanilla and mix on high for about 3 minutes.
3. Place the marshmallow sheet on the lower rack of the oven, and broil the marshmallows until nice and brown. Be sure to keep an eye on them–they burn very, very quickly.
4. Add marshmallow cream and toasted marshmallows to the butter mixture and mix on lowest setting for about 1 minute. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Building The Cake 1. Take your three cakes, marshmallow cream and chocolate frosting out of the fridge and cut off the doming tops off of two of your cakes.
2. Place the sturdiest flat layer on top of a cake board that's set on a spinning cake decorating stand if you have one.
3. Smooth half of the marshmallow cream on top with a spatula.
4. Place the second flat cake layer on top of that and smooth on the other half of the marshmallow creme. Top with the domed cake layer, dome on top.
5. Cover the entire cake with a THIN layer of chocolate frosting (the crumb layer) and refrigerate for 30 minutes. You can return the frosting to the fridge as well.
6. Take your frosting out of the fridge 10 min before the cake comes out. Finally, frost the cake with a thick layer of chocolate frosting. (You will have a lot of extra frosting you can freeze for cupcakes later on :)
7. To create the frosted effect, with a medium palette knife (straight, not offset)using your dominant hand, hold the palette knife with a medium-firm pressure at about a 45 degree angle starting at the bottom of the cake, and with your other hand slowly spin the turntable while keeping your palette knife against the cake at at all times, then gradually directing the palette knife upwards until you get to the top. Finish with the same technique on top. If you aren’t happy with your attempt, this frosting is so satiny, that you can smooth it over and try again.
8. Top with a single Lindt chocolate and some chocolate sprinkles. (You can serve immediately or refrigerate until service, just make sure to take it out 30 minutes before serving.)
Then make a wish, blow out the candles and grab your roman candle for a good time!
So a guy walks into a bar, and it is dense and it is delicious and it has a full bodied chocolate espresso flavor. Then he says to the bar, "Even though you are drop dead as it is, you would be even better sandwiching some ice cream." So he did just that, then he ate the ice cream sandwich and he was satisfied.
A guy walks into a bar, it is ooey-gooey over the top good. Filled with his favorite trio of ingredients from his childhood: graham, hershey's chocolate and mallow. He stops to devour one, then he devours another, and pretty soon he has devoured seven bars and he was satisfied.
A guy walks into a bar, and this time he is disappointed that they only serve alcohol and not delicious desserts.
I stand in front of the crescent rolls at TJ's for literally 5 minutes. Dang, why do there have to be 8 in a package. I love crescent rolls but with just Josh and I eating them I know I am going to waste at least 4.
Ding! Revelation! I can just save the leftovers for the next morning, shove some bittersweet chocolate chips in them, brush them with an egg wash, bake according to the directions and have fantasmal Chocolate Croissants! Well, Chocolate Crescent Rolls I suppose, but no less genius.
Man your stations and baton down the hatches(I can combine those right?) because we have officially entered birthday season. That's right, every year, in March and April, tons of babies are brought into this world in order to attain the prestige that comes with being born during the coveted birthday months of April and March. Which, for thier friends, means strategic planning of parties, purchasing of affordable gifts and a strict limit to how many pieces of cake they can consume in one day.
Yes, these months are a joyous time filled with parties, friends and the celebration of another year of life, but even the best things in life can kill you, like drinking to much water or eating pop-rocks with coke. So friends of March/April babies be wary, we are entering into survival mode here, and if you're lucky (and you will be if you follow my simple instructions) you just might survive and have a fantastic two months filled with birthday celebrations.
Rules of Survival
1. Make homemade cards. They are more thoughtful and they don't cost 3.50 a pop. Which times 7 birthdays equals $24!
2. Take it one birthday party at a time to prevent burn out. Each birthday party can be extremely fun and special if you live the party in the moment.
3. Limit yourself to one piece of cake at each party. If you don't, you could end up eating an entire cake yourself in the course of a couple weeks.
