Chewy Crunchy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chewy Crunchy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chewy Crunchy Chocolate Chip CookiesI truly love when readers contact me to say they’ve successfully tried some of my recipes and have even ventured to make yummy variations to them.

One of my readers, Kayla from New Jersey, wrote me recently to say she used the Extreme Peanut Butter Cookies recipe and replaced the peanut butter chips with chocolate chips. She loved the results and sent in the gorgeous images posted here. Here’s the recipe for your perusal and enjoyment!

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup peanut butter
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar or ½ cup honey
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 8-ounce bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Chewy Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies PanDirections:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and peanut butter with an electric mixer on medium-high speed for 30 seconds.
  3. Add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking soda and baking powder and 1 cup of the flour. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until combined. Beat in remaining flour. Stir in the chocolate chips.
  4. Shape dough into 1½ inch balls. Place balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until bottoms are light brown. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.

Makes about 36 cookies.

Let me know what you think if you bake a batch!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Ganache Centers

Chocolate Cupcakes with Ganache Centers

Chocolate Cupcakes with Ganache Centers

With Chocolate Marshmallow Frosting

Ganache centers, need I say more?? These dark chocolate cupcakes get an extra boost of chocolateness with the addition of bittersweet chocolate ganache filling in the center of the cupcakes.

As you bake these cupcakes, the fudgy centers will cave in – no worries! That’s the perfect little nook to put extra frosting in.

Ganache Centers Ingredients:

  • ¼ cup heavy cream
  • 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
  • 1 Tbsp. confectioner sugar

Chocolate Cupcakes Ingredients:

  • 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
  • 1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
  • ¾ cup piping hot, brewed coffee
  • ¾ cup bread flour
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. baking soda
  • 6 Tbsp. vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tsp. white vinegar
  • 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Cupcakes after baking

Cupcakes after baking

Ganache Centers Directions:

  1. Place chocolate, cream, and confectioner sugar in a medium bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir the mixture and if not completely melted, return to the microwave for 10 seconds. Stir until smooth then place in the refrigerator to cool, 15-20 minutes.

Chocolate Cupcakes Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and either butter and flour a 12-muffin pan or add cupcake liners.
  2. In a medium bowl, add the chocolate and cocoa powder. Pour the hot coffee over the chocolate and cocoa powder. Whisk until smooth, about 1 minute, and chill in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes.
  3. Blend together the flour, sugar, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl.
  4. In another medium bowl, beat the oil, eggs, vanilla and vinegar. Whisk the egg mixture into the reserved bittersweet chocolate / cocoa powder mixture until smooth.
  5. Using a rubber spatula, add the flour mixture to the chocolate batter until just incorporated. Don’t overmix.
  6. Divide the batter among the cups of the muffin pan. Each cup shouldn’t be more than ¾ full.
  7. Add a teaspoon of ganache on top of each cupcake – don’t mix the ganache in the cake batter.
  8. Bake 17 – 19 minutes, until the cupcake tops are firm. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then unmold and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
  9. Frost with Chocolate Marshmallow Frosting.

Yields a dozen cupcakes.

Chocolate Marshmallow Frosting

Chocolate Marshmallow Frosting

Marshmallow FrostingOne of the best frostings I’ve ever tasted was at a kids’ birthday party when I was around 8 years old. My friend’s mom made a light and fluffy marshmallow frosting over confetti cake so delicious I remember it vividly to this day.

Since I’m a serious chocolate fanatic, I decided to try a chocolate version of marshmallow frosting. The results were hugely popular with my co-workers who tasted the frosting over Chocolate Cupcakes with Ganache Centers.

Ingredients:

  • 2 sticks butter, softened
  • 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 4 Tbsp. milk
  • 3 cups confectioner sugar
  • ¼ cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
  • 7-ounce jar marshmallow crème

Directions:

  1. In the bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed, cream the butter, vanilla and milk until smooth, about 2 minutes.
  2. With the mixer on low, add the confectioner sugar and the cocoa powder and beat until just combined, then beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes.
  3. With a rubber spatula, gently fold the marshmallow crème into the frosting mixture until most of the white streaks are gone.
  4. Use right away or refrigerate for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature if previously refrigerated.

Makes enough frosting for a dozen cupcakes or a 8” double layer cake.

