Sweet Tooth Haven

Coconut Caramel Bars - Homemade Samoas

What do you do when your favorite girl scout cookies run out?  If you're a baker at King Arthur Flour, you come up with your own recipe to recreate the goodness.  The rest of us can benefit from the genius since they are kind enough to share.  I've made these on several occasions and while they are not an exact copy of the Samoa, they are darned good.  Maybe even better.  You be the judge.

There are two versions of the cookie.  The ingredients are the same.  As far as I can tell, the difference lies in the layering.

If you prefer the chocolate on top (the original!):  Ginger's Coconut Caramel Candy Bars.  This is the recipe I follow, simply because it's the one they printed in the catalog years ago.

Or, if you prefer the caramel on top:  Coconut-Caramel Candy Bars

The recipe works with the creamy Merckens Caramel they sell at KAF in a 5 pound (for the serious caramel lover) or 18 oz. block.  I've also made it with the individually wrapped caramels you get at the store.

Before you start, make sure you know how to toast cocount. I really like Let's Go Organic Shredded Coconut.  It's got a super fine shred, and it's organic!  They  have a lite version as well.  I usually mix half reguar/half lite.  I also find this brand at my local Whole Foods Market.

Spanakopita - Spinach Pie

This is a Greek dish of spinach and cheese baked in layers of phyllo (a thin, flaky pastry dough).  The first time I had spanakoptia was in college when my roommate made it.   I loved the flaky crust and the flavor of the filling.  I copied her recipe and fiddled with it over the years. 

Usually I make spanakopita in a round springform pan so it's easy to get out, then slice it like a pie.  Use any size/shape dish you have.  A 9"square would be great since the phyllo is 9" wide!  For appetizers or finger food a spoonful of filling can be folded up into triangles using strips of phyllo.  Make the filling up to a day ahead, cover and set it in the fridge to let the flavors blend.  Leftovers can be reheated in the oven to keep the shell crispy.

Before you start,

• read my tips for working with phyllo dough. 
• make sure you have a pastry brush.

Ingredients:
phyllo dough - thawed
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

Filling:
2 bunches of fresh spinach (2/3 to  3/4 cup cooked)
8 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
12 oz. ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
4 TBSP flour
1 egg
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried parsley
1 1/2 TBSP fresh oregano, chopped (1 1/4 dried)
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions:
1.  For fresh spinach:  Wash spinach and remove stems; do not dry.  Place still damp spinach in a large skillet and cook, stirring over medium-high heat until wilted.  (2-3 minutes)  Do this in batches if your skillet is not large enough.

    

For frozen spinach:  Thaw spinach, check for any stems, go to step 2.

2.  Remove the excess liquid from spinach in one of two ways:  Place in colander and use the back of a spoon to press out liquid, or put spinach in a towel and wring out.

3.  Chop spinach.  You should have 2/3 - 3/4 cups.

4.  Combine the spinach with the rest of the filling ingredients (everything except phyllo and butter).  Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.  Make up to a day ahead.

5. Prepare  your workspace.  Set phyllo under plastic wrap and a damp towel.  Melt the butter.  Butter the sides and bottom of your pan.  Set the pan close to the phyllo and melted butter.

6.  Work quickly to lightly brush one sheet of dough with melted butter.  Removed the coated sheet and cover the rest.  Fit sheet into your pan,  pressing it into the sides and bottom.  It will overlap the edges of the pan.  Brush with melted butter.  If your dough tears like mine, don't worry, there will be more layers.

7.  Keep adding sheets, working your way around the pan and brushing each with butter until you have made a complete layer.  Then make a second layer.

8.  Spread filling mixture into lined pan.

9.  Brush a sheet of phyllo with butter, fold it in half and place on top of filling.  Brush it with butter.  Repeat this process, laying the next sheet on top the first, but turned 90-degrees.

 

10.  Fold in the phyllo that is hanging over the sides of the pan.  Lift up all the edges, press in and work your way around the pan buttering as you go.

       

11.  Bake at 350-degrees for 45 minutes until the top is golden.

12.  If you used a springform pan, remove the sides after 10 minutes then carefully slide the pie onto a rack to cool.

13.  Serve warm or at room temperature.  Present the whole pie at the table, or cut into individual slices.

 

 

For appetizers:

After you brush a sheet with butter, fold it lengthwise.  Place filling at one end and fold triangles (like a flag).  Brush with butter as you go.  Bake on a sheet for 15-20 minutes.

