99% Chocolate Chip Cookies (Nutella Stuffed, Brown Butter, Sea Salt)

99% Chocolate Chip Cookies

(Nutella Stuffed, Brown Butter, Sea Salt)

Adapted from NPR’s Leonard Lopate Show with Melissa Clark by Blue Heron Kitchen

(But really from “Monique” at ambitiouskitchen.com)

This chocolate chip cookie will elicit moans and omg's from the snootiest chocolatechipinado. Merging round and nutty browned butter (so all over cookies) with every chocolate flavor - dark, semi and moo (you can change any of these to your liking) with beloved Nutella (on sale last week for $2.99, American!) - finished with a sprinkle of Maldon salt. 

I know this one sounds like a signature cookie for the Jeb Bush campaign and the richest 1%, but once one of these occupies your taste buds, you'll understand that abundance doesn't translate to horror (and stock up on Nutella when it's on sale.) I'm going to deem these the official 99% Chocolate Chip Cookies and maybe they'll be Bernie Sanders' signature cookie! (A girl can dream.)

There's some labor to making these .. they're not drop cookies. But truth is this batter is like ... butter. The extra yolk softens the batter (before and after the bake) and makes it entirely enjoyable and easy to work. The refrigerated Nutella is kinda hard and if you're going to do battle, it'll be with the Nutella.

You'll work it out. You're the boss.

The only thing I'd suggest tweaking is perhaps lightening up some on the quantity of chips. Next time, I'll remove half the chips and toast and chop up some nuts - either hazelnuts or pecans. I like nuts. And it wouldn't hurt to stuff it to the 1%, now would it?

with a smile and a song,

jane

Ingredients:
2 ¼ c. unbleached all-purpose flour
1 ¼ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. Kosher salt
1 c. (8 oz.) unsalted butter, preferably European style
1 ¼ c. packed dark brown sugar
¼ c. granulated sugar
1 egg plus 1 egg yolk, size large, room temperature
1 ½ tsp. pure vanilla extract  (Baldwins, highly recommended)
1 Tbsp. plain Greek yogurt
¾  c. semi-sweet chocolate chips (Ghirardelli is a good choice for all chips in this recipe)

½ c. milk chocolate chips
½ c. dark chocolate chips
1 -13 oz. jar of Nutella, chilled in refrigerator 

Coarse sea salt for finishing (Maldon flaked salt is perfect! - the link is for Amazon, but I've seen it for less in local markets - specifically, hMart, an Asian (Korean) supermarket.)

Procedure:
In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside.

To brown the butter:

In a 1 to 1 ½ qt. saucepan, over medium heat, melt butter. The butter will begin to foam. 

Make sure to whisk constantly during this process. 

The foam will subside and the butter will ‘cook.’ 

After a couple of minutes, the butter will begin to foam again and then begin to brown.  During this process, breathe deeply – the smell is DIVINE! And .. of course, whisk continually. When the aroma and color are both ‘nutty’, remove from the heat and immediately transfer to a bowl to prevent burning. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment or Beater Blade, mix the butter and sugars until thoroughly blended.

Beat in the whole egg, yolk, vanilla, and yogurt until combined. Scrape down, as necessary.

Add the dry ingredients; and beat on low-speed just until combined. Gently fold in all of the chocolate chips. Transfer to the medium bowl in which you’d mixed your dry ingredients.

Flatten dough and cover with plastic wrap and chill for an hour to two hours. The dough should be cold, but pliable. This is a very pliable dough. When you remove it from the fridge, if it’s too stiff, allow it to soften up until you can work with it. 

Preheat the oven to 350º F.

Line baking sheet with parchment paper and set racks to upper and lower third of oven

Measure about 1 1/2 Tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball. Flatten the dough ball very thinly into the palm of your hand.

Place 1 teaspoon of chilled Nutella in the middle 

and fold dough around it; 

gently roll into a ball – No worries .. it doesn’t have to be perfectly rolled, but make sure that the Nutella isn’t peeking out of the dough. (If it is, you may add more dough to tuck in the Nutella.)