Veggie Heaven – Meatless in Denville

Veggie Heaven – Meatless in Denville

Veggie Heaven

Veggie Heaven Dining Room

If you’ve read me in the past, you might be slightly amused to see me dining at a vegetarian restaurant. I’m known for my porkie penchant and my beefy boldness and venturing into foreign land was a bit intimidating for a non-vegetarian like me. The menu is extensive and offers some dishes whose names will sound familiar: General Tso (veggie chicken or crispy tofu) and Moo Shu Veggie Chicken.

Veggie Heaven

Tom Yum Soup

After several visits by the friendly waitress prompting me to order, I quickly requested a Ton Yum soup to get my order started and continued perusing the entrées. This isn’t the soup with layers of tart and spicy flavors found at Thai restaurants, but a cup of soup with cabbage pieces and lackluster flavors. A small bowl of pickled cabbage is served complimentary and it had the right level of tartness one would expect.

I love tofu and veggie stir fry so I was tempted to take the easy road and order something along those lines, but instead, I selected the Black Mushroom Supreme ($12.95 off the regular menu). Black mushrooms are stuffed with a minced adamame and “chicken” filling and served over wilted mustard greens and adorned with giant, candied walnuts. The dish was satisfying and the mushrooms offered a meatiness that I appreciated and was taken aback by. The sesame sauce the dish is served with is overly sweet and could have used a dose of acidity or heat to balance it out. Pretty great plate of food nonetheless.

veggie heaven

Black Mushrooms

Some of the dishes I’d like to try on future visits are the Shredded Heaven ($12.95), tofu skins wrapped with shredded snow peas, bean sprouts, carrots and black mushrooms served with peanut sauce, or the Spicy Girl ($14.95), vegetarian chicken strips, green and red peppers, onion, fresh asparagus and garlic in a Hunan sauce.

Veggie Heaven also offers an extensive sushi, sashimi and rolls selection including some usual suspects and some creative options like the Fireball Roll ($7.95), spicy tuna, avocado outside with the chef’s spicy Thai sauce. There are eight noodle soups to sample too.

Lunch specials are available Monday through Friday from 11:30AM until 3:30PM and on the weekends from 12PM until 3:30PM. The dishes are nearly half price during those lunch hours and each entrée is served with an egg roll, a choice of soup and rice.

Delivery is available to Denville, Boonton, Rockaway, Mountain Lakes and certain surrounding areas.  ($20 minimum, $2 delivery charge will apply for orders under $30). There are Veggie Heaven locations in Teaneck and Upper Montclair also.

If you enjoy Asian food and are looking for a healthy and tasty alternative to the run of the road options in Morris County, give Veggie Heaven a try.

57 Bloomfield Avenue, Denville, NJ 07834. Tel: (973) 586-7800.

Cheers,

Veronique

Fiori Di Zucchine – Fried Zucchini Blossoms

Fiori Di Zucchine – Fried Zucchini Blossoms

Zucchini blossoms

Fresh Blossoms

Saturday night, I had the pleasure of dining at The Orange Squirrel in Bloomfield, NJ again. It had been several months since I had eaten Chef Francesco Palmieri’s inventive and flavorful creations and once again, it was a great meal.

zucchini blossoms

Blossom Dredging

I absolutely adore zucchini blossoms and was thrilled to also see them served up as an amuse-bouche paired with a roasted plum topped with a hazelnut and Gorgonzola Dolce. It was a simply-presented dish yet it was complex in texture and flavor. When Chef Palmieri came out of the kitchen to present the amuse, I am certain he could see my enthusiasm for the blossoms and gave me a box of fresh blooms to take home when I left. What an amazing treat! The blossoms, much like most of the produce at The Orange Squirrel, are sourced from the Palmieri garden just a few blocks away from the restaurant.

zucchini blossoms

Blossom Frying

I left with my box of blooms like a kid leaving a candy store and I knew I would need to create something special with such a precious present. I opted for Fried Zucchini Blossoms – perhaps the most amazing fried food item ever.