        

A Tale of Two Cakes - A Sweet Tooth Taste Test

If I make a birthday cake or cupcakes I use (gasp) cake mix.  Coffee cake, crumb cake, cheese cake, mousse cake all made by scratch, but I just love a good Betty Crocker or Duncan Hines cake.  (White with chocolate frosting, thanks.)  Yesterday when browsing the updated recipe page at King Arthur Flour, I saw their Golden Vanilla Cake recipe and decided to bake a cake from scratch. First, I would need frosting. 

Looking through some recipes I found an old fashioned caramel frosting (recipe coming soon!).  Along with it was a golden cake recipe copied from somewhere and ignored for years.  The taste test was born.  Two cakes!  The KAF cake versus the mystery recipe. As long as I was making two cakes, why not two frostings?  But to be fair and impartial I would have to pair each cake with each frosting making 4 cakes!  Thinking back, I could have done cupcakes, but my first thought was half old fashioned caramel and half chocolate (Betty Crocker, of course!).  The result:  Two two-layer cakes each with two flavors of frosting.  This is what the first layer looked like:

The finished cakes.  Please ignore my bad photography and messy plates.

The slice views:

Both cakes with caramel frosting.  The biggest difference was the texture of the cake.  Make sure you have a glass of milk.  This is one rich frosting!

The King Arthur Flour recipe:

 

The recipe from my mystery source:

Side by side at a similar angle:

  

Now for chocolate:

King Arthur Flour recipe with chocolate (Betty Crocker) frosting:

 

Mystery source cake with chocolate frosting:

Since you can't taste them, which do you think looks like a better cake?

King Arthur Flour Recipe Site Update

The wonderful folks at King Arthur Flour have spent hours and hours testing recipes and updating their site.  It's much easier to search. Some recipes offer the choice of volume or weight measurements and have pictures. You get helpful tips to ensure success and some recipes have a KAF guarantee.  A great resource.  Thank you, KAF!

Recipes home: King Arthur Flour

One of my favorite recipes is the Kid's Choice Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie.  Read about my results here.

Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

This cake has a dense, moist texture thanks to the cream cheese. Serve it with coffee or tea as a snack, after a meal, or for breakfast!  I tend to use half semi-sweet and half milk chocolate like you see in the pictures, but have made it with all semi-sweet chips and still love it.  I use an 8-inch springform pan or a 9 inch tube pan.  Whatever you have will work, just butter and flour or line with parchment.  You'll need everything at room temperature when you start, so set out the butter, cheese, eggs, and milk ahead of time.  I use a mixer, but it can be done by hand with a bit of elbow grease.  Stir in the chocolate by hand at the end.

Ingredients:
For the Cake  (at room temperature)
1/2 cup unsalted butter
8 oz. cream cheese
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup milk
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
pinch of cinnamon
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Topping  Mix together in a small bowl:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

1.  Sift or whisk the flour, salt, soda, and pinch of cinnamon in a bowl to combine.  Nobody wants to bite into a chunk of baking soda.  Set aside.

2.  Cream the butter, sugar, and cheese until smooth.

3.  Incorporate eggs one at a time.

4.  Add vanilla and milk.  Add the flour mixture a little at a time, blending well before adding more.  The batter will be like a soft cookie dough or thick muffins.

5.  Stir in the chocolate chips.

6.  Pour half the batter into your prepared pan and even it out.  Sprinkle with 1/2 of the topping.

  

7.  Put remaining batter on top and smooth it out over the topping.  Cover with the remaining topping.

   

8.  Bake at 350-degrees for 50 minutes.  Watch it.  Depending on your pan the bake time will vary.  The edges should be golden.

 

9.  After 10 minutes remove the sides and bottom (careful!) of the pan.  This is when a parchment lining comes in handy.  If you used a tube pan or other type of pan that makes getting it out tricky, you can leave it until it cools.

Enjoy!

Variations:

• Try it with chopped nuts mixed into the topping.  Pecans, almonds, or walnuts might work if you like that sort of thing.

Need something?
Springform Pans

Chocolate Chips

Parchment Paper

See all the pictures in the Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake photo album.

