Chocolate Chip Banana Beer Muffins

Tonight I just felt like baking and playing around with my Livestream Profile and live blogged the baking of these muffins!

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 2 medium bananas, mashed
• 1/3 cup melted butter or margarine
• 1/4 cup beer
• 3/4 semi-sweet Chocolate Chips

Bacon & Beer Chocolate Truffles

Inspired by last weeks Oreos and wanting to play with beer and chocolate again, I decided to add one more ingredient to the party: Bacon. As a good Jewish girl, I don’t have all that much experience working with bacon, so thanks to my roommate I learned a few things, like don’t crowd the pan. Keep the heat low so it can cook evenly and have some patience. Otherwise, this recipe is quite easy. And it’s even more fun working with beer, chocolate and bacon when the football game is on in the background. Not that I know too much about it, but The Giants won. And there’s going to be a lot of hoopla over a NYC team playing in the Superbowl. These treats might be a fun one to bring to the party!

Ingredients

• 9 Ounces of Dark Chocolate
• 1/2 Cup of heavy Cream
• 3 Tablespoons of Dark Beer (I used Brooklyn Brewery Dark Chocolate Stout)
• 1/2 pound of bacon, crisp and smashed to bits
• 1/2 cup of Unsweetened Dutch Cocoa Powder

 Instructions

1. Cook the bacon in large frying pan until its quite crispy. Drain, place in a plastic bag and smash to bits
2. Place cream and chocolate in a heat proof bowl over a pan of simmering water
3. Stir until incorporated and remove from heat
4. Stir in beer until fully incorporated
5. Stir in Bacon until fully incorporated
6. Pour into a ceramic or glass bowl, cover with plastic wrap to protect from moisture and let it set for 3 hours
7. Pour cocoa powder in to a bowl
8. Use your hands to roll the chocolate into small truffle sized balls
9. Cover with cocoa powder, tap off excess and transfer into another bowl for serving

photos and styling by Amy Wilkinson

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Homemade Oreos with Chocolate Beer Ganache

Searching for what I was going to make for a potluck I wanted to do something traditional with a twist. So, I added beer ganache to Oreos. How did I come up with that idea? Well, I have a cute neighbor and I wanted an excuse to text him and see if he had any beer. I ended up chickening out and my roommate (and food Stylist - Amy Wilkinson) grabbed some Brooklyn Brewery Black Chocolate Stout from our neighborhood deli while walking Rue. (photo of the glorious dog below!). 

Starting on Thursday, January 26, find additional potluck dishes from fellow Gojee contributors. Simply go to gojee.com and enter “gojeepotluck” into I Crave. You can also follow #gojeepotluck on Twitter. 

Homemade Oreos (as found on Smitten Kitchen)
Makes 25 to 30 sandwich cookies

For the chocolate wafers:

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups sugar [see recipe note]
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) room-temperature, unsalted butter
• 1 large egg

For the cream filling:

• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) room-temperature, unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
• 2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the Chocolate Beer Ganache

• 9 oz. dark chocolate, 65% cacao
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons of beer

Instructions

Make the Chocolate Wafer:

1. Set two racks in the middle of the oven. Preheat to 375°F.
2. In stand mixer mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder, salt, and sugar. While on a low speed, add the butter, and then the egg. The dough stayed crumbly for me but when I rolled it into balls it came together.
3. Round small circles of dough and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet approximately with some good space (they expand a lot.) With moistened hands, slightly flatten the dough. Bake for 8 minutes, rotating once for even baking. Set baking sheets on a rack to cool.

To make the cream:

1. Place butter and vegetable oil in a mixing bowl
2. At low speed, beat in the sugar and vanilla. 
3. Turn the mixer on high and beat for 2 to 3 minutes until filling is light and fluffy.

To make the ganache,

1. Place chocolate and cream in a heat-proof bowl over a pan of simmering water. 
2. Let the chocolate and cream heat up for 3 minutes and then begin to stir. 
3. Whisk until fully incorporated.
4. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.  
5. Stir in beer and incorporate fully (I like working with the ganache while its still liquid, but you can also cover, chill and make truffles)

To assemble the cookies:

1. Pair the cookies into similar sizes
2. On one of the cookies dab chocolate ganache in center of cookie.
3. Grab a small bit of the cream and roll into a ball.
4. Place the cream on the other wafer and spread out to the edge of the wafer
5. Lightly press, to work the filling evenly to the outsides of the cookie. 
6. Continue this process until all the cookies have been sandwiched with ganache and cream. 

Photos and Food Styling by: Amy Wilkinson

Chocolate Soufflé Cupcakes with White Chocolate Mint Cream

Well, I just liked saying this one. It sounds all fancy and I was definitely nervous to make it. But I found it really simple. The mint cream was a little to minty, but otherwise I didn’t make many changes. I found the recipe on Smitten Kitchen. I started using a kitchen scale with this recipe and I have to say, I’m obsessed. It makes life so much easier. It really is an essential tool. 