Ingredients:

  • Any neutral-flavor vegetable oil (I use canola)
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • 12 ounces club soda, chilled
  • 12-24 zucchini blossoms
  • Sea salt
zucchini blossoms

Fried Blossoms

Directions:

  1. In a deep, heavy pot, bring about 2″ of oil to 350 degrees (use a candy/deep fry thermometer).
  2. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour and the salt. Add the club soda to the flour mixture, whisking until just incorporated with a few lumps. Over-whisking is not your friend here.
  3. Remove the stamens from the blossoms then dip each one in the batter, making sure to allow any excess batter to drip off. The goal is a thin coating.
  4. Place a few blossoms in the hot oil, ensuring the pot is not over-crowded causing the temperature to drop. Cool oil = greasy fried foods. Cook the blossoms for 3 minutes, turning them once, then remove them to a paper towel-lined place. Immediately sprinkle sea salt on the blossoms as they come out of the oil.

Batter is enough for up to 24 blossoms.

5 Wine Paired Dishes to Celebrate Bastille Day

5 Wine Paired Dishes to Celebrate Bastille Day

Gateau Saint Honore

Gateau Saint Honore

If you need an excuse to eat delicious French food, Bastille Day is Sunday July 14 and might be the best excuse of them all.

Bastille Day commemorates the 1790 Fête de la Fédération, held on the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789. Festivities and official ceremonies are held all over France1.

Coquille-Saint-Jacques

Coquille-Saint-Jacques

Here are 5 Wine Paired Dishes to Celebrate Bastille Day:

Coquilles Saint Jacques – Wine Pairing: 2010 Albert Mann Crémant D’Alsace (see review here)

Coq au Vin – Wine Pairing: 2009 Domaine Delagrange Volnay Vielles Vignes (see review here)

Boeuf en Croute (some say it’s English) – Wine Pairing: 2002 Chateau Preuillac Cru Bourgeois Medoc (see review here)

Gâteau St-Honoré – Wine Pairing: 2009 Marquis de Chasse Sauternes (see review here)

Pots de Crème au Chocolat – Wine Pairing: Louis Roederer Brut Premier NV (see review here)

Vive la France!

Santé,

Veronique

1Wikipedia

Cabot Creamery Seriously Sharp Cheddar Mac N Cheese

Cabot Creamery Seriously Sharp Cheddar Mac N Cheese

Mac n CheeseI make macaroni and cheese using various cheeses and featuring other decadent ingredients (see Porcini and Lobster Macaroni and Cheese) but for cook outs and casual get-togethers, I love the flavor of Cabot Creamery’s Seriously Sharp Cheddar. Crusted with a Panko topping, this mac n cheese gets rave reviews every time.

Ingredients:

  • ½ stick (4 Tbsp.) butter
  • 4 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
  • ½ tsp. each, ground nutmeg, salt and pepper
  • 4 cups whole milk or light cream
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 4 cups freshly grated Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar
  • 1 ½ pounds tubular pasta (I use Barilla Cellentani) cooked 2 minutes less than recommended on package directions, drained

Topping Ingredients:

  • 1 stick butter
  • 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
  • ½ tsp. cayenne pepper

Mac n Cheese MakingPasta Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Place butter in a large saucepan and melt over medium heat. Add flour and cook for 2 minutes, whisking constantly. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper.
  3. Stir the milk (or light cream) and the heavy cream into the butter/flour mixture and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 5 minutes, whisking often.
  4. Slowly add the cheeses, a handful at a time, and stir until fully incorporated.
  5. Add the drained pasta to the cheese sauce and mix well.
  6. Add cheesy pasta to a 13×9 baking dish.

Topping Directions:

  1. Microwave butter in a small dish for 45 seconds. Add Panko and cayenne pepper and stir to incorporate the butter and create a crumbly mixture.
  2. Sprinkle Panko mixture over pasta in an even layer.
  3. Bake pasta for 15 minutes until Panko topping has lightly browned. Serve at once.

Makes 8 servings.

Rosemary and Lemon Compound Butter

Rosemary and Lemon Compound Butter

Compound Butter DisksI just love having compound butter on hand for summer grill outs. Compound butter is made by whipping softened butter with herbs or other condiments to boost flavor in food. I’ve played around with add-ons like minced garlic, chopped anchovies (great on grilled romaine lettuce) and various herbs.

This version of compound butter uses lemon zest and chopped rosemary as the flavor enhancers and it’s delicious over grilled steaks.