Potato and Garbanzo Curry

This is a quick curry that I can make on a work night and have leftovers for lunch or dinner the next day.  In fact, it's even better the next day when all the flavors have combined.  It's easy to vary how spicy the dish is by reducing or increasing the cayenne and chiles.  Look for organic ingredients!

Ingredients:
2 TBSP oil
1 yellow onion diced
1 bell pepper, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 serrano chile, seeded and chopped (bird chiles work well too)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 TBPS tomato paste
2 -3 TBPS curry powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional - leave out for a milder curry)
1/4 tsp tumeric (optional)
1 lb red potatoes scrubbed and cut into 1 inch cubes
14 oz. can garbanzo beans rinsed and drained
3-4 cups low sodium vegetable broth (or chicken if you prefer)
Hot, steamed rice
chopped cilantro and green onions for garnish

Directions:
1.  Heat oil in a 4-6 quart pan over medium heat.
2.  Add onions, bell pepper, garlic, celery, chile(s).  Stir and sprinkle with the salt and pepper.  

3.  When veggies are tender, about 5 minutes, add the tomato paste and stir to incorporate.

4.  Add the garbanzo beans and potatoes.  Pour in just enough broth to cover.
5.  Stir in the curry powder, cayenne, and tumeric if using.
6.  Cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes until the potatoes are tender.

7.  While you wait, steam some rice to serve with the curry and chop your garnish.

Serve over steamed rice and sprinkle with cilantro and green onions.  Enjoy!

No Knead Bread - Part II

This is the second part of my first try making No Knead Bread.  Read Part I.

Even though the dough was puffy and bubbly when I woke up, I waited a full 18 hours before pouring the dough out of the bowl.  See the difference?

The dough was very wet and I used a lot of flour on the surface and on my hands when I folded it.  After 15 minutes I flipped it onto liberally floured towel (I didn't have any wheat bran or cornmeal) and let it sit, covered, for 2 hours.

After 2 hours, I plopped it into my preheated pot and set it in the 450-degree oven for 30 minutes.  The lid came off and when I checked it after 15 minutes, it was nice and brown so I took it out.

Immediately the crust began crackling and it smelled wonderful.  I knew that if it tasted as good as it looked and smelled I had a winner.

When it was cool I cut it open.

 

The verdict:  Delicious!  The crust was crisp, the inside soft and chewy, the flavor as good as any bakery loaf I have had.

I will be making this many more times and will be trying variations.  To start with, I think next time I'll use a bit of white whole wheat.

The negative:  My house was blazing after having the oven on 450-degrees for more than an hour, and the outside temperature was only around 80.  I can't see making this in the summer unless it's done in the early, early morning or at night.  It will be nice in the winter to  have the whole house toasty and smelling like fresh bread.

Banana Bread Muffins

Which would you rather eat?

   

Me too.  Not much of a choice, is it?  I only like to eat bananas that are still a little bit green.  I know some people can eat them when they start to get really ripe with brown spots, not in my house.  Whenever we've got bananas that are too ripe for us to eat we let them get all brown and spotty then I turn them into banana bread.

This is a basic recipe without nuts or chocolate chips, but you can add some if you like! 

Ingredients:
3 large very ripe bananas
1 egg
2 Tablespoons canola oil
1/2 cup sugar (decrease to 1/3 cup if you like)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cups all-purpose, unbleached flour
3/4 cups white whole wheat flower (or increase all purpose flour to 1 1/2 cups)

Nonstick cooking spray

Directions:
1.  Preheat your oven to 350-degrees and spray a muffin pan (or loaf pan) with cooking spray.
2.  Mash the bananas.
3.  Add the next 5 ingredients:  egg, oil, sugar, salt, and milk.  Stir after each addition.
4.  Mix in the baking soda and powder.
5.  Add the flours.  Stir gently just until combined.  DO NOT over-stir or you'll be sorry!
6.  Bake for 20-24 minutes for muffins, 45 minutes for bread.  Do the toothpick check.
7.  Let sit in pan for a couple minutes then move to rack. 

I like them when they are warm from the oven; the butter melts better!  These are also scrumptious with cream cheese.  Fancy them up with cream cheese icing.

Oatmeal White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Warning: You will not be able to stop eating these!

This is the recipe I perfected when I was a college student and a terrific procrastinator.  My life was something like this:  Term paper due?  I should bake some cookies before I start.   

