Cookie Dough Truffles

Bob and I threw an appetizers and desserts party at our townhouse on Sunday night. We called the party "Hello and Goodbye" to allow our friends and family to say "hello" and "goodbye" to our townhouse before we start packing up for the move to our new home. Everyone was asked to bring their favorite appetizer or dessert to share, and I made a few that I've been wanting to try forever.

Here's a picture of my contributions to the party (more recipes to come!):

I've been wanting to try these Cookie Dough Truffles for a long time. I LOVE cookie dough - seriously I'd eat a whole batch of it right out of the bowl. The great thing about these truffles is that they don't contain raw eggs. I know my pregnant and nursing guests appreciated that!

I thought these truffles tasted amazing! They were a bit more work than I anticipated, but I've indicated some tips in the recipe below. I know at least one reader who had some trouble with chocolate-dipping the Oreo Truffles, so hopefully these tips will work for those as well.

Cookie Dough Truffles

Ingredients:

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1-14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 pounds semisweet (or bittersweet) chocolate, coarsely chopped
Vegetable shortening (optional)

Mini chocolate chips (for garnish)

Directions:
1. Combine the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

2. Beat in the flour, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla until incorporated and smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the mixture has firmed up enough to form balls.

3. Shape the chilled cookie dough mixture into 1-1½ inch balls. Place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Cover loosely, transfer the pan to the freezer and chill for 1-2 hours.

4. When ready to dip the truffles, melt the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water or very carefully in the microwave. The key to easily dipping the truffles is to the correct consistency of chocolate - make sure your chocolate melted is fairly thin. Mine was not, so I added tiny amounts of vegetable shortening (Crisco) to achieve the correct consistency. I think I added about a tablespoon to the chocolate mixture, perhaps a tad more.

5. Dip each chilled truffle, one at a time, coating in chocolate and shaking gently to remove the excess. (My aunt helped with this part!) To facilitate dipping, we took a wooden kabob skewer and used it to pick up a truffle, then swirled the truffle in the chocolate, then transfered the dipped truffle to a wax-paper lined surface. We twisted the skewer back and forth to remove it from the truffle. You can also use a fork to help remove the skewer. The optional mini-chocolate chip garnish will hide any imperfections left behind. Alternatively, you can use two forks to roll the truffle around in the chocolate and then, lifting the truffle out with the forks, let the excess chocolate run off. Note: If at any point during dipping, the cookie dough balls become too soft, return to the freezer to chill for 30 minutes. If using mini chocolate chips for garnish, sprinkle on top quickly after dipping each truffle before the chocolate sets.

6. Once all the truffles have been dipped, store them in the refrigerator (or freezer) until ready to serve.

Source: Adapted from Annie's Eats

French Vanilla Ice Cream

Although July in St. Louis tends to get unbearably hot, especially this year, it's also the month when one of my favorite fruits reaches its peak - peaches! A local farm sells the best peaches around, and each year I look forward to a fresh peach pie. And what is best served alongside a fresh peach pie? Vanilla ice cream of course! My dad has been asking why I haven't made him any ice cream this summer, so this was the perfect opportunity.

I turned to my trusty Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book for this one, and it turned out fantastic. Ultra-creamy with a nice, pronounced vanilla flavor. This recipe uses raw eggs, so avoid if you fall in a high-risk group for food-borne illness, but if you're not and it doesn't bother you, the eggs add a nice richness to the ice cream. I would think that the equivalent amount of a pasteurized egg substitute might work as well, but I'm not certain.

French Vanilla Ice Cream

Ingredients:

2 large eggs

3/4 cup sugar

2 cups heavy or whipping cream

1 cup milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl until light and fluff, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the sugar, a little at a time, then continue whisking until completely blended, about 1 minute more. Pour in the cream, milk, and vanilla and whisk to blend.

2. Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and freeze following the manufacturer's instructions.

Makes 1 quart

(Serve with fresh peach pie!)

Source: Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book

Caprese Salad Skewers

I have some big news to share - we bought a house!!! It actually happened the same week as our "house heart-break." We were able to move past that and ended up finding a great house that suits us well. Within a few hours of making the offer, the sellers had countered, and we had accepted. We were able to get a 60-day escrow so we don't overlap with our current lease, so we close September 17. We are really excited! I waited until after the inspection to announce it, so hopefully we won't have any snags along the way.