Ingredients:

  • 2 sticks of butter, softened
  • Zest of one lemon
  • 1 Tbsp. dried rosemary, chopped
  • ½ tsp. each salt and pepper

Compound ButterDirections:

  1. In a small bowl, whip the butter using a fork. Add the zest and the spices and whip some more to fully incorporate the aromatics into the butter.
  2. Lay two 12-inch sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap on a work surface. Divide the butter mixture between the two sheets and start to wrap the butter to form logs (think sushi roll or jelly roll).
  3. Place the two rolls in the refrigerator for at least four hours (if using within a couple days) or the freezer (if using at a later time).
  4. To use, unwrap the wax paper or plastic wrap and slice the butter in ½” slabs.

Makes about 30 butter slices.

Red, White and Blue Cake

Red, White and Blue Cake

Red Velvet CutI love red velvet cake, well, the cream cheese frosting actually, so when I was looking for a dessert to make for my 4th of July party, I opted for a red and blue velvet cake.

I love that this cake turned out not…fussy and perfect for a casual outdoor party that involved grilling a whole beef tenderloin.

I made my life easier by baking the four cakes the night before my party so they’d be completely cooled by the time I got around to frosting them with the decadent cream cheese frosting.

Red Velvet AngleThe recipe below is for two red velvet cakes. Make those than make the exact recipe but with 2 ounces of royal blue paste food coloring (I use Wilton). I dipped some strawberries in chocolate for an additional festive touch.

Red Velvet Cake Ingredients:

  • 2 ½ cups cake flour
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 ounces red food coloring
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • ½ cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 tsp. white vinegar
  • 1 tsp. baking soda

Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients (enough to cover the whole 4-layer cake):

  • ½ cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
  • 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Red Velvet Red ClothRed Velvet Cake Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using cooking spray or a bit of softened butter, coat two 9-inch round cake pans.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking powder.
  3. In a small bowl, blend the cocoa powder and the food coloring with a teaspoon to create a smooth mixture.
  4. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the sugar and the butter until light and fluffy, about three minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula every minute.
  5. Add the eggs to the butter mixture, one at a time, mixing well after each one.
  6. Add the food coloring mixture and mix well, about 1 minute, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
  7. Add half of the flour mixture to the creamed butter mixture, then, add half of the buttermilk. Add the rest of flour mixture, then the rest of the buttermilk. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to ensure the batter in completely blended without white streaks of batter.
  8. In a small bowl, combine the vinegar and the baking soda with a teaspoon to form a bubbly mixture.  Add the mixture to the cake batter and stir gently until just combined.
  9. Divide the batter evenly in each cake pans and place them in the preheated oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
  10. Cool the cakes in their pans for 10 minutes then remove the cakes from the pans and allow to cool completely on wire racks.

Red Velvet SliceFrosting Directions:

  1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula every minute. Incorporate the vanilla.
  2. Turn off the mixer and add the powdered sugar. Turn mixer on low and blend until the powdered sugar has been incorporated, about 2 minutes, again scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
  3. Use the frosting right away or refrigerate, covered, until ready to use. To use refrigerated frosting, bring to room temperature then stir thoroughly using a wooden spoon.
  4. Place a red cake on a large platter or cake stand. Cover with a thin layer of cream cheese frosting using an offset spatula or butter knife. Top the red cake with a blue one, ice it, then, repeat the process with the remaining cakes, ensuring that the top layer is the flattest slice – this will ensure a smooth surface for the finished cake.
  5. Crumb coat the entire cake with a thin layer of frosting and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes. Finish icing the cake with the rest of the frosting then refrigerate. Serve within a day at room temperature.

Serves 12.

Pork Belly Deviled Eggs

Pork Belly Deviled Eggs

Pork Belly Deviled EggsI love deviled eggs and think they have a place at most parties whether upscale (think caviar-topped eggs) to casual (served plain) to quirky, which I’d consider this pork belly version.

Directions:

  1. Slice the eggs in half horizontally, carefully remove the yolks and place in a small bowl. Add the mustard, Mayonnaise, Paprika, Sriracha, salt and pepper to the yolks. Mash the mixture using a fork until smooth.
  2. Fill the egg white cavities with the egg yolk mixture (can use a pastry bag and tip to make the presentation fancier).
  3. Top each egg half with a piece of pork belly.

Makes 12 deviled egg halves.