I also wish I brought my camera out, but I was so in the zone I probably wouldn’t have used it. I only took some photos with my iPhone at the end. Sorry for the quality.

I made some changes and needed 24 cupcakes - this was just enough for two muffin sheets.

Ingredients

Soufflé Cup-cake

• 340 grams bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 12 tablespoons  (172 grams) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• Heaping 1/2 teaspoon (2 gram) espresso or instant coffee powder
• 6 large eggs, separated
• 12 tablespoons (194 grams) sugar, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

White Chocolate Mint Cream

•  112 grams white chocolate, finely chopped
• 6 ounces heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

Instructions

Start with the White Chocolate Mint Cream

1. Place the white chocolate in a small bowl.
2. Bring the cream to a simmer, pour it over the chocolate and let it sit for a minute to melt the chocolate.
3.  Whisk well.
4. Add the peppermint extract and whisk again. (Be sure not to pour over the bowl, excess isn’t so great)
5. Lay a piece of plastic wrap on the surface of the cream. Chill until very cold, about two hours.

Cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Line 9 standard-size (3-ounce) muffin cups with paper liners. (This is ESSENTIAL)
3. Stir chocolate, butter and espresso powder together in heavy medium saucepan over low heat mostly melted, then remove from the heat and whisk until it is fully melted and smooth.
4. Cool to lukewarm, stirring occasionally.
5. Using electric mixer  beat egg yolks and 3 tablespoons sugar in medium bowl until mixture is very thick.
6. Briefly beat lukewarm chocolate mixture, then vanilla extract, into yolk mixture.
7. With clean dry beaters, beat egg whites in another medium bowl until soft peaks form.
8. Gradually add remaining 3 tablespoons sugar and all of the salt, beating until medium-firm peaks form.
9. Fold whites into chocolate mixture in 3 additions.
10. Divide batter among prepared cups, filling each three-fourths of the way.
11. Bake cakes until tops are puffed and dry to the touch and a tester inserted into the centers comes out with some moist crumbs attached, about 15 to 20 minutes. You might see some cracks, which is fine.
12. Cool in pan on a cooling rack, where the cupcakes will almost immediately start to fall. According to Smitten Kitchen, its to make room for the cream.

Topping

1. Once cupcakes are completely cool, beat mint white chocolate cream with electric beaters until soft peaks form.
2. Remove cupcakes from pan, arrange on a platter.
3. Fill each sunken top with a healthy dollop of white chocolate mint cream. Top with shaved dark chocolate, if you’re feeling fancy. These should be served when complete.

PREP AHEAD: I did the cupcakes the day before, prepped the cream.Then when the meal was almost finished, I beat the cream and finished them off.

Chocolate Macaroons (Passover)

This recipe was really easy and quite good, though I did learn it is really important to wait for the chocolate to cool to room temperature before adding it to the egg whites or the macroons will be more like macarookies. That term was coined by my brother. I did have one batch come out pretty perfect. I’m not sure what possessed me to make the second batch at 10 PM. For some reason I was nervous there wouldn’t be enough dessert. 20 people, and there was enough sweets for 50 people.

I found the recipe on Epicurious and I only made slight variations. 

Ingredients

•  6 ounces of chopped dark chocolate
• 1/3 cups mini semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 large egg whites
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. Place shredded chocolate in a double boiler or bowl over a pot of boiling water and melt chocolate. Whip chocolate until smooth, remove from heat.
4. Using electric mixer, beat egg whites and salt in medium bowl until soft peaks form.
5. Gradually add sugar, then vanilla, beating until whites are thick and glossy.
6. Fold in melted chocolate and coconut.
7. Then add remaining 1/3 cup chocolate chips. 
8. Drop batter by heaping teaspoonfuls onto prepared sheets, spacing 1 1/2 inches apart.
9. Bake cookies 10 minutes.
10. Reverse sheets.
11. Bake until tops are dry and cracked and tester inserted into centers comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 10 minutes longer.
12. Cool cookies on sheets on racks.
13. Store airtight at room temperature up to 2 days.

Chocolate Covered Raspberry Truffles

With this experiment I got to play with chocolate, learn how to ‘temper’ and create little gems I’m quite proud of…

The inspiration:

I saw it in a book and I thought, hey, I can do this…

Bought me some chocolates from my favorite chocolate shop and some raspberries.

Turned the Raspberries into a ganache center

I left them in the fridge over night. Then tempered the chocolate, dipped and refrigerated again. I am quite proud of how the came out.

Here’s the dance steps.

Ingredients:

• *3/4 cup heavy cream
• *20 Ounces bittersweet chocolate
  
• *2 cups firm dry fresh raspberries. (Really important that they are both dry and firm or they get too mushy and break and makes it near impossible)

Instructions

1. 1. Simmer cream in a sauce pan.
2. 2. Remove from heat and add in 8 ounces of chocolate. Let sit for 5 minutes, stir gently and pour into a bowl.
3. 3. Coat the berries in chocolate and place on a cookie sheet covered in foil. Use two spoons to full cover the raspberries which may come out uneven. Then refrigerate until completely firm.
4. 4. Cover another cookie sheet in foil
5. 5. Temper the remaining chocolate
6. 6. Drop the chilled raspberry ganache in the chocolate using two forks to completely cover and remove excess. Repeat with all the berries.