Because we are no longer spending every week night house hunting, I've felt a little more up for cooking, so hopefully the pace of my posts will pick up a bit :)

I actually made this fun appetizer to take to a work potluck several weeks ago. I saw the idea on some blogs last summer and have wanted to try it ever since. The concept is so simple that it doesn't really require a recipe, rather just a list of ingredients and basic instructions. So here goes:

Caprese Salad Skewers

Ingredients:

Cherry tomatoes

Fresh mozzarella balls (or cubes)

Fresh basil leaves

4 - 6" wooden skewers

Garlic pepper/salt, optional

Balsamic vinegar

Extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Assemble tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil on skewers. Sprinkle with garlic pepper/salt (I used a McCormick grinder), to taste. Chill until ready to serve. Offer balsamic vinegar and olive oil while serving.

S'mores Cheesecake Bars

This is pretty much all I've been baking lately . . .

One of my labmates told me about this cartoon, and I couldn't resist. If you've ever done lab research before (Kerstin!), you probably enjoyed this cartoon!

Our lab had a potluck dinner two weeks ago, and I decided to bring dessert. While I have about a million dessert recipes just waiting to be made, this one popped into my head. It just screams summer to me - anything S'mores makes me think of camping, and we've actually made S'mores several times this summer while waiting for our charcoal briquets to burn out. Bars are a great dessert to take to a party because people can just grab them.

These bars were pretty simple to make and definitely worth the effort. I'm convinced that placing the marshmallows on by hand in perfectly aligned rows will fulfill the OCD tendency in anyone! Everyone at the party who tried these really liked them, and they were so impressed with the presentation. This is one of those desserts that looks much harder that it is, which is always a nice surprise. The original recipes makes an 8 x 8-inch pan, but since there we going to be about 20 people at the party, I doubled it and used a 13 x 9-inch pan. The bars slice very cleanly as long as you wipe off the knife (or pizza chopper) between cuts.

I promise another post this week!!! :)

S'mores Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients:
For the crust:
2 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons sugar
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For the cheesecake:
8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
16 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup marshmallow cream
4 teaspoons cocoa powder
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs

For the topping:
3 cups mini marshmallows
Milk chocolate chips, melted (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 13 × 9-inch baking pan with foil; spray lightly with cooking spray.

2. To make the crust, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter in a small bowl. Stir together with a fork until well combined. Press the mixture in an even layer into the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Bake 10 minutes; transfer to a wire rack while you prepare the filling. Reduce the oven temperature to 325F.

3. To make the filling, place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Heat until melted and smooth, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.

4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese, sour cream and marshmallow cream. Beat on medium-high speed until smooth and well combined, 1-2 minutes. Blend in the cocoa powder, vanilla extract and eggs until incorporated. Stir in the melted chocolate until well blended. Pour the filling over the graham cracker crust and smooth the top with a spatula.

5. Bake about 25 - 30 minutes, or until the center is just set (does not jiggle when shaken gently.) Remove from the oven.

6. Evenly top the cheesecake layer with the mini marshmallows. Return to the oven for 2-3 minutes, just long enough so the marshmallows begin to melt into each other. Watch carefully! They brown very quickly. I just parked myself in front of the oven window.

7. Remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool. Once the cheesecake has reached room temperature, drizzle with melted milk chocolate if desired. I simply melted chocolate chips carefully in the microwave, transfered them to a resealable sandwich bag with a tiny bit of the corner cut off, and made diagonal stripes each way on the marshmallows. Very simple technique that looks impressive!

8. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill 2-3 hours before slicing and serving.

Source: Adapted from Annie's Eats and Sugar Plum

Thin-Crust Pizza

Does anyone still read my blog?! I am SO behind on posts it's ridiculous! We are forging full speed ahead in the house hunting process, and it is time-consuming! We had our first "house heart-break" this week - a house we were seriously considering was sold right from under us. We found out the night before we were going to see it and possibly make an offer :-( Very sad, but we've decided not to let time go by wallowing in our sorrow, so we're on to the next. I don't want to rush a purchase by any means, but the thought of being in a home by fall and hosting Thanksgiving is so exciting. I'll keep you posted!

Another reason for my lack of posts is my job. I decided to be brave and take on an area of research VERY foreign to me for my postdoc . . . either I'm brave or stupid because it is SO hard. I feel like I know nothing and I'm starting from scratch. I know that beginning any new job is difficult and there will always be an adjustment period, but I hate that part! I guess I thought that with all my experience I'd be able to pick things up faster - nope!

While I have not been cooking nearly as much as I should, I have managed to make a few things these past few weeks. One of my favorites is this Thin-Crust Pizza. The dough is so simple to put together, and it rises overnight in the fridge so the actual time preparing the pizza the day of is very minimal. The dough rolls out nicely, and the toppings couldn't be easier. We really liked this pizza, and I think it would be great with any of YFT (your favorite toppings).