Place dough balls on cookie sheet, 2 inches apart and flatten with your hand with GREAT CARE. (Just the tops need to be flattened.)

Bake the cookies 9-11 minutes, transferring sheets front to back and top to bottom half-way through the bake, or until the edges of the cookies begin to turn golden brown. They will look a bit underdone in the middle, but they'll continue firm up once cooled. 

Truc: While these are baking, prepare the next batch. You can bake them or place them on a sheet, lined with waxed or parchment paper and freeze the formed cookies. Once frozen, wrap them and store them. Bake them freezer to oven (DON'T DEFROST THEM!), adding baking time as needed. If you choose this method, I recommend you bake them one sheet at a time, in the center of your oven. 

Cool the cookies on the sheets at least 2 minutes and then sprinkle each cookie with a little coarse Maldon flaked salt.

Remove the cooled cookies from the baking sheets after a few minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough (or freeze.)

Yield: 2 dozen large cookies (with leftover Nutella for your toast!)

Chocolate Loaf

Chocolate Loaf

Adapted from Nick Malgieri by Blue Heron Kitchen

Nick Malgieri's method was what was taught to me at Peter Kump's Cooking School. I apprenticed and attended class and his technique became my ‘method.’ He’s written countless cookbooks and is an icon in the world of baking.

This is an adaptation of his “Chocolate Spice Bread.” I simply don't like spices added to chocolate. Maybe it's because I'm not a chocoholic. But straight-up chocolate appeals to me. I use Valrhona cocoa and excellent quality ingredients: European-style butter, great sour cream, pure vanilla extract (I love Baldwin’s from West Stockbridge, Mass.); and always add top shelf chocolate “chips” to my confections. To these, I added Jacques Torres’ baking discs (chopped up.) Chop up your favorite chocolate. In the 'chips' department, Guittard chocolate chips are a cut above. However, you don’t have to add the extra chocolate. Really. 

This loaf isn’t overly sweet and will invite ice cream, whipped cream or no cream. It will toast well (but watch it if you’ve added chocolate chips.) Have it with some butter and raspberry jam. 

If you’re not a chocolate lover, you'll like this anyway. It's so fine, it's as good as vanilla. ;-)

Be sure to watch these toward the end of bake-time. Over-baking will dry out and ruin these jewels.

These little loaves will be part of my contribution to our music department’s lunch tomorrow.

and Cranberry loaf 

and Suvir Saran’s fantastic Candy Cane Kisses 

will all be on the Viennese table as we waltz into our winter break.

with a smile and a song,

jane

Chocolate Loaf

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour (spoon flour into dry-measure cup and level)
1/3 cup, alkalized (Dutch process) cocoa powder, sifted after measuring

            (Valrhona is fantastic. You can purchase it online.Here's a kilo for $27 U.S.!)
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
2 large eggs, room temperature

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup, tightly packed, dark brown sugar
5 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled to lukewarm
2/3 cup sour cream, room temperature

Optional: ½-1 cup chopped semi-sweet or dark chocolate (Jacques Torres is a great choice!) or excellent quality chocolate chips (if you can find Guittard, get them!)

Equipment: One 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 3/4-inch loaf pan, buttered or oiled.

Procedure:

Set a rack in the middle level of the oven and preheat to 350º F.

Combine the flour, sifted cocoa, baking powder, salt, and spices in a mixing bowl; whisk together.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, with the whisk attachment,  whisk the eggs to break them up, then add both sugars. Continue whisking for a minute, or until the mixture lightens.

Whisk in the melted (and cooled) butter and sour cream.

Change the whisk attachment to the paddle or ‘beater blade’ attachment.

Dump in the dry ingredients to the egg mixture all at once and mix until smooth.

Remove bowl from the mixer. If you’re adding chocolate chips or chopped chocolate, fold in, by hand.

Transfer the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

Bake the bread until it is well risen and a toothpick or a narrow-bladed knife inserted into the center of the bread emerges clean, 30 to 40 minutes.