Tempering Chocolate

This is basically placing some of the chocolate in a double boiler until it gets to 115 degrees Fahrenheit (F) and remove from heat. Add more chocolate to naturally reduce the temperature. Continue to do this till the temp gets to 79 Degrees F.  Then bring back to 88 Degrees F using the double boiler. Then while you’re working with the chocolate, try and keep it at 88 Degrees F - never going over 90 Degrees.  A heating pad can help, but I just kept stirring to keep the temp even and was sure to pay close attention.

Chocolate Chocolate Bday Cake - for Emi!

I love making bday cakes. Seriously, it’s delivered on fire with a song, and enjoyed by a group. Last night I made a cake for my friend/ co-worker Emi. The recipe was super easy and fun to make. I found the cake recipe on Bake Bree and only altered it a little bit.

Ingredients

Cake:

• *1 3/4 cups flour
  *2 cups sugar
  *3/4 cups cocoa
  *2 teaspoons baking soda
  *1 teaspoon baking powder
  *1 teaspoon salt
  *1 cup buttermilk
  *1/2 cup vegetable oil
  *2 eggs, room temperature
  *1 teaspoon vanilla
  *1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

Chocolate Buttercream:

• *2 sticks of room temperature butter
  *3 cups confectioners sugar
  *1/2 cup cocoa
  *1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  *4-6 tablespoons heavy cream

Instructions:

1. 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. 2. Prep two 9 inch bake pans (I use baking spray with flour and line pans with parchment paper)
3. 3. In a large bowl mix the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Mix this mixture until combined. (It took me a bit to get the cocoa combined evenly)
4. 4. Combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla. 
5. 5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.
6. 6. Pour in the hot coffee (it will look wet, but that’s okay)
7. 7. Pour evenly into two 9 inch pans
8. 8. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes. (My oven is a little stronger in the back so I rotate about 20 minutes in)
9. 9. Let cool completely (about 30 minutes)

Frosting:

1. 1. Cream together the butter and sugar.  Gradually add the cocoa powder. (Seriously, or it will be all over you)
2. 2. Add just enough cream to get the consistency for spreading.  Add the vanilla.
3. 3. I found that I needed to play with the sugar/cream consistency and prefer my frosting a little bit more stiff
4. 4. Then I placed the bottom layer on the cake holder, and frosted it right there. I did the middle frosting, added the second cake. Then evenly frosted all the way round best I could.
5. 5. I put in the fridge while I made a second set of frosting (but no cocoa, so It would be white)
6. 6. Put the frosting in a plastic bag, cut the corner slightly and wrote on the cake!
7. 7. I always put the cakes I make in the fridge for 30 minutes before transporting it just to ensure it sets. (That might change after I go to pastry school…)

I brought the cake to the office and Emi cuts her cake:

And it’s basically gone:

I Heart Making Chocolate Truffles

Saturday night I was throwing an event, which was at the same time as my friend’s 30th birthday party. I felt so terrible that I wasn’t able to make it,  I decided to make her chocolate truffles.

I found this great recipe on The Pioneer Woman. It was a pretty easy recipe and they came out pretty well.

Ingredients:

• *8 ounces, weight (up To 9 Oz.) Good Semisweet Chocolate
• *8 ounces, weight (up To 9 Oz.) Good Bittersweet Chocolate
• *1 can (14 Oz) Sweetened Condensed Milk
• *1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
• *8 ounces, weight Meltable Milk Chocolate
• *Sea Salt

Instructions:

• 1. Heat dark chocolates and condensed milk in a double boiler over medium low heat until chocolate is melted.
• 2. Stir—mixture will have a slight marshmallow texture.
• 3. Stir in vanilla.
• 4. Remove from heat, cover and refrigerate for two hours.
• 5. Once chilled, roll in balls, then roll in melted milk chocolate coating. Sprinkle with sea salt or other fine, coarse sprinkles.

I made two mistakes, at first I didn’t roll all of the chilled chocolate into balls and just rolled and dipped one at a time in the melted milk chocolate. The milk chocolate started to harden. It was then that I realized and I rolled the rest of the chilled chocolate into balls.

I then made my first box of chocolate for my friend and tied it with a bow.

But I went crazy making way more chocolate than could fit in that box so I brought them to my event, in Tupperware. Yes, I was running an ArtBattle event at the hip Liberty Hall space in The Ace Hotel  pulling out my chocolates for anyone willing to try. That is until I put them down on a table, turned around and they were swiped. Perhaps they were THAT good, or a bus boy thought it was garbage. Either way, about 3/4 of them were enjoyed. Now I just have to give the box to my friend!