Biscotti

Hello, I am the Barren Baker and I have a coffee addiction. Not just to a cup of plain old coffee, but to those delicious espresso drinks that come from a favorite coffee chain. In particular, I have an addiction to warm, delicious, mochas. My day doesn't seem complete without one. But what about those days when it is raining out and I have no desire to leave the house? That is where my new espresso machine comes in to play. I'm still learning how to pour a perfect shot of espresso and steam the perfect cup of milk. My little Mr. Coffee machine is definitely a starter machine, but it makes me very happy to be able to make a latte or mocha in my own kitchen. And today I decided that my decaf mocha needed some biscotti to go with it.

Biscotti, a twice baked cookie, is a crunchy treat that is perfect to dip in your coffee. I was surprised at how easy they were to actually bake, and I think that I may start to make these frequently.

Ingredients

1 & 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 large egg white
cooking spray


Directions
Preheat oven to 350°. 


Combine the dry ingredients in medium sized bowl, and whisk together. In large bowl combine the vanilla, 2 eggs, and 1 egg white. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture in divided batches mixing each time until well combined.


Divide the batter in half. With floured hands, form each half into a 12 inch roll and pat down to approximately 1/2 inch thickness. 


Bake on cooking sheet sprayed with cooking spray for 22 minutes. Remove from oven, and cool the rolls on a wire rack for approximately 10 minutes.

Cut each roll into thin slices and bake upright on baking sheet for an additional 15 minutes or until firm.

I got approximately 20 cookies from this recipe, although the source Cooking Light states you will get approximately 36. I either didn't make 12 inch rolls, or I cut them too thick. But they came out delicious so I don't care. I'm off to go make myself a latte to dunk my biscotti.

Butternut squash lasagna

I thought it would be fun to designate Sunday to be my day to take on a cooking project. A day to try a new recipe that involved a new ingredient or a new technique. Over the fall, I had noticed a lot of butternut squash dishes on the menu at restaurants. But I had never thought to tackle a butternut squash dish on my own. The vegetable is somewhat intimidating.

I was pretty unsure how to peel this thing, but found some directions on the internet. I started by cutting off the top and the bottom, so it could stand on a flat surface. My vegetable peeler did not work, so I attempted to peel it with a paring knife. The tip that helped me tremendously was to put the squash in the microwave for about 3 minutes to soften it a bit. It was still a bit of an arm workout, but eventually I got my squash peeled.

Then I had to cut it into chunks...
At this point I was beginning to wonder if all this work was worth it. But a vegetable would not defeat me, and I had a lasagna to make! It came out really good, and and I will definitely make this recipe in the future.



Butternut Squash Lasagna
Based on Giada De Laurentiis recipe


Ingredients


1 Tbsp olive oil
1 (2 & 1/2 to 3 lb) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1 inch cubes
salt and pepper
1/2 cup water
3 almond flavored cookies, crumbled (the recipe called for amaretti cookies which I could not find)
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 1/2 cups whole milk
pinch of nutmeg
3/4 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves
12 no boil lasagna noodles
2 & 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese


Directions


Heat the oil in large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the squash and toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour the water into the skillet, cover and simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until squash is tender- approximately 20 minutes. Cool slightly and then place squash into a food processor. Add the crumbled cookies and a pinch of nutmeg and blend until smooth. Season with more salt and pepper.

Melt the butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, whisking often, until sauce slightly thickens- approximately 5 minutes. Whisk in pinch of nutmeg. Cool slightly and transfer half of the sauce into blender. Add the basil and blend until smooth. Return the basil sauce to the sauce in the pan and stir to blend. Season with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a 13 x 9 inch glass baking dish with cooking spray or grease with butter. Spread 3/4 cup of the sauce on the bottom of the baking dish. Arrange 3 of the noodles on top of the sauce. Pour 1/3 of the squash puree over the noodles and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese. Drizzle 1/2 cup of the basil sauce over the cheese.








Repeat layering the noodles, squash puree, and cheese 2 more times. Top with remaining 3 noodles. Drizzle with remaining basil sauce.


Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover the lasagna and sprinkle with remaining mozarella cheese and the parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered until the sauce bubbles and the top is golden-- approximately 15 minutes more. Let stand for about 15 minutes before serving.


I was really happy with how this recipe came out. I find the addition of the cookies a bit odd, and next time may just add a touch of almond extract and nutmeg to the squash puree. It was also my first time using no bake lasagna noodles, and wow, that was a nice step to get to skip! Especially with all that extra work cutting up that squash. And thankfully, all that work led to a really nice dish that I will be sure to use in the future.