Cool the bread in the pan on a rack for 5 minutes, then unmold it and cool it completely on a rack.

Transfer the bread to a platter or cutting board before serving.

Wrap in plastic wrap and aluminum foil and keep at room temperature for up to 3 or 4 days. Freeze for longer storage.

Peanut Butter Cookies

Peanut Butter Cookies

Adapted from Julia Moskin by Blue Heron Kitchen

For some, this time of year is all about cookies. For me, all year is about cookies. This recipe is credited back to NYC’s City Bakery. Moskin calls for cultured butter. I used a combination of cultured butter and Plugra. I don’t know how many people can get their hands on or afford cultured butter, but if you can, try them with it.

For those who have nut allergies, try those “it’s not really peanut butter” spreads. Or try sunflower butter. I don’t know if they’ll be as good, but it couldn’t hurt.

Maldon brand salt is worth its salt. It’s becoming more available in the American market and if you can snag a box, do. I saw it in a local Asian market “hMart”! Thanks to my son, who lived for many years in the UK, I’ve hoarded accumulated several boxes. There are undoubtedly other flake salts on the market.

When pastry chef, Pichet Ong judged Moskin and Severson’s cookie bake-off, these gems were one of the two winners.

Pour a glass of milk and dunk.

Here's a peanut butter fan who prefers it straight from the jar with ice water...

with a smile and a song,

jane

Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup/228 grams/2 sticks unsalted butter room temperature, cultured butter if you can find it or can spare the extra dime

¾ cup/150 grams granulated sugar

¾ cup (packed)/150 grams light brown sugar

1 heaping tsp./6 grams kosher salt

2 cups/510 grams unsweetened peanut butter, creamy or chunky
(a 1 pound jar plus 53 grams of any peanut butter you have in the              house ..I used “Skippy”!)

2 eggs, size large, room temperature

2 cups/250 grams all-purpose flour

Flaky sea salt (Maldon is perfect!) or Kosher salt, if you don’t have fancy stuff; and coarse (Turbinado is great!) or granulated sugar for sprinkling

Procedure:

Heat oven to 350º F.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick liners.

In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars until smooth and fluffy - about 3 minutes.

Add the eggs and beat until combined.

Add the peanut butter and mix. (Don’t bother to mix the separated oil – just dump it all in.)

Whisk in the heaping tsp. of salt to the flour and dump in the flour mixture, mixing until well combined.

In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons sugar with 1 tablespoon of flakey salt.

Using a small cookie scoop (about 2 teaspoons capacity), scoop dough onto prepared pans. The tops will be rounded but craggy. The cookies won’t spread much or change shape when they bake, so they can be placed quite close together, but do leave room for air circulation so they can turn golden brown.

Sprinkle each cookie lightly with sugar-salt mixture, getting it into the nooks and crannies.

OR .. One very cool variation on these is to sprinkle the sugar/salt ‘topping’ on a sheet of parchment and create a ‘roll’ for slice and bake, 

coating the outside with the topping, not unlike a sablé. Refrigerate and pull these out when you’re ready, slice about 1/2” thick and adjust baking time as needed. And .. wow! (I think I like these best!)

Bake 12 to 17 minutes, or until cookies are set and golden-brown. When cooled, removed from baking sheets and finish cooling on racks. Store in airtight containers, separated by parchment paper. N.B. These are delicate and crumbly, so don’t pack them too tightly.

Yield: approx. 6 ½ dozen

Two Cranberry Sauces

Two Cranberry Sauces

In celebration of Bernadette Martin, the 'brain mother' of Blue Heron Kitchen

Happy Birthday, Bern!

Cranberry Sauce (spicy)

If you're still looking for a cranberry sauce that's not from 'the bag' or from a can, here are two great recipes. One's spicy and the other's boozy. The boozy one is "Blue Heron Blue Ribbon." (I just invented that one.) These are easy-to-make and great gifts for your host.