4. Make homemade gifts that reflect some quality or unique-like your friend has.
For example, for my good friend Leah I made her favorite ice cream, with a twist, and named it after one of her signature catch phrases, "I'm kinda loving it right now." It's a flavor I have never made before and will never make again, unless Leah requests it. She owns the rights to the flavor: Cookies and Malted Cream, and the name: Leah's (I'm kinda loving it right now) Cookies and Malted Cream.
See, a special gift for a special friend. Which is why I am not divulging the recipe.
In addition to the ice cream, I made some homemade fudge, not pictured here, to complete the gift. It also bears a name that reflects a unique quality about Leah, but it is a little to inside to share here. I can tell you though that the recipe comes from David Lebovitz' Perfect Scoop, which is THE ice cream book to have, and I will even give you the recipe at the end of my post.
You have your instructions, now go execute them, party and be merry.
Classic Hot Fudge *adapted from David Lebovitz Perfect Scoop
INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 light corn syrup
6 ounces of chopped bittersweet chocolate
1 tablespoon slated butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1.5 tbsp sugar (optional, I wanted it a tiny bit sweeter)
Directions
1. Mix the first 4 ingredients together in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, and boil for 30 sec. while stirring constantly.
2. Remove the mixture from the heat and add the butter, chocolate and vanilla. Stir to combine, taste and add the sugar if you want it a little sweeter.
3. Store in the fridge in a airtight container. To serve, reheat in the micro.
I've never been one to fix what ain't broke. For example, why make my own peanut butter when Skippy is deathly delicious, why make my own bread when Tartine's is near perfection, and, for gosh sakes, why make my own french fries when McDonald's does it way better! However, I guess there is an exception to the rule in most instances.
So that is where my catchy pun-of-a-title comes in... I made my own Nut-ella, ella, ella. Aye, aye, aye.
I don't know what possessed me to do it, or what possessed me to tell that awful joke, but I did both. And I must say, even though the original Nutella is finger-licken' great, my version is even better! At least in my opinion it is.
But what is claim to greatness without some rational, let me expand. As my husband, and Charlie Seen, would say, my nutella is "bi-winning." The hazelnut flavor is more organic and whole in my spread, and the chocolate is a much darker and robust than the chocolate used in the store bought stuff. Both come together to create beautiful music on your tongue whether smeared on a crepe or eaten straight out of the jar.
Did I mention it was also ridiculously easy? And that the recipe is from my man David Lebovitz? Check it out, "boom."
For Christmas, my thoughful husband got me Ready For Dessert, by David Lebovitz. Who, by the way, has a great blog about his life as an American foodie in Paris.
In my opinion, the true test of a dessert cookbook is how great the basic recipes are. For example, the chocolate chip cookie recipe, which is just what I tried first.
The recipe called for huge chunks of hand cut bittersweet chocolate and walnuts, which is what first tipped me off that this was going to be a sophisticato cookie. Not to mention, I had to form the dough into two logs, refrigerate them over nights and slice instead of scoop the cookie dough onto the cookie sheet. So fancy! These cookies had so much swag.
The end result was delicious and refined. I loved the huge chunks of chocolate and the walnuts added great texture. I wouldn't say it was my favorite chocolate chip cookie, I love the cheapest ones you can get, but it was still a pretty impressive cookie.
I love Christmas; I don't think I need to explain why. I also love having friends, which also needs no explanation. But do allow me to explain why having a lot of great friends during Christmas puts me in a tough spot...
Without friends, Christmas would be lonely, boring and not quite as joyful. However, the more friends I have, the more Christmas gifts I want to buy, which I just don't have the budget for. I say want because I know I don't need to buy them all gifts, but I love giving gifts, and I think in a small way giving a gift says, "I love and value you." Call me crazy!
