TWD: Chocolate Chunkers

I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to post this week’s Tuesdays with Dorie recipe, Chocolate Chunkers. I was going to get my post ready last night, but then we had our own little version of Hurricane Ike yesterday and our internet went down. I’m not complaining one tiny bit though, we could have been among the 800,000 homes in the area reported to be without power, or have trees down, shingles torn up, or a yard full of debris.

Oh, by the way, did I mention that we’re in OHIO?!? Can you believe that? Hurricane Ike in Ohio!? I read in the news that only 4 out of Ohio's 88 counties didn't have any damage. But still, its nothing compared to those down South.

Please say some prayers for those along the Gulf Coast affected by Ike. How horrible this is for them. I feel badly posting about cookies when so many have been uprooted and their homes destroyed.

Dorie Greenspan says in her description of the Chocolate Chunkers that she was inspired by Maida Haetter’s Mulattoes cookies. Of course, I had to make the Mulattoes too, being the overachiever that I am.

Here's a chocolate chunker...


and a mulattoe.


Needless to say, I’m a little chocolate-cookied-out.

Dorie added raisins, cocoa, and chocolate chunks to the recipe, but less butter. Maida’s cookie included instant coffee granules.


The verdict? The Chocolate Chunkers were very tasty. I used dried tart cherries rather than raisins, and opted for semisweet chocolate chips and white chocolate chips. I have to admit that I liked the Chocolate Whopper Drops from last week a little better, but these were still really good. I would make them again.

The Mulattoes had a strong coffee flavor, and since I really dislike coffee, I’m afraid I didn't like them. If you're into coffee, you might like them, but it was just too strong for me. (I often use coffee as my liquid in chocolate cake, as I do think it intensifies the chocolate flavor, but these went way past that). I would probably like them if the coffee were left out.

Update: my coffee-drinking neighbor loved the mulattoes.


Thanks so much to Claudia of Fool for Food for choosing this week’s recipe, another great pick! You can find the recipe for Chocolate Chunkers at Claudia's site, or check out Dorie Greenspan’s book “Baking: From my Home to Yours”. You can find a copy of the Mulattoes cookie recipe, from Maida Haetter's "Book of Great Desserts" by clicking here. Or better yet, go buy the book!

Michael and Sarah, sittin’ in a tree…

k-i-s-s-i-n-g. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes…

Oh…. sorry. I guess I gotta give the poor kids a chance, they just got MARRIED! Wooo hooo!


And I finally decorated a cake! The first one, in, what? 6 months?

Hubby’s nephew and his fiancé (no, not hubby's fiancé, lol) were married this summer in Washington. Those of us that didn’t attend the wedding had a chance to celebrate with them when they visited last month.


Their wedding cake was teal with white chocolate seashells. I first considered some other type of beach cake but wasn’t really feeling it for some reason. But I kept the same cake color, although a lighter and slightly more bluish shade. I opted to go with hand-made sugar tulip decorations, because their “save the date” cards included a picture of them in a field of red tulips (aww).


This was my first attempt at tulips and I really enjoyed making them. There’s something about making flowers by hand... it's so rewarding. There’s this moment, after you’ve made however many less-than-perfect ones (I think about 10 in this case), that you get it right and they actually start to look like the intended flower. (The not so perfect ones take their places on the back-side of the cake.)


The “S” monogram was made from gumpaste, like the flowers, but I made the "M" out of candy clay. I’m starting to like candy clay more and more, it stays workable longer… it’s more forgiving than gumpaste which sets up hard so quickly.


Here’s the “M” monogram being made. I first started with a computer printout of the monogram cut to the size and style I wanted. I laid it on my rolled out candy clay and traced around it with a small pastry-wheel type tool.


Then I used my Exacto knife to make progressively deeper cuts, working my way eventually to the bottom of the candy clay. Then I cut and peeled away the excess. Once finished it was time to let the monogram dry. I let it sit overnight and then turned it over in the morning. Every so often I flipped it over to dry on the other side.


Finally, I attached skewers to the back side with melted chocolate. The skewers were eventually stuck into the cake. I also used a toothpick to reinforce the skinny, middle part of the letter since it seemed the most vulnerable to breakage. Hopefully you can see that here in a picture of the back side.


Anyway, I'm so happy for Mike and Sarah, two very special people (I keep wanting to call them “kids” LOL). Don't they look fantastic?