I will try my hardest not to let this much time go by between posts again! :)

Thin-Crust Pizza

Ingredients:

For the dough:

1 3/4 - 2 cups (8 3/4 to 10 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for the work surface

1/2 teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast

1/2 teaspoon honey

1/2 teaspoon table salt

1/4 cup olive oil

3/4 cup warm water (110 degrees)

For the toppings:

1 cup (or a little more) Quick Tomato Sauce for Pizza (recipe follows)

8 ounces whole milk mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 2 cups; fresh is NOT recommended because of the high moisture content - use shrink-wrapped kind)

Directions:

1. To make the dough, pulse 1 3/4 cups flour, the yeast, honey, and salt in a food processor fitted with a dough blade, if possible. Process until combined, about 5 seconds.

2. With the machine running, pour the oil and then the water through the feed tube and process until the dough forms a ball, about 30 seconds. If after 30 seconds the dough is sticky and clings to the blade, add the remaining 1/4 cup flour 1 tablespoon at a time. Turn the dough out onto a work surface.

3. Divide the dough in half and place each piece in a gallon-sized, heavy-duty zipper-lock bag and seal. Refrigerate overnight or up to 48 hours.

4. One hour before baking the pizza, adjust an oven rack to the lowest position, set a pizza stone on the rack, and heat the oven to 500 degrees.

5. Remove the dough from the plastic bags. Set each piece in the center of a lightly floured large sheet of parchment paper. Cover each with two 18-inch lengths of plastic wrap, overlapping them in the center; let the dough rest for 10 minutes.

6. Setting one piece of dough aside, roll the other into a 14-inch round with an even thickness, using the tackiness of the dough against the parchment to help roll it. If the parchment wrinkles, flip the dough sandwich over and smooth the wrinkles with a metal bench scraper.

7. Peel the plastic wrap off the top of the rolled dough. Spread 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce to the edges of the dough. Sprinkle with 1 cup of the cheese.

8. Slip the dough with the parchment onto a pizza peel or rimless baking sheet. Slide the pizza, parchment and all, on to the hot pizza stone. Bake until a deep golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove the pizza from the oven with a pizza peel or pull the parchment with the pizza onto a baking sheet. Transfer the pizza to a cutting board, slide the parchment out from under the pizza, and slide it onto a wire rack. Cook 2 minutes until crisp; slide to a cutting board, cut into wedges, and serve.

9. While the first pizza is baking, repeat steps 6 and 7 to roll and top the second pizza; allow the baking stone ot reheat for 15 minutes after baking the first pizza, then repeat step 8 to bake the second pizza.

Quick Tomato Sauce for Pizza

Ingredients:

1 14.5-ounce can crushed tomatoes

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 teaspoon)

table salt and ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Process the tomatoes in a food processor until smooth, about 5 pulses.

2. Heat the oil and garlic in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomatoes; bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until the sauce thickens, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Source: The Complete America's Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook

Chewy, Fudgy Brownies

Bob and I recently started the house hunting process, and it has unexpectedly taken up what little free time I have! It's exciting but also so overwhelming. I've been trying to fit in some baking too, but it's been hard! I've wanted to make these brownies from my America's Test Kitchen Cookbook for a long time. I'm constantly on the hunt for the perfect brownie recipe!

I am very particular about my brownies. I like them chewy, not cakey. Given that these are called "chewy, fudgy brownies," I thought these would be it. Although these were very good brownies, they were not my idea of "chewy" . . . not as much "cakey" as I've had in the past though. All of the chewy brownies I've had are much thinner than these, so perhaps using a larger pan would have made them more chewy? I'm not about to try to revamp a Test Kitchen recipe - I'll just continue my hunt. If chewy isn't your thing, these really are delicious. Plus, these brownies slice very beautifully - so the presentation is great for company!

Chewy, Fudgy Brownies

Ingredients:

5 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into quarters

3 tablespoons cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-processed)

3 large eggs

1 1/4 cups (8 3/4 ounces) sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon table salt

1 cup (5 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour

Directions:

1. Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 350F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with two pieces of foil that extend beyond the edges of the pan (to serve as handles to lift the cooled brownies out of the pan). Spray the foil with vegetable oil spray.

2. Melt the chocolates and butter in a medium heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.

3. Whisk the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt together in a medium bowl until combined, about 15 seconds.

4. Whisk the warm chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the flour until just combined.

5. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Using a spatula, spread the batter into the corners and smooth the surface. Bake until slightly puffed and a toothpick o wooden skewer inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 35 to 40 minutes.

