Mexican Hot Chocolate

I unveiled this new (to me) drink at today's book club, and it was a huge hit. We met at my house, and since it's October and our book was originally written in Spanish, I decided to go with a Dia de los Muertos (day of the dead) theme. It's a Central American/Mexican tradition that, unlike Halloween, isn't all about the creepy and the gouls and the ghosts. It's about celebrating the lives of your loved ones who have passed away.

There are several traditional foods that are served on Dia del los Muertos, and I'll be posting the ones I made in the next few days. The first one I'm posting is because of popular demand. Seriously, everyone who was here today wanted the recipe, so ... Sonia, Melanie, Elli, Lisa, and Esther, this is for y'all!!

Mexican Hot Chocolate

2 c boiling water
1 chile pepper, stem and seeds removed (or 1 t cayenne pepper)
4 c milk
1 c cream*
1 vanilla bean, split**
1-2 cinnamon sticks, halved
8 oz bittersweet chocolate***
2 T sugar
whipped cream****

In a small saucepan, add chile or pepper to water and reduce to a quick simmer. Reduce to 1 cup of liquid and strain and discard the solids, reserving the liquid.

Over low heat in a larger saucepan, combine the milk and cream, vanilla bean, and cinnamon sticks, stirring frequently for 20 minutes. DO NOT BOIL!! Add the chocolate and cinnamon, stirring with a whisk until the chocolate has completely melted. Remove the cinnamon and vanilla and turn off the heat. Add the chile-infused water little by little, according to taste.

Serve immediately (this drink separates and settles very quickly) with whipped cream on top. Enjoy!

*I use 5 cups of 2% milk. I mean, seriously, it's already a pretty rich drink without the cream.
**If you cheat like me and use a high-quality liquid vanilla (mine comes in a wine bottle-sized bottle from Mexico), don't add it until you stir in the chile water. Vanilla becomes bitter if you leave it in the heat for too long.
***I found a dark chocolate that was in between semi-sweet and bitter sweet. I think it had 64% cocoa? Anyway, it tasted great, and I didn't have to add any of the sugar. And let's talk chocolate for a minute. If you buy a cheapo chocolate, your drink will taste like it has a cheapo chocolate in it. For a recipe like this, splurge, and buy the good stuff. You'll thank me, I promise.
****Don't make me come over there and slap you because you decided to use nasty-ass faux horrid whipped cream from a can, or even worse, Cool Whip. I will come after you and show you the error of your ways. You don't want that. Make the real stuff.

:)

Chocolate Cheesecake Muffins

Hello, lover! Where have you been my whole life? I had no idea what I was missing ... Seriously, I've made these at least six times in the last three weeks. In my defense, I've made meals for multiple (two) friends and taken this as dessert. Stop looking at me like that! They really are that good! And if you use the flour I recommend, and follow my recipe, they're relatively guilt-free. Or, at least, they're more guilt-free than your average chocolate muffin. I'm just saying ...

Chocolate Cheesecake Muffins
modified by Brea!

3 oz softened cream cheese
2 T sugar
1/2 c very finely chopped nuts*
scant 1/2 t vanilla
1 c whole wheat pastry flour (white whole wheat flour)
1/3 c sugar
5 T unsweetened cocoa powder
2 t baking powder
scant 1/2 t salt
1 egg
3/4 c milk
1/4 c olive oil

In a small bowl, cream together cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Add nuts, and set aside. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.** Combine egg, milk, and oil in another bowl (or mixing cup), and add to dry ingredients. Batter will be somewhat thin and lumpy. Spoon 1 T batter into each greased muffin cup. Drop one T cream cheese mix on top, then one more T batter on top, making sure the cream cheese is totally covered. Bake immediately at 375 for 18-20 minutes.

*I like to use almonds, because it's not something most people would expect, and it adds a great taste.
**Sift the flour and the cocoa at the same time, so you get all the itty-bitty lumps out of the cocoa.