TWD: Chocolate Whopper Malted Drops

If I won the lottery… once I was done blowing money on the things you'd expect, I’d hire a staff of people to do the tasks that I, frankly, just don’t want to do anymore.

Here’s a partial list of my staff. I’m sure there are others I’m forgetting.

1. Form Filler Outer – this person would be responsible for filling out all forms... school, doctors, dentists, kids activities, financial and on and on and on. I’m really tired of writing down my name, address, and emergency contact numbers.

2. Homework Administrator - this staff member would make sure the children's homework is neatly done, checked, and signed off in a timely manner. Must be able to withstand stress, tears, noise, stubborn streaks, and forgetfulness, along with occasional screaming.

3. Cook – this goes without saying. Same for the team of maids. Grocery shopping also required.

4. Errand Runner – dropping off books at the library, calling to make appointments, running forgotten lunches to school, RSPV-ing to birthday parties, and the 8,497 other things that come up each week.

5. Disciplinarian – this person would be responsible for handing out all discipline to the rug rats in a fair, consistent, compassionate, no-nonsense manner. Must possess an iron will while at the same time having the touch of an angel. May occasionally have to deal with stray neighbor kids as well.

6. Waker Upper - Someone to wake up the kids on school days. Here in the third week of school, it’s not a big deal, but come late winter… oh yea, not something I like to face first thing in the morning. Also, must be able to tell the difference between real and fabricated illnesses.

7. Personal trainer – this one's a biggie. This person would make me work out and would also make me want to work out. This person would get me into tip-top shape and would monitor my Tuesday’s with Dorie intake to make sure I burn more calories than I consume.

8. Oh yea, a masseuse, I need one of those too. Really, I do. I need one!

9. Well, heck, now that we've landed squarely in Fantasyland, I need someone to make me look good! Picking the perfect hairstyle for me and then executing it each day; skin care to make me look fresh and vibrant, and a wardrobe manager. This person has to have the same body size as me and know my tastes so they can clothes shop for me.

10. Hmmm... maybe a chauffeur, with salary being based on their "on-time percentage" (meaning getting me and the family to our destination on time, or maybe even a few minutes early (gasp!)). He or she would be responsible for ensuring the children are fully dressed, with socks and shoes on, hair combed, bodily functions attended to, preferrably with minimal fuss. Plus load whatever snacks, drinks, extra clothes, gear, wipes, purse, wallet, cell phones, tickets if required, directions, $3-off coupons, etc. into the car beforehand. Forgetting items and having to turn back would be grounds for docking pay.


So what does this have to do with Chocolate Whopper Malted Drops, this week’s Tuesday with Dorie pick? Well, nothing, really. I was just amusing myself. (And feel free to amuse me with what your staff would look like when you win the lottery too. Maybe we could be neighbors and trade staffers now and again.)

OK, I’ll make with the cookie comments quick-like.

I give them two thumbs up! One of the kids even liked them (this from exclusively sugar and chocolate-chip cookie loving kids). They were moist, chocolatey, and caramelly in spots thanks to the Whoppers.

Initially, I put the Whoppers in a bag and whacked them good with the rolling pin to chunk them up. Then, after tasting the dough, I decided it needed additional crunch so I added more Whoppers that I had cut up but left fairly large. (See photo below, I used a 5 oz. box total for a half batch.)


I refrigerated the dough for a few hours before baking because it seemed too soft. After scooping out cookies onto baking sheets, I didn't flatten them down. I was glad I didn't... any thinner might have been too thin.


Thanks so much to this week's host, Rachel of Confessions of a Tangerine Tart. Good pick! The recipe can be found on Rachel's site, or in Dorie Greenspan's book "Baking: From My Home to Yours".

Wait a minute (scratching head)... why does it take 10+ people to do all the things I do?

August Recipe Roundup (and June and July)

I don’t know how long this blog thing is going to last, but in the event that I’m doing this years from now, I thought I’d take a moment and look back each month and rate the recipes. Because we all know I won’t actually remember!

For August, my favorites were as follows, with a tie for first:

1. Congo Bars
1. Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti
2. Cherry Pie
3. Granola Grabbers
4. Blueberry Sour Cream Ice cream
5. Toffee Crumb Bars

For July, I’d say my favorites are as follows. It was tough ranking them, there were some great recipes:

1. Blueberry Pie
2. Summer Fruit Galette
3. Cinnamon Rolls
4. Pecan Tart
5. Famous Hammus Chocolate Chip Cookies

For June:

1. La Palette Strawberry Tart
2. Fresh Apple Cookies
3. Lemon (-Lime) Meringue Tart
4. Danish Braid

Over and out!