Winter Wonderland Cakes

Since I enjoy cooking and baking so much, I often receive gifts related to these hobbies for Christmas. And last year I received this cute little cake pan from my husband...

What a great way to make a winter wonderland cake centerpiece! I pulled out this pan today and got a box of cake mix out of the pantry. Yes, today was more about the prettiness of the dessert, not the actual baking. I made the mix according to the box directions, but I only baked the cakes for about 30 minutes. I made sure to grease and flour the molds to try and prevent the cakes from sticking. When they came out they looked like this...

I had enough batter to make two batches. In my two batches I only lost one chimney. Success! I cut of the bottoms of the cakes, so they could sit flat. The bottoms also make for a delicious snack. 

Next step was to top with powdered sugar. I decided sifting the sugar would be the best way to make it look like the houses were dusted with snow.

This is what it looked like when I put it on the table...

It still seemed like something was missing, so I removed the middle house and added a Christmas tree candle.

Pretty cute! And I got to use my cake stand again!

Cranberry Bliss Bars

Starbucks is part of my life... I admit it. Quite a few of my friends and family members could tell you that I am a grande non fat no whip mocha girl, except in the summer when I get the iced version. Stopping at Starbucks before I head off to work is part of my daily routine. I have tried to break the habit, or cut back, but I always find myself reverting back to my old ways. I am a huge fan of their red holiday cups and I also enjoy a pumpkin spice latte from time to time.

However, I have never tried their famous cranberry bliss bars. They have never called out to me, even though, I know they are a popular holiday treat. This past weekend we hosted our traditional tree decorating dinner, and I thought it might be fun to attempt to make my own bliss bars. (I'm very grateful that my family doesn't mind trying out my initial attempts at recipes!) So I found a recipe online and they came out really well... although I can't compare them to the original. I'm tempted to buy one from Starbucks this weekend just to compare. 

Ingredients


For the cake

1 cup butter, softnened

1 cup packed brown sugar
zest of one orange
1 tsp vanilla

3 large eggs
1 & 1/2 cup flour

1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice 
1/2 cup chopped dried cranberries
1/2 cup of white chocolate chips


For the frosting
8oz cream cheese, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
4 Tbsp butter, softened
zest of one orange
1 tsp vanilla


Toppings
dried cranberries
chopped pistacio nuts
chopped white chocolate bar


Directions
Preheat oven to 350° and grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.

Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, vanilla, and orange zest and mix until well combined.








In separate bowl, sift the flour, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Add this to the butter mixture and mix until well combined.

Fold in the chopped dried cranberries and white chocolate chips... or as I like to call them, the bliss.








Spread the batter into the pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. The batter will be very thick. After removing from the oven, allow the cake to cool.


(When I pulled the cake out of the oven the batter was, for lack of a better word, boiling. I have no idea why, and after a couple of minutes it was fine, and looked like a normal cake. I will be making this again soon to see if that happens again.)

To make the frosting mix together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and softned butter until well combined. Fold in the orange zest and vanilla. Frost the cake, and then top with more bliss!

Enjoy the bliss! These really did come out delicious. Thank you to my baking addiction.com for sharing the recipe!

Easy Oreo Brownies

Look at these ingredients... 

See anything you like? What if you put all those ingredients into one brownie? You get oreo heaven!

It couldn't be easier... follow the directions on your favorite brownie mix box, but omit the water. Instead of the water you will be adding about 1/2 cup of cookies and cream ice cream and 1/4 cup of fudge syrup. After you mix those ingredients together pour half of the batter into a greased square baking pan, and then put a layer of oreo cookies on top of the batter.

Then pour the rest of the batter on top and bake as directed on the box. You won't be sorry.

I found this amazing oreo idea on pinterest. 

Comforting chocolate chip cookie bars

It is easy to try and get fancy when baking. There are so many fun things to try out there, and fun ways to decorate them. But when I'm feeling somewhat sad, or need a comforting pick me up, there is nothing like a chewy, gooey, chocolate chip cookie. And when I'm too lazy to actually roll the dough into balls, nothing beats a chocolate chip cookie bar. Especially a soft and chewy one. Are you drooling yet? Plus, you get the joy of snacking on the dough... that right there is enough to remove a bit of gray from your day!

So my weekend needed a bit of brightening and I thought this would be a good way to do so.