This recipe isn't super-sweet, and I love it. It's not worth eating cold, so if you're not going to eat the muffins straight out of the oven and burn the cr*p out of your tongue, hypothetically speaking of course! warm out of the oven, be sure to heat them up for about 10 seconds in the microwave, and have a big, cold glass of milk ready.

Now, go make these. Now. For real. Stop sitting here. You and your family can thank me later.

Apple Coffee Cake

This is amazing. A. Maz. Ing. For real. I made this a few days ago, and it was gone within 24 hours. And I confess: I've never made anything other than pie crust with shortening, but this cake called for it, so I decided to try it. Wow. And wow. And did I mention, amazingly wow?? So make this. And be prepared for people to worship you. It came from the same cookbook as this yummy cake. I've been in a baking mood lately, can you tell?

Apple Coffee Cake
by Lisa Whitt

topping:
3/4 c brown sugar
3 t cinnamon
3 T softened butter

batter:
1 1/2 c whole wheat pastry (white whole wheat) flour
1 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
3/4 c sugar
1/4 c shortening (I used Crisco all-vegetable)
2 eggs
1/2 c milk
1 t vanilla
2 cooking apples*

For topping: Mix cinnamon and sugar. Cut in butter. Set aside. Core, peel, and slice the apples. Set aside. For batter: Combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a bowl. Cut in shortening. Set aside. Beat eggs until foamy. Stir in milk and vanilla. Add egg/milk mix to flour/sugar mix and stir until just blended. (It should be lumpy!) Pour half of the batter in a greased 9-inch pan. Arrange apples over batter. Sprinkle with half of the topping. Cover with remaining batter and cover with remaining batter. Bake at 347 for 35-40 minutes.**

*I have no idea what cooking apples are. I used three small-ish Fuji apples, and it turned out great.
**You do not want a soggy coffee cake. It is better to over-cook by three to five minutes than to under-cook by the same amount. If in doubt, just cook fro another five minutes. Remember, tis cake is supposed to be served with coffee or a cold glass of milk. And did I mention that it tastes WONDERFUL?? Because it does. I'm just saying. :)

Enjoy!

Mellow Orange Cake, and Cream Cheese Frosting

I've really been in a sweet mood lately. Not speaking 100% about my disposition, but about my baking mood. I've been all about the sweet tooth! Here's my latest find. It came from a cookbook my husband gave me a year ago at Christmas; a family cookbook of one of his employees, and it's had some wonderful recipes in it!

Mellow Orange Cake
by Lisa Whitt

2 3/4 c cake flour or 2 1/2 c flour (I used white whole wheat, of course!)*
1 1/2 c sugar
1 1/2 t soda
3/4 t salt
1 1/2 c buttermilk
1/2 c softened butter
1/2 c shortening**
3 eggs
1 1/2 t vanilla
1/2 c finely chopped nuts (I used walnuts)
1 T grated orange peel

Measure all ingredients into large mixer bowl. Blend on low about 30 seconds, the beat 3 minutes on high. Pour into greased and floured pan(s), 1 (9x13) or 2 (9-inch round) layers. Bake 45-50 minutes for oblong pans, 30-35 minutes for layers.*** Frost when cool; see recipe below.

*Could someone explain the difference between cake flour and regular flour? I know what bread flour is. Help me!!

**I used all butter. It turned out fine. And yummy.

***No bake temperature was given, so I started at 350, but it was taking too long to cook (I made the round layers), so I turned it up to 375. But keep in mind that my oven is hateful and cooks wonky. Most cakes are baked at 350 or 375, so try the lower, and if it's taking too long, turn it up. I'm all for improvising.


Food Processor Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips*
4 oz butter (1 stick, I think)
1 1/2 c powdered sugar
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 T grated orange peel

Use the metal blade to chop chocolate fine, about 45 seconds. Melt butter and, with motor running, pour through feed tube and process one minuets. Add remaining ingredients and process until smooth. Scraping down, work bowl as necessary, 30-45 seconds. (You'll need to scrape the bowl often.)