I will not exaggerate:  People love them.  My boss back then fixed my car (replaced some worn belts) in exchange for a batch all to himself.  The first 'date' I had with my current boyfriend included him coming over while I baked a batch for my roommate's birthday present.  Seriously.  He sat in the kitchen while I baked cookies.  He didn't help (and still doesn't!), but kept me company.

There's just something about the combination of spices, white chocolate, and texture that make these cookies irresistible.  My secret - Rice Krispies.  No joke, it just adds a little something!  Oatmeal cookies are scrumptious, but most are made with raisins that have to be picked out individually.  Unless you like raisins.  I don't and will not tolerate any raisins being added to this recipe!

Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs
2 1/4 cup unbleached flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
2 cups oatmeal
1 1/2 cup Rice Krispies cereal (trust me)
12 oz. white chocolate chips

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 375-degrees.
• In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, salt, soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Set this aside.
• In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, blend the butter, sugar and brown sugar until creamy. 
• Add the vanilla and eggs one at a time to the sugar mixture and blend.
• Add the pre-mixed dry ingredients a bit at a time until fully incorporated.  If you are using a stand mixer, you might want to scrape the sides.
• Stir in the oatmeal.
• If you've been using a stand mixer, it's time for some elbow grease.  MIx in by hand the Rice Krispies and white chocolate chips.  Go ahead and taste some cookie dough, I won't tell anyone.  Delicious, right?
• Scoop tablespoon sized drops onto cookie sheets.  A cookie scoop works wonders here. They don't spread much, so they can be placed fairly close together.

• Bake for 7-9 minutes.  Ovens vary as do cookie sizes.  You want a slight golden tint on the edges.

Variations:

• Use Cocoa Rice Krispies instead of regular.  This is fantastic!
• If you like fruit in your cookies, I will allow dried cranberries, but will not tolerate raisins!  Reduce or eliminate the Krispies.

See more pictures in my album.

Don't waste those extra Rice Krispies!  Put them to good use - make my Secret Recipe Rice Krispie Treats. 

Potato Leek Soup

Definitely my favorite soup, but why is something that seems simple so hard for restaurants to get right? Whenever I order potato soup it's usually a little too creamy and way too bland.  Last month during one of our winter storms (which means rain in these parts) I decided it was time to learn to make my own potato soup.   I've now made it every weekend for 4 weeks and we're still not tired of it.  It's perfect for these cold, rainy days.   I like the soup chunky, if you want a smoother soup, use a hand blender to get rid of chunks.  Makes 4-6 servings.  It re-heats well and we usually  have leftovers for dinner the next night.

Ingredients:
3 TBSP butter
1 carrot peeled
1 stalk celery (with a few leave if you've got them)
2 leeks - good sized or 3 smaller ones
1 heaping Tablespoon flour
3 large russet potatoes
2 TBSP - 1/4 cup barley (optional)
water
whole milk, half and half, or cream(!)
salt and pepper to taste

Garnish Ideas:
green onion
shredded cheese
crumpled bacon for you meat eaters

Directions:

1.  Cut carrot in half lengthwise (quarter it if it's really fat) then chop.  Do the same for the celery stalk.  Chop up some celery leaves if you have them.

2.  Clean your leeks really well, the grit likes to hide in the layers.  Quarter it lengthwise and chop.

3.  Melt the butter in a saucepan or stock pot over medium heat.  Add the chopped carrot, celery, leeks, 1 tsp each of salt and pepper.   Let this simmer until the veggies are tender.

4.  Add the flour and stir to cook it slightly.  Add 1 cup of water and stir.

5.  Peel your potatoes and cut them into small chunks.  Add to the veggies.  I usually cut one potato, rinse it, then  drop it in the pot and cover with water before cutting the next.

6.  Add enough water to just cover the potatoes and stir in some barley and more salt and pepper.  Let this simmer until the potatoes are tender.

7.  Mash up some of the potatoes with a fork.  This will thicken the soup with some help from the flour added earlier.

9.  Add about 1/4 cup whole milk (or a dash cream if you dare!).  I haven't tried skim, low-fat, or soy milk, but if you do, let me know how it comes out.

10.  Season with more salt and pepper to taste.

11.  Spoon into bowls and add your choice of garnish.  My favorite:  cheese and green onions!