Ingredients
   2 cups all purpose flour, plus two tablespoons
   1/2 tsp baking soda
   1/2 tsp salt
   3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted, and slightly cooled
   1 cup packed brown sugar
   1/2 cup granulated sugar
   1 large egg
   1 large egg yolk
   2 tsp vanilla extract
   12oz package of semi-sweet chocolate chips


Directions
Grease a 13 by 9 inch baking pan and preheat oven to 325 degrees. If using a glass pan lower oven temperature to 300 degrees.


Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in medium sized bowl.


In large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix well. Fold flour mixture into the butter mixture. Don't over mix. Fold in the chocolate chips. 

Place batter into baking dish, and smooth out with rubber spatula.

Bake until top is light golden brown, and is slightly firm to the touch... about 25 to 30 minutes. Cool on wire rack until at room temperature. Cut into bars and enjoy the yumminess!

Cupcakes!!

At some point last year, my husband was washing the dishes (yes, I am a lucky lady), and he dropped and broke one of my large glass mixing bowls. A few months later he thoughtfully replaced it with a large glass kitchenaid mixing bowl that fits on my stand mixer. For some odd reason I didn't take it out of the box until today. Oh my goodness this bowl is amazing because of one simple thing.... it has a spout!! My kitchenaid was great before but now it is fantastic!!

Let me explain why I am so excited for this spout. I'm making cupcakes for Mr. Barren Baker's birthday gathering tomorrow night, and for whatever reason, I have never learned a good way to fill the cupcake papers. I have tried spooning the mixture, pouring it out of whatever bowl I had mixed it in, and also spooning it into my small measuring cup and then pouring from there. I always made a huge mess and would get way more frustrated than I'd like to admit. What a time saver this bowl is. Took a bit of practice, but I was done filling the cupcake papers in way less time than ever before, and there was no mess. I tell you, it is the little things that make me happy.

As for the cupcakes... I made two different kinds, both out of Martha Stewart's cupcake book.  I stuck with simple, because I had never attempted a Martha recipe before, and I do find her a bit intimidating. First, I made her yellow buttermilk cupcakes, which came out pretty good.

I apparently pour my cupcakes much more generously than Martha because the recipe supposedly makes 32, but I only got 24. 

The other cupcakes I made were her devil's food cupcakes. The only thing I changed was I used light sour cream. Oh, and I'm pretty sure my Hershey's cocoa powder isn't "dutch processed." YUM!! I mean YUM!!! Martha, I will never doubt you again. While making them I was questioning her...why must I melt butter with the sugar in a saucepan instead of creaming the butter and sugar like I usually do? It was way more work. But apparently worth it!

Don't these look super healthy?

Melting the cocoa powder in water seemed excessive... couldn't I just add the cocoa powder to the flour. Apparently not, because I'm telling you these cupcakes are truly devilish!

 A must make... I can't wait to make the frosting and decorate them tomorrow. I'll be posting pictures of that later...










I can happily say I have finally made a Martha Stewart recipe and I am now able to pour out my cupcake batter without getting irritated. Both of these are "good things."

 (Actually the devil's food cupcake is better than a good thing.)

Ginger Cookies

Nothing says the start of fall more to me than the smell of cinnamon and ginger, and fall represents the start of "baking season" in my kitchen.

I have been making this ginger cookie recipe for years now, so long, I'm not even sure where I first got it from. But it is a hit. I bring them to work, and they are gone that day. In my opinion the two things that make them so amazing are the chewy texture and the ground cloves. And there is a slightly unexpected ingredient in the icing that just makes you wonder.

Here is my favorite ginger cookie recipe--

(By the way, I never give this recipe out, so my very few readers should feel very special)

Ingredients
1 cup granulated sugar, plus more for rolling the cookies in
3/4 cup butter at room temperature
1 egg
3 Tbsp molasses
2 cups flour, sifted
1 tsp baking soda
1 & 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp salt


For the icing 
1 cup powdered sugar
a bit of water (around 1 Tbsp)
1 tsp lemon


Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl cream the cup of granulated sugar with the butter until light and fluffy-- about 3 minutes. Mix in the egg and molasses.


In a medium bowl stir together the dry ingredients- the flour, baking soda, salt, and the spices. Add to the butter mixture and blend well.


Fill a shallow bowl with granulated sugar. Break off walnut sized pieces of dough and roll into balls. Roll the balls in sugar and arrange on greased cookie sheets. 

Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer to cooling racks.

To make the icing combine the powdered sugar with about 1 Tbsp of water and stir until smooth. Then stir in the lemon juice. Drizzle icing over cookies. 

Enjoy what may be the best ginger cookies ever. The lemon in the icing gives it just a bit of freshness. Oh and aren't these the cutest measuring spoons??