*I used Nestle Tollhouse chips, so trust me when I tell you to shell out the money for quality chips. Seriously.

You could easily do this without a food processor, just make sure you chop the chocolate fine, get the butter really melted (read: hot), the cream cheese super soft, and have a good stiff whisk. This recipe was more than enough to frost the two-layer cake above.

And if you didn't want to use any of the orange, or the walnuts, this would be a great basic cake recipe.

Enjoy!!

Hot Milk Cake

I had never made milk cake before this morning ... and how unknowingly incomplete my life has been! How dare y'all not tell me about the joy of milk cake?! I was reading Paula's blog this morning, and she had just posted this recipe. I thought it sounded good, and seeing how I hadn't eaten breakfast, I decided to make it. Mmmm ... I've already had four two slices a slice of it, and I'm having to hold myself back from eating the rest of it. I decided to send the rest with John to his leadership class this evening with some of the men from the church, so it won't be gone by the time he gets home I won't eat another few pieces.

Of course, I've modified it, because I seem to have a genetic inability to make a recipe as I read it. So make this tonight, and enjoy a big ole' chunk for breakfast!

Hot Milk Cake
from Paula, modified by Brea

4 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or white whole wheat flour)
2 1/4 t baking powder
1 T cinnamon
1/4 t cloves
1 t vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups milk
10 T butter

In a mixing bowl, beat eggs at high speed until thick, about 5 minutes. Gradually add sugar, beating until mixture is light and fluffy. Combine flour, spices, and baking powder, add to batter with vanilla and beat at low speed until smooth. In a saucepan, heat milk and butter just until the butter melts, stirring occasionally. Add to batter, beating until combined. Pour into a greased 13 X 9 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until cake tests done.

Paula says to use all real ingredients, and I did ... except I used 1% milk, because that's all I had. It still turned out great. I also made a basic, thin glaze. To do this, take powdered sugar (2 cups maybe?) and dump it in a bowl. For this, I added a dash of cinnamon and a teeny splash of vanilla, then thinned it with half and half. Once it got fairly thin (kind of gooey, but not runny), I started adding milk to get it to a very pour-able consistency. You could also just add some whipped cream and/or fresh fruit at serving, and it would be awesome!!

So go make this! And enjoy it!!

Cinnamon Rolls

These babies are gooood. Cinnamon rolls are one of my favorite things (along with raindrops on roses and warm woolen mittens) for breakfast, but we never have them, because I can't get past the part where they're so bad for you that just reading the recipe makes you gain 4 pounds. So, I'm not claiming this recipe is good for you, per se, but it's a lot less bad for you than most. This is really modified from Ree's recipe, which I'll link to at the bottom of the post.

I made these with the kids last week, and the recipe is so big that I just baked the last pan this morning. I made about 6 pans from this. Here's the great part: I used whole wheat pastry flour (also sold as white whole wheat flour, scroll down to the fifth bag), but you can't tell!! This flour is amazing because the nutritional content is the same as whole wheat flour, but it's made from a softer wheat berry, so the texture and color are lighter. It's light and fluffy and you can use it in place of white flour in every recipe except when you're making a roux or breading something to fry it. Trust me on those two. It's my best friend in the whole world.

I use whole wheat in everything else, but was a little nervous to use it in something like cinnamon rolls. It turned out great! John saw me grinning as I watched him try them, and he said in a terrified tone, 'Oh, no! You didn't do anything bad to these, like use whole wheat flour, did you?' I said, 'Honey, I wouldn't do something like that to you. Have no fear.' (And then I gloated to myself, because he had no idea!! Woohoo!!)

So make this less-bad recipe, and your family will love you and worship at your feet and give you no peace until you make another batch.