Lime Sherbet

My oldest son loves lime sherbet and I've been wanting to try a homemade version for quite a while. I finally got in gear and found a recipe online, which I modified a bit. Thanks to the Limeade, it doesn't get any easier than this. No juicing or zesting limes required!


Easy Lime Sherbet

1 C. cream
2 C. 2% milk
1 C. Limeade frozen juice concentrate, thawed in the refrigerator
3-4 T. sugar, to taste
3 drops green food coloring

Combine all ingredients and whisk until well mixed. Turn on ice cream maker, ensuring first that the canister has been in the freezer long enough to freeze the liquid inside. Slowly pour Limeade mixture into ice cream maker and churn until thick. Freeze sherbet until solid and enjoy!

A couple of comments... I tried it with 3 C. whole milk in place of the cream and 2% milk but didn't like it as well. This sherbet tends to be a little on the dry side, and the whole milk makes it drier. If I try this recipe again, I might try increasing to 1-1/2 cups cream, while cutting down to 1-1/2 cups milk to see if it makes it creamy at all. Also, the green food coloring isn't a must, but if you don't use it, the sherbet is a very pale yellow color.

TWD: Chunky Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Chocolate Chipsters

As I was making this week’s Tuesday's with Dorie recipe, Chunky Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Chocolate Chipsters, I kept thinking they tasted oddly familiar. I don’t know why it took me so long to remember a very similar recipe I tried when I first started blogging. Turns out, the “chunky peanut, chocolate, and cinnamon cookies” have the same ingredients, except for the oatmeal in Dorie’s and the peanuts in Martha’s.

I sometimes wonder if the “pros” start with each others recipes and just change them up a bit.

Anyway, have you ever seen that commercial for Tide to Go (I think it is) where a guy is interviewing for a job and he has a stain on his shirt? The interviewer can’t seem to pay attention to the interviewee because the stain has this big, obnoxious mouth right in the middle of it that keeps hollering every time the interviewee speaks (one of the funniest commecials on TV, if you ask me).

I don’t know... that’s how I felt about the cinnamon. It kept getting in the way of me enjoying the peanut butter and chocolate. Kind of a “three’s a crowd” thing going on here. I guess I'm a chocolate and peanut butter purist.


They did have a lovely texture though, soft and chewy on the inside and the most delicate crispy layer on the outside. I think they would be worth making again and either using just a smidge of cinnamon and nutmeg or leave the spices out altogether.

Anyway, many thanks to Stefany of Proceed With Caution for hosting this week. I am taking them to my monthly cake decorating club and I'm guessing they will be a big hit.

Coming down the pike next week are more cookies (woot!)... the Chocolate Whopper Malted Drops.

Daring Bakers: Chocolate Eclairs

This month's Daring Baker's challenge was Chocolate Eclairs, chosen by Meeta K of "What's for Lunch, Honey?" and Tony of "Tony Tahhan". (Thanks guys, it was a learning experience, as always.) This was my second attempt at choux pastry (the first being the peppermint cream puff ring) and I've come to realize I'm not really feeling the love for cream puffs or eclairs.

To me, it totally depends on how good your filling is. The pastry themselves are a little bland. Cute, but bland.

It's been such a busy month, I barely got them made. I'm afraid I don't have any entertaining stories or witty discussion about them. (I know, I know...would I like some cheese to go with that whine, lol?)

As for the puffs... I made a peanut butter glaze for dipping the tops.


The only pictures I got were of the cream puffs and not the eclairs.


It was my first time making chocolate pastry cream and it turned out nicely and tasted good.


These kind of reminded me of peanut butter stalagtites, or maybe peanut butter board game pieces. Cute, huh?


Thanks so much for stopping by, and feel free to check out the other Daring Bakers and their creations.

If you'd like the recipe, you can visit Meeta or Tony's sites at the links above. For the peanut butter glaze, I didn't really measure, but the ingredients were approximately:

Peanut Butter Glaze
3 Tablespoons peanut butter
1/3 to 1/2 C. powdered sugar
milk to thin to desired consistency

Mix all ingredients well with a spoon. Adjust amounts to taste.