Either or both will complement your Thanksgiving feast or any fall or winter repast. Try them with roasted roots, fowl, game or meat. Serve the sauces with soft ripened cheeses! Use as relish or as a condiment on your sandwich. The NY Times reports that cranberries are abundant this year. So grab a couple of bags at your market. I'll get to work on some more recipes.

I'm volunteering for Thanksgiving this year. I hope you're having a wonderful holiday with family, friends .. or you, too, are helping others who have less .. or none.

peace and love.

with a smile and song,
jane

Cranberry Sauce with Jalapeño and Ginger

Adapted from David Tanis by Blue Heron Kitchen

1 c. sugar

2 jalapeños, preferably red, seeded and finely diced

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

½ c. water

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. cayenne

1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger or , if you don’t have fresh, 1 ½ tsp. dried

12 ounces cranberries

Procedure:

Put sugar, jalapeños, lemon juice, salt and cayenne in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Add water, then stir to dissolve sugar, and simmer 2 minutes.

Add ginger and cranberries, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and let mixture cook, stirring occasionally, until cranberries have softened and no liquid remains in pan.

Let cool and season to taste. Add more cayenne or jalapeños if desired.

May be stored in fridge up to two weeks.

Hot Stuff!

Cranberry Sauce (boozy)

Cranberry Sauce with Pears, Brandy and Walnuts

Adapted from notlazy.rustic by Blue Heron Kitchen

This may be the best cranberry sauce I've ever tasted. The recipe comes from the great food blog, “Food52”, a portal for foodists and a resource that I turn to when recipes and ingredients are “stale.”  Last year’s cranberry-port gelée is another great recipe and a keeper.

This recipe is chunky and boozy. Serve it at the grown-up table.

Perfect with cheese, mixed into morning-after-porridge or as a side for Turkey, chicken, duck or pork.

Here are Food52’s' Editors' Comments: "In this cranberry sauce, you won't find any of the punishing tartness you get in many -- it's all silk and fragrance. The pears, which are shredded, melt into the sauce. The cranberries soften and soak up the brown sugar and cinnamon. And the brandy smoothes any wrinkles. You add a little brandy in the beginning and some more at the very end, as you stir in toasted walnuts. We've made the sauce with grated apple and it's just as delicious. We've also served it over fresh ricotta -- make sure you have some leftovers so you can try this!"

“Notlazy” suggests fooling around with the amount of brandy. (It’s happily boozy.) I mixed Poire William with some good French brandy. You can change the nuts to pecans, but there’s so much sweetness in this that I think the walnuts lend an excellent balance. In general, we should all be the boss when it comes to nuts and other ingredients.

Cranberry Sauce 

with Pears, Brandy and Walnuts 

Ingredients:

1/3 cup, plus 2-3 tablespoon brandy, divided

water

2 cinnamon sticks, each broken in half

8 black peppercorns

12 ounces fresh cranberries, picked over

¾  c./75 g. packed light brown sugar

2 medium Bartlett pears, ripe but still quite firm, peeled (organic are best!)

½ c. chopped walnuts, toasted, 1 Tbsp. removed for garnish

Procedure:

Pour 1/3 cup brandy into liquid measuring cup; add enough water to reach ½  cup. Set aside.

Place broken cinnamon sticks and peppercorns in a piece of cheesecloth or if you are a loose tea drinker and have them, a large tea bag; and secure with kitchen twine.

In medium saucepan, combine cranberries, brown sugar and cinnamon-pepper bundle.

Using large holes on a box grater, grate pears into saucepan.

Pear perfect.

Stir in brandy-water mixture.

Over medium-high heat, bring cranberry mixture to a boil; reduce heat to medium and cook 10-12 minutes, or until cranberries have burst and the mixture has come together, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat and stir in 2 to 3 tablespoons brandy.

Let cool. Remove and discard cinnamon bundle.

Stir in toasted walnuts. Transfer mixture to small serving bowl; sprinkle with remaining tablespoon of walnuts.

(ooh la la .. or.. la la la!)