Cinnamon Rolls
modified by Brea

1 quart low fat milk
1 cup canola oil
3 cups sugar, divided
4 1/2 t yeast (2 packets)
10 cups white whole wheat flour, divided
1 heaping t baking powder
1 scant t baking soda
1 heaping T salt
cinnamon, and lots of it!
1 c butter, melted with 1 1/2 c canola oil
glaze, recipe follows

Scald milk, 1 c canola oil, and 1 c sugar (scalding, for any cooking newbies, is always what you do with milk. Do not ever boil milk, unless specifically instructed. Scalding is heating something through to just before the point of boiling, then removing from the heat). Remove from heat, and let sit for an hour, until it's lukewarm. Stir in yeast, and let it bloom.

Add 8 cups flour, stir together, cover, and let rise for at least an hour. Add powder, soda, salt, and one more cup flour, and mix. (Ree says you can refrigerate the dough at this point for a day or two, but I haven't tried that yet. I'm fat too impatient to have dough just hanging out in my fridge, not being cooked or eaten.)

Sprinkle your rolling surface generously with some of the remaining flour, and take half the dough and make a rough rectangle. Then roll the dough kind of thin, keeping a rectangular shape. It should increase in both width and length as you roll it. Now drizzle half of the melted butter/oil mix. Sprinkle on one cup of sugar. Make sure it's fairly evenly distributed, and then load on the cinnamon. Don't be shy, people. It's cinnamon we're talking here. It's sooo good!! At this point, you could also add a cup of well-chopped pecans. In fact, I recommend it, because it adds so much to the recipe. Roll your rectangle towards you, keeping a tight circle, and pincha seam to keep it shut. Lots of goo will probably come out at this point. This is a messy recipe. Deal with it. :) It's worth it, trust me!!

Spray your 9-inch cake tins very lightly with non-stick spray, and start cutting your dough into 3/4 inch thick slices and putting them into your buttered pans. I was able to fit 7-8 in each pan, and again, this is a very messy process. Deal, and move on.

Repeat with the remaining half of the dough. You should have 6-7 pans (9-inch cake pans) of cinnamon rolls. At this point, you have a few options. One, you let them rise on the counter for 20-30 minutes, and bake at 400 until a very light golden brown. Remove, and glaze, then eat yourself into a stupor.

Your second option, if you're like me and have a maddeningly small oven, is to let three pans rise, and bake those three (or four. Whatever.). Cover the rest with foil, and put them in the fridge and let them hang out, chatting with your eggs and celery and whatnot, for up to three days. Then take them out, uncover, let them sit on the counter while your oven heats up, and then bake at 400 until very light golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Option three is more long term. After you slice the rolls and put them in the pan, cover with heavy-duty foil or two layers of regular foil, and put them in the fridge. Don't try to stack them until they're frozen. Put them in the fridge the night before you want to eat them (12-24 hours before cooking), and then let them hang out on the counter while your oven heats. Cook same as above.

Ree says you can cook, ice, and then freeze them, but again, I haven't tried that, so I can't vouch for it. But she does seem to know what she's talking about, so I would trust her if I were you. Even if she doesn't add pecans to her cinnamon rolls.

Maple Frosting
by Ree

1 bag powdered sugar
2 t maple flavoring
1/2 c milk
1/4 c melted butter
1/4 c coffee
generous pinch of salt

Mix is all up with a whisk in a big bowl. It should be thick but pourable. Generously drizzle over the warm rolls.

I didn't use this recipe, because I can't find maple flavoring. I was cranky. So I just made a glaze with powdered sugar, orange extract, and milk. It was awesome.

These rolls are amazing and not too sweet by themselves, and (dare I say it??) almost healthy without the glaze. I actually only glazed two pans, one that we took to a neighbor, and we've just been eating the rest plain for breakfast. And for our after-nap snack. And maybe for a snack for moi after the kids go to bed. Maybe.

So go forth! Make rolls! Enjoy!! And please, please, please don't ever tell John that thing I told you about the whole wheat. He wouldn't like them nearly as much as he does. :)

Apple Spice Cake

Well, the weather finally feels like fall, and I've been spending the last few weeks baking my hiney off. My family (and friends!) have been loving it. Here's a favorite that I forgot to post last year. It's really very healthy, and a wonderful food for breakfast. I came up with this recipe after studying several others and just experimenting ... here's the final product.