So that's where the DIY (do it yourself) gifts come into play. They are an affordable alternative to breaking the bank on your friends gifts, and they allow you to say just what you want to say with your gift, "I love and value you." And what says that better then your precious time and love poured into the gifts your giving. Well maybe an Ipad says more, but thats not gonna happen. Sorry friends :)
So this year I poured my love and time into making homemade hot cocoa and marshmallows. But not any old hot cocoa and marshmallows, I made "You Go Glen (Valrhona) Cocoa" mix and Cardamom Vanilla Bean Marshmallows. You may have picked up on my slight sassiness right there, if you've seen Mean Girls, you see why this is a hilarious name. If you haven't, then you should watch it, but in the meantime here is the scene I am referencing...
Although the name of my cocoa is a little silly, the chocolate flavor is drop dead serious. That's because I used Valrhona cocoa powder in the mix, which produces a very full chocolate taste, definitely not for the die hard Swiss Miss fans. Then again, if you are a die hard Swiss Miss fan you need to try some good chocolate.
The Cardamom Vanilla Bean Marshmallows are equally as tasty, but a little subtler in flavor. They are a perfect warm and light compliment to their darker counterpart.
I wrapped them all up in some wax paper and candy bags, tied them in some bakers twine I bought here and then finished them off with some free printable labels I found here and then edited a little.
Cute huh?! And it was easy! So if you need some last minute gifts for your friends and your low on dough, or if you just want to avoid the insanity of the mall, whip these up!
"You Go Glen (Valrhona) Cocoa" Mix
Ingredients
*makes one single serving bad of cocoa
2 Tbsp Valrhona cocoa powder (I got mine at Whole Foods)
3 Tbsp of chopped semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 Tbsp sugar
pinch of salt
Directions
1. Layer the ingredients into a clear candy bag. You can find these at Michael's. Tie off with some bakers twine and finish off with a cute label.
2. Include directions on the back using another label. For directions, see below.
1. Place the gelatin in the bowl of a stand mixer, or a medium bowl if using hand beaters, and pour 1/2 cup of the cold water over it. Set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine the remaining 1/2 cup of water, sugar, corn syrup and salt over medium-hi heat. Cover the mixture for the first 4 minutes, then remove the lid and place a candy thermometer on the side of the pan and heat until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F. Once the mixture reaches this temperature, immediately remove it from the heat.
3. With the whisk attachment in place (or using hand beaters), turn the mixer on low speed and while it's running pour the hot syrup mixture down the side of the bowl slowly into the gelatin mixture. Once the syrup has all been added, add the vanilla extract and turn the mixture on hi and whip until the mixture is luke warm and very thick, about 8-10 minutes. Add the vanilla bean seeds and ground cardamom during the last minute of mixing. Below is a little tutorial of how to seed a vanilla bean.
Using a paring knife, slice the vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Open up the sides using your fingers and use the blunt side of the knife to scrape all the seeds out.
4. While the mixture is whipping, prepare a 9 x13 baking dish. Combine the powdered sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl, spray the pan with with nonstick cooking spray, and coat the bottom and sides of the dish with the mixture. Pour the excess back in to the small bowl and save for later use.
5. Pour the mixture into the pan and smooth the top using a spatula coated in cooking spray or a piece of plastic wrap coated in cooking spray. Dust the top with enough of the powdered sugar mixture to lightly coat it. Again, reserve any excess for later. Set aside the marshmallows to set for at least 4 hours.
5. Turn the marshmallows out onto a cutting board and use a pizza cutter to cut them to the size you want. Coat the sides of each marshmallows that had not previously been coated in the powdered sugar mixture and place in a tupperware. Marshmallows will store for 3 weeks.
6. To wrap, use wax paper and wrap 2 marshmallows like you would wrap a regular present. Tie the package up with bakers twin and secure with or knot or with a cute label from Creature Comforts.
7. Gift your mallow/cocoa packages to your friends. Just remember, "none for Gretchen Wieners, bye."
If sugar runs through your veins this blog is for you. I am dedicated to researching, tasting, and reporting the tastiest treats this side of the Mississippi. Not to mention I have a knack for dessert novelties and curiosities with a dash of nostalgic reflection on the best and brightest treats of the past. So make sure and leave a trail of breadcrumbs because this is one dessert blog you will want to come back to again and again!
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