6. Cool the brownies on a wire rack to room temperature, about 2 hours.

7. Loosen the edges with a paring knife and lift the brownies from the pan using the foil extensions. CI recommends cutting the brownies into 64 1-inch pieces. I cut them into 16! The cut brownies can be wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 5 days.

Source: Adapted from The Complete America's Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook

Sweet Cherry Pie

I attempted to make a heart in the center . . .

Cherry pie is one of my dad's favorite desserts. I've always wanted to make a fresh cherry pie, and I even received a cherry pitter for Christmas to do just that. I served this pie for the Father's Day dinner Bob and I made for my parents. I find making a pie entirely from scratch very satisfying, and that is especially true for this pie because my family had never had a truly homemade cherry pie.

I don't typically like cherry pie. The cherries are soggy and have a strange texture. The cherries in this pie have a texture that is, well, natural. They are more firm but still very juicy. The pie crust was perfectly flaky, and the whole thing is relatively quick to make. I did the entire thing in 1 day, although I would have preferred to do the crust the day before to lessen the work. My family loved this pie, and I actually did too!

For me, the pie dough was very sticky. The high humidity here may have affected the consistency a bit, but the finished product was fantastic, so don't worry if yours doesn't quite match the description. Some CI notes - the vodka is not detectible at all but helps maintain the moisture in the crust (not recommended to skip), and the tapioca should be measured first, then ground. Since my instant tapioca came pre-ground, I used 2 tablespoons ground, and it was fine. Lastly, if you use frozen fruit, measure it frozen then let it thaw before making the filling. I was going to do a lattice top for this pie, but I read on CI's website that they do not recommend lattices for cherry pie - it allows too much moisture to evaporate and alters the juiciness of the filling.

Happy Baking!!!

Sweet Cherry Pie

Ingredients:

For the pie dough:

2 1/2 cups (12 1/2 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon table salt

2 tablespoons sugar

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

1/2 cup cold vegetable shortening, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

1/4 cup vodka, cold

1/4 cup cold water

For the cherry filling:

2 red plums, halved and pitted

6 cups (about 2 pounds) pitted sweet cherries or 6 cups pitted frozen cherries, halved

1/2 cup sugar (3 1/2 ounces)

1/8 teaspoon table salt

1 tablespoon juice from 1 lemon

2 teaspoons bourbon (optional)

2 tablespoons instant tapioca, ground

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 teaspoon water

Directions:

1. For the pie dough: process 1 1/2 cups flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor until combined, about two 1-second pulses. Add butter and shortening; process until homogenous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 15 seconds (dough will resemble cottage cheese curds and there should be no uncoated flour).

2. Add remaining 1 cup flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl and mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty mixture into medium bowl.

3. Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture. With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together. Divide dough into 2 equal balls and flatten each into a 4-inch disk. Cover each with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.

4. Remove 1 disk of dough from refrigerator and roll out on generously floured (up to ¼ cup) work surface to a 12-inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick. Roll dough loosely around rolling pin and unroll into pie plate, leaving at least 1-inch overhang. Ease dough into plate by gently lifting edge of dough with 1 hand while pressing into plate bottom with other hand. Refrigerate until dough is firm, about 40 minutes.

5. For the filling: Adjust oven rack to lowest position, place baking sheet on oven rack, and heat oven to 400 degrees. Process plums and 1 cup halved cherries in food processor until smooth, about 1 minute, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary.

5. Strain puree through fine-mesh strainer into large bowl, pressing on solids to extract liquid; discard solids. Stir remaining halved cherries, sugar, salt, lemon juice, bourbon (if using), tapioca, and cinnamon (if using) into puree; let stand for 15 minutes.

6. Transfer cherry mixture, including all juices, to dough-lined plate. Scatter butter pieces over fruit. Roll second disk of dough on generously floured work surface (up to ¼ cup) to 11-inch circle about 1/8 inch thick. Roll dough loosely around rolling pin and unroll over pie, leaving at least ½-inch overhang. Flute edges using thumb and forefinger or press with tines of fork to seal. Brush top and edges with egg mixture. With sharp knife, make 8 evenly spaced 1-inch-long vents in top crust. Freeze pie 20 minutes.

7. Place pie on preheated baking sheet and bake 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue to bake until juices bubble around the edges and crust is deep golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes longer.

8. Transfer pie to wire rack; let cool to room temperature so juices have time to thicken, 2 to 3 hours. Cut into wedges and serve.

Source: Adapted from Cook's Illustrated