But I caution you, it's very, very good. If you're not married, and you make this for your sweetheart, you may get an on-the-spot proposal. Make it for your husband, and he'll follow you around like a puppy, begging for more while professing his undying love. Your kids will attach themselves to your legs and never let go, which makes for an awkward time of shaving your legs, believe me!! So, do beware of the powers that this cake has, and use them wisely, for good and not evil.

Apple Spice Cake
by Brea!

1 cup raisins (dark or golden)
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups barely packed brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon each ground cloves and ground allspice
1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups peeled apple chunks (honey crisp apples are the best ones I've found so far, but any really fresh, crisp apple will do)
1 cup chopped walnuts

Heat oven to 350, and grease two muffin tins or one muffin tin and 2 or 3 mini loaf tins. Don't make this as one big loaf; it'll never cook all the way through.

Coat the raisins with flour to prevent from sinking in the batter. In a small bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together, and set aside. In your mixer, cream the butter, sugar and eggs. Slowly add the oil with the mixer running, then the vanilla. In small batches, add the dry mix. Mix in the apples and walnuts, and stir in the raising by hand. Yes, this will be the thickest and chunkiest batter you have ever beheld in your entire life. It's supposed to be like that, don't worry!

Spoon into the tins and bake about 25 minutes, until springy and dry in the center. This time might now be anywhere close to right, because my oven is possessed by the devil and makes me do all kind of strange things with time to get things to cook. When they look completely done, and are brown all over, and aren't squishy in the middle, they're done.

Notes:
**As soon as you're able, turn everything out onto a cooling rack. The moisture content is so high that they start to get mushy very fast. No cooling rack? Use a dishtowel on the counter, but move everything after about 10 minutes to prevent it from sticking.

**Now, since this is kind of a pain in the hiney to make, I usually triple the recipe and individually freeze what we won't eat in two days or so.

**There is a glaze that is pretty good, too. Mix powdered sugar with maple syrup, or powdered sugar with milk and vanilla extract, and lightly drizzle over the cake when it's mostly cooled. Mmmm ...

English Toffee

This is another one from my great-grandmother. I make this several times in the winter, because it's great for parties, and it travels really well. And everyone eats it like it's ... well, candy!! One of the few recipes I have where no modifications have been made by me. Why mess with perfection??

English Toffee
by Evelyn Turk

1 c salted butter
1 c sugar
1/4 c water
1 1/4 c chocolate chips
1 1/2 c chopped pecans or walnuts

Spread pecans on the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan. Combine butter, sugar, and water in a saucepan. Cook, stirring, until mix reaches 300F on a candy thermometer. Pour immediately over pecans. Wait 2-3 miutes, then evenly spread chocolate chips over the hot mix. As chips melt, spread with the back of a spoon or small spatula. Allow to cool competely, and break or cut into small pieces. Store in an airtight container.

It is best to make this toffee (as with all candies) on days that aren't horribly humid. Sorry, Houston people!! :)

Peanut Butter Cookies

An old recipe, from my great-grandmother, Evelyn Turk, Evie's namesake.

Peanut Butter Cookies
by Brea, modified from Evelyn Turk

1/2 c butter
3/4 c crunchy peanut butter (or 1/2 c smooth peanut butter)
1/2 c white sugar
1/2 brown sugar
1/2 t vanilla
1 egg
1 1/2 whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 c mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375. Cream butter, sugars, egg, vanilla, and peanut butter. Sift dry ingredients together in a small bowl, then slowly add to wet mix. Add chocolate chips.

Cover with plasic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, no longer than 36 hours.

After dough is chilled, scoop into small balls and press down with a fork. Sprinkly with sugar, and bake on an ungreased cookie sheet until edges are light brown.

Enjoy warm, with a cold glass of milk!

Doubles very well, and dough freezes well if rolled out and pressed with fork before freezing.